All was going well with both the bike and me ready for the ride but it was not to be.
On Thursday all the tyre checks were and ample tread to complete the return ride. Fueled the bike packed the bike with the gear I needed.
Out of bed at 5 am Friday morning for a 6 am departure to the city of Adelaide. It was still dark and once out of Peterborough the temp stared to hover around the 3C mark but I had a battery heated vest under the jacket and some heated gloves so the cold wasn't an issue.
As I arrived at Mount Bryan the top of the hills to the west of the road turned to a shade of pink so I stopped at the wind turbine display blade and took a couple of pics.
You can just see the pink clouds above the blade where the 1300 is parked.
Traffic was fairly light with just the local farmers taking kids to the school buses and a few B doubles heading north to Broken Hill. I was tempted go into Burra but decided to go via the heavy vehicle bypass road and stop at Saddleworth instead.
Breakfast consisted of a Villi's Pie; my first one ever and as expected not the best and microwaved so I tossed about half of it.
Next stop at 9:45am was next to SA Water in Victoria Square in the city centre because it's one of the few free bike parking places I know of and a little closer to where I needed to go than my usual bike parking area near Government house on North Terrace.
Now back on the bike at about 11:30 and on the way through the traffic for fuel at Blair Athol. I planned to stop for lunch somewhere between the city and Port Augusta; The bakery in Port Wakefield seemed good enough so I stpped there.
Lunch out the way and on the way to my next fuel stop in Port Augusta with a planned 5 minute stop beside the highway near Crystal Brook.
About 40 km South of Port Augusta the bike stated to weave a little along with the steering being a little heavier as well. I saw a sign showing Truck Parking 2 Km and slowed down until I got there.
https://goo.gl/maps/LwzpRTG3msX62K2k9I didn't know it at the time but the next image taken when I stopped would be the end of the ride.
Route from Home to break down
I rang Heather and asked her to come over in the car and bring the compressor so I could get the bike back home. About an hour and a half later Heather and daughter Tammie arrived and with pump in hand got the tyre up to pressure. Told the girls to go and I'd catch them up and I would be stopping at Wilmington.
I passed them just on the approach to Horrocks Pass and just about flew through the pass and up over to Wilmington. Just as I neared the town I could tell that the tyre was loosing air but still stopped in the town and waited for the girls to arrive.
Out with the compressor again but that was it; air was going out as fast as it went in so decided to leave the bike and take it home on the trailer. The garage was still open so I added another $50 into the car tank and made sure it was okay to leave the bike there and we'd pick it up a little later.
Of we went to Peterborough and dropped Tammie off at her place and then hooked up our 6X4 trailer for the trip back to Wilmington. Bike loaded and back home at about 12:30 am and somehow the bike never moved.
On the trailer
Ready undo the ropes and roll the bike off
