I'm really glad I recently bought my '09 ST1300 a couple of weeks back. I've ridden it twice now, a warmup between Newy and Taree and back with friends last week, highway stuff except for the Wooton bends and yesterday where I got a good taste of the bike in all it's uses. Only a short ride of 370ks or so, an indirect route to see a doctor at Sydney Olympic Park and back home but a cracker of a day I'd like to jot down that includes some roads that anyone riding through the area might want to have a peek at.
I left Newcastle about 9am determined not to use the freeway on the way down to the big smoke, so out through Edgeworth, Wakefield, Cooranbong, Wyee, Yarramalong and up Bumble Hill Road to Kulnurra. I didn't stop at Jerry's, a really popular rest break for bikes, turning left towards Peats Ridge and then on to the "Old Pacific Hwy" Calga, Mt White and a mandatory stop at Pie in the Sky. The pies are good but not worth $6. However the coffee is also good and there is always a line of interesting bikes to look at. By this stop I'd become well used to the cornering and feel of the bike, which is quite different to the others I own. By the time I was heading up the hill to Pie in the Sky I found I needed to put my toes on the footpegs to save wear on the outside of my boots
From Cowan I went through Berowra and down to Berowra Waters (a great little bimble down the hill that starts getting a little technical with a few 25k hairpins) and waited for a while to cross on the Ferry.
Getting at the front of the Ferry there is always a bonus, it gives you a clear run up the hill towards Galston
, Dural and then following the signs to Galston Gorge. The way down the Gorge is pretty easy and tossing the ST around by this point was just plain exhilarating. As usual a car coming the other way failed to give way at the one lane bridge at the bottom so I got the opportunity to express my dissatisfaction loudly through his open window and practice my sign language. The trip up the hill from the bottom of the Gorge is probably the most technical riding for the day. It's steep and there are a number of 1st gear 5kph very steep, full lock hairpins that require careful lots of attention and clutch manipulation. If you get up there without being tempted to put your foot down it's been a good day. The ST just shone, I can't believe how easy it is to manoeuvre.
Coming out of Galston if I hadn't been heading to an appointment I'd usually have turned left at Hornsby and headed back home on the Freeway or using any parts of the ride down in reverse. But a stinking hot 33+ degree day in Sydney traffic it was to be for the next 45 minutes or so. I copped it all, roadworks, delays, trucks, cars dropping in.... horrid. But the bike was easy to ride in traffic, civilised, didn't really care what gear it was in and easy enough to duck around when required. The bike didn't heat up and just kept going as normal (probably not a big deal for you other ST Owners but I sometimes have to think about this when I ride my Harley in similar conditions). I did notice though that the protection provided by the faring and plastics made this part of the ride a little less personally comfortable than my other bikes.
Anyhow, lunch at Sydney Olympic Park, a quick visit to the doc and back into the School Zone Traffic. By the time I got to Pymble I'd had a gutfull of the three lanes of crawling tin cans so I turned right at Bobbin Head Road and rode to Asquith via the Kuringai National Park. The ride isn't free but it's fun. Back through Berowra, the Old Pacific Hwy to the Hawkesbury River and only then did I take her out onto the freeway for the last leg home. There was lots of traffic on the freeway but somehow the ST just seemed to be able to weave it's way though it like it was (mostly) all just standing still, within reason of course and in full deference to the enforcement that's always along there.
Again I say, I'm really, really glad I bought this ST. What a great bike! Can't wait to test it's mettle on an IBA run.
