Picked up my white ST1100 in Townsville this morning and set off for Mackay. Had a breakage after about 80 km. Not the bike, but the screw on the side bar on my glasses dropped out. Luckily I was only a km or two from Ayr so I rode up and down the main street looking for an optometrists. There are two in Ayr, and both are closed on a Satruday. But in the main street is Campbells Jewellers, and the jeweller there put in a slightly longer screw that fitted and on I rode.
Campbells Jewellers, thanks for the superb work! And he wouldn't even take money for a beer.
Lovelly day for a long ride, overcast and cool - in the low 20s so I had to stop now and then and hydrate. Took some photos too.
MAMOBSC shows some sugar cane, they've started harvesting and you can see where they've cut a few rows in the front and already planted next years cane.
Officer Steve shows me and my bike. The QLD police used to ride white ST1100s and wore black gear, fluoro yellow hi-viz vests, and white helmets. I had the driver of a police car going the other way wave to me as I cruised on down the Bruce Highway.
Whitsundays. There's only one place on the ride where you meet the sea, so i walked down to the beach and took a photo. Those are the Whitsunday islands in the distance, great place to holiday.
Loved the ride, cruised most of the way on the open road at 110 km/hr but did have one problem, she creeps! If I didn't keep an eye on the speedo, before I knew it she'd be doing 120, 130 and once 140 km/hr. I'll have to watch that or else the real police might take more of an interest in me and my girl.
Oh, and I got 5.26 L/100 km (18.97 km/L, 53.1 mpg). Not bad for a big machine - that's a range of 500 km on a tankful.
