Both Pockey and ST2UP where struggling for time to do a Ride Report from their recent overnight RTE to Inverell, so I 'm taking it upon myself to submit this report, allow me to introduce myself.
I am STig, the 2009 ST1300 that resides in the stable of Pockey &ST2UP. My name STig is not from the mystical man from the BBC series Topgear, but from an old Norse boys name meaning "The Wanderer or Voyager".
Here is my story of the Inverell weekend that was.......
On Friday the 13th a surprise new friend appeared along side me in my STable in the form of "GhoST" a beautiful white ST1300 (Abe) that raised a few eye lids at his secretive arrival. After an afternoon of farkling we were now blood brothers for life, sporting our new matching LED mirror indicator lights.....Oh we're so pretty !!
Our ride on Saturday morning had the GhoST and I on the road at 0800, collecting "Georgia" the Yamaha Feejeer from up the road (Paul & Vicki) to make our way north up the New England Hwy to Tenterfield for our first stop of the day, along the way I was speechless when and older woman took my eye on the roadside awaiting me as I past through Glen Innes.....one of the most STunning visions of loveliness I have ever layed my young eye's upon......this beauty a 94 ' ST1100 in radiant blue (Will &Miss T) who for a short time shared a STable with me.....oh how I lusted for her clean lines to be close to me again.
A brief stopover side by side in Tenterfield allowed Georgia the Feejar to bask in the presence of our greatness and left her feeling a little inferior although this was not our intention as she was a most welcome and capable guest on our expedition.
We travelled the picturesque Bruxner Hwy to the Glenlyon dam turn off where just prior Georgia, overwhelmed by the inseparable bond of the ST's scarpered of ahead towards Bonshaw with her tail between her luscious long legs and missed the turn off. The GhoST relished the challenge to be the mediator to facilitate a reunion between the 4 bikes at the Stockman Hotel in Texas QLD and headed of in pursuit of the wounded Georgia.
My former STable mate and I continued hand in hand, dancing down the Glenlyon Dam Rd to meet the Stanthorpe -Texas rd, where we found a series of twisties that had me needing a band-aide on my right foot peg on a 20klph corner......just another scar on an already scarred part of my body........such is life !!
Our stop over in Texas had us all reunited again with the geographically embarrassed Georgia the Feejar..... and into the company of so many other gleaming ST's and few others who had made this pilgrimage to the renowned Stockman Hotel.
After our engine oils had cooled we were off again bound for Inverell, on the way I had the chance to come along side each of the splendid ST's that were in our group making for Inverell to allow me closer inspection.....what a force to be reckoned with we must have looked.......wildlife ran in fear at our mere presence !!
On entering Inverell and finally having a quenching drink myself after carting about these selfish humans I then had the indignity of loosing for a brief period my thoroughbred heritage and be shamelessly relegated to that of packhorse for my thirsty riders......
On entering the Fossickers Rest park I found myself in ST nirvana......this was to be my stables for the night, I found on a number of occasions my raw magnetism had me photographed and a number of different ar$es sat atop my new RDL seat.....leaving fellow ST pilots in oar of my masculine and comfortable lines.
The warmth of the days sun on my new seat soon turned crisp and made all the more uncomfortable when my rider didn't tuck me into my pyjamas for my sleepover and had me awake the next morning to a wet bed......something that won't happen again will it master
I thought I must have been dreaming, but on reflection as I was shivering myself to sleep due to being totally forgotten by my riders, I heard a Strang noise in the distance.....it sounded as though someone was lost in the park......he was calling his lost friend Ralph !! I hope they found the poor lost soul.....
On the Sunday I received my morning ablutions and pampering of a screen clean and a wipe over that had me all fresh for what ever lay ahead.....6 ST's headed for the ride to Copeton Dam out from Inverell to enjoy the morning sun and the company of my fellow thoroughbreds, one of these fine examples complained of a lack of spring in their step but was soon rectified with intervention from the riders, and PC's 2up tourer was transformed.
STevo and Wendy on their ST1100 headed west for Bingara, and 5 ST's returned to Inverell to become 3 ST1300's GhoST (Abe), Red Runner (Stinky Pete) and myself STig for the fabulous run down the Thunderbolts Way to Kentucky for lunch. The ride down through this quiet section of the New England and allowed for some spirited ST action across a wide variety of conditions that naturally we ST's relished and conquered with class.
Here is where Red Runner parted company with GhoST and I and continued onwards towards home in South Aust, and we headed North uneventfully up the New England for Guyra, with a brief stop over on the verge of town to allow GhoST's rider to inspect the very large hydroponic Tomato Farm.
It is here that my lady owner decided to try the new Corbin pillion seat of my blood brother GhoST and travelled the short distance home.......as GhoST entered the yard I noticed the wicked glint in the headlight of my bloodbrother.....and in his defiant manner rolled over onto his side catching his unsuspecting passengers in his master plan of deception.
I had a fantastic weekend out of my STable and spent time with my motorcycling counter parts.......although disappointed I still haven't had my beautiful black curves cleaned to the gleaming manner I demand.....but perhaps their is another outing in my very near future.
STig
