ach these bikes are toooooo nice
This morning klr650 started like a champ after a dead battery yesterday and the sun finally came out.
Scampered up the range road in Cairns past Kuranda in a bit of mist and skittish new knobby but stayed mostly dry and scooped the ST1100 from storage in Koah
Love affair with the ST1100 resumes..
..navigated out the dirt and ditch and iffy bridge over the Clohesy I had been worried about - turned out forgot the lappie and wallet in the KLR
Turned around did the bridge ( one of these at the bottom of reasonably steep up and down - not a normal road bike venue
and slippy part again snagged the missing bits and by this time had the first few hundred meters of tense on a big road bike down pat even with a 5 month break from riding.
Last year - first 5 minutes riding the ST EVER, there was a small sand dune of gravel on the other side....bike was calmer about it than I was....sometimes weight helps.
Up the other side this year and out on the pavement and a totally lovely sunny day. Put on 150 k- dry and sunny - hit the fav coffee stops and down the Rex mostly okay tho lost the rear end a bit shifted down too far - but the bike is long and stable ...just waggled a bit. Knew there was a reason I bought it....
Off road riding partner took his daughter out as well since it's been a deluge for the last while ( even for here ).
He want's to take me on this.....says the creek is "deepish: :lmao:
ya think.....this was two weeks ago...yeah that's his front fender underwater....must have a serious snorkel on his 650.
Today however was a creek too far, deep, fast.....same creek - higher water levels.
It's amazing at times in the tablelands - it can be dry as a bone where you are and you come on a creek or river that was a cake walk last week and a raging torrent from some deluge 100 km upstream this week.
Nearly everyone outside the city drives something with a snorkel.
even for crazy Aussies this was too much.
Ken said they barely got their bikes turned around the mud was so thick.
KLR would have been hopeless....I'll wait a few weeks to take him up on the offer. Stick to the higher forest trails and cruising on the ST. ALways spots to explore for photos and the thing has legs to get out a bit further than I've explored.
Shoulder still a bit sore but been 5 months off so expect a few aches and pains especially after that marathon flight.
Saw my down under road riding partner heading the other way on his Burgman - man his glare yellow helmet is sure obvious.
Sorted the heavy traffic round abouts and came home tired but exhilerated - nice to be riding again after a longer than usual lay off.
I'll stay on the pavement for a bit until the wet season is over.....make friends between my back and the ST
