National OzSTOC Rally 2012

[Biggles]

It's 10:00 and we've had our "dinner" (liquid for some) and back in the cabins.  The bad boys are rioting in number 5 while us good people sleep or tell tales on the Forum.
All geed up for a great ride tomorrow.

[Streak]

Here we are Lunch at the Taranga Hotel 29 ST's on show, great food 120km ride to get here

[scarp]

Soooo Jealous

[Biggles]

One thing the Rally has proven, as you see in the pix- Candy Apple Red is the colour of choice!

Just back in the cabin from a top dinner and presentation night led by Streak and Diesel.  Great fun and prizes.  Streak excelled himself again with trophies and commemorative mugs.

It was officially announced the next Ozstoc Rally will be Victor Harbour, S.A.  Next up there will be a Poll to decide whether this should be an annual event or biennial.  I know what the guys who missed out will be voting for   :)

There will be pages of reports and photos to follow.  Suffice to say we had a great photo shoot at Govett's Leap with the inimitable Beatup (that was) and his fancy new camera.  That was after the memorable ride that Blue Heeler led us on.

All will be revealed!!

[Skip]

Sooooo jealous. Looks like you've already had a great time. 'Have a safe ride home' to you all.
Cheers.
Skip.

[Shaun]

Back home after an excellent couple of days gawking at all the ST's putting faces to names and generally having a ripper of a time.

Did the whole trip there, whizzing around the runs and back home again on a single tank, and there is still fuel to spare. Gotta love these bikes.

Let me just add my thanks to Streak and Diesel for the organisation of the event, and to BlueHeeler for a great run around on roads I didn't even know about, as well as fixing me up with some shiny bits on my rear end. Yep, it was that sort of rally :D

Cheers, Shaun

[Streak]

Not the best photo, but our 2012 Ozstoc Award winners left to right:


1. Be presented ST: Dick B
2. Most Farkled ST: Saaz
3. Ozstoc member of the year 2012: Barry Lane
4. Furtherest travelled ST: Mitch (3,900km)
5. Funniest Moment of the rally: Diesel (for not once but twice burning his rear end on a hot plate)

[danriveros]

Dear OzSTOC,

Thank you very very much for the great time I had during this Rally.

I learned many things in this trip, one of them was that riding the american way is not healthy for my bike, so when I put to practice the advice from Biggles and others I was able to save a lot of petrol on my way back home. I also enjoyed so much to be able to compare similar bikes in sound, looks and "smells". I love the well organized event and I felt extremely safe riding as a group. I could tell the wealth of riding experience as a group which is priceless.

I spent less than $100 in this trip including food, petrol and accommodation... and I know it was because of the good spirit of my new friends that made this possible.

I can't wait to go to the next Rally.

Thank you again, Daniel.

[alans1100]

one of them was that riding the american way is not healthy for my bike,

Anyone care to explain this for those of us who might not know......like me.....lol

[Whizz]

Me too, have the yanks invented some way of riding that doesn't involve throwing your leg over the bike??? if so I'd like to see it!! 

Cheers
Whizz
 

[scarp]

I thought he might be driving on the Right side of the road that would not be healthy for long

[Whizz]

Nah, he said "...not healthy for my bike", not himself!

[scarp]

Well either way bike or rider it wouldn't be healthy

[Shaun]

For all of those following the trials with my throttle lock at OZSTOC 2012.

Tipsy, and myself a little later, tried to shape the handle side parts of the main body of the clamp by sanding portions off.

Once I got home, the idea occurred to me to glue in some inserts to make the throttle grabber have a smaller radius.

Some cable ties I have were just the right width and flexibility to glue into the curve. I needed to use two layers on each side but it now locks properly when engaged and spins freely when released. I have now got an extra farkle. I am not sad I lost the farkle contest, there were some bikes that looked as though they were simply a tool for their farkles to be attached to. :)

Best of travels to those still heading home and good rest to those who have returned.

Cheers, Shaun

[Whizz]

Scarp, I completely agree, but I'm still dying to know what he meant.

Cheers
Whizz
 

[danriveros]

I have been riding in Australia for only a year, prior to that I lived in Utah (USA) for more than 10 years where I learned to ride. I owned quite a few different motorcycles and rode many group rides from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas and L.A. The speeds limits in the US are quite different than here, so due to that I was used to shift gears according to the sound of the engine. So, when riding here I was shifting to 5th gear only after reaching 85 to 90 Kms/hour. I was told by other members that they were shifting to 5th after reaching 65 km/hour making fuel consumption minimal. That is all... 

[Whizz]

Ahh!! I understand now. Yes, the ST engine is flexible enough to change right up at about 60kph as long as you don't want it to actually produce any quick power.

Tell me, are the speed limits in the States still 65mph? I have ridden there but not for many years, and did so after coming straight from UK where the motorway speed limit is 70mph but most people (used to) do 80 or 90 mph, including the trucks and coaches. Before that I rode in Germany for a while where the autobahn has no speed limit except for a minimum one, so 65 mph seemed really slow, especially outside town.

Cheers
Whizz
 

[saaz]

I am back after taking a more convolued way home to the ACT.  Suffice to say that someone did the Jenolan Caves road on the way home, and some other gravel back roads.

For those who could not make it, we had a really rubbish time 

Pictures and stories to come in a while after I have sorted through what I have, and what lies others post up   

We had fishballs as a nibble on Friday night in honour of Brock.

[danriveros]

"Tell me, are the speed limits in the States still 65mph? I have ridden there but not for many years, and did so after coming straight from UK where the motorway speed limit is 70mph but most people (used to) do 80 or 90 mph, including the trucks and coaches. Before that I rode in Germany for a while where the autobahn has no speed limit except for a minimum one, so 65 mph seemed really slow, especially outside town."

The speed limits is 80 mph (134 km/hr) in most of the state of Utah... but we used to go about 95 mph without helmets. I even remember going 110 mph (177 Km/hr) with my eight year old son on the back... now when I look back I realized who stupid you can get living in my dear America (of course I was riding my 1998 Honda Valkyrie, a little more stable bike than my St1300)

[Tipsy]

 :wht11py
Well  I decided to head back to brissie as I am having some concerns about the clutch which in reality may be of little worry at all but I would rather be safe than stranded out woop woop.
In a motel room at Maitland watching the F1  and will resume travels home in the morning ...why rest ?cause I can
Tipsy

And on a very bright note as I thought I should get it done FIRST
Arrived Blackheath
Booked in
Yelled at every  on having drinks
Rode down to tent site
pulled up and STOPPED
na it couldnt happen could it
Ya It did an I do

Tipsy has arrived (in the building) NO On the Deck
boy that one hurt the body not the pride and again no pics sorry

[Dick B "Yewie"]

It had something to do with treating his 5th gear like an overdrive and only using it out on the open highway at over 80k/h. Probably why he was only getting around 300k out of a tank full of 98 in his ST1300.

[saaz]

Here are some phots. I will organise them better some time.  They are in reverse order - first ones are from when I got back, last ones are on the way there.

http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r92/saaz58/2012%20Ozstoc%20national%20meet/

[Biggles]

one of them was that riding the american way is not healthy for my bike,

Anyone care to explain this for those of us who might not know......like me.....lol

He wasn't aware it pays to get into top gear as soon as practical if you want to ride economically- apparently Yanks ride around town in 4th so they can accelerate at a moment's notice.  I pointed out the STs pull away from 60 in top without any stress if you want them to.

[alans1100]

He wasn't aware it pays to get into top gear as soon as practical if you want to ride economically- apparently Yanks ride around town in 4th so they can accelerate at a moment's notice.  I pointed out the STs pull away from 60 in top without any stress if you want them to.

Depending on how heavy city traffic is I'll leave it in 4th as well, but then by the time you get to 60 your slowin' down again anyway. Minimal traffic in the city then sure 60kph in 5th no drama's

Where I live it's all 50kph so it's 4th gear anyway,

[Barry and Marissa]

Hi All,
Arrived home last night after a great ride down Bells Line Rd and over to the Putty Rd. When I got to Singleton it looked a little bleak over towards Glouster, so I headed straight up the New England as far as Tenterfield then rode East to the coast and home by the Pacific Hwy. My thanks to all involved in organising the Rally. It was a fantastic well organised event and I'm looking forward to next years Rally.

Link below to photo's taken at the Rally and on the way there


http://s89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/BarryKLT/Ozstoc%20Rally%202012/

Cheers
Barry and Marissa  :)  :)