Royal Enfield Club of Australia – Hunter Ride 30th – 31st July 2016
The inner city people were meeting about 730am at Motociclo in St Peters, and then onto Royal Enfield Sydney at Burwood to pick up any people along the way.
The plan was to assemble at Windsor for breakfast . It would be then on to Wisemans Ferry, Spencer, Kulnura, Wollombi and finally Singleton.
Google Maps Link
Space is always precious on a motorcycle and since this is only an overnight trip all we took was a change of clothes and some shoes so we weren’t stuck in our motorcycle gear for the whole weekend.
Our saddle bags can fit one small backpack each side containing our clothes (jeans T-shirt and hoodie) and we have have a tank bag for our personal items – wallet, phone, cap, sunglasses, neck warmer, water etc
I have a small pannier bag containing tools, spare tubes and cables and I added another pannier to the back bar containing our wet weather gear even though it wasn’t expected to rain it is handy to combat the cold. The second pannier works like a backrest for Jenny but also makes it slightly more difficult for her to get on and off with her hip.
Jenny and I loaded up the bike and left Northmead about 8am for Windsor
Immediately I felt the cold and wished I’d put the wet weather gear and my winter gloves on, my jacket has a traditional collar and does not do up all the way which lets a jet of cold air in around my neck and down my back. Naturally cold air pools in low lying areas and in the shadows and you could feel the change in temperature as we rode through these different geographic features, however we we soon in Windsor basking in the sun.
We arrived at the Bridge Cafe and found Gerad having a coffee so we ordered breakfast. Marie arrived from the Blue Mountains and then Ian from the South and finally the city folk Mike, Gupreet, Roger, Jo and Peter.
Cynthia and Bruce (El Presidente) dropped in to see us off which was nice of them.
After breaky/coffee we left for Wisemans Ferry via Wilberforce, crossing on the Sackville Ferry and up through Maroota.
We crossed the Hawkesbury again and proceded along the northern bank of the river heading for Spencer, Being in the shade it was cold and wet with moss on the road in places only getting relief briefly when the road turned north into the sun or stretched towards the river away from the towering mountains and cliffs of the region.
Soon we were in sunny Spencer where we stopped at the General Store for morning tea.
A lovely spot run by a very hospitable bloke who was very keen to have us bike riders and clubs visit his small riverside community.
He told us of bike club nights that they hosted and how they arranged a chef and a BBQ and people ate dinner by the river and he offered to take a group photo for us.
We wound our way up out of the Hawkesbury river country into the Watagans and stopped at Jerry’s Cafe in Kulnura for a quick fuel stop and then to Wollombi for lunch.
Lunch was at the very pleasant Cafe Wollumbi.
Via the Broke Road, through Broke It was not long and we were in Singleton where “MOST” of us checked into the Mid City Motor Inn.
Roger had found another motel down the road but Mike and Gerad chose to book into the Imperial Hotel across the road from our Motel.
I relayed to Mike the phone conversation I had with the Imperial about their rooms and facilities and how I was advised by them to stay at the Mid City Motor Inn across the road.
Mike’s response was something like “Oh No ! at least it was only $20 !”
About 15mins later he and Gerad turned up back at the motel with a room key, Gerad exclaimed “Hallelujah !” as he entered the room and they told us the story of how the first room in the pub had the door kicked in and the second, which was allocated to them had someone already in it and only one bed and that the barmaid had kindly refunded his 20 bucks. All good in the end.
After changing I followed Ian and Peter across the road for a sherbet. and shortly after was joined by Mike and Jenny and Roger where we discussed dinner.
Initially we anticipated eating at the hotel however It was unanimous that we seek alternative arrangements as it was more of a pub bistro than restaurant with Burgers, Surf and Turf and Chicken Parmy on the menu.
Next closest choice was a time-warp to the 70’s at the Motel’s dining room where they also had Beef with a Medley of Seafood, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Garlic Prawns or Pasta Boscaiola…Hmmm
We ended up not too far away at the Pearl Light Palace for Chinese which was beautiful and they even had chopsticks how fancy !
The next morning we geared up and got ready for our return trip down the Putty Rd.
After refuelling we stopped in town at the Grainery for breakfast which was a bit slow as being the only place open they had a bit of a crowd. Excellent food and service though.
The trip down the Upper Putty from Bulga was great I had not done it before on a bike and I really hooked into those bends and managed to make Jenny feel sick on the back which Jo reprimanded me for with just a “look”.
I was full of sausages eggs bacon mushrooms tomato toast and coca cola so I was sort of glad the road opened up for some easy cruising in the middle section.
We stopped at the Grey Gum Cafe for a coffee which is about 90km from Windsor and then back to Sydney
I caught up with Greg from Royal Enfield Sydney / Eagle Rider Sydney who (like Santina) suggested Jenny and I try a Harley one weekend
Thanks to Peter Jackson for organising such a great ride which will become a regular I’m sure.
Royal Enfield Club of Australia Winter Rally 2016
Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend – Gundagai NSW.
Trip Report by Craig Katen and Jon Hinton
We all travelled independently to Gundagai with people coming from Victoria, Sydney, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands and ACT.
The Trip
Some of the NSW group (not on Enfields by the way) left on Friday for a more adventurous route via Nowra, Nerriga, Tarago, Bungendore and stayed overnight in Yass. The bulk of us left on Saturday. The Blue Mountains group travelled by Ute via the Central West to Cootamundra and rode from there. Stewart rode from Bowral as Terry trailered the Penguin which was their accommodation for the weekend. Due to predicted inclement weather ( and lack of space on the bike for winter clothing) Jenny and I also chose the comfortable option of trailering my bike there, which turned out to be an added bonus in the end as a second recovery vehicle. Since we arrived fresh at lunchtime Jenny and I decided to do a quick ride to the “almost” ghost town of Junee where it was difficult to get a hamburger at 2pm on a Saturday arvo!.
Excerpt Part 1 from Jon Hinton’s Report
From the Victorian side to the other side.,,,,Or: On the Road to Gundagai
The members going from Victoria to Gundagai from Melbourne initially had a few drop outs due to relocations and changed circumstance. On the day all we could muster for the ride up were 3 of us who had crossed the Nullarbor together.
Tim, Sir Anthony and I arranged to meet at Kalkallo just north of Melbourne on the Hume. We arranged to meet at about 9 O’clock, knowing that Sir Anthony wouldn’t show up ‘till sometime later in the day. As Tim & I waited around and got a coffee, filled up with petrol, watched the clouds roll in and wondered if this was the Kalkallo that Anthony had suggested, or whether there was another one.
I asked at the service station and the young lady there told me that “No, this is the only Kalkallo”, and so we waited a bit more.
The rain has now started.
Tim & I put on our waterproofs and waited. We watched a group of about a dozen old Holden’s meet up, and leave – maybe on their way to Winton for a fun day.
After a while we heard the noise of an Electra pulling into the servo. Here he was.
Apparently the rain had caused him to pull over and put his camouflage gear on. Probably not the safest way to travel through the woodlands alongside the Hume!!
Once refuelled we headed off north in the rain and trucks and what seemed like the rest of Melbourne leaving town. I had worked out a route that took us away from the Hume and over to Mansfield and Benalla to add a corner into the mix.
We turned off at Tallarook, and it was getting pretty cold and staying wet. I lent Sir Anthony a pair of silk liner gloves for his gauntlets and we moved on, but he was still pretty cold. Tim and I were faring better wearing ‘proper’ motorcycling gear with better insulation, even though Ant had about 7 layers on. On to Trawool and the Goulbourn Valley Hwy. A fair amount is limited to 80kph due to previous accidents, and that may have been good for a wet day. However we couldn’t get rid of the traffic heading to the High Country.
Yea was full – hardly a parking space to be found, and we got rid of a few of the cars as they paused for a break.
It was still damp, and very cold; but at least the heavy rain had finished. We motored on to Mansfield where we stopped for lunch. We found a great bakery which served a good coffee and thawed out. Anthony was feeling pretty worn out by the cold, but he was persuaded to carry on. By this time Charles was concerned that we would take the High Country route and I must admit that I had also begun to think that the destination was more important than the journey on this occasion.
We left town to head up towards Benalla. The original plan was to head across country parallel to the Hume and catch it up around Wangaratta, but we needed fuel at some time, so we headed into Benalla proper and refuelled. We had a quick discussion and all felt that we should just travel on the Hume and get to Gundagai. Our arrival time was working out to be around dusk as it was; never a good time to be riding in bad weather.
The country around here is spectacular – more so in summer – and a great area to ride in if you’re on the back roads. When on the Hume you just wear your tyre square.
The rest of the ride was now completed as a fairly straightforward run in the now dry and cool conditions. We arrived at the Criterion to meet up with all the other members that had found the bar.
The Arrival
After our ride to Junee Jenny and I headed to the Criterion Hotel for the Meet & Greet. We caught up with the NSW guys that had arrived earlier and Charles and Owen from Victoria and Leon from ACT.
Others who braved the weather like Anthony, John and Tim, Paul and Sue, Alastair, Roger and Narelle on the ” Monster Outfit” and the Lyons’ , turned up a short time after the rest of us for a well earned drink.
We then proceeded en masse to The Family Hotel for dinner which was just across the road.
We awoke to a cold and foggy Sunday morning in Gundagai. The ride was scheduled for 10am start which we were thankful of since the temps were below zero overnight which frosted our seats.
Sheridan St on a cold Sunday morning Luckily we weren’t scheduled to depart until 10am.
Ian’s top box was frosty
Alastair’s BMW and my Enfield also copped the frost
The Ride
We assembled across from the Criterion Hotel at around 930am.
Our route was a loop south from Gundagai to Tumut then to Coolac for lunch and then north to Muttama and back down to Gundagai thru Burra Creek.
We headed off for the trip to Tumut and a about half way thru we we behind Stewart and Terry who we following Roger and Narelle on their Harley outfit when suddenly an “object” flew of the sidecar and hit the road and bounced up over Stewarts head, Initially I though OMG Narelle has dropped her camera as on trips she spends more time looking backwards taking photos than facing the correct direction ! When it landed in front of us I realised it was an indicator as it hit the road and sent a spray of orange plastic into the air. It luckily bounced over the ARMCO and disappeared down the embankment. The sheer power of the Harley must have ripped it off.
Morning tea was at Tumut where Mick a friend of Jenny’s who has a motel in Adelong came to meet us and have a cuppa. If we ever decide to hold a rally there we now have accomodation.
Jenny and I heading off from Tumut
Alastair
Tim
Just out of tumut we came across some cows and bulls on the road, one of which took a liking to Stewarts bike and decided to take a closer look which scared Jenny and I for a second time
Mark concentrating on his line
Mike “Ponch” Floyd on his Californian “Highway Patrol”
Lunch was the Beehive Hotel at Coolac where the hamburgers are as big as your head
Just near the red ute in the photo on the right Mike spotted an echidna
The Hinton boys
The Museum
It was then back to Gundagai where Charles had arranged for the Gundagai Historical Museum to stay open late for us to check out an eclectic mix of old homewares, newspaper articles, books, photographs, office equipment and a shed full of both rustic and rusty farm equipment.
We also discovered Ian’s secret weapon and marvelled at how people communicated back in Ye Olde days
The Presentation
Sunday’s dinner and presentation was held at Gundagai Services Club
They provided the club with our own section us being rowdy biker types !
Mark Reynolds won best UCE
Charles Todd – Best British
Ian Lyons – Best Electra
Ian also received an appreciation award for enduring such a long trip and for services as Tail End Charlie which he valiantly offered to do and noted that it’s the only time you’d see him at the back of the pack.
He was in slow-mode due to a rattle in the engine which he guessed is a cracked skirt on his piston. Jokes were forthcoming that he always seems to be “piston broke” !
John Wright – Best Iron Barrell
Anthony Wright finally won something – Most Distance Travelled – or did he ? 😉
We thought there was some nice looking wine on offer from Charles however he gave it to Owen Bentley as some sort of bribe presumably to help fix his bike!
The Town
Such a nice part of the world where things haven’t changed too much
Click on the photos for larger images
There was a truck show in Gundagai on the same weekend, not sure what the Ariel was doing
The Return
Monday morning Jenny and I went for another walk thru town, we caught up with Jon, Tim and Anthony at the Bushranger Cafe and then waited for the Lyons’ whom we had arranged to have breakfast with.
As we sat outside in the sun it was interesting to watch people from the club coming and going from their various abodes, meeting for breaky, strolling thru town, or refueling their bikes before making their way home.
Melissa, Kevin and Ian turned up and we as we ate we discussed the fate of Ian’s “Baby” who had an upset in the internal organs. Eventually he relented and we put her on the trailer next to mine bound for Campbelltown.
Speaking of upsets in the internal organs……
Excerpt Part 2 from Jon Hinton’s Report
From the Victorian side to the other side.,,,,Or: On the Road to Gundagai
On the return trip to Melbourne we left Gundagai on a cold and frosty morning. The plan was to leave at 9 O’clock again, and Sir Anthony called me at about 8am to ask if I was coming out for breakfast. I was impressed. He was up and running.
Tim & I joined him for breakfast to find that while he was no longer in his pyjamas he hadn’t got much further – still needing to pack and refuel his bike. Oh well……..
After brekky the clouds and the mist cleared to leave us with a lovely winter’s day ride. We saw a number of the Club leaving with their bikes to travel back from whence they came as we waited for Sir Anthony to be ready.
We made the decision to travel back the shorter way, and stick to the Hume Hwy. My bike had started to make some interesting ‘clacking’ noises that I thought the hydraulic lifters were making. I had tried to track it down by ‘listening’ with a screwdriver and they seemed to be at the top of the motor and at all parts of the cycle.
By sticking to the Hwy we would save about ~150 kms from the planned alternative.
So off we pottered and we were quite happy to be travelling along at about 100kph. The noises seemed to have abated and all was going well.
Until we neared Wangaratta.
Then there was a loud ‘clatter, clatter – bang’ and my back tyre locked up just as I had overtaken a car, and my companions were catching me up. A quick dive to the side of the road as I pulled in the clutch lever allowed me to coast to a stop with a much seized engine. The kick start lever felt welded to the block. It was obvious I was going no further on two wheels, so I invoked the “Recover My Ride” clause, and waited 2 hrs on the side of the road before being picked up and taken home on a flat bed truck.
The other two had left me to my own devices and so were home just 2 hours ahead of me, having had an uneventful ride home.
Thanks again to Charles Todd and Anthony Wright for organising such a great event
Thanks to Narelle and Jenny for the photos
Thanks to Jon Hinton for the “Victorian Perspective”
A good pie is pretty easy to find now days, and there are plenty of pie specialty places, Sylvia & Frans, Heather Brae, Pie in the Sky and Crescent Head Bakery, But you can make your own too!
I can’t remember eating a bad pie in ages, mainly because I have been spoilt by the efforts of the places mentioned above and won’t eat one from a petrol station oven.
But what is a bad pie? One where the main ingredient is missing. What annoys me most when I find a bad pie is that they have not put care into it. They have selected crap meat to save money, it’s chopped roughly into too-large chunks with bits of fat and sinew attached and the flavour of the watery gravy tastes like a rendering plant due to all the gelatine. Another pet hate is soggy pastry due to runny gravy making it impossible to eat without it running down your arm. Then theres the lack of imagination when selecting fillings. (STEAK, STEAK & ONION, STEAK & CHEESE, BEEF AND BACON and CHILLI if you are lucky)
I like pies, I like beer, I really like pies made with beer like a Guinness Pot Pie which is something that I just have to order if it’s on the menu, same goes for Kangaroo and eggs benedict some things I just can’t say no to.
So you should be able to put anything in a pie if you think about it a bit and compliment it with some veggies, spices and creative sauces so I’m going to try it.
Now that I can make pies I would like people to come up with some ideas and I will design, test and review the creations
Not having made pies before I went looking for a pie tray in Big W but no luck the closest thing was a Texas Muffin tray so I just bought this gadget
Diced round steak from the butcher was too chunky and contained some sinew
So I chopped it into smaller sugar cube sized chunks
I also dismembered a chicken and kept the scraps to use later in a pie but it didn’t eventuate – see below
Fry up some onion and the brown the meat
Add some beef stock, tomato paste, red wine, worcester sauce, salt and pepper and simmer for about 1 hour
Then add some corn flour and water to thicken the gravy before use
When the meat is almost cooked get out the pastry sheets to defrost 1 x puff (lid) and 2 x short crust (base)
The Pie maker came with a pastry cutter that puts slits in the base so you can overlap and fit the base into the mould, It’s a bit tricky as the pie machine is on and bloody hot
Spoon half a cup of filling into the base and put the puff pastry top on and close the machine which then crimps and seals the pies
Cook for about 12 mins, i checked after 10 and they looked done
The one on the top left mustn’t have had enough filling – still tasted good though
The finished product
Verdict – Excellent especially with beer and potato crisps
So I had some leftover chicken and pastry scraps and was going to make a chicken pie for Emma but she didn’t want it and went off to Venturers after having 2 min noodles as usual
I thought a dessert pie was on the cards so I chopped up about 1/2 cup of banana and then topped up with thin sliced apple
I chucked it in the base and then spooned in some peanut butter and some raspberry jam and topped it with some Rum & Raisin chocolate and brown sugar
Banana and apple cooked in raspberry jam and peanut butter with chocolate melting on top!
Oh It was horrible !… don’t ever make one !… really it was crap….. I’m not lying…i had to give it to the dog … no need to experiment people… stick to boring old beef ….don’t try anything new 😉
Now seriously it tasted UNREAL…However you could virtually chuck anything in there and it would taste good
I am going to ask for suggestions and do some experiments, give me some ideas, let me know what I should try next?
Tricks to stay fit over winter
Regular morning exercise, Simple diet, Hydration, Sunshine all help.
Being involved in the surf club over summer guarantees some regular exercise since I am at the beach at least 3 times a week. Board training is Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights and Saturday afternoon, then Nippers on Sunday morning. There are also swim sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday. You could very easily spend every afternoon training.
We tend to make it to the beach on Wednesday, Friday and most Saturdays, however Angus has pool swimming on Tuesday and Scouts on Thursday so these are our days off from the beach. The Nippers season goes from September to March so autumn is usually busy with trips away at Easter, School holidays and having a break from the summer schedule. Free weekends are a welcome change in autumn and this year we made use of them to go to Thredbo Mountain Biking and also had some weekends away on the motorbike with the Royal Enfield Club.
With no set training during the week over winter it’s very easy to get complacent and drop out of regular exercise. I saw this article on Five Things You Should Do Before 9am which I have been doing for a while now.
During summer I start work early to enable me to leave early and get to the beach in time for training, This time of the year (with no daylight savings) I tend to start work later and try to get things around the house done in the morning.
My routine was to get up early and do some stuff online or on my PC, Jenny would get up a bit later and make me a coffee and I would then do some work around the house or yard or cars once everyone had left the house. I would then go off to work later in the morning without breakfast and I’d have something to eat at work – usually bacon and eggs or more coffee and cakes/biscuits/muffins as i was getting hungry by mid to late morning. Eating later then affected my lunchtime appetite which would stretch out till 3pm some days which would then in-turn affect my night time eating habbits.
I changed my routine recently and have had good results. This is what I did.
Regular morning exercise
Recently I started walking the dog again of a morning.
When I get out of bed I still do my computer work until the sun is up around 600-630 but this time sans-coffee. Then I fill up a water bottle and take the dog around the block for a 1.5km 15min walk. This week I have added a bush section where i can extend the walk to 2.5km and incorporate some trail running in an attempt to increase my heart rate. The walk was only returning about 1 to 1.5 Training Effect which means I was between level 1 and 2 or in other words no real training benefit except moving my legs and sucking in some fresh ones.
According to Garmin
Training Effect measures the impact of an activity on your aerobic fitness. Training Effect accumulates during the activity. As the activity progresses, the training effect value increases, telling you how the activity has improved your fitness. Training Effect is determined by your user profile information, heart rate, duration, and intensity of your activity.
Heart Rate Zones are based on percentage of maximum heart rate which is 220 BPM minus your age. Zone 1 Minor is between 50%-60% , Zone 2 Maintaining is 60%-70%, Zone 3 Improving is 70%-80%, Zone 4 Highly Improving is 80%-90% and Zone 5 Overreaching is 90%-100% of maximum heart rate.
Click on View Details on the image or click
here to load the workout info from Garmin Connect
Aside from the obvious cardiovascular and aerobic fitness of trail-running the big benefit is to get off the pavement and into the bush. Another article of interest was recently shared on Facebook by Steve McLaughlin What Hiking Does To The Brain Is Pretty Amazing
This is one of the reasons I also prefer mountain biking over cycleways, dirt bikes over road riding, body surfing/ocean swimming over lap training and XC ski touring over resort skiing.
Simple diet
Upon returning home I immediately make some breakfast consisting of either Be Natural muesli which has raisins apples grains and seeds etc or porridge with a banana and a handful of trail mix thrown in.
Making Porridge is easy, I’m not sure why they sell instant porridge? – the stuff out of the box is pretty instant if you ask me ! See my blog Making Porridge is Easy
I then get some food together to take to work which is not only good for you it saves me about $20 per day and means I don’t waste an hour driving to the shops and back.
For second breakfast I have some multigrain sourdough bread with vegemite and OJ, morning tea is usually a coffee with some home made muffins or biscuits and lunch is more sour-dough bread with ham and tomato along with a V8 juice. Sometimes I will take leftovers or some salad and cold meat and once a week I might get Japanese or a pizza on non training days as a treat.
It’s about time to swap menus to winter mode and incorporate some soup or stews etc. Jenny has already got the slow cooker out on a few occasions which I’m sure will give me some blog-ammo over winter…. Stay Tuned !
Hydration
I fill up a bike water bottle which i take on the walk, i also use this for breakfast and take it to work to drink during the day. It’ s only 750ml but the physical presence of the water bottle forces you to make an effort to drink regularly. For me it is quite hard to force myself to drink when sitting at my desk, “they” say you should drink 8 glasses a day or 2 litres. I found this article Recommendations by life stage and gender kindly produced by our government, that tells me if I identify as a 50-71yr old male I should drink 2.6lt per day of fluids. Take away almost 2 litres of beer and the 750ml drink bottle seems enough !
Sunshine
After breakfast I try to get some tasks out of the way whilst I have some sun light as I know that after work I will not have the opportunity or the inclination. This time of year I find it difficult to leave early enough to do something after work. It’s now getting dark and cold earlier and earlier ( well until june 20th) and after 5pm there’s no point beginning a project like replacing the shocks on my bike which I did one morning last week assisted by my helper monkey Roxy.
.
Starting the day with some outdoor activity like the walk I do with the dog, then having breakfast outside ( with the dog) and then doing some chores around the yard (again with the dog) is a much better way to start the day. The trip to work is way less stressful since all the 9-5 maniacs are already at their desks having their 4th cup of coffee needed to get thru the day. The other benefit is someone else has to deal with the early morning emails, phone calls and emergencies that I would normally have to deal with.
I’m not sure why they sell instant porridge? – the stuff out of the box is pretty instant if you ask me !
Looking at groceries and prices, it’s a pretty simple concept that over packaged items not only waste resources but cost more. I have used pre-packaged porridge on some ski camping trips just for convenience, however, next time a zip lock bag will do the trick,
Here’ s what I do
Boil water in kettle
Add half a cup of oats to a saucepan
Add half a cup of hot water to it
Stir whilst heating
When it goes creamy add a splash of milk, stir in and reheat
Pour some boiling water into the bowl to pre-heat
spoon in the porridge remembering to save some for the dog
Add a handful of trail mix and some banana
Done, feed dog leftovers and eat
Along with my daily dog walks I would like to do some regular mountain bike rides and at this time of the year it means night rides.
Since the end of Surf Life Saving season I have done no training which was good at the time since nearly every weekend was taken up with some sort of trip away with the surf club or bike club or the dudes I ski with at Thredbo , These trips usually involved a fair amount of exercise but also heaps of beer, late nights and lots of food.
But enough is enough and I am trying to get back a bit of fitness before ski season starts and it’s back to beer, late nights and lots of food again. (Maybe I have to stop hanging around with the local piss-pots …. mmm recurring pattern here)
Angus has been dead keen on mountain bike riding since I took him on his first trip away riding downhill and cross country at Thredbo earlier this year, We went in February for a few days then again over Easter and to end the summer season Anzac day weekend. About 11 days already clocked up riding the chairlifts on our season passes. Heres a link to one of the trips http://www.k10stuff.com.au/outdoor/mountain-biking/thredbo-mountain-biking-anzac-weekend-2016/
It was another beautiful warm autumn night ( Jenny will hate this as she wants winter to come) perfect for an afternoon ride. so we headed to Lake Parramatta a few minutes from home.
By the time we got the bikes off the car and geared up it was almost dark however we both have high-powered bike lights and when I say high-powered i’m talking small sun sort of brightness. I have a pair of AYUPs which are 700 lumen twin lights and Angus has 2 massive Nite Lights 1000 lumen singles.
We utilise two of these lights each, one mounted on your handlebars and another on your helmet so you can look around corners. The trails at Lake Parramatta vary from open fire trail to overgrown time-tunnel sections to winding single track and the lights work very well in all variations. The only thing you have to watch out for is trying not to react to projected shadows, a few times I thought something was running out from the darkness across the track only to find it was the shadow of a plant.
He must have been going thru hyperspace
Here is the download from my Garmin watch
Click the link below or here to see more details
I have been doing our old “around-the-block” dog walking loop each morning with my dog Roxy
We used to walk the dogs every day when the kids were little, in back pack child carriers when they were too small to walk.
As they got older we would take them through the bush reserve along the creek and then back onto the course you see below which I will start doing next week
Now they are both at high school and leave home at 7am so its just me and the dog and my Garmin
Around Xmas I bought myself a Garmin Forerunner 920XT which is a training tool, GPS bike computer and “Smart Watch”
Mine is the Triathalon model – different colour ( not as garish) – subtle black and grey compared to the bright blue and black or red and white
It comes with both a pool and a running/cycling HR monitor
https://buy.garmin.com/en-AU/AU/prod137024.html
I haven’t spent much time configuring it yet but it seems to work “öut of the box” ok
It is a pretty fancy piece of kit with a Heart Rate monitor that connects to the watch which connects to my phone that connects to the internet and uploads the activity to Garmin’s Connect website which you can manage your activities and then connect with other Garmin users…… Lots of connecting !
Once logged onto the Connect site you then can edit and share the activity with the “community” on the Connect site or Facebook etc
I have chosen to embed the code in my blog so you get a summary and the option to click the link on the image to “View Details” and get all the stats of the session
It also lets you add the gear that you use – another social media marketing concept where you can see what others are using and be inspired to “Keep up with the Jones’s”
Like anyone is going to care about my 10yr old The North Face Hedgehog Gore-Tex XCR shoes and 2007 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR mountain bike.
Anyway I will be posting some more activities and gear reviews soon
Angus and I are doing a night ride at Lake Parramatta tonight – stay tuned
Its not just a misheard lyric of the ACDC song Long Way To The Top….
It’s a long way to the shop if you want a Sausage Roll
Making sausage rolls is easy and ones from the shop taste like crap
Without having to make up a mince mix my method of sausage rolls is easy as !
Ingredients
You only need a puff pastry sheet, three sausage rolls (thin), one egg and an oven.
Place the frozen puff pastry sheet on a chopping board to thaw – i use Pampas
Once thawed cut in two
Cut one sausage in half
Cut the sausage long ways from top to bottom to split the skin and peel the skin off
I used 1 1/2 Spicy Italian and 1 1/2 Moroccan Lamb and Lime
These are from Mc Farlands Butcher in Northmead NSW
Place in middle of each section
Break egg into cup and whisk with fork until white and yolk are mixed uniformly
Brush onto both sides of cut in pastry with fork- give your dog the leftover egg it’s good for their coat !
Roll up the pastry to over the first sausage and peel the plastic off then tuck under to seal with egg
Repeat to other sausage then chop in half and then in quarters
Brush with egg and use fork to make stripes or dots to differentiate type of filling
Place on oven tray and cook for 20min on 200c
Craig Katen Royal Enfield Club of Australia Inc. Member of the Month Report
How long have you been riding?
About 40 years, I started out riding friends mini bikes around 10 years old and eventually ended up with a family hand me down which I out grew and handed back. At age 14 my friend’s parents had purchased a holiday farm property up the North Coast and bought him a Honda XL 125 on which we took turns riding around a scramble track in a paddock. We also used to go exploring around the fire trails and bush tracks in the area which got me interested in Enduro / trail bike riding.
What bike(s) have you owned?
After leaving school I landed my first job with a motorcycle products importer/distributor which eventually became Monza Imports. I used to place the orders for parts and accessories , look after the computer systems and warehouse and quickly became interested in getting a bike .
I bought my first bike, a 1983 Honda XR200R, from one of the guys at work and I got involved in trail riding and Enduro racing.
In 1985 I then purchased a new Honda XR350R which was a mistake, a total pig for racing, 135Kg and 20Hp – soft, heavy and not much quicker than the 200 and after a year or so I realised that to be “competitive” you needed to have a European 2-stroke bike.
The answer was a 1986 Maico GME250 Enduro which for me made an amazing difference. It was fast light and incredibly easy to ride. Weighing 100kg and having 49 horsepower, 300mm/350mm suspension, front and rear disc brakes it was like going from a Nissan Cedric to a Group B Audi Sport Quattro rally car. A proper race bike, It went, it stopped, it handled . I joined a club and raced it in the NSW Enduro Series and I’d dare say it would be competitive even now.
1989 at Watagan State Forest
1989 at Watagan State Forest
Hiatus
A career change, relationship, buying a house, going overseas, friends moving on and a change in hobbies all accounted for a bike sitting in the shed for 15 years and me not riding any motorcycles what-so-ever.
During that period, however I became a keen mountain biker which kept my riding skills up to a certain degree.
Royal Enfield Purchase
http://www.k10stuff.com.au/motorcycles/royal-enfield-bullet-classic-500/
Sometime in July 2012, I did a job in Sydney and was passed by a bike that I had not seen before “in the flesh”. It was in military spec so I assumed it was old, it had a single cylinder motor with wartime Harley Davidson looks about it. I followed the bike for a while in the traffic, along South Darling St, across the harbour and lost it about Falcon St.
I have always had an interest in choppers but had become more interested in recent years after watching the American Chopper series, I even bought a classic cruiser push bike with similar looks to the Enfield – black frame with chrome bars / wheels / etc, springer seat and full mud guards as there was no way I could afford the $50k required for a custom Harley.
I considered other classic styles of bikes, Triumph, old BMWs even Ural but it was still out of reach. A friend of mine has a 2005 Triumph T100 Bonneville and I always thought I’d like to get a similar bike one day if I had the money. I had heard of the Royal Enfield brand before and knew a bit of the history (well, enough to know it was originally British but then made in India) They originally made guns and then bikes and went broke like BSA, Norton et al with the Jap bike revolution. So I went on the Internet and started investigating out of curiosity. I had no idea they had been revamped, were imported into the country and available new here as I assumed the bike I saw was a private import and old.
The Enfield seemed to “tick all the boxes” – Classic look and feel, affordable, not too powerful, easy to ride, customisable, no work compared to buying an old bike. After a couple of visits to the local dealer Motociclo who were great , I eventually went on a test ride. No brainer – within a month of seeing one I had one!
Maico GM250E 1986 Restoration
http://www.k10stuff.com.au/motorcycles/maico-gm250e-1986-restoration/
After reviving my interest in motorcycling by purchasing a Royal Enfield , and being asked by my son Angus “Don’t you already have an old motorbike in the shed and…. CAN I RIDE IT !!!!! ? ” I decided to restore my old Maico which had sat in the shed under a shower curtain since the 90’s.
After it had been dragged out and dusted off with most parts accounted for and an engine that started after only a few kicks I stripped the bike down, commissioned the brakes to be totally rebuilt , replaced the air filter, chain and front sprocket and here it is. Needs a carby service and new tyres and as you can see the rear guard has gone chalky.
2012 Almost 100%
My old gear still fits !
Pacific Park 2012 First ride in 15yrs
Then I really got the bug and bought the kids trail bikes and me a 2014 KTM 500 EXC Enduro in 2014
Bikes I’ve owned
Mini bike at age 10
Honda XR200Rc 1983
Honda XR350Re 1985
MAICO GME250 1986 – Present
Royal Enfield C5 Classic Black 2012 – Present
KTM 500 EXC Enduro 2014 – present
Have you done any interesting rides and where to?
Having been an off-road only rider for so many years I did not ride on the road except for pre-race tuning and warming up the engine before an oil change. I had not done any real road rides at all until I started coming along to Royal Enfield club rides.
The way weekend rides are organised by the club lends itself to being partner friendly and soon Jenny was interested in coming along too.
We really enjoy the “Ride somewhere – Have dinner and drinks – Stay overnight – Ride home next day” format. Jenny recently had a hip replacement which has made long trips easier but prior to that she had trouble getting on and off and discomfort after about 30mins in the saddle.
On the 2014 Bundanoon trip she had a ride in John Wrights sidecar and last month on the way back from Orange we rode Mike Floyds’ Moto Guzzi California which she almost fell asleep on it was so comfortable.
We are still looking at getting a bigger touring bike to make long trips more comfortable and allow more luggage but until then we are happy touring around on the Enfield.
Do you have any other interests, hobbies which may be on interest to your fellow Members?
In summer we are involved in a Surf Life Saving Club where I am a Nipper coach and Jenny is Nippers Secretary and a SLS Official.
Jenny ,our daughter Emma and I are patrolling members and our son Angus is a Nipper competitor so most weekends are spent working at the club, patrolling the beach or attending surf carnival competitions.
In Spring and Autumn we try to do some downhill mountain biking at Thredbo or dirt bike riding or camping.
In winter we are keen downhill and back country skiers spending time at Thredbo and in Kosciusko National Park
I also maintain an internet blog site www.k10stuff.com.au which I use to chronicle my adventures and sell some gear.
I have included links to some articles of interest. ( this is a work in progress as I am changing hosting platforms and design layouts)
Do you have any special skills which may be of interest to other Members ?
IT Equipment Sales and Support , Website hosting , e-Commerce and Blog site setup
Electronic Security, CCTV, access control systems
Technical writing and documentation
Surfboard repairs
Do you have a ‘wish list’ for bikes you’d like to own in the future?
BMW R1200RT or BMW R1200GS
Ducati of some description
Harley Chopper – if I won lotto and could waste $50K on a garage ornament
Is there anywhere you’d like to ride in Australia or overseas?
On an Enfield there would be 2 destinations – India then England
On an adventure bike Central Australia
On a touring bike down the east coast then to Perth
Any suggestions for RECOA rides?
Mid North Coast / Hunter Region
I went for a walk with the dog this morning and noticed that the shape of the clouds indicated some fast moving air in the upper atmosphere.
This is usually an means there has been a system come thru and at this time of the year it would probably be snow-bearing.
I checked the BOM and sure enough there was a Severe Weather Warning -DAMAGING WINDS FOR PARTS OF THE SOUTHEAST
I then looked at the snow forums and Thredbos website they had had their first snowfall of the season (so I copied a few pics)
Most of it will disappear before any lifts open but to quote the weather forum mantra “ït will cool the ground” if nothing else
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