GS500 relay around Australia!

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

Just gotta make sure I'm not working that weekend and that I've resolved my clutch issues, but yeah that does sound good.  I wonder if I can sort out some company to go to Bathurst.

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

Can I reserve the option of shifting this a little later?  I'm trying to organise a ride to bathurst and back, which I could just do myself this saturday, but I'm getting the feel that if I leave it a week or so, I can get more bikes along for the ride.

Are their any other GS riders on here interested in either Sydney to bathurst and back (and it will be a pretty interesting and not at all direct route), or a royal national park run to deliver it to Wollongong?  I'm trying to get some of the Netrider guys along on an asortment of machines, it'd be cool to have more than one GS500 in the mix.

I did a run up the old road this afternoon, and I've decided to address a few little niggles with my bike before the bathurst run.  New friction plates in the clutch chief among them.

[Clancy]

No problem buddy. Just let me know when and i'm there. i'm on tour april 6th till 17th so anywhere around that.

[bubba zanetti]

Well that works out well, cause I'm not going to be home this Saturday. The eldest boy has a football carnival to play.

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

Alright, we'll make the Bathurst run saturday the 2nd of April if that pleases everyone.

[noworries]

Had a wekend run out to Bathurst a week back. Weekend traffic+current on-going roadworks in Blue Mtns area HORRIBLE. Nasty gravel roadworks with tidal operation too a few km east of Bathurst... and road works with a 60kph enforcable eastbound on the Victoria Pass. Apart from that, a nice run..not much copper activity in evidence 'cept coming down from the Blue Mountains and down towards Penrith.

[bubba zanetti]

Had a wekend run out to Bathurst a week back. Weekend traffic+current on-going roadworks in Blue Mtns area HORRIBLE. Nasty gravel roadworks with tidal operation too a few km east of Bathurst... and road works with a 60kph enforcable eastbound on the Victoria Pass. Apart from that, a nice run..not much copper activity in evidence 'cept coming down from the Blue Mountains and down towards Penrith.

You should have gone Bells line and then from Lithgow to Tarana and into Bathurst. You don't take the Highway, it's as boring as bat poo.

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

I'm hoping to avoid time spent on the great western highway, because it is pretty boring.  Any takers for the second of april from GStwins?  It may be a pretty roundabout route.

[noworries]

Guys, you're spot on about that boring Highway. I'll give Bells a belt nxt time. Have a great trip.

[A.Milos]

I ride my GS from sydney to katoomba on a weekly basis without fail, just sayin... ; )

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

Are you interested in Sunday in either direction? 

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

Well I'm organising a ride for Saturday leaving Richmond at 9AM, hopefully some people will join me, if not I'll have fun solo.  For you GStwin members the details are here. http://www.netrider.net.au/forums/showthread.php?t=120603.  We'll ride up to Mount Panorama for the obligatory lap, and possibly some more laps once we've scouted for coppers.  It would be the ideal spot for a handover if you're home Bubba.  If you're not, I'll do it anyways, Bells line to Lithgow then the road through Tarana is too much fun to pass up.

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

Well I went out to Richmond this morning, then rode up Bells line through Kurrajong, Bilpin up to Lithgow.  From Lithgow I took Magpie Hollow road through Sodwall to Tarana, then Mutton Falls rd through to Oconnel rd and nth into Bathurst.

I met up with Bubba for the baton handover and a few laps of Mount Panorama, keeping it at a legal pace, especially with the undercover cop car on the track.  Originally I'd planned to more or less retrace my steps, but I decided not to leave out Jenolan, so I headed south to Oberon through Edith then down some mental hairpins, through the cave and up Jenolan caves road.  It turned pretty cold after the caves, which put a bit of a dampner on my enjoyment on what was actually the best road of the lot.  There are some beautiful sets of corners after the narrow bits around Jenolan as you head back toward Mount Victoria.  It's good smooth grippy blacktop with lots of continuously radiused corners.  It reminds me of some of the Old Pac, but without the stupid 60km/h sections.   It does rise to around 1200m elevation, so it can get a bit nippy as it did this afternoon.

After I'd had a good meal break and warmed up at Mount victoria I was pretty much out of daylight, and it was looking like rain, so I canned the idea of cutting back to Bell and back down Bell's Line and pulled out the wet weather gear and headed down the Highway.  The return journey was dark and rainy till Penrith, then just plain boring on the M4.  I made up some songs about being bored in the privacy of my own helmet, none of them worth remembering.

Ride Bells Line if you haven't already done so kids, and definately ride to Jenolan.  I got a few pics on the way, but not many.  I'll get them up later.

Thanks to Bubba Zanetti for taking the time to meet up.

[pave_spectre]

Seems like the relay is moving along at quite a reasonable pace.

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

Ok, I was going to make my next trip a nasho run to get the baton further south, but then there was the netrider brunch run the next day up the putty where we ended up doing to the whole loop through mangrove mountain and Wiseman's ferry.  Then My girlfriend went to visit her mum up in Coffs Harbour, and I decided to ride up there, but only after overnighting in Armidale, going up via Thunderbolts way, then down the Dorrigo road, a night in coffs and then back to Sydney

The weather and a few other delays saw me doing a lot of it in rubbish weather in the dark, but I still feel like I had an adventure.  I want a crack at Thunderbolts and the dorrigo descent with dry tarmac.

Anyways the baton's now travelled about 2000kms in my possession, most of it in completely the wrong direction.  I should probably get it down to Wollongong some time.

[Clancy]

Awesome mate! gimmi the word and i'll meet you on the gong side of the nasho. Bald hill.

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

Have you got an entertaining route planned to get it to Canberra?  I must admit I'm a little envious of whoever gets to do the Canberra to Melbourne run, I've never had a bike down through the alps, although I've been as far as Thredbo in a cage (in the snow on one occasion) and it's a great run.

[Clancy]

Yeah i do the back way  from the gong to canberra often. When are you free to get it to me?
Clancy

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

I'd say tomorrow, (sunday) but I may spend the day servicing the bike and resting it's rider after an epic week.  Are you available for midweek stuff, or shall we leave it till next weekend?

[Clancy]

yeah mate. i'm round this week. with a little notice i can be free when ever. the nasho's heaps better on weekdays anyway