Snake Valley MK II            Sunday 11th May, 2008

 

Geoff Jones (leader)

Yamaha R1

Dennis Lindemann

Honda CBR600

Misho Zrakic/Pina Garasi (rear 1)

Yamaha R6

Ben Warden

Honda CBR954

Craig Morley

Yamaha WR400 Motard

Renzo Cunico

Ducati 916

David Tarquinio

Suzuki SV1000 (1st ride)

Paul Southwell

Honda CBR1000

Randal Leacock (rear2)

Kawasaki ZX9

Nic Jacka

Honda CBR600

Where the heck is Snake Valley? I had to go just to find out. 10 am at Whittlesea and freezing already; must get heated grips. Off to Flowerdale via the forest cutting. I love going through here but for some reason I like going the other way better. On through Strath Creek, lovely little Broadford, Pyalong and Lancefield for morning tea. A nice hot cuppa to get the hands warm again and some friendly chit chat. 110 km of excellent roads. Boy we eat them up fast.

Next Kyneton, Spring Hill, Daylesford, Creswick and Ballarat for lunch. Fuel and Sub-Way food is great timing for both stops as I was feeling a bit peckish by this stage. The cold weather always gives me an appetite. Lunch gives David and me a chance to reflect on the countryside so far: it is so different from the south eastern area I’m used to. It’s still very scenic but a different type of landscape. And how did those round rocks get up on that hill?

After the break we continue west to Smythesdale, Snake Valley, (now I know where it is), Linton, Cape Clear, Dereel, Meredith, Rokewood Junction (2 km of good dirt), Durdidwarrah, and then Anakie. I have noticed one thing out west: the majority of the time the roads are pretty good but then the dreaded narrow road signs appear. This means narrow roads become even narrower and then turn into one-laners. I seem to have the uncanny knack of always meeting oncoming traffic on a bend with about two feet of clearance between the side of road and the oncoming car.

Anakie to Werribee is all good roads with plenty of straights to stretch the legs and that I did. The bike was running great and never missed a beat. THEN, slowing down coming up to the first round about in Werribee where we all had to stop, I put my foot out and slipped on the road surface. I looked down and saw oil all over my boot, leg and side of the bike. A quick look at the oil pressure warning light showed it was not on. Good.  I checked for traffic in the round about, saw none, so shot through and parked on the  side of road and switched off.

It is amazing what a big mess a little oil leak can make. I checked the oil level: okay. No other riders around. Maybe they have left me behind. (I was the rear rider the last third of the ride). Had a look for the oil leak but could see nothing due to fairing blocking the view. Bugger that bike. Three minutes from the end of a ride and it blows up.

And then happiness. A whole heap of bikes came round the corner. We all took a look at the bike. Nothing obvious. Misho had tools so pulled my bike to bits and found the hole, missing a plug. Misho and I walking up and down the road looking for a missing plug to no avail and gave up.

I parked the bike at the rear of the nearby rehabilitation centre.  We worked out a cunning plan to get home. I pillioned behind David. Poor David, his first ride with the Club and he ends up on overtime travelling to the other side of the city with a complete stranger. (Lucky I was nice to him at lunch.) All went well, and I  made it home okay. That big V twin is so torquey.

Filled David with coffee and worked out his easiest way home. Thanks again David. I would have been well and truly buggered without you. And a big thank you to all the others that came back and tried to help; moral support goes a long way.

I called my buddy to see if he could recover the bike the next day. We ended up going back that night and loading it on to his ute. He was afraid we would get there in the morning and there would be only a front wheel and a disc lock attached. Surely Werribee isn’t that bad?

Next day I got my books out, and discovered the cam chain rear guide pivot bolt had unwound and fallen out.  I purchased a new one from Vic Motorcycle Wreckers (Kawasaki had none in Australia) and away we go again. All up, it was a great day, interesting ride, different roads, but a very long day.  

 

Randal Leacock