Thread: Summer riding

Hey Ern,

Rub it In mate, Haven't been on a bike for about 15 years now and can still remember an absolutely awesome morning at Mt Hotham, going up and down the hill, my mate had a Kawaka 1300 and I had a GPZ 750, we both fluffed up the foot pegs and paid the toll twice 'Cause it WAS worth it'

I grew up it that neck of the woods and some days I do miss it, its 38degrees here at the moment 4.30 pm and 50% humidity 'Not Comfortable' and 15 degrees hotter in the shed. (

HazzaB

Good memories Hazza.

I lived in Mt Beauty for a few years as a kid.

Still think it's Godzone country.

Sounds brilliant! I just bought a ZRX1200R for a fun bike as I have difficulty doing the long rides nowadays.
This beautiful summer weather just screams "BIKE" and you have beautiful roads near you. Well done!

Originally Posted by Christopha

Sounds brilliant! I just bought a ZRX1200R for a fun bike as I have difficulty doing the long rides nowadays.
This beautiful summer weather just screams "BIKE" and you have beautiful roads near you. Well done!

PS. Anyone interested in a GTR1000?

The ZRX looks the goods C. for a tourer with plenty of lazy power.

The ZRX has amazing power and a powerband that seems to reach from whoa to WOW!!!!

Had an epic ride today.

Mt Beauty - Granya - Jingellic - Tumbarumba - Cabramurra - Corryong - Mitta Mitta and back.

Clean roads; not much traffic; no sign of Mr Plod.

Only took 2 guys & a can of WD40 to get the glove off the right hand.

I missed out on the Omeo on the last GP trip, we picked a different route. The Eildon-Jamieson road (Jamieson VIC to Eildon VIC - Google Maps) is brilliant. Recently sealed, great surface and really tight and twisty. I rate it as better than the Oxley and Omeo Highways.

We did part of your latest run on the 2nd day of the PI MotoGP trip - Jindabyne, Corryong, Tallangatta, Mt Beauty, Bright. A few of the guys also did the run from Bright up to Mt Buffalo (from the roundabout at Porepunkah), which they raved about. The call of the beer was too strong this time, but I'll do it next time.

Slightly different ride for me yesterday, I went dirt riding with a bunch of friends in the Watagans, just north of Sydney. Great ride and huge fun, but cut a little short by lack of fitness on a seriously hot day.

Funny how different dirt riding is from road. The MotoGP trip for me last year (first time I've said 'last year' meaning 2012!) on the 990 SMT was 3 days of riding down to PI, 2 days at the Island, then 2 days riding back. Did over 3000km in 5 days riding, including a couple of 700km days, didn't touch a freeway until the last day, and it was easy. An hour on the dirt bike and I'm stuffed. The dirt riding has made a world of difference to my road riding though. Much more confident when the bike starts moving around. Best part though? No worries at all about cops and speed cameras. Huge fun, and I don't think I did more than about 80 all day, and that was only on the fire trails. Single track would have been maybe 30km/h.

Ah yes. I know the Eildon-Jamieson rd. There's also some nice bits Jamieson - Mansfield & of course Mt Buller.

Agree about the benefits of knowing how to ride in dirt. You get a feel for grip.

But I'm getting too decrepit for it.

Yesterday before it got too hot (44!) I did the Omeo - Hotham loop again. VicRoads had put sand on the melting bitumen sections. In the arvo the bike was parked in the sun doing 0 miles per gallon as the fuel vaporised in the tank, condensed in the overflow pipe & dripped onto the ground.

So BS your SMT is a KTM? The reviews have made it tempting. What's your experience been?

Decrepit? There's a guy in our group who's 66, and he keeps up with everyone except me. He's ahead of me. I'll get there though, just need more bike time to bring the fitness up to scratch.

They still put sand on the tar strips? Fine once it's set in winter, but hideously dangerous while it's hot! That's not the best way of using fuel either.

Yeah, it's an '09 KTM 990 SMT - the first SMT that Procycles in Hornsby sold. I wanted better suspension and brakes than on my Suzuki SV1000. Both on the SMT are brilliant. People on sportsbikes comment that my brakes are good, and the suspension gets raves too, once you get used to the pitching under brakes. Very upright riding position - a bit too upright for long days on the open road. I added some Rox Risers to move the bars forward a bit to reduce the parachute effect.

Great bike for long distances. Biggest complaints against them are the fuelling is a bit abrupt at low throttle openings, the screen for some people causes a lot of turbulence (but others think it's fine) and people in the UK where the roads are salted in winter have some concerns with the brakes locking on if they aren't kept clean. The first point is something you can fix to some extent and will just get used to. Biggest complaints are from people used to 4 cylinder engines; twin riders don't worry about it too much. The buffeting can be worked around with screen mods, replacement or just plain removal. The last point is due to the radial Brembos - they're a bit fussy, and have been a prob on some Ducatis too. Mainly a prob on Superdukes rather than SMTs, and only a prob in areas where the roads are salted to melt ice. Never had a problem myself, but you do need to keep the disk rivets moving freely to stop the brakes from pulsing.

The SMT is a very lively machine. They're basically the Supermoto with a screen and a more comfortable seat. Worth a test ride to see if you like it, but if you're interested take one for a spin soon, there are rumours that the new Adventure 1190 will replace the SMT in 2014. The rationale is that the Adv 1190S replaces the current 990 Adv, and the Adv 1190 replaces the SMT. Must admit I'm pretty tempted by the 1190.

A few pics of mine here

Thanks b. s. Looks good. Super-motard indeed.

I'm a fan of big twins. My first bike on returning to riding was a TDM850 & while it was a lot of fun it was a bit lacking in power & braking.

But I'm just dreaming as you do. The Fireblade is still young & a sweet ride. Commutes, tours & fangs with ease; & recently had an Ohlins shock fitted.