THE OLD BLOKE'S BLOG
Welcome to The Old Bloke’s Blog! Well, it's more than just a blog actually; more of a blog combined with bits ‘n’ pieces, smaller items of interest etc.
It's a traditional type blog, or diary, of things that I've been doing that will, hopefully, be of some interest to the reader too.
But as I've mentioned, it's more than that. It's where I put items of interest that I've come across that aren't big enough for a separate article.
For previous installments in this series, just click the buttons above. I hope you find it interesting!
JANUARY 2009. Well, I've been for my first ride of the year. The weather continues to be very hot (30+), or wet. Or we have something else on. But a friend and I got out for a short ride today (Monday 5th). A 50km ride to a beach-side kiosk for lunch and a chat, which was very enjoyable, then rode back home.

JANUARY 2009. Build-quality and how well things are designed to fulfill their intended purpose is something I react fairly strongly to. I get very annoyed when things are poorly designed for their intended function. And impressed by things that are designed well. I was pleasantly impressed by the Yamaha's side-covers. I took them off for a look underneath. They are held on by the usual plastic pin through rubber grommet in two places, plus there's a piece of heavy-duty velcro type stuff to stop them moving around at the front edge. Then the whole thing is held on by a bolt. Very secure, can't come off, yet is easily removed - one bolt and gentle hand-pressure. Things like that impress me! It might seem a small thing, but when a former riding friend had a side-cover, which was secured just by the plastic pins, blow off his Ducati, (and I've had the same thing happen to me on an older bike) well, it makes you appreciate good design!   
JANUARY 2009. I bought some soft luggage today. I've been looking at this for a while. Previously, when I’ve gone away I strapped on a little back-pack thing that I had converted to a bike-bag - which I used to use before I got my Ventura bag. But, especially with a planned trip coming up, having something bigger and more suitable would be preferable, so I’ve been looking at what is available.
The Oxford range of gear is very well-priced. Because I won't be using it a lot, ultimate quality and durability isn't really an issue, provided they are reasonable. My attention was caught first by their throw-over panniers, but after seeing those, and thinking about where they go on the bike, I decided that the tailbag looked a good idea. So today I went to check them out.
I was very impressed with them! They seem well-made, hold about 38 litres, and are expandable. The photo shows the bag expanded, and you can see the zip about half way down which is where it collapses to. (By the way, I just sat it on the bike for illustration purposes - that's obviously not where it goes!). It comes with ocky-straps to help tie it down, and a strap that goes under the seat. It also has a rain-cover, and shoulder strap, and can be worn as a back-pack. And there're a couple of external pockets too. At $59.95 I thought it was great value! In Ventura, the same size bag was $120.
The Ventura is "water-resistant", which the Oxford isn't, but you have to pay $40 for an optional rain-cover. The other advantage the Ventura has is in the fitting. It has a panel that goes under the seat with 4 clips to attach the actual bag. So removing the bag is just a matter of undoing the clips. With the Oxford you have to take the seat off to get the bag off. (And you don't need ocky-straps as extra tie-downs with the Ventura). But, as I won't be using it a lot, that isn't a great problem. If you were using it a lot, it might be worth going for the convenience of the Ventura. So, if you’re looking for an inexpensive bag for occasional use, this is something I would highly recommend!
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JANUARY 2009 Further to the item above on the Oxford luggage, one disadvantage with ocky-straps is that they can cause scuffing on the bodywork. Now, I’m sure that many of you will have come up with good ways of preventing this, but here’s what I did. I got some soft foam and cut it into appropriate sized strips and secured them around the ends of the ocky-straps with cable-ties. You need to make sure the cable-ties aren’t against the bike, of course, but they are buried into the foam anyway, which takes them even further away from the bodywork.
I also cut off other buckles and things that weren’t needed and would only get in the way.
JANUARY 2009 And on the subject of touring, while on holidays recently (in the car), I spotted a Postie-bike, loaded with soft-luggage, cruising (pretty slowly!) along the Hume Highway. I know they do strange things with them, but that's very keen!
JANUARY 2009 I was browsing a British web-site (the XJR-Owners Club), and one of the members was proudly displaying photos of his new bike. The number-plate caught my attention. Ummm, a bit on the large side, don't you reckon?
We are currently complaining about the aesthetics of front number-plates, but how would you like to go around with this monstrosity bolted to the back of your bike?
JANUARY 2009 Had a couple of interesting rides lately; which showed differences in bikes and riding styles. Both included some people I hadn't ridden with before.
The first was with a group that included a big-bore sports-tourer and a couple of cruisers. On straight roads we all stuck together pretty well, sitting on, or just above, the speed-limit. Then we came to a narrow winding section. The sports-tourer was leading, I was next, and then the two cruisers. The lead rider wasn't going particularly quickly, and I easily kept up; but the cruisers vanished in my mirrors, to the extent that we had to stop and wait for them to catch up. No disrespect to the bikes or riders, just the difference in bikes being very apparent.
The second was with some guys I hadn't ridden with before. And this time I was the slow one! Our route took us along some narrow bumpy back-roads, and they were riding just a bit quicker than I was comfortable with. But I kept up, or caught up when I did fall behind. Then we came to a narrow winding mountain pass. Now, on this particular road (which is well known for motorcycle crashes), I probably ride slower than most people; erring on the side of safety and a more relaxing ride. Again I kept up, without pushing harder than I was prepared to, but the differences were probably more apparent. They were both riding very smoothly and safely, just a little quicker than I usually do. Both bikes were heavier than mine too. (Oh there was also a Ducati amongst us, which took the lead and disappeared when we got to the mountain!). We were taking different lines through the corners too. I was using the safety-recommended "wide-in, tight-out" lines, instead of the "snick-the-apex" racing-lines that they were using. These "wide-in" lines are slower, because they take you wide of the apex, but safer because you see further around the corner and stay clear of the "impact-zone". But I got the impression that the other guys were aware of the differences; and probably thinking I was a "wobbly old man!" Later a guy on a Triumph Sprint joined us for part of the ride. It was along another sometimes bumpy back-road. The other guys in front, then me, then the Sprint. I noticed the Sprint falling back a bit then catching up. Hmm, so I'm not "captain slow" then! His natural riding style and speed I reckon would be pretty close to mine. As I said, interesting to note the differences in bikes and riding styles!
JANUARY 2009. I pulled out of the trip I mentioned in the item on the Oxford luggage. It was a group ride that had been organised by a riding friend. It was disappointing, as I was really looking forward to going!
The trip was through the southern tablelands of NSW, but the whole south-eastern region of Australia is in the middle of a heatwave, and the forecast temperatures for the area we'd be riding through were around 35 to 37 degrees. That was just too hot for me! Most of the others still went though.
But I decided to see them off and ride a little way with them. This is some of the group at the local meeting-place.
The group leaving from here included a Triumph Rocket, a Harley, 3 Yamaha FJR1300s, and a Suzuki Bandit. And me.
For a while the ride was okay, but then we began getting into some very hot temps, so at that stage I bid them farewell and headed to a nearby town for a cool drink. On the way home the heat got suddenly worse; the air felt like it was coming from an oven! I was seriously concerned as to whether I could make it home again! Thankfully, after a while I got into some slightly cooler air, and the wind flowing through my Dri-mesh jacket almost felt cool. I stopped for a cool drink, but as soon as I did the heat was so oppressive that I got on the bike and kept going. It's not quite the hottest I've been on a bike, but it was close!
I think I made the right decision not to go. Still disappointing though!

FEBRUARY 2009. Why don't motorcycle manufacturers provide touch-up paint? Well, some do, I believe, but Yamaha isn't one of them. My previous bike was black, so that wasn't a problem - getting a little bottle of black touch-up paint is easy. Not so easy with a metallic blue! The owner's manual listed a web-site, which was no use, and the only help local dealers could offer was to direct me to a smash-repair spray-painter. He offered to mix some up, going by eye. A 250ml tin for about $70. A bit over-kill for the occasional stone-chip!
This became more of an issue when the bike somehow scored a stone-chip on the top of the tank. (I'm pretty sure this happened when it was parked!).
The colour looks identical to that used on XR6 Falcons. So I went to a Ford dealer, found out what the colour was and got them to order me a small bottle. The colour ended up being an exact match. It cost $23 for the little 15ml bottle and included brush; although I probably could've got it cheaper by going to an auto-accessories shop. But as I was in the Ford dealer and they'd gone to a little trouble to identify the paint I wanted, I got it there. You'd think the manufacturers would make it available though, wouldn't you.
JANUARY 2009. Zoie, who bought my previous bike, sent me an email and some photos of a very interesting ride. She was in an area north-west of Sydney and came upon a group of bikes, with a big "Yamaha" sign strung up in the trees. Of course she pulled in to see what was happening. It turned out that it was a group from Yamaha who were testing the as-yet-unreleased Yamaha XJ6 Diversion. She was very interested in what was, basically, the soon-to-be current version of her bike.
The Yamaha guys were interested in her bike too - being the predecessor of the bike they were putting through it's paces. One of them even took it for a brief ride. And they gave Zoie a ride on one of the new ones. She might have just done the first unofficial road-test of the Diversion in Australia! She was very impressed with the bike anyway!
The photo above shows a couple of the new bikes, and in the background (with helmet on the seat) is her bike. So, old and new together!
FEBRUARY 2009. My mate Steve called in for an overnight visit on his latest adventure, a trip to Tasmania. He has relatives there, so he's off to visit the relos and do a trip around the island.
This is his new ("same as the old one except for the paint") Suzuki DR 650. Loaded on the back is his usual load of soft luggage containing, as his good wife would put it, "Everything but the kitchen sink!"
This photo was taken as he was about to leave the following morning. He'd ridden 250km in rain to get to my place the day before, and was now heading off, in the rain again, with a 560km trip ahead of him for that day. I reckon that's a long way to ride on a DR650, especially in the rain! The rain did ease along the way though. Stay safe mate!

FEBRUARY 2009. It pays to have a good-quality brand helmet.
After filling up at the end of a ride, I pulled on the helmet and when I went to close the visor it wouldn't close. At home I investigated and found that the pod that covers the hinged end of the visor had broken. Just a tiny plastic lug, that was all that had broken, but it was enough for the pod not to stay on.
I wasn't too happy about the thought of having to throw out a good helmet - and buy another one! - but I thought, being an Arai, a replacement just might be available. I called the shop where I'd bought it and they said that the pods were available. They identified the graphic and ordered it in. Well ordered "them" in, as they come in a pair. Cost $49, which is expensive for what they are, but a lot cheaper than buying a new helmet!! So, good one, Arai!

FEBRUARY 2009. I came across this photo on a club web-site. Apparently it was taken at a place called Shallow Crossing, which is in the upper reaches of the Clyde River. That's the river that runs down to Batemans Bay on the south coast of NSW.
What a great shot! It was listed as "Photo Of The Month"; and deservedly so I reckon!
The water looks pretty deep doesn't it. Not exactly a "shallow" crossing!
FEBRUARY 2009. The dodgy weather continues. It seems to be either stinking hot or raining! Last weekend I had a few things on, but late on Sunday I got the bike out for a short ride.
I headed along a favourite route up a winding mountain pass. The weather was looking a bit suspect when I left, and when I got to the top of the mountain I struck fog!
A planned stop for a cuppa was abandoned and I just kept on going through the fog and came home. Ah well, the weather will get better one day!
MARCH 2009. Finally the weather has improved, and I’ve been on a couple of rides. One still had temps climbing above 30 degrees, but it wasn’t too bad. My riding-companion was on a fully-faired FJR1300, and suffered a bit more heat than I did. For me, at highway speeds the wind tends to blow the heat away a bit; but you also feel the disadvantages of a naked more. Win some, lose some! Still an enjoyable ride though.
Today was a solo ride. A loop down the coast, up and down a couple of mountains, then down another mountain to home. With stops for lunch and a cuppa with a read of the latest Cycle Torque. At one point on this ride, which I have done many times, a road leads off that ends up at a small farming community. Back in the late 1960s my father used to play with a dance-band that regularly played at a hall there. Back in those days the road in from the main road was dirt, and very rough. We'd bounce along this rough dirt road that just went past a few farms, and then in the middle of nowhere was a small hall. People used to come from all around to the dance. The floor was highly polished, and was probably one of the best dance-floors (this was old-time dancing) of any hall they played at. It was so polished that you had to be careful not to slip as you walked on it.
I'd been back there only a couple of times since; once a few years ago. The road is sealed now, although still a bit choppy. Today I decided to ride out there. The road winds along beside a river, and is quite picturesque, with mountain cliffs in the background.
The last time I’d been there everything look deserted, but today there was a truck parked in the grounds. I took a photo, and then wandered over. The truck had brought supplies for a wedding that was to be held there. The hall was open, so I went inside. Wow, it sure brought back memories being inside that hall! It’d been 40 years since I'd set foot inside! (My father died in January 1969). The floor was nowhere near the highly polished state it had been, but otherwise it was still quite a neat hall inside. And it certainly brought back memories – from 40 years ago!
MARCH 2009. You read it here first folks! Well, maybe not; although I hadn’t seen it mentioned anywhere else when I made the comment in my report. In my test of the Triumph Street Triple I mentioned bad reflections across the speedo. In a recent letter to Australian Motorcycle News, Gary Smith wrote that he had sold his Triumph Street Triple because of it “whittling down my licence points, because it had an unreadable speedo.” In the test I related riding past a speed-camera with no clue (from the speedo) as to how fast I was going.
And on the subject of letters, in the same issue another reader wrote in confessing he was “a hoon” and saying that he “almost always speeds.” He wrote, “I think that the speed limits are mostly a load of shit and generally ignore them.” He later added that to him, “the whole reason to ride a bike is to ride fast.” Obviously he doesn’t live in Victoria! I will agree that we have unrealistically low speed-limits (and I was just saying this to a riding friend on the weekend), but I certainly can’t agree with his attitude, or the statement that “the whole reason to ride a bike is to ride fast.”

MARCH 2009. Each year Sydney Bike Shop Bike Biz organise a ride to Lithgow in support of the local fire-service. This year, in response to the devastating fires in Victoria, they chose to donate most of the money raised to the Victorian bushfire appeal. The ride was held on 8th March. According to one report there were over 900 bikes on the run. At Lithgow volunteers provided a barbeque lunch – for around 1,500 people! According to the report, the total money raised was $33,500; $27,000 of which went to the Victorian appeal, while the rest went to local fire services. I had been trying to arrange to go on this ride, and I’m sorry I missed it. Next year! Anyway, congratulations to Bike Biz and all who took part!
MARCH 2009. I was at one of those discount places (Sam’s Warehouse) and my wife pointed out a small tyre gauge. Apparently designed to clip onto your key-ring, the gauge is about 5cm long. And it cost just $2. The small size makes it ideal for bikes, where getting in to the valves can be a problem. For two bucks I thought it’d be worth a try, so I bought one. When I got home I tried it on the bike, and yes, it is good for getting in around discs etc to reach the valves. Ah, but what about accuracy? I checked against my high-quality gauge, and guess what? It gave a correct reading! I carried a tyre-gauge anyway, but this is smaller and easier to use. Check your local junk … er, “Discount” …. shop.
MARCH 2009. I now have a personalised number-plate on the bike. I had considered this before, but never got one. Here in NSW they used to be free, but long ago changed to having an annual fee, which I'd thought was very expensive; so since then I'd never really considered it. Then one day I was walking past an RTA (NSW registration authority) office and walked in and got a brochure. For bikes, the cost is not too bad! $40 a year for a yellow and black, $50 a year for a black and white. That’s for basic ones with a combination of letters and numbers. You get to choose what letters and numbers you want though. (Other special ones with one word etc are much more expensive!). So I kept it in mind. Then, when I got some money for my birthday from my wife, I thought I'd use it to get a plate. I figured $50 a year isn't a lot, and if my wife or any of the kids can't think of what to get me for my birthday each year they can pay the fee for me. This is now the third number plate the bike has had in 6 months! (It arrived with a Victorian plate, which had to be changed to a NSW one, and now I’ve changed it to a personalised one).
APRIL 2009. This instrument panel was on an old Triumph that I saw at a bike show. No, I don’t think it was standard Triumph fitting!
The gauges included a volt-meter, fuel gauge, oil-pressure gauge, temperature gauge, and what appeared to be two vacuum gauges. Plus the speedo and tacho. By the time you checked that lot out you'd be in the next suburb!
APRIL 2009. I often complain about seats on bikes, but I don’t think this is the answer!
Apparently it was produced in Budapest by a guy called Janos Nemeth. (Obviously he has way too much time on his hands!). He calls it a “stand-up scooter.” The front section is a 250cc scooter, and the rear is custom built. There is a seat, on a pole, that is able to be attached to the skateboard, er ... scooter; presumably to make it legal to ride on the streets.
The 250cc engine is reported to be able to propel the bike at speeds up to 140kph.
APRIL 2009. I suppose the boom had to bust sometime! I’ve just seen figures for bike sales for the first quarter of 2009, and the over-all sales of motorcycles (including scooters), are down by 15%. Road-bikes fell the least, while ATVs took the hardest hit. (Thanks to Rod for this item and the one above). 


APRIL 2009. I didn't make it to the Ulysses AGM in Penrith. I had planned to go, but then other things came up, and when I finally got around to checking for accommodation (I don't do camping!) everything was booked out. Thought of doing a day-trip there but was limited to either Saturday or Sunday and ... anyway I didn't get there. But from the reports I've had from those who did go, it was a great event. I wish I had gone! Apparently there were about 3,500 bikes there.

APRIL 2009. I decided that, if "Kevin Oh-Seven" was handing out some "stimulating" money, I'd spend a little bit of it on a top-box. I've carried a Ventura bag for a few years (and got a new Ventura rack for the new bike when I bought it), but a top-box is a better solution to carrying things. A bit neater, and of course, lockable. The only thing I don't like is that there aren't separate compartments. A bag has lots of different places for you to put different items. With the top-box they're just all in together.
I considered R-Jays, but had previously looked at Givi and ended up buying one of those. It fits the Ventura rack; although the tall top section has to be replaced with the lower "Sports-Rack" to allow the lid to open. Sydney City Motorcycles gave me a good deal on the whole lot.
APRIL 2009. I've been busy organising a Charity Ride. I occasionally organise rides with a group of pupils who have bikes, or riding friends. Usually not both together though. So I thought I would organise a ride and invite everyone I know who rides. And then I thought I'd make it a charity event, with funds raised going to aid the victims of the Victorian bushfires and Queensland floods.
I decided to get some businesses involved. We'd leave from a motorbike shop, and have them donate; go to a club for lunch, and get them to donate; and have a coffee-stop at another business that would also donate. So I've been contacting businesses and arranging things with them. It's all working out well, with everyone I contacted being keen to support us. And riding friends have been promoting it among their contacts and on various web-sites they use too. It could end up being quite a large group! I'll write a report about it when it's run. It's arranged for early May.
MAY 2009. After all the planning and preparation, the Charity Ride I mentioned above finally happened. And here I am leaving home for the start of the ride.
It was a good day. Beautiful autumn weather that made a perfect day for riding! But all didn't exactly go according to plan! And so it was a bit stressful.
But we raised over $500 for charity, and everyone said they enjoyed the day. (Well everyone I spoke to anyway!).
You can read all about the ride by clicking the link above.

MAY 2009. When I bought my bike (2nd-hand with just 1200km on), it literally did not have scratch or mark on it. The first one it got was a rather nasty stone-chip on the top of the petrol tank. That was a bit weird, and I previously described the difficulty in getting some touch-up paint. Well, now there are a few more scratches! When I fitted the top-box, (also described above) the bolts securing the mounting-plate to the rack were very close to the bodywork of the bike; and I ended up getting a couple of chips in the paint.
I shortened them a couple of times, and thought it had enough clearance; but after the first decent ride (the "Charity Ride"), it was obvious that there was enough flex in the rack to allow the ends of the bolts to touch and continue to put some decent ships in the paint. The bolts are about as short as they can go, so now I’ve placed a couple of small adhesive felt pads underneath them. Annoying – even if you can’t actually see it!

JUNE 2009. I’ve just been looking through the sales figures for the first quarter of 2009. It makes for interesting reading! Top-selling road bike was the Kawasaki EX-250F. Next (if you discount Australia Post buying CT110s) was the Yamaha R1. Hmm, bit of a difference there! Cruisers figured quite prominently, with Harley being very popular. Actually, in the Cruiser category, 7 out of the top 10 were Harleys! Even in the touring category, the top three were Harleys, with another Hog at 6th spot.
In the sports-tourer category, 5 of the top 10 came from Suzuki. Surprisingly perhaps, the top-seller was the GS500F. (The Suzuki GSX650F was 2nd, and the Triumph Sprint ST 3rd). If that indicates a rising popularity in smaller capacity machines, then this trend is also borne out in scooters, with the top 10 all being under 150cc.
Proving it’s popularity in the Adventure-Tourer class, BMW claimed 4 places in the top 10. Also taking 4 spots on the top 10, Triumph proved its popularity in the naked class. Top seller went to the Street Triple, with the Bonneville coming in 2nd. The Bonneville T100 was counted separately, but if combined with the standard Bonnie, it would’ve been number 1.
As I said, interesting reading!

JUNE 2009. I've said before that one of the great things for me that has come from running this web-site is friendships that have been made. That has, until now, been on-line friendships. A little while ago I found that one of our regular readers, Russell, had moved to a town close to where I live. And a couple of days ago we met up for a coffee and a look at his newly-acquired Suzuki GSX1400. Russell is about the same age as me, and a nice guy. We went for a short ride together afterwards, with me showing him some of the back-roads around our area. We have the same style of bike, and probably the same sort of riding styles, so we've arranged to go for a longer ride together. It was good to meet him! 

JUNE 2009. I just found out that Oran Park will be staging a 6-Hour Production Motorcycle race on the weekend of November 21st / 22nd. This will be Oran Park’s last race before it closes for good. (And another iconic race-circuit is lost from the Sydney area!). Of course, the Castrol 6-hour races were mostly held at Amaroo Park (also long gone!), but during the last few years were held at Oran Park. Check out the event details here.

JUNE 2009. I joined a ride today with RATS and Ratbags – basically the Triumph-owner's groups but with other non-Triumph owners (like me) joining in for the company. The weather finally lifted and it was a mostly fine day. We all met at a Triumph dealer and headed off for lunch at a pub at a small sea-side town. The route down was along interesting roads (not just straight down the highway), which added to the fun. Also adding to the fun was the fact that we lost sight of the leading group! As often seems to happen on group rides, I found myself in the middle; eventually being a fair way back from the leaders and having the rest of the group following some distance behind. Getting held up behind slow cars didn’t help! (But 1300cc of power helped overtake them when the opportunity arose!).
Having completely lost sight of the leaders, I assumed the role of leader for the riders following me. I went a different way to the intended route – the memory not working properly; I thought they’d said they were going via a particular road, but they were actually going a different way. Didn’t matter; the route I took was more scenic, and we actually arrived before them! Anyway, a very enjoyable day! It was a great spot (the photo on the left was taken from our table outside) with plenty of interesting bikes to look at and friendly people to chat with. Thanks to those who organised it!
Click here for the next enthralling episode! And other bits 'n' pieces that actually are interesting!