What can I say?
This was to be the father and son ride that didn't happen in 2018. I guess it just wasn't meant to be.
Time to put the camping gear back into the various storage boxes until the stars align again.
My son has decided to sell the BMW. He had always intended to sell it once we had done the lap. A sad day. A great bike. I've taken it out a couple of times over the last month or so and love it. But my marriage would not be able to handle another bike in the stable. Three's the limit.
The current COVID-19 situation still has a long way to run and it'll take a long while for many to find employment etc as the economy slowly recovers. While the retirement income has been hit hard, the younger ones will be doing far harder. My disappointment really is just a First World problem with so may others in far worse situations than me.
Once this is over our first trip will be to see our daughter on Groote Eylandt (which has been in lockdown for some time). Maybe next year will see panniers loaded up for a few little getaways. Who knows.
Stay safe and maybe I'll see you on the road. Don't forget to nod or wave.
I look forward to reading your two wheeled exploits in this great brown land, My Country
Sunday, 29 March 2020
Sunday, 1 March 2020
Accessory Power outlets completed
Postman Pat delivered on the eBay items for the accessory points.
A quick trip to Coles to buy a chopping board for the base plates and Bunnings for some velcro strips and we were in business.
We built two units, one for each bike. Tristan's is mounted on the inside of the top pannier lid while mine sits free in a side pannier.
Each unit is powered via a relay switch tapped into the accessory port on the BMW and from the rear light wire on the Suzuki. The power is taken directly from the battery via a trickle charger wire that was previously installed on both bikes.The switched power also has a 10amp fuse in line.
The hardest activity this weekend was putting the panniers back on the Suzuki. I normally run the bike solo as it looks a darn sight better IMHO. Attaching the pillion backrest and panniers, while only four bolts, requires lining up three holes, a couple of spacers and lifting the rear cowling for each bolt. While I've done it a couple of times myself it's much easier as a two person operation as you lift wriggle and cajole the bolts into position.
Next job is to go through the camping gear and look at what to pack into the panniers. I expect it'll be similar to the kit I took last time. (ATB2018-First Pack)
A quick trip to Coles to buy a chopping board for the base plates and Bunnings for some velcro strips and we were in business.
We built two units, one for each bike. Tristan's is mounted on the inside of the top pannier lid while mine sits free in a side pannier.
Each unit is powered via a relay switch tapped into the accessory port on the BMW and from the rear light wire on the Suzuki. The power is taken directly from the battery via a trickle charger wire that was previously installed on both bikes.The switched power also has a 10amp fuse in line.
The hardest activity this weekend was putting the panniers back on the Suzuki. I normally run the bike solo as it looks a darn sight better IMHO. Attaching the pillion backrest and panniers, while only four bolts, requires lining up three holes, a couple of spacers and lifting the rear cowling for each bolt. While I've done it a couple of times myself it's much easier as a two person operation as you lift wriggle and cajole the bolts into position.
Next job is to go through the camping gear and look at what to pack into the panniers. I expect it'll be similar to the kit I took last time. (ATB2018-First Pack)
Thursday, 13 February 2020
Did you call?
The release of the Samsung S20 is opportune. With it's release the price of the superseded models are dropping like hot potatoes. Time to upgrade the S8.
Last time "Around the Block" I carried three phones; my primary Samsung S8 which is with Optus; a backup S6 with a Telstra SIM; and a Sat phone.
Yes, the obvious question is why don't I just stick with Telstra and toss Optus? Fetch boxes and bundled account etc... is the answer.
And yes, I did use all phones at various times last trip to keep in contact with my wife and family. While I'm out having fun riding around Australia I need to ensure my wife and family are kept in the loop of what I'm doing and where I am. Without her blessing this trip wouldn't be happening.
On a number of forums and Facebook groups the question of what phone to take and what network to sign up to is often asked. As far as I can see it's a no brainer. Telstra reigns supreme if you're heading anywhere away from the East Coast of Australia or large city. Have a look at the coverage maps below of Optus and Telstra and their coverage in the outback. However to Optus' credit, their coverage today is far greater than it was a couple of years ago.
These maps are taken from Reviews.org.
Last time "Around the Block" I carried three phones; my primary Samsung S8 which is with Optus; a backup S6 with a Telstra SIM; and a Sat phone.
Yes, the obvious question is why don't I just stick with Telstra and toss Optus? Fetch boxes and bundled account etc... is the answer.
And yes, I did use all phones at various times last trip to keep in contact with my wife and family. While I'm out having fun riding around Australia I need to ensure my wife and family are kept in the loop of what I'm doing and where I am. Without her blessing this trip wouldn't be happening.
On a number of forums and Facebook groups the question of what phone to take and what network to sign up to is often asked. As far as I can see it's a no brainer. Telstra reigns supreme if you're heading anywhere away from the East Coast of Australia or large city. Have a look at the coverage maps below of Optus and Telstra and their coverage in the outback. However to Optus' credit, their coverage today is far greater than it was a couple of years ago.
 |
| Optus |
 |
| Telstra |
I did contemplate getting a dual sim from Kogan but decided having the backup phone with sim installed was a better option if one goes missing.
I'll purchase a Telstra Pre-Paid SIM for the time I'm away. There's not a snow flakes chance in Hell that I'll even scratch the surface of using a poofteenth of the available data on the cheapest plan, but being contactable most of the time is reassuring.
Gotta go and set up the apps on the new phone
Gotta go and set up the apps on the new phone
Saturday, 8 February 2020
Power! Nothing like power and Tweak that Route!
Started looking at what we needed to do to the bikes and revisiting the 2018 route that I took.
Have ordered a couple of surface mount power outlets and handlebar outlets, associated SAE cabling and power relays.
The surface mount power outlets will be placed in a pannier allowing battery packs, Gopro and any other items to be charged when not in use. I didn't have this capability last time and missed having the ability to charge items fully overnight from the battery pack. Lesson learned.
The handlebar power outlet is primarily for the CB radio charging. I already have a phone wireless charging holder.
The use of the SAE cable joiners will allow the panniers to be unplugged from the bike for removal if needed. The power from the battery will be switched using the relay connected to the tail light lead. I have no desire to flatten the battery while the bike is not running. A few pics below.
It's time to review the last ride route and tweak it a little bit. As with the 2018 ride the intent is to roughly follow the A1 around Australia. We will head a little further north up the East Coast to Port Douglas this time before making our way back down and across to Georgetown. We will also be taking a trip from Darwin over to Umbakumba on Groote Eylandt to visit my daughter. While not on the bikes, this will be a highlight of the trip for me.
WikiCamps was an excellent tool last time in picking overnight stops. This time I'd like to do a bit more Country Pub camping, though I realise travelling the A1 is not really country.
Rocks under the tent just seem to be softer after a visit to the Rubidy.
Have ordered a couple of surface mount power outlets and handlebar outlets, associated SAE cabling and power relays.
The surface mount power outlets will be placed in a pannier allowing battery packs, Gopro and any other items to be charged when not in use. I didn't have this capability last time and missed having the ability to charge items fully overnight from the battery pack. Lesson learned.
The handlebar power outlet is primarily for the CB radio charging. I already have a phone wireless charging holder.
The use of the SAE cable joiners will allow the panniers to be unplugged from the bike for removal if needed. The power from the battery will be switched using the relay connected to the tail light lead. I have no desire to flatten the battery while the bike is not running. A few pics below.
It's time to review the last ride route and tweak it a little bit. As with the 2018 ride the intent is to roughly follow the A1 around Australia. We will head a little further north up the East Coast to Port Douglas this time before making our way back down and across to Georgetown. We will also be taking a trip from Darwin over to Umbakumba on Groote Eylandt to visit my daughter. While not on the bikes, this will be a highlight of the trip for me.
WikiCamps was an excellent tool last time in picking overnight stops. This time I'd like to do a bit more Country Pub camping, though I realise travelling the A1 is not really country.
Rocks under the tent just seem to be softer after a visit to the Rubidy.
Tuesday, 4 February 2020
Another BMW on the block
My riding companion last time Around The Block rode a BMW R1200GS Adventure. It performed faultlessly and was an excellent choice for the ride. Hell, nearly every second or third bike seemed to be a GS. The Adventurer had a 35ltr tank, so he only had to fuel up every other one of my stops! I carried a 10ltr fuel bladder and will do so again this time. And he had enough space in his panniers to accommodate the kitchen sink to boot.
I suggested to my son that he should look seriously to a BMW to do the ride on. Last weekend he narrowed his search down took ownership of a 2010 R1200GS. A very neat machine with a set of BMW Vario panniers. The capacity of each is R 30-39ltrs, L 20-29ltrs and top box 30-35ltrs. That's a total of between 80-103ltrs dependent on whether each pannier is expanded or not! This bike should romp the ride in with ease.
The challenge for Tristan will not to be too sloppy with the kit he pack, given the huge amount of luggage space available.
I suggested to my son that he should look seriously to a BMW to do the ride on. Last weekend he narrowed his search down took ownership of a 2010 R1200GS. A very neat machine with a set of BMW Vario panniers. The capacity of each is R 30-39ltrs, L 20-29ltrs and top box 30-35ltrs. That's a total of between 80-103ltrs dependent on whether each pannier is expanded or not! This bike should romp the ride in with ease.
My Suzuki OEM saddlebags would be lucky to be 15ltrs each! While these were a good 5ltrs smaller than the K-Drives I had on my M50, I made them do on the back end of the last trip. I'll be running a bit lighter this time round. Off loading a few bits that I really didn't need or use.
Saturday, 25 January 2020
Take two!
In early 2017 my son Tristan came up to me and said “Dad, do you want to go for bike ride?” Sure I said, where to? Around the block was his response, and I knew what he meant, the Big Block.
Unfortunately he changed jobs and was unable go. So I went with school mate (Rog) and we had a great time. You can see the blog of that trip at: Around the Block 2018.
At this stage I think we'll do a similar trip with an added flight over to Groote Eylandt to see my daughter. Departing at the beginning of April.
The kit I took last time was pretty well spot on, however I took too many clothes and never sat on the chair once. So the chair's staying at home and the clothing is probably halved. The kit from last time is at First pack.
At this stage I'm not sure whether I'll take the M109R (which I finished the last trip on) or buy something just for the trip. My son hasn't purchased as yet, but looking to an Adventure tourer. Last time every second bike was a BMW GS!
Here's the trip map in Google MyMaps. It also includes a few other tabs.
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