Harley Davidson Price Drop - Yes it's true - they are now even more affordable (and fun)

2012 Harley Davidsons are going to cost you less than last year's model!

Here's a few of the prices:

Wide Glide with the 103 motor and ABS braking $24,495 ($4,400 less than the 2011 model)

Fat Boy with 103 motor and ABS braking $$27,995 ($4,255 less)

Heritage Softail Classic with 103 motor and ABA $29,495 ($3,000 less)

Softail Standard with 103 motor and ABS $26,995 ($1,000 less)

So this year you get more grunt, better handling and a better deal....go check them out. The dealers are having their open days soon so go have a test ride of the 103 motor, you're certain to be impressed!

No Hopers Poker Run

Every year I look forward to the No Hopers Poker Run. It's held in September and those hillbillies certainly know their way around the country roads. Their clubhouse is up on the Hampton Range and most of them live around the Esk, Hampton, Ipswich, Crows Nest areas, so riding around those roads is second nature to them.

Their run gets around 100-200 bikes each year and even though this year the weather wasn't perfect, with gusty wind, there was still a great turn up. They met at the Sundowner Hotel at Haigslea this year, took some great riding roads with 2 pub stops and then back to their clubhouse for drinks, a band, good food and great company.

This is the ride that I had my accident on last year where another bike slammed into the back end of my bike, but fortunately there were no accidents this year, and normally it's all incident free.

I didn't take many photos this year, once again busy riding and partying, but my friend Cath was kind enough to pass over a few that I've attached below.

Look out for this ride next year, the ride is always exciting and the party afterwards is not to miss. Cheers Donna
PS Beaker - where were you this year???

Harley Davidson BlackLine Review

The Harley Davidson Softail model has been a favourite of Harley riders since it was first introduced in 1984. There are more custom & aftermarket parts available for the Softail than any other model providing enthusiast’s loads of opportunity to make it unique and the 2011 Harley Davidson Blackline FXS Softail won’t be any exception to this with it’s already stripped down look.

Personally I found the standard off-the-floor model quite uncomfortable because of the punched out riding position and rather than finding the forward controls to be my greatest challenge, I found it difficult to comfortably reach the handlebars. Having said that, I’m sure lots of men (in particular) won’t have this problem.

The Split Drag Bars are mounted independently and even though the internal wiring provides a clean stylish look, they are not adjustable at all, being mounted straight to the top triple clamp. There is a pullback version available which brings the controls closer to the rider, but this version puts you in a more upright position which I didn’t find comfortable (or cool!!!). Burly Bars are currently designing bars to fit the model so they might be seen on some custom models in the near future.

The V-shaped slimline seat is one of the lowest on any of the big Harleys and together with the forward controls result in a very comfortable position (for some!). Even I found it quite comfortable at higher speeds when the pressure was off my outstretched arms. After slipping it into sixth gear down the open highway, in the cool evening air, the smooth-running engine gave me that “I could ride for hours” feeling. I think with some minor customisations this bike could be very popular.

The ground clearance is good and the bike is light and it tosses around pretty well for a big bike and stops well with the anti-lock braking system. The Blackline certainly feels much lighter than my Softail Deluxe weighing in at 294kgs. I love the Sedona Orange and Vivid Black combination or just Vivid Black rather than the Cool Pearl Blue option.

The 18.9 litre tank is uncluttered by instruments with only a fuel cap and centred Harley emblem. There is a noticeable gap between the nose of the seat and the fuel tank that exposes the top of the frame, which Harley state is intentional, but I personally didn’t see the point. The digital odometer on the small round analog speedo mounted between the handle bars is easily changed to display a clock, tachometer and 6 speed gear indicator combination or fuel mileage countdown with a flick of a switch.

With a Black Denim powder coated frame and swingarm, grey heads above black cylinders, black powder coated triple clams and black painted fork lowers, you’ve got to love black to love this bike. The simplicity of the fender design and combination rear indicator/brake lights leave the rear chopped fender looking clean and sleek.

The bike is powered by a rigid-mounted, internally counter-balanced 1584cc Twin Cam 96B engine with peak power about 3000 revs, but the bike is geared low so there is instant torque when you throttle on. It certainly hooks in, I had some fun on it!

Overall I was impressed with the Blackline (other than the uncomfortable un-adjustable handle bars). Its aggressive attitude suggests the bike will suit younger riders with heaps of opportunity for the usual customisation that makes a Harley an individual masterpiece.

Blackbutt - that's an understatement!

Hi everyone. Donna here again. It’s been a while and plenty has been going on, in fact I've diversified somewhat lately, taking up other adventurous sports which means I don't get to spend quite so much time on my bikes, but hey...life's all about choices, so as long as it's fun, bring it on.

I have done some riding of course! I was invited to pick up a brand new Harley Davidson Black Line to take home and test ride for 2 weeks, which was a privilege indeed. Unfortunately the handlebars were not adjustable, so it wasn't as very comfortable for a short arse like me and I didn't do quite as much riding as I would have liked to; plus it was the middle of winter but nonetheless, I did enjoy it and will write up a review soon.

I've got my boat and PWC licence recently and have found out just how much fun a jet ski is. What a blast! I absolutely love it; mind you falling off can be quite painful too, but hell if you can't push it to the max, where's the fun? If only there was more time for all the fun toys.

I had an accident last September, which I’ve not advertised. I guess I’ve been a little embarrassed by it all. I was on a Poker Run with the No Hopers; on the second leg of the run going up the Blackbutt Range when I was distracted by some friends with video recorders on the side of the road after we came around a corner (at high speed). I haven't been able to look at the video myself more than once, but it’s not often an accident like this is captured on video, so I’ll have a go at uploading it.

The guy behind me was distracted too and didn't react quickly enough, but I take my share of the responsibility for the accident and am just glad we both came away without any serious injuries. I was wearing leather and Kevlar and only sustained a LOT of bruises and a bent bike. I was lucky not to be run over after sliding down the road and as you will see quite a few bikes managed to avoid further collisions.

People have told me how lucky I was that day and others have told me how tough I was getting back on my bike and finishing the ride and partying till the wee hours of the morning, but I can tell you...I didn't feel very tough the next morning or for quite a few weeks. A bit of handy panel beating on the side of the road and I was off again, but it took months to get my bike repaired (luckily I have another one). It's better than ever now with plenty of new bling and I don’t recall my life flashing in front of my eyes, so all’s well that ends well.

The crash happened on the Blackbutt Range and I ended up with a seriously black butt; hence the title of this blog. Take care and keep on enjoying life.

Harley Davidson Forty-Eight Review

The new Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight motorcycle is a 1200cc V-Twin Sportster that's super cool to be seen on. I really enjoyed this ride, it's got an aggressive raw bobbed style; is responsive and handles well making it fun to ride.

The inspiration for the Forty-Eight name is the seven.eight litre tapered peanut tank that was first seen on Harleys as far back as 1948.

With a blacked out and polished rubber mounted motor, fat tyres, forward controls, low profile handlebars with mirrors mounted underneath, a solo seat and slammed suspension, it's very unique. I think it will appeal to both young men and women. The seat height is only 66cm so you feel in control at all times.

I love the colours too. Vivid Black, Brilliant Silver Pearl, and Sedona Orange colours. I'm a fan of the Black which adds to the rebel look, but the Orange is pretty outstanding too.

The seven.eight litre tank and stretched reach won't have you taking this bike on a long trip and personally it is too stretched for a short-arse like me, but I have that problem with all forward control mounted bikes. The underslung mirrors are easy to adjust to, but don't hang a shoulder bag where it will block the rear view. The shallow lean angle is very limiting so I expect it wouldn't take long to grind off the tabs that are attached to the foot pegs to stop you scraping the bike on more expensive components.

As with most Harleys I found the position of the shifter could be closer, but I managed to bring this to the attention of the design team so hopefully there will be a modified part available in the future.

I was curious about how the bike would handle with the chunky tyres but it was much lighter than expected and they certainly look good. The chopped fenders, blacked components (air cleaner cover, clutch and brake levers and turn signals) and peanut tank add to it's charm.

A special feature of this bike that I found very attractive is the combined indicator/brake lights. The rear indicators also house the brake light leaving the rear fender with a clean look.

Overall this new Sporty has spirited acceleration that might have you lighting up the rear end around town, then take it out on the weekend on the twists and turns of a mountain road with like minded friends and I think you'll have a lot of fun. With on on-road price of $16,625 ride away, Harley adds another cool and affordable bike to its stable of Sportsters.

Too Long

Well it's been way too long since I took the time to write on here and I've been on so many rides, I can hardly remember them all.

I remember coming back from the Ruptured Budgie Rally between Tenterfield and Texas back in mid-May and saying that I would have to write a blog on how much fun it was. Its one rally that is on my 'must do' list if only for the ride out there and back. Actually the rally is a fun night too. I met lots of very interesting people and listened to and told lots of stories around the bonfires at night.

It was pretty cold riding, but we all had the right gear on. There were more complaints about the rough road in one section than there was about the cold weather. But apart from that section it was certainly a great ride. There were 6 bikes, a nice little group of friends, and we went out through Boonah, Rathdowney, Woodenbong and Tenterfield. On the way back we went through Stanthorpe and Warwick till we got our heads straightened out from the night before, then cut through Allora to Ma Ma Creek before stopping in at the Glamorganvale for a few drinks on the last leg.

Of course we were blaming the sore heads on the need to drink lots of port because of the cold weather. The night before we got there it was -2 degrees and the washing up water was frozen in the bowl. Just as well we took that good bottle of port. I was as snug as a bug when I did finally crawl into bed and I know that I didn't surface the next morning until the frost had melted.

I just love those overnighters. I've done a few others lately too. June long weekend I went to the Rally Man Rally at Grevillia (before Kyogle). I was really keen to go for a ride by myself, but I had a little bit of trouble doing that as there were so many bikes on the road. I was forced to overtake 6 shiny red and yellow jap bikes just out of Dugandan (near Boonah) in an effort to ride alone, but alas they wanted to play, so I was forced to make sure they stayed in the chase position. I let them pass when we got to a T intersection after the windy bits and gave them a bit of space so I could resume my ride alone. As much as I like riding with other bikes, sometimes I just like to get out there by myself for a while.

Now that Rally Man Rally is a hoot. There were about 5 different bands playing from early afternoon when I got there till around 2:30 in the morning. Funnily enough some of the early bands were better than the last one, or maybe I was just a little befuzzled by then. But it's definitely a great time. Only thing bad about it was that it finished too soon. Sunday morning everyone packed up and left, when I had expected the music to start up again. I had planned to go for a nice ride, have lunch somewhere, pick up lots more alcohol and set myself up for another night of bopping in front of the band with a drink. But not to worry plan B was just as good.

I ended up back at one of the SMP rider's houses playing pool, drinking and being much much warmer than I would have been out in that paddock. And I blitz them at pool...gotta love that. Oh SMP, in case you were wondering is an acronym that they like to refer to as Suck More Piss. I believe it actually stands for some peninsula in South Australia where they formed their club, but their shirts have "a drinking club with a motorcycle problem" printed on the back and that says it all. Needless to say they were a great bunch to party with and it's just as well I played pool well that night because I certainly wasn't riding well that afternoon...I was feeling just a little ordinary, but that didn't last too long once we got started again.

So I hope you are not letting the weather hold you back...cold in Aus, damned hot where my friends are in Arizona. Keep it upright and have fun :)

Ride & Party this weekend

Party at the GlamorganVale Hotel this Saturday night. 4 Bands Playing
6pm for Dinner (bookings 07 54266222) Free Camping / Undercover areas for swags / Lockup area for bikes / shower & toilet block for campers.
Ride leaves the pub at 10am
Bands from 6:30pm *Fat Cheese* *Chaia* *Alchemist* *Rotten Dog*
Heaps of raffles - hand crafted guitar; airbrush air piece; meat trays to raise money for Scotty (his wife and 2 kids) to help in his fight agains Lymphoma Blood Cancer
All welcome - family friendly.

Go to their website for directions http://www.glamorganvalehotel.com.au/default.html

How Long Has It Been?

Hey there, sorry I haven't written anything of late, I guess the summer weather tends to lead to more motorcycling and less blogging. And WoW isn't summer Hot!

It was a real struggle riding on the Toy Ride last Saturday, but seeing so many people (especially the children and oldies) getting such a thrill out of watching the passing parade and then being able to donate money and a special toy to some needy children made it very worthwhile. Apparently there were around 800 bikes in the parade with the town’s people lining the roads all the way to cheer us on and hand over toys for donation. It actually gave me goose bumps seeing the joy it bought to people all braving a stinking hot day for a good cause. It’s always good to catch up with friends on the ride and I even made some nice new friends.

That was one of the most sedate rides I've been on for a while, so naturally I have tales of a few other rides that had the revs up higher. Let me think....working my way back...

There was a ride the prior Saturday with the Glamorgan Vale riders which went from the pub, down the motorway, to the Tumbulgum Hotel for lunch. Great catching up with friends even though we managed to loose one rider on the way. Apparently after he stopped trying to find us he had quite a good day. It's a wonder we didn't loose more from the ride because Rusty missed a turn that should have had us going back through the Numinbah Valley past Natural Arch, but instead we headed out towards Nimbin. Kyogle Road from Murwillumbah is great to ride, so before too long we were 70ks south at Kyogle with a smile on our faces, only to realise it was getting late and we were about 3 hours from home. Oh well, it was a great ride and possibly even better from then on, riding the Mt Lindsay Highway over the boarder ranges then the Rathdowney-Boonah Road - fantastic at high speed! We rode hard and fast all day and I just loved it.

One of our group had a spill which put a bit of a damper on the day though. He took a corner a bit too fast and ended up just missing a tree and was thrown into a barbed wire fence. A driver in a 4WD took him to hospital while a couple of us arranged to get his bike back to town. The bike was rideable only having a small scratch and a bent forward control gear change rod, and thankfully our mate wasn't in too bad a way. I guess we like to think positive and say he was lucky it could have been much worse. He ended up with 80 stitches in his upper arm and some micro surgery on his finger to fix a bit of tendon damage, but he's in good spirits and happy that the insurance company came to the party with a new jacket and fixed his bike.

I went to the Imbil Rally a few weeks back. That rally is on my must do list; it was excellent. I met up with new and old friends, danced and partied till the wee hours and had a great ride to and from Imbil through Kenilworth, Melany, Kilcoy and Esk. There is only a DJ playing music, but everyone has a great time and its one of the few runs not put on by a patch club where there are a high percentage of Harleys. It’s nice to get there early and relax during the day with a cold drink and for those a little competitive, there is a gymkhana in the afternoon that is pretty entertaining.

I took a 2010 model FatBoy Lo out for a test ride recently too, thinking it might be my next new bike, but that's not going to happen. I didn't like the riding position and the fact that I scraped the running boards half a dozen times on a ride around town. Just imagine what it would be like on some windy roads. Oh well, it just wasn't meant to be no matter how much I liked that customised denim black beauty.

Back in September I went on an overnighter to Bundaberg with a group of 12 bikes; about 420 kms each way. A friend of ours is working in a pub up there, so what better excuse for a ride and party night. And party we did! I still laugh when I look back at the videos of people dancing (and staggering) on the bar. A great bunch of people and such a good laugh; it was one of the best overnighters I've been on in a long time. No mishaps and excellent riding both ways; can't beat that.

I know there are countless other rides that I have been on since I last wrote a blog, but hey, you just should have been there. As usual I forgot to pull out my camera most of the time, but I'm sure I can rustle up some pics from somewhere!

Safe riding over the silly season everyone! Take care and don't risk drinking and riding because they'll be out in force. I'll be relaxing by a spa/pool with a cocktail at a five star resort on the Gold Coast for a week over new year's but am planning to take an extra day off work the day before Australia Day and to make the most of a four day weekend and some twisters in Northern NSW. Let me know by email if you're interested in joining in.

Happy New Year Catch you in 2010 Cheers Donna

Tassie Touring Suggestions

It's been a very long time since I toured Tassie but the memories are all good ones. The trip over there was just as much fun as the island was. I went to a big rally there and met lots of people so I suggest you check out what rallies are on. Be aware that the Hog Club have their rally on 6-8 November, so it will be busy down there at that time.

I had 6 weeks touring around, so I guess if you only have a couple of weeks you will have to be a little selective. There are some absolutely excellent little pubs, like The Pub In The Paddock and The Worst Little Pub On the East Coast.

My advise would be to get a copy of the Australian Motorcycle Atlas which has pretty much all the best rides. I stayed in backpacker lodges, peoples places, beside rivers and bays, in farmers paddocks, and at pubs. I'd suggest you take a small tent as well as your sway because I remember getting caught out for a couple of days in the rain (with a cask of port).

As for the Nullabour, yep I've done that too. There was a heat wave the day I left and I stopped at the first pub I came to and met up with a couple of guys on bikes and another couple trailering their bike whom I ended up travelling with all the way across. We had other bikes join up with us and every fuel stop turned into a bar stop and after overtaking road trains we would stop on the side of the road with a six pack and watch them all pass up by again.

I had an excellent time at Koolgardi where we happened upon a desert bike race and a rock drillers competition and managed to get ourselves free tickets to the rock drillers caberet that night. We got so drunk and were the only ones dressed in jeans (the ladies had lurex dresses on) but we had them all up dancing with us before long. We totally appreciated the smorgasbord after eating baked beans etc at campside stops for days in a row.

If you are going to camp on the side of the road along the way take a ground sheet as there are lots of prickly grass seeds that will haunt you for years to come otherwise.

We also made it to Norseman in time to meet up with a big group of fishermen staying there the night, who partied on after the bar was closed as the publicans guests and included us in their free drinks.

Needless to say, I recall all the good bits of that trip, but I do remember how long and ... long it was. Make sure you have a small esky with you; a lambs wool cover for your seat and a few spare parts. I ended up with a paper clip holding my chain together because the link kept coming off and even when I put a new link in with a surclip, it came out too. I actually rode around Perth for a while before I remembered to go get it fixed.

Well that's all I can think of at the moment, if I have any more wonderful recolections about the ride I'll let you know.

Cheers Donna

Club Rides

At the recent Poker Run on the Gold Coast a friend of mine was stopped by police and booked for speeding and unsafe overtaking. The police had their siren on for almost 2km and a few bikes stopped but then took off again; other than my friend who stayed to face the music. He was shown a video and told that he was lucky he stopped as all the others would be receiving summons's in the mail to appear in court on a very serious charge of failing to stop, together with the speeding and overtaking offenses. (Time will tell if this eventuates).

We used to get lectured by the police about how unsafe it was to speed and overtake dangerously, but now when you ride with a patch club it seems the lecture is not about your safety; you are drilled as to why you choose to ride with a patch club and told you will take the consequences. It appears that the police are no longer booking motorcyclists because they speed or disobey the laws, but merely using any excuse to deter motorcyclists from riding with outlaw clubs. It is well known that police are currently targeting outlaw motorcycle clubs due to a lot of very public feuding between clubs and suspicion of serious criminal activities.

Is it worth the risk now to go on a club ride? Well you'll have to make that decision for yourself, but I know I won't be riding down the tail end to be picked off by the police.
Stay Safe, Cheers DONNA

Should I confess??? I've been test driving cars!!!

Hi everyone, Yep it's true! I've been checking out cars not bikes lately and I have to admit it has been fun. Mind you these were not just ordinary old cars, I went for the fast hot variety and I think I now have to admit to being a bit of a rev head.

So what did I drive? I started off in this lovely red Honda Accord Euro Luxury Navigation model with a sports pack, where I discovered the paddle shift gear change on the automatics, that was a bit of fun. Next I moved onto the Nissan Maxima - more gadgets and a six cylinder, so more power.....hmmm.

Speaking of Gadgets what about the VW Passatt CC, that dammed thing can do a reverse park by itself, you've just got to give that a try. Ok so gadgets are fun, but power would be nice....The BMW 135i Coupé 3 litre 6 cylinder twin turbo put a smile on my face for about a week. Wow that car was awesome! Zero to 100 kms per hour in 5.3 seconds. I was in my eliment.

I also tried the 330i Steptronic which they let me have much more freedom to drive and found myself testing it's overtaking power and turning circle capability - in laymans terms that would be going fast and doing donuts. No I haven't bought anything yet, I'm having way too much fun trying them out. So if you have any suggestions on other cars they will let me test drive, please let me know!

I have managed to get out on my bikes just a bit in between these test drives too. I went to the Wintersun Festival on the Gold Coast last weekend which is all about pre 1974 cars only, but I'm pretty sure they didn't mind seeing me getting around the streets of Coolangatta on my bike. There were lots of bands playing and partying, cool old cars, a few hot bodies to perv at and basically a great time for everyone. I can't say I have come back with a camera full of pictures of old cars but I did get a couple of some great people I met at the coffee shop on my last day there. They were on bikes of course :)

Tomorrow I'm off for a ride around the Boonah Beaudesert area. The weather is perfect as long as you get home before dusk when it starts getting a little cold. For those of you basking in the summer sun over there in the States, it's cold here right now at -4 degrees celcius which is approx. 25 degrees Fahrenheit and for me that is time to be sitting in front of a fireplace with a nice red. Enjoy! Cheers Donna

Sorry I took this with my mobile - not the best pic.

From a ride 2 weekends ago where we ended up at the GlamorganVale Hotel again.

Packed up and heading off down the coast.

Anzac Day Wobble

I haven't been out and about as much as usual, but I did enjoy a ride with friends on Saturday 25th April which for those international visitors is the day we remember our Anzacs. The majority of the Anzac day activities are over by midday and that is when the pubs are allowed to open, so a great time to meet up for a ride.

I met with a group of riders organised by the No Hopers Motorcycle Group at the Grand Hotel at Esk where we found it quite enjoyable sitting in the bar catching up, but eventually we did saddle up and get moving. The ride was only a short one, but absolutely enjoyable as they all are around that area.

We went around the Split Yard Creek Road at varying speeds, two of the No Hopers even stopping for a smoke while some of the others caught up. My adventure was memorable bought on by the fact that the Dunlop Harley tyres have a special method of letting you know when they need to be replaced. It seems one ride they are fine, then the next they cause the bike to shake and wobble just to let you know they are past their peek. The centre of the tire still looks new, but with the edges so worn it causes a ridge to form, hence the wobble affect.

I took off from the pub somewhere about three quarters of the way through the pack, but didn't realise that a smaller group would hang back with a new rider. That left me at the end which is definitely a place I am not used to riding. I sat there quite a while trying to convince myself that I could just ride along quietly and enjoy a slower ride. Before too long I could only see 2 bikes up in front, a lady rider friend of mine who was shaking her hand obviously not going to keep up that day and a Jap bike rider (no offence meant) who also was just cruising.

Realisation set in that I would not catch up with the main riders if I didn't get into it now, so off I went. I had left my run a bit late and for a while there couldn't see any bikes in front or behind which meant I got to just ride at whatever precarious speed I chose! That's when it happened. I was going around a left hander when my bike (the Lowrider) got up a bit of a wobble. Now my old Lowrider did this on a regular basis and back then I used to think that was just how it was and learnt to ride with it, but this bike didn't have that same trait so when she got a wobble up I touched the breaks wondering what the problem was.

Big mistake! Going around a bend at about 120 kms an hour touching the front brake when your bike has a bit of a wobble up is definitely not recommended. The bike went into an even bigger spasm with the back end joining in. I have to admit for a split second there I did wonder if I was going to get out of trouble, but realised my mistake quickly enough and hit the power which pulled it out of its dance pattern. From that point on you would think I would slow down, but I decided that now that I knew what the problem was (the front tyre needed replacing) I would just ride hard and manage it. I still hadn't caught up!

I didn't take long then to come up behind the rest of the group and one of the two guys who had stopped came up behind me just as I went around another bend. Off she went again all over the place and I slowed down this time knowing that the guy behind me would not know I had it under control. I let him past and powered back on, keeping up with him until we reached the next pub where he jumped off his bike and rushed over to tell me I should do something about my bike, put a steering damper on it or something as it was out of control. The poor guy was quite alarmed! I told him a new front tyre would fix it and went on to describe how that was nothing, that he should have seen the first wobble it got up in comparison.

We were stopped at the Fernvale Hotel and just as we were about to go in for a drink, the Odin's Warriors Poker Run group pulled up. We found out that they had already been in the direction we were going and were heading back to their clubhouse from there, so we decided to keep going and stop off at Lowood for a while instead. We were heading to the Glamorgan Vale Hotel Anzac Day celebrations where Skip (a friend of ours) had a hangi down and an excellent band, the Wasabi's, was playing that night.

What a great night. Not many of the crew who had been on the ride stayed into the night, but the attendance was good enough that even Skip was overwhelmed by numbers when dinner time came around, and the hotel had to contribute to dinner with a great steak dinner alternative. The Aussies won the events 2 out of 3 by winning the tug of war and (inflatable) sheep tackling contest, with the Kiwi's wining the thong (jandal) throwing competition.

Wasabi did not disappoint us. What a great band they are, if you see them advertised to play anywhere you should catch them, you're sure to have a great night. Hopefully they will play at the Glamorgan Vale more often because it certainly gets the place rocking.

It's a long weekend in Queensland this weekend and I am going for a ride out through Boonah, Dugandan, Rathdownie way, but also taking some time out to do some gardening and just relax at home. I hope you all have a great weekend. Catch you on the road.

I didn't get my camera out on Anzac Day, so I added a few old pics. Funny how many pics I have at pubs! Cheers Donna

Ettamoogah Pub on the way up to the Sunshine Coast

Jandowie Hotel with the American Motorcycle Club

Landsborough Hotel with the Black Uhlans a few years ago.

Donna's Recent Rides

Roll The Dice Glamorgan Vale Run - 21st March 2009
The weather prediction was for occasional showers and the clouds that were to drop those showers were pretty black on the morning of the run, so it is not surprising that a few less bikes turned up than expected. Nonetheless there were the usual crowd and quite a few new people including one chap on holidays from the UK who had seen the advert in OzBike and decided to join in the run.

Some took the opportunity, before the ride left, to vote for the Qld election giving the local school a treat checking out the larger than expected roll up of voters on bikes.

The ride started well with the first leg giving everyone a nice cruisy ride out through Esk to Toogoolawah stopping at the Exchange Hotel for a couple of coldies (lights of course). From there we moved at a slightly better pace turning right off the Dagular Highway just before Moore and powered on a little to the Linville Hotel where we had some lunch.

The Linville Hotel is a quiet little spot off the main road not as popular for riders as other pubs, but it has friendly staff and a bit of memorabilia that is worth a look. After enough time for a catch up with everyone we headed off to the Esk Kilkoy Road along that bumpy windy road to Somerset Dam. The group kept in tight formation through this section and maintain a fast pace which made for great riding. I enjoy this type of riding even though you have to keep your wits about you riding close together, but isn't it great fun? The adrenaline is pulsing by the time you stop for the next beer.

The next stop was in the park at Somerset where the van proved to hold a well stocked esky. This was a nice change to stopping at a pub with some lazing on the grass in the sun and others listening to Russell laughing at his own jokes. You know when that happens its time to move on lol.

The final leg proved interesting. After rounding a bend the wind picked up and started swirling and it became obvious that we were in for a serious downpour. It wasn't much longer before those with open face helmets were slowing slightly and feeling the effects of the rain piercing their facial skin and fogging their sunnies. Of course those of us with a flip down visor and not adverse to riding in the rain took glee in rounding them up and taking the planned winding road back to the pub whilst the others opted for the straighter faster route.

Regardless of which route was taken we all ended up very wet by the time we finished the ride, but by the time the band started playing early evening everyone had forgotten that little piece of the day which was overshadowed by a great ride.

Odin's Warriors Poker Run Qld - 28th March 2009
I didn't end up making it to this run but was told it was a great day, except for the 2 riders who got busted for being over the limit that is. The police were in full force for this one, taking pics of everyone, setting up a breathalyzer near one of the stops and stopping club members at Blacksoil. Apparently this did not dampen the spirits of those who attended and by all reports it was a successful run as was the party afterwards.

Night Dinner Ride from Glamorgan Vale Hotel - 28th March 2009
I haven't been on a night ride for quite some time, so I was really keen on this one, especially since it also included a dinner stop. I had no prior knowledge of where the run was going so that could be a feeble excuse for my stupidness during the run. You see, when some of the riders stopped for fuel after only about 100kms, I didn't fill up. Yep you can imagine the rest, but I did manage to complete the ride without running out of fuel.

We left the Glamorgan Vale Hotel at about 5:45pm and headed out along the Brisbane Valley Highway to the Warrego Highway, turning off onto Mt Crosby Road to snake through to Mogigill Road. After that I really can't recall the road names, other than the two dirt sections we had to ride across. I am not sure I would even take that road in the daylight let alone at night. The corrugations were deep and the dust of 17 bikes at night made it very difficult riding. Even so we all made it through and had plenty to talk about when we stopped at Samford (which is where I should have fueled up!!!).

Next, we road along that wonderfully windy road out to Dayboro where we had a great dinner at the pub and celebrated a birthday with a huge cake. This is where I realized I would not have enough fuel to finish the ride and not much was open at 8:30pm, but the kindhearted publican gave me a 4 litres of fuel, then I had to rush to get geared up to leave with everyone else.

In my haste I didn't put my glasses on and they fell off my bike just down the road which resulted in 3 of us being left slightly behind the main pack. I overtook the other 2 bikes thinking that would help for them to follow me through the twisties ahead on the Mt Mee Road, as I don't mind getting into it on a windy road, even at night. I don't think this theory worked as they didn't keep up with me, but I did catch the main group after a serious downpour of rain and waited for the other two riders at the Dagular Highway intersection.

Just to add to our fun, there were roadworks and cattle trucks to contend with...more dirt!!! I really don't mind riding on dirt roads, but I can't say I was expecting this on a night ride. Turning off at Kilcoy confirmed there was no fuel station open and as expected there wasn't any at Esk either, so by the time I finally made it to Fernvale, I only had less than half a litre left in my tank.

I don't know if you can imagine what it is like riding along at night in the open countryside just knowing you are going to run out of fuel and it is just a matter of where and how soon. I had dropped back from the main pack to conserve fuel a little, lowering my speed down to 110 and I was really happy that one other rider stuck with me (thanks Wilson). But that didn't stop me getting anxious about what it would be like to be sitting on the side of the road while my friend goes to get fuel for me. It was bitch black, no moon, no traffic AND raining!!!! I can't tell you how happy I was to see that fuel sign lighted up!

Anyway it was a good ride overall, most memorable as they all should be and I won't hesitate to go on another night ride again but next time I'll fill up when ever we stop for fuel at night.

I have a few pics of the rides, but not many sorry as I was concentrating on the riding more so than the photography, but I'll try to remember to take more in future. If you think I have been on a few rides lately, these aren't all of them, but more than enough for you to read.

See you on the road and don't forget to say hullo.

Cheers Donna

The Roll the Dice Glamorgan Vale Run

Di from the Glamorgan Vale Hotel

Chook, Baz & Arnold on the Glamorgan Vale Run

No it's not my bike, but I wouldn't mind test riding one!

At the Vietnam Vets Trike, Bike and Hotrod Show with Andrew (centre) from the Social Club

Donna's Introduction....

About me??? Hi I'm Donna, a 49 year old female motorcyclist living in South East Queensland, Australia. I started riding too many years ago to think about and have amazing stories and pictures of great rides and travels but for now just a short introduction....

Years ago when I lived on the Gold Coast I owned a GSX250 Suzuki which I soon upgraded to a GSX650. I lived in a share house with 3 other women who all rode motorbikes (OK so one was a scooter, but we let her think it was impressive). I had planned to ride around Australia on my motorbike with a girlfriend only to find out at the last minute that we didn't share the same objective. I wanted to take months or years, she wanted to be in Sydney in a couple of days.

Looking back on that it was one of the best things that ever happened to me, because I made a new years resolution "not to wait for anyone" and that proved to be one of the best years of my life. I travelled by myself with my tent and telescopic fishing rod and clocked up tens of thousands of miles, riding mountain roads and stopping off at little country pubs and every national park and bike rally I could find. (Lots of longest distance female trophies and prizes along the way!) I had a pair of red leather jeans and I think you could say it was a memorable experience, with way too many stories to tell in this session.

People used to ask me the same questions over and over again because I travelled alone...don't you get scared and don't you get lonely. I always answered...scared of what and lonely?? how could that ever happen? They were normally asking that when I was trying to set up my tent or take time out to update my diary or write letters, sometimes it seemed difficult to be alone let alone get lonely. Stopping off at pubs was always a great way to meet people too. Everyone wanted to talk to me and ask where I was travelling to. I got lots of invitations to family homes and farms and met some lifelong friends. The national park experiences and mountain byways allowed me to see just how beautiful our country really is.

I remember having to make a couple of trips home to work for a while and top up the bank balance, but it was never long before I was starting another segment of my trip. I did Qld & NSW in one segment, lower NSW, Vic & Tasmania in another; SA & WA; then NT. Just to give you an idea of the kms I travelled I recall doing about 25,000kms in 3.5 months on the south of Sydney/Vic/Tas section spending 6 weeks of that time in Tasmania.

I guess I have never really got rid of the travel bug, but have progressed along the way with motorcycle changes. I bought a 1000cc ironhead Sportster and rode it to death before buying a 1988 Lowrider which I owned for 9 years. I thought that was the best bike ever and until one day I decided, out of the blue, to buy a brand new Lowrider without ever even test riding one. I bought it over the phone when Wackers were not interested in uncrating one for me to test ride and flew to Melbourne to pick it up. I picked it up around lunch time on a Saturday and was home the next afternoon with it due for its first service.

The old Lowrider had been good to me and I just couldn't bring myself to sell her for quite a long time. I had actually shipped that bike over to Los Angeles in 2003, with my boyfriend at the time, and rode it around for a year before shipping it home again. The last 3 months of that trip we purchased a 34ft RV (campervan) and a bike trailer when the weather got too cold. It was so convenient to have a home on wheels, a safe place for the bikes and to not have to search for accommodation each night. The rig was a total of 40 feet and was incredible to drive, I just loved it. We trailered the bikes stopping overnight in Walmart carparks (which allowed 2 free nights of camping) lowered the trailer gate, rolled the bikes out for a day trip and back to the RV for a hot dinner and shower each night.

This story is all over the place because now I am going to tell you about how I was already a seasoned RV traveller. In 1996 I flew to the USA by myself, bought a 24ft RV and travelled around for 12 months. After 6 months I parked the RV in storage, backpacked around England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales for 6 weeks then flew back, picked up the RV to continue my travels; selling the RV after a total of 12months and flying home. I can't begin to tell you how many tales there would be to share with you from that trip!! Especially the mandatory Friday night pub stops to meet people to party with each weekend.

So I have been to Sturgis - twice; to the 100th Anniversary of Harley Davidson parties in Sydney and Milwaukee; Daytona Beach Bike Week - twice; rallies in more states of America than most people I met there; and been to countless National Parks, Lakes and Mountain ranges. I have seen the longest single drop of water (waterfall) in the northern hemisphere and one day will do the same in the southern hemisphere. You see, I believe that wherever there is a waterfall chances are the countryside will be pretty spectacular and that has proved all too true. My favourite places there would be the southern states where people are always friendly & have an incredible drawl in their speech that I love; the Grand Tetons; Denver & the Rocky Mountains; Montana and South Dakota; Yellowstone & Yosemite (seems I could just keep listing them..)

As you can imagine I have left out huge pieces of information in telling you about my bikes and travels, but hopefully in the process I haven't bored you to death. I have a very diverse lifestyle because I have a high profile job in the IT industry and the things I love to do (apart from biking and travel) range from staying in a cosy cabin with a fireplace in winter, camping any time of the year, catching fresh fish to grill on the bbq; oysters Kilpatrick while watching the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race on Boxing day; hiking to a waterfall for a picnic lunch; a game of golf (as long as I'm allowed to take a six pack along); staying in a 5 star hotel and lavishing in the day spa; boating or yachting and diving; or just riding with friends to a country pub (oops back to bikes again); so I might as well add that I love overnighters with a great band playing.......and so much more.

When I was asked if I would like to contribute a blog, I don't think Beaker had any idea of how many stories I have already forgotten about let alone how many I could still recall to write about. Looking through my photos to pick out just a few was a challenge in itself. But today I just wanted to give you a summary of who I am and what I do, so that when I write future stories about rides I go on, you have some understanding of where I am coming from.

I currently own two motorcycles. A 2006 Pearl Black Lowrider and a 2005 Pearl White and Pearl Blue Softail Deluxe with white wall tyres, so look out for me on a ride and be sure to say hello. My next ride will be the Dump the Dice Bike Run leaving the Glamorgan Vale Hotel (30 mins from Ipswich, Qld) at 10:30am on Saturday 21st March. If you are coming along be sure to bring your swag or tent, because there is a band playing and free camping available and it will inevitably be a great night.

I’m looking forward to sharing stories of rides with you and also of meeting up on those rides. Enjoy a few of my pics, take care and bye for now. Donna

My 2005 Deluxe

My 2006 Lowrider

The RV

No helmet laws

Sturgis 1996

Camped at Daytona Bikeweek

Riding on Daytona Beach 2004

A quick overnight stay on the way to Sturgis 2003

The worlds highest suspension bridge (1053 ft)

No a good pic to view here, but at the Hog party at the 100th Anniversary in Milwaukee

(no I'm not Hog member but I got myself into that party!!)

Wind blown at Niagara Falls

I think I acquired some extra gear along the way (for a while)

Biketoberfest in Florida

Too many Tequila's in Mexico

The RV I travelled alone in for a year in 1996/97

The trip in the RV (96/97)

I even got to see an Apollo lift off and felt the ground shake!!

'97 at a rally somewhere in the USA

The 650 Suzuki (from what now seems a lifetime ago)

I called this - Tasmania you'll love it.