Razorback
14-03-2008, 09:45 AM
Well last weekend I put the Kat on a trailer and towed it down from Mildura to a mates place in the foothills of Adelaide. I spent 2 and a bit days blasting the hills and just had the time of my f#$%^ing life!!
Sunday I would rate as one of the best days of my pathetic existence to date. For those of you that know the hills. I started off at about 7:30am and went up Newton Road on my way to Noarlunga... thats right.. no mistake.. I just wanted to take the longest and craziest route I could I went through every tiny town in hills between the morning and 4pm when I finally got to my mates place in Hackam.
Anyway the Kat went so well. I am amazed at how good a job the guy that built it has done. It rides like a late model GSXR, the road holding, the nimbleness, the braking its all just too good to be true. The 1229 power overcomes any edge that newer bikes I came across thought they had on the old girl. I was passing the usual array of teenagers on 600cc bikes and even a guy on a very nice Rossi Replica R1. The 1980's classic isnt done with yet by a long shot.
I pulled into this place http://www.garagemotorcycles.com.au/html/contact.htm at around 2pm and met some really great blokes. I asked one old timer (65 if he was a day) if he could direct me down to Mclaren Vale and on to Noarlunga. He said if I wasnt in a hurry I could wait and follow him and his mate down. So I grabbed a short black from the excellent coffee machine in the bike shop and sat with them watching 1980's bathurst bike racing on the big creeen for a while.
Garage Motorcycles has to be the best bike shop I have ever been in. What a great concept, big screen, nice chairs, fresh coffee, great people and some bloody bargain bikes. If anyone cares there is a 03 Gixxer 1000 sitting in there with a lot of work done to it and less than 30,000km on it for $9900ono right now... I was bloody tempted...
So we walk outside to get going and this old bloke goes to get on his HRC replica CBR1000. I was [:0] I said "that yours??" hes like yeah wwhat of it ? I said "shit I have mates at 45y/o (Im 42) telling me they are buying Harleys coz they cant handle the sportbike riding position anymore. It was bloody great to see an old bloke riding such a sweet bike. His mate of a slightly younger vintage had a Fireblade 954.
I figured this is gonna be a nice cruise for the rest of the day, following these fossils down the hills. well #$%^ me... I could barely keep up with em. They clearly knew the roads well and I lost sight of em a couple of times because I just wasnt prepared to hit some of the tree lined blind bends as hard as they were, not knowing how they tightend etc out of view. It was a lesson in humility for me LOL but I really had a great time trying to stay with em. I really hope Im still doing this stuff in 20 years like they are.
All in all a bloody top weekend. I will put a post up here before I do the next one (which wont be long) to see if I can drag some of you SA guys out for a days madness and death defying acts lol.
[}:)]
Adelaide hills would still have to be some of the best roads Ive ever been on. ;)
Sunday I would rate as one of the best days of my pathetic existence to date. For those of you that know the hills. I started off at about 7:30am and went up Newton Road on my way to Noarlunga... thats right.. no mistake.. I just wanted to take the longest and craziest route I could I went through every tiny town in hills between the morning and 4pm when I finally got to my mates place in Hackam.
Anyway the Kat went so well. I am amazed at how good a job the guy that built it has done. It rides like a late model GSXR, the road holding, the nimbleness, the braking its all just too good to be true. The 1229 power overcomes any edge that newer bikes I came across thought they had on the old girl. I was passing the usual array of teenagers on 600cc bikes and even a guy on a very nice Rossi Replica R1. The 1980's classic isnt done with yet by a long shot.
I pulled into this place http://www.garagemotorcycles.com.au/html/contact.htm at around 2pm and met some really great blokes. I asked one old timer (65 if he was a day) if he could direct me down to Mclaren Vale and on to Noarlunga. He said if I wasnt in a hurry I could wait and follow him and his mate down. So I grabbed a short black from the excellent coffee machine in the bike shop and sat with them watching 1980's bathurst bike racing on the big creeen for a while.
Garage Motorcycles has to be the best bike shop I have ever been in. What a great concept, big screen, nice chairs, fresh coffee, great people and some bloody bargain bikes. If anyone cares there is a 03 Gixxer 1000 sitting in there with a lot of work done to it and less than 30,000km on it for $9900ono right now... I was bloody tempted...
So we walk outside to get going and this old bloke goes to get on his HRC replica CBR1000. I was [:0] I said "that yours??" hes like yeah wwhat of it ? I said "shit I have mates at 45y/o (Im 42) telling me they are buying Harleys coz they cant handle the sportbike riding position anymore. It was bloody great to see an old bloke riding such a sweet bike. His mate of a slightly younger vintage had a Fireblade 954.
I figured this is gonna be a nice cruise for the rest of the day, following these fossils down the hills. well #$%^ me... I could barely keep up with em. They clearly knew the roads well and I lost sight of em a couple of times because I just wasnt prepared to hit some of the tree lined blind bends as hard as they were, not knowing how they tightend etc out of view. It was a lesson in humility for me LOL but I really had a great time trying to stay with em. I really hope Im still doing this stuff in 20 years like they are.
All in all a bloody top weekend. I will put a post up here before I do the next one (which wont be long) to see if I can drag some of you SA guys out for a days madness and death defying acts lol.
[}:)]
Adelaide hills would still have to be some of the best roads Ive ever been on. ;)