Iron Chef
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    Since the weekend looks like rain I went for a small ride today, Australia day public holiday.

    Clear Mountain road.

    I rode out via Bunya Road and Clear Mountain Road, both of which are terrific. Then I skirted North Pine dam and wanted to go north but not via Mt Mee. Without any map or GPS I simply ended up back on the road to Dayboro so figured ok I will try another day.

    I joined a convoy of motorcycles up Mt Mee for a slow and somewhat bumpy ride up and over the top. I slowed down to let the convoy move on to get a good ride down the hotmix section down the northern side. I am determined to skip Mt Mee in future by whatever route I can work out to the east after the dam to join old Gympie road later and ride on North as I just don’t like Mt Mee a whole lot and with the 60k limit on the ascent it is ripe for hidden camera vehicle as mentioned by one reader below..

    I forgot there is no fuel in Woodford (there lies a business opportunity!) so back tracked to get a few litres of non premium at D’aguilar general store (now all they sell?). I was on reserve and did not want to push my luck riding over to Kilcoy even though my maths said I would have made it no problems.

    Somerset Dam road

    I took the back road via Villeneuve but had to get back on the highway half way as the road was closed from flood damage. Somerset dam was a dirty brown from all the flood water, just a couple of ski boats braving the murky water.

    Somerset Dam

    Leaving there the road to Northbrook parkway was terrible condition with some wash outs and a lot of gravel on the road . When I arrived I found the road back to Mt Glorious was closed so had to detour via Fernvale and Ipswich highway for a bum numb 60km finale.

    Oh well I was still home well before lunch and that is the good thing about riding the roads north of Brisbane.

    11 Comments

    1. Just realised which forum (or at least one of them) that you were talking about, couldn't agree with you more (noticed your cb1100 post and username).
      Anywho…

      Please regale us with more in depth description of the cb 1100, how it is to ride, its advantages and disadvantages.
      I have been hanging out to get my hands on one for some time and it looks like I will by the end of the year, but there isn't enough reading material in english on the net!

      My only three possible concerns with it are:
      1.) Its weight?

      2.) The tyres as wide as my vtr250, do they affect the handling, is it impossible to get a decent lean angle, wouldn't they wear terribly with the weight and small surface area, sketchy on the twisties, etc?
      I intend to cruise/tour around at a relaxed pace with a massive smile on my face, but I need the option of it being fun to open up the throttle and go nuts every now and then (due to my younger age).

      3.) Its far too good looking, do you find yourself taking it to bed, or staring at your reflection to the point of danger while riding?

      Thanks for the great blog :-), I'll be in touch with updates, and once I finally get my cb1100, we should definitely catch up for a ride.

      Also, do you know anything about the possibility of sourcing those mugen pipes or something similar to Aus?

    2. Mate did the bunya rd, eatons crossing (was an accident on this rd when I went thru), clear mountain rd, samford, mt nebo… nice little run i did on australia day at about 6am… love early morning rides

    3. I might tone a couple of words differently. Thanks guys.

    4. I re read it and I think I came across a bit negative which was not my intention. Written too quickly.

    5. The roads may not have been the greatest, but I think the best thing is that you got out there for a ride.

      Have a great day.

    6. Chef,
      i too was on mt mee today. The southern end is a little bumpy but has some nice set of corners where u dont have ride too fast to enjoy it – well on my vstrom anyway.

      Your CB1100 should float beautifully there – maybe a bit of suspension upgrade is coming?!

      I saw a white commodore Ute with enclosed canopy and an exhaust fan half way through the southern climb – i am pretty sure it was a camera ute – totally darken canopy screen, but the give-away is a big computer mounted on front passenger seat – there's no signage – lucky for me, my Mrs was with me, so i was being a good boy doing only 60km/h.

      These unmarked camera vehicles are coming to Qld.

      Aaron

    7. I thought you'd be out today – it was too nice not to..

      I went for a little jaunt up along the coast from Redland Bay, hitting Cleveland Point, then up to Manly before turning homeward.

      The whole ride was very casual and I even behaved myself!

      The day was soured (slightly) by a woman unable to choose a lane on a roundabout – trying to merge into me as I was overtaking. A toot from the horn and a few wild arm gestures later, I was a twist of the wrist away from her and almost home.

      Sometimes, the twisty bits aren't what's needed when you've got a bike… sometimes, it's just finding some place new – a road you ain't been down before.

      As a side note, ever thought about organizing a group ride (perhaps with an entry fee – donation to the flood relief to take part)? You've got a pretty solid fan-base… 😉

    8. Shem, a lot of info about the CB1100 on my CB facebook site http://www.facebook.com/HondaCB1100

    9. Hi folks

      Just moved from overseas where I had a TDM 900, now got a used VFR 800 and would definetely want to check out nice rides near the Sydney area.

      Any suggestions besides Putty Rd? Any recommendation as of which forum to check for day long rides?

      Cheers!

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