Touring Questions

Maty10 · Post by **Maty10** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:15 am

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I had planned on avoiding Cooma all together, using the road to Wee Jasper, then I read a previous post about the dirt, there goes that idea. I guess instead I'll do the Alpine Road once to Cooma on the way up to Canberra, then the next day head out to Bateman's Bay and down the coast to Candelo.

I've got 4 weeks to make this all happen before Uni goes back, and still need to find the cash for 2 new hoops, should be interesting.

smek · Post by **smek** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:43 am

don't avoid cooma... they have the best breakfast stop of the trip!

Last year I did Melbourne - Albury (to meet bill and gig) - Cooma in a day, not sure how many k's it was but I felt fine at the end. 1000k days are no problem while you're under 30 hehe.

jewjew · Post by **jewjew** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 1:50 pm

also.....eat and drink regularly rather than big breaks with big meals, have fruit juice or sugar on breaks. If you have a big meal break you will get tired and lose concentration easily (this is what causes a lot of bike crashes in the blue mountains btw) if you spread your breaks, you will have energy all day.

Gosling1 · Post by **Gosling1** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 4:38 pm

smek wrote:don't avoid cooma... they have the best breakfast stop of the trip!

Last year I did Melbourne - Albury (to meet bill and gig) - Cooma in a day, not sure how many k's it was but I felt fine at the end. 1000k days are no problem while you're under 30 hehe.

Ya cheeky barstage !! I am still doing 800km days on a 27 year old bike at 45 !!! But it helps when your arse-cheeks are as hard as cast iron

Maty10 - mate the trip from Bright to Canberra is piss-easy. I just knocked over Canb - Phillip Island and back only 2 days apart.

If you do go all the way to Cooma, then its a bit of back-tracking to head down to Candelo. The 110km up to Canberra is a bit boring as Mick has said, but its an easy run.

If you are already in Canberra, then the 'best' way to Brown Mt is either down via Batemans Bay ( the long way), or straight down through Cooma (the short way). Either way its fun.

Plenty of other good info already posted, so I won't cover that.

I have done Canberra-Brisbane in one day (14 hours), and Canberra-Mildura in one day (10 hours), both trips on the Black Pearl, you young blokes on your sports-tourer ZX9's and 10's should be doing these trips *easy* !!!!!!!!!!!!

(apart from the Old Man of the Highways who has just racked up >10k in less than 2 months

FMD !!)

I-K · Post by **I-K** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 5:00 pm

Whitey wrote:- Take frequent short breaks (as opposed to infrequent longer breaks).

jewjew wrote:also.....eat and drink regularly rather than big breaks with big meals, have fruit juice or sugar on breaks.

Dunno about everyone else, but I find precisely the opposite to work better; Long stints and an empty stomach.

At the moment, work's got me in Sydney so I'm doing the trip to Canberra via the coast and back twice a week; 480km door-to-door.

I stop once, for 15 mins, in Nowra, where my replenishment consists of a bottle of sports drink and two cigarettes. I find that stopping every 200-250km and riding hungry keeps my mind on the job much better than stopping every 100km and eating, regardless whether the trip is the ~500km trip to Sydney the long way or the ~950km trip to PI.

One thing against frequent breaks is that having the bike stand still really messes with the average speed, and what should be a 6- or 7- hour trip becomes a 15-hour one.

z900/zx9 · Post by **z900/zx9** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 5:02 pm

Well this old barstard and younger kazz while doin tassy ,on the bikes at 9 am and off 5 pm twisties all the way and all day,so im with ya gos hes a cheeky bugger

Felix · Post by **Felix** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 5:08 pm

I find the number of hours/k's per day is determined wholly and solely by the comfort of the seat. 3 hours on the SV and I am finished. 4 on the ER. The old XJ900 had the best seat for me so far - nearly 5 hours one trip and I could have done more if I needed to.

Gosling1 · Post by **Gosling1** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 5:11 pm

these young blokes don't know how good they have got it on their comfy bikes.................blah blah blah...............pull up every 100km for a latte and a donut................yadda yadda yadda............

The old Zed only lets me do about 150-180km between fills, at which time the seat has grown teeth, so a short 5-minute break to fill 'er up and take a piss is all I need.

The 12 is a bit better, maybe 240km between stops.

One thing I will admit to as time goes by, is that by early afternoon on a long strop (anything over 6 hours), I really like one of those Ginseng/Guano drinks - the power-boost shit , current favourite being the winning green 'V' - its excellent, and does help a lot when you still have a few hours to go on the blacktop. I had one of these at the Cann River servo on the way back on Monday, and promptly rode up the Cann Road to Bombala with a wicked demeanour

Strika · Post by **Strika** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 6:19 pm

I-K wrote:
Whitey wrote:- Take frequent short breaks (as opposed to infrequent longer breaks).

jewjew wrote:also.....eat and drink regularly rather than big breaks with big meals, have fruit juice or sugar on breaks.
Dunno about everyone else, but I find precisely the opposite to work better; Long stints and an empty stomach.

At the moment, work's got me in Sydney so I'm doing the trip to Canberra via the coast and back twice a week; 480km door-to-door.

I stop once, for 15 mins, in Nowra, where my replenishment consists of a bottle of sports drink and two cigarettes. I find that stopping every 200-250km and riding hungry keeps my mind on the job much better than stopping every 100km and eating, regardless whether the trip is the ~500km trip to Sydney the long way or the ~950km trip to PI.

One thing against frequent breaks is that having the bike stand still really messes with the average speed, and what should be a 6- or 7- hour trip becomes a 15-hour one.

I'm sorta with you on this I.K. as far as idle bikes mean no miles covered and not faffing about. However I like to eat...despite my appearances.!!!

So I have a good breakky, go till I need fuel then fill up and have a drink and off again! Stop for lunch and have something light, like a sambo and a drink, refuel again and stop 200k's later for more fuel a drink and off again! Then that night, I eat like a pig, and sleep like a log! Works for me! I used this method to cover a few k's over the break! Oh, and I had a few piccie and pee stops on occassion too!