It's a warm sunny morning in Perth and my mood matches the weather. Dave texts me to meet him at the bike dealers to the east. Kirsten is there and it's great to see a familiar face. She's buying wet weather pants and I'm reminded of a conversation with Tony back in Canberra. He once tried to convince me that rain pants were essential equipment. I foolishly didn't heed his advice then and subsequently got soaked rotten in a thunderstorm. But that won't happen today: it's such a bright sunny day!
After heading north for roughly an hour we spot a sign for the Gravity Discovery Centre. It's an odd location for a tourist attraction because there's nothing but wild scrub for miles around. The main exhibit is the Leaning Tower of Gingin; a steel contraption 45 metres high where kids can recreate Galileo's famous experiment at Pisa. The centre is obviously aimed at kids so we don't stick around for long. We instead chat with the gardener who has recently bought a Rebel 250. He drools over the bikes we're riding and he clearly desires a bigger bike. I remember that feeling; just yesterday I wanted to upgrade to 1000cc.
Back on the road again the inevitable happens; it rains. I'm soaked through and it's terribly uncomfortable. I recall this morning's missed opportunity to buy wet weather pants and I can just imagine Tony chuckling away at my predicament. I hate it when I'm wrong.
We're coming up to one of the few attractions on this coast; The Pinnacles. They're a collection of odd rock formations rising out of the coastal sands. It's a fair detour from the highway and above The Pinnacles there's a seething mass of dark storm clouds that menace the skyline. The clouds are releasing rain in dense sheets that blot out the horizon. Dave turns to me, looking as wet and miserable as I feel, and says "I'm not ****ing riding into that ****ing ****". I'm in complete agreement.
With the light fading fast we make it as far as Port Denison before calling it quits. Kirsten must be questioning what she's signed herself up for because today was unpleasant.
1 comment:
Do yourself a favour, find a BMW Motorrad dealer and pick up one of their ProRain oversuits. Costs about $170 and is worth every last cent when the weather turns bad.
Is very good for keeping you warm too, is a one-piece design with a well-protected main zip, so there's no gaps to let the wind in.
Maybe get one of their Windstopper "storm hood" balaclavas while you're there, $40 and also worth every last cent.
Comfort on the bike is priceless. Every second you ride with some niggling discomfort you are IMHO courting death or at least serious injury, by spending valuable attention span on things that aren't keeping you safe.
Still not sure if I'll make it to Queensland or not. Have had some changes lately that may make it difficult. I did order the Pro-Oiler last week though and hope to have it on the bike very soon -- one more long-trip obstacle sorted...
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