Sydney Wrap Up

Got up waaaaay to early on saturday morning, considering my late nite. Decided to go with it and carpe the diem. I got out of bed, walked to the door and opened it. Godamn it's cold out there. there will be no motorcycle riding just yet. back to bed!

Getting up at a more reasonable timeframe, about 9, i got all my gear on and checked out of the hotel. I drove into downtown Penrith to get a bite to eat, figuring it can't be too hard to find a breakfast joint. Well, i guess breakfast ain't what it is in the states. I rode around for like 15 minutes (basically through the whole town twice) and didn't find anything. I ended up going to Subway to get a breakfast sandwitch and study the maps Steve had given me to decide on today's plan of attack. My final decision was to take Putty road out until it ended and figure out what to do from there when i got to that point. I really had no idea how long it would take me to get out there, so i didn't want to plan too far ahead.

I got on the road and followed some main and secondary roads all the way out to the start of Putty road. It took me several hours to get across it, and i took a couple of small breaks. For the most part, it was high speed corners (above 90K), with some drops into lower speed stuff. I really got to know the F650GS i rented on this road, which was good. Being used to the Triumph, it took a little getting used to. Comparatively, it had a narrow power delivery band... but so has everything i've ever ridden that wasn't a triple Not that i think it was a bad thing. obviously in a dirt riding scenario, you don't want gobs of power everywhere. It'd be too hard to control a bike like that. So, i got used to the idea of a power band (6 grand to redline at like 8 grand), and had a blast.

When i got to the end of Putty, in Bulga, there was a quaint little petrol station on the side of the road. Knowing i was on the end of my tank, and being that i needed to figure out where i was going next, i pulled over.

I pulled up to one of the pumps and no sooner did i have my helmet off then one of the guys sitting in a lawn chair yells to me "you hired that bike?" For a second i thought i was really riding so badly that he KNEW the bmw wasn't mine. turns out he had seen the OzMoto stickers on it and recognized it... because he was on an OzMoto bike as well! We talked about how great Steve was, and he sat on the GS, saying he had planned to hire it for next week.

I checked out the rack on his bike and liked it a lot. it was really awesome and easily hooked to the bike. I think i'll need to make myself one As we sat and chatted, a few more bikers came by with more racks. Matter of fact, just about everyone i saw all weekend had one. it's a system by Ventura, complete with bags that hooked onto it.

After i finished oogling the bags and racks, i set to work finding my way to wherever it was i was going. When i stretched the map out, everyone gathered around. When i laid out my options there were 2 interesting ones. The first was to head northwest, the way i had been going, and spend the nite in a pub that Steve had suggested, then follow back down to the southwest tomorrow. The second option seemed to be a little road nobody had ridden in 20 years and didn't know anything about. But, that little road would let me get to wiseman's ferry and then maybe back to penrith or sydney for the night.

It was pretty much a toss up, until a gentleman at the station told me that if i went north, i would most probably hit snow, and even if i didn't it'd be damn cold. Well, decision made. i'll head south.

I backtracked for a few miles through Bulga, and took a tiny little road that turned off into 33. What i found down that road i will never forget. The road was perfectly paved, almost like it had been done in the last month. There were no lines, center or side. There was also no traffic. I was in a small colony of wineries on some of the twistiest roads i've seen in Australia. And i was alone.

With each mile i got deeper into 33, i got a bigger smile on my face. This road is like God himself dragged his finger through the rural stretches of New South Wales, pouring asphalt as he went... and the good people of NSW simply build wineries around this road. In places, it literally seemed to be a series of 270 degree corners, connected for no good reason other than to turn a motorcycle on. Most corners seemed to go on forever. I'd turn right for what felt like an hour, then left, then right again, then left.

I followed this road for quite a while, when i saw a sign that said "Wiseman's Ferry". So naturally, i took the turn. It led onto a dirt road. It was a little suprising, but i figured "hey i'm on a GS, how bad can it be?" I took the road slowly for about 10 miles, and then stopped to take some pictures and see where this little jeep trail led to. I walked up this little incline to see a spectacular view of the Sydney area that could never be recreated by photograph. in a vein attempt to do so, i climbed a gum tree and took some pictures of the canopy, and walked back to the bike.

When i got there, i checked the map just for giggles. Seems i turned way too early, and ended up on an access road that also let out to Wiseman's Ferry. Judging by the light i had left, the mileage of this road, and the speed i was conquering the road at... i would have never made it there by dark. So, i turned the GS around and pointed it back to the pavement. Once back to my mistaken turn, i was quickly back into the rhythm of sweeping turns that lasted forever.

33 emptied out quicker than i imagined. Also quicker than i would have liked. I could have ridden that road all day. When it finally did stop it confronted me with 2 signs: Sydney via highway 1, and sydney via the Pacific Coast Highway. I thought this was pretty amusing, because in California the PCH is highway 1. I broke out my map and took a look. Seems i had just missed my turn off for Wiseman's Ferry, but judging by the daylight i wouldn't make it there anyway. That left me the 2 choices from the signs, 1 or the PCH. the PCH seemed to twist along the coast right alongside of 1, while highway 1 seemed to plug along straight. No decision there. PCH it is.

No sooner did i turn onto the PCH then i saw a sign that said "Scenic views: Next 17 K". Oh i have chosen so wisely. Again this road seemed to be proof of inteligence in the universe. It twisted and turned through blind corners even longer than the last road. Everything in my brain told me i must have just gone around in a circle i was turning so long. It followed the coastline and bounced up and down as i pitched left to right. I saw a bit more traffic on the PCH, but not by much.

The PCH eventually spits itself out into a lazy little road that passes through a few cities North of Sydney. Hornsby is about where the fun stopped. As it got dark i plugged along on the PCH and watched the signs for sydney aproach.

I stopped for gas and a soda at a service station and had a word with a nice man on a V-star. I needed directions from wherever i was to Circular Quay (sydney harbour) where i was staying. He got me all sorted and asked where i had spent the day. When i told him he mentioned he had just come from Wiseman's himself, and had a blast. I was jealous for a split second, but i soon got over it remembering i had quite an adventure myself.

Back on the bike after some fuel and directions, i found myself riding into Sydney in the dark. It was much larger than i could see from the harbour, and i was amazed. Then i found myself crossing the Harbor Bridge at night and looking at the lights of the Harbor. That was pretty awesome.Significantly less awesome was trying to get ON the bridge. I damn near missed the exit, and found myself buzzing cones and those stationary fixed plastic markers on the highway doing 80. How i managed to get through them is a mystery to me. I think it was the confidence in knowing i was on a dual sport, and the suspension would suck one up if it had to. I probably would have binned the triumph.

In any case, i found my way back to the hotel on a saturday night and felt like a complete badass rolling up to this fancy Marriott hotel on a dual sport, engine rattling. I secured a spot for the bike with the bellman, who let me park in the basement secured lot. Then i lugged my gear back up to my room and had a shower, ordered a big steak from room service and relived the day's events in my mind as i went through the few pictures i took, none of which did it any justice. It was saturday night in sydney, and i was in my hotel room... and asleep before 11pm. I had a big day ahead of me. I set a wake up call with the front desk, and told her 10am. "That's a civilized hour to get up on a sunday, sir" she said to me, and i sort of laughed. Sort of late by most motorcycle rides i've been on, but hey, it's winter here

I got up a little late again on Sunday figuring it was still going to be a bit cold to go ride first thing in the morning. I grabbed a sandwitch from a shop on the harbor and sat in the park and took in the sights as i ate. Then i headed back to the room, fired up a new playlist for the ipod and off i went.

I decided during breakfast that the PCH was so great i'd take it back to the turnoff for Wiseman's Ferry and then take that road to the ferry, and then basically take the main roads through to Penrith to return the bike. A nice short day.

PCH was just as great on the return ride North. I fell in behind some other riders to start, but we got trapped behind a small car to start. As we were getting ready to pass, we started getting flashed by cars. Must be a cop upcoming. How considerate. When we finally go to the point where we saw police, we saw a few cop cars, a fire truck, and lots of cones, and a smashed up car. I couldn't tell what in the world the car had hit until i came around the left hand corner a bit farther, and saw the remains of a suzuki streetfighter, completely missing forks and a front wheel, propped up off the side of the road. There was another naked bike parked next to it, intact. I really hope the rider was ok. I didn't see an ambulance, so he was either totally ok or totally not. no middle ground.

Once we got passed the accident i saw 10 bikes for every car i saw. they were all moving at a pretty good clip, and every cafe or bistro was full of every type of bike. I finished my ride up PCH and got a touch lost looking for the proper way to Wiseman's. The signs wanted me to get on the highway, but that didn't seem right to me, so i drove around a bit. Finally i Committed to getting on the highway, and once i did i saw 2 bikes parked off the side of the road. Maybe they know where the hell i'm headed.

I stopped off and asked the guys if this was the way to Wiseman's. "Yup, you headed that way? That's where we're going. Everyone else takes this loop the other way, but we live near there, so we go this way and back to Penrith." Again, damn cool people that i could follow all the way to Penrith. They make some cool damn people in Penrith, no question about that. I introduced myself to the guys (Andy on a ZX-2 and Eric on a XTR motard) and we were soon off.

The ride up the highway to Wiseman's was uneventful, but riding with others i soon realized i hadn't really cracked into the true power of the GS. I maxed it out about 160K, but it had a bit more for me. Wiseman's itself was kind of a let down, but i suspect it's because everyone i met told me how awesome it was. It was bumpy, there were some road hazards and potholes, and i had the sun in my eyes for quite a few corners. All in all it was a good ride, but not quite as epic as 33 was the day before, and nobody said a word about that one. but maybe 33 is just a local's secret, or maybe that's not the locals idea of a good time.

When we got to the ferry, i got a chance to chat with my new friends, instead of just chase their tail lights. Turns out Andy owns a bike shop in a nearby town, importing bikes from China. Eric is his riding buddy who just bought that 660 Motard. They were good guys. We got on the ferry (for free!!) and when we got to the other side, we got our gear on, stopped like a mile down the road to gas up, and headed into another great stretch of road to Penrith. I believe we were on 14. It was a gas.

When we got out of the twisties and into a small town, we pulled over. Andy pointed me towards Penrith and explained he actually lived slightly out of town, but this road would take me right downtown. I thanked him for the tour, at which point he told me they had never been over Wiseman's before. I laughed, and thanked him again anyway for taking me in. He invited me out that upcoming weekend to go out and see sydney, have a few drinks with him and his cousin here from england. I hope that happens.

Once we parted ways, i got on the road and rode back into Penrith. I called Steve from OzMoto and he came to meet me at the train station again. He took the jacket, bags, helmet and gear from me, asked me how my ride was and shook my hand. I thanked him for the use of the bike, the tips on roads, and told him how much i loved my weekend in the hills of Sydney. I cannot say enough good thing about Steve and OzMoto. They totally hooked me up, and especially considering that the bike i took needed some work (chain n sprockets) and i called basically the night before i rented it. 11 points out of 10 for OzMoto and Steve, and Steve's mechanic, who i didn't meet, for getting me on the road!

Once i left steve, i went to the pub to get some cash from the ATM, got a VB (Victoria Bitter for you tourists), and went to wait for the train. It was an express, and i got back to Circular Quay in less than an hour. The whole ride back i sat in the train car and stared out into the blackness of night between cities, and wondered how the hell i would have filled my weekend if i hadn't found OzMoto. I wondered if i would have really left the hotel room? If i did, would i have ventured very far? Would i have met such wonderful people? There is no way to know for sure, but i do know the weekend i did have was awesome, and i would not hesitate in the least to do it again. Next time, in the summer, or with an electric vest and some better fitting gloves