As some of you would know, I had the opportunity to take nearly two weeks off work and family to head up to Townsville from Canberra on my 2015 Fat Bob. My route was simple -- the quickest way between A & B, which was Canberra-Cowra-Dubbo-Gilgandra-Walgett-St George-Roma-Springsure-Clermont-Charters Towers-Townsville. All up, the bike did 4650 km's round trip. I've ridden and driven this route a few times over the years, and rate it because it rewards those that want to travel quick, without stuffing about. I split my days into three the first day was 500 km, second 750, third was 1000. Reverse order on return.
I'm not a gifted writer, so I will mention some high and low-lights of the trip. Overall, it was a great opportunity which I really enjoyed. I wouldn't mind doing it every year, pending time and some new shocks on the Fat Bob. Doing these sort km's on your own is good IMO, if that is the situation you find yourself in. I will say that the bugs on the trip were unbelievable. My helmet visor became almost unusable by the 150-200 km mark for most of NSW and some of Qld which I would put down to the rain that they have had before the trip. On the return, it was just as bad, and I even had bugs coming through my helmet vents. I also hit a roo north on Injune on the way up. Luckily, I went over the top of it and came out of it all better then skippy (see seperate post if interested). I put shoo roo's on the bike for the return trip and while everyone has an opinion on this issue, I will say they worked but who knows for sure (three wallabys went bush). I also avoided rain everywhere I went. Temperatures were between 5-34 degrees during the trip.
Fuel: I wanted to stick to BP where ever I could and was happy to see that the bike was good to use 95 & 98 octane. There were only two places where I used another brand: Rolleston and Belyando Junction. The most expensive was at Belyando @ 151.9 a litre for normal unleaded. Ouch, but whatever. For those that wondered, the 'LO RNG' on a Fat Bob is good for nearly 50 km's. I used 135 lts on the return trip which works out about 6lt per 100 km's which is good in my books considering the speed I was doing and the weight I had on board.
Police presence: enroute to Gilgandra on the first day, I saw four Highway Patrol cars, two mobile speed cameras and two RBT's, which seemed a bit excessive (my first day was a Friday). After Gilgandra, I did not see another cop until the return trip: 1x general duties in Charter's Towers, and three after Gilgandra. That's right, nothing to really mention in Qld. Going by the crime wave that is going on in the Ville, at the moment, perhaps they are rightly focussed on that.
Idiot drivers: nothing to mention until I get back to the ACT and put up with two muppets in seperate areas pulling out in front of me in overtaking lanes, sitting on the speed limit, and not moving into the slow lane when practical. Not really anything to whinge about noting the km's I did. A shout out to the amount of Truckies I went past etc that were usually helpful to signal when safe to overtake etc.
Accommodation: as mentioned in the 'Bike Friendly Accommodation' folders, I rated both places I stayed, would use again: The Alpha Motel in Gilgandra (cheap, clean, friendly, covered parking, everything works as it should), and the Motel Carnarvon in Roma (as above but a bit newer ... and more expensive, noting Roma is a bit more expensive to stay).
Issues with the bike: none on the way up. On the way back, I got a red light (the one that flashes when the alarm is on) coming on between Belyando and Clermont. I was a bit worried at first but what I think I was, ahem, going too fast for too long and the wind resistance caused the front brake lever to depress (3-4 hours flat out). I trouble-shooted the issue over the phone with my dealer when I arrived into Clermont, which I am appreciative of. Good service. I tried cleaning the lever and slowed down, which I was going to do anyways, and never had the problem again. The lever will be getting a proper going over this week. The next issue was on the same day was when I noticed my top belt guard snapped near the rear sprocket. My hypothesis is it broke after fitting the rear fender one or two times too many on the very bumpy roads. I ended up taking it off completely as it started to damage the rear sprocket. A easy job on the side of the road. I'm looking to replace it this week. I reckon that a new pair of aftermarket shocks would be a must if I was going to do this again on the bike. The roads, particularly around Walgett, are just too garbage. Overall though, I'm really pleased with how the bike went, particularly after the beating she got on the roads.
Gear: for bags, I used some Deemeed Explorer bags -- 1xXS which sat above the headlights, and a Medium which attached to the back (I have a single set-up Mustang seat with a back rest, and Motherwell fender rack). I really rated the quality of the bags and their mounting systems. Check out their website. I ordered mine through hardparts.net.au in Brisbane, and was very happy with their service and price. Not the cheapest kit but I'm converted to the brand now. The XS attached to the handlebars was great for tool kit, bottle of water and pressure gauge and stopped a LOT of bugs. I also had a TomTom Rider GPS attached with a Ram mount, but it wasn't as useful as I could get the mounting right and the vibes and wind resistance teamed up to make it more of a problem than it should have been. I will keep playing around with that. Foam ear plugs.... I couldn't have done the ride without them!
Lessons learnt: as mentioned above, new shocks are in order. The stock kit could not handle the rough roads, particularly at speed. The rear shocks were the main issue here. I'd also consider a screen next time too. I was 'comfortable' enough without it but I reckon the addition of one for such a trip would be worthwhile. I now don't give a crap about 'looks' as much when doing these sorts of km's. I got into the habit of downing either a 600ml water or Gatorade at every stop. Dehydration, particularly was an issue in Qld, as well as the need for sugar and caffeine ... all up making for busy pit stops.
Three points for guessing where the pic is taken.
Anyways, I hope one of you finds my recollections interesting.
Good read. I have a thermos of ice cold water on a bracket attached to the bars when i do big days. Every 300-400klm stop fuel, piss, and refill bottle to stop the dyhydration.
Good post / story / adventure JFE. ( how fast does a Fat Bob go .... "flat out, for 3 or 4 hours" ? )
Great post, to me this is what owning a Harley is about... Agreed them qld rds out that way are not good with the stock rear shocks. I've done it with stock shocks ( fucken backbreaking actually) and with upgraded Ricor's.. chalk and cheese.
Thanks for posting your story JFE. It was good reading. I'd love to hit the open road like that. The solitude and cameraderie with other road users could be very refreshing for the soul me thinks. Well done.
I'd recommend a screen for the bugs next time. They protect the visor of the helmet and clothing and to reduce air pressure on your body at the speeds you do.
An airhawk for the seat to help the butt cope with the distances you do.
Good earplugs are a must. I bought some alpine's but they can irritate over long distances unless fitted properly. Foam are good backups.
That bag looks like a comfortable back rest. A motorcross kidney belt can also take the pressure off the back.
Thanks again.
Roger that
