It was definitely a top day to hit some twisties and meet some old and new friends.
Pics, as promised Jonezey.......
Ready and waiting. I'd done all the pre run checks last night and just gotten back from filling up. (grass needs cutting badly, but that can wait yet another day)
. Got a surprise when Geoff rolled in with Michelle in the pillion seat. Waved Neriel goodbye and headed off towards points south. A quick stop for a splash of fuel for Geoff at Buxton servo then hit the road proper. We hadn't been out together on the bikes since Bourke, so it was great to be out and about again. The run to Gympie was really good, with most of the roadworks finished, or nearly there. Was quite a novelty to manage to run right through Gympie without having to stop for a single light, or even change down from top gear then, as we were now both "big tanking it", continued past our traditional refuelling / coffee / smoke (for me) stop at the Golden Nugget and ventured out into the rolling countryside towards our goal, non stop for once.
Not surprisingly, we arrived at the Bellbird Creek Cafe right on 10 o'clock. About an hour before our expected ETA. We dropped Michelle there for a well earned rest and Geoff and I went for a quick play on the twisty bit just to the South then returned to await the arrival of the other XSives.
Waiting for the others. Yes, we peaked early!
Getting there. John's and Bryan's XS's with Dougs FJ12 to the left.
And eventually, Tims rig rolled in too.
Intitial greetings exchanged, we headed into the shady bit for some drinks and tucker.
From left, Bryan, John and Doug.
Geoff, Michelle and Tim at the far end.
And then Michelle took a group shot.
Bryan entertains with a magic trick
Along with this little 'suki, there were a number of early honda fours and other classics sitting under the awning.
Appetites whetted, we then adjourned to the parking area to talk..........................bikes!
New XS11 outfit owner Doug was given a good run down of tips and tricks with sidecars, as not only did we have Tim's outfit there, both Geoff and John have previously had their bikes set up with a chair so there was a wealth of knowledge and experience shared.
Tim and John discussing fairing screens.
interesting version of an elastic steering damper fitted to Tim's front end.
Bryan's G. He's extremely proud of a tiny scrape mark on the leading edge of the muffler. It is a long way off the bitumen!
Doug's FJ1200. Geoff has organised to drop by next week armed with the appropriate devices to give his XS outfit the tuning of its life.
My SF Special and Geoffs RH
And in case you were wondering about the guy sitting in the background, he's not going anywhere. A lot of visitors are taken aback by his appearing ready to take off for a ride. (Bryan is eyeing off the final drive unit, though)
Sadly these events can't last forever, so we said our goodbyes and headed off for home via Obi Obi road, Mapleton, fuel stop at Nambour then a brief rehydration stop at Tiaro (it was a hot day!)
Nightriders??
Look. Geoff's got boots on!! That's right. It's only when working in his shed where there are potentially dangerously sharp things on the floor that he doesn't wear footwear.
Great idea on the get together, Tim.
It was nice to meet Doug (the General ) for the first time.
Nice to see people prepared to have a bit of a trip to share in days like this. John had travelled 260 odd klms from the south to be here and Geoff and Michelle a bit farther from the north.
Looking forward to more days like this!
It's nice to finish the day on a neat round number
