Of Rocket and the winter rain

I got a new riding partner this week! Tony, a friend from the office can't wait to show off his Triumph Rocket III. As far as showing off is concern, this will definitely be the ultimate show-off. It's not a bike; it's a BEAST! With its 2300cc three in-line cylinders engine, this is the biggest capacity on any production bike ever made! If Tony was ever going to name this bike, I think he should name it "The Mid-life Crisis"... haha!

Anyway, made plans to ride on Sunday morning with Tony. We picked my favourite Somerset Dam route with its scenic and gentle twist. I don't think tight uphill roads like Mt. Tamborine would be so kind to the 320kg machine Tony is on today. Besides, the weather forecast predicted early afternoon rain so I'd rather be around familiar territory, just in case.

Tony was at my house by 6:00 am. After a nice cup of Nespresso coffees each (my wife even got up just to see the Rocket III!) we hit the road by 6:30 am. The sky looks a bit cloudy but I'm sure we'll be alright - rain in Brisbane has never been known to be like the rain in KL anyway.

Here's Tony with his baby at our quick stop at The Spit. Suddenly my RT looks tiny in comparison.

We head on to Kilcoy and stopped for pie and coffee (oh, how I wish they have nasi lemak, roti canai and teh tarik!) at my favourite cafe. The sky turned darker so we decided to head back through Mt. Mee and Mt. Pleasant. Just 5 minutes after leaving the cafe, it started to pour. Now, you'll see who's the master of the road - by now Tony is drenched but I'm tucked comfortably, nice and warm behind my windscreen, with my seat and grip heater on.

We had to stop by the roadside for Tony to put on his wet gears. And he also learnt later that putting on his wet gears on top of his already wet clothes was not a good idea after all...

As we continue our journey crossing the top of Mt. Mee and Mt. Pleasant (in which by now, is not that pleasant anymore!), the road was already slippery, the rain on the visor made visibility rather poor and to top it all up it was foggy and very windy. I was thinking to myself; what kind of person would rather be here than being at home lying in bed under a warm blanket or enjoying a hot cup of coffee and breakfast while watching the tv? And I thought, "Naaahhh... I'd rather be here!". Like Fred my instructor said, you'd have to be a bit crazy to be a biker!

One final quick stop at Dayboro for yet another cup of coffee and for Tony to dry up then we went our separate ways heading home. I finish off my Sunday with a nice Malaysian Indian food lunch with some friends later. The weather forecast showing rain for the whole of next week so I guess my bike will be resting in the garage for a while.

A freezing Sunday morning ride to Mt. Tamborine

The dawn was calm with clear blue sky, promising this to be another bright and sunny Sunday morning. My riding buddy, Eadie is back after his long dissapearance. His Ducati must be screaming with joy to be able to hit the road again. We met up in front of the office (such a good feeling of being so near to the office, yet not having to go to the office!) and headed South on the M1.


View Larger Map

I picked the route that I went with my family last Sunday (Brisbane-Beenleigh-Mt. Tambourine). And oh yes, the road felt totally different on the bike as compared with driving in a car. When you drive; you just drive but when you're on a bike it's like every turn and every curve means something and your view of the road ahead and its surrounding seem totally different. One not very good part though is the temperature and the wind... It was a freezing 3ºC! I had my grip and seat heater on full blast. The new fleece neck warmer and long sleeve thermal helped too... I glanced through my rear side mirror and saw Eadie following close. A few bikes stopped by the road side with the riders basking in the sun trying to warm up as we were climbing the steep mountain road. But hey, we are the tough ones... we ride on...

By the time we reached the top of Mt. Tambourine I decided to stopped at the same lookout point we went to last week. I need to let Eadie thaw himself...



The breathtaking view is worth the freezing climb...

...and that's Eadie thawing slowly... He actually put his hands on his exhaust pipes to defrost them! Haha!









It was a much needed break. Surprisingly, despite the wind and all, it was a nice 12ºC at the peak. Met a guy on an Aprilia and had a brief chat then head downhill again towards Canungra. I never bothered to stop here when I went out riding alone but today just feel like hanging out at "The Outpost" (I think this is what it's called, a biker hangout place for brekkie at Canungra town). It feels like going to a bike show with the rows of bikes of all kinds from Harleys to superbikes, customs and tourers...

A flat white and a pie each then we hit the road again. We headed west towards the Gold Coast, then north bound at Nerang back towards Brissie. As I was cruising on the M1, the sun was already up high but the wind still has that crisp morning feeling. Humming to "Wherever I May Roam" (by Metallica, for those who are not familiar) blaring on my stereo, I was thinking... this is the life.


"And with dust in throat I crave
Only knowledge will I save
To the game you stay a slave

Rover, wanderer
Nomad, vagabond
Call me what you will..."

Ein schöner Wintermorgen

...which means "A beautiful winter morning"... For those who stayed up late last night to watch the Argentineans get thrashed; would know what this means... Wunderbar! Wunderbar!!!

Anyway, the proper title for today's entry would have been, "Die Fahrt zum Glashaus-Berg", sorry, can't help it... I mean, "The Ride to Glasshouse Mountain"... Yup, the late night last night and the cold winter morning didn't stop me from going out for a ride. Well, at least I would have something to write about and you wouldn't have to hear me blogging about the World Cup anymore.

Imagine this; on a bright and sunny winter morning. The calling of the road and the breathtaking scenery. I think I'm just getting addicted to this place.

The above pic is along the Glasshouse Mountain route (also named the "Steve Irwin Way" a.k.a. The Crocodile Hunter) that stretches for 30 km alongside the east of Bruce Highway (A1). It passes along Beerburrum, Beerwah (I really should check the origin of those names!) and Landsborough and rejoins Bruce Highway at the Caloundra Rd. You'll pass along a few beautiful mountain lookout points and the famous Australia Zoo. There were also many many signs I noticed advertising cheap fresh seafood from a seafood van but when I finally got there, there was a sign that says "Fish Van". But there was no van in sight! I rode back with a strong craving for oysters and sand crabs... sigh...

Glasshouse Mountain Lookout Point

There's so much more to explore here e.g. turning west into the Kilcoy-Beerwah Rd that will take you back to the D'Aguilar Highway (not very good road surface though), Lake Baroon to the North West, Mapleton, Montville (the Hinterlands) etc. Anyone keen for an adventure???

In between the World Cup quarter final matches, the ride, the cooking (another successful attempt at a new dish this week - "Masak Daging Merah" - no pic though because everyone was too hungry!) there was still time to catch the latest movie with the kids. Still one of those kiddie movies but "Toy Story 3" was really amazing! This is truly one of the best trilogy and one of the best Pixar production so far.

The look on Afiq's face just made it all worthwile...
(No, he did not have a cramp on his neck; he was pretending to fly like Buzz Lightyear!)


Auf Wiedersehen!