Optimists Ride to Marysville/ Healesville, 18th January

The Classic Club does include a number of positive, optimistic people who love riding their motorcycles and believe that the weather reports are often wrong and the rain forecast will probably be only a drizzle . This time the forecast was correct and as we took off from Chirnside Park shopping centre under the dutiful leadership of Paul Clayton we did initially enjoy cloudy but dry riding through Coldstream. We travelled along pretty much traffic free Kilara and Sunnyside Rd but as we travelled the Warburton Highway precipitation became heavy rain. The most optimistic rider of the group was Rob King who turned up for the ride without waterproofs. He turned around before Warburton and headed home!  Around this time the very pretty R90S of Graham Boulter decided to die. We spoke to Graham at the side of the road, and it was decided that this was not going to be a quick fix. It sometimes started but with backfiring and flames out the exhaust which reminded me of what my R75/5 was doing at the Christmas breakup at Broadford! Richard Fanning correctly but painstakingly diagnosed my bike with electrical gremlins. Might be similar issues with the R90S. Most of us [ including Graham] have RACV Total Care which includes a flat bed truck to pick up a motorcycle, but poor Graham stood beside his bike in the rain till 3pm for the tow truck to arrive! Needless to say, he was very unimpressed and this is not the typical response time most of us have enjoyed with the RACV.

As our group became a little smaller Paul took us along Old Warburton Highway towards morning tea at Warburton. The rain was now torrential, and the wind had blown plenty of bark and rubbish onto the road. Visibility was poor and what would have been a picturesque and quiet motorcycling road became a nightmare. We eventually arrived at the café in Warburton and parked at the back of the building and stripped off our wet gear under the covered patio and enjoyed some warm coffee and sustenance. Round table discussion said the weather was not going to improve and continued riding through Reefton Spur and the Black Spur was simply not on. After a relaxing chat we all took off towards Melbourne with the knowledge that we happened to pick the worst weather day of the month!

The participants included;

Safe riding for 2023

Greg Costello