Fourteen riders turned up for the last ride of 2023. As always there were a diverse range of bikes from modern to vintage, with the most unusual, to your reporter’s eye, a Suzuki Boulevard 650cc single cylinder cruiser.
Our Club Captain Tony Mitchell, lead us over Mt Osmond, to the freeway. Excellent views of the City presented on our right, with particularly clear sky making the buildings of the CBD stand out. We turned onto the old “Devil’s Elbow” Rd, to Crafers, and then right, over the freeway through Ironbank, Cherry Gardens and Clarendon, at Kangarilla, we turned into the McLaren Flat Rd, left at Peter’s Creek Rd, right at Brookman Rd, left at Proctor Rd, left again at Enterprise Rd, Left once more at Nangkita Rd, we must have been riding a circle, because we turned left again onto Bull Creek Rd! Finaly we turned right Greenman’s Inn, in Ashbourne and headed for Strathalbyn via the Ashbourne Rd.
The ride from Peter’s Creek Rd, to Ashbourne took us through some wonderful scrub and forests with small farms in between. Delightful country!
Just out of Strath, our hard working Secretary, Charles Oliver, discovered that the bolts holding the rear sprocket on his 67 Triumph, had come loose, one had seared off others were missing. Looked like a trailer was needed and Alan, our President, set out for home intending to return with a trailer, he was just about to leave home when Charles phoned that he had managed to get the bike going and was on his way home.
As luck would have it a local gentleman was teaching his daughter to ride on the Strath Oval just opposite where Charles, had broken down, he was a bike enthusiast and owner of several motorcycles. He rang his wife to bring a box of odd bolts and screws down and they manages with a selection of odd blots, duct tape and cable ties, they managed to get the bike fit to ride, with great care.
Strath, was crowded with motorbikes, mostly Harley Davidson’s, we were not the only Club going for a ride on the last day of 2023, but the Bakery staff were efficient and coped with the crowd.
After lunch some of us headed home the others went to Langhorne Creek, and Milang. Just out of Milang, they rode through a swarm of insects, fortunately not bee’s, but it was necessary to stop and clean visors. From Milang to Claytons Bay, to Bull Creek Rd, and Meadows where the ride split up and each headed home.
We can all look forward to more great rides in 2024!
Allan Vaisham.
Honda CB450