When I lived in the UK, I got my full motorbike licence. After that, the very next moto that I rode was a plain yellow tangerine R1100S. Where I worked, one of the guys was sponsored by the local BMW stealership for the Boxer cup series. That was 2001.
I was totally focused on an 1100GS and then the 1150GS, but I always kept and eye open for an 1100S, one of the more stylish bikes out there. Still is. The new styles and shapes do very little for me.
In 2005 I got an 1150GS and it has and continues to serve me well, very well. Needs a service at the moment though. Have done some great trips on it between it being my regular commute to work. Look for the thread Hay Ewe^ Commutes to work the long way.
Anyway. There I was, 1600km / 1000miles from home, bit of spare time and looking at the online bike sales. There was an 11s not too far away, make arrangements to go and have a look. This is the Wednesday before Easter.
Nice and clean and tidy. With Panniers (lids painted yellow / tangerine) top box (painted yellow / tangerine) and a bagster tank cover and bag, color coded grey and yellow. Has Staintune pipe system and a wider rear wheel.
I had to wait for a few things to align before I could pick it up. I did consider having it freighted to my home, but that would cost more than fuel and an overnight somewhere. I chose to not consider my time in that equation, it would be a better way of getting to know the bike.
Anyway, I picked it up on the Saturday morning and rode about 100km/60miles to friends to stay the weekend with. I had a training session on the Monday morning to attend.
As soon as I rode away from the vendor, the steering was very doughy. From experience, front tire pressure was down. I went to the local servo to top off the fuel tank. It had a good amount of fuel in it, but I didn’t know that till I filled it up.
Just down the road from picking it up.
Lots of yellow!
Saturday afternoon was spent with some gentle tinkering, looking it over, checking and taking the left side panel off. Effort, so I put it back on.
Sunday I had loosely planned to meet up with some friends. It was mostly unplanned, just a maybe, but it rained thru the night and in the morning was raining Datsun Cogs so I didn’t go out. Went and got pies for lunch instead.
Monday, I went to the training session. Finished about 1hr after I would have liked. I went to the local servo, filled up with fuel and swapped my jeans for my riding pants. Weather felt fine so I just kept on my work shirt, only pulling on my buff over my neck. By the time I got clear of the city I was easily 2 hours behind my schedule.
I had planned to meet a mate here, at the Ettamogah Pub, but a late change to his plan and me being later than planned, it didn’t work out.
As you can see, I dont have the top box anymore, left it in Brisbane. It was just easier to strap on my kit bag that has all my work clothes and laptop and note books.
I should have taken that short stop time to change my short to thermal top or at least wind stopper, but I didn’t.
From there, I headed north. It was still daylight and easy pickings for the traffic cops. I was still getting to know the bike. It’s very different from a GS!
Another of my great mates was on a work trip at Gladstone and I had planned to stay overnight at his motel. This was about 1 hour or so, shorter of where I had originally planned to stay. Turned out to be a good thing. It was pretty cold by the time I got there and parked up and I shivered for a few minutes.
Gladstone is a port that mostly bulk loads coal for export and has some smelters and refineries there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Gladstone
http://www.gpcl.com.au/
in financial year 2015 - 2016 116.7 Millions tonnes of bulk ore and coal has been exported thru Gladstone port.
I got there just after 20:00 and my mate had already tee’d up the kitchen and as I was sitting down there was a plate of hot Gnocchi on the table! Washed down with a coke and water. And then I had another! Thanks Llew.
For the past however many years we have both worked away from home to different places and no fixed schedule and so infrequently get to catch up, so we yarned on for a while and then sorted kit and stuff out.
05:30 alarm the next morning. Up and breakfast, kit on, load up and then roll around town to uplift max fuel. Sun was just coming up, the red orange glow of the dawn. I rolled out of town towards the highway, keeping an eye out for ‘roos and cops whilst pacing a coal train headed out west.
I got back to the highway and it was proper daylight now so I was comfortable running at the speed limit. It was still a bit cool though, glad I had my merino long johns, merino long sleeve top and my rain jacket on, under my riding kit. Buff over my neck and heated grips on, snug as.
Stopped for this pictures though.
Tuesday I intended to make it all the way home. Though if I got to Townsville too late, I would overnight there. I didn’t actually know what time too late was till I got there.
I stopped to fill with fuel when needed at the major towns and apart from stopping for a few photographs only, I just kept going.
Just north of Mackay I saw this roadside stopping area that looked good for a picture, so I did.
That is suger cane, will be harvested in the next two months or so.
At Proserpine I had a Twix for lunch and took off my rain jacket / wind stopper and then kept going.
Next stop would be Townsville.
Although the highway is the coastal road, it doesn’t really follow the coast and there are very few places where can you can see the ocean. This is one of them just north of Bowen.
As we are in the southern hemisphere, depending on where you are it is either winter time or dry season. In the southern part of Australia, its winter, days of rain and grey clouds and cold weather. In the north its dry and no rain. In the middle its less hot.
Having said that, in the south if there is high pressure there can be some fantastic weather. At present there is a good high pressure system and that makes for some great sunsets, like this just south of Ingham.
I stopped at Ingham, put my wind breaker coat back on, changed the lens in my goggles back to clear and then continued north.
I don’t use a full face helmet, I prefer endure style with goggles as I find it much cooler in the tropics. No doubt it looked abnormal and out of place on this type of bike, but it’s all I have and it worked just find.
I stopped next at Cardwell for fuel and then kept going.
I had left Gladstone just on 06:20 that morning and arrived home at 21:10 that same day.
Not sure of the distance at the mo, will work that out over the weekend.
Was a good ride, no dramas.
Will soon write a little about the differences I feel between an 1150GS and 1100S
