Tour time

Thunderstorms

I am all set to go on tour bike is prepped and I just need to put my bags on and go. The weather forecast has improved and while there is always a chance of rain it looks like the main issue will be high heat and thunderstorms in the afternoon. I will need to get up early to ride more before the heat of the day and finish sooner, especially if a big storm brews up.

The only problem with this is I might have to stay in motels rather than pubs as planned which then means I need to revisit my intended stop over points. The reason being at a pub or B&B you usually don't have facilities to prepare breakfast in your room whereas at a motel I can pick up something light the night before and place it in the rooms fridge and there is always tea and coffee etc.

Alternatively a option is to leave early from a pub stay and find somewhere to eat at the next town. This can be a bit hit and miss, the last time I tried this I ended up riding 150km before coming to a town big enough to have a cafe that opened for breakfast.

Slow down in country towns

Speaking of small town cafes, I was contacted by a reader who asks if I can bring to attention the issue of motorcycles not slowing down in small towns. He speaks of Grevillia on the Summerland way but this applies to so many places I ride. If you enjoy the freedom of riding country roads and not having to look at your speedo every 5 seconds then do slow down in the townships along the way otherwise the local police will be forced to respond and things will be ruined for all.

Video

I have flirted with video a number of times but always returned to still photography. I purchased one of those cheap action video cameras from eBay recently that capture You Tube resolution video to a SD card inside it. You are meant to mount it on your helmet but that proved harder than it looked with the rubber strap slipping off each time. I have secured it to the bike and will see how it goes, I just want some footage of the road and scenery and not the action/speed type video so long as it doesn't shake too much 640*480 capture will be fine.

A Motorcycle Paradise reader from Canada showed me some of the video she took when touring Australia at last years Moto-GP and this rekindled my desire to try it myself. Here is a link to Nancy's videos , do take a look if you have time.