A 1000+ km circuit in SE Queensland, and a brief suspension updates...

[wordsmith]

A 1000km + circuit and suspension update - September 2019

This pleasant early-spring ride of 532km each way to and from the relaxing small seaside village of Bargara, on Queensland's Coral Coast, had a few reasons behind it.

It would be the first decent outing on my GT since I bought it in early July; I also wanted few days away for a bit of solo R&R after a recent too-long bout of 'man-'flu', even though I had battled it stoutly and manfully o'ercome its afflictions; and importantly I needed to check-out the performance of the new and quite costly K-tech upgrades to the bike's suspension, about which I had high hopes.   Two brief outings so far seemed promising, but this trip would surely tell the tale over very widely-varying road surface conditions as I exited the city, and rode through towns and villages, small and large, and along indifferent rural roads.   It would also show me if I really do need that $550 BAGSTER seat upgrade to complete the conversion to a Rolls-Royce ride.

I deferred my departure for a few days, as serious bush-fires along the coast just to the north were causing some worrying disruptions, and eventually left my home just south of Brisbane on the weekend of September 14th.   A quick and easy 420km ride north to Bundaberg and nearby Bargara could be achieved along the Bruce Hwy - the major east-coast road to the far north - but I chose the longer 532km inland route to the west of the Great Dividing Range.   This rural route is far more interesting and much less congested, and was also likely to challenge the bike's suspension rather more than the (mostly) well-maintained Bruce Hwy.

The D’Aguilar and Burnett Hwys to the north of Brisbane are a real joy for the motorcyclist, with mile after mile of smooth sweeping roads and bends that allow one to ride at decent (but of course legal) speeds and enjoy the freedom of the open road, unchallenged by much other traffic.   These roads traverse the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range, in places over 1000 metres above sea level, so this first part of the day’s riding was largely uphill and always winding and undulating – super stuff!   And of course downhill towards the coast and home on the return leg.  

But not always pretty: the driest and warmest winter on record has been followed by an equally dry and hot start to spring, and there was very little greenery to be seen along the road other than a few irrigated patches.    It's like this all up the east coast of Australia, and numerous fierce bush-fires bode ill for the coming summer months when we are told to expect horrendous never-before-experienced fire-prone conditions.   This is a tough and unforgiving country.  

For a couple of weeks prior extremely strong winds  had pummeled the east coast and encouraged the early bush-fire outbreaks in northern NSW and SE Queensland, and the remnants of this system still blowing moderately from the SE pushed me around a bit on some exposed stretches of highway. 

At Ban Ban Springs on the Burnett Hwy a right-turn towards Childers took me along the Isis Hwy, again offering varying conditions, thence a short distance on the Bruce Hwy to Bargara via the Bundaberg Ring Road, and so to my three nights at the comfortable Pacific Sun Motor Inn.   Here I've had many a pleasant stay, often with Mrs Wordsmith as she rode along with me in the past on her bikes.   My return ride to Brisbane and home three days later was along the same enjoyable route, the GT's easy-to-use intuitive cruise-control doing its thing.

My assessment of the suspension changes is positive without, I hope, being overly gushing and optimistic, which is often hard to avoid when one has spent up big on something like this.   The K-tech parts and guru Joe's setting-up have worked well, even very well.   The harshness and ultra-quick reactions to even minor road-surface irregularities are largely ironed-out, although major lumps and bumps do get through, though dampened out a lot, and there is no 'wallowing' on corrugated surfaces.

I do feel from earlier brief outings that the rear shock could be softened just a little, as I felt that was where most of the reactions were still being felt, so I'll be talking to Joe about this shortly - I'm sure it's only a matter of dialling-out a little compression on the shock remote (but I'll let him guide me!)   But at no time was I bounced up and off the seat, something that couldn't have been guaranteed with the OE suspension.

A caveat might be that anyone doing this sort of an upgrade and expecting a magic-carpet ride as if on a lawn-bowls or billiard-table surface might be a little disappointed - there is no magic, but I'm very satisfied with the outcome.   Would I do it again? - yes, definitely.   Do I also now need that cherry-on-top-of-the-icing-on-the-cake BAGSTER seat - yes, if considering future long multi-day rides, no if confining myself to shorter local outings. But I'll possibly  get one anyway!

A few words about the other aspects of this short trip away may interest, and perhaps repeating some of the ride report detail from my last visit there almost two years ago, in December 2017, on an earlier Tracer.

Given the forecast warm-ish and dry weather, averaging about 27ºC (81ºF) I  decided to wear my summer mesh riding jacket, which has more holes than a Swiss cheese, yet with ample CE armour at the elbows and hips, and a newly-bought solid back-protector.   I didn't take any wet-weather gear as rain was not foreseen for a very long time.

For only three nights away I needed very little luggage, and my small light 30L top-box took everything comfortably, weighing-in at a mere 6.3kg packed, with room to spare.

My destination, Bargara (often also called Bargara Beach), about is 400km north of home as the kookaburra flies, but 532km by my inland route, and is a very pleasant place to relax and do absolutely nothing.    Bargara is a very small but attractive seaside residential village on the Coral Coast some 13km east of Bundaberg, with a population of only 6000.  In recognition of its location and potential it has been sympathetically transformed in recent years by the regional local authority, and has become a popular destination for holiday-makers seeking some peace and quiet rather than casinos and mosh-pits, as well as many retirees from the south who have settled there.

I checked into the Pacific Sun Motel, which I’d used many times in the past.   Like many such places it’s small – with only eleven rooms – and quite old, but has recently been spruced-up, and I have always found it affordable, clean, quiet, and ideally placed just a few hundred metres from the sea and the coastal walkway, with its lookouts and seats and benches for the old and weary like me.
Within a few minutes strolling distance of the motel are several inexpensive but decent restaurants, and of course the inevitable pub, which from past experience served rather ordinary meals of the ‘chips-with-everything’ variety.   I gave it a miss this time, but mainly out of necessity as it had recently burned down after a kitchen fire!

I’d booked-in for three nights, giving me two days off the bike, and had nothing much in mind.   The bike was safely parked under cover and so close to my room that I could almost reach out and touch it while in bed – good bike security plus a decent alarm disc-lock makes for a good night’s sleep!    A vintage car rally centred on Bargara provided a bit of excitement and interest too.

In my room’s large comfy queen-sized bed I enjoyed a very good sleep that night after the long-ish and warm-ish ride, and a very pleasant day’s riding it was in excellent conditions.   The GT, of course, didn’t miss a beat, and I was pretty satisfied with my assessment of the new suspension.

The day after arriving I took the local bus into Bundaberg, the closest large town (pop 96,000) and only 13km away inland, the bus fare being a very reasonable $4.00 return.   Bundaberg is pleasant albeit slightly run-down typical old country town, founded in 1857.   It has an interesting mix of fine older Victorian-era buildings, once no doubt hotels and banks, and ghastly Stalinist-era 'modern' constructions that are a blot on the landscape.

The weather was fine, so I also took a walk along the Burnett River which runs through the middle of town – and which regularly floods it – and enjoyed browsing and even a little shopping in some unusual local emporia such as one wouldn't see in the city, as well as a $13.95 'light' lunch in the RSL Club.   

Time to return to Brisbane, then, in warmer conditions, reaching 36 deg C (97 deg F) on the road..   I had so much enjoyed the inland route north that I decided to retrace my tyre-tracks exactly, for although the Bruce Highway would have been quicker and shorter – by about 100km – I was in recreation mode, not worried about saving time or distance.   In so doing, my views on the suspension were fully endorsed, so I can now safely put that to bed and concentrate on the riding and the passing scenery on future outings.  

Both on the way up and back it was hard not to notice how very dry and lifeless the landscape looked, with hardly a patch of green or colour to be seen anywhere, except for the rare Bouganvillea shrub along the way.    

So all-up it was a great, informative, and thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable four days away, covering 1062km/ 640mi in entirely trouble-free fashion.   The fuel-useage trip was zeroed before leaving, and showed an overall consumption for the journey at 3.8L/ 100km.

Some pix follow.

 

   at Bargara...

   the route both to and from   all aboard...

   centre of Bargara with many cafes 

   a 'light' lunch

   fine 1887 building in Bundaberg

   this one probably an old Bank

   East Germany circa 1955

   and another

   fine old Town Hall (originally), now the PO

   vintage cars on display

   this was a beauty!

   Central Isis sugar-mill in full production

   beautifully-restored older 'Queenslander'

   dry, dry, dry - and very bleak and dismal

 

 

   Ban Ban Springs

 

  Great Dividing Range always present here

  a rare splash of Bouganvillea colour 

Edited September 18, 2019 by wordsmith

[texscottyd]

You continue to inspire us young pups, @wordsmith!   Thanks for the write-up & pictures... 

-Scott

[betoney]

Great write up on both the suspension and road trip.  Even though I just got back from a 10 day road trip less than a week ago, I would love to take off again tomorrow.

Glad to hear that you are enjoying the suspension upgrades, you should easily be able to get it softened up, the nice thing with quality suspension is; riding nirvana is usually just 1-2 clicks away.

[Dodgy Knees]

Brilliant report Wordsmith,  a part of the world I visited with very fond memories in 1994. Traveling on the Greyhound coach over 4 months. Wasn't Bunderberg known for its Rum.??  I stayed in a hostel and worked on local farms to make the money stretch. Met some fantastic people. Another highlight was the 4x4 trip to Frazer island.

 Your very lucky to live in such a fantastic country. Ye, you could do with a bit more rain. 

Loving my MY18 tracer, very understated bike that many overlook.

Enjoy.

[wordsmith]

Thanks, d-k, I'm glad my words recalled happy memories for you!   The back-packer/ working holiday scene is still very much alive and well here.   Yes - Bundaberg Rum and its nowadays many off-shoots is still thriving and an important part of the town.   Fraser I has been in the news a bit recently, too, after too many close encounters of the dingo kind - some people don't understand to leave them well alone.

Yup- much more rain needed but the wet season is nigh - if it happens - and some reckon it needs to last for twelve months.

'Understated' is an understatement: Tracers are very rarely seen here (and I've yet to see another GT on the road) and it amazes me, for they were initially very keenly-priced (I paid $12,000 for my last brand-new Lava Red Gen1 Tracer), and even the Gen2 models are in the ball-park price-wise.   But Yamaha don't help themselves - their dealer network is crap and the bike hardly supported by poor exposure at shop level.

Cheers and best...