Riding Down Under - Tropical Cairns Australia

[MacDoc]

Got out on the CB190x

and rode it up to Copperlode and for a short burger run on the 100 kph highway.
The seating position is really nice tho the seat is awful.
Terrific sidestand. Odd brake mix with ABS at the front and DRUM !!!!! at the rear but it worked.
Very narrow gear range so first gear just gets you past the cross walk but the bike shifts easily.
Runs out of steam after 80 but gets there quick enough then slowly climbs but works hard.
Really basic instruments - no tach. Suspension was good ....Copperlode has some speed bumps.
Bike was noisy and a little iffy on roundabouts due to the knobbies, Bike in Japan will have streat tires.

 

[just-me]

Bit surprised you couldn't get more speed out of the bike. I had a CB100 and a CB175 and both would easy do 110 - 120 kph.
Although looking at you picture, mmm, I was maybe 145lb back then.

 

[MacDoc]

I could have pushed is a bit faster but yeah 250lb ...110 is official listed but borrowed bike really not so interested in pushing it to the edge. It gets to 80- 90 quickly so a sprocket change might help a bit ...not in the cards. Burgman 200 is listed as 120 kph and I'm confident it could cruise at 100 without drama.
Still have to find one....other than the seat and highway performance it was a fun slow bike for plodding around backroads which is what it is designed for ...stump puller first gear.
It's a shame the insurance is limited to 199cc as there are so many really interesting 250s including a Vstrom.

It is what it is. I'm leaning more to renting a bike outright and skipping the tour company entirely. Still time to make changes.

The CB300F cruises at 100 kph all day at 6k rpm and has quite a bit left. Wish I could get the handlebars wider and higher like the 190x. Suspect too much hoop jumping. 60k km on the clock and the engine does not use a drop of oil over 12k km changes. It's a keeper as worth very little on a trade - 350 km on a $12 fill up...totally reliable and I can still do 400 km days on the slow roads here and not come home a wreck.
At 75 I'm grateful for every ride.

 

[MacDoc]

Glad our 20 somethings were also out of breath ....good memories of Chile pre covid. ( by days )

 

[MacDoc]

ugh 29 at 5.30 am - back to bed with the ac on.

 

[DownUnder]

ugh 29 at 5.30 am - back to bed with the ac on.

It's funny growing up i had never been in a house with aircon. Thesedays I probably couldn't live without it back there.

 

[MacDoc]

Were you in the tropics? Dry heat not so bad ...humidity is enervating.
•••
The Nelson-Rigg cover fit well ....bit of a stretch - CB300F - so larger bikes will need the larger cover but it was easy to put on and the elastics pull down to attach to the bike easily - perfect fit on the top case, reasonable fit at the front and good airflow
Protect the replaced LCD screen that cost $300+ to replace.

 

[DownUnder]

Were you in the tropics? Dry heat not so bad ...humidity is enervating.
•••
The Nelson-Rigg cover fit well ....bit of a stretch - CB300F - so larger bikes will need the larger cover but it was easy to put on and the elastics pull down to attach to the bike easily - perfect fit on the top case, reasonable fit at the front and good airflow
Protect the replaced LCD screen that cost $300+ to replace.

View attachment 60170

Sub tropic, SEQ. 300+ days of sunshine was nice though

 

[MacDoc]

Yep - pretty much 365 day riding as it's 2-4 degrees cooler on the Tableland.

 

[MacDoc]

Heat has been very enervating ...it's 18 now at Herberton so will get up there early.
Got an audio book to finish.
Lovely now - coffee at Yungaburra - no traffic on the Gilles.

Some nights I just don't get enough sleep but flet good when I took off early....ran out of steam for a longer ride and came back down the Gillies...paying for that with a bit of a stiff back......napped to catch up. Bit of liniment welcome....try again tomorrow for a ride to Millaa Millaa via the Palmerston.
Visit Barista in the Mist.

BARISTA IN THE MIST, Millaa Millaa - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number - Tripadvisor

Barista In The Mist, Millaa Millaa: See 36 unbiased reviews of Barista In The Mist, rated 4.5 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #1 of 3 restaurants in Millaa Millaa.

www.tripadvisor.co.uk

and maybe a Millaa Millaa falls swim.

 

[MacDoc]

Crazy girl and some gorgeous desert scenery.

this might be worth a watch as well...we enjoyed Iceland and it's an easy hop from Canada

marginal interest but I'll leave it.

 

[MacDoc]

Tired of the daytime heat ....gets to 32 + on the deck before noon and it's still 29 at 10 pm - even with the fans it is uncomfortable. Try again for a ride to the cooler Tablelands tomorrow.

 

[MacDoc]

35 at noon ....I can't get to the lagoon with out getting hot and sweaty on the way back....sucks,

Partner has a cello lesson on Monday so will get a ride and spend a couple of hours swimming and photographing the wild life along the Esplanade.
Away from the lagoon it's all shade trees and always a breeze off the Pacific.

 

[MacDoc]

Best laid plans ...sigh. At least it is cool.

Watch the last Itchy Boots for a while and catch up with the winsome noobs on BumbleBee.

 

[MacDoc]

Crazy chick in Africa.... last videos for a couple of weeks.

The naifs in S America getting weather battered

let's just ride into a salt lake ......and they nearly dropped it.

 

[MacDoc]

Finally got out to Lake Barrine for lunch. Windy and muggy on the coast but very nice at the moment up the range.
Will sit and read while lunching and meander home with the tailwind.
Too nice - don't really want to leave but 90 minutes from home and don't want to hit school traffic.

•••••

Got clipped on the cheek by a flying rock on the way home, just discovered it drew a small amount of blood..

muddy boat trailer was throwing off bits and with the strong cross wind ......got me. I thought it was just mud on my cheek from the rock but it did break the skin.
I was wearing the clear safety glasses but it slipped into the open visor - hurt a bit but not enough to stop...think that might be a first for something to draw blood.
Kept the visor down while in that crosswind...traffic quite a bit heavier than normal.

Felt a bit lurgi today then partner mentioned I'd just had my flu shot which may or may not have contributed.
Lurgi is Aus slang with international antecedents.

Talk:Lurgy - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[MacDoc]

Glad I got out ...nice and cool now but wet. Rain on the roof makes for a good sleep.

 

[MacDoc]

Yeah well sucks - even the solar hot water is now luke warm. Bingeing media.

2" of rain in 24 hr

 

[xfactor]

Good stuff, man oh man, I miss QLD.

 

[DownUnder]

Good stuff, man oh man, I miss QLD.

Not as good as it used to be, all the people from New South Whales, Victoria and New Zealand moved up to get away from lockdowns during the pandemic and drove housing prices though the roof. Literally 50% increase in just 2 years in a lot of areas.