Here we are, starting into 2023. So how did the taunt in the last line of my review post on 2021 pan out I hear you ask...?
"Roll on 2022......DO YOUR WORST!!"
Well, actually things picked up a bit. We still had rolling Covid restrictions as each State's Premier tried to fcuk with the Federal government's plan to get us clear of the pandemic (it was a political pandemic, not a health one it seems ) but they eventually became less and less restrictive once the population came to realise it was time to move on and stop the politicians playing politics.
I was still picking cherry tomatoes on a friends farm to help them out as their regular supply of pickers were still locked out of the country. It is hot, hard, backbreaking work that is hot. Did I mention how hot it is? Well, standing in a paddock in full sun in a Queensland summer is hot, m'kay?
We must have picked hundreds of thousands of these little buggers. This was just one morning's worth.... and it went on for weeks.....
I attended a rider training day in early January called "How To Keep It Upright" that was sponsored by QLD Police Service and hence only cost participants $50 to attend. Having been subjected to MUCH training for work over the last 20 years or so it was an eye opener at how unreceptive and defensive most of the other participants were. The organisers (who were not police) spent a big portion of the classroom session just trying to put people at their ease.
I definitely took something away from the day but it was more a refresher on things I already practice when on the bike and very much aimed at newer riders. It was certainly no California Superbike School day but I guess that is reflected in the price. Did I mention how hot it was doing the on-bike drills? No, well it was almost dangerously hot just standing around in all of our riding gear (and that is from someone who had been picking tomatoes all day in the summer sun for a few weeks and was used to it!).
Deano and I were planning on riding the Victoria Divide 550 in late February so I was trying to get some cycling fitness happening. This was a struggle as it was proving to be a very wet summer. At least it is warm here in Queensland!
Unfortunately, Deano contracted Covid early in the new year and it did a number on him. The lingering effect on his fitness meant we had to scrub the Vic Divide. Bugger - but I had some leave coming up, so what to do?
What to do? I set the Africa Twin up with new chain and sprockets, plus an automatic chain oiler then had her put through a 24 000km service in early February. All of this was in aid of a cunning plan that a mate at work and I had hatched to get our bikes to Tasmania for some riding, making the most of our bunches of days off work while the flying was still spasmodic. I set off southbound on the 7th of February with no particular route in mind, just a destination of Forbes to visit my Dad.
This ride would turn into a seven month epic!
I jumped on the ferry in Melbourne and kept the bike in storage in Launceston and then later, Adelaide. I flew in on my days off (one of the few benefits of working for an airline) to "ride like a local".
This allowed me to see much more of Tassie than the average motorcycle tourist who maybe spends a week or ten days circumnavigating the island state.
It.Was.Awesome!
My whole "Not A Midlife Crisis" trip, which includes Ride With GPS route maps, can be found at this link -
...and just keep clicking "newer post" at the bottom left of each post. It is quite an extensive series of posts covering 20 000 kilometres of New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia rides.
As a result of all of this travelling to ride the Africa Twin my cycling was very much neglected. Combined with plenty of Tassie pub food, washed down with some fine beers, my fitness declined at about the same rate as my girth expanded. I was probably the most unfit I have been in 15 years and definitely the heaviest I have ever been. My Strava stats for the year back up my lack of exercise with only a lowly 2386 kilometres for the year. Less than a third of my normal output.
I did start pedalling much more vigourously from September onward as the motorcycle was finally home and Deano and I were going to have another try at the Victoria Divide in December. This would make the stats for the year look better than they actually were.
In May I rolled up my sleeve - quite literally - and did something I have been meaning to do for years. Giving blood is pretty simple and as much as I hate needles, I am thankful to be a very healthy person so the slight discomfort is easily bearable for this worthy cause. I even got a sausage roll and a coffee for my efforts!
I got a bit of a surprise mid year when out of the blue my daughter booked herself in to her Motorcycle Learners licence course! While I have always had a passion for motorcycles I deliberately steered the kids away from them while they were growing up. Sure, we did TONS of mountainbiking together and I did have an R1 in the shed but I barely rode that bike until they were in their late teens. I had basically left it up to them when they were old enough to make their own decision.....so she did and acquired herself a mighty CB125e (a great choice to learn the basics) and began to gain some skill and confidence.
It wasn't long at all (about 8 weeks) before she was dragging me along to check out a very low kilometre Kawasaki Z400 for her. It was immaculate and the price was right so now she had two bikes!
Around this time I thought it might be prudent to grab another dirt bike for my son as he has shot right up and is far too big for the little TTR230. A very low kilometre SWM300R came up for sale and basically being a ~2012 Husky 300 design, thought it would be perfect for the price. So, now that we had two dirt bikes the kids were out at Willowbank MX park having a ball! (I may have snuck in a ride or two as well 😇)
Not surprisingly, Will was soon booked in for his motorcycle Learners course. Passing it with no problems, I had a slightly proud Dad moment when I took both my kids on a road ride! 😎
September saw a new mountain bike enter the fold and an old faithful move on to a new owner. I had the opportunity to purchase a well maintained Santa Cruz Tallboy at well under half retail price so I grabbed it. It is very different to my Cannondale Habit and might take a bit of getting used to.
Unfortunately, the Habit was moved on. I loved that bike and after six years and 6000 kilmotres off road it was hard parting ways.
Getting into the theme of trying new things, an Aprilia test ride day for their new Tuareg came up and I thought why not go for a look?
My impressions were posted here but the day got me thinking.
Watching a few Tuareg reviews on YouTube, I came across reviews for the new Ducati desert X. This was to be Ducati's first
proper foray into the adventure bike scene. I must say, it looked pretty bloody ugly but going by the positive reviews it was getting, I thought I might hunt one out
for a test ride anyway.
That test ride got me thinking....... and this thought process led me to considering thinning out my fleet. The photo below from November proved to be my last ride on my Tuono. I advertised it and a few weeks later it was on it's way to a new owner from New South Wales. No sadness on my part. It had been a fun bike and a good dipping of my toes into Italian bike reliability waters. I hadn't got frostbite or lost a toe....
The above test rides certainly got me thinking about where I want to go with my ADV bike riding. As much as I LOVE my Africa Twin, being the best bike I have ever owned by quite a margin - it did get me thinking about it's weight and how it carried it.
Hmmmmm....🤔
I rounded out 2022 with a couple of mountain bike rides with mates. I managed to catch up for a beer ride with Deano (he got Covid AGAIN so we had to cancel Vic Divide - again😔 but the weather was abominable so he did us a favour😏) where we possibly inappropriately chugged a beer as we watched them load some poor schmuck into an ambulance on our local mtb trails...
Goodbye 2022.
You weren't bad but you didn't have much competition from 2020 or 2021..... I have a few plans in place for 2023. Lets see what pans out.
Roll on 2023!
Cheers.
