After some soul searching and a small amount of heartache I got the idea to sell my beloved G Force 😢

It’s not because I don’t like riding or the bike – we all know by now that is not the case. My reason is because I have developed as far as I can and the frustration of not being able to grasp even some of the most basic techniques in riding is crushing my soul.

What has always been my happy place (riding) is now an additional source of self loathing and not feeling good enough. Those who know me personally also know that sums up my whole life thus far but from a motorcycling perspective it’s magnified about 1,000 times.

Part of the issue is I love riding with my Mr. He is by far my favourite person to ride with and currently the ONLY person I actually do ride with. I don’t do my little group rides anymore, I barely ride with any other mates, I don’t do the random group rides either.

The problem of riding with Mr is he outperforms me in every way on a bike, heck on everything except maybe typing speed and accuracy 😂. He has a permanently paralysed shoulder, it makes no difference he whips my ass at everything. Which I don’t have an issue with, I’m not competitive, doesn’t bother me in the least and I certainly don’t consider it an attack on my manhood. He has been riding a lot longer than me I’d expect him to be much better.

But when we ride together I’m acutely aware he wants to go and can go a lot faster. Sometimes I can accommodate just anywhere on the mountains / twisties if he goes behind I hold him up and if he goes in front approximately 2 corners in we are both riding alone 🤦🏻‍♀️

This has been ongoing. I had hoped as I moved through my riding experience on G Force it would get better. It’s gotten bloody worse and I don’t know why. Overthinking? 90% chance. And he says all the right things ‘you’re not slow’, ‘I just like riding together’ & ‘you are good / fast enough’. But I know I’m not and it’s affecting me to the point all the joy of riding has gone.

So I tried to sell the bike, asked Mr what a fair price was given the high kms (92,000) and age (2012) and condition (fair to good not great or excellent), listed on Marketplace and let the buyers roll in.

And roll in they did. Over 200 replies, I realised shit I’ve priced too low which Mr later confirmed he was being a bit sarcastic when he gave me the figure 🤦🏻‍♀️. I don’t have enough knowledge of second hand bikes to know better however was soon fielding offers of $2000-$4000. That is where the shit hit the fan.

Extremely rude and demented people on the listing being absolute dicks, reporting me to FB as a scammer. Low ball and insulting offers via PM. Pushy wankers who I told 2.30pm Sunday is the earliest to view. Nope that wasn’t good enough, they demanded sooner. All the sob stories under the sun; I have no care if you weren’t insured and crashed or it’s your dream bike or you need it for work or you want to upgrade or whatever whatever.

I just wanted to sell it, I didn’t want to have to repeat the same details on the listing. Read the f*#%$@g listing. I wasn’t doing holds or deposits and told several people this is not safe and how they will get ripped off. I work in finance and risk, I’m acutely aware how easy to see your $$$ disappear in an instant.

With the ad going to shit and the PM queries not much better I pulled the listing. Fuck it, too hard basket. Off to tell nearly 300 people the bike was no longer for sale due to behaviour of “buyers” being cockheads.

Most people were fine they saw the comments on the listing and they understood how untenable the sale had become. Price something fairly, not like the 2004 CBR1000 with 80,000kms on it in very average condition for $12k 😂😂😂

A wide selection were the following:

1. You never wanted to sell it – yeah I did but can’t help little boys on marketplace not being able to contain their thirst (for the bike and only the bike)

2. I don’t deserve to get shit on by strangers on the internet for not being a greedy dick profiting on the current stupid bike sales market – but apparently I do for listing on Marketplace

3. I’m a time waster – oh your 4 mins reading my reply vs me replying to 200 people, so fucking sorry for your inconvenience

4. That all the other buyers were shit and they were the only genuine one so sell to them – gee if only I hadn’t heard this 80 times already

Will never use marketplace again, get fucked LOL. And it was all men. I don’t hate men I like them a lot but all the hate was men. 100% of it. Like their toy was suddenly taken away when it wasn’t even guaranteed THEIR toy and they weren’t entitled to feel like I’d gone into a contract with them.

Like I had to feel bad for dashing their dreams. Like I had to feel bad for them that they organised a trailer to collect. Like I had to feel bad that what they wanted was no longer available. Might have told a few of them to absolutely get stuffed and to tell their fellow menfolk to stop being little bitches to women online.

Good news from all of this: zero dick pics received 😂😂😂😂 some of them were guaranteed to get there if I didn’t block them. I am sad to report that since leaving the majority of bike groups I have had NO dick pics. The sad part is not the lack of pics LOL it’s that this kind of indicates where the peeves sending them from originate from. Disappointing bike fams, do better!

So I still have G Force 😭 not entirely unhappy to have retained ownership and have another chance to try and improve. Don’t say I didn’t try to end the misery, I have, failed, resolved to keep pushing on with my endeavour to be a better rider.

Not my exhaust as we’ve been avoiding Mt Nebo and Glorious as much as possible due to ongoing exhaust defects by an officer at Indooroopilly Road Policing Unit.

Officer Wilkins, widely hated and blanket panned by motorcyclists for several years is coming up 60 years old (the retirement age for police) this year, you cannot fault a man for being extremely good at his job.

Exhibit A: rather than issue fines for noisy exhausts, he hands out defect notices for exhausts he deems “to have reasonable suspicion they are non compliant” thereby forcing the rider to have the bike cleared within 14 days or the vehicle can be deregisiered. This is in addition to regular reports that RE licence holders with anything other than a stock exhaust being pinged, primarily of an evening at Mt Coot-Tha lookout.

He knows how to stay on the right side of being found guilty of harassment of riders. He knows the laws pertaining to ADR and other laws relevant to motorcycle compliance. I don’t begrudge him that.

I don’t agree with one FB group printing out caricature stickers of Wilkins and even going so far as to deface public property by sticking them on poles at the aforementioned Mt Coot-Tha lookout. Is that really necessary??? Probz not.

Due to a large number of riders avoiding Nebo/Glorious, especially during the weekend boom time for the Mt Glorious cafe, the local police set up an information tent at the cafe and invited all riders to drop in for a defect notice free chat. Not surprisingly many declined, I can see why.

I do believe my exhaust would pass a decibel test but Mr definitely won’t 👀 so we avoid the area best we can. Motorcycle Advocacy Group Qld have started a petition and given assurances the targeted focus on bikes temporarily cease largely based on the level of complaints QPS is receiving not only from bikes but from the cafe owners. This now becomes an encroachment on the cafes livelihood and that is not ok.

The cafe is an innocent party, they have signs up asking bikes not to tear off out of respect for the neighbouring residents and this is generally adhered to. They know a significant amount of their weekend takings is bike related. They welcome bikes and other vehicles that stop there. Even the cop in question I dare say.

No one likes a fine and no one wants to spend $40-$100 getting a bullshit defect notice cleared either. If it passes, you don’t get reimbursed by the police and there is not much stopping the police from pulling you over and making you get tested again and again and again. You’re out pocket for literally nothing.

Bikers contribute to the local economy of businesses … small businesses, mum and dad businesses, country businesses, charitable businesses and struggling businesses. We eat, drink, refuel and stay all over the country. Any business that can capture motorcyclist interest is going to find the same people returning time and again, often bringing new customers with them. Such is the nature of the bike community.

So instead of buying a house on any motorcycle mecca mountain THEN whinging about the noise & wasting valuable police resources, consider your nearby cafe, souvenir shop, motel, towing company, mechanic or petrol station and the impact it has on them. If it’s our fave place for Sunday brunch eggs bene then it’s likely yours too. That closes, everyone loses, including you.

I know there are dickhead riders on every mountain, overtaking on double white line blind corners, booting it 40+ over the speed limit, crashing and just being a nuisance. That is not the majority. If we stop pointing fingers at noise instead of safety then what is the point of the police at all????

We will continue to ride the GC hinterlands until this stops. We are not alone on that, do what you will with that information. He’s a bike cop with no heart for bikes, that’s the saddest part of all.

Been very quiet on here lately. Partly due to a shit load of rain and partly because Mr has been out of action. Yep … crashed. And it’s my fault 😯

I’m the one who wanted to get His n Hers trail bikes. Michael offered to take us out to Governors Lookout.

Was actually a nice ride, mostly bitumen which is fine with me 🤣 out through Flagstone, Boonah, Mt Alford and end up somewhere near Aratula bahaha #nofeckinclueaye. Nice ride, poxy XT left behind the whole way 🤦🏻‍♀️.

Ok the lookout was very nice. 150m steep climb from the carpark to the actual lookout. No complaints there except my fitness is shit and I got mocked by Mickey lol. Who was also sweaty and puffed so, yeah.

Headed back to Boonah for lunch. Have never actually been into the town part only ever the BP, roundabout and info centre so that was interesting on its own. Very nice bakery on the corner of main road, lots of yummy food.

As we headed back through Bromelton, Mr didn’t see the 30k/hr corner sign or me slowing down for the corner (only because I saw Michael slow down as he went around) just as you get into Flagstone. That was it, the Tenere with its heavy body, dodgy fork seals and fuck knows what else wrong with it. The old sky > road > sky > road tumble scenario.

I heard Mr say fuck fuck as he was going down and looked in my mirror to see the bike go one way and him the other. I pulled up just a bit away and ran back, asking if he was ok, did he need an ambulance, bag, gloves and helmet thrown along the roadside as I ran, turned his bike off which had cut out but ignition still on.

He’s a tough bugger so when he said yes to an ambulance my little legs could not move quickly enough. Michael was long gone and no way to contact him in that moment. I went over to Mr to assess while I called the ambulance who took hardly any time to arrive I might add. Michael noticed we didn’t materialise behind him so came back to see if ok. Not ok lol.

Michael managed traffic, moving the bike to Becs house and bystanders while I stayed with Mr, had to keep his gammy arm off the ground and put my hoodie under his back for support. Not a lot of grazing and he was in full kit with some small tears and scuffing on his protective wear.

Police didn’t waste any time turning up with their ticket book looking to fine someone. I had a go at them while Michael had gone to take the Tenere and Spence was safely in the ambulance. Funny how you couldn’t turn up to his Mt Coot-tha *not at fault* crash but took mere minutes to get here accusing us of moving the bike for some reason other than to clear the road and because one of the cars that stopped offered 🤷🏻‍♀️ he gave me an oi oi oi for being snarky bitch. Move along plod, ya ain’t got shit.

With Mr carted off to hospital and his bike at mates place around the corner, it was a quiet ride back to Michaels lol. In my head I’m like yes he crashed the trail bike but was on the road so not reallllyyyy a dirt issue. Hopeful as hell lol. One of the first things I said when I saw him at the hospital “but it’s not dirt riding fault cos happened on the road hey?”.

One of the nurses goes ohhh so here’s the one whose fault it is 😆😆😆😆 and I’m like yeah yeah all my fault I know. Mr said we will go dirt again, he needs to patch up the bike which has very little damage for the speed (approx 80km/hr) when he crashed. Pushed in lever and foot peg on the right hand side, bent right handlebar lever and some scrapes.

It was a scrappy looker when we bought it so cosmetically not too bothered. Well we didn’t get many rides in off road before a crash happened, thankfully old mate had plenty of sick leave and around 5 weeks later he was back to work.

I’ve never been so stressed in my life trying to be nurse, work full time and manage the household. Might have had on crying fit in the car 👀

I don’t know if we will go dirt again, Mr isn’t too keen and not sure I am either. I wanted to try it on my own bikes and we did, they can always be onsold I’m not overly concerned even if we make a small loss they did what I wanted them to and I had some fun. TBC at later date once the Tenere is up and running again 😊 if I lure him once I can lure him again 😂😂😂😂

No or at least not yet.

Went out to Fernvale for a sample ride of the XT just on a dirt road nothing hectic. Went ok, Mr followed in the car cos sooky lah-lah (me) doesn’t wanna fall off and die in a ditch alone. You must always have company when dying in a ditch I reckon.

Was a short squirt, we came home Pine Mtn Rd and found another dirt road to explore. I was quite happy with my performance as a first proper ride more than around the block couple times. I bought chest armour to protect the milk pillows if I do come off

The next day I went out with my riding mate Michael, told him I don’t want anything to dangerous I’m new to dirt please be kind.

Not sure if he heard me lol. We filled up at Flagstone and he gave me a pep talk. Tyres are hard you might slide around a bit, nope I’m ok just leave them as is for now until I figure out what I’m doing and prefer.

Now, this first bit if you can get past that the rest of the ride is easy. Could be just me but I did feel my stomach do a lil flip-flop right then. Fucking knew it LOL.

We toddle up the road, Michael is on a DRZ400 so he’s got more power than me to play with. I have about walking pace on tap haha. We get to the so-called first part. I take one look at the tracks, uneven terrain and what appear to be puddles 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ big breath, follow Michael, maintain momentum and take it easy. Upside: I won’t die in the ditch alone 😂😂😂😂

So off we go, not even sure how long this testing ground is could have been 100m, 200m, 500m … looking on the map and Google Earth later does not help me fuck all figure out where we went.

20m in I learned a new motorcycling mantra. IMMA KILL HIM, IMMA KILL HIM!!We both nearly fell off at one crunchy part, I see Michael getting the rock around and thought well fuck taking that line I will make my own. Mistake. Also nearly clapped off save for the tiny bit of traction that saved me last second from going arse up.

Get to the end of The Gauntlet, Mickey stops before we continue on the bitumen once again. He looks in mirror and gives me a thumbs up check-in. I think for a second and instead of giving him the finger, I offer a quick nod as by rights I didn’t fall off and apart from a small coronary issue I’m fine.

I don’t think I’ve been so happy to see black road in front of me. We are soon turning off again onto the dirt, keeping up a reasonable pace. I overshot the next corner, not sure if Michael didn’t indicate or my brakes are just shit or I wasn’t paying attention. I come to a stop and consider spinning the bike or just wait. Soon enough he is next to me saying he turned and I missed it 😄😄😄

No drama there is next road we can turn up 👍🏼 lesssshgo. That road takes up a winding hill at times steep but generally not too catastrophic and well within my abilities. We braap on for a bit and come to a locked gate it’s someone’s private property and they are gracious enough to let you use the road, don’t be a dick and stay on the road.

We carry on, there are some right cock heads coming the other way who hog the not very wide road and don’t bother slowing down so you get a mouth full of dust and near run off the path. Cheers.

We make it to the next gate, there is a large grassy area to stop for a break and a drink. I think things are going okay, Michael does have to wait for me sometimes because I’m slow and new and can’t go around corners full pro style one leg out etc. The view is nice. You can continue up higher but I think for Day 1 a coffee is in order at Providence.

Going down is a scarier than up given I don’t think the front brakes are much chop. New pads and master cylinder are on their way to me as I type so hopefully that fixes things. Two thumbs up for using gears and rear brake.

Before I got a dirt bike, I asked Michael what the appeal of dirt is because I didn’t get it and he is an advocate for dirt riding. Like what? He said it’s going somewhere no one else can. Standing on the grassy outlook I do see. It’s a lovely day and this isn’t even the top or anywhere special. Would I have taken the car off road to get here? No. Was it fun on a dirt bike? Fuck yes. I gained new skills on 2 wheels, just a different set of wheels.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself I was proud of myself too. I’m a big chicken all the time, very cautious and worry about all the what-ifs. I probably did very average, just felt like I did good 😌 I don’t often give myself credit for things I do. Making an exception here.

Of course I went home bleating to Spence get a dirt bike, get a dirt bike (I have become Michael at this point hahahaha) because I think he’d enjoy it too. Secondly to spare Michael having to always go to the *boring* routes for me while I’m learning and having to wait up for me to catch up. I can do some training at my own pace. When I feel more confident and capable I can go with Michael as often as he wants and my work schedule allows.

Mickey said our next ride would be jumps and hills. I am nowhere fucking near ready for that 🤣🤣🤣 Jesus Christ lol. I’d like to get there don’t get me wrong. My learning curve is always slow and painful, I know I don’t want to fall off and will do anything to prevent that happening. There will be more Nat and Michael or whoever dirt rides in my future I can guarantee that.

Extremely grateful to be well looked after on my first proper off road ride. I am safe with Michael even if I do fall off he’s got me 🙃 forget to take a selfie of us doh next time for sure.

Heaps of YouTube videos later Spence now has an off road bike the always classy Yamaha XTZ660 Tenere. Whole new world for him too, I bet he picks it up really fast and I’m left holding my skirt (again) 😁😁😁 can’t wait though

HAH not likely 😂

Bought a little XT250 last week and been trying to get her zhooshed up a little before I go looking for some off road sites.

I’ve been looking for a while and only managed to find this bike WITH rego and roadworthy. Downside: it was 2 hours away in Doonan QLD (near Noosa Heads).

Luckily we were the first to view it, the distance being a bonus for us since a lot of buyers wouldn’t want to travel for a ‘maybe’ purchase.

In very average condition but will be a good fit for me starting out off road riding and most importantly I can touch the ground no further lowering required 😍

This page has many disgruntled posts about being short and can’t reach the ground on shit all to be able to test ride.

Probably more than I wanted to pay but the rego/rwc was mandatory for me and the prices on dirt bikes has been fucking ridiculous lately 🙄🙄🙄 so I wasn’t going to whine about it lol

There were plenty of other interested buyers including one from the Gold Coast which would have been a 3 hour drive for them 🙀 that’s a fair schlep in anyone’s book

Spence had to ride it home, I didn’t know I’d be able to touch the ground so didn’t take my gear. I’d like to say he found it great but I don’t reckon he will be in any hurry to ride it again 🤣🤣🤣

Spent the last few days checking bits n bobs on it. Front brakes non-existent so whoever issued the RWC can suck my ass. The tail light blew on the ride home.

The forks, handlebars, stator cover and fuel cap were all a bit rusty and got sanded back. Painted the handlebars and stator cover with black calliper paint #prayforme lol cheap solution and makes all the difference

There is a fuel issue to be sorted out seems to die under acceleration. Front brake pads, mirrors and smaller indicators are on their way 😬. I don’t wanna go riding on it any significant distance if it’s not at least safe

It’s a cute bike, perfect for me starting out. I do think it will prove to be underpowered at some point when I can choose to upgrade or sell and abandon ship if off road isn’t really for me.

I understand it’s not a speed machine, that’s not why I bought it. I just wanna try off-road, it comes highly recommended by a friend who is going to take me out for some beginner adventures. I’m not convinced it’s for me, won’t know until you try

Hopefully my next post is NOT to say I busted my body up in the bush 😄😄😄 I bought an MX helmet and goggles and looking into body armour + knee guards. Wish me luck on the next phase of my motorcycle addiction!

Yezzzs we did. Springbrook!

While this is not a new ride to many SEQ riders it was our first time scoping it out we were not disappointed.

Instead of going from Advancetown to Beechmont, continue on down Nerang-Murwillumbah Road to (I think) Pine Creek Rd and head up the hill.

What a sweet little ride! 60km/hr speed limit but it is pretty so I didn’t mind that too much. You can obviously go a lot faster if you want to *Lady Rider Brisbane does not suggest breaking any laws* but for a first timer on new roads that I don’t know how heavily policed they are, lol, I prefer to take it easy.

No idea how far it is to the top, the end or wherever you actually go as didn’t map out a plan. We got as far as The Fudge Shop on the corner of Springbrook Rd and Lyrebird Ridge Rd to have a hot choc and some yummy fudge. Recommendation: cookies n cream, caramel macadamia or coconut ice.

Afterwards I looked at the map and saw lots of lookouts and falls that could be incorporated on our next few rides there. We are spoilt for choice in SEQ matched with rain-free skies almost year round. Summer gets a bit hot of course, just an excuse for rides to the beach, river hole or waterfalls for a cool dip.

I see posts from Victoria and NSW about riding season 😂😂😂 can’t relate. Will create a master document with all the rides we have been on locally and slightly beyond. Nothing that can’t be managed in a day and updated as soon as I complete new rides / routes.

With COVID-19 still keeping state borders closed, now is the perfect time to ride in your own backyard. It’s a lovely and extensive backyard to be in too.

So today is round 2 of getting my fork seals fixed on G Force.

Round 1 was done via Garage 37 who were the cheapest quote. Fucking disaster, after 4 weeks the seals were leaking again. Took me another 4 weeks to find my receipt and contact them.

I asked about remediation and was told this is a non-warranty part as “they go every second day”. My first clue it was not going to be done properly was the fact they had to order in a special tool they didn’t have to do the job 👀 and was told this is almost the price of the whole quote on its own. I later found the same tool, substantially cheaper, on eBay so we bought it.

Garage 37 was not prepared to do as goodwill or at a discounted rate either. I posted my Facebook review which then had 2 people I assume friends of or connected to the business owner try to debunk my review. GTFOH this is my review on my experience, cheers cockheads.

This included the comment I was trying to make a scene which is a fairly standard misogynistic comment to make a woman voicing her opinion seem like a triggered, nagging shrew called Karen.

This is the seal that was removed, you can see the damage which was done when it was incorrectly installed. It’s not rocket science but it is a delicate job and not for the faint of heart.

Mr cracked into the fork seals today in what he describes as 5 hours and many swear words later 😂 he’s literally amazing and can do anything. Whips my ass all over town in nearly every conceivable activity AND he has a physical disability. I’ve fucked up somewhere 🤷🏻‍♀️

Well it’s done again and it’s considerably cheaper to do yourself than put into a shop and be told they go every second day. Even if they DO go every 2nd day, it can be repaired cheaply and easily.

I haven’t taken it out for a test ride yet as the chain needs to be adjusted (tomorrow job). Hopefully this resolves issues with wallowing in corners and brake shudder I’ve been having that have affected my confidence in the twisties to the point I think my riding skill has gone backwards 😢. Will report back on any updates after my next few scoots.

Note: I do NOT wheelie, dank or otherwise, so it’s not rider abuse causing the fork seals to crap out. If I ever learn how to wheelie though, I might need to invest in bulk fork oil and seal kits 😬

With the cold weather, not as much as I’d like. The cold mornings mean dragging myself out of bed when Mr gets home from work at 630am gets difficult.

I’ve been a bit all over. Went on a steady paced ride with mate Shane (and pillion gf Dee, love these two 🥰) up Glorious and Mt Mee.

Also went to Beechmont for first time in a while, still sorta meh about Beechy and Tambo due to how long it takes us to even get there vs the length of any decent windy parts. Nebo and Glorious a quick zip down the Centenary for approx 40kms of mountain.

Hooked it in up to O’Reillys retreat via Canungra. Road a bit shit in places but better than last time we had gone after a major storm with lots of roadworks and washed out parts. Nearly collected multiple times by arseholes thinking the whole road is theirs 😡😡 already very thin on some sections wankers keep right ffs.

This weekend gone 6-7 June I rested on Saturday knowing I had a long ride on Sunday. There is a FB group called ALL AUSSIE RIDERS Hard Arse Riders Challenge.

Basically you compete a series of distance/timed rides in a sequence of sorts to earn a patch and certificate. Sounds like a lame concept but a friend of mine did the ride which I was supposed to go on however was sick so couldn’t.

I’ve held off doing it hoping someone else local would organise and I’d just tag along. I saw a Dawn to Dusk ride and wanted to join (had not completed the previous lags to do that) so the organiser of that suggested I post up my own 600km ride where I’d tag along under theirs to complete mine.

Usually I’d be like urgh not posting cos no one else will wanna go 😂😂😂 but as had an existing contingent it didn’t matter I wouldnt3 be a reject on my own pottering along for 600kms lol.

Rocked up to the start point at 630am to kick off, keep in mind the start is an hour from my home! Could not have asked for a colder morning HAHAHA

Very nice folks, their group of 5 included another female rider which is always nice for me 😊

Does it look weird when a super bike rides with cruiser, tourers and adventure bikes? A little but it’s about the journey not who is riding what.

First stop at Gympie gold diggers statue. I will still frozen so didn’t wander up the hill to get a proper photo maybe should have so wasn’t blinded by sun!

Second stop Childers for a pie. My lord, as a Kiwi the classic mince n cheese will hit the spot when your cold!!!

Third stop was the Gayndah big orange (y’all know how I feel about the Big Things lol). Body starting to feel the burn by this point but more than halfway done you just have to keep going!

Fourth stop Kingaroy. Found out they don’t have a big peanut 🤣🤣 so settled for the peanut van🤷🏻‍♀️

Final stop for me was Crows Nest. The rest of the group travelled back to Caboolture via Esk / Kilcoy while I rode home via Toowoomba and the Warrego Highway.

Yes I did have a very hard arse by the time I got home. Straight into the deep heat on the shoulders and a heavy sleep.

I’m equally as proud that I actually went along as I am that I completed the challenge. It’s hard for me to meet new people as I can be very shy and perhaps some mild social anxiety about that. I couldn’t have asked for a lovelier or more supportive bunch to help me get past that.

If you have read my previous post about breaking away from my former riding group you will understand that a little better.

A badge and certificate gets posted out. Not sure what I will do with the badge yet as I’m not a vest or leather wearer, and they do look their best displayed as such.

Epic ride, so happy to have finally marked that one off the list. Highly recommend to anyone, something different from the usual weekend jaunts. I’m now eligible to do an 800km ride, holy shit lemme recover first 🤣

With parts of the world coming out of the grip of Covid19, riding for recreation purposes has only just been reintroduced in QLD.

Riding to work, shopping, medical reasons or to visit other people’s homes was allowable under previous restrictons however the police presence and obsession with picking on motorcycles was not worth the trouble.

The amount of conflicting and vague information put out by the QLD premier, QLD health minister, chief health officer and QPS was utter bullocks. Motorbike FB groups were not much better.

CHO directive – around the start of April, in effect when our 14 day self isolation had ended.

1. No definition of ‘exercise’ however walking and cycle were considered acceptable.

2. No definition of proximity limits

3. Despite this, QPS that I queried after an interaction with a motorcycle cop on Mt Nebo, advised it is local exercise only. This is not part of the directive and when questioned their sheepish admission was that what is determined exercise is arguable (I provided reasoning that riding burns more calories per hour than walking) and that the ‘spirit’ of the directive was ‘implied’.

I’mmmm sssooorrryyyy, I don’t work off spirits and implications. The danger of rushing directives means the amount of ambiguous interpretation is going to be pushed at every opportunity.

Despite being what I considered within my rights to ride as exercise, I elected to stay home although it did cross my mind to use a friend’s faraway address as someone I was visiting, also within the directive and clearly stated as acceptable reason so long as you abide by the number of guests and other social distancing measures while there.

So last weekend we made the most of our 50km radius as the crow flies to head up and over Mt Nebo > Glorious > brief stop at White Cedar Park to thaw out > Fernvale for a hot drink and home. A fuck of a lot of bikes out and nods from near every bike we saw even folks parked next to the road.

The mood was high. Disappointed to see some riders not following social distancing but that sounds like a them problem.

Accidental funny moment while stopped at White Cedar Park. Due to the number of other bikes already parked under The Tree we parked where the cars usually go (the actual parking lot near the driveway entry). We moved up near the fence / road to get a bit of sunlight on our frosty bodies.

As we stood up there thinking we looked rather inconspicuous minding our own business I noticed heaps of bikes heading from and towards Glorious slowing down. Oh they must be pulling in. Nup kept going.

Took me a few minutes to realise it was us making them slow down as they thought we might be cops picking on bikes on the straight. There was a lot of talk on the FB groups that the cops would be out in force being the first weekend we could all ride again.

My bad famz if you were one of these bikes. I just trying to warm my butt! In fairness, most of the bikes would have been pinged before they had even registered a cop standing there anyway 😂

Restrictions are further easing this weekend with 150kms radius limit and groups of up to 10. If I had 10 mates, that would sound awesome lol. Happy sticking with Mr for now, see how we go.

Nah, lol.

This is actually part of a bigger story which is essentially that I stopped riding with my core group for reasons I won’t share.

Part of the group was heading to Kandanga a few weekends back as part of a larger group ride. I did initially put “Going” but ended up changing to “Not Going” as I am not yet ready to see or talk face to face with members of the group. I may never be ready.

So I elected to wait for annual leave (happening now!) and go with Mr for our own ride. Ended up staying overnight in Pomona at an Airbnb place. Great accommodation and location, the best host I’ve had using Airbnb.

We took Nebo > Glorious > Samford > Mt Mee > Woodford > Maleny > Kidaman Creek > Kenilworth > Pomona.

Don’t get me started on Kidaman Creek 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ stupid fucking maps re-routed me after Maleny instead of continuing to Conondale and it was 7 slow kilometres of either soft dirt or gravel. Ended up coming out on Obi Obi Rd (not too shabby) but 7kms felt like 70kms lol. I don’t enjoy the earth moving under my wheels!

Sussed out the Kenilworth 1kg doughnut challenge. As I’d already had plenty of food on the way I didn’t partake in the challenge but enjoyed the quotes of previous successful challengers as below.

Hopped straight in the pool at Pomona exactly what I needed after a long ride 😊 and into a solid nights sleep. Early start back to Brisbane the following morning via Kenilworth > Conondale > Maleny > Mt Mee > Samford > The Gap > Forest Lake. Absolutely stuffed after that.

After a night in our own bed we rode to the Gold Coast. Spent a night doing nothing so we could ride down to Lions Rd (Northern NSW) which is something I decided not to ride with the group coming home from Dorrigo/Bellingen.

It’s a bit awkward to get there from Gold Coast, having to head into Canungra > Beaudesert > Tamrookum (where you can turn off but we wanted to go over Mt Lindesay) > Woodenbong for refuel > Grevillia > Rukenvale > Gradys Creek > *me nearly riding off a bridge going into a corner too hot lol* > Cougal > Running Creek > Innisplain > Beaudesert > Canungra > Clagiraba > Broadbeach.

Another top day of riding done. Hit the spa, stuffed my face at Italian restaurant nearby and off to bed.

Do I think Lions Rd is a must do for SEQ riders? No. Are there similar roads? Yes – Queen Mary Falls is one example. Is this the most enjoyable ride I’ve had? No. BUT … it’s worth going just for the bridges and railway crossings. Loads of adorable photo ops along the way and some tight corners to test your skills.