Gembrook Sunday 27^th April, 2008

Aaron Champney (1^st ride)	Kawasaki ZX9	Randal Leacock	Kawasaki ZX9
Dave Ward & Bron Manifold(rear)	Kawasaki Z750	Ben Warden (Leader)	Honda CBR954
Ken Goederee	Suzuki Boulevard 1800	Cameron Stevens	Yamaha FZ6

Weather:   cold, patchy rain.          Distance: 350 kms door to door

After a big day last Friday ( Anzac Day ) I wasn't expecting many people to turn up today, especially with the dismal weather forecast. At approximately 8 am the phone went off to inform me that Ian wouldn't be leading due to not being well. He would, however, meet us at Berwick start point to show us the way.

Bron and I would share the new Kwacka today due to the Honda being off the road while the holed radiator is being repaired, taking another week. We haven’t ridden two up on this bike before so why not today? We left home at 9.40 am leaving a little later than normal but were slowed down due to police on the 80 km/h section of the Monash Freeway. He already had a bike pulled over; thankfully not one of us!

We arrived smack on 10am to see both Ian and Kerrie talking to the gang and to see Ken on another bike and also first timer Aaron, all the way from Queensland. He plans to move here once all set up work-wise. Ben arrived 5 minutes late to take over Ian's lead, Bron and I bringing up the rear.

Ian was a little concerned with the intended route due the bush fires in the area but with the rain the night before it should not be a problem.

Off we went on the back roads on the outskirts of Berwick, over to Upper Pakenham. Then we took parts of the Old Princes Highway, now bypassed, to Nar Nar Goon. Then onto Longwarry and across the Freeway heading towards Jindivick. It is now quite cold and parts of the roads are damp. Aaron, the first timer, is keen to open the taps and is all over Ben until the corners come, falling back a little into the clutches of Cameron on the flying FZ. Randal, Ken and I were happy at the back in these conditions. Ken certainly has a selection of bikes and the big Suzuki Cruiser 1800 is very different to the usual bikes we see on the Club rides. And the bike actually looks like it travels through the turns well.

First stop was Neerim South which was a welcome sight for both Ken and Bron needing a comfort stop. A hot cuppa was on the cards for the rest of us.

We were originally heading towards Moe but a change of plans had us heading via Crossover towards Willow Grove and onto Noojee. There was a little smoke but no fires to be seen. The roads were all in good nick, though wet after a brief shower at the start of the Hill End twisties. Being a bit higher in altitude, it was quite cold but a nice hot pie warmed me up at Noojee.

Just as we were leaving Noojee, the second light shower for the day caught us. Apparently it was raining buckets everywhere else and we were very lucky to only cop the two showers all day. Randall didn’t even bother putting his wet weather clothing on – because he didn’t bring any!

On to Powelltown and Yarra Junction filling up with a dash of fuel just before Launching Place. Ben decided to head back towards Belgrave to take up Ken’s offer of a cuppa and to check out his shed in the heart of the Dandenongs, Shelby. After a great run down to Gembrook and Cockatoo, Ken took over leading for the final bit to arrive at his large property. A tour of the shed saw all sorts of bikes including his purple R1, green and gold Hayabusa, brand new red CBR1000 and of course the monster black and chrome 300 kg Suzuki cruiser with 240 profile rear tyre. The amount of equipment and tools had me thinking Geoff Jones would love to see and have sheds like Ken’s for his Shed Time.

Ken proved to be a very interesting person of many toys and talents. There were the Falcon utes, the regular “unmodified” sensible car, the van, the four trucks (prime movers) and lots of diggers – he has an earth moving business. Then he showed us his CD (Country and Western) with 18 original tracks where he plays all the instruments, lead guitar his favourite. He had a band for 10 years but the regular 5am late nights meant he couldn’t ride much the next day. Dogs: Chihuahua and Staffordshire Terrier.

With our coffee downed, it was time to make tracks. Back home in 30 mins. Quick wash of the bike and a hot shower to thaw out.  Thanks guys for coming out and to Ben for filling in for our sick leader.

Dave and Bron