I asked a mate, who I ride mountain bikes regularly with and the odd road motorbike ride, whether he was interested in joining our ride to this years MOTO GP at Phillip Island. His answer was blunt and direct – “it always pisses down rain there so no thanks”.

Could he be right? Probably. Is it still worth it when in all likelihood there will be at least some rain event either on-route or at the event? Definitely.

Last year it rained on the Sunday morning as we ventured toward the circuit but when we arrived at The Island the weather was reasonably good. Sure, it was muddy around the track and we wondered if we would be able to get our bikes out of the parking area (paddock) but the atmosphere was great with plenty of action on and off the circuit.

On the Sunday evening we arrived at our accommodation in Warrigal and as we entered our cabin I noticed the artwork on the wall which simply read “Best Day Ever”. I turned to my brother and said that was the best day ever, pointing to the sign. He agreed with a nod.

So, I would say don’t miss it. Get your bike ready, pack your bags. We can’t do anything about the weather but can still make some great memories. Rain, hail or shine.

See you there.

Reading Australian Motorcycle News (Speed Freaks) Vol.68 No.24 got me thinking…. the dramatic increase in the motorcycle death toll must weigh heavily on every rider’s mind.

Every day seems to bring bad news, loss of life and serious injury, which obviously has a devastating effect on family, friends and riding buddies.

I’m often asked at what point does the risk outweigh the pure enjoyment of riding a motorcycle?

For me it’s not just the freedom that riding brings but the comradery – this is something that many (car drivers!) may not understand or appreciate.

Every rider makes a choice to ride or not to ride. I choose to keep on riding and to enjoy every moment on the bike but to never forget the lives of riders lost or irreversibly changed through injury. Choosing to ride defensively and make good choices while on the road is my approach but of course we can’t rely on all other road users to do the same.

God forbid tragedy comes my way but if it does then I guess my time is up and someone can say in my eulogy “he went out doing what he loves”.

In the meantime ride safe!

What a beautiful day (Saturday 18 May 2019) to leave Canberra for the first Moto Friends ride. Sunny and dry although fairly cold but who cares when you’re on your bike heading to meet up with mates. Rode as quick as I could (legally of course) to get to the rendezvous point at Gundagai. Decided that I was running late and hot footed it along the Hume, hanging out for a double shot coffee.

Met up with the lads in Gundagai. Decided to have brunch at The Coffee Pedaler in Gundagai. The coffee here is very good and the food was great too. From Gundagai we headed to Tumut via Grahamstown and Adelong. At Adelong we paid a visit to a shop that has the most unusual variety of stuffed animals. This place is a bit freaky but worth a visit. Adelong to Tumut is a great little ride.

We decided not to stay at Tumut the night and rode to Batlow. This road is very good however care must be taken at this time of the year as the roads can hide some damp slippery sections. Batlow was a little busy with the Cider Festival so we travelled on to Tumbarumba.

We lucked on an excellent motorcycle friendly establishment in the Tumbarumba Hotel. Accommodation is neat, tidy and very affordable. The motorcycle secure parking was a real treat. We weren’t the only motorcyclists staying there. Another group of riders on a 10 day journey were enjoying the hospitality – great food and cold beer! It was great to chat to the group who were riding many different brands including Ducati, Aprilia, BMW and Triumph. They stay at the Tumbarumba Hotel every year on their annual ride – sometimes twice on route to the Moto GP. We are delighted to have the Tumbarumba Hotel join the motorcycle friendly program.

On Sunday we got some great advice from the locals in Batlow, although they seemed a little “affected” by the Cider Festival the previous night, and decided to do a couple of awesome roads. The Rosewood road, built to handle the logging traffic, was an absolute highlight with no traffic and a perfect road surface. The thick shakes and food at the GoneBarny Café was worth the ride alone. However, we had a few encounters with the local wildlife including a kangaroo, deer and sheep so be careful on this road but don’t let it deter you.

We then headed to Tumut for the night. We were treated to a not so friendly local hotel which shall remain nameless but the night was saved by the comfort of The Elms Motor Inn. There is a “motorcycles welcome” sign out the front and they certainly made us feel welcome.

Breakfast at The Coffee Pedaler (Tumut edition and not a franchise!) then back to Gundagai via Brungle. This was a great ride with lovely corners and rolling hills. Fuelled up here with the other boys heading back to Victoria and me to the nation’s capital.

Bring on Moto Friends ride number 2 in September 2019. Join us for the ride by dropping motorcycle friendly an email.

Googling motorcycle friendly is an interesting exercise. At the top of most searches is a thought provoking, yet somewhat cynical, article from www.bikeme.tv which challenges the concept.

The motorcycle friendly program is aimed at addressing some of the issues raised including avoiding the “self-declaration” process but it is not for us to justify its existence here – hopefully the program speaks for itself!

It’s a no brainer that we should “treat motorcyclists the same way as you should be treating everyone” but it is nice to know that some towns and businesses understand the specific needs of motorcyclists.

There is a comment on the article that is pertinent – “Motorcycle Friendly town etc why not”. We agree, why not. It can only help towns, businesses and motorcyclists.

After a hugely successful MOTO FEST event in November the crew from Wauchope were keen to hear about the motorcycle friendly program. As NSW’s first motorcycle friendly town, declared in 2016, the working group and the Wauchope Chamber of Commerce are excited to be working with us on the state wide roll out of the MCC of NSW supported motorcycle friendly program.