Testing, Testing

One thing that has been somewhat lacking over the last year or so has been motorcycling.  The last time we ventured out on Snubby the Silver Side Car was last July to the Macquarie Towns Classic Motorcycle Rally.

I suppose we have been busy doing other things.

Mick has  been scheming again.....this time to have a somewhat radical modification made to the front of the bike.  You see, having a sidecar sticking out the side of a bike puts a lot extra strain on the front wheel and suspension.  The planned modification was to change the front bike tyre to a car tyre and have what is called a leading link and steering damper installed to replace the standard forks and suspension.  This will make the bike more stable and remove a lot of steering shake.

Here it is, all done, before the new mud guard was installed.  Mick requested that the new parts be painted bright red to highlight them.  Nothing like making a statement.  Mick didn't do the work himself this time.  He has a mate here in town who has a sidecar engineering firm.  A few years ago he manufactured a wheel to suit a car tyre for the back of the bike.  We were the prototype and it worked brilliantly.  Tyres last about three times as long as they used to. Sean said that it was just as well that we made this modification when we did, as the old forks were about to break!!! Oops!!

Of course,  we then had to take the bike for some test rides, the first being Saturday a fortnight ago.  It went really well.  The handle bars didn't shake at all, which makes things easier for Mick, although the steering felt a bit heavier.  He's really happy with how it handles.

We are blessed to have a labyrinth of little roads in our area and councils are continuing to seal some of the gravel roads, creating some good loops to ride.  The latest is the "Dog Rocks Road" between Rockley and Black Springs.  It used to be a bit of a goat track, so we didn't travel it very often.  

It is now a delight to ride along and very scenic.

It was lunch time by the time we arrived in Oberon so we stopped at this cafe.  We were surprised to see a sign on the window advising they are motorcycle friendly, which was nice.  

Their lunch menu wasn't huge, but our burgers were yummy and the chips were to die for.  I haven't seen any like this before.

After our initial test ride, we went out again on the Sunday, this time towing the camper trailer.  We headed to Sofala, towards Hill End and back into town along the Turondale Road.  For those that know the roads, these are narrow, steep, windy roads, perfect for this test.  Mick rode really hard - he scared me at times - but everything travelled really well once again.  Now he will go back to riding at his usual sensible pace. 

Get ready to see more of the bike soon.........