July 2010

We had a great turnout today with eleven bikes showing up for the ride. The trip down to Dwellingup was very pleasant, we noticed a few signs warning of traffic hazards ahead but came across nothing. It became apparrent as we got closer to the town these signs were associated with a cycle race that was in progress, luckily the bikes were travelling in the opposite direction so didn't effect us at all. After a coffee in Dwellingup we started to make our way across to the Ravenswood hotel via Pinjarra, unfortunately the cyclists had now turned around and were heading to Pinjarra as well. There were 2 cars in front of us that didn't really make the best use of the passing oportunities, but it wasn't really a drama as mostly when the cyclist's heard us coming, they moved into single file and we could blast past, giving them a taste of what a real bike sounds like. It was a little embarrassing on a couple of occassions when due to the cars getting caught up, they actually managed to pass us again. The setting at the Ravenswood pub was great, we sat outside and on a day like today it is just great being near the river. I have to say, Dave, I hope you don't mind me telling everone how old you are mate, but at 71 to be riding as you do, I reckon that is awesome and you are an inspiration to us all, well done mate.  Our newest member joined us today and I welcome George and Vicky to our group and ask that everyone makes them feel welcome. George rides a green 1500 Nomad ( great choice of bike by the way), so next time you see him, say g'day. My thanks to all those that attended

June 2010

Well that was the quickest week I've had for a long time and here we are back in town again. Our trip started out just as we had hoped, with no rain and the prospect of a fine week we pointed the bikes north and began our journey. First stop was Regans Ford to let our pillions stretch their legs and then onto Badgingarra. We had lunch, then said goodbye to Brian, Clive and Michele, who were returning to Perth and headed onto Geraldton. We checked into our accommodation and much to Rae's disgust she found her chalet had not been cleaned. The proprietors obviously did not know who they were dealing with, Raelene fired up and set them straight, getting an upgrade to the deluxe suite for no cost, good stuff. We all had dinner together that night and the following morning after breakfast at the Dome we said goodbye to Clyde, Raelene and Robyn, then Paul, Raechel,Tom and myself headed for Carnarvon. The morning after arriving we visited the 1 mile jetty and took the train ride out to were the jetty was undergoing repairs. There were fish clearly visible everywhere and a large shark was patrolling the bottom. From here we went to the Blowholes and then on to Coral Bay, arriving about 3pm. After checking in we set up camp and were told by our female neighbours that they thought our bikes looked great and we were cool and would we like to come over and play some drinking games? we never did manage to get there, but it was a nice compliment. The next day we did our quad bike tour, what a blast, they were a little strange to handle at first but we quickly adjusted. Rachel was a bit unsure if she would be able to ride one herself but she showed a lot of courage and in no time flat she was thrashing her machine just like the rest of us, well done Rache. Then we decided to go up in a light plane and have a look at the coastline and surrounding area, this was spectacular and we saw some 25m whales and Dugongs swimming amongst the reef, it really was an experience. On Wednesday we rode 150km further North to Exmouth and had our mini golf challenge, being a golfer Tom showed what a good sport he is and played left hand to give us a chance, Paul and Rachel dazzled us with some unbeleivable hole in ones and a great time was had by all. The days were magnificent, around 28c and sunny, it did cool off a bit on the last day and then we were on our wayback to Kalbarri were it was cold, arriving in Perth about 3.30pm on Saturday. After covering about 3000km, we had no incidents with the wildlife, we saw lots of goats, sheep, cattle and eagles at the roadside but thankfully the roos and emus stayed away. It was certainly a trip I will remember, the riding was great, the company excellent, the beer was cold and the weather hot, what more could you ask for? We all know Debbie did Dallas, but I am proud to say The VRA did Coral Bay, in style, well done guys. My thanks to those that participated.

April 2010

  We had a pretty good attendance for this ride and great weather as well. We left from Murdoch and headed straight down the freeway using the new extension to Preston Beach.  The water looked very inviting but cold. We had a morning tea stop at Preston Beach then went on to the Cape Bouvard Winery which was our next stop for lunch.  To our surprise, their was a festival there.

We met up Chris and Andy who kindly held our table for us.  It was a great spot but the wait for our lunch was a bit long.  After lunch we got our exercise by walking along the track to check out the Thrombolites. 

From here we heading back home along the freeway again.  A great day out,thanks to everyone who attended.

March 2010

We had a great ride to Gnomesville, with quite a lot of riders in attendance.  A gnome or two was added to the growing Vulcan Riders Gnome collection! There are a few Gnomemad's now lurking in the vacinity.

Lunch was at Collie Hotel - voted best Steak Sandwich by Tom!! 

Lot's of bikes out and about with great weather making it a perfect riding day.

September 2009

It was great to finally get outside and have a ride.  The weather has been pretty bad and not too many keen riders, even on this ride.  'Fair Weather Riders' ha.

A small group of us headed out along South West Highway and up to Dwellingup where we stopped for morning tea at the local cafe.  Surprisingly, there is a great bike gear shop open only on the weekends.  We managed to have a good look around and the shop did some good business out of our small group - a leather jacket and vest, plus some accessorisies (sunglasses) for clive.

After our shopping stop at Dwellingup we headed over to Quindanning where we stopped for lunch at the 'Ye old Quindanning Inne'.  It is such a great spot, in the middle of nowhere, but with some really nice meals.  It is especially nice at this time of the year as there is water in the river, the grass is nice and green and the weather mild enough for us to sit outside and enjoy our lunch.

We had some guest riders with us on Sunday - Clyde and Raelene.  Hope you enjoyed the ride.  Also along for the trip was Robyn and Tom, Steve M and Clive and Michelle.

After lunch, we enjoyed an uneventful ride back to Albany Highway, fuel at Bannister and then home.

A really nice day out and we managed to blow out some cobwebs!

August 2009

Thanks to Clive and Michelle for organising this ride.  We left from the Caltex in Stratten, then rode up to Toodjay where we stopped for morning tea, and to pick up a new member - Steve - who lives close to the town.

From here we rode up through Bolgart and took the back rodes through to Goomalling.  The roads were in very good condition and made riding a lot of fun.

The stop for lunch was at Go Cafe which is a real find in Goomalling.  The food was great and the service was very bike friendly.  Well done to Clive and Michelle for finding a great place to eat.

From Goomalling, we went back through Toodjay then made our own way home from there.  Another great day out on the bikes with good roads, good food and good company.

June 2009

Well we really know how to pick the weather for our weekend away.  The forecast was for rain and thunderstorms, and whilst we certainly got the rain, luckily no thunderstorms.

We left Kelmscott on Saturday and headed along Sth West Highway to meet up with Chris and Andy at Placid Ark.  By the time we got there, we had experienced some very nasty weather.

Most of the group were a little unprepared for the heavy rain we got and ended up very wet!!  Brian was litteraly pouring water from his boots, and as for Michelle's choice of footwear (Suede Boots - stylish but very impracticle) it leaves a lot to be desired.

After an attempt to dry up some of the feet, we travelled south to Capel - the G Spot liquor store - yes really!, and had a short reviver.

From here we travelled onto Bussleton where we stopped for lunch and more drying out.  After a quick trip to the shops to buy more socks, jocks and dry jeans, we rode over to Nannup where we were staying the night.  We checked into our very country accomodation and some of us decided that we hadn't had enough riding for the day and took the scenic road to Ballingup. The road was great but we did have to watch out for Kangaroos on the way back.

Dinner at the pub that night with a lot of laughs, drinks and good cheer.  Boots warming by the fire was a common sight all night.

The next morning looked to be a great day and we only experience a light shower all day.

Awards will be given out soon, but a definite must tell is the story of the missing key.  Shane somewhere along the way, lost his bike key.  After breakfast we were all sent out to have a look, turning over sand, rocks, beds, anything that may have harboured said key.  All to no avail!  Sadly, we had to leave Shane behind while he waited for good old Dave to ride from Perth with his spare key.  After leaving Shane, we rode over to Ballingup for a delicious morning tea.  We got the phone call to say Shane had found his key after all - obviously had a man's look and not a women's look as it was in the hallway of the hotel!

From Ballingup it was off to Gnomesville for a look at the mysterious Gnomes, then we headed home after a great weekend.

Thanks to Chris and Andy for organising the ride and accomodation - a great weekend was had by all.

Awards will be notified soon - be afraid, be very afraid!!!

May 2009

We left Alfreds Kitchen in Guildford at a civilised hour for our day out.

Heading east, our first stop was York for a morning tea stop at Bagatti's Cafe for coffee and cake (of course)! After a brief stop here, we then headed over through Northam and then onto Jennacubine for lunch.  Jennacubine is a great spot to stop, in the middle of nowwhere, it is a welcome relief to stop and stretch the legs. Jerzy didn't let us down, he took a short tumble over a very small step at the hotel - and he hadn't even had a drink!

They do a great lunch and you are tempted to stay the afternoon, however, we did move on and fuelled up at Toodjay and then home.

Thanks to Eric and Jodie for organising the day out and to all those who came along for the ride. 

April 2009

The day for our ride to Two Rocks and beyond was perfect for bike riding.  A bit cool to start, then warmed up beautifully.

Along for the ride Brian and Cathy as guests, plus the usual suspects, with Pam and Alvan meeting us half way.

We enjoyed a leisurely ride up to Two Rocks with a stop for morning tea, then onto The Maze for another break.  Good to that Jerzy didn't need his bib this time during the coffee break.

We then rode over to Feral Brewing Co for a very relaxed lunch in a lovely setting.

All in all, a very leisurely ride and a nice day for it.  Thanks to Barbara and Brian for organsing the ride and hopefully Barbara will be back on the bike soon.

March 2009

We left the Caltex on South St with a great procession of bikes including some guests - Mark and Dave and Daniel and Anita.  It looked like the 900cc convention as most of the party was made up of the great looking 900's!

We travelled down the freeway and had our first stop at Lake Clifton for a short break.  At least this time Jerzy didn't need a bib to catch his coffee - carefull wearing white whilst drinking coffee Jerzy!!

Some of the group left us here, and the others followed Chris and Andy on a scenic ride through to Bunbury, passing through the estury and around Australind.

We stopped for lunch at the fabulous new harbour area of Bunbury and enjoyed fish and chips.

After lunch, Andy took us for another scenic ride through the streets of Bunbury and along the coast, then we all headed home along South Western Highway.  By this time, the day was really heating up, so it was with some relief when we made it home in time for a nice cool beer.

Thanks to Chris and Andy for leading the ride from lake Clifton.

February 2009

We had a great ride to the Dam's on this ride.  Started off from Kelmscott and were joined by Robyn (on her new 900), Tom, Brian and Barbara, Chris and Andy, Paul and Rachel, Clive and Michelle, Dave, Stephen and Jerzy.  Our first stop was the North Dandalup for a morning tea stop.  A really nice place for a picnic, has green lawn, shade and a small beach.

A small incident on Tom's bike - his indicator broke off his light bar on the Nomad, so some running repairs where made.  Thank goodness for electrical ties!

After our break, we rode over to Serpentine Dam, a really nice ride but had to be on the lookout for numerous other bikes coming the other way!  It was a great day for a ride.

The ride ended with lunch at Jarrahdale.  Now we know they have the 'famous Jarrahdale Burger' we will be back for more.  Great value for money.

From here, most of us headed back to our respective homes, others for a more leisurely ride.  It was good to miss the heat of the day, a good day out all round.

January 2009

The first ride for New Year was a pleasant ride up the coast with first stop at Moore River for some morning tea.  Moore River is very popular at this time of the year with lots of families out in boats, fishing and swimming.  The day was starting to warm up very fast and we needed to find some shade at the river.

From here, we had a leisurely ride up to Lancelin where we stopped for lunch at the Lancelin Hotel.  It was great sitting outside listening to some music.

We were joined on the ride today by Jerzy who rides a VN900 Classic.  Those on the ride were Tom and Robyn, Clive and Michelle, Shane, Dave, Dave and Jerzy and Stephen.

By the time we finished up, the weather was VERY hot, a good relief to have a swim once we got home.

November 2008

It was great weather for riding and we had a pleasant ride up to Dwellingup, stopping for morning tea in the Dwellingup Forest.

From here, some riders decided to do the shorter morning ride, whilst the rest of us headed to Quindanning where we stopped for lunch.

After lunch, as we headed for Williams, we made an emergency stop as Stephen got stung on the neck by a bee - not particularly good if you are allergic to bee stings!!  After a rest period, we were able to set off once again and had a short stop in Williams before heading home along the Albany Highway.

Thanks to all for a great day out.

September 2008 - Clive and Michelle's Big Day Out

An early start Sunday farewelling our intrepid travellers, Tom and Shane who are on their long awaited holiday across the country, the day threatened rain and wind.  Well that is what we got for most of the day, but that does not stop us travel hardened bikers from enjoying a good day out!

It was an interesting start to say the least with Steve M landing a puncture just as he pulled into the meeting spot.  There was no saving the tyre, but fortunately our guest for the day, Stephen had a bike trailer only a couple of streets away and Steve was able to move the bike back to his house for repairs, but sadly could not join us on the ride.

As forementioned, we had a guest rider, Stephen who joined us on his Mean Streak.  Also on the ride was Clive and Michelle who were leading the ride, Paul and Rachel, Dave minus Val, Brian on his brand new 900 (very nice) and Robyn minus Tom.

We headed to Pinjarra for a morning tea stop of scones, jam and cream (did I say hardened bikers, I meant arteries), however had a short stop along the way when we discovered Brian's new saddle bags weren't securely fastened and ended up in the middle of the South West Highway!  A few quick adjustments had us back on the rode and finally into Pinjarra.  By this time we were ready for a break as it had started raining quite heavily.

After Pinjarra, we made our way into Yarloop where we toured the museum.  It was one of the days that they fire up the steam engines, so all in all it was very interesting.  A fabulous job done here all on volunteers.  We stopped for lunch, then headed down to the old coast road through some nice, skinny, winding roads.  We stopped for fuel, then made our way home from here. 

Robyn is looking for new tyres after practising her emergency stop at the lights, nice fish tailing to an elegant stop!  Paul, now we know why your always tail end charlie!!

Thanks to Clive and Michelle for organising this ride and a thoroughly good day out.

August 2008 - Dave's Day Out

We had a good turn out for our all day ride with a small hitch at the begininng with Brian's 800 deciding not to start - it may have something to do with the fact that Brian left his lights on!

Some visitors to the ride where Peter and Jennifer, Adam, Scott and Colin.  We left Joondalup and headed toward Lancelin.  The weather looked very threatening by the time we arrived with some very dark clouds overhead and very blustery in Lancelin.  After a quick food and fuel stop, we then headed out the back way to New Norcia.  It was great to ride some empty roads with not too many cars and trucks bothering us.  The roads were generally in good condition out this way, however we did come across a small section of gravel.

We arrived in New Norcia and decided to stop here for lunch as everyone's bellies where starting to rumble.  We enjoyed the always good food at the New Norcia Hotel.  After filling up here, we then headed into Bindoon where some of us indulged in a sweet treat from the Bakery.

Adam led us out through some very scenic roads and then into Bullsbrook and eventually made our way home.  We travelled approximately 400kms for the day, depending on where you had travelled from.

Thanks to Dave who organised this varied ride and finding roads that are not well travelled.  Hope all our visitors enjoyed themselves as well.

Vulcan Riders Inaugrual Annual Holiday

We had our Vulcan Riders Inaugrual Annual Holiday this month in beautiful Broome.  Those along for rest and relaxation were Kim and Shane, Paul and Rachel and Tom and Robyn.

We stayed at the Broome Beach Resort on Cable Beach and made sure we got plenty of exercise - every morning a very long walk along the beach.

We had plenty to keep us occupied during our week long stay in Broome including the racers - Kimberly Cup was on when we were there, Crab racing at the Satay Club, lot's of opportunities to purchase those beautiful pearls and of course the eating and drinking and drinking and drinking!

Not sure where our next holiday is, but try and join us, it was a great week.

July 2008 - Brookton Highway to York

Just a short ride along the Brookton Highway, with a short stop, then onto York for lunch.  Nice ride - short but sweet!

17/18 May 2008 - Jurien Bay Weekender

Well we could not ask for better weather for our annual Jurien Bay weekender.  The temperature was a very mild 22 degrees, blue skies and no wind.

We left Joondalup on Saturday morning and left the crowds behind us as we rode North.  We had our first stop at Regans Ford where Shane had his 'first' incident for the weekend.  After a recent experience at Regans Ford, we thought Shane would be on his guard, however he managed to go down the only pot hole in the place!

After a brief stop at Regans Ford, we headed off to have lunch at Badgingarra.  Most of us enjoyed the deep fried delights of the roadhouse, however Dave opted for his own packed lunch of tuna wraps - I was wondering what that smell was.

Finally over to Jurien Bay, where we found our accomodation and settled in.  We were soon off for another ride, over to Green Head - the site of Shanes 'second' incident where he missed the turn off. On the way home, we stocked up on all the essentials for a good afternoon - food, wine and beer.  We were soon joined by a swarm of mossies, however they did not deter us from having a good time.  The more energetic amongst us went for a walk down the beach to enjoy the sunset.  The Jurien Bay hotel was our venue for dinner - within very easy walking distance.

After a good night of eating, drinking and laughing, we headed off for breakfast at the Caravan Park, then fuelled up and headed to the Pinnacles.  This is the site of the annual men's nude run through the Pinnacles, however, most of the guys complained of the cold and something about shrinkage and an unfair penalty.  We did manage some good photos and Tom finally joined the 'dropped bike club' by putting his bike down in the sand.  It did take 3 of the guys to get it up again.  Welcome to the club Tom!

From here we headed home with a short stop at Regans Ford again. 

It was a great weekend with fantastic riding and good company - thanks to all who attended.

13 April 2008 - Gnomesville Run

It was one of those magical days - just perfect for a ride.  We left Kelmscott and headed down the South Western Highway.  Unfortunately, so was everyone else including a massive truck carrying half a bridge.  This held us up a long time, just after we were finally able to pass it, we headed into Pinjarra and there was a car crash on the bridge - can't believe our luck!

We finally got clear and had a short break in Harvey for a quick stop as we were now behind schedule for the day. From Harvey, we had a fantastic ride through the Ferguson Valley, with lots of winding roads and picturesque vally's.  We got to our destination of Gnomesville.

Steve, Clive and Michelle donated a couple of Gnomes to the group and we now have the start of the Vulcan Riders Gnomes - or as we like to call it - Gnomads. This spot was very popular, not only with Gnomes, but with visitors - some having picnics, some visiting their Gnomes, everyone making themselves at Gnome!

From here, we headed into Collie for a bite to eat.  We stopped at the hotel were we enjoyed a really nice meal. After fuelling up we then headed back to the South Western Highway and stopped off at Waroona to check out the car show that Andy was participating in.  There were some great looking cars and after having a look around for a while, we headed home.

We ended up doing approximately 415 km for the day, which was quite a good distance, but very enjoyable day out.

16 March 2008 - Andy and Chris' Harvey Adventure

We had great riding weather today & avoided all the rain.  Joining us today were Shaggers, Dave, Steve & Tracey, Clive & Michelle, Mick & Tammy, Brian, Andy & Chris, Merv & Maria who showed up on their new 2000cc Classic (a beautiful piece of machinery), also we had a guest rider – Shane on his Kawasaki Road Trail.

From the end of the freeway we meandered through back roads to Pinjarra where we had scones and tea at the Heritage Tea Rooms.  Took time out to view crafts and the museum.  Then onto Yarloop and the back roads to Harvey.  At Harvey we enjoyed the atmosphere of the Harvey Harvest Festival with wine tasting, food and craft stalls.  From here we then travelled to Lake Clifton along the back roads once again.  Upon arriving at Mandurah Mick & Tammy invited us to coffee at the Surfside Bakery in Secret Harbour – many thanks for the free coffees, it was much needed. From here we all went our separate ways.