Roadstergal
Member
It was almost a year into our marriage that we got around to the full honeymoon (we had a quickie at New Orleans Jazzfest in April) - but better to do it right than to do it quickly.
The full version involved a trip to Hawaii and Australia. We SCUBAed the Great Barrier Reef. But motorcycling had to make an appearance. How could we travel halfway around the world and not ride a moto?
Well, we could really only rent one, moola-wise, and as my hubby slydrite is the more competent and experienced rider, I hopped on the back. After all, we had to deal with kangaroos once we got out of the city (all we had to do was think of them as 'deer' to make the idea of them a lot less cute), and driving on the 'wrong' side of the road the whole time.
The rental place was a train ride and a bus ride out of the city - about 20 minutes if done correctly, and about an hour as I arranged it. *sigh*
Town Hall on the way:
The only bike they had left that was suitable for two-up touring was an FZ6s Fazer. Yes, I traveled halfway around the world to ride bitch on my own bike. :rof: The woman doing the hiring told us that the bike was her own personal bike, and to please be good to it. All I could think was - if it's your own personal bike, why have Cheng Shin tires on it?
We asked nicely to use one of their tail bags to carry our stuff, and got it. In all of the pictures, it looks like it's falling off - it's firmly attached, but for aesthetics (if nothing else), it needed a strap going to the top handle.
We rented helmets and brought our moto gloves. It simply wasn't practical, however, to take the rest of our gear - so we had to risk riding in high-tops, jeans, and long-sleeved shirts. Well, if you have to take a chance to ride halfway around the world, it's worth doing - or so we decided.
Off we went. Our destination - the Blue Mountains, some ways to the west.
We did a bit of a freeway stint. Even looking at the speedo and seeing '90' doesn't change the visceral knowledge that, by California standards, we were going pretty slowly.
The many speed cameras we came across were all very, very clearly marked. They're pretty much an "Are you paying attention?" test.
I was shocked to see markings for bike lanes on the freeway. But then I saw bicyclists, too... I sure as hades wouldn't do that.
After the freeway, we stopped at a fruit stand for some snacks. After yakking back and forth at each other in obviously US accents, a fellow stocking fruit asked if we were from the States. Well, yep! He was fun and kind, and chatted with us a bit about the Blue Mountains and about the States, saying he wanted to visit some day.
The full version involved a trip to Hawaii and Australia. We SCUBAed the Great Barrier Reef. But motorcycling had to make an appearance. How could we travel halfway around the world and not ride a moto?
Well, we could really only rent one, moola-wise, and as my hubby slydrite is the more competent and experienced rider, I hopped on the back. After all, we had to deal with kangaroos once we got out of the city (all we had to do was think of them as 'deer' to make the idea of them a lot less cute), and driving on the 'wrong' side of the road the whole time.
The rental place was a train ride and a bus ride out of the city - about 20 minutes if done correctly, and about an hour as I arranged it. *sigh*
Town Hall on the way:
The only bike they had left that was suitable for two-up touring was an FZ6s Fazer. Yes, I traveled halfway around the world to ride bitch on my own bike. :rof: The woman doing the hiring told us that the bike was her own personal bike, and to please be good to it. All I could think was - if it's your own personal bike, why have Cheng Shin tires on it?
We asked nicely to use one of their tail bags to carry our stuff, and got it. In all of the pictures, it looks like it's falling off - it's firmly attached, but for aesthetics (if nothing else), it needed a strap going to the top handle.
We rented helmets and brought our moto gloves. It simply wasn't practical, however, to take the rest of our gear - so we had to risk riding in high-tops, jeans, and long-sleeved shirts. Well, if you have to take a chance to ride halfway around the world, it's worth doing - or so we decided.
Off we went. Our destination - the Blue Mountains, some ways to the west.
We did a bit of a freeway stint. Even looking at the speedo and seeing '90' doesn't change the visceral knowledge that, by California standards, we were going pretty slowly.
The many speed cameras we came across were all very, very clearly marked. They're pretty much an "Are you paying attention?" test.
I was shocked to see markings for bike lanes on the freeway. But then I saw bicyclists, too... I sure as hades wouldn't do that.
After the freeway, we stopped at a fruit stand for some snacks. After yakking back and forth at each other in obviously US accents, a fellow stocking fruit asked if we were from the States. Well, yep! He was fun and kind, and chatted with us a bit about the Blue Mountains and about the States, saying he wanted to visit some day.
"Wrong side!!"
