In the beginning I mentioned that I may do an appraisal on my "new" bike. (Anyone who has no interest in motorcycles should now disconnect ha-ha) This bike is not “new” but a 2010 model which does not differ from a 2015 model all that much except from the water cooled engine I have been riding from age 16 and had perhaps 20-25 mainly BMW motorcycles during that time. Some of them I have had for a long time on which I covered over 180.000km or m...

Before leaving Sydney I had checked the weather forecast. Sunny, but rain showers coming from the north. As I was going north I knew what I was facing. There is no way to avoid them unless they travel in the same direction; in that case you can position yourself between the showers and enjoy a mostly dry day. Today it was not the case though. I had to adjust my route north by avoiding twisty mountain roads and staying at the flatter well used roads. Rain is norma...