The VJMC Rally Warrilla March 2011

In August last year I had the opportunity to acquire a second mid-eighties Kawasaki Voyager 1300 6 cylinder full dresser (V2) in Tamworth NSW. During February I joined the VJMC I transferred V2 across to Victorian historic registration. The new club registration rules introduced on the 1st of February allow one to ride a 2year old (or older) vehicle for up to 90 days per year wherever one chooses, and without restriction.

The VJMC – full name Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club – holds a get together/rally each year and this year the event was held at Warrilla NSW, just south of Wollongong. Due to business pressures I had limited time available so the ride up was straightforward up the Hume then turning off at Mossvale to the coast via the Macquarie Pass.

After two very interesting days of drooling over some beautiful examples of Japanese classics and chatting their owners it was time to head home on the Sunday.

Now I am the first to admit that I will always take the hard way over the easy way when given the option, and I had always wanted to ride through Wee Jasper so it was home via Canberra for me.

Wee Jasper is at the bottom of a valley midway between Yass and Tumut where it crosses the Murrumbidgee river. The road in is good quality bitumen with broad sweepers over rolling hills until it tightens up as it descends into the river valley. Once it crosses the river, however, the road turns into a 4wd goat track until it rises out of the valley where there is another 60km of gravel until Tumut.  

The road out of Wee Jasper

Usually I enjoy these sort of roads except that this time I was riding V2 , which at a portly 430kg unladen is the heaviest bike to ever come out of Japan. Surprisingly V2 handled the dirt with aplomb and gave me very little trouble on roads and conditions which it was never intended for.
After arrival at Tumut it was back to the Hume where V2 was back in her element and purred her way along the blacktop home again..

Riding in Langkawi Malaysia - December 2010

Well it’s really time I brought this blog up to date so that means going back 6 months

After my ride along the Birdsville track I had the opportunity to visit Malaysia for business and chose to take an extra week visiting Langkawi – a small island on the north east coast of the Malay peninsula and straddling the Thai border.

Classic old British bike in our hotel reception area.

Langkawi is a great place to ride with scooters and bikes available for rent for $4-5 per day. Kimie and I rented a small 110cc Karisma for 3 days and crisscrossed the island in every direction.


Kimie in the rider's seat.

It was very pleasant taking it slowly, riding in the tropical heat amongst the luscious vegetation and local fauna.We did manage to get caught in a tropical thunderstorm though - had to seek shelter under the nearest roof and spent almost 2 hours waiting for the sheets of water to ease off - now you know why everything is so verdant!

Friendly local fauna



Beautifully green rice paddies



Water Buffalo