Some Past Rides.

Marcus, Bernie and Steve Diez rode to Tooradin at 9.30am for breakfast and were joined by Steve and Rowan at 10am. At 10.30am the group commenced the ride to Fish Creek but on leaving Tooradin the skies opened. The weather did not appear to be clearing so the group made a stop at Loch for a quick meeting and it was decided to abort the ride to Fish Creek and travel home via Poowong to Nyora with lunch at the Palace Hotel in Lang Lang.
After lunch we rode back to Steve Bells home for a cleansing ale/wine and some games of pool in his shed.
Marcus, Bernie and Steve Diez left Steve's at 4.00 pm
Despite the rain a good time was had by all.

Steve "Grand Pubar" Bell's ride report.
July15 2012.
Despite a number of apologies ranging from "I'm sorry I'm sick" and "I wanna be a rock star" to "it's too freaking cold" we managed to get a handful of riders for our monthly ride. Rowan, Dave, Marcus amd Berni arrived at my place for an 11am departure.
Angelo "Bubba" Dellis rang me to say he was running late so we decided to meet him at the Dromana pub. Bubba introduced us to his new mate Dennis. We had a cafe latte (as you do as a Sunday morning Dromana yuppie) then we took off for a ride on what we thought was turning out to be a nice day for a ride.
We headed up Arthurs Seat on route to Flinders where we stopped at the Flinders Pier for a photo opportunity. (Thanks to Marcus for the photography). I had in mind to keep the ride short however the sun was shining over Westernport Bay all the way to Phillip Island we made a group decision to take off towards Lang Lang for a counter attack at the pub. Well blow me down if we didn't ride up the hill towards the Flinders pub only to find the weather had taken a turn for the worst with big winds and the sky as black as a coal miners nose. I didn't sat anything then but I had ust made the decision to make the ride shorter than longer. We pulled into the Tyabb fish and chip sop for some take away videls and took off back to my garage pub where we enoyed the afternoon with wine women and song.
A good time was had by all and a few bucks earned for the club from ride fees and drink sales.

Angelo, Dennis, Doug, Marcus, Berni, Dave and Tony met at the Dromana Hotel in anticipation for a great ride despite all of us riding through some rain to get there. We all had a quick coffee and left for Portsea. On the way, Angelo entertained us with his new trick - how to put your bike into gear at the traffic lights while turning around and taking your hands off the handlebars. The weather was clear and still when we arrived at Portsea. We parked the bikes at the entrance to the pier and to our amazement a Portsea socialite woman had assumed we had parked the bikes there for her amusement and proceeded to try a few out. The nerve of some people. We continued our ride towards Flinders across the lower end of the peninsula. The weather remained overcast but still. A good ride was had by all. We stopped for lunch at a mate of Angelos fish and chip shop in Flinders. The food was great and the vanilla slices were even greater. They were huge but after a ride in cool conditions they went down rather well. The stop in Flinders seemed to take a while and it wasn't until we saw the RACV van pull up that all came clear. One of the bikes was low on fuel and it probably was not going to make it to a servo on reserve. Thank god the RACV cares because no one else did :) After lunch we stopped on the cliff top for a photo opportunity where Angelo showed off his motorcross skills in the wet grass. From there we left for home. A great day was had by all. Thanks Angelo.

Rowan, Steve, Marisa, Billy, Marcus, Berni, Steve D, Benny, Mike and Irene all met at McDonalds at 11am in Narre Warren and after some burgers, coffee and some delicious strawberry donuts we all departed. It's a well known fact that diets don't apply on ride days. Maccas in Narre Warren appears to be a meeting place for many bike groups heading off on rides and the car park turned into a mini bike show which was an entertaining start to the day. The weather was grey and overcast but still and not too cold. After a brief stop at Aura Vale lake for a quick photo shoot we headed up into the hills. The roads were twistie and fun and the scenery was superb. We soon made our way to the Launching Place Hotel for a few bevs and a light lunch. The open fire burning away in the bar was most welcomed by some chilly body parts. We saddled up after lunch and headed down to Marisa and Billy's home via Pakenham. After a brief toilet stop in the appropriately named town, Cockatoo, we soon arrived at Marisa and Billy's where we all dined on some delicious pork and beans which Marisa had prepared earlier. Much earlier apparently as she got up at 3am to start. And Steve learned a new saying " If I had some pork I'd have some pork and beans...if I had some beans". A great day was had by all thanks to Rowan and thanks to Marisa and Billy for their hospitality.

As seen by Marcus and Berni.......

As we headed towards Longwarry to meet the others it rained...the weather bureau had got it wrong again, but a little shower wasn't going to dampen our enthusiasm. We soon met up with Lynn, Dennis, Doug, Anne-Maree, Angelo in Longwarry after some apparent confusion about just where Longwarry actually is, but soon we all gathered as a group and all was well. Our next task was to find Mel, Angelo's partner, who was driving the back-up vehicle, who had somehow bypassed us and was waiting for us in Traralgon. We zipped up the highway and soon located Mel waiting patiently by the side of the road. We then went into town to search for a luncheon location, where Doug and Anne-Maree received a short course in swearing from a lovely lady on a pedestrian crossing. Maccas was the go and after a long morning the burgers and fries went down extremely well. We stopped for fuel in Sale and then proceeded on to Bairnsdale. Upon arriving in Bairnsdale, Angelo saw he had nine missed calls from Mel. He eventually managed to get through to her and she told him she had broken down about 20 kms back. We immediately saddled up and rode back to help. On finding Mel, we discovered that Dennis, Lynn, Doug and Anne-Maree, who were actually behind Mel, had already fixed the issue. Thank goodness that Dennis is a mechanic, and that he and Doug were able to find the fuel line problem and fix it. After a brief stop at at a Holden dealership in Bairnsdale, we rode on to our first overnight stop in Lakes Entrance. We checked into the motel, jumped into the car to get some supplies and then kicked back in the motel's barbeque area to discuss the days ride and plan for tomorrow. That night we wandered into town where we purchased a scrumptious selection of KFC, pizza and donuts and rushed back to our cheap motel for a take-away feast...and who says the Hermits aint got no class??

The ride on day two wasn't going to be a long one so we took time in the morning to enjoy a nice walk on the foreshore before buying some supplies, fueling up and heading off. Our aim was to meet up with the main group in Genoa at 2.30. We stopped for coffee in Orbost and even did a spot of op-shopping. Lunch was in Cann River where there was a huge selection of food on offer..it seems that everyone in town owns either a restaurant, cafe or bakery. I can recommend the burgers at the Cann River Cafe. After lunch we went straight through to Genoa to meet the Bermagui riders. After a meet and greet on the side of the road we left for Mallacoota. I must say that the pace was "brisk" and the yammy bottomed out and scraped at least six times on the twisty road in, but all went well. We checked in at the Mallacoota Hotel, unloaded and joined the others on the lawn area for some bevs and a chat. We had dinner in the bistro and later we were entertained by a local group, The Goats Of Mykonos, with some not so traditional Greek music.......and what would a biker ride be without some gratutious nudity? Apparently it was the Kingies turn to supply the streaker - next year the Hermits have to return the favour. We have just the canditate for the job...she is a lovely lady whose conversations nearly always end with..."and then my clothes just fell off".

We awoke just before dawn to the sound of rain on the roof....damn!! It was a light drizzle when we got up and it appeared to be clearing although the weather report said we could be heading into rain. The other Hermits had left earlier which left Doug, Anne-Maree, Dennis, Lynn and us to bring up the rear. Steve and his group waited for us in Cann River for breakfast. The ride to Cann River was cold and damp and the big breakfast, which really was big, was most welcome. We met up with them but when we told them that we were in no rush to get home and we were planning to do the ""sooky lala decaf skinny soy latte bakery tour with lots of stops for sightseeing and intelligent conversation"" version of the trip home they decided to wish us all the best and say farewell. We left Cann River and stopped for a break in Nowa Nowa and then a bakery visit in Bruthen and then a fuel stop in Bairnsdale. By the time we got to Bairnsdale it was warm and very windy. After lunch at a bakery in Sale we could see the sky turning darker to the east and as we approached Moe we got some short but heaviesh showers. We pressed on and stopped again in Yarragon for a coffee and then said our goodbyes in Tooradin. All agreed it was a top ride and great weekend away.

Despite a thunderstorm and some heavy rain early in the morning, the Hermits had a good turnout for this months ride. Dave, Brendan, Steve, Doug, Anne_Maree, Angelo, Dennis, Tony, Marcus and Bernie all met at Mornington pier for a fun ride and after a brief coffee and a chat we saddled up and headed for Arthurs Seat. There were a few visitors on the viewing platform when we arrived but they soon moved out of the way when they realised that we needed the space for a photo opportunity. It's amazing just how fast a Japanese tourist can move when you ride over 250kg of Yamaha at him.. :). With the pics completed we left for lunch at Flinders. The weather was lovely and we all enjoyed some beautiful views along the way. We dined on some sumptuous rolls, chips and burgers. Well done to Marcus and Bernie for nearly finishing a vanilla slice and to Dennis who managed to get through a whole donut (the donuts in Flinders weigh about 2kg). Thanks to the road captain, Dave, for organising the ride. A good time was had by all. And Marcus has promised to do a short course at Frankston TAFE on Motorcycle Hand Signal Communication as his attempt at conveying "Follow me. I live nearby. Come back to my place for a beer" was somehow misconstrued as "I think your back wheel has fallen off" :) :) :) :)

When Berni and I woke on Sunday morning is was raining, dare I say it was pissing down. As the morning progressed, the rain eased and by the time we left for Tooradin it had all but stopped. We met up with Steve and Rowan and after a brief chat we saddled up and left Tooradin for a coffee break in the quaint village of Loch. Despite the overnight rain, Berni still insisted on watering a tree at the local football ground. She must have a green thumb or green something. The clouds were clearing and we left Loch in bright sunshine. After a quick fuel stop in Meeniyan we soon arrived at the iconic Fish Creek Hotel. The meals were big, yummy and reasonably priced and I can recommend the mixed grill. After lunch we saddled up and went to visit a mate of Steves who runs a lovely bed and breakfast in Foster about 15k away. Now it would be bad manners to turn up empty handed so we made a stop at the local bakery for a selection of delicious cakes and pastries. Being in Foster (F) I made a point of having a Fruit (F) mince tart. Many thanks to "Buck" and Meg for their hospitality. With the tea drunk and the cakes devoured we continued on our journey. By this stage the weather was quite warm and perfect for riding, not too hot and not too cold. We stopped for a leg stretch in Nyora to explore the deserted railway station and then made our way home. A top ride of about 250k, coffee and bakery stops, a delicious lunch at a historic pub, good roads, warm weather with a bit of sightseeing and visiting along the way...who could ask for more?

It was a lovely day when we met at Tooradin, and after coffee and breakfast Steve, Rowan, Marcus, Berni, Billy, Marisa, Tony, Rowan, Dennis, Doug, Anne-Maree and Dave saddled up and headed for the lovely named town of Poowong. On the way Dennis discovered a great feature of his Virago...when the power-to-weight ratio becomes unbalanced, the bike will automatically shed unnecessary parts, like side covers, until a balance is restored. We arrived at Poowong East and watched a few of the ride-on lawn mower races and then headed back to Poowong for lunch. We were all starving after carrying around two tons of flies on our backs. After lunch Steve and Rowan headed for Cowes to look at some panniers for Rowan's bike while the others went to Loch for a coffee. Another stop at the Tooradin Bakery and we headed home. The weather was great and a fun day was had by all.

When Marcus,Berni, Bruce, Judy, Doug, Anne-Maree, Steve and Tony gathered at the Mornington Pier we could tell it was going to be a hot one. It was only 10am and already we were searching for a shady patch. In fact it was getting so warm that a local Mornington lady decided that it was too hot to get dressed and went for a stroll in her nightie...the sights you see on ride days. After the usual meet and greet we saddled up and headed for St.Kilda. The ride up went well except for a few delays around Elwood due to the Nissan Corporate triathlon. You would have thought the triathlon organisers would have realised it was a CRAB's ride day and postponed the event until the following weekend. Some people are so inconsiderate and honestly believe that the world revolves around them when in fact it actually revolves around us :) Once in St.Kilda we parked in Acland St and made our way to the Ivy Cafe. We were a touch early for lunch but the breakfast menu was available. We discussed whether to just have a coffee there and then move on to another venue for lunch but due to the fact that the day was heating up dramatically we decided to go with the breafast and head back to Steve's place for a dip. The food was great and we were soon on our way again. Tony left to visit his father in Williamstown and Steve went down the freeway while the others headed down Beach Rd for a coffee in Mordialloc. We found a lovely spot on the foreshore, enjoyed a drink and a chat and we all agreed that the umbrella would have to be one of man's greatest inventions ever. Doug and Anne-Maree left for home while the others went on the Steves for a swim. Thanks to Doug for organising the ride, Steve for the swim and Jenny who put on a delicious platter. Sure it was a hot ride but that's what motorcycling is all about..getting out there and facing the elements.

Dennis, Doug and Ross met at the Mornington Pier at 10am. After a coffee and a chat regarding the weather conditions we left for Flinders via Arthurs Seat. After a healthy lunch we rode back to Dromana through Red Hill. The weather was in our favour with only a few brief showers on the way to Mornington. A good ride with good company.