Having just got the VFR going for the first good run, I decided to ride to Marble Bar, Western Australia for coffee. Marble Bar is known for it's temperatures, but it was cool enough day for a run out there. I topped up the fuel and headed out from Port Hedland mid morning. I haven't been out there many times and was unsure of the exact km, but figured it would be well within range of the old girl. However with straight roads and only the odd road train hauling ore, I found myself pushing along petty well into a stiff breeze and after an hour or so became concerned that the fuel gauge was dropping pretty quickly. Sign posts said it was 200km, so still reckoned I should make it ok, but as this was only the second run out of town since getting the bike going, I wasn't sure. I ended up slowing to 90kmh and counting the k's to Marble Bar. As it was the weekend I had rang ahead to make sure that there was fuel available out there, which there was, although the road house opposite the pub as closed. Ended up with approx 5lt left in the tank, so the fuel gauge is not that accurate. Stopped at the pub for lunch, and another little shop for coffee. Wind had dropped for the ride home and the bike performed faultlessly on the day, pretty good for a $500 bike that no-one wanted.
Nice. Gas gauge trickery is always a hoot. Only ran out of gas once that I can remember. It was on my Duc, the level mechanism inside the tank wasn't working and I didn't pay attention to the ODO. Fortunately I ran out right as I exited the freeway and literally across the street was a gardener mowing the hotel lawn. I pushed the bike across the street and asked if I could buy some gas, he handed me a 2 gallon can and said don't worry about paying him. Looks like an interesting little town. They seem proud to be considered the "hot spot".
Marble Bar is a little mining town 200k from the coast (by road). It is hot due to the terrain, plenty of mineral in the hills which also stop any air flow. It's also on the edge of the desert. It was a great ride (although there are no corners out there), but not a place you'd ride to in the summer when it gets consistently into the high 40's C.
Like most places around the world I guess, there is lots to see and great riding in Australia ............ English ?? Well, I reckon we have own own version Plenty of long straight roads in this (North West) part of the country anyway. Anyway, the way the $ is most of the time, you guys get pretty good value coming for a holiday in this part of the world.
Awesome, thanks for sharing! It will likely be years before I travel that way. So it's fun to see you faraway peeps posting up. What is the story about you grabbing that moto no one wanted? Did you have to do a lot of work to it?
It is a bike that nobody wanted. I came to work in Port Hedland three and a half years ago and the bike was in the yard being 'ridden' by a supervisor. He never took it out of town, but was a bike enthusiast. It was just parked in the weather all day every day, and as we live right by the sea and get regular iron ore dust storms from the port, it was pretty hard on it. Despite this, the paint never faded, I was impressed. Approx 6 other workers owned the bike over the next 3 years, but I only saw it ridden once. It was later put in a shed at the back of the yard and I didn't know where it was. I offered a mechanic at work $500 for it, but never heard back from him. Some time later I saw the workshop 'butchering the locks' in order to get the bike going. I mentioned to those present that I had offered someone $ (I couldn't remember who as there is a high staff turnover here) for the bike. I had the bike by the end of the weekend. Bike now needed: new locks (they had lost the keys), rack and bag had also disappeared, front forks were leaking, wiring to the alternator was burnt, battery dead, instrument panel cover as you couldn't see through it, brakes (only 1 brake piston on the bike was free), rear engine pipes rusted off and the collector full of holes, and the motor looks like it might have come from a wrecker. I have replaced the locks, instrument panel, regulator/rectifier, battery, front disk caliper kits, front master cylinder kit, braided lines on the front (back to come later) rear brake disk and caliper pistons and rubbers, exhaust engine pipes and collector, repaired several broken plastic bits on the body work, carby kit, steering head bearings, fork seals, chain & sprockets, and changed the air cleaner/plugs, oil etc. I drive long distance road trains, so am not home much, but when I am I like to ride and work on the bike
What year and model is your bike. I just picked up my second 86 vfr 750 both of them I paid 250$usd each it take slot oftome and work to get a bike like that back on the road but it feels great. Haven't got the second bike road worthy yet
Sells, Amazing story there!! For a bit I was feeling sad...imagining that poor moto sitting out all alone with no attention. Then what a happy ending with you resurrecting it!! Thanks for sharing, fun read!! Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
Bike is 5/89 VFR750F K ......... yep, lot of work, money and frustration at times. Still sorting out some electrical issues, discovered this morning that the battery has all but boiled dry despite having a new Mofset R/R, so no ride today and back to the drawing board, more testing and checking
Sells, you could probably increase your fuel economy by 20% if you took that sail, err, bag off the back! It looks like it could hold a full size keg of beer:congratulatory: hmm, do you know where I can get one?:eagerness:Lol! Nice score on the bike.
lol, it's a ventura luggage bag, sold in Aus by Kenma Australia. Yes you're right, I could have turned it around so it was up behind me in my slipstream, that too would have helped. Bag is great for packing the camping gear too
