Travels with The Door

by Al

I hit send on my SMS to The Door at 0506. "Rolling", it says.

I turn my phone off, mount the Viffer, hit the road.

I've slept badly. I'm still not fully awake. I'm staring at the road, and the speed camera sensors in the Lane Cove Tunnel spring into view. I glance at the speedo. That had to be 95 - 15 over. "Oh dear, I really must be more careful", I say. Or a word to that effect, anyway.

There's another speed camera 10km on. I go through at 15km/h under the limit. I am redeemed. We are square.

The Door and his Rocket III are waiting by the motorway as arranged. The Door extends a hand the size of a small country. "Al! How are you?"

"I'll tell you at Pheasants Nest."

Pheasants Nest is half an hour. We gas up. It's still dark. I tell The Door which way we're going.

"I don't care", says The Door. "If I'm riding my motorcycle, I don't care".

I tell The Door there will be some dirt roads.

"Dirt, tar, I don't care", says The Door.

I tell him today will be a bit over 800km.

"100km, 1,000km. I don't care", says The Door.

I like The Door. We leave Pheasants Nest. The Door pops a celebratory wheelie.

We turn off the Hume Highway after a boring 100km or so at South Marulan. We take the Jerrara Road. It's not the best road, but it's way better than the Doom.

It turns to dirt after a while. The Door drops back so as not to eat my dust. A rabbit runs across in front of me. Two wallabies break on to the road and run along in front. I just miss one. I'm glad they're fast - the dirt is loose and I don't want to brake hard. The sun comes up.

The Door motocrosses in the Heavy division

Another rabbit. Then another batch of 'roos - three this time. One is huge. I see them in plenty of time.

I'm reasonably quick on a dirt road. The Door is not in my mirrors. I get to the turn on to the Kings Highway. I figure I'll stop and take a photo of The Door as he approaches. I cut the ignition and start to take my gloves off. I become conscious of a Triumph Rocket III idling beside me.

"How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Never mind.'

"Sorry I'm late. I stopped for a piss."

Al approaching the Kings Highway

Back on tar, we stop 20km later at Braidwood for gas. I fill up and go to pay. The Door goes to wash the dust and bugs out of his beard. A truck driver in the service station is looking at The Door's bike.

"Look at the donk on that thing!", he says to me. "How big is it?"

"Two point three litres", I say.

"Geez", he says. "I bet it's fast."

"It's not really built for top speed", I explain. "It's probably about as fast as mine. 240 maybe. Allegedly."

"I bet it pulls."

"Like a schoolboy."

"Heh."

I've planned the route to cross the Great Dividing Range three times. The first crossing is now. The Kings Highway winds over the mountains from Braidwood to the coastal town of Batemans Bay. It's a fabulous road. The surface is good, and it's not too crowded. I ride behind The Door, and watch him grinding his Rocket into a V shape. The spark show is entertaining. He doesn't change gear much. I have to go down two or three to match his drive out of the turns.

First crossing: The Kings Highway.