The problem is I had decided it was pushing myself too far when the 50CC was the real ride, so I decided that as I would be 700k from home while at Port MacQuarie for our second annual GTR-AUS meet I might try something else.

A best mate of my brother in law has a business at Penrith NSW that polishes wheels and other items, he had offered to do my wheels if I was ever down that way. Well it’s only 500k or so from Port so that’s the answer.

Now the story starts, you see if I am at Penrith and I have to ride home it makes perfect sense to try a BB2500k home… well it does to me.

The road gets longer...

Tuesday the 11th of October 2005 at 6.04am leave Jamberoo to ride to Penrith to have my wheels polished arriving there at 8.08am. I get a call about noon that they are ready and the reassembled bike is ready so off I go. The owner/mate offers me a bed at his house and so we head over there. I manage to get a rest but no sleep.

At 3.01pm I head off with my first fuel receipt at Penrith heading to Dubbo. I have allowed 4hrs for this leg even though its only 366k as it’s winding up the Blue Mountains with mostly slow speed limits and many small townships. I arrive smack on time at 7.03pm. In and out under 10mins.

Next leg is Dubbo to Bellata just south of Moree. I had wanted to ride to Moree but they do not have any 24hr fuel so Bellata it is. Great run this section, 334k and arrived right on schedule at 10.10pm

Bellata to Warwick, this was not the original plan, let me explain. The best made plans of mice and men.

The plan was Bellata to Miles but on the way and making perfect time I goofed. At Goondiwindi I made an error that was a learning experience for me. From now on I will make notations for any unusual turns, this was one of them. The main road runs by Goondiwindi and east to Warwick, the way I should have gone is a slight wiggle to the left at then straight up to Miles. I only realize when I am entering Warwick, I am devastated. It’s 2.10am and I phone my wife, I have ridden 399k in 4hrs and feel a hundred years old. My wife later told me I sounded like I was about to give up.

I took a few minutes, used the UHF to find 24hr fuel (this was not my planned stop so I had made no searches before I left home) One very helpful truckie told me where and off I went, thinking of what I should do.

2.26am, fuel up and all at peace with the world again I phoned my wife (she loves 2.30am phone calls) I had mentally recovered and had a plan. I had to get back on track so my brain knew where we were at so I was going to head north to Toowoomba and west to get back on the plan at Miles. So that’s what I did.

5.33am and 295k I arrive at Miles, find my original fuel stop and take a well earned half an hour rest. It’s here I make another decision for future rides, do not talk to truckies about what I am doing, they get very pissed off that they have to abide by a strict log book system. I leave at 6am and head north to Rockhampton, well that was the plan.

Less than 130k up the road at 7.20am I roll into Taroom after standing in the pegs for the past 10mins. Two late nights and a long day waiting before I left had set me up badly for this ride. 16hrs 19mins and 1522k into it I had to sleep, very unusual but that’s what LDRiding is all about, knowing when to stop. I rolled into town and located a small park, pulled the GTR under a shady tree and put my head down on the park bench until 7.55am. Maybe caught 20mins sleep there but it was enough, let me at that road.

North on good roads through Banana, Dululu with very little traffic and up over Mt Morgan. This has some good twisties and I pulled up about 10minutes out of Rocky to call my wife to hear there was bad news at the home front.

The original plan before I goofed at Warwick was to run north from Rockhampton to Mackay and then turn and run for home. But after doing that extra leg to Warwick and back to Miles I had made some extra distance. The news was we had a power surge go though the office and my wife, although coping well, needed me there. So quickly into Rockhampton and fuel and go at 11.10am for 309k and 1831k so far.

Good run south apart from torrential rain for 15mins with water flowing like a stream down the road.

2.30pm I stopped for fuel at Childers, reason was not fuel but the distance. I had done 2160k in 23hrs 30mins and that my friends is another SS2000k. Never let a section go by because anything can happen. Had I not logged that with a stop and later had a breakdown the whole ride would have been wasted. I decided to note the exact kilometers at the 24hr mark for future reference and calculations it was 2191k at 3pm

Cooroy and home at 4.45pm, 2345k in 25hrs 44mins - stripped and into the pool while my wife filled me in on the happenings. Office phone system fried, one computer fried, one UPS (backup power) fried but saved another computer (giving of ones life for another)

Showered, food, changed and at 7.10pm I mount up again. I am short some distance. Very difficult to get back onto a bike after you are home. I have read that before but now understand why it’s a bad idea. Mental gymnastics at its best.

Cooroy to Aspley (near Brisbane) and return will do the trick. 8.25pm I fuel at Aspley and head for home arriving at Cooroy for my final docket at 9.43pm for a total of 2585k in 30hrs 42minutes. If I had not had to stop over at home it would have been just over 28hrs but the BunBurner 2500k is 2500k under 36hrs so I made it and that’s all that matters.

Now I can concentrate on 4430k under 50hrs in January. 50CC Gold here I come.

The answer of the BunBurner Gold 2500k is this. I now know that under the present Australian speed limits, my capabilities and the universe that I am not going to attempt it. It is a 104k average over 2500k, do the sums. This is why I had to know, I started this ride on a BBG time schedule and was going fine. But I wasn't about to lose my licence over it. I am very pleased to have the BB2500k under my belt and the added stats have made my planning for the 50CC Gold easier.

2117k (1315 miles) in 23hrs 37mins - #2 - IBA SS2000k
2533k (1574 miles) in 30hrs 42mins - IBA BB2500k

SS2500k Log File in PDF

There is a lot more road out there and I am going to get me some.