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#11
General Discussion / Re: From the Library
Last post by Biggles - Nov 04, 2025, 02:52 AM"No foreigners allowed." The man at the desk raised his hand, palm outwards, as he spoke. "The town is closed to foreigners."
"What does that mean?" I asked him.
"It means that foreigners are not allowed to stay in this town," he told me. "Only Chinese."
I was usually the one who argued to get us what we wanted when things weren't going our way, but I was exhausted, and as Ted - who speaks flawless Chinese and was our translator as well as our driver - took up the case on our behalf, Colin and I sank onto the floor of the lobby.
A few minutes later, when it had become clear that Ted wasn't getting anywhere and I could feel the last remnants of my energy dripping onto the floor with the rain from my clothes, I suddenly lost it and snapped at the man behind the desk, "Well, we're not leaving. It's dark, we're freezing cold, and it's pouring with rain.
We've been riding for 3 hours in horrible conditions. I'm not getting back on my bike and riding another 100 kilometres to the next town. You don't want to be responsible for my death, do you?"
The Middle Kingdom Ride Colin & Ryan Pyle p92
"What does that mean?" I asked him.
"It means that foreigners are not allowed to stay in this town," he told me. "Only Chinese."
I was usually the one who argued to get us what we wanted when things weren't going our way, but I was exhausted, and as Ted - who speaks flawless Chinese and was our translator as well as our driver - took up the case on our behalf, Colin and I sank onto the floor of the lobby.
A few minutes later, when it had become clear that Ted wasn't getting anywhere and I could feel the last remnants of my energy dripping onto the floor with the rain from my clothes, I suddenly lost it and snapped at the man behind the desk, "Well, we're not leaving. It's dark, we're freezing cold, and it's pouring with rain.
We've been riding for 3 hours in horrible conditions. I'm not getting back on my bike and riding another 100 kilometres to the next town. You don't want to be responsible for my death, do you?"
The Middle Kingdom Ride Colin & Ryan Pyle p92
#12
All Events Calendar / Re: Harrow FarRoad Ride
Last post by Langers - Nov 03, 2025, 04:23 AMWell, in the immortal words of Meatloaf, Two out of Three Ain't Bad.
I left Crafers Friday morning at 12.33pm for a destination of the Werrimull pub that evening via Tailem Bend, Karoonda, Lameroo, Pinnaroo, Paruna, Allawoona, Kingston on Murray, Monash and Renmark. A total of some 560 odd kilometres. The Warrimull pub was excellent, beer a very reasonable $6:50/ Coopers Pale and the meal was likewise very affordable and good. It was meat tray raffle night of coarse and I don't think I've ever been in a pub with 11 meat trays up for grabs on the night.
Bright and early (but not early enough) I rose and headed to Harrow via Redcliffs, Ouyen, Rainbow, Jeparit and Nhill.
It was just out of Nhill that I received a call from Taffy asking if I was on the way. Indeed I said, check in is 12 to 12:30 isn't it? Ummm, no, it's 11.30 to 12 noon.
Oh, well I'll be seeing you for lunch then - a little late. Bugger.
Now, where does Meatloaf come into this (and it wasn't on the menu). I achieved the 1000km in 24hrs (tick), I got to Harrow in my 24hr window (tick), achieving both within the correct time period (bugger).
I'm looking forward to the next challenge and promise I will be a little more observant wrt the rules.
Catching up with fellow riders at Harrow was the highlight and congratulations to Taffey for an excellent destination. Far, far superior to Port Wakefield
I left Crafers Friday morning at 12.33pm for a destination of the Werrimull pub that evening via Tailem Bend, Karoonda, Lameroo, Pinnaroo, Paruna, Allawoona, Kingston on Murray, Monash and Renmark. A total of some 560 odd kilometres. The Warrimull pub was excellent, beer a very reasonable $6:50/ Coopers Pale and the meal was likewise very affordable and good. It was meat tray raffle night of coarse and I don't think I've ever been in a pub with 11 meat trays up for grabs on the night.
Bright and early (but not early enough) I rose and headed to Harrow via Redcliffs, Ouyen, Rainbow, Jeparit and Nhill.
It was just out of Nhill that I received a call from Taffy asking if I was on the way. Indeed I said, check in is 12 to 12:30 isn't it? Ummm, no, it's 11.30 to 12 noon.
Oh, well I'll be seeing you for lunch then - a little late. Bugger.
Now, where does Meatloaf come into this (and it wasn't on the menu). I achieved the 1000km in 24hrs (tick), I got to Harrow in my 24hr window (tick), achieving both within the correct time period (bugger).
I'm looking forward to the next challenge and promise I will be a little more observant wrt the rules.
Catching up with fellow riders at Harrow was the highlight and congratulations to Taffey for an excellent destination. Far, far superior to Port Wakefield
#13
General Discussion / Re: From the Library
Last post by Biggles - Nov 03, 2025, 02:10 AMHe was probably riding at a fairly reasonable speed, but, in my role as big brother, I thought he was going a bit too fast. Colin's more reckless than I am - I don't know if he'd agree with that statement. I'd say that he's a risk-taker, whereas I'm more conservative. It's all relative, I know, and some people might be of the opinion that the fact that it had been my idea to ride motorcycles around China in the first place rather negates any claim I might make to being a conservative man!
Colin does like to move faster; not because he's impatient, he just enjoys pushing the limits more than I do. Or maybe my sense of caution is simply due to the fact that I know China, and I know that even if the road you're travelling on is great, around the next corner there might be no road at all.
Colin had just rounded a corner ahead of me when he hit some loose gravel and then a patch of mud. When I reached the same spot a few seconds later, it was like trying to ride on an ice rink. I only just managed to keep my bike upright, but Colin lost control of his and he went down. You can't use your brakes when you're riding a motorcycle in conditions like that. So I put both my feet down and slid with my bike through the mud. I did use my brakes when I'd stopped sliding, and then I turned the bike around and went back to where Colin was lying on the ground.
"It's okay," Colin called, lifting a gloved hand above his head. "It's okay. I'm fine."
The Middle Kingdom Ride Colin & Ryan Pyle p79-80
Colin does like to move faster; not because he's impatient, he just enjoys pushing the limits more than I do. Or maybe my sense of caution is simply due to the fact that I know China, and I know that even if the road you're travelling on is great, around the next corner there might be no road at all.
Colin had just rounded a corner ahead of me when he hit some loose gravel and then a patch of mud. When I reached the same spot a few seconds later, it was like trying to ride on an ice rink. I only just managed to keep my bike upright, but Colin lost control of his and he went down. You can't use your brakes when you're riding a motorcycle in conditions like that. So I put both my feet down and slid with my bike through the mud. I did use my brakes when I'd stopped sliding, and then I turned the bike around and went back to where Colin was lying on the ground.
"It's okay," Colin called, lifting a gloved hand above his head. "It's okay. I'm fine."
The Middle Kingdom Ride Colin & Ryan Pyle p79-80
#14
General Discussion / Re: From the Library
Last post by Biggles - Nov 02, 2025, 01:30 PMThe riding was exciting but intensely nerve-racking. Neither Colin nor I had ever ridden in conditions like that before, and I could feel the adrenalin pumping as we manoeuvred our bikes through an obstacle course of constantly shifting piles of sludge and rubble that formed on the road for a few seconds before being swept away by the surging water.
The only way to take corners on our bikes was very slowly, which was fortunate, because when we rounded one of them, we came face to face with what at first sight appeared to be the immediate aftermath of some devastating natural disaster. A few cars and trucks had stopped at random angles on the road and alongside it, and at first I couldn't work out what had happened. Then I realized that a huge chunk of the mountain had been dislodged by the cascading water and had come crashing down onto the road, forming a massive mudslide.
The Middle Kingdom Ride Colin & Ryan Pyle p72
The only way to take corners on our bikes was very slowly, which was fortunate, because when we rounded one of them, we came face to face with what at first sight appeared to be the immediate aftermath of some devastating natural disaster. A few cars and trucks had stopped at random angles on the road and alongside it, and at first I couldn't work out what had happened. Then I realized that a huge chunk of the mountain had been dislodged by the cascading water and had come crashing down onto the road, forming a massive mudslide.
The Middle Kingdom Ride Colin & Ryan Pyle p72
#15
All Events Calendar / Re: Harrow FarRoad Ride
Last post by Large 2.0 - Nov 02, 2025, 04:00 AMQuote from: ZigZag on Nov 01, 2025, 08:36 PMAll the better for the humour of the woman behind the bar.
Next Harrow ride could be the "Harrow MoFo" ride.
#16
All Events Calendar / Re: Harrow FarRoad Ride
Last post by ZigZag - Nov 01, 2025, 08:36 PMVery enjoyable catch up at The Hermitage Hotel Harrow. All the better for the humour of the woman behind the bar.
Thanks to Taffey for the organisation and to everyone who came along. Looking forward to the next one.
Dom
Thanks to Taffey for the organisation and to everyone who came along. Looking forward to the next one.
Dom
#17
All Events Calendar / Re: Harrow FarRoad Ride
Last post by Taffey - Nov 01, 2025, 08:29 PMPS Thanks Dave for letting me you were home last night, I hasten to add...
#18
All Events Calendar / Re: Harrow FarRoad Ride
Last post by Taffey - Nov 01, 2025, 08:28 PMJust a quick check in to thank Large for the lovely review and letting us know he was home safe and sound. ZigZag and I are still on tour with what is shaping up to be a wet chase of the Overland back from Melbourne to Adelaide.
It was a great conversation about times past and times future and I look forward to 2026 with some new ideas to try out while keeping absolutely true to the original Davo concept.
Cheers
Taffey
It was a great conversation about times past and times future and I look forward to 2026 with some new ideas to try out while keeping absolutely true to the original Davo concept.
Cheers
Taffey
#19
All Events Calendar / Re: Harrow FarRoad Ride
Last post by Large 2.0 - Nov 01, 2025, 10:19 AMJust got back from the Harrow ride. Left home at 04:00, local servo for docket, Adelaide, SE FWY, Tailem Bend, Pinnaroo, Bordertown, Frances, into Victoria to Harrow via Edenhope.
Great meet up for lunch, told some war stories of LD riding etc, all headed off approx 13:00 local time. I continued south to Casterton and all the way back along the SA/Vic border on the Vic side back to Frances with a quick loop trough Minimay. back into Bordertown and then home.
Irode 1000 done and dusted with 1095 kms done for the day. Great ride, great people and conversation, couple of new faces and great to catch up with Grey Gentry Ron after many years on Marls's old ZZR600.
thanks Taffey for the organise and check in, good day all round
Great meet up for lunch, told some war stories of LD riding etc, all headed off approx 13:00 local time. I continued south to Casterton and all the way back along the SA/Vic border on the Vic side back to Frances with a quick loop trough Minimay. back into Bordertown and then home.
Irode 1000 done and dusted with 1095 kms done for the day. Great ride, great people and conversation, couple of new faces and great to catch up with Grey Gentry Ron after many years on Marls's old ZZR600.
thanks Taffey for the organise and check in, good day all round
#20
General Discussion / Re: From the Library
Last post by Biggles - Oct 31, 2025, 01:54 AMWhen we stopped for the first time on day 3 and were told by an agitated, arm-waving gas-station attendant to park off the forecourt, I didn't know what was going on. Handing us an oversized teapot, complete with handle and spout, the attendant explained that we had to take it to the pump, fill it up with gas, carry it back to our bikes, and then empty its contents into our tanks. Despite it sounding like something dreamed up by bored TV executive for a reality game show, there is a practical reason behind what he was telling us to do. The nozzles on gas pumps in China don't have automatic shut-off, so if you stick one in the small gas tank of a 150cc bike and it overflows, you end up with gas all over your hot motorcycle engine - which would constitute a fire hazard at the best of time, and particularly in a gas station. A car's tank is bigger and the opening to it isn't near the engine. And it's different with an 800cc motorcycle, which has a 16-litre gas tank. But rules are rules in China, and no amount of arguing, explaining, or reasoning could change the guy's mind: If we wanted gas, we had to use the teapot.
The Middle Kingdom Ride Colin & Ryan Pyle p46-7
The Middle Kingdom Ride Colin & Ryan Pyle p46-7