Brindabella exploring

kapitaal · 06-25-2006, 05:43 PM

After completing the NSW Offorad training course last weekend I thought I should get out there and practice a few of the skills we learnt, ie. skids and wheelies. I moved to Canberra a little over 3 years ago and ever since, the Brindabellas have beckoned for riding trips, but being new to bikes I've been quite cautious in my forays so far.

So with the confidence of my new MT21s underneath me I picked a point off in the hills and set out yesterday afternoon. My intended destination was McIntyres Hut (S35 15.949 E148 44.275) and reports on the net indicated that the tracks are steep. It seems like a pretty popular 4wd destination but being so cold at the moment I didn't expect there to be much traffic. Wrong. Bikes and Nissan Patrols everywhere. At least there'd be someone to pick up the pieces if I come to grief!

I rode up to Picadilly Circus and headed off towards Brindabella.

I wasn't sure what the name of the track I needed to turn off on was but this one was a likely candidate.

The track started getting steeper and steeper and soon I was hanging way back and trying not to lauch off the huge water bars. At the bottom I came to Flea Creek and crossed a couple of water crossings and found an awesome little area by the Goodradigbee river. I'll definately be back here for a swim and fish next summer.

I spoke to a couple of guys on trail bikes and they said it was still a fair way to the Hut and it was starting to get late so I thought I'd ride on for another half hour and see how far I got.

I decided that I'd come back another day with a bit more time up my sleeve and maybe some extra fuel in case my estimations were wrong. So I turned around and headed back down the ridge to Flea Creek then back to Picadilly Circus.

There are a couple of Power line trails leading off form this area so I took a look and found a seriously rutted and muddy uphill around the corner.

There's no way I would have attempted this a month before but I made it to the top without dropping it and was so excited I had to take another picture looking down the slop.

Should I keep going...why not.

The track wound down and around the other side of the hill and provides access to the power lines strung across the valley. I knew this track would eventually come out on the main road so I kept on going.

I decided to leave while I was still alive and headed back down the hill towards home...where to next weekend.

Lewy · 06-25-2006, 06:07 PM

I think when it warms up I might have to go for a ride out that way.

Nice report

2whlrcr · 06-25-2006, 06:08 PM

Another neat looking bike we can't get in the U.S. What is it? Honda 650 with dual pipes? Is the high front fender standard? How much fuel does it hold?

kapitaal · 06-25-2006, 06:18 PM

2whlrcr - the bike (Honda NX650 Dominator) is available in the US but I'm not sure which years they where produced, mine's a 95. The high guard isn't standard and I had to make some spacers so it didn't interfere with the faring. I thought it might create some problems at speed but at 100kmph it feels solid. The tank is only 16 litres and aftermarket tanks are pretty scarce.

kapitaal · 06-25-2006, 06:29 PM

LC8Lewy - let me know when you're in town and we can hook up for a ride. Hopefully I should have a few more trails reccie'd by then as well.

Eaglebeak · 06-25-2006, 07:01 PM

Capital report Kapitaal !

Always liked the Dominators, yours looks in nice condition.

Andrew Linton.

GB · 06-25-2006, 07:18 PM

Nice

Pezz_gs · 06-25-2006, 07:30 PM

Kapitaal

Great pics and the Domi looks nice . . . almost a stealth Domi

Well done. You can post other reports . . . . .

Pezz :)

Lewy · 06-25-2006, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kapitaal

LC8Lewy - let me know when you're in town and we can hook up for a ride. Hopefully I should have a few more trails reccie'd by then as well.

Will do.

Gonz · 06-25-2006, 09:12 PM

Ditto on the nice report comment.

Lefty · 06-26-2006, 12:15 AM

Nice looking bike. I really like that high fender, they should all look like that.

davorallyfan · 06-26-2006, 03:16 AM

Onyah top first report

Top of Mt Corees pretty nice too!

HumanOne · 06-26-2006, 03:19 AM

Nice report and great photos Kapitaal. No wonder the Brindabellas were beckoning you to explore them. Looks like a nice place to ride!

Good Skills!

H1

Paves · 06-26-2006, 06:55 AM

Good one.

I think I need to do one of those courses (might teach me not to fall over every ride

)

Jaqhammar · 09-11-2006, 01:42 AM

Great photos Kapitol.

I have heard of the Brindabellas but not ridden that area...I shall do so this summer.

06-25-2006, 05:43 PM	#1
kapitaal ^OP Lost Joined: Oct 2005 Location: Canberra, Australia Oddometer: 80	Brindabella exploring After completing the NSW Offorad training course last weekend I thought I should get out there and practice a few of the skills we learnt, ie. skids and wheelies. I moved to Canberra a little over 3 years ago and ever since, the Brindabellas have beckoned for riding trips, but being new to bikes I've been quite cautious in my forays so far. So with the confidence of my new MT21s underneath me I picked a point off in the hills and set out yesterday afternoon. My intended destination was McIntyres Hut (S35 15.949 E148 44.275) and reports on the net indicated that the tracks are steep. It seems like a pretty popular 4wd destination but being so cold at the moment I didn't expect there to be much traffic. Wrong. Bikes and Nissan Patrols everywhere. At least there'd be someone to pick up the pieces if I come to grief! I rode up to Picadilly Circus and headed off towards Brindabella. I wasn't sure what the name of the track I needed to turn off on was but this one was a likely candidate. The track started getting steeper and steeper and soon I was hanging way back and trying not to lauch off the huge water bars. At the bottom I came to Flea Creek and crossed a couple of water crossings and found an awesome little area by the Goodradigbee river. I'll definately be back here for a swim and fish next summer. I spoke to a couple of guys on trail bikes and they said it was still a fair way to the Hut and it was starting to get late so I thought I'd ride on for another half hour and see how far I got. I decided that I'd come back another day with a bit more time up my sleeve and maybe some extra fuel in case my estimations were wrong. So I turned around and headed back down the ridge to Flea Creek then back to Picadilly Circus. There are a couple of Power line trails leading off form this area so I took a look and found a seriously rutted and muddy uphill around the corner. There's no way I would have attempted this a month before but I made it to the top without dropping it and was so excited I had to take another picture looking down the slop. Should I keep going...why not. The track wound down and around the other side of the hill and provides access to the power lines strung across the valley. I knew this track would eventually come out on the main road so I kept on going. I decided to leave while I was still alive and headed back down the hill towards home...where to next weekend.

06-25-2006, 07:30 PM	#8
Pezz_gs Cant ride for crap Joined: Nov 2004 Location: Sydney Skunkworks Oddometer: 3,382	Kapitaal Great pics and the Domi looks nice . . . almost a stealth Domi Well done. You can post other reports . . . . . Pezz :) __________________ Pezz :) Scrapheap Adventure Ride 2013 - Back 'O Bourke www.scrapheapadventureride.com.au I'm not a complete idiot -- Some parts are missing

06-25-2006, 09:12 PM	#10
Gonz BMW Bike Bum Joined: May 2002 Location: Dubbo NSW Oddometer: 756	Ditto on the nice report comment. __________________ If in doubt, give it a clout.. The bigger the doubt, the bigger the clout!!

06-26-2006, 12:15 AM	#11
Lefty Adventurer Joined: Jul 2005 Location: Wermland, Sweden Oddometer: 45	Nice looking bike. I really like that high fender, they should all look like that. __________________ Nothing is better than eternal happines. A ham sandwich is better than nothing. Therefore, a ham sandwich is better than eternal happines.

06-26-2006, 03:19 AM	#13
HumanOne shows Nomadic tendencies Joined: Oct 2005 Location: occassionally Adelaide, South Australia :-) Oddometer: 1,231	Noice! Nice report and great photos Kapitaal. No wonder the Brindabellas were beckoning you to explore them. Looks like a nice place to ride! Good Skills! H1 __________________ "The more we are focussed on time - Past and Future - the more we miss "now" - the most precious thing there is!"

06-25-2006, 06:07 PM	#2
Lewy Minus the LC8 Joined: Feb 2006 Location: South Coast, NSW, Strayla Oddometer: 1,831	I think when it warms up I might have to go for a ride out that way. Nice report

06-25-2006, 06:08 PM	#3
2whlrcr gooligan Joined: Jan 2005 Location: Dubuque, Iowa Oddometer: 4,316	Another neat looking bike we can't get in the U.S. What is it? Honda 650 with dual pipes? Is the high front fender standard? How much fuel does it hold?

06-25-2006, 06:18 PM	#4
kapitaal ^OP Lost Joined: Oct 2005 Location: Canberra, Australia Oddometer: 80	2whlrcr - the bike (Honda NX650 Dominator) is available in the US but I'm not sure which years they where produced, mine's a 95. The high guard isn't standard and I had to make some spacers so it didn't interfere with the faring. I thought it might create some problems at speed but at 100kmph it feels solid. The tank is only 16 litres and aftermarket tanks are pretty scarce.

06-25-2006, 06:29 PM	#5
kapitaal ^OP Lost Joined: Oct 2005 Location: Canberra, Australia Oddometer: 80	LC8Lewy - let me know when you're in town and we can hook up for a ride. Hopefully I should have a few more trails reccie'd by then as well.

06-25-2006, 07:01 PM	#6
Eaglebeak Aussie BM rider, West Oz. Joined: Jun 2005 Location: Perth. Oddometer: 1,722	Capital report Kapitaal ! Always liked the Dominators, yours looks in nice condition. Andrew Linton.

06-25-2006, 07:18 PM	#7
GB Mod Squad Joined: Aug 2002 Location: Toronto, ON Oddometer: 53,461	Nice

06-26-2006, 03:16 AM	#12
davorallyfan Commonist Joined: May 2005 Location: Capitalist Oddometer: 14,127	Onyah top first report Top of Mt Corees pretty nice too!

06-26-2006, 06:55 AM	#14
Paves Beetrt/liver sausage Joined: Apr 2006 Location: Mount Helena, Perth Hills Oddometer: 1,647	Good one. I think I need to do one of those courses (might teach me not to fall over every ride ) __________________ What's that you have in your eye? Oohh! it's nothing but a sparkle "All the freaky people make the beauty in the world" - Michael Franty. Weird, odd and proud of it

09-11-2006, 01:42 AM	#15
Jaqhammar Hooligan Joined: May 2005 Location: Sydney, Australia. Oddometer: 2,726	Great photos Kapitol. I have heard of the Brindabellas but not ridden that area...I shall do so this summer.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: .
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode