On my Motorcycle Vacation I enjoyed a wonderful visit with my friend Melissa and her family.  While there we had this crazy walk in the rain.  We were drenched but it was great fun.  It was a warm day and a fun way to cool off.  After it finished raining I took this video of the waves on the beach.  The water is the most wonderful color there.  Despite the grey day you can get a glimpse of it as the waves roll in.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Back home I must go. It has been a short but rich visit. I’m really glad I came. I have finally seen so much more of the Aussie countryside and finally caught up with friends.

I have felt so incredibly welcome ay Mel and Marks and am really grateful for such generosity and hospitality. I had only given one day notice of my potential trip and felt so very welcomed. It was a great visit. I hope to make it up this way again soon but fear it may be some time before I have the time to come and where the weather is favourable for such a long motorcycle trip.

The trip back today was uneventful but equally as beautiful. Another great warm day but with been more sun than before. The Princess Highway is really a great road for motorcycle riding. A quicker rout exists via the Hume highway and promises to save a couple hours between Melbourne and Sydney, but it lacks the variety and undulations of the older and more interesting Princess Hwy.

I made today the longer travel day. I left and 9am and finally arrived at Lakes Entrance just before 6pm. Another lovely town, Lakes Entrance seems to have a heritage of fishing. Indeed outside my window are more than 50 fishing boats of various sizes.

I went for a long barefoot walk, did some shopping for dinner supplies, spoke to Nicole whim I kiss very much, and am about to go to bed.

Tomorrow I head back early and should arrive early enough for Nicole and I to enjoy an afternoon together to celebrate Australia day, which is of course a paid day off for us.

We live in a great part of the word.

I will post photos and video in the next couple days.

Today has been a lot of fun!

I sleep well in my comfy bed. I was very pleased to stay in the brand new guest room that Melissa and Mark have just finished building. The bed was very comfortable, and the adjoining private bathroom was really nice. The shower, with all its space and water pressure was an invigorating way to get clean.

After breakfast and a very pleasant visit with family friends who came over for a quick visit, we climbed into the car and went for a drive that took us into the tree-tops!

This was very cool. In a rain forrest about 30 minutes from where Mel and Mark live is a tourist attraction that takes you up into the tree tops using a collection of elevated walkways. It’s a great experience as you walk along above the trees, enjoying the views all around you and learning about the Australian flora.

After our tree top adventure we had a lovely lunch in a restaurant specialising in fine cheese. Then it was off to the local sea-fed lake where we went for a long walk only to get caught in a rain storm! It was great fun. The air was so warm that the rain was a great way to cool off and we felt like kids as we walked amongst the sand dunes and watched the surf. We were completely wet by the time we got back to the car so it was back home to dry off.

Then it was off to dinner on the deck of a pub overlooking the water in. Nearby village, and then back home to enjoy some more conversation and ice wine. It was really lovely!

Then off to bed for another early day of riding.

After going to bed early I was up early on Sunday. I cleaned my Windscreen, dried off the water from the overnight sprinkle of rain, and got ready to go.

The countryside only got better. The weather, while not fantastic for photography was actually really nice for riding. Temps of 24 – 29 under cloudy skies is really quite perfect. Nice and warm even at higher speeds and not too hot from the sun.

The trip was around 350km and I arrived at 2pm. It’s hard to judge driving time on a motorcycle I’ve discovered.

The ride was even more beautiful than the day before. Wonderful winding roads, little towns that all looked inviting, and great weather.

It was great to see my friends and it was great to finally see their place and the surroundings I’ve heard so much about over the years. They live in a gorgeous place overlooking beautiful rolling hill of green grass, hay bails, and palm trees. I never expected Australia to look the way it does. It is not just a big desert. It is an extraordinary collection of plants and animals and a unique world. It all seems prehistoric, and in many ways it is. It isn’t until I’ve had the chance to see more of Australia that it’s really become obvious.

It is very dry in places, but it also has it’s own unique rain forests and areas of rich soil and abundant green plant life.

We had a very pleasant evening catching up, going grocery shopping, and making dinner before settling down for some more good conversation and dessert wine. All very nice indeed.

It was only yesterday when I decided what I would do with my 5 day long weekend. While at work I sent a message to my friend Melissa who lives a little south of Sydney. I asked if she would be open to a rather unexpected visitor from a certain motorcycle rider and she very kindly welcomed me to come visit.

This had been a visit that is long overdue. I had hoped there would be opportunity many months ago but time or money always prevented a visit until now.

So it was with some quick planning that I decided to ride up this weekend. I have from Saturday to Wednesday off, and so it’s really a great opportunity to visit.

I’m Breaking up the ride I to two days. Today was day one. The ride today covered about 650km.

It had been really great to get out of the city properly and see some of the Australian countryside. All of the riding I have been able to do so far has been very similar. I’ve been amazed by the consistency of the scenery around Melbourne. Not only does one town look very much like another, but the streets, vegetation and general atmosphere are shockingly similar. Of course the destinations each have their own uniqueness, the varied scenery so close to the doorstep of Vancouver living can not be easily found in Melbourne.

I chose to ride the entire route up to Sydney along the Princess Highway. The Princess Highway is part of a network of highways collectively called highway number 1 (sound familiar?) Highway 1 is a network of highways that circumnavigate the Australian continent, joining all mainland state capitals. At a total length of approximately 14,500 km (9,000 mi) it is the longest national highway in the world, longer than the Trans-Siberian Highway (over 11,000 km [6,800 mi]) and the Trans-Canada Highway (8,030 km [4,990 mi]).

Last night I installed a USB power socket in order to be able to charge my iPhone on the road, as well as LED lighting in the glove boxes. The bike is now officially finished – just in time for the first long trip!

I got up at 6.30am this morning, quickly packed, and then went to the grocery store to buy some snacks for the road. I set off at exactly 9:15 with a planned arrival for a rest stop around 5pm.

The first hour and a half were spent making my way out of the suburbs of Melbourne. I then promptly hit colder and wetter weather for the next couple of hours. The scenery doesn’t change much as one winds ones way east. Once I headed north, however, things started to get more interesting. Finally I hit the scenery I was hoping for. The sun came out for a while and the boring sameness of the morning opened up to beautiful winding roads sandwiched in between beautiful rolling hills of sheep, goats, and cows. This gave way to hours of delicious riding through Australian rain forrest. Beautiful scenery to say the least, and really satisfying riding. Despite a very long ride, I arrived at 5:13 not feeling nearly as spent as I thought I would be. It’s so great to be back on my bike and riding again. It feels so great to be able to explore a new country. It feels so great t be on a little adventure.

I had planned to tent for the night but after not having any luck with making a booking and increasing cloud, I decided that I would try and find a motel. I found a good deal on a nice room. It’s right in the middle of the side side town of Merimbula. Merimbula sits right in the corner of two lakes and right on the edge of the Tasman Sea. The motel is unusual in terms of the Canadian standard but very nice. There is a little mini kitchen area including a fridge and microwave. Strangely no air conditioning but the night is not too warm for that to be a problem.

Merimbula is a coastal town on the Far South Coast or Sapphire Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is called the Sappire Coast due to the amazingly deep blue of the ocean. Merimbula has a population of about 4000 people. It serves predominantly as a tourist town. Merimbula is Aboriginal for ‘two lakes’

Tomorrow morning I’ll be off for the reminder of the ride. I have done the majority today with only about 350km left tomorrow. Not sure if I’ll have a chance to make it j to Sydney itself on this trip, but it has already been worth it and there is so much more to enjoy!

Off for an early night of sleep.

Price
Price: $8450 OBO
Don’t forget to look at the amazing list of additional and standard features!  This is not an ordinary scooter or bike!

Call: 604.837.5794 (please note, emails can often be returned much faster than phone calls)
Skype: al.gauthier
email: al@motorcycleadventures.info

Why am I selling?
Some time in the summer of of 2010 we are moving to Australia.  Because of this I need to sell my loved Burgman. In fact, once we get to Australia, I’ll be buying another Burgman 650 and adding on all of the accessories I’ve added here.  It’s my perfect machine.

I spent months researching the Burgman.  I wanted something I could commute with that had enough space to carry groceries and my laptop, and it had to have enough space to go on long camping vacations with my wife and our friends.  The Burgman 650 does everything in comfort and style.

I have used the Burman to commute, to shop, and for wonderful vacations to Nelson, BC.  It is super comfortable for the long rides, and has more capacity for storage than my wife’s BMW!  It it easy to maneuver in traffic and in town, and capable to carve the curves on the highway. It is fun, comfortable, capable, safe, and so enjoyable with all the additions.  You can listen to music while you wait in traffic, and talk with your friends when you ride together.  You can even charge your cell phone while you go.  It is the perfect ride!

After buying the Burman, I added a long list of accessories to make this the perfect machine.  Everything I bought is included in this huge package.  Here are the details:

Photos from my rides

Standard Features for the Executive:

Comfort
- Large comfortable seats, both with backrests, are comfortable for long and short trips
- Upright seating position for comfortable ride

Storage
- 62 Liter lighted and locked under-seat seat storage
- Locked from glove box with accessory outlet (charge your phone etc)
- Two additional storage compartments left and right

Safety
- ABS Breaks
- Twin Disk Breaks in Front
- Disk Breaks in Rear
- Electronically controlled Windscreen (control the height for your comfort)
- Safety lock covers key-hole when not in use
- Large Folding Mirrors make seeing traffic easy
- Large left and right headlights are both always on
- Front mirror mounted signal lights are large and easy to see

Transmission
- Fully Electronic / Automatic Transmission
- Power button favors quick, effortless acceleration
- “Manual Mode’ allows you to control the transmission settings between 1st and 5th gear using up and down buttons on the handlebar

Engine
The large 650cc fuel injected engine is powerful and responsive.

Other Controls / Instruments
- High-beam “passing” button
- High-beam/low-beam switch
- Up and Down control for windscreen position
- Hazard lights button
- Fold-in Mirrors position button
- Digital Temperature (accurate)
- Odometer with A/B memory
- Fuel Consumption meter (displays in km/litre or Litres/100km)
- Clock
- Grear indicators / trouble lights on dash
- Electronic service indicators

Additional Free Accessories
After buying my Burman, I wanted to add those few things that would make it perfect for our camping trips.  All of these extras are included and represent over $2000 of additional installations.
- Givi Windscreen – Adds width and high to make the ride virtually wind-free and quite
- Starcom1 communications system – This system adds the ability to listen to music while you ride, and to communicate with your friends while you ride.
- Communications system includes 2 long-range FRS radios with rechargeable batteries and charging dock
- Additional connection for pillion communication
- Installed music connection inside left storage compartment to connect your favorite music player to the sound system
- Installed iPod charging system inside left storage compartment
- Installed connection for communication system above glove-box for easy connection
- Installed Alarm System (includes two small multifunction remotes with blue back-light). Alarm system includes shock, tilt, and proximity sensor with easy configuration options. Lights flash when alarm is armed/disarmed.  Quite mode allows arming and disarming with no sound from remote.
- RAM mount system for use with RAM accessories.
- GPS navigation – with custom RAM mount arm, and power connection
- Powerlet plug installation.  Used for GPS, however can be used for heated clothing or other accessories.
- Installed Battery tender Connection – easily keep your battery in perfect condition when bike not in use for long periods of time
- Battery Tender device included
- Suzuki luggage bolts to easily use back seat for storage

Brakes Front	Disc brake, twin
Brakes Rear	Disc brake
Color	Black, White
Curb Weight	277 kg (611 lbs)
Final Drive	Gear Drive
Fuel Tank Capacity	15.0 L (4.0/3.3 US/Imp gal)
Ground Clearance	130 mm (5.1 in)
Overall Length	2260 mm (89.0 in)
Overall Width	810 mm (31.9 in)
Seat Height	750 mm (29.5 in)
Suspension Front	Telecsopic, coil spring, oil damped
Suspension Rear	Swingarm type, coil spring, oil damped
Tires Front	120/70R15M/C 56H, tubeless
Tires Rear	160/60R14M/C 65H, tubeless
Transmission	Automatic & Manual Shift
Wheelbase	1595 mm (62.8 in)

Today we began a two-day trip following more of the Selkirk Loops.  The Selkirk loop is a series of highways with beautiful scenery, specifically marketed to motorcyclists, that winds its way up from Nelson to Balfour, over Kootney lake by ferry (the part that we rode yesterday) and then down into Idaho. Going through Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint, and Priest River.  As it enters Washington it passes through Newport and then winds its way through several smaller towns before entering Canada again.  Along the way they have marked out many “super side-trips” to extend the loop, and therefore your stay in the various areas – spending money as you go!

The Selkirk Loop Map

We decided to go south from Nelson down to Highway 3, and then west to Creston, before going south into Idaho.   We stopped at Bonners Ferry for a stretch.  Bonners Ferry as it turns out, was named after a ferry that used to run in this little town.  We payed a visit to the information center and picked up a list of camp sites in Idaho.  Then we were on our way again.

The ride was beautiful.  The gentle curves carried us through beautiful agricultural land and treed forests.  It was, however, not the sort of twisty motorcycle wonderland that we had hoped for.  In comparison to the ride the day before, it couldn’t have been more plain.  It was a short ride however, and within 1.5 hours of crossing the boarder we were already in Sandpoint.   We stopped at a gas station to orientate ourselves (that is to say our wonder-navigator Nicole was orientating herself).  As we looked over the map a friendly over-helpful gentleman came to our “rescue” pointing us in various directions for good camping.  As it turned out, campsites were quite hard to find, and despite our maps and my GPS, we couldn’t locate anything.  We decided to follow the instructions of the old fellow and headed over a bridge.  We found the campsite without any trouble but it was already full for the night.

I had a very poor sleep the night previously, and had mounted a campaign to stay in a motel for the night.  I was afraid that if I did not get a good nights’ sleep, I would be unsafe to ride the next day, and being so grumpy, would probably be banned from the group anyway   Everyone was hungry and tired of looking for a campsite anyway, so we found a smoky greesy spoon for lunch, and started to look for a motel.

Nicole was wonderful, standing outside the restaurant on a pay-phone trying to make us reservations so that we had some options.  In the end we stopped at a Days Inn, right next to the motel we had reserved.  I went in and talked them down to the price of the Motel 6, and since it was a nicer place, we stayed there for the night.

By now it was after 4pm and we hadn’t even gone into Sandpoint to explore.  We quickly unpacked and ran back out the door to explore.  Sandpoint is a cute little town, though lacking all character.  The shops were the standard type of shop you would find in a small touristy town.  One shop had the largest crystal I have ever seen.  It stood taller than us, and sad in the window just inside the shop.  (see photo).

We looked into several stores, and then found directions to the beach.  We had been hot all day, and were looking forward to jumping in some cool water.

The beach was no disappointment.  Wonderful clean sand on a crescent-shaped beach overlooking wonderful clear lake water.  Perfect!  Eryk and Michelle, who had been enjoying the shops on thier own, met us there by chance, and we all enjoyed playing in the water.  It was a wonderful way to cool off and enjoy the late afternoon.

For dinner we found an all-American style restaurant complete with salad bar.  The dinner choices included such meat combinations as steak and fish, and lobster and steak.  The salad bar came with the meal, and while fresh, was a very sorry excuse for a salad bar.  There were no cucumbers, no red or green peppers, and no carrots.  A couple of the vegetables came pickled.  In true American style, there were at least 8 different high-calorie dressing options.

I had the fish and chips as most of dinner options were heavily coated in dairy products.  Even my “safe” option came with a large helping of butter soaked beans.  Michelle enjoyed an alfredo pasta that had the meat taken out of it.  The chef had suggested that she go to the salad bar and bring back whatever vegetables she would like to add into her pasta.  Either the chef had no idea what was at the salad bar, or had no idea that lettuce and pickled beats might not be good additions to her Alfredo sauce.

We had great conversation and despite missing the quality of the Vancouver food we are so used to, the atmosphere was just what I was looking for.  We were after all on vacation, and visiting an restaurant like this just had to be part of the American experience.

After dinner I insisted that we stop and have a piece of pie next door at a restaurant that was apparently famous for their pie. My fresh strawberry pie wasn’t what I expected.  It was much smaller than the American standard.  It was essentially a pie bottom, into which strawberries had been laid, and then covered in a jello-like substance.  I enjoyed it non-the-less, and again it was a fun experience.

After all that food it was time to go back to our motel. I had left the air conditioner on full when we left, and by the time we got back it was as cold as a fridge.  We enjoyed the queen-sized beds, watched some TV, and then went to sleep.

We had a nice walk around Harrison, took a look at the art exhibit, and then went back.

It was a wonderful warm day, sunny with a few clouds.  Perfect day!!!

Sorry, no photos today

Afterward we went into town, and watched the new Star Trek movie. It was great! It was funny, with great action, a reasonably good storey line, better than average acting, and some great special effects. The best part was how much the movie enjoyed making fun of the old Star Trek. It was a refreshing change… It’s worth seeing, and probably even worth seeing in the theater.