The Lions TT

[emptysea]

Maybe you have already done so and I just missed it, but can you explain (or re-explain) rules for this TT? Are the roads closed to other traffic? Do you register to ride? Is there a fee? I don't know of any similar event in the US that isn't eaither a professional race or an underground gathering (usually of sport bikes).

[Rick Froscheiser_imp]

Very good pictures and stories for each day. Thanks for sharing with us!
Ride safe my friend

[Cormanus]

Looks to me like the red CB750 might have some sort of oil cooler. Did later models have that?

LionsTT—history and rules

EmptySea, I don't think I have explained the rules. Forgive me if it's a bit long winded, but I think there's a story worth telling. As some of it is speculative on my part, you may want to skip it and go straight to [url=http://lionstt.com/the-lions-tt/]the organisers' website. However, I suspect their explanation is artfully constructed with a couple of ends in mind, affecting how they tell the story.

I think I mentioned in my report on the Founders ride back in July that the Lions Road created a path over the Queensland-New South Wales border by joining two existing roads. Construction was paid for and organised by two Lions Clubs—one in NSW; the other in Queensland—when the state governments declined to come up with the money. Hence the name. The road, although a public road, continues to be maintained by donation. There may also be some local government input, but I really have no idea about that. It's scenic, twists and turns, has erratic surfaces and is seen by many bikers as a hell of a lot of fun. Pterodactyl would say, I suspect, that his enjoyment is marred by the lack of a centreline which means you have no idea where on the road cars will be when you steam around a corner.

The organisers of the event proposed to the two councils (local governments) that they agree to the closure of the Lions Road for two days to enable motorcyclists to ride it from north to south free of the danger of meeting oncoming traffic. I suspect their long-term plan has always been to get the thing going, garner some support for it and then convert it into a time trial. However here was none of that this year: it was made abundantly clear to us that we were to adhere to all the road rules and would be individually liable for any breach of them. Notwithstanding that, there was no sign of NSW police on any of the section of the road on which the event eventually ran and I suspect many riders took it at speeds far in excess of any posted speed limit. More on that in a later part of the report.

So, the answers to your specific questions are:
[li]The section of the road on which the event was run was closed to all other traffic between 1000 and 1600 on the two days of the event meaning participants had only to worry about being overtaken or overtaking as the case may be.[/li] [li]Riders had to register and sign disclaimers exempting the organisers from any responsibility, obey marshals' instructions and agreeing to comply with the applicable road rules.[/li] [li]Yes there was a fee. For non founder members it ended up being AU$179 for a weekend package which meant you could have up to two rides a day on the closed off road on each of the two days. It was AU$99 for a single day. The prices were originally AU$220 and AU$150 respectively. It was less for founder members. Any surplus funds are to be donated to the upkeep of the Lions Road.
[/li]
There were riders of varying abilities there and we had to self-select where we would fit in the scheme of things. Pterodactyl kindly chose to 'downskill' for the weekend to keep me company. There were lots of people who at least looked like they knew what they were doing and were really going to give it a shot. I did not want to be in their way!

If you look at the website, you'll see they also tried to organise some timed drags in the street at Kyogle. They couldn't pull of the necessary police permit in time and so ran some untimed runs on the airstrip in a nearby town. Given a better understanding of what they need to do, they may well get the requisite approvals for next year.

On final morning just before heading for home, my breakfast was served to me by the mayor of the Kyogle Council. She told me she was very angry with the Queensland Police for refusing permission to close the road. I didn't say it in the earlier post, but the rejection occurred far too late for there to be any chance of an appeal. She told me the NSW police were happy with the event and the local council was delighted by it. My suspicion is that the event may well always struggle to get approval from the Queensland Police. I also suspect the organisers will struggle to get either State to agree to a full-on time trial, for the simple reason that the event occurs on a public road. It might well have the unintended consequence of limiting participation to people with some sort of racing certificate. But we'll see.

For my part that's not an issue. I'll go again. It's a fun festival and it's great to ride a road, however difficult it's construction and surface, where you can be confident you won't come around a corner and meet a SUV coming towards you on the wrong side of the road.

I hope that answers your questions.

[emptysea]

Thanks! Really interesting concept for an event.

[Cormanus]

Day 4: Lions TT Day 2

299 kms

I woke to the sound of rain on my tent. It stopped. Whew, I thought. It started again, but gently, so I pulled on my jacket, went outside, sat under a tree and made a cup of tea while I contemplated what the day might hold.

In the background to this photo you can see a structure with cars and tents underneath it. On the first two nights, Pterodactyl and I parked our bikes there. Irritatingly, it quickly filled up with tents—apparently some tents in Australia work only if erected under a more substantial roof.

Luckily it didn’t look like the rain would last too long as a rip along a wet Lions Road was not really appealing. I engaged in a lugubrious discussion with the bloke in a tent nearby. He was dead serious about riding as quickly as he could and wasn’t at all interested if it was going to be wet.

The rain duly cleared and we had another great ride to Rathdowney—that stretch of the Mt Lindesay Highway is really a great ride—arriving in time to hear the end of the morning briefing. In time, the first batch of riders set out towards the start and then, for a very long time, nothing much happened at all.

Eventually we were asked to convene for another briefing. We learned that a rider had left the road after a minor turn breaking an arm or a leg. They were waiting for the ambulance to get there before getting things underway again.

We waited some more. Then we learned the Queensland Police were investigating the accident—why, when it occurred in NSW, I still haven’t figured—and had recommended to the organisers that they cancel the rest of the event. We were told we were welcome to hang around so we could ride back over the Lions Road later in the day.

Much later, in the pub, we learned that a bloke on an MV Augusta was going like a bat out of hell, misjudged a ‘slight’ corner and hit a fence. He totalled the bike—bringing to three the number of expensive bikes he’d totalled in the past 12 months or so—and ended up in a paddock with a broken limb. Fortunately he was not badly hurt. I still can’t quite figure why the Queensland Police would make a ‘strong’ recommendation to the organisers to cancel the rest of the day. However, I think the organisers made a difficult and wise tactical decision in what will be an ongoing argument about the future of the event.

We also learned that two groups of riders had got through. A savvy bunch got up very early and rode to the border up the Lions Rd before it closed. They’d got in an excellent (and rapid) ride before the rider in the second group brought the whole thing to an end.

Waiting …






That 250 again …


Meanwhile, back to the starting point, Pterodactyl and I decided to clear out and do something else with the afternoon.

So off we set to Boonah where we ate before riding back to Kyogle via Beaudesert, the Mt Lindesay Highway and the Summerland Way. Again. But, hey, it’s a fantastic road. So, too is the Rathdowney-Boonah Road and the faster but mildly entertaining stretch from Boonah to Beaudesert.

[url=https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zwzS5Q1Lo7Yk.kr0vm9AloKwA]

By the time we got home it was pretty much time to change and head out to the Commercial Hotel for dinner, a catch up with fellow riders. But, even more important than that, we had to watch the Rugby League grand final on the TV. Luckily for us, pretty much everyone else in the place was going for Pterodactyl’s team, the Rabbitohs. Mercifully, they won.

[Ridem32_imp]

Very nice ride report and great pics! Glad you did the write up and not pterodactyl LOL. The red 750 is a very early model note: the petcock on the right side of tank and the emblems on the side covers. The oil cooler is not OEM honda it's a aftermarket add on or a oil cooler from a later model honda.

[Cormanus]

Day 4: Kyogle to Pomona

301 kms
[url=https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zwzS5Q1Lo7Yk.kAhOZe1LT2W0]

It was Monday morning. We were up early and packed up. Pterodactyl was heading south and I north on a mission to head south again on Wednesday morning. I wasn’t going to hang about as I had to wash my gear, get the bike serviced, drive my wife to the airport and get back in the saddle again to be in Sydney for the following weekend.

Sadly—no, not really—the quickest route is north across the Lions Road. Off I went, reminding myself that there would be cars on it this time. It was a glorious day and a lovely ride. I was quickly off the Lions Road and onto quick commuter roads which had me home by lunch time. I clocked a total of 1,467 kms for the weekend.

Here are some photos of the ride.


The point at which the TT finished


You can see the road snaking away in the background


A Lions Rd bridge


Care’s needed. The dappled light often makes it hard to see places where the surface is bad


Just after this, there is a section that undulates in a way that, if you take it quickly, makes it feel a hell of a lot like you’re on the CB riding a roller coaster


An ever-present hazard on the Lions Rd


This was quite a trailer to haul


It was the final day of a long weekend and I was definitely heading the right way


Early the next day the bike went down the road for a 24,000 km service (slightly prematurely as I’d done only just over 23,000 kms). All as well, the valves were in spec, but I was warned the rear tyre was nearing the end of its life. Later that day I drove my wife and her friend to Brisbane to catch a plane before heading home to pack and fall into bed.

In the morning I would be off for the best part of a month on a journey that would take me through four Australian states. But that’s another story.

[Pterodactyl_imp]

Well done mate.

Cheers, and I am forced to agree with Ridem.

[Cormanus]

Thankyou, but I think that's sloth on your part and that Ridem should explain himself.

[The Spaceman_imp]

That is such a cool event. There's nothing like it in my area. The ride itself, let alone riders organized enough to pull of a road project...it just doesn't happen here.

At least I can enjoy it vicariously.