Friday July 22
We pack the bikes and have an early breakfast, next thing there are half a dozen Blue knights bikes out the front to help escort us out of town – or to make sure we leave! We gear up and head for the nearest freeway. The tyre pressure indicator on my bike starts flashing low pressure in the rear so we need to pull off and check it out. Some fancy manoeuvres through the early morning traffic get me to the nearest service station. The tyre is down to 22psi. No problem, I think, just re-inflate it and see what happens. First problem. The tyre fitters have replace the tubeless valve in the rim with a metal one, which is great, but on the bike, the hub is too close to the rim and I can’t fit the service station pump onto the valve! I break out my mini compressor much to the amusement of a couple of Blue Knights. It does the job and the tyre holds 42psi – it must have just been underinflated. I keep a close eye on the pressures via the dash read out but it doesn’t change, all okay.
We fuel up at Northam and say our goodbyes to the Blue Knights, they are really great guys and girls and made us feel so welcome in Perth. We make good time as we head North East. We take a break at Southern Cross and decide to have lunch. The place we choose has a couple of Harley’s parked outside. As we enter I notice there are three Gypsy Jokers OMCG’s with a girl inside. No dramas, they head off shortly afterwards heading towards Kalgoorlie. I have no issues with anyone who wants to ride a motorcycle but each to their own.
We have a great run South on the Eastern Highway through the undulating hills heading into Norseman and our digs for the night.
750 Kays for the day.
Saturday July 23
It’s up early and a 7.30am start, with the sun, it’s too dangerous to leave earlier due to the ‘roos and other wildlife. We are heading for the WA border town of Eucla. It’s a beautiful morning with a nice bite to the air. The only wild life we see is a bout 30 Emus pecking away – they are stupid creatures and liable to run in any direction if spooked. Some stick their heads up but don’t move in our direction. We pump out the kays and make good time, getting into Eucla early enough to go for a ride down to the old Telegraph post for some photos before a mist rolls in from the Great Australian Bight, blanketing everything in a thick fog.