Litespeed

Good you bought some good riding gear for the cold. For summer or any spirited riding, get some actual leather gear ie a jacket, gloves and preferably leather or at least Kevlar lined jeans. Nothing manmade provides the abrasion resistance of quality leather. Cow leather is great but Kangaroo is the absolute gold standard. For gloves, Roo skin is best for thin but tough. Ride by the motto- " better to leave a long dead cows skin on the road than your own".

Beautiful riding weather here in Port Stephens....waters calm, fish biting and a 167 HP steed awaits.

Good luck with the bike. Use the Piano theory for riding and you will be safe, it's worked for 40 years for me. Stay shiny side up.

Mr cash for comment You could trust John to spin anything to advantage himself and make us feel he was the voice of truth. You pay and he will say The blueprint for Alan Jones et al.

Onya bike buddy .. Good to see Stay shiny side up

The seat and peg placement look comfy like some big scooters. Electric bikes are coming but range is a big issue for touring

I note the front end is very similar to my BMW K12r, but with a silly rake angle. Looks cool but not practical, but that's never stopped motorcycles before.

The coffee culture is certainly a uptake of Italian coffee here in Australia. We are now considered one of the premium coffee cultures in the world. Even Americans with taste buds seek the Aussie version as takeaway, so Aussie chains are taking over from Starbucks. In recent food Olympics, Australia was number one for coffee. We also grow premium coffee in northern NSW and southern QLD.

Sympathy for the devil my friend. BMW make the the best big bikes in the world. The smaller ones not so much.. It feels and looks like new, far better condition than me. I have shaved the big grey beard and long silver hair, hopefully they will mistake me for a young hipster..

I just went and bought a new to me Zoot scoot.. BMW K1200R A bit on the slow side with only 163hp.. I promise to ride slowly or at least try officer.. A absolute blast to ride and in fantastic condition except rear diff needs new bearings and seals. Not bad after 121, ooo km, far better than constantly replacing chains and sprockets, which it would consume every 20-30,000 km. When new in 2005 it was the fastest naked Bike on the planet, still looks like a new model. One happy rider and yes, you touch my scoot, I use you as shark bait.

I agree driver training is the answer. My nightmare stretch is the Hay plains, damn dangerous dusk till dawn. I have touched a grey in Blue mountains in a car and a big grey glanced the front wheel down south on BMW bike. No hurt no foul, both were on bush tracks and slow. Us humans have removed vast tree cover ecosystems and replaced it with grasslands and artificial water sources. A perfect Roo environment has been created. It's our fault and we have to live in harmony or at least not conflict with nature. Bounties should be placed for introduced feral animals to totally remove them from the country- the damage they do is extreme. If it does not live on your farm and managed as live stock, it should be culled to zero. That means all goats, cattle, horses, buffalo, camels, pigs, cats, foxes, rabbits, deer, feral dogs etc Dingoes and all other natives must be completely protected as they balance the ecosystem and are native. Limited culling only by professional shooters of Roos for meat, skins and welfare reasons only.. no cowboys or gun junkies. This is a role for a dedicated federal government department with a big workforce on country to implement. The employment, environmental and farm benefits would far outweigh the costs. This should be seen as a national goal and beyond politics but essential to a liveable and sustainable planet. New Zealand is aiming for Zero ferals by 2050. We should do the same.

Sadly no matter how much you take the piss... They are still full of shit

Ben Mendelson also has a interesting background, his father is a famous and lauded scientist. He headed the Florey institute for medical research.

Drove past yesterday, saw a poor bloke on a scooter been lifted away, drained of blood and left like a used condom. Bloody vicious buggers and huge.

Or the Brethren nut jobs insisting they can't vote but campaigning for the LNP