I spent the next 3 years working in Norwich, and considering what I would do next-the trip in Australia was good but what I would have liked to do was to return using a sponsored bike, perhaps on a specified route chosen by the sponsoring company.

 

The bike arrived in Norwich in March 1977, and I began working on it, fitting new parts in order to get it looking better. It was then that I finally found out why I had so many punctures…. This was due to the inner wall of the front tyre being split but it was hard to find as the canvas was intact. Every time the front wheel hit a bump or pothole it pinched the tyre and damaged the inner-tube.

 

Also during this time I had to get the bike an MoT (Ministry of Transport Test) and as I was taking it to the dealers in 1978 I had the cylinder head gasket blow and it started to exhaust though the gasket the hot air blew near my left leg and it made it hard to ride-it also made quite a noise!

 

The motorcycle dealer removed the cylinder head and barrel once the cam follower were also removed the problem was easily seen. The left exhaust cam lobe had worn almost round not allowing the valve to lift open.

This problem meant a major engine rebuild by a motorcycle shop in Norwich. I used the Norton for some time after that but was not really happy with the work done.

 

In the mean time I gave the bike a total strip down and checked all parts and while doing this I found remains of locusts-I would have not believed they could have been there all this time and this souvenir of Australia got me going again-I really wanted to return for another trip.

 

 

 

 

However I still thought the way to go was to try to get Triumph or somebody to supply a bike. At this time I spoke to Hesketh but although they were quite interested they really did not have the financial support to do it. I also wrote to Heron Suzuki, Rickman the frame makers and also Norton but they were no longer manufacturing motorcycles.

 

Next I wrote to the editor of the Daily Mirror Newspaper and they came up with the idea of using the Norton again and go for parts sponsorship. In the end this was what I did.

 

This time I knew what the bike needed to make it a better trip so I wrote letters to various people and some helped out. I sent loads of letters out and many replies came back saying ‘sorry we can not help as our budget is at its limit’ but they all wished me goodluck.

 

These companies helped me in the following ways:-

I got my first offer in November 1980 from CIBIE who said they would supply better lighting for me and also airhorns.

 

Next was Kangol who said they would supply me with a helmet. I gave my size and asked for a Mike Hailwood replica.

Then J.W.E. Banks and Sons supplied me with Koni shock absorbers

 

Avon gave me discount on tyres.

 

Amal said they would look at my carburetters and when they checked them out said the interiors were worn too badly, so they replaced them free of charge and supplied me with the spares to carry me through the next trip.

 

Boyer Brandsden gave me discount on an electronic ignition which saved a lot of time setting up points and replacing them.

 

Craven supplied me with a drum bag and throw-over Panniers.

 

Regina International supplied me with all the chain I required for the trip.

 

Competition Wheels gave me discount on dymag racing wheels which they made especially for the Norton and the trip.

Champion supplied spark plugs.

 

Dunlop Limited made and supplied specially made sintered metal pads.

 

I got discount from Mead Speed on a fairing and also fitted a King and Queen seat which was much better than the original as I was expecting to do 300 to 400 mile trips each day and I needed to be comfortable.

 

Finally Trans Export Forwarding shipped the bike out to Sydney free of charge.

 

I spent a lot of time on the bike getting it how I wanted it-in fact it was better with all the new parts than when it first came out of the factory.

 

It was now getting near to my next Aussie trip and I tried to organize things but how ever well you think you have arranged everything it is inevitable things will go wrong.

 

I was told my flight tickets were OK, and the money had arrived at the bank in Sydney so I thought things were going well.

However there was a hitch with the bike. The rear wheel fitted OK but there was a problem with the Speedo drive as it was not quite right and had to be returned to the manufacturers. I told them the bike was set to go on at a certain time and they said they would try to get it back to me so I could send it fitted to the bike, but it did not arrive in time so I had to send the Norton with the rear spoked wheels fitted-I actually sent it with one new and one old wheel fitted which made it look interesting.

 

 

It was now 5 years since I had left Perth and the wheel some tools and spares were sent by air unaccompanied baggage a few days before my departure, the bike having been sent by container ship in December 1981.

 

It was now 13th January 1982 and I flew out from Norwich via Amsterdam which was good, for if I had left from Heathrow I would have been in a muddle as there was a total rail strike on at the time.

 

I arrived in Sydney without too many other problems, though when I got to customs I was delayed as my old residents visa had not been cancelled so this had to be checked and cleared before I could enter Australia.

 

As might have been expected the bike got held up at sea and various strikes and anything else that could have stopped it did so.

It was Monday 25th January when all the tools and wheel turned up, but I had to wait one more month until 26th February for the bike to arrive. In the end I picked it up using a hired Dihatsu 2 ton flatbed.

 

The Norton had only just over 21000 miles recorded when it arrived, though there were some miles not recorded as the speedo drive had broken in the UK.

 

The next day I fitted the wheel and it went in and was all correct, everything OK.

It was now the 2nd March and I had the bike checked and registered-the plate was

UU 946. Two days later I got the local dealers to fit the plates for me.

 

 

I gave myself a couple of days to sort myself out and get the bike ready for the off.

This time I wanted to go the other way and went south, down to Victoria.

 

I had spent quite a few months organizing this trip and all the delays had taken the enthusiasm out of it. I thought to myself ‘this is going to become a chore’.

 

I spent a couple of days riding the bike and it took a little time to settle in as it had not done any distance, only testing sessions. As time went on riding became easier and I got over my thought of the trip being a problem.

 

 

My first main stop was over the Victoria Border at Cann River. I started to pitch the tent and the rains fell, so I decided there was no point in getting drenched and I booked into a Motel. I dried the tent out in the room before packing it again-not really much of a start!.

 

I set off fairly early the next day and as the day went on I found the Victoria truck drivers very friendly to bikes- nearly all gave a wave. I rode down to Melbourne and it started to rain again, but the riding was OK and I ended up that evening in Colac, south west of Melbourne.

 

I remember I was quite tired at this time - I had something to eat- it was dark and I crashed in the tent. I had no idea what the time was as I never wear a watch, not even to this day. I do not like time as it makes you think you have to do things at certain times and I do not like that way of thinking.

 

When it was light I got up. The local birds were up so I rose with them and set off. It must have been fairly early as I had done 200 miles before it started to get warm…

 

I thought the bike had settled in OK and was running quite well- it was like its owner-it works better in a warm climate!

 

 

I carried on along the coast crossed the border into South Australia, then onto Mount Gambier. After that I arrived at a place called Kingston, which is where I saw a sea food shop with a huge lobster outside. I took a picture of it and it looked as though it was going to eat the Norton, as the bike looked so small against it.

 

 

As I carried on along the Princes Highway I rode past a lake that looked pink-quite an unusual sight. At this point the old Norton was running really well and the King & Queen seat was the right kit for the job. I ended up at Tailem Bend that afternoon and had clocked a bit over 400 miles without a sore behind, which was first class comfort!

 

I was a fair distance into South Australia and only had about an hours ride the next day to reach Adelaide.

 

The next day I got up, packed away my things and set off fairly early, before 7 am, to do the hours ride to Adelaide. All this part of the trip was fairly familiar and nothing really interesting or remarkable happened.

 

I continued north up through Crystal Brook and had a look where the pipeline huts had been but there was no longer any trace that they had ever been there.

 

While traveling up the Spencer Gulf just after I had passed Port Pirie I had a Yamaha XJ 650 overtake me and the riders gave me a wave as they went by.

 

Right at the top of the Spencer Gulf I stopped at Port Augusta, and as I was looking around a local Police car came over to where I was. The officer could see the NSW plates and asked what I was doing so I told him I was intending to do a round trip of Australia, and he became quite interested. He then went on to tell me where the best place was to take photos, wished me all the best and I moved on.

I continued on to Iron Knob which was a place where I had worked in 1974/75 on an iron ore mine. I took a few photos of the place, noticing that it did not look much different to when I was there 7 years before.

 

I got back on the bike heading to the next town as that was where I intended to stop that day.

 

Of course the first place to stop was the pub and parked outside was the XJ 650, so I went over to talk to the rider and his pillion. They told me they were heading west and when I said I was going that way also, we agreed to look out for each other on the road.

I got up fairly early the next morning and carried on to the other side of the Spencer Gulf to Ceduna where the bike picked up an oil leak. It came from a cable the one that drives the tacho and only needed tightening. It was OK for now.

 

I later met up with the people with the XJ 650 and we traveled together for a couple of days.

 

This next part of the trip on the last adventure was when I went through the plague of locusts. This time it was not as bad as that as the weather was warm and riding was quite pleasant.

 

The ride across the Nullabor was quite windy as the cross winds made riding a bit harder so I stepped the speed up but still within the correct limits and dealt with it that way.

 

I had now been riding a week and stopped at Esperance for a couple of days to get some washing done. Up to now I had clocked just over 2500 miles over this last week, and just a small oil leak to deal with. I was working on 10,000 miles being the total distance around Australia so I had done a quarter of that so far. However there was still a long way to go and the bike still had lots to deal with.

After my stay in Esperance I started to make my way to Perth. I noticed the south west was quite damp and sort of misty and also the trees were a lot bigger and greener-it was quite a lot different from the east in that respect.

 

It was on this part of the trip where the bike had its first problem-the tacho cable broke. It was quite a useful instrument and I used to ride on it a lot. It makes you check on the engine and also when the speedo broke I could almost know my road speed within a little.

I noticed as I got nearer to Perth the weather was getting warmer which made it quite a lot better as far as I was concerned. I like it really warm though when you ride a bike you are not aware how warm it is until you stop, as the wind cools you down.

 

In Perth I was told by a traffic warden there was a problem at Fitzroy Crossing, some 1750 miles north east. This was the only bit of dirt road left on the round trip which I would need to tackle and he told me it was cut off due to rain and bad weather and nobody could get through till the roads dried out.

 

After Perth there were a lot of forests of fir trees, apple trees and grape vines which was quite nice to see.

Going north for the next one or two days the roads were quite long and straight and there is not much to say about this part of the trip. It was a case of every 200 miles fill the bike up stop for a beer and do the same thing again 200 miles later.

 

There was however one incident which made me run cold at the time… I was riding along at about 45 mph when I noticed something drawing along side of me. When I looked properly I saw it was an emu, towering above me as I sat on the bike. I shouted at it and it ran off. This was quite an unexpected and unnerving experience.

 

I noticed there were a lot of dead animals laying on the side of the road due to the road-trains that traveled a lot at night. That is when most get killed as they are attracted by the vehicle lights.

 

It was now Sunday 28th March and I had been on the road for almost 2 weeks, having clocked 4200 miles and I ended up at Karratha quite near Dampier.

 

I got up the next day and at this point I started to go slightly more north east and as soon as I turned in this direction I noticed the glare from the sun more in front of me, which made riding more tiring. I carried on through to Port Headland, where I made my first mistake. I thought I would continue to the next town to pick up fuel but there wasn’t one and being Sunday this caused me a problem as I would find out in the next few hours.

 

I saw the sign to Mount Goldsworthy and decided to go off the beaten track onto the dirt road to try to pick up some petrol. When I got there some fellows came over to see me and asked what I wanted-they told me the petrol station was closed and the local Police officer did not seem to want any one other than the workers around. To cut a long story short the men set me up with a full tank of petrol and a couple of beers. I asked what I owed them but they said ‘we want to help you out of trouble’ and sent me on my way.

 

I thought ‘what a great lot of blokes’.

This next part of the trip was where I met some really great people. I arrived at a place Sandfire Flats.

The story goes that a man filled his ute up with 44 gallon drums of petrol, filled the ute’s tank up and when he ran out of joice that was where he built a filling station and it was named Sandfire Flats.

 

I filled the bike up ready for the morning and met a road work team who told me to come over to the hotel and join them after I had a shower. I was warned to get out of the tent before dusk as the mosquitoes would get in and they would be waiting for me when I crashed out. I went over to the Hotel that night and we had a real laugh-they made me part of their group and it was free beer for me that nigh-those road fellows were a really good gang!

 

The Next day it was a trip to Broome-208 miles between petrol pumps.At this stage you really know you are in the outback. I saw 2 cars a truck and a motorcycle on that trip.

 

I was nearly into Broome-about 20 miles away at the time-and the bike got a real wobble on the road. It was white metal and extremely glary, so it was hard to see all the ridges in the surface made by the large road-trains.What had happened was that each wheel had got into a different ridge, causing the bike to become unballanced. I thought I had got a puncture so it was a relief to find I had not, as the temperature was quite hot and it would have made me really sweat to stop and mend it...

 

I spent a few days in Broome waiting to get the all clear to go through the only bit of dirt road on this round trip. While there I met a couple of Canadians and a couple of Aussies which made a bit of company.

 

Over the next few days I kept checking at the Police Station for the all clear to leave Broome. At last I was informed that the dirt road had dried out and it was time for the off. What happened next was amazing-I had made it almost half way through the trip and now I had my first breakdown-the bike stopped and refused to start.

 

I made various checks and after a time I found the rotor at the end of the cam in the electronic ignition had come loose and as I did not carry a manual everything had to be done by memory. I had to sit and think for a bit and go back to when I first fitted it in the UK.I think it was quite an easy setup and after a few minutes the old thing was ready to hit the road again.

 

I had a bit of a late start and I knew I had to get through from Fitzroy Crossing to Halls Creek by the end of that day. As I was using cast alloy racing wheels I did not know how they would handle the dirt road so I kept my speed down and took more care.

It was one of the hottest rides I made in Australia and I remember there being a ford which I had to cross, with a few inches/cm of water. I rode through it a bit faster than I should and the water came right over my head. It was the best thing I could have done as it cooled me down. I was quite soaked but it dried out very fast.

 

It was getting a bit dark when I came off the dirt road and I rolled into Halls Creak, stopping in town to ask where I could find a motel. a couple of men stood there and one of them said ‘don’t stay here join us.My name is Smokie and I am the leader of a road train gang' So I followed them and spent the night under one of the trailers.

 

They were another good gang and set me up with a steak sandwich, a couple of beers and fitted a bolt to my headlight as I had lost one on the ride the previous day.

 

The next day they all wished me good-luck and sent me on my way and I must admit I met some great people on this section of the trip. I feel they are the real Aussies and are a really good lot. I always enjoy my time with Australians as they are my sort of people.

Over the next few days I was on old familiar ground and enjoyed what I saw but nothing really new. I was glad I chose to go in this direction as the bike had now started to show various signs of things that needed doing, so I had to be very alert and keep checking on the bike for any problems that might occur.

 

 

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