I kept flip-flopping with regards to what I would do. Last night I thought I’d stay an extra night to have a good look around Ballarat. However, after sleeping on it I figured that would be a waste of a day… I have spent a fair bit of time in Ballarat (early 2000s for work) so I’d seen a fair bit. Plus, I know Ellie & I will be back this way.
Since “doing” the Great Ocean Rd was a must, it was unlikely that I’d be able to attend the SA/Vic meet at Halls Gap tonight. However, I could still make the lunch tomorrow. Since this trip was about the ride, and the Club, I figured that was the real goal. So, off I went… after a ride around town for one last peek.
I headed down the main highway towards Torquay and then stopped for fuel. That’s when I heard trouble… lots of scraping from the discs – not good. I rolled the bike out of the way and had a proper look from underneath with a torch. It looked like there were no (0%) pads left on the front and only a little bit on the rear (but > 0%). Running my fingers over the rotors I also felt a little scouring on the inside right. Furk! I’m sure they weren’t making that noise when I left Ballarat. I’d changed them the day before I left Perth (17,000km ago), and only checked them just before Tassie.
Anyway, a few phone calls later and I had a 5km drive (very gently) to a repairer who had the right stuff in stock and was prepared to do it while I waited. Unfortunately, his team just left for lunch when I arrived, so it was near 2 hrs before I got her back. I had used Metal Gear pads which he also sells, but doesn’t. He hates them with a passion and stated quite clearly they definitely weren’t good enough for the ST1300. $330 later I was back on the road. I’m not sure if I got overcharged, but I really had no option- just glagd they’d do it on the spot. I’ll put it down to experience. Here’s a quick photo of all 6 pads. He said the was actually very little damage to the rotors surprisingly.
I was back on the road much later than I’d hoped. My new plans were to put me in Peterborough for the night then I’d ride north to Halls Gap in the Grampians in the morning. In the end Apollo Bay marked the end of the day.
First stop was Bells Beach:
The ride along the Great Ocean Rd was a must, but ending up doing it on a Friday afternoon meant that there was a lot of traffic out there. I am also about to start a partition that no foreigners or people older than me, or anyone in a car is allowed to drive on that road ever again. It’s amazing how regular signage suggesting you think of the person behind and pull over is ignored. Doing 50 in an 80 zone is quite frustrating. Of course, the further I went the better it got, and I did manage to find a few overtaking areas to help.
Since I have further to go tomorrow, but still able to make lunch without taking any risks, I’ll leave as early as I can tomorrow (famous last words). I assume that should also improve my chances of a clear road ahead.