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Scoota has an Adventure...

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  • Scoota has an Adventure...

    With a capital "A" ;D

    I decided to get the heck out of Dodge (so to speak!) last week. The weather was just perfect, the big yellow bike was calling to me from under the house and I felt it was time for a ride. I decided that I wanted to go and visit my girlfriend in Mudgee, who also lost her hubby last year (only a few months before mine. Yes, what a bizarre world we live in!). As luck would have it it was also her birthday the day I arrived so we had a little celebration.

    Most people dont expect to see a woman get off the Ducati, so I was a bit unsure of the response I would receive when pulling up in places. I took the long route down from home to Mudgee, which meant it would be straighter and not too many bends. I hadnt ridden for a few months due to one thing or another (usually work) and so wanted to have a easing back in on the bike. I was also pleasantly surprised that everyone I did come across were friendly and interested in me being on the bike. Whenever you pull into a town, people always turn to look, mostly because they hear you coming first! There really is nothing like that sound of a Ducati and with its tuned exhausts you really can hear it coming from miles away. I used to be able to hear it getting started at the airport and that is 7kms away from our home!

    Mudgee has really changed over the years and now with such a big wine and tourism industry, people are renovating the gorgeous old homes back to their former glory. The town has a strange mix of country and city as well. I guess a lot of people are making their "treechange" to Mudgee.

    My girlfriend took me to a cafe in the main street that she thought Id like. And she was pretty spot on! It was called the Butcher Shop Cafe and as expected it was in an old Butcher shop! It was fairly sparse inside but still quite comfy. Much to my delight, they were also roasting their own beans and once I saw that, I was hoping that they knew what they were doing at the machine. Sure enough, their coffee was impressive as well and I couldnt resist and had two! Before I left on Thursday, I stopped in for a coffee as well. Still consistently great! So, if you find yourself in Mudgee, be sure to try this one!

    Thursday, I headed for home, as the weather was shaping up for rain and I had to be back before the weekend. I did plan pretty well as even though the weather whilst in Mudgee wasnt great, Thursday shaped up pretty fine for travelling. This time I decided to take the shorter route home, which meant going back through Dunedoo and Mendoran then on to Coonabarabran. We normally go this route in the car so I was pretty familiar with it and having had the ride down I felt a bit more confident as well. I stopped at Mendoran for some thing to eat at a small cafe there. It was run by a retired couple whod made their treechange from Sydney. The husband was keen on British bikes and as he was wanting to get something to ride, asked if he could have a sit on the Ducati. He decided that the fuel tank would get in the way of his stomach, or rather, his stomach would get in the way of the fuel tank! This couple had a coffee machine and grinder too but as I had already had my fix for the day, I didnt try their coffee. But their hospitality was just great and when youre travelling alone, this helps to make you feel like youre not!

    So I got home safe and sound. Proud of myself that Id been able to do such a big ride on the Duke. Even packing enough clothes yet not having too much in the tail bag was a good lesson as well. Just being able to have a few enjoyable days away. But best of all, having that enjoyment of riding on two wheels through some beautiful country. Im sure that having a grin on my face every time I took the helmet off went a long way to endearing people to me!

    This pic was taken with the phone, so excuse its quality. I took it outside the cafe in Mendoran.


    Anyway, I just thought Id share that with you all!




  • #2
    Re: Scoota has an Adventure...

    Sounds like you had fun.

    That looks a little bit like an old Valiant youre parked next to.
    Is it?

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    • #3
      Re: Scoota has an Adventure...

      Youre right, TG! And it had quite a story too. The owner had just got it back from being repaired after a tree had fallen on it. I saw the photos of the damage, quite amazing. Anything else would have been a write off. Trust the good old Valiant to get through it!

      I also noticed that it had two fuel fillers on it. Do you know if they both went to the same fuel tank or did it really need that much fuel!? I thought it was a good idea because not every time you go into a petrol station can you get to the side you need to!

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      • #4
        Re: Scoota has an Adventure...

        Terrific story Scoots,

        And by the way, if I ever (in my travels) came across a young lady pulling up on her Duke while I was filling up (fuel, coffee, food ), a team of horses wouldnt have kept me from striking up a conversation and sharing experiences. Has that sort of effect on me Im afraid ;D,

        Mal.

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        • #5
          Re: Scoota has an Adventure...

          Hi Scoota.. nice pic!  
          and good on you, for riding such a long ride on the Duke... you would have put a smile on the face of anyone who saw you pull up!
          hope you are not too sore....
          i dont know much about Aussie classic cars, but according to my husband it looks like a Valiant "S", which did come only with one fuel filler... but the owner may have decided to put it on gas and make the gas filler cap to match the fuel one.


          L

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          • #6
            Re: Scoota has an Adventure...

            Also not sure on the fillers Scoots.
            Valiants arent my speciality, though I did briefly drive one of Dads station wagons with the slant 6 motor.
            I dont remember it being thirsty enough to use an extra tank.

            I seem to remember the Cooper S Minis also had two fillers but I wouldnt think you could fit an extra tank anywhere in something that small.

            EDIT:
            Just did some Googling.
            Doesnt look like the two fuel caps were standard.
            It would appear to be an S Series.
            Funnily enough, the R & S Series Valiant Car Club of N.S.W Inc. has P.O. address just 10 minutes down the road from here.

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            • #7
              Re: Scoota has an Adventure...

              What a nice story to read on a Sunday evening - thanks for sharing it with us Scoota.

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              • #8
                Re: Scoota has an Adventure...

                Would the Valiant possibly be an American version then that has been imported? There was a Dodge sticker on the rear I noticed. My Valiant knowledge is limited, though my fave saying years ago when I was at school was "God drives a Valiant!". Cant remember where I picked that up from! Though my dad did have a few Valiants over the years.

                I surprisingly wasnt too sore at all. The riding position can either be comfortable or bad I guess! Sometimes, Ill lie on the tank for a bit of a break but I make a point of moving around and making sure I dont just hold the same position all the time. Ive learnt to be relaxed on the bike and not tense up too much as that is when you get muscle spasms Ive found. And I think that a four hour ride, broken up with rests, would be the max youd do on a sports bike I reckon!

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                • #9
                  Re: Scoota has an Adventure...

                  Dont know about the Valiant Scoota, though think one of my fave bumpers stickers was on a Duke and read something like..."On the 7th day God created the Harley Davidson, and on the 8th, he traded it in for something faster"

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                  • #10
                    Re: Scoota has an Adventure...

                    Fabulous story Scoot. I love motorcycle touring. Ive done a few trips over to Phillip Island and back via the great ocean road and through the backblocks of Southeastern South Australia. Travelled over to Sydney etc too.

                    Need to lose some weight and get a bike before I do it again. The Duc looks very nice too.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Scoota has an Adventure...

                      Originally posted by Dennis link=1177803120/0#8 date=1177834484
                      ....read something like..."On the 7th day God created the Harley Davidson, and on the 8th, he traded it in for something faster"
                      LoL ... Dennis, that is so true... ;D

                      Scoota, your posterior must be smaller and bouncier than mine (which is not hard to do... :P).
                      we used to ride on my 96 Triumph Sprint (made for biggish-arsed riders!!) from Batemans Bay, Bodalla, or Colac, (wherever our bus may have been) to Albury, two -up, swapping riders every 2 hours or so.
                      the combined weight of riders and 3 choc-a-bloc panniers would take a lot of the sharp bounces out of the bike; nevertheless, i would have beaten John Wayne hands down in the wide-legged-swagger department! Not pretty....
                      hopefully therell be more beautiful winters days, just right for a ride on the Duke

                      L

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                      • #12
                        Re: Scoota has an Adventure...

                        A chance it could have been a Dodge Scoota but I also cant find any duel fuel cap pics of them.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Scoota has an Adventure...

                          Plymouth Valiants came here in the first part of the 60s. They were then produced in Australia shortly after.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Scoota has an Adventure...

                            One Valiant came in 1960.
                            Then in 61 and 62 they produced the R and S series here.

                            The 61 was the one with the fake spare tyre moulding on the boot lid.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Scoota has an Adventure...

                              The one that crashed into a tree?

                              They had a real big problem converting them from left hand drive.

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