front-end adjustment next, please Indian. At Uki, I wheeled north on Kyogle Road and to Route 32, once again returning to the banks of the Tweed, now in the shadows of Mt Warning and its beautiful rainforests. It’ s a scenic run and easy-going, so I buttoned off to Standard riding mode, opened the lower vents in the now-pleasant sunshine and enjoyed the pace and the place. It’ s a bike that is very easy to relax and enjoy this type of riding on. It corners so easily; just tip it in and it behaves and responds very predictably. Neutral is what it is. The GPS was showing the road ahead, the playlist set, the pleasant purr of the 112 was audible and nicely underwriting it all. Talk about a dopamine delight. Or as America put it: La, la, la, la-la-la-la, la-lala, la, la.
“ IN THE DESERT, YOU CAN REMEMBER YOUR NAME” Before Murwillumbah, I turned west onto Route 36 to Tyalgum and a planned
refreshment stop at the welcoming hotel. The Oxley River Valley is Exhibit 2 for the‘ Magnificent Australian Countryside’ catalogue. A road slightly less travelled, across the flood plains to the aptly named Rocky Cutting and to the narrow foothills before emerging into the rural hamlet and its motorcycle-friendly watering hole. After I took a photo of the bike and pub sign, I parked up and said g’ day to a bunch of likelylooking lads enjoying a refreshing ale in the outdoor bar. I had a cordial and was keen to hit the road again, still on Route 36, and keen for the planned photo stop, not far from the pub. Putting the bike with the walls of the Scenic Rim away to the south-east made for a suitably epic backdrop. It was only a short hop to the next stop. A few kilometres up the road is a dirt detour that leads to a ford across‘ Hopping Duck Creek’ and another favourite photo spot. Then I packed up the cameras and followed the smaller creek valleys that cut north-east through the foothills, and on to Chillingham.
KIWI RIDER 61