I'm leaving tropical Miami for a 3-month gig in Brisbane. Too bad it'll be their winter time. I wonder if it's worth it to rent a bike and see what can be seen. I'll be in Sydney for a week and then in Brisbane for 10 weeks. They have me set up with an apartment and a car.
Suggestions? Rent a bike maybe? I will be on a job site M-F but will have weekends free.
A winter day in Brisbane would be similar to Spring in Miami. Rent the bike and take pictures and let us live vicariously through you . It's a rare opportunity that many of us will never get.
Do it, best time of year to ride.
As the Queenslanders say about their weather. Beautifull one day, perfect the next (unless it's in flood)
I prefer our winter riding, as long as you stay off mountain roads until the fog and mist clears.
Definately rent a bike. It will be worth it. Mt nebo is apparently a good ride. Just be carefull of speedlimits in Oz. They are ruthlessly enforced with heavy penalties!
Thanks for the replies. I'm heading out this Friday - 5 hrs to LA and then another 14 to Sydney. After a week of meetings in Sydney I fly up to Brisbane for the balance of my trip. I've already identified one rental shop but their rates aren't cheap. I definitely want to ride so I'll work something out.
Moto-scoots are everywhere here in Sydney including one niner parked outside the building I'm in and a large variety near the strip of restaurants a block away. No HDs so far though...
Stuff here is freakin pricey. I am paying $8 for a pint of Guinness - no happy hour pricing in Sydney. I'm here a few more days and then it's off to Brisbane for 10 weeks. I'm going to check into a weekend rental from this place:
There are hotties everywhere here. What caught me off guard was hearing all the Asian girls with Australian accents - I had no idea. There is quite a mix.
Back in my Marine Corps days we had a lot of Detachments that would go to Perth and Darwin, and I heard all the stories about how panties would come flying off if you did something nice, like open a door for a lady. The word was that Aussie dudes aren't prone to treat their women like ladies and so the womenfolk their love it.
Of course, it is entirely possible the women there are just as crazy as their men. We did an underway replenishment with an Aussie ship, and their crew (they had women aboard, we were a dude-only float), flashed us pretty good after they sent the refueling lines over.
I'm just sad our float didn't stop there. We were all set, but the Captain decided we really just wanted to get home instead of enjoying one last libo call (All ours had been cancelled since East Timor happened).
After being here in Australia for a month, I can confirm, definitively, that prices are out of control. I don't know how anyone can afford to live here. It's $100 to fill the car, $70 for basket of groceries, $8 for a pint, etc. Nice place but wow.
I made it to the local Honda/Ducati/Suzuki store here in Brisbane and discovered the following:
1. The 919 OEM windshield is available here if anyone wants one. It's $210 AUS (about $225 USD). I'll be happy to pick it up and bring it home if anyone really has to have it.
2. Bike prices are super high like everything else. I'm attaching a few pictures and note the price tags on the bikes. I also added the price to some of the file names. The 42,000 AUS Ducati just sold...
3. Honda has cool stuff here. CB1000r is no longer included though - they stopped selling them after 2010. The CB1100, CB400, CBR250, CBR125 and maybe a few others are here. The CB1000r pics are of a leftover 2009 they have here in the store.
Here are more pictures. I spent a lot of time test fitting the CB1000r and I like it. It's a more compact bike than the 919. It feels skinnier - tank is much slimmer between the knees. The ergonomics are 919-like, maybe a touch sportier. I really like the bike overall and would certainly like to have one.
I also sat on the CB1100 and really liked it. It'd a be great classic to tool around on. The Multi-Strada beak bothers me less now that I've seen the bike up close and test fit it. Too bad it's 25,500AUS!! The CBR125 (no pics) is 4900 - about the only new bike I could buy here.
It's always been hard to see the pricing disparity of nearly everything here in Canada compared to the states. I've always been a 1/2 hr drive to the states where nearly everything is 50% less, and you don't have harmonized sales tax either....
But on a positive note, I absolutely LOVE that cb400.. I would rock that. Those are the ultimate city/rural road cruisers. Don't they have VTEC as well?
I'll see what I can do. The hot spots around Brisbane are mostly off the radar. I got invited to a biker bar near the Gold Coast on Friday and saw my first pole dance (this biker bar had a pole.) It was an Asian girl with a nice rack but flat hind quarter...
Yep, a baby 919. I'd like to try one. That guy is here in Australia - got a New South Wales plate. Dealers do a lot of demos here - fare more common than in the US. With the American accent I have not asked as they'll know I'm not buying. I do plan to rent a bike soon though.
The CB400 has similar performance specs to the Suzuki GS500 - also available in naked in Aust. And yes, the newer ones have Vtec. Also a lot of Grey Import ones over here - not brought in by Honda - but they are usually the older ones without Vtec
@mambomonster, have you thought of approaching a bike shop with an "i'll buy the bike and return it X time later with a guaranteed buy back price" offer? Might be cheaper than a long term rent. Otherwise, you'll be stuck with an occasional rent from someone. (My local bike shop has a 600 Hornet for sale for $3,990 - 2nd hand of course.)
My riding buds get together at the Belmont Tavern every Friday night. We do have one Yank there so you could exchange accents (Belmont Tavern is the one just up from Meadowlands Rd along Belmont Rd, NOT the one on the corner of Wynnum Rd. They get there from 7pm and on and sit outside.
Brissy has some bloody awesome riding not far from it...
(I'll be doing this road again this weekend on the 919 and hope to get some additional footage)
There are other roads as well besides these. And while every man and his dog does the Mt Nebo / Mt Glorious combo, I avoid the area like the plague - too many knobheads and enforcement.
If you do end up getting yourself a bike while in Brisbane and want someone to go for a ride with, hit me up. I live here
Did the Mt Prosper run again, as I said. And I got more footage than expected - like the aftermath of a headon car crash. Didn't get the actual crash cause it happened about 6 or so cars in front, but got a bit of us riding up to it and some walkaround footage. Wowsers!
Did the Mt Prosper run again, as I said. And I got more footage than expected - like the aftermath of a headon car crash. Didn't get the actual crash cause it happened about 6 or so cars in front, but got a bit of us riding up to it and some walkaround footage. Wowsers!
Riding in Australia?
. It's a rare opportunity that many of us will never get.
and so the womenfolk their love it. 
(Belmont Tavern is the one just up from Meadowlands Rd along Belmont Rd, NOT the one on the corner of Wynnum Rd. They get there from 7pm and on and sit outside.
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