We last had a whole weeks motorcycling holiday in 1972, so it was high time we had another! On that occasion the venue was the Isle of Man during TT Week and the motorcycle was a 1968 Triumph Daytona 500.

This time we would be touring Eastern Victoria, Southern NSW, the Riverina and Central Victoria on our Yamaha FJ1200. Why so long between drinks? Just a little matter of raising children.

A motorcycle is superior to a car in every way except one. Only two seats! Please do not refer me to a sidecar outfit, this is a device inferior to both car and motorcycle, even without considering the necessary practical features of family transport.

The FJ is 20 years and an engineering revolution away from a Triumph Daytona but still required some preparation before a long two up trip. Pillion seats seem to have shrunk over the years, odd, but I cannot think of an alternative explanation!

Preparation on the FJ consists of removing the rear side panels, replacing the current rear indicator mounts with Gearsack short brackets, this moving them about 2 inches (50mm if you must) rearwards, and moving the Gearsack rack a similar amount. OK, that provides sufficient space to mount the Gearsack panniers and still allows Marilyn to get to the foot pegs. Next step is to fit my patent footrest extenders which allow my beloved to change her foot position up and out 3 inches (75mm!) whenever she wishes. This maintains her rear end in fully operational condition over a full days riding. I am sure I do not need to emphasise the importance of this.

After loading the bike with Panniers and Gearsack Pack, all that remained was to add the high density foam over the rear seat and ducktail followed by a sheepskin. Perfect!

The bike had just been fitted with a new set of Dunlop K700/K701 Radial tyres with a set of progressive Suspension Fork Springs. The rear suspension had been wound up to maximum preload, rebound damping set to 2.  Even though at this stage of the game (1992) the FJ was only 10 months old.  But I already encountered a few problems, the worst of which was some dodgy forks which thankfully Yamaha replaced under warranty.  I had ridden a friends FJ which had Progressive Suspension fork springs installed which improved the handling markedly when fully loaded, so I dropped a set of these straight in to the new forks. 

From Melbourne’s North Eastern Suburb of Greensborough we made our way, via Box Hill to run an errand, but had hit the highway by early afternoon.

I just LOVE the opportunity to ride a long distance on a motorcycle. In the 27 years (up to 1992) that I have been riding nearly every day I estimate that I have covered nearly half a million kilometres on two wheels, but the magic has never left me, indeed the magic gets better! Today I have a smooth reliable motorcycle that has never failed to supply the power that the situation demanded. What a machine! It does not seem to matter what you load on it, wife, luggage for two for a week, no problem, about the only noticeable effect is increased fuel consumption.

I always adhere to the urban speed limits but I do consider the 100kph limit in the back blocks of Australia should be advisory. Having said that, it is a foolish motorcyclist who does not pay attention to such advice whilst travelling the Princes Highway from Melbourne. We therefore grind our way eastwards at a steady 100kph. I do not believe that such limits are an aid to safety, I regard their sleep inducing effect as positively dangerous. Given the number of “Drowsy Drivers Die” signs that are appearing along our highways the authorities are aware of the danger. They have yet to make the conceptual leap to understanding that unreasonable speed limits may be responsible. We have absolute responsibility for our road speed from zero to the posted speed limit, but after that we apparently need “Nanny” to look after us. Enough politics, this is supposed to be about our experiences on an FJ1200.

This was the first motorcycle I have ever owned with a fairing, just in time for the world to decide that fairings are unnecessary. Well it may have taken me a quarter of a century to be converted, but I like ‘em! A fairing undoubtedly reduces fatigue by at around 50%, at least for the rider. It is only with numb bums therefore that we decide to stay the night in Bairnsdale. Ah, Bairnsdale, that well known fellow Ulyssian Peter Thoeming’s least favourite Victorian Town. I see what you mean Peter, but it is not that bad…

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