“A Trio of Triples Tackle Tight Twisty Tracks with some Trials and Tribulation.”
(Post-script to this report – Peter Hansen wrote an excellent account of things that happened on this ride in his inciteful view as Tail-End-Charlie which was published in May’s Sprocket. Our gratitude to Peter – he is always there, reliable, caring and helpful, joining members that always look after each other.)
Mike Walker leads us west out of Chirnside (this is different), through Wonga Park and Warrandyte, then onto minor back-roads through the areas of Kangaroo Ground, Watson Creek and Panton Hills to get to Smith’s Gully. We have never been here and there is a welcoming party of Paul Clayton and Richard Mason, who came in the car to join morning tea. It was really good to see them out and about in good spirits despite their medical challenges – all the Club’s best wishes to you both.
Smith’s Gully General Store is the epitome of a little town supply centre with “home-made” cakes and pastries, and an especially tasty big sausage roll with relish. I’ll ignore the friendly barbs about my veracious appetite – it was good. We gear up, but Scott Clark’s impressive complicated 1948 Indian Chief cruiser is feeling a bit deflated in the rear tyre. Never fear, Tail End Peter is here and has a pump, but getting such a big bike on its centre stand and finding the tyre valve with a fully-enclosed rear mudguard, is a challenge. Many eyes scanned the tyre for “foreign bodies” – nothing. They got air in and the tyre stayed up, but the last of the group set off well behind the leaders. Club rides are renowned for interesting good roads in beautiful weather and countryside, and UNEVENTFUL – ah, maybe not today.
Mr Edward J Murphy Jnr was an Aerospace Engineer involved in the US Air-Force “Rocket Sled Testing” in 1949 and clearly if something went wrong, it went wrong in a big way. Murphy proposed his theory that “anything that can go wrong will go wrong”.
We ride some good farm track twisties complete with “Roller-Coaster” ups and downs. Clintons Rd and Smiths Gully Rd finds Buttermans Track to Yarra Glen. Along the way we stop for Peter to blow life back into the deflated Indian. We ride the Old Healesville Rd, around the back of Healesville so Scott and others stopped at the Ampol Servo at Don Rd to “fill up the air” and top up fuel. We had a pit-stop at Queens Park amenities, then Graham Boulter’s 1996 Honda NX650 Dominator did not start. The Mez and Jeremy Bob-Sled Pushing Team help Graham bump-start the big single and we are off to Woori Yallock.
We go along the south end of Healesville Sanctuary and onto the Kooweerup Rd. On the outskirts of Woori-Yallock we turn off the main road up a reasonably steep climb on Allsops Rd to Gembrook. The group has stopped on the side of the road and Mike is fiddling with his Trident, gets it going and the group heads up the hill. We start off but lose traction on the loose gravel and the front tyre kicks on the raised edge of the bitumen, I misjudge it and we tip over onto the road. A huge thank you to Peter H, Peter T and Gary that helped, and made sure we are OK. We send them on, as we make the bike roadworthy to take it home. Still can’t get Mr Murphy’s theory out of my head.
The Triples Treat.
Gary Moore is on his 1975 Kawasaki H1 today, or more accurately “clinging onto” the 500cc Two-Stroke if he turns the twistgrip too far and the triple-pot powerhouse hits the narrow explosive power band. I am sure Gary is loving the excitement of this bike that “launched” on the US market in 1969 to satisfy demand for faster bikes and it sold for less than 1,000 bucks. It was the best power-to-weight ratio and bang-for-your-buck at the time.
The H1 lived up to Kawasaki’s determined objective to make “the fastest and best accelerating road machine ever produced”. 124 mph and 13.0 second quarter mile performance left the competition gasping in a cloud of two-stroke smoke! The very lightweight chassis, dubious handling and the first drum brakes were reported to be “inadequate” on the road if the unprecedented 60 BHP was unleashed. The fast H1 was built into the H1R/KR500 Grand Prix that Ginger Molloy raced to 2nd place in the 1970 500cc World Championship, behind Agostini’s dominant MV Agusta.
Jeremy Coffey is on his 1975 Triumph T150 Trident, happily enjoying the great bike Tridents are. It’s a very tasteful build with a serious Grimeca Twin Disc front brake and long Pea-Shooter mufflers that release the voice of the triple. His sympathetic restoration preserves the original factory paintwork on the distinctive “Bread-Box” petrol tank. A very cool classic.
Mike Walker is on his 1971 Triumph T150 Trident. Well, he was for most of the day, but his “Gremlins Ride” struck again at Gembrook and the only way it was getting home was with a trailer under it. Mike’s spotless classic has the US rounded petrol tank and the twin leading shoe front drum brake that automatically equalises the pressure on each brake shoe with no fixed linkage – very clever.
The first Triumph Trident design was ready in prototype form in 1965, but the joint Triumph/BSA management unwisely made design and production changes, delaying the release until 1968. Honda soon announced the CB750 and stole the limelight. The Trident is a big, fast, well handling bike and if released in 1966 would probably have got the badge of “Superbike” well ahead of the Honda. The lucrative US market loved Triumphs, but they bought the CB750. 445,900 SOHC models were produced from 1969 to 1978!
There are always legends on club rides – bikes and people. Thank you Mike for different great roads and scenery, you and Peter did not need the Trials and Tribulation.
Ride Safe, David and Mez.
Participants List for Tuesday 6th May, 2025.
| Rider | Bike | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Clark | Indian Chief | 1948 | |
| Mike Walker | Triumph T150 Trident | 1971 | Ride Leader |
| Kay Murphy | Honda CB750 | 1972 | |
| Conor Murphy | Honda CB750 | 1973 | |
| Terry Hoare | Honda CB750 | 1974 | |
| Jeremy Coffey | Triumph T150 Trident | 1975 | |
| Gary Moore | Kawasaki 500 H1 | 1975 | |
| Richard Fanning | BMW R80 | 1994 | |
| Graham Boulter | Honda NX650 Dominator | 1996 | |
| Colin Sullivan | BMW R1200R | 2009 | |
| Peter Trathen | Suzuki 1000 V-Strom | 2012 | |
| David & Mez McLennan | Triumph Thruxton S | 2016 | |
| Peter Hansen | Triumph Street Twin 900 | 2017 | TEC |
| Arthur Hampson | Harley Davidson “Pan America” | 2022 |