Moving to Cairns need advice

[highabusa]

Hello to all my fellow Busa riders, i'm going to move to Cairns in about 4 weeks. I don't know much about the place exccept that it's a hell of a lot warmer than Melbourne and there's some really nice twisty roads up there, i'm trying to do some research before i fly up and would apreciate any info or tips you guys/girls could give me.

First and foremost, can anyone recomend a good mecanic?

Second, can anyone give advice on what to expect on the roads up there? eg. tinheads, cops, differences in Vic and Qld law ect.

And finaly, i would love to hook up with some local riding buddies.

Any help you guys could give would be greatly apreciated.

Thanks.

[beally55]

Hello to all my fellow Busa riders, i'm going to move to Cairns in about 4 weeks. I don't know much about the place exccept that it's a hell of a lot warmer than Melbourne and there's some really nice twisty roads up there, i'm trying to do some research before i fly up and would apreciate any info or tips you guys/girls could give me.

First and foremost, can anyone recomend a good mecanic?

Second, can anyone give advice on what to expect on the roads up there? eg. tinheads, cops, differences in Vic and Qld law ect.

And finaly, i would love to hook up with some local riding buddies.

Any help you guys could give would be greatly apreciated.

Thanks.
Watch out for the tourists on all the roads.There are a lot of overseas visitors, and thy have no f....ing idea how to drive

[Dan85]

beally55 its not the tourists that are the problem its anyone in a vehicle. Driving up here is considered an adventure sport!

highabusa i live in townsville so just down the road. on those twisty roads you speak of surface quality is generally pretty poor and slippery but nothing a little bit of care whilst riding wont cure. other roads including the bruce highway(our premier road) are pretty aweful at the moment after the recent down pours. they were pretty aweful before that aswell they are just worse now. watch for poteholes big enough to park the busa in and be wary of the 3/4 trailer road trains further west as they wont stop for anything short of cannon shell. some of the roads up here can get pretty slimy with all the heat and humidity mixed in with green moss but thats only an issue in some very localised incidents. watch for bird eating spiders up that way as they have been known to drop out of the trees onto passing vehicles and will scare the crap out of you. watch yourself whilst off the bike around any creeks/streams/puddles as there could be a croc in it. during summer months dont go swimming in the ocean as you will either be eaten by a crocodile, stung by a box jelly fish or stung by an iruganji because in all three cases you will die. be careful walking through densely wooded areas as the snakes tend to sleep up in the trees and can give u a nasty fright. be careful of big spiders and just hope your house has lots of geckos as they eat the nasty bugs and spiders so dont kill the geckos!! be careful of the locals we have had alot of heat and sun to the brain which is only effectivly treated with large amounts of beer which makes us silly. BUT! the biggest thing you have to watch is the a dangerous species called backpackerous femerous(common name-female backpackers) they dont speak english but know just the right words to get you in bed and into trouble with your missus( funny how "i want to take you home and do naughty things to you" is an internationally understood expression).


So apart from all that strap your sandals on, grab a stubbie cooler, grab a pack of condoms, get your fishing rod and get ready for the time of your life!!! you will love it up here. but be warned once north queenland has you, you will never be able to stay away ive left twice and ended up back here and im trying to leave again but she is conspiring to keep me here. you will either love it or hate and i have to say i love it!!! im moving to perth soon i think but ill be back here i know it, just a matter of when. you will find the people are mostly very friendly, and the lifestyle is good scenery is even better.

However if you expect fancy lattes and 30 different kinds of mushrooms(magic excluded) at the supermarket and want culture and sophistication north queensland isnt the place for you. up here we are all rednecks to some degree, we all wish our 4x4 was bigger and our beer would stop running out, we know global warming is a myth made up by the green extremists, we all want our wife beaters to stop fadding and think shorts with a belt is over dressed for the business meeting.

---

oh and as far as cops go the roads around cairns and on the twisty's generally have a few coppers out and about as its a high accident zone but you should be ok. ive never been booked for anything up here but they do hide in plain sight with there speed cameras.

[highabusa]

Hey guys thanks for the advice, i've just come back from a two week holiday in Cairns. So i know a little about what to expect, i've also driven down the Bruce hwy and through the tablelands. So i have a rough idea about the road conditions, i guess my main concern is finding a good mechanic, i know good mechanics are hard to find but i'm sure someone here will be able to point me in the right direction. thanks again for the advice and please keep it comin.

[PostmanPete]

MMMMMMM direction for a good mechanic........ south. About 1200km!

[highabusa]

lol. Was waiting for someone to say that, please tell me it ain't so:(.

[Troppo]

I have lived and ridden in Cairns for 10 years.

A good mechanic?

Russell from BikeCraft.

The roads in and around Cairns are the best in Australia, IMHO.

There are 4 ranges which link the coastal plain to the tablelands:

(From S to N):

Palmerston - racetrack smooth (in places) - very high speed sweepers. Magnificent on a Busa.

Gilles - my fav - 100 and something corners in 19 km. Very technical.

Kuranda - the most popular - great road, but full of cages.

Rex - tight, off camber, often has diesel spills from cane trucks. Not for the beginner.


The Atherton Tablelands have some superb roads as well. During the summer months, my mates and I always head up into the Tablelands to escape the heat.

The coastal road to Port Douglas is wonderful - the views (if you have time to look at them...) are breath-taking. Can be tourist infested this time of the year.

Winter is wonderful for riding. For instance, today was 26 deg, clear blue sky and no humidity. Mid week, the roads are almost deserted.

Cops? Yes. But they normally hang about in defined areas. I got done on the weekend, but it was my own stupid fault. There was an event on at Port Douglas, and there were cops everywhere.

Traffic? Apart for what passes for a peak hour for about 15 mins in the morning, there is very little.

Summer can be awfully hot and sticky. I wear vented gear in summer.

[highabusa]

Cheers Troppo, i'll look russell up when i get there. I'm really looking forward to introducing my baby to the tablelands, mate i owe you a bear.

[TheShredder]

be on the look out for us in sept
theres 12 of us at this stage going to be up there for 3 days

[Troppo]

Cheers Troppo, i'll look russell up when i get there. I'm really looking forward to introducing my baby to the tablelands, mate i owe you a bear.

No worries.

Let me know if you need any more info.

[highabusa]

sounds good, when in sept are you guys hedding up?