G'day all - although most of the Nomadic wheels I see on my travels are four or more - sometimes many more - I'm a member of the 2-wheeled variety.
I ride a Honda ST1300 and put in somewhere around 20000 km each year in outback touring - mainly staying in camp and tourist parks along the way. The camping gear fits well in and on the bike, and usually takes around twenty minutes to make / strike camp.
Once or twice a year I take part in fund-raising runs and the support given by the rest of the nomad population in all the parks we stay at on these runs is to be commended. (To say nothing of the ensuing fun !)
Our next run is immediately after Easter next year (2009) and is an awareness and fundraiser for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. We'll be staying in parks alongside many of you - I'll give you our website so that anyone interested can check our locations and itinery, and if you'd like to catch up or join in along the way, feel free.
Check the dates for Barcaldine, ThreeWays and Daly Waters. A great night will be had at all the locations, but these ones are usually special!
http://www.rumbleriders.com

Happy and safe travelling, Steve

Gday steve and welcome to the nomads,
 
mate I've travelled for what seems like a million years and I have never seen so many "bloody bikies" in all my life as in the last ten years, 

now I dont know if it is a fallback to my younger years when I rode with a few of the boys and the escaping youth needs to be recaptured, but whenever I see one of these glittering machines with sometimes a little trailer that opens up to reveal a veritable palace on wheels, I feel a slight tug, and think "I wonder" me and the dragon on a pair of goldwings or whatever their replacement is now, my bike was nowhere near as flash as yours, my steed was the honda 750 four mark 2 the muscle bike of her day

but I say all power to you and the cause that you have chosen is a good one, any sort of travel has got me hooked, met some top bikies out there male and female and some in between that were still making their mind up, 

good times have been and will be had in the future probably shouldnt be calling you "bikies" now as it carries an evil conotation, perhaps bikers would be better but I prefer "fellow travellers", any way all the best to you steve and good luck with the fundraising

-- Edited by dave06 at 12:30, 2008-11-19

Thanks for the welcome Dave - I'd never really regarded myself as a Nomad before - I'd put that down to the realm of folk who are retired - but not necessarily so! When I sit back and look at our lifestyle, yep, the hat fits. Even though still working, I do three major trips (up to six weeks each) a year and they are generally into our magnificent outback or areas close to it.
I didn't mean to post this in the Solo section either - should've been the General, but then again, I do the long miles on the bike solo, and Marg, my probably more sensible half, flies in and joins me for the time at the end destination.
Pity you don't still have the CB750 - a most sought after item today!  My play bike is an '81 Honda CB900F BolD'Or - a fitting successor to yours!!
Our next trip is Jan/Feb when we'll be putting the bike on the Princess and spending some more time enjoying Tassie - IMO, one of our best kept secrets!
Anyway, when any of you spot a blue Honda ST with a big Aussie flag flying from the back, come up and say g'day - it'll most likely be us!

...and btw, being called a "biker", "bikie", "bloody two wheeled nuisance", "noisy bastard" ... makes no difference to me - whatever feels right at the time.  Only thing I do object to is being called late for dinner!!
Enjoy the day.... Steve

-- Edited by sqaffor at 07:58, 2008-11-20

good on ya steve, grey or not you fit the bill as a nomad, dont matter either if you post in solos or general we like to hear from you, I wish I still had "big red" as well but we all move on I guess, that hat doesnt fit anymore dont get me started on tassie mate, you'll never shut me up, watch the hairpins and the japs, they are both as dangerous as each other, make sure you do the top east coast, the ride down in to port arthur, the huon trail, mount wellington and the road to dove lake and around to cradle mountain, you will love the straight heading out of dove lake heading up the west coast, take it easy through the west cost scenic drive, MAGNIFICENT, after the outback, you are in for a treat anyway all the best, enjoy your travels and play safe, if you see "little blue" camped anywhere waddle over and have a beer with us

I've got a formula I follow in Tassie that works. Generally I head down the West Coast and up the East. (With little branch-offs everywhere)
Why?
Two of the best bike roads in Oz are the 99 corners out of Queenstown and Elephant Pass. (St Mary's pass isn't too shabby either) For max enjoyment both have to taken going uphill - not down.
Hence the anti-clockwise route.
Another reason is that once Margie gets to Wine Glass bay the only way I can move her on is with the promise of a visit to Bay of Fires.  If we did them first the likelyhood of hitting the West Coast is minimal. Must admit though, have hit Strahan first on other occassions and not got out of there either!!
You're right - a magical place all round.
One of the most vivid mind pictures I have from Tas is from Feb 07 when approaching Cradle Mountain from the south on a brilliant, sunny cloudless day we crested the top of the pass to see the mountain, about 20 k's away completely covered in snow - just magnificent. (and this from a bloke who grew up at the foot of Mt Buller!)
And yes - I'll certainly keep a lookout for the little blue beast!

Cheers, Steve

good on you steve, obviously been there before, we did the trip over summer, didnt see any snow, we went clockwise and enjoyed every step of the place, we had a 5 ton motorhome to wrestle through so a lot of it was mind numbing terror but we cant wait to get back when we retire, all the best

Steves got it
I came to Grey Nomads, as I also do not fit the Caravan type. Motor home, big maybe, but I was always a ute and camp person.

Its not about travelling in home comfort, its about travel and having what you need and can affort. Steve carries little, and see's lots. Other's need their home to come with them. Horses for courses.

We are all grey nomads, no matter how big/small or whatever way we choose to travel. Its the journey, the life style, not having a toilet on board.

On ya Steve - riden one of those, by the way

Squffor= Arial square four, Had one a long time ago too heavy for me at the time 15y.o. and it seized up on me at Bendigo so I left it on the side of the road and hitched into town it cost me 20 quid.

Any one out there?

-- Edited by Road Ranger at 19:51, 2009-03-07