Greg Wane
Nine years ago Geelong’s Nicci Wall won a Honda XR 400 motorcycle in a pizza shop promotion.
“Fortunately I was allowed to exchange it for the smaller Honda 250 Rebel because I was still on my learners’ permit in 2001.”
Nicci admits this is where her love of motorbikes began. She has had a couple of other bikes since the little 250 and today, with nearly a decade of riding experience behind her, she owns one of the bigger motorcycles in the Harley-Davidson range, the VRod Muscle.
But before she could handle the 307kg VRod with its liquid-cooled, 60-degree, V-Twin, 1250cc engine, she had to gain experience and expertise as a rider.
“I’m a bit of a rev-head and owning a Harley was the dream but I don’t think I could have gone from the 250cc straight up to the Harley Fat Boy or VRod because of the weight of the bikes.”
When it was time to sell the Honda 250 Nicci started looking around at all the leading brands.
“I looked at all the other bikes but Harley was always the dream bike,” she said.
“I never thought I could afford one until one day I went into the Harley shop and priced one.
“I bought the 883 Speedster. It was a good size and weight for a woman. Most women riders will choose the Harley Fat Boy, Dyna Wide Glide or the Speedster.
The Harley Speedster weighs in at just 270kg but when it falls over it can seem a whole lot heavier, Nicci said.
“I came out one day to find some one had knocked over my Speedster. Fortunately it had crash bars and protective bars and when it fell over all the paint work was protected but I couldn’t get it upright.
“Luckily there was a young man walking past and he saw my dilemma and he said ‘Would you like a hand to pick that up?’ and I said ‘Oh, yes, please’.
“Chivalry is not dead”
Having a bike fall over is one thing but coming off one at high speed is something Nicci has experienced only once, luckily for her well-being.
“I was cornering and there was gravel on the road and the bike slid out from under me,” she recalled.
“Luckily I had done the advanced course at HART and had learnt how to put the bike into a slide to protect myself and minimise damage to the bike.”
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“I highly recommend the HART courses for new or even experienced riders,” Nicci stressed.
Honda Australia Rider Training (HART) is a motorcyclists’ training facility based at Tullamarine.
HART is a non-profit division of Honda MPE and conducts training for all levels of motorcyclists from beginner through to advanced. Riding simulators help a new rider to develop and improve their hazard perception skills.
Nicci also advised would-be riders to do the Stay Upright course in Geelong.
“You start with your basic learner’s course go up to the licence course which is a full day when you get your Ps,” she said.
“From here riders can go right up to level six advanced courses. HART will take them out to the Calder Race Track where riders do high speed braking and handling.”
When Nicci moved up to the new VRod she said she felt she was ready for the bigger bike.
“The VRod is sportier than the other Harley cruisers. It’s faster and has a higher ground clearance,” she said.
“The VRod is more agile and you can really lean into a corner.”
Nicci considered the bike very sleek with a look all of its own. She made her own bike even more distinctive.
“I put some extra bling on the bike. I added extra chrome and being a rev head I changed the pipes to get a bit more of a gruntier sound.”
The rev head in Nicci only comes out on weekends.
“I’m typically known as a weekend warrior – a rider who rides mainly at weekends and only occasionally uses their bike to commute to work.
“Probably as many as 65 to 70 per cent of riders are just weekend warriors.
“It’s a totally different perspective when you’re on a bike. It’s like the whole world has opened up to you.
“It’s definitely the wind in your face. It gives you such a sense of freedom out there.
“It’s totally different to driving a car.”
But surprisingly Nicci’s favourite ride was not the Great Ocean Road.
“I love the Bellarine Peninsula, around all the esplanades. From Drysdale down to Portarlington and around the foreshore to St Leonards there’s some great bends and some beautiful scenery – and there’s hardly any traffic.”
“The Great Ocean Road is okay but it has gotten so busy that it’s no longer a nice cruise and has become dangerous. Riders can go a bit wide on the corners and you have also got cars that cut the corners and clip the bikes.
“There’s also gravel on the road, which makes the bike slide out.
“People can report hazardous road conditions particularly for motor cyclists through VicRoads.
“If you see gravel on the bitumen particularly on the Great Ocean Road you can call the Road Safe number, 131170.”
