Last Coupla days...All sorts of stuff

Monday....Beautiful Morning...sunny..all the usual stuff :-)
Decide to take the road up to Kuranda, across to Atherton and down via Gordonsvale back to Cairns...It was mentioned in the Motor Cycle Atlas and highly recommended. I've gotta say that some of the roads we've ridden have just been beautiful, this 180 k loop was all that and more.
10k of 40k bends climbing up the escarpment to Kuranda, stopped at a lookout 3/4 of the way up and noticed that Hanako was sounding like a tractor, thought it may be the muffler and filed it somewhere at the back. Then went on to Kuranda, lovely little hippy town with markets and heaps of interesting people. Wander around for a bit and stopped for a coffee. Then off to Barron Falls, lovely waterfall and walk through the roof of the rainforest. Then headed off to find some lunch, stopped in Atherton to pick up petrol and some muffler tape and then rode about 20k to Lake Barrine, which had been recommended to us by the coffee shop in Kuranda.
It was gorgeous a volcanic crater filled with water with a little tea house on one side. It was lovely and cool and great food.
Wandered out of their after a while, Susie looked at the bike and said, "is this meant to be like this ?" The suspension adjustment was hanging off the bike having shed 2 bolts somewhere. Anyway it all looked kinda ok and I strapped it up with a couple of occys before setting of to Gordonsvale...This was one of the highlights 16k of 40 - 50 k corners heading down the escarpment, absolutely wicked road, which had recently been resurfaced and was in pristine condition. I think I mentioned to Geoff last week that the Minister for Transport in QLD must be a bike rider, because every time we come to a good section, surface is generally excellent.
Got back to Cairns just before 5 and ducked into the Suzuki dealership, they were fairly unimpressed with a bike over 5 years old, but gave me the bad news that it sounded more like the Timing chain than the muffler, and sent me to Cattana motorcycles.
This piece of information was GOLD, rang Brett up from there (now 5.15pm) and asked if I could come over right away, (him) yeah, I'm not rushing anywhere".
Brett reminded me alot of Geoff, one of those people who is calm, laconic and you know now you're out of trouble. Started the bike, looked at me and laughed " Now I know there's a God" he Says, The timing control is 3 threads from flying out and that would have stopped the bike dead"
Needless to say I felt an overwhelming sense of relief, knowing that he was one of those people who for work it isn't just a job, you could just tell he was going to give Hanako the care.
Went home that night relieved.