Where would we be without hills? As motorcyclists, we owe so much pleasure to these terrestrial lumps. Sure, we can wind a road around a flat expanse of turf.  Many a brilliant race track has been intelligently designed in such a manner. But to get a road up a mountain, a steep and gnarly precipice, that requires a different approach. The topography dictates to guarantee the absence of uniformity. The absence of uniformity guarantees the satisfaction of the motorcyclist.

Of course there are hills, and then there are, well, mountains.  And where there are mountains, if we are lucky, there are mountain passes. With switchbacks please, washed out ruts and rudimentary safety barriers disappearing altogether behind icy clouds.

The Rooney Special relishes this habitat. This here is Jacobs Ladder on Ben Lomond in Tasmania. It’s not strictly a pass as it doesn’t take you back down the other side. Rather it leads you to a plateau and a tavern, although given you need to wind your way back down the ‘Ladder’ getting too familiar with the Tavern is not recommended.

There are many ways to make you feel alive. But riding an oversize, overpowered, torquey traction grabbing monster up and down a slippery rutted length of  immediate and alarming danger ranks up there at the top. I highly recommend it. But mind that corner just there will you….