With all the high-powered technology being applied to motorcycles we’re starting to lose sight of some of the very fundamentals of tuning a bike and preparing a rider.
There seems to be an expectation, especially among adventure riders, that money will get us through. If enough is spent on traction control, electronic suspension adjustment, anti-lock brakes, GPS, heated grips, programmable ignitions and an expensive collection of apparel and dietary supplements, a lot of adventure riders assume they’re doing their best to ensure a finish.
There’s no doubt the kind of technology that alters a bike’s power delivery or suspension characteristics at the touch of a button gives a rider a greatly increased chance of coping with whatever challenges a ride presents. But the technology can’t replace the skill needed to negotiate slippery clay, rock steps and deep sand, or to manage exhaustion, fatigue, pain and the myriad of other challenges and obstacles we face every time we go riding. Fitness and developing riding skills are the only answers for the rider, and a good understanding of
how a bike works, including its electronics, is a necessity for getting a bike through seriously tough going.
But back to the fundamentals.
A rider’s first response to an error light on digital instrument cluster shouldn’t be to reach for a Sat phone to make a call for roadside assistance. A basic knowledge of how the bike works will at least make it possible to track down a possible fault, and
“A rider’s first response to an error light on digital instrument cluster shouldn’t be to reach for a Sat phone to make a call for roadside assistance.”
perhaps even bodgy something up to get to the next town. It’s getting tougher as we allow the bike and its electronics to govern how we ride, but an adventure rider should still be able to at least work through the basics of fuel, spark and compression. The laws of physics haven’t changed.
And I never hear of anyone setting the ride height and static sag on their suspension any more.
To get the best from a bike’s suspension, the static sag and ride height need to fall within the manufacturer’s parameters. It’s usually a two-man job to measure, and it’s an easy one, but very few people do it.
If the suspension on your bike can’t be set so those two measurements meet up, it means you have the wrong springs for your weight or load. From there, nothing is going to be good. No amount of electronic adjustment can compensate, and even the most expensive suspension components rely on the correct sag and ride height to work at their best. That’s why adventure bikes have big preload adjusters. Preload is the adjustment we need to set those parameters.
The point I’m trying to make is, no matter how incredibly complex our bikes are these days, and how much technology is doing for us, the fundamentals still apply. The riders who understand the basics of their bikes and riding techniques are the ones who’ll cope with problems and finish rides.
If you really want to improve your riding, do some exercise and learn how your bike works. I don’t mean read the manual and learn which buttons to push to make adjustments. I mean learn what those adjustments are doing, and what you’re trying to achieve with those changes.
If you’re really keen, get yourself a ‘practice bike’. Look for a 1970s or 1980s trailbike. The cheaper the purchase, the more you’ll learn. Grab some tools, insulation tape, zip ties and wire and spend a few hours in a grassy paddock doing figure eights and trying to keep the bike running. You may possibly discover the fun in fundamentals, and I guarantee you’ll end up a far better rider.
Adventure Rider Magazine is published bi-monthly by Mayne Publications Pty Ltd
Publisher Kurt M Quambusch
Editor
Tom Foster
tom@advridermag.com.au
Phone: (02) 9452 4517 Mobile: 0481 349 034
Sales Director
Marcus Hucker marcus@trademags.com.au
Advertising Sales
Mitch Newell
mitch@trademags.com.au
Phone: (02) 9452 4517
Mobile: 0402 202 870
Production Managers
Melissa Perreault melissa@trademags.com.au
Rebecca Cotton rebecca@trademags.com.au
Design
Danny Bourke art@trademags.com.au
Subscriptions
Linda McFadden
linda@trademags.com.au
Phone: (02) 8355 6841
Accounts
Jeewan Gnawali jeewan@trademags.com.au
ISSN 2201-1218
ACN 130 678 812
ABN 27 130 678 812
Postal address: PO Box 489, DEE WHY NSW 2099 Australia
Website: www.advridermag.com.au
Enquiries:
Phone: 1300 76 4688
Int.ph: +612 9452 4517
Int.fax: +612 9452 5319
Main: The Adventure Rider Magazine test team – Robin Box, Keith Jobson and Kurt The Boss – on assignment and working hard riding the Suzuki V-Stroms in Victoria. It’s tough work, but someone has to do it.
Touratech
3Travel
For a brief period, Lake Omeo lit up to the sounds of roaring twins and triples soaring past, trailing a formidable plume of dust in their wake. Whether tucked in behind the fairing trying to reduce drag or standing on the fringe taking in the spectacle, it was a unique and thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Touratech Travel 3 hit Bright, Victoria, with the throttle wide open, and Wilko was there to soak up the atmosphere.
Words and images: Danny Wilkinson
The impromptu time trial was just one of the highlights of the third Touratech Travel Event. The third running of the annual Touratech gettogether kicked off a couple of days earlier with Triumph and KTM demo rides on the Friday afternoon, followed by in-depth presentations as the sun dropped over the beautiful alpine town of Bright.
I don’t know if it’s understood among all motorcycle riders, but a large expanse of flat, grassy ground meant there was a solid agreement in the group that a couple of speed runs were in order. The speeds gradually crept up until someone returned rather triumphantly on a borrowed 1190. He pulled up buzzing and held up a series of fingers to indicate the eventual top speed. I think the first digit may have been a two but in the billowing dust it was hard to tell.
Whatever. The sight and sound of a high-revving V-Twin ripping across the flat, grassy expanse was truly special.
A learning experience
Ricardo Hafon was the first to speak and his rundown on first aid for motorcyclists was highly educational. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one thinking it would be a good time to refresh some tarnished skills in this regard, and that can only be a good thing.
Above: The 2015 Touratech travel group. They have a good reason to be smiling. The event was superb. Maybe even better than the last two years.
Right: Sunday afternoon festivities on Lake Omeo. Below: The Touratech Australia folks. From Left: Andrea Box, Sherri-Jo Wilkins, Veronica Box, Ebony Hughes, Jodie Box, Lisa Box, Robin Box, Evelin Ritschl.
Brian Sommerville from GPS Oz was next, giving an overview on the developments in the field of satellite navigation and the ways the little brainboxes can be used to plan trips. There’s a familiar glaze that sometimes descends upon eyes when GPS mapping is the topic of conversation, but the group showed it was willing to put the information into practice with a solid day of following a pink – or green or yellow –line on Sunday.
Skilling up
In recognition of the varied levels of rider confidence at the Touratech Travel Event again this year, Saturday morning was split into two sessions. Roughly half the group opted for a rider training session with Nick Selleck from Maschine, and there was nothing but excitement at the improvement in skills. The other half were following in the footsteps of local legend Glen Hough on a trail that skirted the ridges around Bright. This resulted in
John and Sylvie Testa with Charley Boorman. u
CrossIng The dITCh
Tasmanians Mike and Moira Wellman have attended the Touratech Travel Event since its inception. Both are handy riders and Mike seems to be able to loft the front end of his 1200 at will (no doubt a background in trials riding helps). Their enthusiasm for the event is infectious and this year they brought along their son and daughter-in-law to join in. Along with good people like Chris and Josie Wharmby, the Apple Isle is well represented at the event. They do a fine job of proving that not all stories about our southern neighbours can be believed.
Mike and Moira Wellman on the wall of Dartmouth Dam.
some technical descents and amazing vistas on a crisp morning in the High Country. With a big percentage of the attendees backing up for a second or third year, it was great confirmation that the skills acquired in previous years were opening up new horizons. After Justin Dee and Glen Howard took the challenge and made their way through the churned-up mud section to Dargo last year, they went on to venture out on the trails together. Watching them punt their 1200s over rocky ground with authority this year was clear proof their confidence and skills were continually improving.
Man down
After lunch, there were three options available. Well…four if you counted a siesta on the back deck of the Bright Chalet.
Extended demo rides were available, Nick Selleck and Robin Box took a group over Goldie Spur towards Lake Buffalo, and those feeling really confident headed out on another of Mr Hough’s mystery tours.
For Mal Walker the ride ended a little abruptly with a spill in the forest, but fortunately a member of the Touratech team was on hand. Andrea Box is a trained paramedic and nurse and was able to quickly assess the situation and keep him comfortable. In a remarkably short time, radio communications flowed down the hillside and another member of the Box family, Lisa this time, swung into action to collect the fallen rider.
Trevor Vienet offered to ride the bike back down the mountain, speeding up the process of extracting the fallen rider, and it was all undertaken with minimal fuss.
Family affair
That’s the thing with the Touratech Travel Event. You don’t just turn up as a participant. For all intents and purposes you’re taken in as a member of the extended Box/Touratech family for the weekend – and often beyond. It’s a great atmosphere and the way everyone gets on makes for a gathering that’s a real annual highlight. In Mal’s case, he was taken into Wangaratta for X-rays and then delivered safely back to the Chalet by Andrea late that night.
For the others, Touratech main man Robin Box had a surprise in store. Some last-minute shuffling of plans meant Charley Boorman and his mate Billy Ward were able to attend the event and present on Saturday night. The audience got a real insight into Charley’s adventures and you could see a
Main: Sherri Jo Wilkins picked up her new Tiger at the event. Right: John Testa showing true mateship at work. A little tweaking on a friend’s KTM while no-one was looking…
The fuTure for TouraTeCh Travel
“We’ve had really positive feedback from prior events, but the difficulty is in living up to those expectations,” said Touratech Australia’s Ebony Hughes. “We changed the format of this year’s event but were reluctant to detour too far as we were worried about changing the atmosphere generated by riders in the past. Everyone seemed to appreciate the direction we have taken things, so that’s us fired up for next year with a few more ideas”.
Above: Garry Pratt and Phil James lending moral support to KTM’s Brendon Roberts. Yes. That’s right. KTM’s Brendon Roberts.
number were excited by the prospect of having a chat with him at the bar afterwards.
Lovin’ it
Sunday dawned crisp and clear, another perfect autumn day in the mountains, and the new 800XCx Tiger purred up over Tawonga Gap. I honestly can’t believe how good the current crop of adventure bikes are. It seemed one minute I was listening to the triple howl as the bitumen banked into tight mountain corners, and the next it was rippling over rocky trails like they were a ribbon of magic carpet. Put a bike like that together with a route that took us over, around and through a series of mountain trails and back-country roads and you have the makings of a fantastic day’s riding.
A morning tea break was setup at Dartmouth Dam and it’s an impressive looking piece of engineering. Standing 180 metres high, it holds something like seven times the capacity of Sydney Harbour. Those are big numbers, but the thing that intrigued me was the overflow. A concrete chute allows floodwater to bypass the wall and then cascade down a series of rock shelves that look like a stage of Erzberg. That’d be one very impressive sight, and probably one well worth travelling to see if you could get in and out of the area when the heavens opened up.
It didn’t seem to matter where you pulled up on Sunday, there was a group of riders having a ball. And if that wasn’t the case, then there was an amazing vista unfolding in front of you. It was just one of those days you’d be hard-pressed not to have fun.
Big finish
With the ride coming to a close, the final session on Sunday night was presented by world traveller Sherri Jo Wilkins.
In her unassuming manner she spoke of travelling through South America and it was clear the audience was captivated. It was great way to wrap up the event and showed that you don’t need frills or fanfare to conquer the world.
Adventure riders’ Congregation
“I reckon we should give back to the adventure-riding industry and the readers,” held forth the publisher from behind the huge piles of assorted crap stacked up to the ceiling in his office. “We should hold a big annual meeting where we all get together, riders and industry, and just celebrate that we’re all adventure riders. It’ll be like a religious experience,” he said, assuming his most sombre expression. “Lord help us!” said everyone in the office.
And so it came to pass.
The boss decided an annual adventure-riders’ get together was needed, and he was the man to make it happen.
“Make it happen!” he proclaimed from the pulpit of discarded power tools and neglected photographic equipment surrounding his desk, then jumped on his 1190 and disappeared on an APC Rally four-day ride, leaving everyone filled with wonder…
That is, everyone was thinking, “I wonder who…”
“I wonder when…”
“I wonder where…”
A mission
A date was settled. That was the easy part: September 19 and 20. Up went the idea on the AdvRiderMag forum and suddenly the office was besieged by believers.
Then someone in the Armidale region thought it would be a good idea to run the event in the New England area. Armidale itself is superb, the riding is excellent and scenery is to die for. There’s actually a Facebook page called Armidale Adventure Riders, and a couple of those folks offered some great riding routes. So Armidale received the blessing.
Camping
Armidale showground. $12 per night
Hotel/Motel
New England Motor Inn
101 Dumaresq Street
Phone: (02) 6771 1011
bookings@newenglandmotorinn.com.au
Westwood Motor Inn
62 Barney Street
Phone (02) 6772 8000
info@westwoodmotorinn.com.au
Sandstock Motor Inn
101 Dumaresq Street
Phone: (02) 6772 9988
stay@sandstockmotorinn.com.au
Club Motel
107 Dumaresq Street
Phone: (02) 6772 8777
clubmotelarmidale@gmail.com
Main: Tony Bennett recommendation number one: Mount Topper. “Located near Tingha, the climb to the summit of Mount Topper provides some entertaining riding,” BMWed Tony. Here’s The Man himself being rewarded with the stunning views of the stunning countryside from on top of the vast, granite outcrop. Stunning, eh?
“We just want everyone to turn up and let’s talk adventure riding, show off our bikes, have a few cold ones, go for a local ride, and, most importantly, share our passion for adventure riding,” intoned the publisher, crossing himself and looking all religousy an’ that. It was all that was needed to get things off and running.
Hallelujah!
Now it’s all happening. There’s a Facebook page called ‘Adventure Riders Annual Congregation’, and Armidale local Tony Bennett, who
knows his way around the area pretty damn well, has suggested some destinations or locations that would make for premium, fun adventure riding.
There’s going to be some guest speakers – and hopefully some speakers so everyone can hear the guest speakers.
Prominent industry figures have been issued invitations and informed it’ll cost them ‘three cases of Armidale’s finest preferred lager’ to pitch a display. The showground has been booked, and there’s even talk of a slap-up dinner at a posh venue on Saturday night.
All that’s needed now is some loaves and fishes and 12 DR-sciples.
For all the latest information and to register your interest, go to Facebook and find ‘Adventure Riders Annual Congregation’.
We need to have a rough idea of numbers, so if you’ll be there, let us know. Amen.
Main: Tony Bennett recommendation number two: The Old Armidale Road, Inverell. “The ride to Inverell is a favourite among members of the Armidale Adventure Riders Group,” reckoned Benno. He even sent a pic of himself enjoying what used to be the Old Armidale Road. These days it’s a mecca for Inverell’s local trailbike riders. Tony forgot to mention the Old Kempsey/Armidale Road running west from Bundarra is one of the editor’s all-time favourite dualsport rides, so it’s sure to get a guernsey.
The deTaIls
Who: All of us. Be there!
Why: Because it’ll be awesome to spin yarns, check out bikes and talk about rides and destinations
What: The first annual Congregation for adventure riders!
When: September 19 and 20
Where: Armidale, NSW
Cost: Sweet FA
Up-to-date info: Adventure Riders Annual Congregation Facebook page (go there to register, too)
Above: Tony Bennett recommendation number three: Crown Mountain. “The track into Crown Mountain, north-east of Armidale, provides some entertaining riding and beautiful views, with some fantastic granite rocks which are typical of the New England landscape,” said Tone.
Great Southern Safari 2015
New Zealand is an adventure-riding paradise, and every year Britton Adventures runs an event that covers some of the very best of the best. Dave Britten rode the Yamaha-sponsored Great Southern Safari.
Words and images: Racin’ Dave Britten. Some images by Ollie Sharp.
Main: Dunedin Yamaha dealer Rick Jamieson carved up what the Kiwis call ‘shingle’ roads. Below: Rider’s briefing in Gore.
You really had to be there or it wouldn’t seem credible. Along with the other 50 riders, I was climbing the Borland Road on the South Island of New Zealand’s rainforested Fiordland that leads to South Arm of Lake Manapouri. It wasn’t particularly pleasant. It was chilly and misty; with visibility only 20 metres and practically every corner of the narrow, winding gravel road being blind the pace was very slow. Then, unexpectedly, I emerged above the cloud, the temperature increased by five degrees in five seconds, and the splendid view over the glacial Grebe Valley was laid out in all its glory.
Such is the joy of motorcycle riding, and such is the joy of adventure rides.
Aussie, Aussie and another Aussie
Some of my joy came from the bike I was riding – a new XT660Z, courtesy of Yamaha New Zealand. It had been lightly modified for the three-day Safari and it made a good compromise between the heavyweight twins and the lightweight enduro or trail singles. Faster than the latter on gravel or sealed roads, and easier to handle in the tricky sections than the former.
Riders came from all over, with the furthest-travelled being 72-year-old Des Trubshoe. Des rode his Yamaha TT-R250 the 1700km down from Whangarei in Northland to the start in Otago. That’s keen!
Three Aussies had crossed the Tasman for the ride – two being regular Safari entrants (Yamaha Australia brand manager Peter Payne, and off-road expert Geoff Ballard), and the third being Yamaha-sponsored road-bike stunt rider Dave McKenna.
Great south land
The annual Safari is the premier event of its kind each summer, and is organised by Britton Adventures, with Mike Britton and Angela Bruce at the helm. What sets this experience apart from others is the emphasis on quality accommodation and meals, and that the course is set to allow riders of big bikes, and those who bravely choose to carry pillions, to have a ride that is challenging but without excessive risk of bike damage or rider injury.
That said, the plotters of the route could only work with the available terrain, so the occasional and very short tougher section was always going to be a reality. Another advantage of the group ride is camaraderie, and the willingness of others to pitch in and assist those who find themselves momentarily out of their depth.
To me, a big part of the value comes from the permission to ride properties normally closed to the public, and course setter Don Moir’s contacts in the southern part of the South Island were invaluable.
Revel without a course
The 2015 Safari was called ‘Great Southern’ and it definitely lived up to that description. The start was at the Croydon Hotel in Gore, so those riders from the upper North Island had a few day’s trek just to get to the start, and the Safari’s first day, run in temperatures around 30 degrees, took us even further south. Otago and Southland have some of New Zealand’s best gravel roads – and by ‘best’ I mean little-used, winding, hilly, and scenic – and it was by these that we joined various farm properties on a southeasterly journey that led to the Catlins Coast.
The main road through this burgeoning but isolated tourist area on the South Island’s bottom-right corner is sealed all the way, but its downfall is that it runs mostly through bush, and so the spectacular coastal scenery is frequently obscured. Not for Safari participants – we were treated to the best of the best as we rode from farm to farm, gradually making our way southwards.
Despite the sometimes difficult-to-follow painted marks that guided us across the various lushly grassed paddocks, the sheer cliffs, the sandy beaches, and the rolling hills made for some outstandingly good riding. Lunch at tiny Owaka was magnificent and no one could have left without being refreshed for the afternoon’s revelry.
Bike shop
Half an hour on the bitumen (and for those who left lunch early, a tour group of slow-riding road bikes made for sporting overtakes) brought us to another extensively tracked farm, and again the views were worth stopping to appreciate. Finally, the day ended in Invercargill, and the Ascot Hotel provided excellent meals and accommodation.
Here we were treated to a great
1: Maurits and Jackie Roo on board their BMW F800GS on the Borland Road.
2: Lunch in Waikaia.
3: Karl Sasseand his KTM 990 loved the Catlins Coast.
4: The author soaked up the sensational riding that’s part of every annual Britton Adventures Safari.
example of southern hospitality. This was the special evening opening of E Hays And Sons’ hardware store. What’s so special about that? The shop sells every possible item you could think of, but it’s the bikes and cars on display among the mundane shelves of goods that are the cream, and in particular, the actual Velocette and Indian that Burt Munro rode to such good effect at Bonneville. There are the replicas used in The World’s Fastest Indian film there too, and other weird and not-so-wonderful two-wheeled oddities.
Sand witch
Speaking of Burt Munro brings me to the second day’s first section.
The previous day’s heat was replaced by cooler light rain. The moisture settled the dust but didn’t seem to improve the traction on the estuary’s sand leading to the famous Oreti Beach where Burt prepared for his world-record attempts. Advice to stay near the retreating tide was wellmeant, but there were soft and hard patches. It might have been different in Burt’s day, but riding at 70kph felt fast enough –how he managed at 170kph or more is a mystery to me.
Got the bug
Crossing Don Moir’s own farm near Riverton – through long green grass with awkward little gullies – had some unintended humour. The route notes instructed us to look out across Foveaux Strait to enjoy a view of Stewart Island. Ha! Such were the misty conditions, we could barely see the sea.
An early lunch at Tuatapere, renowned as the Sausage Capital of New Zealand, a keenly fought-for accolade, allowed the rain to clear, and we prepared for the long haul
into Lake Manapouri’s South Arm.
The Borland Road is in Fiordland and has plenty of forested charms to attract a passing motorcyclist, but the Guardians Of The Bush do not number among them. ‘Pesky’ is the most polite word I can think of to describe the myriad vicious sandflies that lie in wait for any rider foolish enough to remove their helmet at the water’s edge, and no-one lingered longer than necessary to admire the lake, the forest, and the mountains – but by then it was time to escape the bitey nuisances. By obscure and sinuous gravel roads we wound our way back towards the Ascot, including another spin along Oreti Beach. Oddly enough, it now felt firm and safe. Some riders may have ridden rather more quickly than they had in the morning. I was one of them.
North is next
The dust had returned for the third and final day of the Safari, but an hour’s riding on gravel roads to the first farm track allowed the field to spread out enough that the problem was trivial. Mostly these tracks were of a high standard, but by no means were they dull. They carried us to high views, they showed us prime cattle, sheep, and deer properties, and then they brought
us to The Tussock Downhill.
The Tussock Downhill was only a couple of hundred metres long, but such was the tussock’s growth that a proper line could not be chosen, and each rider floundered or rode confidently, mostly by luck. Lucky it was downhill too. Clutches would’ve been sacrificed if we’d had to climb.
More swooping on high-speed gravel roads found us in Waikaia for lunch and the outdoor barbecue in the main street (venison! pork!) was another of the Safari’s uncountable highlights.
The final property we visited was adventuring at its best.
Argyle Station is enormous by NZ standards, and the perimeter track we rode (was it really 37km?) took us both to lookouts at altitude and, the best part for me, to the track alongside the river. Here we splashed through shallow stony fords and past deer that bounded away at our approach, before the final run back to Gore along another fine set of serpentine and fast gravel roads. Dust was raised and skids were done. It was exhilarating good fun.
Thus, the Great Southern Adventure ended. Mike and Angela have hinted that next year’s adventure might be based towards the centre of the North Island, so fresh terrain can be anticipated for another quality ride.
Top: Borland Road, where riders unexpectedly broke through the mist.
Right: Viv Morrisey rode the KTM 690 fully loaded in preparation for tackling the Trans America Trail.
Industry players
Miles Davis
The National Motorcycle Marketing Manager for BMW Motorrad would have to be one of the most recognisable identities in the Australian adventureriding fraternity. Never mind how Miles Davis’ riding skill compares to other motorcycling company managers. When it comes to handling big-horsepower, big-mass motorcycles, Melbourne-based Miles, 47, is world-class. Actually, he’s pretty handy on bikes of all kinds.
AdvR: What came first: motorcycles or mountain bikes?
MD: I was always obsessed by motorcycles. From as far back as I can remember there’s pictures of me sitting on uncles’ or grandfathers’ motorbikes. There was always an obsession.
I guess it must’ve been about 1980 when I got my first motorcycle and I would’ve been 11. It was some sort of crazy old Kawasaki two-stroke ag bike I bought for $100. My dad used to drop me off at the Kurnell sand dunes in the morning with a jerry can and come back at 3.30 in the afternoon and hope I would be there.
It wasn’t that my parents thought it was a good idea, but I was pretty adamant that that was what had to happen. I feel lucky I convinced my parents to let me do that. It was living-in-the-moment stuff, and I learned a lot.
AdvR: How did mountain-bike racing come about?
MD: I went from Kurnell sand dunes to joining the Sutherland Police Boys Minibike Club. I’d saved up from my ’paper run and bought a CR80, and
that gave me some structure and a little bit of training, but then my family moved to Canada.
I’d never seen snow before, but I was 16 and living in Montreal so I got into winter sports. I was skiing in the winter, and in the summer of 1984 I discovered what a mountain bike was.
A mate had an RM250, so every now and then I got a motorcycling fix, but they were few and far between.
I think I was 18 when I did a pedal trip from Vancouver to Calgary. That was 1200km through the Rocky
Mountains, and I got hooked on cycling. I started racing mountain bikes in the early 1990s and was selected for the Aussie team for the ’94 World Champs where I got a top 10. That landed me a pro ride in ’95. In the off-season I’d come back to Australia and I got hold of an ex-Craig Anderson KTM 250SX. I was making a bit of money racing mountain bikes, so I could justify the dirt bike as cross-training, but I didn’t need much of an excuse.
I was cycling at the local Sutherland criterium on Friday nights, and that was where I met Stephen Gall. He was doing the same thing, and he was interested in my mountain biking.
I got to know him a bit and he invited me out to Dargle to attend one of his five-day courses.
That was probably the line in the sand where I was exposed to such a good motorcycle-training program and met guys like Lyndon Heffernan, Shane Booth, Paul Broomfield and Kim Ashkenazi. I started riding a lot with good riders, and getting good training.
I got right into it, enjoyed my riding and improved a lot.
AdvR: You became a coach?
MD: Gally liked to have a bit of activity before everyone got on their ’bikes, so I’d take the kids for a mountain-bike ride in the morning, and I’d bring training and nutrition to his courses. I had certain skills that
Above: An MTB pin-up boy! Left: Third from the left, as part of the VW team. Right: Miles Davis: National Motorcycle Marketing Manager, BMW Motorrad.
IndusTry players
were at a high level – balance and braking skills – but I had no throttle and clutch control. I had big gaps in my repertoire, but in that environment you improve so quickly.
With Gally we started the Academy Of Mountain Biking, in line with his moto program, which was a bit of fun, but then in 1997 I moved back to the US full time. I kept my riding up, though. I bought a KLX300 and did lots of desert riding and rode the Glen Helen motocross track regularly. It was nearby.
In ’99 I moved back to Australia. I didn’t have a trade or a career or anything, and I just thought I’d make it up as I went. I started helping at Gally’s courses and ended up becoming a coach. I got involved in Cycle Torque newspaper as well. It’d just started, and between the coaching and the magazine as the dirt-bike reviewer, that got me into the motorcycle industry, I guess.
My role at Cycle Torque grew until I became a partner, doing tests and managing the advertising.
AdvR: What about racing?
MD: Racing hasn’t been a focus, but I dabbled.
I’ve done a few rounds of Thumper Nats, one round of the Australian Motocross Championships, one season of the Australian Supermotard Championships, and a couple of Australian Four Day Enduros.
AdvR: How did the connection with BMW Motorrad come about?
MD: That was in 2006.
I guess BMW knew the 450X was coming, and it was looking for someone with more of an interest or background in off-road. My background from Cycle Torque days was always half road and half dirt…maybe a little more towards dirt, but I’ve always loved road bikes as well.
They wanted someone in the role who was an experienced and authentic rider, rather than someone with impressive
tertiary qualifications, so they asked if I was interested.
AdvR: What’s been a highlight of your time with BMW Motorrad?
MD: I think being involved with the 450 project was pretty cool.
Australia is a big market for 450 enduro bikes, and I was privileged to go to Spain in 2007 and ride the prototype. That was a year before the 450 was launched. I was probably the only person from a BMW sales company to ride the prototype.
We were hidden at a motocross track behind some little village in Spain, and the bike was almost kept under a cover.
The 450X was pretty cool. It was so innovative. Look at dirt bikes now. They have cylinders back-to-front and tanks under the seat and all sorts of crazy stuff. The 450X was probably one of the first bikes to change the rules.
I felt privileged to be involved with that.
AdvR: What about the GS Safaris and the launching of the Safari Enduro?
MD: I love the Safari events.
One week after I started with BMW in 2006 I was on a Safari from Cairns to Cape York and back.
When one of the GS clubs called up Gally in 2004 and wanted adventure-bike training, he knew I was the guy to do that. So I’d met those guys, and I was doing courses for them regularly before I started at BMW.
That was when my eyes were opened to how much fun guys that ride adventure bikes have. I just remember how obvious it was to me that this segment of riders has so much fun on their bikes, probably more than motocrossers, Harley riders, sportsbike riders…any group. I thought it was awesome. It was cool to be involved with it. Being out there, teaching them, and getting them to throw their GSs around with more confidence…that was awesome.
AdvR: You knock around with some pretty big names these days. Who’s
been the most fun to ride with?
MD: That’s a good question!
Joel Smets coming out to ride the 450X at the Australian Four Day Enduro was a lot of fun, I still hear from him every now and then.
Look, it’s a huge honour to ride with those guys – Allerton, Beattie, Melandri, Haslam, Gally and all those guys – but at the end of the day I have the most fun going riding with mates, that’s what it’s all about.
AdvR: What’s the wildest or most unlikely thing you’ve seen on a ride?
MD: You see some crazy things.
Doing one of the early courses, one of the guys was just a bit too excited and took off down a track way too fast. He realised a bit too late when he saw the huge erosion hump…he went over the ’bars big time! I was very relieved when I got to him and he was okay, just a bump on his elbow, but the bike was a mess.
AdvR: You’re coming up to nine years with BMW Motorrad. What’s the motorcycling future hold for you?
MD: I guess you never know, really. I constantly get told I have the best job in the world, but people don’t always see the other side. In some ways this is my first ‘real’ job, a lot of my friends thought I wouldn’t last at a corporate concern, but now I’m coming up to nine years, which is pretty cool.
I feel lucky I’m involved in great events like the BMW Safari and the interesting people and passionate riders I meet. Who knows what’s next? Life is an adventure! If it can stay at this level of enjoying motorcycles, being around those sorts of people and making a living – working hard, obviously – if that ‘gold’ feeling is there, I’ll just go in boots and all and do my best.
Above and below: More memorabilia from the MTB and motard days.
Carese II · art. 6450
GORE-TEX® jacket
Torno II · art. 6460
GORE-TEX® pants
four day Rally NSW
Andrew Palleson survives a great struggle between man and course.
Ihad completed the NSW APC
Four Day in 2013 and enjoyed it. It’d been a very pleasant, scenic, social ride around NSW and Victoria. I thought this year’s ride would be just the same.
How could I have got it so wrong?
Follow the leader
My mate Richard and I travelled up to Mt Victoria in the Blue Mountains of NSW the night before the start. We were lucky enough to share a hotel room with about 200 mosquitoes and 2000 trucks that seemed to pass within a metre of our window.
After a sleepless night, the next
morning was made much better by coffee and fine weather.
The start of the event was like D Day.
Once we had our riders’ briefing from John ‘Homer’ Hudson, it was a mass charge out onto the course. All the troops looked full of confidence and glorious on their clean machines. If only they’d known what was coming.
We got a hint of what was ahead when Richard heavily decked his DR650 within the first 20km. He looked like a kamikaze pilot crashing onto an aircraft carrier. He ended up with a sore leg and was a bit disconcerted.
The rest of the first day went well without too many problems. The course was well-routed, and all anyone had to do was follow a pink line on a GPS. John Hudson has fine-tuned this event and offers
a slick, well-organised ride.
The riding was very scenic and not too technical. The only problem was occasionally overshooting corners in tight sections, resulting in the lead rider ending up at the back. But this was also fun.
We arrived at our first night’s accommodation, the Murumbateman Country Inn, at about 5.30pm.
Border line
We awoke to another fine day for our second start, with Richard sporting a totally black heel and a limp like Long John Silver.
He wasn’t the only rider with this problem. Others had come to grief also and we now resembled the walking dead.
The riding for the second day was absolutely spectacular. We wound our way towards the Victorian Alps to have lunch at Telbingo. It was chilly
Words and images: Andrew Palleson
Above: The Araluen Hotel is an oasis.
Right: Love the open dirt roads.
Bottom right: Things were getting a little challenging by the time the riders hit this river in the Deua National Park.
on the tops as we rode over the Powerline Road and finally ended the day at the Benambra Hotel in Victoria.
That night two riders left for family reasons. They were the lucky ones.
For starters
If I only knew what was going to unfold on the third day, maybe I’d have taken up knitting and drinking cups of tea.
The day started with another brilliantly fine, crisp, sunny morning, and we left at 7.30am, following Homer’s advice that the day’s riding was going to be a little bit more challenging.
Everything was fine for the first 20 minutes until I came around a rocky corner at a great rate of knots. My back tyre apparently hit a large rock and spat me into the ground head-first.
Then things went from bad to absolutely traumatic.
At close to 5.00pm we came to a locked gate about 30 minutes away from our third night’s accommodation at Araluen Hotel. A command decision was made and we continued on into unknown territory using the cornerman system. There was a 50/50 chance that the going was going to be good – or bad. Later on we found out there was a third option: ‘very ugly’.
As we pushed into the Deua National Park, things became more and more technical. The uphills became very steep and the downhills turned into free-fall descent. At about 6.00pm we came to a deep river crossing where one of the BMWs was drowned and had to be put onto a ute.
He was another lucky one.
Then onward the rest of us charged.
I was lucky enough to be at the front with two other riders. One of them was on a Husaberg which had a failed solenoid starter. If it stalled, it had to be bump-started. At 6.30pm things had become pitch black when the Husaberg had finally gave up completely. Luckily we had a mechanic with us and over the next 30 minutes we pulled the Husaberg down and jerry-rigged the wiring to make it start. We now knew that things were very serious. Nobody had caught up to us.
u
Left: Overlooking Telbingo in the Victorian mountains. It was the lunch stop on the second day.
We had to make a decision in the darkness to either stay, go back or push on. We decided to make a run for it and try to save ourselves.
Staggered
If you’ve never ridden in pitch-black darkness through a very steep national park, you haven’t lived. It was like being on a scary showground ride that you couldn’t get off. At 7.30pm we arrived on the banks of another deep and wide river. Things were now desperate. The Husaberg rider decided he was too tired to do a walk-through, so he just charged in and hoped for the best. We followed after him like a pack of blood-crazed jackals chasing their prey. At 8.00pm we finally came out onto the Araluen Road, and by 8.30pm we were at the Araluen Hotel.
After riding in the dark for three hours we felt we were like the only survivors to get off the Titanic. To my total disbelief, riders arrived in twos and threes over the next four hours. The last bike finally made it back
at 12.30am after riding for 17 hours – six of those hours in darkness.
The morning after
The 7.30am start next day was like watching shell-shocked soldiers slowly exiting their foxholes. Riders had stories of great courage and sorrow. One Yamaha rider said he’d lost count of the number of times he had thrown his bike away. He stayed with it to 30, but then lost track. Another rider on a KTM 990 told me he’d stopped and waved the white flag of surrender as his bike looked very second-hand and had many bits missing. A newbie rider on a BMW had crashed so hard he’d broken his clutch lever and had to ride through the night without the clutch.
Looking around, I could see fear and tiredness in the riders’ eyes.
Five riders decided to leave the rally that morning and find the quickest way home, so the six remaining riders headed out on the homeward leg.
The day started completely opposite
Top: The Monaro region has fabulous riding. Insert: The author with his trusty DR650. Left: Benambra Hotel made for a great overnighter.
to the previous one. The riding and day were both fine, and the roads easy and very picturesque.
I was becoming overly confident and then disaster struck. Coming around a corner at around 80kph, I realised I couldn’t make it. At the last minute I decided to lay the bike down and sailed off into a rock-strewn paddock.
The sweep rider behind didn’t see me crash, so he kept on riding until he caught up with my friend who asked where I was. On the return, they sailed past again until one of the riders saw my bike in the paddock.
It took 30 minutes for me to put the bike back together. After that incident, Richard and I decided to take the safe, bitumen route back to Mt Victoria.
Three things I have learnt
One: Always fill up fuel, water and food when you see them available.
Two: You must have at least a 20-litre fuel tank on your adventure bike.
Three: No soldiers are to be left behind on the battlefield at any time.
To sum it up, the ride was over four fine days, totalling approximately 1900km. Special thanks to John Hudson and the sweeps. Without them, I wouldn’t have finished. John runs a very smooth, wellorganised operation. The mighty pink GPS line that you follow at your own pace is unbeatable.
One day I’m going to hold my head up high and tell my grandchildren I was on the 2015 APC Rally NSW Four Day.
Dry Bags
Waterproof
Frameless Saddle Bags
Tank Bags
Tragics tackle the Dividing Range
73 Ténéré riders enjoy their fifth annual group ride.
Riders on Yamaha Ténérés of all vintages including the original 1983 model headed to northern NSW for the fifth annual Ténéré Tragics.
Starting at Nambucca Heads and taking in around 1700km of dirt roads and twisting tarmac, the four-day tour ended at the Riverside Downs resort near Dungog.
“The combination of perfect weather, awesome trails and good-humoured bench racing has cemented the latest incarnation of this event as the most tragic yet,” said Yamaha Motor Australia Communications Manager Sean Goldhawk.
Special guest Tragic and Aussie motocross legend Stephen Gall made his third appearance at a Ténéré Tragics piloting an XTZ1200 Super Ténéré. The four-times Mister Motocross once again shared his vast knowledge by hosting a special riding-skills and bike-and-rider set-up lecture during the event.
Organisers Andrew and Tania Clubb have promised more Yamaha Ténéré fully supported adventure rides in the near future. Keep an eye on the Tragic Facebook page for more information.
Words and images: Yamaha Motor Australia
From left to right, the 2015 Tragics.
TragICs by numbers
R The Dividing Range Run was the fifth annual Ténéré Tragics Run
R The event kicked off with a Welcome Dinner at Nambucca Heads and finished with a Farewell And Awards dinner at Riverwood Downs Resort near Dungog NSW
R The four-day run could be navigated by route sheets and covered a total of 1683km
R 65 Ténéré Tragics riders plus four crew riders, two YMA riders and two AdventureMoto riders made a total of 73 Ténéré riders, plus a sweep truck provided
R Mary-Ann Eime from South Australia was the lone female rider
R Six first-model 1983 XT600ZL Ténérés completed the run
R Most popular bike on run this year was the current generation XTZ660 Ténéré. There were 33
major aWard WInners
R Youngest rider: Josh Halpin, 19
R Oldest rider: Harley Drew, 68
R Oldest Ténéré on ride: Clubby’s 1983 XT600ZL
R Most kilometres ridden to the event: John Wheeler, over 5200km!
R Best Presented current XT600Z Ténéré: Francis Smith
R Best Presented current XT1200Z Super Ténéré: Justin Hayden
R Best Presented first-generation XT600/660Z: John Wheeler
R Best Presented first-generation XTZ750 Super Ténéré: Chris Kirk
R Hard Luck Award: Chris Warnaby. His 1988 XT600Z Ténéré expired at Inverell. He promptly traded it on a second-hand 2012 XTZ660 and will be back for next year
R Captain’s Choice Award for Truly Tragic Tragic: Dave Bottomley
Left: Clubby’s 1983 model still does service.
1: It looks like a stormtrooper. On a motocross track it’s the nearest thing to it. Stephen
Gall looked the business, as always.
2: If you look carefully there’s a Ténéré under there.
3: Chris Kirk took out an award for his Dakar-replica XTZ750.
Below: Hey look! It’s Mark Edney! We met Mark on the Trek Tasmania ride in issue #08.
Ride the
Himalayas
In mid-September a small group of adventurers will set out on hired Royal Enfields to ride from Srinagar in India’s far north all the way down to India’s southern tip. You could be one of them.
This is halfway to being an ad, but we’re not apologising for that. Riding the Himalayas on a Royal Enfield would still be one of the world’s most visceral motorcycle adventures, and here’s a chance for Aussies to take the challenge and do some good.
Stuart Ball, 41, of Maryborough in Queensland, who we met as the organiser of the Great Australian Ride in issue #04, has widened his horizons. And when a bloke’s horizons comfortably include sprinting across Australia a few times and raising $150,000 or so for SIDS And Kids in the process, those are some serious horizons we’re talking about.
“I went to India in 1996 and again in ’99,” explained Stuart, “and I was a little shell-shocked by the extreme poverty. The Indians have very little, but they make the most of it. After the Great Australian Ride had worked so well, I was fortunate to get in touch with Motorcycle Expeditions. I put forward my formula for the Great Australian Ride, and Motorcycle Expeditions put forward the motorcycles and support.”
So Stuart is following the same model as the Great Australian Ride, but punters will ride the subcontinent raising funds for Plan India, a group that supports disadvantaged children in India, and in particular the education of girls.
Stuart has cleverly called his new venture The Great Indian Ride.
The group will spend the first week riding through the Himalayas on some of the highest roads in the world, including Khardung Pass at 5600 metres and the town of Leh – the ancient hub of the camel and donkey caravan trade between Asia, Kashmir and Tibet. Dharamshala – home of the Dali Lama and the Tibetan government in exile – is on the itinerary, as is Rishikesh on the Ganges River, New Delhi, Agra to see the Taj Mahal at sunset, Jhansi, the Khajuraho temples, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Hampi, Bangalore and Ooty, until, after a month of riding, the group will arrive
at Cape Cormorin – India’s southern tip.
The riders will be taking a SPOT Tracker so family, friends and others can follow progress. There will also be a Facebook page called ‘The Great Indian Ride’ that will provide regular updates on the ride.
The target in this first year is for a group of 10-12 riders to travel with a guide and back-up luggage vehicle. Approximate cost of the one-month ride – including bike, fuel, accommodation, most meals and airport transfers – will be around $6000. In addition, each rider must raise at least $1000 for Plan India to secure their position.
The ride will be challenging with high altitude, changeable weather, mud, ice and rough and hairy roads – everything you could wish for in an adventure ride. Most of all, it promises to be a spectacular and life-changing adventure immersed in the sights and sounds of India. Participants will need to bring a sense of humour and a willingness to chip in and support their fellow riders.
If you want to join this ride, contact Stuart Ball at stuartball37@yahoo.com.au.
Lefty
Planning an adventure is exciting. Here’s a bloke who’s planning a cracker, and he’s looking for riders who want to share it with him.
Lefty, 53 – real name Graham Bosenberg – is an interesting bloke. He’s a long-distance truckie who’s been riding a long time. In October, Lefty is planning to spend most of a month on his KLR. He’s a man with a plan.
“The proposed trip is to start on Tuesday, October 5th,” he explained, “and the ride will take approximately three-and-a-half weeks.
“The route I’m planning is from my home town of Adelaide to Port Augusta, then Iron Knob, northwest to Thuriga, Mount Hiltaba and back to Wirrulla. From Wirrulla I’ll head to Ceduna following the old narrow-gauge railway access track to Penong, and from there to Fowlers Bay via old dirt access tracks that run beside the highway.
“From Fowlers Bay to the WA
border I’ll ride via the coast to Dog Fence Beach, then follow the dog fence to the highway. About 65km along the highway I’ll turn south to the coast and travel along the Bunda Cliffs to the border. Then I’ll go Eucla to Esperance following the Old Telegraph Line, passing Red Rocks Point, Eyre Bird, Twilight Cove, Baxter Cliffs, Bilbunya Dunes, Israelite Bay and Esperance.
“Esperance to Perth via the coast, then up to Kalbarri National Park, stopping off at the Pinnacles National Park, back down to York, Hyden (Wave Rock) and then to Norseman via the dirt.
“Depending on time, Norseman to Kalgoorlie using the railway access tracks and then follow the Trans-Australian Railway back to Port Augusta. There may have to
be some diversions along this track from Haig to Lyons as access may not be granted.”
In what seems a masterful understatement, Lefty finished with, “All of the above is still in the early stages of planning and, as all trips go, you need to be flexible to change.”
Single-handed
That’s a tough trip, but before you start thinking up excuses, consider Lefty’s situation. He’s missing his right arm.
“It happened in 1986,” he recalled.
“I was heading across into Victoria to attend a rally when an impatient gentleman from Melbourne caught up with slower traffic. Rather than back off he just put the foot down even harder, pulled out, and got me head-on.”
The result was devastating. Lefty’s right arm was amputated about 50mm above the elbow and his right leg and foot were a mess.
Left: Graham ‘Lefty’ Bosenberg plans to follow some of Australia’s great explorers on a three-and-a-half week ride in October. Want to join him?
Above: A rough mud map of the route Lefty has mind. Below: It all happens on the left handlebar of this KLR.
“As a result,” reasoned Lefty, “I went from being right-handed to being left-handed in about an hour-and-half.”
A point
Keeping in mind the ride planned for October, he’s obviously dealt with the injury.
Not just dealt with it, but dealt with it in fairly spectacular fashion. And it’s not just the KLR he’s modified. Lefty’s shed is home to a range of bikes, all modified so he can pursue his passion for riding.
“It hasn’t stopped me,” he said.
“The way I viewed it I had two roads to choose from. I could either go down the rocky, craggy road I’ve chosen and deal with it, or I could take the four-lane-highway option and sit on the street corner and ask people to buy pencils from me. Sooner or later you have to come to the realisation that road is a dead end and you have to get off your arse and do it.”
Legally binding
We had to ask about licencing and how things went when Lefty showed up at the RTA. It turns out he’s 100 per cent legal, and that’s when he’s running his road train between Adelaide and Perth, his Guzzi sidecar outfit, the Guzzi, his KLR and all stops in between.
Lefty likes to do things himself, but says he’s not so silly as to knock back good help when it’s offered. Lefty’s good mate Trev Otto has chipped in to do the first modifications on the Guzzi, and then Lefty and his son have done all the other conversions.
The KLR is a work of art, but Lefty insists it wasn’t a difficult change.
“Because the KLR runs a push/pull throttle system, it was just a matter of swapping the cables and throttle butterfly around.”
Was it difficult to adjust to using the throttle with the left hand?
“I had no real choice. But I just kind of took to it like a duck to water.”
Plenty going on
The left-hand ’bar is, as Lefty himself puts it ‘pretty busy’ with throttle, clutch and brake all perched up there.
“On the dirt the front brake isn’t as important as on the road, and the way I’ve set it up, the front brake is operated with just the index finger. The thumb is curled around the throttle, and the remaining three fingers work the clutch.
“I can actually do all three at once.”
Ticked off the list
So there you have it. A dead-set champion bloke who doesn’t let a savage twist of fate ruin his riding is looking for a few people to join him on the ride of a lifetime.
But it’s not open slather. Lefty’s quite correctly being cautious about who he welcomes on board. He’s looking for cool-headed riders who can accept his mellow approach. That includes cruisy mornings and pulling over to set up camp well before sunset. He’s not interested in riders looking to set speed records or people who can’t cope with the fluid
situation of a long ride like this one.
So far Lefty has his mate Craig signed up, and they’d love to have three or four other like-minded riders join the crew.
“The riders have to be easy-going and ready for change. You could get a huge-arse storm come through and you can’t traverse some parts of the ride we’ve planned. Anything could happen.
“We’re not looking for anyone who wants a race. We’ll be travelling through some serious countryside. For some parts of the ride we’ll be following in the footsteps of people like Matthew Flinders, Edward John Eyre and John Baxter. It’s like a bucket-list thing for me. It’s just something I want to do.”
Sign up
If you’d like to tag along with Lefty and Craig, and think you have a suitably adventurous, but nottoo-forceful nature, send an email to the mag and we’ll pass it on.
We’re betting it’s not the type of ride where you’ll get very far complaining about the coffee being lukewarm.
Above: On the Oodnadatta Track clearing built-up clay from around the swingarm. Conditions were wet and the track was just short of being closed near William Creek.
Below: It’s not just adventure riding. Lefty’s shed has a couple of Triumphs and a Harley as well as the Guzzi and the KLR. There’s a couple of GSXRs lurking in there as well.
Top: Lefty and his motorcycle-mechanic son Ryan at Daly Waters pub.
Rodney
Josh
off-road test
V-Strom 1000 ABS and 650XT Suzuki
Hoo-aah! Who’s up for a good time with twins?
uzuki’s V-Stroms, carrying the model designation ‘DL’, have been quiet achievers for a long time. The V-Strom 1000 first appeared in 2002, and straight away earned a legion of fans who loved the V-twin configuration, the Suzuki
reliability and user-friendliness, and the incredible value. The 650 joined the lineup in 2004, and for some reason the big V-Strom was never as popular as its smaller, more agile stablemate. The off-road capabilities of both bikes were under-rated by the market in general, and, after a
decade or so of excellent service, both were due for a freshen up. Suzuki answered the call. Now the new V-Stroms are turning heads and winning even more new fans. We’re very happy to say that everything that was so great about the last generation of V-Stroms is still here
36,43.1979S 146,39.5844E
on the new bikes. They now not only perform better than ever, they also look very much a part of today’s modern adventure set.
Little sister
We rode both bikes at the same time, but we’ll treat them separately to try and avoid confusion. First up is the 650 – the ‘Wee-Strom’. There’s four models of the 650, with small price variations and aimed at varying degrees of road and touring use, but all are built from the same basic bike. We rode the ‘XT’.
The motor is a 90-degree, dual-overhead cam, liquid-cooled, 645cc jobbie with fuel injection, and it’s a polished performer. Power delivery is lively without being intimidating, and we felt Suzuki struck an excellent balance between fun and performance.
There’s no traction control, and our test group universally approved of that situation, even on some slippery surfaces. Power delivery is smooth and predictable, but not so overwhelming or scary that there’s any need to take the edge off. The V-twin configuration means there’s just that tenth of a second or so to think and react when the throttle’s cracked open, and that had everyone smiling and roosting. Nobody wanted less wheelspin or any interference with what was clearly a very fun and visceral riding experience.
Where V-twins are traditionally torque monsters, the 650 had great spread of power and kept pushing right up to the 10,000rpm redline. It was certainly happy lugging along at lowish revs, but it has a huge heart and wanted to keep pushing on no matter what we asked of it.
The ABS can’t be turned off, so there’s no need for any flashy controls or menu there, and there’s no traction control, so that means there’s room for important things like speed, revs and gear position to be prominently displayed and easily found. There’s more for those who want it, like fuel consumption, odo/trip meter, fuel, clock and even more, but they’re all easy to find. There’s no frustration navigating this lot at all.
With the gauges in a frame-mounted dashboard, the ’bars are very uncluttered. They’re a little narrower than we expected and they sweep back a little, but they’re a good fit for riders who want to sit down and reel off big distances or take in the scenery. It was a big surprise to us how easy it was to stand up on the bike as well. The footpegs are narrow, rubber-topped units that get slippery when they’re wet, but in general the cockpit allows for a very comfortable seating position and a workable standing position for most. Our tallest rider couldn’t get comfortable standing on either V-Strom.
We did feel the ’pegs-to-seat distance was a little tight for lanky, musclebound Aussies, but it really wasn’t a problem. Even the tallest rider didn’t complain.
Braker braker
The ABS is a big selling point on the new 650, and we have to say we liked it. Braking is strong both ends,
Above: The V-Stroms are both fine long-distance tourers, and both are very capable on dirt roads.
Right: The 650XT has a very up-to-date look and ABS. It’s an absolute hoot to blast along secondary and dirt roads, and smooths along the freeway like it was built for it.
Suzuki’s built the bike to be very undemanding on the rider and, we suspect, driveline.
Comfort zone
Climbing onto the wide and comfortable seat of the 650 is interesting.
In today’s world of high-tech everything for the sake of high-tech everything, it’s a little refreshing to find a modern-looking dash and three-position screen, but a fairly uncluttered collection of gauges and buttons.
Brakes rear: Nissin single-piston caliper, 260mm disc with ABS
Fuel capacity: 20 litres
Colour: Metallic Fibroin Grey or Pearl
Bracing White
Warranty: Two-year unlimited-kilometre
Seat height: 835mm
Length: 2290mm
Width: 835mm
Height: 1405mm
Ground clearance: 175mm
Kerb mass: 215kg
Wheelbase: 1560mm
and we gave it a flanging in all sorts of terrain from asphalt through to wet clay and couldn’t fault it.
b IK e spe C s
There was one damp clay downhill we declined because we felt it would be too dangerous with the ABS on, but we were in country that was clearly far more technical than the bike was designed for.
The funny thing about all that ‘what the bike was designed for’ thing is that we felt the same about the old model. People kept saying, “The V-Strom shouldn’t be in that kind of country anyway,” and we agreed, but we kept finding it would tackle increasingly tougher and more demanding off-road situations, and do it with a surprising lack of fuss. This new model with its sexy beak –incorporating venting for better engine cooling – and electronics is the same. It’s an absolute pleasure on the road, but it cuts and weaves through dirt roads and even more technical trails with ease. On top of that, Suzuki’s supporting the bike with a big stack of adventure accessories like lighting bars and panniers, and this XT model has spoked wheels and tubeless tyres, so it’s a very viable adventure alternative.
The suspension package is basic, with only preload adjustment, but it works and should suit the
overwhelming majority of buyers. It’s still probably one of the frontrunners for the title of Australia’s best-value motorcycle.
We had a ball on the 650, on- and offroad. It’s slinky, refined and a whole lot of riding fun at an unbelievable price.
Big girl
Now. The V-Strom 1000.
As we said before, the bigger ’Strom never seemed to be as well-received as the smaller 650. We don’t know why. It was a great bike, and Suzuki did its job in keeping pace with technological improvements as time passed.
In 2014 we were offered this new-
Above: What a whopper! To get a bike as quiet as the V-Strom 1000 needs some serious silencing, and this one’s a cracker. Note the lower positioning to allow the Suzuki panniers to tuck in tight.
Below: The 650XT has only preload adjustment on the suspension, and it’s easy to use. A large twist wheel on the shock makes it a piece of cake. The stock suspension worked well.
Below: There’s plenty of information on the instrument cluster, but it’s very easy to navigate and read.
from-the-ground-up V-Strom 1000 ABS, and damn! We tip our hats to Suzuki. There’s a lot to love about this bike. We reckon it’ll be regarded just as highly as 650.
The rundown
It’s a V-twin of course, with a 1037cc, 90-degree, dual-overhead cam, liquid-cooled, four-stroke motor, and it’s a substantial redesign from the old engine. It’s fuel-injected, and pretty much all the peripherals – radiator, ECU, clutch, airbox, exhaust and a stack of other bits and pieces – have been scrutinised and updated. Traction control offering two settings and ‘Off’ is part of the package, as is ABS, and the wheelbase is a whopping 20mm longer than the previous model.
The big things we noticed when we first set eyes on the bike were
v A low-slung exhaust to accommodate Suzuki’s new, slimfitting panniers
v Gold-coloured, upside-down forks with compression and rebound damping, AND
v A very serious-looking 310mm braking set-up on the front
The overall bike looks so compact and slim it’s very hard to pick it from the 650, even when they’re parked together. We think that’s a very good thing. Some of the litre-class bikes in the market are getting huge, and their size alone makes them intimidating. That’s not the case with the senior V-Strom. Apart from the extra u
Brakes rear: Nissin single-piston caliper, 260mm disc with ABS
Fuel capacity: 20 litres
Colour: Glass Sparkle Black or Candy
Daring Red
Warranty: Two-year unlimited-kilometre
Seat height: 850mm
Ground clearance: 165mm
Length: 2285mm
Width: 865mm
Height: 1410mm
Kerb mass: 228kg
Wheelbase: 1555mm
b IK e spe C s
heft needed to lift it off the sidestand it doesn’t feel much bigger than the 650 at all. The mag wheels and gold forks are the giveaway, but even after a couple of days we found ourselves mistaking one bike for the other.
Just while we’re thinking about the sidestand, we wonder how come the 650 got a stand with a foot on it that looks reasonable for the job, while the bigger 1000 ended up with what looks a very budget-option, pressed-metalfoot arrangement. Whatever. They both work fine.
Sit back and enjoy
The size of the V-twin leaves no doubt which bike you’re on, though.
The effortless, seamless power
delivery means speeds upwards of 140kph still feel as though the engine’s not really trying hard. There’s a definite surge of power in the bottom-end of the rev range, too. Where the 650 revs and revs, the 1000 feels a little more gentlemanly and doesn’t try anywhere near as hard. That means a rider has to be very careful on the freeway, because illegal speeds feel comfortable and unhurried.
The extra horsepower has allowed Suzuki to offer some wide-ish gearbox ratios, and
Above left: ABS can’t be switched off on either ’Strom, but the braking on both is excellent. The 310mm, twin-disk set-up on the 1000 is especially nice to use. Below: The 1037cc V-twin offers a lot of grunty, usable power. The only problem on the road is making sure the bike doesn’t quietly sneak off into illegal-speed territory.
Above right: The instrumentation on the 1000 doesn’t look much more complicated than the 650, and it’s not. There’s a couple more readouts, and the left-hand switchblock had us scratching our heads for a while, but once we realised how it was organised it became very easy to use. The ‘overtake’ button to flash high beam –under the left index finger – doubles as the actual dip switch between high and low beams as well.
it meant the clutch had to cope with a bit of a pizzling in the tighter, off-road sections. There was no problem with the clutch, but it meant a little more demand on the rider to get things right.
Again, we went into some terrain we think no sensible V-Strom rider would contemplate, but in our defence, we didn’t know it’d be like that until we got there. It’s adventure riding after all. And, most importantly, when we did go into those areas, the bike coped without any problem at all (unlike the riders).
Surprise
Something we weren’t expecting was the incredible smooth operation of the traction control. It’s probably the best traction control we’ve ridden.
Most times the power was managed in such a way that if we hadn’t seen the orange light flicking we’d never have known we were experiencing the bike taking control. On either setting, the management of the rear wheel is incredibly smooth and unobtrusive. Even at it’s most aggressive it was gentle.
All our test riders loved it.
The ABS was very smooth as well. It came in for very little comment during our time with the bike, and that’s usually a sign it’s working well.
The V-Strom 1000 is rock-solid on the asphalt and handles off-road running really well. Comfort and devouring big distances is what the bike’s all about. We took it into some challenging terrain and it coped well.
here. Suzuki kindly fitted tyres with a ‘more aggressive’ pattern. The Pirelli Scorpion Rallys were full knobbies and they coped really well in the wet clay and loose dirt, but were still unbelievably smooth on the bitumen.
Read and right
The gauges and dash on the big ’Strom are classy and modern, and very easy to read. It still took some figuring out before we could reset the trip meter or quickly get to the information we wanted, but once we figured it out everyone went, “Aaaah! That makes sense!” There’s a 12-volt power outlet on the dash as well, and that’s pretty much a necessity for adventure tourers these days.
Back from the dash – and the most amazingly easy-to-adjust windshield – are the same narrow, naked ’bars we saw on the 650 leading to a similar seating position. It’s very comfortable, perhaps a little short for some between seat and footpegs, and allows standing up but it’s obviously not the bike’s ideal rider position.
Final thoughts
Suzuki’s media presentation says the V-Strom 1000 ABS ‘was developed to provide an enjoyable, comfortable riding
experience for on-road-oriented longdistance touring’.
We reckon it’s unarguable. Suzuki has nailed it. It’s an absolute bullseye.
But there’s so much more to this bike. It’s very, very smooth and totally enjoyable to ride over long distances. With the traction control switched off performance verges on sporty, and we mean that in a good way. It’s nothing like a GSX-R, but there’s enough snort and response there to have any would-be knee-dragger smiling, especially when it’s combined with such a stable and rock-solid chassis. Comfort levels are very high, and Suzuki has once again come up with a great catalogue of accessories designed to help owners get the most from the bike. There’s lots of luggage, heated grips, centrestand, a larger windscreen and a stack of other equipment all squarely aimed at the long-distance and adventure rider.
The V-Strom 1000 ABS is a big refinement over its predecessor, and it was already a good touring option.
It’s another winner in a long line of winners for Suzuki.
If you can’t have fun on this bike, it’s time you stopped riding.
It’s clear enough looking at the Versys 650L that Kawasaki intends the bike to spend most of its time on the road. A 17-inch front wheel, a whopping great Tokico twin-front-disc set-up, ABS that can’t be turned off and those Dunlop Sportmaxes are all good gear for bitumen burners. Kawasaki even lists the bike under ‘Sport’ on its website, and our test bike was the LAMS-approved model.
But then there’s an upright seating position, a fairly basic level of tech riding aids by today’s standards, and provision for panniers. In fact, there’s a good lineup of genuine Kawasaki accessories that must make the Versys a good option for distance riders and commuters alike.
Any kind of long distance in Australia is likely to include it’s fair share of dirt roads, and, typically of Kawasaki, some excellent engineering and great mechanicals mean the Versys 650 is very capable on ‘secondary’ roads, while on the asphalt it’s a screaming good time waiting to embarrass any sports bike caught napping.
What are we looking at?
So what have we got here?
It’s a 649cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, eight-valve, four-stroke parallel-twin motor with fuel injection. The front has a pair of super-cool looking 300mm petal discs and both front and rear have ABS. The adjustable screen and bulbous nose offer great protection to the rider without removing the thrill of being ‘in the wind’, and a six-speed gearbox allows a sharp rider to keep the motor spinning
Left: The Versys 650 ABS may be more road-oriented than some, but it’s a great long-distance bike and handles dirt roads really well, even with those tyres.
Above: Superb braking. And the ABS both front and rear allowed some aggressive stopping without interfering with the pleasure of taking a few chances.
Right: A very comfortable riding position makes the Kawasaki a brilliant proposition for sightseeing and generally relaxed and comfortable riding.
Below: Like its sister bike, the KLR650, the Versys doesn’t load the rider with masses of electronic alternatives and menus. But everything needed is here, and everything works without the need for a degree in IT.
away in its fairly wide sweet spot without a lot of hard work.
Once again Kawasaki has done the righty by riders in the Wide Brown Land, because the stock tank holds a generous 21 litres, up from 19 litres on the previous model, and that’s the kind of fuel load most Australian riders need.
It’s easy to praise the Versys. It has a lot going for it…we’re just not sure the look of the bike is one of its best features. And we mean that: we’re not sure. We can see how some people wouldn’t like the unconventional appearance, and we can imagine some people going crazy for it. We thought the shock being on display above that cosmic-looking muffler was pretty funky, but you’ll have to decide for yourself. It’s certainly a lot more conventional looking than the previous model.
First impressions
At first glance the Versys looks a little ‘blocky’.
Where dirtbikes are slim and tall and resemble motorcycle greyhounds, the Versys appears squat and perhaps a little wide, more like a pitbull, and that’s especially evident the first time rider climbs on and grabs the ’bars. The bike doesn’t feel wide or heavy, but it doesn’t have the fragile, agile feel of some of its slimmer 650cc counterparts.
It feels especially comfortable though, straight away. As soon as the glutes hit the flattish seat and the hands grab the somewhat narrow and slightly pulledback ’bars, it’s easy to imagine riding long, long days on the Versys without
Front suspension: 41mm inverted telescopic fork with stepless (right-side) adjustable rebound damping and adjustable preload (left-side)
Rear suspension: Offset laydown single-shock with remote spring preload adjustability
Suspension travel front/rear: 150mm/145mm
Tyre front: 120/70ZR17M/C (58W)
Tyre rear: 160/60ZR17M/C (69W)
Starter: Electric
Fuel capacity: 21 litres
Overall length: 2165mm
Overall width: 840mm
Overall height: 1400mm/1450mm
Ground clearance: 170mm
Seat height: 840mm
Wheelbase: 1415mm
Brakes front: Dual semi-floating 300mm petal discs and dual two-piston calipers with ABS
Brakes rear: Single 250mm petal disc and single-piston caliper with ABS
Kerb mass: 216kg
the dramas of numb bums or cramped back and thigh muscles. The tank offers a broad expanse of glossy painted metal and the ’bars themselves have a very naked look, seeing as the horny dashboard with its digital gauges and big tacho are mounted in the fairing. An easily adjustable screen should mean just about anyone can get it at the height they want. There’s two big clamping screws on the front. Just grab them, with or without gloves, twist, put the screen where you want it, then twist the screws tight again. It takes about 30 seconds.
b IK e spe C s
A touch of the button and the feisty motor chuckles into life, and that funny-looking exhaust offers a restrained rumble. By the time the throttle’s cracked open hard the first time and the front wheel climbs gracefully skyward, it’s obvious that the fun factor of this bike is very high indeed.
Ifs, buts or maybes
Once the Versys is in motion a few things become apparent straight away.
First is the willingness of the motor. It’s only 649cc, so among today’s 150-horsepower, litre-plus sledgehammers it’d be considered a tiddler, but the payback is that it’s totally unintimidating. Not only is the motor not scary, it’s very responsive and offers great drive,
right through the rev range. It prefers to be spinning away above about 4500rpm if the rider wants to get all aggressive, but it’ll pull great monos and answer the throttle in lively fashion – without scaring the pants off anyone – with quite a broad spread of power.
The best bit is, once the rider understands how friendly the motor is, it’s nearly impossible to resist caning the bejesus out of it and playing boy racer at every opportunity, on- or off-road.
Or was that just us?
Tight going
Added to the lively motor is the 17-inch front wheel and a good suspension package, and this is where we think most opinion will be divided with the Versys 650.
The 17-inch front wheel allows the bike very sharp handling. On the road it’s a gift. The balance of the bike, the comfortable seating position and the lively motor make it a dream to snake through twisting turns and tight going. But at the same time, the smaller circumference of the front wheel makes for a rough ride on choppy ground and corrugations. It also means the handling in those situations needs some management from the rider. It’s not dangerous or wild, but for those used to 21-inch front wheels, it’s an eye-opener.
Fortunately, the stock suspension is really good.
There’s not a stack of adjustment there, just preload on the rear and preload and rebound on the front – one on each fork leg – but we found the stock set-up just
Above: The footpegs were too slippery in the wet. We expect they’re fine for the bike’s intended purpose. When we tried to remove the rubber inserts, they’re obviously meant to stay in place. We’d look for an off-road ’peg for this type of riding.
Above right: The cockpit is very uncluttered and very comfortable.
Below: We loved these built-in sliders/crashbars. They’re not standard, but they’re Kawasaki genuine and they’re beautifully integrated into the bike and can barely be seen. They look like they’d offer excellent protection in the event of a fall. We’re glad to say we didn’t put them to the test.
Below right: A toolkit as standard equipment! You rock, Mr Kawasaki!
right for sensible riding on both asphalt and dirt roads.
Keep in mind here we’re not talking about crossing the Simpson or chasing 450cc enduro bikes through the bush. We’re talking about covering the kind of well-formed dirt and farm roads that will make up part of almost any ride looking for great scenery and landmark country pubs in Australia. Even keeping in mind the road-oriented tyres and the miserable weather while we had the bike, we still rate its handling as one of its best features. Speaking of the wet weather, we didn’t
enjoy the footpegs on the Versys much.
To be fair, they’re fine on the road, but whenever we tried to stand up in the rain, our feet slipped straight off, and when we tried to remove the rubber inserts, there’s no serrated edges underneath. We accept that’s probably a little more dirt-oriented for this bike than Kawasaki intended, but still, we ended up wary of even weighting the ’pegs in tight corners while it was wet.
Lockdown
ABS is a mixed blessing for any bike heading off-road, and not being able to turn the ABS off would normally be a huge bugbear for us. But with the Versys we didn’t care.
The front braking set-up is premium. It has great strength and feel, and we found the ABS allowed us to be surprisingly aggressive. We don’t reckon the Versys is the type of bike we’d point at ‘serious’ downhills, and that’s about the only time these days where ABS becomes an issue. On the wet roads and even more treacherous wet dirt, we found ourselves giving thanks for the Versys’ ABS at every second corner and probably every third wallaby, cow and goat. It didn’t interfere with our enjoyment of the bike at all. And there was at least one occasion where we held our breath, loaded our Klim duds, and gave thanks it worked so damn well.
As for traction control, we loved the motor as it was, and we didn’t want any electronic interference with our enjoyment of the thing. Not having traction control was a big plus with the Versys in our minds.
While we’re talking about technology, there were a couple of small things on the 650 that were reminders of its bigger stablemate, the Versys 1000, that we rode in issue #02. It has the same preload adjuster on the shock, and it has the same cloverleaf icon that appears on the instrument display. We had to go back to the reference material to remember what that meant, and it turned out to be a light to let the rider know the bike was running in a very
economical way. It allows management of fuel consumption and the best result for the environment. We didn’t see the light on much. We were consuming a lot of fuel and riding with vigour. We thought a lot about the environment while we were doing it, though. Especially the wallabies, cows and goats.
Summing up
Even Kawasaki’s own website says the Versys 650 is ‘difficult to explain and impossible to categorise’, and that it’s ‘not designed for offroad use’.
We’re not shackled by Kwaka’s insistence on concise description. We found the baby Versys to be a white-knuckle fun bike of the highest calibre. It’s comfortable, nimble, sounds great and, despite its obvious preference for bitumen running, we took it out on a miserable, wet, gloomy dirt run – road tyres and all – and finished up with a grin we couldn’t hide.
Imagine it with a more dirt-oriented set of tyres!
Don’t overthink it. Just fire it up and enjoy what riding is all about.
long-termer
Triumph Tiger800XCx
In a last-minute change the editor jumped from the KLR650 he’d built specifically for ADVX onto the new, long-term 800XCx. With only eight weeks or so to prepare the Triumph, it turned out to be not such a very tough jump after all.
We had a look at the 2015 800 Tiger XCx last issue, and while we were undeniably impressed, we were a little perplexed there wasn’t anywhere near enough room to tell you about the bike properly. Some of the changes to the new Tiger seem so small, but they make a very big difference. The chainguard being extended a few millimetres is a good example. It’s just a few extra millimetres of
plastic. So what? But the result is a huge reduction in the crud and sticky chain lube flung all over the rear of the bike. The gearbox changes are another example. Changing to some components from the Daytona has made the gearbox slicker and smoother. And the rider profiles are really excellent. The Triumph guys must’ve sensed our frustration, because as the editor stood there gazing wistfully at the bike, one of them asked,
Image: Marty HC
Main: With the ADVX gear on board the Triumph is ready to head into dream country.
Right: The tools needed to remove the front wheel aren’t supplied in the Triumph tool kit. We always carry a multi-fit hex-key-thing because we’re on a different bike every week, and it’ll do the bizzo on the XCx. The six-millimetre allen key is another tool we always carry.
Below: The UniFilter prefilter makes air filter maintenance way, way easier. The standard filter requires removing the tank. With regular cleaning of the prefilter, the standard filter should only need maintenance once on the whole ADVX ride.
“Hey. How’d you like to hang on to this one for a while? Why don’t you run it in ADVX?”
Pretending to bend down and look closely at the motor – in reality hiding the lump in his Klim tweeds – the editor tearfully nodded and stretched out his trembling hand for the key.
The build
With the bike in the Adventure Rider Magazine shed – complete with barriers, motion-sensor lights and eardrumshattering alarms to keep the publisher from trying to sneak a ride on it – the matter of ‘the build’ had to be taken into consideration.
The editor thought this was an excuse to go for a ride ‘to get a feel for the bike’. He’d just ridden through all kinds of terrain for three straight days, but the publisher let him go anyway, and a day’s run up and down the Pacific Highway was interesting.
First, because the battery was disconnected to fit the power supply for the GPS, the odometers and clock had to be reset. This turned out to be far easier than expected and was dealt with in very short order with no stress at all.
Then, on those long, straight, boring stretches of freeway where the Tiger felt it was begging to be let loose, the editor entertained himself by setting the cruise control and adopting comic poses for passing motorists. That was good for whiling away another hour or so, until a knucklehead in some kind of lowered, turbo-charged bog-rocket threw out a challenge and the next three or four minutes of nimble Tiger rage were glorious enough to leave a glow for
the remaining six hours.
And really, there’s the problem with trying to build the bike you want from the XCx. It just doesn’t need anything.
Performance
Our long-termer has the incredibly sexy Arrow pipe fitted, and while it doesn’t feel as though the engine is snarling and ready to tear apart Phillip Island, it has 96-odd horsepower with a standard pipe. For crying out loud! We don’t know what it rates with the Arrow, but the accessory pipe is lighter and breathes better, so whether or not there’s any horsepower increase is irrelevant, really.
As we said last issue, the brakes, gearbox, motor and handling are all excellent. The suspension could possibly be improved u
by tuning for an individual, but it’s way good enough for us as it is. We’re not even changing the factory settings on the rebound and compression. We’ll have to load the bike up and set the ride height, but playing with the shock preload will be all we’ll change.
The Mitas guys have volunteered some tyres, and we’re big fans, so we’ll slip on new rubber, and we’ve fitted Andy Strapz pannier racks and Expedition Pannierz and that’s it. This bike is ready to take on just about anything.
Comfort
Here’s where we can get a little creative.
The footpegs are actually pretty good, but Triumph has its own wider ’pegs now,
and they’ve offered us a pair, so we’ll fit those. Triumph also has its own Triumph OEM 30mm ’bar risers, but the XCx model has them fitted standard, which explains why the bike’s so damn comfortable to stand up and ride. Also on the ’bars is now a Garmin Montana 650t on a powered mount. The position is a little strange, but it’s placed so TF can read it while he’s posing up on the ’pegs.
There are a few specific needs for ADVX. The first is every rider has to carry camping gear. The standard rack on the Tiger is just a tad small for a swag, so a Touratech rack plate bolted on to give more surface area and a few more tie-down points. It’s a great bit of gear that we’ve seen on all Triumph Australia’s own 800s. Speaking of Touratech, the Tiger has a front-guard lift kit from the same company. Triumph fitted it before we took delivery, and it’s good to have.
Every rider also has to carry a SPOT tracker, and while we have mounts to set the SPOT on the bike, the editor prefers to have it on his person, usually clipped to his CamelBak (this is after an experience where an injury left him unable to drag himself to the bike).
Distance
Fuel is a big issue on ADVX. Bikes need a range of 550km. The Tiger in stock form is offering about 375km of mixed riding. We’ll take a fuel bladder, but as we’re writing this, Safari Tanks is tooling up for a bigger tank to suit the XCx, and we have our
fingers crossed it’ll be ready in time. It’ll be touch and go for the Safari tank, so if it’s not ready we’ll go for a second bladder and only fill it for the very longest stretches.
There’s a catch
In our short time with the bike we haven’t found any faults.
The clips that hold the front sensor cables to the brake lines seem to come unclipped all the time, so we cable-tied them, and please Dog protect us from having to remove the tank – it’s quite involved. We tried to remove the tank to run the power for the GPS and gave up halfway through the job. It’s just too time-consuming and fiddly. The problem there is that the tank needs to come off to get to the air filter. Triumph solved that by fitting an oiled-foam prefilter which is very easy to get at and change. It only needs flipping up the seat and removing the battery retainer. We’ll take a couple of oiled spares in a sandwich bag and that will get us clean across the country. If things get out-of-hand dusty, we’ll change the prefilters daily and clean and re-oil the spares when we can. We might even try some filter skins.
Above: The load is probably about 10kg, and the Tiger handles it with ease. There’s a Safari tank and a Wolfman tankbag to come. Maybe Barkbusters.
Left: A lightweight and strong bit of gear. The standard radiator guard is quite good, but the Rad Guard item is the bee’s knees.
Right, top & bottom: With and without the Touratech rack plate. It takes about two minutes to fit and makes a huge difference to luggage capacity. It’s light, strong and beautifully made.
Image: Marty HC
On guard
As we were sitting quietly and surfing the ’net for pics of Taylor Swift in a g-string, the phone rang. It was Paul at Rad Guard wondering if we’d like to fit a Rad Guard to the 800. We couldn’t get there fast enough. The XCx has a plastic radiator guard that looks pretty good, but the Rad Guard item is the dog’s bollocks. And it’s a shiny, polished-metal finish!
Phwoar.
There’s a black one too, but we like shiny things.
Let ’er rip
It sounds like very little preparation for a run clean across the continent, but it’s a sign of just how good the refinement of the Tiger 800 has been on the new X model.
As we write this we still have some personal tuning to do –setting suspension ride height and fitting the new tank and ’pegs – but the essentials are done, and we can honestly say we’ve done next to nothing. The bike itself is mechanically and electronically stock. The editor’s riding it whenever he has a chance, fully loaded, to try and get settled with the feel and the various new bits and pieces we’ve fitted so far.
The bike has to be shipped to the ADVX start in Perth and deadline is looming, so some of those fittings will have to be done at the last minute. We’ll let you know how they performed next issue.
That’ll be in about eight weeks, 7000km and a continental crossing’s time. The
Waterproof Cape Horn boot from Forma
Waterproof Adventure boot from Forma
Image ConsCIous
“This was taken on a track we asked permission to use,” focused Garry Haydon from South Aussie. “The track runs through private property, and because we’re smart about how we travel, it was the second time we used the track. The property owner doesn’t mind us coming back. It’s about 60km outside Port Augusta on the way to Mount Ive for a long weekend. There was The Pom on his Tiger 800XC, me on my 650 V-Strom and Lloyd on his 1200GS”. We’ll send Garry an Adventure Rider Magazine T-shirt for sending us this image. He DESERVES it! You could win one, too. Send your pic, and some information about it and yourself, to tom@advridermag.com.au.
Defeating the fog zone
If you can’t see, you can’t see.
ith winter here many riders are faced with riding in colder, damp conditions. And when that happens you can bet that lots of riders will be entering the ‘fog zone’, cursing fogging goggles
and/or visors and not having as much fun as they should. You don’t need to be in this predicament. There are products available that really make a difference, and with the right gear and a good understanding of
how to get the best out of it you can beat the curse, see clearly and have way more fun when conditions go to crap.
I have a bit of an advantage in this area. I came from an alpine-skiing background, and, living in Canada,
Words: Miles Davis
the winters were proper and there was lots of skiing to be done. Anyone who has spent time in winter sports knows the benefits of a good set of double-lens goggles. When it’s dumping snow or conditions are generally bad you need the right kit.
It’s exactly the same with riding.
Double up
Whether you prefer an off-road helmet with goggles or an adventure helmet with a visor, having a double lens can help. With a small but effective air gap between the two lenses, the double lens reduces the fogging experienced with a single lens. The air
But in warmer and dustier conditions a good pair of goggles is hard to beat.
Adventure style
In the last 10 years there have been various helmet brands releasing ‘adventure’ lids with a road-style visor as well as a peak. That makes a heap of sense, especially when goggles can also fit in behind the visor. Some brands allow a smaller set of goggles to be worn with the visor in the up position, and then
Left: Cold and wet conditions can make it very difficult to keep visors and goggles fog-free. Poor vision makes for unpleasant, and sometimes dangerous, riding. It can be really uncomfortable, too.
Above: Good double-lens goggles are hard to beat in the cold, except the exposed areas of a rider’s face will cop the freezing windblast. If you look closely you can see the venting and foam in the top area of the lens on these goggles.
gap equalises the temperature between the inside and outside, therefore reducing the likelihood of fogging. More on this a bit later.
What’s your strategy?
Being an off-road rider, I always used to use an off-road helmet and goggles when adventure riding. It works really well off-road, in heat and dust and in most conditions, really. The main exception is in rain. When you’re punting along at speeds over 100kph in rain, the raindrops feel like needles in your face. It’s not much fun. In extreme cold it can be average too. The exposed parts of your face tend to freeze.
in my tank bag for when they were needed. With this combo you’re covered for sunny days with the visor, if it gets cloudy you can make the call to run clear goggles, or if your adventure goes overtime (like many of mine do) you can pull out the clear-lens goggles and see well riding at night.
How many of you have been caught out with tinted lens and tinted goggles, only to realise it doesn’t leave you much vision when the sun goes down?
you can pull the visor down over the goggles when it gets cold, rains or the speeds get higher, and still have the peak to shield you from the sun, roost or puddle spray from other bikes! How good is that!
The right combo
I used the above method for many years. I had it dialed…I thought.
I used a tinted visor on my trusty Arai, Shoei or BMW Enduro lid, and either wore a clear pair of goggles, or neatly packed a pair
Maverick
Just when you thought life was as good as it could be, these new fighter-pilot, flip-down tinted lenses started appearing on adventure helmets.
How many times have you been riding on a sunny day, then been zigging and zagging into the trees and back out into the sun, back and forth continuously? It happens a lot, right?
Well, until now, you haven’t been able to easily change your tint setup on the fly. You would make your call – tint or
clear – and you had to run with that until conditions changed so much you had to stop and make a change. This new Maverick setup changes that. Once you use it you start to realise how bloody convenient it is to run a clear visor (double lens in the winter) and flip the tinted inner visor up and down whenever the light changes – in trees, cloud or whatever! On top of that, you can have a pair of goggles stashed for when you cop the dreaded dust.
Goggles guys
There are hundreds of types of goggles on the market, so what do you choose?
If you’re serious it’s great to have a bit of a selection up your sleeve at home and maybe a few lens options on top of that, too. If your ride is going be in the fog zone, make sure you select a pair of double-lens goggles that are also vented. With double lens, there’s a thin strip of foam between the outer edge of the lenses. If you squeeze the lenses together gently, you can feel a small gap. The venting is a series of holes with a foam filter across the top
edge of the lens. This allows extra ventilation for situations when you’re working up a sweat in tight terrain, stuck on a hill or whenever.
The vents don’t work so good at speed in the rain as the water is forced into the face cavity and could end up fogging. Unfortunately life isn’t perfect sometimes.
Visor dudes
If you’re on to one of these adventure lids, and yours doesn’t come standard with a double lens system like the Pinlock brand, you might find that there is an aftermarket solution. Some visors are set up to fit a Pinlock, but if yours isn’t, the fit kit can be added. I’ve been using the Pinlock inserts for a few years now with great success, but I’ve used other systems like Fog City, which simply stick inside your standard visor and they work well also. Do some research, read the instructions and go for it. The first time you use one of these systems in cold conditions it will surprise you how fogresistant they can be. It’s amazing!
Top: Rain and cold can distort or completely block vision. It’s vital to have a strategy for keeping lenses and visors as clear as possible.
Top right: A double lens visor or goggles are a great option. It’s amazing how much fogging can be reduced. The Pinlock system is a good one.
Above: A microfiber towel packs down tiny and is the go for drying and wiping goggles and visors. Stick one in your tankbag or pocket. Make sure it’s somewhere the cloth will stay dry.
Anti-fog cloths, sprays and coatings
To tell the truth, I haven’t really had much success with this stuff over the years. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t work for some people. I’ve just had my best results with double lenses.
There’s a catch – as always.
In heavy rain and other situations these systems can be pushed to their limits, but you can still give yourself the best chance for success.
In heavy rain, try to not let any rain get inside the goggles or visor. That means being careful every time you take off your goggles. Don’t hang them on your ’bars facing inside-up, like a bucket. And avoid putting your visor up while riding, as rain will get on the inside and when you pull it down again, it’ll fog.
In tricky conditions, if you notice some fogging, try to increase airflow without allowing water to enter. Sometimes a little bit of airflow will make all the difference.
If it all goes to hell and you fog up, find somewhere where you can get out of the weather and clean and dry your gear. You can make a comeback, but it takes a bit of effort.
Clean your gear after big rides, treat your lenses with respect –wipe them with soft cloths and store them carefully. Travel with a microfiber cloth to clean lenses. They work really well, and can be washed and reused.
On the 2013 GS Safaris I did two weeks of riding in the Victorian High Country over both events. We had sun, rain, fog, and there was even snow at the top of Mt Baw Baw. I know lots of people struggled big time with vision on some of those days, but my strategy kept me fog free. I knew I was doing it a lot easier than some because I could see clearly.
At the end of the day, if you can see clearly and enjoy your riding when conditions go to hell, you’re much better off. Take the time to try a few products, be patient and you should be able to get some great results.
You can see a good demonstration on how to fit a Pinlock lens at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=WQGcF5cKBKo
• Fully guided and catered, off road motorcycle tours
• Operating since 1990 - Varied range of tours to suit any time frame or budget
OUR HOME – OUR PASSION
• Experienced Cape York professionals
• Certified Company with multiple awards and accreditations.
Enjoy the Adventure Without the Drama
ASIA MOTORCYCLE TOURING
Experience the fantastic riding, food and culture of Thailand, Laos or Cambodia
Small groups, fully guided and supported 7, 14 or 22 days options suit every budget
For more information please visit www.twogethertouring.nz
Email: info@twogethertouring.nz
Phone: +61 417 417 464
GPS basics
Words: John Hudson
Using a GPS to simply get from one place to another can be daunting.
John Hudson’s APC Rallies are made possible by the convenience and dependability offered by modern GPS units, and he has the technology well in hand. This issue he shares a few tips for GPS novices getting started with this amazing adventure-riding tool, especially those preparing for the upcoming ADVX.
modern GPS is an amazingly compact and versatile device. They range from simple, one-colour map displays available for just a couple of hundred dollars through to high-end units with cameras, music, Bluetooth connectivity and built-in UHF radios.
ANo matter how complex the GPS unit may seem, they all perform the same basic navigational functions. With ADVX just around the corner, where a big group of adventure riders are going to be relying
very heavily on GPS as they ride from one side of Australia to the other, we should have a look at some of the foundations of GPS and GPS navigation. From these starting points other aspects of GPS use will become clearer.
Hopefully better understanding will make things easier, too.
Line up
There are three main ways riders can use a GPS.
The first we’ll call ‘freestyling’. This is where there’s no course marked and you’re simply riding the tracks as they appear. Then, when you get low on fuel you use the GPS for direction to get to the closest towns.
Next is ‘straight line’, where the arrow keys are used to move the cursor to a destination. The rider then hits the ‘Go to’ button creating a straight line on the GPS that can be used as a reference. The rider simply follows any dirt he sees that heads in the right general direction and hooks back onto GPS line.
The last common use is loading a pre-ridden track to follow.
john hudson
The APC Rally system uses the first two ways to create a track. Then we load a clean track onto GPS units so riders have a continuous line to follow.
Tolerance
The big question I get from people is, “How accurate is the track?”
The truth is it’s accurate to about 20 metres.
That means the track line on the GPS might not always be smack-dab on the track, trail or road the rider’s following. There’s a little room for an experienced user to look at the screen, allow for the possible 20-metre tolerance, and correctly judge he’s on track. He’ll see the GPS line is going in the same direction he’s heading, and that it’s following his approximate twists and turns, even though it may not be precisely on top of the trail on the screen.
Most of the time riders should set the
Far left: The Zumo and Montana, side-by-side. The Zumos are marketed as a motorcycle-specific GPS. They’re a good unit on main roads and in cities, but for off-road and remote-area riding, the Montana is a better choice.
Above: Many riders prefer the GPS mounted on a dash or nav tower, but having it on the ’bars has some big advantages. u
GPS zoom to 500 metres. With experience you learn that on single track you zoom into about 300 metres, and when you seem to be paralleling a track and you feel you’re right, often if you zoom out you’ll see you are right.
Lock it in
A GPS on a bike needs to be hardwired. That allows the backlight to be set at the highest level so it can be read in direct sunlight. Forget about having screensavers or any other protection between the screen and your eyes.
While we’re talking about mounting, I personally like the GPS mounted on the ’bars because I can’t see it clearly if it’s too far away from my eyes.
The million-dollar question is, “What’s the best GPS unit for adventure riding?”
There are plenty to choose from, but I believe the Garmin Montana 650t is the one. It’s available from www.apcrallystore. com for about $809 with the hardwiring kit and the RAM mounts.
The Montana is sold with a great map set already loaded, and that means you simply mount it and it works. Many other units need a separate map loaded onto the unit before you can use it, and this isn’t always an easy task. About 30 per cent of the units I load for the APC Rally rides have no map sets on them. I load one for the owner and then the GPS unit becomes useful.
Keeping track
With most units you only need to know how to use tracks. Forget about routes and auto-routing. Things can get out of shape when you use these features in the bush.
Most modern units store 10,000 track points. That means three days of riding can be stored very easily. The setting we recommend is ‘daily track storage’. It means the unit will store each day’s riding as an individual file, and most units can store up to 50 days. If you don’t change this setting on your unit it will simply start deleting the oldest track when it’s full.
Zoom-o
Using waypoints to mark fuel points, pubs and water is always a good habit to get into. You can usually just manage to hit the button saying ‘waypoint’ as you ride past, and the GPS will then need a reference. I just put in ‘p1’ for a pub and ‘f1’ for fuel. It’s too bloody hard to write too much, especially when you’re riding in town. The key to navigating with a GPS when
Above: At any APC Rally ride John has to load up a stack of rider GPSes. Some of them don’t have maps installed at all, which makes them useless.
Below left: Make sure the GPS is hardwired to the bike’s power supply. A constant power supply will mean the screen stays lit up.
Below: Garmin’s MAP62GPS is a great workhorse, but it lacks some of the advanced features of more upmarket models.
you don’t have a track marked is to have a good paper map. You also need to keep zooming in and out to make sure the track you’re on is leading to another track.
Unfortunately the GPS works best when it’s moving. When the GPS is stationary the screen will often turn around and make it very hard to navigate. The truth is that when tracks are close together usually you have to ride down the wrong one before you realise the track points you’re leaving on the GPS are different to the track marks you’re trying to follow.
Stick with it
Navigation is an averages game. Some days every track you follow will lead to a locked gate. Other days nothing will go wrong. Remember, if you’re ever following a rider using a GPS you need to be aware that they could stop suddenly and turn, and often not in safe manner. Always give the navigator about 30 metres lead to stop any accidents occurring.
Good luck.
Above: GPS apps on phones and tablets can be a good nav tool. They’re big and easy to read. A specific GPS unit is more compact and specifically built for navigation, but they take a little getting used to.
Right: The 650t will operate in either landscape or portrait position. It can be locked in one or the other if the operator chooses.
Below: The Montana 650t is John’s choice for the best adventure-riding GPS on the market at the moment. Grab one complete with mount from www.apcrallystore.com.
baseCamp basics
BaseCamp basics
Why use a GPS to plan an adventure ride when a paper map and highlighter is so much quicker?
I was, and still am, a fan of paper maps. Nothing beats them for an overview of where you want to go. But modern
Using the GPS once it’s mounted on your bike is only one step to making use of a fabulous resource. It’s especially good if someone else does the planning. But planning a route or track yourself is not that difficult if you have a little time and the right software. Kym Stock offers a step-bystep introduction to how simple it can be.
Words: Kym Stock
technology beats my memory every time during the turn-to-turn decisions of a ride. If you have your route on a handlebar-mounted GPS, it only takes a quick glance as you approach an intersection to determine which way to proceed. It’s quicker, more accurate and safer than trying to see a paper map in a tankbag pocket.
Take control
The downside of planning rides with a GPS is that you have to learn how to do it. As with every new skill, you need to understand the terms and how to manipulate the tools to become efficient. More than one rider has given up on using GPS because it was just too hard.
GPS terms are a little confusing at first. ‘Routes’ and ‘tracks’ confuse beginners. Routes are usually generated by a GPS, similar to using Google Maps on your smart phone. Give it a starting point and a destination and the machine gives you a turn-by-turn route to get to that destination. This is fine if you’re happy following a road, but not if you want to choose your specific tracks, especially minor roads and single track. Using ‘tracks’ on a GPS allows you to draw in exactly where you want to go.
Routes
To get this function to work on your GPS you need to have a unit that will do it – not all hand-helds can – and load a routable map onto the GPS. Each GPS does routing
in a slightly different manner, so it’s a case of ‘read your user manual’.
Most GPS-routable units give you the option to bend the route to visit places you want to see by shifting waypoints.
Tracks
Using the ‘tracks’ function to mark your intended journey on the map is more labour-intensive, but allows you to choose your exact path, including along any minor road or single track you can find on the map. I’ll describe my method and hopefully you can get started and later modify it to your needs.
My current GPS is a handheld (Garmin Map62s) with a small screen that makes planning on the GPS tedious. Instead, I plan tracks on my home PC, laptop, or, if I’m travelling, my Asus 25cm Transformer tablet. I use Garmin’s mapping program called BaseCamp. It’s a free download from www.garmin.com.
The standard map on BaseCamp is poor, so you need to load Shonky maps (free at shonkylogic.net) or T4A (free from www.gpsoz.com.au), or OzTopo, also available from GPSOZ.
BaseCamp has online tutorials and advrider.com has a lot of help in the ‘Layin’ Down Tracks’ section.
These examples are using PC. The software is Mac-compatible, but will look slightly different and have a few alternate commands. If you use this guide, but think a little, you’ll find your way around a Mac as well.
To start out, using a mouse is easier, but you can get by with a touch pad.
Getting started
After you’ve installed some decent maps, open BaseCamp and you’ll see this page or something very like it. (below) u
baseCamp basICs
I have Oztopo loaded to BaseCamp as my base map.
v Left-click the icon on the toolbar that looks like two boots (New Track)
v Then, left-click on your starting point with the pencil graphic and drag your mouse so the grey line follows the road you want to ride
v At the first intersection, left-click again and a waypoint will mark the point
v Continue to drag so the grey line follows the road. Add extra waypoints by leftclicking for bends in the road, or if you’re happy with an ‘as the crow flies’ result, use fewer waypoints.
For your first go just do a small rectangular track. Right-click to deactivate the pencil when you’ve finished the route.
Step two
Look at the lower-left screen area and you’ll see your track has been assigned a number and is there as ‘unlisted data’. If you look at the upper-left screen area, the library section has an
icon called ‘My Collection’.
BaseCamp allows you to organise your tracks in folders in the library. Right click on the ‘My Collection’ icon and a dropdown list will appear. Select ‘New List’ and right click on it to rename it ‘First go’. (Below)
Then scroll down to where you see unlisted data and left-click on that. Your track will reappear. Right-click on that and select send to the ‘First go’ folder. (Top right) Now it’s filed in the library.
I like to convert my track to a route so I can use my GPS route manager function while travelling. This conversion is easy to do by right-clicking on the track name in unlisted data or in the library and selecting ‘convert track to route’, then clicking ‘OK’ in the conversion options box.
You can change the colour of your track from boring grey to hi-vis pink by double-left-clicking on the file name and changing the colour in the top right corner to magenta.
The same outcome can be obtained by right clicking on the file and choosing open.
Moving on
Now plug in your GPS to your PC and wait for the PC to recognise the new hardware. Once the GPS has appeared in the tool bar, click ‘Device’. In this case you want to ‘send to device’. Select the file you want to send to either the SD card or base memory of the GPS.
Now look in your route manager menu on the GPS and ‘First go’ should be there. Open it up and check ‘View map’ or similar command to verify your pink route is visible. If so, well done!
So now you open the file in route manager, select ‘view map’ and the pink line should be visible to follow when you reach your starting point. That’s it. Go riding!
General hints
v When you run out of map while plotting your track, slide the cursor up to the toolbar ‘hand’ icon. That’ll allow you to pan the map across the screen. You then go back to the ‘two-boots’ icon and resume your track where you left off. Don’t be concerned if the track follows you up to the pan icon. It self-corrects when you select pan.
v The zoom function is hidden just to the left of the big, blue triangle ‘north’ indicator at the top-left of the map. Hover the mouse there and it appears.
v Once you return from the ‘First go’ route, plug your GPS into BaseCamp again, then select ‘device’ and select ‘Receive from device’. Your track file – the actual exact path you took – will download onto BaseCamp. File it in your library. Delete the route file you planned previously to avoid confusion. v Click on the file and then select from the
toolbar ‘File’. Select ‘Export’ in the dropdown list and export a copy to your desktop. Then you can upload this file to www.transaustraliatrail.com.au to share with others. It is an adventure-rider’s lending library and a great touring resource. This GPS stuff seems difficult at first, but practice makes perfect. Enjoy!
more neXT Issue!
Issue #12 will have a rundown on converting your Google Maps files to run on your GPS.
you Were here
bourKe, nsW
Image: Anthony Warry
preparing for adventure
Food and cooking
It stands to reason that once you get your bike out of the city and off the main roads, you’re not going to find a supermarket or a restaurant on every corner. These tips on food and cooking options, based on years of adventure touring, should help you plan your next adventure without going hungry.
If you’re travelling where you’ve got decent-sized population levels there’s always going to be a reasonable availability of food, whether in Australia or overseas. In those cases your planning can be a bit more relaxed and you can take single meals or snacks to get you through the day.
Those snacks can be anything from two-minute noodles to breakfast foods you can have on the road, and you can then have a big meal at the end of the day if you’re stopping at a pub or somewhere with food available.
One of the big considerations needs to be the energy levels you’re going to use throughout the day. If it’s lowenergy travel then your food intake can be a little bit more relaxed. But if it’s high-energy, such as in heavy riding conditions like outback Australia, you need to have your hydration and your nutrition right on track.
Failing to do this can cause any number of problems that can escalate the further you travel. No matter how much you’re roughing it, you don’t want to be hungry or thirsty.
Another big consideration is the type of bike you’ll be on and, in particular, what type of luggage you have. Naturally you’ll have more
room to carry food and cooking equipment in hard panniers than if you have soft luggage.
Meals on wheels
Breakfasts can be made up of muesli and milk, right through to just a cup of coffee if that’s what you desire.
Nothing will beat muesli for space, nutritional value and convenience. A nice muesli mix to suit your taste, and ideally with a high oat content, is a great start to the day. Just add some powdered milk and water and you have your meal.
Some people will simply eat muesli bars, breakfast bars or some of the breakfast drinks readily available in the supermarket. They’re fine as well, but when considering space for weight, muesli is your best bet. In fact, if you add the right ingredients to your muesli and have the right mix of nuts and fruits, it gives you a great mix of protein and carbohydrates. You could sustain yourself on this for three meals a day if you so desired.
You should always have some form of fruit at breakfast as well, in order to keep your digestive system working properly. If you don’t have the space to carry small tins or containers of fruit, then dried fruits such as prunes or apricots will also do the job.
Daytime snacks
Nutritionists and outdoor adventurers recommend you have a trail mix to nibble on throughout the day to keep your energy levels stabilised and sustained.
Sweet, sugary treats are a quick fix, but will only boost your energy levels for a short period of time, whereas a trail mix featuring nuts, sultanas and dried fruits will give you more sustained energy, while also being good for you.
Nuts are high in protein and will help to satisfy your appetite during the day and help ensure you’re not continually hungry.
My favourite trail mix is made up before I leave home and includes a base of salted cashew nuts and sultanas – don’t use peanuts as they can become rancid. It should be a mix that tastes slightly sweet, which will mean more sultanas than what appears obvious.
Then add your favourite extras –like dried mango, paw paw, pineapple, apricot and apple. You can also include some seeds to add to the taste.
You can buy a trail mix off the supermarket shelf, but I always find them too sweet and they usually include lollies that you don’t really need as part of a
BREAKFAST: Muesli, fruit and breakfast drinks will get your day off to a healthy start.
DINNER: There are plenty of options available to give you a tasty evening meal.
COFFEE & BISCUITS: Sachet coffee may not be your first choice, but on the road it’ll taste great.
Quick-cooking
are
SOUP: If you can boil water, soups and noodles are a quick and easy meal.
balanced diet on your trip.
The salt and sugar content of the trail mix is also important, as it allows your body to absorb the water you drink – the same way sports drinks work.
A tasty trail mix can easily do as your lunch, and a handful here and there will help to sustain you over a long period of riding.
Main meals
If you’re camping out, generally you’ll want to be self-sufficient for your evening meal, and this gives you two choices, and it will depend a bit on how much you enjoy your food. You might just like to have something quick and easy, like two-minute noodles with a tin or a satchel of tuna added, a cup of soup or a tin of meat-and-veggie stew, which will do the job.
However, if you’re going to be doing that night after night for an extended period, you’ll need to have more variety, as you would at home, meeting your nutritional requirements, as well as being tasty and satisfying.
You can get the nutritional aspects right, but if the food isn’t enjoyable, then you’ll get tired of it pretty quickly.
If your trip is two nights or longer, you’ll need to put more thought into your food so you go to bed at night feeling satisfied and ready for the next day’s riding. Ensure that you have the right balance of foods. You’ll need some protein in the form of some meats or beans, a vegetable of some sort, and a flat bread (or wrap) is always a great way of getting the right amount of carbohydrates into your diet. Pasta and a form of potato is another carbohydrate source.
Lay a wrap on your plate, then add your ingredients on top for a great meal, eating the wrap afterwards and leaving the plate clean. You can cook a decent meal and dish it up onto a plate if you’d prefer.
Weight is also a primary consideration, and when you’re away from regular supplies you’ll be using mainly dehydrated foods. You can buy pre-packed dehydrated meals that are generally between $10 and $15 each (and the photos on the packet usually exceed the eating experience), or you can achieve all the same nutritional value and improve the taste of dehydrated meals with food from the supermarket. Buying local fruits and vegetables from the areas you are travelling through is always a good idea too.
Dehydrated meals can be quite tasty, though. Dehydrated mashed potato is not the greatest on its own, but if you buy it with added onion, it’s a tasty addition to your meal, particularly if you stir in a tin of tuna.
The only thing you need for any of these options is heat and water, and with water being a consideration on many rides, check to see if you can use the juice from some of your canned foods to either drink, or to use in the cooking process. This is especially relevant in areas with little water available, like the outback.
At the end of your evening meal a hot drink is a great finisher. You can go with tea bags and instant coffee, but you can also now buy sachets of latte, mocha or cappuccino from the supermarket. You might not drink these at home, but when you’re sitting around a campfire under the stars, they taste so much nicer than you’d expect.
A good travel trick is to carry a can of beer as well. You’ll be surprised how many 4WDers you’ll come across at meal time, and many will be more than happy to swap your warm beer for one out of their cold fridge.
Fruitcake is another great snack that will keep well. Pre-cut it and wrap it tightly in cling wrap to remove any air, and it will last for several weeks and will compliment your cuppa well. Ginger Nut biscuits are also great – they’re hard and robust and travel well, and are great for dunking!
Cooking options
Unless you’re travelling into areas where there are barbecues and other cooking facilities available, you’ll be limited to a couple of options when it comes to preparing your food.
First, you can cook on a campfire using a combination of saucepans and a fry pan to prepare your food. This cuts down on the amount of gear you need to carry with you, but doesn’t offer you the convenience of a camp stove should the weather be
FRUITS: Pre-packaged fruit is a great addition to breakfast, or for a quick snack on the run.
NOODLES:
pasta varieties
popular with adventure riders on the go.
preparIng for advenTure
TRAIL MIX: A tasty trail mix and muesli bars will keep you sustained during the day.
WRAP: Adding some vegetables to a wrap will give you a meal that’s tasty and full of nutrition.
a factor. Gathering dry wood or trying to keep a fire going in the rain is something not everyone wants to deal with.
If you don’t want to rely on a campfire, you’ll need to take a form of fuel. Nothing is as convenient as gas, but in remote locations gas is not always available. However, if you do have the option of taking little gas cylinders they are highly recommended. They are light, easy to use, heat up quickly and you have infinite control over the strength of the flame.
Another good option is a multi-fuel stove which can run on gas, unleaded petrol, white spirit, kerosene or diesel. While
efficient, these stoves can be quite noisy, and sound like a little jet trying to get going. If using a liquid fuel, white spirit is always the preferred option, with unleaded petrol the least preferred.
A Trangia stove is another option, being lightweight, durable and simple to use. The entire packaged stove, including pots, is not much larger than a standard camp cooking pot, and for this reason the Trangia has retained much of its
World Traveller
World traveller, Sherri-Jo Wilkins, gives her food and cooking tips after spending three years and 128,000km on her bike, experiencing many countries.
“My cooking and eating habits changed several times in the world. I purchased and packed full cooking gear because I got advice to do so. The cooker was an MSR dual fuel single stove, pot, utensils, and so forth. The whole kitchen took up quite a bit of space and was rarely used, so I sent it home.
“Most of Russia and the European countries had such good home-cooked food that I didn’t need to cook myself. Experiencing their food and culture was what I was after, and I very much preferred to eat what the locals ate.
“One of the best pieces of advice I heard was that there is no place in the world that you can’t find a cooked meal. Of course this depends on peoples’ budget and where they are in the world. So much of the world is made up of third-world countries, and therefore meals are far cheaper to buy than make yourself when you factor in food waste, cooking, cleaning and fuel.
“Once I arrived in America I purchased one of the little pocket single burners. This was my favourite. I also purchased a very
compact kettle. If I need something warm, it’s tea.
“And then there are several meal choices that can be purchased from grocery stores and need hot water only, as well as the packet food you can buy in camp stores, but these are crazy expensive too.
“Food in Canada was horribly expensive. Eating out was not an option and even grocery food was very expensive. I mostly ate tin tuna and baked beans or corn, nutrition bars and similar foods. Easy food. In extremely cold weather I could have used the full camp stove in this country, but I only had my tea kettle at this stage.
TRANGIA: The Trangia cooking system is one of the most popular, and is ideal if cooking in wet or windy weather.
popularity, despite the development of alternative stove fuels and designs. The heat adjustability is not as convenient on the Trangia, but as the flame is shielded, it’s great to use in all weather conditions, particularly if it’s windy.
If your meals only need hot water to heat, then one of the Jetboil models will do the job very well. They feature a neopreneinsulated pot (billycan), corrugated metal
Amazon without food or fuel stops.
“I didn’t like the salty packet meals, so I mostly ate nuts, except for warm oats in the morning.
“Back to America I travelled with a couple of people, Adam from Israel, and James from the UK. Both had BMW 1200s, both had space for full cooking gear, and both had good taste in food! So we mostly did groceries and bought nice steaks, pasta, veggies, wine and chocolate and ate in some amazing camp spots around Yosemite and Death Valley.
“Then from Mexico and beyond, everything was so cheap that I returned to no cooking until we had several days in the
“Brazil was my favourite place to eat, but it was only for lunch. They have ‘kilos’ everywhere – small restaurants full of home-baked dishes and salads on a very large table. You pick what you like and how much you like, and you only pay for the weight of the plate in kilos. We ate so much at lunch that we didn’t need anything at dinner, except maybe a snack.
“The food was so good. You could never compare with making your own camp food. So once again I was glad that I wasn’t carrying all the cooking equipment.”
POCKET ROCKET: MSR’s Pocket Rocket fits in the palm of your hand and screws in to gas cylinders of various sizes.
heat exchanger (burner) and burner adjustment valve. All are
and
minutes.
Another option is the MSR Pocket Rocket, which weighs just 85 grams and folds down to fit in the palm of your hand. Connected to a gas canister, it’s a popular item and one I use frequently.
Most cooking systems will pack down compactly, including the pots and pans, which is a big help in ensuring that you don’t have too much bulk to carry with you, something that should be right near the top of your consideration list.
MSR COOKING/FUEL: Multi-fuel stoves are popular, but need to be protected from the wind.
a sImple desserT on The run
Enjoy
This overview on the food and cooking requirements you need to consider should make planning your next adventure ride a little easier, and go a long way to ensuring that you eat well.
Like the Snickers ads on TV tell us, a hungry person is generally not a happy person. Prepare well, eat well, and enjoy your next great adventure.
Cooking a beautiful dessert, such as apple crumble, is a lot easier than you might think on the road. With simple ingredients and an easy cooking process, it makes the perfect addition to your meal.
Our apple crumble consists of:
R 120 grams of dried apples
R 2 tablespoons of sugar
R A quarter of teaspoon of cinnamon
R 10 crushed Butternut Snap biscuits (Google Trangia desserts for the cooking process)
reader’s ride Darwin
to Perth
In 2012 seven mates tackled one of West Australia’s most challenging routes – the Gibb River Road.
Main: Ian Lightfoot carried a spare fuel pump for his 950, and it turned out to be a good thing.
Right: Classic machinery. Below: The author and his trusty KLR. Bike and rider have done some big trips.
I’m a beef and sheep farmer at a place called Woolsthorpe, about 30km north of Warrnambool in Victoria.
At my 20-year school reunion many years ago, sitting next to Dirk, we hatched a plan to go riding road bikes up into the mountains for four days every October. We agreed we’d head to Mt Hotham and the Kosciusko area, and that trip still happens every year.
Then inspiration was hatched when we saw Long Way Round Dirk bought a 1200GS and went for a ride with another mate, Al, to Alice Springs.
The next year I bought my KLR650 and seven of us went on the Darwin-to-Perth trip.
Fully
pumped
We transported our bikes to Darwin and rode to Perth via the Gibb River
Road, Marble Bar, Tom Price and Mount Augustus.
The quote of the ride came from Al one morning: “This is not a bloody holiday. We’re here to ride!” He was trying to get us all out of bed and ready for the day on the bikes. Some mornings it was hard to do that after a big night on the red.
Most mornings we were on the road by 7.30am. We tried not to ride after 4.00pm. It was just too dangerous because of the wild-
u
Words and images: Graeme Glasgow
life. We had no support vehicle, and got away with no real problems except for a couple of flat tyres and a broken fuel pump on the KTM 950 halfway along the Gibb River Road. Ian Lightfoot, the KTM rider, was well prepared and carried a spare pump. That proved to be a great decision. The bike was running again after only half an hour. It could’ve been game over for the KTM if it wasn’t for Ian’s research before the trip.
Cool
An awesome ride was had by all, and this first ride planted the seed for more adventures.
In 2013 we rode from Melbourne to Cape York via Cameron Corner, Birdsville and Karumba.
Last year, 2014, we rode from Melbourne to Darwin via the Flinders Ranges, Oodnadatta Track and the Tanami. The highlight was staying at a remote cattle station for a few days halfway along the Tanami.
The mighty KLR has done all three trips, but not without a few issues. The dust on the Gibb River Road and the Pilbara was horrific, and the Kwaka ended up with a gutful of dust and required a top-end rebuild, new piston and rings when I got
home. I’ve since changed the air-intake position to under the seat and fitted a prefilter I manufactured myself. It works extremely well and keeps the main air filter clear from the bulk of the dust. The prefilter foam is changed every day and only takes a couple of minutes.
On the second trip the shock collapsed, spilling its oil on the dusty track between Innamincka and Walkers Crossing. It was like riding a pogo stick. It was bloody awful.
I also split the radiator about 200km north of Cooktown.
The split was only small and I managed to keep going by undoing the radiator cap one click and depressurising the radiator. This stopped coolant being forced out of the split. I had to keep an eye on the temperature gauge and top up the radiator whenever the temperature started to rise, which was every couple of hours.
The radiator was repaired before the last trip, but the horrible corrugations on the Tanami proved too much and the radiator let go again. As soon as I got home a new radiator was ordered.
More to come
It’s great fun, great blokes and great riding, with a shitload of empty red-wine bottles along the way.
I can’t wait for June when we all head off on another adventure ride. As I write this this, we’re still not sure where we’ll go.
Left: It’s a good group of mates who do a big ride every year.
+ MAPS
Electronic and Paper
Where to ride has always been our focus
+ FACTORY AND AFTERMARKET ADV GEAR AND ACCESSORIES
Simply find your model bike and then Click
Choose from:
ONE YEAR $55
v 12-month subscription v enews
TWO YEARS $98
v 24-month subscription v enews
v 12 issues v Free delivery T-shirt
v 6 issues v Free delivery Haynes, 100 per cent cotton T-shirt
SAVE $24.50 For a two-year subscription receive the new Adventure Riding Is In My DNA shirt!]
Screen-printed in Australia Seamless design for a great fit
Words: Karen Ramsay.
Karen ramsay Rain cheque
Karen Ramsay considers a change of occupation.
I’m considering a career change. I’m thinking about marketing myself as a rainmaker.
Our kids, who have probably spent a lot of their teenage life raising themselves, are now asserting their independence by either moving out of home or ceasing to pay board, and I see this as a further sign I should embrace this new vocation and travel wherever I’m needed without any of that maternal guilt.
It could be lucrative, incorporate my passion for adventure riding and I’d be paid to ride and visit areas all over the country. Charleville has the Stiger Vortex rainmaker guns, but I could be the real, live thing! From past experience I reckon I’m effective about 80 per cent of the time. So often when I’ve been on a trip it’s either rained while I’ve been there, or rained shortly after I leave, and that includes regions that haven’t seen rain for a long time.
All of this would make you think I’d be well equipped and quite experienced at riding in the wet. Unfortunately, I’m not.
As soon as it gets slippery I turn into a soaking, blithering mess and become a textbook case of what not to do in the mud. Fortunately, my dodgy gear and riding skills aren’t related to my droughtbreaking abilities.
Boots and all
I was lucky enough to be allowed to join a cluster of F800GS riders for a few days exploring around Armidale in NSW. I say ‘allowed’ because it was supposed to be a special F800GS-only ride, but I think ride leader Tony Bennett had heard rumours of my special rainmaking skills and
agreed to let me come along.
Now, I don’t like to brag, but they did have their highest daily rainfall for 16 months on one of those days. And there’s a dozen soggy riders and many happy farmers who can vouch for that.
While these few days were hardly monsoonal, we did have two days of constant rain – followed by two perfect days. In that time, wet-weather
gear was put to the test, and, sad to say, all of my gear failed dismally as usual. To be fair, my wet-weather pants are Australian army issue – for Afghanistan. And my rain jacket isn’t a motorbike one. But surely the rain liner would keep some of the excess water away? Not a chance. Every time I took off my jackets I had to be careful people didn’t think I was trying to compete in a wet T-shirt competition – although a few of the blokes might’ve given me a run for my money!
It’d be embarrassing if the only female was beaten in a wet T-shirt comp.
There was definite disappointment from most people in the success of their gear –especially those who’d forked out a lot of money.
As for my boots, they’ve leaked since I got them. I’m not sure where their waterproof guarantee claim comes from. Perhaps by riding in sunny conditions only? They obviously know nothing of my rainmaking properties. I even get wet feet riding along a road after it’s rained.
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of starting the day with a squelch as you put your feet into cold, wet boots.
Plenty of room
Turning up at the café on the second morning, most of us were still dripping from the previous day. On a side note, that’s a big perk of riding with BMW riders. Starting the day with real coffee and poached eggs on sourdough at an establishment that doesn’t have ‘Mc’ or ‘Hungry’ in its title is superb. I like to think the reason we were given a private room had more to do with status rather than stench. At our lunch stop I’m sure the ever-patient staff thought I was escorting a bunch of incontinent men with the amount of water left under their seats.
While drought-breaking around the spectacular countryside of the NSW Central Tablelands recently, I learned that one shouldn’t put one’s wet gloves on a bench if one doesn’t want to leave permanent black marks on said bench. Whoops! I take my hat off to adventure riders who can ride all day soaked through then set up a tent and go to bed in wet clothes. If there’s a choice between a wet tent and dry room, I’ll choose the soft option every time thanks.
Gear selector
My mud riding skills are hopeless. Lately I’ve noticed that the only reason I haven’t dropped my bike in some tricky places is that I manage to stick my leg out and hold the bike up in the nick of time.
Just. Slowly slipping along a muddy track somewhere out the back of Glen Innes, it suddenly dawned on me; that won’t work in the mud.
After composing myself, I twisted the throttle and headed straight for the blokes with cameras at the end of the track. I decided if I was going down, I’d be taking them with me.
Apparently Rod showed the blokes how not to do mud manoeuvres as some of the more hardy souls slithered up Mt Topper. What I guess this all means is, while I’ll be keen to answer all correspondence and travel anywhere seeking my rainmaking skills, I’ll need to get myself some better wet-weather gear first.
Above left: On Mt Topper and things weren’t getting any drier.
Below: Karen, Mark and Dave near Inverell.
What I’ve learned
R ‘Waterproof’ is a very loose term
R ‘Waterproof guarantee’ – means about the same as above
R Only another adventure rider understands how you can get so wet/muddy/dusty and say you’ve had a fantastic day
R Momentum is my friend
R If you’re not paying board, don’t complain to me when there’s nothing to eat
Karen ramsay
Image: Tony Bennett
Adventure Challenge
The greatest boon to busy riders since the three-bike trailer has become better, easier, and even more interactive for 2015.
In 2014 the Adventure Challenge was a total pisscutter. People who could afford a good adventure bike and the equipment that goes with it often worked so frigging hard they had little time to go riding. And when they did have time for a ride, half that time was lost in planning.
Then Coffs Harbour’s Chris Laan came up with the idea for the Adventure Challenge. Chris’ vision was for people who knew of great locations to share them, and in the process, raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
It was a great concept, too. All a rider had to do was log on and have a look at what locations suited the time he had. There were heaps of great spots marked all over the eastern States. After choosing a location, the rider had to find his way there and snap a pic showing the Adventure Challenge logo – usually on the beaut T-shirt Adventure Rider Magazine organised. Then, when he arrived home, the rider bunged his pic on the AdvRiderMag forum and sat back thinking how awesome he was.
Share more, ride more
It was a great idea and worked well, but there was room for a little improvement.
Richard Morwood – see Ol’ Mate in issue #09. Richard reminds us a bit of Flashheart from Blackadder – the bloke who handled all that internookie stuff, could see a few opportunities for streamlining the process, so that’s what he’s done for the new year… even though it’s June. June’s part of a new year.
Anyhoo, Richard has the new site up and running and it’s waiting for Challengers to log on and start sharing their favourite adventure locations. And he’s got some champion tech stuff happening to make it easier.
No. Really! This is tech stuff that actually does make things easier.
“Instead of it being predefined places to ride to,” thesaurussed Flash…sorry, Richard, “it’s now about people being able to tell others the good spots to visit.
“Last year’s Challenge we had 30 or possibly 40 locations to get to in each State, and they were all defined by the magazine or different players at the magazine, with GPS references. This year those same locations are still there, because we know they’re pretty cool spots, but we need to add more. We don’t have any in West Australia or Tasmania, for instance. If riders are out
there and know cool spots, we want them to share.
“All the rider does is head out to the spot, shoot a picture with a phone or GPS-enabled camera – including a magazine or T-shirt or something that says you’re doing this for the magazine –and upload it to the website. The website will read the GPS co-ordinates with the image and add that as a new location automatically.
“As people go to more places, and they share with everyone where all the cool places are to go, more and more people will know where the hotspots are,” beamed Flash, getting us a little confused with the hotspots being cool, but we knew what he meant.
Nearly all modern phones will geotag pics automatically, so 99.9 per cent of us have all we need.
neW for 2015
Take The Challenge
Here’s what you do to join in
R Log on to www.advridermag.com/forum
R Click on the ADV CHALLENGE SITE tab at the top of the page
R Click on the ‘Login’ button at the topright (it’s not easy to see because it’s dark blue)
R If you need to sign up, do that. If you’re already signed up, start uploading images or finding cool hotspots to go to
R Ride to some fantastic destinations and take pics of yourself
R Upload the pics and brag to everyone about how great the ride was
That’s all there is to it. No prizes, no fees, no rules. Just riders sharing knowledge. And bragging, of course. That’s a big part of the fun.
R Anyone can register with an email address (no Facebook required)
R Existing email login users who log in with Facebook will automatically update to Facebook logins
R Users don’t need to be logged in to view locations and ride reports. They only need to be logged in to submit new locations, entries and ride reports
R Logged-in users can add new locations. The link is on the locations page under the map
Hopping across to Kangaroo Island
Sitting just off the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula, Kangaroo Island – affectionately known as ‘KI’ – is Australia’s third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville, however the 17km Backstairs Passage is for many a barrier too large, it seems.
Have a chat with the friendly folk at Sealink Ferries to get a ticket, expect professional service as your bike gets tied down on board one of their ferries, then sit back and relax. They’ll have you riding up the short hill into Penneshaw around 45 minutes after pushing off from the mainland at Cape Jervis.
A bright outlook
We’d given ourselves three-and-a-bit days to explore.
Kangaroo Island is 150km long, around 90km at its widest, and with a population of only 4600 the roads, as you might expect, are for you to enjoy.
Many of the points of interest are accessible by good, sealedroad options, and beyond you will find hundreds of kilometres of gravel roads leading to every cape, bay, cove, beach and smaller attraction.
We elected to base ourselves at the far-western end, Flinders Chase National Park. Our accommodation was the KI Wilderness Retreat, some 140km from the ferry terminal at Penneshaw. Due to work commitments we made our ferry at 6.00pm and after a very quick but enjoyable fish du jour at the local ‘Penney’ Hotel, we were away.
Sunset was estimated to be 9.06pm and riding west meant heading directly into the setting sun. It became a slightly greater challenge as evening closed in.
Beer o’clock
KI is not called Kangaroo Island for nothing! Tammar Wallabies and
Philip King of Twogether Touring recommends Kangaroo Island for a few days’ riding.
sub-species Western Grey kangaroos abound. Along with echidnas, koalas and goannas they heavily populate the evening roadway.
I’m sure we felt the tell-tale bump, clipping the tail of our first encounter, as the ABS pulsed and big dual Brembos urgently slowed our 500kg, fully laden progress into the gloom.
While prudence was already foremost, we dropped down further to near 70kph for the last 40km and even that speed was mildly challenging. With both 50-watt HID headlamps and a pair of strong H4s doing their best, a lesson had been learned – KI fauna are no smarter, roadwise, than their mainland brethren.
The KI Wilderness Retreat is well signed, just before the formal entry to the Flinders Chase National Park, and we arrived to a nice suite and a steaming hot shower.
The cold beer was also very welcome.
Naturally
A slight drizzle came with the early light. Not to be off-put, a hearty breakfast was the order of the day, followed by a brisk bushwalk following the well-posted ‘blue trail’.
The clouds burnt off and we geared up to head further southwest to the spectacular Remarkable Rocks and equally magnificent Admirals Arch, both sculpted over centuries by the wind and sea. The playful New Zealand fur seals perform or sometimes just laze around on the shore’s
tessellated rocky platforms. The huge rollers of the Southern Ocean are unimpeded in their efforts to wear the craggy shores away.
If communing with nature is not really your go, the almost 40km ride in and out along the Cape du Couedic highway to the lighthouse of the same name is reward enough. It’s superb.
The Ozone whole
Day two we’d planned to explore the northern side of the island.
Stokes Bay is sheltered with a small beach, a rustic cafe, campground and a few shacks along with a number of boats at anchor.
We moved on to Parndana, the smallest of the three main settlements on KI. ‘Sleepy’ would best describe the Parndana area, but with plenty to do and see along the Playford Highway we rode toward Kingscote. KI boasts a dozen wineries and the location of Bay Of Shoals winery is spectacular, just a couple of kilometres from Kingscote nestled into the hillside of the Bay Of Shoals from which it takes its name.
We were spoiled for choice as coffee time approached and we took the option of the waterfront Aurora Ozone Hotel. For accommodation in Kingscote the hotel would also be ideal.
Emu Bay
Another KI speciality is honey.
The apiary industry showcases the rare Lugarian bee population and their award-winning honey, and a number of
Above: The entry to the Flinders Chase National Park. The KI Wilderness Retreat is nearby.
Right: The view at Admiral’s Arch is worth the hike – even a hike in motorcycle boots.
Below: American River’s excellent oyster cafe overlooking Pelican Lagoon.
Left: Security is good. At-door parking, Wilderness Retreat, Flinders Chase.
free tasting opportunities along with delicious honeycomb ice cream were on offer.
The roads in the north are equally as enjoyable as the southern side, with easy cruising on the sealed options and many, many smaller gravel trails to explore.
Emu Bay with its expansive, white sandy beach is a delightful stopping-off point. There are no services other than a barbecue, picnic area and toilets, but there are excellent boating facilities and crystal-clear water for safe swimming. A range of accommodation is also available to suit most budgets. Just down the road is Emu Bay Lavender Farm,
with cafe, to taste and sample local lavender products.
Sprung
The afternoon trek back to our overnight stop was punctuated with a small detour to Vivonne Bay. It was a shortish side ride, but with very rough corrugations that really tested the BMW’s ESA suspension setup. To stand on the windswept and rocky headland looking back across the beautiful bay is worth the bone shaking however.
In good time
Sadly, the morning of day three arrived and
the panniers were fitted, meaning we were heading homeward.
A steady cruise back to Penneshaw via American River, a small fishing settlement, was easy. Don’t be surprised, but there’s no river, and it’s not American. But American River does have an excellent oyster and Marron (fresh water lobster) cafe overlooking Pelican Lagoon. We made short work of a fine platter of succulent oysters.
Aiming for Adelaide in good time we bypassed the south coast options of Pennington Bay and all that the Cape Willoughby area had to offer. We’ll leave those, along with many other KI
highlights for another day. The relatively short hop to Penneshaw to our awaiting ferry and another uneventful crossing followed.
A few tips
The BMW R1200 GS was fitted with Michelin Anakee 3s that proved excellent. However they wouldn’t foot it with more serious off-road tyres in the slipperier and rougher stuff. I’d strongly recommend more off-road oriented tyres for serious exploration of KI. The orange/brown ‘pea’ gravel so common in Western Australia makes up plenty of the roads on KI. While
1: Super easy Sealink ferries.
2: “What’s that, Skip? The ferry’s leaving?” Tammar wallabies are everywhere.
3: The Bay Of Shoals Winery. A spectacular location just a couple of kilometres from Kingscote.
4: Remarkable Rocks – last stop before Antarctica.
aesthetically fine, it doesn’t make for relaxed riding. It’s very slippery!
Fuel is readily available but be aware that while you’re on a smallish island you can still do reasonable distances daily, and at the western end only the Wilderness Retreat has a pump, and it’s only open for limited hours. The Wilderness Retreat is motorcycle-friendly and the Nicholas Baudin restaurant menu extensive.
We covered 730km over three days with excellent accommodation, food, scenery and weather. KI was a treat for us. We’ll be heading back ‘with knobs on’ for a more in-depth off-road KI exploration sometime soon.
new products
sW moTeCh TIger
800XCX Crash bars
Protection for your engine and tank (especially when the editor has brainfade on a wet road).
R Made from structural steel
R 22mm pipe diameter
R Sandblasted and powdercoated
R Accurate fit
R Come complete with fitting instructions and mounting material
R Protects OEM parts in case of impact
RRP: $314
Available from: Motorrad Garage
Phone: (08) 9350 9052
Web: www.motorradgarage.com.au
Checkout
bmW off road
rIder TraInIng
Want to learn to ride smoother, faster and safer? A BMW GS training course will help.
R Level 1 and Level 2 courses available (must complete Level 1 first)
R Two days training includes lunch, refreshments, T-shirt and travel mug
R Hire bikes available at selected courses
R Courses in NSW, Victoria, WA and Queensland. More States coming soon
RRP: $695 per person
Phone: (02) 4271 8244
Web: www.bmwmotorrad.com.au/ OffRoadTraining
held Carese II jaCKeT and Torno II panTs
A great match up for a riding suit. Jacket
R DuPont Cordura 500D outer shell
R CoolMax breathable mesh lining
R 3D air mesh panels in back
R Removable Gore-Tex waterproof inner jacket
R Waterproof external pockets
R Full-length back protector can be integrated into jacket lining
R Connecting zip
R 3M Scotchlite reflectors
R Available sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL, 4XL, 5XL
R Colours: Black, Grey/Blue, Grey/Orange, Grey/Black Pants
R CoolMax lining
R Removable GORE-TEX three-layer inner
R Stretch panels at back and knees
R NOMEX heat-resistant fabric on inner calves
R Button features for optional braces
R 3M SCOTCHLITE reflectors
R Sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL 4XL, 5XL
R Colours: Black, Grey/Black (4XL and 5XL in Black only)
RRP: Jacket $800. Pants $500
Available from: www.heldaustralia.com.au
barKbusTers bbzs
A huge favourite with the Adventure Rider Magazine staff!
R Stylish fabric handguard design lined with a waterproof membrane
R Can be fitted to almost any handlebar set-up
R Flexes around fairing and windscreen at full steering lock
R Ideal for faired motorcycles
R Anti-flap design is self-supporting under wind pressure
R Leaves controls free of interference
R Maximum cold-weather protection
R Can be fitted independently or over Barkbusters backbones
RRP: $119.95
Available from: Your local bike shop
Web: www.barkbusters.net
KaWasaKI baCKpaCK
Kawasaki has joined up with LKI to produce two Kawasaki backpacks. Here’s the adult version.
R Part number 999AMERBG2
R Six-month warranty
R Laptop-compatible
R Media access pockets
R Made from high-density nylon
R 28-litre capacity
R Heaps of space and bulk features
RRP: $69
Available from: Kawasaki dealers everywhere. Find the nearest at: www.kawasaki.com.au/dealers/ find-a-dealer
TouraTe
sCaggs moTo desIgns rear luggage raCKs
Bags of style (See what we did there? ‘Bags’? Pannier racks? Ha!).
R Laser-cut, black, anodised aluminium
R Available for Yamaha WR250R, Suzuki DR250, 350 and 650SE, Kawasaki KLX250S, Honda CRF250L, Yamaha XT660R and XT660Z Ténéré
R Easily fitted with Rotopax mounts to carry extra fuel
R Givi box mount-kit compatible
R Most racks come in two sizes: small and large
RRP: From $150
Available from: AdventureMoto Web: www.adventuremoto.com.au
There’s nothing worse than riding with saturated gloves.
R Designed to be worn over motorcycle gloves
R Abrasion-resistant material on the palm
rad guard
The guard we chose for our own longterm test Tiger!
R Guards available for the Triumph Tiger 800 XCx/XC /XRx/XR 2015 models
R Made from high-grade 6060 aluminium
R Designed with a robust frame and expanded mesh to allow adequate air flow
R Fitting is simple, and an easy-to-follow installation video is available on the website
RRP: On special for $129
Available from: Rad Guard Phone: (02) 6658 0060 Web: www.radguard.com.au
R A great alternative to packing a second pair of heavy waterproof gloves
R Pack small, but keep hands warm and dry when fitted over regular riding gloves
R Material: Waterproof Oxford fabric with a perforated inner liner
R Closure System: Adjustable fastening system with elastic strap
R Size: S to XXXL
R Colour: Black
RRP: $48
Available from: Touratech Australia Phone: (03) 5729 5529
Web: www.touratech.com.au
Contributors
graeme glasgoW
Readers’ story
Graeme has always ridden bikes on the farm mustering and has always had a road bike. The Long Way Round started an adventure-riding bug among Graeme’s mates, and he bought a KLR650 to join them. He’s never looked back.
andreW palleson
Readers’ story
Andrew kicked off riding motocross in New Zealand when he was 18, then moved on to enduro. Now, living in Sydney, he’s a keen adventure rider. “Bikes are a big part of my life,” says Andrew, who rides a DR650.
dave brITTen
Readers’ story
Racin’ Dave is a well-known NZ rider and journalist. He loves long-distance riding and offroad exploring, and has led and swept dozens of multi-day adventure rides. He also delights in sending the editor breathtaking images of riding his trials bike through the NZ mountains. Dave’s currently riding an R1200GSA and an NXR125.
john hudson
John thought adventure riders would love an event offering some of the thrill and challenge of The Dakar at a miniscule price, so in 2010 the real estate manager kicked off the APC Rally, and now ADVX.
danny WIlKInson
Readers’ story
Wilko is a top bloke who can handle a camera like nobody’s business. Believe it or not, Wilko’s ‘real’ job is as a partner in an accounting firm. He rides alright, too.
phIlIp KIng
Readers’ story
Philip kicked off his adventure-touring company in 2011 and rides in exotic locations like New Zealand, Raratonga, Asia and Samoa. Philip has a six-month, 30,000km solo lap of Australia to his credit.
Readers’ story
Kym has been around since the first issue of ADV, and was an occasional letter-writer/ contributor to both Sidetrack and TBAM These days he’s eyeing off retirement in the not-too distant future…he hopes.
Karen’s in that growing group of females either returning to riding or taking it up. She’s worked in the Northern Territory as a governess/jillaroo, supervising kids and mustering on bikes, and bought her first bike from an undertaker.
robIn boX
A lifelong rider, Robin now rides, “whenever there’s a chance” on any bike available, on- or off-road. Between churning out Safari Tanks and importing high-quality Touratech gear, there’s not as much riding going on for this Victorian-based bloke as he’d like.
mIles davIs
Miles has been National Motorrad Marketing Manager for BMW Motorrad since 2006. He’s a highly-qualified motorcycling coach and an ex-professional mountain-bike racer. Still on a bike every chance he gets, Miles has built an enviable reputation as both a world-class rider and a great riding companion.
Kym sToCK
Karen ramsay
On sale August, 2015
Phil Hodgens builds a DRZ and DR650 to tackle the Madigan Line.
ADVX
Was it as tough as expected? Or was it only Dakar without the timed sections?
if the editor makes it through ADVX and can write the magazine. Fingers crossed!
Motorrad Garage
KLR650
ot a KLR650 and want to kit it out to the max? There’s a lot of superb aftermarket accessories available – and a lot of OEM genuine gear as well. But for this issue we asked the folks at Motorrad Garage, importers of SW-Motech, to show us what they could do with Kwaka’s star adventure bike. To see the individual items close up and get more details, go to www.motorradgarage.com.au/kawasaki/klr-650
Have a drool over this lot! It’s all SW-Motech except for the Madstad screen, and it’s all at Motorrad Garage.
1: Aluminium rack: $139
2: Aluminium rack adapter plate for TraX Top Case: $49
3: Barkbuster handguard: $139
4: Centrestand: $249
5: Crash bars: $239
6: Crash bar bag 80 – waterproof: $99
7: Dry bag 250: $69
8: Engine guard/skid plate: $209
9: Foot pegs onroad/off-road: $171
10: GPS kit universal: $109
11: HAWK off-road LED lights plus crash-bar mount: $543
