I really dislike being cold. A lot. I especially hate it when my hands feel as though someone’s sticking ice needles in through my knuckles and the snot freezes on my upper lip – those two things are personal indicators that I’m not enjoying myself due to the low temperature.
That started me thinking of some of the personal indicators I use for various things. It’s important to know what your body’s
trying to tell you. We’re all different, and although we can learn general things –like, if you’re thirsty, it’s an indicator you’re already in the early stages of dehydration – we all have very specific and individual symptoms we should learn and look for. Card players, especially poker players, would call them ‘tells’. They’re small indications of something personal and specific.
So, frozen snot, yawning and stinging knuckles are warnings I should heed. The warning isn’t that I’m in peril because of the cold, but they mean I should be aware my performance is being affected by the low temperature, and should alter my riding accordingly. I should brake a little earlier, pay attention to line selection, and if I can pull up somewhere and let my core temperature rise a little, I’ll be better off. Mostly I thrive on being west of Bourke
with a full CamelBak on a 50-degree day. But as I get older high ambient temperatures mean I have to be far more conscious of my fluid intake and far more watchful of how my body is coping in general than I used to. Still, a very dry mouth and the same abstract thought running through my mind over and over is a sign my brain and body aren’t likely to be working at their best. When I find myself with those symptoms, I start to be consciously careful about things, and begin assessing whether or not I need to stop somewhere cool for a few minutes, or perhaps, if there’s cold fluid in the CamelBak, drink, whether I’m thirsty or not.
High altitude is an interesting one for me. By ‘high’ I mean upwards of about 2500m. So-called ‘altitude sickness’ is very, very sneaky because, depending on the severity, the oxygen content of the blood slowly decreases, and it’s not easy to pick because the brain is one of the first things to suffer – which wouldn’t do much damage in my case, you might think. Still, when I start the long, slow deep breaths and have that niggling, tiny ache in the back of my head, I know I’m moving toward the headaches, sleeplessness and nausea that are common symptoms of altitude sickness.
“It’s important to know what your body’s trying to tell you.”
I also know now that my reaction times slow dramatically under those circumstances. That’s a big worry when I’m on a bike running fast on slippery mountain roads and trails.
For adventure riders these things are important to consider and learn. We tend to experience more extremes than most – extreme temperature, fatigue, hunger and thirst – and if we want to finish rides and enjoy what we do, we need to know when our bodies are warning us to be careful.
Next time you’re under pressure of that kind, just make a few mental notes. Then get used to referring to those mental notes in times of similar stress. You’ll live longer and be a far better riding companion to those who don’t have to constantly drag you off to hospital or peel you off trees.
Adventure Rider Magazine is published bi-monthly by Mayne Publications Pty Ltd
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BMW adventurers
Main: Days four and five were the most challenging tracks ever offered
The toughest GS Safari ever
The BMW GS Safari Enduro kicked off in Bourke, NSW, last month, with 110 riders embarking on an incredible adventure following the Darling River from its headwaters in central New South Wales to the mouth of the Murray in South Australia. Riders were taken to the heart of Australia’s agricultural past to experience the ultimate outback adventure. The Darling-Murray River run provided riders with a lifetime of friendships and memories.
In true GS Safari style, riders were faced with challenging terrain, open plains and an abundance of wildlife.
The group travelled north towards the famous border track, following the Murray River to Victor Harbor in South Australia. The ride was a scenic run, criss-crossing the Murray all the way to the mouth, where participants were able to smell the salt air and see the Murray flowing into the ocean after six days of dusty outback riding.
Camping along the way allowed riders to travel to remote destinations and explore tracks less travelled. Highlights included stopping at beautiful riverside stations, sitting around the fire and hearing stories of the amazing history of the remote areas.
The catering was popular among riders, and being fed like a king was the perfect way to end each day. Participants were even treated to comfy beds and a beer at the pub in the bigger inland cities of Mildura and Renmark.
The real deal Riders were pushed to their limits, with days four and five being the most challenging tracks ever offered at a BMW GS Safari Enduro.
The epic sand sections tested each rider’s technical ability and off-road endurance, and the buzz at Renmark was unforgettable as riders celebrated the completion of a hard day’s riding on their trusty GSes.
Day five to Swan Reach was a memorable ride, where the
at a BMW GS Safari Enduro.
Bottom: An incredible adventure for 110 riders.
open terrain echoed an African landscape. Riding through the Danggali Conservation Reserve, an elephant or giraffe wouldn’t have looked out of place. The remote ride looped north with close to 300km of nothing before arriving at the small town of Morgan, where riders were grateful for a fuel and food stop before the final camp night on the side of the river at Swan Reach.
Bittersweet
The final day was a great scenic tour into the Adelaide ranges with an option to see the mouth of the Murray before wrapping up at Victor Harbor after an amazing week of riding in some truly incredible country. While the GS Safari Enduro focused on riding ability, a lot of the time the adventure was about the places and the people.
As usual, the farewell get-together was a mix of excitement and sadness that it was all over. But for some, there were still thousands of kilometres to ride before they reached their home bases. As with most GS riders, this was an opportunity to continue the adventure by exploring more of what this country has to offer.
Stay in touch
One of the great things about the BMW Safari is that it always brings such a wide mix of people together. This year’s GS Safari Enduro included four father-and-son teams, riders from across the globe and an age range from 17 to 73 years.
It’s an event where riders can escape the daily grind, enjoy the freedom of travelling by bike and make life a ride with a great support network.
The next BMW GS Safari is in November, with bookings opening soon. To receive information on the BMW Safari and other BMW Motorrad events please register for the BMW Rider newsletter by logging on to facebook.com/bmwsafari.
Or you can call 1800 813 299.
That works, too.
Top left: The catering was popular among riders, and being fed like a king was the perfect way to end each day.
Main: The epic sand sections tested each rider’s technical ability and off-road endurance.
Below: Riders were taken to the heart of Australia’s agricultural past.
An
journeyamazing
One adventurous man, one ancient motorcycle and an audacious dream. Proving nothing is impossible.
Motorcycle enthusiasts love to test themselves and their machines, and age is no barrier. In 2012, while others his age were enjoying quiet retirement, Ron Fellowes set off on the challenge of a lifetime. His dream to ride a 102 year-old FN motorcycle across the world – to the Belgian factory where the bike originated – had all the hallmarks of an epic adventure: one that was never going to be easy.
For eight months Ron rode 14,606km through 15 countries under grueling conditions and into some of the world’s most hostile territory. He faced desert sandstorms, mountains too steep for the motorcycle’s capability, the threat of rockslides and bombings when he took a detour, and pressure from armed police through conflict zones. On one occasion Ron was robbed, and on another, when held at gunpoint, he faced his own mortality.
The old story
The motorcycle’s limited capacity –no gears, inadequate brakes and the motor being pedal assisted – made the journey a struggle. Breakdowns were common, and only Ron’s ingenuity and single-mindedness, his wife Lynne’s logistical support, and the generosity of others kept him going. If you were to ask the unassuming 70-year-old why he undertook such a difficult journey, he’d probably smile and say, “Why not?”
Words and images: Lynne Fellowes
Pursuing the passion
Ron has owned motorcycles since his teens. Most were rebuilt from traded parts, including a Vincent Grey Flash; a bike considered priceless today. A passion for beach, trials, and speedway racing turned to restoring vintage and veteran machines, including a meticulous 1922 AJS and sidecar. When Ron acquired the bones of a rare four-cylinder FN, he made a promise to the previous owner that one day he would ride the bike back to Belgium. Little did he know then that it would be more than 40 years before this would become a reality.
Questions and answers
Packing tools, spare parts, extra tyres and fuel was essential, but with space at a premium, finding room for a tent, sleeping bag and clothing proved challenging. Extra weight would make the little bike unstable, and also add to the burden of pushing when it became necessary. Flying himself and the motorcycle to the top of the world to begin the journey made sense to Ron, “It would be all downhill from here,” he laughed.
The road conditions through Nepal were rough. On the narrow, broken surface, buses and trucks overtook on blind corners, swerving at the last minute and forcing Ron to take evasive action. Passing 12 crashed vehicles in one day did little to ease his mind. India too had challenges: wandering cows, daily processions and the inevitable crowds who gathered whenever the bike stopped. Everyone wanted to squeeze the bike’s horn and they would always ask the same questions: “Where are you from?” “Where are you going?” “Where is your wife?”
Ron wrote instructions on scraps of paper and called these his GPS – Going Places Slowly. When the GPS blew away, he asked
directions from locals, many of whom spoke no English. But even if they didn’t know where he was heading, they were only too willing to show the way – with everyone waving their arms in different directions.
Wheel right
Camping was out of the question in India. Dhabas (truck stops), where long-haul drivers eat and sleep on their two-week shifts, were a good alternative. For only a few rupees Ron could enjoy a hot meal and cold shower before stretching out on a charpoy – a bed made from strips of old tyres. Despite the incessant flashing lights, blaring horns and radios, the weary rider had no trouble falling asleep after a long day’s journey.
Broken spokes were an almost daily occurrence, and local repairers helped by bending new spokes to suit. When the beaded-edge back tyre blew out – not once, but three times – the motorcycle careered across the road on
Main: Ron’s mechanical skills were often tested.
Top: A 1910 FN, restored by the owner and ridden through 15 countries back to its factory in Belgium. It’s definitely an adventure bike.
Left: A previous Ron Fellowes restoration: a 1922 AJS.
Right: Not much room for overtaking in Nepal.
the rim, sparks flying. Once a suitable rock was located on which to jack up the bike, it could take Ron several hours to remove the back wheel and change the tyre, much to the interest of passersby.
Uncommon cold
Through south-west Pakistan, where the road bordered Afghanistan, armed police escorts were mandatory. The police were courteous, but had no understanding of the limitations of a 100-year-old motorcycle. They constantly urged Ron to ride faster over the 600km broken, potholed desert road. His main concern was not an attack from insurgents, but that, unless the engine was allowed to cool down, it would seize.
Sandstorms and vicious winds were all too common. Unable to rest during the
day, Ron crawled into his sleeping bag each night, exhausted and filthy. At times, the only accommodation available was a police lockup or deserted building, and with snow on the mountains, the nights were freezing.
It happens
1: The local people everywhere were fascinated by Ron and his bike. Nepal was no different.
2: The Golden Palace at Amritsar, India. The leisurely pace of the FN allowed taking in the sights.
3: Dhabas – truck stops – in India offered food and cold showers. Camping was out of the question.
Top: Mount Ararat in Turkey. A view with a biblical background.
Right: Made it. The FN factory in Herstel, Belgium.
Once well clear of the border in Iran, the police escorts were no longer necessary and Ron had the freedom to travel at his own pace. Surrounded by stunning scenery, and with the ancient cities of Bam, Kashan, Isfahan and Shiraz to visit, he began to relax. Persian hospitality was secondto-none, and Ron was loaded down with gifts, especially fruit.
“I lost count of the number of watermelons I was given,” he laughed, “despite having no spare room to carry them.”
But a journey of this magnitude is never without incident. Ron returned to his campsite after breakfast one morning to find his tent slashed and all his belongings stolen.
“I’d grown comfortable among strangers,” he said. “Everyone I met was friendly, so it was easy to become complacent. But, wherever you are –home or abroad – adversity happens.”
And it did. Some weeks later, Ron ignored the warnings about crossing Eastern Turkey, and that was to be his undoing. He was already well into the country when he learnt there had been a kidnapping in the region. His choice not to follow the northern route resulted in a situation that could have had grave consequences. Yet, despite the psychological effect of having a shotgun put to his head, Ron found the courage to continue. It was only much later when he was writing about his experience that he found himself able to face his demons and lay the matter to rest.
Foot sore
The road conditions continued to take their toll on both rider and motorcycle. Daily maintenance was crucial, and Ron’s mechanical skills were often tested. Those who provided assistance usually had only basic knowledge, but were always willing and did the best they could with their primitive tools and equipment.
The further west Ron travelled, the steeper the mountains became. With dogged determination he pressed on, seemingly pushing the bike almost as much as he rode it, in order to achieve his goal. Although he lost 10kg during the ride, the 70-year-old remained in remarkably good health. Apart from the occasional stomach upset, the only medical treatment he required throughout the journey was as a result of pressing his boots into the ground to help stop the bike. This wore the skin
on his toes raw and blackened the nails. A young boy, seeing the condition of Ron’s feet, escorted him to a local doctor for treatment and for days afterwards, phoned to check Ron was applying the ointment the doctor had prescribed. The doctor, who refused payment, insisted Ron was a guest in his country and wished him a safe journey. This was typical of most strangers and Ron drew strength from their kindness and generosity.
Phone home
Each evening Lynne would call to check Ron’s progress, and share in the highs and lows of the day’s ride. She was able to provide emotional support when her husband’s spirits were at their lowest. Occasionally, the pair met in one of the larger cities and it was then Ron could enjoy a hot shower, clean clothes and a decent meal.
Finally, after eight grueling months, and with the little motorcycle close to collapse, Ron reached his goal and rode through the FN factory gates at Herstel, Belgium. There, waiting to greet him, was a large crowd of supporters, many of whom had been following his journey since its inception.
Why would a man his age test himself in this way? Ron’s answer is simple: Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. And, it’s not the places, but the people who are special.
Ron believes that if he learnt anything from the experience, it’s that we have more in common with one another than we have differences, and that it’s the journey, not the destination that counts.
Since his return home, Ron and Lynne have co-authored the book, No Room for Watermelons. Beautifully illustrated in full colour throughout, it’s an engaging and entertaining account of one man’s stoic determination to fulfill his dream. For further details on how to order a signed copy of the book, visit the website: www.oldblokeonabike.com. No Room for Watermelons is also available at all good book stores and on Amazon.
2015 TK Memorial Ride
Cooma, NSW, August 28, 2015
Tony Kirby, or ‘TK’ as he was known, was the definitive adventure rider before the term became popular. With a career in publishing and motorcycle journalism, he had the ability to entertain, inform, and above all inspire us to go riding and explore. He did this by riding across and around Australia every which way himself and then reporting on his adventures.
Among his achievements he created SideTrack Magazine in 1995, and was instrumental in the establishment of the Dual Sport Motorcycle Association (DSMRA).
Tony Kirby passed away too soon. The debilitating motor neurone disease brought about his death on December 17, 2010.
In 2011 a few of his friends and followers celebrated his life with a ride to one of his favourite places, South Australia’s Flinders Ranges, where a rock cairn was constructed and his ashes spread. This became the inaugural TK Memorial Ride. Other rides have followed each year since.
2011 – Flinders Ranges, SA 2012 – Walcha, NSW 2013 – Kenilworth, Queensland 2014 – Bridge to Bridge – Sydney Harbour Bridge to Brisbane’s Story Bridge
This year
The 2015 event will start in Cooma, NSW, on Friday, August 28.
Participants will gather at the Alpine Hotel on Friday evening. On Saturday there will be a choice of three different rides depending on interests. Back at the Alpine on Saturday night, then off to Merimbula, Mallacoota and Bombala on subsequent days along fire trails, forest roads and tracks, enjoying some of the best adventure riding Australia has to offer.
Join in for as many days as you like. It’s open to all looking for an adventure on two wheels.
For more information, log on to www.dsmra.asn.au/tk.php or email TKMemorialRide@gmail.com.
Rodney Faggotter - 2014 Australian Safari winner
Josh Green - Pro off-road racer, AORC, 4ADE, ISDE, Finke, Hattah
Stefan Granquist - Pro off-road racer, AORC, 4ADE, Scott Britnell - Extreme Endurance/Adventure rider
D’Urville
Island adventure
Dave Britten grabs a rare opportunity to ride a much sought-after destination.
It’s often said patience is a virtue and good things come to those who wait.
Try telling that to 15 riders, basking in New Zealand’s South Island summer sun on the beach at French Pass as they awaited the arrival of the barge for the 20minute journey to D’Urville Island. It’s a riding destination that very seldom offers access and it’s high on the wish list of most Kiwi riders.
The group fretted in eager anticipation. Despite the complete absence of wind, the sea was too
rough for the barge to load. Arrrghhh!
Sea change
It’s also said, “Man plans; God laughs,” and that appeared to be the case here.
After two years of organising riders and gaining permissions for private farm access, the weather was perfect. Then Mother Nature poked her nose in just to let everyone know who was boss. However, a couple of hours later,
and following a change in tide, the sea flattened out, the barge arrived, the bikes were wheeled aboard –and the D’Urville adventure was on.
Eclectic start
The crew was made up of an eclectic mix of bikes, ranging from my Honda NXR125 up to Chris and Emma two-up on their Honda 750 Africa Twin, with the rest of the riders choosing various trail, adventure, or enduro models in the 250cc to 690cc range. The bike
Words and images: Dave Britten
Main: Overlooking Paddock Rocks, Kupe Bay, in the island’s north.
Map: D’Urville Island is in the Marlborough Sounds, the waterway between the North and South Islands. It’s a summertime destination for anglers and hunters, and an idyllic, picturesque place. Bikes don’t get to D’Urville very often.
Above: Arrival at Kapowai, D’Urville Island.
Right: Bill Brownlee, organiser of the whole adventure.
size is nearly irrelevant, as the roads are all unsealed, narrow and winding, and a riding speed in the 50kph region actually seems quite quick. Most of the corners are blind, so we definitely had a safety-first policy and were on high alert for any oncoming vehicles. But in our two days of exploring we crossed paths with precisely one 4WD.
If you want to ride remote and untrafficked roads, then D’Urville Island is certainly the place to be.
D’Urville Island covers 150 square kilometres and has a population of just 50, most of whom are engaged in fishing or farming. The island is by far the biggest in the Marlborough Sounds and has 6000ha of public land, most of which is in regenerating bush (hunting deer and pigs!), as it’s been a struggle to farm economically on the poor soil. We stayed in the island’s hall, which had bunk beds, a full kitchen (two of the rider’s wives cooked our meals) and large dining area, and that muchappreciated essential after a day’s dusty riding, a decent hot shower.
Top to bottom
What if you want that other essential of summertime riding, a couple of cold ones at the end of a hot day exploring? Well, you’re in luck, as there is one licensed bar, the Wilderness Resort, with attached restaurant, and either bunkhouse or motel accommodation. You’re further in luck if you like a riding challenge, as the only ‘proper’ 4WD track on the island is its ‘road’ access, and it drops 500 vertical metres in five kilometres down a steep, bush-clad, rutted, potholed, rocky track to the most gorgeous sheltered bay at Catherine Cove. It was no hardship at all to relax on the shady deck, gaze at the scenery and speculate whether Chris could manhandle the Africa Twin back up the track to the hall at the top. He did, in fine style!
Bold
One of the ride’s highlights was a farm track to D’Urville’s northernmost tip, from
where we could look over the two kilometres of ocean that separated us from Stephens Island. This 1.5-square-kilometre speck of rock is an important wildlife sanctuary and is mammal-free. In particular, it’s a safe haven for rare tuatara, reptiles which, other than in tightly controlled reserves, are now extinct on mainland New Zealand. A million sea birds enjoy the lack of natural predators, too. Another highlight was our second day’s early morning ride to a public campsite at Greville Harbour, on the more rugged west coast, and at which light aircraft sometimes land on the beach. For us to get there, we skirted the only lagoon on the island, held back from the Tasman Sea by a series of sand dunes, and wondered who of our intrepid crew would be bold enough for a swim – it turned out that we weren’t as brave as we thought!
Time sensitive
We’d arranged with barge owner Craig Aston to pick us up from the Kapowai landing at 5.00pm. A forecast southerly change, with its inherent
risk of stormy seas trapping us on D’Urville, brought that appointment forward to 4.00pm. At our lunch stop, we received a call from Craig advising that with the wind change now due earlier, we should be at the ramp by 3.00pm. It would have been better to have made it by 2.00pm. The very lumpy sea on our return to French Pass didn’t quite have anyone looking to feed the fish an impromptu lunch, but we did have to brace ourselves against the bikes and at one point a wave broke over the barge’s bow, soaking those on the upwind side. It made for an exciting end to our trip!
1: The only licensed bar on the island is at the end of this 4WD track at Catherine Cove.
2: Overlooking Stephens Island sanctuary.
3: The author, Racin’ Dave.
4: On the ridge above Port Hardy’s East Arm. Even by New Zealand’s standards, these views are amazing.
Top: Loading the barge at French Pass, the point of arrival and departure for the barge.
Below: Early morning at Greville Harbour.
BMW Gear Shift Assistant Pro
Want to get the works-racer feeling? BMW’s Quickshift Pro will go close.
There’s a huge gap between the bikes we see on race tracks and the bikes we see in our local dealers. No matter how they might look similar, the race bikes, especially elite-level, road-race competitors, are worlds away from standard production bikes.
The differences are far beyond us to list with any authority, but one very specific facet of high-level road-race machinery is technology that allows gear changes without chopping the throttle or using the clutch. It may not seem a big deal as you sit there reading the words, but when you have insane levels of horsepower punching up against the redline and your nearest challenger for a championship with his front wheel against your knee, it can feel more important than life itself to keep that throttle open and the motor driving.
Shift-assisters allow the throttle to stay open and the gear selection to happen in the absolute minimum time physics will allow.
Is it a big deal for adventure riders?
Again, probably not as you read the words. But once you’ve tried it, you’ll never look back – except to see how far your mates have been left behind.
BMW has had its Gear Shift Assistant Pro available on some of its performance road bikes for a while, and now it’s been released on the R 1200 GS and GSA.
We can only drool and quietly whisper in awe, “Hoo-aah”.
Technically speaking
Adventure Rider Magazine saw the BMW technology in action and were suitably impressed. We thought we were just seeing BMW tech man Craig ‘Benno’ Bennett riding in his usual flamboyant and carefree fashion, but the Quickshift Pro being on the bike would explain some of his more spectacular demonstrations.
Of course, tech man Benno’s the one to ask about how the system worked. Here’s what he told us.
“Gear Shift Assistant Pro allows faster gear changes with virtually no interruption to power flow in upshifts and smooth downshifts under deceleration,” he said, hoeing into Miles Davis’ chips while Miles wasn’t looking.
He also sent us an e-mail which offers some heady descriptions.
“The new Gear Shift Assistant Pro enables upshifts and downshifts without operation of the clutch or throttle in the riding-relevant load and rev speed ranges. The majority of gear changes can be carried out with the help of the Gear Shift Assistant. Starting off is one of the few exceptions.
“When accelerating, the throttle no longer needs to be eased or the clutch used for gear changes, allowing the power to flow with barely any interruption. And when decelerating and shifting down a gear (with the throttle closed), gearbox shaft speeds
are synchronised with an audible throttle blip controlled via the ECU, allowing for clutchless downshifts.
“Gears are engaged in the usual way with the shift lever. Shift times are considerably faster compared to gear changes using the clutch.
“The system works by employing a sensor on the gearbox selector shaft to detect the rider’s shift request. It triggers the assistance mechanism. By increasing or reducing engine torque by the required amount, the load on the powertrain is effectively eliminated and the shaft speeds are synchronised to allow the shift dogs of the next gear wheel pair to intermesh in the same way as when the clutch is used. No gear-shift assistance is provided during a gear change when the clutch is depressed, or when shifting up with the throttle closed or during deceleration. Neither will any assistance be given if the shift lever is not in its proper starting position when shifting up or down.”
User view
Crikey. That made our brains hurt, so we asked Miles Davis to tell us about Quickshift Pro.
“It’s basically a rod that replaces one of the gearshift linkages,” explained Miles patiently, probably still wondering what happened to his chips, “and the rod has a switch. So when the rider upshifts, an
Get that factory-racer feeling with smooth gear changes while holding the throttle wide open!
It’s not easy to see, but the fitting is basically a rod that replaces one of the gearshift linkages.
electrical contact is made which cuts the ignition for a fraction of a second. The cut in the ignition unloads the gearbox and lets the gears change really quickly. It almost feels seamless.
“It’s not. It’s a normal gear change, but the system allows the engine change from loaded to unloaded and back to loaded really, really quickly.”
For riders who aren’t in a hurry, the clutch and gearbox still operate in the ‘normal’ fashion. The Quickshift Pro only works when the engine’s under load. So if the rider eases the throttle or uses the clutch, the Quickshift won’t work.
That BMW’s system allows upshifting and downshifting with the throttle open and downshifts under deceleration is a big eye-opener, too. Often even race set-ups only offer the system for upshifting.
“It’s very horny,” grinned Miles. “It’s very flexible, and once people try it, it’s so exciting they naturally use it.”
Good for adventure
Will an adventure rider really find much use for a performance mod like this one? Would owners of the R1200GS go for it?
What’s the gain for adventure riders?
“When you’re riding on or off-road, you get a smoother, quicker upshift and downshift with Qucikshift Pro,” said Miles. “In some ways it keeps the bike more steady because the power delivery isn’t interrupted.
“It doesn’t take away from the clutch control an adventure rider uses to manage
a bike in technical situations. The clutch is still there for that. But the system is healthy for the gearbox, and it’s a smoother and quicker gear change.”
Anything that helps treat a gearbox well is worth doing, we reckon. And who doesn’t want to feel like they’re using technology from a race bike?
Let’s be honest. We all love that!
Desert X
Phil Hodgens and his hard-bitten crew prepare for one of this continent’s most challenging rides. These are tough men, and they need tough bikes.
Words and images: Phil Hodgens
Main: Tugboat Bill pioneered the Madigan by bike as far as Hay River in 2010.
Above: It’s not easy riding, but the Suzukis handle it well.
Below: The 650 Jebtech set up is desert proven. The low-slung pipe allows the rear fuel pods to stay low and tight to the bike’s centre of gravity.
The Simpson Desert sprawls across the Northern Territory and South Australia, a vast area of sand dunes and spinifex that remained unexplored until 1939.
Cecil Madigan pioneered the first-ever crossing from Andado in the west by camel, taking over a month to traverse the 1100 dunes to Birdsville. The waypoints of his 26 camps form a line across the dead heart that to this day
is known as The Madigan Line.
Almost 60 years passed before extreme four-wheel-drivers retraced his steps and in 2010, Phil and Bill from the Motorbikin’ DVDs took the first shot at an unsupported crossing on DR650s. They made it as far as the Hay River and pulled up, utterly shattered by the sheer brutality of the trackless desert.
The final section of the Madigan was closed with National Parks deeming it too remote and treacherous to allow public access, so Phil and Bill headed north, making Jervois Station on the fumes in their tanks.
Can’t say no
In 2014 National Parks opened the second section of The Madigan Line and the Motorbikin’ team was onto it like a seagull on a hot chip!
Total distance was close to 800km, and with estimated fuel-consumption figures falling as low as 10kpl, the bikes needed a 60-litre fuel capacity. Cross-country desert riding through sand moguls is like enduro-cross riding over truck tyres on half-tonne motorcycles. A rider working hard can easily use eight litres of water per day, so along with the fuel, the riders need to have 20 litres of water on board. That’s a big load, so obviously the Motorbikin’ bikes had to be solid enough to carry it, yet light enough for a rider to lift on his own when the falls are coming thick and fast. The Motorbikin’ bank account was far from flush so the crew had a tight budget.
Simple, solid, reliable affordable...
deseRt X
Phil gave it around four seconds thought and dialled Vince Strang Motorcycles to order a DR650 and DRZ400.
Vince came up with an unbeatable deal on the condition that he and best mate Mario could join the ride. It was an offer too good to refuse.
The right people
Next up Phil dialled Joe from Jebtech to build custom fuel pods, rally pipes and racks for the bikes, and he came straight to the party – on the condition he could ride one of the bikes to see how his products work.
Steve Alldridge joined as chief navigator
on another DR, and Motorbikin’s solicitor Bob Condon completed the team.
With a line up as loose as this one Phil figured they may be needing legal advice.
Name calling
“Orright,” Phil mumbled to his companions. “We need a name for these bikes. How about ‘Drug Runners’?”
“Too shifty,” replied Joe. “Camels?” Phil suggested.
“Too humpy,” Joe shook his head.
“They’re built to cross deserts,” reasoned Phil. “How about ‘Desert X’?”
Joe nodded and sparks flew as he set to work welding the rear fuel pods for the freshly christened bikes.
The plan is to replace the entire rear subframe on the 400 with a single alloy unit incorporating air box, two nine-litre fuel pods and a low-slung, rally-style exhaust below the pods.
Joe’s custom rallye fairings, coupled with Aussie-made and proven Safari tanks up front, should give the Desert X bikes over 50 litres of fuel. The fuel pods also serve as support for Aussie-made and proven Andy Strapz Heavy Duty Expedition Pannierz to hold the 20 litres of water, food and camping gear.
Underneath the bikes are B and B bash plates to complete two of the toughest desert weapons out there, and it’s all made right here in Australia!
Stay tuned
Fully laden with fuel, water and svelte riders, the bikes will be pushing the 400kg mark, so we’re running full-house VSM suspension. Vince has decades of experience prepping Drug Runners for adventure and competition and has a few other improvements planned, like radiator fans on the water-cooled 400 to keep it cool in the tight going. Vince himself will be running his 30,000km-old DR650 complete with a rear alloy fuel pod he built for the Safari almost 20 years ago!
Between VSM and Jebtech, we aim to build two of the toughest Desert Weapons out there. Stay tuned next issue to see how they stacked up on The Madigan Line.
Main: It takes tough riders to manage 400kg bikes in deep-sand dunes. The Simpson Desert has hundreds of deep-sand dunes.
Below left: Mario packs light.
Below right: Inverell’s Vince Strang is running a 14-litre alloy pod designed for the Safari almost 20 years ago.
One of the best things about our sport is the people it throws together. Here’s an AdvRider chosen at random from the thousands who read this magazine. Everyone, meet…
teRRy stAIB
Q. Where’s home?
A. Gladstone, Central Queensland.
Q. How old are you?
A. 40.
Q. Do you feel that old?
A. No, not really. My two boys, Liam and Ryan, are starting to give me a run for my money. That keeps me young.
Q. Are you registered on the AdvRiderMag forum? If so, what’s your handle?
A. XR650Terry
Q. What bike do you ride?
A. XR650R, Service Honda CR 500AF and KTM 990. I’m a bit spoilt for choice thanks to my lovely partner, Nikita.
Q. What’s the longest ride you’ve ever done?
A. Including getting to the start and
home again, the 2013 APC Rally.
Q. What’s your favourite place to ride?
A. Anywhere really. New places are always interesting.
Q. What do you like most about the mag?
A. I like the readers’ stories and looking at the pictures of everybody’s different set-ups.
Q. What’s something that really peeves you on a ride?
A. When you need help in a strange town and the only people out and about are bike haters.
Q. Have you ever raced or ridden competition?
A. Only club stuff at Dundowran and Mundubbera – a couple of local pony expresses and enduros. Nothing serious. I’m in it more for the social aspect.
Q. What’s the most boring ride you’ve done?
A. On my second trip to Cape York we had to get home quick so we took the bitumen south. It was pissing down rain for two days straight. It only stopped 50km from home. It was the only time
ridden a water-cooled
Q. You did the pre-ride for ADVX last year, but for the event you’re in the support vehicle. Are you going soft?
A. Ha ha! Soft! I think it will be more difficult for us in the support vehicles in many ways. Just the urge to ride will be bad enough. I’ve even said to Jeff ‘Jaffa’ Mawston, driver of an ADVX sweep vehicle, we should go halves in a chook chaser. We could unload it and have some fun at amazing spots like Lancelin. He just laughed.
Q. What’s your best tip for riding sand?
A. Stand up, head up, look well ahead and keep a good constant speed and power.
Q. Who’s your favourite rider?
A. Well I don’t have a favourite. Each rider and every rider that has done well in the sport has contributed to the popularity of the activity.
Q. What’s the most important single thing for a rider to take to a tough ride?
A. A good ‘I can do it’ attitude.
I’ve
XR600!
teRRy stAIB
tips and pointers Gloves
Looking for a pair of gloves means entering a bewildering world of high-tech names and descriptions generated by marketing departments and designed to sound like something way too specialised for mere bike riders. Believe it or not, finding the glove that’s right for you might be easier than it appears.
Main: Touratech Australia’s Robin Box says the only way to stay completely waterproof is to use an outer shell. Insert: In a high-quality glove like Touratech’s Camponaero, the stitching and combination of materials are major contributors to strength and durability.
Gloves are a vital part of any rider’s kit. They’re not just protection in the event of a fall. They can make a huge contribution to rider comfort or discomfort.
It’s one of those areas where personal preference should figure hugely in the purchasing decision. Hand size and shape can vary enormously, as does riding style, so each rider has to look at his or her own individual situation and make their own decision.
Still, there’s good gloves and crap gloves, and it’s not always easy to tell the difference when you’re standing at the counter with a credit card in your hand…presumably in your shaking and unprotected hand.
There are gloves for all kinds of specialist uses. Racers want good ventilation and the best feel they can possibly get. If the gloves have to be replaced at the end of each day, they don’t care. Welders are the opposite. They just need protection. They don’t care much for look or feel, they just want to not get life-threatening burns in order to write an invoice and pay the rent.
Most adventure riders are in the middle somewhere. Protection and comfort are very important. But we want our gloves to last a while as well.
How do you spot a good glove? What should a potential purchaser be looking for? What should a buyer shy away from?
We’re glad you asked.
If it fits, wear it
The biggest single factor to guide a rider in the purchase of a glove is actually the most obvious one.
Andy from Andy Strapz – who quietly owns the Rain Off Overgloves company – as usual, explains it in good, no-nonsense terms.
“The most important thing for anyone choosing a glove is the fit. It’s simple. Try lots of different gloves to find the ones that fit the shape of your hands the best.
“After that, it’s important to keep the stress on stitching and seams to a minimum. That’s where the failures come from before the gloves are worn out. If you wear gloves in tough conditions, stressing the seams is where they let go.”
Steve Smith from AdventureMoto, importer of Klim, agrees, but has a specific tip: “The main area to check fit is between the thumb and forefinger. It’s got to fit along that line of web on a rider’s hand. If the glove is stretched in that area, it’s too small.
“Unless a glove is custom made, you’re never going to get a perfect fit and finger length, but that area is critical. If the glove is constantly stretched every time the rider uses the brake and clutch, there’ll be a problem for sure.”
So when you’re considering a pair of new gloves, have a close look at the seams. Look for close, concise stitching. That often means turning the glove inside-out to see what’s going on inside.
tIPs And PoInteRs
While thinking about stitching and seams, remember these are the likely failure points on any glove under stress – sliding down the road, being hammered by the elements or being squeezed over the giant paw of your ape-like riding buddy who forgot his own gloves and borrowed your spares.
The more stitching, the more likely failure points. And the more panels and combinations of fabrics joined together, the more stitching. Those gloves with all the sexy colours and different bits and pieces of high-tech synthetics and natural materials will take a great deal more stitching to put
held Air n dry
Held will be a new name to a lot of Australian adventure riders, but the company’s been around since 1946.
The editor’s been using a pair of Held Air n Dry gloves and he’s: “Very impressed!” He refuses to leave them in the office, and offers to armwrestle anyone who wants to take them off him to give them a try.
What makes them so special?
“The Air n Dry glove is a Gore-Tex glove,” explained Held Australia’s Ray Mustafa. “It was under development for many years and has two chambers. One chamber is for airflow, breathability and comfort, and offers great feel.
“When the weather changes the rider slips his hand into the other compartment or chamber and he’s completely watertight. Hands are protected from the rain and elements, and are also kept much warmer.”
together. No matter how horn it looks, it may not be a good thing.
Stroking it
High on the list for any rider should be protection.
Usually, the higher the level of protection, either from the elements or from abrasion, the less feel. Only individuals can decide how much compromise, and in which direction, they’re prepared to make.
“Road gloves would usually have a carbon-fibre or titanium knuckle for example,” said Smith, “where off-road gloves, like Klim’s Adventure glove, might have leather or D3O inserts to allow more flexibility and better feel. Obviously the titanium and carbon-fibre is more robust, but for the feel adventure rider’s need, the flexible protection is a fair compromise.
“It’s different strokes for different folks.”
At the very leading edge of technology and development in gloves is German company Held. It’s not a well-known name in Australia yet, but it probably soon will be. The editor’s been wearing a pair for while and he’s thrilled with them – and he’s not easy to please when it comes to gloves.
“Held uses different types of protection for different purposes,” explained Ray Mustafa of Held Australia. “We use carbon-fire, titanium, plastics…different materials to suit different types of riding.
“For adventure and off-road riding the rider’s best off with protection that’s not really, really hard. Plastics offer good protection, but we can still factor in some flexibility, and that adds a lot to durability and feel while maintaining a very high level of protection. Held is also about to launch with a new, flexible protection called SAS-TEC. It has very high impact absorption, but offers great flexibility. It’s in the Held garments already, and will soon be in the gloves as well.”
Material gain
Naturally, the fabrics, textiles and leathers of a glove’s construction make a big contribution to quality levels as well. For adventure riders facing a wide range of conditions, Gore-Tex is good-value for protection from the elements. Leather is nice for the way it feels and, over time, shapes itself to a rider’s hand. But leather on its own isn’t great in wet weather or high temperatures, so a combination of materials is the answer.
As we’ve just said, a combination of materials means more stitching, and that may not be good.
The majority of Held gloves use either kangaroo or goat leather, especially on the palms.
while. They might feel a little unusual, but when it comes to keeping hands dry, they work.
“Rain Offs are all about simplicity and durability,” said Andy of Andy Strapz. “You get to use lighter gloves so you have better feel, you don’t have to carry another pair of gloves with you, so you’re reducing bulk and weight, and you get hands that stay dry.”
That’s true – we wouldn’t mislead you. You can go to web forums for all the ill-informed opinions you need – but as Andy Strapz also says, “The whole adventure-riding apparel thing is all about compromise.”
With all the high-tech synthetics available these days it would seem a no-brainer that man-made Unobtainium from a secret factory in a hidden laboratory at SpaceX would necessarily be the ‘best’ thing to make gloves from, but good ol’ Mother Nature still leads the way. Leather is the go.
In fact, not just leather, but, believe it or not, kangaroo leather is the hot poop. Touratech importer Robin Box is a big fan.
“There’s just been a new range of Touratech gloves released, but for the previous range Touratech had a coalition with Held,” explained Robin. “Although it was a German company, they were using kangaroo hide. It’s a high-fibrous skin that’s super strong and very thin, and it absolutely stands out for durability and comfort.
“I’ve generally found a glove that has a really nice feel, some longevity, and the least amount of stitching is a plus. If they have some leather in their construction, it allows them to work well in a broader
CHECK OUT OUR EASY TO NAVIGATE ONLINE STORE
Many brands of equipment available ph. 1300 883 908 info@adventuremotorcycle.com.au fyshwick, Canberra
FORMA TERRA BOOTS
Multiple choice
What
if you just don’t like overgloves? Plenty of riders don’t.
Steve Smith of AdventureMoto, importer of Klim, is a big exponent of carrying two pairs of gloves.
“I always ride with two pairs of gloves,” said the keen adventure rider. “I ride with an adventure glove because it’s a thinner, tighter fit. When the sun’s out and the weather’s warm I can ride with those and still be relatively warm and have good feel, even in the middle of winter. But I always have a Powercross or Inversion glove in my tankbag for early-morning starts. Those gloves are a little thicker, Gore-Tex lined and windproofed. I’ll ride with those until the weather warms up, then change back to the thinner gloves for better feel.
“And if your hands do get wet, you have a spare pair of gloves to change into.”
Above: Steve Smith of AdventureMoto recommends carrying two pairs of gloves. One for the cold start and finish of the day, and a separate pair for the warmer sections.
Below: Geoff Ballard modifies his gloves so he can use his iPhone without removing them.
section of conditions – temperatures and applications,” said Robin.
Although kangaroo is the cat’s whiskers, there’s another skin that has very similar properties. Held’s Ray Mustafa knows his stuff.
“The majority of Held gloves use kangaroo leather, especially on the palms, but we also use goat,” said Ray. “Goat is far more suitable than normal cowhide. Gloves need an animal whose skin will breathe. That’s why kangaroo and goat are so good.”
There are some extremely high-quality gloves with multiple panels and several different construction materials. A good guide for the uninitiated is price. Established and respected names like Touratech, Held, BMW and Klim aren’t cheap. That’s because they’re made from high-quality materials using meticulous construction methods and offer very high levels of comfort and protection. In those cases, the stitching and combination of materials are major contributors to the strength and durability of the glove.
Waterproof?
A lot of riders look specifically for a waterproof glove. It’s a tough one.
“Gloves that have a waterproof layer sewn in the construction usually separate when the going gets tough,” said Robin Box. “If you do get water inside them, when you try and remove the glove the fingers pull out and they’re almost impossible to put back together. While they might have a completely plastic membrane, the water can still get in through the seams.
“The only way to stay completely waterproof is to use an outer shell.”
Wearing a second waterproof outer glove doesn’t suit a lot of riders because the loss of feel is so marked. But the improved dexterity and comfort of a warm, dry hand more than compensates for the decreased mobility of the extra layer.
As we’ve discussed on other occasions, it’s ideal to have the waterproof layer on the exterior. It reduces windchill and keeps the water absorption to a minimum, so those who recommend wearing rubber gloves under their regular gloves may not be embracing the best option.
The consensus with overgloves is that they allow sticking with just a ‘regular’ glove. Instead of a rider carrying multiple pairs of gloves, the go is to run the comfortable gloves the rider likes best, and slip on the overgloves when rain or cold threatens.
For those who can’t settle in to an overglove, the best alternative is a glove which
For adventure and off-road riding the rider’s best off with protection that’s not too hard.
includes a Gore-Tex layer. As always, it’s good product, and that’ll be reflected in the price, but as Ray from Held Australia says quite openly, “When it comes to waterproofing layers in apparel, Gore-Tex is the only membrane that works.”
Conclusion
The main rule when shopping for a glove?
Fit is the most important factor.
Try on heaps and the one that feels best on your hand is probably the glove that will suit you best. Grab a bike’s ’bars in the shop and make sure the glove isn’t bunching under the palm and lumpy stitching isn’t pressing into the fingertips. Make sure the feel through the glove is at a level you’re happy with and the coverage of the glove offers the protection you want.
After that it’s up to you to decide what kind of features you need and what you can afford. A higher price will usually be an indicator of a better product, but it’s not a rule set in stone.
Below: The only way to stay completely waterproof is to use an outer shell.
Headliners, Shoei
Reactor Thermal Sleeping Bag Liner
Expedition Pannierz have had a makeover for their tenth birthday. There are four new elements. Take a closer look online.
Jetboil
Waterproof Adventure Boots from Forma
Extra Length Sokz
The
Patagonian
The first of my goals had been achieved. I’d survived the open-heart surgery. The second goal was materialistic: to buy a new BMW R1200GSA. My third goal was all adventure. I wanted to ride a bike into the depths of Patagonia.
whisper
Above: The author after open-heart surgery.
Words and images: Trevor Viénet
Above: Tierra del Fuego National Park. The park is 3079km south of the capital, Buenos Aires, and the sign marks the end of the road and the southern end of the world.
Main: Some of the most exciting riding and challenges were weaving past excavators and trucks. No real traffic management was in place and the dust made visibility and breathing difficult.
Iregained consciousness and my first impulse was to tear the oxygen pipe from my throat.
The Intensive Care Unit nurse calmed me and said everything was all right, I just needed it for a while because of a reaction to the anaesthetic.
My vision was blurred but I could sense the gentle touch of my girlfriend Magdalena. She leaned forward and whispered, “Patagonia.”
I’d heard about Compass Expeditions from friends and I’d always been fascinated by the mystery of what lay at the bottom of South America. It was at a Touratech Adventure weekend in Victoria I’d had the opportunity to quiz Mick McDonald, co-founder of Compass Expeditions, who said his personal favourite was the Patagonia Explorer. I probed deeper, “What about the wind? I hear people sometimes get blown off their bikes.”
Mick confirmed the stories. The crosswinds of Patagonia were incredibly fierce, and riders had been blown clean off their bikes.
The adventure seed had been planted. I just had to find out for myself. The tour was booked.
Seatbelts fastened
On the long flight to Santiago in Chile I contemplated the risks.
The one that stood out was a combination of riding gravel roads and crosswinds that reached well over 80kph.
On the next leg of air travel to Buenos Aires my fears were focused on the possibility of an air disaster. As we tried to land in a thunderstorm I was petrified. I kept saying to myself, “I don’t like this, I don’t like this.”
After a long delay I finally got into my Buenos Aires hotel bed and the next day explored the vibrant city. I found out Jesus was South American and repairing footpaths is not a priority in Buenos Aires.
Later I caught up with my fellow adventure-bike travellers. Our small team consisted of three Australians and two Americans – ‘The Five Amigos’ – Robert and Uncle Don from the USA, and Pieter, Paul and Trevor from Australia.
Lighten up
Early next day we flew three-and-ahalf hours south to Ushuaia, the most
southern city in the world. With a population of 42,000 people, Ushuaia is the springboard for ocean cruises to the Antarctic, just a couple of days sailing away.
Our guide Alain and support driver/mechanic Eduardo conducted our tour briefing that night, followed by the Welcome Dinner. The food, beer and wine were excellent. Could this standard of cuisine be maintained throughout our trip? Fine dining at this level could turn an adventure tour into a gourmet gallop. The Maria Lola Restó (restaurant) also boasted one of the best views of a Patagonian sunset the city could offer.
Due to the extremes of the southern latitude it wasn’t dark until about 11.00pm, and it maintained a twilight-zone sky until sunrise at around 5.00am. It was difficult to sleep with the anticipation of the journey that awaited me.
Lion heart
In Ushuaia the next morning we jumped on a boat for a tour exploring the Beagle Channel. The close views of bird life and seals were amazing and made a great start to the day before meeting our better halves that afternoon. That was when we took possession of the fleet of BMW 700GSs – except for the one 800GS requested by Pieter. At 190cm, the extra leg length and bigger front wheel suited him better.
The BMW 700GS is an excellent bike, an all-rounder, performing well both on- and off-road. It was able to take advantage of some pristine highways that boasted 120kph sweepers, and comfortably dealt with the 1000km of gravel as it danced its way north. Mechanically there were no problems. Tour mechanic Eduardo Scherer meticulously checked each bike every night and replaced tyres and chains when required.
That same afternoon we did an orientation ride into the Tierra del Fuego National Park. The park is 3079km south of the capital, Buenos Aires, and the name literally means ‘land of fire’, due to the smoke seen by the early Europeans. The smoke was from the fires of the indigenous Yámanas Indians, not volcanic activity as I’d first thought.
We posed for group photos at the much-snapped display sign marking the end of the road and the end of the world. While lining up for the photo we witnessed the first casualty of the infamous Patagonian wind. The breeze gently picked up Alain’s bike and threw it on its side.
He wasn’t even riding it!
While in the national park we visited the most southern post box in the world. It’s a red pillar box that stands out against the pale blue sky and deep blue of the sea, and I had three postcards filled out for the occasion: a card for Magdalena, a card for Mum and one for my heart surgeon. He’d said, “I don’t need to see you again, but I’d like to receive a Christmas card or postcard each anniversary”. It was nearly 12 months before he’d put a new set of valves into my ticker and a Kevlar wrap around the aorta. This technology has been tested to last 200 years.
It’s just a pity the rest of my body isn’t as tough.
Terrain
Our first full day of riding climbed over the most southern sections of the Andes on wide, sweeping roads until we hit the first border control for Chile at San Sebastian.
The border crossings are grey, dusty and busy with a horrendous section of gravel road that travels through ‘no-man’s land’ until the other country’s checkpoint. It was always a race to pull out before the trucks and coaches to avoid the dust clouds.
Our three border crossings on this trip all went well as we juggled paperwork for both the bikes and ourselves, always careful not to lose any vital documentation to the Patagonian wind. Over the 10 riding days of the tour we covered 3500km of which 1000km were on gravel. Most days consisted of about 400km of riding on both gravel and well-made highways. The land-
scapes varied greatly from snow-capped mountains to the gravel of the arid plains. Wherever we rode it was under a vivid, paleblue sky. On the western Chilean side of the Andes you could think you were riding the Alps of northern Italy or Switzerland. The Argentinian, eastern side of the Andes resembles the arid regions of South Australia near the Flinders Ranges.
Ghost town
Our fourth-day destination was the Torres del Paine National Park, and we departed Tierra del Fuego by crossing The Magellan Strait on a vehicle ferry. It was quite a thrill watching the black-and-white dolphins racing beside us on the 25-minute crossing.
Following the highway along the Strait of Magellan we stopped at Estancia San Gregorio to explore the amazing ghost town.
The town was set up in 1870 to serve a 91,000-hectare property modelled on Australian and New Zealand sheep stations. All the buildings are intact and it’s surprising no commercial advantage is taken of this unique place. The town is on the water’s edge of the Strait and has a boat wreck on
Top: The still, clear air and flat terrain make for some amazing views.
Left: Ownership of the Falkland Islands is still a hot issue in the region. Best not to mention The Falklands. Right: Lake Acigami near Ushuaia.
the beach, a chapel, shearing shed, wool store, garage, office, blacksmith, café and residences.
On our way again we had a last fuel stop before we hit the tank-slapping ‘ripio’ (gravel). This service station was isolated and different. Popular residents included two close friends, a cute lamb named Thomas and a German Shepherd, who sleep together. Thomas the lamb thinks he’s a dog. We took turns to feed him from a bottle while our bikes were refuelled.
How many of you have fed a lamb at a petrol station?
Torres del Paine National Park
Our home for the next three nights was a majestic tourist village named Camping Pehoé in Torres del Paine National Park. About 60km before entering the park we stopped for a walk to the Mylodon Cave, a glacier-made cavern where the remains of an extinct, sloth-like Mylodon was found in 1895. This large beast was about twice the size of a horse and has been extinct for over 10,000 years.
We trekked through a landscape of lakes, waterfalls and creeping glaciers while being constantly dwarfed by the three towering ice-covered peaks of Torres del Paine. The lunch stop was spent lying on our backs, just watching the clouds dance around the lofty ice-capped peaks.
That night the Patagonian wind wound itself up. My upstairs corner hotel room
seemed to take the full brunt of the blow, and I kept thinking it would be near impossible to ride.
Our next destination northward included passing through another wind- and dust-blown border to return to Argentina and on to the famous Ruta 40, the long highway that travels the north-south length of Argentina.
Moreno Glacier
We stayed at El Calafate, a friendly tourist town that serves the Los Glaciares National Park, and started early next morning to beat the crowds wanting to get to the drawcard Moreno Glacier, a quick 80km ride away. What an awesome spectacle. We could hear him before we could see him. He groaned and exploded as we dismounted the bikes.
Following the path to the viewing decks we were excited by the loud crash as another large piece of glacier calved and fell
u
into the lake below to form an iceberg.
We took a boat cruise on the lake to get a closer look at one of South America’s most spectacular sights – the blue glacier under the brightness of the wide, pale Argentinian sky – and were filled with awe.
The next day saw us head back east, skirting Lake Argentino and then onto Ruta 40 again. It was the first real battle of BMW versus Patagonian wind. I started to tire, and after a while I learnt not to fight, but to relax and be ready to power out of any gusty or directional change.
A couple of days later the wind was so strong it required dropping two gears just to keep moving.
After several days of the Patagonian wind I really started to enjoy the challenge and just relaxed. The next three days of our tour were normally the legs with the strongest wind, and it was rough but quite manageable, and certainly not as bad as I’d feared.
El Chaltén and the Fitz Roy Range
Turning off Ruta 40 we headed into the wind towards the end-of-the-road settlement of El Chaltén, and it put us back into Los Glaciares National Park. It was lunchtime when we arrived and snowflakes fell as we dined at the local pizza restaurant. The boutique hotel where we stayed for two nights boasted an amazing view of the 3405m peaks of the Fitz Roy Range and the surrounding icefield.
A full day was planned for hiking in the National Park, an ambitious 27km trek that would take us to a tarn (Laguna de los Tres)
at the foot of the peaks. It was an amazing but arduous climb and descent. Only four of our party of seven reached the elevated viewpoint.
Estancia la Angostura
The road ahead led to one of the featured overnight stays of the tour: a farm stay.
Situated five kilometres off the remote ripio highway, you could easily think you were riding in the parched semi-desert of the Flinders Ranges in South Australia. The Estancia la Angostura only receives 100mm of rain annually, but is a working sheep and cattle station. It must be very cold and bleak in winter with the strong, westerly Patagonian wind coming off the plains.
The homestead is at the foot of an escarpment next to spring-fed wetlands, and the 20,000-hectare estancia welcomes tourists as an additional income.
We ate in the dining hall and our guests served up Asado lamb, cut and quartered, stretched out over a frame and placed standing vertical in the fireplace. Again we enjoyed Argentinean/Chilean Malbec wine and Quilmes Cerveza beer, which had become the norm for all our evening meals.
We covered nearly 900 kilometres travelling along Ruta 40 over the next couple of days. It was mainly gravel with sections of construction work, as well as some beautiful highway. With distance, fatigue and dust we were riding out of the northern end of Patagonia and heading for the moist, forested and snow-capped mountains. The previous day we’d ridden over desolate plains, looking out for herds
Left: The border between Argentina and Chile. Crossing back into Chile for the last time. Right: Roads can be long and straight in Patagonia.
of the rust-coloured guanaco (deer-like camel creatures) that cross the highway, or even the half-pint-sized emu, the ñandú. It meant we were leaving the windblast zone, so I suggested we stop at one of the last wind warning signposts. We set up a few shots of hanging off the sign horizontally in full riding gear. The contrast was most welcoming and the twisty roads exhilarating.
Bariloche
Coming down from the mountains our destination was San Carlos de Bariloche for a two-night stay. This city is the chocolate capital of South America, a magnet for South American chocoholics and a popular holiday destination.
For our first night’s dinner in Bariloche, Eduardo booked a table at a popular restaurant overlooking the lake and mountains. It was an enjoyable evening that ended abruptly for three of us due to food poisoning. It can happen anywhere and it was fortunate it was a planned rest day to follow and we didn’t need to ride.
A day of rest and fluids and everyone was ready for the last riding day of the tour. We rode away from the large Lake Nahuel Huapi out of Bariloche back into the mountains and through some beautiful villages. At the last town before the border we weaved past a demonstration march on the highway and stopped for lunch. The lunch spot was a long wooden shed where numerous vendors cooked. You ordered and ate under the veranda. We dined at Eduardo’s favourite cafe for empanada, one of the world’s finest snacks. It was our choice throughout Argentina and Chile. It’s a tasty turnover, either baked or fried, with a choice of fillings.
Last border crossing
After leaving the warm-and-dusty town we headed up the mountains to cross the Andes for the last time, leaving Argentina for a return to Chile. The border-control crossing was the usual dustbowl, but this time the ground was comprised of grey volcanic gravel, sand and rocks. Nearby a snow-covered volcano made its presence felt and the area was covered by an unusual forest with species that included monkey trees.
There weren’t many people waiting at
the border entry point. The left rear tyre on the tandem support trailer was flat, so rather than risking more damage Eduardo and Alain changed the tyre at the entrance and blocked the driveway. As the backup of vehicles got longer the border control guards started to lose their patience.
Back on the bikes and back in Chile it was a downward slalom to Pucón.
Extensive roadwork and construction was in full swing on the Chilean side of the border. Some of the most exciting riding and challenges were as we weaved past excavators and trucks. No real traffic management was in place and the dust made visibility and breathing difficult.
Pucón
We sadly dropped off the Beemers at the Compass depot on the outskirts of Pucón, an adventure-sports capital. The snow-
covered active volcano was named ‘Villarrica’. It appears to be within touching distance as you walk past cafes and restaurants of Pucón.
Our itinerary gave us a full day to discover the region. I was determined to get to the top of Villarrica, the permanently snow-capped volcano that menacingly stares on the town below. The climb took about five hours, however we were lucky the chairlift on the lower slopes was operating and saved an hour. It’s not a technically difficult 2840m climb, but it’s sure a long, hard slog as you zigzag upward. The view at the top was extended to include several other volcanos in the regions as well as Pucón sitting next to Lago Villarrica.
We took specialised equipment for the fast descent of Villarrica from our day packs. It involved sitting on a plastic mat with handles, and the donning of protective pants and gloves. Our ice picks were used as an arresting device as we quickly slid down the snow slopes towards our waiting minibus. It took four hours to climb and only 30 minutes to get down, and only 80 days after my climb the volcano made world news as it erupted, causing the evacuation of 3385 people living in nearby communities.
The end-of-tour farewell dinner was in Pucón that night.
The next morning we took a shuttle bus to the city of Temco for our 700km flight north to the modern and vibrant capital city of Santiago, surrounded by the immense and hazy 6000m peaks of the Andes.
Santiago
The two-night stay in our classy hotel was used to explore the city and rest up before the big flights homeward. I was impressed with the giant Christmas tree in the central plaza created by combining thousands of hand-knitted dolls produced by the children of Chile. It was also the opportunity to buy a hard drive to capture the movies filmed by our group’s two GoPro men. I was grateful to gain this footage without having to do it myself. There are two types of adventure riders: those with GoPro and those without. Those with GoPro suffer the frustration of full memory cards that miss the moment and the torment of flat batteries. Those without GoPro suffer hearing about it.
As with any great holiday there was sadness as the end drew near. South America and its people had made a powerful impression on me. I’ll return again to ride there with Compass Expeditions. As I walked onto the flying kangaroo I could hear once more the call of the Patagonian whisper.
There’s a new benchmark in adventure riding. It’s world class and it’s staggering in its vision and scope. It’s ADVX.
After a solid build up over a year or more, 187 riders fronted up in Perth, Western Australia, for the first running of ADVX. The ride was a traverse of the Australian continent from the west coast to the east, dreamed up and made reality by APC Rally main man John Hudson. No matter what pitch of excitement the entrants achieved or depths to which the doomsayers sunk prior to the start, no-one came close to the sheer magnitude and challenge of the ride as it happened. It was big, wild and undoubtedly the hallmark for adventure rides in the future.
The riders who finished this one have a new top line in their résumés.
Creating the monster
It all started back in May 2014 when John announced he planned to run ‘Australia’s biggest adventure-bike ride’, a ride that would ‘turn many people’s dreams into a reality’.
Originally entries were limited to 60, but a month after the ride was announced there were already 84 riders signed up, and the support crew and vehicle fleet was increased to allow a boost to 150. The bigger numbers also meant a better deal for transporting the east-coast bikes to Perth, another facet of the event covered by the APC Rally team.
In June 2014 a series of ‘easy’ bypasses were announced, allowing riders on big bikes to sign up without having to commit to cross the Simpson Desert or tackle the Abandoned Gunbarrel Highway. Numbers continued to climb.
A six-wheel-drive Land Rover –with a gun turret – was purchased and fitted out as a special-purpose sweep vehicle, and in July, a ‘half-ADVX’ was made available. Riders could join the regroup at Alice, take in the huge glamour and spectacle of the Tatts Finke Desert Race, then carve across to the east coast. Entries continued to flow in.
By the time the start rolled around, it was a very large and very enthusiastic group who filled the curiously themed Aquarium Restaurant in Ascot, near Perth airport, on Friday, May 29, for a briefing and welcome dinner. They were all busting to get started.
People power
Briefing was an informal affair. So much information had been distributed to riders over the previous 12 months, and especially in the weeks leading up to the start, that there wasn’t a lot left to say. The route notes with distances, warnings where appropriate and advice on terrain and fuel loads were all clear and in tankbags and CamelBaks. They’d been read a thousand times well before arriving in Perth, and the room was humming with excited riders and crew getting to know each other.
John Hudson did offer one especially sobering thought in his address to the riders: “When things are tough out there, remember there’s 200 people here who are determined to get you to the finish.”
As events unfolded it was to prove the most heart-warming fact of a truly great ride.
The first test
Saturday morning saw the first riders eager to get going.
John had asked that no-one leave before 6.00am, and that all riders be gone by 9.00am. This allowed the field an unhurried and easy exit from the city. The eager beavers opened throttles and dropped clutches as the hour struck, and across the next three hours groups left here and there as it suited.
The first leg was a straight-up run from Perth city to the beachside village of Lancelin, about 135km north. A stretch along the beach itself offered the initial challenge to riders, and the first taste of things possibly to come.
There was an easy-option bypass for
those who didn’t fancy the run along the sand, and it’d been made very clear at briefing that the Lancelin dunes were a good chance for riders to see where they belonged for the rest of the ride. Riders who found Lancelin too difficult or challenging belonged on the easy routes. Those who lapped it up and loved it were likely to be well-suited to the subsequent ‘hard’ options. The beauty of the Lancelin leg was that anyone who did struggle could just spin the bike around and head over to the highway. The bitumen was never more than a few hundred metres from the beach.
It seemed near everyone had a crack at Lancelin, and by about 10.00am there were bikes and riders scattered all over the parking area, dunes, village cafes and even back on the road. Some sailed through the talcum-powder sand, some sunk to axles, and some rode around in mindless circles, desperately trying to get their heavily laden bike to run in a straight line.
It was an eye-opener for some, and a hoot for others.
And that was the easier of the two sand sections offered that morning.
Approaching The Flinders. The views were fabulous, all day, every day.
Pinnacles
With the Lancelin dunes behind them – one way or the other – ADVX headed north for Cervantes and an amazing natural feature called The Pinnacles.
The limestone formations in Nambung National Park are an awesome display, and the carefully prepared dirt road through the gazillion rock turrets allows four-wheel drives and adventure bikes an incredible view. After dragging the bikes through the Lancelin sand, it was a very welcome and peaceful time of recovery.
From The Pinnacles the day wound down to its forecast first overnighter at Geraldton, about 530km north of Perth. Most riders were happy to take advantage of the luxury on offer, knowing Geraldton was to be the last chance of a motel and restaurant for some days.
Get serious
From the second day it becomes difficult to offer a coherent account.
In the impossibly gorgeous West Australian sunlight and glorious, welcoming temperatures – Triumph’s Cliff Stovall described it best: “You guys have been kissed on the dick by the weather” – the field began to spread out in earnest. The majority headed for Overlander and then Meekatharra, meaning a run through a section described on the track notes as ‘Difficulty 6’ with no easy option available. The section also included Miluera Station, where residents offered scones, drinks and coffee to raise funds for local children to get to Canberra for a school function. It offered a very welcome smoko break in the midst of a technically challenging series of trails made available by the station owners.
The field was well spread out by the time the first riders arrived in Meekatharra, thirsty for fuel and ready to start looking for a campsite. Riders like Glenn ‘Huffy’ Hough and his 800GS, well-known for his contributions to Touratech and BMW rides in Victoria, were setting a blinding pace with his group of very competent hard-men. Those guys had done every hard section and were still leaving Mekkatharra by the time the first easy-routers arrived. It was a pace they kept until Cape Byron.
The track notes warned of Meekatharra: ‘Do not leave bike unattended for the next 3000km,’ and ‘Don’t camp here. Best get out of town’.
The serious side of the adventure had truly begun.
Help on its way
From Meekatharra camps could be seen from the dirt roads every few kilometres or so. The give-away was the campfire, and every day and night new friendships were forged and help given and received in a 100 different places and a 100 different ways across the continent. As dusk fell, riders, no matter where they were, would start looking for somewhere to throw down a swag or prop up a tent, and often the glow of a campfire set back from the road would draw them in. Camps that started with a couple of riders at dusk would often have a dozen or more by the following morning. Sometimes the groups would stick together, and sometimes not.
Like all APC Rallies, every rider was keen to help every other rider, and nobody was keeping count of favours offered and accepted.
As the days wound on the stories of drama and success became more and more extreme. Riders were injured and bikes were damaged. Riders were helped, and bikes, wherever possible, were kept going.
The work of the ADVX support crew was astonishing.
Those support bikes, vehicles and people responded to every single call for help, from the trivial like running out of tubes to more serious burnt clutches and broken bikes, right through to injuries and evacuations. The support was incredible, and there were some very heroic efforts from the people involved.
There are plenty of riders who have the support crew to thank for making it to Cape Byron in mid-June.
Group therapy
The landmarks came and went for the next few days. Wiluna, The Gunbarrel, Carnegie, Warburton, Warakuna, Uluru and the stretches in between all took their toll and left their mark. The distances and terrain were matched in their severity by the impossible splendour of the Australian outback. Tyres were destroyed, clutches burnt out, radiators holed and wheels buckled and flat-spotted, but the sweeps were everywhere, and the camaraderie that’s such a huge part of all APC Rallies made sure everyone who could keep moving, did keep moving.
Alice Springs was the only regroup scheduled for the entire crossing, and again, the organisation and forethought from the APC Rally people showed its worth. The parking lot of the Double Tree Hotel was a swarm of activity as nearly 200 bikes did oil changes, maintenance, repairs and prepared for the second leg across to the coast. Riders did much the same, falling gratefully into
John Hudson
ADVX organiser John Hudson was at the centre of everything. He was in support vehicles, on bikes and on the ground. No-one had a better overview of this mammoth event, and some of his facts and figures outline the size of the undertaking.
“We had 187 riders leave Perth; we had 20 join us at Alice,” said John.
“There were only 47 riders who completed all the hard sections. It would’ve been over 60, but many stuck with mates who were injured to get them to a town on an easy section.
“We had approximately 30 riders leave the event through mechanical problems or injuries, and we didn’t call one ambulance to the course. In every case of an injury we delivered our people to medical centres or they rode there themselves.
“There are some real hard-core stories coming out. We had one rider break three ribs and a bone in his ankle on day two. He then rode to Alice on the easy route and caught up with his mates. Anyone who thinks the ‘easy course’ is easy should try doing that.
“What made this event was that riders made really smart decisions on
their own ability. Riders didn’t need to go fast to make it interesting. Many were just in survival mode. A technical course slows things down and stops the racing, and we knew that and planned accordingly. We also knew our backup crew needed to be made up of riders who could ride any bike in any conditions once a rider couldn’t continue. Our sweep crew was worldclass. They were tested on many occasions but never took the lazy option. They took risks with their own safety for the sake of others, and in this event they were able to exercise this capability – like many of our riders who helped others.
“Our crew was made up of many characters. Kelly – ‘Mrs Jaffa’ – was truly the event co-ordinator out in the field. On many occasions she was doing my job because I was recovering from some search-and-rescue work on the bike. Terry, Woodsie, Craig and Jeff are all people I would want by my side when things were getting hectic. No one likes a boss in the bush, but on many occasions I had to split our resources and delegate some shit jobs. These guys always smiled and did what needed to be done.
“Our mid sweeps on the bikes and the cars were kept very busy as well. Curl, who broke his collarbone on the Abandoned Gunbarrel, actually punctured his lung on the Finke River Gorge track helping to push bikes with his one good arm. Probably my worst call of the event was not putting him in the Land Rover to miss that section. I thought he wanted to see the Gorge.
“The mid-sweep cars saved a lot of rider’s events and can’t be thanked enough. Steve Pickett, who’s in a wheelchair, drove his LandCruiser with a trailer across Australia and helped many riders. I reckon many riders will agree he has the attitude that we all would like to have when faced with hardship.
“Yes, we will do this one again. Probably in four years.
“Just tell your mates that they need to do next year’s APC Rally and it will open their eyes to how things roll. Now that we have a crew who can do a 500km fuel range, and are ready to camp most of the way, we can just keep going on making things even wilder.”
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Anthony Matthews
From east Gippsland in Victoria, Anthony, 53, swept in to Curtain Springs on his Husaberg. It seemed an unlikely choice of bike for a trip like this one, but Anthony was raging.
“The ’Berg’s shit-hot, mate!” beamed Matthews. “She’s chugging along, doing a good job. Just a flat tyre so far.”
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Brett Lucas
From Sunny Coffs Harbour on the NSW mid north coast, Brett, 52, had had a problem with this Super Enduro.
“It took us five hours to do 100km,” remembered Brett in the howling wind near Lake Eyre. “The bike would stop every 10km. We’d let it rest for five minutes, then it’d start again and go for another 10km. It did that for 100km.
“Once we pulled it apart we found a bent fuel hose. Once we straightened it out, the bike just went off!”
The water in Lake Eyre made for a blue horizon.
beds with sheets, soaking in hot showers and smearing on gobs of industrial-strength heat rubs.
Rob Turton and his team from Tyres For Bikes had trucked a load of pre-ordered tyres to Alice and were set up to do the hundreds of tyre changes and wheel-bearing repairs needed, and John Hudson and his team set up shop to offer a hand to anyone who asked.
It was a great chance to catch a breath and man up for the remaining 2500km or so.
Of course, this was the June long weekend, and that meant the Tatts Finke Desert Race was in full swing. After a day of maintenance the riders gathered for an ADVX dinner at the hotel and were treated to a visit from KTM riders Toby Price and Tye Simmonds, and team owner Ben Grabham. John managed to drag a few stories from each of the KTM stars as the food and drinks flowed like coolant from a crushed radiator core.
It was a wonderful respite in a tough fortnight.
And they’re racing
Naturally watching the Finke scrutineering and prologue was a major feature of the Alice Springs break, and most riders soaked up the atmosphere.
But after the prologue it was time to get back on track. ADVX headed for Finke.
The faint scent of soap and the memory of smooth, clean bedding vanished as the riders hit the Finke Access Track. About 80km from Alice Springs it became a 100km-long stretch of talcum-powder dust. A bike that stopped sunk immediately up to the sump. A bike that kept going bucked, reared and writhed its way along, torturing clutches and wrenching the ’bars from riders’ hands at every opportunity. Just to keep things interesting, the track was bumper-to-bumper with four-wheel-drives, some of them holding insane speeds, and visibility was a few metres at best.
The Finke Access Track was more than a lot of riders could handle. Turning around was an option, but it was a dangerous one. Still, plenty made it through, and plenty made it back to Alice to follow the easy option to the Finke settlement and the race turnaround point.
If it seemed tough for the riders, imagine how it must’ve been for those doing the race. Their track ran alongside the access track, and it wasn’t just the dust those guys had to battle. They had whoops the size of Volkswagens as well.
Toby Price is a god.
Dave Cocking
54-year-old
Cessnock boy Dave Cocking is an old campaigner. He’s ridden for Australia at ISDEs and is always quick with a smile in his quiet and unassuming way.
How did a rider of Dave’s calibre find ADVX?
We asked him as he finished an oil change on his KTM.
“It’s been hard,” gurgled the mining contractor, “due to the fact the snotty sections last 500km, not 100 yards. Everything’s just so long.”
Was Dave enjoying the ride?
“Yeah!” said the long-time KTM rider. “We had our moments. If you did it with an unloaded bike it’d be a darn sight easier, but that’s not the game. The extra load on the back makes everything a bit harder.”
Danny Moon
Dan, 36, punted his 690 from his home in Echuca, Victoria, across to Perth to start ADVX, rode the course to Cape Byron, then mounted up to ride back to Echuca.
That’s a serious loop.
“Any problems?” we asked.
“I had the steering-damper bolt come out,” smiled the likeable Victorian.
“I was going through a gully and the handlebars just locked up. I came off and did my ankle.”
“Oh,” we exclaimed, thinking that didn’t sound good.
But Dan wasn’t finished.
“Then I went over the ’bars at about 70kph in some sand whoops and broke my screen/bug-deflector-thing.
“Other than that the bike’s been running like a dream.”
Crikey.
We caught up with Dan about 50km from Maree, SA.
The Lancelin dunes were the first challenge on the first morning.
Tony Thorpe: “Thanks Darren and Craig – fly to Perth from NZ jump on a bike I had never ridden, do 7000km across Australia, park bike and fly home – what could go wrong? NOTHING !!!” KTM700RR + HARD Kit + Dalby Moto setup, absolutely brilliant!!”
Richard Unmack: “Darren from HARD Kits supplied my second HARD Kit, the fit and finish was spot on. With 30 litres of fuel carried nice and low, I was able to complete the recent ADVX Rally with minimal fuss, including two really trying days crossing the soft deep sand of the Simpson Desert. Highly recommended.”
Chris Boyle: “After completing 2 APC rallies on DR650’s, we moved to the HARD Kits 700RR. The HARD Kits carried the fuel and luggage so well that it proved no real burden in tight deep sand or rocky sections. Good work Darren and Craig on both an exceptional kit and set up.”
John Trovato: “Well done lads. Except for new tyres and a service at Alice Springs I did not put a spanner on my 700RR. I put that down to quality of the HARD Kit.”
Jack Hawkins: “I was an entrant on this year’s mighty ADVX and couldn’t help notice that the HARD Kit 690’s had a very heavy presence and were the weapon of choice for many riders.”
Leigh Ainsworth: “First dirt adventure ride for me on the ADVX. KTM690 + 700RR HARD Kit + Dalby Moto assembly and know how made for a perfect setup. Trouble free with great fuel range, it’s the machine!!!”
Craig Hartley
Easy does it
Once clear of Alice Springs the next destination was Finke itself, and the idea was for riders to camp at the turnaround point to watch the racers arrive.
The race turnaround point is a self-sufficient camp outside the Finke settlement. Everything needed for the race and camp has to be laboriously trucked in, then every nut, bolt and food wrapper has to be trucked out again. The atmosphere on race night is huge and electric as the big teams swing into action to repair and prep bikes and riders, and privateers do their best to do the same, usually from a friend’s four-wheel-drive.
ADVX set up a camp at Finke, complete with pre-ordered drinks, but it was surprising how few riders stayed the night to see the race restart the following morning. Most were happy to have a look around, but then wanted to get started on the next leg of the journey and stay in front of the sweeps.
By this stage there were lots of groups of riders from all over Australia mixed in with the ADVX group. There were large numbers in Alice and Finke for the race, and it was hard to know who was who.
The next section, surprisingly, didn’t do much to separate them.
Man up
From Finke to Mount Dare was a cruisey run down a hardpacked dirt road that caused few problems – which was just as well. At Mount Dare the biggest decision of the ride faced everyone: do I tackle The Simpson?
By this stage everyone had a fair idea of their abilities and what they could reasonably do. The oasis of the Mount Dare campground must’ve blurred some judgements though, because there were still quite a few who attacked the Simpson, only to find it too much for them. Maybe it was the lure of Dalhousie Springs. The Springs weren’t on the Simpson bypass, although some easy-route riders made the 75km deviation just for the enjoyment of a good soak.
Riders tackling The Simpson presented no real drama. John Hudson and his team were on hand to help turnarounds get back to safety, and of course, riders were helping each other whenever needed. Those who made it
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Cameron Raudino
Wecrossed paths with Karratha’s Cameron Raudino, 43, and his 2007 1200GS several times. The first was at Geraldton, where he’d tagged up with a batch of KTM riders heading for the beach. Cam decided he’d take his big Beemer around via Mount Magnet into Mekatharra. Then we bumped into him again in Alice Springs, and then again at Mount Dare.
With some savage back pain and very road-oriented tyres, Cam’s quitting would’ve seemed fair enough to us. He didn’t, though. He seemed totally unflappable. He just pulled out the maps, plotted routes that would suit his condition, and kept going.
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The KLX650
Here’s a man with seriously large ’nads. Imagine taking a 1993 KLX650C on a ride across the continent. Marcus Luchetta did it, and seemed to be having a ball when we found him at Stuart’s Well in the Northern Territory.
“It’s a C model hybridded to an R model,” he bellowed, making up words as he went.
“It’s all hand-built, as you can see,” he
Justin Warren
There’s not much to see at Wiluna WA, so when a DR650 with some interesting hardware rolled into town, it was worth a look.
Justin Warren, 53, from Esperance, WA, had some 3/8-inch gal chain for a brake snake. He also had some home-made panniers that detached in a flash.
Justin was too busy ragging his mates and laughing to tell us any more. We left them calling each other names and generally guffawing louder than anything Wiluna had heard for a long time.
gestured, laughing.
From Simpson’s Creek near Orbost, Victoria, the 53-yearold was ready to cheerfully defend the bike against any and all the unkind comments from his mates.
We were especially taken with the tastefully hand-crafted centrestand.
“She’s a good one!” yelled Marcus, looking down lovingly.
How was the bike handling the course?
“Fantastic!” cheered the Kawasaki rider. “A few oil leaks, but other than that, it’s zoomin’!”
The KLR team
Shayne Griffin, 50, from Lemon Tree Passage in NSW, and father-and son combo Ken Thomas, 56, and Steven Thomas, 24, from Newcastle, left Perth on Friday afternoon to stay ahead of the sweeps and general bustle. They’d had a good run.
“We’ve done all the hard tracks so far, and we’ve had a ball,” said Shayne – with a distinctly Kiwi accent – at Meekatharra. “The trip’s been excellent and the bikes are great,” Shayne related, only to look down and see the fluid dribbling from his shock.
We camped with these guys
that night, where Steve had ridden into a nearinvisible wire fence. Everything was fine until Ken grabbed the wire to untangle the KLR, when it became apparent it was an electric fence. Neither the fence nor the KLR were damaged, so, with much laughing at Ken’s sudden jolt, a great camp was put together, and Shayne organised a replacement shock to be waiting in Alice, courtesy of his suspension tech.
But then we bumped into the guys again at Mount Dare, and that time Shane was dealing with a holed radiator. He did deal with it, too.
Last we saw these guys were going hard and looked to be having the time of their lives.
Limestone formations in Nambung National Park called ‘The Pinnacles’ made for an amazing and peaceful ride.
through the dunes could rest their weary bikes and bodies at the Birdsville hotel.
Meanwhile, those opting out of The Simpson headed for Oodnadatta with its wild Pink Roadhouse, pub the size of a billiard table and the open, flat approach to the Flinders. It was a long weekend Monday, so footy was on the big screen and counter dinners were the go...except the pub could only hold a dozen or so patrons at any one time.
All to plan
From Oodnadatta to William Creek, Maree, Mungaranee and Innamincka, including a run along the iconic Birdsville Track, the weary easy-routers had a spectacular and relatively trouble-free ride. The roads were hard-packed and in good shape, the mornings chilly but not too bad, and the kilometres from Cape Byron became less each day.
John Hudson had planned for the riding to become less demanding as the event progressed. He reasoned bikes and riders would become more worn and tired as the days and distance passed, and so the riding should become suitably less challenging. That was also why the event ran west-to-east. As the distance and punishment took its toll, bikes and riders would be far more likely to DNF or need help in the later stages of the ride. It made good sense to have those bikes and riders as close to home as possible as they faced those conditions.
From Innamincka riders were well and truly on the home stretch. That sounds strange with still almost 1500km to cover, but by then everyone was riding toward the coast, and every hour brought them closer to higher populations, more stores – including even bike shops! – accom, cafes, and of course bitumen. Eventually it brought the faint tang of salt in the air that signalled the east coast and the Cape Byron finish.
Multistory
ADVX isn’t one story. It’s hundreds of stories. Every rider and every helper has dozens of amazing yarns from over thousands of kilometres and 14 days or more. We can’t possibly tell a tale as big as this one. It’s as big as Australia itself.
What we’ll do is let a few of the people involved tell some of the quirky, funny, sad and scary episodes that made up their ride.
If you want to know the real story, get on your bike and do some APC Rally rides, stiffen your backbone and sign up for the Cape York run in 2017 – entries will open on November 1, just a few weeks from now. Then you’ll see. No matter how many people are involved, and how much distance, when things get really tough the only story that matters is yours, and whether you make it.
Matt Tointon
Abroken steering damper gave this mystery man a wild moment or two.
“I was in the sand,” related Matt,
Camping was a big feature of ADVX. Riders had to just pull up anywhere and make it happen.
“and I got hooked up on the side of the road. The bags caught some foliage and dragged me even further off the track, and then the front wheel hit a tree.
“I didn’t realise I’d broken the steering damper until about five kilometres later when I thought, ‘Gee. I’m riding really well, but I’m getting frightened now and then.’ Then I stopped about five kilometres after that and found the pin from steering damper just caught on the frame of the motorbike. I was able to save it. It was pretty lucky stuff.”
Matt was able to repair the damper with the workshop equipment at the on-site workshop in Geradlton, WA.
Professional journalism at its best
We rolled into South Lake Eyre and found these two fellas taking in the magnificent view – which included seagulls! One look at the XR and we had to know more.
Cesare Dal Farra, 50, from Mildura in Victoria, was the only rider we saw kick-start a bike in the whole transcontinental crossing. His XR600 had proven trouble-free from the start of the ride.
Hugh Jackman look-alike Paul Dorotich, 43, also from Mildura, was Cesare’s riding off-sider, and he’d had a great run on the KTM 640 Adventure.
Were the guys having a good time?
“Awesome,” said Paul through the howling wind, and both nodded, taking in the majesty of the enormous lake.
Then we wondered that we hadn’t seen these guys before.
“Are you guys doing ADVX?” we quizzed.
“No,” they answered, looking as if they had no idea what we were talking about.
“Oh.”
Mick Zappelli
Mick Zapelli, 53, from Lakes Entrance in Victoria, limped in to Curtain Springs, Northern Territory, with a badly smashed front wheel. He was on a mission to get the 990 into Alice, where he’d ordered a new rim and a set of spokes to be waiting. His plan was to run the bike in along the bitumen while his mates tackled the Finke Gorge.
His mate, Malcolm Beveridge, 54, also from Orbost in Victoria, responded by offloading every scrap and bundle of luggage and useless crap on to Mick’s bike so he, Malcolm, could ride the gorge unladen. Mick didn’t seem to mind and began roping on bags and full fuel bladders like it was all perfectly reasonable.
Building a new wheel is an expert’s job, and we were a little stunned Mick was going to attempt the job. It wasn’t until the editor was fitting a new clutch to his bike in Alice Springs that Mick – ‘Fabio’ to his mates – confessed he was a bike mechanic by trade. He’d rebuilt the wheel in “about an hour-and-a-half” and then proceeded to finish the finer points of the editor’s clutch reassembly.
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Tony De Young
Tony De Young and his 660 Ténéré rode from Brisbane to Walgett, then to Tibooburra, Cameron Corner and out on the Strzlecki. About 200km north of Lyndhurst he broke a chain. He managed to effect a repair that let him ride on to chase a chain through the next few towns. When he couldn’t find one, he ended up riding through to Port Augusta, grabbing a new chain from the bike shop there, then black-topped it back to Alice Springs to rejoin the ride.
Port Au-frigging-gusta! Geebuss!
Simon Durant
Outside Warburton, WA, on a crisp, clear night, Simon Durant, 49, from Sydney, settled in to what turned out to be one of the best camps of the tour. A campfire attracted more riders of all kinds, including the KLR trio, and before long everyone was yarning and enjoying piping hot tea and coffee under the full moon.
S 26°4.085’
126°35.524’E WGS-84
Simon set a great example to the rest of the field. He tackled the Lancelin dunes, found them difficult, then decided to be judicious about his route choices from then on.
“I got bogged and dropped the bike a few times,” said the very quietly spoken DR650 rider. “Then I highsided in the sand, which was interesting.”
Simon made it through the first beach section with no damage to anything “except my ego,” and decided to miss the next sand section into Cervantes. Then, because he’d
Right: The KTM team dropped in to the regroup dinner at Alice Springs and John Hudson winkled a few eye-opening stories from the riders – and team owner Ben Grabham.
Below: From left - Crispin Gardner, 53, from Sydney; Garth Steggles, 53, from Sydney; Darren Masters, 50, from Perth; Dave Lawn, 48, from Ravenswod, WA. These guys were having a great time when they hit the Northern Territory border. Getting them to pose for the pic was a hoot.
lost a little time, he hit the bitumen to Geraldton. Simon’s riding mates were a little put off by the first section of sand, and decided not to tackle Miluera station and the difficult sections around it.
Simon was one of those people who never seemed to raise his voice or get excited. His camp was a model of organisation and he always looked clean and well-presented.
We bumped into Simon again when he used the sidestand on the DR to break the bead on the editor’s tyre, and then when he set off to climb Uluru.
The Adventure Rider Magazine effort
After a big preparation, including bike swaps, bike builds and a general flurry of last-minute changes of plan, Adventure Rider Magazine’s publisher, his brotherin-law and the magazine’s editor all jumped on bikes and tackled parts of ADVX with varying results.
Publisher Kurt took a brave decision and decided to run a newly purchased KTM 990 with 50,000km on the clock. Pressure of work also meant he couldn’t commit to the whole ride, so the KTM and the KLR – the one the editor had built specifically for this event – were sent out to Alice Springs to do the second half of the ride.
The editor, meanwhile, hit the start in Perth mounted on a shiny new Triumph Tiger 800XCx. Although the Triumph people threw open the spares’ warehouse, he was happy to ride the bike essentially stock. Some spare levers were tucked in Andy Strapz panniers, some very classy SW Motech gear was fitted by the Petra and Howard at Motorrad Garage, and Robin Box at Safari Tanks bolted on a 30-litre tank.
The first week didn’t go well for the editor. First his ham-fisted throttle work did some clutch damage in Lancelin dunes, then he lost his Triumph riding partner in an incident that left both bike and rider in very bad shape. A collision with a kangaroo and a series of flat tyres rounded out the first week.
Team effort
In Alice Springs the folks at Triumph dealer Desert Edge Motorcycles set about rebuilding the Tiger, and publisher Kurt and brother-in-law Rhys joined the throng, only to have the 990’s clutch give out on the diabolical Finke Access Track – about 200m further on from where the Triumph’s clutch had churned its last.
As the two big bikes made their dusty, slippy way back to Alice, the KLR scooted on, trouble-free and apparently loving it.
Back in Alice the editor fitted the new clutch plates which Triumph had had waiting in Alice, and Kurt phoned, stopped and hassled anyone who’d listen to him, looking for 990 clutch plates. It wasn’t easy. Alice Springs on the June long weekend is ghost town once the race starts.
“Nobody in Alice Springs had a clutch for a 990,” marvelled the magazine’s publisher.
“I was asking everyone with a 990 if I could take their clutch, or if they knew somebody who had one. I tried everything possible.
“The next morning I bumped into Phil Lovett. He’d had a crash and had a 950 he said I could get the clutch out of, but his mate wanted to ride Phil’s bike across The Simpson.
“So that was the end of that.
“I booked a flight home, and I’m going to drive back out there and pick up my bike.”
Complete the mission
The editor fitted the new clutchplates – with the help of Mick Zapelli – and tagged up with a group of riders from Newcastle, including AdvRiderMag regular Ken Dark. They were heading in the same direction, and after a tough first week he cruised
through the remainder of the event, making his way back to the coast via Lyndhurst, the Strzlecki, Cameron Corner, Bourke and the New England region.
“I thought my ride was over several times,” he said, “but the Triumph just kept going.
“When the clutch failed on the first day I assumed I was done. I had phone reception, so I took a punt and called Triumph. Cliff Stovall talked me through some fiddling and I was underway again. That clutch needed nursing all the way to Alice Springs, but it didn’t get any worse.
“Then when I hit the kangaroo I assumed that was the end of everything. There wasn’t much left on the front of the bike. Darren Hood, the sweep, was the one who pointed out the computer was still attached. It was the only thing still attached, and sure enough, when we got the bike in neutral it fired up like it was in the workshop fresh from a service. ‘You can complete the mission!’ was Darren’s gleeful call.
“I roped and duct-taped and zip-tied the thing together as best I could and carried on another 2000km.
“Once the Triumph guys in Alice got hold of the bike there was no looking back. They even fixed the blinkers. I joined up with the Ken Dark and Newcastle guys and had a good time from Alice to the Cape Byron lighthouse.
“It wasn’t that I never considered a DNF. It was that the bike refused to quit.
Last, but not least
What about the KLR?
It was last seen disappearing into the appalling dust of the Finke Access Track, seemingly without a care in the world.
Last report told of Rhys and the KLR rolling into Maree, then hitting the road for the run across to the coast.
We sure hope he brings that bike back some time...
4 Day Brisbane QLD
2-Day – Gold Coast – Aug 2015 Aug 7-8, 2015 – $220
12th-15th March 2015 $450
2-Day – NSW Ride – Aug 2015
4 Day Sydney NSW
Sydney start – Aug 21-23, 2015 – $220
26th-29th Feb 2015 $450
2-Day – QLD Ride – Nov 2015
ADV-X Perth to Byron Bay
Brisbane start – Nov 14-15, 2015 – $220
30th May-13th June 2015 $1700 (plus freight)
2-Day – VIC Ride – Nov 2015
ADV-X Option 2 (Alice to Byron)
Brisbane start – Nov 20-22, 2015 – $220
Cost $900 - Only 23 spots available because that’s what our truck can take out to Alice. Finke desert race! We have had a large number of riders ask if they
4-Day – QLD Ride – Mar 2016
Aratula start – Mar 10-13, 2016 – $450
4-Day – NSW Ride – Mar 2016 Mt Victoria start – Mar 24-27, 2016 – $450
APC 14-Day Rally 2016 May 14-17, 2016 – $1450
APC 14 Day Rally 2016 14th-27th May 2015 $1450 For more information, contact John Hudson.
Phone: 0414 457 455
Email: john@australianpropertycentre.net.au
Web: www.apcrally.com.au
Store: www.apcrallystore.com
Melbourne – Bright – Beechworth – Melbourne
Seven mates hit the trail for an annual ride, and Keith Jobson was one of them.
Words and images: Keith Jobson
Main: “Are we going up THAT? I certainly hope so!”
We are the Ratchet Riders, a rag-tag bunch of Melbournians who have maintained friendships following the 2014 APC Rally.
This was our third ride since the rally, and we had seven bikes on the trip: three DR650s, three KTM690s, a lone Tiger 800XC ridden by my brother Pete, and for this trip I swapped my own Tiger for a DR.
This two-and-a-bit-day ride was always going to be big. We’d planned a 1000km loop from Melbourne, taking in the high country to Bright, across to Beechworth and home again. What makes the big bigger are the unknowns that invariably pop up along the way.
Burn out
We started out from Emerald on a Friday arvo with the goal of camping just north of Noojee at a nice spot I’d found a few weeks earlier. A 4.00pm departure turned into 4.15pm – which wasn’t too bad.
Being dusk the wildlife was out, with a deer (doh!), wild dogs, a wallaby and numerous lyrebirds livening up proceedings. It’d been raining through the week, so the roads out through Gembrook and across to Neerim and Noojee were pretty greasy, and the campsite was a dark, wet, foggy, rainy place at 1000m elevation, with seven degrees showing on the temperature gauge. It was long faces and deafening silence as the boys set up tents in the rain.
Toughen up, fellas! This trip was planned with two objectives in mind – a test of gear and a test of stamina for the riders in our group going on ADVX. And right there was an excellent opportunity to see what leaked, who got cold, and who had left their tent pegs at home (Darren).
After tents were erected we stood around in the rain staring at the blackened remains of a previous fire, thinking, “There’s no way…”
I remembered reading a trick in one of John Hudson’s APC track notes. It was for starting a fire in exactly these conditions. John said to half-fill a can with petrol, pile on wet sticks and bark, and light it. The fuel would burn long enough to get the fire going. It did!
What was going to be a very early night turned into a few hours of pleasantries around a roaring campfire.
Keep moving
The next morning the rain had stopped and we got underway a bit before 9.00am.
The choke cable on my DR had broken the day before, so it took a bit of turning over to fire up, and a new track was loaded into the
GPSs and instructions were given about stopping at a diversion track marked on the route.
Unfortunately, I was sixth bike away, so at the marked point I found three riders had kept going.
Lesson one: if you want something to happen at a point on the route, end the track there. Riders will have to stop to load up the next bit of track.
Three of us did Pills Track which looped back on to the Woods Point Road. This was an excellent diversion as it was a little slippery on the leaf litter, and had a couple of logs to get over and a steep climb out the other side that taught me another invaluable lesson – keep moving! Stop on a hill and it’s all over.
Fuse block
We joined up with the others and continued on towards Licola. On the Mount Selma Road we took a couple of up-and-over diversions to liven up the ride. It was on the top of one of these I heard the radio crackle and the report, “The Tiger has stopped dead.”
I knew Pete had limited tools (as it turned out, none), so I headed back to find the guys checking fuses and shaking heads. All the main fuses were fine, yet there was no power. I knew what it would be – the Tiger has another fuse hidden beneath the battery, located there it can cop a lot of mud and eventually short out. That’s exactly what had happened and we found melted plastic and bits of fuse welded in place. We cleaned it up as best we could and 30 minutes later we were off again, with a great run down into Licola for a pie and a refuel.
Taming the Tiger
Leaving Licola we headed up Tamboritha Road toward The Pinnacles lookout. This is an amazing lookout and fire watchtower that has 360-degree views of about half of Victoria. From the top we could see the entire length of Billy Goat Bluff Track, which I was keen on doing and had been told was recently graded. Billy Goat is one of those iconic tracks that people like to tick off the bucket list. It’s long, steep, and if it’s been a while since it’s been graded, can have foot-high rock ledges and wheel ruts that can swallow a DR. For us, it was mostly okay, however a few hundred metres from the top was a 30-degree slope covered
1: Sharing white-knuckle moments at the bottom of Billy Goat.
2: A cool morning at the Snowline Hotel, Harrietville.
3: Pub grub at Tatong Tavern.
4: Wet and cold camping, but we still managed a fire.
in 20cm-thick dust filled with hidden ruts and loose rocks. On a fully loaded adventure bike it wasn’t easy, and it was probably the gnarliest piece of downhill track I’ve done. I met a couple of other blokes at the helipad halfway down.
“Are you with the Tiger?” they asked. “That rider had a look on his face that said, ‘I really don’t want to be on this mountain any more’”. Hats off to Pete who piloted the Tiger down without drama.
Meltdown
From there we wound along the Wonnangatta River which had a few deepish creek crossings. We stopped and waited at another diversion I’d planned. Then we waited some more.
Fearing one of the creek crossings may have claimed one of the group, I sent four riders on and backtracked until I found the missing pair. It seemed one had a missing GPS track, and they had spent some time trying to transfer it between units.
Lesson two: create smaller GPS tracks so riders can more easily transfer them wirelessly in the field.
Taking the Basalt Knob Track we again rose way up into the mountains, via Blue Rag Range Track and the Dargo High
near Mount Hotham. It’s simply stunning scenery along there, and great riding along rocky, but good, tracks.
Somewhere along there I met Pete on the Tiger, stranded with the same no-power problem as earlier. On closer inspection it seemed the first meltdown had created a hole in the side of the battery box, and with the creek crossings, water had got in and shorted the fuse again. It was a much quicker fix this time, and we pushed on to the tar, then down the mountain in fading light to Harrietville.
Cold comfort
On the 2014 APC rally there was a section from Harrietville to Bright we rode in the dark. I included it in this trip because I wanted to see it in the daylight. But by the time we rolled into Harrietville it was again dark. Half of the group rode it anyway, but since I’ve already seen it in the dark I elected to stick to the tar into Bright, which was our (loosely) planned destination.
In Bright the pub was packed. In fact the whole town was packed. A phone call to the Snowline Hotel back in Harrietville saw us on the road from whence we came. The Snowline Hotel was fantastic, getting our
rooms ready, putting the heaters on, and keeping the kitchen open for a bit longer to feed seven very tired and hungry mouths.
Lesson three: call ahead, especially if you’re running late!
Empty promise
By now I knew my planned route for Sunday was going to be too long.
Lesson four: with a large group of bikes, allow one or two hours per day for issues, because someone will have one.
I devised a new route cutting out a couple of hours of track, but requiring everyone to follow me. Obviously our corner-man system needs work, because three of us waving madly couldn’t get the attention of one of our group who continued blissfully unaware for who knows how long. We sent him a text message with directions to wait at Beechworth and the remaining six pushed on. After an out-of-fuel issue – he was testing the range of the Safari tank and used his spare fuel – we hit the dirt in a pine forest to the east of Beechworth.
On track
This was awesome riding. It was all planned via Google Maps and BaseCamp, and it turned out well, albeit with an element of randomness that comes with pine forest tracks that seem to change quite often.
There was one massive hill I thought a trials bike would’ve struggled with, however one of our group had a crack on his 690 and made it up. The rest of us spoke to a local 4WDer who told us the easy way around.
Top: The Wonnangatta Valley and Billy Goat Bluff Track seen from The Pinnacles lookout.
Left: Darren on the gas near Beechworth.
Top right: A damp start to the ride near Neeri.
Plains road, joining the tarmac
After watching the 690’s attempt, one of the DRs failed to start and required a jump start – Graeme, it’s time to replace that battery. The rider had a neat little jumpstart unit about the size of a phone. The exercise was made even easier by the fact this DR had a conveniently located Anderson plug attached via leads direct to the battery, saving the need to remove the seat. Good thinking, 99! I’ll add that to my to-do list.
There is one servo in Beechworth, our regroup point.
Unfortunately two of our group – both Darrens – looked at the GPS track, saw it went down one end of town and came back, so decided to shortcut it and therefore missed the servo. They had plenty of fuel, but missed the regroup.
We waited a while longer and again sent text messages and left, shortcutting more of the planned track.
Lesson five: follow the track!
Image capture
Just as we turned back onto the track at Tarrawingee, who should turn up but the missing Darrens.
We headed south on rolling dirt roads through Oxley, Greta, Mollyullah and into Tatong to the pub for lunch. Then we skirted across the top end of Mt Samaria Forest to Lake Nillahcootie. This track heads up into the mountains to the west of the lake where there’s a great lookout of the lake and surrounds. Unfortunately, only one person stopped here (see lesson one), so the others will have to do it another day.
This track winds through the forest over a lightly sandy surface with plenty of washaways – or jumps, depending on your energy level – and joins Ancona Road.
Crossing the Maroondah Highway near Bonnie Doon we took Coles Road south to Alexandra for another refuel. We then headed up into the Black Range State Forest for a fast run over recently graded roads. This road is for adventure bikes what the Reefton Spur is for road bikes. The red-clay soil, treacherous in the wet, contrasts with the blackened-by-fire tree trunks, green regrowth foliage and a magnificent late-afternoon blue sky. It was a great way to end the ride.
All set
We enjoyed two solid days of riding over 1000km of fantastic Victorian countryside. We got wet, we got lost, we cursed and we laughed. We overcame problems, increased our knowledge and stretched our riding skills. I had an absolute ball and came away thoroughly impressed with the DR. And I was sure the blokes doing the ADVX were now much better prepared.
Bustling
Vietnam
In issue #05 Ian Bowden told of us of a great ride he’d done through Vietnam. Now he’s been back to south-east Asia, but this time Vietnam’s only the start. It’s a story so big we’ll have to bring it to you one country at time.
Afour-week, three-country tour that would take in the best of North Vietnam, all of Laos, and Southern Cambodia seemed like a ‘highlights’ tour of Indo China, and Britton Adventures had proven it
had the expertise and local knowledge to make it a good one. It was called the Indo China Tour as Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia make up the former French-ruled colony, and it turned out to be a great idea.
Start point: Hanoi
The plan was to start in Hanoi, Vietnam, then head north, spending nine days touring the hill country before crossing into Northern Laos. We would then tour the length of Laos for a
Words and images: Ian Bowden
further 11 days before flying to Siem Reap in Cambodia where we’d visit the renowned Angkor Wat temples before flying onto Phnom Penh. From the Cambodian capital we’d be back on the bikes again for a further four days, touring the south coast of Cambodia. A final stop in Saigon made for a total of 33 days away, including getting there and back.
I flew to Hanoi to meet up with Angela and Mike, who picked me up at the airport.
Hanoi is a vibrant, alive city of some eight million people. We had a catch up over a cold beer and some nice street food. First stop after lunch was Mike’s Hanoi office, the Legend Bar, for ice cold beers and a team briefing.
The group got to know one another quickly – it’s easy when you’re all like minded motorcyclists. There were 12 of us. Three couples: Scott and Alison, Chris and Tess, Tony and Raewyn. Then there were Mischael, Andrew, Greg, Craig, Terry and myself.
The following day was to be a Halong Bay boat tour for some and a city tour on Ural sidecars for the rest. Unfortunately a storm was brewing in the bay and all boat tours were off, so we all had a city tour on a mix of sidecars and old army jeeps. This was great. We also visited the old Hanoi Hilton, a prison named by the Americans held there during the war.
Highway to hell
After picking up our mix of mounts from
Main: On the road to Bac Ha in the misty rain. Top right: The bikes were loaded on the long boats at Lake Ba Be.
Below: The boys bought colourful mountain-tribe skirts after leaving Hi Giang. They earned lots of smiles among local onlookers.
the lockup, the AC/DC song came to mind as we dodged and weaved our way north in Hanoi’s peak morning traffic. The couples were on old 650 Russian Urals (renamed Urinals due to their reliability), and the rest of us were on a mix of XR125s and CRF250s. A couple of hours and coffees later the hazards had gone from the city’s crazy drivers to the rural inhabitants like ducks, chickens, dogs and buffalos. The kill count at the end of the day was one chicken, confessed by Mischael.
Our overnight stop was a place named Ba Be. It was a bit tough sitting on an open covered deck overlooking a nice river that fed into lake Ba Be, drinking cold beers and going over the day’s fun. In the morning our bikes were pushed onto long boats for the trip over the lake and up a very scenic river through Ba Be National Park.
The Hardarse Bed Company
The riding that day to Bao Lac was great, made up of twisting hill country with loads of corners and great views of terraced paddy fields. One place we stopped for a coffee had large clear urns of rice whiskey with things like snakes, scorpions and deer foetus added to flavour it. Yuck!
We got into a little trouble on this day as well. The police kicked us off a monument
to Ho Chi Minh after we rode up the steps to get a team photo in front of the famous man they treat as god over there.
We arrived in Bao Lac with the Urinals keeping Tap, our mechanic, busy. He could dismantle one in no time and had parts strewn all around the hotel’s garage to replace a timing plate cover.
Vietnamese people like hard beds, unlike us soft westerners, and the further you get off the tourist trail the harder they get. We were obviously well off that trail as all the beds in the hotel were made by the Hardarse Bed Company. Shit they were hard! There were numb bums all around in the morning.
Climb high into the cloud
Today the song in my head was Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head. And they did!
Fortunately it was a short day of only 100km to Don Van. It’s a shame it was cloudy and wet, as I’d been over these roads on a fine day and the views are spectacular. Even so, it was a great day and we still got to take in the views through and around the cotton-wool clouds and fog.
We arrived early and had lunch and a few beers; poor Tap had Chris’s Urinal spread around this hotel’s basement as well, this time to replace the motor…or was it the gearbox? If the Russians made missiles like their bikes we’d be in no danger of ever being nuked. The bloody things would never make it!
Fortunately our beds were a little
softer at this hotel.
After tidying our gear we strolled over the road to a nice little restaurant with a bar and emptied the fridge. They had to send out for more, and after a couple from the UK joined in the laughs, we drank them dry again! I don’t think they’re used to thirsty motorcyclists who have never had to pay only a $1 a can before.
We dined further down the road that night. The food was nice, but the bloody happy water as we named it – rice whiskey – kept appearing! It was cheaper than petrol and tasted like av gas, so I stopped drinking it, especially after Mike started adding honey to improve the horrible taste.
Those damned raindrops were still falling on our heads in the morning as we climbed back into the clouds heading for Ha Giang. More stunning views and fantastic mountain roads made up the route, and we were stopping often to take photos and give out small gifts to the young hill tribe children. Their faces lit up like Christmas trees when we did this. It gives you a good feeling to know you’ve made someone happy.
Chris had swapped the Urinal for Tap’s XR250 Honda as the Russian bike continued to play up. The Hondas never missed a beat, which is typical of Japanese bikes.
We had a great night in Ha Giang with confessions revealing a couple more chickens having not made it across the road. The boys bought some local, colourful, hill-tribe skirts to wear, much to the amusement of the locals, and yes, we emptied another fridge of beer.
We all gelled on this trip and got on fine, especially with our guide Hai, who was to be rewarded in the morning.
George on tour
On this morning we rewarded Hai with a duck. Yes, a live duck.
Terry presented Hai with George the duck in a plastic cage. Ducks in Vietnam are used to
Main Looking down at a winding mountain road before Dien Bien Phu.
Right: Tony and Raewyn on a neat mountain road heading to Sin Ho.
being transported on bikes, so George was strapped to Hai’s bike and away we went –quack, quack!
The road followed the Chay River valley, and soon began to climb through forested hills with great views. We passed through rural Hoang Su Phi and its colourful H’mong, Tay, Dao and Nung ethnic tribes. After lunch we rode over a rough development road, and our support van got stuck and had to be towed out. It was a good day, with a bit of mud thrown in from the recent rains, and a big day time wise, and it was close to dark when we arrived at our hotel in Bac Ha. We put George in the hotel fish pond out front to wet his whistle and tossed him some food, not sure if he enjoyed his first day as a pillion on Hai’s bike.
Back into the misty cloud
First thing next morning was a walk through the Bac Ha Sunday market, one of the largest in the region. This was interesting with all manner of produce, animals, crafts and food available. The colours and sights made for plenty of photo opportunities. We were on the road later in the morning to Lao Chai: Hai took us on a neat back road that entered Lao Chai through a large industrial area. We had something to eat there and visited the bridge that crosses the border to China.
Sapa was the day’s target. We climbed a great twisting hill road that brought the road racer out in all of us, and arrived in a misty, cloudy Sapa to settle into our digs at the Cat Cat Hotel.
It was the end of the road for Chris and Tess. They were taking the train back to Hanoi and returning home for business reasons.
This was a rest day and an opportunity to get our laundry done and look around this picturesque touristy town set in the mountains.
The pink poncho and happy George
Hai was such a likable chap that Andrew had a special pink poncho modified for him and presented it in the morning. He could be seen for miles!
The day had excellent riding through the mountains and small ethnic villages. There was mud, roadworks and great trails to keep us interested, and we arrived mid-afternoon in Sin Ho with time for a look around. I took the opportunity to get a massage to soothe a tired body.
For the six of us doing the full threecountry tour it was the final day on the bikes in Vietnam as we mounted up and headed for Dien Bien Phu. It was another great day, but unfortunately Mischael had the first off. Luckily no real harm was done apart from a sore ankle, and she was happy to continue on the bike.
Dien Bien Phu has a lot of history. It was where the French made their last stand and were defeated in 1954, signalling the end of the Gallic influence in Indo China. Unfortunately they were replaced by the Americans, who were also eventually bundled out. We visited a new museum with all the memorabilia from that period before checking into our resort.
It was a big day for George the duck. His tour was over. We released him into the large lake at the eco resort, and he quacked his approval before swimming to the other side of the lake – hopefully away from any hungry locals.
Goodbye Vietnam
A great evening was had by all in the resort restaurant that night where we had a room all to ourselves with two charming ladies to look after us. The separate room was probably to keep us noisy motorcyclists away from everyone else. Our two local ladies had a great sense of humour and joined in the fun as well as looking after our food and drinks.
In the morning we parted company with Tony, Raewyn, Mischael and Andrew. They continued on in Vietnam for two more days on the bikes with Hai and Tap, finishing in Hanoi before flying home.
We bid our farewells and did the short journey to the border where we met up with our Laotian crew and bikes to start the next leg of this adventure. To this point we had travelled 1200km over winding country roads of mainly bitumen, with a bit of dirt for good measure, and this may not seem much to a seasoned Aussie adventure rider, but Asia is different and you can’t clock up huge kilometres the same way it can be done in other countries.
That was Vietnam. Next: Laos.
But that’s a story for a future issue.
Above: Mechanic Tap with a gutted Ural in a hotel basement. Tap really earned his wages.
Another Triumph Adventure. 800XCA Triumph
Just as we were adjusting to the idea of an even better 800XC – the XCx – and actually having one in our shed, Triumph has announced yet another addition to the Tiger 800 line: the Tiger 800 XCA. The media release says the XCA is
the ‘top tier’ of the Tiger XC family, so it must be pretty damn good. The 800cc engine is the same as the XCx, as is the WP suspension,
tRIuMPh tIgeR 800XCA
Web: www.triumphmotorcycles.com.au
Rec retail: $19,390 plus ORC, including an unlimited mileage, two-year factory warranty
but the big news is the addition of accessories like heated grips, heated rider and passenger seats, CNC machined footpegs and LED fog lights, all kept powered up by a whopping 650W alternator – the XC and XCx run a 476W unit – and
three auxiliary power sockets instead of the XCx’s two.
Completing the package is a set of aluminium pannier racks which accept the optional Expedition luggage, and the XCAs will be available in Matt Khaki Green or Crystal White.
Accessories
There’s a heap of Triumph-brand accessories available for the 800 Tigers, including slip-on silencers and
with the added protection of polymer corner reinforcements. They feature Triumph branding on the base and latch and the panniers weigh in 1.1kg lighter than the Triumph Adventure units, while the top box offers a weight saving of over 1.4kg compared to the Adventure box. Each Expedition Pannier has a capacity of 37 litres, and attach to the bespoke frames which are
crash bars, but it’s the pannier racks that will catch the interest of potential XCA buyers.
The racks take the new Triumph Expedition system. We can’t be certain, but it looks as though the Andy Strapz Pannierz will go straight on there as well. It’ll be a bonus for soft-pannier fans if that turns out to be the case.
But back to Triumph.
The fully weatherproof Expedition Panniers and top box are made from a 1.5mm-thick aluminium structure
standard on the XCA. The Expedition top box has a capacity of 42 litres. Both panniers and top box have a quick-release attachment for ease of use, and feature the added security of a ‘one-key’ locking mechanism, using the bike’s ignition key. Waterproof inner bags are also available.
It’s a big swag of extras, but the XCA comes in at just $1700 over the XCx.
adventure
Words: Peter Whitten
Adventure photography: Capturing for the moment
Touratech’s Peter Whitten, a long-time photographer and journalist, provides a few tips on camera selection.
More often than not, your big motorcycle adventure, or even a weekend ride, is the culmination of lots of planning and saving to enable you to buy the best bike and equipment to do the job properly. You may have worked many hours of overtime and sacrificed plenty just to raise the money for your adventure, so it makes sense that you’ll want to record every ‘Kodak moment’ of your trip, and preserve the memories forever.
Those of you with good audiovisual skills will no doubt arm yourselves with the latest and greatest in video cameras, but for the majority of us, a still camera, maybe on a smartphone, is what we’ll take – not only for ease of use, but for instant
results that don’t require hours and hours of editing.
What type of camera?
This is probably the $64,000 question, and the answer will depend on a number of variables, including size, experience and cost.
There are so many choices and brands available these days you could be forgiven for thinking that buying a camera is a real minefield. But it’s not as difficult as you might imagine.
Here, we’ve broken the cameras into four categories that will hopefully make your decision a lot easier.
Phone cameras
There are literally dozens of different cameras to choose from, and with-
out question, the most common of these is built into your mobile phone. Technology is a wonderful thing and companies like Apple and Samsung now produce camera phones with amazing picture quality and clarity. Phones have many advantages. They’re portable and can shoot both still photos and video, however, on most phones there are very few settings. In good light and when everything is in your favour, they’ll take a great shot, but as soon as the conditions aren’t ideal you may find yourself struggling to get acceptable results.
Because of their small size, phones are also often difficult to hold still when it’s windy, when you’re moving, or in other challenging conditions. As a result, photos
Main: For many riders, capturing local cultures on camera is a big part of their journey, no matter what type of camera you choose.
Right: Phones have come a long way in recent years, and models like the iPhone can capture brilliant images. Their small size is a real factor if you’re pushed for space. Below right: The difference in size between a DSLR camera (left) and a compact is a major consideration for many adventure riders.
accessories, Apple has done the same in computers and phones, and companies like Canon and Nikon have done so making cameras.
That’s not to say that you should overlook other brands, but it’s worth remembering that companies that specialise in cameras do so for a reason.
Your choice of a digital camera will probably come down to the size of the actual camera and how you’re going to store it while travelling, and the amount of zoom it offers. While important, these should be only a small part of your decision. A 15x zoom may sound a lot more impressive than a 10x zoom, but the quality and price of the camera will determine the quality of the image.
More so than the size or the zoom
PeteR WhItten
you far more creativity in your photography, but it doesn’t mean you have to be a pro to get good shots. How much you use the settings depends on your interest in playing around with the camera. Some will love the chance to experiment, while others will simply be wanting to ‘pointand-shoot’ with the camera set to automatic.
Regardless of what you want to achieve and how you’re going to use the camera, it’s worth doing a lot of research before making your purchase, and here is where the internet is your friend. There are usually dozens of camera reviews on the web, and simply by Googleing the camera make and model, you’ll be able to read what the experts and others think of it.
may blur and be disappointing. In a nutshell, it’s great to have your phone handy to record photos and video as a back up, but you may not want to put all your eggs in one basket and risk all your memories on a device that is, first and foremost, designed to make phone calls.
Compact digital cameras
This is where things get difficult if you’re setting out to buy a camera for your adventure ride. There are so many different brands, and they all promise to provide great photos, ease of use and a string of features. We’re not about to start telling you what you should buy – we’ll leave that to the experts in the camera shops – however, as a rule of thumb, I’ve always favoured the idea of buying a camera from companies that specialise in cameras. Touratech has made its reputation making motorcycle
capabilities of a camera, it’s the settings that will really help you to produce great photos. Any good camera now has multiple settings ranging from doing everything for you to allowing the more creative photographer to change anything from the shutter speed to the aperture. This gives
It’s wise to buy the best camera you can reasonably afford. You may only get one chance at your dream motorcycle adventure trip, so don’t risk missing the chance to capture those memories by using a camera that isn’t up to the job.
Digital SLR cameras
There was a time when if you wanted
choice in your photography, you had to have an SLR camera. SLR stands for ‘Single Lens Reflex’, and in basic terms relates to a camera that has a removable lens. Before digital photography, only SLR cameras gave you the choice to adjust the settings when and how you wanted. Nowadays, virtually every digital camera has these options.
Where a digital SLR (DSLR) comes into its own is in the quality and variety of lenses available, but this comes at a cost.
There’s no doubt that you can capture great images with a $59 camera purchased from Big W, but there’s a reason why you see professional photographers carrying around massive lenses that look like telescopes. More glass means more light getting into the camera, and clearer photos in almost any light.
But don’t think you need the big lens to get the good shot. Most camera retailers offer package deals for DSLRs that include two lenses that allow you to photograph just about any scene you can think of.
A camera lens’ focal length is expressed in millimetres, with the human eye seeing things in the vicinity of 22mm to 30mm. Traditionally, a camera will be sold with a lens, say, 28mm to 85mm, that will allow
lens length
you to photograph most things on your trip – people, landscapes, buildings… whatever. But if you’re after more control, and the ability to zoom, then zoom lenses with a focal length from 70mm to 200mm, for example, can be included in the camera package.
Another advantage of a digital SLR camera is the speed of the shutter to take the image. Many compact cameras and phones are slow to react and if you’re trying to capture a fast-moving scene, then there is a chance you’ll miss the ‘money shot’. A DSLR will provide much better response time, giving you better results across the board.
Of course DSLR cameras are generally quite a lot bigger than their compact counterparts, which, when travelling on a motorcycle, is a major consideration. But the choice is yours, and your decision will usually come down to if you simply want a point-and-shoot camera, or one that offers countless options to unleash your creative side.
For 95 per cent of people, a compact digital camera will probably be the solution, providing enough variation in settings and zoom to give brilliant photos. However, if you do choose to go down the digital SLR
Different size lenses on your camera will give you totally different photographs. From the wide-angle 18mm lens, right through to the bigger 200mm lens, you can capture just about any scene you want with a digital
route, then you’ll get results that justify the extra equipment cost.
GoPros and compacts
These days, many adventure riders have a GoPro camera or similar strapped to their ’bars, their helmet or somewhere else on their bike. These are fantastic for recording a ride and the amazing scenery you’ll come across on the way, but do you have a plan for what you’re going to do with that footage when you get home?
It’s easy to flick through dozens of still photos on your computer screen as you show friends the highlights of your trip, but how many of them will want to sit through hours of video footage looking at the road in front of you? It’s also worth noting that most of these cameras will take still photos (usually at intervals of five to 10 seconds), giving you another photographic option while riding along. Using that function will leave you with thousands of photos, so good editing software and a keen eye for what photos you’re after will be required. You may have grand plans to edit the video footage and make your own movie, or upload the highlights to YouTube, and that’s great. Just remember that the footage may
SLR and a range of lenses. Here’s a quick demonstration of how different lens length affects an image. The photographer and subject were in the same place for each image. Only the lens length has changed.
end up spending its life on your computer, never to be seen by anyone else.
In our experience, the best place to mount your camera is on the side of your helmet, giving the best perspective through the lens. Other locations, such as on top of the helmet or on the forks, can provide an unrealistic view.
The choice of portable video cameras is almost endless now, starting with the GoPro right through to other models from Harvey Norman, Dick Smith or even Aldi and Kogan. So do the research on what you need from your camera – again, start on the internet – and which one will do the job you require.
Like most things in life, the dollars spent will generally equate to the quality of the product, so don’t rush in, and don’t be blinded by a bargain.
You’ll also need
Memory cards: Digital cameras store their photos on memory cards that slot into the camera. These cards have come down in price tremendously over the past few years, and come in various sizes.
Because we want to record as many images of our trip as possible, the most
common practice is to buy the biggest memory card available, so that you won’t run out of space. But this can be a big mistake. I have friends who have twice had their camera stolen while on an international holiday, and in the process they lost all their photos up until that point. While they’ve managed to buy another camera, all their photographic memories from before then are gone forever.
It’s a good idea to buy several memory cards that you use for different sections or legs of your adventure. That way, if you do lose a card or have your camera stolen, you haven’t lost everything.
Most importantly, though, don’t carry your used memory cards in the same place as your camera, because if that gets stolen, you’ve lost the lot. Give the used cards to a travelling companion, or whoever is not carrying the camera, just in case.
If you have the opportunity, say halfway through your trip, take your memory cards into a photo lab and have them all burnt to CD or DVD. This gives you a second copy of your photos should the unthinkable happen.
Batteries: Flat batteries could be your worst nightmare, and if you don’t plan
carefully enough, it might be something that haunts you long after your trip finishes. If your camera uses AA batteries, then it’s highly recommended that you use rechargeables in your camera, as these generally hold their charge longer.
If your camera uses special lithium batteries, it would be worthwhile purchasing a spare battery before you leave.
In either case, it’s important to carry your battery charger with you so you’ll never be caught short. Charge your batteries whenever possible, so you’ll be ready to go the next morning.
If you’re travelling abroad, remember you may need an adaptor to use your charger.
In closing
Photography is a great pastime and will give you lasting memories of your trip.
The information above, while in no terms a complete guide, should help you to make the right decisions when selecting photographic equipment for your adventure ride.
The right solution for someone else may not always be the right solution for you, so speak to the experts, speak to fellow travellers, and make the choices best suited to your needs.
Adventure-riding tips
Words: Miles Davis
The successful mission
Good preparation has a lot to do with finishing a ride.
Adventures come in all shapes and sizes, and it doesn’t matter if it’s your first weekend adventure 100km from home or an experienced rider’s transcontinental mission. Both will face many of the same challenges. It really helps if you understand all the opportunities relative to the risks, and make good decisions from the moment you start planning to the point your mission is complete.
Ambitious targets
If your ride is complex, involves longer distances, limited time or unknown or remote terrain, you need to think carefully, be realistic and have back-up plans in case things don’t go exactly as intended. There’s the ‘ideal scenario’, then there’s the realistic and the worst-case scenarios. There are
lots of things that can impact your plans – like weather, breakdowns (mechanical, physical and emotional), getting lost, detours/ road closures, fuel issues…should I keep going? Make sure you consider all three possible scenarios and not just your dream ride.
Be aware of how many riders are in your group as well as their ability and experience. If you have a few question marks or a bigger group, always factor in extra time. If you know the area you’ll be riding, that always helps, but if you don’t, do some research. Look at maps. Talk to people. Don’t just show up and hope for the best.
As some wise old bastard said, “Hope for the best, but plan for the worst”. If you have a backup plan, or even two, you’re probably less likely to need them. If you don’t, you might be in the shiz.
Your team
Sometimes you’re riding with your regulars, but other times you’ll have new faces along. Adventure riding is pretty social stuff.
Sometimes a rider in the group knows they’re not really at the required level and either:
R Lets the group know and asks, “I don’t want to hold you guys up, but do you mind waiting for me a bit?”
R Says, “I’m not up for this. I might just take the next option back to home.” Or even, the worst option
R Says nothing, rides outside their comfort zone to keep up and crashes, causing the most danger to themselves and the group
When riding with new people it’s always a good idea to observe and get an understanding of how they’re riding and feeling. Try to have a good
understanding of all riders before the start. Maybe suggest a short, social, shakedown ride to meet everyone and get a feel for things. Unfortunately I’ve seen too many times where one rider in the group invites another rider who simply isn’t at the same level. Sometimes this doesn’t end so well, maybe purely from the point of view that they don’t have a good time, or hold up the group, or even worse, they end up hurting themselves.
The biggest inconvenience is when a rider has a silly, avoidable stack and hurts themselves or breaks their bike.
If your ride is epic, try to hand pick the right riders for the job, taking into account their skill and experience, fitness, selfpreservation tendencies, common sense and ability to cope with pressure. It’s a great feeling when you know you have the right group of guys together.
Packing smart
A great saying for adventure riders is, ‘If it’s not totally necessary, then it’s totally
unnecessary’. This sounds a bit extreme and probably is, but if you say it to yourself when packing you’re likely to leave some of the junk behind and take most of what you need. It seems to be an all too common trap to take too much crap, a lot of it that never gets used. There’s a massive difference between riding a bike with no luggage versus a fully loaded bike, so packing light, and packing so you can still move around and be comfortable, is a huge benefit.
The flip side of this is not being prepared for some of the key things that can go wrong, like flat tyres and basic mechanical issues. With experience you start to understand what you really need, what’s optional and what you don’t need.
Try to share some of the items between the group on big trips. You don’t all need full toolkits or multiple spares if you’re on the same bikes. Think, be smart and practical, and you should be able to find a balance of being prepared and not overdoing it.
Okay, so now we know what we want to pack, it’s time to get it onto the bike. I have a bit of a rule: I don’t consider panniers unless I’m going with a pillion. For all of my offroad adventures I run a water-
MIles dAvIs
proof BMW roll bag across the back of the bike for most of my kit, a tankbag for the items I may need throughout the day and a CamelBak backpack for water and other things like Gore-Tex liners, some tools and snacks. If fuel range is an issue I can attach a bladder.
Security
Make sure you pack your kit on securely so it stays in place and you don’t lose anything. My waterproof bag has tethers that attach it from the base to the bike. It’s great for locating the bag, but I don’t expect those straps to keep it there. I have a pretty good collection of straps to secure my luggage. My new faves are the new Flex Web Straps from Rocky Creek Designs. They’re made in the US and are like
Try and pack to leave room for the rider to move around on the bike. u
deluxe okky straps that can hook on themselves at multiple points. I generally run the crossover style and find it works well. You want some tension pulling your kit onto the bike, but don’t try to overdo it or you might break a strap and poke your eye out or lose some teeth.
I almost always have an additional strap or two acting as a backup. With these, I can throw something under if required, or more likely, loan one to someone who hasn’t secured their kit properly. One of my spare straps generally holds my thongs in place so I can get out of my boots at any time and slip on the thongs for comfort.
Space race
I try to position my bag towards the back of the pillion seat/rack area so I don’t
your back wheel or cook on your muffler. I always travel with some of the packing straps that tie new bikes in the crates. They pack up to nothing and can work a treat when you need extras.
At the beginning of a ride keep an eye on your kit and make sure it’s behaving. Once you know it’s looking good you can pretty much leave it be and relax.
In my tankbag I use a Kathmandu organiser (a small, soft case with compartments), and on my recent Finke/Simpson ride I nailed my packing. Everything seemed to be where I expected when I wanted it. That really helps, especially when you’re getting up in the dark and sometimes finishing in the dark.
Body prep
A big day on an adventure bike demands a real physical and mental effort. If you have the energy and mental reserves, your day will have a much better chance of ending well. If you don’t, you might find you end up as a DNF.
I see it all the time – riders who wear themselves out from lack of fitness are really behind the eight ball, while riders who are fit can just keep going without losing their composure. A lot of the time, it’s towards the end of the day where it really makes a difference. Obviously skill plays a big part, but you need a lot of skill to make up for being unfit. It’s as simple as that.
you can really make the bike dance.
A common problem for less-experienced riders is dehydration. You should be sipping water all day and having a wizz every now and then. It’s almost impossible to do this unless you wear a hydration backpack. Make sure you have a small stash of snacks and make regular stops. It’s a bad plan to not drink all day, stop at a pub and have a steak and a beer. You’ll want to fall asleep.
If you have a big ride coming up, get active, start stretching and if you’re like most and carrying a few extra kegs, lose a few and feel heaps better about your ride and your chances of finishing.
Riding in the zone
There’s nothing quite like having your mojo working and feeling you’re ‘in the zone’. This is when your bike feels like it’s an extension of your body and you float and slide over the dirt like you’re surfing. It means you’re doing it easy, not using much energy (physical or mental), covering distance nicely and generally loving life. For many riders this isn’t the norm and it can be frustratingly elusive. If you’re new to riding, or not highly skilled, the best thing you can do is get out and do some rider training. Adventure training, enduro, motocross or trials will all help you enjoy your adventure riding more. At the BMW Level 2 Off Road Training Courses, the focus is on finesse. When you link your body movements with your throttle and braking inputs well, your riding goes to a new level. Everyone can break traction by grabbing a fistful of throttle, but when you have control of the point where you actually start to break traction,
Training aside, sometimes you feel a bit rusty and struggle to find your mojo. For me, it really helps to stand up, bounce on the pegs, compress the suspension and make sure I am loose on the bike. Riding ‘tight’ is really tough, so doing what you need to do to stay loose is key.
When you’re riding in remote areas, you need to have more up your sleeve. You can’t afford to have a big one when you’re hundreds of kilometres from help. The funny thing is, sometimes it’s when you’re riding slower, with a little less focus, that you end up coming unstuck. So you really need to make sure your focus is high all the time. You can’t afford to get complacent. If you do you are likely to be stung.
Fuel range
Running out of fuel is crap.
I’ve done it a couple of times, and I’ve come close a few too many times. Knowing your fuel requirements and knowing when to fill up sounds simple, but with distractions it can sometimes come unstuck. If you’re riding in remote areas the risks are massive, so it really helps if you know how to ride efficiently.
Some bikes are much thirstier than others. I get a kick out of riders who are always comparing bikes’ tank capacities, because that isn’t always the big decider. Knowing the bike’s consumption, and then its range, is more important than straight out capacity. Some carby bikes use over seven or eight litres per 100km, while some modern, fuel-injected, twin-cylinder adventure bikes can use under five litres per hundred kilometres.
There are ways to improve efficiency, like short shifting and generally riding smoothly. But even the efficient bikes start to chew fuel when you’re pushing higher speeds. I have done a fair bit of outback
Left: The new Flex Web Straps from Rocky Creek Designs are Miles’ current favourite luggage strap.
Left: Great riding days often have their beginning and end in good planning before the ride even starts. Below: Sometimes a rider knows they’re not really at the required level and rides outside their comfort zone.
blasting on 1200 GSAs and sometimes it’s fun sitting on silly speeds, say 150kph or more. But you really notice how much fuel you burn. You can cover the same distance and use 30 per cent less fuel just by riding smoothly, short shifting and accelerating with patience.
That doesn’t mean you have to ride slow. You can still keep up a good pace, you just want to cap your speed at between 100kph and 120kph to get the best range. For smaller bikes you will generally need to cap it at between 90kph and 100kph.
This really becomes important when you want to do big distances. I recently rode across The Simpson, and the distance from bowser to bowser was 660km. In the days leading up to The Simpson I monitored consumption and did the sums, and I decided I could do the leg fully loaded, without support, on around 44 litres of fuel. It turned out we rolled into town with somewhere between one and two litres left. That’s cutting it fine, but that’s all you have to do.
If I’d listened to what some guys were saying I would have dragged up to 60 litres.
Know what you and your bike are capable of, but make sure you add in a margin for error, conditions, backtracking and other variables.
One crucial decision is, at what point is it too late to turn back? If you go past this point, all you can do is keep going and pray. If you decide it’s best to turn back when you know you can still make it, it might be the best decision.
And don’t get lost, this will really stuff you up.
Reduce risks
Wildlife, dust, sand, bulldust, oncoming traffic, riding in the dark, running out of fuel, hitting objects and getting flats or damaging wheels or just simply crashing can all ruin a ride. One trap is to simply ride too fast for the situation, and a lot of riders get caught out by this.
There are so many things to challenge a rider, and you just need to be aware of them and make sure you’re not too exposed. It sounds too simple, and at the end of the day it’s pretty straightforward. If you take some of the risk away you have a better chance to finish your ride.
Get out there, take it seriously and have a ball!
karen Ramsay
and that bike always makes me feel a bit more confident. Along with husband Dave, there was Don with his pillion, Julia. I figured if someone can double a pillion over the crossings, I had no excuse.
Slip up
It must’ve been ‘Bring Your 4WD To Condamine River Road Day’. We’d seen over a dozen before we got to the first crossing. There was a mix of vehicles that looked like they’d never been off the tar before and those that were so jacked up that the drivers had to wear oxygen masks for the altitude.
A couple of crossings in all was going fine when we found a line-up of 4WDs on one side of the river and our three bikes on the other. They waved us through, so Don meandered over showing style and clutch control. Dave followed close behind making it look easy too. I think by now you can see where this is going. Unfortunately I didn’t. Half way across I got it wrong, with the bike and I making a lovely slow-motion swan dive into the Condamine River.
I was impressed I had the presence of mind to hit the kill switch on the way down. Dave wasn’t impressed as he waded into the water to help me stand the bike up with me laughing and the bike just sliding sideways on the mossy rocks as we tried to get it back on its wheels.
Fell for it
The following weekend I was conquering my mud fear. It wasn’t what I’d set out to do, but
Gate Road
the track was getting pretty ordinary and a big swamp forced us back the way we’d come.
I was following that very wise advice ‘if in doubt, throttle out’ along the greasy track I’d just defeated when I ended up sideways on the ground. Seriously? I hadn’t dropped the bike for over a year, and here I’d gone down two weekends in a row.
It’s the ride that counts
Reading about all these riders who’ve crossed the country, or whose postcode is The World and home is their panniers, day or weekend rides can seem a bit pathetic in comparison. But if, like me, you just squeeze every bit of enjoyment you can from every ride, regardless of where or how long, then you’ve got to be pretty happy.
Bottom left: Still upright on the Condamine crossing.
Right: No falls for a year, then it was two in two weeks.
What I’ve learned
R ‘When in doubt, throttle out’ doesn’t always work
R There’s a limited market for selling a house complete with children
R The likelihood of dropping your bike is in direct relation to the size of the audience
R Confidence generally strikes before a fall
R It’s not the size of the ride, it’s how you use it
heading along Barlows
near Killarney
Google Maps: an adventure rider’s friend
DualSport Australia’s Marty Blake has put a huge, free mapping resource to good use.
LGoogle Maps can help put all this to good use.
Above: Author Marty Blake owns the DualSport Australia discs and spends a lot of time planning and charting adventure-riding routes.
Below: By using the ‘Walk’ feature on Google Maps – the little walking-guy symbol at the top of the directions pane – you get access to all the minor roads we adventure riders crave.
deep bush confused – but generally it’s an amazingly accurate tool for adventure riders, especially if used in conjunction with other maps.
Dualsport Australia swears by Google Maps for the prerun stage of route design, marking out possible variations of a desired course before loading up the bike and actually exploring to find the best adventure-ready trails. I still prefer classic Google Maps because the multiple waypoint options suit me better, but the new version of Google Maps can work just as well, as long as the user sticks to a few ground rules.
Walk before you preride
By using the ‘Walk’ feature on Google Maps – the little walking-guy symbol at the top of the directions pane –you get access to all the minor roads we adventure riders crave. ast issue we had a look at BaseCamp, Garmin’s proprietary software for planning and organising rides. It’s great if you have a PC, a Garmin, and can get settled with it. But Google Maps is a program most people use regularly, and it can be a real asset for adventure riders. From satellite images to Street View it makes planning easy.
The ground rules
Sure, Google Maps has a few minor issues – through roads are sometimes shown as incomplete, roads are shown on the Google map that mightn’t exist on the ground and Google sometimes gets the exact location of roads in
Words: Marty HC
Left:
DUALSPORT AUSTRALIA
DISCS ONE AND TWO
Thousands of kilometres of premium dualsport and adventure riding on route sheet and as GPX files.
Disc Three is due any day. Check the e-store for availability.
MOTORBIKIN’ DVDS
Phil Hodgen’s almighty range of hard-core adventure-riding DVDs. The most exciting, raw and entertaining adventure riding to ever hit your TV or computer.
ADVENTURE RIDER MAGAZINE T-SHIRT
Tell the world who you are and what you do. Strictly limited edition. Get ’em while you can.
SUBSCRIPTIONS & BACK ISSUES
Have your copy of Adventure Rider Magazine sent to your front door.
Just watch your route doesn’t include actual walking tracks where motorcycles are prohibited.
By using Walk, Google also refuses to use freeways and divided roads, which is fine with me. I detest highways and barely tolerate tar backroads. But if time demands major roads just split the course into two (one Walk and one Car).
Before you start your route, pick your destinations and hit Walk. You never know what Google might find that you hadn’t considered. Parallel roads can be vastly different to ride despite being in close proximity to main roads, and an open mind finds more trails.
The more trails the merrier when it comes to exploring on the ground.
Street delete
Street View is an amazing asset that can be used for more than Google intended. It’s not only great for visualising track turns off major roads, spotting No Through
Everywhere he can go instantly lights up the roads in blue.
You now know where not to go.
Very rarely will the Google car venture onto second-rate dirt roads, so you can instantly delete areas covered in blue lines and concentrate your trail searches in the gaps. It’s great for double-checking your course progress as you plan.
At the survey-run stage the tracks you delete are more important than the tracks you keep for exploring. It saves wasting time and tyres on the dreaded tar.
I spy
Use the satellite overview to find the bush in the area, zoom in to confirm dirt surfaces and check and follow small roads and trails aren’t dead ends. I’ll often convert my GPS tracks from fieldwork back into KML files (Google Maps’ language) to compare actual routes to planned routes on
Above: Street View is an amazing asset that can be used for more than Google intended. Right: Drag the Street View man out onto map without letting go. Everywhere he can go instantly lights up the roads in blue.
Roads or Private Property signs, or even confirming tracks exist, but it also offers a directional guide.
Once you’ve chosen the area you wish to explore on your adventure bike, have Google Maps zoomed out enough to give you an overview of the area. Then simply drag the Street View man out onto the map without letting go.
satellite view using My Maps.
Another tool that’s often overlooked is the ‘Photo’ box. Ticking the Photo box will show scenic places of interest that may be worth a look in your search area.
Don’t forget to cross-reference with maps for more ideas. NRMA maps are quite good as an overview, although they lack some roads. But what I find the best is old maps and forestry maps. I keep my eyes out for more maps constantly, even old map books can contain hidden gems.
Zoom before dragging
By now you should have a general idea of places to visit, roads to avoid and areas to pass through. Now you just have to join them up.
Type in your destination, hit Walk, then zoom in until your preferred road name comes into view before dragging your course over. Look closely for areas that require certain roads to get to first, as less is more with pinning the road down and getting course to reload correctly later.
Destinations around every 50km help if you’re using route sheets.
URL be right
Once you’re happy with your course, look next to the print button at the top of the page. There’s a button for getting the URL code link on classic Google Maps. Otherwise you can highlight the address bar – Control A –then copy the address onto the new Google Maps. This will get the URL code to revisit the course at the click of a button. The short URL code works fine on classic Google and is easier to store and send to others.
Originally we were going to show how to convert Google Maps data to GPX files –that can be loaded straight onto a Garmin GPS – using free programs like the GPS Visualizer conversion utility from www.gpsvisualizer.com. But just as we were about to print the mag, Google Maps changed its structure so, as we write this, the information can’t be converted.
Keep an eye on www.gpsvisualizer.com and www.dualsportaustralia.com.au for updates, and when it’s all back up and running again, we’ll let you know.
Adventure riders’
Congregation
The inaugural Adventure Riders’ Annual Congregation. Come and meet like-minded adventure riders. We moved the venue. It’s an adventure!
Location: Moredun Ponds, near Tingha, NSW (not far from Armidale).
Date: September 19 and 20.
Guest speakers: To be advised.
Cost: $30 per person (includes camp fee, Saturday-night dinner and Sunday breakfast).
For those who don’t wish to camp, the nearest town with pub or motel accommodation is Guyra, only about 40km away.
Exhibitors: Must be clients of Adventure Rider Magazine and supply three cases of Armidale’s finest preferred lager. Email mitch@trademags.com.au.
Accommodation:
See www.advridermag.com.au/forum for details.
Registration: Must register on the advridermag.com.au forum to attend.
Meeting points for organised rides: Armidale and Glen Innes. All rides will aim to arrive at Moredun Ponds at around 4.00pm. See the forum for details.
Register on the forum and keep checking there for updates. www.advridermag.com.au/forum
All ADV groups welcome.
Reader’s bike
Main: It’s a 2011 DR650, but look closely. There’s a lot going on here. There’s a lot going on you can’t see as well.
Pottsy’s DIY DR650
IY’ isn’t a model designation. It’s our tip of the hat for the amount of work the owner’s done to this bike.
Matthew ‘Pottsy’ Potts, 45, of Coffs Harbour, is actually well-known to readers of Adventure Rider Magazine
In issue #04 he made his mark with a unique addition to his bike, and then more recently he cut the footpegs off the mag’s KLR and welded them back on a little further rearward – causing the editor to chuck a thrombo in the process, but resulting in a truly incredible improvement in the bike.
Pottsy’s own bike, a 2011 DR650, bought new from Vince Strang, is one seriously amazing bike. We were fortunate enough to get a quick ride on it and were left stunned at the handling and performance.
We should’ve expected it, Pottsy being a boilermaker and welder by trade, a fabricator by inclination, and a very handy rider. But still, after owning and having built a few DR650s ourselves, we were still rocked at how good this bike is.
The biggest, most obvious change is the CRF250 front end.
“I was really looking for more ground clearance and better performance from the forks,” TIGged
Pottsy. “I managed to snag a pair of CRF fork legs secondhand at a good price, and then realised I needed the tripleclamps, front wheel, brake…the whole lot. The only modification I had to do to fit the Honda front end to the Suzuki frame was machine up a 10mm spacer under the top tripleclamp.”
When we rode the bike it was skyscraper tall. Pottsy’s a big fella, but even for him it was a little lofty.
“I lowered it about 10mm,” said the quietly spoken Kawasaki carver-upper. “I originally had longer pull rods on the rear-suspension
new products
solo eXPedItIon tent
R Motorcycle garage accommodates a range of motorcycles, including a full-size adventure tourer with panniers. Also serves as workshop or lounge
R Two distinct, purpose-fitted ground sheets are available for either the garage, sleeping area or both
R Simple two-pole construction makes for easy setup and takedown
R Flow-through venting circulates air
R Two J-Doors, one large and one small, complete with mesh panel
R Hybrid floor combines factory-sealed seams and bathtub curves
R Unsurpassed comfort, storage and security
R A one-person capacity, 228cm x 104cm sleeping bay
R Packs down to 53cm x 18cm
R Tent weight of 5.5kg includes poles, tent and rainfly
RRP: TBA. Check the website
Available from: AdventureMoto
Web: www.adventuremoto.com.au
Checkout
It’s all about making the adventure safer and more comfortable.
oXFoRd 3X oXIMIseR
A dead battery sucks. Battery maintenance is the go!
R Versatile and powerful multi-purpose battery maintenance
R Three automated charging programs for differing battery sizes
R Integrated 8 stage battery management system
R Analyses, charges and maintains your battery
R Kit supplied with crocodile clips, weatherproof permanent connector and wall bracket
R Suitable for all 12V batteries, including lithium motorcycle batteries
RRP: $169.95
Available from: Bike shops and auto spares dealers
Web: www.ficeda.com.au
sPIdI suPeR hydRo jACket
Maximum protection from water in a sober design.
R ‘Fit Comfort’ ensures a good fit to different body types
R Available in the colour variant certified EN 471 for high visibility
R 6.6 double-layer nylon outer fabric with Teflon treatment
R Waterproof and breathable ‘H2Out’ membrane laminated to the outer fabric
R Tenax Flex inserts to facilitate the guidance
R EN1621 certified Forcetech protectors on shoulders and elbows
R Possibility to insert Warrior back protector
R Ability to insert certified chest protectors Chest and Thorax Warrior
R Thermal padding in hollow fibre wadding
R Perimeter zipper for attachment to trousers
R Four outside pockets including two waterproof pockets
R EST Micrometric closure system on the neck
R Velcro fastening on the sides and sleeves
R Drawstring narrowing on the bottom
R Weight: 2.15kg
RRP: $499.95
Available from:
Moto National Accessories Phone: 1300 885 355
Web: www.motonational.com.au
RAlly sAddleBAgs
Great off-road saddlebags that fit most rack types
R Waterproof and dustproof. Fill them with water and try for yourself
R Can be used as eskies
R Each bag has a 20-litre capacity. 40 litres combined
R Designed and manufactured in Australia
R Made from heavy-duty PVC (900gsm)
R All webbing and clips are tough and made in New Zealand
R Two compression straps per bag allow tightly secured loads
R Replaceable rear rub pad
RRP: $335
Available from: Adventure Motorcycle Equipment
Phone: 1300 883 908
Web: www.adventuremotorcycle.com.au
Andy stRAPz theRMAlz
toPz
Andy Strapz Thermalz have been a staple of the Aussie bike scene for over a decade, but Andy never stops developing and improving.
tRIuMPh eXPloReR
1200 sPRAy guARd
Nobody likes being splattered with crud.
R Helps protect rider, passenger and top box from water and dirt thrown up by the rear wheel
R Fabricated from lightweight aluminium
R Guard element is produced in tough, vacuum-formed ABS black plastic with a satin finish
R Attaches using the existing rear-brake caliper mounting points and two special bolts supplied in the kit
R Supplied with ‘Nordlock’ washers to prevent loosening of the mounting bolts
RRP: £149.75 inc. VAT (about AUD $307)
Phone: + 1427 677 990
Email: sale@pyramid-plastics.co.uk
Web: www.pyramid-plastics.co.uk
R Fabric has been changed from a hollow-fibre poly knit to a superfine, itch-free, Merino
R Extremely resistant to pilling
R Machine washable
R A double-fronted shirt with extra length in the sleeves and body, a shirt-tail back and care instructions in the side seams
R Low on the stink index
RRP: $85 plus postage
Available from: Andy Strapz Phone: (03) 9770 2207
suzukI dR650 RACk
Perfect for taking along those little extras on the road or off.
R Easy installation and includes mounting hardware
R Allows for mounting of rear indicators onto rack
R Suzuki Genuine Accessory
R Part No. 46300-32821-20H
R Suitable for DR650 2006-2015
R Made from steel
RRP: $149
Available from: Suzuki dealers
Web: www.suzukimotorcycles.com.au/dealers
A rugged aluminium pannier system for the
BMW R 1200 GS LC.
R Recess on the right-hand pannier allows it to nestle snug against the exhaust
R Overall width is approximately 95cm
R Symmetrical pannier lids
R Made from stainless steel,
R Based on 38-litre ZEGA Pro2 panniers
R Designed for true single-handed operation
R Rugged design with stainless steel and fibreglass-reinforced plastic elements
R Improved sealing strip
R Webbing carry handle
R Optimised ventilation system
R Brackets for accessory holders to extra equipment
R Available in natural aluminium, anodised (AND-S) and black anodised (AND-black) finishes
RRP: Starting at $2063.88
Available from: Touratech Australia
Phone: (03) 5729 5529
Web: www.touratech.com.au
Contributors
tRevoR vIenet
Readers’ story
Trevor loves the wide-open country adventure riding on the road less travelled under a big blue sky. His favourite ride areas include Rainbow in Victoria, the Flinders Ranges, The Daintree or out the front gate into Mt. Disappointment State Forest. Current machines are BMW1200GSA and a Suzuki DRZ400E.
lynne FelloWs
A photographer, artist and author, Lynne’s bike of choice for many years was a Honda CX500. In the 1980s she travelled 200,000km on a Goldwing from Alaska to Brazil. Today she’s happy to enjoy riding from the comfort of a veteran wicker sidecar.
PhIl hodgens
Phil is so well-known among the adventure-riding set that there’s not much we need say. The Queensland dairy farmer runs epic Postie rides, is a leading exponent of the DR650, and has bagged more tough, bucket-list rides than anyone could count. He’s also a gifted writer.
keIth joBson
Keith has been enthusiastic about ADV riding since 2011, when he traded a long history of road bikes for a Triumph Tiger 800XC. A recent addition is a DR650, and now he explores country Victoria, planning multi-day trips for his mates. The plaything in his shed is a Gas Gas TXT 250 trials bike.
dAve BRItten
Racin’ Dave is a well-known NZ rider and journalist. He loves long-distance riding and off-road exploring, and has led and swept dozens of multi-day adventure rides. Dave’s currently riding an R1200GSA and an NXR125
MARty BlAke
Marty’s the man responsible for the DualSport Australia discs. He’s been a keen dirt rider all his life and is a huge fan of the DR650. He’s done some big rides, including crossing The Simpson, but he’s always planning more.
IAn BoWden
Ian’s odometer has just passed 60 and he’s been a keen rider for the past 40 years. Ian’s been on adventure tours to Mongolia, Bolivia, Peru, Australia and Vietnam, and has a three-country tour planned for Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
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.
PeteR WhItten
Peter’s fairly new to the adventure-touring world, having worked for nearly 30 years following the Australian and World Rally Championships and running his own magazine. He’s now Touratech Australia’s media and advertising manager and runs his own business, Hi Tech Media Solutions.
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.
kARen RAMsAy
On sale October, 2015
the Full stoRy
The editor’s ADVX. ‘What’s that, Skip? You bastard!’
APRIlIA CAPonoRd RAlly
put through its paces
Issue #13 will rage like a demented kangaroo near a Western Australian billabong. We might even get a lap on the new Triumph 800 XRx.
And...
v Phil Hodgens hits the Madigan Line v Rides from South Africa and Mongolia, AND
v Who knows what else? Even we don’t know yet. It’ll be frigging great, but
Motorrad Garage
KTM 1190 Adventure R
Mirror wideners: $87
TraX Top Case and Alu rack: $499 and $209
Motorrad Garage, importers of SW-Motech as well as some other great brands, has stepped up again this issue and shown just how awesome KTM’s already awesome 1190 can be. That big, smooth V-twin can be even sexier with some –or all! – of this gear added. To see the individual items close up and get more details, go to www.motorradgarage.com.au/ktm/1190-adventure-r.
Handlebar risers: $89
Tank ring QL EVO for tankbags: $52 Auxiliary light mount: $44
Side carriers QL EVO: $453
TraX panniers: From $439
kit: $113
On/off road footpegs: $179
Crash bars: $314
Bashplate/engine guard: $384
Sidestand base: $69
* Upper crash bars in black or orange. For use with the SW-Motech crash bars: Approximately $292. Please call for an exact price.
Front axle slider kit: $139
GPS mount: $104
Swingarm slider
TOUGH JUST GOT TOUGHER.
THE NEW TRAX ADVENTURE RANGE FROM SW-MOTECH.
The TraX Adventure sets a new benchmark in aluminium touring cases. They’re designed to be extremely tough and made from 1.5mm aluminium, further strengthened by lid and side wall ribbed contours. Weighing between 4.6 and 5.4 kilos, the TraX Adventure is one of the lightest cases available in it’s class.
Side cases are available in 37 and 45 litre sizes, the top case has a 38 litre capacity and the range starts at $593. So whether you’re taking on an off-road challenge, touring the open road or just beating the rain to work, get a case that’s 100% adventureproof.
