Ifeel like I’m carrying way too many tools and I don’t think that’s fair.
With all the technological advances on today’s bikes, why should I still have to carry several kilos of deadweight hardware? Is it because I’m what my son calls ‘Old School’? Maybe that’s part of it.
I learnt from really good people the value of being able to repair the common problems that might crop up on a bike, and I admit I’m reluctant to let go of those teachings. But when I look at my current tool kit, I scratch my head and wonder. There’s a great many things I considered essential equipment a couple of decades ago that I now think are a complete waste of time. I don’t carry a spare plug. I don’t fit spare cables or carry a cable-repair kit. I don’t carry gas bottles or spare sprockets any more, either.
I know the variety of tools I need is partly because I’m lucky enough to be
on a different new bike every week. I’m hopelessly forgetful, so rather than pack a new toolkit for each bike, I have one kit that will service most Euro and Japanese brands.
That means Torx drivers, Allen keys, sockets, open-enders and a couple of select ringees. Even one multi-tool doesn’t seem enough. I usually have three, all just a little different in some respects.
“A puncture could be a credible excuse to pull up and catch my breath without having to admit how knackered I am.”
Already that’s a chunk of mass that needs to be secured, preferably down low somewhere on the bike to make sure it doesn’t move around and work its way free.
But the real wodge of mass is in the tyre repair gear.
I still do my tyre changes from my on-bike toolkit to ensure I’ll have all I need when I’m caught in the desert or bush somewhere,
and it’s an area where I think the modern bikes haven’t taken many steps forward with technology. I’m still using and carrying the Metzeler tyre levers I had modified 20 years ago – they’re shortened and have axle spanners welded to them – a couple of tubes, a patch kit with a gazillion patches and a couple of tubes of glue that always seem to burst and clag up an entire CamelBak, pannier, or bum bag. Those things make up a heavy load and take up a lot of room and I’ve been carrying them, with some variations, for a long time.
But now, with the big-horsepower and luxury of today’s adventure bikes, I also need a bead breaker and one of those funky multi-fit hex-driver things to get the front axle out of a few of the current models. Of course there’s no standard size and I was even caught recently when none of the four or five drivers on the tool I had would fit the bike I was on. That was a bit of a bummer, I can tell you.
“Go tubeless!” I hear some of you cry and I’m a big fan. Chuck in a plug set and pump and you’re good to go…until you tear a sidewall or ding a rim. When that happens the only repair that might get you to the next town is a tube.
So they’re still in my kit and that means I need the bead breaker and all the other gear.
“Mousse tubes!” I imagine others crying out. But I don’t know of any mousse tubes rated for the speed of the big horsepower bikes. If I can’t do the speed, what’s the point in having the horsepower in the first place?
Old School I may be, but I still feel as though the advances in modern bikes haven’t meant I can carry less gear. What it does mean though, is where my 650 single of a couple of decades ago offered something like 35 horsepower, today’s multi-cylinder dream machines are commonly offering three times that power output, and if I’m hanging on to 100 horsepower or more, a few kilos of tools is the least of my worries. A bike with that kind of power delivery can be a real handful to ride hard, so a puncture could be a credible excuse to pull up and catch my breath without having to admit how knackered I am. Maybe there’s a subtle strategy there I hadn’t considered…but you can bet I will in future.
Adventure Rider Magazine is published bi-monthly by Mayne Media Group Pty Ltd
Publisher Kurt M Quambusch
Editor Tom Foster tom@maynemedia.com.au
Production Matt Hawke matt@maynemedia.com.au
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RideKTM
KTM kicks off organised rides for customers – in a big way.
As this issue goes to print KTM Australia is finding itself just a little overwhelmed by the response to its first owners’ ride, the KTM Australia Adventure Rallye, scheduled to run from March 6 to March 11 and cover some very
scenic ground around the NSW Snowy Mountains.
Originally the limit for the first Ride KTM blast was set at 100 riders and it seemed a reasonable start-up goal. But the 100 places were sold within a week, thanks in no small part to some excellent promotion
and an especially good video (check it out at www.ridektm.com.au)
So just as we were putting the final touches on this excellent issue, KTM announced a further 50 places on its first ride. We don’t know how many will be left by the time you read this, but if you’re keen you’d better make a bee line for a computer and get signed up ace-pronto.
Going well
KTM seems set to ramp up its involvement with owners of the brand in 2016, especially the adventure bikes, and KTM Australia General Manager Jeff Leisk has been carving around on an 1190. That might not seem much of a
Above: There’ll be some serious riding for those who like it.
Left: The Ride KTM website has all the information on this and upcoming Adventure Rallye events.
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revelation to the young’uns, but to those a little longer in the tooth, that’s very interesting.
“I think motocross has long gone for me,” laughed the eternally polite and gentlemanly Leisk. “I still love my enduro riding, but I’ve gotta tell you, the prerun for this Snowy Mountains ride was my first proper crack at adventure riding on these big bikes off-road and I’m hooked. I just really loved it.”
Chris Birch is running some coaching leading up to the Ride KTM fixtures, and Leisk sees that as big bonus for KTM owners.
“We’ve been involved in the New Zealand market for quite some time,” explained Jeff, “and we’d come into contact with Birchy through that. I’ve been a big fan of his riding for a long time anyway and he’s migrated into the area of rider training, particularly on the adventure bikes, over the past few years.
“We’ve wanted to do something with Chris in the Australian market for quite some time, and since we’ve got Ride KTM going, we looked at the market and riders said they wanted training on these big bikes. The first name that popped into my head was Chris Birch. We were able to get together with Chris and offer some training opportunities to our customers.”
Jeff himself will be on the Snowy Mountains Adventure Rallye, and we’re betting he can still lead the pack.
Nuts’n’bolts
The KTM Australia Rallye runs from March 6 to March 11, and is open to riders on KTM 640s, 690s, 950s, 990s, 1050s, 1190s, 1190Rs and 1290SAs. Bikes must be fitted with knobbies and have a minimum 250km fuel range.
The $695 rally fee not only includes five days adventure riding in the Snowy Mountains, but also GPS files, lead riders and course markers, tyremedic- and tech support, a back-up vehicle and sweep riders. Dinner is included every night, a KTM show bag with T-shirt, buff, sticker and more, an event DVD featuring all the Rallye highlights and of course, the chance to ride with Jeff Leisk and Ben Grabham.
The ride is suited to all abilities from first-year adventurers up to seasoned pros, and the route has been set with the KTM V-twin adventure range in mind.
Get in quick
For more information, or to register for this or any of the Ride KTM events, log on to ridektm.com.au.
There’s some great pics and video there too.
Top: The ride is suited to all abilities from first-year adventurers up to seasoned pros.
Left: Due to the overwhelming response from KTM riders, the original limit of 100 starters has been increased to 150.
BMWSafari GS
Off the highway and adventure-bound.
The recent 2015 BMW GS Safari was a huge success – as they always are. 200 riders traversed the magnificent off-road terrain between the Blue Mountains National Park in NSW and Bairnsdale on the Victorian coast.
Main: Riding the GS Safari with a group of friends, or making new friends during the rides, is one of the best things about this annual adventure.
Above: A very happy crew.
Adventure Rider Magazine has ridden a few GS Safaris, and both the Safari as well as the more off-road-oriented Safari Enduro are highlights of any riding year. In 2015 we were fortunate enough to be invited to the 20th GS Safari in Tasmania, and to say that landmark ride lived up to the BMW GS Safari reputation would be an understatement. As good as the Safari’s reputation may be, the 2014 run through Tassie was a giant ride in every respect.
For 2015 the GS Safari sold fast, flew past and was an absolute blast. Raging through NSW and cruising its way down the Great Dividing Range into Victoria, the Bavarian bravehearts met the challenges head on and, with good-humoured teamwork, arrived at their destination in the high spirits that seem part of every GS Safari. It’s the benchmark for brand-backed owner rides.
A great start
Backed up by a dedicated support team, the BMW Safari riders departed from the heritage-listed Jenolan Caves Village west of Sydney and threaded their way through the Blue Mountains. Riding on lesser-known gravel roads, the course navigated through rolling farmland and forests before riders arrived in Mittagong for a well-earned break.
The following morning, the riders were soon rolling through Kangaroo Valley and running parallel to the coast toward Batemans Bay. Riders were kept honest by some technical terrain, steep trails and boggy mud holes. They were gifted with ideal GS riding conditions that tested both man and machine. The wide range of terrain and more challenging sections rated well with the group, with many saying the second day of the 2015 Safari was their favourite.
Above: There was plenty of low-stress riding for everyone to enjoy. Not everything was a test of skill.
Top right: Some of the views were really special.
Middle right: The support team was as professional and competent as always.
Right: The water sections may have slowed a few, but the wet clay had everyone tippy-wheeling. u
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Something for Kate
Batemans Bay was the base for two off-road loops on Wednesday’s ride, showcasing the breathtaking countryside between the coast and the lip of the Great Dividing Range. Steady rain made riding very challenging and for some it was their toughest day ever on a bike. Although challenged by the muddy and slippery conditions, it was an experience which they won’t forget in a hurry.
One of the GS Safari first-timers who rode the tricky conditions was Kate Peck, a BMW Motorrad Ambassador. Kate, who is kept busy with her Myer fashion ambassador and RPM TV hosting duties, absolutely loves bikes and jumped at the chance to join her first GS Safari. In 2015 she completed two BMW Off Road Training courses as well as a California Superbike School course. On the wet Wednesday Kate was pushed to her limits but showed she was up to the task.
“That was awesome!” she screamed when she walked into the Nelligen Café, drenched from top to bottom.
Victoria-ous
With heavy rain falling and more forecast, Thursday’s route was adjusted, but this didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the group as it wound its way through interesting backroads into Jindabyne.
The final day was an epic run into Bairnsdale that
Below:
Insert: BMW Motorrad ambassador, Myer fashion ambassador and RPM TV host Kate Peck tackled her first GS Safari.
Top: Scenes like this one covered the whole route.
Right: Yee-hah!
Great support and teamwork from start to finish.
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tracked the Snowy River on the Barry Way. With the Snowy River in full flow from the recent rain the scenery was as incredible as the riding. From the lunch stop in the historic town of Omeo the route headed south through forests and pine plantations, finally arriving in Bairnsdale.
Miles ahead
As is the custom, the BMW GS Safari wound up with a farewell dinner. It’s a great way to celebrate an amazing week of motorcycling adventure and the making of many friendships.
BMW Motorrad Australia Marketing Manager Miles Davis was on hand to not only see the riders smile at the end of each day, but also to witness many of the firsttime GS Safari riders’ improvement throughout the week.
“An important aspect of the BMW GS Safari is the optional rider training,” grinned Miles as we wondered if he’d send his column in time for the next issue.
“Two days prior to the kick-off, more than 30 riders signed up at an amazing property at Oberon for the opportunity to brush up on their adventure-riding skills at the pre-Safari Off-Road Training Course. This training proved invaluable over the week’s riding.
“The 2015 GS Safari was a fantastic event – beautiful Australian countryside was explored with other GS riders in a spirit of adventure and mateship. I can only encourage all GS riders to experience it for themselves,” said Miles, no doubt already looking forward to the 2016 Safari.
Top: Morning fog added texture to the mountains. Middle right: The rain made a few sections quite challenging.
The BMW Safari has been running since 1994, with a proven formula for motorcycle fun and adventure.
Adventure Rider Magazine has been lucky enough to ride a couple of the recent GS Safari Enduros, the more challanging off-road version of the GS Safari, and rates them as some of the best rides of each year.
In 2015 the GS Safari was backed by a dedicated support team which included BMW Roadside Assistance by Allianz, who provided the sweep vehicle and Safari Tech Support Team. Europcar also supported the event with trucks for Safari luggage and tyre-support services. The Safari support group also included medical support, lead riders and a
management team to ensure the event ran smoothly and provided riders with maximum support.
The next BMW Safari event is the 2016 TS Safari, which is a road-touring event from March 13-18, running from the Byron Bay area to Jenolan Caves. Full details of all 2016 BMW Safari events (including GS Safari and GS Safari Enduro) are available, along with more information at www.bmwsafari.com. While you’re there, register for BMW Safari news. That way you won’t miss a single development.
spidi.com.au
adventure Riders
Doin’ it
It was good to see Ken Dark’s story on the Finke trip in issue #13,” wrote Ian Harcourt. “Here’s my favourite photo of The Pope when he wasn’t crashing. It shows how big the country is and how small it made us all feel.”
We want to know about you readers. Send us pics of you and your bike on your adventure, and maybe a single paragraph about where you were and who was with you. We like meeting new adventure riders and hearing your stories! The images we like best are the ones with bikes and riders.
“Here’s one from our recent Birdsville trip,” roosted Paul Raymond. “I was on the Super Ténéré and ride-buddy Ian was on his V-Strom 650. We did a 3500km round trip from Townsville to Birdsville and back via whatever different tracks we could take. We also met up with some buddies from Goondiwindi and spent our hard-earned at various pubs and fuel stops along the way: Boulia, Bedourie, Birdsville, Longreach and Windorah to name a few!”
George Ciezki started out from Mildura, Victoria, and followed a wet and muddy Darling River track to head outback. He spent three weeks roaming around central Australia. “I just love getting out into the bush and experiencing the amazing creation we have around us,” said George, who looks like he knows how to pack light.
600cc
andy strapz
Less
is
usually more…
until you have to do it all over again
The first scratch on a new bike is often a traumatic event. Andy of Andy Strapz tells of his real-life nightmare.
Over the years I’ve had the chance to ride a few different bikes and each time I get hold of a light one it’s a revelation. For some reason I seem to forget that lesson. My ambitions and ability get blurred and I end up with another big bike. Not this time!
After a chat with Vince Strang and a few others whose opinion I value, a
There’s nothing so exciting as a new bike, and Andy’s DRZ looked horn.
DRZ400S seemed the best choice. The S model already had a fan, a slightly lower power spread and a simpler CV carb. As things turned out I got my mitts on one of the very last S models in imposing black.
‘Okay,’ I thought, ‘first job: run it in and ‘rallye’ it up.’
Naturally a set of my frames and Avduro Pannierz were added to the
custom rack we designed. Then came a 17-litre Safari tank and B&B case savers and bashplate. A new set of ’bars and Barkbusters set off with a Lynx Rally fairing nicely. A dose of Ducks’ Disorder on my part required lowering links and a low Seat Concepts bum saver, and from there a rather good-looking Project DRZ was ready for its first service.
Words and images: Scrawn and Andy Strapz
Splooosh. Back to the drawing board.
I set out on a shakedown ride through the wilds of South East Gippsland, accompanied by good mate (and Facebook, Postie and FJR pest), ‘Scrawn’. The plan was to follow as much of Macdonald’s Track as possible and take any interesting detours we could find. There was no plan other than wandering and exploring parts of the map we’d whizzed past in the past and always wondered what was there.
After a night camped by the Morwell River we struck out along a muddy twin track shown by the GPS and Google maps to circle around to Churchill. Yep, you guessed it...it faded to thick bush.
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As we retraced our steps along the edge a shallow creek my front wheel hit a rock in a slippery, muddy wheel rut and tucked ever so slowly and gently. I slid off the edge of the road while the bike turned 180 degrees, fell over the edge, did a cartwheel then tumbled side over side, five metres down the embankment. Splooosh!
Chuck me Farley if it didn’t find the only hole in the whole f^+*n creek big enough to take a bike!
I could not believe my eyes as the bike sat submerged with lights and GPS still gleaming in the dappled shade. My brand new friggin’ bike was up to the filler cap with water in every place it was possible to get water!
To cut a long story short, we pushed it upstream, dragged it out and got it running, but, as expected, it was written off. I’ve been paid out and have a new DRZ 400E on order as there are no new S models available.
It looks like I’m gunna have to settle for a yellow one that’ll turn out a ‘bitsa’.
More to come
We’ll stay in touch with Andy’s build on his new DRZ. Keep a lookout in future issues to see how he gets on with his yellow hopefully-not-a-submarine.
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An adventure bike can give a whole new look to things.
Images: Wilkinson Photography. Amazing research and preparation: Wilko
Victoria’s Great Ocean Road is almost worth a yawn these days. Is there any bike mag anywhere in the world that hasn’t raved about it?
It would be a yawn if it wasn’t such a fantastic ride. Not only is the scenery endof-the-world – almost literally – but the road itself is a winding, high-traction masterpiece that begs to be ridden hard. While the sportsbike brigade seem fairly tame due to the activities of our chums in the Victorian constabulary, the thrill of grooving a big adventure bike through the beachfront curves and forests on a sunny day is still one of this country’s best two-wheeled outings.
But there’s a whole lot more to the Great Ocean Road than just scraping footpegs and feeling feisty – especially with the freedom offered by an adventure bike. The off-road riding in the area is sensational, and the road-bike aficionados don’t seem to have any idea of the adventure-bike bliss surrounding their no-knobby Nirvana.
Off the plan
We have to put our hands up and give credit where it’s due. When we planned this ride, we thought, “How cool would it be to ride the Great Ocean Road in Victoria on some top-end adventure bikes? The ones that are so smooth on the road and look so horn. That’d be a brilliant weekend.”
So, chuckling away to ourselves at how clever we were and how cool it is to work for a bike magazine, we contacted a few importers and told them the plan… except our story to the bike companies
was all about ‘exposure for the bikes in an appropriate setting’ and ‘showcasing in an iconic location’.
And then, having done a bit of a build-up on what was really going to be a weekend of cruising on plush, gorgeous bikes and not seeing a single grain of dust, we thought we’d better get a photographer who could make everything look as good as we promised. So we gave Wilko a call, he was available, and we were off and running.
The thing was, when we smirked and told
Wilko about our clever scheme, he entirely missed the spirit of the thing. He got onto Google Earth and began researching.
Main: Riding the Great Ocean Road is sensational, but there are plenty of opportunities to legally leave the bitumen and enjoy some world-beating views.
Above: The Great Ocean Road is a memorial to World War One diggers and the memorial arch is a popular landmark. It was built in 1939 and then replaced in 1973 and 1983 after bushfires.
Phonetic
Our emails and phone calls had rounded up an impossibly gorgeous BMW 1200GS TripleBlack and three – yes three! – KTMs. We also had Adventure Rider Magazine’s long-term Triumph Tiger XRx, and Wilko had his own 1190. Wilko wasn’t in any of the pics of course, so his bike wasn’t included in the count.
The rendezvous at Aireys Inlet was timed to allow an early start on the Great Ocean Road itself. As the bikes sat gleaming in the predawn glow, it became obvious just what a heartbreaking range of glamour we had on show.
BMW had sent an R 1200 GS TripleBlack, and not only was it kitted out in spectacular fashion, it was also fitted out with one of our favourite riders, Craig ‘Benno’ Bennett. Seeing as we’d planned what was basically a road ride, Benno had also brought along his partner Tarah. Let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to share a ride on the Great Ocean Road on a bike like that?
The KTM folks had sent along a beautiful selection. The 1290 Super Adventure sat at the top of the dualsport tree, closely
Top: There’s plenty of dirt-road riding spearing off the bitumen. The road might be sportsbike heaven, but the dirt-road connections are pretty damn good on adventure bikes too.
Right: A great crew! From Left: TF, Benno, Tarah, Dave Donaldson, Dave Perrin and Kev Doyle. This location was Wilko’s find after the 12 Apostles turned out to be a bit crowded.
followed by the more off-road focussed 1190 Adventure R, and then, just for the sheer delight of it, a bare-bones 1050 Adventure. KTM’s media liaison man Kev Doyle and the two Daves –Dave Perrin and Dave Donaldson – were clearly right at home and made the most of being on some brand-spankers in a great setting.
The final mount was Adventure Rider Magazine’s long-term XRx. It may have given up a little in engine capacity, but for sheer gleaming visual appeal and holding a tight line in a corner, it was right at home and snorting to get going.
Panniers were loaded, teeth gritted, and the whole flotilla set sail…for about 15 kilometres. Breakfast was high on everyone’s list of priorities, and in the best traditions of this type of adventure riding, everyone was in a holiday mood.
Fancy lickers
There’s no need for us to outline all the food stops or to tell about how great the riding of the Great Ocean Road is. We rode. We ate. We rode some more.
Wilko introduced everyone to Dooley’s ice cream shop, and that saw a delighted crew tucking in to French vanilla and Honey Malt by the double-scoop at 10.00am. It was after that tasty treat that Wilko said he’d found a little spot just off the road he’d like to have a look at. When he added there was some dirt road to get there, the last gobbets of Hokey Pokey were stuffed into eager mouths, paper cups were frantically licked clean and there was suddenly a drag race heading west.
Tree-mendous
Now this is where this story gets really interesting.
Fully equipped for long adventures with technology that adds improved handling and opens up whole new horizons, this is the Tiger taken to a different level. Selecting between three different Riding Modes, ROAD, OFF-ROAD and programmable RIDER MODE, you can configure your preferred throttle map, ABS and Triumph Traction Control, for a completely tailored and thrilling adventure ride. The dedicated Trip Computer and the Cruise Control enable you to amass miles with complete confidence. The off-road soul of the bike is emphasized by the adventure pack including hand guards, aluminium sump guard, centre stand, additional power socket and engine protection bars.
Try it today, book a test ride at www.triumphmotorcycles.com.au
We’d set out on the journey with every expectation of a road ride.
Thanks to Wilko’s preparation and research, late-morning had everyone hammering along Binns Road, a gravel thoroughfare, enjoying the full benefits of the big bikes’ ABS, traction control and other rider aids. The forest was fabulous, the air had that promising feel of moisture that meant there were creeks nearby, and everyone knew road-ride heaven was no more than about 10 minutes behind them.
As it turned out, the chosen spot was a stand of Californian redwood trees, and while everyone sat and basked in the majesty of the 77-year-old sequoias, Wilko produced a Jetboil and a range of Bear Grylls gear to serve up coffee and tea for everyone.
Some of that Bear Grylls stuff got a bit scary, actually. He whipped out a fire lighter and started flicking embers all over the place. There was a lot of gas floating around by the time he finally chipped a spark in the right direction. The riders all stood well back and even the redwoods looked worried.
Whatever. The Jetboil fired, the coffee and tea was passed around, and life was very, very good.
A picnic and a run of premium dirt road was totally unexpected,
Left: The road itself is a winding, high-traction masterpiece that begs to be ridden hard.
Above: Great food and accommodation lines the entire bitumen route.
Below: Dooleys Ice Cream shop. Mmm…
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and even more enjoyable because of that. Wilko pointed out the dirt road we were on went for a considerable distance, looping its way through the forest and heading northeast before joining Beech Forest-Mount Sabine Road, another very scenic run. Everyone was enthralled until he started to look sly and mentioned a waterfall just up the road. You don’t want to get Wilko started on photographing waterfalls – not unless you’re happy to spend the rest of the
day, and maybe part of the night, balancing on a slippery rock holding a reflector or light and trying to stay very still.
Grains of truth
The group headed back over the dirt, allowing some to demonstrate their considerable skill on the big bikes, and the trek continued.
By this stage the panoramic coastal scenes had become tight forest, with luscious green tree ferns and scrubby gums pressing in from either side of the road. The road itself continued to lunge and wind its way west, and even through the full-face helmets the smiles of the riders were easy to see.
After a humungous lunch at the Otway Junction Motor Inn, including sensational views across to the coast, Wilko once again suggested he’d seen a track just up ahead, and even though there might’ve been ‘a bit of sand’, it finished on a gravel road.
All suggestions from the photographer who’d become ride leader had been brilliant so far, so everyone agreed it sounded good. It was good, too. Except ‘a bit’ is about as much sand as these big bikes can safely handle, especially those running the more road-ready tyres. After a good-fun run down Old Coach Road to where the sand started, it was decided the best bet was to turn
back. The bikes with knobbies would’ve been fine. Wilko with the Mitas 09s and Dave on the 1050 with knobbies both roosted through and seemed to be enjoying themselves. But the first bike in with road tyres had a bit of a struggle, and of course, Benno had roadie tyres and a pillion – although he looked like he was still pretty keen to have a crack at the sand. Perhaps Tarah had a word or two over the schmicko bluetooth comms set up.
After digging both the editor and the XRx out of the first sand wallow, the whole show backtracked its happy way to the bitumen.
Apostles
No visit to the Great Ocean Road would be even worth talking about without a stop to check out the 12 Apostles…or however many there are at the moment. One fell into the sea not that long ago. There was only nine to start with as far as we know, so the ‘12’ in the name seems to be a
Above: The eastern end of the road stays close to the beaches and there are numerous places to pull up and take it all in.
Left: Benno reckoned it wasn’t his handbag. It came from his pannier though, so…
Right: Such language from our editor! Even the blokes were blushing.
bit of optimistic marketing.
The big stacks of limestone sitting in the Southern Ocean just off the shore of the Port Campbell National Park are a worldwide tourist sensation, and the Victorian government has done a brilliant job of setting up a facility allowing parking and access. There’s a huge parking lot, helicopters wopping in and out every few minutes, a visitor centre and an excellent walkway offering great views of the Apostles themselves.
To the governing body’s credit, it’s free. Just lob up, park, and go take a look. Unfortunately, the place is so popular that none of the group was terribly comfortable about being packed in like Hindu pilgrims during festival time at The Ganges. With a kind of far-away look in his eye, Wilko said, “Well…”
Ten minutes and just a few kilometres later the whole group stood awestruck on a deserted headland with no fencing, no signs and no obvious marks of humanity. A short ride down a dirt road had bikes and riders perched on a limestone cliff high above a bright-blue ocean, under a clear, blue sky, gazing at a wall of rock embedded in the crashing surf. The 12 Apostles and their tourist throng could’ve been a million miles away.
Mission accomplished
The late-afternoon cloud obscured the oncoming sunset as riders began to pull their jackets tight around them. After a few pics and a yarn or two it was time to chase the coming night into Port Campbell itself and settle into a motel. We’d say it was time to relax, but with this kind of riding we’d been relaxing all day. The motel was just the next stage of restfulness leading up to dinner and the conclusion of a truly epic ride.
The dualsport nature of the bikes made the bitumen aspect of the Great Ocean Road an unbelievable, fabulous experience, with views and pleasures the tourist brochures can’t even go close to describing. Wilko’s research and the dirt roads, picnic areas, waterfalls and other places he found sitting right alongside the bitumen were icing on the dualsporting cake.
We haven’t said much about the bikes themselves, but all of these bikes were so comfortable, and so ideally suited to this sort of riding, there’s nothing we need to say. They all did the whole weekend without a millisecond’s hesitation. There was no test to suspension or handling and the comfort levels are about as high as they can be on two wheels. So are the performance levels. Sports bikes will no doubt do the bitumen faster, but they’re nowhere near as comfortable, and the speed would mean missing a lot of great viewing, not to mention ice cream, coffee, bikini-clad girls wandering along enjoying the sun and a generally soothing environment that just can’t be found any other way. And of course,
Wilko
Adventure Rider Magazine has been lucky enough to ride with Wilko – Danny Wilkinson – several times now, and every time it’s blast. It’s not only his photography that’s so good. He can ride like a madman and he’s a dead-set legend at sniffing out a dirt road or trail. We wish we could show you all the incredible images from this ride, but we just don’t have room.
Thanks, Wilko! Again.
the sports bike guys will never get off the bitumen to find the true treasures of the route laying so close nearby. It was just a perfect run on a set of great bikes in one of the world’s premier locations.
Does it get any better than that? We’re not sure it does. u
Image: TF
BMW R 1200 GS TripleBlack (special model)
The TripleBlack Beemer was a showstopper. This bike turned heads everywhere, including among the riders in the group.
BMW Motorrad says it’s ‘responding to a wish expressed by many customers by bringing out the world’s top-selling motorcycle in a virtually all-black finish’.
The central tank cover, tank side panels and front mudguard in Black Storm Metallic, together with black-anodised fork-slider tubes, give the legendary GS a strikingly masculine touch. Powerful technical accents are provided by the front and rear frame in Agate Grey in combination with the engine, gearbox and swingarm.
The special model is fitted with the cross-spoke wheels with black gloss rim familiar from the R 1200 GS Adventure, previously available as a special equipment feature.
A new black-grey seat with striking GS application on the passenger seat rounds off the strong appearance of the new R 1200 GS TripleBlack.
With a view to enhanced motorcycling safety, the range of special equipment features is extended to include the banking-optimised ABS Pro.
Find out more at www.bmwmotorrad.com.au
The bike on this ride featured
v Vario expanding panniers $1206
v Vario topcase, including carrier, backrest, bolts and lock $1168
v Tankbag, (large) $498
v Footbrake lever, adjustable $261
v Wide enduro footrest set, including springs $308
v Navigator GPS including Aus/NZ mapping $1200
v Enduro aluminium engine guard, including mounting kit $468
v Cylinder-head cover guard $397
v Benno and Tarah $Priceless u
Triumph Tiger 800XRx
Adventure Rider Magazine has had this bike for a little while now, and we’re seriously in love with it. It’s not as off-road ready as the XC range, but its handling on the road is a real eye-opener, and it’s still well capable on formed dirt roads. We figure it’s about 70/30 road/dirt, and for rides like this one it’s entirely at home…except for in the sand, maybe. Find out more at www.triumphmotorcycles.com.au
The bike on this ride featured
v Mitas E08 front and rear. Front $159. Rear $219
v Triumph Adventure panniers and holders $1082.61
v Triumph waterproof pannier inner bags $214.72
v Triumph Explorer CNC machined footpegs $196.83
v Bags Connection Micro tankbag $119
v Bags Connection tankbag ring $26
v Andy Strapz A Bagz $240
v Touratech rack $194.11
v SW Motech folding-tip gear shifter $219
v SW Motech GPS mount (GPS.11.823.10000/B) $104
v SW Motech frame protectors. Right $69. Left $69
v SW Motech crash bars $314
v Barkbusters handguards $121.95
v Barkbusters BBZs $119.95 u
The KTMs: 1290 Super Adventure.
1190 Adventure R. 1050 Adventure
The three KTMs carved through the ride and the riders were obviously loving it, on- and off-road.
The 1050 is, by KTM standards, an ‘entry-level’ adventurer.
The bike on our ride had mag wheels, but as we wrote this story they’re actually supplied with spoked wheels as well. Buyers get two sets of wheels! The KTM panniers and Hard Parts accessories on the other KTMs also fit on the 1050, although it ran naked on this ride. Rider aids on the 1050 are ABS only.
The 1190 is well documented, but this one belonged to KTM’s Brendon Roberts, and its list of accessories from the Power Parts catalogue included
v Akrapovic muffler
v Aluminium bashplate
v Crash bars (standard for 2015)
v Heated grips
v Handguards
v 20mm ’bar risers
v EXC ’bars
v Dongle
v Rally ’pegs
v Aluminium Hard Case panniers
v Aluminium rear luggage rack
v Luggage roll bag
v Tank bag
v GPS mounting bracket
Finally, the flagship 1290 Super Adventure. What a sweetheart!
The big girl offers cutting edge technology in the form of MTC (Motorcycle Traction Control), MSC (Motorcycle Stability Control) and MSR (Motor Slip Regulation) systems, which KTM says set a new benchmark in motorcycle safety and rider assistance technology.
The stock bike is so well set up for this type of riding that it didn’t need a heap of fittings. Accessories for this ride were obviously the panniers. Prices and availability on all KTM equipment is available from KTM dealers.
Get all the up-to-date info on the KTMs at www.ktm.com/au/
No excuses
In May 1954, a young Keith Ralfs watched awestruck as, on a 10-inch black-and-white television, the Shell-produced documentary Back Of Beyond unfolded. The story of a Birdsville/Maree mailman and his incredible desert exploits in his battered old trucks held Keith captivated. From that day over 60 years ago his dream was to ride the Birdsville Track on a motorcycle. Finally, he made it happen.
I’m a marine engineer and have ridden motorcycles in many, many countries, but hadn’t yet conquered the Birdsville Track. My various bikes – my first made from bits’n’pieces when I was 14 – have taken me to some strange and interesting places. Since 1999 my ZRX1100 has travelled tens of thousands of
kilometres up and down the east coast of Australia, but in early 2013 I saw an advertisement for the Husqvarna Terra 650 at a really great price, plus a $500 cashback. I was in.
False start
At that time I was employed by a Dutch dredging company to excavate 14 million cubic metres of Darwin Harbour for the new LNG terminal. I worked four weeks on board the dredger and then had four weeks off - time enough to undertake the Birdsville Track, I thought.
I ordered and paid for (over the internet) a derestricted TR650, complete with bash plate and a few other accessories, to be delivered the day following my arrival in Sydney. The bike was delivered many
days late, at 8.00pm. I took it for a ride around the block and was bitterly disappointed.
When I checked it over in daylight the next day it obviously hadn’t been derestricted, the suspension was so hard it had less than 20mm sag with 100kg of me sitting on it, the motor was coughing and spluttering, and I found the bike virtually unridable. I phoned the dealer who claimed it was derestricted and had been set-up perfectly, but offered if I wasn’t happy, I could return it. There was no way I was going to ride it that far in what I felt was an unsafe condition, so after several days of banter with no outcome I bit the bullet and started the derestriction process myself. It proved to be a somewhat longer job than the 10 minutes the dealer had spoken about, but I got it done.
Words and images: Keith Ralfs
Fit out
The next step was to sort out the suspension.
I have great faith in my suspension tuner, who soon had it sorted. A 10mm-shorter, 9.8kg rear spring with a slightly reduced stroke replaced the 10.3kg stocker, and the forks were tuned to match. Admittedly I ended up with a slightly reduced suspension travel, however I could at least get one foot on the ground.
A Booster Plug from Europe improved the fuelling and the Terra started and ran reasonably well. It felt somewhat ‘fragile’ compared with my Kawasaki, though.
A single-can GPR exhaust lightened the TR by some nine kilos, Andy Strapz supplied his Expedition Panniers and frames (I can’t
Above: Andy Strapz panniers and a Safari Tank.
Right: Tom Kruse’s old Blitz trucks. They’re part of the author’s fascination from watching a TV show 60 years ago.
praise Andy enough. What a benefit he is to Australian adventure riders), Safari Tanks supplied the 32-litre longrange fuel tank and I fitted a stainless-steel oil filter to improve filtration and oil flow. I wore out the original tyres in less than 8000km, plus I had a stack of fronttyre pinch punctures and wash-outs, so I replaced them with a Heidenau K60 rear and a Karoo 3 front.
From the outset I had an absolute dislike and distrust of the airbox and airfilter. I ordered a complete airbox with the intention of developing something better, but it arrived too late.
Man alone
I don’t enjoy camping, and as this ride was specifically to accomplish something on my list, and not having any experience of the outback, I felt it best to arrange hotels and motels around the route I’d
planned: Narrabeen, Nyngan, Charleville, Windorah, Birdsville, Mungerannie, Marree, Peterborough, Broken Hill, Nyngan, Narrabeen. These sections would see easy day rides, aiming for 500km or so on tar and 300km of dirt, give or take. I had booked two nights in Charleville as I wasn’t sure whether the TR could get that far and even contemplated one of the secondhand KLRs I’d seen for sale.
Also, at the last minute I purchased a SPOT, as all the other, “Yes, we’ll come!” potential companions had dropped off the list, so this was to be a solo ride. I was actually very pleased it worked out that way.
Wild wildlife
The ride kicked off with a pleasant cruise on Bells Line Of Road, followed by lunch in Bathurst and then a run into Nyngan. My intention was to ride only in daylight hours, and then a good motel, clean sheets and a shower was all I was asking.
I was always concerned about wildlife on the road, hence the determination to travel in daylight. As I headed north I found beautiful riding conditions, although the scavenging birds – kites, eagles or whatever – appeared from u
Top left: The author fulfilled a 60-year dream when he rode the Birdsville Track.
Good stuff!
the undergrowth, flapping their wings furiously in their attempt to gain height. Why did they veer in front of me, rather than turning the other way?
Throttle controlled
After lunch in Bourke I tackled the long, very straight road up to Charleville, and as I approached the town there were huge black animals running across the road and in the bushes. “Bugger,” I grunted. They were wild pigs: black and hairy and some with tusks!
By Charleville I was much happier with the TR and reduced my stay to one night. I purchased a new pair of gloves, had a good night’s sleep, then made a daylight start after dire warnings about the pigs (I didn’t need the warnings).
Between Charleville and Windorah there were some very cold starts which left me pleased with the new gloves. The days were pleasantly warm and I was making good time.
Pigs, kangaroos, goats, eagles and galahs ensured I didn’t get bored and I continued to make really good time, keeping my speed down in the ‘reasonable’ zone, mainly to conserve the tyres.
Cool!
I hit Windorah in the early afternoon and was the first guest in the new rooms. There was no hot water, but what the heck. I spent some time in the community centre/library and made the most of the free internet, before dinner in the Windorah Motel around the fire chatting to a few locals.
The next morning was so cold the two water bottles in my panniers had frozen solid. Luckily I also had my three-litre CamelBak.
Every time I stopped, I switched on the SPOT and send an ‘OK’ message to friends and family.
Hey-oop!
Once I turned off toward Birdsville my ride suddenly went very pear-shaped.
The dirt was seriously rutted and covered with fine, powdery dust. Birdsville was hosting not only Opera In The Desert, but a marathon and the annual Adventure Caravan event, which attracted some 5000 people. It seemed half of them were driving north as I was riding south.
I saw one come toward me at great speed, the adventure van swaying from one side of the road to the other, and I had nowhere to go except off into a culvert. “Oh, bugger!” I thought. “If in doubt pull back on the bars and add a great handful of throttle,” I told myself. As I flew out of the culvert I looked down to see my shadow on the road some distance from my wheels. By the time I realised I was airborne the Husky had landed, shaken its head and charged on.
By this time I’d begun to realise the Terra’s capabilities were far greater than mine and I gave Husqvarna credit for the TR just wanting to go much quicker than I did.
Dusty
I arrived in Birdsville mid-afternoon absolutely elated, but I’d been standing on the ‘pegs for nearly five hours and I was feeling it.
I spent two nights in Birdsville and found it an ‘interesting’ place. It was very commercial.
If there had been a train I would’ve loaded the TR on it and railed back to Sydney, but fortunately there wasn’t, so my ride continued.
The next morning my thighs were so sore I almost had to crawl out of bed and across to the bakery for an egg-and-bacon roll and cup of coffee for breakfast.
Back at the bike, I opened up the air box to clean the air filter. What a bastard job it was, and seeing dust in the air box did not impress me at all.
Left: An egg-and-bacon roll and cup of coffee for breakfast at the bakery made for a good start. Right: Mungerannie Pub is an oasis in the middle of nowhere. Watch out for the dingoes.
Truck me!
The next morning, with some trepidation, I set off for Mungerannie Pub.
Someone had given me a titbit of advice regarding sand: “Lower the tyre pressures, lean back and accelerate,” I’d been told. So at the first sand wallow I thought, “Okay. I’ll experiment.”
It worked!
The problem was, when there were a series of wallows, I’d enter the first at 70kph, leaving at 80kph. So I’d enter the second at 80kph and leave it at 90kph.
You get the picture. It didn’t take long to be doing 140kph and for the whole situation to become very scary.
I tried to keep to about 70kph, to preserve the tyres and to be ‘safe’ (an illusion), but I was being overtaken by four-wheel drives and some of the adventure vans were doing double that speed with no regard for me. For oncoming road trains I was slowing down and pulling well over to wave to the drivers as they thundered past.
Three dog night
In the middle of nowhere is the oasis that is Mungerannie Pub.
What a great place! Phil, the publican, is what I imagined a true outback character to be. He looked to be just out of a Kangaroo Dundee movie.
I stayed in the Donga and the ablutions block was some 100 metres from the hotel, halfway between the swamp and the campsite. In the middle of the night with a full bladder I stepped outside to find it was freezing bloody cold and a full moon.
“Hmm,” I thought. “I’ll just sneak around the corner.”
So there I was at full stream when I saw a dog out of the corner of my eye. Then another. And another. I realised they were dingoes, not domestic dogs, so in less than three shakes I was back in my room.
Postie haste
The next morning I enjoyed a casual breakfast before heading south to Marree.
I saw camels, cattle, ostriches, goats and lots of birds. It was an amazing, exhilarating and breath-taking experience. Out in the desert there’s nothing and yet everything. It seemed a wonderland to someone who’d spent his life out on the ocean miles away from land.
As I approached Marree it started to rain and I had to deal with wet clay. A cheap cabin in the caravan park at the general store/café gave me shelter for the night, and I bumped into some guys on Postie bikes doing a run from Adelaide to Darwin as a charity fundraiser. That was going to be an interesting ride on a CT110. It was definitely do-able though.
Plans awry
Next morning offered a cold, wet and miserable ride into Copley for fuel and air to bring the tyres back up to hard-pack pressures. The front was showing signs of stress and 20psi was a bit low for the tar sections. I’d greased the tubes to reduce the risk of pinch flats and there were traces of grease on the sidewalls.
Originally I was planning to overnight in Peterborough, however the weather was warm and clear, so I fuelled up and decided to overnight in Broken Hill.
‘The best laid schemes of mice and men’ said Burns or Steinbeck or someone, ‘go often awry’. I was bobbing along making good speed when, from nowhere, a bloody cold southerly wind with freezing rain began hammering down. Within a few minutes I was very cold and getting wetter every minute.
I stopped outside the Olary Pub and was quickly inside by the log fire, hot coffee in hand, thawing out.
Olary – population: three – and its pub, are stories in themselves. I was able to secure the deluxe suite!
As it was raining, interesting characters came in: ’roo shooters, grey nomads, road-train drivers and more, and it became a most entertaining night.
Mountain man
In the warm, dry environment of my luxury accommodation I’d planned my next day’s ride to make Nyngan if possible. I’d fuel up at Broken Hill and not stop in Wilcannia.
It was a long ride and the TR did it without a problem. Even I survived without too many aches or pains. I’d had the seat modified to reduce thickness, and the new width was perfect for my wellpadded bum.
I found a great café and petrol stop in the middle of nowhere in the late afternoon as I rolled into Nyngan.
Nyngan to Narrabeen was an easy day’s ride. Even though it was raining, cold and wet from Bathurst and coming over the mountains, it was still daylight when I pulled into home.
The wrap up
The ride covered 4600km, of which nearly 800km were dirt, and after 60 years I did finally ride the Birdsville Track. It’s never too late to tick an item off your Bucket List.
As a rank amateur dirt rider I can only hope to have inspired others to give it a go.
It was one of those things. The editor spat out a half-cocked idea in the hearing of someone who thought it was too good to ignore. So on one day, throughout the Land Girt By Sea, owners of Kawasaki’s unshakeable, unbreakable KLR rode, crowed and held their heads high.
Readers of Adventure Rider
Magazine first met Ed Brown as an Ol’ Mate back in issue #10. Back then he was the proud owner of a spankin’ KLR he’d bought second-hand on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and was riding it back to his home near Sydney… before breakfast one morning. Ed loves long, long rides. Asking him to stop while someone gets a coffee or answers the call of nature can cause black looks and grumbling.
Anyhoo, Adventure Rider Magazine rode a little way with Ed and found him to be a top bloke.
During that ride there was some discussion about how frigging good KLRs are, and how every second adventure rider has one, and how someone should plan a major KLR event – get everyone together and just have a jabillion KLRs and their owners all gasbagging and riding and having a great time.
By that stage Ed’s bike had been
stationary for probably 60 seconds and he was getting a little fidgety, so we roosted off and promptly forgot about it.
But Ed didn’t forget. He made something happen.
It wasn’t exactly the concept we’d floated, but it was still pretty amazing.
On a set weekend, separate groups of KLR owners in four different States rode loud and proud.
Here’s their stories…
Mover and shaker: Ed Brown
Rainbow Beach, Queensland
The lead up to the south-east Queensland KLR ride didn’t look promising.
The region had received an absolute downpour the day before we were due to ride, and the result was widespread flooding.
But that wasn’t going to stop us.
We all met up at Dayboro bakery and, seeing as the dirt tracks had been closed due to the weather, took the bitumen over Mount Mee. We got to Woodford and reached our first hurdle of the trip: a whopping 50cm of fast-moving water over the bridge between Woodford and Kilcoy. The bridge was closed until an engineer could certify it was safe to cross.
That didn’t stop some people, however the blokes that closed the bridge were taking down everyone’s licence-plate number and handing it over to the police.
Take a fence
We waited around for a good 40 minutes until Jared (the creator of Australian KLR Riders on Facebook), decided, “F#^&@ this. I’m going”. We geared up, waited for the opportune moment when the guy was talking to a truckie, then piss-bolted over the bridge, not giving old mate any
time to write down our details.
We fuelled up at Kilcoy, then jumped on the Kilcoy-Murgon Road, turning off onto Monsidale Road, and after countless causeway crossings we came up against 70cm of fast-flowing water.
“No thanks,” was the group’s general opinion, turning around and jumping back on the Kilcoy-Murgon Road.
From there we turned onto Kandanga Creek Road – a logging road – but we felt safe in assuming there would be no trucks on it that day. After at least 15 causeway crossings, including taking down a barbedwire fence that had been dragged onto the causeway by the torrent of water, we made it into Imbil for a meal at the pub.
Camp
After fuelling up we headed to Cooroy, then to Tewantin, where we jumped back on to the dirt and made our way to Cooloola Way.
On a pre-run the weekend before I’d managed to hit a rock at 110kph and bent my rim, so I was keen to find the rock and give it the evil eye.
It was never found.
Cooloola Way was pretty uneventful.
There were some slippery clay parts, but there was only one small off. We got to a decent amount of water across the track and Jared decided it would be a good time to line all the bikes up for a photo. I also decided it was a good time to drop my bike, just as a 4WD wanted to get through. We left Cooloola Way and headed to Inskip, where we set up camp right near the beach and went back to get dinner and drinks. Everyone hit the hay pretty early, and all woke up keen to check out the beach.
D’oh
We went to Rainbow Beach for a feed and waited around for a while for the tide to go down. Some of us made it about 100m down the sand before we got to some impassable rocks. That left only one alternative: Freshwater Track.
I was dreading it. I’d been told how
Top: The Queensland group all made it on to the beach okay. They didn’t all leave in one piece. Below left: There were lots of causeways to be dealt with.
Below: The sand tested the bikes and the riders.
Words and images: Scott Owen
bad it could be, but when we got onto the dreaded track I was surprised at how easy it was…until I hit the corner of a rut and went over the ’bars. Fortunately there was no damage to me or the bike...at that stage.
Then we finally made it to the beach and the fun began.
We rode for a while and stopped to get a photo of the group, then continued on for another 20 minutes or so, and then it happened.
I was in front and decided to head further up the beach where it was a bit softer and there were peaks in the sand. I hit one of the peaks, not realising there was one about a metre afterwards.
My front dug in, sending me and the bike into the air and shattering my wheel hub in the process. It came back down onto the front wheel, which had now stopped spinning, throwing me off and sending myself and the bike cartwheeling down the beach.
I jumped straight up, looked at the bike
Jamieson, Victoria
With recent rain and a forecast of clear skies for two days this was always going to be a great ride and it didn’t disappoint anyone. Our destination was Crows Hut, near Licola, about 250km east of Melbourne.
In Warburton we met our crew of John, Adrian, Steve and Justin, and set off for Matlock. A newly graded road from Warburton to Matlock made for interesting riding with very loose gravel and a very slick surface under our rubber shoes. After a quick break in Matlock, some pics and a chat, we then set off along the Walhalla Road and up to Mount Selma Road. The higher the altitude the colder it got. It was a nice ride of around 25km and had some great terrain.
After a short loop off Mount Selma Road we arrived at Deer Hut.
This hut is set up nicely, can sleep 10 people comfortably, has a potbelly stove, kitchen, utensils, lighting from a battery
and spare food if needed.
Change of plan
From Deer Hut we set off along the loop and arrived back onto Mount Selma Road. It was another great, rocky, steep, challenging ride to the intersection of South Road and Mount Selma Road, and we began to feel a little isolated.
Continuing north meant a nice easy ride along South Road until it hit the Jamieson-Licola Road. The winds picked up and the temperature dropped, and we were looking forward to getting set up at Crows Hut.
After a ride of approximately 50km we arrived at Lazaridis Track. I’d ridden this track in January, loved it and couldn’t wait to show the other guys this great hut.
A short ride along Lazaridis Track took us to a short, steep access road and that’s when the fun started. The access road claimed a few riders on the way down and
and knew I was going nowhere.
Then I started feeling dizzy, so I sat down and took my helmet off.
By this stage everyone else had caught up. Luckily we had a former army medic in the group who checked me over and suspected I had a broken collarbone. None of us had phone reception, and my vision started going blurry and dark, so I decided to set off my EPIRB.
One of the group went further along the beach and found a park ranger who called the ambos.
The careflight chopper then arrived, they checked me out and left, deciding I was better off going in the ambulance that was almost there.
So that’s where my ride ended, in the back of an ambulance. And that was the last time riding my beloved KLR. It was written off.
Apart from the ending it was an awesome ride with a great bunch of blokes, through some of the best places
one ended up with a very sore ankle. Then, after all that work, the hut was found to be occupied.
Fire when ready
After a quick stop to assess the situation we set off again, this time the hut access road claimed a few more riders on the way up and a few dropped bikes before we set off along the Jamieson-Licola Road.
This road never fails to impress in different seasons. A smooth, easy ride was a good thing, because it was getting dark and closing in on 5.00pm and we were still searching for Grannies Flat. We needed to stop for the night, and we knew the flat was there somewhere, approximately 20km east of Jamieson.
It turned out to be an isolated, flat, green piece of heaven, and a quick set up of tents, dinner, pics and chat around the fire finished us for the night.
Home time
The next morning and we set off for Jamieson in search breakfast. We then rode our separate ways from there and a great time was had by all.
Top left: Smooth road or rough dirt – the KLR loves it all.
Top right: The planned destination: Crows Hut. Right: Victorious Victorians at Grannies Flat.
Words and images: John Grant
Left: Cruisin’. On the right bike, in the right place, at the right time. Below: Recent rain meant a wet ride.
Kokerbin Rock is the third-largest monolith in Australia and is located in the eastern wheat belt of Western Australia between the towns of Quairading and Brucerock. This was our KLR destination.
All four one
I’d only been home a week or so from a trip around Australia that failed due to total numbness in my left hand and fingers coupled with a leaking radiator. I got as far as Ipswich in Queensland and headed for home. I probably shouldn’t have ridden this ride but I’d made the commitment to the group to lead the way (someone had to be blamed if we didn’t get there) and to Ed Brown.
Lithgow, NSW Kokerbin Rock, Western Australia
The WA riders departed from two different locations due to our group being spread far and wide. The metro riders: myself (Glenn), Sarra, Shannon and Syd left from our meeting point in Byford, with Terry, riding solo, leaving from Ongerup. We laughed about the pics the east-coast riders had posted and the wet weather they were having. Our weather could be best described as perfect.
The metro crew had a 297km trip along forest roads and farm roads, except for the last 40km when we slabbed it. It was getting late in the afternoon and we still had to set up our sleeping gear and meet
up with the others at our destination. I’d mapped the ride using Basecamp and Shonky and hadn’t pre-run it, so there was some uncertainty that all tracks were even accessible.
Our only stumble was a farmhouse inconveniently positioned where the track should’ve been, and a quick backtrack had us around the farm and continuing on.
The GPS claimed we actually only rode for four-and-a-half hours and were parked up for four hours, a total of eight-and-ahalf hours. I don’t believe anyone had any moments and we all arrived incident-free, although saddle sore and tired.
Rock on
We stopped 50km into the ride for a rest and a squirt – and whatever women do – and spent a good 30 minutes or more
It was wet, it was cold, it was dry, it was hot, but most of all it was fun.
The start point for the NSW group was Kellyville Macca’s and we all arrived at the same time, Sonny, Jim, and myself (Ed).
Paul came along to say good luck and see us off.
End at hill end
The rain was light and we headed for the Bells Line Of Road, and as we climbed the hill the temperature dropped. We stopped
at Bilpin to make sure we were warm and waterproof as the fog closed in.
The rain continued through Bell, down into Little Hartley and almost all the way to Tarana where Barry was waiting for us. He’d ridden from Canberra to join the fun.
We headed north and fuelled up at Yetholme.
After a short highway run to Sunny Corner we hit the dirt, riding through Dark Corner, Palmers Oaky, along the river to Upper Turon and on to Sofala for a rest, a
drink and something to eat.
After some discussion it was decided that we would go to Hill End for the night and stay at the National Park campground for some dinner, laughter and some wellearned sleep.
Done well
Sunday morning was clear and we headed to the coffee shop for a starter.
We descended into the valley and the fog of the Bridal Track, but as the day heated up the fog cleared.
After a drink stop we continued on to Bathurst and a lap of the famous mountain
Words and images: Glenn Commons
Words and images: Ed Brown
chewing the fat, eating nibblies and Sarra’s homemade banana bread. This was Sarra’s first long off-road ride on her KLR. She generally pilots a 350EXC, and from what I hear she’s not too shabby on the enduro scene.
All good
After the breather it was on to Brookton for our fuel stop. We arrived at Kokerbin Rock at approximately 6.00pm and met Terry – the other Terry – and his partner, Marianne.
It was then off to the campsite for the night. The Bruce Rock shire needs to be commended on the free camping facilities they’ve made available to travellers.
Top left: Kokerbin Rock is the third-largest monolith in Australia and the WA KLR riders went to check it out.
Left: That speedo needle looks to be hovering at the speed limit. Above: Just because it’s flat doesn’t mean the scenery’s not awesome.
circuit, saying goodbye to Barry as he headed back to Canberra. We rode along the highway towards the next section of dirt on the plan, from Woolgan Road along the Blackfellows Hand Track and the Glow-worm Track to the ZigZag.
We sucked back a beer at Kurrajong and headed off home. Thank you Adventure Ride Magazine for having this idea. Thanks also to Sonny, Jim and Barry for a great weekend and to Paul for the support visit at the start.
Top left: A KLR will take you just about anywhere.
Left: Geez! Carving up through The Cutting. All at legal speeds, no doubt. Below: The author (left) with his fellow glow worms.
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One of the best things about our sport is the people it throws together. Here’s an adventure rider chosen at random from the thousands who read this magazine. Everyone, meet…
lIz KeIly
Q. Where’s home?
A. At present home is my Suzuki DR650. I have rented out my house in Drouin, in sunny Gippsland, Victoria, and have been riding for nearly 10 months. Although it was our family home, I don’t have an attachment to it anymore.
Q. How old are you?
A. You must come from Asia. I’ve been asked that question so many times during our travels. I am 57 years young.
Q. Do you meet any other girls your age riding adventure bikes?
A. No. I left Australia 12 months ago as a P-plater and being new to riding I didn’t mix in biking circles, so I can’t speak for Australia. However, since travelling across Asia I have only met maybe five women riders in total. I certainly
haven’t met any of my vintage.
Q. Are you registered on the AdvRiderMag forum? If so, what’s your handle?
A. My handle is roostersoverland. My partner, Con Feyen and I were both born in the Chinese year of the rooster, hence our adventurous spirit.
Q. What bike do you ride?
A. I ride a 2001 Suzuki DR650 and it’s a perfect beast for our Overland tour. It’s been lowered to suit my lack of height. Very often road conditions are unknown to us, so it’s great to know the bike can take me pretty well everywhere.
Q. You’re on a monster ride. Where from and to?
A. Our original plan was to ride from Australia to London. If we don’t finish in London I won’t mind, because the destination
u
lIz KeIly
Right:
Main: Liz and her DR carving a lap from her home in Gipplsand, Victoria, to London, England.
Liz has 30,000km under her belt already. She left Australia a P plater. Below right: Her partner Con is sharing the ride.
isn’t the focus anymore. It’s more about where we want to go next, and when the money runs out we’ll stop. So far we’ve ridden Timor Leste-Indonesia-MalaysiaThailand-Laos-Myanmar-The Sister States (India)-Nepal. The next challenge is to get Pakistani and Iranian visas.
Q. Where were you as you answered these questions?
A. Sitting in a guesthouse in Patan, part of the Kathmandu Valley. I can see the snow-topped Himalayas in the distance as I listen to the horn-blowing, crazy traffic outside. Kathmandu is captivating, but the sad reminders of the recent earthquake are everywhere. We’ve just finished nearly a month exploring the littleknown sister states of north-east India. That’s top of my list to return to one day – an adventure-rider’s paradise.
Q. What do you like most about the mag?
A. I love that it’s Aussie. Something reaffirmed for me on this tour is just how beautiful Australia is. Australia makes me
go, “Wow!” We have so many beautiful places to ride. I’m excited about returning to Australia to ride some of the places featured in Adventure Rider Magazine. Q. What’s something that really peeves you on a ride?
A. I get peeved if I’m really enjoying the ride and totally in the moment and I think about stopping to take a photo or record it on video. I often don’t stop because it ruins the flow, and then I chastise myself later for not capturing the memories. Something else that peeves me is seeing rubbish on the side of the road and in waterways. Many places in the world don’t have any systems for collecting rubbish, nor do they seem to understand how important it is to dispose of rubbish properly. Plastic rubbish peeves me!
Q. Why do they call India the ‘subcontinent’? It’s a big chunk of continent on its own, isn’t it?
A. It sure is a big chunk of continent. It’s a subcontinent because it has natural
boundaries like the Himalayan mountains which separate it from the rest of the continent, and also it has an identity of its own – for sure.
Q. Oh. How did you get started on this current challenge?
A. By a simple question thrown at me by my partner: “Is a 12-month overseas overland trip by motorcycle something you might want to do?”
I embrace challenges like that in the blink of an eye. I committed on the spot and set about learning to ride, saving, saving, saving, and letting my children know that the house wouldn’t be available to them during 2014 and 2015. After two years of research and gaining my licence I was on my way.
Q. Had you done much riding before tackling this intercontinental cup o’ soup?
A. I had no background in riding at all. Learning to ride was part of the preparation. While on my Ls, I crazily tackled the Wonnanngatta Station ride
on my DR. Then we did a week-long trip up the Barry Way to the Snowy Mountains. They were the only real rides I had completed.
Once we began riding in Asia I realised I had a lot to learn. Slow riding skills in this part of the world are crucial to your survival and I didn’t really have them. Doing U-turns would send me into an instant sweat. There are no paved parking lots and hotels often have really challenging entrances. I’m still challenged by these situations when they arise unexpectedly – like on the mighty Brahmaputra River. The ferry was barely wider than the length of my bike and had a couple of planks to ride up.
I now have 30,000km under my belt, so I’m just beginning to think of myself as a rider.
Q. You’re on a big ride. What have you planned for when it’s finished?
A. I have nothing planned. This trip has taught me an important lesson, though.
In life, if we just let go a bit, options present themselves. You just have to be open to them. Something will come up for me, I’m sure.
Q. What’s in your panniers?
A. A lot less than when I started. In fact I have one less pannier.
In my top box I have: the Carnet De Passage for the bike, seven pairs of knickers, two pairs of socks, toiletries, a head scarf for Muslim countries, one dress, thermals, a Samsung Galaxy Note, chargers and adaptors, a diary, a warm vest, a T-shirt, a pair of bike shorts and a pair of happy pants. Today I bought a Punjabi suit appropriate for Pakistan and Iran. In my side pannier I have spare tubes, a first aid kit, sleeping-bag liner and pillow, runners, mosquito net and coils, knife, cutlery, spare tie downs, carabiners and rain gear.
My partner carries all the tools, spares and camping equipment.
Q. Are you going to tell us about the trip
when it’s over?
A. Yes! One of my goals on this trip is to practise my writing skills. I’ve always had stories I wanted to tell. This is my chance to focus on that.
I’ve been keeping a blog of stories at www.roostersoverland.com. When I return to Australia I want to explore options for publishing my writing and photography and, of course, hopefully make some money out of it.
I also want to inspire other people, especially women, to live their dreams whatever they may be.
Travel has always been a central part of my life and a core part of who I am. It’s mind-blowing to me that 35 years ago I visited Kathmandu as a young girl. That visit to the Himalayas was life-changing and set me on a passionate path of exploring the outdoors. Now, here I am again on my motorcycle. Who would have thought?
“The world is a book. Those who do not travel read only a page”.
Main: The next challenge is to get Pakistani and Iranian visas.
Right: ‘The world is a book. Those who do not travel read only a page’.
Terra
2015 Trans
Adventure riders are a resilient bunch. Maschine’s first TransTerra ride found a few damp days didn’t dampen anyone’s enthusiasm. Around 70 riders tackled some tough conditions and finished the epic ride smiling.
The first TransTerra ride kicked off on a Saturday in November, 2015, with a group of 14 riders sharpening their skills at a rider training session.
Joadja Town in the southern highlands of NSW was the venue
and it’s steeped in history. An old shale-oil mining town in its heyday, the miners are long gone but many of the nineteenth century buildings still stand, and the owners are doing their best to preserve the history and allow others to experience it.
In spite of the rich history it seemed most of the riders were more interested in the whisky distillery on the site. Valero, the property owner, kindly gave our group a private tour and explained the process involved in distilling a single malt whisky. It was fascinating, and the aromas in the building were amazing.
Sadly, we’ll have to wait another 18 months or so before Val’s first
batch is ready to hit our palates.
Trials tribulations
A unique aspect of the rider-training course was the inclusion of a fleet of Sherco trials bikes. Paul Bray from Trials Experience joined Nick from Maschine as coaches, and because the trials bikes are so light they’re far more responsive to rider input. That aids the learning process, but also exaggerates movements, forcing riders to concentrate on being smooth. The trials bikes are also more forgiving when dropped, which helps riders explore their limits. There was a marked improvement
Words: Nick Selleck. Images: Terry Cunningham
in all riders over the weekend and the lift in riders’ confidence and technique carried them through the following week.
Welcome
On Sunday afternoon the stately lounge at Peppers Craigieburn was buzzing. Some riders were catching up with old friends and several newbies were gleaning info from more experienced riders on what to expect from a Maschine adventure ride. It was like a family reunion for a family that actually gets along.
The welcome briefing got underway shortly after rider registration and sleep had most dreaming of the ride to begin a few hours later.
Bowral to Bungendore – 282km
As the TransTerra posse headed out of Bowral the route passed some spectacular gardens and ran on to Fitzroy Falls as the first sightseeing stopover. Fitzroy Falls sees water plummet over 80 metres off the sandstone escarpment and into the Yarranga Creek valley below.
After winding down the bitumen twisties into Kangaroo Valley the route headed to Nowra through Morton National Park with its fern-covered valley and rocky overhangs.
Deans Road gave most riders an easy path south through the forest, but a hard-core few decided to tackle the first optional hard section. A number of riders did the first kilometres of the hard route, but as it dropped into the valley and deteriorated many took the wise option of bugging out back to the main route. u
Left: Many riders claimed the Barry Way was one of their favourite tracks. Below left: Valero, the property owner, kindly gave our group a private tour
Above: Trials Experience provided a fleet of Shercos for the adventure trials training at Joadja.
Below: The dynamic duo of Richard and Denis had a ball all week and were pretty stoked to arrive at Mollymook on the fifth day.
Recent rains had washed away a significant amount of soil between the rocks and made the hard route ‘very’ hard.
This hard section was closed off and re-arrowed mid-morning, but for the few that continued on they certainly got their money’s worth.
Once back on the bitumen the group headed over the Great Dividing Range via the Old Wool Road and out onto the southern highlands around Braidwood.
A rocky creek crossing wet everyone’s boots just before lunch and the afternoon run into Bungendore through Tallaganda State Forest saw a couple of riders succumb to gravity on the slippery, granitic, sand roads.
Most riders rolled into Bungendore satisfied to get through the first day and ready for a thirst-quenching ale.
For the support crew it was to be a late night with a rider setting off his SPOT Tracker’s ‘Okay, but need help’ message. The rider and deeply bogged bike were retrieved in what would be an adventure in itself.
Bungendore to Jindabyne – 314km
A longer second day was planned, but as the day rolled on the roads opened up allowing faster progress.
Above: The long stretches of mud puddles on the first day caught out a few.
Below: Rob Turton from Tyres For Bikes provided his unrelenting support.
Main: Tim Ham had fun picking his way through the rocks and logs.
Top right: A great mix of bikes enjoyed the ride.
Running south from Bungendore the route dived back into Tallaganda State Forest and bounced its way along a fun track with heaps of erosion banks to launch off. A mid-morning stop at Lowden Forest Park was a great way to slow down and take in the sights, including the historic water wheel. Lowden Forest Park was the base of operations for some serious timber cutting back in the 1930s and many remnants can be seen there, including rusty old steam engines and the timber water wheel, which provided electricity for the workers.
Getting through the next pine-forest stage proved a geographical challenge for many with Paul, Maschine’s lead rider, having to make some route alterations on the fly after logging operations had closed some of the planned tracks. Cracking views over the NSW southern highlands from a fire-tower lookout rewarded riders who tackled the pineforest maze.
Heading south from the pines saw riders stretching throttle cables over the wide, open, granitic-sand roads that flowed through open farmland. The slippery and abrasive surfaces can torture a rear tyre in no time if you get too silly on throttle, so it was probably a good thing Adaminaby turned up. Everyone visited the old town site overlooking Lake Eucumbene and that slowed things down a little.
As riders made their way into Jindabyne, dark storm clouds brewed overhead and it was pot luck as to whether you got dumped on or not. Some riders arrived with massive grins knowing they’d dodged a bullet, while others were forced to stop to throw on waterproofs.
A great feed after the nightly briefing set everything right again.
Jindabyne to Merimbula – 360km
The weather can be very changeable in the NSW high country and during this ride was no different. There was some lowhanging cloud south of Jindabyne, but thankfully the blanket lifted as everyone headed down the Barry Way, and that allowed a full appreciation of the great views over the Snowy River. For many riders this section was the highlight of their TransTerra week, and it’s easy to understand why. The endless gravel and granitic-sand corners hugging the valley walls mixed with stunning scenery to offer a sublime riding and sensory experience.
For most riders it was right around the time they arrived in Bombala for lunch that the clouds released a heavy dump of moisture and many riders avoided the final dirt section of the u
day. The bitumen snaking over Mount Darragh kept everyone interested enough and a waft of sea air welcomed everyone back to the coast.
Depending on a rider’s place in the pack they arrived in Merimbula either wet or really wet! It was a real treat to grab dry gear from the luggage trailer and the heaters in the hotel rooms worked overtime that night.
Merimbula to Batemans Bay – 288km
The dastardly plan to send riders through a boghole first thing the next morning was dashed with heavy overnight rain. After sighting the swollen, flowing creek it would’ve been a cruel joke to continue on that route. Thankfully the rest of the tracks planned for TT riders on day four handled the drenching rain really well and were surprisingly grippy. Many riders were also surprised, in a good way, by the single track with log crossings and a rocky downhill. A couple of creek crossings also kept riders on their toes and their socks wet.
Bermagui was the perfect place to enjoy some fresh fish and chips for lunch by the wharf.
Slip, slop, slap
The planned route was altered slightly in the afternoon to reduce overall distance because of wet tracks and
slower speeds. Some of the planned track sections remained though, including a sublime section tracing the banks of a creek with a succession of second- and third-gear corners to float around.
Continuing along the revised route took riders back inland over the Pacific Highway and into the rich farmland around Tilba Tilba and Bodalla, and the final run into Batemans Bay had a little sting in the tail with a short section of red-clay track that was diabolically slippery. A group gathered and tried walking down, but that proved harder than actually riding down the sucker. Forward and downward was the only option, which fortunately led riders right into Batemans Bay via the backroads.
Batemans Bay to Mollymook – 264km
With another wet day forecast, the fifth day was going to be a case of suck-it-and-see as to whether it would be possible to complete the entire planned route. There was some single track at the end of the day that was destined to be a slippery affair.
The first section of the day headed up into the mountains along a great fun track with a sandy base with a couple of slippery clay exits out of creek crossings.
Another hard-route option gave riders what amounted to a seven-kilometre staircase to drop
u
Above: Richard Pasqualino and Denis Castronini taking a breather during the very hard first day section on Monkey Gum Fire Trail. Below: Martin McNaught blasting out of the gates.
Photos courtesy of Danny Wilkinson
down. Mega-sized erosion banks every few hundred metres had everyone scrubbing off speed and relaxing the bodies for a brief moment of air time for the brave.
Once in the valley riders followed the glorious Deua River towards Araluen, and a succession of second- and third-gear turns with variable traction levels enticed riders to explore the limits of their tyres and their bikes’ traction control systems.
A power outage at the Araluen Hotel meant the stop time at the pub was cut short, then another twisting, graniticsand road climbed out of the valley and rewarded everyone with smashing views back down the valley. A quick run through a rainforest section, with mud holes to traverse followed by sweeping bitumen running back down the mountain, provided a real contrast for the morning.
Sea you there
East Lynne Store delighted everyone with some of the best pies, sausage rolls and coffee any adventure rider could hope to find. Dean, the proprietor, may have encouraged some to over indulge on their fine cuisine, but others continued on to Pebbly Beach through some neat single track. Riders made friends with the local kangaroo population of Murramarang National Park. These ’roos enjoy their days hanging out on the beach eating grass with the sound of surf breaking just behind them.
For most riders the afternoon’s route was largely determined by where they were when the final deluge of the week hit them. Many riders decided a quick beeline on the bitumen to escape the heavy rain was the ideal way to end the week’s riding. Those who pushed into the final section of
single track were confronted with muddy waterfalls as they endeavoured to see the TransTerra route out to the very end at Mollymook by the sea.
A fond farewell
During the week the TransTerra crew was in the NSW South Coast region between 50mm and 100mm of rain fell. So it was proper wet. But everyone still enjoyed themselves to the full. No amount of water could wipe the smiles off rider’s faces at the farewell dinner.
Rob Turton from Tyres For Bikes not only provided riders with tyre support all week, but during the dinner he also shared some of his years of tyre knowledge and gave riders a rundown on what makes a good adventure tyre. Many have appreciated Rob’s ‘tireless’ support of Maschine events over the years, and his Dakar-style truck is always the centre of attention at the end of the day. Rob’s always ready with a joke or a rum can for those in need.
A few prizes given out during the farewell dinner extended the smiles as riders made plans to catch up again on future rides.
Coming up
Maschine’s TransTerra 2016 edition will take on some different landscapes and see those game to tackle the Tanami Desert as they ride from the red centre of the continent at Alice Springs to WA’s Kimberley region and on down to Broome. Timed to coincide with the finish of the Finke Desert Race and the dry season up north, it’s unlikely rain will play such a part in the next TransTerra ride.
But this is adventure riding. There are no guarantees!
Below left: Enjoying time out on the trails with mates is what TransTerra is all about.
Above: Paul Bray was bemused at some of the sights along the route, especially Pooh Corner on the Kings Highway.
Main: Danial Zammit blasting around the chimneys at Joadja.
SWM RS 650R
Australia’s newest adventure bike is a blast from the past – in more ways than one.
SWM is a bike brand that’ll ring a few bells with older riders. Back in the last century the Italian marque used to knock out a pretty competitive two-stroke enduro bike. In the 1970s SWMs were podium finishers in enduro world championships, and as it moved into the 1980s the company also developed a range of competitive trials bikes using Rotax engines.
In the best traditions of European motorcycle manufacturers, the company shut its doors in 1984, only to be resurrected later. In 2014, Ampelio Macchi, a bit of an engineering brainbox who cut his teeth with companies like Cagiva, Aprilia and Husqvarna, breathed life back into SWM and set up in what was the Husqvarna factory in Lombadia, Italiano.
Anyhoo, the relevance of all this history to the bronzed Aussie lies in the recent appointment of an Australian distributor - Mojo Motorcycles - and the release of the RS 650R, a bike that offers adventure riders some really frigging exciting possibilities.
We’re really frigging excited about it, anyway.
The RS is heavily based on the old Husqvarna TE630. We happen to know a bit about that model Husky and we have a very high opinion of the bike. What gets us so excited about the SWM is that, if as it appears on paper this bike is essentially a refined TE630, it’ll mean there’s once again on the Australian market a 650cc single with a strong engine, good suspension, quality brakes, fuel injection and no electronics – except for the fuel injection. We like that bit.
The whole package weighs in at 144kg.
We love the performance of modern bikes as much as anyone, but we know there are plenty of riders who prefer a bike without rider aids. They like the feel and challenge of the bare-bones ride. Now, instead of having to shop around for a good second-hand bike, Australians can buy a brand-new one at an insane price. As this issue goes to print, the SWM rolls off the dealer floor for $8990 including GST, plus ORC.
We’re not for a second downplaying the great value of the KLR, DR and Sertão, but the more choice, the better. Those in the market for a 650cc single are starting to look a little spoiled for choice.
Can you see why we’re peeing our pants?
We’ll give you the full rundown on the SWM next issue after we’ve ridden it.
Front suspension: 45mm Marzocchi fork with 210mm of travel
Rear suspension: Sachs shock with 270mm of travel
Wheels: 18/21-inch front and rear
Seat Height: 900mm
Wheelbase: 1505mm
Ground clearance: 250mm
Fuel capacity: 12-litres
Weight: 144kg
OK
inKL
Three brothers took on the Gibb River Road in 2014 – see issue #07 –and now they’ve gone international. They swapped their DR650s for Versys 650s, Western Australia for Malaysia and buddy Wayne for another buddy, Steve. It was the ride of their lives, run over five days and 1750km. Colin Bayman tells the story.
We were looking for a good ride. There had to be plenty to see, great food, a bit of culture and quality accommodation.
After searching the ’net and reading the Trip Advisor reviews we found Malaysian Motorcycle Getaway Tours and knew they were going to tick all the boxes for us. With six months to go we had our deposits paid, hundreds of questions answered and had started to plan our flights and the rest of the trip. They even threw in tickets to the Sepang MotoGP.
Corner speed
It wasn’t until we boarded an AirAsia flight to Kuala Lumpur I realised why I like to fly Qantas. If you have a fat arse the Asian airline offers a tight fit.
The following morning we grabbed a taxi to the tour-company headquarters and met Feizal and his crew. The bikes were all lined up outside the office in pristine condition and ready to roll, and after a short briefing on video we suited up and climbed aboard the bikes with personal belongings jammed into panniers or a top box.
Although they do supply riding
gear we took our own and found our well-ventilated adventure jackets were a must in the warm and humid climate. I also had my hydration pack in the jacket and managed to drink between two and three litres of water a day. Jumping straight on to a freeway at 9.00am on a Monday is the best way to get accustomed to the roads and driving styles. Feizal’s rule –‘there are no rules’ – sure did come in handy and we stuck to the lead rider Zahed like poop to a blanket. We also had a sweep rider following and an expat by the name of Voya riding his own bright-red Ducati.
Words & images Colin Bayman
That made us a group of seven.
Voya had plenty of experience riding in the crazy traffic and gave us lots of tips on the best way to approach our new-found freedom. We hit the freeway competing with trucks, buses, scooters, crotch-rockets and an amazing assortment of fast cars. When we sat on 100kph there were plenty of vehicles that passed us like we were standing still.
Not too long into the ride we were off the freeway and riding country backroads that could only have been built for bikes. Although the scenery was great it was difficult not to ride hard and enjoy the twists and turns. You can look at scenery anytime.
A glance down at the speedo on a few
Top left: There’s plenty of great coastline to enjoy in Malaysia.
Top: Riding roads as good as these was fabulous –not just the scenery, but the road condition itself was amazing.
Above: The ferry from Penang Island was a novelty. The causeway on the way over was too.
Left: A video briefing was excellent.
occasions showed we may have been exceeding the 100kph speed limit by 40kph, and once I felt more comfortable with the Versys there may have been a time when I was 70kph over.
You can only go so fast around the curves, though.
See food
Coffee was at around 10.00am and served at a very different and unique location
each day. We’d choose a drink then grab a table, ready to sit back and tell each other how much fun we were having. Yes, we all thought we were Rossi Valentino, but this was a tour and we were riding bikes far more suited for touring than the Sepang circuit.
More twists and turns, which seemed to go on forever, would take us to the lunch break, often at a locals-only diner and the tour leader, Zahed, took care of most of the ordering and made sure we got to try specialties of the area.
The food was simple, basic, local cuisine with flavours to die for, with as much as anyone wanted. If you like seafood, be prepared to be impressed on one of these rides.
Action
More miles turned into smiles with an afternoon break for refreshments around 300km or so. We only struck rain on one afternoon, but it did come down heavy, so don’t forget some wet weather gear if you’re headed this way. A four-star hotel loomed each afternoon at around 4.00pm and we were usually met with a friendly greeting and a welcome drink. Each day followed the same concept with various stops thrown in to take in the view, check out a waterfall, cave and temple (we told them one would be enough) to take the obligatory group photo. Zahed had a cam mounted on his helmet and grabbed plenty of action shots. The camera didn’t stop all ride and it provided a brilliant DVD to remind us of the awesome week we’d had.
A great destination
Every kilometre of the ride was great, but a few of the highlights were the 130km of twisties in the Cameron Highlands, the long ride across the causeway to Penang and the ride back on the ferry to the mainland. The roads seemed a bit crazy until we realised we just needed to ride like everyone else. Yes, we did ride a little silly at times, but we made sure we kept within our comfort zones and there were no incidents along the way. We all made it back to the start in one piece, wishing the ride wasn’t coming to an end.
I actually sent this ride report in not so much to tell our story but to let others know how great the riding is in Malaysia. I had no idea I could have so much fun on the road. The roads twist and turn and are in good condition, and they’re just begging you to see how quickly you can get around the next corner. We rode past monkeys, cows, dogs and other funny looking things, saw mountains, waterfalls and jungles that go on forever. The whole ride is a sensory overload, from the scenery to the food and the friendliest people you will ever meet.
If you stay a few days in Kuala Lumpur before or after a ride, book yourself into the Park Royal Hotel in Buckit Bintang. There are hundreds of places to eat and drink and so much to see.
No matter what sort of bike you ride and no matter where you like to ride it, you will not be disappointed with Malaysia.
If you’d like more of the Perth boys’ experience, log on to www.ridemalaysia.com.my.
Main: The tropical rainforest is spectacular and the roads and bridges made the most of it.
Above: The Cameron Highlands had great scenery.
Top right: Steve Fern, Roley Bayman, Colin Bayman, Peter Bayman and Voya Kissitch.
New England
Ian Goldsworthy dusted off his trusty Dominator, grabbed a couple of mates and mapped out a course to attend the Adventure Rider Magazine Congregation near Inverell in NSW.
We had three strong and willing participants: Ryan Barnett, Craig Finn and little ol’ me. I sat down and set the course from Newcastle, including as many dirt tracks as I could, but trying not to scare off the other two before we got to the celebrations.
Apparently when you run your own business, as do Craig and Ryan, there’s not as much time to get prep stuff done as there is for those of us on a salary, so after a last-minute
flurry of activities we assembled on the Friday afternoon. Craig was so excited he just had to take a photo of the three mighty steeds, and I managed a quick photo-bomb, half hiding the Strom.
Then we were off. I’d put together a Garmin track file with some assistance from other forum guys and we were following the pink line on my GPS pretty much the whole weekend.
Starting Friday arvo was a great way to settle into riding a bike for well over 1000km across three days as the other two didn’t have much experience at long bike rides.
Swag men
slithering along on highway tyre pressures to stop and take happy snaps of the sights from the ridges.
We followed some great winding rural roads, mostly tar between Rutherford and Singleton and dirt between Rouchel and Glenbawn. The dirt road between Rouchel and Glenbawn had some astonishing
Top: Men on a mission.
Left: The author (right) with his two mates Ryan Barnett (left) and Craig Finn (centre). Above: The electronics on the KTM helped get the stats right.
Words and images: Ian ‘Centrestand’ Goldsworthy
I think that’s an excuse to go back there again.
Pulling up at the Lake Glenbawn area to get set up for camping we realised dinner was going to be a challenge. There was nowhere close by to get a meal.
I’d worried this may have been an issue so I’d entered some phone numbers into my mobile just in case, including the pub at Gundy, about 30 minutes away. Fortunately it was open and we were welcome to roll out the swags nearby and enjoy the hot showers and dinners. The only proviso was we had to get there before 6.00pm as they were booked out with the nearby horseshow jumping events.
Off we went to check out the Linga Longa Inn at Gundy.
Spooky
We parked the bikes in our own undercover parking and set up in the local camping area just 100m from the pub. We were all suffering from alcohol dehydration and severe ‘feeed meee’ cramps, so we assembled at the pub before the agreed 6.00pm to avoid being knocked down in the rush of horsey people.
I’d ordered the first round and asked for an Old for Craig and two Fifty Lashes for Ryan and I. What we got given was two Olds and two Fifty Lashes. “Hmm,” I thought. “The barman must think Craig looks extra thirsty.” I thought nothing more of it until we came back through on the Sunday when the barman asked, “Where’s the other guy? There were four of you”.
The X Files theme music jangled in our minds.
Pick a number
We arose bright and early on the Saturday and headed off for Nundle via Crawneys Pass. It was decidedly colder than the previous day and the grip warmers were unanimously called into action for all three of us. Ryan admitted to having quite a few ‘ice-skating’ moments on the dirt roads, so was kind of apprehensive at the gravel roads for the coming day. Craig was having some technical issues with the big Kato too, but was stoic and we didn’t find out about it until later when he had a light-bulb moment and worked out which of his 3465 settings were incorrect (I kid you not… well…maybe a little).
Crawney Pass was under a layer of fog and by the time we arrived at Nundle it was definitely food-and-fuel time. I was having a blast, but being considerate of my colleagues I didn’t allow the red mist to
descend and cloud them in dust before disappearing over the horizon.
One important factor with riding on gravel or dirt is the ability to lock the rear wheel when needed. This ability eluded Craig until later in the day when he adjusted setting number 486 on the Kato and all was good with the world again.
On track
From Nundle the pink line promised us more gravel-road gloriousness up along the Forest Way, but given we were nervous about getting to Moredun Ponds before Skippy Hour commenced we took a shortcut and headed for the New England Highway, arriving in Uralla in short order and scooting back on to the GPS track.
Above: Is there any town in NSW that doesn’t have a Commercial Hotel?
Below: Gourmet pies at the Linga Longa are serious eating.
Filling up at Uralla after what was way too much tar, I was ready for some gravel-road goodness again, but before we got there
u
A minimalist set-up that worked well.
we pulled up with some like-minded adventurers sunning themselves on the road – well, at least one was.
After a brief stop to chat we were off again, following the pink line bound for Bundarra.
Lunch break
By this stage Ryan had definitely found his mojo and was laughing away in his new Bell lid while sliding his over-pressured rear road tyre all over the place. He was hanging on to my dust like white on rice.
“Okay,” I thought. “How about I turn the wick up a bit and put some distance on you, Mr Barnett.”
About the time I had that thought we approached one of the many corners on the Old Thompsons Road at some speed. I thought, “I reckon this will look awesome if I stick the bike into the corner with the rear drifting”.
Yeah, right.
The reality was I came in too hot and drifted through the corner – I got that bit right – but then I charged into the table drain and saw the 75mm-thick branch that catapulted me back onto the track. An almighty tank slapper entertained Ryan, who was about 10 metres behind me.
To say I handled the situation with aplomb would be incorrect. I did keep it upright, but had to stop about 500m down the road due to the adrenaline threatening to make my heart explode.
Once the blood pressure had dropped we continued our journey. Craig was ecstatic because he’d found setting number 824 on the KTM. This allowed him to turn off the ABS on the dirt while maintaining the 580 horsepower, the cruise control and the satellite guidance system.
We got to Bundarra just after lunch.
Pay as you go
All of us were still sporting extended tummies from breakfast in Nundle, so we swerved lunch and journeyed to Ryan’s old stomping ground of Inverell in search of a decent coffee.
You can call us yuppies, but you do what you need to do, right?
After a soothing coffee at Macca’s we jumped back on our steeds and made our way to Moredun Ponds.
What a cool thing it was to be riding along a road with two good mates, and then suddenly find yourself in a convoy of like-minded riders heading for the same destination. We pulled into Moredun Ponds, in the middle of nowhere, to find over 150 riders already set up and chewing the fat.
We quickly settled on a spot and proceeded to set up camp.
Well, we attempted to. But because Craig had neglected to tick the self-parking and levelling option number 361 on the KTM options list, we had work to do to make sure the big girl didn’t suddenly fall over.
Once that was sorted we set about sorting our palaces for the night and headed off to mingle and drool over the plethora of motorcycles.
14-carrot gold
After a couple of brown lemonades it was time for a feed, and the hosts at Moredun Ponds had outdone themselves. Thanks AJ and crew! They offered up either roast beef, roast pork or silverside, with a healthy side of vegies, for over 250 hungry motorcyclists. That they were able to feed this many people for $30 – which included dinner on Saturday night, camping fees and breakfast Sunday morning – was mighty impressive.
One particularly disturbing moment at
Moredun Ponds came when I told the guys that my gorgeous wife had insisted I bring some healthy food to nibble on. I produced a carrot as an example and Ryan, quite alarmed and looking decidedly nervous, asked, “What are you going to do with that?”
I still don’t understand what he was thinking.
Sleepless
After dinner we shared one of the many fires with other riders until we couldn’t resist the urge of our beds any longer.
The snoring was something to behold that night. It was like sleeping near a running river or near the beach. The snoring was so multifaceted it was like a soothing background noise.
Barno and Craig slept magnificently apparently, but I had an absolute shocker.
Thanks to our nearby neighbours I was exposed to a four-letter vocabulary I hadn’t really dabbled in since before I met God. They continued this dialogue, if you can call it that, until way past midnight.
Justice was served when Barno was up before the sun and proceeded to rustle the tent, get dressed and go for a shower all within close earshot of our neighbours. Payback’s lovely sometimes.
We were all up, ready and packed, just before breakfast was served, and after an excellent feed it was time to hit the road.
Jump shot
The GPS took us down some dirt roads toward Armidale where we were to fill up on good coffee. Yum! But not before I got the guys to ride back through a water crossing so I could get some action shots.
With some trepidation we headed off from Armidale on roads I hadn’t seen or heard of before. They were on the pink line only because I could see them on Google, and they turned out to be some of the u
Rolling into Bendemeer. All was going well.
A breakfast this size makes lunch redundant.
ReadeR’s RIde
best roads we’d ridden. We were loving the gravel so much that any tar at all was a chore we suffered just to get to more good gravel.
It was along the section from Armidale to Walcha that Barno finally experienced the wonders of coming into a corner way too hot. It looked pretty exciting in the mirrors.
By this stage Barno had been hugging my back tyre pretty consistently and we were regularly putting distance on the big Kato, but there were a couple of corners where I’d pulled away from Barno and hit the outside camber of the corners. One particular corner I thought Barno may just have some trouble with, and just as I finished that thought, sure enough, I saw a red Strom go flying through the corner, through the table drain, up onto the grassy slope toward the barbedwire fence, get a bit of air over a couple of bumps in the grass and then reconnect with the gravel road.
Bwahahahaha!
Thankfully I’d contained my giggles and laughter until he was back on the safety of the gravel.
The chaser
Back into it we headed down the dreaded tar past a dead kangaroo the size of a small cow. We barrelled through Walcha and attached ourselves to the tail end of another crew of adventurers on their way from Walcha to Gloucester along Thunderbolts Way.
It was too much tar for us, so we turned toward Nundle to sample the Forest Way.
What a great road this turned out to be.
We may have been enjoying ourselves too much through there though – Craig noted there were lots of skid marks and power slides – as we found out later he had his own moment with a kangaroo and really tested out the now functioning non-ABS rear stopper.
We headed back through Nundle, Gundy and back along the Crawney Pass, revelling once again in the gravel surface. In an effort to clear some of the horrendous dust the mighty Dom and Strom were kicking up, Craig had throttled back until we were out of the way. As a result Barno and I had propped on an elevated shoulder to overlook the hundreds of horsey folk in a huge paddock north of Gundy when Craig and the Kato went thundering past without noticing us.
“Oh-oh,” I thought. “If he doesn’t stop at Gundy we’ll never catch him.”
Revelations
Barno and I astride the smaller 650s took off in hot pursuit, and I didn’t realise the Dominator’s valves could bounce that much. Finally, just as Craig was slowing past the Gundy store, I was able to pull up in front of him at the pub and we enjoyed another glorious meal at the Linga Longa Inn.
It was to be our last meal, as it turned out.
With some yummy gourmet pies under our belts we headed into Scone for a refuel so we could get home. The worst mistake was made for the whole trip in the last two hours when we stuck to the New England Highway for the whole way back from Scone to Valentine.
The one thing that impressed us – I actually already knew it – was how much fun we could have just cruising along back-country dirt roads, and even the odd tar one, and the views we could enjoy only a day or less away from our homes. It was astounding.
Parting shots
There are lots more roads and small country towns and their pubs to discover. Nundle is on the ‘return to’ list, as is Moonan Brook, Uralla, Walcha, Nowendoc, Bendemeer, Gunnedah, Werris Creek and a heap more.
There were a couple of parting thoughts from my two comrades Craig: “I can’t wait for 12 months for another ride. I’m already thinking of what we can do next, it was great fun!” and Barno: “Thank you so much. That was one of the best things I’ve ever done.”
‘Hear! Hear!’ to both of you legends.
Top: Moredun Ponds was a great camp spot. Above: A taste of the back-roads riding. Below Undercover parking.
Touratech
Adventure
for 2016 Challenge
We’ve been big fans of the Touratech Travel event since we were first invited back in 2013. That was the first Travel event and we reckoned it was pretty damn good. Now the Touratech folks are all set for the fourth outing, but there’s something new for 2016.
It’s tough to freshen up an annual ride. If things go really well one year, it can be scary to change it. What if riders don’t like the changes? If the venue is good and everyone raves about it, what happens if the ride moves to a new venue and nobody likes it?
Robin Box and the Touratech Australia crew have faced with this very dilemma. The Touratech Travel event has been a raging success for three years in a row. It’s been at the same venue and featured the same components each year: superb riding around Bright in Victoria, excellent accommodation and catering at the same hotel base in Bright, some coaching, some presentations and, of course, lots of yarning and mixing with other adventure riders. There have even been a few bikes available for testing. So planning the 2016 event needed some thought. How could the event be improved for its fourth consecutive year?
Take The Challenge
In 2016 Touratech Australia will introduce a new Adventure Challenge to run at the same time as the Travel Event. They are separate functions, but on at the same time.
To be held on Saturday, March 19, the Touratech Adventure Challenge will be open to all riders, with classes for single- and multi-cylinder bikes and the idea will be to offer riders a range of unique skill-based challenges –both on and off the bike – as
well as including some team components that will form part of the judging process.
“The event will be based on a similar format to those run by Touratech in Germany,” Touratech Australia’s Robin Box said. “They’ve proven to be extremely popular over recent years.”
To be held in parkland in Bright in north-east Victoria, the Adventure Challenge will be open to riders of all abilities and will see qualifying in the morning and finals held on the Saturday afternoon. Designed with spectators in mind, the Adventure Challenge will offer great viewing for those not participating, as well as being a key feature of the Touratech Travel Event which will run from March 18 to March 20. The idea will be that riders will be faced with a series of tasks designed to make them think and to test their skills, and that spectators will be able to get up close and personal with the action. There is no speed involved, so spectators can be close enough to see the concentration and feel the tension as the riders negotiate some tricky gymkhana-type sections or scratch their heads trying to solve a curly brain bender. Good-natured challenges and entertainment are what it’s all about.
Adventure Challenge
Meanwhile
While the Adventure Challenge will be a big drawcard for spectators and 0.907185 tonnes of fun for riders, the Touratech Travel event will still be a high point in the Touratech Australia year, with a bushranger, theme and Robin is hoping it’ll be the best yet.
The Travel event will retain the traditional values of previous Touratech Travel events, with camaraderie and learning, great riding and a fabulous social atmosphere all strong points.
The bike brands will be on the ground with displays and demo rides at the Challenge, along with other industry displays.
Bright in Victoria remains the venue and full details, including the three-day program, are still being finalised. For those interested in either event (or both!); get up-to-minute information from the Touratech website – www.touratech.com.au and Facebook page, or call on (03) 5729 5529 to book a place.
We hope we will see you there.
v Open to all riders and all brands of bikes
v Single- and multi-cylinder classes
v Unique skill-based challenges on and off the bike
v Qualifying Saturday. Finals Saturday arvo
For more info call (03) 5729 5529 or email at info@touratech.com.au
Top: The views around Bright in Victoria are fairly amazing.
Above: The Bright Chalet remains the home of Touratech Travel Both below: The adventure Challenge is about skill, not speed.
Forum chat
Think about it
Andy Strapz has a few interesting thoughts to share. Have a read. If you agree, get on the forum and let us know. If you think Andy’s off the mark, let us know that too. We want you to think about your riding and maybe discover something.
The more I get into the adventure (I still like to use the term Dual-Sport) revolution it seems to me there are essentially two types of rider. There are those like me who started two-wheeled life head-down and bum up on sports bikes and sports tourers. The other group are those riders who started life dirty. Blokes like brother Tontine. Growing up in the far west of ‘New South Wheals’ (not a typo Mr. Sub) there was no place for a bicycle and his first transport was a trailbike.
The soft one’s dirt skills are innate, slam-dunked into the muscle memory as a kid as he bounced nonchalantly around the black-clay country. Those of us who grew up in The Big Smoke and had parents who had no interest or had ‘grown out of’ motorcycles, like my Dad did, had very few opportunities to get sideways and dirty. A decade or so ago my first foray into the dualsport world sort of happened before forums and media interest in the segment. I picked it up as I went along. Hints and tips are a lot more available now. Getting a head start is a little easier and the learning curve can be made a bit easier by the proliferation of off-road riding courses.
Starting off on quality gravel
Words: Andy Strapz
the road-riders usually ride stiff and tentative. They are mostly an older group, so making mistakes and going arse-up is no longer a viable way of learning. Getting the counter-intuitive message that the throttle and momentum are your best friends takes a while to filter through the ever-present waft of Dettol.
For the roadies, standing up is what we do at the public bar or queuing to order dinner at the bistro. Standing while riding a 200kg motorbike on a dirt road! Are you off your head? It takes time for – as the Seppos call it – a ‘paradigm shift’ to occur.
Many of the dirties see a nasty hill climb as a challenging buzz. Many roadies can see it as a frightening, freckle-puckering job.
Scratching a bike in the road world sees the owner lying in the foetal position sobbing in their beer. Years of watching their bikes slide and cartwheel across paddocks or tumbling down snotty hills makes the dirt mob clamber up, shrug and think nothing more of the matter.
On the road the dirt guys – I’m generalising here, bear with me – tend not to have the same roadcraft skills and find enjoying a winding mountain road a bit more of a challenge. However, to watch
Tontine back an Aprilia RSV into a corner like a chooky shows me there are lots of exceptions and no rules.
Most readers will be getting their hackles up about now. The point I’m making is that an approach to training for these two groups probably needs to be tailored to each of them more closely. Dirties moving to what is essentially a road bike with chunky tyres might need more emphasis on roadcraft and tin-top-avoidance skills. Roadies need the basics of how to ride a dirt bike, and may be best served on small-capacity trailbikes, or even a trials bike, to learn the control and balance required to move to the first division.
The bottom line is that training and practice never stops. Every opportunity to play with low-speed control is to be taken. Building confidence and avoiding choking on big bites of snotty road is probably the go, no matter what side of the track you rode from.
Have your say
Log on to www.advridermag.com.au/forum, click on the ‘Think About It’ thread and let us know what you reckon. Should there be coaching for the different types of riders? Alternatively, is it the same for everyone and should both groups just suck it up and ride?
adventure-riding tips
Tyres
and tyre
pressures
If one thing is for certain when it comes to adventure riding, there’ll always be a lot of opinions, discussions and questions on the topic of tyres and tyre pressures. There are many theories about the black hoops that connect your bike to the ground. Miles Davis sorts through a few of them.
Words: Miles Davis
The first thing I should say is, maybe tyres and tyre pressures are not as important as many people would have you think. At the end of the day these things matter, but they’re not the be all and end all.
Understand the compromises
On adventure bikes you might be looking for general off-road performance, sand performance or bitumen performance, and at the end of the day you can’t have it all. Think about the bike you’re riding and the terrain you’re looking to get the best results from and you should be able to fit
some rubber that gives you the best overall result – otherwise known as the best compromise.
If you’re like me, you might get your jollies on those sweet, twisty road sections as much as you do in the dirt, so choosing a tyre that provides consistent grip on the tar might be important. Or, like some riders, you might want a tyre that just lasts, at all costs. That theory sounds good, but I know of many riders who have dropped their bike in the wet with budget ‘long-lasting’ tyres fitted. Some riders are so tight I’m sure they’d consider tyres made of red gum if they were told they would last 20,000km (and grip to the road like hardwood).
MIles davIs
Perfect match
Match tyres to your bike’s strengths and the type of riding you do most.
The bike you ride probably rounds down the choice in some ways. For instance, if you’re on a trusty DR650, chances are you’re not looking to round up sports bikes on the black stuff (don’t worry, I know some of you do anyway). And if you’re riding a bigger adventure bike, chances are you might want a good mix of on- and offroad performance.
False economy
I do see a lot of riders fitting budget tyres to non-budget bikes and it does worry me a bit, especially when it comes to riding on wet bitumen. Almost always, these budget/ high-mileage tyres don’t grip on the road like most of the higher quality, namebrand rubber. Anytime someone on a twin-cylinder adventure bike fitted with traction control tells me they came off on the tar in the rain I ask the question, “Budget brand one or budget brand two?” Generally they look at me shocked, like, ‘How did he know that?’ Again, it really comes down to common sense. Saving $100 on a tyre can end up costing you a lot more than that. But if you’re happy with the longer-lasting rubber just be aware of the possible issues on wet roads and you’ll hopefully avoid any problems.
The other issue I’ve seen with the budget tyres is with tubeless
Main: Lower tyre pressures offer better deep-sand control and possibly more general grip levels.
Left: If I know I’m going to ride in deep, sandy conditions for more than a couple of hours I’ll start to consider dropping pressures, but not for just short, sandy sections.
wheels. Sometimes they don’t seal at the bead and can have very slow leaks, so you have to check and top up your pressures a bit more.
Knobbies versus dual-purpose
I’ve had a lot of experience on both knobbies and dual-purpose tyres, but only the name-brand product (Pirelli, Conti, Michelin and Metzeler mainly) and the only thing I can say is, it’s very surprising how well a knobby like a TKC80 or Karoo 3 can work on the tar. And how equally surprisingly well a dual-purpose tyre like a Metzeler Tourance or Michelin Anakee can work in the dirt. There are many times riding off-road, wet or dry, where the dual-purpose tyre actually hooks up better than a knobby. It goes against what many people believe, but it happens.
It’s true that most of the time a knobby will provide better confidence off-road and the dual-purpose tyre will work better and last longer on the road. That’s just common sense. So try different tyres, see how they work for you and pick something that suits the type of riding you do the most.
High and lows
I wish I had a dollar for everyone who has asked me, “What pressure do you run?”
It’s a fair enough question, but at the end of the day there’s no magic number. It all comes down to some pretty basic facts.
Running higher pressures provides the following advantages
R A reduced chance of pinch flats on tubed wheels
R A reduced chance of rim damage from impacts
R It promotes more even tyre wear
R It possibly offers better fuel economy
There a few disadvantages, too. Higher pressures may reduce grip levels (but not as often or as much as people would think).
On the other hand, lower pressures offer better deep-sand control and possibly more general grip levels. Some of the disadvantages include a higher chance of flats, rim damage and tyre-wear issues.
Changing pressures regularly
I’m aware some riders are so concerned about tyre pressures that they’ll change them regularly to suit different conditions.
Maybe hard pack versus mud, for instance, or road versus dirt. That seems a bit over the top. The only time I drop pressures is for long sections of deep sand, never for wet versus dry or gravel versus road. If I know I’m going to ride in deep, sandy conditions for more than a couple of hours I’ll start to consider dropping pressures, but not for one or two kilometres of sand – unless I’m having a few troubles due to the conditions or the loading on the bike. I’m more than happy to run full pressure in moderately sandy conditions, or very low pressure on bitumen for a short distance until I hit a servo to pump them up. The key here is to be aware of your pressures and ride accordingly, especially if you have low pressures and the sand changes to hard pack. You need to slow down, ride smooth and absorb impacts or you’ll get a flat or trash your rims.
Tubeless versus tubed
Some adventure bikes come with tubeless wheels while most come with tubed, and I can tell you that almost all of the time it’s much easier to repair a flat on a tubeless wheel, especially if your bike is fitted with a tyre-pressure warning system and tells
you pressures are dropping very early on. Once you know there’s an issue it’s just a matter of popping the bike on the centrestand (if it has one), find the problem, remove the object if it’s still there, then plug it and pump it up. Nine times out of 10 this doesn’t mean removing the wheel, and if you’re lucky it probably won’t have fully deflated so it’ll be easy to pump up. If you’re unlucky and have slashed the tyre worse than a plug will repair, you may have to remove the wheel and tube it. That happened to me for the first time ever on day one of the 2015 GS Safari in November. Every other flat I’ve had on a tubeless bike, which isn’t very many really, has been fixed quite easily with a plug.
I’ve heard people suggest you should fit tubes to tubeless bikes like the 1200 GS before a big ride. That’s just crazy! Sure, take spare tubes with you in case you need to fit one, but don’t remove the benefit of tubeless before you even have an issue.
There are systems available that allow you to convert a tubed rim to tubeless. I haven’t had much to do with these, but I know riders who swear by them. One of them is Tubliss, a system that sees a very highpressure, small-diameter tube fit the rim and create a seal with the tyre’s inner bead to create a sealed cavity for the majority of the tyre’s volume. The small, high-pressure tube also prevents big hits impacting the rims so you can afford to run lower pressures without as much risk of rim damage. If I was running a tubed bike, I’d be trying this and other similar systems to get some of the benefits of tubeless tyres.
Tube me: HD/ UHD/Standard
Otherwise known as Heavy Duty, Ultra Heavy Duty and Standard.
Almost every new (tubed) bike comes standard with fairly thin tubes. They’re light, low-cost and keep the tyres pressured in the showroom. For serious off-road riding you should consider fitting something tougher and more durable. This will give you extra protection against flats, either pinch type or from protrusions. So the first time your tyre comes off your new bike consider fitting heavier tubes.
The below guide is what I use on my bikes, plus or minus a few psi. This isn’t gospel, but it definitely works for me. I really dislike getting flats and like to look after my rims.
R On a trials bike: six psi on the tubeless rear and 10psi on the tubed front
Left: There are some situations where changing tyre pressures just won’t make things any easier.
Right: The correct tyre choice can make a huge difference to a bike’s handling and performance.
R On a motocrosser: heavy-duty tubes, 15psi front and back. Less for dunes, maybe 10psi or so depending on impact risks
R On an enduro bike (250450cc): same as a motocrosser.
R F 800 GS or equivalent (21/17 front/rear): ultraheavy-duty tubes, 30psi front and back. Less for dunes, maybe 15psi or so depending on impact risks
R R 1200 GS air-cooled models or equivalent – 28psi front and back. Less for dunes, maybe 15psi or so depending on impact risks
R R 1200 GS water-cooled models or equivalent, with lower profile tyres– 36psi front and back. Less for dunes, maybe 15-20psi or so depending on impact risks
If a rider is constantly having troubles with pinch flats or rim damage, even with decent pressures, you can bet it’s probably a technique issue, simply hitting obstacles at too high a speed without reducing the impact with technique. Hanging around large groups of adventure riders you do see some pretty serious rim damage at times, especially when speeds are high. The key to avoiding this is:
R Look ahead, see the rough terrain early and slow down or miss it all together.
R Stand up, be agile and ready to absorb the impacts using your arms and legs
That’ll do
R As well as your body, the right throttle input will help. Instinct may be to chop the throttle and hang on tight, but in reality you need to slow down as best you can, then add some throttle as you absorb the impact as described in the previous point
The same bike with the same tyre pressure at the same speed can either float over the rocks like a butterfly, or smash through it like a bulldozer. It’s the technique that makes the difference, simple as that. Once you get the hang of it, it’s amazing how instinctive it can be to instantly add a good blip of throttle and soak up the movement of the bike under you, even if you didn’t see the rock because it was hiding in the shadows.
Karen Ramsay
Full
throttle
Karen Ramsay enjoys the benefits of experience.
By all accounts, it looks like 2016 is going to be another busy year in the Ramsay household.
The kids are fed up with having to fend for themselves so they’re all moving/moved out. Dave and I will be just back from riding in Thailand when you’re reading this – unless it’s an old copy you’ve had sitting beside the toilet. Then, on top of the normal work/study/riding, I’ve finally booked in to do a course to see if I can improve some of my riding skills. Two lovely friends, Meg (aka Liladv), Lianni and I have signed up to do a trials riding course – wish us luck! So there’s two items off the bucket list. There’s also a 21st (not mine, but thanks for asking) for daughter Bessy, plus a week in Melbourne and two weeks of unpaid work
somewhere in the year, both related to study.
Phone a friend
I’ve been lucky enough to meet, either in person or online, lots of incredible adventure riders. So many of the women I’ve met are simply awe-inspiring. They’re all smart, savvy and incredibly passionate. The demographic is quite interesting too, with a variety of occupations and retirees included. Most appear to have at least one degree or are studying. Some have been riding for years while others are newcomers. What pulls them all together is their enthusiasm for this style of riding. They’ve all done amazing bike journeys, whether it’s solo, with a friend or partner, or in bigger groups. Fortunately for me,
becoming friends with so many passionate people means I get to share their travels and adventure vicariously through their photos and stories. Whether it’s a day ride or the journey of a lifetime, their enthusiasm is contagious.
It also means I have a limitless supply of brains to pick for our upcoming Thailand ride. Having not ridden overseas before – I won’t count the scooter ride with the girls a number of years ago that got me interested in riding – means I feel like I need to do a bit of research and planning. There’d be a lot of people who’ve read Liladv’s extensive ride report on her trip to Thailand. I’ve got her on speed dial and am constantly bombarding her with all sorts of mundane questions. In the interim, I’ve crammed
Words and images: Karen Ramsay
in some riding and have managed to stay upright.
Georges Trail
A ride along Georges Trail has taken up a couple of recent weekends. The ever-cordial Tony from Armidale planned a ride which we, a bunch of riders and four-wheeldrivers, invited ourselves to.
When Georges Trail was first mentioned I had in mind a pleasant scenic ride, especially as Tony the organiser has just recovered from a couple of broken ribs. The name ‘George’ conjured up images of an affable gentleman who’d tell you some good stories over a cup of billy tea. The only warning in Tony’s initial message was it would be slightly more challenging than their usual Sunday rides. A recce was in order to check things
Left: Negotiating Forest Way in the Styx River State Forest. This first ride may have put a few off turning up for the second attempt a couple of weeks later.
Above: Lianni and Nigel heading through the ghost town of Dalmorton.
Below: Road clearing on Spankers Road in the Styx River State Forest.
out from our end. Dave and I were hoping to find an interesting route to take some riders to meet the Armidale group. I faced old fears on Oil Rig Road with barely a glance. It’s amazing how experience changes things. The sand, the downhills and other sections I thought were almost insurmountable obstacles a few years ago would barely rate a mention now. Dave nearly lost it in the sand coming into a dropoff, yet the DR650 and I took it in our stride. I took it steady when we got to Georges Trail and picked my way gingerly down the hill before we came back out the same way, leaving the full ride for the actual weekend.
Vested interest
As much as I was feeling confident and excited about the weekend, when I started hearing more about that track it suddenly seemed a bit more sinister. Camouflaged riding gear and real armour seemed to be the order of the day. The stories usually went something along the lines of: ‘If the sign says keep out, then you KEEP OUT’.
My offer to be sweep, complete with fluoro vest, was starting to sound a bit rash.
Incognito
The planned weekend arrived with a great weather forecast. A large group of us rode interesting and scenic tracks then met up with our support crew (whoops…I mean ‘the 4WD crowd’) for a relaxing evening at Wattle Flat. A message arrived via Rocket Rod from Armidale that Georges Trail was good to go, but drizzling rain the next morning soon ruled it out. Dejected, we headed off, only to find the freshly graded road had become a mud skating rink.
With a couple of minor spills, it was a very slow trip to Ebor.
I’ve got to say the DR650 loved the mud. I was feeling superbly confident, and I’m maintaining any squeals people may have heard
Karen Ramsay
were actually expressions of delight.
Not to be deterred, another attempt was rescheduled a few weeks later. I don’t know if everyone was actually busy or if the previous ride had put them off, but a very small crew of us camped at Wattle Flat under starry skies and surrounded by fireflies, hoping this time we’d succeed. I left any trace of fluoro clothing behind this time so, even though I’d be a slow-moving target, I wouldn’t be standing out.
Shoot to thrill
Tony and the other riders from Armidale met us at the appointed time, the sun was shining and it all looked good.
The trail drops 800m over five kilometres and comes out in a little patch of paradise. I’ve come to know that if there are people standing around with cameras, they’re expecting action. If the cameras are pointing at me, they’re expecting a spill. So arriving at the creek to see 12 blokes aiming their cameras in my direction didn’t bode well.
Perhaps it was an easy crossing, but I like to think my riding’s improved. Either way, I didn’t disgrace myself. While the blokes all made it look easy, the ride up the other side was probably the longest, steepest climb I’ve ever done, and I made it.
Even better, the only shooting at me on Georges Trail was with a camera.
R Practise over time actually leads to improvement
R Kids moving out of home will necessitate an automatic pet feeder
R Even the toughest rider is captivated by fireflies
R Never give up
R Rumours are no match for experience
R It’s possible to go for an extended period of time without embarrassing myself
ONE YEAR $55
v 12-month subscription v enews
v 6 issues v Free delivery
TWO YEARS $98
v 24-month subscription v enews
v 12 issues v Free delivery
new products Checkout
Burst into a new year with some new goodies!
held air Stream 2 Glove
Thumbs up!
R Abrasion-resistant kangaroo leather palm
R Mesh fabric (100% polyester), leatherdetailed back
R Colourfast and sweat-proof
R Unlined palm
R Kevlar and DuPont Coolmax lined back
R Special step seam avoids pressure points on inner hand
R Velcro adjustment at cuffs
R Perforated leather back, finger panels and sidewalls of fingers
R Perforated hand for maximum ventilation, feel and comfort
R Hard plastic knuckle protection
R Superfabric reinforcement on fingers and edge of hand
R Protectors on edge of hand, covered with leather
R Sizes 7-12
R Colours: black
RRP: $180
Bahco S26 mini toolkit
Look carefully. You won’t get this deal if you buy somewhere else.
R Ultra compact
R High-quality ratcheting bit and sockets
R PH1, 2 and 3 star screw bits
R PZ 1, 2 and 3
R Flat blade 4, 5 and 6
R Torx 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30
R Hex 3, 4, 5 and 6
Available from: www.heldaustralia.com.au
BmW GS helmet
A helmet to match the bike in style and quality.
R Adventure helmet with carbon-fibre-reinforced shell
R Impact-absorbing EPS inner liner
R Aerodynamically optimised, removable helmet visor
R Aerodynamically effective spoiler
R Very effective ventilation system in entire head area
R Chin flap removable for unblocked flow-through during off-road riding (with dust filter)
R Sizes 52/53 – 62/63
R Removable, washable comfort padding
RRP: Light White and Matt Black $1000. Comp (GS) $1150
Available from: June 2106 from all BMW Motorrad dealers
Web: www.bmwmotorrad.com.au
R 6mm, 7mm, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm and 13mm sockets
R Andy chucks in the 12mm socket! It’s not normally in the set
RRP: $55 plus postage
Available from: Andy Strapz
Phone: (03) 9770 2207
Web: www.andystrapz.com
motoPreSSor ec5 to Sae acceSSory caBle
Even more uses for the mini Jump Starter we showed you in issue #13.
R Connect the blue plug to the mini Jump Starter
R Connect the other end to any accessory running an SAE connector – like the MotoPressor Pocket Pump
R Instant portable power for a huge range of accessories
R Note: Do not use this lead to jump start a bike or car
RRP: $15 plus postage
Available from: Rocky Creek Designs Web: www.rockycreekdesigns.com.au
evo 1 Fold and extend leverS
High-quality hardware.
R Made out of high-quality billet aluminium
R Six reach settings so you can adjust to suit your personal needs and comfort
R The ‘Fold’ attribute will save your levers by folding up if the bike falls over
R The ‘Extend’ attribute offers more comfort for those with bigger hands
R Available for a huge range of different bikes and models
RRP: Regularly $259. On special now for $179
Available from: Rad Guard
Phone: (02) 6658 0060
B&B dr650 rack
An editor’s favourite. The cat’s whiskers in DR650 racks, for sure.
R Made from four-millimetre 5083 aluminium plate
R Supplied with stainless mounting clamps and bolts
R TIG welded with a polished finish
R Sturdy enough to use as a grab handle
RRP: $190
Available from: B&B Offroad Web: www.bboffroad.com.au
Web: www.radguard.com.au ktm 1190 camel tank
BarkBuSterS carBon GuardS
A great addition to your bike for summer.
R A more compact, sleek design than Storm or VPS guards
R Made from genuine hand-laid carbon-fibre
R Finished with a UV-stable, gloss-coated resin
R Can be fitted to your existing mounting hardware in
A boost for the big KTM.
R Made with adventure riders in mind
R Easy to install
R Adds over six litres
R Also available for the BMW F800GS
RRP: $695 including GST. Free shipping for February if you tell Adventure Moto you saw the tank in Adventure Rider Magazine
Available from: AdventureMoto Web: www.adventuremoto.com.au
Pyramid PlaSticS extenda Fenda
An excellent way to minimise crud on radiators and engines.
R Extends front guard
R Protects your radiator and exhaust manifold from mud, spray and unwanted debris thrown up by the front tyre
R Available in standard black ABS plastic, dipped carbon-look and real carbon fibre
R Supplied with the new ‘Stick-Fit’ attachment
RRP: About AUD$42
Available from: Pyramid Plastics
Email: sales@pyramid-plastics.co.uk
Web: www.pyramid-plastics.co.uk
touratech
aventuro helmet
Designed by adventure motorcycle travellers.
R No-Grab visor is designed with massive ports that allow airflow through the base of the visor. Like a pressure release valve, it dumps air to reduce pull on the head, reducing strain and maximising rider comfort
R Visor tip can be extended with a quick pull on its adjustable end
R Sculpted to cut through the wind with less turbulence and noise for the rider
R European designed and built
RRP: From $865 (plain) through to $950 (graphic)
Available from: Touratech Australia
Web: www.touratech.com.au
dr650 three-FinGer Front-Brake lever
A must for DR650 owners.
R Warp 9 anodised and hinged
R Billet, machined alloy
R Aids clearance for Barkbusters
R Also available three-finger clutch and four-finger clutch and brake.
RRP: $107
Available from:
Vince Strang Motorcycles
Phone: (02) 6721 0650
Web: www.vsm.net.au
contour ram 3
There’s a few Contours to choose from. See the website for different models.
R Waterproof up to 9.1 metres without a case
R Quick photo mode (5MP)
R 270° rotating lens
R Laser alignment
R Long-lasting, built-in rechargeable battery
WilderneSS equiPment SPace 1 and SPace 2 tentS
Spacious, lightweight tents that won’t take up much precious room in your panniers.
R Unique dihedral three-way pole hubs create a low-profile, wedge-shaped tent suitable for all weather conditions
R Features near-vertical end walls for plenty of head and foot room, and an internal hub-to-hub tension strap for increased stability in bad weather
inner. Can also be erected just using the fly and optional groundsheet
R The Space 1’s unique floor plan creates a 1.5-person capacity with increased storage space
R Combining strong, lightweight materials without sacrificing waterproofness or floor strength
R Free-standing, quick and easy to erect, with minimal pegs required for the fly
R Options include a three-season mesh inner or four-season full fabric
R Locking instant on-record switch
R 8GB memory card included
R 1080p HD video at 30FPS
R Still photo mode
R 170° wide-angle lens
RRP: $199
Phone: 1300 885 355
Web: www.contouraustralia.com.au
R Packed weight: Space 1 mesh 1.59kg. Space 2 mesh – 1.97kg
RRP: $559 Space 1 mesh, $619 Space 2 mesh
Available from: Overlander Adventure Equipment
Phone: (08) 9250 5559
Web: www.overlanderae.com.au
Coming in2016
DuAlsport AustrAliA
Discs one, two AnD three Thousands of kilometres of premium dualsport and adventure riding on route sheet and as GPX files. Disc Three is out now. 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.
ADVenture riDer Mutifunction
JuMp stArter
Super light (221g) multi-function jump starter is an extremely useful tool and emergency power backup for your car, iPhone, laptop, tablet, Camera and many more. Perfect for emergency jump starts. Was $129.00 Now only$89.00
subscriptions & bAck issues
Have your copy of Adventure Rider Magazine sent to your front door.
v The Great Indian Ride v Kawasaki Versys v SWM650 v Lefty’s ride The adventure continues in April.
Fit out
Motorrad Garage
R1200GS
Motorrad Garage has done it again. Have a close look at this schmicko Beemer. Phwoar. We’ve listed the accessories and prices for you. To see the individual items close up and get more details, go to www.motorradgarage.com.au and choose your model from the list.
HAWK EYES.
HAWK OFF-ROAD LIGHTS BY
LED TECHNOLOGY FOR OPTIMUM VISIBILITY
VIRTUALLY MAINTENANCE AND WEAR AND TEAR FREE.
This HAWK LED Light Kit offers you long distance clean, useable light and includes all necessary components, except the light mount. The lights have a 12 degree “spot” beam pattern and 90 degree illumination. The housing is made from robust aluminium and the lights have a capacity of 12 Volt / 10 Watt. The lights can be mounted near the front forks with bike specific light mounts or alternatively to the bikes crash bars.
MOTORRAD GARAGE ARE THE EXCLUSIVE AUSTRALIAN SUPPLIER OF SW-MOTECH.
Around the corner or around the country, the KLR650’s incredible versatility and rugged go-anywhere attitude make it the ideal commuter for negotiating the city streets and the perfect travelling partner for clocking up countless kilometres across this great country. The KLR650’s mountains of torque and huge carrying capacity will take rider and passenger beyond where the pavement ends and to where adventure begins.
