Adventure Rider Issue #33

THE DEFINITION OF ADVENTURE

The ultimate adventure isn’t determined by limits. It is found by breaking through your own perceived barriers. With the KTM 1290 Super Adventure R we have redefined the term “adventure”. We have taken the most powerful production off road bike and incorporated the innovation and technology we have developed from our experience and victories on the world’s toughest terrain. The KTM 1290 Super Adventure R forces you to look beyond what you thought was possible.

It’s we what do

Tom Foster - Editor

There’s a real temptation to label some incidents as brought about by ‘rookie mistakes’, or to call them ‘traps for young players’.

I’ve been riding a long time now, and I couldn’t be called young. Yet I’ve made a couple of howler errors lately that would make even newbies shake their heads and wonder if I know anything about riding.

First I was riding back from Queensland and it was stormy. The rain was belting down. Lightning was going crazy and I couldn’t hear the bike over the continual rolling thunder. I rode along chuckling to myself and thinking

“Heading home down my local mountain road, again in the rain, I decked the bike on a slippery turn. Believe it or not, the car right behind me was a police paddy wagon.”

how lucky I was to be in a top-quality Goretex suit, good waterproof boots and an excellent helmet. I even had the right tyres on.

I finished the ride in relative comfort, parked the bike, then discovered I’d left one of the pocket flaps of the jacket open. Being Goretex, it had acted like

a small, textile bucket and was full to the brim with water. In that water floated my wallet.

My plastic cards and you-beaut plastic $5.00 note were fine, of course. But all my receipts for the trip had disintegrated and were floating around like dunny paper in a septic tank.

So that was a bit of bugger, and it was payback for my smugness during the ride, I guessed.

The next one was a little more serious, but just as dumb.

A few days after that wet ride I pulled on that same suit to mount up and chase a story.

After an absolutely magic day of blasting around with some fabulous people I was heading home down my local mountain road, again in the rain, when I decked the bike on a slippery turn. Believe it or not, the car right behind me was a police paddy wagon.

As I sit here writing this I have very

limited movement in my right arm because it feels like someone’s panel beaten my shoulder with a ball-pane hammer. I’m not walking all that well either, and my right hip is showing every indication of bursting into a rainbow of colour over the next couple of days.

That’s a bad enough mistake to make, but I honestly don’t feel any real shame about it. I was going slow, I knew the road well, and I firmly believe there was something on the road surface. Oil? Moss? Who knows?

No. I discovered the serious mistake when I went to put the riding gear in the wash. As always, I went to remove the armour. But there wasn’t any. The armour was still where I’d left it when that same gear had been through the wash a few days before.

Suddenly the severity of injuries became a lot easier to understand. I hope I never stop learning, but I hope the lessons don’t come as hard as this one too often.

Image Dean Walters

PURE GS SPIRIT.

@bmwmotorradaus

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ADVENTURE MOTO’S SIZE & FIT GUARANTEE:

Because our aim is to make sure you’re outfitted in the right riding gear (size and fit), we offer you a simple guarantee. If your KLIM adventure gear doesn’t fit first go, we are happy to exchange it at no cost to you! Learn more on our website: https://www.adventuremoto.com.au/blog/size-guarantee/

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Adventure Rider Magazine is published bi-monthly by Mayne Media Group Pty Ltd

Publisher Kurt Quambusch

Editor Tom Foster tom@maynemedia.com.au

Group Sales Manager Mitch Newell mitch@maynemedia.com.au

Phone: (02) 9452 4517 Mobile: 0402 202 870

Production Arianna Lucini arianna@maynemedia.com.au

Design Danny Bourke art@maynemedia.com.au

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KTM Rallye NZ Northland

The 2018 KTM Rallye rolled on to New Zealand’s North Island. Danny Wilkinson and his camera were there to capture, and enjoy, another world-class event.

Words and images: Danny Wilkinson u

Left: Chris Birch taking in the views around Port Jackson.

Below: Edd Shepherd and Karen Grover were among a contingent of very capable two-up riders.

Bottom: Chris Birch waited for the next Ultimate Race competitor to struggle their way up the slippery hill. Photographer Wilko took the safe option and walked up.

Rain.

The kind that falls in waves and creates havoc for organisers of adventure rides.

That was the talk leading into the recent KTM Adventure Rallye staged around the northern tip of New Zealand. There was so much of it that KTM ambassador Chris Birch mocked up a new aquatic goggle for the Power Parts catalogue.

Thankfully, the Kiwis are masters of building all-weather gravel roads. So, as the riders departed the seaside town of Paihia on the first morning, it was a relief to drop straight on to the ‘metal’ roads and find they offered a firm base and consistent traction. That wasn’t always the case during the week that followed, but the organisers did a great job of ensuring the standard route was achievable by all, even in testing conditions.

The same couldn’t be said of the various breakout options frequented by the talented local riders who thrived on the challenge.

Best laid plans

Essentially, the Rallye for 2018 was broken into two distinct sections. Initially it covered the remote branches of the Northland. Barry Reiher – many times a Kiwi motocross champ – and Mike Johansen put together some amazing tracks that traversed sandy pine forests, remote beaches and the wild coastline of Cape Reinga.

Cape Reinga, the northernmost accessible tip of New Zealand, is the visual meeting point of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean, and anyone standing at the lighthouse overlooking the turbulent waters can see how the place is steeped in Maori significance. Even as the rain flew in sideways and sheets of cloud blew through everyone, there was a certain sense of calm as the seals darted in and out of the waves crashing into the rocks way below.

Unfortunately, despite a huge amount of work behind the scenes that included persuading landowners with gravel

Above: Five-time American enduro champion Russell Bobbitt joined the ride as a midpack sweep.

Below: (L-R) Harry Norton (deep-water rescue), Mike Brillanti, Sam Biddington, Maxime Cerramon, Greg Murphy and Deane Manley.

driveway upgrades and various other sweeteners, some of the more anticipated private-property sections had to be cancelled due to the weather. The funny thing was, the riding was still amazing, so I can only imagine how high the bar would’ve been lifted if the full track was accessible.

Live stream

One of the early highlights was a remote section past the Maori settlement of Mitimiti. Dropping down off the dunes on to a deserted stretch of coastline, the ride traversed a long, wide expanse of hard-packed beach sand and crossed numerous freshwater streams as we headed north. The section culminated in a technical crossing over the rocks, dodging incoming waves and passing squalls.

Naturally, if you want some entertainment with the camera, you stake out a spot on a wide beach at low tide on the first day of a Rallye. There were low-sides galore with riders making the most of the speedway opportunity.

Another Northland gem was the run down Ninety Mile Beach. I doubt there are too many places in the world where you could do an uninterrupted ride down a beach for 90 kilometres. Actually, I’m pretty sure it went even further, but we headed inland at that point so who knows how much further you could go (maybe even 90 miles?).

The rain did come in handy on this stretch as the northern entry via Te Paki stream was known as a notoriously tricky stretch of loose, dry creekbed sand for about three kilometres. In anticipation of soft-sand carnage, the organisers arranged for the local bus driver to run a side-by-side through the worst of it for the less confident riders, and one of the local sand masters was on hand to transport the bikes. On our run though, the rain tumbled down

Top: The Coromandel is a special part of the world.

Above: Birchy reckoned NZ builds the best gravel roads in the world.

Above right: The bivouac was generally pretty easy to find each afternoon.

Below: Mark Scott dodging the incoming tide on the tail end of the Mitimiti breakout section.

between the valley of dunes, filling the seasonal stream. So, in an experience few of us are likely to repeat in a hurry, we rode down a flowing freshwater creek for several kilometres, tracking through the packed sand all the way to the beach.

Lost

After two nights by the ocean at Taipa Beach, the Rallye began an arc to the south.

There was a really spectacular breakout section north of Paihia. It flowed through lush farmland before a final descent to the ocean on the east coast. It was such an amazing panorama that I stubbornly camped on top of the hill until a small pocket of sunshine passed over and the water below turned a brilliant turquoise. It was fleeting, but worth the wait.

Somewhere in among all of this a rather unusual nautical scene unfolded.

Low cloud on the start of day three brought lots of rain. Organisers darted between breakout options, shutting the worst affected to avoid damaging trails and swamping bikes. Having written off the morning as a washout with the camera, I perched beneath some dense foliage that blocked the bulk of the downpour, trying to salvage some shots alongside a swollen creek. Truth be told, the crossing looked rather innocuous, but the gravel road had washed away on one side. French rider Maxime Cerramon rolled through and clipped a rock below the muddy surface, taking a low-speed tumble into water. Racesafe Medic Sam Biddington was on hand to check him over while the rest of us shuffled our feet and pondered the disappearance of his 1090 in the seemingly shallow crossing. Our first concern was that it’d been washed over the edge of the track and into a watery grave downstream. KTM race team mechanic and super sweep, Harry Norton, decided to try the other side though, and accidently dropped into a hole that would have swallowed the Titanic. After some scuba diving, he reappeared, still submerged in neck-deep water. We were stunned when he informed us he was standing on the handlebars and he couldn’t even reach the creekbed below.

I guess it pays not to stray offline in a shallow crossing in NZ.

Top: Tony Lingard gathering momentum for a silica sand ascent. Above: It was around this time things stopped going to plan for Maxime Cerramon.

Below: Sweep rider Harry Norton making up some time.

Recovered

Utilising some straps and sodden manpower, the waterlogged 1090 resurfaced just in time for a passing local to witness the recovery. His offer to Maxime came in a thick NZ accent and couldn’t have been better timed.

“How about a flat trade for a KLX450, Bro!’ he Kiwied. “I picked it up for $1000 not long ago.”

And with that the small search party of New Zealand, Australian, French and American riders lost it, and the ensuing flurry of verbal banter was priceless. It certainly wasn’t an easy moment for Max, but he dealt with it really well. That 30 minutes in the rain was one of the most amusing of the trip. The good-hearted repartee continued that night when it was revealed Max’s profession included dealing in underwater robotics. Thankfully, the mighty V-twin fired back into life and by the end of the rallye sported a complimentary orange snorkel, courtesy of some cheeky Rallyers.

Food for thought

The rain continued (and I silently thanked the inventors of Goretex) as we made our way south towards the Coromandel Peninsula. In what seemed like divine intervention, the cloudy skies finally gave way to sunshine on the penultimate day and the timing couldn’t have been better. Coromandel enduro guns Shaun Prescott and Natasha Cairns had lined up an amazing special section at the tip of Port Jackson through thick Kikuyu grass that would only ever be passable on a big bike in sunshine. It climbed up farm tracks that rose so high, they made us wonder if we’d somehow jumped over to the South Island. Even with a howling wind trying to blow you off the trail as you crested an exposed ridge, the views were simply stunning. Green grass, sapphire blue water, craggy islands and the odd spattering of white from peacefully grazing sheep. It was another nugget of adventure-riding gold that will stick with me for years to come.

UlTiMaTe RaCe

With the impending launch of the 790 Adventure, KTM has formulated a competition for its Rallye participants where two riders from each host country (there are six events in total) win a trip to the Merzouga Rally aboard a fleet of new 790s. With Chris Birch alongside for guidance, they’ll run their own rally within a rally. The winner of that event will take home a brand new 790 Adventure R and two VIP passes to tag along with the Dakar.

Just qualifying for the fully supported ride is a serious prize and it was no wonder 14 enthusiastic riders signed up for the program of special tests, mechanical problems and navigational challenges in the latter half of the Rallye. The final riding test was an absolute mudfest that saw young gun Sam Brown replace a set of wheel bearings by the side of the road, only to blow the clutch in his recently acquired 990 on the final section. The mud was so bad by that stage Birchy had to tow him down the hill as gravity wasn’t enough to do the trick.

And if that wasn’t enough, lunch was provided by Colville school at one of the most amazing farmhouses I’d ever seen. Slow-cooked lamb rolls, home-made cakes and a cold can of Coke. The humble can of baked beans by the side of the trail may never taste the same again.

Will Furniss did an amazing job on the 1290 Super Adventure R, making it into the top five, and Matt Kneesch almost got there as one of only three finishers. In the end though, experience shone through with long-time mates Kevin Archer and Elliot Kent taking the top two places and booking their ticket to Morocco.

The Australian qualifier is scheduled to be held in early 2019 and I suspect the calibre of competitors will be just as high.

Top: Ultimate Race winner Kevin Archer heading into the final special. This was the dry part of the track.

Above: Sam Brown on a flyer in the first Ultimate Race special test.

Below: Ultimate Race qualifiers for New Zealand, Elliot Kent with Chris Birch (right) and Kevin Archer.

BoormanCharley

Probably the world’s most recognisable adventure-riding celebrity, Charley Boorman is a popular character. That’s no doubt due in no small part to his friendly and approachable nature. Billy Ward sat down with the man in Africa and had a chat.

Above: Motorcycle adventurer, bestselling author and documentary maker – the one and only Charley Boorman. Main: The main roads in Africa can often be gravel.

Words: Billy Ward. Images: Mick McDonald u

How’s life in the fast lane?

“I’m not sure about the ‘fast lane’, but life is good.

“I’ve been all over the place this past couple of years, including Australia, southern Africa, Morocco, and of course mainland Europe, which is just on my doorstep. I’ve also been doing a bit of fun racing and had a great time pushing my gorgeous Triumph Thruxton around in the summer for the Café Racer Cup – a UK track event where you can race what your brung. It’s a brilliant fun day for all the family.”

In between your TV activities, you keep coming back to Africa to run tours. Why Africa?

“Easy question!

“Africa is by far my favourite continent. Of all the riding I’ve done around the world, Africa always stands out as the

diamond. The people, the cultures, the epic riding, and of course the wildlife. There’s not many things that beat bumping into a herd of elephants as you’re riding along. Or working on your bike at night out in the bush as you hear that deep roar of a lion. The lion could be miles away, but it sounds like it’s just down the track.”

You run two long-distance adventure rides from Cape Town to Victoria Falls and from Victoria Falls to Cape Town, via Lesotho. How do Charley Boorman rides differ from others?

“I’d like to think they are the crème de la crème of tours.

“Look, first, we’re in Africa and we know the place really well. But let me list what

Above: African rides are real adventures. Right: The sheer enjoyment of being together on bikes and having a shared experience is one of the best things about tours.

Scrambler Desert Sled

we think are some key differentiators –these are the kinds of things you need to compare with other African tours you’re considering: does your tour have a fully qualified paramedic equipped with a comprehensive medical kit? Does your tour accommodation use luxury lodges, hotels and fine dining? Does your tour have two support 4x4 vehicles, trailer, mechanic, spare motorcycle, and four crew? Does your tour have a qualified and registered African FGASA field guide? Does your tour provide a GPS with daily routes? Remember that horrible feeling of trying to keep up with the rider in front of you? Or being stuck behind a slower rider? It doesn’t happen with us. And does your tour supply low-mileage motorcycles? We only use quality bikes, cars and trailers – this is Africa, they need to be the best. Does your tour supply activities such as safaris and river cruises? We’ve chosen our activities after years of experience – we know the best!

“And will your tour be led by a worldrenowned motorcycle adventurer, international bestselling author and documentary maker – the one and only me? (Sorry, they told me to say that!)” Your African rides visit South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Lesotho. What for you is the highlight of that itinerary?

“That’s an unfair question.

“Out of about 17 nights, there are easily 10 that are my favourite, and that’s on the upward trip alone.

“Riding through a reserve and getting within 10 metres of a white rhino, riding around a corner and having to stop because the track ahead is full of elephants, cruising along in a boat

getting right up close to massive hippos…then of course, there’s the camaraderie – that whole thing that bikers have. The sheer enjoyment of being together on bikes and having a shared experience.”

Your clients are from around the world and of different riding abilities, what level of riding skills do they need to complete one of your African rides?

“My view is you have to be a competent rider in general, and then we always recommend you get yourself on to an off-road skills course in whatever country you’re in. In Australia there are several,

“We’re not riding along goat tracks – we’re on the main strips. It just so happens that the main strips in Africa can often be gravel.”

and I know Simon Pavey, the 10-times Dakar legend himself, flies over each year to run a course and ride.

“Doing an off-road course will increase confidence and give that extra layer of skill so you enjoy better these amazing tracks around Africa.

“But remember this: we’re not doing an enduro, it’s just an adventure ride. The tracks are actually predominantly the standard roads. We’re not riding along goat tracks – we’re on the main strips. It just so happens that the main strips in Africa can often be gravel. They’re awesome and any reasonable rider will manage them. In fact, once you dial into them, they just become ‘normal’.

“One thing I do want to say though, is don’t get hung up with some people who think an adventure isn’t really an adventure if you’re on an organised, supported ride. I’m often arguing this one out with those purists. I’m sorry, but every ride is an adventure, and I can assure everyone our African rides will be real adventures. When you’re in Africa, it

Top: There’s not many things that beat bumping into a herd of elephants.

Right: Charley’s Tiger 1200 sneaks through the traffic in London and will rally across north Africa.

doesn’t matter about support trucks, or medical kits – you’re still riding the ride and you’ll still experience one hell of an adventure, along with the sense of achievement that’ll wash over you as you arrive at the final destination. That is guaranteed!”

You’re riding a new Triumph Tiger 1200XC. What are your thoughts on the bike and how has it performed over the 10,000km of punishment you’ve given it?

“I thought the question was going to be, ‘So how does it compare to the BMW 1200GS?’ That’s the normal one I get hit with.

“Listen, I have loyalties to lots of bikes,

even my first bike, the little Yamaha DT100. I still have my Yammy and even my girls learned to ride on that bike.

“The way Triumph has progressed is phenomenal. The level of sophistication, the electronics, the suspension and the design…it’s all top end. When bikes get this good, it often then boils down to personal preference.

“The Tiger 1200 is my daily ride. It sneaks through the traffic in London, my home town, and yet it will rally across north Africa, through gravel, rivers and challenging terrain. At the same time, as soon as you get to the highway, it’s pure luxury. Heated seats fore and aft, heated

grips, electrically adjusted screen – the list goes on and on.”

What’s on the near horizon then, Charley? What’s happening in 2019?

“We’ll be planning our normal annual rides, like our big African adventure, and I have a couple of TV show ideas on the boil. But apart from that, I’m keen to get into some four-wheel action as well. I’ve been asked to get involved in some rallying, so I’m looking forward to that.

“The Bike Shed in Shoreditch, London, is one of my projects. I’ve been involved with it from the beginning and we’re looking to expand into the US. That’ll be exciting.

“We have our annual Australian ride in February and I usually hang out in Oz a little bit after the ride. I used to live in Australia in my early days, so it always feels like I’ve arrived home when I’m there.

“My girls are big and have grown into young women now, so it means me and my lovely wife, Olly, can maybe find a few travel adventures together next year.

“Finally, most things I get up to I put on my website www.charleyboorman.com, so check it out. But for now, thanks for the questions. I enjoyed the interview!”

Top: In Africa. Every ride is an adventure. Left: The sheer enjoyment of being together on bikes and having a shared experience.

Generation next

Dualsport Australia’s Marty HC purchased a new DR650. That meant he had two, and that meant an opportunity to introduce his son Tom and a couple of his mates to adventure riding.

Words and images: Marty Blake

It’s been a dream to go adventure riding with my son.

Although introduced to dirt bikes at an early age, at 26 he’s still in the enduro-bike stage that doesn’t suit long rides. His mates, George, who has to do it all on a DRZ, and Jordan, who somehow talked his father into parting with his beloved 1200GS, joined in. It was a perfect chance to convert a few more youngsters to the pleasures of adventure riding.

Easy as

My favorite loop is a three-day jaunt that starts from our base near Coffs Harbour and runs to Walcha, Nundle, the Hunter Valley and back home. The loop runs through a huge variety of terrain from rainforest to tablelands. It also includes a fair bit of family history, and that seemed fitting for our first fatherson adventure ride.

The front wheels disappeared under the surface halfway across.

Planning was easy because the route is a combination of tracks from the first three Dualsport Australia discs, and my son, as an IT wizard, had been conned into spending a lot of time making those discs work. GPX files, fuel distances, accommodation and other info where easily sorted, with only a short distance from Armidale to Walcha that wasn’t covered. As I’d ridden the section before, barely any time was spent on planning.

With a big tank and a 15-tooth front sprocket slipped on to George’s DRZ, and the trusty, older DR already set up and ready to go, and the BMW, we were looking good. The new DR came with Suzuki’s adventure kit and had just had its first service, so it was left completely stock with a fuel bladder strapped on just in case.

Milkshake maker

The boys showed up early and were keen to go, and

u

it was refreshingly cool as we headed for the hills behind Bellingen, dropping into the valleys behind Bowraville to our first refuel at the interesting Willawarrin store – very interesting if you knew where to look.

The pink line took us west, following the Macleay River, before a brilliant detour climbed on to a ridgeline and plunged down to Georges Creek. Local knowledge had insisted the level of Georges Creek was low, and its crystal-clear water and sandy bottom looked inviting. Imagine our surprise when the front wheels disappeared under the surface halfway across.

Clear water can be so deceptive.

Despite a couple of stalls and a few boots full of water, the crossing seemed to go well.

The climb out was a steep blast and it wasn’t a surprise the BMW dropped back. At the next regroup Jordan complained the Beemer was missing a little and closer inspection showed the oil to be one giant caramel milkshake.

Change of plans

We now had a boxer twin full of water, and while our location was incredibly scenic – in the middle of the bush – wasn’t exactly flush with BMW dealers or even servos with oil. The only option was to split the group.

We were close to Armidale, so Jordan was sent down the main road for an oil change and engine flush while the rest of the group, as planned, meandered on unfenced, fine-gravel roads through New England farms. Willow lined the streams that gave the area its charm and the short green grass highlighted the large rocks.

In no hurry we gazed at the rugged gorges and nearly dry waterfalls. After refueling we were surprised Jordan was ready to meet us at the lunch stop.

Little’n

As we waited in the carpark, a strange buzzing sound indicated a bike’s imminent arrival. The cold water must’ve caused shrinkage, because Jordan turned up on a Grom that seemed more a match for his size than the huge GS. He assured us his bike would be ready u

Below: From left: George Ellen, Jordan Collon, and author’s son, Tom Blake. Bottom: The undulating, flowing granite was virtually free of kangaroos.

shortly, and after plenty of ‘don’t-getBMWs-wet-because-they-shrink’ ribbing over lunch, we swapped the Grom for a freshly oiled GS and headed off in the general direction of the backroads through Blue Mountain into Walcha.

Scenic tour shortcut

My general sense of direction might need a little more work.

After numerous streets and a trip through a cemetery to a dead end we backtracked, finding the correct way out of town, only to miss another turn and end up detouring through Uralla.

Although we were only 25km from our final destination we headed back on to the dirt. Before long familiar road names turned up as we zigzagged through more farmland, found Blue Mountain Road and successfully navigated 60km of glorious dirt to pop out, much to the amusement of the boys, 28km from our destination. Hmm. Maybe a bit more time spent planning, or possibly carrying a map, might’ve helped. There’s always next time.

Irishtown

Our family is originally from Irish stock. Two Blake brothers settled in Walcha, so I showed my son their original farms, including a shack from the 1850s that’s still standing. It used to be the home of a great-great-aunt who lived at Irishtown on the outskirts of Walcha. On the way into town we also cruised past the remains of the house where my father grew up.

We fuelled and retired to the pub for a few well-deserved drinks followed by an excellent Chinese dinner and a good night’s sleep.

The longest day

Having a little extra time is always a good thing, and a 440km route, most of it tight going, meant an early start the second day.

Despite being early, the undulating, flowing, New England granite was virtually free of kangaroos, which was a

Above: The crystal-clear streams, pink gravel and large hills with the road either clinging to their sides or following the ridgelines made for not only a visual overload, but great riding as well.

Right: A 440km route, most of it tight going, meant an early start the second day.

relief. Nundle Forest Way had some deep, loose, gravel sections that made for a few sketchy moments exploring the gutters before wobbling back to the road, and after checking out the amazing lookouts we headed to Nundle to refuel.

“Nundle Forest Way had some deep, loose, gravel sections that made for a few sketchy moments.”

A Ducati rally had the town resonating to the deep sound of big V-twins.

Hundreds more camped at Hanging Rock added plenty of colour as we headed out of town, and the drop over the escarpment with its tight switchbacks offered amazing views as we scattered a few deer off the road. Although it was green, the area’s abundant creek crossings had been reduced to a few

puddles and farmers were still feeding stock. When prime areas like this are affected by drought it shows how bad things have been.

Ellerston was a green oasis, the abundant staff pouring water on the golf course and the go-cart track simmering in the fast-rising temperature. The large stables and green polo fields had the boys amazed at what a billionaire’s family farm looked like. The security on the entrances didn’t look very inviting so we continued on.

Joe Blake

Thankfully we started climbing again and grasstrees dominated our view before lush pasture took over. The altitude gave respite from the heat, even when we started down the long valley.

We met a couple of groups of riders through this section, some more closely than others. The DR almost ended up with a stripe of orange paint as a 640 Adventure struggled to get back to the left side of the loose, freshly graded track. Other than two groups of riders, a few cows and the biggest brown snake I’ve

ever seen – it was huge and didn’t seem happy about being disturbed – we had the 120km valley to ourselves. The crystal-clear streams, pink gravel and large hills, with the road either clinging to their sides or following the ridgelines, made for not only a visual overload but great riding as well.

The undulating road slowly opened out towards Gloucester and the temperature started to rise alarmingly. By the time we hit the tar it was like a hot furnace blowing in our faces and the Roadies Café was an air-conditioned, bike-friendly retreat with great food and cold drinks. Getting the boys out of the memorabilia-lined walls was a challenge, but with 140km of tight corners left and three hours of light we had to keep moving.

Rider down

The heat and long day started to get to my son. He glowed red but was reluctant to take another break for a swim. We continued on before a tight corner over a rise caught him out.

The fact a DR doesn’t stop like a motocrosser annoyed him, but it was a learning experience, especially on loose, dirt roads where he found you could still lock the front wheel metres from a fence. Thankfully he’d scrubbed off most of the speed and the grass was relatively soft, so he only suffered a graze with a decent bruise and was a bit shaken up. Crashing two metres from a barbed-wire fence does that.

We used the next river crossing for a break and a swim, cooling us off and refreshing our energy levels. It was getting late though, so after 30 minutes I got them back on their bikes.

Tight, almost night

With the track getting tighter and rougher it was slightly disconcerting to be barely able to see the beam of the headlight on the ground in front. At least the tightness kept the speeds down and made animal encounters relatively harmless. I was thankful I’d phoned Gingers Creek Roadhouse from our late lunch at Gloucester to reassure them we were still coming. Just on dark we escaped the bush and after a short burst down the Oxley rolled in to our overnighter and were soon enjoying icecold beers and bourbons, a delicious tea, then more cold drinks. Gary from

the roadhouse always makes sure everything is right in a very friendly manner. With a relaxed start in the morning we bench raced ’til late and slept in.

Homeward bound

To avoid any more drama I bypassed my number-one, near-miss kangaroo road. It was ironic the safer option was called Kangaroo Flat Road, and while it’s 15km longer, I didn’t see a single ’roo, so it was a worthwhile detour.

“The temperature started to rise alarmingly. By the time we hit the tar it was like a hot furnace blowing in our faces.”

The bush was superb: tight, undulating and fun. The road deteriorated slightly and became rocky and rough before opening out through rolling farmland. After lunch and a refuel back at Willawarrin we followed the coastal ranges through bush back to Macksville. The huge erosion mounds kept us on our toes, and all too soon we were back on the road and home, after almost 1200km of diverse terrain and incredible scenery.

The boys enjoyed it thoroughly. In fact George was pricing Sargent seats at an after-ride barbeque and planning where he could go next. Jordan was going home to be nice to his dad – at least the BMW hadn’t been dropped and was running fresh oil – and as for Tom?

I might have to keep the old DR a little longer. More riding calls.

Above: The undulating road slowly opened out. Below: Author Marty (right) with the Slow-down Man near Bundook.

TomTom Rider 550

Last issue we talked a little about the TomTom Rider 450 GPS. We’ve upgraded to the 550.

You’ll need to have a look at issue #32 to get the background on our involvement with the TomTom Rider GPS units.

We started with a 450, and just as we were settling in, TomTom gave us a 550 to try.

The big difference between the two units is the 550 having wireless connectivity. So instead of humping it to the computer and plugging it in, we can chuck it on the desk and the 550 will check for, and install, upgrades whenever it has a wireless hook up.

That doesn’t seem like much, but now we’ve experienced the convenience of it, we reckon it’s brilliant.

Buy right

In general we really like the TomTom Riders, both the 450 and 550. For their intended purpose they’re great.

Left: The Riders pair with a phone to keep up to date with traffic conditions, can share routes and tracks, and the glove-friendly, 4.3-inch touchscreens are glorious. Above: The 550 will check for, and install, upgrades whenever it has a wireless hook up. No cables or action from the owner needed.

But that’s where we feel there may be a problem. A great many adventure riders are still a little fuzzy on the workings of GPS.

There are different types of GPS, folks. They’re not all the same.

If your primary use for a GPS is to enter a destination – an address, town, POI, whatever – and have the GPS navigate the way there, a TomTom is a good option. Just like the GPS in your car, a TomTom will continue trying to get you to that programmed destination no matter what you do. For that kind of use the adventure rider can set off following the route, and any time an interesting trail appears, roost down there and see where it goes. The TomTom will shuffle things around and look for ways to get from wherever that trail goes to where you said you wanted to end up. If you have time and plenty

of fuel, that can be a very wild and interesting adventure.

Track attack

If your primary use of the GPS is to download and follow a predetermined course, sticking exactly to the turns and trails selected, you want to use ‘tracks’, and, as we pointed out last issue, tracks aren’t the strong point on a TomTom. The Riders will take and display tracks, no problem there, but it’s not their best point of function. The TomTom proprietary maps are excellent for roads and formed dirt roads, but if you’re planning to do events like BMW Safaris, Maschine Trans Terras or RideADV courses, it’s likely you’ll be following a blue line across a blank map screen.

We’ve done it, and if you can keep your mind on the job it’s manageable, but it’s not as comfortable and easy to follow as a screen showing contour lines and topographical landmarks.

Choose your weapon

Routes or tracks?

That’s the decision we feel will best guide the purchasing decision on a TomTom 550.

For the distance riders who want to punch in a town somewhere over the horizon and enjoy the adventure of not being sure how they’re going to get there, a TomTom is brilliant. The MyConnect software is really easy to use, the units themselves are well-built and have

It’s not easy to pick the difference between the 450 and 550 just by looking at them. They’re both goodlooking units with excellent, bright screens. This is the 450.

survived the usual abuse inflicted on all our equipment without any drama at all, and the screens are fantastic. They’re very clear and easy to read. There’s huge amounts of information available to the rider at a glace, and buying the unit gets the rider off and running. It’s supplied with the powered mount, cables, ’bar clamp and everything needed to get it on the bike and start navigating. That includes access to TomTom Road Trips –150 routes from around the world – and the website allows riders to share their routes. A TomTom will pair with a phone to keep up to date with traffic conditions,

can share routes and tracks, and the glove-friendly, 4.3-inch touchscreens are glorious. Apparently it’ll even read text messages aloud, but we haven’t got that far yet.

A good choice

So that’s it, really. Make sure you know what kind of use you have for the GPS, and purchase accordingly. If you like life on the bitumen you’ll be crazy about a TomTom. If you want secondary roads and formed dirt roads, a TomTom will delight you. The units don’t accept aftermarket maps like Hema and OzTopo, and if you’re looking

to go really wild those maps can make things easier.

To put that in perspective, we loaded a Simpson crossing into the 450 and 550 Riders and the tracks all came up. We planned the 2019 northern Congregation ride on MyConnect and all the dirt roads appeared, with their names, and we had an instantly usable track which took us very little time to plan.

We’ve really enjoyed the TomTom 450 and 550. Think about the kind of riding you do, and then have a close look at these units. The ease of use great connectivity can make for great adventure riding.

TOMTOM RiDeR 550 MaiN pOiNTs

R World maps with over 40 different countries

R Real time TomTom Traffic

R Regular speed-camera alerts updates

R TomTom Road Trips: 150+ exclusive riding routes around the world

R Ride challenge level

R Bluetooth hands-free calling and route sharing

R Smart screen sensitivity for gloves

R Faster, quad-core processor

R Universal, powered RAM mount supplied.

FEATURING TERRAIN-TESTED SUSPENSION, A SPORTY STANCE AND DUAL-PURPOSE TYRES, THE HIMALYAN IS BORN OUT OF DECADES OF RIDING EXPERIENCE IN SOME OF THE HARSHEST TERRAIN ON EARTH. BUILT FOR ALL ROADS. BUILT FOR NO ROADS.

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Granite Sleet Snow

Picnic

RUN

It’s not an official Christmas ride, but December 21 is still a special day for a group on the NSW mid-north coast.

It’s nice to have a special day to look forward to – a day with some memories attached, formed and evolved over many years.

December 21 is a day like that for some.

In 2018, a happy bunch watched the sun rise over the Pacific ocean from an east-coast headland, saw Santa arrive on a V-strom and deliver lollies to anyone and everyone, listened in quiet reverence to a story from the past, caught up with old friends, then mounted up. Pottsy – aka Secret Squirrel – was leading, so the possibilities were almost endless.

It’d be a great start to any ride, and it was a great start to this one.

Familiar faces

Santa was, of course, Gav Gill, a character who’s been seen in Adventure Rider Magazine several times. Karen Ramsay and husband Ramdog Dave were rolling on their familiar Husky Terra and F800GS, and Dualsport Australia’s Marty Blake was on his spanking new DR650.

Left: It seemed the cornerman system had failed. Note the look of concern on the ride leader. Not a look of surprise, just concern. Above: Santa made an appearance. Apparently, in the summer he rides a V-strom called ‘Rainedorff’.

SHELL:

• KPA (Kinetic Polymer Alloy) construction

• Light Weight: 1300 ± 50g

VISORS:

• Twin Shield System (Drop down internal sun visor)

• UV/Scratch/Fog Resistant

• PinLock ready

COMFORT & SECURITY:

• Removable Breathable/Hypoallergic/Washable Liner

• Quick Release Chin Strap

• Emergency Quick Release Cheek Pads

There were other good friends and wellknown riders making up a bunch that varied between about 10 and 16 during the day, and the idea was to celebrate a great year with a low-stress social ride.

Food fight

In previous years there’d a been a little competitive biff-and-barge, most noticeably over a fiercely contested presentation of ANZAC bikkies – won fair and square by the editor, it should be remembered. A trophy had been awarded on that occasion.

This year, to avoid the angry disposition of the loser – sorry, the BMW rider who didn’t win a trophy in The Great ANZAC Bikkie Shootout – everyone was awarded a Secret Squirrel patch. There were no trophies. Everyone was a winner.

Be that as it may, there did seem to be a little chest beating and a few jaws thrust out during the picnic lunch. It was never intended to be competitive, but Adventure Rider Magazine’s editor would clearly have taken the trophy again if there’d been one. Ramdog Dave’s wheelbarrow loads of zucchini damper and smashed peanut ANZAC bikkies, freely distributed in an effort to curry favour with the riders, were very much appreciated. But the picnic was the point of the day, and the editor producing a Rocky Creek Designs chair and Helinox table on which to fix his cups of tea from the thermos and tea caddy carried in his

panniers clearly carried the day.

Not that there was any competition, of course.

But everyone could see what was what.

Glory day

The riding was the highlight.

From Coffs Harbour up through the mountains, along the Secret Squirrel dirt roads and mountain bitumen, it was about as glorious a celebration of adventure riding as there could be. Another familiar bike and face appeared at Ebor when Mac-Attack Eggins and his KLR eased in to the coffee shop where the group had stopped for breakfast. Mac had an interesting day. A largish rock hammered his bashplate into an awkward position which made it difficult to move his gear shifter. It was a toughbastard bashplate and saved the KLR from damage, but damn! It was near

impossible to bend it back again. After some lusty hammering with another large rock picked up from beside the road, Mac put the boulder in his pannier in case further adjustment was needed later in the day.

The corner system was in use, and it went sour quite early in the morning. For some reason Pottsy sent Marty HC to lead the group, and in a very short time there were two groups, with neither exactly sure of the location of the other. Ramdog Dave and Pottsy set to administer a sound thrashing using a convenient road marker when Marty rejoined.

Just a great day

Lunch was the aforementioned picnic. By that time the temperature had soared and several riders elected to swim at the picnic site, chosen on the bank of the

Top: Adventure Rider Magazine’s editor knows how to picnic in style.

Left: Karen Ramsay made the most of the Mann River stop.

Below: Mac Eggins put on a rock show when his KLR bashplate got a bit bent.

Top right: Breakfast on a fantastic, warm, December ride. Could it get any better?

Mann River for that specific reason.

From there it was a scenic run down the Old Glenn Innes Road through the convict tunnel and back to the coast to finish and knock off for the Christmas break.

The day wasn’t without its problems.

Marty HC had the standard tank on his DR, so he carried a fuel bladder with a few extra litres, just in case. Unfortunately, the bladder slipped down on to the pipe, melted, and apparently resulted in an amazing pyrotechnic display. There was no damage to bike or rider, but with his fuel range uncertain, Marty went for a solo run through Chaelundi to make it home with his remaining fuel.

“Gee. I hope Marty doesn’t get a puncture in there on his own,” said Pottsy, thus ensuring it would be his V-strom which flubbed its way to a halt not long after. Marty, of course, romped home without further incident while Pottsy, TF and Lean Dean – on his new Africa Twin – effected a repair to the rear tyre of the Suzuki.

With Pottsy’s tyre plugged, the three squirted into a rendezvous for a coffee

and farewell, then headed off into a thick fog as the late-afternoon weather deteriorated.

A light rain highlighted a run down the mountain to the coast, and, proving a ride’s never over until it’s over, there was a minor incident descending the narrow, winding mountain road, just a few bitumen kilometres from the finish. Fortunately there was a police car just a few metres from TF’s rear wheel when he

demonstrated his lack of competence, and after a little discussion, the bike was upright and everyone was soon on their way again.

There were a few problems to be dealt with, a little ribbing between riders, some spirited roosting on the dirt and about as much great riding as could be crammed into a long summer’s day.

It’s about as good as riding with friends can get.

Braidwood on Royal enfields

Bob Wozga prescribes a dose of mateship and riding to treat Industrial Disease.

Inoticed retro bikes seemed to be drawing large crowds at the motorcycle show.

Bikes like Kawasaki’s Z900RS and W800, Yamaha’s SR400 and Triumph’s Bonneville and Ducati’s Scrambler all had crowds milling around admiring the sleek lines, chrome and classic looks.

The ones that really struck me for some unknown reason were the Royal Enfield Classic and Continental. There was something about the raw style of them that captured the imagination. DKW, Arial, BMW, BSA…these were the bikes my father used to ride in Poland after the war. They were mechanically simple, but

enjoyable to ride on both country and city roads. I can understand why Dad was so fond of them and now gets excited when he sees an old bike.

Meant to be

So the gods were smiling when they guided me to the EagleRider stand with the Classics, Bullets, GT Continental and Himalayan on display. The fact the bikes could be rented for a day, a weekend or months was, well, a godsend.

The seeds were sown for the idea of an Enfield ride. All that was needed was a destination and a date. That was simple enough.

Words and images: Bob Wozga

Keen as

The lads jumped at the chance for a weekend trip on Royal Enfields.

The hire bikes were well-maintained, in great condition and ready for us on the day without any hitches. We picked up two Classics, a Bullet and a Continental. EagleRider also gave us the ground rules due to insurance regulations: no dirt roads, no wheelies and no shooting firearms from the bikes (true!).

My mates had never been on a long trip. Some had spent most of their time on scooters in Asia and some just on city roads. Most had never been through the popular scenic region of NSW’s southern highlands and tablelands. A weekend in May was chosen for the mild weather conditions and four Enfields, one Honda – that soon became an honorary Enfield – and a car prepared for a Royal Enfield experience.

Nice start

I’ve come to the conclusion riders are the best travel companions. You can be part way through a conversation at traffic lights then dart off when the lights turn green, ride for an hour or two, pull over for fuel and continue the conversation where you left off. Unlike travelling in a car, it also lets you immerse yourself in your thoughts without being interrupted because your passenger doesn’t like the sound of silence in the vehicle. And you can play Spotto without your passenger giving you weird looks.

warming breakfast with coffee, then we rumbled our way through Picton and along the old Hume Highway to Mittagong.

Left: The bikes were neither restorations nor imitations, but were exactly as they came from the factory in India. Right: The Royal was a welcome sight. u

The lads turned up early to demolish a

Looking over the shoulder every so often to ensure the pack was together, we took a scenic route along Range Road and Tourist Road to the top of Macquarie Pass. It’s not the Himalayas, but the

Royal Enfields were in their element, cruising past green fields, stone fences and gliding around the bends. Australia really does have a unique landscape.

The Robertson Pie shop was a welcome stopping point. It was also the start of Jarod’s quest for the perfect cheeseand-bacon pie. Many were consumed over the weekend.

The red, gold and brown leaves swept to the side of the road as the Enfields chuckled along the country lanes until the smell of smoke from warm fireplaces told us we were approaching Moss Vale, Exeter and Bundanoon. It’s a little part of Britain down there.

We stopped at Marulan to refuel and stretch the legs, then headed through Bungonia towards Tarago and the final destination – the Royal Hotel at Braidwood.

Pie guy

The Royal was a welcome sight. The beer was cold, the food was hot and the atmosphere was welcoming. The rooms were basic, but that’s what we were looking for…except Craig. He needed to stay in a motel with a pool, palm trees, spa and cocktails. Apparently that’s what he’s accustomed to when he’s overseas. He didn’t want to stay with the riff-raff

he rode down with, so every time he bought a beer we made sure it had an umbrella in it.

Braidwood is a mesmerizing town. Steeped in a history of bushrangers and gold, the town is heritage-listed because of its original Georgian architecture and wide streets. Standing in the centre of the road, you can imagine bullock drivers swearing and cursing as they rolled through town. It’s a major stopping point between Canberra and Batemans Bay and home to some great cafés, galleries and bakeries – with bacon-and-cheese pies. It’s well worth a visit.

Way back

After breaking the ice from the bike seats the next morning, a quick photo at the park brought some onlookers who stopped to chat. They were astonished to find the bikes were neither restorations nor imitations, but were exactly as they came from the factory in India, and pretty much hand-made as they have been since the 1950s.

Rod planned the return trip via Bungendore, Lerida Estate Winery – very nice reds – and into Goulburn for a look at the Big Merino. From there we dawdled through Berrima and back to Sydney.

Top: The lads jumped at the chance for a trip on Royal Enfields. The CB125 was awarded honorary RE status for the weekend.

Right: Seeds were sown for the idea of an Enfield ride.

It was a very well thought out route with varying riding conditions from country lanes to open road and expressway.

Rules obeyed

I was rather impressed with the Classic.

Knowing it’s built pretty much the way they have been since 1954 I expected it to have a bit of vibration and be not as fast as a modern bike. It still has a rear drum brake and the only gauge is a speedo. But it was still very enjoyable and reasonably comfortable. It sits happily on around 90kph and suits the country roads perfectly. It also didn’t have a problem on the expressway at 110kph. I thought it was great.

Rod had an issue with vibration on the Bullet. We noticed this when he bought a round. By the time he got the schooners from the bar to the table they were only half full because his hands were still shaking from the ride.

Jarrod had grown up on sports bikes and the Continental suited him to a tee. It vibrated too, but was nothing to complain about. His quest for the perfect cheese-and-bacon pie continues.

Craig – aka Duckman – had no complaints about his Classic except there was no cup holder for his martini.

The drivers requested to remain anonymous.

I was most impressed with Jim – aka ‘Wingman’ – on his Honda CB125. He got it all the way down to Braidwood. It was a bit of a struggle for a smaller bike and did take a toll on fatigue levels,

Above: A rear drum brake and the only gauge is a speedo, but still very enjoyable and reasonably comfortable.

Below: Sleek lines, chrome and classic looks.

Right: A weekend in May was chosen for the mild weather.

but he pushed himself and got it back home with plans of doing another trip on a larger bike.

We handed the bikes back without having done any dirt roads (the council had paved all the ones we looked for). We tried doing wheelies numerous times but couldn’t get the wheel up, and we didn’t get to shoot anything from the bikes.

Pressure down

These rides are more than just being on a bike. They’re about mateship and looking after each other. If someone was fatigued, we’d pull over or slow down to suit the slowest rider. If someone was lacking riding gear, we’d spot them a jacket or face mask so they could come along and not freeze. The rides are also about destressing and taking the micky out of each other, making sure no one slips into a depressive state from life’s pressures.

Dire Straits sung about Industrial Disease in the 1980s. Rides like these trips are a good relief for the symptoms they sang about:

Dr Parkinson declared, ‘I’m not surprised to see you here You’ve got smokers cough from smoking, brewer’s droop from drinking beer.

I don’t know how you came to get those Betty Davis knees, But worst of all young man, you’ve got Industrial Disease. Maybe, instead of a visit to a therapist, we’d be better off getting our friends together and going for a ride.

Thanks Rod, Craig, Jim, Jarrod, Phil and David.

Mitas Adventure tyres

The choice of Chris Birch

"Mitas tyres give me the traction and the durability to take my adventure wherever I want to go."

Does riding with friends help your state of mind? Should riding with mates be covered by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme? Are your mates all under-prepared slappers who drive you crazy on a ride? E-mail tom@maynemedia.com.au and let us know.

Trans-Labrador The Highway

“J Backdoor to Canada’s eastern provinces, The Maritimes.

e voudrais un café et un croissant et l’essence ordinaire KLR.”

Food, fuel and a chance to try my dodgy French started my day at Baie-Comeau on the east coast of Quebec. My goal was to ride the 1250km of the Trans-Labrador Highway, a remote route across the wilds of Labrador in Canada’s northeast.

Happy riders

To complete the Trans-Labrador Highway (TLH) requires a three-day ride from Baie-Comeau to Blanc-Sablon, both in northern Quebec. The ride initially travels

A mistake on the isolated TLH could result in a lengthy, painful rescue and an expensive end to a ride. u

600km north to cross the Labrador border near Labrador City, which is the start of the TLH, then east to Happy Valley-Goose Bay before heading southeast to the coastal ferry servicing Newfoundland. It’s an adventure route that’s likely to be converted to just another road in the foreseeable future as the asphalt contractors continue their relentless march north. However, as I was to find, there are still substantial gravel sections through vast remote areas. These sections are subject to the vagaries of northern Canada’s weather, and are guaranteed to keep an adventure rider happy.

Words and images: Don Bromfield

She’ll be right, mate I fired up the KLR and rode towards my goal for the day, Labrador City.

The 200km of rolling hills, forests and streams on the well-surfaced road to Manic-Cinq, a small settlement established to service the nearby Daniel Johnson Dam and hydro site, was a great way to start the day. The 13 massive arches of the dam’s buttressed concrete wall made an impressive site as it towered

210m over the vehicles which had slowly descended from the plateau above. The dam site marks the beginning of two long gravel sections of road split by about 80km of bitumen on the remote 400km run through northern Quebec to Labrador City.

As I made my way north the loosesurfaced road climbed higher on the plateau, heralding the beginning of the deteriorating weather with a drop in

temperature and then steady rain. The poor conditions, lack of mobile coverage and SOS phones stationed at regular intervals conspired to temper any pushon attitude I may have harboured.

“Who doesn’t enjoy solo riding at around 90kph with the dust trailing behind and the road stretching towards the horizon.”

The road, surprisingly at one stage, criss-crossed and paralleled a railway line servicing the mines scattered throughout the area. It felt odd in such an out-of-theway location to actually have to stop at one crossing for an ore train to pass.

The rough and slippery road and poor weather took a toll on my stamina but proved all together too much for my number plate. The plate decided it had had enough and parted company and

Above: Lack of mobile coverage and SOS phones stationed at regular intervals temper any

it wasn’t until Labrador City I discovered its escape. Google informed me I had to report its loss to the police, with which I duly complied. I had no alternative but to ride on without a plate.

Hey, I’m an Australian tourist. What could go wrong?

Sticker stickler

Late in the afternoon, cold and wet after passing the town’s massive iron-ore mine, I booked into a motel in Labrador City to dry out. I must’ve looked bedraggled as I was allocated a room out the back.

Next morning I met four Canadians who couldn’t help

Top left: Why travel in the Canadian wilds is so special. Somewhere on the TLH. Left: The Trans-Labrador Highway is a remote, 1250km route across the wilds of Canada’s northeast.

push-on attitude.

joking that perhaps the KLR may not have been good enough to be seen out the front with their BMWs. This was my first of several meetings with ‘Mike’, who I was to meet again, purely by chance, two weeks and thousands of kilometres later in what turned out to be his hometown near Ottawa. I was taken aback when a car pulled in behind me and a voice called my name as I was again, wet and bedraggled, about to make a motel booking, only to discover Mike, who’d I not seen since the ferry crossing to Newfounland.

The road from Labrador City to Churchill Falls and on to Happy ValleyGoose Bay is a bit of a doddle, being

530km with an excellent bitumen surface.

As for Chruchill Falls, the hydro wasn’t releasing water from the nearby upstream dam, so let’s just call it a dribble on the rock wall. Hydro, along with mining, is the major industry in the area and there are extensive dams and power lines visible across the plateau.

Lunch and a fuel stop at Churchill Falls was another chance to swap stories with Mike and his friends and buy the ‘I Survived The Trans-Labrador Highway’ sticker.

Tents discussion

The drop from the high plateau through the curves to Happy Valley-Goose Bay is

a great ride with riverside cabins visible through the trees and the vegetation losing some of its stunted appearance. After advice from the local tourism office, and with the bike and I fuelled up, I headed out to an abandoned RV park at Gosling Lake to set up camp for the night.

“The 13 massive arches of the dam’s buttressed concrete wall made an impressive site as it towered 210m.”

At 10:30pm I was roused from my tent by a voice calling “Hello! Hello!” to be confronted by a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer standing beside his patrol car in the twilight. My thoughts immediately went to my missing number plate, but he instead enquired about my tent. As the mosquitoes seemed to be enjoying his presence rather than mine for once, I was only too happy to extol the virtues of Salewa products. It turned out he had a bigger tent for snowmobiling, but was looking for a smaller one for when he went trailriding on his DR in summer, and he liked the look of my tent. Missing number plate? “Don’t care about that.”

One of the joys of travelling is never knowing who you’ll meet and in what bizarre directions conversations may lead.

Eatin’ dust

The Trans-Labrador south from Happy Valley-Goose Bay is often described as the loneliest road in the world.

While it might qualify for the short list it’s a bit of an exaggeration, although I haven’t ridden it in winter with its -30°C temperatures and massive snow drifts to test my scepticism. I don’t intend to come back in winter, either.

As I rolled the 20km out of town before passing the ‘Next Services 392km’ sign, I was well aware a mistake on the section could result in a lengthy, painful rescue and an expensive end to my travels, but the thoughts were soon pushed to the back of my mind as I rode along on the loose, but certainly not difficult, gravel

Daniel Johnson Dam and hydro site towers 210m and marks the beginning of two long gravel sections split by about 80km of bitumen on the 400km run through northern Quebec to Labrador City.

Twilight at a Gosling Lake campsite.

DiveRsiONs

Labrador is often described as ‘The Big Land’.

surface. Who doesn’t enjoy solo riding at around 90kph with the dust trailing behind and the road stretching towards the horizon, standing on the ’pegs and sitting as the surface demands? The ride was punctuated with the occasional stop for a photo, pee and snack as the kilometres all too quickly passed by. Every now and then a vehicle travelling the other way would pass in a cloud of dust, eliciting a wave, while catching the odd vehicle heading south meant a blast to get past before the dust became a threecourse meal.

Slawter

I stopped somewhere to enjoy a pretty stream that gurgled through a culvert beneath the road and into an idyllic pool fringed by the stunted Arctic vegetation. There were no signs to name the stream. It was just one of the thousands in Canada’s north, but to me it epitomised why Canada is such a special place to visit. It’s brimming with

To ride the TLH is certainly avoiding the beaten path. I only saw five other adventure riders on its entirety. As this is the only through road in Labrador, worthwhile diversions are found before and after taking on the TLH.

The run across Quebec provides the opportunity to ride the ultimate Canadian remote-wilderness adventure road, the James Bay Road/Trans-Taiga Road route.

Starting at Matagami, the road is sealed for the 620km north to Radisson. A 90km diversion to the west will take you to the shores of James Bay at Chisasibi. Heading east from Radisson, a hydro gravel road runs a further 745km to the Caniapiscau Réservoir terminus where you turn around and start the ride back. This is the furthest you can get from a town in North America. There are no services after Radisson, so a 4WD support vehicle would be a logical option. It’s on my to-do list.

The Maritimes offer travel options at the other end of the TLH. Newfoundland is a 90-minute ferry ride from Blanc-Sablon. Stunning scenery, Newfie accents, craft beer and rain await your arrival. Many side roads lead from the highways to the coastal towns and villages. It’s best to do your research as some are definitely more scenic than others. My favourite was Trinity, where I arrived at the colourful fogbound village to the sound of the foghorn sounding out across the bay. Just north of Trinity is Port Rexton, famous for its brewery which does a couple of great porters.

Two ferry options lead further south to Nova Scotia from where it’s a short ride to the start of The Cabot Trail, Canada’s version of the Great Ocean Road and, yes, it’s as scenic as the guides suggest.

stunning scenery in a vast wilderness which can be benign one moment and bite the next, and it’s all begging to be explored.

“At 10:30pm I was roused from my tent by a voice calling “Hello! Hello!” to be confronted by a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer .”

At 390km the KLR coughed and I switched the tap to reserve and cruised the final 20km into Port Hope Simpson for fuel and food. Food options were pizza slices or pizza slices, so when I spotted a sign in a window for a restaurant 135km down the road I headed for a late lunch. It was on this stretch the inexorable march of roadworks in preparation for asphalt made its presence felt with

heavy machinery and loose gravel to focus the mind. I finally reached Red Bay around 3:00pm and sat down, stomach rumbling, for a hot meal of cod and chips with coleslaw on the side.

This section of the Trans-Labrador is synonymous with the start of ‘Iceberg Alley’. Side roads to towns such as Cartwright and Battle Harbour invited the traveller to experience awe and grandeur, but my luck must have

been out. On this ride the section could’ve been more aptly named Icebergless Alley, with the old maxim, “You should’ve been here last year,” a common refrain. Prevailing winds had pushed the bergs out to sea.

“This section of the Trans-Labrador is synonymous with the start of ‘Iceberg Alley’. ”

The area south of Red Bay marked the return of the bitumen as the TLH, on its way south towards the ferry at Blanc-Sablon, linked the small towns. For my third night I pitched my tent on the oceanside terrace beneath the provincial historic site, Point Amour Lighthouse. From there it was a short ride through L’Anse-au-Clair and over the Quebec border to the ferry terminal. Again I caught up with Mike and his friends as we waited for our lift at the gateway to The Maritimes.

St. Barbe and Newfoundland awaited.

lOGisTiCs

Hiring a bike in the US may be an option as it’s at least a week’s ride and thousands of kilometres across Canada to start this route. I couldn’t find many eastern-Canadian hire options when doing initial research.

Fuel and food are available at Baie-Comeau, Manic-Cinq, Labrador City, Churchill Falls and Happy Valley-Goose Bay. There are no services for the 420km wilderness ride south to Port Hope Simpson. After Red Bay food and fuel are readily available.

Mobile coverage is not available along much of this route. SOS phones are dotted at intervals between Manic-Cinq and Labrador City. Free satellite phones are available for travel between Labrador City and L’Anse-au-Clair. Yes, it’s so remote that even two TLH truck drivers I spoke to regularly availed themselves of the service. A driver’s licence and credit card are sighted as security. Visit the TLH Satellite Phone Loan Program website to find pick up and drop off locations.

The ferry crossing from Blanc-Sablon, Quebec, to St. Barbe, Newfoundland, operates twice each day throughout summer on an 85-per-cent prebooking system. Fifteen per cent of capacity is kept for those who turn up on the day. On arrival you’re allocated a number in the queue and that’s your order of boarding. With a bike you’re likely to get on, but, to be sure, get to the terminal early to get a low number.

The summer ferries to and from Newfoundland are booked out months in advance, but I had no trouble turning up on the day. If you have a support vehicle, prebook.

Finally, if you do decide to ride across Canada, I can highly recommend the friendly service provided by the team at Trans Canada Motorsports at Brandon, Manitoba. I stopped there on the way across for an oil change and new tyres. Two weeks later they were bemused to see me arrive again for another oil change and rear tyre. ‘Crazy Australians,’ was their opinion.

Above: A foggy arrival at Trinity, a village on Trinity Bay in Newfoundland.

Below: An Australian tourist with no number plate. What could go wrong?

BMW

F750GS and F850GS

As adventure riding takes over the world, BMW is determined to ensure everyone has the weapons they need to join the conquest.

After decades of seeing 1200s as ‘real’ BMWs, and then pretty much a decade of learning the 800GS and GSA was every bit as serious as the 1200, now Beemer has thrown another bolt of lightning into the exploding arena of adventure riding. Now there’s an 850GS. Not only an 850, but a 750GS as well. And that’s only the bell-end of the bratwurst, because within each of those designations is a big array of variations.

As a hint of how far the variations go, the 750GS is actually an 850 as well. Both bikes are running a new, parallel-twin, 853cc motor and come in a big range of option packs. Hold on tight and we’ll run through them for you…

BMW F750GS $13,590

BMW F750GS Tour $17,305

BMW F750GS Low Suspension $13,840

BMW F750GS Tour Low Suspension $17,005

BMW F850GS $17,990

BMW F850GS Rallye $18,390

BMW F850GS Rallye X $22,305

BMW F850GS Tour $21,805

BMW F850GS Low Suspension $18,240

BMW F850GS Rallye Low Suspension $18,640

BMW F850GS Tour Low Suspension $21,505.

It does seem as if our Bavarian chums are determined everyone, no matter what their size or budget, who wants to ride a BMW, can. Good on BMW, we say. Well done.

A lot to choose from If it seems like there’s a lot of bikes to choose from

to end up on an 850 of one kind or another, we agree. But if you take a moment to have a look, the variations aren’t confusing. The name – like ‘Low Suspension’ – tells most of what a potential buyer needs to know, and the price gives a fair indication of where a particular model variation stands in the line-up.

Along with the new motor, probably the most striking feature of the F750GS and F850GS is how much they can be tuned to an individual. BMW has made a huge effort to offer seats, controls, luggage, footpegs and all kinds of OEM equipment which will allow a buyer to ride the bike away in the trim he or she wants.

We’re not going to try and sort the intricacies of the different variations of the F850GS and F750GS. You can talk to your local dealer or check the BMW Motorrad website for that. We’re just going to ride ’em and tell you what we reckon. You can work out for yourselves which tweaks and changes will suit you best.

And just to be a little cheeky, we actually had a very short ride on an F850GSA (a special treat, thanks to BMW). It wasn’t available at the time we did this ride, but should be by the time you read this issue. We’ll have a full rundown on that model in issue #34, along with the new 1250GS range.

Meanwhile, hold on tight and turn the page.

It’s a white-knuckle ride.

Images: BMW Motorrad/Dean Walters

A teaser. We had a very short ride on the

We’ll have a full review in issue

F850GS Adventure.

#34.

BM w f 850G s

Left: BMW claims the F850GS is the most off-road ready bike in its range. We reckon it is, too.

Right: The motor was still incredibly smooth, it’s just kind of…well…playful.

The F850GS is a BMW through and through.

Those used to the look and feel of Beemers will feel comfortable on this bike the instant they plonk their bum on the seat. The engine may be new, and the bike looks a little aggressive and predatory, but from behind the ’bars the comfort level and shapes and curves are unmistakably BMW.

The 853cc, parallel-twin, liquidcooled four-stroke motor is most remarkable for its 270-degree firing order. There’s nothing new in that concept, but we’re not used to seeing it from BMW, and the result is a motor with a definite ‘character’ or feel. Power output is claimed to be 95 horsepower and torque 92Nm.

A six-speed box and chain final drive do their job while a cableoperated ‘anti-hopping’ (BMW’s words) clutch and ride-by-wire throttle keep things under control.

All that’s standard across the F850GS range. Things get a little more involved when the electronics packages are taken into consideration.

Move on up

Starting with the base model – the GS – there’s a choice of two riding modes: Rain or Road. Predictably, rain gives a softer throttle response, while road is

full snort, and the instrument cluster is an LCD screen. Heated grips, ABS, traction control and cruise control are all standard. Available options include an HP sports silencer, TFT display with connectivity, anti-theft alarm system, a ‘Comfort’ seat which gives an 875mm seat height, and a ‘Low’ seat gives an 835mm seat height.

From the standard GS a purchaser can look to move up to the various models we listed earlier and will find a lot of the items which are optional for the standard bike are included. One particular fitting which jumped out on the Rallye X was the shift assist. It doesn’t seem like a big deal on a spec sheet, but it makes a surprising difference when the pace is up.

We spent our 850 time on the Rallye X, and we felt it was time very well spent indeed.

Below: The lighting is really good, and the daytime running light is a cracker…even though the shape’s a bit weird. If it makes motorists look twice, we’re all for it.

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The F850GS is a lot of fun off-road.

Off-road aggressive

BMW claims the F850GS is the most off-road ready bike in its range, and we can see that’s the case. The bike feels, and even looks, dirt ready. It seems compact and slim, and the instant we climbed on board we were looking for a berm to smash or loamy trail to carve. The attitude of the bike is that strong.

We didn’t have any problem getting a foot on the ground comfortably, but the bike gave the impression it had plenty of ground clearance. We weren’t squashed sitting on the seat for road sections, either. The ergos of the stock Rallye X felt awesome, straight away.

Being the Rallye X, we also had the TFT screen – which is fricken unbelievable on these bikes –and electronics included Enduro Pro mode, our go-to setting on the BMWs. Changing modes was so easy we found ourselves flicking back and forth to Road mode on the bitumen and Enduro Pro on the dirt, but we

BMw f850Gs

Bi K e spe C s

could live with the bike being in Enduro Pro all the time.

The bike also had shift assist and all the other standard features we’ve already listed, and as would be expected from BMW, it was all first-class equipment, and we’d used most of it, one way or another, on other models.

The motor is the really new and interesting feature, and we reckon it’s the facet which will get the most attention.

New and different

We remember when we first rode the 800GS we were amazed at how BMW had somehow made a parallel twin feel very similar to its boxer twin. Over the years we’ve become accustomed to that incredible, seamless, fluid-drive feel as a BMW trait. But the 850 motor isn’t like that.

Traditionally, a 270-degree firing order makes a parallel-twin motor feel like a V-twin. A pair of

Web: www.bmw-motorrad.com.au

Recommended retail:

From $17,990 including GST, plus ORC.

Engine: Water-cooled, two-cylinder, four-stroke with four rocker arm-controlled valves per cylinder, two overhead camshafts and dry sump lubrication

Capacity: 853cc

Bore x Stroke: 84mm x 77mm

Rated output: 70kW (95hp) at 8250rpm

Maximum torque: 92Nm at 6,250rpm

Fuel type: Premium unleaded, 95 octane (RON)

Transmission: Constant-mesh, six-speed

Clutch: Multiple-disc wet clutch (anti hopping), mechanically operated

Start: Electric

Tyres front/rear: 90/90 21, 150/70 R17

Front suspension: Telescopic fork Ø43mm

Rear suspension: Aluminium double-sided swing arm at rear.

Central spring strut with WAD (travel-dependent damping).

Hydraulically adjustable spring preload, adjustable rebound damping

Brake front: Double disc brakes with floating discs, front (diameter 305 mm), double-piston, floating caliper

Brake rear: Single 265 mm disc, single-piston floating caliper

Wheelbase: 1593mm

Seat Height: 860mm (OE suspension lowering kit: 815mm, OE low seat: 835mm, OE comfort seat: 875mm, OA rallye seat: 890mm)

Usable tank volume: 15 litres

Unladen weight, road ready: 229kg

The TFT screen is fricken unbelievable

staggered power pulses are separated by a comparatively long spell with no ignition. The result is a heartbeattype feel.

That’s a very different characteristic to the engine drive we’ve been used to from BMW.

We think BMW has given a bit and taken a bit, but will wind up well in front with the new motor. We didn’t make a head-to-head comparison, but we suspect if we did, on an off-road course, the 800GS motor would probably let us turn faster lap times. But for sheer hoot, fun, rortiness – whatever you want to call it – the new motor is a pearler. There’s no shortage of horsepower or drive and it’s really easy to live with. If you’re planning your adventure rides around quick times you’re probably in the wrong sport. For loping along a forest trail, decimating a squillion kilometres of bitumen and lugging out of a slimy creekbed, the new 850 motor is the dog’s bollocks.

Having said all that, the difference is not as huge as we’re making it seem. The feel and performance of the motor is undoubtedly and noticeably different to the BMW twins we’ve been used to, but change doesn’t come easily to BMW. It still seemed to us the motor was still incredibly smooth, it’s just kind of… well…playful.

If you weren’t familiar with BMWs we could understand anyone not picking the heartbeat on this one, and whether you do or don’t it’s a great motor.

Snort fest

The other big feature of the Rallye X

variant was the ESA suspension, and it’s really becoming a very polished accessory. It’s so good it’s becoming easy to forget just how much the bike is looking after the rider. Switch it off for a reminder. As it is, it’s a set-andforget option. Let the bike take care of the suspension settings and the rider take care of the fun. The ESA will do the job better and faster than any rider could make the assessment and adjustment.

Brakes?

C’mon. There aren’t any new bikes with bad brakes these days, and the BMW stoppers are excellent by any standard. The ABS is as good as the brakes themselves.

Handling?

It’s good. For a bike around 230kg mark, fueled and ready to ride, it still feels quite maneuverable and relatively easy to steer. Even when we had to manhandle it the 850 didn’t seem to fight us. We were very surprised to see the 230kg figure on the spec sheet. It didn’t feel like that at all.

Ride one

Australia’s highways would still be a very pleasant experience on this bike.

There’s probably not a lot more we can tell you. The 850, in whatever guise you choose, is a very capable off-roader. The BMW GS heritage is clear on the bitumen as well, and long-distance running up and down

For those thinking of their first BMW, the 850 would be a superb choice. The problem for BMW will be convincing current, die-hard 1200GS owners the 850 is a good alternative. It’s probably not a problem at all. Both choices are good ones.

BM w f 750G s

With the standard bike and a few choices from the accessories list, the F750GS could be a dream tourer.

The F750GS is aimed at what might be called ‘old-school’ GS buyers – those who are more interested in the true 50/50 road/off-road lifestyle, rather than the more dirt-oriented focus of the 850GS. The 750GS also offers a more relaxed and less-aggressive option with the new motor. The bike’s a little less teeth-and-claws and a little more coffee-and-cake, if you know what we mean. That makes the new engine available to older riders, less-experienced riders, girls who are a little height-challenged and all those potential owners who just want to sit back and take in the scenery.

Having said that, all those variations and options we outlined earlier on the 850GS are available on this bike too, and when we jumped on the optioned-up Tour model we had to double-check we weren’t back on the 850.

All the mechanicals are the same on this bike as the 850GS, so refer back a couple of pages for that rundown.

Contrast

What was really interesting for us was where we did all our riding on the 850GS on the Rallye X, we spent a large proportion of our time on the base model 750GS, and it wasn’t an easy transition to make at first.

The F750GS retails at only $13,590 plus on-roads, GST included, and there’s a hell of a lot of class in this bike for that price.

The first thing to hit us was the low seat height, and of course, the LCD screen instead of the TFT screen we’d had on the other bike. In fact, it didn’t make a lot of difference to our riding experience. The motor, clutch, braking and gearbox were all pretty much the same, and the bike’s desire to grunt away from traffic lights and stop signs was just as pleasant, which was interesting, because according to the spec sheet it’s in a slightly lower state of tune. We missed the Enduro Pro setting like crazy when we hit the dirt, but that was just us being sooks. With the ABS switched off, no ESA and a 19-inch front wheel we found ourselves ‘riding’ the bike a lot more. We had to make the judgements and adjustments in riding style to conquer the terrain rather than letting the bike’s electronics and build do it for us. That’s actually something we enjoy a lot.

But there’s no getting around the F750GS being a cost-conscious choice. When we rode the optioned-up 750GS we immediately stacked on some pace and instantly felt like we were ready to conquer the world. The base model made us stop and assess what it would be fair to ask the bike to do, and we kept a pace governed by that assessment.

If you build it

There’s stacks of OEM gear available for the 750GS as well of course. BMW is making a very big point of just how much these bikes can be sorted to fit individuals. But still, we were a little nonplussed at some very rudimentary things on the base model.

The journalists were referring to this bike as ‘The Poverty Pack’, by the way, except for one gifted individual who thought it would be better described as ‘the entry point to adventure’ (we’re predicting a big future for that young man). The point of that is to make sure you remember we’re talking about a bike that sells for around $13,500. That’s a helluva deal.

Still, things like not being able to adjust the height of the gear selector were a surprise, and of course, alloy wheels and a key(!). These things really made no difference at all to the pleasure of riding the bike, especially given it’s 50/50 stance. With the standard bike and a few choices from the accessories list, the F750GS could be a dream tourer. It weighs in a little lighter than the 850 as well at 224kg ready to ride, and there’s nothing complain about there.

What you want

It’s never easy to review a bike after stepping back. By that we mean, say, riding a 1200, then stepping back to review a 600. In this case we jumped off a high-spec 850 on to the bog-stock, no frills 750, and we wouldn’t be human if we didn’t feel a little deflated.

But by the end of our time on the bike it’d shown it had the heart of a lion, even if it tended to purr and smooch a little, and we were left with the overall impression of how much we’d enjoyed ourselves. Our minds weren’t racing with all kinds of performance data and hard-edged comparisons. In fact, we’re a bit embarrassed to admit we were thinking a lot about some of the dirt roads we’d ridden, the scenery we’d enjoyed, and even, truth be told, the pretty waitress at one of coffee shops.

If that’s what you want from a ride, you should have a good long look at the F750GS range. The ideal bike for you is probably in that collection.

Left: The 750GS offers a more relaxed and less-aggressive option with the new motor.

Above: It’s not easy to pick the difference between the F750GS and F850GS sometimes.

Below: There’s a huge catalogue of accessories available for the F750GS as well, including some excellent luggage options.

Below right: The Akro is the go! It’s worth the extra expense to feel that 270-degree timing throb.

BMw f750Gs

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Web: www.bmw-motorrad.com.au

Recommended retail: From $13,590 including GST, plus ORC.

Engine: Water-cooled, four-stroke, in-line, two-cylinder engine, four valves per cylinder, two overhead camshafts, dry-sump lubrication

Capacity: 853cc

Bore x Stroke: 84mm x 77mm

Rated output: 63kW (77hp) at 7500rpm OE output reduction to 35kW (48hp) at 6500rpm 85hp at 7500rpm

Maximum torque: 83Nm at 6000 rpm OE output reduction: 63Nm at 4500rpm

Fuel type: Unleaded regular, minimum octane number 91 (RON)

Transmission: Six-speed

Clutch: Multiple-disc wet clutch (anti-hopping), mechanically operated

Suspension travel front/rear: 151mm/177mm

(OE: suspension lowering kit 131mm/157mm)

Tyres front/rear: 110/80 R19/150/70 R17

Start: Electric

Front suspension: Telescopic fork Ø41mm

Rear suspension: Cast aluminum dual swing arm, central spring strut, spring pre-load hydraulically adjustable: rebound damping adjustable

Brake front: Dual floating discs, two-piston floating calipers

Seat Height: 815mm (OE: suspension lowering kit: 770mm, OE low seat: 790mm, OE comfort seat: 830mm)

Usable tank volume: 15 litres

Unladen weight, road ready: 224kg

Zac speed: Shaun MacKenzie

Why would a commercial airline pilot make riding gear? We asked Zac Speed’s founder and managing director.

Adventure Rider Magazine was hugely impressed with Zac Speed equipment.

The build quality and design was, as we found last issue, clearly handled by someone who understood riders and what it meant to spend long days and cover big distance on a bike.

We decided to track down the driving force behind the brand and ended up chatting to an enthusiastic 48-year-old Melbournian who flies commercial jets for a living.

Why would a commercial pilot want to make motorcycle gear?

“Not many people know, but I’m actually a motorcycle mechanic by trade,” explained an enthusiastic Shaun MacKenzie. “As a young bloke I was into racing motocross and that’s where the interest in motorcycles began.

always loved the idea of becoming a pilot, and I happened to see a magazine ad that said I could be flying in 52 weeks. It had a pic of a 747 taking off, and I thought, ‘Wow!’ It took a lot longer than that, but it was a start.

“I worked at the bike shop part time while I learned to fly.”

A successful career flying for various airlines around the world followed, and it was a return to Australia that saw Shaun back on a bike.

“I joined Virgin Blue at start-up in 2000, and as part of that I read Richard Branson’s book Lose Your Virginity, about his entrepreneurial journey with all

Zac Speed’s founder and managing director, Shaun MacKenzie.

the businesses he’d set up. I still love flying for this game-changing airline. It’s taught me how quickly things change.

“In the back of my mind I’d always thought I’d love to have some sort of business associated with motorcycling. When I came back to Australia in 2000 after being based overseas, I started trailriding, and wearing pressure suits and body armour just wasn’t working for me. I got way too hot and I couldn’t stand the restrictive feeling. I had a roost protector and I tried to put a backpack over the top of it and I kept getting all tangled up. It was too difficult. I thought there had to be a better way.

“At that point I had an epiphany. I thought, ‘There is actually a better way.’

“I thought about what would work for me, and I started running the idea past a few people. We’ve never looked back. Zac Speed was founded in 2003, and the next two years were spent developing the product, trying all the different prototypes and getting all the vendors, manufacturers and industrial designers to mesh together to create something.

“That was the hard part. There was a

lot to learn. You don’t know what you don’t know, and it took a few years. We launched the first product in 2005 and we’ve progressed through the years. Now we have the CONFIGR8 system that lets everyone adapt the protective gear and backpack/utility-carrying equipment to their own riding style, climate and terrain.”

Adventure Rider Magazine is happy to vouch for the quality and adaptability of the Zac Speed gear from firsthand experience.

“We just want to enhance the rider’s experience and encourage people to get back into riding,” Shaun continued.

“I had a hiatus from riding when I started flying, and I think a lot of people go through that. Adventure riding is gaining a lot of popularity. People who’ve come from racing and riding as youngsters realise it’s such a big part of their life and they come back to it through adventure riding. Everyone has their own idea of what works for them, and there’s no real system when it comes to backpacks or hydration or carrying utility-type items that suits everyone. Zac Speed allows riders a lot of room to build the set-up

that works for them personally.”

Shaun and Zac Speed are both clearly very much in motion all the time. What’s in store for the pair in the future?

“We realised we’re a little niche as a company,” said the captain in his best message-from-the-cockpit voice. “We needed to expand to cover a broad range of the action sports. A lot of motorcycle riders also get into snowboarding, mountain-bike riding and other action sports, so we’re looking to produce equipment that’ll work for a number of different sports now.

“Also, we’re trying to make a lot of what we do a lot easier, and to integrate as much protection into the gear as possible. The idea is to make something as simple as we can, and ultimately as reliable and comfortable as possible for the individual. There are some guys who like to take everything on a ride, and some who take very little. We want Zac Speed to be able offer something to everyone. The humble backpack has a lot more to offer.

“We’ve got a whole lot more product coming.”

If you arrive at Marrkalawa you’ve taken at least one wrong turn.

Arafura The Track

Words and images: Peter Whitaker

It required three generations of the one clan to secure our permits to traverse eastern Arnhem Land, a Northern Territory region so remote a wrong turn could land you in the camp of a bloke – carrying both a spear and a woomera – who would politely point out the deficiencies of SatNav and send you on your way. Such a confrontation only occurred the once, however once was enough to convince us to be better attuned to cultural sensitivities. It can take quite an effort to turn a fully laden KTM1190 around in deep sand –potentially far more time than the deployment of a woomera.

Banker

Fortunately there were clear skies and a blazing sun to indicate direction, though much of the savanna – a vast, sparsely treed plain, marginally below sea level – offered few perceptible landmarks. One termite mound is little different to any other. Lengthy sections of the ancient Arafura Track spend the annual ‘big wet’ under a metre of murky, slow-moving water, so it’s no surprise the way forward was hard to sight at anything more than walking pace.

On the road with...

MotoPlug

Camping where there’s little chance any whitepella had ever camped before, we dined on road dust and cold buffalo sausages donated by an Outback Spirit tour group back near

Left: Sometimes the Arafura Track was easy to follow, often not. Dave Law gave it a crack on his BMW HP2.

Above: There are more than 20 watercourses to ford on the way to the notorious Cahill’s Crossing on the East Alligator River. Below: Shade can be at a premium.

u

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Roper Bar. They were very filling and stayed with us throughout the following day – the sausages that is, not the tour group.

The Outback Spirit organisation has made the more remote regions of Australia accessible to senior citizens by means of a fleet of 4WD coaches, light aircraft and luxury cruisers and, at an average age of 71, our small group of riders may soon be forced to employ these methods of conveyance. But not if we can design a lightweight fold-up walking frame that will double as a luggage rack for Andy Strapz saddlebags. As it was, flying over the region may have been easier, as both our GPS and paper maps displayed tracks that no longer existed.

We eventually found ourselves at a ‘long shaley slope’ we’d been told to look for, and this was followed by a deep river crossing which confirmed we were still on course. By the time we reached the Central Arnhem Road we were knackered and short of fuel. That situation dictated an economy run into Nhulunbuy on which Doc took an unnecessary detour into an erosion bank.

A good angle

Situated on the northeast tip of the Arnhem Peninsula, Nhulunbuy, formerly Gove, is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory. We quickly bypassed the titty bar and made for the motel pool-bar restaurant.

Top: The Arafura coastline proved a great fishing venue.

Above: Gavin Morisset, left, and author Peter Whitaker at Eromanga, midway between the Gold Coast and Darwin.

Above right: An indigenous representation of Arnhem Land’s four seasons: torrential rain; more rain; hot; cold.

Below: No one was prepared to be first to walk the crossings.

past experiences and pure bullshit. Nhulunbuy also marked the mid-point on our odyssey through Arnhem Land – though we’d ridden almost 4000km to get there – and had the facilities to service the bikes, as well as refuel at over $2.00 per litre. The Arafura coastline also proved a great fishing venue which, together with the local bakery, provided fresh fish sangers for lunch out on the road the next day.

Saltie battery

Come stumps Doc’s story of his hip and forearm scrapes told of a run in with a buffalo while being attacked by a pack of rabid dingoes. It was yet another chapter from his pantheon of political insights,

Though you may have to fudge a little at the mention of motorcycles, permits are readily available to traverse the Central Arnhem Road. On that road it’s possible to sit on the NT speed limit all the way east of the Stuart Highway, though it’s

probable you won’t wish to take the risk of broadsiding a dingo or kangaroo, or even less a buffalo. All these forms of wildlife, including domestic cattle, can be encountered on the northern road. But the biggest danger is saltwater crocodiles, numbers of which have increased exponentially since they became a protected species back in the mid-1970s. Now they’re said to inhabit every puddle of water above 12° latitude.

With more than 20 watercourses to ford between us and the notorious Cahill’s Crossing on the East Alligator River – which can only be traversed safely at low tide – we were keen not to tarry, however no one was prepared to be first to walk the crossings, so the support vehicle took point. Most were barely hub height with only the last at 700mm where we made enough of a bow wave to drown any adventurous salties. Only two days prior to our crossing the East Alligator a 4WD had been washed off the causeway, its occupants being rescued while the crocs were kept at bay by shotgun-toting police.

With barely 200mm over the causeway our crossing caused no such spectacle, though we did sight a number of salties from a safe and very speedy position; and it wasn’t long before we were safely inside the Mercure Crocodile Hotel in Jabiru, tall frosty glass in hand.

Above: Middleton Hotel. A pub balcony aces a campfire every time.

Below: Lorella Springs isn’t in Arnhem Land, but it’s the last stop in whitepella territory.

All class

The end of 2018 marked the first year of Adventure Rider Magazine Off Road Training. Now we know what everyone’s been raving about.

Rider training may seem a little old hat, but with the explosion of adventure riding in Australia and around the world, there’s a multitude of riders, usually quite mature riders, who’ve discovered their confidence in handling a motorcycle gets a little shaky when they take a big bike off road.

At the start of 2018, Miles Davis, Adventure Rider Magazine columnist and probably one of Australia’s most experienced motorcycle trainers, kicked off a series of adventure-riding

schools along Australia’s east coast.

Miles is a busy bloke, and it’s not easy to nail him down for a weekend, but when he did put out the witch’s hats, the result was overwhelming.

Hot and wet

In December Miles assembled a group for his final coaching session of the year.

The venue was Canungra in Queensland, and the headquarters for the event was the incredible Café Metz in the town’s main street. It’s a bike-friendly café, and around the reserved area in the carpark high-performance street bikes mingled with the adventure bikes of the training group. Models varied from DR650s and V-stroms through BMW 800s and 1200s to Triumph 800s and KTMS. The Panigale-, 1000RR- and custompainted-Sportser owners didn’t feel there was anything unusual about the dualsporters, and a great deal of friendly chatting had to be cut short in order to ‘get on with things’.

Miles had organised a free coffee for everyone in the class as well as the catering for smoko and lunch, and the service at Café Metz was brilliant. In the midst of weeks of storms and extreme meteorological events, the weather turned on

Left: Miles Davis managed the official BMW Off Road Training for 11 years as the BMW Marketing Manager, even coaching at some of the courses. He is still one of the BMW coaches as well as running the Adventure Rider Magazine courses.

Bottom left: A private property a few kilometres from the café was made available for the training sessions.

Right: It’s always very rewarding to watch riders at coaching sessions take big leaps forward in technique and confidence.

Bottom right: The Canungra riders. A great bunch they were too. Back row from the left: Anthony Holzwart, (big bloke right at the back) Marcel Marinus, Greg Willis, Shaun Poschich, Peter Brickland, Mal Alroy, Tim Neale. Front row, from left: Barry Rasmussen, Greg ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald, MD, and Warwick Pretti.

sunshine and high humidity. In fact, the combination of high temperatures and humidity posed a potential threat to participants, but Miles was once again prepared and had a big supply of chilled water in jugs and bottles to get everyone through the weekend.

Just as well, too.

Fire down below

After the usual introductions and a light breakfast, the real instruction started.

As always, there was a discussion on riding apparel and bike set up. That led to the bit everyone was waiting for, and the crew headed a few kilometres up the road from the café to a private property made available for the session. The vast, grassy paddocks and bush trails couldn’t have been more ideal. Gentle hills through the pastures made for obstacle-free venues to practice figure eights, braking manoeuvres and the other drills aimed at helping otherwise experienced riders come to grips with riding heavy, big-horsepower bikes off road.

The first potential excitement for the weekend came about when someone smelled smoke. The longish grass was in contact with low-slung header pipes and the possibility of a fire was very real, especially for Bazza Rasmussen. His V-strom was a little lower than some of the bikes, and his bashplate was holding a fair scoop of kindling in contact with the front header of the V-twin. A little prodding with a stick at odd intervals cleared the hazard.

As the riders gained in confidence the drills became slightly more technical and interesting. Miles was as colourful as always, preaching his ‘stay loose’ philosophy and bellowing, “Float like a butterfly!” at riders wobbling past with fixed grimaces clearly visible through their visors.

Take five

Each set of exercises culminated in a trip back to Café Metz for welcome cold drinks, snacks, and at the appropriate time, lunch. This was an excellent arrangement,

giving riders plenty of time to recover from what had become crushing heat, and to talk among themselves about their experiences as the coaching progressed. They also spoke a great deal to Miles, who helped riders with bike set-up as their off-road skills advanced and their understanding of control position and ergonomics improved. He was even on the tools a couple of times, helping get things sorted.

Inevitable

Any time riders are challenging themselves there are going to be falls, and

all Class

this group was no exception. In general the grass made for soft landings and the only result was a ribbing from the rest of the class. To balance that, even Miles dumped his F850GS in the dirt at one stage, so everyone felt things were fairly even.

There were a couple of more serious incidents, though. One involved a quick trip to the medical centre for some stitching. It was dealt with in a calm and professional manner, and Mal Alroy, the victim of a nasty whack from the tall screen of his Triumph, was back on his bike and had recovered his mojo after a lunch break.

What a champion!

The other potentially serious incident was Greg Willis leaving the trail and finding a hole the size of Mack truck hidden in the long grass. He and his 1200GS all but disappeared head first into the cunningly camouflaged excavation, but both emerged smiling after a little co-ordinated heaving from classmates.

Success

It’s always very rewarding to watch riders at coaching sessions take big leaps forward in technique and confidence, and with good coaching the results are often spectacular. The coaching at the Adventure Rider Magazine Off Road training sessions is clearly of that calibre. Miles has an extraordinary empathy with other riders, is enormously competent, and has a wealth of experience. He also has the gift, despite his obvious talent, of not intimidating other riders. Somehow his incredible riding talent seems to infuse into the riders around him. There’s lots of ribbing, laughing and, most of all, learning going on, all the time, even when it seems the conversation is rambling along about very general principles. Somehow Miles manages

to have the riders arrive at important individual points without apparently steering the conversation.

The rain belted down overnight and into some of the second day, but the riders who were a little unsure of things 24 hours before carved up the slippery grass paddocks and rocky hills with hardly a blink of hesitation.

Job done.

More to come

The coaching sessions have undoubtedly been a success in their first year, and they look set to continue in 2019.

“In 2018 we ran five Adventure Rider Magazine training courses,” said Miles, frantically trying to keep up with the editor’s requests for more coffee. “We did two in NSW, two in Queensland and one in Victoria. They’ve all gone really well and had a great mix of interesting riders – some new to riding, some returning after bit of a break and others just looking to keep improving.

“There’s been a great mix of bikes too, including BMW, KTM, Triumph, Husky, Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki and a Beta 480,” BMWed the super coach, casually leaning back on his F850GS while onlookers drooled in the background.

“It’s always a buzz to see riders improve and reach levels they didn’t know they could achieve. I’m not teaching OH&S or Powerpoint here. It’s riding bikes and it’s people’s passion, so the energy is always amazing.”

For 2019?

“The plan is to roll out a similar number of courses in 2019 and, due to the amount of questions I’ve fielded, maybe add in a sand course.

“I think it also makes sense to run a

Top: Hands-on help was available for set up as riders’ off-road skills improved. Above: Greg and his 1200GS all but disappeared head first into a cunningly camouflaged excavation. No damage or injury. All good. Below: The vast, grassy paddocks and bush trails couldn’t have been more ideal.

course before the Northern Congregation. Green Valley Farm is an ideal location.”

If you’re interested in receiving some information on the 2019 program, email your details to advridertraining@gmail.com with your post code and mobile number. Hopefully we’ll see you at a session during the year. There’s always something to learn, and Miles is The Man when it comes to handling adventure bikes.

West of the ridge

Adventure Rider Magazine’s ad manager gets a taste of the glamorous, creative side of the magazine game.

Simon Leplaw, Ducati Australia’s marketing manager, invited the editor on a two-day ride but he had prior commitments. Hearing of the clash in timetables I hinted a certain staff member – me – was available and a more-than-willing replacement. All agreed this was great idea. I was in.

Italian stallion

The plan was a pre-run for an upcoming Ducati adventure ride, and I picked up a Multistrada 1200 Enduro Pro the day before.

It wasn’t the first time I’d ridden this particular bike, but it’s still the only 1200 I’ve managed to throw the leg over. I’d always thought my first ride on a 1200 would have been a German, Austrian or Japanese brand. As it turned out I was absolutely stoked my first big-bike experience was an Italian one. Fantastico!

Words: Mitch Newell. Images: Simon Leplaw.

Above: Ducati Australia’s Simon Leplaw rode an ‘adventurised’ Multistrada 950.

Off the cuff

I didn’t have a GPS on the Multistrada and needed to make my way across Sydney to the starting point. So, with no GPS and heavy rain that would potentially drown my iPhone, even finding the rendezvous shaped up as a little adventure in itself. I glanced down at my Scott Dualraid jacket and noticed the clear-plastic pocket on the sleeve used for rally/enduro time cards. I decided to write directions on a piece of paper, insert it into the compartment and simply follow the instructions. Brilliant, eh?

But the clear pocket turned out to be not entirely waterproof. My notes quickly began to disintegrate, and the only thing I could think to do was to take a pic of the quickly dissolving text. My visor had fogged up pretty badly anyway, so reading anything was a challenge. Seeing there were only about 10 turns left I decided to memorise the directions in a sort of old-school nursery-rhyme manner: “Right into blah blah; left into blah; left into blah blah; right into blah…” The next thing I knew I’d arrived.

Each to his own

We headed off mid-morning in clearing weather. Simon was on his ‘adventurised’ Multistrada 950 and

his mate, Jim Laftsidis, was mounted on his own Multistrada 1200 Enduro. Jim’s bike ran a straight-through Termignoni exhaust that really allowed the operatic tones of the big V-twin to soar to Pavarotti magnificence.

On the outskirts of Sydney things started to open up and the bikes shone. Before trying the Ducati I’d always found road riding a bit of a chore, but on this bike it was something else, especially in Sport mode. My background is in motocross as a junior and I haven’t ridden enough road to be an expert, so I can’t explain properly the exact characteristics I admired. But I knew the bike had serious horsepower, smooth power delivery, unbelievable handling and

amazing brakes. You’d expect that from Ducati I guess, and you don’t need to be a rider to appreciate the bike’s Italian good looks and superior finish.

We had our first taste of dust and dirt when we hit Blackfellows Hand Trail near Clarence and roosted through the Newnes State Forest. For me, the first 30 minutes or so off-road on a 1200 can be a somewhat humbling and intimidating experience – especially when it’s not my bike – but before I knew it I’d begun to settle in and the Enduro Pro felt more nimble than expected. Off-road I prefered the Touring mode, which I believe provided medium levels of horsepower, traction control and ABS, but I think each of these settings and

rider assists can be adjusted individually to suit personal preferences.

Raptorous

We fuelled up at Capertee and quickly scoffed a servo pie – or ‘God’s pocket’ (as Christ only knows what’s in ’em).

Our run through Turon Gates and Palmers Oaky was as good as it gets in my humble opinion. The earlier rain had settled the dust and the moisture was providing some extra traction. It was one of those magical afternoons of riding I’ll never forget, with twisting second- and third-gear turns climbing through pristine green hills. I couldn’t stop thinking about how lucky we were to have this less than half a day’s ride from the office (it really was a pity the editor couldn’t make it for this one). Skippy, Bugs, Fatso and their extended families were out en masse, but it was Eddie the Eagle that stole the show. He was massive, and when he took off, his wingspan was seriously of light-aircraft proportions.

Back in ya burrow Bugs, and quick!

Winner, winner

Freezing our arses off and stinging for refreshment we rolled into a motel at Oberon on dusk before heading to the local watering hole. It was packed, and the queue for a Schnitty was lengthy,

Above: The ride into Dingo Dell camp grounds was a rage.

Left: There were some cool little creek crossings. u

RIDE CALENDAR 2019

v 7th Feb 5-day VIC High Country ride Start/Finish Albury $500

v 8th Mar 8-day APC19 NSW, VIC, QLD Multiple start points $980

v 16th Mar 2-day NSW Nundle to Taylors Arm $200

v 19th Mar 7-day NSW Dubbo to Tassie $600 (EASY)

v 5th April 3-day NSW Nth Urbenville Start/Finish $400 (Beginner ride)

v 10th May 3-day WA Pilbara Station Start Sth Headland $300

v 24th May 3-day QLD Sunshine coast $300

v 31st May 3-day NSW West Quirindi to Cameron’s corner $300

v 1st June 14-day ADVX Perth To Byron Bay $1800

v 6th June 5-day VIC VIC Desert Start Albury $500

v 15th June 3-day NSW Nth Training Camp Piora $390

v 25th July 3-day QLD Bris to Emmaville and return $300

v 10th Aug 2-day NSW Start/Finish Mudgee $200

v 19th Aug 4-day WA Great Sandy Desert Ride Pilbara $400

v 23rd Aug 3-day QLD Boonah to Dorrigo $300

v 5th Sept 3-day QLD Brisbane to Mackay (grass tree beach race) $300

v 14th Sept 3-day NSW Training Camp Piora training camp $390

v 28th Sept 2-day NSW Nundle to Foster $200 (EASY)

v 31st Sept 3-day QLD Western Burnett ride Start Childers $300

v 5th Oct 4-day QLD Brisbane to Bathurst $400

v 10th Oct 3-day VIC High country ride Albury $300

v 19th Oct 2-day NSW Mudgee Start/Finish $200

v 23rd Oct 3-day QLD Wine and dirt tour Stanthorpe $300

v 8th Nov 4-day QLD Annual Bris Suzuki “DR RIDE” $400

v 24th Nov 4-day TAS Ultimate loop $400

wesT Of THe RiDGe

so we did what any weary adventurer would do and took up our spot at the bar to wait it out. There was plenty of time for a debrief and yarn about what was in store for the morning, and when dinner finally arrived the portions were bigger than our heads.

After a few more rounds of ‘debriefing’ we headed back for some shuteye and an early start.

Deflated

After a couple of Panadols to ease the headaches from our enthusiastic debriefing at the pub the previous night, we took off from Oberon on a cold, crystal-clear, morning.

Not long out of Oberon the other guys’ GPSs had us shredding through the pine forests. The temperature was perfect as we shot through Shooters Hill towards Jenolan, and where I’d kicked off with

icicles hanging from my nostrils, within 30 minutes I was opening vents on my jacket and pants. It’s amazing what that big burning ball in the sky can do for your soul.

I pulled up behind Simon on a trail near the turnoff to Dingo Dell and remember trumpeting, “Christ! How good is this, mate!”

We waited a few minutes and realised that Jim couldn’t be that far behind. Simon decided to head back and suggested I wait, but after a few minutes I headed back, suddenly highly religious and praying nothing bad had happened. After some cautious backtracking I saw Jim sitting on the ground next to his bike. For a second I thought he was in trouble but quickly realised it was just a flat rear tyre. By the time I’d arrived Jim already pretty much had everything set up, his Rocky Creek Designs MotoPressor

pumping air into the tyre so he could find the leak. Jim’s a cool customer and this was actually his first attempt at plugging a tubeless tyre, so after reading instructions on the pack and with slight assistance and plenty of encouragement from the sidelines, within minutes we were back in action.

Kids, eh?

The ride down into Dingo Dell camp grounds was a rage and quite technical at times. There was some pretty steep terrain, but each of us got through without heartache and the reward was a few cool little creek crossings, a quick spell, and some pack snacks. The climb out was sweet as, then, after some more nice, twisting fire trails, the trio of Multistradas popped out on Kowmung River Firetrail and headed towards a fork where Jim left to find his way home.

Back on tarmac we wound down the twisting mountain roads and to Jenolan Caves. It had been 40 years or so since I was last at this location during a primary-school excursion and, funnily enough, at the café we overheard a few bus drivers whinging about the behaviour of the schoolkids they’d been carting around the joint. With calls of ‘No respect’, ‘Parents should be ashamed’, and ‘Need a good kick in the arse,’ I couldn’t help thinking somewhere in among the group of ‘spoilt little shits’ currently underground surely there’d be a future adventure rider who’ll be sitting here in 2058 with their Ducati MultiSuperwatt 12,000 parked nearby.

Rhyme time

We cruised back into Sydney and when Simon peeled off near our starting point all I needed to do was to sing my little nursery rhyme in reverse to make it home: “Left into blah blah; right into blah; right into blah blah; left into blah…”

Below: Jim Laftsidis fixed his puncture with plenty of moral support from the sidelines.

Right: There’s a few good Bluetooth rigs around. We’re wearing an X.Wed2 helmet, so the X-com suits especially well.

X-Com

There’s a lot of people spruiking about Bluetooth. What is it, and what’s so great about it? The folks at Carlisle Accessories, importers of X Helmets, know all about it.

Bluetooth is a wireless protocol for allowing devices to communicate. It’s slower than wi-fi but simpler to set up, and it’s usually used for device-to-device transfers.

With just about every smartphone and GPS supporting Bluetooth it’s become the default choice for connecting up speakers, headphones and all sorts of units without cables, and that makes it ideal for riders. A Bluetooth product, like a headset or phone, contains a tiny computer chip with a Bluetooth radio and software. When two Bluetooth devices want to talk to each other, they need to ‘pair’ – they find each other and open a line of two-way communication –and form short-range networks known as piconets.

There are a couple of different ‘levels’ of Bluetooth, and of course Bluetooth technology is upgrading fast.

The good news is there’s no need for a great depth of technical understanding to make use of the system. As far as riders go, it’s a matter of finding a good set up that suits the needs, pairing the units needed and rockin’ on.

Potential

Probably the most common use of Bluetooth for riders is talking to each other.

When it comes to staying in touch with a pillion or another rider who’ll be close by, Bluetooth is hard to beat. In fact, a group of riders who’ll be pretty much sticking together can all stay in touch with a very simple and inexpensive set-up. Those funny bulges on the sides of helmets are Bluetooth units leading to speakers and microphones inside the helmet. With just that techo bump on the helmet, riders and pillions can pair compatible Bluetooth packages and talk to each other.

It’s as simple as that. There’s no button to push to broadcast, no licence needed, and, best of all, no cables running between riders or bikes and riders. It’s an incredibly neat, simple, lightweight communication system.

Most Bluetooth rigs these days will allow pairing with multiple sources, so not only can riders communicate, they can listen to music, use the phone, and have an audio hook-up with their GPS, all from inside their helmet while they’re riding along.

Oooh, yeah. It’s some good shit.

All in the head

There are lots of good Bluetooth units available, and they’re fairly inexpensive. Sena is probably the most popular and best-known name in bike Bluetooth, and that’s largely because Sena’s been in the game so long and makes great gear.

We’ve been wearing an X.Wed2 helmet for a while, and we got very excited when we found out Sena is making a special Bluetooth unit for X helmets. The most interesting thing for us was the unit – X-com – fits very close to flush with the outer helmet shell. Not only that, but the helmet is built ready to accept the unit, meaning the inner shell is manufactured with channels and spaces that allow the mic, speakers and antenna to be fitted without any alteration to the helmet or exterior fittings.

Geoff Bonfield at Carlisle Accessories – himself a

keen X-com user – gave us some insight.

“The X-com unit has line-of-sight range up to 900m,” said Geoff, showing how neatly the whole thing fit inside his own helmet. “Once you pair Bluetooth items up to each other or to your phone, MP3 player or whatever, it automatically pairs every time you turn the units on. There’s no constant reconnecting.

“Clarity is superb. Compared to old UHF frequencies, it’s incredibly clear.

“The connection to the outside world is amazing. It’s voiceactivated and includes noise-cancelling technology, so it’s ideal for riders.”

Power full

“What about powering Bluetooth? How does that work?” we hear you cry in your never-ending search for the truth. Mostly the units are supplied with rechargeable batteries and can be powered up with any USB power supply.

We’d think there’d be very few long-distance riders these days who wouldn’t have their bikes rigged to offer USB power. There’s just too many accessories using it.

For those who don’t have the facility on the bike, any computer with a USB port will do the bizzo. Power consumption is very low, so a full charge will often last several days, depending on how much use it gets.

A compartment for the battery is another feature already built in to the X.Wed2.

Give it a try

We’re lucky to have a helmet which has been manufactured to accept a high-quality Bluetooth set-up, but there are plenty of models from different manufacturers, and from Sena, which are generic and designed to be fitted to just about any helmet.

If you’re not enjoying the convenience of Bluetooth, not to mention the safety offered by being in touch with others in the group, you’re missing out.

Rock in to local bike shop and ask for a demo. We’re betting once you’ve tried it you won’t want to be without it.

x-COM feaTURes

We’re talking about the X-com because that’s the system our helmet takes, but the features are a good example of the parameters most riders should be looking for…

R Bluetooth 3.0

R Handsfree for Bluetooth phones

R Stereo headset for Bluetooth audio devices and GPS

R Intercom up to 900 metres

R Four-way conference intercom

R Three-way conference phone call with intercom participants

R Multipoint pairing

R SR10 two-way radio-adapter compatible

R Light weight and ultra slim profile

R Upgradeable firmware

R Support profiles: Headset Profile, Hands-Free Profile (HFP), Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP), Audio Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP)

Avduro II

Australia’s saddle bags continue to evolve

Following Dakar

Toby Richardson rang his father and said, “Dad, pack your bags. We’ve got tickets to Peru and we’re going to the 2019 Dakar”.

For as long as I can remember I’d always had Peru as the number-one spot on my list of places to go, and I’d decided in 2018 I was finally going to live the dream of watching the Dakar. When I realised 2019 was the first time ever Dakar would be staged within one country, and would be in Peru of all places, I knew one hell of an adventure was in the making.

Big ideas

I had a plan, but no money.

I’d spent the last few years travelling around the world on a shoestring, working as a writer while living in low-cost Asian countries. I had flexibility, but a severe lack of savings. All I had left at home were a

few treasured belongings and a small collection of bikes. I’d never wanted to sell any of my bikes, but this seemed like the one thing that would justify such a heinous act.

I parted with my most beloved of all bikes, my loyal and faithful 2007 CRF250. It was a tough 24 hours, seeing my bike disappear on the back of a friend’s ute and waiting for the money to clear into my account. For a brief time I had neither the bike nor the cash.

Within 25 minutes of the $2700 hitting my account I spent $2670 (a conveniently close number) on two one-way tickets from Brisbane to Peru. I phoned my father: “Dad. Pack your bags.”

The running tally: $2760 on plane tickets.

u

Words: Toby Richardson

Image: Toby Richardson

Father and son ready to head to Peru and follow the 2019 Dakar.

Pic: François Flamand

Rapture

I don’t want to have children. I wouldn’t want to have to confess the day they were born came second to the day I bought tickets to Peru.

I’d gone from being down in the dumps about selling my bike to what was easily the most ecstatic day of the entire year in a very short time. The whole trip from when we’d land in Lima was still up in the air with nothing booked or paid for, but it didn’t matter. I knew we were firmly committed and I had what American travel author Rolf Potts described as ‘the narcotic tingle of possibility’.

Bikes were next.

Hire ground

I’m generally quite happy renting or buying bikes from locally owned companies, but I’d never undertaken a journey of these proportions. Knowing a trip like this would involve booking and paying a deposit for the bikes well in advance, I set out to talk to someone I could trust.

Peru and the Dakar might be top of my

list of things to do, but not too far below them is a tour with Compass Expeditions. I’ve had one of their brochures sitting in my office for at least three years. When I realised they also rent out bikes in South America, I called them straight away.

Craig from Compass couldn’t have been more helpful, and though all their bikes were booked out for that period, he put

After a quick look at their website I knew I wanted to be riding a BMW 850GS. My wallet quickly informed me we would instead both be on KLR650s – which was quite alright too.

Ideally I’d rather have been doing this trip on something more like an

me in touch with Lars Caldenhoven from Peru Motors.

Pic: François Flamand

Pic: Flavien Duhamel

Left: Following Dakar has been a lifelong ambition for the author.

Below left: Imagine speaking to Toby Price during the rally? It’s happened to other Australian spectators.

Below: Author Toby and his father are riding mates. They set out bring a dream to life: Follow Dakar through Peru in January, 2019.

enduro-spec 500. But no-one in their right mind would lend a bike like that to someone who wanted to cross the Atacama desert without so much as an oil change. It seemed like the KLRs were the right bikes for the job. They had plenty of grunt, a huge fuel capacity and weren’t so demanding on maintenance. Lars hooked me up with a pretty sweet deal as I agreed to take two bikes for a total of 16 days.

Price to be paid

That’s when I realised another bike would have to go from my shed.

This time it was to be the beautiful 2008 CRF450X which had gifted me such good times. The proceeds from yet another travesty were just enough to pay the USD$1000 deposit for the KLRs and hopefully buy us enough kit to take on them.

I’d lived off a bike before, but never something like this in a place like the Atacama Desert –the world’s driest, highestaltitude desert.

I turned to the professionals for advice. I binge watched both Long Way Round and Way Down in a single day and couldn’t stop thinking about getting on a bike.

But I didn’t stop there.

I’d already watched and re-watched Adam Riemann’s Motonomad films several times, but I went to back to them with extra attention to detail, and on my father’s recommendation I watched Lyndon Poskitt’s YouTube series Races To Places I enjoyed the videos so much I even reached out to the series producer and riding gear manufacturer, Adventure-Spec, who will now be co-producing the video of our Dakar trip to Peru.

Getting organised

Filled with inspiration, but lacking in the equipment that I needed, I set to work making a list of everything we’d need, then broke it down into what we’d need to pack and what we would hire.

The riding-gear list included:

R Helmets

R Goggles, including a second set for the

desert glare

R Boots

R Jackets

R Nylons

R Gloves

R Camelbak and backpack

R Intercoms.

On the bikes I planned

we should carry:

R Camping gear

R Ultralightweight tents (one each. I do not sleep next to the old man’s socks for anything)

R Cooker

R Ultralightweight sleeping bags

R Mattresses

R Utensils

R Bumbag and tools

R Sockets

R Spanners

R Allen keys

R Tyre levers

R Tubes

R Cable ties

R Pump (no C02 bottles allowed on the plane).

Our clothing list had:

R Jackets

R Three T-shirts each

R One pair of pants each

R One long-sleeve shirt each that will also be suitable for a semi formal event.

R One pair of trousers for anything more formal than desert dwelling

R One all-round pair of shoes (such as runners)

R Merino undies (there’s only so much washing that can be done in the Atacama)

R Socks

R Thongs (flip-flops)

R Thermals

R Gear bag which will serve as checkedluggage bag

R Tank bags for camera equipment

R Roll bag instead of panniers for holding all gear

R GPS preloaded with maps of Peru.

There was an additional list of camera and video equipment, but we can leave that to one side for now. We have the survival essentials covered.

Image:

Toby Richardson

Climate extremes

We’ll be trying to follow the stages as closely as possible and will likely camp in some of these areas rather than going into the cities where camping would be difficult and could even be dangerous. Being at high altitudes in the desert in January means we’re likely to encounter temperatures from -20°C at night through to 45°C during the day. We don’t have space to take two entirely different sets of gear, so it seemed we’d need a layering system to accommodate the extreme variations in weather.

The nature of ultralightweight/ small sleeping bags means it’s almost impossible to get a sleeping bag rated to -20° for less than $1000 that would fit into our luggage. With that ruled out, it meant we needed to double up some of our clothing/riding gear for wearing on such cold nights. After talking to a few companies and ignoring the advice of many online forum keyboard warriors, we had another list.

The basic rundown is as follows: R Core short sleeves

R Core long sleeves

R Core shorts

R Core pants

Aventure-Spec is a British retailer that also manufactures equipment. ‘Core’ items are a bit like Skinz or compression garments, but they’re specifically designed for riders. We also have a mid-layer from the same company, basically a rugged jumper with abrasion -resistant points and padding so it can go under a riding jacket.

The jackets we’ll be using are meshed and breathable, designed by Adventure Spec in collaboration with Lyndon Poskitt when he rode the Dakar Malle Moto class. Designed for the Atacama? That’ll do us.

We’ll also have:

R Klim Goretex outer shell to sit over the jackets in rain and cold weather

R Klim Carlsbad riding pants.

These seem to be the most suitable for a versatile range of temperatures and weather resistance

Above: The Atacama desert will be dry with extreme temperatures. Tough on riders and spectators alike.

Left: Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!

Right: Imagine being there at the start, then jumping on a bike to stay with race as it travels through Peru. Awesome.

Pic: Marcelo Maragni

Pic:

Flavien Duhamel

THe COsT Of fOllOwiNG THe DaKaR

What does an adventure like this cost?

Not a great deal compared to taking an organised tour that offers less flexibility and a higher cost. With that said, I do see the appeal to a tour now that I’ve spent so long organising this trip.

Not accounting for fuel, food and accommodation when we get there, here’s a breakdown of what it will cost per person, varying with exchange rates.

R $2800 for a return ticket from Australia’s east coast.

We’re flying from Brisbane via Sydney

R $2000 for bike hire, unless you opt for a more expensive Africa Twin or one of the BMW GS series which are commonly on offer around Peru

R $800 should be allowed for lightweight, compact camping gear if you don’t already have some

R $600 for luggage

R $500 for riding gear. I’m assuming most people will have the bulk of the gear they need, and might only need to invest in some extra layers to match the climate. Quite a few items can be rented cheaply from Peru Motors also.

Total: $6700 per person.

Almost half of that cost comes from air tickets and a lot of people will already have most the gear they need. It’s quite reasonable to assume if you go to South America for a longer holiday, the ride itself only costs about $2,000. That’s quite reasonable for the adventure of a lifetime.

R Klim Krios helmets

R Klim Dakar gloves for most of the riding and a second set of Klim insulated and water-resistant gloves to stop the cold biting.

I’ll be using my trusty old Alpine Stars Tech 3 boots.

Luggage,

luggage and a bit more luggage

We’ve opted for three individual bags per rider: tankbag, backpack and a rear bag.

Before settling on our current setup, I wasn’t sure how much luggage capacity we’d have and whether we’d have tank bags. So in the end, the luggage list looks a bit like this:

R Giant Loop Diablo tankbag

R Kriega R15 backpack

R Giant Loop Great Basin top roll/saddlebag.

I personally hate the clunkiness and spinal-risk injury of hard panniers, and the Great Basin offers a huge amount of storage capacity in one soft option.

If you’re not taking a ludicrous amount of camera gear, you could probably skip the clunky tank bag. You might even opt for something like the Kriega R20 or Zac Speed Dakar. Those backpacks offer a bit more storage, but still have a small enough profile to not get in the way.

When all’s said and done, you probably don’t care too much what I’m taking, but

there’s been a lot of high-quality external advice going into it. It may serve as a handy guide if you’re also thinking about tackling the Atacama.

I’ll be reporting how the gear goes after we’ve finished. I’ll let you know what I should’ve taken, and what I should’ve left behind.

THe ResT Of THe sTORy

We’ll do our best to bring you the rest of Toby’s story.

Dakar will finish just as this issue goes to print, and as soon as Toby and his father return to Australia and get in touch we’ll let you know how it went for them.

The places you go and the people you meet

Miles recalls his introduction to adventure riding and training.

Iclearly recall the first few times I got involved with the adventure-riding scene. It was around the year 2000.

I was doing some motocross and enduro coaching through Stephen Gall’s Academy Of Off Road Riding.

A customer had called up asking about doing an off-road riding course for bigger adventure bikes, and Gally knew I was into riding road bikes as well as dirt bikes, so he asked if I’d be interested in looking after this group.

I wasn’t exactly sure what I was getting into but I thought, ‘Why the hell not?’

In the beginning

I met the crew at a pub in Singleton, NSW, on Friday night for dinner. We then headed out to Ian Wightman’s Promoto Suspension property for a couple of days of training. The property was ideal, it had paddocks for some of the drills, a kids’ motocross track with some sand and a few smaller jumps, and it also had a full-blown supercross track, which I was told Aussie champ Craig Anderson used for practice around that time.

This was before my time working for BMW, but I did have dealings with some of the marketing and press guys, so I asked if I could borrow a bike for the

Above: A supercross track offered some excellent training opportunities in a small area.

Right: Miles on board a customer’s 950 at a 2005 school.

course. They gave me the thumbs up and before I knew it I was picking up an interesting-looking 1150GS from Procycles in Sydney.

Time warp

Turn the clock back even more and I can clearly remember two occasions when I’d seen these strange-looking bikes. I hadn’t really understood what they were or what you were meant to do on them. The first was when I was about 10 or 11. I was a member of the NSW Police Citizens Youth Club (PCYC), and I was on my CR80RB and doing some exercises next to the car park. I saw a guy on a bike that looked like a big version of my bike, but it had a big weird engine (a boxer twin) and it had a single-sided swing arm. I couldn’t understand how the back wheel didn’t fall off.

At the time I couldn’t really figure out what it was so I refocussed and did a few more skids on my CR. Looking back, I’m pretty sure it was one of the first R80GSs.

The next time I was in my 20s and I saw another bike in a parking lot close to where I was working in North Sydney. It was a road bike…no, a dirt bike…ah shit, I think it was both.

Thinking back now, it might have been an R100GS or R1100GS.

Back to adventure coaching

So I had an R1150GS, it was Friday, and I was meant to be coaching these guys on the weekend.

I figured I’d better ride the bike before I showed up, so I put on some gear and headed down the road to my local mountainbike tracks to see what this monster could or couldn’t do. It was

Miles Davis

mid-afternoon so I didn’t expect many people to be around, and if I did bump into someone I didn’t think they would freak out at me on this beast anyway. I rode through the gravel carpark standing up and I was impressed the ergos were more like a dirt bike than I would’ve imagined. I gave the throttle a few blips and the back wheel lit up nicely, so I ventured a bit deeper into some firetrails, which led into some single track. I was very aware that this was an expensive bike and I didn’t want to bend it – or even put a scratch on it for that matter. But before I knew it was fanging up some embankments and flowing on some small wall rides on the edge of a

Top left: Batemans Bay in 2005. A good roll up.

Bottom left: Adventure riding was becoming established in 2004 and people wanted to know how to handle the big bikes off road.

Above: Cornering in the sand wasn’t popular years ago. It’s still not popular now. Left: Even in the early days there were still good riders who could handle a big bike. Enduro racer Nim threw his 1150GSA around nicely. Top right: Grasstrack sessions are always popular. They were at tom Groggin Station in 2006, too.

dry creek. It was just like my WR400, just a bit bigger and with heaps more grunt. I definitely respected its size, but I still couldn’t believe how easy it was to ride. I played around for about an hour before I decided to head home and pack up for the weekend. The short ride gave me a good feeling about the training course. I really just needed to put the riders through the enduro course, and scale the exercises to the bikes and level of the riders.

Back to the pub

At the time I was about 30 and I was about to coach a bunch of guys a lot older than me. But they were good fun. They were laughing and carrying on, and it seemed this kind of riding was what

they did for kicks. They’d make an excuse to go for a ride, meet up and head off for a great weekend. This weekend just happened to be for some off-road training.

After a good pub feed and a couple of drinks it was off to bed for me. I felt I needed to be on my game if I was going to put on my first adventure-bike course.

The weekend went really well. We ran through things like standing position, clutch control, braking and obstacles. I recall them riding slowly up and down the huge triples on the supercross track, and that was awesome. There was also some nasty, sandy bulldust on the kids’ track. They hated that then and they’d probably still hate it now.

I met some guys that weekend that I still keep in touch with or bump into from time to time now.

Fun time

I have mentioned this bit quite a few times over the years. Back then, as now, I ride road bikes, track bikes, motocross and enduro. That weekend it was clear to me the adventureriding subgroup of riders probably have more fun than any other category. They get out and ride to epic places, get their Mick Doohan buzz on the roads, and get their off-road hoon fix on the dirt. They get along well, too. They don’t get too bitchy and carry on about dyno graphs or carbon this or that (or chrome and leather tassels).

So it was about 18 years ago I definitely decided adventureriding was something I was keen to add to my program. I still ride mountainbikes, motocross and enduro as much as time permits, but I always love getting adventurous on the bigger bikes.

These days

Adventure riding is the same, but also very different, these days. Now it’s a bit ‘the flavour of the month’, so many people are getting into it, and that’s great. This country is perfect for adventure bikes. There’s plenty of space for us all to get our adventurous moto fix. I still get to lots of events: Adventure Rider Magazine Congregations, BMW Safaris, adventure training courses and all kinds of rides, and I’m still meeting lots of great people along the way.

Wet road

Andy’s all about the challenge.

“You’re off yer chops”, remarked the bloke behind the servo counter as I trembled a credit card at the never-never machine on the counter. “You should be at the pub in front of the fire”.

Words: Andy Strapz

you reckon…

Andy reads every e-mail you send. Here’s a few responses to his last couple of columns. If you have thoughts on something Andy’s written, or someone’s out of line in their response to Andy’s thoughts, let us know. Include a pic of yourself if you can.

The Essence – issue #31

I’m 52 and I’ve been riding for about 35 years, 30 of those glorious years only on bitumen. A few years ago I bought myself a well-sorted DRZ400E, but fell into the “Nah, you’ll be fine. It’s not gunna be too hard, just easy dirt,” trap Andy wrote about in his column. Needless to say, my first-ever adventure ride ended

in disaster. My new found ‘adventureriding mates’ made it look easy, but I only lasted 15 minutes in the ankledeep soft sand on the Border Track. I could not understand the behaviour of the bike under me. I experienced the most horrendous tank slapper, got spat off the bike and dislocated my

elbow and suffered serious injury. I sold the DRZ400E.

However, I got back on the horse with encouragement from new ‘carefully chosen adventure-riding mates’. I suppose I am no longer the novice newbie, but I understand full well the anxiety and apprehension of mates newer than me to this gig. I have now ridden the Victorian high country, been to Birdsville, the Flinders, Innamincka, Kings Canyon, Finke and places I can’t pronounce. And, I’ve just returned from riding 5600 metres up into the Himalayas with a couple of mates. Truth be told, I am still anxious (scared) of sand and will avoid it if I can. I hate to think how many boys and girls have given up, or will

Let me step back a bit. All week the weather report had been less than encouraging. The weekend was gonna be more suited to building a windsurfing ark than riding motorcycles. The soft part of the crew suddenly realised they had their undies to iron. This ride had been planned for a few weeks, and as it involved more organisation than a head-of-State visit, two of us were not to be put off by a little rain and wind.

The camping gear was put aside as a concession to bad weather, hard accommodation booked at Licola Wilderness Lodge, and maps were scoured for route alternatives.

There were so many ways to get there, we figured, maybe we could ride around a few drops of rain?

Storm boy

Saturday dawned clear and sunny. “Ha! Bloody weather bureau,” we chortled. “What do they know anyway?

” We struck out on the best of the worst routes out of the rat race, headed for the high country.

The massive puddles by the road made it pretty clear that Plan F – a road ride – was gonna be the best option for the Bumblewee-and-Benelli-TRK502 combo.

Our trip took a step into the paddling pool as we stopped to ‘drain the beans’ in a small town. The inky, black-green

give up, adventure riding and never see those out-of-the-way places because of that first bad experience with ‘riding mates’ who were/are supposed to have their backs.

I believe we must look after our mates and help boost their confidence. Isn’t that what mates are supposed to do?

Merv Yazarloo

Thinking Big – issue #32

Andy is dead right. I’ve travelled all over Australia, on back roads mainly, on only 200cc and 230cc trailbikes –two-strokes at that. I’ve had a ball. Eight years ago I bought an F800GS. I’ve enjoyed the thrill of power which I’d never really had. But after a ride a month ago with a mate, and also having just turned 70 years of age, I decided to downsize. I rode the Kawasaki Versys

cloud that’d been bringing up the rear finally caught up. As if the weather man was after revenge, all hell broke loose. Gale force wind, hail and thundering rain pushed up into the veranda we were hiding under. I had to put my helmet back on to keep my bonce dry! We were neck-warmer-deep in a maelstrom.

After leaving our servo counsellor, the road opened into about 70km of fabulous winding road, one of Australia’s great rides, Heyfield to Licola.

Okay, I am gettin’ to the point.

On-road adventure

Road riding in teeming rain and strong winds is one of the most challenging pursuits we do, I reckon. The level of concentration required to ride smooth and push the pace (within the conditions) is extreme. A patch of diesel might be on any corner, rushing brown rivulets (plenty of them this day) over the next crest or a 4bee bell-end on the wrong side of the road. In one spot what I thought were birds running across the road turned out to be a rock fall.

Stepping out a rear wheel is all part of dirt-road jollies, but wet-road power slides are for the vastly experienced or the seriously touched.

Setting up safe, accurate lines and feeding in the drive, riding

300X and was immediately impressed with it. I bought it on the spot and have since sold the BMW.

I’m having a ball on it and reliving the dream. There are many more trips to be done.

Downsizing is the go. It’s much safer and enjoyable riding. John Lynn.

aNDy sTRapZ

on ‘feel’, looking for the edges of grip… the modern term ‘mindfulness’ came to errr…mind. We were living totally in the moment. There was no space for anything other than the road ahead.

Although I was a little disappointed we didn’t get much dirt time and it may not be what might’ve been classed as an ‘adventure ride’, I can tell you it was challenging and thrilling. An easy ride never made a good story. Maybe that’s part of the definition.

Off our chops? Pig’s rump!

Have you had a wild ride? Is Andy getting soft? Should bad weather make any difference to adventure riders? Let us know what you think. Email tom@maynemedia.com.au and we’ll make sure Andy reads your thoughts.

Iagree

with Andy Strapz on the topic of some people getting a big bike because they think it’s the thing to do. When I was shopping around to replace my old well-worn KLR, I considered buying a big, top-ofthe-range, European toy. However, it was too expensive, didn’t have a suitable touring range (it was thirsty with a small tank for a 1200cc), was expensive to insure and parts and accessories were overpriced.

So I traded in my old KLR on a new KLR. Even when it’s fully loaded (including a trailer) I’m able to overtake road trains without any problems. I fail to see the point chewing up extra fuel to give me extra horsepower I don’t need.

Chris Arlow.

Karen Ramsay

A couple of firsts

Karen Ramsay enjoys the benefits of an open mind.

It’s not too often I get told my bum isn’t sticking out enough, but that’s exactly what happened in one of my recent ‘firsts’.

For ages now I’ve been talking about wanting to do some adventure-riding training and it finally happened: a one-day course with MadAdv.

I’d spoken to some experienced

riders who’d done the course and all had got something out of it, so that sounded positive. Plus, it wasn’t expensive, so it sounded like a win-win situation.

Learner

Over the day I went from pottering around on the Terra to actually riding it with some sort of pace, accuracy and confidence. Who knew that actually using the power of the bike could make some riding easier? Magoo – the instructor – spent a lot time reminding me to get into a better riding position, which included sticking my bum out.

There was also lots on braking and having your body weight in the correct position. It wasn’t that long ago that someone finally

told me you’re supposed to weight the outside ‘peg not the inside. It probably doesn’t make much difference at the pace I go around bends, but I can see now how it improves cornering at speed.

At the end of the day, I felt I knew my bike’s capabilities a lot better and myself a lot better as a rider.

Road trip

And now to set the cat among the pigeons with my other first: a women-only adventure ride.

I can hear the cries now. I’m not going to defend it, but perhaps give a little perspective to help explain why I think a women-only ride isn’t the sexist, exclusive, divisive event some may believe it is.

Words: Karen Ramsay.

Left: A day’s coaching allowed riding with more confidence.

Below left: The Ride ADV women’s ride was a really supportive and enjoyable environment.

Above: Joann T making sand fails look stylish.

When a couple of friends were gently pressuring me (read ‘constantly badgering’) to go along on the women’s ride put on by RideADV, I was excited about the thought of an 11-hour road trip with a couple of girlfriends for a weekend away and meeting a mob of passionate women riders. On the other hand I was a bit resentful of the fact I’d have to pay money for

something I could do for free with husband Dave.

Peer pressure won in the end. The road trip was terrific. Andrea supplied the vehicle and trailer, Joellen supplied the trailer-reversing skills and I provided a bed at either end of the trip. We sang, waved at riders and joked about how many people would think we were carting our partners’ bikes.

No excuses

It was always going to be intriguing to see how men would run a women’s ride. Initially they were trying a bit too hard to be politically correct. They very carefully brought up the subject of ‘comfort stops’ at the briefing. After a moment of silence, we all roared with laughter and said we were quite comfortable to go behind a tree when needed, and you could see them all visibly relax.

None of us were there with husbands or boyfriends, and that changed the dynamics too. We each had the

expectation that we’d have to step up. I’m particularly guilty of letting Dave do things for me where the bike’s concerned. Anything I do for myself is usually well supervised (and probably with good reason). The old, “I’m too busy with work,” or, “You’ll do it quicker,” don’t, and shouldn’t, cut it.

The difference

So why a women-only ride?

Anecdotally, women have less confidence in their ability than men. Use your favourite search engine to look at ‘the confidence gap’ if you want more information on this. The gist is women underestimate their ability while men are more likely to overstate theirs. While two riders may have equal skills, the male is more likely to take a risk. A lot of women, especially those new to riding, opt to not go on general rides because they think they won’t be as capable as the others or they’ll slow other riders down.

I’m not implying women riders are inferior to men. It’s just often men and women have a different mindset that manifests itself in the way they ride. It’s not hard to think of women who hold their own in any riding arena. Laia Sanz is in the exclusive club of

riders who’ve completed every Dakar they’ve entered. Sarah Taylor has done a double crossing of the Simpson Desert solo and unassisted. That’s not to mention the stack of women traversing the country and the world by motorbike or competing in various events every week. But even these remarkable riders are acutely aware of minimising risk. Another reason for a women’s ride is that some women can feel isolated or intimidated participating in an activity that appears to be so heavily dominated by men. This possibly explains why many women who don’t have partners opt to ride on their own. Creating opportunities to make connections with other women increases their confidence to get out there. Some non-riding partners can be a bit judgemental of a single woman riding with groups of men, putting women off riding in that situation.

This could be one of the reasons there’s always a few women on rides Dave leads, because they know there’ll be at least one other female there.

These are just some of the complexities that come up for women riders. Hopefully it gives some insight into the idea behind holding a women’s only ride.

Above: If someone came off, everyone stopped to help (or at least take photos).

Below: A happy crew: Ali, Joellen Amy, Laura and Katrina.

All for one

The Ride ADV women’s ride was a really supportive and enjoyable environment. Greg Yager commented on how easy the ride was to run –everyone was organised, ready on time, and they all listened. If someone came off, everyone behind them stopped to help (or at least take photos). We brought a bit of pizzazz to adventure riding, too. As the weekend went on and people became more familiar with each other, the cornerman system developed into a corner-dancer system, with lots of moves from the Rocky Horror Show, Saturday Night Fever and moves that wouldn’t be out of place at your friendly nightclub or doof party.

My verdict on the ride was really positive.

Regardless of who a ride is aimed at, we should all be looking at having fun and supporting each other.

R I should be supervised when working on my bike

R Weight on the outside ‘peg

R Riding like a girl is a good thing

R Corner-dancing is the new cornerman system

R My bum obviously doesn’t stick out as much as I thought

KTI PLB $299

The

Checkout

New gear makes you safer, and that’s important. It makes you happy, too, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Want some! Get some!

zac sPeeD recon s-3 bacKPacK

A mid-sized pack designed for intermediate distance rides.

R 1680D poly-fabric construction

R YBS water-resistant zips with rubberised all-weather pulls

R 13.5-litre capacity

R Removable waist belt and shoulder harness

R Five storage pockets

R CONFIGR8 ladder lock adjustment system (tool free)

R Elasticised tool storage side pockets

R HydraPak three-litre hydration system

RRP: $199.95

Available from: zacspeed.com

Email: info@zacspeed.com

Klim DaKar Pro glove

A highly durable leather off-road glove.

R Leather on palm and back

R Perforated leather in optimum ventilation locations

R Leather overlay on back of thumb

R Corded nylon stretch panel on top of hand

R Poron XRD padding on knuckles, fingers and wrist

R Adjustable velcro wrist strap

R 3M Scotchlite reflective material on fingers

R Available in sizes S to XXXL

RRP: $160

HiFloFiltro crF1000l aFrica twin

air

Filters

Hiflofiltro air filters are manufactured to fit the factory air box.

R Direct replacement for original equipment filters

R Top-quality powerflow filtering media

R Developed for modern highperformance engines

R Part #47-193-30 (HFA1933)

RRP: $29.92 each (per side)

Available from: All leading motorcycle dealerships Web: linkint.com.au

motoz tractionator rallz tyres

A mix between a desert race tyre and an off-road adventure tyre.

R Well-suited to the more aggressive off-road adventure rider

R Self-cleaning and self-sharpening tread pattern

R Excellent predictability across the most demanding surfaces

R Improved stability at high speeds

R Motoz tested and proven construction and compound

Available from: AdventureMoto Web: adventuremoto.com.au

Designed for Australian conditions

Available in a full range of sizes including 19-inch front and 17-inch rear

RRP: Front $159.95. Rear $269.95.

Available from: Your local dealer Web: jtr.com.au

HJc i50 Helmet

Designed with the purpose of creating ease and comfort.

R Advanced polycarbonate composite shell

R Featuring ‘SLID’ technology (Sliding Layer Impact Distribution)

R 13 vents in total (nine intake and four exhaust)

R ECE approved

R Fully removable and washable liner and cheek pads

R Unbreakable visor

R Wide eye port

R Dual positions for goggle band

RRP: Solids $229.90. Graphics $279.90

Available from: Your local motorcycle dealer

Dealer enquiries phone: McLeod Accessories 1300 300 191

rsw racing Dr/rmz triPle clamP set

For those dreaming of building the ultimate adventure bike.

R Made of T6061 billet aluminium

R Designed to use 47mm RMZ USD forks with stock DR650 steering stem and bearings

R New part with two flange pinch bolts

R Two bar-mounting positions

R Comes with 7/8” or 1 1/8” tapered handle bar mounts in 1.5”, 2.0”, 2.5” or 3” tall

RRP: $579 plus postage

Available from: Adventure Bike Australia Web: adventurebikeaustralia.com.au

anDy straPz avDuro 2 Panniers

An upgrade on an industry standard.

R Deliberately zipper-free to increase ease of use and longevity

R Body is same size and shape as Avduro and Expedition Pannierz

R Side and rear restraint straps

R Even tougher ‘Ladder-Loc’ buckles

R Charcoal black, 17oz canvas with ripstop and reflective trim

R Four pockets. Two per bag on front and rear panels

R Larger mesh pocket on front with new bottle retainer

R Larger roll top on rear pocket

RRP: $468 per set plus freight Add $50 for a pair of Linerz.

Available from: Andy Strapz

Phone: (03) 9786 3445

Web:

Denali sounDbomb sPlit

Dual-tone air Horn

Don’t sacrifice safety for style

R Obnoxiously loud

R Practically disappears once installed

R Two-part design fits in extremely tight spaces

R 120dB at one metre

R 20-amp power draw

R Compressor dimensions: 115mm x 74mm x 76mm

R Acoustic unit dimensions: 105mm x 94mm x 86mm

R CANbus compatible

R Model-specific mounting brackets sold separately

RRP: $99.90

Available from: Your local motorcycle dealer or WhitesMoto Web: whitesmoto.com.au

raD guarD 2014-18 bmw

r1200gsa raDiator cooler guarD

An essential aftermarket part.

R Easy to fit

R Allows adequate airflow in the radiator’s core so cooling temperature is not compromised

R Available in black

R Three-year worldwide warranty

Phone: (02) 6658 0060

Web: radguard.com.au

ls2 mX436 Pioneer ring Helmet

A well-ventilated, feature-packed adventure helmet that won’t break the bank

R Kinetic Polymer Alloy (KPA) shell available in three sizes

givi gravel-t range

Premium adventure bags from a world leader in luggage and accessories.

R Tankbags, tail/duffle bags, panniers, backpacks, tool bags

R IPX45 water resistance

R Nylon TPU materials (double coating)

R Extremely durable and highly resistant to tears and cuts

R Seamlessly welded at high frequency

R Reflective paint

RRP: $49 – $499

Available from: Ron Angel Wholesale and motorcycle dealers

rocKy creeK Designs motoPlug PowereD PHone HolDer

R Removeable, breathable, hypoallergenic, washable liner

R 1390gm ± 50g

R Dynamic flow-through ventilation

An upgrade to the powered phone holder of 2018.

R An additional clamp holds the phone at the bottom as well as at the sides Clamps to handlebars Holds phone in position while riding Use the phone as a GPS while remaining fully charged

RRP: $49.95 plus postage and handling

Available from: Rocky Creek Designs and all good motorcycle stores Web: rockycreekdesigns.com.au

nolan n702X Helmet

A multi-configuration design with removable jaw/peak/visor for added versatility.

R Multi-density EPS damping system

R VPS tinted internal visor with four height settings

R Compatible with Nolan’s N-Com systems

R Two shell sizes and six EPS sizes

R Scratch-resistant Lexan visor, supplied with a Pinlock anti-fog insert

R Ultrawide eye port

R Tri-zone top vent

R Due in Feb/Mar 2019

RRP: $449 – $499

Available from:

Ron Angel Wholesale and motorcycle dealers

Web: ronangel.com.au

nelson-rigg se-3050 saDDlebags

Constructed from 100-per-cent waterproof and durable 24oz tarpaulin PVC.

R All mounting buckles are aircraft-grade aluminium

R Removable stiffener allows bag to hold its shape when empty

R Firm internal back plate helps support bag

R Includes two lightweight liners

R Each bag mounts using four quick-release cam buckles and doublepull webbing

R Lifetime warranty

R Holds 27.5 litres per side: 38cm x 20.5cm x 35.5cm

R Available in black or yellow/black.

RRP: $279.95

Available from:

All leading motorcycle dealerships Web: nelsonrigg.com.au

Daytona transtourman gtX

For those who like sporty adventure.

R Waterproof and breathable

R Well-padded, solid protectors

R Exchangeable wear parts

R Super-comfortable fitting and removal

R Combined zipper and velcro closure

R Due April 2019

RRP: $TBA

Available from: Made in Germany Pty Ltd Phone: 02 8004 6083 Web: daytona.de

mra vsa vario sPoiler

An adjustable, add-on spoiler blade for existing bike screens.

R Blade directs the air between the spoiler and the screen to prevent turbulence

R Adjusting the spoiler to a steeper angle will increase the delay in airflow

R Easily adjusts to seven different positions by hand – no tools required

R Mounts using supplied clamps or by drilling into the screen and screwing on the blade

R Three sizes: VSA-TYP A (30/19 CM); VSA-TYP B (33/22 CM); VSA-TYP C (30/18 CM)

R Available in clear or tint

RRP: $184.95

Available from: Pro Accessories Web: proaccessories.com.au

vanascHe motorsPorts case saver For

Ktm 690/HusKy 701

Built to protect the fragile engine case and clutch slave cylinder.

R Provides a window to view the front sprocket

R Allows access for cleaning

R Comes with OEM KTM hardware and a KTM chain slider

R Fits KTM 690 Enduro and Husqvarna 701 Enduro (all years)

R Note: Does not fit with Akrapovic header pipe

R Available in black, blue, gun metal and orange

RRP: $156 plus postage

Available from: Adventure Motorcycle Equipment

Phone: 1300 883 908

Web: www.adventuremotorcycle.com.au

weego JumP starter

Not your average jump starter.

R IP65 water-, dust- and dirt-resistant

R Smart clamps designed for bike battery terminals

R Five-volt or nine-volt/2.4-amp smart USB output for quicker charging

R Built-in light with SOS and strobe

R Starts up to five-litre petrol and 2.5-litre diesel engines

RRP: $160 with free delivery in Australia

Available from: Smart Motorcycle Accessories

Web: smartmotorcycleaccessories.com.au

alPinestars air touring glove

A lightweight, short, touring glove

R CE-certified to the highest standard

R Constructed from premium leather, suede and stretch textile

R Race-derived finger bridge

R Hard knuckle protection

R Sizes: 56-66

RRP: $119.95

Available from: All motorcycle stores Web: monzaimports.com.au

saFari

There’s nothing worse than being caught short of fuel in the Aussie outback.

R An increase of around 75 per cent from the standard Africa Twin tank

R 34-litre capacity

R Helps bring out the serious adventure capabilities of the Africa Twin

R At the average fuel consumption of 15km per litre, range is around 510km

R Be aware that riding into a headwind will severely alter fuel usage

RRP: $1140

Klim Krios Helmet witH KoroyD

Koroyd is a next-generation, energy-absorbing technology.

R Optically correct face-shield technology

R Industry-leading field of vision

R Sleek and stable aerodynamics

R High-level fit and finish

R Hand-laid, full carbon shell

R Available in sizes S to XXXL

RRP: $845

Available from: AdventureMoto Web: adventuremoto.com.au

Forma aDv tourer laDy boots

A dedicated women’s boot based on the men’s ADV Tourer boots. Sizes are smaller and boots are lasted differently to suit women’s narrower feet.

R CE-certified protection and quality

R Full-grain, oiled leather-and-suede upper

R Drytex waterproof and breathable liner

R Suede heat panel with lady styling

R Adventure compound anti-slip lug sole

R Double velcro closure

R Lower GH buckle strap

R Only available in black

RRP: $299

Available from: Forma dealers from January 2019

ruKKa oFF r Pants anD J

Also called ROR (Rukka Off Road – geddit?)

R 100-per-cent breathable, wind- and waterproof Goretex two-layer laminated shell

R Nine ventilation openings with zipper and mesh inserts

R Abrasion-resistant cordura 500D reinforcements on the shoulders, elbows, knees and shins

R Rukka AirCushion system on the inside of the pants

R Allows you to use your own body armour

R Can also be comfortably worn over other two-piece outfits

R Suit comes with pockets ready for Rukka D3O protectors (optional)

RRP: Jacket $855. Pants $715

Available from: Innotesco Web: innotesco.com.au

bagster tanK Protectors

Now we’re back with steel tanks we’ll see a lot more of these

R Attaches tank bag and protects tank Can be adapted to the colours and patterns of bikes (CRF1000 shown)

Bagster has over 2000 products available in the different colours of over 450 models

RRP: $249

Available from: All leading motorcycle dealerships

Motorrad Garage BMW F1250Gs

SMALL ACCESSORIES FOR BIG ADVENTURES

HIPLOK Z LOK

Security from a lockabable cable tie reinforced by a stainless steel core.

RIPPA GRIPS

Simply slip over the original grips. Designed specifically to absorb vibration providing greater comfort.

It’s often the small things that add up to make such a big difference. Motorrad Garage has a comprehensive range of essential accessories to complete your adventure kit.

KETTENMAX CHAIN CLEANERS

Available in Classic or Premium, extend your chain life with easy maintenance.

MOTORRAD GARAGE TYRE REPAIR KIT

SW-MOTECH TRAVELLER SEAT CUSHIONS

Air filled comfort. Choose from a range of shapes and sizes to suit your bike.

Suitable for tubed and tubeless tyre repairs.

BIKER’S DREAM FOOT PUMPS

Available with an analog or digital display.

OMNI CRUISE

A universal fitting cruise control that attaches to your bike’s throttle.

You’ll find all these accessories and more from great adventure riding brands available from Motorrad Garage...

For more information call or visit one of our showrooms.