Adventure Rider Issue #4

It’s what we do

By Tom Foster - Editor

There’s something truly edgy and addictive about riding solo.

On the face of it, riding alone is a mug’s game. If you have a mechanical problem or an injury there’s a reasonable chance you’ll be a long way from help. Even a well-marked dirt road might not see a lot of traffic compared to the bitumen our road-bike colleagues are using. For those who thrive on the challenges of more remote areas, traffic might be as infrequent as a vehicle every couple of days. That’s a long time to be lying in the dust with a collapsed lung or a dusted engine.

But there’s something about knowing that it’s all down to you. There’s no waiting while a mate heads off to find parts or help. There’s nobody to alert emergency services if you’re lying unconscious in the 40-degree

heat, or to tie a tourniquet around a thigh squirting arterial blood from a severed femoral artery. There’s not even anyone to hold a mangled wheel as you try and bash it into a usable shape with a rock. As the time and distance rolls away under his wheels, the solo rider leaves help, comfort and safety further and further behind, and more and more backs himself to cope and to survive.

Surely that’s the greatest adventure of all?

There are things like SPOT trackers and sat phones that can reduce the risk considerably, but that hollow feeling in the gut is still there if the motor misses or an animal bolts from behind a tree and leaves a few tail hairs stuck to a footpeg or front wheel. And all the communication in the world won’t guarantee medical help or spare parts in isolated areas of our huge country in whatever time they may be needed.

So sensible riders travel in groups, or perhaps pairs.

I have to confess I’m a solo rider at heart. I very seldom get to ride alone, and when I do,

I’m careful to stay in relatively well-populated areas. But there’s something about knowing you’re sticking your jaw out at Fate and inviting her to throw a sucker punch that really grabs me. I love the brinkmanship.

So I actually find it a little strange to feel how much I enjoy riding with a bunch of great people.

Maybe it’s because of my solo tendencies, but there’s something incredibly uplifting about joining in with a group of like-minded riders who are having a ball. It doesn’t matter where they’re going or what they’re riding, fronting up to the challenges together and helping each other through is incredibly fulfilling. Laughing at each other and joining in to overcome an obstacle, or maybe even being the object of the joke yourself, can be a whole lot of plain old fun. Even though the tension and anxiety isn’t there, it’s replaced with something a great deal more enjoyable and uplifting.

I guess it’s just good ol’ Aussie mateship.

And it’s at the very heart of adventure riding, I reckon.

Image: Jeff Crow

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

Publisher Kurt M Quambusch

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Tom Foster tom@advridermag.com.au (02) 8355 6842

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60 Afraid Not with Karen Ramsay

62 Packing For Adventure with Robin Box

66 Navigation Techniques with John Hudson

70 How To Ride with Miles Davis

74 No Comment 78 20 Things You Should Know About: BMW’s 650 Singles

80 10 Minutes With: Allan Roberts 82 Ol’ Mate

86 Reader’s Bike: Robert Holness’ KLR650 and Ural Tourist

Checkout

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ADV Rider contributors

John Hudson

John thought adventure riders would love an event offering some of the thrill and challenge of The Dakar at a miniscule price, so in 2010 the real estate manager kicked off the APC Rally.

Karen Ramsay

Karen’s in that growing group of females either returning to riding or taking it up. She’s worked in the Northern Territory as a governess/jillaroo, supervising kids and mustering on ’bikes, and bought her first bike from an undertaker.

Mick Jorgensen

Mick Jorgensen, 49, is a project manager living in Central Queensland. Mick became interested in adventure riding after dreaming of riding from Australia to his native Denmark. His daily ride is an R1200R, and his KLR 650 is in transit to Indochina where his next adventure will begin in May 2014.

Ewen MacGregor

Ewen’s first adventure ride was to Morocco over the Atlas Mountains via the Picos in Spain in 2010. He’s a passionate advocate of adventure riding and part-time actor, and was the lead organiser of the Horizons Unlimited Perth meeting in October 2013.

Miles Davis

Miles has been National Motorrad Marketing Manager for BMW Motorrad since 2006. He’s a highly qualified motorcycling coach and an ex-professional mountain-bike racer. Miles is still on a bike every chance he gets, and has built an enviable reputation as both a world-class rider and a great riding companion.

Nick Dole

Nick is an owner and director of Teknik Motorsport in Penrith, NSW. He runs a workshop specialising in a wide range of motorcycle suspension work, mechanical repairs and wholesale parts. Nick’s racing career peaked in 1994 with a third in the NSW Pony Express series. He now offers a premium engine and suspension service.

Craig Tarlington

Craig has been riding motorcycles since he was five, and he’s raced in Australia, South Africa, South America and Europe. In recent years became obsessed with motorcycle rally racing, competing in several World Championship events, with the best finish a third in the Open Production Class at the 2010 Sardinia Cross Country Rally.

Robin Box

A lifelong rider, Robin now rides “whenever there’s a chance” on any bike available, on- or off-road. Between churning out Safari Tanks and importing high-quality Touratech gear, there’s not as much riding going on for this Victorian-based bloke as he’d like.

Craig Hartley

Craig has been riding for 40 years and has competed in enduros in Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The purchase of Dalby Moto in 1984 was to feed his dirt-bike habit. Adventure riding came on the scene in 1995 and he’s ridden three Safaris and manages the largest trail-ride series in the world. In his spare time Craig still rides trail, adventure and road.

Doug James

Douglas James lives on the south coast of NSW but loves riding the desert country, stemming from his time in Alice Springs and the far north-west of WA. A self-confessed adventure-ride planner, Doug loves a trip to the Condo 750 or Hattah Desert Race – not to compete. He loves the ride to get there.

Colin Dawson

Colin thought an adventure might be fun after buying a BMW F650 in 2005. Day trips on Blue Mountains fire trails grew into a solo ride from Borneo to Bali in 2010. His life now revolves around planning the next big trip, with Sydney to London coming “one of these days”.

Ténéré

Everyone loves their bikes,

Tragics

but these guys?

Forget about it!

Above: Clubby. Owner of TrailZone and a couple of 1983 XT600Zs. The Ténéré Tragics is his doing.

Right: The guys on 1983s are the ride heroes. From left to right: Chris Phillips, Dave Bottomley, Colin Jay, Mike Haysom and Dave Murray. Barry Bonning was back at the motel effecting repairs when this pic was taken.

Back in 1983 little Andy Clubb gazed in wonder at an Australian Dirt Bike Magazine review of Yamaha’s new bike, the XT600Z Ténéré. He was lost in a world of wonder and hope as gazed into the full-colour pages and dreamed of riding a bike like that one.

More than three decades later no-one calls him ‘Andy’ (except his mother, his wife and,

curiously, Stephen Gall), and he’s twice been editor of Australasian Dirt Bike Magazine. At 49, Clubby is now an independent publisher in his own right, owns two of the much sought-after XT600Z L models, and has bought to life an annual ride where lovers of Yamaha’s adventure bike meet in March and ride for a few days in bucket-list locations.

“It was about seven years ago,” said TrailZone’s owner.

“Adventure riding had been growing in popularity over the last five to 10 years, and something came up online about ‘Vinfari’. There was Vinduro for vintage enduro and VMX for vintage motocross, but someone was talking about getting the old Safari bikes from the 1980s and getting them going.

“I remembered that ’83 Ténéré and I thought, ‘I’m gunna get one!’

“I found one and bought it off ebay. It had a poxy seatcover, poxy muffler and a heap of non-original stuff, so I contacted Yamaha Motor Australia and they had all the OEM parts.

“I ran a couple of stories in the magazine about getting your 30-yearold bike running again, and bang! I got smashed with e-mails and photos from punters who had the same bike. I rode it through the Flinders Ranges and ran photos of the bike out in the

desert and bang! More and more Ténéré riders and owners came out of the woodwork. I started to wonder if there were enough Ténérés around that we could hold a ride for just XTZs. I threw the idea out there in the mag and, bugger me, in 2011 I held the first Ténéré Tragics event, organised by myself, Tania (Clubby’s wife), Lance Turnley and Steve ‘Wolfy’ Smith of Adventure Moto. Yamaha supported it right from the first day, and we went and did three days in the Flinders with 50 Ténéré owners.”

That was the start of something.

Rolling

on

In 2012 the Tragics hit southern NSW. 2013 had them rockin’ out to Longreach in central Queensland, where Rod Faggotter joined the crew, and pressure

began to mount to make room for more riders. For 2014, 77 owners and crew made their way to Mansfield, Victoria, gateway to the high country and some of the best mountain adventure riding in the southern hemisphere. After a generous invite from Yamaha and Clubby, AdvRider Mag loaded its gearbag to head down there and see what this Tragics stuff was all about.

Gotta love it

Even with entries at the increased cap of 65, some potential Tragics still had to be turned away. There were a couple of nonstarters that were replaced, then juggled and…we forget the circumstances, but 64 official starters turned out at Mansfield for the brisk, early-morning start.

As the bikes rolled in from all over the country – WA, SA, Queensland, NSW and, of course, Victoria – a few things became obvious very quickly.

The first is, this gathering is a little bewildering unless you know and love Ténérés.

There are plenty of enthusiast’s

The pine forests are a highlight of any Victorian ride. AdvRider Mag’s editor rode through this intersection several times, despite cunningly marking it. u

Tenere Tragics

Above: There was a lot of bitumen, but hardly any of it was straight, and the scenery from all of it was spectacular, like this run up to Falls Creek on the second day.

Below: Stephen Gall seemed to enjoy himself.

groups for brands and models, but this lot is up there with the most devoted. Fortunately, they’re a little older than some, and a mellow good humour and camaraderie underlines all they do. Quite a few have several different bikes, and although they love the XTZ, they’re not one-eyed about it.

Another part of the Tragics culture is that it’s taken as read that riders on ’83s have special status. They’re considered ‘The Real Thing’. Everyone loves all the Ténérés, right through to Yamaha’s new electronic-suspension 1200 Super T, but the ’83s? Mate. That’s where it all started.

Finally, this group considers it only proper that the bikes are ridden to and from the event.

There’s no shame in towing a bike in, but if you’re truly a Tragic, if your heart beats for the 31 years of the bike’s history, you’ll ride in and out. Paul Sitar rode his Ténéré over from WA. That’s the spirit these people embrace.

That and good dualsport riding. Clubby and his crew offered plenty of that.

The six pack

The riders on the 1983 models seemed to personify the philosophy of the whole event. The bikes might’ve looked a tad ancient – so did the riders – but there was absolutely no quarter asked for or given by the senior representatives.

Yamaha’s roving ambassador Stephen Gall was along to give a few tips and take in a very enjoyable ride, and he was a little surprised when chasing Geelong’s Dave Murray. Dave, complete with swag flapping off the back and rear damping that looked suited to a pogo stick, kept his skinny bum firmly planted on the seat and left the four-times Mr Motocross gasping in the dust.

“I chased him,” said Gally in his usual quiet way, “but, mate. He was travelling! And in all that dust I just had to pull out of it and let him go.”

The 1983 guys not only gave nothing away in speed, but their resilience was amazing. Dave Murray’s stator gave up the ghost, but instead of quitting he put the bike on the sweep trailer and texted a mate to find a stator and meet him in

Above: A tour of the Australian Safari Tanks factory was an eyeopener. There’s some serious manufacture going there. Below left: Barry Bonning patched up an oil leak and kept his L model going. Legend.

Below right: Graeme Baker from Rockhampton in Queensland doesn’t put stickers on his new Super T, but the panniers were fair game outside the Dargo pub.

Omeo. It all went to plan and Dave missed less than half a day’s ride.

Barry Bonning, from Newcastle in NSW, said he’d meet us at the photo location. He went in to his room to grab his luggage, but when he returned to the bike he found an oil slick the size of Tasmania spreading across the parking lot from around the countershaft of his 600. He’d already repaired it once, mistakenly replacing a countershaft seal, but realised the problem was a small hole in the case itself. With a world of patience and some Liquid Steel he was up and running in no time. He was there at the end with all the other ’83 riders.

They’re a hardy bunch.

Hot stuff

With all bikes thoroughly checked out and talked about, and the welcoming dinner devoured like distance on a dirt road, it was time for the riding to begin. A mostly shiny, clean crew left Mansfield on a clear morning, to cover the 370km to Bright.

The route was designed so the morning of each day took in a mountain peak or two, and under cloudless blue skies the Tragics wound their way up some sensational bitumen, climbing to the incredibly beautiful Mount Buller.

The village was all but deserted, but the views were u

Tenere Tragics

route-sheet holder

Just like Dave. Below: The whole ride was route sheeted. Riders could form groups or ride alone, and no-one had to stand a corner or ride at any particular pace.

staggering and everyone took full advantage of the lack of wandering people to have a good look around.

From Buller the riders headed down the mountain along more winding roads to punt into Whitfield for fuel and lunch.

Without the elevation of Buller, the clear skies and blazing sun began to make things just a tad warm. Many a thermal was shed and cool beverage consumed in the interests of maintaining a sensible core body temperature as the day wore on.

Fortunately, a stop at Robin Box’ Safari Tanks headquarters offered some time inside and out of the sun, and an interesting and informative tour of the factory and rotomoulding process had everyone enthralled. Those tanks sure are tough bastards.

AdvRider Mag’s editor and one of the Yamaha management team somehow wandered off the route at one stage –although all days were clearly route sheeted so as to allow everyone to travel at their own comfortable speed – and rode around in circles for a while, but that just showed their superior stamina and love of riding.

The pair had cunningly marked one particular intersection with large urine patches as some kind of misguided

navigation aid. Thank goodness the sweeps found them or they’d still being riding around and piddling on crossroads hoping for inspiration.

With a reserved blast through Carboor and Myrtleford, everyone was soon settled into one motel or another in Bright, surely one of Australia’s most popular adventure-bike destinations.

One perfect day

Another beautiful clear day greeted the riders leaving Bright and heading for Orbost, around 370km away. The morning’s mountains were Mount Beauty and Falls Creek, and both were spectacular.

This day was predominantly tar, but with the winding nature of the roads and the awesome scenery, it was still a day to remember.

The guys on the modern Ténérés were able to settle into rubbing a few marbles off the sides of their tyres, and swooping and smooth braking were the order of the day.

There were historic sights along the entire route of the four days, and this day included Native Dog Flat campsite and a skanky junkheap of a deserted garage that the route sheet hinted might’ve been hiding some Ténéré parts. If they were there, they weren’t immediately obvious. Although, when there’s that much junk and scrap laying around, we’re not game to say there definitely weren’t any.

Fired

Bushfires have been a huge problem through this region of Victoria for the first part of this year, and on the second day

Above: The Bogong High Plains Road. Awesome. Left: Dave Murray’s

was a classic.

Tenere Tragics

the danger even confronted the Tragics. A section had to be diverted to avoid hazard-reduction work which was being carried out right next to the proposed track, and that meant more winding bitumen. No-one complained about that. In fact, the more winding the bitumen became, the more some very hardened dirt riders looked like they were enjoying themselves.

There were stops scheduled at Omeo and Buchan, and there were numerous other opportunities for coffees and snacks along the way, so it was a very staggered field of hot, happy riders that parked the XTZs and checked in to sign off with Tania Clubb at Orbost that night.

Every rider had to sign in each night, and it was an excellent method of ensuring everyone had arrived safely. It was also a great opportunity to hand every rider his or her route sheet for the next day.

She’s a thinker, that Tania. A good organiser too, as Clubby is quick to point out. It’s Tania who handles all the logistics for the ride, and you don’t see too many run as smoothly as this one.

Man down Wednesday morning, the third day, began with overcast skies and high humidity. The day was scheduled to cover just over 400km, and as riders were briefed, it was expected to be ‘very dusty’.

Rain had been forecast, and the riders set off with that in mind, determined to enjoy themselves no matter what.

As it happened the day did yield a few dramas. This was the day Dave sorted the stator on his ’83,

and it was the day that yielded the only injury of the event. Grant Merrick, a medic in his day job, had an off that resulted in enough damage to need surgery to his knee. Grant stayed very cheerful throughout the whole ambulance episode apparently, and was given first-class first aid by the Dubbo boys who were on hand at the time, so here’s hoping Grant lines up for the 2015 Tragics with no lasting ill effects.

It certainly did get dusty in places, and here’s where things become a little embarrassing for AdvRider Mag.

After settling in to a late-breakfasty/snack arrangement at a place called Swift Creek – just beginning the second cappuccino, in fact – Wolfy showed up and began talking about some tracks he knew that were all glorious dirt roads through damp, mountain forests. He raved about the loamy corner ruts and freshly graded uphills, and before we knew it we were roosting along those same roads in a very irresponsible manner. There were no sweeps behind us and the route sheets were used to wipe dipsticks at the fuel stop before departure. So there’s no actual report from the afternoon section of the ride.

We heard it was really good.

A happy crew was settled in to the various accommodations in and around Orbost as the foolishly grinning members of The Wolf Pack arrived, and Stephen Gall was just setting up to host an open discussion on traction and other assorted aspects of adventure riding. Gally will soon be doing specific adventure riding schools, and to get some insight from The

Left: Mount Useful was chilly near the top and the fog kept visibility low on the final morning.

Main: Dust was a problem, but every rider had a route sheet, so it was easy to leave plenty of space and find some clear air. Old McLeinster Road on the second day was a good example. Right: “Push, push, in the bush.” We have no idea what that means, but this pair said it a lot, even when they should’ve been looking at the view. There were some funny hand gestures that went with the chant.

Sometimes just cruising through the eucalypts can be too good for words.

Above left: Boned!

Above right: Troy (left) and Clive. Top blokes and ace sweeps.

Below: The 2014 Tragics. Everyone received a couple of T-shirts, a cap and a bag of goodies.

Master in such an informal setting was a blast for everyone.

Mountin’ man

Thursday marked the final day of the 2014 Tragics, and there wasn’t a single visible sourpuss as the riders left. Last day or not, there was still plenty of fabulous riding and scenery to be enjoyed, and the riders knew it. In fact, the return rate for Tragics is something over 50 per cent.

Sure enough, Clubby had saved the best for last.

A brisk run on what was a surprisingly chilly morning had everyone churning their way through the gorgeous eucalypt forests and climbing the steep, winding sides of Mount Useful.

This was all dirt road, so the dust was thick, but as the altitude climbed, the temperature dropped. Fast. Soon it was a testicle-shrinking nine degrees according to the well-equipped instrumentation of the Super Ténéré, and the fog began to get serious. Visibility dropped down to just a few metres, and, seriously, riders began to worry about damage to their reproductive organs. It can be a tad scary when they’re no longer visible.

At times the climbing road broke free of its shroud allowing a breathtaking glimpse of silhouetted snow gums and valleys holding thick, heavy fog like huge bowls of white fairy floss glistening in the sun.

But those glimpses were all too brief. Mostly it was shrunken ’nads and trembling like a dog pooping razor blades.

Just near the summit of Mount Useful a group gathered to watch Andrew Dawson repair the headlight mount on his modern 660.

“I guess with the hard-core riding style that I do,” zip-tied Andrew, “it’s broken the second one of these.” There were smiles all ’round, so we weren’t too sure whether Andrew was being fair dinkum about his riding or not. He was a happy bloke, though, and that’s always good value.

Tenere Tragics

Above: A great part of the joy of the ride is to just pull up for a yarn somewhere.

Below: Stephen Gall shared some valuable pointers with a rapt audience.

Bottom: Justin Hayden had an off on the bitumen. Have a look at what’s left of those tweeds, but Justin rode away unhurt.

Dust busters

Once off Mount Useful and clear of the fog the end of the ride was in sight. The dust along the busy dirt road in and out of Woods Point was crook, and for once leaving big gaps didn’t help much. There was enough traffic, mainly four-wheel drives, that it was hard to find clear air no matter what you did.

Still, that was all part of the adventure, and swooping and diving along as the road followed the Goulburn River was a ride to remember. The sun shone, the water was clear, and any riders too lazy to remove liners sweated like warthogs. There was another fall in the late afternoon of the final day. Justin Hayden from Orange in NSW got a bit enthusiastic on a bitumen corner and decked his Super T. Despite shredding his Dragon Jeans and snapping off a rear footpeg, Justo was unhurt. He grabbed his bike, flipped it on to its wheels and did his best to get going before any of his mates could catch up and see what had happened. He might’ve got away with it too, except he did it right in front of Clubby, and Clubby gave him an award at the presentation dinner that night. The scrapes on the bike would’ve been hard to explain, but Justin’s a pretty resourceful bloke. He’d’ve come up with something for sure.

All over…for now

That was the 2014 Ténéré Tragics. It was a good-fun, good-natured bunch of riders as we’ve ever ridden with, and the passion surrounding the Ténéré badge was uplifting. The ride was in the very best spirit of dualsporting, and we’re pretty sure this is one of those events

that will become something every rider will want to have done.

We’re just glad we had the chance to ride one. Next year the show heads to northern NSW. If we can swing it, we’ll be there. To miss it would be… well…Tragic.

Below: Socialising is a huge part of a Tragics ride. The farewell dinner is especially good fun because of the awards. There’s a few serious ones, but there’s far more embarrassing and humorous ones as well.

Thanks!

A huge thankyou to Yamaha Motor Australia for introducing us to this brilliant ride, and for the incredible hospitality shown by Geeze and Mr Clean. It was a very great pleasure to spend a few days with such genuine gentlemen.

Another big thankyou to Clubby and Tania for being broadminded enough to invite another magazine along on a ride they’d started and built for their own title. A special thanks to Tania for her excellent organisational skill and calm handling of just about everything.

Finally to the crew who looked after us so well: Wolfy and Pete, Troy and Clive. Cheers, blokes. We hope we see you next year. AdvR

SOME OF THE BEST ROADS AREN’TATROADS ALL

Industry players

Robin Box

If you ride adventure, chances are at some stage you’ve looked at, and possibly fitted, a Safari Tank. Safari Tanks owner Robin Box has a long history in off-road riding, and, something a lot of readers probably wouldn’t know, farming, canoeing and kayaking. Robin’s been offering high-quality product under the name of Aqualine Industries for quite a while, and like everything Robin does, it’s done with the throttle pegged wide open.

AdvR: What was your first bike?

RB: In 1979 I was a 19-year-old farm worker and jack-of-all-trades. I paid $400 for a second-hand TY250A. I had it road-registered, and I used to do quite long road trips on it. That was my bike for everything. Trials bikes in those days were a little more comfortable. I put a higher seat on it with a lot more padding, and it’d do nearly 100kph. That was also the bike I raced, and I had reasonable success.

The ITs and PEs were only just coming out then, and the courses were very difficult. The events I did

win typically had an average speed of around 11 miles per hour. The TY was perfect. I just geared it as low as I could. You had to manhandle it up hills because the courses were so steep and rocky.

Later on they started opening up the enduro courses to suit the ITs and PEs and the trials bikes weren’t competitive.

AdvR: Were they big races?

RB: They were called ‘black’ events – events not sanctioned by the governing body – and they’d usually get a field of around 200 starters. It was actually one of those black

Above: Robin’s Safari Tanks business grew from teams asking for tanks for that event. Having his own pattern-making facilities and moulding machine meant Aqualine Industries could produce a good product right here in Australia.

Insert: Robin’s XL is still in his shed and still gets a run from time to time. The pic might be a little fuzzy, but things tend to get that way on a tough run along the Canning Stock Route.

events held near here that cost Jeff Leisk his Australian race licence. He was heading overseas at that same time, so it probably wasn’t a big issue for him.

AdvR: You moved on from the TY?

RB: I still have that TY250.

It got modified over time and I ran a DT400 carburettor and DT250 barrel on it. You could just interchange things in those days.

But I ran that bike for quite some time. Then I bought my first brand-new bike: an XL500, the model with the 23-inch front wheel and no tacho. I had that until the single-shock Pro-Link XL500 was released. I traded the first XL for the Pro-Link model, then traded that on an XL600.

I started doing all my desert riding on that 600. It was the first bike I rode across The Simpson, and it’s the bike I rode down the Canning Stock Route.

I still have that bike, too.

AdvR: When was that?

RB: It was at the end of the last century. That sounds quite impressive, doesn’t it?

I did all my exploring of the Victorian high country, and lots of road trips, on XLs. They were my ‘everything’ bike.

AdvR: You’re a fairly handy sort of bloke. What’s your trade qualification?

RB: I grew up on the farm doing a lot of agricultural work, and then I worked in building for a while. I did whatever work was around, really, mostly in the rural industry.

Then in 1987 I did four years of nightschool training in Melbourne. The study was in advanced composites – typically

fibreglass, but carbon fibre and similar composites. I also did some extra training in passenger-jet aircraft composite repair.

It was 300km each way, and I’d get home at 1.00am. I did most of that travel on the XL.

AdvR: Crikey! What made you want to move from farm worker to high-tech jet-aircraft stuff?

RB: When I was in secondary school there was an exceptional teacher who had some fibreglass moulds, and we could build a fibreglass kayak in our lunchtimes. I did that when I was about 12 I guess, or maybe 13 years old.

That was my introduction.

When I was in my early 20s I had the chance to get hold of some canoe moulds that were going to be thrown out. I made a bit of a hobby out of making canoes for a while, then it turned out that one of the moulds was a registered design of a quite desirable model. That’s what started Aqualine Industries in 1987.

I was still doing whatever work was available –building, the farm, I even worked in a winery – but that was when Aqualine kicked off.

In the very late 1980s or maybe early 1990s Holden started racing the VP and VN Commodores, and they had to homologate 500 models on the road before

Top left: Holy crap! That’s what you can do when your early riding was done on a trials bike.

Above: Product assessment and development can take a bloke to some far-away places, like Nevada in the US.

Below: There are several bikes in the workshop for product development these days. Robin says he rides less often than he used to, but the rides go for longer. He’s still very much personally involved in developing products.

they were allowed to go racing them. We got the contract to supply the big boot spoiler.

AdvR: You were still riding the XL?

RB: Yes. The XL was the only bike I had up until 2000.

AdvR: How did building fuel tanks get started?

RB: We were manufacturing the slalom race kayaks for the Australian

Olympic team. We did that for 12 years, and one of our kayaks won a silver medal. We still make kayaks and canoes, and we do a lot of fibreglassing for the caravan industry as well.

All along we’ve done all our own pattern making and model making, and the business evolved. In about 1998 we made a conscious decision to move into plastic canoes and kayaks. We could see that if you wanted to stay in the business you had to be able to produce plastic ones.

We had an agreement with a US company and we built our own moulding machine, and that was the start of the move to plastics.

Then when the XR650 was released, a chap bought the first one and wanted me to make a carbon-fibre fuel tank for him to use in the Australian Safari. I wouldn’t do it. I’d made composite tanks for roadrace bikes, but carbon fibre is way too brittle for off-road.

We had our own pattern-making facility, and we had the plastics, so we made a plastic tank for that bike. That was the first one we did. We made it just because we could. There was no commercial intention whatsoever.

Then, I think it was in 2002, the GHR Honda team was racing XR650s reasonably successfully. Andy Caldecott was their hot competitor at the time, and Honda contacted us and wanted to get some tanks because they’d had some durability issues with the tanks they’d been using. We didn’t do anything about it at the time, because I wasn’t going to sell anyone a tank that was unproven.

We had some discussion and eventually supplied some unbranded tanks to Honda.

The next year all the 400s and 450s came into the event, and Suzuki, KTM and Yamaha all approached us to do tanks so they could run their 450s. We supplied those tanks and that was really the start of it. Still none of them had any branding, and that’s how they came to be called ‘Safari Tanks’. All the tanks we were doing were being used in The Safari.

AdvR: Did your personal experience as a rider help with the design?

RB: It’s from riding around in the desert ourselves that we knew the importance of extra fuel capacity, but also we knew to make sure the tanks were durable enough to cope with the corrugations and conditions out there. That’s what had us putting cross braces on anything bigger than 20 litres right from the start.

AdvR: You were mates with TK and you had him work there for a while. He had a good idea of what made a serious desert bike. Was he of any value as a researcher?

RB: Absolutely.

The more fuel he could get on a bike, and the further he could get away for longer, the happier he was. He was a real advocate of big tanks. The bigger the better. He didn’t worry about the inconvenience of the load, he just wanted the range.

He gave us some good input, and he gave us the confidence and encouragement to keep doing it.

AdvR: You’re the Touratech importer as well, and you have a fair stable of development bikes these days. With all that business going on, what’s left of Robin Box to go riding? When you do get a free Saturday morning, which bike do you grab and what kind of

Not all product evaluation is rough going. A Touratech Companero suit on a BMW seems like a luxurious arrangement, but somebody has to do it.

Below: To get to where you can stand and look out over the Great Australian Bight is a real-world test for any off-road product. The Safari tanks did it easy.

riding do you do?

RB: Most of my riding is adventure riding, and very rarely is it a Saturday morning.

I rarely go for half-days now. I ride a lot less often, but I ride for a lot longer when I do go.

We did the testing on the Husky 650 Terra ourselves, and we’re going to do a lot more of that development riding in future.

I always like to spend one week each year in Tasmania, and it’s usually on the adventure bikes. The TY doesn’t get dragged out any more, but the XL gets a run from time to time. I’m still paying the registration on it. It’s had a nice rebuild and it’s a great, reliable bike.

“My children have started riding too, now. They come adventure riding with me.”

AdvR: As this issue hits the stands we’ll be with you for the next Touratech ride.

RB: Our second travel event!

I do ride when I can, but being part of other people’s adventures is what I get a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment out of now.

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Safari

World-class rallies are an impossible dream for most adventure riders, but the Australasian Safari Adventure Tour (ADVT) runs alongside the Australasian Safari each year and gives riders a taste of the world-class Rally Raid experience. Ewen MacGregor – no, really –tagged along through some stunningly beautiful parts of Western Australia to find out what it’s all about.

W3000km over sevenofdaysthroughsome the world’s most spectacularscenery.

Words: Ewen MacGregor

Images: Ewen MacGregor and Safari

hile it’s not the race itself, the ADVT follows the Australasian Safari route, riding as many of the competition stages as possible. It’s normally around 70 per cent of the official race course.

“There’s no doubt it’s a serious ride, with up to 400km on the bikes each day,” said Andy Van Kann, part of the Safari course survey team and original Adventure Tour Director. “The difference with the Adventure Tour is that we finish riding in the early afternoon most days and generally end up at a spectacular and secluded spot.”

The group usually rides ahead of the competitive Safari. That means very early starts, challenging days in the saddle and evenings in the bivouac spent fettling the bikes for the next day’s challenge.

Australia’s Dakar Western Australia has hosted the Australasian Safari for several years. The course covers more than 3000km in seven days, ranking as one of the world’s most spectacular rallies.

The ceremonial start was in Perth, but the first real action was

outside of Northampton, some 400km to the north. From there it was an adventure through the mid-west, Murchison and Gascoyne regions, taking in the beaches south of Kalbarri, the rough country around the Kennedy Ranges and the coastline through Quobba and Gnaraloo stations at the south end of Ningaloo Reef, then south to finish on the foreshore in Geraldton.

Competitors tackled a variety of conditions that included a beach blast, farmland, steep beach descents and a fast run through sheep paddocks, with crests, gutters, ruts and creeks all creating hazards…and the Tour mirrored the route.

The ADVT

The Adventure Tour is a commercial operation. Fees include costs, licence, insurance and accreditation. The Tour is run entirely by volunteers and organised by a family of passionate motorsport enthusiasts. Tour lead rider is

Background: Beach sections were a feature and the fast guys could cut loose.

Below: Everyone chipped in to help everyone else. Community spirit is a big part of the ADVT.

Bottom: Rider support was excellent.

Alan Makin, and his wife Lynne is the coordinator. She first became involved in the Tour around three years ago and says one of the best things about running the Tour is getting to meet riders from around the world and Australia. She also enjoys that the ADVT ride crew creates a strong community feeling.

“If someone’s bike needs fixing and it takes until 2.00am, then we all pull together to help,” Lynne said.

To take part in the Adventure Tour all you need is to be a competent rider, love to challenge yourself and have a spirit for adventure. Tour riders have the option to run a roadbook for the stages and the route that the Adventure Tour follows. This is as close to competition as you can get without racing, and in this way the ADVT acts as a feeder for aspiring

Safari competitors. In 2013 there were seven Safari race competitors who’d previously taken part in the Tour.

The 2013 ADVT

In 2013 the tour attracted 18 riders from all over Australia and overseas, with an assortment of bikes including a 1986 800cc BMW and a 1990 750cc Yamaha Ténéré, and both bikes attracted huge interest from rally competitors.

The Tour is primarily for solo adventure bike riders, but quads are eligible, and, mainly for logistical reasons, rider numbers are capped at 20. When the day’s riding is in full flow and everyone’s out there enjoying themselves, the field can be strung out over 10km of wilderness. Any more than 20 riders would mean an even more strung-out group and the logistics and safety could be compromised.

Tents were provided for those who didn’t bring their own.

Bivouacs and beer

For 2013, the ADVT started in Northampton, riding 400km north in front of the main rally to a remote bivouac near Kalbarri, where the riders were able to get to know each other and repair their bikes and bodies over a few cartons of beer. Tents (for those who don’t bring their own) and food are supplied by the ADVT organisers, with a professional catering company following the Tour and cooking up some well-deserved hearty breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

It was an early start each morning to get riding ahead of the race, and at Gascoyne Junction the riders had the opportunity to camp with the rest of the Safari and really soak up the atmosphere. This highlighted one of the unique and special aspects of the ADVT: the chance for riders to meet and mingle with some of the world’s top rally

riders and watch the $50,000 Dakarspec bikes being serviced by the world’s leading mechanics.

Every evening was a whirlwind of repairs, rebuilds and test rides, often late into the night, as everyone prepared for the next day’s challenge.

Tough stuff

One of the toughest but most rewarding stages was the ride from Gascoyne Junction to Carnarvon through the Murchison River riverbed. The sweeping trails were rocky in places, and in others riders had to negotiate deep sand, but the backdrop was spectacular with the remote Kennedy Range National Park rising majestically from the desert. It was typical of many days on the Tour – a mix of twisty, hard-packed bush tracks where riders had to be right on the ball with navigation, and other fenceline sections where they were able to ride absolutely flat out.

Left: Red drums for fuel.

Left below: Dusty Carr rode his 750 Super Ténéré across from South Aussie to take part. Then rode it back again.

Right: Michael Schmidt’s1985 BMW airhead. The model won a couple of Dakars and was a popular adventure bike in its day.

The Dummy Award

The first evening, Peter, the ADVT sweep rider, introduced the group to the Adventure Tour Dummy Award, a baby’s dummy tied to a loop. This was awarded every night at the briefing session to any rider or supporter who did ‘dumb’ things. The nominated rider would have to wear the dummy for a day after the transgression as penance. Some of the 2013 award nominations included:

v Alan, ADVT lead rider, for not getting off his bike to open a gate and breaking his thumb on day one –yes, he rode the rest of the Tour with it strapped up

v Rainer, for trying to refuel his quad from a green water container instead of a red fuel container

v Darren, for pinching three tubes in a morning of riding

v Jenny, for bogging her support vehicle in the bivouac at Gascoyne Junction and being towed out by recovery

v Andrew, for expertly changing his rear tyre, but letting the rim roll away and knock over his beer

v Dusty, for powering past the lead rider and charging off into the unknown v Ralph, for ignoring the cornerman and also charging off over the horizon. Not once, but twice!

v Anton, for not checking his rear axle nut was tight v Christian, for loose handlebars

Pre-1985 bikes

The Tour attracted a couple of particularly interesting bikes due to the inclusion of a Pre-1985 class in the main event.

Michael Schmidt rode a BMW airhead, built in Perth by Auto Classic with help from HPN in Germany. This model won the Paris-Dakar rally several times and gained popularity with adventure-seeking travellers.

Richard “Dusty” Carr from South Australia was riding a Yamaha Super Ténéré 750. In the spirit of the original Dakar competitors, Dusty rode the bike across from South Australia to take part in the Tour.

“I am absolutely amazed to get to

the end,” he said. “It was some of the toughest riding I’ve ever done in my life. I’m a bit sad it’s all over. I would have liked to have kept going a few more days.”

In addition to the ADVT pre-1985 riders, the new category also attracted some international riders to the Safari, so it looks like the new category will stay.

Final thoughts

There were mixed emotions as the Tour rolled into Geraldton at the end of the final stage – exhilaration at finishing a week of bone-jarring, sun-baked, dry and dusty riding, and sadness over Australia Safari competitor Ivan Erceg’s tragic death. But there was also a feeling of great anticipation for next year’s Tour.

Many of the Tour riders are already planning and dreaming about next year’s event. After all, it’s not everyday you get to rub shoulders with some of the world’s top rally riders, experience what it’s really like in the bivouac of a leading international motorsport event, and share adventure riding stories round the campfire in some of the remotest places in the WA outback.

Horizons Unlimited

10th Anniversary traveller’s meeting

In September 2013 around 220 seasoned adventure riders met to celebrate the amazing group known as Horizons Unlimited. When it comes to adventure riding, these guys are the real deal. Mick Jorgensen thought he’d have a look and see.

Distances don’t scare Australian riders much.

The size of this enormous continent invites long-distance touring. But have you ever considered crossing another continent?

Top: Stories were being told and knowledge shared while ever anyone was awake.

Top below: A likely looking crew, and all keen to share their experiences and hard-won knowledge. Below: Wonder who was camping in the 44.

Some years ago I got the idea I’d like to travel overland from Australia to Europe, and I started to let Google and the Internet help. In my searching I came across an organisation called Horizons Unlimited, set up to help motorcycle travellers globally.

The website is very helpful. It has mountains of information and people with experiences

they’re willing to share, as well as travellers on the go seeking clarification on visa issues, local contacts and a host of other things.

Show time

Horizons Unlimited holds yearly get-togethers all over the world, and in Australia a meeting has been held annually for the last 10 years. I decided to go to the 2013 event in Dayboro, Queensland, in the last weekend of September.

For me the opportunity to meet and talk with people who’d planned and completed overland travel was very exciting.

A lot of questions arise when you try to get your head around what it entails to travel overland to Europe. Which route to take? What spares would be recommended given some sort of balance between probability of failure and space available? What time of year to travel? How are visas issued? And so on.

So with a head full of questions I arrived on the trusty KLR650 with tent and sleeping bag, and as it turned out, so did over 200 other interested folks. The event was held at the showground and there was ample space for camping and an excellent facility for presentations and meetings.

Crack up

A detailed program was on display and it outlined the various forums and presentations planned for the weekend. That meant you could join the forum most relevant to your travel plans or interest area, and Horizons Unlimited had arranged a knowledgeable person to head the forum in each section. These sessions were excellent. For example, the forum I attended was headed up by Richard Winter. Richard had travelled by V-strom across Russia, China and Indochina to Australia, and he was able to advise on what and what not to do. Interestingly, many of the travellers started with small trips that then grew into major excursions. Peter and Kay Forword started with a trip on their Harley Davidson Electra Glide to Malaysia and Indonesia 15 years ago and have now had the motorcycle to 193 countries, clocking up 640,000km. That probably deserves a spot in the Guinness Book Of Records and potentially a Sore Backside award.

Good stuff

It was also an eye opener to walk around and look at people’s bikes and equipment, particularly

Words and images: Mick Jorgensen

Left: Luggage and camping gear were big features of the gathering.

to identify which of the many manufacturer claims of equipment longevity actually proved to make the distances. Several luggage suppliers were represented with particular focus on aluminium panniers and mounting systems to suit various bikes, from the large 1200GS to smaller rides. A lot of goodies had been donated to a charity raffle and the Pader Orphans Project received more than $1000 as a result.

The beginning

Horizons Unlimited was founded by Canadians Grant and Susan Johnson, and they entertained the crowds with tales of the many continents they’ve travelled on their trusty R80GS as well as every kind of tip on how to live on the road for long periods. They have continued to help travellers on a daily basis via their Horizons Unlimited website where global travellers meet every day. It’s quite amazing to realise just how many people actually travel the globe on two wheels, and just how many are Australians.

Up to you

So after three days of inspiration, entertainment and fun I realised it doesn’t really matter what bike you chose, how skilled a rider you are, your age, your preparation or any other limitation you can think of – someone has proven it can be done.

A bloke from Sydney ventured cross-country and rode from Sydney to London on a Postie bike. A lady aged 60 circumnavigated the American continent, and a fellow crossed Russia on a 1948 Indian. Ultimately the only limitations you have are the ones you place on yourself.

Log on

For all the up-to-date info and discussion at Horizons Unlimited, log on to www.horizonsunlimited.com.

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The cold war

It can be tough to enjoy a ride when conditions aren’t ideal.

As the southern hemisphere moves into the middle of the year, it can be ball-shrinkingly uncomfortable to head out for a few days of honest riding. There’s nothing like low temperatures to take the gloss off what might otherwise be a great ride.

But knowing those chilly days are coming gives you a chance to be ready, and preparation is the

There’s another winter on its way. It’s time to prepare for some low temperatures and wet weekends. Here’s a few tips on keeping your riding enjoyable when the cold hits.

key to enjoying winter riding. Let’s cover a few important basics first.

Seriously

While we can all get a laugh out of shared discomfort, it’s important to be able to spot the early signs of bastard hypothermia.

Leaving all the technical gibber aside, hypothermia is when a person’s body temperature drops to where normal body functions

are affected. Every rider has experienced hypothermia at some stage. Shivering is an early warning sign, but it’s also a normal function of a body trying to stay warm. You should look for violent shivering to the point of muscles being difficult to coordinate and the skin becoming pale and cold to touch. That’s not a serious situation that needs medical attention, but it’s a warning that the subject needs to do something or they could

end up in need of help. Also, the coordination problems can be a worry for someone riding (although it’d be hard to tell any difference with the way the AdvRider Mag staffers ride normally).

Of course there’s a lot more to hypothermia than a bit of a shiver, but that’s what we should all be looking out for, and when spotted, we should be looking to correct. Usually pulling up at a warm café or campfire will get things back on track.

The worse the hypothermia, the more concerted the measures that may need to be taken. In general, a warm drink, warm food, and a little time in shelter so the body can restore its own safe working temperature will be enough. Contrary to popular belief, alcohol isn’t a help in cases of hypothermia. A stiff brandy will actually cause blood vessels to dilate near the skin and allow even more heat loss.

Warm ride

Now the fun part. What can we do to avoid hypothermia in the first place?

Got your credit card ready? There’s heaps! A smart rider can cruise along in sub-zero temperatures and hardly feel a thing these days.

Adventure riders need to be prepared to survive serious cold.

We’ll start with the bike.

There’s always someone flapping on about ‘wind-chill’. It’s defined as “the perceived decrease in air temperature felt by the body on exposed skin due to the flow of air”. What it means is, if the air temperature might be, say, seven degrees, the moving air will make the temperature on a person’s skin much lower. It’s the phenomenon we all use to our advantage when we run a fan in the summer to cool us down. The air is the same temperature, but the fact it’s moving over us helps us feel cooler –thanks to tricky evaporation and heat transfer an’ that.

Because we’re on bikes thrumming along, the air is always moving over us, fast, so we always feel it’s much colder. If the air temperature is low, the moving air can be a real mongrel. Wind chill is for reals.

If we can reduce the amount or speed of the air moving over, or in contact with, our skin, it will reduce the wind-chill factor.

Above: Keeping the wind off exposed skin is the aim. Note the plastic rain jacket on the rider in the background. They have some drawbacks, but can make the difference between surviving and DNFing a tough outing.

The first and obvious thought that comes to mind is a fairing or screen, and it’s probably the biggest single mod that can be done to a bike to ease the rider’s exposure to the cold. That’s why so many adventure bikes have either screens, bulbous front ends –very few have actual fairings – or both. These designs are intended to keep a great deal of moving air off the rider and dramatically increase his or her comfort level.

We’ve seen some ingenious improvisations when things have become seriously cold. If you find yourself in a tough, challenging, cold situation, bend your mind to how you can protect yourself from the wind. It’ll be the single thing you do that will give the biggest and fastest relief. A tank bag piled high in front of a rider’s chest will help. Strapping something to the ’bars can cut the windblast considerably, and even fashioning temporary handguards out of cardboard or anything available can make a huge difference. Really serious hand protection can be in the form of muffs. Prices and quality vary, and it’s important to ensure the muffs you buy allow your levers and controls the clearance they need.

If you know there’s a cold ride coming up, all these things can be bought as sexy, high-quality add-ons. Some of them are not only incredibly effective, but make you look awesomely rugged and tough as well.

Power play

For those really looking for a luxurious package, there’s a range of heated

equipment available that’ll run off a bike’s battery. Heated grips are very common, but there are heated seats and we’ve even seen a bike with an actual heater that could direct hot air gathered from around the headers up at the rider.

Aside from parts of the bike itself being warm, there’s apparel that will draw power from the battery to provide a very warm, snuggly cocoon for a chilly adventurer. Heated gloves and undershirts are common.

These are all good options, but make sure you have someone who knows what they’re doing assess the current draw and your bike’s ability to provide that current before you get too carried away. Push-starting a 200kg bike with a flat battery will get you warm fast, but you won’t enjoy the experience.

Vested interest

With your bike set up it’s time to look at apparel, and there’s heaps to look at. Unfortunately, models for this type of clothing tend to be hefty, bearded types, or remarkably metrosexual looking males, but we’ll look anyway. Everyone’s favourite mantra with apparel for the cold is, “Layers!”

actually a good insulator. And once it’s still, our bodies can warm up the still air and create even more effective insulation.

Where technology leaps to the fore is with the types of fabrics now available. Things like Gore-tex and some of the synthetics are incredible for their ability to block liquid water, but to still allow the flow of gasses. The idea there is that it’ll keep the rain out, but it’ll allow heated air to move very slowly. That’s great in summer, but in winter it sounds less ideal. Actually it works well in the cold as well, because it only allows the tiniest amount of airflow, and that stops liquids being trapped inside the fabric.

Let’s have a look at how to plan some layering.

The sheep’s back

Back in the day, when cables stretched and made brakes less efficient and waxed cotton was the high-tech choice for making weatherproof apparel, a newspaper stuffed down the front of the T-shirt and a pair of welding gloves were the gun solutions to riding in the cold. These days, drum brakes still suck, but there’s a lot better alternatives to the gauntlets and ’paper.

Starting with the layer closest to the skin – the base layer – generally, some

warm. Fibrous fabrics tend to be a little bulky though, and that’s not ideal for riders.

There are some good synthetic fabrics, and most riders will have seen various ‘thermals’ in use. A great many of these are thermals designed for general use, and they’re mostly a good start.

There’s a school of thought that backs a natural fibre over any synthetic, and the fibre of choice is good ol’ Merino wool.

The Kiwis have been onto this for years, but it’s only relatively recently that adventure riders have woken up to it. There’s a lot of claims being made about Merino wool being superior to other wools, how Merino wool garments don’t stink no matter how long you wear them, and how Kiwis find sheep in the long grass.

We actually thought a Merino was where you parked a boat-o, so we thought we should find out a little more.

Fair dinkum

Andy Strapz is a very fussy bloke when it comes to making and developing products, and he uses Aussie Merino for his purpose-built rider thermals. Aussie Merino is obviously better than the NZ stuff, and we asked Andy why it was his choice of fabric.

Below: This rider had done a brilliant job of making himself a fairing from corflute.

Insert: Handlebar muffs don’t look too stylish, but they offer brilliant protection from wind. Good ones are waterproof, and will hugely improve the efficiency of heated grips.

The whole idea goes back to stopping the movement of air.

Layers of clothing trap air, both in the fabric and between the different layers themselves. Once the air is still, it’s

“Merino is streets ahead of the synthetic alternatives,” he said, not spinning us a yarn.

“Aside from the environmental considerations of Merino wool being a biodegradable and renewable resource, it retains its heat when it’s wet, and it feels much nicer against the skin. It’s also lighter for its ability to insulate.”

We tried to look all knowledgeable and informed, but you can’t fool Andy.

“You can get better insulation from Merino wool than you can from a similar weight of comparable synthetics,” he explained patiently.

“There’s different grades of Merino wool, though, and you wouldn’t use the same wool in a sock as you’d use in an undergarment, for example. For the Andy Strapz thermals we use only superfine Merino. Whatever garment you’re looking at, make sure you check the details on the manufacturer’s label.”

“Superfine” in woolclassing terminology is less than 17 micron –about one-fifth the width of a human hair.

That sounded like very good advice to us, and, snickering about ‘undergarments’, we moved on.

Layer bout

After the base layer things get less important because the fabric’s not up against your skin. Here a few general points to consider when

planning an icy-weather ensemble:

v Many thin layers is more effective than less thick, heavy layers

v Extremities are important. Feet and hands are furthest from the body’s core, therefore are hardest to keep warm and quickest to drop temperature. Good quality socks, boots, gloves, and helmet liners can make a huge difference to the body’s ability to cope with cold

v Layers on your legs are important, too. A lot of riders cover their upper torso well, but leave their legs with just socks and pants. Whatever you do for the top, do for the bottom

v Staying dry is hugely important for comfort and for fighting cold. Look for waterproof outer garments where possible. Boots and gloves included

Helmets with visors, as opposed to motocross helmets that need goggles, have made a huge difference to rider comfort in the cold and rain. There’s no longer any need to tolerate a freezing windblast on the cheeks, or even more uncomfortable, the driving sting of raindrops that feels like an angry farmer with a 410 shottie unloading on

Once again, the still air inside a dualsport helmet is a great barrier to the

Above: Apparel designed specifically for bike riders is likely to perform much better than general-use gear. This thermal top from Andy Strapz shows the high collar, long sleeves and extended back that offers exactly the type of protection a rider needs.

Top: Pushing a bike through the snow will warm you up fast, but you’re likely to chuck a thrombo. Above: Stretchy headscarves inside a helmet can help keep the noggin warm. And they’re handy if you need to rob a bank.

cold and discomfort of a freezing ride. If your regular helmet is a motocrosser, and you know it’s going to be cold, you’d be better off changing to a visored helmet, even if it’s a road helmet. The motocrosser is designed for maximum ventilation and the peak is to shield your eyes from the sun. On a cold trip, maximum ventilation sucks, and you’re not likely to have a lot of problems with direct sunlight.

A lot of riders also use a balaclava or thin headscarf of some kind under the helmet. It’s a layer, so it’s good, and it can really make things snug.

The exposed neck is often overlooked when searching for comfort in the cold, but we’re firm believers in a good neck protector. It can be used to straight-out protect the bare throat from wind, but it can be also used as a bandana, a dust mask, a head wrap, a bandage or even to polish a mirror. They’re very handy.

Outer limits

Last of all comes the outer layer of apparel, and here’s where most of us hit the big expense.

Gore-tex is the hot poop in waterproof fabric for bike clobber at the moment. ‘Gore-tex’ is actually a brand name for expanded polytetrafluoroethylene – that’s why we all just call it Gore-tex –and it tends to be as expensive as buggery.

It might seem expensive, but it works, and when you’re on a really cold, wet, shithouse ride, fighting to just make it to the next stop, Gore-tex can suddenly seem like a great investment.

There are different grades of Gore-tex for different applications, but what makes it so good is that it keeps rain out, but still ‘breathes’, so a Gore-tex suit doesn’t feel like being in a garbage bag with the top tied tight. Gore-tex isn’t the only good product for cold and wet-weather protection, but it’s good stuff.

One of the best outfits around comes from Touratech. We asked Robin Box what made it such a great outfit.

“The biggest thing is that the Gore-tex is laminated to the outer layer of cordura,” explained Robin, having ridden in some very extreme conditions overseas.

“The cordura is the abrasion-resistant layer, and the Gore-tex is the cold and water-resistant layer. If the two aren’t bonded, the outer layer can absorb water, then the wind flowing around the apparel will chill everything down. That’s why liners tend to leave riders feeling the cold so badly. The outer layer of fabric can still get wet and the wind drops the temperature. That doesn’t happen with the Companero suit because the outer layer won’t absorb any water.”

Wet and forget

A less-expensive alternative to a Gore-tex suit is a straight out rain- or wet-weather suit. These range in quality and price from things like a good ol’ ‘raincoat’ that flaps around and tears to pieces in a few kilometres, through to some very advanced and well-designed apparel.

The problem with cheap, out-and-out plastic is that it’s uncomfortable to wear and it doesn’t breathe. So when a rider’s body begins to warm up, it perspires. Even a tiny little trace of moisture caught inside a plastic outfit stays there. Believe it or not, the body needs some level of air movement to stay comfortable, and plastic prevents that. It leads to another common circumstance: if a rider waits until the first drops of rain hit, then fits a liner or rain suit, plastic means that water is trapped there, and that’s hopelessly uncomfortable.

The better-quality plastic rain suits and jackets with sneaky venting can be very effective if they’re in place before a rider gets wet, and of course, they’ll offer a huge reduction in wind chill, and that means a warmer outlook.

And if things are really tough, being a tad clammy inside a plastic suit might be a whole lot better than the freezing alternative.

And, as Andy Strapz pointed out, if you do get caught out badly, the ol’ newspaper-stuffed-down-the-front-of-the-shirt does actually work.

Tiresome

The coolest journey begins with the best gear.

Cold is a sneaky bugger, and there’s nothing like it for ruining a ride. Not only can it be downright uncomfortable – even painful –but it’ll contribute enormously to fatigue, and that ups the chances of a fall in a big way. The ideal is to stop yourself getting cold in the first place, and especially avoid getting wet. Controlling air movement across the skin is a huge factor in controlling the worst aspects of hypothermia. There now. Get started on all that and get out there this winter!

Andy Strapz approved gear is specially selected and tested for quality and motorcycle friendliness.

Horn boot from Forma Waterproof Adventure boot from Forma

The Adventure Travel Film Festival

The

Adventure Travel Film Festival ran for its third year in

2014. There were a swag of bike movies on the bill, so Doug James packed up and headed to the Victorian high-country town of Bright to sit back, take in a few flicks and swap a few yarns.

Ihad a plan. A cunning plan, a plan so cunning you could stick a tail on it and call it a weasel.

Adventure riding often starts with inspiration from others. Did I buy that BMW before Charlie and Ewan did Long Way Round? Or did adventure riding just creep into my head as the perfect way to combine my love of bikes and a sense of adventure?

The ATFF

If worldwide travel is your thing –and let’s face it, we’d probably all be doing it if we could – or if capturing the events of your bike trips on film appeals, the Adventure Travel Film Festival

February 14-16,

in Bright, Victoria

may be your thing. The ATFF is the perfect event to combine the atmosphere of inspiration and information with fellow adventure riders in an adventure country. It’s when too much adventure is never enough.

The ATFF features the work of a variety of riders, writers, photographers and filmmakers, and most are on hand to accompany their presentations.

Q&A

As a film festival the event has branched beyond some of the best one-off adventure films to include talks, workshops and photographic exhibitions, all with the outdoors and adventure as the main theme.

Such is the inspiration that I’ve used this event to catapult my annual ride calendar into reality. Yep. I gather a bunch of ride buddies to head to

Bright, get inspired and get some rides on paper. It’s called commitment.

Picture this: you’re watching a photographic exhibition of a retired policeman and his wife criss-crossing the Andes in South America on a BMW R1200GS, and they’re right there in person.

Combining pictures and extracts from their book Circle to Circle, Brian Rix and Shirley Hardy-Rix narrated their South American travel events with a this-is-not-impossible-foranyone attitude.

Then they hung around all weekend and answered questions at the festival HQ.

“Go ahead ask ’em anything,” I was told. So I did. Tyres, seats, packing, petrol…you name it. After 85,000km on your bike you’d probably have an answer for it all too.

Right: An oldie but goodie outside Festival HQ.

Words and images: Doug James

People power

If capturing your adventures in photographic brilliance is your desire, then Cam Cope was worth the ticket price alone.

While Cam isn’t an adventure rider like my mate on his tricked-up DR650, he takes far better pics than my mate.

Cam is a serious world traveller with a photographic portfolio that is both stunning and inspirational – did I use that word already? Check out Mongolia In The Footsteps Of Nomads on his website www.camcope.com.

Did I mention the films yet? Wait, there’s more.

until next year to ask him.

Paul Carter, of Is That Thing Diesel? fame, spent an hour with the crowd at the Bright Community Centre. You know the guy – he wanted to be the first person to ride around Australia on a bike powered by used cooking oil. He had stories that kept the crowd cringing, but always laughing, with a touch of inspiration from the back of a biofuel bike on his way around Australia, all at a top speed of 80kph.

Adventure rider magnet

One other thing that happens at the ATFF is that it’s becoming an adventure-rider magnet. I met some really interesting guys and girls who’ve travelled far and wide on a variety of bikes.

Colin Meagher aboard his KTM 690 has fitted a Safari Tank and some of the coolest panniers I’ve ever seen. I reckon Colin was before his time when he made his leather panniers in the 1980s. God knows how many bikes they’ve been on. He did say he’d been around plenty of Australia, plus a trip to Africa. I wondered if those were rhino marks on the back of ’em. I’ll have to wait

Paul Shurvell caught my eye when he backed his Ural sidecar outfit up to the curb outside Festival HQ. The orange beast really does stand out from the crowd, plus it takes up two bike spots.

What got Paul into sidecars or moved him toward purchasing a Russian-made bike? You only have to ask him. He’s a passionate convert to the three-wheeler, and it does make carrying gear for camping look easy.

Martin Wilkes is an unassuming sort of guy with a friendly manner and he’s only too happy to share some stories of worldwide adventure travel. Following 25 years in the military, Martin travelled to many overseas destinations. My favourite is the Dusk To Dawson Motorcycle Ride, including riding the Dempster and the Top Of The World Highways. He also has some tips for getting to sleep in Alaska during longest daylight day of the year.

Movie madness

When will we get to the films?

As you can tell, there’s plenty going on at the Festival, and it’s not all on celluloid.

The films create the springboard for all the other stuff to occur. If you’ve ever shot video footage you’ll know it’s hardly a ‘film’, and a lot of post-

Top left: Some Tigers grabbed by the tales. Top right: Touratech importer and AdvRider Mag columnist Robin Box was on hand with some serious adventure gear on display.

Above left: Brian Rix, Circle To Circle author and around-the-world traveller.

Above: Paul Shurvell caught everyone’s eye when he backed his Ural up to the curb.

production work goes into creating a movie that looks authentic. And authentic these films are. Each film, mostly in documentary style tells a story of adventure from conception to completion, all in relatable human terms.

Are all the films about adventure riders on motorcycles? No, not all. But there are plenty.

Will I relate to the adventure spirit no matter what the vehicle, or even on foot? If you’re human, you can’t help it. Would I go again?

I’ve already been twice in the Festival’s three-year history, and I’ll be going again next year. I hope to see you there.

And for the last time, it’s inspirational! For details of the ATFF events, films, speakers and other attractions, go to www.adventuretravelfilmfestival.com.

Image

“Pictured is my KLR650 with Bluff Knoll in the Stirling Ranges, Western Australia, in the background,” said Terry Dunham in a very informative email. “The ranges are my backyard and offer a variety of excellent adventure riding, from deep, sandy tracks to rocky hills, fast tracks, scenic gravel roads and tracks with some hardtop thrown in, along with the usual hazards of ’roos, emus, flocks of galahs and so forth.

“The KLR takes it all in ease. I am an amateur/ hobbyist orchid photographer and the KLR takes me to places nobody has been before in my search for some of the rarer orchids and flora.” Nice pic, Tezza!

Terry has orchided his way into an up-market Adventure Rider Magazine polo for sending in this mountainy image and making us all sigh with envy. If you have a pic you’d like to share, email it to tom@advridermag.com.au with your details and some brief info.

Control the big pig

Set up to

stand up

A lot of riders find standing up difficult, and usually it’s because they have the bike set up for comfort and control while seated. A few tweaks here and there can make a huge difference and standing up can make life a whole lot easier. Craig Hartley offers the benefit of his many years of experience.

You get to see a real variety of rider styles over the years, especially while doing cornerman duty on adventure rides.

A couple of things have stood out to me when looking at other riders, and one is how uncomfortable some look when they’re trying to stand up and ride. Another is how many people just don’t stand up because it feels so unnatural.

Due to the weight and size of adventure bikes, there’s no doubt they become easier to ride and manoeuvre in a variety of different and more difficult terrain when the rider is standing on the footpegs. So it’s worth looking at what can be done to make this riding style more accessible.

Short story

It does seem most bikes are designed for riders of about 165cm to stand on the ’pegs. On most stockers, riders any taller than that feel standing up to be an unnatural stance. By this I mean that, in order to stand and look ahead, their neck is bent backwards and their shoulders are hunched forward. What were

you always told when you were young? It was probably something like, “Stand straight, shoulders back”. For taller people on standard bikes this works out to be near impossible.

Looking good

The benefits of being able to stand comfortably on your bike are that it’s less fatiguing, and a rider gets pounded far less by the bike when he’s standing, so he can tolerate tough terrain for longer.

The other thing is that you don’t wake up the next morning with aches in your neck and between your shoulders.

Another benefit of standing, especially in more technical areas, is that your forward vision increases dramatically, and this allows precious extra seconds to be able to read the terrain, slow the bike down and set up for upcoming obstacles. The bigger and heavier the bike, the more important this becomes.

So the overall aim of this article is to help you make the bike feel more natural when you’re in the standing position.

Main: Having your bike comfortable for riding while standing on the footpegs can be a huge boost for handling tough terrain.

Words: Craig Hartley

High point

The best and most efficient way to tune your bike for standing-up riding is to raise the ’bars.

Depending on your height this could be done simply by rolling the ’bars further forward. For a little more lift you could add ’bar risers. Another option is to fit a quality set of high-rise ’bars. These are easy enough to find, and what you’re looking for is something like the Pro Taper Pastrana FMX ’bars. Renthal also does a good high-rise 7/8” ’bar

called Jimmy Buttons. They’ll suit the KLR and DR and bikes that don’t have the new style of tapered ’bars.

It’s not uncommon, depending on the style of the bike or the height of the rider, to run both ’bar risers and high ’bars. Many steering dampers have

Many standard bikes are made for short riders, and low, flat ’bars and high ’pegs make riders of even average height feel – and look – uncomfortable.

under-’bar mounts, and this also can be used to great advantage to get the ’bars up high.

The only thing you’ll have to get used to once you have raised your ’bars, and in most cases rolled them forward a bit, is that it can make the bike feel a bit different when you’re sitting down. The benefits of being comfortable standing up far outweigh this, and if you just give it a few hours in the saddle you won’t even notice it.

If you’re planning on raising your ’bars, make sure your cables and hoses will still have good clearance, especially with the ’bars at full lock.

Keep it ’pegged

Footpegs are another area where taller riders can get a comfort benefit. Many of the aftermarket ’pegs have mounting hardware that enables you to set the ’pegs approximately 12mm lower than standard. It may seem that 12mm is not much, but the difference it makes, even when sitting, is a definite plus. First the lower ’pegs give an easier transition from sitting to standing as your legs aren’t bent at quite as sharp an angle when you go to stand. The other benefit is that it obviously puts the ’pegs slightly further from the seat, and this is more comfortable when sitting for long periods on open roads.

In effect, lowering the ’pegs puts your body lower which also gives an effect similar to raising the ’bars.

Some people say, “What about hitting your feet on obstacles?” I’ve been lowering ’pegs on my dirt bikes for years and I never found it a problem,

even in the tightest of situations.

The other benefit of changing your footpegs is that most ’pegs are only 100mm long. A lot of aftermarket ’pegs, like the Fastway Adventure and Black Dog ’pegs, are 130mm long. That gives a better platform to stand on all day if necessary, especially for adventure bikes with larger tanks.

A wider view

If you’re happy with the footpeg height, there are some great extensions on the market to screw on to your original ’pegs and make them just a little longer.

Some bikes have narrow and short ’pegs. These need to be thrown in the bin. They’re totally uncomfortable for long sessions of standing up, plus they wreck your boots. A good ’peg size is around 130mm x 50mm.

Seat height is another area that can be modified. A higher seat will make the transition from sitting to standing far easier, but this comes at the expense of not being able to get your feet on the ground easily. The biggest problem with this is, when fully laden, big adventure bikes take a bit more holding up, and not being able to easily get your feet on the ground often results in a gumby fall. No doubt we’ve all done that. Set up is very individual. You’ll have to experiment to find what works for you, but setting your bike up so you can comfortably ride while standing on the ’pegs will give any rider a huge boost over one who’s stuck with their bum on the seat.

A lot of riders find standing up to ride difficult or uncomfortable, and it’s usually because the bike has been organised to be ridden in the seated position.

the Challenge Taking

The Adventure Challenge has kicked off, and as groups roosted off all over creation, cameras snapping and logos flapping, Newcastle’s Dan McGeady was the very first Challenger to nail a location and post a pic.

By the time you read this 2014 will be well under way, and it’s looking like a big year of opportunity for adventure riders across This Great Nation. The APC Rally is going huge, the BMW GS Safari and Enduro is looking mightier than ever, and as we saw for ourselves this issue, the Ténéré Tragics was awesome.

That’s all in just the first six months.

It’s open to everyone and runs throughout the whole year. You can find out all about it on the AdvRider Mag website at www. adventureridermag.com.au, but it’s off to a flying start (actually the start was a bit touch-and-go because the T-shirts were a tad late being delivered).

But the glory of being the first person to log a pic on the firstever Challenge destination goes to Dan McGeady.

sensibly lives in Newcastle, Australia. We wondered if he might’ve been transported as a convict, but it turns out he was offered a job and moved out here a year ago. His pic of himself and his new 1190 at Location 35, the Allyn River Road, stands proud as the first poster on the Challenge thread. We were so thrilled to see that first pic up there, and even

The other big event for 2014 is the Adventure Challenge.

Dan, 40, is originally from Sheffield in England but now

“Maaaaaaaaate!” we bellowed. “Awesome! You rock! What made you decide to jump into the Challenge in the first place?”

“I saw your Adventure Rider Magazine, and I saw the Challenge in it,” said Dan, sounding suspiciously like the guy that commentates at the cricket.

“I said to my missus, Bev, that if she fancied getting me something for Christmas, then I wouldn’t mind one of these T-shirts to go out to these challenges.

“Lo and behold, that’s exactly what she did. She went on line and sorted it all out, and when I woke up Christmas morning I was good to go. She bought me the Arrows Of Fire DVD, too.”

Crikey! Any wonder Dan married her. Bev sounds like a dream wife.

A BMW GSA was Dan’s ride in England, but he reckons it’s easier to get a person into Australia than a bike, so he sold the Beemer and grabbed a new 1190 once he’d settled into his new job.

How many destinations does Dan reckon he’ll rack up this year?

“I’m hoping to get a good few of them,” shielded Dan (’cos he’s from Sheffield…Sheffield Shield cricket? No? Damn). “There’s a few guys on there now getting some good totals, and I don’t want to be left behind.”

Chris Laan is the Bull Goose behind the flocking Challenge, and he thought he was quick off the mark when he picked up seven locations in a single ride. Quick he may have been, but he was still running second. We had a smirk to ourselves about that and thought we should needle him a little.

“It’s good to see the Poms winning something,” was all cricket-mad Chris had to say, adopting an attitude that would be acceptable in the Members Stand at the SCG and preening his 800GS.

There’s still plenty of 2014 to go and a heap of destinations begging to be visited. And don’t forget, the more riders taking the Challenge, the more the Royal Flying Doctor Service benefits.

If you’re not already signed up, get online and get started.

you can see 100’s of the same model of bike but they will all be optioned and set-up differently to suit the owners individual style and preferences, the final design of your

We do not have any “standard” designed sheds, every shed can and is ordered individually to your design. Door and window locations and opening sizes can be tailored to suit your specific needs.

Australia Across

Triumph XC800 Tiger

Is there anyone who hasn’t dreamed of riding across Australia? Here’s someone who’s doing it. Again. And this time on a Tiger 800.

Main: Christian Loghem with the Triumph Tiger he built to ride from Byron Bay to Steep Point. Above right: Heaps of luggage, but still compact and manageable. There’s an Arrow pipe lurking under there.

Right: Good comms and a SPOT 2. There’s a remote for the GoPro goes on the ’bars as well.

Christian Loghem and Stuart Ball are dedicated blokes.

In 2011 Stuart decided to raise money for the Royal Children’s Hospital in Queensland. He got some donations together, jumped on his 990 and rode from Byron Bay, NSW, to Steep Point, WA. At the end of it, he handed just over $5000 to the hospital. The Great Australian Ride (GAR) had had its start. The ride’s been growing ever since. So have the size of the donations.

Good to go

Christian Loghem, 42, a Food Safety Auditor during the day, joined the team. After barrelling across the country in 2012 and 2013 on his DR650, he’s taken a big step for 2014 and set up a new Triumph Tiger XC for the crossing. With a couple of GARs behind him already, we were busting to see what a rider who knew what he was up against would do to set up the 800.

AdvRider Mag downed a few very strong coffees at the Byron lighthouse, the starting point for the GAR, while Christian talked us through it.

The bog-stock Tiger is a great package to start with, and the mods and accessories Christian’s fitted so far are aimed at protecting the bike and carrying luggage.

Christian has opted for a stack of OEM Triumph accessories, like a headlight protector, spotties, bashplate, centrestand, and Arrow exhaust. Before the crossing he’ll fit a longer Triumph chainguard, and although the bike was supplied with Triumph hard panniers and pannier racks, he’s not expecting to use that rig on the crossing itself, so there’s a pair of Wolfman racks in place now.

Aftermarket

Running down the protection gear, the Great Australian Ride Trumpy now sports VPS handguards and SW Motech crash bars. Along with the OEM clobber, that means the bike is u

The Great Australian Ride

The more we spoke to Christian, the more we wanted to know about The Great Australian Ride.

Fortunately, Stuart Ball, 40, a chippy by trade, is the guy who started it all, and he was there when we were crawling all over the Triumph.

We asked the guys to fill us in.

“The ride started in August 2011,” recalled Stuart.

“The idea was just to raise a bit of money for the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation after they’d helped my daughter. I raised $5200 and rode across, and that was a successful trip.

pretty well armoured up and safe from any major damage from minor mishaps.

Pivot Pegz do the bizzo for the tough times standing up, and an Oxford tank bag doubles up with the Wolfman Expedition panniers to handle the luggage requirements.

Christian is big on media and promoting the GAR, and he likes to provide lots of material to keen supporters, so he has the bike rigged with GoPro mounts facing forward, backward and even underneath. There’s a remote activator on the ’bars so he can control the recording on the fly.

“I could see the power of duplication with donations, so I introduced more riders and shared the experience of the outback.

“Then I met Christian and we developed Team GAR to support SIDS And Kids.”

“We used to follow each other on Facebook,” explained Christian, “and it turned out we only lived the next suburb over from each other. I showed up at Stuart’s with a six-pack. We had a chat, he showed me the map, and I said I was in.

“I wasn’t going to let him have all that fun on his own.”

That was 16 weeks before the 2012 ride. After a mountain of hard work by both blokes, 12 riders tackled the GAR that year and $26,275 landed with the SIDS And Kids folks. The following year another $34,520 went their way, and now the 2014 GAR is well under way and Christian and Stuart are working harder than ever.

“From 2012 to 2013 was, like, ‘Wow! What did we just do here!’” smiled Christian. “We realised we’ve got something very special, and we used what we’d learned in 2012 and built on that.

“We’ve learned so much about recruiting riders and marketing. We’re novices. We’re not trained in any of this. We’ve got no idea about talking to media.”

“We just got stuck in,” mused Stuart.

“It’s been fantastic to be part of it,” continued Christian. “To share the common goal of raising awareness of SIDS, to raise the money for such a deserving cause, and to be part of something special has been phenomenal.”

You can be part of it too.

Log on to:

www.thegreataustralianride.com for all the information, pics of the riders and past rides, background, details and history, and to get involved. It’s a great site, and it looks like a really brilliant ride.

The target for 2014 is $40,000. There couldn’t be a better way to ride across Australia.

’Bar man

The last of the set-up sites is the handlebars, and it’ll be no surprise there’s a bit going on there.

First up is the VPS BarkBusters, and then the Grip Puppies slip on over the standard Triumph grips. Christian says he fits Grip Puppies to all his bikes.

The throttle grip then has a standard Throttle Rocker to ease the pressure on the right wrist over the long distances, and the other controls are all standard.

On RAM mounts across the ’bars themselves are the iPhone (so you can phone Christian when he’s late and he can tell you he forgot about NSW time being different to Queensland time), a Garmin Rhino 5 and a SPOT 2.

The Rhino has a trick feature which allows anyone with a Rhino to locate on a map anyone else with a Rhino who’s in

range, so it lets Christian and Stuart keep tabs on each other. It also allows the sending of text messages.

It’s a neat and effective looking set-up.

POIs

Fuel is always the biggest thought in any adventure rider’s mind on a long trip, and for the Tiger, Safari Tanks has the answer. A very schmick-fitting 34-litre jobbie gives a big boost in capacity over the standard 19-litre stocker, and that should give a range of somewhere over 600km, even hard on the throttle.

For tyres Christian has sensibly decided to run Mitas E09s. The only problem there was the tyre profile was just a whisker too tall for comfort on the front, so the guard was raised about 10mm.

There’s a couple of fittings hard-wired to the battery. One is for the battery

Right: Lighting’s obviously important. This bike has heaps. The Safari tank is a beautiful fit and should give a range somewhere over 600km. Below: There’s GoPro mounts all over the place, and the crash bars are from SW Motech. Below left: The front guard had to be raised around 10mm to give plenty of clearance over the Mitas E09.

minder for when the bike’s garaged for long periods, and the other is for the compressor Christian will have on board.

Just as we were taking the final pics we noticed something odd: a stubby holder over the oil filter.

“I just put it there to protect the filter and keep it clean,” grinned Christian. “And if I pull up somewhere and someone gives me a beer, I can just whip it off.”

Stock option

With bike sitting in the crushing Byron

humidity – we almost couldn’t get down our third cappuccino – and attracting plenty of attention from passers-by, we wanted to know a bit about why Christian had built the bike in the first place, and what he had in mind for the mechanical setting up for the trip.

“I haven’t done anything mechanically,” roared Christian, “and I’m assured by the Triumph guys I shouldn’t have to.

“And I don’t think I will. Not for the first ride. We haven’t had a Tiger do the ride yet, so I’ll just see how it goes.”

Off-road test

Main: It’s a big bike. Loose, tight going will put a rider to the test. As long as the rider’s up to it, the bike certainly is.

Right: It nearly all happens on the left-hand switchblock, but there’s a couple of buttons on the LCD display as well.

Sneak peak 2014 Yamaha XTZ1200 Super Ténéré

You won’t see it until well after you read this, but the 2014 XTZ Ténéré is here. Well…there’s one here in Australia. And although it’s been anointed as the new model for Downunda, you’ll have to be prepared there may be a change or two from the bike you see here. But you do see it here, and Adventure Rider Magazine’s been riding it.

It’s no surprise Yamaha Motor Australia is a big supporter of the annual Ténéré Tragics ride. The company’s support includes showing a special bike at each event. So for 2014, a new XTZ1200 with electronic suspension was brought in from Japan. Word from Yamaha Motor Australia is this will be a new Super T.

As big dual sporters go, the 1200 Ténéré has been a smooth and polished example. It’s wonderfully comfortable, the motor is a gem, and one of the things that struck us during our ride for issue #01 was the way the mass of the bike had been compressed and centralised to offer a very manoeuvrable and stable rort weapon.

It was a ball-tearer long-distance runner and quite capable on dirt and back roads.

In the new model those basics are still there. The ride is fast, silky smooth, and plush-o comfortable. But there’s a whole new complexion to this big girl. Suspension can now be adjusted with the press of a button, and there’s some main-force electrickery going on.

Basics

Looking at the bike, there’s a few things that mark it as a newie.

The most obvious is the new pipe. Instead of the whopping, whisper-quiet monster can we’re all used to, the new XTZ has a robo-dick looking outfit with

a curious downward-pointing exit. It’s still covered by a big plastic heat shield, with a sexy Yamaha logo on it, but the new muffler is maybe even quieter than the old one. All the rider hears is the hearty grumble of the donk and the whirring and tapping of the engine components. There’s bugger-all sound from the exhaust.

The other giveaway is the boots for the electronics on top of the forks, a new instrument cluster and screen, and if you’re really looking closely, the wiring for the heated grips.

After that, the curves, shapes and sizes will all appear familiar to those used to the current model.

And that’s not a bad thing.

Not an all-new appearance, but plenty to see when you look closely. u

Off-road test

What’s new

Obviously the electronically adjustable suspension is going to be the big talking point of the Super T when it gets here, but there’s a few other interesting details that are worthy of consideration. We’ll outline them here as listed for the European model.

The engine has enlarged intake and exhaust ports, as well as revised camshaft and piston-ring designs, and, as we mentioned, a new exhaust. Yamaha says the changes give “a smoother and better engine character, and also provide an extra 2PS”.

A rubber shock absorber is now included in the clutch assembly and the shaft-drive system is equipped with an improved damper, while the bike’s D-MODE mapping system has been tweaked a tad. The ‘T’ (town) and ‘S’ (sport) modes are still there, but, says Yamaha, the ‘T’ mode is now even more manageable in traffic, while the revised ‘S’ mode mapping delivers “more exhilarating and exciting sport riding with enhanced driveability from midto high speeds.”

The new LCD instruments feature a gear-position indicator, and the instruments themselves sit snug between a new adjustable windscreen and tapered aluminium handlebars, and cruise control is fitted as standard.

There are some cosmetic changes we’ll leave you to discover for yourself, but the new, forged-aluminium sidestand is a big improvement over the last model, and although our test bike has the fittings, the top case holder, passenger grab bar and centrestand are not standard on the Euro XT1200Z as

Above: The instrumentation is clear and easy to see. The menu pages are represented by diagrams rather than words.

Below: The screen is easily adjustable. It’s just a three-winged nut on each side. Ours worked loose easily until the Yamaha guys torqued them down. Then they are rock solid.

original equipment. The bashplate and Pivot Pegz you see in our pics are fitted by the Aussie guys, too.

We’ll have to wait and see what’s supplied stock with the bike when the first models hit Aussie showroom floors.

What’s not new

The heart of the XTZ1200 for us was always the 1199cc, liquid-cooled parallel twin motor with the 270-degree firing angle. It was a torquey, lively, smooth powerplant with a very pleasant V-twin feel.

That motor is still here and, even with the changes we’ve outlined, its essential character is unchanged. Flicking between the T and S modes gives a very marked change of feel, but no matter what you’re doing with it, the engine is sweetheart. The ergos also feel the same. We didn’t fidget around with personal tuning, but the overall high level of comfort, incredibly smooth ride and ability to effortlessly smash huge distances – at some fairly irresponsible speeds if you choose – is still there.

Everything that was great about the Super T last year is still great in this new bike, but there are some very notable differences, and they won’t all be an instant hit with everyone.

Flick of the switch

Let’s get right to it: is that electronically adjustable suspension any good?

That’s what everyone will want to know, so let’s deal with it straight away. Yes. It’s good.

By ‘good’ we mean it works. The feel can be changed by just making the appropriate selection from a menu. Scroll through the options, make the selection, hit enter, and you’re done. There’s soft, hard and standard options, all variable from -3 to +3, and there’s another graphic that comes up with two helmets and is obviously a menu for settings to suit a pillion.

We found the selection of various settings to be fiddly, but we settled into it. The left-hand switchblock has the buttons and rocker to make it all happen, and once you have it sorted, it only takes a few seconds to get the bike stationary, make the selections and head off.

Selection is easy, and the different settings definitely feel different, but that doesn’t mean the suspension will necessarily be suited to everyone, or can be tuned for everyone with the gear on board.

We thought that suspension was good for the bike’s intended purpose, but also felt the forks were just a tad harsh in the initial stroke, no matter what setting we were on. The action was fine overall and we settled in very quickly to the feel of the bike, but had the niggling suspicion that things could’ve been just a little more plush in the front end.

Press pass

In keeping with the trends of the big dual sporters, the Super T offers varying

degrees of ABS and traction control.

As with the suspension, these are selected by the buttons and rockers on the left switchblock. The ABS and traction control on the big Ténéré work well, but they aren’t as smooth as some of competitors.

A great deal of the riding we did was on loose gravel roads, and as we settled in we found ourselves doing some surprising speeds. The speeds were surprising because the bike was so smooth and easy to ride we didn’t realise we were fanging along so impressively. The ABS played a big part in us being so comfortable because, plain and simple, it worked. The 1200 is a big bike, and at some of the speeds we saw on the big, clear digital speedo, the momentum was frightening. But even on the squidgiest blue metal the ABS kept the bike right on the edge of control, and made it seem easy.

The braking on the bike is linked, so grabbing the front gets a measured amount of rear braking as well, and no doubt that played its part, but whatever, it was a huge pleasure to ride this bike fast on dodgy surfaces, and a wet dream to poke it into bitumen corners hard and brakes as late as possible.

We couldn’t settle into the traction control the same way. There’s settings 1 and 2, and of course, off. It’d be a huge bonus in the wet or on any kind of slick surface for sure, but we found it took the edge off our enjoyment of that awesome

motor, so we shut it off.

As for the T and S, we went S, all the way.

2014 Yamaha XTZ1200 Super Ténéré

The T setting was fine on open roads, but the rorty liveliness of the S mode with traction control off gave as a smile a mile wide. The T mode could also be used to tame the motor on loose surfaces, but seriously…where’s the fun in that?

Hoo-aah!

Weight and see Claimed mass for the XTZ, full of fuel and all oils, is 265kg.

Geebuss!

There are times when the rider can feel every kilo, but in general, as we found on previous models, the mass is low and central, and the bike is very manageable. Every now and then the shaft drive makes its presence known with a snatchy feel when the throttle’s chopped, but we bet most riders won’t even realise what’s going on. They’ll just think for an instant, “That felt funny,” then they’ll forget about it. In a day they’ll be used to it and never notice it again.

The mass, though, is a consideration on dirt and gravel. Once the bike starts sliding or moving around, it takes a competent rider to deal with what’s happening. Or he could just select ‘1’ on the traction control when he knows he’s heading off road. Then he won’t have to worry about it.

On the road the low, centralised mass lets the bike rail corners hard and fast. Select Hard +3 on the suspension and let ’er rip. You’ll be surprised how this bike will stick to its line, even when both tyres are protesting.

Time will tell

As we write this Yamaha can’t give us an exact date for when the new Ténéré will be on dealer floors in Australia, or whether there’ll be two models available (with and without electronic suspension). We also don’t have a rec retail yet. Maybe by the time the mag hits the stands that info will be available. Keep an eye on www.yamaha-motor.com.au to find out, or pester the crap out of our local dealer.

It won’t matter when it gets here. The more bikes we have available as good as this one, the better. As a long-distance cruise machine with reasonable dirt road capability, the new XTZ Super Ténéré 1200 is a pearler.

Engine Type: Forward-inclined, liquid-cooled, fourstroke, DOHC, four-valve parallel-twin

Displacement: 1199cc

Bore/stroke: 98.0mm X 78.5mm

Compression ratio: 11:1

Maximum power: 82.4kW at 7250rpm

Maximum torque: 117.0Nm at 6000rpm

Lube system: Dry sump

Clutch type: Wet, multiple disc

Ignition system: TCI

Transmission: Six-speed

Final drive: Shaft

Oil capacity: 4.2 litres

Starter: Electric

Fuel tank capacity: 23 litres

Frame: Steel tube backbone

Front suspension: Upside-down, 43mm telescopic fork with 190mm travel

Rear suspension: Swingarm, adjustable preload and rebound damping, (link suspension), Monoshock with 190mm travel

Length: 2255mm

Width: 980mm

Height: 1410mm

Seat height: Adjustable – 845mm or 870mm

Wheelbase: 1540mm

Brakes front: Hydraulic, dual, 310mm wave discs

Brakes rear: Hydraulic, single, 282mm wave disc

Wet weight: 265kg

John and one of his beloved airheads. He’s a big fan of the air-cooled BMWs, old and new.

BMWAirheads

Collecting and restoring bikes is nothing unusual. An obsession for BMWs is very common. But a passion for air-cooled BMWs, and a burning desire for perfection that leads to the manufacture of parts and accessories…that’s some serious commitment.

Gazing wistfully at John Olive’s collection of BMWs, it’s hard not to think about the careful hours of painstaking preparation and build time that must’ve gone into each one.

And there are nine of them.

John, 57, first discovered BMWs when he was in the Army in the 1970s and one of the sergeants had an R90S.

“It was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen in my life,” remembered John, looking back through time. “It was Daytona orange, and it was a breakthrough bike at the time.”

But as a young soldier John found BMW ownership a little

beyond his financial tolerances. That situation lasted a while, and John blasted about the place on a Honda XL350, a bike within his budget.

Life moved on, and so did John. His time in the Army over, he became a property valuer, and he must be good at it, because he found himself in a position to get back into bikes, and as he’d – in his own words – “made a bit of money”, he gravitated toward the BMWs after a flirtation with big Suzuki sports bikes.

“I just found the air-cooled BMW ‘airheads’ presented a bit more character,” smiled John, staring affectionately at an

immaculate R100CS Heinrich Tank Special which had won Best BMW and second in class for European Over 750cc at the 2013 Laverda Concourse.

Some might say ‘character’ was a polite way of putting it, but John has some big distances under those wheels these days, and no-one looking at the bikes could doubt the care he’s taken with them. Two of them have won the Laverda Concourse after all.

And as a clincher, John’s not a one-eyed Old School fanatic. Sitting right, smack-dab in the middle of his line-up is a 2007 GSA.

Above: There’s a bit of a selection in the garage, but they’re all ridden regularly, no matter how many awards they win.

Right: The R100CS with a 43-litre Heinrich tank. Winner of Best BMW and second in class for European Over 750cc at the 2013 Laverda Concourse.

Below right: The BMW airheads Facebook page has over 1300 members swapping stories and information.

Dust busters

The bikes look immaculate, but John’s quick to point out that they’re all ridden – dust, distance, dirt and all. None of them are kept in cotton wool as showpieces.

“I like going to rallies,” thumped John. “Things like the Ruptured Budgie Rally, and the Karuah River Rally.

“The Off Centre Runs are some of my favourites, heading out to Innamincka and up into the Gulf. I plan to do the OCR into the northern Kimberley this year.

“So long distance, interstate, secondary roads, keeping away from highways and keeping away from traffic. Rallies with a few mates, country pubs, not too much single-track stuff, but I enjoy dirt roads as long as there’s not too much deep sand.”

And which one will John take to the Kimberley?

“The ’91 R100GS. I built it particularly for that run. It has twin-plugged ignition, my own Red Centre ignition system, custom starter and so forth. It’s a lot lighter than my Paris Dakars or certainly the GSA1200. A bike to go to the OCR is one you have to be able to pick up on your own.”

Airheads

Not content with just his enjoyment of the air-cooled Beemers, John set about forming of community of like-minded riders. The BMW Airheads Facebook

page was born, and that took a little time to get going.

“About 18 months ago I was riding around with a group of guys on airhead motorcycles,” John remembered, “and we were communicating by e-mail. That’s just so clunky. No-one else can see your e-mails, and you’re sending group e-mails out to people who get them at work and their boss gets the shits with that. I was resisting Facebook, because we all thought at the time it was for teenagers.

“But once I had a good look at it, I decided it was an ideal platform for communication. Twelve months later we have 1300 members and friends all over the world. At any time of the day or night you can get on that site and talk to people. A lot of very technical advice is given on that site by some very expert people.

“To me it’s a virtual campfire. It’s like

a dozen blokes around a campfire at a rally having a few beers and exchanging stories and information, but this is available 24 hours a day and seven days a week. There’s always someone there to talk to.”

Pick of the crop

So which of his beautifully turned out bikes does John like most?

“It’d have to be the one I’ve just completed, the R100 with the 43-litre Heinrich tank. Every nut and bolt has been assembled just the way I wanted it. It was built in partnership with Ray Peake here in Brisbane, and that bike, front to back, is just the way I wanted it.”

And where does the GSA fit in?

“It’s my long-distance, interstate express,” glowed John. “It’s a bike you can jump on and tear down to Phillip Island for the races and be happy to do 1200km per day. The airheads take a little bit more riding and involvement, but the GSA is huge and will carry everything you need to camp out for a week and still not be affected by sidewinds. It’s a rhinoceros of a bike!”

We had to ask: what’s been your least favourite BMW ever?

“I owned a 1990 K1,” John reminisced. “That’s the four-cylinder, liquid-cooled one with the space-age fairing. It was so hot that when you were riding in the traffic and the fan kicked in, it’d give you third-degree burns on the shins.”

And your absolute favourite?

John looked lovingly down at his R100CS, and misty-eyed, said, “I built it.”

Borneo

When Suzie and Colin Dawson, a middle-aged couple from Sydney, decided to see Borneo, they grabbed a Triumph 800XC Tiger and set off on 6000km of serious riding.

“Y

ou’ve got the bike key, right?”

After a year and a half of planning, I surely didn’t expect to be asking that on a flight halfway to Denpasar. Suzie’s blank look wasn’t reassuring. As it happened, she did have the key and found it

on our connecting flight, but it wasn’t the last of our challenges. Overseas adventure riding is like that – a new problem every day, especially if you have a tight schedule.

Lock up

Our destination was Borneo, where we planned

Words: Colin Dawson Images: Suzie and Colin Dawson

Top: Around Borneo. 6000km of genuine adventure.

Top right: The nearest thing to a waiting room at the Surabaya ferry terminal.

Above: The ‘disposable’ shipping crate had to be reused for the trip home.

Left: In Asia, every river is a highway.

to complete one lap of the island. It was my second ride there, but my first ‘two-up’. Planning included purchase and preparation of our Triumph Tiger 800XC. My previous trip was on a BMW 650 Dakar that struggled with the poor-quality fuel – it’s mostly 87 RON outside of the cities. Triumph tech support assured me the Tiger would be okay, and that turned out to be mostly correct (there was still some pinging).

spare bunks so we got the cabin to ourselves and the key to lock it. It cost about $50 all up and the bike was about $30.

Finally all the planning was finished and the bike was standing in front of us, ready to go. It’s a surreal moment – your own bike in another country.

We shipped to Surabaya, which is Indonesia’s major seaport. It’s also very conveniently connected to Borneo by ferry, with a service roughly every second day.

It’s only a few kilometres from the shipping terminal to the ferry, so it was a lazy day waiting for the “roll-on, roll-off” experience. Very lazy. The ferry departed seven hours late. Forget about a departure lounge: it’s a case of finding shade underneath a truck if you can. Then the loading ramp was sitting about 250mm off the ground due to low tide, and that was enough to beach the fully-loaded adventure whale on its bashplate. As usual, there were plenty of willing helpers and it was soon lifted onto the ramp.

The ferry takes 24 hours on its way across to Banjarmasin in southern Borneo. We lashed out on VIP bunks as we didn’t fancy the longhouse-style accommodation in Ekonomi. That got us a little four-bunk cabin. We also sprung for the two

Facebook friends

Many people asked why I didn’t simply hire a bike over there. After all, thousands of people hire bikes in Bali, Thailand, Vietnam and other Asian destinations.

The first problem is the bikes themselves: would you want to ride 6000km two-up on a Honda Tiger 200? Except for some local rentals in Bali, that’s the biggest available. Anyway, vendors won’t allow their bikes to be ridden too far afield – maybe from Bali to a few nearby islands, but even that’s uncommon. Foreigners are not allowed to register motor vehicles in Indonesia, so it’s a case of BYO bike or get a bus.

The next question is usually “why Indonesia?” For me, the most obvious reason is it’s our nearest neighbour. But it’s the locals that make it irresistible. They’re always interested to meet a foreigner

riding there. Sometimes there was a posse of riders waiting for us at new towns, with word having gone ahead to watch out for two foreigners on a big bike. We were humbled when they adopted us as friends, fed us, and showed us around, but wouldn’t take any money. It’s really a contrast to the bad press we often hear about Indonesia.

Instead of freighting all the way, some riders prefer to ship their bike from Darwin to Dili, then ride up the Indonesian archipelago. It costs $450 on a Toll ship out of Darwin, and no crating is needed. However, it involves one week of downtime waiting for the bike to get from

Darwin to Dili and passengers can’t travel on the ship. That’s a problem for anybody using precious holiday time.

Most people assume Borneo is dense jungle and bamboo huts, complete with orangutans and tropical fruit. It’s all there, but not near the cities and major roads. Borneo is being ravaged by palm oil plantations, on top of longrunning coal mining operations. Cities like Balikpapan and Kuching are very westernised, partly due to the number of expats working at coal mines and offshore oil rigs.

Suzie really didn’t know what to expect in Borneo and she was uneasy about personal safety.

However, she soon relaxed when we were met by the local chapter of the Byonic Riders at the ferry. They even gave us a presidential style escort to the hotel. This was the flesh-and-blood reality of the Facebook brotherhood that grew out of my first trip.

Distance over time

From Banjarmasin to Balikpapan is about 500km and it took us 13 hours of grinding riding. Roads in Indonesia are abominable, and not in a fun, forest-trail sense. There are potholes and avalanches that require constant vigilance and a lot of emergency braking. We both ended up with blisters on our bums from sliding on the seat. And there are trucks – millions of them.

The best bike accessory is a bashplate. Ours got a hiding, with the bike frequently belly-flopping on deep holes. The only damage sustained on the trip was the rear speed sensor cable being severed by the pannier mounting arm. That happened on the first day, and we had no ABS or

Main: The roads could be challenging enough at any time, but if you’re caught out as night closes in, things can get very chancy.

Above: Roadside markets and stalls offered a glorious variety of local foods and exotic fresh fruits.

Top right: Your own bike in another country. It’s surreal and satisfying.

Left: It was times like these that made you realise just how big some of the adventure bikes are.

odometer for the rest of the trip.

Heading north from Balikpapan, fewer roads are sealed, and the variable conditions are one reason Indonesians refer to journeys in hours rather than kilometres. It’s better than nothing, but you need to filter the information based on what mode of transport they’re talking about.

The right direction

Borneo is occupied by both Malaysia and Indonesia. There are border crossings on the east and west coast, but nothing official in between. In the 1960s there were armed border conflicts between the two countries and customs is still very formal. Going back further, the cities of Tarakan, Balikpapan and Ranau resonate with Australian military history due to bloody WWII battles.

Our first border crossing was from the Indonesian island-town of Nunukan to Tawau in Malaysia. The bike was manhandled onto a passenger ferry, and it’s times like this you realise how impractical big adventure bikes can be when everything else around is half the size.

The crossing confirmed that passing from Indonesia to Malaysia is a lot simpler than vice versa. On the last trip, travelling in the other direction, my bike was impounded for three days. The officer demanded a letter of invitation from a motorcycle club, but eventually relented.

For a circumnavigation, the direction is critical. It can only be done anti-clockwise unless you want to shell out $1000 or more per person for a multipleentry business visa. Visa on entry is available on the western border, but not the eastern. The tourist visa you get before leaving Australia is good for only a single entry.

Head for heights

The roads improve on arrival at Tawau in Malaysia, but the standard of driving diminishes.

Overtaking on crests and around corners happens all the time in Malaysia. Bikes are expected to move over and let other vehicles pass, even if you’re waiting for a chance to pass a slow bus. I just kept thinking, “You cannot be serious!” when yet another 1.5-litre Kia hero tried to assert his authority. It’s tempting to just shift

down two gears and answer in the simplest way, but ego and aggression are two things you don’t pack on an adventure ride.

Next stop was Sandakan, another town with WWII significance to Australians. The road beyond is glorious, winding through the mountains with an excellent surface and hardly any trucks. A solid day’s ride got us to Borneo’s most northerly extreme where we stayed in a hut right on the beach.

It’s a comfortable day ride down to Kota Kinabalu, capital of Sabah and a popular holiday city. Nearby Mount Kinabalu is a “must do” activity for anybody who has at least average fitness. It involves a half-day walk, less than six kilometres, but a 2200m climb, finishing at around 4000m. It may not sound that hard, but the altitude really saps your stamina. The summit walk starts at 2:00am the next day. Most people need to stop every 10 minutes for a rest, which the guides find amusing.

Slip up

Our biggest detour was to the World Heritage-listed Mulu caves. They’re the largest in the world that are open to the public and can be reached via a 20minute flight from the Malaysian city of Miri, but where’s the adventure in that? The ride is about 200km each way, including some logging roads, with the final two hours by canoe. This would be a suicide run without a guide because the road is neither ‘keep left’ nor ‘keep right’. Instead, it randomly changes to give logging trucks a straight run. Without local knowledge you’d certainly meet a four-wheel-drive on the wrong side of a blind corner.

The caves route was dusty on the way

in, but slick mud on the way out. At times I became a mere passenger on the Tiger and gravity had its way with me twice. Happily, there were no injuries and only a bent brake lever to show for it. Suzie was riding in the guide’s car so she thought it was all a good laugh.

Fitting in

There is a third country in Borneo, so small that many people don’t know about it: Brunei. It’s the home of magnificent roads, 2.6 per cent unemployment, clean waterways, $5.00 per month comprehensive health care, very low crime rates and 98 RON petrol at 56 cents per litre. That is what a country looks like when its citizens benefit from a mining boom ahead of foreign-owned mining companies.

But Brunei is the pits for on-entry visa issue. They only accept Brunei currency, and only the correct amount ($30 per

Left: Sometimes the roads alternated between rock and slick mud. Despite some rough handling the Tiger made through with a bent brake lever and a severed rear speed sensor cable. Below: Everyone is friendly and seems to love seeing foreigners on bikes.

person, for the record). We turned up with Malaysian ringgits, US dollars and Indonesian rupiah, all to no avail. After a two-hour round trip back to the nearest Malaysian bank, we returned with a shiny Brunei $100 note, which was all the bank had. Eventually one of the staff gave us change from his wallet, when we made it clear we would turn around rather than let them keep the change.

The western route through Borneo passes from Malaysia to Brunei, then back to Malaysia, then finally into Indonesia. Even passing between the Malaysian provinces of Sabah and Sarawak requires a passport stamp and fee.

The concept of a queue seems to be open to interpretation at these land crossings. First mother and baby squeeze in front of the bike. What can you say without looking really antisocial? Then one by one they’re joined by the rest of the extended family, then the rest of the bus group. Or else a few guys just brazenly walk in front of the bike because they see a space there. Suzie looks like an Indonesian, so we avoided confrontations by letting her stand alone in the queue. I’d saunter over to the window when it was our turn, complete with loaded Triumph and a lot of attitude.

Panic stations

The last border crossing is from Sarawak into West Kalimantan, which leads to the city of Pontianak, bang on the equator. The name means “ghost ate my baby”, in case you are wondering. After that we enjoyed some of the prettiest and least spoilt countryside of the trip. Farmland gives way to towns and cities heading south, but the roads are uniformly better than the east coast. It took a solid four days of riding to get back to Banjarmasin.

Due to storms on the Java Sea, we wimped out and flew back to Surabaya. The bike followed on the ferry. Here’s a tip: take a photo of the ferry. They all look the same and there are a lot of ferries in Indonesia. It doesn’t look good to be racing around the dockyard in a mad panic trying to figure out which ferry your bike is on. Especially when one of the officers told me it had already left for another island.

Price check

A last observation on Borneo

officialdom. Police are entitled to inspect your personal and bike papers on request. They will certainly do this in the remoter parts where few foreigners travel. I advise against going overland to Nunukan because it involves travel through a military zone. We were placed under detention at the town of Sebuku and police demanded to know who we intended to visit. Fortunately I knew somebody in the next town and she verified my story when they checked. I can only speculate how that might have ended if my story hadn’t checked out.

Apparently the price of airfreighting the bike home had doubled while we were there, so my ‘disposable’ home-made steel crate was recycled for the return trip. Sea freight isn’t always cheaper than air freight and it’s surely a lot less convenient. However, I will probably try the Dili option on the next trip, which I’m already planning.

Top: A free wash! We were treated like VIPs. Above left: The riders group at Pontianak.

Left: The Heidenaus did a good job. After 6000km of two-up touring they were still in good shape.

Wish you were here

Toulouse, France.

Afraidnot

Karen Ramsay

I’m not sure if it’s just me, but there are some things about riding that scare me witless. These include, but aren’t limited to: sand, clay, mud, bulldust, steep downhills, steep downhills with sharp bends and steep downhills with rocks, sand and sharp bends. And highways.

So inclined

The latest thing to send me into palpitations is Sugarloaf Road –the one between Paddys Flat and Drake in NSW. It wasn’t because the sign said ‘No Through Road’, or even that I’d held the clutch all the way in – while standing on the back brake around washouts, trees and rocks – to the bottom of a steep hill. It was the climb up the other side over a stretch of malicious rocks that constantly threw my bike from one side of the track to the other. When we eventually reached the top, my little Terra promptly took out an AVO against me for choking it all the way up the hill. All the advice people give me goes out the window when fear sets in.

Recently I rode Oil Rig Road near Tullymorgan in the Northern Rivers region of northern NSW. It was a steep downhill track with sand, large rocks and sharp bends. My head was saying,

“Sit back. Shoulders loose. Look forward. Relax.” The reality was simply me holding on tight and repeating the mantra “Don’t fall off! Don’t fall off! Don’t fall off!” until I reached the bottom.

Truth be told

It’s a wonder I ride at all. I reckon it’s probably a bit like childbirth –once it’s all over and you’re sitting down with a cool drink discussing it and smiling fondly over the photos, it doesn’t seem that bad and you reckon you could give it another go. The closest I’ve ever heard a man come to admitting to this kind of dread is them casually saying, “I don’t like…” Now, if that’s because they’re really confident riders and nothing actually does faze them, then I’m really happy for them (and invite them to give birth some time).

On the other hand, while most blokes seem to like exaggerating about everything, I’m surprised by the number of riders I’ve met who downplay their riding ability. Like the one who told me on a trip to Cameron Corner he doesn’t like riding in sand so he just paddles through. How I was going to paddle through some 150km of sand between Bourke and Wanaaring I didn’t know, but in hindsight it might’ve been faster than the riding and falling I attempted. I naively expected to see him struggling along too, only to watch him standing confidently, waving and taking

photos as he rode past.

I still reckon I saw his tongue hanging out like a dog on its first ride in the back of a ute as he passed me with no concerns about the sand.

Cornered

This leads me to the cornerman system. In one group I ride with the system we now use was instigated by one of the riders who’s more vocal about their sensitivity to dust and flying rocks than me. (Thank you! My son has a lot of dishwashing duty to make up for all his roosting past me.)

It was after a day of using the more common cornerman system. This involves a lead rider and a sweep with everyone else in between. At a corner, the second rider waits there until the sweep comes along, then they re-join. Riders are constantly passing each other as faster riders overtake others when they’ve finished their corner duty. An alternative was proposed which meant the more competent riders were up the front, and anyone who wanted to ride more slowly stayed further down the line. Once the order was established, it stayed like that and everyone knew who should be in front and behind them. Each rider waited on the corner until their following rider came along, then the waiting rider headed off while the next rider took his turn on the corner.

As a slower rider, it’s nice not having to contend with the extra dust of people passing you.

Moving on

Whichever cornerman system is used, when used properly, it’s a simple way to keep an eye on everyone riding in a group and at their own pace. Riding on your own is great for the freedom and flexibility. However riding with others now and then gives you the opportunity to learn something from other keen adventurers, whether it’s a great track or destination, riding advice or information about what people have done to their bikes.

One day I hope to take my adventure riding to some more exotic locations

and I want to have the skills to do that.

I won’t be doing it fast because on the one hand I don’t ride fast and on the other I want to soak up every moment, confident I can make it through most riding situations I’m likely to encounter. That’s why I keep riding in conditions and terrain that makes my blood run cold. I’m thinking about the day I’ll jump on a bike and head off across Australia or some distant continent, having the type of adventure that will have my parents and my kids shaking their heads in disapproval. In the meantime however, if I’m on a ride with you and I’m on a corner to get people to turn down a road called Sugarloaf, just be aware I’ll probably send you in the opposite direction.

Things I’ve learned lately

v My fear of highway riding stems from the acoustics in my helmet bringing me to the realisation

I don’t have a voice like Jessica Mauboy (I thought I did)

v I would like someone to do a study into the correlation between a man’s claims of his ability and his actual ability

v Encouraging the kids to take up adventure riding means not having to worry about them turning your house into Party Central while you’re away (while the son likes riding, unfortunately I’m yet to convince my girls to get on a bike)

v People who don’t have an interest in adventure riding don’t know who Ewan McGregor is

v Don’t take Sugarloaf Road

v Eventually all that riding advice will transfer to riding skills…I hope

Packing For Adventure

Your adventure travel clothing should be lightweight and pack easily.

Packing for adventure Clothing

Your bike’s fully prepped, you have your route all mapped out and you’re ready to go. But what are you going to wear, and just as important, will you fit all your gear on the bike?

With all the other preparation that goes into an adventure ride it’s easy to forget the most important aspect – you! If you’re not warm, dry and comfortable, the enjoyment factor just won’t be there.

Pants

Our experiences over a lifetime of riding have taught us plenty of tricks, so here are a few of them to help you on your way.

For a start, the clothes you pack need to be used in all situations – both on and off the bike. In every case possible the clothes should be used as extra layers when you’re riding, and be comfortable and practical when not riding.

Let’s cover your ‘off-the-bike’ attire first.

Words: Robin Box

Pants need to be lightweight and made from quick-dry materials. Ideally, they’ll have a cotton content of up to a maximum of 70 per cent – but must be quick-dry – and the remainder nylon. You can also get this combination in pants that zip apart and become shorts. These look quite smart and, importantly, pack light and dry quickly.

Lightweight material is not quite as good as denim in the cold, but it’s very close. Denim is no good when it’s wet or hot, and is only ever carried if you like the look and feel of it when you’re off the bike. It’s a luxury.

Tops

Here’s what Mick McDonald from Compass Expeditions uses and recommends to his travellers to cover both hot and cold travel, whether that be in Russia, South America or in Australia. We reckon it’s a good list:

v Any of the lightweight materials are recommended for tops or jumpers, and a 70 per cent cotton content does improve the comfort. Any sort of comfortable shirt is fine for adventure travelling, but a micro-fleece jumper, as opposed to polar fleece, is always a better way to go, because it packs a lot smaller v Polar fleece jumpers won’t stop wind. They’re very warm, but micro-fleece will give you nearly the same

v For the extreme cold, a fully waterproof outer shell is an absolute must. They pack very light, stop the wind at the outside and totally remove the chill factor v Make sure you wear any shirt beforehand, in both hot and cold conditions, to ensure it doesn’t get sweaty or clammy. All shirts work well in ideal conditions, but do your own research before setting off on a trip

Socks

COOLMAX – a trademarked brand name – is the material used in most good adventure socks, and it works well for many people. We’ve found they don’t have very good warmth capabilities, but provide good comfort and moisture wicking. COOLMAX tends to stop the sweating between your toes, so if you suffer from sweaty feet, they’re a good option.

My own preference is the merinopossum fur combination that would typically be a hiking sock. They only need to reach about halfway up your calf. This fibre combination will keep you warm, breathes very well and doesn’t smell, so it copes with multiple uses very well. I even wear these when riding in central Australia as I find they keep my feet more comfortable and stop them from getting clammy, sweating and

Around-the-world traveller

Sherri Jo Wilkins used COOLMAX socks on her three-year trip and was very happy with them. When it got colder she just added another pair of socks.

Above: Touratech’s Companero suit has a Gore-tex outer and is great in hot and cold weather. u

Right: Shirt, long pants, mid-layer thermal, mirco-fleece jumper and socks rolled up and ready to pack. The total weight of the clothing pictured is just 1.68kg.

Packing For Adventure

It’s all a personal choice, but if you have no experience whatsoever, you won’t go wrong using the merinopossum fur combination, both for comfort and warmth.

The other option on the bike is waterproof socks.

When it’s cold and wet they work quite well, but they get clammy very easily, and as soon as it warms up they have no breathability whatsoever. You end up wet on the inside just from your own feet sweating. They do have a place, but it’s in a very limited type of riding.

Thermals

Thermals are a must both on and off the bike, and it’s pretty much unanimous among the experts that merino thermals work better than artificial fibres. They don’t smell, they pack small and they perform better across the board.

Wool used to be too itchy and prickly to wear against your skin, but the Australian Wool Board put a lot of research into making wool more friendly and easy to wash and wear, and once you get under 17 micron (one fifth of the diameter of the average human hair) the itchiness and prickliness disappears, so you need to ensure your thermal is made from superfine merino wool. The absence of a smell after multiple uses is a big advantage as well. Merino thermals are widely available from most outdoor shops dealing in hiking and outdoor adventure.

As an alternative, woollen tights also provide good warmth and are used by many riders.

Footwear

Sherri Jo Wilkins and Compass

Expeditions all carry a pair of thongs (or flip-flops) on their travels for showering and getting around camp.

You’ll also need hard-soled footwear of

Layers

Above main: Choosing the right apparel can mean a comfortable ride and carrying a much lighter load. Insert above: Summer gloves offer good protection, while a silk inner glove will help to keep your hands warm.

some sort, as prickles and thorns will go through thongs. Hard-soled shoes can look good and are useful both at your destination, and as a welcome relief from your riding boots.

Sherri Jo also carried a pair of Solomon Gore-tex-lined runners that were light, waterproof and looked smart.

Bits and bobs

Don’t forget a hat and sunscreen are essential items on and off the bike, and are often overlooked. If you’re travelling in colder climates and at altitude, you tend to forget that the sun can be a factor. As it gets colder the humidity drops and in the higher altitudes sunburn can happen very fast and be very damaging. Don’t get caught out.

Okay. Let’s have a look at some suitable apparel for on the bike itself.

Riding suits

To start with, whether it’s part of the suit or an additional layer, the outer layer of your riding suit must be completely waterproof.

If it’s part of the suit it needs to have a laminated Gore-tex outer (such as the Touratech Companero suit), as the plastic layer part-way through is usually not 100 per cent waterproof.

The downside of using an external waterproof layer is they get hot and sweaty as soon as they get warm inside. This can be uncomfortable, and you’ll find you’re forever putting your waterproofs on and off. However you do it, you must have full waterproofing on the outside.

Underneath your suit, on the top part of your body, you can have a simple polo shirt or any sort of comfortable shirt, but when it gets colder you need to layer up with merino thermals.

The merino mid-layer material is very common in cold climates, including on the ski-fields, and works well. It looks dressy off the bike too. We’ve tested this theory on the Canadian ski-fields at temperatures of 16 degrees below zero, so we can vouch for our recommendation.

From the outside, you’ll need your riding suit (and waterproof), a microfleece jumper, a merino mid-layer thermal, your normal shirt, and a merino thermal base layer. This combination will cope with extreme cold and pack really small.

On the bottom half of your body, start off with your riding suit (and waterproof), thermals, and your underwear of choice.

Boots

Ideally you need waterproof boots, otherwise you’ll get wet feet and then you’ve got problems.

On long hauls, Forma boots, or this style of boot – which are something of a motocross boot, but with very good walking comfort – are fully waterproof and have nice leather on the outside. You need to be comfortable, so test your boots in a range of situations before you set off on your big trip. Nobody likes sore feet!

Headwear

A scarf or balaclava is great for extra warmth and to get a full windbreak around your neck. You’ll never get a cold head wearing a helmet, but you can get a cold face, which can be extremely uncomfortable. A silk scarf or a very lightweight balaclava that can cover your nose and face will do the trick, especially if you’re using a motocross style helmet.

While a kidney belt is intended to support your back, they do a great job of keeping your back warm, although they can be hot in the warmer climates. Sherri Jo Wilkins used a kidney belt on her trip, simply as a means for extra warmth, so it’s not an uncommon practice.

Gloves

My preference is not for a heavy winter glove, but to use a lighter, summer glove with silk gloves inside. Silk is a fantastic fibre. It’s light, offers good thermal insulation, keeps the warmth in really

well, and is still comfortable against your skin when it warms up.

On a bike fitted with handguards offering good wind protection, at between eight and 11 degrees, your hands start to feel a bit cool. At seven degrees they progressively feel more and more uncomfortable. Just by adding a silk inner glove you’ll go back to quite a warm feeling. This thought is consistent among adventure riders.

Over the top of my gloves I wear a fully waterproof outer mitten. They’re a bit bulky, but if you suffer from cold hands it’s the answer. They break the wind and keep your gloves dry. They do reduce the feel, but the negatives from that are offset by what happens if your fingers get too cold and numb – you’re actually riding dangerously at that point.

Choosing clothing to wear both on and off the bike will save valuable packing space.

Mittens hold the heat in better as they haven’t got the surface area for the chill factor to get to. I always carry a pair of them in my kit, and get them from Andy Strapz.

Underwear

Men typically get by with a couple of sets of underwear, even on extended

trips. Lady adventurers have been known to carry four sets because sometimes it’s hard to find the opportunity to wash them regularly.

Packing

Finally, rolling your clothes to pack uses a lot less space. You can apply more pressure to the clothes, they’ll still look okay when you unpack them, and the space-saving advantages are well worth it.

This may take a little practice, but you’ll soon find that by rolling your clothes you can pack them in all the nooks and crannies of your luggage, ensuring you have room for other items you may wish to take.

Where to buy

As a rule we don’t stick to any one manufacturer, and have had great results with a number of different products and brands over the years. The specialised adventure camping stores will stock brands such as Jeep, Kathmandu, Ice Breaker, Merinos and Columbia, while some of the specialised ’bike retailers will also stock clothing for your big adventure.

John Hudson techniques Navigation

Many who know me will be laughing because they know I get lost all the time.

When putting rally courses together we’ve learnt some stuff that could help any group of mates who want to put a trip together, and the first rule of being a good navigator is to carry plenty of fuel and always fill up your tank whenever you drive past a fuel station. To put a good track together you need to ride down a lot of dead ends to find the good stuff, and to do this you need fuel.

When building the APC rally course there are four parts to the process.

We Google each township to see if it has fuel or accom and record the phone numbers.

2. Mapping software: we try to mark the course from the map onto the software.

We’ll often use Google Earth to check if road surfaces are dirt before we include them. The course is then loaded onto GPS units.

Sometimes if we can’t see any tracks on maps and we want to explore an area we’ll put a straight line through the region and then aim them from one marked road junction to another. This line marked on your GPS gives you a general direction you want to travel when you’re out on the bike exploring.

Top right: A good base map is vital. There’s not much detail in this one.

1. Paper maps: marking a route using a highlighter pen and making the course go through any State Forest or small farm tracks that can be seen on the map. The course usually goes through towns every 100km, and Internet sites are used to locate points of interest, especially any enduro-bike areas in the region. We try to include any local knowledge we can get, but the source needs to be someone who understands adventure-bike riding. There are some Internet sites that offer free tracks, but you never know who the source was, and to some a bitumen road is their idea of an adventure.

We mark any fuel stations in the area using waypoints. When we get lost knowing which townships have fuel is vital.

3. Preriding and course building: we take our paper maps and make sure our GPS units are recording our tracks.

When out exploring on the prerun we’ll always look for minor tracks that loop back onto our initially marked main track. We take a notebook and pen and make notes as we go. To build great courses you need to have the discipline to actually go back and try and find a better section if you think a leg was boring.

Once the preriding is completed we’ll then go and look at the tracks and simply build the course that flows well from one

4. The final preride: we check our distances and complete course notes and get our timings so we can try to plan night stops. We’ll often preride our wet-weather and easy diversions to make sure gates are marked and our distances between fuel stops still work out.

A long haul

To produce a 7500km rally course I’ve usually ridden 50,000km. The reason experienced adventure riders enter the APC Rally is because they know the value of good flowing tracks. It’s like waves to a surfer! We don’t expect a group of mates to go to the effort we

4 Day Wisemans Ferry NSW

20th-23rd Feb 2014 $480

4 Day Brisbane QLD

20th-23rd March 2014 $480

14 Day APC RALLY

Multiple start points all over Australia

17th-30th May 2014 $1250 (early entry) no event in 2015

6 Day Bathurst 1000 to Gold coast

12th-18th Oct 2014 $790 For more information, contact John Hudson. Phone: 0414 457 455

Email: john@australianpropertycentre.net.au

Web: www.apcrally.com.au

Above: Don’t worry if your GPS obscures your view of your gauges. The GPS is the most important thing to be able to see.

just described, but the key to success is to always have a basic route marked on your GPS or paper maps that leads to fuel stops, and they need to be close enough together so you can go exploring. If you see bike tracks heading down a track they always need to be followed. Woodsie, who helps me put the rally course together, is always looking at his maps and he knows the general direction we need to be heading. I focus on the GPS and will follow any track I can find that is a chance of linking back to the general route we’ve marked.

Quick points

Radios are just a great device when you’re exploring. You should never both go down a steep hill. We always send one rider down first to see if the track goes somewhere.

GPS. The adventurer’s friend

When you’re setting up a GPS for adventure riding, just use the manual and find these settings:

v Make sure you’re leaving a track where you’ve been. Set your GPS to archive daily. This way you have a better chance of one day organising your tracks

v Turn the auto zoom feature off

v Turn the guidance text feature off

v Clear all the data fields off the screen so you just see the map. You don’t need your speed or bearing, you just want to see your route and the track you’re leaving behind

v Turn off auto routing

v Set the map detail to highest

v Set the backlight so it stays on, and on its brightest setting

v When navigating, your GPS should be zoomed in to about 500m. If you can’t find the track you’re looking for, then zoom out

v Make sure you have good batteries in your GPS as a backup in case your hardwiring kit fails

v Mount your GPS where you can see it really well. Always use RAM mounts, and don’t worry if the GPS blocks out some of your dashboard. The GPS is now the most important thing you have on your bike

v When hardwiring your GPS, make sure it’s wired straight to the battery. You want it to stay on when you turn the ignition off

v If the weather conditions are really bad, have a plastic bag in your kit and put it over the GPS with a rubber band. We’ve had problems with water in extreme conditions

Your GPS is like a boat anchor without a good base map. I reckon Track4Australia is the best mapping software you can get for adventure riding

Your normal car GPS is useless on an adventure bike, and so is a GPS with a small screen. You’ll end up crashing trying to look at it

Try and get your mates to get the same GPS as yourself. It’s very handy to share the knowledge. Many modern GPS units will now share tracks by Bluetooth, which is really cool

Once all of your riding group have GPS units you no longer need cornermen. That means far less dust and covering a lot more country in one day. And that can only be good!

+ MAPS

Electronic and Paper

Where to ride has always been our focus

+ FACTORY AND AFTERMARKET ADV GEAR AND ACCESSORIES

Simply find your model bike and then Click

art

sand riding of The

Riding sand is probably one of the most mysterious things you can do on an adventure bike. I’m sure half the people who can do it probably can’t really explain how they do it. They just do it. Hopefully some of the topics covered here give you an insight into dealing with this difficult surface.

Ease into it

I’ve helped a few people with their first sand experience, and

one of the best ways is on the beach at low tide. This gives the riders a chance to first just get their head around riding on nice, hard, beach sand down near the waterline. That’s easy and fun. As confidence grows, they can venture into the softer, more challenging sand.

At any time the rider’s only a couple of metres from the hardpacked sand and can steer towards it when they’re tired or scared. Bit by bit, confidence

grows and they can start weaving around and playing with deeper or tracked-out sand and the pieces of the puzzle start falling into place.

It quickly becomes clear that the bike loses stability as soon as it hits the fluffy stuff, and it becomes equally clear that leaning back slightly and keeping the throttle steady, or increasing it, improves stability and control. The sketchier it gets, the more the rider needs to lean back and add throttle.

Main: Riding sand on a big adventure bike isn’t easy, normal, and pretty much doesn’t make sense, but it can be done.

Right: In general, a rider’s weight will need to be toward the rear of the bike, and the rear wheel will need to driving. Once the bike’s in motion things become much easier.

It’s pretty simple, really.

I know not everyone has the opportunity to start on the beach, but maybe it’s worth a trip to Noosa. You can rent a bike from Dave at Aussie Biker Tours and ride up the beach from Noosaville to Rainbow. That’s something I always try to do when I’m there. I love that run!

A few basics

Let’s think about body position, which we covered in issue #03.

We said you need to be agile and responsive when you ride because your body position has a big impact on the balance and behaviour of the bike. When you ride deep sand, you need to be ultra-active and extra responsive! You need to be able to read what the bike is

doing and respond very quickly to adjustments, both side-to-side and front-to-back.

Now, let’s throw another thing into the mix: the throttle.

The sand is a resistant surface. It wants to slow the bike down, and a lot of the time it wants to grab and mess with the front wheel. So directly connected to body position is throttle control. Add some throttle and the front wheel gets lighter. Reduce throttle and the front wheel gets heavy and wants to dig into the sand. The relationship between body position and throttle control is very important, not just in sand, but especially in sand.

Now is probably a good time to mention ABS, traction control and tyre pressure, because it’s important, too. ABS and traction control should be turned off for sand, or you might not get far.

If your ride is going to be a high percentage of sand, you need to drop your pressures, but it’s not realistic to change your tyre pressures every time you hit a small sandy section. If I’m riding dunes or deep, sandy, rutted tracks, the pressures go down to anywhere between 10psi and 20psi (based on my normal 30psi to 35psi on a 1200GS when riding off-road). So don’t be shy, especially if you have a serious

sand mission to survive.

Just remember, if your pressures are low and you pop out of the sand onto short sections of hard, rocky trails, you’ll need to ride accordingly. Otherwise you really risk tyre-, tube- or rim damage. If possible, try to have your bike packed light, as it’ll make life much easier, and don’t pack bags high on the pillion seat. If you can’t get your bodyweight toward the back of the bike you’ll probably struggle.

Slow

down to power on

Sometimes you’ll find hard-pack dirt alternating with sand sections or bulldust.

In fast, open terrain an unexpected wallow of sand can really dump you on your head. Be ready to wash off a heap of speed pronto if required! If you can drop from 100kph+ down to 50kph before you hit the deep stuff, you can set yourself up and confidently drive through with positive throttle. If you don’t wash off the speed in time and hit the sand too fast, probably still on the brakes or at best with the throttle shut, good luck. That’s a recipe for disaster.

Dunes

versus tracks

Just like the hard-pack beach, virgin dunes are a lot of fun, and much easier than trying to ride deep, four-wheel-drive ruts or any tracked-out dune sand. u

Adventure-riding tips

Be aware that the consistency of dunes can change drastically – from day to day and location to location. Sometimes the dunes are quite firm and wind-packed, but then a really soft patch can bury your front wheel quick, so stay sharp and don’t get complacent.

Deep, four-wheel-drive-rutted soft sand is probably the hardest, especially when the tracks are twisty and up and down. It’s hard work on a big bike, but very satisfying when – if – you get to the other end.

The rear brake is your friend

With all this talk about powering on when things get sandy and scary, it’s good to know the best way to slow down.

As mentioned, the front wheel is vulnerable, so touching the front brake is only going to make things worse. In this situation your rear brake is your friend. Don’t be afraid to lock it up and wash off some speed quickly.

Make sure you set your bike up so you can reach your rear brake, feather it lightly and lock up the back wheel, all while standing. If you can’t, you might want to make some adjustments.

Just a dab’ll do ya

Sometimes you lose balance and need to dab your foot on the ground to stay in control. Over the years you realise that every time you do this, you’re risking a knee reconstruction. The key is, don’t take a dab lightly. Your feet belong on the ’pegs.

If I’m standing up, get unsteady and decide I need to do something to maintain balance, I’ll give a very short and light dab with my foot and get it right back on the ’peg.

If I don’t think I can do it this way I’m just as likely to throw the textbook out the window, flop down on the seat and ride with my feet as outriggers: the survival position. There’s nothing wrong with the survival position. Everyone has done it, and it can be quite effective to get you through a really tough section. You wouldn’t want to rely on it for too long, though. It’s quite slow and can get tiring, as you’re not really at the speed where you can float.

It’s only experience that’ll give you the edge when it comes to standing, dabbing or sitting.

Taking off

It’s easy to bury the back wheel of a bike in deep, soft sand as you try to take off, so having a strategy is important.

If at all possible, try to pull up so your take off is slightly downhill, not uphill, and have your front wheel pointing into smooth, flat sand, not at 45 degrees to a rut or half buried. Dig a clean path if you’re keen, especially if you’re struggling.

Depending on your bike and confidence, you can consider taking off in first- or second gear (in second you won’t feel the need to make a gear change before you’ve even really got going).

The things that make the difference here are your timing, clutch control and body

Riding on the beach at low tide can be a great introduction to riding sand. Make sure it’s legal to ride on the beach you have in mind.

Right: Taking off in deep sand can be challenging. Bouncing on the seat will sometimes get the bike unstuck.

position. Slide your bum back on the seat almost as far as you can and let your weight compress the suspension (don’t put weight on your feet). Count yourself down and go. You’ll get wheelspin, but you want to control it. You don’t want too much. Full throttle will give great roost and noise, but not ideal drive, and drive is what you need.

If the bike isn’t taking off with ease, I jump on the back of the seat with aggressive bounces. Every bounce lets the rear tyre grip and drive, and just keep modulating the throttle. Once you’ve created a bit of momentum the bike seems to sit up on top of the sand, the front tyre floats and the back tyre starts driving nicely. Sometimes you really need to roll off the throttle a lot as the bike will want to accelerate much faster than you want it to.

Once you feel this sweet spot, you can play with it, gradually increase and decrease speed, start weaving and seeing what feedback you get. This is when the real fun begins!

It’s amazing how effective the bounce technique is. It can save a lot of sweat and heartache.

Ride ’em Cowboy

Once you have sand in general sussed, eventually, for one reason or another, you’ll need to change from one sandy rut to another. This isn’t a great concept at the beginning, but again, it can be done. Everyone has taken a deep breath then set themselves up for pushing or pulling something. That’s pretty much

what I do if I think I need to change ruts due to the rut quality, a corner ahead, or a bogged car or bike. Cruising along in my rut I’ll almost use it like a half pipe, gently weaving left and right up the walls of the rut a few times. I cross over with the help of the sideways momentum I’ve created, using the throttle and my legs and arms to first pull, then push the bike across the top of the rut, then letting the bike come up under me and push it back into the next rut.

You’ll struggle to make this happen if you don’t get the timing right and use your body and throttle control to stay in charge.

Summary

Riding sand on a big adventure bike isn’t easy, normal, and pretty much doesn’t make sense, but it can be done. It takes a bit of experience, confidence, some fitness and strength doesn’t hurt, and don’t forget a sprinkle of luck.

Here’s a few broad points to try and keep in mind when you first attack the sand:

v Most bikes like a bit of momentum to get on top of deep sand, and once

you’re on top, you don’t need to keep accelerating. Find the sweet speed range for your bike where you have maximum control. Too fast and it’s going to get sketchy quick, too slow and you’ll be constantly struggling to maintain drive and directional stability

v Be smooth with your input

v Stay relaxed and look ahead!

During my years of instructing off-road training I’ve heard many novice riders

ask, “Can you teach me how to ride sand?” It’s a sensible question, but really, the typical off-road course where you learn body position, throttle and clutch control, line selection and other basics is the main nuts and bolts needed to be comfortable riding on sand.

It’s 90 per cent about having all the basic skills down pat. Once you have them sorted, it’s 10 per cent about specific sand tips.

No comment Based on a true story

Above: No surprise Santa showed up. It was a couple of days before Christmas after all. Left: Pottsy’s bike stood proudly erect.

December 21 is, depending which almanac you trust, the longest day of continuous sunlight in the southern hemisphere. On that day each year a few riders up and down the east coast chase the sun west to see how far they can go, as much off-road as possible, between dawn and dusk.

It’s a ride that’s been around for a while and the diehards making genuine attempts at the distance are a tough breed. Average speeds over the 16-hour day are insane, and the stresses on riders and bikes extreme. In case you’re wondering, the current mark stands at something like 1700km. The two guys left the east coast at dawn and found themselves to buggery out on the Strzelecki Track in South Australia as the sun went down.

For 2013 a social group banded together and set off to celebrate the day. On the one hand the ride was a gesture of respect to the hard-core guys, and on the other it was a glorious, sunny Saturday…anyone who wasn’t riding on a day like that was being a fool to themselves and a burden to others.

Blitzen it

A group of familiar faces assembled before dawn on a scenic headland. Two guests of honour were Boris Everson and Dan Vaughan, the pair who’d made the run out to the Strzelecki the year before. Boris was recovering from a tough injury and elected to ride the first section on his trusty KTM 625SXC Longest Day bike as a way of staying in touch. Dan, in shorts, arrived on a scooter and was there just

to say hello and see everyone away.

AdvRider columnist Karen Ramsay and her husband Ramdog Dave were there, draped in flashing Christmas lights. They had the lights wrapped all around them, and they were flashing away like nobody’s business.

Taking that in, a silent, straight-faced crew gazed intently at the horizon, waiting for the sunrise. Chris Laan, propped up by a similarly shop-worn Maso, gazed intently because the Shed Market Christmas party of the night before had left their concentration span

just a little shorter than usual.

Suddenly a BMW Xchallenge, with ‘Blitzen’ scrawled on the tank and Santa at the ’bars, roared up. Santa pitched the bike on to the stand, flung himself into the group and threw lollies to everyone while bellowing, “Ho, ho, ho!” Then he mounted up and roosted off again.

Everyone shrugged their shoulders and looked back to the horizon, waiting for the thin disk of the rising sun to appear over the horizon to signal the traditional start.

No bull

The group took off, maintaining a sensible and casual pace up the

mountains and through the New England area. Deviations from the classic route allowed some nice dirt-road running parallel to Waterfall Way, a lap through the Guy Fawkes National Park, Guyra, and on through more farm dirt roads with stops to take in the notable Longest Day landmarks.

Now here’s where things get a little –ahem – delicate.

As a ride leader on the NSW Mid North Coast, there aren’t too many equal to Pottsy. He’s a nice bloke with an incredible DR650, and he seriously knows his way around.

From somewhere – we thought it best not to ask where – he produced a very large ‘adult appliance’ made from some sort of lifelike, rubbery material, in the shape of a big, slippery fist. With this appliance affixed to the bashplate of his DR650, he proceeded to mono about the place like a very aggressive and aroused bull looking for a…um… ‘playmate’. A cowasaki, perhaps.

That’s all we have to say about this part of the ride.

By gum

Eventually the route met Fossikers Way, where a lonely sapling had been hung with Christmas decorations.

This was probably the only time Ray Daley had both wheels of the Benelli on the ground simultaneously.

Several riders looked quietly at the tree, then Gav Gill produced some tinsel and began adding to the decorations.

At the corner of Gulf Creek Road and Fossickers Way, on a ride in 30-degree heat, there was a decorated tree. And Gav had Chrissy decorations in his kit.

The riders looked sideways at each other as they slurped from their CamelBaks, then looked away and mounted up, keen to get the air moving over them.

Ray the gun

As the sun climbed higher and the temperature soared, the pace settled to a comfortable touring speed. The day was fabulous, the scenery spectacular and the bikes, ranging from air-cooled singles through to a couple of BMW 800s, loped along without any stress or drama.

Every now and then, RadGuard’s Ray Daley would hoon past the entire field on the back wheel of his immaculate Benelli, the engine screaming like the front row of a One Erection concert. Not for any reason anyone could discern, just because he could.

If there’s anything majestic about 1130cc of Amazonas screaming its axle nuts off on the back wheel down a dirt road in equatorial heat, nobody said so.

Pottsy. Adult products not shown.

of Craig’s outfit (everyone hoped that’s what it was, anyway).

Craig paraded through the Macca’s outdoor area and then demanded his prize.

After some sombre reflection it was put forward that a Onesie is not a hat,

Top left: Craig Wilson in his reindeer Onesie. Left: The elf hat which appeared unexpectedly during the 2012 ride and inspired the Great Hat Shootout.

Above: Ramdog’s hat did a trick. He waited until someone said, “That’s a crap hat”… Left: …then the hat gave an answer.

and therefore didn’t qualify. Craig maintained his rigid attitude and was awarded the win.

Nymboida and the Chaelundi National Park. The heat mounted until there was no avoiding a quick stop by the river to try and lower body temperatures. Heads were dunked and drinks were taken. Karen decided more direct action was needed and simply slid down the smooth river rock like a seal to gambol happily in a refreshing rock pool. Ramdog Dave didn’t seem as keen on getting his riding gear wet. He laid with his upper torso in the stream while his lower half stayed high and dry on the rocks, resembling something the river had thrown up for collection. Nobody gave him a second look as Craig Murcott wedged his DR650 into a partially hidden drain under the road. The idea was to “get it out of the heat”. That seemed sensible enough and the onlookers nodded sagely.

WTF!

As the sun disappeared behind mountains the crew found itself not far from the coast and the starting point of some 16 hours before. Goodbyes were said, hands were shaken, and smiles were exchanged. Suddenly a loud, obscene exclamation was heard.

“Can you f*%+ken believe this!” came the cry, and everyone stopped in their tracks.

“We’ve only done 750km on Longest Day.”

Gazes remained fixed, throttles remained open, and Glen Innes with its airconditioned lunch stop rolled into view.

Hat trick

Lunch was scheduled to include The Great Hat Shootout, brought on by Gav Gill’s elf hat that appeared during the 2012 Longest Day run. Some very flamboyant examples were put forward, especially Karen’s big green number and Ramdog’s interactive offering. Pottsy continued his adult accessory theme and then, with children hiding behind their mothers and onlookers snorting McDrinks out their noses in amazement, Craig Wilson, showing BMW owners do indeed have a sense of humour, appeared from the gents in a Onesie. It was a reindeer Onesie, it’s true, but it didn’t leave much to the imagination. It appeared that Pottsy’s Fist Of Fury had found a new home in the front

By that stage the Macca’s had become strangely quiet and deserted, so with the Hat Shootout decided, everyone set off back into the rising heat.

Deano Anthony wandered over to his 690 and produced a vary lairy Aussie wizard’s hat, even though the competition had long been decided and no-one was wearing a hat any more. But, hey! Whatever lubes your cable, right?

On heat

From Glen Innes Pottsy – without his hat or his Fist Of Fury –led the group along a beautiful dirt road wandering among the rolling green pastures on the edge of town and back south-east through

Playing it cool.

Faces went pale and breath was held. Bottom lips began to quiver and silent tears rolled down leathery, windhardened cheeks. Some were even forced to sit before their knees gave way in shock. Everyone began to shout and beat their chests all at once.

Only 750km on Longest Day.

Incredible!

Karen’s hat was hard to miss.

The current G 650 GS is the Sertão, the 650cc single has been in the BMW range for quite a while.

Words: Craig Bennett

BMW’s Sertão/650 GS

In 1993 BMW launched the first 650 single and called it the F 650 Funduro. Then for many years the F 650 GS Dakar was a popular choice of adventure bike riders, and in 2011 the Sertão GS was launched. A great many laps of the globe have been completed and a fearsome reputation for reliability and longevity has grown around all of the many variations of BMW’s 650cc single. We asked Craig Bennett, BMW Motorrad’s Technical Specialist, for some quick facts about this ground-breaking group of adventure bikes, and particularly the newest incarnation.

1. In 1999 and 2000 Richard Sainct won Dakar on the modified F 650 RR.

2. Heated grips and ABS are standard on the Sertão.

3. The ABS can be easily deactivated, but you must be stationary to do this.

4. Since the first BMW 650 single

in 2003, F models were always singles. Then in 2007 the singles ceased production. In 2006 BMW released the parallel-twin F models, the F 800 and F 650, but the F 650 was actually 798cc. Then in 2008 BMW launched the G 450 X, and G became the prefix for singles, and F for parallel twins. In 2011, a new version of the trusty Dakar was released: the G 650 GS Sertão.

Don’t worry, you weren’t the only one who was confused.

5. With longer travel and a 21-inch front wheel, the Sertão has a seat height that challenges many shorter riders. The G 650 GS has a 19-inch front wheel and reduced travel, but the same basic platform and features, and is a great option for shorter adventure riders.

6. Touratech offers a huge range of accessories for the Dakar and Sertão.

7. UniFilter offers an ideal air-filter system for the G 650 GS Sertão. It’s perfect for harsh/dusty Australian conditions, and consists of an oiled foam filter and a prefilter sock. If the pre-filter sock is changed you can expect anywhere between 3000km to 5000km before you have to clean the main filter.

8. A tankbag is essential adventure-bike equipment, and the 12-volt accessory plug under the left-front trim panel of the bike can be used to charge electronic items like a phone, GPS or music player in the bag.

9. A GPS is another essential adventure-riding item, and can be mounted to the ’bars using a RAM mount and be powered from the auxiliary socket or tankbag.

10. Various pannier options are available for the G 650 GS Sertão. We’ve found in more technical terrain it is best to use a tankbag and the BMW silver luggage roll bag on the rear of the bike. It’s waterproof and has lots of room.

11. Continental TKC80s have been BMW’s preference on the G 650 GS Sertão. They wear well with grip on all surfaces, including bitumen. For longer mileage the Metzeler Tourance or Pirelli Scorpion Trail are also good options. Fit heavy-duty tubes if you are going off-road a lot.

12. There’s no magical pressure for the Sertão tyres off-road. We run around 28psi to 30psi and only drop more than this in the sand.

13. Rim locks don’t come standard. Although this doesn’t cause problems, if you’re going big, maybe consider slotting

in a pair to avoid any hassles. At low pressures a torn valve stem in the Simpson wouldn’t be fun.

14. Rear suspension preload adjustment is with an adjuster on the rear shock. Rear damping can also be adjusted. Preload should be increased when luggage is put on the bike and/or if it’s used in rough terrain.

15. The standard silencer, although heavy, works well. Some aftermarket silencers are just too loud to be comfortable on longer rides. If you’re going to change it, make sure you don’t go too loud.

16. The BMW 650 singles are probably ideal for learners and experienced campaigners alike, and one of the best learner bikes full stop. They’re easy to ride and have switchable ABS, so confidence grows incredibly quickly without silly crashes on wet bitumen from novice brake feel. More people should learn on G 650 GS bikes.

17. Less is more. The peak power won’t freak you out, but the torque is amazing. This bike will get up steep, loose hills when similar riders on more powerful bikes can fail. The torque will find traction where other bikes may get sketchy. It’s forgiving and brings out the best in a rider.

18. Engine vibes won’t make your feet and fingers go numb or loosen your teeth. This 650 single can sit on the highway at 110kph to 130kph all day long.

19. ’Bar risers are a good idea for taller riders who like to stand up a bit.

20. The standard ’pegs are quite narrow. For off-road riding a pair of Pivot Pegz are ideal for riders who spend a bit of time standing up.

Top right: Richard Sainct won a Paris-Dakar on an F 650 RR in 1999 and 2000. Middle right: The F 650 GS…a different one. In 2006 BMW changed the ‘F’ model designation to parallel twins. This one had a parallel-twin 798cc motor. Right: The F 650 GS Dakar is still a firm favourite, and a very capable onand off-roader.

Ten minutes with . . .

Allan Roberts Finishing Dakar on the first attempt

Victorian-born mechanic Allan Roberts, 36, entered and finished his first Dakar in 2014. Nowadays he works offshore from Exmouth, WA, but Allan once rode from London to Australia through Africa, Arabia, Iran, Russia, Mongolia and China. The ride will be the subject of a book to be released shortly, and Allan’s hoping sales will help finance his next Dakar. Words: Craig

AdvR: You must be really impressed to finish your first Dakar, tell us how you feel?

AR: If somebody had handed me the script for the 2014 Dakar and all that unfolded I would have laughed at it. For 180 riders to start, only 78 cross the finish line, and for me to cross 39th in my first Dakar, and one of the hardest in recent times, makes me feel very proud of myself. It’s a dream come true. All the hard work and patience was worth it.

Sometimes I have to remind myself: I just finished the Dakar!

AdvR: It’s been a long road for you. You did the 2011 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and back then you were committed to Dakar. Did you believe that you’d make it to the great race?

AR: I’ve dreamt of this for as long as I can remember, but it was only ever that: a dream. With so many boxes to tick before competing, like qualifying or earning your stripes before they’ll let you in, and of course the financial burden, it was never a dream I thought would happen. But over time, bit by bit, I raced, which in turn gave me a suitable résumé to submit. I filled out the application along with my CV and was accepted. Then it was real. Then the money I’d saved for a very long time was paid. I guess I didn’t realise I was fulfilling my dream until I was on my bike in South America. That equalled many years of hard work and determination just to get there.

I had to finish out of fear that I may never get another chance.

AdvR: What really stood out about the race? What were the big surprises?

AR: Of course I always knew the Dakar would be a test of man and machine. I’d competed twice before in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, and it was tough, so I thought I had a small idea of what Dakar would be like. I was wrong. It was tougher than I could imagine. The long days, long specials, altitude, sand, rocks…everything you could think of was there in extreme levels.

Also I’d heard the crowds were something to behold,

Tarlington

Allan (right) with fellow Aussie Troy O’Connor.

but they were just amazing, especially the Argentinians and Bolivians. They just love their motorsport and go hysterical. They support us rookies as much as the big-time professionals. It’s very humbling.

AdvR: Was there any point during the race where you thought you weren’t going to finish?

AR: I was riding in very deep fesh fesh on stage nine and my chain started slipping.

I quickly found refuge on some hard ground, but my chain was completely loose. Then I saw my rear axle was half out. I’d lost my rear-wheel axle nut. My heart raced and I thought the show was over. A few bikes went past and I asked them if they had a spare nut, but none of them did. Then Aussie Troy O’Conner rode past and he had one! Amazing!

In total I lost about 15 minutes, but to me that wheel nut was worth $120,000, because I made it to the end of the race.

AdvR: Days four and five seemed incredibly difficult, and then it seemed the organisers backed off a little. Almost everyone who was still running at the end of day five ended up finishing. Was it like that? The first five days being really hard and the last part of the race a little easier? Or was it hard all the way through?

AR: It was hard all the way. Perhaps the terrain in the latter stages was slightly easier, but by then fatigue was an issue and there were some very long stages.

But we heard stories the organisers had made it as difficult as possible in those first days to reduce the field. It worked, and that’s when guys are pushing hard for spots. Later in the race the back of the field had settled into their spots, so just riding was the priority. Also, they seemed on top of the rules up until the rest day, but after that they backed off a little. I think they realised that anyone that has made it that far deserved a break.

AdvR: What’s next?

Above: Grab a copy and help Allan keep flying the Aussie flag at Dakar. And it’s a great read!

AdvR: Tell us about your book. It sounds like you’re used to tough stuff.

AR: From 2006 to 2009 I rode my Honda XRV750 from London to Australia via Cape Town. It took me 899 days to complete non-stop, crossing 59 countries, four continents and riding over 100,000km. It’s all in my soon-to-be released book The Hard Way Home. There’s plenty of tales of adventure and misfortune, from crossing the Sahara, being held at gunpoint, catching Malaria and having a maggot grow in my bum cheek!

AdvR: How much help did you get for your first Dakar?

AR: Unfortunately I had no sponsors.

Below: This is what it’s all about.

Allan thinks with all he’s learned in the first Dakar, he can break into the top 30 in the future.

AR: The Dakar is like the heroin of enduro racing. It leaves you wanting more, but of course it’s an expensive drug, so now that I’ve managed 39th in my first Dakar I would love to do another. With what I know, and things I picked up, I believe a top-30 spot would be possible.

But I could never afford two Dakars from my own pocket. For a second attempt I’d need support, and I’m looking already.

Ol’ mate

Here’s another dead-set champion adventure rider and reader of this high-quality journal – just like you! Everyone, meet…

Ed Surman

Q. Where does that bike get parked each night, Ed?

A. South-east Queensland will always be home for me. I was born in Brisbane, and for the last 20 years or so I’ve enjoyed the twisties and tracks of the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

I’m just about to depart on a dream trip to ride the Americas, Pole to Pole, and my bivvie bag and tarp, wherever I stop, will be home.

Q. What’s your age?

A. I’m 49 years young.

Q. Are you registered on the AdvRiderMag forum? If so, what’s your handle?

A. I signed up recently as ‘Eddywoodgo’.

Q. What bike do you ride?

A. Currently I have 96,000km on my ’09 GSA, and 20,000km on the trusty DR that’s coming Pole dancing to the Americas with me.

Q. What’s the best ride you’ve ever done?

A. My shakedown run to Cape York with

my travelling buddy, Susie. We made it to the tip of Australia despite a big off which broke my leg and foot. My boots were as good as a cast in keeping my foot stable, but I ended up having two lots of surgery in Cairns, two weeks and 1000km later.

Q. What’s your favourite place to ride?

A. My favourite is whatever is my next destination!

Trips away anywhere the blacktop gives way to gravel and dirt tracks. The Conondale National Park is just at my doorstep, and I’ve enjoyed many Sunday arvos in those hills.

Q. What do you like most about the mag?

A. Finally a magazine devoted to adventure riding.

I loved the write up of the APC rally – I forget which issue it was in –and the ads even send me farkle dreaming.

Q. What’s something that really peeves you on a ride?

A. I try not to let anything get under my

skin, but I would have to say red lights and traffic on stinking-hot days.

Q. Have you ever raced or ridden competition?

A. No. Just human Space Invaders dodging traffic through 25 years of commuting.

Q. Knee braces or knee guards?

A. Knee guards.

Q. Are lowered footpegs any good?

A. I suppose it depends on how tall you are. Anything that helps with ergonomics to make you fit your steed, or your steed fit you, is good, right?

Q. Do you still go riding if it’s raining before you leave home?

A. I don’t have a car so I ride in all types of weather. I really like the mindset that wet weather brings to your ride. It’s all about being smooth.

Q. What’s the worst case of Monkey Butt you’ve ever had?

A. I must have an iron butt, because I’ve avoided the dreaded Monkey Butt syndrome. Paw paw ointment applied early and bicycle nicks are part of my prevention strategy.

Reader’s bike Robert Holness’

KLR650 and Ural Tourist

Robert’s a 49-year-old farm hand who can find himself hauling two trailers behind an eight-wheeler one day and doing any one of a stack of jobs the next. In WA, a trip to the nearest civilisation can be an adventure in itself. Robert lives 125km east of Esperance, and that means around an hour and a half to get to ‘town’.

“It’s about 25km of gravel and 100km of bitumen,” harvested Robert.

The KLR’s been Robert’s mount for quite a while and he’s done extensive modifications and setting up on that bike, but the Ural is fairly new. Sidecars aren’t for everyone, and we wondered what prompted Robert to go to three wheels. The answer is easy. If you look closely at the pics you’ll see Robert’s constant companion, Missy the blue heeler.

After years of Missy clinging on to the pillion seat of the KLR, Robert thought it was time his mate enjoyed a little luxury.

“Missy’s eight, going on nine,” growled Robert, “and she’s been everywhere on the KLR. Before I even had a top box she’d sit on the KLR seat behind me. It’s only about 15cm wide, and that’s not too good for a dog. I fitted the top box and an aluminium plate I had an engineer prepare here in Esperance. A lamb’s-wool cover goes over the whole lot and now she can lie down and rest all the way to wherever we go.

“She’s done the big trip from Esperance down to Albany, up to Hyden and back home again on the KLR, and she’s been up to Kalgoorlie a few times. Every trip I do, she’s with me.”

Missy must reckon the sidecar is heaven.

“I don’t have a lady, so she’s got the passenger seat all to herself. It’s worked out well for her. She has her goggles on and she sticks her head out the side looking for rabbits and ’roos as we go by.”

And it was the sidecar for Missy that led Robert to the Ural.

“I looked at fitting a sidecar to another bike, but the Ural’s been a dedicated sidecar rig since the 1940s.”

3 2013 Ural Tourist 3 Tall screen 3 Knee protectors 3 50mm Denali spotties 3 300mm LED light bar on sidecar

3 GPS, SPOT 2 and phone mounts

3 Twinmax carby

3 Second battery for camp power

Details

3 2008 KLR650

3 IMS ’pegs

3 IMS shifter

3 Odyssey battery

3 Tall Kawasaki screen

3 B&B bashplate

3 Wiring upgrade for starter

3 klrdash.com dash and screen riser

3 Trail Tech Vapour Stealth trip computer

3 Sprockets for front/rear: 14, 15 and

16/41, 42 and 43

3 Rekluse clutch

3 SWM crash bars with highway ’pegs

3 LED taillight

3 Happy Trail top box

3 Cogent Moab shock and progressive fork springs

3 Doohickey upgrade

3 Kaoko cruise control

3 Staintune pipe

3 SWM centrestand

3 KLR screen light mounts

3 ROX anti-vibe 50mm ’bar risers

3 RAM mounts for iPhone/iPad, GPS and SPOT 2

3 HID in both headlights

3 3 x 12-volt power sockets

3 LED dash indicators

3 Rear brake master-cylinder guard

3 Fork brace

3 T-handle fuel screw

3 Polaris gun/bow rack

3 Airbox mods

3 Alloy tray for Missy that has a loop to hold a Wolfman bag

New Products

SW Motech headlight protector

v Super tough

v Available for a big range of adventure bikes

v Easy to fit

v Easy to clean

RRP: $129

Available from: Motohansa Phone: (02) 9638 4488 Web: www.motohansa.com.au

Checkout

Yamaha TW Steel watches

TW Steel is now the official sponsor of the Yamaha MotoGP team, and has released some special timepieces to celebrate. This one’s the TW925.

v Special edition Yamaha Factory Racing

v OS25 movement is accurate up to 0.05 seconds

v Made of high-grade 316L steel

v Diameter of the case 48mm

v Black carbon dial

More must-have adventure gear!

Adventure Rider Magazine LED torch

v As bright as buggery

v Tougher than an Aussie cricket team

v Ultra-compact

v No sensible adventure rider should be without one

v No crazy adventure rider should be without one

RRP: $19.95

v Reinforced mineral crystal with a sapphire layer

v Screwed crown

v Water-resistant to 10 atmospheres

v Blue silicon strap with double injection logo, anti-dust protection layer and steel clasp

v All straps have a special case/ strap connection, so the strap fits perfectly around the wrist

RRP: $849 including GST

Available from: Yamaha dealers Web: www.yamaha-motor.com.au

Powermonkey Extreme

v A rugged, waterproof charger system that charges almost any modern device

v Powers up off USB, solar and 240 volt (including international outlets)

v Plug it into a bike, car (if you have a 12V USB type charger), wall, computer or the included solar cell to juice up the 9000mAh Lithium polymer battery

v Unit can charge a smart phone three to six times, and a tablet 0.5 to two times

v Polysilicone solar panel will fully charge the battery in about 18 hours and is designed to be strapped to the outside of packs or tents. Hang it off the outside of a hydration pack

Touratech seats for R1200GS and Adventure

Motopressor tyre gauge

Touratech seats are compatible with the R1200GS from 2013 as well as with the new Adventure model, but due to the special shape of the original seat of the R1200GS Adventure, both rider and the pillion seat need to be changed together (not applicable to the single-piece sports seat).

Seating comfort and long-distance suitability are noticeably improved

Available in various heights and versions

Available as a patented breathable version or as a single-piece sports seat

Anatomically adjusted and enlarged foam core for even weight distribution

Vehicle-specific seat trough made of PUR plastic

RRP: Depends on model of bike.

Call for specific info

Available from: Touratech Australia

Phone: (03) 5729 5529

Web: www.touratech.com.au

We showed you the Motopressor mini compressor in issue #01.

Now here’s the gauge that fits straight on.

v 0 – 60 PSI/0 – 4.2KPA readout

v 50mm analogue dial

v 30cm braided flex hose

v Press-button air-bleed valve

RRP: $25

Available from: Rocky Creek Designs

v Protective rubber guard

v Self-locking brass air chuck

v Can be used in-line

Web: www.rockycreekdesigns.com.au

Reality magazine!

Adventure Rider Magazine has just bought a second-hand bike over the Internet for $2000. Sight-unseen. Next issue you can find out just what we’ve ended up with, and what it’s going to take to make it a reliable, good-fun adventure bike.

Maybe we’ll ride it to be part of:

v The 2014 Touratech Travel Event

v The EB Cross Country ride

v Some Challenge destinations

v Chasing the 2014 BMW R1200GS for photos

Or not. We’re covering those for next issue, but as we write this we haven’t even seen the bike yet. We’re hoping it’ll do the bizzo. Find out next issue! SOLD! $2000

It’ll be another mag full of real stories from real adventure riders…like you. And us. All adventure, cover to cover. In your first and secondhands early June. A bargain!

Issue 5 - In newsagents and letterboxes early June

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