den 901 Our new travel machine is coming. Inspired by the north, built for the world.
It’s we what do
Tom
I’ve reached the age where I see bikes sold as ‘vintage’ and remember riding them when they were the new model.
As an aside, it cracks me up when a bike’s advertised as ‘rare vintage’. Because I remember the new bike I know the reason they’re rare is that they weren’t much chop and no one bought them. Why would anyone buy them 30 years later?
even though I was there – in the mid- to late-’70s two-strokes earned themselves a public perception of being loud, smelly and smoky and their riders were considered largely irresponsible larrikins. This came about because Australia was far less regulated and restricted than it is now, and we all – let’s be honest – would ride cheap two-strokes anywhere and everywhere, including picnic grounds, campsites and any vacant block we could find in any residential area. The bikes were usually poorly maintained, loud, and as kids, we’d just keep going around and around and around until we ran out fuel –which was about $1.00 for a gallon of premixed BP Zoom – and none of us had ever heard of ‘emissions’ except in sex-
It didn’t take long for non-riding members of the general public to get peeved with ‘bloody trailbikes’ and an unsociable stigma remained with dirt bikes for a decade or more. I still occasionally meet old timers who’ll screw their faces up at the mention of dirt bikes, and I know what they’re thinking.
As another aside, I find it interesting that I’m watching the same thing happen all over again, this time with personal watercraft – PWCs. I live close to the water and love getting out on a kayak or boat, and PWC pilots are a very unpopular leisure group because they insist on blasting around everywhere at full throttle, including where families have set up day camps and picnic areas to access boats. It’s legeal, for sure, but it pisses everyone off in a big way.
Husqvarna Motorcycles’ new
Now! travel machine pays tribute to the bearing that injected the spirit of travel into so many of us. Join Lyndon Poskitt on a journey north to the arctic circle as he discovers the Norden 901.
Anyhoo, I came to motorcycling in the 1970s. I’d ridden the odd minibike here and there as a kid, but it wasn’t until the ’70s I really discovered a passion which has lasted the rest of my life. At the time trials was promoted as a popular family pursuit, racers rode two-strokes, and I daydreamed about the American chopper scene and trailriding. I watched Harley thrive on the dream of freedom on a V-twin, and I saw scrambles become motocross. Trials faded away and trailriding on 250cc four-strokes became a huge, huge weekend scene in Australia.
As I remember those times – and I’m perfectly happy for better-informed historians to tell my how wrong I am,
“ They weren’t much chop and no one bought them. Why would anyone buy them 30 years later? ”
education books at school. We started on minibikes, which were pull-start, rigid-frame jiggers with five-inch wheels – progressed to Postie bikes and stepthroughs, and then to whatever clappedout shitheap we could afford and get running. The rich kids had DT175s, TY175s and the occasional TS185.
Back to my ponderings on the history of motorcycling, and particularly off-road motorcycling.
During the late-’80s and into the 1990s I remember bikes became quieter, manufacturers encouraged responsible behaviour and environmental impact began to assume an increasing level of importance for riders. Obviously I was aging and becoming more responsible, and I was racing, so there was no ripping up the local footy field among my riding group, but the feelings of wanting to not be a pest to everyone, as I remember them, permeated the whole motorcycling scene. In the mid-1990s we were all pretty much forced onto four-strokes which didn’t blast out wadges of oily smoke, and sound levels were legislated down to where it was difficult to get any kind of performance from a bike. Thinking on these things leads me to wonder what future generations will say of adventure riding in the early part of the 21st century.
We should all be looking back on our own riding histories and making decisions about how, where and what we ride. I’m totally against some of the restrictions on performance and equipment we all live with now, but I accept we’ve brought them on ourselves and I comply. Give it some thought on a long transport section or during a quiet time beside a campfire somewhere. Maybe it’ll change something about the way you ride.
20 years – to the month –after leaving Marble Bar, the town where he grew up, Toby Richardson and his father arrived in Port Hedland to start a trip two decades in the making.
Marble Bar is the hottest place in the world. The West Aussie town holds the heatwave record of 160 consecutive days over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
My father and I had been planning to travel by bike from Port Hedland to the site of a secret airbase from WW2 called Corunna Downs. The old runway where I learned to drive at the age of six was a part of the world that shaped my desire for adventure and love of the rugged outback. It was time to go back on a ride
that would involve bugger-all bitumen, no GPS, no road maps, no respite from the elements, and a series of trails, tracks and nothingness that went off into the seemingly endless plains of The Pilbara. In what could’ve been done in 203km of bitumen, we instead took five days to do, using the better part of 1000km through a series of tracks, riverbeds and overland stretches following only our noses. Two stock DR650s took us across the edges of the desert, through the harsh spinifex and rocks of the Pilbara, to our destination.
A foot wrong
We departed Port Hedland in the morning and headed east, doing less than eight kilometres on bitumen before we found an access track pointing south to a mine site. We were relying only on a gut sense of cardinal direction and knowing roughly which way we were headed and where we wanted to go. Our only goal was to get to Marble Bar at the end of five days and to see whatever popped up along the way.
Main: Approaching sunset on the first day, looking for a spot to camp somewhere northeast of Port Hedland and south of Marble Bar. u
We quickly peeled off the access track on to an easement for an underground pipeline. A few kilometres later a small track appeared. It crossed a wide, dry riverbed which may have been Pippingarra Creek, and we were eventually on a red-sand track heading southeast into what could’ve been 1000km of nothingness.
It was exactly what we were looking for.
It’d be misleading to suggest we rode for days using only the sun, as we did take an orienteering compass, an old aviation map showing some ground features, and a satellite tracker in case the SHTF.
However, as a pilot that’s only ever really used compasses that indicate bearing, and as someone that rates orienteering even lower than golf, the compass never really got used.
We pressed on and kept taking smaller and smaller tracks in the direction of an awesome-looking range in the distance. We wanted a cool camping spot and some good scenery as we were filming the trip.
Arriving late that afternoon at the base of a cliff that looked like a good place to camp, we did the last few kilometres overland without a track. A big quartz rock hidden in the spinifex caught my front wheel at about 50kph, causing an instant highside which crushed my right foot between the engine and a large rock. We wouldn’t know for a week I’d just broken three bones in my foot.
But the show must go on. I didn’t take off the boot as I knew it wouldn’t go back on.
Seen and herd
Barely 10 minutes into riding on the second day we were hooking it down a beautifully flowing and meandering double track when we saw a massive herd of wild camels running down the
“We were eventually on a red-sand track heading southeast into what could’ve been 1000km of nothingness.”
track towards us. It naturally created an impasse. We held our ground and the camels eventually went around, but we couldn’t resist a little herding. We were on ‘farm bikes’ after all.
Successful mission
It was more of the same over the next few
Top: Countless ranges, lookouts, rivers and gorges. Below left: The downside to the beautiful quartzbased riverbeds as camping spots. They can be a bit tricky to get out of the next morning. Below right: There was never a shortage of fantastic places to camp and enjoy desertwarmed, scalding beer which never failed to eject out of both nostrils.
days, just following our noses and venturing into the distance. We found countless ranges, lookouts, rivers and gorges, and always had a fantastic riverbed in which to lay our hats each evening. The only downside was the beers we’d brought with us weren’t just warm, they were hot. Admittedly, the beers were awful, but they did become a daily tradition to symbolise another successful day of real adventure riding. The fourth day finally found us at Corunna Downs, an almost mystical location, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The armed forces had dug out parts of the land and used camo netting to hide planes from Japanese bombers in 1942. A drag race up the main runway signified we were almost at the end of our adventure and was a poignant moment. We’d returned to a significant childhood location in spectacular fashion.
The following day wasn’t a big one, but it brought us home to Marble Bar where we eventually ended the trip in GS-rider fashion with a hot meal, cold beer and a warm bed.
BOUNDLESS THIRST FOR ADVENTURE
Triumph’s new 1200s
A lighter and more powerful 1200 adventurer? Sign us up.
Long the favourite of two-up distance tourers, Triumph’s Tiger 1200 has had a major revamp for 2022. The Explorer name is back in the line-up, and while we thought the 900 Tiger Rally Pro was the cat’s whiskers, the new 1200 Rally Pro and Rally Explorer could possibly have owners of the smaller Tiger feeling just a little purrplexed. But don’t just take our word for it.
The top dog
There’s five bikes in the new 1200 family. The three carrying the designation ‘GT’ are more roadoriented, including being supplied with mag wheels, shorter suspension and some other minor variations. The pair designated ‘Rally’ – Rally Pro and Rally Explorer – are the off-
road models and we’ll concentrate on them for now.
To keep things tight, the main points on the new 1200 Rally Pro and Explorer are:
Q They’re significantly lighter – a
Above: The new Rally Pro 1200 isn’t an updated model. It’s a completely new bike.
Q The Rally Pro has a 20-litre fuel capacity and the Rally Explorer 30 litres
Q The ‘tri-link’ swingarm is stronger
Q Both bikes have Brembo Stylema monobloc brakes with cornering IBS and IMU, AND
Q Both have Showa semi-active suspension.
Shaving 25kg off any bike seems barely believable, and a 21/18 wheel combo stock on a 1200? Were we dreaming? Had our prayers really been answered?
Strengthening what was a near-indestructible shaft drive in a bike that’s shed a huge lump of mass...could the final drive on the new bike really be stronger?
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One of the very few people in the world we felt could give us credible and reliable answers to our questions is Triumph’s Chief Engineer, Stuart Wood.
“No problem,” said Triumph Australia, for whom nothing ever seems to be a problem. “We’ll set it up.”
From the top
We can’t help but think of The Jetsons every time we speak to someone ‘faceto-face’ on the computer. It was no different when a well-groomed and quietly spoken Stuart Wood appeared on the screen from Triumph headquarters at Hinckley in the UK, no doubt smarting from the cricket results. Stuart’s responsible for advanced engineering at Triumph. He’s closely involved in all models from kickoff through the first year of the project, and his most active involvement is in “…defining the direction, engineering and layout of the bike.”
We were pretty sure we were talking to the right bloke.
The first thing we were curious about was where testing of Triumph’s protoype bikes was done. Were they ridden in terrain that would prepare them for attacks by dropbears and doing hillclimbs up Ayers Rock? Or were they plodded about an English countryside, stopping for mushy peas and warm beers at servos 30km apart?
“All our development testing, and a lot of our durability testing, is actually done in Spain,” explained Wood. “It’s the hottest, driest, dustiest part of the world we have access to.
“In addition, we do altitude testing and make sure the bikes can immediately adapt to extreme climbs. We use climatic wind tunnels a lot as well. Although we
“Were
they ridden in terrain that would prepare them for attacks by dropbears and doing hillclimbs up Ayers Rock? Or were they plodded about an English countryside, stopping for mushy peas and warm beers at servos 30km apart?”
love the real-life testing, climatic wind tunnels are absolutely repeatable. We can get the conditions exactly the same every day we go in. When we’re developing something, climatic wind tunnels help us see exactly what we’ve got.” We were pretty impressed with that, as you might imagine, but Stuart had more.
LIVE YOUR ADVENTURE DREAM LIVE YOUR ADVENTURE DREAM
“The bikes get a lot of real-world use when we’re doing development and set up, and the guys are good riders who can take the bikes to their limits in pretty well any conditions. They’re competing in national championships in Spain regularly, as well as riding for fun. They do Pan Africa Rallies and the Spanish Rally Raid series.” Well. That seemed fair enough, then.
Cranked
A big feature on the new Tigers is the T-plane crank. It’s the same set-up we enjoyed on the 900, but having loved the 800 motor so much, we wondered why Triumph felt the move to the T-plane crank was necessary.
“The idea was to create a character and feel for the engine that would actually encourage the rider to use all that torque low down,” said Stuart, clearly a fan of the concept. “We wanted to give tractability that was more like a twin at low RPM, but retain that triple smoothness at higher RPM,” he Triumphed.
“When you ride the 900 back-to-back with the 800, it’s got a definite difference in feel that genuinely, especially off-road, encourages the use of the low-RPM torque. It’s really strong and controllable and really gives a far better ride off-road. With the super-smooth 120-degree crank on the 800 we found riders had a tendency to rev harder and work the motor in a less-useful way off-road.
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There are five new 1200s in the Triumph Tiger 1200 family.
The bike’s not as controllable when it’s ridden like that. The T-plane crank gives all of that character and feel at low RPM while retaining the benefits of a triple higher up the rev range.”
The big question
We really warmed to Stuart. We didn’t mention The Ashes and asked what we felt was the biggest question relating to the new 1200s: how was 25kg shed from the bike’s mass, and would the bike’s reliability be affected?
The Triumph top tech squared us up
and smashed one straight to the fence.
“The 25kg mass reduction is huge, but it’s not just mass reduction,” he boundaried. “The seat is narrower, the tank is narrower, and we’ve moved the rider 65mm further forward relative to the front contact patch and the steering axis. That gives the rider more direct steering, much better feel for the front contact patch both sitting and standing, and basically better handling.
“The wheelbase is slightly longer and the geometry appears more relaxed. The headstock angle is very slightly shallower
and there’s a little more trail in both the Rally and the GT,” he angled. “But what’s most important is the reduced mass and the way the bike feels. The rider has so much more control and confidence, onand off-road.
“This isn’t an updated model. It’s a completely new bike which has allowed us to get that extra mass out, and to move the engine and rider forward to get that control. It’s quite a big deal.”
Not just the bike
As the discussion continued, Stuart went on to explain how the rider’s position and attitude had been considered in the engineering equation.
“With respect to the chassis, the rider is in a position a little more aggressive than the previous model, but in respect to the ergonomics he’s a little more relaxed. The footpegs are slightly lower compared to the seat height, and the seat is very slightly taller than the previous model. But, because it’s so much narrower, the rider has a better standover.
“The Tiger 1200 offers more comfort –there’s 20mm more seat foam than
Top: Shaft drive, blind-spot radar, semi-active suspension, shift assist, T-plane crank and a new 7.0-inch TFT screen. It’s an adventure-rider’s dream.
Left: The rider is in a position a little more aggressive than the previous model, but in respect to the ergonomics he’s a little more relaxed. u
suzuki to come
previously – and more leg room.”
And why the 18-inch and 21-inch wheels?
“This is a notion we’ve had for some time,” he spoke, “but when we actually got testing we found we were getting really nice handling with that 18-inch/21-inch combination, and with the 18-inch/ 19-inch combination as well. The bigger wheels give good rolling radius and good natural comfort over bumps. It fits that on-road and off-road use the bikes are designed for.”
Final drive
The shaft drive on the previous 1200 was one of the best in the business. It was a tad heavy, but it was as tough as buggery and all-but maintenance-free. Is Triumph comfortable the new final drive will be as good?
Above: Triumph’s 1200s have long been favourites of the two-up, long-distance set.
Triumph definitely is.
“From day one we’ve done all the design work for the bevel boxes ourselves,” said Stuart. “Obviously we’ve got a front and a rear bevel box, twin joints in the actual drive shaft, and the nearparallel linkage arrangement with the tri-link back end. The detail of work that goes into all gearboxes and bevel boxes is huge. We’ve used the same duty cycles, we understand the load cases very
Below: The Explorer has a 30-litre tank, and, as always, Triumph has big range of accessories including luggage and protection for the new bikes. u
precisely and we do have phenomenal reliability.
“The whole idea of shaft drive is that it’s ‘fit-and-forget’. It’s so a bike can be used without worrying about the maintenance and the reliability side of it. That’s absolutely fundamental. Triumph has taken it to the next level, and a big part of the mass reduction is the actual swingarm construction. There’s no detriment to going twin-sided, apart from, for us, the increased complexity and number of components. But it’s allowed us to make the whole structure lighter. We’ve moved the cush from the shaft into the wheel to reduce mass and to give what we wanted in terms of the isolation and feel from the cush.”
“We’re
unashamed Triumph fans at Adventure Rider Magazine, and as much as we loved the 900 Rally Pro, we can’t help but feel the new 1200s might just be a big step forward.”
Pay attention
A big talking point on the new 1200s will be the blind-spot radar, and while we felt we’d kept up with the discussion so far and understood the engineering concepts and ideas Stuart had shared with us, we had a fairly spectacular middle-order collapse when we said half of the motorcycle world didn’t want electronics holding the bike in position relative to traffic.
“This is a rear-facing radar, not a front-facing radar,” said Stuart, politely not pointing out we’d have known that if we’d read the material he’d sent properly. “It’s a passive system.”
“We do a lot of discussions with customers and potential customers,” he continued, “Triumph customers and customers of other brands as well, and we’re always looking for ‘what does the customer want?’ In our discussions we were getting quite a lot of pushback on forward-facing radar and intervention. We decided not to go for that. The rear-facing radar received an almost 100 per cent, unanimous, “We want that!” response. There’s no intervention. The radar gives a warning when someone’s in the rider’s blind spot, or if the rider indicates to pull out and there’s someone approaching. It’s a vehicle-approach warning as 22 advridermag.com.au
Triumph
Tiger 1200 rally pro and rally explorer
Recommended retail: Tiger 1200 Rally Pro from $31,800 rideaway. Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer from $33,950 rideaway’ Web: triumphmotorcycles.com.au
Rear wheel: Spoked (tubeless), 18 inch x 4.25 inch
Front tyre: Metzeler Karoo Street
90/90-21 (M/C 54V TL)
Rear tyre: Metzeler Karoo Street
150/70R18 (M/C 70V TL)
Front suspension: Showa 49mm USD forks with semi-active damping and 200mm travel
A 20-litre tank for the Rally Pro, and it’s a staggering 25kg lighter than the previous model.
well as a blind-spot warning. There’s either a solid light in the mirror showing there’s someone in the blind spot, or a light will flash if the bike’s about to pull into traffic.
“It’s a really, really positive warning and passive safety device.”
Can’t wait
We’re unashamed Triumph fans at Adventure Rider Magazine, and as much as we loved the 900 Rally Pro, we can’t help but feel the new 1200s might just be a big step forward.
Clearly Stuart Wood thinks that’s the case.
Rear suspension: Showa monoshock with semi-active damping, automatic electronic preload adjustment and 200mm wheel travel
Front brake: Brembo M4.30 Stylema monoblock radial calipers, OC-ABS, twin 320mm floating discs. Magura HC1 span adjustable radial master cylinder with separate reservoir
Rear brake: Brembo single piston caliper, OC-ABS, single 282mm disc. Rear master cylinder with remote reservoir
Instruments: Full-colour seven-inch TFT instrument pack with My Triumph Connectivity System
Length: Rally Pro 2270mm. Rally Explorer 2296mm
Width: 849mm (handlebars), 982mm (handguards)
Height without mirrors: 1487mm –1547mm (adjustable screen)
Seat height: 875-895 mm (adjustable)
Wheelbase: 1560mm
Rake: 23.7° Trail: 112mm
Wet weight: Rally Pro 249kg. Rally Explorer 261kg
Fuel capacity: Rally Pro 20 litres. Rally Explorer 30 litres
Emissions standard: Euro 5
Colours: Snowdonia White, Sapphire Black, Lucerne Blue Service intervals: 16,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first
“The overall tech package for the bike, where we’ve got shaft drive, blind-spot radar, semi-active suspension, shift assist up and down, T-plane crank and a new 7.0-inch TFT screen – you can do all your suspension and mode adjustments on the fly –it’s all about benefits to the rider.”
The sooner we get to ride one the better.
Ricky Carmichael said…
A big coup for Triumph in 2021 was signing US motocross and supercross champ Ricky Carmichael to help test and develop bikes. His thoughts on the Tiger 1200s reinforce all we’ve heard so far…
“If you didn’t know it was a 1200 because of the horsepower, you’d have thought it was a 900. That’s how light this motorcycle feels. They’ve done such a great job with weight and balance and positioning. You’re able to hold an inside or tighter line a lot easier on the 1200 as opposed to the old model, just because of the weight saved and how good the suspension is handling.
“It’s the class of the field, I really believe that. Comparing it to a twin, this bike is in a league of its own.”
KLR650 Adventure Kawasaki
A few things have changed for the adventure-riding world’s workhorse, but it’s still a comfortable, capable all-rounder at a sensational price.
The KLR has been around in Australia since 1988. It had a major redesign for the 2008 model year, and now, after an incredibly successful 15 years or so, has once again been kissed on the doohickey by Kawasaki and is set to continue serving its devoted Australian fans. We’re going to call this version the ‘Gen03’.
New for 2022
The big news on the Gen03 KLR is fuel injection and ABS. Neither of those things should be a surprise, both being necessary to sell bikes in Europe and the US. The ABS can’t be turned off, and the fuel injection uses a 40mm throttle body to feed the 652cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC single, which Kawasaki claims delivers around 34 horsepower.
more interesting change than non-owners would appreciate –and a reduced exhaust diameter. Kawasaki says the aim of the changes is ‘improved midrange torque characteristics’ and the whole set up now complies with Euro 4 exhaust emissions and noise regulations. Forks are still 41mm right-side-
and alternator power is up from 17 amps to 26 amps. LED lighting draws significantly less juice than the lighting of the previous model, and the battery is lighter, as are the starter, ignition coil and evaporator canister.
Owners will appreciate the subframe now being integrated with the mainframe – the much-maligned backbone bolt which used to break under the weight of luggage has gone – the swingarm is 30mm longer, and, one of our favourite updates, braking front and rear is now courtesy of 300mm and 280mm discs respectively.
The motor is, at its heart, essentially the same as the Gen02 motor with a few refinements like modified cam profiles, stronger cam-chain guide material – a
uppers and the rear is still Uni Trak using a shock with adjustable rebound and a clicker for preload. There’ve been a few engineering updates to the clutch internals,
The new LCD instruments are crackerjack, although there’s no tacho or temperature gauge, which we reckon is a good thing. There’s a fuel gauge, which is a big step forward, and cycling through the display brings up a ‘range’ reading, so it’s doubly good. There’s also a few little things we noticed, but which Kawasaki
Images: Wilkinson Photography and TF
hasn’t mentioned in the media material. There’s now no need to remove the sidecovers to take the seat off, and when the sidecovers do need to be removed they slide out past the pannier racks without any swearing, flexing or hurling screwdrivers across the shed. The toolkit –supplied as standard at no extra cost –is still in a nifty little recess in the new aluminium rack, but the lid of the container has a lock which matches the ignition key. There’s more changes, but those are the main ones.
Adventure
Top: Gen02 and Gen03. The same, but different.
Above: A new LCD instrument panel is really easy to read. No coolant temperature gauge or tacho, though.
Below: Allowed to run at the bike’s comfortable pace, the KLR will go just about anywhere.
There’s two models of the KLR for 2022: the KLR650F and the KLR650H (Adventure), and we were very glad to find ourselves with the Adventure. That basically means the ‘Cypher Camo Grey’ colour scheme, crash bars, spotties, panniers and pannier racks, a 12-volt ‘cigarette-lighter’ power outlet and a double USB port standard, and we reckon all that gear’s brilliant. Mechanically the models are the same, although the Adventure naturally weighs more – 12kg according to the spec sheet.
Into it
Taking all that tech on board, and doing our best to remember it, we couldn’t help but feel we were sitting down with an old friend when we climbed on the Gen03 KLR. The mag had a 2008 KLR a few years ago, and the editor still has a heavily personalised 2008 model as his work bike.
Plonking on to the seat of the new one felt instantly familiar and comfortable.
Starting up for the first time was interesting, though.
This bike is silky smooth and as quiet as Cricket Australia when it’s been handed a phone pic of a prominent player’s genitals. We’ve already mentioned the LCD display, and as much we were happy with the analogue gauges on the Gen02, the new outfit looks good and is fuss-free. We instantly liked it.
The bike in general is incredibly comfortable.
Allowing for different handlebar shapes and heights, the availability of a low seat and all the usual individual tuning preferences, we did something like 1000km of bitumen in a couple of days and thought the KLR was awesome. Not just the comfort for the rider, but the obvious harmony of the various components. The bike is happy at speeds of between, say, 100kph and 120kph, and at those speeds on the road the suspension worked really well, the brakes were ace – way better than Gen02 brakes – and the handling felt good. There was a little more speed available, but not much, and the bike felt it was being thrashed at around 130kph. We can’t see a bike like this one needing to run at more than freeway speeds, and it’ll do that pace all day, every day. The rider can sit in relaxed comfort as Australia rolls away beneath the wheels. The fairing and screen give great protection from windblast, the
motor’s dead smooth and quiet, and while it may not round up youngsters on sports bikes, a rider will arrive at the end a long day in way, way better shape, and probably not much later, than the crotch-rocketeers.
If the day gets a little too long, the LED lighting, even without the spotties, is fantastic. The beam is white, wide, and throws a good distance in front of the bike. With the spotties, night riding becomes a pleasure.
The Gen03 KLR is a touring winner.
Springtime
Taking the bike off road wasn’t scary, but it’s easy to find the limits of the suspension and motor.
We felt as though the test bike handled and steered better than previous models, but when things became challenging it’s still a little soft in throttle response and both front and rear suspension.
Again, we think for what the bike’s designed to do those systems are good, but once the surface gets rough and the rider begins asking performance questions, the KLR doesn’t always have answers. We put the test bike to our usual suspension track and some single trail, and while it wouldn’t have embarrassed 890s, 701s or WRFs, allowed to slow down a little and treated sensibly, we’d back it to go anywhere.
Just to cover off suspension, we know from experience the standard components work well and can be tuned to work really well, even when the trail unexpectedly turns to crap.
As supplied the action is a little soft for most riders heading into Aussie snot, but without buying expensive aftermarket components, a competent tuner can have the standard fork and shocks more than equal to the demands of the motor and chassis. Sensible owners will ride the stock bike for a while before they start spraying cash all over creation for expensive brand-name shocks and forks.
Off the mark
There were a few things we were plain unhappy about on the new KLR.
Top:
Above:
Below: The footpegs were a problem in the wet, and not great in the dry if the rider needed to stand up for a while. What about the length of those hero pins! u
Left: Improved braking, fuel injection, fantastic lighting, and a general spruce up has made the Gen03 an even better proposition than the previous model.
Essentially a fuel-injected version of the ever-reliable Gen02 motor with some refinements.
Lighting is awesome. Bright, white and with excellent coverage.
Footpegs are the first. Sorry, but they’re not right for a bike like this one. They look like road-type footpegs with hero pins so long they could nearly be used as sidestands, and they have a rubber deck that can’t be easily removed. When they’re wet, they’re as slippery as buggery. They’re also rubber-mounted, so even in the dry, a rider needing to stand up finds the ’pegs droop ever so slightly, and the rider’s feet begin working their way outward.
No doubt the rubber top and mounting contribute to the smooth riding experience, but we’d make replacing the ’pegs, and hopefully the rubber mounting system, a priority.
We also didn’t like not being able to turn off the ABS.
There’s plenty of bikes which don’t allow
disabling ABS these days, and we think the same applies to all of them: it’s dangerous in a bike intended to be ridden off road.
We often hear ourselves telling people ABS is a good idea, and except for that once-in-a-decade hill, not being able to turn off ABS is no problem any more. The modern ABS systems are well sorted. So they are. The KLR system seemed basic, but worked well.
Unfortunately, we did have to deal with the once-in-a-decade downhill while we had the bike. It was several kilometres long, had a nasty, scary-AF dropoff, a muddy, slippery surface most of the way down, and it was raining when we hit it.
It’s a sickening feeling when the rider realises what the chattering feel under
Above: The panniers supplied with the Adventure model are ideal for the bike. We don’t know how they’d stand up to a decking, but they’re compact, they weigh nothing, lock, and are dead easy to get on and off.
Right: It would’ve been a bonus if the spotties were activated by high beam. They need to be turned on and off manually using the switch on the dash.
Top: The Gen03 KLR is a touring winner. Left: Weather protection on the power outlets is exceptional.
Above: Love the KLR toolkit and the way it fits in a container in the rack which now locks.
Below: The shock is basic, but has a rebound clicker.
the foot and fingers means as the bike accelerates toward the rocky edge.
That’s a thought for all bike manufacturers, not just Kawasaki, but it was underlined while we had this bike (there were skidmarks when get to the bottom safe – not on the ground, obviously, because we couldn’t turn off the ABS. You can work it out).
The last feature wasn’t a problem, but was a little disappointing all the same. The spotties are on a separate switch, not connected to high beam. As we sniggled along the country roads at night we were in ecstasies with how good the standard lighting was on the Gen03. It’s a definite high point. But every time we had oncoming traffic we had to reach forward and turn off the spotties manually before we dipped the headlight. Then we had to reach forward to turn them on again. The switch is on the throttle side of the fairing, so that made it even more annoying.
Still fans
At the end of our time with the Gen03 KLR we’re still big fans of the bike. It’s well capable if ridden sensibly and not thrashed with expectation of Dakar-like performance, and the improved braking, fuel injection, fantastic lighting, and a general spruce up has made it an even better proposition than the previous model – and that’s saying something.
The panniers supplied with the Adventure model really won our hearts. They’re compact, weigh bugger-all, lock and unlock with the ignition key and take all of a few seconds to fit or remove. We really liked them. In combination with the rack there’s more than enough luggage space for most riders to handle multiday trips.
As far as we’re concerned the Gen03 KLR is incredibly comfortable, off-road capable and absolutely superb value for the asking price. It’s not a high-performance unit, but neither are most adventure riders, and hopefully the rock-solid reliability which has been the hallmark of the KLR brand for three decades or so will continue with this model.
If it does, it’ll be an out-and-out winner.
Recommended price: $9999 plus on-road costs. Web: kawasaki.com.au
Engine type: Liquid-cooled, DOHC, four-valve, four-stroke single
Displacement: 652cm³
Bore x stroke: 100mm x 83mm
Horsepower: 25.5kW (34hp) at 6000rpms Torque: 51.5Nm at 4500rpm
Compression ratio: 9.8:1
Front fork: 41mm telescopic fork. 200mm travel Rear suspension: Uni Trak, single shock with adjustable rebound damping and adjustable spring preload. 185mm travel Rake angle: 30º Trail: 121mm
Steering
(left/right):
Ignition system: Transistorised ignition
Lubrication
Big Red
Rod Taylor threw himself into a challenge with the Simpson dune.
Big Red and I glared at each other across the sand.
“I’ll have ya,” I muttered.
“Yeah, right. You on that thing?” it replied.
The large sand dune that marks the edge of the Simpson Desert is not easily intimidated.
Although I’d been practicing for a few months, it was after a long spell away from dirt bikes, and the sand business had me foxed for a while. I know now it takes about a day to get back into the groove.
Bad decision
After a long ride across the Hay Plain I met the others in Mildura before we turned north up the Silver City Highway to Broken Hill. From there it was an easy
ride to Tibooburra before the real fun began, but not before my first mistake.
I was soon to realise how unprepared I was for this kind of caper, beginning with my choice of tyres.
I hadn’t appreciated how much heavy-duty sand we’d be riding and had fitted a set of what my mates called ‘Chicken Wings’ to my DR650. The bike was great but the tyres were not. I’d fitted road-oriented tyres imagining I’d arrive in Broken Hill with a near fresh set while the others would show up having lost their…ahem…knobs.
But the joke was, well, on me. My rear tyre was near bald while theirs looked brand-spankers. Clearly I couldn’t keep riding on the Dunlops,
so Dave and I let the others go ahead while we stared forlornly at a new set of tyres in the window of the bike shop and waited for it to open.
The next day we were off.
Lovin’ it
You know they say in your dying breath you’ll see your life flash before your eyes?
For me I can still imagine those magic moments. Dave and I pinged through Tibooburra then onto our bush camp at Olive Downs where the others were waiting.
The sun was setting across the burntorange country as we hoofed it into the nicely cambered corners. I pushed the front tyre into the centre ridge, gunning it. Every so often I could see a puff of Dave’s dust just ahead. We were in the groove, bookin’ it and loving every moment. I wish we were there now.
Compromise
As we rode the first patch of dirt, my dormant skills slowly reawakened,
preparing me for the sand ahead. It helped when we lowered my tyre pressures, but that kind of behaviour on a road bike is normally cause for alarm.
On soft dirt and sand, the vague, I dunno, ‘maybe-I’ll-go-the-way-you-want-or-maybe-I-won’t’ feeling from the bike was really disconcerting until I settled in. But then it’s like any good relationship. If you try to over-control it, things won’t go well. It’s much better to negotiate a shared understanding with your bike and, if it wanders off course a bit, don’t get too alarmed.
‘So, bikey darling, I was thinking we might, you know, turn left a bit. Whaddaya say?’
‘Mmm, could do, maybe. Soon, but I’m kinda liking the right side a bit, you know? Can I get back to you?’
‘Yeah honey. That’s great. But turning left soon would be peachy because, well, there’s this large tree ahead and I’m kinda hoping we don’t hit it.’
And so on. I had to get used to it because it was to be my life until the tar returned.
u Main: ‘So, bikey darling, I was thinking we might, you know, turn left a bit. Whaddaya say?’
Above: The author speared off the bike and ploughed face-first into the sand.
Words: Rod Taylor. Images: Rod Taylor and Jacquelyn O’Hara
Fall-back position
By the time we made it to Cameron Corner I’d pretty much figured it out, which was a good thing, because we were soon to meet some really serious, heavy-duty sand. With my new(ish) knobby on the rear and the Chicken Wing on the front, I was powering through the slop.
The most important trick was accepting the front tyre didn’t care much where the wheels were pointing. With the right amount of power and body positioning I could surf it over the top. While the handlebars mostly ignored me, the throttle was my friend and, ‘If in doubt, gun it,’ (but not too much).
A few times the bike disappeared into a sludgy dune and I’d roll on the throttle, transfer weight to the ’pegs and, when the going eased up slightly, sit down again to save energy.
Dave was also on a DR650. It was great for the job, although when the goo got too deep it didn’t have enough power to keep the speed up.
don’t know how DT managed to slog his 1200GS through there, but he did. In one section my bike ran out of puff and when I slowed in front of him, he dropped it.
Mind game
Eventually we made it to Birdsville and my appointment with Big Red. don’t recall exactly, but maybe I mused over the strange business of riding a bike.
When you think about it, there’s only four things you can do. You can: twist the throttle; apply the brakes; move the ’bars; and move your body. That got me thinking, why is it so difficult? More recently I read about a project where researchers built an AI system that could ride a bicycle using only two neurons. By this stage I was feeling a bit cocky and thought that, if I hit Big Red fast enough, momentum would pull me through.
Actually, I don’t remember much more than that because, a moment later, both my neurons shut down.
The so-called ‘best practice’ of riding up Big Red involves riding OVER the
dune rather than THROUGH it. Witness testimonies from the day say I speared off the bike and ploughed face-first into the sand and, when I came-to, I saw worried faces peering at me.
I was about to hop on the bike and ride back to our campsite when they grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and bundled me into a car. Someone rode my bike back for me and, while I reorganised my missing neurons, they straightened the subframe. That night, somebody shoved a beer into my hand and the next day I felt fine and ready to go. We headed north to Boulia and Bedourie where we found – you guessed it – more sand.
Top left: The middle of nowhere. Magic country.
Bottom left: DT managed to slog his 1200GS through there, but eventually dropped it.
Above: Keeping an appointment with Big Red.
Below: Getting as far away from the sand as possible.
Older and wiser
That was 2009 when I had fewer grey hairs. These days I’m riding a Tiger 800XC, which is great. It can still do a bit of sand and it’s better on the road, but I don’t have anything to prove and I’m not so excited about riding the heavy-duty stuff. think now I’ve fully recovered from that episode, although I’m still spitting out bits of Big Red that lodged in the back of my throat.
Now I can’t wait for the plague to ease so we can get back on the bikes to explore this wonderful country.
The most universal and intuitive throttle lock ever made!
Made from hardened stainless steel that will last the life of your motorcycle.
A “throttle Lock” can be a little misleading because this product doesn’t actually “lock” the throttle of your motorcycle. When it’s engaged it simply holds your throttle in any position you leave it in. When you want to adjust your speed, simply rotate the throttle like normal. It uses pressure and friction to prevent the throttle from rotating freely. The unit is clamped to the plastic throttle tube, between the rubber grip flange and the throttle housing. The Throttle Lock has two buttons, one to engage the unit the other to disengage the unit.
You can override the ATLAS at any time. When you have the ATLAS Throttle Lock engaged you can increase or decrease your speed by simply twisting the throttle as you ride. The Throttle Lock comes in two configurations. A Top Kit and a Bottom Kit. Both units work exactly the same, the only difference is where it mounts on the throttle tube.
Exclusive to Rocky Creek Designs
circuits Southern
There’s a plethora of unsealed and sealed roads that duck, twist and weave between the crystal-clear streams, fern-filled depressions, plantations and towering gums of western Victoria’s southern regions. Graeme Sedgwick went in search of some of the best.
The postage-stamp sized village of Moriac became my start point before heading to Deans Marsh, an even smaller hamlet boasting a magnificent store-come-bakery café. At any other time it would also have been a perfect place to stop, but I had no time to enjoy either if I was to make it through a loosely planned southern circuit following Cape Otway Road.
Barwon Downs beckoned, and after a short plantation detour immediately south of Seven Bridges Road and north of Yaugher, I rolled into Forrest, a very on-trend destination these days, with a brewery, café, pub and hideaway accommodation. It’s in stark contrast to when the town was a narrow-gauge railhead for fresh-cut timber.
Variety
With Forrest in the mirrors I headed for Road Knight Creek’s gravel, which morphed into Ridge Road to Karwarren East before veering more westerly above
u
Words and images: Graeme Sedgwick
Main: Author Graeme Sedgwick
Gellibrand and then north on Wonga Road and White Peg Road. Black Bridge Road turned out to be a narrow line of bitumen that demanded attention as it wove its way to the village of Carlisle River. The run, almost deserted midweek except for locals and the odd, lackadaisical motorists seemingly bereft of any peripheral vision, wound down into what can quickly become one of the wettest parts of the Otway Range, attested to by several significant water storages. Black Bridge Road intersects Gellibrand River Road, and an observant rider can spot the western beginning of Egans Track, which runs through the water catchment known as Arkins Creek. It’s one of the least-known, but largest, of the western Otways watersheds, managed by the South West Water Authority, and an important part of Warrnambool’s water-supply system – a destination, by
the way, that’s home to George Taylor’s Vintage and Rare Motorcycle Collection at 159 Lava Street, Warrnambool. Egans Track is a veritable roller coaster of gravel. At times it’s a little narrower than ideal, and it runs to a T-intersection just southwest of Wyelangata and on the Lavers Hill-Beech Forest Road for a couple of kilometres. I turned onto Wait-a-While Road, which became Seaview Road at its southern end, and connected for a run along part of the Great Ocean Road before spearing off to the left to complete a circuit of Red Johanna Road and Blue Johanna Road before running up to Lavers Hill to recharge.
As it turned out, Lavers Hill gave an opportunity to engage with a bunch of seasoned adventurer riders
Left: The central Otways offer plenty of diverse terrain, all of it great riding.
Below: A spectacular panorama across Apollo Bay’s fishing harbour from Busty Road. Below insert: Crowes is a worthy historical stop to ponder what was once a significant point on the only rail line into the depths of the Otways.
out of Warrnambool. It seemed they’d ridden just about everywhere, including Indonesia and South Africa.
Unfamiliar
From Lavers Hill an unsealed, dry-weather track wiggled its way northward to eventually intersect with Gellibrand River Road a second time and I turned further south, skirting Mount Mckenzie just before Chapple Vale.
Given my riding ability, particularly when I was solo and unsure of what was ahead, this section had caused a little apprehension. I encountered some sand and found myself continually thinking, ‘Hang loose, you goose’. I made it, although I was a little frayed around the edges, and Chapple Vale was an opportunity to reset and acknowledge the point, ‘If you want to be free, you have to let go’. It’s crazy logic, I’m sure you’ll
SouThern CirCuiTS
agree. But at the time it struck a chord with me, partially because when on unfamiliar terrain I do tend to clench my grips tight – although not as much as I did a few short years ago.
Princetown
I continued southward along Gellibrand River Road to a T-intersection at Lower Gellibrand where again I briefly joined the Great Ocean Road before heading up Boulevarde Road to Ferguson Hill, my circuit’s westernmost point. Princetown Road ran south to a sleepy, but pretty, sheltered coastal village of the same name where there were a number of accommodation options.
Narrow-gauge
Beyond Princetown the Old Ocean Road is a relaxed, hard-packed, yellow-gravel detour that wanders the inland side of the Gellibrand River, rising slightly through blind corners to its intersection with the Great Ocean Road at Lower Gellibrand –the same intersection where I’d earlier exited north. This time I chose south for a very brisk tarmac squirt to Crowes, the end point for Victoria’s third of four narrow-gauge railway lines. It was the state’s last narrow-gauge to be closed in 1962 and was once a significant point in the only rail line into the depths of the Otways.
Having travelled enough unsealed tracks and narrow bitumen I pointed the front wheel at Lavers Hill then south via the Great Ocean Road to Glenaire, and it was a tarmac joy. The run from Glenaire to Hordern Vale is a cracker too, probably because I’d like to think its rhythm suited my talent – if that makes sense. From Hordern Vale I detoured north at Cape Horn on to Binns Road to run up into the Aire Valley Plantation, a place, God only knows why, that never ceases to capture my fascination.
Warning
Maybe it’s because of where it sits high within the heart of the Otways, where views between canyons of tall timber, or wide panoramas where tree felling has taken place, can be epic. Or maybe it’s the physical nature of dirt roads with names like Horse Paddock, Satin Box and Seaview which crawl between plantations. Whatever it is, Aire Valley is a magic place for me. It pays to be careful in there, though. The roads aren’t the widest and the escape routes aren’t particularly attractive. Many of them creep along the outside of steep drop offs. Choices are few north of the Aire Valley Plantation’s narrow delights. The best main exit east is Turton Pass, a fantastic twisting road that’s seldom 100-per-cent dry and with plenty of tight stuff to rivet the attention while requiring a rider to be very aware of occasional oncoming traffic – further motivation for my choosing to ride midweek.
Turton’s is a rewarding experience in either direction. This time I rode to Haines Junction, where another choice presents itself: head
Above: Skirting Mount Mckenzie just before Chapple Vale.
Below: Beyond Princetown the Old Ocean Road is a relaxed, hard-packed, yellow gravel detour.
north to Forrest and beyond if you’ve had enough, or continue south via Wild Dog Creek Road, a narrow, unsealed twister along which it’s not uncommon to encounter deer.
Resting wombats or bouncing kangaroos could be moving targets, but deer are fast-moving and solid.
For Lorne
Don’t miss turning up Busty Road at Krambruk North to enjoy a spectacular panorama across Apollo Bay’s fishing harbour, unsurprisingly, the site of one of the best fish-and-chip eateries.
Before rejoining Wild Dog Road’s southern end, kick back for a moment and enjoy the peacefully curved shoreline of Apollo Bay, a year-round place of tranquillity.
Just a little further on from Lorne, Victoria’s version of Noosa
Above: Away from Lavers, an unsealed, dry-weather track wiggles its way northward.
Below: Cape Patton.
Heads, Apollo Bay’s expansive seascape is always a wonderful place to pause.
Zigzagging
A short run up Skenes Creek Road was a fun ascent away from the surging surf, and beyond Haines Junction there’s an obscure shortcut to Mt Sabine, the Otway’s highest point. Mt Sabine’s early agricultural potential never had a chance because of a refusal to extend the narrow-gauge rail or any sort of formed road.
The switchback run along Sunnyside Road down to the Great Ocean Road opened the door for a further blast along the tourist highway before escaping up Grey River Road, a mostly narrow, twisting thoroughfare. The curves continue after Cape Patton, but there’s the choice to continue up Wye River Road to re-unite with the main Benwerrin-Mt Sabine gravel artery that runs the spinal length of the Otway Range. It provides access to any number of seasonal tracks either side of its passage toward Benwerrin, where one can either exit north to Deans Marsh and beyond if time limits further adventure, or continue right to engage a cracking downhill tarmac blast along the southern leg of the Deans MarshLorne road to once again re-join the Great Ocean Road and continue toward Aireys Inlet.
Satisfaction
Before my final detour away from the Great Ocean Road I blasted up Big Hill Track, which at an earlier time in my short riding career had caught me out, much to the delight of a more expert rider who had led that day.
With Big Hill conquered and with the day’s end not far away, I headed toward Seaview Road and via Boonah Road running up to Peter’s Hill Fire Tower – just southeast of an area known as Paddy Swamp – that offered plenty of singletrack and wider forestry choices for anyone feeling underdone.
On this occasion daylight
saving was in my favour. I faced up to a couple of passages was keen to conquer that required navigating Hughes and Denham Tracks, the latter’s middle sections more about proving to myself I could do them.
Even though I was between an increasingly rich envelope of vivid colour and growing shadows that signalled the day’s sunlight was fast failing, I was aware of a host of watching eyes in the undergrowth. It definitely wasn’t the time to blot an otherwise rewarding ride.
I got into the flow, probably because I’d been in the saddle for two days and seemed to be more relaxed. I let the bike do the work, rolling up, over, down, around and through what had previously been obstacles, and it all definitely felt better. That said, I hasten to add there remains lots of scope for improvement. I’d found a new respect for second, third and fourth gear, positioning my body and looking ahead – I felt a level of inner satisfaction so good it’s almost impossible to comprehend unless you’ve felt it yourself.
Why we do it
The continuum of less-hectic gravel quickly blurred into darkness as I closed in on the coastal township of Anglesea. It had been, by my measure at least, a sizable southern excursion that delivered in spades. Almost half the terrain was classified as secondary narrow or unsealed thoroughfares, topped up with an ample serve of lesser-travelled sections and some ripping coastal tarmac, all with a raft of breathtaking vistas. The decision to call it a day was an easy one.
I parked alongside the ocean and the river that splits the peaceful township which once shared two different names before its single identity, Anglesea, and sat down to an enjoyable fill of Rose’s best Chinese take-away. It was a magic end to a great ride. I guess that’s why we keenly seek new circuits and adventures.
Tora Bora Destination
Tora Bora was only a short trip, but it was worth doing for two reasons: first, the sheer audacity of our intended destination – the former stomping ground of Osama bin Laden; and second, we had two Afghan riders with us for the first time. Locals did accompany us on weekend rides, but not on trips outside the ‘safety net’ of Kabul.
Realistically, most Afghans probably weren’t stupid enough to join these jaunts, but this wasn’t the case with Tora Bora, and we were joined by two local hipsters, Masoud and Jami.
I lived with Masoud and he was one of the first Afghans I befriended when moved to Afghanistan in 2006. Highly intelligent, he was nicknamed ‘Rightclick’ at the age of 12 because of his computer skills. Jami was Masoud’s boss and one of the many Afghans who left under Taliban rule. He went to Sweden for an education and all the other benefits privileged Afghans could access outside their homeland. He returned after 9/11 with money in hand to invest back into his country. Together they were Afghanistan’s next generation – language savvy and street smart.
J’bad
As with previous trips, we geared up early and took off late, carrying limited supplies knowing we’d be passing through many large towns, including Jalalabad, where provisions were plentiful. Although we’d tackled the Kabul-to-Jalalabad highway and the stunning Tang-e Gharu gorge by the Kabul River many times, we still needed to have our wits about us. Translated as ‘Devil’s Gully’, the Tang-e Gharu gorge section of road snaked beneath jagged, towering cliffs that were literally breathtaking, having regularly claimed countless lives over the years. It wasn’t uncommon to see lorries careening off the side, flocks of sheep spilling out of trucks, or just the small Mafioso children controlling traffic on the one-way tunnel system.
The Battle of Gandamak, which took place in 1842 on a hill beside the Kabul-Jalalabad road, is the stuff of legend and just one of many colourful incidents during the first Anglo-Afghan war.
Arriving wounded on horseback, Scottish surgeon William Brydon was the sole survivor (there were a handful of others, but why spoil a good story?) out of 4500 British troops and 12,000 camp followers routed by local tribesmen during the retreat from Kabul. Before the British left Afghanistan, an Army Of Retribution razed the town of Charikar, over 50 kilometres from Kabul, killing most of the inhabitants to avenge the British garrison massacre.
Khoon ba khoon shosta namisha (blood cannot be washed with blood).
Left: Numerous stops to snap ‘hero-shots’ – ‘selfies’ in today’s parlance. Kabul-to-Jalalabad highway overlooking Tang-e Gharu gorge or ‘Devil’s Gully’.
Above insert: Passing through many large towns, including Jalalabad, meant there was no need to carry much on the bikes. u
Beard’s Afghanistan adventures continue.
We sped up, keen to put some distance between ourselves and the ghosts of Gandamak, 56 kilometres from our destination, and made it through the pass in two hours, stopping at the mujahideen tankcarcass lookout at Sarobi to take a few photos with the locals.
Reaching Jalalabad before dark was our only real goal.
Story
Once in Jalalabad, we headed for the river where our Afghan crew knew people to score the best local fried fish. With fried goodness in our bellies, the boys kicked back – beers in hand – and played rounds of poker for small change.
Looking back, acquiring beer on the streets of J’bad and Kabul was easy, and an indication Muslims were drinking way more than we saw from our sheltered expat community bubble.
After a night plagued by noisy motorised rickshaws that kept us awake, we needed to focus on the task ahead: our objective – Tora Bora.
Dubbed a ‘complex’ by the US government, the craggy, rocky precipice translates from Pashto as ‘black cave’. The bin Laden fortress was believed to be a rabbit warren of tunnels with interconnecting chambers, supply rooms, weapons, and gadgetry. Elaborate graphics were published by the world’s press depicting a high-tech underground lair befitting a James Bond film. A work of mythology, the drawings echo those elusive weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq – more fantasy than fact, as US Special Forces discovered when they searched the cave complex.
The US, with its superior firepower, tried to blow the mountains to smithereens with bunker busters designed to hit underground targets. Alas, they barely penetrated the surface rocks. Bin Laden, the villain in this military-funded action story, narrowly escaped the aerial bombardment to fight another day, only to be caught and executed at a later date.
Show stopper
With no real guide or directions to the actual location of the mountains, except for common knowledge the caves were east of Jalalabad, we optimistically set off on what we thought would be a pleasant Sunday ride through the countryside. We started on blissfully smooth bitumen with golden wheat and corn fields flanking us on both sides, and, in no rush, made numerous stops to snap what we called ‘hero-shots’ – ‘selfies’ in
Top left: The Tang-e Gharu gorge section of road snaked beneath jagged, towering cliffs that were literally breathtaking. Left: With literacy levels in Afghanistan being some of the lowest in the world, icon-based awareness signs are used to get the dangerous message across. u
today’s parlance. It seemed as idyllic as other parts of rural Afghanistan. Even our fellow Afghan riders were quite impressed by the tranquillity. But peace and harmony can be very deceptive in Afghanistan. As we’d experienced in Nuristan, a lack of activity is cause for concern. In this location it wasn’t the lack of human presence, but more a premonitory sense of the unknown. Around the next corner, the westernbuilt road abruptly ended and gave way to moderate graded dirt and gravel. The adobe villages were scruffy and the bucolic agriculture fields of corn and potatoes were replaced by weeds and poppy. Fewer roadside shops were open in each village we passed through and there was a still feeling in the air. All of
Stuck behind a US military convoy.
Close range
We were tantalisingly close. Only inhospitable terrain lay between us and the infamous caves. We pulled over, and as this was their country, Jack asked Masoud and Jami to call our next move. After a brief exchange in their native Dari, they told us this was not a place they felt safe in. They were concerned that – while we might be lucky enough to reach Tora Bora in one piece – the return journey was not guaranteed. Masoud also pointed out we foreigners were prime kidnap currency.
It was a Pashtun-dominated area, close to the Pakistani border, that still had a lot of support for Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Reluctantly, we bid farewell to bin Laden’s caves and rode back through the now frosty, yet sunny, meadows, tails between our legs.
us were tuned into it and we regularly exchanged visual signals.
It wasn’t until we rode into an unknown village our concerns were confirmed. A large group of men spilled out of a mosque after Friday prayers, just as we rode directly in front of them. Masoud was dressed in tight black jeans, a T-shirt with sequenced eagle insignia and a bandana around his head. He looked like he’d just dropped in from an ’80s disco. All he was missing were roller skates.
It was like one of those scenes straight out of a western where the good guy walks into the saloon, the music and conversation stops and a dog barks at the good guy. The only difference here was there was no saloon and no music. Conversations stopped dead, heads turned in our direction and dogs started barking with what seemed like more ferocity than before. Hastily we rode on through the village, not turning our heads towards the conversing mob, focusing intently on the road ahead.
After a few kilometres we saw the unmistakable Tora Bora mountain range in the distance.
As I glanced back at the Spin Ghar Range, I felt it was taunting me.
Copping a spray
On our return to Kabul, around the Sarobi district, we got stuck behind a US military convoy. It was a common sight, and standard practice for the convoys to hog the road in both directions. Civilian vehicles and their frustrated drivers were forced to crawl behind at a safe distance of 100 metres, while American gunners waved 50calibre rifles, fitted with green laser sights, and pointed at anyone who could ram a car laden with explosives up their arse.
This and many more of Travis’ Afghan adventures will be available in a soon-tobe-published book The Bullet is Faster than the Bike. You can follow Travis @NotB412 or visit www.notb412.com Top: An open road can be very deceptive in Afghanistan.
On this occasion, yours truly and a car full of Afghans spotted a gap by the side of the road and thought it would be a good opportunity to slip past the Humvee and its heavily armed occupants. About 50 metres into our attempt, we were greeted with a volley of 50-cal bullets that sprayed the tarmac in front of us. Sheepishly, we pulled back into the gridlocked traffic with dented pride, while my fellow riders cursed me from under their red, Chinesemade helmets.
The Bullet is Faster than the Bike
Walcha Motorcycle Rally
Walcha, in the northern tablelands of NSW, hosted a bike rally in November of 2021. That’s not big news. The big news was the Armidale Adventure Riders Facebook group offering a few rides for the dualsport brigade. Adventure Rider Magazine lobbed up to see how things went.
Sometimes it can be a little uncomfortable to be around bikie types with chapter titles and embroidered badges all over their leather jackets, but at the Walcha Motorcycle Rally everyone seemed to get on just fine. Beautifully restored bikes, show bikes, rat bikes and Urals all sat side-by-side in the showground near the centre of town, and a friendly spirit was everywhere.
We had to grin to ourselves as some aspects of the weekend catapulted us back to memories of our youth: a burnout competition, an MC encouraging everyone to make sure they weren’t short of alcoholic drinks and a good old-fashioned parade through the centre of town were part of it. But it was the adventure side of things had The Boss, editor TF, ad manager Mitch, Adventure Moto’s Chris Bostleman and KLR aficionado Mac Attack Eggins making their way to the small, bike-friendly town on a weekend where the weather alternated between light rain and blazing sunshine.
below:
Top right: All welcome, big and small, old and new.
Below right: Chris Bostelman can’t help himself. If someone’s having a problem, he has to help.
They will come
Although part of the general Walcha Motorcycle Rally festivities, the adventure section was handled by a very dedicated and organised group, headed up by Andy Burwell and Kim Barnett. Along with a team of a dozen or so, the Armidale crew put together some routes, supplied maps, and – sort of – arrowed the courses (riders had to learn to spot a yellow kind-ofpointer-thing sprayed on the road. A bit of an ‘L’ shape meant that was the direction to turn). The highlight of the weekend was a choice of short and long loops, and, on Saturday, a ride for the more experienced which included steep hills, sharp turns, wet holes and slippery conditions
Above and
Aussie actor Ben Mingay’s helmet was horn…because it had an Adventure Rider Magazine sticker.
Above: Andy Burwell and the Armidale Adventure riders did a mountain of work and delivered a great couple of days riding.
walCha moTorCyCle rally
Easing in
While the executive branch of the Adventure Rider Magazine operation made its way up from Sydney, the sensible, mid-north-coast-based pair of TF and the Mac Attack rolled in on Friday to catch the briefing, grab a route sheet and head out for a couple of hours of absolutely premium dirt-road rorting through gorgeous pastureland. Everything was lush and green, the cattle – and riders –were fat and happy, and the two hours or so passed in a flash.
For anyone wondering, TF once again displayed his navigation prowess by offering, “They look like they know where they’re going. Just follow them.” The Mac Attack, in his usual considered way, pointed out there was a yellow squiggle on the road and asked a passing farmer.
A 180-degree turn had the KLR pair back on track in no time.
Back at the showground Mat Hodge from Ural was sitting on a sidecar looking a little lonely, so a trip to the food court set up a huge lunch with coffee, and everyone settled in to see rear tyres destroyed, the sidecar gymkhana, and a wander around to look at some of the eye-popping bikes on display, including a beautifully restored SL100 we thought stole the show.
A band kicked off after dark, but by that time the elderly and responsible KLR duo had called it a day.
Serious
Saturday offered alternating sunshine and light rain, and the administrative side of the magazine, having arrived the night before from the Sydney head office, rolled up to find the hard-bitten real-riding pair geared up and ready to go.
We’re still in awe of how much hard work and commitment went into setting the routes and ensuring everything ran smoothly. The ‘more-advanced’ section on Saturday turned out to be a ball-tearer downhill with some tight turns, some slippery, muddy bits and a ball-shrinking dropoff edge all the way down. At the bottom was a gorgeous picnic area.
The views across the valley on the descent were sensational, and even though the light rain stopped while everyone was at the bottom, the climb back up the hill was enough of a challenge to satisfy the keen technical riders.
That, and the $500 the Armidale guys and girls raised for the Westpac Rescue
Helicopter Service, made the whole weekend worthwhile.
Same again
Around 160 adventure riders signed on for the rally in 2021, and the Armidale Adventure Riders made sure those riders were well rewarded for their attendance.
The plan is to repeat the experience at the 2022 rally, and if you enjoy a great bike weekend and some superb riding, you should get there if you can. The date’s already been announced: November 18 and 19.
Lock it in, Eddy.
Armidale Adventure Riders
Armidale Adventure Riders is a group whose members share a love of riding, especially in the New England region of NSW. There’s an organised ride on the second Sunday of each month and all are welcome. Look it up on Facebook to get in touch.
With a natural feel of the Human Motion® Hinge and protection of Full Coverage Impact Guards, the most comfortable knee brace on the planet will keep your adventure going for longer.
Left: Smiles everywhere, from Kim Barnett and daughter Bee Barnett at the front gate through to the campground and everywhere in between. Above: The Harley-Davidson folks put the editor on a LiveWire. No charge. His reaction was positive. We’re not just giving Harley a plug.
Below: Eye-popping bikes on display, including some beautiful restorations.
KTM’s legend rider and marketing manager Rosie Lalonde was keen for us to go for a burl on the new 1290 Super Adventure R, and after Craig Hartley’s story last issue, we were equally keen to see for ourselves what he’d been raving about.
But then we mentioned we’d been busting for a goof-off ride with photographer Wilko, and, seeing as he’d just parked an 890 in his garage, we were going to try and put that together.
“Awesome!” purred Rosie in her delightful Canadiany/Frenchy/Aussie accent, “We’ll give Wilko a 1290 too!”
Take it easy
So it came to be. Two 2021 KTM 1290 Adventure Rs were handed over and a ride was scheduled. Planning was kept to a minimum – by Wilko’s standards. It was a finely tuned example of precision logistics by Adventure Rider Magazine standards – and with the sun belting down on a hot Saturday the pair headed out of Grafton in NSW’s north to see what they thought of the bikes, get a few pics, and, most of all, enjoy a little low-stress riding fun. The tone was set by a 10.00am start. There was to be no rushing around and panicking about anything on this weekend away, least of all predawn starts.
Fork me
As usual, Wilko had the menu on the 1290 well sorted. He’d decided which throttle setting he liked, the ABS arrangement he wanted and the modes which would suit various parts of the journey. TF wobbled along, pushing buttons and flicking switches to see what would happen, and even occasionally setting off the hazard lights and pointing gleefully at the result as though he’d done something clever. Eventually the pair found themselves at Dalmorton, a series of disused huts beside the picturesque Boyd River. They pulled up for a few pics and a highly technical and professional discussion on the performance of the two bikes.
Left: With the fuel way down in the new, low-slung tanks, and the slim feeling of the seat-tank junction, the big Adventure R offers the rider a great feeling of confidence, even when traction is sketchy.
Wilko felt the suspension was exceptional, especially the action of the forks over rough ground. He didn’t expect they’d match the performance of the cone-valve forks on his 890 when he started to push the bike hard, but he thought the stock set up front and rear was an excellent match for the bike’s size and weight. He cranked up the preload on the rear a few turns to compensate for the luggage and looked very happy.
TF’s contribution was that his bike felt ‘a bit hard’ and it was ‘clunking an’ that’. He didn’t feel there was any need to look at or adjust anything, and that ‘she’d be right’.
While TF amused himself piddling on an ant’s nest and giggling at the ensuing commotion, Wilko loosened of the top triple clamp grub screw, tightened the steering-head nut a quarter of a turn or so, retightened the grub screw and checked the compression and rebound settings.
Like so many European bikes the left fork leg handles compression and the right rebound, and the thumb clickers on the top make adjustment easy.
Click-click-clickedy-click went Wilko before quietly and patiently explaining the compression was seven clicks harder
than standard. TF continued his impressions of Aggro from Cartoon Corner in the window of a nearby deserted hut and seemed very pleased with himself.
Puddle pic
Underway again, the famous Convict Tunnel – which really has nothing to do with convicts – soon appeared. It was on Wilko’s planned photo-location list, so the pair pulled up, TF explaining he must’ve
settled into the bike because, “…it’s going fricken awesome now. And hey look! That fork seal’s stopped leaking!”
Wilko quietly packed his fork-seal cleaner back into his toolkit and issued instructions for the photo shoot.
With the photos in the bag the pair mounted up and headed for a rendezvous at Deepwater, about 40km north of Glen Innes.
The crew
As always with a Wilko plan, the riders were ready and waiting at Deepwater.
Carl Hooton on a well-prepped Ténéré 700, Paul Whitford with a schmick-looking Triumph 900 Tiger and Richard Apps on another T7 were propped next to the bakery and ready to go.
After greetings, introductions and a rundown of the proposed afternoon’s route, the group set off for what turned out to be a superb afternoon’s dualsporting. Wilko had set the route to suit the 1290s and the bikes were totally at home blasting along the granitic roads and loose-surfaced twin tracks.
The 1290s were 2021 models, and a vastly different proposition to the 2020 model ridden in issue #44. While the motor, suspension and electronics on the new model are probably very similar to that previous bike, the ergonomics are hugely improved, and it makes a massive difference to the rider’s perception of everything else on the bike. The feeling of top heaviness and ungainliness has gone. The new bike is as big as a 1290 would be expected to be, but with the fuel way down in the new, low-slung tanks, and the slim feeling of the seat-tank junction, the big Adventure R is a delight to work hard on sketchy loose roads and gives lounge-chair plushness on long road stretches. It really is incredibly comfortable and surprisingly capable on the bitumen, and far, far less imposing on gravel and loose surfaces than the previous model.
Modes of transport
TF duly rode back and forth through the shitty, slimy mud puddle as requested, which may or may not have been some level of payback from the man behind the camera. Left: The lush, green valleys and fog-covered ridgelines of Harrigan’s Lane.
As with all the new big-capacity bikes, the electronics on the 1290 can easily be overwhelming. But really, once riders settle in to what they like, they’ll probably not change modes
Top left: The new 1290 Adventure R is a whole lot different to the last one. It’s a sight-seeing delight.
Below: Carl is a relative newcomer to adventure riding. His Ténéré 700 is a good-looking bit of gear.
TwinS
too often. TF liked Rally mode with the Rally throttle and Street ABS for about 99 per cent of the time. The trick behind the Street ABS was it still allowed the use of cruise control.
Wilko didn’t like the Rally setting on the throttle at all – he preferred the softer response in Street – but liked the Offroad setting for ABS so he could ‘do skids’. Both riders could have their choices down to the tiniest detail. It’s incredible the amount of personalisation the big bikes are offering these days, and KTM has done a superb job with the way its menu and modes operate. Having the ABS and traction control as adjustable, independent of the modes, took some getting used to, but it’s a brilliant idea. In Rally mode, of course, traction control is on the constantly variable ‘slip’ function which the rider operates via the cruise-control speed-selection buttons under the left thumb and forefinger, and TF on the Adventure Rider Magazine bike made full use of that glorious system to try and look good…not too successfully, it has to be said, but he clearly enjoyed himself.
Wilko had organised a motel in Tenterfield and, after a fairly spectacular storm resulted in a blackout which was to last the whole night, the riders settled into a selection of pizzas eaten by the light of a mobile phone outside the room before retiring for a quiet and restful evening listening to the grumbling thunder in the distance (it was unsure whether the horrendous ferocity of the storm event was the result of meteorological activity in Tonga or Novak Djokovic’s head exploding at being told to pack his bags. Reliable news reporting was scarce out on the trails).
The cavalry
The group split up the next morning. Paul and Appsie had organised to tag up with another batch of mates for the Sunday trip back to their hometowns, so Wilko, Carl and TF pottered off to the incredibly beautiful Carnham Road, aiming for Jackadgery General Store and its justly famous burgers to finish the weekend.
Of course, it wouldn’t have been a Wilko ride without a waterfall.
The three had grins a mile wide as they cruised along the lush, green valleys and fog-covered ridgelines of Harrigan’s Lane until finally arriving at Boorook Creek, which, after the rain of the previous night, had a cataract running which clearly lived up to Wilko’s standards.
“I reckon,” said the unflappable snapper, “we should get a pic of one of the bikes riding along those wet rocks at the top of the falls.”
Eyeballs swivelled rapidly from side to side as Carl and TF surveyed the wet rocks and the deep, fast-moving water and both arrived at the same conclusion: any slip
of a wheel on that lot and bike and rider would be over the edge on their way to the Pacific Ocean at high speed.
“It looks like a Tom thing,” said Carl, showing a degree of cunning surprising in one so young.
After much stalling and excuse making, TF finally mounted up and prepared to do his job. Then, suddenly, a herd of Urals appeared and voices could be heard over the sounds of coffee machines, small fridges and the clattering of barbeques and biscuit tins full of Coffee Creams: “Is that Tom?” “It’s Tom!” “Tom!” Tom!”
TF heaved a big sigh of relief as the world’s happiest, friendliest group of riders pulled up for group hugs, handshakes and a bit of a chat.
He was pretty sure he’d been saved from a long swim.
None of it
But Wilko didn’t earn his fearsome reputation as The Nicest Photographer Ever by being easily distracted. After politely meeting and greeting the Ural crew he positioned Carl in an ‘emergency grab’ position and set TF to the task. Of course there was now an audience of 20 or so snack-munching Urallers keen see their mate at work, and that added mightily to the sense of occasion.
The rock crossing was managed, the pic was done, and aside from a minor slip turning the bike around after leaving the critical area, everything went well. There was some staining on the seat, but it quickly washed off with the application of Boorook Creek water, so it was all good.
No problem.
Road closed
As it happened, Carnham Road and its beautiful low bridges were closed due the swollen waterway, so Carl led the trio along Purgatory Creek Road and to another, equally scenic, crossing of the mighty Clarence River. It was lucky the three hadn’t arrived there any earlier, because from the way the water was backed up on the bridge’s edge, it can’t have been too safe a few hours before.
Above left: Leaking fork seal? No problem!
Left: Arriving a few hours earlier might have made the crossing difficult.
Right: The convict tunnel at Dalmorton doesn’t really have anything to do with convicts. u
Heads were dunked in the cold water, a few pics were taken, and then it was, ‘Hey up for Jackadgery!’ where the burgers were huge, the coffee hot and sweet, and one very happy and satisfying ride came to an end.
The bikes
This wasn’t a hard-core test of the 1290 Super Adventure R, but all the same, both bikes got a real workout in way Adventure Rider Magazine believes the overwhelming majority of owners will use them on a typical ride.
Left: It was a magic ride with a great deal of clowning around. Carl Hooton was the ringleader!
The pushies are a landmark on Mount Lindsay Road.
Above: Pizza by phone light. From left: Wilko, Appsie, Phil and ‘Corporal’ Carl.
Right: Over the wet rocks to safety.
There were several-hundred kilometres of freeway, country backroads and scenic country highway, lots of dirt twin track, a few gnarly little bits and pieces, and a great deal of clowning around and sightseeing. The KTMs were part of a group made up of very different bikes and riders and spent time cruising, fanging, bashing over rocks and through not-too-deep creek crossings, and they did it with total and absolute ease.
This 1290 is the bike which we feel should’ve followed the 1190 when
that model was pensioned off. The previous 1290 was worthy flagship, but the new model has that same easy-to-ride and fun feeling of the 1190, as well some truly startling performance for riders good enough to use it. It’ll suit long-distance riders of course, but for those who want to cruise and sightsee, be able to handle some rough stuff when it unexpectedly comes along, and place a high priority on comfort, the new 1290 Adventure R is probably the bike they’re looking for.
ALUMINIUM REINFORCED HANDGUARDS
Weekend escape to ebor
Hopper breaks free for a weekend blast through the NSW hills.
After three months of lockdown the invisible prison doors confining us to our LGA were lifted.
“Great,” she said. “We’ll be able to visit relatives and I need stuff from Spotlight.”
An emergency plea-bargaining call to her manager and a slab of Bundy-and-Coke saw her mysteriously rostered on for the weekend. I’d been planning a jaunt to Ebor in the New England region of NSW just prior to confinement, so that was the destination.
Extra
I left Newcastle at 6.50am knowing was in for a long day. Both me and the 890 were keen for a run, and despite heavy rain Bucketts Way and the backroads to Dungog and Monkerai and were in top shape.
After fuelling at Gloucester I headed for Bundook, just catching sight of a small sign which warned ‘Tri Road closed at Manning River due to bridge work’. It was obviously an old sign – or probably wouldn’t apply to adventure riders – so I ran off the 30 clicks to Bundook then 10km towards the Manning River,
only to find the road definitely was closed. Due to recent storms I’d checked with Walcha and Kempsey National Parks regarding the route I’d planned to take, and both indicated there might be a lot of trees down, but officially the parks were open. I’d also checked live traffic, but not for the ‘local’ area.
Back to Bundook I went, on the way flagging down a bunch of DR650 riders from Gloucester, thus saving them the ride down and back on the closed road.
“No worries,” they roosted. “Follow us!”
Bakers Creek Road was a good bit of dirt which took us back to Bucketts Way and then, 75km and the best part of an hour’s detour later, was back on my original track.
Knodingbul Road is an awesome 70km of dirt linking Nowendoc Road with the Oxley Highway, and usually after rain the northern section is quite slippery, but on this day it was in great condition and I rolled in to an early lunch at Gingers Creek, a popular sportsbike hangout on the Oxley Highway.
After a chat with the owner, Gary, and a much-needed splash of fuel – there was none at Bellbrook,
Kosekai Lookout has awesome, crystal-clear views over the Nambucca Valley towards the coast. u
Kawasaki to come
Words and images: Hopper
and with the extra 75km for the detour it would’ve been touch and go – I was on my way again.
Closed…sort of
About 17km along the twisting and winding Oxley Highway I turned on to Fenwicks Road to find another ‘Road Closed’ sign. There were plenty of tyre tracks so I forged on, and it turned out a bridge had been washed away. I was able to get through the creek and up a steepish bank to continue on.
Racecourse Trail through the Werrikimbe wilderness brought back many good memories of camping at Youdales Hut prior to National Park restrictions, and then Spokes Trail through to Kookaburra turned out to be the roughest part of the trip. It was quite rocky with several reasonable hills, and it wandered past Hoppys Lookout (I might not be as famous as the editor, but does he have a lookout named after him?).
There used to be an old schoolhouse there, but unfortunately it was one of the victims of the 2019/20 bushfires. It’s being transformed into a camping area and work was well underway as I passed by. Willi Willi lookout over the farmland along the Macleay River was too good to miss, so I pulled up for a couple for photos, then followed Mackenzies Creek Road and Balls Road to bring me across the Macleay River and into Bellbrook on the old Armidale-to-Kempsey Road. It was quite warm, so a cool drink, a packet of chips and some friendly banter with the locals was quite refreshing.
On me Patma
A few clicks of blacktop had me at another adventure-rider’s favourite: a great winding bit of dirt following the Macleay River to the popular campsite at Georges Junction.
The junction starts a long climb away from the river heading north and onto
for breakfast at the Old Butter Factory Café at Bellingen. It was a lot cheaper than my last visit when wife Jocelyn managed to find a leather shop with great quality product – which of course came at a great price (but she’s worth it).
headed to Bowraville, and even though there were numerous road-closure signs, the roads were certainly open and in good condition.
Styx River Road, which was rough but still fine on the big girl, past Georges Trail, a harder option coming up from Macleay River. Due to the time of day, and being with all my friends, I’d taken the easier option.
After a short detour into the stunning Point Lookout in New England National Park it was getting late and I wasn’t sure whether to do the short circuit walk. I was glad I did. The views just before sunset were magnificent.
I hit Waterfall Way for Ebor and checked out the popular cascades on the Guy Fawkes River on my way into town. They were in full flight following the heavy rain and a magnificent sight.
It was a good night at the Ebor pub where I was made most welcome by the new owners Chris and Annie. The service was great, and those of us who experienced the previous owner should put this pub back on the bike-friendly list.
Two groups of riders were also staying that night: one on the big Beemers and the other KTMs. It made for a great evening of banter and general sharing of info. I tried to plan a route on the GPS following info gleaned from the knowledgeable crew but failed miserably.
Feeling good
After a bit of a sleep-in and a chat with fellow campers I was away 8.45am, through Dorrigo and down the mountain
From Bowraville I took Lower North Arm Road to Argents Hill and some good gravel roads, the loose corners helping to keep me focused. One public gate and a paddock through private property took me out onto Kosekai Road and a climb to the scenic Kosekai Lookout for awesome, crystal-clear views over the Nambucca Valley towards the coast, right on the edge of a sheer drop with Mount Yarrahapinni in the distance. I snapped a few pics and took a few moments to appreciate the place.
More great riding had me on the main road just before Taylors Arm, where I had the customary drink and photo at The Pub With No Beer. There was a great band playing but hardly anyone was there.
I left Taylors Arm and detoured into Willawarrin for fuel before heading out through Toorooka to join Carrai Road back past Kookaburra. A few kilometres along Hasting Forest Way the Forbes River crossing was a little more interesting than expected, and then another great
stretch of dirt took me to Beechworth and Wauchope where I joined the highway and headed for home. All up it was 1175km for the weekend, and it was just so good to be back out riding.
I hope to see you out there.
Top left: Does the editor have a lookout named after him?
Top right: Racecourse Trail through the Werrikimbe wilderness brought back many good memories. Left: Ebor Falls. Flowing well after plenty of rain.
Top right: The customary drink and photo at The Pub With No Beer
Heffo
From 1980s Grand Prix motocross to adventure riding in the 2020s has been a natural progression for Yamaha stalwart, Lyndon ‘Heffo’ Heffernan.
Engadine’s Police Citizen’s Youth Club minibike club was the Heffernan brothers’ introduction to dirt-bike competition. With mother and father both keen and successful rally-car competitors, motorsport was in the boys’ blood.
After ‘fanging around the pits at Menai’ where riders like Stephen Gall learned their trade, Lyndon made his way to Europe and, doing things the hard way, held his own in Grand Prix motocross for three seasons.
“I didn’t have a factory ride like some of the guys do now,” remembered Heffo, now in his late 50s and based on the NSW south coast. “I did it pretty tough. I worked in the coal mines, which was fortunate, because I was earning a good dollar, and I spent all my own money racing in Europe.
“I qualified for a few GPs, just riding pretty-much a standard bike, but, y’know, it was the time of my life. I had an absolute ball. It was tough, but it was great fun racing with the likes of Håkan Carlqvist, Jacky Vimond, Eric Geboers and all the legends.
“Back then the tracks were just unbelievable. It was all really natural terrain, up mountainsides and through towns…it was so much better than it is today.
“Grand Prix motocross…it was awesome.”
People
A good friendship developed with Australia’s premier motocrosser of the time, Stephen Gall. As Gall’s racing career tapered off, he moved into coaching in a big way and Heffo found some benefit in that.
“It was a good relationship with Stephen.”
“He was moving towards the tail end of his racing career as I was coming into mine, and of course, as a lad I went to his schools like everyone did. started helping him out a bit, doing demos and whatever, and when he wanted to get out of fulltime coaching I took over the Academy of Off Road Riding in about 2000.”
The Academy took Lyndon and a group of instructors around the country,
helping riders of all ages master the skills so much in demand in all forms of offroad riding and competition. As good as the European racing days had been, Heffo still reflects on that time as rewarding, especially with the personnel involved.
“We ran riding schools flat out all over Australia with a whole bunch of people working for us. Paul Broomfield, Byron Draper, Matt Haskins, Cody Mackie, Daniel Mackenzie, Rodney Jenner…it was a really good crew. Chris Urquhart and Shane Booth were there too. It was such a fun time.”
Change
The GFC hit Australia in around 2007 and it had the same effect on professional coaching as it had on so many service industries.
“There wasn’t the funding to continue,” said Heffo, “so I went back to the mines. I still ran the Academy of Off Road Riding and Detour Trail Tours, but more on a niche-market basis.
“Then we started doing the adventurebike schools, and it’s really a growing segment of the market.
“An adventure bike 10 years ago was an
XR650, Ténéré, DR650 or whatever, with a big tank. There wasn’t a lot of choice. Obviously the segment’s growing massively, because every manufacturer now has an adventure bike, and that can range from things like a WR250R with a big tank to a whopping great big 1290. And it’s a wide range of people who come to our training and get on our tours. The sales of adventure bikes, and the people we see out there riding now, is just amazing.”
Heffo’s seen a lot of change since the first tour he led in 1998 and in many years of coaching and racing. But some things stay the same.
“We used to get a lot of blokes who were 35 or 40 who wanted to relive their youth,” he smiled. “They’d buy a motocross bike and come to a school because the thing kept spitting them off. We’d still get plenty of pimple-faced teenagers and everything in between, of course. But now a lot riders are just going to a trailbike, and anyone 40 or over tends to jump on an adventure bike. The Academy of Off Road Riding still does the kids’ and enduro courses, but we do specific adventure-riding courses as well.
Essentially all the fundamentals are the same. Weight distribution, throttle control and braking are the same, but with the big bikes the rider needs to identify risks a lot earlier. You don’t want to put yourself in situations where you can’t pick it up or turn it around, or end up with the thing laying on top of you.
“It’s about teaching people skills, but it’s also about risk management and hazard ID. That’s a big part of what we do. Hopefully riders end up with the skills to get out of a semi-tricky situation and the brains not to get themselves into a deeper one.”
Leader
Detour Trail Tours is also still going strong for Heffo, now with his son Jack sharing sweep and lead duties, and adventure tours are shaping up to be big part of that operation.
“You only have to look at what BMW’s done,” offered Heffo.
“BMW does a number of sold-out rides each year, KTM is into it as well, and Yamaha supports the Detour set up. It’s great to see the manufacturers getting involved and giving customers a reason to get the bike out of the shed. Without leadership, events and accessible rides, the sport’s nothing. It’s great to see Yamaha and the others jumping in and supporting the adventure riders.”
For more information on Heffo, Detour Trail Tours and the Academy of Off Road Riding, log on to academyofoffroadriding.com.au.
Left: Amcross series Vets champ in 2017. Top right: The Academy of Off Road Riding still does kids’ and enduro coaching, but also has specialist adventure courses. Right: “Anyone 40 or over tends to jump on an adventure bike.”
02shop Bike
History repeats…sort of.
A
few years back Adventure Rider Magazine bought a bike. It’s true!
Back in issue #05, when the publisher was still a fresh-faced boy and would believe anything the editor told him, the pair cooked a up a scheme and got the accountant to okay the purchase of a ‘magazine bike’.
The accountant okayed the idea, but the dollars he assigned to the project wouldn’t have bought No-vax Djokovic a Fox Sports subscription to watch the ATP tournament from his detention hotel room.
Filled with enthusiasm, the staff forged ahead anyway.
It was an interesting exercise. Just like everyone else we had to sift through secondhand bike ads and do research to try and get the best deal we could for the tiny amount of cash we’d been allowed. We ended up with what turned
out to be a 2009 KLR which we bought without actually seeing it first.
That bike went through some serious shit, some big rides and took some crazy falls under various Adventure Rider Magazine staffers and hangers on until, finally, it gave up the ghost and what was left was sold to Nick Dole at Teknik Motorsport.
We’re not sure what Nick did with it.
It was a staff favourite because of its simplicity and its comfort and we were too grief-stricken to ask.
And now, all these years later, The Boss has decided it’s time the magazine should once again buy and build an adventure bike.
The budget was approved – a considerably larger budget than in 2013 – and the search was on.
Seek
and ye shall find
Ad-man Mitch is hard to stop once he’s
on the trail of something, and it was his ferreting around that turned up a low-kilometre Ténéré 700 sitting at Yamaha’s western-Sydney headQuartararo, covered in cobwebs and apparently not doing much. Some high-level negotiation over pizza and cappuccino at a nearby snackery settled a price, The Boss gave a terse nod, Mitch shouted, “That’s Fabiolous!” and hands were shaken.
One very spectacularly presented XTZ690 – the correct model designation for the Ténéré 700 – was quietly trailered across town to the plusho nerve centre of Adventure Rider Magazine and everyone slept the sleep of the righteous.
Seen it before
The crazy thing was, we actually recognised the bike.
Have a look at the pics and you’ll
u
Left: The bike is excellent for long-distance riding in standard trim. Below & below right: Sitting at Yamaha’s western-Sydney headquarters, apparently not doing much.
see how we could be so certain we’d seen it before. The graphics set is an absolute work of art and means no one’s likely to mistake this specific bike. Even if the plastics were moved to another Ténéré the graphics extend to the wheels and the swingarm.
Oh, yes. There’s no other Ténéré quite like this one.
In issue #44 we rode with Destination Yamaha on the NSW south coast, and that ride was under the watchful eye of Destination Yamaha’s Martien Van Der Horst. Martien’s marketing background meant he was a bit of a mover and shaker when it came to presentation, and, working with sponsor 3M, he was responsible for the look of what is most likely a 2020 model. Yamaha Motor Australia offered to research the model year, but we figured it wasn’t worth the effort. The 12,000km on the odometer told us far more than the year model. We drooled over the pics of the bike in issue #44 as we waited for it to arrive at the office, peeing our pants with excitement, only to find someone had dropped it on one side and scuffed the graphics. Bastard!
Ready to rock and roll
An immediate phone call to Sean ‘Geez’ Goldhawk at Yamaha Motor Australia cleared up who was responsible for the
damage, and we decided he – or she –was high enough up the chain of command at YMA that we’d be best off to just ignore it and maybe quietly fork over the price of a new sidecover.
While we had Sean on the blower we tried to hunt down some more info.
“It was created to highlight the Destination Yamaha project,” explained Sean. “It was a sister bike to a Niken 850 for road rides which Martien also helped develop and had matching graphics.
The graphics kit was done by 3M, joint sponsors of Destination Yamaha, and the bike was fitted with Pirelli tyres and an Akrapovic system, but it’s generally standard.”
An Akro! We were giggling with glee. Talk about hit the jackpot!
Had the suspension been done?
“Not to my knowledge,” fired back Geez. “It might have some bash guards and a bashplate.”
Phwoar! A bashplate!
We were SO in.
Maiden voyage
Naturally everyone was keen to throw a leg over the new bike, but just as naturally The Boss got first dibs. He mounted up and led the team to the Walcha Motorcycle Rally. We asked him what he thought of the bike, but he just yelled at us to get back to work and roosted off into the New England
sunset with a grin the size of a COVID PCR test queue.
He blazed up there with the group and blasted back on his own, so obviously there was no problem with the Yammie from his point of view.
Fortunately, the bike is back at the office, so at least it’s available for everyone else to try next time he’s not looking.
Now what?
So what’s next for Shop Bike 02? Development, that’s what. No one else has ridden the bike as we write this, so that comes first: ride the thing and find out what’s good and what’s not. From there we can start working on
what needs to be done in a hurry and what can wait. Of course we’ll be fitting a short list of aftermarket accessories, like luggage and probably a GPS, and we’ll definitely do some personalised tuning.
But as we remember our last ride on a stock Ténéré, it was mechanically pretty fricken good. The suspension worked well and the motor was strong and a lot of fun to use, so it may well be the bike won’t need a lot of specialist attention.
Whatever it does need, and whatever accessories we decide to fit, we’ll be telling you all about it.
Meanwhile, we’ll be riding it every chance we get, everywhere we can.
We’ll let you know how it goes.
Below:
Shop Bike 01
The first shop bike was a 2009 KLR bought from a Gumtree online ad and we had a ball with it.
For $2000 it came with a pair of Andy Strapz Expedition Pannierz, and inside the Pannierz we found a set of new Barkbusters. What a deal!
Shop Bike 01 copped some serious abuse, did some great rides, and after some setting up by seriously capable people, was developed into a bike specifically for the 2014 ADVX from Perth to Byron Bay. At the last minute Triumph lobbed in an 800 Tiger to do the rally and the Kwaka stayed home.
Advertising manager Mitch eventually grabbed the bike. He wheelied it all over creation and had the odd incident or two before an oil-starvation event brought our time with the bike to an end. That old KLR had its ups and downs, but it set a very high standard for fun and good, fuss-free riding. The new Ténéré will have its work cut out matching it.
Left & below: Put to work straight away.
Above: Arrived in great shape with Expedition Pannierz and a set of Barkbusters not mentioned in the ad.
Above: Ad manager Mitch tackled some tough rides and still remarks on the high level of comfort.
Below & below right: No special treatment.
Top left: Destination Yamaha’s Martien Van Der Horst worked with 3M to come up with a spectacular graphics kit.
Above: Just a smidge under 12,000km.
Excellent! Love that button marked OFF-ROAD ABS ON/OFF.
Something a little more aggressive might suit our purposes better.
Cup day, Keppel and Whisky Creek Hut
Damian McGrath joined the Madcat crew for another fast and furious Victorian outing.
Words: Damian McGrath. Images: Damian McGrath and Rob Haines
When Rob posted his Cup Day Keppel and Whiskey Creek Hut ride, I knew I had the day off, and I knew I wanted to do some harder rides. Surely I squeezed into the requirement of ‘intermediate to advanced’? I knew my bike qualified:
Q 50/50 tyres – check
Q Bashplate – check
Q BYO tools and tubes – check.
‘Bugger it,’ I thought. ‘I’m going’.
I sat my intermediate arse on my bike and off I went to the meeting place in Yarra Junction.
Group effort
Seven of us made the start and were slightly delayed when new member Judd’s recently acquired KTM640
Enduro started pissing oil from places I didn’t know oil pissed from. The mood was still high as guys with a lot more knowledge than me reckoned it was fixable. Of course it was fixed, and we were off, with surprisingly little time lost.
Log out
A beautiful run to Marysville allowed everyone to say Hi! to Madcat friend Wayne and his family and marked the start of some real riding. We meandered in the warm weather along dusty roads until our first intermediate track: Tweed Spur Road. This ‘road’ was heaven. We roosted along in second and third gear, watching our lines. The terrain meant the pace was slow and steady, but nothing was overwhelming. It was just so much fun.
Rob radioed to me at the back to make sure I was okay, but I was running my own pace and enjoying every bump and little slide. I caught up with rest of the group waiting on the other side of a felled tree. Not a big tree where you needed to get out the saw. Just big enough for me to perform my log crossing in front of six very skilled riders.
My crossing wasn’t glorious, but I didn’t fall.
Time gentlemen
After running into a few large fallen trees we re-routed and headed down a couple more fun and challenging tracks to make it to Keppel Hut for lunch.
Rested and watered, we headed off and instantly found our track of the day: McFadyen Track.
Steep, rocky, dusty trails then made way for flat, grassy, rocky tracks. That meant steep, rocky, grassy, muddy tracks. Rob declared McFadyen’s was definitely a Grade 5 difficulty, which was academic by that stage as we were on it and the only way out was to go forward. The group was upbeat and committed and
slowly pushed through, with a few small offs and bike drops.
We gave the second hut a miss as the track was a bit too tricky for what was now late afternoon.
Letdown, but pumped
A beautiful ride down the iconic Reefton Spur finished the day.
The idea of beer at the Reefton Hotel vanished when we arrived to find a power outage, the result of a storm a week before, meant the pub still couldn’t serve.
Thanks to Robbo for a great ride. I knew wanted to push myself and my skills and this day certainly provided that for me and then some.
Thanks to the boys for being helpful and positive all day.
Far left top: A few large fallen trees caused a re-route.
Far left bottom: Thanks to the boys for being helpful and positive.
Above left: Steep, rocky, dusty trails made way for flat, grassy, rocky tracks.
Below: McFadyen’s was definitely Grade 5 difficulty.
MADCAT
MADCAT comes from Motorcycle ADventure CAmping and Touring, and is a Melbourne club which tries to fill the gap between full off-road and road-based clubs.
MADCAT tries to explore Victoria on as many backroads as possible among some of the most breathtaking natural environments and scenery Australia has to offer and is looking to organise interstate trips. Find out more and download the GPX tracks at madcatvic.com.
Above: Photographer Rob Haines hit Keppel Hut for lunch.
Motorcycle Adventure Products’
KTM 890 Adventure R Rally
KTM’s 890 Adventure R has set the adventure-riding world talking. As a high-performance off-roader it’s right near the top of the heap. One of the few bikes which look down on the 890 Adventure R is the 890
Based in the heart of premium offroad riding country to Sydney’s south, Motorcycle Adventure Products has been around a very long time importing brands like Hepco-Becker, Enduristan, RoxSpeedFX ’bar risers and more recently Rottweiler Performance parts. Husband-and-wife team Shannon and Nicole Nance are very customer-focussed and passionate about bikes and riding, and when it came to building a seriously wellprepped 890 Adventure they went in hard and kicked off with an Adventure R Rally, one of only 700 released worldwide.
ridden the 890 and seen it was true.
KTM supposedly took advice from its rally team riders to fit ‘factory-level’ components to build the 890 Rally. You can look up the detailed upgrades on the KTM website, but in a nutshell they include:
Q A titanium Akrapovič slip-on muffler that’s 35% lighter than standard
Q WP XPLOR Pro 7548 fork with conevalve technology
Q WP EXPLOR PRO 6746 shock with 270mm of travel (30mm more than the 890 Adventure R)
Q Rally-spec footpegs
Q Straight racing seat with a 910 mm
seat height (30mm higher than the 890 Adventure R)
Q Carbon-fibre tank protectors
Q Quickshifter+ standard; AND
Q Narrower, 21-inch x 2.15-inch front and 18-inch x 4.00-inch rear DID DirtStar rims.
There’s a snazzy graphics kit to make the Rally instantly recognisable, and it’s one incredible motorcycle. But when you can grab a trolley-load of Enduristan and other big-name gear off the warehouse shelves a great bike can be personalised into something really exceptional, and that’s what Shannon has done.
Adventure R Rally, a limited edition up-specced version from KTM itself. And what could possibly climb even higher than that? An 890 Adventure R Rally owned by an importer of premiumquality adventure aftermarket accessories – an outfit like Motorcycle Adventure Products.
What’s the difference?
The 890 Adventure R is an incredible bike in every respect, a noticeable improvement on its predecessor, the 790 – which Adventure Rider Magazine wouldn’t have believed if we hadn’t
Left & above: It’s not easy to sharpen up a bike like KTM’s limited-edition 890 Adventure R Rally. Shannon Nance of Motorcycle Adventure products has done it.
Top right: A Quad Lock mount and a very neat GPS rig.
Right: The Rottweiller carbon-fibre airbox not only ensures no dust makes its way to the motor, it adds considerable horsepower. No retuning needed.
Snort
The bike’s a 2021 model, and Shannon’s rundown on the mods are clear and easy to follow.
“The tyres were the first things we changed,” said the Mittagonger. “The bike came standard with Metzeler Karoos, and we swapped to a Scorpion Rally on the front and a RallZ on the rear.”
From there Shannon addressed the air intake, which was sometimes problematic for 790 owners, and with the 890 running the same system, was worth looking at closely. Shannon’s solution not only sorted the possibility of dust finding its way in, it offered an astonishing performance boost as well.
“We used a few Rottweiller Performance parts around the bike, including the air intake. Rottweiller does a plastic version,
but we went for the carbon-fibre model, and it’s the full airbox system. The most obvious advantage is it fixes the dirt-ingestion issue of the standard bike, and although it’s not needed by everyone with an 890, it does give around eight horsepower to10 horsepower more than the standard set up. It just breathes a lot better.”
Shannon said fitting the Rottweiller was a breeze – which was clever considering we were talking about airflow. “Just follow the Rottweiller Youtube video,” said Shannon, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s faultless.”
There’s no remapping or specialist electronics work needed unless the bike’s headed for serious, high-level racing. Just run the bike for five minutes after the airbox is correctly fitted so it can recalibrate
for the new fuel/air mixture and you’re good to go.
Other Rottweiller accessories include Quick Flip mirrors, headlight brace, and rear-brake reservoir guard.
Carry
Enduristan gear is clearly a favourite of Shannon and Nicole’s, and obviously not only because they’re the importer. It’s high-quality gear and the 890 Rally makes an excellent showcase.
“The Enduristan range is 100-per-cent waterproof and dustproof,” splashed Shannon. “There’s no different covers or anything like that needed.”
The standard rack and grab handles at the rear of the bike have been replaced with a plate Shannon fabbed himself from a Hepco-Becker unit, shaving 2.5kg from the rear end and allowing the nearperfect fit of the Enduristan tail bag, and the standard 890 sidecovers have been removed to allow the medium-sized Blizzard saddlebags to sit tight to the bike. Shannon felt that change was a good idea no matter what brand of luggage is chosen. Although they weren’t fitted when we saw the bike as the shipment hadn’t arrived in time, he was hoping to fit a pair of flat Rottweiller sidecovers to keep the luggage fitting snug, but maintaining the high standard of presentation.
“The saddlebags are available in small, medium, large and extra-large,” bagged Shannon, “but we recommend the medium and large for most people with KTMs. They’re a perfect size without being too big and floppy. You can buy accessory add-on packs that just clip on and off if you want to increase capacity for longer rides. It’s a nice, lightweight and simple modular system.”
An Enduristan heat shield keeps the exhaust from doing any damage to the luggage, although Shannon’s set up is so
Left: A titanium Akro weighs in a fair chunk lighter than a standard pipe. Even though the Enduristan Blizzard saddlebags fit high and snug, there’s a heat shield on the muffler in case something works
neat there’s probably no need for it. As he pointed out, if anything works loose and heads south in rough terrain, the shield is good insurance.
A Sandstorm 4X tankbag straps neatly on the tank.
“There’s four different sizes of tankbag,” explained Shannon. “The 4X is the smallest. It’s a nice size for wallet, keys, lollies and whatever. It doesn’t intrude when you’re standing up and you don’t even notice it when you’re riding.”
’Barred up
A GPS is neatly fitted to a Vanasche billet mount, a Quadlock is ready for whatever needs be mounted on any ride, and a bashplate from an English bloke named, believe it or not, Ian Chappel, rounds out the package.
“I had the 790,” explained Shannon, “and when you work out, by the time you bolt on all the exhaust, suspension, wheels and performance bits and pieces like that, the 890 Rally is fairly good value.”
Package
Naturally, we were fascinated at a professional level by Shannon’s build and were totally absorbed in the detail. But still…rides on a limited-edition bike like this one don’t come along too often, even for big-celebrity publishing heavyweights like us, so when Shannon casually suggested we might like to go for a lap of his backyard there was a blinding flash of light, and when the dust settled we were roosting through some truly magnificent terrain in the Belanglo State Forest, revelling in the KTM rortiness and loving the 890 to bits.
The bike looks sensational and feels as good as it looks. Although we hadn’t
been on a standard 890 for a while, it was impossible to ignore the controlled punch from the motor of this bike. We can only surmise the extra snort was from the Rottweiller airbox. An Akro with Arrow decat is a guaranteed lift on almost any bike, but the beautiful, just-this-side of scary thrust from this motor was an absolute joy. Combined with that was really excellent suspension. Not a lot was written about the cone-valve forks when they appeared for the 790, but we think that was because so few people were able to try them. They were as dear as poison but gave an incredible ride. It’s the same on the 890 Rally. While the motor had extra drive, the ergos and suspension made the rider keen to make use of it, and in our short time on the bike we were left with the same feeling of awe and disbelief we had
after riding the standard 890 Adventure R at the model release, except the magnitude of awe was even greater. We still struggle to accept how bikes offering performance which would’ve been exclusive to world-rated factory team riders just couple of decades ago are now available straight off the showroom floor. The 890 Adventure R is a great example, and the 890 Adventure Rally is probably a hint of what genuine world-class racers have at their disposal. And with the equipment Motorcycle Adventure Products has fitted to this particular bike, a rider can have the best of both worlds: incredible, mind-blowing performance and a day-to-day tourer and trailbike ready for everything from serious desert racing through to overnight trail rides with mates.
loose.
Top right: The Sandstorm 4X tankbag is a great size, compact enough to stay out of the rider’s way, but big enough to hold gear like a wallet, phone, maybe spare gloves and trail snacks. The map pocket is a great size, too.
Right: Rottweiller Quick Flip mirrors. Very nice! Far right: Rally-spec footpegs. Good stuff.
Kimberley Kapers
Three riders, three Beemers and three weeks exploring the Kimberley. What a hoot! Ben Wittber and a couple of mates tackled a big one.
After many months of yanging about setups, routes, stops, what to carry, how much to take and so forth, the day had arrived. The road lay ahead and our start point to the famed Gibb River Road (GRR) was only 3000km away. With a 5.00am start, the intention on the first day was to knock over the 998km from Perth to Kumarina. The weather was threatening, and with nobody keen to get wet, it was thought leaving early would give the best chance of staying dry. It would also allow us to see the sunrise.
Three hours in the wets went on, and 1000km and 11 hours later we pulled into Kumarina Roadhouse where lodgings, a pint of beer (or three) and steak awaited us.
Local knowledge
Our destination for the following day was Eighty Mile Beach, some 790km away on the blacktop. But we had other plans. Our motto had always been ‘anything but the highway when possible’, so from Newman we continued directly north to take in Marble Bar and Nullagine. The big GSs loped along in their element, each carrying about 70kg of luggage
for extended, unsupported off-grid adventuring.
We kicked off the first bit of sightseeing at Opthalmia Dam and encountered the first of many water crossings which were to be a feature of the trip.
Riding dirt through the Chichester Ranges after Roy Hill was top notch, and the long curves and up-and-down swales made us feel our adventure had begun. The weather system from the previous day still threatened to the west and we didn’t really want to deal with wet, muddy roads, so we cracked on, later to learn the system we avoided caused the closure of Karajini National Park due to flooding. We were lucky to have dodged it.
It’s always worth chatting to locals, and as we fuelled up we scored some great local knowledge on what to see in the area. Directions were the usual, “Just after the causeway past Smithys turnoff, about two kilometres from Charlie’s corner. Ya can’t miss it…” Yeah right. “Okay. Thanks mate!”
Long day
We headed off to Doolan Gap – the first of the sights – and after following local directions arrived at the first of our tricky little tracks. River-sand roads are
never fun on a fully loaded big bike. Mike’s bike must’ve been pretty tired as it had its second lay down of the day.
Doolan Gap was a nice spot and we took some pics and had a look around before heading north and to our first significant deviation from our original route, the road into Coppin Gap. It was the best riding we’d done so far and the scenery was stunning.
With the Autumn light dwindling and our destination still some hours away we put the scoots on and shortly arrived at our first major river crossing: the DeGrey. The crossing wasn’t long, but it was a reasonable depth and flowing well, and situations like that one make adventuring and getting off the main roads so worthwhile.
A twilight run along Shay Gap Road through parts of the Great Sandy Desert was next and was another highlight before arriving under lights at Eighty Mile Beach some 12 hours after our 7.00am departure.
Words and images: Ben Wittber
Left: The Ivanhoe River current pushed against the bikes, but the big boxers crossed easily. Above: Three weeks exploring the Kimberley. Below: Cathedral Gorge carpark.
Pooling resources
After an exhausting two days, nearly 24 hours total riding and 1800km, it was time to have a break and not push too hard or too long. Following some fun on the beach we headed for Broome, only 400km away, to camp, rest and consider our next leg through Fitzroy Crossing and on to free camp at a lovely spot named Mary Pool.
It was a reasonable body of fresh water to relax in and spruce up ready for the Bungles.
Saved
The next day was our first genuinely easy day on the trip, covering 340km from Mary Pool to Purnululu National Park in the Bungle Bungles. After leaving the highway the 66km road had plenty of minor water crossings, the scenery was absolutely beautiful and the road itself in great condition. It quickly became our new favourite road and we were sure it’d be hard to top. We went straight to the famed Cathedral Gorge and the Bungle Bungle
part of the National Park, by which time it was bloody hot and getting the gear off to go into tourist mode was a good break. Everyone is interested when they see fully loaded bikes arriving where normally only fourbies prevail, so conversations are easily started. While chatting to our new neighbours the casual comment, “It’s awesome on the bike, but there’s no fridge for a coldie,” actually meant, “You wouldn’t have a beer handy would you, mate?”
Our new best friend and neighbour, Ray, understood the code and came to the rescue with three cold beers. What a bloody legend!
Heads up
A relaxed start to the following day
Top: Nevvo attempting a sandpit on the way back from Dimond Gorge.
Below left: Fun on 80 Mile Beach before heading for Broome.
Below right: The sun about to set over the Bungle Bungles. Mike on the left, new best mate and beer supplier Ray in the middle, and Nevvo.
included an upgrade to the breakfast menu. We went from porridge to porridge-with-brown-sugar.
The Mini Palm Gorge Trail was a short, six-kilometre ride away and a highlight of the Bungle Bungles, as was the beautiful Echidna Chasm – a visual feast. With the day still young we headed back to the Frank River crossing, the only clear crossing with flowing water we’d seen, to head upstream a little and strip off to enjoy the cool water. It was an excellent respite from the day’s heat.
As we sat in the Frank solving the world’s problems – and our own – we had to laugh every time a car pulled up and looked around, only to see three heads sticking out of the water and staring back. It probably made their trip that little more interesting as there was no visible vehicle to explain how we got there. Back at camp, a climb to the adjacent lookout to watch the sunset over the Bungles finished the day perfectly, and after dinner Ray wandered over with more cold beers, continuing the traveler hospitality.
SUZUKI DRZ400
COLOUR:
No choice
The country unfolded beautifully as we left Purnululu, and water crossings were completed with ease. Mike still managed to cock it up and drop his bike in 50mm of water after a misplaced step when we stopped to appreciate the clear flow of the Frank River.
We dumped our rubbish at the designated spot on the highway and hit Warmun for fuel, coffee and food.
It turned out to be a top spot with top service, but average coffee.
The ride north of Warmun was as spectacular as it gets. Ridges lined either side of a road which meandered through the O’Donnell Ranges on the west and the Carr Boyd Ranges abutting Lake Argyle to the east. That was some good blacktop right there, and well worth a look-see.
A quick stop in Kununurra saw us off to the oasis of Lake Argyle Caravan Park –
views, cold beer, great food, lovely people and the famed infinity pool. We camped there for two nights to refresh and rejuvenate for the real start of the Gibb River Road adventure.
There was no need for tents. Nights were balmy and there were no mozzies, so we slept out under the stars. A day trip out on the lake was simply fantastic, and the scale of the place was breathtaking – just like the Kimberley.
We thought we were supposed to be hard-core adventuring, but we ‘had’ to book in for two nights to allow parts of the Gibb to open – it was a fair enough reason, really.
Crossover
Having time on your side when adventure touring allows for daily changes in any plan.
We’d intended to head straight to
stop, El Questro, presented no challenges, and the fun began when we neared the resort. There were two crossings, tributaries of the famed Pentecost River, and we watched with interest as a couple of fourbies trundled through and noted their swaying and rolling on the rocks underneath. Some pulled up on the other side to watch as we attempted it. There’s nothing like an audience when you try and haul 400kg of bike over rocks through water.
El Questro, but an off-chance remark by a mate at home, dismissed at the time, that he’d “…love to do an Ivanhoe crossing,” came to mind as we were greeted by what looked intimidating, flowing water.
A quick chat with a local confirmed there was a reasonable current and the concrete causeway was possibly a bit slippery. We quickly setup the GoPro and went for it. The current pushed against the bikes a bit, but the big boxers pushed the water aside easily.
We carried on along Parry Creek Road to just south of Wyndham, then a brief run down the Great Northern Highway had us at the start of the Gibb River Road – after 10 days.
The well-maintained road into our first
Top:
Below
Top
Right:
Mike grabbed the clutch often as the rocks below caused the bike to sharply shift direction and the result was legs down and wet boots – which was better than a drowned engine. hit the crossing with some aggression, and while successful, those boondy’s were large and a quick save was in order. Nevvo made his deliberate way across and came out unscathed. It was a job well done and the observers applauded our efforts. It was time to book in, set up camp and grab a coldie.
Easy going
The next two days and nights were spent enjoying the very relaxed environs and trails around El Questro, and enjoying hot showers, cold beers and evening entertainment (we were supposed to be off-grid adventuring. Go figure).
We visited the thermal Zebedee Springs, which were lovely, and enjoyed a decent walk to Amalia Gorge for awesome scenery and a wonderfully cold swim.
The second day at El Questro Nevvo and Mike headed off to Emma Gorge and to check out the Pentecost River for our highly anticipated crossing the next day. I decided to check out some more trails. Saddleback Ridge Trail seemed like a good idea, but when confronted with another river crossing with not baby heads but gnarly hippo-head-sized rocks, I immediately had second thoughts about doing it solo. I tackled and conquered it in true adventureriding style.
Mount Barnett
The most anticipated day of the trip had arrived. Crossing the Pentecost River is on everyone’s highlight reel when travelling that area.
The Pentecost has a tidal flow which can raise the height and volume of water dramatically. When we arrived it could’ve best been described as ‘reasonable’ –
not that this made it any less exciting. Cameras were switched on front and rear and off we went!
Nevvo headed off first, but those gnarly baby heads got him and he quickly snatched in the clutch and made the save. After a bit of to’n’fro rocking he was back into it and onto the juice. Nevvo’s GS, affectionately called ‘Pigga’, had developed an unnerving habit of missing when it got into deeper water, so some sections called for more juice to overcome the potential to cut out altogether.
The Pentecost was crossed!
It wasn’t the only highlight of the day. With our target of Mount Barnett Station and tea and scones at Ellenbrae Station, we had an unexpected crossing of another river, the Durack. Very little is said of the Durack, most likely because it’s usually dry. Due to the unbelievably wet year it was very deep water when we arrived, but the crossing was also achieved.
The northern stretch of the GRR is interspersed with sections of sealed road, particularly on steeper gradients, and, along with a generally wellmaintained surface, allowed us to get to Mount Barnett Roadhouse in good time. Mount Barnett is sandy and spacious, but a generally unappealing campsite. It’s still a must-visit as it’s the gateway to Manning Gorge, and that was the next day’s adventure.
Manning Gorge and Mornington Wilderness Camp
Swimming across the Barnett River with the resident freshies watching was cool enough, but then an interesting walk through the bush over ancient rocks, culminating in the revealing of the gorge with the waterfall in good flow, was something else.
With the season being particularly wet, the falls were a treat, and swimming under the waterfall in the cool, clear water was fantastic.
Once we’d done exploring the gorge we fueled up and headed to Mornington Wilderness Camp.
This site and road was also closed, but Mike had contacts and we were allowed in. It was to prove the most adventurous road of the trip, with many water crossings, unmaintained stretches and magnificent scenery. We once again had a new favourite.
We’d been warned about the two main crossings being challenging and the last one deep, but that wasn’t our only difficulty. The road was being graded and sharp flints of rock were our enemy. Before long Mike had a double puncture. Wham! 42psi to dead flat in three seconds. Fortunately, we’d prepared well and even practiced tyre changing at home using our carry kit. It worked a treat and Mike and Nevvo successfully repaired the first two punctures of Mike’s life. u
Swimming across the Barnett River with the resident freshies watching.
left: A quick selfie on the GRR. Below: Echidna Chasm was a highlight of the Bungle Bungles.
right: Punctures. Sorted thanks to having practiced tyre repair before departure.
The entire run into Mornington and out to Dimond Gorge ranked as the favourite.
kimBerley kaperS
Getting back on the bike noticed my rear tyre had dropped to 30psi. It was another puncture.
The decision was made to keep going and keep an eye on it, and this worked. We entered an ungraded section and it was pure joy riding on roads that hadn’t been touched in two years.
While the first crossing on Mornington Road had been largely uneventful, the last, as we’d been warned, was the deepest. I walked it first just to get a sense of depth and it was mid-thigh, so there was no room for mistakes. Nevvo’s Pigga was still puh-puh-puh-playing up and it was a trial.
We thankfully all crossed safely and it was a hoot. The camp awaited and we were blessed to have the whole site to ourselves.
Dimond Gorge
Dimond Gorge was the main reason we’d headed to Mornington. It’s a beautiful canyon on the Fortescue River only about 25km south of where we’d camped, but we were plagued by road closures. Air surveillance had identified many of the roads as impassable and the owners were busy having it graded. Mike once again put his contact skills to work and sometime around midday the management team advised we could tag along as they checked the now freshly graded surfaces. It was again a relief to shed the 70kg of gear and ride light(er) bikes. Nevvo and Mike kept up with the lead vehicle, but freshly graded roads also meant soft spots and upturned rocks, and I was more than happy to cruise and take in the scenery. It was great country to ride and there were countless hills and water crossings of all degrees which kept us on our toes.
Just before Dimond Gorge was a soft section of fine bulldust the GSs readily sank into, and finding the balance between momentum and not getting chucked off was a fine line in the fine talcum-powder-like red dirt. The return trip after exploring Dimond Gorge was just as much fun and the road was the true highlight of the trip. The entire run into Mornington and out to Dimond Gorge was ranked as our favourite.
Derby
We’d already had to skip Mitchell falls and Walsh Point with road closures, and our plans were yet again thwarted with the road to Bell Gorge closed, so we bolted straight to Derby and the end of the GRR. Going back out of Mornington into Annie Creek meant we rode straight into the deep section with no chance to get comfortable. Nevvo went first and we were all hopeful puh-puh-puh-Pigga was sorted, but she missed badly and Nevvo had to struggle to maintain balance with diminished power. He made it and I followed but didn’t have the balance right on entry, resulting in some zigzagging through the creek. Thankfully I pulled through. Mike excelled and flowed straight through like Chris Birch! It was very easy to get the bikes up to speed on the final section of the GRR. There were few corrugations and it meant we caught traffic and had to contend with huge dust clouds. Alert truckies pulled over and allowed us to overtake, but smaller vehicles just couldn’t see us or didn’t pay the same attention to following vehicles.
The water crossings were largely behind us and all that remained was the changing landscape. It was still a treat,
but without the added fun factor of uncertain crossings.
Derby was on us in no time and essentially the big adventure trip was done – except for some quick sightseeing the next day at Windjana Gorge and the exciting Tunnel Creek.
Just do it
On the 18th day it was time to head home, and a 2900km haul on the blacktop. The best way to tackle a ride like that is to just start.
After a 7.00am departure we didn’t stop for just over 1100km until we hit Karratha. The scenery between Hedland and Karratha was wonderful and it helped towards the end of the day that we arrived at just on sundown. Camping at the back of the roadhouse, which offered hot showers, was convenient and welcome but certainly not quiet.
The following day we carved off 1000km to Geraldton and on the final day it was only a short hop back to Perth where we celebrated with a nosh up and coffee at the Dome Café in the city before pointing our noses at home to arrive midafternoon and begin unpacking.
Until the next one.
TBC to come
Top: Crossing Annie Creek on the entry road to the Mornington Wildlife Sanctuary.
Right: Mornington Wilderness Camp.
The finer points of traction
Miles shares some gripping thoughts on finding traction.
Finding grip on low traction surfaces is what separates the riders who focus on magical tyres and low tyre pressures, from those who can create grip with technique. That might sound a little harsh, but it’s probably something that just doesn’t get said enough.
The topic of traction has been covered before in issue #46, but probably at a more basic level. On top of the basics, there is so much that goes into finding grip that isn’t clear to the eye.
Recap: Traction basics
Below are the key skills that help you gain traction, and what I think are the percentages of how each topic rates. Actually, only three are skills. The other two are bike-related and not so important. I know not everyone will agree with this, but it may be a catalyst for some to rethink their priorities on the subject.
Q Line selection 25%
Q Throttle and clutch control (brake control also, when it comes to stopping) 25%
Q Body position 25%
Q Tyres 12.5%
Q Suspension 12.5%
Next-level traction
Riding up steep, loose, or slippery hills is probably the most obvious situation where finding traction really helps a rider. Below are some advanced, and some-
times very subtle, ways skilled riders can find more traction than others.
Q Line selection: the ability to see traction opportunities and position the bike where it can take advantage of this. Most people follow pretty basic lines, following the ‘sheep’ line most riders use. If you take notice when you watch very advanced riders make big hills look easy you’ll probably see they often have creative line selection. They have the knowledge and confidence to position the bike where they feel they will find better traction. They may go over obstacles smoothly rather than trying to ride around every obstacle, and this may help them maintain momentum, which is really the holy grail when it comes to getting up challenging hills.
Q Throttle and clutch control: it’s quite amusing to watch or hear a rider spruiking their favourite tyre and notice they have little or no clutch skills when it comes to slow riding or riding up hills. All you have to do is watch Toni Bou, Jarvis or Pol Tarres videos to see what Jedi throttle and clutch control can do for bike control and grip. The ability to put the power to the ground is a massive part of finding traction and maintaining momentum. Avoiding clumsy wheelspin and unnecessary engine stalls is what it’s all about. Especially on modern, powerful, responsive twin-cylinder bikes where it’s so easy to have poor throttle control. It just makes big bikes feel bigger and heavier, whereas good throttle and clutch control can make a big bike feel like a much lighter, nimble plaything.
Q Body Position: one key area I focus on with all my rider training is to get riders moving around on the bike. Some of you will have heard me say, “Your bike is your surfboard, the trails and hills are your
u
Left: The big game changer is when you combine your throttle control with your body position and the terrain.
Above: Watch videos of riders like trials world champion Toni Bou to see what Jedi throttle and clutch control can do for bike control and finding grip.
wave and you are a surfer.” You need to have a huge range of motion and move in a fluid way to stay balanced and efficient as the bike navigates all of the different terrain we ride.
As soon as a rider loses their Lego Man stance and really starts moving around on the bike (up and down, back to front and side to side) they are in the game. Before that point, they are basically Lego Man, which is so limiting when it comes to off-road riding.
Then, the big game changer is when you combine your throttle control with your body position and the terrain.
What I mean there is, when your rear suspension is compressing, that’s the best time to apply throttle precisely to find traction. The weight of the bike and rider is pressing the tyre into the ground. That’s when any tyre can find traction. Adding throttle when the rear suspension is rebounding (moving upwards), is the
worst time to apply the throttle to find traction. The tyre will spin and lose drive and directional stability. You may just do a 90-degree turn halfway up the hill and drop your bike on your leg. This throttle-timing technique is what I teach intermediate riders to get them to the next level.
Tyres
Simple, black and round. Some last longer, which means they’re probably shit on the road, and maybe very average off road too. Some have more aggressive tread than others. Some get flats more than others. Run very low pressure and at times you may get some small traction advantages, and you may also get flats and damaged rims.
Use common sense when it comes to tyre selection based on your bike and where you actually ride. I know of ex-pro motocross and enduro riders who are new to adventure riding. They fit aggressive motocross-type tyres to their adventure bikes and are so scared to ride them on the road that they trailer them everywhere. To me, that’s not adventure riding. That is trailering big heavy trailbikes and going trail riding. I would rather ride an enduro bike to do this, and leave my driveway on an adventure bike with tyres that can handle all the surfaces I ride, including fun, twisty roads.
Suspension
Good suspension definitely matters, but only if you have the first three skill topics somewhat covered (lines, throttle and body position). Good suspension is not a substitute for skill. I hear and read of riders who are so convinced that spending thousands on suspension upgrades will make a huge difference to their riding. Once you have your skills to a certain level
Top left: Use common sense when it comes to tyre selection based on your bike and where you actually ride.
Left: Get your suspension serviced and tweaked, but don’t waste your money thinking big-name aftermarket equipment is the be all and end all.
Above right: Riders need to have a huge range of motion and move in a fluid way to stay balanced and efficient.
your suspension may be like the icing on the cake.
Adventure bikes are not motocross bikes. Sometimes you ride them naked, other times with luggage or a pillion. Sometimes on road, dirt, gravel and sand. As long as the suspension is in good working order, its probably not the thing holding you back – especially if you are only an average off-road rider and have
never had any off-road training. Ride to the bike’s potential, do it smoothly and you will get amazing results. For sure, get your suspension serviced and tweaked, but don’t waste your money thinking it’s the be all and end all.
The M word
One of my favourite words when it comes to technical riding is ‘momentum’. With it,
you can get up hills and over obstacles with ease and control. Without it, riding a bike can be hard work and not much fun. The three skills discussed already all combine to give a rider the opportunity to create and maintain momentum up a challenging hill, and give increased control in many situations. Get skilled up and enjoy the adventure even more!
secret adventure business
Since the dinosaurs turned up their toes, us human beans have been pretty taken by ritual and special clobber. From cavepersons rubbing charcoal on their boat race to Roman legions marching in elaborate plumed helmets, we seem to need some sort of ceremonial kit to make our world turn.
Surfers wax the board and don a wetsuit. Hunters prepare their weapons and slip into something a bit more err…camo. Cricketers have special caps and
andy STrapz
helmets and wrap themselves up in pads and familyjewel protectors. Masons, priests, tradies and nurses all have special regalia.
Men seem to need this more than women. Is it something instinctively tribal? A need to belong and identify or a ritual thing? Us Homo sapiens love to wear T-shirts with activities and brands we identify with.
We engage in special dress ups with gear specific to our tribe. The ritual of getting ready to ride involves advridermag.com.au
an ancient, deeply ingrained need to daub our face with ochre and bung a few feathers in our hair (bald feather-wearers must have struggled). Every item of kit needs to be applied in the correct order: thermals, socks, knee guards, pants then boots –or the bad spirits (Johnny Walker Red) will bring bad juju (or a nasty rash) into a ride.
In days of yore, our forebears bought an ex-US army Harley WLA, still in the crate, off the back of a truck, pulled on an old greatcoat and rode it through the front bar of the local pub. The adventure ride began when they tried to outrun the village copper on dirt roads. Our antecedents didn’t have high-viz boots, Goretex undies, polarised socks or carbon-fibre helmets…they rarely had helmets in fact. Their adventures were ‘run what ya brung’ while wearing what ya had.
So, do we need a helmet with a peak to identify us with our tribe? Should it match our bike? Do we need $1800 jackets and $600 boots to belong to the ADV tribe? Obviously not. So why are we all decked out in the gear we use?
Are we victims of our primordial need for ceremonial dress ups or has our gear evolved with the niche that developed around us? How much are we being ‘guided’ by marketing and ‘influencers’? Where does want and need intersect? How much is the experience influenced by the quality or colour of your gear?
Me, I’m just gonna pop out to the dancing circle under the magic tree, paint my face with zinc cream, put on my knee braces, don my goatskin gloves and invoke the spirit of Captain Goodvibes.
I’m an adventure rider and the gods are pleased.
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Private courses can also be arranged. If you have a group of 8-12 riders and would like to have your own course, contact Miles and let him know.
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Phone: 0448 342 590
Andy gets fancy with his dress.
Words: Andy ‘Strapz’ White. Images: Janette Wilson
Far left: Invoking the spirit of Captain Goodvibes.
Left & below: Why are we all decked out in the gear we use? Maybe the box on the floor is a hint.
TKaren’s back on a bike.
karen ramSay It’s time
pack (not to mention finding all the gear), and how to ride. It’s funny how packing routines to maximise space and minimise weight get lost over time.
Locke down
Joining us for some of the trip were Nigel and Lianni Locke.
Besides their lovely company, it meant four out of the six bikes on the ride were DR650s. Mine is pretty standard with the large tank and upgraded suspension. The others were dubbed The Old, The New and The Hybrid. Dave’s is a 2020 with only 15,000km on the clock – his lack of riding certainly showed there. Like mine, it has a 20-litre tank and upgraded suspension. He also put a Britannia Lynx fairing on it. The only thing he’s not happy with so far are the panniers, but from a riding perspective he finds it great. Greg was on The Hybrid. It’s not a hybrid in the sense of fuel. It’s a hybrid because it’s a combination of bikes. He’s taken the back end of a DR650 and
his will probably come as a surprise, but we’ve barely been on the bikes since we went to Tassie early in 2021.
It happened gradually and without a definitive end point. It’s not just us, either. Quite a few friends we normally ride with have found the same thing. A combination of lockdowns, family commitments (for us a new grandson), work, new hobbies (mountainbiking seems to be increasingly popular with our adventure-riding friends), and realising how many things around the home need maintenance because we’ve neglected them when we’ve been constantly riding has kept lots of us off the bikes. In that time the bikes have sat faithfully in the shed, pining for the day we’d get our mojo back.
That day finally came. Dave quietly suggested we get away on the bikes for a couple of days, doing pub stays to ease our way back into things. The weather forecast for home was atrocious with wild wind and rain, but the New England tablelands were looking fine. We could take the opportunity to check out the dams at full capacity.
It didn’t take too long before we’d invited friends Greg and Kylie to join us, and were packing camping gear and putting tracks together for our dam ride. Interestingly, Greg had only been on his adventure bike for half a day in the past nine months. It’d been parked up since he came off and broke a number of ribs, so all of us were very overdue. Such a lapse in time meant reacquainting ourselves with how to
Words: Karen Ramsay
Left: Dave, Greg, Lianni, Nigel and Kylie at Pyes Creek, Bolivia, between Glen Innes and Tenterfield. Top insert: Copeton Dam, near Inverell, at sunset. Below: Baldersleigh Road, running between Guyra and just south of Bundarra, is a favourite. u
teamed it with a Husqvarna front end (forks, triple camp and front wheel) giving much better handling. Riding ability has a lot to do with it, but when you see him throwing it around in the bush, it’s clear what he means. He’s also fitted a Yenkro fairing kit and Scotts steering damper. This is his second ‘hybrid’ DR650. Basically, the only new parts on this one are the motor and frame. He swapped out the plastics, racks and upgraded shock from his old DR to this 2021 model, plus the
entire Husky front end. Using this combination over the years, he’s chalked up an extensive catalogue of adventure rides from overnighters to a couple of months. Nigel was on arguably the most eye-catching DR of the ride; a 1990 DR650 RS.
This 32-year-old classic has a kickstart, stock-standard twin exhaust and is the original DR650. Unlike some of the other kickstarted bikes I’ve seen him on, this one
fired up very easily. He reckons you could start it with your hand. It has a very similar appearance to the NX650 Honda Dominator. Nigel says having the three-quarter fairing gives great protection from the wind and rain, and the 20-litre fuel tank, handguards and heavy-duty rack were also standard.
His bike does have an Öhlins shock which he said is good when it’s loaded, otherwise, it’s too harsh. However, as it’s
the sort of bike he uses to go away on camping trips – not for tearing around on single trail in the bush – it’s suits perfectly. He revealed that, while it’s super comfortable to ride, it doesn’t handle like a modern bike, so it’s definitely an enthusiast’s ride. You could see by his grin he is undeniably an enthusiast!
Loving it
As far as riding went, we followed lovely flowing tracks. Dave and I both managed to make a meal out of a tiny creek crossing purely because we went in nervous. Kylie said I’d been choking the bike the whole ride and that it was like watching a mime doing a robot routine (that’s not actually what she said, but that was the gist of it).
While the enjoyment was there, getting back into how to actually ride confidently was a bit harder. Everything that should be second nature needed a conscious thought process. Riding into Warra National Park on the outskirts of Glen Innes on the first day reminded me of all the things I didn’t realise I missed. We had a spectacular campsite to ourselves, a pristine creek with a waterhole, starry skies and not a care in the world.
As good as it gets
The golden moment of the ride happened less than 10 minutes in.
Dave is widely recognised in our circle of friends as the human GPS. He appears to have been on every road and track in northern NSW, will quote road names and locations and know exactly how to join roads together to make an interesting and scenic route. At the start of the ride Kylie was leading the four of us out of Casino. We stopped to wait for Dave and Greg who had somehow slipped back. When Greg pulled up, he was beside himself with excitement. “I never thought this could happen,” he gushed. “We’ve taken Dave Ramsay on a road he’s never been on and it’s only 10 minutes into the ride!”
There was some discussion about whether we might as well go home because it wouldn’t get any better than that.
You can do it
We did manage to visit Copeton and Pindari dams, and as expected, it was terrific to see them full. Combine that with rolling green hills and fat cattle and you’d be hard pressed to see the countryside looking better. We all agreed that this year we need to get out on the bikes more; for the riding, the scenery and to spend time with friends.
Hopefully, if you’ve lost your mojo too, you make the effort to get back out there and remind yourself why you love adventure riding.
R It’s possible to regain your mojo
R There are places close to home the human GPS doesn’t know
R Remember to relax and be confident
R Tents, swags and hammocks still fit, regardless of COVID kilos
R Riding a bike is just like riding a bike
Left: A view from the Carnham Road loop.
Bottom left: Kylie, Greg and Dave at Pinkett, on the edge of the Guy Fawkes National Park.
Above: Long Point Sara River in Warra National Park.
Right: Kylie at Backwater post office reconnecting with her adventure-riding mojo.
Checkout
Christmas! Happy New Year! Quick! Get ready for Australia Day!
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