Adventure Rider Issue #55

rIDE into the unknown

It’s we what do

Tom

I’ve never understood why manufacturers insisted on offering such tall bikes to adventure riders. It seems to me, the bigger and heavier the bike, the more advantageous it is for the rider to be able to get both feet on the ground. And yet, for a while there, it seemed we were constantly having to battle taller and wider bikes.

Lately I feel there’s been a swing toward

addressing that situation, and it’s fantastic to see the solution wasn’t to reduce ground clearance. There’s been some research and development lavished on seat-foam technology, and narrower, lower-profile seats are becoming more common. I can’t applaud that trend highly enough. Both the Triumph and the Aprilia in this issue are great examples. Both have really good ground clearance, and both have what I believe to be very sensible, usable seat heights. Better still, both companies are offering a range of seats, not only to suit shorter riders, but taller riders as well.

Brilliant. It’s a sign manufacturers really are designing bikes for the adventure market, rather than rebadging something from the current model range and giving it a name and paint job from the past.

The next step I hope to see is a return to the single, smooth seat.

Someone somewhere decided adventure bikes should have a two-piece seat with a step between the rider and

the pillion, and it’s a horse’s arse for good riding technique.

I can see the logic of pleasing those carrying pillions. It’s good for the passenger to be able to enjoy the view beyond the back of the rider’s helmet. But even without a pillion most riders will strap some luggage on the rear of the seat, and having that mass up high – whether it’s a bag or a person –isn’t ideal. It can be managed, for sure, but a stepped seat with an elevated rear section means we’re all forced to start with a disadvantage.

The aspect of the stepped seat which annoys me most is not being able to easily move my weight back.

“ The aspect of the stepped seat which annoys me most is not being able to easily move my weight back. ”

Having a bag on the rear restricts rearward movement for a rider anyway, but I always try and keep that load as far back and as light as I can. That allows me a fair range of movement, and on any kind of technical terrain that’s a huge advantage. But on some of the bigger bikes of the past few years the rear seat is so high that, even without luggage, it snags a rider trying to move back under braking. That’s a liability.

I admit I’d adjusted to the stepped seat and pretty much stopped thinking about it. But then I rode the AJP last issue and the Aprilia this issue, and it was driven home very forcefully just how big an influence moving the rider’s weight rearward can have, and how it was a natural aspect of my riding I’d suppressed because I simply couldn’t do it so much with the rear seat in the way.

Adventure bikes are offering astonishing levels of performance and comfort, and I’m enjoying that as much as everyone else. But we need to do our best to ensure manufacturers don’t forget they’re building bikes for riders, not marketing departments.

Foster - Editor

Adventure

Christine Clancy Sales Director

Bradley Buchanan

Editor

Tom Foster tom.foster@primecreative.com.au

Group Sales Manager

Mitch Newell

mitch.newell@primecreative.com.au

Mob. 0402 202 870

Production

Arianna Lucini

arianna.lucini@primecreative.com.au

Design

Danny Bourke southern-bear@bigpond.com.au

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Website: www.advridermag.com.au

8 advridermag.com.au

Pilbara Rovers

MidWest Or Bust 2022

The rocks of Western Australia’s Pilbara record billions of years of Earth’s history. In 2022, the seventh year of the MidWest Or Bust ride, the Perth Adventure Riders once again headed out to sample this truly ancient landscape.

The joy in any ride begins with the preparation. Nobody wants their ride to end early due to lack of forethought. Like Santa Claus, it’s best to make a list and check it twice…and check it again many times more. With a group of 24 riders, the 2022 MidWest Or Bust ride was sure to have someone roll up unprepared, and the prize this year went to Dirk Saunders. Dirk arrived at the start point without the fuel cap on his trusty DR650.

Merv Martian, the magnanimous host in Gero, delved into his shed spares bin and had soon fashioned a custom DR fuel cap from an old bearing cover. Merv won the acclaim of all while Dirk gladly donned the fairy wings.

And they’re off…

With Merv’s magic done, the crew was soon on the road.

The result of the higher-than-usual winter rainfall was soon evident as riders wended their way through the fluorescent-yellow canola fields of the Chapman Valley. During the following week everyone was treated to views of vast, verdant, green grasses, and the early bloom of wildflowers white, yellow, red, purple, and pink contrasted by the red earth and wide-open blue skies.

After 100km, all were happy to finally hop on the dirt at Galena Bridge, and thus the ride proper began.

Preparation woes surfaced again, with Ryan ‘Macca’ McKenzie grabbing

the angle grinder from super support driver Peter Jacobs. The rear mudguard on his DRZ was melting from the newly installed Barrett exhaust, and after a little delicate modification the problem disappeared. Lower water levels meant fording the Murchison River was a simpler affair than previous years, and the first night was spent with old friends at Murchison Oasis. Once again the Murchison people showed great country hospitality, offering a cooked dinner, opening the sports bar, and showing the city slickers how to have a stormin’ Saturday night.

Gascoyne Junction

Sunday dawned on the PAR riders showing a smugness derived from

Words: Tadhg ‘Tiger MacCarthy. Images: Tiger, Ari Rowe and Mike Littlefair

u Left: A section of track with erosion mounds was a highlight, and Julian Pope created a new discipline: AdvMX. Top: Beth Walton turned out to say goodbye in Sandstone. Above: The 2022 MWOB route: Geraldton, Murchison Oasis, Gascoyne Junction, Mount Augustus, Kumarina, Cue, Sandstone, Murchison Oasis, Geraldton.

not trying to match the locals the previous night, and Gascoyne Junction was the destination for the second day. Lenny Hicks was spotted by support driver Peter Jacobs ‘Doing some illegal land clearing’ when he overshot a sharp corner on his DR650. He kept it upright, but picked up some sore ribs and the fairy wings for the next day.

Lenny’s was to be the only injury for the trip, testament to tour organiser Drew Peach’s assertion, “Everyone brought their A game.”

The crew at the pub at Gascoyne Junction updated the menu accordingly.

A visit to the abandoned Gilroyd cattle station gave an insight to the harsh realities of life in the remote midwest, the first of several stark examples seen during the week.

Mount Augustus

The second day’s route headed northeast to WA’s own Uluru, Mount Augustus. The Kennedy Ranges loomed large

in the west, rising from the flat, ancient country, as everyone pulled in for lunch at Gifford Creek Station, where the owners again kindly allowed the group to use their station tracks to link to the afternoon run to Mount Augustus. Support vehicles were kept busy when Steve Smith’s T7 picked up a puncture. With the aim of keeping the group moving, it was loaded on the trailer to be repaired later.

Most grabbed the opportunity to take a sunset ride around the rock and found the 22km sandy trail freshly graded, allaying the fears of the sand-cautious,

Above: Lower water levels meant fording the Murchison River was a simpler affair than previous years.

Below left: A custom DR fuel cap was fashioned from an old bearing cover.

and support driver Suze Trappit carted a load of bush timber for a monster bonfire – much to the delight of Tasmaniac James Timperon, who tended the blaze and sated his internal pyromaniac.

Kumarina

Excitement was palpable among previous MWOB riders at breakfast the next morning. Perennial favourite Dooley Downs Road was first up for the day, and Frank McGrory, ex-racer and current comedian, captured the sentiment: “I’ve got a brand-new tyre and I’m going to use 25 per cent of it in the next 100km,” he prophesied.

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Below right: Support driver Suze Trappit carted a load of bush timber for a monster bonfire. u

After the Dooley Downs section was Meekatharra Road, the most picturesque 60km or so of the entire trip. Blooming wildflowers were abundant and the

Pilbara rovers

rocky outcrops were only missing a line of headdress-wearing riders on piebald horses – at least for those raised on a diet of John Wayne and old westerns.

The day ended with a detour to visit Bamboo Springs, a serene camping spot, and then a 60km transport up the bitumen to Kumarina to feed and water the horses.

Sandstone

The next morning began with a cold southerly wind as everyone backtracked down the highway and visited the start of the Canning Stock Route, a bucket-list route for many.

The town of Wiluna was our lunch spot. The Gunbarrel Highway starts at Wiluna, another bucket-list ride, and a rumour ran around it may be on the itinerary for MWOB 2023.

The historic National Hotel in Sandstone was a welcome sight at the end of the day. It felt like summertime and there was no skimping on drinks that night. The campers were housed in the wellappointed primary school, a great accommodation initiative by Sandstone local Beth Walton and the other ladies of the shire, who turned out the next morning to say goodbye.

The tourist attractions around Sandstone occupied the morning, most notably a goldrush-era brewery in a cave, set up by Irishman (of course) J.V. Kearney, a man a century ahead of his time with his craft-brewing entrepreneurship.

Cue

Mike Littlefair had some gems in store the next day, taking everyone off the beaten

track along some great trails. The pinnacle was a surprise deep-sand track that kept everybody on their toes – and those on lighter bikes glad of their choice of steed.

Too soon the historic mining town of Cue appeared and a stop was made for a slap-up buffet at the Cue pub. The latte drinkers got to sample the authentic olde world charm of accommodation at the Queen of Murchison Café and recommended it very highly.

Muchison Oasis

Next morning was spent doing a tour of the historic mining locations around Cue, including the Great Fingall Mine Office and the abandoned township of Bell, which had its heyday in the in the WW2 era until the mine closed in 1955.

Some would argue we had the best trails of the trip for the rest of that day.

A highlight was a section of track with erosion mounds clearly created by a dirt biker. Coodardy Station came and went,

as did Charlie’s Camp Spot, named after the now King Charles 3, who spent time there as a teenager.

Did he get some of his environmentalist ideas from the area?

Geraldton

The final day was the return to reality.

To add insult to injury, a two-hour downpour in the final 150km of bitumen to Gero was a test of endurance and a good chance to test wet-weather gear.

My own waterproof jacket had all the water-repellent qualities of a string vest.

A trip like this doesn’t happen by magic. Drew Peach, Mike Littlefair and support drivers Peter Jacobs and Suze Trappit put in many hours of organising and preparation. Much credit and huge thanks go to them.

And after two great MWOBs, Drew Peach hands the reins over to Craig Holt for MWOB 2023.

No pressure, mate!

Above: Drew Peach on perennial favourite, Dooley Downs Road.

Right: James Filear on Gifford Station.

Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Pro and Rally Explorer

Triumph’s all-new Tiger 1200s copped a thrashing through challenging terrain in South Australia.

Main: The Rally Pro had the 20-litre tank and no radar or heated seats, but we didn’t feel the lack.

Top right: The new Tiger 1200s look and feel substantially slimmer and lighter than the previous 1200 triples.

Australia has been waiting for the allnew Tiger 1200s for quite a while – not as long as everyone waited for the Ténéré 700, obviously. That was like waiting for a NSW government review into appointing a former party leader to a cushy, big-money job – but long enough. Adventure Rider Magazine was able to chat to Triumph’s Chief Engineer, Stuart Wood, in issue #51 to try and get some of the info everyone was busting to know, and we’d sat in on a couple of those Zoomy-meeting things where various people teased us with bits and pieces about the new bikes.

But there’s no substitute for actually riding, and Triumph Australia obliged by flying a group of riders and support crew into Adelaide, putting them on the new bikes, then sending them out on a loop which took in Port Augusta, Arkaroola and Peterborough before cruising to a finish at Mildura.

superb, five-day route, Triumph pretty much left riders to do as they pleased.

Rally Pro and Rally Explorer

For those who haven’t been keeping up, these bikes are new from the ground up, not updates to previous models.

“ For those who haven’t been keeping up, these bikes are new from the ground up, not updates to previous models. ”

The main points common to the new bikes are:

v An 18-inch/21-inch wheel combo

v A seven-inch TFT display with an integrated connectivity system

v Optimised cornering traction control

v Showa semi-active suspension

v LED lighting with integrated cornering lighting

v A keyless fob set up, which also operates the fuel cap and steering lock

v Triumph Shift Assist

v Heated grips, AND v Hill hold.

We feel Triumph gave every possible opportunity for everyone to challenge themselves and the bikes in a fashion we seldom see at a bike release. Aside from offering tech and mechanical assistance, and laying out a

The ‘Rally Explorer’ designation comes with a few unique features not on the standard Rally Pro. Heated seats, for instance, a 30-litre tank and a tyre-pressure monitoring system. Rally Explorers also have a Triumph Blind Spot Radar to alert slow, fat, editor types when frigging

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TriumPh Tiger 1200 rally Pro and

yahoo photographers in the chase car may be about to explode past in a filthy, shitty puddle and fill them in with a massive, COVID-drenched wave of stinking water-wallow putridness and then drive off cackling like lunatics, fist-pumping with glee out the open windows. Triumph’s OEM accessory range for the Tiger 1200s is huge and includes everything from luggage through protection and onto communication. Get on to triumphmotorcycles.com.au to have a look. There’s heaps, including the trick gear on the Explorer available for fitting to the Rally Pro if that tickles your fancy.

Big’n

It can be difficult to raise an eyebrow at the glamour-end of the market where the Tiger 1200 resides. Luxurious comfort is expected. Big horsepower is a yawn. An insane level of electronic tunability and intervention is a very basic unit of entry into the 1200cc adventure arena. Unfortunately, offering those features usually means a clunking big mass of bike and big expense, and while plenty of riders looking in this class don’t seem to care too much about price, weight and bike size are having an increasingly bigger

influence on purchasing decisions. As we pointed out in issue #51, the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro, at 249kg, is 25kg lighter than its predecessor, and there’s a been a great deal of design and engineering time spent on ergonomics. The new Tiger 1200s look and feel substantially slimmer and lighter than older 1200s, and with the adjustability available from the standard seat – not to mention the options in the accessory line – we’re pretty sure most Aussie riders will be able to get themselves feeling safe and comfortable on the new Tigers. There was some early conjecture we

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Top: A great motor and excellent electronics make the Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Pro and Rally Explorer superb outback tourers.

Below: Backlit switches were brilliant.

Right: The big Tigers hold their own on the road, even with the Michelin Anakee off-road tyres.

remember about the possibility of the 1200 making the 900 redundant, but there were a couple of 900s with the support crew, and once a rider can jump from one to the other there’s no possible argument. The 900 feels – and is –smaller, lighter and more nimble. We didn’t have any problem about that. A rider considering a 1200cc motor isn’t likely to be looking for the same ride experience as the 900cc rider, and we were content both bikes did their work well.

Crank

The T-plane, three-cylinder, 1160cc motor with its ‘1-3-2’ firing order is at the centre

of the Tiger 1200’s character, and it’s a pearler. It chugs along at low revs with a very pleasing growl, before moving smoothly into a mid- and upper-midrange thrust that’s both easy to use and a real heart-starter. Of course the electronics play a huge part in the motor’s response and performance. The whole 148hp is let loose in Sport mode, but ‘only’ 90hp in Off-Road and Rain. Other modes available are Road, Rider, and Off-Road Pro. All modes allow tuning within each mode. For instance, we really enjoyed the OffRoad Pro setting because we liked the ABS and traction-control settings, but we preferred to run the Sport engine map. It’s only a matter of hitting the menu button

and using the little thumb joystick on the left-hand switchblock to make the appropriate selection, hit enter, and it’s done. It doesn’t need to be tuned again after the ignition’s turned off, although the bike will automatically return to Road mode. Hit the mode button, select the mode you’re chasing, and it’ll be configured as you left it. The menu operated in pretty much the same way as the last few Triumphs we’d ridden, so it was easy-peasy. Even for Triumph newbies it should be fairly straightforward once it’s demonstrated. Like all the bikes in this class, there’s so much tuning available to the rider it’s

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Top: Totally at home in the Aussie outback. Left: “You wascally photogwaphers!” A masterpiece of timing meant Adventure Rider Magazine’s ed got massively filled in. He was quick to pull up alongside and let everyone know he enjoyed the joke. Below: There were a lot of tyre repairs, and with the tubeless Anakee Wilds it mostly meant pushing in a plug or two. Rear tyre changes when they come around are a little involved, but not too bad, we thought.

BEGINS

TriumPh Tiger 1200 rally Pro and rally exPlorer

not easy to give a clear statement of what works. It will depend on rider and circumstance, but everyone should be able to get very close to what they need from this engine/electronics set up.

Hot stuff

The Tiger 1200 is a shafty, and while we were super impressed with the engineering on Triumph’s previous shaft drive, this one is an absolute peach. Aside from needing little or no maintenance, most riders won’t be able to tell they’re being propelled by a driveshaft instead of a chain. We’d recommend people don’t think about it at all. Just ride the thing and enjoy the experience.

There’s some interesting aero on the bike as well. We remember the early 800s throwing a fair bit of heat up at the rider, especially in slow-moving traffic, but the sideways-mounted radiators on the new bikes are matched with subtle bodywork which looks like it’ll have the air moving away and along the bike. It was frigging cold during the South Aussie ride, and we spent a bit of time wishing we could get some hot air blowing up into the twigand-berries area, but it wasn’t to be.

While we’re thinking about aero, the screen adjusts with a grab handle that couldn’t be any easier to use. Just grab it and drag the screen up or slam it down. There are several little indents to allow placing it in just the right spot, but we found it was always fully up on the road sections and fully down on the dirt. In general, we felt the rider was well protected from both windblast and the freezing mongrel rain that piddled down on us a few times. On the single hot day – where we covered something like 90km of rock and snot in around six hours or so – we couldn’t have got enough air on us if Mark Taylor had been sitting on the tank holding a Fujitsu jammed in our faces. But with the screen in the low position, the vents on the RST clobber open, and standing up to get as much airflow as possible, we got through it.

Here we go

There was a bit of a cascade of impressions the first time we climbed on the bike, starting with a big moment of relief at finding so much which was familiar. The switchblocks were very similar to Triumphs we’d ridden previously, and the bike felt narrow for what we expected from a 1200. That made us feel good.

But within nanoseconds – yes, nanoseconds – we had that sinking sensation where we couldn’t get enough of our feet on the ground to feel truly stable, and the TFT screen fired up to show a graphic we didn’t recognise. Before there was time for conscious thought our lumpy brains, still docile and unresponsive after an astonishingly huge and high-quality welcome dinner the previous evening, had rolled over, farted, and left us assuming we were in trouble. It was nonsense, of course. The seatheight adjustment on the Triumphs is one of the easiest and best in the business, and we were soon very comfortably supporting the bike with the balls of both feet on the ground (best not to enquire about our balls), and much to our relief, the graphic on the TFT screen was in fact the only alternative. On the last 1200 Triumph we rode we spent a lot of time scratching our heads wondering which graphic display to use. There were a few, and they all had information in different places and colours and scattered all over the show. The new bike has one graphic with two colour options – Cobalt (blue) or Furnace (red). The information is the same, and stays in the same place. There’s the usual in-depth stats and readouts available, but the rider selects what he or she wants to see, rather than having an incredibly complex array of information constantly on display. We liked that arrangement a lot.

Go the distance

The first day’s ride to Port Augusta set off into the Adelaide hills in light rain, and the bike very quickly, as expected, showed itself to be both capable and comfortable on the road.

We’d jagged a Rally Pro, so we had the 20-litre tank and no radar or heated seats, but we didn’t feel the lack. The motor was smooth and strong, the Triumph Shift Assist was surprisingly good, we felt well sheltered from the light rain, the heated grips were nice enough, and the kilometres rolled away.

We messed around with the modes of course, and as so often happens, we found ourselves asking why there needs to be so many. We really couldn’t find a use for Rain mode. The standard Road mode offered good safety margins intervening with both traction control and ABS, so we didn’t feel the need to stay in Rain. The Off-Road modes didn’t get a run on the first day, but Sport, with the full 148 horsepower kick in the pants, was still well controlled by the safety systems, even if things became a little lively at times. We never did get to setting up the Rider mode.

But each to his own. There’s no reason for any rider to feel they can’t get what

they want from the electronics suite on one of these bikes. We felt it performed really well on the road, making both covering distance and getting a little sporty on curves and cambers a real riding pleasure.

Modes can be changed on the fly, except to move in and out of the Off-Road and Off-Road Pro modes. The bike needs to be stationary for that selection.

Dirt squirt

From Port Augusta the dirt and real run to the Flinders Ranges began, and having settled in well with the bike on the previous day we were keen to get into it.

There wasn’t much in the way of technical challenge, but we felt it was probably the type of off-road riding most buyers of 1200cc bikes expect to do. There were long, straight, hard-packed sections along enormous flat plains with the curve of the Earth visible on the horizon, some swoopy ridgelines, a few dry creek beds, and everywhere the incredible, beautiful desolation of Australia’s desert heartland –on this rare occasion in its full, wild, green glory after recent rain.

We helplessly tried to absorb the beauty of the situation, one which we’re unlikely to see again in our lifetimes, and the bike

added to the majesty of the setting. It was incredibly easy to ride and entirely at home.

It was a wonderful and not-to-be-forgotten experience.

Rockin’

Once settled into Arkaroola’s luxuriously appointed rooms, Triumph Australia let everyone loose on some tough terrain. A short loop out and back from the accom had the bikes thrashing through a lot of loose rock, more dry creek beds, up and down a few rocky hills and clutch-slipping along some tightish four-wheel-drive trails. Sometimes there was a sandy section or two as a break from the rocks. It was about as seriously tough as we believe any regular 1200cc owner would expect to face, and we honestly believe very few owners of bikes in this class, given the choice, would willingly tackle terrain of that severity. The new 1200s coped well, but it did highlight the shortcomings in the semi-active suspension. Selecting a mode not only selects an ignition map, ABS and traction-control setting, it also selects suspension preload and damping settings, front and rear. As with every other parameter within the modes, the rider can choose to modify

Main: The big Triumphs are very comfortable for racking up big kilometres, on and off road. u

TriumPh

a particular aspect of a mode to suit their personal preference. We chose the firmest setting for the suspension in every mode we played with, but we still couldn’t stop smashing the centrestand into the ground, even on smallish G-outs and landings. We only had a small Andy Strapz bag on the back and were left wondering how a rider with luggage and a pillion would fare. Plenty of customers shopping for a 1200cc bike would have that scenario in mind, we feel. In all fairness, we had on a fair bit more pace than we think most owners of bikes like these would run. We think most owners – not being smash-and-grab journos handing the bike back at the end of the ride – would ride at a pace which would be far less stressful on the bike, and we suspect the suspension would cope reasonably well in the hands of real-world owners.

We don’t know where tuners are up to with electronic suspension tuning and replacement these days, but it was problem on the BMWs a few years ago, so it’d be worth researching. Otherwise, the bikes devoured the challenges like they were built for it. The throttle response was smooth, braking first class, handling excellent for a big bike, and, consistently, at the heart of it

all, the superb motor made things easy. It was happy to lug up hills with the rider’s eyes closed and teeth chattering, blast through open sections of sand and bulldust at full noise, or pick and poke along a rocky riverbed without ever a moment of protest. There’s a funny-feeling characteristic where the revs at idle change depending on gear selection. In neutral the engine would idle at something like 1000rpm. Click it into gear and it would idle at 1500rpm or so. Click it back to neutral and it suddenly drops back to 1000rpm. In the tight going, we’re pretty sure this helped avoid a lot of stalling. We felt the older 800 triples used to stall easily, but we lugged the bejesuss out of this motor and could

only get it to stall when we tried to. That was a big help in tight going when rider talent and control were pushing their limits.

At home

With Arkaroola in the rear-view mirrors, the route headed back along the dirt and we watched in fascination as the hard, flinty Flinders landscape slowly transformed to the low scrub and sand of the mallee. The rain started again somewhere around the Danggali stretch and Mother Nature threw up an amazing double rainbow as the Victorian border approached. The Murray flowed alongside as the weary entourage made its way into Mildura.

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Top: The 900 – on the left – is clearly slimmer, lighter and more agile.

Right: Loved the seven-inch TFT display. The important info is there in front of the rider. The rest is available at the touch of a button – as long as it’s selected while the bike is stationary.

Over the five days the bikes covered something like 2000km in what we reckon was exactly what people who buy bikes like these expect to do. The ‘tough’ day at Arkaroola was the kind of unexpected section a bunch of riders on a big annual ride might find themselves caught up in, and the bike coped really well. The only real problems were flat tyres which were easily fixed with a puncture-repair kit. The distance, challenges, occasional dropped bikes and broken bits and pieces were exactly the incidents which happen on any ride of this type – and make up the adventure side of things – and none of them stopped the Tiger 1200s. Better than that, they were a real pleasure to ride. Triumph’s new Tiger 1200 Rally Pro and Rally Explorer are extremely comfortable, very capable on and off road, and, after a tough week, showed they were clearly very much at home in the Australian outback.

TriumPh Tiger 1200 rally Pro and rally exPlorer

s Recommended retail: Tiger 1200 Rally Pro from $31,800. Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer from $33,950. Web: triumphmotorcycles.com.au

s P e C

Engine type: Liquid-cooled, 12 valve, DOHC, inline, three-cylinder Capacity: 1160cc

Bore x stroke: 90.0mm x 60.7mm

Compression ratio: 13.2:1

Maximum power: 148hp (110.4kW) @ 9000rpm

Maximum torque: 130Nm @ 7000rpm

Fuel system: Multipoint sequential electronic fuel injection with electronic throttle control

Exhaust: Stainless-steel three-into-one header system with underslung primary silencer and side-mounted secondary silencer

Final drive: Shaft

Clutch: Hydraulic, wet, multi-plate, slip and assist Gearbox: Six-speed

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)

Above: It’s still a 1200 and takes some riding in sand and bulldust.

Below: Superb support from Triumph Australia, right down to Subway lunches in out-of-the-way places, was magnificent.

Frame: Tubular steel frame with forged aluminium outriggers. Fabricated, bolt-on aluminium rear subframe

Swingarm: Twin-sided ‘Tri-Link’ aluminium swingarm with twin aluminium torque arms

Front wheel: Spoked tubeless, 21-inch x 2.15-inch

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

Rear suspension: Showa monoshock with

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, Matt Khaki

Service intervals: 16,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first

Warranty: Three years/unlimited kilometres

TriumPh

Bathurst and Parkes weekend

There was word on the grapevine of a ride to Bathurst and Parkes in the middle of winter. Hopper managed to jag an invite.

Words: Hopper. Images: Hopper and Scott

With morning temperatures predicted to be minusfour, it was with some foreboding set off from Newcastle at six degrees on a July morning, scheduled to meet up with ex-Cobar legend Gary – ‘Eyebrows’ – who’d only been set free the previous evening after nine days’ isolation due to flooding.

Leaving our rendezvous just outside Kurri Kurri at 7.00am, we hit the New England Highway and Golden Highway. Normally the temperature rises as the day progresses, but not on this day.

The KTM dash showed three degrees as we entered Jerrys Plains and the cold had started to seep its

way through my multiple layers.

Correct wait

Jones Reserve Road left the traffic and highway behind and we scooted past Appletree Road (which leads to the awesome adventure route, the Commission Track), and followed the Hunter River to Martindale. Denman was bypassed, but we were held up at roadworks where it looked like they’re getting ready to tar the last bit of dirt on that section (a shame). Bylong Valley Way, now fully sealed, a popular tourist route, and a good picturesque ride which follows the Goulburn River and Sandy Hollow/Ulan Railway, took us to some tight twisties up

to Cox’s Gap. From there we descended towards Bylong and access to Wollemi and Goulburn River National Parks. We’d made good time and that allowed a slight detour. Bypassing Bylong on the dirt was a lot rougher and slipperier than normal due to recent rain, and I struggled to get in the groove, thanks to my thick gloves and feeling like the Michelin Man. We joined the main Lithgow/Mudgee road at Ilford and headed south, arriving at Capertee at 10.50am for our prearranged 11.00am rendezvous with the Sydney contingent. After fuelling the bikes and woofing into hot coffee, a burger, and even warming up a little, we waited.

Then we waited some more.

All for one

At 11.30am we started phoning and leaving messages.

I’d discussed the proposed route with organiser Scott and had flagged some challenging bogholes on the Powerline Track (I’m hardcore, me, and certainly not fazed by a bit of mud. But who knew what the big-city boys would think?). At 12.30pm Bruce turned up on his own with accounts of bottomless mud pits taking four people to recover bikes and dramas finding a way around obstacles and back to the main drag. Finally a call from Scott revealed they were ‘Okay. Just trying to get out

Below

Above: Barkbusters blizzards were

Below: Scott dented the front rim on a cattle grid and had to fit a tube.

“ Bypassing Bylong on the dirt was a lot rougher and slipperier than normal due to

recent rain.

”

on the highway.’

The three musketeers arrived at 1.00pm, somewhat flustered.

Top man

Once everyone had a chance to refuel bikes and bodies, we headed off – six of us in total: myself on the trusty 890, Gary and Bruce on 690s, Scott on the mighty 1290, and two I hadn’t met before, Kevin – a fine gentleman on a Husky 650 – and Adventure Rider Magazine’s very own Mitch on his 701. Straight on to Upper Turon Road we went, towards the very popular Turon Gates Resort. There was plenty of oncoming traffic to contend with, and one 4WD had stopped in the middle

Left: Bruce decided to bypass an easy section of mud and ended up with his 690 buried to the swingarm.

left: Author Hopper. Hardcore, and not fazed by a bit of mud.

popular.

of the road around a blind corner and made things very interesting.

Our first crossing of the Turon River saw our most experienced rider, Gary, take a dip. I was on hand so got my feet wet assisting, lifting and extracting the 690. Thankfully there were no issues starting the beast. We worked together through four gates and kept a good pace until our leader, Scott, got a little too aggressive on a cattle grid and dented the front rim. It was tubeless, so we had to tape up the spoke nipples inside the rim and fit a tube. Him being such an experienced hand meant it didn’t take long.

The next crossing had plenty of deep, loose gravel on the far side, but thankfully there were no dramas, and then we were confronted with the main crossing of the Turon River to take us into Sofala.

Gary was out in front, and although none of us had seem him, he’d obviously crossed without incident. The rest of us were very hesitant, but I already had wet feet so I walked the crossing to suss it out. It was only about 20cm deep, but it was flowing fast and I couldn’t easily walk it.

Myself and Scott were reluctant to take the big beasts across, so Mitch stood up and entered the fray on the 701, showing why he’s the mag’s best rider.

We all followed successfully with various levels of finesse.

Senior

The original plan was to hit Hill End then the Bridle Track, but time was getting away and I had some concerns about the Turon River Crossing just after Hill End. Following a heated debate it was

decided to take Turondale Road instead. That took us into Eglinton then Bathurst, where we fuelled bikes and settled into our accommodation at the Panorama Motel after a 427km day.

I stuffed my wet boots with newspaper and set up the air con to dry the socks, but, thankfully, Scott was a lot smarter than me and found the motel spin drier to handle a collection of wet attire.

We all met in the bar and enjoyed a few ales and a good feed until the music started.

I must be getting old.

Game

At 7.00am the next day it felt quite pleasant in the room, but we had a reality check on the way to brekky. The place was covered in a thick frost and the temperature was minus-three.

It was disappointing to learn over breakfast our leader, Scott, was heading home with sore ribs following a drop on a hill, a problem which was later confirmed to be a broken rib. Bruce stepped up to lead and we headed out at a respectable 9.15am with the temperature still just a little below zero.

The first part of the day was easy-go-

Top: Adventure Rider Magazine’s very own Mitch on his 701. Left: Bruce stepped up to lead. u

baThursT and Parkes weekend

ing backroads: Lagoon Road to Rockley, across to Turnkey Creek, through Neville, Mandurama and into Cowra for lunch, fuel and to shed a few layers. A highway run to Grenfell then took us to the fun tracks, which were just technical enough to ensure riders stayed focussed. There were water crossings and bogholes, and I’m still not sure why Bruce and Kevin decided to bypass an easy section of mud, but when I arrived Bruce’s 690 was buried to the swingarm. Kevin wasn’t in much better shape, and the rest of us easily went through on the main track. It took a major effort from four of us to extract the 690, by which time Kevin had sorted himself out.

Before he’d left Scott had mentioned we should check out the murals at Eugowra, but the fast ones out front didn’t stop so I kept going, zigzagging through a myriad of backroads to the outskirts of Parkes where the deep, fast-flowing Goobang Creek crossing pulled us up. We watched a lifted 4WD get pushed sideways and only just make it, and Bruce, who’d led well all day said, “I think we’ll be alright.” The rest of us had already started turning around.

There was only about 10km of highway to our overnight digs, the Court Street Motel in the centre of Parkes, and to the end of a 387km day. A few drinks at the local pub and a good feed set me up to watch the rugby as England took on the Wallabies (I won’t mention who won or the editor might not print this story).

Edgy

Parkes was cold, but warmer than Bathurst, and after being outvoted I had

A masterpiece of innovation.

to suffer MacDonald’s for breakfast before leaving Parkes at 8.00am and touring out past the famous radio-telescope dish. Outvoted again by the Sydney dudes, we didn’t stop. “There’s no time for tourist things,” I was told. “We’re here to ride.”

Peak Hill Road had us on the dirt pretty much straight away, and there were plenty of water obstacles which saw various forms of attack. One was straight through the middle, but I tried to skirt the edges, and it turned out to be not the best option. I was lucky to get through.

After 180 clicks and three hours of riding we rolled into Wellington for fuel and an early lunch.

Back on track

After lunch we found great riding on Twelve Mile Road and Yarrabin Road to Collingwood, then Windeyer Road had us slightly directionally challenged and in someone’s front yard. Ten years ago there’d definitely been a track through there, I was sure.

We were redirected to Aaron Pass, which had awesome views and fun twisties, although extreme wind effected the bikes’ handling before popping us out on the Castlereagh Highway at 2.00pm.

It was a good spot to split. The three city slickers headed for Razorback and Sofala, while myself and Eyebrows skirted the southern regions of Lake Windamere to Rylstone and Bylong Valley Way. Lee Creek Road through Upper Bylong had dried out nicely since the Friday before and was a lot more enjoyable, and we retraced our route through Cox’s Gap, Yarrawa Road and Doyles Creek, joining the Golden Highway at Jerrys Plains for fuel and an easy run home.

We were pleasantly surprised at the lack of end-of-school-holiday traffic as we joined the New England Highway, and I was home at 5.45pm after 615km for the day.

We’d covered 1430km in total and I’d just started to unpack when She realised I was back.

Right…veggies need peeling…get the meat on…

Ah. It was great to be home.

Left: Wet boots stuffed with newspaper and wet socks set up in front of the air con to dry.

Right: The Turon River saw the most experienced rider, Gary, take a dip.

Congregation 2022

At last! After all the COVID dramas and two years of cancellations, Adventure Rider Magazine’s annual Congregation finally fired up and roosted back into life – in the biggest possible way.

September was a tad wet, and as the big weekend for the Congie approached, everyone was just a little fearful things might be a bit muddy and cold at Green Valley Farm. But it didn’t happen that way. As 200 or so mad-keen attendees emerged from tents, swags and cabins on the Saturday morning, the sun was shining, the temperature was climbing, and Green Valley Farm was at its absolute best. The ground was soft, the grass green and life was good.

But there’d been a few tankslappers for the magazine leading up to the big day, and no one was really sure how things would work out. The Boss had a family commitment come up and at the last second announced he couldn’t make it, and TF was blasting around on a bike somewhere – supposedly ‘working’ –while Miles Davis was in frigging Albania, of all places.

Top: Plenty of space between campsites. No COVID here!

Left: Mal and Karen from Adventure Bike Australia were back with great Congregation deals. Below: Firepits, a sunset and great people.

Exploration. Enjoyment. Performance. And a keen desire to head out and set off towards the horizon. The identity of this bike leaves no doubt, a single glance will transport you into the world of the Dakar. Equipped with a 21” front wheel and an 18” rear, the new DesertX is designed to take on the most challenging off-road routes. The long-travel suspension and new frame designed for off-roading blend with Ducati road-going expertise for a bike that is responsive, easy to handle and perfect on any type of terrain. Whether desert or asphalt, all you need to do is to climb aboard, set out to achieve your dreams, and enjoy the adventure of a lifetime.

New Ducati DesertX Dream Wilder.

So the weight of the whole show fell on the shoulders of ad-man, Mitch. Fortunately, those broad, manly shoulders were more than equal to the task, and with The Bike Butler’s Chris Bostelman, a veteran of Congregation organisation, and Maschine’s Nick Selleck – and of course the amazing Green Valley Farm folks – not only was the 2022 Congie a raging success, it was one of the best ever.

The ’X Nick Selleck, main man at Maschine, but also a Ducati ‘Product Genius’ (true. That’s his title), brought along a Desert-X and that was big news for Congregationers. Not only was everyone allowed up close and personal with the Duke, Nick jumped on it and tore up the place with his awesome skills demos and showing everyone how to handle the gymkhana course. He also gave an insightful and well-informed briefing on the bike at the dinner presentation.

So that was worth the price of admission, right there.

But there was plenty more to be excited about.

All in

Once again the event had big support, and it seemed 2022 had an even bigger involvement from the motorcycling industry than ever. Ducati sent along Nick Selleck, as we’ve already said, and Rosie Lalonde from KTM, Husky and Gas Gas rode in with a contingent that included her father, Gordy, on the 390 Adventure the magazine test rode last year. The easy-going and likable Lewis Croft from Suzuki joined in again, and casually offered a handful of $200 Suzuki vouchers to give away, and Motul sent along about a zillion caps, T-shirts and stubby holders, some gift vouchers and lord knows what else. As always, Adventure Moto was in it up to the axles. Staff of the magazine were left wondering about their own retirement when Steve and Jen Smith

sent along son Max, the next generation of Adventure Moto, who turned out to be an absolutely top bloke and fitted right in. If Max is the future of Adventure Moto and adventure riding in Australia, things are looking good.

Karen and Mal from Adventure Bike Australia had a stack of Congregation specials on offer, and Vince Strang, as always, was on hand to give help and advice where needed, and to give everyone a look at a new KLR Adventure he’d brought along.

Green Valley Farm’s Adrian Vickery had laid out a brilliant loop for those who wanted a ride, and had even made sure route sheets were ready, while the rest of the extended family took care of catering, sign in, and all the other various tasks that went to making the weekend a winner. And it was a winner. We can’t remember a better, more fantastic adventure-riding event.

Well. Not since the 2019 Congregation, anyway.

The ’Khana

As always, the gymkhana was a highlight, and after initial reluctance – it looked like no one was going to have a go for a while – a goodly bunch of riders gathered to strut their stuff in slow racing, slalom and a spot of parking and reversing.

The standard was in some cases very high, and some groundbreaking (literally), but all riders got big support from the crowd, especially Darren Cheshire, who managed to tag the chook shed on the edge of the course in a wild, crowdpleasing lunge for the finish.

The very popular win went to Green Valley Farm’s Mick Stewart and his kick-start XR600. Mick sent everyone crazy when he donated his prizes back to be raffled off. Mario Worgan from Inverell sneaked into second, with Darren ‘Chookshed’ Cheshire from Scone close behind.

Too good

As the sun set the weary but content riders moved to the shearing shed for the usual dinner and presentations, a few cold drinks and to talk through the day.

It was a fantastic end to a superb Congie, and we can’t wait for the next one.

See you there.

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Left: Green Valley Farm’s Mick Stewart took gymkhana honours on his XR600. Above: Nick Selleck’s talk on the Desert-X had a very appreciative audience.

Below: Bike covers were in this year. Right: Contributor Hopper liked the look of the Adventure Moto Triumph 1200 Scrambler. It’s up for grabs in a competition.

Bike

security

Having a bike stolen is a heartbreaker. There’s not only the expense of replacing the bike, it also often means the loss of something irreplaceable – usually for sentimental reasons, but just as often because a build has made a particular bike unique. There are some different angles of approach when considering bike security. Here’s a few to get you thinking.

The best way to deal with bike theft is to prevent it.

That sounds easy enough, but in reality, it’s not. There’s no possible way to guarantee a bike is safe. Even if a bike were encased in concrete, a thief with enough time and the right tools could take it. It may need the use of a crane, jackhammer and a week’s work, but it could be done. But first things first: don’t make it obvious.

As much as you love your bike, leaving it in front of your house or office window in full view of the traffic in the street isn’t a good idea. It’ll catch the eye of thieving scumbags along with honest admirers. The same thing applies on a ride. Try and stay at places which allow getting the bike out of sight overnight, preferably locked up somewhere, and have a look at some kind of lock to carry with you so even if the bike has to be outdoors, at least it can’t be rolled on to a nearby trailer and driven away.

The Mac Attack runs a chain around the rear wheel and doesn’t have a lot of trouble with thieves.

Flowing locks

Aside from not advertising the location of an awesome bike, the precaution most riders will take will be to secure the bike somehow.

There are quite a few styles of locks and chains available, at hugely varied prices, and it’s not easy for a simple bike rider to know how to find a good one. Price, as always, is a good place to start. Sites like Ebay and Amazon offer locks which look a lot like $200 big-name brands, but sell for less than $30. We didn’t grab one and test its strength or durability, but we don’t think we’re out of line in suggesting a $30 lock is probably almost worthless when it comes to preventing a theft.

‘Almost’ is the important word, because there is the possibility a thief will be deterred by the sight of what looks like a security device. Thieves are cunning, but they’re mostly lazy, sheep-shit human beings who would rather find an easy target than spend time wrestling with some kind of security system, so having a highly visible lock or chain has value, even if the components aren’t the best. Better still is having a highly visible lock and/or chain that’s as tough as seven bastards.

Key man

There are a few good-quality brands available from bike shops. Names like Kryptonite, Kovix, Oxford and plenty more are offering good product at a range of prices. ABUS is a premium German brand, and Australian importer PS Importers was good enough to put us in touch with Axel Rösler, Sales & Marketing Director - Mobile

“We usually recommend a disc-lockand-chain combination,” greased Axel.

“For quick out-and-abouts a disc lock with an alarm can be used, and for home or at work a chain can be added. In the garage we recommend a wall anchor to lock the bike up against.”

That seemed straightforward enough. Axel also pointed out wall-mounting a security anchor instead of floor mounting makes it more difficult for a thief. A hard floor offers a workbench-type surface to tackle a chain or cable, where one

Top: A textile sleeve on a chain will protect against damage to paintwork.

Above: Security chain, like this ABUS Granite City chain, is specially temper-hardened and designed to withstand common theft attacks like cutting, sawing, impact and twisting.

Below & below left: For quick out-and-abouts a disc lock with an alarm can be used. u

hanging from a vertical surface offers less solid support to help a scumbag with a hammer or cordless grinder.

But what should a buyer look for to differentiate a quality lock, chain or system from one that looks the same but is half the price? Axel rose to the question.

“A good way to identify quality of security devices is by a rating such as the Dutch ART, Swedish SBSC or British Sold Secure.”

Like the Snell endorsement on helmets, ART, Sold Secure and SBSC accreditation has to be applied for by the manufacturer, product has to handed over for testing, and there’s a fee for the manufacturer to pay. Seeing those logos on a lock is a good indication it’s the real deal, and they also give an indication of the gear’s ‘toughness’ or level of theft resistance.

Left: A good way to identify the quality of security devices is by ratings like the Dutch ART, Swedish SBSC or British Sold Secure.

Right: There is the possibility a thief will be deterred by the sight of what looks like a security device.

Below: Disc locks are a great option for travel. They’re small, light and prevent the bike being wheeled around. Look for a lock with some way of reminding the rider when it’s in use.

but seeing the accreditation will mean the equipment definitely isn’t substandard or cheaply produced, and has met some stringent, consistent criteria to claim the rating.

Weakest link

With ART accreditation, the more stars, the tougher the lock. One star is minimum security and five stars the maximum.

Sold Secure’s ratings are Bronze, Silver, Gold and Diamond, where Bronze offers ‘theft resistance against a basic tool list (aimed at preventing opportunist crime)’ and Diamond ‘the highest level of theft resistance, including use of specialist tools (aimed at preventing the most destructive attacks that could include angle grinders)’.

SBSC went a bit Swedish Chef on us when we tried to figure out its markings, but TFFN 701 is the certification for motorcycle locks.

Security products can still be high-quality and not carry those insignia of course,

Our friends in Asia are experts at creating product that looks like more expensive and high-quality gear, and alarm locks are a good example. Rösler was particularly scathing in his comments on some of these offerings.

“The electronics often do not work properly,” he klaxoned. “Our Germanmade alarm locks not only work great, they also help the rider to not forget the lock when it’s time to ride away.” ABUS disc locks have a safety alarm that triggers when the wheel is moved. Anyone who’s forgotten a disc lock was in place and tried to ride away will appreciate the damage which can be done.

Chain reaction

A good lock and security anchor will only

be as good as the chain or cable which joins them up and holds the bike, and, like everything else, security chains have been the subject of some in-depth research. Why would we pay what looks like a high price for a dedicated security chain over a length of three-eighth gal from Bunnings?

Rösler explained: “Security chain is a specially temper-hardened chain designed to withstand common theft attacks like cutting, sawing, impact and twisting. The inside core of the chain link is softer and gives a strong resistance against twisting and hitting. The outside of the chain is very hard and has a high resistance to sawing and cutting.

“Standard chains from the hardware store aren’t designed for anti-theft use. They’re more for general use and are often either too brittle or too soft.”

That’s not saying chain of any kind isn’t a good deterrent and a good safety measure, but it explains the advantage of purpose-built and designed components. There’s a stack of good cable locks available too, and while they’re not as tough as chains, the good-quality cables from brands like Oxford, Kovix and Krypronite have the advantage of being way, way lighter than a similar length of chain, and can usually be packed much tighter. They’re a good option for taking on a ride.

Generally, the cables are made of a dense, woven fibre or metal strands that makes them incredibly strong and bloody difficult to cut because they’re a squirmy, flexy thing to try and hold still. There are plenty sold with locks and alarms included, like the Kovix Alarmed Cable Lock, which has a 24mm thick braided steel cable encased in plastic to stop it scratching or marking the bike. It also has a 120dB alarm, and that’ll get the ears

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of everyone nearby ringing. The cable can be used without the alarm for when the bike’s being transported. Cable locks can be both very effective and are usually far less expensive than comparable chain set ups.

It’s worth considering the value of your bike when making these kinds of purchasing decisions.

Lever locks

There are locking clamps available which hold back the front brake lever, locking on the brake. They’re a very compact and easy-to-transport option and, as always, some are better designed than others. Greg Parker, top man at Pro Accessories and importer of the Kovix security range, raised a few interesting points.

“Having the lock on the top of the unit is important,” said Greg. “We’ve seen some lever locks where the key needs to go in from the front, and when a bike has handguards the lock isn’t accessible.” Kovix has a huge range of security options, from disc locks and alarm locks through chains and anchors, and Greg is clearly a big fan of all of them.

“Our disc locks are supplied with a stretchy cable which runs up from the lock and loops around the handlebar. That’s to remind the rider the lock is there.

“Have you ever seen a rider try to ride away with the disc lock in place?” chuckled Greg.

Adventure Rider Magazine’s editor blushed quietly and changed the subject.

Traps for young players

The most common mistake most owners will make is believing their bike is safe and doesn’t need to be secured. Maybe because it’s locked in a shed or because it’s parked right out side their motel room or tent.

As we’ve already pointed out, there’s no guaranteed measure to prevent theft. But leaving a bike easily accessible and free to move is asking for grief.

Axel Rösler told us ABUS’ research showed securing the bike to a fixed object like a wall, floor or pillar gave a dramatic increase in the bike’s level of security. He also pointed out thieves will go for the easiest target, so a bike seen to be well secured when parked with other bikes left without locking devices will usually attract less attention than the bikes around it. Greg Parker agreed and reminded us the aim of bike security is to prevent opportunist thieves from taking a bike. Using a lock is a great

deterrent and an alarmed lock is even better.

Get yourself the security measure you think will work best for you and your bike, and look for it to be as high-vis as possible. When you’re considering the various options, remember what your bike is worth. Any security measure is a step to protecting that investment.

Aprilia Tuareg 660

A killer midweight dualsporter? You bet!

Aprilia’s a name not normally closely associated with the adventure market. There was the Caponord we rode way back in issue #13, but we’ve not seen anything since.

Now the Italian marque is having another lunge at the world’s fastestgrowing motorcycle segment, and as far as we can tell from a short but intense ride in the mallee sand and scrub around Mildura in the southwest of NSW, the company has come up with an absolute screamer.

On spec

The Tuareg – pronounced, we think, ‘twar-eg’, or possibly ‘too-ar-eg’. After

a few drinks, maybe ‘toe rag’ – packs a 659cc, parallel-twin donk with a 13.5:1 compression ratio that punches out a very respectable 80hp. A six-speed box, cable-operated slipper clutch and chain transfer the drive to the tubeless 18-inch rear wheel, and the tank holds 18 litres, which Aprilia says should give a range of 450km.

KYB does the suspension bizzo front and rear, giving 240mm travel, with rebound, compression and preload adjustment both ends. We were very happy to see good old-fashioned clickers on both front and rear, and Aprilia says in the media info it came up with a ‘… much lower straddle arch, making it

Above

And don’t you forget it!

Above: Not a hard-core single-cylinder, off-roader, but incredibly capable when things turn to custard.

easy for riders of any height to reach the ground’.

Naturally there’s a swag of electronics. Four modes to kick off with – Urban, Explore, Individual and Off-road – traction control, cruise control, adjustable engine braking, an immobiliser and three different engine maps. A quickshifter is optional and wasn’t fitted to our review bike, and a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery with a ‘state of charge’ display on the top keeps everything ticking over.

Twin 300mm Brembo discs grab the 21-inch tubeless front wheel, and a single Brembo 260mm the rear.

The big stat that smacked us in the face was the claimed wet weight of 204kg. That’s near-enough the same as the magazine’s Ténéré 700, but what a different feel! It really took us by surprise.

As a last note on running gear, the standard tyre for the Tuareg is the Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR, but our review bike had Continental TKC80s fitted with an eye on the terrain Aprilia had planned for the ride.

Thank goodness for that, as it turned out. u

Left: It never felt as though the Tuareg was going to take control away from the rider.

left:

Eye of the beholder

Seeing a group of Tuaregs in a secure huddle at the start meant our first impression was the colours, and we have to admit our unbidden instant thought may not have been too flattering. Our first glance had us thinking, ‘An Africa Twin, a DRZ and an Aprilia.’ We initially liked the red-white-and-blue colour scheme best and grabbed one before all those other greedy mongrels could jump in front of us but, by the end of the day, we’d swung around to the ‘traditional’ Aprilia red-and-black colour scheme as the favourite.

For the record, the colour schemes are called ‘Acid Gold’, ‘Martian Red’ and the historic-inspired ‘Indaco Tagelmust’.

Our bike had silver or ‘plain’ rims, and there’s no doubt in our minds the black rims of the other two-colour schemes looked way hornier.

Context

Before we start blithering on about how

much we enjoyed the bike – and we really did – we need to be sure everyone understands our impressions are from a single day’s riding.

It was a comparatively tough bastard of day, for sure, involving a couple of bitumen stretches, some longish, firmbut-sandy country backroads and a whole heap of shitty sand singletrack.

We’re not kidding. The singletrack was truly not much more than a couple of tyre widths, whooped out to buggery, and ducked and dived between trees, fallen logs, a few slippery bog patches and some close fencelines. In case you think we’re exaggerating, the Aprilia people made it

very clear they didn’t expect any of us to ride it all. The trail ran alongside the sandy road, so those in need of a break could hop out onto the hardpack until the armpump and fibrillations subsided. For icing on the cake there was one section where everyone was warned it was ‘maybe 10km of deep, sandy whoops’. WTF had we been riding until that time if we hadn’t been riding deep sandy whoops? The section started with a short climb which had some challenging, deep undulations, but faced with being called a sook, we went for it, and found it to be only a few kilometres, for which we were very grateful.

Above: The Tuareg is far more capable off road than its looks imply.

Left: Indaco Tagelmust, Acid Gold and Martian Red. Black rims were a clear favourite.

That point of sharing all that with you?

We enjoyed absolutely everything we attempted on this bike. It’s not a hardcore single-cylinder, off-roader, but damn! It’s incredibly capable when things turn to custard.

Got it right

Keeping in mind the terrain we’ve described, two things struck us fairly forcefully about the Tuareg.

The first was the motor being such an excellent powerplant.

In keeping with modern trends, it has a 270-degree firing order, so has a vaguely V-twin feel about it. It offers a very restrained grumble on the road which felt good but, when the rider needs solid drive, the sweet spot is wide and it seems there’s always power available. It won’t lug like a 1200cc motor, but it does a good job at low revs, and it’ll scream fairly hard into a usable top end when the panic starts or the red mist descends.

Naturally the modes play their part, and in our single day we didn’t mess about too

Left: Very comfortable and fun to ride, as well as being well capable in tough going.

Above: Uncluttered switchblocks. The little thumb paddle at the top sets the cruise-control speed and the level of ABS and traction control.

much with them. We found the Off-Road mode with traction control off suited pretty much all the time, either on bitumen or up to our necks in soft, power-sucking Hattah-region sand.

And 80 horsepower is plenty of snort in a 200kg bike, but power delivery was controllable and totally unintimidating. We didn’t want traction control or ABS at any time during our ride.

The other feature of the Tuareg which made a big impression on us was the suspension. It’s good. It’s not like an enduro-ready race bike, but it works well, the adjustments make a noticeable difference, and if we bought the bike, we wouldn’t rate a suspension upgrade as a high priority.

With the terrain we were in, that’s high praise.

Below left: With the rubber inserts removed the stock footpegs are good.

Below: The five-inch TFT screen was a good’n. The menu was straightforward, too.

Ergos

Aprilia, as it claimed, has done a good job on making the seating position such that most Aussies should be able to get their feet on the deck. Those a little shorter than average may only get one foot down, but there’s a range of OEM seats that can help there.

The really enjoyable aspect of the ergos is the weight distribution. The tank, like many of today’s fuel-injected bikes, runs down under the seat and between the frame rails – unlike the Ténéré 700, for instance, which, although near-enough the same mass, carries its weight up high and feels it – and the result is the bike

COMMANDER

Commander is a leading-edge Adventure helmet in Airoh® composite fibre.

Characterised by an attractive look and advanced technical solutions, Commander is particularly suited for an all-terrain, all-round riding experience. It can be used in two different configurations, i.e. with peak and visor for all-road use, or with visor and no peak on naked bikes or for on-road use. All of the latest Airoh technologies come together in this model without rivals that ensures comfort and total protection, even in the most demanding situations. An extra-wide visor with an integrated Pinlock® lens, a three-point ventilation system, an aerodynamic peak, a retractable sun visor and the opportunity to connect Bluetooth systems are only some of the extraordinary features of Commander.

This helmet has neat lines that will help you push through all the bends of your journey without any difficulty.

itself is easy to manoeuvre in rough going on the throttle, hard on the brakes or even just pushing in and out of tight parking places. Another bonus of the tank layout is the air-filter access being a delight. Undo a few screws on top of the ‘tank’, and there it is. Excellent!

Even the footpegs are a good size. We removed the rubber inserts early in the day, and it’s another component we wouldn’t feel the need to replace. Finally, we loved the seat.

It’s a single unit with no step, so sliding back and forth is dead easy, and on our ride day that was a big consideration. We’d become accustomed to the stepped seats on so many of the current adventure bikes we’d nearly forgotten how much difference moving the rider’s weight around can make to handling. The Aprilia seat gets a cheer from Adventure Rider Magazine

The TFT screen is clear and very easy to read, and the menu was a piece of cake to sort and use. Changing modes was as simple as pushing the mode button on the right-hand switchblock. That’s it. No need for zero throttle or pulling in the clutch or stopping. Just touch the button to cycle through the modes, stop at the one you want, and the bike does the rest. The same goes for adjusting the level of traction control on the fly, or even disengaging it completely. Just thumb the paddle on the left and it happens.

All the switching made sense to us.

Also…

Of course there’s a big range of accessories available. We’ve mentioned the quickshifter and the seats, but there’s things like a centrestand, a touring windscreen, luggage, crash bars, apparel, a phoneconnector-thing and plenty more. Get to a dealer or have a look at Aprilia.com for the lowdown. We were incredibly impressed with Tuareg, not just because it felt great on the road and copped some serious, hard off-roading without complaint, but because it was just so damn good in all those situations. It never felt as though the bike was going to take over due to its weight or power delivery. Even the single time we dropped it – in a whoop heading for a tree – we thought we could save it right up until a large quantity of Hattah sand was driven up our nostrils as we ploughed a furrow with the peak of the Shoei. The Aprilia made us feel we were in control, and it made us feel good about challenging sections, sightseeing, or having a bit of a go. Bigger, heavier and more powerful bikes often overpower the rider’s confidence, where the Aprilia felt ready to tackle just about anything.

All that in a bike which we thought didn’t look terribly aggressive, and certainly had the comfortable feel of a good dualsporter. We’re fans. Ride one and we bet you will be too.

Left: The single track wasn’t much more than a couple of tyre widths, and whooped out in places. There was plenty of it, and the bike handled it with ease.

Engine type: Aprilia forward-facing, twincylinder, four-stroke, liquid-cooled, (DOHC) with silent chain drive on the right side, four valves per cylinder

Capacity: 659cc

Bore x stroke: 81mm x 63.93mm

Compression ratio: 13.5:1

Maximum power at crankshaft: 80hp (58.8kW) at 9250rpm

Maximum torque at crankshaft: 70Nm at 6500rpm

Fuel system: Airbox with front air vent.

Two Ø48mm throttle bodies. Ride-bywire management

Ignition: Electric

Lubrication: Wet sump

Secondary drive: Chain, drive ratio 15/42

Clutch: Multiplate wet clutch with slipper system

Transmission: Six-speed, Aprilia Quick Shift

(AQS) system up and down available as accessory

Electronics: APRC Suite that includes ATC

(traction control), AEB (engine brake) AEM

(engine maps), ACC (cruise control). Four riding

modes (Urban, Explore, Off-road, Individual)

Chassis: Frame in steel tubing and built-in

subframe screwed aluminium plates connecting the frame to the engine

Wheels: Spoked, with aluminium drop centre,

Front: 2.15-inch x 21-inch.

Rear: 4.25-inch x 18-inch

Tyres: Tubeless, Front: 90/90-21.

Rear: 150/70 R 18

Front suspension: Fully adjustable Ø43mm upside-down Kayaba fork with counterspring. Wheel travel: 240mm

Rear suspension: Aluminium swingarm.

Progressive linkage. Fully adjustable Kayaba monoshock. Wheel travel: 240mm Front brake: 300mm double disc Brembo callipers with four horizontally opposed Ø30/32mm pistons. Axial pump and metalbraided brake line

Rear brake: 260mm diameter disc; Brembo single piston Ø34mm floating calliper. Master cylinder with separate reservoir and metal braided hose

ABS: Multimap ABS

Length: 2220mm

Width: 965mm

Saddle height: 860mm

Wheelbase: 1525mm

Headstock angle: 26.7°

Trail:

2022 Husky Trek

Corey Pearson was shopping online for Husky 701 parts when he received an email announcing a Husky Trek adventure ride for 2000km over five days. He enrolled at hyper speed.

Words: Corey Pearson. Images: Wilkinson Photography and Robert Kerber Photography

Nordens were included in the Trek for the first time this year. Kyle Gilmore (left) tackled all the chilli sections.

Greg McFarlane’s bike carried enough fuel to travel across the planet.

’d just come off the back of directing an action-comedy film called The Spy Who Never Dies. After two years of 18-hour days, seven days a week, I needed to escape. Badly. I love what I do, but it’s a tonne of stress, and I was keen to get back to some of the things I’d loved growing up. One of those was dirtbikes.

In at the deep end

A ride like this was very enticing and none of my mates rode bikes, so it seemed a good option to meet some like-minded moto enthusiasts and disappear off the grid for a week.

In the lead up to the start date I received periodical information packs by email from Rosie Lalonde, the incredible magician who makes these events happen. Everything from food, clothing ideas, safety, GPS, and spare-parts checklists were offered, as well as check-in info and quick-access links to book accommodation easily.

The day finally came. My bike had 50km on it, which had been just getting it back from the dealer on sealed roads. I was going as a solo rider, so not only was I alone, but I’d never ridden my bike

before and I hadn’t been off road for over 12 years.

I could hold my own back in the day, but that felt like a lifetime ago.

Right at home

With the bike loaded I set off from Wollongong on a 14-hour drive to the ride’s starting point at the Bunya Mountains in Queensland. The Bunya Resort reminded me of a ski village. Entry was through a private gate, and following a road past dozens of holidaystyle homes led to my own accomodation.

It was stunning.

As riders started to roll in throughout the morning, the clouds scattered and the sun shone through just in time to dry out trails after recent rain.

The weather was perfect.

Preparation day was for registration and scrutineering. As expected, it was very well-organised and welcoming. You rocked up, signed in, picked up your accommodation keys, did some preflight bike testing, got your stickers and gift pack (the best Husky-riders’ showbag ever!) and off you went.

Within 20 minutes I was chatting with

a couple of guys: Greg – ‘Macca’ – whose bike had been kitted out with so many fuel tanks he could travel across the planet nonstop; Liam, a young rider who’d driven all the way from Victoria to attend and had ridden solo to more places than most people could think of; and Kyle, who was testing out a Norden for his bike shop. That night we were fortunate to have Husky rider Lyndon Poskitt talk about his 250,000km trip, adventures around the world and how he raced in the Dakar Rally as a privateer.

One thing I noticed as I sat and scanned the room full of blue-and-yellow Husky jerseys was the crowd didn’t seem to be there for a big drinking fest. Sure, everyone was having a few, but everyone seemed more interested in the details for the ride ahead.

Everything was blue and yellow. swear most of the guys there probably pissed blue and yellow. You could feel the loyalty in the room and I didn’t dare speak of other bikes.

For many, it really felt like ‘Husky for life’, and as the new owner of a 701, a part of me really felt, ‘Oh, shit. I have a Husky now. I’d better get my shit together’.

Smile for the camera

The next morning began with staggered start times to avoid congestion.

I’d organised to set off with Greg, Kyle, and Liam, and I’m not going to lie, I was nervous – but in the right way. We also had Dave and Nugget from MAD TV in our group, so the pressure was on not to look too much like a punter in case it was forever immortalised as a muppet moment on Youtube.

still had no idea what to expect from the 701, let alone the trails ahead, when we set out on the 300km route. I’d always opted for light, 250cc bikes when I was younger so I could pull them out of creeks and mud on my own. To be honest they were always old pieces of shit, but they did the job. This new bike was way more than I’d ever ridden. It just had so much power!

The first day was a loop which allowed riders to find their feet before venturing too far from the main base. Each day provided riders with the option to follow the main track or take harder break-out sections called ‘chilli runs’. A three-chilli run was technical enough to challenge most of the group, and the first day’s chilli runs had it all: dirt roads, mud, rocks, ruts and

Top left: Preparation day was for registration and scrutineering.

Far left: Author Corey Pearson hadn’t ridden for 18 months. The Husky Trek and a 701 was a good way to get back into it.

Left: So much power!

Top: Each day was different.

Right: Dakar finisher Lyndon Poskitt didn’t hold back.

river crossings. The camera teams knew exactly where to wait for the best picture ops, catching lots of great water sections and wipeouts.

We returned to base after eight hours in the saddle for a great feed and briefing for the next day.

Ready for anything

Day two included some great long fire trails to get us to the next base station at Gayndah, the oldest town in Queensland, and we arrived at a large oval filled with pre-built tents.

Now, I love to camp, but what’s even better is when someone else builds the tent and you have your own little care packet and stretcher so you can just chill and get a decent sleep for the next day of riding.

There was a large undercover area to park and work on bikes, as well as

a tyre-changing service, and the area became the social centre for the next two nights.

An amazing part of the rally was the great food and great energy. Each day meant meeting other riders by helping with flat tyres or dragging from bogs, or by getting helped yourself. Back in camp it was clear to see all the riders were really starting to get to know each other. One thing I really loved about the ride was that each day was so different. No one knew what they were in for. And because we were travelling over large distances, the terrain constantly changed. I can’t imagine many bikes being able to cope with the variety of terrain, still being light enough to manoeuvre, and powerful enough to pull through just about anything.

I was truly starting to grasp why 701 owners were so loyal.

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Self-guided

The third day was another loop ride from Gayndah with some awesome breakout sections.

We were on the list to take off first, but Macca’s bike was having trouble, so we decided to wait for him. I watched the Husky team literally pull the frontend of Macca’s bike apart searching for the issue. They were determined to make sure they looked at it all. After getting it going, we ended up being the last away, but it just didn’t matter. It wasn’t a race and we were having fun. Our only pressure was a checkpoint cut off at 3.00pm. Any later meant legging it on the highway to get to Gympie. Greg’s bike broke down, and although the sweep riders were great and always there to help, he had to get the trailer to pick him up. As a result, I ended up on my own for the most part of the day, playing catch up with the entire pack. While it’d been amazing riding with others, being alone forced me to really work on my navigation skills. Until then, they were pretty shit. I usually avoided getting lost by tailing someone else and sticking with a pack.

But not this day.

I got in the zone and spent time working on my riding technique in various types of terrain.

It was the third day when I truly felt the versatility of the 701. One part of the run in particular was through a massive pine plantation. The scent of pine resin mixed with the scenery made for one of the most memorable parts of the ride for me. I’d ridden 1300km over three days by that stage and was

getting a good feel for the bike. The power and agility were like nothing I’d ever experienced. It was like an insanely powerful dirt bike and that was the best way to ride it.

Huge support

Day four we ventured from Gayndah to Gympie.

I’d like to say this was one of the best ride days, but incredible planning meant the routes kept getting better and better. My legs were killing me, and if I could’ve seen my own arse I guarantee there would’ve been blisters on it.

But it just didn’t matter.

We pulled up at one of the local towns where Lyndon Poskitt had challenged any rider to eat a onekilogram doughnut alongside him. If you ate it all you got it for free and became a local town legend! Several of us watched on as Lyndon, Liam and a couple of others made their move on their monster confections, but they all failed except Liam, who, as agreed, got his money back.

I did notice his riding style changed after that. It seemed more sluggish –almost as though the massive load of cream in his gut was swirling inside as we hit each small jump.

It was another great day full of laughs and great atmosphere.

On this day it dawned on me that the workload on the Husky team was a big one. I’m not fit or unfit, and I’m happy to push myself, but at the end of each day I was wrecked. I felt great, but I was ready for bed. The Husky team though…those

people were the stuff of legends! They were up hours before us and checking the trails, doing the full ride, then helping us fix our bikes, sometimes until midnight. It was clear to see they loved their job and it was a family.

Here to stay

The final day was the trip back from Gympie to the Bunya Mountains.

I’d slipped on some gravel a couple of days earlier and hurt the fingers on both hands, but I was having too much fun to stop. By day five it was difficult to pull on my gloves because of the swelling and I contemplated just sticking to the main route.

I was riding with Kyle, and he’s a gun. He took his Norden everywhere I went on the 701 and killed it. There were three lots of three-chilli breakouts ahead and my hands weren’t doing well, and I recall saying to Kyle, “Maybe I should stick to the main route.”

His response was, “Man, you can do it. You’ll regret it if you don’t. You can do it, Bro!”

Two seconds later we turned on to the chilli run and it was one of the best times I had the on whole ride (when I returned home both hands had to be put into splints for five weeks).

We rolled into the finish exhausted, but completely satisfied. Yes, there were casualties, but all in all, it was one of the best adventures I’d had for a very long time. I was a much better rider than when I started.

That night, as I sat there icing my hands, surrounded by great people

Far left: Chilli runs had it all: dirt roads, mud, rocks, ruts and river crossings.

Left: Rosie Lalonde, the incredible magician who makes these events happen.

Right: Who needs a camp chair?

Below: The camera teams knew where to wait for the best picture ops, catching lots of great water sections and wipeouts.

in Husky jackets and already talking about next year’s Husky Trek, I was called up to accept the prize of a full-factory build for my bike.

All I can say is, “Well done Husqvarna and the team who bought the event to life! You have done your brand proud. You gave me and many other riders a great experience, a place to meet great people, good trails, good food, plenty of laughs and an adventure I will never forget. You truly have built a family and I feel like part of it now.”

Simon Pavey

A motorcycle rally rider who finds enormous satisfaction in teaching others how to master off-road riding skills, ex-pat Aussie Simon Pavey is a maverick racer and off-road guru. He was happy to share a few stories with Graeme Sedgwick.

GS: What inspired Downunder-born Simon to relocate to the northern hemisphere?

SP: A combination of things.

I was captivated by, and wanted to participate in, multi-day events. The longer the better. It was a five-day rally around the island of New Caledonia which made me look more broadly at rallies beyond Australia – and incidentally where I met my wife Linley.

Believing you’ve got to chase your dreams, and having decided to pursue a riding career, decisions were made to relocate pretty much after that first

overseas event in 1988.

A stint racing in Japan resulted in my becoming first an enduro rider, and then led to wanting to do events in Europe. So Linley and I landed in England, basically because we knew another Aussie enduro rider in London. The ensuing years were loaded with challenges, including entering and finishing an African Six Day Rally, the Atlas Rally in Morocco, and my first Dakar in 1988.

GA: How did Simon Pavey’s Off-Road Skills (ORS) get its start?

SP: After those events we saw an opportunity to

create an off-road skills training school. We set about looking for a suitable property and settled on what we have in Wales today. It’s a really beautiful part of the world, and a perfect motorcycle-training destination that combines 100km of big, wide, dirt roads crawling over diverse terrain and every degree of difficulty. There’s many other narrow-track options that can be as hard or as easy as you want to make them as well, and it’s all on the doorstep of some fantastic on- and off-road motorcycling country. There’s really no question our place in Wales is pretty special. It’s become an ideal place to train bike-handling skills, and that’s given us a fantastic relationship with BMW since 2000.

Customers come to ORS training either because they’ve heard doing some off-roading will help their road riding, or through various BMW programs. Either way, after time with us they get a taste for off-road and re-think. That track which once looked confronting becomes something they feel confident to tackle.

GS: Tell us about the Transorientale Rally.

SP: I decided to do the 10,000km/17-day Transorientale event after learning it would be organised by Frenchman René Metge, who’d won three Paris to Dakar Rallies and competed in the Le Mans 24 Hour. The rally started from St Petersburg, made its way through Russia, across the never-ending Steppes of central Asia and around the lakes of Kazakhstan, all the

u

Words: Graeme Sedgwick

Top left: Simon Pavey levelling Dakar sand dunes.

Top right: The finish of Race to Dakar. From left: Ewan McGregor, Simon Pavey, Charley Boorman, Matt Hall and Rus Malkin.

Right: Sharing off-road skills during the 2022 Savannah Way Ride across the top of Australia.

way to China, where some of the world’s most gigantic sand dunes begin.

It was in every sense an unforgettable adventure and memorable for many reasons, not the least being its organisation, which couldn’t be compared to the professionalism of Dakar.

That, for me at least, was one of the greatest aspects of the Transorientale.

There were times when you didn’t know if fuel was going to be available, where you’re going to eat and where to find water…where to find pretty much anything, in fact.

Basically, because the Transorientale concept was such a new idea, its organisers were almost figuring it out as the event unfolded. That meant competitors had to work almost every-

thing out for themselves, and that brought about a number of additional challenges I personally enjoyed.

A couple of times, for example, we got to where an end-of-day bivouac was supposed to be and it wasn’t set up.

On another occasion, having ridden 1000km to where there should have been another bivouac, we had to find fuel, food and water from a place in the opposite direction. It’s the kind of challenge which quickly sorts out a competitor’s resourcefulness, and why I love the sport so much, irrespective of where a rally is staged.

GS: What memories do you have of your first Dakar?

SP: So many!

1988’s rally started in Paris and was the

Left: Father and son down the Dakar start chute. “One of my greatest moments, and one I’ll not forget!” Below: 2016. One of eight successful Dakar attempts. Right: Author Graeme Sedgwick (left) caught up with Simon Pavey and his classic Dakar BMW thanks to Compass Expeditions.

20th running of the event – a start we almost missed because I underestimated the level of traffic congestion getting to parc ferme, and then to the start ramp, between thousands of drunk New Year’s Eve revellers. It meant pushing, lifting and generally shoving myself and my bike through a wall of out-of-control bodies. It was crazy and we only just made it!

Once on the start ramp and under way, the epic proportions of what was, and is, Dakar became very stark.

Each day it’s about looking after your bike and yourself to get through each stage. Making sure you eat enough, drink enough and sleep enough. Those are your priorities, otherwise you won’t make it.

As soon as you think about anything else you’ll get run down – that’s just one of the elements that’s amazing about Dakar. It was a huge baptism of endurance and mind-over-matter when things, at times, seemed impossible. The scale of the event back then, with its massive entries of cars, trucks, bikes and support teams remains huge in my mind and why finishing is so rewarding.

GS: Tell us about your ‘classic’ Dakar bike you have here on display.

SP: It started out as a BMW Challenge bike which we added on to.

The fascinating thing to most people –and why rally bikes are so interesting –is most motorsport builds try to reduce weight, but we seemed to bolt on as much stuff as we could in the early days.

We basically doubled up on things like throttle cables, fuel pumps and ignition so we could find a solution to almost anything we could imagine that could put us out of an event.

Fuel capacity is another consideration. In normal road use this bike might have done say, 480km on a tank. In a rally, over sand and hard off-road terrain, fuel consumption can be doubled and range halved.

The navigation kit up front is definitely the black art of the sport’s riding. With advances in technology it’s almost a mystery to me how it the most recent gear works.

But to give you a bit of an idea, the

roadbook is the most important aspect.

The secret is concentration – taking a segment of the route into the back of your mind so you can be head-up and looking not to crash, while rolling through the roadbook’s chart of advice, matched to a trip meter and compass arrangement. Then there’s Iritrack.

Iritrack is a safety instrument provided by organisers. It’s rented by competitors and directly connected to the bike’s battery system and enables real-time monitoring of a competitor’s position and tracking. It makes it easier to follow the race and to find competitors in the event of an accident. The system also allows organisers to talk to one another or a competitor. It can be activated manually,

or in the event of a brutal shock or prolonged stop the system will automatically activate in eight minutes.

GS: How did your involvement with the Long Way Round television series come about?

SP: A coincidence.

A photographer at our Off-Road Skills training worked with both actors and suggested us, which, as it turned out, definitely helped raise my profile and the profile of the whole motorcycle industry in the United Kingdom, America, Australia and Canada.

GS: Tell us something about Race to Dakar

SP: There’s no doubt it was a huge undertaking.

From planning to preparing three bikes, organising a team of people and my job training riders – in particular Charley, who, to his credit, had a level of off-road riding experience that needed to be lifted to a whole new level with just months before the 15 days of 2006’s Dakar start from the Portuguese city of Lisbon, then via Spain, Morocco, the western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, to finish in the Capital of Senegal.

Before Charley’s accident my role was to be quiet and dependable and bring up the back to make sure all made it to the bivouac each night. But things changed, not just for Charley, but also Matt, when Charley was out with broken bones on the fourth day. I was no longer charged

with the primary objective of getting Charley to Dakar, and I had to work out whether to think purely of myself or also watch out for Matt. He was an excellent rider, but was for some reason having difficulty getting through the dunes. We agreed I would stick with Matt for as long as we could ride together, and if he was struggling I would carry on. That was pretty much what happened. told everyone, “No worries!” which is my way of being positive, but of course there were worries. The biggest was I didn’t have spare air filters for the longest day of the rally. I’d put spares into my jacket the night before because I didn’t want to repeat the experience of the previous day’s clogged filters. Then, just before the start, I was forced to swap them for a spare, heavy, solid-state

camera unit. It was a very different and cumbersome camera to the insignificance of today’s Go-Pros. I thought, ‘Bloody hell! Just what I don’t need!’

But I had to get on with it.

Then, like every other rider, at the start, I roared off, mindful of my role and probably a little relaxed, and fell on the ridge of the first corner. It was a very bad, embarrassing start, after which it took me ages to calm down and get into my race bubble and shut out distractions.

Matt Hall eventually retired. He was exhausted physically, mentally and, not unsurprisingly given the difficulties he found trying to conquer massive dunes, suffering from dehydration.

When Charley asked, “How do you do it?” I had to reply, “It’s what Dakar’s all about. Never giving up.”

Left: The Savannah Way Ride across the top of Australia runs from the Coral Sea to the Indian Ocean over 21 days.

Below left: A great relationship with BMW. Below: A happy group in Broome, WA.

Right: Had it not been for dad Simon’s tow during the 2015 Dakar, son Llewelyn could still be bogged in South America.

In the end it was down to me to provide the Race to Dakar team with its happy ending.

GS: What was it like following your son Llewelyn down the chute in 2015 to become Dakar’s first father-andson finishers?

SP: I’m lost for words... It certainly was one of my greatest moments, and one I’ll not forget!

For both of us it was the culmination of lots of things, not the least being the all-consuming task of funding our KTM entry, together with the enormous amount of time spent preparing and training. The memories will be forever a source of great accomplishment, joy and satisfaction. As to whether Llewelyn, as he often claims, was faster than myself or more competitive…I’d strongly suggest that’s not necessarily an accurate representation of the facts (chuckles).

There’s one thing however that is for sure – had it not been for my sportsmanship in towing him and his bike out of a lessthan-ideal situation, he would still be bogged in South America.

That’s a fact!

GS: Will we be seeing more of Simon Pavey in Australia?

SP: Yes.

There’s definitely lots of good reasons to come to Australia and things I miss, but I also recognise it’s a bit harder to do what I like doing if I’m living here. That’s why I’m

excited about doing things with Compass Expeditions – things like the Savannah Way Ride across the top of Australia from the Coral Sea to the Indian Ocean over 21 days. It means riding through some of Australia’s most remote and fascinating landscapes. Yes, COVID did hit us all hard one way or another, and none were harder hit than Compass – so it’s great to be together again to plan other events. see no reason for that to not continue.

Compass Expeditions

Compass

Expeditions is an adventure-motorcycle and 4WD tour company offering spectacular journeys to breathtaking destinations in Australia and all corners of the world. Find out more at compassexpeditions.com.

Family

ties

Everyone has friends who feel like family. Marty Blake had the chance to ride with some good friends from his youth, who over time had actually become family…sort of.

Words and images: Marty Blake

As kids the best riders of our crew were identical twins Rick and Mark Rann.

The pair had moved to north Queensland many years ago, and their recent return for a mufti-day adventure ride was big news. In a strange twist of fate, my mother and their father were now partners, so I got an invite, along with their brother-in-law, Steve.

I guessed it was because they considered me almost family – or it could’ve been because I knew my way around. One thing for sure was I was keen to ride with them again.

Above: From left: Author Marty Blake, brother-inlaw Steve O’Connor, twins Mark and Rick Rann.

Main: A few creek crossings were done multiple times for the camera.

Below: A nice, twisty saddle road chewed up 45 minutes.

The brief Planning instructions were fairly clear: everyone had to be in good shape to return to work and Steve had an injured knee, so ‘scenic trails’ was the call. A few lookouts and waterfalls on dirt roads were to be included if possible, and there were to be no enduro-style sections for 790s and 890s carrying luggage. The opportunity to stop and

boil the billy for a cuppa was also on the wish list.

The Dualsport Australia discs provided GPX files and route sheets which made planning a breeze, and I requested a 7.00am departure.

Best intentions

Being struck down with flu a few days before wasn’t ideal, but armed with

determination, a negative COVID test and a list of cheat notes, I fronted up.

I also had a set of route sheets for the boys, just in case I had to abandon them at one of the numerous turn-back points I’d marked.

The first sections were just as ordered: flowing forestry and dirt roads with a sprinkling of tar to get us over major rivers. We were making good time as we cruised through the littoral rainforest and climbed to the lookouts on Mount Yarrahapinni to admire the view and enjoy a morning coffee.

I’d reluctantly removed a tighter, slightly steep section of narrow ridges

Left: Cells River Road was so nice in the sun.

Below: Making good time through the littoral rainforest.

Right: Sparkling streams where a delight, as always.

that would’ve been so much fun, but when Rick asked, “Where to next?” I sensed an opportunity.

“We can run down the highway or just cross and cut out the tar into some tighter forest,” I said, trying not to look shifty. The ‘highway’ section I’d mentioned was only about 800m.

Rick jumped on the offer, and despite a few blocked roads due to fallen trees and some deep bogholes, it all went well.

stopped for a regroup at an intersection and casually mentioned there was an awesome ridge section on the road going the other way and Rick took the bait again.

We started to climb. It was good, too.

Narrow ridges twisted and turned and headed in the wrong direction, but it was fun.

We dropped down a steep ridgeline and joined a nice, twisty, long, saddle road, chewing up 45 minutes, to emerge about three kilometres from the intersection where we’d started out. Steve went down on a slippery log, but the riding had been so good it was totally worth it.

Houred out

We followed creeks and more open ridges across to Collombatti Lookout, where, unfortunately, Steve toppled over again.

As the boys, covered in sweat, stripped off layers, they commented on how comfortable I seemed to be, and how u

I was apparently doing it easy. One said I was fitter than I looked, and I wasn’t sure it was a compliment. I didn’t have the heart to point out the DR just does things so easy compared to the big KTMs in terrain like that we’d just ridden.

The view over our route was epic, and, running about an hour late due to our little deviations, we bolted for Willawarrin for a quick refuel, food, and a tour of the amazing Willawarrin General Store full of hidden excitement.

On time

We blasted through Willi Willi, tip-toed over some slippery clay to near the Kookaburra school and marvelled at the hut NPWS had rebuilt after the fires. What a great job!

The ground became rockier and forced our speed down, and a few creek crossings were done multiple times for

the camera, then it was back onto some good trails.

Exploring the tighter ridge sections had chewed up our lunch time, so I quietly turned off just before the Long Flat takeaway and hit the stunning Toms Gully Road over to Ellenborough Falls to tick off one of Steve’s wish-list destinations.

Knodingbul was cold, but we made great time to hit Gingers Creek a few minutes after 4.30pm, and it was great to see the place hanging in there after fires, road closures and other difficulties. It’s due to reopen soon, and the new accommodation was deluxe, the food and service great – as usual – and the whole lot was topped only by the warm fire and cold drinks.

Low temperatures on the ridges hadn’t helped my flu, and despite being banished to a far corner of the room,

I kept the guys awake as I suffered through a horror night. By 1.00am I’d decided I’d head east down the highway to warmer air and home as soon as it was light, but after a big breakfast of bacon and eggs with fresh juice I’d decided I could survive Cells River Road before peeling off.

Old favourites

Cells River Road was so nice in the sun. Low mist filling the valley made for stunning views and getting passed repeatedly by Mark’s 790 in the rough, broken sections had the blood pumping, so I decided to continue on.

The river sparkled next to the road as we wound down the valley, the old bus looking worse for wear as it slowly disappears into the ground, and lots of nice, tight corners saw us make good time. Mark toppled over at a corner u

Main: One of 20 crossings on The Scofield. The guys loved the assortment of riding. Below: Long slide marks made tracking easy.

where my son had done the same thing on our last ride, and the advantages of a twin weren’t readily apparent as the two of them righted the big girl and the DR and I looked on in amusement.

The run from Gloucester to Nundle is one of my all-time favourite sections, and its pink gravel, zigzag ridges and sparkling streams where a delight. We climbed to the edge of Barrington Tops before plunging back down through Ellerston, the famed 20 crossings of the Scofield Creek, and the wooded climb to Hanging Rock and Nundle.

We were unloaded and safe in the pub before our 4.30pm cut-off. A nice meal, a few drinks and a separate room for me gave the boys a better night’s sleep.

Dress up

Just after 7.30am the next morning we set off into the cold rain toward Walcha. Chaffey Dam had overflowed and the road was closed with the tops of fence posts just poking their heads through the water, so we cut back through some old, dark pine forest that looked glorious with the mist hanging low and the red

clay sparkling with droplets of water. It was truly magic –offset slightly by it being six degrees and raining.

Some of the magic faded on the clearfelled sections of Nundle Forest Way, but the rain and cold stayed. I’m not saying the potholes were huge, but there was fair dinkum two ducks swimming in one of them.

Walcha was cold too, but some tighter roads just before town warmed us up slightly, then bacon and eggs and hot coffee finished the job nicely. I discreetly changed into dry clothes in the main street, and my breakfast arrived before I’d finished dressing. I figured thermals were suitable attire for an eatery in a quiet regional centre, but the busy café became very quiet while we were there. Go figure.

I added a couple of layers, dry socks and a raincoat onesie to be warm as toast.

Promises kept

Blue Mountain and granite-based dirt roads offered excellent traction through to Armidale and it even stopped raining, so after a quick refuel we zigzagged through glorious New England and some

of NSW’s finest fun dirt. It was a bit too much fun for some. Mark was having a bit of a go, slowing to let the DR keep up, when a massive swap nearly took out my front wheel and covered me in roost. As retreated Rick stepped in and the two disappeared into the distance, leaving long slide marks that made tracking them easy.

Over the last five kilometres of dirt a picturesque creek offered a chance for the guys to boil the billy and warm up before the 80km of tar home through Dorrigo. We didn’t have to worry about the tar being boring. The heavy rain and pea-soup fog had us guessing were the asphalt went.

At the bottom of Dorrigo Mountain we headed back onto the dirt, the stomping ground of our youth, and the rain became a deluge. It was just like a lot of the riding we’d done together as kids, and we slithered our way home.

It was a pleasure to go riding with childhood mates of 35 years before. The guys loved the assortment of riding, and although CD drives and Dualsport Australia on discs have become old hat, the riding is as great as ever. Quality dirt with good mates is timeless. I don’t want to wait another 35 years to repeat the experience, so maybe a Cape York trip in their neck of the woods is in our future? Soon, hopefully.

Above & below: A picturesque creek offered a chance for the guys to boil the billy on Old Ebor Road.

suzuki DR650 Interceptor

n issue #41 we ran a story called Beer With No Pub, and one of the riders was Craig ‘Mr T’ Murcott on a beautifully set up DR650. That was a couple of years ago, and Craig, a capable fabricator and unstoppable bike builder with a big imagination, has just unveiled his latest DR650 build.

It’s a showstopper.

Targeted

Craig is part of a group of mates who love riding across The Simpson Desert.

After a couple of years at home due to bastard COVID, the plan was for a double crossing, over and back, in 2022. The crew always go unsupported, so there’s a big emphasis on bikes and equipment being in good shape.

For this year’s ride, Craig grabbed himself a 2010 DR650 and set to work building it for its specific purpose, starting with the components he liked from his previous bike.

Left top insert: “Prepare to be intercepted!”

Left: A showstopper built for a double Simpson crossing.

Left below: Craig and his previous DR650 in issue #41.

Above: The STEDI light bar punches out plenty of lumens, and the bag is for quick-use small tools, charging cables and so forth.

Top right: Stainless-steel guards protect clutch and alternator housings.

Right: Nice cosmetic touches here and there, like the cow-ear trim on the Barkbusters.

Carryover

Kicking off with the serious stuff, the front end is from a YZ450F and the shock is an Öhlins, both of which were on Craig’s previous DR650.

The YZ-F forks, brake and triple clamps went on fairly easily.

“I just had to make up some spacers,” machined Craig. “The hardest part of getting that to work was getting the Ralle Moto HSI steering damper in there as well. But it was just a bit of fiddling around and trial and error, basically.”

The rear brake is the stocker, the wheels are Talon hubs laced to Excel rims, and the blinkers are KTM.

The standard speedo and warning lights got the flick in favour of a Trail Tech Endurance 2 mounted on a dash plate Craig made himself. It’s a simple, rugged LCD display which gives speed, distance, time, two independent odometers and a few other facts and figures, and it’s easy to read. The ignition key and barrel also got the heave-ho. Craig was amazed at

Bottom right: A grab handle at the front, and the tyre levers wedge in under the headlight.

the weight of the ignition assembly and was glad to remove it. “It weighed a tonne!” he flexed. “They build the DRs so strong!” Some straightforward toggle and rocker switches replaced the stock gear.

Wrapping on the exhaust covers a full-system FMF Powerbomb rig, and combined with the pumper carb from the donor YZ450F and some careful opening up of the airbox, Craig says the performance improvement is substantial.

Looking good

As can be seen, the motor has been painted, and while it was on the bench the intake and outlet ports were hand polished. The bike’s frame and subframe were reinforced in a few areas Craig’s experience had showed the need, and of course both were painted before the engine was replaced.

There’s some really nice cosmetic touches here and there around the DR, and there’s more than a little humour in things like the cow-ear trim on the Barkbusters and the cow-tail on the front of the left-hand side pannier rack. The rack is actually made from TPU plastic to hold a fuel bladder, and the cow hide makes it easy for Craig to lean his weight on the rack to help heave the bike backwards. The Kriega pannier fits nicely on the outside of the bladder rack.

An Acerbis fuel cell handles the main fuel supply, ’pegs are standard Pivot Pegz, and the Steg Pegz aren’t true Steggies at all. They’re Craig’s own build and fit through the small slots in the plastic sidecovers. B&B made the rack, Acerbis the bashplate, and the seat is a Sargent unit Craig’s been using for a while.

Prepare!

There’s a few bits and pieces on the bike which were already in place when Craig took delivery, most notably the guards on the sides of the motor to protect the covers. Both sides of the DR motor are vulnerable to puncture or cracking by the brake pedal or gear selector in a fall. The fitted protectors are US-built stainless-steel items.

Acerbis frame guards protect the new paint from boot abrasion, Double Take mirrors are another of Craig’s favourite bits of kit, and a couple of tool tubes are fitted in strategic places. One tube was on an excavator and Craig thought it would be ideal for heavier hardware, and the other carries a sticker of a skeleton setting a guitar on fire. When we asked what that was about, Craig laughed and said, “My daughter gave me the sticker. I thought it was cool.”

While we were talking about stickers, we asked about the ‘Interceptor’ sticker on the front guard.

Craig laughed again. “I got it online,” he chuckled. “I just put it on to stir the boys up. Every time we got all our gear together in the morning to start our bikes and we were all ready to roll, I’d walk ’round and go, ‘Prepare to be intercepted!’”

Nice work

After all that, how does the Suzi perform?

“Awesome!” grinned the quietly spoken rider. “I’m quite pleased with it. Geez it runs well.”

That’s high praise from a bloke with high standards.

But it’s not over yet. Craig’s already planning his next DR650.

“I want to go full house on the engine,” he ported. “I’d like to try bigger valves.”

That’ll be something to see when it’s done. Craig’s work is always well thought out and beautifully presented. This DR650 is just another example, chocka with a lot of little mods and touches which can’t be seen. We sure do like what we can see.

Top right: Home-made Steggies. The cow tail is to lessen the severity of the edges when pushing the bike back.

Middle right: “My daughter gave me the sticker. thought it was cool.”

Right: Double Take Enduro mirrors on RAM mounts. Far right: The standard speedo and warning lights got the flick in favour of a Trail Tech Endurance 2. Getting the steering damper to fit was tricky.

10 things to think about

Luggage

Carrying clobber is part and parcel of adventure riding. There’s a few traps for young players with luggage which should be avoided, and a few tips which can make a ride run a lot smoother. Cop this lot…

Wet

Keeping

gear dry is important. It’s a total bummer to arrive at the end of a hard day and find your sleeping bag, spare clothes and ‘nature’ magazines are damp or soaked. Finding luggage which is truly waterproof is tricky, but in general, roll tops on stuff sacks, soft panniers and overnight bags are a good start. Naturally the fabric used in construction is important as well, and the heavier tarpaulin fabrics or nylons may be a little tougher to handle, but they’re far more likely to prevent the ingress of dreaded H2O during a dunking. Hard panniers generally keep contents dry, but check O-rings and seals around lids, and caulking around mounts and catches.

On heat

The Boss wants all his luggage to be fireproof because he’s had the pannier bag melt on the exhaust and all his gear for a multiday ride went up in smoke (we’re still smiling about that one).

We don’t know any luggage that’s certified fireproof, but we’ve seen riders caught out by a hot exhaust doing damage, especially to soft panniers, often enough. The go is to ensure luggage can’t come into contact with hot components of the bike, especially the exhaust. If you’re using throw-over bags of any kind, a heatshield on any exhaust areas near the luggage is a good idea.

Stay close

Luggage which sticks out from the bike – whether it’s panniers jutting out the sides, a tankbag the height of Uluru or a top box the size of a HiAce – is bad for lots of reasons. The main problem is ending up with a heap of gear a long way from the bike’s centre of gravity. Those big containers swinging around can make technical terrain very difficult. Try and get luggage close to the bike and keep it as low as practicable.

Straps

Getthe best straps you can afford. Whether they’re cam-lock, stretchy, Velcro, rubber, textile…whatever. Look for high-quality gear. There’s heaps of good ones around, and the saving on cheapo ocky straps from the auto store is likely to be chump change compared to the cost of your kit skidding down the road or trail, and the time lost trying to improvise a replacement for a broken strap in an isolated destination can be substantial. Good straps can also be lifesavers in repair and emergency situations. It’s a good idea to chuck in a length of rope or an extra strap or two, just in case.

Right: Andy Strapz knows how to pack tight.

Drinks

Can you carry your chosen beverages safely?

The Boss still goes pale when he tells the story of a rider who had a fall and lost his entire supply of goon.

If you’ll be carrying perishables like food and fluids, either ensure the packaging will cop some rough treatment, or set up the luggage to safely carry items of that kind.

Losing the Hermitage would put a bit of a dampener on the camp atmosphere, wouldn’t it?

Glass containers are a bad idea, and, in general, all containers of liquid need to be treated with care.

Protection

Give some thought to protecting the contents of the luggage. Obviously hard panniers will provide better protection for contents than soft panniers, but if hard panniers get mangled in an incident they can be very difficult to bash back into usable shape to complete a ride –especially if they’re fibreglass or composite – and they can cost a fortune to replace.

A high degree of abrasion resistance is important in soft luggage. If a bike goes skittering along the bitumen or rocky trail, abrasion is likely to do just as much damage as the impact. Look for luggage made of tough, durable materials.

Access

Not

being able to easily get to things stored in luggage is a real pest.

One school of thought says lots of small bags are better than a couple of big ones – so a small tankbag, handlebar bag, top box and panniers make it likely that whatever you’re looking for will be easy to get to.

For those who need plenty of capacity, roll-top bags which open at both ends are a good alternative. Try to not stack lots of bags on top of each other. Sometimes that can’t be helped, but there’s nothing surer than something you need will be in the bottom bag.

Lightweight

See the ‘Stay close’ section. The same concept applies to weight.

Heavy loads held away from the bike or high up will have a major effect on the bike’s behaviour and handling. It’ll also put a great deal of extra stress on the luggage and luggage mounts. Keep the load as light as possible. It’s amazing how 100gm saved here and there soon adds up to a kilo or two in a pannier or top box that in turns adds up to several kilos across a full pack, and that’s a chunk not pressing down on a bike’s subframe and rear end. Make sure the weight of panniers and top box are taken into account. Tools are a big consideration. Multiple-use and high-tech lightweight tools can mean big weight savings.

Rotate the undies

Another of The Boss’ tips: rotate the undies.

What you need

This a common mistake for newbies: don’t take crap you don’t need.

We so often see inexperienced riders mailing home, or abandoning, a heap of gear early in rides because they realise they just don’t need half the stuff they started out with.

The days will be spent in riding gear. One set of casual clobber to wear to a pub or restaurant at night is all that’s needed, along with maybe some sleepwear. Often enough a set of thermals will double up as PJs, especially the superfine merino textiles.

Look for opportunities to share equipment, especially tools, with other riders. There’s no sense in five of you carrying tyre levers, compressors and tubes. Share the load and carry less on each bike.

Below: Adventure Rider Magazine’s publisher is an expert at packing only essentials.

Not switch them back to front – although that works, too – but take only two pairs. Wash the day’s pair in the shower or creek at night, then stick them under one of the straps on the bike the next day. They’ll be dry by the time you’re ready to repeat the process the next night.

We fully acknowledge The Boss is the big hog at the trough when it comes tight, efficient packing for a long ride, but seriously…undies don’t take up much space and they weigh nothing. We don’t know how it is for the ladies, but for blokes, things can get a bit unsavoury after a few days, and no amount of creek washing or shower spraying will help.

And that’s without close calls with wallabies and wombats.

You folks do as you please. You can call us soft, but we’ll find room a few pairs of Reg Grundies.

Left: It was a cruisey few weeks for the Ténéré, with very little challenging riding.

Right: Shad SW42 panniers. Smooth-looking and easy to fit. We’re looking forward to some comfortable travel with this gear.

Right middle: A surprising amount of room, and sturdy, waterproof construction.

Bottom right: We experimented with the straps running under and over the seat, but over worked best on the T7.

as shoulder straps, but we didn’t find them until after the first ride and used Rok Straps. Can you imagine how silly we felt?

shop bike

Our bottom lips are trembling and there’s a little tear trickling down our whiskered cheeks. Adventure Rider Magazine’s Yamaha Ténéré 700 has left the building.

Things have been very quiet for the magazine’s Yamaha for this issue. With the pressures of the mag and things needing to be done in the office, the bike was left gathering dust for quite a while –except when we lent it to a couple of very sober and reliable riders for a few days. We’ll let them tell their story later.

Fortunately, we did find time to have a look at the luggage situation and come up with some excellent kit.

Shad SW42 panniers

We were working away tirelessly – like we sometimes do when we think The Boss might stick his head around the office door – putting together Checkout for issue #54, and we saw what looked like shit-hot soft panniers. Mitch got straight on the phone to Mr Shad at Moto National Accessories and asked if we could check out a pair and see what they were like.

Shaddsy – we always call him that – was as generous as ever, and before we knew where we were

these bonzer bags had arrived and slipped right on. Perfect!

We were a bit worried there might’ve been a problem with fitting because we weren’t using the Shad pannier racks, but there wasn’t. The Shads have Velcro loops around the edges which latched onto the RideAdv racks like a desperate TV breakfast show onto a royal funeral. There’s also some straps supplied which clip onto eyelets and allow the bags to be pulled up snug and can double

Anyhoo, with the SW42s in place the editor loaded up and headed off to get some work done.

He didn’t get any actual work done, of course, but he did cover 500km of bitumen before realising he was lost, then turned around and rode 500km of bitumen back again. The SW42s stayed snug and tight to the bike, carried a tonne of clobber, stayed dry inside when it rained and finished looking just as good as they did at the start. We were very impressed with the roll tops and the spiffy-looking throw-over covers which secured with aluminium hooks, and we really liked the way the Shads hold their shape. They’re a great-looking addition and we were very pleased.

The bad news

Everything was going well and we were bludging away furiously in the office, not answering emails and ignoring the phone as usual, when The Boss suddenly appeared unannounced and asked for the key to the Ténéré.

We all looked at each other blankly and wondered if the world had gone crazy. The Boss showing up at the office? The Boss planning to ride the Yamaha?

We were aghast. Maybe we were two ghasts. It’s hard to remember exactly.

Before we’d been able to put down our confectionery treats and shut down our ‘lifestyle’ websites he’d grabbed the key, wheeled the bike out, and with a handpainted a sign saying ‘FOr SEAL’ under his arm, put it on the trailer and driven away.

And that was the last we saw of it.

The bike has gone, and we’re left with a deep, sorrowful emptiness, beside which the loss of a much-loved monarch seems insignificant.

A fantastic bike, loaded with brilliant accessories, and it’s gone.

Just like that.

When youowndon’t it

A good friend of the magazine was caught without a

bike when Marty HC offered a weekend ride. Of course we were happy for him to take the Ténéré for a run.

Despite last-minute calls and visits, no one was keen for a two-day ride due to flooding and crap conditions, but I did salvage a one-day ride with Craig Murcott. He wasn’t worried about conditions, thanks to having somehow squirrelled a loan of Adventure Rider Magazine’s shop bike. Early Sunday morning we headed off into the local bush, only to be greeted by sloppy, chewed-out, mud-filled trails criss-crossed with deep ruts and huge puddles. I felt for Craig as I struggled to keep the DR upright in some of the worst conditions I’d seen. At least it wasn’t his bike he was thrashing through there.

Eventually we climbed out of the clay and moved further away from civilisation, and at around the 50km mark the trails became unmolested.

Valley ho!

As we dropped into the next valley the normally pea-sized gravel went from sketchy and loose to firm and fast. The T7 was in its element blasting through lush green farmland, and Craig showed me a wheel on a few of the corners. A special motorcycle-only bridge soon had us back into the remote bush, twisting through the pristine forest.

Temptation

Fun, steep sidetracks started to turn up, and, mindful of Adventure Rider Magazine’s bike, I skipped the first two. But the third had me turning around and climbing, and the T7 handled it fine. I sent Craig up a single trail for photos.

Unfortunately, I missed the crash pic, although I did manage to catch the aftermath, despite Craig’s objections. It took both of us to right the big blue beast in the sloppy mud, but from there we rode some of the best trails of the day, enjoyed a few nice snack breaks and made our way towards home on more premium gravel.

TF won’t mind Craig came up with the brilliant suggestion to work our way east and hit the beach.

Left: Fresh water…probably.

Left insert: A good friend to Adventure Rider Magazine, Craig ‘Mr T’ Murcott borrowed the shop bike for a day ride with Marty HC.

A normally landlocked creek was forded with ease, and Craig even took the opportunity to blow some sand and mud of the bike with some nice powerslides through the edge of the fresh (I think) water.

It was low tide and there was no sloppy mud, and it just doesn’t get any better than that, especially for Craig, left with no rust issues on his personal bike.

All too soon the beach was finished and we sloped through a few coastal forests toward home.

But there’s always another weekend, and now I know TF lends out the magazine’s bike I’ll have to get on the list. After all, I’m a changed man who can be trusted to avoid temptation.

Tom must be busy. He doesn’t seem to be answering his phone.

Above: The T7 was in its element.

Below: It sure is a lot of fun riding someone else’s bike.

Words and images: Marty Blake

Above & Below: Missed the crash photo but caught the aftermath, despite objections.

Like a block of chocolate

Andy helps prepare for a rocky road.

Like a block of chocolate, motorbicycle riding is meant to be shared. It has always struck me just how diverse a group of riders we get to share it with. Lawyers, brickies, doctors, plumbers, welders, nurses, mechanics, cockies, drivers, computer heads, money movers, developers, storepersons, labourers…all sat around a front bar or campfire, often not even bothering with the, “What do ya do for a crust?” question. Just accepting a like-minded soul and ‘taking the piss’. We mercilessly tease those we like the most, put shit on the colour of their bike, regale them with tales of derringdo or gawd-awful events from previous campaigns. Should they need a feed, a Band-Aid or a beer, we’ll happily help out where we can. We regularly form lifelong bonds as a result of riding with people we may never have crossed paths with otherwise. It gets better when your riding buddy has your blood running through their veins.

Son of Strapz (SoS) recently found the round-tuit, got his bike learners’, a bundle of my old gear and half-inched Dr Z. As you could imagine, his acquiring a yellow L plate and venturing out into the traffic had me in a world of fear. As a young teenager he had a pretty good crack at learning to pilot a trailbike, but as any parent would, I was anxious to build his skill level as quickly as possible to ensure he would be as safe as we could make him.

Myself and my lifelong riding buddy, Tomaselli, hatched a plan to get said Son a long weekend of mixed roads and conditions to settle him into riding without having to think about the basics. The plan was to head bush, catch a few billion stars and a movie on the campfire telly. That was until Huey and Nina drenched southeast Oz, turning roads into rivers and tracks into muddy creeks. As my ark plans were caught up in council red tape, we booked a cabin in adventure heartland, Dargo.

Tom shepherded him out of The Big Smoke and we plugged into a circuitous route to avoid freeways and looming storm clouds. Somehow we mostly managed both, skirting the low black/ green storm clouds on wet roads. The famous road ride from Bairnsdale to Dargo had been treated to ‘maintenance’.

Left: Ya just can’t stop yer kids playing in the mud.

Below: The plan was to head bush, ride varied roads and surfaces, catch a few billion stars and a movie on the campfire telly.

Heavy machines had scratched around in the table drains and spread mud and flotsam around for bucketing rain to spread haphazardly across the road on blind corners. Challenging?

My RRs! It was intense!

Never really a fan of helmet-mounted prattle boxes, our helmet comms proved invaluable as a teaching and safety tool. Ever conscious of two competing needs – teaching my boy to ride safely and well, while not being a knob of an old man and continually telling him what to do – we ploughed on. I waited an ever-increasingly anxious few minutes at the turnoff to our lodgings – for him not to appear.

Sheeeeet, no!

Less than a klick from our accommodation he’d run out of fuel.

Owners of DRs with Safari tanks will know the remedy in that situation is to casually throw the bike on its side to slosh whatever fuel is hiding on the right side of the tank to the left above the fuel tap, stand it back up and hit the electric leg. Phew!

A good early lesson: top up when other riders do!

Not only did it blow the dog off the chain that night, the chain came off the post. The storms caught up with us but luckily had passed by dawn. We struck out on a cautious exploration of a few surrounding roads to fill in our day and add to his experience portfolio.

Our return trip saw brighter weather and a few stretches of dry road and SoS rode well enough that I encouraged him to book his test. The level of concentration and skill he’d needed to safely negotiate the previous two days had transformed him as a rider.

He’ll be able to stand around a campfire in the future and relate his initiation into the life of an adventure rider.

An easy ride never made a good yarn!

andy sTraPz

Won’t be beaten

Karen watched an incredible story unfold.

Left: The lure of the remoteness was irresistible. Below: Allison has done some remarkable riding with Rob.

It was supposed to end with beers in a bar and a sticker that said: ‘I completed the CSR Wiluna to Halls Creek’, and there was no denying it was a huge challenge – the majority of the most important things are. Just mentioning the Canning Stock Route (CSR) conjures up images of extreme challenge and isolation, a place all too ready to punish the unprepared or naïve. While I was watching the SPOT tracker it became more likely beers would not be those of celebration, but of commiseration. I expected to hear tales of challenges overcome, determination and grit, and in some ways it was, but with a lot more trials and not quite the positive ending we were expecting.

Discovery

Rob and Allison seem a completely unassuming couple living in suburban Brisbane, but scratch the surface and follow them around for a while and they’re far from that. They’ve done some remarkable riding together, and their motto is ‘keep going forward, never go back’. Rob started with bikes as an 18-year-old and has been “…throwing money at them ever since!” He soon

got into racing motocross and then enduro, loving the challenge. Alli, on the other hand, was a horse rider before swapping to bikes. When she met Rob, her father told her never to come home with a bike. So she didn’t. She bought one and kept it at Rob’s, and they moved on to trailriding, which they could do together. They bought bike magazines with DVDs (for all the young readers out there, you might like to think of DVDs as very limited streaming services you could hold in your hand) and were inspired to try riding. In 2006 they went on their first adventure ride: a paid trip to Cape York. While the tour itself wasn’t the best, they came away realising it was something they could do themselves.

Must do

Since then, some of their riding has included the high country of Victoria, crossing the Simpson Desert, across Australia west to east and, in 2019, the Anne Beadell Highway. The pair are self-confessed desertsand lovers (definitely not beach sand, though) and they loved the Anne Beadell, even if they did want to turn around a few hundred kilometres in. Alli described the sand and corrugations of that road as

prepared and fully aware of what they were attempting. The lure of the remoteness, the challenge of the riding, and working out if they could carry enough fuel, food and water to ride unsupported was irresistible.

Good gear

It was three years before all the bike lights in the sky aligned: COVID restrictions eased and the track reopened. A little over a month after their permits came through in June 2022, they’d organised time off work, Rob had driven the bikes to Alice Springs and they were sitting on their WR250Rs at Wiluna, fuelled up and ready for adventure. Alli’s normal bike of choice is the XT250, but, after crossing the Simpson together on them, Rob’s used considerably more fuel, which wasn’t ideal when every litre counts.

This is where I should mention that Alli comes in at 157cm.

The WR is a bit taller than the XT, but they’d taken WRs out on plenty of trial

“… the toughest, most remote and relentless 1300km ever. [It] threw everything at us. It’s a track not to be taken lightly.”

But, for all this riding, they never considered attempting the Canning Stock Route.

With the Anne Beadell under their belt though, they decided they’d make it their next challenge. They watched endless YouTube videos and realised they could do it. They’re experienced and capable riders going into the adventure, both fully

runs, and although not a perfect fit for Alli, using the same bikes allowed them to share things like spares and tools, and they found it easier to carry fuel on the 250R than the XT.

They’d done their research and decided it would be best to travel south to north.

The reasoning was it would be ‘easier’ to carry extra fuel when they were on the harder-packed terrain rather than through the dunes. Rob had 66 litres of fuel and Alli had 52 litres. They hadn’t considered riding the 1700km from Alice Springs to

would mean their tyres were already showing signs of wear at the start of the ride.

It’s hard to say where the line was between their research and prepping helping them or hindering them. Rob wasn’t completely happy with how his bike was handling, but was putting up with it as a compromise that would payoff later. They’d kept the tyre pressures up a bit because they knew to expect rock in the first part, but it didn’t help in the sand. They’d also intended to lower the gearing to save the clutch for dune crawling when they got underway, but they had trouble finding their rhythm of riding and resting, so didn’t end up making the change until day three on the CSR.

Snake oil

On the first day, near Well 8, Rob had a bad fall and, pinned under his bike, had injured his knee and ribs. They almost pulled the pin then, but fortunately, the next morning, he felt he’d be able to continue.

Keeping in mind these two love riding sand, they openly admit they struggled, and part of the reason was fatigue. In order to save weight, they’d opted for thin mattresses, but it meant they didn’t sleep well. Also, they pushed themselves to make it to wells to camp rather than finding a suitable spot at 4.00pm to give themselves time to do maintenance, have dinner and relax a bit before dark. They also found themselves limiting their food intake during the day, working on the presumption they might not be able to get much food from the main community at Kunawaritji, to make it last. Rob estimates he lost around five kilograms. Their other issue was having enough water, especially on the northern part of the CSR. They couldn’t stress enough how vital

u

karen ramsay

Wiluna via the Great Central Road and Gunbarrel Highway

the wells are for riders (or cameleers). It was when they got to a well, opened the cover and found two dead snakes floating in it they realised it was getting real, and seriously regretted their choice to not fill up at the previous well. In desperation, they had to take the water which they then boiled and purified before drinking.

Tyred

They both dropped their bikes numerous times on the track and, although they had communications, it wasn’t a simple matter to just pull up when the other one fell over. The soft sand made it difficult to stop and put the stand down. On day four between Durba Springs and Georgia Bore, Alli had a particularly bad fall. She thought she’d be able to continue, but, after speaking to a couple of blokes in 4WDs the day before who said the bigger dunes were still to come, the risk of further injuring herself and needing to be rescued was a gamble they weren’t willing to take. It took a great deal of deliberation to reach that decision, but they exited, stage left, on the Talawanna Track. On the easiest part of the trip, just 20km from Georgia bore, they got a flat. With no easy way to get the bike off the track, Alli stood there, crazy pain in her leg (they found out later it was fractured), balancing the bike on the sidestand, while Rob attempted to do the quickest tube change he’d ever done.

Take away

They made their way from Newman to Perth where they put their bikes in storage

until they decided on their next move. As it turned out, that was decided for them. While they were back in Brisbane visiting doctors, their fully loaded bikes, including all their gear apart from helmets, were stolen from the storage shed! A couple weeks later, with excellent police work, some of the gear was recovered, and three people charged. Unfortunately, the thieves are still refusing to say where the bikes are. This was such a kick in the guts after all they’d been through. Although they’re understandably angry and upset, their positive attitude shines through, and they’re more determined than ever to set up two more bikes and finish the trip.

Above: Rob started with bikes as an 18-year-old and has been “…throwing money at them ever since!” Below: It wasn’t a simple matter to just pull up. The soft sand made it difficult to stop and put the stand down.

More please

Despite all its hostility and challenges, Rob and Alli are totally smitten by the Canning. It was hard to take in the view because the sand was so soft and demanding, but it was breathtaking. The riding kept them on their toes with “…endless rocks, deep fluffy sand, washouts, sand dunes with tricky turns on the run up, and overgrown slappy sticks wanting to take you down,” said Alli. The next time they tackle it, the couple reckon they’ll go north to south. They figure, even with more fuel on and less water available, they’ll be fresher. They’ll also pull up at 4.00pm regardless of where they are, eat more to keep their energy up, and further refine their setups (like slimming down their loads and rethinking their bedding). This beautiful and brutal track has got into their blood, and they’re determined to have the full experience, from Halls Creek to Wiluna.

The secret to longevity?

‘Observation and concentration’ says TB.

You hear people talk about upskilling or doing a course on one specific technique or another. I maintain the most important skills for a rider are observation and concentration.

Without those two basics, mistakes soon follow. And mistakes on two wheels are usually paid for severely. Yes, you can argue riding skills help, and don’t challenge that at all. But all the skills in the world won’t help if you aren’t concentrating and being observant.

Do you reckon Toby and Chucky are thinking about their Snapchats during a special stage?

Timed out

A huge percentage of adventure-riding success is mental. Some will argue riding motorbikes requires getting your head checked, and they’re entitled to their opinion.

But we know they’re wrong.

Adventure riders need to be situationally aware of surroundings like tall grass lining the road.

Paddocks often mean the likelihood of a few woolly escapees lurking. Be observant and back off a little in situations of elevated risk.

When I say ‘mental’, I mean the mental facility to be able to observe and concentrate for long periods. If you’re not concentrating on what you’re doing, it’s going to go wrong. I continually see accidents caused by lapses in attention and concentration – some call it ‘brain fade’ or ‘zoning out’. Whatever. The fact is, it’s not looking and not concentrating. When you concentrate and remain focused you have time to plan and make good decisions. With time to plan, you

build confidence and stay safe.

For adventure riders, concentrating and planning means looking through corners, watching tree lines, power lines, fence lines and taking note of ridge lines. It’s about being situationally aware of surroundings like tall grass lining the road or paddocks separated from the natural bush – there’s often a few fleecy escapees lurking in known sheep-farming areas. These examples offer a higher percentage chance of a collision with wildlife, and therefore, injury to bike and rider. If we observe those situations, we can make a conscious decision to back off and have that little extra time to react and avoid problems.

Room to move

These few observations don’t only apply to riding off the beaten track. We often have to spend time riding on bitumen in the more-heavily populated cities and towns where there are even more hazards waiting to harm the innocent adventure rider, both hidden and in your face. The surface is a good place to start. Due to the abundance of cars and trucks, and the leaking of fluids and oils from them, the centre of the lanes are always the slipperiest part of the road surface, especially when the rain first starts. Many drivers aren’t aware of their blindspot. It’s up to riders to ensure we never sit in the driver’s blindspot, and either sit back or pass through briskly.

That goes for watching our mirrors, too. Always glance in the mirrors and observe what an approaching driver is doing. You want to be able to take evasive action if you judge he or she is not going to stop in time. I always travel in the right lane – the fast lane – because I’m travelling at the legal speed limit and I like the option to escape to the left or the right if the traffic stops and the person behind me looks like they’re struggling.

Defence forces

Sadly, I also ride with the attitude that everyone wants to kill me. I have to try and anticipate what everyone around me is going to do next. Just because their indicator is on doesn’t mean I can pull out. Make sure they turn first before you go around. It’s small comfort to be the one legally in the right if you’ve destroyed a leg or ended up with a spinalcord injury, just because you didn’t wait to make sure of a driver’s next move. I’m also a huge advocate for riding with high beam on, so occasionally people do flash their lights at me. I give them a wave to thank them because know they saw me. We need to be seen and heard! Further complicating all of the above is the weather. If it’s hot, cold, wet, windy, smoky, foggy or whatever other conditions there may be, observe and be aware. Changes in any of these means a total recalculation of all your previous judgements: longer stopping distances, changes in grip levels, longer spacing from other vehicles, quicker fatigue times and all the other judgement calls a rider makes with every turn of the wheel. They all need to be adjusted to suit. Observation and concentration are the main contributors to ensuring you get home safe, enjoy your time on the bike, accomplish more and see more of this big beautiful country of ours.

Albania

Miles discovered an unknown paradise.

The dust has settled on the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy Southeast Europe in Albania. After an incredible experience, competitors and most staff are heading back to their home countries with memories to last a lifetime.

Testing

The GS Trophy is an event for GS owners from all over the world. It’s a competition, but not a race. The 2022 seven-day ride covered about 1200km throughout southern Albania, and Team South Africa cleaned

up, winning the men’s and ladies’ main prize. After competing in the previous two events, Australia didn’t field a team this year.

A marshal’s job is to lead teams around the course, usually two teams per marshal, but sometimes three. I arrived in Albania two weeks prior to the event with 20 other marshals to recce the course and finalise the special tests. This was my third GS Trophy as a marshal, after Mongolia in 2018 and NZ in 2020, just before COVID shut down the world, and the course covered rugged and mountainous terrain that really tested the riders.

stories. Once selected, each competitor is provided with a huge bag of free kit which includes a GS Trophy-branded riding suit, bags and casual wear, gloves, socks and camping gear. They ride tricked-up R 1200 GS Trophy Edition bikes with event graphics, including their name, country flag and even their blood type.

The Competition

The daily route covered between 200km and 250km, which doesn’t sound a lot, but it was generally technical and rocky with lots of twisty mountain tracks. There were usually two special tests per day which varied from timed enduro loops, strength tests and slow rides to trials sections, navigation and other challenges.

Albania

Most people, even Europeans, haven’t visited Albania and don’t really know much about the country. Most Aussies probably don’t know where it is on a map, even though it borders Greece. Albania does have an interesting history with a lot of turmoil, including Russian occupation and wars only 20 or 30 years ago. It is the poorest country in Europe, and many people live extremely simple lives in small villages growing their own food. The flipside of this is, in bigger towns, and especially near the coastal tourist areas, there are lots of flash cars.

They love Mercedes! Even in the mountain villages there are beaten-up Mercs bouncing up and down roads that should require a 4x4. But spending three weeks here (I’m writing this from a hotel south of Tirana) has been an amazing experience. The people are very friendly and generous, and the mountains are very impressive, which makes for great off-road riding. I’ve ridden some of the worst bitumen roads I’ve ever seen, as well as some of the best, as there are new roads going in at a fast rate. If you were looking for a perfect environment for a GS, Albania is about as good as it gets.

I would definitely recommend Albania for a holiday. It has a lot to offer and your money goes a long way compared to other European destinations.

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Riders

The GS Trophy happens every two years. In the ‘between’ years participating countries hold a local qualifier event to select their teams. There were 15 men’s teams of three riders, and six ladies’ teams of two riders per team. Some countries also send an MRP (Media Related Person) who can ride with the team and provide coverage in the form of social media, online or magazine

Left: “If you were looking for a perfect environment for a GS, Albania is about as good as it gets.” Below: Miles has now marshalled at three GS Trophy events.

Bikes

127 identically prepared R 1250 GS Trophy Edition bikes were used at the event. They were fitted with a few accessories like an Akrapovic titanium muffler, headlight protector, alloy bashguard, Adv flip rear brake lever, crash bars and valve-cover protection, as well as the new Karoo 4 hoops. BMW is now offering a Trophy Edition bike as part of the GS range, so customers will be able to own a bike very similar to the ones we used.

Sponsors

The event is a massive marketing exercise and, as you’d expect, there were some big sponsors involved.

This year a surprise sponsor was Ineos Grenadier, the UK company bringing a new, Land Rover-inspired four-wheel drive to market. An interesting connection is the new vehicles being powered by BMW diesel or petrol engines. Ineos provided 15 prototype vehicles and drivers to help with event logistics, and

it was by far the most Ineos vehicles to be assembled in a public environment.

The GS Trophy was a great way to test the vehicles and fine tune the last details before going into production. Other sponsors included:

v Metzeler, with Karoo 4 tyres

v Akrapovic, who supplied mufflers for the bikes

v Sena, who provided a newly released, BMW-branded comms system

v Leatt, with an adventure neck brace for

all riders, and

v Advantec (BMW’s own oil).

The Big Bosses

There were a range of BMW employees working on the event, as well as a few high-profile senior staff who rode various sections of the route. The big guns included the head of Motorrad, Markus Schramm, Head of Design, Edgar Heinrich, and Head of Development, Christof Lischka.

Mr Schramm is more comfortable on a road bike, but after attending the NZ Trophy has been riding and training to improve his off-road skills. He rode with recently retired BMW Motorsport boss Berti Hauser. Berti was head of BMW Motorsport back in the day when BMW won the Dakar and entered factory teams on boxer-powered beasts.

Christof Lisckha is no stranger to offroad riding, he’s a keen motocross, enduro and rallye rider, and recently competed in the Hellas Rally in Greece, where he podiumed in the Adv class on a modified R 1250 GS. I’ve had the pleasure of riding with Christof in NZ, and again in Albania, where he generally tagged on with my groups throughout the week. It’s great to know the Head of Development is such a passionate and capable off-road rider, and he’s lots of fun to ride with! He wants to come to Australia to watch Finke, cross the Simpson and maybe join in on an outback BMW GS Safari.

The Experience

There aren’t many events that bring together so many like-minded people from all over the world. Even though it’s a competition, everyone who made it to Albania was a winner. The focus was on fun, and the competition adds something, but it really is a week-long adventure ride with some incredible people who all share the passion of motorcycles, adventure and a bit of GS brand loyalty.

Above: 127 identically prepared R 1250 GS Trophy Edition bikes were used at the event.

Top right: There were usually two special tests per day which varied from timed enduro loops and strength tests to slow rides, trials sections, navigation and other challenges.

Right: There aren’t many events that bring together so many like-minded people from all over the world.

One person who was the unofficial winner in many people’s eyes was Karyn, a French lady in her 60s who had attended previous qualifiers but missed out. She’s a vertically challenged professor, and triple the age of the younger competitors, and rode incredibly well. She was strong and energetic and had the best attitude –always a big smile. She definitely inspired a lot of people!

There’s no need to grow up too early.

Stats

R 15 three-rider men’s teams

R Six two-rider ladies’ teams

R 12 MRP riders (media)

R 31 nationalities

R 127 R1250GS Trophy Edition bikes

R 120 support team members, including marshals, video, photography, medicalincluding a medical helicopter! IT, Logistics (Approximately 30 cars, trucks and Ineos) and mechanical.

Above: The daily route was generally technical and rocky with lots of twisty mountain tracks.

Right: Karyn (right), a French lady in her 60s, rode incredibly well.

Touratech Triumph Tiger 1200 2022

Who’s got the clobber for the new Triumph 1200s? Touratech has! The already fabulous 1200 can be made even fabulouser with high-quality gear from the German adventure specialist. Have a look at touratech.com.au for a huge range of equipment for a huge range of bikes.

Checkout

HEpco & bEckEr tANk guArD bLAck for ApriLiA tuArEg 660 (2022)

The bars follow the lines of the bike giving a customised appearance.

R Extremely stable tube-in-tube construction

R Made in Germany

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R Delivery: right side, left side, mounting kit and manual

RRP: $439

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Mosko Moto gNoME tANkbAg

A unique landscape position on top of the tank leaves enough space to stand without restricting movement.

R Five-litre storage capacity

R Comes with a 1.5L/50oz Hydrapak® reservoir with insulated hose

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R Hypalon MOLLE panel

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DANE LyNgby Air ADvENturE pANts

Engineered using Gore-tex® Pro fabrics for comfort and weather protection.

R Removable internal inner liner included

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Phone: 0428 536 519 Web: adventurebikeshop.com.au

giANt

Loop MototrEkk pANNiErs

Slim, rugged, dry bag-inspired panniers sized for overnight or multi-day trips.

R Welded waterproof fabric

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M2r HybriD DuAL sport ADvENturE HELMEt

New Fade, Poly and Trooper graphics now available.

R Injection-moulded ABS shell

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R 95% UV-protected, scratch-resistant polycarbonate outer visor

R Internal drop-down sun visor

R Quick-release micrometric chin-strap buckle Intercom prepared

sAMco sport siLicoNE HosE kits

Greater heat resistance and more durable and longer lasting than rubber.

R Designed to directly replace original-equipment hoses

R Kits available for major OEs including KTM, Yamaha and Honda

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R Matching clip kits containing the exact number of clips, in high-quality stainless steel, included

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RRP: $819

Available from: Leading motorcycle stores or whitesmoto.com.au Web: whitesmoto.com.au

tfX 140/141 D pErfor

A fully rebuildable, gas-charged, single-tube shock for the DR650.

R 46mm bore

R Handmade in the Netherlands

R Precise tuning

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R 32 clicks of high-speed and low-speed compression adjustment

R Five-year warranty

RRP: From $990 plus postage

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

RRP: Solids $269.95. Graphics $289.95

Available from: Leading motorcycle dealers

kLiM bAjA s4 jAckEt

Delivering thorough comfort for hot-weather adventure riding.

R Extensive four-way stretch zones

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R Five colour ways

Available from: Adventure Moto Web: adventuremoto.com.au

3 gorE-tEX boots

Maximum protection and comfort, on- and off-road,

Groundtrax® rubber outsole for touring and light off road Medial with heat shield Ortholite® footbed with long-term cushioning

rAD guArD cf Moto 800Mt

rADiAtor guArD

An essential aftermarket part.

R For the hardcore adventure rider

R Easy to fit

R Fitting instructions provided

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R Made from 6060 T1–T5 aluminium

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DENALi cANsMArt AccEssory MANAgEr

Plug-n-play installation of up to four accessories.

R Four electronically fused circuits

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R Dim two sets of lights independently and flash-to-pass

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kLiM EDgE off-roAD goggLE

Maximum field of view, undistorted optical perfection and tireless fog resistance.

R Frameless design creates massive FOV

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R Locking magnetic quick-release mechanism

R Moisture-wicking face foam

R Removable magnetic-latching nose guard

R Includes two-part goggle bag

Available from: Adventure Moto

RRP: $225. On special for $189

Available from: Rad Guard

Phone: (02) 6658 0060

Web: radguard.com.au

RRP: $579

Available from: Leading motorcycle stores or whitesmoto. com.au

Web: whitesmoto.com.au

A cordless, rechargeable mini tyre inflator.

R Set and store up to four separate pressures from 3psi to 120psi

R Pumps a 90/90 tyre from zero to 32psi in under three minutes

R Automatic shut off when pressure is reached

R Recharge takes three to five hours using a USB outlet

R Pump is 10.7cm x 8.3cm x 3.3cm and weighs 470gm

R Comes in a pouch with 22cm hose and USB-C cable

Web: adventuremoto.com.au

sW-MotEcH sysbAg Wp sADDLEbAgs

You can’t choose the weather, but you can choose the right luggage.

R 100% waterproof and dustproof

R Sizes range from 12 litres to 40 litres

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R Can be strapped to most rear racks

R Made from TPU material

tyrEs

A new adventure tyre that combines the requirements of mud enthusiasts and sand lovers.

R Primarily an off-road dualsport/adventure tyre (70% off-road/30% on-road)

R Open-tread profile provides self-cleaning on loose surfaces

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RRP: From $276 – $429

Available from: Motorrad Garage Web: motorradgarage.com.au

HEiDENAu k60 rANgEr

Large: 22L-40L

Medium: 17L-23L

Small: 12L-16L

bALLArD’s WAtErproof first AiD kit

Something everyone should always carry on a ride or any adventure.

R Sealable and waterproof two-litre bag

R 12 individual first-aid items recommended by Saint John’s ambulance

R Includes buckle tourniquet, nitrile gloves, adhesive wound dressing, scissors, permanent marker, burn gel, two alcohol pads, two safety pins, elbow and knee adhesive bandages, five standard adhesive badges, instructions for use and emergency blanket

$29.95

from:

mxstore.com.au

ANDy strApz sEAt sAck

A small, simple seat bag that uses the space between throw-over saddle bags.

R Constructed of tough, waterproof, Aussie-made, 17oz ripstop canvas

R Attaches to a neat, unobtrusive harness that wraps around the pannier straps

R Roll top

R Provides an accessible place for light or sensitive gear

R Internal handle allows it to be carried to the bike open

R Supplied with one of Liner bag

R Weighs in at 750g

THE TOUGHEST FUEL AND WATER CELLS IN THE WORLD

Manufactured at highest standards in the Netherlands. Overland Fuel & Water Cells are sure not to fade or leak.

Choose from 4.5 to 17 Litres cells and a range of mounts

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