It started as any time off work does: slept in, didn’t pack a thing beforehand, then left late on a cold, cloudy winter day heading north in search of warmer weather. I hit the dreaded tar from Coffs to Grafton then up the mountain to Glen Innes. At the top of the mountain I was cold, wet and feeling miserable. I got passed by a 650 V-strom, so not to let the single-cylinder brigade down…
We had a great day out. 300 kms of loamy leaf mulch. 6 mighty DR650’s Marty actually had tyres with tread on them, no he really did! Marty gave us a demonstration on how to change back tyres in the bush – apparently a week ago he decided he didn’t need rim-locks – tore out the valve stem. Ride included secret squirrel trails – known only to a chosen few sworn to silence by an…
I’ve been in Brisbane all week, working, and the last thing I felt like doing on a wet Saturday morning was to go flogging around a slippery, muddy forest trying to set up the first One-day Challenge. I’d just talked myself out of it – even though I promised on last week’s blog that I’d at least make a start – when Marty Hardcore phoned and shamed me into it. So it’s on. August 10….
Very briefly, because I’m at the bump stop at the moment trying to get my desk clear, I’ve signed on as editor of Adventure Rider Magazine for Mayne Publishing. The first issue is aimed at around October, and the big attraction for me is that the mag is totally and solely about adventure riding. There’s no little bits of enduro or road bikes, it’s adventure only, and that’s where my passion has been for some…
Note the rope holding it to the fence so it doesn’t get washed away. Yo everyone! After over a week without Internet, I’ve finally been reconnected. The house and my office were flooded but the damage was mostly contained. The most annoying thing was losing Internet connection. Telstra initially promised to have me up and running by March 3, but when that didn’t happen I phoned them yesterday and wanted to know what was happening….
This isn’t strictly an Australian post, but it’s such an exciting opportunity I’m going to post it anyway, and chances are Aussie dualsporters are just as open to an amazing overseas ride as everyone else is. Corey at Bolivia Bound runs bike tours in South America – based in Bolivia – and it’s like a fantasy world to ride there. It’s incredible. Within a few hours you can go from the thin air and sub-zero…
As mentioned in yesterday’s blog, we set out to check how the GPS loops were up to the mark. Marty’s son, Tom – the Dualsport Australia IT guru – had it all figured out and both the Strike Genius and Marty’s new Garmin Etrex were loaded and ready. The Strike is a bit of a problem because it’s not designed as an off-roader’s GPS, and Marty hasn’t been able to find any topo maps to…
TF explains: “In 2005 I had a one of those interesting thoughts: December 21 is the longest day – sunrise to sunset – in the southern hemisphere. If a rider were to start on the coast at sunrise, how far could he get if he raced the sun west on that day? “If he could ride faster than the sun crossed the sky, he could ride clean across Australia in a single day.” That set…
December 28, 2012 Bad news for the Dualsport Australia crew – which is me and Marty, really. And Marty’s son Tom, who’s our IT saviour. Marty was on his way to work, commuting on his DR650 as always, when a fallen power line hooked him around the neck and dragged him off the bike. The line wasn’t live, fortunately, but Marty’s still done a couple of days in Intensive Care. I visited him yesterday, and…
Volume 1 has over 2,000km of scenic backroads between Woodenbong and Moonan Flat including fuel distances, road conditions, accommodation . . .
Volume 2 Central NSW has over 2500km of GPS/Route-sheeted backroads, broken up into four regional loops. Combined there is . . .
Volume 3 joins Vol 2 Central NSW at Barraba, and then heading north through Inverell and Stanthorpe to . . .
