Until next time . . .
From Wagga Wagga to Canberra is only a four hour drive, but every Adventure motorcyclist knows the last leg is always the hardest. We broke our trip by dropping in to see my friend Hazel, a fellow poet, at Wallendbeen for fresh coffee and duck eggs, before heading to the pub at Murrumbateman.
Non-riders often wonder why motorcyclists congregate in groups — but there’s nothing quite like riding out of the desert, after a difficult and lengthy journey, and seeing your mates waiting to ride the last hour home with you. I’m a member of ACT Adventure Riders Facebook Group. As a new rider, I’ve been so lucky to have access to their combined expertise and they’ve supported me since I first got my L plates.
Pulling into the pub carpark I was amazed to see all these motorcycles lined up. I’d expected one or two mates, but people came from everywhere — including this little future stunt rider.
We stopped for chips and a well deserved (if I say so myself) gin and tonic, before riding the last hour of my trip together. It was a beautiful thing to find my partner Ben among the other riders, on his fancy new BMW 1250GS! Moon accepted donations of bacon and hot chips from everyone who offered them.
Since returning home, I’ve made a list of the things I need to change on my DR650 before riding up to watch the Finke desert race in June, and certainly before trying to cross the Great Sandy Desert alone (with Moon) in September. There are some little things, like a centre-stand, rubber mounts instead of metal brackets for accessories, and desert tyres, but the major change needs to be the front suspension. If I can reduce the shock of those corrugations on the frame, then the bike and I will both weather those long rutted tracks much better.
One thing I won’t change though, is sharing the journey with other riders, artists, poets, dog-lovers and adventurers. This trip was rougher than I could’ve anticipated. I hit a heat wave going into the desert, and floods coming out. I had tyre trouble from the very outset — a series of unexpected issues that culminated with being stranded for two days in the middle of nowhere with a wrecked tube. Moon was bitten by a snake and I genuinely thought he would die (I can’t tell you how frightening that was). And I tackled terrain that was well above my skill level — deep sand, loose stones, wash outs, 100s of kms of corrugations and ruts. Had to truck the bike out of Lajamanu…
But throughout all of that, I never felt alone. Because every day I’d get a message from a motorcyclist, a poet, a dog lover, sending support or advice. And everywhere I stopped on the road, a new friend would appear offering to help. On the roughest tracks, although I was riding alone, my fellow riders were with me in spirit. And I know, when I go out across the desert again, you’ll be with me there too.
So for now, I’m signing off. I’ll post again in a few weeks time when I start making modifications to the bike. Anyone with a DR650, or an enduro motorcycle rigged for desert riding, might find the suspension tweaks interesting. But until then I’ve got to scan all the pressed plants I gathered in the desert (58 samples altogether!) and start gathering my courage for the next trip. Thanks to everyone who’s followed this blog or sent encouragement and advice. And thanks to ACT Adventure Riders and Shane Wheller for these pics of my homecoming!
