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Congrats Lefty.
Fantastic ride. Looking forward to hearing about it.
Kram
LEGEND
Well I made it back safe yesterday after 2620km solo on the bike over 2 and a half days, with a total moving time of just over 26hrs. Well it was a great experience, adventure and acheivement in very hot and dry conditions. Mental concentration is the key to this ride to ensure you stay upright and you are always looking for things that may want to bring you unstuck. :dry:
I was the 4th bike to make it to the corner of around 20-25 that made it (not sure exactly) and the only one on a small capacity 450. :woohoo:
I wish to thank everyone for their kind comments and for keeping an eye on me through my spot tracker along the way. It seems a little odd but mentally when you are riding out there in the barron desert and you check that the little green light on your spot is still flashing you get this sense of feeling that you are not alone and people are nearby should I need help.
Thanks to TB for volunteering to be my emergency contact should I have needed assistance and thanks again to everyone for their support.
I’m Back at work today so I will follow up a bit later with a full report.
Have a Safe and very Merry Xmas to everyone at OBT!
Take care,
LeftySturt NP Cameron Corner
Cameron Corner Store
Cameron Corner Marker
KTM450EXC (2008 Model) After 2620km
Rear Tyre Michelin T63
Terrific effort Lefty!
Looking forward to the full report when you unwind.
Ride Report 2012 Longest Day Ride
This all started in the planning after watching Badbowie achieve his goal of the longest day ride in 2011. I thought to myself I have to do that one day and this was the year 2012. I had checked out many routes and had asked some advice from BB as to how he went about his ride and it was advice well given and taken on board, however I wanted to do it a little differently and challenge myself with taking in as much dirt as possible, and doing it solo, however trying to maintain a good average speed, without hurting the bike or myself and to make sure I am at the Corner before sunset.
I was up at 4.15am, showered then off to the workshop for a 5.44am start. I rechecked a few things on the bike and was ready for launch. I was pleasantly surprised when a couple of good mates of mine turned up to see me off, thanks gents.
Start
Well I was off on time at 5.44am and felt excited about the adventure ahead. I made some good time to Lithgow and Bathurst and headed toward Orange for my first planned fuel stop. I then took the Orange bypass and realised there was no fuel on this route, checked my fuel level then headed on towards Parkes where this was my 1st fuel stop. I was settled in to a rhythm and was headed towards Condobolin where I topped up fuel for a 2nd time, had a quick drink as it was getting quite hot by this stage. It was then off towards Cobar where I hit the dirt for the 1st time. The key to this ride is to keep well hydrated and concentration on the job as the wild life is out to get you and there are many surprises including washouts etc. :ohmy:
The 1st time on the dirt is where I felt what the Michelin T63 tyres are really like. The rear was very good with great grip at speed on both the loose and hard pack terrain whereas the front was a different story. As soon as you asked for any turn and hard braking on the loose surface, forget it!!
Faarrk!! Was my 1st impression this is going to be a long day with 800km of dirt planned as when you tried to lean on the front the response was very ordinary to say the least! Oh well I thought just deal with it this is what you have got for the remainder of the trip. Toughen up princess!! I then changed my riding technique with this limited front grip in mind, turned the steering dampener up to full hard and held her on at between 115-120kph with maximum concentration. :blink: :blink:
I got into Cobar in good time for the next refuel actually stopping on the way at Nymagee to take a couple of pics. Another refill of the 3ltr Klim Back pack I was using and a quick bite to eat. It was 11.44am when I actually paid for fuel exactly 6hrs from the start. Mentally I thought this is the halfway point and to keep on pushing. I left Cobar with the next run up to Louth which is where I started to experience a sand base surface it was very loose and quite taxing on concentration and machine as I could feel it sapping power from the 450 and I was still trying to maintain a good average in the terrain. I headed into Louth and was not planning to stop, however I still had around 150km to go before my next fuel stop at Wanaaring and the sand was taking its toll on fuel consumption so I decided to top up my fuel supplies as I wasn’t sure on the conditions that lay ahead of me. Another quick cold drink and I was off again heading northwest to Wanaaring and at this stage the temperature had risen to around 40deg. The surface was quite good out of Louth, fast a little bony in spots until around 40km south of the Bourke to Wanaaring junction where the road started to get quite sandy again. I was always trying to look for hard packed surface, however tis was proving to be more difficult as time went on.
Occasionally I kept checking on my spot tracker to see that the little green light was still flashing and this gave me the incredible feeling that I was not out here in the desert alone and that I was still being watched by all those who were tracking my progress and should I have any trouble that help was not too far away, thank you all.
I had finally made the turn left junction to Wanaaring where the road had deteriorated even further to the point where in some places I was down a gear riding in the table drain trying to find some hard packed terrain. The biggest problem with this was that I was now in danger of being bombarded with wild life coming from the left side as they hid in the shadows of the trees and shrubs on the side of the road and my safety buffer was lost, as I was not riding down the centre of the road. :unsure: :unsure:
I had finally made it to Wanaaring incident free where I was greeted by Ben the store owner as I pulled up to the fuel bowser he was walking out of the store where he parked his 4wd with an esky in the back full of cold drinks on ice (Legend!) Ben filled my bike up while I had a cold drink and had mentioned that there had only been 3 other riders through in the last 15min and he had been tracking my spot the whole way.
Refill at Wanaaring (on return trip)
Off I set on to Tibooburra, around 235km, where the road had improved somewhat and I was able to maintain a good speed of around 120kph. My riding style had also changed and improved, I believe, from my sand experience. I was actually shifting as much fuel as I could through to the rear tank on the move by opening the front tap as soon as I had burnt enough out of the rear tank which kept the bike more balanced through keeping the weight off the front as much as possible to plough through the rough and sand.
I had made it through to Tibooburra, topped up my fuel and my Klim Back Pack, where my final leg of the journey was onto the Corner 141km. I had this sense of relief with such a short distance to travel, however this is where my concentration could not lapse for a millisecond as I knew this is the leg where BB was bought unstuck last year only 5km or so from the Corner. :huh: As the sun was now heading lower towards the west and I was approaching the corner the roos became more apparent and were hiding in the shadows under the trees and over the other side of the dunes where you had to be so careful. Then at around 7.30pm AEDT I came over the last dune to see the dog fence at the end of the Sturt NP. Yes I actually made it, I stopped and took it all in as this weight fell off my shoulders and took a few photos.
Sturt NP
Then opened/closed the gate and rode to the corner where there were only the 3 bikes in front of me were there and only around 10-15mins ahead. I pushed the check-in button on my spot at 7.37pm. :woohoo: :woohoo:
I was absolutely stoked where I walked into the bar only to be greeted by Fenn (The store owner) holding a telephone asking me if I was the 12yr old that had just ridden from the Blue Mountains. It was TB on the other end congratulating me on my achievement. I was stoked and a little lost for words really as well as mentally drained. I was chuffed to hear from the big fella.
On a personal note I would like to thank everyone that was checking my progress and keeping an eye on me it was bloody awesome and a great sense of feeling that you are not out there alone. My wife Jo who didn’t realise that I was doing this solo until the night before (that must have slid through to the keeper that one!) :whistle:
And a special thanks to TB for volunteering to be my emergency/rescue contact should the need have arisen. I know that he was working on his Tenere that day but had the computer screen looked on my spot for most of the day. Thanks mate
Cheers,
LeftyAnd to do it on a 450 everyone at the Corner was amazed!
The only thing is…. The following day is “The Hardest Days Ride” – The return trip! :ohmy: :laugh: :laugh:
BRING ON 2013!! :woohoo:
Michelin T63 Rear After 2600km (1600km Dirt/1000km Bitumen)
Great report Left
That rear held up pretty well for the run ,, what do you reckon would have been better on the front ???I hope to get out there in May/June myself with a few blokes from here and hope for a trouble free run like yours. (we will have a few extra days on hand though,,, 2-3 each way ) :laugh:
Cheers
EAGLE`02 wrote:Great report Left
That rear held up pretty well for the run ,, what do you reckon would have been better on the front ???Cheers
I recommended the T63 rear but didnt talk about the fronts and they are crap, he thought I was talking about both :laugh: Sorry Lefty :blush: Rears are good but eh
Reckon the Baja fronts are a good thing, testing one now. Cant beat a Dunlop 952 front ripper just arent road legalTB
Trailboss wrote:EAGLE`02 wrote:Great report Left
That rear held up pretty well for the run ,, what do you reckon would have been better on the front ???Cheers
I recommended the T63 rear but didnt talk about the fronts and they are crap, he thought I was talking about both :laugh: Sorry Lefty :blush: Rears are good but eh
Reckon the Baja fronts are a good thing, testing one now. Cant beat a Dunlop 952 front ripper just arent road legalTB
:laugh: :laugh:
Yeah T63 front was shit!I will be looking at a Michelin Desert next time or a Pirelli RR
Cheers,
Lefty
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