Here we go again

[Bass]

The bugger is doing it to me again. My arm is being subtly but firmly twisted.
There is some justification I suppose. We do have these heavily farkled and well set up DR's and I suppose it is a shame not to use them to their full potential, but he is talking about the really hard one now.
It's not cast in stone and we are talking at least 2 years hence, but it looks like this time the loop will be something like: -
Birdsville track, Oodnadatta track, Gunbarrel Highway (maybe all of it, including the abandoned section), the Canning stock route, Tanami track and the Simpson desert.

To do this we will have to: -
1. Carry at least 50 liters of fuel
2. Carry at least 20 liters of water
3. Carry food for 5 days
4. Carry shelter, sleeping & cooking arrangements
5. Have radio contact with each other
6. Have reliable Satphones for emergency use
and most importantly
7. Be able to safely ride at significant speed with 50 to 60 kg of luggage aboard, through very uneven soft sand with aggressive and sharp vegetation whacking the hands, arms and handlebars.

Shouldn't be a problem, eh?

Yeah, right! The last ride report I read about a group of guys doing something similar, one of them drove his right tibia out through the back of his riding boot.

God save us! I am seriously contemplating this!
What am I getting myself into?
I may not be a complete newby any more but I'm not far away from it.

[warewolf]

Awesome!!! go for it.

Is Gunbarrel the one that TK nearly came to grief on? 900km section with nil support, track disused and hard to find, really tough going, etc etc?

[Bass]

Is Gunbarrel the one that TK nearly came to grief on?

Sorry, but my brain misfires badly at high rev's these days

I will probably be embarrassed when I get the answer but who is TK???

[clint640]

The CSR & the Simpson :blink:

Respect! :Punk:

I suggest you start getting fit now. Like really fit. Bust out that mountain bike & go hard.

Cheers
Clint

PS Can I come?? <_<

[Bass]

I suggest you start getting fit now. Like really fit. Bust out that mountain bike & go hard.

I had been thinking in terms of the gym and weights but the MB is worth considering - thanks for the input




PS Can I come??

You serious?

[clint640]

I had been thinking interms of the gym and weights but the MB is worth considering - thanks for the input

You serious?

Gyms are friggin boring. All the top MX guys do a lot of their fitness training on mtbs, fun & it works all the right muscles as well as training the brain.

If you're talking 2 yrs out I definitely could be keen to come. It'd just be a matter of getting the time off work & my employer has been fairly flexible in that respect so far. Besides, after me & Rosie's upcoming tour of cruisy gravel roads & vineyards throughout South Eastern Oz I'll be a seasoned outback motorcycle touring veteran... :laugh:

Cheers
Clint

[gijoe1313]

Ye gods! And people think I'm a cracker short of a barrel! :gob:

On ya for considering this ... 2 years huh ... hmmm ... :shifty:

[warewolf]

Sorry, but my brain misfires badly at high rev's these days

TK???Tony Kirby... SideTrack Magazine. He and mate did a fairly disused but well-known track unsupported, it nearly got them. If we are talking about the same track, I can dig out the SideTracks with the write ups - prep & debrief.

For that matter, I could probably ship you the entire box of them for perusal at your leisure, if you wanted. You may find some useful info and/or inspiration - not that it sounds like you need the latter!! As long as I eventually got them back.

One of these days I'll get back there and visit these places. My bro-in-law bicycled the Simpson, in tandem with his Dad & mates in 4wds so he only carried crucial survival gear.

[Bass]

Tony Kirby... SideTrack Magazine. He and mate did a fairly disused but well-known track unsupported, it nearly got them. If we are talking about the same track, I can dig out the SideTracks with the write ups - prep & debrief.

.

Colin, thanks for the offer and if we are talking the abandoned section of the Gunbarrel then I am definitely interested.
However, just for now I will pass on the boxful but will take a raincheck if I may.

[warewolf]

I'll flick through them over the coming months and dig it out. Was in one of the last issues so should take too long to find.

[ducatijim]

Awesome!!! go for it.

Is Gunbarrel the one that TK nearly came to grief on? 900km section with nil support, track disused and hard to find, really tough going, etc etc?

Well wrong wolfie.

Gunbarrell is not 900km, not hard to find either.

Neither is the CSR any of those things!

And, water is no prob on the CSR....it follows a line of wells fer christs sake, you know....to WATER the stock.....Doh.( as in Canning STOCK Route)

No fellow Kiwi advers, its not an ANNUAL event( Ozzi humour!)

[BMWST?]

is that 50l of fuel each?

[Eddieb]

Was in a magazine shop today and the 4x4 mags were just above the bike ones. One of the Aussie 4x4 mags was advertising some sort of article about the gunbarrel on the front cover.

[warewolf]

is that 50l of fuel each?Yep. Aussie is a big place. Think AKL-WLG on gravel & sand, heavily loaded bike (both of those consuming extra fuel), no services along the way.

[ducatijim]

Yep. Aussie is a big place. Think AKL-WLG on gravel & sand, heavily loaded bike (both of those consuming extra fuel), no services along the way.


Surprisingly, the DR does not use noticably more fuel in these conditions.....just another reason why they make such a good safari bike.

With 35L in the tank, the 'xtra' becomes only 15L to be carried additionally per bike. 7.5L / pannier, no big deal.

[Bass]

Well wrong wolfie.

Gunbarrell is not 900km, not hard to find either.



Carnegie to Warburton was 500 km. Knock off the Heather highway and it leaves about what........420 roughly.

How long is the abandoned section?

I was thinking that (and my memory isn't up to much these days) it might be around another 300 km? We never did find out how well defined it was in the middle either, although it was pretty plain to see at the start.
However, I seem to remember reading a ride report way back, where a couple of guys went through there and had problems picking the track in a few spots.
I might see if I can find it again.
Could it possibly be 900 km between fuel stops if the abandoned section is included?

As for the water thing, I was thinking more about the Simpson than the Canning although the official advice is not to rely on the wells as I understand it. I can't see any alternative though cos there is no way to carry water enough for nearly 2000 km (Wiluna to Bililuna isn't it)

[ducatijim]

Could it possibly be 900 km between fuel stops )


Unlikely. Can't be stuffed researching it.

Its only an issue for Me and you ( possibly) not the watchers here.

We can go into it when its applicable M8.

[The Duck 01]

Plus you need to get DESERT PASSES.:first:

You can get them on line, Cost from memory $105 for each desert so times that by maybe three????

But what would i know?:innocent:

Plus insurance >> Recovery and accident.

:scooter::scooter::scooter:

[ducatijim]

Plus you need to get DESERT PASSES.:first:

You can get them on line, Cost from memory $105 for each desert so times that by maybe three????

But what would i know?:innocent:

Plus insurance >> Recovery and accident.

:scooter::scooter::scooter:


Thanks M8, I've been there before and don't need to be told how to suck eggs.:doh:

[warewolf]

Found the article/s; it was the Canning Stock Route. From Kunawarritji it is 870km to Carnegie Station, or 970km to Wiluna. The usual fuel dump 250km from Kunawarritji was unavailable due to weather. They were doing around 180km per day, much of it tough going in 2nd gear. The DR650 carried 70L of fuel. A good read, like most SideTrack reports.

[Bass]

Found the article/s; it was the Canning Stock Route. From Kunawarritji it is 870km to Carnegie Station, or 970km to Wiluna. The usual fuel dump 250km from Kunawarritji was unavailable due to weather. They were doing around 180km per day, much of it tough going in 2nd gear. The DR650 carried 70L of fuel. A good read, like most SideTrack reports.

Excellent. I look forward to reading it.
They must be better riders than me (not difficult) as when we did the Gunbarrel, I was starting to get a bit concerned about fuel consumption when we spent hours picking our way through rocky sections in first gear - second gear was usually better going.