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Honda Adventure Rally
Report by Jason
Steve and I drove Saturday arvo and got to camp and joined KLXPete, Goat, XRChris and CRFAndrew had been down there for the day for the Family Ride, Cornerman Ride and to sample some of the trails. There was definitely a massive selection of people with various budgets on show. From those with swags in the back of an old ute right through to brand new Landcruisers hooked up to brand new Toyhaulers and everything in between!! Even within our group we had Pete & Goat sleeping in the enclosed motorbike trailer, XRChris in his canvas rooftop camper, Steve in the back of his station wagon and me in a little tent. We quickly unpacked the bikes and registered so it was out of the way and not have to bother in the morning. We got our numbers and shirts and got the bikes through scrutineering which was a breeze. All they did was check the spokes, throttle return and that your brakes worked. I was worried about my White Bros exhaust being a little too loud so swapped it over for the stock WR one, I wish I hadnt bothered!! Back to the camp, light up the fire, crack the bourbon/ beers and settle in for some good old fashioned BS. We camped with Sam from the PTS crew and a great night was had. We had one guy come over and provide us with some comic relief but he was too big to argue with so we all just sat back, consumed more alcohol and had a laugh!! We all packed it in around 10.30pm ready for what promised to be a great days riding. I think it was 6.15am that the first bike was brought to life.15 minutes before my estimate!! Was it a two stroke?? I cant remember as I dont function well at that time of the morning. Did I mention it was COLD? Even my bike wasnt happy about having to spend the night outside its normal warm shed. That coupled with a pipe change and jetting not quite right made for a little more effort to get her fired to life. I got the fire going again as we all started to come to life and have a bite to eat before kitting up and getting over to the Parc Ferme. Numbers were down this year. I heard they have had to cap the event at 400 in the past but this year the numbers were around the 280 I believe. We had the usually riders briefing with us all told it was not a race.hahah I love that. 280 dirt bikers about to rip through some of the best SW trails with mates and you say it isnt a race? There might not be any trophies but boys will be boys!! KLXPete took off with Sam whilst Steve, XRChris and I took off mid pack. I had told Steve that on the first loop I would take it easy and ride with him but 10 minutes in and I was warmed up I couldnt help myselfsorry Steve!! First loop was around 50km with an option to take an extra 20kms. It was a magic mix of single trail, gravel roads, hill climbs, hill descents, everything you would expect of the South West. With the numbers down it didnt take long for the field to spread out. We re-grouped a couple times along the way to have a drink and chat about how great the riding was. We got back to camp to refuel the bikes and bodies. KLXPete again took off with Sam whilst XRChris and I waiting for Steve to come in. After arriving back he decided that after a period off the bike he would give the second loop a miss. XRChris and I took off, and even though we had the old this is not a race speech at the riders briefing it was pretty hard not to. I think we both are of similar skills as it was fun playing keepy up with him. At one particularly tight 170 degree turn in amongst the very tight single trail I saw XRChris try and continue forward and carve his own track. I took the opportunity to get in front and never looked back. The end part of the second loop was the same as the first. They were both different at the start with the first one more on open trails and dirt roads along property lines etc with some great hill climbs/ descents. The second loop was more tight single trail that had sections amongst the more open bush and some sections where you had brush clipping the bars and you couldnt see 10m in front of you. We got back to the cars and had a drink whilst we chatted about the ride. KLXPete said he had a nice off but as I didnt witness it I dont know if it qualifies for SOTD? We then packed up and head up to the raffle. There was a massive amount of prizes which included a $1000 air compressor, massive swag, GME UHF radio, a bunch of West Coast Safari passes and a heap of stuff from Total Motorcycle Accessories etc. As each number was drawn and the big prizes still up for grabs we all were hopefully to collect one of the big ones. In the end they were throwing stuff out into the crowd and XRChris picked up a pair of goggles whilst the rest of us missed out! I did get some Michelin stickers though, couldnt go home empty handed! All in all, a great event, well run and made even better by the company. Thanks to all the CQ guys for making it a great night camping and awesome day riding and look forward to seeing you again soon. I believe the first Ironstone ride is set for Sunday 3rd July..put it on your calendar.  25th Honda Adventure Rally  25th Honda Adventure Rally  Jason, Steve, CRFAndrew, KLXPete & XRChris. Honda Adventure Rally.  DRZAllen, CRFAndrew, Steve, KLXPete & XRChris. Honda Adventure Rally.  XRChris and his setup. We joked about removing his ladder!!  Steve  Jason  The bikes ready to go! |
