A Long Ride - April 2016

[Augo73]

Situation;

- "The Long Ride" is an organised motorcycle ride, converging on different destinations every year, in support of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. Doesn't matter where you start from; the destination, and the journey, is key. This year, The Long Ride is finishing in Margaret River in Western Australia (WA). Great wine country. If you live in Perth, WA, it's not so long. If you live on the East Coast, like most of us, it's a looooong ride.

Mission;

- Ride from Sale VIC to Margaret River WA and back in 3 weeks, in order to raise funds for men's prostate cancer, and generally get up to no good.

Execution;

- Approx 8 days each way.

- 3 days in and around Margaret River.

- 08 - 26 Apr.

- Organised (ish) on the way over.

- More flexible routes & timings on the way back.

Admin & Logistics;

- 2009 VFR 800.

- Camping the whole way.

- Separate posts to come on bike and gear setup.

- Am travelling with a couple of mates; Simon (Wee-Strom), Fluffy (HD Electra-Glide), Jack (Indian Scout). Of the couple hundred riders involved, there is sure to be a couple of VFRs.....

Command and Signal;

- Will worry about that later.

8000km (+) for both ways.

Should be a pretty awesome trip.

More to follow!!

[jimbob]

Oh Man! This looks epic. I want to go!

You say its annual? Every April with a varying route?

Looks awesome, keep us up to date, please!

[Augo73]

Jimbob,

Yep, it will be brilliant - can't wait.

OK, here's a bit more detail;

Name’s Augo. Been on VFRD for a while, but up until now, didn’t have much to say.

43 years old. Married; 2 kids. Lost my father to Cancer last year. This is, in essence, part of a charity ride to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer.

Put simply, this is a rare opportunity to unplug from work and life in general for three weeks, and hopefully capture a few cool moments.

So, I am less than two weeks out from departure. Here is how I am tackling the ride, in terms of gear.

Bike

2009 6^th Gen. Linked Brakes; no ABS in Australia.

Currently 26,000 km on it. Just gave it new oil & filters.

75% rubber – Michelin PR4’s front and rear.

Usual suspect list of mods and additions;

• fully gutted OEM pipes,
• PAIR, Snorkel and Flapper
• KAOKO throttle lock
• Sheepskin cover on a standard saddle

Electronics & media

iPhone 6+ (comms & quick photos)

SENA 20 Headset (comms & tunes)

Sony Cybershot 16M-Pixel camera (point & shoot only)

GoPro Hero 4 Silver, extra Micro SD Cards, batteries and dual battery charger

13” Macbook Pro

Trickle charger set-up to dual USB ports for charging, in tankbag

Protection

Alpinestars Gran Torino Waterproof Boots

Hornee Kevlar Jeans

DriRider Textile Jacket and Pants

DriRider Gauntlet Gloves

DriRider Wet Weather / Rain suit

Shoei TZ-X Helmet with Pinlock insert

Camping Gear

Mamut Tent

Mountain Design sleeping bag & ground mat

Luggage

Ventura Euro Rally Touring Pack (56L)

Oxford X-40 Tank Bag (40L)

Oxford soft Tail Pack (60L)

2 x Oxford soft Panniers (60L)

Total potential volume; 216 Litres. Plenty!!

I will happily write up any lessons learned, in terms of equipment & gear, if anyone’s interested, however, these will likely be observations by exception or by request, as opposed to an exhaustive review. First and foremost this will be all about documenting the ride.

Am keeping the trip philosophy very simple;

• Maximum camping. Motels to be used as an absolute last resort.
• Stay with the crowd on the first half (mandated) then more of an exploration on the return home.
• Bakeries, cafes, and pubs for nourishment
• Take time for some photos, yet don’t be a slave to them
• Be somewhere special for ANZAC Day Dawn Service (April 25)
• If we find a micro-brewery, we’ll call Time Out…..

I’d love to say my photography skills are as mad as BrianF and my prose just as witty, however, that would be false advertising in the extreme.

Finally; I appreciate that crossing Australia is a pretty unique opportunity few folk will be able to realize. So, if there is a particular site, town or point of interest that is (more or less) aligned to my route, that you really want a look at, give me a shout and I will try to incorporate it for you.

Cheers,

Augo

[TomP]

It looks absolutely awesome. I'd consider installig a voltmeter if you haven't already. Lookign forward to hearing more!

[superfunkomatic]

I'd love to come back down under and ride the Great Ocean road and drink cheap wine (not at the same time though).

I've seen some of the 'loop' of the eastern side of Oz from Sydney through the outback, Ayers (Uluru), Three Ways, Airlie Beach and back. Lovely country. Loved the Snowy and Blue Mountains, too. I'll have to try them on a bike one day.

That's a pretty good long ride! Take lots of pics.