[turborob]

Whoops, excuse the title! It's misleading!



Can I make it up though with pictures of the TW? Still here? Good! The deal must have worked.



It's a quick trip through Australia.



Quick report on a quick ride (actually as quick as you can go on 196cc’s).



Headed to Pooncarie for a meet. I had attempted to get there two years earlier; but decided about 500k’s in (after checking my bank account) that I may not have the funds to return. I put my tail between my legs and skulked back home…..



Not this year!



Left work (in Adelaide) on Thursday and was heading to Renmark to stay at a KLR compatriots; Andy (can’t recall his ADV ‘handle’).



I was taking the back way, via Walker Flat. Saw baby pelicans; never ever seen them before. Strange that their rubber beaks can actually grow…..

Not a good shot – they fled when I pulled up.



Then, on the punt.

Yep, that’s me.

Bit of dirt from here which was nice – prior to then I had been a bitumen bitch!



Whooped out sandy track along the river. Suspension bottoms out on the poor TW, so slow is the go.

There is about 90km’s of single track on the road from Swan Reach to Loxton. Was good, you would ride the highway for a bit, get a little bored and sore; then pop off the road and have some fun. Good break without getting off the bike. Eventually made it to Renmark for the night. Map said it was only 250k’s, I did over 300 somehow…..



Tooheys Old, then kip.

 

[turborob]

Ready to go; there were 3 of us now.

We tried to get onto Lindsay Island, but it was still too wet to get on there. Great tracks in that area – happy I had the little bike.

I wasn’t paying attention to where we were going (following; not leading) but there were many channels across the road. Baz on the Varadero beast had to go bush a few times to find a way past. Anakee’s didn’t help either.



Almost lost the plate.

Counter meal at the pub.

The good blokes didn’t mind riding at TW speed about 90km/h. The bike had just about been on the stop since leaving Adelaide. Managed a headwind to and fro…..

Arrived to see a few interesting bikes.

 

[turborob]

Beers were very reasonably priced at Pooncarie – very impressed.



Another government worker arrived a little later – who bought a unique piece of lingerie for his special young lass he talked so affectionately of.

Pooncarie insignia; got to be well worth it. Never going to find another one of those…



The rain had begun, and doubts were cast over tomorrow’s location…..



Awoke to rain, still light, but it had been consistent.



We decided to try to make Mungo anyway.



Baz, the clever chap, decided to leave; a move he wouldn’t have regretted had he stayed.

The road was ok, heading the back-way to Mungo. Could hold 60-80 with visibility being the biggest issue.

We spoke to cockeys who informed us that there is a 10km lake that we’ll have to go through to get to Mungo. At 10k and hour and with steady rain; we turned back.



Then, it started getting slippery.

Wrong tires for the job.

 

[turborob]

Few drops later, damage was done.

T'was wet and slippery and the poor BMW had to do around 10-20k’s an hour to stay upright.

I was very chuffed that I hadn’t taken the 650 – was fun on the TW.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVnlpwfquiI[/media]



I think it was after 2pm by the time we got back; after leaving around 9. I would guess that the first 60 odd k took an hour, then it must have been around 4+ hours to do the 60 clicks….. Great lunch though at the café in Pooncarie.

I had cleaned much of the mud off before this photo!

Would have been a hot little motor, but it didn’t skip a beat. After a feed we shot down to Mildura for the evening – Chris on the BMW headed back to Berry.

 

[turborob]

By then it was 8pm and it seemed we got the last accommodation in town. Well and truly soaked, the cabin became a hanging room to attempt to dry everything. My ‘waterproof’ boots had been underwater almost all day. To dry them though, the gas oven worked a charm….it was on all night….



I had 400+ clicks to get home and had a headwind; but we had a plan. Possibly dangerous, but sitting around 3 meters behind the KLR I could maintain about 100km/h! If I fell back though, Andy would have to slow down and ‘pull me’ (doesn’t that sound wrong) back up to speed. Worst part was not having my earplugs in and listening to the KLR’s exhaust – it’s loud when you’re that close!



Yunta was ‘adios’ as we went our ways.

Plenty of single-track again.

On both sides of the roads in places – sand was good on the TW.

Back to the river.

Amazing flood heights…..

Picked up a beer at Swan Reach and stopped somewhere for a bit of weekend reminiscing…..live in a bloody good country.

Somehow got lost coming home – but made it eventually after almost running out of fuel. I now know my tank holds more than 12L and does more than 65k’s on reserve….



Good trip - shit weather!



TW did well – over 1000k’s, most of it to the stop and it just loved it.



Might do it all again next year…..

 

[peruano]

Good Onya. I'll over look the misleading subject line. The definition of an adventure is when you ask yourself, "What am I doing here?" Tom

 

[turborob]

Certainly true, Tom.



I didn't harp on about how cold it was in this quick report - but trust me; I was. Must have been 10 hours in the rain that day; wet-weather gear did nothing but mislead.

 

[admiral]

Thanks for shareing those ride photo's. I said in one of my recent trail reports that snow was not my friend. After seening your photo's and video, I will include mud as well. Looked like the TW did the best. Very interesting seeing the flood level signs.



Again, thanks for shareing.

 

[xzyfsk]

Yeah nothing will keep you dry when it rains like that. It is this kind of ride you will always remember.

 

[Boret]

Cool report. Thanks for sharing!