Adventure Motorcycles: Let’s See What all the Fuss is About

“Walk on road. Walk right side, safe. Walk left side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later, you get squished just like grape (Mr Miyagi, 1985).”

When it comes to motorcycles, for most of my life, I’ve been ‘ride on the road: road bike,’ ride off the road: off-road bike.’ For me there was no middle ground, no riding down both sides of the road, so to speak. That was until I started working at Hurtle Gear.

We have an enormous customer base who enjoy adventure riding and evidently cover both road and off-road riding on the same machine, legends. Chatting to you guys on the phone over the past few months, I’ve found the enthusiasm is starting to rub off. In September last year, I took my enduro bike to a gathering of adventure riding folk in the WA Wheatbelt to see what all adventure motorcycles fuss is all about. The Warhorse Muster was an event hosted by Adam Riemann and Ben ‘Grabbo’ Grabham. Both of these blokes are well known in off-road motorcycling circles, Adam for his prowess in making adventure bikes work like a 250 motocrosser and Grabbo for his successes at Finke and Dakar. At the rally, Adam and Grabbo were throwing 200 kilo bikes around like a pair of Crusty Demons, it was an impressive display. At the end of it all, it is safe to say I am now Adventure-curious.

Not long after the Warhorse Muster, I signed up for another Riemann Adventure. I say ‘another,’ because 12 months ago, having watched Motology Film’s Tropic Thunder, I was scrolling to sign-up even before the end of episode one. A few months later, I was setting off from Port Douglas on a six-day enduro with 17 hardy souls to conquer Far North Queensland on 500 EXC KTM motorcycles. This time we’re off to New Zealand to take on the Five Passes of the South Island and we’ll be on Adventure behemoth KTMs. But here’s the rub: I’ve still never actually ridden an adventure motorcycle.

For some background, I own a rather large, 300 kg Harley Davidson and a lithe 100 kg, KTM. The hog versus the super model. I ride on the Harley on the road and the Kato on the dirt and never the Twain shall meet. But, working here at Hurtle Gear, I am constantly amazed at the continual flood of new machines that arrive on the market on an almost daily basis. Suzuki’s new 800 parallel twin, still curiously called the V-Stom, and the return of Honda’s venerable Transalp spring to mind. Then of course there is Yamaha’s long running Tenere series. Cripes, I was riding a Yamaha 490 2-stoke when the Tenere was first released in the mid-eighties. I dismissed it as an overweight, underpowered slug for old men that would never catch on. How wrong was I?

I’ve seen Adam and Ben jump these massive machines high enough to clear a couple of good sized buses and I’ve decided I want a bit of that action. I can’t afford to go out and buy my own Adventure bike so I am about to take off to New Zealand to join Adam and 13
other adventurers to tackle the NZ Alps. We’ll be taking on the 5 Passes, South Island tour. I say I’m am looking forward to it is an understatement, my nipples are literally bursting with anticipation!

If you have any tips for me about riding in the New Zealand high country, orplease leave them in the comments on the Hurtle Gear Facebook page.