We're such wimps...11k in Australia- mostly off pavement !

[MacDoc]

Ken is my on occasion riding partner in Australia ...

basically he tags along enjoying the scenery and birding and making sure I make it back.
and picking the bike up when I take the occasional tumble ( strong bugger - still don't know how he picks up the KLR650 in the mud )

He'll steer me away from such Aussie wonders as what looks like a natural substitute for toilet paper and will send you to the hospital right quick ( as happened to one poor girl who made that mistake last year )

He's in his 50s and hard core rider

It's incredible what he packs along on his travels.

His latest trek was epic tho....

11,450 KM mostly off pavement !!!!!



The red is off road section and anyone who understands the Aussie outback will marvel at that trek.....it's empty out there. NADA, zip for hundreds and sometimes a thousand KM except the occasional fuel station and cattle station.

Feel privileged to count him as a friend and local guide. We get far enough out that I'd not want to try and trek out on my own.

Inspiration for sure and proof you can still do the hard core treks even into your fifties.

 

[RockerGuy]

Aren't most tourers mid aged?

Sent from my tablet using my paws

 

[MacDoc]

Yeah like this

not this
( Ken negotiating a very narrow bit of rocky trail the KLR had to be lifted over )

ON the one jaunt with his buddies up the Daintree area he came off at 60 kph - which was a modest pace for that crowd and took out a tree...
Rode out a 110 km with a split kidney....THEN got the helicopter to the hospital.

This is outback riding and camping..11,000 km of it...not North American plush.

 

[DownUnder]

Traveling across Aus in a 4x4 can be a real challenge that a lot of people dont make yet alone a bike. Some places Ive been theres no fuel stops for a good 4-500kms, how many ks does he get out of a tank on that thing fully loaded?

 

[fastar1]

We're wimps because we don't do what he does?

 

[MacDoc]

Yup - touring and adventure riders here generally have it easy.
I'm sure there are some empty spots in the west but doing Northern Aus is not for the faint of heart especially camping out and managing fuel and water which is no small task.

No CAA Premiere out there....

One of my favourite photos to remind me of the sparseness of WA on the ride, on this day 500klms and only one car seen while heading north from Mt Augustus.

, I can carry enough fuel for at least 800klms if I need to to, my tank alone gives me over 400k's but i carry two 12 litre bladders as well.
I carry a satphone, PLB and 12 litres of water, highest temp was 37C at Halls Creek and lowest was below freezing from Alice Springs to Giles for 3 nights.

The guys we met on The James Bay road looping the edge of North America were the closest I've seen to Ken's kind of wilderness tour.

 

[BMWWW]

Love reading expedition reports.
"Overlanding" as it's called on 4-wheels, is certainly on my bucketlist. I can't even fathom doing it on 2-wheels.. screw that!

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/
One of the best forums out there for reading about 'journeys'. Their build-threads are also $$$$.