Cape York Adventure

[T700]

My current Australian adventure,

South west Victoria to Cape York straight up with the shortest possible route then return home via the east coast.

The time frame is about 30 days but about a week staying in Coolangatta visiting family where I’m currently at relaxing on the beach with only about 2,000km to get home so 8000km done.

The distance is going to be approximately 10,000km overall mostly road except for the brutal corrugated, sandy ,dusty roads of cape York.

The bike is a 2017 DRZ400 running 15/44 gearing and a 17Litre safari tank with 11,000km on the clock before I left .

The luggage and camping equipment is an Aldi bag holding my cheap K-Mart  3 man tent and self inflating mattress, tarp and Aldi chair on the B&B gear rack.

The Nelson Rigg saddle bags are holding my cooking gear and food, oil, chain lube and water in one side and clothes and bits and pieces in the other on some home made stainless pannier racks.

The bag on the front fender holds a spare tube, puncture repair kit and tyre pump.

Sleeping in the tent every night at caravan parks or free camp sites except for Coolangatta.

The trip to the top was 9 days and 4200km, I averaged over 500km per day as I had a few days rest in Townsville while I got some new Tractionators fitted front and rear and a service ready for the hard trek.

All was going well except all the way I was cursing the panniers swaying the back of the bike side to side around on the trails and road with the wind but then they were a saviour , heading south and just back into sealed roads luckily I switched back from my mx pants to my Kevlar pants as the front wheel decided to slip out from under me around a wet corner just north of the Daintree and it had me sliding down the road on my first road bike accident in 30 years of riding.

Luckily them panniers took most of the impact saving my leg from destruction and I just came out with a very sore knee for over a week and a bit grazed.

The ride through the Daintree made it all worth it, wow that place is spectacular .

Anyway this trip would have been way more comfortable on the new Tenere that we are all waiting for but as my mates are calling me crazy for doing this trip on a DRZ I just call it an adventure and doing what I can with what I have.

Let’s just hope the new tenere is just as reliable as the DRZ, wow what a bike it is, 

 

 

Edited October 7, 2018 by T700
Added pics

[T700]

A bit of a mix of photos but my 3 week old iPhone 6 rear camera decided to pack it in 2 days into the trip so I had to use the front camera ,I think the vibrations killed it as it was mounted on the handle bars that have a high frequency vibration 

[Cruizin]

500 KM's per day on a DRZ 400 deserves respect.  I had a seat concepts kit on my DRZ and it helped a little bit but not that much. You must spend a good amount of time up on the pegs.

Great pics, I would love to ride Australia someday. 

[T700]

Cheers mate, biggest day was 780km from cape York to Lakeview, I wanted to get the unsealed roads done in one day, the seat doesn’t bother me too much , I just stand up every now and then for 30 seconds or so to reset my butt, I’ve done a 700km day on another trip and also a couple of 10 hour trail days with no problem, no sense no feeling they say

[Cruizin]

On 10/7/2018 at 1:33 PM, T700 said:

Cheers mate, biggest day was 780km from cape York to Lakeview, I wanted to get the unsealed roads done in one day, the seat doesn’t bother me too much , I just stand up every now and then for 30 seconds or so to reset my butt, I’ve done a 700km day on another trip and also a couple of 10 hour trail days with no problem, no sense no feeling they say

Any trip updates? 

[Cruizin]

Followed

[T700]

13 hours ago, NRWhiteKnight said:

Those are some great pictures of the countryside. Hope it didn't rain on you for too long. I give you props for your journey and hope you are enjoying it.

Luckily today I could see lightning all around and fierce down pours of rain but I was able to avoid them , as I could see them in the south I headed west first and they went around me as I then went south, unfortunately though I’m heading home to that dirty 4 letter word called “work” next week that’s calling.

i was hoping to ride the coast home but theirs too many storms so the drought effected inland it is , if it rains they’ll be thanking me for it cause they need it bad.

792km today and my ass was starting to feel it on the stock DRZ seat, I clocked up 20,000km today also on a 10 month old bike and not too mention I have trailered  this bike to a lot of rides also,some people would say get a life but I’d say I have the best one 

no pictuees sorry unless you want to see my red ass,....., I didn’t think so

 

[T700]

13 hours ago, NRWhiteKnight said:

Those are some great pictures of the countryside. Hope it didn't rain on you for too long. I give you props for your journey and hope you are enjoying it.

I would have loved to have taken more better photos but with rear phone camera dying I was limited, next time I’ll be taking a spare 

[Noel McCutcheon]

I rode to The Tip of Oz Cape York from Cairns with StayUpRight ltd on a holiday of lifetime from the UK. They had solid DRZ 400E etc and I owned a DRZ in Ireland and the Ténéré will be as reliable. Hate to big a days. Daintree cracker as is Yardine River ferry crossing lol

Edited September 22, 2019 by X Plane

[T700]

17 hours ago, X Plane said:

I rode to The Tip of Oz Cape York from Cairns with StayUpRight ltd on a holiday of lifetime from the UK. They had solid DRZ 400E etc and I owned a DRZ in Ireland and the Ténéré will be as reliable. Hate to big a days. Daintree cracker as is Yardine River ferry crossing lol

Yeah next time I’d fly up to Cairns and take the DRZ group tour so it’s fully assisted, the Daintree was incredible

[Noel McCutcheon]

8 hours ago, T700 said:

Yeah next time I’d fly up to Cairns and take the DRZ group tour so it’s fully assisted, the Daintree was incredible

Fully supported is a great way to do it and go and there’s  people banter to.