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THURSDAY 4 MARCH
Well we had a great run down to Manjimup and back last weekend, and being a small group it was bound to be good, and that it was. We had a good mix of crew, with Big Bad Brian from Kalgoorlie riding his very standard KTM530, then Lee on a KTM450, while Andrew was riding an older KTM450, and Clive on a customised TTR250 and then Cliff on a hire TTR250. All the guys had been before except Brian and Clive’s mate Cliff, and I hoped his limited experience offroad was not going to restrict the group too much, and it surely didn’t! The ride flowed well out to the first technical hill climb and I was eager to see how Brian (who was saying he wanted hard hills) would go, and then if the others had a crack. Well Brian flew up, after Clive blew it with a missed gear, then Lee had a little excursion on his first run, nailing the second, while Andrew did much the same as Lee. Then came Cliff on the TTR, after the go ahead from me and he nailed it in great style - yep, he was getting the hang of this offroad thing alright! I then tested the boys on some single trail and everyone was riding a similar pace, with Brian the corner hog of the group. Amazing thing is, Brian weighs in at 140 odd kilo!
So we hit the Valley for some flowing trails and a challenge or two for those up to it. I wanted to test Brian that was for sure, so I sent him down a gnarly option, checking if he wanted to have a go heading back up! A stern “no f*#&ing way” and I got him to wait while I brought the others down. We crusied on over to Spectator Hill with only Brian going the option. He blew the first attempt, then cracked the second using every bit of bottom end the 530 could give him. It was then flowy trails to a bush lunch at Maranup with Georgina and the kids.
After lunch it was the flowy trails of the karri forest to a mid re-fuel at Glenoran Pool, before the final leg into Manjimup. The day was warming up, so flowing trails with minimal stopping was the go. Unfortunately, and after a warning to the boys to watch the flying sticks and whipping branches, a stick flicked up hitting my foot pretty hard, before it deflected into my engine with a pretty loud thud! When I looked down, it was steam and hot water until it stopped, and there was a stick an inch in diameter wedged straight through my radiator hose, the same hose I put extra protection on the night before! It had ripped it all the way off except for about 5mm, but luckily it was on the end of the water pump. So I had enough hose to cut the end off square and stretch the hose back into place, while being murdered my March flies! They were getting me through my riding gear, and were thick as on my bright new SHIFT riding gear. A top up of water, and we were off to the Manji Hotel for the night.
John, Lee, Brian, Clive, Cliff & Andrew.
Day 2 we got away just before 9am and the trails were great. Leaf covered and minimal dust, we were all having a fantastic ride. Clive got a little dejavu as he fell off in the same spot as last time he rode with us! We stopped briefly to check out the amazing Four Aces, a row of 4 Giant Karri’s that are just awesome, before a mid re-fuel at a favourite picnic spot. We then did some hills and single trails near Nannup, before the final Hill of the day. This hill had Brian’s eyes popping out, as is one of my favourites of all time. A very long rocky hill, it tests everyone who attempts it, but is very makeable. Today Brian wasn’t so lucky, coming to a stop a few feet short of the boys watching from the viewing point at the ¾ mark. However Andrew decided to get in on the action this time, getting past Brian and almost to the top before getting caught unexpectedly by a culvert. It was a great effort! Afterwards his bike smoked a little, being the oil from the crankcase getting into the combustion chamber while the bike was upside down. It clears quickly, so don’t ever be too worried if it happens to you, unless you do what Dale Britton did, and fill the chamber full of oil to the pint the bike won’t crank over at all! Proof that good riders do have mishaps, and if this occurs, the plug needs to be removed similar to a drowning and all the oil pumped out. We cruised to Nannup and fought our way through the crowd of Music Festivalers for a feed at the pub, before the final stint home. I let Cliff ride the Husaberg for a while to his delight, and then I swapped with Lee. Those KTM 450’s certainly have some bottom end grunt, which was great for punishing the rear tyre a little, while Lee loved the smoothness of the Berg. Back at base safely and we all headed to the dam for a cool down and freshen up, before their big drive home.
What else has been going on? We sold two TTR’s on Monday to 2 mates from Freo who are going around OZ. Luckily they are taking a truck with the bikes on the back for commuting around on and exploring. One of them, Tim, had never ridden a motorcycle before, and needed to be told where the clutch and brakes were. Anyhow, he didn’t crash it, but Georgina gave him a helmet just in case! So it was good to have 2 go that easily. Maybe I’m in the wrong business?
Still no takers on my Husaberg FE 570 which is down at Mandurah City KTM. It’s amazing, as it hasn’t done a lot of kms (3728) and is in A1 condition. It has new chain and sprockets, new tyres, brake pads and a few extra’s like Bark Busters, Pivot Pegs etc, so hopefully when the weather cools down it’ll move. I have dropped the price to $9750 ono, so if you know anyone looking for a good second hand Berg 570, tell em to give us a call or pop in and see Jeffro at Mandurah City KTM.
We get our new KTM400 this week, and it’s being hired this weekend by one lucky punter. One downside of hiring a new bike though, any damage stands out like a posties lack of power! So I’ll be flat out putting it together Friday after Georgina picks it up from Sander at Bunbury KTM on Thursday, before heading out Sunday for a 1 day Blackwood Valley ride with 4 riders.
Anyhow, stay safe.
John
WEDNESDAY 24 FEBRUARY
Well this week we kicked back into tours with an Intro on Saturday, and a new tour “Intro to Technical” on Sunday. Both tours went off well, although we had a couple of mishaps on Sunday, resulting in one of the riders withdrawing at lunch after a pretty heavy fall on his side. No injuries, but he felt he couldn’t continue, so we had Georgina rescue him from Balingup at lunch. Better to be safe then sorry eh!
Saturday was a great day, overcast and only 28 degrees, so you’ve got to be happy with that in February. With a few hire bikes out and a few on their own, including Rob on his Honda Dominator 650, it was a good mix and a great bunch of guy’s. Darren was sweep, and without any issues slowing us down, the ride flowed well all day. Bruce loved the Berg, and was glad to hear it had been sold or he may have bought it he was that impressed, while Jerome found the 250 Kato had plenty of grunt for him. Trevor jumped from the TTR230 to a TTR250 this time and being egged on by his mate Simon out from England on holiday, he took a lot of corners and managed to stay upright all day -apparently (last ride he wiped the TTR230 out in some trees overshooting a corner!). Simon was a seasoned rider, having ridden Baja desert to name a few rides, and equally had a great day. So with a flowing ride, no injuries and smiles all round, it was a great day to be out on the trails.
Sunday was the Intro to Technical, providing riders a gentle introduction to single trails, hill climbs and descents and technical terrain, including rocks and creeks. We had a small group with Michael hiring a TTR250, Dan on a KTM525 and Brad on a mate’s WR450, it was sure to be fun. Darren came along for the ride as well, assisting where required with some coaching and tips. The boys did well, conquering most hills easily, and enjoying the challenge of the single trails. We got to the Valley, where the first big hill caught two of the boys out, with Dan having a pretty heavy fall after a rut took his front wheel out. Michael eventually rode down from his crash, however we rested Dan for a while to make sure he was up for the rest of the tour. It became clear he was a bit rattled, and after deciding to withdraw his participation, he was retrieved by Georgina in the support car at lunch. The rest of us then cruised great trails home with a few small tests along the way. Brad really enjoyed his day, having more recently been hitting the tar as a result of his employment in sales at Highway Yamaha, saying he’d never enjoyed himself so much on a bike. That’s what we like to hear. He also let us know that Dan was OK after a few beers!
So what have we been up to? As I mentioned earlier, we sold our Husaberg 390 this week. Our new deal with KTM sees us replacing it every 6 months, and after a call from a regular punter, we struck a deal. When he came to collect it on Monday, he took it for a whiz and was most impressed. It was such a great bike, and it played a big part in me changing from the grunt feast of the 570 to the mild mannered 450 for their ride-ability, agility and nimbleness. The 390 was amazingly fast in single trails, with the fuel injection making its power so smooth it was the king of traction. Probably why it was my choice when herding the cows next-door! They’re fast cows!
We have also sold our KTM450exc and a TTR 250 with the aim of keeping a fresher hire –bike fleet. We will now be selling an additional 2 TTR 250’s and perhaps our TTR230 as they are not being fully utilized, and therefore unviable for us to keep in the long term. It also seems more of our customers these days have their own bikes, and in most cases, customers hiring prefer to pay the extra to hire a performance bike. So we will soon have a fleet consisting of a KTM400, 2 x KTM 250’s and 2 x TTR250’s. We aren’t replacing the Berg 390 with another 390, as they are as rare as hens teeth at the moment, instead we are getting a KTM400. I rode the 400 on the dealer ride last year, and it was a very nice package indeed!
We have been doing some recon for new trails, cleaning up existing trails and marking trails on private property for a junior Enduro in May. On the shed front I have been adding a laundry to wash all the hire gear, and I scored a great change bench from the junkyard today, that’ll go somewhere!
We are off to Manjimup this weekend for our first 2 day tour of the year. With only a small crew, it should be a great ride amongst the open and flowing trails of the Karri forest. We’ll let you know how it went next week, so till then be safe!
Finally, for those who care, the 'Kirup Rooster' has finally left the bulding . . . .
Staino
THURSDAY 21 JANUARY 2010
Well we had our first tour for the year last Saturday, and whilst it was a hot one, it was a great day to ride as the wind was rather strong, blowing the dust away and keeping you cool as you rode.
We had a good ride, but it had a few issues. Unfortunately, one of the lads had a flat battery at the beginning of the ride. He had trouble starting his bike at base, so I kicked it over for him and we headed off. But, it didn’t charge and therefore we lost time assisting him during the tour, towing him on a number of occasions as it didn’t kick start very well. We did persevere with him, but it goes to show that if your having trouble with batteries, don’t think they are going to miraculously repair themselves whilst on tour, have it sorted before coming along. Also, learn to kick start your bike, as I see a lot of people who cannot kick start a 4 stroke when the battery fails them. They need a good full kick, from top to bottom, and fast, (not a 2 stroke jab kick!) to get the momentum up to fire on the compression stroke. Anyhow, enough of that..
The crew were a mixed bunch, with a regular, a tourist from Jersey, 3 farmers from Northam, a postie bike challenge patriot, and the 2 volt dude. Our regular Scotty had fun carving through the pack, while the others ate his dust and roost. The farmers split the hire of the Berg 390, and were very impressed by the little beauty, and took to trail riding like ducks to water. The Englishman hiring our new KTM250 had a ball, dodging roo’s, emus and even a Bungara, and postie patriot hit the deck a couple times more than on the whole postie bike challenge! We went to a favourite swimming hole for lunch, so the boys could cool off, while we attempted to charge the battery – to no avail, she was dead! On the way home I tried to just keep it flowing, but we had a delay or 2 with the 2 volt dude, but we all got home safe and sound, an were cool as a cucumber after a dip in the dam.
This weekend we are riding Saturday, and the latest forecast says possible showers! Oh yes, please, please, please! Till then, be safe.
Staino
DECEMBER 2009
Well, it’s been a while since I blogged, and a lot has happened in between then and now. A busy end to the year of touring has kept me flat out maintaining and repairing the hire bike’s, as well as trailers and vehicles, but I aint complaining.
In between tours I got away for a ride with Brian from Tathra and his mates down to Walpole, with sweeps Gav and Darren jumping in on the fun. I was the lead rider for a little over half a day, so I was able to mix it up a bit with the boys which was great fun. The weather was great, throw in some antics on the trail, a few crashes here and there (not me!), the usual breakdowns and a minutes silence in the bush amid great company, it was a very memorable ride.
On the tour front, we sure have had some crackers. Dust hasn’t been too bad, with the odd cold front coming through and bringing some rain down here. Fortunately very few injuries, which is always good, but bikes have been a different story! The radiator bypass has been performed on another WR, as well as our 390 Husaberg when it was pierced by a tree branch. The trusty TTR’s haven’t had too good a run either, with headlights, speedos, bent front axles, handlebars and footpegs all adding to the realm of my hire bike maintenance dilemma! Then my trusty 570 had to be limped into Manjimup after 20kms of misfiring. I rode the 390 the next day, which was great. It turned out to be a blocked injector.
We are upgrading some or our Hire Bikes, so we have some bikes for sale, as listed.
KTM450 exc 2006 model Asking $5,999 ono.
Husaberg FE570 2009, asking $10,500 ono.
All have new tryes, plastics, chain and sprockets etc, and the Berg a new injector! Call us for more details if your keen!
We have our last tour of the year this Friday, and I am really looking forward to having a bit of a break, and doing some different things. Weekends off are rare for us, so it will be good to spend sometime at home with the kids.
All the best for Christmas and New Year. Stay safe, ane we hope to see you next year sometime.
MRS STAINO'S FIRST BLOG! FRIDAY 6 NOVEMBER 2009
Hi Everyone, just wanted to let you know that we had heaps of rain last night and scattered showers today, so if you are thinking of riding this Sunday, conditions should be perfect and we still have lots of places available. Also, I've just added a mid week tour onto our "Ride Calendar" - Wednesday 18 November - a Blackwood Valley Tour - so if you are keen, please let me know.
A short list of tour dates for 2010 are up on our "Ride Calendar" already, including dates for our Girls & Partners rides. We are holding a 1 day tour as well as a 2 day tour in 2010. If you have a date you would like to ride next year, let me know and we can lock the dates in the calendar early.
FOR SALE: our KTM450 and one of our TTR250's will be up for sale shortly, so if you are in the market for a bike, give John a call on 0429 825 775 to find out more details. Once sold, these bikes will be replaced with a newer KTM250excf and further down the track a KTM400. Don't forget our Husaberg 390 is for hire on all tours as well. Also John's Husaberg 570 is almost ready for a change over, so if you know of anyone wanting a second hand 570.....
Hopefully John will get around to writing up his Blog shortly, he has been busy with bike maintenance, volunteer fire fighting training and getting our block ready for the fire season. Next week he will be busy scoping out some new trails for our new Walpole tour that we will hopefully have up and running in 2010, if we can get all the trails passed by DEC and the Water Corp.
Well I'm handing over the support car and kids tomorrow to John's dad and going riding on our RTRA Introduction Tour, I cant wait and yes, it is still raining :))
STAINO'S BLOG MONDAY 19 OCTOBER 2009
Staino’s belated blog. Yeh, I have missed a few due to school holidays, tours and bike maintenance keeping me busy as, which is just the way I like it. During this 2 weeks, we have seen riding conditions go from perfect and moist, to dry and dusty. Amazing what a couple of weeks with no rain will do, and then last Saturday was just HOT, especially for October.
A few weeks ago we had the Mackie and Barnett brothers for their annual 3 day tour. Was a great ride with only a few glitches. Mick wiped out his radiator late on day 1, so a repair was made with Metal Putty that night to keep him going. Next day he thought he’d swap over to Jimmy’s WRF 450 for a blast, only to wipe out the opposite side radiator on a tree. This time the metal putty was a band aid, so we diverted Jimmy to the support car, with instructions for a radiator bypass. To our amazement, the un-mechanically minded Jimmy had improvised a KTM spark plug spanner to join the 16mm hose to the 20mm hose and found a bung for the overflow hose. All sorted there and we headed to Margaret River, through areas a foot under water in places, the rest just pretty much perfect. Unfortunately the next day, Andrew put it down in a water logged area, (apparently his brother Matt’s fault for telling him to take it easy!) and suffered a shoulder injury, so in the support car for him at lunch on the final day. For the rest of us, it was a blast home to base through fast flowing trails. A great 3 day ride was had by all.
The next week I managed to spend some time with kids, taking them to the movies for the first time. They were buzzing, it was great! Then into bike maintenance for a 1 day tour with 5 TTR’s out on Friday. Then a 2 day tour with only 4 riders that weekend. We had a great ride being a small group and these boys may have been older, but they could sure ride! We hit all the hills and single track I could and they revelled in it. We were joined by Sander Taber from Bunbury KTM, and 2 others for the Sunday leg home. We had a great ride, and at a pretty fast pace, with conditions pretty much perfect still, but I could see the change coming if we didn’t get any rain soon!
So the week just gone has seen another heavy week of maintenance on the bikes, and also a 1 day tour in the middle for a group of 4. Bob took out the same radiator as Jimmy on Spectator Hill, so when I ripped out the spark plug spanner to bypass the radiator, they were thinking, shite this guy is sure on top of his game! I explained it was the second one in a week.
Friday we had the 3rd annual Leighton Contractors ride using all our hire bikes on Friday. We had a group of 12 and with conditions drying out we searched for flowing trails with minimal dust. Only a couple crashes, with Tony on the 390 Berg finding the greasy side of the greasy stuff, and putting the first scratches on her. The boys had plenty of laughs and challenges, and are looking forward to next years ride already. Jeremy dished out some awards and me and Gav washed 10 bikes ready for the next day!
Saturday saw the second annual Trail and Enduro Junior Helpers ride, organised by Winton Lawton for the army of helpers who assist in signing and running the Junior Enduro Series over the past year. There were 15 riders, including Willie Thomson, Jeremy Connor, Paul Kearns, Ian Kibble and Larry Hill to name a few. The weather forecast went from 26 and sunny to 31 and Hot, so dust was my main concern, especially knowing that these boys don’t exactly putt along! We were underway when I could tell we had an issue, so I stopped at a shady spot by the creek for a regroup, only to hear that we had a breakdown and Gav had gone back to change a sprocket. A short time later and we were underway, hitting single trails, hill climbs and even the odd muddy bog hole, but the open trails and gravel roads were dusty. We had a great lunch at our favourite picnic spot, and then hit some serious hills to challenge all but a few. We had another Radiator repair to do to John Reihlanders Husky, with the metal putty doing the job this time. The repair took place at Spectator Hill, so everyone was entertained while the repairs were carried out. Go Leo were the chants we could hear load and clear, usually followed by loads of laughter! Some flowing trails and then we crossed the Blackwood River, where everyone cooled down and refreshed a little. From here, we cruised open trails to base, and settled into a few beers, a fantastic BBQ dinner, and a few more beers around the camp fire.
STAINO'S BLOG TUESDAY 28 SEPT 2009
Well, what a week! School holidays started off with my kids getting into their holidays a day early, as we had a tour over Friday and Saturday. The crew who booked it were obviously not into footy and we thought that it wouldn’t be a big ride! Well, we had 7 hire bikes out and 21 riders, our second biggest tour for the year!
So we had a good size crew and a great bunch at that! Throw in some perfect riding weather and you’re in for some ripper fun. Not to mention the new 390 Husaberg out on hire that was ridden by almost all on tour. Hard to imagine why Paul got of it to ride the TTR230 though! So we rode to Tathra for lunch and did a few repairs before making our way to Margaret River Resort for the first nights accommodation. Todd had to ride a TTR 250 for the afternoon after his bike began rattling a big-end noise. He was towed 30kms to the mid-way refuel, where our trusty No 5 became the fastest TTR in the southwest for a day. The boys were loving the trails, although the grease caught out a few unexpectedly. There was also a lot of water around and the creeks made for some great antics and near misses.
The following day, it was another great day for riding and the crew were eager to get into it. A couple of the lads were feeling the pinch and took some short road options as the rest hit the trails. Meandering our way through to lunch, where we enjoyed a bush setting lunch amid a great location. All fed and it was off for the last section, the fast flowing sandy pines enroute to base. I went around one bad bog hole, nearly going over the bars in another bog hole in the process, only to see Trev do exactly that as his bike stopped dead and sent him for a superman, landing awkwardly in the bog! Cons creek was the last tester, with most making a successful crossing. The others just adding to the memories for another great ride.
Sweep Gav and his son Jade stayed the night so we could take the kids riding the following day, while Georgina took off for a ride with some friends at Nannup. Then Monday, we went for a ride for something different, with the kids to meet friends in a secret plantation.
STAINO'S BLOG MONDAY 21 SEPT 2009
Yeeeooowww! Well, we just had the crew from Mandurah City Yamaha/KTM down for a 3 day custom tour of the Southwest, going to Nannup and Manjimup overnight. Conditions were, well, perfect actually. It was raining cats and dogs all week, then sunshine Friday morning as we headed off for our journey. We had a sprinkle later that day as we came in through the Nannup pines after a whopping 200 km day of trail bliss. Antics included the proud wearers of the 'Serena' award (fairy wings, named after her outburst at the US Open), roosting, showering your mates with puddle passing etc, but nothing could match the untimely and gastly effort of Tom the yank removing a piece of bathroom cupboard handle from a wound in his skull at the pub that night! He sustained a few stiches from a fall in the shower, and had recently had the stiches removed. However, the wound wasn't looking too flash and when I had a look in there, I swear I could see metal! Tom didn't beleive me, but in the end, I was right and out came the missing cupboard handle. We got him to the Nannup nursing post to get it cleaned up and amazingly it felt better each day from then on. It was about the size of a 1/3 of a 50 cent coin! The ride went pretty smooth, no flat tyres and one carby issue which turned out to be a faulty spark plug lead. We racked up 220 kms day 2, going from Nannup to Pemberton for lunch, then through to Manjiump through the Karri country. Day 3 we headed back home through the Blackwood Valley utilising some fantastic single trail in the pines and open flowing trails to be back at base for a late lunch. The rain started as we were close to home and the area near home had been inundated with very heavy showers as we were riding in rivers for the last 30kms. At base, it absolutely bucketed down as we reflected on a great ride and great timing with the weather. Many thanks To Jeff and Darrin from Mandurah City Yamaha/KTM for their continued support and organising a great crew to ride with. Can't wait for the Woodside ride in October!
To all those riders out there looking for a challenge, we have a 2 day Advanced Ride going out on 10 & 11 October, so give us a call or email if you're keen to book a place. Cost is $430 all inclusive.
Riders: David McDowell, Dieter Kempa, Eduardo Robaino, Tom Young, Darrin Gaske (Mandurah City Yamaha/KTM), Brad Graczyk, Andrew Ellis, Gary Denton, Jeff Payne (Mandurah City Yamaha/KTM), Bernard Halders, Gavin Rusell, John Staines, Shaun Jeffries & Kris Hamilton & Indi the dog! David MacPherson is absent from the photo.
Eduardo handing over the 'Serena Award' to Jeffro!
STAINO'S BLOG MONDAY 14 SEPT 2009
Hey all, hope you’re all well.
We are currently having our website updated and will be adding a new section called 'Staino's Blog'. We thought we’d get it up and running from now on to keep the site live and you all informed of what we’re up to.
Well last week saw us get our new HUSABERG FE 390 and what a great little bike. Stepping from my 570 to the 390, it feels like a 200 2-stroke. The beautiful smooth power and exceptional handling makes it a real easy bike to ride. We took it to Capel for the Ironstone Trail Bike Rally, where it was on display in the Bunbury KTM stand and had it available for test rides around the special test. It got some use, racking up 30kms and no-one laid it down thankfully. So she still looks brand spanking new. It goes out for hire next week, so that’ll change! We will be updating it every 6 months in a new deal with KTM Australia and Bunbury KTM.
Georgina and I both rode at Capel, thanks to Scotty Parker looking after Mia and Noah for the morning. Scotty unfortunately broke his leg recently and was very jealous when his wife Fiona and Georgina were testing the 390 at our place the day before the rally. He has an 09 model KTM530 in as new condition with 2000 kms on it for sale as a result too, $10,500 ono if your in the market. So the ride at Capel was great and I didn’t have to place a cornerman (I did try it with a couple of our regular customers when I passed them as a laugh) or worry about anyone other than myself for a change. I rode the first leg solo, then the second leg with our regular sweep Darren Smith. We had a blast, until I had my one and only crash getting cross rutted and going down in the slippery mud. Then I got stuck well and truly in a bog hole. Which line do you take! Thanks to IARC for a very professionally run event and to all the helpers and riders who attended.
We recently ran the 2010 KTM press ride, where we were joined by ADB, Dirt Action, TBAM, Trailrider, Trailzone, Cycle torque, Dirt Trader and Moto Online, along with Jeff Leisk, Rob Twyerould and Greg Chambers from KTM Australia for a 2 day trail feast on the 2010 KTM EXC models. All bikes were supplied by KTM, and the journo’s swapped about to get a feel for all the models, from the 250, 400, 450 and 530 four strokes, to the 125, 200, 250 and 300 two stroke models. We had Adam Reimann as the photographer and had the boys cutting laps on our track at the base to get some action pics, before heading into the Blackwood Valley and beyond for a trail ride to remember. I had my plan all sorted, then Leisky asked if we were going to Bertha. That is the last place I thought he’d want his 12 new bikes heading, but his comment was clear “that’s what were here for Staino”. So off to Bertha we went via the best selection of trails. Conditions were perfect, recent rain, overcast and warm for August. At Bertha, Ben Foster, Darren Smart and Sam Mac were first to follow Jeff, while Adam clicked away relentlessly. No-one made half way until Adam put the camera down, edging over the crest with a bit of leg power. I could see a good line and decided to have a crack, getting past Adam in the process by a few metres. Adam restarted and got a metre or so beyond me before we called it and headed to Tathra for lunch.
After lunch we headed to some good hills at Nannup before hitting the Karri Forest to Karri Valley Resort. We also ducked out to a sand dune to give the boys a taste of WA’s coastline. They loved it and watching Ben Foster ripping the top of some dunes was a memorable experience. He can ride! We got to the resort under headlights following the support car, totaling 235kms for the day and enjoyed a late dinner and some drinks before calling it a day.
The next day we trail rode through some amazing trails amid the massive Karri’s as we made our way to Manjimup and the Cosy Creek circuit for a few quick laps, thanks to good friend Willy Thomson. Ben Foster and Darren Smart were reveling, along with sweep Gav Russel who took my 570 for a blast. We then headed for home through the Blackwood Valley along flowing trails in perfect riding conditions, enjoying a bush lunch and a few quite beers on arrival back at base. Everyone of the guy’s thoroughly enjoyed the ride, the bikes, and especially the trails. Check out their comments on our KTM banner when you’re down next.
BIKE SET UP AND COACHING DAYS
Bike set up and coaching days are now available. Numbers will be limited. See our Ride Calendar for dates.
TEST RIDE THE NEW HUSABERG 570FE
We now have a Husaberg 570FE available to test ride on all tours.
GIRLS AND PARTNERS RIDE!
We've had lots of interest this year from lady riders who want to get out on some of the awesome South West riding trails but aren't keen on mixing it with a bunch of testosterone-fuelled blokes on one of our normal rides.
OK - we hear you! So we've created a special Girls and Partners ride on May 2 & 3 (it's up to you whether you bring your partners or leave them home minding the kids!).
Covering much the same trails as our regular Blackwood Valley tour we have crafted a ride that will suit anyone who can competently ride easy trails (it's not designed for absolute beginners). There will be optional easy / harder sections so it will be entrirely up to you if you want to tackle the more challenging bits.
This is going to be a great weekend but numbers are strictly limited so please book early.
2009 RIDE CALENDAR NOW AVAILABLE
We've just released the ride calendar for 2009. Suggest you contact us ASAP to register interest in your preferred date, especially if you intend to hire a bike, as there is already strong demand for next year.
NEW OPTIONS FOR BIKE HIRE
Two new hire options are now available - a KTM450EXC and a TTR 230. These two additions to our hire fleet allow us to cater for an even greater range of riders. Please book early to secure these bikes as they are very popular.
VICTIMS OF CRIME.
Yes, we have been robbed of our most valuable single asset. Our purpose built Landcruiser support vehicle, was set alight and gutted by fire at the conclusion of a 4 day Camping out tour.
The vehicle was left unattended for a minimal time, during which a juvenile has opened up the back, and lit the contents, which completely engulfed the vehicle. The photo shows the sight that Garry and the “Boys from Manchester” returned to find. They lost all their luggage including passports etc.
We have lost not only our support vehicle, but all our camping out gear including esky’s, cooking gear, chairs, tools, riding gear, first aid box, tents, etc, etc.. The youth was unable to be charged, and insurance didn’t cover it due to a technical glitch! SPEWING!
So, for the foreseeable future, camping out and Holland track tours are unavailable!