Super Tenere Network

Join me on a ride.



We're headed to a 24 hour Motorcycle Reliability Road Trial at Eudunda in the Mid-North of South Australia and then a couple of days adventure riding around the backblocks further north out near Burra and back south to Kapunda.
Feel free to ask questions as we travel.

Lets GO!!!!!!

Saturday morning dawned bleak and overcast as I loaded the bike and hit the bitumen heading North out of Adelaide.



At least the roads were fairly quiet.

I stopped briefly to watch a glider take off from the Gawler Airfield.



I check my map and GPS unit and hit the road again. At least there's some sunshine trying to break through.



Soon, I'm transported away from the concrete and steel to another world.



Into the dormant vineyards this area, the Barossa Valley, is famous for.



One with amazing secrets to be found.



An old post WW2 Canberra Bomber, used for top secret flights out of Woomera Rocket Range during the joint British/Australian rocket and nuclear tests in the Far North and West of South Australia in the 50's and 60's.

Alongside, in this rare privately owned aircraft museum, is a replica P51 fighter - used out of Darwin as a bomber support aircraft during the Pacific battles near the end of WW2.



The dirt roads ahead beckon, so let's ride!

Following my GPS, I ride straight past the road indicated on the screen and end up in the middle of a vineyard. Gotta love the adventures offered by modern technology. I realise I'm trespassing before someone starts shooting at me and within 100 metres find the old road. It's a bit disused. Like I like.



The view opens up after a while negotiating this very old road.



Before plummeting downhill into the dark, dense bush again, the road scoured by wash-aways, mud holes and fallen tree branches.



I'm a bit worried that I won't be able to climb back out but reaching a 5 strand wire fence gate at the other end, I'm secretly grinning like a shaved ape. Gotta love adventure when it grabs you and leads you wherever it wants to. Just sit back and love the ride.



Through the gate and across a well trodden stock route, the black mud churned up so badly I can barely get traction. Ahead, partially hidden by the scrub, are some old ruins.



They look old but solid. White bee keeper's boxes sit a short distance away. The only signs of a link to the modern world lurking nearby.



The right-hand building is fascinating - it's an old meat store half buried to keep temperatures lower in pre-refrigeration days.



I'm glad it's not dark yet. The place looks haunted. I decide to roll on, back through another fence wire gate into the paddock alongside and down the hill through more trees. I finally and with much relief reach a mud churned road that should lead me to faster tracks.



This doesn't look too good for the chances of an easy ride. But it's only a few hundred metres to an all-weather gravel road. What can possibly go wrong?



To be continued.......

nice..

I've done a tiny bit of 4wding through SA, and theres so much to see and do. You can do 4 weeks alone just up through the center road up to Marree...

awww. its enough to make you sick, your so lucky to have all that on your door step.... oh and if your in to taking pics of gliders how about 'nipping' down to Bacchus Marsh for me as need a few snaps of of one of theirs

great reading, fantastic pictures

I was only going to go for an overnighter for the 24 hr Road Trial Event with some of the local ADVrider crew, but it ended up being an extra couple of nights added to the journey. Only because I'm a responsible adult. Sometimes you never want the ride to end.
Glad you're enjoying it FarKurnell. Did you end up with that spare bike yet?

Jenna wrote:
FarKurnell's your man for the Bacchus trip. He's only about 100km away, probably.
More great stuff to come. I keep asking noobies for photos of their country and rides, but it's about time us older members stepped up as well. Everyone likes a ride report.

Sundowner wrote: Extra bike? sadly no... I cant find anything anywhere.... my old boss at the bike shop tried too, alas most of his contacts said "a what?"

Yamaha cant even supply the seal that goes under the steering head bearings!
I've given up on thoughts of keeping the bike... Just way too hard to get parts in AU for em, which is pissin me off.

Without sidetracking the RR too far, try Ebay UK or Italy. Use the factory part numbers in your search - Yamaha are great for using the same bits for ages. I thought you were chasing that bike north of us? No luck there? I might give it a try.

Sundowner wrote: I emailed Woody (must be something about that name, every woody I know is hopeless!), he was puttin an ad in the paper as required by law but never heard back. I emailed and called, but got FA out of him.

Shipping is a killer from UK as you know havent tried Italy. I needed 2 sidepanels. I had more hope of 12 hot naked DD super models knocking my door down than finding them at a price that made it worth buying.

but theres bikes I can get that you can buy bits over the counter, or out of US for 1/102938502394809th price of Aussie dealers...

Will see if I ever get this thing finished first.