The Australian Rest-Room Tour

This started as a 50CC (this is a Iron Butt ride across the US in 50 hours or less) across Australia, Sydney to Perth. A 3900k (2400+mile – side note; the same mileage as going from Florida to California) ride. Everything was set, full moon, great weather, my wife (Tari) had friends coming from the states for a week, so she would not be home alone. I had made contact with Kellee Brown, Open Road Motorcycle Club in Perth, ……riding group and they had made arrangements to meet me just east of Perth and lead me to the ocean. And I had the bike ready.1998 BMW R1100GS, stock seat (ouch), PIAA 910's (life saver) you would not be able to make this ride without this type of lighting. A extra 10 litre “Jerry” fuel can (needed a 15 litre).

I should have known that the trip was in trouble, on the Sunday before, I when down to the Sydney police station to ask about signing my paper work. I had a short letter about who I was and what I had plan, a example of the witness form, and the story of the 50CC from the IB Web page. I was told no problem, just stop by on Thursday morning and we will be happy to do it. Then on Wednesday afternoon the police called just to make sure I was coming by and to let me know that everything was in place. I am thinking wow, I never had the police call me to make sure everything was still on.

The weather report showed a little rain Wednesday but clear on Thursday in the Sydney area , and clear all the way across Australia until Perth where there may be some showers. And like most riders I had plan to get to bed early Wednesday night (9:00pm) with a start time of 4am Thursday morning. AND I did get in bed at 9pm, never happened before, slept right up to the alarm. These things should have been a warning

The start;
I live in a apartment just outside the main city area, parking is in the basement. As the garage door opens I am looking at a water fall, water is running down the (painted) ramp to the parking area, at about 2” deep. But it is now a light rain and I continue to the police station. When I enter the station everyone looks at me and I know that no one know why I am here. Sure enough they do not have a clue but after a short talk they say ok and sign the forms. The only question asked was about the GPS.

I'm off to get gas and then down to Bondi beach for my sand and water, collecting sand and water from each coast is part of the ride goals. At the beach it is now raining like it means it, I park the bike and walk down to the water. Being careful to time the wave action to getting the water and sand. Well I tried to time it, run, run fast before my boots fill up. Ok, I was looking to get new boots when I get back to the states anyways. Walk back up the beach get to the bike and find that I only have one glove, back down to the beach. Did I mention it is raining. I find the glove laying on the beach just before the wave got it. I run to get the glove, now run, run before the boot fills up again……The glove is full of sand and water, out comes the summer gloves and the heated grips go on.

Yes, this is a great start.

I am off, first to the only express way for the total trip this is about 30 miles, Sydney to the Blue Mountains, express way the rest of the ride is 2 lane black top. Yes 3900K (2400 miles) of 2 lane road. My route takes me across the Blue Mountains and up to Dubbo (410k) for my first gas stop. For those of you in the US reading this. You do not just ride until you need gas, you must plan your gas stop to the availability of gas station. It took 5 hours to reach this stop, not to bad as most of this is 60-80kph road with the highest being 100k. Dubbo is the jump off point to the outback. From here to Broken Hill there is only one town of any size, Cobar. It is here that I find out my calculations of fuel mileage is less then I had hope for. I have had limited experience with this bike and did not have a strong back ground on the mileage for this type of riding. I am not going to be able to make the next plan fuel stop. Because is during the day I feel I should not have a problem finding fuel between Cobar and Broken Hill. This is a 435+k run and at the 115k speed, I am running, I would not have enough to make it. I would prove this on the way back home, two day's later.

With end 200k east and 300k west of Broken Hill, you would not be able to fall down and not hit a kangaroo, body part, along side the road. I make a note that this, this is one route that I do not want to ride at night, again I will prove this on the way home….. Broken Hill is where they filmed the 'Mad Max” movies. The ride has been going great, very interesting land, and a whole lot of nothing. I am just starting to get to the 'outback' of Australia and to give you a visual, think about riding across West Texas. This area in Australia makes west Texas look like a metropolex. In a 300k ride I saw, maybe two mail boxes, and no houses. Every side road was dirt. This “nothingness” will be a problem later and was part of my failure to complete the ride.

I am now getting closer to Port Augusta, a strange thing happen. The road had a turn in it, a real curve in it. As I come up on this new and exciting thing I have to think about how I make a motorcycle turn. I did forget to mention that these roads go straight for ever and ever. There is a short ride through low hills and I really get into it. It's dark and my lights have the hills lit up. I was looking forward to riding through this again in the day light on the way home. Port Augusta, time to eat and fill up with as much gas as I can. 450+k to the half way point and gas. I have been told of a station about half way that may be open but find out at 1am, that it now closes at 11pm. My speed goes way down and I stop at about 4 towns looking for any gas. No luck.

It is about 2:30am (22.5 hours) from the start. I enter Ceduna, the half way point and sleep/gas/food. I am at the truck stop at the beginning of town. I need gas NOW, I need the rest room NOW. Now is when the fun starts. For the next 1.5 hours I get to visit the, outback, facilities. After a short rest and what I believe is a end to my problem I head west. At about 120k out of town and 200+k to the next known open town. I receive the message that I need the use of facilities again and I need them right now. I turn around and head back to town. I take a motel room, clean thing up and by now I have the chills so bad that standing in a hot shower does not solve the problem. This is not related to being cold outside as the weather is very nice and I have a electric vest. I lie down and try to sleep, no luck. After about 6 hours lay over in Ceduna, and a review of what the next 1800k have to offer in the way of towns, medical facilities (if needed) I make the decision that this ride is over. I know what is behind me and that it will only get more remote if I go forward. Safety is always to top priority for me, as it is my goal in life to ride across the US when I 80.

The ride back home starts with stops about every 125-150k, then I move up to almost a full 200k. I am not able to keep any water or food down yet but then I do not have to stop as often as before. Back in Port Augusta I start drinking a little water and it stay's with me so I plan the next stage. Back to Broken Hill. I will get to ride through the hills again and in the day light. Again I learn how to turn a motorcycle in the curves. I also realised that I would be riding in the dark, 6-8pm, in to Broken Hill. Remember the part about the all the kangaroo's. This is when the PIAA's paid for them self's MANY times over. I also run a 85W head light. This area makes west Texas (I-10) look like a animal wast land. Kangaroo's eyes do not light up at night and they blend in so well with the back ground that you have to be looking a 110% at all times. There is no let up.

I spend the night in Broken Hill, getting a little food into me and drinking more and more water. At about 4am I am up and on the road, can you say more kangaroo's. Leaving at this time would turn out to be a down fall as the one gas station between Broken Hill and Cobar is not open when I get there. BUTT I am thinking that there is another one down the road and that I will be able to stop there. Ops. There was no other station and at about 30k short of Cobar I am sitting on the side of the road waiting for some one to stop and loan me a litre or two of fuel. This take about a hour, or 10 cars, before someone has a fuel can, with extra fuel. One woman stopped and offer me a ride into to town but I felt that it would be quicker to wait for a 4 wheeler to provide the fuel needed. This worked out and a young couple stopped and gave me about 3 litres to get to town. As it turned out the first woman to stop and offer me a ride had stopped in town and told the station owner about me and he was waiting for his wife to come down to the station so he could bring me fuel. Nice people, you really have to take care of each other out here.

I am now feeling better and make the next 385+k with only one stop and back in Dubbo I stop and eat a MD's. Call home to tell Tari that I will be there in about 6 hours. She tells me that it is still raining and it's turn cold. As I start the ride across the Blue Mountains I stop, again at MD's, to use the facilities and put on my warmer gear. About 4 motorcycle police pull into the parking place next to me and one of them comes over and we start taking. He was on a ST1100 (my US bike) and he asked me where I as coming from. I told him and he just say “What” 3 days 4100k . He said I have seen more of Australia in 3 days then I have seen in my whole life. He also told me that the police were getting rid of the ST1100 and going to the BMW's because Honda would not authorize the ST1300, with saddle bags, to go over 160k's. (100mph).

4300+k, 63 hours and I am back home. I took me 22 hours to get to Ceduna and 36 hours to get home, after the 6 hours in Ceduna.

Is a 50CC do-able in Australia? Yes. Will I attempt it again? Yes. Feb/Mar of 2004 is the next window of opportunity. You have to plan a ride like this carefully. If it is raining then the roads will be flooded, and during the summer it would be like riding across a 1000 mile desert. And then there the 4 letter word, 'work' while my manager is a rider, and has some understanding, he still is not open to just letting me party for the two year assignment and really wants me to spend some time working. Some people just want everything.

A little side note; the ocean water that I collected at the start had drained out of the bottle by the time I got home. Even the bottle knew I wasn't going to make it…………….