Sounds mental,but who would be interested in RIDING to the top? This year ,maybe next year so you can have plenty of time to organize time off work etc. 2 weeks maybe?  I've got a Landrover crew cab ute for back up/carry stuff vehicle. Helmet cams a must, for making a dvd? On Harleys would be a challenge,for a bit I've seen of the area is moreso enduro type bikes that do it. Prepare to get your bike scratched. Up that way is very rough. I saw a docco recently where the guy had to get his bike across washed out gulleys and depending on the time of year flooded creeks and stuff. Seriously challenging.The bigger the Harley the better. I'll take my Rocka. Ha, 250 knobby on the back? Serious? Your damn tooting. My mate sent old pics to me recently of blokes on Pans, Trumpys, BSA's etc  ROADBIKES that were doing the same thing in the 50's. No phones,back up trucks or whatever them days, and they had a roaring time. If my bike gets hurt/scratched,I'll fix it!!! Duh.  So any other nutcases out there that would want to do something mental by going to the most nothernest part of Qld,lets do it. Show the Harley knockers what a Harley is capable of doing. Sponsorship from HD,tyre mobs,oil,fuel  or whatever a possibility. I just turned 58,and I don't see me being able to do something like this in years to come,dunno. Maybe raise money for some sort of charity,which there a gazillions of.           

Philthy, it not only sounds mental, it is mental, but geez fella what a rippa of an idea, no way in hell i will be there but if anyone wants to sponsor me with a free harley i be first in line, i seriously think ya gunna be hard up to get any takers, not to many harleys will come back in one piece IF they get back at all, do you know how deep some of them creek crossings are on the telegraph track??  but hell mate i love the idea to death, it will take some doing but keep onto it and ya never know, once ya talk to the right people the ball will start to roll.....and dont forget to get back to me if someone starts handing out free harleys for the trip

PS. But ya can bet ya bottom dollar the harleys will get further than the landrover

Just had a look at you tubes cape york trippers, mmmmmmmm!!!. Maybe I should rebuild the ol lady's 1100 sporty up,similar to the buell ulysees but without the finery?doing it on the rocka I'd have to be off me rocka. I think if I went on one of those enduro bike tours that operate up that way then get back home here and sort out what I'd need. I'm serious about doing it on a Harley. Them creeks are deep enough in the off season, let alone the wet!! A tinny and aluminium planks would work,lay the bike down,(in the tinny)or vertical with straps /tent ropes or whatever? I think something like that would solve one of the biggest problems on a trip to york. Took about 3mins to work that out,but there might be a better way. Car or truck tubes and ally planks,pump up the tubes when needed. I reckon a little genny/welder would be a prority, lots of tools could be run off it for roadside repairs as well. A luxury in the bush,cost little and don't weigh much. It's all food for thought,gotta start somewhere. Oh, and the little problem of fuel........... she'll be right, let's go.

Anyone remember the returned serviceman Dave, lost both legs and was cruising round on a Shovel, to some of the most remote parts of the world incl Oz. I remember a pic of him sitting in the sand beside his trusty shovel,with 2 metal tubes sticking out from his jeans where his legs used to be, shoes on the ends.Amazing to say the least. I just thought that he might have gone up the top on one of his amazing trips?

Thanks RT, I remember the story now in Heavy Duty, I'll dig through them all and re-read his story. I wonder what happened to him? I was talking to a bloke that regularly goes to weipa,and he's gone their in a subaru/trailer sitting on 100k's MOST of the way. Apparently they grade the road in May and that's about the best time to go. Before big mobs of traffic rut the road. Ha! might even take the rocka after all!!!!!!! Yeah right.

On second thoughts i will be there, in my toyota carrying support gear.....one way or another i gotta see this 

Mate, love the fucken idea

I'm in if your game, shit, life is here only once so we may as well try and do something completely different

Making a DVD, grt8 idea, "Long way to the Top"

I'm in Melbourne so we should start here

I'll do it on a sporty as my Delux is....... too ?????

Pm me if you really want to do some planning, I'll give contact a friend in the TV production of channel 9 to see if they would be interested in following us.

Cheers

Poddy

Just after the roads graded  in May. Gotta start with my blown up,basket case 86 1100 sporty.Seen good pics of MX/Enduro type sporties, the orange one looks the best,and an ironhead at that,cool!!!  Like to get some definite plans going for May 2011, but depends on my bike project. Should swing it if my stuff sells and some $$'s comes in. More posts to come. Later cape yorkies. C.Y.C.L.E.  CapeYorkCruisingLesbianEntertainers.   

Top stuff Poddy,  from Melb though? I'll be stuffed before we get to Cooktown!! Time being the important thing for I've a 7 day a week business and the missus would have to do the shop. (we don't have casual staff !)  Sounds excellent though. If we go from Melb. we'd have to go off the beaten track, bitumen would be boring for someone filming the trip. I put my contact numbers on my profile to.  I'll be down Melb. in Sept, maybe meet up somewhere and have a yap. I've got to build the bike up yet!!!   

I know a couple of blokes that did it on postie bikes ,,, crazy cats,,, I will search for link an get back
good luck if ya do it ,,, i might be with bucket on this an wait for dvd
maybe bucket can burn me a copy
cheers
weaz

Linky thing ,, www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php

 

I did the trip in a road train to Weipa years ago and i nearly put a sun roof in the truck it was that rough....good luck. Why not do it in the wet season just to make it that little bit harder so we can all roll around the floor laughing when we watch the DVD. Good luck, you will need it...

Been there, done that........but not on a harley. (2 x XR600, 2 x DRZ400, 1 XR400 a 525 KTM and a Land cruiser. No comments thank you DLUX!)

Went in October 2004.End of tourist season and b4 the wet. Hot and Dry. We trucked bikes to Cairns.

Cairns to cooktown via CREB trail, (I read somewhere recently this is now closed!)

Cooktown To some croc infested crossing via starckey station. Dry and deep bulldust through here.

Next night was Archer river via Musgrave Stn and compulsory beer at the (S)Exchange Hotel Cohen.

We then went to Weipa for 2 days.........save yaself some hassle and give it a miss........the road in is like riding on little bauxite marbles, flat, wide smooth and boring as fk!

From Weipa across some back road with cnrs and creeks aplenty, now we havin fun, to Bramwell Stn and the start of the OTL!

Camped on the Dalhunty that night, went over gunshot, gonna be interesting on a harley, might need that trick XR1200 Seth Enslow just jumped with! Swimming at Fruit Bat Falls, flooded a bike and still made Punsands Bay (I think PUNSAND is aborigine for sand sand more fking sand!) that night!

I think the record for Cairns to Cape (via development road) is about 14 hrs, how long you thinking about?

If you thinking about off-roading it, you need fuel, suspension, tyres and a cruise capability of 130-140. That development road is SOOO boring! 883 in a jap off road frame, or, long shocks, jap front end and a BIG fuel tank on a sporty frame.

October 2011...............I'm thinkin.........probably!

 

 

Awesome idea .... absolutly mad adventure ... just farking love it!

Will be keeping an eye on the thread and if there is any way I can get finances and a bike together I'll be in.

Am thinking the ideas of using a Buell or Sporty with beefed up suspension, chain drive, bash plates and knobby tyres are the go.

Just my opinion guy's but i think if ya want sponsors and media coverage you will have to do it on beefed up harley's not on dirt bikes with harley motor's, if ya go to far with ya mod's ya may as well just buy a ktm.

 On a Harley or I'm not going.  If it's too deep,I'll float the bike across by whatever means possible. If the climb is too steep, I'll pull the bike up and over. Such things as Pull To's, Handy Billies,Block&Tackle,  Come Along, Winch, Snatch Straps,Chains,(D9Cat?),Ropes,whatever ya wanna call em, it can and will be done on earth as it is in heaven.......whoops.!  Yeah guys and gals, what a hoot!!!  And my Landrover TD5 is a top work horse for backup.

Google Dave Barr and check out his exploits he's accomplished all over the world. Not bad for a double amputee. Took a few years and most of it on a Shovel to boot. He done the most northernest,southernest,easternest,westernest parts of Oz on an 883 Sporty. 

Another excellent read is "Around Australia The Hard Way" done in 1929!! HD sponsored them with 2 HD jumpers. (The Great Depession) They carried guns and rifles,ate Eagles,porcupines,scrub turkeys,cockatoo's,and whatever ran,swam or flew to survive. The abo's were still killing whites back in them days, so they were "light" sleepers. Top read. 

Flogging stuff at a swap meet/show&shine that's happening at Proserpine  Showgrounds 8th May. Get some $'s happening.                  

We did the trip in '02 and produced a DVD.  Have a read of the Streetbike mag' article and see some video short clips here:- www.cafeman.com.au/uptopdownunder/

My mate took my old GSXR1100 I had sold him, fitted knobbies and one piece bars, and rode to the tip and back.

Suspension travel is the secret ! 

Sounds like your pretty keen to have a crack at it at least.

Cheers