Hi all

Not sure if this is the right section but since I'm covering a few topics I chucked it in here.

I am planning a ride in a few weeks from Darwin down to Canberra. All up around 4,800KM. My route goes from Darwin to Three Ways 964KM, Three Ways to Longreach 1,283KM, Longreach to Sunshine Coast 1,223KM, Sunshine Coast to Central Coast 966KM, Central Coast to Canberra 360KM. 

Thinking I will have to split an extra day in between Darwin and Sunny Coast to spread the K's out a bit more evenly. 

Has anyone who has travelled that way got any recommendations of places to stop, places not to stop, things to look out for, places of interest etc? I have driven to Brissy and Adelaide from Darwin so have already experienced places like Elliot that I will be making hasty stops through but the trip will be very different on the bike.

As far as I know the longest distance without fuel is about 264KM and I normally get about 300 out of the fatbob but thats unladen so will carry a 5L jerry with my gear. I'm planning a backpack (jerry, general items) on the back fender which I will lay sticky contact on to protect from rubbing, a larger dive bag (clothes, wet weather gear, cold weather gear) on the pillion seat, tool roll under the headlight and bedroll on top of the headlight.  Again any input as to why this may or may not work or suggestions are welcome. 

Before I leave I'll do a service, get new tyres and install my new USB charging port $18 from Jaycar.

I will be updating with news and photos if anyone feels like hearing about it or meeting up along the way. Planning to leave around the  17th or 18th of September. Another thing, has anyone got recomendations on gopro mounts for touring? I've heard helmet mounts pick up the wind easily so thats out, I'm thinking of sticking or bolting a mount on the chest of my vest, not sure how stable it will end up though.

Rob

No idea why my bike keeps going upside down.

 

Hey rob,

Good luck with the ride. As to the GOPRO mount you can buy the following http://shop.gopro.com/mounts/handlebar-seatpost-pole-mount/GRH30.html#/start=1 which I have and have put it on my bars. But will depend on what you want to capture! With the wind noise use the fully inclosed waterproof case. Have used it on a dirt bike and takes out a lot of the wind noise!

Good on you rob will be a great trip.
I did that route in 2013,also on a fatbob.
Petrol stops won't be a problem, you won't need spare fuel so don't even bother, it will just be taking up space.
Main thing to watch out for is potholes on western qld roads they are the worst rds in Aus.

Good luck and keep us posted..

Oh and don't worry about upside down pics it's not you its this site.
Mine never upload properly, regardless of what computor I use.

Mate you are going to have a ball !!! Looks like you are riding by yourself !! On big rides like this, (and solo), I would consider Harley Assist, or similar , for, if and when a breakdown may occur . Advice on clothes and luggage etc,, a few day before you head off ,, lay all your stuff on your bed that you think you may need ,, then get rid of half the shit !!! This has work for me on many a long bike ride !!!!! Look forward to pics of the trip !!!! Cheers .....

What a great trip. I used a gopro on my front fender, got great pics, and could probably cover as a dash cam you if you have an accident.i got the one with a suction pad.it has an unbelievable load bearing rating, and I hit a few speed humps and potholes,and it never moved once. Agree with the packing idea of cutting it in half. Pack a decent polar fleece, lightweight,can fit under leathers well and keeps you warm. Leather doesn't insulate at all. I'm in canberra,rode to Cooma the other day on a nice day and froze my arse off. My gloves have no thinsulate in them. Another thing that is a real problem here is kangaroos on dawn,dusk and night. It might limit the big Km you are projecting. QLD is just as bad. I drove back from Ballina a couple of months ago and couldn't believe the sheer volume of roadkill everywhere. Not just Roos,shitloads of wombats too. Not much else to offer,other than have a great time, make sure you have some sort of roadside assist. I'm really interested in reading about your trip and seeing any pics.

Thanks for the support, I'm pretty excited already.

Thanks for the tips Onion, I just ordered the handlebar clamp as well as a clip mount that will hopefully clip on my collar or chest pocket somewhere to act as a chest mount without having to wear the big elastic one. I wonder if the handlebar mount could attach to the passenger footpeg or the sissy bar for some interesting angles?

Chriso I shall keep a keen eye for potholes thanks, probably wont be taking advantage of the 130 zone unless the road is in top notch.

Markwoumla I will check out harley assist, not sure how handy it will be out on some of the remote roads but definitely useful for the coastline! I will be travelling as light as possible, I am moving down south permanently and getting the house removal done then heading off with what I need for my new job in Canberra until everything else arrives. Load list is looking like: bedroll, toiletries, socks and jocks, pair of shorts, couple T shirts, suit, ties, dress shoes, couple dress shirts, thermals, leather riding jacket, wet weather gear, camping stove and a meal that can be replaced once eaten, 2 or 5L water bottle, panadol, gopro, ipod, tool roll. I've probably forgotten to list a few small items but if theres anything important I've missed feel free to mention it. The only bulky items are my leather jacket (which I will wear once out of the heat) and water. Everything else rolls up small and packs away compressed in a dry bag. 

98 Superglide thanks for the weather warning, I've been living up here for a few years so dont own any cold weather riding gear so will need to get some winter gloves, thermals and a full face helmet for the trip. I'll be wearing helmet, boots, Kevlar shirt and jeans, vest and gloves in the heat then ad thermals and jacket once it is colder. I don't plan on riding in those hours or the dark, I've hit a roo in an SS heading up from Brisbane at night and done huge damage to the car so would have ended the trip on a bike. If I dont make it between night locs then I will head offroad a little and roll out the bed until morning. 

A question for any riders in QLD - should I be worried about the police harrassment? My bikes compliant except for the exhaust is probably too loud. Is that a defect notice straight up that will have me leaving the bike somewhere and getting it picked up later or would a good attitude have them sending me on my way?

 

I think it has calmed down a bit re cops.i rode my uncles harley around Brisbane for a week. Didn't get pulled over once. I wear a brown leather jacket, so I suppose I don't look like a clubbie. If you haven't got a full face yet, get onto peter Stevens on eBay. They are doing massive helmet deals. I picked up a full face shark with a few great features,$99 free post Aus wide. Same helmet $450 in canberra, crazy.They have more sizes in stock,so send them a message if your size isn't listed. I have several opens, just hot a full face,love it in the cold weather.

Ive been riding around the Sunny Coast, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Northern NSW for the last year, with a reasonably loud pipe. Not been pulled over or even looked at twice by the police. Touch wood.

Carrying a load you're going to need every drop of that 5L jerry can between Barkly Homestead and Camooweal.

If your turning the throttle to 130 km/h the cross winds will take at least another 40 - 45km km from your tank.

Of the 3 times I've done the trip before, 3 times I've rolled into the servo with the engine gasping for fuel.

Anyhow good luck with the trip mate you'll enjoy it.

Never had any problems with fuel on my trip of the whole country and was running a stage 4. Sat on speeds between 130-160 most days in WA,NT,SA and western Qld.

I can't see any reason to carry fuel.

How many days are you planning for the trip rob? 5 days? Do yourself a favour and leave 3 days earlier. You wont need to carry spare fuel if you stick to the highway and the speed limit but if you take a detour you might need some. I have done Sydney to Perth in 5 days but 8 days would have been much more enjoyable. Watch out for cattle between Camoweal and Cloncurry.
Good luck mate

Thanks 98superglide, I checked out peter stevens but I am after a bell revolver and they didn’t have any on the special so will look around up here.

Jayman6 thanks for the info, I will rest a little easier now.

CVO Deluxe and Mickle and Chriso, I will be sitting on the speed limit for most of it because I can’t afford any traffic infringements, NT has the open limit for a fair bit of my trip to get some speed out of my system. I will take the 5l jerry in my bag and fill it between the longer hauls until I reach civilisation where I can pass it on to a needier traveller at a servo.

Beaglebasher I am in the process of adjusting my timeline to bring down the K’s some days.

Day 1 - Darwin to Daly Waters historic pub. I’ve heard from a few people this is a great pub to check out so may as well shorten day 1 to grab a good meal and some drinks. Night temperatures are cooling down so I will be able to camp unpowered for pretty cheap.

Day 2 - Daly Waters to Camooweal. Same deal they offer $12 unpowered camping sites which suit me fine. My little stove and instant meals will do nicely for dinner here.

Day 3 - Camooweal to Longreach. Again cheap camping with $12 powered sites and good pubs.

Day 4 - Longreach to Sunshine Coast. I will be staying at a mates here so a cooked meal, beers and bed.

Day 5 - Sunshine Coast to Central Coast. This is the longest day and goes through more built up areas but I can start and end earlier as I won’t have to watch for suicidal roos. Again staying with a mate here.

Day 6 - Central Coast to Canberra. Beers and takeaway most likely.

I picked up the Interphone SM43 GPD handlebar mount today for $45. The mount doesn’t fit around my handlebars but nicely clamps onto my thick aftermarket mirror stems so will work nicely there.

Tonight I will install the USB charger. It has positive and negative leads to an SAE connection. The positive lead has an inline fuse. the other SAE connector end leads to the USB port. I will connect the leads to the battery and wire them under the seat and have the USB end in my bag. At night I will disconnect the SAE connector and pull the inline fuse which in my limited experience should stop any draw on the battery.

Sounds great. Will be watching this with interest. It's a big trip.

Keen to know the dates, and will try and join you for a half day through Gold Coast to Coffs Harbour or something.

Barkly Homestead to Camoweal 267 k's but watch the wind across there you will be pushing into a head cross wind coming east and it blows it's arse off out there I returned from Alice Springs trip 2 weeks ago and just sat on 110 ish to conserve fuel 130 or 140 I would'nt have made it. the Pub at Camoweal is the go.

once your in Qld watch the roos I do not travel of a night and don't get going strong untill after 8.30 am and start to keep a sharp eye out for them from 4.30pm on enjoy the trip.

cheers Jimmy

If you want to pull up at a road side stop and have a decent cup of coffee or tea,

Get youself one of these. 

Its a jetboil stove. Its only 7 or 8 inches high.

It boils water for a cup of coffee in 1 minuet, a brilliant bit of gear and takes up little space,

Carry a hikers 2 or 3 litre water bottle with decent water in it, Beats the servo bore water. carry a few single serve uht milks and sugar make up the kit.

You can get them at Annaconda, Wildearth or some camping shops, Start at $120, Dearer ones are only larger is all.

Ive got one and its just so relaxing to pull up in a road side stop and have a cuppa.

Enjoy your trip

 

     

All the bits including the gas canister pack inside itself as per below pic,

If you can factor in an overnighter here the Mt Isa Hotel has the best steak in Qld.

Depending on the day you're coming through I could catch up for a drink.

It's also not a bad ride, from Longreach, to Charleyville, Cunnamulla, Bourke, Nyngan, Dubbo, & Newcastle. again No extra fuel needed.

Thanks for all the input lads! Sorry I havent posted for a bit I've been flat out finishing up at work and emptying out my house. 

All set to set off tomorrow morning. I've got the route, I wont plan night locs I will just see how far I get each day. Need to be in Canberra by next friday. 

I've cut down my gear to a dive bag and a backpack plus swag. The dive bag is all clothes for work and living until my gear gets moved down in about a month. Also five American MREs to save on pub food or if I stop in the middle of nowhere. And my leather jacket for once its cold. In the backpack is random gear eg ipod, ipad, gopro, gps, a 5L jerry of fuel, a 2L bottle of water and my good pair of thongs. I picked up a full face matte black helmet on special, no winter gloves available up in NT however so will need to grab some once I hit the coast. 

I will post a pic of the bike all set up before I head off then continue to post pics and update my locations along the way, internet permitting.

Good luck mate.  Look forward to hearing how the trip goes and seeing your pics. Hope you have a comfy seat that doesn't compress after your first long day. 

Funny how northerners have a "good pair of thongs" ??