Off Road Explorer Enews #12
October Edition
Welcome to the Off Road Explorer Enews #12. Wow! What a busy month it has been. Once I got my Trail Zone #26 editorial commitments out of the way, I got stuck into the final cuts of the 'In The Zone 3' bonus DVD that will come with issue #27 of Trail Zone on sale December 16. So if you are scratching for gift ideas, then a new subscription to Trail Zone starting with Issue 27 with a bonus DVD, is a much better idea than a gift box of handkerchiefs or Y-fronts. Off Road Explorer was also invited to the launch of the new Yamaha XTZ660 Tenere. In fact Trail Zone and ORE were pretty much given the scoop on the return of the legendary adventure bike. See the ORE text online and video plus Clubby's test in Trail Zone #26.
ORE Snowy Ride Update - Register Now and Join Us for the Ride South!
As we mentioned in our last Enews the Steve Walter Foundation, that runs the Snowy Ride, asked Off Road Explorer to plan out an adventure bike route for this year's event. The final route for the Snowy Ride, on November 7, 2009 has been finalised and entrants to the event will receive their official map in the mail shortly. In the meantime, I've been finalising the ORE route to the event with Steve Smith from AdventureMoto.com.au. We've finalised the route south which we'll be escorting down to the Snowy Ride on 6th November 2009. The ride will be starting from Moss Vale and you can find it on Google maps in the ORE Travel section. Most importantly please register here for the ORE ride down so we know how many riders to expect. Remember you must be an official entrant for the Snowy Ride to join us so please make sure you enter the Snowy Ride and support a worthy cause.
Haven't Got A Bike?
If you're busting to do the ride but your bike's out of action or you have a buddy who'd like to come along, OzRider.com.au have bikes available for the ride. Call them on 02 9651 3355 asap as there are limited number of bikes available.
Yamaha Tenere First Test
Off Road Explorer was fortunate enough to be included in the first media release of the new Yamaha XTZ660 Tenere. We were pretty impressed with the bike and despite public grumblings about it being too expensive and a bit heavy, it feels lighter to ride than you'd expect and the build quality and finish is far above the cheaper priced models. Check out the ORE report and video plus Clubbys exclusive magazine test in TZ #26 on sale now.
Sydney Motorcycle Show
Visitors to the 2009 Sydney Motorcycle Show will get a chance to check out the latest offerings from the two wheel world from November 20 to 22. Sponsored by QBE Insurance there'll be the various Action Arena demonstrations included as part of the admission price.
Naturally the crew from Trail Zone will be there offering another chance to win the bike of their dreams with another Choose Your Ride promotion. All you have to do is purchase a subscription at the show and you're in the draw.
Off Road Explorer will also be there with our latest project bike.
Tickets to the show can be purchased at the venue and cost $13 for children (5-15 years) and seniors, $18 for adults and $46 for two adults and two children. The event opens at 10am each morning, Friday November 20 through to Sunday November 22.
For further information visit www.sydneymotorcycleshow.com.au
Ride Right Round Update
Todd and Simon, who are on their epic round the world ride to raise awareness of prostate cancer, dropped me an email so I thought I'd pass it straight on.
We have hit Europe like a whirl wind, after a short stop in Munich for Oktoberfest and to see old friends, we are now on our way to Morocco (on the ferry as I type).
We will spend a few days in Morocco, then we head to the UK via Spain. Things are going well and aside from a few minor problems and bits falling off Simons bike. We have quite a busy PR circuit ahead of us with organizations across UK and Ireland awaiting our arrival. So far we have travelled approx 33,000kms, used 4 rear tyres and 2 fronts each, too many litres of fuel to count and have 2 sore arses.
We have also picked up a sponsor for tyres, Motorcycletyres Pty Ltd who will send us tyres as we request them to where ever we require, so some really good news. The budget is getting tight as we have discovered some places are not as cheap as expected but we are soldiering on. Also (Uncle) Simon caught up with his family in Germany and got to see his first Niece at only 3 weeks old and spent some time showing his folks around Europe while I headed straight for Oktoberfest to sample the beer and see old friends from my coach touring days in Europe.
Russia and Mongolia were amazing, some of the most friendly people we have met so far. The stigma that Russia has about it being dangerous and unfriendly is totally untrue, the people there we very kind and the motorcycle community were very helpful and interested in what we are doing. Mongolia was interesting and challenging, with the exception of a sealed road from the boarder to the capital there were little to no other sealed roads and the 'tracks' that we took were at times sandy, rocky or heavily corrugated. Back in to Western Russia again we had little problems and the few times we were hassled by the authorities we used the old "pretend to call someone important on the mobile phone" trick and were promptly told to go with no further hassle.
Can't wait to see everyone upon our return to Australia.
Regards,
Todd Barry
RideRightRound - Raise awareness and save lives, support the fight against prostate cancer"
Visit - www.riderightround.org - Register your support and follow the ride!
While you're at it check out their progress from their SPOT Tracker.
New Products
SW-Motech
Centre Stand
I have to admit we did get a puncture on the Tenere test and the boys had a bit of a struggle getting the XTZ660 over a log to remove the back wheel. With the Tenere's adequate ground clearance a centre stand is an essential addition. It makes basic chain maintenance, tire changes, parking, and bike cleaning on your own much easier. Super-strong steel construction features typical German design and high engineering standards. Superb integration with the factory exhaust and side stand components helps retain all existing features without sacrificing lean angle or clearances. RRP$299. Check out the full range online at Motorradgarage.com.au or phone 08 9444 6807
Tenere Crash Bars
A couple of the lads on our Tenere test threw their bikes down a hill in the name of consumer testing. The plastic covers on either side of the tank work very well but once they're scuffed they pretty much stay that way. For some heavy duty protection the SW Mototech Crash Bars are a great option. Designed to provide maximum protection and optical integration, it has a very high quality fit and finish. This taller unit has been developed to provide added protection to the radiator from side impacts. All SW-Motech bars are sand blasted then powder coated to provide long term protection from the elements. RRP $299. Available from Motorradgarage.com.au or phone 08 9444 6807.
Apologies - Dual Sports Riding Techniques DVD
Order Form Malfunction
In our last Enews we advertised that Offroadexplorer.com had a limited number of copies for sale of the Dual Sports Riding Techniques and Advanced Techniques DVDs. Unfortunately our link to the order form stopped working which has since been fixed so go to offroadexplorer.com and download the order form. Just $49 RRP.
Club Y Doubles Its Staff
Just down the road from Off Road Explorer headquarters is the office of Club Y the official riders club for Yamaha Owners. Actually it's open to owners of all makes and models of all motorcycles and Club Y hosts everything from track days to trail rides and special events at the MotoGP. Head of Club Y is Cheryl Muldoon, former Motosport Manager at Yamaha Motors Australia. Believe me she's not shy of taking on a challenge. So much so, after organising Yamaha,s hospitality at the MotoGP, she gave birth to twins Ella and Jess. Congratulations to Cheryl and her partner Tim on the birth of their two beautiful little girls.
2010 Suzuki DR650SE
The new 2010 Suzuki DR650SE has been announced and is exactly the same as last year's model with updated graphics. The DR650 is due for a serious update and we can't imagine that it's not too far away, but for now you can still get the base for one of Australia's most popular dual sports/adventure bikes. Check out the DR650 potential with Jay Foreman's trick DR650 in issue #26 of Trail Zone magazine.
