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TOPIC: Tocumwal to Picnic Point

Tocumwal to Picnic Point 16 Sep 2018 18:25 #27521

  • Dr. Peter
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A 260 Km Mini Adventure Loop?

After about a tankful of local riding in a mixture of town, highway, graded dirt roads, dry weather only roads, first and second gear stuff off-road, and a trip over Mt. Major (more dirt) near Dookie I planned and rode my first mini adventure loop today.

I went to Tocumwal via Numurkah and Beari and stuck to gravel roads running between farm paddocks most of the time. The bike handled this stuff with ease. From Toc' you can head to Mathoura NSW via Picnic Point on the Murray River.

At the beginning it is single lane tarmac and even a little windy as it runs alongside the river and through the forest and then it goes to dirt. To begin with it is mostly smooth and very well maintained stuff especially when you come out into the farmland.

Then there is a left turn at an intersection and the track re-enters the forest. Loose gravel is the order of the day followed by corrugations and shallow loose sand. There is quite a lot of this and it is the reason for this trip. I did this run on my cruiser a year ago and it was downright scary.

The KLE 500 is not a tractor and I found that if I kept the revs at 5000 to 6000 then I did not lose drive in the softer parts. If I tried for top gear (sixth) then It didn't take a lot of sand for the revs to fall away and the speed to drop. I am running Bridgestone Trail Wings at highway pressures and I felt safe and in control at about 80-90 kmh and so fourth and fifth were used most. This meant engine braking was available for slowing down which is just as well as the brakes aren't good.

Standing up really helped with handling and the KLE suits me quite well in this regard. It is a comfortable bike to stand on.

The suspension handled these conditions well and so it should really. These were well maintained roads. 

The tarmac road between Picnic point and Mathoura is a nice winding road which is fun. Not many windy roads around here. Just before you meet the tarmac again there is a very pleasant campground with toilets just by a bridge.

All up I rode for about four hours including a lunch stop at the bakery in Tocumwal, NSW.

I re-filled the tank on the way home and used 12 litres exactly, which means I'm getting about 21km/L and I still had three litres remaining. So 300km should be achievable theoretically. I think that is very influenced by how hard you ride.

I am certainly not ready for an 'excellent adventure' yet (Get well soon, Serge) but it is a beginning and the KLE opens up new riding areas local to me that I would never have found otherwise.

I guess that's part of the adventure.
Peter Farrell
2017 Suzuki S40 Boulevard (cruising) - loned out
2006 Kawasaki KLE 500 (adventure) - loned out
1989 Suzuki TS 250 X (vinduro)
1986 Honda Goldwing 1200
1988 Honda Goldwing 1500
1976 TY250 (twin shock trials and officiating)
Last Edit: 16 Sep 2018 18:33 by Dr. Peter.
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Tocumwal to Picnic Point 16 Sep 2018 20:08 #27524

  • Jason375
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Sounds like a good little adventure Peter, Last winter I went fishing in that section about 30-40 ks out of Tocumwal, on the way to Mathoura, some nice River Red Gum forest in there and a lovely section of river. There is a dog  permitted designated camping area unlike the Barmah forest on the other side of the river.  There was a few sandy tracks near the gate as you come into the park.
I'm glad your new bike is going well, must be more fun to ride than the dt.
"I'D RATHER BE RIDING"
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Tocumwal to Picnic Point 16 Sep 2018 20:43 #27526

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Mat R said you need n+1 bikes where n was the number of bikes you currently have. I think he has a point.

Jason, your comment about the DT is interesting. For me, it is more fun to ride 'adventure style' than 'dirt bike'. For one I'm not near as anxious as when I am on a AMTRA ride as I can see what's coming and the bike is up for it. Mind you, I'm not hard-core adventure yet by a long shot.

My old trials bike has always been fun and even though I am a long way from riding it well, I feel my skills are improving. I see a lot of connection between Adventure and Trials, my first passion: It's all about choosing good lines and committing to these. Dirt biking seems too fast me.

However, the DT has found its place in my fleet as the bike we (my son and I) ride when the [grand]kids come for a ride. It's great for this. I doubt very much if it will get an AMTRA outing unless it is very easy.

I have also noticed that now my S40 cruiser does not have to be the ride everywhere bike, except for a choof into town and back, it is much more enjoyable. I have stopped being disappointed in it. The KLE made that happen.

Jason, you are quite right about how nice that part of the world is - and it is practically in my backyard. Might need to explore those sandy tracks one day.

Peter
Peter Farrell
2017 Suzuki S40 Boulevard (cruising) - loned out
2006 Kawasaki KLE 500 (adventure) - loned out
1989 Suzuki TS 250 X (vinduro)
1986 Honda Goldwing 1200
1988 Honda Goldwing 1500
1976 TY250 (twin shock trials and officiating)
Last Edit: 16 Sep 2018 20:45 by Dr. Peter.
The administrator has disabled public write access.
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