Newbie from Adelaide, Australia

[tracyd]

Hi there
Have been hovering on the fringes for a while but decided to take the plunge and post

I haven't ridden a motorbike for since 1995 but I have this absolute determination to go on a guided m/bike tour somewhere in Oz later this year or early 2013. I blame McGregor and Boorman.

I don't own a m/bike and I'm not sure I want to buy one (I live in Adelaide where the car drivers are truly lethal). So I am doing a basic Ridersafe course next week to test my nerves about being on a bike again. Then the advanced one a bit later.

But.... every tour company I have seen on the web says that I need a lot of recent motorbiking experience to join one of their tours. So I am in a catch22 situation. I can't get the experience without getting a m/bike but I don't want to buy a m/bike - I just want to go on a tour.

What do you think? Is it suicidal of me to even attempt to ride a 600cc after so long on the sidelines, or am I being a complete wuss?
Cheers

[Quandary]

Hi and welcome

I hung around in the wings for a while before joining HU as well. Got heaps of info from lots of people from all over, just as you will.

As far as the bike riding goes, well you wont know until you try. Up here in the Cairns region there are tourist off road trips where all you need is a bike licence and then thay do a quick assessment of your riding skills and put you with like skilled people. Maybe look for something like that down there.

Good luck

Marty

[tracyd]

Thanks for that info Marty. Do you have a specific tour company in mind? I will definitely check them out. Much appreciated, Tracy

[Row1]

Welcome back to the world of motorcycling Tracy!

I have to say that I reckon you would enjoy a tour more if you felt comfortable about your riding skills, and that requires practice. I found this to be true on a tour I did early last year in Thailand. Three of us from Oz were on the tour with a bunch of others and had a ball, but one of the guys was a little unnerved by the whole experience and found it rather stressful at first. To his credit, he did get going along quite well towards the end but did have a few prangs trying to keep pace with the others! So, it's a choice you have to make.

Besides - if you want to ride, having a bike you can climb on to any time is a heap of fun

Ro

[Quandary]

Ro is right. If you want to ride then having a bike makes it a lot easier to do it.

Have a look at these. They cater for O/S backpackers with no experience up to the full on experienced. I've never been on any of them but have come accross them in the bush and on the road. The appear to all be professional.
Off-road Motorbike Tours in Australia | Cape York Motorcycle Adventures
Cape York Motorcycle Tours With Fair Dinkum Trail Bike Adventure Tours Cairns

Cheers
Marty

[Gussie Moto]

Hi Tracyd,
Have you tried Compass Expeditions. Have a look at the website may be something there that will intersest you.

Cheers.

[Redbird]

hi like you i read the posts and watched a few people travelling and then joioned. I have a bike and love the freedom, do your refresher and you will decide if you want to get back into it again. You will get lots of positive feedback from this site and good ideas too.
Cheers Jill

[Raffrules]

Hi
The only way to gain the skills back is to ride, if you just do the tour thing and you have not ridden for a long time, it may put others that you ride with at risk.
Bikes have changed in the time you have not ridden and scare me when I ride newer models, it takes awhile to get use to them.
I also ride in Adelaide and yes there are more idiots out there than you think, but it makes you very situational aware.
Half of riding is Pre guessing what that idiot in front is going to do,the other half is avoiding them when they eventually make up their minds.
And I ride every day to work in Peak Hour.
Learning to ride again and cope with everything eles that the road throws up, takes time. I still have moments that make me pucker.
So Have some experience before you book the tour.

[zandesiro]

tracyd....Welcome to H.U.