Congregations (NSW and WA)

Adventure Rider Issue #38

• It’s what we do – adventure motorbike riding tours magazine news events
• Dakar 2019: The Wish
• Yamaha Ténéré 700: First Aussie Ride!
• Under African Skies – australian adventure motorbike magazine
• Ducati Multistrada Enduro 1260
• Congregations (NSW and WA)
• Royal Enfield Himalayan – adventure motorbike magazine – australia
• Kimberley Dreaming
• Ural Adventure Ride = australian adventure motorbike magazine
• Bali Tour 2019 – Perth Adventure Riders
• Scott Britnell
• Window Shopping
• Fathers Day = australian adventure motorbike magazine
• Blue Banger Run = adventure motorbike riding
• KLRRR
• Best Job In The World
• Tubeless Bliss with Miles Davis
• Retyrement with Andy Strapz
• Food For Thought with Karen Ramsay
• Checkout
• Fit Out

NSW – Green Valley Farm, Tingha. WA – Round Tu-it, Northcliffe.

The Gymkhana final: From left, Greg Yager, Vince Strang and Garan Hale.

As big years go, 2019 was an absolute whopper for the Adventure Rider Magazine Congregations.

The first, at Green Valley Farm, Tingha, in the New England region of NSW, was a holeshot-and-brake-slide-into-the-first-turn winner, while the West Aussie Congy was the biggest thing to hit the State since Billy Dampier dropped anchor and said, “I wonder if we could teach these people to play cricket?”

Oh, yeah. They were big events.

Here’s a quick rundown on each. If you haven’t ridden into a Congregation yet, you can’t really call yourself an adventure rider.

Get ready for 2020 now. Write it down. Put it in your phone…whatever. September 19 is the date for the 2020 Congregation at Green Valley Farm, and as soon as we get confirmation of the next WA knees-up the details will be on the website and Facebook page.

Be there or feel like you’re not really in touch with adventure riding in The Opal-hearted Country.

September 21 was a big day in the drought-hammered hills around Tingha, NSW. The ground was parched, the animals were starving and the dust was thick on every surface. Water was so scarce the council had to close two lanes of the local pool.

Well. That’s what we heard.

But for all that the landscape maintained its timeless majesty. Green Valley Farm and the Vickery family were in excellent form, and around 340 riders spent some much-appreciated funds in New England accommodation and stores.

The lucky ones were those who stayed at Green Valley Farm. As always, the catering was superb and the campsites brilliantly serviced. The cabins and bunk rooms had booked out well in advance, and those silver-spooners who’d scored the premium accom luxuriated in air conditioning, shaded verandahs and fridges to keep beverages cold.

The campers – the real adventure riders – made full use of the large camp kitchen, hot showers and great amenities to enjoy the fifth NSW Congregation.

It went off like epoxy resin at Uluru in December.

The Gymkhana final: From left, Greg Yager, Vince Strang and Garan Hale.
The Boss, Kurt, put on a good show in the gymkhana and kicked off the evening ceremonies.
Howard and Fast Ed (waving) from Motorrad Garage had some SW Motech gear on hand. Ed’s the only person, aside from Miles Davis, who’s been at every Congregation. Last year he rode clear across to Perth to make sure he didn’t miss one.
Says it all.
Aussie international enduro legend, Chris Cater.

Full program

It’s getting difficult to fit everything into the official single day of the Congregation, but thanks to some crack organisation it ran like an R80 G/S with newly rebuilt Bings.

Miles Davis kicked off proceedings with another astonishing skills demo, followed by a full-on ’nad-kicker: the Yamaha guys rolled out a brand-spanking-new, real-life XTZ 700 Ténéré!

We shit you not.

They rolled the shiny adventure-riding holy grail into the middle of the dumb-struck crowd, told everyone all about it, answered questions, and, melting pants the length and breadth of New England, started it up.

Dear, oh dear.

There were some emergency Kleenex dispensed, we can tell you.

Before the reverberations from the thundering – but environmentally sensitive – Akro had even died down, Stephen Gall and Pod Active boss hog Brett Nicholas had launched into an authoritative rundown on the advantages of knee braces, especially for adventure riders.

At different times during the day and evening there were interesting and instructive talks from people like Howard Bathgate from Motorrad Garage, Lewis Croft from Suzuki Australia, and Dakar-finisher Scott Britnell.

Miles Davis’ skills demo was as jaw-drop-ping as ever.
Scott Britnell (right) talked about what it was like to compete in – and finish – Dakar.

Packed

It would’ve been very difficult to see and hear everything that went on during the jam-packed Saturday, and of course, some were keen to take advantage of the scenic loop supplied by Dualsport Australia. That meant leaving Green Valley Farm for a while, but the Adventure Challenge gymkhana was a ball-tearer and it looked as though everyone made sure they were back in time.

A test of riding skill, this year’s gymkhana benefitted from the presence of Aussie international off-road legend, Chris Cater.

Chris had decided to see what the Congregation was all about, and although, strictly speaking, he was there as a spectator, one of his many amazing talents has always been setting awesome event courses. After a bit of a chat he, Chris Bostelman and Miles Davis got together to really polish what had been a stellar event in 2018.

Suzuki’s Lewis Croft always looks happy.
Mal and Karen from Adventure Bike Australia had great Congregation deals again. They also had a supertrick DRZ with a wide-ratio gearbox on display.

This year Adventure Rider Magazine’s publisher and ad manager joined the competitors’ queue with people like Green Valley Farm’s Adrian Vickery, Ride ADV’s Greg Yager, DR650 Guru Vince Strang and a swag of starters from the campground to weave, slide and charge their way around a technical and interesting course. The crowd’s boisterous vocal support, egged on by Miles Davis over the much-improved sound system, kept the entertainment level at fever pitch.

A ‘final’ for the top-three runners to establish a winner was a real nail-biter, with the top step of the podium finally going to BMW-mounted Garan Hale after fending off strong showings from Vince Strang and Super T superman, Greg Yager.

Brett Nicholas from Pod Active shared some expert knowledge of knee braces.
A Ural means an adventure with a difference.

Winding down. Gearing up

As the sun sank behind the rolling hills and the velvety night crept up from the horizon everyone gathered – congregated – at the woolshed. The cold beverages were served out from the makeshift bar as Steve and Jen Smith from Adventure Moto, aided by Adventure Rider Magazine staff, gave away an avalanche of ‘blind luck’ prizes. Adventure Moto’s contribution alone was something like $4500 worth of fuel bladders, tankbags and riding gear and included a top-shelf REV’IT riding suit.

Pod Active handed over a pair of carbon-fibre knee braces, and there were T-shirts and smaller prizes galore.

It was a give-away motherlode.

And that finished the formal part of the evening.

Some chose to stay and yarn a little, some chose to bunk down before a big ride the next day, and the Vickery family, believe it not, swung into action for next year’s NSW Congregation.

It’s true.

The date has been set – September 19, 2020 – and as soon as it was announced the frenzy began. Bunk rooms and cabins booked out immediately, and there’s substantial waiting lists for both.

So while the rest of us recover, the Vickerys, and Green Valley Farm, are already working hard on 2020’s event.

See you there.

Dean and Judy Futcher from the Gold Coast had a very well set up camp.

Winners

Adventure Moto Blind Luck prizes We want to give everyone a gee up for winning a prize, but the way everyone wrote their names on the entry forms was completely shithouse. We’ll do our best, but if your name looks unpronounceable or is spelled incorrectly, you’ve only your-selves to blame.

Fuel bladder: Paul Noppa, Ian Emmett, Rod Moss and Resheteredge

Giant Loop Diablo tank bag: Caroline Anthony and Tren Smith Giant Loop Fandango: Robert Waite and Martin Tobin Zac Speed Dakar backpack: Rod Taylor Giant Loop Zig Zag bag: Steve Alessa, Daniel Martin, Michael Rgomsor and Bill Birmingham REV’IT rain suit: Chris Medley REV’IT Off Track suit: Mick Harvey REV’IT boots: Glenn Rossler Folding hat: Matt Grabbo

From left, Adventure Rider Magazine’s Chris Bostelman, Adventure Moto’s Jen and Steve Smith. In front, Rod Taylor with the Zac Speed Dakar prize.
Sold!
Gymkhana victor,Garan Hale.
Mick Harvey, winner of the REV’IT riding suit. Any wonder he’s grinning.

The second West Aussie Congregation roared into life on October 12.To be truthful, it was such a well-be-haved group that there wasn’t any roaring or rowdy behavior at any time, but the impact on West Aussie adventure riders was no less for that.

After a very successful Congregation in 2017, circumstances prevented the running of the WA Congregation in 2018, so the folks at Motorrad Garage, organisers and overseers of the WA pea-gravel party, had to pretty much start again. A new venue was found at Northcliffe, a few hours south of Perth, Miles Davis was lined up, burgers and guest speakers were put in place, and the whole show hit high gear on a beautiful Saturday morning.

A 140km loop was a pearler, showing off some glorious terrain.

Bush push

The new venue, Round Tu-it caravan park, was a very eco-friendly and back-to-nature establishment. Kangaroos, fed and encouraged by the property owners, wandered about looking very marsupially, and alpacas, colourful birds and even a very intelligent pony with some smooth dance steps added a great deal of fascination to the setting. Campsites were set in bush alcoves and a central meeting place with covered seating for meals, guest talks and dining was set up.

Local dealers Bunbury KTM Suzuki, Auto Classic BMW Motorrad and JCS Motorcycles rigged impressive displays and joined in the festivities, while, naturally, Motorrad Garage had a ritzy turnout of its own.

In a very popular move, Miles Davis ran a two-day coaching session at the venue leading into the Congregation itself, and the idea was well received by riders. The coaching session had a good roll up, and the Congy itself had some-thing like 120 registrations.

So it got off to a great start.

Guest speakers had some great tales. Ewen MacGregor told of the Trans Euro Trail.

Eat it

A moonlit Friday night with moderate temperatures saw most of the attendees settled and comfortable in plenty of time to woof into the burgers supplied by the venue. There was a ticket allocation where riders were supposed to present a dinner voucher they’d been supplied at sign on, but the system went a little awry somewhere and an unattended bain-marie chocka with juicy burgers became the site of a feeding frenzy.

We’re not sure what happened there.

There seemed to be a lot of shredded alfoil and bemused, wide-eyed people when it was over, but no one was injured and everyone was fed, so we guess the result was good.

It was a torrid few minutes, though.

Miles D. Awesome, as always.

The big day

Saturday dawned bright and clear, and after a solid breakfast – tickets requested and politely handed over. The queue meek and orderly – things kicked off for real with Miles Davis’ skills demo.

Despite the sandy riding surface the supercoach dazzled the appreciative crowd with his usual style and panache, sliding, roosting and wheelying the big BMW like it was a 125 in his own backyard.

It was doubly impressive, because most of the skills demo course was included in the gymkhana that afternoon, so riders were able to get a big dose of reality and see for themselves how hard it really was to control a bike in that setting. As always, Miles had made it look easy.

An eight-millimetre projector brought in, strapped to the back of a bike, for the occasion.

After the gymkhana there was a few hours free time. Riders were encouraged to ride the supplied 140km loop, but it wasn’t compulsory. Quite a few headed out onto the pea gravel and into the well-forested trails to make the most of a glorious afternoon, and it was generally thought to be a very pleasant and scenic track.

Adventure Rider Magazine’s editor borrowed a Motorrad Garage BMW – because the KLR didn’t have a GPS – and cut the course before stopping at a creek for photos. After standing around for half-an-hour or so, wondering why the riders he’d passed hadn’t shown up, he returned to the bike to find a flat front tyre. Fortunately, the course-cutting manoeuvre had lopped about 138km off the 140km loop, and the ride back to the start on the flat turned out to be short and did little or no damage.

Campsites were in bush alcoves.
Oh, no! How long will Motorrad Garage put up with the editor doing damage to its KLR? Howard effected another repair.

Mate against mate

Play resumed in the mid-afternoon with the gymkhana, and it was a doozy.

The brave riders signed up for a very technical run through the usual slow race, circle-in-the-small-box, a trials section and a couple of other challenges, while the spectators sat back and offered plenty of helpful support with loud and humorous comments and a great deal of laughter as bikes hit the dirt right, left and centre.

The trials section, bunted around some convenient trees, proved the undoing of most of the field. No-one made it through the entire course penalty-free, and when the dust settled the win went to Nick Cooper, closely followed by John Tuckett and Dirk Schoendube. The dealers onsite offered huge support, and each supplied hefty prizes for the top three.

A special cheer needs to go to Lisa Potter. Lisa toughed out a very rugged run through the gymkhana course, dropping her Beemer several times and looking a little worn at the end, but she won the crowd over by never giving up.

Every time the bike toppled over she picked it up and kept going until, with a huge cheer, she finished the course, earning the Determination Award in the process.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable after-noon for all concerned.

Auto Classic BMW showed off a few Beemers and gave away some cool prizes.
JCS Motorcycles had some spoofy Triumphs and a Royal Enfield Himalayan on display. Nathan from JCS joined the ride down and back on the Scrambler.
Petra and Howard from Motorrad Garage ran a first-class Congy.
Bunbury KTM Suzuki had a big presence.

Winners

There were a gazillion prizes given away at the presentation and we couldn’t keep up with all of them. Every entrant in the gymkhana received something, and T-shirts, stubby holders, keyrings, vouchers and bike gear were flying about the place like bats in an orchard.

Here’s the main ones…

Adventure Challenge gymkhana

1. Nick Cooper (an Auto Classic BMW voucher)
2. John Tuckett (a Bunbury KTM/Suzuki voucher)
3. Dirk Schoendube (a waterproof bag from JCS Motorcycles) Determination Award: Lisa Potter (a waterproof bag from JCS Motorcycles)

Lisa Potter, winner of the Determination Award and a crowd favourite in the gymkhana.
Big Mick Vanhalteren picked up a Triumph roll-top bag.

Stubby-holder competition

Motorrad Garage made up some collectible, limited-edition stubby holders which were sold at the event with every cent going to the Royal Flying Doctor Service. To back that up, every donation also received a raffle ticket, with the big prize being $1000 to spend at Motorrad Garage. Nearly $900 went to the RFDS, and the prizes went to:
Mark White (Motorrad Garage $1000 voucher for SW-Motech accessories)
Dave Allen ($150 voucher to spend at Auto Classic BMW)
Mic Vanhalteren (Triumph roll-top bag from JCS Motorcycles)

After dark

As the afternoon sun descended toward the horizon the focus moved back to the main area where Ewen MacGregor told of his Trans Euro Trail adventures, complete with some excellent video and images.

That led to dinner and the awarding of a substantial wadge of prizes, including The Big One: $1000 worth of SW Motech clobber from Motorrad Garage, taken home by Mark White.

Those who’d been at the Nannup Congregation in 2017 were chewing their nails in anticipation of another rip-snorter presentation from brothers Andreas and Fred Powell, and the pair put on an edge-of-the-seater, complete with film shown on the eight-millimetre projector brought in, strapped to the back of a bike, for the occasion.

It was a superb end to a really first-class day.

Nobody managed the Adventure Challenge gymkhana course without a penalty.There were plenty of soft, low-speed falls, much to the crowd’s delight.

Stay tuned

Sunday morning saw a quietly happy breakfast and pack up before the riders said their goodbyes and headed to their next adventures.

As we write this there’s no date been decided for the next WA Congregation, but as soon as it’s locked in it’ll be announced on the website and Facebook page.

The sooner the better, we reckon.