Suzuki Adventure Ride

This entry is part 3 of 19 in the series Adventure Rider Issue #30

Lithgow-Bathurst-Capertee, NSW

Suzuki’s adventure rides are growing fast.

Around 60 riders showed up on a frosty Lithgow morning to take part in the third adventure-riding week-end hosted by Suzuki Motorcycles Australia.

This was the third ‘round’ of the series.

We use inverted commas there because we’re not sure the original ride – featured in issue #26 – was intended to be the first of many, but it seems that may be the way things are headed. A second ride in South Aussie was well attended, this particular weekend attracted another large and happy crew, and by the time you read this another ride will have run in Queensland in July. Then there’s a repeat of the first ride planned for Victoria in September.

If all goes well, Suzuki is hoping to make these rides annual events.

Dry conditions meant the off-road sections were a tad dusty.
There was a good roll up with bikes and riders of all types.

All comers

Although sponsored and run by Suzuki, all brands are welcome, so on this chilly Saturday morning the carpark of the Lithgow McDonald’s was chocka. There were not only V-Stroms, the bike for which the rides were originally intended, but surprisingly large numbers of DRs, DRZs, a KLR or two, some KTMs, a few Triumphs, a Honda and a Ducati.

The Suzuki owners themselves fronted on everything from the serious adventure weapons of people like Vince Strang, a handful of 2018 V-Stroms supplied to media riders and a lone GSX750F.

The best part of the whole atmosphere was nobody seemed to care too much what anyone was riding.

The good ol’ V-Stroms proved their versatility yet again.

Follow the leader

After a very distinguished and successful career as a pro road racer, Shawn Giles is now a Suzuki ambassador and, with a clutch of solid, reliable people, set the routes for the two days. Expecting to find a collection of steady, sensible V-Strom riders looking for a dualsport weekend, he was a little concerned at the number of single-cylinder bikes and riders sporting Camelbaks, bumbags, layers of dust and new knobbies. With barely a second thought he split his sweep riders into two groups and himself led the more adventurous guys on a tougher loop with creek crossings and a few dodgy bits, while the more restrained riders hit the original loop.

In a masterpiece of synchronisation the two groups met at Oberon for smoko.

No stress at all.

Chris and Lilli Bryant, from Engadine in NSW, achieved celebrity status. On their first adventure ride together, Lilli, 10, pretty much won everyone over, and Chris steered the V-Strom through a trouble-free weekend.

Band on the run

With the dry conditions it was thought prudent to keep the two-group idea in place for the weekend. So although all rode the same terrain after the first section, separating the two groups made for less dust and the option of a ‘faster’ or ‘slower’ pace. Maybe that could’ve been interpreted as an early or late departure. Whatever.

The choice was up to the riders.

After a longish day – due to a difficult flat tyre and the joys of the cornerman system – everyone enjoyed a sedate, responsible lap of Mount Panorama in the late afternoon of the first day before showering up and meeting for dinner and a few prizes at The Family Hotel in Bathurst itself. A large proportion of the riders stayed at the hotel as well, and after a strenuous day on the trail were able to enjoy the raucously-fricken-loud band which bashed out high-volume classics like Khe Sanh and Proud Mary at ear-bleeding volume until two-o’-fricken’-clock in the mongrel-bastard morning in an auditorium connected to the accommodation.

It was all part of the adventure.

Ride leader Shawn Giles set some great loops through his home region.

Shawn Giles

A Suzuki ambassador since his retirement from professional racing, Shawn Giles, 48, is a true riding enthusiast for all styles and disciplines. The three-time Australian Superbike Champion explained how it began at an early age.

“Before I started racing my father had a motorcycle shop, and the first thing he taught me was ‘being a motorcyclist’.

That meant riding everything: dirt track, trail riding, road…everything.

“He started the Alpine Rally, which is till going today, and he started that rally to help teach people to ride. Back then there were only road bikes, really. There weren’t adventure bikes. He said, ‘If you can ride a road bike on dirt roads, and you can ride them when it’s wet or snowing or whatever, you’ll be a good motorcyclist.’”

Shawn embraced the philosophy and it must’ve worked, because aside from the three ASBK titles for Suzuki, he also picked up an Australian SuperSport title, rode World Supers, and we can remember him disappearing in front of us at a stack of State and National enduro and motocross events during the 1980s and ’90s.

Like many of us, Shawn has found adventure riding well suited to our times, and he’s a big fan of the V-Strom 1000.

“I used to love riding sports bikes on the road, but today, the growing sport in motor-cycling is adventure riding,” explained the Lithgow local.

“I ride to Phillip Island for the MotoGP, and a bunch of us who are all mates who’ve ridden or raced together, have all got adventure bikes, and we all try and do as much dirt as we can.

We take three days to ride down there, and it’s just such a blast.

“We have a good yack with our mates, have a few beers and find new trails. We see guys on sports bikes on twisty roads and we give them a bit of a hurry-up. If we see a dirt road and wonder where it goes, the bike’s so versatile we can go have a look.

“That’s what adventure is all about.”

Matt Reilly, Assistant Marketing Manager for Suzuki, is a talented little Vegemite. He nailed some great pics, and he’s a good bloke to have around when you need to spin a spanner or two.

A great weekend

Sunday morning was again clear, sunny and cold as the riders headed off for what was mostly a twisty asphalt run to Hill End and on to Capertee.

There was enough dirt and dust for the diehards to wick things up if they chose, but it was undoubtedly a course set for the road-oriented guys, partly because the Bridal Track was still officially closed. Those not wearing knobbies sure seemed to lap it up as the roads curled and switched their way through some beautiful scenery.

As a final lick of adventure, a highly excited lady showed up at Capertee pub – not a very big establishment, it has to be said – with a fairly laid-back police officer and demanded execution, or at the very least, incarceration, for everyone who’d thoughtlessly parked outside an abandoned shopfront nextdoor.

The guys from Traverse-magazine.com copped a flat.

There was a great deal of arm waving and finger pointing, and some screeching of not-too-specific threats of legal action and corporal punishment, as bewildered riders pushed their bikes a good six or seven metres further down the road and the bored-looking officer u-bolted his highway patrol vehicle and wandered off to continue his relentless pursuit of justice.

It was a great weekend: stacks of fun, lots of laughs and great riding.

Another winner for Suzuki.

Rob Taylor, from Peel, just north of Bathurst, showed up on his stroked 1988 DR750. The bike’s out to 830cc and is well worked over.