Tag Archives: RideADV

The Long Way to Wauchope | Part 1 | Buying a T7 & Setting Off

Long Way to Wauchope

With Mark Battersby


I still have dust collecting on my ’80s and ’90s Paris to Dakar VHS tapes I watched over and over as a teenager, dreaming of one day owning a high performance desert crossing machine.

Somehow road bikes found their way into my life, and a 10-year stint living in the USA saw me seduced by the dark side, owning several Harleys and immersing myself in the culture of orange and black merchandise.

While HD took me to some amazing places and events (like the insane Sturgis Rally), adventure was calling and I wanted to blast across deserts, explore forest trails and jump endless cattle grids.

I loved the ‘Rally Ready’ look of the much touted Yamaha Tenere 700

Fast forward a few years the big 5-0 hit and I was no closer to living out my dream. I was missing two key ingredients; an adventure bike and the skills to ride one. While I had several hundred thousand kilometres on road bikes, I’d never owned a true dirt bike.

Choosing the bike proved the easy part as I loved the ‘Rally Ready’ look of the much touted Yamaha Tenere 700. Of course finding one was the real challenge. As luck had it, I went bike shopping on my 50th birthday to a local Yamaha Dealer and as I walked in I saw two Teneres sitting on the floor, naturally assuming one was a demo and the other was sold.

The salesman was unsure when asked, looked up the details and then muttered the words, “It doesn’t appear to be allocated yet.” My credit card went down like a fat kid on a seesaw and she was mine.

So what now? I’m still missing the skills and of course I need all the accessories to at least look the part. I dove into YouTube and every Facebook group I could, immersing myself in information overload.

Two months later the bike is fitted with the necessary bling to look cool at my local coffee shop; bash plate, crash bars, Barkbusters, pannier racks and more. However the embarrassing reality was my T7 only had a pathetic 200 km on her and I had no idea where to ride or whom to ride with.

The Tenere 700 prior to fitting all the bling

During my research I discovered there was a dedicated Tenere 700 Four-Day Off-Road Navigation Rally staged by RideADV that promised adventure and exploration. It sounded perfect, if somewhat daunting, but there was one downside. The starting point was in Wauchope, NSW some 1,800 km away from my home in the Barossa Valley in SA.

The event was run by Greg Yager and his RideADV team and I had become a fan of their unedited and down to earth YouTube videos comparing various Tenere 700 accessories. A few Facebook messages, emails and phone calls and Greg had assured me it was going to be a great event and tapped into my just-do-it personality.

The clock was ticking as it was now less than two weeks before the Rally commenced, and I was far from prepared. As I read through the pre-rally notes I started to realise just how under-prepared I was.

‘No 50/50 tyres permitted’, ‘No soft sided adventure boots’ (more on this later) and being a GPS Navigation ride I kind of needed a GPS. A few more calls to Greg and I had tyres being shipped to Wauchope and a GPS ordered. Suddenly I realised I needed camping gear, an adventure helmet and I’d be away for the mandatory 1,000 km service so I need to have that done early.

Only days prior to departure and I still had no idea which route I was going to take to arrive at Wauchope. It just felt wrong to take a bike like the T7 on a 1,800 km bitumen ride, so I reached out to various Facebook groups seeking ideas for scenic off-road routes, which proved to be extremely helpful.

Sunday departure was aborted due to lack of preparation and was pushed back to noon on Monday. I suddenly felt a wave of anxiety, ‘What are you doing Mark? You’ve never owned a dirt bike, you don’t know which way you’re going, your riding solo and you don’t know anyone at the rally,’ I asked myself.

My partner came home for lunch to wish me good luck and take the necessary departure photos. I could sense the concerned look on her face as I rode off.

There was a couple of must-do stops, including to DMK Design

I only had two deadlines, be in Mudgee Friday morning to have custom Dakar graphics fitted by DMK Design, and Wauchope Saturday morning for pre-rally scrutineering.


Day 1

Day one saw me heading towards to Renmark and depending on time, the recommended ‘Rufus River Road’ passing Lake Victoria, testing my new gear as I went. I’d fitted a GoPro to my helmet and had been given a drone by my brother and sister as a 50th present, but had no idea how to use either of them.

I started to get used to the riding position and feel comfortable on the bike, only having amassed 600 km prior to departure. The run to Renmark was easy especially with my gel seat topper fitted and I felt like I was just on a really easy to ride road bike.

In contrast, as I turned onto Rufus River Road I realised this was going to be my first dirt sections. I was excited but also somewhat apprehensive. My naivety or ignorance saw me maintain 30+ PSI on my Pirelli STR tyres.

Confidence started to build on the loose gravel surface and my speed climbed accordingly. Suddenly I was exactly where I’d dreamed of, blasting across wide open plains, awkwardly standing on the pegs on a beautiful evening with the sun setting behind me.

The road surface changes, and the front wheel wandered as I hit a sandy stretch. My off-road inexperience saw me do all the wrong things, I slowed abruptly and landed my butt on the seat. All ended well, as I pulled to the side of the track, reminded myself what I’d read about sand riding, and took off again.

It’s amazing how quickly I regain my confidence, no doubt motivated by the spectacular scenery as I passed Lake Victoria and continued towards Wentworth. I glanced in my mirrors to witness a stunning orange glow at sunset and thought this was a great opportunity to stop and grab a few pics of my Tenere 700 on dirt roads instead of outside cafes in the Barossa Valley.

Rufus River Road, heading into Wentworth

It’s about an hour after sunset as I ride into Wentworth to grab some fuel and find some accommodation. After settling on the main street motel that adjoins a busy looking pub, I decide to reward myself with few beverages and a pub feed. My advice when stopping at pubs is to ask, what’s great on the menu? – lets face it they want you to have a great meal. The special was steak and giant onion rings, and it lived up to its reputation being an Instagram worthy dish. Day one done, and no idea where I was heading on day two…

Some late night research and suggestions from Facebook adventure groups had me eyeing the Darling River Run visiting towns dotted along this route. The days riding was coming together when I read a disclaimer in one group, “Do not attempt after rain as clay roads will be impassable.”

A quick Bureau of Meteorology review revealed heavy rain and storms in the area, and with my ADV skills being at the shallower end of the mud pit, this route was quickly discarded.

An alternative trip materialised thanks to another Facebook member, “Ever seen the Mad Max Museum at Silverton?”. ‘Seriously Mark?’ I said to myself. I’ve been a Mad Max fan since my teen years, and I’ve never been there – this was a must visit!

The Mad Max Museum seemed a worthy attraction to add to the list

My eyes wandered further up the map seeing where this would take me. Suddenly in the back of mind was what seemed like a CRAZY suggestion from the early stage of my planning, Cameron Corner. The theme of this trip was going to be unplanned, spontaneous and adventurous, so let’s head north – maybe.

Day 1: Total kilometres: 400.  Highlight: Rufus River Road. Must do: Wentworth Pub.

Stay tuned for Day 2….

Source: MCNews.com.au

Ride ADV’s women’s Singleton to Tamworth ride a roaring success

2020 Ride ADV WOAR Singleton to Tamworth run


Ride ADV are celebrating another highly successful Women’s Only Adventure Ride event, with the final 2020 WOAR adventure heading from Singleton to Tamworth, sampling some amazing scenery, great roads and offering plenty of fun along the way.

2020 Ride ADV Women’s Only Adventure Ride – Singleton to Tamworth

For 20-year-old university student Annika Mountstephens having never ridden off-road and having just secured her L-plates on a road bike, the challenge was how to get started adventure riding. Her mum Katrin van der Spiegel recommended joining Ride ADV’s Women Only Adventure Ride, but a 500km two-day ride from Singleton to Tamworth might prove daunting for a complete novice, despite being a keen mountain biker. Annika needed to know if adventure riding was for her…

2020 Ride ADV Women’s Only Adventure Ride – Singleton to Tamworth

Eager to tackle a few dirt kilometres, Annika borrowed an XT250 from Ride ADV head honcho Greg Yager and headed north from his Dural HQ to the Hawkesbury and along the Wheelbarrow Ridge Trail, keen for off-road experience. Despite some of the coldest and wettest October weather on record, the first outing was a success, with Annika showing confidence on her first ride in slippery conditions.

2020 Ride ADV Women’s Only Adventure Ride – Singleton to Tamworth

Two weeks later Annika and Kat joined 13 other women on Ride ADV’s fifth WOAR. Glorious sunshine greeted the women for a weekend festival of adventure. Starting in Singleton, the ride negotiated some treacherous moss-covered causeways before winding over Crawney Gap and into Nundle for lunch. Annika wasn’t even the youngest on the ride. That award was given to 17-year-old student Abi Chadwick. Abi’s family is heavily involved in organising the Sunny Corner Trail Bike Rally and she started riding a PW50 aged four.

2020 Ride ADV Women’s Only Adventure Ride – Singleton to Tamworth

From there the women – riding a mixture of bikes but mostly Yamaha’s tried and trusted WR250R – headed to Tamworth’s Golden Guitar, where participants formed a Tik Tok-friendly flash mob.

2020 Ride ADV Women’s Only Adventure Ride – Singleton to Tamworth
Annika Mountstephens

“It was really cruisey and super fun, I didn’t know what to expect but now I have a taste for this and maybe venturing even further off road. I got heaps of riding tips from a great bunch of people and I’ll definitely be signing up for some dirt bike training. There were so many fun people on the ride and the Ride ADV crew made me feel welcome, I highly recommend other girls joining even if, like me, you have little to no experience!”


Ride ADV plans five WOAR events for 2021, check out www.rideadv.com.au for more information on the calendar of events.

2020 Ride ADV Women’s Only Adventure Ride – Singleton to Tamworth

Source: MCNews.com.au

RideADV Women’s Adventure Ride a roaring success

2020 RideADV Women Only Adventure Ride


25-year-old performance artist Karina White is no stranger to two wheels, having been mad for bikes for as long as she can remember, while her paramedic parents are less keen. This didn’t stop her attending track days on her YZF-R3, while riding off-road offered a whole new challenge, as Karina joined RideADV’s latest Women Only Adventure Ride (WOAR) where the newcomer was made fully welcome.

Ride ADV Women Only Adventure Ride WOAR

Ride ADV Women Only Adventure Ride WOAR

RideADV’s Women Only Adventure Ride

Yamaha legend and top off-road coach Stephen Gall was on hand to offer tips and advice on the two-day ride around the Watagans and Yengo state forests of NSW, while experienced adventure rider Amy Harburg – a veteran of APC rallies and epic trips to Mongolia and South Africa – also offered valuable coaching tips and encouragement.

Ride ADV Women Only Adventure Ride WOAR

Ride ADV Women Only Adventure Ride WOAR

RideADV’s latest Women Only Adventure Ride

With the pressure off, Karina’s skills improved rapidly and her confidence in the WR250R grew over the weekend.

Karina White

“It was such a great bunch of people and what a fantastic bike to start out on. I had a couple of days to get used to the dirt beforehand because I didn’t want to totally embarrass myself… and I could feel my speed and confidence rising as the ride progressed and listening to Stephen Gall was super valuable. I’ve still got a lot to learn but now I’m hooked and looking forward to the next adventure!”

Ride ADV Women Only Adventure Ride WOAR

Ride ADV Women Only Adventure Ride WOAR

Karina White riding the Yamaha WR250R

Meanwhile Amy Harburg piloted Yamaha’s new Tenere 700 for the first time – a demo unit that YMA offered to all attendees fitted with lowered suspension and a low seat to appeal to shorter riders. Amy shared she was super impressed with the new ADV twin and dubbed her weekend, “The best fun I’ve had on a bike for a long time.”

Ride ADV Women Only Adventure Ride WOAR

Ride ADV Women Only Adventure Ride WOAR

RideADV’s Women Only Adventure Ride

Greg Yager – RideADV Trail Boss

“The Women Only Adventure Rides are a great stress-free weekend for us at RideADV. Because unlike blokes they listen to the briefings, they don’t ride over their limits and they don’t overcook corners and spear off into the bush at regular intervals. There are no egos on show – women just get the job done with no fuss.”

Ride ADV Women Only Adventure Ride WOAR Greg Yager

Ride ADV Women Only Adventure Ride WOAR Greg Yager

Greg Yager (centre) – RideADV Trail Boss

18 women rode 350kms over two days with an overnight stop in Singleton… and all are looking forward to the next WOAR which is on 24 to 26 July 2020.

Ride ADV Women Only Adventure Ride WOAR

Ride ADV Women Only Adventure Ride WOAR

RideADV’s Women Only Adventure Ride

Check out RideADV’s site out for details – https://www.rideadv.com.au/event/the-2nd-australian-womens-adventure-ride-weekend-for-2020-gloucester-nsw/

Source: MCNews.com.au