From: dme@dstos3.dsto.gov.au (Mark Evans)
Newsgroups: aus.motorcycles
Subject: BIG DARWIN RIDE
Date: 7 Oct 92 21:18:36 GMT
Organization: Defence Science and Technology Organisation


 1992 Australian National Darwin HOG Rally - Ride Report
 -------------------------------------------------------

 Having toured Tasmania on my 1200 Sportster in January I 
felt I could handle the 6500 km return ride to the 1992 
Australian National HOG rally in Darwin. In the week before 
I left I had the bike fully serviced, put an Avon Roadrunner 
tyre on the rear wheel and got my touring gear together. I 
made sure I had a full complement of tools just in case 
disaster struck on those lonely outback roads. The usual 
"layout all your gear and halve it" trick was employed to 
keep weight and bulk down.

 I had intended riding with Dave Compo and Chris Hollywood 
from the Adelaide chapter but they left a week before I 
could get holiday leave. Not to worry, I thought, I'm bound 
to meet up with some pilgrims along the way.

 On Saturday 11/4/92 I set out from home planning to stay at 
Glendambo that night. The 300 km ride to Pt. Augusta was 
straight forward touring. Leaving Pt. Augusta for Pimba I 
passed through some of the best scenery in the north. On my 
left were the salt lakes Macfarlane and Island Lagoon and on 
my right the western edge of the Flinders Ranges. Truly 
beautiful. I reached Glendambo about 4.30 pm and parked 
outside the road-house/caravan office. I was just about to 
organise a camp site for the night when a guy on an Ultra 
came over and introduced himself as Joseph from the N.S.W 
HOG chapter. He had ridden across from Broken Hill that day 
and was intending to make Coober Pedy that night. The 254 km 
stretch from Glendambo to Coober Pedy runs through the 
Woomera Prohibited Area and has no petrol stops. This part 
of the trip had worried me due to my Sportster's thirst for 
fuel. Joseph convinced me to ride with him and I was happy 
to have some company. It took us 3 hours, riding at a 
constant 85 km/h, to reach Coober Pedy with the last 3/4 
hour in dark conditions.

 After filling our bikes with Super we booked into the 
"Oasis" caravan park and got a share room for the night. 
Joseph had the idea that everyone in Coober Pedy walked 
around with an opal or two in their pocket and thought he 
could score a stone at a good price. We approached a guy 
working in the local bottle shop who, as it turned out, was 
a miner during the day but alas did not have any opal to 
offer. He informed us that Coober Pedy was in a bit of an 
opal drought with no new strikes being found.

 The next morning we awoke to overcast conditions. The days 
plan was to ride to Erldunda where Joseph would turn off to 
Ayers rock and I would continue on to Alice Springs. As we 
departed Cobber Pedy we witnessed the unusual potmarked 
landscape of the opal fields. All you can see are hundreds 
of white sand heaps scattered around the land. Each pile 
representing a nearby mine shaft. About 20 km north of 
Coober Pedy light rain set in which didn't stop until we 
reached Kulgera, 400 km later. With the open face helmet and 
no windscreen my progress was slowed to 80 km/h.

 I felt like I was being cheated. Here I was riding through 
the so called desert and freezing ! The amount of vegetation 
in the area amazed me. Where were the red sand dunes and 
panoramic vistas ? We finally  rode into Erldunda and parted 
company. Riding through the Macdonnell ranges I knew I was 
close to Alice Springs. It was almost dark when I reached 
Alice and was almost instantly overtaken by a guy on an FXR 
who pulled me over and told me where all of the HOG people 
were camped. So, on his advice I proceeded to the "Gidday 
Mate" caravan park where about 20 OZHOG (Melbourne Chapter) 
members were camped. A very friendly bunch indeed. I had 
only been there a few minutes before I was introduced to 
everyone and had a plate of food in front of me. Fellow 
Adelaide members Chris and Dave were present and informed me 
they had been in Alice four days already. A Coopers night at 
the "Gap View Hotel" followed.

 Of the 20 or so OZHOG riders, 4 had decided to ride on 
ahead and stay at Tennant Creek then Mataranka. The big 
attraction being the 35 degrees Celsius thermal springs at 
Mataranka. I decided to ride with them. The remaining riders 
were intending to ride with the two factory yanks who were 
railing their Dyna Glides in.

 All was going well the next day when my bike died just out 
of Ti Tree. The motor just stopped running as if it was out 
of petrol. Pulling to the side of the road I checked the 
fuel line, wiggled the petcock and scratched my head. 
Nothing looked out of place. I couldn't figure it out and 
that hopeless sinking feeling came over me. I tried to start 
her up and presto she fired up OK. So, we proceeded on. 
About 20 km later she did the same thing. I pulled over and 
yep she fired back into life. Confusing, eh ? This happened 
4 more times before reaching Tennant Creek with each 
"breakdown" at random intervals. By the 3rd time I was able 
to slow up, slip the bike into neutral and while still 
rolling start it up and continue on. I can't tell you how 
glad I was to reach the caravan park that night.

 It was too dark to work on the bike when we got there so I 
put the tent up and flaked out. As I lay in my sleeping bag 
thinking about the bike I thought how the hell could it be a 
fuel problem ? A fuel problem is characterised by spurt-run-
spurt-spurt-run while the problem I had was just a total 
engine kill. It had to be an electrical fault and with 
random dropouts it must be a loose wire or something 
similar. Well, in the morning I put my hand under the petrol 
tank to feel the coil and sure enough the left hand primary 
terminal had a loose nut. The nut was tightened and I had no 
further problems.

 With renewed confidence I rode on ahead with the hope of 
swimming in the thermal springs at least a couple of hours 
before dark. About 200 km north of Tennant Creek, in Elliot, 
I was fuelling up when about 10 Harleys rode in. It was the 
Queensland HOG chapter. They had come via Mt Isa. This was 
one organised troupe. They had two back-up vehicles both 
with bike trailers. One of the utes was owned by the group's 
local Harley dealer and was a spare parts warehouse on 
wheels. If this wasn't enough the ute also had a petrol 
supply onboard for the bikes. They filled the tank at cheap 
Queensland prices before leaving and for these guys a fuel 
stop would entail each bike pulling along side the ute while 
petrol was hand pumped down the pipe and into their tanks. 
Pretty slick I must say. One of the Queensland group was 
riding an ape-hanging Shovel trike which had part of its 
rear frame crack straight through.

 I rode with this group to Mataranka and along the way we 
stopped at the unique Daly Waters Pub. The thermal spring at 
Mataranka did not disappoint. The water was warm and crystal 
clear. Huge palm trees surrounded the water-hole which had a 
white sandy floor. Paradise for sure. A drinking session 
followed at the Maluka bar where I ran into a small 
contingent form the Ringwood (Victoria)  chapter. Good 
feelings were in the air that night.

 The Queensland group had decided to ride to the Darwin 
rally site the next day whereas I intended to only ride as 
far as Katherine and take in a river cruise upon the famous 
gorge waters. The actual gorge or gorges are about 30 km 
from the town centre and are definitely worth a look. I 
booked on an 8 hour "safari" which took in the first 5 of 
the 13 gorges. Each gorge is separated by rapids which means 
leaving the boat and walking along the bank to the next 
boat, above the rapids. The place is full of rock paintings 
and the gorges themselves are majestic. Swimming is 
encouraged despite the presence of freshwater crocodiles. 
These are the "shy" variety ! Many of the OZHOG riders went 
on the 2 & 4 hour cruises.

 It was Easter Friday and the first day of the rally when I 
left Katherine for the last 300 km stretch to the rally 
site. At Adelaide River I encountered the OZHOG chapter, the 
yanks as well as Chris & Dave the rubber mount men. This was 
the last pub stop before reaching Darwin and we all rode to 
the rally site together with the yanks leading.

 The rally was held at Freds Pass Reserve which is a series 
of sporting grounds about 25 km south of Darwin on the 
Stuart Highway. Approximately 150 bikes made it to the rally 
including about 20 from the Perth chapter which was a great 
effort. One couple from Tasmania (affiliated with OZHOG) 
even attended ! Next years national rally is to be held in 
Victoria so Adelaide has no excuse for showing such a poor 
attendance again.

 The heat and humidity was bad enough outside my tent but 
inside the sweat just streamed out of me. Thankfully the on-
site bar kept the fluids flowing. Saturday saw the bike 
parade to Darwin with the bikes being parked in the mall. 
They drew a big crowd as the locals ogled the big shiny 
Milwaukee marvels. That afternoon the gymkhana was staged. 
The heat and distance from home may have been the reason not 
too many people entered the events. That was my excuse 
anyway.

 I decided to leave on Sunday morning having had enough of 
the heat. Before leaving I changed the engine oil (25W-60 
was all I could get), the oil filter, transmission fluid and 
put in a couple of new spark plugs. The chain was lubed and 
tensioned.
 The 732 km ride to Elliot was hot but I could feel the 
humidity steadily decreasing the further south I travelled. 
Along the way a guy on an FXST passed me wearing a Vietnam 
Veterans MC vest and rode 50 m in front of me for the next 
10 km before pulling over and waving me down. As I slowed up 
he pointed to his 21 inch front wheel which was flat. I rode 
the 15 km to Adelaide River to get him a can of fix-a-flat 
which when applied to his wheel started spuing out from the 
side of his rim. The tyre bead was broken and that means 
trouble on a tubeless tyre. Situation hopeless, no stand or 
jack for the bike and too far from the next town to push. As 
luck would have it the Queensland HOG chapter rode up and 
informed us that their Morgan & Wacker back-up vehicle would 
be along soon. Having nothing more to offer I rode on and 
reached Elliot late afternoon.

 That night after pitching the tent for what seemed like the 
100th time I inspected the bike to find my new rear tyre was 
perishing due to road heat. Nothing serious, just tiny 
cracks near the edge of the tread. It made me wonder how 
those two-up fully laden Electra glides I saw at the rally 
would go.  My chain was nearing the end of its life and was 
stretching considerably. It required tightening at the end 
of every day for the remainder of the trip.

 Another hot day followed as I rode to Alice Springs. 
Coopers brewery got me through the last stretch from the 
Barrow Creek Pub, another fascinating outback water hole. 
People may think the long stretches of road must be boring 
to ride on but there was no point on the whole tour when I 
was unable to spot something of interest. I saw a multitude 
of dead wildlife. Kangaroos, cows and even a snake littered 
the roadside. These carcasses provided feasts for the 
enormous eagles that inhabit the area. Those eagles are not 
afraid of anything especially a lone Harley and I had a few 
close calls along the way. The cattle on the other hand are 
quite well mannered and just look up as you pass by, but not 
one of them waved. The 15 or so motorcyclists I passed were 
more friendly. I saw two Japanese guys walking the Stuart 
Highway towing hand carts. One had a pair of "roller blades" 
on. The road trains in the north are huge but I had no 
problem overtaking them as they often indicated for me to do 
so. Passing road trains travelling the other way was not so 
easy. One truck almost blew my helmet off such is the force 
of the wind blast as they go by. 

 Light rain fell that night in Alice and did not stop until 
morning where it became patchy. My tent was soaking when I 
packed up. Not the best riding weather. I was bloody glad I 
had my leathers with me as the ride to Ayers Rock that day 
was freezing. The section of road between Erldunda and 
Yulara passes through real desert country. Red sand dunes 
with little or no vegetation. The real thing.

 The next day I rode from Yulara campground to Uluru and 
circumnavigated it via the sealed road before making the 
climb. The gradient was much steeper than I had expected. I 
spent 20 minutes at the top, where it was blowing a gale, 
before making the far less strenuous decent. In the last 12 
months about 31 people have had to be rescued from the Rock 
and since 1965 29 people have died making the ascent ! 

 After the Rock I rode to the Olgas 50 km away and had a 
short walk around. I slept well that night.

 On Day 13 of the ride I hit the worst head-wind I had 
encountered so far which did not cease until I reached 
Erldunda on the Stuart Highway 244 km later. At the road-
house I met Paul from the N.S.W chapter. He was riding an 
FXRS-SP which had blown a rectifier/regulator unit earlier 
in the trip and was fortunate enough to have been "rescued" 
by the QLD group who trailered him to Darwin. We rode to 
Coober Pedy together passing through familiar territory. We 
visited the underground hotel bar that night which was a 
pretty swish place, 5 stars etc. 

 Paul's Metzeler rear tyre was getting badly worn and he 
wanted to make Adelaide the next day (Friday) so he could 
get a new tyre fitted from Peter Stevens on Saturday. He was 
heading back to Sydney via the Great Ocean Road where a bit 
of tread could come in useful.

 Riding at a steady 85 km/h through the Woomera area we 
reached Glendambo. I felt good as home was not far away now. 
The land in this area was the flattest I had seen on the 
whole trip and was covered in short green vegetation. 
Between Glendambo and Pimba my rear spark plug blew out of 
the engine, much to my surprise, and was flapping around in 
the breeze still attached to the spark lead. I could feel 
the air puffing out of the cylinder head and into my leg ! I 
pulled over and with testament to Harley Davidson, had to 
turn my engine off as the motor was still running on one 
cylinder quite happily. After re-installing the wayward  
plug we continued on to Pt. Augusta arriving late afternoon. 
If we were to make Adelaide then the last 100 km would be in 
darkness. The decision was to go on.

 Peter Stevens finally came into view around 7.30 pm that 
night. We proceeded to the counter and inquired about 
getting a tyre fitted the next day. "No chance" the bloke 
said. "Its Anzac Day tomorrow and we will be closed". We had 
completely forgotten about that. This did not present a  
problem as we decided to fit the tyre there and then. Paul 
rode his bike up the ramp and into the showroom. Luggage was 
stripped from the mount and an about an hour later a new 
Dunlop Elite was fitted. After a well earned drink Paul and 
I bid farewell and I rode home arriving at 11.00 pm. That 
was a long day and it sure felt good to sleep in a real bed 
that night.

 The odometer indicated I had travelled 6877 km in 14 days. 
The bike didn't let me down in any major way. "Not bad for a 
Sporty". I saw some amazing country and met some great 
people and can only urge other HOG members to take on a 
similar trip and go touring.

                                           Mark Evans 


                      Tour Summary

Date      Day   Start          Stop           Distance 
------------------------------------------------------
11/4/92   Sat   Adelaide       Coober Pedy    822 km
12/4/92   Sun   Coober Pedy    Alice Springs  684 km
13/4/92   Mon   Alice Springs  Tennant Creek  506 km
14/4/92   Tue   Tennant Creek  Mataranka      551 km
15/4/92   Wed   Mataranka      Katherine      130 km
16/4/92   Thu   Boat cruise                     - km
17/4/92   Fri   Katherine      Darwin         314 km
18/4/92   Sat   Rally                           - km
19/4/92   Sun   Darwin         Elliot         732 km
20/4/92   Mon   Elliot         Alice Springs  758 km
21/4/92   Tue   Alice Springs  Ayers Rock     444 km
22/4/92   Wed   Climb Rock                      - km
23/4/92   Thu   Ayers Rock     Coober Pedy    732 km
24/4/92   Fri   Coober Pedy    Adelaide       822 km




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   _______________________________________
 /                                         \     ____________________________
|  Mark Evans                               |  /                              \
|  Defence Science Technology Organisation  | | E-Mail: dme@dstos3.dsto.gov.au |
|  Salisbury, South Australia               |  \______________________________/ 
 \_________________________________________/           
                    
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