Eating for the ride

Enduro riding is one of the most physically demanding sports known to man. Not only do riders have to control bikes of about 90kg or more, the riding gear is tough, heavy and can become very hot. This puts a great importance on strength and cardiovascular training and eating the right foods.

A good eating plan should consist of suitable amounts of carbohydrates to keep up with energy needs, a moderate amount of protein to help muscle growth and good amounts of vitamins and minerals.

A suggestion would be to eat large meals such as pasta, cereal, toast, baked beans, multigrain meat and salad rolls approx. 2-4 hours before a ride and then top up with small high carbohydrate snacks on rest or planned stops.

Carbs for energy

The benefits of good nutrition will help with increased energy, mental awareness, better reflexes and stamina.

Protein for muscle strength and minerals

Another very important part of the rides are hydration. Avoiding dehydration and overheating is very hard when riding so it is best to stay on top of this. Make sure you are well hydrated in the days leading up to a ride and maintain your fluid intake throughout the ride by using camel packs etc. It is usually a good idea to drink around 600mls of fluid 2-3 hours before the ride and a glass of fluid just before you start. Another good idea is to eat a few jelly snakes, trail mix etc while hydrating will help avoid cramping. Constantly sipping on your camel pack throughout the ride along with is the best way to avoid overheating and dehydration.

When you finish your ride for the day recommended recovery foods such as sports drinks, museli bars, icy poles, sandwiches, soup and fruit we be best eaten within 15-20mins after the ride. Then if you are riding again the next day make sure you re-hydrate and  load up on carbohydrates and proteins in your dinner.

Looking after your body will definitely make your rides much more enjoyable and give you the added energy to attack the trails.

Happy Riding!!

3 Day Cairns Trail Bike Adventure Tour - Cape Tribulation, Daintree, CREB Track and Black Mountain

Thanks to Richard Stewart this is one of our 3 day adventures

Visit World Heritage rainforest at Cape Tribulation and Daintree via CREB Track to Black Mountain. Fabulous scenery plus even more great off road trails.

This motorcycle adventure takes you in the remote trails of Cape Tribulation, riding the CREB track, visiting the Infamous Lions Den pub, Black Mountain and open rural tracks. A chance to see how the early settlers forged this part of Australia.

Pick up 8:30am at the Cairns Central shopping centre and return 4:30pm on the third day.

All riders will appreciate this off road Motorcycle adventure. All ages can experience this challenge and all rider skill levels catered for.

Customised tours can be arranged for individual or groups, and a group discount is available if you have 6 riders or more.

Includes:

• Accommodation and meals
• Fuel
• Motorcycle hire and riding gear
• Qualified guides

There are still seats available on the below dates:

• 1-3 August
• 15-17 August
• 17-19 October
• 14-16 November

But spaces are limited so Enquire now

TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR MOTORCYCLE OFF-ROAD HOLIDAY

Riding off-road motorcycles on holiday can be a thrilling way to explore…until something happens! Make sure you have adequate travel insurance covering you whilst riding a motorcycle off-road.

The tricky thing about motorcycle holidays is finding a good travel insurance policy that will cover you. Many insurers say a flat out ‘no way’ for covering you on a motorcycle, but there are policies out there for you. Have a good look online and you will be able to find a policy that suits you. Comprehensive cover that has unlimited medical and hospital expense, as well as emergency medical assistance would be the best option. There would be nothing worse than getting seriously injured, then have to fork out thousands of dollars for medical bills, not to mention trying to work out how you are going to get yourself home. You want to make sure that if you are riding a motorcycle you will be completely covered by your travel insurance no matter what happens, because after all, no rider no matter how experienced can ever know exactly what will happen off-road.

Contact your travel insurance provider or an insurance broker before you purchase travel insurance for your motorcycle off-road holiday to double check the policy details.

When riding motorcycles you are taking risks with both your health and your money. So do the research, compare the quotes and different policies.

Don’t just settle for the cheapest policy you find, and have peace of mind while you are on holiday.

We have had riders go through QBE for their insurance for your reference.

DIRT BIKING, MOTORCROSS, TRAIL, ENDURO, DUAL SPORT

At Fair Dinkum Bike Tours, trail bike riding comes in many forms and like all sports has its own terminology…dirt biking, motorcross, trail riding, enduro, dual sport motorcycle tours, Adventure riding to mention a few.

We incorporate it all on our 1 to 8 day tours.

Whatever name you wish to call riding a motorcycle off-road, we welcome you.

Dirt biking/Trail riding – Fun riding on trails for extended hours with your mates.

Enduro - Fun riding trails through the bush for extended hours and showing your best techniques over and through obstacles

Motocross – Riding on a prepared track at a organised event

Dual sport – Fun on and off-road adventure riding, riding both tar roads and dirt trails.

Feedback from our July 8 day Cairns to Cape York

Here is some feedback on what some of our riders thought of our last trip...Thank you to Brad & Jayde for taking the time to send this in to us.

Remember to embark on the adventure of a lifetime visit our website
www.fairdinkumbiketours.com.au

Doing a skid on the air bike

Dave,

Jayde and I would like to thank you and your merry band of misfits for an excellent little trip. We were particularly appreciative of the extra effort to accommodate Jayde as the only female on the trip. The separate accommodation was beyond what we had expected to be provided with and was most appreciated.

There are unavoidably significant road sections, however where possible you took us down some great little single trail tracks and unmaintained sections that made the trip worthwhile. Each day threw in something different, from the slippery clay to the soft sand, allowing some test of the technical ability but nothing that overly risked injury, nor made us too tired to enjoy the trail.

The DR-Bricks were a highly capable machine, well set up and a pleasure to putt along on.

Thanks again to you and your team, everything was looked after for us, no dishes to be done, no servicing to sweat over and ample cold drinks to wash down the fantastic feeds.

We have been avidly recommending the trip to our friends. Your brochures have made it to my Army mates at Robertson Barracks, a few to the local Police Station and the rest to the local bike shop.

I am now troubled by the dilemma of 'where next'?

As requested, I have affixed a couple of photos, perhaps they will come in handy.

Thanks again,

Brad & Jayde.

Little bit of unique advertising

A Goanna checking out Jase's form

Checking out the DRZ

  

A bit of Daintree humour

Technical Tips - Dewatering the Yellow Submarine (Suzuki DRZ 400)

Riding some of the most extreme places in Australia can have it's wear and tear on your +dirt bikes.  I have decided to post a few +Technical Tips  each week to help with the maintanence of your weapon.

When riding to +Cape York there are several river and creek crossings, so we are going to start with one of the problems riders face when going to the Cape.

River Crossing at Cockatoo Creek heading to Cape York

De - Watering a +Suzuki DRZ 400 (The Yellow Submarine)

The +DRZ 400 is the bike our tours provide for riders as it is reliable, got great guts and easy for most riders to adjust to.

There are 2 ways to drown your bike. The first is a partial drown, the second a total submerge. Logically a partial drown is easier to resolve. A total submerge on the other hand can be a little more tricky. Here is a step by step guide to dewatering techniques for the +DRZ 400.

Partial Drown -

1. First remove the air box side cover to see whether any water has entered into the air filter box. If there is no water, check the exhaust has not been under water and filled the system because this would create another, separate issue which would fill up the engine cylinder with water.
2. If the exhaust has a lot of water in it, it will be necessary to remove the spark plug and carry out the full submerge procedure. Do not attempt to start the bike. If you do and the engine is full of water, you will bend a con rod, requiring an engine removal and a hefty repair bill.
3. We have established that the exhaust is clear and the airbox is clear. Now it is a simple matter of tipping the bike to the left hand side so that the foot peg reaches the ground. This will drain the carby bowl of fuel and water from the overflow tubes. No need to remove the carby drain bung at the bottom of the carby - this is a real nightmare to remove and replace.
4. Hold the bike in that position for 15 seconds, then bring the bike upright, try the starter with the choke on and no throttle. The bike should start.
5. If the bike does not start, open the throttle wide for 5 seconds. Then release the throttle and try starting the bike again. If it starts check throttle response - if it hesitates and cuts out there is still water in the carby. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the bike starts.

Total Submerge - 

1. Assuming the bike has been completely submerged underwater, the first thing to do is remove the side air box cover. Also remove the bottom drain grommet from the bottom of the air box and let the water drain from the air box. Then replace it.
2. Remove the air filter and let it dry out in the sun.
3. Remove the drain bung from the bottom of the carby (14mm). Drain out all of the fuel and water.
4. Remove the seat, tank and spark plug.
5. Next, up end the bike vertically by lifting from the front wheel so the exhaust is pointed to the ground. Excess water will run out from the exhaust.
6. Crank the engine over but do so with caution - water in the engine will be forced out the spark plug hole.
7. Once all excess water is pumped out lower the bike back to the ground.
8. Replace the carby drain bung, get a cigarette lighter and heat up the electrode of the spark plug. This will dry out the plug and help the bike to restart. Replace the plug in the bike.
9. Sit the tank on the bike and hook up the fuel line, turn on the tap, leave the air filter out.
10. With the choke on, give the throttle 2 full turns and try to start the bike, leaving the throttle wide open fora couple of seconds whilst starting. If the bike doesn't start, close the throttle and try to start the bike again.
11. If it fires but doesn't start, open the throttle slightly, while you start the bike. When the bike fires and runs then let it run with the throttle quarter open for a minute.
12. Now you can install the air filter, squeezing out any excess water and replace it back in the bike with the motor running.
13. Last mount the tank and seat back on the bike, if the bike hesitates with engine running, lean the bike over on it's left hand side to help drain any remaining water from the carby.

Now your ready to ride. I hope this has helped with anyone encountering this problem with their +Suzuki DRZ.

Happy Trails,

Dave

www.fairdinkumbiketours.com.au

Come take a ride with us!

Ride Tasmania

Tasmania is promoted as the natural state, the 'Island of Inspiration',and A world Apart, Not A World Away owing to its large and relatively unspoiled natural environment. Almost 45% of Tasmania lies in reserves, national parks and +World Heritage Sites.

Tasmania the Island of Inspiration

Which is why +Fair Dinkum Bike Tours offers 1 - 6 Day tours to explore this amazing part of the World. Here is a sample of the tours that we provide.

North West Tour

At least 4 or 5 days is required to do this ride, and due to winter rainfall October to April are the only months to do this tour as the river crossings are impassable.




Itinerary:

• Depart from Devonport and travel to Waratah about a 1.5 hour drive. Vehicles will be left in a locked compound. Ride from Waratah to Smithton
• Smithton to Sandy Cape
• Sandy Cape to Strahan
• Strahan to Zeehan
• Zeehan to Waratah, load up the bikes and back to the ferry in Devonport

North East Tour

This 5 day tour is the most popular. Best time to ride the North East is from March through to November. The ride covers average from 150klms to 200 klms per day.

Itinerary:

• Secure vehicles in depot at Blessington (30 mins east of Launceston). Follow trails and forest breaks as we head north to Scottsdale for the first overnight stay.
• Head out to some awesome sandy and loose granite trails as we head for the east coast of Tassie stoppin in St Helens for a night.
• The day is spent riding the trails of Peron Dunes of the beach front, riding the local east coast tracks or you can choose to have a lay day and go fishing.
• Go to the east coast to the mountain top of Ben Lomond for a stay at Tassie's only ski resort. Plenty of good rainforest trails along the way.
• Circumnavigate Ben Lomond to the Rock Fest which will sort out the men from the boys. Make our way back to the cars in the afternoon giving enough time to get back to the ferry for the trip back to the mainland.

Few Pictures of the gang on our last Tasmanian Adventure

Be sure to check out www.fairdinkumbiketours.com.au & www.fairdinkumaustralia.com.au to see what trips we have coming up so that you can experience the ride of a lifetime.