GO FOR BROKE
Ever since the first de Dion-Bouton tricycle hit the cobblestones, it provided the ideal means to discover whether the beer in the next county was better than the local brew. And possibly return in time for dinner. In 1900 Billy Elliot rode his de Dion from Melbourne to Sydney simply to test the claim that Reschs refreshes better than Carlton United’s brew. Not long after, Queenslander Will Peverill claimed a record for the longest motorcycle ride on earth; from Melbourne to Sydney and return. His mount was a belt-driven, Peerless powered Fafnir. And yes, Will preferred the XXXX.
And there’s been some epic and admirable adventures in this country ever since. Like speedway champ Jeff Munro’s 1928 circumnavigation of Oz on a 500cc Ariel, Joy McKean’s 16,000km journey on a 125cc BSA Bantam in the 1950s or when Fred and Andreas Powell became the first unsupported riders to conquer the Canning Stock Route on a couple of BMW R 80s in 1983.
The first blokes to ride to Cape York figured the humble Hodaka 100cc Ace was ideal for the task, John Fidler, Viv Johnson, Peter Gunner and Ralph Tice used two Yamaha DT400s and two Suzuki TS400 Savages to become the first riders to cross the Simpson Desert, and let’s not even talk about Darren Gouder’s choice to use
