Shed envy is real. I should know, because I get to see more than a few blokes’ sheds. And most of their sheds are bigger than my shed. While Daryl Beattie’s shed isn’t the biggest shed I’ve seen, it’s bigger than most. And it’s loaded with all the tools of the trade required when you’re one of the country’s pre-eminent trail and adventure bike tour operators.
From the fleet of Honda Africa Twins and CRF450RLs lining the floor inside, to the massive Iveco ML150 4x4 support truck parked just outside, it’s clear Daryl Beattie Adventures takes very seriously the business of leading riders on the adventure of a lifetime through some of the most pristine wilderness in the most far-flung corners of Australia.
As I take a snoop about the shed, stepping carefully past DB’s latest pride and joy — his new Honda XL750 Transalp that’s he’s already started transforming into a more serious off-road mount — it strikes me that this shed isn’t packed with many of the mementoes you might expect to find of a guy who in the 1990s was one of the world’s leading 500cc Grand Prix road racers.
There’s the odd helmet and leathers, but for a guy who
