Now we’re cooking!

Had a busy weekend with work and play, so didn’t get a lot of progress on the bike. Ticking small boxes is better then no one though.

I managed to get around to a few local bike shops and pick up a few little bits to help me along the way. Purchased new clutch and brake levers, rear brake lever, and gear selector. Carrying parts like this will be handy if I have an off in the bush and the originals come off worse for wear.
Also picked up all the pieces Ill be glad for if I get a puncture. Two spare super heavy duty tubes, tyre levers, CO2 canisters and pump. Keeping everything compact is hard work. I’m currently working on a tool roll and tube. Trying to substitute weight while using minimum space, keeps me thinking and consistently coming up with new and different designs.

Keeping my electrical equipment charged has been taken care of with a dual, water proof, 12 volt power plug. Wired direct to the battery with an inline fuse, means I can charge on the go or at night when the bikes not running.

After spending a few hours in camping stores weighing up pro’s and con’s on cooking gear. I finally made the decision to go with the 360 degree furno stove and pots. They are super compact, weigh less then 500g and can boil a litre of water in under 4 minutes. Perfect to warm up a can of beans or hand full of pasta!

Slowly getting things together but I still have a lot more to go. Looking into navigation and GPS tracking devices with SOS options, incase things turn extremely pear shape. It’s all part of the adventure!

Keep riding! Billy.

First Test

Today was my first ride after spending a fair amount of time and money on the DR over the weekend.

I bought the bike 3 weeks ago, picked it up locally on the central coast for $4900. It was fairly stock with the only mods being, Renthal bars, alloy bash plate and a set of peg lowering brackets. The bike was like new, only 13000k’s, new Mitas tyres, and not a scratch on it! I purchased it off the second owner, who had bought it to set up for touring but his wife had better plans.

I had been looking for a few weeks, so I knew what accessories I could get my hands on quick, and already had a bit of a wish list. Before I had it off the back of the Ute and in the shed I knew I was up for heavy-duty suspension straight away. And after a big slide on the right side in the bush that weekend it wasn’t going out again with out the upgrade.

That Monday I found a bloke in Queensland wrecking his DR650 after being wiped out by a 4wd. I scored his Corbin seat. fork legs with emulators, heavy duty springs and top spaces. And 8kg rear spring with re-valved shock all for $750. Stoked!

With news that the motorcycle show was being held in Sydney in a few weeks. I held off on buying any more gear to see if I could find some bargains. The motorcycle show was good, but not everything I expected. With a few good stores but not a lot to buy, I still managed to pick up my luggage from Australian made manufacturer, Andy Strapz. On my way home from the show I picked up a second hand 33litre Safari tank, which I found advertised on Gumtree for $300. Just as well I didn’t hand out the $650 Safari wanted for a brand new one!

Acting like grommets in a toy shop, my guru mechanic (Dad) and I stayed up until midnight fitting all my new goodies. The bike transformed within 6 hours, from a spongy looking farm bike, into a real adventure weapon.

With the bike being unregistered, I wasn’t able to take it for much of a ride. Due to being rained out of work during the week, I managed to get the DR registered and out for a spin. What a difference! With the new front forks, it doesn’t dive under heavy breaking and handles %200 better on the road and the dirt, the rear shock felt a little hard but the bike wasn’t loaded. The Corbin seat feels like I’m sitting on the couch at home, I wouldn’t have last a day on the stock motocross seat. With the big tank only half full I didn’t notice much weight difference, a small amount of front end wobble at faster speeds on the road, but nothing significant. I’m over the moon with the mods so far and looking forward to a few more late nights in the shed with the old man.

I’ll be working on the bike constantly over the next month getting it ready to take off in early January. Documenting every part of it. Hopefully getting away for a weekend or two for some test runs. Don’t forget to sign up for email notifications on the home page and follow me on Instagram @twowheels_onecountry.

Keep riding! Billy.

Two Wheels One Country

Hi and welcome to Two Wheels One Country.

This is the site where I will be blogging and uploading photos of my adventures.

Follow my Instagram page as well for photos to keep up to date with my journey. Feel free to like, comment and share any of my posts. Feed back will be the best thing to improve my writing and knowledge, so don’t be afraid to drop some pointers. I look forward to sharing everything I get up to and I hope you enjoy it as much I do!

Billy.