after advice regarding long outback trip

[Falcore]

see this thread to see where im on about going http://www.perthstreetbikes.com/foru...ly-08-a-46599/



so what do i need to take?

so far living gear etc (have all that side of it for living off the bike)
extra fuel
WATER im guessing 20L would be mininum? probaly seperate containers?
sat phone eukanuba mentioned (whats the deal with these things anyway?)
gps

so if anyone has done any of these roads any other pointers etc (btw the term road is used loosely hence the reason why the bike that'll be going is the xlv)

[Jonchilds]

Toolkit for the bike (not the shitty ones they come with)
12V compressor & patches/plugs.

Try take an oil/air cooled bike as they're probably less prone to boilover if you get stuck at low speed on a hot day.
Failing that, make sure you put an extremely good coolant in the bike.

[Sunshine & F'n Rainbows]

Quality first aid kit.
**edit: and something to take care of your hangover after you stop in Kal and sink some bulk booze with me at The Exchange.

[shmoo]

Firstly the fuel issue;

I dont know about your fuel capacity mate, but on the Vstrom I can get 400k's to a tank if i really need to. So depends on your bikes range.

For me, on my bike, I would probably be carrying a couple of 5L plastic jerry cans of extra fuel to be safe AND 2 emergency 1L containers like this;



that would obviously give me say 600km range. So you might want to bump that up to a 10L and a 5L jerry.

Water:

Whats the standard for bush travel? From memory its 4L per person per day minimum for drinking. More if you need to cook with it obviously. But out the way your heading, I'd want more than that.

But, given the limited fuel range of a bike, even if your carrying spare fuel your going to be stopping at a servo at least every day (or maybe 2 days out in shitsville). So, you need to have enough water for 2 days plus a reserve bit.

Again, carry this in at least a couple of different containers.


GPS for sure. Magellan if possible - best country road coverage by far.

Sat Phone - if possible but they are $$$ even to hire. If not, at least grab an EPIRB for absolute emergency. Take a phonecard for payphones - often the coin slot will be broken but the phonecard will still work.

UHF radio can be handy for short range communications with trucks. Especially useful when your on a gravel road behind a truck and theres so much dust you cant see anything, you can radio the driver and ask if safe to overtake.

Cash is king. Probably an obvious thing for you, but I have been caught out before with outback servos not taking cards, or the connection to the bank being down so cash was the only option.

[Falcore]

thanks for that

bike is oil/air cooled job (orginal transalp)

was looking at carrying probaly 40L of fuel and 20L of water as one of the gaps is nearly 900k's

epirb is a really good idea

compressor and plugs must try an sort that one out me thinks as a flat tyre in the middle of no where aint going to be fun

[Captain Starfish]

tyres for bikes in vic park do the "slime" compressor - absolute little gem of a unit, they're small and pump nice and fast.

When you get the epirb make sure it's on the new frequency. IIRC you register contact details so, if the thing goes off, they know who to call for double checks before they despatch a rescue team.

[Falcore]

thanks starfish, didnt realise that one lol

[nom]

Where on earth are you going that has 900KM between petrol stations? Only your big semi trailer trucks can make that kind of long haul without refueling (or a car with dual fuel petrol/lpg or similar)

[MuNch]

Yup EPIRBS have an expiry date IIRC so check them, don't use analogue EPIRBS because now they are all going Digital. I checked your route quickly and I believe your all tarmac work correct? The main thing would be contact and regular contact.

It is ultra-important for remote outback journeys over rarely used roads that you establish a correct contact procedure to alert locals and people back home. Now, you should leave MORE DETAILED route plans with someone you trust back at home and call them once a day when you have arrived at your destination. Also if you are going remote then call ahead and give the local police station an ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL and an emergency contact (Some cops are good some are bad you get that) if something goes wrong.

I don't believe you are going into the SATCOMM dead zone which is somewhere north-east of Kalgoorlie where Satphones don't work so that shouldnt be an issue for you. HF radio is not an option for you, a small UHF is quite portable and handy for talking to highway users (Channel 40).

Satphones can be hired from many places so do a search on google, they can hire out EPIRBS too. Oh and whole bunch of other handy stuff. You know first aid correct ?

Handy Links:

EPIRBhire

This is handy even though its 4WD Based:
Satellite Phone @ ExplorOz

[Falcore]

lol munches

sorry but you musnt have read the map properly, know where kal is? draw a line to alice springs, roughly same direction

just near the border the two servos there dont supply petrol, thats where the long straight is without fuel. though might be able to organise a special drop

from laverton to uluru its 1200k's if i remember correctly and from aileron road house on stuart hwy to wolfcreek crater in wa was nearly 1000k's all of which is gravel and have been told the tanama track is literally more of a track

[MuNch]

Ah crap, no i didn't look properly. If you want I can contact a few friends who have done that area and more numerous times. One on a dirt bike and a few in the 4B. I'm sure you have your equipment sorted out but I still recommend checking these guys out if you are looking to save space and weight they have some AWESOME equipment there.

Touratech AG

Head to the shop and just go drool. The site also has useful info for repairing bikes etc etc etc

[shmoo]

+1 for the SLIME compressor, great little unit that will fit under your seat.

[Taylor]

In that case, if you see a guy who reminds you of John Jarratt, don't stop. He's really dodgy. Maybe consider something to look after yourself. Take something to save your nose since you'll eventually come across a road which doesn't see many roadkill recovery utes very often.

[shmoo]

Oh and the RAC do some very useful little maps.

There is a Perth to Alice Springs one and i think from memory its $3 and it give lots of info like location of servo's and etc.

If you want really good, highly detailed maps you want the Hema "Great Desert Tracks" Atlus/bundle of maps. It show in excellent detail the whole centre of Australia. Shows all the little 4WD tracks

[Rodney]

Thats one hell of a trip you are planning. I went to Alice Springs last year via the tarmac with a detour to Ayers Rock. I kept looking longingly at the intersection near the Olgas where the dirt road leads to WA, way to much dirt for me to handle, but still one can daydream

Make sure you take some one with you, if something happens you cannot really on a passerby. It is so remote out there, people do die.

Good luck on your trip and watch out for the wild life.