The XR did as an XR would; nothing brilliant everything as expected and I didn't get spat off it so no complaints about it.
Got to love the desert, looked at that XR after 665km today and it didn't need a wash, only a bit of dust on it, it's ready to roll for next week.
I think the XR & the DRZ were the only two bikes not to spit off their riders at some point during the three days? Rudi & Darryl may correct me here.
Tim D - leading from the middle... Great ride again Tim! Nice relaxed atmosphere, and you do an awesome job of including some amazing tracks in your ride. Next year I'm keen to bring a bike with some better legs on it - sucks having to slow the DRZ down so much for the rough stuff.
Tim W - the 'Flying Mongoose'... great value & always super enthusiastic (except for wishing he had taller gearing, or the blurry vision out of his brand new goggle lens) I swear Nath & I didn't plan the sand blasting we gave you on the last day... I'm still keen on seeing that footage of you following me holding that poor 250 wide open, screaming it tits off.
Nath - "man I gotta give these goggles back to Linton, I'm riding waaaay too fast with them on" after borrowing the video goggles for a blast on the border track. Has the need, the need for speed. Loved riding with Nath on the open sandy tracks heading out the border on day two. The Z was just missing the punch out of the corners that the 449 has in spades!
Rudi - Can't believe the economy he got out of that 300! Absolutely incredible. Just quietly rode that thing everywhere. Not many takers on his choice of trail snack though.
Riding for only 18months & buying a KTM300 your first bike? Mucho respecto!
Mark - great effort from the wounded warrior. Limping pretty badly after an off but sucked it up & rode the next day! How's the leg feeling mate?
Linton - amazing ability to keep that little 250 near it's 13 000 rpm rev limit! couldn't believe how well this guy can hang with the bigger bikes in the sand. Also keen to see the footage from the goggle cam. (also mate, get Tim's footage off him - he reckons editing & uploading is beyond his tech level)
Darryl - his first time in the desert & I don't think the last!
Bit slow on the first day getting used to the sand and then the smile got bigger on day 2 & even bigger on day 3! Crackin that 450 open & winding her up on the border track (to the detriment of his fuel economy...)
Al & James - Great job feeding us & the bikes each day and also on finding someone to fit a new tyre on the trailer, on a Sunday, in the middle of the outback.
And where the hell do you pull a belt sander from at 8.30AM on a Sunday morning? And of course doing the Vics proud in the bar @ Pinnaroo. (and Ouyen, and Rainbow
)
I'll put my few photo's up soon.
