Remote area travel

[sheikyerbooty]

What are the basics of riding a motorbike in the backblocks on your own?

1. You.
Decision making is your best friend. Think about everything BEFORE you do it. Walk that creek. Turn around if you have to. Don't be a hero.

2. Tell someone what you're up to.
This may actually be #1. NEVER test your limits without letting someone know. Family, friends, the Government.

3. Know your machine
Again, related to #1. Can YOU fix a flat? Can you pick it up if you drop it?

4. Fitness.
This is obviously part of #1. Crusty old bastards need to be a bit more CONSERVATIVE.

5. PLB.
Personal Locator Beacons don't break the bank. NZ registered ResQlink is USD$300 odd. It's cheap life insurance.

6. 1st Aid.
Worst case senario. Please refer to #5.

As a part-time amateur solo backblocks rider I'd be interested in everyone's thoughts on this subject.

Mark.

 

[Sierra1]

You're right, but a lot of "crusty old bastard" tend to overestimate their fitness; still think they're in their glory days. I carry a torniquet in my everyday bag.

 

[magic]

All good points. I would add: carry some food and water just in case. I spend a fair amount of time in Michigan's upper peninsula exploring the backroads and trails alone, although not quite the Australian outback, parts are pretty remote. I can spend a week up there trail riding and never see another rider on the trails. I carry a PLB because cell phone coverage is not that good. I leave a note at my cabin with my planned route. I'll pack a couple bottles of water, a few granola bars and some packets of tuna. If the trail gets too tough, I turn around. At 65 years old I need to be extra careful. Most of the time I'm on my DR650 or my XR650. I stay on the fire roads and gravel with my Super Tenere. as many trails have long sections of sand.

 

[Tenman]

I don't leave home without a lithium jumper pack. I have a zero gravity. It'll charge a dead device and jump you off

 

[sheikyerbooty]

Serious discussion. You're on a trail and theres a huge cock-up. I.E. broken leg. What do you do?

 

[Bokerfork]

Depends on your nature. For some, the adventure outweighs the risk and they'd happily die while trapped beneath the bike.

For others, there isn't enough preparation to calm their fears.

I like to think I'm somewhere in between.

YMMV

 

[Madhatter]

to be a crusty old bastard you cant be a crazy young bastard for long.

 

[Sierra1]

Serious discussion. You're on a trail and theres a huge cock-up. I.E. broken leg. What do you do?

I always thought that if I was gonna go wa-a-a-ay off road, I'd have a sat-phone. Attached to the front of my jacket. Not fool proof, but they get signal where it's just plain not possible for a cell phone to. "Everybody has a plan, 'till they get punched in the mouth." My usual roads are gonna have plenty of witnesses to my screw-up(s) though. "Hope for the best, plan for the worst."

 

[~TABASCO~]

Great points I’ve had to do all these type things many times. Have also found myself with a friend that messed up and road off the side of a mountain in Arizona BDR. He climbed back up after landing in a tree like what you might have seen in a movie. No cell service and we had to use SPOT for rescue. Took rescue about 14-15 hours to find and reach us. (I’ve posted this long story before)

And the use of JB-Weld. Fast and original. I don’t say this lightly or a joke. This can save your bike / your life. Not kidding. Make sure you carry it.
(this product is cheep enough that I highly suggest you buy extra and go out to your shop / garage / back yard / Etc and try it on stuff. Play with it. Use it, a little - a lot, see what it can do for you. You don’t want to be out in the desert with a broken oil pan and try and use and understand it for the very first time. Especially the folks that have never used a product like this or are not or have ever been mechanically inclined.)

I once was with a friend that had a wipe out in monument valley with the use of the stock plastic bags. It was a total ‘yard sale’. All his stuff was blowing down the road. His whole bag turned into a pretzel and twisted and split open the whole box. We rigged it back onto the bike and picked up 4-5 JW-Weld kits out at a desert gas station. We went back to the camp site and I unscrewed the whole bag and then JB-Welded and screwed the whole bag back together, let dry overnight. The next day he loaded all his stuff and not only did it work for the rest of this trip like a champ, he kept and used the bags for several more years all around the country until he sold the bike. One of 1 million jobs I’ve used JB on.

 

[Madhatter]

jb weld , duct tape , maybe some tie wire , you can cover a lot of problems. I always have some good string to tie things with (trot line heavy) .

 

[sheikyerbooty]

'Remote' is a relative concept. New Zealand ain't Aussie or Canada but you can still come unstuck here.

So...
Comms
Duct tape and glue
Water and muesli bars

1st Aid Course? I.E specific ADV trauma focussed training?

 

[Checkswrecks]

If alone I usually have an Inreach Mini in my chest pocket or on my PFD.

 

[lund]

Remoteness comes in many different forms depending on your poison.
Being on a remote backroad, track or trail during the summer or riding season is very different then being remote in the mountains during the winter months at -10deg C during the short day light hours in ass deep snow, 50km in from any civilization, your not walking.
That makes getting lost, stuck or broken on the bike a holiday in comparison. Sat phone's, Inreach and Spots with a good head on the shoulders can be the difference of you seeing daylight the next day. But most of all so does a trip plan and letting others know before heading out.

 

[Sierra1]

'Remote' is a relative concept. New Zealand ain't Aussie or Canada but you can still come unstuck here.

So...
Comms
Duct tape and glue
Water and muesli bars

1st Aid Course? I.E specific ADV trauma focussed training?

This is a kit on Amazon. $49.99. The kit I carry is more basic, same tourniquet, clotter and gauze. 'Cuz, you can bleed out without breaking the skin, if a bone breaks and it cuts your femoral artery. Tourniquets are simple as hell, and totally efficient. Don't believe Hollywood and think that you can get your belt tight enough. You can't.

 

[sheikyerbooty]

Thanks for the respones Folks.

Its funny how you age and begin to think about such things. I've had a lifetime of backcountry travel, more off the bike than on. Lots of tramping here in NZ, rather adventurous backpacking in central Asia/ North Africa/ Aussie. The worst I've had to deal with was bicycle touring in Iceland. 50kms from the nearest farmhouse my girlfriend face-planted coming down a gravel road. Then it started snowing of course. She was starting to go into shock. I put the tent up, wrapped her up, and boiled some water. 4 hrs later a German party in a Landrover saved our asses. I was 24yrs old and and did'nt have much of a plan. Got lucky.

I've done a few work-place type 1st aid courses (construction) but have never had proper (i.e military/ emergency services) level training.

I guess the point I'm trying to make with this post is that adventurous activities require on-going, life-long personal development.

Keep thinking, get out there and enjoy this beautiful world, stay safe.

 

[Madhatter]

the new I-phone 14 comes with GPS - SOS , and the service is free for a period of time (2 years I think ) . my twelve has an SOS feature , the new Fourteen its easier to use (it knows when you've lawn darted off the bike ) . so may have to upgrade to new phone soon.
if a person solo travels it would be a good idea to have a devise that can send the calvary when needed. what ever the devise you choose.

 

[Fozziebeard]

Ive always carried a first aid kit, Same design I used while contracting in sandy places, 2 tourniquets, quick clot cloth, chest seal x2, leatherman. Ive got to build a bike kit, I know the UK isn't wild, but you can bet my life something will be needed

 

[RCinNC]

If you're truly talking about remote areas and off the beaten path riding, I think the standard survival advice of "don't go alone" certainly comes into play. That may be the most difficult, since it can sometimes be tough to find riding buddies even when the going is easy, but if you're in a survival situation where tourniquets come into play, having a second pair of hands and another brain that isn't impaired by blood loss is always a good idea.

 

[Paul466]

What are the basics of riding a motorbike in the backblocks on your own?

1. You.
Decision making is your best friend. Think about everything BEFORE you do it. Walk that creek. Turn around if you have to. Don't be a hero.

2. Tell someone what you're up to.
This may actually be #1. NEVER test your limits without letting someone know. Family, friends, the Government.

3. Know your machine
Again, related to #1. Can YOU fix a flat? Can you pick it up if you drop it?

4. Fitness.
This is obviously part of #1. Crusty old bastards need to be a bit more CONSERVATIVE.

5. PLB.
Personal Locator Beacons don't break the bank. NZ registered ResQlink is USD$300 odd. It's cheap life insurance.

6. 1st Aid.
Worst case senario. Please refer to #5.

As a part-time amateur solo backblocks rider I'd be interested in everyone's thoughts on this subject.

Mark.

Don’t mount the locator on the bars, if you crash , it might be gone when needed