Great stuff mate! Fantastic memories of an awesome day. So much to see down there, I was back in the Ute about a year ago and explored the old police station etc. just on the other side of the road from the Butcher at Dalmorton, and found lots more history! We sure had many laughs that day, looking forward to part 2 :)
It was an awesome day! I'm pretty keen to go back down there and camp and explore some more. I know there's heaps to see in that area! Part 2 is up now!
HaHa! I remember you giving us both grief about riding the road. I still haven't been back to ride it past the tunnel. It seems like a DRZ camping weekend away to me!
Great ride. My 2017 VStrom 650 has done 51,000 km and I keep putting off doing a valve clearance check. I purchased it new in April 2018 and it is running beautifully Have you done valve clearance checks in your Strom?
I didn't have mine checked until around 73,000km and it was within spec then. The bike is currently at 123,000km and I still haven't had the 2nd check done but I keep meaning to. It still feels like it is running fine though. I've got more information about all this in this video. ruclips.net/video/oGcY0HbvCXs/видео.html
@@MrAusadventure I’ll be stuffed. I just checked out the video you referred me to and I have watched that and even made quite a long comment on it. I am really pleased to get your feedback about valve clearance checks. You had your first check at 75,000 km I think you said. My bike at 51,000 km is running like a sewing machine, it’s a fantastic bike, same colour as yours except mine is an XT version My thoughts are that if the valves were out of specification you would either hear ticking or there would be a loss of power. I have no ticking and when I give it a gutfull it goes like a cut snake, so as a layman I think the valves are still in specification I am a “ bush mechanic “ and do all my own servicing, so I have decided that I will leave my valve check until 75,000 km or it blows up which ever is the sooner. As I have told you before I am 79 now so I fully expect my bike to be humming along long after I am gone. I have a mate whom I ride with purchased his VStrom 650 about three months before I purchased mine (even though his was built three months after mine both 2017 models) . His bike has done 110,000km and it is the second VStrom he has owned, putting over 100,000 km on the first one. He had his valve clearances checked on both bikes at 75,000km and both bikes were in spec. He has purchased a new BMW 750 GS. He loved his V Storms but thinks they have run their race and it is time to move on. He is already complaining about the “comfort seat” being uncomfortable and even though he has put the Givi windscreen on it he is getting a headache from buffering. The BMW dealer would not give him anything for a trade in so he sold it in one day for $3,500 privately after getting a roadworthy. Great to get your feedback, I just love getting out on my VStrom. I will go back and press the subscribe button Regards Murray
@@murraycharters6102 Ah yes! I do remember you now and recall being impressed by your comments that you are still riding regularly at 79! I guessed both times about the valve clearances, I was close. I just checked my records and it was at 74,150. I had it done just before I did my Tassie trip which I recently finished uploading. It's amazing how many past Strom owners go to a different bike only to return eventually to another Strom as they then realise what they had! Thanks mate. Keep riding and enjoying life!
@@MrAusadventure Thanks for your reply I think I will do the valve check and change of shims if necessary myself when I decide to do it There is a great tutorial on Google Circle NZ.
You said at one point that it was freezing cold. We're sort of lead to believe that Australia is hot all the time. Obviously mountain regions will get colder in the winter and as we've seen Tasmania can be cold any time of the year from your trip there. We've just had the wettest July any body can remember. Temperatures in SE England barely got over 20C.
Northern Australia is warm all year round but from lower Queensland down we have normal winter. I’m in the Sydney region and our temps are usually from 0 overnight to 18 in the day in winter. Having said that, opposite to what you’ve just had, we have had the best winter I can recall. Regularly day time temperatures of 22-23 with almost no rain. Perfect for day rides.
Yep, temperatures were close to zero that morning as it was a clear night and the wind chill whilst riding makes it worse of course. We weren't that far inland but you don't have to go far away from the ocean to get those really cold mornings. But thankfully as the sun comes up, the day warms up fairly quickly. But this day we also had some morning cloud cover. Once that went, it was a nice temperature. We've had some really warm weather here this winter. Temperatures have been in the high 20's recently. Around 20 to 23 and sunny is normal for winter here on the Gold Coast as it's our dry season. Perfect riding weather!
You're lucky you didn't ride it now. The potholes on the Grafton end, are the size of bomb craters! The low level concrete bridge you stopped at used to be suspended, with steel girder sections, like the first one you crossed out of Grafton. The old piers are what can be seen on the down river side, as you ride across.
Ah OK. I keep planning to get back down there on my DRZ which would be a lot more fun than back then on the road tyres I had. Yeah right! That's good info. I knew the remains of the old bridge were in the water, but never realised what it looked like so thanks for that!
I hate it when my balls pop out! 😀Hahaha 😀 Is cool you were riding with such a variety of bikes, a road front tyre would def have made me feel nervous on some of that... but cool to see the graves and ghost town, is kinda sad that these places just dissappear once no longer viable... I guess it happened in the UK in the earlier history too... but with the UK being so small, places were able to keep going better as they would have passing trade etc to sustain them. Bit different in the outback, or wilds of Australia!
HaHa! It is nutty when that happens! It's amazing how much more confidence I got on the dirt once I got decent dirt tyres on the Strom. Night and day it was! Yeah, these places were a lot more remote 100 years ago than they are now. It would have taken weeks to get there from a capital city.
@@MrAusadventure I bet... proper dirt tyres make a huge difference... until you get back on tarmac and it rains, then it does the opposite! 😀 Is kind of mad seeing how small the world got over the last 100 years... and how big it is going to get once again for regular people once EV vehicles become all we are allowed to own unless we are a rich/famous/politician.
@@HippoDrones With the Mitas E07's I had a couple of sets of, I was able to go from loose gravel, to mud and to dry and wet tarmac and still have a great level of confidence on them. Such a great all round tyre I reckon! I can't see how EV's can work here outside of the larger cities. There's just too much distance between large populations to make it economically viable.
@@MrAusadventure Yup, it will isolate so many towns and villages... and some of those places already struggle in summer to cope with the electrical loads of all the AC units cooling homes down!
Great stuff mate! Fantastic memories of an awesome day. So much to see down there, I was back in the Ute about a year ago and explored the old police station etc. just on the other side of the road from the Butcher at Dalmorton, and found lots more history!
We sure had many laughs that day, looking forward to part 2 :)
It was an awesome day! I'm pretty keen to go back down there and camp and explore some more. I know there's heaps to see in that area! Part 2 is up now!
Looks like a lot of fun, great vid mate
Thanks mate, it was an awesome day, so much fun. Editing this was a reminder that I need to get down there and ride it again!
Ahhh excellent. One filmed in the Time Before.. we were all so young and innocent then...
Yeah. Back when I went on a ride and took 4 cameras! 🤣
@@MrAusadventure When I was still running Black Sheep Biker channel, I ended up with much the same issue plus recording audio separately
Great vid. Looking at that route I might've planned some of it for my ride to QLD last year (which I had to abort). Have to check my plans.
Thanks mate, yeah it's a popular dirt touring route. The sealed version to the north is a great ride too. 👍
I thought that was me on the Africa Twin ...I remember that ride
Ah! Were you! I'm not sure if I knew that at the time, but perhaps it was before I came across your channel?
I loved that road, glad I rode it. I did beat a certain local to ride it before him but I won't mention his name as he gets cranky...lol
HaHa! I remember you giving us both grief about riding the road. I still haven't been back to ride it past the tunnel. It seems like a DRZ camping weekend away to me!
Great ride. My 2017 VStrom 650 has done 51,000 km and I keep putting off doing a valve clearance check. I purchased it new in April 2018 and it is running beautifully
Have you done valve clearance checks in your Strom?
I didn't have mine checked until around 73,000km and it was within spec then. The bike is currently at 123,000km and I still haven't had the 2nd check done but I keep meaning to. It still feels like it is running fine though. I've got more information about all this in this video.
ruclips.net/video/oGcY0HbvCXs/видео.html
@@MrAusadventure I’ll be stuffed. I just checked out the video you referred me to and I have watched that and even made quite a long comment on it.
I am really pleased to get your feedback about valve clearance checks.
You had your first check at 75,000 km I think you said. My bike at 51,000 km is running like a sewing machine, it’s a fantastic bike, same colour as yours except mine is an XT version
My thoughts are that if the valves were out of specification you would either hear ticking or there would be a loss of power.
I have no ticking and when I give it a gutfull it goes like a cut snake, so as a layman I think the valves are still in specification
I am a “ bush mechanic “ and do all my own servicing, so I have decided that I will leave my valve check until 75,000 km or it blows up which ever is the sooner.
As I have told you before I am 79 now so I fully expect my bike to be humming along long after I am gone.
I have a mate whom I ride with purchased his VStrom 650 about three months before I purchased mine (even though his was built three months after mine both 2017 models) . His bike has done 110,000km and it is the second VStrom he has owned, putting over 100,000 km on the first one. He had his valve clearances checked on both bikes at 75,000km and both bikes were in spec.
He has purchased a new BMW 750 GS. He loved his V Storms but thinks they have run their race and it is time to move on.
He is already complaining about the “comfort seat” being uncomfortable and even though he has put the Givi windscreen on it he is getting a headache from buffering.
The BMW dealer would not give him anything for a trade in so he sold it in one day for $3,500 privately after getting a roadworthy.
Great to get your feedback, I just love getting out on my VStrom.
I will go back and press the subscribe button
Regards
Murray
@@murraycharters6102 Ah yes! I do remember you now and recall being impressed by your comments that you are still riding regularly at 79!
I guessed both times about the valve clearances, I was close. I just checked my records and it was at 74,150. I had it done just before I did my Tassie trip which I recently finished uploading.
It's amazing how many past Strom owners go to a different bike only to return eventually to another Strom as they then realise what they had!
Thanks mate. Keep riding and enjoying life!
@@MrAusadventure Thanks for your reply
I think I will do the valve check and change of shims if necessary myself when I decide to do it
There is a great tutorial on Google
Circle NZ.
You said at one point that it was freezing cold. We're sort of lead to believe that Australia is hot all the time. Obviously mountain regions will get colder in the winter and as we've seen Tasmania can be cold any time of the year from your trip there. We've just had the wettest July any body can remember. Temperatures in SE England barely got over 20C.
Northern Australia is warm all year round but from lower Queensland down we have normal winter. I’m in the Sydney region and our temps are usually from 0 overnight to 18 in the day in winter. Having said that, opposite to what you’ve just had, we have had the best winter I can recall. Regularly day time temperatures of 22-23 with almost no rain. Perfect for day rides.
Yep, temperatures were close to zero that morning as it was a clear night and the wind chill whilst riding makes it worse of course. We weren't that far inland but you don't have to go far away from the ocean to get those really cold mornings. But thankfully as the sun comes up, the day warms up fairly quickly. But this day we also had some morning cloud cover. Once that went, it was a nice temperature.
We've had some really warm weather here this winter. Temperatures have been in the high 20's recently. Around 20 to 23 and sunny is normal for winter here on the Gold Coast as it's our dry season. Perfect riding weather!
@@jeffarnie Perfect weather temperatures.
You're lucky you didn't ride it now. The potholes on the Grafton end, are the size of bomb craters! The low level concrete bridge you stopped at used to be suspended, with steel girder sections, like the first one you crossed out of Grafton. The old piers are what can be seen on the down river side, as you ride across.
Ah OK. I keep planning to get back down there on my DRZ which would be a lot more fun than back then on the road tyres I had.
Yeah right! That's good info. I knew the remains of the old bridge were in the water, but never realised what it looked like so thanks for that!
I hate it when my balls pop out! 😀Hahaha 😀
Is cool you were riding with such a variety of bikes, a road front tyre would def have made me feel nervous on some of that... but cool to see the graves and ghost town, is kinda sad that these places just dissappear once no longer viable... I guess it happened in the UK in the earlier history too... but with the UK being so small, places were able to keep going better as they would have passing trade etc to sustain them. Bit different in the outback, or wilds of Australia!
HaHa! It is nutty when that happens!
It's amazing how much more confidence I got on the dirt once I got decent dirt tyres on the Strom. Night and day it was!
Yeah, these places were a lot more remote 100 years ago than they are now. It would have taken weeks to get there from a capital city.
@@MrAusadventure I bet... proper dirt tyres make a huge difference... until you get back on tarmac and it rains, then it does the opposite! 😀
Is kind of mad seeing how small the world got over the last 100 years... and how big it is going to get once again for regular people once EV vehicles become all we are allowed to own unless we are a rich/famous/politician.
@@HippoDrones With the Mitas E07's I had a couple of sets of, I was able to go from loose gravel, to mud and to dry and wet tarmac and still have a great level of confidence on them. Such a great all round tyre I reckon!
I can't see how EV's can work here outside of the larger cities. There's just too much distance between large populations to make it economically viable.
@@MrAusadventure Yup, it will isolate so many towns and villages... and some of those places already struggle in summer to cope with the electrical loads of all the AC units cooling homes down!
*promosm*
Wanker!