At just 21, Josh Wilson quit his job, built a bike, and spent six months riding the coveted Full Loop of Australia.
Having finished his apprenticeship in motor mechanics, Josh decided it was “now or never”. He bought a Suzuki DR650, fitted it with some long-range modifications and set sail.
He left from Melbourne, hugging the coast to run anti-clockwise around the country, before taking the boat to Tasmania for one final stint.
“I made sure to zig-zag through coastal and rural areas, road and gravel” he said.
“I camped, and sometimes stayed at country pubs, and made sure to see all the ‘Big’ tourist attractions.”
When he arrived at major cities, Josh had some largish nights to blow away the cobwebs, some of which are not suitable for publication, he says.
THE BIKE
Though it was bought with few kilometres on the clock, Josh performed a major service to the DR650 to make sure it was as reliable as possible.
He installed Suzuki’s factory adventure pack, which includes Barkbusters hand guards, a bash plate and luggage rack.
Moreover, Josh bought a number of comfort mods including a 25-litre tank, heated grips, dualsport tyres, a windshield and pannier racks.
THE GEAR
Josh didn’t muck around when it came to safety and purchased a Nexx XD1 helmet, a Dainese gortex suit, Forma Adventure boots, Five waterproof gloves and a Dainese spine protector.
To keep him sane on the road, Josh fitted a Nexx X-com intercom for music and navigation.
“I learned a great sense of adventurism, solitary happiness, and so much about Australia,” said Josh after the trip.
“It was worth it for myself, to get a break from work – and considering I didn’t do schoolies – it was a great way to meet people, tourists and have fun.”
Josh has no regrets, but if he were to do it all over, he would have ridden even further, and packed less gear.
“I would definitely have done a longer trip and visited more areas, but I was too scared and inexperienced to tackle Cairns/Cape York, but I will in the future.
“I also would have packed close to 50 per cent less gear, which is something I only learnt from being out on the road.”
Hats off, Josh, we look forward to following your next great adventure.
