INFO MOTO was back for another crack at the navigation-based off-road rally alongside a crew that included photographer Matty Hayman, Lincoln from Fast Fuel Motorcycles, Brendan Bell of MXTV fame, and racer Chas Hern our self-appointed navigator who, by his own admission, could not read a road book. What followed was exactly the kind of organised chaos that makes events like this worth every kilometre of muddy misery.
We were soaked to the skin inside the first 20 kilometres of bitumen, before we’d even touched the dirt. By the time we started the first off-road stage conditions were absolutely diabolical.
The enduro bikes were flicking through sections with relative ease but adventure bikes, with all their weight, were a different story entirely. One particularly nasty slushy hill climb sorted the field in a hurry.
We were aboard the Royal Enfield Himalayan fitted with brand-new Mitas tyres for the weekend, which were exceptional. That might surprise some readers, but it shouldn’t. The Himalayan has a habit of doing that. Every time I ride one in genuine off-road conditions, it finds a way to exceed expectations. The Himalayan just gets on with it.
The Open Roads Rally in Licola saw every make and model of dirt and adventure bike imaginable, a genuine cross-section of the adventure riding community, and the kind of camaraderie that only comes from shared suffering.
Watch the event video here …
