Six day outback ride begins on the Finke Desert Race track︱Cross Training Adventure

crosstrainingenduro.com A week of outback motorbike riding! I have been in Australia for six decades but I've never visited the outback. The solution? A one week dirt ride in the centre of Australia, visiting all the iconic landmarks. Ayers Rock. The Olgas. Kings Canyon. Chambers Pillar. And the incredible Finke Gorge. And we get to ride the Finke Desert Race track! It's the Rock Six Day Tour courtesy of Outback Motorcycle Adventures. Day one. We start at Alice Springs in the red centre of Australia. There is a bit of highway before we hit the dirt. The plan? We will ride some of the infamous Finke Desert Race track. Lunch will be at the well known landmark, Chambers Pillar. We ride through desert oak country to finish with a ride along the Finke River, the world's oldest known river. It's The Rock Six Day Tour courtesy of Outback Motorcycle Adventures. The guys only run these tours for six months of the year to avoid the deadly heat of the outback summer. It's currently winter so great temperatures for riding. It can get chilly at night but the guys provide us with warm swags, hot food and camp fires every night. Keen on an outback adventure? Try some outback adventure riding in central Australia. Woohoo! The Finke Desert Race track. This is the fastest desert race in the southern hemisphere. The pro riders can reach 190kmh on some sections. Keen on adventure riding Australia? Try some outback motorbike riding with these guys. And in 2022 David Walsh averaged about 130kmh on his record-breaking win. Jeff and I slow down as we reminded ourselves that injuries often happen on the first morning of tours like this. And sure enough, we had two riders taken to hospital by lunch time. The soft sand is great practice as there will be plenty of soft sand sections over the next week! All the motorbikes came with steering stabilisers. These make a big difference for sand riding. I can see why most desert riders use them. We watch for the danger signs. Red circles or squares. Even at our low speeds, it is good to know when there's a tricky section ahead. It's hard to imagine the fastest riders doing 180kmh then hitting the brakes hard for these sections. The corner markers are similar. The curves are so gradual the signs seem redundant at our slow speed. There are plenty of crests which can be tricky. If you slow down too much the front wheel digs into the soft sand and you can lose your steering. One of our guys demonstrates the technique. If you are interested in riding the entire track, the guys at Outback Motorcycle Adventures have a two day tour of the Finke Race track. Or if you are crazy enough to enter the race, they have support and hire packages. And it's back to easy dirt roads for these outback motorcycle adventures. The outback is big. Seriously big. Riders told me about the endless vistas and it's hard to comprehend until you are actually here. At the end of the first night Jeff said to me he felt so insignificant. We are simply tiny dots on this massive landscape. It definitely puts everything into perspective. There is the sense of timelessness too. The outback features some of the oldest flattest landscapes in the world due to very little movement of tectonic plates. So we are riding in landscapes that can be up to 500 million years old. And Indigenous Australians have lived here for around 50,000 years. Unfortunately Simon wasn't wearing any knee guards. It was a simple crash in first gear but it fractured his tibia. He ended up in hospital and was scheduled for surgery. It's a good reminder to always wear knee guards at an absolute minimum. And many of us have spend more money on knee braces for extra protection. Another rider, Mark, crashed in soft sand and had multiple rib fractures so he was off to hospital as well. I have been on a few tours where riders are injured on the first day. So Jeff, Coxy and I keep reminding ourselves to go slow. We can always increase the speed toward the end of the trip. And at least do most of the tour before we hurt ourselves. Some big rock formations on the horizon. Our lunch destination draws near!The Aboriginal legend says that the pillar is the Gecko ancestor Itirkawara, who was exiled for taking a wife from the wrong skin group.
Video credits:
'Time Lapse de Ayers Rock' from Tómate algo • Video
'Outback Australia' from Fernweh • OUTBACK AUSTRALIA - AY...
Music credits:
'Didgeridoo Duet' by Adèle & Zalem • Adèle & Zalem, Didgeri...
'Didg To Didg #4' by Mow VS Zalem • Didg To Didg #4 - 1/8 ...
Traditional Aboriginal Australian Music Using the Didigeridoo (Yidaki) by Marra Dreaming
• Traditional Aboriginal...
Music: www.purple-planet.com
#crosstrainingadventure #adventureriding #adventurebikes #dualsportriding
#dualsportbikes

[@crosstrainingadventure]

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[@adamrichards2072]

Nice one Barry. Now you'll have to go back and show the mighty DR!

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Jeff and I talked about that! The DR650s would have been good for a fair bit of this trip, but there were plenty of bits like all the soft sand we would have been struggling. 😂 With luggage? It might have been impossible on the fifth day which had some tough terrain!

[@wyattblessing7078]

I was mostly impressed with the beer, campfire and someone else cooking part of the video. Having just done a few days with my buddy in the high desert and us being older we both groan and moan as we set up our tents, cook, clean, inflate, etc. Then the whiskey by the fire part we start to relax and tell tall tales about our many imaginary exploits, and a few about the real ones. I'm going to have to try an organized ride just for the food and someone else doing the work.

[@crosstrainingadventure]

We did feel kind of spoiled, Wyatt! I've done those camping trips too and it's hard to get motivated to set up camp at the end of a long day... even harder packing up the next morning lol.

[@eljuano28]

It's like Arizona with more water. 🤘🤠

[@SimonBrisbane]

Typically high quality vid. Always leaving me wanting more!

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Cheers, Simon. At least five more vids on the way but I'll space them out for viewers who aren't that interested in the outback.

[@NorthWestMotos]

Wow! What an awesome experience. I can't even imagine how vast it must feel riding in the middle of all that. Almost see the curve of the earth flat. Have fun! Can't wait for the next one

[@crosstrainingadventure]

The tour included a scenic flight around Uluru as well... that's when we really got an idea of just how flat, red and wide the outback is!

[@danmanthe9335]

Looks a great time! Can't wait for the rest!

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Cheers Dan. Each day had some great riding but the fifth day along the Finke River then through the Finke Gorge was simply incredible.

[@danmanthe9335]

I suppose this is how you hook me into supporting your dodgy pornographyImean videos

[@jameswalstrom2433]

Love it. How great is that, to ride all day & have support vehicle crew with food & Cold Beer at the end of the day... Cheers 🍻

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Great way to do it, James. There were definitely parts of this trip where an adventure bike would have been a real handful, especially with luggage. The fifth day especially had lots of very soft sand, gravel and rocks as we rode along the riverbed of the Finke River much of the day.

[@haringusbaw6132]

As a wierd kid who watched a lot of National Geographic, Uluru was one that I was fascinated the most. and as I grew up and started riding, I thought that Australia would be a nice place to ride trails. Turns out that I'm not alone on this thinking.

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Uluru is a national park so we could only ride the sealed roads in that area, Haring.... but still a great experience.

[@davidnobular9220]

I've always liked the idea of riding up and over The Shine Dome at the ANU.....

[@williamleonardo8478]

Like I said many times 50 years of dirt bike riding if you think you must go faster think how you will look in plaster have a nice day thank you Bill

[@MichaelTucker]

Barry, the Don 300 being held this weekend is just as fast in the River not far from Bowen. Toby Price on the works KTM 450 Rally bike was doing 24m laps. Walsh wasn't much slower either last year.

[@tims728]

Love that red sand and blue sky. Nice one!!!

[@ashmite]

As an American who had the privilege of visiting the Outback (and Sydney), I was able to take a tour bus camping trip to Ayers Rock, the Olgas and Kings Canyon out of Alice. It was a fantastic time and since then I have dreamed of riding the Outback or even in the GAR. After this, I won't be able to sleep tonight!

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Great to hear! Where did you camp in Kings Canyon... Boggy Hole? We rode right through the Canyon on the fifth day and actually camped by a waterhole under one of the tallest cliffs. Simply incredible.

[@ashmite]

@@crosstrainingadventure We camped at Ayers Rock. It was an awesome experience, one that I hope to do again!

[@crosstrainingadventure]

If it's the spot with all the campsites I hope you got to walk up that sandhill and see the rock during the sunset. Magic!

[@tdon6650]

Raced and finished the Finke Desert Race for the first time this year. Can confirm there is nothing like the scenery around there. Stop putting it off, go there.

[@crosstrainingadventure]

How did you go? We were just on the Finke race track for that first morning as we had to peel off to head toward Chambers Pillar. Quite a bit of variety with sand hills and fast/slow sections.

[@TwistedTriggerEnduro]

Solid video, as always. Love the edits, multicam's, and riding. 💪😃👍

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Fair bit of work with the different cams but I reckon it's worth it... it tends to capture the landscape a bit better. 😊

[@hvalour1]

Ride of a lifetime mate good on ya!

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Cheers Tim... the scenery was amazing every day in different ways, I hope the next few vids capture that.

[@allenhuling598]

This is great, Barry.....good you were taking it easy that first day!! 😎

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Cheers Allen. We were on a big group ride a while back where a guy died only 30 minutes into the dirt tracks... it was a real wake up call to ease into the week.

[@allenhuling598]

Yeah, that'd be a real wake up call!! Truth to tell I was being a bit sarcastic, as you guys 'taking it easy' are still pretty awesome riders! Cheers!

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Cheers Allen! Actually I did hit the throttle on the Finke race track just for the first minute then reminded myself there were still six days to go and I wasn't used to the bike yet lol.

[@tazyt3388]

Bloody magic Baz I built my XR 600 up to race finke but have had broken bones now every year since and haven’t had the chance yet maby for my 50th the bike gods will allow it great vid mate cheers

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Sweet! That's the sort of riding they were designed for back in the day...

[@tazyt3388]

@@crosstrainingadventure thats it mate went with a baja kit and custom internal stuff it just pulls so hard for old tech luv that thing one day ill get there even just to trail ride the course would be epic

[@Theairguitarguy]

Awesome! I’d love to do that tour. Love the informative commentary 👌

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Having never been in the outback this was a brilliant way to see it. The last two days of riding were incredible along the Finke riverbed and through Finke Gorge...

[@mototrailz]

Lucky bastards we ride this in June on twins or WR250 fully loaded with camping gear. Finke River Gorge was a tough one. Australia is amazing!!

[@crosstrainingadventure]

It's an incredible track, Oli! Finke Gorge was day five of our trip so that vid will be out in about two months. Did you ride in other areas too? You must have been working those WR250s hard! Jeff and I were thinking it would be fun to try on the DR650s which would have the grunt but the weight of camping gear would make it bloody tough...

[@prawns]

shinguard/kneeguard combos are good for snakes laying on tracks too when you cant see them intime and they flickup off your front wheel (ive knocked half a dozen reds in the last 12months around here especially after the flooding bringing them out onto higher tracks and the frogs breeding in the wet making their numbers surge)

[@bryanreeme8584]

I had one rise straight up thru my triple tree after I got onto hiway, like a snake-charmer.. was funny, just a big yellow chicken snake looking over the front😄🤙🏼

[@crosstrainingadventure]

That would wake you up lol! A bit like the big spider dropping from your sun visor when driving...

[@prawns]

@@crosstrainingadventure Yeah. Riding at speed here is all about looking for "sticks" lol. Stick....Stick....Stick....SNAKE hahahah. Damn snakes look too much like sticks

[@bryanreeme8584]

@@crosstrainingadventure Yessir banana spider fearful!.. last month I got 4 bobcat claw-gauges down the front of my bike one night, chicken must of ran there for cover.. carnage, & my favorite moto cover got destroyed (chinese😄)

[@tommcbeath8395]

I really, really love your videos, if only they were longer :)

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Cheers Tom. The supporter vids on our enduro channel vary from 10 to 20 mins. 😊 We don't usually do them on this adventure channel. But we are just for this six part series in the outback.

[@danielc5205]

I just bought a new DR 650. I tried to get a white one, but I was told by the dealer that white DR 650s are hard to come by.

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Worth looking out for a white tank from an older model? They often come up for sale when owners fit bigger tanks... not sure how many white ones though. The plastics can be expensive though.

[@davidnobular9220]

Finke !! Pffftt !!! When you do Monkey Gum I'll sit up and take notice !!

[@johnshropshire3399]

👍👍

[@RealHooksy]

It’s called Uluru btw.

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Which is why I called it Uluru on the map, then also put the Indigenous name on screen a few seconds later. Through this vid series I make the Indigenous and European names clear.

[@tvr419]

Cool! Whats the price of this al?

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Not sure what an 'al' is, TVR. But if you mean the cost of their trips it's all on their website. Depends on things like whether you take your own bike or not. www.outbackmotorcycleadventures.com.au/

[@tvr419]

@@crosstrainingadventure thank you! Yeah sorry for my English its not my first language