Simpson husqvarna rifles how to#

A good shake in first un-sticks the starter motor, but IвЂ™m hoping this isnвЂ™t an omen. The first words I hear from Grant are, вЂњBloody thing wonвЂ™t start!вЂќ Our first attempt at a roll-start is perfect. Elbows up, throttle on, light on the front, feather the clutch a little, shift weight for extra traction and just keep movingвЂ¦ then, finally IвЂ™m on the dunes.Дeparture day arrives and weвЂ™re finally in Alice. The front end slams into the sand and digs deep as the fork compresses, then the rear wheel throws but catches and the dust begins to fly. I align the bike again, but this time hit the bottom of the dune at twice the speed. вЂњYou mustnвЂ™t accelerate up a dune, you need to carry your momentum from the bottom,вЂќ he coaches. вЂњWe canвЂ™t train in the sand if you canвЂ™t get into the dunes,вЂќ Christophe jokes, but I know thereвЂ™s a hint of seriousness in what heвЂ™s saying. IвЂ™m starting to feel very small, getting a grilling from suchВ an accomplished rider, until he exclaims, вЂњBloody brilliant! ThatвЂ™s awesome! IвЂ™ll be back next week, you can stay at mine and IвЂ™ll take you into some huge dunes.вЂќ Sorted.ДЄ week later and IвЂ™m stuck in a deep sand-hole, sweating into my goggles.

Simpson husqvarna rifles how to#

вЂњYou donвЂ™t know how to ride and you want to cross the Simpson Desert on L-plates?вЂќВ he says incredulously. The next day, he calls me back from Santiago Airport, Chile. IвЂ™m no Facebooker and TwitterвЂ™s something birds do, so IвЂ™m amazed when I notice my post has accumulated more followers than Moses вЂ“ and they all ride dirt bikes.ДЄ random email suggests I drop Australian Dakar god Christophe Barrierie Varju a line, so I do.

A few episodes of The Long Way Round and highlights from Red Bull X-Fighters is surely all I need to get me startedвЂ¦ but I resolve to hit the internet as well, just in case.ДЄfter an hour of You-Tube Dakar crashes I somehow start a new thread on one of those forum thingies. I decide to do what any sensible bloke would do I grab a beer and settle down in front of the TV.

It doesnвЂ™t take me long to realise this ainвЂ™t no mountain bike. I decide to hit some trails, to prove to myself how easy motorcycling is. You point it downhill, pin it, counter steer, throw up rocks and smile like an idiotвЂ¦ except the KLR has a throttle. IвЂ™d also just agreed to cross 1,100 sand dunes comprising AustraliaвЂ™s fourth largest desertвЂ¦ What the hell was I thinking?Д«ut I figure this bike-riding thing canвЂ™t be too hard, right? ItвЂ™s basically a heavier version of my mountain bike. вЂњWe should cross the Simpson!вЂќ he randomly announced, and I was stupid enough to say, вЂњHell yeah.вЂќ I now had a bike with 0kms on the clock, no licence, no clue, no skills and a seriously pissed-off wife. I dropped my KLR-riding mate Grant a line. But I was grinning madly I was the owner of a shiny new green machine вЂ“ now all I had to do was figure out how to ride it. вЂњYou donвЂ™t even have a licence!вЂќ she scolded.