UPGRADES

It is a shame to have to say it but my trusty Suzuki VL250cc Intruder Cruiser, which is my first and thus far only bike will not be leaving Broome in my possession, or more accurately under my posterior.

In about 20 months I have done almost 10,000 kms on the cruiser including the ride from Perth to Broome and it has been a marvellous bike. However I have made the decision finally to commit to the rest of the trip as it is too great an opportunity to pass up. Which does however mean I need a dirt bike as the cruiser could not handle the planned path from here.

To facilitate the upgrade to a more suitable bike to tackle the outback I have upgraded my motorbike licence for R-E (limited to 250cc) to an unrestricted motorbike licence. The test was unbelievably easy in Broome and the assessor could hardly fail me as he was following me in a car for the assessment (which I thought very strange until I found out why) because that morning he had fallen of his own motorbike.

The nature of the upgrade is yet to be determined, I am going to see what is available 2^nd hand but if I don’t find anything I have an agreement with the local bike shop to trade my bike in for $3000 on a new Suzuki DR650cc which will then cost me $5000. I will also have the cost of hiring a bike to do my licence test on reduced from the price.

As I have already tried to sell my cruiser with notices around town and had no interest I think this will end up being the best option. I was hoping for more than $3000 as it cost me $4000 and extra for new bearings, brakes and tyres in that time.

I’ve probably got about 3-4 weeks to try and sell my bike privately and also see if I can get a better deal on a bike either 2^nd hand or new.