Motorcycle Investor mag
Subscribe to our free email news
Mick's excellent
adventure
Across the country
on a Suzuki V-Strom
(Mick Hone, with Guy 'Guido' Allen,
May 2025)
If you’ve been riding for a little while, you will
have heard of Mick Hone and his long-established (45
years) eponymous motorcycle store in Box Hill,
Melbourne. A former road racer, he for a while ran the
country’s most successful superbike team, with Rob
Phillis in the saddle.
Along
the way, he has developed an enviable reputation for
being a straight-shooter who looks after his customers
and for running the best Suzuki spares resource
(particularly for classic models) in the country.
We
got chatting recently when I dropped off a Hayabusa
for a service. He revealed that he and author Brian
Rix were soon to head off on an epic cross-country
adventure. Mick will be riding a current model 800
V-Strom and Brian a 1050.
Here
Mick shares some insight into the trip and the
preparation…
We’re
doing a classic cross-country trip. Melbourne to Broome,
as diagonal as you can make. I’m not scared by dirt
roads, but you’ve got to be realistic with petrol gaps.
There are tracks with no petrol and the bike is already
carrying a lot of stuff. I might carry some litres as a
spare, but I can’t carry an extra tankful.
So,
Melbourne, Burra, Marree, Oodnadatta track, Marla,
Curtin Springs, then straight out the back of Uluru on
the Outback Way, to Laverton, Warburton and Wiluna. That
goes in an arc south, and once we get to that highway,
we’re in the goldfields above Kalgoorlie. We head to a
place called Cunya (Station), then we head to Marble
Bar, then the Port Headland Highway up to Broome.
Rixy
has been everywhere in the world that’s worth riding.
He’s been hassling me to do it – it’s unique that you
can do a trip like this in Australia.
We’re
doing it in the middle of the year, in July, when the
weather is as good as it’s going to get. The roads are
not impassable, we're not early settlers. The Outback
Highway is nearly 2000km, is in reasonable condition and
there are fuel stops every 300 kays or so. And there’s
traffic.
It’s
5500km to Broome, of which I reckon half will be dirt.
You
read about blokes that have done it on a pushbike –
well, I’ve got an engine, so what am I complaining
about? It should be interesting.
The
return journey is yet to be finalised. We have options
from Broome to go Gibb River Road to Kununurra, or on
the highway that goes through Fitzroy Crossing and Halls
Creek. The Gibb River Road might take an extra day, but
I’d like to do it – it’s another planet up there.
I went
through that area with my wife a few years ago. The
advice is there are hundreds of things to see, so just
pick half a dozen and look at them properly instead of
trying to see everything.
Most of
the time we’ll be camping, whether it’s in a caravan
park or wild camp, and if we get soft every now and then
we’ll book a cabin or whatever. I’ve spent a bit of time
mucking around with my swag and air mattress and it’s
good. I’ve done a couple of little test runs and will do
a couple more before we go. There are always things
where you think, well, it’s a waste of time taking that.
We’ve
discussed sharing workshop gear, but there’s a chance
we’ll go separate ways on the trip back, so we need to
be independent.
And the
Suzukis? Rixy is riding the new 1050, which he’ll write
about. I chose the 800. I had a 650 with hard luggage
which I loved, but its off-road capacity was limited.
Whereas with the 800, I’ve set it up differently. It’s
got the 21-inch wheel, It’s got more suspension travel
and better bash plate. I’ve set it up with soft luggage
plus an MC Cruise cruise control. There are lots of
things you can put on, but I’ve gone just with what I
need.
I’ve
gone for soft luggage because it’s lighter and more
durable over corrugations and the like. Plus there's a
topbox. It’s Shad brand – they were quicker to market
than Givi with its equivalent. They all seem pretty
good. The bike is already going to be heavy, so
everything that’s a bit lighter is a good thing, so long
as it’s robust.
We
don’t have any records to break and we’re both mature
enough to not have an ego. We’ll ride and have fun, and
if we don’t make it where we thought we would, that’s
okay and we’ll stop.
I’m not
going to ride it that fast. We’re not in an event, so if
it’s rough we’ll slow down.
The
engine has been left standard. Who needs extra
performance? What I want is reliability. For example
standard pipes don’t break, don’t give you a headache
and don’t give you the shits. An aftermarket pipe might
be a bit lighter, but the bracketry is doubtful and, if
you’re riding behind it, you cop the noise. It’s common
sense.
The 800
I think has around 20 per cent more power than the 650
and some technology upgrades. For example, the
quick-shifter is really good. Once you get used to it,
the change is smoother than you could ever do yourself.
The dash is really good and has more features, while the
ABS is switchable.
I hear
these guys talk about changing springs and damping and
so on. I rode my 650 standard on the highway and it felt
good loaded or unloaded.
We have
to carry water, have food, be able to cook something,
have some clothes, some basic spares and tools, so we’re
going to be heavy. I’m constantly going over what I’m
taking and trying to refine it. It’s a bit of a dilemma.
Hopefully experience counts for something.
The plan is to take just under two weeks to get there. You could get there in four days, but might need a pit crew to fix things! I’d rather take 12 days and be moderate on fuel, the bike and the body. There’s a Russian roulette involved in going as fast as you can.
My
dream is to do the trip and say I never fell off. The
reality is I might get into some sand and have a spill.
I remember going trail-riding with John Burrows – a
great mentor – and his thing was don’t fall off. He was
so fast in the bush. Initially I couldn’t keep up and
then I could sort of keep him in sight. He would give
you tips – he rode the ISDT and the like – and said you
need to go fast and not crash. But if you go five per
cent faster you crash and you’re out of the event.
(Ed’s
note: John Burrows, aka JB, was a champion scrambles
rider and motorcycle industry legend.)
I
always felt if I could go trail-riding for a day and not
fall off, that was a good day. The theory is don’t put
yourself in a position where you’re riding for prize
money – ride to your ability, at a pace where you’re
confident.
Both
Brian and I are getting support from Monza Imports, via
Alpinestar riding gear – an
adventure ventilated suit, boots, I wear a Nolan X-Lite
helmet.
We’re
using Mitas tyres
– I looked at all types. If someone came in to my shop
looking for tyres for a sports road, I’d suggest Pirelli
Phantoms; If they were two-up tourer, I’d suggest
Metzelers. It’s horses for courses. I looked at it and
Mitas has a good range of tyres for adventure riding.
I’m using E-07s and it’s conceivable they might do the
round trip.
At
100-110km/h on the highway you can just enjoy the ride –
the fuel consumption is reasonable and you can see
things. At 130km/h, you get there a bit faster, but the
fuel consumption goes up dramatically. You go faster,
say 180km/h on the Stuart Highway when it was
unrestricted, you’re concentrating 200 per cent on the
road. At 110, you can smell the roses and you get there
without being stressed and fatigued. That’s the theory –
enjoy it!
Some
days we might only get a few hundred kays, others we
might do 800 if it’s simply a transport stage and we get
going early. It’s
not a hop-on hop-off bus tour. We can make it up as we
go along.
I know
that Rixy is very experienced. The right company is
important as you don’t want to realise during the trip
that I didn’t know I was travelling with a psychopath.
Once you put on your helmet, it’s like travelling with a
pop group or a circus. You know that every day and night
you’ve got to live with them. For some people, it’s very
hard to be a team player. When you’re riding together
you have to be. I would like to think Rix and I agree on
most things.
For a
trip like this, it’s hard to find anyone with a month to
go away who is also self-reliant. He’s allocated July
for the ride and we will be okay with just the two of
us. With half a dozen people there is always someone who
is late, or can’t adjust their chain or has
forgotten something.
A two-man committee is the best. You could do it alone,
but shit can happen and having one other is a good idea.
***
More
resources
Brian
and Shirley Hardy-Rix are the Aussies Overland team. See their
website.
What’s
the V-Strom 800DE like to ride? The bikesales
review sums it up this way: "It is affordable, capable,
well-equipped, comfortable, and a lot of fun. The
middleweight adventure segment might be overcrowded, but
Suzuki has just delivered a standout entry.”
***
-------------------------------------------------
Produced by AllMoto abn 61 400 694 722
Privacy: we do not collect cookies or any other data.
Archives
Contact