There’s no better way to show case the off road capability of the BMW GS 1250, affectionately known as the Rhino, than to ride one of the toughest safari events of its type in the world.
Come along with Dave Darcy of Motorcycle Adventure Dirtbike TV as he embeds in the challenging 2023 BMW GS Enduro Safari, Cairns to Darwin. It’s a tough relentless adventure over 7 days and 3000 dirt kilometres and Dave’s there to catch all the action and fun.
In this episode we catch up with riders preparing their bikes the day before and attend the riders briefing before heading out on some spectacular outback dirt that will now be forever known as the Big Dipper.
AN EXCERPT FROM THE STORY BEHIND THE RIDE 2023 BMW GS ENDURO SAFARI – CAIRNS TO DARWIN It’s hard to identify that point in time when I realised, I was riding in a fair dinkum BMW Enduro Safari. Was it Day 2, punching out 570 kilometres of unforgiving dirt roads smothered in hand sized rocks, sand and endless bull dust pits? Or was it Day 3, forging deep river crossings and endless twin trail on a huge cattle station the size of a small country in Europe.
I’m now sitting in Darwin, still astride my BMW 1250 GS Trophy looking down at my trip metre that reads, 3,344.4 kilometres. I’m still recovering from what was arguably one of my best days riding I’ve had on a Beemer. Miles Davis, long time BMW off road Guru, had cooked up a mighty crescendo for Day 7, the final day of this Cairns to Darwin ride.
Day 7 had every riding condition for an adventure imaginable and it highlighted the versatility of my Rhino. It started with a 200-kilometre black top section that we legally, the speed limit is 130 ks, covered in around an hour forty mins. Then onto some amazing twisty black top through open farm country before we settled in for the main meal, a blast through a private cattle station on billiard table smooth dirt, four lanes wide with sweeping corners perfectly designed for power sliding.
Despite their width, I still managed to overcook one corner and do a Wayne Gardner esque run into the grass before anxiously looking around to ensure no one saw my foopy. There was a deep river crossing thrown in for good measure, some more twisty black top before finishing on some rutted single trail through a pandanis palm grove and abandoned railway track. Quite a crescendo!
This Beemer clan do things large, so let’s return to the beginning, 7 days earlier. The Saturday afternoon rendezvous was at the opulent Shangri-La Hotel on the waterfront of Cairns. Nothing but the best for our introduction and start to the trip.
I’ve ridden a couple of BMW Safaris that were organised and lead by Chris and Anthea Urqhart and Shane Booth from Moto Development. The events run like a swiss watch but this Safari event was different.
This was an Enduro event and from the first briefing it was obvious more would be expected from riders. Punching out big miles safely and consistently in the outback is a whole new skill set for many riders who wouldn’t ever dream of going there without support.
Full article to be published in Australian Adventure Bike Magazine, which can be purchased electronically through out the world.
