Inaugural WA GS Breakfast run: Sunday 27 October 2019

[Cookie]

Shaun Turblanche is holding a GS Breakfast Run, Sunday 27 October 2019.

Meet at Caltex Forrestdale 7.45 for 8am kick off, corner of Armadale Road and Alex Wood Drive Forrestdale.

Routes for all skill levels, including a black top option.

Full details on BMWMCCWA face book page.

[SpyvsSpy]

So good to catch up with you again Cookie !
Well done Shaun , for those that missed it ... great turn out

[Cookie]

Yes, agreed, a good time was had by all

[spacey1]

Following the awesomeness of the OctoberFest Demo Day at AutoClassic BMW, Sunday continued to supply warm Spring weather for another great day piloting BMW GSs through the Western Australian countryside.

OctoberFest Demo Day at AutoClassic BMW: http://forum.bmwmccwa.asn.au/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4083

For a day that ended like this...



A day that featured a scare in traffic going up the coast to home...



A day that sprung a hefty 38.5 degC surprise by early afternoon out past the airport on the way home.

The bikini-wearing masquerader couldn't have been that comfortable in that costume...

To think that only a couple of hours prior, we were all parked up at the Blue Wren Cafe in Dwellingup enjoying the local fare, coffee, and swapping stories from the ride with new companions.



But in all seriousness, it was a great beginning to even bigger things next year.

The Inaugural GS Ride group machines included almost every GS ever produced. Our Prez had his HPN on site for collective drooling. Examples of the new BMW R1250 GSA were present. Female riders atop BMW R1200 GSA LCs were on the scene. Lightweight BMW F650 GS thumpers abound frothing at the bit to finally be able show up the bigger GSs in tight terrains. The F800 GS and F850 GS and iterations of same were all there. Good to see stalwarts on R1100 and R1150 GSs getting into it.

Shaun Francois Terblanche (The South African last name equivalent of Smith, I've been informed), our home grown entrant in the 2020 GS Trophy, hosted the Inaugural WA GS Breakfast run.

At the rider briefing, Shaun made quite an effort to make it clear about the hazards of the off-road route. He strongly recommended that if this ride was your 1st off-road jaunt, it wasn't a good idea and a better alternative would be to take the road route. And I would agree with this advice.



He highlighted the corner marker system that was to be used to keep 40-odd riders un-lost. This worked very well in my view. The ride leader minus one stops and stays at the corner as recommended by the leader until the easy-to-recognize tail-end-charlie arrives. The corner-marker rider then follows the group onwards. I didn't get lost, if that accounts for anything... There were to be several stops along the way to re-group and
refresh.

I did notice this awesome crash bar on Shaun's BMW R1250 GS from Outback Motortek. It actually looked like it would definitely provide solid protection all round which included a plate that covers the vulnerable valve covers on a fall. It is also shaped so the rider doesn't bash it with their leg every time they reach out.



Post-briefing, we were off. The transition from bitumen to dirt was abrupt.

The first half of dirt route was a slow, dusty, pot-holed, well-beaten and eroded, sand patched, mud-holed, pea-gravelled, corrugated and rocky affair. I think that's all I remember. Traction was mostly in short supply. It was slow going. Mostly 1st to 3rd gear stuff on the big bikes. No smooth-flowing sections. Just rolling over / through / into / out of one obstacle after another.

For myself, it was a skill-refresher from years gone by of racing lightweight enduro bikes through rugged terrain. Punting a 250 kg GSA shod with Continental TKC 70s through same terrain, dressed in full protective gear, proved a completely different scenario, likened more to a hard 3-hour work-out in the gym, with dust thrown in.

Understatement. The big BMW GS bikes are no lightweight enduro racers!

However, the ride seriously highlighted the ability of the BMW GS to be capable of almost any challenge thrown at it. Not fast, not agile, but capable. It doesn't matter what challenge you encounter in your adventure, the GS has the capability to give it a go and mostly succeed!

The second half of the ride proved more friendly to the more portly motorbikes, mine included. Traction was still in limited supply on the corrugated and pea-gravelled surfaces. But once on-the-move past 3rd gear, the big GSs transform to a much more manageable proposition. At this point the fun started, as did even larger clouds of dust... with the usual visibility challenges.

Apparently there was a hill that should have challenged the ability of TKC 70s to provide drive. I don't recall any such lack of drive... or come to think of it, even a hill?

Summing up, many thanks to Shaun for organizing this challenging Sunday breakfast ride. May there be many more. He is really putting himself out there at present. He participated in the Kirup Off-road training course the following week. Shaun recently completed the 2019 GS Safari Enduro. For a new starter (only been riding for 4 years) in the motorcycle world, he has extraordinary talent. Watch this space, well Shaun's space anyhow...

I wish Shaun great success at the 2020 GS Trophy and look forward to the stories...

2020 GS Trophy: https://www.bmw-motorrad.com/en/experie ... -2020.html

2020 GS Trophy Qualifier Winners: http://rider.bmwmotorrad.com.au/gs-trophy-qualifier/

BMW Safari: https://bmwsafari.com/

BMW Safari on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bmwsafari/

'On her bike': http://rider.bmwmotorrad.com.au/kinga-tanajewska/
'On her bike', because I reckon Kinga is awesome!

[Cookie]

Great photos and write up Nev, next years event will be bigger and even better.