Border Run: 2nd - 5th August 2024 + PIX

[spacey1]

The annual Border Run is on Saturday 3rd August 2024.

This year will be special, as multiple BMWMCCWA members will be turning 70 and are looking forward to catching up with east cost friends.

If you need accommodation, you will need to book early, camping spots are usually available.

Typically riders depart Perth metro early Friday 2nd and head for the start of the 90 Mile Straight (~900km) to camp the night (nearest roadhouse is Balladonia, just west of 90 Mile Straight), this sets up for an easier ~500km day to the SA Border.

Saturday afternoon is spent catching up with fellow riders from Eastern states, blending into the evening dinner.

Sunday 4th is pack up and head for home, usually ~700 - 800km to Norseman / Kalgoorlie/ Coolgardie area .

Monday a relaxed run back into metro area.

The overall trip is ~3000km over the 4 days, or make your own plans to travel further east, or tour South coast on the way.

Keep an eye out for organised rides as the date gets closer.

Register: https://www.bmwmccwa.asn.au/event-5555894

Regards

Graeme

[spacey1]

Note: Fraser Range is not a camping option as it is most definitely CLOSED.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5206

[Cookie]

Update - Camping spot on Friday night will be 23kms east of the Ninety mile straight sign - there is a road off to the right, with a 44 gallon drum marking the road.

[spacey1]

For those going to the Border Run...

Referencing the poster in the Eucla Resort, the distances you will need for trip / fuel planning.



NOT FORGETTING that fuel is in the order of 50 cents per litre LESS EXPENSIVE at Eucla, 12km west of the Border Village.

For those heading further east, Yalata is now a viable option for reasonably priced fuel and food. Yalata has had a massive upgrade this year 2024, making it a very modern and welcome stop. We stopped there in April 2024 and June 2024.

For fuel stop planning, I found the travel app, Fuel Map Australia, to be GOLD: https://fuelmap.com.au/

On our Club Forum: viewtopic.php?p=23543#p23543

[spacey1]

Other useful travel apps on our Club's Forum. Might be helpful on a Border Run

viewforum.php?f=9

Emergency Services, Fuel, Weather, Wind, Bushfires, Road Conditions, Track & Share, Communication

[spacey1]

You're going to have to pay attention and watch out for the red 44 (one or two) depending on the image you look at.

Update from Cookie: viewtopic.php?p=23539#p23539

Update for Border Run overnight camp east of Balladonia from Goldie...

https://maps.app.goo.gl/TDyAdAZT5ssnd1Y7A?g_st=im

[spacey1]

I'd done a Border Run on my 2008 R1200 GSA before in my second year in the BMW MCC WA, 2011.

That's more than a decade ago. The thought crossed my mind, that given the hype (the 70 year olds), perhaps I should have another go...

I wasn't really committed until the call came from the farm salesman suggesting that it was again time for a HD ride. No seriously, on the HD this time...

Why was I doing this to myself. 3,000 km in three days. It's a big deal.

Actually the Border Run is a really good exercise in trip planning, fuel planning, all-weather gear testing, camping and sleeping gear testing, and building confidence in the motorcycle that you ride, all in the company of your riding buddies. All of whom are looking out for each other...

Trip planning: Where are my overnight stops? Food and essential nourishment for the body? Managing fatigue?

Fuel Planning: My tank range? My riding buddies tank range? Distances between fuel stops? Managing 'comfort stops'? Real trip data like this... Which allows you to walk through the prevailing conditions, wind, speed, load, fuel quality, etc. The following data is from the history section of my Logbook in Fuel Map Australia > viewtopic.php?p=23543#p23543



All-weather gear testing: How does my choice of gear withstand driving rain? icy cold? Wind? Sudden temperature changes cold to hot to cold. Can I find my stuff easily in which pockets in layers of clothing? How easy is it to find 'Peter to point at the porcelain'?

Camping and Sleeping gear testing: Is my tent and sleeping gear suitable for the temperature range expected for the duration of the ride? How easy is it all to pack away again in the morning in icy, rainy conditions? What did I break? Do I have the water and food necessary for the overnight camps? Or indeed emergencies? Am I drinking enough water? On an icy wet morning, can I put all the gear back into the bike without soaking everything else? Reducing the inevitable discomfort of exiting from your sleeping bag for that nightly (or more often) 'comfort stop'.

Building confidence in the motorcycle that you ride: Do my tyres have sufficient tread for the trip? Are the tyres even suitable? Am I confident with all the maintenance (including brakes) to the motorbike leading up to departure? If all those 'farkles' fail, will it ruin the ride? How well is the machine packed? Ease of access to gear? More importantly, how easy to pack in icy, wet conditions...



In the company of your riding buddies: Knowing that if un-toward things happen, you're not on your own...

[spacey1]

Thursday: 270 km

At the outset, it was decided that we meet up at Merredin on Thursday evening. A Gentleman's Day and a nice 270 km to get into the flow. I left Perth at 12.30 and encountered 20 or so spots of rain along the way. JD on the other hand, left Narrogin in the dark. And it didn't get warmer. Open eateries were also few and far between. A 45 minute wait in one place. Pizza/Burger was the other and chosen option.

[spacey1]

Friday: 700 km

The Tourist Park room provided for an easy early start, with no gear to pack! Freshly fueled from the night before.

The weather was perfect... after it warmed up a little. 17 degC is a very pleasant temperature considering all the layers of clothing I had on. Minus 1 degC in Merredin however was not. Thankfully the bikes were undercover.

Coolgardie next at 294 km. The HD had approximately 320 km in the tank. My Wing had around 400 km. Both would be tested... So 300 km was a safe fuel limit. A bit different from our previous rides (GSAs) with 550+ km guaranteed in the tank.

A quick reshuffle outside of Coolgardie... Ear plugs not inserted properly...


The Lake Cowan shot...


Fueled up at Norseman (166 km)... JW's R90S taking on sustenance...


Then 218 km to Balladonia. Five kilometres west of Balladonia, Guy's Black Bike gave up the ghost. JW towed him into Balladonia.

David S' cheap R 1100 GS spat an injector line off a couple of hundred metres closer to Balladonia.


It was eventually refitted, with the lubricating assistance of lip gloss (I think)... The o-ring seal had swollen substantially and required some effort to refit the line. It did however stay on.

Guy had run out of options and stayed at Balladonia. He was lucky to score a lift back home, in fact, to his front door. In short order, he was in his 4WD with trailer and bee-lined it back to retrieve his Black Bike from Balladonia.

[spacey1]

Friday: 700 km (continued)

The campsite on the south side of the 90 Mile was identified by a BMW sign at around 26 km past the 90 Mile Straight sign.


The campsite was already fully populated when we rocked up. So we did a little off-roading to find an area isolated enough from any snoring symphany. The loose stuff was fairly interesting on the big Wing. Tents were set up.


I use a Helinox Cot One. It certainly adds bulk to my gear, but the sleep quality it provides is worth it. A Sea-to-Summit double-layer air mat and an almost warm enough sleeping bag tossed in atop the Cot One. However, the morning got cold, freezing cold. I was on the edge of comfortable. My tent and sleeping bag are ready to be farmed out. The tent simply does not have enough room or height. It was dry though.

After setting up, we wondered around to check out other riders' situations. The Lads from Esperance were far too hospitable. They prepared an awesome fire, cooked our dinner, gave me a chair to sit on to eat. I still can't believe that that huge mallee root would not burn for days. It was almost gone by morning!
There were other stories, but you would have to have been there, wouldn't you...

[spacey1]

Saturday: 530 km

Saturday morning was icy, literally... Cold wet gear was packed. Bikes were coaxed into life. No alarm clock was necessary to wake up. David S used his lithium jump starter on two bikes. JW toasted his R90S with a layer of coals underneath to warm it up, enabling a warm start. Robin was doing his best to help out a big KTM Adv bike to no avail. Don't know how that panned out.

First stop for fuel and nourishment was Cocklebiddy (218 km from Balladonia). 90 km further to Madura Pass was a little too close for comfort. However, the brekky is pretty good at Cocklebiddy. Robin told us that is where he always stops.

Onto Eucla Western Australia for fuel (272 km). Always less expensive than Border Village South Australia and only 12 km away.

Arriving at the WA/SA border at around 3.30 gave us plenty of time to mingle and photograph the occasion.


Ross (our ideas man) put the drone in the sky to capture the occasion.




A few photos of the participants from all over Australia on all brands of motorcycles for the 2024 Border Run...










Our roving ABC Radio reporter Rhonda...

[spacey1]

Rain was predicted for around 5 pm. So we darted back into WA to get those photos at the SA Border. The WA Quarantine Staff were kind enough to allow us around with only a minor inspection and assurances that we were with the Border Run group. Many thanks...


And before you knew it... Everyone who passed through wanted in on the act. Should have charged $10 a pop for photography services and location fees

[spacey1]

It didn't matter where you looked. There were bikes everywhere. The accommodation was booked out.




More riders were camped in the bush. I have no idea of the actual numbers. And JD and I would have joined said campers had it not been for the generosity on another of our members offering a room as he was unable to attend... Many thanks Mike.

[spacey1]

Saturday Evening

The evening at the Border Village Hotel was a raging success, both for the ride participants and the Border Village Hotel. Dinner orders were halted at one stage because they were inundated. Orders were taken again once they had recovered. There was however no shortage of beer and good hospitality.

This 2024 Border Run was a 70th birthday celebration for a few of the riders. Some of whom may have been there in the beginning... The original Border Run dates hover around the 1974 to 1976 time frame.


Breaking from tradition where riders were able to order a badge at the Border one year and had to be there the next to pick it up.

This year, there was a Border Run 2024 - 70th Birthday Badge available for purchase.

Here's mine in original wrapping. All I need is to gather the signatures from the three 70 Year Olds and sell it for a fortune on eBay

[spacey1]

Onto the business... The Pudding

A bit of background for those uninitiated...

The Pudding, the Legend... BMW MCC WA: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2878

Pudding History... BMWMCQ: https://issuu.com/bmwmotorcycleclubquee ... s/16687518

ADV Rider - Keeping track of The Pudding: https://advrider.com/f/threads/keeping- ... -1.268417/

The Motorcycle Pudding Log: https://www.facebook.com/groups/344027165940750/

I last saw the Pudding in 2015 at a BMW MCC WA Sunday breakfast, then again in 2016 at the same event/location.

So I'm pretty chuffed to actually hold it this time at the 2024 Border Run. As were several others...






Some may remember these guys from back at the 2008 Border Run...




The collection bag was handed around to raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS).

From the 2024 Border Run, Robin is riding it to the OCR at Arkaroola SA (https://www.arkaroola.com.au/).

I have heard no updates since then...