BMW motorcycles is synonymous with motorcycle touring. It’s been that way for many many years. Of course you can tour on a Postie bike if you want, but historically plenty of touring riders rode Beemers. And for good reason too, as it’s only in relatively recent times the German manufacturer has been noted for bikes with sporting aspirations in their DNA.
BMW Australia runs two ‘Safaris’ a year, the GS Safari which caters for the adventure set, and the Touren Sport Safari for riders on BMW road machines.
That needs to be clarified a little. You won’t see a BMW road bike on the GS Safari (well I didn’t on the last one I did) because there are substantial amounts of dirt road, but on the road based Touren Sport Safari you will see a number of GS models, mainly because they are a fantastic touring machine, on tar or dirt.
The 2013 event ran from Sunday, February 17 through to Friday, February 22. As you would expect, the route is changed year to year, and for this year the TS Safari kicked off in Warnambool in Victoria, around the end of the famed Great Ocean Road, winding its way along the coastline to end up in Healesville, another very beautiful part of Victoria.
I joined the event at Lorne at the end of Day Two, with a three day adventure ahead of me. Many of the TS Safari participants are regulars, and the age varies greatly, from lady riders in their early 20s to Octogenarians still out there enjoying life to the full. I arrived in Lorne – itself a very pretty place on the Victorian coast, an hour or so down the GOR from Geelong – just in time for the briefing for the next day’s ride.
It’s a low key affair, with most riders enjoying a cool drink and getting the good or bad on what to expect on the next day’s ride. This could be bad news if you include weather forecasts.
My ride during the TS Safari was BMW’s new F 800 GT, and so after a few hours doing a photo shoot it was off down the GOR and up into the hinterland behind to sample the bike and the roads. The last time I actually rode the GOR was 20 years ago but I don’t remember it being substantially different to what it is now.
At certain times of the year the road is apparently overrun with tourists and Grey Nomads towing caravans, and this can slow your progress down somewhat, as overtaking opportunities are very limited.
Due to the photo shoot we (me and partner in crime Ralph Leavsey-Moase from AMCN) were unable to complete the entire day’s route so we got to Skenes Creek not far from Apollo Bay where we turned right and rode up and over this glorious road which at times was so narrow it should have been one way, coming out at Beech Forrest where lunch was had at an amazing little coffee shop.
We completed the rest of the route and got back in time for a short rest before the night’s briefing. I even found time to check out a movie at the Lorne Cinema that night. What a blast, the cinema still has its Art Deco charm and just sitting there was nearly as good as watching the film.
Each day is different in length but BMW Australia tries to keep distances to around 300-350 kilometres. This allows riders to stop and check out the areas and still enjoy a decent length ride. And as many riders cover long distances just to get to the start of the Safari, it makes sense to do so.
The next day was back along the GOR to the ferry at Queenscliff, across to Sorrento on the east side of Port Phillip Bay, arriving at our overnight stay at Traralgon, via some fantastic roads through Leongatha and Mirboo North.
Each day you get a route sheet which has comprehensive route instructions, and tips on where to eat, what to see etc. The route is fully tested by BMW prior to the event so you learn from their mistakes so to speak.
Part of the attraction to an event like this is meeting other people, and at Traralgon we must have had 20 people at our dinner table enjoying some fantastic Thai. A great night of stories, food and wine. Brilliant.
The last day was probably the highlight for me, not so much for the road conditions, which went from sublime to very average at times, but the route from Traralgon to Healesville included the historic mining town of Walhalla in the Gippsland alpine region. It was founded in around 1863 as a gold mining town, peaking to around 2500 residents.
Those who have been to Hill End (one of my favourite places) will have a bit of a clue as to what Walhalla is about, but Hill End had double the residents of Walhalla in its peak. That said, Walhalla is a more vibrant place than Hill End as it is now, with more shops and a fantastic feel to it. I can’t wait to get back there for a long weekend.
Healesville being the last stop on the tour is also where the goodbye dinner is held. Buses picked us up at various points and another fantastic night of great food, beverages and everything that goes with it, was had.
The very next morning I procured a BMW R 1200 RT and headed south to the Phillip Island World Superbike Round, so you could say I had an awesome week away. The cost of being a part of the TS Safari is $590 and $1165 with a pillion, which includes three dinners during the week, the route sheets, and back-up mechanics and paramedics who also ride the entire route.
All you need to do is get yourself there on your BMW, book your own accommodation, buy your meals (except for the three supplied) and enjoy yourself. And I can tell you it’s pretty hard not to enjoy yourself. This is the third or fourth Safari I’ve been on and they are always well organised and top fun.
There’s no set times to do anything other than each night’s briefing, so leave when you want in the morning, and take as long as you want to complete the ride. Easy.