Australian Motorcyclist – June 2017

TOURATECH TRAVEL

WEEKEND

EVENT

A Bright weekend in April

WORDS/PHOTOSRALPH

T

HE ANNUAL TOURATECH
Challenge and EXPO event for
adventure riders has jumped
into the ‘must do’ list for me, having
attended the recent get-together in
beautiful Bright, Victoria. The market
leading, aftermarket accessories
supplier puts on an excellent outdoor
show to entice riders for a spot of
fun and an excuse to get their various
incarnations of ADV bikes dirty.
This is a friendly low-key affair
and is where riders can sample a full
array of test bikes for some excellent
local riding. BMW, Ducati, Honda,
KTM, Suzuki, SWM and Triumph
represented themselves with a cross-
section of models to sample or take
part in the challenge itself. Saturday
seemed like a non-stop theatre of
noise as groups were either leaving
or arriving on their thirty minute plus
loops. KTM headed to the south
and the bush while Triumph went
looking for the very scenic route up to
Tawonga Gap. I jumped on a Honda
and the new Multistrada 950 to pad
out the afternoon as my crook knee
wasn’t up to the challenge!

So, we have an assembly of bikes,

riders, gear, the best weather (and

local food and wine let alone the

Bright Brewery with 40 odd

brews on tap for some fine

evening fun) now what happens

is a little different to any other

event I have attended.

TOURATECH CHALLENGE

A challenging event that not only

tests skills and endurance but also

adds some spirited fun into the mix

relying on solo and team efforts.

Sounds simple? A class riding day

based around some challenges of

map-reading, riding and some crazy

fun too. Most of the day was about

accumulating enough points to be

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a great reason for the crowd to

hang around and view some expert

riding. All-rounder riding ex-racer

Steve Martin gave the throng a ‘no

points lost’ demo of how it should

be done on his Triumph Tiger 800.

The gymkhana was part low-speed

gymnastics mixed with a dose of

bravery and good planning. All of

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points, some dropped their steeds,

but one thing that all received was

a clap of appreciation and a whistle

from the onlookers. Sure, there were

winners but I thought the whole day

(weekend in fact) was a huge win for

dual-sport antics.

This is an event ready to grow

beyond little ’ol Bright and if the

adventure headed north into NSW

I’m sure it would pull an even bigger,

grateful crowd. Put on some music

and allow camping and the Challenge

could become larger that the Milky

Way we sleep under. D

Beauty

The Bright region has some unbelievably

good riding on its doorstep. Dederang

too. The attendance (at a guesstimate)

was between 600 and 1000 people,

which gave the town of Bright a really

friendly and busy atmosphere.