more. Before returning home, his mind was already set,
he would ride all ten of Australia’s main deserts (see part
one of Benji’s feature in this issue).
The bike needed some work before Benji could take
on the challenge of the deserts, he had the suspension
rebuilt with something more suited to the conditions
he would face. The gearing was altered through the
sprockets; 14 /49. The most noticeable additions are an
enlarged Safari Tank, plus a 14 litre Rotopax on the rear.
And then there’s the saddlebags, believed to be donated
by the local postal service.
“The saddlebags are customised,” Benji laughs.
They’re held together by an innumerable amount of ca-
ble ties, yet they do the job and they do it well.
“I needed to make these modifications in order to
get through the deserts,” Benji continues. “The suspen-
sion needed to be strong because on the longest stretch
through the Great Victoria Desert I had to take 21 litres of
water, 46 litres of fuel, ten days’ worth of food plus tools
and camping gear.”
The bike was extremely heavy yet the set up allowed
it to get across the sand dunes. It wasn’t easy yet it still
made it.
Despite its battered appearance the little WR is in
Benji’s words an “indestructible workhorse”. And despite
having a headlight that is simply described as “useless
TRAVERSE 48