EDITORIAL
TRAVERSE:
Wow! What a surprise.
R
ecently I was given the chance
to ride a number of bikes I
personally would've never
considered, it came with a few
surprises.
Taking on a variety of corners
through Victoria's (Australia) Otways
Ranges and Great Ocean Road were
a handful of different machines by
two manufacturers; one with a British
name yet owned and made in India,
the other with an Italian name though
made and owned by the Chinese.
Both with a history in firearms
manufacturing.
First the Chinese Italians, and
the bike marketed to the 'adventure'
segment; the TRK502.
Adventure bike? Well, you know
philosophy, all bikes are adventure
bikes ... but placed in this market.
No! The TRK502 isn't a bad bike, it
certainly looks the part. But it felt a
little cheap (at AU$8,790 it is cheap),
the fact that the handlebars and risers
seemed to move or flex a hell of a lot
was a concern ... don't start me on the
front brakes.
I stepped off the Benelli to jump on
a Royal Enfield Himalayan ... and it
confirmed what I thought. For what
TRAVERSE 5
it is, this is a pretty good little bike.
Yeah, it could do with wider bars,
it's agricultural, it's cheaply put
together and it's not the prettiest bike
but hell, isn't that exactly everything
it's supposed to be? I can't wait to
have more rides on one of these.
Then came the newish Royal
Enfield Continental GT.
This twin cylinder machine,
that takes in RE's new approach to
manufacturing and quality control
is a real surprise. It'll never set a
landspeed record but, oh my, what
fun it was to ride along the Victorian
coastline.
The Continental GT is another
cheap bike and it would be hard to
find a another bike that offers as
much fun for such little cost. Can't
wait to have another ride on one of
these.
On the RE theme, it's with great
sadness that we heard of the passing
of Australia's first lady of 'adventure'
riding ... Winifred Wells. See our
tribute on page 98.
Leigh