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while introducing hundreds of visitors to a part of Victoria that many have never explored before.
For riders, meanwhile, the course delivers exactly the sort of variety these old motorcycles were built to tackle.
Open paddock tracks encourage flowing riding before suddenly tightening into technical bush sections where careful throttle control becomes more important than horsepower. Sandy corners give way to rocky climbs before descending into creek crossings and winding farm trails. None of it is particularly extreme by modern enduro standards, but that misses the point entirely.
These motorcycles demand a different style of riding.
Modern enduro bikes flatter almost everyone. Long-travel suspension absorbs mistakes, powerful brakes erase poor judgement and fuel injection delivers perfectly measured throttle response regardless of conditions. A vintage motorcycle asks far more of its rider. Drum brakes require planning rather than panic. Suspension rewards smoothness instead of aggression. Engines need to be kept singing in exactly the right part of their powerband. Body position becomes critical because these bikes communicate every bump, rut and rock directly through the handlebars and footpegs.
Ironically, that is precisely what so many riders love about them.
Nothing is filtered. Nothing is hidden. Every kilometre becomes a conversation between rider and machine, exactly as it was when these motorcycles first rolled out of the factory.
Perhaps even more remarkable than the motorcycles themselves are the people who continue to ride them.
Many competitors first owned these bikes when they were new. They competed in club enduros during the 1970s and 1980s before careers, families and mortgages gradually pushed riding down the list of priorities. Decades later, retirement has given them the opportunity to rediscover a passion that
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