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| The Long Road - Adventure Touring Ride a dual purpose bike ? Want to turn your bike into a sport-tourer? Rack up big mileage here! |
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10-02-2009, 09:10 AM
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| Newbie  Join Date: Sep 2009
Bike: bmwf650gs
Posts: 4
|  More Aussies Taking The Long way Down
Motorcycle Tour Company Has More Aussies Taking The Long way Down When it comes to adventure-style holidays, few experiences even come close to the thrill of riding a motorcycle through the Patagonian region of South America, taking in the incredible sites of the Andes on a two-week road journey through Argentina and Chile. From Incan ruins to volcanoes, glaciers and high-altitude lakes, more and more Australians are choosing to discover South America by motorcycle, and from a standing start 18 months ago, Australian-based motorcycles tours company Compass Expeditions is leading the pack in terms of premium adventure tours running up and down the continent. With its own fleet of BMW dual-purpose motorcycles, shipped over from Australia, Compass Expeditions is running a range of all-inclusive riding tours through Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. All tours for 2009 are booked out, as are tours through January and February of next year, and those beyond are already filling up including a 32-day “Gran Aventura” trip through Argentina, Chile and Peru in March-April. In total, there are a dozen different motorcycle tours to choose from, ranging from 13 days to a 42-day two-wheel safari that takes in five countries. All motorcycle tours, which start at around US$4,500 for a 14-day riding and sightseeing tour (US$2200 per pillion), include accommodation, most meals, additional tours such as helicopter flights, boat trips and treks, and most importantly use of a fully serviced motorcycle for the duration of the trip. Each tour includes a professionally trained support crew, which accompanies the riders in a four-wheel drive that is equipped with a mobile kitchen. Accommodation is mostly in 3-4 star hotels, with some tours including at least one night of camping in fixed shelters at one of several permanent camp sites along the designated route. “Our tours are a new way of travel as people tire of the bus and boat options and are looking for real adventure-style holidays,” says Compass Expeditions’ Mick McDonald, one of the company’s four directors, who spends his time between Australia and South America. “Even in this economic downturn, our motorcycle-based tours are selling out up to six months in advance.” The idea for Compass Expeditions came in 2005, when Mick completed a motorcycle ride from London to Vladivostok to raise money for the Brisbane-based charity Friedreich’s Ataxia Network. “The ride totally changed my life and from there I decided to create a motorcycle tour company.” Prior to setting up the company, Mick and his partners all drove overland tourist trucks in South America, and were therefore extremely familiar with the region, its terrain and tourism offerings. Compass Expeditions has seven motorcycles available for each tour, with most tours averaging 10 people including pillion passengers. Partners also have the option of riding in the support vehicle. “We have a tour running every month somewhere in South America, and we’ve set them up so clients can string two or more riding tours together to do a longer motorcycle adventure.” Mick says that safety is a key concern, and the company stipulates that participants must have a minimum of two years’ riding experience. “We try and give people as much information as possible about the ride and conditions, and have a lot of interaction with the passengers before they get on the bike to start the tour. Most of our tours are on-road and any off-road parts of the tours are definitely not extreme because they are on packed dirt roads. We do a half-day bike familiarisation course on the first day of the tour, educate them about safety, and do some off-road riding. “It has all really come together and the word about our tours is getting around. Our tours are really good value for money. That doesn’t mean they’re cheap, but they’re affordable; we use the best bikes and provide fantastic service and support through every tour.” Information about all the tours available can be found at motorcycle ,tours,South America - compassexpeditions.com, where secure online bookings can also be made. For further information, contact: Mick McDonald Compass Expeditions mick@compassexpeditions.com 03 5368 6473 |
