2moroRider update: 18,900 miles completed!

Young British motorcyclist Rhys Lawrey has completed the Australian section of his record-breaking round-the-world adventure, having ridden the 5,900 miles from Perth to Sydney during August.

Riding under the 2moroRider banner, Rhys has travelled 18,900 miles since leaving England on his Triumph Tiger 800 XC at the beginning of May.

“I had to top up the oil, after a lot of long days riding at constantly high speeds on the straight roads across the outback, but apart from that Tigger [my Triumph] hasn’t needed any maintenance” says Rhys, who plans to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe on a motorcycle. He has more than 30,000 miles ahead – his next stop is New Zealand, then America, Africa and back to Europe, before returning to the UK next spring.

Journeying across Australia during winter helps to avoid the scorching heat of summer, but presents different challenges;

“Although it was bone dry with blue skies, it was freezing in the mornings and didn’t warm up until the sun climbed into the sky. Maximum temperatures were no more than 20 C. When I hit the Gold Coast it rained bucketloads pretty much non-stop until I reached Sydney. Fortunately my Triumph Navigator jacket & jeans have been 100% waterproof. The jacket even has a waterproof outside pocket, which is really handy for keeping my passport in. When it warms up, the vents on the front & arms work really effectively.”

Riding huge distances over varied terrain tests motorcycle clothing to the limits.

“My Shoei Hornet-DS helmet is so light you can wear it all day long. The visor seals perfectly, so no rain leaks in and the anti-fog does its job perfectly too. It gets dark early in Australia at this time of year and the helmet peak makes life easier riding into low sun.”

“Now I know why people rave about Sidi Crossfire 2 boots. I have been practically living in these since leaving England four months ago. Being a motocross boot, they look big & bulky, but you get used to them really quickly and they’re still in top condition after 20,000 miles of use.
Without doubt they’ve saved my feet/ankles during a couple tumbles riding across Central Asia”.

Choosing the right accessories has made life easier for Rhys too;

“I fitted my bike with Metal Mule max panniers – 38 litres on one side, with my clothes in a Kriega inner bag, and 31 litres on the other, containing tools, laptop & travel documents. They’ve been totally waterproof and indestructible, surviving a low speed crash on sand in Asia and a collision with a car in China!”

“Riding a chain driven bikes over immense distances, you don’t want to be adjusting & lubing the chain all the time and the Scottoiler ESYSTEM has been brilliant. I use the high temperature oil and it’s made the transmission really smooth. Better still, I didn’t need to change or adjust the chain until I reached Bangkok, having ridden all the way from England. I briefly used a spray-on chain lube but, unlike the Scottoiler, lots of the oil was flung off the chain onto the back wheel.
I also really like the fact that you can control the oil flow from the handlebar mounted display.”

Rhys is raising money for The Prince’s Trust, asking for a donation of just £1 for every continent he crosses (up to a maximum of six). You can follow his progress, view his video diaries and make a donation at www.2mororider.com.