Bryan takes on desert race on legendary Harley
Photo and story by Richard Bruinsma
Nambour motorcyclist Bryan Farrow will take on Australia’s most gruelling desert race next month – and he will ride a Harley-Davidson with a legendary pedigree that’s sure to claim the spotlight.
Even to finish the tough 460km race will be a world first for the pair.
Mr Farrow, who owns Farrow’s Customs Motorcycle Mechanics, has ridden motorcycles since the age of three, and Harley-Davidsons since age 15, on all sorts of terrain. But racing in the upcoming Finke Desert Race at Alice Springs next month, where racers reach speeds of 160kph through unpredictable soft bull dust, dry rocky river beds, soft sand, and over sharp tyre-shredding shale, will be a new experience.
“The race is mainly about testing yourself, your equipment, and your team, and how you can go on terrain on which realistically you shouldn’t be riding fast,” Mr Farrow said.
“No preparation will emulate the event – you can’t ride anywhere that will be ‘Finke’, it’s impossible – just because it’s got every sort of terrain you can find, and the high speeds, so we’re trying to prepare the best we can with what we have, but there’s nothing that compares to Finke.”
Farrow is confident in the team that’s preparing him and his very special bike. He’ll be riding a modified Harley-Davidson XR-1200 – built by Alexandra Headland motorcycle engineer Gavin Walker. This very bike was ridden by Crusty Demon rider Seth Enslow to extend daredevil Evel Knievel’s world jump record by 13 metres in Sydney in 2010 and also by Crusty Demon Kain Saul to complete the first ever Harley-Davidson backflip in 2009.
“I definitely wanted to do the Finke on a Harley, and Seth Enslow was a hero of mine as a kid – I used to sit and watch him with the Crusty Demons all-day every-day — and then Gavin turned up with the bike and 10-year-old Bryan would kick my ass if I didn’t take the opportunity,” Farrow explained.
“I’ve raced Harleys on motocross tracks, I’ve raced Harleys on flat tracks, I do stunt riding on Harleys, so putting a Harley through its paces isn’t uncommon for me, but putting it through this sort of challenge is uncommon for anyone. I’ve never laid eyes on red dirt before let alone ridden it, so it’ll be interesting.
“This bike has already done two world firsts, so we’re hoping to get the trifecta and get Finke done too, as the first Harley ever to finish it.”
It’s the first time Harley-Davidsons will compete in the Finke, with three Harleys entered in this year’s event.
“Finishing is the absolute goal, no matter what, but on the same token, with the experience Bryan has with motorbike riding and the time and effort we’re spending to make the bike right, we will be aiming to upset a lot of fancy motocross teams,” engineer Walker said of Farrow’s quest. “He’s a brilliant motorcycle rider in his own backyard, absolutely one of the best, but we’re taking him to someone else’s backyard which he’s never been to before, and he will be tested well-and-truly above the average person in that race.”
Such gruelling events can cause life-long injuries to riders, including serious nerve damage to hands and arms as well as joint damage to knees, not to mention the serious risks from crashes.
Farrow’s preparation has been relentless. He has been practice riding on every surface he can – including heaps of beach and soft sand riding. He’s also been hitting the weights at the gym and doing plenty of swimming and cardio to get his fitness to a level able to withstand long hours of gruelling riding on an unconventional 260kg bike.
Even so, the team believes they and the Harley are ready for the challenge.
“There’s so many people that believe that we won’t do it, and that fuels our fire that makes us think, ‘Yep, that’s alright, let them think what they want, we can definitely do this’.
“It puts an extra chip on our shoulders to show them what’s up and get it done.”
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