07/07/2013
My Short Ride to Wodonga in 2011 made me realise that travelling by bike is a great way to see the country, but you either have to spend a fortune on accommodation, or go without a lot of the comforts you take for granted.
With the Ulysses AGM in Maryborough 4 months away, I decided I didn't want to rough it, so I started researching motorcycle trailers.
There aren't that many choices for someone with a small bike and a tight budget. I was hoping to find a trailer for around $3,000, big enough to carry the essentials and a few luxuries, yet light enough to be towed behind my 650 cruiser.
I'd narrowed the choice down two manufacturers and started making enquiries. I received a lot of positive feedback about both, so it really boiled down to a fiberglass trailer with power assisted brakes vs lightweight aluminium without brakes.
I eventually ordered a trailer, 3 months before the AGM and decided to go fibreglass due to the suppliers great reputation and their guarantee the trailer would be ready in 6-8 weeks.
6 weeks later (6 weeks until the AGM), I rang the supplier - Yes the trailer should be ready in a few weeks.
2 weeks later (4 weeks before the AGM) I rang the supplier again - No trailer isn't ready and we don't know when it will be ready. I said thanks for nothing and promptly cancelled my order ( I met a couple at the AGM and they had the same issue...it seems 16 weeks wasn't enough notice to get a trailer built when the supplier quotes 6-8 weeks)
So here I was, 4 weeks from the AGM and no trailer. I scoured every bike site and yard, trying to locate a trailer (at this stage it didn't matter what brand, colour, condition) I just wanted a trailer to take to Maryborough. After 2 weeks I finally resigned myself to the fact I wasn't going to have a trailer to take with me, so off to the local camping shop I went to purchase some lightweight camping gear to replace the slightly bulky gear I planned to take with me.
Just before leaving for the AGM, I contacted Mal from Bandicoot Trailers. Their trailer was my preferred choice, but because I'd heard so much about the other manufacturer and very little about Bandicoots, I didn't go with them originally.
Talking to Mal set my mind at ease about the lack of power assisted brakes and I was seriously considering ordering one on the spot, sight unseen. I decided I was going to get myself a 'Coot, but first I had an AGM to attend.
Whilst at the AGM, I talked to a lot of people who had trailers, some from the manufacturer who let me down, some from other manufacturers, and one lone soul with a 'Coot.
The 'Coot owner let me hook it up to my bike and take it out for a short run. I couldn't believe how light it was and I only noticed it when taking off at the lights (that little clunk when you first take off still catches me out).
I was sold. It's small, light, maneuverable and you could fit a lot of gear inside it.
Once I got back home, I was straight onto the Bandicoot website (
www.bandicoots.com.au) and ordered myself a shiny black Outback trailer with all the options.
Several weeks later, I received an email advising me of the status of my order and and estimated date for pickup.
When I finally received the phone call tp say my trailer was ready, I organise to ride out the next weekend to pick it up.
The day of pickup arrived. As with almost everything I organise, it started raining just after I let home and spent the next 45 minutes riding through rain until I reached Petrie.
As if by magic, the rain stopped completely as I reached Samford, the place to pickup my trailer. Arriving at Mal's place I crawled slowly up his very steep and slightly damp driveway to be greeted by the sight of my little 'Coot waiting patiently for me.
After checking out the trailer, fitting the license plate and rego sticker, adjusting the tyre pressure and connecting up and checking the trailer I was ready to head home when Mal asked if i'd like a coffee. Anyone who knows me is well aware of my coffee addiction, so the obvious answer was yes.
Sitting on Mal's veranda, we chatted for a while about where each of us had been and I was able to get a lot of helpful advice on towing and maintaining the trailer.
The sky cleared, the roads were drying and the coffe was gone, so time to get on the road and get my 'Coot home.
Leaving Mal's place was tricky, especially with the additional weight on the back of the bike and the steep driveway. As I was leaving, Mal told me to be careful going down the driveway as it would probably be slippery....just what I wanted to hear.
Slowly I went, barely walking pace, with the rear tyre sliding on a few occasions. Safely on the road, I pulled over, double checked the coupling and lights and then I was off, slowly at first, gaining more confidence with every passing minute.
Passing through Samford, the trailer felt stable and now for the first real test - roundabout. I took the corner a little too close to the gutter and was greeted with the trailer bouncing off the gutter - note to self - with trailer on, you are wider than a bike.
That was the last surprise on the way home. Traffic lights, corners, roundabouts - placing the bike in the correct position became easy and the extra weight on the back was barely noticeable.
Arriving home, it was time for the mandatory photos, check to make sure nothing has fallen off and tighten up all the bolts, just as Mal suggested.
Now was time for a name. Having played a few computer games in my past, and the trailer being a Bandicoot, the obvious name came to mind - Crash.
Thus named, a beer was opened to wet the new baby's head.
Looking back at this whole exercise, I'm glad my first purchase wasn't able to be delivered. While I would have liked to have had a shiny fiberglass trailer, that fact that A LOT of people have them would have ment I'd just look like everyone else on the road.
I've barely seen another 'Coot on the road and whenever I stop, people come over to check out and ask lots of questions about my little Crash.
And the best thing about the 'Coot.... the "water carrier" at the back of the trailer can just fit a carton of beer...a major bonus in anyone's language.
Thursty
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