Think Tasmania with tuk tuks, temples and tropical heat – then throw in Roothy on a classic Royal Enfield and you’ve got the ride of a lifetime
If I were to list the things that’d make for a perfect holiday, it’d probably go like this: Motorcycles, adventure, new roads, awesome roads, motorcycles, incredible scenery, lovely people, incredible food, motorcycles, beachside resorts, plenty of swimming, great food, great company and plenty of beer!
Right, I’ve just listed all the faves that make Tasmania such a great place to go touring (hmm, other than the swimming anyway). But, having ‘done’ Tassie a few dozen times since our honeymoon ride in 1993, Karen and I were keen to try something different. Strangely, the island we chose, Sri Lanka, is about the same size as Tassie, but a whole lot closer to the equator and a totally different world.
Back in the 90s I worked as a motorcycle tour guide, taking overseas tourists on trips through the outback. We had a fleet of TTR250s and the trips were fully catered with a lead rider and a back-up vehicle. Years later I met up with Matt Natowneski, whose company Nevermind Adventures was doing much the same thing, taking Aussies on rides overseas. We had heaps in common but it took a couple of decades before I finally got around to trying a tour from the riders’ perspective…
…as in waking up every day without a worry in the world because someone else is doing all the planning. I didn’t know it could be this good!
Nevermind’s tours feature sheer in-country knowledge, which means the best accommodation linked by the best of the riding roads and always lots of surprises. These are tours planned by motorcyclists for motorcyclists, even down to having a back-up van and a spare bike.
friendly isle
Sri Lanka’s an island off the coast of India that we knew as Ceylon when it was a British colony. After decades of nasty civil war, it’s pretty much third-world poor – but the people, mostly Buddhists, are wonderfully welcoming. I’ve toured plenty of countries but never had so many people waving and smiling everywhere we went. That’s got a bit to do with the bikes we were riding too: all Royal Enfields and mostly Classic 350s. A pack of full-faced Aussies on big thumpers – most with loud pipes – sticks out like a wild elephant blocking the road. And yes, we had that too.
Sri Lanka has a capacity limit of 450cc but just about everybody, their family and the pet goat are doubled up on Chinese 200cc bikes and scooters. Even the Tuk Tuk taxis are only 200cc “smokers” but with so many tractors, old buses and the odd buffalo cart sharing the roads, the national speed limit of 80km/h makes sense. The traffic itself is India-hectic in the towns but once out in the country it’s possible to have whole roads to yourself. Just don’t count on it – there’s always the chance of a bus stopping halfway around the next corner!
We flew into Columbo and spent a couple of days getting acclimatised – old English word for drinking beer on the beach at the resort – before bussing 120km south to Galle and the start of our trip. Galle was colonised by the Portuguese in the 16th century and was the main port for Sri Lanka. The Dutch took it over around 1650 and built more infrastructure, including the fort (that’s absolutely incredible), before surrendering it all to the British in 1796.
The result is a fascinating history with plenty to see and – thanks to beautiful weather – terrific beaches and resorts. It’s a bit of a party town after hours, too. Naturally, Karen and I spent our time touring the old Catholic churches and Buddhist temples rather than just relaxing in a beachside bar attempting to say “more Lion beers, please” in Sri Lankan…
Gearing up in Galle
In Galle we picked up our bikes. Nevermind had organised two truckloads of serviced and sorted secondhand Enfields, so we grabbed a Classic 350 with a decent pillion seat and a pannier for the water bottles, hats and towels. It shows the experience of our operators, too, because we got a chance to “learn” our bikes (and the traffic) in the mild conditions around Galle before heading up along the beautiful east coast.
The Classic 350 makes the soft sort of power that’s perfect for travelling Sri Lanka. Two up, we got that needle quivering over the 80km/h mark more than once – but only on the few long straights around the coast. Once up into the mountains it was a sheer joy chucking the little Classic around, and passing isn’t that hard when you’ve got twice the capacity of the locals. We’re talking corners, endless corners and more corners here. I broke a new personal record: most first-gear corners in the same day – and one that was so tight it was a three-pointer, even on the bike.
Sri Lankan traffic is anarchic on a good day. People have a loose concept of staying on the left, traffic lights are optional and buses stop wherever people want them too. Coppers will wave you down and then shrug and look the other way when you don’t stop. It’s just a mindset, though: once you’ve realised the rules don’t mean as much as common sense does, you ride accordingly.
Sometime around day three we were leaving Ella, a village right up in the mountains with everything from resort bars to tattooists, when Karen pointed out a little van with L plates from the local driving school, carving its way through a tea plantation.
“What? They actually teach people how to drive like this?!”
That was one of the days we spent exploring backroads, and a few tracks, through country that was magnificent but almost medieval in the villages. One of the best parts of the whole experience for me was having all the adventure of ‘discovering’ a new world on a motorcycle while knowing that someone else had organised the fuel stops and accommodation.
As a result, every day –after riding for five or six hours with plenty of breaks, seeing monkeys and elephants and more stray dogs than any place on earth – we stepped off the bikes and into luxury digs.
The meals were awesome, the beer cold and plentiful, and the safety net when things went wrong was total. Kaz and I scored a flat tyre early one day and wobbled to the side of the road. The back-up van arrived and the mechanics started repairing it almost before we had our helmets off.
One of our lads got involved in a minor dingle with a local right in front of the police. Our interpreter stepped in, a bottle of whisky and some cash changed hands, and we were off again unscathed.
Knowledge is everything when it comes to travel, and we were armed to the hilt!
Almost from day one our group morphed into a bunch of mates out to have a great time; new friendships were made and stories shared. We had riders of all ages from all over Australia, from Stephanie the vet from Port Macquarie to Dom the chopper-riding mechanic from Perth, Nick the army captain from Canberra to Dougie Z the karate instructor from Victoria… and all with a love of bikes and adventure in common.
On a motorcycle tour in a country like Sri Lanka, you see and feel things from a perspective other tourists miss. Being on bikes is what makes it work and nobody does it better.
Nevermind, looks like I’ll be back for more.
WANNA DO IT?
Sri Lanka, off limits until fairly recently, is open for business. Here is your chance to see this incredible country now, in its prime before the hordes of cruise ships and mass tourists arrive as they are sure to do in the coming years. This place will not remain a secret for long. $6490 gets you all-inclusive accommodation, breakfast and some lunches, a motorcycle, fuel, insurance, support vehicle and staff. Flights, personal travel insurance and drinks are not included. Pillion is 50 per cent of rider price. Nevermind Adventure Tours: nevermindadventuretours.com.au
RIP, SAHEED ABBASI
On a sadder note, Saheed Abbasi, logistics manager at Nevermind and all-around great bloke, passed away recently in India during hospital treatment for a medical condition. For us who knew him, it’s hard to believe someone so full of life could be taken so early. A total adventurer at heart, always ready to share a laugh or help a friend, Saheed was an awesome mate. I’ll always remember him passing me up a muddy track while jumping up and down on a Classic Enfield yelling out, “Dancing bike, dancing bike!” See you on the big ride in the sky, Saheed.
