trevor morgan

It's 3pm on a Saturday and you have lots work to be done. Naturally, you chose to go scooter camping instead.

Camping. On a scooter. Why? Because why not!
My scooter is an SYM VS150. It can do 100km/h on a flat road but give it a bit of head wind and some hills and she's stuck at 80km/h. So for this epic journey from Perth to Lane Poole I took the back roads at a relaxing 90-or-so km/h. Scenic stretches of quiet unused road with farms either side of you fenced off so you can relax about wild animals trying to bash you up.

Planning
This was an only an overnight do so I didn't need to bring a lot of stuff. Food for dinner, water, toothbrush, tent, sleeping bag, fuel and some tyre repair goo.

The scooter can get 130 kms per tank in the city but I wasn't sure about the high speed economy. It should be worse as a scooter + gear strapped to the seat+ rider in the wind has the drag coefficient of a house! Distance to destination: 104 kms. Number of petrol stations on the way: 1 that was 30kms from Lane Poole. All good, let’s go!

Riding
I had the route memorised and had a GPS in my quick bag at my feet in case I needed to pull over and check my bearings. Phone reception seemed good all the way to North Dandalup. Do all your facebook updating there, after the BP there's no signal. Keep moving around your scooter. stretch your feet out. Slide back on the seat for a while, then forwards. It helps avoid getting pins and needles in your arse and keeps you alert. Do random checks to make sure your gear is still safe and secured. If this was a group tour I would make some kind of signal, for example if you see someones gear coming off beep 3 times rapidly. If you see something you want the group to stop and have look at its 2 long beeps.

"The long bit" 17kms of Hopelands Rd

Taking the back way has a lot of turns and twists. The longest straight stretch is 17kms. Just as you start to get bored the turns start again and suddenly your in civilisation.

When you think your little scoot can't take any more wide open throttle you see the BP servo on South Western Hwy. What a Joy. Time for a rest and refuel before the hilly windy forest road to Dwellingup.

North Dandalup to Dwellingup
After the BP its a bit hilly on Del Park Rd, the fence by the side of the road that was keeping you safe from animals has gone and you need to deal with cars behind you as the speed limit is 100km/h. Pull over and let em pass. Just pretend you've seen something really interesting on the side of the road haha. Next time I'll keep going on to Pinjarra then take the Pinjarra Williams Rd, it looks less hilly than Del Park Rd.

Refueling at North Dandalup

Setting up camp
I chose the old Baden Powell campsite as you don't need to book ahead. It can be accessed via bitumen road, as soon as you pass the Baden Powell entry it's corrugated gravel. Not good for little wheels as you can REALLY feel it in your bones. Yes I gave it a go for research purposes haha. Setup your camp site so your scooter has enough room to fall over without landing on your tent.

Waking up in the crisp cool forest air. Nothing like it.

It would have been better to park the scooter in front of the tent, facing the tent so there's no way it can fall on and crush you. But there's too much slope here.

Always bring cold weather gear. It was about 30 degrees when I left Perth but cold in them hills! There's a total fire ban between November and April so there was no chance of making a pot of hot tea after waking up :-(

A tin of chicken it was.

Random road exploration

Breaky in Dwellingup at the Blue Wren Cafe

Back on the road

Last stop at the Pinjarra Heritage Tea Rooms before heading back to Perth

Waking up in the fresh morning air is something that needs to be experienced by everyone. Yes, go now. Right now. Why are you still here?

I didn't end up needing to use the fuel in the jerry can but its nice to have it just in case. And not just my case. The towns are a very popular spot for motorcyclists. It would be very convenient to help out a fellow rider if they misjudged their mileage. Or should we start saying kilometerage? Despite all the wind resistance the scooter ended up being more economical at high speed than puttering around town.

It certainly gets a few wide eyed, mouth open looks as you roll into camp sites and cafes on a scooter. Forget "hello", "Nice day for a ride". The welcomes I got were "You're kidding me!", "What the.." and "Are you serious, honey take a look at this!"

Scooter camping, the best conversation starter :-)