A4DE 2013

[Brian Watson]

Had a wild idea a little while ago... as the 4D is going to be on our side of the island this year... a mate and I thought we would ride the 4 day for a giggle....so planning is going along OK.... bikes coming together , 1977 390 Auto and a 1982 250 WR..then I find out the entry fee is going to be $515...!!! is this always the case..??...what do you get for your $515..??!!...

[Tossa]

four days of Pain, but big smile at the end

[odd1]

Yes the entry fee is the cheap bit good luck

[firko]

what do you get for your $515..??!!...

A rooted bike, a sore body for a couple of weeks and a lot of satisfaction for not only having done it on an old bike, but to have done it at your age. You'll have forgotten the $515 by the end of day one.

[TeeBone]

In a fiscal sense, that amount of money is HUGE for what you actually get - INITIALLY. The guys have hit the nail on the head, it's not until a week or so later that you start to realise what a hoot it was and then comes the killer - you wonder where the next one is!

I was going to finish off my H7 and enter but due to work committments, I'm snookered. Pity too as it's "just down the road" in W.A. speak!

[Nathan S]

For $515, you get all of the obvious, plus:
A 'real' enduro using enduro timing and cards, which is damn rare now (rather than a Pony Express).
A solid event, with decent length days.
A decent challenge (although A4DEs are nowhere near as difficult as they apparently used to be).
Secure Parc Ferme.
Compare yourself to the big boys.
Depth of competition (even if you're slow).
Lots of experience.

I think my 2012 A4DE cost me about $2500 all up - but that's for EVERYTHING, including entry, fuel to get there, extra jerry cans when they sprung a '10 litre or smaller' rule on us at Rider's Briefing, accomodation, extras for the bike, food (which we were going to eat anyhow), etc etc.
Finishing a Four Day was a big deal for me, and I figured I was only likely to get one shot at it, so I didn't take any chances - there were plenty of non-essentials that I happily paid for, just because they reduced the chance of a DNF. Turned out that I didn't need to use any of them... I reckon I could have done it for $1500 (remembering that it was an 8.5-hour drive from home for me).

I was keen enough to go over to WA, but it clashes with the 24 hour this year - and the relative simplicity of going to SA over WA means the A4DE lost out.

[XC83]

If I lived closer to it, I'd do it this year, but will wait for a return to the east before entering. It's on my bucket list to finish a 4 day (i've had some bad luck in the past).

In preparation, I've entered this weekends cross country and sprint at Bulahdelah (why cant I spell Bulahdelah with looking at the written word?) on my 87 WR400 as a warm up, then plan to enter the NSW enduro series. Nathan S - you have me worried, will these rounds be proper enduros or pony expresses (no rego required?? 3 x 80 klm loops like the old days?) Anyway enough about me.

Watto HVA, apart from bike prep work are you riding any other events to hone the skills and increase the stamina? Multi-day events were tough on the body when we were in our 20's let alone now decades later (last century even!) Any ideas?

[Slakewell]

You could always buy a 2013 bike for $12k and have it worth 8k at the end 

[XC83]

You could always buy a 2013 bike for $12k and have it worth 8k at the end 

It would be a low hour bike though

[Slakewell]

Well that might depend of the weather, The 4 days wears out bikes fast if it's muddy. I at times at the 4 days have replaced parts that normally last all season before lunch.

[Nathan S]

You could always buy a 2013 bike for $12k and have it worth 8k at the end 

Any new $12k bike is worth $8k after four solid days of trail-riding...

The Denman event in 93 or thereabouts seemed to be the last of the killer Four Days, from what I can tell - the horror stories are all old stories.
It rained plenty last year, and even I only lost 36 minutes of late time on the worst/hardest day.

XC83, they won't be proper enduros. I've forgotten the format for AORC/NSW Enduro Series, but it's something like Saturday is a Pony Express style event, Sunday is a sprint format (kinda like a rallysprint, if that means anything?).

[crossedup2]

I think things changed in the 4 days after one of the rider died in Queensland (1994 or 1995) from dehydration. Everyone came back to NSW with seized or broken bikes either from the dust and the rocks or broken bodies from just the dehydration. I'm told the temp was in the 40's by 10am on either day 1 or 2.

Bring back the old bikes, the speed tests, the real Bellstaffs and the innocence (and stick them in the current day A4DE). And show'm real men and not boys on modern lounge chairs!

Peter B

[Colin Jay]

As per the others, forget about the cost and go for it. 

I rode in the 1978, 79, 80 and 81 4Days ( IT250 in 78 and 1978 390 Auto in 79,80,81) and it is one of my biggest dispapointments that I never managed to finish one. Even though I DNF'd all 4, they are still, after all these years the most memorable enduros that I competed in.

The first one was a virtual wash out and I DNF'd on day one, but had the good fortune to spend the next 3 day route checking and remarking the course with Phil Lovett and some of the other cessnock MCC guys.

Best of luck with the 390 Auto, in 81, I had a spare tranny organised that I was going to fit during the work period at the start of day 3, however terminal clutch slip (1st gear) put me out of the event on the final transport section on day 2. Which is proof that having the un-fair advantage of designing and marking the course doesn't alway help.

CJ

[IT400C]

I think things changed in the 4 days after one of the rider died in Queensland (1994 or 1995) from dehydration. Everyone came back to NSW with seized or broken bikes either from the dust and the rocks or broken bodies from just the dehydration. I'm told the temp was in the 40's by 10am on either day 1 or 2.

Bring back the old bikes, the speed tests, the real Bellstaffs and the innocence (and stick them in the current day A4DE). And show'm real men and not boys on modern lounge chairs!

Peter B

The Goomeri 4 Day in Queensland 94 or 95? - I didn't ride that one, but I was up there photographing it with Dad.  The heat and dust were terrible..

[VMX247]

Apparently entries open today    you still lookin for a sponsor HVA