Alex's adventures

Hoisting motorcycle with crane onto ute tray My new  Mazda BT50 4x4  is higher than my old HiLux, and getting the  bike onto the HiLux  was awkward at best. My Uncle Ron suggested using an electric crane to get the bike onto the tray. I thought the idea was brilliant and cool because my Ute would become a robot. I could also use it to load the Hobie Adventure Island trimaran sailing kayak that I'm planning to get. So we tested the idea. Cargo hooks easily attach to the head stem of the Triumph Sprint ST 1050 Sling around the structural frame of my Triumph Sprint ST 1050 Experimental lift to prove the bike could be slung easily proves a total success The test lift proved easy and a success. My uncle's idea looked workable. We then went hunting for a suitable crane. I ended up purchasing a 800kg Winch Crane from x.warrior on eBay and picked it up from his Victorian warehouse. It was much bigger and heavier than it looks in the picture!...

Heavy rain gave way to frustrating calm as J-FORCE prepared to face the competition. The skipper gave us orders to watch the other J Boats, to see who was faster than us and what they were doing. But this day panned out to be a different kind of racing. Fleet rounding the yellow marker buoy, fighting for speed in low winds. Hoisting the main as J-FORCE puts to sea. With no engine aboard, even manoeuvring through the harbour is a challenge.   We expected to be drenched with rain, but instead the day was picture perfect. It was beautifully calm, which is a problem for a yacht. We pushed ourselves away from the dock by hand as hard as we could, hoping to catch enough wind to make it out of Sandringham harbour at a crawling pace. I joked that the boat would need running lights because we wouldn't make it back before dark. Skipper Warren (rear at the tiller) discussing tactics with trimmer Chris Alex Foreman, manning the bow of J-FORCE in a very slow race ...

Nothing like going to a warm secluded beach and relaxing for a few days with family. This was my first chance to tow my Roadstar Pop-top with the BT-50 and got the opportunity to test the 4x4 on sand and a very rough track. The drive down was like a Karaoke night, as we cranked the tunes and sang until our throats hurt. Alex Foreman at McGauran Beach, Victoria Family convoy doing a midnight U-Turn in the bush We reached our campsite in the middle of the night, working our way down a narrow sandy track only to find the tiny camping ground packed out. Nor was there any room to turn around. I found myself gingerly crabbing the caravan around, manoeuvring between tents and trees, wondering if I was going to make it. After a 30 point turn and help from my Aunt, I managed to do it. Now this is how to spend a night in the bush! My uncle led the drive to the next possible camp site. In the dark he took us down a very deteriorated track, passing wombats and cows on the...

Another brilliant ride through amazing Victorian roads. Mav's ZigZag ride culminated with the  Gembrook-Launching Pl Rd . This road was so much fun we rode it three times. If you take it, watch out for the two hairpins, one of them tightens up and both are deceptive on approach. Also drivers like to go round corners on the wrong side of the road! Alex, Damian and Michael after an exhilarating triple run of the Gembrook-Launching Pl Rd Yellingbo ZigZag ride line-up Mav drew a crowd of Triumph motorcycles on this trip, including a TT, my Sprint ST, a Tiger, and a Bonnie. Thought I was riding with the Triumph club.  

After losing the  Toyota HiLux  I was in need of a new tow vehicle and toy carrier. I decided to take advantage of the situation and try to find something better. After weeks of researching and test driving vehicles I found what I was after. I absolutely love the Mazda BT50 4x4 3ltr Turbo Diesel. It is vastly superior to the HiLux and an absolute pleasure to drive. This beast feels delightfully overpowered and can accelerate up extremely steep slopes with ease. It's so quick that I'm planning to install cruise control to avoid speeding. The 4x4 option can get me out of trouble in slippery situations, and I'm sure it will give me the chance for some serious off-road adventures in the future. Alex's Mazda BT50 tow vehicle and toy carrier My cousin James Bagliari is a mechanical engineer, and he happily informed me about how awesome the BT50 is and that he had designed some of it's body work. All I can say is that he did a great job! Mazda BT50 4x4 coc...