![]() Since the show Andy has sold the bike on and is now concentrating on a Yamaha XS650 which we hope will be just as unique as this bike. Final fuel capacity came in at 90mls (3 ounces), just enough to complete two laps and a celebratory burn out. In Australia and New Zealand it is known as a Postie Bike due to its use by Australia Post and New Zealand Post as a delivery bike, without the dual range. Two large lengths were purchased along with enough small diameter pipe to make the fuel lines and he constructed the fuel system which is mounted inside the aluminum plate frame. As the bike was only required to complete one lap of a 1.7km track for the Rusty Kustom Build Off mileage was never a concern, so when Andy discovered some large diameter copper piping in the plumbing section he knew he was on to something. With 2 days left to the race Andy visited local hardware stores in search of something to function as a fuel tank. “At slow speeds, legs drag along like training wheels due to the un-functional rake, but with a full twist of throttle it tucks nicely into a straight line – chin on the front wheel and your bum inches away from being sucked into the back tyre, it gets your heart pumping!” Finally, when he was happy with how it was looking he cut each of the pieces from a thick sheet of aluminum. With all the pieces cut, prepped and drilled the whole bike was put together in only 30 minutes! From his cardboard spider web, he then cut wooden templates that he was able to attach the parts and make further refinements. Andy then devised an interesting method for creating the bikes new frame which he had designed as a 3d model. The CT110 parts were propped in position and using cardboard from “countless” cereal packets which he suspended from the garage roof by string, he mocked up the bikes new frame. With an incredibly tight budget and no knowledge of bike building Andy set about creating the bike with no idea of exactly how it was going to turn out but with only 4 shorts weeks before the event he had his work cut out for him.Īfter discarding the Honda’s steel pressed frame and several unwanted components all that remained was the engine, front forks,2 wheels, swingarm and a pair of shocks. To learn more or donate, visit: who is an Architectural Draftsperson by trade, built Express Post to compete in an annual event organised by a group of close mates called the Rusty Kustoms Build-Off. They collect donations from pubs, parks, rest areas, caravan parks and shopping centres. The team experienced great generosity on their ride, having paid for accommodation just once. “If we save just one life, through the awareness and money raised, it'll be all worthwhile.” “It breaks my heart to hear that, so we wanted to do something,” he said. He pointed out that more veterans took their lives after returning from operations than those killed in action. Postie bikes, he iconic skinny red motorbikes ridden by Aussie posties, will soon be nothing but a memory, as they’re being replaced due to safety concerns. “There was an overbearing sense of introspection that was crazy.”ĭr Davey attempted suicide and said many veterans are suffering in the same way. A six-foot tall, 15-stone man circumnavigating Australia on a tiny posties motorbike might seem a preposterous adventure. “I tried to mask and hide it, afraid of what others would think, knowing I had a mental illness,” Dr Davey said. MAN AND MACHINE: Gavin Kleinhans and his Honda CT110 on which he will tackle this wide brown land. ![]() ![]() There was more rock than an AC/DC album,” Dr Davey said with a laugh.ĭr Davey grew up surrounded by chaos, enduring abuses that no child should bear.Īs a result, he developed PTSD, which caught up with him while he was in Defence. There they encountered hundreds of kilometres of unsealed road replete with corrugation and potholes. “They try to run you off the road, like one truck did in Queensland, jamming me up against a barrier,” Dr Davey said.Īnother challenge presented on a series of highways and major roads up north known as Savannah Way. The team is about halfway through its circumnavigation of Australia and has raised more than $23,000 for Soldier On at the time of writing.ĭuring the trip, Dr Davey and his team endured dehydration, mechanical failures and hostile drivers, as the postie bikes’ top speed of 80km/h create some conflict. “They can be really hard to find until they commit suicide.” “People with a mental illness will hide themselves in plain sight, like Wally hides,” Dr Davey said. ![]() One of the riders, Doctor Michael Davey, said the Wally outfits were symbolic of mental health sufferers. Dressed like Wally from Where’s Wally while riding postie bikes around Australia, three former sailors are contending with 14,500km of road to raise awareness of PTSD and veteran suicide.
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