YAMAHA: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
After attending Yamaha’s Academy of Off-Road Riding to sharpen their enduro skills in preparation for this overseas motorcycle trip, Yamaha’s Marketing Manager Sean Goldhawk, along with his partner Kat and her daughter Annika, packed themselves up and headed over to Cambodia for a seven-day enduro bike tour that left no shortage of stories to tell. Read the full story below of the trip that pushed comfort zones and dished out some of Southeast Asia’s toughest conditions.





“Don’t forget to pack a wife” sang US punk outfit Dead Kennedy’s in 1980. Well I’m not married but my partner Kat and her daughter Annika packed themselves on a seven-day enduro bike tour of the land formerly ruled by communist despot Pol Pot and the scene of a horrific genocide.
But we weren’t here for a history lesson. Nor to admire the world heritage listed temple complex at Angkor Wat – but to tackle what many say are the best trails in southeast Asia. We knew the trip would be no walk in the park and prepped accordingly. We attended Yamaha’s Academy of Off-Road Riding to brush up on skills. And Kat’s confidence ramped up further at Jess Gardiner’s Women Only Coach and Camp weekend. All the skills were needed, along with a large dose of mental fortitude… especially because it was the wet season when the trails become a challenging mix of mud and clay.
One 30km jungle section – originally a walking track – took four hours to negotiate with our guide wielding a machete to clear a path around fallen trees. The novelty of pushing through the heavy undergrowth started to wear off as an alternative route was cut every 50 metres. And then came the rain. A monsoon style deluge that made skull dragging bikes up muddy inclines even harder. We knew the ride would be tough, but this wasn’t riding, it was surviving. So when the clearing at the end of the jungle eventually appeared, we were pretty stoked. Even more so when we learned a good thing about Cambodia is you’re never far away from a life affirming beer and a plate of noodles.





Another section saw us up to the axles – and knees – in riverbed mud. The WR450F was buried deep after a river crossing and we couldn’t move in our MX boots due to the suction effect. And just when we were figuring out how to lift the bike out without bogging ourselves, a couple of local farmers appeared dressed in their workwear of pyjamas and gum boots. Clearly an expert in these conditions, old mate takes his boots off and goes in bare footed – with no suction issues – and lifts the WR out by the axle. Job done with a smile and we are underway again… until Kat drops it in the floodwater. Fortunately her WRF was not drowned, but it was close.
The amount of bog holes meant drowning a bike was a legit concern – even finding the trails was a challenge due to the water level. One section had wooden planks on the ground, but they were three foot under water, green and slippery. So what would have helped in a slightly damp situation was now unrideable – we had to walk the bikes through that bit.
Many of the trails were actually pretty epic with plenty of variety from fast sand tracks with natural berms to slower, technical rocky sections. But the challenges extended beyond the weather. We had to keep reminding ourselves that this is Cambodia so all bets are off when it comes to Aussie-spec anything. A place where cash is king and beer is one US dollar. And you can really make things happen with a few dollars. Because there are few rules but plenty of personal liberties. A place where trail tour outfits may not follow the safety conventions in place in Australia – which is as you would expect. You ain’t in the Watagans any more Toto.





We had no sweep rider and just the single lead rider who relied on Google Maps on his phone to navigate. When his phone ran out of juice and the trails spread out in all directions we bailed up a local cow herder for advice. Our man’s first aid kit was a bottle of magic spray – and no-one wanted to test out the Cambodian first aid system.
With only four riders on the tour, the lack of sweep meant I acted as cornerman by trying to keep Mitch from the Cenny Coast in view and then waiting for the girls on a corner before jetting off to catch Mitch again… a less than ideal setup. The support/luggage truck appeared once at lunch and then again at dinner – so when the YZ250FX spluttered to a stop with the engine warning light on, our guide chose to push me with one foot on the exhaust pipe – for around 100km. Which is easily the fastest – and furthest – I have ridden in neutral…




Temperatures were in the mid-30s with close to 100% humidity and rain every day – which was actually a relief when it arrived. Plenty of water crossings meant trench foot became an issue. And did we mention the mud? At one point Kat was forced to dig her front wheel out of the gloop with her hands while watching a smiling local slip past on a scooter – the mighty step-through getting it done with zero fuss, as they do.
Our bikes – a WR450F, WR250F, YZ250FX with lights and a KTM EXC250 worked well generally and had decent tyres, but like many tour bikes they’d endured a hard life. Our tour guides 2013 model WR250F starter button gave up so he ripped out the wire and started it by shorting the wire out against the master cylinder. Then it needed a chain and sprocket, and finally he swapped his WR for a newer Husky 350 from the support truck. The spare Husky was a great idea.





We smashed more epic trails with a mix of sand and rock and other trails that looked more like streams, lifted bikes over fallen trees, lost a helmet peak on a low hanging branch, crossed rickety bridges made of tree bark and negotiated rivers on home-made barges.
We drank cold beer and fresh coconuts and ate tasty Khmer lunches of pork fried rice topped with a fried egg. We tried the crispy frog which was tasty but gave the steamed crocodlile head a miss.
Like many Asian countries, people are dirt poor and super friendly, the wildlife is always interesting and the history of the place is both magical and frightening – many locals have limbs missing from land mines. But if you like Lara Croft-style temples, then this is the place to go – 900-year-old Angkor Wat is the biggest religious monument in the world. The nightlife in Phnomh Penh and Siem Riep is lively and the markets vibrant and the persistent sales spiel can be fun or a hassle, up to you. We ended up at the Bob Marley bar with our new best friend because he wouldn’t take no for an answer. We also got ripped off in an airport cab.
A visit to the S21 torture prison and Killing Fields is a sobering way to spend a day – the Khmer Rouge regime slaughtered around two million of their own people in the late 1970s. Nearly everyone you meet remembers the time, was affected by the genocide and has a story to tell…



Our Holiday in Cambodia was memorable but did turn into a bit of a mission. We went for the riding, but we left having learnt how to shoot an AK47, clear a trail with a machete and hussle pool with bar girls. We hooned around on scooters, visited a floating village, played Angkor Wat themed mini golf and met many cool people.
The riding placed us on the edge of the comfort zone… and sometimes we fell out of that zone. But we came away with plenty of stories and memories that will last a lifetime. We weren’t expecting a walk in the park because we didn’t want one. And we didn’t get one… so job done. As for packing a wife, you could suggest that mud is an effective beauty treatment?
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