Motorcyclists may have a million opinions on a variety of things, but the one thing that we all have in common is that we're passionate about what we do and how we ride. Sometimes we're sensible, and sometimes our passion overrides whatever cold, reasonable, logical faculties we might possess. It can happen to any of us, whether you're relatively new to motorcycling or you've been doing it for ages.
Sometimes, all it takes is the right set of circumstances to get you to make a decision that you might later come to regret (or at least question heavily) when things go wronger than you want. From experience, you might expect a certain amount of difficulty, and you might have all kinds of contingencies prepared to deal with the issues that might arise. You probably have a first aid kit packed, and some tools, and maybe all the other spares you think you might need (tire patch kit, spare tubes if your bike uses them, compressor, jerry can, and so on).
If you like watching adventure riding films on YouTube, chances are excellent that you've come across Aussie rider Adam Riemann before. Along with filming all kinds of slick promotional riding videos for the likes of KTM, his personal YouTube channel highlights the motorcycling adventures he gets up to in his own time, with some pretty epic production values. He's a hardcore kind of rider who likes to make all kinds of Australian landscapes his backyard when he's riding.
Recently, he saw an opportunity to make one of his long-held dreams come true: He struck a deal to finally get his hands on a BMW R 1150 GS Adventure. The deal was that he would fly in to pick it up and then proceed to go on one of his many bucket-list rides, crossing the vast and challenging wilderness that is the Simpson Desert.
Unfortunately, the bike in question seems to be having some problems that appear to be related to the fuel injectors. It's rideable, but it's clearly having a case of serious engine gremlins that need addressing. Still, Riemann feels like it's manageable enough that he's going to try to go through with the Simpson Desert plan anyway, so he does.
Now, as a seasoned solo adventure rider, Riemann makes a habit of ensuring that he has a satellite tracker on him whenever he goes out on his adventures. So, even though he's technically alone, someone does always know where he is, and can send help if he needs it. Lately, that person has been a buddy of his named Ross, who's been keeping an eye in the sky on him from afar as he completes his rides.
But this time, Ross, who is also an experienced adventure rider, has opted to join Riemann for at least part of his journey. Or he would have, if things didn't go incredibly wrong when Ross had a bad crash, hit his head, and soon found himself lying on the ground, unable to move his legs or arms.
Over time, he was able to move his legs again, but it was clear that he was in seriously bad shape. And the day was only getting hotter, as the Simpson Desert was getting up to around 38C (around 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) at the time this video was shot.
So there were two more challenges, in addition to getting Ross the medical help he so very much needed: Keeping him cool, and also simultaneously not moving him because you don't want to risk further injury. Riemann ended up cutting some of his gear off him to try to get more airflow, then made a makeshift shelter to try to keep Ross in the shade. They also had some bottled water, which he poured on Ross to enable evaporative cooling as much as possible. A rescue helicopter was thankfully able to come, and treat Ross for shock and pain and get him stable enough to fly away to the hospital for tests, diagnosis, and treatment.
From an update comment that Riemann pinned on this video, Ross was apparently on the mend quickly and didn't suffer any vertebral injuries, which was of course the fear right after the crash. But at the same time, it makes you contemplate what happens if there's a bad crash and all you have is your GPS emergency beacon, and no buddy there to help get you cool/into shade/keep you from cooking in the desert.
GPS beacons are great, without a doubt, but especially in remote or extreme locations, sometimes there's no substitute for having a riding buddy with you in case something bad happens. It's something to think about, for sure.
