The Zombie Express has been a bit neglected since it's last outing in May.... best investment I have made for it was the lithium battery...last weekend when I decided to catch up on some much needed maintenance I tapped the started and it fired in the first turn of the motor.... !! Gave it a MUCH needed wash and in parts, de-grease, at that ime I was also required to evict Mrs Pidy and her 200 children from the side pouch !!! Then I added an extension to the back of the front fender to reduce mud and water spray (hopefully). And I renewed the custom (Krylon rattle can) tactical black paint job.... It also had a slow leak int he front tyre so I ripped the whole wheel off and dropped it in to the workshop to get a repair done. While it was up on blocks I greased all I could and got thinking about my gunrack/carrier. It works but is annoying.... ....as you can sdee it sits HIGH and raises an already high centre of gravity...So I researched a little and they make another all steel loop bracket (as opposed to the big plastic sleeve on a metal base) and the Aussie agent had one so I whipped out my credit card and had one on the way. I need to pull the other one off anyway as it was badly bent out due to a tumble last trip. Pulled off the old one off as well as the "tactical milk crate" wire brushed the rack and gave it a new shot of rattle can rust guard paint. Once it went off I bolted it all back together.... It sits the hard case much lower and further forward. It is also further "inside" the profile of the bike if it goes down. As adjusted now it has the back of my right thigh sitting on it but I think it will be OK, there is some room to drop the front/raise the rear if it is too annoying on a longer ride.. Now I just have to wait till February for the first trip bush with the work done.
I have been looking at puncture proof tyres (will foam filled inner tubes) but they are just too bloody expensive (around $200 per tyre)....
Nice mods Andy, certainly looks like it will be more comfortable with the case lower. do you use the bike to bring meat back from the back blocks? I'm interested since I am looking to acquire a modest 2 wheel set up for when I hit the forests looking for deer, currently I drive in as far as I can then hike from there, hoping the bike will help me get further in where hunting pressure is reduced and HOPEFULLY see some game. funds are limited so I'm looking at a humble Postie bike which I can probably set up for about $800-$1000 or thereabouts, but I'm interested whether I'll be able to ride back to wherever I leave my vehicle with decent hunks of venison attached?
Yes mate I bring all manner of things back out of the bush on this. I tend to use it much as you describe, ride out and into areas to save a LOOOOONG walk from the points I would leave the 4x4 and then walk on from the bike. There will still be lots of walking and carrying but less than other means. As I hunt of big blocks out west this is set up for that, distance/water etc. The CT110s are great for what you describe. They are hard to find now but they made a dual range (high and low) version that, in low range, would climb trees. If you get an ex-Aus post version you will need to gear it down a little to be truly off-road capable as in my experience (I was a Postie about 25yrs ago) they are good on the streets but lacked the low end when climbing (as I may or may not have tried off-roading the company bikes when I was bored LOL). Lots of Sambar hunters down in Vic are using the CT110s and I think you will be happy if you do it right. They are also LIGHT when you put them over/step off or need to pull them out !!!!! That is the one real failing with this thing of mine, fu#ker is almost as heavy as my Landcruiser !!!
If I am to take close to a whole critter I will 1/4 it and bring it out a couple at a time. Given how many deer I have to take each year (culling) it is impossible to process and keep them all. so I may simply do a no gut job (back legs, front legs and backstraps) and bring that out. Quads are better if you need to get whole critters out but are a bigger pain in the arse and, in my humble opinion, in the steep country I hunt, far more dangerous.
Aha!! A former postie!! Well it is always exciting to stumble across an expert in a field, and always good to hear that I'm on the right track. You've confirmed what I've hear about the humble postie bike, although I've never heard of changing the gearing for better off road capabilities, makes sense but something that I'll have to do a bit of research on. I was also looking to potentially take part in some of these postie bike group trips, but I guess I'd have to change the gearing back for something like that. Is it difficult to change the gearing on these bikes? I've also read that they are incredibly simple and low tech (is it true it will run with a flat battery?) which is an appealing benefit for a back country bike. Mate Ive heard that deer numbers are getting so plentiful in the upper hunter valley that they need culling and it sounds like you're confirming it, but I was up around the state forests near port Macquarie a couple of weeks ago and didn't see a single deer, do you know of any state forests around the areas that you're talking about?
I have un-natural primal yearnings for one of these.... https://www.christini.com/bikes/christini-awd-military