Motorbikes, especially large-capacity trail bikes, are perfect for the Australian climate and an inexpensive compromise between conventional vehicles and 4WDs, although long distances place a premium on their comfort and fuel range. Mid-1980s 600cc Japanese trail bikes, such as Yamaha’s trendsetting XT600 Ténéré, sell for around $3000 and allow 100kph on-road cruising with adequate off-road agility and readily available spares.
If it’s likely that you’ll return to your starting point, look out for dealers offering buy-back options, which guarantee a resale at the end of your trip; bikes can be more difficult to sell than cars. You’re going to need a helmet and, especially if you’re heading off-road, plenty of water-carrying capacity. It’s also essential that you know what you’re doing: the Outback is not somewhere you can afford to have things go wrong. Travelling alone can be risky, and night-riding is plain dangerous, with poor surfaces hard to judge and kangaroos liable to bounce out of nowhere.
Motorbike rental – usually available only in the cities – is expensive: at least the same price as a car (see: Britz Motorcycles). A better alternative is a motorbike tour: these take various forms, from ones where you provide the bike and the tour consists of an itinerary, company on the road and a support vehicle (check out the bimonthly Side Track magazine once in Australia), to a quick blast on the back of a Harley Davidson.