Great Divide Ride Ultimate 2026

This ride is classed as – Grade 3 – 4: Medium – Difficult

Key elements that give this grading are:

• Remote areas – advanced medical care can be several hours away
• Weather – we will likely experience all extremes of weather on this ride
• Fatigue – long distances, multiple back-to-back days and some nights camping will lead to increased fatigue
• Dust – dust is a constant factor and learning to avoid putting yourself in risky situations is key
• High speeds – some riding will be in wide open country, speeds will be higher which demands quick reactions

See our Track Grading System for more detailed information to help you decide if this ride is right for you.

We like to make our tours suitable for “an average rider on a big-bore adventure bike”.

That said this ride is different. A month on the bike is more than most riders ever get to do so this will be more of a marathon than a sprint. Experienced riders only need apply!

A mid-size adventure bike like Ducati DesertX is ideal for this event. It will handle the wide variety of terrain with ease and comfort.

The main Adventure routes are usually suitable for big adventure bikes, like a Ducati Multistrada or BMW R1250GS with off-road knobby tyres fitted. 

If you have any questions or concerns just give us a call and we are happy to have a chat about your personal situation.

This ride is capped at 25 riders.

We have experience in managing motorcycle tour events with over 250 riders but for this event we are keeping it more intimate. We have the systems and knowledgable staff in place to effectively manage these larger group sizes.

A group size of 25 is great because it means we can get beds for most everyone most nights of the ride. The group makes you feel part of a big event but then you get a chance to meet and talk to everyone during the ride and make some new friends.

Yes absolutely, we always recommend riders have knobby tyres on their bikes to maximise your safety and enjoyment.

Our recommended tyres in most situations are Motoz Tractionator Adventure or Motoz Tractionator Rallz (Nick’s favourite!) for their predictable off-road grip and outstanding durability.

We don’t advise riders to use 80/20 tyres like Hidenau K60 Scout or Continental TKC70. These styles of tyre just simply don’t offer enough traction in many off-road situations, particularly when conditions get wet.

We will provide tyre support throughout this event.

Yes, we can help you arrange rental of adventure motorcycles to participate in this ride. 

We have access to 700cc single and 800cc twin-cylinder bikes. Numbers are very limited.

Please email us with your enquiry and we can provide you more information.

Yes. This ride is primarily for riders on their own adventure bikes.

For those of you that have the luxury of more than one adventure bike to choose to ride we would give this information:

• Much of this ride is through wide open country where on average we need to cover in excess of 400km per day. A big bike is better suited here.
• If you fully intend to ride the Enduro options of CREB track or Overland Telegraph Track then a single cylinder Enduro or lightweight adventure bike is definitely going to be the preferred option. Especially when you drown it in a river crossing and have to pump it dry!
• A 250-500cc single cylinder bike is going to be working hard for multiple hours on the wide open roads. A 650-700cc single will be much more comfortable in this situation.
• If you intend to ride to the start or ride home after the event then a multi-cylinder is certainly better because you will soon realise how big Australia is!

Our suggestion is a mid size twin-cylinder adventure bike like Ducati DesertX is ideal. 

Yes, this ride is OK for Enduro bikes providing you have a minimum fuel range of 300km

We provide the pre-planned routes as a .GPX file you can load into your GPS or Smartphone navigation app. This will allow you to follow our planned route at your own pace and arrive safely at the overnight stop.

For each event we also provide daily route sheets which include an overview map and address details of fuel, food, overnight accommodation stops etc.

At some events we will also have route marking arrow stickers that are put up by our lead riders on trees, posts etc. as a physical marker.

No, for our off-road adventure tours we provide a luggage support van. You will drop your bag at the van each morning and the van will carry your bag to the overnight stop where it will be waiting for you to collect at the end of the day.

Read our Adventure Riders Prep Guide for tips on what and how to pack.

No. Large gear bags, wheelie suitcases are not permitted in our luggage van. We have strict capacity limits.

Hard pannier cases are not recommended as your luggage either because we can’t guarantee they won’t get scratched or damaged in transit therefore we recommend soft bags only.

Read our Adventure Riders Prep Guide for tips on what and how to pack.

No, for safety reasons we do not allow riders to ride with hard (aluminium or plastic) panniers or top box on their bikes for our off-road adventure tours. We have seen too many injuries caused by hard boxes hitting riders.

Read our Adventure Riders Prep Guide for tips on what and how to pack.

Read our Adventure Riders Prep Guide for tips on what and how to pack.

If you are an Australian resident you should not require a visa for the countries we are visiting. Please check the Smart Traveller website for travel requirements based on your situation.