On the Road with Wide of the Mark

Tasmania Motocycle

We snaked Bitumen roads halfway through our trip. On this particular afternoon, we spent hours racing each other up and back outside of Queenstown. Photo by Alexandra Adoncello

By

December 3, 2021

In February 2020, just before the world went mad with Covid, a group of six Australians set off on their motorcycles for a two-week adventure across Tasmania. Here, Tom Gilroy, owner of Purpose Built Moto, shares his experience as one of the bunch. Tom—himself a bike builder, designer, and entrepreneur from the Gold Coast—rode a custom Harley-Davidson Sportster for the adventure. He shared a few words about some of the most memorable moments. You can watch the full documentary at here.

Tasmania Motocycle

Each day the crew found somewhere to camp, often in the middle of nowhere. We opened a few beers and laughed about who fell off most that day. Justin Holmes’ Triumph Speedmaster ended up parked up in a back alley for some repairs at one point. He rode a 2010 Triumph America 865. Justin’s the owner of Popbang Classics. Photo by Alexandra Adoncello

Tasmania Motocycle

Justin pulled up at a desolate dry lake bed. This was our playground for the afternoon. We didn’t have anything better to do anyway. Photo by Alexandra Adoncello

Tasmania Motocycle

Photo by Alexandra Adoncello

Tasmania Motocycle Camping

The crew went out hunting for a place to set up camp along the rugged west coast of Tasmania. Photo by Alexandra Adoncello

A version of this article originally appeared in Sixtysix Issue 07 with the headline “Tom Gilroy, Wide of the Mark.” Subscribe today.

A magazine cover