Life often catches us unawares with things like marriage, mortgages and kids altering our priorities and impacting on our leisure pursuits. One such thing that is often the first to go in such circumstances is a dirtbike as, after all, it’s really only a toy… and can be an expensive one at that. When such a situation arises some of us leave the sport for good, others return later but by then age usually gets a voice in the argument with aches, pains and slower reflexes until common sense or the other half deems it no longer a viable pastime. Not the case though for Al Gillard who at 84 years young could well be Australia’s oldest rider still hitting the singletracks.
Seven decades ago…
Al started in the mid-50s at 14-years old and was still in high school when he bought a Triumph Speed Twin 500 for five pounds, without his parent’s knowledge, keeping it at a mates place between rides. He would ride it all around Griffith before school, in the bush and on any tracks he could find before dropping it back at his mate’s place in time for classes. Then he discovered girls and changed to a Matchless single that he carried his girlfriend on for weekend day trips to Wagga and other places around the Riverina. Marriage and other responsibilities eventually took him away from bikes for some time and he moved to Brisbane in the 70s before shifting again, this time to Coffs Harbour where he still is today.
There’s a heap of good riding in that area and the bug bit again causing Al to return to bikes in 1974 on a Yamaha 90, joining with a group of locals to explore the surrounding hills between the banana plantations. He was so enthused that when Suzuki released the PE250 he upgraded from the Yammy and found it a huge improvement, still speaking fondly of it today. The weather was often wet so a lot of the time Al and his mates were battling muddy hills and rain, but enjoying themselves no end, and Al told us he often returned home with blue-stained legs courtesy of the leathers he wore in those days well before nylon riding gear was the norm. Removal required a long hot shower and lots of soap, only for the stains to return after the next wet ride.
Al had a another break away from riding dirtbikes for a while when his interest was caught by speed boats, water skiing, roadbikes and go-karts, all pursuits he shared with his kids, before once again returning to the trails in 1982 after they grew and moved away. He sold his smash repair business and started riding on his own, exploring and cutting new tracks, and keeping them mostly secret from all but a select few mates. We’d suspect that being invited on a ride led by Al is an offer not given out to any but the carefully selected.
He finds a great deal of enjoyment in riding alone and just enjoying the surrounds and the secret spots he has found. The way Al describes the peace and solace he finds in the bush when discovering a hidden gully or other rarely seen spot is almost spiritual.
Plenty of bikes
Al’s current mount is a 2021 Beta Xtrainer that he bought secondhand, but he has had a plethora of bikes before it, all of which have left him with great memories and stories. The Beta has about 200 hours on it and Al tells us he might put a set of rings in it soon, testament to both how well the Beta is built and how he doesn’t abuse an engine. He tells us he is more than impressed with the power, performance and light weight of the Beta as well as the reliability. All qualities he has no doubt learnt to value over such a long riding career.
Other bikes that have had a home in Al’s shed in no particular order are a Bultaco Frontera 370, Ballards XR250, Ballards Yamaha 250, a string of KTMs including a 250, 350, 400 and 525, a Yamaha WR400F, a Honda XR600 and a Kawasaki KLX450R which Al still enthuses over. The Bultaco was subjected to a few home modifications, which was common practice in those days, some of which worked and some didn’t. The Bully had a windowed piston and the rear shock positions shifted.
Al also has a Kawasaki GTR1000 roadbike that he used to do trips on with his wife, accompanied by his two sons and daughter on their own machines, but it sat in the shed unused for some time as the speeds he sometimes reached attracted too much attention from the cops. He tells us it has re-emerged though due to some help from his mates, now sporting historic rego plates and is on the road again.
Al never competed with any regularity, much preferring to ride at his own speed and schedule but has tried a few one-day enduros and had a run in the A4DE one year and didn’t disgrace himself by any means. He sometimes leads a small group through some of his favourite tracks which consist mainly of constant tight single. We mentioned that that means he cops all the spider webs and he simply laughed and said he has finished up covered in cobwebs more than once.
With such a long career on the trails Al has many great stories to relate and he was happy to share a few with us. Riding alone one day after his mate had to leave early he jumped a fallen tree and the chain caught a branch, dragging it through the front sprocket and breaking into four parts. Luckily he was carrying a short length of new chain, left over from a recent change to a new chain, some joining links and a small file. It was a long walk home so with no other alternative he set to work with what he had and after an hour and a half of diligent filing and fettling he was able to ride out. Result!
A few scrapes
Like many of us Al has also had his share of injuries, such as a head on that broke his leg and cost him a big toe despite wearing a brand new pair of boots. It was on a new track that Al had cut that came to a dead end and needed to be finished when he met another rider coming the other way on a blind corner around a big gum tree. It wasn’t the sort of track you’d expect oncoming traffic and although neither of them was riding particularly fast the combined speed was enough to do serious damage on impact. Luckily there were some other riders behind Al on the track so a rescue mission with a ute was arranged, resulting in a trip to hospital.
Another time Al was leading a select group through some very wild country well to the west of Coffs that was full of wild pigs and things and it had suffered a lot of damage from a recent big storm. The old logging trails in the area were usually fine, providing good riding but the storm had left its mark in places, tearing a great trench about 10 metres wide and about five or six metres deep across the way. Long grass hid it from view until it was too late and Al had no option but to give it the berries and try to make the jump.
He hit about a metre below the lip on the opposite side, just missing a massive stump and landing on a small ledge, while his bike tumbled all the way to the bottom. Al was unhurt but getting the bike out meant following the trench down to a creek and returning to the group another way – a bit of an expedition of its own. The bike suffered from a bent ’bar and a broken clutch lever but was still rideable so the ride continued as planned. You’d reckon Al’s Guardian Angel deserved a pay rise after that.
Perhaps the scariest story Al told us was when he was out exploring one day, searching for new tracks and routes to combine for a longer four-day ride. A Pajero came around a corner bordered by a cliff face, on the wrong side of the road, leaving him no escape route. The driver wasn’t looking until the last moment and swerved just in time to avoid catching Al with the bull bar. That would have you putting a few extra bob in the collection plate the next Sunday.
Al has certainly had a long and colourful career on dirtbikes and those of us here at ADB wish him many more years of it. Hopefully we’ll be able to get to Coffs Harbour someday soon and experience some of Al’s secret-squirrel tracks ourselves.
AL’S FAN CLUB
We asked two of Al’s group of select riding partners for a few words about him and this is what they had to say.
MARTY BLAKE
Al Gillard loves his singletrack. He has made more single than any one I know. He assures me he owns a chainsaw but there is no evidence of this out on his trails. Al has shared his trails with so many people from so many places, along with his infectious smile and laugh. Al is good company.
We tried to lure him into adventure riding, on a four-day Maleny trip, all on tighter trails with enduro bikes. His gear missed the support trailer so we split up his gear, but he still carried heaps but he didn’t complain. He loaded his gear into the trailer at Woodenbong at our lunch stop, then Al’s influence got us to Maleny. Teams of riders swapped the guide duties along the way, all keen at the chance to return the favour and show Al and us all the best trails.
The local riders set up a camp and treated us like Al’s mates. It was brilliant riding, with lots of rocks. The changeovers all went like clockwork. Al’s name goes a long way in south-east Queensland.
His determination shone through on the way back; it poured and Al picked up an oil leak. He made a new gasket out of a cornflakes box that night at the pub and was all good to go in the morning. Al even finished us off with a heap of single when we got close to Coffs.
When we talk, Al assures me he is keen to do some adventure riding when he gets a bit older – for now singletrack is still king.
The way Al rides I have always suspected that years ago he added 20 years to his age. Has anyone actually checked his birth certificate?
King Al, long may he ride.
ALISON PARKER
Riding with Al Gillard is like riding with a teenager who finally got their first bike. He is always enthusiastic and excited to be out on the trails. He knows the forest like the back of his hand – except on cloudy days, because he uses the sun to get his bearings.
Al keeps us off the main fire roads as much as possible, and into fun singletracks. We explore ridges, gullies and creeks. Every ride is an adventure. When we stop for a break, Al gets out a banana or a sandwich and always a drink of kombucha. He’s been drinking that for decades.
If a track has been blocked, Al finds a way to clear it or make a new track around the obstacle. His pace is amazing, and he doesn’t like to stop too often. Riding with Al Gillard since 2005 definitely helped me with my enduro career.
