Few rides in Australia carry the same legend as the Kowen Forest Ride. For decades, this sprawling pine plantation on the edge of Canberra has been the heartbeat of organised trailriding — a place where dirtbikes, mateship, and mayhem collide under the watchful eyes of the DSMRA. The formula hasn’t changed much: hundreds of riders, dozens of volunteers, a maze of singletrack cut through the pines, and just enough chaos to keep it interesting. It’s the kind of event that turns a forest into folklore.

Organised rides like Kowen are the glue that holds Australia’s trailriding scene together. They provide safe, legal, and professionally managed access to terrain that’s otherwise locked behind gates. Every bunting line, bog hole, and sweep rider represents countless volunteer hours — the kind of grassroots effort that keeps our sport alive while giving riders a reason to turn up, pitch a swag, and spin a yarn by the fire. Without events like these, riding spots shrink, communities fragment, and the next generation loses the chance to discover the joy of real singletrack.

That’s why supporting them matters. The DSMRA doesn’t just run a ride; it safeguards a legacy. From the epic night loops to the family-friendly day runs, Kowen has always balanced challenge with camaraderie, and this year proved no different.

The 2025 Kowen Forest Ride was another absolute belter — slick organisation, perfect conditions and epic trails.

Small but feisty

The 2025 Kowen Forest Ride might not have been the biggest, but it was certainly one of the best. With just over 220 riders turning up, the weekend had the relaxed, mates-only vibe that’s been missing from the mega-crowd years. The smaller numbers didn’t dull the energy one bit — if anything, it made the whole thing more personal. Everyone knew everyone by Sunday, and every rider walked away with the same grin you get when you’ve clocked a hundred kilometres of prime singletrack that you’ll never get to ride again.

Because that’s what makes Kowen special — it’s closed country. The forest is locked to the public, meaning the only time anyone gets to thread through those pines is under the watch of the DSMRA. It’s a privilege, not a given. And this year, they opened the gates to over 100 kilometres of hand-cut trail spread across seven loops. Each one was different: from fast, flowing pine-needle switchbacks to greasy, root-laced climbs. There were even mellow options for beginners who just wanted to enjoy the scenery without cooking their clutches, and enough technical sections to satisfy the hard-enduro faithful who seem to get stronger the rougher it gets.

Among the loops, the Beta Demo Loop proved a surprise hit. Thanks to Eye Candy Motorcycles, riders could throw a leg over the entire Beta range — from the 200RR to the 480 — without needing to bribe a dealer for a test ride. It was a proper highlight and an awesome addition to the weekend.

Of course, no Kowen weekend is complete without the infamous Night Loop. Once again, the DSMRA crew put their twisted sense of humour to work, creating a course that was equal parts spooky and spectacular. The forest lit up like a Christmas tree made of head torches as riders disappeared one by one into the darkness, only to re-emerge later with stories of ghosts, bog holes, and the odd misplaced body part dangling from the pines. Navigation was half skill, half guesswork — but somehow everyone found their way home to the glow of the campfires.

The weather gods smiled on the event this year, too. After years of either dust bowls or downpours, 2025 struck that perfect middle ground. The trails were loamy with just enough moisture to hold their shape, and a steady breeze kept the dust under control. You couldn’t have scripted it better. By the time the sun went down each evening, the air cooled, the barbecues fired up, and the chatter around the fires grew louder with every retelling of the day’s heroic saves and unlucky tumbles. The Vietnam Veterans Food Van kept everyone fuelled with hearty feeds, serving up burgers, steaks, and hot chips that tasted like heaven after six hours in the saddle. No one went hungry — though plenty went back for seconds.

The big raffle draw capped off the weekend in classic Kowen style. Every year the DSMRA gives away a brand-new bike, and this time it was a gleaming Beta 300RR that went home with one very happy rider — Nick Peters. For once, the stars aligned and the prize actually went to someone who’d been out there in the dirt all weekend, which made it all the sweeter. You could feel the crowd’s genuine buzz as his name was called.

Behind the Barriers

What most riders don’t see is just how much it takes to pull off an event like this. The Kowen Forest Ride isn’t some commercial enterprise with corporate backing and bottomless budgets. It’s run entirely by volunteers from the Dual Sport Motorcycle Riders Association (DSMRA ACT) — a club that’s been keeping this tradition alive for 17 years. It’s a massive job that starts months before the first rider signs on. Every trail is cut by hand. Every arrow, bog hole, and bunting line comes from weekends of sweat, saws, and swearing. The ride might last two days, but the preparation eats up months.

And it’s expensive. The DSMRA shells out around $60,000 to make Kowen happen each year. That includes forestry fees, first aid, toilets, lighting, generators, shirts, raffle permits, and even the raffle bike itself. The government alone clips about $5000–$6000 just for permission to hold the event. Another $8000 goes into the food vouchers given to every rider, and close to $10,000 disappears into event shirts — because nobody leaves without a memento. Add the $20,000-pluscost of the raffle bike, plus insurance, logistics, and cleanup, and it’s easy to see how quickly the numbers stack up.

So when attendance dropped this year to 224 riders instead of the budgeted 300, the club took a financial hit. They’re not alone — most rides across Australia are down about 30 percent since COVID. The pandemic didn’t just stop events; it broke the rhythm of how clubs function. Volunteer numbers have fallen, too. Where there used to be 50 or 60 people helping, there are now barely 10 doing the same work. Yet those 10 still manage to run one of the best-organised rides in the country.

That’s the real story here — not the numbers, not the profit or loss, but the passion that keeps it alive. The DSMRA crew could have walked away after the cancelled 2021 event that cost them thousands, but they didn’t. They rebuilt it, scaled it down, and poured everything they had back into it because they love the sport. It’s the same energy that used to power events like Sunny Corner, Apex Rallies, and Grass Tree Beach Races — all of which have now disappeared. Without volunteers and club members stepping up, these rides die off quietly. When they go, they take a big chunk of Australian dirtbike culture with them.

Keep Kowen goin’!

Kowen 2025 might have been smaller on paper, but it proved something vital: when riders show up, the magic happens. The trails were brilliant, the crew ran it like clockwork, and the smiles around camp said everything. Events like this aren’t about trophies or lap times; they’re about community — about having a place to ride legally, safely, and with people who get why you’d rather spend a weekend in the woods than anywhere else.

So if you’ve ever thought about entering, do it. If you’ve ever thought about volunteering, now’s the time. The DSMRA plans to bring Kowen back again in 2026, and they’ll need every bit of support they can get. Because without riders backing these grassroots events, there won’t be any left to tell stories about.

For now, though, the 2025 edition goes down as another chapter in Kowen’s long and legendary history.

BY THE NUMBERS – KOWEN 2025

  • 224 entrantshit the trails across seven loops
  • 100+ kilometresof singletrack opened for one weekend only
  • 7 loopsincluding a dedicated Beta Demo Loop thanks to Eye Candy Motorcycles
  • 1 brand-new Beta 300RRraffled and won by Nick Peters
  • $60,000total event cost to run
  • $20,000+spent on the raffle bike and prizes
  • $10,000in rider shirts
  • $8000worth of food vouchers handed out
  • 17 yearsof Kowen tradition under the DSMRA banner
  • 10 volunteersdoing the work of 60