When Canadian immigrant Lyann Duxbury bought a Kawasaki Ninja 300 in February 2013 for commuting she never dreamed she would clock up 100,000km in just 38 months.
It’s not unusual for a big touring bike to rack up 100,000km in three years, but when it’s a 300cc learner bike that’s been all the way to the Red Centre, it’s worth noting.
Her 100,000km, which she clicked over last month, included a trip from Sydney to Uluru with the Black Dog Ride.
Lyann, 45, grew up riding snowmobiles in Canada and has been riding on the road for about 3.5 years.
“I’ve always been a fan of Kawasaki motorcycles after owning my very first snowmobile back in Canada which was a Kawasaki,” she says.
“After settling in Australia, my place of work moved and public transport wasn’t available in that particular area so I needed a way of commuting and that is how I got into motorcycling for commuting.”
When she bought the 2013 Ninja 300 from Bikebiz Kawasaki in Sydney, she was stepping up from a 125cc after acquiring her Ps.
She was actually looking at the Ninja 250 as she had an affinity with the brand and always wanted one.
However, when she learnt of the coming Ninja 300 she thought it looked amazing and fit her requirements for only a little more money.
Ninja 300 at LithgowLyann describes her beloved Ninja 300 as being superior in comfort and reliability.
“I’ve never had any problem what so ever. It’s always started and got me where I needed to go, even after dropping it a few times. The only modification I’ve made is adding adjustable leavers and a Yoshi exhaust.”
Commuting, weekends rides and her epic trip to Uluru accounted for the impressive amount of kilometres that Lyann and her Ninja 300 have conquered.
Lyann at Uluru“To and from work for me is around 25km a day but I do a lot of riding on weekends. An average weekend trip for me is around 600km a day. I love history so I’ll find an old historic town, ride to that, check it out and come back home. I’ve ridden a lot through Putty Rd, most of the Blue Mountains, down south and beyond.”
Riding for pleasure isn’t Lyann’s only objective, the Sydneyite also racks up numerous kilometres in the name of worthy causes and charities.
“I do a lot of charity rides. The Wall to Wall ride for Police Remembrance took me from Sydney to Canberra recently. I also made it to Uluru with the Black Dog Ride which was definitely my most memorable ride. There were about 400 other riders and my Ninja 300 was the second smallest bike on the trip!” she says.
Lyann describes reaching 100,000km in April as a major achievement.
“It was absolutely amazing. I felt really good about it. I calculated the exact distance I needed to get to a pivotal point around my area. The house behind me in the picture I took at 100,000km was actually the house from A Country Practice which is an icon.
“Reaching this many kilometres is really exciting. It’s gotten to the point where I want to keep going. It’s a big achievement. Especially when you see older bikes that have travelled less kilometres.
“I can’t see myself getting another bike at the moment because my Ninja 300 has been so reliable but my dream bike is the new 2016 Ninja ZX-10R. I sat on one at my local Kawasaki dealership (Black Top and Dust Motorcycles, previously Kelen Kawasaki) and it felt amazing even just to sit on.”
Lyann at the SA/Vic border- How many kilometres/miles have you put on your bike and how long did you take to reach any major milestones? Share your riding stories below in the “Leave a reply” section, or on our Facebook page.