Mossy Rock & Rolls Back to Alice on an Indian
Collaborating for a cause - Australia's music icon Ian Moss and the legendary Indian Motorcycle riding together to fulfil personal dreams and support suicide prevention.
Ian Moss wanted to fulfil a long held ambition to ride back to his home town of Alice Springs, and to use the pilgrimage to launch his new album "Nashville Sessions".
Ian contacted Indian Motorcycle to get his ride on the road, and wanting to take advantage of the coverage The Ride Back to Alice would get, they got in touch with Black Dog Ride. Ian said, "It is also great to be able to use this ride and concert to raise awareness for a motorcycle based charity in Black Dog Ride that is gaining huge momentum, doing really positive things to tackle depression and suicide prevention."
In addition Indian Motorcycle generously donated a Limited Edition Jack Daniel's 150th Anniversary Indian Chief Vintage motorcycle for an online auction with all proceeds going to Black Dog Ride! Awesome and overwhelming generosity from Indian Motorcycle!
The Ride Back to Alice began with a deluge in Sydney. Not discouraged, Ian Moss, Indian Motorcycle executives Peter Alexander, Peter Harvey, Alison Sutherland and Black Dog Ride Founder Steve Andrews embarked upon their first leg of the journey to Dubbo on the very comfortable Back to Alice bus.
Black Dog Riders greeted the bus at Guerin and escorted it into Dubbo for a warm welcome at the Amaroo Hotel where Ian played his first gig of the ride to an enthusiastic crowd. A big thank you to Wayne Amor, Steve Gower and the rest of Black Dog Ride's Dubbo Team who are wonderful supporters of our cause and made it such a memorable night.
The next day dawned chilly but bright and the convoy of Indian and Victory Motorcycles headed for the iconic outback mining town of Broken Hill. Whilst they embraced the open roads, Indian Motorcycle opened the online auction of the Limited Edition 150th Anniversary Jack Daniel's Indian Chief Vintage. There was great excitement amongst the group when news came in of a sensational opening bid of $29,000.
On Day 3 the Melbourne group of Indian and Victory riders met the Sydney riders at the historic railway town of Peterborough SA where they expolred the local motorcycle museum before heading off as a united group for Port Augusta.
The next day saw the cavalcade of Indians and Victories thundering North up the Stuart Hwy. Progress was halted just south of Spud's Roadhouse when one of the Victories was damaged in a collision with a kangaroo. Unfortunately the roo couldn't be saved but the unfazed and extemely lucky Boris was back in the saddle of another bike in no time thanks to Bikes Only who traveled behind the group with the auction bike and a spare Indian Motorcycle.
Dusk at Coober Pedy brought the Ride Back to Alice team together around an open fire for a fabulous dinner. After dinner the group was entertained by Ian Moss and impromptu support act Sandy Livermore who was generously loaned a guitar by Ian. What a memorable night!
The last day brought the realisation of how meaningful this ride was to everyone. With only one day ahead on the road together, Ian Moss would be arriving back in his home Town by the end of the day. Ian led the way, a triumphant return to his Top End roots for our home grown success story. By dusk, the Ride Back to Alice had arrived at the iconic Alice Springs sign, both celebratory but also a little sad because for some it was the end of the ride. A ride where memories were made and friendships formed.
But the fun wasn't over yet! That evening the Riders headed out to the Finke Desert Race, where Ian Moss was performing the Ride Back to Alice concert.
The Limited Edition Indian Chief Vintage was in prime position on the stage. Indian enthusiast and actor Shane Jacobson told the large crowd the Ride Back to Alice story and also talked about the work Black Dog Ride does to start conversations around mental health. He then introduced Mossy who really cranked up the enthusiastic audience with some "Chisel" classics and songs from the new Nashville Sessions album. It was vintage Moss. Ian is like a good red wine - he just gets better with age. A fitting finale to the Ride Back to Alice.
A few days later the Limited Edition Indian Chief Vintage Auction was concluded, and not without frenetic last minute bidding! The final and successful bid was from a very generous and extremely happy Tracey Fellows resulting in an amazing $53,700 for Black Dog Ride! Presented with the bike on the NRL Footy Show, an overwhelmed and ecstatic Tracey said, "The bike in real life is an amazing machine.... You are all fantastic people and I'm so glad we all came together for such a great cause."
A brief reflection on the ride from Steve Andrews.
"A ride to remember! Apart from being the first long ride I've been on for 7 years where I haven't been the organizer, the Ride Back to Alice was the first time I've started a motorcycle ride in a bus! Mind you it wasn't just any old bus - it was the rock star bus!
On day two, after I'd come back down to earth, it was time to get on the bike. My first impression on seeing the Indian Chieftain I would be parking my butt on for the epic Ride back to Alice was - WOW!!! What a great looking bike. Borrowing features from its heritage and combining them with some contemporary touches, the design team for the iconic Indian have really come up with something special in the Chieftain. Everywhere we went the bike turned heads and attracted admiring looks and comments.
Riding the bike for the first time my initial thoughts were - big, but nicely balanced and surprisingly manoeuvrable at low speed. Once I became accustomed to the cruiser riding position I found the bike very comfortable and fun to ride. As we covered the kilometers between Sydney and Alice Springs I started examining the bike in more detail and found myself impressed with the build quality. The chrome and general finish on the Chieftain are first class. I loved the keyless push button start and the central locking on those cavernous panniers was also a winner for me. Did I mention the electric windscreen? Now this was revelation - something I hadn't expected on a cruiser. Being able to adjust the screen to suit the riding conditions was a real plus.
On the open road the Chieftain felt well planted and confidently soaked up the inevitable bumps encountered out on the highways of Australia. Although the road to Alice doesn't present you with many spirited cornering opportunities, Horrocks Pass on the run in to Port Augusta gave me a chance to throw the Indian around a little. Heading downhill, I lined up the first serious corner with a bit of trepidation because up to that point I hadn't explored much more of the big Indian's tyres than the centre strip. I picked my line and fairly agressively threw the bike into the first left hander. The Chieftain bit into the tarmac so enthusiastically that I had to ease it up a little before quickly flicking the bike over to the right for the next bend. The Indian Chieftain is no sports bike but it is a very accomplished sporting cruiser. I had a big smile on my face at the bottom of the Pass and an even better opinion of the all round capabilities of "my" Indian.
I really enjoyed the whole Indian experience. It's a bike that can devour the kilometers comfortably and look very cool whilst it's doing it. I actually felt a bit sad when it was all over and I had to hand the Cheiftain back in Alice. Like I said - it was truly a ride to remember!
Personally and on behalf of Black Dog Ride I would like to thank Indian Motorcycle, Ian Moss and the ride media partner Channel 9 for their amazing support of our cause through the Ride back to Alice. I would also like to thank the great bunch of Indian and Victory riders who participated in the ride and the Black Dog Riders who supported the ride from the soggy start in Sydney through to the sunny finish in Alice Springs. Together we started new conversations which can ultimately save lives."
Steve Andrews
View the Ride Back to Alice Albums on Facebook here and here