David “Davo” Jones

1956–2009 | FarRider #1

David “Davo” Jones was an Australian long-distance motorcyclist, community builder and the founder of FarRiders. Known forever as FarRider #1, he gave Australia’s widely scattered long-distance riders a shared identity, an achievable challenge and, most importantly, a reason to meet.

Born in 1956, Davo was raised just south of Wollongong in New South Wales and later made his home at Cooroy in Queensland’s Noosa hinterland. Away from motorcycling, he and his family operated a real estate business at Cooroy. His family was an important source of encouragement and support throughout his long-distance riding career.

Davo had been involved with motorcycles throughout his life, but his progression into organised long-distance riding began in earnest in 2004. He gradually extended his range until completing his first 1,000-kilometre day, followed in early 2005 by his first certified Iron Butt Association ride—a SaddleSore 1600K. He became Iron Butt Association member number 22575.

During his first crossing of Australia in January 2006, Davo began to believe that he might one day be capable of taking part in the Iron Butt Rally, the invitation-only event regarded as one of the most demanding challenges in long-distance motorcycling. That year he also completed a verified Australia 50CC Gold ride from Brisbane to Fremantle, establishing himself among Australia’s leading endurance riders.

Davo’s contribution, however, extended well beyond his personal riding achievements. In July 2003, he established the Australian Kawasaki 1000GTR and 1400GTR Owners Group, creating an online community through which owners could exchange knowledge, organise rides and form friendships. That experience demonstrated what could be achieved by bringing riders together around a shared interest.

The idea for FarRiders was conceived in early April 2006, with FarRiders records identifying 12 April as its formation date. The FarRiders website was launched on 17 June 2006, the same day the first FarRide took place at Moree, New South Wales.

The original FarRide concept was deliberately straightforward. Riders could start from wherever they chose, cover at least 1,000 kilometres within 24 hours and arrive at a common destination during a defined check-in window. It was not a race. The destination was simply a place where people who enjoyed long days in the saddle could meet, eat, exchange stories and then continue on their way.

FarRiders membership was free, open to riders of every marque and not connected to any particular motorcycle club. A rider became a FarRider by completing a recognised FarRide or FarRally.

Davo understood that Australians had always covered immense distances by motorcycle. His achievement was not to invent long-distance riding, but to give those riders a common destination, a shared standard and a welcoming community founded upon safe long-distance motorcycling.

In August 2007, Davo completed the ride for which he became best known internationally. Kawasaki Australia supplied him with a stock-standard Kawasaki 1400GTR to demonstrate whether the new motorcycle could genuinely live up to its description as a transcontinental sports tourer.

Leaving Byron Bay at 1.00 am on 24 August, Davo rode across Australia to Denham in Western Australia and then returned to Byron Bay, arriving at 10.17 pm on 29 August. He covered 10,376 kilometres in five days, 21 hours and 17 minutes.

The ride was certified by the Iron Butt Association as a SaddleSore 10000K. Having crossed the continent twice and completed the challenge with almost three hours to spare, Davo bought the Kawasaki upon his return.

In 2011, Iron Butt Association president Mike Kneebone formally recognised Davo’s achievement and his tireless encouragement and promotion of long-distance riding in Australia by establishing the Trans Australia Quest and Trans Australia Insanity rides. The Quest follows Davo’s route between Byron Bay and Denham in under three days, while the Insanity completes the return journey in under six.

Davo’s own writing reveals that he approached long-distance riding through preparation, routine and self-awareness rather than bravado. He wrote about beginning a multi-day ride properly rested, improving his diet beforehand, remaining hydrated, moving regularly on the motorcycle and addressing discomfort before it became a reason to stop.

He understood that changing conditions required a rider to adapt. Small efficiencies, repeated consistently over a long day, could make a considerable difference—but they could never replace sound judgement or preparation.

Safety was fundamental to Davo’s outlook. Australian Road Rider editor Peter “The Bear” Thoeming, who worked with him on the transcontinental Kawasaki ride, remembered Davo as one of the most safety-conscious riders he had known and as a father figure to many motorcyclists.

The support of Davo’s family remained central to his riding. Knowing that they were following his progress helped him remain focused on the road, particularly during his longest journeys. His achievements were personal, but they were made possible in part by the support network behind him.

Davo’s riding also reflected a strong generosity of spirit. On one journey, he diverted through Adelaide to support a motorcycle ride for Jayden, an eleven-year-old boy suffering from cancer. Davo rode approximately 2,200 kilometres to attend before continuing to another event in Victoria.

For Davo, that was simply what motorcyclists did for one another. Following a dream mattered, but so did using the journey to make a difference to somebody else.

By 2008, the Iron Butt Rally dream that had once seemed beyond reach had become a reality. Davo had applied in late 2007 and learned in April 2008 that he had been selected for the rally’s 25th-anniversary running in August 2009. He was one of only a small number of Australians to have gained entry.

Davo contested the rally on a 2008 Kawasaki Concours 14. Official Iron Butt Rally records show that he covered 7,323 miles—approximately 11,785 kilometres—during the event.

In the rally’s final hours on 4 September 2009, Davo crossed from Canada into the United States and was travelling south on US Route 95 towards a final bonus location when he collided with a deer. He was airlifted to hospital at Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, but could not be saved. He was 53 years old.

His death was felt throughout the Australian and international motorcycling communities. The tributes that followed remembered not simply an exceptional endurance rider, but a generous and encouraging man who helped other riders recognise what they might be capable of achieving.

In September 2010, fellow riders placed a memorial plaque at the foot of Horrocks Pass, between Port Augusta and Wilmington in South Australia. It was one of Davo’s favourite places and represented for him the transition between the western and central reaches of the continent and the country to the east.

The memorial became a place of pilgrimage for FarRiders and the focus of an annual gathering open to everyone, whether or not they were completing a certified ride.

Davo’s enduring legacy is the community he created. FarRiders connected people from different regions, occupations, backgrounds and motorcycle traditions through a shared appreciation of distance, preparation, self-reliance, fellowship and respect.

He did not invent long-distance motorcycling in Australia. He recognised the riders who were already doing it, gave them a place to come together and encouraged others to discover that the horizon might be farther away than they had imagined.

Davo once described his motivation simply:

“I sought to enlarge my playground; Australia is now my playground.”

His closing words remain an appropriate expression of the outlook he left behind:

“See you on the road one day, after all … it’s just a road.”