Q&A

Have a question? Want to know a bit more about the rides, our group, or the methods of payment? To help you get you the answers quickly, we’ve compiled a list of popular questions we’ve received from our riders. Scroll below to review our brief Q&A.

 

Questions and Answers

 

If after reading this you have any more questions please don’t hesitate to ask.

 

THE GROUP

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1. Who are the Black Dog Adventure Club ?

 

A group of people from all over the world with the common interest of riding motorcycles

and travelling in Asia. Many different nationalities and backgrounds with some living and

working in Asia and some visiting and travelling in the region.

 

2. Why does the Black Dog Adventure Club exist ?

 

Set up originally in early 2014 by a small group of expat guys living in the Philippines the

group was a way of them getting out of the routine of everyday life and getting out seeing

and doing new things. Over time the both the rides and the size of the group have grown

and the group now rides all over Asia on average3 times a year.

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3. Why the name Black Dog Adventure Club (BDAC) ?

 

In Australia the colloquial name given to male middle age depression is the “Black Dog”.

 

It is in common usage that a middle aged guy who is depressed has been “bitten by the black

dog”. The high incidence of middle aged male suicide is a problem world wide and as the

world becomes more and more “disconnected” the old days of people getting together to

share their problems and issues is becoming less and less.

 

In the beginnings of the club the group was male only and part of the reason it was set up

was to try and give guys in the middle age bracket a place where they could come together

and hang out. As the club has grown it has moved on from its male only membership and we

now have many females from all around the world as members. (Thankfully)

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RIDES

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1. How many rides a year ?

 

Currently we do we 3 rides a year

a. February – BDAC Group ride.

b. May – BDAC Group ride.

c. October- BDAC Group Ride

 

2. Who can go on the rides?

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Short answer is anyone. If you have the desire to go and the gumption to say you want

to go then we are happy to have you along. We have people riding aged from late 20s to

mid 70s and everything in between. Most participants are aged between 40 to 70 and

come from all over the world and are from a wide range of backgrounds.

 

3. Who organises the rides ?

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We all do. Everyone has some kind of skillset or contribution to make.  By tapping into

that wealth of knowledge or experience we can “do things ourselves” and so keep costs

down to a reasonable level.

 

4. Where will I sleep each night in the ride ?

 

You will have a room to yourself each and every night of the ride. You will not have to

share a room. The hotels we stay in are clean, neat and tidy and will have as a minimum

basics like hot water, air-conditioning, decent beds and a place to safely keep the bikes

overnight. A lot of the time the hotel will also have cable tv ,wireless internet, in room

fridge and safe. By western standards most hotels we stay at are decent 3 star.

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We use locally owned hotels in each country we are riding in so as to get a more

“intimate” experience of the country we are in. We avoid international chain hotels

wherever possible.

 

5. What bike will I be riding ?

 

We source the bikes for our rides from the best rental operator in each country that we

are riding in.

 

At the time that the ride is announced it will give you a choice of bikes that will be

available for that ride and you will choose then. Some of the bikes on each ride will

command a “surplus fee” due to their higher cost of hiring.

 

Unless noted the bikes you will have a choice of will be all inclusive in the trip cost as set

out in the event page.

 

6. What happens if my bike breaks down?

 

On most rides we have 1 or 2 guys riding who have some kind of professional

mechanical background or experience.

 

Most people on the rides have been around bikes for at least 15 years and so can do a

lot of stuff too. We will get your bike going again.

 

In 9 years of rides we have never had a bike get “left behind” on the road during a trip.

In the worst case scenario we will organise a new bike to be delivered by the rental

outfit.

 

7. What happens in the event of an accident?

 

On most rides we have 1 or 2 guys riding who have some kind of professional medical

background or experience.

 

We carry a group medical kit that will keep you held together till the ambulance arrives

and we get you to a hospital. Once you get to hospital your insurance kicks in and we

will make sure you are set and safe.

 

You wont be left alone to fend for yourself. That’s is what riding in a group means. In 9

years of BDAC Group rides we have not had a major accident.

 

8. What standard of rider should I be ?

 

As long as you can ride a bike more than a mile and not fall (too often) off you are good

to go.

 

9. What is an average day like on the rides?

 

We start the days’ riding between 7.30am to 9am each day depending on how far we

are going and how long we will be on the bikes for. We ride till around Midday (with

sightseeing stops along the way) and will then stop for lunch for about an hour.

 

After lunch we will ride again in the afternoon and we will arrive at the hotel between 4

to 5 pm.

 

The group dinner each evening tales place at around 6.30pm to 7pm and afterwards can

continue onto more socialising and nightlife entertainment as a group or go off and do

your own thing. It is entirely up to you.

 

10. How many hours a day will we be riding for ?

 

Most days we average around 5 actual hours of riding

 

11. How “hard” will the riding be ?

 

85% of the time the rides will be on sealed roads in overall good condition. The other

15% may be on unsealed roads but they will be in good condition. No particular off-road

riding skills will be needed. On a scale of 1 to 10 the riding will be 4 to 5 with maybe the

occasional 6 for a very short time.

 

The October rides are more “hardcore” in terms of road surfaces and riding conditions

and you should have a higher tolerance of tougher riding conditions and

accommodations.

 

12. How will I know the route for the day?

 

Each night before; a google map of the route for the next day is published to the group

ride Facebook message group chat set up for that ride. You can open that map with

google maps and you will have the route for the next day in front of you. You can also

navigate during the day using google maps with that map.

 

13. What if I get lost ?

 

If you stay between the “Lead” ( guy at the front) and the “Sweep” (guy at the back)

each day then you cant get lost. If by some quirk of reality you do get lost then just stop

and message on the group ride message “Im lost” and things will get organised to come

get you.

 

While waiting say hello to a few locals, grab a drink and have a chat.

 

14. Do I need to do anything on the ride itself?

 

No. For your first ride you can just turn up and ride and have the time of your life.

Everything will be taken care of for you.

 

From your second ride on you will be expected to take your turn to be a “lead” and a

“sweep” for at least one day of the ride and to contribute any special skillsets you have.

This is how we get everyone to contribute and can keep costs down.

 

15. Can I bring a back-rider on the BDAC rides ?

 

No.

 

The rides are set up to cater for one or the other and by being “out of step” the ride will

get unbalanced in terms of the group dynamics.

 

We understand that coming on your own on a group ride for the first time can be

daunting and what we try to encourage is to do just that as it will help you to bond into

the team for the ride a lot easier. You will find that you will “know” quite a of the other

riders by interacting with them in the group  chat in the months prior to the ride itself

and when you arrive on the first day you will feel “at home” after about an hour.

 

First time riders will be “paired” pre ride with a returning first time rider from the trip

before as well as a long experienced rider via private messenger chat for several months

before the ride and both these people will help you in any way you need in regards to

your questions or queries.

 

 

16. How will I find out more about the day to day stuff on the ride?

 

Once you have said you are “going” on the event page you will be added

into the facebook messenger chat group set up for each ride. In that chat group a lot of

the “day to day” stuff to do with the ride will be worked out and published.

 

17. I want to go on a ride but don’t want to ride a bike ?

 

Most BDAC rides we have a support van in place and there is usually 1 or 2 seats

available in there and you are welcome to grab one of those.

 

Put your hand up early though as those seats go fast.

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Costs and Payment

 

1. What does the ride fee cover?

 

a. A good  bike for you to ride for the trip

b. A good quality hotel room to yourself everynight- no sharing

c. 3 hearty filling meals a day plus drinks

d. Fuel and consumables for the bike

e. Airport Transfer to and from BDAC start and finish base hotel

f. Park entry fees, road tolls, and other fees that may arise while on the road

g. Route and logistic planning and the benefits of riding with a group of like

minded people.

h. The time of your life

 

2. What is not covered?

 

a. Flights to and from the ride. You need to get yourself to the ride start location

and date under you own steam and get yourself home afterwards.

b. Insurance. You need to have your own valid travel insurance that covers you for

riding a bike of the class you are on.

c. Medical costs and medicines.

d. Luggage space in the van if you need it. You can put 1 small bag in the van for

the trip if you want. That will cost you $5 USD a day.

e. Tips. We don’t tip a lot but count on around $25 USD each as a tip for the van

driver at the end of the trip if he does a good job.

f. All other sundry expenses as incurred by you

 

3. Will the trip cost change between booking and going?

 

No.

The price that is stated at the time of booking is the price you will pay. Because we

do so many group bookings we can negotiate better terms and conditions with the

hotels and the bike suppliers and we pass those onto the riders.

 

We book a lot of stuff early and lock in those terms and conditions with the

suppliers.

 

 

4. Do I need insurance ?

 

Yes. You must have travel insurance that is valid for the country we will be in and the

bikes we will be riding and you must send the ride co-ordinator a copy of the policy

before the ride starts.

 

5. When are the rides fees payable ?

 

a. Deposit $500USD – payable in full within 14 days of you saying that you are

“going” on the event page.

 

 

b. 50% of ride cost fee to be paid not less than 3 months from the start day of the ride

 

c. Balance of Ride Fee – payable in full on the start date of the ride you are going on. Most times you will pay in local currency

 

Non payment of deposit by the due date will mean you don’t go on the ride.

 

 

 

 

 

6. Are the ride fees refundable?

 

• payable within 14 days of saying you are going - $500 USD - Past experience has shown us that a small number of riders on each ride will “drop out” and so we will “waste effort” trying to find replacements and change bike and hotel bookings. For this reason the deposit is not refundable. Think carefully before pressing that “going” button on any event.

 

• 50% of ride fee payable not more than 3 months prior to ride start date. If you drop out after paying the 50% of ride fee 2nd part payment then as long as we (or you) can find someone to replace you then you will be refunded the 50% of ride fee ( less any transfer charges) that you have paid. If a replacement cant be found then your funds are retained by us.

 

• Balance of fees– you can’t get halfway through a ride and then say “I’m out give me the balance of my costs back’ One the ride starts that is it.

 

 

Any refund of fees will be subject to any charges and levies made by the financial institution used

and those fees will be paid by the person receiving the refund.

 

7. How do I make payment?

 

We use 2 payment methods. We accept payment in USD and AUD only.

 

1. Paypal – our preferred way of receiving and sending money

2. International Bank transfer (SWIFT)

 

 

We can take payment in $USD, $AUD and in some instances in the local currency

of the country we are going to ride in. Please ask first

 

 

8. Will I get a receipt ?

Yes you will get a receipt for the monies paid by you.

 

9. Why are the prices in USD ?

 

Because we are planning and booking things in a lot of cases 12 months out from the

actual event we need to do things in the most traded currency being the USD so we

are not “caught out” by currency fluctuations.

 

10. Will I be able to claim the ride fees on my insurance if I am not able to attend ?

 

We believe not. We are not a registered business , just a group of people who ride

together so it unlikely that trip insurance will cover you for the BDAC trip costs

portion of your trip. Check with your insurer.

 

If after reading this you have any more questions please don’t hesitate to ask. Just send us a message on the info form at the bottom of this page.