Racing Panda's AWESOME AMAGEZA 2014: START TO about halfway.

[MaxThePanda]

So... first awesomeness of 2014 complete: I'm just back from getting married to my sweetheart in Istanbul. Which in itself was a bit of a mindfuck. Her mother is Turkish, so they knew the city well, but I'd never been there... what an incredible place! I'm well impressed - the scale of everything is just massive. And such sophisticated, warm, generous and kind people. Loved it!

And a month getting fat and lying in the sun drinking ouzo on a Greek island afterwards... which means tomorrow's race at Sandveld is going to be a BIT OF A SHOCK! Haven't been on a bike in about eight weeks. And I still have to get my bloody front brake bled properly.

Anyway. On to the second big awesomeness of the year... I've got a nice little bundle of rally parts sitting at a shipping agent in Oregon. So the question is... shall I cover the build here, or in a separate thread? Makes sense to keep it all together, no?

[Scooterbike]

Seems I will beat you to it. Mine just left Shipito!

[Buff]

Hey hey, I believe congratulations are in order then. Wishing you all the best on a long & happy marriage 

Good luck for tomorrow... start sorting those brakes out now, not 9pm this evening  I'll be there supporting my wife in the Ladies Intro Class.

[SteveD]

Congratulation Sir, and to Mrs Panda

So the question is... shall I cover the build here, or in a separate thread? Makes sense to keep it all together, no?

I would vote for a separate thread in the Build Section, with a link posted here. Or it can stay here, either way....

[MaxThePanda]

Seems I will beat you to it. Mine just left Shipito!

Heh! Mine's got more toys in it!

[MaxThePanda]

Hey hey, I believe congratulations are in order then. Wishing you all the best on a long & happy marriage 

Good luck for tomorrow... start sorting those brakes out now, not 9pm this evening  I'll be there supporting my wife in the Ladies Intro Class.

Thanks Brett! I hunted long and far and wide for her

Yeah, well I've only had one day in CT since the last race f-up so I'm scrambling a bit here. Chatted to Dave last night and re-bled this morning, and hung the lever up in the hope of getting rid of those recalcitrant bubbles. I'll go check on it again just now (when re-fitting my car battery that had also gone flat, and in between doing some work!) but I'm not holding out hope. It might need some new seals. Bugger.

If I can't sort it I think I'll just take the KTM 450 and ride that. Of course nothing like racing a new bike you've only ridden around the block on!

[BlueBull2007]

Awesome bro! Congratulations, good blessings to you both, and I wish you years and year and years of happiness & joy together.


All the best for tomorrows race!

Cheers

Neil

[Buff]

Nothing like a bit of pre-race panic to get the adrenaline flowing  To be honest, that 450 might just be a better bike for tomorrows route, there'll be plenty of sand 

[adv]

Thanks for the input guys, that might just work for me as I don't do much more than 3 or 4 longer rides per year either due to all the off-road racing & training.

Just one or two questions Sidetrack:
What's a tank that size set you back?
Is a Cush hub necessary?
What speed can you maintain comfortably on the open road? I'm guessing a spare rear sprocket & chain is all that's required to give it longer legs.

Those Acerbis tanks goes for around R4500-00, my last one I got second hand for R3000
Cush hub not needed if you mostly do gravel
120km/h the bike does not break a sweat but it's not very enjoyable for the rider, 100km/h much better .......... enjoy the scenery - what's the rush !
You don't need extra sprockets, with 15/48 my bike can run same speeds as a XR650R
All based on the KTM 525 however but I reckon the 530 and 500 will be much the same, I had the 2005 first then bough a 2007. Sorry for hijack Max !

*Edit - seems the 500 is geared shorter than the RFS motors

But then again you can ride this too, which is not much heavier.

[dirtWarp]

But then again you can ride this too, which is not much heavier.

That "much" is a lot actually.
20kg less + 6th gear = 

[adv]

Remember the XRR will torque the crap out of a 450/525/530.  Was it not the Aus model they clocked at like 200kph?

[adv]

Not gonna lie, a 6th would be nice 

[Dwerg]

When is your kit expected to arrive? Quite keen to see your build!

[MaxThePanda]

When is your kit expected to arrive? Quite keen to see your build!

Stuff is leaving US as we speak and electrical stuff left Japan a day ago, so sometime next week, I guess. Will def run a build thread here...

[MaxThePanda]

Today is 1 August 2014. Which means exactly 3 months, to the day, until we leave Cape Town for the trek up to Upington for the start of Amageza 2014. That's 90 whistle-stop days of prep, training, organisation and piss-and-panic!

Just having got back from a month in Europe, it's time to start proper fitness work. The rough plan per week is: two rides, two bootcamp fitness classes, one bicycle ride and two yoga classes. Best laid plans and all, but one needs some kind of intention...

I raced the Sandveld off road race on Saturday in the mud. Raced is a misnomer, because I made it about half way around my first loop before giving up in utter exhaustion, barely able to stand up on the pegs. I'd been fighting a bad ear infection my last week away, and was still on antibiotics which had left me a lot weaker than I expected, but the lesson was pretty clear. Look after your health!

This is something I'm doing for fun, satisfaction and the sheer joy of the possible. My plan is to enjoy all of it - not just the Amageza itself, which could be over in the blink of an eye if something goes wrong, and at most will only last 5 days - but the training, the prep, the bike farkling, the dreaming. Already it has resulted in my buying a cheap dirt bike and hacking around some enduro tracks and trying my hand at off road racing. It's been a jol and deeply rewarding. And that's the point of all this, really.

We won't be young [um... cough... middle aged] for long. So in the immortal words of my fine mate Tom: "Let's 'av at it!"

I've kicked off a build thread on the bike here: http://www.wilddog.za.net/forum/index.php?topic=156398.0

Over and out.

[N[]vA]

I raced the Sandveld off road race on Saturday in the mud. Raced is a misnomer, because I made it about half way around my first loop before giving up in utter exhaustion, barely able to stand up on the pegs. I'd been fighting a bad ear infection my last week away, and was still on antibiotics which had left me a lot weaker than I expected, but the lesson was pretty clear. Look after your health!

Hope you heal up well bro!

In the state you were in (on antibiotics like that) you wont finish the first day of Amageza, I think guys need to be aware how demanding it really is.

If you are on heavy antibiotics at the time DO NO attempt it.

Have some video of you on that mental climb, well done for getting up there dude!

[Dwerg]

Well that kinda freaked me out. Just 3 months 

And last weekend I'm allowed to drink too. Well excessively anyway 

[MaxThePanda]

I raced the Sandveld off road race on Saturday in the mud. Raced is a misnomer, because I made it about half way around my first loop before giving up in utter exhaustion, barely able to stand up on the pegs. I'd been fighting a bad ear infection my last week away, and was still on antibiotics which had left me a lot weaker than I expected, but the lesson was pretty clear. Look after your health!

Hope you heal up well bro!

In the state you were in (on antibiotics like that) you wont finish the first day of Amageza, I think guys need to be aware how demanding it really is.

If you are on heavy antibiotics at the time DO NO attempt it.

Have some video of you on that mental climb, well done for getting up there dude!

Yeah I couldn't believe how weak I felt. Got badly stuck in the hippo-mud hole 400m from the start, and by the time I got the bike out I was completely knackered and basically limped around till I saw you. Felt like I was on my 10th lap - could barely lift the bike up!

Glad it happened now, though - good to know limits and the impact of illness on riding. I had been feeling mostly better, but virus/illness/antibiotics don't really show themselves under normal activity. However, as soon as you push the body into the red zone it's all fall down.

[N[]vA]

I raced the Sandveld off road race on Saturday in the mud. Raced is a misnomer, because I made it about half way around my first loop before giving up in utter exhaustion, barely able to stand up on the pegs. I'd been fighting a bad ear infection my last week away, and was still on antibiotics which had left me a lot weaker than I expected, but the lesson was pretty clear. Look after your health!

Hope you heal up well bro!

In the state you were in (on antibiotics like that) you wont finish the first day of Amageza, I think guys need to be aware how demanding it really is.

If you are on heavy antibiotics at the time DO NO attempt it.

Have some video of you on that mental climb, well done for getting up there dude!

Yeah I couldn't believe how weak I felt. Got badly stuck in the hippo-mud hole 400m from the start, and by the time I got the bike out I was completely knackered and basically limped around till I saw you. Felt like I was on my 10th lap - could barely lift the bike up!

Glad it happened now, though - good to know limits and the impact of illness on riding. I had been feeling mostly better, but virus/illness/antibiotics don't really show themselves under normal activity. However, as soon as you push the body into the red zone it's all fall down.

Huge value in knowing where your breaking point is. For last years I did an all nighter and went and did mx from sunrise till I was broken, helped massively with learning to mentally cope with riding smooth while fucked up tired.

I was also bored and in Vietnam 

[MaxThePanda]

Took 450 off for it's first dirt trials yesterday at Atlantis...

Bit of a shock. It's basically just like my KDX, but with real suspension, a better riding position and a f*ck load more power. The 690 feels light years away from this thing. Honestly, it should be a hell of a lot quicker over the rough stuff, and it's so easy to ride on sand it's a bit of a joke. I felt like an orderly taking an accident victim for a walk around the hospital grounds with a DRZ for company. And it felt reasonably happy on tar too, surprisingly, although I didn't push it past 120. Call me neurotic but the R27 on a completely non-road legal bike gives moment for a bit of caution.



Hopefully the box of toys arrives this week and I can then get the road license sorted, amongst other things.