Somerset West to Swellendam - 28 February

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Joined
May 27, 2013
Messages
3,802
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Location
Gauteng
Bike
Suzuki DR650
Accompanied by Coxwain and Halfjob. On the way there at least. Coxwain left on the Saturday (swambo's orders), and Halfjob disappeared the Sunday afternoon.

My first "long" trip on the DR.
And I also got my first taste of gravel. Sure, it was only the few km of access road to the airfield, but it was still fun.

2014 Swellendam Fly In, held on 28 February - 2 March

This year instead of flying in (because aircraft are expensive to rent), I decided to take my Suzuki DR650 instead. Having only had the bike for a short time, I figured this would be a good time to see how it handles longer trips (my daily commute is only 24km return). I also got to test out my Airoh S4 helmet, and XKulcha easy-overs.

The DR is a stunning bike. I made and fitted a windscreen which takes most of the wind off your chest when doing over 100km/h. The bike handles well and is fairly light. It is great for town riding, and will easily do 130km/h. 120km/h is perfectly comfortable. Fuel consumption is decent, but you're limited by the capacity of the tank. At something like 11 or 12l, it doesn't get you that far. On this trip (about 190km each way) I filled up twice. Haven't had a chance to test the bike out properly offroad. But on the tar, it's a great machine!

The Airoh S4 is a lot of helmet for a reasonable price. Fairly light, it has excellent visibility, and the visor doesn't have any imperfections, giving one the feeling that you aren't wearing a helmet at all. It does get a bit chilly around the chin; wear a buff. And with the visor fully closed, it creates a high-pitched whistle. After a few rides I got used to it. For some reason if I wear earplugs with it, the helmet pulls them out as I move my head. But cellphone earphones work well (they never worked with previous helmets). Very happy with this buy.

The easy-overs. I have the older design. Newer ones have better pockets and zip placement along the leg. Prepare to sweat in summer and get chilly in winter. The inner lining retains heat very well. And the zips let in a fair amount of air. But they're easy to use (hence the name), and will hopefully save my skin (literally!) in an off.

2014 Swellendam Fly In

:ricky:
 
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