Author Topic: -5c to 37c in two days (Read 2848 times)

ON-RNR · « **on:** September 09, 2008, 08:01:06 pm »

Two of us, me and my son (XT600) left Durban to meet up with some friends in Mooi River who will join us on a two thousand kay trip. Dazed was our camera man and he is hopefully going to add a lot of the pics as we all add our share to this RR
We left Durban on a sunny Sunday day but knowing weâ??re going to be cold soon we dressed for the snow.
We splashed out on all kinds of snow gear for this trip, -35c sleeping bags, 99% cold blocking blow-up mattresses, snow ski gear special additives to our fuel so it wont freeze â?¦.ja ja only joking.

ON-RNR · « **Reply #1 on:** September 09, 2008, 08:07:07 pm »

The inevitable stop

ON-RNR · « **Reply #2 on:** September 09, 2008, 08:25:17 pm »

Photo taken from our backup vehicle that lefts us after about 50km. Bikes clean, no damages, all the kid still neatly packed.

Hondsekierie · « **Reply #3 on:** September 09, 2008, 08:51:57 pm »

Ok, verstaan nog nie die photo dinge so lekker, so my test run

Hondsekierie · « **Reply #4 on:** September 09, 2008, 08:53:33 pm »

O fok nee, wat se hulle, RFM

Scalpel · « **Reply #5 on:** September 10, 2008, 02:02:32 pm »

So gentleman what happened to the rest of your ride report?? Did it go AWOL?

Or must I just presume that it is a lack of interest!!

Or is it maybe because you were all born BC( before computers)!!

edgy · « **Reply #6 on:** September 10, 2008, 02:18:47 pm »

Scalpel · « **Reply #7 on:** September 10, 2008, 02:32:20 pm »

They are hanging out at Stormvoel Dansakademie(Teazers) too much!!

this is why they are just teasing us with this!!

Maybe they can surprise us with a ride report before christmas!!

Runner · « **Reply #8 on:** September 10, 2008, 10:03:43 pm »

Why don't you swop helmets?

Hondsekierie · « **Reply #9 on:** September 11, 2008, 10:09:15 am »

Ag Scalpel, ek moet bieg, dis die BC ding met ons almal. Beide Dazed en ON RNR moet vir hul seuns wag om te kom help met die report skryf ding en ek besig om die storie self uit te figure so tussen die werk.

Miskien kan jy my wys hoe om multiple fotos ens te post???

Ps: Definitief nie die Teazer ding al probeer jy ons al maande daarin praat.

Testrun op foto posting

Scalpel · « **Reply #10 on:** September 11, 2008, 10:27:27 am »

You can do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ON-R-N-R · « **Reply #11 on:** September 12, 2008, 10:16:21 am »

Helmet swapping â?¦.mmm no! its like wearing someone elseâ??s underpants? No thanks not for me. The BM helmet seems to have a vibration that tickles my nose. Thy say if you want the perfect vibrator for you, you must test it on the tip of youâ??re nose. If you can handle that itâ??s the right vibration for you. I did not have time in the shop when I bought the BM helmet to test it on my nose and now stick with my old one which seems to not disturb my nose at 120.

ON-R-N-R · « **Reply #12 on:** September 12, 2008, 11:20:16 am »

. Sorry about the delay. I know riding comes first then the ride report and the work to fund it all. But lets see if we can tease you some more.

Our last pics, camped outside a perfectly maintained water tight cottage with warm soft beds.

We there to go hard or go home and we decided to stay.

That was our coldest night where temperatures dropped to minus five.
The next day we scaled the mountains of the dragon. The early tribes called it Kwa-hlamba meaning barrier.
There are many steep passes that have been used by climbers over the years but there is only one spot where na adventure bike may venture up and that is where the road has managed to snake its way through this wall of rock. This is the Sani pass.
The name Sani come from the very first vehicle that made it to the top without breakdown and thus being the legendary Nissan Sani.

(Rafolatsanes was the district Chief of whatâ??s now known as Mokhotlong. For the first settlers to arrive in Underberg it would have been natural to ask where the gab leads to. The answer would have been â??Ha Rafolatsanes. For the uneducated rooi nekke it would have been to difficult to pronounce it and from there the word Sani. For those of you that would really want to know)
A few of the pictures as to how we did it made it to the picture section of this blog very quickly. The one almost at the top I got called back to pose for the cameraman. I slowly reversed back onto the ice to get the frozen waterfall right behind me. Nice photo was taken and shortly afterwards a few not so nice ones.

I did what a man had to do by putting the wheels under the bike again and carried on as nothing has happed.
Round the very next bend there was Hondsekierie alsoâ?¦. no not also, just hondsekierie lying in the mud with his bike, wheels up. I did what a man must do and stop to help him get his wheels in a less embarrassing position. On stopping I put my foot out quite naturally, but couldnâ??t get grip on the mud and ice and over I go again. Dazed was at its post and took some wonderful pics we could take home and show our close friends. (so we thought)

ON-RNR · « **Reply #13 on:** September 12, 2008, 12:18:54 pm »

Dis hoe -5 lyk

ON-RNR · « **Reply #14 on:** September 12, 2008, 07:12:32 pm »

By the way we did not bay our farms at some insignificant place.
These two corners where we made closer contact to mother earth have been named by early travelers. The first being Grays corner. It soon became Grace Corner â?¦you only got round by the grace of God. The next, hondsekierieâ??s new farm, being called â??Tourist delightâ? . Itâ??s being said that the switchback was so tight that at some point you actually look back down the valley whilst still driving up the pass.

Thinking backâ?¦years ago I read a article from Simon Fourie telling us about his adventure, riding from Jhb to Cape town in the dirt on big adventure bikes. Two guys on XR 600 invited themselves and joined them. These XRâ??s where not part of the shootout or even the trip but did get some acknowledgment in the article.

Simon would mention that the big bikes where battling in certain sections like mud and turf ex where it is very slippery and then just quickly mentioned that the bikes with the knoblies had no problem.
I got the feeling that the XRâ??s could do everything with ease where the big bikes had itâ??s limitations.

It made me feel good about (myself) my choice of bike as my own bike at the time was an XR.

In our group we had a XT 600 and a ktm640. Although we had to wait for these baby bikes they did every thing with ease and vibration but nothing to report on them. No falls no close shaves, absolute boring.

I had the same feeling (in my opinion)as Simon going up Saniâ??s. My BM does have its limitations and the smaller bikes seems to be the way to go.
We did almost 2000km on that trip and Saniâ??s was a mere 11km of it. My thoughts quickly changed even before we hid the highest pass in southern Africa.

ON-RNR · « **Reply #15 on:** September 15, 2008, 08:05:45 pm »

On route

ON-RNR · « **Reply #16 on:** September 15, 2008, 08:18:18 pm »

Een van die paaie waar die baby bikes agte geraak het. Die sneew op die berge in die agtergrond het die lug maar koud gemaak

ON-RNR · « **Reply #17 on:** September 15, 2008, 08:20:21 pm »

Hondsekierie · « **Reply #18 on:** September 15, 2008, 08:24:40 pm »

Shit ON-RNR, jy's eintlik diep my tjom, baie f%&n diep! Daardie pas was nie my particular favourite maar, nouja, die fotos getuig daarvan (tnx Dazed)

PS: Sodra ek SARS (what a pity) se akkies uitsorteer het sal ek meer contribute

ON-RNR · « **Reply #19 on:** September 15, 2008, 08:31:02 pm »

David op spoed..