Day 1 BSR - Mahikeng 388KM
Monday 9 am I set off and it's official, I'm on my way. It had been a frantic two weeks getting the bike built and ready in time, also being my first real adventure trip so I needed to make sure I had planned for every eventuality. One great thing that I had was the Spot Gen 3 by SPOT LLC, it's a GPS tracker that enabled my loved ones to track me at any point in my ride to see where I was and put their minds at rest. It also has the added benefit of being able to send emergency SMS's over satellite should there be no cellphone reception. The wind was blowing like crazy and it proved to be a real challenge, sometimes having to lean the bike sideways into the wind just to keep heading straight. It proved a bit nerve-racking especially when it would blow me off-line into thick sand on the dirt roads ending up with some pretty severe headshake but with a bit of throttle control, I managed to save the day. The stock suspension on the 2018 KTM model is really lacking, just before the trip, I changed the springs to cater for the extra weight on the back and front but there is almost 0 dampening force on the front fork. This is unfortunately due to a very poor valve design by WP. On the positive side, I got to learn a whole lot about suspension during the trip and managed to eventually get the bike handling quite well. There was some really nice riding between Fochville and Ventersburg, all dirt through farmlands and very scenic. I Found a Black Steer in Lichtenburg and stopped for a delicious burger and coke then hit the road to Mahikeng. I spotted this little shortcut on Tracks4Africa which looked quite fun, the only problem is it leads to a farmers fence which I could not find my way around and eventually had to head back to the main road and go around. It was fun never the less. I stayed at Sedikwa Lodge in a comfortable room, no drinks or food available there but decided I was good and will top up no the road in the morning. Nothing like some Eat Naked macadamia nuts and cranberries to fill the gap.