To Jasmyn and Back... Just a quick one

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valkerieforever

Pack Dog
Joined
Oct 14, 2010
Messages
95
Reaction score
5
Location
Centurion, South Africa
Bike
BMW F800GS
This would be my first ride report. I apologise in advance for the lack of pictures. I am in the process of gathering all of the nice gadgets and gizmos to take some great pictures on future rides.

I had finally gotten my hands on a bike in June, after a long spell without one. Due to my proclivity for procrastination my learners license had expired and I had never done my Code A license. Long story short I finally made the effort to get the proper Code A so that I could have a pillion for a ride-a-long.

After much wine and snacks just before Christmas two friends and I decide to take two short day trips around Pretoria just to get into the thing. My friend T has been recovering from a serious neck and shoulder injury and has been off her bikes for about 2 months. So, to get her fit again we stick to shorter trips.

Come Monday the 28th of December 2020, T, another friend and I set off from my place in Centurion to Jasmyn at Harties. T is on her KTM 790 and we are on my 800GS.

We hit the road just after 0830, it was already quite warm by then. We take Botha Ave/Christina De Witt Ave from Centurion to Fountains, hang a left up and over the hill past the Voortrekker Monument. We caught a right at the bottom of the hill at the Rust Building, quick left just under through the railway bridge. Right into Transoranje road and then left onto the OLD N4, the Pelindaba highway.

The road was open and very quiet. We stick to a little bit over the speed limit (100 Kph), cruising at about 120 most of the way. I have heard rumours of road blocks and occasional speedtraps on that piece.

I hadn’t been down that route in a long time and was surprised at the amount of informal structures that have gone up on the left hand side of the highway on the side of the hills. The last time I rode there it was still pretty much just bush, well trees and grass, bush is a bit of a stretch.

At the last tollgate I pay and neglect to close the pouch which contained my gate remote and change properly and as we get to about 60 Kph, the remote decides to do a swan dive off the bike. The sight of the remote hitting the road at that speed was glorious to say the least.

We get off the highway, well, you kind of have to as it ends about 500m from the tollgate. Take a right over the bridge left at the T Junction and go over Saartjies Nek Pass. The view is spectacular, well for me anyway. We drop in at Jasmyn park the bikes and have a bottle of water each just to cool down. Even with summer kit I am sweating like a pig. I am convinced that I could have wrung a cup of water out of my jacket if I had the inclination to try.

We lock up all the kit in the panniers and top boxes and head to Die Wafel Huis (The Waffle House). The place is busy at just after 0900. We get a table close one of the industrial sized fans. The artificial breeze is amazing.

After a great waffle breakfast and a few cold (non-alcoholic) refreshments. We take a stroll though the shops and stalls at Jasmyn. Kit up and head back the way we came.

I was very tempted to take what I have come to know as the Hennops road. The R511, that goes past Gerhardsville to Laezonia and then take the N14 back, but I hadn’t been down that road in a while and it was bad the last time I rode it. So we took the same route home. It felt a lot further than the odd 80km round trip.

We have come to the end of this Ride Report. The next one is not much more interesting and only goes to Cullinan and back.

See you next time
 
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