airHEAD
Pack Dog
A buddy of mine knows a guy who he was planning a 4 day December trip up the west coast across to Springbok and then down through the Cederberg and I got the nod to join :thumleft: I have ridden in the Cederberg a number of times but the attraction of this trip for me was 2 full days of roads I've never been on. There is always something special about the first time you experience an awesome piece of dirt O0
Choosing you riding buddies is a bit of a science. It's a lot more about what type of roads/tracks you are comfortable on and how fast you want to travel than the bikes you choose to ride. This is a good thing because each of us had a different take on the perfect twin cylinder adventure bike. We had a KTM 950 from the naughties, a Ducati powered Cagiva Elephant from the ninties and my old HPN BMW that started out life in the eighties.
The Elephant and I had done one short trip together but I had never even met the KTM never mind follow him into the unknown. As soon as we left the tar I began to wonder if I would make it home intact ???
We soon got lost on some small farm tracks...
when we stopped at the farm house to ask if there was a way over that imposing mountain in the background the farmer muttered something about a road that was last used 10 yeas ago... but people often walk up there... The prospect of trying to persuade my loaded and fueled beast up an enduro track was rather terrifying but I wasent ready to be branded as a woes by my buddies just yet so I sucked it up and tagged along. Fortunately the track really wasent more than a hiking trail up a gravel mine shaft and when our fearless KTM leader proclaimed "I would give it a go on my 450 but not on this thing" it was time to backtrack and find the plan B route. Humiliation narrowly averted :mwink:
We soon settled into a rhythm riding in chronological order, KTM, Cagiva then BM. The route that the KTM had picked out was stunning and it seemed to me at least as if the pace was good (read: I was managing to cling on to the back without taking too many risks :biggrin
We stopped to see some of the historic sights along the way. This corrugated iron fort dates back to 1899! I guess they dont make sinkplate like they used to :mwink:
There is a cave near by where travellers using this route would stopover to rest and deface the walls. The oldest date we could find was 1712
The day was warm and it was tempting to wait out the heat but there were miles to go before we sleep...
The KTM had family staying in Strandfontein and that was where we eventually did spend the night...
I was anxious about the plan for the next day to follow the coast as it was almost certainly going to involve some sandy tracks but the start of the day was like something out of a post card :thumleft:
We were riding really close to the beach
It didnt take long for the sandy tweespoor that I had been worried about to appear. The going was tough but to my surprise and not counting a few minor incidents, I was almost getting it
The going wasn't easy for anyone
The amazing thing about this route is that once we had exhausted our energy we could opt for the slightly higher road which was firmer and more rideable but just as spectacular
After the Namakwa Sands mine we headed inland and it wasn't long before we came across this shop come post office. Apart from the modern post office branding, it was like it was something out of a time warp...
I couldn't help posing the retro bike alongside the retro fuel pump.
There is not much shade in this part of the world and we borrowed the stoep of an unoccupied farm house for a lunch stop.
Next it was on to Hondeklipbaai. More to follow...
Choosing you riding buddies is a bit of a science. It's a lot more about what type of roads/tracks you are comfortable on and how fast you want to travel than the bikes you choose to ride. This is a good thing because each of us had a different take on the perfect twin cylinder adventure bike. We had a KTM 950 from the naughties, a Ducati powered Cagiva Elephant from the ninties and my old HPN BMW that started out life in the eighties.
The Elephant and I had done one short trip together but I had never even met the KTM never mind follow him into the unknown. As soon as we left the tar I began to wonder if I would make it home intact ???
We soon got lost on some small farm tracks...
when we stopped at the farm house to ask if there was a way over that imposing mountain in the background the farmer muttered something about a road that was last used 10 yeas ago... but people often walk up there... The prospect of trying to persuade my loaded and fueled beast up an enduro track was rather terrifying but I wasent ready to be branded as a woes by my buddies just yet so I sucked it up and tagged along. Fortunately the track really wasent more than a hiking trail up a gravel mine shaft and when our fearless KTM leader proclaimed "I would give it a go on my 450 but not on this thing" it was time to backtrack and find the plan B route. Humiliation narrowly averted :mwink:
We soon settled into a rhythm riding in chronological order, KTM, Cagiva then BM. The route that the KTM had picked out was stunning and it seemed to me at least as if the pace was good (read: I was managing to cling on to the back without taking too many risks :biggrin
We stopped to see some of the historic sights along the way. This corrugated iron fort dates back to 1899! I guess they dont make sinkplate like they used to :mwink:
There is a cave near by where travellers using this route would stopover to rest and deface the walls. The oldest date we could find was 1712
The day was warm and it was tempting to wait out the heat but there were miles to go before we sleep...
The KTM had family staying in Strandfontein and that was where we eventually did spend the night...
I was anxious about the plan for the next day to follow the coast as it was almost certainly going to involve some sandy tracks but the start of the day was like something out of a post card :thumleft:
We were riding really close to the beach
It didnt take long for the sandy tweespoor that I had been worried about to appear. The going was tough but to my surprise and not counting a few minor incidents, I was almost getting it
The going wasn't easy for anyone
The amazing thing about this route is that once we had exhausted our energy we could opt for the slightly higher road which was firmer and more rideable but just as spectacular
After the Namakwa Sands mine we headed inland and it wasn't long before we came across this shop come post office. Apart from the modern post office branding, it was like it was something out of a time warp...
I couldn't help posing the retro bike alongside the retro fuel pump.
There is not much shade in this part of the world and we borrowed the stoep of an unoccupied farm house for a lunch stop.
Next it was on to Hondeklipbaai. More to follow...
