lightning1
Race Dog
After much anticipation, excitement, banter and the usual limited planning, Saturday morning finally arrived! This was it, the day we would show De Wildt who was boss, after only our third attempt.
The usual motley crew gathered at the Engen Garage at Hartebeespoort Dam for the proverbial last meal of bacon, eggs and a Wimpy mega coffee. About halfway through the coffee the extremities started defrosting a bit and the brain warmed up to the extent that sentences could be strung together. The new adventurers started arriving, and we slowly dragged ourselves from the relative warmth of the Wimpy to the bikes and vehicles for our venture to the old Police Station.
After all the friendly greetings, unloading of bikes, and slow kitting up, the intrepid crew were ready for whatever Mother Nature could throw our way. Brodes, Malibu, Hel_bent, One way Ray, Pistonslap, ThinkMike, Twiggy, Eatmyktm, Madmike999, Redwolf, Jules, Eggs, Jean and I were finally ready. Brodes rather gleefully arrived on a brand new Suzuki DRZ 400, Malibu was taking her 400 for its first ride, and at the other end of the scale, MadMike was taking his “vintage” modified GS 100 for its first spin around De Wildt.
Despite this being a ride for big bikes, we had it all: a 990, a 950, a 1200GS, 2 XR 650’s, a KLR 650, 2 DRZ 400’s, a KDX 200, A TTR230, 2 640’s, a GS 100, and a GS 650.
The ride started off well, and everybody negotiated the first mud hole with aplomb. From there, things just seemed to deteriorate rapidly, ending up with the X-challenge being towed home ... again. The ride was a mix of everything, from downhills, to climbs, to whoops, to loose sand and river-beds.
Unfortunately, there were some injuries as well, such as broken toes, a fractured hand, and lots of bruises. The riding was of a very high quality, and everybody performed well. Unfortunately Mother Nature sensed our cockiness and brought us all down to earth with a hard bump or two.
The award for most spectacular fall went to Twiggy, who managed to flip the KDX and land it on the edge of a deep drop, whilst sitting on the back wheel. Yes, you had to be there. We even managed to record that most rare of all sightings – Malibu having a momentary lapse of talent. She was definitely not the only one. Of the 14 riders only 2 managed to keep it upright all day. A sure sign of a challenging and fun ride. The other riders can add their personal views of the ride to this ride report.
Although it was a very long day, it was also very enjoyable! I will ask Jules to add some photos when he can.
The usual motley crew gathered at the Engen Garage at Hartebeespoort Dam for the proverbial last meal of bacon, eggs and a Wimpy mega coffee. About halfway through the coffee the extremities started defrosting a bit and the brain warmed up to the extent that sentences could be strung together. The new adventurers started arriving, and we slowly dragged ourselves from the relative warmth of the Wimpy to the bikes and vehicles for our venture to the old Police Station.
After all the friendly greetings, unloading of bikes, and slow kitting up, the intrepid crew were ready for whatever Mother Nature could throw our way. Brodes, Malibu, Hel_bent, One way Ray, Pistonslap, ThinkMike, Twiggy, Eatmyktm, Madmike999, Redwolf, Jules, Eggs, Jean and I were finally ready. Brodes rather gleefully arrived on a brand new Suzuki DRZ 400, Malibu was taking her 400 for its first ride, and at the other end of the scale, MadMike was taking his “vintage” modified GS 100 for its first spin around De Wildt.
Despite this being a ride for big bikes, we had it all: a 990, a 950, a 1200GS, 2 XR 650’s, a KLR 650, 2 DRZ 400’s, a KDX 200, A TTR230, 2 640’s, a GS 100, and a GS 650.
The ride started off well, and everybody negotiated the first mud hole with aplomb. From there, things just seemed to deteriorate rapidly, ending up with the X-challenge being towed home ... again. The ride was a mix of everything, from downhills, to climbs, to whoops, to loose sand and river-beds.
Unfortunately, there were some injuries as well, such as broken toes, a fractured hand, and lots of bruises. The riding was of a very high quality, and everybody performed well. Unfortunately Mother Nature sensed our cockiness and brought us all down to earth with a hard bump or two.
The award for most spectacular fall went to Twiggy, who managed to flip the KDX and land it on the edge of a deep drop, whilst sitting on the back wheel. Yes, you had to be there. We even managed to record that most rare of all sightings – Malibu having a momentary lapse of talent. She was definitely not the only one. Of the 14 riders only 2 managed to keep it upright all day. A sure sign of a challenging and fun ride. The other riders can add their personal views of the ride to this ride report.
Although it was a very long day, it was also very enjoyable! I will ask Jules to add some photos when he can.
