Ilan-san
Pack Dog
Not sure if this is can be classified as a 'Ride Report'. It is rather a 'Drive' report.
My current KLE500 is "ok" for a person of my height and leg length, but I've been entertaining the idea of getting something smaller, more manageable and easier to pick up etc.
So after some homework I eventually settled on a Yamaha TW200. Then hit the Gumtrees, OLXs and JunkMails in search of one. There were a few in JHB but none of them really in my price range.
After a few weeks, one popped up in Port Shepstone. So after a chat and negotiation with the owner I decided to go and collect it over the weekend. I thought that since people do the 1500Km odd trip from JHB to Cape Town in one day, it didn't sound too much to go down to "Sheppy" and back in one day. That turned out to be one of my poorer assumptions.
A friend very kindly let me borrow his trailer, which I collected on Saturday. Early Sunday morning I set off.
The trip down was fine. Quite chilly on the Highveld, but roads were nice and quiet.
Eventually arrived in Pietermartizburg where I contacted the owner for further directions. It was then that I should have got the address of my final destination but we agreed that I would call him when I got through the 'main' Port Shepstone tollgate of the N2.
I hit the N2 down the 'South Coast'. I've done plenty of the North Coast, Umhlanga, Ballito, Salt Rock etc. but this was my first excursion South.
After exiting the N2 at said toll-plaza and stopping to call the owner, I then realised my cellphone battery had died. I had also left my trusty Nokia 105 at home. Turns out my 800mA cigarette lighter charger isn't very powerful and was now stuck with an expensive smartphone paperweight. I then landed up at the "Oribi Centre" where a very nice lady at the pizza store allowed me to use their phone. Owner wasn't answering - perhaps because of the unfamiliar number? Then went to Clicks and purchased a USB power pack which turned out wasn't fully charged and had just enough juice to give my phone enough oomph to make a 2 minute call.
Spoke to the owner, got directions to my destination. Turns out I had to go back onto the N2 and get off at Shelly Beach. It also transpired that the owner wasn't going to be able to meet me himself, but his son would come in his place.
It was now getting towards 3pm and the drive back was feeling more and more daunting. After some sense talking from the wife it was decided that I should rather find somewhere to stay in Shelly Beach and come back early Monday morning. This was good advice.
Owner's son arrived. Good friendly chap! Bike was loaded up and off I set in search of somewhere to crash for the evening. By this stage battery was dead again so no Googling for accommodation. I stopped at the South Coast Mall, went to ama-Game, and got the most powerful cigarette lighter charger I could find. Same for a wall charger, which I didn't think to bring down with me.
Back in the car I was able to charge the phone and use it at the same time. New charger is an Energizer 2.1A and worked like a bomb.
After some Googling and calling around I eventually booked in at the Robin's Nest BnB in Shelly Beach. https://www.robins-nest.co.za/ I went to fill-up with petroleum and headed to the guest house. Heidi, the concierge was extremely helpful. At very late notice, she came from Uvongo to meet me there, show me around etc. I had the place to myself. An early checkout was also arranged. The BnB was very clean and comfortable. It has Dstv too!
To fill my stomach I was recommended the Highland Fryer for dinner. I wandered over there at around 7:30pm and the place looked closed. Guess that's late for such a sleepy seaside town on a Sunday. The other nearby choices were KFC and Nandos and neither seemed that enticing at that stage so decided to pack it in for the evening.
Next morning I was up and out the gate by about 4:30. After a while on the N2 I turned on the GPS, which suggested I get off the N2 and onto the R603 instead of riding N2 all the way to Durban to catch the N3. I obliged, and got a tour through Illovo North, Umbumbulu and a few other places I would never have passed otherwise. There was lots of low hanging cloud and this, with the low light of early morning, made looking down into the valleys in the area eerily spectacular. I met up with the N3 at Camperdown. For the rest of the drive home the weather was again superb and roads were pretty empty.
Said bike is now at the mechanic for a once-over and mini service. Looking forward to getting it out there.
Lessons learned
-Try get the precise directions ahead of time.
-Keep your contact's details on a piece of paper also.
-Have a 'proper' cell charger for the car.
My current KLE500 is "ok" for a person of my height and leg length, but I've been entertaining the idea of getting something smaller, more manageable and easier to pick up etc.
So after some homework I eventually settled on a Yamaha TW200. Then hit the Gumtrees, OLXs and JunkMails in search of one. There were a few in JHB but none of them really in my price range.
After a few weeks, one popped up in Port Shepstone. So after a chat and negotiation with the owner I decided to go and collect it over the weekend. I thought that since people do the 1500Km odd trip from JHB to Cape Town in one day, it didn't sound too much to go down to "Sheppy" and back in one day. That turned out to be one of my poorer assumptions.
A friend very kindly let me borrow his trailer, which I collected on Saturday. Early Sunday morning I set off.
The trip down was fine. Quite chilly on the Highveld, but roads were nice and quiet.
Eventually arrived in Pietermartizburg where I contacted the owner for further directions. It was then that I should have got the address of my final destination but we agreed that I would call him when I got through the 'main' Port Shepstone tollgate of the N2.
I hit the N2 down the 'South Coast'. I've done plenty of the North Coast, Umhlanga, Ballito, Salt Rock etc. but this was my first excursion South.
After exiting the N2 at said toll-plaza and stopping to call the owner, I then realised my cellphone battery had died. I had also left my trusty Nokia 105 at home. Turns out my 800mA cigarette lighter charger isn't very powerful and was now stuck with an expensive smartphone paperweight. I then landed up at the "Oribi Centre" where a very nice lady at the pizza store allowed me to use their phone. Owner wasn't answering - perhaps because of the unfamiliar number? Then went to Clicks and purchased a USB power pack which turned out wasn't fully charged and had just enough juice to give my phone enough oomph to make a 2 minute call.
Spoke to the owner, got directions to my destination. Turns out I had to go back onto the N2 and get off at Shelly Beach. It also transpired that the owner wasn't going to be able to meet me himself, but his son would come in his place.
It was now getting towards 3pm and the drive back was feeling more and more daunting. After some sense talking from the wife it was decided that I should rather find somewhere to stay in Shelly Beach and come back early Monday morning. This was good advice.
Owner's son arrived. Good friendly chap! Bike was loaded up and off I set in search of somewhere to crash for the evening. By this stage battery was dead again so no Googling for accommodation. I stopped at the South Coast Mall, went to ama-Game, and got the most powerful cigarette lighter charger I could find. Same for a wall charger, which I didn't think to bring down with me.
Back in the car I was able to charge the phone and use it at the same time. New charger is an Energizer 2.1A and worked like a bomb.
After some Googling and calling around I eventually booked in at the Robin's Nest BnB in Shelly Beach. https://www.robins-nest.co.za/ I went to fill-up with petroleum and headed to the guest house. Heidi, the concierge was extremely helpful. At very late notice, she came from Uvongo to meet me there, show me around etc. I had the place to myself. An early checkout was also arranged. The BnB was very clean and comfortable. It has Dstv too!
To fill my stomach I was recommended the Highland Fryer for dinner. I wandered over there at around 7:30pm and the place looked closed. Guess that's late for such a sleepy seaside town on a Sunday. The other nearby choices were KFC and Nandos and neither seemed that enticing at that stage so decided to pack it in for the evening.
Next morning I was up and out the gate by about 4:30. After a while on the N2 I turned on the GPS, which suggested I get off the N2 and onto the R603 instead of riding N2 all the way to Durban to catch the N3. I obliged, and got a tour through Illovo North, Umbumbulu and a few other places I would never have passed otherwise. There was lots of low hanging cloud and this, with the low light of early morning, made looking down into the valleys in the area eerily spectacular. I met up with the N3 at Camperdown. For the rest of the drive home the weather was again superb and roads were pretty empty.
Said bike is now at the mechanic for a once-over and mini service. Looking forward to getting it out there.
Lessons learned
-Try get the precise directions ahead of time.
-Keep your contact's details on a piece of paper also.
-Have a 'proper' cell charger for the car.
