Pom
Race Dog
The original plan was simple, load 2 bikes on the trailer, pack the car with all the goodies I had committed to transporting to the bash and head for Hogsback, but life is not like that, and in the middle of the week things started to change. Pistol couldnâ??t ride with Hidalgo due to work commitments, I really did not want to trail my bikes down, and WHS was just keen for anything, so we made a plan.
I posted on the forum that I was keen to get a small bike to teach my wife to ride on, Pistol responded with a 400cc KLE that he didnâ??t use, so after we had a quick chat we exchanged papers and keys (he took my Tenere) and I took the KLE, and suddenly we had an extra bike to ride to Hogsback.
Thursday evening came, WHS and I worked the bikes over, packed the V-Strom with all the prizes for the lucky draw, strapped Crazy Porraâ??s tyres on the KLE and set off for Hogsback, with Hidalgo, at 04h30 on Friday morning. It was dark, cold, foggy and miserable in JHB, but we didnâ??t care, we were riding.
I had planned a route to Hogsback on tar all the way, not knowing what the KLE was capable of, or how long WHSâ??s butt would last, the idea was to get there as quick and easy as possible.
By 07h00 we were pulling into Kroonstad when the KLE shook itâ??s head and the front tyre went instantly flat, not being equipped with the right tools (The Strom has tubeless tyres) I went into town looking for a bike shop who could repair the puncture, it is amazing how small town folk are more helpful than city people. The owner of Oranje Yamaha not only supplied us with the part, but drove his mechanic out to the bike, with a tool box, jack and pump to fit the tube on the side of the road while we waited, thank you Kobus.
Motto of the story, I need to buy a puncture kit, spare tubes and a set of tyre levers.
After stopping about 10 times to strap Porraâ??s tyres back on the KLE, we very nearly opted to ditch them in the veld after one of the tie downs gave up and smacked the rear fender breaking it in two pieces, but we persevered on, despite a few cuss words from WHS. I managed to appease him a little by strapping one of the tyres to the back of the already loaded Strom, and carried on.
So back on the road we hit the N1 to Bloem, cruising at steady 130/140 all the way, We had scheduled a tyre stop in Bloem to replace the rear on the Strom, (one Anakee if you donâ??t mind my good sir) this was done whilst WHS and Hidalgo sat in Kentucky Chicken stuffing their faces, from there we road through to Reddersburg on the N6, Smithfield, Rouxville, Aliwal North, Jamestown, Queenstown, Cathcart and finally on to Hogsback.
Packed into my topbox and panniers I had all the prizes, which included glasses, coffee mugs, buffs, tee shirts and stickers. The last 40 kâ??s or so is dirt road, which with about 30 kilos of breakable luggage was a nightmare, but it all survived.
We met a few of the dogâ??s at the bash on Friday evening, guys that generally chirp on the forum. What a fantastic bunch of fun people, and all like minded and easy going. Having a forum name like Pom is obviously a give away, because a few members heard my accent and picked me out of the crowd very quickly, maybe I should have chosen something else, though I quite like it.
Saturday morning came after a good nightâ??s sleep in one of the local B&Bâ??s. The three of us had opted to head for East London and hit the road at about 09h00.
I was amazed when we hit the roads that they are so quiet, Saturday morning and there was just about no traffic. We took some photos on the Esplanade and then went North up the Kei river passes through to Butterworth, anybody who likes cornering a bike and has not ridden this road needs to, it is simply awesome. Just before Butterworth we turned left onto dirt and rode about 100kmâ??s through Kraalâ??s and small villages, crossing rivers and valleys, encountering goats, donkeys and wrecked cars. It seems that the jungle telegraph was moving fast because every Kraal we came across groups of kids would be running, waving and pretending to twist throttles at the side of the road, a truly magical ride.
An hourâ??s worth of tar took us back to the camp site where we joined in for the nightâ??s festivities. All I can really say is the evening was great fun, the food was great, the company was good and a jolly time was had by all. Prizes were handed out and forfeits were made, the auction of the extra goodies seem to go down well, with money parting ways for pieces of biking gear, I am not too sure how much I paid for the last Wild Dog shirt, but Iâ??ll sort that out with Shark ZA later.
Sunday morning we decided to hit the road early back to Gauteng, we did basically the same rout back as far as Aliwal North where we climbed off the N6 and headed for Zastron and Wepenar, the roads were dead, we seemed to ride for miles without seeing anyone else, skirting the border of Lesotho was beautiful, the veld is green and the cows are fat.
From Wepenar we rode to Hobhouse, then to Tweespruit, Excelsior and Winburg where we climbed back on the N1 to Kroonstad. We had a few stops along the way for smoke breaks, cold drinks etc, but this ride for me personally was one of the most enjoyable ones I have done in years, the distances seemed of no importance, and on plenty of occasions I found myself in the â??zing zoneâ? where nothing else matters other than the road, the bike and the scenery, simply brilliant.
After a brief stop in Kroonstad we back tracked our steps to Parys and rode the final leg through to Joâ??burg via Fochville. As a final surprise I threw in what could only be described as a dirt Autobahn from Fochville to Lenasia, if there is anywhere you could do 220 on dirt, this is it my china! We parted ways on the N1 at about 17h30 and headed for home. 2400 kilometers in 3 days, thatâ??s riding.
What I would like to say is for the benefit of those who have not ridden like this, a motorbike for me represents freedom, an escape from the day to day routine, a form of expression and a break from the big bad world. This weekend I fulfilled that expectation, and I simply cannot wait for the next one.
Many thanks to all the people involved in the organisation and planning of the event, I know itâ??s not easy to do and requires a lot of commitment, well done guys and girls.
Thanks also to Hidalgo and WHS for a great weekend and for placing faith in my navigating skills and GPS.
Pom
I posted on the forum that I was keen to get a small bike to teach my wife to ride on, Pistol responded with a 400cc KLE that he didnâ??t use, so after we had a quick chat we exchanged papers and keys (he took my Tenere) and I took the KLE, and suddenly we had an extra bike to ride to Hogsback.
Thursday evening came, WHS and I worked the bikes over, packed the V-Strom with all the prizes for the lucky draw, strapped Crazy Porraâ??s tyres on the KLE and set off for Hogsback, with Hidalgo, at 04h30 on Friday morning. It was dark, cold, foggy and miserable in JHB, but we didnâ??t care, we were riding.
I had planned a route to Hogsback on tar all the way, not knowing what the KLE was capable of, or how long WHSâ??s butt would last, the idea was to get there as quick and easy as possible.
By 07h00 we were pulling into Kroonstad when the KLE shook itâ??s head and the front tyre went instantly flat, not being equipped with the right tools (The Strom has tubeless tyres) I went into town looking for a bike shop who could repair the puncture, it is amazing how small town folk are more helpful than city people. The owner of Oranje Yamaha not only supplied us with the part, but drove his mechanic out to the bike, with a tool box, jack and pump to fit the tube on the side of the road while we waited, thank you Kobus.
Motto of the story, I need to buy a puncture kit, spare tubes and a set of tyre levers.
After stopping about 10 times to strap Porraâ??s tyres back on the KLE, we very nearly opted to ditch them in the veld after one of the tie downs gave up and smacked the rear fender breaking it in two pieces, but we persevered on, despite a few cuss words from WHS. I managed to appease him a little by strapping one of the tyres to the back of the already loaded Strom, and carried on.
So back on the road we hit the N1 to Bloem, cruising at steady 130/140 all the way, We had scheduled a tyre stop in Bloem to replace the rear on the Strom, (one Anakee if you donâ??t mind my good sir) this was done whilst WHS and Hidalgo sat in Kentucky Chicken stuffing their faces, from there we road through to Reddersburg on the N6, Smithfield, Rouxville, Aliwal North, Jamestown, Queenstown, Cathcart and finally on to Hogsback.
Packed into my topbox and panniers I had all the prizes, which included glasses, coffee mugs, buffs, tee shirts and stickers. The last 40 kâ??s or so is dirt road, which with about 30 kilos of breakable luggage was a nightmare, but it all survived.
We met a few of the dogâ??s at the bash on Friday evening, guys that generally chirp on the forum. What a fantastic bunch of fun people, and all like minded and easy going. Having a forum name like Pom is obviously a give away, because a few members heard my accent and picked me out of the crowd very quickly, maybe I should have chosen something else, though I quite like it.
Saturday morning came after a good nightâ??s sleep in one of the local B&Bâ??s. The three of us had opted to head for East London and hit the road at about 09h00.
I was amazed when we hit the roads that they are so quiet, Saturday morning and there was just about no traffic. We took some photos on the Esplanade and then went North up the Kei river passes through to Butterworth, anybody who likes cornering a bike and has not ridden this road needs to, it is simply awesome. Just before Butterworth we turned left onto dirt and rode about 100kmâ??s through Kraalâ??s and small villages, crossing rivers and valleys, encountering goats, donkeys and wrecked cars. It seems that the jungle telegraph was moving fast because every Kraal we came across groups of kids would be running, waving and pretending to twist throttles at the side of the road, a truly magical ride.
An hourâ??s worth of tar took us back to the camp site where we joined in for the nightâ??s festivities. All I can really say is the evening was great fun, the food was great, the company was good and a jolly time was had by all. Prizes were handed out and forfeits were made, the auction of the extra goodies seem to go down well, with money parting ways for pieces of biking gear, I am not too sure how much I paid for the last Wild Dog shirt, but Iâ??ll sort that out with Shark ZA later.
Sunday morning we decided to hit the road early back to Gauteng, we did basically the same rout back as far as Aliwal North where we climbed off the N6 and headed for Zastron and Wepenar, the roads were dead, we seemed to ride for miles without seeing anyone else, skirting the border of Lesotho was beautiful, the veld is green and the cows are fat.
From Wepenar we rode to Hobhouse, then to Tweespruit, Excelsior and Winburg where we climbed back on the N1 to Kroonstad. We had a few stops along the way for smoke breaks, cold drinks etc, but this ride for me personally was one of the most enjoyable ones I have done in years, the distances seemed of no importance, and on plenty of occasions I found myself in the â??zing zoneâ? where nothing else matters other than the road, the bike and the scenery, simply brilliant.
After a brief stop in Kroonstad we back tracked our steps to Parys and rode the final leg through to Joâ??burg via Fochville. As a final surprise I threw in what could only be described as a dirt Autobahn from Fochville to Lenasia, if there is anywhere you could do 220 on dirt, this is it my china! We parted ways on the N1 at about 17h30 and headed for home. 2400 kilometers in 3 days, thatâ??s riding.
What I would like to say is for the benefit of those who have not ridden like this, a motorbike for me represents freedom, an escape from the day to day routine, a form of expression and a break from the big bad world. This weekend I fulfilled that expectation, and I simply cannot wait for the next one.
Many thanks to all the people involved in the organisation and planning of the event, I know itâ??s not easy to do and requires a lot of commitment, well done guys and girls.
Thanks also to Hidalgo and WHS for a great weekend and for placing faith in my navigating skills and GPS.
Pom
