Panjo
Race Dog
I awoke Friday morning at least an hour earlier than my planned departure time. I usually wake early when I am going on a ride. Perhaps it's the nerves, a mixture of not knowing what to expect and hoping that the bike behaves and I don't end up on the side of the road stuck or possibly have an accident because I do something stupid. In retrospect, this is my greatest fear, coming unstuck and meeting an untimely end. I enjoy riding and I enjoy taking a break from the wife and kids, but the thought of leaving them behind always lingers whilst on the trip. I hope the trip goes well.
My idea for this trip was born out of reading countless ride reports on this wonderful website, and a town whose name kept jumping out of the text into my subconscious, was Barberton. But the plan to ride finally became a firm item in my calendar when I read a report that referenced a dying mining town called Diepgezet, somewhere hidden between Barberton and the Swaziland border.Ghost towns and forgotten history.This piqued my interest and the date was set.
My steed for this trip was to be the KLR 650. A bike that I had only recently purchased from a colleague at work whom bought the bike in late 2008 in order to tick off a bucket list item, that involved driving through five of our neighbouring countries. A trip that was to last 3 months. Suffice to say, I chuckled quietly too myself, thinking that the bike had more experience than me and had driven more miles than I had ever driven on bikes collectively.
I chose the KLR specifically because they are known to be reliable and able to handle tar roads and gravel highways with equal dexterity. Tar roads being something I knew my KTM 640-e was not very comfortable with. That and the fact that the KTM's small 9 litre tank would make for something else to worry about. Not wanting to ride alone, I asked a good friend to come along for the ride. Jeremy, having good crotch rocket experience and many hours as a child riding the dirt roads around Pennsylvania, whom upon hearing the route, was very eager to join me on the ride and give this "Adventure riding" thing a try.
Unfortunately, Jeremy had no bike and with my KTM being in the workshop for its service and some other odds and ends, there was no bike for him, which would prove to be a bit of a damper on the whole event. Thankfully after posting a thread on the forum, a good Samaritan came to the rescue and lent us a bike, another KLR. Thankfully killing the image I had in my head of Jeremy having to ride pillion with me. Not a very butch sight I was afraid to admit and thankfully one we did not have to live out.
This is were I must end the story for now, as today is my 40th Birthday which requires I have a list a mile long to attend to before the nights celebrations start. One of those items being starting a bucket list of my own. After all, I am halfway there.
Will add more soon.
Oh and there is a low budget video. It's in the final stages of editing. When jeremy finishes it i'll post the link here.
My idea for this trip was born out of reading countless ride reports on this wonderful website, and a town whose name kept jumping out of the text into my subconscious, was Barberton. But the plan to ride finally became a firm item in my calendar when I read a report that referenced a dying mining town called Diepgezet, somewhere hidden between Barberton and the Swaziland border.Ghost towns and forgotten history.This piqued my interest and the date was set.
My steed for this trip was to be the KLR 650. A bike that I had only recently purchased from a colleague at work whom bought the bike in late 2008 in order to tick off a bucket list item, that involved driving through five of our neighbouring countries. A trip that was to last 3 months. Suffice to say, I chuckled quietly too myself, thinking that the bike had more experience than me and had driven more miles than I had ever driven on bikes collectively.
I chose the KLR specifically because they are known to be reliable and able to handle tar roads and gravel highways with equal dexterity. Tar roads being something I knew my KTM 640-e was not very comfortable with. That and the fact that the KTM's small 9 litre tank would make for something else to worry about. Not wanting to ride alone, I asked a good friend to come along for the ride. Jeremy, having good crotch rocket experience and many hours as a child riding the dirt roads around Pennsylvania, whom upon hearing the route, was very eager to join me on the ride and give this "Adventure riding" thing a try.
Unfortunately, Jeremy had no bike and with my KTM being in the workshop for its service and some other odds and ends, there was no bike for him, which would prove to be a bit of a damper on the whole event. Thankfully after posting a thread on the forum, a good Samaritan came to the rescue and lent us a bike, another KLR. Thankfully killing the image I had in my head of Jeremy having to ride pillion with me. Not a very butch sight I was afraid to admit and thankfully one we did not have to live out.
This is were I must end the story for now, as today is my 40th Birthday which requires I have a list a mile long to attend to before the nights celebrations start. One of those items being starting a bucket list of my own. After all, I am halfway there.
Will add more soon.
Oh and there is a low budget video. It's in the final stages of editing. When jeremy finishes it i'll post the link here.
