plaasjaap
Race Dog
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2008
- Messages
- 571
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Cedarville - Ooskaap
- Bike
- Kawasaki KLR 250
:-\
Maybe Rossh and I should have listened to the little birdies all around trying to tell us that its not really self-preservation compliant to do this trip... Or if we do it, just please take the known, short and easy route to Mapai.... You know- the road more traveled, the one people use, the one you ride to your destination, you actually get there but you haven't even got a story to tell...
:
Okay, so 3 days before ETD the bike Rossh would have bought is sold to another person...(Toemaar Kilroy, het jou lankal vegewe en dit was net 'n misverstand...).
The Saturday that we should've departed I lift Rossh to Germiston to look at another KLR. In town we get a flat back wheel, after getting the tyre off at a Total, seeing that the tube is totally ripped I borrow the garage's "dikwiel" bicycle and cycle to downtown Germiston (scary...) to look for a 17" tube. About 3 bikeshops in one block, but the one that has any stock I wait for an hour before they open.
Okay, we haven't left on the trip yet, but hey, our adventure has begun! We look at the bike to purchase, not happy though and we return to Pretoria empty handed. Still two dudes on one bike. With one brand new 17" tube to show.
:deal:
So we are back at the original backup plan... Frans (Saaaki) offered (under some pressure...) to borrow his bike to us should he not make the trip (which he couldn't at this point).
Funny how in looking back one often wonder about the decisions you made in life... Well, I think Frans is looking back at this one (the one of giving us his bike) and wondering...
:ricky:
But what the heck, we were going!! When finally we were all set up on Sunday morning, the unexpected cold and cloudy weather couldn't dampen our adventurous spirits...!!
Alternative routes all the way to Komatipoort. Only one tollgate we couldn't miss (legally) was the one at Malelane. Belfast didn't dissapoint with it's horrible cold and misty weather, but the Wimpy 1Stop has after all got the best located Wimpy mega coffee you will ever buy!
+-480km for the day. Ross's first full day on a bike. Did a little gravel to miss the rip-off Machadodorp tollgate. There the excitement really started pumping in my veins! This is it, we are off! Gone to the rest of the world!
Looking around Komatipoort for camping, we took a little "game-drive" over the Crocodile Bridge bridge. It's a low concrete narrow bridge of about 200m which is actually already inside of Kruger, but the official gate is only on the other side. So we purr over with the bikes, expecting to sight some game on either side in the sandy riverbed. Seeing nothing we return across the brigdge again, this time NOT expecting to see anything...
Now, I do not know who got the biggest fright! Me or the MASSIVE A-FREAKIN ELEPHANT right at the end of the bridge!! It must've been coming along through the reeds and was about to cross the road, when it (probably for the first time in his life...) saw this KilLeR Red Predator appear right in front of it. Luckily he didn't know that this predator was infact the sixfifty with the "briekmerk-lê-nou-bo-op-my-seat" rider!
In any case, it was like doing that "emergency-swing-away" with the flashing lights during your Mbike license. Only this time I didn't overanticipate and knew exactly which way to sway to! The flashing light was after all pretty clear at less than 20m away and big enough to see...!
Ross was bearly 50m behind me and just spotted the big coward looking wide-eyed over his shoulder as he crashed back through the bush the same way he came from. Man, was I relieved that he was a coward... :-\
O yes, this is not yet referring to the "die another day" part of my title...
Well, we camped at Komatipoort Karavaanpark where the Oom gave us R20 discount when he saw us sitting till late at night trying to fix Ross's fan on the bike. Very chuffed with ourselves we got it fixed and went to bed with growing excitement. What is it about crossing borders with a bike!?! I love it.
Photos Day 1:
1- packed or should I say stacked...problem with my KLR is that it has TOO much loading space... I had space for 10l water, 10l fuel, a whole sack of spares, topbox full of food and tooltube with tools. Then tent, matress, sleeping bag and little clothes off course. O yes, don't foget the driepoot stoeltjie!
2-legendary mega coffee at Belfast's 1Stop Wimpy
3-At Nelspruit I put in some fuel and checked the oil. Ross checked his fuel and put in oil...
Maybe Rossh and I should have listened to the little birdies all around trying to tell us that its not really self-preservation compliant to do this trip... Or if we do it, just please take the known, short and easy route to Mapai.... You know- the road more traveled, the one people use, the one you ride to your destination, you actually get there but you haven't even got a story to tell...
:
Okay, so 3 days before ETD the bike Rossh would have bought is sold to another person...(Toemaar Kilroy, het jou lankal vegewe en dit was net 'n misverstand...)
.The Saturday that we should've departed I lift Rossh to Germiston to look at another KLR. In town we get a flat back wheel, after getting the tyre off at a Total, seeing that the tube is totally ripped I borrow the garage's "dikwiel" bicycle and cycle to downtown Germiston (scary...) to look for a 17" tube. About 3 bikeshops in one block, but the one that has any stock I wait for an hour before they open.
Okay, we haven't left on the trip yet, but hey, our adventure has begun! We look at the bike to purchase, not happy though and we return to Pretoria empty handed. Still two dudes on one bike. With one brand new 17" tube to show.
:deal:
So we are back at the original backup plan... Frans (Saaaki) offered (under some pressure...) to borrow his bike to us should he not make the trip (which he couldn't at this point).
Funny how in looking back one often wonder about the decisions you made in life... Well, I think Frans is looking back at this one (the one of giving us his bike) and wondering...
:ricky:
But what the heck, we were going!! When finally we were all set up on Sunday morning, the unexpected cold and cloudy weather couldn't dampen our adventurous spirits...!!
Alternative routes all the way to Komatipoort. Only one tollgate we couldn't miss (legally) was the one at Malelane. Belfast didn't dissapoint with it's horrible cold and misty weather, but the Wimpy 1Stop has after all got the best located Wimpy mega coffee you will ever buy!
+-480km for the day. Ross's first full day on a bike. Did a little gravel to miss the rip-off Machadodorp tollgate. There the excitement really started pumping in my veins! This is it, we are off! Gone to the rest of the world!
Looking around Komatipoort for camping, we took a little "game-drive" over the Crocodile Bridge bridge. It's a low concrete narrow bridge of about 200m which is actually already inside of Kruger, but the official gate is only on the other side. So we purr over with the bikes, expecting to sight some game on either side in the sandy riverbed. Seeing nothing we return across the brigdge again, this time NOT expecting to see anything...
Now, I do not know who got the biggest fright!
Me or the MASSIVE A-FREAKIN ELEPHANT right at the end of the bridge!! It must've been coming along through the reeds and was about to cross the road, when it (probably for the first time in his life...) saw this KilLeR Red Predator appear right in front of it. Luckily he didn't know that this predator was infact the sixfifty with the "briekmerk-lê-nou-bo-op-my-seat" rider!In any case, it was like doing that "emergency-swing-away" with the flashing lights during your Mbike license. Only this time I didn't overanticipate and knew exactly which way to sway to! The flashing light was after all pretty clear at less than 20m away and big enough to see...!
Ross was bearly 50m behind me and just spotted the big coward looking wide-eyed over his shoulder as he crashed back through the bush the same way he came from. Man, was I relieved that he was a coward... :-\
O yes, this is not yet referring to the "die another day" part of my title...
Well, we camped at Komatipoort Karavaanpark where the Oom gave us R20 discount when he saw us sitting till late at night trying to fix Ross's fan on the bike. Very chuffed with ourselves we got it fixed and went to bed with growing excitement. What is it about crossing borders with a bike!?! I love it.
Photos Day 1:
1- packed or should I say stacked...problem with my KLR is that it has TOO much loading space... I had space for 10l water, 10l fuel, a whole sack of spares, topbox full of food and tooltube with tools. Then tent, matress, sleeping bag and little clothes off course. O yes, don't foget the driepoot stoeltjie!
2-legendary mega coffee at Belfast's 1Stop Wimpy
3-At Nelspruit I put in some fuel and checked the oil. Ross checked his fuel and put in oil...
