- Joined
- Oct 15, 2008
- Messages
- 8,933
- Reaction score
- 2,074
- Location
- Out of Africa
- Bike
- KTM 950 Adventure S
A small story for you lot ............ and a lesson, perhaps.
So, taking the road through Grootrivierpoort in EC and on to Patensie turned into quite an ordeal.
I think it was on the road from Steytlerville to Jansenville - a hard-pack rocky road - that the shit started. While weaving through a particular pass at speed I hit a proper rock and had an immediate front tyre deflation.
FAAAARK ME! that was a wake-up call, nearly rode off the edge and into infinity, trying to control the thing. Stopping and turning is quite a thing with a heavy bike. Anyways, ended up with a double snake-bite and tube beyond repair. I didn't know it then but I'd damaged the tyre as well. New tube in, in the sun, in the heat - as usual ..... :
:
Excell rim - no smiley - so a small bonus.
Then going into GRP another flat ............ no, man, what have I done wrong????? Out the other side on a flat tyre and stopped at some guy's house for a shady spot to change tubes yet again. He came out and gave us a beer or two - best man in the world at that point.
So, 2nd tube in and all's well until I notice the enormous bulge in the tyre. Now what? Not any options really so off we go again and not a km later the tyre blows - proper. Tubes ain't gonna hack it this time ..........
So here's the plan - 990 and 950 ride on to the campsite 50km away and 990 brings 950 wheel back to me, and in the interim I'll just plod along with a fooked front. Off they ride and off I plod. Not 200m later I was poked, struggling with the 950 is no joke, my arms couldn't take it and staying on the path was not easy at all.
It was getting dark and I realised I was gonna spend a night in the veld, cold and wet. Great ......
Something stirred in the back of my mind and I remembered about Amageza Joey (I think) and looked around. The veld was full of mousse. Fynbos everywhere.
My saviour.
I did this 2 more times coz it got compressed a bit but I got out the mountains and on to the campsite in a couple hours. No need to remove the wheek just peel the tyre off on side and stuff it, easy when it's not tubeless. I met the spare wheel once on the tar road and told them not to bother.
As long as the tyre stayed in the rim it was rideable, bumpy as fuck but rideable.
So, taking the road through Grootrivierpoort in EC and on to Patensie turned into quite an ordeal.
I think it was on the road from Steytlerville to Jansenville - a hard-pack rocky road - that the shit started. While weaving through a particular pass at speed I hit a proper rock and had an immediate front tyre deflation.
FAAAARK ME! that was a wake-up call, nearly rode off the edge and into infinity, trying to control the thing. Stopping and turning is quite a thing with a heavy bike. Anyways, ended up with a double snake-bite and tube beyond repair. I didn't know it then but I'd damaged the tyre as well. New tube in, in the sun, in the heat - as usual ..... :
:Excell rim - no smiley - so a small bonus.
Then going into GRP another flat ............ no, man, what have I done wrong????? Out the other side on a flat tyre and stopped at some guy's house for a shady spot to change tubes yet again. He came out and gave us a beer or two - best man in the world at that point.
So, 2nd tube in and all's well until I notice the enormous bulge in the tyre. Now what? Not any options really so off we go again and not a km later the tyre blows - proper. Tubes ain't gonna hack it this time ..........
So here's the plan - 990 and 950 ride on to the campsite 50km away and 990 brings 950 wheel back to me, and in the interim I'll just plod along with a fooked front. Off they ride and off I plod. Not 200m later I was poked, struggling with the 950 is no joke, my arms couldn't take it and staying on the path was not easy at all.
It was getting dark and I realised I was gonna spend a night in the veld, cold and wet. Great ......
Something stirred in the back of my mind and I remembered about Amageza Joey (I think) and looked around. The veld was full of mousse. Fynbos everywhere.
My saviour.
I did this 2 more times coz it got compressed a bit but I got out the mountains and on to the campsite in a couple hours. No need to remove the wheek just peel the tyre off on side and stuff it, easy when it's not tubeless. I met the spare wheel once on the tar road and told them not to bother.
As long as the tyre stayed in the rim it was rideable, bumpy as fuck but rideable.
