Carrol
Pack Dog
I received the following invitation early in the evening:
"Hi Carrol, ek doen die Hel more saam my seun en ander seun se vriende, as jy lus het om saam te gaan kry ons 7:15am by Engen, Mosselbaai"
"Wat moet ek saamvat?"
"Het jy tubes?"
"Ja, en tyre leavers"
"Los die tyre leavers, ek vat tools. Die res kry ons by Wilgewandel"
"Sien jou 7:15am. Engen is links ne?"
"Nee, die een regs".
Dadelik pluk ek my kaart uit van Swartberg en Klein-karoo.
Ek lees die kaart soos 'n blinde. Ek sien Swartberg, ek sien Oudtshoorn, ek sien Wilgewandel en Prins Albert maar NIE die Hel nie. Ek neem dis dan die pad tot by Prins Albert en word die Hel genoem en dan kom ons dalk via Meiringspoort terug.....
Ons almal ontmoet by Wilgewandel.
Ek is die rookie. Ek is die enigste vrou tussen sewe mans. Die manne is jonk en adrenalien jagters.
They start up their adrenalin pumps by doing the slide at Wilgewandel:
Before we go this is what I'm thinking: we're doing the Hell. It's a Kloof. It goes to Prins Albert. It's a circle route. Many do it as a fun trip.
Andries is also there and he is going to do this lovely trip on his Vespa, so I am not worried at all.
What I have discovered after doing the trip:
1. This is The Hell
2. The road does not lead to Prins Albert, it is a dead end. You go back the way you came in.
Quick tips before I did the trip from the pro's
We go up the Swartberg pass. Not too bad, but it's very, very high.
We turn left, into a little dirt road and start our way to The Hell.
The road is bad.
You have to stand (at least I have to) most of the time.
The bike bounces in every direction.
There are rocks, gravel, sand, natural speed bumps, plain rock, potholes and other vehicles. This is the road entering the Hell and I'm thinking "maybe I should get wider footpegs".
The guys enjoy themselves, they race. The Vespa left way before us and we never see it again until we reach the dead end of the road.
In the meandtime I have found "The Hell" on my Karoo Swartberg Map as I'm doing the ride report and the Otto du Plessis road that we are on, is described twice as BAD. And yes, it is a bad road. But that is why we have these bikes right??
The Elandspadpass is steep and you will find the definition of the hairpin turn there. You have to be able to turn your big, heavy bike, on a ten cent piece. Something I (rookie) have not mastered yet.
There is one hairpin that I approach. As I make the turn there's four large rocks in my way. I circumvent them and can't make the turn and the edge is coming closer. I have to engage the front brake.....
The bike falls. I am completely unscathed. I have an audience of six bikers, and one gentleman comes and pick up the bike.
"No", one says "don't feel bad, last year a woman drove off that same edge. They had to helicopter her out."
The bike is fine.
I go extra slow down Eselspass. Every time I see a hairpin coming up I go "O Hell!" And that is why I think the place is called "Die Hel"
One hairpin only has a bed of rocks, another hairpin has a little stream running over a bed of rocks. Other hairpins have potholes, gravel or a slight suggestion of sand.
I just can't go fast, and I feel terrible because I must be holding everybody up.
We go past the Gamkaskloof campsite:
Some of the guys and all the bikes paraded except the Vespa:
(taken on our way back)
We then reach the final stop or waterhole where we have some drinks and fresh farm bread and jam.
The Vespa also needs a snack:
Brewed in a BMW tank.
It is here where I get the shocking news that this little road is a dead end and we have to go back the same way .
Trust me, I had to do some re-programming in my head.
Some of the guys who made the trip:
Coming back down the Swartberg pass I lose my back brake completely (there where the tar begins, luckily).
I then notice that my speedometer is also not working. A quick look at the bike and we decide to re-access at Wilgewandel.
Time is running out, it is late. My back brake works but no speedometer. Gert drives in front to set the pace as he sees I'm going too slow by only looking at the ref-counter.
The ABS light keeps shining. The Speedometer shows no speed and does not add the last 200km's home.
In retrospect: doing The Hell on your BMW f650gs made me feel like an Olympic athlete. It's tough, you have to concentrate the whole time. You have to trust the bike and if you don't have any skills you pick them up there because either you ride the bike right or you go over the cliff, or fall, or stall the bike.
(I stalled the bike twice :-[)
I want to thank Gert for inviting me and for Gert and Nico for looking after me so well. I really appreciate it.
To the other guys, sorry for slowing you down. I learned a LOT from the trip. I think I came across every single challenge a dirt road can throw at you.
In the meantime I have disassembled my instrument panel. No, I did not open the speedo, that's against the law if I'm not mistaken. I just touched the wires here and there and was able to reset the trip meter which might imply now that the speedometer would work.
The brake warning light is still burning and I will have to have the brakes checked.
To the Vespa driver: You are a MASTER biker. How you did it on the Vespa I will never know. If your heart didn't beat in your throat when you had to go up and down with the Vespa then I don't know. What an accomplishment!!! :thumleft:
This route is not for beginners, but intermediate and experienced drivers. I'm lucky as a beginner, to have survived it and I loved the whole experience because it was scary and testing.
The problem with the speedometer not working and ABS warning light staying on was the following:
The ABS cable to the back brake was touching the brake system and melted to it. Thus there was contact with metal and that confused the ABS sensor. I moved the cable away, wrapped it in scotch heat resistant electricity tape and cable tied it away from the brake so that it won't touch there again. Everything is working fine now.
"Hi Carrol, ek doen die Hel more saam my seun en ander seun se vriende, as jy lus het om saam te gaan kry ons 7:15am by Engen, Mosselbaai"
"Wat moet ek saamvat?"
"Het jy tubes?"
"Ja, en tyre leavers"
"Los die tyre leavers, ek vat tools. Die res kry ons by Wilgewandel"
"Sien jou 7:15am. Engen is links ne?"
"Nee, die een regs".
Dadelik pluk ek my kaart uit van Swartberg en Klein-karoo.
Ek lees die kaart soos 'n blinde. Ek sien Swartberg, ek sien Oudtshoorn, ek sien Wilgewandel en Prins Albert maar NIE die Hel nie. Ek neem dis dan die pad tot by Prins Albert en word die Hel genoem en dan kom ons dalk via Meiringspoort terug.....
Ons almal ontmoet by Wilgewandel.
Ek is die rookie. Ek is die enigste vrou tussen sewe mans. Die manne is jonk en adrenalien jagters.
They start up their adrenalin pumps by doing the slide at Wilgewandel:
Before we go this is what I'm thinking: we're doing the Hell. It's a Kloof. It goes to Prins Albert. It's a circle route. Many do it as a fun trip.
Andries is also there and he is going to do this lovely trip on his Vespa, so I am not worried at all.
What I have discovered after doing the trip:
1. This is The Hell
2. The road does not lead to Prins Albert, it is a dead end. You go back the way you came in.
Quick tips before I did the trip from the pro's
- Switch off your abs
Never use your front brake
Go downhill using the compression of the engine, in other words, the gears
Travel at your own speed
We go up the Swartberg pass. Not too bad, but it's very, very high.
We turn left, into a little dirt road and start our way to The Hell.
The road is bad.
You have to stand (at least I have to) most of the time.
The bike bounces in every direction.
There are rocks, gravel, sand, natural speed bumps, plain rock, potholes and other vehicles. This is the road entering the Hell and I'm thinking "maybe I should get wider footpegs".
The guys enjoy themselves, they race. The Vespa left way before us and we never see it again until we reach the dead end of the road.
In the meandtime I have found "The Hell" on my Karoo Swartberg Map as I'm doing the ride report and the Otto du Plessis road that we are on, is described twice as BAD. And yes, it is a bad road. But that is why we have these bikes right??
The Elandspadpass is steep and you will find the definition of the hairpin turn there. You have to be able to turn your big, heavy bike, on a ten cent piece. Something I (rookie) have not mastered yet.
There is one hairpin that I approach. As I make the turn there's four large rocks in my way. I circumvent them and can't make the turn and the edge is coming closer. I have to engage the front brake.....
The bike falls. I am completely unscathed. I have an audience of six bikers, and one gentleman comes and pick up the bike.
"No", one says "don't feel bad, last year a woman drove off that same edge. They had to helicopter her out."
The bike is fine.
I go extra slow down Eselspass. Every time I see a hairpin coming up I go "O Hell!" And that is why I think the place is called "Die Hel"
One hairpin only has a bed of rocks, another hairpin has a little stream running over a bed of rocks. Other hairpins have potholes, gravel or a slight suggestion of sand.
I just can't go fast, and I feel terrible because I must be holding everybody up.
We go past the Gamkaskloof campsite:
Some of the guys and all the bikes paraded except the Vespa:
(taken on our way back)
We then reach the final stop or waterhole where we have some drinks and fresh farm bread and jam.
The Vespa also needs a snack:
Brewed in a BMW tank.
It is here where I get the shocking news that this little road is a dead end and we have to go back the same way .
Trust me, I had to do some re-programming in my head.
Some of the guys who made the trip:
Coming back down the Swartberg pass I lose my back brake completely (there where the tar begins, luckily).
I then notice that my speedometer is also not working. A quick look at the bike and we decide to re-access at Wilgewandel.
Time is running out, it is late. My back brake works but no speedometer. Gert drives in front to set the pace as he sees I'm going too slow by only looking at the ref-counter.
The ABS light keeps shining. The Speedometer shows no speed and does not add the last 200km's home.
In retrospect: doing The Hell on your BMW f650gs made me feel like an Olympic athlete. It's tough, you have to concentrate the whole time. You have to trust the bike and if you don't have any skills you pick them up there because either you ride the bike right or you go over the cliff, or fall, or stall the bike.
(I stalled the bike twice :-[)
I want to thank Gert for inviting me and for Gert and Nico for looking after me so well. I really appreciate it.
To the other guys, sorry for slowing you down. I learned a LOT from the trip. I think I came across every single challenge a dirt road can throw at you.
In the meantime I have disassembled my instrument panel. No, I did not open the speedo, that's against the law if I'm not mistaken. I just touched the wires here and there and was able to reset the trip meter which might imply now that the speedometer would work.
The brake warning light is still burning and I will have to have the brakes checked.
To the Vespa driver: You are a MASTER biker. How you did it on the Vespa I will never know. If your heart didn't beat in your throat when you had to go up and down with the Vespa then I don't know. What an accomplishment!!! :thumleft:
This route is not for beginners, but intermediate and experienced drivers. I'm lucky as a beginner, to have survived it and I loved the whole experience because it was scary and testing.
The problem with the speedometer not working and ABS warning light staying on was the following:
The ABS cable to the back brake was touching the brake system and melted to it. Thus there was contact with metal and that confused the ABS sensor. I moved the cable away, wrapped it in scotch heat resistant electricity tape and cable tied it away from the brake so that it won't touch there again. Everything is working fine now.
