Wonderingweehen
Puppy
I’ve been told I should introduce myself to everyone at the Wilddog forum. So here we go! I’m a civil engineer from Scotland but I’ve been working in Walvis Bay for 2.5 year on the container terminal and oil jetty projects. I passed my CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) and got my first bike, a GS125, about 14 years ago. It was stolen a month later! So instead of serving time on another 125, I took a direct access course so I could ride bigger bikes straight away. Unfortunately I graduated from University soon after. So, what with working away from home on different projects and living in company accommodation without garages, I never got the opportunity to buy another bike…….until I moved to Namibia!
I’m getting the practice in now. I bought an XT250 from Swakop’s Duneworx about a year ago. She’s my only mode transport so I’m getting used to avoiding the U-turns made by the blind Walvis Bay taxi drivers. She’s called “Xaio Bai” which is Mandarin for “Little White”. She’s so light and easy to handle, even in the sand. I’ve learnt to stand on the pegs and have taken her to Sandwich Harbour and the end of Pelican Point. I’ve dropped her plenty, especially in the sandy car tracks and when I made a wrong turn at Pelican Point and headed right into the middle of a muddy swamp.
Although I love Xaio Bai, I borrowed an XT660 for a week at the start of this year. After driving that, Xaio Bai felt like a toy so I put her up for sale and bought the XT660 instead. However, a few weeks later, I had a change of heart and decided to keep both bikes. Maybe one day I’ll buy a car……or maybe a new bike.
I’m really getting into the off-rode biking. I’ve met a good group of guys who are into the same thing so I’m starting to clock up the miles and do longer and longer journeys with them. This is all part of my training for the Walvis Bay to Luderitz trip in June. Eventually I want to travel more. Maybe around the World. It’s starting to dawn on me that there’s more to life than just work.
I’ve still got a lot to learn. I saw a KTM inner tube being changed for the first time this weekend and I only learnt that I could take off the bike seat a few weeks ago. My plan is to put sand tyres on the XT250 and to make some improvements to the XT660, like getting a centre stand and better footpegs. After the Luderitz trip, I might get the chance to ride to Cape Town or maybe Epupa Falls. I’m really just starting out off-road but I love it. A good weekend trip makes the Monday morning at work soooooo much more bearable.
I’m getting the practice in now. I bought an XT250 from Swakop’s Duneworx about a year ago. She’s my only mode transport so I’m getting used to avoiding the U-turns made by the blind Walvis Bay taxi drivers. She’s called “Xaio Bai” which is Mandarin for “Little White”. She’s so light and easy to handle, even in the sand. I’ve learnt to stand on the pegs and have taken her to Sandwich Harbour and the end of Pelican Point. I’ve dropped her plenty, especially in the sandy car tracks and when I made a wrong turn at Pelican Point and headed right into the middle of a muddy swamp.
Although I love Xaio Bai, I borrowed an XT660 for a week at the start of this year. After driving that, Xaio Bai felt like a toy so I put her up for sale and bought the XT660 instead. However, a few weeks later, I had a change of heart and decided to keep both bikes. Maybe one day I’ll buy a car……or maybe a new bike.
I’m really getting into the off-rode biking. I’ve met a good group of guys who are into the same thing so I’m starting to clock up the miles and do longer and longer journeys with them. This is all part of my training for the Walvis Bay to Luderitz trip in June. Eventually I want to travel more. Maybe around the World. It’s starting to dawn on me that there’s more to life than just work.
I’ve still got a lot to learn. I saw a KTM inner tube being changed for the first time this weekend and I only learnt that I could take off the bike seat a few weeks ago. My plan is to put sand tyres on the XT250 and to make some improvements to the XT660, like getting a centre stand and better footpegs. After the Luderitz trip, I might get the chance to ride to Cape Town or maybe Epupa Falls. I’m really just starting out off-road but I love it. A good weekend trip makes the Monday morning at work soooooo much more bearable.
