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AFRICA’S ONLY ADVENTURE Sani Pass on a Pitbike Living the Namibian life

WILDDOG EC Bash Preview

Ad Tech - Gear -

DVENTURE & OVERLAND E-ZINE

Road Tests

Buell XB12XT KTM Adventure 990R

dventure Magazine News - Reviews

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For more information and sales visit www.hexdiagnostics.co.za or call +27 21 880 1433

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Crew & Contributors Editor-In-Chief Stephen de Vries Copywright Editor Kirsten Sheldon Contributors Wilddog Adventure Riding Photography & Design Kirsten Sheldon Stephen de Vries Stitchedkitten Photography www.stitchedkitten.co.za Web Hosting Redhammer www.redhammer.co.za Contact 082 5888383 022 461 2526 Advertising Enquiries info@adventuremagazine.co.za

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Contents

News Gear

We Ride Buell Xb12XT KTM ADVENTURE 990R Ride Reports Living the Namibian Life Sani Pass + Pitbike CABC Reccie Tech Spoke Maintenance Wilddog Eastern Cape Bash Preview

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News SWEIGERS TO COMPETE IN WMX GRAND PRIX IN GERMANY Reigning South African Women’s Motocross Champion and Team Red Yamaha rider Nanda Sweigers, with compete in the fifth round of the Women’s Motocross World Championship at the Grand Prix of Teutschenthal in Germany this weekend, the 20th and 21st June!

The opportunity to ride for the German based Kölling-Yamaha-Team came about very suddenly and, together with sponsorship assistance from Mr Price and Yamaha Distributors South Africa, Sweigers has jumped at the chance to show off her immense talent in the international arena.

my chances but I intend to give it my very best shot. I would like to particularly thank my sponsors Mr Price and Yamaha Distributors South Africa for making this dream come true for me.”

Sweigers will be pitting her skills up against the worlds best women motocrossers, including the likes of Germany’s Stephanie Laier, Maria Franke and Larissa Papenmeier, as well as defending champion and current series leader, France’s Livia Lancelot.

The Grand Prix of Teutschenthal id the fifth round of seven in this World Championship series and should prove to be a hotly contested battle between the three German title challengers on their home soil against the French series leader. Who knows, maybe a South African wild card entry will come along and upset the apple cart………….

Photo caption: Nanda Sweigers celebrating victory at the recent National MX Championships in P.E.

The Kölling-Yamaha-Team, under the leadership of team principal Carsten Kölling, will provide Nanda with a fully race prepared Yamaha YZ250F together with full race support, mechanic, spares, fuel and lubes, race van and hospitality for her and her seconds for the duration of the event.

When questioned about this exciting opportunity Sweigers said: “This is just so amazing! I can hardly believe that in matter of days I will be racing against the worlds best lady motocrossers in an actual Grand Prix! With such short notice there seems so much to do and organise before I get on the plane to Germany. I am really excited about this opportunity and I can’t wait to fly the South African flag high. I’m realistic about Adventure Magazine

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Gear

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Vibrations

Good

10 it’s like there is some Lock-Tite between the tires and road. The XT simply handles like it’s on rails.

Remember that song?

Ah yes, the Beach Boys. It comes to mind after I turned the key, hit the run switch and plop the starter button on. The vibratious motor pulsing along in its 45 degree V-twin.

The Americans call it the Milwaukee motor boogie.

the pretentious offroad capability is gone, this clearly marked with the factory Pirelli Diablo Strada tires it leaves the showroom with. The suspension upfront has seen a total revise with less travel and the firming up has done wonders for the handling. Boy oh boy,

The 12XT’s short wheelbase – actually long

by Buell’s standards - is fit for the shorter riders after they’ve lowered the seat from the previous adventure bike, the X. Buell has, this time around, not pretended to be offroad minded and has marketed the XT as a road tourer only. So

Adventure Magazine

The power, 103bhp is available @ 6800Rpm, but what makes the Buell tick is its engine torque and there’s a 100nm of it. Short wheelbase and low end grunt is a recipe to send the front wheel pointing to the sky if you are in a hurry in first gear. Don’t worry, the nature of the Buell motor is of such that it’s not frightening, but very controllable. I love the Buell for that very reason. Using the frame for fuel lowers the center of gravity and that aids the handling characteristics of the

11 bike. With the XT tipping the scales at 210kg dry, she’s no lightweight, but the center of gravity makes up for it.

As there are no pretentions to wander off-road, there is really no need to see the capabilities of the Buell.

But, we did .. anyway.

The XT smiles at gravel, keeping in mind that the front shocks are not the longer travel X unit’s, potholes can cause some trouble, but generally the bike is very stable, even at road highway speeds in excess of 100kph. The ride is slightly harder than normal, but the suspension is fully adjustable with compression and preload in the front and preload at the rear via a quick adjustable knob. Turn it up for highway rides and turn it down for the more bumpy roads. Buell even made it easy in the front, letting you know the harder and softer directions, clearly marking them with H – S. Riding the XT in anything more than gravel would not be a requirement, but it will handle light sand riding, loose gravel and even stones if you are careful. I would just change the front tire to a similar spec of the X and you should be fine, should you find yourself wandering off the tarmac more than usual.

Stopping power is accommodated via huge disks aided by 6 pot calipers. The system is called ZTL (Zero Torsional Load) .They certainly do their part in bringing you down from speed in any situation. The

huge 375mm front disk mounted to the rim instead of the hub, makes the need for another disk unnecessary and saves weigh by a couple of kg’s. Must admit that I thought they would get me into trouble on the gravel, but they did not once lock up or make me feel like I should start worrying.

Another Buell unique is the constant tension belt drive that is extremely strong and long lasting. This is also weight saving so there is no feeling of power loss through gear changes as you would sometime experience with a chain driven motorcycle.

The XT comes from the factory with the BUELL pannier and Top Box. These are lockable and removes in less than 20seconds – yes, all 3 of them. They house approximately 36liters. Each can carry a considerable amount when you end up planning for the adventure of a lifetime.

There are two 14v accessory sockets as well as factory fitted handlebar operated heated grips, a really nice feature for the winter mornings.

If you need the use of a bike to play with the superbikes in the twisties, do some millage on the highways or settle for a dirt road that leads to the middle of nowhere, this Buell will do it all without absolutely any hesitation.

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Persian Knight KTM Adventure 990 R

Adventure Magazine

13 The KTM Adventure 990 has been with us for a couple of years. The 990 originally replaced the 950 carburetted versions. The older model was very popular with distance riders and adventure junkies alike due to the tune ability of the bike. This made sorting out carb issues a breeze if you would run into bad or old fuel along those dark African routes.

The 990, since we most know, has been suffering with a ‘snatchy’ throttle, but fitting some aftermarket canisters and a quick retune cured it… well, sort of.

We heard rumours of the new white black and orange katoom early last year and it was to replace the awesome higher and better suspended Adventure S. The new bike is up by around 15hp as the cams are more aggressive and the head flows better. However the torque readings between the R and the regular adventure are exactly the same.

The new S, now called the R, looks very tasty indeed. The colour scheme used is brilliant, handing it a certain flair.

It might just be that it looks

very anti KTM and as they say, if it’s not orange, it’s a lemon.

The Adventure R now makes close on 115hp with plenty of power, almost as there are now two engines… and the exhaust tone… they just love to be abused.

The new WP suspension puts out an alarming enduro bikelike 255mm suspension travel.

It’s amazing how well it makes the 207kg feel like a light weight. The brakes, obviously still by Brembo, are still one of the best in the business.

The front wheel, fitted with a double 240mm disk combo and 2 piston callipers, feel extremely responsive and slow you down in a breeze. Pity that the bike is not fitted or even available with ABS. KTM could have at least given it as an option.

The 19.5 litre tank should give you about 300km of riding, depending how nicely you treat your right hand. However, one usually can’t help but give a little extra. It must be a KTM thing.

One thing you notice is how tall the bike actually is 915mm is pretty high if you are under 1.8 metres tall.

Adventure Magazine

14 The previous adventure S was only 860mm. this pushed the ground clearance up to an almost unbelievable figure.

The Pirelli Scorpion AT’s are sold standard with all Adventure R’s . It’s actually been that way since they introduced the Adventure. It’s a good tire for road and gravel riding, but I’m almost certain that the new owners of their R models will do a little bit more than just ride their new steed to work. It’s these new owners who would turn every trip, even to the corner café, into a real adventure.

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Namibia & me

By Johan Kroes & Co Adventure Magazine

17 In 2008, we did an epic trip through the Kalahari and decided there and then that we had to do a similar trip through Namibia. (http:// www.wilddog.za.net/forum/ index.php?topic=23724.0) The two long weekends at the end of April presented us with the perfect opportunity to give it a bash, using the least number of leave days. The group was made up of myself(1150GS), Ridealot(Varadero), Joyride(Varadero), YellowFever(1200GSA), AndSon(650Funduro),

Frans(Africa Twin) all from Cape Town and Fred(1200GSA) and Adele (2 month old 1200GS) from Gauteng. Frans’ wife, my wife and my daughter joined us in a backup pickup with a bike trailer.

They joined us at Luderitz on Day 3.

I did not record the exact distances of each leg of our journey, so the distances are just rough indications of what we did each day.

Day 1: Cape Town to Doringbaai (150 km Tar, 150 km Gravel)

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18 It was Friday 24 April 2009 and the bosses conceded that we were not contributing any more ‌. So we were left to start our Namibian Adventure.

By 3pm we congregated at my house and started out towards Doringbaai along the West Coast. The weather was nice and cool and we were excited about starting on our journey.

About half way, at Velddrif, we saw some showers drifting in from the sea, but we did not ride in the rain. Just after Velddrif we got onto gravel. As we got close to Lambertsbay, we rode through some nice and soggy clay where a shower passed over. On our way we saw various other groups of bikes also on their way to the north. At Doringbaai we slept at Christo’s place, thanks Christo!!

Gauteng) at Springbok.

The adventurous group went to Lutzville and then back towards the sea at Skaapvlei, towards Brand-se-baai. From there we went via Kotzesrus to Garies on the N7 and eventually to Vioolsdrift.

Once we hit the gravel outside Lutzville, it was clear that there was some rain the previous evening. I had a serious tank slapping moment loosing the front end on a damp patch. Soon thereafter YellowFever had his first dunk of his newly acquired GSA (Go Softly Andrew). A little further we crossed a salt pan where

Day 2: Doringbaai, Brandse-baai, Garies, Vioolsdrift (200km Gravel, 200km Tar) After an early rise and some coffee, we split into two groups. The sane group went via Lutzville to Nuwerus on the N7 and from there to Vioolsdrift along the N7. They met up with Fred and Adele (from Adventure Magazine

19 AndSon had a more serious off, losing it in the mud with his DS tyres. A quick repair of the rear brake pedal and we were going again. From the salt pans to Kotzesrus, the road was basically a two track sand track, which really challenged our sand capabilities. Both YF and AndSon had a few putdowns, but nothing serious.

At Kotzesrus we stumbled onto a church fare where we bought pancakes for lunch.

From Kotzesrus the road improved towards Garies, but was muddy in places from the rain. We filled up at Garies and proceeded along the N7 to Vioolsdrif for our overnight

camping stop at Aquacade.

At the camp site we noticed that I lost a block of tread from my rear tyre. Good thing that we had the backup vehicle meeting us the next day with some spare tyres!

Day 3: Vioolsdrift, Rosh Pinah, Aus, Luderitz (200km Gravel, 200km Tar) After a quick border crossing we turned west along the C13 following the Orange River.

After about 40kms the group again split into two. One group went North on the C37 towards Ai-Ais, Fish River Canyon and from there onto the C12, B4 towards Aus and Luderitz.

AndSon and I kept going along the river towards Sendelingsdrift and Rosh Pinah on the C13, despite the “Road Closed� sign. This is a lovely route through the Ai-Ais Game Park with the river on the one side and the mountains on the other side.

After filling at Rosh Pinah we went north on the Tar C123 to Aus. At Aus the backup vehicle met up with us and we turned west for the run through the desert into Luderitz. At Luderitz we stayed at the Obelix Adventure Magazine

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Village. We had sundowners at Diaz point before supper.

Day4: Luderitz, Aus, Sesriem (120km Tar, 300km Gravel) After leaving Luderitz, we visited the Kolmanskop ghost town. From there we filled up at Aus and turned north on the C13. Again the group split into two. One group went west along the D707, next to the Naukluft Park. The other group went north towards Helmeringhausen and then west on the C27. We would meet up at a T junction where these two routes meet.

After a nice ride, our group

stopped at the T-junction and waited for the other group (who did the supposed ‘easy’ route). A tourist bus came past and indicated that somebody fell a few km’s back. We jumped on our bikes and sped to the scene where we found a ‘shaken but not stirred’ Adele and a slightly battered GS. She was thrown from the dancing GS in a bad sand patch. Luckily she was not hurt and the bike not seriously damaged.

The bike was strapped to the trailer, and as we wanted to ride we found the bakkie had a puncture. Fixed the puncture and we proceeded along the

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C27 towards Beta.

At Beta we found that the bakkie overheated. After cooling it down, we checked everything for leaks, found nothing and just filled the water system. From here we were always worried about the water loss of the bakkie, but it did not overheat again. (Later back in Cape Town, a cracked radiator was diagnosed).

We carried on along the C14 towards Sesriem where we camped at Bethesda.

Day 5: Sesriem, Sossusvlei, Solitaire (150km Gravel, 140km Tar)

We decided to go into Sossusvlei without our baggage. After 40kms gravel to the entry to Sossusvlei, we travelled the 70kms tar into the heart of the desert. What an experience!!

It is amazing that nature provided us with this highway, (2-5km wide) dry riverbed into the desert.

The vlei itself was dry, but it was obvious that there was water recently. The whole area (of about 4km diameter) is covered with trees, where we had breakfast in the shade.

The energetic amongst us, trekked up a dune for panoramic views of the area. This

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visit was one of the highlights for many of us.

After breakfast we went back to Bethesda to collect our camping gear and rode out on the C13 toward Solitaire. The route took us through wildlife areas where we saw springbok, gemsbok, small jackals and meerkats. We eventually got to Solitaire which is basically a general dealer with fuel and a camp site, all in one. At Solitaire we saw that the backup bakkie developed a diesel leak. A quick inves-

tigation revealed a pipe that chafed through against the underside of the body. We quickly fixed it by replacing it with a rubber gas pipe. It was getting late and we decided to sleep over at the Solitaire camp site. This allowed us to walk into the veld and to experience a beautiful Namibian sunset. Adele also bought a lovely apple crumble pie for desert after the braai. Solitaire is to be recommended as a good, affordable, enjoyable stop-over (also has a bar and a

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23 swimming pool).

Day 6: Solitaire – Swakopmund (300km Gravel, 70km Tar) After a good night’s rest, with jackals howling in the veld, we packed and started on our way towards the coast and Walvisbay. This was a very good gravel road, and it ran through two small passes (Guab and Kuiseb) . Adele was ready to get back on her (reconstructed) bike. After starting slowly, we tuned her bike’s suspension a little and eventually she was flying like before.

As we left the grasslands behind, we suddenly found ourselves in the middle of the desert again. Here, the desert is not the red sand dunes from Sossusvlei, but more the flat, rocky white gravel type of desert.

At last we saw the Red dunes again as we neared the coast.

At the entrance to Walvisbay, we drove past the infamous Dune 7 on the right and a red marble mine on the left. After another hiccup with a flat tyre on the backup bakkie, we eventually made it to the Walvis Wimpy for a very late brunch.

While the bakkie was being

looked at, the bikes started the last leg towards Swakopmund. This road runs literally on the beach, with the sea on the left and the dunes on the right, usually with some fog around.

At Swakopmund we stayed at the Desert Sky Lodge, great, friendly, affordable accommodation.

At Swakopmund we enjoyed an evening out with pizzas.

Day 7: Swakopmund, Hentiesbay, Spitzkoppe, Usakos,

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400km Gravel) It was Friday, May 1st a holiday in Namibia and Windhoek was nice and quiet as we pulled onto the first southward leg of our adventure. We rode south on the tar B1 towards Rehoboth. We encountered a few other bikers and other traffic on the road.

At Rehoboth we split again.

One group continued along the B1 to Grunau. The other group turned east and ran south on the C25 towards Uhlenhorst.

The road was good and we ran at 120km/h most of the time.

From Uhlenhorst we carried Day 8: Windhoek, Rehoboth, Stampriet, KoÍs (100km Tar, on to Stampriet (on the C15) Adventure Magazine Karibib, Windhoek (500km Gravel) From Swakopmund we split into two groups again. Fred, Adele and Joyride made a dash to Windhoek along the tar B1 to have Adele’s bike looked at.

The rest would go via Hentiesbay. After our usual breakfast of coffee/tea and rusks, we started north on the salt road to Hentiesbay. With the mist, we were very worried about the slippery look of the road.

25 where we filled and had lunch under a closest ‘tree’.

From Stampriet the road ran all along the Auob river valley.

The route took us closer to the Kalahari and the Botswana border. Halfway ‘down the river’, close to Gochas, we stumbled onto the Kalahari long distance horse trails. Riders ride about 160 km per day on a horse. There was a lot of banter about the differences in ‘horse power’.

From Gochas we turned onto the C17 towards Koës (pro-

nounced coys). The road either ran parallel or perpendicular to the dunes. Running over the dunes was quite scary as they are steep blind rises, creating 120km/h gravel rollercoaster ride. We also encountered a snake, and other small animals on the road just to add to the excitement.

At Koës we filled and started on the last 40 kms to the Labuschagne farm, where we would stay for the night. The children at the farm was very excited about our arrival (they

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26 have been waiting the whole day!) and had to have a little spin on the back of our bikes.

We pitched our tents on the lawns of the farm.

The Labuschagnes treated us to a huge braai with family from surrounding farms. Very tired, well fed bodies led to very deep sleep.

Day 9: Koës, Karasburg, Velloorsdrift/Onseepkans, Pofadder, Klein Pella (450km Gravel, 50kmTar) We were quite sad to leave the farm after the welcome that we received, but we needed to move south. Our first leg took us to Aroab and then on to Karasburg via the C11, where we tried to spend most of our Nam$’s. From Karasburg it was the last Nam dash on the C10 down to the Orange River valley and the border at Velloorsdrif/Onseepkans.

We arrived at about 14h30 with lots of time to cross the border. Some of the group (from Grunau) already passed through and we started to file through the formalities ….. until Frans had to produce his passport. It was nowhere to be

found and even after nearly unpacking the whole pickup.

After befriending the guards (Amelia’s soccer charm), they eventually released Frans to cross, just in time to beat the closing time on the SA side. In the meanwhile I crossed to the SA side, but the police found that I lost my license disc somewhere in Namibia, sorry the bike could not enter. It cost me a little sweet talk as well, but eventually we were all back in the good old (newly elected president and all) SA. Frans’ lost passport was eventually found, two days later, where it fell in between two tyres on the bike trailer.

The road now climbed out of the river valley towards Pofadder. The road was quite corrugated, but eventually we got to the metropolis of Pofadder. And so one more curiosity (what does Pofadder look like?) was fulfilled. Filling up with fuel was a shock as we were again faced with all the SA taxes on fuel (and resultant high price). After a short stint on the N??? we turned towards Klein Pella and our campsite for the night.

It was nice to be reunited with

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27 the rest of the pack. We had a lovely braai and were sad about this being our last evening on our trip. Most members had to be back at work on the Monday, which meant that we had to complete the whole stretch to Cape Town on the next day (Sunday).

Day 10: Klein Pella, Springbok, Doringbaai, Cape Town (about 800km tar) Last day of this mad 5000km dash through Namibia in 10

days (average of 500km/day).

Fred and Adele would leave us here and go back to Gauteng.

Thanks guys, it was fun to have you as part of this adventure! Adele, brave girl to get back on that (1200GS) horse after the spill and to complete the trip!!

As we had a long way to go, we decided not to go via the gravel road to Rietfontein, but rather to stick to the tar back to Cape Town.

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Spoke Maintenance Adventure Magazine

34 Despite technology that’s nearly a century and a half old, the wire-spoke wheel still has a lot going for it. Wire wheels are light, and when properly configured and maintained, strong and stiff, although not so stiff that they don’t flex slightly when loaded, a feature that was particularly desirable in the days before front and rear suspension made the scene-and still isn’t a bad thing. The traditional look of a wire wheel is also undeniably attractive, which goes a long way toward keeping them popular, especially with the cruiser/ retro/vintage crowd.

Spokes are angled so that half brace the wheel under acceleration while ones angled the opposite way support it during braking.

two flanges on either side that are drilled to accept the spokes. Besides providing the motorcycle-to-wheel connection, the hub also acts as a convenient spot to hang things like sprockets, brakes and sometimes the speedometer drive. Outside of the occasional bearing check, most hubs need just about zero maintenance.

On the downside, wire wheels do require slightly more maintenance than their cast or machined cousins.

But unless you’ve let things get completely out of hand, it’s relatively easy to perform and needs doing only The rim is little more than a band occasionally. of metal formed into a circle.

Constructed of either aluminum The Theory alloy or steel, its job is to hold the Wire wheels are composed of three tire in place (and give us something main components-the hub, rim difficult to polish). Rims can be and spokes. The hub is basically an dented if struck hard enough, and I’ve aluminum-alloy tube that connects the wheel to the bike. It contains the seen more than one develop cracks between the spoke holes, especially wheel bearings, and normally has Adventure Magazine

35 after coming off a harsh encounter with a country lane pothole. Like hubs though, rims are relatively troublefree and will perform well enough even with a few dings in them. After years of hard use, my trail bike’s rims have acquired the general shape of a stop sign and they still work fine, although I’ll admit I rarely run the bike at 130kph down the highway.

The spokes are the third piece of the wheel pie, and in many ways the most important. Spokes are thin, steel rods that are threaded at one end.

The opposite end has a domed head that fits snugly in the hole drilled through the hub flange (though some designs are reversed and locate the spoke nipple there.) This end is normally turned 90 degrees or close to it; however, in some applications, a straight spoke may be used for increased strength. The threaded end passes through a hole drilled in the center of the rim, or occasionally through the outer edges (the latter design allows the use of a tubeless tire). An elongated steel nut called a nipple fastens the spoke to the rim and allows spoke tension to be

adjusted.

Because spokes need to cope with driving forces from one direction and braking forces from the other, they are arranged in a tangential patternthat is, they run at an angle from the centerline of the hub in a crossway configuration to their location in the rim. This allows one half of the spokes to brace the wheel under acceleration, while the other half braces braking forces. The spokes also cross from one side of the hub to the opposite side of the rim, which results in a triangulated structure that prevents the hub and rim from twisting in relation to each other, and provides a measure of lateral strength.

That being said, a lack of lateral

Cracks usually radiate outward from the spoke nipple seats.

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36 especially at the front, and breaking some spokes is fairly common, which is why most chairs use either solid or cast wheels or have someone like Buchanan’s lace them up a set with spokes as big around as a No. 2 pencil.

Lastly, if you’ve ever looked at a spoke wheel and wondered how those spindly little wires on the bottom could support an entire motorcycle, let alone the combined weight of the bike, rider(s) and luggage, the answer Try and rock the wheel at a right is they can’t. Spokes work very angle to the axle. If no play is well in tension but have very little present you’re good to go. compressive strength. Essentially, strength is still the wire-wheel’s the motorcycle hangs from the upper weak point. But because a motorcycle spokes while the other spokes simply banks through turns and sideways keep everything aligned and prevent thrust loadings are relatively low the rim from wandering away. This (forces tend to be felt as downward is key, because once spokes lose pressure through the center of the tension, the rim and hub quickly fall wheel), lateral strength isn’t that big out of line. Ride a bike with loose an issue unless the wheels are poorly spokes for any length of time and designed or have become weakened chances are good you’ll soon be due to loose or missing spokes. rebuilding the wheel, which is neither cheap nor something a novice should Of course if you’re a sidecar be tackling unless he’s got a lot of enthusiast, the situation is reversed. time and a real interest in becoming a Because sidecars turn like cars, side wheelwright. loadings on the wheels are enormous, Adventure Magazine

37 The Practice Wire-wheel maintenance involves a few simple tasks and even fewer tools. The wheel needs to be inspected on a periodic basis for physical damage, loose or worn components, alignment problems and, most importantly, spoke tension. So what’s periodic? Certainly, I’d give my rims the once-over if I whacked a pothole or big frost heave or maybe ran over the neighbor’s kid’s bicycle (don’t ask), but the only time I really give them a formal inspection is when I do major service or install new tires. So, in this case, I’d say that periodic means every 3000 miles or once a year, unless your owner’s manual specifies otherwise.

Of course, since the whole job takes maybe 15 minutes to half an hour, you may want to perform it on a more regular basis.

While a decent job of inspecting the wheels can be done with the bike on its kickstand, it’ll be far easier if the bike is upright, with both wheels off the ground. If your bike doesn’t have a centerstand (and whose does these days?), use a lift or whatever it takes

to get the bike into position.

A cracked rim is rare but not unheard of, so I like to start by inspecting that hoop for fractures. Most are small, hairline fissures that radiate outward from the spoke holes, and in most cases will run from one hole to another. If any are found, the rim will need replacement, but like I said, cracks are rare. Hub cracks are even less common, but it never hurts to give everything a look, just in case you’re one of the lucky ones.

Modern wheel bearings are paragons of reliability and generally don’t cause any problems unless they’ve been severely abused, typically by being hosed down with a highpressure washer or steam cleaner (which tends to wash the grease out

A tie-wrap makes an impromptu, yet perfect, wheel truing device.

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38 of them), or just by a lot of mileage.

In any case, a wheel bearing will normally start to “rumble” or whine before it reaches its expiration date, so the easiest check is to just spin the wheel and listen; if it doesn’t turn smoothly or there are weird noises coming from the hub center, a further look is warranted.

A bearing can sometimes develop excess freeplay, which will affect handling for the worse and eventually cause bearing failure. To check freeplay, raise the wheel slightly off the ground and grasp it at opposite points (12 and 6 o’clock work as well as any). Try to move the wheel back and forth, 90 degrees to the axle. In some cases, slight movement may be normal or at least acceptable (your service manual will have the details), but as a rule, any kind of shift indicates the bearings need adjustment or replacement.

The last type of wheel check is for true or runout (jargon for outof-round). There are two types of runout: axial, which is a side-to-side wobble, and radial, which is an upand-down hop. Both checks can be

performed well enough by eye, at least initially, as all you’re going to do is give the wheel a spin and watch it rotate. If the wheel appears to be rotating true, chances are pretty good everything’s fine. Since no wheel is 100 percent perfect, manufacturers typically allow between 1 and 3mm of runout in either direction.

If there’s any doubt, fix a pointer to the frame or fork (a tie-wrap will do fine), and allow it to just kiss the rim at the closest point. For axial runout, position the pointer to the side of the rim. To measure radial runout, select a point on the rim’s inner or outer

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39 edge. Slowly rotate the rim until the gap between the pointer and the rim is at its greatest. If the dimension exceeds the manufacturer’s recommendation, the wheel will need to be trued.

Assuming no problems are found, the final and most critical phase of the operation is to check the spokes.

The time-honored method is to give each one a tap with a small wrench or screwdriver handle and listen to the sound. A nice, clear ping indicates the spoke is reasonably tight, while a flat, dull thunk means it’s loose, and, as you can guess, a loose spoke is little more than a broken one that hasn’t had the good sense to come apart yet.

Frankly, I don’t use the ping-andring method anymore; it’s a little too subjective and I’m as deaf as a post, anyway. However, it is a good way to make a cursory check. Just remember, you’re not tuning a zither, so don’t expect every spoke to hit a perfect C-sharp.

A far more accurate method of checking spoke tension is to use a

Start at spoke No. 1, skip No. 2 and No. 3 and tighten No. 4. Skip the next two, and so on. When you’ve worked your way back to the start move ahead one spoke and repeat the sequence.

spoke nipple wrench or, even better, a spoke nipple torque wrench. If you’ve never seen one, a spoke wrench is a short wrench with square-cut jaws designed to fit snugly over the spoke nipple. They’re available from any motorcycle dealer for less than R100, and if you don’t know what size to order, you can get a universal wrench that’ll cover the most commonly used sizes. Special-designed spoke torque wrenches work best, but they’re more expensive; a really good one, like Fasst Company’s adjustable model with interchangeable heads, runs nearly R2000, so unless you plan on truing a lot of wheels, a

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40 torque wrench is something of an extravagance.

Starting with the spoke nearest the tire valve stem, apply moderate pressure with your wrench. Moderate means just that; typically, spokes are tightened to somewhere between 20 and 60 in.-lbs., which equates to 1.6 to 5 lbs.-ft. That’s not much, and it’s easy to overtighten the spoke if you get ham-fisted. I should also warn you that it’s difficult (if not impossible) to accurately torque a corrosion-seized spoke. If the nipples are rusty or obviously loose and resist tightening, it’s time to have the wheel looked at by a pro. Chances are the nipples have seized, and if that’s the case, you’ll need to consider plan B, especially if the wheel is badly out of true.

If the nipple turns easily, give it no more than a quarter turn. Skipping the next three spokes, repeat the procedure at the fourth spoke in line. The butt end of that one should be on the opposite side of the rim from the first. Work your way around the rim giving every fourth spoke no more than a quarter turn. When

From the top: spoke torque wrench with interchangeable heads, universal spoke wrenches and standard spoke wrenches.

you get back to the original spoke, move to the next one in line, again tightening every fourth spoke. Repeat the procedure until all the spokes are nice and snug. Doing it this way may seem tedious compared with just tightening every spoke in line, but going at it the easy way may pull the wheel out of true. The everyfourth-spoke method takes longer but ensures the rim stays round, and as we all know, a round wheel is a happy wheel, a happy wheel makes for a happy motorcycle and a happy motorcycle always has a happy rider.

True or Not? Truing an out-of-round wheel What we haven’t discussed here in

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41 any detail is truing an out-of-round wheel. Part of the problem is that truing a wheel requires a level of expertise and patience that goes beyond that of ordinary preventive maintenance. Also, a novice can take a slightly out-of-true rim and turn it into a wobbly mess in less time than it took to write this sentence.

For that reason, I’d suggest that if you’re unlucky enough to encounter a seriously warped or damaged wheel, you have it professionally rebuilt. Of course, if you’d like to learn how to do it on your own, there are several excellent books and videos out there that detail the procedure.

Removing Fork Caps Easy-off the right way Removing your typical fork cap isn’t exactly rocket science, but it can be a pain in the butt, especially the first time you do it. Since it’s an integral part of fork maintenance, here’s the 1, 2, 3 on removing (and installing) them without pain.

1. Wrestling with the forks when they’re off the bike is a headache 99

percent of the time. It’s a lot easier to loosen or remove those caps when the forks are still attached to the bike.

2. Spring preload can make the caps difficult to remove, and damn difficult to install. Relieve the spring pressure by blocking up the bike so the fork hangs freely.

3. Give yourself plenty of room to work. Some jobs, such as replacing the fork springs or adjusting preload or fork oil level, can be done with the forks attached to the bike-but not if the handlebars are in the way.

4. A wrap of masking or electrical tape will protect the fork caps from marring when you put the wrench to them; an old towel should be used to protect the fuel tank and front fender.

5. Most forks have pinch bolts in the upper and lower clamps. Because the upper pinch bolt compresses the internal threads of the fork tube, it locks the cap in like it was welded, so always back the upper pinch bolt off before trying to remove the cap bolt.

If you don’t, the threads are liable to come out with the cap.

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42 6. To remove the caps, use the appropriate socket and a ratchet or preferably a T-handle to spin the cap out.

As you’re turning, maintain a slight downward pressure. This will prevent spring tension from overpowering the cap and forcing it up and out when it reaches the ends of the threads. Not all caps are under tension, but those that are can sometimes pop out with enough force to dent your forehead, so pay attention. In most instances, you’ll be able to feel the tension on the cap diminish as it reaches the end of the tube. (If the cap gets really loose, chances are good there’s no tension on it and you can simply spin it out.)

gently rotate the cap using the ratchet. If the cap resists, stop and make sure the cap is square to the threads. A cross-threaded fork cap is difficult and expensive to repair.

8. Fork caps need to be tight, but not crazy-tight. Tighten them (and the pinch bolts) using a torque wrench.

9. If you remove both fork caps at the same time and the jack drifts, your bike is going to fall over. Either do one leg at a time or make sure the bike is properly supported.

7. To reinstall the cap, lubricate the threads with grease or antiseize. If there’s no preload on it, simply install it and run it like any other bolt. If there is a preload on the cap, engaging the threads can be a little tricky.

One way to overcome the spring tension is to place the cap in your socket with the ratchet or T-handle attached and rest it on top of the spring again, bear down and engage the threads; while maintaining down pressure, Adventure Magazine

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SANI Pass + Pitbike

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46 I managed to rustle up four others to join me on the trip. (Lance and Donovan from Durban area, Ernst and Mia from Kempton Park) We met at the Sani Lodge Backpackers around 08h20, got dressed in our bike kit, bags on backs and started up the bikes.

The assortment of metal was: BMW 1200GS, KTM 250 MX, two Zooka 125 pitbikes, one Terra-Moto 125 pitbike.

Around 08h45 we made our way along the first few kilometers and I was wondering if people’s accounts of the poor road condition would be true. Well as it turned out it wasn’t much different to my first encounter up Sani in May 2008.

We were informed by the guys working at the Sani Top Chalet that the road had been improved in recent weeks as it had been barely driveable for vehicles after the rainy season.

We noticed a yellow grader parked on the way up so presume it has been very busy sorting out sections of the pass.

The only bit of excitement initially was that Donovan had left his passport behind in the vehicle, so had to make a u-turn and plan to meet us at the SA border post.

We presumed we would get there first and have time for a little breather.

Well the KTM was back alongside us in next to no time, and judging by the slightly flushed look on the rider’s face I certainly believed him that he had gone flat out there and back.

Something I did on my Terra-Moto pitbike was to add my mountain bikes odometer unit (strapped down and improvised) so that I would know my speed and distance etc.

I frequently managed to get to 50 – 60 km/h on the first stretch, with me slowing down a lot after the SA border post. (20 – 40 km/h) Along the way there were a no of foreigners as part of organised tours in 4x4 vehicles; some of which stared and others took pics. They mostly spoke German and French and were commenting on the bikes we were on,

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especially the pitbikes.

As I have learnt this route is mostly frequented by tourists, there were very few locals or South Africans to speak of along the route or anywhere on our trip.

As was expected once we left the SA border post the bigger bikes took off and were way ahead of us. It is somewhat like riding across a very large Simba chip on a smaller bike, the knocks and bumps never stop and

it is not always possible to go where one aims.

We stopped along the way up and took pics, took in the view and confirmed that these are the sights so few of us in this country get to see – or should we say make the time and effort to get out.

Fortunately the weather was reasonably good during the morning and we had good views all the way up.

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48 There were a few coughs and splutters from at least two of the pitbikes as we climbed higher towards the last stretch of the pass.

I must qualify that by saying that Mia was in fact learning how to ride a motorbike on this trip.

This was her third time riding a motorbike, something which she only recently attempted.

Well I reckon that is some achievement; who would have thought of going up the pass as part of a training ride ?

I have seen many other people in my

lifetime unable to ride a bicycle on a straight level section, never mind a motorbike on rather harsh territory on an incline with loose rocks and sand most of the way.

It turned out that on some sections I could not catch up to the lady rider, but would I admit it openly – of course not. I had to spin a story or two to be convincing (well to myself anyway).

The five of us made it to the Lesotho border post in just under two hours; this being 30 minutes faster than my

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first attempt in 2008 when there was shouting coming from one of the only two of us.

Lesotho officials, whom was about 100 meters away.

A number of tourists were ahead of us getting checked in, so there was None of us knew what he was actually no rush for us to get through. During carrying on about, but we eventually this time Lance decided to take some could make out that he was shouting pictures of the area including the “no photo�. After the camera was put buildings nearby (official border away the noise ceased. control shabby building being one of We later asked at the pub nearby them). what exactly they are so excited Just a few seconds later there was about when taking photos nearby. some desperate screaming and Apparently it has to do with some Adventure Magazine

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government talks involving Zimbabwe, although I suspected it had to do with recent reports of attempted attacks on the head of state of Lesotho.

(I have since found out that there is a law against photographing any government installation in Lesotho hell, how do they expect anyone to know that - especially as there is no signage at all. Such a prehistoric approach, whom would actually have any interest in that basic building for any sane reason whatsoever ?)

To be honest we really thought it was a huge joke that they could object to anyone taking photos; even though their buildings look shabby surely they can do with all the exposure and tourism possible without annoying anyone whom actually bothered to make a trip there.

I am pretty sure the foreign tourists ahead of us (about thirty of them) were equally unimpressed by the vocal display they were subjected to.

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51 Fortunately the officials whom stamped our passports and wrote out receipts for the four Rand entrance (visa) were a lot friendlier and made quick work of getting us through.

We decided to make a pit stop at the Sani Top Chalet pub for a stretch and of course a drink.

The local Maluthi beer was quite nice down the pass on their pitbikes and refreshing; with the cosy pub incase there was really bad weather. adding some atmosphere.

It was a pity as it made it much more worthwhile to go the extra distance At this stage the weather had started into Lesotho. to turn and was distinctly looking I decided to brave it on my pitbike and miserable towards Lesotho. Dark also left my raincoat in my bag on my clouds were blowing in and I could tell back; I decided there wasn’t time to there was rain on the way. waste and be left behind by the other It wasn’t long before the raindrops two bigger bikes. started arriving and after some discussion we decided we better I had forgotten the feeling of rather make our way along to Black cold raindrops pelting ones face while Mountain. We knew that was about 12 riding with an off-road helmet; this kilometers away and had no idea what feeling I last recall when riding a the road conditions were like, never 50cc bike during my school days in mind that we may get caught in a Johannesburg. heavy rainstorm all the way back and It felt a bit like pins and needles had down the pass back into South Africa. set in on my face and neck, but I could Ernst and Mia decided not to join us and instead to make their way back

not really stop.

I also had plastic tear offs on my goggles, which turned out to be a real

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52 pain as the rain had got in-between the layers and I could no longer see clearly.

All I could see was a smudged view ahead of me and lost the detail up close, so I was actually taking chances as I was riding with poor vision all the way to Black Mountain.

Fortunately the road condition was a lot better than the pass itself; I did however encounter numerous potholes and rocks unplanned as a result of my poor vision.

Unfortunately due to the bad weather there was not much of a view to take in and I battled to see any spectacular view that I was hoping to spot.

The terrain up there is really harsh, it reminded me of what another planet could be like with mostly large rocks, little vegetation and freezing cold wind blowing. (Mars perhaps ?)

Luckily the rain had subsided and we were able to take a break without hiding from the rain; the wind we could not hide from as there was no form of shelter.

It probably took around 30 minutes to get to the area referred to as Black It turned out that the real fun had started as Donovan discovered his Mountain.

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53 KTM had a rear puncture.

Lovely, at the furtherest possible place from home here we are having to do bike repairs out in the cold miserable weather.

Fortunately Lance had brought along the necessary puncture repair kit and soon the bike was back in action – at least we hoped so.

I had left my extra repair kit behind as I already had too much in my bag, and I wasn’t going to ditch my two beers and coldrink when I initially departed.

I have to admit I started to feel just a bit nervous at the thought of us being stranded with another punctured bike. As long as we could make it back

to the Lesotho border we would be in a position to make other plans if need be.

Admittedly we were only around 12 kilometers away from there, but there were a maximum of two cars and four bikes encountered in all the time we spent inside Lesotho (around one and a half hours).

While we were getting ready to leave two young locals came galloping up towards us on a horseback (no saddles), with their customary blanket wrapped around them.

They only spoke in their local language so we could not make out

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54 what they were trying to say to us.

I presumed they had spotted us stopped off there and decided it was time to rush over for a freebie of some sort.

After a few pics were taken with them a few Rand was handed over; this made them smile broadly and it looked like their task was complete.

terrain without a twitch.

I decided to remove my goggle tear offs and wipe my goggles this time; don’t know what I was thinking earlier as now I could in fact see where I was going without any guesswork and luck on my side.

We had a bit more rain on the way back to Sani Top Chalet; it seemed as One of the other bikers I bumped into if the rain clouds had decided to at this spot was CliveG, from this congregate at the top of the pass. forum.

Not knowing what we were in for we We had been in contact a few times decided it was time to retreat to the via email and once met briefly at the pub and have a break … and perhaps Westmead riding area where all the the odd drink too. off-road bikes go on weekends.

It was nice and cosy inside the pub It certainly looked a lot easier riding with its fireplace; I wasn’t sure we a bigger bike out in this part of Africa; were going to muster up the courage a thought confirmed by my fellow to depart either as by now the rain riders with me. had come down heavily and certainly looked like it was not going away On the way back Donovan got to ride anytime soon.

Lance’s BMW 1200GS, which he claimed was an absolute pleasure. It We noticed that the thermometer was something like going from an old inside the pub had readings for mini to a BMW motorcar and finding internal and external temperature. It out how smooth it rides with no was 11 degrees C inside and a effort. whopping 5 degrees C outside.

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back down in the freezing cold rain.

When the rain eased off we chatted, got geared up and started our decent.

I estimate that once on the bike and riding it must have been a few degrees cooler than the thermometer was reading; it certainly felt like it.

We did the obligatory passport control stamping and carefully tackled the now slippery muddy road from the top of Sani Pass.

We were literally only two or three bends away from the top when the KTM let Donovan know who was boss.

He stopped to inspect a rather odd noise he was hearing; which turned out to be the rear axle coming loose and making its way out of the swing arm.

The tension adjustment on one side was gone and the nuts on the axle were split; so it was a free axle.

At this stage I decided to put my raincoat jacket on as we didn’t know how long we would be stopped there.

After various suggestions on how to try and remedy this little mishap, it was decided to use cable ties to try and secure the axle on both sides just

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56 to prevent it slipping out.

After all, whom keeps these spares handy just incase it should be needed one day.

Well it turned out that it was enough to keep the bike together and make it all the way down back to our accommodation.

Donovan decided to freewheel his bike (engine off) down as far as he could and to then get towed by the BMW. I did of course add that I would need to have a picture taken of this, as I had never actually seen a bike being towed by another bike.

Needless to say that was enough to convince Donovan to get as far away from me as possible.

He managed to freewheel all the way down to the SA border post with only two sections where he had to push a bit and then hop back on the bike.

I could not catch up with him, and my fuel had run low so my bike was cutting out.

I eventually stopped and switched over to reserve hoping I could now catch up and enjoy the ride down.

Soon after this my pitbike bike decided to start idling at almost full throttle. So there I was hoping to coast down the pass in low gear; but now I was having to apply the brakes and pull the clutch in often as I was racing downhill – certainly not as planned.

I recall being a lot braver going down, but also did not want to let the other riders think I had broken down or turn back for me.

With the axle incident at the top of the pass I wasn’t sure how we would make it to the SA border post in time, but our luck was on track as we easily made it there at around 17h00.

I worked out that we made our complete trip back down to our accommodation in around 1 hour 30 minutes.

I had done this second trip to Sani Pass on a pitbike not only because it is the only bike I have, but also to prove I guess that the first visit was not just pot luck.

I had been told previously that there is no way such a small bike can make it; but if one thinks about it logically as long as the engine runs why not ?

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57 I am strongly considering getting a bigger bike for a trip through Lesotho and also to tackle the Quads-4-Quads ride sometime (Jhb to Dbn on dirt roads).

I am on a limited budget; no money to spend on bikes but starting to have a look anyway.

May end up looking at getting a used Honda CRF 230 with road kit; it is a simple enough bike that is affordable for us “other fellas”.

about one cup left when I got back.

That equates to : 4.1 l/100km, or 24.3 km/l (around R21 in fuel).

If one adds up all the costs it is very cheap for an outing (R90 accommodation, R21 fuel, R4 Lesotho entry, meals/drinks R150) as compared to an organised tour of Sani Pass on a 4x4 vehicle (R500+ trip only, with perhaps a light snack thrown in)

I really enjoyed my return trip to Happy biking.

Lesotho via Sani Pass; my fellow Tibor. riders also had a great outing. I do think I have now outgrown doing it on a small bike.

We gathered for a few drinks and reflected on the trip and the few little challenges we had along the way; the weather being the one I thought would be the only one !

I almost forgot to add some trivia.

Total distance covered : 73 km as per BMW bike (was reading 67 km, on my mountain bike odometer attached).

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CABC

Cederberg Adventure Bike Challenge

Reccie Adventure Magazine

60 The weekend of 29 May saw Hennie and Johan with their wives head out to the CABC venue wanting to find some of the routes for CABC. They were also joined by friends for the weekend and were very ably assisted by Rony Desodt and his wife both members of the BMW Motorcycle Club Cape, Rony is also known as “die Malletjie”.

“Generaal from Wild Dogs and a registered member of CABC, together with Chris & Suzaan Alheit, our wine maker friends and 4 x 4 experts, joined us for the weekend. It was a weekend of finding routes and having a great time with family and friends” – Johan de Jager Normally Hennie and Johan ride their R1200GSA’s but it was decided to use 2 x CRF230 Honda’s for the scouting, later on Rony (who joined us on Friday

night after work) on his R1200GSA was asked to ride parts of the route on his BMW. Friday night was spent around the fire, we looked at the maps and made some plans for the next day.

Saturday morning and it was raining and cold, while Hennie was setting up his GPS Rony and I started riding on the farm, we quickly went up a 4 x 4 uphill very close to the campsite (not 3 minutes away), we quickly found out why it is 4 x 4 and realised that this has potential for the red route. Once done with the uphill route we took another route on the farm, we agreed that this is also red and that we will have Hennie join us in his 4 x 4 the next morning, so back to camp we went.

On our arrival Hennie informed us that he was

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61 ready and the GPS knows where we need to go and “check out” the road. It was amazing, it was raining and cold and Rony and I were having a ball on the smaller bikes. The road was very tricky some very steal downhill’s and uphill’s and loose rock everywhere. The route we were scouting took us close to 5 hours, this due to the 4 x 4’s taking a bit longer than us on the bikes.

The route took us into Wupperthal and on our decent into town a local confirmed to us that he has never seen people coming out of that route after not having entered from the same side, he has only seen people entering from Wupperthal and then shortly turning around……needless to say his mouth was hanging open!

The last bit into Wupper-

thal Saturday afternoon we again relaxed around the fire, having some cold refreshments whilst listening to the rugby on the radio, at the CABC venue there is no “close by” television to watch the rugby or even phone a friend for the score as there is no cell reception – like in the old days before electricity we all huddled around the radio.

Sunday morning and the weather looked a bit better but it was still cold and wet. Rony and I first did the little red route close to the camp and after that went to find some more routes linking up with the red route we found into Wupperthal the day before.

The piece being part of the campsite which we did is very interesting, it consists of thick sand, loose rock as well as one

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62 very steep downhill – according to Rony this reminds him of Van Zyl’s pass in Namibia. There is escape routes for all the very difficult parts of the route, it was decided that Generaal and Johan will ride the smaller bikes and Rony will take his R1200GSA on the same route, hereby hoping to get an idea of the “gap” when doing the same route on different bikes.

WOW it was confusing,

Johan managed to do the entire downhill standing up, hereby trying to better his balance and handling of the bike, Generaal on the other small bike sat all the way down the hill and did not enjoy it…….Rony on the adventure with all his experience decided to turn the motor off and use it as his brakes – he needed all the assistance he could get.

We returned to the campsite for breakfast and

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63 after that had to go and find a route that links the bit we did on Saturday as well as the short section of Sunday morning, what a task it turned out to be. 4 Hours later and after having had to “circumvent� some gates we made it!!

What a ride this is going to be, on top of the mountains looking down you are reminded of Transkei, it is beautifull. Johan was in the 4 x 4 this time and Generaal and Rony got on the small bikes. The 1 small bike gave us some problems right as we was about to find point where the 2 routes join, we fixed it and off we went back to the campsite.

We are not going to say too much about the route just that there is escape routes at all the real hard sections, the views is out of this world and you will be very satisfied once you have done this red route

at ABC, some more pics with short descriptions: Once we found the joining point we headed back to the campsite, we decided to get some more action as the guys came through the water crossing as you enter the venue, you can see the tent already pitched for CABC 2009.

Thank you to our lovely wives and friends who joined us, hopefully you will be available next time as well.

Watch this space as more reports and news to follow.

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Eastern-Cape Bash Teazer

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