hartebees
Pack Dog
This is a rambling reflection of my motorcycling journey over the past year - in which many boundaries were pushed - and looking ahead at new opportunities on the horizon.
Today is Monday, 9 March. Tomorrow I leave for the Cederberg as a semi-finalist in the Honda Quest. Two days ago I competed in an offroad race. In December I did a motorcycle trip of more than 9,200km around southern Africa.
Yet a year ago I was still dreaming of buying a new motorcycle, my old one dusty from lack of riding.
I feel the same excitement in the air as when I first bought my Kawasaki KLR about seven years ago.
Last year, after a stroke of financial luck, I decided to buy myself a bike, and that I would visit my family all around the country on it. The KLR was great to get me into motorcycling and is a real workhorse, but I wanted something than cruise comfortably at high speeds, with proper suspension and brakes. After a lot of test riding and the internet "research" I bought a 2014 BMW GS Adventure with about 37,000km on the clock. Funnily enough I never thought I would be a BMW owner - as they are often ridiculed and stigmatised as pompous, elitist and not real adventurists. Luckily I ignored this sentiment as there is a very good reason these are the top-selling bikes in the country - they are really capable machines.
Two days later I went on a 2,000km round trip on the back roads to Graaff-Reinet. This machine was clearly in a very different league to my KLR - even after a day's ride of more than 800km, I wasn't tired at all. I doubt there is a better bike for long-distance adventure touring.
On weekends I did a few local trips where I tested the limits of the GS. It is a very heavy bike and when you get stuck on a steep incline without tracking, you swear a lot. On a few occasions I had to wrestle for hours to get out of some tricky spots back to civilisation. That's when my friend's comments about buying a dirt bike started to hit home.
Why wreck an expensive adventure bike, when you could be doing even more challenging rides on a machine that was made for it?
And so it came about that the KLR was sold and I bought a 2016 KTM 350 XCF-W with 90 hours, towards the end of last year.
Jumping over logs, hauling the bike up impossible steep rocky inclines, and having to purposefully keep the front wheel down were all new experiences to me. I realised that even though I saw myself as a competent on motorcycles, I had many things to learn before I could call myself an enduro rider.
Then I left on my big trip. It was a wonderful month, and I would not trade that experience for any other possible vacation. I had only positive social interactions as far as I went, seeing beautiful places just after the rain brought out the best of them. It needs a whole post on its own to do it justice, but for some photos and videos that I posted as I travelled, go here: https://t.me/s/grondpad. One memorable day (31 Desember) I rode from Pretoria to Graaff-Reinet through a very muddy Free State, totalling 1050km (a personal record) of which 80% was on the dirt. I started at 06:00 and ended at 20:00, tired but happy.
A couple of weeks ago, a setback: warning lights flashing all over the BMW dash as I'm riding. The battery runs down completely. I buy a new battery - doesn't solve the problem. I borrow a trailer and get the bike to BMW. Eventually they let me know: the stator has failed and needs to be replaced. The amount they quote amount is double the total expenses of my recent trip. I have now been without a bike for more than three weeks, have a huge dent in cash flow coming up and lost a lot of faith in my trusty steed. Just two months ago I took that bike into godforsaken places, on my own. Because I mostly do my bike trips alone, reliability is on the top of my requirements for a bike.
Then one morning about two weeks ago I get an email: I've been chosen as semi-finalist for the Honda Quest 2020 and need to attend a three-day bootcamp. That glowing feeling you get when something amazing happens in your life stuck with me for quite a few days.
What is the Quest? Simply put, it's a Honda event where 14 motorcyclists get chosen to go on a two-week adventure motorcycling trip on their latest and greatest machines.
It's hard to explain to other people why I'm so excited about this opportunity: they haven't explored the unknown on a motorcycle; they don't appreciate the curves or the sound of the new Africa Twin; they don't know the thrill of opening a throttle and sliding around a corner in the Karoo as the dirt road stretches into the horizon ahead of you; unaware of the sense of accomplishment when taking off a pair of boots after a full day of challenging riding. It is such a powerful feeling that I simply can't express it with words in a casual conversation.
The thing I get asked most is how I knew about the event. It seemed a silly question to me at first as I can't think of a South African adventure rider with an internet connection that hasn't dreamed about taking part in the Quest. I came to realise however that having been able to go on many bike trips over the past couple of years and being part of the riding community puts me in a very privileged position. This got me thinking about why there aren't more people on bikes. Which brings me to my next point.
I took the new Africa Twin for a quick spin last week - the model with the DCT automatic gearbox. The one thought that I couldn't get out of my mind as I went over the sidewalk and through some dongas, is that it's incredibly easy to ride. No clutch and stalling to worry about, and riding aids to help you out of any sort of trouble. The weight is very well balanced - even going at 2km/h it feels stable. And great suspension of course. If ever there was a bike that can get more people out of their chairs and into adventure riding, this is it.
I can think of many barriers to entry when it comes to adventure riding: cost, time, safety concerns etc. But what Honda has achieved is to take away a large chunk of the technical ability required and made it more accessible. The Africa Twin simply appeals to a very diverse group of riders, of varying ability and with different objectives in mind. This is reflected in the group chosen as semi-finalists for Honda Quest, it would seem.
The thought of possibly getting to ride this bike for two weeks makes me giddy with anticipation. Truthfully, I don't know of something that is more fun to do.
While my BMW was out of service and with the bootcamp coming up, I was really anxious to get some riding in. Luckily my KTM was ready to go and I entered the WCOC Wellington Offroad Race which took place last weekend, telling myself I'll take it easy. Another event that needs a post on it's own, but let me just say there is no way to line up with a whole lot of revving bikes at a starting line and then take it 100% easy! It was a nice fast, flowing track, totally different from enduro, and keeping it going for almost three hours wasn't too hard. Fun, actually. I stayed within my limits, broke no body or bike parts and finished with a wide, dusty grin on my face. I gained much respect for the top riders who come flying past fearlessly, on the rear wheel, while I didn't think I went super slowly myself!
I also met some nice fellow riders at the event. One told me about the 2020 Kalahari Rally and that if I really wanted to test myself, I should enter. After following the Dakar closely this year and reading reports about the Tankwa Rally last year, I think it's time to push another boundary and actually do it. My goal for this year then, is to complete a rally event. Whether that will happen on my KTM or an Africa Twin in the adventure class, remains to be seen.
Today is Monday, 9 March. Tomorrow I leave for the Cederberg as a semi-finalist in the Honda Quest. Two days ago I competed in an offroad race. In December I did a motorcycle trip of more than 9,200km around southern Africa.
Yet a year ago I was still dreaming of buying a new motorcycle, my old one dusty from lack of riding.
I feel the same excitement in the air as when I first bought my Kawasaki KLR about seven years ago.
Last year, after a stroke of financial luck, I decided to buy myself a bike, and that I would visit my family all around the country on it. The KLR was great to get me into motorcycling and is a real workhorse, but I wanted something than cruise comfortably at high speeds, with proper suspension and brakes. After a lot of test riding and the internet "research" I bought a 2014 BMW GS Adventure with about 37,000km on the clock. Funnily enough I never thought I would be a BMW owner - as they are often ridiculed and stigmatised as pompous, elitist and not real adventurists. Luckily I ignored this sentiment as there is a very good reason these are the top-selling bikes in the country - they are really capable machines.
Two days later I went on a 2,000km round trip on the back roads to Graaff-Reinet. This machine was clearly in a very different league to my KLR - even after a day's ride of more than 800km, I wasn't tired at all. I doubt there is a better bike for long-distance adventure touring.
On weekends I did a few local trips where I tested the limits of the GS. It is a very heavy bike and when you get stuck on a steep incline without tracking, you swear a lot. On a few occasions I had to wrestle for hours to get out of some tricky spots back to civilisation. That's when my friend's comments about buying a dirt bike started to hit home.
Why wreck an expensive adventure bike, when you could be doing even more challenging rides on a machine that was made for it?
And so it came about that the KLR was sold and I bought a 2016 KTM 350 XCF-W with 90 hours, towards the end of last year.
Jumping over logs, hauling the bike up impossible steep rocky inclines, and having to purposefully keep the front wheel down were all new experiences to me. I realised that even though I saw myself as a competent on motorcycles, I had many things to learn before I could call myself an enduro rider.
Then I left on my big trip. It was a wonderful month, and I would not trade that experience for any other possible vacation. I had only positive social interactions as far as I went, seeing beautiful places just after the rain brought out the best of them. It needs a whole post on its own to do it justice, but for some photos and videos that I posted as I travelled, go here: https://t.me/s/grondpad. One memorable day (31 Desember) I rode from Pretoria to Graaff-Reinet through a very muddy Free State, totalling 1050km (a personal record) of which 80% was on the dirt. I started at 06:00 and ended at 20:00, tired but happy.
A couple of weeks ago, a setback: warning lights flashing all over the BMW dash as I'm riding. The battery runs down completely. I buy a new battery - doesn't solve the problem. I borrow a trailer and get the bike to BMW. Eventually they let me know: the stator has failed and needs to be replaced. The amount they quote amount is double the total expenses of my recent trip. I have now been without a bike for more than three weeks, have a huge dent in cash flow coming up and lost a lot of faith in my trusty steed. Just two months ago I took that bike into godforsaken places, on my own. Because I mostly do my bike trips alone, reliability is on the top of my requirements for a bike.
Then one morning about two weeks ago I get an email: I've been chosen as semi-finalist for the Honda Quest 2020 and need to attend a three-day bootcamp. That glowing feeling you get when something amazing happens in your life stuck with me for quite a few days.
What is the Quest? Simply put, it's a Honda event where 14 motorcyclists get chosen to go on a two-week adventure motorcycling trip on their latest and greatest machines.
It's hard to explain to other people why I'm so excited about this opportunity: they haven't explored the unknown on a motorcycle; they don't appreciate the curves or the sound of the new Africa Twin; they don't know the thrill of opening a throttle and sliding around a corner in the Karoo as the dirt road stretches into the horizon ahead of you; unaware of the sense of accomplishment when taking off a pair of boots after a full day of challenging riding. It is such a powerful feeling that I simply can't express it with words in a casual conversation.
The thing I get asked most is how I knew about the event. It seemed a silly question to me at first as I can't think of a South African adventure rider with an internet connection that hasn't dreamed about taking part in the Quest. I came to realise however that having been able to go on many bike trips over the past couple of years and being part of the riding community puts me in a very privileged position. This got me thinking about why there aren't more people on bikes. Which brings me to my next point.
I took the new Africa Twin for a quick spin last week - the model with the DCT automatic gearbox. The one thought that I couldn't get out of my mind as I went over the sidewalk and through some dongas, is that it's incredibly easy to ride. No clutch and stalling to worry about, and riding aids to help you out of any sort of trouble. The weight is very well balanced - even going at 2km/h it feels stable. And great suspension of course. If ever there was a bike that can get more people out of their chairs and into adventure riding, this is it.
I can think of many barriers to entry when it comes to adventure riding: cost, time, safety concerns etc. But what Honda has achieved is to take away a large chunk of the technical ability required and made it more accessible. The Africa Twin simply appeals to a very diverse group of riders, of varying ability and with different objectives in mind. This is reflected in the group chosen as semi-finalists for Honda Quest, it would seem.
The thought of possibly getting to ride this bike for two weeks makes me giddy with anticipation. Truthfully, I don't know of something that is more fun to do.
While my BMW was out of service and with the bootcamp coming up, I was really anxious to get some riding in. Luckily my KTM was ready to go and I entered the WCOC Wellington Offroad Race which took place last weekend, telling myself I'll take it easy. Another event that needs a post on it's own, but let me just say there is no way to line up with a whole lot of revving bikes at a starting line and then take it 100% easy! It was a nice fast, flowing track, totally different from enduro, and keeping it going for almost three hours wasn't too hard. Fun, actually. I stayed within my limits, broke no body or bike parts and finished with a wide, dusty grin on my face. I gained much respect for the top riders who come flying past fearlessly, on the rear wheel, while I didn't think I went super slowly myself!
I also met some nice fellow riders at the event. One told me about the 2020 Kalahari Rally and that if I really wanted to test myself, I should enter. After following the Dakar closely this year and reading reports about the Tankwa Rally last year, I think it's time to push another boundary and actually do it. My goal for this year then, is to complete a rally event. Whether that will happen on my KTM or an Africa Twin in the adventure class, remains to be seen.
