Dustdevil
Race Dog
My wife have on numerous opportunities told me that I must get her all the necessary parts so that she can build herself an HPN model. Now for those that know this is no easy feat as first you need about R150 000.00 or more for all the frame mods, suspension and motor parts as well as a whole host of other items like tanks, fairings etc.
I would love to share her enthusiasm with her but for somebody that have never ridden a bike or even changed a flat tire I thought this is somewhat to optimistic, so I bought her a Suzuki Jebel 200cc instead.
This bike have enough power, but not to much, so that a learner won't be able to overcook things in a nervous moment and it can safely mange 80km/h for the whole day if need be.
It took a while to get the learners license in place and in the mean while we practiced a little at the show grounds.
I needed the right opportunity to introduce her to her first ride and planed a two day trip to Neui Bethesda. The total distance is about 200km, and each day will take roughly about one and a half hours drive. Not too long and tiring but far enough to get the real feeling of adventure.
So it came that I arranged for my kids to stay over at my sisters for a weekend, and Friday afternoon saw us leaving town with the bikes packed and ready for one evening of camping.
I felt so proud at this moment but also a bit apprehensive, will she be okay, will she enjoy it, what if she comes down?
Passing by Kompasberg about halfway and she is having real fun. My heart lept to my throat a few times as she snakes through ruts and holes without it seaming to bother her. Slow down I though to my self!
We stopped to have snacks but also to make sure she is still doing fine and to explain a few things I have noticed while riding:
Nearly there and I got my first real heart stopper. She was doing so fine zipping along, dodging ruts and rocks in the seldomly used track, and suddenly, as we crested a blind rise, there is a deep and steep drop down to drif at the bottom. The next moment I just saw dust and rocks flying as she apply the brakes. For a moment I was convinced she was going to go down but she managed to keep things under control till she came to a standstill.
The first thing I taught her when she started riding was to come to a safe standstill by applying the rear brakes only. This have been the saving grace as the locked back wheel kept the bike upright and under control.
However it did not take long before the same thing happened and this time she did grab the font brake as well and immediately went down. Nothing serious though but enough to rattle her cage.
I used the opportunity to explain to her why using the front brake aggressively is not a good idea, collected the bike and got her going again.
The scene of the crime, errr accident. It later perspired that she has a great fear for steep down hills so every time the road drops away in front of us she does this emergency stop coming to a complete standstill before continuing cautiously:
The fright was extra big because this steep downhill down to yet another drif was right on a sharp bend and was covered with a rocky uneven surface at the steeper part:
The Coyote luggage bags from Giant Loop works great on the smaller bike and she managed to get in all the extra bits needed by the female gender on rides like these.
The bags were not in the way of the fall either. Her ankle got trapped underneath but with hard boxes this count have been fatal:
Of she goes, but this time a little slower and more cautious:
Arriving at Neui Bethesda we headed for a place to relax and to have a cold one and something to eat. We were not disappointed when we arrived here:
Soon a cold home brewed beer was placed in front of us and we could sit and talk about the ride:
Andre's place is welcoming and friendly, he serves the most amazing home made coats cheeses, he roasts his own coffee and the place just have an awesome atmosphere and don't forget about his fantastic beers:
The campsite is just a stones throw away from the brewery and have the most inviting green lawns amongst polar and willow trees blowing in the breeze:
That evening we visited a art exhibition at the tennis club and met some of the local artists and other community members. What a warm bunch of people. Neui Bethesda is surely a place where one can come and stop to just take stock of life, if even for a short while.
The next morning we headed home via yet another awesome route through the mountains:
I would love to share her enthusiasm with her but for somebody that have never ridden a bike or even changed a flat tire I thought this is somewhat to optimistic, so I bought her a Suzuki Jebel 200cc instead.
This bike have enough power, but not to much, so that a learner won't be able to overcook things in a nervous moment and it can safely mange 80km/h for the whole day if need be.
It took a while to get the learners license in place and in the mean while we practiced a little at the show grounds.
I needed the right opportunity to introduce her to her first ride and planed a two day trip to Neui Bethesda. The total distance is about 200km, and each day will take roughly about one and a half hours drive. Not too long and tiring but far enough to get the real feeling of adventure.
So it came that I arranged for my kids to stay over at my sisters for a weekend, and Friday afternoon saw us leaving town with the bikes packed and ready for one evening of camping.
I felt so proud at this moment but also a bit apprehensive, will she be okay, will she enjoy it, what if she comes down?
Passing by Kompasberg about halfway and she is having real fun. My heart lept to my throat a few times as she snakes through ruts and holes without it seaming to bother her. Slow down I though to my self!
We stopped to have snacks but also to make sure she is still doing fine and to explain a few things I have noticed while riding:
Nearly there and I got my first real heart stopper. She was doing so fine zipping along, dodging ruts and rocks in the seldomly used track, and suddenly, as we crested a blind rise, there is a deep and steep drop down to drif at the bottom. The next moment I just saw dust and rocks flying as she apply the brakes. For a moment I was convinced she was going to go down but she managed to keep things under control till she came to a standstill.
The first thing I taught her when she started riding was to come to a safe standstill by applying the rear brakes only. This have been the saving grace as the locked back wheel kept the bike upright and under control.
However it did not take long before the same thing happened and this time she did grab the font brake as well and immediately went down. Nothing serious though but enough to rattle her cage.
I used the opportunity to explain to her why using the front brake aggressively is not a good idea, collected the bike and got her going again.
The scene of the crime, errr accident. It later perspired that she has a great fear for steep down hills so every time the road drops away in front of us she does this emergency stop coming to a complete standstill before continuing cautiously:
The fright was extra big because this steep downhill down to yet another drif was right on a sharp bend and was covered with a rocky uneven surface at the steeper part:
The Coyote luggage bags from Giant Loop works great on the smaller bike and she managed to get in all the extra bits needed by the female gender on rides like these.
The bags were not in the way of the fall either. Her ankle got trapped underneath but with hard boxes this count have been fatal:
Of she goes, but this time a little slower and more cautious:
Arriving at Neui Bethesda we headed for a place to relax and to have a cold one and something to eat. We were not disappointed when we arrived here:
Soon a cold home brewed beer was placed in front of us and we could sit and talk about the ride:
Andre's place is welcoming and friendly, he serves the most amazing home made coats cheeses, he roasts his own coffee and the place just have an awesome atmosphere and don't forget about his fantastic beers:
The campsite is just a stones throw away from the brewery and have the most inviting green lawns amongst polar and willow trees blowing in the breeze:
That evening we visited a art exhibition at the tennis club and met some of the local artists and other community members. What a warm bunch of people. Neui Bethesda is surely a place where one can come and stop to just take stock of life, if even for a short while.
The next morning we headed home via yet another awesome route through the mountains:
