Anyone for Atlantis?

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airHEAD

Pack Dog
Joined
Feb 24, 2009
Messages
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Location
Western Cape
Bike
BMW R80GS
Even  though I had more than 10000km on my rear TKC after my last trip and it was now really done...
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... I couldnt help myself between Christmas and New Year when I got a call from Michiel who was back in Cape Town on his new HPN. I had never ridden in Atlantis with Michiel before and this was a chance to watch someone with some real sand riding skills handled a bike similar to mine.
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Michiel had been there the day before with some of the real hard core dogs but I opted for the more mellow option where I was assured we would just stick to the main dunes. We had the two HPN's and were joined by oo7 on the X-challenge so we were a nice small group.
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I couldn't resist posing the retro Dakar bike in the dunes.
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Stopping to taking pictures was a lot easier than riding the thing  :p but it was a pleasure watching Michiel demonstrate how it should be done.
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Michiel mentioned that compared to his KLR the HPN was very heavy on the front and not as easy to "play" with and get the tail out in the sand. After that I became very aware of the same feeling on my bike. I did have more than 20l of fuel in the thing but it felt almost impossible to put into a tight turn. I even figured out that taking you inside foot off the peg and digging it in like an ore helped persuade the thing around corners. It was a lot of fun but completely exhausting and we (me) had to stop for recovery breaks often :p
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We eventually ended up at the "big" dune that I had a bit of a history with...My first trip to Atlantis on my standard R80 had ended when after 3 attempts I managed to rip the valve out of the rear tube! My struggle was documented on YouTube by DustDevil (Background information https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2okPl4EsZdM)

This time I was motivated to set the record straight. Michiel went first to check out the lie of the land over the crest and bogged down just at the top after backing all the way off. oo7 went next and also took it too slow. I was even slower and further off the harder line and ran out of steam about two thirds of the way up. So there we were one, two, three...
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I turned the beast around and had another go with not much of an improvement on the result. By now I was getting a little concerned about my ability to conquer this thing. 
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oo7 had his second go which turned out to be scary  :eek: he came over the top so hot that he launched the thing into the air and plugged it well and truly over the other side. Unfortunately he landed heavily on the front and the bike stopped more of less where it landed. The special agent was carrying some momentum and didnt stop as quickly :ricky: He used the screen on the X-challenge to brake his fall and the whole lot ended up in a heap in the sand  :mwink: Fortunately it looked way worse than it was and apart from being a bit winded our agent was ok. The same cannot be said for the screen on the X-challenge  :mwink:
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By now I was even more nervous about my next attempt but in the end to turned out just great. On the correct line with the correct amount of gas it seemed so easy  8) Forgive me for a bit of "poetic licence" used in the video, technically its Me 1 : Dune 5 but whose counting! 

[flash=640,480]https://www.youtube.com/v/CiUMU3bWfMo&context=C32aa2fcADOEgsToPDskKJMeQBkvE7rwhutdr-bX_H[/flash]

       

 

 
 
Hel 007 het die manne darem vir jou 'n spin aangebied?? Indien nie het hulle gevaal!! Michiel 007 sou dadelik 'n HPN bestel het as julle hom net 'n halwe spin gegee het!! Sela sela!!! :pot:
 
Scalpel said:
Hel 007 het die manne darem vir jou 'n spin aangebied?? Indien nie het hulle gevaal!! Michiel 007 sou dadelik 'n HPN bestel het as julle hom net 'n halwe spin gegee het!! Sela sela!!! :pot:

Scalpel, I didn't offer the double o a spin on  the HPNs but that because he was doing such a good job showing me up on that X-challenge  :mwink: That was until he forgot he wasn't wearing his superman cape  >:D   
 
Nice  :thumleft: beautiful bikes  :drif: :drif:
 
Great pics. Almost like a journey into way-back-when. Good-looking machines. And still so very capable in the right hands!
 
Thanks to airHEAD and 007! We had a nice relaxed day in the sand.

I will post some pics as soon as I touch ground. Just hit the kill switch on 663 after a 5000km trip of
which 3300km was two-up including Katberg Pass and Ongeluksnek! She behaved well, very well!  :ricky:
 
nice... looks likie you guys had fun!
i was keen on this ride but, went the day before so was completely buggered... so unfit!  :-[
 
Hi Jack:

Michiel...gooi daar vir die manne n paar kiekies van die ride die vorige dag. Ek is seker die manne sal dit waardeer ;D

Was lekker om weer saam te ry!
 
airHEAD said:
Scalpel said:
Hel 007 het die manne darem vir jou 'n spin aangebied?? Indien nie het hulle gevaal!! Michiel 007 sou dadelik 'n HPN bestel het as julle hom net 'n halwe spin gegee het!! Sela sela!!! :pot:

Scalpel, I didn't offer the double o a spin on  the HPNs but that because he was doing such a good job showing me up on that X-challenge  :mwink: That was until he forgot he wasn't wearing his superman cape  >:D   

Scalpel - I am still way too much of a novice. Whenever I just got close to either 663 or 664, I started to shake uncontrollably out of fear! So much so that I couldn't even properly ride the little trike and  overcooked that dune - he he he

Thanks Michiel / Mike - It was an awesome day out and such a privilege to ride with yourself (and of course 663 & 664!) We must do so again very soon.

Being out there just reconfirmed my love for those old school icons.  One day . . . for sure!
 
Stroke Her said:
Hi Jack:

Michiel...gooi daar vir die manne n paar kiekies van die ride die vorige dag. Ek is seker die manne sal dit waardeer ;D

Was lekker om weer saam te ry!
:thumleft:
 
Here are the pictures I promised. Thanks again to airHead and 007 for making time
to ride at Atlantis.

airHEAD and his HPN.

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Photos with compliments from 007.

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Resting.

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007.

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HPN 663. This Desert Tyre has at this point done 5800 km and still offered plenty of traction.

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airHEAD doing some moves.

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airHEAD getting stuck and 007 lending a hand.

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