LostDOG
Race Dog
The planning of this ride started a few weeks ago when my wife and I decided that she should take her folks up on an offer for her and the boys to join them at their time-share on the south coast. Since I don’t have much leave accrued and we want to take some time off in September, I decided that I would not join them for a long weekend, as we did last year.
I started looking forward to a bit of time on my own, which doesn’t happen often with two small children. I planned a bit of a nostalgic trip to the Lydenberg, Burgersfort and Penge area since that is where I was born and grew up. This route was shelved for another time when a mate of mine said that I should join them for Saturday evening in Alldays, where they are going hunting. I thought that that sounds like a good idea, since I can then not only have some time to myself, on the bike, but also catch up with some good friends.
I decided that since I am doing the trip solo that I would pre-plan the route and give my mate the schedule that I thought I would keep to, committing to sms him at certain points. In the case of me not arriving they would know where to start looking. Thankfully nothing like that happened. I tried to plan a route which would allow me to get to Alldays by mid-afternoon, but still provide enough dirt to satisfy the DS desires.
On Friday I managed to get away from work early enough to get my front wheel off and to take it and my TKC tyre to Peter (AdventureMX). I had read a bit on another forum about getting a suitable tyre combination for gravel and tar, and decided to change the front to the TKC and leave the rear Scorpion on. This turned out to be the best decision I’ve made in a while! The combination is awesome! In the dry on tar I did not feel compromised at all and on the dirt the front sticks like the proverbial snot-to-finger. The Scorpion is perhaps a little loose on the sand, but not enough for me to get concerned. I will now run this combination whenever I am planning such a route.
Sleeping on Friday night was difficult to say the least! I had finished packing by Wednesday night, so on Friday I unpacked, rechecked and packed again, just to have something to do. I set my alarm for 5am, but by 4:30 I was wide awake. I thought I heard a strange noise coming from the garage but I knew my imagination was playing tricks on me due to my schoolboyish excitement. I managed to get all the last minute things sorted, all the while hearing the wind outside. This was not a good sign. Images of a cross-wind didn’t fill me with great joy. Again I thought I heard that strange noise from the garage, but this time I concluded that it had to be that wind. I grabbed all my kit and headed out the front door. I soon realised that the wind was carrying a nippy friend! This was going to be interesting – cold and a cross-wind!
I pushed “Silver” out of the garage and decided not to start her up and idle, since my neighbours would not have appreciated being woken by the sweet sounds of a V-Twin at that time of the morning, although I wouldn’t mind if I was. I shoved my toothbrush into my bag and completed my attire by donning balaclava, jacket and hemet. Ready to GO!!!!!!!!!! I was so excited I forgot to take a departing pic! I hopped on Silver engaged the choke; pressed the fire button and she came ALIVE! I felt like a jockey sitting astride a thoroughbred that was impatiently waiting to be given some reign. I had visions of flaring nostrils, focussed eyes and muscles spun into tight knots. This carried on all the way onto the main road, and seeing the engine temperature was good I disengaged the choke and set her free. She roared like a possessed creature and leaped forward without any hesitation. I held on and let her have all she wanted. This seemed to be the theme of the weekend. She gobbled everything that I could throw at her and I could swear she sneered at me almost as if to say “Is that all you got?” The sounds I heard in the garage still plague my thoughts! My respect for this machine grows with every minute spent on it!
I high-tailed it to Bela-Bela using a merc at an acceptable speed as a marker. Thankfully the wind turned out to be a tailwind all the way to my first refuel, and my first picture.
I almost forgot that I should be taking pictures. If not for fidgeting on my bum-bag while having a cup of coffee I would not have stumbled onto my phone, thus reminding me to take some shots. The holiday town of Bela-Bela was waking up slowly. This relaxing feel and the smell of fresher-than-jo’burg air was starting to wash some of the stress away and I could feel my shoulders and neck starting to unwind.
I left Bela-Bela, heading north past Warmbad Dam and onto the first section of dirt. The climb up onto the hill was good. The road was perfect and I decided to stop at the top in the sun to relieve some of the pressure that the cup of coffee was generating.
The view down the valley was good for my soul. The herd of Rooihartebeest which ran past me at probably 50m away was also not bad! This is when I wished that I didn’t just have a cell phone camera with me.
After the good road up and over the mountain, the road started to take on a more menacing form. And this would remain so for the rest of my trip – at least the gravel roads would. The surfaces varied greatly, form very soft loose sand, to hard-packed wide open, to various degrees of in-between. I am naturally averse to head-shake and avoid it like the plague! Murphy had other plans with me on this trip. Perhaps he knew I had a demon that needs conquering. Combining “chicken runs” with loose middle-mannetjies makes for interesting scenarios which needs constant dealing with.
Between Bela-Bela and Alma I realised that my 60km/h estimate for an average on dirt may have been a bit pessimistic. Although the road surface was testing, I was making good time. That is until I stopped to take a picture of this valley and realised that I was flying this machine with loose handlebars! These are held in place with nylock nuts, so I was a bit surprised. Anyway, quick use of all my well-packed stuff and Silver was eating up km’s at a rapid rate again. There is a pass in this area called “Rankins Pass” and I have made a personal commitment to go back and ride it as soon as I can.
I got back onto the black stuff somewhere between Alma and Vaalwater and stayed on the high-speed surface right up to Marken. Although setting a decent pace I did take some time to appreciate the scenery. I really love this bushveld area and I wonder what the planned mining of coal in the area is going to do to it.
The refuelling in Marken reminded me that not all of SA is developed and that some areas are still remote as some of the places I’ve been to in other African countries. However, another thing that struck me on this trip is the amount of pride that people have in themselves and their surroundings which I never recall from years before. I think perhaps it’s because all the places I stopped at seemed now to be owned by black folks rather than whites as in time gone by. I never once felt unsafe or threatened and the only way I would have seen a white face in 99% of my trip was if I had brought one with me.
Between Marken and Rabone one crosses the Tropic of Capricorn. I must however say that it took much self convincing for me to bring myself to stop at this point. Notice, if you will the road surface. I was having a colossal battle at a reasonably high speed. The road surface seems to be decomposed calcrete. Under the loose stuff it is hard, but with those awful things called “lurkers” and much “chicken runs”. Lurkers are those medium sized rocks that resemble icebergs – just a portion sticks out of the ground. You generally only see them before it’s too late. Between trying to control the head-shake in the loose stuff and throwing my weight around on the pegs to avoid the lurkers, I was getting quite a work-out. One gets into a situation where moving slightly left or right puts you in a different scenario which demands different techniques – WICKED! I was depositing residues on my underwear, but absolutely loving it. So, the urge to take pictures on the TOC for the WD’s eventually won. (Hope you enjoy it!)
I just started getting the hang of the Calcrete roads, when Mr. Murphy changed tactics.
He dished up a red material, origins unknown to me. It too took some getting used to, but once I had the techniques in hand, the grinning started! Not 220km/h on dirt (my china), but comfortable at about 110km/h and fun doesn’t begin to describe it! I think of it as a kind of equilibrium zone, such that all my ability and all the scenarios are in tune. Sand, pebble beds, calcrete, lurkers, etc. all taken at a reasonable speed with much excitement.
According to T4A there is not meant to be any tar in this section right up to Vivo. Unfortunately development doesn’t even wait for T4A. I felt I could cry when I suddenly run up onto the black shi’te. I was just getting this equilibrium theorem of mine tweaked when this stuff happened! I had to stop, get off the bike and take a breath. I was so disappointed! I stopped under a shady tree next to the nice new tar road. At least the scenery was still ok.
After 10km though, I was very happy to find that my route veered off of the new route back onto the fun stuff again!
These roads north of Glen Alpine Dam run through small villages where everyone waves and has smiles on their faces, I really loved this stretch! I need to go back there.
After Vivo, the route took me by Tar all the way to Waterpoort, where another member posted a thread in Mountain Passes of SA.
In that thread he mentions that riding this pass requires about 4 hrs. I arrived at Waterpoort at 12:30, a full hour and forty-five ahead of my planned schedule. Whilst consuming the packed lunch that I prepared on Friday night and a Fanta Orange which I purchased from the Padstal across the road from the Pass’ entry, I contemplated doing it quickly. Eventually I gave Excalibur the “Binne vet van die bout” and accepted that I would have to come back another time with a riding buddy and some time in hand.
Silver devoured the last 85km of the day as eagerly as she did the first, and we arrived at our destination 2 odd hours ahead of plan.
Much drinking, laughing and general unruliness followed until I managed to sneak off to bed rather late at night. The evening’s company, food and drink were excellent. I did have a lingering regret the whole of today, but nothing that couldn’t be managed with a variety of pain killers and obscene amounts of water.
Almost everyone will agree that waking up in the silence of the bushveld is special. Imagine what it was like for me this morning waking up in the bushveld, with a DS bike and the prospect of another 550km back home!! Whhooo hooo!!
I greeted everyone whilst they were loading their haul into various forms of transport. Silver’s roar I’m sure made some game run for cover, but I am more certain that some of the guys loading the week’s spoils were quietly wishing they were astride her for the trip home instead of in the meat wagons.
In the town of Allday’s I filled up with fuel and made contact with loved ones to let them know I am safe and en-route again. I hadn’t really planned Day 2 as much as I did Day 1, but had decided on the general direction and that I didn’t want to use any of the paths I came up on Day1. Easy, there are so many roads to take. I chose a different route back to Marken, and was pleasantly surprised when what was meant to be tar section was in fact not, thus giving me even more grin time.
The guys at the fuel station joked a bit about my balaclava and something about these big KTM’s being for tsotsi’s.
I had to stop when I saw water in a river; it was the first water I’d seen up there. It turned out to be a weir just under the bridge damming this scarce resource.
Upon discovering my luck regarding the Not-so-tar section I saw a little shop and decided to have a coke. I was really impressed by the cleanliness. I felt almost ashamed to dirty the freshly polished stoep with my dusty number 10’s.
On the way to Marken I had some more of the previous day’s joy!
I re-crossed the TOC, but this time stopping was a little less traumatic. This big tree is miraculously on the TOC?
Now, some have asked how come there’s not many ride reports from the north – well, its simple. Any person who has ridden there will want to keep it for themselves!! I rode through the Laphalala Wilderness area between Marken and Vaalwater. I cant describe it! You have to go there to understand. The roads are such fun. The scenery is awesome.
From Vaalwater I took out the riding crop and put a bit of giddy-yup into Silver along the bitumen trail, since my appetite was now my strongest need.
Below is the trips’ stats and Day 2 Route.
I haven’t worked out my consumption exactly, but I was averaging about 7ltrs/100km. Considering that I was in fairly high revs on dirt and fairly high speed on tar, I don’t think that’s too bad.
Hope to see you all on these fun roads soon!
I started looking forward to a bit of time on my own, which doesn’t happen often with two small children. I planned a bit of a nostalgic trip to the Lydenberg, Burgersfort and Penge area since that is where I was born and grew up. This route was shelved for another time when a mate of mine said that I should join them for Saturday evening in Alldays, where they are going hunting. I thought that that sounds like a good idea, since I can then not only have some time to myself, on the bike, but also catch up with some good friends.
I decided that since I am doing the trip solo that I would pre-plan the route and give my mate the schedule that I thought I would keep to, committing to sms him at certain points. In the case of me not arriving they would know where to start looking. Thankfully nothing like that happened. I tried to plan a route which would allow me to get to Alldays by mid-afternoon, but still provide enough dirt to satisfy the DS desires.
On Friday I managed to get away from work early enough to get my front wheel off and to take it and my TKC tyre to Peter (AdventureMX). I had read a bit on another forum about getting a suitable tyre combination for gravel and tar, and decided to change the front to the TKC and leave the rear Scorpion on. This turned out to be the best decision I’ve made in a while! The combination is awesome! In the dry on tar I did not feel compromised at all and on the dirt the front sticks like the proverbial snot-to-finger. The Scorpion is perhaps a little loose on the sand, but not enough for me to get concerned. I will now run this combination whenever I am planning such a route.
Sleeping on Friday night was difficult to say the least! I had finished packing by Wednesday night, so on Friday I unpacked, rechecked and packed again, just to have something to do. I set my alarm for 5am, but by 4:30 I was wide awake. I thought I heard a strange noise coming from the garage but I knew my imagination was playing tricks on me due to my schoolboyish excitement. I managed to get all the last minute things sorted, all the while hearing the wind outside. This was not a good sign. Images of a cross-wind didn’t fill me with great joy. Again I thought I heard that strange noise from the garage, but this time I concluded that it had to be that wind. I grabbed all my kit and headed out the front door. I soon realised that the wind was carrying a nippy friend! This was going to be interesting – cold and a cross-wind!
I pushed “Silver” out of the garage and decided not to start her up and idle, since my neighbours would not have appreciated being woken by the sweet sounds of a V-Twin at that time of the morning, although I wouldn’t mind if I was. I shoved my toothbrush into my bag and completed my attire by donning balaclava, jacket and hemet. Ready to GO!!!!!!!!!! I was so excited I forgot to take a departing pic! I hopped on Silver engaged the choke; pressed the fire button and she came ALIVE! I felt like a jockey sitting astride a thoroughbred that was impatiently waiting to be given some reign. I had visions of flaring nostrils, focussed eyes and muscles spun into tight knots. This carried on all the way onto the main road, and seeing the engine temperature was good I disengaged the choke and set her free. She roared like a possessed creature and leaped forward without any hesitation. I held on and let her have all she wanted. This seemed to be the theme of the weekend. She gobbled everything that I could throw at her and I could swear she sneered at me almost as if to say “Is that all you got?” The sounds I heard in the garage still plague my thoughts! My respect for this machine grows with every minute spent on it!
I high-tailed it to Bela-Bela using a merc at an acceptable speed as a marker. Thankfully the wind turned out to be a tailwind all the way to my first refuel, and my first picture.
I almost forgot that I should be taking pictures. If not for fidgeting on my bum-bag while having a cup of coffee I would not have stumbled onto my phone, thus reminding me to take some shots. The holiday town of Bela-Bela was waking up slowly. This relaxing feel and the smell of fresher-than-jo’burg air was starting to wash some of the stress away and I could feel my shoulders and neck starting to unwind.
I left Bela-Bela, heading north past Warmbad Dam and onto the first section of dirt. The climb up onto the hill was good. The road was perfect and I decided to stop at the top in the sun to relieve some of the pressure that the cup of coffee was generating.
The view down the valley was good for my soul. The herd of Rooihartebeest which ran past me at probably 50m away was also not bad! This is when I wished that I didn’t just have a cell phone camera with me.
After the good road up and over the mountain, the road started to take on a more menacing form. And this would remain so for the rest of my trip – at least the gravel roads would. The surfaces varied greatly, form very soft loose sand, to hard-packed wide open, to various degrees of in-between. I am naturally averse to head-shake and avoid it like the plague! Murphy had other plans with me on this trip. Perhaps he knew I had a demon that needs conquering. Combining “chicken runs” with loose middle-mannetjies makes for interesting scenarios which needs constant dealing with.
Between Bela-Bela and Alma I realised that my 60km/h estimate for an average on dirt may have been a bit pessimistic. Although the road surface was testing, I was making good time. That is until I stopped to take a picture of this valley and realised that I was flying this machine with loose handlebars! These are held in place with nylock nuts, so I was a bit surprised. Anyway, quick use of all my well-packed stuff and Silver was eating up km’s at a rapid rate again. There is a pass in this area called “Rankins Pass” and I have made a personal commitment to go back and ride it as soon as I can.
I got back onto the black stuff somewhere between Alma and Vaalwater and stayed on the high-speed surface right up to Marken. Although setting a decent pace I did take some time to appreciate the scenery. I really love this bushveld area and I wonder what the planned mining of coal in the area is going to do to it.
The refuelling in Marken reminded me that not all of SA is developed and that some areas are still remote as some of the places I’ve been to in other African countries. However, another thing that struck me on this trip is the amount of pride that people have in themselves and their surroundings which I never recall from years before. I think perhaps it’s because all the places I stopped at seemed now to be owned by black folks rather than whites as in time gone by. I never once felt unsafe or threatened and the only way I would have seen a white face in 99% of my trip was if I had brought one with me.
Between Marken and Rabone one crosses the Tropic of Capricorn. I must however say that it took much self convincing for me to bring myself to stop at this point. Notice, if you will the road surface. I was having a colossal battle at a reasonably high speed. The road surface seems to be decomposed calcrete. Under the loose stuff it is hard, but with those awful things called “lurkers” and much “chicken runs”. Lurkers are those medium sized rocks that resemble icebergs – just a portion sticks out of the ground. You generally only see them before it’s too late. Between trying to control the head-shake in the loose stuff and throwing my weight around on the pegs to avoid the lurkers, I was getting quite a work-out. One gets into a situation where moving slightly left or right puts you in a different scenario which demands different techniques – WICKED! I was depositing residues on my underwear, but absolutely loving it. So, the urge to take pictures on the TOC for the WD’s eventually won. (Hope you enjoy it!)
I just started getting the hang of the Calcrete roads, when Mr. Murphy changed tactics.
He dished up a red material, origins unknown to me. It too took some getting used to, but once I had the techniques in hand, the grinning started! Not 220km/h on dirt (my china), but comfortable at about 110km/h and fun doesn’t begin to describe it! I think of it as a kind of equilibrium zone, such that all my ability and all the scenarios are in tune. Sand, pebble beds, calcrete, lurkers, etc. all taken at a reasonable speed with much excitement.
According to T4A there is not meant to be any tar in this section right up to Vivo. Unfortunately development doesn’t even wait for T4A. I felt I could cry when I suddenly run up onto the black shi’te. I was just getting this equilibrium theorem of mine tweaked when this stuff happened! I had to stop, get off the bike and take a breath. I was so disappointed! I stopped under a shady tree next to the nice new tar road. At least the scenery was still ok.
After 10km though, I was very happy to find that my route veered off of the new route back onto the fun stuff again!
These roads north of Glen Alpine Dam run through small villages where everyone waves and has smiles on their faces, I really loved this stretch! I need to go back there.
After Vivo, the route took me by Tar all the way to Waterpoort, where another member posted a thread in Mountain Passes of SA.
In that thread he mentions that riding this pass requires about 4 hrs. I arrived at Waterpoort at 12:30, a full hour and forty-five ahead of my planned schedule. Whilst consuming the packed lunch that I prepared on Friday night and a Fanta Orange which I purchased from the Padstal across the road from the Pass’ entry, I contemplated doing it quickly. Eventually I gave Excalibur the “Binne vet van die bout” and accepted that I would have to come back another time with a riding buddy and some time in hand.
Silver devoured the last 85km of the day as eagerly as she did the first, and we arrived at our destination 2 odd hours ahead of plan.
Much drinking, laughing and general unruliness followed until I managed to sneak off to bed rather late at night. The evening’s company, food and drink were excellent. I did have a lingering regret the whole of today, but nothing that couldn’t be managed with a variety of pain killers and obscene amounts of water.
Almost everyone will agree that waking up in the silence of the bushveld is special. Imagine what it was like for me this morning waking up in the bushveld, with a DS bike and the prospect of another 550km back home!! Whhooo hooo!!
I greeted everyone whilst they were loading their haul into various forms of transport. Silver’s roar I’m sure made some game run for cover, but I am more certain that some of the guys loading the week’s spoils were quietly wishing they were astride her for the trip home instead of in the meat wagons.
In the town of Allday’s I filled up with fuel and made contact with loved ones to let them know I am safe and en-route again. I hadn’t really planned Day 2 as much as I did Day 1, but had decided on the general direction and that I didn’t want to use any of the paths I came up on Day1. Easy, there are so many roads to take. I chose a different route back to Marken, and was pleasantly surprised when what was meant to be tar section was in fact not, thus giving me even more grin time.
The guys at the fuel station joked a bit about my balaclava and something about these big KTM’s being for tsotsi’s.
I had to stop when I saw water in a river; it was the first water I’d seen up there. It turned out to be a weir just under the bridge damming this scarce resource.
Upon discovering my luck regarding the Not-so-tar section I saw a little shop and decided to have a coke. I was really impressed by the cleanliness. I felt almost ashamed to dirty the freshly polished stoep with my dusty number 10’s.
On the way to Marken I had some more of the previous day’s joy!
I re-crossed the TOC, but this time stopping was a little less traumatic. This big tree is miraculously on the TOC?
Now, some have asked how come there’s not many ride reports from the north – well, its simple. Any person who has ridden there will want to keep it for themselves!! I rode through the Laphalala Wilderness area between Marken and Vaalwater. I cant describe it! You have to go there to understand. The roads are such fun. The scenery is awesome.
From Vaalwater I took out the riding crop and put a bit of giddy-yup into Silver along the bitumen trail, since my appetite was now my strongest need.
Below is the trips’ stats and Day 2 Route.
I haven’t worked out my consumption exactly, but I was averaging about 7ltrs/100km. Considering that I was in fairly high revs on dirt and fairly high speed on tar, I don’t think that’s too bad.
Hope to see you all on these fun roads soon!
