Got the new bike.... went for a little TEST ride!

[Jay]

Left Uniondale for George to say hello to my granny and there after rode to Mosselbay to sleep over at my Aunt's place in Dana baai. I so badly wanted to ride to George via the Montague Pass but time restraints prevented it  :'(

Mosselbaai


The next morning we left for the Swartberg pass and Die hell. Problem was it was pissing with rain and all the way to Oudtshoorn I was hoping that on the opposite side of the mountain it will be dry. As luck would have it it did dry up a bit and we B-lined for the Congo caves for a quick coffee. We left the caves and a couple of km and even before we hit the dirt of the Swartberg pass the rain came down again.

Raining on Swartberg Pass


I told my 2IC if we get to the Gamkaskloof turnoff to the Hell and it is still raining we will continue on and head home... we were both silently praying it will be dry over the mountain. Our prayers were heard and at the turnoff we looked west and saw this...


Rain on either side but the road to Die hell in sunshine... and dry  ;D  :ricky:


Met some bloke on a new KTM also on a test ride... then later caught up to his mate on a BMW 1150. He never even told me his mate was ahead  :-\


A short smoke break and a photo shoot  


Look at the clouds in the background


Again some awesome views






Some wildlife as well


and what is a road without the water crossing... Take note how calm it is now!








And then we arrived


Stopped at the restaurant for some coffee and to arrange accommodation




Our accommodation  :thumleft:


We went for a stroll and took some pics, watched a bit of bush tv and went to bed
 



Some of the other Accommodation available for the pissies  eepwall:


Our TV


So in the middle of the night I wake up with the sound of rain... Was hoping it will let up as that water crossing was on my mind. It did not rain when we left the next morning but it did not stay away long either.

Remember the calm crossing... here it is again after some rain!


It was so deep it got into my boots


even the little ones puffed up nicely


Anyway we made it to Prince Albert and had lunch


We spent the rest of the day in heavy rain and even some ice rain... tried to make it to Kimberley but gave up outside Three Sisters and staid the night.... Was to cold and to wet to get any more pics. We arrived in Pretoria the next day pushing through 960km but luckily no rain.

Trip Summery:
13 Days
4800km
Avr 309.3km/day
Avr 444km/tank (Allot of 140+km/h)
R4911.91 spent on Fuel

Thank you and hope you enjoyed our little Test ride  :thumleft:

 

[COLES]

By far the best report posted this year great photo,s such a lot to see in the area around Prince Alfred

 

[Keith Barbier]

Thanks Jay - that was a TEST ride of note  :thumleft:  :thumleft:

 

[TVB]

Very lekker test ride indeed, you are privileged :thumleft:

 

[JMass]

Awesome RR bud  :thumleft:

 

[espresso]

FANTASTIC to see someone who realises that if you want to use your bike properly - it's going to get scratched.
Good on ya mate!

 

[Jay]

Here is a little video clip of the river crossing after the rain...  :ricky:

Click on the image to view

 

[Jay]

By far the best report posted this year great photo,s such a lot to see in the area around Prince Alfred

Thanks Coles I appreciate the vote...  :thumleft:

 

[Jay]

FANTASTIC to see someone who realises that if you want to use your bike properly - it's going to get scratched.
Good on ya mate!

That is my thoughts exactly... you keep so much fun away from you by worrying about little things. Everything on a bike can be replaces or repaired so stop worrying so and get out and ride, ride, ride and come off every now and then as it only makes you a better rider  ;D

 

[DirtyHarry]

Nice one Jay. I have visited the same spots with pillion a few years ago. Brings back good memories.
The new LC seems to be a packhorse of note.
You definitely run in your bike the right way  :ricky:

 

[Frannarossi]

Very nice RR and pics and I love that new bike of yours :thumleft:

 

[gogo]

Great report. Thanks for sharing. Looks like you really had a great time  :drif:

 

[Jag man]

Awsome ride report thanks for sharing .Next on my list .Thanks again.

 

[KarooKid]

Awesome. This made me want to ride NOW!!!!

 

[Jay]

Thanks for all the nice messages...  :thumleft: it makes it worth posting reports!

 

[ALLEN I]

Thanks man that was cool, hag a good ride with you ous. brings back memories, like that drift you ous got, we almost lost a bike there after a heavy down pour, once again thanks for sharing.  :ricky:

 

[HB 9]

Great RR and trip  :thumleft:

A few points on your riding experiences with the LC's handling, low speed riding, up and down hills ect please  :sip:

 

[Jay]

Great RR and trip  :thumleft:

A few points on your riding experiences with the LC's handling, low speed riding, up and down hills ect please  :sip:

HB 9 I have been riding a 2007 GSA for a couple years so I can only comment on the differences in those two beasts... The new GSA LC offers allot more than it's predecessor in way of ease of mind and rider comfort. Not so much the seats as the functionality of the console and electronics, lets call it rider assistance.

Let me start off with the fancy little things... Cruse control is the best thing since bubble gum  :thumleft: you now have the opportunity to relax your hand, wrist, shoulders and it reduce the amount of concentration needed on keeping to the speed limit. Amazing how much time it free's up to take a moment to enjoy the surroundings. The lighter pull required on the clutch lever makes a huge difference and reduce cramping and muscle ache. This together with the fact that you have so much more torque, the amount of gear changes you need to make is very low.  That torque works well when going up steep sections requiring a bit of manoeuvring (Eg. Sani Pass) it allows a 2nd gear low rev and relaxed power transfer that reduce fatigue on the upper body and arms. I suggest handle bar raisers and the correct handle bar setup to assist even more.

I was to lazy to change my suspension setup so I use to set it up quite hard and ride it like that over all terrain. With this bike it is a press of a button and the fact that it adjust as the terrain differs is undesirably remarkable in how the bike behaves. Very few times did I bottom out and at some sections I was wowed by the difference in handling. It almost makes the weight of the bike inconsequential so it feels like a 650. Anyway once you learn to keep the bike upright and to use the momentum of that "vettie" to your advantage weight will no longer be much of a worry.

I have had a couple of impact punctures so after a hard bang on a rock, a glance at the display to see the pressure is fine was for me such a confidence booster that it relaxed my riding mood making the trip so much better. The little things we think as over the top and sales gimmicks actually serve a grater purpose once we learn to use it to it's full potential. As an example is the heated grip... we never care or needed it but man what that can do to your trip when you need it hey  ;D

Overall it is one very well thought out and engineered piece of equipment that has much more potential than most of us have the skill to exploit or even be willing to exploit.

Only negative points from my short and quick ride... Seats are less comfy, pannier barrel locks are vin specific (Stupid BMW  :-\), the rear load rack is the size of a micro chip, the glovebox opening screw should have been stainless steal (mine is rusting), windshield seams very flimsy but then again it did not damage with that I did, the ASC could and did cause stalls in very lose terrain so I switched it of or ride on the Enduro Pro setting. ASC stops my accidental wheelies (the only ones I can do  atch

So yes if I missed out on something you would like my opinion on please ask ja  

 

[Johan10]

Mooi foto wat jy van my Twin daar by Smitswinkel geneem het.  8)

Bly julle het 'n veilige trip gehad.

Daai concrete in die baviaans is nogal 'n spoiler, gelukkig maak die view daarvoor op!

 

[BryanOC6]

Now that's how you run your boney in!,

Leke RR  :hello2: