Groot Marico KLR outing 27-4-2016

[Psycho Porra]

So the 27th came none too soon and we could eventually get out and ride.

I met up with Chaplain, No 17 and Claassen’s at 06h00 just outside Alberton and we made our way towards the Sasol Pinehaven. It was still dark and after a sprint on the highway (Claassen’s was just so eager to get to the gravel roads ;D we took the Hendrik Potgieter off-ramp and headed west towards the meeting point at the Sasol Pinehaven.
When we got to the Cradlestone Shopping centre we encountered the long rows of cars that were heading to Tarlton for the drags racing and Maropeng for a fun run. It was proper chaos at the intersection by the N14.  atch:

So we eventually arrived at the Sasol at 06h40 and after filling up and checking tyre pressures we parked the bikes and the long wait for the rest of the riders started  :sip:

Not long after that we saw a Blue new shape and a black new shape arrive but they seemed to not want to join us and parked on the other side of the parking lot :-\ (obviously they were not part of our ride)

Not long and our "rasie leier" Abre arrived and we waited for the rest and got chatting and then Renier and Annelize Harmse arrived followed by ChrisG. Now it was just a matter of waiting for SarelG and Shadow to arrive.

Eventually Shadow arrived in true East Rand fashion, loud and in a hurry > :lol8: and a while later our Uncle Admin, SarelG arrived with his wife.

So now we were all there and consisted of Myself (Pyscho Porra), Abre, Gerhard (Chaplain), Andre (No.17), Claassen’s, ChrisG, Dirk (Shadow), Renier and Annelize Harmse and Sarel and Lizelle Grobler.

The bikes for the day were 2 Fugly’s, 6 New Shapes (of which 4 were the new green ones) and 1 Hybrid (new shape converted to a fugly).


So now that we were all there and it was time to set off on what turned out to be a great ride.

 

[Psycho Porra]

We headed off from the Sasol Pinehaven in the direction of Tarlton by tar. Once we were past Tarlton we parted ways.  Abre, Shadow, Chaplain, Claassen’s, Renier, Annelize and myself headed onto the gravel roads while Andre, ChrisG, SarelG & Lizelle headed on tar towards the meeting point. We would eventually meet somewhere outside Koster and they would join us for the last section on gravel to avoid tollgates.

The gravel roads varied from gravel highways, rocky sections, corrugated roads to a little sand and mud.  Great riding and in no time at all we stopped for my cigarette break (thanks for thinking of this smoker Abre) and it was here that Claassen’s decided he cannot ride with wet pants and subsequently changed his pants. He was to change and get rid of clothing regularly on this trip so we gave him the name stripper :imaposer:

My lungs sufficiently filled full of nicotine , we were off again and this is where the fun started....  :lol8: :thumleft: :evil4:

As we got closer to the meeting point with the others that travelled via tar we encountered a great little section that consisted of loose sand, water puddles and some mud. This is where the likes of Abre, Harmse and Chaplain showed off their talents   :biggrin: :lol8: >

So I am riding diagonally to the right behind Chaplain when he decides to test his drifting skills  :lol8: :lol8:  I see his bike's back end start to act up like a rodeo bull due to loose sand and some potholes and that back end is all over the place  : :-\ eepwall:  but being a holy man that deals with a lot of problems in life Old Chaplain holds on and with a lot of prayers and some butt clenching moves manages to get the bike tracking true again  :thumleft: :laughing4:

Maybe another 800 metres and Chaplain was just recovering from his cramps in his butt due to all the clenching when I see that the line he is following is the same one that Renier took  (lots of snotty mud) which caused Renier’s bike to try and do a doughnut at 80kph with his wife on the back. Needless to say, from right at the back I could hear Annelize reprimanding her husband to stop his shenanigans and he brought his bucking steed into control.

Chaplain, not to be outdone and with his new found moves (Robbie Wessels can learn from this man how to Leeuloop > ) decided he will take the exact same line  ??? .... needless to say being a clergyman, the angels helped him to stay on his bike without losing it, only just. (moto GP riders can learn from this man how to lean a bike down low.... on a straight, muddy gravel road  :lol8: :lol8:



Now we all know that Men of the cloth always have an angel or 2 with them at all times because Chaplain's angel also turned out to be a KLR bush mechanic named Renier Harmse. So after all this entertainment, Renier notices that one of the bolts that holds the luggage rack to the bike is missing and the other side one is loose. He immediately hauls out his tools and a bag full of spare bolts and nuts and proceeds to put a new longer bolt in with a locknut on the other end and tighten the other side as well. That top box was so big that it was top heavy causing a lot of vibration which made the bolts come loose.  This was the 1st tip that Chaplain (and later SarelG & ChrisG as well) learnt on the day... LEAVE YOUR TOPBOX AT HOME WHEN GOING ON GRAVEL RIDES B)  :dry:


So after securing the topbox and Shadow and I enjoying a laugh at Chaplain's expense, we head off towards our meeting point to hook up with those that went via tar. The guys that went via tar had arrived there before us due to all the entertainment that Chaplain had provided. So, while waiting for us, Andre walked to the start of the gravel and using his “skills” determined that we had not passed there yet.  They then decided to erect a sign that they were there (just in case) and enjoyed a refreshment while waiting.

 

[Psycho Porra]

When we get there they ask us why we took so long and after hearing about the new dance moves of Chaplain, we all had a good laugh. While taking out a little refreshment for myself I noticed the bunch of rocks that SarelG and them had decided to erect to show us they were there


Andre decided to put flowers on for Diesel Dave that did not join us and I then decided to put my calling card on the top of it as well.  :imaposer:

So, me being a bit of a social being, I invite Dirk over to have a little something for the throat with me and he duly accepted, while listening to the guys that travelled via tar tell us about their “boring” ride to the rendezvous point


After a little while we all headed off onto the best part of the ride (scenery and riding wise). This was the time for Chaplain to show the tar riders (1st time gravel riders as well) how to ride gravel. I must say he was an excellent teacher because the roads were a lot worse than the previous time we went that way. What a way to experience gravel riding for the first time. It was very rocky ,twisty and knarly  but they all came out unscathed at the next stop  :thumleft: :drif:

So after the extreme Offroad course for the newbies we decided to stop on a bridge in the Kloof so they could rest and relax their sore wrists!   I tell you what, nobody could remove the smile off Classens and ChrisG’s faces.

We then headed into Groot Marico to get some nourishment at the Wag 'n bietjie pub, along with a few Rum and cokes >  All I can say is lekker plek, lekker kos en lekker mense. Oh and you could still not get the smiles off the newbies faces :lol8:

 

[Psycho Porra]

So after fueling up our bodies and bikes we decide to head off back home via another route which turned out to be even tougher than the first. Chaplain, with his new found gravel experience decides that he is definitely joining us on the gravel route. Andre, Chris, SarelG and Lizelle decide that they do not want to tempt fate and decide to head back towards Koster via tar.

I was just starting to enjoy the mud and water when in no time at all we were at the tar t-junction and because it was getting late we decided to slab it on tar for a while. So, through Koster and then Derby towards Magaliesburg. We eventually stopped somewhere between Magalies and Tarlton to say goodbye to SarelG and Lizelle who were heading via tar to Pretoria and Andre and ChrisG then joined us on the last section of gravel towards Krugerdorp. It was here that Chaplain's commented that he was pretty tired when we left Groot Marico and he was close to hitting tar back home instead of gravel. He said: "I never thought i will say this, after 10km on the tar I was wishing for some gravel to make the ride interesting again". That is the spirit.
Andre was so eager to get onto gravel he forgot about his sunglasses and promptly rode right over them.

We then stopped at the junction where Renier and Annelize were to head right towards Carltonville and then Andre noticed that his numberplate was bent in over the back wheel. He must of bottomed out heavily which caused his numberplate to catch the back wheel which subsequently bent it inwards and in doing so ripped his back mudguard to shreds.


Having seeing this ChrisG then checked his numberplate only to find that all the screws had come loose. Enter Abre and cable ties to secure the numberplate for the last stretch home.

 

[Psycho Porra]

So in summary it was a great day of riding full after laughter and learning curves for the newbies.

A big thanks to Abre for organising the trip and taking the lead.

Renier, for constantly making sure that Chaplain’s bike did not lose everything on it.

Gerhard, for having such a great attitude and providing us with entertainment for the day

Dirk, my rum runner twin for the day and enjoying the poison with me so I did not look like an alcoholic. Also, for riding all the way from the east, maybe you should organise something in the east next time round.


A few facts of the newbies to gravel
Chaplain - first time on a gravel road
Claassens - has only had his bike for 2 weeks prior to the ride Chrisg – never been on gravel and his bike is only 2 months old.
Andre who came all the way from Sasolburg and is by no means a youngster, your aches and pains will eventually go away.
SarelG – second time on gravel (first time was many moons ago on a RD350) and doing it with your wife on the back. Don’t know if I should say well done to you or to Lizelle for being so brave

you guys and gal all did very well and had a great spirit of adventure and did not complain once. I will gladly ride with you again..

 

[Abre]

Thanks Porra. It was an awsome ride.

Where to next time?

 

[LouisXander]

KLR's bly maar koning!!! Het self 2 gehad. Fugly's, blerrie lekker bikes!!!

 

[COLES]

nice report even the up side down pic,s

thank u for sharing

 

[T Rex]

Thanks for sharing ....  :thumleft:

 

[Serfie]

Damn...what a pity I didn't know about this trip... I know MANY of the surrounding gravel roads Magalies/Rustenburg/Carletonville/Koster and Derby way...and to top it all, also a KLR driver/fan. 

 

[Abre]

We planned this through the KLR Clan, you are welcome to join us.