Willem55
Puppy
I did my first adventure trip on Human Rights day. I hooked up with two buddies and we decided to go big or go home on our day trip. We departed from the Paarl toll gate at 5h30 with two of us on KTM1090's (Both of them with only 1000km on the clock) and one on an African Twin. The first stint took us to Ceres where we filled up and grabbed some coffee.
From there we road over the Gydo Pass and stopped at the top to look at the sunrise on what would become one of the best days I have ever spent on a motorbike. We jumped on the bikes and took the road over Katbakkies which was tricky because of the sun rising. From there we headed out to the Tankwa Padstal and had some coffee. We looked at the map and planned our final route for the day.
We headed out and the plan was to head over Ganagga pass to Middelpos. The road was pure heaven, and as we were going along at a solid pace I started to enjoy the big Katoom more than I would ever imagine. It only got better during the day....... Much better!!!
We took the first turn off from the main road and this section of road was wide open with the culverts in the road adding to the fun. We stopped at the road where you can turn back to the main Calvinia road and I noticed I had a screw in my rear tyre. We had to make a decision if we are heading back or continuing to Middelpos. We decided to continue and just check the tyre pressure every couple of kilometers.
The road from here to the top of Ganagga pass was more technical and the big Katoom took it in its stride. There was allot of rain in the area and the road was washed away in some sections which added to the fun. The Ganagga pass was allot of fun with the Katoom and it was handling like a 450...... well at least in my head ;D ;D . The scenery at the top of the pass was awesome and I good not believe that we were only a couple of 100km's out of Cape Town.
From there we headed to Middelpos for fuel but when we arrived there it was load shedding. We were stuck there for 90 minutes but it was definitely not a bad little place to be stuck in. We had a beer or two in the hotel and the tannie made us a lekker breakfast on her gas stove. If the power came on 30 minutes later we would have probably stayed in the bar for the remainder of the day and slept in the hotel..... The beer tasted very nice after such a long dusty road...
We filled the bikes and we headed towards Sutherland. We decided to take the Oubergpas road back. The road is full of 'sinkplate' and the KTM had a couple of rattles on those roads. I had to stop to make sure it was still in one piece.... We reached Oubergpas and there were two guys on BMW's braaing wors. We stopped and chatted and admired the view from the top of the pass.
Down Oubergpass was the only real technical section for the day. My KTM boiled the rear brake but the other two were fine. It was interesting to ride such a big bike down the pass... suddenly it did not feel like a 450 anymore. With a couple of oooess and aaahhhs I made it down and the next piece of road was a absolute blast!!! We did some low flying all the way back to the Tankwa Padstal where we had a beer.
We went straight down the "main road" and did not do Katbakkies again. We filled up in Ceres again and decided to go via Gouda/Wolsley back home. We were held up at the road works but made it back well before dark.
All and all it was an awesome day and if you like riding your bike as much as possible and I can recommend this route. You have to do some low flying in certain areas to finish in time but the roads allow for this.
My next trip will be a multiple day trip because you would be able to enjoy the scenery and I think it will be nice to have a couple of beers with your mates after a long day in the saddle. I also realised that I bought the correct tool for my riding in the KTM. It did not miss a beat and the suspension for such a size bike boggles the mind. The African Twin is also an amazing bike but I prefer the big Katoom. I cannot wait for the next ride!![/img]
From there we road over the Gydo Pass and stopped at the top to look at the sunrise on what would become one of the best days I have ever spent on a motorbike. We jumped on the bikes and took the road over Katbakkies which was tricky because of the sun rising. From there we headed out to the Tankwa Padstal and had some coffee. We looked at the map and planned our final route for the day.
We headed out and the plan was to head over Ganagga pass to Middelpos. The road was pure heaven, and as we were going along at a solid pace I started to enjoy the big Katoom more than I would ever imagine. It only got better during the day....... Much better!!!
We took the first turn off from the main road and this section of road was wide open with the culverts in the road adding to the fun. We stopped at the road where you can turn back to the main Calvinia road and I noticed I had a screw in my rear tyre. We had to make a decision if we are heading back or continuing to Middelpos. We decided to continue and just check the tyre pressure every couple of kilometers.
The road from here to the top of Ganagga pass was more technical and the big Katoom took it in its stride. There was allot of rain in the area and the road was washed away in some sections which added to the fun. The Ganagga pass was allot of fun with the Katoom and it was handling like a 450...... well at least in my head ;D ;D . The scenery at the top of the pass was awesome and I good not believe that we were only a couple of 100km's out of Cape Town.
From there we headed to Middelpos for fuel but when we arrived there it was load shedding. We were stuck there for 90 minutes but it was definitely not a bad little place to be stuck in. We had a beer or two in the hotel and the tannie made us a lekker breakfast on her gas stove. If the power came on 30 minutes later we would have probably stayed in the bar for the remainder of the day and slept in the hotel..... The beer tasted very nice after such a long dusty road...
We filled the bikes and we headed towards Sutherland. We decided to take the Oubergpas road back. The road is full of 'sinkplate' and the KTM had a couple of rattles on those roads. I had to stop to make sure it was still in one piece.... We reached Oubergpas and there were two guys on BMW's braaing wors. We stopped and chatted and admired the view from the top of the pass.
Down Oubergpass was the only real technical section for the day. My KTM boiled the rear brake but the other two were fine. It was interesting to ride such a big bike down the pass... suddenly it did not feel like a 450 anymore. With a couple of oooess and aaahhhs I made it down and the next piece of road was a absolute blast!!! We did some low flying all the way back to the Tankwa Padstal where we had a beer.
We went straight down the "main road" and did not do Katbakkies again. We filled up in Ceres again and decided to go via Gouda/Wolsley back home. We were held up at the road works but made it back well before dark.
All and all it was an awesome day and if you like riding your bike as much as possible and I can recommend this route. You have to do some low flying in certain areas to finish in time but the roads allow for this.
My next trip will be a multiple day trip because you would be able to enjoy the scenery and I think it will be nice to have a couple of beers with your mates after a long day in the saddle. I also realised that I bought the correct tool for my riding in the KTM. It did not miss a beat and the suspension for such a size bike boggles the mind. The African Twin is also an amazing bike but I prefer the big Katoom. I cannot wait for the next ride!![/img]
