Kaokoland: a perspective from a pink bike

[skydiver]

Great report Zanie.
I have a lot of respect for the CRF230F bikes.
I got one last year and every ride I do on the little bike puts a smile on my face.

 

[MRK Miller]

This was also a truly awesome report, and absolutely worth the wait. Thank you so much for a splendid afford. I sincerely hope this also gets hopped unto the role of honor reports

 

[Zanie]

The great spirit between the riders is once again manifested by the fact that we stayed together and made sure that all were save, but also enjoyed it!

You hit the nail on the head. It was a real help-mekaar trip, full of cameraderie.

Many thanks to all of you who made it possible for me to have such a great trip and even now can keep my reliving it through this RR as I lost all my photo’s with my phone :'(

Regardless, I'd still like to hear the rest of your story.

This was also a truly awesome report, and absolutely worth the wait. Thank you so much for a splendid afford

And thanks for hanging around all this time!

I have a lot of respect for the CRF230F bikes.
I got one last year and every ride I do on the little bike puts a smile on my face.

I adore both my bikes. The Rally is great for the rougher dual-sport, but the little pink bike has taken me to amazing places and mental limits! The 230 is basically indestructible. Not so the rider...

 

[Noneking]

Great report! I hope that someday I'll be able to do this trip again!  :deal:

 

[McSack]

What a great RR ! Thanks Zanie and of course all the models who posed for photos
Really hoping I get to ride up there some time soon in the future.

Sent from my BV9500 using Tapatalk

 

[RrP]

What an epic report thank you.

 

[MRK Miller]

Cannot remember if someone asked this before. My wife is on a 250 tornado, which i believe is more that capable. i would like to know what your average speed was or should be so that we can do some practice runs, and get use to the pace. Tank you again. Voting this for role of honor section 

 

[Oubones]

Cannot remember if someone asked this before. My wife is on a 250 tornado, which i believe is more that capable. i would like to know what your average speed was or should be so that we can do some practice runs, and get use to the pace. Tank you again. Voting this for role of honor section

Even when my Klr was running right, speeds were low so no problem with that.
Power in the sand is an bit of an issue but there are easier routes so do not stress!

 

[Zanie]

My wife is on a 250 tornado, which i believe is more that capable. i would like to know what your average speed was or should be so that we can do some practice runs, and get use to the pace.

No need to aim for a certain speed. Rather ride a speed that is comfortable for her, which will decrease any chance of mishap. A crash decreases your average speed a lot. What made this tour nice is that the fast guys could go flying at the front and snails such as myself could check out the scenery at the back. If you want to get an idea of exactly how slow my slow is, I've pasted some stats from my tracks. I should probably go hide in shame now. :-[

Route	km/h (moving)	km/h (incl. stops)
Usakos to Spitzkoppe	35	26
Palmwag to Opuwo	53	44
Opuwo to Epupa	44	33
Epupa to Van Zyls	29	21
Van Zyls to Marble Camp	19	11
Marble Camp to Purros	25	25
Purros to Khowarib	43	33
Khowarib to Twyfelfontein	51	42
Twyfelfontein to Brandberg	32	25
Brandberg to Usakos	54	44

 

[Crossed-up]

No need for shame. You have so much to be proud of. There are the best part of 20 000 bikers on this forum (including me) who've never come close to what you've done.

Incidentally, we're lucky to average 12kph on a Sunday Quarry ride.

 

[MRK Miller]

No shame. In fact, you have given hope to people like me now, that there is a way for me to actually do something like this. On the video most of it looks around 60 or 70 km/h. So even if you where slow you still managed to have enough stop and rest time, and that makes it so much better. Thank you so much

 

[Zanie]

No need for shame. You have so much to be proud of. There are the best part of 20 000 bikers on this forum (including me) who've never come close to what you've done.

I have Lance and you to thank for putting me on the path of bike enlightenment. You guys have taught me to give everything a try, even if it is tricky. Yet my skills level is nowhere near most of those 20,000 bikers mentioned! But you have shown me what's possible  :biggrin:

Incidentally, we're lucky to average 12kph on a Sunday Quarry ride.

I just had to go check, and you're right. 10 km/h, even including the tar sections to/from the bush!

No shame. In fact, you have given hope to people like me now, that there is a way for me to actually do something like this. On the video most of it looks around 60 or 70 km/h. So even if you where slow you still managed to have enough stop and rest time, and that makes it so much better. Thank you so much

Looks are very deceiving. Check the speedo on the video at 9:36. Don't let the perception of speed hold you back, or feel that you must go the speed of everyone else. Tour organisers who allow people to set their own pace are the best. It's also safer, because accidents happen if you ride outside your limit. And if you don't push yourself, you end up feeling less tired by the end of the day than you would have otherwise. I am forever grateful that Lance is one of those rare guys that are ok with going a slower pace (as long as he can explore every little technical obstacle / side road / riverbed he sees!).

 

[MRK Miller]

No need for shame. You have so much to be proud of. There are the best part of 20 000 bikers on this forum (including me) who've never come close to what you've done.

I have Lance and you to thank for putting me on the path of bike enlightenment. You guys have taught me to give everything a try, even if it is tricky. Yet my skills level is nowhere near most of those 20,000 bikers mentioned! But you have shown me what's possible  :biggrin:

Incidentally, we're lucky to average 12kph on a Sunday Quarry ride.

I just had to go check, and you're right. 10 km/h, even including the tar sections to/from the bush!

No shame. In fact, you have given hope to people like me now, that there is a way for me to actually do something like this. On the video most of it looks around 60 or 70 km/h. So even if you where slow you still managed to have enough stop and rest time, and that makes it so much better. Thank you so much

Looks are very deceiving. Check the speedo on the video at 9:36. Don't let the perception of speed hold you back, or feel that you must go the speed of everyone else. Tour organisers who allow people to set their own pace are the best. It's also safer, because accidents happen if you ride outside your limit. And if you don't push yourself, you end up feeling less tired by the end of the day than you would have otherwise. I am forever grateful that Lance is one of those rare guys that are ok with going a slower pace (as long as he can explore every little technical obstacle / side road / riverbed he sees!).

That mindset of Lance is a good mind set and something i intend taking to heart and implementing.

 

[Zanie]

You may find your wife becomes a more-than-willing ride companion if the 'slow approach' is followed. :thumleft: It's also great if each has their own bike. Double the fun!

It was thanks to Lance's slow perseverance that I didn't get put off riding early on; given the traumatic experience of an off relatively early in my riding 'career'. Riding at my pace meant 40 km/h down gravel highway to Cederberg when I was new at riding! :imaposer:

 

[big oil]

Well done Zanie!  I can only keep dreaming of riding that area of the world someday.

Appears Hardy and crew run a top shelf tour.

And, how about that @Oubones whom seems to always be there to lend a helping hand.

@Zanie Out of curiosity, would you choose to purchase the CR250 Rally again, knowing that you likely couldn't ride it in off-road conditions, such as this trip, where it appears you rode your 230 the entire trip?

 

[Zanie]

Will I buy the Rally again? A resounding yes. All-in-all I find it a good all-rounder: great commuter (before Covid, I used to commute 70km/day) and great lets-go-explore-that-random-single-track bike. No bike is perfect, but neither are my skills. Buying a different bike won't change that!

This is the only "dual-sport" tour where I haven't used the Rally. I haven't posted many ride reports lately, but that's not because I'm not riding!

As an example, here's a very short video of Lance and I messing around in the bush in our backyard.

[flash=800,450]https://www.youtube.com/v/hLC8Ij6WwOI[/flash]

And some random pics from other rides:

 

[Zanie]

Yet if I had to choose between riding in crazy terrain on a dual sport vs. a dirt bike, the dirt bike wins every time, since it can take someone who doesn't have Chris Birch skills to some amazing spots. And a dirt bike is just more fun!

 

[Hardy de Kock]

True adventurers - Lance and Zanie. Lance even learned to appreciate "pap" on the trip. (not sure if it was mentioned)
Taking it easy and soaking up the terrain, landscape and the different cultures in the areas you ride in, is key to the overall enjoyment of the trip.
This they do really well. Lance is also a navigation boffin and made it through the trails with only his cellphone as navigational aid.
Zanie used the right bike for the trip and the speed she was traveling at was never a problem for anyone. They also made a point of stopping regularly to rest, eat/drink, and to take pictures, which helps on a long trip like this.
Less people will fall and hurt themselves by applying the principles they did.

Do not use a bike that will tire you out when it gets technical. Smaller is better in every way
Rest regularly
Keep your energy levels up with consistent nourishment
Take it easy - there is no rush
Eat pap

Nice report Zanie - Thank you very much

 

[Grootseun]

Thanks for sharing.

Finished reading  the report in one sitting.

Truly amazing place. I need to make a plan to visit someday.

I really enjoyed the photo-heavy nature of the report. Its always a difficult balance between enjoying riding and sacrificing foto’s and vice-versa.

 

[Zanie]

Lance even learned to appreciate "pap" on the trip. (not sure if it was mentioned)

I completely forgot about that!

Hardy hit the nail on the head about taking the time to enjoy your trip and choosing a bike that won't tire you. If I did not have my CRF230F, I would have taken my Rally. The initial plan was actually to take the Rally, with Lance on his 800GSA, but both of us decided that smaller would be more fun. No reason to half-kill yourself if you don't need to. I would have survived on the Rally, but I'm sure I would have reached camp an exhausted mess on the more technical days.

When we started riding, we often joined big group rides, but these are dangerous. You'd find youself riding outside your comfort zone in order to keep up. Now it's usually just Lance and I. Or else, a tour like this one, where everyone can go at their own speed. As long as Lance is navigating, I have full confidence that we will reach our destination. Even on that long day, where we had a 1.5-hour rest stop and kept speed down to 40-50 km/h thanks to low oil and fuel levels, we still got to camp shortly after sundown.

I've been on a tour where you can set your own pace, but people don't get the tracks. If an event happens where the backup and back-markers miss each other (which also happened on that tour), things can go south quickly. Hardy gave us the tracks, so I was never worried about whether we were going in the wrong direction!

Also, another tip we learnt from Hardy and crew: Rehidrat. I thought it was just a gimmick. Nope. We now take it on all our dirt bike trips. It's weird how it just takes that tired edge off. And I don't have a dehydration headache by the end of the day. ;D

I really enjoyed the photo-heavy nature of the report. Its always a difficult balance between enjoying riding and sacrificing foto’s and vice-versa.

I'm glad you like the photos. :thumleft: There's no real sacrifice during the trip, since most of the photos are snapshots from footage. Lance can switch his GoPro on/off while riding (it's attached to his helmet). The time sacrifice therefore doesn't happen during the trip, but after, which is preferable. As an example: The Brandberg riding day has 173 pictures; only 25 of those are photos, mostly from campsites or rest stops. Yet it took close to 19 hours to take snapshots from the footage and choose photos just for this day. That doesn't count Lance's time to run them all through Lightroom, so add probably another 3 hours.