EtienneNXR
Bachelor Dog
Crossing Karoo
Freedom, the thing we all strive for, probably the main reason I ride motorcycles. Whether you are on a GS1200 or a Honda 125 everyone can experience this feeling with just the twist of a wrist.
The trip I did was from Ladismith to Laingsburg on my Honda NXR 125, it a small dual sports bike that is as good on the gravel as it is on the tar. All geared up I embarked on the journey of about 180km, ACDCâ??s highway to hell playing on my ipod with the words of Angus Young â??Aint nothing I would rather doâ? echoing in my head and I could relate because there was absolutely nothing that I would rather be doing.
The first 40km or so of the trip were some very scenic tar roads through the beautiful Karoo, then you hit the gravel and the fun really starts, I stopped at the beginning of the gravel road and was amazed to see what laid before me. Literally hundreds of hectares of mountains and road winding up to the top of the pass. I took some pictures and carried on riding, as you pass the houses of the local farm workers the young children come running out and waving and I feel somewhat of a hero to them in my own special way. I keep the bike steadily cruising at 85-90km/h and sheâ??s fine with that there no front end shake or unnecessary vibrations from the bike. I am still riding along around a sharp bend ,when the next thing I saw was a springbok right in front of me , I went hard on the brakes almost losing it but luckily stopped just in front of the buck there was a brief moment where we looked at each other, then he carried on not knowing how close he came to death. At the top of the mountain pass there were two signs one saying â??Klein Karoo boundaryâ? and the other â??Sentrale Karoo boundaryâ? so hear I was in the middle of the mighty Karoo. As I stood there two riders on 640 KTM adventures came by, and I couldnâ??t help but envy them. I have been riding for about a hour and a half and the Honda was still fine, nothing overheating or breaking. So far I cant say anything wrong about the bike, it has a trip and odo meter and the usual idiot lights also the long travel suspension soaks up bumps on the and the 5 speed gearbox laughs at steep hills. So on I rode through the winding roads and I cant help but wonder why they didnâ??t just make a long straight road instead of these twists and turns, maybe they had us adventure riders in mind?, the last couple of kilometers in the pass where horrendous potholes the size of sheep all over the road. I reduced speed and had to have some quick reactions to avoid the nasty ones. Into Laingsburg I went and enjoyed a brunch at the wimpy, reflecting on a great trip through nature.
There really isnâ??t one bad thing I could say about the Honda for R17000 it handles gravel an dirt superbly and out performs anything else in its class, the only thing I would change is trying to get a 6th gear in, is that maybe possible.
Freedom, the thing we all strive for, probably the main reason I ride motorcycles. Whether you are on a GS1200 or a Honda 125 everyone can experience this feeling with just the twist of a wrist.
The trip I did was from Ladismith to Laingsburg on my Honda NXR 125, it a small dual sports bike that is as good on the gravel as it is on the tar. All geared up I embarked on the journey of about 180km, ACDCâ??s highway to hell playing on my ipod with the words of Angus Young â??Aint nothing I would rather doâ? echoing in my head and I could relate because there was absolutely nothing that I would rather be doing.
The first 40km or so of the trip were some very scenic tar roads through the beautiful Karoo, then you hit the gravel and the fun really starts, I stopped at the beginning of the gravel road and was amazed to see what laid before me. Literally hundreds of hectares of mountains and road winding up to the top of the pass. I took some pictures and carried on riding, as you pass the houses of the local farm workers the young children come running out and waving and I feel somewhat of a hero to them in my own special way. I keep the bike steadily cruising at 85-90km/h and sheâ??s fine with that there no front end shake or unnecessary vibrations from the bike. I am still riding along around a sharp bend ,when the next thing I saw was a springbok right in front of me , I went hard on the brakes almost losing it but luckily stopped just in front of the buck there was a brief moment where we looked at each other, then he carried on not knowing how close he came to death. At the top of the mountain pass there were two signs one saying â??Klein Karoo boundaryâ? and the other â??Sentrale Karoo boundaryâ? so hear I was in the middle of the mighty Karoo. As I stood there two riders on 640 KTM adventures came by, and I couldnâ??t help but envy them. I have been riding for about a hour and a half and the Honda was still fine, nothing overheating or breaking. So far I cant say anything wrong about the bike, it has a trip and odo meter and the usual idiot lights also the long travel suspension soaks up bumps on the and the 5 speed gearbox laughs at steep hills. So on I rode through the winding roads and I cant help but wonder why they didnâ??t just make a long straight road instead of these twists and turns, maybe they had us adventure riders in mind?, the last couple of kilometers in the pass where horrendous potholes the size of sheep all over the road. I reduced speed and had to have some quick reactions to avoid the nasty ones. Into Laingsburg I went and enjoyed a brunch at the wimpy, reflecting on a great trip through nature.
There really isnâ??t one bad thing I could say about the Honda for R17000 it handles gravel an dirt superbly and out performs anything else in its class, the only thing I would change is trying to get a 6th gear in, is that maybe possible.
