- Joined
- Jan 24, 2006
- Messages
- 5,166
- Reaction score
- 352
- Location
- Brakpan, South Africa
- Bike
- BMW R1200GS HP2
It was Saturday morning of a long weekend and our regular “speelgroepie” knew we wanted to go somewhere, but the decision wasn’t final. In the end we decided fukkit, let’s go to Koro Koro near Warmbath. Sweis/Adele said they had space and I knew a delightful road that would take us from Harties all the way to Koro without doing more than 10 km on tar.
Meeting at Engen Harties:
When I got to Engen at Harties I had a flat, which I should have taken as a bad sign, but there was no way I was going to turn back so I plugged the farker and we got on with the business.
Tupperware Du Plessis had eventually decided to get himself some soft luggage – courtesy of Runner, now he must just figure out all those straps.
All along the famous Canal route till Nino called and asked where we were, so we turned off to Beestekraal and went to get him to join in our antics. Here we had a sharpie before we continued on our journey followed by Nino in his bakkie!
Meeting up with Nino at Beestekraal
He was suffering from the after effects of the previous nigh as well as having a case of long tom Zamalecks in the cooler, so he proved much entertainment.
Scenic photo at Beestekraal
At some stage he managed to hook of several km’s of barber wire which he dragged behind his cabie till it wrapped so badly around the rear axle, the bakkie grinded to a halt. Several hours later we managed to clear all the wire and continued our journey.
Zamaleck stop on the way
….where the local gets warned not to drink and walk
We eventually arrived at Koro after 6pm and immediately got ourselves another sharpie before we eventually retired to our camping spot at 8pm to pitch our tents and make a fire. Advice: Don’t buy your firewood along the road outside Warmbath, you will use an entire packet of Blitz and still no fire. Buy your wood from Sweis, it’s dry and gives a nice fire and aroma - all that is needed for a night in da cold bushveld.
Nino dragging some 2km of barbed wire down the road
Fortunately the cop who pulled up got out his bakkie Amstel in hand, else this could get nasty
Sorting the groot k@k
Wrapped stuffs
………and Nino providing more entertainment
Of course I suffered another puncture, which I noticed as we were looking for our campsite, but I only fixed that on Sunday morning. A leisure awakening, followed by an endless search for the fookin hole in the tyre saw us leaving Koro around 9:30 heading for Thabazimbi via Rankens Pass.
This one can shread a tyre chop chop
Enroute I noticed Daboulamanzi behaving badly, so I checked and needles to say the puncture was leaking again. So a quick fix and off we went again. Just before Thabazimbi we turned left and headed for Rooiberg.
Koro Koro – always in mint condition
Sweis and Adele really keeps this place in tip top condition
Yet another puncture saw me riding into the garage at Rooiberg with my moermeter indicating red.
Waterberge
The rocky surface before Rooiberg had really taken its toll on the rear and a hole so big my thump fitted in the hole had reared its ugly head. Five plugs later the hole seemed to be plugged and we headed to Jakkalsdans for lunch. After lunch I noticed the rear was still inflated, happy days and decided to head back home on tar and not temp fate.
Finally at Koro
Making breakfast
Pannier du Plessis & Son
Fixing punctures without a centre stand
Cooked meal at Jakkalsdans in Rooiberg
However Murphy has decided that was no the way things were going to happen, so as we hit the R516 from Warmbaths to Thabazimbi, I noticed the rear running all over the place. Yes all the plugs had disappeared from the hole and the tyre had severely disintegrated – to the extent where travelling another 10 cm’s would be utterly foolish. After much deliberation we decided to load Daboulamanzi in the back of the D/C after removing the screen and handle bars. As the saying goes – there is a first for everything.
Plugging holes
……and another
This was the first time ever in ± 30 years of riding where I could not complete my journey due to tyre failure. In retrospect I guess I should have taken better care of it, maybe pumped it a bit harder, or softer or been a little lighter on the throttle, but yea it’s now to late for sorrow.
Twice I have ridden to Thabazimbi with Daboulamanzi, and twice he had to come back on the back of a bakkie. Am I missing something here?
Lesson learn: When you plug a tyre, do not add tyreweld. Nothing sticks to that stuff and all plugs will simply pop out
One farked tyre later and Daboulamanzi had to ride back in da bakkie
Meeting at Engen Harties:
When I got to Engen at Harties I had a flat, which I should have taken as a bad sign, but there was no way I was going to turn back so I plugged the farker and we got on with the business.
Tupperware Du Plessis had eventually decided to get himself some soft luggage – courtesy of Runner, now he must just figure out all those straps.
All along the famous Canal route till Nino called and asked where we were, so we turned off to Beestekraal and went to get him to join in our antics. Here we had a sharpie before we continued on our journey followed by Nino in his bakkie!
Meeting up with Nino at Beestekraal
He was suffering from the after effects of the previous nigh as well as having a case of long tom Zamalecks in the cooler, so he proved much entertainment.
Scenic photo at Beestekraal
At some stage he managed to hook of several km’s of barber wire which he dragged behind his cabie till it wrapped so badly around the rear axle, the bakkie grinded to a halt. Several hours later we managed to clear all the wire and continued our journey.
Zamaleck stop on the way
….where the local gets warned not to drink and walk
We eventually arrived at Koro after 6pm and immediately got ourselves another sharpie before we eventually retired to our camping spot at 8pm to pitch our tents and make a fire. Advice: Don’t buy your firewood along the road outside Warmbath, you will use an entire packet of Blitz and still no fire. Buy your wood from Sweis, it’s dry and gives a nice fire and aroma - all that is needed for a night in da cold bushveld.
Nino dragging some 2km of barbed wire down the road
Fortunately the cop who pulled up got out his bakkie Amstel in hand, else this could get nasty
Sorting the groot k@k
Wrapped stuffs
………and Nino providing more entertainment
Of course I suffered another puncture, which I noticed as we were looking for our campsite, but I only fixed that on Sunday morning. A leisure awakening, followed by an endless search for the fookin hole in the tyre saw us leaving Koro around 9:30 heading for Thabazimbi via Rankens Pass.
This one can shread a tyre chop chop
Enroute I noticed Daboulamanzi behaving badly, so I checked and needles to say the puncture was leaking again. So a quick fix and off we went again. Just before Thabazimbi we turned left and headed for Rooiberg.
Koro Koro – always in mint condition
Sweis and Adele really keeps this place in tip top condition
Yet another puncture saw me riding into the garage at Rooiberg with my moermeter indicating red.
Waterberge
The rocky surface before Rooiberg had really taken its toll on the rear and a hole so big my thump fitted in the hole had reared its ugly head. Five plugs later the hole seemed to be plugged and we headed to Jakkalsdans for lunch. After lunch I noticed the rear was still inflated, happy days and decided to head back home on tar and not temp fate.
Finally at Koro
Making breakfast
Pannier du Plessis & Son
Fixing punctures without a centre stand
Cooked meal at Jakkalsdans in Rooiberg
However Murphy has decided that was no the way things were going to happen, so as we hit the R516 from Warmbaths to Thabazimbi, I noticed the rear running all over the place. Yes all the plugs had disappeared from the hole and the tyre had severely disintegrated – to the extent where travelling another 10 cm’s would be utterly foolish. After much deliberation we decided to load Daboulamanzi in the back of the D/C after removing the screen and handle bars. As the saying goes – there is a first for everything.
Plugging holes
……and another
This was the first time ever in ± 30 years of riding where I could not complete my journey due to tyre failure. In retrospect I guess I should have taken better care of it, maybe pumped it a bit harder, or softer or been a little lighter on the throttle, but yea it’s now to late for sorrow.
Twice I have ridden to Thabazimbi with Daboulamanzi, and twice he had to come back on the back of a bakkie. Am I missing something here?
Lesson learn: When you plug a tyre, do not add tyreweld. Nothing sticks to that stuff and all plugs will simply pop out
One farked tyre later and Daboulamanzi had to ride back in da bakkie