Lesotho, the hard way.(Complete)

[Michiel]

That old lady at Loxton was a real sweetie, she had no obligations to open up for us on that
Saturday late afternoon. Because she's short and couldn't quite see inside the petrol tank and I
was distracted with a phone call to my dad she overfilled the tank and spilled about half a litre
of petrol over my tank bag and engine. She was so kind I didn't even mind...

The Dutch Reformed Church in Loxton is all overgrown with a Venetian creeper. Must be a sight to behold
in autum when the leaves turn red.

From Loxton we hurried along in the direction of Vosburg via Pampoenpoort. The road is a joy to ride.
Unfortunately the end of the day has caught up with us and by the time we reached Pampoenpoort it
was evident that we won't make Orania unless we travel the remaining +- 250km of dirt in the dark.

With nocturnal creatures emerging from their daytime hiding places the risk of killing a furry animal
was just too great so we decided to rather make an unscheduled stop. Another reason I don't like riding
dirt roads at night is that one miss all the beautiful scenery, what a waste!

So we settled down on Pampoenpoort Train Station's stoep.

I went in search of water as both Dustdevil and I only had 1/2 a litre of water left. Not only was I thirsty but
I also desperately wanted to wash my hands. (I've got a obsession with washing my hands)
Believe it or not but I couldn't find a drop of water! There was a enclosed concrete reservoir a little distance
into the veld but the tiny amount of water that was left in it was not reachable unless I climbed inside. Uuum,
nah, I'll wash my hands tomorrow. We were just too tired to care much.


Dustdevil fell asleep as soon as his head hit the custom, made from clothes, pillow. Decent or not, who was to see?
I was so inspired by the atmosphere I scurried around the thorns and bushes to take some pictures.

With only the slightest kiss of a breeze blowing across the vast open plains of the Northern Cape the
night sky was crisp and clear, the stars were out in quantities that made us lyrical. We even witnessed
some sort of shooting star, only it was stranger as it burnt too long and bright to be just that.

 

[madmike999]

nice shots michiel,  like allot

 

[Stofdonkie]

Hierdie laaste foto is 'n beaut!
:thumleft:

 

[Inglsman]

hey, I really liked your packing, simple n neat.
On the red bike, is that side doo dah holding what looks like a sleep bag, is it  a commercial product? what bags are those on the kawa?

ta

Inglsman

 

[hondsekierie]

hey, I really liked your packing, simple n neat.
On the red bike, is that side doo dah holding what looks like a sleep bag, is it  a commercial product? what bags are those on the kawa?

ta

Inglsman

That doo dah on the red bike is from Bacbones (Google it)

Michiel, jy mag maar fotos neem.  Daai laaste klomp is van die beste Adv Riding pics wat ek nog ooit gesien het.  Briljant

 

[neil123]

Wow  :thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft:

 

[Michiel]

hey, I really liked your packing, simple n neat.
On the red bike, is that side doo dah holding what looks like a sleep bag, is it  a commercial product? what bags are those on the kawa?

ta

Inglsman

That doo dah on the red bike is from Bacbones (Google it)

The red bike, the HPN, has some Bones bags indeed. I'll get Dustdevil to say more about that.
The bags on my KLR are a combination of what Kawasaki sell for the KLR (the top box bag) and the rest are bags
I made up myself with moms help. Pooratech huh?
Even if I have to say so myself, they work beautifully! With some patience you'll
see just to what extent we tested man and machine.

 

[Dustdevil]

I hate the Bacbones stuff, but at the same time it is the best there is for this kind of riding.
Why do I hate it? it damn well take an hour a side to attach a Silo and just as long to get all the fiddly straps and buckles undone  :xxbah:, but I guess thats why they stay in place so well and they don't shift or flop around when the going gets bumpy. The secret is to leave them on the bike when doing long trips and to only remove the contents. Left side holds my tent and right side a Mosquito down sleeping bag from Cape Storm and a Ultra Light Therma-a-Rest sleeping mattress.

The pillion position is the place on your bike that can handle the most weight without endangering sub-frames and carrier or pannier frames from cracking and braking. Yes it might negatively influence handling because  of the higher centre of gravity but I believe that disadvantage is offset against keeping your luggage out of harms way when falling. The Bacbones trailbag could be removed and fitted in seconds. At first the flimsy plastic clips look like they will brake around the first bend but in reality the bags gravity make it stay put and you need something light-duty to keep it in place. Bones believe it is easier to repair a broken buckle than a torn bag so his choice of the cheaper buckles is for a very valid point. I myself had to make a repair on one of these clips and it was done in seconds with a simple cable tie.
I carried an Apple Powerbook in my luggage and have had my share of heavy crashes with no damage done to the luggage bags or its contents.

:thumleft: I can surely recommend the Bacbones luggage system as one of the best for when the going starts to get really tough, you must just learn to be patient when fitting and removing the Silo's

https://www.bhi.co.za/bacbones.htm

 

[Mark Hardy]

I'm in for the ride....this is going to be good  :thumleft:

 

[Wolfmother]

Van julle dudes kan ek net 'n bedonderde video verwag!!  (ek sien `n vid of the year kom.  eepwall

Gaan julle dit bemark? (en al die dawgs afslag gee)

 

[Michiel]

eepwall: uuum.

Op hierdie stadium gebeur daar basies niks in terme van video editing nie. Ek sit sonder die regte sagteware,
verdere spandering is ook nie meer 'n opsie nie  :'( en Dustdevil het meer dringende dinge om uit te sort.
Wees egter verseker, die beeldmateriaal wat op ons hardeskywe le is om mee rekenskap te hou en defnetief
genoeg om 'n lekker video van te maak.

Kom tyd kom raad.

 

[Dustdevil]

Van julle dudes kan ek net 'n bedonderde video verwag!!   (ek sien `n vid of the year kom.  eepwall

Gaan julle dit bemark? (en al die dawgs afslag gee)

Nie n slegte idee nie!! as daar geld of bier by betrokke is dan is daar altyd genoeg "motivation"om n ding te doen. Net een brobleem, Michiel drink glad nie bier nie en ek glo nie hy sal "editing" sagteware kan koop met bier nie :-\.

 

[Martin-DR650]

Baie nice trip! :thumleft:

 

[Vaufi]

If that stoep in Pampoenpoort would have been smaller I'm sure you guys would have slept outside just to make sure the bikes were comfy  :biggrin:
Die moiste kikies is die met die rooi buzz-bike  :ricky:

 

[LeonDude]

Very nice!  :thumleft:

 

[Michiel]

If that stoep in Pampoenpoort would have been smaller I'm sure you guys would have slept outside just to make sure the bikes were comfy  :biggrin:

:imaposer:  :laughing4: Yea, something like that... I somehow have to take care of her after a day of rough riding.

 

[Dustdevil]

If that stoep in Pampoenpoort would have been smaller I'm sure you guys would have slept outside just to make sure the bikes were comfy  :biggrin:
Die moiste kikies is die met die rooi buzz-bike  :ricky:

What do you mean!, the bitch can sleep outside as far as I care. We pulled them on the stoep so they were out of sight. We did not have permission for camping there so we tried to be as inconspicuous as possible.

 

[Jacko]

I had a pair of Bacbones silo panniers so here's my take on them:

They are very well made and very clever. BUT, they were designed for a 1200GS. To fit them to the HP2 meant a compromise i.t.o. positioning. They never felt quite right, always interfering with my legs when standing.

Great products, but not a natural fit for the HP2. Which was a pity, as I like the minimalist approach.

I now use Kappa soft luggage if I ever feel the need for panniers (which, if truth be told is not often these days). I reckon I can tour lekker with my HP2 tankbag, my tool bag at the back and a 20 - 30lt day bag/water bladder on my back. By now I have so much clever f*cking clothes (quick-dry stuff) and kit that I honestly don't know how you can fill three aluminium panniers with shit. Oh, I just realised why: Because it's shit.

I hate clutter and shit like farking dangling blikbekers and pans and waterbottles and blooming esspresso pots and dream catchers and KY Jelly and black dildoes and camping chairs and fishing rods. But I guess some people need them.

By the way, farking lekker photies!  :thumleft:

 

[the_BOBNOB]

awesome ride guys  :thumleft:

michiel what camera do you have - those night sky photos are amazing  :thumleft:

 

[Michiel]

Thanks for the compliments on the pics, I used a Canon 350D but what really made the difference
was the 14mm L-Series lens Dustdevil lend to me for the trip. As with the bike you must remember
that some of the results come from the technique applied and not just from the hardware.