I have been planing a ride to malawi and back for a while now, and i have but 1 week to go before i head off on my trusty scoot. :ricky: the plan is to ride from here... natal midlands to malawi and back, via botswana, zambia, malawi, mozambique and swaziland over three weeks. :deal: I aim to ride everyday till i get to the top of lake malawi, going up central malawi then following the shore line south. once i am at the lake, i will spend a couple of days slowly making my way south, stoping for a night or three where ever i find a groovy spot to pitch my tent. I am aiming to average about 400kms per day, some days will be more, and some days less. But its not set in stone, so if i make good time and feel i can ride for a few more hours before sundown i will, or if i have had a rough day and only manage 200kms, then thats fine as well.this trip is really about having a great time and getting on my bike every day and riding somewhere new.as well as to put both myself and my bike through the paces to see what needs to be changed, modified, improved on etc beore i head off on my round the world trip.
here is a list of what i am taking with me, incase there are any folk out there that are thinking of doing something similar.
what im riding......
what im taking......
KITCHEN
stove
cooking pots + handle
lighter/matches
mix of herbs + spices + salt/pepper in small containers(STO......still to organize))
spoon/knife (sto)
cutting board (sto)
BEDROOM:
tent
sleeping bag
matress
WORKSHOP:
spare tubes( in the pic are the heavy duty tubes that i will fit before i go)
tyre leavers
toolkit
tyre pump
OFFICE:
camera + 20GB of memory cards (i know it seems like a lot but being a photographer, rather have too much than not enough :biggrin: )
spare battery + charger
passport + copies
yellow fever card
bike papers + copies
passport pics
GPS + paper maps
journal + pencil
BATHROOM:
microfibre towel
t/brush
t/paste
soap
shampoo
WARDROBE:
1 spare shirt
1 spare pants
5pairs socks
5pairs jocks
1 fleece jacket
1pair tracksuit bottoms
1pair swimming trunks
First Aid Kit
Head torch + spare batteries (i have one but not in pic)
1 helmet (wearing)
1 pair riding boots (wearing)
1 pair riding pants (wearing)
1 long sleeve shirt (wearing
1 body armour (sto...... am not sure yet if i will get the all in one body armour with elbow/shoulder pads/chest+back protector +kidney belt or just invest in a set of elbow pads. never have bothered with this sort of thing before, but am feeling that i should invest in some form of upper body protection for this solo trip???? any suggestions on this one??
and thats all that is coming along. if it doesnt fit into my backpack, then it stays behind!!!
MODIFICATIONS ON THE BIKE DONE SO FAR:
bigger foot welded to sidestand
12v socket mounted onto dash for GPS + pump
bike serviced
carb balancing to be done early next week
HD tubes for front and rear tyres to be fitted next week.
ZA sticker to be purchased and stuck on
and that is that. all the major issues and purchases have been done and i feel that i am pretty much ready to go, bar a few minor details. Once i had set a date and started to get things together, i found that there was a fair amount of stuff that i didnt have, so this being my first major trip on my bike has cost me a f%^king heap of cash so far, but at least i havent skimped out on the important stuff and i know it is going to last me for years to come.
My budget for the trip once i am under way is R8000. anything under that is going to be a bonus, and if i spend a little bit over budget, no worries.... its my holiday after all, but i am not going to spend my budget on anything that takes my fancy, just in the event of an unforseen expence that pushes me over budget, i am not going to worry too much.
So..... 7 days to go and counting. Now that i am ready for my adventure to start, the days seem to drag their heels :xxbah:
here is a list of what i am taking with me, incase there are any folk out there that are thinking of doing something similar.
what im riding......
what im taking......
KITCHEN
stove
cooking pots + handle
lighter/matches
mix of herbs + spices + salt/pepper in small containers(STO......still to organize))
spoon/knife (sto)
cutting board (sto)
BEDROOM:
tent
sleeping bag
matress
WORKSHOP:
spare tubes( in the pic are the heavy duty tubes that i will fit before i go)
tyre leavers
toolkit
tyre pump
OFFICE:
camera + 20GB of memory cards (i know it seems like a lot but being a photographer, rather have too much than not enough :biggrin: )
spare battery + charger
passport + copies
yellow fever card
bike papers + copies
passport pics
GPS + paper maps
journal + pencil
BATHROOM:
microfibre towel
t/brush
t/paste
soap
shampoo
WARDROBE:
1 spare shirt
1 spare pants
5pairs socks
5pairs jocks
1 fleece jacket
1pair tracksuit bottoms
1pair swimming trunks
First Aid Kit
Head torch + spare batteries (i have one but not in pic)
1 helmet (wearing)
1 pair riding boots (wearing)
1 pair riding pants (wearing)
1 long sleeve shirt (wearing
1 body armour (sto...... am not sure yet if i will get the all in one body armour with elbow/shoulder pads/chest+back protector +kidney belt or just invest in a set of elbow pads. never have bothered with this sort of thing before, but am feeling that i should invest in some form of upper body protection for this solo trip???? any suggestions on this one??
and thats all that is coming along. if it doesnt fit into my backpack, then it stays behind!!!
MODIFICATIONS ON THE BIKE DONE SO FAR:
bigger foot welded to sidestand
12v socket mounted onto dash for GPS + pump
bike serviced
carb balancing to be done early next week
HD tubes for front and rear tyres to be fitted next week.
ZA sticker to be purchased and stuck on
and that is that. all the major issues and purchases have been done and i feel that i am pretty much ready to go, bar a few minor details. Once i had set a date and started to get things together, i found that there was a fair amount of stuff that i didnt have, so this being my first major trip on my bike has cost me a f%^king heap of cash so far, but at least i havent skimped out on the important stuff and i know it is going to last me for years to come.
My budget for the trip once i am under way is R8000. anything under that is going to be a bonus, and if i spend a little bit over budget, no worries.... its my holiday after all, but i am not going to spend my budget on anything that takes my fancy, just in the event of an unforseen expence that pushes me over budget, i am not going to worry too much.
So..... 7 days to go and counting. Now that i am ready for my adventure to start, the days seem to drag their heels :xxbah:
