Mozambique Sand Madness

[LanceSA]

I had tried to plan a ride to Zanzibar this winter but work and life got in the way and about May I realized it wasnâ??t going to happen. Reading the Enduro World mag, I came across an ad for a 9 day Mozambique Adventure with a company called Mototours and a guy named Roger Scheffer. Not being a Bmw guy, the name meant nothing to me, but I got hold of Roger and made arrangements to join the trip.

It turns out Roger is one of a handful of Bmw off road academy instructors, bike rider par excellence and general great guy.

Rogerâ??s trip planning and communication was absolutely outstanding. Included in the fee was all accommodation, food and the services of a back up vehicle, as well as Rogerâ??s services as tour leader and group organizer.

Together with 2 mates from East London, we set off on Thursday, the 12th June for Greytown, Mototoursâ?? home base. We had Wayneâ??s Ktm 950 and my Ktm 990 inside my wifeâ??s Vito and Geraldâ??s Gs 650 (the liâ??l red pony, more later) on a trailer with all the kit packed around the bikes â?? what a great vehicle.

In Greytown we met up with Jako on his new GSA and Derrick on his Hp2. Roger was riding a Hp2 as well. Friday we rode from Greytown to Kosi Bay Lodge, going off tar as much as possible. Closer to Kosi Bay we took some sand roads and had a glimpse of what was to come. I thought these roads sandy and difficult, not having much sand riding experience, but I was wrong - my sand riding experience was only just starting.

Rynardt on his X Challenge and Ian on another Hp2 joined us at Kosi Bay. So we were a party of 8 bikes: 3 x Hp2, 1 x Gsa, 1 x X Challenge, 1 x Gs 650, 2 x Ktm 950/990. Obviously the good natured banter never stopped. It was interesting to see the Bmw guys in their Gs boots, Gs pants, Gs shirts, Gs jackets, Gs gloves and Gs helmet ribbing the Ktm guys about being brand verskrik with our orange t-shirts!

On the detour sandy ride to the border post at the start of day 2 I suffered the ultimate humiliation and indignity of burning my clutch out and having to be towed by a Bmw. Strangely I have no photos of this event.   I believe, in hind sight that the clutch had a precondition that I had not realized. My dealer says that as you work the clutch hard ie sand riding, it heats up. If there is not enough free play in the clutch it then starts slipping. Because of the sand riding I did not pick it up. Just a few minutes of this heavy abuse and you can fry the clutch. Which is what I did.

We quickly made an alternate plan. My bike was put into the safe storage at the border post and I transferred to the back up vehicle, driven by Rogerâ??s wife, Amanda, and co-piloted by Derrickâ??s wife, Wendy. As an aside, during the transfer and my lack of attention/focus at this point I left my camera in the little â??cubby holeâ?? that the Ktms have. The whole trip I stressed about whether my camera would be there or not on my return. Good news, it was.
We crossed the border at Kosi Bay with little difficulty and then rode the 20 km of quite heavy sand to get to the â??red roadâ??, the better dirt roads made from a more compactable red sand mined inland somewhere.

 

[LanceSA]

After my bike broke, Gerald had kindly offered to let me share the â??lil red ponyâ?? (Gs 650) with him, a most generous and much appreciated offer. Thank you, Gerald, you are a saint. So after a lunch stop under some trees, Gerald and I swapped places and I rode to Maputo. It was amazing to see the city of Maputo from across the bay. We took the ferry at Catembe to get to Maputo.

I have to break off her for a sec and give some thoughts about Mozambique. As can be seen from the pictures, we are sitting around, waiting for a ferry in an area not unlike a down town Taxi rack in Durban or Umtata yet at no time did we feel threatened or unsafe. We sat drinking beers with the locals at the equivalent of a tavern. All were friendly. Mozambique appears to still be a really poor place, with buildings still left with their damage from the war. Most are in desperate need of paint and maintenance. The only new signage we saw, and boy did we see a lot of it, was Vodacom and Mcel. Cell phones rule, it would seem. The people were always welcoming, friendly and a pleasure to deal with. They are poor and most seem to be involved in some or other subsistence endeavour, selling cashew nuts on the side of the road or cultivating very sandy ground with subsistence crops. We saw many, many one-legged people, a sad reminder of the land mines and their cruel legacy. Yet the people seem content. We experienced no crime or even the fear of crime whatsoever. Some of our lodges had no doors or locks. We could leave our gear on the verandahs to dry (and also because it stank so much, but thatâ??s another story) without fear. My abiding memory is of a warm and friendly people, welcoming and happy to have us in their country. I will definitely be back.

Maputo is a city unlike any other in Moz. It has a very European flavour, like being in a town on the Algarve. The shops and restaurants have a cosmopolitan feel to them. We stayed in the Costa do Sol hotel, right on the water and had breakfast the next morning in a shop that could have been anywhere in Europe with all the sweet pastries you could think of and wonderful coffee.

 

[LanceSA]

Gerald had allowed me to ride this day. The bikes were going along the coastal sand roads to Beline while the vehicle would take the EN1, the main tar road to the overnight stop. And so the â??funâ?? began. We rode sand roads and then sand tracks and then just sand. Deep, tire sucking, uncompromising, powdery/silty sand. And we fell and I fell and we battled. Even though it was winter, the weather was still hot, and a couple of the guys suffered from dehydration, notwithstanding the fact that we were all carrying trippers and had hydrated well. Itâ??s an amazing thing to see competent riders get tired and then have a tumble or two and then start to lose their confidence. Then the hacking starts and once youâ??re in that mode it is so hard to get your confidence back. I repeated the mantra â?? â??stand up, look up, open upâ?? - again and again but all I could see in my head was this picture.

Roger had made it clear to us that this was an expedition and not a tar tour. He had google earthed the area and had an idea of the tracks but had never ridden them before and we were having an adventure. It was fantastic to see the guys come together with the stronger riders assisting the weaker riders, even swapping bikes and constantly being on hand to help lift a fallen bike or spirit. We really bonded together as a group on this day.

Due to some suffering we were late to the lunch stop. We had hoped for some respite after lunch but it was not to be. Somewhere in the deep sand after the lunch stop I dropped the â??lil red pogo stickâ?? (my affections had changed), breaking the clutch lever. We were not carrying a spare and this presented a real problem as I am not skilled enough to ride in that sand without a clutch. Wayne came to the rescue, swapping his fantastic 950 with steering damper for the gs 650. You are a legend Wayne! He then rode miles and miles of the worst sand yet into the setting sun without stopping once. Now that was riding! Eventually we regrouped at a good red road. They donâ??t seem to know about gravel roads in Moz. Here we were, absolutely lost in the sticks with the sun setting and the little shop on the side of the road sells cold coke (and beer). It was surreal. We followed the red road until it came to an end at a clinic. We were just 15 km from Beline but it would be back into heavy sand and the sun had set so we turned around and headed the other way in an attempt to reach the tar road which we could see from the gps wasnâ??t far away.

We eventually arrived at a boomed gate manned by 2 armed security guards to the huge sugar plantations in the area. We could see the cars whizzing past on the tar road about 2 km away but the guards would not let us through the restricted area. We were frantically trying to negotiate while phoning friends when the farm general manager and his family arrived at the gate. Everything was sorted out in a flash and he lead us the whole way to the processing factory and out on to the road. If my memory serves me right his name was Mark Buchanan and yet another example of the friendly people we met.

It was now pitch dark, cold and we had already been riding for 10 hours. We put in petrol at some town and rode 110 km on tar to Beline arriving after 8 pm with 12 hrs in the saddle, frozen and exhausted. What a day!

 

[LanceSA]

Gerald went off early the next morning to a local quad mechanic who managed to find a match for the Gs 650 clutch lever and we were away again. We were on our way to Casa de Mar Lodge, about 25 km south of Inhambane. A total distance of about 350 km had to be covered. Three guys decided to do the day on the EN1 with the back up vehicle and four bikes would branch off after about 250 km to take a sand road to the beach and then about 25 km of beach riding (legally) to the lodge. I was in the back up vehicle. All went well until we had to cover the last 25 km from the main road to the lodge on some really soft sand. Derrick and Ian were managing ok, but Gerald was having some issues with the sand.

In the mean time the four guys taking the coastal route had had a blast. Wayne and Roger had been dicing along the beach like naughty school boys, each egging the other on. The gps showed a maximum speed of 150 km/h and an average of 120 km/h through soft sand and ruts. Great riding guys, but I shudder to think what would have happened if something had gone wrong. Itâ??s a testament to their ability and nerve that nothing did! They beat us easily to the lodge and then Roger and Wayne came looking for us.

The vehicle had passed the bikes so all of this played out behind us. Gerald was really hanging tough in the sand when Roger and Wayne found him, ready to call it a day. Roger offered to ride the bike up a sandy hill with Gerald riding pillion. As they were on the way up in the one spoor Wayne came down in the other track. Although they were not in danger of a collision, the two guys on the Gs 650 came unstuck and went down hard on Rogerâ??s ankle. He immediately knew something was wrong, suspecting that he had done in the ligaments.

Now I have to digress here for a bit. I have known some really tough guys who have endured all sorts of injuries and scrapes to finish a race or a ride but Roger must be the toughest guy I know. It turns out that he had broken his Tibia in two places just above the ankle. He rode like that for the next 5 days and only saw the doctor on the 23rd June, some 7 days later. He will be in a cast for 4 weeks! Respect.

It was decided to stash the â??lil red ponyâ?? in a localâ??s shed for the next while. Roger came back to camp and a vehicle was dispatched to fetch Gerald.

 

[LanceSA]

The next day (17th June for those keeping tabs) was our rest day. Some of us took a ride in to Inhambane and visited the local market, buying gifts for wives and kids, and having another great cup of coffee. We took a route back via the beach and stopped for a beer at one of the many large dive charter centers in the area.

On the 18th we left Casa de Mar. It was my turn to ride the â??lil red ponyâ?? so I kitted up and we all drove to where it had been stored. All was in order and the owner of the shed was extremely grateful to receive a tip for looking after the bike. Again, what a country. I mounted up and started the ride out on the sand road. I was riding well, actually enjoying the sand, if such a thing can be said when disaster stuck. I came up and over a little â??yumpâ??, the bike kicked into the middle mannetjie and I over corrected to the outside. I still thought I had it in hand when a stray branch from the only tree around jumped up and bit me, knocking us both down. It seemed there was no major damage other than to my already bruised ego, so I picked up the bike, with the assistance of Gerald from the back up vehicle, and continued on, only for the bike to die on me 500 m down the road (?path). Turns out the fall was harder than I had realized. I had bent the right radiator back and into the cooling fan. This had then seized and popped the fuse, causing the bike to die. Once we had diagnosed the problem we removed the completely seized fan and disconnected the switch. New fuse and we were away again. For those of you keeping count, I had now ridden on three days and broken something every day. Hum, Iâ??m not sure if they will invite me back, now that I think about it. Suffice to say I had to endure a number of â??straf doppeâ??.

The bikes were going to do an inland off road route to the next stop but it was decided that the â??lil red ponyâ?? would follow the back up vehicle on the EN1 to the lodge and not chance it on the sand without a fan.

Our next stop was at a lodge on an inland lake/estuary similar to St Lucia, but even bigger I think. Here we cleaned the air filters and, boy, did they need it, and had a rest. The bikes arrived early after some nice sand roads. During the evening we were lashed by the start of the rain storms that had caused all the devastation in Natal.

 

[LanceSA]

Thursday, the 19th, dawned a bit grey. The plan was for another inland route for the bikes and a run down the EN1 for the vehicle to a lodge just outside Maputo called Casa Lisa. Again it was decided that the Gs 650 would forgo the sand and follow the vehicle. I felt responsible (duh, I had broken it) and so offered to ride the tar section behind the double cab. Turns out this was a BIG mistake. We had over 370 km to cover so I plugged my mp3 player into my ears and off we went. About half way into the ride, the rains came again. Iâ??ve had more fun rides.

The rest of the guys on the other hand were having challenges of their own. Mud, fallen trees, no roads - they endured it all. By about 4 pm they had only done 170 km, so they came back to the tar road and also rode 200 km in the rain, but their ride was done in the dark, poor buggers. I had meanwhile sat at the bar for the afternoon, watched all the sporting highlights on dish and warmed up with a couple of rums. Please donâ??t tell them. They arrived after 8 pm again, another 12 hour day in the saddle and no lunch. They were a bit hungry, cold and tired. But it was all done in the search of fun and adventure and I think they had that in spades full, the lucky buggers.

 

[LanceSA]

Gerald decided not to risk the Gs650 on the sand road to the border so he left us to ride out on the tar via Swaziland. As it turned out this was a good idea given what was in store for usâ?¦.. because the last dayâ??s riding through Maputo, across the ferry and to the border post turned out to be a new challenge, a whole new challengeâ?¦â?¦â?¦.

MUD

The torrential rain of the previous 2 days had stopped, the sun was out, but the roads were a quagmire. I was glad to be in the 4 wheeled drive doublecab. I remember reading on a thread somewhere that a guy said he would rather ride 100 km in sand than 100 m in mud. Well we had done many hundreds of km in sand, so I suppose it was fitting to cap off the holiday with a good few km of mud, mud and more mud. The lovely red roads that we had enjoyed on the ride in to Maputo were now complete slush. The guys on the bikes slid and slipped their way down the road. All had their falls. Roger, our intrepid leader with the broken leg, went farming through the bush and a stray branch broke the high pressure fuel line off just above the right cylinder (I promised no brand bashing in the report so will refrain from any comment on this unfortunate event).

Well we finally made to the border post. Got through again without any problems and went to collect my poor bike. So sorry but again there are no photos of it being towed back to Kosi Bay Lodge. So sorry.

We had a blast. I think that each of us on the trip learned a little more about themselves. My sand riding ability certainly improved in leaps and bounds. The last night at Kosi Bay Lodge was special. All the usual fines and â??straf dopsâ?? were handed out. The memories will live with us for the rest of our lives and I think some special bonds were forged during some of those tough days. To each of the guys and girls on the ride thank you for a wonderful experience.

In closing I would like to recommend Mozambique to all who want a genuine adventure. The sand riding is not for the faint hearted but what a blast! Roger Scheffer and his company Mototours were absolutely outstanding and I would highly recommend them to all. I only hope I can crack a nod to the next Mozambique expedition!

Ps: I have no affiliation to Mototours and make this recommendation honestly and sincerely.

 

[CARLOS]

You lucky buggers - brilliant - well done

 

[Zeff Cowboy]

Baie nice

 

[Carnivore]

Sir Lance... you deserve much respect. Well done.

Nice to see piccys of my friends Jock and Wayne..!

 

[michnus]

Respect, what a kick ass trip.:headbang: :thumleft:  :drif: It must have taken some vasbyt riding those sandy tracks. Thanks for sharing Lance, I enjoyed reading this report.

 

[BMWPE]

Great pics and report
Thanks

 

[JJred]

Excellant... this looked like it was a true adventure rather than just a ride in Moz.

What a great guy to share the bike after yours had the clutch mishap.

Well done !!

 

[Kamanya]

Great adventure! Great story telling.

Another damn place I have to visit!

If you go again, KTM's dont like sand if you use the clutch. Think of the clutch as a switch - dump and go. Never feather or ride the clutch. Get a 16 tooth front sprocket.

 

[SGB]

Nice story and pics.  I spoke to Roger since and he is healing well.  Great tour!  And I agree about the Mototour recommendation. 

 

[user 2043]

Wonderful!

Im so jealous now!

 

[Bushclown]

Awesome trip that sand is a killer
            :thumleft:

 

[Mark Hardy]

Respect Dude, what a place to ride (and another country to add to the list), those sand roads remind me of Botswana. I hate sand but have so much fun riding/falling in it.

Thanks for sharing

 

[Kykdaar]

Great report, what an adventure!

Thanks for sharing

 

[Watty]

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