Noneking and Dwerg’s reunion ride.

[ROAD HOG]

As I sit there feeling sorry for myself I start hearing something.

View attachment 810849



Sounds like a bike….. in the distance I see a bike approaching. A very friendly coloured man in blou overalls named Koos stops next to me on a little Honda XR 125 or something. @sidetrack would be super proud. “ Kan ek help meneer?”. I felt like kissing him…..

Koos says he will ride back to the farm to get his pump. He stays away for a long time but eventually arrives with what looks like a R10 Made in China bicycle pump. I wanna take it from him but he protests : “Nee meneer, laat ek pomp, ek ken al al sy kak”. The pump falls apart completely on 3 or 4 occasions as Koos pumps up the wheel.

Koos helps me fit the wheel and as he gets on his bike I ask him if he would feel offended if I offered him some cash for his trouble…..

“Nee Meneer, Meneer kan maar ietsie gee as Meneer wil” I remove my last R90 from my wallet and hand it to Koos. I would gladly have paid much more than that to thank my rescuer.

Pap tyre en broke...............dit moes n fokken lekker trip gewees het

Jy moes net die pap kant boontoe gedraai het

 

[Noneking]

It is nearly 2 pm on Saterday 31st Dec and I realise that I will most probably not find a spare tube or pump in Cradock or anywhere else for at least the next 3 days. My GPS is still acting up and my mood gets heavy as I realise that I will have to change my plans to get home safely.
No more dirt once I reach Cradock. Will have to stick to tar as I have no way to fix puncture .

I reach Cradock and it is chaos in town. I fill up, try a few shops for tube or pump. Find a little hand pump in a Chinese shop ( I now know where Koos shops) and just like that I decide to brave the dirt again.

I get onto the Commandodrif road to Tarkastad

 

[Noneking]

A storm is definitely building in the distance and I’m heading straight for it!

 

[Noneking]

I reach Tarkastad and remembering what a **** hole it is, I ride straight through on toward the next **** hole, Sterkstroom…

 

[Noneking]

I reach Sterkstroom as the first drops start falling. It is immediately slippery as hell and my speed decreases to Yahama levels on the slippery surface

I’m quickly soaked, visor fogging up and all round miserable…..

The rain eventually blows over and my speed improves…….. but not traction. Within the blink of an eye (or jump of a Kudu) I am lying on my back under the big 990, fighting to get air into my lungs.

 

[Noneking]

 

[JACOVV]

View attachment 810852

Cradock in die verte

 

[ROAD HOG]

I reach Sterkstroom as the first drops start falling. It is immediately slippery as hell and my speed decreases to Yahama levels on the slippery surface

I’m quickly soaked, visor fogging up and all round miserable…..

The rain eventually blows over and my speed improves…….. but not traction. Within the blink of an eye (or jump of a Kudu) I am lying on my back under the big 990, fighting to get air into my lungs.


View attachment 810858

Daai bliksemse Koos met sy cheap pomp

 

[Noneking]

I struggle for close on an hour to get the bike on its wheels again. It is just too slippery in the mud to pick it up and my feet slip out from under me as soon as I try to lift. I eventually drag the bike to where I’m able to pick it up.

Bike back on its wheels again, I look at the scene of the crime and pace out approx 25m from where I started to slide to where impact occurred.

Body a bit bruised and bike has a few broken bits.

As I walk to where I left my helmet and backpack, an old Isuzu bakkie comes revving up the hill with 6 men on the back. They promptly get stuck where I fell and I help the push the bakkie to where it finds traction again….. go figure.

 

[ROAD HOG]

@Noneking - Doc, what was the total distance of your trip?

 

[Noneking]

@Noneking - Doc, what was the total distance of your trip?

I did just over 2600km from Hermanus to Nelspruit.

 

[ROAD HOG]

I did just over 2600km from Hermanus to Nelspruit.

That's a nice distance, you can really get into your bike over multiple days of riding.

I have not enjoyed reading a RR this much since I read Throttle jockeys trip a few years ago.

 

[P.K.]

Eish Canzius...another epic , well written report.
Those backroads in the Eastern Cape are good for the soul.
Gladdens my heart to see my bags being used on epic trips, taking epic punishment

 

[Noneking]

 

[Noneking]

The rest of the trip was a nightmare…


I struggle to Dordrecht on dirt and try to find accommodation in yet another EC **** hole……
Nothing!

I ride through to Queenstown 70km away as the sun is setting and book into a very dodgy “lodge” . The area is too dodgy to go out after dark and I decide to go to bed early. I’m so tired that I don’t even think about eating.

I leave Queenstown at 5am on a dark, wet New Years Day morning. I get soaked and terribly cold riding to the EC highlands.

The rest of the day consists of 850km on tar and petrol stops every 200 km. I have my first meal in 48 hours at Grasmere 1 Stop when I get caught in a scary rain storm on the N1.

Completely knackered, I decide to ride to my mom’s house in Centurion and spend the night.

Next morning I leave PTA at 5am for Nelspruit and arrive home in time for breakfast with my family.

 

[GeenSand]

Wow NK what an epic journey.. sorry i missed out on a deep GRP. Hope the 990 gives you loads more of happy epic riding.

 

[Noneking]

Wow NK what an epic journey.. sorry i missed out on a deep GRP. Hope the 990 gives you loads more of happy epic riding.

Baie dankie @GeenSand, hoop ons key geleentheid om saam te ry volgende keer!

 

[Noneking]

In the end, I missed out on 5 days of epic offroad riding that I’d meticulously planned and mapped.

BUT……

I’ve learned a few more things about adv riding, I’ve identified areas of my riding I need to improve, I’ve grown closer to my brother and I realise that my tool pack needs a rethink.

All in all a fantastic experience that I’ll remember for a very long time.

 

[ROAD HOG]

In the end, I missed out on 5 days of epic offroad riding that I’d meticulously planned and mapped.

BUT……

I’ve learned a few more things about adv riding, I’ve identified areas of my riding I need to improve, I’ve grown closer to my brother and I realise that my tool pack needs a rethink.

All in all a fantastic experience that I’ll remember for a very long time.

Perfect conclusion and real time take away's.............always a winning combination. Thanks for sharing and we cant wait for your next trip.

My gat jeuk so en my hart bloei om te gaan ry, maar moet nog my suspension uitsort, sodra die kenners oop maak volgende week

 

[TVB]

Super RR

Thanks