Northern Namibia with my brother......and a few other clowns

[Noneking]

 

[Noneking]

 

[Noneking]

 

[Noneking]

 

[Noneking]

 

[Lem]

Some lovely pics here  :thumleft:

Just a quick bike question. I'm one of those rustige backroad riders who just putter around, the Dakar & the KLRs come from their mothers as well specced tourers.  They suit my biking needs well.

How did those two bikes fare on the thick sand and most rocky sections?

 

[Noneking]

Lunch in the Ugab

Thankfully Willie's edit paints [member=4383]P.K.[/member] 's shirt in a good light..... eepwall:

 

[Noneking]

Some lovely pics here  :thumleft:

Just a quick bike question. I'm one of those rustige backroad riders who just putter around, the Dakar & the KLRs come from their mothers as well specced tourers.  They suit my biking needs well.

How did those two bikes fare on the thick sand and most rocky sections?

Maybe better to ask the riders, but I think they were quite a handfull on both surfaces..... eepwall:

 

[Noneking]

Dwerg checking for carrots in the jaffle.....

 

[Noneking]

Me nearly killing Barry on my way up Heartbreak Hill towards Van Zyl's Camp


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XffRk6noH1A

 

[Hardy de Kock]

Some lovely pics here  :thumleft:

Just a quick bike question. I'm one of those rustige backroad riders who just putter around, the Dakar & the KLRs come from their mothers as well specced tourers.  They suit my biking needs well.

How did those two bikes fare on the thick sand and most rocky sections?

Maybe better to ask the riders, but I think they were quite a handfull on both surfaces..... eepwall:

Do not listen to the dentist - He was riding a 2017 hi tech dirt bike. Anything else would seem too big as far as he is concerned.

They do well Lem.
The KLR was a code 3 bike with a skew frame and fork and numerous other code 3 (crash) related issues. All the thumpers in the market (DR, XR and the KLR) never gives us any problems, and they are a good compromise between open road, sand, rocks, single track, versatility and reliability.
You will be able to do everything on this trip, but understandably not as quickly, or as easy as the Husky

 

[Noneking]

Dwerg forcing the heavy  DR up Heartbreak Hill



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foCp9tOkzPk




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BQrV5kWbrE

 

[Lem]

Thanks Hardy[emoji123]yes In the company of Husky 501s the Dakkie & KLR probably looks like boat anchors on Cadillac suspension. But they also do certain others things better...like not run out of fuel every 200 yards. So I’m quite interested to know how they coped on the rough stuff, because they can be ridden there & back as well[emoji1591][emoji108]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Noneking]

[member=4383]P.K.[/member] going up



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usq9JFztghE&feature=youtu.be

 

[Noneking]

Thanks Hardy[emoji123]yes In the company of Husky 501s the Dakkie & KLR probably looks like boat anchors on Cadillac suspension. But they also do certain others things better...like not run out of fuel every 200 yards. So I’m quite interested to know how they coped on the rough stuff, because they can be ridden there & back as well[emoji1591][emoji108]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lem, there was a lot of friendly banter on this trip about bike choice. I enjoy giving Hardy a bit of flack about the thumpers, but truth be told, they did great and managed everything the trip threw at them (or they at the trip.... eepwall





Edit: Given the choice, I would do this trip on nothing else than a lightweight enduro bike, bearing in mind we did not to ride the bikes to Nam and back. I understand Hardy's concerns about reliability but honestly feel that a well maintained Austrian is a reliable bike as well. (There was a Honda XR which completed the trip on the bakkie with the BMWG450x afterall eepwall

Why would you not want to make it easier and more enjoyable for yourself? You just have to look at the videos above to see the difference. Dwerg is a very good rider and would most probably have cleared that climb on his 450, and so would most others.

If you don't mind duck paddling through sand and falling over on rocks, I guess the thumper will do

 

[Dwerg]

Dwerg forcing the heavy  DR up Heartbreak Hill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foCp9tOkzPk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BQrV5kWbrE

Some audible evidence of the lack of ground clearance in the second video  :biggrin:

You can also see us adjusting the clutch. It stalled 4-5 times before that and there was some choice language uttered on the 1st half of the hill.

In the video of Noneking on the Husky, I still try and point out the easiest line but he just shot over the hardest line like it was nothing. Even tried using ol' Barry for traction  :imaposer:

 

[Minxy]

Me nearly killing Barry on my way up Heartbreak Hill towards Van Zyl's Camp


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XffRk6noH1A

Haha, looks like this is becoming a tradition! I nearly dropped my bike on Johannes near the top when going up there!!!
This was definitely the toughest uphill section :O

 

[Noneking]

Back to the RR......


Wind was pumping at the viewpoint. Spectacular views 360 degrees

 

[P.K.]

Lunch in the Ugab

Thankfully Willie's edit paints [member=4383]P.K.[/member] 's shirt in a good light..... eepwall:

Listen boet....the "yellow jersey" was purchased from the TekkieTown factory shop for 120 South African Ronts....excellent value at the time, even if it is technically a soccer goalkeepers shirt.

I have to concede though that as soon as I stopped wearing it I had fewer wipeouts....I`m not sure of what conclusions to draw from that.

 

[Hardy de Kock]

Thanks Hardy[emoji123]yes In the company of Husky 501s the Dakkie & KLR probably looks like boat anchors on Cadillac suspension. But they also do certain others things better...like not run out of fuel every 200 yards. So I’m quite interested to know how they coped on the rough stuff, because they can be ridden there & back as well[emoji1591][emoji108]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lem, there was a lot of friendly banter on this trip about bike choice. I enjoy giving Hardy a bit of flack about the thumpers, but truth be told, they did great and managed everything the trip through at them (or they at the trip.... eepwall





Edit: Given the choice, I would do this trip on nothing else than a lightweight enduro bike, bearing in mind we did not to ride the bikes to Nam and back. I understand Hardy's concerns about reliability but honestly feel that a well maintained Austrian is a reliable bike as well. (There was a Honda XR which completed the trip on the bakkie with the BMWG450x afterall eepwall

Why would you not want to make it easier and more enjoyable for yourself? You just have to look at the videos above to see the difference. Dwerg is a very good rider and would most probably have cleared that climb on his 450, and so would most others.

If you don't mind duck paddling through sand and falling over on rocks, I guess the thumper will do

Lem - Dwerg is 60cm tall and that is why he had to "adjust the clutch"
I was riding a thumper and had no problem getting up the hill. I am however 1,97m tall