Ponta do Ouro - Surf and Turf 13 to 16 June 2015

[DustySprocket]

More (sand) riding pics tomorrow evening.

No  :eek7:
Leave the sand riding pics. Already crapped myself at the first sand pic  :spitcoffee:

Subie, moet nou nie so sê nie, jy's gekonfyt in die sandryery met jou Bray trips.

DustyS, was there any difference between your GSA and the normal 800GS regarding the sand? Suppose it boils down to the rider anyway.
Did you do the meerkat pose? or was it mostly paddling through the sand?

Nee! Daar is nerens naastenby sulke dik sand op die paaie na Bray toe nie.  :eek7:
As daar helfte sulke sand was het Bray my nooit gesien nie  :ricky:

Answering from my personal experience on 800GS/A's since 2009 and over 100,000km covered between them.

One want to get momentum as soon as possible when riding sand, as paddling saps away the energy very quickly, but with thick sand as what we encountered between Ponta and Malongane, one can only wish to get momentum up to stop paddling..

Doing the "meerkat" thing allows the bike more freedom, as well as lowering the Centre of Gravity. Also, as less weight as possible on the front wheel.

On a certain stretch from the border to Ponta I managed 3rd gear, but remember higher speed = possible harder acquaintance with mother earth should you run out of luck. 

On the sand I think the "normal" 800 should be better - logic dictates less weight, less effort through the thick sand.

The GSA comes into it's own with the upgraded suspension, especially the WP front end. Spending a few bob on a normal 800's front suspension and you should possibly get same handling.

Surely, the larger fuel tank extends the usable range past 500km's, and the bigger screen as well as wider plastics up front (apparently for better venting for the radiator) comes in handy. Had I known what I know today, I suspect I would have kept my trusty 800 with more than 70,000km on the clock, spend a few bob on the wear and tear elements such as wheel bearings and suspension, and walked away with no debt. Hindsight is 20/20 vision.

Someone once told me to approach the sand in a gentle manner - don't wake up the sleeping sand  :imaposer:

 

[DustySprocket]

While some us took the day off a bit easy and sleeping in a bit, Daleen and Jason went for a dive with one of the local dive operators. Was nice to see the infamous Derek as the skipper on this outing. Makes one feel much safer with such a skilled skipper at the helm.

We met up with them when they were ready to launch. Was quite amusing to sit back and take in the antics of a LR Defender owner first trying to launch a small boat, giving up, then trying his best to get back onto terra firma (and poor me, a fellow Tata owner and rider having to endure the continued bantering  ot. Could have been so much easier if he deflated the tyres before the time.

We took a walk around the corner of the bay, taking in the marine life on the rocks, watching the locals fishing and just take in the fresh air. No overcrowded beaches to worry about.   

 

[Bomber11]

That looks like fun. Glad you had a jol.