- Joined
- Oct 15, 2008
- Messages
- 9,472
- Reaction score
- 2,559
- Location
- Out of Africa
- Bike
- KTM 950 Adventure S
A small story for you lot ............ and a lesson, perhaps.
So, taking the road through Grootrivierpoort in EC and on to Patensie turned into quite an ordeal.
I think it was on the road from Steytlerville to Jansenville - a hard-pack rocky road - that the **** started. While weaving through a particular pass at speed I hit a proper rock and had an immediate front tyre deflation.
FAAAARK ME! that was a wake-up call, nearly rode off the edge and into infinity, trying to control the thing. Stopping and turning is quite a thing with a heavy bike. Anyways, ended up with a double snake-bite and tube beyond repair. I didn't know it then but I'd damaged the tyre as well. New tube in, in the sun, in the heat - as usual ..... :
:
Excell rim - no smiley - so a small bonus.
Then going into GRP another flat ............ no, man, what have I done wrong????? Out the other side on a flat tyre and stopped at some guy's house for a shady spot to change tubes yet again. He came out and gave us a beer or two - best man in the world at that point.
So, 2nd tube in and all's well until I notice the enormous bulge in the tyre. Now what? Not any options really so off we go again and not a km later the tyre blows - proper. Tubes ain't gonna hack it this time ..........
So here's the plan - 990 and 950 ride on to the campsite 50km away and 990 brings 950 wheel back to me, and in the interim I'll just plod along with a fooked front. Off they ride and off I plod. Not 200m later I was poked, struggling with the 950 is no joke, my arms couldn't take it and staying on the path was not easy at all.
It was getting dark and I realised I was gonna spend a night in the veld, cold and wet. Great ......
Something stirred in the back of my mind and I remembered about Amageza Joey (I think) and looked around. The veld was full of mousse. Fynbos everywhere.
My saviour.
I did this 2 more times coz it got compressed a bit but I got out the mountains and on to the campsite in a couple hours. No need to remove the wheek just peel the tyre off on side and stuff it, easy when it's not tubeless. I met the spare wheel once on the tar road and told them not to bother.
As long as the tyre stayed in the rim it was rideable, bumpy as **** but rideable.
So, taking the road through Grootrivierpoort in EC and on to Patensie turned into quite an ordeal.
I think it was on the road from Steytlerville to Jansenville - a hard-pack rocky road - that the **** started. While weaving through a particular pass at speed I hit a proper rock and had an immediate front tyre deflation.
FAAAARK ME! that was a wake-up call, nearly rode off the edge and into infinity, trying to control the thing. Stopping and turning is quite a thing with a heavy bike. Anyways, ended up with a double snake-bite and tube beyond repair. I didn't know it then but I'd damaged the tyre as well. New tube in, in the sun, in the heat - as usual ..... :
:Excell rim - no smiley - so a small bonus.
Then going into GRP another flat ............ no, man, what have I done wrong????? Out the other side on a flat tyre and stopped at some guy's house for a shady spot to change tubes yet again. He came out and gave us a beer or two - best man in the world at that point.
So, 2nd tube in and all's well until I notice the enormous bulge in the tyre. Now what? Not any options really so off we go again and not a km later the tyre blows - proper. Tubes ain't gonna hack it this time ..........
So here's the plan - 990 and 950 ride on to the campsite 50km away and 990 brings 950 wheel back to me, and in the interim I'll just plod along with a fooked front. Off they ride and off I plod. Not 200m later I was poked, struggling with the 950 is no joke, my arms couldn't take it and staying on the path was not easy at all.
It was getting dark and I realised I was gonna spend a night in the veld, cold and wet. Great ......
Something stirred in the back of my mind and I remembered about Amageza Joey (I think) and looked around. The veld was full of mousse. Fynbos everywhere.
My saviour.
I did this 2 more times coz it got compressed a bit but I got out the mountains and on to the campsite in a couple hours. No need to remove the wheek just peel the tyre off on side and stuff it, easy when it's not tubeless. I met the spare wheel once on the tar road and told them not to bother.
As long as the tyre stayed in the rim it was rideable, bumpy as **** but rideable.
