Osadabwa
Race Dog
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, for those unfamiliar, is a fundraiser for men’s health where guys (and gals) with vintage/classic/cool one-off bikes get together once a year, dress up fancy and do a loop of the city. In Kenya this year, we piggy-backed off the idea to give the old bikes a little challenge. Nairobi isn’t exactly a fun place to cruise around, so we took ourselves on a 150 km pre-DGR overnight tour to warm up. Eleven bikes with 300 + years on their collective wheels made the journey there and back. I think it might be the beginning of a tradition.
Above: Snazzy S. on his mean Enfield (left) and Patient P. on his 78 year old BSA
The plan was to meet for coffee at the Tin Roof in Karen and be on the road by 10. Right on time, two hours late, we started our way through the Saturday chaos that is Ngong Road traffic. Our destination – Magadi, a mining town at the bottom of the Rift Valley – wasn’t going to come to us and we were keen to get away from town and out onto the open road. In Kiserian, we fueled up and set off – myself and Dapper D. blitzing ahead to set up for a photo op at the South end of the Ngong Hills.
Above: Our route, some bikes, Tin Roof
Above: Ngong town. Nearly out of the nonsense.
Above: Dapper D on his borrowed GL500
Coasting down from Kona Baridi, D. noticed his bike had a little hitch in its giddy-up. She was spluttering and feeling no love. Luckily, Mythic Rick was hanging back (hot having hit the road in any major way in years, and taking it easy on his beloved old XT500) and put his considerable mechanic’s skills to work diagnosing the trouble with the help of El Lobito who knows the bike well, having watched his dad mess with it over the years. Having succeeded in getting the bike to idle more or less, Rick and I decided to ride ahead in search of a boda battery to swap in as a replacement while the others, already waiting in the heat, would meet up with the pickup carrying our packed lunch.
Above: The GL500’s breakdown
Above: Rick in familiar territory, Patient P. delegating duties
Above: The group’s lunch stop
Rick and I made it to Oltepesi, gave the place a once-over and declared defeat on the battery front, but I spied a bar with electricity and a promise of food, so we were in good spirits. We chowed down in the tin-sided shack and retired to the outside shade to await the arrival of the others. When they pitched up earlier than expected, I was obliged to give my beer to an old Masai fellow who was rather pleased at his windfall. Bahati mzuri, mzee.
Above: My XT with road-kill adventure travel saddle, me and Rick tucking in.
Above: Lucky winner, bikers in Oltepesi
At lunch, the crew sorted out the GL’s battery issue and all eleven bikes were rearing to go. The mercury had risen substantially, and we were ready to chew up the miles between us and the swimming pool and beers at the Lake Magadi Sports Club. The riding was great. People cruised at their own pace and we made good time, watching massive dust-devils chase themselves around the flats below Olorgesailie where stone-aged men once fabricated dozens of rough-hewn hand axes to deal with the beasties and foes of their time. When you think about it, their success is somehow directly related to ours. So, thanks Gentlemen of the Stone Age!
The road is tar, but poorly maintained in spots and vanished into dirt on a couple of sections as we neared the bottom of the valley. At one point, we came across a striped hyena dead on the road, posed as if feigning sleep in a hump in the left lane. Shame. Eventually, Lake Magadi came into view, along with the industrial castle that is the TATA soda ash factory. We bee-lined it down the last stretch, under the boom and straight for the Sports Club where we quenched our thirst at the bar and dusted off in the welcoming pool.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/ZMs8srPLghU[/youtube]
Above: Some big views from the day
To be continued...
Above: Snazzy S. on his mean Enfield (left) and Patient P. on his 78 year old BSA
The plan was to meet for coffee at the Tin Roof in Karen and be on the road by 10. Right on time, two hours late, we started our way through the Saturday chaos that is Ngong Road traffic. Our destination – Magadi, a mining town at the bottom of the Rift Valley – wasn’t going to come to us and we were keen to get away from town and out onto the open road. In Kiserian, we fueled up and set off – myself and Dapper D. blitzing ahead to set up for a photo op at the South end of the Ngong Hills.
Above: Our route, some bikes, Tin Roof
Above: Ngong town. Nearly out of the nonsense.
Above: Dapper D on his borrowed GL500
Coasting down from Kona Baridi, D. noticed his bike had a little hitch in its giddy-up. She was spluttering and feeling no love. Luckily, Mythic Rick was hanging back (hot having hit the road in any major way in years, and taking it easy on his beloved old XT500) and put his considerable mechanic’s skills to work diagnosing the trouble with the help of El Lobito who knows the bike well, having watched his dad mess with it over the years. Having succeeded in getting the bike to idle more or less, Rick and I decided to ride ahead in search of a boda battery to swap in as a replacement while the others, already waiting in the heat, would meet up with the pickup carrying our packed lunch.
Above: The GL500’s breakdown
Above: Rick in familiar territory, Patient P. delegating duties
Above: The group’s lunch stop
Rick and I made it to Oltepesi, gave the place a once-over and declared defeat on the battery front, but I spied a bar with electricity and a promise of food, so we were in good spirits. We chowed down in the tin-sided shack and retired to the outside shade to await the arrival of the others. When they pitched up earlier than expected, I was obliged to give my beer to an old Masai fellow who was rather pleased at his windfall. Bahati mzuri, mzee.
Above: My XT with road-kill adventure travel saddle, me and Rick tucking in.
Above: Lucky winner, bikers in Oltepesi
At lunch, the crew sorted out the GL’s battery issue and all eleven bikes were rearing to go. The mercury had risen substantially, and we were ready to chew up the miles between us and the swimming pool and beers at the Lake Magadi Sports Club. The riding was great. People cruised at their own pace and we made good time, watching massive dust-devils chase themselves around the flats below Olorgesailie where stone-aged men once fabricated dozens of rough-hewn hand axes to deal with the beasties and foes of their time. When you think about it, their success is somehow directly related to ours. So, thanks Gentlemen of the Stone Age!
The road is tar, but poorly maintained in spots and vanished into dirt on a couple of sections as we neared the bottom of the valley. At one point, we came across a striped hyena dead on the road, posed as if feigning sleep in a hump in the left lane. Shame. Eventually, Lake Magadi came into view, along with the industrial castle that is the TATA soda ash factory. We bee-lined it down the last stretch, under the boom and straight for the Sports Club where we quenched our thirst at the bar and dusted off in the welcoming pool.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/ZMs8srPLghU[/youtube]
Above: Some big views from the day
To be continued...
I might also be too short for XT, and I'm a bit over-invested in DR650s at the moment (have 3, love them all)
