SGB
Race Dog
Ryder Motorrad in Hillcrest invited 10 riders for a Saturday morning outing into the Valley of 1000 Hills. These 10 bikes were made available by BMW SA, and Roger used the opportunity to show them off and allow some local riders to have some fun at the same time.
We gathered at Ryder Motorrad at 7am. Each one of us picked a machine and did a quick check of the basics like tyre pressure and rear shock pressure.
Shared some stories before departure..... Good to see some old friends again.
Pumping the shock - needs a little more pressure for me....
All ready to go
Bud Turner lead the way and we took a casual ride down the hill at Wyebank, dropped into the valley and past Inanada dam where we stopped for some pictures.
We stuck to the gravel roads, and made a stop here and there to look at the single tracks with "real" rocks and hills - the tracks that make the valley famous for plastic bike riding.
Shall we head down here?
Roger did not think it was a good idea..... ;D
Stopped for breakfast at the Isithumba Community Adventure Tourism Village. This is a good spot for accommodation, right in the centre of all the valley riding, with comfortable and secure accommodation for 16 people.
The ride continued from here along familiar tracks, back towards Hillcrest. Always a good ride and it was great to just be out there. Rode some roads, sandy river beds with water crossings, railway service roads. Good KZN Valley scenery. 8)
Fueled up the bikes in Hillcrest, did 124 km and used about 6 litres. Good consumption for the riding we did.
Back at the shop, parked the bikes - exchanged some stories before we left at about lunch time.
The verdict:
At R 73k, the X-Challenge is a serious contender. Very good choice for the type of riding we did, and an ideal bike for someone looking for an economical commuter, which will do some touring and suitable for good weekend fun. Not the first choice for a 1000 km ride, but quite suitable for a few 100 km's. The air suspension does the job, but needs to be set up correctly. I would rather have a an off-road tyre, but if commuting is the main purpose, the DS tyres are OK. On the gravel / sand they did let go a bit too easily however.
Great job Roger, thanks for the invite - I really enjoyed the ride! Ryder Motorrad is really there for the rider, support them!
We gathered at Ryder Motorrad at 7am. Each one of us picked a machine and did a quick check of the basics like tyre pressure and rear shock pressure.
Shared some stories before departure..... Good to see some old friends again.
Pumping the shock - needs a little more pressure for me....
All ready to go
Bud Turner lead the way and we took a casual ride down the hill at Wyebank, dropped into the valley and past Inanada dam where we stopped for some pictures.
We stuck to the gravel roads, and made a stop here and there to look at the single tracks with "real" rocks and hills - the tracks that make the valley famous for plastic bike riding.
Shall we head down here?
Roger did not think it was a good idea..... ;D
Stopped for breakfast at the Isithumba Community Adventure Tourism Village. This is a good spot for accommodation, right in the centre of all the valley riding, with comfortable and secure accommodation for 16 people.
The ride continued from here along familiar tracks, back towards Hillcrest. Always a good ride and it was great to just be out there. Rode some roads, sandy river beds with water crossings, railway service roads. Good KZN Valley scenery. 8)
Fueled up the bikes in Hillcrest, did 124 km and used about 6 litres. Good consumption for the riding we did.
Back at the shop, parked the bikes - exchanged some stories before we left at about lunch time.
The verdict:
At R 73k, the X-Challenge is a serious contender. Very good choice for the type of riding we did, and an ideal bike for someone looking for an economical commuter, which will do some touring and suitable for good weekend fun. Not the first choice for a 1000 km ride, but quite suitable for a few 100 km's. The air suspension does the job, but needs to be set up correctly. I would rather have a an off-road tyre, but if commuting is the main purpose, the DS tyres are OK. On the gravel / sand they did let go a bit too easily however.
Great job Roger, thanks for the invite - I really enjoyed the ride! Ryder Motorrad is really there for the rider, support them!
