Saturday ride to Imbabala Lodge..... Complete! + video clips working

[XTZCharlie]

I am off to mozambique next week and am in need of some practice in riding in sand. So i asked if anyone would care for a ride up to Imbabala Lodge off the Weenen/Greytown road. JonW from WD and a friend of mine decideed to join me. And so this mornig we all met at 8 o'clock at the Howick spar. It was the first time I met JonW and a first for riding with my mate Jacques. After quick hello's and how do you do's we set off on the tar heading towards the Tweedie/Howick offramp, 100m later we turned off into the sappi plantations and headed up yellow brick road. The first section was not too bad. Its still rutted and a nightmare to ride in the wet. BUt today it was as dry and there were no lie downs on the way up to the quarry, though Jacques, who rides a 250cc Bashan chinese jobby managed to stall twice near the top.

We hit the Curry's Post road and swung a left. A few kms later we were off the tar and onto the dirt again, heading into the Karkloof valley. once we hit the crossroads below Loskop mountain, we turned left again and rode towards the Kyber pass. But instead of riding up the pass we veered right and rode up through the valley heading for Rietvlei. I managed to have a lille lie down at the top of the hill. I was coming around a righthand corner that was that aweful hardpack red clay that is slick as hell. just a gentle snooze with nothing broken. Sadly though, I only remember that I should have taken a picture after I got going again. THank you Jacques for helping me pick up the fat cow.

We stopped for a look at the view and the little dam at the top. It is not even half full at the moment, and with the winter frost having killed all the grass, it is not as lush at it is in the summer months. Still lovely though. you will have to forgive the crap photos. I only had my small point and shoot with a rather scratched lens. :

Jon And Jacques. notice Jacques lack of ATGATT. he rode the day in his flimsy tennis takkies. We rode the rocky section behinh Cragieburn dam. I hate to think what would have happened if he has fallen off in those rocks  :eek7:

more to follow shortly, I am just waiting for the videos to render, and I need some coffee!!!......

 

[JonW]

Thanks for an awesome ride Charlie and Jacques, always good to meet new people to ride with.

The route we followed was one of my favorites, one that I could do a couple of times a week and still enjoy it as much every time. Briefly, through Karkloof Demagteberg Plantation, past CraigieBurn Dam to the abandoned Farmhouse, down the rocky track to the Mooi River Valley, brief stop at Mooi River Falls, then more paths and tracks till the tar road between Weenen and Muden, hit a left and then 5km of tar until Imbabala Game Reserve.

I only took a couple of pics and they certainly don't do this trip justice.

Charlie coming through the bush on his most impressive XTZ750

At one stage while riding on a track in the middle of nowhere, I experienced a sudden loss of power on my XRR, took me a few seconds to realize that the throttle cable had snapped. The engine was still idling, but throttle was not working. I coasted to a stop and told Charlie what the problem was. Jacques had left us already as he had to be at work by 12h00.

This was a totally new experience for me, in all my previous riding on the KLR, which included numerous solo trips through some of the most remote areas around, besides for punctures, which I was mostly ok with fixing on my own, I had never once been stranded due to mechanical failure.

Now I am not blaming the bike in any way, cables do tend to snap from time to time without notice, hell, on my KLR I carried a spare clutch cable around with me on every trip I went on for about 3 years but never had to use it.

What I am blaming is my own mechanical ineptitude. I was absolutely clueless about what to do. I guess that comes from riding a bike as reliable as a KLR.

Luckily for me Charlie was amazing. he knew exactly what to do. He explained to me that my bike has 2 throttle cables, one to open the throttle and one to close it. I had broken the cable that opens it. He said what we need to do is take off the broken cable and connect the clsing throttle cable in place of the opening one. In 5 minutes flat we had dismantled the throttle mechanism, taken the tank off and made a plan using cable ties anda spare nut and connected the cable up to the carb. 15 minutes later we were good to go, the bike felt exactly the same as before and performed 100% like that.

If I had been on my own I probably would either still be out there, pushing my bike through the bushes, or I would have done something like tied a stick to the broken cable and limped home with a manual pull operated throttle.

But this wasn't necessary, Charlie sorted it perfectly.

Sorry no pics of the XR standing in the bush with its tank off, it all happened too quickly.

Anyway, got to Imbabala, went straight to the Lodge and had an awesome lunch and an ice cold Hansa.

Views from the Lodge over the reserve:

After lunch we took a ride through the reserve to a dry river bed where Charlie wanted to practise sand riding for his Mocambique trip.

Was a great spot to practice, we rode up and down the river bed a couple of times, nice soft sand, then a ride through the reserve back to the gate from where we headed home.

Uneventful trip home through Middelrus, Mooi River, Currys Post then Howick. My bike hit reserve just outside Howick after 235km, Charlie had no such problem with his massive 30l tank.

Great way to spend Youth Day, thanks Charlie and Jacques, hopefully Charlie will post a few more pics.

 

[philemon]

Nice RR guys. Waiting for some more.

 

[777]

What bike is the white one looks like an XR 250?

 

[JonW]

What bike is the white one looks like an XR 250?

It is a Chinese jobbie called a Bashan.

has an XR250 motor

 

[Fuzzy Muzzy]

Note to self.. buy an extra cable for the XR and put into tool kit

 

[JonW]

Good idea.

Rather carry it around for 3 years and not need it than be stuck without one  :biggrin:

 

[Gumba]

The pics of the bikes in the garden is of my boets old house, lots of history destroyed now. Cant believe that such a beautifully house can be destroyed just because " WHITE SPOOKS" could live there. 

 

[JonW]

The pics of the bikes in the garden is of my boets old house, lots of history destroyed now. Cant believe that such a beautifully house can be destroyed just because " WHITE SPOOKS" could live there. 

Ja it is a beautiful spot and very sad to see what state it is in today

 

[XTZCharlie]

What bike is the white one looks like an XR 250?

That is a chinese bike. think its called a Bashan Explode, or Explore? something like that. little 250cc scoot. It went everywhere our bigger bikes went with no hassles.  :ricky:

 

[XTZCharlie]

Here is a short clip of the track heading up yellow brick road. Luckily it was dry when we rode it, as it can get pretty slick when it rains.

[flash=640,480]https://www.youtube.com/v/ETndazn_nxw[/flash]

on our way up to the Reitvlei, Jon suggested we take a track he knew, which I had never been on. I am so glad we did as it was a fantastic track that i will definitely want to ride again. it winds through the plantations and some of the views were spectacular. I didnt stop to take any pics as I was too busy having a fab ride, and laughing at Jacques who almost came off twice along the way.
The first time, we rode down a slight incline, and had to turn left at the botom and ride over a small dam wall, with water on the one side(obviously) and thick bush with a considerable drop off on the other. Jacque, going to fast very nearly went off the side :eek7:  :imaposer:   And shortly thereafter, going too fast again down a hill, with a sharp right hand corner at the bottom. this time he managed to ramp the small bank and come to a stop mere centimetres from a barbed wire fence, and then ride out along the verge and back onto the track we were on!!!   pffffft!   scar:

 

[XTZCharlie]

here is a short clip of said near misses. We were riding into the sun so the quality is crap, but you can see the dust clouds from the little 250 clinging on for dear life.

[flash=640,480]https://www.youtube.com/v/SEXOSTvYkoM[/flash]

 

[XTZCharlie]

After arriving at reitvlei safley, we turned off to ride past Cragieburn dam. it was such a beautiful day, and the water was like glass. Its a pity its winter as I was rather tempted to go for a quick swim. Eish, but  that water is cold!!

[flash=640,480]https://www.youtube.com/v/3nsdZ6Sb6dg[/flash]


Past the dam and up the hill on ythe other side saw us arrive at an old abandoned farmhouse. I hate it when I see such beautiful places having gone to wrack and ruin. THis place must have been stunning in its day. Now it is completely gutted and vandalized.

some pics of the farmhouse as it stands today!

more to follow.....

 

[XTZCharlie]

errr, so where was I??? Ahh yes. The farmhouse.

We had a wander around the delapidated building and after a bit of a rest we were ready to set off again. Jon suggested that we take a track from there and meet up with the D55.
"it is a little rocky but you should be fine"..... Well let me tell you, there were sections that i was surprised to find myself attempting on the fat cow. For the most part the track was doable, but there were the odd decent that had me praying to the adventure biking Gods not to let my bike have a narcoleptic episode as that would have resulted in a break of something expensive  :eek7:

But what a great track it turned out to be. now that i have done it, I know that i can manage it again, no worries. Thanks for taking us there Jon. was well worth the detour!! Jacques, who is a complete novice at off road riding, managed to do this track perfectly. He did bend his brake lever up at an odd agle and had some trouble slowing down, but it didnt stop him from having a great time!

A short clip of Jacques doing the little stream crossing. and yours truly coming up the hill near the end of the track. I thought I had my helmet cam on during some of the hairy bits, but as my dumbass wasnt paying attention properly, I hadnt turned it on. Oh well, an excuse to go ride that bit again.  :ricky:

[flash=640,480]https://www.youtube.com/v/G2GExqhnJ9U[/flash]


One thing we did have to do, was keep stopping for the gates. one of us would get to a gate, get off the bike and open the gate then close it again when we all had gone through. Jon told us that previously, bikes had riden through and had left the gates open. It took the poor farmer about three days to round up his cattle again. So if ever you are out riding and come across a closed gate..... PLEASE PLEASE close it after you!!!!

Jacques coming along the track, with Jon playing doorman... errr, gateman

The rocky track was an absolute jol, and was a great challenge for me.  thess pics only show the flat and smooth sections, so will have to ride there again and take more pics and videos

 

[XTZCharlie]

once we left the rocky track, Jacque said that he had to get back to work, BUt jon said there was a way to the Zulu Falls/Mooi river falls and would only take 20mins to get there. So off we all went and true to his word, we arrived at the falls in good time. I have only ever seen the falls from across the vally at the abandoned lodge, which is a spectacular view in its own right. But being right at the very edge of the falls is something different entirely. you get that sickening vertigo feeling when you stand on the edge of the cliff looking straight down to the jagged rocks below. I swear if one of the guys had grabbed my arm and pretended to push me, I think I would have literally crapped myself. I am kak bang of heights, and it takes me a while to get used to it, and then I dont mind it. But those first few minutes.... Fark!!!!  :eek7: :eek7:

Some pics from the falls...

Looking down the veld towards the falls.

man, I love my bike!!

looking down the river

The water level is very low at this time of year, but I hear that when the river is pumping, the falls are even more spectacular. That I have to see!!  We chilled out at the falls for a while, but eventually Jacques had to get going otherwise he would be late for work. So we got back on our steeds and headed back to the D55. we gave Jacques directions on how to get back to civilization and went our seperate ways. jon had yet another new route up his sleeve, and we took a track off the D55 a few hundred meters up the road. It wound its way through the bush and past the odd mud hut and goat herd. Jon was up front leading the way, when he suddenly ran out of GO on his little pony. As it turned out, the accelerator cable had given up the ghost and he came to a stop shortly thereafter.

We took off the throttle tube and cable mont, to have a look if the cabe had snapped at the top end. but as it turns out, the break was on the carb,(so the tie to a stick fixit would not have worked in this case i'm afraid Jon. so you would probably still be pushing your bike through the bush  :ricky: ot: ) so off came the fairings, tank and seat. Luckily for Jon, his XR has a push/pull system and all we did was swap the "pull cable" for the push one. we had to do a bit of a heath robinson manouver as the cable ends are different sizes. BUt with the help of a spare nut from the tool kit and a few cable ties Jon was back on his bike and we were off to Imbabala and a cold beer

Jon with his newly repaired Honda, and a big smile of relief on his face!!

 

[JonW]

The water level is very low at this time of year, but I hear that when the river is pumping, the falls are even more spectacular. That I have to see!! 

OK, not quite the same as being there, but this is what it looks like with a bit more water going over:

 

[XTZCharlie]

good lord!! how awesome is that!! So have to ride there in the rainy season with my proper camera kit.

 

[XTZCharlie]

And lastly.....

After having repaired the Honda, we headed off to Imbabala lodge for a cold beer and some grub, and for me to ride some of the dry riverbed. I am heading to Mozambique and needed the practice. We arrived without further incedent, and Stephanie whipped up a fantastic lunch. We sat around chatting for a while getting to know each other better as it was the first time we had met and ridden together. A ride always goes much better when you are with good company.  :thumleft: and what better company that a Wilddog

After lunch we headed for the river and what I thought would be a lot of falling off on my part and Jon having to help me pick up the fat cow every five minutes. But I think that rocky track did a world of good for my balance as I managed to stay upright for most of the time.  about 200m from the lodge, we spotted a young Giraffe standing on its lonesome next to the road. we rode up quite close and stopped to take a photo.

Jon tried to turn around and have a pose with the fella, but the sound of his little Honda must have sounded like a lion as the Giraffe had a skrik and bolted into the bush like its life depended on it  ;D

[flash=640,480]https://www.youtube.com/v/61XmwaZR6lo[/flash]

We rode into the riverbed, and unfortunately it was so dry that the sand was too hard. the corners were soft, but I COMPLETELY suck at going around a soft sand corner with any degree of finesse, and kept slowing down and not looking where I was going. after riding up and down the river a few times we decided it was time to head for home, SO we rode up the river one last time, and had to climb up a steep track with a deep rut to the one side to get out of the river. I managed to get about half way up before losing momentum and had a close encounter with the side of the bank. But again managed to avoid a complete lie down, and the rut on the other side. I rode up and out without further mishap and waited for Jon to catch up. He then put me to shame and rode up the incline with ease.

It was an uneventful ride home through Middlerus, past Mooi river and currys post back to howick.

So... a bit dissapointed with myself for not getting the sand riding technique... I know I will have to practice way more than just a day out. but I keep making the same mistakes and for love nor money can I get my right hand to keep on the throttle around the corners. As you can see in the video I can ride the straights just fine, no worries there, but those soft corners were my nemesis for the day :xxbah:

[flash=640,480]https://www.youtube.com/v/49cT6SjiDf4[/flash]

But dont get me wrong here, It was a brilliant day out, with new tracks(for me at least) ridden and places explored with great people and good spirits all round. Thanks to Jon and Jacques for making the ride such a pleasure!

 

[BlueBull2007]

Very lekker report Charliegregor. :thumleft:

I liked your videos as well. Thanks for the effort.

Judging from the videos Jacques rides pretty good - shall we say a natural? Well, apart from his near misses and using the starter to get up that hill! :laughing7:

Jacques had better get some ATTGAT real quick he wants to save himself a lot of pain going forward....

 

[BlueBull2007]

That riverbed looks like a lot of fun. I think you are just fine in sand. I would just go slightly fast on a sand road, which should be easy because its not as tight as that riverbed.