McKracken
Pack Dog
Day 15, big breakfast to start with as I knew the next camp had very little..
I got going at about 9, and had a fairly long stretch of gravel highway. The road was good despite what the car drivers had said, and I was enjoying it so much I almost missed my turn off into a river.
The river was a short stretch but soft and full of livestock. The lambing season must have been good because I often was slowing down for them to cross...
A couple of big holes tried to upset the day, but I was going quick enough that I bounced thru them no worries.
Fuel in Okangwati is supplied by a tannie who could kickstart a Boeing, and although a bit pricey, I was glad to have a full tank. It rapidly turned rural again and I had a lekka ride thru villages on the way to Van Zyl's pass. I'd been warned to stop and walk the big climb before riding it.. unfortunately I didn't find the big climb until I was over it. When I reached the lookout I was a bit surprised. Robbie's pass is significantly more technical at the moment.
After a stop at the top I started making my way down, only to spot 2 vehicles that had crashed off the road long ago.
I decided to go have a look and road down past them. I'd guess a rental Hilux and a cruiser bakki, although how they got it so wrong I'm not sure.
On the way out from the cars I hit an erosion ditch and fell over, although I wasn't really moving the bike seemed to land hard.
Some steam was coming off the exhaust, and I assumed that like often happens, the boil over bottle had dripped onto the pipe.
I got up and going and by the time I got to the track 20m on I noticed more stream. And the one radiator was sitting funny against the tank.
.
I rolled down the rest of the hill with the motor off. Looking for any shade I could work in. Of course, there was none.
I stopped and got my helmet, camelback, gloves, jacket, neck brace off. And got a hat on. I checked the water in the camelback, I'd drunk 2 liters and had 1 left. The bike takes 1.2...
The next step is to offload the luggage, remove the carrier, seat off, tank off, then I could look at the radiators.
@BoskakBruce I was regretting not having your quick removal velcro ring system.
It was hot as hell, and I could feel myself getting thirsty.
The dilemma was: I would use all my water in the cooling system to test my repair, mixing it with whatever was left and making it undrinkable. alternatively I keep the water for the walk/wait for help.
As is my trademark, I left the decision for later.
With the tank off I could see 2 of the 4 radiator mounts had failed, one on each side.
The hot water comes from the engine, inside the frame to a T piece, where it splits into each radiator. The fall, with the broken mount had pulled the one side of the t connection out, dumping all the coolant. There are no hose clamps, the t is held together by the mounting of the radiators. If you pull them apart it comes undone.
I greased and re fitted the pipes and used a few cable ties thru a hole in the frame to keep pressure on the radiators, and stopping the pipe from coming off.
I looked everywhere else and couldn't find any other problems, so committing to my repair, I dumped all of my remaining water into the bike. Counting that it will work. A quick test was promising. So I loaded up and got dressed, only to see my front tire was flat. I'd already stopped earlier and triple plugged the hole that had 2 plugs in it.
I pumped it up and it seemed to hold, so I pushed on to the bottom of the pass where I'd check the water level again.
Fortunately. The water level was good, and the air was staying where I'd put it.
Now I'd been wondering if a direct route to Purros was wiser, but camp synchro was closer, and everything seemed ok.
I made it, hot and thirsty...
After getting some water in me. I noticed the cable tie had broken!
Repeat, remove all luggage. Seat and tank. This time I used 2 independent sets of cable ties to hopefully hold it all together.
After the repairs. I made a dinner of soup, and sat on a rock in the riverbed eating.
Back in the camp I was making hot chocolate, when I heard something moving in the trees.
I looked up and after a few misses I spotted a snake that was slowly falling out the tree..
It looks to me little a python, but I'm no expert. And I don't know any pythons that climb trees.
Needless to say. All the zips have been double checked this eve.
Finally off the highway
I was really enjoying the approach to the pass
I missed the name, but this might be heartbreak hill
Odie looking out from the top of the pass
Maurienfloss
The top of the lookout point
The rental
The trouble shooting
The camelback after the radiator refill
On the flat sandy planes
Change in colour
Radiator repair V2.0
Camp. Note the big tree behind my spot
Dinner in the riverbed
Sunset
Nope rope / danger noodle that was about to fall out of the tree
I got going at about 9, and had a fairly long stretch of gravel highway. The road was good despite what the car drivers had said, and I was enjoying it so much I almost missed my turn off into a river.
The river was a short stretch but soft and full of livestock. The lambing season must have been good because I often was slowing down for them to cross...
A couple of big holes tried to upset the day, but I was going quick enough that I bounced thru them no worries.
Fuel in Okangwati is supplied by a tannie who could kickstart a Boeing, and although a bit pricey, I was glad to have a full tank. It rapidly turned rural again and I had a lekka ride thru villages on the way to Van Zyl's pass. I'd been warned to stop and walk the big climb before riding it.. unfortunately I didn't find the big climb until I was over it. When I reached the lookout I was a bit surprised. Robbie's pass is significantly more technical at the moment.
After a stop at the top I started making my way down, only to spot 2 vehicles that had crashed off the road long ago.
I decided to go have a look and road down past them. I'd guess a rental Hilux and a cruiser bakki, although how they got it so wrong I'm not sure.
On the way out from the cars I hit an erosion ditch and fell over, although I wasn't really moving the bike seemed to land hard.
Some steam was coming off the exhaust, and I assumed that like often happens, the boil over bottle had dripped onto the pipe.
I got up and going and by the time I got to the track 20m on I noticed more stream. And the one radiator was sitting funny against the tank.
.
I rolled down the rest of the hill with the motor off. Looking for any shade I could work in. Of course, there was none.
I stopped and got my helmet, camelback, gloves, jacket, neck brace off. And got a hat on. I checked the water in the camelback, I'd drunk 2 liters and had 1 left. The bike takes 1.2...
The next step is to offload the luggage, remove the carrier, seat off, tank off, then I could look at the radiators.
@BoskakBruce I was regretting not having your quick removal velcro ring system.
It was hot as hell, and I could feel myself getting thirsty.
The dilemma was: I would use all my water in the cooling system to test my repair, mixing it with whatever was left and making it undrinkable. alternatively I keep the water for the walk/wait for help.
As is my trademark, I left the decision for later.
With the tank off I could see 2 of the 4 radiator mounts had failed, one on each side.
The hot water comes from the engine, inside the frame to a T piece, where it splits into each radiator. The fall, with the broken mount had pulled the one side of the t connection out, dumping all the coolant. There are no hose clamps, the t is held together by the mounting of the radiators. If you pull them apart it comes undone.
I greased and re fitted the pipes and used a few cable ties thru a hole in the frame to keep pressure on the radiators, and stopping the pipe from coming off.
I looked everywhere else and couldn't find any other problems, so committing to my repair, I dumped all of my remaining water into the bike. Counting that it will work. A quick test was promising. So I loaded up and got dressed, only to see my front tire was flat. I'd already stopped earlier and triple plugged the hole that had 2 plugs in it.
I pumped it up and it seemed to hold, so I pushed on to the bottom of the pass where I'd check the water level again.
Fortunately. The water level was good, and the air was staying where I'd put it.
Now I'd been wondering if a direct route to Purros was wiser, but camp synchro was closer, and everything seemed ok.
I made it, hot and thirsty...
After getting some water in me. I noticed the cable tie had broken!
Repeat, remove all luggage. Seat and tank. This time I used 2 independent sets of cable ties to hopefully hold it all together.
After the repairs. I made a dinner of soup, and sat on a rock in the riverbed eating.
Back in the camp I was making hot chocolate, when I heard something moving in the trees.
I looked up and after a few misses I spotted a snake that was slowly falling out the tree..
It looks to me little a python, but I'm no expert. And I don't know any pythons that climb trees.
Needless to say. All the zips have been double checked this eve.
Finally off the highway
I was really enjoying the approach to the pass
I missed the name, but this might be heartbreak hill
Odie looking out from the top of the pass
Maurienfloss
The top of the lookout point
The rental
The trouble shooting
The camelback after the radiator refill
On the flat sandy planes
Change in colour
Radiator repair V2.0
Camp. Note the big tree behind my spot
Dinner in the riverbed
Sunset
Nope rope / danger noodle that was about to fall out of the tree