Team 525 Amageza 2015 - videos and some recaps (better late than never)

[Aidan]

This is the first of a series of videos that myself and team members are going to post as a prelude to this years Amageza to get everyone frothing to ride. Unlikely that anyone on this forum does not know about the Rally however those not familiar with the madness see more on the official website here https://www.amageza.com.

Our team of misfits under the name team 525 (named after our beloved steeds,bought borrowed and stolen) will sadly not be competing again this year for various personal reasons (mostly our wives and mistresses will leave us if we do) however we are heavily nostalgic, this can be put down to the fact that we actually survived this ridiculous event to tell the tale.

For me the race was a trial by fire, having purchased my first dirt bike a mere 8 months prior to the race I picked one of the toughest on our local soil,  never one to shy away from competition I wanted to prove to my big brother (JustBendIt) that I had the mustard to compete. Stupid and naive is a very fitting description to my decision making process.

I could not have completed the race (yes I finished) had it not been for our awesome team mates and crew.
Enough of the lyrical waxing for now... more to follow, check out the first of our vids here. (excuse the poor quality I'm pretty new at this editing stuff)

https://youtu.be/ONeLcI3GcYs

 

[Tienie]

sub

 

[Aidan]

2nd instalment: Packing

Ok so granted my first post probably confused most, a ride report that starts one of the last chapters of the story? WTF ... I’m going to try and fix this by pacing myself and getting through things one piece at a time, I concede the best place to start is at the beginning.

Preparation for our trip started months in advance, bikes had been customised with all the bells and whistles to get us through the tricky navigation and riders had slimmed down and become somewhat streamlined.

We had strict instructions from team leaders Andrew Johnstone (Kamanya) and Justin (JustBendIt) to pack as light as possible. With a six-man team and three crew members we needed every spare inch of space possible. Here’s our list of stuff we took with us.

ONE medium size trommel per rider – size 360 mm high X 410 mm wide X 690 mm long.


• Enough oil filters for your own bike  (plan was to do minimum 3 oil changes on each bike – days 2, 4 and 6 – depending on how hard you ride
• Spare air filter – each rider had 1 in your bike and another in their trommel – (quick and easy replacement)
• Any really special specific tools your bike needed and that none of the other bikes will need 
• Duct tape
• Cable ties
• Brake fluid
• Mineral oil for clutch
• Air filter cleaner
• Air filter oil
• Rags
• Pens and highlighters for road book marking
• Medical tape for your hands, etc.
• Spare batteries and / or charger for all your gadgets
• 4 X 20 litre jerry cans for fuel
• 4 x enviromat
• 2 x spare front 90/90/21 Michelin Desert per rider
• 2 x spare rear 140/80/18 Michelin Desert per rider (These tyres will all be individually wrapped in industrial cling film by me (to keep them clean and dry in case it )
• Manual tyre fitting machine (kindly donated to our team by Andy660)
• 1 x 2.8m X 2.8m - Gazebo
• 1 x 2.8m X 4.2m - Gazebo
• 5 x large plastic folding tables
• 10 x Camping Chairs
• 1 x 2kva silent Generator
• Kitchen sink

As you can see by this this is all boiled down to lot of gear, not to mention 6 x fully kitted Rally bikes as well as each mans riding gear.
Just packing it all in proved to be a feat in itself… heres the video to prove it.

https://youtu.be/zWUB93h1IgA

 

[JustBendIt]

:thumleft:

 

[darthvader]

Good memories!

 

[bungycool]

Hey you forgot the nutter Irishman and a scotty Saffa!

 

[Aidan]

Hey you forgot the nutter Irishman and a scotty Saffa!

Not forgotten- they will be revealed in their own dedicated thread ... Coming soon to a theatre near you.

 

[Kamanya]

Let me back this up a bit.

Long before we got packing, Justin had accompanied me as backup in the 2014 edition. He was incredibly helpful, organised and motivated me in unique and creative ways….



The bug had bitten and he was now sure he could compete. There was one small thing besides getting over the finish line in the 2015 edition that he was going to try accomplish – he was sure he could do it with a budget of all in R50k, bike included.

This was the mail he sent to Robert copying me in;

I sent this link to Kamanya - he says he's not interested

Its disappointing because I think he could do very fucking well on lightweight fast equipment - the only place his bike scores is in a straight line on a liason comfort wise - but you still have to stick to speed limits

Imagine what he could do on a 525

Imagine a 3 bike 525 team with common spares and backup - all identical and prepared properly and ready to race - formidable - unstoppable - maybe even unbeatable

I have CC'd him in on this - I think we must give him a hard time

I will gladly source the bike and store it for him for FREE like I did for you - on the start line for R50K or less in his case because he already has all the nave equipment, radio, ICO etc

A no brainer in my opinion

I played coy and hard to get, for a day or two and then relented.

He also offered me the proposition that he would buy bikes for the both of us, I would pay for the rallyfication of it and then he would sell it once done for a profit, or I would buy it from him at cost. In return for this generous offer I had to help him get rally prepared and that we would be a team. I had been campaigning on my 950 for the previous 3



and though I was a bit heartsore that the beast would be retired, the thought of trying something small did appeal. Plus, being a semi sponsored rider felt a bit posh! So, before I knew it, Justin who is nothing if not a man of action had found 2 KTM 525 EXC’s.

And so KTM 525 was born!

This is mine on it’s way to us



But Ian got wind of this and this went on between us;

On 23 Feb 2015, at 10:24 AM, Ian Henderson  wrote:
WTF?!? Did I hear yesterday that one of the dozen or so 525’s Justin is currently buying up is for Andrew??

That 990/50/pumper frankenmobile is an icon of the Amageza and at very least there should be a court of public opinion held to determine whether he gets the right to stop riding it.

A 525?!!! Pah!


On 23 Feb 2015, at 14:36, Justin Bennetts  wrote:
I can neither confirm or deny these rumors at this auspicious stage going forward

It is apparent for future development of rallying that serious investment and guidance needs to be undertaken in terms of the selection criteria of suitable motorcycles for skilled and unskilled, advantaged and previously disadvantaged riders if they have any hope of a competitive finishing position in the cross border sub Saharan southern african chaleenge
Regards

Justin Jacob Zuma Bennetts





From IAN:

I smell fivetwofiveohgate!!!! Alert the press!

Sent from my iPhone

So, not long after that, was that Ian of Maxthepanda fame, who was going to be doing his second Amageza and was not keen to do it malle moto and muscled his way in?

And so Team 525 was growing, then we were 4....

 

[Kamanya]

2 Things happened fairly soon after that;

Justin was having a braai and telling all that he’d entered this epic race. In attendance to this announcement was Scotty, a long suffering buddy who flits around the world helping organise and take posh pics of super models in exotic places….



The other was Aidan, his brother, who does Top Billing stuff in his spare time, (remember my brolly girl? You’d never guess they’re related!) but has a proper job running a design studio.

Scotty got into a pissing contest, as you do, about whether Justin could finish the race and Scotty, who has done a bit of motocross and has an old skedonk in the garage was sure he could beat him if he entered.

Much later and with enough beer in them and a fairly competitive bone in both, a bet of who will cross the finish line first emerged, with loser paying the winners entry fee!

If I remember right, Aidan a few days later, thought that being a spectator from the back of bike whilst all this hairy chested testosterone talk was going on would be a good idea to join too. Aidan’s sum total of bike experience was on one of these…

When Justin told me the news, I was like, “Yeah right, I think you can make it, but who’s this Scott oke? And, why do you want to kill your brother?”

Justin, who I think must have some Jewish/Scottish blood, was really going for this “Under R50k” thing seriously and was betting Scotty as a fine strategy to ensure he came in under budget!

… I could see the cold logic of this but was pretty certain only two of us were going to be getting a finishers medal.

And then we were 6!

 

[JustBendIt]

what about Herr Gerda Von Faff ?

 

[rubiblue]

what about Herr Gerda Von Faff ?

Von faff a lot.

 

[Kamanya]

what about Herr Gerda Von Faff ?

Did he come too?

 

[JustBendIt]

what about Herr Gerda Von Faff ?

Did he come too?

I think so

But I'm not really sure ...

I also have recollections of a few other characters too, dunno if it is a real memory or a LSD flashback

A Scotsman, an Irishman, a Boertjie and an Engelsman go on a rally - who picks up the most "torns" ?

 

[JustBendIt]

what about Herr Gerda Von Faff ?

Did he come too?

I think so

But I'm not really sure ...

I also have recollections of a few other characters too, dunno if it is a real memory or a LSD flashback

A Scotsman, an Irishman, a Boertjie and an Engelsman volunteer to serve as backup on a rally - who picks up the most "torns" ?

 

[JustBendIt]

I think one of these could be him

 

[lj111]

:sip:
Good times :ricky:

 

[GraZer]

Great story, and pictures.
Will we see any of you this year?

 

[Kobus Myburgh]

:sip:

 

[Aidan]

This video https://youtu.be/eU4QGiIjn4E  conclusively proves that  Eugene Robert De Villiers Adams was the sixth and final member of our riding team...

 

[Kamanya]

So where was I?

Ah yes Robert. Robert had raced  a few Amageza’s with me and we’d spent quite a bit of time together on the race and in Atlantis. On the 2014 Amageza, he’d hit it off with Justin and I. On some of the days we rode together.



So actually Robert was No. 2 into the team and had been in from the start.

Robert also has some technical skills and was going to help out with fabrication of getting parts of the bike rally ready. So for that reason, even though he’s from across the boerie curtain, he was the sixth and final member of riding side of Team 525.



In very short order, we all convened at some suitable place that had cold beverages to meet and greet. It was a quite a surprise to finally meet Scott – it turns out that I was a river guide for him and his Dad once in his youth and on one of the days we had a food fight and for good measure I had used him as a towel to clean the custard and coffee off me. Small worlds!



I cannot begin to tell you just how much organising goes into getting to the start line if you are on your own, but when it becomes a team thing the complexity just goes through the roof.

First order was to start a Whatsap group. It is a fabulous tool for keeping everyone up to date and making decisions when there is not beer. But hell! It got busy and messy.

Despite the beer, we soon ironed out a program, where whatever needed to be done was divvied out to all. Justin was going to do the lions share of procurement. Robert was going to get fabrication. Aidan was going to design and organise the look for the bikes and kit. Ian, Aidan, Scott and myself would try to get some sponsorship, help out and drink the beer.

In between all this, we had to work and also train. Aidan had never been offroad and Scott and Justin hadn’t ridden a rally, so they would have to squeeze a multi-day trip in where some navigation would have to be practised.

Justin immediately went into buy mode;

Tires



All the bikes ran Tubliss



Rally tanks





Radios



Road books and nav gear



Oil (each bike would need 2 litres of oil per day)



It just didn’t end.

Trevor at ADV RIDER gave us a great deal on replacing the useless sidestands

We would need lights so Hannes and Charl of Extreme Lights were roped in to help design a system for our bikes. They were very keen to support us and designed a once off unique solution to the 525’s AC headlight power with 2 epic LED per bike.

Here’s Hannes testing a prototype of them



Later with the real McCoy!



In their excitement, I think because we left a bike in their shop, they blew right past their budget and supplied head torches for all too! These things are dangerously bright, you can’t look into them at full power!;



Later in the story, these lights saved ours and many other riders’ bacon one evening.