The Unforgiven Trail - and the legends that tamed it

[BuRP]

Die enigste bike beter, as mens sou unsupported gaan, is n 450RR

Jy's suspensie bedonnerd!
Die nuwe (24!) 500 het cartridge vurke, soos die internet se BAIE beter..... maar ons (C, A, nog2 en ek) sal hulle Sondag oor n week gaan toetsry hierso

 

[dirtWarp]

Goeie idee.
Ek het n nuwe 500 - wat ek sou gebring het, het selfs baie uitgesien om die ding daar (vir my vir die 1e keer omrede die ding nuut is) te ry ..... maar, omdat ek hom by die KTM Rally gebruik het was daar eintlik nie genoeg tyd om hom daarna te clean, diens EN na Loxton toe te ry nie!

Sodoende het ek my 300 TPI (2nd Gen, 2020 model) gebruik, met natuurlik ook sy standaard gearing (13 voor, dink 50 agter), wat ongeveer 40 ure op gehad het.

Daai 40 ure was 1025km oppi Odo, dus gemiddelde spoed was ~25km/u - was duidelik wys ek het hom net vir tegniese ryery gebruik, soos Wakkersdtroom trips, Wolwefloof & WildWest ens naweke.
Sy odo wys nou 2600km, en sy ure 74.5hrs - wat gemiddeld 34.7km/h is, maar die werkelike prentjie vir hierdie trip is soiets van 1575km/34.5hrs > 45.7km/h gemiddeld.

Sy topspoed weet ek nie (is erens bokant 115km/h) maar dan skree die ding wragtig baie, en sodoende het ek oppi paaie so tusse 80 & 90 km/h gery - en dan is hy wel alreeds oppi pyp maar skree nie, hy sal op die manier London toe kan ry (NIE met my op nie, let wel asb, skiet my eerder!).
So nee, dis nie die ideale fiets vir die lang paaie nie ...... maar hy blink eenvoudig uit orals anderste!!!!
In sand is dit n ideale fiets, met net die throttle breek jy, verbasend beheerbaar, die agterwiel los en stuur met dit, fantasties!
En op die meer tegniese goed doen jy net wat nodig is, en dis amper makliker met n 2stroke omdat hy nie oppi enjin afrem nie!

Ek het n 12 Liter tenk opgesit vir die trip voor die tyd, en ek sal die ding op los nou. Dis die grootste tenk was mens kan kry en ek was geworry dat dit nie genoeg is nie ...... maar ek was rerig stomverbaas dat die skreeding tusse 17 & 18 km per liter gee!!
Vrek min 2T-olie ook gebruik (1.3 liter vir die heel trip).
Dis rerig fantastiese syfers wat ek nie verwag het nie, en weer, die GROOT PLESIER wat my dit gegee het oorals waar dit nie paaie was nie >>> PERFEK!!!

Is die 300 beter as die 500?
Ek weet nie, elkeen het voor & nadele teen mekaar opgeweeg - en oppi lang paaie sal die 500 hom natuurlik laglag agterlaat.
Egter, Hardy het my ook al gevra: "Sal jy die 300 weer gebruik op die trip?"


n Klipharde JA maar met n klein verskil: ek sal n 15-tand voor opsit, en dalk n 14-tand saamvat as dit te groot blyk te wees vir die tegniese goed.
Redes is.....
- ek's n 2stroke fan, n groot een, en dit ry so maklik en docile op slegte goed dat dit eintlik n no-brainer is, en ja, dis amper cheating!
- met n hoer gearing sal hy laglag by 500's bly oppi oop paaie...
- ..... maar nie net dit nie, hy sal dan ook baie vinniger op die sand kan loop - en daar's BAIE van op hierdie trip!!!!



In 2 minds of ek hom weer sal vat, ek sal daar so n klomp nagte oor moet slaap!
In kort, dit was n buitegewoon goeie keuse fiets vir hierdie trip .... maarrrrrr, net die 2nd Gen TPI, nie die 1e Gen of n Carb-300 nie!
Redes is, die 1rst Gen is 'soos die ouens se' nie so betroubaar nie, en hul oliepompie breek ook klaarblykelik, en dit beteken "einde trip!!!" dan!!! (Lees: einde enjin, groot kostes!)
En, n carb-300 suip eenvoudig skandelik baie, 1 op 10 is wat jy kan verwag - maar ook, dan moet jy self elke keer premix meng as jy volmaak??? NIE met n TPI nie, dis net volgooi en klaar, KIS!

Dis soos jy sê, persoonlike keuse.

Ek het jou 300 gery shop toe, vanaf Purros camp site.
Dis mos duskant die rivier bed en dan lekker oop sand weg na die dorp.

Die 300 was vir my weer te 'los' gewees in die dik sand. En ek moet die regte rat gaan soek, teen daai tyd is ek my momentum so effe kwyt.

Jou 500 voel vir my meer planted, en hy't power orals, draai net die oor.
En dan wanneer dit oop raak, dan is dit no contest.
Die ding met die 500 is, met 14/48 ratios kan jy enigiets doen; baie technical en baie vinnig op dik sand.

Ek weet nou waarom Toby-hulle die Finke met 500's ry.
Die bikes is ongelooflik teen spoed in dik sand.

 

[dirtWarp]

Jy's suspensie bedonnerd!
Die nuwe (24!) 500 het cartridge vurke, soos die internet se BAIE beter..... maar ons (C, A, nog2 en ek) sal hulle Sondag oor n week gaan toetsry hierso

Nee die 450RR het moerse range met vol tanks.
En hy's natuurlik ook n machine

 

[BuRP]

ek moet die regte rat gaan soek

Korrek, die ding wil 'on the boil' gehou word - wat ek van hou eerlik gese, en ook hier&daar gougou die clutch trek sodat die agterwiel 'los' kom (fok dis lekker!!!), wat ek nie gou sal doen met n 500 nie (teveel torque, bang die clutch sal brand).
Dis meer 'involved' ry sal ek maar se ....... maar my nuwe 500 kyk my al so skeef aan hierso, en voordat hy my erens onnodig gaan afgooi die volgende keer dat ek hom ry sal ek maar n tiekie opgooi watse bike ek vir die volgende Nam-trip gaan saamvat

 

[dirtWarp]

Bart, die 500 se clutch is byna onbreekbaar. Selfs veel beter as die Jap bikes se clutches. Hul kan major abuse hanteer.

Die clutch is goud werd om die 500 se krag uit te smooth.
Kyk maar wat was die eerste ding wat ek op jou 500 gestel het

Maar ja, ek weet jy's n 2stroke man.
So na my hart

 

[Hardy de Kock]

My take on the bikes used for the average Joe.

Size
I will always recommend / advise our clients (and anyone else that wants to visit Northern Namibia) to use a reliable dirt bike instead of a 200kg plus bike.
The reason for this is simple - On two of the 11 days you will not be comfortable and on 9 of the 11 days you will.
Obviously there will be exceptions with regards to really good riders being really comfortable throwing those big bikes around but the advice as stated is for the average Joe.

Because you really don't need to carry anything other than your water bladder and your lunch pack, you can ride this place with these smaller and more nimble dirt bikes.
I really do believe simpler and lighter is better and this became more apparent to me as I was driving behind Bart in the Khowarib Schlught. That old man (Sorry Bart) was ripping up that riverbed and reminded me of Daniel Sanders in attack mode. (Bart just does not have the mullet).

Brand
Very few bikes stop working. The bikes that broke down or had issues on this tour were rider mistakes.

- Justin told me that he did not check the clutch cable on his DRZ prior to the tour.
- Jean on his DR was unlucky and his front wheel caught a loose rock that caused the crash and the subsequent obliterated case cover. Apart from this unfortunate incident the DR performed flawlessly.
- Martin regrettably forgot to tighten the pinch nuts on his 990 and even after that horrible crash his bike (when we figured out its secret) performed brilliantly, and finished the tour, despite it looking like something straight out of a Mad Max filmset.

In the past we have had serious problems with KTM 690/Husqvarna 701. We have also had issues with a few 500's that picked up clutch issues. Over the last two to three years this has changed though. Maybe it is because of the prep work done by riders instigated by the knowledge passed on, on forums like this or the whats app groups that we set up prior to the tours. Whatever it is, it seems to work because we really don't have serious issues anymore. I think the last time we have had issues it was a troublesome BMW 450 that Dwerg unfortunately purchased just before the tour.

We have had zero issues with any 500 on this tour - They were brilliant. (@hartebees did not clean his airfilter once and he did not do an oil service once during the tour, and his bike never missed a beat)

The WR, even though it chewed up Jaco Noteboom's *** (he hasn't ridden bikes in a very long time) performed flawlessly.

The CRF300 of Pierre had a few bad crashes and still ploughed through every riverbed as if it was its bigger 450 sibling. Pete King did the tour last year on a CRF300 and made mincemeat of anything that stood in its way - Brilliant bikes.

Yamaha T7 - I think @Catchy would not mind doing the tour again (with his T7 or with a 500). After the first 5km in the Khowarib Schlught he found out that the T7 wants to be ridden and that is what he did. The bike did brilliantly.

Steve's 890R did really well too but unfortunately its tubeless rims let Steve down, and we had to install a tube. This is my only problem with that bike. Tubeless is not a great idea in a place where there are lurkers everywhere.

If you listen to the advice of the crew and the tour veterans, and you prep well for the tour you and your bike will be good. There is a lot of knowledge here and on the tour - You will get sorted.

Cheers

 

[m0lt3n]

I would also say a 500 is the ideal bike, but not with mouses. Tubes rather and normal gearing then you can actually do 100 to 120 all day long for the liasons as well.

I would like to come up for the 890 tubeless though. If it was 2.2 bar from day one I believe it would have been fine. Steve's strong points is rocks which also means no mercy in rocks.

I don't know what I would prefer, I can't justify a 500 for the other 11 months of the year so I will probably opt again to take what I have.

I would have liked to test the T7 but you can kind of sien jou gat at any moment so I never had the confidence to take it for a ride, also didn't really want another to ride the 990, it wasnt exactly in a condition to be proud of

 

[m0lt3n]

I got my phone back! Screen repaired.

Remembering a lot of the stuff previously forgotten, and hell it's scenic!

 

[m0lt3n]

15th, day 9 or 10 I forgot to mention... We managed to get a bag of ice at Sesfontein Lodge! It was awesome. That red thick sand later in the day would have been a lot tougher without brain freeze from your bladder.

Also burnt mountain and more great scenery on the way to brandberg

 

[m0lt3n]

Pictures really don't do the sand justice.
Maybe also not a 500

Epic with brandberg in the background.
Last rocky section not that much fun. Had two close calls also on a fast section hard pack and then sudden thicksand bit as well.

After being lazy around the pool it was extremely tough to put on your wet (sweaty) dirty bulky bike gear on again. Robert didnt

 

[ETS]

I would also say a 500 is the ideal bike, but not with mouses. Tubes rather and normal gearing then you can actually do 100 to 120 all day long for the liasons as well.

I would like to come up for the 890 tubeless though. If it was 2.2 bar from day one I believe it would have been fine. Steve's strong points is rocks which also means no mercy in rocks.

I don't know what I would prefer, I can't justify a 500 for the other 11 months of the year so I will probably opt again to take what I have.

I would have liked to test the T7 but you can kind of sien jou gat at any moment so I never had the confidence to take it for a ride, also didn't really want another to ride the 990, it wasnt exactly in a condition to be proud of

I prefer mousses.....

 

[FredK]

I prefer mousses.....

Definitely mousses.

 

[hartebees]

My opinion on best bike to take: if you want to get to camp first – KTM 500. If you want to experience Kaokoland – CRF300L.

 

[dirtWarp]

My opinion on best bike to take: if you want to get to camp first – KTM 500. If you want to experience Kaokoland – CRF300L.

Wise words.

 

[ETS]

Next year i will take it even slower. And leave my ego at home.

 

[dirtWarp]

Imagine this ride on a TW200?
Do they have enough power to get 'on top' of the thick sand?

That could be a fun ride!

 

[hartebees]

My opinion on best bike to take: if you want to get to camp first – KTM 500. If you want to experience Kaokoland – CRF300L.

Let me expand on this.

The best bike for a given rider depends on that rider’s needs. I also believe that different bikes will induce different behaviour in a rider.

A tour in Kaokoland is comprised out of many parts of which riding a motorcycle is but one.

The KTM 500 totally dominates that terrain.

The reason why I recommend a 300L is that it encourages a more relaxed approach to the riding. Going slower makes it easier to stop, take some photos, look around at the scenery etc. For me, that’s a very important part of the trip.

I’m not saying that those that place more emphasis on extracting joy from their bikes are wrong. Take @FredK for example, who had an absolute whale of a time on his 500 this year. That bike put a massive smile on his face. But as a very well travelled person he also knows how to do it in a way that he still engages with the special views and experiences that Kaokoland and Damaraland can offer.

 

[BuRP]

I don't know what I would prefer, I can't justify a 500 for the other 11 months of the year so I will probably opt again to take what I have.

I would have liked to test the T7 but you can kind of sien jou gat at any moment so I never had the confidence to take it for a ride, also didn't really want another to ride the 990, it wasnt exactly in a condition to be proud of

You should have asked Andrew, I'm sure he'd swapped with pleasure however perhaps only on a doable stretch rather than Van Zyls or the like.
Like you (and Steve, he also surprised me!) he makes the bike he's on look good, something I envy because I know I never will.
And on that, if you had been on a 500 you would have been dicing with Pierre the whole trip, another bloke I didn't know and showed what he can do with a bike without even a hint of arrogance, simply disappearing up front.


The pleasant bunch of very varied characters on this trip is again a compliment for Hardy, he's got a knack for getting this right - then add the people of his awesome team and witness a group that gels naturally.
That is a compliment for anyone partaking, note please, and 'makes' a trip!
Thank You to ALL for fitting in, even with the rather large age discrepancies: we were always a group thoroughly enjoying ourselves, in one of the remotest parts of the world where beauty is stacked staggeringly high, where excitement is guaranteed, adventure & fatigue are a given as well as solutions to unexpected and inevitable hurdles, this all in the safe knowledge of being fed so well that some will wonder if they are gaining some weight rather than loosing it because of all the workouts they conquer!
Put it this way: Sign me up anytime for the exact same with the exact same people please!
Cheers to all you buggers

 

[m0lt3n]

my day 11!
I was conflicted if I wanted to ride the last day, by now I have pretty much satisfied my bike riding lus, plus my while my bike has been faultless it felt like I was tempting fate pushing it unnecessarily to do another day of full riding. But I also realised I am there, I wont have another opportunity to ride in such an area for a while/if ever again.

But that last days ride circumventing Brandberg was awesome. It really was a great ride with that mountain next to you it was the perfect ride.
I rode with Fred and Gerry, I was the slow oke on the fat bike so they let me ride in front. But the ride wasnt as tough as I/we thought and it was actually the perfect 990 day. Started of with lekker fast 2 spoor and gravel track, then some rocky 2 spoor but not to bad, and then riverbed and done. I had my full mojo on and was having a blast! I really had fun, not only on the gravel bit but also the riverbed. Normally I endure thick sand, its just another stretch of track/road to do, but today I was having a blast and also managed decent speeds. Good thing there was no elephants, I wouldnt have stopped to easily, provided I even saw them. Great great great ride.

Sorry, didnt take much pics in the riverbed.

last pic was the mural on some ruins on the last last day I mentioned earlier in the RR. Not much to share of the last day, I would rather think and remember the other days.

Check Pic of marmer on back of truck... You can see the bend in the bed...

 

[Roxtar]

Insiggewende comments oor die bikes, dankie ouens!

Dit laat mens nogals dink, niks wat n mens en masjien so toets soos om jouself en jou bike en vermoens in die middel van een van die wereld se hardste landskappe te bevind nie.... Julle is almal YSTERS!