Van Reenens, De Beers, Collins en Normandienspas- DeonDJ & Tuli

[DeonDj]

Well what a day, today I took my 800 for a indepth test ride, and what can I say, I am very happy with this bike, after my AT I was really looking for a worthy replacement,.... I have found it and it is defnitely a 800 GS :thumleft:

Myself and Tuli (from the Eastern Free State) decided last night we are going to do these passes, now in short, Tuli is going to register as a vendor for Adventure Bike Trips in the Eastern Free State as well as Northern Natal on the WD site, especially the passes that I mentioned. Everybody goes to Clarens, Golden Gate and then Lesotho but forgets the stunning areas before that, now Tuli is currently building chalets on his farm, has got a motocross track(bring your plastic bike as well) on the farm (he is doing motocross/enduro's competitions all over SA)that he practises on, got nice facilities (bar/big screen) as well there, going to cater for the DS bikers from Jburg/rest of SA, overnight there with food included and do the outrides with Tuli the next day as guide, and he is really good at that as he is not going fast, he travelled these roads with his wife Carene that rides a new 650GS BMW, between them they do over 500 k's every weekend, and she will also back him up as photographer, sweeper etc.
On these outrides he will braai for the bikers on certain scenic spots, have back up vehicles as well if a problem arises and he knows the area well.

Well here are the day's ride report, I waited at Kestell for Tuli, from there to Harrismith, then Van Reenens pass, on top turn left onto small road.
Harrismith road after "hoenderpoot crossing"

Road ahead..

Van Reenens pass from high up on the mountain, stunning views from there.

End Part 1

 

[DeonDj]

Part 2 is all about water and more water and mud!
On top of Van Reenens before decending

As we decended into the valleys of Van Reenens water seems to filter through every pore in the ground, and where did all this water end, well at nice river crossings lower in the valleys.

Water, clean running down the road, at first I tried to ride in the middle but the camber of the middelmannetjie and mud forced me to ride in the water, after seeing how a 1200 BMW do a 180 on the mud, Tuli slipped right around and whack down he go, I saw this as in slow motion, even with knobbies on the whole bike just slipped around and bam down he went right in front of me, one moment I saw the breaklights, the next moment the headlights. O well as the tour leader he must be infront to lead...., if I was first then it would have been me....

Tuli approaching me around the turn, just water running down into the valley, O hell wat was waiting down there... ;D

End Part 2

 

[Zeff Cowboy]

Lekker Deon ons wag vir die res.

 

[SwannieBraai]

Lekke Deon, lyk great, gooi die res papa!  :drif: :drif:

 

[BMWPE]

Lekker Deon ons wag vir die res.

+1

 

[DeonDj]

Vandag Willem was een van die"Staan stil broek jou baas bewe"
Ok, then we got to this tunnel, about 50 - 70 meters long, curved, going deep through the mountain, Tuli went in first.

Dark wet, water dripping from the roof, 800 sound in there was just nice, I revved and revved, Tuli must have surely think I am bonkers, even to dark for my mik and druk flash...

Where is the Beemers, ahh there is mine

Light at the end of the tunnel it is..

Playing with the camera, without flash

With..

Looong waaay through... ;D

And then on the other side more water, and more, and then the mud monster emerged, there were so many that I was struggeling through them, sweating, swearing, cursing but hey, what fun it was.... ;D

 

[Zeff Cowboy]

Ek het nie geweet daar is opdraende en afdraende in die vrystaat nie

 

[DeonDj]

I think between me and Tuli we were very civilized, not taken pics of the slip a slide show down the mountain, my Battlewings lost the battle sadly, alas not tyres for these kind of adventures, but I want to ride them klaar before I go over to the new tyres, I battled for the Battlewings, revving and tippie toeing through the mud, Bolshoi Ballet team of Russia would get me as a dancer if they saw me today, brawn and fast riding was defnitely out, I was sweating through certain areas, I had to go spin spin up the mountain, got stuck, nearly did go down in the ruts made by the 4 x 4's, the ruts today was just too much, diep spore wat criss cross soos die karre gespin het, wel if you do DS I say in a deep voice you must not be a sussie ;D
First of many many such chocolate crossings.....

My rear wheel would just spin and spin, ice skating at it best, went boom into the shoulder and back

Pic of where we decended, was too busy keeping the bike on the road as to take more pics coming down, vehicles that got stuck there used tree branches to put underneath the wheels, obstacles for us as they obscurred the holes and big furows they
made.
Where is the front wheel? The Battlewings, eish boet what a pot of ....!!! >

Traction, what where, got quickly full of sticky clay, and dem that clay is bad!

Eventually we won the clay bastard, the red clay that stuck to my fender, clay that would send you sideways for meters, tippie toeing all the way....

 

[DeonDj]

Ek het nie geweet daar is opdraende en afdraende in die vrystaat nie

Fark bru as hulle nat is is dit nag, slip and slide se moses, ja jou blikemmer jy is geboek vir die FS bash, jy gaan plekke gaan ry wat joy nog nooit gesien het nie, en jy gaan wil terugkom, ja die laaste foto's is al Natal.

 

[SwannieBraai]

Ag eks so bly ek  wassie daar nie, I HATE MUD!!!!!!!!!! Lyk lekke anyhow, go Deon go!

 

[Goose]

Nice one  :thumleft:

 

[LeonDude]

Lekker. I'm glad I was on a ride today, otherwise I would have been green with envy!

 

[DeonDj]

Ag eks so bly ek  wassie daar nie, I HATE MUD!!!!!!!!!! Lyk lekke anyhow, go Deon go!

Ag Willem, die sweetkas was nie lekker nie maar volgende keer kom saam man, kyk ek het darem gelukkig nie geval nie, 'n paar keer was ek net gelukkig gewees maar ons het baie rustig gery, maar die wereld was mooi, baie vee in die pad gekry, die paaie was net vertrap gewees ander kan die berg, Normandiens het reen gekry so ons moe omdraai, die pad was net modder, en daai steiltes was baie gevaarlik.

 

[SwannieBraai]

Ons ka weer 'n winter trip doen, 'n droeeeeeeeeee ene, mooi wereld daai, my oom bly net anerkant die berg.

 

[DeonDj]

We rested after the mud, reflecting back at where we came from, could see Van Reenens in the distance

Modder koekies gebak...

At the turn off for De Beers Pass, rain was quickly approaching the area we wanted to go to.

And then I saw the beginning of a Tornado or whatever the yanks call it, my camera has got not adequate zoom, the wind picked up around us, the funnel seemed to extend then grew shorter, all over in a matter of minutes, then it rained.
Here is the pics of the Tornado, hehehhe in Northern Natal, see it first on WD adventure riding.
Liitle small, to the left of the picture

Zoomed in a little bit..

resting at a water crossing, the smell of fresh rain was good, the patches of black mud was not good, would ride and see these patches an walla off you go skidding into the veldt, the rain just rejuvenated the mud monsters and I was in no mood for a mud bath/treatment.

Aaaaa cool off Battlewing

 

[SwannieBraai]

Great RR sover Deon, next!  :drif:

 

[DeonDj]

On top of Collins Pass, jikes the scenery is picture perfect, what a view from there, this is DS country at its best!

Valley to the north

Road up and around Collins Pass

Roads were good here, here and there some turns that need slow speed,

A brazilian mud ....pie >

Must upload pics again to Photobucket, hope you enjoyed it so far, on this road if you keep going on it goes into a plaas paadjie/twee spoor paadjie, very nice riding through the veldt.
A defnite must if you got a DS bike to do these roads, safe, good roads and lots of nice scenery to see.

 

[Miles]

Man you guys had a great day, i can see th fun in the photo's. This is what wanted to do last Sunday, to find a Cave in the Van Reenen area, only my water pipe came off as I was leaving Warden
Thinking of doing this next Saturday again.

 

[DeonDj]

Hi Miles, I will put the mapsource map where we rode today, it was the first time that I took that little secluded road on top of Van Reenens, there is nice places to stop and chill on that route, try and do it when its drier ;D
Did 450 kilometers today, I am going to do it again also soon, we must get in touch, pm me when you go, there is till lots of roads to be covered there, went past Oatlands Polo club also today, larney place.

 

[DeonDj]

Stop at this little waterfall, next time we will take the Cobb braaier, braai there,

Affirmative washing in the stream, the bakkie owner washing his bakkie, a point of caution to future bike travellers, these afrimative travellers think they own the road there, we were nearly runned of the road by one such idiot, so watch out.

Mountain ranges off to Harrismith area

Rain and area we left behind

Fluit fluit my storie is uit ;D