It all started a year ago when my wife and I were touring South America on our dirt bikes. I had been reading ride reports about Kaokoland by [member=9492]Xpat[/member], [member=15496]Minxy[/member], [member=6]michnus[/member], [member=11625]Damaraland[/member] and they all had two things in common - amazing pictures and wild adventures. I had to go.
So, one morning while sipping coffee in Ecuador, I opened up my Gumtree app and bought a KTM 500 from a guy in Nelspruit and had it shipped to my brother's place in Cape Town. That story is outlined in my bike build report here: https://wilddog.net.za/forum/index.php?topic=252547.0
I figured I'd be in a Cape Town a few months later and ride the 500 to Kaokoland. Then COVID hit and my wife and I were quarantined for 7 months in a 2-bed apartment in Chile. Somehow, we survived without killing each other and when we finally managed to get flights out of Chile, I immediately booked a ticket to Cape Town to see my family, my new 500, and head to Kaokoland. "Thank God!" she said. "I've had enough of you for 7 months..."
The problem was, I didn't really want to go alone. After loneliness set in during a 15-country solo motorcycle trip in 2015, I promised myself that I'd never ride alone again. Not becasue I don't like being alone, but becasue without someone to share my experiences with, it's never quite as fun. Normally, my wife would ride with me. She's pretty badass. But this trip she couldn't make.
So, first things first, I had to find people to join in on the fun with me. None of my friends could take 3 weeks off (and none of them had bikes capable of going where I wanted to go). I couldn't just ride with anyone. I wanted a capable rider, on a small bike, who loved sand, and was good company. A tall order, right?
So, I started a
bike build report that I figured only other 500 riders would be interested in. I'd bought a bunch of accessories to VARKle my bike with, and I figured that maybe someone reading it would own a 500 and would want to join me.