There was a point on this trip where I thought to myself 'This bike is now setup nicely'. Everything about it was pure joy. So on Sunday morning we were met with rain and mist. We both took every precaution concerning riding in wet weather. Riding to Sabie, over the Long Tom Pass, Lydenburg and then to Dullstroom. I was wearing every peace of clothing I had in my bag, still I froze my butt off but at least did not get that wet actually.
;)
After breakfast at Dullstroom is was a short stretch to Belfast then it would by the highway straight home. I approached the last turn before entering the town of Belfast, reduced my speed and slowly leaned into the turn. Halfway through the turn in a instance my front wheel came out underneath me. I hit the road and just kept on sliding on my one side. My bike hit the road barrier, front wheel got stuck and ripped loose from the rest of the bike. Due to the low speed and my gear I did not even get a scratch, but the bike is basically a right off. As it seems it was just my luck to hit a slick or oil spot on the road with the wet weather to boot too.
I am so highly annoyed about this! My bike was setup great, we did over 900km of riding the weekend, and I lost my bike about 3km before getting on the highway and heading home! Firstly thanks to the farmer Pieter who lives closed to where I came down, for helping me and letting me leave my wreck at his place until I went to pick it up the next day.
[ add comment ] | permalink |
( 2.9 / 119 )This past holiday season i decided to load my bike and take it on holiday with me. I strongly feel that Christmas and New Years is meant to be spend with family and loved ones. Hence I packed my bike and gear and headed of to Graaff-Reniet and Port Elizabeth to visit my Grandma's and close friends.
The Eastern Cape province have received quite an amount of rain recently, and its showing. Its one of those part of the world that you need to appreciate before you can actually see its beauty and magnificent. Yet these rains also caused the roads to be washed away and I was stuck on the farm for an extra day.
First thing I did when I arrived in Port Elizabeth is to offload my bike and go for a ride. Its the first time the bike was started at sea level altitude. Took it easy to the nearest gas station, but then I open the throttle all the way. The first thought that went through my mind was "Oh God help me!". The higher air density gave the K7 a huge boost of power, it felt like you entering warp speed! I took a couple of ride during my stay in Port Elizabeth, from which one day was a quick trip to Jeffrey's Bay and back.
Now I have taken my bike for a ride since I got back home, at an altitude of about 1300 meters I guess. And its notable unfortunately that the boost felt at the coast is gone, yet the bike still fly down the highway. But now I wonder, does the lower air pressure felt against your body when accelerating give the impression that the bike is slower?
[ add comment ] ( 2 views ) | permalink |
( 2.8 / 116 )This past week I went on a bike trip to the Eastern Transvaal province. It was such a great trip and I love every moment of it. Especially since I grew up in that regent. It is without a doubt the most beautiful piece of earth for me.
We pulled away at 5am Saturday morning from Delmas, and head straight to Middelburg and on to Dullstroom. After which the world literally changed with a turn of a page. The road became more twisted between the green hills and small lakes. As we entered this new realm a smile started growing on my face, knowing that it is here where the fun starts!
;)
We reached Lydenburg around 8am and stopped for breakfast. Then we headed off to Sabie first, going through the Long Tom pass. There were some road works on the pass so it took some time to get through. Down Devils Knuckles to Sabie and on to Graskop where we would stay for the night. Did the big cable swing over a ravine as bonus. The afternoon we took the scenic route to Hoedspruit, stopping at God's Windows and Drie Rondawels. After a late lunch we headed back to Graskop to relax after a hard day of riding, with which we already cover over 700km. The Sunday we headed off to Hazy view for breakfast again. Then past White River to Nelspruit, and down the N4 highway to home.
One thing I can say about my K7, what a joy it is to ride! I was surprisingly very comfortable during the trip. Most of the time I had this constant thought about how I can do this for hours. The trip took its toll on my rear tyre, this morning I had it replaced with a new Michelin Pilot Power 2CT tyre. The old one was worn down to the canvas. Overall I won't forget this trip soon, and can't wait for the next one.
[ add comment ] | permalink |
( 3 / 91 )Well it has been a very relaxing Easter weekend for me. I decided to take the off time to get on my bike and take a ride. My parents decided to drive down to Brandfort in the Free State Province to visit some friends, so jumped at the opportunity to use them as my support vehicle.
;)
I got on my bike the Friday morning at 6:30am. Sun was hardly up, and the air was very nippy. But this was not a problem for my fleece apple warmer and thermal long johns. Traffic was almost non-existent, almost like no one has planned to go away for the long weekend. Was nice easy cruising, trying to stay above 180km/h. Yet again my FZ6 was running like pretty well, it was purely a case of relaxing while listening to my tunes. Read More...
[ add comment ] ( 5 views ) | permalink |
( 3 / 91 )Well i thought what the hell, i need to get away. My cousin works on game farm 50 odd kilometres from the town of Piet Retief in the province of Mpumalanga (formerly known as Eastern Transvaal). Me and riding partner Gregg have already been planning this trip a while back, but we both came down with the flu on the particular planned weekend....
Read More...
[ add comment ] ( 3 views ) | permalink |
( 2.9 / 82 )
Calendar
