Post by steyngert on Feb 5, 2008 9:18:51 GMT 2
Who are we?
Gert and Insce Steyn on a R1200 GS Adventure
Paul Steyn on a R1200C
Route:
Day 1
Departing cnr of De Villebois Marieul and Garsfontein
Bronkhorstpruit, Middelburg, Stoffberg, Steenkampsberge, Lydenburg, Pilgrimsrest via Robbers Pass, Graskop, Sabie, Lydenburg, Dullstroom. Distance: 525km
Day 2
Dullstroom, Bethal, Stoffberg, Groblersdal, Bronkhorstspruit. Distance: 300km.
Maybe a bit of background first…
Years ago I owned a R1100GS and had a thoroughly blissful time with it. Speaking of bliss, there is still an article on www.bmwmotorrad.co.za called Mozambique – Ignorance and Bliss. As things happen, time to ride became an issue and I reluctantly sold the warhorse to another aspiring adventurer. Once a biker, always a biker – for the last few years my motorcycle gland continued to grow and throb to the point that I started having recurring dreams in October last year. Married for a single year at that point, my darling wife was quite adamant that there is no space for a third party, albeit a motorcycle, in this newly formed union. As fortune would have it, there was always a two-wheeler in my father’s garage. A quick telephone call secured access to the R1200C for a few weeks. A borrowed helmet here, a brief dusting off of the old bike jacket there and I collected the bike. I took Insce for a little ride on a Saturday afternoon and again for a brief breakfast run the following Sunday morning. Sunday evening at home whilst contemplating Derek Watts’ extraordinary interrogation abilities, my wife dropped the bomb: “So why can we not have a bike?” With the Monday being a public holiday I had little choice but to wait. Tuesday morning saw a vast amount of phone calls to dealerships and my financial institution of choice – lo and behold, I took possession (thanks Braam!!) on Thursday afternoon of a R1200GS Adventure. December saw only a bit of riding to get back into the swing of things. A decent trip was planned for January, but the heavens opened up and weekend after weekend was marred with threatening weather all around. I have no problem riding through the occasional rainstorm, but to depart home in torrents of water for the first trip was too big a bite off this cherry.
The 2nd and 3rd of February held promises of much better weather, an absence of retired tourists in all the nice spots and a bit more confidence in the saddle after a few weeks of riding through traffic.
Picture taken on the Steenkampsberg pass.
Departing at 06:00 Saturday of the 2nd of February, we set off behind my father on his R1200C. A breakfast was held to honour the gods of cholesterol at the Shell just before Middelburg. aWe then we set off for the Steenkampsberge. I was a bit disheartened to see how the roads have deteriorated since I last rode 5 years ago. Potholes was a constant throughout our trip. From Lydenburg we headed north and turned onto the Robber’s Pass road in order to have a well foamed beer in Pilgrims Rest. I am fairly sure that when German engineers started thinking about developing the GS, they spent a bit of time testing in Robbers Pass. The GS loves it – tight, uneven twisties requiring hard braking and firm acceleration over uncertain road conditions. Even through a corner a pothole of average size can be negotiated with comfort and ease.
Leaving Pilgrimsrest, another little mountain pass was presented complete with gravel all the wrong places. No problem. God’s Window was clear – not a likely occurrence. The obligatory Harrie’s Pancake followed and laden with these gastronomic additions, we left for Sabie. A brief stop at the 2nd hand bookstore in Sabie ensured some reading material for the night with the Long Tom pass beckoning in the distance.
God's Window
The first bit of the Long Tom pass up to the Long Tom monument was fine, but extensive road works just after that led to a bit of frustration. A lot of loose tar and gravel bit on the road made the experience somewhat less than joyful – I wasn’t able to negotiate the turns in my usual enthusiastic manner.
Long Tom
The ride from Lydenburg to Dullstroom was uneventful, and the night was spent in the basic but adequate Duck and Trout Inn. Having arrived there at 16:00, there was more than sufficient time to log a few Guinness beers and the odd bottle of red wine. Out of town and out of our normal comfort zones the conversation drifted towards esoterical, philosophical and theological avenues. The less said here, the better.
A Sunday morning 07:30 in Dullstroom is as vibrant and lively as the average municipal office on a weekday afternoon. We eventually found a restaurant willing to serve us our first meal of the day. Thereafter, Groblersdal – no sane man will endure the mindless tedium of the N4 between Belfast and Pretoria. I’d rather travel 100km extra than drive this bit of tarred boredom.
The road between Groblersdal and Bapsfontein offered a bit of excitement, apart from the potholes. Following my father at about 140kph, I noticed his numberplate becoming detached slightly. I rode up close to him and flashing lights, waving arms and continuous hooting did not attract his attention in time. His number plate shook loose, and came flying back at us like a well aimed boomerang. I managed to duck just in time and it hit Insce’s helmet on the visor. Luckily it was a plastic numberplate and it hit her on the flat portion and not on one of the edges. Little damage was done, but we could not find the offending piece of plastic afterward.
We got home just after 11, more rested and relaxed than if we spent a week in a spa. A little word to the pillions of the world: My wife has very little experience on a motorcycle and she has intuitively adopted the correct riding style. She is very relaxed at the back, she does not cling onto me and she does not fight against the bike in the corners. It makes it so much easier for the rider when he knows that his pillion won’t be doing anything unexpected. The only thing I taught her was to position her head over my left shoulder when I do a left hander and over my right shoulder when I do a right hander. When I brake, she tightens her knees around my hips to avoid her sliding forward. It makes it a much more enjoyable experience when neither the rider nor the pillion is nervous.
Gert and Insce Steyn on a R1200 GS Adventure
Paul Steyn on a R1200C
Route:
Day 1
Departing cnr of De Villebois Marieul and Garsfontein
Bronkhorstpruit, Middelburg, Stoffberg, Steenkampsberge, Lydenburg, Pilgrimsrest via Robbers Pass, Graskop, Sabie, Lydenburg, Dullstroom. Distance: 525km
Day 2
Dullstroom, Bethal, Stoffberg, Groblersdal, Bronkhorstspruit. Distance: 300km.
Maybe a bit of background first…
Years ago I owned a R1100GS and had a thoroughly blissful time with it. Speaking of bliss, there is still an article on www.bmwmotorrad.co.za called Mozambique – Ignorance and Bliss. As things happen, time to ride became an issue and I reluctantly sold the warhorse to another aspiring adventurer. Once a biker, always a biker – for the last few years my motorcycle gland continued to grow and throb to the point that I started having recurring dreams in October last year. Married for a single year at that point, my darling wife was quite adamant that there is no space for a third party, albeit a motorcycle, in this newly formed union. As fortune would have it, there was always a two-wheeler in my father’s garage. A quick telephone call secured access to the R1200C for a few weeks. A borrowed helmet here, a brief dusting off of the old bike jacket there and I collected the bike. I took Insce for a little ride on a Saturday afternoon and again for a brief breakfast run the following Sunday morning. Sunday evening at home whilst contemplating Derek Watts’ extraordinary interrogation abilities, my wife dropped the bomb: “So why can we not have a bike?” With the Monday being a public holiday I had little choice but to wait. Tuesday morning saw a vast amount of phone calls to dealerships and my financial institution of choice – lo and behold, I took possession (thanks Braam!!) on Thursday afternoon of a R1200GS Adventure. December saw only a bit of riding to get back into the swing of things. A decent trip was planned for January, but the heavens opened up and weekend after weekend was marred with threatening weather all around. I have no problem riding through the occasional rainstorm, but to depart home in torrents of water for the first trip was too big a bite off this cherry.
The 2nd and 3rd of February held promises of much better weather, an absence of retired tourists in all the nice spots and a bit more confidence in the saddle after a few weeks of riding through traffic.
Picture taken on the Steenkampsberg pass.
Departing at 06:00 Saturday of the 2nd of February, we set off behind my father on his R1200C. A breakfast was held to honour the gods of cholesterol at the Shell just before Middelburg. aWe then we set off for the Steenkampsberge. I was a bit disheartened to see how the roads have deteriorated since I last rode 5 years ago. Potholes was a constant throughout our trip. From Lydenburg we headed north and turned onto the Robber’s Pass road in order to have a well foamed beer in Pilgrims Rest. I am fairly sure that when German engineers started thinking about developing the GS, they spent a bit of time testing in Robbers Pass. The GS loves it – tight, uneven twisties requiring hard braking and firm acceleration over uncertain road conditions. Even through a corner a pothole of average size can be negotiated with comfort and ease.
Leaving Pilgrimsrest, another little mountain pass was presented complete with gravel all the wrong places. No problem. God’s Window was clear – not a likely occurrence. The obligatory Harrie’s Pancake followed and laden with these gastronomic additions, we left for Sabie. A brief stop at the 2nd hand bookstore in Sabie ensured some reading material for the night with the Long Tom pass beckoning in the distance.
God's Window
The first bit of the Long Tom pass up to the Long Tom monument was fine, but extensive road works just after that led to a bit of frustration. A lot of loose tar and gravel bit on the road made the experience somewhat less than joyful – I wasn’t able to negotiate the turns in my usual enthusiastic manner.
Long Tom
The ride from Lydenburg to Dullstroom was uneventful, and the night was spent in the basic but adequate Duck and Trout Inn. Having arrived there at 16:00, there was more than sufficient time to log a few Guinness beers and the odd bottle of red wine. Out of town and out of our normal comfort zones the conversation drifted towards esoterical, philosophical and theological avenues. The less said here, the better.
A Sunday morning 07:30 in Dullstroom is as vibrant and lively as the average municipal office on a weekday afternoon. We eventually found a restaurant willing to serve us our first meal of the day. Thereafter, Groblersdal – no sane man will endure the mindless tedium of the N4 between Belfast and Pretoria. I’d rather travel 100km extra than drive this bit of tarred boredom.
The road between Groblersdal and Bapsfontein offered a bit of excitement, apart from the potholes. Following my father at about 140kph, I noticed his numberplate becoming detached slightly. I rode up close to him and flashing lights, waving arms and continuous hooting did not attract his attention in time. His number plate shook loose, and came flying back at us like a well aimed boomerang. I managed to duck just in time and it hit Insce’s helmet on the visor. Luckily it was a plastic numberplate and it hit her on the flat portion and not on one of the edges. Little damage was done, but we could not find the offending piece of plastic afterward.
We got home just after 11, more rested and relaxed than if we spent a week in a spa. A little word to the pillions of the world: My wife has very little experience on a motorcycle and she has intuitively adopted the correct riding style. She is very relaxed at the back, she does not cling onto me and she does not fight against the bike in the corners. It makes it so much easier for the rider when he knows that his pillion won’t be doing anything unexpected. The only thing I taught her was to position her head over my left shoulder when I do a left hander and over my right shoulder when I do a right hander. When I brake, she tightens her knees around my hips to avoid her sliding forward. It makes it a much more enjoyable experience when neither the rider nor the pillion is nervous.
o jong as daai gogga eers byt.............
