Stu has a new bike and given his generous proportions, it required a spring upgrade. That being done, he was keen to get on the road and it didn't take much to persuade us to put a ride together at short notice. So a group of 5 met at Tableview (eventually) on Sunday morning heading to Darling for breakfast.
The weather was perfect for an adventure ride, starting off cool and becoming a little warm towards midday. Jorg had just "upgraded" a clients red KLR to 680cc and was running it in, so not on his usual GS1200.
We headed off to Malmesbury, getting in a gravel stretch or two en route. Breakfast at Briggs Barn in Darling is always good along with proper coffee. Thanks Margie! It was good to catch up with Stu, Jorg, Ben and Fe as we haven't ridden together for a while. After breakfast we headed through to Moreesburg on the route that has some thick gravel which can cause the odd squirrel at times. Ben was struggling a bit with a pillion on the KLR with 100% stock suspension which, after 53000-odd km, is a little tired. This gave Angie enough time to get in a few pics of windmills along the route.
We headed through Moreesburg to Koringberg, turning back towards Hopefield where the wind turbines are. Stu was loving the Yamaha XT660R and is a massive improvement on the dirt over his previous GS650 with the 19inch front wheel. His speed also increased dramatically on gravel, and exposed the fact that he needs to work on his fitness. Ang was in her element with many a windmill in sight to be captured through her lens. We decided that the tar route home would be the best and we headed for the R27 at Langebaan.
One ice cream stop at Yzerfontein, and then an uneventful trip home. Uneventful, except for Angie's rear-wheel puncture, thankfully just outside Tableview, so an SOS went out to Paul who lives close-by and the tube was efficiently replaced within an hour. Ang has never experienced a blow out and managed to keep it upright as the KLR veered violently from side to side and came to a stop alongside the road without any incident. Well done Ang & KLR!
All in all, a very enjoyable day out. Some pics for your enjoyment.
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The route
Hout Bay, Melkbos, Darling, Moorreesburg, Koringberg, Hopefield, Yzerfontein, Tableview
360km - 30% gravel/70% tar, 100% pleasure |
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| Oh what a beautiful morning...... |
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| Stu on the moooooovvveeeeee. - on the BMW this would be a still photo, but on the XT a different story |
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| XT riders are fearless.. .not to mention lawless |
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| Nice ride Stu! |
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| David checking out the T63 |
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| Is Jorg sleeping standing up again? |
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| Birdie spotting more birdies (my KLR Clan name) |
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| Here's looking at you Stu |
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| Ben & Fe on the first gravel road between Mamre & Darling |
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| The happy couple soaking up the views |
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| A bit heavy on the back brake there Stu |
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| And he wonders why I now call him "Bigfoot" |
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| Stu hot on Jorg's wheels |
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| Darling to the right |
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| Love Jorg's T-shirt bought for him by his Lily on her recent trip to the Antartic |
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| Stu, Ben & Fe catching up over breakfast |
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| The XT's first tumble... always happens when one is stationary.. |
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| My one TRUE weakness.... |
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| Quite sandy and slippery |
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| We caught up to the Nav |
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| Ben & Fe |
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| Stu |
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| Stu having fun on the gravel |
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| Unusual to see water in the drifts this time of the year in the Swartland |
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| I will ALWAYS slow down for a windmill |
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| 37 wind turbines up ahead at Hopefield - on route to Langebaan |
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| Stu finally slowed down |
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| Ice cream stop at Yzerfontein Farmstall |
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| Picked up a nail in my rear tyre - EISH! |
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| Tyre Fix to the rescue.. |
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| That isn't suppose to happen.. right? |
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| Bestie heeded the SOS call and came to assist |
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| They've definately done this before |
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| Shredded to pieces, literally... so the Tyre Fix did not help..but seemed to lubricate the tyre from the inside as the tube was completely blown out and made it easier to get out |
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| Having a compressor handy is quite a time saver |
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| Almost done |
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| Paul started seeing things... Baboon faces in the grass.... |
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| Nitrogen bombs are useful to inflate tyres |
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| provided you know how to use it... |
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| almost back on.. |
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| just one more adjustment |
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| and she's ready to hit the tar again... |
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| the boys scrub up well! |
Thanks for the write up Nav and an ever BIGGER thank you to you and Bestie who answered our SOS and came to our aid and assisted with the little emergency.
Till next time everyone
Keep it upright and safe travels everyone
- Angela -
"4 wheels move the body, 2 wheels moves the soul"
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