Author Topic: Overdue Report  (Read 2848 times)

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addict1

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on: August 19, 2015, 07:44:33 am
Firstly, many thanks to all who post on the forum; this has been invaluable to me with my new bike and made my purchase and prep work effortless!
If you’ll indulge me, a brief backstory to my new military Enfield:
I watched something on the box which led me to search for classic British bikes; naturally the RE’s came up and I was quickly educated on the new ones.
It wasn’t long before I had searched (and searched) the net and found the one. After some haggling (with myself mostly) and some much appreciated assistance from a friend, I had purchased my 2013 military Enfield (2250 km on the clock). Problem is, I live on a small island in the Indian Ocean (Seychelles) and my new bike was sitting in Durban (South Africa, my home country). Three months later, I managed to coordinate a work trip with a trip to fetch my bike. My plan was to ride it to my own home in Johannesburg (about 900k’s) over three days.
I arrived in Durban at around lunch time on the Friday, planning to leave the next day. I immediately got to work fixing a couple broken bolts, the negative battery terminal and generally tightening and checking all the bolts and screws, topped up the oil, set the rear brake and tested my packing ideas. Only then did I kick her awake and felt the thump, thump, thump course through me for the first time. A quick spin around the block and I was already hooked! By 6 that evening, I was happy that the bike was sound.
Early the next morning I took her for a ride up the coast to one of the local bike shops for some final bits and pieces for the trip. I am still amazed at how stable and comfortable to ride this bike is.
By 1200, I was packed and ready. Tank bag, tail roll bag on the pillion seat and leather (Enfield) saddlebags.
 
Day 1
Durban North to Rosetta (Kwazulu Natal (Kzn)
After filling up, I hit the highway heading west away from the coast.
Cruising at 80 – 85 kph, the bike is a dream, stable enough to just relax and watch the world pass me by! I left the highway and hit the alternate routes through the burbs then turned off to the Valley of a Thousand Hills. This is what this bike was made for! Rolling hills with gentle to moderate curves, I was grinning like an idiot all the way! The best way I can describe it is “gentlemanly”, just feed in some counter steer and she leans gracefully over, roll on the power out the curve and up she comes, simple, beautiful.
I had a group of GS types tailing me for a while, allowing me to set the pace through the hills. As they passed, I (the bike, more likely) received a standing salute from the group.
After heading West through the rolling Midlands Meander, past rivers, dams and heaps of touristy guesthouses and arty stores, I found a quaint, wooden cabin which suited my needs perfectly for the night; a long, cold beer and great chicken burger for late lunch/early dinner and I was set for the night.
 
Day 2
Rosetta (Kzn) to Clarens (Eastern Feestate Highlands)
After being serenaded through the night by a raging thunderstorm, I was up early, packed and ready to roll at around 0630. Off I thumped in a light drizzle with the promise of a lot more rain to come. I stopped for a “Wimpy” breakfast and coffee (South African readers will appreciate the value in this!) in Mooirivier. My route would lead me into the Northern Drakensberg region which, from where I was standing, looked cloaked in heavy black clouds (think Mordor)! After donning my wet gear, I rode off into a light rain towards Escort. This route was beautiful through rolling farmlands; the road twisting through the gentle hills was clean and in good nick with not a single car in sight. After a brief stop in Escort at an old fort, I headed for the “‘Berg”.

20 or so K’s later I was in a downpour, my gear is pretty good, but after an hour, the water gets in and it started getting cold as I rose up towards the mountains, for the next hundred or so K’s it rained continuously, not heavy rain just continuous, seeping rain.
I was still loving the adventure but my grin had transformed into a teeth chatter by now!
Unfortunately the Oliviershoek Pass road is in a shocking state so I missed out on the lovely twisties there travelling at around 30 – 40 kph most of that stretch. Then the wind came off the Sterkfontein Dam, freezing mountain wind to add to my miserable wet state! At the junction to the R712 I considered going east to the nearest town (Harrismith) and finding a warm shower, but dug deep and continued west to the mountains. This proved to be my best decision of the trip; the rain had backed off and the roads were drier and in great condition. I headed through the Golden Gate Highland National Park which is spectacular; deep, coloured gorges, buttes, canyons and the road was dry and clean and leads right through the mountains. A truly beautiful experience!
 
On a side note, the bike was singing through all this, it seemed to get smoother and better as I put on the miles. It did get a bit short of breath in the very high passes (close to 10 000 ft at the highest) but nothing a downshift didn’t solve.
The town of Clarens is a quaint, arty town stuck in the Maloti Mountains with great guesthouses, brew houses, shops, trout fishing lodges and weird hippy types. In spite of all these attractions, I headed straight for the nearest chain hotel with a storm chasing me in! The hotel has a special bike parking right at the entrance, in front of the doors, sold!
A long, cold beer, a warm fire some good chatter with the local bar keep and I was grinning about my day again. I also discovered the hotel rooms have special gear drying equipment shaped a lot like what my girlfriend uses to dry her hair, clever little machines those!  ;D

Day 3:
Clarens (Freestate) to Johannesburg (North Suburbs)
After an early coffee and settling the room, I lubed my chain, checked oil levels and bolts, packed and headed out towards Bethlehem (Freestate) for another Wimpy breakfast and some fuel. The 40 k’s or so to breakfast took me [sadly] out of the mountains into farming country. Ordinarily this road is just a straight ribbon through flattish farmlands, but cruising it at 85 on an Enfield, it was an adventure; the air was still crisp, but clean and rich with the smells of farms and the country side, the sun was making a concerted effort to join in, which alone made me smile out loud.
Today was my longest day of around 350 km, all on straightish back roads with some interesting small towns along the way. A stop off at a farm converted to biker bar cum biker camp sight, complete with function barn (with burn out rings inside) was well worth the time and the owner (Oom (uncle) Wilkie) gave me the buck tour and a Coke to wash away the dry mouth.

My arrival in Johannesburg was from the south side of the city where I could no longer avoid the freeway; joining the mid-Monday traffic was a culture shock after the relative tranquillity of the past days, I soon turned off and headed north through the suburbs and finally home!
What I Learned….
To answer a question I’ve seen on the forum; these bikes ARE perfect for touring, they allow you to enjoy the ride and the scenery without holding on for dear life or stressing about gadgetry and data being thrown at you. They’re easy to pack without stresses of matching aluminium panniers and powered tank bags with laptop navigation. The seat is comfy and the bike is rock solid; it can (and did) take a solid hit from a pot hole and if you want attention, just stop at any small town fuel station! The consumption is great and I was working on around 300km safely on a tank (I did stop and fill up more often though, just for the break and coffee.)
Decent touring gear is essential; I wore armoured jeans (with rain suit over in the wet), a Tritex armoured jacket (mostly waterproof), and an Airoh ¾ helmet with removable chin bar and skirt (great in the cold winds) and leather ankle high motorcycle boots (not waterproof). I also wore gel padded leather gloves with waterproof mitts in the wet weather. I will be buying a dedicated touring jacket and some hiking gators for the next trip; the water seemed to seep down my ankle to my feet, which sucks!
Take a dedicated camera you can use with your gloves on; I only had my phone which is a pain to dig out and doesn’t work with gloves. Keep your camera super handy, stop often and save those memories!
Hotel hairdryers are great for drying gloves, boots, socks and and and….
Luggage nets are invaluable; I bought one on impulse just before I left and it worked a treat for stuffing items under quickly when you don’t want to pack them away or they need to be dried or whatever.
The only minor issue I had with the bike was the hooter (horn) stopped working on the last day, this was a quick fix with a new set installed in 10 minutes.
After this experience, I believe I can call myself a true Enfielder and am already planning my next adventure (when shore leave from the island allows).
 
Note: I finally got this posted! In October this year I am planning a trip from Johannesburg, through the Great Karoo, Garden Route, round the southern tip of Africa and ending up in CT somewhere; around 3000km over 10 days....




« Last Edit: August 19, 2015, 07:07:51 pm by addict1 »
Viewing the world, one thump at a time...


Ice

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Reply #1 on: August 19, 2015, 08:34:22 pm
Best entry post this year !
Gent's I like this fellow, I say we keep him.  All in favor say Aye  ;) :D 8) 

j/k

 Congrats on you Bullet , the trip and welcome to REal world addict1
No matter where you go, there, you are.


Arizoni

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Reply #2 on: August 19, 2015, 11:11:03 pm
AYE

It sounds like addict1 had the pleasure of the kind of ride these Royal Enfields are made for.

I'm sure he could have lived happily without the rain and cold but even this will become a pleasant memory to look back on.  (Been there.  Done that and still have good memories even though 1/2 inch hailstones, drenching rain and high winds while riding thru twisting mountain roads weren't fun at the time.)

Can't wait until the next installment of the story about the ride around the Southern tip of Africa.
Jim
2011 G5 Deluxe
1999 Miata 10th Anniversary


mattsz

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Reply #3 on: August 21, 2015, 11:16:30 am
I second the motion!

To coin a new favorite phrase, it "made me smile out loud".  More pics next time, please, but so well written, I didn't miss them too much!

Sounds like you got a good one... I doubt I'll be taking any long trips this year, as mine can't be trusted.  But hopefully we'll live vicariously through you again soon...