Nhlabane Outride

Date : 5 Jan 07
Distance : 79.3 km
Time : 4hrs 14mins
Moving time : 2hrs 38mins
Stopped time : 1hr 36 mins
Average speed : 17 km/hr
Max speed : 70 km/hr (this was my bike, but I'm sure the 700 Raptors were doing > 100km/hr)

We were eagerly anticipating the first outride with the Wolverine, but it was not to be, this time. Neville (Wolf-owner) assures us that the month will not end without him making the trip up to demo his new acquisition.

We did find the Lake, but we didn't get to quite the right spot - we landed on the West side, and couldn't make it across to the sea-side of the Lake.

Vincent, on the Trailblazer, ran out of gas - TWICE ! We MUST always pack fuel - got to get 2x10L jerry cans to attach to the Hawkeye & Big Bear - thinking about this a bit more, the bike might have a consumption problem, since 80kays on 10L is pretty poor range, methinks!
(Also, post trip, I discovered the valve for the reserve tank which holds 2L!)

The universal cellphone holder I bought on Mitch's recommendation, worked really well, allowing me to ride and navigate simultaneously and comfortably.

Just before the trip, I had bought a Camelbak 2L hydration bladder, and found that it fitted perfectly into one of my backpacks - it was a godsend!

Jerome, Gary and Thaven wore more protective gear, all of them having bought their chest armour upon my threats that no riders would be allowed to ride outrides without them....

We also used the anti-dust buffs I had bought in Jozi - they were a hit, and some people (Gary) found creative ways to wear them!

Trivi's chilled watermelon pieces at the end of the ride were mondo-refreshing! Almost enough to motivate building our clubhouse right outside her front door....

All told, this was a good trip, though I managed to flip another quad, the Hawkeye this time, in a concreted v-drain, and this habit combined with my directional difficulties earned me the nickname "Flippin Navigator" - I hope to erase this on future trips.

After the trip, one of our crew remarked that we don't all have the same habits when it comes to activities out-of-doors; we don't deal with litter in the same way, and the smokers amongst us may forget that the risk of fire after we have long left an area is a lot higher than when we are home....

I write this note to remind us that the sustainability of our newly-adopted sport is in our own hands....we should carry plastic packets to collect any litter we come across, and dispose of it properly. Also, we should carry our cigarette butts back with us.

Searching the net for guidelines for good outdoor practice, I found the following relevant sites:

Respect the Outdoors - published by the ATV Safety Institute

The 7 Principles of Leave No Trace - Outdoor tips for non-motorised recreational activities

Tread Lightly - Outdoor Recreation Tips for motorised activities

We will need to make a conscious decision to incorporate some of these principles and practices into our rides.

Xmas Eve family outride

Xmas Eve family outride
Originally uploaded by Dinosaur Dad.

Finally got the family out to Eteza, on Xmas eve for an outride.

We met up with Jerome and Gary, and were also joined there by Schalk and Daleen.

Much fun was had by all, especially me, and especially while catching some air on Heidi's Trailblazer....

Date : 24 December 2006
Riders: Aroon/Aziz, Heidi/Adam, Jerome, Gary, Schalk/Daleen
Bikes : Polaris Hawkeye, Polaris Trailblazer, Yamaha Raptor 350, Yamaha Big Bear 250

This was Gary's first outing, and he and the Big Bear handled themselves pretty well - the bike is quite light for a utility, and the engine is well-responsive. The transmission is semi-auto with 5 forward gears and reverse.

Other bikes at the venue included a Polaris Scrambler 500 (yummy!), Bombardier DS 250 and a Yamaha Banshee (legend !) - that Banshee sounded intimidating, and was tearing up the trail and the track!
Later on, a couple of racers joined with a Suzuki LTZ 400 and a Honda 400 - it was embarrassing to be on the track at the same time as these guys !

The trail at Eteza has a good variety of terrain, and quite a number of mildly technical sections, with loads of shady picnic spots down near the river - we will definitely be visiting this area more often! According to Jerome's chat with Leon, the owner, there are plans afoot to build a clubhouse near the track during the next year or so....

Gary and I were at the head of the pack, and took a wrong turn mid-trip and ended up taking quite a long detour, returning to the parking area over an hour later....we had fun though, and Gary appears to have been nibbled by the bug.

I am now on a mission to find other trails for us to visit in the near vicinity (+/- 100kay radius) - on the shortlist : Coastal Outdoor Adventures in Ging, River Quad Trails near Ballito, and Mtonjaneni Lodge near Ulundi.
The other mission is to find myself a Scrambler 500 (!!!)

Outride essential gear - Towrope !

Yip, I actually could have used a towrope today ! To tow Thuko out of a seat-high water hazard !

He was on Aziz's 50cc bike, and we were exploring the outride/enduro trail at Eteza for the first time.

No pictures this time, since I didn't carry my camera (?!) but the entire family thoroughly enjoyed the adventure !!! We packed a picnic basket, which fitted very nicely onto my rear frame, and stopped off at the river for some juices and light snacks....

Heidi's Trailblazer handled the trail with ease, and though there were some steep sections, she was all smiles.

I was also impressed with Aziz's little no name brand 50cc - it handled all the ups and downs without trouble, and only got stuck in the bog because of it's tiny size - it started up almost immediately after being rescued from the water. Aziz's riding confidence is still increasing with each ride, and Thuko is fast warming to the riding culture - he's gonna need his own bike soon....

My Hawkeye continues to impress me as well, with the top notch ride comfort and handling, and the load carrying versatility, it's going to take a long while for me to outgrow this bike.

On the road to Eteza, I hit a bump pretty hard, and dented the rear of my trailer, and I managed to completely destroy both my stabilizer rods - luckily, we know a good panelbeater !

We're off to Eteza again tomorrow morning, for a brunch outing with Jerome and family - I will remember my camera and also pack a towrope this time !

Jolly Rubino

Date : Friday 1st December 2006

Riders : Aroon, Thaven, Jerome, Vincent
Bikes : Raptor 350, Raptor 700, Raptor 350, Raptor 700
Conditions : Overcast, but dry





Trail : Kwambonambi to Mapelane, to the wreck of the Jolly Rubino

GPS : eTrex Legend
Camera : CANON digital IXUS
Refreshments : lots of powerade

Average speed : 65 kph
Maximum speed : 121 kph (oops!!!)
Duration of trip out : 1.5 hrs
Duration of trip back : 1 hr

Thaven had gotten the co-ordinates for the wreck to load into his GPS, and was very keen to navigate by handheld....

After a delay waiting for Vincent's borrowed bike's key to be brought to Kwambo (left it behind, somehow !) we made off towards the Jolly Rubino, on the Mapelane road. After a couple of detours, following the GPS rather than gut feel, we got back onto the main Mapelane road and gassed it to the beach.

The entire trip took us about 2.5hrs.

Some safety tips :
1. when riding in built-up areas, SLOW DOWN
2. riding on roads (tarred or gravel) - keep to the left, and in single file - the gravel roads were quite dusty, and we tried to keep out of the dust by riding two abreast, but after dodging local traffic, we switched to single file.
3. note that tarred roads with large potholes can be more hazardous than dirt tracks, for quads ! the quads don't handle that well on tar, especially at speed in corners.
PS. Cow droppings are far more difficult to navigate than potholes.


Gadgets to get for next trip : Hydropack - taking off helmets just to take a sip became quite annoying !