Ladies offroad training

Last Saturday Marianne had her first offroad training organized by Paul and Maaike (Motortoursentracks.nl)! Here's her report:

It was a women only day so the boys had to enjoy themselves. There were 6 women for the course, 2 on a Transalp and 4 with a BMW. The first lesson was how to make a turn on a sandy road. Standing on our motorbikes we had to make the turn. Soon everybody got the hang of it, so they made it a bit more difficult; a corrugated S bend. It took us a bit more practice to make a smooth turn. Lesson 3: braking, only using the rear brake we had to bring our motorbikes to a halt. Being a bit foolish I forgot the clutch until the bike started to stutter I suddenly remembered I had a clutch… Fortunately I wasn’t the only one that forgot it! Then we made a short trip because it was lunch time, but before we could arrive on the lunch destination we had to pass a really soft sandy road. So we stopped and received some instructions on how to pass this road. When I arrived at the other end they had a surprise in store, go back over the same road so I had to pass it again. Of course at the end we had to be on the other side so passed it for the third time. The third time was definitely the hardest. Because the road had been crossed for about 12 times, which loosened up the sand pretty much. And after somebody fell it only got worse.
After a very nice (and heavy) lunch the lessons continued. We went into the pit. In the forest a large pit had been formed with different tracks that we could ride up and down. My first try wasn’t very successful. I couldn’t decided whether to take the left or right track so I ended up in the middle where a lot of big bumps were. Another less fortunate attempt, a big bump appeared and I wasn’t sure if I could drive over it. So I slowed down and I got stuck on top of the bump. The bash plate hit the top of the bump and immobilized the motorbike. Finally I took a track with a small ramp at the end. I got a little overconfident and went a bit too fast, the jump was great but I landed near a tree. The only thing I could think of was brake as hard as possible and so I dropped the bike. After the pit we went home, of course riding dirt tracks.
I was a bit disappointed the day was already over, I had so much fun driving in the pit and on the dirt roads! Just like the Saturday before (Unstoppable GS Challenge) where we also crossed water and gravel roads. I cannot wait for the next allroad event to come up, so I can practice some more!

Read more / Nederlandse versie »

Ultimate GS Challenge (with a Honda?)

Having participated in two of the previous editions of the UGSC Sander thought it would be a great opportunity to test the bikes and other equipment. Being an early season offroading event, it has all the conditions to properly test our gear.

So friday morning around 7.30 we left home by bicycle, wearing our motorcycle gear.
After putting the bicycles in the Allsafe self storage, we walked to the train station. Where we waited for the train. This probably looked even more stupid than being on a bicycle, fully dressed.

About 10.15 we arrived at Pharaobike in Horn, where our motorbikes were waiting for us. After making the final adjustments to the bikes, like installing a gps mount and locks to the panniers. We set course to Keram Maastricht where coffee and vlaai (a kind of flan).It actually was the first time we took the bikes for a decent spin. Since we bought them we only had been busy doing modifications and such. Finally it was time to check how they all worked out.

From Keram we followed the route provided to us. The route contained some offroad tracks. Marianne who didn't have any offroading experience and driving experience with the Transalp, managed pretty well. Only at one point, a short corrugated 90 degree downhill turn, she stopped the bike. But with a little of my assistance she managed to continu.

After we got to the camp site, the first thing we did (priorities first!) was drink a beer, before pitching our new MSR Holler tent. Pitching the tent was a breeze even without reading the fucking manual. We could have had so much more beer and still pitch the tent without any problems. As soon as our air matresses were inflated and sleeping bags rolled out, we went to the bar for some more beer and to feast upon a buffet of Italian pasta.

Saterday: we're very pleased with the interiour space provided by the tent, vestibules might have been a little larger though. Only downside is that the floor of the tent rather slippery. And because we're standing on an incline, the air matresses slowly slided down overnight.

After having breakfast, being briefed and have waited for everyone to leave, we gently started the route provided to us. Last night we decided to give the normal route, which contained some offroad sections, a try. Because it had been dry for some time the track was a little easier than previous years, though there still were some challenging sections. All went well until we stumbled upon a slipery slate paved river crossing. Sander had serious issues keeping the bike upright and Marianne dropped hers halfway.

Back at the camping we had dinner and beer till all that remained was to crash... in bed, that is.

Sunday: it had been raining last night. In fact it was still raining as we woke up. But it stopped before we got out of bed for breakfast. A good test for our tent; which kept us nice and dry. Test passed! After packing the soaking tent and rest of our stuff we hit the road. Again we decided to follow the route provided, but we were advised to skip the offroad sections as the probably were very slippery. However it turned out there's no way in telling what kind of road the GPS is taking. So we just ended up, riding all the offroad tracks as well.

The bikes past with flying colors! They turn out to be very easy to handle, especially offroad. I could even tell the difference between riding with our without panniers. All modifications turn out to be true enhancements to the bikes, especially the new progressive springs and handlebars really improve handling and ergonomics. There still are some small things that need a little attention, like the front fenders. But all in all we are very confident these bikes are up to the task. We just can't wait for the next time to take them for a spin.

Next saterday Marianne will have her first offroad training. Better late than never we'd say!

Read more / Nederlandse versie »

Pannier racks

As you might know we had some issues with the pannier racks, we had built by a local welder. And we asked Ton if he could make us a pair of new ones. So he did, and here is the result:

Judged by the picture, it looks like a pretty decent job. This Friday we will pick up the bikes to give them a test run during the Ultimate GS Challenge. Admittedly it's a bit wierd to visit a GS meeting with two Honda's. But what the heck it's a great oportunity to test our gear. Just can't wait!!

Read more / Nederlandse versie »

End of an era

Or as Joey Ramone would put it:

The VGA took my beemer away (VGA = Vakgarage Aalten)
They took her away
Away from me

After being on Marktplaats for just two weeks; Sander has sold his R1150GS Adventure. The bike he bought after viewing the Long Way Round series. Not because famous movie actor Ewan McGregor was riding one. But it just seamed to be the perfect go-anywhere-bike, at that moment. And Sander, always wanting to travel by bike, realized his Yamaha XVS1100 chopper wasn't a very capable/comfortable tourer. The first test drives on the GS turned out to be very promissing. But who would ever have thought that Sander, who bruised his tibia on those flat cylinders before, would buy a Boxer?
In april 2009 Sander imported the bike from Germany. Having 56000 kilometres on the tacho, the bike was is very good condition. One year later Sander is participating in a GS Club allroad event in the Belgian Ardennes, finding the bike is far too heavy for serious offroading (respect for Charley & Ewan, for driving these beasts around the world). Which makes him decide to buy a second GS, a 22 year old R100. The R1150 still remains favorite for serious road work. Sander adds over 40000 kilometres of fun in just 3 seasons, taking the bike for holidays to the UK and Norway.
However...
The Honda Transalp being the bike of choice for our RTW trip, there is no use in keeping the Bee-em. Besides we also could use the money for our trip. So Sander put it on sale. After receiving some ridiculous bids, finally someone serious came around. Yesterday evening the bike changed hands, although the battery had died during the harsh winter conditions and some severe persuasion was needed to get it fired up.

The end of a BMW era, but yet another step closer to our goal!

Read more / Nederlandse versie »