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was something no one had counted that was going to come sometime upwards and a few of the body
on, and was very scary. as it was already cast in stone that it panels didn't line up again
was not going to be gentle. I had a afterwards properly. The now free-
The opposite bank had been man few quick words with the Big Guy flailing rear wheel was shoved up
made as flood barrier for the little upstairs and told him that anytime into the sub-frame under the seat
river and was consequently quite a he felt like turning gravity back on and got jammed there while the rest
bit steeper than all the drainage he could do so, but was there any of the bike was now sitting on its
ditches we had just been hopping chance he could do it sort' of gently frame on the ground, still doing
over. And it was deceptively much a bit, as it wasn't my bike and Lord about 60km/h with a locked back
higher. In fact, it was a substantial Fourie would have my guts for wheel. After ploughing a trench
uphill. And then, it was a ridge on garters if I had to give him the bill for deep enough to build the Maginot
the other side with the road actually a new 2007 Honda Varedero with Line defense system in, it all
dropping away again another 4 feet D-shaped wheels that was a foot eventually came to halt and allowed
or so. And so, I hit the uphill at triple lower and two feet longer than it me to step off without bending my
figure speeds, powered up to the should be, even if it did have a knee and it stood there by itself
crest, and as I took off, I realized I reasonable amount of accumulated without a stand much like Honda's
was on a sky-shot take-off launch to air miles allocated to it. recent TV ad for the CBR600.
the clouds. I just managed to catch
a glimpse of the two leaders, who Well the landing came and I lost the I have no idea whether it was
had been caught out by it, and had request for 50% gravity but was because of the seriousness of the
dropped their bikes after they had granted a thick bed of soft sand for situation, or because of the big
landed hard and were running back the touchdown. It wasn't pretty. I crash that had just been avoided,
to try and warn the rest of us, as think the twin trade towers in New but when I had got my composure
they passed underneath me out of York made less of an impact when back and recovered, the rest of the
sight. Then it went all very quiet up they hit the ground back in 9/11. At group had caught up and were all
there. Very fortunately the bike had least I now knew where the larger standing around cackling like
taken off perfectly balanced, so I than normal dust cloud I has seen hyenas. The few that had been
wasn't going over the bars or earlier had come from, it had been there to witness it reckoned it was
looping out backwards or anything. the SuperEnduro and XR650 doing sight that you only ever see once in
But I was going up. their slamming side-by-side a lifetime and the others were all
landing. Fortunately pure instinct s o r r y t h e y h a d m i s s e d i t .
Like when you are crashing or took over and I kept everything Fortunately, the owner of the bike,
about to die and your whole life pointing straight and aiming Johan Sonnekus, who is actually
passes before your eyes, time forward, so nothing went sideways the shop owner of Honda Wing
seems to go very slowly when you o r t u m b l e d o r f e l l o v e r . Mossel Bay and Race Nation
are in one of these situations. It got Unfortunately though, the landing Honda Wing George, who had lent
all very quiet and peaceful up there. was probably about 300% beyond us the bike and was the leader
I had time to look around. I noticed a any design parameters that Honda riding the XR650, also said that the
few circling eagles underneath me had ever expected the Varedero to damage caused was certainly
as I passed over. I waved at a be subjected to and stuff well,…, worth the entertainment and
couple of ostriches flying past. I err…,umm,...broke. campfire story that he now had to
glanced ahead and could see miles tell, and wasn't too upset about it
and miles of wild scrubland like I On impact the rear shock brackets all, so that was relief. At least this
was up in some observation immediately said how's your father was one ride and story that he was
platform or something and I swear, and snapped off letting the whole going to be able to tell and make his
even though this was the Karoo and shock rip out off the swingarm. trip into one of the better-known
I live in Midrand, I was quite sure I Obviously the forks bottomed out ones around the area
could see my house from up there. and the standard bash plate that .
Anyway, the sightseeing got a bit comes on the bike actually did its But what were we doing out here
tedious after a while so I settled job brilliantly. It's a huge plastic with such a diverse collection of
down to read a bit of War and plate but is mounted onto the bike machines in the first place? Well, it
Peace and had a quick game of by a number of steel 'fingers' which was once again, one of Honda
solitaire with the travel game are obviously designed to bend on Adventure Academy's customer
compendium kit I normally keep in serious impacts like this and act as rides, this time in conjunction with
my backpack on trips like these. collapsible steering columns do in Johan's dealerships in the area that
When that was over I decided I had cars. They absorbed a lot of the I had been invited on.
better do something about blow on landing but it did then It was a ride that had all been put
preparing for the inevitable landing relocate the edges of the bash plate together and planned by the
49
LHR Motorcycle Magazine Issue 11 March 2025
