Spokey

16 KTM’s for me!

Jeepers yeah, agreed. I love the look of the T700 but a very few ponies more than my 690 at a much heavier weight…….ouch…..yes, it is better on the tar, but so far I have decided to treat my 690 to more lekker bits and just keep to the dirt and give my self time when on the tar. I know peeps ride them at 140plus on the tar, sure it will do it easily, just not comfortably! I shall keep the big 1190 for my two up riding, that beast does Karoo dirt very well. The 690 will be treated to a Seat Comforts Seat and a Giant Loop Coyote rear pack. A Sotts Steering damper is on the cards too. Then a Vanasche rear fuel filler so I can ditch the key. I have the Raid garage under seat tank so have around 18 litres……..I think! So……enough randellas to throw at this without troubling myself on a new bike! This bike still puts a silly grin on my dial on every ride!

The last pics I posted of a potential purchase…….well, things have changed. I am still looking for nice investment machine but bloody hell, my brain bounces around too much with that. Options on another post to follow. My search for a mid weight ADV bike led me to look at the Ducati Desert X and then I saw a Norden 901…..ahhhhh, awesome, my gosh!! But I like the power to weight of the KTM 790. I can’t get my head around the fact that the 890 is built in China……that just Pi**es me off. I am also feeling that I do not want too much in the way of electronics, I honestly do not need all that…….no boast, just a lot of riding years and a belief in simplicity as I ride into the boondocks on my own. If I can manage my Ducati 1098 with no aids at all, I feel I can cope with most. So……….Yammie T7 sounds so appealing and then I hear it is so top heavy….hope I can test ride one. They do look the Mutts Nutts though! At this stage, I am keeping the 1190 for a two up tourer and will develop my Katoom 690 into a more suitable light weight ADV bike despite the single cylinder.

Bit of a read, apologies in advance! Sitting in the hotel in Miami with sleep eluding me, may as well be active on the forums! I did a super trip on the 690 Hoekwil out and return just before I left SA for my current stint at work. I travelled via Montagu Pass, Paardepoort, Kamanasie valley to Uniondale then a wonderful side road where I turned left off the Uniondale to Avontuur road. This road become a farm track with a lot of rain damage with sandy patches and therefore a ride that focused the brain a bit! With the odd river crossing it was reminiscent of the Baviaans, just shorter. Glad I was not on the 1190. I rejoined the road near Haarlem and rode to the Prince Alfred Pass. I blitzed that faster than I would normally as the day was beginning to shorten with all my stopping for a chill and coffee! Kom se Pad followed then the track through Gouna Forest to Simola at Knysna before the tar leg home. The 690 will run all day at 140 on the tar, but seems very unnecessary to me………wastes my Pirelli MT21 on the rear, which only gives me 3000kms anyways! If time allowed I would have taken the seven Passes road home. Mechanically my only issue was a loose right hand mirror, a leisurely coffee stop to tighten!

This machine appeals big time. In all honesty it is for me personally, a very left field choice based on my preferences ( though I like most bikes) but the Rocket……..it just lights a small spark each time I see one. Second hand ones seem to be reasonable value, a lot of machine for the money.

Jeepers Dude, this is shite…….my actual language was definitely not suitable for these forums. I would still ride with that but pay attention to it. I am used to monitoring the tyres on our company jet. The tiniest cuts can be fine for ages and then suddenly seem to get to limits quickly. They are up at 186psi though.

I do have the original pipes. They need a little TLC for some dents. They are double walled while this aftermarket one from David Silver Honda is single pipe hence the discolouration.

The baby Honda (‘75 400F) has not been run in 18 months. I had installed new front brake pads with a new calliper from David Silver in UK. On tightening it all up the wheel was immovable. I have managed to shave off some of the after market pads, that was a lesson in face masks and glasses! Anyways, wheel turns, brakes bled, fresh fuel and oil, ready for a spin………waiting for a rain free day and dry roads!

I am going to head to Cape Town tomorrow if anyone is around for a coffee. Target is Flying Brick and the KTM dealership.

I have been lucky enough that the Boss sent us home for Ramadan, so day one of being home and the FZR called…….This old girl is 29 this year and still runs strongly. We left home for the Hartenbos, Oudtshoorn George circuit. The Robinson Pass is very bumpy, suited more to the ADV bikes. First pic is top of the pass. Second pic is on the turn off to Volmoed from the R328. That stretch saw a quick 120 plus perhaps another speed limit to get the cobwebs out. Love this bike. When the ZRX is back from the spray shop I will send this ones bodywork and wheels in.

Man, you made me laugh, my wife and dogs say that to me often!………just kidding. The RC8 is at Fire it Up in Josie. I have bought two bikes from them and both had serious problems. The ZRX1200 they sorted, the 1098 not. The Duke cost me a quite a bit of beer money. I do still have it, I do not ride it as often as I should. It really is a wonderful bike but I need to adjust the suspension to be a little more street friendly. After all, I can’t use the Outeniqua Pass as my race track all the time. The 999 is also in Josie, I feel a trip to the Highveldt in my near future!

Thinking that route, no mention of the odd ball Harley?? I very much agree on the RC8. Having the 1190 S Adventure, man, I would love to twist that RC8’s throttle over the Outeniqua Pass! Thanks for the input, there are so many really cool bikes around. There are a lot of machines that I think will hold value, but the special ones are rapidly becoming out of reach. I love an early Beemer……..a ‘90’s RS will push R175000 right now, more costly than the RC8…….by several pairs of Pirelli’s!

This is my conundrum, perhaps a mistake to look at any of them, but supported by a wife who loves bikes! The Harley is very rare, built for just two years I believe, as close to Harley ownership as I imagine myself. The Duc is the Pierre Terblanche design that polarised the Ducatista, did not sell well due to being an ugly beast, yet it has a certain beauty now. The RC8 is also rare and perhaps still a bit odd looking but that engine is a peach. Of coirse the 93/94 GSX1100 is just a classic work of 90’s art!

Some insight from all you guys in the Hub Motorcycle fraternity. I mused about buying me a one last time new mid size Adventure bike but apart from all of that I have an opportunity to purchase a collectable motorcycle to add to ……well, my collection. Now, my bikes are old, well maintained and I believe should make a Randella or two……perhaps not and then I have it all wrong, I just have old bikes! I am not in the situation to purchase a CB1100R, or a RD500 but as an expensive bike for me in the correct price range, I have a chance on a Ducati 999, a KTM RC8 an air/ oil cooled GSX1100 from 1994 and out of left field (for me) a Harley XR1200. I am in lust with them all. I shall post pics. If you guys have input, I would welcome it……….of course I may just go with a Katoom 990 (but a good one) Like I said before………struggle to make my mind up!!

Yeah, that was brutal. What a crash, yet I am perhaps one of the few who thinks he should still be there. Yes, undoubtedly he was way hot and exhibiting as much control on that Honda as I may have had, wink wink, but I think he has an inferior bike again and yet still possesses the desire to get back to the top. Frankly Pecco makes it look like a walk in the park, those Ducatis are ridiculous. See how they blitzed the Katooms down the straight! If my 1098 was a few years younger I would offer to 93!! Many will think I am incorrect. He does need a fair punishment, you cannot just ride into peeps as you wish, heck, I don’t even ride into all the old farts in George who have no idea regarding traffic circles……heaven knows, I want to! Not on my bike…….my white Bakkie…….yes, I am one of those! Those old buggars are one of the main reasons I ride my 690, over the roundabout escape manoeuvre is a breeze! By the way…….old fart of 59 myself. On a serious note, yes, 93 looked a bit desperate but hell I like his appetite for racing. I hope Honda can lift their game a bit more and simultaneously reign in their man……just a tad. sorry for the ramble!

I am increasingly using my 690 for my long day rides. I will actually get some light luggage like the Turkana Gear for overnight trips. I will not be bothering with camping gear. The big KTM is mostly used on tar and hard Karoo main dirt roads. I have been looking at these Desert X reviews, yeah it really is awesome but surprising to many I like my smaller 690 Katoom and if two up I would just take the big bike. I honestly would be useless in making my mind up on a new mid weight bike!

Interesting, that is a big difference.

Amazing that near 1000 cc bikes are classed as Middle weight adv bikes…….thanks to BM1250’s and Katoom 1290’s etc.

Yeah, the choice is amazing. I love that Aprilia Tuareg too. Similar price to the Ducati. I first saw the Ducati for real in Barcelona, so I trundled off to the dealer for a closer look. It is a lovely machine. I will take time over this purchase! As mentioned, I came across a lovely 04 Ducati 999 for my collection……That might just edge in front of the ADV purchase…… I do like the look of the Norden but ultimately may just go for the simplicity of a Yam T7. I may also just stick with my current KTM’s and go totally ridiculous with a ZZR1400!

Am toying with the idea of a new ADV bike……..Yamaha T7 World Rally or Ducati Desert X. Both pretty pricy new. But last new bike of my biking career. Then along comes a Ducati 999 2004……….eeish! Quite a bit cheaper and rubbish in the dirt but arguably a safer money maker ha ha! Anyone own or ridden the Desert X? The reviews are great but I expect the Yam is a safe bet for reliability. The wife thought I would go for a Katoom 1290 but honestly for 10HP more than my 1190 and the extra weight…….no.

Awesome, just let me know and hopefully I will be in SA! It is a fine ride from Prince Albert to Hoekwil. Through Meiringspoort and Oudtshoorn then the Outeniqua Pass and the Seven Passes road to Wilderness, to stay off the dirt bit.

So……gosh, bit of a long one if you chose to read it all. In Josie,on the way back to the Sandpit. I did my FAA flight medical in Josie today so am good for another 6 months of causing mayhem in the airways………just kidding….I hope. Yesterday, my last day at home for a while, I took the little Orange for a rather slow 300 km jaunt over Montague Pass, Paarde Poort and Swartburg Pass. The top of Swartburg was in the clouds but 10 mins up there and it opened up fully. I rode back down on the south side and the clag returned! Home via the really lovely Lategansvlei Road and of course my highly rated Mount Hope Road. The ride down Outeniqua Pass was in the mist and rain……no photos, was challenging myself to get it right in the conditions. I find I ride the 690 more often as the performance is really good and the bike is very light. At 59 I appreciate the lighter machine. Of course on the tar it is a bit of a mission beyond 120 but she will run 150 if you like……..much vibration, wobbles and ruining the rear tyre. My MT21 only got 2800 kms on the back…………The 1190 has been set up more as a street touring bike with Dunlop Trail Max Missions. The 1190 is still an absolute beast and a most enjoyable ride. The Dunlops are fine on the dry Karoo roads although the rear braking is a useful as a chocolate Tea Pot! Sorry for the rambles but heading back to work, I miss these things already! Pics are a little mixed up. The No entry is top of Montague Pass, I had already come up it. The flood damage is really bad, I think it will be closed to 4 wheel traffic for a long time. I did not get pics, was too busy riding the trail.

Visit me in Hoekwil and I shall afford you the opportunity. Not real trail bikes though but ADV machines. KTM 690/ 1190, Kawa KLR 650 or Yammie DT125 ha ha. I would of course need to be home in SA as in not in the sandpit at work. I would love to do a guided tour of routes in my area with someone such as you who is a Harley man. These offers only come up when I am in a fine mood and enjoying my wine! In fact I am looking at doing a bizz venture in this regard……Honda HR650’s. Not self ride rental at all, but guided……….when I retire from my aviating malarkey!

Took the little Orange for a jaunt along Mount Hope Road to R328 then Robinsons Pass before the farm roads from Klein Brak to George. Was a hoot racing some Harleys over the Outeniqua Pass…………sadly they did not know it was a race ha ha!!!

Man,that is some beast, would love to give one of those a go!!