Is motorcycling allowed?

[CAAD4]

FFAAARRK!

 

So it can be done with a seat....

[forkie]

hey cat-i, nice RR!

 

do you know the wilddog.za.net forum? SA's premium adv riding forum. You should share your ride there, they'll appreciate it.

it is there already. I have read it

[forkie]

So it can be done with a seat....

only by the select few

[cat-i]

it is there already. I have read it

 

With 996 posts away from what's considered acceptable here, i'm a bit of a unreliable source on that side ... but maybe they have different counting-rules there ...  

[cat-i]

Yamaha TW200 Lesotho Adventure day 4: Semonkong

Riding: 26 km

Hiking: 8.4 km

 

Semonkong lodge is on the up-river side of the falls, and on the opposite side of the canyon into which it falls. You can either ride around the canyon to view the falls from the opposite side, or hike along the river to see it from the top. The lodge also arrange donkey-tours to the falls if you're tired of your bike by now.

 

 

 

 

 If you feel adventurous, you can take on the world's highest commercial abseil just next to the falls (which includes a hike out of the gorge.)

 

We took the bikes on the dirt-road around. It is 13 km one-way on interesting gravel road with shallow water crossings and some steep up- and downhills. 

 

 

 

 

The Lesotho sky (mountain bike event) had a stage in this area last year, and it's easy to see why event organisers would want to include this in the route. The thin air together with the hills would make this a very tough event, though ... Lesotho is not flat.

 

 

 

 

 

The afternoon Hardy and I hiked along the river to the waterfall. It's an 8.4 km round-trip, a bit over 2 hours. Follow the river from the lodge all the way down to the falls, or stay on the higher ground inland (an easier route). Cross the river at the bridge about a km upstream from the falls, so that you can get a clearer view of the falls where they drop.

 

The waterfall looks a lot higher if you view it from right next to where it falls.

 

 

 

You could swim in the river (just next to the campsite) after your hike ... or just go for a hot shower if the March air is too nippy and the sun is already down.

 

The Duck & Donkey (the lodge's tavern) has excellent lunches. The dinner menu has fewer options (2 options per night, but a new choice each day) and you have to book otherwise you wont get space - the restaurant was fully booked and a bit squeezed the night that we were there. Eating there felt a bit like the 'youth hostels' that I used when I bicycle-toured in Europe many years ago: travelers from all over Southern Africa and indeed from around the world, all on their own adventures and with different tales of the places where they've been to and where they want to go next.

 

If you braai or make a potjie, be careful of the ducks - they tried to steal food off our plates while we were eating. (and please don't feed them ... at least not while you're eating ...)

[cat-i]

From Semonkong back to Golden Gate is just over 300 km. We went back towards Roma on the same twisty tar road and over the same hills that we came in on.

 

 

 

 

 

In Roma we didn't stop at the Vatican ... but we did stop at the bottle store next door to get some Malutis to take home.

 

 

The closer we got to Maseru, the more the traffic picked up ... closer to the border post it got really busy with lots of trucks and holidaymakers on their way in. I much prefer the smaller border posts - quicker to get through, and less chance for road blocks with traffic officers looking for bribes.

 

In Ladybrand we stopped to stretch our legs, fill up and get some coffee.There were no more sheep or donkey carts on the roads, and the road between Ladybrand and Fouriesburg was in good condition with little traffic, so the TW could go maximum speed ... which is 80 on the uphills, and 115 or so on the downhills.

 

 

I  doubt the TW was built for long distances on straight tar. It took 1 hour 20 to ride the 120km from Ladybrand to Fouriesburg. I had to slow down every now and again to 80 km/h so that I could see what's going on in my mirrors - they start rattling at 90 km/h and then you see 3 cars for every one car behind you ...

 

In Fouriesburg we stopped at the Plaasstoep for lunch, and then it was just the 55km to Golden Gate left.

 

3 kms out of Golden Gate the TW ran out of fuel again. It was only 170 from where we filled up in Ladybrand ... clearly the TW didn't appreciate me trying to go faster than 90 km/h ... or maybe it was enjoying the adventure so much that it didn't want it to end ...

 

Anyway, so we arrived back in Golden Gate, fetched the Jimny, rearranged luggage, packed the bikes, and we were off on our way to Gauteng.

 

[Andymann]

Those TW's are remarkable little bikes. Very underrated. They have quite a cult following in Japan.

 

One day when the piston is worn and the barrel needs a rebore, the TTR230 top-end fits right on. Gives you an extra 25cc and a bit more oomph!

 

We did a similar trip on AG200's - same motor. I think we also got about 120kph max on a very long downhill!

[Andymann]

Those TW's are remarkable little bikes. Very underrated. They have quite a cult following in Japan.

 

Japan-spec TW225

 

We tried our best to get them homologated into SA, but the headlight was too small and Yamaha were not prepared to change it just for our market

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

 

Those TW's are remarkable little bikes. Very underrated. They have quite a cult following in Japan.

 

Japan-spec TW225

 

We tried our best to get them homologated into SA, but the headlight was too small and Yamaha were not prepared to change it just for our market

 

 

With "normal" sized tyres surely the performance would improve??

[Andymann]

With "normal" sized tyres surely the performance would improve??

We actually brought in "Slick" road tyres for our model and tested a few bikes and they made brilliant commuters. The ride and handling was completely transformed. So we launched the TW200-S at the AMID show that year - think it was 2007 or 2008 - Black bikes only, Road tyres and a GYTR exhaust. I thought it they would fly out the shops. Sadly I think I was 10 years to early. Bet if they launched them now the Hipsters would fall over themselves trying to order

[Andymann]

With "normal" sized tyres surely the performance would improve??

For sure - it's called the XT250 Serow - Lovely bike, I had a test unit for about 3 months. But again, the lighting wasn't up to our Standards, so Yamaha would not let us import it.

[Andymann]

For sure - it's called the XT250 Serow - Lovely bike, I had a test unit for about 3 months. But again, the lighting wasn't up to our Standards, so Yamaha would not let us import it.

The TW200/TTR230/XT250/AG200/Tricker engine crops up in a whole host of bikes.

 

The Raptor 250 ATV uses a real hot version of it - if you had loads of money and wanted to scare some KTM's with your TW, find a Raptor 250 Engine.....

[cat-i]

We actually brought in "Slick" road tyres for our model and tested a few bikes and they made brilliant commuters. The ride and handling was completely transformed. So we launched the TW200-S at the AMID show that year - think it was 2007 or 2008 - Black bikes only, Road tyres and a GYTR exhaust. I thought it they would fly out the shops. Sadly I think I was 10 years to early. Bet if they launched them now the Hipsters would fall over themselves trying to order

 

Keeping in mind that I learnt 4 months ago where a bike's gears sit and how to change them ... (so forgive me if the questions seem completely stupid) : 

 

 

How would the slick tyres change the performance? Or is this simply about less rolling resistance like slicks vs knobblies on a mountain bike?

 

Why change the exhaust? (except for more noise?)

 

Was it the tyres or the exhaust that changed the handling? 

 

How do these changes make the bike a better commuter than the standard setup (possibly better fuel efficiency due to less rolling resistance? What else?)

Edited April 8, 2016 by cat-i

[Andymann]

Keeping in mind that I learnt 4 months ago where a bike's gears sit and how to change them ... (so forgive me if the questions seem completely stupid) : 

 

 

How would the slick tyres change the performance? Or is this simply about less rolling resistance like slicks vs knobblies on a mountain bike?

 

Why change the exhaust? (except for more noise?)

 

Was it the tyres or the exhaust that changed the handling? 

 

How do these changes make the bike a better commuter than the standard setup (possibly better fuel efficiency due to less rolling resistance? What else?)

You are spot on - Exactly the same as Knobblies on you MTB on the Road vs. Slicks - less rolling resistance, so the ride is smoother, the Pressures in the Road tyres are higher so the bike doesn't squirm around as much. And you have more confidence in cornering with Road tyres on the road, so the handling is so much better and the radius of the road tyres was smaller so the bike tended to turn in much easier. It was just a way more pleasant experience!

[Andymann]

When an engine is designed there is a design spec which is agreed on.  From there, it is refined to get the best compromise when it comes to noise, emissions, fuel consumption, reliability, cost of manufacture, etc etc.

So it goes to reason that when the final design has taken all this into account and been approved the production engine has a very nice balance but which has compromised on certain areas so does not put out its true potential in terms of design kw.

 

The TW exhaust is super restrictive to allow it to pass the noise and emission regulations set out by the US and Europe, so by replacing the exhaust you are moving closer to what the original designer of the engine intended.  But of course, as you say, you lose that nice compromise of low emissions and low noise, but will gain a few hp in the process.

 

The GYTR Silencer was a genuine Yamaha part which was offered by Yamaha to replace the original part and actually wasn't even that loud, but it just allowed the engine to breath a tiny bit better, so it freed up some of that lose performance.

 

And it look much cooler too :-)

[cat-i]

1. If you're new to motorbiking, I can't think of a better place to go ride (once you know how the gears and brakes work, obviously). The roads are in good condition and with not a lot of traffic (except close to the border posts.)  

 

 

 

2. The Drakensberg and Maluti are very green in March / April. If you can fit it in, plan to go in autumn.

 

 

3.It was great having a 'backup' bakkie with. Not only because my brother and his wife documented the whole tour for us through their camera lens, but also because of all the luxuries that we could pack, and the different perspectives of the same experiences at the end of each day.

 

 

And it's nice to have pictures of both bikes and from a different perspective than what we've seen from the bike - thank you Eisbein and Rogue!

 

 

 

4. When I did the ADA DP1 course 2 weeks before this trip, I was a bit baffled about the huge number of 'adventure bikers' out there with their 'dual purpose' bikes. I got that they wanted to have some adventure, see the world ... but why would you get a 1200cc bike and then want to go do singletrack and technical things with it? 

 

And then I remembered ... a long time ago I cycled (old-school, mountain bike 'peddle' cycle with panniers) around Ireland, and then across Scotland. I put slicks on, because that was more efficient. And it was a hardtail, because that's what people rode those days. (In South Africa, at least)

And then I got to the Great Glen Way, which was some of the best singletrack I've seen at the time ... and arguably still some of the best I've seen. And knobblies and no luggage (and some suspension) would have been better, and if I ever go back, I'll leave the luggage at an Inn for the day and go play - but at the time, I rode it with slicks and the panniers - because that's what I had.

 

 

That must have been what 'dual purpose' riders are after: The ability to cover the distance around Ireland, but when it gets to really pretty stuff, the ability to ride that as well. I think I now 'get' adventure riders a bit better

 

5. The TW's tank is really small. And it really is not fast. But is it fun!

 

When I got the bike, it was going to be the bike that I learn on, a 'meanwhile' bike while I decide if I actually do like this adventure thing, and what type of bike I really would want once I can ride. 

But I think this bike has a good few tours still left for me to do ... 

 

 

Until the next adventure...