Is motorcycling allowed?

[Starvin' Marvin]

Not my greatest ever pic. Was taken at the Hogsback Mountains.

[Spokey]

double post on my part!

Edited April 10, 2016 by Spokey

[Spokey]

Not my greatest ever pic. Was taken at the Hogsback Mountains.

So, perhaps not a great pic, but I like what it is, an "adventure" bike out on a mountain/forest road, just what it should be doing! It still makes me think about the beautiful areas to ride in SA.

I am moving to Wilderness in a few months, am looking forward to riding the trails on the mtb and the dirt passes on my KLR.

[cat-i]

Been over Breedts Nek numerous times with a mountain bike ... so it follows logically that I would want to take the TW over there too.  We didn't want to go over the technical bits in the dark, so we took half a day's leave on Friday. But things happened (like they always do), so by the time we got the bikes packed, it was closer to 4 than to 3.

 

All Luggage on Hardy's Honda. The TW just takes the tent, chairs, food, cooker and coffee-equipment. 

 

We headed out on Malibongwe towards van Gaalens, and then followed the tar road to Hekpoort. The Garmin said sunset would be before 6, so the TW was going at maximum speed (which is about 90 km/h). Loved the quiet roads through Skeerpoort. By the time we reached the Bird store at the start of the dirt road, the sun was already low-ish. 

 

 

The short side up Breedts Nek wasn't too intimidating (and way faster than by mountain bike), and we stopped briefly at the top. Going down was more difficult - it's way easier and faster to navigate a mountain bike over the gnarly bits than to get a motorbike over it - but it was much faster than the time we drove over there with the Jimny.

 

The last bit of road to Mountain Sanctuary Park had some sandy bits, but the TW's fat wheels handled it well. We set up camp, bought some wood at the office and got down to the business of braaiing some steaks.

 

 

On Saturday morning we explored (on foot) the rocks and pools around the park, and in the afternoon we took the bikes to go ride to the top of Breedts Nek again so that I could get some practice on the gnarly bits. Like the previous evening, I found that going up over the loose rocky bits was much easier than having to negotiate the same rocky bits on the way down. I felt more in control on the way up - the only thing you have to focus on is the throttle, and it helps that the handlebars are closer. Going down, however, there's a throttle, 2 breaks and a lot of weight to manage. And the handle bars are further away.

 

But man, does this bike have nice suspension!! For a mountain biker, getting onto a real motorbike changes the whole concept of 'suspension'. If the bike chose a bad line over some rocky steps, the only thing I had to do was to stay balanced on the bike - the bike did all the rest. Way easier than mountain biking ... but still a lot scarier on the downhills over the rocky bits.

 

 

After Breedts Nek, we rode to Mooinooi's Spar to get something to braai and some birthday-chips, and then lazed around the campsite.

 

Coffeetime.

 

 

Hardy's Honda doing hammock-anchor duty.

 

There wasn't much space to pack luxuries like big camping chairs - but the TW worked perfectly well as a back-rest.

Sunday morning we swam in the rock-pools, and after a late brunch packed up. Even though we had less luggage (we braaied the steaks, fried the bacon and eggs, drank the wine, retired the old Salomons that we hiked in, and ate the birthday cake), getting everything back on the bikes was more difficult than when we came.

 

We rode over Breedts Nek again. The technical bits were still scary, but I had enough confidence by now to choose the second-best line I could find, and at times deliberately picked (short) bad lines to see how the suspension would handle it. Once on tar we took quiet tar roads through the cradle of humankind and back home. 

 

Any weekend out is a good weekend. But combine a bike, a braai, a tent and some mountains and it is near perfect

[Spokey]

Putting some kms on that TW! Enjoy it.

[Andymann]

Dude if I was still working at Yamaha I would have brought you in to tell your story to our dealers.  You've just proved that you don't need a R150000 adventure bike to have an adventure.

 

All our dealers were convinced the TW and the AG were only farm bikes and thus were only able to be marketed to farmers.....

[Andymann]

I'll share another one of Yamaha's best kept secrets - the DT175 is as good as an adventure bike as the TW, has more suspension travel, is a whole lot lighter, and will comfortably sit at 110kph all day.

 

The only negative (for some) is that it is a 2-stroke, so you'll need to carry some extra oil.

 

I raced a DT175 back in 1988 in an enduro and that thing was bloody indestructable

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

I'll share another one of Yamaha's best kept secrets - the DT175 is as good as an adventure bike as the TW, has more suspension travel, is a whole lot lighter, and will comfortably sit at 110kph all day.

 

The only negative (for some) is that it is a 2-stroke, so you'll need to carry some extra oil.

 

I raced a DT175 back in 1988 in an enduro and that thing was bloody indestructable

You're giving me ideas. Stop it!

[Andymann]

You're giving me ideas. Stop it!

And you can pick up good ones for dirt cheap.  And when you do, let me know and I will tell you how to turn it from a nice responsible commuter to something which will run as well as any IT175 ran in the '80's......

 

There's more than just a passing resemblance between the DT175 porting and the old IT175 porting.  They just need a bit of work.  And the head is shite.  They are designed to run on 87 so you can do a lot of work on the head

[Andymann]

There were two major issues which turned people away from the DT (ok 3 if you looked at the price) - the drum brake in front, and the fact that it was air-cooled.

 

If I was to buy a DT now, I would look for a crashed XTZ125 and build in the forks with the disk front-end.  While I was at it, I would lace in some Alu rims (the steel wheels weigh a ton), and then buy a pipe from Bosson (he makes one for the 125, but it will work on the 175).  You'll have a brilliant bike which will be loads of fun.

 

Or you could just look for a DT200.......oh hang on :-)

[Wannabe]

Andymann, I like you. We both share a passion for two stroke Yamaha's. 

[NotSoBigBen]

Now you okes take me back some years ..... When I started working I couldn't afford to put petrol in my car to go to work so bought an IT175 off a German ex-pat that was going back home and needed to sell it in a hurry. Borrowed the whole 3000 ZA rondt off my old man and paid it off over a year    - interest free though 

 

Was a hoot to ride and rode it come hail, snow (yes it snowed once), winter, summer didn't matter! Sold it  a few years later towards buying a KX125 MX bike I raced for 2 or 3 years .....

 

[Andymann]

Now you okes take me back some years ..... When I started working I couldn't afford to put petrol in my car to go to work so bought an IT175 off a German ex-pat that was going back home and needed to sell it in a hurry. Borrowed the whole 3000 ZA rondt off my old man and paid it off over a year    - interest free though 

 

Was a hoot to ride and rode it come hail, snow (yes it snowed once), winter, summer didn't matter! Sold it  a few years later towards buying a KX125 MX bike I raced for 2 or 3 years .....

 

IT175.jpg

You do know what that would be worth today right......

[Andymann]

I'm sitting with a conundrum and every bit of logic tells me its a waste. I have a perfectly good DT200R with an engine which I have just completely rebuilt - runs like a dream.

 

I bought a pile of junk DT bits mainly for the Servo motor and CDI which are discontinued. It came with a motor which had been partly stripped, so there was water in the bottom end, and also somehow in the gearbox. So in all likelihood it will need a new conrod, bigend bearings, seals, gearbox bearings, etc etc.

 

But it *also* came with a spare WR barrel, Head, servo motor, WR CDI and carb - basically everything you need to turn a cooking DT into a WR.....

 

And man, while the Logical me says it will be a waste of money and you don't even know if the CDI works, the Engineer in me wants to build that motor........

[Wannabe]

Go for it.

 

Just like the maniac in me want to try and put two 350 Elsie motors together to make a stonking 700cc two stroke..... 

[Skylark]

And you can pick up good ones for dirt cheap. And when you do, let me know and I will tell you how to turn it from a nice responsible commuter to something which will run as well as any IT175 ran in the '80's......

 

There's more than just a passing resemblance between the DT175 porting and the old IT175 porting. They just need a bit of work. And the head is shite. They are designed to run on 87 so you can do a lot of work on the head

Tell me more, I'm hunting for a Dt175 at the moment. Love those bikes, so easy to work on and so reliable, they can't be beaten.

There were two major issues which turned people away from the DT (ok 3 if you looked at the price) - the drum brake in front, and the fact that it was air-cooled.

 

If I was to buy a DT now, I would look for a crashed XTZ125 and build in the forks with the disk front-end. While I was at it, I would lace in some Alu rims (the steel wheels weigh a ton), and then buy a pipe from Bosson (he makes one for the 125, but it will work on the 175). You'll have a brilliant bike which will be loads of fun.

 

Or you could just look for a DT200.......oh hang on :-)

What is the Brazilian Dt180 with front disc like, apparently the engine castings are up to sh1t3 but there are a few floating around Sa?