What bike and why?
For a trip of this magnitude, the choice of bike is limited by the
following factors:
- Long lasting
- Simple technology, that is roadside repairable
- Suited for bad roads, and
even off road use.
- Able to carry enough
luggage 
Our bike of choice is the 1990 Yamaha XT 600Z 3aj. It's a pretty basic,
bomb proof
reliable, rugged bike. Ideally suited for long trips away from
the safety of your local dealer.
Why, you'd think,
does't he get a decent bike, like a beemer or a KTM?
Or at least something that isn't based on 80's technology. I mean what
good have the 80's
brought us? The 8 bit Nintendo, Mc Hammer, miami
vice??
Well, those "new" bikes are great, but a computer controlled fuel
injected, bike that's broken down in the middle of nowhere is
bound to
stay there, while a stoneage tech thumper
can be fixed up to get to a
place where it can be repaired.
Plus we're kinda on a tight budget, so we can't really afford the KTM
anyway.
Chris' bike
By far the best of the two,
because it has a high fender, a decent exhaust system, and is not
covered in dents.
Preparations done:
* The
exhaust system was replaced by a high test stainless steel one, cause
the old pipes were rusty the muffler was full of clay, and
weighed
about 20 kilos.
* The handlebars got replaced
by sturdy aluminium ones that sit on 30 mm risers.
* Some wiring was added to
give power to the gps and recharge phone batteries.
* Custom luggage racks were
welded.
* Custom YSS shocks, and Technoflex progressive front springs installed.
* 14 teeth front sprocket, for more bottom power...
Daan's bike
The blue(ish) one with the geodynamically shaped tank. AKA cookiemonster
Modifications done:
* Engine overhaul (twice, but we are now well aware of the importance of checking the oil level)
* Suspension replaced by some serious springs
* 50 mm Risers fitted, cause higher is better
* Daan's bike got a nice kickstarter, so that at least one of us can
start if our batteries die.
* A nice pair of luggage racks, and alloy panniers
Off-road training/playing
in the mud
We
found that the best way to improve our all terrain riding skills was to
just ride and have fun. It takes time to get used to the bike's
handling in mud and loose sand. So instead of a lengthy text about
off-road courses we didn't follow and theory books we didn't read,
here's some pictures showing what we went through the past months.
Voortgezette Rijopleiding Eigen Motor (VROEM)
Sunday
the 2nd of November we went to Terwolde for the anual off-road training
organised bij the DTA. It focusses more on fast off road riding
rather than on relaxed long distance travel. But nontheless we learned
a lot of new tricks that's help us ride safely, across Africa.
Supposedly
a picture says more than a thousand words, and Rick has done a great
job with the camera. He's certainly good for a whopping 1300 words with
most of his picures. However the camera still misses out on some
things. Imagine the feel of muddy soil, sucking you down when you plant
your boots in it. Imagine the sound of 29 motorcycles, ridden by people
who are not affraid of loud noise. Imagine the smell of burning mud, 29 sweaty
men, and a hint of petrol. Imagine a constant rain of mud, turning what
looked like motorcyclist into monsters that would even scare off
Godzilla (and he's 
fearless). And imagine the poor people who are going to have to wash all the mud off.
So, that should get you in the right mindset to read the rest of the report.
We
started off the day with some advanced-basic riding technique
excercises like: mud-slalom, mud-90 degree turns, mud-180 degree turns,
and mud-riding in a triangular shape.
It's all a bit harder then
it sounds, because someone seemed to have smeared green soap all over
the track, so it was a bit on the slippery side.
After a welcome
lunch, we went back to the field, wich had become a little less
slippery due to global warming. We proceeded with the obstacle course,
wich of course featured a number of obstacles to ride over/though, as
well as some more acrobatic challenges. After a couple of rounds on the
obstacle course, we went on to a small competition to see who was
fastest around the track without missing any obstacles. It turned out
that I wasn't very fast, but I wasn't in a hurry anyway. We finished
off with a small ride around the neighbourhood, so that the rest of the
people who were out and about on a nice quiet sunday could enjoy the
sight and sound of a group of hopped up motorcyclists. Obviously, we
got some angry looks, but that's part of the game.
Needless to say it was great fun and, if it wasn't for the helmets , you could see everyone ride around with a very big smile.
Like
most people I got home cold, bruised, and with a disturbing numbness in
the nuts. Nothing a nice warm bath and a beer couldn't cure though.
Many thanks to Rick, who came with us to shoot some photos, and to enjoy the outdoors in a more nature friendly way.
And
of course many thanks to Jos, for organizing the whole day, and turning
us into slightly less dangerous motorcyclists. 
Preparing ourselves
Of
course we watched "the long way down" and saw how those guys with more
or less the same idea as us, prepared themselves. It was quite amusing,
but we didn't feel like training for hostage situations, and hiring a
survival instructor to show us how to build a shelter, and protect
yourself from wild animals. So what did we do then? 
Well,
we got vaccinated against allmost every disease possible, and also
rabies. We did an intense fysical training to shape up and survive the
discomfort of being in the saddle for such a long time. We brushed up
on our motorcycle repair skills. We did a lot of teambuilding
activities to train ourselves to work together instead of resovling to
violence when in dissagreement. Daan did some revising on his French,
and Chris discovered that you can use German in Namibia, and that some
tribes actually speak in a dialect that closely resembles his own. And
of course we're well informed about the possible health risks on the
road, and know what foods we can eat and how. We
experimented with different foods, and found out that Daan can eat a
whole jar of pickled onions, which is good to know in case of an
emergency.
