Plans!!!

(Proverbs 16:3) Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.

This tells me that we have very little control over our lives, we think we can do what we want when we want, but not so, if we commit our work to the Lord then He establishes our plans.

The reason my blog is not updated Dave, is I have been very busy with some trying but needful experiences. So let me fill everyone in... So much for my plan to end up south of the Lesotho Border, I left Hobhouse and had a fantastic ride along an amazing dirt road for about 80km, I really enjoyed the traverse and then I took a wrong turn where I ended up on the N6 again which took me into Aliwal North.

I stopped and had my usual Wimpy cheese burger and chips. It was at this stop that I realised my side stand was bending. My kit a little heavy and because I need to stand on the foot peg when mounting my bike; without gear on the bike it is easy just to swing your leg over the back of the seat, but because of the paraphernalia that is not possible. I now mount the bike like mounting a horse, the weight is obviously overbearing on the little foot stand and hence the reason for it to eventually buckling. This now was a problem as I could not mount the bike without it wanting to fall over. It also became difficult getting it to stand without wanting to topple. Instead of dealing with the problem there and then in Aliwal North, I choose to move on to Lady Grey. I soon realised that I had to attend to the problem, so I keyed in mechanic into my GPS at Lady Grey and it came up blank, and sent me to a town I had just passed, so I turned round and made my way back to Sterkspruit, on arrival there was no such place, so much for my GPS! I asked around and found a back-door panel beater. They took off the stand, and then they proceeded to bend and shape it, after re-enforcing it with a weld with some extra steel in its place of weakness. When it was put back, it look horrible, but that was not my concern, it had hardly made a difference the bike was still balancing on a knife edge for it to stand upright. This was an hour later; they then proceeded to heat and shape the leg on the bike. I eventually thank them for their help, pay a hundred rand and got on my bike with the hope of making Lady Grey before sunset. However as soon as I put the bike into gear she cut out. I then realized that a simple task had now become a mammoth one.

The sensor on my bike was reading the legs stand as down, a factory safety precaution. I fiddled a little and then she engaged into gear, “Hope” had given me hope, she was on the move, so off I went. About 2 km later as I was leaving town and accelerating up the hill, the time about 6pm, she cut out on came to a halt. Off I jumped trying to find a mound that would balance her and keep her from falling. Some two hours later with my ear glued to my phone speaking to a KTM mechanic from the area I had never met or spoken to before. The long and the short of it was here I was on my back under the bike trying to by-pass the sensor.

I had already cut it off and rejoined the wires but to no avail. Just as I was about to try a few different combinations, I lost power to the battery and was unable to get her to turn over. I decided that I would spend the night on the pavement if need be. I was now tired and somewhat challenged. Chris the mechanic from about 150km away was kind enough to arrange for a total stranger to pick me up with a bakkie, the sun had now long set. At his farm we then put the battery on charge and tried connecting the wires with every possible colour combination and yet with no joy. It was now 10pm and he was leaving at 5 am to go up to Kroonstad, with another family. I was to hitch a ride with them to Bloemfontein as there was a KTM dealer there. I now was feeling rather burdensome as I had now inconvenienced two families. I am grateful to them both and trust that the Lord will be good to them and reveal Himself in a way that there understanding as professing Christians may be enriched and that they would understand His sacrifice on their behalf. I pray, please be merciful Father!

At KTM Bloemfontein they manufactured a new stand and sorted out my switch. All the advice I was given over the phone on what we where to do were good suggestions but not for the new KTM 690R, by joining the wires on the older bikes, it would have sorted out the problem. If you ever encounter a problem like this which could easily happen if the plastic support arm gives way on the senor, then get a magnet and tape it to the sensor and your problem is sorted. Amazing what information will do for us, remember that the Lord Jesus died for sinners and if you take that information, repent and believe on Him, and then it will be amazing what that will do for you.

Back on my bike and back into a southerly direction, but not for long. Lesson number I am not sure now, but still another lesson that rang true in my ears, I am two heavy with goods and it is now time to be rid of at least half of it. I turned the bike round in a northerly direction and headed for home.

It was time to rethink and time for some running repairs. I also notice that my anti-retroviral tablets where to close to the exhaust, when loading I had strapped them on the wrong side and that had now been exposed to heat rendering them useless as the must remain below 8 degrees. I had no choice but to regroup and rethink. The ride back was rough and taxing as the wind was violent, but by God’s grace I made it home and this morning I will fix the tail light and a couple of other things needed to get Hope back to roadworthy status.

Where will I travel to from here, well I will not even dare make a suggestion, just watch the space.

Signing off

Tyrone