Re-think.

My running repair are now complete, the tail light and indicators are in road worthy order once again, I have remove the bulk of the rear mudguard as there is no longer a need for it. It held the indicators and tail light; I now have replaced them with an all in one LED light.

My pannier brackets have also been repaired and are ready once again to take a lesser load, by at least half. I must however confess that even with her load, Hope did exceptionally well; even at 140km per hour, while traversing in a straight line she did not sway even an inch. But the weight is not helpful, time to lose some.

So after being back in Johannesburg in my own bed for two nights, it is now time to re-think my strategy, and plan smarter!

So what can I take as valuable lessons from my first attempt at touring? There are a number of lessons learnt; firstly I carried far too much clobber and food, it is simple enough to replenish along the road. It may cost a little more but all rounds it is far wiser. Rather less than more is the slogan! Secondly, I will plot a course via my Garmin GPS prior to departure as I did not do this with my first attempt, so my GPS kept routing me back onto tar roads and that was not my objective. I want to travel roads and areas that will be new to me, an adventure of a different kind. I have now keyed in my new destination and plotted the entire route all the way to Plettenburg Bay.

The distance will be 2082km instead of just over 1200km’s, but the ride will be my holiday and not the destination. It should take anything from 6-10 days and then probably 3 on the way back. Lesson number three, I must find another way to mount my bike as too much weight is being placed on that side stand; I am already on stand number three in just seven days. I most definitely do not want a repeat of Lady Grey. How appropriate her name “Lady Grey”, Lady Grace would have possibly been kinder... I am not the supplest of individuals and my legs are longer than most, it will be interesting to say the least, or maybe I can work out some sort of Starsky and Hutch move and mount with a running motion. If I work something out, I may even video it and upload it to the blog. As soon as the rain lets up I will once again be on my way.

Signing off

Tyrone