We have the new bike, but there is a bit more to it than just having it. We now have to get used to it, ride it in, revamp it and push it to see where its limits are. So we took it on its "maiden voyage" - the first long distance trip to a wonderful place called Tonteldoos close to Dullstroom in Mpumalanga.
For a test drive Mpumalanga is one of the best places to travel in Africa
The 280 km ride took us about 4 hours and we made some friends along the way. They warned us to not try out one of their bikes, as we will then realise the full extent of the punishment we are putting ourselves through. It was tempting but we prevailed!:
Just outside Dullstroom we hit the lucky 777 km mark, the first of many milestones yet to come:
You won't be able to tell but the trip was for more than just fun and we got the following stats:
Cost of petrol: R250 / 600 km or R420 / 1000km
Average speed: 105km/h
Maximum speed: 130 km/h
We also discovered a couple of things regarding our new stallion:
1. Initially it's murder on your bum but eventually everything just goes numb.
2. This bike is impressive. We reached 130km/h (downhill) and if we didn't stop so often we would have made the trip in 3 hours.
3. Stop often!
4. Gravel roads aren't ideal, which poses a problem in Africa. The bike can handle it but will need a good cleaning after.
5. Cow's are bastards, another thing we might encounter often, so we need a better hooter:
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6. We have a lot of getting used to do. A day later, everything hurts. Back, bum, arms... but it is worth every ache. But if we want to travel to the best places in Africa, a sore bum is a small price to pay.
We are T-6 weeks!
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Lientjie Nel 
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