Much of my route planning has made me aware of the places where fuel and water could possibly pose a problem to me and the bike. I listened carefully to the guys I met who had ridden the roads through Sudan and Northern Kenya, and those that had followed the Nile on their way to Cairo. I also read a number of accounts of those who had struggled through the harshest environments with too little water and not enough fuel… In order to make my own journey as “safe” as possible, I knew that I would have to come up with a few plans of my own…
My route through parts of the Sahara would mean carrying at least six litres of water at all times and perhaps ten litres of fuel. Had I listened to advice on my last big trip, I would not have run out of fuel just 50 kilometres after entering Mozambique at Golomoti, and finding myself about 180 kilometres short of Tete… A sphincter tightening moment at the best of times, running out of fuel in the middle of nowhere, in a country strewn with landmines, is not going to make it onto my list of “Things I’d Like to do Again”…..
After shopping around, I settled on the Wunderlich 2 litre fuel bottles, and bought four of them from Denver Biggs at Bling King Bikes. This was a small part of what I eventually bought from Denver, who I have known since 2007 when I bought the Big Fella from the BMW branch he managed. We had also met a few times at “The Woodsman” in Sabie, a favourite haunt of ours in the Mpumalanga Highlands. Denver has always provided me with great advice and shared many of his experiences with me. For the best prices and support for Wunderlich Accessories, contact Denver at Bling King Bikes !!
Fitting the fuel bottles to the bike posed a few problems, which were quickly sorted out by my cousin Steven Borrageiro of Ton S.S. Engineering. Steve specialises in all things Stainless and Aluminum, and can produce any item, great and small, from his workshop in Hay Street in the South of Johannesburg. I rode the bike into his workshop and we set about designing a lightweight carrier to hold the fuel bottles. Over a few glasses of Coke, and a half dozen Chesterfield Lights, we finally decided what would work best, and a few days later, Steve called to say the brackets were ready. I collected them from him and then had to find a tailor with a sewing machine strong enough to sew the nylon webbing I had bought, onto the brackets. A Cypriot gentleman close to where I live, happily got down to work with the task at hand, and after explaining what I needed it for, he very generously refused any payment, and sent me on my way with a warm handshake and a cheerful wave.
Steve and Zulu fitting the Fuel Brackets to the Panniers....
After much drilling, sanding, riveting and the occasional bout of bad language, we had the brackets fitted, handles put onto the top-box and were ready to put everything back onto the bike. We then fitted the Hepco & Bekker lock which I had bought so that I would have a common key for all the panniers. Things were beginning to come together !! I now had my luggage sorted…
Fuel Bottle brackets and Top-Box handles attached at last....
Just as I was about to wheel the bike out of Steve’s workshop, the heavens opened and began dumping rain on the area. I had packed my rain gear for just such an eventuality, reminding myself as I did so, that for the last few years, rain clouds have kept a beady eye on the Big Fella and I, and had opened up on us on many occasions…. I rode through peak hour traffic, in driving rain, up the M1 to Pretoria, dodging overloaded taxis and roadwork barriers, until, just before Centurion, the rain abated and a weak sun tried in vain to improve my flagging spirits… Riding through traffic with a bike as wide as this one does not always allow you to zip down the middle of two solid lines of cars, and when traffic comes to a ranking full stop, the clutch hand comes into full play. Half an hour of this and cramps set in…not much fun when you are also contending with poor visibility in pouring rain…
Wet, but happy... It's all coming together now...!!
It was great seeing Steve again, and reminiscing about the days we worked together as apprentices, over 25 years ago. I will always remember that it was Steven who collected me outside the Air Force Base when I completed my two years of Military training, and how we spent the rest of the day on the Ohenimuri Golf Course, playing a round of Zig-Zag…otherwise known as high handicap golfing !!
Thanks again for all the help Cousin !! A part of you will now accompany me on this trip….
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