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Hi All We have just about R8000 already. I have spoken to Sportsman’s Warehouse who are also going to come to the party by helping us streeeetch our rands. So far, after discussions with the store manager, it looks like we’re really going to present the Jericho Primary School with a whole bunch of quality kit for soccer, rugby, cricket and netball…. including soccer goals and netball posts. In terms of the day itself. We are planning to get to the primary school at around 10:00am. Jericho is about 40 minutes drive from Hartbeespoort Dam. I will be posting a map and directions soon but an alternative, if you want, is to meet at the Engen garage at 9:00am at the big 4-way stop on the Brits side of the dam wall/Kosmos. We will leave at +/-9:15 for Jericho in convoy. I’m assuming we’ll be at the primary school until about 11:00-11:30 after which we’ll leave for the Bafana Bafana tavern. The tavern will provide braai facilities, please bring your own meat and braai utensils. Also, it would be really cool if we supported the Bafana Bafana tavern in terms of drinks on the day, including soft drinks, instead of bringing our own. To this end, please would you e-mail me at steve.lauter@iafrica.com with your preferred tipple so that I can ensure that they are stocked appropriately. Once at the tavern, we’ll unload dirt bikes, ride a bit, braai a bit and have some good social fun. As far as riding goes, the two big features at Jericho are the dry river bed and the Rock. Trials bike riders will have an absolute blast at the Rock. I look forward to your e-mails for drinks orders and to seeing you all at Jericho on Saturday, 9th August.
Written by Steve · Filed Under Events
MuddX runs a Newbie ride at De Wildt every month. It’s an organised ride with marshals and catering and takes riders, regardless of their skill level, on a 45km guided loop through an are of De Wildt. These have been going on since February 2007 and have continued mainly due to popular demand (Steve taps himself on the shoulder). We have not been keen on running an intermediate event, specially after lessons learned last year in July when the first intermediate was hosted, simply because it is so difficult to tell what an intermediate rider’s fitness and skill levels are. Are they one notch up from newbie, or one below expert?
We did another one anyway, folks were asking so much that I decided to give it another whirl.
Well, what a great ride!
The riders were: Brad, Richard, Peter, Leon, Anfried, Keith, Brian, Justin, Renato, Tyrone, Anton (marshal), Tiaan (marshal), Steve (Marshal), and yours truly.
The route I planned took a lot of technnical riding into the start of the ride and then eased off. This was to make sure that the guys could get a taste of the technical stuff before they got too tired. So we left the hotel (had to wait about 10 minutes at the boom for a local funeral procession to pass) and headed along the normal newbie route to the start of the Coconuts/Long Rocks T-Junction road. This is where we changed it up! Up the T-Junction road and down Long Rocks.
It was really cool that a bunch of our usual ride buddies: Nolan, Sean, Andre, Etienne, Brad, Justin, Tom and others were riding their own style and route but in a similar direction, so besides hooking up with all of them for breakfast at the hotel before the ride (I strongly recommend this approach to a day’s riding at De Wildt), we also met them a couple of times on the ride. The base of Long Rock being the first.
From Long Rocks we rode down the the River Bed where the serious technical stuff kicked in since we stayed in the River Bed until the Coconuts exit. Unfortunately we lost three riders before we got to the Coconuts due to a nasty bale and fitness. However, those that left us got back to the hotel safely and happily.
From the Coconuts exit, it was off to Big Tree, then the MX Section, then the trail to 3-Fences. Instead of 3-Fences, we opted for the Twisties given that the 3-Fences river bed is horrible during this time of year. Go figure…. 7km of river bed whooped out down to bedrock. Not pleasant! 3-Fences Shop saw us hook up with the rest of the breakfast crew again and it was all good times over a couple of beers listening to how they had tried to cut a new trail up the mountain between Aloes and the V. Much respect boys…. but not for me thank you.
After 3-Fences we headed back to the river and rode the banks of the river until we got to the point where we dropped into the River Bed from Long Rocks in the morning. A vote was taken on whether the guys wanted to continue up the River Bed again to conclude the ride by riding up Coconuts or to jump out of the bed at this point and head for the hotel. The majority voted technical!
And so it was. We rode up teh River Bed again, took the Coconuts exit and trailed up to the base of Coconuts. At this point I gave some basic tips on how to conquer Coconuts and headed up to the top. Everybody bar 1 got there on their own, some just took a bit longer than others. Renato…. good effort anyway bud (but I gotta tell ya… I hate walking down Cocos).
Back at the hotel it was the usual boerie rolls and beers which led to some really good and liquid socialising when the res of the breakfast crew arrived. However this was not before MuddX’s standard ride awars was given to Leon for really having an issue with staying upright on two wheels after the 3-Fences shop ;-). A close runner up was Peter who provided us with quality entertainment with the depth of mud he got his bike stuck in and the recruitment of half a township to get it out.
I’m sure I speak for everyone there on the day when I say “Another great day in Africa!!”
Photos to follow
Written by Steve · Filed Under Rides
Dear Noobie Dirt Biker.
There are two types of dirt biker out there. The Motocrosser (these are the folk that prefer track riding with jumps and berms and the like), and the Enduro rider or outrider (that’s me – take your bike out into the bush and deal with what nature throws at you).
If you’re just getting into the game and the “outride” option is the one doing it for you right now then read on.
MuddX (Pty) Ltd is an organization committed to extreme sports, initially in South Africa, with specific focus at the moment on dirt biking. We do this through the marketing of branded apparel and products and the organization and hosting of tours and events.
One event that has had enormous success this year is our monthly Introduction to Outrides and De Wildt.
One of the biggest problems for new enduro enthusiasts is that the available places to go and ride in Gauteng are very limited, and due to the ever increasing number of like minded enthusiasts, very crowded. Most folk in this game have heard of the De Wildt area in the North West Province near Brits. It is considered the mecca for outriding if you’re from the Gauteng or North West Provinces. The only problem is that it has this stigma attached that it is only suitable for intermediate or extremely seasoned riders. This is absolutely not so!!!!
What our Introduction to Outrides and De Wildt events tries to accomplish are the following:
- Introduce new offroad riders to a proper Outride
- Introduce new offroad riders to De Wildt
- Provide some low-level rider training
- Make sure that everyone has so much fun and gains enough confidence to return on their own and enjoy this sport
How we do this is very simple. We take between 20 – 25 riders on a well organised outride that leaves from and returns to the Morula Sun Hotel. The pace of the ride is limited to that of the slowest in the group. We have frequent stops to:
- Show you where you are in the De Wildt area, with specific reference to recognisable landmarks
- Explain the type of terrain coming up
- Explain how best to ride the terrain coming up
There are usually at least five MuddX riders to assist. One in the lead, one at the rear, one on each flank, and one roving up and down the rider column. We make sure that nobody gets lost, that nobody is pushed beyond their limits, and that everybody has fun. If there is an obstacle on the trail that a rider is not comfortable with, there is never any pressure to attack it. One of the MuddX riders will either take your bike across the obstacle for you or show you an alternate route around it.
There is a drinks and snacks stop approximately 65% of the way into the ride and a boerie roll braai and drinks waiting at the Hotel when we return.
The Morula Sun Hotel is approximately an hour’s drive from Johannesburg. We meet there between 8:00 and 8:30 and try to get riding by as close to 9:00 as we can. We usually return back to the Hotel by 14:00-14:30.
The event will cost each rider R175 which includes the half way snacks and drinks and the final braai and drinks. The hotel swimming pool is also available for a nominal charge of R10 per head.
If this interests you, give me a shout on 083 615 8776 or drop me an e-mail at steve.lauter@iafrica.com
Our next one will be on Saturday, August 16th 2008.
Hope to see you there
Steve Lauter
Some comments from previous participants:
Had the best time ever out at Dewildt on Saturday, and you did a great job organising it all. Thanks again and I look forward to riding with you guys now that I’m more confident … the riverbed and 3 Fences and Back of the Moon that we couldn’t fit in.
*******************************************************************************************************************************……and I think you and your crew deserve all the plaudits you get. It was an excellent day out…..This rates as probably one of the best days of riding I had since I started. Did not feel compelled to do anything I was not comfortable with. Challenging as well.*******************************************************************************************************************************Thank you so much for the ride on 3 Feb. it was great I learned so much and a very big thank you to all the guys that helped me out on the ride they were really great, I will definitely be there on the next one please book me in, just let me know when the money is requiredOnce again thank you so much*******************************************************************************************************************************Just to say thank you for the ride on Saturday, think it is the best ride I have had at DeWilt. It was nice to ride up front and not to be worrying about getting lost or upsetting people by riding too slow. It was a great confidence boost for me as I realized my riding skills are not as bad as I thought, it is my fitness that needs worked on. Thanks again for your help and patience with us slower riders. Best R150.00 I have spent since I got my bike ! Thanks to all involved. *******************************************************************************************************************************Awesome, awesome day, I feel so much better about riding, still not where I want to be but you and your helpers are awesome. Please book me in for the next one, just let me know when************************************************************************Hi Steve, had a great time on Saturday. Thanks to you and your team for a really well organised ride.**********************************************************************************Well done again. Very well organized. Awesome, and thanks again.********************************************************Thanks so much for a fantastic ride on Saturday. It was really awesome! Please keep me on your mailing list as I hope to join the rides as often as possible.*****************************************************************************Big ups to you and the sweepers, thanks for another fantastic day out at De Wildt….I have been to both these Newbie rides and to everyone considering them, they are well worth it. Organisation was fantastic. Once again thank you for an unreal day in bringing a no go zone for newbies to us…*****************************************************************************Just wanted to say great job on this past saturday, it was an awesome day out in the dirt. Would like to thank you and the rest of the guys that helped out for a great ride and introduction to DeWildt. Would glady join if anymore of these socials are to happen, (please keep me informed).****************************************************************************Just wanted to say great job on this past saturday, it was an awesome day out in the dirt. Would like to thank you and the rest of the guys that helped out for a great ride and introduction to DeWildt. Would glady join if anymore of these socials are to happen, (please keep me informed). *****************************************************************************Thanks again for a great day on Saturday, I feel like I am getting better and better all the time Its awesome!!!!!!!!!!!My confidence is way up there, I can join in on Sams race on 17th thanks to you and your guys : )*****************************************************************************To all who attended the ride on Sat I just like to say thanks you’re a great bunch and i had a lot of fun. To Steve and Brad and Sean and all the other marshalls , a special thanks, it was far better than expected and I believe that for people who haven’t realy experienced DeWildt properly this would defenately be my recommendation of the way to do it especially for the first time. Steve great organisation far better than expected and I will return as my small brain coudn’t process all the directions and markers in one ride. Will need a few more in order to really get my bearings. Thanks a lot guys, keep up the performance, you’re doing a great job of promoting the sport. *****************************************************************************Hey Steve,Thanks again for the ride on Saturday…best fun I’ve had on my bike so far.******************************************************Hi Steve,Just a quick note to say thanks for a great ride on Saturday, Having done the Newbie Ride a month ago, and now the intermediate, it has certainly given me the confidence to go to Dewildt with mates, and would be highly recommended to anyone I meet.******************************************************Hi Steve,Thanks for a great day on Saturday, I really enjoyed myself and liked the terrain at De Wildt. I will certainly be back, keen to try out the tougher sections and get more familiar with the area.***********************************************Thank you once again for a perfect day : )
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We had a great ride the weekend at De Wildt and will be back soon thanks for the effort and time spent with us newbies.***********************************************Hi Steve, Just to say thank you for another great ride on Saturday. Once again just like to say thanks to you for giving your time to us slow riders and newbies. It is really appreciated. Please pass my thanks on to Brad, Anthony and all who helped on Saturday. ***********************************************Man, that was an awesome ride, can’t wait for the next one. Those who have not done one of these rides do yourself a favour and go on the next one. The terrain is so varied and the marshals are very helpful. I learnt a lot and can’t wait to try it out on the next ride. Definitely the best ride I have done.
Written by Steve · Filed Under Events
On a Saturday in mid-June, we went out to the Jericho Rock and for a beer at the Bafana Bafana Tavern at the base of the Rock at Jericho. I was having a chat with J.J., the village chief and he was telling me how the young kids at the primary school are desperately short of sports equipment to keep them busy after school. So big was the problem with not having things to keep the kids busy, that some kids had been arrested the day before for getting up to mischief instead.
I have started collecting donations, starting with my own of R250.00. You can add R10 or R10 000, whatever you feel like.
During the last week of July, I will take what has been collected and I intend buying a set of portable soccer goals, soccer balls, cricket kit, baseball kit, netball kit, and rugby balls.
On Saturday 9 August (Woman’s Day), I’d like you, whether you contributed or not, to join me at the Bafana Bafana Tavern at Jericho for a braai, drinks, some dirt biking and the handing over of the sports equipment to the school.Families are welcome. Trials bike riders are welcome. The Rock itself is only about 1km from the Tavern. There is plenty local riding ground to have some fun.The bank account details are:Nedbank
Branch: Killarney Mall 191605
Account name:S Lauter
Account no: 1916062660
You don’t have to put your name down if you want to remain anonymous but please put ROCK in the reference so that I know that the amount it is for this cause.
For more info, you can mail me at steve.lauter@iafrica.com. I have posted this on 25/07/2008, only 3 weeks before the handover of the sports equipment and I have collected almost R7000.00 so far!!!
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It’s Sunday, 10th August 2008. The “Project” was delivered yesterday. WOW!!!! Before I tell you all the story let me first throw out a massive thank you to all the dirt bike community who raised R14 500.00 which was delivered in the form of the desired sports equipment and a R5 000.00 cheque made out to the primary school.
By Monday morning, 4th August we had collected R9 500.00 and I was looking forward to going for some retail therapy on behalf of the kids at Jericho. So off I went to Sportsman’s Warehouse in Fourways with a nice big shopping list.
For their soccer requirement I bought 7 soccer sets, each including a bag, a ball, a pair of shin guards, cones, a water bottle, and a pump. I bought a really up-quality match ball. I bought a pair of dismantleable netted goals.
For their rugby requirement I bought 10 rugby sets, each including a bag, a ball, a water bottle, a pump, training cones, and a kicking tee.
For their netball requirement I bought 2 freestanding netball posts complete with netted hoops, 2 practice balls, and a match ball.
For their cricket requirement I bought 3 cricket sets, each including 2 bats, 2 sets of stumps and bails, 2 sets of batsmen’s pads, 2 sets of batsmen’s gloves, 1 set of wicket keeper pads and gloves, 4 balls for hard and soft play, 10 marker cones, and a score book.
They had asked for baseball but unfortunately the cost of baseball equipment was too rich for our budget, but….
I bought a netted basketball hoop and 2 basketballs. I bought 4 tennis racquets and 4 packs of tennis balls. And finally, lest we forget the folks that have to hep these kids, I bought 3 referee/coach whistles.
Another big thank you to Sportsman’s Warehouse in Fourways for also assisting by stretching our rands a little.
On Tuesday afternoon, the 5th August, I was standing at O R Tambo airport getting ready to fly to Durban when I received a phone call from one of the guys who has already made a sizeable donation in his own right. He told me that his company loved the initiative, would like to get involved, and would like to donate R5 000.00. Wow!!! Unfortunately the shopping was done so a cheque was made out to the primary school for that amount. Awesome.
Yesterday morning a bunch of dirt bikers, some with their families, all met at Hartbeespoort Dam from where we left in convoy to Jericho, some 55km away in the general direction of Brits and beyond. On arrival, our cars were herded onto the school’s sports field by a huge group of children in school uniform literally singing us in. Even the most grizzly, gnarly bikers had lumps in their throats.
We unloaded all the equipment onto one of the netball fields in front of a couple of gazebos where all the local dignataries were gathered. Next to them were parents and teachers of all the kids, and place for all of us to take our seats. We were greeted by one of the teachers who acted as MC for the day and who called the local reverend for a brief scripture reading and prayer. I must admit the whole evangelistic “Gimme a halleluyah” kind of thing was quite cool. We were then introduced to the local tribal authority official who delivered his welcome and then to the one of the most important men there, the tribal chief. This guy carries serious weight and commands respect from those around him in a way that I was quite unused to. Then it was my turn. I got the opportunity to present the equipment by sports type to the captain and coach of each discipline. It was amazing to see how cricket and rugby captains were made on the spot! There were pleas by almost all the speech makers for folk who knew the sports to try and find time to come through to Jericho more often to help teach and coach in those two sports which they as, a community, are aching to play. Unfortunately, there is only so much some of us can do. I finally had the opportunity to introduce Lassy and Hannes, who were making the cash donation, to the dignataries. This went down very well.
Final speeches of gratitude were then made by JJ and a final, very moving one by JJ’s own son, also a pupil at the school. Man, I got a huge kick out of the “Viva Tombstone Viva” bit!
The children went to get kitted up for various sports events that were going to continue into the afternoon but it was requested that a very brief dirt bike demo was asked for by the main manne. Hmmmm….ok. Tom and I unloaded our bikes, did a couple of short wheelies on the soccer field, and gave a couple of the small kids a slow ride around the field. We loaded our bikes and took a small tour around the school.
And then we all headed for the Bafana Bafana tavern. Round two was about to begin.
At the tavern we all headed immediately to the bar to wash out dry throats with quarts of Zamalek (black label beer) icy cold as only African shebeens know who to keep them. After the first three or four gulps had got us back to a feeling of general humanity again, we unloaded our bikes, lit the fires in the braais that had been provided next to long covered tables and chairs that had also been prepared for us and went for our first ride. This was to the Rock. A few of us rode up and down this huge mound of stone and then headed back to the Tavern. One of us rode half way up and fell down the rest…. ouch Brad. (P.S. Brad 3 - The Rock 2. I think that’s the score at the moment).
The fires were just right and, after grabbing another beer, we started braaing. The families that joined us sans bikes were already getting into the swing of things. The afternoon was fantastic. Those that wanted to ride more did so - the Jericho River Bed is another big attraction. Others, like yours truly, decided to spend the afternoon eating, drinking and talking with the locals. How often do us whities get to experience something like this?
As it happens, JJ’s brother Koos, yes his name is Koos, lives across the road from the Tavern. It was the most wonderful thing for a whole bunch of us to be invited into his modest lounge to join him and JJ to watch the rugby.
Bar one unfortunate incident late in the afternoon, although I did get all my credit cards and license back and there wasn’t much cash left anyway, and I suppose this is Africa, it was one hellava day!!! Dirt biking is a fantastic sport, the social aspect of it is a huge passion of mine given the people and experiences and acquaintances and friends I get out of it. This one rated right up there with the best ever.
Click on the polaroid to view the whole album.
I am overwhelmed at the number of mails with comments regarding the resurrection of www.grootkak.com
So I’d like to thank all of you and welcome all the new folk to our site. We hope it gets to be as rewarding to as it seems to have been to our old faithfull!
Hi Steve
Checked out the Grootkak site. Great! Thats what I like reading about and learning from. I have been on Cfrsonly.com lately - only because the content is relative to biking and much info can be learned from experts in their field………
………Good luck - I will support as much as possible.
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Glad to see the site is up and running ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Eish – looks good
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Cool !
Well *&% me. I went to check the site and saw a picture of such a hot bike that my instant hard on obscured the screen and I have not been able to see the rest of what is there. When it subsides in a day or so I will check out the rest of the site. Looks really good so far though ! (***note this mail came from the fellow who bought my last bike, which is on the front page 
)
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F*** at last!! Make sure all the old stuff is still on with the members. Well done bud _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________thanks Steve always good reading
Written by Steve · Filed Under News
Everybody wants to, at some stage or another after playing with a dirt-scoot, learn how to wheelie! That’s cool, and I’ll tell you what I know….. I have been known to keep my front tire much fresher than my back tire, if you get my drift. But before I do that, I’d like to share a couple of tips with you on how to make your wheelie work for you on the trail. Yes I know chicks dig it, but there are some other uses too.
The most common and most excellent thing you would use a wheelie for and, please believe me, you will find it excellent, is going through water. I’m not talking about crossing a river, although I know a couple of dudes who’ll give gas through a river anyway. I mean a small, shallowish stream, a fair sized puddle, or mud. When you go through any of these, you’ll find that the faster you try get through it, the wetter you get. The reason for this is quite obvious, your front wheel is displacing the water and you are sitting behind your front wheel! If you go through these on your back wheel, your back wheel displaces the water and, well, your buddy is behind your back wheel. And it looks cool. How high you lift your front wheel is irrelevant, as long as it’s out of the water. Bear in mind though, that any of these obstacles is exactly that, an obstacle, therefore creating more friction and slowing you down. Because of this, your front wheel will naturally be coming down sooner. It’s a physics thing. Anyway, in order to successfully wheelie through rivers, puddles or mud, you need to get some practice under your belt in order to get a feel for how you judge how high you want to lift your wheel and how fast you want to do it depending on the length and/or depth of the obstacle in question.
The next place you want to go vertical is over ditches. It is not unusual to come across a narrow, deep ditch in the middle of the trail. Sometimes the width is almost as wide as the bike is long, and very often it is definitely wider than your front wheel. Well, when presented with this little obstacle, you can do one of three things:
1) You don’t see it until it’s too late and you go across the ditch at full-tilt. Gravity does its thing (yeah, yeah, it’s a physics thing again) and your front wheel dips. What happens next is pretty painful, usually at the cost of a collar-bone (been there, done that). Your front wheel is lower than lip of the other side and you ride, at pace, into the wall on the other side of the ditch. Because of the speed you’re at, your front wheel stops dead, your front forks compress, and your back wheel continues, in a cartwheel-like fashion, over your front wheel. You get to feel like the unfortunate rock in an ancient roman catapult as you rapidly watch your handlebars and front fender disappear beneath and behind you as you are hurtled over them into the ground on the other side of the ditch.
2) You do see it in time, but all you can do is grab all the brakes you can find and deal with manhandling your scoot over the ditch when, hopefully, you have stopped in time to prevent injury or damages.
3) You can get your front wheel up and carry on styling over the ditch like it didn’t matter! The trick is to gauge the height of your wheelie so that front wheel stays up long enough to get over the far wall of the ditch. It doesn’t matter how high or low, as long as it clears the lip. The next thing that happens is your back wheel hits the lip of the wall of the side your front wheel has just cleared. This action will bring your front wheel down to ground really fast…yes, you got it, physics!! Beware of the potential kick up at the back.
You will get to that point on a ride one day where you are confronted with a very steep, if not vertical, pretty high drop off. Sure if you hit it at pace the momentum will keep your bike horizontal enough that, even though you may get to the ground front wheel first, the angle will be negligible and you’ll be ok. But if you have stopped to check it out, which is the smart thing to do if you’re new to this game, you don’t have that momentum any more. So what do you do? Well you can backtrack enough to build up enough speed to come off at pace, you can try ride off and hope it’s not steep enough or high enough that you end up eye-to-eye with mother earth, or you can get that front wheel up again. A little pop-up and you’re down on the ground with your back wheel first. Your cushy back shocks taking the hit for you and it all feels good. Even if you come off the top with some pace, getting the front wheel higher than the back on a drop off is always a much more comfortable landing.
As you practice and get used to wheeling and popping, you’ll find more and more uses. Getting over a fallen tree – you need to get that front wheel up and over. Negotiating up rocky steps. Finding how a low wheelie, with your front wheel only dabbing every now and then, is great for riding rocks. But I digress; you all want the answer to the burning question – how?
Ok, my technique may not be the best for everybody. But I’ll share with you what I know and try and relate some insight on how to learn. First off, there are three different wheelies: just popping the front wheel up, a power wheelie, and a balance wheelie.
Popping the wheel up. Used mostly for clearing the rock step, the fallen log, or getting the front wheel up for a drop off. You can achieve this by getting the bike in a low gear, leaning back and cranking the throttle open just at the beginning of your power band. Or you can rev it up a bit and “pop” the clutch. The bike can stand up very quickly and very steeply, beware. I actually used this technique to learn to wheelie when I was a youngster. I used do what they called (or call??) moonwalking From a dead standstill, with your feet on the ground, you rev the bike up in first gear and pop the clutch. The bike stands straight up and you literally walk with the bike. Watch out for damage to the back fender when doing this – too far up and you’re dragging it with you on the ground.
Power wheelie. This is my firm favourite and I spend a lot of time doing these whether sitting or standing. By the very nature of its name, you need to assess the power of your own bike to know which gear to try and bring your bike up in. On my KTM 300 EXC, for a sitting wheelie, I am able to quite easily power it up in first, second or third gears. For a standing wheelie I’m good to go in first, second, third or fourth. The idea is to find the “sweet spot”. For me the sweet spot is the angle where my front wheel is high enough that gravity is not pulling it down too much but not that high that I am flipping over backward (it’s still pretty high though – finding this place is the scariest part of learning to wheelie). In a sitting wheelie, I shift my weight to the back of the bike and crank the throttle open at the start of the power band. Mother nature, the power of my scoot and, of course, physics, do their thing and my scoot stands up. On my way to, or just before, the sweet spot I often change up a gear. This has the effect of slowing down the climb to vertical a bit and providing longer legs to play in the sweet spot. I usually get pretty comfortable here and shift gears at my leisure. Be careful, if your wheel is pointing too far up and you gear down, you’re probably going to flip over backwards with the sudden rush of power to the back wheel. If you gear up, you are going to gain speed, careful when you put your front down – its fast! A standing wheelie is pretty similar – weight back, grip with your knees, crank it up at the start of the band with a bit of bounce and pull to help her up. Find the sweet spot and cruise. All excellent fun – when you get it, you’ll love it. It is nothing shy of absolute exhilaration to cruise on your back wheel. And…..it looks cool!
Do not, I repeat, do not try and race your buddies while in a wheelie. You get too comfortable, think you’re king of the world, your buddy flies past you, you crank her up, and…..you flip over backwards!
Balance wheelie. Enter into the realm of the expert. This is where you get your bike up really high and keep it there regardless of speed, usually much slower actually. This is a delicate choreography of throttle and back brake. The more you throttle, the more the front will stand up. Touch the back brake and the front will come down. I know the science, I haven’t got this one right yet, but I will. Wang Gang Gang’s Garth “Vertical” Smitherim is gonna teach me!
Finally, some golden rules:
1) Wheelies are dangerous, its not if you’ll flip, it’s when you’ll flip. Never play on the back wheel without wearing, at the very least, your helmet and your gloves.
2) The back brake is your friend. The back brake is your friend. The back brake is your friend. Just the smallest dab on the back brake will bring your front wheel down to earth very quickly – excellent clench-factor remedy.
3) Strange as it may seem, a slightly faster wheelie is much easier than a slow wheelie. Because you have more spin on your front wheel, you have a gyroscopic effect assisting you, the very reason we can balance on two wheels in motion in the first place……physics my friends, physics. A slow wheelie relies far more on balance and skill.
4) It is far easier to wheelie on a hard surface like tar. The traction helps your power transfer between the drive mechanism and the back wheel act on your bike instead of the ground, therefore getting you airborne quicker. Yep, physics. But, when you flip, it’s much harder, much more painful, and much more expensive to repair. That one isn’t physics, that’s just common sense – stoopid hurts.
Hope you get it right, it’s worth it. See you in the dirt.
Keep the shiny side up and ride it like you stole it.
Steve “Tombstone” Lauter
How many times have you got yourself involved in a discussion or debate on the whys and why nots of two strokes and four strokes. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. But in this debate, how informed is your opinion, other than what you know from the feel of riding one or the other. So, for the uninitiated, or those that are just interested in an update, here’s the skinny on the differences between the two.
The basics – a two stroke motor is so named because there are only two strokes in a cycle – a compression stroke and a combustion stroke. A four stroke motor has intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust. In a two stroke engine, start with the point where the spark plug sparks. Fuel and air in the cylinder have been compressed, and when the spark plug fires, the mixture ignites. The resulting explosion forces the piston downward. Note that as the piston moves downward, it is compressing the air/fuel mixture in the crankcase. As the piston approaches the bottom of its stroke, the exhaust port is uncovered. The pressure in the cylinder drives most of the exhaust gases out of cylinder. As the piston finally bottoms out, the intake port is uncovered. The piston’s movement has pressurized the mixture in the crankcase, so it rushes into the cylinder, displacing the remaining exhaust gases and filling the cylinder with a fresh charge of fuel. Now the momentum in the crankshaft starts driving the piston back toward the spark plug for the compression stroke. As the air/fuel mixture in the piston is compressed, a vacuum is created in the crankcase. This vacuum opens the reed valve and sucks air/fuel/oil in from the carburetor. Once the piston makes it to the end of the compression stroke, the spark plug fires again to repeat the cycle. A four stroke engine works like this: The piston starts at the top, the intake valve opens, and the piston moves down to let the engine take in a cylinder-full of air and petrol. This is the intake stroke. Only the tiniest drop of petrol needs to be mixed into the air for this to work. Then the piston moves back up to compress this fuel/air mixture. Compression makes the explosion more powerful. When the piston reaches the top of its stroke, the spark plug emits a spark to ignite the petrol. The petrol charge in the cylinder explodes, driving the piston down. Once the piston hits the bottom of its stroke, the exhaust valve opens and the exhaust leaves the cylinder to go out the exhaust pipe. Probably the most confusing novice question on the issue is why do you mix two-stroke oil with petrol in a two stroke engine? To most rookies, this is the definitive difference between a 2-stroker and a 4-banger. Now that the way the motors work has been explained and the oil isn’t really why they are different, let’s check the oil issue out. In a four-stroke engine, the crankcase is completely separate from the combustion chamber, so you can fill the crankcase with heavy oil to lubricate the crankshaft bearings, the bearings on either end of the piston’s connecting rod and the cylinder wall. In a two-stroke engine, on the other hand, the crankcase is serving as a pressurization chamber to force air/fuel into the cylinder, so it can’t hold thick oil. Instead, you mix oil in with the gas to lubricate the crankshaft, connecting rod and cylinder walls. If you forget to mix in the oil, the engine isn’t going to last very long! Why is the exhaust header (the piece that comes directly out of the motor) so thick on a two stroke compared to the thin exhaust pipes on a four stroke? This little bit of engineering always intrigued me. You ever notice on a two stroke the oily discharge out the back of the pipe and the four stroke always looks so clean? Well, since the exhaust is pushed out of the cylinder in the same stroke that fuel/air mixture is sucked in from being compressed in the crankcase, and even though the intake port and the exhaust port are at different heights in the cylinder so that the piston can block one of them while the other is open, some of the fuel/air mix will still find its way into the exhaust. Bearing in mind, the high pressure that this “escaping fuel” will be under, imagine that when the exhaust is expelled some of the expelled air/fuel mix will be leaving the cylinder at a really high speed. All of this leaves into the thick header pipe which tapers off into the thin exhaust pipe. The shape of the header and the tapering off causes some of the escaped air/fuel mix to “bounce” back into the cylinder to be used in the next combustion stroke. Obviously some of it doesn’t make it back and that’s the discharge you see on a two-stroke pipe. Some of this explanation may be making some lights come on in terms of why they race 250 4-strokes in the MX2 class and 400-525 4-strokes in the MX1 class. Well, the classes used to be called 125 and 250. This was based on the engine capacity that was allowed to compete in the class. With four stroke motors making such great strides in engineering allowing them to be competitive in, what was once, a two-stroke dominated sport, the engine capacity classification had to be revisited. Why, you may ask? Well, considering that a 125cc four stroke has double the piston strokes that a 125 two stroke has, it is obvious that the two stroke 125 is going to have double the power of the four stroke 125. This is because power is delivered to the back wheel in half the time – 2 strokes instead of 4. Therefore, the average horsepower of a four stroke is the same as that of a two stroke half it’s capacity. So, MX2 now has 125 two strokes competing with 250 four strokes and 250 two strokes competing with 400+ four strokes. Theoretically, the power in the classes is consistent for competition. So now you’re waiting for the million-dollar comment – which is better? Well I’m not going to tell you! Each has it’s pros and cons. But which is best depends only on you. They are different rides, the provide different rushes, and for every champion of a two-stroke, you’ll find a champion of a four-stroke. What bike do I ride? Well……….I ride two-strokes. In fact, I am a two-stroke nut. But that’s just me! The bad news however, is that two strokes have a shelf life right now. Environmentalists have shouted them down and in some states in the USA they are illegal. The gut-feel on the street is that two-strokes will only be available for the next 5 – 6 years. If you are new to the game, try get a ride on both types before you go out and buy a bike. You really need to “feel” the difference to really make your personal preference. Keep the shiny side up and ride it like you stole it. Steve “Tombstone” Lauter
How many of you saw, heard or even remember Jerry Seinfeld’s “stupid sign” schtik? Anyway, it follows the thought of giving stupid folk a sign to hold up so others can recognize them a bit easier. Like the dude who pulls his fishing boat up to the jetty and a fellow sitting on the edge looks into the boat and says “hey, you catch all them fish”? The dude looks up and says “Nope, they just gave up and jumped in!! Here’s your sign”.So why am I telling you all about Seinfeld’s stupid sign? Well, I’m dying to hear about all the signs that the dirt bikers are carrying. No, serious, seh….rih…uhhhs!!! We swagger around the local hangout after a ride with stories about the big-air jump, the extra-long wheelie, the way we managed to choon the scoot so well that nothing in its class will catch it, etc, etc. Full of the “big-deal” we are, all of us! But we also do some really dumb things that we don’t shout out about. I say share the laughs, we need to share the fun (and learn a couple simple lessons perhaps in the process).Now I, as it happens, with my experience and connection with such a vast array of dirt biking buddies, have a bunch of tales to share. So let’s begin with the handing out of signs……..Number one on my list goes to a living legend that almost everybody that rides a dirt bike in South Africa knows: Smokin’ John “Mooford” Morford. I’m not going to go into the story of how he got to be called “Smokin’”, but for those very few of you who don’t know how John’s surname was changed from Morford to Mooford………. John managed to ride into a cow, that he saw from 200m away, so fast that he hit it straight off its hooves! John, to where can I post your sign?Another fantastic story goes something like this: We were parked at one of our favourite mid-ride watering holes where one of us decided that his new 400 4-banger KTM wasn’t performing quite as it should be. Said party promptly proceeded to remove his spark plug, and then do “something”??? with a small socket attached to handle inside his cylinder. One ponders what the thought process actually was…….specially when aforementioned small socket fell off aforementioned handle into aforementioned cylinder thereby ending aforementioned ride for the day (of course after the bike had been turned upside down among other things in an attempt to remove the socket) for the person in question. Uhhhmmmm, John, do I post to the same address as the first sign buddy?Before I continue, I must apologise to John. This is not a be-mean-to-John piece. He’s a good buddy, and believe it or not, a great dirt biker. He just does sign-deserving things sometimes.But, moving right along, how many of you have done this? You get your kit on. You unload your bike from the trailer. You start the bike. It runs (only if the throttle is held pretty wide open) for the first couple of minutes. It may or may not start intermittently thereafter, but it certainly won’t run. You check everything. You strip stuff down. You check really deep. No joy. You pack up and, rather dejectedly, head home. Whether you uncover the problem in your workshop at home or your mechanic finds it for you is immaterial. Nothing will ever get you over the feeling of absolute idiocy when the problem is the rag you left in your airbox to block your carb during cleaning. What’s even worse is the fact that you reinstalled a clean air filter on top of it!!! Yeah, yeah, my sign is hanging up somewhere.Ok, don’t all shout out at once, but I will lay odds that 99% of you have a sign for the next one. Half way up a hill after a break. A km or two into the trail at full speed……after a break. Crossing a river……………shortly after a break. Basically doing stuff requiring being up in the band to complete an immediate task and what happens? The bike stalls! You have no idea why. You try kick starting it until you are blue in the face. Your buddy tries to kick it for a bit to no avail. You try push starting…….no joy! Just before you decide to tow, just after much muttering and cursing, you realize that during your break you……………………turned your fuel off! Send me your addresses, signs are being printed.And we have all done, or had someone in our crew do, the old faithful. Fill your bike up on the way to the ride and forget to put the fuel cap back on the tank. I can list at least 10 different ways I’ve seen a makeshift petrol cap put into play.My final sign goes out to the dude that says “Hey, check it out, I just bought a quad………”Just kidding!!! I’ll see y’all in the dirt. Keep the shiny side up and ride it like you stole it.Steve “Tombstone” Lauter
There’s a topic that’s been raising it’s controversial head like a mole trying to get out of the hole it’s dug in the middle of an enduro trail: the price of bikes and related stuff that we are expected to pay in South Africa.I’ve stuck my nose into this a few times and I have to be honest, there are relevant arguments on both sides of the story. In fact, as far as I’m concerned, the choice really rests on the shoulders of the consumer. For us South Africans, we are victims of a dollar-based economy in areas relating to pure adrenalin and we need to deal with it. Let’s look at the consumer’s point of view – the “unfair” dealers. For a 250cc – 300cc two-stroke machine, brand new, off the floor, what price are you paying? I can’t comment for all dealers and all brands but the general price range is pretty high. I still battle trying to understand the rationale behind the margins. Let me explain. My current toy is a 2003 KTM 300 EXC. I bought my Katy brand new in September 2002. The exchange rate was approximately R11.00 = $1.00. I paid R 69 500.00 for my bike. I believe the USA was selling the same bike at the same time for approximately $5 500.00. Ok, let’s do some math. $5 500.00 at that exchange rate equals R60 500.00. Bring import duties into the equation, add a reasonable margin on for the dealer and the extra R19 000.00 that was required is not terribly unreasonable. However, the 2005 KTM 300 EXC, is retailing, I believe, somewhere in the region of R68 000.00. Nice you may say, a decrease in price. But the exchange rate has fallen a whole lot more. Today’s rate is R5.74 to the dollar. The 2005 KTM 300 EXC is retailing for around $6 100.00 – that brings the price to R35 014.00. Now add duties and reasonable margin……… I say no more!!However, before I have the dealers at my door with shotguns, let’s look at it from their point of view. The margin that gets made goes to more that the head-honcho’s pockets. A staff needs to be maintained, stock of bikes and OEM parts needs to be maintained, a workshop for your benefit needs to be staffed with skilled people and resources. This all costs a bundle. If you walk into your favourite KTM shop (no favouritsm – but as a KTM owner, this is where my point of reference is), you have to admit that it is comparable with the top-class luxury car dealerships. It’s slick, stocked and ready for your every need – the brand is professionally in your face from the moment you open the door and it is so hard to close the door behind you without raping you credit card a bit. To get all this together, you have to admit that a fair hunk of change is required to maintain the operation. And don’t forget that all the folk assisting to keep the machine running need to live as well. So…….you figure it out. So far, there is a pretty even argument in my opinion. No I don’t like the price differentiation but yes, I am in the market for a new 2006 KTM at the end of this year when I return to sunny S.A. and you know where I’ll be spending my loot!I understand that not everybody can afford a new scoot and that sometimes second hand is the way to go. Sadly, the price of new bikes has had an obvious ripple effect on the price of used bikes. Yes you can get a reasonable used machine for under R20K these days, but if you go that route, please take extra care in scrutinizing it first. You could end up paying a fortune more than your pocket can handle in repairs, replacements and maintenance. If you are looking at a used scoot, take the time to download the “Buying a used off-road bike” checklist from the home page of www.grootkak.com - one of the more useful things ‘Smokin John “Mooford” has contributed to our community. It’s bound to save you a bundle in the long run.In terms of the actual bikes – what I would love to see one day in S.A. (I saw this in Colorado Springs, USA in November 2004), a one-stop bike shop. These guys have something similar to a mini supermarket for bikes! A massive accessories and apparel section, a parts counter that supports all brands, and the most impressive part – a new motorcycle section that stocked every make and model under the sun, road and dirt. Have you any idea how fantastic it is to have the ability, when buying a new bike, to have Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha and KTM right next to each other for tests and comparisons on price, setup, performance, etc, etc – from the same dealer! There is no competitive incentive for the dealer; he’s just there to help you make the best, educated choice that suits you. Awesome.So we get over the dilemma of bike price and move on. Well, unfortunately we aren’t moving on to the track or trail. No sirree, we still need to buy kit. I won’t harp on the reasons, you can read all about that in the June 2004 issue. The point is, you can never, ever have too much kit! This also comes at a price and is absolutely necessary. If there is one bit of advice I can give you – you don’t have to buy the top of the range of each item. Specially if you can’t afford it. Just make sure it’s functional. All items in an off-road accessories store are made for off-road use. I guarantee you that a pair of motocross boots was not manufactured for window dressing. Yes, so the brand you buy may not be as flash or comfortable as Tech 10s. But they are still going to do what you need them to – and that’s more important than flash! The point folks, is that there’s more money to be spent – and, in this case, it’s almost pointless buying the scoot if you don’t buy the necessary kit to use it with.And finally, the ultimate price. The better half in your life. Once you have the scoot and the kit, and you’ve paid some extra cash for high-performance plugs and synthetic two-stroke, and the right set of tools to assist you regular maintenance, you have to ride the thing. And riding the thing is addictive. So you are going to have to negotiate, compromise, do romantic dinners, take a subscription to Interflora or Net Florist and perform a plethora of previously un-thought of chores and favours. But remember, you are going to write off a day a week at least riding, and a quarter to half day a week on cleaning and maintaining. This is where you need deep pockets.The question you may be asking is, if it’s so dammed expensive, why do it? The answer is simple, the value of the absolute, untouchable rush of riding a dirt bike, track or trail, with you mates – the adrenalin, the camaraderie, the locations, the memories…………………………the passion, makes the price of making the experience possible inconsequential. I’ll see y’all in the dirt. Keep the shiny side up and ride it like you stole it.Steve “Tombstone” Lauter
So what was I expecting? I honestly can’t remember. I mean the Wang Gang Gang is the cream of the recreational dirt bike clubs. And yes, the Colorado chapter are definitely Wang Gang Gangers. And yes, there is a smattering of ex-pat South Africans in the club over there. But they’re American! Surely they can’t do it like we can? I mean, let’s face it, who can? We are South African dirt bikers and we have the terrain, the buddies, the passion, and the will. Who can beat us? Well, surprise, surprise! Before I tell you all about a fantastic dirt biking experience, let me clear a couple of things up. Number 1: The guys up in Colorado Springs are true brothers to anyone and everyone who has an inkling of a desire for dirt biking. This can be seen by:
- The most awesome stores that stock every conceivable make of kit and accessory, parts and new bikes…..of all brands….under one roof. My credit card nearly took some serious punishment.
- The riding areas are government/municipal sanctioned and preserved stretches of ground that are named and maintained specifically for the sport. And they’re big. Names are like Pueblo Motorsport Park (where I was), Ruby Mountain, Bueno Vista, Trout Creek Trail, etc.
- Most importantly the way my wife and I were treated like family by every member of the Colorado chapter of the Wang Gang Gang (we had never met any of these guys before). There was not a thing they wouldn’t do for us, and when it came to the ride, there was no shortage of kit for me and I had a choice of four bikes to use……..unbelievable.
Number 2: The guys in Colorado Springs can party it up as good as any of us in S.A. The fact that the first couple of hours of my ride on Sunday was achieved with Johnny Walker still doing a freakin’ route march across my brain after Saturday night is testament to that! Number 3: The guys in Colorado Springs can ride! Pueblo was not their ride of choice for me to join them on but, because of snowfalls, that was where we went. A few technical spots, mainly due to some fun and challenging hill-climbs, the rest is fast wide single track. These guys are generally fast, skilful and would do great on any of the local challenges we may show them – Kelvin Grove, Lesotho, Swaziland, etc. Anyway, let me tell you about the ride. We rode at Pueblo Motorsport Park on a bright, hot Sunday. Crazy to have snow at some the guy’s houses and it’s t-shirt riding weather an hour down the drag! The area is pretty high in terms of elevation, they’re at the foot of the Rockies. But for the Jo’burg lads, it shouldn’t be much of an issue the elevation is pretty similar. But it’s dry, very dry. I don’t know if it was the elevation, temperature, lack of humidity, or my grandpappy of a hangover but I nearly sucked my Camelbak inside out! The park itself is fantastic, you could get a good 2 – 3 hours of non-stop riding in without playing on hill-climbs or technical areas and without riding the same trails. The park also has a full motocross track and a racecar circuit. On the day of our ride it was pretty dry and dusty but there are a lot of shale areas so as dusty as it was, I wouldn’t say it was as dusty as a crowded De Wildt day when it’s dry. The team was quite big, all in there were 10 of us. I had the choice of a 2003 KTM 525 EXC, a 2003 KTM 300 EXC, or one of two 2000/1 KTM 200 EXCs. Obviously, since the 2003 300 is exactly what I have sitting at home in Johannesburg, the choice was not difficult. The same “unwritten” group riding rules that we have in S.A. seem to apply, you are always responsible for the guy behind you. Nobody leaves anybody stranded. Everybody is always only too happy to lend a hand if and when needed. The one thing that is very different though is that these guys don’t stop for beer during the ride. Only at the end. It was great to ride non-stop but a man does get thirsty! For the Colorado guys, Pueblo was pretty run-of-the-mill kind of riding. These guys prefer to do it in the mountains where there are far more technical challenges and a lot of tight forest stuff. For me though, it was new ground and I was in my element. Never mind the fact that the last time I rode was just before the MX GP at Sun City!!! I would compare the terrain to a cross between De Wildt’s dry sections and the Daytona stuff without crowds and traffic. Of course the camaraderie is exactly the same, so the war stories and jokes during and after the ride was great……as was the social scene off the bikes. If there is one thing that I can say with sincere conviction about riding in Colorado Springs with the Colorado chapter of the Wang Gang Gang, it is “I will be back!!!”I know you guys read these articles so, once again, from Mrs. Tombstone and myself, a huge thank you to all of you for your hospitality, generosity and a ride I cannot wait to repeat. They know how to do it in Colorado. Keep the shiny side up and ride it like you stole it. Steve “Tombstone” Lauter
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