The Americas 2013

I have no idea where the time since the last post has gone. It feels like the 10th of October was just the other day. The events of the last few months have been filled with the usual daily grind and sorting out the minutiae for the trip, but it has also come with its share of grief as 3 very dear people have been lost to us, all in the same week!!!

Cindy Lee Davies, Max Kretzmer and Bill Barron…my thoughts are with you and your families!!

In Loving Memory..

Cindy Lee Davies (29/7/83-10/12/12)     Max Kretzmer (25/10/57–11/12/12)       Bill Barron (11/6/39 –5/12/12)

The end of the year is upon us, the office is closed, Christmas around the corner and the trip that has been in the planning since I arrived in Cairo in 2010 is now here! Unlike the last two big trips done in 2010 and 2011 my packing is remarkably small, light and almost cavalier for a trip of this nature. I learnt in 2010 that it just isn’t practical to pack for every eventuality and that most things are able to be found or repaired on route so there is no point in riding with a bike so overloaded that it makes the journey unpleasant.

I rode a KTM 990 Adventure to Cairo in 2010 and to Malawi in 2011. My experience with this machine has been remarkable, it will truly carry one to the ends of the world and back and It is as a result of this that I purchased a new 2012 KTM 990 Adventure R from RAD in Johannesburg for this upcoming trip and it has been modified accordingly for the requirements of the journey. Dave Griffin, Ian Hudson,Nel Bosch, Shaun Jubber and the staff at RAD, Thank you for all of your efforts!

The day of delivery of a new bike ALWAYS feels like Christmas!!!

During the trip to Malawi in 2011, my cousin Fernando rode with me on his BMW GS1200 Adv 30 year anniversary edition. Although the KTM is the ULTIMATE adventure machine, Jacqui complains that it might be a “little” hard on the posterior for pillion riders, and so, although my blood is solidly orange, when in August Fernando mentioned that he was selling his GS (for a KTM ..haha, its awesome being the moderator on here!!), I snapped it up as a “back up” bike for when Jacqui rides with me. I also discovered, that if the old man (my step dad Enrico) comes visiting from Jhb, its a suitable bike that wont take his heart rate over 65bpm and so “little fatty” (as I call the GS) has joined the stable and will be riding with Enrico and I through the Americas in January. Thanks to the Guys at Donfords BMW for all their help with getting little fatty into shape for the ride.

The Stable Queens…Supermodel flanked by Fatty and an ageing supermodel.

Little Fatty and the Supermodel..ready to conquer the Americas!!

My Step dad, Enrico was in Cape Town for the last few days to give the bikes a final “once over” and the Bikes are now ready to go, the mods are all complete and the tools and spares are packed and ready. The KTM has had a custom made sticker kit made by Dirtpunk MX specifically for this upcoming trip and its looking awesome…Thanks Brent!

KTM Cape Town have also been fantastic and have even had Kevin (Their chief mechanic) come over to the house a few times after hours to do final prep work. Thanks Ash, Kevin, Charl, Sedick and the team at KTM Cape Town for all of your help.

Final tweaks

Enrico looking under the skirt of a supermodel…

And so, tomorrow is the day that the ladies get cratered at AMI and get ready to fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina!!!