Dirt & Trail Aug2020

line north up to the Limpopo
River first. This is the closest
we’ll get to Crooks corner without
going through the Kruger Park
boundary, where motorcycles are
not permitted.
The route we planned for the
day was slowly coming to an end
as we followed the KNP fence
towards the Pafuri gate where
I got to take a ceremonious
photo. I asked a surprised game
warden whether they sold any
cooldrinks and he pointed us
in the direction of the nearest
shebeen. Remembering we are
back in civilization we got our
masks back on shopped for
some goodies as people stared
at us with curious amusement.
Sitting outside the shebeen we
View over the Limpopo.
This vast river is over 1km
wide in certain places
celebrated our achievements
with an ice cold coke. What a
day it has been! The way back
was uneventful compared to our
adventure earlier and we gradually
made our back to Popallin Ranch.
We looked at the colourful local
houses built against the R525 and
cross through the veterinary fence
where we were waved on without
having to stop. We conclude our
day with a big bonfire and a lekker
braai while watching the sun set
yet again over Nwanedzi River.
While watching the sunset from
the comfort of my camping chair I
reflected back on the day. Was it a
bad idea to visit a militarized zone
with live explosives, smugglers,
lions and elephant during the
middle of an international virus
pandemic? Yes, it probably was.
Was it worth it? Yes it definitely
was. This area will absolutely see
us again.
Important note from the Author
- Jack’s Pass, as well the Madimbo
corridor are part of a militarized
zone and are strictly off limits
to travellers. The tarred border
patrol route may be traversed, but
it is paramount to get permission
from the SANDF to do so first,
as live ammunition practice is
carried out in the area regularly.
Not complying with the rules can
lead to your arrest or worse. The
owners at Popallin Ranch are
however keen to accommodate
bikers and show them the best
of their farm and in the Limpopo
river.
MISSION
ACCOMPLISHED!
The tyres on the Dirt And trail
magazine Tiger 800XCX were
getting a little bit long in the
tooth, so we decided to invest in
some new rubber.
We have been checking out
the new 50/50 Dunlop Trailmax
missions for a while - the global hype
around these tyres has been pretty
impressive - and it seemed like a
good choice. We actually ordered a
set when we first heard about them,
but lock down included some delays
with supply.
We took the bike along to the
famous Bike Tyre Warehouse in
Midrand, where the team removed
wheels, replaced tyres, checked
brake pads and chain tension chop
chop. In todays market, the tyres
seemed to be really reasonably
priced - we have just fitted another
brand on our old faithful Husqvarna
Terra, so we had a good idea of
comparative costs.
Then we hit the road:
One of the things that people
tend to complain about when fitting
a more gravel oriented tyre is the
amount of road noise that the tyres
make. looking at these tyres tread
pattern... we expected much the
same. But...
The Dunlops are just as quiet as
the standard tyres that came with
the bike. Initial 100 KM scrub in
section was spent on the highways
and streets around our base - 120
odd kilometres on day 1 just to get
them settled and sorted.
Freeway stability it perfect -
180KPH - no wandering or wobbling,
corners beautifully - handles just like
any road tyre should.
Since that first day, we have
had the tyres on for just more
than 1500KM’s - probably about 70
percent tar, 30 percent hard packed
gravel, railway roads, a bit of loose
sand and the odd muddy section.
Naturally, we have ridden the
tyres as hard as any sane person
would do in the dirt - and we are off
the opinion that for a 50/50, Dunlop
has nailed it! The tyres are stable,
smooth and offer great traction even
in the loose stuff. And we aren’t the
type who mess around with tyre
pressures every time we hit dirt -
to be fair we have ridden at road
pressures throughout. (We hear the
purists gasp...)
We appreciate the added bite
in the slippery stuff, it makes
tracking along slippery hard pack
and grassy sections just that much
easier. The tyres are great and, quite
frankly have lived up to - OK maybe
exceeded expectations.
Best of all the tyres seem to be
wearing really well - and that’s
really important when you look at
costs associated with adventure
motorcycling.
Over the next few months we’ll
use them more and we’ll tell you
more about them. But for now, initial
impressions are that these are tyres
that do everything really, really well.
Chat to your dealer - or Bike Tyre
Warehouse:
www.biketyrewarehouse.com
Living with the
new Dunlop
Trailmax Missions
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