25,000 miles with Luke and Nick

or sitting at the side of the road waiting for a tow for the KTM........am sorry I just had to say that, I know am bad.

HAHA I was thinking that also !!

Ouch ... don't say that..

with 800K readership more than a few companies should be sponsoring these guys
I noticed they are featured on rally raid's page. Hopefully Luke got a discount on the parts

That's exactly what we are thinking!!! I love the positive attitude

Wow, the internet here is had to find, and when you do find it, it's tough to do anything on it. I'm trying to get you guys an update. We have 3 to upload right now.

Internet marathon:

*Email
*GoDaddy
*Photobucket
*ADVrider
*Twitter
*Facebook
*MySpace (ok just kidding)

Oh, and we are still looking for Elephant butts to slap. It's been raining a lot here so the animals are not as concentrated at the watering holes

In the morning we woke up early to tow Luke's bike to the KTM dealership. We are starting to get pretty good at this.



We spent the rest of the morning at the dealership working on the bike. Luke and mechanic decided to take a fuel pump out of another 690 which was owned by the dealership. If it was the fuel pump that was wrong, then this would solve the problem. Along with swapping fuel pumps, they also changed the fuel filter.





After the bike was put back together we took it for a short, 15 minute, test drive, everthing seemed to be ok; but we were still skeptical. Last time we packed up ready to leave and ended up on the side of the road 100 miles away. This time we decided to take a second "test ride". We decided we should try to drive to Cape Agulhas to test it out. The dealer gave us a number to call in case we died again and they would come pick us up for free. So we took off in the afternoon to try to make the Cape. We were so excited when we passed the side of the road where we broke down last time we had to stop and celebrate. Maybe it's acually fixed?



We made it to Cape Agulhas around 5:30 pm. I was so excited we made it I got stuck trying to drive to the water. Joke was on me though, the acual southern tip of africa was 100 yards away down a board walk. The joke was also on Luke, he had to push me out.


We drove our bikes down the boardwalk and took the mandatory pictures.



By the time we left the Cape it was 6:00 pm. This was good news because we had nothing but our mesh jackets and didn't bring any extra gear, since it was just test drive. This means the ride back was going to be chilly. On the bright side, we probably wouldn't make it back to Cape Town before it got dark and there was a good chance it could rain on us. At least the bikes were still running good.




We made it back to Cape Town with no problems. Luke woke up early the next day and went to the KTM dealer to pay for the fuel pump. The good news was they would sell him the pump that he used on the test drive. This was good since we didn't feel like waiting around for a few more days while a new one was shipped. The used fuel pump was sold to him at half price, which is funny since it was still more expensive than buying a new fuel pump in America.

Luke immediately drove back to the hostel and we packed up to make up some ground. In all the excitement of starting our trip we missed the first, and only exit we needed to take. We drove parrallel to the road we needed to be on for 5 miles. Finally we spotted a hole in the fence and could sneak our way over. I was still too excited and drove staight into some loose sand. This is becoming too much of a habit.



It's ok though, Luke enjoys it. The next few hours we just hauled the mail. After awhile we came to 2 miles of traffic backed up. Since we were on bikes it was no problem, we drove past all of them and got to be first in line.



We found out the reason traffic was backed up. The road was closed for blasting.


It looks like we had 30 minutes to waste. No problem, we entertained ourselves by doing handstands and playing hacky-sac with some of the boys waiting in line.



The roads in Northern South Africa didn't turn much. It was good for making up lost time.


Since it was our first day on the road, Luke wanted to test out his fuel mileage. He did, and there wasn't any signs of a gas station nearby.



When it started to get dark we started looking for a place to buy food so we could camp. The city we stopped in didn't sell any food. That's right, there wasn't a store in the entire city to buy food. The man at the gas station pointed us to a bed and breakfast and said them might be able to sell us something. He was right, they made us dinner for only 10 Rand each. They also let us pitch our tent in their backyard for free. Not a bad deal.



The next morning we woke up early so we could make it to the Namibian boarder early. We drove through a lot of the same roads as the day before.


After hours of nothing but straight roads we decided to open a gate and do some playing.



After our break, we made a bee line for the boarder. This was going to be stressful. We needed to take our time and do it right since we each paid $2,500 in temporary import fees, hopeing we got it back when we exported our bikes. We went to the first customs office we came across and they said they couldn't help us. They did point us to another cusoms office that was a trailer up the road. These guys did seem to know a little more. While they did some paperwork we decided to eat lunch.


While we were waiting we heard some interesting stuff. One of the guys next to us at the customs office kept saying words like: AK 47, rocket launcher, semi-automatic, grenade, ect... We think he had something to do with movies, since one of the papers said "Namibian Film Armory Supplier" or something like that. Either way he was getting a police escort over the boarder. After we waited an hour or so, they sent us to another customs office. This one seemed more legit. I mean it wasn't a trailer on the side of the road. The first thing they asked us when we walked in the door was, " are you the guys with the motorcycles and guns?".

After we cleared up the fact that we had no guns, we started trying to get the paperwork we needed. It took a few calls and a lot of explaining, but we started making progress. The bad news was what they were telling us we needed to do to get our money back was different than what our custom clearing company in Cape Town told us. It was similar, but one major difference. We wouldn't be able to get our money back until we exited Botswana. Apparently, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Lesotho are all in-kahoots. We had customs call our people in Cape Town (That's right, we have people) to double check that was correct. It was and that made us a bit nervous. Now we had to do more boarder crossings getting our paperwork perfect. At least South Africa's was finished. Finally we could cross into Namibia.


We only had to clear customs on the Namibian side now. This went a lot quicker. All they needed us to do was fill our two forms, one for us and one for our bikes. Then they stamped our passports and gave us a slip of paper for motorcycles allowing them into the country. The slip of paper did cost us about 130 Rand, which we had to scrape the bottom of the bucket for. It's never, or usually never, a good idea to cross a boarder with a lot of old currancy left over.



It was 1:30 pm and we could start exploring Namibia. At least it was 105 degrees to start that adventure.

Luke and Nick,

Thanks for sharing this report with us. Being 27 (about you guys' age) it makes me wonder what the hell I am doing with my self. I need to get my ass in gear and explore the world before my time runs out!

Thanks for the inspiration. And that Feist song was perfect to pass the time.

Cheers,
Shaun

Nice report so far. Glad you're doing things by the book down there - I've heard it can get a bit squiffy over there (I suppose that goes with any border crossing though). I suppose though with $2500 I'd want to be sure all is well.

How much gas mileage was the KTM getting? I take it he's going to need to make sure those gallon jugs are always filled at any stops?

great trip report so far. Can't wait to see more

Awesome! Let the epic-ness begin!

Good luck fellas, we are all enjoying everything so far

Luke!

Good to see your on another adventure! Just found your RR. Stay safe!

Your parts never did show up in Guatemala. probably still sitting on some shelf in customs somewhere!

Friggin fuel pump! I'm convinced those things die if they suck any air what so ever! Never run that bike out of gas!

Cheers!
Sean

" are you the guys with the motorcycles and guns?".

Don't you know the rest of the world believes that all Americans carry guns all the time.

I'm going to have to keep my eye on this RR.

I can see some good times are going to happen. Not that their haven't been already.

WoHOO!!!

Back on the road!! Let the RR begin!

Thanks for the update!

My KTM is getting much worse than the BMW. I havn't had time to figure out the MPG's, but I know that when we fill up, if I get 8 liters, Nick gets 6.

I have a Leo V Exhaust
No, airbox, just a UNIFILTER clamp-on
SAS stuff removed
Akro mapping

Now that we have our first boarder crossing out of the way, we head for the only gas station since there was none on the South African side. (This is a main boarder crossing point by the way.) We fill up and I go to the ATM to get some cash out because I used my last pennies to pay for the boarder crossing. You see you don't want to have extra currency from the previous country, because it is worthless in the new country and if you can exchange it, they give you a horrible rate.



Apparently this ATM won't take my card. Hmm... Nick comes over and says they accept South African Rand here. Interesting, I didn't have to cut it close on money for this boarder. I ask to borrow some, but of course he if fresh out. His wallet was semi-stolen (ask Nick about that story) earlier at Marvels, in Cape Town. By the time the wallet was found/returned/collected from all corners of the dance floor, he already phoned his bank to cancel the Debit Card. So now Nick is going through Africa with only a Credit Card. Anyway, that's fine. He can get cash advances with his Credit Card. Well; the ATM machine only takes Visa. Nick has a Master Card. hmm...Ok, the gas station worker sends me off to the restaurant to try to run my card as debit for cash back. They swipe my card and the machine asks for the manager’s code to allow it to happen. They have no clue what this is. So that didn't work either. This is getting kind of funny for me at this point. We find out that there is a bank down ther road so nick takes off with my card and pin and I stay behind and drink water and fill up our jugs from the bathroom. (By the way the tap water is safe to drink all throughout Namibia) The girl at the counter asks why Nick didn't take her so she could show him the bank. Apparently she likes motorcycles, but just doesn't like to drive them. Well nick comes back a while later and shakes his head no money. Then he says he's just joking. We do this to each other whenever something serious could happen. I pay the people and we are off to Whimpy burger. 

It almost seems like they were waiting for us...



Even with deals like this we pass on for some real food.



This turns out to be the "real food"



Nick grabs some cold fries and I get a microwaved pre-made sandwich to tide us over until we stumble across something better. We realize the chances of finding something better and just pick up the basics ourselves. Meat, Potatoes, Onion and eggs.

With food, gas, water and daylight we veer off the tarmac looking for dirt roads. 
Still tarmac, but not a lot of traffic.



That's Nick down there.



This Tractor probably has something to do with the Winery in the area.



There is a huge river that runs through this desert so they pump the water for the grapes. It really looks odd to see the green and the brown like this. It doesn't look natural.



This river is flooded right now from a huge storm in JoBurg probably 1,000 kilometers away from this place. It is so high right now that it washed out a main road closing one of the few boarder crossings from Namibia to South Africa. We had no clue of this and it was only our good fortune that we drove to the boarder crossing that was open. 

Around the corner the road turns dirt and we find this village. I am guessing that these people work the vineyards. What else would you do out here?



We continue on thinking about how easy our lives are in America. These people don't even have electricity. At least the slums in Cape Town all had power. The road comes to a T. The way we want to go is closed. It's probably has to do with this flood. We take it anyway... It's a beautiful route right along the flooded river.



Maybe 20 K down the road it dead-ends at a nearly impossible water crossing. The mud around it was all water logged just waiting to suck a bike down. The only way past is to take the high route and deal with all the rocks. Not an easy task! Notice the Baboon walking through the water in the distance.



We want to try it really badly. I'm convinced it's possible. It's getting late so we talk through the pros and cons. The pros are basically taking pictures of us doing it and looking cool. It would be amazing footage. The cons are most certainly falling with hopes of no broken legs smashed on panniers and rocks. Also there is zero chance of anyone passing through to help if we need assistance. So many things could go wrong here. We also talk about our time frame. We are supposed to be meeting our friend Timmer to climb Kilimanjaro in 10 days. We are still 2,000 miles away with Victoria Falls and kayaking the Zambezi in between. If we keep playing like this we will never make it. I am a little discouraged, but we have our priorities and this unfortunately doesn't make the cut. We don't have enough time. We decide to camp tonight and slab it all the way to Vic falls for the next few days. 

We turn around and haul through the desert. It is so vast and barren here. I love this!



As it gets towards the end of the day the animals start coming out.



They can be hard to see. Look closely.





We should probably get off the road and let the animals have it to themselves. This looks like a good place to try.



We drive our bikes about 1/4 mile off the road behind a small knoll and set-up camp. No one around for miles.



Nick cooks up a feast while I take photos like a crazy man.



Dinner is served



Boiled potatoes, with fried sausage and onions. And a malaria pill to wash it down.



The weird animal noises we heard while trying to fall asleep didn't scare us too much.


FYI, it started raining in the middle of the night. No we did not have the rain fly on the tent. It's more fun to put it on as needed.


Today was an Awesome Day

Oh sweet, Kilimonjaro's back on?!

Sounds like you've done everything you can with that fuel system on the KTM. I'm assuming you mapped everything post-mods and the dealership did all they could. I suppose a few miles lower mpg is a small price to pay for a bike that runs.

So. This Marvel-ous story about the Amazing Debit Card of D00m...... Sounds like an apropos continuation to your story so far. :eek1

Nick, you are getting called out for the Marvels story. Let's hear it.

+10 if Luke has video of Nick dancing when he loses the wallet!

Some truly epic pictures and commentary! Any ideas as to why the fuel consumption might be high? Mapping off?

I really opened her up and let her breath with the air box removal and new exhaust. Then to add to it, It was remapped with the Avoc mapping at KTM Cape Town when we were trying to get it running. The new map lets her run like she is supposed to. So now that she gets more airflow, she wants more fuel too. I kind of want to cork her back up to save on my fuel bill.

The stock map is really lean because of emissions.

Today was really awesome. It started with Mr. Nick cooking up some breakfast while I broke down camp.



Eggs, onion and sausage really good!



I really don't know how to put this approprratly, and their may not be a way to do so, so I will just tell you this story as it happened. I hope you can look at this with a scientific eye as I did.
I had to poop so I did. It had hardly hit the ground when 3 beetles ran right over and started checking it out. So I started checking out the beatles checking out my poop. What they were doing was eating it, or so I thought at first. Now this is kind of normal. bugs like poop and you always see them on or near it, but what these beatles were doing was different they were carving out small balls out of the main log. Once they got a small ball free they would work it over and over until it was round enough for their satisfaction and then roll it through the desert.

Carving the rough shape



The one on the right was much faster



Then roll it out



These guys really were amazing, and good at what they do. We followed this guy about 40 feet and he showed no signs of slowing down soon. I have never heard of these beatles before. I think these are different than the "dung beatles" I learned about in school. One mans trash another mans treasure. Nature is pretty cool.

Moving on....
Today we have to crank out some miles to get to Timmer in time. We are already out in the middle of nowhere. about 80 miles of dirt until the closest paved road. The road started off dry, but transfered to this as we moved north. We are finding out we are hitting the rainy season.





This is awesome, this is the stuff we were looking for. The more we ride the less fuel our tanks have. We pull out the GPS to look for the closest gas station and find one 60 ish miles away. We only have about 60 ish miles of gas. So then next 60ish miles are not fast anymore. We are now riding at optimal gas milage speed which is around 50-55. We get here and find the river flooded and the road closed.



That's ok though. For occasions like this they open up the dam bridge for traffic.





30 miles down the road and we finally get to pavement. Now only 15 miles to the gas station. Nick stops to fill his main tank with his spare tank. I just cross my fingers. Now these guys show up.



They are from the UK and have been traveling for 4 months now. They did Egypt and said it is impossible without a Carinet. We will see about that. We chatted for a good 15 minutes and had a great time. They advised us of good places to see and others to pass through. I couldn't help but keep noticing how lowed their bike was. We laughed about our struggles and wished each other the best. I love running into people like this. They are always so positive and supportive of everything.

We pulled into town and got gas before we ran out. The grocery store was next, and on the way there I got called out by a cop driving by for not having my lights on. (noted: lights on always in Namabia.) as we pulled up to the store a couple of kids were trying to tell us where to park and everyone was staring. AKA we couldn't leave our bikes alone here. Nick ran in to look lunch options. It was pretty slim, so I ran in to get the potatoes, onion, garlic and banana's tonights meal. Onward to a place where we can eat in peace. 60 miles down the road we reach a really small town and stop for a coke and frozen sauage. They said the water was clean so we filled up for the night. I hold 10 liters and nick holds 8. We are finding out that's really enough just for one day with cooking and staying hydrated.





This was the only store. Not much of a town here and I always wonder what people do for money. There were kids running around and waving, pushing their little cards, made out of wire and peanut buttle lids as wheels. The kids asked for our empty glass bottles so we gave them away. They are happy to get the deposit back from them.

Ok, break time is over, back on the road for an hour or so. We get gas drink a milkshake at Whimpy burger (I don't understand the name either)



back on te road, through a check point. We just smile real big and show our driver licenses. Joke a bit and we are off again. More gas, then we turn off the paved road to a dirt road hoping to find a emptry area to camp for the night. It will be dark in about an hour so we just haul down the road looking for a spot.





Hmm...Now what?



We wade across first to see how deep it is.



ok, it's actually pretty shallow.



So this is perfect, we will cross the water then just camp on the other side. I'm going to set up my camera gear first though. Not as easy as it sounds.

*Set up camera A on your current side ready to film.
*Get helmet camera B set-up
*Walk across set-up camera C and press record
*Run back, start camera A, put on riding gear, start helmet camera B
*Drive across
*Shut off camera B and Camera C
*Take off riding gear, run back across, shut off Camera A
*Walk back with camera A

During the begining of this process, these guys stopped and asked if we were ok, We are fine, we just want to film this. They said that's cool, where are you staying tonight? We just pointed to the other side and said we would pitch a tent. They said when we have crossed to come to their farm. They are only 5 kilometers away . First place on the left. This is awesome news. Free safe place to camp for the night. We finish up the filming and take off.





I walked though there 6 times in my underwear and didn't get bit by a snake once.



We arrive at the farm, and this is where I am typing this up. The story of the farm will be next. We did the last three updates tonight while charging batterys and cooking and taking showers. Everything is now ready to be uploaded to the internet once we find a connection. Who knows when that will be. Anyway. We have been busy solid for hours. It is now 2:45 A.M. I'm going to bed.

What a Awesome Day!
-Nite