The year started off so good. In January, we had the AMID expo that showed promise of a motorcycle market on the up. And then some orange-haired man made some statements which flooded my social media feed with vitriol. I needed to get away—away to a place that has wild horses, peace and tranquillity. Of course, I am referring to Kaapsehoop in Mpumalanga. I phoned my friend, Maarten, to find out if he felt the same. He did, and so a weekend was planned at Angels Mist Guest House with our host, Abrie Visser. The beauty of booking with Abrie is that the entire booking was done on WhatsApp with only three thumbs-up emojis. It was settled then, but I needed transport. Another quick mail to the good folks at Suzuki South Africa, and I fetched one of their latest models: the Suzuki GSX-S1000 GX.
One more item on my agenda was to finish the last challenge of the Turkana Safari Challenge. For those who don’t know what this is about: the Turkana Safari Challenge is the brainchild of Elsebie and Michnus Olivier. They are the people behind the Turkana range of luggage and off-road gear. The entire range is manufactured locally, and even the material used is mostly sourced right here in South Africa. The Turkana Safari Challenge is a list of 15 tasks that you need to complete within a year, in order to be entered into the draw for some amazing prizes. Challenges include things like “Photograph your bike at Gariep Dam” or “Visit and support a local farm stall”. I had one more challenge to do, and that was: “Photograph your bike at a roadside braai.” Now, apparently, a roadside braai is a common thing in the Western Cape, but not so much here in Gauteng. So, Maarten and I made plans to do this together.
As I was strapping my overnight bag to the sturdy metal rack of the GX, I had a good look at the bike, and I must say, it is very pleasing to the eye. I was a bit confused when I saw this is being touted as a sports tourer, as Suzuki already has the GT model, which is supposed to do just that. Even though the GT puts the rider in a more upright position, the GX takes that even further. Not only does it put you even more upright, but it also provides more suspension travel than on the GT. That makes the GX a tall bike, with the seat measuring 845 mm from the ground. But what sets this bike apart is the fact that it’s fitted with Suzuki’s first-ever semi-active suspension. Something that I found quite useful riding up the Kaapsehoop Pass.
As we navigated the boring N4 towards Kaapsehoop, I had plenty of time to appreciate the GX. In hindsight, I was sorry I did not read Howard’s article about not riding the N4 earlier. It would have made the trip more exciting! What I have to commend Suzuki for is the quick-shifter. It is incredibly smooth and precise. In my book, it ranks amongst the best. The other huge bonus is the cruise control. You can set it and forget it. The engine has enough grunt to flatten any uphill, but should you find yourself with a particularly steep uphill, you can shift down or up without disengaging the cruise control. This makes for such a smooth ride.
You smell the Sappi paper mill long before you reach it, and the smell means only one thing: Kaapsehoop Pass is close. We stopped at the Ngodwana filling station, and then it was time for a blast up the pass. There are some spectacular corners on this road, albeit a bit bumpy. For that reason, I set the GX’s suspension to its “Soft” setting, and it just soaked up the bumps. The area also had a lot of rain the last couple of weeks, so the lush green scenery was quite a distraction. We unloaded at Angels Mist and then set off again in the direction of Nelspruit for some photos. As the sun was making its way to the horizon, we found a nice spot overlooking the escarpment, and all thoughts of the ills of our world just vanished. I revelled in the silence and was reluctant to head back, but by now, my stomach was in charge, complaining about the lack of attention it was getting. After a nice dinner, we settled in. A group of adventure riders also pulled in. Abrie was going to take them on a spectacular route to a secluded waterfall the next morning. I vowed to return with a suitable bike and ask Abrie for the guided tour! It looked epic!
The next morning, after breakfast, we headed towards Sabie, again taking the scenic and twisty route. We stopped at the local Spar for some rolls, some drinks, and two pieces of boerewors. We headed up Long Tom pass to the Long Tom canon, found a nice rocky outcrop and prepared to do the final Turkana challenge. We saw quite a few motorcycle clubs meandering by, but this was our moment. Our little braai next to the road. The rolls went down so well, and unlike most visitors here, we put all our rubbish in a bag and put it in the bin. I wonder why this is such a difficult concept for people to grasp. With the challenge now done, we headed back to Kaapsehoop, parked the bikes, and explored the town on foot. There is just so much to see and do here, but a stop at the local pub, Die Nagkantoor, is a must. You meet the most interesting people there.
The next morning, we were up early again, making our way back to Pretoria. Helmet time is healing time. Time spent with your own thoughts, and to clear your head a bit. The Suzuki GSX-S1000 GX is a superb motorcycle for a weekend like this. You can go either very fast or very slow. Either way, the GX will oblige. The Turkana challenge was also the motivation I needed to explore our country.
