GIVI Magazine - Novembre 2015

ENGLISH TEXT Givi Magazine Novembre 2015 - Givi Adventure  19 THE 22 MOTORBIKES ON TOUR The choice of vehicles (22 Yamahas) fell on three models: XT1200Z Super Ténéré MT-09 Tracer XT660Z Ténéré XT660R These were made available for hire by Linex Yamaha of Randburg (about 20 minutes from Johannesburg). If you wish to contact them the email address is fni@linexyamaha.co.za THE ACCESSORIES The organisation of the GIVI EXPLORER trips has also the aim of testing products putting them under extreme solicitation conditions. To pass the “Wilderness Adventure Tour”, the 22 bikes were fully equipped, each with specific mounting systems, waterproof hard or soft ca- ses, reliable and safe technical protections and small smart accessories. We used, in different versions: Top cases. Side hardbags. Engine guards. Windscreens. Anti-fog supplementary LED projectors, GPS-smartphone holders. Tanks. Technical & Safety Kits. CLOTHING Along with with the tested GIVI tourer helmets, on this trip the HEVIC brand was involved, having developed a specific technical jacket and a dedicated line of apparel. HEVIC made available of the participants items of clothing suitable for the climate and type of trip: modular helmets. Technical underwear and T- shirts. Waterproof coveralls. Waterproof gloves. Clothing & Sweatshirts. Polo and commemora- tive cap. DAY 4) We wake up early to go on a fun tour through the Kruger park. It’s cold and we huddle in our Hevik bike jackets. No two-wheelers in the park: it’s dangerous. The journey is done on a 4-wheel vehicle of the rangers. The scenery is dotted with animals, from which we keep our distance so as not to disturb them in ‘their’ habitat: a fantastic piece of untainted Africa. We can get out of the vehicles only to mount a rocky Koppie, to fully experience the peace of that place. Something really special. The individual participants choose how to spend the rest of the day. Some stay at the hotel, other leave with their bikes for a scenic tour around the Mpumalanga lowvelt, stopping in the picturesque mining town of Pilgrims Rest. Mountain passes, great scenery, and roads in good conditions, except for a few holes here and there. There’s time for a second tour of the park at sundown and then the scene is dominated by the vast African night under a full moon. DAY 5) With sadness filling our hearts we leave the biggest natural reserve in South Africa. A quick picture under the bust of the pensive Paul Kruger, first president of the state and founder of the park, then all back on the road back towards the mountains. It’s incredible to see the number of motorbikes we cross on the road (signalling that in this seg- ment the economy is growing). Actually there is a motorcycle rally nearby which deserves a quick stop. The climate is mild and everybody wants to continue riding. Today’s destination is the famous Long Tom pass (from the name of the cannons that were in action here during the Boer war). Fascinating place, fantastic oppor- tunity to take pictures, with incredible scenery wherever you look. Down an escarpment we reach the Lowvfeld city of Nelspruit. We stop for a snack to get our breath back at a seafood joint.. then back on the road. Crossing the nth mountain pass we arrive at the small settlement of Kaap se Hoop, a remote village where wild horses roam free. From there it’s a quick ride to the welcoming and cosy Malaga Hotel, where we have dinner and spend the night. Spirits are always high… but sadness starts to creep in as the trip starts to come to an end… DAY 6) We leave for Johannesburg. Once more the group is joined by a multitude of motorbikes on their way back to town after the weekend. To signal here that the illustrious organiser of the trip, Joseph Perucca, manages to remain wi- thout petrol, not having filled up the previous day… but it’s all part of the fun. Once we have given the bikes back, the departure times of our flights dictate our time- table. We have time to say our goodbyes, and say once more how beautiful it has been to ride in such a fantastic and wild country. What a great experience. ANIMALS TO PROTECT South Africa is a very complex reality and cannot be identified only as a land to be lived on a motorbike. The region we crossed is po- pulated by many wild animals, among which are the ‘Big Five’, i.e. lions, elephants, hippos, buffalos and rhinos. Sport hunting is an important voice in the South African economy and around Johanes- burg, for hundreds of kilometres, there are immense hunting reserves. Various associations preside over the con- servation of the fauna, but they still can do little against poaching, which lately is hitting dramatically on rhinos. A placid and majestic creature, which after having survived for time immemorial natural evolution now risks extinction at the hand of man. We are obviously talking about poachers who, during 2015, only in the Kruger park area, killed more than a thousand specimens in order to sell their precious horn. Yes, to this day there are people who believe, without any reason, that the horn’s powder cures impotence and cancer. Maybe you don’t know this, but the rhino’s horn is 100% made up of keratin, the same substance which our hair and nails are made of: isn’t it totally absurd that someone may think to cure themselves ingesting this substance? Still the phenomenon of poaching is rapidly increa- sing and the information and sensitization programmes are late in giving the expected results: there may not be enough time to save the last African rhinos. It’s a complicated situation, because ap- parently entire villages live off the fruits of poaching, and it is difficult to make everybody understand how important it is to save these creatures when the survival of many people is at stake. But try we must, and there are many asso- ciations that do their best for this mission, among which there is the Endangered Wildlife Trust (https://www.ewt.org.za) . On their website you can find detailed and up-to-date information on the situation and you can also make a donation or buy products whose proceeds will be entirely donated for the cause. It’s not much, but at least it’s something… Every minute and every penny is precious! captions 1) SOUTH AFRICA IS A LAND OF BAO- BABS, TREES THAT CAN REACH INCREDI- BLE DIMENSIONS. ON THE LEFT, A GROUP PICTURE OF THE PARTICIPANTS BEFORE THE DEPARTURE AND ON THE SIDE A CORNER OF THE Pratea Hotel Kruger Gate. 2) THE PRELIMINARY STAGES. BEFORE STARTING THE JOURNEY EACH PARTI- CIPANT TRIED THE HELMET AND TECH- NICAL CLOTHING PROVIDED BY GIVI TO MAKE SURE THE SIZES WERE RIGHT. ON THE OTHER PAGE, THE FIRST BRIEFING AND THE DELIVERY OF THE ACCESSORI- SED YAMAHAS. 3) IN THESE PAGES, SOME OFF-ROAD PARTS. GOING OFF ROAD ALLOWS TO REALLY TEST MOUNTING SYSTEMS AND ACCESSORIES… BUT IT ALSO PUSHES VEHICLES AND CREW TO THE LIMIT. LU FEI KNOWS THIS WELL (IN THE TWO PHOTOS BELOW): AFTER A FALL THAT COST HIM A FRACTURED BONE HE DID NOT HESITATE TO GET BACK IN THE SADDLE… WITH CRUTCHES. 4) IN TWO YEARS GIVI HAS ORGANISED THREE “EXPLORER TOURS”. THE FIRST WAS IN PATAGONIA, THE SECOND, STILL IN SOUTH AMERICA, FOLLOWED THE TRACKS OF THE DAKAR RACE. THE RAID WE PRESENT TO YOU IN THESE PAGES HAPPENED AT THE END OF AUGUST 2015. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN KNOWING MORE ABOUT THESE INTIATI- VES LOOK FOR THE REPORTS IN THE GIVI MAGAZINE COLLECTION, AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE OR ON giviexplorer.com. 5) ONE OF THE STOPS THAT ALLOWED THE GROUP TO REST THEIR BACKSIDES. WE ARE IN THE BLYDE CANYON, WHERE THE BLYDE RIVER FLOWS. BOAT TRIP WITH SURROUNDING HIPPOS.