UK to Cape Town leaving tomorrow on my Enfield
 

Hi - I'm off tomorrow for my overland trip down the west coast of africa on my Enfield 350 bullet - would be great to meet anyone on route or maybe travel together for a while but I will be riding slowly :-).
I'm running a blog http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/reznik/ for anyone interested in how I'm getting on - I'll be using robreznik@hotmail.co.uk if anyone wants to contact me.
Target time for one way trip is 4- 6 months depending on how many times I break down!!

All the best

Rob

Good travels
 

Bon voyage Rob; good start with the blog.

You've answered one question already - what time you expect to be away.

Note your soft luggage (apart from the box!) and the modified carrier - have you modified the frame on the bike in anyway?

Off on Sunday!
 

Hey Rob!
well I am off to durban, atlantic route, on Sunday. My bike is 22 years old so will also be on the slow side.
A few miles and a few beers sounds good!
Orrin

Good luck with the trip
I did the first part of the route down as far as Marrakech in September and there was snow on the Pyreneeson the way back so I hope you have your winter woollies with you

like the blog and I look forward to reading how you get on
Ride Safe Bob

Hi Rob

Have a great trip - I envy you! South Africa is my home country, a really beautiful country, enjoy it but be careful.

Peter

Hi Rob,

Good luck on your trip.
Keep your blog updated so we can enjoy your trip from a distance ;-)

Adventure of a life time!
 

Hi Rob,
I wish you the best of luck and safe riding for your adventurous trip!! Remember that a truly happy person enjoys the scenery on a detour.. so try and take whatever comes your way. We oftened used the saying TIA......This Is Africa

I have just come home after a trip from London to Jo'burg so if you have any queries then feel free to contact me. Travel well
Amy Lee

Excited to see how you make out. Safe travels and enjoy.
Nathan

Good luck! I wish I was with you. Only you'd go too fast for me.

--Dave

That would be a great race: 350cc RE Vs 250cc Duc. :rofl:
A Long Way Down that would be worth watching.

West Africa or East Africa?
Did you travel through Nigeria, Congo or Angola?

Witek

West Africa all the way
 

HI Witek,
Rob and I travelled through West Africa and beat Ewan and Charlie to Cape Agulhas by 2 weeks!!! we went through Nigeria, Congo and Angola although some of the worst riding/roads were through there ( along with Rob getting Malaria!).

To sum up,
Nigeria have manic manic drivers ( wrong side of highway travelling at 100kms an hour)
Congo is surprisingly flat and has some of the poorest but nicest people
Angola has lots of landmines including ones right on the road, but very lush and green

Check out www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/robbo for some good pics


Cheers Amy

6 of us are in The Gambia at this internet cafe at the moment, so about a month ahead of you. PLanning on having Christmas in Cameroon so if you happen to be bombing it might see you there. Any questions about whats ahead...you know where I am.

Chris

thanks Chris - I've been following your route and did plan to go in september about the same time as you but got delayed - bloody freezing in France and northern spain but OK now - I'm sure to be going to the Gambia but not sure on what route after that - will let you know nearer the time - should be in Morocco on Sunday all going well and then heading down the coast - should be in the Gambia in about 3 - 4 weeks
All the best and good luck

Rob

You only said that to torture people......

Oh this is all very interesting,
So from arriving in Calais, and not wasting to much time, how long in time does it take to get to Cape Town ?

A bit ahead of you
 

I'm currently in Tetouan and chilling out for the weekend. Travel through the Rifs was, shall we say, interesting.

Will need to go to Rabat for Mauri visa. Allthough my bike may have more horsepower than yours (I'm on a Yam xt660r), I will be traveling very slow and making the most of my trans Africa trip, since this is propably once in a lifetime chance for me.

I too have a blog at Torsten's great escape. Feel free to contact me when you get to Morocco. Either by mail to torsten@intoafrica.dk or PM through the hubb. I may not be as far down as you would think.

Exactly 5 hours = 5 episodes of the Long Way Down. Add 1 hour if you want to start at John O'Groats.

Arrived in Tangiers today and had a big accident within an hour . spent a few hours in hospital and then a couple in the police station but I,m OK, not my fault but the bike is a total. garage have removed and are trying to straighten forks as i write but they are too far gone and mechanic said looks like frame maybe bent but I havnt checked yet , maybe able to get bike back to spain and get it fixed there but if thats too expensive it looks like I may have to come back next year, will keep you posted

rob

Jeez, Rob, sorry, very sorry to hear that.
Life is a bitch at times.

:funmeterno:

Sorry to hear to hear that Rob, really feel for you. :(
Still, the main thing is you're ok.

I have a soft spot for Enfields and was looking forward to reading about your trip. Maybe the damage won't be as bad as it first appears.

Just glad you're ok. :biggrin3:

Ouch, damn, Rob. At least you're able to walk away. Good luck getting your bike fixed.

Sorry to hear that.I was looking forward to the updates.At least you are still in one piece.I will be doing the same route before too long.Maybe see you next time round.

Sorry to hear about the crash
Glad you are OK :thumbup1:
And good luck with trying to get the bike sorted

worked on the bike late last night but the forks are still bent about 15° - the moroccans think thats good but they dont have to travel to Cape Town! the roads here are OK but will get worse and I'm not sure if straightening them out (about 8 inches) has weakened them. If they break on route while riding I could be in serious trouble. still not sure what to do - whether to return home and go again next year or ride and hope. while I'm in Tangiers I have a certain amout of control but further down could be a problem. I also felt under pressure as I left the UK a month late - maybe I was riding too fast as the Enfield brakes are crap and I didn't aclimatise myself to the local driving skills! If I do head home I shall fit a front disk instead of the drum before returning next year.

Rob

If you stil feel fit enough, would getting the parts from Hitchcocks help ?

Hi Rob,
Really sorry to hear of your mishap :(, was looking forward to following your progress, still your (relatively) OK & thats the most important thing.

I'm situated not far from Algeciras, if I can be of assistance let me know. I'm able to transport bikes & could arrange storage &/or mechanical work if your unable to ride.

Can't PM you as I need to have at least 8 posts, maybe a few quick posts to follow! that should do the trick!
Keep ya chin up :thumbup1:

Regards, Carl.

Sorry to hear about your crash but I'm glad you are OK
I hope you can get your bike fixed. It would be sad if your trip would end like this.

Carl - I´m in Alcerciras now and could do with some help if possible - I´ve only just arrived and came straight to an internet cafe as my friend in the UK is trying different contacts to get bits over to me - I´m not sure where I will be staying tonight but need to save some money so may be campsite.
I feel much better and want to continue so am going to see what can be done this week
Any help would be appreciated - including a cheap bed or floor!

many thanks

Rob

I hope you get this sorted favourably! It sounds like you're going to try to stick it out. Good on you.

If nothing else you'll have a great story for the grand kiddies! ;o)

Hi Rob,
Go to my profile & email me.
Carl.

What's the verdict?
 

Me too. Coincidentally, I looked at Rob's blog yesterday and it has not been updated for quite some time; basically since he posted on here.

Hi Rob,
What's happening matey?