An almost ultimate journey

Since I last posted I have done something that I think requires some acknowledgement; I rode for 111km, from Oudtshoorn, where I am at school, to Prince Albert, my home town. Now you may not think that this is so amazing, but in fact it was. Not only the fact that my teeny weeny scooter made it, but the experience I got in return was unparalleled.

Lets start with the moped. It has on it a standard 2,5 liter tank, and a maximum speed of 60km/h ... on a downhill. On the flat it will reach 55km/h, if the wind plays along. Basically what I'm saying is that she is not the most powerful bird out there. But I'm not complaining. For a 50cc engine, I don't think 55 is bad. In fact, when I bought it I was overjoyed!

If you do the math, it works out to a theoretical time of 2 hours and 12 minutes. If you cannot do the math, check out http://http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=speed+distance+time&a=ListOrTimes_List So, in practice, I did not make the cut-off time. But I did come close. I estimate the journey to be around 2h30, which is not bad at all.

I knew the 2,5 liter tank would not last me 111km, so I planned to fill up in De Rust, which was 33km from Oudtshoorn, and then fill up again in Klaarstroom, 25km from De Rust. Then I would hold my thumbs and hope that the Red Devil would take me the last 52km. That seemed reasonable to me, as I have previously done 50km n a tank easily.

It did not work out exactly like this though. When I got to De Rust I discovered that I couldn't fill up with LRP (Lead Replacement Petrol). This was unfortunate, because I now had to do 78km on a single 2,5 liter tank! I eventually ended up running out of petrol 5km out of town! By then my dad had graciously brought me some petrol to get the last few kays.

I also miraculously only had one mechanical problem. This was when I ran out of petrol. Because I ran completely out of gas, there was no petrol to get the ped going from a kick-start. I tried bouncing it up and down, lying on its side, blowing into the tank, but eventually what got it going was when I removed the fuel pump and let petrol run straight into the filter.

As for the personal journey. It was epic. I got back pain after ten minutes of riding, there was hardly any space for cars, let-alone trucks to pass, the road was bumpy and often uncomfortable, and, I was caught in the rain for ten minutes! But I pushed on through. After everyone shared that they did not think me or my moped would make it, and after even I was having doubts, the venture was successful. By the time I had gotten to De Rust, I had decided that it was something I had to finish, and the feeling I got as I entered Prince Albert was awesome.

 De Rust: Not much hope of getting LRP...

Would I spend another two and a half hours on an uncomfortable moped, battling with rain and an aching back? Definitely!

Wind in my hair...

I have gotten the moped back from the mechanic. I am ecstatic, everything runs perfectly. the kickstart is fixed, and he also replace a few things, making it top notch. Although, I did end up paying around R1900 ($230). I have been on quite a few rides since I got it back, and there is one thing getting on my nerves; the riding position. If I ride the ped for more than half and hour, I get pains in my lower back. I cannot thing of anything that I can do, except keep reminding myself to correct my posture.

For those of you who are familiar with the Passola, you will know that there is only space for one person on the scooter, which is totally understandable, because the engine is only a fifty cc, and that it is near impossible to give someone a lift. In fact, in South Africa it is against the law to lift someone if you are on a motorbike that is less powerful than 50cc. This did not stop me though, when I gave a pretty girl a lift back to her hostel. I let her use my helmate, and she sat on the chrome cage behind my seat. It was great having the air run though my hair as we were cruising at the incredible speed of 50km/h!

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