Tuesday, June 8, 2021

A Karoo Adventure

I have done many ride reports over the years. And many, many more rides. None have started like this. I am sitting here typing in full kit, in an airport, waiting to board a plane. I have time, so I figured why not start now.

In about an hour I’ll land in Cape Town where I will be handed the keys to this:


Well, hopefully it will look like that. In yellow.

The 80’s brought us some legendary Dakar bikes. Think Africa Twin, R80GS and of course the Suzuki DR Big! 


The latest incarnation of the 1050 V-Strom pays homage to that bike. The DR Big is also the bike that spawned the whole “beak” type styling most adventure bikes sport these days? I that true? Probably.

This is not about the Dakar though. This is car vs bike.


In South Africa the Suzuki Ignis, a little crossover SUV, costs R229 000. The Suzuki DL1050 V-Strom costs R222 000. If you had the cash, which would you buy to have the best adventures? We’ll be taking some cars and bikes into the Karoo for a 3-day Karoo Adventure. And looking at the weather forecast it promises to be just that.


Rain might stack the odds in the car’s favour, but the bikes will still give it a good run for the money. Yeah, maybe I’m not as impartial as I should be.

Boarding...


 


Also see the Suzuki video about the trip!

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