Back to the roots!

.

The Honda XR250 Tornado - yup! My ride for the weekend of 10 April 2010



I was in the lucky position to have this bike for a test for a website. Man it's been too long since I've last been on a trail bike!

This was an opportunity I was not going to let pass by. On the Saturday I did the test and got the pictures, but you can not test a trail bike without going Trailriding So today my sons and I, as well as our friend Cassie headed out to the farm on Sunday for some good old Trailriding. This was going to be a fun day!!!

The bikes for today: Myself on the XR250, Cassie on the XTZ125, Asterix on his CRF80 and Kermit on his CRF70.

It was a beautiful day for riding too!



Our farm borders on a forestry area which offers some good riding, but after some hooligans unlawfully entered the area a while back all bikes have been banned without exception. Also, the plantation area is under new management with whom we have no relationship (yet ) but you do the best with what you've got! Luckily our farm, as well as the neighboring farms, still has some great trail riding to offer and so without much delay we headed out on the forest roads.

Just look at the scenery! In-ride shot:



And as Asterix found out these roads can get slippery!



Can you spend a day better than this?



You can just see the XR250 just feels at home on the trails.



In-ride perspective - taking it easy, taking in the scenery.



When you have green leaves and grass stuck in your helmet you know you've been trailriding!



Asterix and Kermit enjoying the ride:



This is what I like to see when I look across my handle bars



This is all on our farm. How blessed we are to have a place such as this to ride in.



We had to turn around here and Cassie jumped off his bike to help Kermit turn around - with hilarious consequences!



Cassie enjoying the ride:



It is important for my kids to understand that there are times and places where you ride slowly and silently, just enjoying the scenery. And of course if you want to play there are times places where you can go and play, away from the indigenous forests and other sensitive areas.

So now that we've had our scenic ride it's time to play and sharpen those riding skills!

We have both indigenous forest area on our farm as well as areas with Pine, Blue Gum and Black Wattle trees. The latter areas are being cleared to enable the indigenous forest to reclaim the area. It's this cleared area where you can hone your riding skills

First up I take them to a HUGE uphill with loose gravel / sand. I know some grown-up riders who would opt out of this one.

The amazing thing about young kids are that they trust their dad without question. If dad says it's so, then so it will be. Without question. Also, they don't come with old bad riding habits, they're like a blank page waiting for instruction. So you tell them do this and this and that and they simply do it.

So we stop at this uphill, I tell Kermit to pin it and go and off he goes!



I could also see that Cassie was in his element!

Next up some steep downhills and uphills. We have a place at one of the dams where we practice this.



It's a perfect spot because you can go gradually steeper at different places as your confidence grows. And yes, it is A LOT steeper than it seems on camera (as usual).

Cassie Take 1... and 2...





Cassie feeling very despondent



Uhm... Cassie, that's not mud...









Cassie soon got it right though

Some more play from an in-ride perspective:





You don't realize it at the time, but playing around like this is quite a workout!!!

Time to go relax:





This is where we camped on our Blair Witch Project conclusion.

Beautiful spot!



But unfortunately even Trail Rides must come to and end.



Heading home via "die gaatjie". A ditch with big rocks and a steep uphill on the other side:



Cassie trying to keep up with the CRF's



And finally home and a cold beer for me

I have to say it's an awesome trailbike this. I'll do my full write-up on the bike and post it later. Suffice it to say that I was very close to buying one when I got home!!!!



Trail bikes rock








.