WillTour

23/03/2025

We enter the Autumn with a nice little casual breakfast run to Die Ou Pastorie in Scheerpoort. Great company - great weather - awesome venue. Thanks for the ride Guys!!

19/03/2025

𝗪𝗮𝗱𝗶 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗲 - 𝟮𝟲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟲 (𝗨𝗔𝗘)

You are never too old to learn and you are never too young to die...a few hard lessons learned from my near-death experience today.

What started out as a "quick" ride in some wadis in the heart of the Hajar mountains turned bad rather quickly and I think it’s fair to say that we only just made it out by the skin of our teeth. The happy photos below were shot at the outset of the ride in Wadi Shawka, however as we moved deeper and deeper into the boulder-strewn beds, we realized (at first silently each in his own mind only), that the route was not as advertised or even indicated on the sparse bread-crumb GPS I had strapped to my bike. But you keep pushing on – the eternal “don’t worry, it’s going to clear up just ahead” mantra setting the pace and tone. And so we got sucked in deeper and deeper into a structure of massive and deep gorges, that had (unbeknown to us) been completely re-shaped and re-routed by a massive flash flood a few weeks earlier.

It was at the point where Kenny’s clutch finally gave in that we stopped, looked at each other and admitted that we were in deep “shaize”. It was at this point that we also realized that the way back was less of an option in comparison to whatever lay ahead – actually both seemed equally impassable…and frankly unclear. I was out of water and dehydrated badly, and apart from his cooked clutch, Kenny’s bike was running on fumes. On top of this, we were completely burned out from walking our bikes across miles and miles of unrideable boulder-strewn terrain that would make a goat blush.

We eventually arrived at a steep rocky slope – the kind that you may be inclined to tackle on all fours – but with no choice but to push on, we “mountaineered” our way across the incline – one person climbs ahead a few metres while the other holds the one bike in position – then the bike gets pulled/pushed up a meter or so at a time – after which the rear guy climbs up and so we repeated the process..twice…two bikes.

What was supposed to be that aha moment at the summit, disappointed gravely – all we could see was more wadi – more boulders – and no end or significant landmark in place in the barren desert landscape. Eventually you just reach a point where total exhaustion takes over your body and you just don't have the power to even pull in that clutch or balance anymore over the bloody big rocks...We had long back started cramping and were barely able to move a few metres at a time. You become so tired that you simply want to lie down and close your eyes to sleep. The bikes were long forgotten, left some way behind us on the rock-strewn track. Now it was simply a case of survival by foot. By the miracle of a small section of exposed black plastic waterpipe, we survived and made it out. That part of the story to be told on the next ride 😊.

Yes, I do know better - and I should have done what I knew was the right thing, but it did not go down like that:

Quick summary of my mistakes:
1. I did not eat breakfast before we left.
2. We did not take any food with us – it was supposed to take us no more than 2 hrs to complete the route.
3. I was already dehydrated before I started the ride.
4. I only took 1.5 litres of water - instead of the 3 that my KamelBak can take – again, it was only supposed to be a short route.
5. The route that was shown to us was described as a route that was used before and nothing technical at all...ya right...I think the flash floods of recent times changed that completely.
6. We had no spatial perception of terrain - the breadcrumb GPS that I was using simply did not prepare us for the myriad of inclines that we had to push each of the bikes up one-by-one.
7. Complete lack of cell phone signal - I laughed at one point when I literally felt like I was ready to just fall over and desperately needed to get any topographical bearing ... the UAE has 95% cell phone coverage...the joke was that we had found the other 5%.
8. I did not insist on Kenny loading the route onto his own GPS.

W***y was a silly boy...

Happy to be home sore but safe - would not have made it if I was alone. Thank you, God, for keeping your hand over me...again.

Now, apart from the technicalities of the above, it was such an intensely rewarding ride...had bits of everything in it, and we had so many river crossings at the start of the wadi...Kenny fell into a stream, and my 501 also got dunked. A few scratched plastics, a couple of broken clutch levers and so on... ..and Yes, I will go back - but this time I will follow MY route...

P.S. ...I never went back...

16/03/2025

I'm a massive fan - Jacques Nel, your attention to detail, workmanship and professionalism is way above market trends. Thanks for (again) setting up my GS1250's lights and "sound🤫". The package works well 😁😎

03/03/2025

𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗿

WillTour was born from the experiences of an Individualist with an insatiable wanderlust and a strong sense of outdoor adventure. With more than 40 years of mixed MX/Dual Sport/Adventure Biking/MTB experience gained in SA, Israel, the Arabian Deserts of the UAE and Romania, I have only fallen more firmly in love with the wildly diverse and rugged beauty found in the remote corners of my home country, South Africa. I am passionate about exploring hard-to-find places and reaching them on tracks and routes that most people would never find.

Over the years I have been convinced to open my solo adventuring to a small band of close friends, and from this idea followed the creation of “WillTour”. My events are typically unsupported excursions on offroad terrain and remain exclusive/bespoke as they are only open to a select group of friends/fellow bikers who are like-minded in their thinking. We do take in “new members” from time to time, on the basis of referrals from current members of the group, and in this way the group has continued to grow and flourish. We have done rides across the length and width of SA and Lesotho and the drive to create new adventures and to visit new destinations is as strong today as ever before. I try to do at least 2 longer multi-day rides per year, with more regular weekend rides covering most months of the year.

15/02/2025

2025 BMW GS1300 ASA (Automatic) - What an amazing motorcycle - the tech is mind-boggling, the power...insane.

09/02/2025

https://youtu.be/SHeeriTvxbA

30/01/2025

𝐁𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐧 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐞 (𝟎𝟏 𝐭𝐨 𝟎𝟑 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓)
Following closely in the footsteps of the epic Eco Adventure created by Trygve Roberts of MPSA, this route is named after the mighty Ben MacDhui Pass (3,001m ASL), and is one of the most iconic Adventure Bike experiences that you can have in South Africa. You are invited to join me on this “rites of passage” trail of winding mountain roads and the most amazing high-altitude vistas as we summit a total of 14 top-rated, high-altitude gravel passes situated in the hills of the Southern Maloti Mountains. The majority of passes on our ride are above 2,000m ASL and ~60% of the entire route will be at or above 1,600m ASL.

30/01/2025

https://blog.tracks4africa.co.za/on-adventure-bikes-to-wakkerstroom/

Follow gravel roads through farmlands and past mountains on an adventure bike trip to Wakkerstroom. If you’re up for the challenge, you can ride the steep climb up Ossewakop. But be warned, it’s not for the faint of heart.

30/12/2024

𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐄 𝟔𝟐 𝐃𝐈𝐑𝐓 𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐄
"Let's do the famous Route 62...but on dirt!"
An adventure of a lifetime...5 Days - 2,034km - 71 Passes

Ride Movie: https://youtu.be/difMRRVQusw

30/12/2024

𝐕𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓 𝐃𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐂𝐄
We take Thirsty Lizzy out to check some route options as part of an upcoming Adventure Bike Ride that will run from Tarlton to this Unesco World Heritage Site, which is documented to have played a significant role in human evolution. An amazing weekend filled with many unique sights, and more importantly miles of undulating gravel tracks - watch this space!

23/12/2024

𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐄
A 3-day weekend spent riding the majestic tar roads of Mpumalanga to one of it's famous destinations - the Gost Town of Leydsdorp.

Ride Movie: https://youtu.be/E5-Y0MdZA3Q

16/12/2024

𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

Morning All!
It’s another hot summer’s day here in SA, as we get treated to long days of sunshine, temperatures up in the 30’s and regular dramatic highveld thunderstorms, just to reset everything back for the next day. My current hiatus will take me to the end of Feb 2025 and is dedicated to the completion of a Thesis in Moral Philosophy, but it is also typically when we take a family break to celebrate Christmas, plan some amazing new rides for the next year and… wait for the rainy season to stop.

As the “Public Holiday” dice fall for 2025, we do not have a well-scattered pattern of public holidays, where we corporate types can stitch together leave days to make time for some serious Adventure Bike Rides. Thus, I foresee doing more weekend-type trips either on the bike or by 4X4 – I will keep you posted on details.

The 2025 calendar does however provide a few opportunities to create 9-day breaks and for these opportunities, I foresee a choice of a few long-distance Adventure Bike rides that I have been burning to do…

𝐁𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐧 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐞 – somewhere around the first week of May 2025, This one is pretty much on the cards and details will follow.

𝐌𝐩𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 – One of the most beautiful areas to ride in…this ride will probably be a 5-day event on gravel/twee-spoor and will include places like Sabie, Mariepskop, The Massive Boabab in Leydsdorp, the Orrie Baragwanath Pass and the famous Bush Boys Lodge in Tonteldoos.

𝐓𝐨 (𝐃𝐢𝐞) 𝐇𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 – An iconic trip into the unique and well-known Gamkaskloof which will consist of ~1200km of gravel/twee-spoor and unfortunately a few km’s of tar, that will show you the magic of the many faces of the Karoo and the world-renowned Swartberg Pass before you take on the “rites of passage” 48km track into Die Hel.

𝐉𝐇𝐁 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐭 – This has been a project in the making for a few years – I have developed an Adventure Bike/4x4 route running from Tarlton to Ceres and which involves less than 150km of tar!. Is 2025 the year for this one…let’s see.

On that note, from me and mine to you and yours, all the best for the holiday season, we wish you all a blessed and safe 2025 filled with amazing adventure moments. 🙏

11/12/2024

https://blog.tracks4africa.co.za/on-adventure-bikes-to-clarens/

When you take your adventure bike on gravel roads to reach Clarens, the journey becomes the destination.

17/11/2024

𝐂𝐄𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐆 𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐈𝐁𝐎𝐒 𝐓𝐄𝐀 𝐀𝐃𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐁𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑

Riding WIth: Cesar Lopez Solis; Nico Strydom; Garth Edwards; Andrew Miller and Ricardo Bendana.

A 7-day 3,300km Adventure Bike Ride into the Great Karoo, The Cederberg and the Green Kalahari, riding 29 mountain passes across 4 provinces. More than 60% of the ride took place on undulating gravel roads and dirt passes, taking us to places such as Sutherland, the famous Tankwa Karoo and its Farmstall, the innermost folds of the Cederberg mountain range and then up the Great Escarpment into the Green Kalahari, visiting the forgotten town of Loeriesfontein on our way to the world-famous Verneukpan, and finally one of SA's icons - the Augrabies National Park, home to the famous falls and the majestic Gariep river.

"60% of this ride may be on good gravel...but 100% of this ride will blow your mind."

This turned out to be a ride filled with many incredible biking moments including the birth of "The Lambinator"; The Snuffinator in Sutherland, The Old Rooibos Tea Route to Wupperthal, Our high-speed GS sprint on the gravel R357, Garth Edwards's submariner GS :-), shots of neat brandy after making it through the treacherous Verneukpan, and the most knarly wet clay section into Loeriesfontein.

Ride Video: https://youtu.be/-Sc5U0FGGyI

17/11/2024

𝐌𝐓𝐁 @ 𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐋𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍
Another sh*tty day in Africa 🤣...an early morning of trails at Cradle Moon and then we got to see this beautiful couple on the ridge.

16/11/2024

𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒 𝐁𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑 – 𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐀
One of the most incredible bike experiences ever – expertly hosted by Maria Danescu of Romania MotorcycleTours. The liquid-cooled 1200 GS had just debuted and became my steed in a magical 8-day 1195km guided bike tour covering “The World’s Greatest Driving Roads”, where I got to ride the legendary Transfagarasan- and Transalpina Passes, walk the streets of beautiful cities like Bucharest and the historical Sibiu, visit Transylvania (yes and Dracula’s Castle of course), drink a hot chocolate in the massive underground Salt Mine of Prahova and visit the glacial Lake Bâlea high up in the mountains.
The amazing lodges, the food, the many miles of flowing lush countryside, the very professional tour arrangements, endless mountain scenery and quaint villages. All the countless passes and me trying to keep up with our very capable guide Ade on his Dakar 650. Clean air, castles, vineyards – great friendships formed – a magical experience definitely worth doing!

Ride Video: https://youtu.be/D5BrhuyylUc

14/11/2024

𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐎 𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝟒𝐗𝟒 𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄
4 Provinces, 8 days, and 17 Mountain Passes, including a few on South Africa’s “Top Ten” mountain pass listing, covering a total distance of ~1915km in the breath-taking Maloti Mountain scenery, as we circumnavigated the border of the mountain kingdom, Lesotho.

02/11/2024

𝐒𝐀'𝐬 𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐃 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐒
Joubert's Pass - 1:6 gradient - 2236m ASL - South Africa's 4th highest rough gravel pass.