Why smaller is better...

I love my new bike. I LOVE it! Its less than half the size of my previous 650CC BMW but oh what fun and freedom!! Even though I have conquered the Pyrenees mountains in Spain on the BMW it would have been so much more fun on the 250CC Baja. Yes I miss the respectful nods from other bikers seeing a girl on a BMW Funduro 650CC and sometimes I feel a bit like a snotkoppie on a 50CC but the joys of actually enjoying the scenery when riding makes it all worth it.

No more sizing up every piece of tarmac for a hint of a dip or an angle for a suitable area to stop. No more holding of the breath and clutch on every turn. No more carefully and determinately changing of feet at stops to make sure I can hold the weight. No more damsel in distress EVERY time I have to get off and the road is at an angle. No more heart thumping panic as I see Charles stop and looking at the map... We've missed our turn....I know it. Please Charlie my liefie I love you but please don't make me do another U-turn on this 200kg piece of machinery.

So when did it dawn on me that my lowered to the ground BMW is going to be unsuitable for our Africa trip? I mean am I not the Queen of the twisties in the mountains, up hill and down hill and did I not successfully do even gravel road in Spain? (Mind you I had two angels on the back). Is all this not just skills that I can learn that seperates me from a novice to a veteran? On the ferry from Cherbourg back to Poole after our 2 weeks in Spain I realised my precious BMW is a handicap. As we got onto the ferry the Skipper waived his arms at me and gestured to me in French that he wants me to park my bike with its back to a wall. This means I have to reverse. Charles was waived to the other side of the ferry. I stopped.....The skipper didn't understand.... "Je tress petite" I tried. Yes I am too small. Or better: The bike is too big. Not even could my ten toes on the ground not get enough grip to move 200kg backwards....I couldn't even get off the bike because of the slippery steel surface. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my hero come over to help me off my bike. MMMmm. Do I really want to drag this bike through the dongas and ditches in Africa? What if I need to pick it up by myself because Charlie can't help me? What if I have one topple over too many? (I know what it feels like to hit the ground). What if I have to push it with luggage and drop it and break something vital?

So then the search started for smaller bikes. But don't you need a big beefy machine to go through Africa??. People "in the know" dropped their jaw in horror when hearing we're contemplating anything smaller than a 600CC. But you see we did our research. And then we actually met people like Lois Price (took a 225CC Serow through the Americas and taking a 250CC now through Africa), Zoe and Paul (did the big bike thing through Africa - took Honda Transalps 650CC 2 years ago and second time around taking 250CC) and guys of the Mondo Enduro (took 350CC around the world). The thing is you don't want to look like Ewan in the LongWayAround (took 1200CC BMW) cursing every mud pool you see because you know you won't be able to pick it up unaided. You want to blast right through it and, oh well, if the bike falls you know you can pick it up. And have a bit of fun and a giggle. You don't really want to be driven on your trip by fear.

So there it is. Small bikes it is. And because Charlie believes we need to take the same bike (to swap spares) he's sold his BMW and got a 250CC Honda himself. Aaahhhgggg...

(But smaller bikes means a slower trip and less luggage.....which means the hair-dryer is defnitely staying at home!...maybe I'll sneak in a lipstick)