Gamkaskloof in the Swartberge has always been one of my favorite destinations. It all started with my first road trip shortly after buying my Softail Fat Boy.
We were going to the Graaf Reinet Harley rally and decided to leave a couple of days earlier and take the long route; from Cape Town, via Clanwilliam, Carnavon, Upington, Kimberly, Oranje, etc. After fueling up at Clanwilliam, I checked the map and noticed a short cut across to Carnavon and, of course, it was only once we arrived at the road that I realized it was gravel. I looked at this road and I looked at my spotless new Harley with less than 2000kms on the clock and I had a big decision to make. I enjoy getting off the freeway and taking these lost dirt roads instead. I often chose these roads on my previous Jap cruiser (Yamaha Dragstar 1100) and navigated them without a problem. It was then that I decided that this bike was going to be a real work horse for me too and she would have to prove herself accordingly.
After a few kilometres I was pleasantly surprised at how stable the bike was on the dirt. Maybe the fat tyres, the heavy solid rims and the low centre of gravity helped, but soon we were bombing along the straights at 80 km/h comfortably. Over 200kms later and some strange looks from the “GS” riders along the way, we reached Carnavon. I was really impressed with the way the bike handled the gravel.
The Graaf Reinet rally was great. We left Graaf Reinet and stayed over in Prince Albert. The following morning we decided to go to Oudshoorn via the Swartberg pass. When we got to the top of the pass we saw the turn off to ‘Die Hel’. We stopped and I thought about it for a while. Seeing that the Harley felt comfortably stable so far on the pass, I fi nally decided “Oh, what the Hel”.
The fi rst section of road was no problem. We then got to the part where you go down into Die Hel. It’s a really steep, narrow road with very tight bends and it’s been pretty messed up by the 4 x 4’s that plough their way up. I thought to myself that I’d come this far and this was the fi nal obstacle between us and our destination. I kicked into gear and idled all the way down in one go. The Harley glided through the bumps and dongas brilliantly. We were down before we knew it.
We spent two nights at Annetjie’s place where we rented a caravan. Annetjie is one of the last real ‘Kloovers’ left down in Gamkaskloof (Die Hel). We really felt welcome and we got food, fi rewood, linen, beer and real Kloof Witblits on the spot.
Once down in the Hel, the road is good. It’s a fl at stretch of about 4kms to the end of the valley. There’s no electricity supply besides generators and solar panels, nor is there any cell-phone reception, but you can make a phone call from Annetjie’s shop (if you must). We took a ride to the end of the valley (in shorts and no helmets). Most of the farms have been taken over by the Parks Board now. We got a few unwelcome looks for disturbing the peace further down into the valley. It would have probably been a better idea if we had walked from the caravan park. There are great hiking trails and an abundance of fascinating birdlife. The weather can also be quite unpredictable. For instance, a patch of bitterly cold wind and clouds would sweep through the valley and 30 minutes later the sun would be scorching down again. Generally the weather and temperature was a bit on the hot side, but still pleasant. Except for the sound of the wind and the birds, there is almost an eerie silence that prevails down in the valley.
Before taking the road again, I checked every nut and bolt on the Harley and, I’m proud to say, there was not a single one that needed tightening. Coming up out of Die Hel was much easier than going down. We just sat vas and thumped all the way up in 1st and 2nd gear. The views were really spectacular and we stopped regularly to take it all in.
Once we were out of Die Hel and its rather primitive road, the Swartberg Pass was easy pie. Seeing how well the Harley handled these roads and how exciting it was, we subsequently made our way back to Cape Town using the back gravel roads through the farms that eventually brought us out at Montagu.
Since this trip I’ve done a number of dirt road trips on my Harley Fat Boy. She’s proven to be a rock-solid workhorse. Two years and 38,000kms later she’s yet to let me down. After a good, hard day of riding, I always stand back looking at her in awe and tell her she’s certainly ‘One Hel of a Bike”.
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