Innehållsförteckning för January - February 2017 från Go! Drive & Camp

When this photo was taken I was 17 years old. Here I’m pictured with my friend Stanley Webb. You should see me today at 85 – quite a difference! I was a second year apprentice at Sydney Close, now called McCarthy’s, and Stanley was an apprentice at William Hunt Auto Electrical. Back in those days there were two types of 3-wheeler cars. The most popular was the B.S.A front wheel drive. The one I bought was a 3-wheeler with one front and two back wheels (pictured below left). It was a 1 000 JAP aluminium air-cooled engine, with a dash gearshift, propshaft and diff with rear wheel drive. We decided to take a trip via Heidelberg (in the Western Cape) to Cape Town where my uncle had a business called…

JANUARY CAPE TOWN MOTOR SHOW Where: GrandWest Arena When: 27 to 29 January Why you should go: There will be four exhibition areas with everything that makes a petrolhead tick: from supercars, motorcycles and classic cars to a 4x4 section. More information: www.capetownmotorshow.co.za FEBRUARY VKB BIELIEMIELIEFEES Where: Reitz When: 16 to19 February Why you should go: There is loads of entertainment for the whole family, including performances by artists like Francois Van Coke and Schalk Bezuidenhout. And of course there are heaps of stalls – and be sure to sample a mielie! More information: www.bieliemielie.co.za KYKNET BUITE-EKSPO Where: Môreson Farm, Malmesbury When: 17 to 19 February Why you should go: At this expo there is loads on offer for anyone interested in the outdoor lifestyle. There are exhibitions and demonstrations…

We know the bakkie market is competitive, and every manufacturer is trying their best to come up with something that would set their vehicle apart from its competitors. So we’ve become accustomed to incremental improvements: A more efficient engine here, a clever gearbox there and maybe a distinctive appearance. But the new Nissan Navara is something that will truly set the cat among the pigeons. Not only is it more luxurious, and has a better engine/gearbox combination than its predecessor, but its suspension – and specifically the five-link, coil spring setup at the back – makes for handling that no other local bakkie can rival. Some readers will know that the new Navara has been on sale for more than a year in other markets. We all wondered why it…

My family and our friends are always on the lookout for places we can head to for short weekend getaways with our 4x4s. Because if you’re not ready to call yourself a pensioner just yet, then taking leave can be somewhat of a luxury. So we recently decided to go explore the area around Barberton in Mpumalanga. The group that tackled this exploratory expedition consisted of my wife, Glynnis and I, our sons, Andrew (15), Shaun (11) and Eckard (10) in our manual Fortuner 4x4 diesel; Annas Botha (the TJM 4x4 King of Middelburg) and his wife, Rinalda, with their children Ri-Ann (15) and Annas Junior (14) in their manual Amarok 4x4 diesel; as well as my son Chrisjan, in his Defender 110 together with his friends, Stefan Henriet and…

55 LITRE Description: Single-bin fridge/freezer. Price: R9 700 (Aluminium) or R10 250 (Stainless Steel, includes three baskets) Insulation: 60 mm sidewalls all-round. Battery protection: High, medium and low. Operating voltage: 12 Vdc, 24 Vdc and 100 to 240 Vac. Weight: 22,4 kg (Aluminium) or 26,6 kg (Stainless Steel). Optional extras: Baskets and protection jacket. *Average power consumption: 27,343 Amps @ 12 Vdc. *Measured over a period of 24 hours, using three select ambient temperatures (21ºC, 32ºC and 43ºC respectively) and with the unit set to -10ºC. 60 LITRE Description: Double-bin fridge and freezer combination with independent thermostats. Price: R10 500 (Aluminium) or R11 950 (Stainless steel, includes five baskets) Insulation: 42 mm sidewalls around fridge compartment, and 60 mm around the freezer. Battery protection: High, medium and low. Operating voltage:…

DAY 1 We meet at the Imperani Guest House in Ficksburg, a comfortable three-hour drive from Gauteng, late on a Friday afternoon. We spend our first evening getting to know each other, while the Bhejane guide briefs us on the next day’s adventure into Lesotho, and we enjoy the first of many hearty meals that the Imperani Guest House is famous for. DAY 2 After a big English breakfast, we make our way down to the nearby Lesotho border post and enter Lesotho, crossing the Caledon River. You will need a valid passport, but border post procedures are a mere formality here. Our route is tar the whole way and, weather and road conditions permitting, we will drive up the magnificent Motheng Pass, eventually reaching almost 3000 m above sea…

Bambisana Mission Station lies deep in the beautiful heart of Pondoland, about 20 km from Lusikisiki. The station is situated high in the hills, between the deep cliffs and thick bushes around the Umzimvubu and Ntafufu rivers. This part of the country experiences deluges, especially in summer. Then the gravel roads along the hills turn into muddy messes that become a huge 4x4 challenge for any driver. The deceased Pastor Piet Kamfer started this old Dutch Reformed Church mission station in 1959, and served there for many years. In 1964, Doctor Pierre Greyling, now retired in Uitenhage, went to work at the mission hospital in Bambisana. In summer of the following year, the doctor’s Pretoria family came to visit him, and it started to rain. After a week of non-stop…

LISE BEYERS BOSKOS ( P. 94) Lise Beyers braaied every day for a whole year. So when she talks about recipes, we listen very attentively. What is your earliest travel memory? It comes from when I was about three years old, when I drove with my parents and two brothers (one and six years old) from Cape Town to Coffee Bay in a 1969 VW Beetle. The best place you’ve ever visited? A night on a Kalahari dune near Gochas, Namibia, with nothing but the soft, red sand as a mattress, a crackling camel thorn fire by your side and the stars as big as Frisbees above your head. What is your number one travel tip? Don’t rush, and always take a braai grid with you, as well as a bottle…

Otto Raap shared this priceless story with us on Facebook. Years ago the railway line between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay ran near the sea. My brother-in-law and parents were in the area with a 4x4 and some angling kit. But they got stuck, and the tide was coming in. They upped the revs, but the 4x4 got more stuck. Soon the water was streaming in through the windows. The next minute my dad heard the train approaching. Because it was already dusk, he ran to see if he could have a word with the engineer. The train stopped and the train driver asked what the problem was. Bashfully, he explained that he was stuck. The engineer thought this was hilarious, and offered to recover him. The 4x4 was attached to…

WHERE: Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand WHEN: 24 to 26 February The Beeld Holiday Show is the country’s largest exhibition for the caravan and outdoor industry. Whether you are looking for a new roof rack, the newest off-road trailers or are planning your next trip – you’ll find it all under one roof. Last year more than 26 000 people visited the exhibition and all the big outdoor companies have a stall. As usual the teams from Drive Out, go! and WegSleep will be there too, so pop in and say hi! More info: www.holidayshow.co.za…

Ivan Brits, an electrical contractor from Durbanville, has a 2007 Land Cruiser 105 GX 4.5 EFI that looks inconspicuous at first glance, but under the hood lurks an impressive amount of power. “At full power I get 300,9 kW and 645 Nm torque at 3 971 r/min,” says Ivan with a smile. “It is probably the strongest Cruiser in the country!” Ivan and his wife like to tour in the Cruiser. “I’ve been through Kaokoland in Namibia with it, and also travelled to the north of South Africa a few times, but I still want to go to Botswana too,” he says. Ivan’s Cruiser is a whole lot of fun on the weekend too. He takes it out on short trips and to events like the Atlantis Fun Day. We…

Before you activate your diff lock, start hitching vehicles together or leave your vehicle stranded as you go look for help on foot, first check if you have the right tyre pressure. In fact, it’s the first thing that you should adjust when your wheels leave the tar for gravel, and according to those in the know, it’s often the right tyre pressure that makes the difference between cruising along and getting stuck. That’s why we’ve decided to test 16 pressure gauges against each other this month. THE TEST The gauges that were tested are commonly available products in South Africa. They come from different manufacturers, but where one manufacturer had two generally available models, we tested both. Our laboratory was 1st Alignment Centre in Stikland, Cape Town, where Johann…

“If you don’t match the engine speed, gear and throttle opening, you could damage your vehicle in the long run.” THE QUESTION One of the reasons I bought a 4x4 with a turbo-diesel is the fact that they have so much torque. But someone recently told me that I shouldn’t use high gears when revs are too low, especially going uphill. That doesn’t make sense. Isn’t that one of the advantages of having a turbo-diesel? THE ANSWER Most of us who own vehicles with turbo-diesels love the big buckets of torque they develop. Nowadays it isn’t even extraordinary for a 4x4 bakkie to develop in the region of 400 Nm torque, or even more! So when you have to tow something or drive up a steep hill, it’s nice to…

“Fit a quality all-terrain with great all-round traction, as well as key features that protect it against gravel.” Most 4x4 owners can be grouped into six categories. If you’re anything like me, there’s a good chance that you occupy more than one, with some qualities being stronger in one group, and less so in others. But, in the interests of simplicity and mainstream-thinking, the following categories (which should not be taken too seriously) define 4x4 users: COMMUTERS Arguably the largest group of 4x4 owners – those who own a 4x4, but almost never use it for its intended purpose. In many cases the vehicle was bought with the intention of camping, but when holiday time comes, they play it safe by booking a mainstream holiday at the end of a…

BRAAI LIKE A BOSS FAVOURITE BRAAI RECIPES COMPILED BY: CLOVER SA PUBLISHER: LAPA PRICE: R149,99 Do I even have to write anything about a recipe book with a title like this one? The words “braai recipes” alone should be enough reason to convince you to buy Clover’s new book covering fireside cooking – Favourite Braai Recipes – without having to think twice. But there are quite a few other reasons, in fact. Because once you open this cookbook, you quickly realise it’s not just another page waster full of predictable and boring ideas for chops and boerewors. The brain behind Favourite Braai Recipes is the recipe developer Lyn Woodward. She’s a qualified chef, Cape Wine Master and a food stylist. And yes, she can braai! Some of her recipes include…

Have you ever wondered what creatures come to smell your braai grid at night? A camera trap can give you some interesting, and often surprising, answers. Sure, you might just see a porcupine in the pictures the next morning, but you could also capture that rare brown hyena when you next camp at Rooiputs or Third Bridge. HERE ARE FIVE TIPS TO HELP YOU GET THE BEST POSSIBLE SHOTS 1 CHOOSE THE RIGHT CAMERA FOR THE JOB There are two prominent types of camera traps on the market – ones that use a standard white strobe flash (like those on your camera) and those that use infrared (IR) light. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. The image quality of strobe flash units is excellent – the photos are sharp and…

We always end up with leftover braai meat. It’s as if we’re waiting for those unexpected guests to come stumbling across the plains, starving – and you want to be sure there’s enough for everyone to eat. Some people say that they don’t like leftover food, and then you have to make new (unnecessary) food from scratch. But with just a little bit of imagination you can do a lot with leftover braai meat, and transform it into a delicious new meal. So lift the lid on your braai casserole and check what’s left over from last night’s dinner. You can easily turn it into something that even the cynical “only fresh braai meat for me thanks” snobs will devour. Most of these recipes are enough to feed four people,…

I was recently invited by a private conservation organisation to assist them with advice on costly vehicle issues that they were experiencing in northern Tanzania. The Great East African Migration has been on my bucket list. So I accepted their invitation and found myself spending eight days in the Serengeti. To give some background, there are several wealthy philanthropists that lease conservation areas from governments in Africa. In return for the exclusive use of these areas, they establish organisations that set up lodges and run conservation, anti-poaching and community upliftment programs in these conservancies. To accomplish all this, their vehicles work hard. The conservancies I visited use Land Cruiser 79 single and double cabs as anti-poaching response vehicles and work horses, and 78 series Troopies as people carriers. For “fancier”…

We have become accustomed to Subaru being famous for their flat-four boxer engines, AWD, slightly mad, rally-inspired WRXs and their reliable station wagons that are perfectly comfortable driving on dirt roads. But in America, they’ve recently unveiled a concept version of a behemoth of an SUV, called the VIZIV-7. It will be the size of a Mercedes-Benz GLS, with a full third row of seats, allowing for seven occupants, hence the “7” in the name. The VIZIV-7 is one of three new three-row SUVs to be introduced to the US market in 2018, opening up a whole new segment for them. Do take note that Subaru is partly owned by Toyota, which already has three large SUVs on the American market. These are the Highlander, an 8-seater soft-roader; the Sequoia,…

In the run-up to National Milk Tart Day, held annually on 27 February, our sister magazine go! has launched a competition to find out where to buy the best milk tart in South Africa, whether it’s at a farm stall or a tuisnywerheid in your home town. The nominations poured in and the judging panel hit the road to try the milk tarts for themselves. Buy the March issue of go! to find out where you should buy your next milk tart. (In our February issue we’ll feature delicious recipes made with butter – because no milk tart should be made without it!) To get you in the milk tart mood, try this recipe: National Milk Tart Day is brought to you in partnership with: MAIN SPONSOR Ice-cream sandwiches Serves…