Dune 2, just outside Walvis Bay in Namibia, is an intimidating sight as you sit at its base and crane your neck to peer up its imposing face.
The steep, sandy giant was the summit - literally and figuratively - of the recent Bike SA Namib Desert Run that drew more than 900 participants this year.
It's a non-competitive adventure, a three-day ride from Kuruman in the Northern Cape to Swakopmund through the dirtiest, most picturesque, routes followed by three days of playing in the dunes near Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.
Getting the Honda TRX 400 quad to the base of the dune was a feat in itself that involved several hundred kilometres of towing, riding, slithering - and a spectacular crash. But we arrived relatively unscathed and with our sense of adventure intact.
Time to get it on: I gas the throttle, head tilted forward in the time-honoured go-faster style, and snick briskly through the five gears to build momentum along the flat desert floor.
Like a cheeky fly batting itself against an elephant, the Honda hit the steep base of the dune and started its climb. About halfway up the revs start dropping, requiring a quick downshift to fourth, then down to third and second...
As the quad loses more and more momentum it's clear I'm not going to make the summit and I U-turn down the dune before the engine stalls.
This will take a more lateral approach; the Honda's 400cc , four-stroke engine hasn't the sheer grunt to go straight up like some of the 650cc quads on the Run.
It took some experimenting with diagonal trajectories - and several attempts - but to the top we eventually got, much to the surprise of the larger-engined quad riders.
Not very flattering for the Honda TRX 400EX but the point is you can climb very large dunes and have a whack of fun on this R48 500 quad without having to spend 60 or 70 grand or more on one of the big machines.
The 400EX is an affordable, accessible quad for the recreational rider, neither too boring for the more experienced quadder or too intimidating for beginners.
In fact, the ladies in our group all had a go on it and my wife Jenny even made it to the top of Dune 2. The TRX's compact dimensions and light mass of 176kg make it a quick confidence-builder.
It also has convenient electric start and a reverse gear to get you out of tight spots. The styling is quite sporty, with "angry eyes" headlights.
En route to the dunes the TRX impressively traversed every kind of bumpy turf. The pace with which it could be ridden through big holes was quite astounding, with the long-travel suspension (adjustable to your liking) soaking it up comfortably.
The 10-litre fuel tank is good for just more than 100km in rough terrain but the oil consumption's high and we had to top up the TRX with a couple of pints over the expedition.
Thumb in agony
A 230km trip along the Botswana/SA border revealed that a quad's thumb-throttle isn't made for long distances. My thumb was in sheer agony and, that evening, the full extent of the damage was revealed when my right hand was too weak to open a beer.
The reason for the thumb device, the experts says, is that it's safer as a rider's natural reaction in a loss-of-control situation is to grab the handlebars and inadvertantly give more throttle, which can lead to all sorts of trouble that'll make your eyes water or land you on crutches.
The Honda proved to be a lot tougher than my thumb. Lady luck must have been suffering from PMS the day she put a rider and his quad upside down in a two-metre donga.
Amazingly, the TRX sustained only a slightly dented front skidplate, a flat tyre and a broken thumb throttle
(revenge is sweet!).
The plastic mudguards simply sprang back into shape and a quick fix had us on our way again, heading for those dunes... - Star Motoring