Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

Wow!

Happiness is ...

OK, Russ has started something, so here goes.

Happiness is

• riding through our stunning country with like-minded mates
• having Russ as a pillion for only 20kms
• having a bite to eat in Ceres all together as a group
• having Hein's brightly lit GSA in front of you through a pitch black Bain's Kloof into Wellington
• following a car's tail lights all the way from Nelson's Creek to Durbanville
• arriving home safely after a fantastic weekend's adventure riding

Come on guys, let's keep the list going!

Awesome report Russ ... best one I've read for a long time.

A good chuckle, but wish I'd been there with you guys.

ready to leave Sutherland with the roadies Andy call.s he fall, me unhappy. Andy call again Graham fall, me very unhappy.

Call back up vehicle with Warren, no reply, me unhappy, call Warren no reply, unhappy, call Leon, Stan, Sian, and and and, no reply, mortified.

Find farmer in Sutherland with breakdown lorry to fetch bikes, happy.

Andy sends Chris to fetch Anne's bike, Anne unhappy. Noelene must ride with me, she unhappy. Anne must ride Noelenes bike she to unhappy. Me not sure if happy or not!!!!!!!!!

No Warren or Anna-Marie me very unhappy.

All arrangements in place for broken bikes and people, me happy and leave for home.

Severe pain being inflicted into my ribs in all the corners by my pillion me very sore and unhappy!!

Get home at 3 o clock me in heaven.

Phone rings & rings & rings all the messages I left are being returned to me, me unhappy. Ann-Marie must turn around in Ceres and drive to fetch broken bikes in Sutherland.....she very unhappy. We feel sorry so she comes to my house in Cape Town. she happy - a bit!

Trailer arrives with broken jockey wheel again.......me very very unhappy. I again must clean the trailer, me very mad. Neels comes to my house and cleans the trailer,  he unhappy me happy.

Get call from Eugene van Vuuren telling me that Bernie Wentzel has crashed in Mariental and he needs my trailer to go and fetch him. Me unhappy, tired and irritable, but happy to help.

Eugene comes to my house late last night.......I keep Neels with me by offering B&C which keeps him with me. He happy, Eugene Happy , me tired and moerig!!

Check trailer and lights for compatibility and see car has only 1 stop light.  Plug in trailer and nothing has lights. We all unhappy.

Fix trailer plug and trailer wires we all happy. Try to start Eugenes car, his  battery flat we all unhappy again - furious. I pour Neels another B&C he happy to keep working.

At this time wife is very unhappy she is sommer hoogs you know what.

Jump start Eugenes car and off he goes in the middle of the night to Namibia. Everybody Happy.

Early this morning Andy calls, me unhappy. Has Graham called me about the Club trailer, no, Andy unhappy. Graham calls and comes to collect the Club trailer to go to Sutherland to fetch the broken bikes. Graham happy, me unhappy as my work clothes are dirty... yes I do work!!

No word from Eugene so hope he has found Bernie in Mariental and is on his way home.

9 0 clock Andy calls, me unhappy. They are coming to drop the trailer at my house with the broken bikes. Graham arrives 9.30 tired but happy I pour cold stuff down his throat he very happy.

He bugger off home we all happy............we read Russell's report and laugh until we cry , we happy again.

We vote that Russell should retire to mountain biking and only send Gizzy on rides with us in future.................

We are going to bed now - very happy!!!!

I almost got a headache trying to follow/read this haha .

Nice one Russ, but damn, to read this in the morning, en dit nog sonder my koffie, is maar n stadige ding! 

Hope you get ur bike ready for Biedouw dude!

Awesome, thanks for picking up the good humour their Geoff. 

Thnks to all for your comments and for reading my shyt I wrote from my BB pda as and when it happened.

PS For those wondering what U.S. is? It is military term for Un Servicable.

Yours in safe biking

Your Bud Russ

Big grin

I can just see all of this!

Thanks to Russ and Geoff for keeping me entertained - what an adventure you guys had

Gosh I am almost sorry I missed it...... ALMOST

An adventure not to be forgotten in a hurry !!

There was obviously a reason why I ended up in the backup vehicle.

Very entertaining reading the reports!! 

Where are the photographs guys ??

Then to ad insult to injury when Andy & Graham got to Sutherland both bikes had been vandalized..........................luckily only both sets of spot lights being physically broken off their sturdy metal mountings and the wiring ripped out.

Wow is right. Thanks Russ for putting the Adventure back in Adventure Biking.

When I got to Ceres I was very happy having had an absolutely stunning ride. Then most of the phones started beeping with messages and as we realised what had happened, I was very unhappy, mortified as Geoff put's it.

When  I finally heard everyone was safe home I was a little happier and now that I have made arrangements so that this can never happen again and no one will ever not have access to help, I am extremely happy and all will be revealed at the next meeting.

Hey Russ….Loving it bru!....not sure what you were on but I need some to get into the same space, page, hymn sheet, road book … you were on to take it all in…Ha Ha. Ok to be fair…anyone not on this trip might need to invest in some stronger stuff to fully enjoy your report. What a day…a day sent to test the resolve of a GS rider! I think the most significant part of all was how friendly, helpful, willing and upbeat everyone stayed.

We’ll be back!....that’s for sure.

Alison’s tumble off the back seat in her rush to take in the magnificent view from Ouberg Pass has left her sitting on a doughnut cushion for a while after the x-ray confirmed a fracture to her distal sacrum. So I suppose asking her to stop screaming as she lay on the ground in agony, so could find out from her what the problem was, was not the brightest idea I’ve had this year! So Russ….that was the reason for the siren aka Alison’s scream ;-) Well done to her for still doing another 120Km of dirt on the back without toooo much fuss and a lot of pain and discomfort.

Very happy everyone eventually made it home on one bike or another ;-)

OK, some photos

Sian & Megan

Andy

Pit stop

Rose amongst thorns

Here we come

There we go

Home sweet home

I'd been waiting for this

and this ...

Sutherland

pre-departure briefing

Graham's 1200GS

waiting for the back-up vehicle

THIS cold

Puncture #1

Endless miles of blue sky

Eina!! #*%&!

On top of the world

And down we go

and down

Rusty's back shock ... she not happy

Puncture #2

This is why I love riding my bike with u guys

Richard reckons "enough now, Stan"

Nearly in Ceres

Ceres Steers dinner ... at last

Thanks everyone for an awesome weekend

So Rusty, Looking at the picture of your back shock - does this mean you are not coming to Atlantis on Saturday?

I myself took no pics this time! So to the photographers on these trips….thanks for your efforts. It really helps re-live some of those awesome moments…Cheers to them.

WoW!! What a trip! Am so bummed we missed out on that adventure!!

I'm still happy!

In the beginning...

getting startedPitstop in Montagua quick breakHein doing the POSEthe road awaitsStan and a smoke break....looking for cell signal :)The VersfeldsSutherland ChurchA new day... getting ready to rumble

a mini canyonnext stop for some.... Ceres

Oh hell .... There were about 20 pics inbetween those two.. I dunno what happened!!!

I'll try again.....

our beautiful countrysee why we needed a reminder.... a long road aheadmountain koppieslike a paintingvroom vroom..... he the leader of his pack!there goes the packcya later....old and lonelyold and forgottenwe also needed to stretch our legssooo prettylast stretch to Ceres

Sorry... no real action pictures as the ride was too fast going up to Sutherland for me to actually get pics while we were ... um ... flying :)

PS:  sorry if the pics were a bit jumbled but for some reason I had a problem loading them.

More yarra, yarra, less ching, ching...................this is your leader??????????? Warren playing silly buggers.

This is Derek our lil guy with a big hart. Well done Derek.

There is the roosters wife. Pienkie.

the pics are simply magnificent, 

Stan some of your pics could be entered into the Calendar Competition, namely,  AND DOWN WE GO   and  AND DOWN   and the one depicting the -6.0degrees.

Pam, your pic  "GETTING READY TO RUMBLE"  don't you actually mean "GETTING READY TO STUMBLE"

@Lyn  -  some to stumble and others to rumble !   :)

Hi Stan 

Thanks for asssiting with lifting Graham and for your great pictures.

Thanks to evryone for shareing an awesome week end with Gizzy and I.

Rusty / Geoff

Great writing! Keeps one in the excitement of the thing.. also, I can just imagine what each face looked like in the happy/not happy stages.

My trailer has returned from Namibia carrying an injured Dakar.

Me very relieved!!!!

Russ, I think you set a few new records with a BRILLIANT report.

811 views in 3.5 days!!!!

I suddenly dont feel too bad about my 'little off' in the dust on the mystery trip.

See ya at Sand Fairies on the wet stuff.

Adie

So Russ organises On Call to collect his 'scooter' from Klipbanks rivier farm, 25 km deep into the Tankwa West of the R354.

On call heads off and his Tom Tom jumps out the mount on the bumps, drops and will no longer work.

Franco calls Rusty. for directions.

Rusty calls Andy asking Andy to give him directions. then sends Franco's mobile via text.

No answer, leave message 'cos Franco, him now deep in Karoo - no signal.

At 01H30  Andy phone rings, no not sea rescue, this is Franco, sitting at junction R355 and R46, looking for directions to bike.

Andy go to laptop. open Mapsource app. and Google Earth.

Give'm directions and talk to Franco till o3H30.

Franco decides, "bugger it, I'm half way there, I'll go in search using Andyman directions."

Russ he sleeps through all this- he make'm his problem Andy's/

Andy him sucker, him babysit Franco till no more signal.

Franco he find Rusty's bike at 04H55.

Drinkum coffee from flask and load bike.

Franco phone Andy and report back on progress at 07H00.

Rusty still sleeping.

Andy will wait till 03H00 to give Rusty all the blow by blow reports.

Well this was an awesome trip.

The "A" team took an unusual route via Montague to Sutherland, Timing worked out to the minute and the group of fast riders kept up a spanking pace Geoff would have been proud of.

All riders have lots of accumulated skill from many miles under their belts so the recent rains causing ruts was taken in stride and going was great.

Up in the Moordenaars Karoo and up to Komsberg pass, we had 10 km of shitty, bumpy rutted road, but it soon ran smooth and we entered Sutherland in fine style as the church clock struck five.

Poor Saartjie, found her husband Kobus standing mute by his Shell petrol pump in a state of thunk!

He was suffering from PTSD, just the same as sodjers do what's returned home from Afghanistan and seen too much action.

She gradually gets out of him that he does not know still what happend.

But as he was about to lock up, 12 'scooters' came into view and split into two lanes one either side of his pump.

Then ten minutes later all 12 were gone, he had some R2 000.oo in his hands and his pump was 200 litres less in stock, but exactly what happened in between he is still not able to piece together.

He did say he now knows why he never goes to the 'big lights' of Cape Town and why he wants to stay out the way of modern logistics in a small Karoo backwater town.

Sunday was off to a bitterly cold start and I rode the rounds and helped get two bikes started.

We shared the same jump-off point as the 'B' team and then headed out of Dodge on a mission.

The R354 was simply awesomely beautiful, smooth gravel road that just disappeared behind you at a fast clip.

Suddenly rounding a curve I noted the umpteenth low-water bridge had a hole in it.

I threw out the anchors, engaged reverse thrust, and then my front wheel was being kicked out the hole, the back wheel went in bottoming out the shock, the resultant forces caused the top box to keep going and sheer off the tail piece load tray.

I did a fast turn and waved the following bikes down.

Dave Cade made it, Graham did not.

Too much front brake I reckon and he washed out.

I gunned back the way I'd come to warn the bikes to slow and stop,

Thank God for that, Graham's bike had hit the hole, Head light cluster first and the front disintegrated instantly.

Had the hole not being there he would have dusted off himself and bike and continued.

The rest of the ride was as adventurous, full of delightful vistas, incidents, Kodak moments and good banter and chit chat was we made way to rejoin the rest of our group.

My GPS says I topped 165KM'H on the R365 for several k's before we met the group at the R355 junction.

Wildbos skerm was clean, neat and no more biltong.

Ceres Steers was the first meal all day and a very welcome stop.

Thanks to all for making the ride such a good trip.

Thanks Rusty  ( and Geoff and Andy ), most enjoyable to read  , sounds like you had all a great trip  

Sorry to hear about Alison and Graham's injuries , how are they doing now ?

Ha Ha Ha Ha LOL Thanks Andy, you are my other ROCK next to Tony of course!!!!!!!!!! Thanks a lot.

What a brilliant report.  What a brilliant thread.

A particular pic, which is pregnant with humour, caught my eye.  This Rose looks suspiciously like David Cade.  

I will give a prize (a couple of bottles of wine or a case of beer) to the person who thinks of the best caption for this pic.  The prize will be presented at the next club meeting.

Hey Warren, please tell me you noticed my more yarra yarra less warra warren??????????????????? I thought this was flippen amazing cleaver

Caption: "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush!"

Caption: Stand up, look up and open up ! Just don't grab too much throttle !!

The rose amongst the thornes.........what a hot yellow chop I got!!!!!