Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

Peter Hensen struts in for fuel. Swartland Engen 07H45 Saturday 12 July

place cursor on a photo and click to enlarge, then scroll through them, read the captions

Thanks to Annemarie Wilken who made the arrangements for this ride, a Winter BMWMCCC Saturday Advanced rider outing.

http://bmwmccc.org.za/bmwmccc-club-offroad-ride-sandveldrailroad-tracks-12072014

The game plan was to raid swiftly to Juffroushoogte near Vredendal on all styles of dirt for lunch and then home by tar.

The ride is already famous amongst all DS bikers as the railroad track route from Kalbaskraal to the R27 on the other side of Hopefield. 162 kilometres of concentration.

Transnet Freightl Rail (TFR) lock some of the gates, but an eagle eye and adventurous spirit will spot the  way around these 'obstacles'

As it was an advanced ride, we ommitted the brieifng. We communicated by 2-way radio and we kept up a reasonable good pace, despite the obstacles.  It was fun.

Only 5 riders booked for this ride.

Andy R1200GSA, Charles R1150GS, Eric F800GS, Arno R1200GSA and Peter R1200GSLC.

Ideal group size for an advanced ride.

Our own car guard, complete with hand on his pistol looked after the bikes.: Start point was the Swartland Engen on the N7, 20 kilos N/West of the N1, Cape Town

We set our tyre pressures here at the start, then had a Wimpy Breakfast

Arno, Charles and Peter preparing their bikes.

We set our ABS/Traction control/engine mapping settings here at the start

Peter checks his tyre readings off the dash

Eric M checks his tyre pressure at the rail road start, the only 800GS13km to the KalbasKraal turn-off, then 5.5km to Chatsworth and the railroad. In the backgound you can see the mist bank rolling back

Peter was on the only 1200LC and it was clean to start with

And the fun started immediately for 142 kilometres to lunch....

The sky was crystal clear and the air cold and crisp. the track was wet, muddy and patchy

 There was not a breath of wind all day

When you see reeds in the distance you know to expect WATER 

Stopping as it warms to remove inners at Dawn's drop site 

The bikes take a rest too...

We got patches of very loose sand, followed by large water pools.

And we crossed the rail tracks... time n again 

 Ruts, holes, pools, rivers, tracks, it was not too difficult, you just cannot relax your vigilance.

 And we crossed these tracks a zillion times

 All photos were taken from stills of Go Pro footage.

Charles takes point from Andy and he's off, like a rat out of an aqueduct.           Vooooommmm!!!

He laughed at puddles

Mr Badger just clawed through

 And he always checked his six to see if we were oK

 The countryside is a lush green, sheep running from L to R across the piste

You cannot follow closely unless you enjoy the rain of wet soil and mud being splattered up into your face by the rear wheel ahead of you. so... you hang bacl by 75 meteres or so.

 by kilometer 25 we have lost count of the water crossings 

Arno would call on the radio from sweep when there was a delay over terrain. We would slow up in front.

I guess we spread the 5 bikes over almost a kilo distance to have clear space between the bikes. As you do when raiding swiftly over terrain.

 sometimes the track was the river and then.... we saw reeds!!!

Reeds mean lots of water

Culverts mean lots of water. We all made these look easy and we hardly ever stopped to see if the next was ok, a radio call would let us know if help was required.

And then Charles was off again

For some reason Charles does not tilt his mirror up, he bobs down to check his six, then bobs back up. So every now and then he would do a bob,

I'm glad it was not a mating dance.. But that is how you recognise Badger in the distance, the rider bobs nown n then. It's comforting as you know he is always having full spacial awareness.

 More culverts, more water, we never really stopped, we knew each rider was capable so we could keep momentum and keep going.

 Badger works up a steam going through water

As we approach Darling station after 24 kilos on this track, Charles warns of a deepish gully crossing our track. 

On previous rides, riders have come to grief through complacency when this gully rushes up at you.

And we enter Darling after 27 kilos following the railroad track.

We've made it through phase one, now for phase 2- closed gate and more tracks to Hopefield via the sand monster.

Goodbye Darling, closing the gate

Arno asks "What you waiting for?"; three of us were in 2-way radio coms contact.

a lone horsewoman halted our progress as her mount took fright. Charles slows and  stops to wait for her to get control and out the way

Water spray leaps up during a crossing

WTF, where'd the road go?? a few clicks of wet grass to keep you focused.

And then the 26 kilo section of sand mosnter in all his forms.

When it was not down-right loose sand it was ruts. damp ruts

I found that whenever I was on a sweet spot speedo showed 80Kph.

when the front started to dig in I was slower than 80, when the back got loose I was over 100.

And then for some mud. At 80kph, you have little time to read it so you just carry on, look up, open up, open up

Mud n ruts, just trust the bike, it knows what to do.

a brace of pigoens flew with me for a while, leading the way

No: 1 broke off and up to the left.

No: 2 broke to the right and they were gone.

Oh yes and there was more mud n ruts. Bring it on!!!!!       YEEEEHAHHHH!!

Eric takes point and is first through these pools

Charles n Peter cross after Eric.

Arno's speed shows he is intent on keeping his boots dry.

 This river was flowing swiftly and there was lots of green slime on the causeway

 Eric leads Charles across... easy peasy..

Peter crosses on the downstream side.

Flying along, good tracks, the windfarm is coming up

And the silos just before Hopefield

The 37 installations on the windfarm

And we arrive at Hopefiled... water pools still with us

In Hopefield after cheating the locked gate and Arno ramping the railway siding, we stopped to recount the last adventure

Toe praat arno ook so bietjie met die diere.

Outside of Hopefiled we took the R45 West for 18 kilos to Landebaanweg, then right to the station and back onto 7.5ks of interesting een/twee spoor piste  with a few rail track crossings.

Arno, Peter & Eric, at Juffrous hoogte which we reached at 11H40

We were a good 45 minutes early because we were a smaller group.

Eric n Charles getting ready to leave

The service was fine, the food good and we ralxed with the restaurant all to ourselves.

Arno, Peter n I went East on the R45 to Malmesbury, via Hopefield

Charles n Eric returned home on the R27 to Melkbos n Lakeside

passing the wind farm

I arrived home at 15H30, refreshing to arrive back 'early' from a ride that was such fun, packed with events and very rewarding.

Thanks team, you really made this a lekker ride.