Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

Sometimes starting out may be less daunting than you think. You may even find a new soul mate…

To be part of the exclusive, or should I say illustrious club of GS owners, you need to own a BMW GS. In my case the bike came as part of a -, let’s just call it an unfortunate break-up in close family. Never the less, at 55 I am now the proud owner of a 1200 GSA – a stunning red, well looked after model. My last motorcycle was a 50cc help-my-trap which was my steed for the daily commute to school and back. That was many moons ago as you can imagine.

Obviously the GS did not come with a Code 1 licence issued with the break-up. Off to the traffic department to write the learners. As a law abiding citizen I do most things by the book – even getting the learners before trying out the bike. At the traffic department I had to eat some humble pie as one of my students was writing her learners as well. “Are you here to write a learners!?” A soft reply, not to be offended by more people – “Yes my dear, I certainly am…”

Licence in hand, my first task was to have new tyres fitted to the bike as the previous one’s were warn to below my 2mm minimum height norm. A few of my friends already had GS’s. One of them offered to go with me to the dealership. “Don’t worry, we have a casual ride to Stellenbosch and have a breakfast at the dealer while they fit your tires. It will be quick.” My friend – Sam – also assisted me in getting the right riding gear.

With one day of learner licence theory behind me I straddled the red baron for the ride to Stellenbosch. I warned Sam that my total experience was on the 50cc help-my-trap. “Please go slowly… how does the gears work?” Sam nodded and indicated “first is down and the rest up”. Yea right – a help my trap does not have ups and downs… Another friend – Jacques - also went with for moral support.

On the N1… For me the first few kilo’s felt as if we were going at 250km/h. The Red Baron responded aggressively to every little movement I made on the throttle. At every intersection the ride felt more comfortable. At the R44 turn-off I had to concentrate as some civil engineer decided to have a few mini-circles before you get to the BMW dealer. This did not go too bad for a first go I thought.

Little did I know what a tyre cost! Same price as the large 245’s of my Ranger! “Your tyre sensors also needs replacing” came the news from the friendly man at the workshop. Good grief! They better last a life time from here-on… Breakfast was great. Sam proposed we go to Somerset West to get some kilo’s on the new tyres. The new tyres made an immediate difference to the feel of the bike. Sam always driving in the front and Jacques following behind. We drove to some shops they wanted to visit. On the return I made a judgement error and took a wrong turn splitting me from the rest. What to do? I immediately stopped next to the road and waited.

Riding lesson number one: Always follow the leader… Know how you are going to communicate in the event of separation.

Riding lesson number two. “First is down and the rest up” actually means there are six gears in total… This I only found out on the way back. I assumed five was sufficient…

It ended with me having to take the road home back without any escort. Maybe it was not such a bad thing as I had to concentrate more on my driving and the response of the bike.

First ride done and dusted – not so daunting after all, but the Red Baron is definitely not a help-my-trap!

Sam phoned to find out if I was OK. Of course I am OK! This is great! When do we go out again?

Just there and then we made an appointment for the first official breakfast ride. We need some saddle time first before we go with bigger groups. Sam proposed – “Breakfast at Melissa’s at Du Toitskloof Cellar.” I responded – “Yes please, but let’s take the long road there.” So the two passes trip began to take shape.

At the agreed time on Sunday 10 July, Sam, Jacques and I set off on what was to be a bit more than I expected. Sam’s wife – Tannie Sam rode pillion with him. An easy ride out to Wellington. Sam stopped to brief me on some issues we may come across in the pass. “Don’t go into the curves too fast. Look where you want to go. Slow down if you feel you are going too fast. Don’t drive on the wet painted lines into turns.”

Bainskloof Pass was a joy! The bike felt as if it was coaching me all the way. Slow down! Lean more into the turn. Select the right gear before the turn. Geez – the Red Baron has a heart!

Close to the top Sam stopped so that we could enjoy the magnificent view that the day delivered. A joy indeed. God’s own country.

The driffie at Slanghoek. Jacques, Niel and Sam.

Travelling onwards to the driffie at Slanghoek the Red Baron kept coaching me on driving styles and lines to take. Always one to err on the safe side I felt like we are forming an ever closer bond – the Red Baron and I.

Breakfast at Melissa’s was great! The two large cups of coffee was also great.

Riding lesson number 3. Make sure you know how to quickly get out of your riding (pants) gear before having too much coffee… Also allow time to get back into the pants… (I did mention I am over 50…)

The road back took us past Brandvlei dam and onto Villiersdorp. Another stop at Theewaterskloof dam to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Sam and tannie Sam…

Through the Franschhoek Pass the Red Baron again coached me through the twists and turns. “Easy, comfortable and safely…” We are starting to work together like old friends – the Red Baron and I. Through Franschhoek we had to go with the slow traffic with all the weekend visitors to this beautiful town. Out on the other side turning right onto the Wemmershoek Road.

Having driven countless times on this road with various vehicles, I never knew that a road can have so many different smells. A whole new world is opening up!

The last stretch is on the N1 back home. How boring can a single stretch of road be? I was actually starting to look forward to some twists and turns to make the road more interesting.

We all greeted as we parted at the last traffic light before home. The Red Baron brought me home safely after a very enjoyable 275 km’s. In one trip he showed me how gentle the transition process can be from my initial experience on my help-my-trap to one of the largest bikes in one decent ride. I am hooked! Hooked to the driving experience and hooked to my new soul mate, the gentle giant, the Red Baron!

I think I am ready to ride out with the club. I am ready to try out new adventures. I am ready to experience new capabilities.

Riding lesson number 4: Driving a GSA is extremely addictive. Let’s do it again!

 The route taken over Bainskloof Pass and Franschhoek Pass.