Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

Recently I discovered a wonderful tweespoor in the Tankwa.

Many riders may know it, but it was new and exciting to me, very much worth a ride.

It was on day 2 of our trip to Cape Town from Patensie/Baviaanskloof.

The day started in Prins Albert, riding to Merweville and via Rammelkop pass to Sutherland. From there to Ouberg pass and then the Tankwa where we rode this particular tweespoor.

Overnight at Oppi-Plaas on the Klaarstroom road.

First: an apology
This report won’t have too many photos. My usual videographer did this to himself:

 

 

BACKGROUND

Monsters

Over the past couple of months I have been lying low; keeping mostly to tar, whilst the idea of dirt roads became a monster in my head. It has been almost a year and my foot still doesn’t feel quite right, but at least it is functional now.

 

I hope that those on the trip post some pictures.

This was the first off road day ride for 2013 and judging by the amount of names on the list it was going to be very popular as well.

At 35 names I stopped counting as I was sure that there would be lots of cancellations, as there often are. I was notified of some cancellations and we finally ended with 30 bikes on the Ride.

I had changed the departure time to enable us to enjoy our lunch (snacks) and a swim on a farm in the Ladismith district.

I  just love April. Aren't all those public holidays great? The first three months of 2012 had been a bit hectic work-wise, so Gavin and I worked out a really great bribe to get my mom to come and look after the dogs for a few days while we headed out of town, looking for great coffee shops in faraway places.

We left Cape Town on Easter Monday, after our by-now-customary "start of trip" coffee at our favourite local coffee shop, Starlings. Over Bain's Kloof to Ceres; the stresses of the past three months falling away with every km on the bike.

“I really have a need for open spaces,” I said to my husband earlier in the week. We had been booked to go on Donford’s Tankwa trip, but that was cancelled when they were short of the required 30 riders.

“Let’s go anyway,” came the laconic reply.

DAY ONE : I’m still half asleep when I leave home around 7 am , but soon wake up when I enter into a hefty skid on the corner of Koeberg and Plattekloof Road, after riding straight into a solid mass of fresh black diesel. Now this is not entirely my fault, the car in front of me had been going so slowly that it was practically going backward. What else has a girl to do, except overtake the car in the corner? , but then leaving me no time to see the Diesel Devil before it grabbed me. Luckily Freak had given me a set of tappet protectors last month which saves the day , as the one protector ( with a bit of help from the handlebars) takes the entire weight of the fall .The lurking Tow Truck driver helps me pick up the bike and tries to convinces me that the bike must rest. I laugh and tell him no it’s a BMW, they fall beautifully. I am soon on my merry way, thanking God, Freak and BMW’s for boxer engine design.

Our Group: ''1 x 1200GSA'' Ben & Sandra Saaiman [http://www.bmwmotorcycleclubcape.co.za/user/benna Benna] ''1 x 1200GS'' Steve Thomas [http://www.bmwmotorcycleclubcape.co.za/user/stevet Stevet] ''2 x 1150GSA'' Daantjie & Anel Taljaard [http://www.bmwmotorcycleclubcape.co.za/user/daantjie Daantjie] Andy Connell [http://www.bmwmotorcycleclubcape.co.za/user/andyman Andyman] ''2 x 1150GS'' Charles Oertel on the Badger [http://www.bmwmotorcycleclubcape.co.za/user/charles Charles] Brendan Buurman [http://www.bmwmotorcycleclubcape.co.za/user/Brendan Brendan] ''1 x F650GS'' Anne Connell [http://www.bmwmotorcycleclubcape.co.za/user/annie Annie]