Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

If you’ve read any of my previous trip reports you’d know that I usually pillion with my brother, Mike, but for this trip I had the privilege to ride on my own.  I never thought I would be allowed to ride my moms F650 GS on gravel so imagine my surprise when I got to go.  It was going to be with the beginners group since it would be my first time riding on gravel and also because daddy dearest was leading the group and Mike was sweeper (though that didn’t last long).

Beginners Group

 It was a cold and drizzling morning at the N1 Engen where we came together and set off at 08:30. Since the trip started with not so nice weather I was starting to worry about how the rest of the way would be like and the we came to Franschhoek Pass … from now on every time someone asks me what the scariest thing is I have ever done it would be riding Franchhoek Pass when its so misty you could barely see 10 metres in front of you. It was so nerve wrecking because you can’t see the bend until you’re basically on top of it and every now and then you don’t see the hazards of the bike in front of you so you don’t know what to expect.  My eyes were burning so much in the end because you cant ride with your visor down  or else it fogs up and since it’s open your eyes keeps getting hit with tiny little icicles. At the end I was just like “thank you, it’s over”. Then the sun came out on our way to Villiersdorp.

can you see me?

Lunch

When we got to the gravel turn-off at Koo we stopped for lunch. The guys from Rockfox provided hotdogs, juice and even some sponsored Monster’s (Thank you Sam). After our tummies were filled we set of on a good gravel road to Touwsrivier, Skaapberg, Verlatenkloof and then finally Sutherland.  It was surprisingly warm and no snow was to be seen. After everybody went to their separate accommodations to freshen up we went to The Jupiter. There we saw all the rest of the groups and mingled and relaxed. After a glass or two, some good food and good company I felt the day catching up to me and it was time for bed. When I came to my room I was pleasantly surprised to see that my electric blanket has already been switched on and I wouldn’t be climbing into a cold bed.

Me and Boetie

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Dinosaur

After a good nights rest and a filling breakfast we met up with the rest of the group in front of the Jupiter getting ready to ride again. For those of you that know Mike  would also know that he isn’t one for riding slowly, so sweeping wasn’t really for him,  because of that he was going to lead the group back and dad would do the sweeping. (And just so you know I was riding second and third most of the way). After a lot of thought it was decided that we would go back through the Tankwa, a part of the same route that Geoff’s group, the advanced riders, had taken. The view was amazing but there were parts of the road that had my heart doing a nervous patter. Because of rain, the trucks had made a lot of different tracks in what used to be mud but was now a hard surface. The first time my wheel slipped into one of those tracks I had to remind myself to just let the bike follow it and not try to escape it and then it became easier. As we made a quick stop to take a group photo Geoff’s group went passed.

1200 is an animal killer

After a relaxed lunch at the Tankwa Padstal we carried on, that’s when Katbakkies Pass came. It’s a very beautiful road to ride on but also rather scary, well for me at least, with sharp bends close together and loose gravel. There was one part were the gravel turns tar and my front wheel buckled a bit, luckily I didn’t grab the front brake or else I would have had a wipe out. That was the last bit of excitement as we headed home through Ceres.

Other riders having a laugh

This trip was a great experience and it seems that I’ve been bitten by the adventure bug. Can’t wait to go on another adventure, hopefully this time on my very own bike (and not my mom’s).  Just want to say thank you to everyone that contributed to making this weekend memorable and for making my decision between buying a car or a bike so much harder. 

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