1.5MB - BMW Motorcycle Club of Pretoria, South Africa

From the Committee
Our club is growing by the day and we
are continuously meeting wonderful people. Thanks to everyone for making
this Club such a success and for all the dedication.
Please remember to renew your Club fees in time for you to qualify for the
early bird discount – and that’s not all! If you renew before the cut-off date,
you also win … (sorry, it seems like I got carried away) - Early bird renewals open 1 st October!
Sunday Rides
Our main activity is to ride our bikes and the time
has come for us to start planning for 2011 – both
S and GS. If you have any suggestions, please
do not hesitate to contact us via e-mail. This way
we see more of our wonderful country.
Destinations / ideas we are looking for:
1. Sunday rides
2. One – night sleepovers
3. Week-ends away &
4. Longer trips.
Training Day - p 3
Sunday Rides - p 4, 5, 6
Woman’s Day weekend - p 7
No Flowers: What to do? - p 8
Recalls - p 9
Spoke & Piston - p 9
Bramley - p 10
Econorun - p 10
Staggered Riding - p 11
ClubFest, GS Trophy, Eco 1000
England on a RT - p 13
Lief & Leed - p 14
Members’ Trips
Extreme Awards - p 14
Upcoming Events - p 15
Spoke stops at Gatiepie’s garage and
asks him: What is the quickest way to
Cape Agulhas?
Gatiep: Are you walking or driving?
Spoke: I am driving.
Gatiep: That is definitely the quickest
way to get to Cape Agulhas!
We sometimes take it for granted that everybody knows
what we know and then are surprised at their lack of
knowledge. This is why we are so thankful to Bavarian
Motorcycles for taking the time to train us on certain
aspects of our motorbikes that are second nature to the
experts. We definitely would like to make more use of
this wonderful pool of knowledge, especially those of us
who slept late and could not be part of the first round.
Thanks to Pikkie du Plessis who took Bramley under his wings. We co-opted Pikkie onto the
Main Committee as we see this as a very important part of our contribution to society.
To wind down the official activities before everybody takes their bikes on a wonderful long vacation
(those of us who are fortunate enough to do so), come and join us for a week-end of
fun at our Year End Function! More information on all Club matters available on our web.
Be safe, be BMW
Club Rides: Where friends are
made! Some of our members
relaxing at Sun City, one of the
many destinations of this year’s
Sunday Rides. Join us!
Johan Maartens
Secretary and Road Captain
Whether you like the tar roads
or rather venture off-road, there
are ample opportunities to live
your dream and ride your bike!
Be an active member!
Next issue:
December
2010
* * *
Baie dankie aan
almal wat bydraes
ingestuur het
en spesiale
erkenning
aan dié wie se
foto’s in
hierdie uitgawe
gebruik is.
Hope you
enjoy this
issue - Ed.

Spoke & Piston Page 2
Bike2bike has been selling Bluetooth intercoms, the Supertooth moto and the Interphone F4 for over 4 years and due to
the demand for an effective, easy to use wireless group system, Bike 2 Bike is proud to announce the launch of their new
wireless group system, the Supercomms. It’s taken 4 years of research, development, trials and lots of testing and its truly
a world first: a wireless group communications system that brings everyone together. The Supercomms prices start from
R2500 for the entire system, or use an existing Bluetooth headset or built in bluetooth helmet works with BMW (bluetooth
helmet system) from R1400. Used in conjunction with an Interphone F4 bluetooth headset, you can also listen to music in
true stereo, receive calls and hear GPS prompts. When you get off your bike, all you have to do is remove your helmet and
walk away. No wires to unplug before dismounting. Simple, crystal clear and quick to install. Range of 1-2 km depending
on two way radio. Can be used for up to 20 riders. For full details on how the system works: www.bike2bike.co.za
THE COMMITTEE & RIDES COMMITTEE
Chairman: Dani du Preez
Secretary: Johan Maartens
Treasurer: Etienne Pieterse
Regalia: Corlia Cilliers
Clubhouse/Clubs Africa:
Deon Mattheys
GS Captain: Marnus Pieters
S Captain: Johan Maartens
Co-opted - Bramley: Pikkie du Plessis
GS: Marnus Pieters
S: Johan Maartens Andre Henrico
Deon Mattheys Dani du Preez
Sue Coetzee
Drix Pretorius
Richard Hussey Etienne Pieterse
Johann Meyer Pieter De Koker
Chris Meyer
Daleen Dudley
Martin Dudley
Mario Marais
The Rides Committee meets once a month and welcomes
ideas and suggestions for future Club Rides and
Club Events. Contact the Ride Captains should you
wish to serve on this sub committee.
GS Captain: marnus@bmwclubs.co.za
S Captain: johanmaartens@bmwclubs.co.za

Volume 15 No 3 September 2010
OPLEIDING OEFENING INSKERPING TRAINING
‘n Motorfiets op enige pad, in enige verkeer, teen enige spoed, hou bepaalde
risiko’s in. Daarom is dit ‘n instelling in ons Klub om elke jaar die baan by Zwartkops
te bespreek, sodat ons lede die geleentheid kan kry om by die instrukteurs van
BMW Rider Academy aan eersterangse opleiding blootgestel te kan word.
Hoe meer opleiding, inoefening en inskerping ‘n ryer ondergaan, hoe beter
is die kans om moeilike situasies te vermy en om risiko’s te verminder.
Practice makes Perfect!
Workshop Session: To know your bike, is also of utmost importance, therefore
Pieter de Koker negotiated with Bavarian Motorcycles to add a Workshop Maintenance
and Repair session prior to the rider training on the track. In less than a week
after the invitation via the Triple R (our Club’s weekly correspondence medium) it
was fully booked!
Lenny did a splendid job starting his practical presentation with pre trip safety
checks. Emergency repair topics were: how to jump start a flat battery, how to bypass
the side stand switch, how to repair a cracked cylinder head … and many
more! The Committee will in collaboration with Bavarian Motorcycles plan more sessions
like these in 2011!
Rider Training: During the afternoon session of 12 September, BMW Instructors
Chez and Kersey managed several exercises including emergency stopping, swerving,
slow control, U-turns and figure 8’s with ample opportunity for high speed laps
in between!
It was all in all a great day of learning, cornering, smiling and enjoying our bikes!
Pictures by Ralph Mills
More pictures on the forum.

Spoke & Piston Page 4
REPORT - SUNDAY RIDES
July: Nkwe - page 5
August: S group - Vredefort
GS’s - Que Sera - p 6
September: S group - Sun City
GS group - Bela Bela
Come ride with us!
Normally every first Sunday
of the month ‐ S & GS rides
Final arrangements on the
website & forum.
“Johan kept an
easy pace to start
off with and this
enabled some lost
in transit (myself included) to catch up and join before too
much distance was covered.
For my wife and I as first timers,
what an amazing experience
and for many reasons:
great route, well planned, saw
the places we passed from a
different perspective and
learned quite a lot as we progressed.
With very few potholes,
we could travel at different
speeds and enjoyed
this to the fullest.
For the first time, we became aware of the "Dome", which to
the uninformed could easily be missed. We ventured into the
Free State where we had a great breakfast. On our way back
we stopped on the bridge over the Vaal, from where we returned.
Thank You Johan and all on this ride, you were indeed a fantastic
group to have spent this day with and also a big thank
you for making us as new comers feel this welcome!”
- Sias Wagenaar
“This was our first official
ride with the Club and there
is just something special
about riding in a group that
one doesn't get on one's
own. We've made some
new friends, had a delicious
breakfast, enjoyed beautiful
scenery and got home in
time to enjoy the rest of the
Sunday afternoon.” .
- Leon van den Berg
The outing to Sun City, organised by Trudie, was extremely
well attended & eventful! The first stop was at Magaliesburg
and soon after that Johan’s loan bike didn't perform
at all. Abe took out the ropes and to cut a long story short,
he towed the GSA for almost 200kms! Of course many
abbreviations for what ‘GS’ stands for were created! Apparently
there was also some low flying on the satellite
road, as well as old friendships rekindled, not to mention
the camaraderie - another successful Club Ride
with a bit of bad luck, but all is well that ends well!
Seventeen GS’s joined ride leader,
Etienne on a dusty ride to Bela Bela
where the group enjoyed lunch at the
Dros. According to Etienne everyone
rode extremely well. “We had a very
competent group of riders. The water crossing was perfectly negotiated
by everyone, although some had a close moment or two.” After
lunch some took the shorter road home and others continued on the
dirt towards Klipvoor Dam and Jericho Rock, direction Brits. A few
brave men rode all the way to the top to admire the awesome views
over the bushveld.
“Cheers to a great crowd for a fun ride!” - Irma Walters

Spoke & Piston Volume 15 Page No 3 September 2010 Volume 15 No 3 September 2010
Nkwe Braai — an annual event?
Sue, a member of the Rides Committee, suggested the Club should go somewhere and have a
picnic - or a braai - anything where the whole group can spend quality time together and have fun! It
was agreed that Nkwe will be the Club Ride destination early in July. Both the S and GS riders took
the long way round before reaching Nkwe, just east of Pretoria. World Cup Fever showed as well as
a fantastic atmosphere amongst our members! It may become an annual arrangement?
Below the Ride leaders of the day, Sue Coetzee and Marnus Pieterse’s summaries of the day...
Sue:
“Being only about 50kms away from Nkwe, I truly expected a
small group to arrive. A quick head count showed more than 50
members!
We took the S group out on the back roads to avoid the toll
gates and headed along Zambezi drive around the Wonderboom
airport. Travelling along the old Warmbaths road, before
travelling along the Rust de Winter road. The group was absolutely
amazing - in spite of many stops and turns, not once did
any biker default. It proves once again the Club has instituted
an excellent conduct of riding skills amongst our members.
The Rust de Winter road belonged to us with an open road free
of potholes and cattle except for some grid gates. The total
round trip of approximately 230 kms (which took about 3 hours)
ended with a delightful trip around Cullinan and Boschkop onto
Lynnwood road to Nkwe.
Thanks to all of you for making it such a splendid gathering of
laughter, fun and soccer. Trust me, all the hard work and organising
was well rewarded with an awesome group of "S" and
"GS" riders that socialised together and had enough to eat!
Marnus:
The GS group was made up of 20 bikes and 22 people in total.
It was really nice to see such a group of GS riders together with
a lot of bigger bikes that are usually shy of these kind of rides!
After the nice coffee kick-starter at BP Centurion, we set off on
a rather chilly highway ride down the N1 and N4. Soon enough
we turned off the old Bronkhorstspruit road and stopped to deflate
tyres. At the old quarry behind Sambok, nearly 20 GS's did
slopes and jumps and round and round the quarry!
When we got going again, we took the railway service road towards
Rayton. There we took a little breather and set off back
across the N4, the Diamond Hills road and back towards the
Kempton Park road to Garsfontein road. This was one long
stretch of tar, but we got to sit down a bit at least.
Close to the Tierpoort shop, we took the roads running between
the small holdings and eventually arrived at Nkwe.
Some of the GS route got cut short, but all is well as the two
groups arrived within 10 minutes of each other. The fires were
already started and we finally sat down, had a beer or two before
we tortured some steak & chops on the coals. The lunch
was rounded off with a Malva pudding and custard - certainly a
first for me on a club ride!
Well, our fun didn't end there, because the lunch barely got to
the tummies and the soccer ball came out. I did not realize
that we had some members that can play soccer as well as
they ride their bikes! It was a fabulous morning & afternoon
with some great riding
and even
more
awesome
company!
Thank you to
everyone that
came along!

Spoke & Piston Page 6
QUE SERA — AUGUST GS RIDE
DRIX PRETORIUS
Over 30 riders pitched up for this twisty turny ride. The idea
was to have a slower ride on all the hidden paths south east of
Pretoria and finish at the biker-friendly Que Serra for a short
ride home afterwards. With so many riders (and a lost soul
who missed the start and kept phoning to find out where we
were – “in the veld of course!”) there was going to be a lot of
stopping at turn-offs and therefore we had to make sure everybody
understood the Club’s ‘second rider stops’-procedure.
Onwards we soldiered
and as is tradition with
a GS ride, mud will be
found, even in winter.
After many
twisties and not
so many kilometers,
we took the
shortest route to
We turned onto the gravel quickly in Irene and the first stopwith-a-view
was soon after that. From here the ride started in
earnest and all the single-tracks and jeep tracks in sight were
included. Left, right, left, right, disappearing amongst the tall
grass, and some playing on the little hills at the Star Crater.
Que Sera where we were in
time for breakfast for a
change. The smiles and white
teeth underneath the Gauteng
dust showed that we can
have fun even in the winter!
This was also the last Club
breakfast ride with our
Brazilian friend Bruno …
Ride well Afrazilian!
Membership Type
Yes please, I want to join the BMW Motorcycle Club Pretoria!
Early bird
Existing
members only
Full year
2011
Contact dani@bmwclubs.co.za for more information regarding membership.
After 1 July
2011
Joining Fee
(payable on joining or re-joining after membership lapse)
n/a R40 R40
Ordinary Membership R250 R270 R135
Family Membership (Main member + family with one voting right) R300 R330 R165
Country Membership (Living more than 100 km from Clubhouse) R130 R150 R75
Student membership (Proof to be supplied) R130 R150 R75
Pensioners (Proof to be supplied) R130 R150 R75

Volume 15 No 3 September 2010
WOMAN’S DAY WEEKEND
Tradition has it that ladies organise this long weekend away. This year Trudie took the group to the Cycad Forest
outside Tzaneen and Daleen slipped in an off road route for the GS’ers.
Here is a summary of the weekend, originally written by Marnus Pieters & Daleen Dudley.
After breakfast at Upper Deck, Hartebeespoort, we set off
towards Ellisras, stopping now an again for leg stretching and
fuel. Close to Thabazimbi the GS group (Daleen & Martin,
Marius Booy and Marnus) separated to start the GS sections
for the day. There was thick sand and an incident involving a
1200 Adventure, but other than that quite scenic!
The first night was spent just outside Ellisras.
The small GS group left early the next
morning on dirt roads via Skrikfontein and
Potgietersrus and met the road group again
at Modjadji Cycad forest.
From Modjadji it was straight to Magoebaskloof where we
spent the last night having lots of laughs and fun!
The next morning Johan Maree decided to join the GS group
on Marie's 800GS for a quick trip through the woods. It was a
stunning little path and definitely the best route of the
weekend.
After breakfast we returned
home and were stuck in the
longest traffic jam from
Hammanskraal to Pretoria. It
was more tolerable on the
bike and soon after some zig
-zag lane splitting and
occasionally venturing onto
the shoulder, we made it
back.
This trip proved that we can
have a successful S and GS
weekend together, satisfying
the craze for both twisty black stuff
and sandy, rocky gravel road!
Hopefully this was
the first of many!
Time for pinecone cricket in the woods!
Sheelagh, Daleen, Betsy,
Isolde, Trudie and Marié -
True BMW women!
Thank you Trudie and Daleen for
arranging the trip and Isolde for
driving the back-up vehicle.
SO TRUE . . .
You start the game of life with a full pot of
luck and an empty pot of
experience. The object is to fill the pot of
experience before you empty the
pot of luck.
A friend is someone who'll get out of bed
at 2am to drive his pickup to the middle of
nowhere to get you when
you're broken down.
Sometimes, the best communication happens
when you're on separate bikes.
When you look down the road,
it seems to never end;
but you better believe it does!
Catching a bee in your shirt at 70 mph
can double your vocabulary.
Catching a bee in your helmet will
triple that special vocabulary.

Spoke & Piston Page 8
WHAT TO DO WHEN THERE ARE NO FLOWERS?
What do you do when you have planned to go to Namaqualand
and the West coast to experience one of nature’s wonders
– fields of wild flower in all the colors of the rainbow – but
they have one of the worst flower years ever and there are
hardly any flowers? You find scenic roads to ride, interesting
landmarks to look out for and all kinds of other attractions.
Go play in the sand! From the N14 just after Pofadder take
the turn off to Pella. Once in Pella visit the historic Catholic
Church and experience the wonderful peace and quiet of the
beautiful little church. You can also have a chat with the locals
and get all psyched up about the road lying ahead. Carry on
with the road in front of the church and this will take you to the
start of the Namaqua 4x4 route and also to Klein Pella. Don’t
DALEEN DUDLEY
be misled by the first couple of kilometers of nice tweespoor
track. Just as you get complacent the first sand is there to entertain
you. Be prepared to struggle through the deep river
sand, get very thirsty and sometimes frustrated but also to be
in awe of the rugged beauty and breathtaking scenery around
you! Once in Klein Pella you have to go and visit the date plantations
being the largest in the southern hemisphere with
around 4000 date trees. You can also have the best Coke ever
at the Klein Pella guesthouse.
Smell the ocean! From Kleinsee take the De Beers restricted
road all along the coast down to Hondeklip Bay. Here you
can see some lush vegetation, springboks, gemsbok and also
ostriches. Then go to the beach and watch the sun set with
your loved one before you have a great paella at the local
Fisherman’s cottage. From Hondeklip Bay take the road to
Kamieskroon via Soebatsfontein. It is a bit of a sandy
tweespoor road up to Soebatsfontein and from there a normal
dirt road to Kamieskroon, albeit still with some gravel and sand
on the road. This road provides stunning views over the Namaqualand
national park, especially as you go over the Killian’s
and Grootvlei passes. Make sure to stop for a nice bobotie in
Kamieskroon.
Go to church in Leliefontein! From Kamieskroon take the
Leliefontein road over the Kammiesberg pass toward Garies. It
is a nice winding and a bit of a rocky road and once again you
will have fantastic views from the top of the pass over Namaqualand
and also see some fields with flowers. Take the turn
off to Leliefontein and go visit the church, a national monument.
You can also have a chat with the local kids and maybe
even be dared into spinning or wheeling your bike.
Ride on the plateau! Take the road just outside Vanrhynsdorp
to Gifberg pass, named after the shrubby “gifboom”
trees that grow on the mountain. From the foot of the mountains
it is a steep, windy, uphill climb to the plateau, passing by
a small waterfall. Then ride around on the plateau before you
descend down to the valley again. Make sure to look out for
the many interesting rock formations and also the Vanrhynsdorp
waterfall. The road is rocky in some places and
thick sand again in other places, but definitely worth it. There
are just not enough adjectives to describe this little pass –
magnificent, breathtaking, spectacular, stunning, fantastic
views – a definite must do!
Peace and quiet in Nieuwoudtville! You can take a stroll
through town to the historic church, a national monument, go
have a look at the collection of old bikes at the local garage or
ride one of the many stunning roads around Nieuwoudtville to
some of the nature reserves. Just drink in the peace and quiet
in this little town where almost everyone still has a patch of
grass with sheep in their backyards. You will also find that very
elusive fields of wild flowers. There are many other attractions
in the area such as the glacial pavement and another waterfall
to name just two. A quiet place with friendly people, pretty
flowers and good food!
We have learned on this trip that Namaqualand and the West
coast are about much more than just wild flowers. There are
stunning roads to ride, very interesting and friendly people to
meet and overall a place to get away from everything, become
one with nature and completely unwind!

Volume 15 No 3 September 2010
RECALLS - HOW & WHY
Performance machines require performance parts to work at optimal levels
under extreme conditions at all times.
Not only are our machines sensitive to the conditions they
ride under but so are we, if there are changes in noise, sight
or handling, you the rider is the first to pick it up. BMW has
come a long way with new designs in suspensions, brake
systems, visibility and most important the one we all like:
Performance.
The consumer can find comfort in knowing that
BMW is continuously at the brink of new designs,
pushing the envelope of safety and comfort.
Your present model that you are currently enjoying is still
being tested and inspected by a competent BMW infrastructure
in services, repairs and service centers world
wide.
A system developed by BMW allows all communication
to Germany to be monitored and occurrences to be numbered,
this system is called PUMA.
By doing this, early warning cards can be produced
where systems and products are checked and most importantly,
manufactures scrutinized, levels of standards
monitored and improved to make our BMW the safest in
the world.
Consumers are informed via mail or by the call centre
should your model qualify for a recall. Certified BMW
dealers have all the relevant information to carry out and
inform you should your vehicle have an outstanding campaign
on its vehicle identification number. This network is
world wide and honored all over the globe.
Yes, recalls are a costly affair and are time consuming,
but it gives us peace of mind knowing BMW is
continuously attending to our safety and implementing
improvements in an ever changing world to the
forefront of design technology.
Leonardo, or Lenny as we all know him, is sharing his technical knowledge
for the last 11 years at Bavarian Motorcycles. He is currently the After Sales
Manager at the dealership in Centurion.
Leonardo Spinola.
Creator:
Johan Maartens
Illustrator:
Vasthi du Preez

Spoke & Piston Page 10
BRAMLEY - LET’S TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
A group of members recently visited Bramley on their 50th birthday and took
to the party bags and boxes full of donations made by our members.
Our Club has ’adopted’ Bramley Children's Home as our
responsibility to charity more than a decade ago.
Many members, such as Richard Hussey, Dorothy
Prinsloo and Corlia Cilliers arranged visits, donations
and fundraisers over the years and we are proud of our
members for opening their wallets and hearts to the
more than fifty Bramley kids.
Pikkie du Plessis initiated more
fundraisers in the form of raffles and
we invite members and friends to
bring to Club Nights whatever you
can. Wish lists are available on the
forum and will also be distributed via
the Triple R.
Pikkie was recently
co-opted to the Committee
- Congratulations!
2010 RFS ECONORUN
MIKE WRIGHT
Well done to members, Mike Wright, Tobie Beetge and
Thys Fourie with great results in this year’s Econorun!
Mike summarises this weekend as follows:
“I always wanted to do the Bike Econorun, but could
never find time for it. This year, with a fair bit of persuading
from Bobby and Grant Scott, I entered Class
H for Adventure motorcycles over 1000cc on my trusty
1150 GS. The weekend prior to the event, the contestants,
organisers and sponsors had a meeting where
we were provided with our route schedules and a short
briefing on the event.
The start of the event was on 13 August at Aventura
Loskopdam with the first bike leaving at 07h30. With
competitors leaving in one-minute intervals, and my
number being 44, my departure time was at 08h14.
There were a total of 55 bikes participating.
My route schedule was in its box on the tank and my
stopwatch was synchronized with the Official Time Keeper
- I was ready to go! Taking “advice” from some experienced
participants, I made up time before reaching Middelburg!
Being competitive negatively influenced my fuel consumption.
Lesson learned. I went easier on the second and
third sections of the day, but the damage was already done!
– 5.68l/100km for the first day of ±505km.
The group I rode to Loskop with: 13-Andre Schoeman, 44- myself, 28-
Grant Scott, 30-Stuart Bekker and 49-Darryl Berman.
It was a real challenge to keep the speed down when encountering
a set of mountain twisties, but they are still very enjoyable
at a more sedate pace.
Fuel economy really becomes the
centre of your universe during this run!
Armed with a different approach,
the second day went a lot better!
I averaged 5.12l/100km over ±390kms,
giving me an average of 5.40l/100km for the two days.
That put me 4 th in Class H,
much to my surprise!
The RFS Econorun ran like clockwork. The accommodation
and food was great, even the fuel stops were organised chaos!
I also made a bunch of new friends, who willingly shared
their experiences and advice with a “newbie”, and that made
the trip unforgettable. I’m definitely going again!”
Reg Gurnell, (KTM 690 Duke -1st overall and 1st in class A -
up to 700 cc) completed the 900-km two-day event
with a fuel consumption figure of 3,22 l/100 km.
Tobie Beetge (BMW R1150GS) was the Category winner in
Class L (bikes older than 10 yrs) with 5,78 l/100 km.

Volume 15 No 3 September 2010
SEE
STAGGERED RIDING — THE 5 S’S
One of the most important aspects of motorcycling is vision. To
see is to plan, to plan is to avoid dangers, to avoid means to
survive! With all the individual riders staying in place one gets
an optimal view looking forward or backwards.
SPACE
Ones comfort zone is oh so important riding a motorcycle. Following
distance is very important especially when touring. Riding
staggered one actually doubles the following distance between
you and the rider in front of you.
That is not the only benefit! Staggered riding means that you
always have an escape route. You have the portion of the road
next to you as your own space. Entering a turn you have the
full width of the road to move safely. The full width of the road
is your comfort zone.
SECURE
Inside the group you may move safely. This means that an
invisible barrier surrounds the group. The perception is that a
group is impenetrable. THIS IS OUR SECRET!
A group is much more visible than the individual rider.
SUPPORT
Enclosed inside the group you have the privilege of going with
the flow. You need not explore the road ahead, the leader will,
JOHANN MEYER .
you just need to follow. You may take note of movements from
behind and still feel safe, the sweep will watch your back.
Being at ease means make better decisions.
STRENGTH
Strength lies in numbers. A group is much more intimidating
than the individual. A group earns respect and often gets right
of way. Try and keep the peloton intact and avoid other traffic
into the structure when sensible and practical. Identify faster
moving vehicles and aggressive drivers and allow them
through to avoid road rage.
STAY TOGETHER AND BE SAFE!
BMW CLUBFEST
MARIUS DU PREEZ . .
Four members of our Club joined up with members of Club Central, early on Friday morning 24th September for a ride via
Potchefstroom to Welkom for the annual BMW ClubFest, organised by BMW Clubs Africa. This event is to get members of
BMW Car and Bike Clubs together. The BMW car owners enjoyed the track of Phakisa and the bikers took part in the Poker
Run. Our Club was delegated the responsibility to organise the Poker Run out rides (road and off road).
On Friday afternoon Johan & Ina Maartens did the final recce of the S-route and Marius & Dani the final recce of the GS-route.
Johan drawing his 4th card for his poker hand at
The four of us waiting to replenish the fluids
during Saturday’s Poker Run.
Marius on his 1200GS - one of the 18 who
took part in the poker Run.
Wimpy Virginia
The weekend was packed with BMW cars and bikes flying down the Phakisa
track, together with some rubber burning events such as the gymkhana.
BMW’s (those with 4 wheels!) of Park Motors Welkom and BMW Driver Training were there to take passengers around the track
at low-flying speeds!
Many thanks to sponsors Bridgestone, Peter Marshall Motorcycles, Auto Alpina and Bavarian Motorcycles. Due to their sponsorships
Saturday night’s gala dinner and prize giving was another highlight: trophies, prizes and give-aways to make everyone
smile! Sunday’s ride back was in a challenging cross wind across the Free State flats.

Spoke & Piston Page 12
BMW GS ECO
1000KM VAN VREUGDE
Sedert ek begin motorfiets ry het, het die GS Challenge my elke jaar ontduik
vanweë gesinsverpligtinge. As dit nie my dogters se matriekafskeidfunksies
was nie, was dit weer ‘n dogter wat 21 jaar oud geword het - nog ’n mylpaal in
enige ouer se lewe! Ek moet erken my moed het my ook maar begewe en was
maar bly daar was telkens ‘n verskoning om rustig by die huis te bly en my familie
te geniet… maar vanjaar was dit anders!
Dit was ‘n naweek op my 800GS wat ek om verskeie redes nooit sal vergeet
nie:
• My fiets het hom uitstekend gedra: ‘n Geel 800 wat al beter luister en al meer
doen wat ek vra!
• Die ondersteuning van vriende en klublede: Ek is telkens daaraan herinner aan hoe groot voorreg dit is om deel te wees van
’n Klub met goeie vriende, mense met integriteit, sonder bravade, maar wat hulle BMW’s geniet en trots is daarop: Bruno,
Marnus, Pieter, Faf, Erwin en al die ander met wie ek saam kon kuier, saam kon GS en saam kon lag - deur dik en dun -
‘Shared riding Pleasure to the max’!
• Dit was ‘n geleentheid waar ek myself as ryer beter kon leer ken. As vrou, byna middeljarig (!) met nie al die jare se ondervinding
wat die meeste manlike mede-ryers het nie, het moegheid, lyfseer en soms ‘n tikkie onsekerheid op die honderde
kilometers van grondpaaie, klippaaie en passe my tog laat vasbyt en aanhou. Met elke draai verander die oppervlakte en my
fietsie brom net voort! Lekker!
• Roger en Eric van Bavarian Motorcycles kan maar roetes beplan: Baie dankie - ook vir die ontsnap-roetes vir mense soos
ek wat ‘versigtig’ ry! Die eerste dag was toe regtig lank, maar ek was gewaarsku...
• Spoed was nooit ‘n faktor nie: ‘This is not a race.’ Daarom was dit geen probleem om saam met Johan Senekal en die res
van ons groepie vir Simon en die sleepwa te wag, nadat Johan hard met ‘n Vrystaatse grondpad buite Vrede (nogal) kennis
gemaak het nie. ‘n Gevaarlike, voortsnellende voertuig het stof, sand, walle en slote, nogal in ‘n draai, voor ons in die pad
gestrooi en voor ek weer mooi kon sien, val Johan ‘n entjie voor my en bly net lê! Nog nooit was ek so dankbaar dat daar
dokters saam met my gery het nie - Dankie Faf en Erwin dat ek uit julle kalmte kon leer! Johan kon toe nie verder ry nie,
maar groot was die verligting om later te hoor hy’s veilig met ‘n hoofpyn (of twee) in Pretoria! Dit was goed om te weet Simon
en sy ondersteuningsvoertuig is net ‘n oproep ver!
• Die Vrystaat het sy bekoring: Riviere, klowe en uitsigpunte - nee wag, die mooiste was net bo Normandienpas - ek dink
mens kyk dan oor Natal uit?! Maar Golden Gate, Clarens, al langs die Caledon af tot by Gariep met GS-fietse net waar jy
kyk! Voorwaar ‘n belewenis soos min.
• BMW Motorrad se organisasie en gasvryheid: melding moet gemaak word van Loudfire en hulle besonderse mobiele restourant,
Clint & Co - ’Oh what a band!’… Soveel styl - ek is oortuig ek is by die regte organisasie betrokke!
As alles mooi loop, is ek en hopelik my Marius dan saam met my, volgende jaar weer daar!
South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique will be the playground
for teams from all over the world including South Africa’s
heroes when they will be competing for this year’s GS
Trophy!
The USA team will have to defend their trophy, while our eyes
will be on the South African team: Roger Kane-Berman, Warren
Strong and Gerber Strydom. These men have the advantage
of local knowledge and experience of the conditions.
Picture:
Liz
Daniel
Dani du Preez
GS TROPHY: 13 - 21 NOVEMBER - ON OUR DOORSTEP!
DANI .
The four competitive modules are: Skills Riding; Adventure /
Fitness; Navigation and Technical Testing.
I had the privilege to attend the Skills Riding Module qualifying
round at Konka outside Magaliesburg in August.
The confidence and skills with which these men ride their
GS’s are amazing: total control in the most difficult and tricky
situations. We wish them good luck with their preparation and
all the very best for the competition in November!
Liesl Baben, the only lady competing
in the qualifying round, riding skillfully
through the parallel logs.
Briefing before the Skills Riding; every
rider knows exactly what to do before
the competition starts.
The SA team (left to right):
Warren, Gerber and Roger.
Shane Levey finished 4th and is the reserve.
Action photos on the forum.

Volume 15 No 3 September 2010
ENGLAND ON AN RT
A HOLIDAY WITH NEW BEGINNINGS
JOHAN MAREE
At first the idea was raised during casual chat amongst
friends, then it grew into a dream and later an obsession.
After planning, bookings and other arrangements that took
us more than six months we were ready to board Virgin for
our first bike ride in England. This took place in the last
week of July.
Trudie, being her first holiday abroad was ecstatic and
could not relax until we set foot at Heathrow. Our RT was
ready and waiting at Abouttownbikehire in London and after
the usual train ride and the last leg in a London taxi we
quickly changed into our rider gear that we took along. In
retrospect we will never again explore foreign ground in any
other means than on a motorbike, being rental or not. What
more can one ask for than the best Tourer ever built, a user
-friendly pillion and a GPS with up-to-date maps?
The itinerary took us two days through London, then two
days in the South with Britport as our base from where we
explored Cornwall, Eden Project, Weymouth, Isle of Wight
& New Forest. Then North to Salisbury, Stonehenge, Bath
(what a place! – Our favourite), Bristol, Cardiff and the last
day in Neath where we met up with new found friends from the UK BMW Club to enjoy a perfect site-seeing ride in the hills
and valleys of Western Wales.
The weather was as if ordered being perfect with day temperatures in the upper twenties and nights never less than ten. We
never had any rain while riding, although our rain-suits were close at hand. The English traffic is something to admire and appreciate.
After 8 days we reluctantly had to head back to Heathrow to start working and planning our next trip, probably Germany &
France, or perhaps Italy and Bulgaria…
More reading at: http://www.maree.co.za/England%20on%20an%20RT.htm
IRON BUTTS...
Four Club members successfully completed
the Iron Butt Bun burner 1000
on Saturday 4 September 2010.
The challenge was to complete 1000 miles
(1600km) in 24 hours: They left Pretoria at
03h00 and arrived in Piketberg at 20h00 that
night!
The route: Pretoria, Rustenburg, Mafikeng,
Vryburg, Upington, Springbok, Piketberg.
Chris Booysen says: “We completed the
trip with no problems at all and can recommend
it to anyone keen on a challenge!”
WELL DONE!
Left to right:
Chris Booysen
Dave Rothman
Hentie Oostendurp
Andre Gouws
Neels & Karen
Versteegh from
Kempton Park also
joined the group.

Spoke & Piston Page 14
º LIEF & LEED º CLUB BOLTS & NUTS º JOY & SORROW º
Well done!
EXTREME AWARDS
Chris Meyer
het Kosibaai
reeds in 2003
besoek en meer
onlangs ook die
ander drie punte.
Geluk met die
silwer Chris! ►
Baie geluk aan Bosman Spaarwater wat onlangs sy goue
toekenning ontvang het. Hy het die ekstreem-punte van Suid-
Afrika vanjaar op die volgende datums besoek:
Kosibaai: 19 Junie; Pontdrift: 22 Junie;
Alexanderbaai: 25 Junie en Kaap Agulhas op 28 Junie.
Martin & Daleen Dudley ►►
het vier aparte en baie interessante reise onderneem
om in die afgelope 12 maande die vier punte te besoek
en so hulle silwer toekennings verdien!
All riders who’ve recently completed either the silver or gold
rides, remember to complete the Extreme Rider Application
form and send to the Committee for approval. More about our
Club’s Extreme Awards on the website.
Wedding bells
Jens Heilshorn left South Africa for his home
country Germany on 23 September.
“I have been in South Africa since January 2009. I
only bought my bike last year in July but unfortunately
only joined the club this year in January. In
the 6 months before I only rode about 1000 km -
(very sad) but from January to August it was about
5000 km (much better).”
It was great to have Jens in our Club and to see
him joining us on his 800GS on so many Club rides!
Auf Wiedersehen Jens!
Geocaching Record!
DakarDrix, our Geocaching guru, has set a South African
record in Geocaching circles!
Drix was part of a team of three who found 111 caches
IN ONE DAY in the Kroonstad-Bloemfontein area last
month! The previous record was 64. WELL DONE!
K O E N
More wedding
bells to ring on
9 October!
Good luck and
enjoy your day
Corlia & Sias!
Visit the website www.bmwclubs.co.za for Club Info.
Gerhard & Ilse Beesler is op 4 September
in die eg verbind! Baie geluk!
Send your e-mail address to dani@bmwclubs.co.za to ensure you receive the
weekly Club correspondence.

Volume 15 No 3 September 2010
BMW MOTORCYCLE CLUB
PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA
SO TRUE . . .
People ask us why we ride a motorcycle. For those who have experienced
the joy, no explanation is necessary; for those who have not, no
explanation is possible.
Don't ride so late into the night that you sleep through the sunrise.
Young riders pick a destination and go.
Old riders pick a direction and go.
Keep your bike in good repair.
Motorcycle boots are not all that comfortable for walking.
If you can't get it going with bungee cords and duct tape, it's serious.
Sometimes the fastest way to get there is to stop for the night.
Sometimes it takes a whole tank full of gas before you can think straight.
Four wheels move the body; two wheels move the soul.
A bike on the road is worth two in the shed.
Chairman: Dani du Preez
Secretary: Johan Maartens Website: www.bmwclubs.co.za
Treasurer: Etienne Pieterse
Editor: Spoke & Piston: Dani du Preez
PO Box 75474, Lynnwood Ridge, 0040
(012) 803 7123 0832608542 fax 0866112734
All runs and events are subject to confirmation at the prior Club
social meeting. This is a work-in-progress schedule and may be
altered at any time. No responsibility will be accepted for
changes to the programme.
IMPORTANT
Non-Club members are welcome to attend Club riding events as
guests. Non-members, however, are required to sign an
indemnity form before participating. The form can be downloaded
from the website. The Club has an official policy
regarding the use and financial compensation of support
vehicles on official overnight club trips.
Spoke & Piston also appears on our website. Please send
articles, pictures, comments, etc. to dani@bmwclubs.co.za
INDEMNITY: Although reasonable care has been taken to
ensure the correctness of all material contained herein, the
publisher cannot be held liable for any inaccuracies that may
occur or damage/loss sustained as a result of advice given.
See you at our Clubhouse @ Centurion Gate on Club Nights!
• 1 October: 2010 members Remember to renew membership @ Early bird fees!
• The Club Office will be open on 2 October & 4 December from 10:00 - 12:00.
• 3 December … Ted Simon visits us! More about this legend in a next RRR!
See you there!
Year-end Function
Omaramba - Don’t miss our Club’s BIG weekend!
3 October
S: Gautrain
GS: Canal
Roads
5 - 7 November
Year-end Function!
Due to the Year-end Function, there will be no
Club Night or a breakfast ride in November, but
lots of activities at Omaramba:
Saturday 6 November: S & GS Out Rides
Sunday 7 Nov from 9h00 - 10hOO (after breakfast)
Presentation by Phil Freeman
Not booked yet? Visit www.bmwclubs.co.za
5 December
Klein Kariba
S & GS

“Shared riding pleasure whilst fostering fellowship by the safe,
supportive, responsible and courteous enjoyment of BMW motorcycles.”
See page 15 for Club contact details
Club Nights
Club Rides
GROUP RIDES º SOLO RIDES º FUN TIMES
SHARED RIDING PLEASURE
Printing done by:
S P O K E &
P I S T O N
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