May / Jun - BMW Motorcycle Club of Pretoria, South Africa

I N S I D E
L O S K O P R I D E 2
W H E R E W A S I ?
B M W Z A M B E S I 3
M O R E C L U B 4
R I D E S
P L A Y I N G W I T H 5
F I R E
T H E R O A D S 6
G E T B E T T E R
F R O M T H E C H A I R
Anyone who thinks that this Club is waning in its activities would be pleasantly surprised
to read in this issue that recently we have organised and successfully carried out four extended
tours for members and their pillions: Two trips to Transkei, (one GS, one S) a trip
to Sani Pass and back and a Canopy Tour to the Eastern Cape! Well done organisers
and ride leaders. Your good work continues to stretch the comfort zone of our members
and put saddle miles under their butts while we explore this beautiful country of ours. If
you, the reader, have not tried one of our Club trips, I urge you to up your riding skills at a
training day and to join one of the upcoming rides. Browse the events pages on our website
and on our forum until you find one that suits your timetable.. You will love it!
Ride safe people … Richard Hussey
A R O U N D
7
L E S O T H O
T A M I N G T H E
8
W I L D C O A S T
C A N O P Y T O U R
9
T S I T S I K A M M A
B O L T S & N U T S
B I L L Y & T R I S H
B M W B I K E R
1 0
1 0
1 1
G A T H E R I N G
W O R D S ,
1 1
G E S T U R E S &
C H A T R O O M S
P I C T U R E
1 2
P A G E
www.bmwclubs.co.za
U P C O M I N G T R I P S
Other trips to look forward to in the near future:
Winter Chill to KwaZulu–Natal: 13 - 16 June / Deon Mattheys
The Woman's Day Trip early in August promises to be very special this year. Join
Trudie Maree on a tour through the history of the Anglo Boer War and imagine the
tragedy and tears but also the strength and inner spirits of a nation to rise again.
There will be a Sunday morning ride the
first weekend of every month.
GS Trip to Kosi Bay: 8 - 10 August / Pieter de Koker
The BMW Clubfest in Welkom: 9 - 10 August / Richard Hussey
Train/Bike Tour to Cape Town: 19 - 27 September / Deon Mattheys
Transvaal 3 Dams: 24 - 27 September / Johan Maree
7 June: Training Day - Zwartkops
Reserved places only.
3 July: Next Club meeting
5 July: Sunday rides to Cullinan

V O L U M E 1 4 N O 3 M A Y / J U N E 2 0 0 9
Page 2
L O S K O P R I D E - W H E R E W A S I ?
I would hereby like to lodge a complaint against all
the insensitive GS riders who took a trip to Loskop
Dam on Sunday 5 th April 2009. I am not an unreasonable
person and quite honestly feel that I am a
good person at heart but do have a major problem
being harassed by a bunch of Charley Bormann
wannabe’s. Let me explain why:
It all started about 10 ½ months ago when my mate
decided to take his wife out for a nice romantic dinner….
Who knew then, that a chain of events would
unfold that would have a serious impact on my wellbeing
and have me condemned by the fickle finger of
fate by someone just going out to dinner. You see that
this romantic dinner led to other things happening, such
as the consumption of wine, etc. and before you know it
my mate got a bit too cozy with his wife and 9 months
later, low and behold, he had his first son. At that stage
I was still blissfully unaware of anything negative that
could have an impact on my world, how wrong I was.
The reality of his actions only became known to me on
the evening of our last BMW Club meeting when the
discussion started. Would I be joining the run on Sunday?
It hit me like a sledgehammer. Damn, I have to
attend my mate’s son’s christening that very day. How
could my mate be so insensitive to arrange it on that
day? I had three options available to me: 1. Ask the
church to change their service to another day - who
does the church thing on Sunday anyway; they should
be open all week and most places are closed on Sundays.
2. Tell my mate to reschedule his son’s christening,
or 3. Come up with some excellent excuse why I
will be busy and can’t attend. I found out that the
church is open every day and it seems to be a bit of a
tradition going on Sunday mornings. Apparently my
mate made these arrangements for the christening a
while back and all the family was invited so to change
the date at short notice would be a bit difficult (lame
excuse). So I decided to go down the avenue of coming
up with an earth-moving excuse why I cannot attend.
After working on an excuse all Saturday morning I went
past my mate, brought gifts of beer and cigars and
figured out there was no way I was getting out of the
S E A N B U Y S
christening. Guilt trips and reverse psychology work wonders
on me. So guess where I was on Sunday 5 th April ?
Sunday morning’s dress code was a suit and tie. Out of
rebellion I was going to attend the church service kitted out
in full MX gear as a silent protest but was warned against
that with an early morning sms from my mate’s wife. Are
women really psychic? There I was, 9h00 in church, listening
to the good words of the man, with my heart on 2
wheels on a sand road to Loskop Dam. Then it started . . !
Charley wannabe sent me an mms with the heading
“Guess where I am?”
From that point my day started going south. Being the good
person that I am, I took a picture of the proceedings of the
church and mms’ed that to “Charley” to show what a good
citizen of society I am. Got another mms back, showed a
picture of a Dakar standing upright on its own, in thick
sand. I sent a picture of the man in front blessing newborn
kiddies as he christened them. I got an mms of a river
crossing. At this point, I started to think to myself that no
matter what, I was doing the right thing, by cursing
“Charley” and his other Club member.
Unfortunately my day did not really get better. After the inspiring
service we went to a beautiful country club to have
lunch to celebrate this little angel’s introduction into his religious
realms. There at least they had a bar, so not to be
outdone by “Charley” I sent an mms of the bar, stocked to
the roof with every kind of drink known to man, and do you
know what he did? He sent one back of the bar he was in
overlooking a swimming pool! Now that was starting to annoy
me. I sent an mms of my lunch and again he out-did
me. That was it, I decided to go and sit in a corner and
search for solace in the bottom of a bottle of beer. The corner
that I chose to feel sorry for myself contained another
person, also from the BMW Club, nursing down a drink,
with tears in his eyes, muttering about how cruel life can
be. His mates were sending him pictures of the track day
he was supposed to be on. We sat there and figured out
how to place a curse on our mate so that he never has the
ability to breed again. His and his wife’s hormones made
the two of us miss a fantastic day.
This ride was Etienne’s first as leader and a job well
done! Marnus pitched up with the Club’s reflective
vest and was immediately appointed as Sweep of the
Day. The route included: Single tracks, bits of sand,
water crossings as well as lovely open dirt roads.
There were no spills nor injuries this time round, although
a few minor mechanical problems. The lunch
at Forever Loskop (with live music coming from the
pool side) didn't disappoint and everyone asked: Why
should we go home? So we made another pit stop
and some got home just before dark! Indeed a great
morning’s ride attended by 15 GS’ers.

S P O K E
& P I S T O N
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T H E P E O P L E B E H I N D B M W Z A M B E S I
Do yourself a favour and pay a visit to the
new established BMW dealership, situated in
Breedt Street, Montana Gardens, just off of
Zambesi Drive. Any BMW enthusiast - bike or
car - will be delightfully surprised!
On the left is Alister Hay (Dealer Principal)
with Ian Reid, Rob Gregory
and Rian Myburgh.
Zambesi
Tel: 012 523 3600
Bavarian
Tel: 012 323 4865
Bavarian East
Tel: 012 809 3601
A N E A S Y G U I D E F O R C O R R E C T T Y R E P R E S S U R E S
High speed,
long distance touring in warm weather with a loaded bike in all-round ideal conditions
High speed,
long distance touring in warm weather in all round ideal conditions
Asphalt surface
but with large, dangerous potholes and other sharp surface hazards
Long distance
commuting including highway / freeway travel
Short distance
commuting in city traffic below 100kph. Seasons Spring, Summer and Autumn
Off road
trail with smaller rocks at some speed
Riding when conditions are less than ideal e.g. in very windy conditions.
Or when conditions vary a lot.
Riding when conditions are less than ideal for shorter distances at moderate speed
e.g. in extremely windy conditions
Short distance commuting in city traffic below 100kph during cold Winters
A long day of riding in the wet at moderate speed
Dirt road with moderately good surface but with some rocky spots
Travelling slowly in loose, deep sand with tyres with tubeless tyres
Rocky off road trail with very uneven surfaces at slow speed
Travelling slowly in loose sand with tubed tyres. Tyres must not get too hot.
Travelling slowly in very loose, deep sand with tubed tyres.
Tyres must not get too hot. Tyres must not be able to slip on the wheel rims.
40% above recommended
30% above recommended
30% above recommended
20% above recommended
Manufacturer's
recommendation
Manufacturer's
recommendation
Manufacturer's
recommendation
10% below recommended
15% below recommended
15% below recommended
15% below recommended
40% below recommended
40% below
50% below recommended
60% below recommended

S P O K E
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Page 4
D U B B E L L E K K E R I N D U L L S T R O O M
LeRoy Olivier en Drix Pretorius het beide op kort kennisgewing ingespring en roetes beplan vir die Sondagoggendritte
vroeg in Mei. Daar is voorgestel dat beide die pad- en GS-groepe vir ’n slag saamkuier en LeRoy het reëlings
getref vir ’n Moedersdag-ete by Dunkeld Country Estate, net buite Dullstroom. Die sewe GS-ryers het so ‘n rukkie na
die veertien padryers daar aangekom en almal is heerlik bederf met kaggelvuur-hitte en ‘n ontbyt uit die boonste
rakke. Die dames het teen ‘n spesiale afslag-prys geëet en is verder bederf met ’n komplimentêre glasie sjampanje
en sjokolade. Dit was baie aangenaam om vir Geoff en Linda Bateman asook Martin en Daleen Dudley op hulle eerste
klubrit saam te hê.
Die smal kronkelpaadjie wat na die restourant lei asook die tuine en dammetjies was iets besonders. So ook om die
ST’s, LT’s, RT’s en GS’e saam te sien uitspan onder die herfsblare in die parkeerarea!
The route we followed is scenic and very
beautiful, although the road surface was in
certain places not good at all. What
started out as a nice sunny and cloud-free
ride ended as a completely overcast and
cold day.
I must admit it was nice having both
groups together at the same venue. One
could then spend time with friends you
normally don't see at these rides.
After the cold on the bikes (9°C), especially
over the last 100 odd kilometers as
we started climbing towards Stoffberg and
Belfast, the log fires in the restaurant at
Dunkeld Country Estate, were a welcome
respite.
The venue is extremely well-suited for this type of mass Club ride, with management willing to accommodate our
wants and needs - as they so aptly illustrated with this ride. The buffet was set up especially for the Club and the
service was really excellent.
A P R I L C L U B R I D E -
S T O N E H A V E N
“Twenty-two bikes (35 people) attended the All Tar
Ride to Stonehaven. The breakfast was pre-booked
and the management did their best to make this a
memorable breakfast run and venue. Even our
Club’s logo was displayed on the welcoming signage.
The food and service were excellent. This
venue should become a permanent fixture on the
runs-listing, provided that a pre-booking is again
made!”
- LeRoy Olivier.
◄ Part of the 22 members and friends who enjoyed
the breakfast at Stonehaven: Abe, Tessa, Ryno,
Elaine, Tamlyn, Roelf and Gert.

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Page 5
P L A Y I N G W I T H F I R E C A N G E T Y O U B U R N T
H E N R I H E Y N S
A popular South African motorcycle magazine recently printed an article by an intrepid off-road rider who has really
gone places in his life. He describes vividly the places visited, the unusual situations encountered, the wonders of
nature explored. He’s been all over, not only in this country but even deep into the heart of Africa.
At first I thought I had misread the meaning but when he
devoted an entire paragraph to explaining his unusual
behaviour on the road, it dawned on me that he was
boasting about breaking the law. And I'm not talking
about the occasional burst of speed, riding in a no-go
lane or parking in a restricted area. It seems that this guy,
He gets his kicks
from slipping through toll gates
without paying the fee . . .
not a BMW rider thank heaven, gets his kicks from slipping
through toll gates without paying the fee. Seemingly
he waits behind a car about to proceed through the control
point and then slips through just before the boom descends.
The booth attendant is usually so busy counting
the cash extorted from the hapless motorist that she has
no time to take down the licence number of the by-then
speeding biker, thus allowing him to get away with it.
He also apologises to a motorist
who had to pay twice at a toll plaza.
Seemingly he lined up next to the guy, pulling away when
the boom lifted. The unfortunate motorist was a little slow
in doing his thing, with the result that the boom came
down before he could clear it. Sorry guys, but this is just
not cricket.
However, we cannot but agree with him that toll fees for
bikes, being the same as for a motorcar towing a caravan,
are exorbitant.
A biker on the road from Pretoria to Messina in the North
has to go through seven tollgates,
costing R129.20 before reaching his destination!
The object of my attention is also correct in arguing that
two tyres cannot possibly cause as much road wear as
four or more and that toll gates waste a lot of good riding
time, and become slippery road hazard for bikers having
There was a jarring note though.
to stop on the spot where many car engines leak oil. Like
this guy, we all hope that something could be done to
give the motorcyclist a fair deal and, like some countries
do in Europe, charge a modest toll fee or even provide a
slipway to bikers for free travel on the motorways.
But breaking the law cannot be condoned.
This type of antic gives bikers a bad name and further
fuels the fires of an already hostile press and public opinion.
How long can it be before toll barons have measures
in place to photograph errant bikers and have them arrested
for technical theft? And with things as they are
today, a visit from the Assets Seizure Unit, to take away
one’s two-wheeled love and joy can also not be ruled out.
As things stand now, in order not to pay, there are only
two ways around the problem, toll tax evasion and toll tax
avoidance. The first is illegal, the second not.
No, let us, the biking fraternity, supported by bike dealers’
associations, go through proper channels and try to
break this deadlock over toll roads. I personally prefer to
avoid toll roads like the plague. Of course, as more and
more roads are turned into the source of easy money for
the tollsters, avoiding them become all the more difficult
(but all the more fun). But let’s face it, there still are plentiful
untolled roads around to satisfy most bikers.
To some of us it even becomes a challenge to get from
one place to another without going through a toll plaza.
At any rate, what must other motorists think of bikers displaying
such inexcusable acts of discourtesy?

S P O K E
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T H E R O A D S G E T B E T T E R . . I P R O M I S E
E T I E N N E P I E T E R S E
Etienne’s love for passes and his knowledge of the Drakensberg area made him the ideal member to organise a trip
to Sani (and other passes) over Easter. But fate intervened two days before he
was supposed to lead his first trip . . . He got side-swiped by a BMW320d, broke
his collarbone and had serious roasties on his leg and ankle. Bike riding was out
of the question. Here’s his story . . . From the back of the pack.
I decided I WILL do the trip, but in the back-up vehicle.
I’m glad I did.....
Pieter, my friend, agreed to lead in my place, despite
having no prior knowledge of the intended route and only
the GPS track that I gave him the day before. Pieter’s
knowledge and experience in leading a trip was invaluable.
Thanks Pieter!
The first little problem started very early on Day 1:
Bruno’s 1200GS’s Tyre Pressure Sensor kept on showing
that his rear tyre is at 0.9bar. After a little dirt-trackdetour
to avoid the De-Hoek Toll Plaza, very thick mist on
the way to Villiers also slowed us down.
The scenery around Bethlehem, Clarens and Golden
Gate kept the rider’s spirits high, but it was a rather frustrating
ride in the back-up vehicle. We were sitting behind
‘Oom Jan en Tannie Marie’ in their 80’s Benz and old
Jurgens Caravan! All the while I was wishing I was on my
bike! We made it through and re-grouped at the Sterkfontein
Dam viewpoint.
Everyone was happy… it was the calm before the storm.
After 445km of beautiful tar road riding, I saw Pieter leading
the way towards GS heaven - the first pass I included
so carefully in the route. It started off with an interesting
mud-patch, which everyone got through albeit a bit dirty.
The terrain changed becoming more rocky and uphill. I
held my breath in the 4x4 at the back of the 7 riders,
hoping that everyone will make it up the hills. With a few
stops and stalls here and there everyone made it to the
START of Bezuidenhoudt’s Pass. I got out and told everyone
that this was where the pass started and we were
going to ride down the pass. I got some surly looks, but
nothing major.
At this stage all hell broke loose. Conditions were tough
with loose rocks, big wash-aways, steep drop-offs. I felt
like a cop-out sitting in the 4x4 and watching bikes tumble
especially knowing that I had planned this route and
wasn’t even sharing the pain of riding it.
It took 4 hours to do the 10-odd km’s that is Bezuidenhoudt’s
Pass: Everyone was tired and ‘gatvol’ and the
day just didn't have enough hours. We arrived after
19h00 at Nottingham Road in the freezing cold and misty
dark. Although tired, exhausted and sore, everyone was
relaxed and we enjoyed the company into the wee hours
of the morning.
Day 2 saw us enjoying the most beautiful and scenic dirt
roads our country has to offer: through the Kamberg Nature
Conservation area, onto Lower Lotheni and onto
Himeville for the start of the Sani Pass. Marius (sporting
an injured hamstring)
and Dani wisely decided
to leave their
bikes at the border
post at the bottom of
the pass even though
I had told them Day 2
would not be that challenging. Little did we know!
The pass was in very bad shape and the back-up Fortuner
with 6 passengers was bobbing up and down all the
way to the top. We lost view of the riders who had to
keep riding to maintain momentum. There were now 5
bikes on the pass: Pieter, Marnus, Drix, Bruno and Shangali.
After every turn the road deteriorated! Shangali got
halfway up and decided to turn around. All the while I
was hoping and praying that the other riders were coping.
Four made it to the top and then had to return via the
same route.
We arrived in Notties after dark. I felt terrible that this had
gone on for two days in a row. Everyone was exhausted
after two exceedingly hard and long days on the bikes.
But the road will get better, I promised!
And it did!
My long-time buddy, Sephton (on his Kawa KLR650!)
showed us the way up Middledale Pass (also called
Tintwa Pass) the following day. More dirt all the way to
Montrose and after Van Reenen we took the road less
travelled and descended Van Reenen’s Pass on the railway
service road also referred to as the “tunnel road”.
This was a spectacular piece of GS riding - nothing too
taxing, but vigilance was required. A few rocky and
muddy patches, but all in all, brilliant! I started to feel a bit
better at this stage. From the bottom we hit the dirt roads
all the way to Newcastle.
The memory of our evening at the Hilldrop B&B in Newcastle
will remain with me for a long time. However, as
the saying goes: What happens in Vegas (or on a trip),
stays in Vegas (or on a trip) . . .
We rode home over the truly beautiful Normandien Pass
and other picturesque dirt roads on top of the escarpment.
I want to thank all the riders as well as Brian for a truly
memorable trip: We shared great moments with an abundance
of laughter, pain, exceptional rides, and above all,
great company.
The full story and pictures can be viewed on the forum.

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A R O U N D L E S O T H O
D O R O T H Y P R I N S L O O
Easter weekend was a busy weekend for the Club:
The same time that the GS riders went off-road in the
foot-hills of the Drakensberg, another group of riders
joined Dave to venture the tar roads around Lesotho.
They made an extra long weekend of it and left on the
Thursday morning for Nottingham Road Hotel.
A few drops of rain on the first day and some wet
weather from Flagstaff the next day en route to Port St
Johns couldn't spoil the fun of riding some of the best
twisties in the country!
The last 16km to Port St Johns found the group riding
133 bends!!
Jamie took this picture of the ‘Around Lesotho’ riders:
From left to right: Stienie Rossouw, Richard Hussey,
Bridget Sendall, Dorothy Prinsloo, Dave Swart, Wahl Fitzgerald,
Chris & Golda Meyer, Lauren Fitzgerald, Nick
Sendall, Laurent & Ezette Changuion.
Spectacular scenery between Elliot and Barclay East -
destination for the 3rd night - made every minute on the
bikes special.
Fouriesburg Country Inn was as organised and cosy as
ever – with their usual excellent buffet variety for dinner.
The planned
route home
was via Golden Gate to Kestell, Bethlehem, Lindley and through Krugersdorp
to miss the returning Easter traffic.
The ladies expressed their disappointment at not being able to shop in
Clarens and the men wanted to do their ride through Golden Gate. So, in
the interest of trying to keep the happy-trip-group dynamics intact, a compromise
was reached: The ladies would be dropped off in Clarens to do
some shopping while the men did their ride through Golden Gate and
picked the ladies up later to continue the trip home – everyone was
happy!!
. . . and some of the extended capabilities
of the K1300S were revealed
on the trip through Golden Gate!!
Jamie summarised the trip like this:
The overall trip – Fabulous: One we shall remember for some time.
Dave’s and Dot’s organisation was excellent with nothing left to chance.
The riding – Ecstatic. Some of the best roads a road bike could wish for. Obviously some bad ones as well but
that’s real life.
The bikes – No reliability issues from the BMW brand. We had to change a tyre en route.
The company – GREAT. One of the “best” groups overall I have ever ridden with. Very prompt, very polite, very
courteous and with above average riding ability.
The back-up – Although never needed (glad for that). A BIG thank you to Lauren
Complaints – NONE
Regrets – The trip is over INDEED . . . SHARED RIDING PLEASURE !!!

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T A M I N G T H E W I L D C O A S T
Eleven riders joined Colin on the first official
Club trip to the dirt roads of the Transkei.
A trip to the Wild Coast?
It can only be one extremely wonderful adventure! And it was.
Places like Coffee Bay, Hole in the Wall, The
Haven, Haga Haga and Naudé’s Neck have
proper meaning now.
The slippery start on a wet Lotheni Road to
Sani Lodge was quite the appetiser for 9 days
of sheer riding pleasure!
Rain and hail, windy and cold conditions
tested us on day one and two. But nothing,
not even early morning almost zero visibility
or traffic police could slow us down to thoroughly
enjoying the dusty and rocky roads of
the Transkei.
When the road down to the White Clay Resort
looked a bit difficult for a bike with loaded
panniers, confidence kicked in and you just
follow those who know how to do it!
Yes, there was a mishap or two: A broken screen and
pannier when a 90° turn turned out to be far more slippery
than expected; Deon travelled lighter after a stop in
Umtata when a mugger zipped open his bag and took all
his clothes and of course the lady rider in the group put
her bike down once or twice - just to keep the men focused!
Back-up Dean and co-driver Wessel were there when we needed them - for buying ‘braaivleis’ and refreshments
when ‘Plan A’ dinner didn't realise, or to give Tina a lift when the road was not suitable for pillions. Fortunately the
trailer was never needed . . .
There were so many activities and special moments that built friendships and strengthened camaraderie, that
created memories that will last for ever: the thaw out evenings at a fireplace, an odometer that clicked over to
100 000kms, the ride over Naude’s Neck and Lundean’s Pass, tea and scones at the bottom of Tiffendell . . .
And to top it all - the wonderful experience of riding your bike and enjoying every minute!

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C A N O P Y T O U R
T R U D I E M A R E E
Dit was vanjaar die tweede jaar wat Johan & Trudie Maree ’n 9-dag toer na die Tsitsikamma woud gereël
het en vier van die agt ryers was dames!
Die groep het bestaan uit:
Basie & Antoinette Pieterse, Frik van Staden, Johan
& Trudie Maree, Elaine Barkhuizen, Janis Godwin,
Abe, Sue & Tamlyn Coetzee asook
Johann & Marisabel Strauss.
Voordat hulle in die boomtoppe gaan swaai het,
is hulle via Kimberley na Sutherland
(‘n goeie voorstel deur Sue),
daarna Roete 62 vanaf Wellington na Kareedouw
en dan het sommige
(Abe, Elaine, Sue & Tamlyn)
ook nog die moed gehad om te bunji!
Merkwaardig van hierdie toer is dat daar vier dames
met hulle motorfietse vanaf Pretoria gery het,
teenoor drie manne. Johan Strauss en Marisabel het
eers later in Oudtshoorn aangesluit, waar die
reisplan ‘n besoek aan die Kango-grotte ingesluit
het.
Welkom by die Klub!
Dit was beide Frik en sy blou LT, en Janis met haar
rooi F650GS se eerste Klubtoer. Janis het geen
opleiding nie en was met tye baie moeg as gevolg
van sy-winde en die feit dat sy nie eintlik lang
afstande doen nie, maar sy was absoluut “amazing”.
Johan and Trudie,
Thanks for the best trip and all the work you put in to
make it the great trip it was. Thanks to all the other
"Canopies" for the warm welcome to my first Club
ride. I felt welcome from the morning we left . The
only bad thing about the trip was that it ended.
Frik
Johan and Trudie,
The Canopy Tour was an absolute dream, we enjoyed
it tremendously, we just didn't want to wake up
to reality. Leaving early one morning and experiencing
the sunrise made the world feel ours. Thank you
for a wonderful week of riding and lots of laughs. To
our backup vehicle, Basie and Antoinette you guys
were great, you never lost sight of us, and the braai's
that were prepared were out of this world.
Sue

S P O K E
& P I S T O N V O L U M E 1 4 N O 3 M A Y / J U N E 2 0 0 9
Page 10
C L U B B O L T S & N U T S
E X T R E M E R I D E R S
Fritz Pistorius visited the four corners of South-Africa
on his fundraising ride for Andrio over December/
January, but their ride was too involved and took them
longer than the required 3 weeks. Nonetheless he is
now the owner of the Silver Extreme Rider Award!
Christo & Jane Engelbrecht are country members and
came all the way from Gordon’s Bay to receive their
Gold Extreme Rider Awards!
L I E F & L E E D
Congratulations
to Colin King
and his 1150
Adventure!
It clicked to
100 000kms
during the
Transkei Trip!
Etienne Pieterse was left with a broken collarbone and
serious roasties, not to mention the damage to his
650GS after the usual illegal U-turn incident on the Pomona road . .
But he is back on the bike again!
Johan & Trudie Maree had close encounters with burglars when
intruders tried to steal their bikes from their backyard. Trudie’s ST
was seriously damaged as the steering lock was forced open.
Drix Pretorius het al reeds 23 Comrades Marathon medaljes!
Ons sal graag ook van ander se lief en leed wil hoor?
A D V E N T U R O U S V I S I T O R S , B I L L Y & T R I S H
Billy Gibson (53) and Trish (43) visited
our Club in May to share their
travelling adventures on their BMW
R80GS and Kawasaki 250 respectively.
“Thanks to you all at the Club meeting
for making Trish and I feel at
home. We enjoyed it! We been on the
bikes for 4½ years and visited all the
South American Countries, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal, India,
all the ‘Stan’ Countries, Iran, Emirates
and more and then Ethiopia all the
way down Africa to South Africa…
The direction is not relevant as long
as we are riding new roads! We have
suffered only a couple of breakdowns,
neither of which required a lift.
Roadside maintenance is our speciality
after some 150 000kms. We always
feel ‘at home’ wherever
we are with no desire
to return home (Australia).
Trish was a schoolteacher
and I was a Cultured Pearl
technician in our previous
lives.
We are constantly overwhelmed
by generosity and
cannot tell any stories
about maltreatment…
My 1984 BMW R80GS has
done 330 000kms. Trish’s
1999 Kawa 250cc 83
000kms and her second
one, a 2005 Kawa 250, 70 000kms.
Too many people say: “Good on you,
you are living my dream”. I say “Live
your own, it’s much more fun!” .. Cast
off the shackles of the Comfort Zone
and hit the road. As they say we’re
dead for an awfully long time.”
We wish them all the best for their
journey from Cape Town to Morocco!
billyandtrish@hotmail.com

S P O K E
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11
2 0 0 9 B M W B I K E R G A T H E R I N G
M A R I U S D U P R E E Z
As a new comer to the ABBG I was not sure what to expect.
Was this something different or just another noisy
bike-rally disguised? The road from Gauteng took us over
Oliviershoek Pass, past a choppy Sterkfontein Dam
brought about by a gusty-western wind, that reminded
me of some tendon shearing windsurfing many moons
ago towards the Champagne Sports Resort.
We were met by a very competent team with everything
organised to the dot from name tags and entry tokens to
a mobile workshop for the bikes. The venue with the
lovely "Barrier of Spears" as backdrop was a winner not
W O R D S , G E S T U R E S A N D C H A T R O O M S
to mention the marvelous catering - certainly picked up
some uncalled for kilo's in the process. BMW really went
out of their way to make this a special event with the
G450X available for test rides and the highlight the new
S1000RR, currently staged on the Superbike circuit. The
event was surely enjoyable with me running into a group
of alma maters not seen since varsity days, needless to
say a lot of catching up to do. The highlight perhaps was
when I woke up on Sunday morning way after seven only
to hear some of the Beemers whispering out of the
parking area - my kind of bike gathering . . .
R I C H A R D H U S S E Y
Albert Mehrabian, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at
University of California in Los Angeles maintains that
when one person communicates with another, the message
is carried in the proportions of 7% words, 38% tone
of voice and 55% by body language.
When we communicate with one another or to a group
using only the written word (as in a web forum) we have
no tone of voice and no body language to assist communication.
This means that 100% of the message must be
transferred using only 7% of the tools. It is therefore very
easy to incorrectly interpret the real meaning of a communication
unless the author takes great care in the
choice of the words and punctuation marks used…or
unless other visual means such as ‘smileys’ are used.
When two forum posters know each other well, nuances
and personal subliminal messages are not easily interpreted
by others who may view their messages. As a
result, teasing may very easily be interpreted as insulting
and friendly rivalry can easily be read as divisive war-talk
and personal attack.
Outside readers browsing our forums form their own conclusions
purely on the basis of the actual written words.
Recently I became aware of concerned negative feedback
regarding discussions on the forum involving the
road riders and the off-road riders. Outside persons have
read these and questioned the serious divisions within
the club. I do not believe that there are serious divisions
– but I do suggest that we moderate what we say, how
we say it and especially where we say it to one another.
Before healthy sibling rivalry develops into a divisive
blood feud, I ask that we each look into our hearts and,
until bridges are mended and tempers have cooled, to
temper our words to one another with respect, kindness
and in the interests of fostering fellowship as BMW riders.
Sometimes we ride on tar, sometimes we ride on dirt.
The only real difference between us is the ratio of one to
the other…and the tyres fitted to the wheels of our motorcycles.
B I M O N T H L Y N E W S L E T T E R
O F T H E B M W M O T O R C Y C L E C L U B
P R E T O R I A S O U T H A F R I C A
PO Box 56001
Arcadia
450 Vermeulen St
Arcadia
0007 Pretoria 0083
(012) 323 4865
(012) 803 7123 fax 0866112734
Chairman: Richard Hussey
Secretary: Zonica Vermeulen
Treasurer: Etienne Pieterse
E-mail: dani@bmwclubs.co.za
Website: www.bmwclubs.co.za
Editor Spoke & Piston: Henri Heyns
S H A R E D R I D I N G P L E A S U R E
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 Home Page. The
Club has an official policy regarding the
use and financial compensation of
support vehicles on official overnight
club trips. (Details on Events Page.)
Spoke & Piston also appears on our
website. Visit us there with newsy bits,
information on new products, what is
happening on the motorcycling scene,
etc. Please send articles, pictures,
comments, etc. to the Editor, Spoke ‘n
Piston, PO Box 40422, Arcadia, 0007
or email to henrih@telkomsa.net
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.

Club evening: Every first
Friday of the month @
18:00
“Shared riding pleasure whilst fostering fellowship by the safe, supportive,
responsible and courteous enjoyment of BMW motorcycles.”
See page 11 for Club contact details
Clockwise: The Transkei Tour group;
Elaine Barkhuizen (Stonehaven);
Deon Dry sweep the Transkei;
Laurent & Ezette Changuion on
the Around Lesotho Trip;
GS riders on the Loskop ride;
Attie & Annalien Booysen in
Dullstroom.