With the wind in your hair…Hit the open road and see the country on two wheels By Stef Terblanche Grobler du Preez / iStock
Road Travel Few experiences are more exhilarating than sitting astride a powerful machine, revolutions close to the red, the wind blasting through your hair and an endless open road stretching ahead of you. In South Africa with its great scenery, wonderful sunny weather, wide open spaces, and excellent highways and country roads, there can be few better ways to see this beautiful country than on a motorcycle. At times it will be hard sticking to the speed limit, but yes, you have to. And the wind through the hair is very invigorating, but please wear your helmet. And please, no playing chicken, even though the ride will unleash the child in you! As more and more tourists coming to Southern Africa are looking for unique experiences and exciting ways to see the country – and with more freedom than sitting aboard a tour bus or in a rental car – the niche market of motorcycle tourism has taken off in leaps and bounds. Tourists from countries such as the United States, Canada, Germany, China, Australia and Japan are increasingly booking their bikes for open-road adventures, seeing the spectacular offerings of South Africa in a way few other modes of transport can offer. You can buy or use your own bike, but if you don’t own one or are only in the country for a short time, there are a growing number of motorcycle tour and rental companies operating in South Africa. You can either join one of the motorcycle tour companies on a variety of organised, guided group bike tours, or you can rent a machine to do your own individual touring or local sightseeing. Bikes for rent include anything from vintage Word War II machines, to bikes with sidecars, Japanese and European street machines, and the classic tourers - Harley Davidson, BMW, Honda Goldwing, Royal Enfield and Triumph, as well as the new kids in the game, Victory motorcycles. Standard requirements for renting bikes in South Africa include a valid ID document or passport, valid motorcycle driver’s licence and credit card, while some rental companies have age restrictions. In addition to motorcycle tourism, the bike fraternity in South Africa has grown massively, with over 1,500 motorcycle clubs in existence, called MCs. Rallies and events There are also a growing number of rallies and other gatherings or special riding events for motorcycle enthusiasts, some of which draw visitors from outside our borders. If you are a regular motorcyclist interested in meeting other bikers, socialising, participating in fun events and runs, and seeing a great display of different machines, there are some excellent motorcycle rallies and events staged in South Africa each year. These range from the classic Buffalo Rally, one of the longest-running events, to the Desert Wolves Rally, the Namaqua Rally, the West Coast Rally and more. For a full list of such events, go to www. zabikers.co.za/biking-events/. In addition you will find pubs and lounges all over South Africa catering specifically for and frequented by motorcycle enthusiasts of every type. Here you can have a beer, play some pool, learn about breakfast runs or bike tours, meet other bikers, marvel at the most outlandishly chopped machines, hear about second-hand bargains, or find out about the latest brand-new arrivals on the showroom floor. Unless you misbehave really badly, you won’t get stomped (biker term for getting beaten up) at any of them – forget what you saw in the movies! By and large, despite the ominous names of some MCs – bikers do have a penchant for scary, weird names - the biker fraternity consists of nice, friendly, ordinary folk who just love motorcycles and hitting the open road. On their website Motorcyclists SA (http://www.motorcyclists.co.za/clubs/) lists 1,500 registered clubs. For each one the website provides the club colours, club name and region or city where based. Clubs range from Christian motorcycle clubs, to family clubs, established social riding clubs, to the more hard-core motorcycle clubs such as the Gypsie Jokers and Hells Angels, or clubs linked to specific makes of motorcycles such as Harley Davidson clubs. But as a motorcycle tourist your interest would be more in the bike rental companies and the tours and rentals they offer. Variety of motorcycles The variety of two-wheeled, motorised transport available in the country includes street bikes, superbikes, café racers, cruisers, choppers, tourers, scooters, mopeds and combination on-road/off-road bikes known as adventure bikes that have become very popular. The latter includes the likes of the KTM 1290, Triumph Tiger 800, Honda Africa Twin, and the BMW R1200. These bikes are ideal for South African and African travel adventures – they are designed to give a superb asphalt ride and just as easily carry you comfortably off-road, through deserts, across rivers and over mountains. They can literally go anywhere. And they come with ample panniers and top boxes for all your
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