The road is calling

Day5 : 30/12 - Robertson to Grootbrak

Before leaving Excelsior, we were treated to a tour of the cellar and bottling plant……very nice……did I say this place is highly recommendable

On recommendation of the Rejuvenated one, we slightly altered the route……basically staying on the sea side of the mountain to Suurbraak to include Tradow’s pass and a good change it was.

On the way to Swellendam

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With the compulsory Route62 stop at Ronnies. Very nice to see the Club’s patch on the wall

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Huisrivier pass between Ladismith and Calitzdorp……yummie

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For the next two nights we will be staying at Ilita Lodge in Grootbrak. Very nice and recommendable

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With a spectacular view

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And a proprietor who is clearly a Harley fan

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370km for the day

For the next 3 days our “official” riding will be over so I will only report if (when) I decide to do an ad hoc trip. I somehow think I might be on my own for that though........must admit my behind is also a little "saddle sensitive" today.....after roughly 2500km

Damn, you 2 were lucky to arrive at Ronnies Sex Shop when it is open.

Happy-go-lucky wrote:Damn, you 2 were lucky to arrive at Ronnies Sex Shop when it is open.

It closes?? Always been open when we have been in the area.

Day7 : 01/01 - still in Mossel Bay

club members seem to be everywhere in the country this time of the year

f.l.t.r: Chris, Golda, Ina, Johan, Stienie & Jamie het mekaar "raak ge-eet" (gedrink) by die Dros in Mosselbaai

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see if you can identify the member with a brand new GSA standing parked in a garage just begging to be ridden ......still waiting for it's first service

.....I spotted him!! ...and I'm not telling!!

we are heading home in a few hours but again taking the long way up.

After 3 days of no serious riding, I'm looking forward to hit the road even though it's back to the salt mines

Ride safe - lots of people on their way home this weekend.

Rejuvenated DaveS wrote:Very nice!! Like the pics of the bikes at the Aghulas beacon!!

Agreed, I didn't go THAT far south with the S, rather walked the last part, maybe because it was raining and muddy ..

@ Jamie: Thanks for sharing the trip

Ride safe thanks for sharing your trip with us

Day9 : 03/01 - Mossel Bay to Aliwal North

Time to turn north but luckily still 2 days of riding before the holiday is over

Breakfast in Willowmore at Sophie's Choice



where this shop with items "uit vervloë se dae" is part of the restaurant



plat op haar bas voor die "keffie" in Steynsburg



"eiesoortige mooi" scenery between Steynsburg and Burgersdorp



where we stayed in Aliwal North


acceptable and clean

relaxing after the day's riding



740km for the day


Day10 : 04/01 - Aliwal North to Centurion

no pictures of the last day and not much to report. The road between Bultfontein and Wesselsbron "is vrot gepatch" but still acceptable

720km for the day

and oh yes, let it be documented that we were there (not only our bikes)





We are home safe and are very grateful for the 10 days on the road.........methinks it's a trip I will remember for a looooooong time.

The bikes never missed a beat and we had zero problems. I was super impressed by the 800 - and even more so by it's rider......WELL DONE girl . It's ability to carry luggage and keeping up with the 1200 is simply amazing. We did 4050km in total and used R3 356 of fuel combined. On average the 800 was almost 25% more economical than the 1200.

And this folks, was our trip


mmmmmh......wonder what she is thinking???

perhaps.........where should we go next

Welcome back - thanks for all the pics and sharing your trip with us

From our side, thanks for all the comments.

We obviously enjoyed the trip tremendously but it’s nice to know that there is some interest from back home while you are on the road.

May 2009 holds some wonderful trips for you all

Seems like you had excellent riding weather. Glad you enjoyed it and that you are by now safe and home. Getting to the honeymoon suite. When travelling on our own i will normally during the course of the trip, mostly the first night - book the honeymoon suite as a treat for Elsabe. Surprisingly it is normally not very much more than the normal rates, and one normally gets a bottle of champagne and other treats with it as well.

WOW !!!!

This was a great trip, thank you very much for sharing !! I really enjoyed reading it as it came through bit by bit, I kept on checking if the next installment is there yet !!!!!

Stienie, well done for such a long trip on your own bike.

Again, man that looked lekker !!!!!!

Admin appreciates
Well done!

What an amazing trip and well documented with photos and commentary. I am awed by people that manage distances of 700 plus per day. I think that the Sprint that I ride is more sport that tourer as in Sport Tourer but I find that after about 350 to 400 kms my knees are so sore that I cant think anymore. I think that the riding position forces a very bent leg. Whilst i was in Durban I had the chance to ride a mates 1200 GS. What an incredible machine that is. Comfortable, versatile and whilst not nearly as powerful as the Sprint more than able to travel at speeds way in excess of the legal limit. I have changed my mind about my next bike. It will be a 1200 GS or Adventure. Any one out there want to buy a very clean Sprint ST. Any advice of what I should look out for in second hand GS bikes.

Whilst doable, mileage in excess of 700/800km per day, becomes work on any bike in my opinion. The distances you mentioned ie. 350/400 and even 500/600 are “nice” distances per day.

If one is traveling to the Cape coast, you have to break your "going down" and "coming back" into two 700/800 stretches or as alternative take 3 days to get there. I have done it in one go before but as I said, then it’s work and we ride for pleasure. Also not particularly out to impress others.


The Triumph ST (good bike btw) is more or less in the same league as the K (not taking power into account ). I have done similar distances on both a K as well as a GS. Not much difference once you go over 800km per day……..you get tired, sore and loose concentration on both.

In the BM stable the bike probably most suited for those distances with reference to rider comfort and wind protection, is the RT unless you are in the niche LT market. I have never done 1000km per day on a RT but I would imagine from 800km onwards, fatigue is the same on all bikes (except maybe the LT)

The GS is a good choice but the RT is better for serious long distances (on tar)

Thanks for that input. I quite like the idea of the versatility of the GS in that you can go offroad if you want. We did a ride of around 300 km in Durban up to Eshowe and the route included some sand roads which the Sprint is not good on, so we had to change the GPS route and stick to tar. It would be nice to have both a GS and RT then you could have the best of both worlds. Speed is not a factor any more in my life. Have done the high speed stuff but seen too many tragedies arising out of guys riding out of the zone of their ability. Like to tour with the wife and I think that the GS will be better for that than the Sprint.

If you want greater wind protection on the 1200GS, do as I did and fit the Adventure screen with side wings.

At 175cm tall, I now get no wind in the helmet area at highway speeds. There is this volume of seemingly still air between the screen and rider that fascinates me...!

MadnohB wrote:Day7 : 01/01 - still in Mossel Bay

club members seem to be everywhere in the country this time of the year

We were camping in the Hartenbos caravan park when Jamie invited us to the Dros in Mossel Bay. He later tried to phone me but my cell phone was in the caravan.

Then, suddenly, I heard the sound of THE K1200S! I jumped up and ran to the entrance where I found Stienie. Jamie was somewhere in the caravan park grabbing all the attention as he was looking for the K1200GT. Alas, our bike was in Midrand. (It is a little difficult to tow the caravan and our boat with the bike).

After they left, I made a new commitment to do another long trip with the bike - as soon as the centre stand and clutch is sorted out by Lennie and his team.

that was a fun read Thank you Mr Nohb see you friday

Sharkie wrote:WOW !!!!

Stienie, well done for such a long trip on your own bike.

Again, man that looked lekker !!!!!!

Thanks Ettiene. And lekker it was. Never thought in my wildest dreams that I would manage such a long trip, but everyday was a new adventure. So many beautiful places to see and especially the smell of all the farms along the road, you can't experience this in a car.

The highlight for me of the trip except for the riding, was our night at Excelsior - the wine farm- they made us feel at home and really spoiled us with delicious food and wine and wine and wine!

Thanks to Chris, Golda, Johan and Ina for the lunch in Mosselbay. Alway nice to meet fellow clubmembers on the road.

Lastly the most important part of such a trip is to share it with the right companion, and after 26 years of marriage there is no doubt who that person is. We love each other, our bikes and definitely riding it. Hope to do it again soon!

I neglected the forum for a while so I only stumbled upon this report today. It sure was a great trip! And thanks for sharing! Makes me sommer want to hit the road right now… I hear it calling loud and clear!