It has now been just over three weeks since I’ve been the proud owner of a 2016 BMW R1200RS.
What started as casual looking after test riding one became the real deal very quickly when I found a deal that I simply couldn’t pass up, the only caveat being that the bike was 2000+ km away in Limpopo.
Originally I planned to write a daily diary entry of sorts, on my week long trip back down to Cape Town to bring the bike home, but on the first night already it became apparent that wasn’t going to happen.
So I left it thinking that some time in the saddle through normal day to day operations would give a better overall impression before I started writing a story, but now I realise that story would be way too long so this will be split into two…this probably still too long road trip story and then more of a bike review living with it every day post later down the line.
Casually browsing Bikefind.co.za I tag a few RS’s and RnineT’s and add them into my Watchlist…you know for science when I spot this RS that seems to be a private sale. Fully loaded with Shift Assist, Navigation and Keyless Ride, but it’s the wrong colour as I’m in love with the Lupine Blue and I’m not a big fan of matt finishes as found on the Granite Grey. All day long this bike keeps bothering me and I keep going back and wondering why the price is so low, especially since it has 600km on the clock only. Now I’m also debating with myself as I really wanted a new bike, but you know they are never really new as some other pillock always rides it first as part of the PDI, so what’s the difference between 20km and 600km really?
Eventually I crack and submit a request for more information. Not even twenty minutes later I get a call from the owner who is a very nice retired gentleman with a collection of bikes and obviously no money problems. Seems he bought the bike on a whim after a short test ride, but longer term ownership it proves a little too sporty for him. I’m still not sure why he didn’t just go park it at the nearest dealership and have them sell it for him, but immediately I mention I’m from Cape Town and he gives me R4000 off the listed price to facilitate with transporting the bike or flying up to come fetch it.
At this stage things are moving too fast and I’m overwhelmed and it all just seems too good to be true. He being an utter gentleman immediately pulls the sale and promises the bike to me and I actually feel bad at this point as I’m not even sure the bank will play along or if I’m going to follow through. Sends me a copy of the registration papers so I can check with BMW as this is a virtually brand new bike that I would be buying sight unseen.
So I call the dealership in Nelspruit and have another lengthy chat to have the VIN number checked and the original order etc. Everything checks out and the vast majority of warranty and roadside assist still remains so this is every bit as good as buying one new with just a few extra kilometres on. It’s also not a demo bike so I’m not worried about it being mistreated in any way.
Granted at this point I still don’t see the point of Keyless Ride or Navigation on a motorcycle but considering the price it’s basically “free” all things considered so I don’t mind. The ball starts rolling and I request quotations for the BMW Topbox, Panniers and their related liners, while I talk to the bank about making this happen.
Having never done a private purchase before I expect this to turn into a nightmare, but the bank is more than happy with it all and facilitate the entire process (at a cost of course) by going out to check the bike and the paperwork and doing a history check etc. A one way plane ticket is booked and I start testing my own patience.
Meanwhile I realise the bike needs to have it’s first service done before I can ride it down to Cape Town which adds a bit of logistics and an extra day to the travel arrangement. This problem magically solves itself when the owner say it’s no problem at all he’ll take the bike down to Nelspruit to have it serviced if I don’t mind the clock reading 800 odd km. Of course I don’t mind, especially when he offers to sort out the first service at no charge to me. Logistically it makes things much easier as my sister happens to stay just outside Nelspruit so I have a place to stay etc.
A few weeks pass and finally the day arrives and at the crack of dawn I’m on a jet plane to Johannesburg and then many many hours of sitting at the airport and finally a 3 1/2 hour shuttle to Nelspruit I arrive at Eastview BMW to pick up my new baby.
Of course doing my research I’ve since found out that the Granite Grey comes with some extras like the chin spoiler and a different tank pad of sorts integrated into the standard two piece style tank.
I’m still not a fan of the chrome exhaust and on first contact I just cannot understand why BMW did this as it just doesn’t fit. The “standard” exhaust which we don’t get in South Africa looks much much better.
All in all the bike is perfect. Some plastic scuffing/scratching here and there on the non-painted stuff like the windscreen and those little spoilers/wings on the top of the fairing under the grips. Probably just someone not washing it with the two bucket method or proper equipment and should buff out with a bit of plastic treatment. The left side mirror has the smallest of scratches if you really look for it, probably from leaning against a garage wall or something. Nothing really to worry about.
I spend a bit of time at the dealership to sort some things out while they construct the Topbox…and put the BMW logo on off centre before I can stop them to say I’ll do it myself.
One thing is for sure, travelling with bike gear is actually a pretty daunting task especially if you want to flat pack your luggage at the other end so it can go into a Topbox and panniers. My Kriega R30 backpack is not going in anywhere at this point so I just keep it on my back for the 90km trip to my sister’s place with a few odds and ends.
With her living on a farm there is some struggling with the Navigator V between myself and the BMW sales guy to get the coordinates in the correct format to put into the thing and then I eventually set off from the shop on what suddenly feels like a VERY BIG bike.
Turning the corner I realise I don’t have enough fuel in the bike for this journey and so I make my way to the nearest Engen garage by sight alone as I can’t at this point manage the GPS and this new bike without blikseming over somewhere.
Keyless Go confuddles me for a moment or two as the fuel tank won’t open and then I finally figure out you need to switch the bike off properly, not just hit the killswitch. I tell the lady to fill her up (yes here in South Africa people do this for us, it’s job creation, not slavery, I promise) and then realise my wallet is nowhere to be found. In a minor panic as it’s already late in a very long and I really don’t need this shit I start to think about what to tell them while I walk back to the dealership which I can literally see over my shoulder.
Fortunately I did use my brain and put it in a logical place inside the top quick access pocket of the top box liner, it’s just that I’m not used to having these things and fiddling with the key and button to unlock the thing isn’t exactly muscle memory. Yes the Keyless factor doesn’t apply to the luggage which is what really makes it silly for me.
Drama averted I trust the GPS to lead me home only to find 5km later that it’s trying to get me back onto the highway in a manner that doesn’t exist due to new construction in the area. So far this GPS nonsense is doing nothing but pissing me off…as expected then.
Eventually I lead myself out of town via another road that doesn’t look at all familiar but I zoom far out on the GPS to at least check that we are going in moderately the right direction. I was fortunately up here a few months ago so I have a reasonable memory of what things should look like and therefore I’m also worried about ending up on some bad gravel road with my new bike.
Passing through a toll gate with a new bike is pretty messy as the muscle memory isn’t there and my luggage is a confusion but I pop out the other end and it’s only 17:30 now but almost pitch black darkness. At this point I’m VERY aware of the panniers and also being in the middle of nowhere I decide to rather just take it easy and follow the cars rather than splitting and overtaking.
Good thing I do because the darker it gets the more crazy the roadworks are and on more than one occasion I hit some loose gravel stones that I don’t see coming and I’m all too happy with the German traction and stability control under my ass, not to mention the dynamic suspension which makes it an almost comfortable experience whereas my Triumph might have just spit me off like a pissed of stallion.
On the home stretch I am now exhausted from the long day and I’m cruising behind a Hyundai IX35 into the final left turn when I suddenly see the car swerve to the right instead of following the usual curvature of the road. If it wasn’t for that car ahead of me I would have hit a very deep square cut out in the tar that might very well have ended up in a career ending crash or at the very least a pant wetting exercise.
Finally I turn into the farm road to my sister’s place. I’m very impressed with the lighting on the BMW as it casts a very wide beam covering three lanes and although a little bit yellow it’s more than adequate. I expected them to be terrible after reading some complaints on the forums.
Very, very dodgy parking on some loose gravel I finally get off and what I expect to be a struggle with the panniers to get my luggage out is actually a very simple process. I’m so glad I bought the liners right now because this would have been a real mess otherwise. Also in retrospect the idea of just taking the panniers off taking them with you isn’t a great one as they don’t actually stand up very well by themselves. Some feet would have been nice there BMW, even if just for storage in the garage.
Day 1 – Malelane to Sasolburg
Technically it’s day two I guess, but it’s the first day of proper riding and long distance touring to get back home.
I happen to have family in Sasolburg and since I’m aiming for around 500km per day on my way home it’s the perfect overnight on my way down.
Originally I had planned to head up north to ride the Long Tom Pass, one of the most hardcore passes in all of South Africa and a bit of a motorcycling nirvana as I wouldn’t get that opportunity again very soon. But I was warned about treacherous roads on the way there and also that it would be very misty early in the morning when I would arrive which makes it extra dangerous. So being the first day on my new bike I decided against it.
Instead I headed back the same way I had come the night before for a quick breakfast in Nelspruit with my sister. The benefit of reasonable mileage every day is that you can relax a little and don’t just need to push from point A to B.
After breakfast I headed due south towards Barberton and then on from there to Carolina, which you would miss if they didn’t put a sign up. After what I had suffered the night before with roadworks and pot holes everywhere these roads were blissful and perfect.
Nary another car was spotted and although short the few mountain passes on my way game me some opportunity to try the suspension in the more sporty Dynamic mode. Not that it’s not dynamic in Road mode…another silly thing from BMW, it’s just a bit stiffer and more responsive in this mode and less inclined towards comfort. Having now spent a bit more time with the bike than I did on the demo I must say the change in modes was much much more apparent and immediately the bike was less lazy if you will and turn-in was en pointe and superbly accurate. Cutting through corners the bike followed my instructions exactly and my only worry was scratching those engine cases still, which shouldn’t ever happen but does sit at the back of your mind the whole time.
The further south I went the fact that we are in the middle of winter made itself more and more known. I recall it being around 14 degrees celsius in the shade, a wonderful thing that the bike actually tells you these things I thought at the time, but also terribly distracting.
Not that I’ve ever been to Canada or the Rocky Mountains but the area seems very similar to those, with the same elevation changes while cutting through endless forests and hitting the odd wide open but still very green valley areas. I wanted to stop so many times, especially on one occasion where there was a fire next to the road with smoke billowing into the sky in a very apocalyptic fashion. But I was just enjoying the ride too much and a spot just didn’t present itself that warranted a safe parking space and a good photo of the bike.
By now I had become intimately familiar with the Cruise Control. A feature I never “got” was now being engaged constantly on open stretches and even in some cases on the minor corners that I could see through it would stay on. It’s incredible how much comfort it adds to your riding experience not having to hold that throttle the whole time. Especially on the highways the next few days I would often find myself just resting my fingers on both grips at the second knuckle and in doing so sitting up a bit more and just relaxing in general.
Before getting the bike the guys on the forum were complaining about the disengagement of Cruise Control being too abrupt. I was experiencing this now and although not too terrible when riding alone I can see it being a bigger problem two up. It’s simply a case of the throttle going from X% to zero in an instant and therefore the engine braking, which is quite severe on the Boxer Twin, kicks in and immediately slows the bike down. It’s easily alleviated if you plan to disengage by blipping the throttle and holding it there while touching the clutch as if downshifting, but it can be a bit tricky to get to grips with. If you are planning to slow down completely and not just disengage momentarily it’s a non-issue, especially with Shift Assist as you simply bang down the gears and it switches off at the same time.
On day one I found the lack of +/- buttons very irritating if you want to fine tune your speed for those blue fellows with their cameras. At the time I thought the Ducati system definitely won out here with it’s more conventional “car like” system. Then I got schooled on the forum that the Set/Resume button is actually +/- as well once the Cruise Control is engaged, which is actually a much less fiddly system because there are less buttons to decorate the handlebars. This is taking it a bit far but you think of many things while riding by yourself for hours on end, but I wondered why nobody has ever aligned cruise control with the speed and speed limit aware GPS. It would be quite cool if the Cruise Control could simply up or down your speed as you went from one speed limit zone into another, but practically I guess then it would be the manufacturers fault if you knocked into anything and in the modern world of warning labels and other bullshit that would never fly.
Needless to say I am now a Cruise Control convert. I find myself even using it on a daily basis now when I hit the highway just as a means of speed control. Not quite brave enough to use it during lane splitting though, just too many things to go wrong there and the slight delay in disengaging could make or break a situation.
Somewhere along this way the GPS lost it’s mind even though I had mapped out the entire trip weeks before and loaded it on the memory card the night before with great effort. Suddenly my distance remaining jumped by a few hundred kilometres and so I stopped to ask it to just take me to Sasolburg directly by it’s own means instead which I figured would see me missing some of the spots I had planned to visit, but oh well such is life.
At this point the BMW also seemed to be quite confused about how much fuel it had, with the range indicator constantly reading much lower than it should have been and so I stopped a little prematurely in Badplaas to fill up just in case. Seems it was calibrating itself after standing for a little while or something as it increased tank by tank as I soldiered on for the next few days.
With every stop the option of hard luggage seemed like a better and better idea. Especially the topbox which is very useful to keep your odds and ends in for easy access as you need to charge your phone, or grab some Powerade or find your wallet and so on.
By now the Shift Assist system had become second nature. What at first seemed like something I would never remember to use when I wasn’t concentrating was already an automatic action whenever braking to simply close the throttle and crash down the gears. And when I say crash I actually mean it as you need to man handle it quite a bit with a very deliberate and certain action. I had some weird things happening with it but quickly figured out it was because I was opening the throttle as I was upshifting instead of holding it wide open or just steady if lower in the range. Many others have complained about the 1st to 2nd action being rough, which I agree is quite hectic on the upshift…but I LOVE using it when downshifting as it makes for a lovely backfire pop.
Considering the standard exhaust is quite boring that little pop adds a little bit of much needed excitement, especially on the long road where you just sit at speed the whole time with corners few and far between. Once in a while putting it into 1st with Shift Assist while at higher revs results in the rear brake level kicking back which I’m guessing is the ABS getting a little excited, although I never saw a light on the dash or anything.
Beyond that the gearbox is a little agricultural when going into 1st at a stand still using the clutch and flicking into 2nd is a hit and miss affair as well. I’m told this is a typical BMW thing and I’m hoping much like my Buell which also had a tractor gearbox, this will improve with age.
Shift Assist should be especially good for riding two up and avoiding the helmet bashing, especially under braking. It is spoiling me though and I worry that when I get on another bike I might completely forget that you need the clutch, especially when shifting down.
Soldiering on the road itself was somewhat uneventful until I reached the not so little town of Bethal and avoided a pothole that I can only describe as a sink hole. Had I not seen that it would have been one way in and no way out as it was probably half a metre deep. This is Africa, no signage or flags or any kind, it’s just assumed you will see these things.
Toll roads, toll roads and more toll roads. This didn’t come into my planning for this trip at all, neither did the fact that petrol costs a whole lot more money in land, but I can honestly say it is highly annoying (for everyone else) stop at a toll with bikes. The fact that I get charged the same as cars that weight 10 times more is a whole different conversation. Just make a slip lane for bikes, it will make everyone happier, seriously.
And somewhere after one of these tolls as I was heading towards the shitty of Nigel a little blue man jumped into the road. I was of a mind to ignore him and carry on, but then I figured hang on I did nothing wrong I wasn’t speeding or anything so let me just stop. Ear plugs in with a tube scarf thing over my head and ears I had a hard time understanding what he was trying to tell me, but it turns out that I apparently went over a barrier line. I wasn’t sure if I did or not, because being on a bike the laws of physics don’t apply equally to me as they do to cars, even though the legality remains the same, so I will cross them to overtake when safe to do so. I told him to write the fine because I wasn’t going to argue about it and we had a little chat when he saw the number plate that was very far from home and was even more impressed when I told him I was heading to Cape Town. After the fact I thought about it and realised that I probably didn’t cross any barrier line at all, but when a bribe wasn’t forthcoming and I told him to write the fine he had no evidence whatsoever, because suddenly I was told he would cut me some slack and let me go.
Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. Maybe he wanted a bribe, maybe he was being a good guy…who knows but I was on my way again shortly after.
Let’s not turn this into a corner by corner play by play, but soon I started running low on fuel again and used the Navigator V to point me towards a petrol station. I was looking for one of a known brand name thinking they would be bigger, but while riding it’s tricky and ended up at the most questionable no-name-brand gas station you can imagine….literally it was white with no branding. I asked if they accepted credit cards and to my surprise they did so I said fill her up. Then enquired about the toilet and was told it’s around the back. Dodgeville here we come, I was pretty sure this is raping time now and was thankful I only needed to pee as the toilet was…erm…rather uncouth. I was thinking that due to the ride on the plane I didn’t have my Leatherman on me so no weapon of any kind except maybe for a key in my pocket, but at least I was wearing some bike gear so had some armour if worse came to worse.
Of course it was hopelessly (thankfully) uneventful and I was on my way again only to find out that had I kept going straight where I turned off there was a Sasol just down the road which I probably could have seen if only I had looked. The first of many lessons regarding trusting a GPS instead of just looking around for my damn self.
What was in reality the late afternoon started to feel like night again as the sun dipped lower and I started pushing to get to the end destination. Weird how the closer to civilisation I got the more the potholes started to appear. At least around these parts they fill them with some kind of pink concrete/tar so they are easy to spot and in reality there aren’t many actual holes just somewhat unstable surfaces.
Turning left towards Vanderbijlpark I spotted a stranded bike next to the road and I wasn’t really surprised when I stopped and walked up to it that it was a Big Boy. The chain had come off and was stuck between the swingarm and sprocket. I broke the BMW tools out from under the seat so we could try and wedge it past the bolts on the sprocket but we had no such luck. Older gentleman and I suspect probably never serviced the thing or adjusted and lubed the chain ever, but it might have just stretched in the process of coming off. We had a pleasant chat and he was very interested in the BMW, the first random person so far who wanted to chat about it. He called his son who wasn’t too far off to come fetch him and sent me on my way as it was getting dark and I was in foreign territory after all.
Arriving at my family I first grabbed a much needed coffee to warm up a little bit. The heated grips on the RS are superb and even though the little spoilers under your hands and the overlap of fairing do take some wind off your gloves your hands are still right out in the open and so you have the age old problem of warm hands on the inside and cold hands on the outside. That being said the clutch and brake levers themselves don’t get cold like my Triumph’s because they are painted, or maybe it’s just the aerodynamics. Fact is at the end of the day if you didn’t switch the heated grips on at all you might have been bothered less by the cold as it’s more equalised. As it stands though…why would you not use a feature that’s there. I will see how my day to day riding goes with the cold, but might look at some more road bike friendly hand guards at some point in the future.
On the topic of heat, my Sidi Vertigo’s are summer boots and have never exactly been warm during winter. Aside from not being waterproof which generally doesn’t help for the cold, they are quite thin and very sporty. The benefit of a giant boxer engine though is that the cylinder heads sit right in front of your feet and if you ride on your toes like I do most of the time then your feet are completely protected from the elements and maybe even get some residual heat from the motor. So not once on my entire trip did my feet really feet achingly cold, this while I never even got the thermal socks I planned to.
Anyway, this being the first time unloading the bike I found the panniers easy to open and popping out the liners was a simple process. I like the little details BMW put into the panniers to hold the liner in place with straps so that everything doesn’t just fall out while the case is open. The single clip on those straps is a little fiddly, but at the same time such a high quality that I’m sure it will last the life of the bike. It’s also in typical luminous orange, I’m guessing so it’s easy to find in the dark although I didn’t have that need yet.
I am very happy with the liners after reading some negative comments on the R1200RSForums and people going for third party ones instead. I loaded them as full as you can possibly load them without stripping the zip and they fitted inside the panniers happily. This I believe was the main problem for other people as they felt there was wasted space left in the panniers, but more me it does the job with aplomb. The panniers themselves aren’t waterproof (I’m yet to have them in serious rain to know if this is an issue) so the waterproofing is built into the liners. It’s essentially a bag inside a bag system with waterproof zippers and rip cord system. The “outside” of each liner then has a second pocket with a mesh instead of a waterproof seal, I guess for things that need to breath. The branding on both the pannier and topbox liners is surprisingly subtle saying only BMW Motorrad with no logos.
To me personally the topbox liner is the most useful as I’ll always have it on the bike and use it for a laptop bag. It’s a big square (rectangular?) bag with double zip and then a smaller flat pocket inside the lid of the main bag which is perfect for your small loose odds and ends like keys, wallet, cellphone, visor cleaner, headphones, powerbank and whatever else I had in there while on the road. I almost had a heart attack when I got home and it seemed like my laptop wouldn’t fit inside the Topbox, while fitting in the bag just fine, but that’s because it narrows at the opening and you just need to go in at a slight angle. One thing I do find silly is that they only put a handle on top for loading in and out of the top box, but you can’t really carry it like this because it’s firstly impractical and secondly all the force is on the zips and I expect them to strip. A handle along the front so you can carry it vertically would have helped. Granted there is a shoulder strap which performs this function, I would have just preferred to carry it by hand and forego the strap completely. A small caveat, but enough of one that I might inspire someone to sew a handle in there for me at some point.
Just about 600km later I finally sat down somewhere other than a motorcycle and I must say although I was a little stiff and uncomfortable I wasn’t really sore or in pain. Sure I felt a bit more abused than I do when just riding my Street Triple to work, but I certainly didn’t feel like I just spend all day on a motorcycle. By the next morning, apart from a headache that suddenly appeared after I woke up (I think lack of hydration was at fault) I was feeling 100%. No back pain, no wrist ache, no stiff shoulders or sore feet…I bought the right bike after all.
Day 2 – Sasolburg to Colesberg
I always knew this would be the most boring part of the trip as it’s mostly just highway and there it’s really much of an alternative way round.
Heading out late at 10:00 as I had a relaxing breakfast and chat with family and also dodging the cold as much as I can, I hit the boring highway and put the bike on cruise and largely left it there for most of the day.
Made quick progress to Kroonstad and then things started going pear shaped when I got diverted by road works off the highway to go around and the GPS said one thing and the signs said another…and I trusted the technology.
Which greeted me with “Potholes for the next 10km” signs…every ten kilometres. Fortunately there weren’t actually any of significance but you don’t take your chances and so the pace was vastly reduced to 80km/h or so for about 200km or so and the detour was already adding substantial mileage to the day’s travels.
Fortunately the R30 later offered some beautiful scenery and I decided to stop and take some pictures.
She’s a pretty girl for sure, although a big and unwieldy one at times. The boxer motor extensions also grow on you over time, I love that it’s a naked bike and a faired bike at the same time. Like someone said to me (sans panniers) she’s like a girl with DD cups but no ass.
Coming into Bloemfontein I remembered the problem I picked up on Day 1 when trying to move the windscreen to the top screw holes and finding there was no thread there. Being one of the bigger cities in South Africa and the judicial capital I used the BMW Motorrad button on the GPS which I figured nobody would ever need and would you believe it there was Sovereign BMW plotted on my route.
Popping in at the shop they at first didn’t believe me that this is possible, telling me that it’s probably for a larger touring windscreen, until I happened to spot an RS in their second stock and would you believe it that one had the screen on the higher setting. So they made a plan to thread the holes with a tool and then moved it for me. I’m not convinced those bolts are ever coming out again and they aren’t nearly tight enough leaving a bit of space or need for a washer, but it seems to only rattle when very cold and at idle so it’s okay for now. I’ll mention it to Donford when I take it in for it’s 10000km service. Possibility of a warranty claim is probably out of the window now that some backyard mechanic has “make it work” but we’ll see.
After pottering around Bloemfontein looking for the Roco Mama’s they advertised on the massive billboard sign and only to find that it wasn’t actually open yet I settled on Romans Pizza and realised my ear ring was missing. Price you pay for being on the road I guess, maybe it’s time to pack that in now that I’m “old” and riding a BMW. Filled her up and readied myself for the final stretch.
The lift in the windscreen most definitely made a different to comfort levels. I’m 1.78m and at this height I get only the last little bit of wind coming off the screen and into my helmet. Sure, I’m used to riding without any windscreen at all so it never really bothered me that much in the first place and I’m yet to experience this buffeting I hear of so often, but every little bit helps at the end of the day. I do question the entire need for the 2-stage drop and lift while you ride system as I don’t see why you would ever want it lower for any given period.
Once again the early darkness out here in the Karoo caught me off guard and I started to push on as it got colder and colder the lower the sun went. Setting the Cruise Control to 144km/h as per the GPS I knew I was taking chances but I figured I was far enough out of town for it not to be a worry…and just as I had that thought a little man in a blue suit hopped out from behind a barrier.
Bastard had his car hidden down the hill and the speed camera mounted on what seemed like three tripod extensions just to level it out. I’m not sure how legal that is, but he told me to come check my speed and it was spot on 144km/h so I couldn’t even argue. I knew I was in the wrong so what can you say…at least their equipment is accurate. I guess he was surprised that I was nice to him and we had a bit of a chat about my trip and he was kind enough to warn me about two others spots up ahead and told me what I could reasonably do 10km/h over and nobody would bother me…I pushed my luck at +14km/h over for the rest of the way.
Probably an hour later as it was almost fully dark and just twenty minutes before it started pissing with rain I arrived at Die Klei Pot B&B (The Clay Pot) which I pretty much selected on the merit of having the only single room and a security gate.
WOW! What a surprise this great little place was, specifically their restaurant. I ended up being one one only two tables booked for the evening and funnily enough they were also passing through having picked up a BMW (car not bike) somewhere and taking it home.
I had a divine garlic mushroom starter, lamb shank, loin and chop for mains and then a white chocolate and berry dessert. With a beer it all came down to <R200. It’s not quite worth the drive from Cape Town just to eat there, but if you are ever passing through by all means do stop, even if just for lunch.
Their room was more than adequate and good value for money as well. Almost like a bachelor bad with the bathroom and bedroom all in a single room with a divider in between. Very thoughtful with rusks and coffee so I opted not to have breakfast there before departing but rather in Graaff-Reinet which is *only* 170km away.
Day 3 – Colesberg to De Rust
And what a mistake it was to decide to have breakfast “just” 170km away.
I planned my trip so that the mileage became less each day and so I figured I can take it easy but check out was at 10:00 anyway so I was on the road again. 4 Degrees Celsius wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected it to be once I was geared up and on the move.
It didn’t really get nearly as cold as I expected all day, especially not while in the sun, but the drastic fluctuations only kilometres apart did start to eat away at me I won’t lie. Especially when I approached Middelburg and there were roadworks, with roadworks on top of roadworks.
Worst of those being as you entered the town and the bridge that formed part of the highway was being completely rebuilt. Still not having learnt my lesson I looked at the GPS for guidance instead of following the signs for the detour and after an unpaved road and a water crossing (take that GS) I ended up in front of a locked gate with the Garmin telling me repeatedly to go left regardless of what route I selected.
So I tracked back and tried visually navigating to the bloody road that I could see right in front of me and eventually used the old fashioned way of asking people to get to the other side of town where Mr. Garmin finally woke up and re-routed me correctly.
Lost almost an hour messing around and backtracking so breakfast was a lot further than just 170km away by now.
The night before, having nothing better to do…you know like writing this blog when I should have been writing it, I scoped out breakfast/lunch options and so I headed straight towards Polka as I entered Graaff-Reinet.
By now my stomach was eating itself and so the lack of service was a major let down, but after making myself heard I can say that the great food made up for it rather quickly. Maybe the food was good? Maybe I was just hungry?
I had a Pissaladière which is essentially a pizza made from ciabatta dough. This one with salami and avo, red peppers and Gorgonzola cheese. Yes I know you come here for bikes…but what the hell, I like to praise things that deserve praise.
Graaff-Reinet is a lovely little town and I wish I had more time to spend there. If I wasn’t already married I’m sure I could have found a home with the lovely waitress who treated me like a true foreigner with my exotic Cape Tonian.
Pretty girls from the Karoo aside, there was a German lady waiting outside who still had a very long ride ahead of her. I filled up before heading out of town and with the fuel range now seeming much more reasonable I was hoping not to do so again that day.
Heading towards Willowmore I realised that I was now actually in the Eastern Cape and that this trip had me going through six of the nine provinces in South Africa which is quite a feat looking back on it.
The weather was playing tricks now and with the clouds shielding the sun away from me and mountains casting shadows on my path the little pockets of cold made for a little discomfort at times. Throughout my entire journey I was very lucky to only feel a few droplets of rain here and there and never get truly wet, then the cold might have been a serious problem.
By now the three days of riding were taking a bit of their toll on me and I was pushing a little to get to De Rust as I had a friend on a KTM meeting there for the final stretch home on the last day.
Somewhere between Aberdeen and Willowmore I felt it was time to take some photos while there was still light and stretch my legs, hoping that I would ride all the way into De Rust on the fuel I had left.
Already part of the cult and getting arty with the (scew) logo.
Great road surfaces out here, although maybe a bit straight and boring at times.
With speed limit signs rarely in sight the reminder to keep the throttle at a respectable opening was rarely respected, especially the ability to see ahead for kilometres on end and very little traffic.
This bike is what you would call quick rather than fast, because it was never built for silly top speeds and even though it’s quite heavy at 236kg fully loaded the flat torque curve with a lack of conventional powerband let’s it maintain a pace that quite often sneaks up on you as it doesn’t really smash your face in as you go about things.
Especially as someone who isn’t used to having aerodynamics on my side I often had to take a double take of the almost illegible speedometer and compare it with the GPS to make sure it wasn’t lying to me.
Of course due to this increased pace the fuel range indicator was liberally lowering itself and I decided to pop in for a refill at Willowmore before entering Ostrich country proper.
I won’t lie after three days of riding and I think mostly because I did it all alone I was now pretty gatvol of the open road and needed some distraction. I lowered the pace as the sun was sitting low and hitting me right in the face, Shoei sun visor be damned.
Then as approached the T-junction just before De Rust I suddenly remembered why I always choose this place to stay over on bike trips. The infamous Meiringspoort was just a few kilometres to my right and I suddenly felt very inspired and grateful that I had fuelled up earlier.
Meiringspoort is my idea of the best public road race course we have in South Africa and if only it looped we could have had our very own Isle of Man style road race here. It’s 25km of nothing but corners with the road constructed over the river that runs through the Swartberg Mountains and connects the Klein Karoo to the Great Karoo.
Since the KTM was running late I turned right. Dynamic suspension mode engaged…Dynamic throttle engaged…brain engaged so you don’t cock this up and remember there are panniers on the back and engine cases hanging off the sides. It’s a treacherous road when slightly wet and object fixation is a big issue as I found out many years ago on my Gixxer 600 when I almost ended up in the river. I’m fortunate there there is absolute no traffic about and the cold hasn’t set in just yet to make it damp.
Going through it one way I was taking it quite easy as this was still a new bike to me after all and it’s been a while since I was last here so I can’t ride it on memory. Even so somewhere along the line something scraped on the ground and I just missioned on at a slightly less liberal pace because what was I really going to do about it.
I was absolutely astounded at the pace the RS could maintain through this very technical road and I was smiling from ear to ear like an idiot, long forgotten that my phone was charging in the topbox and if I cocked this up it might not end very well for me. It’s a beautiful place with waterfalls dropping into large pools and mountain sides wrapped closely along the road so much so that you can’t lean into some of the corners too much as you might very well scratch your helmet against the rock face.
Needless to say I wasn’t paying much attention to the beauty right then and purely focused on the tar ahead of me. After three days in the saddle I was feeling truly alive and the bike was showing it’s darker more sporty side and the “old man” BMW perception was quickly forgotten.
Pulling into a rest area after completing the full circuit the bike was pinging as it cooled for the first time and I could definitely say that it was now properly run-in if it hadn’t been before.
It’s only 16:38…but is that the moon?
After that bit of road racing I was now truly exhausted and headed off into the quaint town of De Rust to check in at Olivier’s Rust my resting place for the evening, but I was definitely coming back in the morning to show the KTM this epic road and give it another go with a fresher memory.
I have stayed here many times over the years as it’s the perfect distance from Cape Town for a one day ride at 450 km odd and the excellent roads of Route 62 to get here make it an interesting but not too taxing ride.
Turns out the place was bought out three years ago and got considerable upgrades so I was shocked to find air conditioning and wireless in the middle of bloody nowhere, with newly refitted floors, kitchen and bathrooms for almost no money.
Mr KTM eventually arrived under the cover of darkness while also freezing his ass off having ignored all my warnings about arriving before the sun sets.
Of course as luck would have it the new owners are bikers too with two BMW R1200GS’s so we had some lekker long chats were told to come park our bikes in doors for the night.
We never did, as the night got away from us and it was too much effort later in the cold.
Food isn’t big on this town’s mind. At least not in the restaurant sense, so self-catering is the way to go and if you come out here the braai facilities are excellent. I’m sure you could do better in the self-catering kitchen than either of the two eateries in the dorp, if you don’t want to braai.
Sticking to the traditions of the area we bought some Klippies & Coke earlier and settled in doors for the night as me might have frozen in place if we stayed outside any longer.
Bike trips are so much better with company and already the road seemed infinitely shorter, too much so as my last day approached…and we hadn’t even ridden anywhere yet.
Day 4 – De Rust to Cape Town
After a nice and warm night of good rest upon this weary journey we had quite the shocker when opening the front door and the cold streamed and this at a rather late 09:00 or so, I recall seeing 2 degrees on the bike that had been sleeping outside all night as was now frosted in place and very very wet.
After packing and summoning the courage to hit the road we took a quick right out of town so I could show the Orange Monstrosity the wonder of Meiringspoort that I had ridden alone the night before.
Keeping in mind that the road would be damp, but also having some recent experience under my belt I gave it horns and it was simply the perfect way to get the blood pumping and the brain aligned for the day ahead.
Here I thought I was giving the KTM a good ass kicking until we turned around to head back at the Evil Orange pulled away from me like the devil was chasing him…with the front wheel pointing towards the sky. I laid chase after being initial caught off guard and when the super motard styles came out for the first corner I was ready to reel it in.
Let’s not forget the RS is a big bike and the KTM is almost a supermodel in comparison, but his corner entry speed had me wondering if he has any clue what’s on the other side, but at the same time the big brawler German would catch the Austrian again on corner exist and we had this constant to and fro in and out of corners which pushed the limits just a little without really getting dangerous.
Compared to similar bikes like the VFR1200 I’ve ridden before I’m sure the RS would hand out a serious ass kicking, but it would be interesting to see how things would have compared if all riders didn’t need to ride a whole day just to get home and put self preservation at the back of their minds.
We stopped for a quick breather and a photo, both bikes pinging and ponging while waiting patiently for the long road ahead.
Turning the volume all the way down from 11 to maybe 2 or 3 we headed back into De Rust to fill up and then cruised out to the Oudtshoorn for breakfast.
Somewhere in the middle Mr KTM realised his license was missing and so when another car warned us about a road block ahead someone had a little panic and we cruised by in a very innocent and sedate fashion without disturbance.
Foursquare was nice enough to recommend Nostalgie which I only now learn is also a B&B and maybe worth a future stay over.
Not the greatest photo, but it’s interesting to see just how small the KTM looks by comparison.
Even though this is Ostrich country the Chicken Liver, Bacon and Feta Roosterkoek caught my eye and I’m very happy I indulged as it was fantastic.
Now that we fuelled ourselves up we were properly ready for the day and so we set off on our way and headed to Ladismith to fill up and pop in at KTM’s family for some cofee.
A little road works aside there were some magical mountain passes that had been recently re-surfaced and with almost no traffic to speak of we had a fantastic time chasing each other through the mountains.
The KTM has the aerodynamic disadvantage so at higher speeds it gets easily dropped by the RS, but on the flipside at lower speeds and through heavy corners it takes the upper hand again quite easily so it made for a very good and interesting riding partner.
Somewhere in the midst of egging each other on I scraped something on the bike again and although uneventful it did have me reset the pace a little bit and remind myself that I still need to get home in one piece.
Ladismith done and dusted we chased each other on to Barrydale, but our lunch plans were thwarted when the place we meant to eat at was closed for the day. We opted to head on through to Montagu as we had enough fuel spare and the hunger could be kept at bay.
It’s amazing how the pace is always faster and more aggressive the moment there are other bikes in the mix, even ones you don’t know. It was a welcome change to the last few days of riding alone and the newly tarred roads were just phenomenal. When you can absolutely trust the surface you are riding on without question it just adds so much more enjoyment to the ride and you can really focus on riding properly.
Unfortunately more road works before Montagu had us turning off the route and going past the town and instead of turning back we opted to head straight for Ashton that is just on the other side of the mountain.
Little did we know this would be the worst roadworks of them all with Stop/Go closures and proper offroad adventures the KTM loved but the RS wasn’t so keen for. With hunger calling many a chance was taken and with the sun going low we opted to take it one step further and head for Robertson so the final stretch home would be done in one sitting.
Coincidentally I had visited the Klipdrift Restaurant when I had just gotten my Triumph Street Triple so it now seemed almost traditional to do the same and stop there with my new bike.
I had fond memories of massive burgers and since breakfast was late and heavy we opted to share one. Well that turned out to be a little underwhelming as my memory faded or the burger had shrunk since then, but fortunately the milkshake made up for it.
The KTM filled up again at Shell heading out of town, but I opted not to thinking this would be the final stretch and the last stop with the longer range of the BMW such that I should just make it home with some fuel to spare.
We hit the Winelands proper heading through Worcester and for a Friday afternoon the roads were filling up. Although damn cold it’s beautiful country and we opted to skip the boring tunnel and tolls and go over the mountain to see the grandeur of Cape Town at it’s finest.
The sun was sadly at such a bad angle that we couldn’t really give the mountain pass what it deserves coming down the other side, frequently having to use my hand in front of my face to scout ahead as even the sun visor wasn’t helping.
As we slid past Paarl the BMW decided that the pace was just a little too much and the range indicator said –, so rather than pushing her home at the end of a long journey I opted to stop at the nearest garage.
The petrol attendants were full of stories since I still have Limpopo plates on and just couldn’t believe that someone would ride a bike that far, especially not in this weather.
Final few kilometres of highway and then into suburbia the KTM told me later than deciding to lane split the last little bit home almost ended badly as I apparently got very very close to a car with my panniers that I had long forgotten about.
Just over 2100 km and four days later I finally got home with my new two wheeled companion in what was ultimately an effort and event-less journey.
I know this didn’t make for much of a review and I will cover that soon having spent some more time in the saddle doing day to day normal riding.
At the end of the day I’m very very satisfied with the BMW R1200RS and very happy I took the plunge.
South African Motorcyclist 