Formerly known as Faantjie.....

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Rouxman

Pack Dog
Joined
Mar 29, 2017
Messages
322
Reaction score
1
Location
Gordon's Bay
Bike
BMW G650 X-challenge
Good Evening all!!

So recently after a few years absence on forums and from Adventure Riding I found myself browsing the WD forums again.

One thing led to another and before I knew I signed up again as Rouxman (Faantjie's sign in details ling forgotten)[emoji15].

Great so now I had access to the For Sale section and in an attempt to catch up on missed "investment" opportunities I soon found myself on a double figured page and there it was......

"Well thing is" I thought to myself, "the missus and I have been saving for bikes"!!And being a boxer snob I have been saving for a flat twin of the 1150 variety.....

And this picture looking back at me on one of the latter pages late one evening is a Beemer so send the PM!!! But is it still for sale? Well send the PM!!

I send the PM and soon after a reply stating "It is!"
I send another PM and soon a WhatsApp conversation is exchanged and not ling after that some money is exchanged and on Saturday morning I'm collecting and riding the Beemer back from Mpumalanga to Gordon's Bay (WC).

So stand by for a two day ride report soon. Due to work commitments I have only Sat/Sunday to commute back home but the pull for a mini adventure is strong and hopefully a mini adventure can be had.

A bit about myself......
As a young(er) man I dreamt of riding a scrambler and the closest I got to riding a scrambler was eating scrambled eggs.
My dad was very supportive of my motorcycling and always said that I can get a bike as long as find a place to park it[emoji849][emoji848]

Anyhow I became an avid cyclist! I could never understand how it was ok to hurtle down a hill alongside my old man at 100+ km/h half naked but as soon as you stick a motor in the frame.....
I love my old man! Honest!🤣🤣

So I ended up in the UK (where I stayed for 10 years) and cycled 50km a day through London five days a week. I got promoted but this but this meant night shifts.

Driving my usual commute from Wembley to Morden and back would see me spending the best part of 3-5h per day in the cage, the trains (tube) were an option but I hated this as rush hour after a 12h night shift wasn't my idea of unwinding, cycling after a 12h night shift was plain wreck less which left me with only one option......

A SCRAMBLER!!! And not the oval shaped variety! A real SCRAMBLER!! One wif shocks, that makes a noise and drinks petrol and wheelies!!

So came the arrival of my first real motorcycle!!
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Yip!! A 100cc Peugeot 307 scooter!

And out went cycling and fitness!!

It was brilliant! I had such a laugh on it and the bug really took hold!!

I started lurking on adventure forums like XRV.Org where I met great people like Lootch, Maverick, Chad, Darth Vader, oo7 and many more!!

Trouble was, they had bikes, real bikes not scooters! Adding to my challenge I had only a learners and would be forbidden under Her Majesties law to ride a bigger bike than a 125cc without a full license!

So again no problem but I still need a bike, a real scrambler!!

Soon on Biketrader I found a 2002 Honda TransAlp! 900miles £2500.00! Perfect for me since after all, it's a step closer to the  proverbial Lamborghini Countach, an AFRICA TWIN!![emoji41]
How I dreamt of riding the Ultamate bike (in my book) through Africa.

Next thing I knew I was in a rented van on my way "up norf" to collect my new scoot.

I got home late that night and had to park the bike at a mates house due to the lack of safe parking facilities at my flat as well as the inability to insure the bike without a license.

I had to ride the bike the 8km to their house. Having never ridden a geared bike before I still remember like it was yesterday the feeling of all those (50) horses underneath me! I had no doubt that this was to be every bit as good if not better as I had imagined for all those years!!

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Me on the left behind the TransAlp at Salisbury Plains.

So fast forward eight months I fell in live with KTM 950Adv and was on my way to trade the Honda when Maverick in his usual convincing laid back way suggested I first try a Beemer and because they hold their value if I don't like it I can sell it again.

So onto Biketrader agin and soon I was the proud new owner of a 2002 BMW 1150GSA Triple Black (Till today still my favorite bike).

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So in 2008 the facelift 1200GS was launched. KTM was now a distant memory and before long I sold the 1150GSA (big mistake!!) and acquired a brand new 2009 1200GS in blue!

Yes in between there were others but it was short lived flings like KTM 640SM and Honda VTR 1000.

End of 2008 after 10years I returned to the mother land no thanks in large to this forum's ride reports!!

First on the agenda, new scrambler!!
This came in the dorm of a new 2009 BMW R1200GSA in red! Acquired from Hamman at the time!

I had a great time and thanks to oo7 at the time for periodically taking me under his wing through some of the best riding and scenery I've seen up to then!!

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https://advrider.com/index.php?threads/weekend-fun-and-games-in-the-south-african-karoo.442319/

Being vertically challenge I long forgot the near topples on the 1150 when I took delivery of the 1200Adv. I rode it for 18 months and 45k before I sold it to a gent in Trichardt.

Then came a lull! Story for another day!

Then there is some hazy memory of a Yamaha R6, a yellow one[emoji15]

This was soon replaced with a white 2010 BMW R1200GS, much better suited for my short ass! In my opinion the GSA is better value for money....
The missus now also had a BMW 650GS. She rides like tiger and is one of the best sights in my rear view mirror!!

And the we had a lapse in concentration and sold the adventure bikes and got KTM's, a 200XCW for her and 250XCW for him.

We had great fun on these until last year when we sol them.

And hence forth starts a new chapter in our riding adventures.

The vrou will soon be in the market. Watch this space (or rather For Sale section) soon for a "wanted" post from Rouxman!

Looking forward to meeting some dawgs on the road!!

Cheers
Fanus








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