A year long adventure (another Bike Squad Saga/Memories)

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johang

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The article published by Whethefakawe in December 07, 2006, The year long All Expenses Paid hooligan ride brought back some good memories.

I was lucky to be part of the then Bike Squad 1984/1985 and did this as part of the conscription scheme, called national service.  As any young man of that stage in the good RSA I was called up to do my bit.  I landed on a train from Bloemfontein to Pretoria where I became part of the Personnel Service School in Voortrekkerhoogte.  After two weeks or so there were selections for the Bikse Squad.  I went for this opportunity and was told not to mention any motocross experience or anything that indicate some level of advanced riding so I stuck with my story of having ridden bikes on my uncles farm and all sorts of other farmlike places.  Apparently if you rode too well then you want to race and show off rather than being taught that the bike is a transport medium for foot soldiers.  Hmmmmmm.


PART 1:  PREPARING FOR THE YEAR LONG ADVENTURE TOUR

Training was at Potchefstroom for the whole year and ended at Mosita, somewhere in the Northern Cape, if I remember correctly there was a placed called Stella in the area.  We had by this time undergone the normal basic training, cleaning floors and inspections.

Platoon 1, 1984 â?? Overalls or formally called coveralls were the general dress garment in those days
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Cleaning floors, using someoneâ??s blanket (myself and Prinsloo)
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During the inspection it was first the Corporal, the Loot and then the Company Commander.  Staying behind on a weekend when everyone goes on pass because there are some â??Samelsâ? in the rifleâ??s barrel is not fun.

All ready for the inspection
Mos012.jpg


The the Corporal thing
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We were eventually exposed to the bikes after basic training as part of driver and maintenance training.  Quite a detail study was conducted regarding the mechanics and workings of the whole engine.  Riding only started much later and if you messed up you ended up pushing the XR500 in gear from point A to point B.  This was no fun at all.

At some stage I participated in the â??Demo Squadâ? with some â??ou manneâ? from the previous year.  As a â??rofieâ? the key job was not interfering with the old guys when they were busy in the LWT working on the bikes and listening to Frankie Goes to Hollywood â?? â??Relax, donâ??t do itâ?.  Working on the bikes entailed taking the seat off the bike, this made the guys look busy.

As part of the Demo Squad time was spend on rehearsing and then going off to agricultural shows that was quite popular in all towns across the country.  It was really a good show.  Using XR200â??s, a DR500 with no rear suspension for mass rides (6 guys on one bike) a Hond Three Wheeler and a monkey bike for the clown.

Demo Squad ATGATT in â??84.  Remember the yellow number plates.  â??81 was black, â??82 white and then â??84 yellow.  In the back ground you can also see the temporary sleeping quarters that were build 20 years before as temporary structures for the next 10 years and actually just stayed in use for ever and a day.  These bungalows did not have glass windows but Perspex windows as the artillery next door caused shock waves that could break the glass.

Demo Squad ATGATT
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I did not last long in this regard (Demo Squad) and went back to the â??opsâ? teams.  Before going to Mosita we did some skills challenges over tyres, poles, through ditches.  So skills challenges have been out there for a long time.

After the skills challenge the first hard ride took place around the Potch training area.  This was called exercise â??VSAâ? â?? Vasbyt, Stamina and Afkak and the guys that did it confirmed that this was true, pulling, pushing and whatever to get to the end.  So the now days extreme endures existed a long time ago as well.  Unfortunately I missed this due to an injuryâ?¦

Then it was off to Mosita.
Mos006.jpg



This place was hot, sandy and full of thorn bushes, but the camp site was immaculate at all times.  It was also during this time that a serious â??Raad van Ondersoekâ? was underway.  One of the guys decided to use one of the demo squad bikes and go home for the weekend whilst still at Potch.  Now for those that remember this was called stealing and Awol (Absence without leave) and caused some serious repercussions for this individual, CB drills and this type of things.

Daily maintenance on the bikes was strictly enforced.  At least had some more tools available than on todayâ??s 1200GS.

Daily pre-ride maintenance.
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Riding gear for training consisted of an open face helmet, cannot remember the make, army boots, and an overall and then all the other soldier things.  The bikes for training was still brand new with some nice â??Râ? number just below the headlight.  Wonder what happened to R115 164?

Kitted to go, not sure how we survived the thorn bushes with the rolled-up sleeves?
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Before we moved out for exercises it was all bikes in line with the two non-comms (Sgt and Cplâ??s) bikes in front, kit behind the bike and inspection.
Mos002.jpg



Those of use that received new bikes had some carriers on the back, not sure where the top box was, never saw it.  But did that damn carrier hit you in the bum or you go too far back and the back-side comes up, ouch!!!  We later removed these carriers.

I guess no-one will ever see this camoed face and white helmet, luckily only for training.
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Filling up was no problem and fuel range not an issue as long as you make it back to base where the trailer is parked.
Mos010.jpg


Someone still needs to suck on the pipe to get the fuel running with some interesting results.

All exercises were conducted at section level before it was integrated at platoon level.  Everything starts with planning, and oders.  Once you start you have to look back to see any signs.  Playing section leader it was fun to race to the guy in front and get him back on track, a formal excuse.

Mos020.jpg



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Some of the drills entailed riding with the bike, putting it down using the rear break and then get away from it as soon as possible.  It was only for pictures that the rider lies behind the bike.  In my second year at Okatopi base we had to do this same exercise for a camera crew.  The idea was to ride towards the camera, put the bike down and get off behind the bike.  Did it twice and twice the damn R4 got stuck in the extra webbing we had to carry for the camera crew.  Hope they never showed this anywhere.
Mos025.jpg



But as we were told so many times, the bike is a mode of transport, you are foot soldiers first and utmost.  One of the other saying that we had to learn was that a â??A specialist is someone that knows more and more about less and lessâ?.  Every week a new phrase, and you better now it.

As we were â??normalâ? soldiers we had to do all the other normal foot soldier things as well.  This actually came in very handy during the second year as the bikes do not work that well at night in â??Wambolandâ? and walking produce better results and options.

The normal â??Buffelâ? things
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And the normal â??walkâ? things.  Blankets were the in thing, cannot remember why?
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But in between there was time to right home and hope that you do not get the "Dear Johnny"
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Or to hide some "acquired" additional rations in the tent
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Or to have a decent clean-up
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Or enjoying a lekka condensed milk in the luxury bath
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And then just sommer time to talk rubbish around the bikes and what you are going to do if left alone???
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Whilst still in the RSA we participated in big parades as well.  For this the DR500S Suzukiâ??s worked quite well.
Par01.jpg


And again, â??slow racingâ? is not new, it has been there for army parades on bikes.


But before we started our tour (post training) we were playing around in some townships.

 
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