The wind. The Wind! THE WIND!!!!

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growweblaar

Race Dog
Joined
Jul 10, 2006
Messages
2,844
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Location
Somerset West
Bike
BMW F800GS
OK, so this is a ride report. Of sorts :D

First ride on my new Dakar, in fact. Last Thursday, I got the call from John at Donfords that I could pick it up - woohooo!! So I made the trip to Stellenbosch, paid my gorillas, signed lots of papers and off I went, back to Cape Town.

Now, cast your mind back, Capies: do you remember something special about Thursday 5 April? Yes, it was the start of the Easter weekend. What else?

My wife suggested that I leave the bike in S'bosch with her parents, since the wind was blowing quite strongly... No, I'll be fine, I lied, my own worry eclipsed by the overwhelming desire to have my prize in my own garage that night! :bom:

Now, I grew up in Cape Town. I know the wind well. In fact, I know it very well. But I've never been on a new motorcycle, at highway speeds, in the dark, at the start of the Easter weekend, in a gale-force south-easter! :shock: :shock: :shock:

The wind was pumping like the devil himself was working the bellows! And pump it did: with every gust it took all my strength - mental and physical - just to keep the Dak in its lane :pale:. The term "butt clenching" does not quite convey the gravity of the situation. Spasmodic, constipation-inducing, total sphincter lockup is more appropriate. Did you know that you can ride a motorcycle at 45 deg to the road? In the end I was doing 60 on the N1, trying to avoid yet another near-miss with the car in the next lane :?. I even tried the stick-your-opposite-knee out trick that I read about, but that didn't work, I can assure you!


But I finally made it back to tell the story :eek:. So, lesson learnt. Won't ride highways if the Cloth is on the Table again.

And, no, I don't have pics of the trip, sorry :D.

I will take some pics of me and the bike, soon, I promise :) (just snowed under with work at the mo).

g
 
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