Shangali
Pack Dog
hello to all biker fans in south africa! my name is shangali and i have returned to south africa after a eight year absence to europe!
i left sunny sa in 2000 after being here in this great country for twenty years. .... you see, i was born and raised over there and came to sa for a visit in 1980. the first time i drove from the airport to town i fell in love with the beauty of the land here! i managed to get my documents to stay here for 3years and in that time i got the african "bug"! simply to beautyful to leave and go back there, i enjoyed every day here, worked as we all do and bought a house in 1988. i had the pleasure to open my own business in 1990 and ran a one man show in car airconditioning in edenvale / johanesburg.
as the days and years went by, with many trips to the eastern transvaal on my bmw r100rt (rubber cow), to many bike meetings in kleinbrak in hazeview in cape town and mossel bay, my family in europe tried to get me back to switzerland. never ever in all the years here was i "homesick" for europe! south africa became my heart and blood and soul! i changed my passport in 1994 and became south african citizen!
when i say my blood and soul, i mean it in the true sence of the word!
in 1985 i was nocked off my yamaha750 and ripped appart! i lost my right leg in the bang and was in the gen. in jhb for seven months. due to the severe injuries the "filled" me up with 20 liters of blood! that "oil" change made me truly south african by blood! ;D ;D
anyway, my brother managed to manipulate my mind and i returned to europe in 2000. from the start, it was november, it was a "crap" move for me!
i became a slave to the system and was treated like i never wanted to be treated! ........
the only joy was the beemer (1100 rt) i got myself in 2003! driving it for 112000km from germanys black forrest to italian alps, stilfserjoch with 399 bends from top to bottom, from austria to france i did it all! changing my "rubber" three times a year was not only strange to them but also expensive to my budged! the middle of the tire still 2.5mm but the shoulders did dissapear!!!!!!! men..... the cornering is absolutley fantastic over there!
just forget to go 280 in a straight, but think of doing a bend with 160 on your side pegs......... jeeeaaahhhhh that gets your heart beat up :laughing4: :imaposer: eating fzr`s and r1`s on the inside of a bend with 150 on the clock! that brings goosebumps up your back...... and it keeps you young! driving up the Grimsel Pass you eat a 1300 yamy and he keeps trying to get back at you, and on top of the pass you see him taking off his helmet (valentino rossi colours) and he is half my age and he looks at my beemer, shaking his head in disbelieve!!!
boys & girls ....... that was fun fun fun..... and it kept me there until some weeks ago.
i returned to sa in september and i feel fantastic all around! not only is this the country with great opportunities but with the greatest people on the planet!!!
one of them is willem! he posted his bmw 1200 gs in the wild dog and i was lucky enough to be the new owner of the yellow beauty! after some good negotiations we managed to finalise the deal and since the fourth of december i am the proud and lucky owner of willis beemer!
yesterday i fitted a new rear rubber to it and tomorrow morning early i am going for my first off road trip with the bmw club pretoria to find some new challanges in my life! ........ dirt road here i come ...... beware of a yellow beemer with the "shangali" sign at the back!!!!!
i salute all of you fellow south africans!!! we can be proud of all we have in this great country!
i am absolutley greatfull and happy to be back home and hope to see you all on the track or road in sunny south africa!!!
wish you all the perfect holiday over christmas and a super trooper new sart into the new year !!!
Shangali ....... peace & freedom ....
