Spokey

When not in Kuwait I am in Hoekwil, near Wilderness. Bikes always welcome!

You are welcome, I have a spare room that fellow bikers of the engine and non engine variety are welcome to use........just buy a scoff in the Wife's restaurant ha ha! I am stuck here until at least the 3rd week in July. I admit that I go rondry a bit. I stay out of everyones way and try not to go too fast past the cops! Out for essential supplies. The big Katoom is at Doc, an oil channel blocked on the inlet valve of the rear cylinder. I caught it early......ticking sound in the engine. Anyways, the dealer is repairing it under warranty......Not bad for a 2013 bike! The rest are home and chilling. FZR is waiting for a speedo cable. CB400F is lined up for a front brake service. CB750F is happy and chilled, Big Zed the ZRX1200R is a bit of a show off, but might have gone and done his clutch in.....bit of a slip today......the silly buggar likes to accelerate harder than necessary.......well, big smile on the riders face.......and that be me!KLR is just bloody awesome, agricultural of note but a lovely bike to hit the dirt roads and contemplate the finer meanings of Lockdown.......perhaps I will head to the Van Wyksdorp Mall for milk this weekend!!!!

Was out for essential fennel......had some fish to poach, somehow ended up on Outeniqua Pass. I swear that bike just does not listen!

I fancy the heli’s as my garden is large enough, well.......if I was competent enough! Yup, nice TREX would do the trick.

The large glider is a 2,5m kit from the 1990’s, I forget the name but It was by The Balsa Cabin. Gentle Lady at 78” span, a 54” Osprey built in 1994. The electric glider is a simple own design with the left over and renovated wing of a Pilot QB1400 (1,4 m span) glider that I built around 1979. Little powerplane is from an RCM&E plan Yard Ace. Very simple and light weight. I really must dig them out of storage and get them airborne again. They have been packed up since we moved from Josie nearly 4 years ago. Edited.....Whoops, Gentle Lady not in the pic!

I was into simpler stuff when last involved.. Small electric and electric gliders. I have dozens of plans from RCM&E magazine over the years. Need to get building again and digging out the old machines. My first radio is a SA built Futaba, Sataba two channel sold to commemorate the world glider champs in SA in 1978. Still functions in an old Gentle Lady. I do fancy to learn to fly electric helis, perhaps something by Align.......but $$$$!

Garden Route Dam is in George, near the Nelson Mandela University. Just off Madiba Drive or Seven Passes road.

And I just want to get back to work in Mid East.......ayeeee!

Too long since posting here! Been out on the bike a lot more recently and just enjoyed a cool jaunt around Garden Route Dam. Must keep this up!

Awesome .......that will keep you busy!

Went for something essential at Builders in George, must have missed the Mall............

Love it.....! I fancy one of these or the earlier 1100. Enjoy it man, wish you many happy Km’s

A little more of my mini Karoo circuit. That KTM 1190 is a lekka delivery bike!

Mrs B’s Kitchen in Hoekwil (my wife’s restaurant) donated face shields and several masks for each clinical staff member at Aberdeen Hospital. As many of you may know, my daughter is doing Comserve there so we have a vested interest. I was lucky enough to be able to arrange a legal permit to deliver the goods myself...........way better than using a courier! I went up on the N9 and ran into a few problems at the Provincial Boundary road block. SAPS were incredible. The Captain in charge guided me through how to rectify the paperwork and then accepted my new permits as an email on my phone. (Lucky to have had connection!) Anyways, returned through the same roadblock but decided to get home via De Rust and the dirt road through Dysselldorp and Paardepoort. Man, it was awesome to get out on the really quiet roads. Good for my mental health that was!

I really like your Giant Loop bags. I have the smaller set on my KLR for carrying tools and spares on my Karoo day rides........well, back when we could do such a thing! I fancy the bigger set for my 1190 Adventure for overnight rides ( some might say more spares required! Ha Ha)

Anyone looking at the Soma....I have a steel 650b hardtail mtb, beautiful build quality, lovely ride. There is a young lady on FB doing a Cape to Kapp on a Soma tour bike. Seems a geat choice.

LWB good luck man....I did just one year as an appie in SAA Tech back in 1981. I had always wanted to fly and did not enjoy my year although it actually taught me so much in a short time. I now do all the work on my motorcycles myself. Took me a further 13 years before I started my pilot training. However, the real reason to post, my late Great Uncle Jimmy Adam was Chief Exec of SAA in the mid ‘70’s. He was the first CEO to come from the pilot pool and not the Department of Transport. He also turned SAA into the black economically speaking. He passed away years before I finally attained my pilot license and I have little contact with that side of the family. I do have several books Uncle Jimmy gave me in the early 80’s and I treasure them. Very sad in our family and of course others to see the demise of a once great airline. I wish you well, SAA tech is right up there in the world, I hope you guys can survive this.

Awesome memories. I have my share of stories flying in shite weather all over Africa. Now older and a little wiser, I am very cautious about going for jollies in little aeroplanes. I am lucky that in my job my boss is very respectful of our decisions when it comes to weather and the various other aspects that determine the safety of a flight. If in doubt have a beer..........then there is no doubt! (Errrr, not that I can do that at work!)

Jeepers Eddy.....I must admit, I find this kind of accident inexcusable. The mountains are such solid and definite things. It is not rocket science to get airborne and climb above the terrain before heading over the gommo’s. And if without an IF rating you stay on the ground and drink beer. I get angry when I read things like this, even though this is an old accident. Ayeeee!

Man, I generally enjoy the bumps. After many years as a freight dog when I entered the corporate world I had to learn to be very “bump conscious”. We will change altitude as often as required to search for smooth air, well, if the levels are available. Worst I had was Kuwait to Bali when we were between FL 450 and down to FL310 to try and obtain a smooth ride. I also always keep my belt on, whether piloting the beast or paxing.

Ahhhhhh, but they do grow up and leave home............eventually! My wife loves our day jaunts on the big KTM, well before Lockdown anyways.

Last century I was instructing in Pietersburg. One of my students was an Air Force fellow in Operations. He arranged a visit for my wife and I to the bombing range outside Louis Trichaart. Man, it was awesome. Saw the Cheetahs dropping laser guided bombs and the Rooivalk demonstrating close support with the cannons. Included was an Impala demo firing rockets. Was a grand day out! As an airscout in Bulawayo even earlier last century, I visited Katanga range near Gwelo. There the Canberras dropped practice bombs and the Hunters fired the 30mm cannons. Cool stuff for a 13 year old! I still have a 30 mm cannon shell in my study.

Like a Hayabusa then.........another ugly/ beautiful beast I would love to own.

Based on Andymans comment it does seem the way to go for a modestly priced collectable Ducati...............but I do love the 1098!

Man, I love the SP1 and 2, but that Fire Storm is not looking too bad these days! I also love the 916 to 998 then 1098 Ducatis but the 999 is also looking a little collectable now, at way under the price of a fine 916 onwards in good nick.