It was a nervous, worried looking bunch that showed their faces for the P2BP run.
Every couple of seconds someone would glance at the clouds, hoping it would stay clear. There were a fair number of bikes about, but not the numbers you’d usually associate with a Sunday morning.
Our mission looked doomed. There’s no way we’re going to be able to pretend we’re posers with this weather and wet roads. Everyone will know we’re not, because posers don’t ride in this weather. It was raining all of Saturday and early Sunday morning. More than one admitted that, at one stage or the other, they had second thoughts. But towards one o’clock, as we were standing around drinking beer at the Dros in Stellenbosch there were no worried looks just people patting themselves on the back for venturing out and having a brilliant run.
When I got to the meeting spot, Bobby was waiting, puffing away on a Camel. It was just after nine and at this stage the weather still looked dicey as it poured down just before I left. My rain suit was a b@stard to get on over leathers and boots and had me jumping around on one leg in the garage, knocking over half empty paint cans before it was thrown away in disgust. So I was hoping for dry weather.
Bobby had a nice cuppa in his hand and I quickly went to get mine. Then we
settled in and started placing bets on who we thought would show up. We didn’t have high hopes for a big turn out, but it was a later that usual run -
especially for those that needs time to wake up and make up their minds.
Here was what we decided. Axel was out, he’s still without a bike. Some irony there as he was taken out when we went to visit Bobby in the hospital and Bobby’s been out for 4 months and Axels bike is still not fixed. NOTE I just spoke to Axel and his went to fetch his bike from those incompetant fools on Friday, but he had to spend the whole weekend fixing half loose screws and re-doing the hydraulics for his clutch, so couldn’t come.
Indi kept quiet through the week, he never commits if the weather looks, as he’d put it - iffy, whatever that might mean. We decided he might come if the weather at Sunset Beach looked promising. Wayne couldn’t come. Russell would be there. I got an e-mail from Jacques and he was coming. We wondered about Bonny, DaveJ, Pierre, Thomas and a good number of other people. And then there were a number of others we haven’t seen in ages that sometimes makes an appearance. In total we only expected, lets see, us because we were there and Russel because Bobby spoke to him earlier, and er. Well, that was it.
But the weather improved as we stood there and soon Gavin showed up, he read my Saturday evening message to Bobby and remembered the ride is on and made it. Then Franco showed up. Indi pulled in, then Russell and finally Jacques and his wife. It was their first ride with us but they knew Franco (having seen the worst of IUB already, it could only get better for them). They send an email asking if they could come and off course they were encouraged. New people are always welcome. If we get 5 new members maybe 1 will find IUB is what he/she is looking for and stay on, and those are the ones we want, new friends (and new enemies).
Well Franco’s new (-ish) Buell stole most of the show and there were some fancy tackle parked around us. People just couldn’t walk past it. Thanks for letting me ride it, too. My impression is of a vibey (in a good way) bike bouncing around at idle that you just can’t help revving, even though it’s
unnessessary?. We’re all suitably jealous but you waited long and deserve it.
Many happy miles and keep enjoying it the way you obviously does.
So there were 7 bikes with only Jacques that was carrying a pillion, all the
other IUB ladies bravely stayed at home to make the beds and watch re-runs of Survivor All Stars or whatever was on. Bobby (ZX9R), Russell (ZX10), Indi (B’Bird), Gavin (1100GS), Franco (Buell), Jacques (Duc’ Monster), and me (R1).
Having been made aware of our, er, illegal riding habits, the bunch of us was on our best behaviour. Apart from Franco who immediately started mixing it with two of the gazillion Fireblades we saw on the roads - dam, Honda must be smiling about the sales but they are becoming a bit common, with everyone and his boyfriend having one. So Franco showed these boys on their Blades and with their fancy racing suits a thing or two.
If you know Franco you can just imagine the sight - this big oke dwarfing the Buell with his arse hanging out of his jeans showing these prima donnas in their creaky leathers on their brand spanking new bikes a thing or two.
Suitably depressed the lot of them took the Strand turn off, the thought of
THAT man on THAT Buell through a still wet Hells Hoogte must have been
daunting.
The rest of the ride was uneventful. Most of us being on their best Sunday
behaviour and trying hard to be responsible. But the traffic had us spread out so we re-grouped just as we came into Franschoek and then made our way to the hotel for breakfast. There were a fair number of bikes about but somehow I couldn’t help still thinking the weather defeated our purpose, we were pretending to be posers but the posers weren’t riding.
At breakfast the usual good humour was about. Bobby tried to lobby everyone into making him road captain, whatever that might be. Russell explained it meant everyone should follow him when we ride somewhere. Pondering this, someone mused if Bobby would be a good choice - then someone started singing the nursery rhyme that goes “wee all faall dowwwwwnn”.
Russell, having been kicked out of his club for some heinous crime wondered whether he should join our merry band, but of cause he’ll have to beg more, being a Kiwi.
At the other end of the table Indi was trying to explain the effects of global
warming to Gavin and Jacques who made the mistake of ending up within shouting distance, and Franco was reminiscing about the love of his life (his V-Max) - sorry Jackie. Jacques wife must have wondered if we’re all single, not because we’re so good looking but because she was the only girl there. We’re not single, by the way, our wimmen are just not as tough as us!
As we wiped our plates with the last of the bread and slurped our coffee from the saucers, the waitress took our money and disappeared. Afterwards Indi and Gavin asked who paid for them but off course no-one did, so they were ordered to pay for the beer at the next stop, teach them a lesson, that will.
Another careful ride over Hells Hoogte, and back to Stellenbosch. I was sitting behind a red Toyota Venture, with kids in the back, at the robot. There was this little girl in the back that ogled us and then stick her tongue out! The hooligans on their Kwacks started revving their bikes and her tongue disappeared and she sat down and faced forwards again. OK the r1 was also being revved but no-one could hear it over the racket the ZX9 and ZX10 were making!
Franco had something on and left us all wallowing in his wake just outside
Franschoek. The de Villiers couple had to be home as they had baby sitters so the rest of us had to goto the Dros, because there were FREE BEER. Indi and Gavin ripped the Hotel off by leaving without paying, remember, and IUB’s strict social consciousness policy doesn’t allow that. We encourage honesty so now they we’re going to PAY for their sins.
Anyway, after a lot of beer the gathering took the form of a Ana1 General
meeting and we decided we should:
1 - ride more often
2 - be more considerate to people doesn’t necessary want to ride like they’re being chased by the cops
3 - newer members
4 - minority groups
5 - single parents
6 - puppies with sad eyes.
Tags: Trip reports
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