Reflecting on my SOUTH AFRICA and NAMIBIA motorcycle adventures

2010 keeps returning to my memory. In February of that year I motorcycled 4,000 miles in South Africa. It was brilliant in all respects.

In September 2011 5 motomates accompanied me. We included Namibia. We plan to go again sometime soon. Click HERE for the start. At end of page just click on Newer Post. Thank you for taking an interest.

I Was Thinking of Buying a New Motorcycle!

At the moment I am off the road and therefore so is my motorcycle (on a SORN*).

Motorcycle off the road in the garage

On a Battery Charger plugged into the primary Aux Power Port.

Aux Power Port

Auto Charger

I have spent much of the last 6 months adventure riding vicariously and also researching new motorcycles. www.rtw-adventures.com has been very helpful in both of the above. I have travelled with Pavel on his Yamaha 660Z Tenere all over the place - Ireland, Germany, Mongolia, Poland and many other countries.

In addition to the moto adventure rides there is a lot of very good information regarding motorcycle equipment, riding techniques, motorcycle gear and motorcycle reviews.

My trusty 2005 BMW R1150GS-ADV records 53,106 miles on the odometer. 314 miles since the previous fill up.

Odometer

I have owned the motorcycle from new. It has been a brilliant machine. Mostly it has been used for touring - Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, Isle of Man, Scotland and England. I have also toured South Africa and Namibia on rented motorcycles: A BMW R1200GS and a Yamaha 660Z Tenere. Click South Africa and South Africa and Namibia for those specific moto adventures. Watch this space for more.

During my 'off-road' recuperation I have been contemplating selling my BMW and buying a lighter, more up to date machine for when I get back on the road. BUT it appears that there is no light but big motorbike available. I am 6'2" and 100kgs (16st 220lbs). There are big bikes out there of course, but none of them are light. The light motorcycles are just too darn small. The big bikes like the Triumph Explorer, Yamaha Super Tenere, Suzuki V-Strom 1000 are all good motorbikes in their own way, but just about as heavy as my 1150 BMW GSA. The Ducati Multistrada Enduro 1200 is a beautiful motorcycle, but it is €20,000 and heavy. The Honda Africa Twin would be a contender, but, again, expensive.

Here are some pics of the motorcycles that I have considered:

Ducati Multistrada Enduro 1200 - BEAUTIFUL

KTM 1290 Super Adventure R - also beautiful

Honda Africa Twin 1000 - Excellent Moto

Triumph Explorer 1200 - Good Moto

Suzuki Vstrom 1000 - Excellent Value

SWM - Interesting Moto

MotGuzzi STELVIO 1200NTX - W.N.T.L?

A big factor for me is the switch gear. The 'old' BMW switch gear is so functional, intuitive, and safe.

Left Turn and Horn

The original turn indicator switches - thumb the left switch for left turn and thumb the right switch for right turn. Right thumb the cancel switch to cancel. Intuitive, easy, ergonomic and very robust. This is a reason that I would not consider a new BMW 1250 GSA with Mickey Mouse turn indicators and OTT riding modes.

Right Turn and Cancel Left or Right Turn

So I have decided to keep my old BMW. The Touring panniers work well as does the soft luggage. The bike can carry a load of camping gear and after 13 years with this motorbike I have had a lot of experience with configuring the gear. Another factor is insurance premiums are relatively reasonable AND I don't even think about losing the motorcycle through theft when it is parked outside a hotel somewhere for the night. Click here maybe?

Ibis Hotel Rotterdam

*Statutory Off-Road Notice (UK untaxed vehicle kept off public roads)

Haven't Posted For A While

I have just been checking ClustrMaps and discovered that there is still a lot of interest in my motorcycle blog. My apologies, therefore, for not posting for a while but I am planning to do some interesting moto adventures in 2019 and will record them in the usual (hopefully humorous) way.

On the agenda is:

1. Ride east to Norfolk. Have a look at The Broads and then ride south through Suffolk and then Essex. I know very little about these counties and plan to correct that. The pics should be interesting.

2. A night ride around London starting at the Ace Cafe at around 10:00 pm. This will include Euston Road, St Pancras, Regents' Park, Thames Embankment, Elephant and Castle, Westminster.

3. A day ride to Greenwich Observatory and Greenwich Park plus Primrose Hill.

4. A ride up to Stranraer in Scotland, ferry to Larne in Northern Ireland and ride the west coast to Shannon.

My motorcycle is on a SORN* at the moment. In the UK this means *Statutory Off-Road Notice. My body is also on a SORN but that is being sorted by the wonderful NHS in this country. The motorbike is now 13 years old and has some 53,000 miles on the clock. Before getting it re-road taxed it will need an MOT but that should present no problem. I'll take the bike to my expert mechanic Walter at Jim Hill Motorcycles in early March.

So long for now. Jet.