Words – Andrew Biram, Pics – Andrew Biram

RAD Moto celebrated their 2^nd birthday in grand style in the mountainous Kingdom of Swaziland last month, with 33 clients and friends joining in the fun and celebrations for four days of adventure and entertainment. Based at the lovely Maguga Lodge, overlooking the Maguga Dam wall 20kms from Piggs Peak, we partied the first night away after an introduction of the team and an in-depth riders briefing which outlined the fun to be had over the next three days.

Eagerly waking on Friday morning, we wolfed down a fantastic brekkie and, after mounting our bikes, all followed Mark Taylor and Denzel Laurie into the hills of Swaziland. The route immediately blew us away with spectacular vistas over the dam before dropping us down a stony cattle path which opened more than a couple of riders’ eyes on the descent. Mark had warned us to expect vehicular traffic on the least likely paths and, sure enough, as we were battling down a nasty little section we had to avoid a Golf GTi climbing up towards us, lowered suspension and all. Where there’s a will there’s a way apparently!

The terrain did not let up at all but even our pillions in the group were smiling and having a blast, relying on the superb abilities of their partners to pilot them safely up hill and down dale. Much respect went out to them that evening at the awards presentation and they were rewarded with a shooter for their efforts. Our route planners possibly got a bit optimistic with their choice of lunch venue because, as beautiful as it was, the 4x4 that was carrying our grub was unable to get there. So off we went to a more suitable location to enjoy our sarmies, chicken and much needed liquid refreshments.

The final stretch of the day was hard fought with the riders feeling the effects of 36 degree heat and hangovers that just wouldn’t quit, no matter how much we were sweating, so when we hit the tar eventually it was “Home James, and don’t spare the horses!”

The clients had a ball in the pool that evening before we were spoiled to a very lekker dinner and a couple of soothing drinks to wash the final dust down. Outlaw Entertainment rocked our socks off, filling the night with great tunes and even some dodgy jokes courtesy of Sean Dienar. The Swazi mountain air must be really fresh as many yawns were spotted throughout the night, closely followed by retreating feet carrying their owners off to bed with the promise of a new day dawning.

Saturday we rose to a slightly overcast sky that was thankfully a lot cooler and only added to our enjoyment of the best ride of the birthday bash. Man, the paths and mountains that we traversed were the business; just awakening us to how blessed we are to be able to ride bikes for days on end in the greatest places on earth. The freedom and melting away of all stresses that our group experienced while up in the mountains was truly refreshing and quite necessary for a couple of members in our group.

Lunch for the day was enjoyed on the banks of the Komati River which served well to wash dirty faces and hands in before tucking into our well-deserved lunch packs which were waiting for us after our morning’s route. As with all RAD Adventure tours we aim to leave our surrounds as we found them and that day was no different. Even after sharing our supplies with some local kids, we ensured that we collected all the trash to take back to camp with us. It boggles my mind to see how the local people seem to find it acceptable to litter in their own pristine environment.

The route back to Maguga flew by even though Mark and Denzel had placed a tricky sting in the tail to really finish us off. By this stage we were all Rally Gods who even Alfie Cox would have been threatened by and nothing was going to stop our rapid progress home to watch the rugga. Pity we got trounced by NZ, I guess we couldn’t have it all our own way the entire weekend?

Sunday’s ride home was a damp and cold affair, with the heavens opening and kicking us out of Swaziland with our tails between our legs. 16 Degrees through Nelspruit and a 140km/h wind chill factor on wet riding kit ensured that we did not muck around getting home to a hot shower. One brave couple even made it back from Maguga, through the border post and to their home on the West Rand in three hours flat, courtesy of their phenomenal KTM 1190 Adventure. Silly but effective!

With clients like these and the passion for motorcycling that RAD Moto has, we will most definitely be celebrating many more birthdays in superb style going into the future. To all our clients and those who attended, thank you for making us the success that we are. We couldn’t have done it without you!

BST carbon fibre wheels, or rims, are without doubt the best of their kind in the world, and best of all they’re made right here in South Africa.

Fourways Motorcycles have now become an official dealer for these desirable items. Fourways already sells Kawasaki, Triumph, Aprilia, and Moto Guzzi, so they know what their customers want, which from recent sales is BST wheels.

Fourways will fit them to your bike for you and give full customer support after the professional installation. In fact the feisty and friendly DP of the branch, Riaan Fourie, has just fitted them to his own ZX-10 race bike and immediately shaved seconds off his lap times, which he says is down to his new BST wheels, and probably staying out of the pub the night before.

Go to www.fourwaysmotorcycles.co.za and equip your bike with BST. Also go to www.blackstonetek.com for vehicle applications.   

15 to 18 August 2013

RIDE AND ROAR: by Natalie Brits

You are either a big fan of the Harley-Davidson brand or you aren’t, there is just no sitting on the fence where this iconic American brand is concerned but, whatever your preference with regards to your choice of motorcycles or lifestyle, there is no denying that when Harley Davidson does something, they don’t mess around and they do it big. When it comes to promoting a lifestyle and getting new bums on seats, Harley-Davidson is right on the money every single time.

In celebration of the 30^th Anniversary of the Harley Owners Group, HOG members from both South Africa and from as far abroad as Israel, America, Germany, Dubai and Dohar converged on the legendary Sun City resort for a fun-filled and action-packed weekend. To start the celebrations, around 150 bikes embarked on the Thunder Parade mass ride from the Pretoria Dealership in true Harley Davidson style, heading for one of South Africa’s premium resorts.

To cater for everybody, various packages were arranged with the resort to accommodate all HOG members’ pockets and all four of the hotels which are the Palace, Cascades, Sun City Hotel and the Cabanas, were filled with Harley Davidson families. And I do say families because, in true HOG spirit, the entire family is welcome to attend. After everyone was settled in their various accommodations the entertainment began, and the entire weekend was jam-packed with things to do. In fact, it was so busy that I needed a weekend after the weekend if you know what I mean?

Thursday’s activities kicked off with a sizzling Buddha Bar Party in the Hall of Treasures with top South African DJs providing the music to keep the party going. Unfortunately we only arrived on the Friday afternoon, so missed this one, but judging from the sore heads the following day, fun was had by all.

Another thing that HOG members are renowned for is their charity work and Friday saw various charity outrides taking place to assist with numerous projects and raise funds in the local community around Sun City. The evening was spent at the Valley of the Waves where we had a fantastic beach party and were entertained by top South African All Girl Band, The Blackbyrds, performing together with the infamous Scottish Band, The Bogus Brothers. 

Up early for Saturday’s line-up which included the Harley-Davidson® Experience Truck which offers demo rides so that non-Harley riders can experience the exhilaration of riding a Harley-Davidson without the worry of having their bike licenses (only available on the Jumpstart® facility) and the first ever flag parade in South Africa. HOG members who wanted to do something different for the day, hit a few balls around on the renowned Gary Player Golf Course, hung around at the pools or went on game drives and those in a competitive spirit entered their bikes into the Custom Bike Show where some great cash prizes were up for grabs. The winners in the various categories were as follows: Free Style Custom, Leonard Myburg (first) and Bob Bartholomew (second); H-D Big Twin, Faan du Toit (first) and Dave Kriel (second); H-D Sportster, Johan Botha; Modified Harley-Davidson, Peter Schmitt (first) and Brian Wood (second); Lady of Harley Big Twin, Bettie Kloppers (first) and Caroline Farmer (second); Trike, Faan Botha (first) and Don Conceicao (second) and Antique, Martin Smith (first) and Phill Beckett (second).

But the highlight of the evening was a live performance in the Superbowl by the legendary Mike and the Mechanics. M-Net Cares, who proudly sponsored with Sun International and Harley on Safari, brought the band out to mark this special occasion and we all rocked the night away dancing to hit singles like “The living years”, "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)", "All I Need Is a Miracle" and "Word of Mouth"

Sunday morning saw an early rise for all which was followed by another sumptuous breakfast and then the various groups said their goodbyes and departed for the ride/drive home. Harley on Safari was a wonderful weekend with great entertainment and great company. We will definitely be back in five years time when the next event is hosted.