Tuesday, February 13, 2007

From fantasy to reality

Topbike magazine was launched in March 1999, as a bi-monthly addition to Topcar. I was an avid reader from the beginning. The only other serious magazine at the time was Bike SA. I preferred topbike for its high quality photos and writing.

As an obsessive consumer of bike magazines, the Bike (UK) magazine has become my absolute favourite over time. The writing was sharp, witty and humorous, and influenced the way I wrote.

When I started freelancing biking articles about 3 years ago with cartoday.com, I immediately knew I wanted to be a bike journo fulltime. But potential was nil. Bike magazines are run by a skeleton crew; mostly a few editors with material supplied by freelancers.

I was hoping cartoday.com’s printed counterpart, Car magazine, would get into publishing reports on bikes like they did in the 80’s.

No chance, I was told.

I also wrote to Bike UK but never heard from them.

I had no hope to ever do this fulltime.

So I settled in with freelancing, accepting my lot. I did it for the fun after all, not the fame.

Yeah right.

As it happened, media24 negotiated an agreement with car magazine uk, and bike magazine uk, to publish some of their content. So there it was – my two favourite magazines in one. I was ecstatic.

For a long time I was really dreaming, wishing and cursing to get my name into topbike magazine. I was published on the internet mainly, and desperately wanted to break into print. Well, any bike magazine would do, but topbike would be the cherry in the cake.

So I was harassing Ian Els (editor for topbike) with emails and ph calls to do a story. he suddenly had to move to Cape Town from Johannesburg, after media24 bought out topbike and Topcar. I was now able to bang on his door, stalk him and take him hostage. Eventually he gave in and I did a story for topbike. And he was very happy with my produce.

To cut a long story short, they’ve been looking for a 3rd writer for a while, and fitted the bill. He offered me the opportunity and I accepted on the spot.

I have moved to joburg. I haven’t missed cape town yet, but probably will in due course.

All I can think off now is all the bikes I will ride, scenery I will see, and telling our readers about it.

I am about to start living my dream. And someone’s going to pay me for it.

They say one of the secrets of life is to get paid for what you would do for free.

Does life get any better?

Check out:

http://www.bikemagazine.co.uk

http://www.topbike.co.za/

Sunday, February 04, 2007

phantasie

the sun sets

i’m lonely

nowhere to go

except to a life in my head

the land of make-believe

the land of oblivion

my drug of choice

my nirvana

fantasy cars and bikes and woman

endless cash and mountains of things

fame and envy

me me me me love me

the superstar

the supernova

implosion

the sun rise

i’m still lonely

my head is tired

my life is empty

my soul is pained

nowhere to go

except to work

to life

reality and boredom

but freedom from me

and a head that kills me

a chance to rest

recoup

recover

until the sun sets again

and I am lonely again

with nowhere to go

except that place in my head

SuperCars!

Geneva is a rich city, as the cars testify. Didn't have my camera ready for the Maranello, a few Aston Martin Vanquishes, BMW Z8s, Diablos and Countachs as well as the new Bentley Coupe.

But I got these!

At the Basel border-crossing between Germany and Switzerland; I also wonder if I will ever see a MacMerc again. Unlike the Enzo, this thing's engine really rumbles at low speed! Imagine the drone of a thunderstorm in the distance; that as it what it sounded like before it roled into view!

We hit the autobahn and the SLR speeds away into the distance...

I lost my pastport and was kept hostage for a long time by the customs at the border between France and Switzerland. As I waited, another thunderstorm arrived. But where the SLR sounds like a Nascar, the Viper GTS sounds like a truck - and that is no insult! It is a deep, bass gurgle at idling that you can almost pickup through your feet on the ground.

Never thought anybody would ever see the need to customise a Viper; it's not exactly going to get lost in a parking lot, is it? The mods suit the car well though.

For sale in Berlin; it is the Cape Town number plate that caught my attention!

I have never seen a R7 in the metal before.

Tthe car to finally topple the McLaren F1 as the fastest production car in the world. The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 boasts 16 cylinders, 64 valves, 8 litres, 4 turbo's and puts out 736kw (1000bhp), 1250Nm, and will do 400kph (250mph). This model is on display in a VW showroom in Berlin.

Prowling the quiet back-streets of Geneva; This might be the only time I ever see an Enzo. I couldn't really hear it as it flashed past (exhaust too quiet?), but there was a show-off in a Ferrari 550 Maranello V12 dragging in 1st gear from robot to robot. I can't describe the sound. It was paralysing. I am still shivering just replaying it in my head.

A bit old hat now, but I couldn't resist snapping the Murcielago parked next to the lake...

Berlin

I came to Berlin not knowing what to expect from a motorcycling point of view.

At best, I thought I would meet Cathrine (whom I had online contact for about four years now), and she had a Ducati 750SS. I could ride with her and her mates (as a pillion I suppose, I don't mind), go to a local race, perhaps a rally, etc.

And in a dream scenario, she would let me clock her bike on the autobahn! Well, it is still a dream. I haven't met her yet, and she sold her bike.

So instead, I bought a bicycle. Yes, those things you use your legs to power. But my plans of exploring Berlin from corner to corner on the bike, sorry, cycle also came to nothing. I rode the thing once; the day I bought it (for 30 Euros). I came home, parked it, and forgot about it. That was more than a month ago now.

But the public transport is so efficient anyway, it will take me longer to get anywhere on the, erm, cycle. And weekend exploratory trips I simply haven't had the guts for yet, as the weather is simply to cold for me. Again, I prefer to be in a train or bus, protected from the miserable weather.

Biking, I mean motorcycling, seems to be very fashionable here. I've already seen quite a few 2004 models that I have so far only seen in magazines back in South Africa. And most riders have leathers and helmets in colours that usually match the bikes they ride.

Seems like late model machines with colour-coded cow-skins are all the rage in Germany this season

But there are lots of old bikes too, and they mostly seem to be well maintained, even though they park outside on the street. Rust doesn't seem to be a problem. I understand the bikes are not used in winter, increasing their longevity.

It is also very common to see customised bikes around.

The streets are filled mostly Bandit 600's, Yamaha Diversion 600's, ZZR 600's, GSX-F600 and 750's, GS500's, CB500's and ER5 Kawasakis.

Unlike South Africa, 400's are conspicuous by their absence. I know that the Bandit 400 and ZXR400 were officially imported here at some point, but so far I have only seen two Bandit 400s.

What is even more odd, are the quadbikes on the street. Quads are
road-legal! You have no idea how odd it is to see a quad in the street (for a South African at least), riding blissfully amongst the traffic.

What I did manage to do was to extend my motorcycle modelkit collection; quite a few BMW flat-twin bikes (1:18 scale) of which I like the red R1100GS most. A few 1:12 scale models; I am particularly proud of the Yamaha V-Max I found. But mostly, a 1998 Suzuki GSX-R 750 SRAD in white and blue is the new crown jewel of my collection. I have been wanting a model of this bike for very long, and had no real hope of finding one. And there it was, in an autobahn shop somewhere in the middle of nowhere outside Leipzig. I spent my last 10 Euros on it, and had to borrow money to survive on for the following few days.

My allowance-money might also not be enough to pay for the leathersuit I ordered at a local bikeshop. Pity. At least I will be able to pay for the helmet and gloves. I already have the boots. But there is so much more I want; a racing jacket, tent, sleeping sack, etc. etc. etc... Stuff I can't afford back home. But my money simply won't be enough. Damn!

From a shopping point of view Berlin has been good so far. I don't have everything I wanted, but I have more than I had. Looks like that is as far as my biking experience will get me here. And that is far enough, for now.


Late model machines with colour-coded cow-skins are all the rage in Germany this season

A quad rider, complete with colour-coded leathers, going about his business...

Aaah finally, a SRAD scale model in Suzuki colours!

A cold and wet Brandenburg gate - a view I have dreamt to see for a long time

A Mediterranean dream

Geneva is an extra-ordinary city, and very, very different from Berlin. It is even very different from the rest of Switzerland. Being sofar south, the air has a distinctly bright, sun-drenched feel to it, and the limestone hills accentuate the mediterranean feel.

It is a small city nestled around the south-west point of Lake Geneva, or Lac Leman as it used to be known. The term swan lake seems more appropriate though. The graceful birds are everywhere to be seen.

The Alps form the horizon, and if you know what to look for, you can see Mont-Blanc, Europe’s highest mountain.

The Jet d’ eau, a man-made fountain of some 140 metres high, is the city’s trademark and is ever-present, where-ever you are in the city. It is spectacular. Mesmerising to look at – even hypnotic – it is the focal point for tourists and locals alike with nothing to do. You just find yourself wandering - no gravitating - towards it all the time.

It is warm, with clear skies, and has a distinctly Mediterranean feel to it with a lot of French flair. But it is not as clean as other cities. And there is perhaps a hint of fatigue in the air. The buildings and streets just look that bit more neglected than the
German cities I have seen. Makes me think of a super-model that is still beautiful, but is getting old, and relies of her former glory and a lot of make-up to get through the day.

Geneva has lots of holiday makers, laughter and money. It is very expensive. Everything costs about four times more than it is in Berlin.

Yet, I can see myself living there. The sun was shining every day, and its highly cosmopolitan nature makes me feel at home.

What is a great delight to witness are the driving skills of the locals. They are insane, with a death wish. I came across a scooter accident, and I can’t believe they are not more frequent. Care-free or careless. Can't decide.

Free-spirited certainly. Must be the latin blood.

Lui, Cam Ly and Foster relaxing on the shores of the lake. Will we ever see each other again?

Making some new local friends!
The lakeshore is full of these little harbours.

Swans everywhere.
See?
Nightfall.
And more swans...
The lake is to Geneva to what Table Mountain is to Cape Town.

Who you looking at!


My entry for calender of the year.

Night-time is even more idyllic, with expensive brand-names reflected in neon everywhere.

You can see the fountain miles away.

It acts as a landmark not to get lost.

My other favourate. Its those roses.

Moody clouds keep watch as the evening sets in.

The swan are very curious, checking everything out.

That fountain again; you are always aware of its presence, no matter where you are.

One last look.

Mykonos Escape

Kraalbaai, in the West Coast National Park, is a secluded bay in the Langebaan Lagoon, a place with a distinctly Mediterranean atmosphere, and my absolute favourite local place to visit. The bay houses a handfull of private boats, one of which is the Aquila, a low and sleek 42 feet Trimaran. We hid away for a weekend on the Aquila with its crew.


On every previous visit I would straddle the long quay, wishing to be on one of those boats...

The adventurous Lesme having the time of her life.

The quiet bay attracts only a handful of sunbathers per day.

The Aquila is the one right in the middle.

Late afternoon; the water suddenly turns choppy as a cold front moves in.

Onboard the Aquila with Paul, one of the crew of two.

In no time it was very wet and very cold.

And we could not exactly light a fire, could we?


Lots of hair and dark glasses betrays the mood.
To check out the famous preekstoel (pulpit). A fossil human footprint was uncovered here.

The next morning we woke up to the typically serene world we came here for.

By the way, this is the Aquila. Looks like she has a few tales to share...


Our wealthy neighbours.

Down the path to serenity.Is the Captain is jubilant to see us leave his boat?

A noisy water-skier arrived; desturbing the peace.

Lake Contemplation.
I want to capture the serenity in a bottle and bring it home with me.


One last glance back at the Aquila.