Lost in the crowd. Goodbye Ninja.  

Time to sell (sniff). 

Ok, so it is a nice bike. Not sure about the bloke in the back though. 

My favourite show-off pose! 

Another look. 

The view from Bainskloof Pass over Wellington. 

The view across False Bay with the sun setting. Table Mountain is in the distance. 

A better view. 

The beasts basking in the late afternoon sun. 

The view from the top. 

By the way, the racy Bandit 400 is my friend Eddie's. More about that later. 

A hot sun. In the middle of nowhere. Exhausts ticking... 

One of those sleepy little towns. Then a couple of bikers arrives... 

Last summer ride

This is the first of my published impressions that I am linking to my blog. This ones recounts the last time I took my ZX-6R for a spin, as I was forced to sell it after an engine replacement that left me bankrupt. I had the loan on the new engine as well as a loan on the bike to repay!

The bike is a 1996 F-model, and an ex-racing machine campaigned by national Supersport champion Greg Dreyer.

Why did the engine go? Dunno. Two weeks earlier the oil level was full. Two weeks later it wasn't. No oil leaks. Duh.

Biking is an expensive addiction. It still hurts.
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Kawasaki’s ZX-6R is fast, noisy, agile, and highly respected within the motorcycling fraternity. Patrick van Sleight recounts the moving moments shared with this desirable machine on their final ride together.

Go here

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The sun is setting. It is flat-out home! 

The day is getting long. So is the road. Time to get back. 

Breathing in the Cape's beauty. 

The sun is up. And it is a great day for riding. 

Finally riding, finally writing, finally blogging

Riding a motorcycle is the only thing that really inspires me. I only discovered riding about five years ago, and yet, it feels I have been a biker all my life. It defines my every waking moment. Just seeing a bike passing by gets my pulse racing. As a writer, it gave me a reason to write again after years of not pencilling anything.

I am now publishing reviews of bikes and biking, that I will link from this blog.

I also hope to get in touch with riders that blog.

But it has been far from a perfect life with motorcycles. Many accidents and a perpetual frustration with unreliable bikes and mechanics tested my resolve. I have sworn off bikes on many occasions.

But there is always that one ride that makes it all worthwhile…

The crisp air on an early weekend morning. No breeze. Birds cheering. And in the distance the first group of highly-pitched fast-revving machines flies through on the highway. A short while later, the low baritone of a Bee-Em flat-twin comes past. Perhaps followed by the haunting, hollow drum of a Honda V-four. Then another group, Harleys this time. Their deep, open-pipe rumble booms through the silent sky and shudders the earth; making a flock of pigeons scatter away in panic.

My heart is racing. Hands shaking. I haven’t even started my bike yet. I struggle to get my gloves on.

It promises to be a great ride.