Its getting real poeple.

With 16 days to go before departure I am staring to plan my journey mentally, not so much physically as I am having a beer at the moment.

The bike also is going through the motions like I am. I believe that he is also preparing and knows what’s lying ahead for the both of us. I have spent the whole day at Bavarian Motorcycles asking questions, drinking there awesome coffee and watching Thinus going through the bike and showing me how to change the shock and what to look for if something goes wrong mechanically.

I must add how good these guys operate. I was reffered to them by bikers I met in Namibia. Since 2009 I have been servicing the bike with them. The service from day one has been awesome and no different today.

I had the shock sent up from Cape Town after it was generously donated to me by James from 4Stroke Adventures and rebuilt by MP Custom Valve in Cape Town. MP Custom Valve did a really good job the bike is handling superbly, I just hope the shock will last on the African roads.

My concern with the BMW’s shock is that it was getting close to its lifespan which is about 80 000km. The shocks either start leaking oil or looses its “spring”. I could feel the difference emmediatly after the new shock was fitted, it was riding much higher than before and the bumps in the road created shock waves up my spine. The standard shock was replaced by a thicker spring to accomodate for the extra load, new seals and oil and bob’s your uncle. All done for R2600. (New BMW shock is R12000, hence the rebuild)

The shock.

Thinus and I after a Job well done.

The good news is that the bike got a clean bill of health. They couldnt pick up anything that seemed out of sorts.

Ok, on to visa’s. I collected my UK visa yesterday after very little effort. Only documents submitted where:
-Passport
-3 months bankstatements
-Letter of invitation (Thanks Reinhardt)
-Proof of Travel insurance
-Itinerary

Visa

I will be submitting my Austrian visa application next week and hopefully get it back by the 8th of March on the same day Morocco promised me to have mine ready, a day before I leave.

Thats it from my side. I am off to Durban for a weekend away with Deidre and some quality time together before we part for 3 months until we meet again in Europe.

Cheers

R