There are three different families – the Sporty 8-Ball, the Cruisers and the Touring bikes.   Something for everyone and every fantasy – choose from The Vegas, Kingpin, Vegas Jackpot, Hammer, The Cross Roads Core Custom, Cross Country and Vision Tours – you’ll be spoilt for choice.  Watch the slide show, enjoy and judge for yourself!!!  Visit The Viper Lounge and see for yourself!!!

Only one word can describe the amazing turnout we had in support of the Journey of Hope breast cancer awareness ride to Eerste Rivier on Women’s Day.  All in all, we had over 100 bikes arriving at The Viper Lounge and about another 50 riders who followed the Journey of Hope ladies to Kleinvlei.

It was wonderful to see the community of Kleinvlein in Elsies River celebrate Women’s Day.  We take so much for granted, the community there is so incredibly poor and one of the big attractions of the day was the soup kitchen for the kids – a cup of soup and slice of white bread.  Sadly, for some of them, this could be their only meal of the day – a sobering thought.

The Journey of Hope ladies all stood up and gave a speech on their experience with breast cancer.  Early detection being the main message with prevention being better than cure.  The drummies and marching band entertained all the bikers and after a photo opportunity with bikes, we all headed back to The Viper Lounge for the afternoon.

All in all, it was a brilliant day.  A huge big thank you to the Friendly Grocer 7/11 across the road from The Viper Lounge for the sponsorship of the croissants, cheese & jam for breakfast, to Think Bike for their support, Yooti Nail & Body Art for the gifts for the Journey of Hope ladies, Honda for the motorcycles and to the Road Captain Wayne Whitcomb and Sweep Arthur Crick from Top 2 Training and to all the bikers who supported on the day.

Enjoy the pictures, courtesy of Paul Hofman and Tiaan van Dieventer.

Click to view slideshow.

THE VIPER LOUNGE IS HOSTING A RIDE ON LADIES DAY, 9 AUGUST 2011, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE JOURNEY OF HOPE AND IN SUPPORT OF BREAST CANCER.

ALL BIKERS WELCOME, MEN & WOMEN!

Meet at The Viper Lounge, Marine Circle Drive, Table View from 8:30am for coffee.  The ride leaves at 10:30am for Kleinvlei in Eerste River.  The event finishes at 2pm with a ride back to The Viper Lounge for a relax and a drink at the bar!

for more information – got to The Viper Lounge or Journey of Hope.

Paul Barnard

At the beginning of August, Paul Barnard, Harley-Davidson Master of Technology, joined forces with The Viper Lounge.  Paul will be in charge of the motorcycle workshop at The Viper Lounge in Table View, which is open to service all makes of motorcycles.  His involvement in bikes, and all things mechanical, began with his father’s workshop while he was still at school in Mossel Bay.  After school, he moved onto Electrical Trains, Competition 4×4’s and Custom Bikes.  Initially employed as the Service Advisor for Harley-Davidson Cape Town, Paul became the second mechanic to qualify as a Harley-Davidson Master of Technology on the African Continent.  He moved to Clearwater Harley-Davidson last year, but the lure of the coast was too much for him and he has returned to the Cape with his wife and his two young children, Gauteng’s loss is Cape Town’s gain.

We are proud to welcome Paul to The Viper Lounge team – our workshop is open for all makes of motorcycles, call 087 808 3750 to book your bike in now.

The Viper Lounge is a Motorcycle Lifestyle Centre, situated in Marine Circle Drive, Table View – we offer a fully equipped workshop; motorcycle accessories and sales; motor-clothes; Harley-Davidson rentals/tours/chauffeur rides; bar; lounge and events venue.

With this thing about Shape Shifters being spotted in Steytlerville still bouncing around in my head, I put out the word that The Viper Lounge was organising another ride in that direction, leaving on Youth Day 16.6 and coming back to CT on 19.6.2011.

Much to my surprise the ride was fully subscribed by about 20 “oakes” in a matter of days and besides all the usual suspects we also had a few newcomers on board. From what I heard, some of the guys had to trade diamond rings and new cars with their “future ex wives” to get the weekend off and those with kids told their youngsters that their Father’s Day Present for this year would be “giving Dad the day off” – always think outside the doos ! ( Note : The Afrikaans Dictionary tells me that this IS the word for BOX !)

In spite of the weather forecast being just to the right of suicidal we were incredibly lucky and managed to get from The Viper to The Du Toitskloof Hotel between two “seriaas” squalls and by the time we were ready to roll from there, we were basically riding dry. In the interim, the Pahr–Tay had begun !

As I had promised the guys that I would show them the worst pub in The Cape, we pulled into the Loganda Hotel in Touwsrivier, which really does have the crummiest of dives around the back but hey, it’s the only joint for miles around and provided you make sure they wash your glass first and insist on being served from a sealed bottle you’re relatively safe.

It was early in the day and much to my surprise, the locals were still standing but the mood all round was far to sombre (sober?) for our liking so we lined up 30 Tequilas and JB (Burger) somehow managed to get his Nite Train (Ruhbarb) through the standard size door. This resulted in a sustained, 3 minute burn out on the tiled bar floor and I think JB even got into 3^rd gear. Half way through the “event” the manager felt that the noise and thick rubberised smoke was offending the sensitivities of his other guests and suggested that we “get the F… out of his bar”. Needless to say we couldn’t hear him over the din and in truth, there was so much smoke that we didn’t even see him. He on the other hand learnt a valuable lesson which amounted to: Do not stand behind a bike that is burning a tyre lest you want your Sunday finery and everything else evenly splattered with bits of hot rubber. Shortly thereafter we left ….. but in the immortal words of The Governor of California (Arnie – Somebody – Or – The – Other) : “WE’LL BE BACK !”

From Touwsrivier it’s a “poep and a butt slap” to Matjiesfontein but as our “tour doctor” had spoken to us about the dangers of dehydration we decided to heed his advice and our next stop was the Lord Milner Hotel & Pub. The Doc who had had no faith in my ability to gauge the weather had decided to ride “shotgun” in his convertible Jag and on this stretch of road had hammered the beast up to 260 kph and to prove that to us, he had taken a photograph of his instrument cluster with his phone. Talk about driving whilst using a cell phone ….. ! Box !

Anyway, Matjies came and went and soon enough we were heading down the R407 towards Prince Albert where we were spending the night at The Swartberg Hotel with dinner at The Bush Pub (Lapa). Although we arrived with “much ado about nothing” as a group of “breekers” is prone to do,   it soon became evident that the day had taken its toll and one by one we drifted back to the hotel where, after once again arguing the smoking laws with the barman, I decided to hit the sack. All round, by the way, The Swartberg is a very nice little hostelry and if you’re in that neck of the woods, its certainly worth a visit.

Friday dawned chilly but clear and after a good breakfast our route took us to De Rust via the ever, magnificent Meiringspoort. At the look out spot (about half way through the pass) we pulled over to admire the view and to “take some photies for SCOPE” (I’m giving my age away). Gary produced a bottle of Vintage Port and not to be outdone, Pierre (Burger) was standing by with a bottle of Johnny Black – I TOLD you it was cold !

Once again The Doc warned us about dehydration and as laymen, who were we to argue. 10 kms down the road we rumbled into De Rust and imbibed further fortifications for the “long” (100 km) trek to Willowmore. Thankfully we made The Willowmore Royal just as a few, low alcohol warning lights came on and after a light lunch of French Breads & Patisseries accompanied by a crisp 69 Chateau Neuf Du Pap (Ja – RIGHT !)  we headed down the R329 and our final destination – Steytlerville!

Although this time we were staying with Jaques & Mark at the “Theatrical Karoo Hotel” just outside town, there was no way that we were going straight there and our first (dop) stop was at THAT Royal Hotel again. During a stay there earlier this year we had “trained” the Manager / Barman ( Reinier) to come running every time JB used his “duck caller” and as he disembarked he once again made the call. Much to our delight Reinier was there and without hesitation his response from somewhere in the depths of the building was : “ &%$@ – JA, EK KOM ! ”. We collapsed in a pile of mirth! (NO, …. it’s another word for laughter!)

The Jol was on and no passer by was left unscathed – especially if they were of the female persuasion and I finally got to pull my prank, which I had promised myself I would do one day. Directly opposite the hotel is a Co – Op with its name “Voer Mol”  {which I think means “(Animal) Feed Mole”} proudly displayed on a signboard. After getting the necessary stationary from Reinier I switched the V and the M and voila, the Co – Op had become Moer Vol. At first this name change went largely unnoticed but after a while just about everyone that came by doubled over with laughter and for all I know, the Co – Op is still Moer Vol to this day !! I trust the owners have a sense of humour….. !

As it was getting dark, it was time to descend on the Karoo Theatrical Hotel and on our way there, we crossed over (in more ways than one) the old bridge that still stands over The Groot River. Both Jaques & Mark were on hand to greet us and whatever else you do in life, make sure you visit this establishment at least once. The 2 “boys” have worked wonders with this 1940’s edifice, which was first built on the outskirts of the town by the breweries as, in those days, “The Kerk Raad” would not permit the sale of alcohol within the town’s limits. How wise! At some stage however it fell into disuse and total disrepair until about 10 years ago, when the “boys” resurrected it to its former glory and then some. Mark is an accomplished piano player and has entertained the “fine and the snooty” all over the world and Jaques is a Vocal Diva Impersonator (if in fact there is such a thing) of note, so make sure you catch their show which is part of the dinner & entertainment on Saturday evenings. Enough said – go see for yourself !

Sadly, some of our guys got a little bit ahead of themselves and as much as I enjoy a good laugh and a bit of fun & games, I would like to take this opportunity to apologise (again) for the excess that marred the evening a bit. In spite of this, the food, service and accommodation was GREAT and if we’re allowed to, we’ll be back here too.

Some time earlier that day, the conversation had turned to the current TV series “The Sons of Anarchy” and I seem to recall that it was Pierre (Burger) who promptly dubbed us “The Sons of Afval” which resulted in new titles all round. Houston ( who enjoys a touch of weed at times) became “Gerookte Afval”. Gary (Gibson) who is prone to falling off his bike a lot became “Baie Afval” and when Nic (The Greek) admitted to wearing full length tights (against the cold of course) he became “Broekie Afval”. Pierre was anointed “Hoof Afval” and we decided that future prospects would become “Gaan Nog Afval” and so on ….. Strange how these small things can amuse the mind when you’ve got a “dop or two in your gat”.

The following morning we said farewell to Steytlerville but not before killing The Royal’s stock of O.B.S.  – I keep telling you, it was COLD -  and as we rolled out into the Karoo, there it was !!!!

Lying next to the road, frozen stiff overnight, we found what was to become “The Sons of Afval’s” mascot for the next leg of our ride. Before the “holier than thou” readership gets their “knaaters” in a twist over this little prank, please note that the unfortunate creature had gone to see its maker the night before and we were merely intent on giving it a spectacular send off. No sooner said than done and the Bat Eared Fox ( aka Jakalaks ) was “installed” on JB’s handlebars and for the next 300 odd kms, where we went – he went !

Needless to say not everyone appreciated our sense of humour ( humus? ) and the owner of La Dolce Vita in Oudtshoorn took a while to wind his neck in again after we brought “Jakalaks” into the courtyard of his establishment. “You can’t bring dead animals in here”, he screeched in a falsetto tone to which my nonchalant reply was :  “Are you telling me your steaks are still alive?” That shut him up quick time and “Jakalaks” stayed. After all he was our mascot ………

As the evening progressed, “Jakalaks” took us to various pubs round Oudtshoorn where he was met with mixed reactions. Eventually the  “Pahr – Tay” frizzled out in the bar of The African Sky Hotel and by the time we said our good nights, I’m not sure who looked worse – us or “Jakalaks”. As he had done us proud we decided that it was time to lay him to rest and in a scholemn moment “The Schons of Afval” schaluted their maschcot and buried him in ….. … a secret place of course.

Much like the story of the lost Arc of The Covenant which is said to be hidden some place between Jerusalem and a lake island in Ethiopia, this funerary location will never be revealed to outsiders and The S o A’s (as opposed to S o B’s)  have sworn to take this secret to their graves with them. The truth is somewhat different of course and the next morning nobody could really recall where we had buried him so, the legend has already begun ! R.i.P Jakalaks !

The home run from Oudtshoorn down the R62 came with all the usual “trimmings” ( Ronnies Sex Shop, Karoo Saloon etc.) and by late afternoon we were all safely back at The Viper Lounge trying to decide which part of the stories to tell the loved ones and what to leave out. As always, what happens on the road should actually stay on the road but in all honesty and to protect what’s left of some peoples names, I have used lashings of poetic license in this report. He He !

Till next time

Wolf – Dieter Sowade

Margate KZN 2011

In spite of the fact that I hadn’t really planned to go this year, I was kind of bored hanging round CT and as I had never been before and had also spotted a bit of a “mystery” route on my trusted map (road oracle) I decided that it was time I graced Margate and The Africa Bike Week with by presence.

To this end, I “threw” some bits n pieces into my 2010 (103 Cu I) Harley Ultra Classic Ltd., waited for the wet part of the prevailing cold front to pass on Tuesday 26.4. 2011 and with a massive wind behind me, knocked out Cape Town to Beaufort West in 3 ½ hours riding time. If there were any speed – traps along the way, I didn’t see them and as I’ve heard nothing further I take it they didn’t see me either !

Although it was only the first cold snap of this winter it was bloody freezing and as I rolled into town the mercury barely registered 3*C – thank The Good Lord for heated grips. Beaufort by the way, is where they breed traffic police and as usual the place was prolific with them. Fortunately “I fell foul” of two “verrry schweet officeresses” (?) who were going to “discipline” me because of my “illegal” number plate whilst all around, overloaded taxis with bald tyres were whizzing about. They of course revelled in the knowledge that they had finally caught a “proper criminal” but my incredulous reply as to whether this “disciplining” would involve handcuffs, whips and leather got me a wide “blushy – toothy” smile and I was dismissed with a “mondelikke waarskuwing” – thank you ladies. Once again I stayed at the Matopo Inn and as nice as the place is, it now needs new beds !! Dinner at the Spur was …..well, dinner at the Spur, but I must say that the waitress was superb and more than earned her tip.

The following morning (now – 2*C) I headed up the newly resurfaced R61 to Aberdeen where I found a reasonable breakfast at the “Lemon & Lime” Coffee Shop but from what I hear, this is the first new business to have opened up in Aberdeen in the last 500 years. Next came Graaff – Reinet and as I had some time to kill, I decided to pay the “Valley of Desolation” National Park another visit. The rock formations are as stunning as ever and the view over the surrounding Karoo Landscape is mind boggling and if you get the chance, GO, its worth very cent of the R30 entrance fee! Down the R63 I went to Somerset East where a dop stop at the local hotel allowed me to meet the barman a.k.a “Ek Weet Nie Piet”. He’s lived there all his life but ask him anything and his answer is,  “ek sal nie kan se nie” and trust me, he does NOT work for the secret service! The owner’s wife on the other hand was very helpful and informative (never mind damn attractive) and even though she’s just recently moved there from the “Weskus”, she was able to tell me all about the Biker Rally that was happening THERE on that weekend. Maybe worth a look next year ……… THE RALLY I mean !

From S- E, I turned up the N10 to Cradock and (once again) checked into the Tuis Huise – a street of perfectly maintained historic houses attached to the hotel, which you can rent for the night. As they recognized me from a month before, they gave me the exact same house I had had and as such it was like coming home. If ever in need of accommodation in Cradock, look no further and if you prefer (as I did) go the local Spar and get yourself some dops, wors & chops and have a street braai outside your house, which allows you to see what’s going on and you get to chat to the locals as they pass you by.

The following day took me via Tarkastad to Queenstown where I discovered “Dagwoods” – an American Style roadside diner where you can literally ride up to the counter and order breakfast. Although it came in a take away “bakkie” with plastic knife & fork it was both DELICIOUS and HUGE and for a silly 30 “Rondts”  two people could have easily have filled up on this “brekkie”. Although still “lekker koud” it stayed sunny and clear and now came the “mystery” part of my ride. Lady Frere, Cala, Elliot, Maclear, Mount Fletcher and on to Kokstad was a new experience for me and although the road conditions are on the poor side (lots of potholes & live stock) the scenery and countryside make up for this and if you’re prepared to “live a little” you can easily use up all the ground clearance on your Harley especially on some of the dastardly switch backs.

A quick refuel in Kokstad had me on the N2 heading for Port Shepstone and throughout the Eastern Cape and now through Natal, the same thoughts went through my head over and over again : The Government wants to create jobs ??? Stop wasting money on signs that say “Potholes Ahead” (or just put up ONE at the airport) and FIX the damn roads before its too late. Reinstate fences as part of your “Arrive Alive” campaign as speed & alcohol MAY kill but hitting a sheep, cow or horse on a bike WILL kill. While you’re at it, put teams of people to work to clean up the litter lying all over the place and if need be, subsidize the idea of recycling and watch how quickly tonnes of plastic and glass would simply disappear from our countryside! You DON’T have to be a rocket scientist to work it out and Public Works is what got the USA back on track after the Wall Street Crash and even that diminutive little Austrian Shit – Schicklgruber – (that caused all the trouble in Germany in the ‘30s & ‘40s ) put THAT country on the map again after The Treaty of Versailles by building Autobahns etc. If you don’t know what I’m “gaaning aan” about, ask my ex wife. She used to know everything and I’m pretty sure she still does – otherwise Google it. He He .

All these morose thoughts were soon to evaporate however as I rumbled down the R620 through Margate and on to my final destination – Sunbirds B&B – located a 100 or so meters from the beach in  Southbroom (South). The proprietors (Jonathan & Liz Shaw) together with another couple rushed out to greet me like a long lost friend and my initial suspicion that they just wanted to see WHAT KIND OF BREEKER was going to be their guest for a few nights was soon put aside and either they were genuinely pleased to see me or they put on a damn fine act.

The generous sized room that they had reserved for me faced a sub tropical garden with all kinds of exotic birds flitting around by day and some monster bats at night. A superb King Size Bed made for great sleep and the bathroom with walk in shower and heated towel rails was straight from designer heaven. A TV with channels actually properly tuned in, a DVD player with a selection of free movies, a fridge and FILTER coffee maker as well as delightful towelling gowns & slippers really made me feel like royalty. The breakfasts were superb and the daily surprise dishes that Jonathan and Liz take turns to make were delicious, as were the homemade croissants and sweetbreads.

 Breakfast is served overlooking the sparkling swimming pool with The Indian Ocean in the background and everything about Sunbirds is spotlessly clean, well organised and your congenial hosts make you feel at ease. Well done guys – I’ll be back  – and I did notice the different place settings every morning. A nice touch ! Safe parking, an honesty bar and even a laundry service make Sunbirds the ideal spot if visiting The South Coast and you can call them on 072 993 7902 or stay@sunbirds.co.za

After unpacking and a blissful, steaming hot shower it was time to hit Africa Bike Week which is why I was there in the first place and as the sun set I headed for Margate which is a mere 8 kms away.

Upon approaching the festival site it immediately became obvious that Harley Davidson had thrown some serious money at this event and the whole Mardi Gras Style setting was pretty impressive especially as this is “Efrika” after all. Wherever you looked, the streets of Margate were adorned with bunting, flags and banners and especially down on the beachfront, the non stop action went into 96 hour overdrive!! Stalls, dealers, an after market village, stunts, bands, babes and all the bars, clubs and events you could ever need, made for a whirlwind weekend of epic proportions and in view of the fact that another bike magazine has just done a 14 page article on the event in their June issue, I’m not going to bore you with my version of what it was all about. Suffice it to say, look out for the dates in 2012 and get your loathsome spotty behind up there !

As always I was looking for things a little bit off the beaten track and on Saturday I ended up at The Oribi Gorge where my pillion saw fit to throw herself of a cliff – attached to a bungee cord of course. I should be THAT lucky ! ( He He). In the afternoon I found my way to a pub complete with Cowboy & Indian Museum and an alcoholic donkey – don’t ask – and much fun and games were had !

For 2 nights in a row we also decided to dine outside the main event and on the way to Margate I had spotted a frantically busy Italian Ristorante and we were not disappointed. La Capannina (which my Italian Barber tells me means “The Little Hut”) was an absolute pleasure. This in spite of the fact that when I tried to make a booking it took 16 calls to get through (seriously) and to add insult to injury, Barbara (one of the owners) was not very complimentary about my name. After spelling it for her twice we settled for only my phone number but when we got there and I identified myself we had a good laugh and she even allowed us to smoke on the veranda. Both nights the food and service were outstanding and since it had been years that I had seen Kupferberger Auslese on a wine list, that was to be my wine of choice. Barbara rules The Little Hut with an iron fist but the result is a well-run establishment that WORKS and when next we’re in Margate, we’ll be “whining” & dining there again. By the way, the name is ………D I E T E R   S O W A D E. Not THAT tricky is it now?

On Sunday morning I rolled onto the black stuff at 7h00 sharp, retraced my route to Kokstad and in spite of the plummeting temperatures, the higher I went up the escarpment, I was treated to some marvellous vistas of the Natal countryside that were still shrouded in mist at that time of the day. In case you hadn’t noticed, we really do live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world….

A quick breakfast in Kokstad had me back on the N2 heading for Mthatha (Umtata), East London, Grahamstown, Addo and through the Sundays River Valley to Kirkwood and regardless of what anyone tells you, the road through the (former) Trans & Ciskei is in pretty good shape and 100% do – able but as always, watch out for the utterly suicidal 2 and 4 legged population. With my sights set on Steytlerville I let The Ultra “have her way with me” and 11 hours and 1000 kms later I was sitting on the veranda of The Steytlerville Royal Hotel with a few Vodkas & Coke going down REALLY well. An early steak and a bottle of red wine had me in La – La Land by 21h00 and the “shape shifter” ghosts that have apparently been spotted in Steytlerville in recent times had obviously taken the night off. I didn’t see any – then again, they could have been scared of ME.

The next day I took the usual route via Willowmore where a surprise meeting with a friend (Brian Isham) ended up in breakfast at THAT Royal Hotel and as I approached De Rust, Mother Nature decided to treat me to a raw display of her power in the form of a ragged lightening storm the likes of which I had last seen in Russia. Sadly that also resulted in a major deluge and from then on the rain didn’t stop all the way into Cape Town.

Just outside Worcester I had a major wake up call when the side wall of my back tyre decided to collapse at 170 km/ph and with a fully loaded bike (+/- 650 kg) AND in the wet, my Guardian Angel had “her” hands full in getting me back under control. In a nutshell, it felt like riding two separate bikes at the same time. As I was not going to suffer the embarrassment of coming home on a trailer I “wobbled” the last 120 kms to CT at snails pace and by 16h00 that day and with close to 4000 km on the clock I had done the “veni – vedi – vicci” thing -  I Came, I Saw, I Conquered ( Julius Caesar-  Circa 12 AD )

Some more, hitherto unmarked roads, have now been coloured in on my SA map and unless someone starts tarring in the very near future, I’m almost done. As always my thanks to all the old and new friends that I met and /or have made on this trip – till next time!

Wolf – Dieter Sowade

The Viper Lounge

Cape Town

Book now for the Big 5 Rally in Windhoek – ride up on the 31st August and back via Swakopmund. Call the Viper Lounge on 087 808 3750.

Leave from the Viper Lounge on Wednesday, 31 August for Namibia. Arriving in time for the Big Five Rally on the 2nd & 3rd September in Windhoek, hosted by Live to Ride, Windhoek. The route home is via Swakopmund on the 5th and 6th September to be back in Cape Town on the 9th September.

The route is not yet confirmed and there is still place available!

Cal Dieter at The Viper Lounge on 087 808 3750 for more details.

Live To Ride

This coming weekend the Cape Town weather promises to be S T U N N I N G and The Viper Lounge in Table View is offering an unbelievable SPECIAL on their Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Rental Bikes.

The deal includes the provision of helmets, gloves and jackets and provided you are over the age of 25 and have held a Big Bike license for more than 2 years you can rent one of our beauties for this weekend at R650 plus VAT 1 or 2 days or R500 Plus VAT for 3 days or more.

Includes 200km free per day.

The bikes are fully insured and you get them with a full tank of petrol and need to return them with the same.

For more info call Bronwyn on 087 808 3750 RIGHT NOW. Stock is limited.

1993 Dyna Wide Glide with bullet proof 1340cc Evo motor and offers custom grips, pegs, shifter, pipes, sissy bar PLUS a set of aftermarket saddle bags!

With not a mark on this Harley-Davidson, it is a steal at only R79,500 for the whole package.

A brand new Sportster 883 starting at R87,000 – how can you compare?

A whole lot of bike for a whole lot less!

Contact The Viper Lounge on 087  808 3750