Colyn
Race Dog
My day started as usual ... just past 6 I was up and online. I went through the usual processes of checking the mail, forums and news sites. By 8 o'clock I was done and ready for my business day. Well I thought it would be a normal day.
The first shot came by means of a frantic "Nudge" on MSN. Some idiot in the Kuwait office managed to get a virus onto the data server and the whole LAN was infected. Everything has to happen remotely and my blood was boiling.
At around 9 o'clock the Financial manager was on my case about stock issues and some other stuff and everything needs to be to be done now.
Slowly but surely things were building up and I was getting more and more agitated ... the stress of the office has been constant for the past two years and every now and then it will spike to a new level. My frame of mind was not good for my mental and physical health. Circumstances prevent me from taking a long break and things are constantly changing.
By 11 o'clock the Kuwait issue was under control and things were back to normal, no, not normal as in normal but normally stressed.
Now let me explain this ... I am part of an organization that provides m-Commerce Gateway services and I developed the administration interfaces to be 100% remotely manageable. I do not need to be in any space to work ... all I need is Internet Access. I live on a small farm outside Nelspruit and I have an office in the city but my office is here at home.
I needed some fresh air ...
Within 10 minutes I was in my riding gear and on the road ... not yet sure to where but in the saddle and moving. The smell of the bush and the low rumble from the 1200 cc engine soothed my nerves and it was good to be on the move. Riding a big luxury tourer on a bush veld farm road is no joke and I need to concentrate.
Gravel roads and ditches is not the ideal surface for the LT but I have a kilometer of that to
cross whenever I leave my home or return to it.
As I swung into the main road I closed my helmet and the big bike jumped as I twisted the throttle. The familiar deep throated rumble filled the helmet as the engine ran into the torque band and I settled down and leaned into the first bend as I climbed out of the valley. The wind was blowing into the helmet vents and the bike took the twisties without any effort ... always greedy for more juice. Suddenly all the office issues was behind me and the road straightened up to cut across the ridge.
Riding big bikes is in my blood and I have been doing it for 30 years and covered more than 500,000 kms but every time I twist the throttle the thrill is the same. I am a road bike rider and I love it. The off-road riders have other thrills and they enjoy their biking in a different way that the road bikers. For me the sheer power and handling of a sports bike is something I love and it never fails to excite me.
As I approached town I decided to go to Kaapsehoop for a light lunch. I need to go through the center of town to get onto the Kaapsehoop road and I stopped at the red light at El Madre. A flashy Audi TT pulled up next to me and the sound system was at full tilt while the guy behind the wheel looked at me with a very smug look on his face. I can just imagine his thoughts as he turned his head to look at the robot. He was going to teach me a lesson and demonstrate the length of his manhood but suddenly I decided to take the bait and smiled as he revved his engine.
The lights turned green and we took off ... he was so confident and misconstrued my careful power management among all the road markings as a victory for him. Well suffice it to say ... the LT cleared the intersection and as the rear wheel rolled over the last white line I whipped the throttle open wide.
Less than 20 meters and he was staring at the back of my helmet and the LT sucked the air in through the fairing and spewed it out in a low roar at the back ... his TT was no match and I could see him fading in the rear view mirror. At the robot across from The Keg he caught up and was determined to vindicate himself ... most probably thinking that he did not give it all but I just grinned and smiled as he took off like a hooligan. Not many cars on the road can outrun the LT and I am not going to engage him in a childish dice because I know that LT will eat that TT any time of the day.
The dice with the TT brought a strange calmness to my frazzled nerves and I made a mental note to be extra careful today. The off-road riders take many spills in a normal days riding and it is part and parcel of how they do what they do. A road biker cannot chance that. A fall is usually a serious affair and death could easily be part of the damages.
Five minutes later I was out on the open road.
This is where the big bikes love to play.
Coming out of a bend and the bike eagerly heads for the next one.
A view that makes the road biker smile.
Now this is where the big difference between road bikers and off-road bikers lies. To the road biker open roads is what he want to see and the rush of the wind, the roar of the engine and the adrenaline rush as you lean low into a bend is what makes you ride again and again.
The cool mountain air and the smooth handling of the bike was working together to pump loads of good "medicine" into my overstressed body. Taking the long sweeps in stride and bolting down the straights is what a big bike does best and the LT was in his element. My head was clear and the changing landscape was sucking me into it.
It was good to be alive and I was happy to be in the saddle. In my mind I started flipping through the menu ... trying to imagine what I will have for lunch ...
Then it happened ... as things usually does when you are on the road ...
I am leaning into a bend, eyes fixed straight ahead, trying to see through the cutting and then they are there ... all over the place ... the famous wild horses of Kaapsehoop.
It is at moments like this that I really appreciate the LT ... I am in a bend at speed and the bike is leaning low. The horses are suddenly all over the place and without any hesitation I apply the breaks ... softly first to send a message to the wheels that things are not too well up ahead. I feel the response and the big machine comes upright. Now I have better directional control and really apply the breaks hard. I need to reduce speed and I need to do it fast. The marvel of modern technology comes together and the big tourer sinks down as it claws us back from wherever we were to a safe speed.
I weave my way through the little herd, snapping shots as I go and with a wide grin I dropped the camera and twisted the throttle ...
"Lunch is going to be great !!!"
The first shot came by means of a frantic "Nudge" on MSN. Some idiot in the Kuwait office managed to get a virus onto the data server and the whole LAN was infected. Everything has to happen remotely and my blood was boiling.
At around 9 o'clock the Financial manager was on my case about stock issues and some other stuff and everything needs to be to be done now.
Slowly but surely things were building up and I was getting more and more agitated ... the stress of the office has been constant for the past two years and every now and then it will spike to a new level. My frame of mind was not good for my mental and physical health. Circumstances prevent me from taking a long break and things are constantly changing.
By 11 o'clock the Kuwait issue was under control and things were back to normal, no, not normal as in normal but normally stressed.
Now let me explain this ... I am part of an organization that provides m-Commerce Gateway services and I developed the administration interfaces to be 100% remotely manageable. I do not need to be in any space to work ... all I need is Internet Access. I live on a small farm outside Nelspruit and I have an office in the city but my office is here at home.
I needed some fresh air ...
Within 10 minutes I was in my riding gear and on the road ... not yet sure to where but in the saddle and moving. The smell of the bush and the low rumble from the 1200 cc engine soothed my nerves and it was good to be on the move. Riding a big luxury tourer on a bush veld farm road is no joke and I need to concentrate.
Gravel roads and ditches is not the ideal surface for the LT but I have a kilometer of that to
cross whenever I leave my home or return to it.
As I swung into the main road I closed my helmet and the big bike jumped as I twisted the throttle. The familiar deep throated rumble filled the helmet as the engine ran into the torque band and I settled down and leaned into the first bend as I climbed out of the valley. The wind was blowing into the helmet vents and the bike took the twisties without any effort ... always greedy for more juice. Suddenly all the office issues was behind me and the road straightened up to cut across the ridge.
Riding big bikes is in my blood and I have been doing it for 30 years and covered more than 500,000 kms but every time I twist the throttle the thrill is the same. I am a road bike rider and I love it. The off-road riders have other thrills and they enjoy their biking in a different way that the road bikers. For me the sheer power and handling of a sports bike is something I love and it never fails to excite me.
As I approached town I decided to go to Kaapsehoop for a light lunch. I need to go through the center of town to get onto the Kaapsehoop road and I stopped at the red light at El Madre. A flashy Audi TT pulled up next to me and the sound system was at full tilt while the guy behind the wheel looked at me with a very smug look on his face. I can just imagine his thoughts as he turned his head to look at the robot. He was going to teach me a lesson and demonstrate the length of his manhood but suddenly I decided to take the bait and smiled as he revved his engine.
The lights turned green and we took off ... he was so confident and misconstrued my careful power management among all the road markings as a victory for him. Well suffice it to say ... the LT cleared the intersection and as the rear wheel rolled over the last white line I whipped the throttle open wide.
Less than 20 meters and he was staring at the back of my helmet and the LT sucked the air in through the fairing and spewed it out in a low roar at the back ... his TT was no match and I could see him fading in the rear view mirror. At the robot across from The Keg he caught up and was determined to vindicate himself ... most probably thinking that he did not give it all but I just grinned and smiled as he took off like a hooligan. Not many cars on the road can outrun the LT and I am not going to engage him in a childish dice because I know that LT will eat that TT any time of the day.
The dice with the TT brought a strange calmness to my frazzled nerves and I made a mental note to be extra careful today. The off-road riders take many spills in a normal days riding and it is part and parcel of how they do what they do. A road biker cannot chance that. A fall is usually a serious affair and death could easily be part of the damages.
Five minutes later I was out on the open road.
This is where the big bikes love to play.
Coming out of a bend and the bike eagerly heads for the next one.
A view that makes the road biker smile.
Now this is where the big difference between road bikers and off-road bikers lies. To the road biker open roads is what he want to see and the rush of the wind, the roar of the engine and the adrenaline rush as you lean low into a bend is what makes you ride again and again.
The cool mountain air and the smooth handling of the bike was working together to pump loads of good "medicine" into my overstressed body. Taking the long sweeps in stride and bolting down the straights is what a big bike does best and the LT was in his element. My head was clear and the changing landscape was sucking me into it.
It was good to be alive and I was happy to be in the saddle. In my mind I started flipping through the menu ... trying to imagine what I will have for lunch ...
Then it happened ... as things usually does when you are on the road ...
I am leaning into a bend, eyes fixed straight ahead, trying to see through the cutting and then they are there ... all over the place ... the famous wild horses of Kaapsehoop.
It is at moments like this that I really appreciate the LT ... I am in a bend at speed and the bike is leaning low. The horses are suddenly all over the place and without any hesitation I apply the breaks ... softly first to send a message to the wheels that things are not too well up ahead. I feel the response and the big machine comes upright. Now I have better directional control and really apply the breaks hard. I need to reduce speed and I need to do it fast. The marvel of modern technology comes together and the big tourer sinks down as it claws us back from wherever we were to a safe speed.
I weave my way through the little herd, snapping shots as I go and with a wide grin I dropped the camera and twisted the throttle ...
"Lunch is going to be great !!!"
