Newbie from South Africa

Hi to everyone.  Thank you for accepting and activating my request to join this forum.  
I've been riding for a long time - approximately 56 years. Owned 8 different BMW's and was generally satisfied with them.  As I grew older, the wife and I wanted something more comfortable and we switched to the Goldwing.  We started off with the 1100GL and then moved over to a 1500 fitted with a sidecar.  This was perhaps the best tourer we ever owned, as it allowed the wife access without too much straining of the legs - she suffers from osteo arthiritis.  For some reason, we then switched to the 1800 and soon found that it was to heavy for me.  We then had it triked and loved the ride until we decided to scale down to the Silver Wing 600A.  This makes mounting easy and allows a comfortable ride for us.  It will probably the last bike we own and we just love it.  AND ... we can still belong the the South African Wing Riders Association with all the benefits.  Unfortunately there are no Silver Wing clubs in our neck of the woods. I have thusfar installed a TomTom Rider2, LED brake lights, digital clock and temp meter, a square LED light inside the Givi Topbox, and I'm waiting for LED brake, running and indicator lights + a brake light modulator. . lights

Welcome aboard the board FrancoisJ.

Welcome from o-HI-o FrancoisJ like you I've been through my share of wings and others and this S'Wing is suiting me just fine. Enjoy yours and this site.

Welcome FrancoisJ to the BEST SWing forum on the net. Lots of info here with people ready and willing to help.

Welcome to the forum! Oh and great picture by the way.

Welcome Francois! A fellow Saffrican! I see you're in the Cape. Enjoy riding those mountain passes!

Hello FrancoisJ, welcome to the forum.

Ooo, Mighty Mouse says you’re in the Cape, how about a photo of your Silverwing at the Cape? We love to see Silverwings at “the extreme”.

So far we’ve featured photos of Silverwings at Nord Cap, Norway and Prudhoe Bay, Alaska as well as at the Motopolarnik Rally in extreme northern Russia. So we’ve got some northern hemisphere extremes in the bag. It would be nice to someday have member’s Silverwing photos at Ushuaia at the southern tip of Chile as well as the southern tip of Africa (Table Mountain Preserve?).

Dear Cosmic-Jumper.  I automatically read all your posts because (in my view) it epitomises what a brotherly/sisterly forum is about.  Always courteous and positive. Your posts beg answers!  (Lol).  I do not live in Cape Town, but we are planning to move closer to it soon. I cerntainly will post pictures then.  In the mean time, here are some pics of the area where we are now living ....

Nice photos FrancoisJ. Thanks for putting them up. I love looking at others photos of where they live.

Hello François,

Welcome to this forum. Your Silver Wing look clean...
 You will find here alot of knowledge and good friends ready to help all the time. Like you I own  couples of Beemers and still have my 1990 R100GSParis Dakar white/red, Soon will be for sell. (just waiting  for that dom covid to go away) I bought that GSPD 21 years ago and it still run solid. Moove to scooter  for the same reason. Knowing the Honda Silver wing for over 15 years because  relative own it, I can tell you they are as reliable  as much as the old Beemers (old boxer) and I would say may be more... The Silver Wing engine is reliable and made rock solid to last. I saw on the net guy's with over 180,000 kilometers on it. so we are good for a long time... I own a couple of them so far since the past 3 years and on autumn 2019 found a 2009 with only 16,000 kms on it so I had to buy it loll. Sold the prebious one who alos was a 2009 with 31,000 kms on.  Sold it for 2,900.$ Cnd fund . Looking to buy another 2009 from a guy  about 80 kms from my lpace . He want to quit  riding because he is suffering of arthritis.  The scooter  got only 21,000 kms ... The 2009 model is the last year it was sold here in Canada. I can read your first name  and it sound like it is like here in QC, François... So do you speak french to ?  just curious... I know we are far from each other but your welcome home anytime.

Michel

Mighty Mouse wrote:

Welcome Francois! A fellow Saffrican! I see you're in the Cape. Enjoy riding those mountain passes!

Dear Mighty Mouse. Thanks for your response. In what part of our beautiful country do you ride? Also ... you mention quite a few extras on your Swing. I recognise very few (sadly all newbies have this shortcoming?). Could you pse describe those that are not obvious described by the name?

Francois, I'm a Think Bike marshal in Gauteng, the Maropeng Cradle area to be specific. What mods exactly don't you recognise?
They are all well documented on this forum. The comm system and strobes are specific to marshaling, but they double as warning spotlights during daily commuting. I tried Oxford Heated Grips for years but they wore out too quickly. I find the Puig grips last a lot longer.
Here's a hazy morning ride with mates during lockdown last year. Haarties Dam behind us.

Mighty Mouse wrote:

Francois, I'm a Think Bike marshal in Gauteng, the Maropeng Cradle area to be specific. What mods exactly don't you recognise?
They are all well documented on this forum. The comm system and strobes are specific to marshaling, but they double as warning spotlights during daily commuting. I tried Oxford Heated Grips for years but they wore out too quickly. I find the Puig grips last a lot longer.
Here's a hazy morning ride with mates during lockdown last year. Haarties Dam behind us.

Thanks for responding MM!

I have installed a couple of "farkles" thusfar ... TomTom Rider2 working on the on/off basis, connected to low beam power source, very bright LED brake lights, square LED inside the Givi 52 Kappa, digital clock (the installed one has it's own mind, and in any case ... I can't really see it properly!), ambient temp guage (does it matter? YES - in the Klein Karoo temp matters!), LED running lights, brake lights and indicator lights in the Givi lenses.  I'm waiting for the modulator for the brake lights.  Perhaps you can assist me with advice as to the connection of it?  I've also ordered a TPMS (on special via our local Wing Riders Chapter - Western Cape).  I'm also now only beginning to assemble a useful bike kit - tyre puncture fixer, multi-tool (Leatherman), tyre inflator, etc.

Whilst living in Pitoli (Lol), I often visited Harties. Besides Cullinan, there seems to be very few other closeby places to visit ?  We also loved the Magallies, BelaBela, Que Sera, Cradle of Mankind area, etc.