A family man from the two-wheeled brotherhood
Bikers? Yes. One can, if you so choose, develop a whole philosophy trying to dissect, then qualify and verify the various perceptions and truths about bikers. But what would one achieve by doing this?
I am not sure, really. It will show that every one of them, whether a youngster, a dad, a mom, daughter or son, grandfather or grandmother, professional or layman, aspires to the same or similar things, not unlike everyone else.
Is it perhaps because a motorcycle, besides saving bucks at the petrol pump, oozes rebellion and freedom?
This in turn is associated with mischief and arrogant self-expression. I am not sure where my thoughts are leading, but here is the thing: rotten apples are to be found everywhere. It is always in the minority.
A biker friend, even if you do not ride, will almost always be the first, no matter what, to offer help and support if you require it. It is that brotherhood and sisterhood gene in their DNA.
Yeah, I know you know what I am talking about, so there is no need to elaborate any more.
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Riaan Botha, like most men/bikers, has a little boy deep inside who will never go away. “So retiring from riding a bike – no, never! I started riding a PW50 when I was five years old.”
Eight years ago they moved down from Kwa-Zulu Natal to Mbombela. Eventually he started his own business. He is a qualified diesel mechanic, but also does panel beating work. Riaan belongs to a bike club in Mbombela – De La Ray Ryers. He is also the vice president.
“Riding – well, it is the perfect way to clear your head and get away from the mundane, but often challenging everyday stuff. Riding requires total focus – being in the moment – and it is the best therapy ever. This is freedom in the purest form.
“The other magical thing about biking is the brother, and sisterhood sense of community – a true biker will never leave a fellow biker behind.
In years gone by, with fewer but larger clubs, the standard of discipline and moral values within clubs was the foundation. With the multitude of smaller clubs today, this does not always hold true.
As a smaller club with older members and families, De La Ray is trying to again establish the old-school values of the brotherhood,” Riaan said.
This ZX14 is a bike that he bought as scrap and then restored. “Wynand Dehning did all the airbrush work on the bike. We also replaced the swing arm to accommodate the 300 tyre.
Andre and Marius de Klerk, owners of Fusion Welding, made the swing arm and let me tell you, they are intelligent men with clever ideas and provides quality work.”
The ZX14 offers 1400cc and is one of the largest capacity super and fast tourers. Stock standard, it does 300km/h in a blink. It can reach 160km/h in first gear in no time, and 210km/h in second even quicker.
“I fitted the wide rear tyre to force me to slow down. The bike is quite heavy to turn and I will shortly fit a 160 tyre in front to improve the turning capacity.
I might fit a turbo at some time, but it is not a definite. The more power you build, the more maintenance is required and yes, I actually do want to slow down.”
Riaan has some other bikes in hiding. He is also working on an RX7 and then his dad’s Burken 7 needs some TLC. I referred to the size and the position of the registration plate on the KZ.
“It has been camouflaged for aesthetic reasons,” he chuckled. Yeah, right! “To all motorists out there, please be mindful of bikers on the road. More bikers die because of other reckless drivers than because of their own recklessness,” Riaan concluded.
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