Parting with the Superfly

11 April 2006

I'm rather sure most ladies would agree that seeing men in a overly sensitive, emotional and slightly confused state is both hillarious and scarce. Now if you would, lend me your imagination for a minute, and I'll paint you a picture part comical, part rediculous…

First allow me to introduce da Superfly… At first sight, even those with no aptitude for vehicles, would agree she is sleek and elegant, emanates danger while being incredibly inviting and has power to spare… Ahhh what the heck, I won't bore you any further with these nouns. Truth be told a picture is worth a thousand words.

So this is what it is all about. It's Friday. You spill out of bed and drag yourself over to the bathroom hoping a shower will break the hold of your Friday lethargy… You look at your watch - 07:00. The thought of the painfull, nerveracking commute (90 minutes' drive from Pretoria to Johannesburg) threatens to drive your fist through a door. Then again you might aswell collapse back into bed and call in sick… Then, a lonesome ray of sunlight finds it's solace on your helmet and mercyfully cathches your eye… mmm suddenly the commute morphs from painfull irritation to exhiliration and joy. Pure bliss. With a spring in your step and a urgency to get going you scrample though the meagre tasks of getting yourself presentable. It only takes 10 minutes but feels like eternity… Finally you are sitting on your honey, her engine happily warming up.

Gloves … check,

jacket … check,

helmet … check,

andrenaline… ready. In a moment you find yourself cruising through rush-hour traffic, pitying the "cage-drivers" waiting in queue, a looong queue. In 30 minutes flat you pull into your Johannesburg office's parking lot. Refreshed and exhiliarated, wishing you had time for more, but wait! It's Friday, which implies that soon it will be Saturday… Yea baby! On Saturday morning you and some mates will be heading to the awesome roads of the South-African Lowveld. You'll be up before sparrow fart (very early), bike clean and ready, backpack packed with a spare tshirt and your toothbrush, ready to experience heaven on earth! Twisty roads, high speed corners, huge plantations of bluegum trees and the smell of spring in the air… Yes these times were fun and if you don't ride, you should know that even the greatest expression of glamorous words can't give you the slightest idea of this experience.

Last week I had my last parting ride. The emptyness of my garage is rivalled only by that of my heart. Men are strange creatures for sure. Please do not expect of me to explain the bond between man and machine, rider and bike. If you don't ride you might think all this emotional blabber is slightly over the top, however - only a rider knows the feeling!

And so this post is an ode,

to the Superfly.

I cherished every minute on every road and so this Fireblade will be the CBR Superfly forever…

The Superfly:

The SuperFly and I:

My close riding friends - You made the times great!