Frequently Asked Questions - Club Policies

• Lane splitting is currently legal.  Some laws and guidelines clarifying this and making other road users aware of this would reduce the number of cases where motorists deliberately block motorbikes trying to lane split.
• Lane splitting or filtering if done responsibly and properly is probably the safest place for a motorcycle in heavy traffic.  Advanced rider training to teach riders how to do this safely should be provided.
• Motorbikes are more visible when lane splitting and a motorist seeing a motorcycle is important. Bikes don’t take up the same space in a mirror unless they are in the center of it.
• Lane-splitting prevents vehicles from mistaking the space the motorbike would be occupying in the normal traffic flow as a gap.
• An orange head light lens stands out much more intensely during the day and late afternoon into early evening. It highlights the fact that there is a motorcycle behind you especially when looking in the mirrors and seeing a sea of head lights. These lenses are removable for night time. In spite of the traffic roadworthy regulations stipulating that headlamps may be white, orange or yellow, there are still cases of people being fined for having a front facing orange light.
• Lane splitting allows motorcyclists to observe much more in traffic as they have a clearer view of everything around them.
• Lane splitting at red traffic signals allows the bike to clear the traffic once the signal is green, thereby reducing its risk. It is also much safer to lane split here between stationary vehicles.
• Being rear ended in traffic is a huge risk for motorcyclists as they have no protection what so ever. Besides a head on collision, it is probably the worst accident to be in.
• If each motorcycle on the road was to take up the same space as a vehicle, it would negatively impact on the already bad congestion.
• Many motorcycles will simply overheat if made to stand in traffic for extended periods of time due to their tiny radiators and cooling systems.
• We are aware that there are absolute cowboys out there who take their lives and other people’s lives in their hands every time they get on a motorcycle. Then again there are just as many cowboys in fast cars and taxis, not to mention the cell phone brigade which is a really big problem, make-up artists and the host of drivers who seem to think that an orange signal means floor it to get across, no matter how far you are from the stop line.
• We are of the opinion that the minimum engine capacity on highways should be reviewed upwards as well as the maximum engine capacity for riders under 18. Some scooters and motorcycles on the N1 and N2 shouldn’t be there as their maximum speed is somewhere between 60 and 80kph which puts them at risk from behind with cars continually passing them.
• The law that restricts under 18 riders to a maximum capacity of 125cc e xcludes many very easy to ride and safe 200cc and 250cc four stroke motorcycles.  Especially considering that a 125cc two stroke usually has a quite a bit more power, acceleration and top speed than a 250cc four stroke engine.

BMW Club Rides Rules and guidelines

1. The rider in front is responsible for the rider behind him or her. Thus If you cannot see the headlight of the bike behind you slack off until you do. Stop if necessary. This will have a knock-on effect eventually the leader will be stopped.
2. Only the ride captain will search for stragglers unless he/she appoints another rider to do so.
3. Consider all road-users, all the time and watch your wing mirrors all the time.
4. Never fall behind the sweeper.
5. Always ride in a staggered formation unless conditions make it unsafe to do so, bike number 2 will always be on the left as the leader may move from left to right to try and observe the rest of the riders on occasion. Number 2 must maintain the left hand position to avoid continual weaving behind the leader. You may pass bikes to find ‘your slot’ but try to stick to your position.
6. On passes, ride in single file, never abreast, and give yourself room to react to the bike in front’s antics. Only pass a bike on the right hand side. Faster riders may overtake to enjoy the pass, but must wait on the other side of the pass to regroup.
7. Only the leader and the last rider (sweeper) will ride with high beams, the rest only driving lights.
8. If the group is larger than 10 riders an additional ride marshal will be appointed, if needed the group will be split.
9. We will not exceed the speed limit; going 10km faster per hour in the front in bigger groups will force the tail-enders to ride nearly 30km/h faster to keep up.
10. If you stop to take a photo, the sweeper will also stop and wait.
11. Do not leave the group unless so arranged with the leader and sweeper.
12. Rider briefing will be 10 minutes before we set off, please don’t be late.
13. Please inform the ride captain discreetly if you are on medication or any medical condition that may affect your riding ability (Diabetes and Epilepsy in particular).
14. For longer rides we will leave earlier, not ride faster.
15. Be vigilant for the 'superbike' coming up fast from behind. give way and let it pass.

Every ride

1. We will try to include at least one mountain pass, more if the route allows.
2. Routes to the venue will be limited to 100km or as close as; longer rides will leave earlier.
3. After breakfast riders can choose their own routes back home or follow the ride captain.
4. Depending on the group size and ride distance we will stop more or less often to break and take photos.
5. New riders and novices will get preference and dictate the pace.
6. On the road tips will be provided to those who ask.
7. Reckless riding will not be tolerated.

Newcomers' ride

As required and if there is sufficient interest we will dedicate a ride to the newcomers, these rides will be shorter and include more stops and on-the-road training will be provided if requested.

Old Hats' Ride

Depending on demand 1 or 2 rides will be planned for the old hats, wake up real early, put on your leathers, grit your teeth and we are off. These rides will not be suitable for novices.

Promotion of your own business on this website, via shameless posts or over-large signatures or other means, is forbidden unless you are a paid up banner advertiser on this site. The webmaster's decision as to what constitutes an infringement of this rule is final. The club, in order to fund the costs of running its website, will allow companies or individuals to advertise on the website subject to the following conditions: * Cost is R250 per month, or R200 per month if you pay for the year in advance (ex VAT). * Advert displayed in top right banner of every page, randomly rotated with other advertisers * Advert size is 200x150 pixels * Gif animation or static JPG suitable * The advert can click through to your website, or to a page on the BMW site if you don't have a website # The table included below shows the statistics of one advertiser. On average, an ad is displayed 1000 times a day. # Having an advert on display means you can make posts on the forum advertising your products and services without being blocked for soliciting customers. # To keep administration down, we prefer payment annually in advance (hence the lower cost). Also, if you take the annual option I will build your advert for you free of charge. # If you provide the artwork we can put together the advert for you. If you have any questions, please [http://bmwmotorcycleclubcape.co.za/user/charles contact the webmaster]. ===Statistics of one advert=== {| !Period!!Views!!Clicks!!Click-thru |- |This hour||51||0||0.00% |- |Last hour||11||0||0.00% |- |Today||103||0||0.00% |- |Yesterday||1130||3||0.27% |- |Last seven days||6707||7||0.10% |- |This month||17994||39||0.22% |- |Last month||4105||24||0.58% |- |This year||22099||63||0.29% |- |All time||22099||63||0.29% |} ===Club Policy regarding Adverts=== # the club reserves the right to accept or reject advertisements, and the right to terminate an advertisement at any time (with a pro-rata refund). # advertisements must be in the interest of the club and its members, and in keeping with the ethics of the club. This means that adult content, gambling and items irrelevant to motorcycling are expressely rejected. Companies or individuals that give our members poor service, or behave unethically will be rejected. # advertising space is sold annually in advance (to reduce overheads of administration). # advertising copy, graphics and design need to complement the website design. Flashing graphics, dynamic objects like Java Applets, Active-X and Flash, and colours that ruin the appearance of the site, will not be accepted. # a company in need of design work for their advertisement can have it designed and created by the site webmaster, on payment of a design fee. # adverts will be placed 'above the line' on selected pages. # adverts may be rotated with other adverts on a random basis, in proportion to the cost of the advert. # the sale of advertising space is for the privilege of displaying the advert, and the cost is determined by the views of the page and the target audience. There is no click-through fee, pay-per-view fee, and there is no click-through tracking from the club website. The club will provide only web statistics of the number of views of a given page in a given period.

'''NO REFUNDS WHATSOEVER''' shall be given for any payment or deposit made by any person who paid any monies, in respect of any Trip / Tour/ Event, organised directly or indirectly by the BMW Motorcycle Club Cape or Organisers acting on their behalf, unless the Trip / Tour/ Event is cancelled by the said BMW Club / Organisers. In certain exceptional cases, and only once the consent of the said BMW Club / organisers has been obtained, participant(s) may find a suitable substitute(s), and the said participant must then obtain payment from the said substitute directly.