We have fantastic riding weather 12 months of the year! Our Seasons are
Summer: October – March (we have L-O-N-G summers here in South Africa)
Autumn: April – May (you'll need a jersey most evenings)
Winter: June – July (it goes below 10 degrees at night so we call it Winter)
Spring: August – September (in the Highveld the trees are budding)
The condition of our roads is favourable – especially on the main highways. We ride on the right left side of the road with the "Fast" (or overtaking) Lane being the Right hand lane.
We call our Traffic Lights 'robots' here and they have Green, Orange and Red. Route, traffic and road warnings and notices are well sign posted. Speed regulations: We work in kilometers per hour and our national roads speed is 120 km/h. In the cities – it's normally 60 – 80km in towns and citites, and changes are well signposted.
Currency: We trade in South African Rands (ZAR) which right now is favorable to the Europeans and Americans traveling to South Africa on holiday. The major cities with International Airports in South Africa are:
Johannesburg (Gauteng province)
Durban (KwaZulu Natal )
Cape Town (Western Cape)
Our International Dialing code is 0027 when dialing South Africa and each region has their own dialing code. You can call 1023 off any telephone and get further telephone information
Food: we are infamous for our meat in this country and generally we have fantastic food all round including seafood, Portuguese, Italian and of course take-away places. A decent steak with chips and salad will cost about R80.00 per person
Drinks: Bottled water (500ml) can cost you R5.00 and a Millers Beer can cost you R12.00. A can of coke will cost you R8.00. We do not believe in drinking and riding in this country but we advise you to drink plenty water to stay rehydrated. The tap water is good enough to drink in South Africa.
Curios: There are curio stops all over the country and you are able to bargain with the seller.
Cellular Networks. You can purchase pre-paid cellular cards at the Airports, hotels, Petrol station shops and supermarkets. The Network Operators are Vodacom, MTN; Virgin and CELL C. Rates are competitive but not expensive.
Taxi Buses: Taxi's are private, often unregistered, "people carriers" and they frequently move in and out of lanes to pick up and drop off people. If you see a Taxi bus – stay behind the bus and only overtake when completely safe. They also like to “overtake” in the yellow emergency lanes on the left, or up verges – keep a look out.
Helmets: we do have a Helmet Law throughout South Africa and do not endorse the “beanie” or “pisspot” helmets. We supply DOT approved helmets with our Rental Bikes.
Tollgates on major inter-city routes are frequent and are payable by cash or credit card.
Emergency: In case of an emergency you can dial 082 911 off your cell phone or the HOG ASSIST number which is International SOS and is a 24 hour roadside assistance and accident number.
