Royals Ride

Unheard of in the U.S. since G.H.W. Bush did it in WWII, a Royal Son does his duty.

Royal Sons prepare to do their duty in a much more pleasurable and constructive way.

Given the choice of toting a rifle in a combat zone or bangin' handlebars with yer buds, most sane young men will take the handlebars every time!

HuffPo

PORT EDWARD, South Africa — British princes William and Harry set off Saturday on a grueling 1,000-mile motorcycle rally in South Africa to raise money for charity.

The pair joked that they had a wager on which royal tumbles from their bike the most during the eight-day off-road adventure.

Let the world decide, lads. At the end of yer ride, pose for photos in yer skivvies and we'll count the raspberries.

But seriously folks, this is a fun way to raise money for good causes and I applaud these young gents for doing it. Perhaps more important than raising money, their high-profile participation is raising awareness. Good on yer, mates.

If you would like to follow their adventures during the 8-day ride, check out Motorcycle News (UK) each day as they have an embedded reporter. Dirty job, but someone's gotta do it. Heh.

Here's Day One.

Here's a coupla tips for H & W from my misspent and continuing youth:

Make sure you get to water crossings and cow (hopefully elephant!) pies slightly in front of your brother and make sure your rear wheel is spinning for maximum fling. The higher and farther your 'roost', the better your chance of gettin' him right in the face. Makes for the best comedy effect, especially if the papparazzi are present!

Always try to pass on the left in tight turns. That way you can gently reach over unnoticed with your right foot and change gear on your brother's bike. Up or down, your choice, but down is easier. If you are in good control, you can can also reach over with your right hand and fan his clutch. Not really recommended as you have to let go of your throttle to do this, thus depriving your rear wheel of drive and consequent loss of steering control, unless you have lightly set your throttle brake if your machine is so equipped.

Alternatively, if you are forced to pass on his right, you can reach over with your left hand and give his throttle cable a good yank. This is guaranteed to provide a moment of excitement for him, possibly followed by riding the rest of the day with a pantload. Best only done if you are prepared to fistfight him later on world TV.

It is perhaps best not mentioned that his front brake lever is also available for some quick attention. See 'fistfight later'.

Disclaimer: The above are for information only. I would never advise actions that could unseat a rider and that scratch the surface of dirty riding and don't ask how I learned about them.

Boys just wanta have fun, after all.

Ride safe and have fun, Young Royals. The world likes you and is watching.

Update:



CBS News video here.