In a weird and wonderful way motorcycling has come full circle with bikes like the new 1200 Scrambler from Triumph. In the dawn of motorcycling bikes were built as utility transport. Cheaper and simpler than a car, they offered the advantages of a horse compared to a horse drawn buggy. Roads were poor, bordering on non existent and bikes could negotiate obstacles more easily than the four wheeled contraptions of that time. For example. A while back I made the acquaintance of an old timer, living in Barberton by the name of Bernie Cook. In the thirties, Bernie made a living by travelling from farm to farm with a steam driven Case threshing machine to thresh maize crops. Small and of slight build, you could still see a latent strength in his wiry frame. Already on the far side of eighty, Bernie’s eyes would twinkle as he recounted tales of those early days in the lowveld. Remember that in those days telecommunications were in there infancy. Bernie could not just respond to a ‘phone call from a farmer to say that his crop was ready for threshing. What he did was way more exciting.
Bernie owned an Indian Scout. He would fire up the Indian and ride via game paths and dodgy roads and tracks, from farm to farm to assess the readiness of the crop. When he ventured far away he would lash tins of petrol to the Indian and bury them at intervals along his route. This is how he would be able to get back home. Rivers were another obstacle to be overcome. He would melt candle wax over the electrics to keep them dry, then, by putting a pole through each wheel, he would, with the help of the local “natives”, physically carry the Scout across the river at a shallow point. Incredible! Our adventure riding exploits pale into insignificance when we think of what Bernie did in the course of a normal day’s work. After assessing the crop he would retrace his steps on the Scout, hitch his team of oxen to his Case threshing machine and trek to get the job done. Horse sickness was rife in the lowveld at that time and travelling by Scout negated the problem of being left stranded in the wilderness. [it says reams for the basic reliability of those old bikes]. So why am I telling you all this? Because it’s a flippen’ cool story, that’s why! There is another reason of course. In an obscure way Triumph’s new 1200 Scrambler reminds me of that simple but functional Indian Scout. So much so that I laid down my own hard earned loot and bought one for myself.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Bikers have evolved into a type of sub culture over the years. We ride for myriads of reasons, many of which relate more to the statement we make with the bike we ride, than using our bikes like old Bernie used his Scout. His Scout was a tool. A means to an end, yet, in the course of utilising the Indian as an essential part of his life, he developed a deep love for the freedom that his simple old Scout offered. That essential simplicity and purity of purpose is what endears me to the Triumph Scrambler. Take a step back and look the bike over. It is not wrapped in a bling cocoon of plastic. It is still “an iron”. Old uncle Bernie would recognize it as kin to his old Scout. From front to back all the Scramblers considerable talents are laid bare.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
As you sweep your gaze over the Triumph you are struck by how tall it is. It has ground clearance for Africa and huge suspension travel. A full 250mm front and rear. Talking of rear, the twin OHLINS shocks are things of rare beauty to the eye of any petrol head. Gold piggyback remote reservoirs hunch over a shock and spring with what looks like a yard of travel.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Jewel like compression and rebound damping knobs adorn either end. The OHLINS mount at the back of a trick looking alloy swingarm. The rear passenger footpegs are removable at the frame as on the Street Scrambler. Whip them off and you have an unimpeded view of the back suspension setup. Stunning! In typical Scrambler fashion the exhausts sweep up and along the right side of the bike, culminating in twin classic reverse cone mufflers. They are tucked in tight with heat shields in aluminium and black protecting your right leg from excess exhaust heat which is only felt in heavy traffic, or at standstill.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The tank is unmistakeably Triumph Bonnie inspired but a thing of beauty in it’s own right. Seamless, with indentations in the front to allow full handlebar lock, it is retained by a stainless steel strap in a shallow channel running the length of the tank. Ubercool! The brushed aluminium filler cap pops open to reveal a lockable inner cap. Kudos to the stylists!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The seat too, is classic Scrambler, long slim and flat. It is firm yet comfy and easily allows back and forth movement for weight transfer as you attack the dirt. The bars are tall and wide on a high riser type mount that reeks of dirtbike. Pukka alloy reinforced handguards are both functional and handsome.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Brakes are Brembo M50 callipers biting on twin discs up front and a single disc on the rear. In a way this epitomises the build philosophy of the entire bike. It absolutely drips quality! Tubeless outwardly laced Akront rims are 17 inch at the back and 21 inch in front.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The TFT display is ingenious. Technology at it’s cleverest. It tells you everything you want to know and then some. Programmable, it even greets you by name when you light it up with the starter inclusive kill switch, activated from the keyless entry fob in your pocket. I could have done without that personally but welcome to the modern world Dave. I will have to just learn to trust it, but the day it refuses to greet me and gives me a blank stare, is the day that the limey engineer who’s brainchild the keyless entry was, will get a monumental cramp, which I will wish upon him, in his fundamental orifice!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The motor, oh Lordy, the motor. It is truly a magnificent lump. Peak torque is at a mere 3950 rpm, at which point it is producing a twisting force of 110 Nm. BMW’s torque monster 1200 GS LC pumps out a massive 125Nm, but it has to spin to 7000 rpm to do it. The instant hit from low on the XE is unnerving till you get used to it. I find myself short shifting at 3000 rpm and just surfing that delicious wave of stump pulling torque. This is why the motor has this amazing mellow feeling of power that you can never get tired of. It spins up to 90 odd horsepower, but with that torque, who the hell cares? In theory it is geared for about 250 kph at redline in 6th, meaning that at a 140 to 150 practical cruising speed it is smooth and totally unfussed. It is a naked bike after all.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The quality of the suspension makes it’s presence felt from the moment the XE starts rolling. The OHLINS are matched for quality by the big piston Showa USD forks. “Watch that speed bump!, “what speed bump”?. They really are that good. Despite the huge travel, the bike is taught and composed at all speeds and over any surface. It actually feels like a big, really sorted Motard. Agile, nimble and punchy. Combine those three attributes in one package and you have the recipe for HUGE fun.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
I have not ridden my Scrambler in the dirt as yet, however Spurgeon Dunbar, from Revzilla in the USA, who owns a KTM 1090 Adventure R, is of the opinion, having ridden the XE in the dirt, that it is at least as good, if not better than his KTM! That, my friends is worthy praise indeed. For the record, the Triumph is about 10 kg’s lighter than the KTM, fully fueled.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Some folks out there have a “diss response” to any bike that is different and does not conform to an established norm. They think that if a bike is not orange it is not dirt worthy. Well, sorry for you, dude. Your bubble is about to be burst and I think it’s an egg bubble, which you are going to be wearing all over your face. What Triumph has built with the Scrambler 1200 XE is something fresh. A bike that stirs the nostalgia part of your soul, yet not at the cost of function and excitement. They have crammed the best and latest technology into a simple package. That, in itself, is an incredible and fiendishly clever feat!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Triumph offer a wide range of accessories for their Modern Classic range and for the Scrambler 1200 in particular. To me, this is a bike for all seasons. Brilliant to use day to day without any significant vices. Fantastic to ride on tar as well as to rip up the dirt. Comfortable and beautiful to behold. At a current retail price of R205000, It makes a compelling statement. Get yourself down to TRIUMPH in Sandton and ride the new Scrambler. It will blow you away.
You will recall that I really enjoyed the first version of Triumph’s Street Scrambler. I owned the original Scrambler and really enjoyed it. I imported cartridge inserts for the front forks and had rear shocks valved and sprung for me by Works Performance in the States. I rode it extensively as an adventure bike doing a “Parys to De Aar” adventure rally as well as Baviaans kloof. It did not have a lot of suspension travel, but what it had was excellent quality. It was huge fun to ride with a gentle torquey power delivery. The taut suspension made slides and rear wheel steering almost intuitive.
My original 2014 Scrambler 900
When Triumph introduced there new generation Street Scrambler with much more torque but a tad less power, they also pared around 20kg’s of weight off the bike. A set of longer travel piggyback Fox shocks were available from Triumph’s accessory catalogue. I lost no time in reviewing the bike and enjoyed it so much that I promptly bought one! The Triumph Street Scrambler marches totally and completely to it’s own drumbeat. There was general criticism that it had lost some power, but most felt that it was a nicer bike to ride due to the high torque at low revs. The bike was also really refined and simple, yet engaging to ride.
With the passage of time and perhaps inevitably, Triumph have built a real off road weapon in the 1200 Scrambler about to be launched world wide. So what about the Street? Essentially they have addressed the only two criticisms levelled at the bike. They bumped the power by just on 19% and sharpened the front brake power by bolting on a Brembo calliper.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
So who should buy a Triumph Street Scrambler?. Well, here’s the thing. Watch the news these days and you feel like doing push ups on your penknife. Eskom, aided and abetted by government, is doing it’s damndest to re-introduce us to “darkest Africa”. We all seem to be putting in more effort for less reward. Richard Dawkins, the atheist intellectual spoke of the Universe as “a cold, bleak and empty” place! Lousy advert for atheism wasn’t he? I reckon he needed two things to alter his world view. Rethink his atheist stance and buy a Triumph Street Scrambler! The world cannot be a miserable place with a Scramblers muted rumble beneath you.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Let’s back peddle a bit. Our relationship with our bikes is essentially twofold. It is a bit like with women actually. First it’s the looks, and then the character is explored. We see a bike and say, “how cool is that beast?”. Now the seed is planted and the imagination takes over. In your minds eye you are riding your favourite road on your new bike and all is well with the world. The plot is hatched and your Scrambler is in your garage.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
I have been known to sit on a camp stool in my garage, sipping on a coffee and visually feasting on my new bike. You will want to indulge yourself in this manner with your new Scrambler, because it is, to my eye, a stunning looker. Triumph’s attention to detail on all their bikes is world class. Remove the petrol cap and there, cast into the part that goes into the tank is a little Triumph logo!. Flip, who is going to see that? Wherever you look these little touches abound. The proportions are just right. From the curve of the classic Bonneville tank to the bobbed fenders and the upswept twin pipes, it is oh so right. Classic and simple.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Turn the key in the middle of the dash, watch the dash come to life, pull in the clutch and depress the starter incorporated into the “kill” switch and the 270 degree parallel twin 900 fires up instantly, settling into a rumbly idle. Snick the bike into gear, ease out the buttery smooth and light clutch and a solid wave of torque just punts you off the line. No need to rev this bike.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Short shift and let the ample low down grunt power you briskly along. The power increase is immediately evident if you rev the bike through the gears. The “old” bike would pull well to 4500 rpm and then go somewhat dead, not really pulling with any authority to redline at around 7000 rpm. The 2019 bike pulls in a perfectly linear fashion with 500rpm more at the riders disposal.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
It is at no point intimidating, but rather satisfying and in keeping with the demeanour of the bike. There are five gears. Ample, given the low down urge that this engine revels in. What amazes me is the feel that Triumph manage to build into their Twins. There are a plethora of 270 degree parallel twin engines built by a number of manufacturers these days. Honda Africa Twin, Kawasaki Versys, Yamaha Super ten and MT 07 and the KTM 790’S to name a few which, whilst capable, none of those bikes have the incredibly sweet engine feel of the Triumph twins. Smooth and kind of velvety.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
This version of the 900cc twin makes 65 hp @ 7500 rpm and 59 ft lbs of torque at only 3200 rpm. The crank is a tad lighter too. Crazily, the already excellent fuel consumption is even better on the new model. It is quite easy, in around town and short hop commuting, to see the Scrambler sipping fuel at under 4l/100.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The forks are wider and cartridges upgraded for even more assured handling. The bike keeps it’s 100/90×19 front and 150/70×17 rear wheel sizes. The 310mm front disc is now chomped on by a Brembo calliper, which takes braking from adequate, on the old model, to excellent on the 2019 model. The dash is the epitome of simplicity, with all the information and changes you may wish to make to ABS or engine modes achieved by pushing or holding only one button. Hallelujah!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
So what we have on the 2019 Street Scrambler is subtle tweaking by Triumph of what was already an excellent motorcycle, to a now close to flawless bike, given it’s intended use and market. It is simply such a pleasant bike to ride.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
It is the kind of bike that would get me up early on a sunny day to go for a cruise and soak up the absolute pleasure that is motorcycling simplicity and purity. If it were not for the fact that I have a 1200cc XE Triumph Scrambler on order, I would have one of these, which I would ride everywhere, both on and off road. This is a bike for the soul. ‘Nuffsaid!
Of all the Husqvarna street bikes, none has been so hotly anticipated as the Svartpilen 701. Especially by riders who love the forward design and ride dynamics of its Vitpilen café racer sibling, but can’t get along with its ergonomics.
Excitement hit fever pitch when Husqvarna announced (at EICMA last year) that the Svartpilen 701 was indeed going into production. And like its 401 stablemates, the factory bike is as close to the original jaw-dropping concept as you can get.
But what’s it like in the flesh? Does that neo-retro flat track style translate into a decent street bike? Do pastéis de nata (custard tarts) taste better in Portugal than they do in Cape Town? I traveled to Lisbon to find out the answers to these burning questions.
Photo credit: Husqvarna Motorcycles
In simple terms, the Svartpilen 701 is a different riff on the Vitpilen 701 that we reviewed last year: trading café racer style for a hit of flat track flavor. The design is more neo-retro than it is throwback; futuristic even, with a clear nod to Husqvarna’s Scandinavian roots. Even the name is Swedish: it means ‘black arrow’ (and in case you’re wondering, it’s pronounced ‘pillen’).
All the body panels are plastic—and that’s OK because they’re also light. The build quality’s right up there too, and everything feels carefully considered and well finished.
Photo credit: Husqvarna Motorcycles
The number board and headlight combo, fork guards and tail section are all clear flat track cues. And the combination of the single rear number board and exhaust, both on the right, echoes the asymmetrical design typical of race bikes. The Svartpilen 701 is also stacked with neat details. Check out that silver line that runs down from the seat and tank junction, and how it lines up perfectly with the exhaust hangar.
Photo credit: Husqvarna Motorcycles
The head and taillights are both LED items, and there’s a ring-shaped daytime running light that’s becoming a signature of the Husky street range.
Bronze finishing on the tank cap and engine covers breaks the all-black scheme, and the branding is super-subtle. The saddle is covered in synthetic fabrics, but the combo of a suede-like upper and perforated sides looks high-end.
Photo credit: Husqvarna Motorcycles
And that duck-tailed section is actually a piece of high-density foam, making it a sneaky (albeit hardly practical) pillion seat.
Photo credit: Husqvarna Motorcycles
Underneath the Svartpilen 701’s swanky exterior, you’ll find a chromoly frame and a 693 cc single-cylinder motor, both borrowed from the KTM 690 Duke. And that’s a good thing: the liquid-cooled, 4-valve single is a total gem with dual counter-balancers to suppress vibration.
It’s good for 75 hp and 72 Nm, and the overall package weighs under 160 kg. That gives it a horsepower-to-weight ratio only a tiny fraction less than the figures Indian are quoting for the FTR1200, that other hotly-anticipated roadster influenced by flat track design.
Photo credit: Husqvarna Motorcycles
Power is handled by a ride-by-wire throttle, a six-speed box and a slipper clutch. Switchable traction control is standard issue, along with Bosch ABS and Husqvarna’s ‘Easy Shift’ clutch-less shifter.
Photo credit: Husqvarna Motorcycles
The Svartpilen 701 is refreshingly well-kitted throughout. The 43 mm upside-down forks and the rear shock are from WP Suspension, and both are adjustable for compression and rebound. There’s 150 mm of travel at both ends—15 mm more than the Vitpilen 701.
Photo credit: Husqvarna Motorcycles
Both ‘Pilens use five-spoke alloy wheels, but the Svartpilen gets a size bump to an 18” up front (with a 17” out back). Brembo brakes and Pirelli MT60 RS tires round out the package.
Photo credit: Husqvarna Motorcycles
Up in the cockpit, you’ll find wide, upright bars to counter the Vitpilen’s clip-ons. The speedo’s been pitched up to match the riding position, the switchgear is standard fare, and the clutch and brake levers are adjustable.
Photo credit: Husqvarna Motorcycles
With more suspension travel and a bigger front wheel, the Svartpilen has a touch more ground clearance and a higher seat (835 mm) than the Vitpilen. Add to that the higher bars, and it makes for a far more commanding riding position.
Which, Husqvarna tell us, was exactly the point. They designed the Svartpilen 701 with ergonomics that’d make it ideal for urban exploration—and better for everyday use. And to prove just how much of an all-rounder the bike is, our hosts plotted a route that would take us through Lisbon’s grid-locked streets, along the Atlantic coast and up into some twisty mountain roads.
Photo credit: Husqvarna Motorcycles
Within seconds I knew I’d have a tough time being objective about the Svartpilen 701. That’s because Husqvarna have pretty much built my ideal motorcycle. Even for my 1,86 m frame, the Husky’s ergonomics feel flawless; a solid mix of comfort and control.
With its low weight and oodles of low-down torque, the 701 springs off the line. The ride-by-wire system gets the power down without any hiccups or burps, making the throttle crisp and responsive.
Photo credit: Husqvarna Motorcycles
The traction control does its thing without ever feeling too invasive, but turn it off, and the 701’s immediately more wily—in a good way. I couldn’t wheelie if my life depended on it, but some of my fellow riders spent plenty of time with the front wheel in the air.
The Husky’s Easy Shift setup gives you a quick shifter on upshifts, and an auto-blipper down. It works a treat and adds an extra dose of fun, but it’s not completely flawless—I found a couple of false neutrals between fifth and sixth.
Our ride saw us battling traffic in town and attacking corners in the hills. Again, the Svartpilen 701’s low weight and confident ergos helped it shine in both situations. The surefooted chassis is happy to tip toe through tight spaces, and then flick through turns in anger.
Photo credit: Husqvarna Motorcycles
Even with their dirt track aesthetics, those Pirelli MT60 RS tires don’t sacrifice much grip on asphalt. I pushed them surprisingly hard into turns and they stuck, giving me plenty of warning if they were close to breaking away. The Brembo stoppers performed really well too; sharp, but with plenty of feel.
Photo credit: Husqvarna Motorcycles
It makes the Svartpilen 701 the perfect recipe for hooligan antics: low weight, agile handling and snappy acceleration. But it’s not without its limitations.
Even though it holds decent speed on the highway and runs smoother than you’d expect a thumper to, there is still some vibration through the seat and bars. And although the seat’s surprisingly cushy for its thickness, it starts to falter after about 150 km. So while the 12 litre fuel tank gives decent mileage, I wouldn’t pick the 701 for long days in the saddle.
Photo credit: Husqvarna Motorcycles
I’m also not a fan of the Svartpilen’s round dial. I love the display itself, which packs a lot of info into a well-arranged design, but the unit is much bigger than the actual display area. (There’s apparently a lot of circuitry packed in there.) And the speedo buttons are near impossible to operate with gloves on.
Photo credit: Husqvarna Motorcycles
I’m not sure that it’s a deal breaker, but it sure is something that needs improving—because the rest of the motorcycle works so damn well.
Husqvarna is pitching the idea of a simple machine that makes you fall in love with motorcycling again—and they’ve nailed it. The Svartpilen 701 is a no-frills whip that does exactly what it says on the tin: hoon around while looking really fly.
Photo credit: Husqvarna Motorcycles
If there’s a catch, it’s the price. At R149 699, the Svartpilen 701 comes in at a premium over its cousin, the KTM 690 Duke, and is in the same ballpark as the cracking 790 Duke. And established performers like the Ducati Monster 821 and Triumph Street Triple R are only about 15 grand further up the chain.
Which means it ain’t cheap. But it sure is good—and well worth a test ride, if you’re looking to add a sporty and stylish middleweight to your garage.
Photo credit: Husqvarna Motorcycles
* The Husqvarna Svartpilen 701 is expected to be available in South Africa from the beginning of May 2019
The “EVO” part of this Sym’s title is spot on. The Taiwanese built scooter started its life as a 250, and then evolved into the 263,7cc engine which currently provides its thrust. In fact parent company Sym are busy with a bit of an evolution themselves. 2018 world wide sales are significantly up, to more than 750000 units, this despite sales in China, their previous biggest market being down. Sym products have built a reputation for quality and reliability over the years which is now starting to bear significant fruit.
As always, when I review a bike I see what journos around the world have to say about the bike. This is so that I remain objective and factual and if there is an issue which I am not aware of I want to know about it. The more you google Sym, the more you read positive things about this brand. After reviewing the Citycom 300i I became a firm fan. A fan of that scoot in particular and of scooters in general. I just don’t get why SA has not followed the European love of scooters.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
As our roads have become more and more congested over the years we should, like in Europe, embraced this thrifty, convenient and fun way of commuting. At times I think we are just way too testosterone driven and dof when it comes to making intelligent commuting choices! By all means, keep your big beast, but don’t waste it in the urban sprawl. Your saving on services and tyres and petrol will damn near pay for your Scooter.
The GTS EVO looks more substantial than the CityCom, with more elaborate bodywork, and despite running 13 inch wheels. I half expected a tad of instability with the smaller wheels, but no way! The GTS, aided by decently damped shocks, tracks straight and true at all speeds, even over dodgy surfaces.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The body does provide a greater level of weather protection and storage nooks and crannies. There are two cubbies just rear of the dash as well as a third behind your feet. The under seat storage is comprehensive and good for two full face helmets.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The EVO also features the on/off kill switch additional security measure under the seat. The steering can be locked too, as well as a sporting a cover which locks over the ignition so that you can’t jimmy the lock. Clever.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The EVO is slightly heavier than the CityCom and makes slightly less power at 17.15 Kw and with torque of 24.08 Nm @5500 rpm. The result is slightly softer performance all round. That said, it is no slouch, dropping most cars off the line in the robot GP’s. I took it on an evening out at the Corner Shop with my wife Irene on the pillion. She loved it!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Reckon’s it rivals the very best she has experienced for comfort. The urge makes two up riding a doddle too. It was so convenient stashing our kit under the seat while we quaffed an ice cream and coffee.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
I used the GTS for a full week in the course of my daily comings and goings and enjoyed it so much it was a real wrench to give it back. I rode out almost two tanks of gas which, at 28 km/L gave me 300 plus k’s on a tank. Frikken amazing.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Now here is the thing. It is a given that the EVO GTS is going to be the business in the general urban sprawl. What you don’t expect, considering it’s bulk and a motor of closer to 250 than 300cc’s, is how well it performs on the highway. The torque is such that it holds it’s speed, and even accelerates if called upon to do so, whilst cruising at highway speeds. I reckon that if you like touring at a “stop and smell the roses” pace, the Sym 300 Scooters would do the job in a really practical way. Good wind and weather protection, a smooth [at all speeds] motor, decent tank size and brilliant fuel economy. Ally those attributes to a comfy seat with nice lower back support and you have in my book, a winner.
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The Sym 300 GTS EVO, at a little over R60 grand, makes a compelling commuting argument. I just feel that to not explore it’s other talents is to sell it short. Over the coming Easter weekend we are going to indulge in some Botswana SYMmetry. Two Dave’s, are going to ride two 300 Sym’s, to Elephant Sands in Botswana. We intend carrying all our camping kit in and on the scooters. We’re going to prove to any remaining sceptics out there just how good, versatile, economical and fun these amazing scooters are. Watch this space!
Walking through the modern architectural Summit near Menlyn, I find myself being dragged into a designer’s coma. Visions, kaleidoscopic visions as modern meets contemporary, when all of a sudden as my steps multiply my kaleidoscopic vision falls behind. This feeling of being in an infinity mirror room has drawn to an end with one reflection making sense and this reflection being the Zontes 310-X.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The ZT 310-X can be found at the brink of modern and at the heart of elegance, making the visual perspective a real treat. Why elegant you say?, well again it has to do with the design and how simply and how cleverly Zontes have hid, or shall I say blended, bits and pieces of body work. For instance, the petrol cap has it’s own trap door, the fairings have no exposed bolts, crash bobbins are found on the fork bottoms and side fairings, as well as the windshield being electronically operated leaving you with a clean look.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
In the past few years the 300cc market has been growing and not only in sales but in the increase of available models. In today’s market you’ve got the choice of buying a super sport, naked or adventure styled 300cc motorcycle, but hold on, now that’s where the ZT 310-X changes things. I personally think the ZT 310-X falls into it’s own category and that being sport touring. When thinking about sport touring bikes, what comes to mind are models like the BMW S 1000 XR, Kawasaki Z1000 SX, even the Yamaha MT-07 Tracer which are much larger capacity bikes, but the point is the ZT 310-X has the same characteristics that make the mentioned bikes sport tourers.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
In the game of cricket, there’s a term called, The All Rounder and what this means is that you as a cricketer are talented in both bowling and batting. Why am I bringing up a cricket term you may ask?, well I believe the ZT 310-X has ticked the boxes as being good in the sports segment as well as having great touring capabilities. Having ridden the Silver Dream Machine for the past week, I have come to the conclusion that a 300cc sports tourer just makes sense. The reason the ZT 310-X makes nothing but sense is, you don’t have to compromise when it comes to having fun in the twisties nor do you have to suffer wind blast or cramps on a long journey.
Photo credit: Julio Moreira
As far as looks go, Zontes have yet again not disappointed, bringing us another modern transformer like design but this time fully faired. Parked at the Summit near Menlyn is where the ZT 310-X really started attracting a crowd, with a more grown up look the Silver Dream Machine gets attention from all walks of life. The fairing does more than just capture your attention, it cuts through the wind like a Corvette through choppy seas and with an electronically adjustable windscreen, your journey becomes that more enjoyable.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
With all these power outages we’ve been having lately, you better have a good set of torches. Riding back home at night during one of these load shedding episodes, I just flicked the switch and there was light booming from the centre Kawasaki H2 styled headlight, turning what was just moonlight to daylight. During the day you’ve got very stylish day time running LED’s that run along the sides of the front fairing giving you that transformer like appearance that I think is just so cool.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The cockpit is a pleasant place to be seated with high-rise handle bars, tall or short screen depending on your preference, all the gadgets neatly laid out on the switch gear, a USB port, and a very smart looking, easy to use LED display.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The LED display works well and displays, current fuel economy, current fuel load, Trip, Rev’s that climb looking like a narrowing runway and of course your speed. I did find it strange that the display wouldn’t show me an average fuel economy just a current but besides that it worked just fine and a neat function that I appreciated was a button that allowed me to adjust the screen brightness.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
On the performance side the Silver Dream Machine offers the same thrill as it’s naked family member, the ZT 310-R which has 34hp/26kw at peak RPM with a good hit of 30 N.m coming from it’s 312cc single cylinder motor. With the ZT 310-R already achieving an impressive 24km/L , the ZT 310-X takes it a step further with an impressive fuel economy of 26km/L and with a 15L fuel tank you can be assured to cover many Km’s on end.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The ZT 310-X offers a comfy ride with a somewhat sporty ride as a bonus to top it all off. With a soft sprung suspension, the Zontes soaks up the bumps like a Cadillac but still holds it’s line when it comes to the twisties. I always seemed to get that planted feeling when carving corners and never really felt the suspension lacking or needing to be firmed up.
Photo credit: Julio Moreira
The seat was both comfortable for myself and my pillion with soft cushioning to support and to keep us comfortable. The brakes though not branded work well on wet, dry and even sandy roads, they do come with ABS that can be disabled by the touch of a button.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Vibrations on the other hand did cause somewhat of an irritation, coming from the footpegs, handelbars, seat and majorly when looking through the mirrors after 6000 rpm. Despite the vibrations this overall package Zontes have brought to the market rocks and with some single sided swing arms in the pipeline, alongside 4 available colours I see them selling well at a mere R68 900.
It’s time for little bikes to go mainstream. In the past, they’ve commonly been relegated to beginner status—but the current crop of small capacity motos has plenty to offer experienced riders too. And if you don’t believe me, perhaps the Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 will convince you.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
I spent two weeks hooning around Cape Town with the Svartpilen 401. But it took a lot less time than that to succumb to its charms, and to see the logic in owning a smaller machine. Sure, if you need to go far or fast—or you need to carry a passenger or cargo—bigger is better. But for everything else, something in the 250 to 400 cc range makes a whole lot of sense.
The Svartpilen 401 sits at the higher end of that segment. If you didn’t already know, Husqvarna is owned by KTM, and the 401 is effectively a re-dressed KTM 390 Duke. So it has the same steel trellis frame, and the same 373 cc single-cylinder, water-cooled power plant. It also has a six speed box, ABS and WP suspension at both ends.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
What sets it apart from the Duke is that it’s so much better looking. It’s been designed by KTM’s design firm of choice, Kiska, and feels more like a case study in contemporary design than a traditional motorcycle. Sitting somewhere between a street tracker and a supermotard, it hits all the right notes: compact, slick, and almost retro-futuristic.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
It gets its own set of plastic body panels, giving the body an almost monocoque look. It also has classy 17” spoked wheels, a round digital speedo, an LED-equipped headlight and a neatly integrated LED tail light.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
So while most small bikes are very utilitarian, the Svartpilen 401 looks more like it rolled out of a custom shop than a factory. Which means it’ll pique the interest of riders who’ve possibly dismissed smaller bikes in the past, based on looks alone.
Here are a few more reasons why the Svartpilen 401 might just be a gateway into the world of little bikes…
It’s punchy
Sure, small bikes aren’t usually picked for outright performance. But there are a few gems within the 250 to 400 cc range, and the Svartpilen 401 is one of them. That 373 cc KTM single is nothing short of super, and puts out a respectable-for-its-size 43 hp.
The 401 launches off the mark and loves to be revved. And that makes it great for everything from ducking between cars to shooting up side streets. You’ll flick through all six gears pretty quickly, but at the top end the 401 has long enough legs for highway stints too.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
It’s simple
The 401 has ABS as standard, but you won’t find traction control or switchable riding modes. And while it has a fuel gauge and estimated range readout (which doesn’t work too well), there’s no keyless ignition or cruise control either.
As much as those modern day tech features add to the overall riding experience, there’s something extremely refreshing about the twist-and-go nature of simpler machines. Coupled with the Svartpilen’s minimalist design, it makes for a fun and approachable motorcycle.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
It’s compact and light
Small bikes are generally lighter and more compact than big bikes. It’s called ‘physics.’ The benefits are endless: they need less power to get moving, they’re easier to squeeze into tight parking spaces and they’re easier to handle out on the road.
With a dry weight of just 150 kg, this is all true of the Svartpilen. And its power-to-weight ratio is something else.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
It’s nimble
Despite a high seat height (835 mm), the Svartpilen 401’s low weight and small size makes it feel like a BMX with a motor. But maybe that’s just because I measure in at 1,86 m tall and around 120 kg heavy—so anything feels small to me.
Regardless, throwing the small Husky in and out of turns is borderline effortless. Lane splitting is a breeze too, robot-to-robot riding in town isn’t taxing, and getting up and down curbs is effortless.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
It’s versatile
The Svartpilen 401’s not exactly made for touring, racing or serious adventure riding, but it’s still a pretty versatile machine. I used it for short highway stints, hustling across the suburbs to run errands, and even bombing through the city with a mate on his 401, for no other reason than that we had time to waste. And when the odd gravel shortcut presented itself, the standard issue Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres had more than enough grip to kick up sufficient roost.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
Remember as a kid, when you went everywhere on your BMX, mountain bike or skateboard? Riding a small bike as your day-to-day is kind of the same feeling.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
It’s affordable
At R91 699 (in stock form—my test unit had some extras), the Svartpilen isn’t exactly the cheapest small bike out. But while you can pick up the BMW G 310 GS, Kawasaki Versys-X and Honda CRF 250 Rallye all for cheaper, it’s still a damn sight cheaper than bigger bikes like the Yamaha MT-07, or Triumph Street Twin.
Which makes financing a smaller bike a far more realistic prospect for anyone on a tight budget. And with a fuel usage of around 25 km/L, your monthly fuel budget won’t feel the pinch either.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
There’s no denying it: small bikes offer maximum thrills-for-Rands. For me, the Husky’s pokey motor and superior looks sealed the deal. But there’s a whole wide world of little bikes out there, just waiting to be discovered.
We have been thinking about sharing some of the cool spots we have discovered during our travels. Tell us what you think. Belinda Ayre, from the Hogsback Inn sent us an introduction to the Inn recently. I have made a point of overnighting in the beautiful little village of Hogsback during my Eastern Cape meanderings. Perched high on the edge of the Amathole mountains, Hogsback is off the main road to East London, as well as to PE, so you need to make an effort to get there. Typical of when you do make a bit of effort, it is well worth it. If you tour on a road bike you would approach on the tar road from Fort Beaufort, south west of Hogsback, or on an adventure bike, and dig the dirt, from Cathcart to the east of Hogsback.
Photo credit: Madele
The Hogsback Inn is neat and tidy with that typical charm of a small town Inn. The Eastern Cape has some spectacular scenery and is a must for bike touring both on tar and dirt. Hogsback is one of those spots that, once you have been there once, lures you back again and again.
The Historic Hogsback Inn: by Belinda Ayre
[Hogsback is about 80km North West of East London]
Photo credit: Hogsback Inn
Set high on a plateau in the heart of the Amathole Mountains, surrounded by the indigenous forests and the many waterfalls that flow under the tree canopy, you will find The Historic Hogsback Inn. We offer good food, good drink and a cosy atmosphere, often in the company of any one of Hogsback’s interesting and “colourful” residents. We are situated just off the main road, nestled in beautiful natural surroundings against the three peaks, with our own little stream running through our gardens. We have kept the country charm and elegance that has made us a local landmark. Our old English-style Tavern and Inn offer an olde world feel steeped in history and tradition. Beautiful trees, clean air and tranquillity – so many reasons to visit, only one place to stay!
Photo credit: Hogsback Inn
We are very keen to accommodate bikers and biker groups, whether you’re looking for a one night, en route, stop over or a few days exploring our beautiful and interesting region. We are very popular with groups like Red Cherry Adventures (Mike Glover and the team are on the mountain at least twice a year); we have BMW groups from Pretoria come and stay; Ulysses Centurion are coming in April and the touring company, SA Adventures, came through recently.
On offer are 10 x Standard Hotel Rooms, 6 x Riverside Suites and 3 x Self-Catering Units. All rooms are decorated in their own unique way and offer guests a comfortable stay. Rooms are serviced daily and offer amenities such as DStv, tea, coffee making facilities; some rooms have heaters and others have fireplaces. Stay awhile and get to experience more of the charm and warmth of The Historic Hogsback Inn.
Photo credit: Hogsback Inn
THINGS TO DO IN THE AREA
Hogsback offers the visitor a rich variety of things to do and experience. And, of course, the opportunity simply to forget the rat-race for a while and chill-out in the most beautiful and tranquil of environments.
Bikers who stay with us for a few days tend to go adventure biking and as part of their preparation, we send scouts out a week before their arrival, to assess the condition of the roads, etc,.Hogsback in general lends itself to so many different biking routes of interest and we can provide details of these in advance of your visit.
There are of course, plenty of ‘touristy’ visits to be made, locally around Hogsback and other activities to keep you entertained. For example, we partner with Hobbiton-on-Hogsback, who are big on team building events including abseiling, archery, wall climbing, ropes courses and trapeze flying (7m above ground level!)
Another way to experience the beauty, the silence and the restfulness of Hogsback is on foot. There are heaps of hiking routes and walks that will take you through the forests, up the mountains, past the waterfalls, and to spectacular views.
Photo credit: Hajakely
The bird life in Hogsback and surrounding areas is very interesting and varied – we have 150 bird species in and around the village? And, we can arrange for you a ride on horseback to see the paths less travelled through the beautiful Amathole Mountains and forests.
Photo credit: Hajakely
Oh, and by the way, being the oldest accommodation establishment in Hogsback, we boast the original pub; the legendary Hogshead Tavern.
Photo credit: Hogsback Inn
From bountiful natural gardens in Spring and Summer to snow in Winter, The Historic Hogsback Inn offers many pleasant surprises to its guests and we negotiate and tailor-make packages to suite each groups needs.
Photo credit: Hogsback Inn
Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will gladly assist. We look forward to welcoming you to our little piece of paradise!!
Harley–Davidson has made some changes to it’s Touring range for 2019. ZA Bikers went to the magnificent Algarve region of southern Portugal to ride the new Road King Special 114 and to catch up on what’s happening at the Motor Company. We experienced a machine that totally blew away some oft quoted misconceptions about Harleys in general, more often than not by someone who has probably never ridden a modern Harley–Davidson.
Photo credit: Harley-Davidson
When, in the fall of 2016, Harley–Davidson embarked on their Milwaukee–Eight project, the touring range, including the Road King, underwent significant upgrades. The styling was reminiscent of the original 1994 Road King. This is part of the Harley magic. On the surface everything remains familiar but under the skin it is all new and updated. Only the real Harley–Davidson faithful will pick up on the changes.
Photo credit: Harley-Davidson
The Milwaukee–Eight project was not only about the new generation of 4–valve head engines with increased displacement, [107 cu. Inch and 114 cu. Inch] or 1745cc and 1868 in metric speak, they also revised the chassis, brakes, fitted new Showa cartridge forks and upgraded the shocks. Power increased from 67 hp and 107 Nm of torque (on the old 1340cc motor), to 88 hp and 150 Nm (on the new 1745cc motor), and even more on the 114 cu. Inch engine.
Photo credit: Harley-Davidson
Then folks, Harley–Davidson made it “Special”. The Specials, which started with the Street Glide and Road Glide, and about a year later with the Road King, are blacked out “badass” versions aimed at the younger rider craving style with attitude. A generation that rides with takkies, techstyle jackets and a full-face helmet as opposed to the old traditional boots and leathers boys. I jumped at the chance to don my beloved Simpson Venom helmet and style with the best of them! So whilst the fathers take to the road on their traditional Road King Standard and Classic, white wall tyres and all, the son’s will love the bad boy attitude of the Road King Special.
So what’s new for 2019
Before I get into the Road King Special riding experience, let’s look at what H-D have in store for us in the not so distant future. We have already seen the launch of their FXDR muscle bike and keenly await the advent of the electric powered LiveWire in around six months time. Not resting on their laurels, a revamped version of the Electra Standard has also come to market with Apple CarPlay compatibility and a dedicated GPS App all appearing on a way crisper and sharper display. Harley have also put their 114 cu. Inch motor in models such as the Special and Ultra which previously ran the 107 cu. Inch mill.
Photo credit: Harley-Davidson
Now for the Road King Special. You can choose between five different colour schemes, with Black, Silver and Burgundy as “standard” colours, and for a few more bucks you can opt for the two-tone paint job in traditional H-D Orange and Black. My personal favourite is the Matt White, which also sells at a slight premium [around R5k ] over the base colours. Typical of current Harley–Davidson’s, the paint quality is beyond reproach. “We know they look cool,” I hear you say,“but how do they ride?”
Misconception number one: Harley’s are slow
Harley–Davidson planned a thrilling 260 km blast for us through the twists and turns of the Algarve which dispelled that first rumour fair and square. This Special hauls! With 90 hp on tap @ 5020 rpm and 163 Nm of torque @ only 3000 rpm there is oodles of stump pulling grunt to lift the skirts and get this baby running.
Photo credit: Harley-Davidson
The power is super smooth, with 4th gear acceleration from a mere 50 km/h and at only 1500 rpm no problem at all. Roll the throttle open at 90km/h in 6th gear and the Special responds with grunty vigour. Gearing feels spot-on too. At 130 km/h the mill is loping along at a mere 3000 rpm. Top whack is over 180 km/h at just over 4000 rpm.
Misconception number two: Harley’s don’t handle
The Road King Special features a brand new 130/60 x 19 front wheel which transforms the handling as compared to the 130/80 x 17 of the other Road Kings. Obviously this is no Sport bike, but it gives good front end feed back translating to rider confidence.
Photo credit: Harley-Davidson
Employing a suitably smooth and flowing riding style and using the 32 degree lean angle to the full, you can hustle down a windey road. Brakes are by Brembo and well up to the job of hauling the Special down from speed.
Misconception number three: Harley’s are uncomfortable
That’s a tricky one. Despite hours of riding, including a full week-end on a Road King last year, the jury is still out for me on the comfort aspect. The absence of a windshield is obviously an issue at high speed. Hours in the saddle are going to be fatiguing.
Photo credit: Harley-Davidson
On European roads it is not such an issue, however the passenger seat has almost a negative slope from front to back which exacerbates the strain of no shield. The comprehensive Harley after-market catalogue can remedy this with optional windshields and backrests. The twin 32 litre saddlebags are both attractive and convenient.
Misconception number four: Harley’s are over-priced, under-tech pieces of machinery
Sure, they are not cheap, but they are not nasty either. The finishes are excellent and they weather reasonably well. They also hold their value well due to not becoming outdated like Sport bikes every couple of years. As alluded to, the Special smacks heavily of the original 1994 model. This keeps even older models relevant, especially with the new wave of nostalgia that has been sweeping across the bike scene in recent times.
Photo credit: Harley-Davidson
As for their lack of “tech”, that is quite simply hogwash. Quintessentially, Harley–Davidson’s are a modern expression of a classic, timeless theme. By their very nature that means they do not try to reinvent the wheel every year. They certainly have got pretty damn good at getting it to roll better though!
Riders buy Adventure motorcycles for different reasons. Some like the comfort, touring ability, two up suitability and general all round competence. Others like to venture off the beaten track, and then others where there is virtually no track! No matter what your reason for buying an Adventure bike, when it comes down to bar room bragging rights it is the off road capability of your ride that makes or breaks it.
Somewhere in the dark recesses of our imagination we picture ourselves sporting at least a weeks worth of stubble and travel grime, astride our equally travel stained ride, gazing in steely eyed fashion across an arid plain in some far flung land, contemplating the next leg of an epic adventure. Truth is, these pictures could put us on any bike for, as the old saying goes, “where there is a will, there is a way”. However, if the scene playing in your mind is as hard core as such imaginings usually are, you would be on an orange bike. Fact is, KTM’s are quite simply the most hard core and badass adventure bikes out there! As you get cruisers and then you get Harleys, so, in the hard Adventure world you get KTM and then everything else. I mean 18 consecutive Dakar wins. How conclusive a credentials argument is that?.
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje / www.zcmc.co.za
In this context, when you ride, and then consider the qualities of the new 790 Adventure and Adventure R from the Austrian manufacturer, you realize that they are not simply a shot across the bow of the competition. It is more like the famous World War 2 sea battle between the German pocket Battleship Bismarck and the daunting and seemingly invincible pride of the Royal Navy, the battleship HMS Hood, which, up until then had ruled the seas. The Bismarck didn’t bother with a warning shot across the Hood’s bow. Instead they put one straight into the ammunition magazine of the Hood and blew it all to hell! Perhaps the 790 Adventure could still be considered a shot across the bow, but the R version simply blows the competition away. KTM’S catch phrase for the new 790’s is “Adventure harder” and it could not be more apt.
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje / www.zcmc.co.za
So who is the competition? Because of the wide skill set that the 790’s posses it is not only the obvious BMW R850 GS, Triumph Tiger 800 XC, Honda Africa Twin and Suzuki V–Strom but KTM’s own 690 Enduro as well as the Husky 701. Criticism of the first four, and please don’t misunderstand me for a moment, as they are all good bikes in their own right, is that they are all big and a bit porky. The weight that they carry and the distribution thereof is a limiting factor when off road adventures get a tad extreme. KTM’s 1090 in my opinion is the best current adventure bike in terms of off road ability. The Africa Twin runs it a close second but only after you have re-valved the suspension. The 690 and 701 are really Dual Sports and not Adventure bikes in that they carry too little fuel and lack open road legs.
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje / www.zcmc.co.za
This has always been the compromise. Long distance comfort, fuel range and speed versus off road ability. I met a BMW R1200 GS Adventure mounted couple at the turn off to Elephant Sands just north of Nata a while back. They were trying to pluck up the courage to venture down the sandy track to the lodge on the hefty Bimmer. I did my best to encourage them with tales of elli’s and the like but to no avail. The thought of the big bike in the deep sand was a no no. Now we all now how capable a well ridden GS is, but for many riders the idea of wrestling a heavy Adventure bike through thick sand is a bridge too far. The weight of the bike puts many riders off riding slightly technical terrain.
The cry of many such a rider has been for a lighter, more manageable and less intimidating truly off road worthy adventure bike. KTM has heard that cry. Yamaha too, heard that cry and responded with their incredibly well received T7 concept bike. Despite confirming that it would go into production, four years has elapsed and still no Yamaha has come along to scratch the itch they created. KTM in the meantime, a scant year or so after launching their exciting Duke 790 road bike, have produced not one, but two brilliant Adventure variants featuring a retuned version of the powerful and playful 799cc parallel twin. Talk about sucker punching Yamaha!
Photo credit: KISKA / KTM Austria
In Adventure form the motor churns out 95 horses @ 8000 rpm, just shading the Africa Twin litre bike. Torque is equally impressive at 88Nm @ 6500 rpm. This propels a bike that is at least 20 to 30 Kg’s lighter than any of it’s peers. The end result, not surprisingly, is ability that has set a new benchmark for the class. I actually think it has reinvented the class. I asked the question after attending the new 1200 Rallye GS launch, why it was that Adventure bikes had got heavier rather than lighter over the years. The original ‘80’s model R80 GS weighed the same as the new KTM 790’S. Why then should the latest GS’s be closer to 240 Kg’s fully fuelled?
The 790’s in both Adventure and R guise look the goods. As with their off road bikes the colour is not painted but rather moulded into the plastic body panels. The 20 litre fuel tanks have deep sides which both carry the weight low and offer a remarkable degree of crash protection too. Powerparts supply tough covers to enhance this feature. The bikes have wide handlebar lock, so coupled to the low centre of gravity they turn on the proverbial tickey.
Photo credit: KISKA / KTM Austria
The Duke got instant acclaim for it’s playful nature. The Adventures are no different. The inherent abilities together with the playfulness makes them unique in the Adventure bike class. How can I make a statement like that you may ask? ‘cause I rode them in Adventure bike heaven, that’s how!
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje / www.zcmc.co.za
KTM SA flew a bunch of SA journos to Morocco hot on the heels of the World Launch of the 790 Adventures. Riaan Neveling, KTM SA’s National Sales Manager, in consultation with Hein Engelbrecht from ADA, decided that the world journos were wusses and that the SA chaps needed a bit more of a challenge, so they tacked on a few more embellishments to what was already a hectic Adventure route. Unfortunately for us Riaan does crazy s**t on any motorcycle and thinks its easy! I detest a kid with talent!
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje / www.zcmc.co.za
After flying in from Casablanca and being briefed on the new bikes and riding plans for the next two days, I went off to bed with butterflies in the stomach resembling a WW 2 dogfight. Tomorrow was game on! The sun only rises around 7am at this time of year in Morocco so we rode out from the hotel into a beautiful golden glow over the arid landscape. Day one was riding the Adventure variant shod with Avon dual sport rubber with a 70 to 80% road bias. The days riding was in an area near the towns of Erfoud and Merzouga, of Merzouga Rally Raid fame. This is about 350 kay’s as the crow flies east south east of Casablanca.
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje / www.zcmc.co.za
As we rode out I thought back to Riaan’s briefing. The aim for KTM was to build bikes that can “adventure harder, ride further and push your adventure riding goals”. What I am going to do is give you the low down on the Adventure and then we will explore the R model.
KTM 790 ADVENTURE
This is meant to be the user friendly, go anywhere, one up or two up with luggage if needs be, comfortable and very capable model. Understand that “capable” in KTM speak means way above average off road prowess. A 20 litre tank with frugal fuel consumption equates to a 450 kay plus range. We rode them a bit like we stole them and yet at the end of the day my computer reported 4,9 l/100. Ease of maintenance was another design parameter. To this end the air filter is located under the seat. Whip off the seat and you can clean or replace the filter in a flash. Clever!.
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje / www.zcmc.co.za
Speaking of seats, there is a low setting at 830mm or a high setting at 850mm. The clutch is cable, rather than hydraulically actuated again for ease of maintenance in remote locations. Windscreen is taller and adjustable by 40mm. Sustained high speeds were comfortable even for my 6’ 3” frame, with no untoward buffeting even whilst wearing a peaked adventure helmet. (Screens are interchangeable between the two models). There is 200mm of suspension travel at both ends, with preload adjustment only on the rear shock. The factory has done a better than average job with the spring and damping rates, so unless you have gone to town on the pies (or Burger King, Mr Portman) you should be quite happy. Even at silly speeds over some dodgy surfaces the Adventure stayed tidy. Wheel sizes are the same on both models at 90/90×21 in front and 150/70×18 at the rear. Spoked and tubeless, they are easy to plug and bomb in the event of a puncture. This is just as well as neither variant is equipped with a main stand.
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje / www.zcmc.co.za
The seat is a two piece and is comfy but firm in typical Katoom fashion. Zoon Cronje, the photographer, spent two full days on the back of Riaan’s bike and had no complaints. (About the seat, that is. The danger pay is an ongoing dispute, I am sure!) The bike has the now familiar to KTM riders TFT dash display which gives you all the vital information that you need to know and then some. The full electronics package has been thrown at these bikes. Off road ABS, cornering ABS, Slip control (a more adjustable version of traction control designed for you to slide the bike controllably like a riding God), rider modes including “Rally” with adjustable throttle mapping. Flip! This is confusing as hell for an old school dude like me!. Fact is these modes all work. Don’t get clever. Put your ego as deep as it will go in your pocket, or better still, lose it! The rider aids are proper and make a better and safer rider out of you.
Photo credit: KISKA / KTM Austria
A 12 V socket is located conveniently directly in front of the rider and there is a dedicated spot for you to mount your GPS so that you don’t miss the turn-off to Katmandu. Ergonomics are like baby bear’s porridge; just right. The handlebars are adjustable by rotating the clamps, though length job’s like me will have to ideally install risers for when standing off road. Mirrors work well, giving a good view and staying unblurred at all speeds. Back to the ride.
A scant 20 kay’s into the ride, after meandering through a quaint town, riding on the right side of the road, as they do in Morocco, Riaan hooked a right onto a rocky goat track through a stone quarry to the top of a cliff. Despite a few sphincter clenching moments we all made it safely to the top and started to realize that these bikes make the difficult ordinary. Oh yes, the view was great too. Back on the road the little KTM continued to impress. The torquey twin has found it’s rightful place in this style of bike. Smooth and willing it whips you along effortlessly to a top end (indicated) of just over 200 kph. Decent power and light weight always was the recipe for superior performance.
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje / www.zcmc.co.za
This light weight and grunt translates into a really fun ride. You forget, after a diet of podgy bikes, how engaging and fun a light pokey bike is to ride. You feel in control all of the time. Those of us with a penchant for riding on only the back wheel were having a real wheelie fest. One day when i’m big…..The Adventure is a joy in the mountains, railing through bends at warp speed and blasting down the straights. A veritable weapon on a windey road.
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje / www.zcmc.co.za
By the end of the day we had seen sights and ridden places that many would not feel up to going on the typical Adv bike out there. (like that flippen’ rock garden up the mountain, Riaan) The 790’s were never found wanting. The 320mm front discs hauled us down from speed without fuss or bother, yet gave plenty of feel on dirt. To sum up. I would hop on this bike and depart on a round the world trip in a heartbeat, secure in the knowledge that whatever we faced together we would be able to handle it. A new class is born. The “hard adventure bike”. Flip, now how good is the R?
RIDING THE R
“Why would you need more than that offered by the straight Adventure?”, I was asking myself. And then I rode the R. Joining us for the R ride, which was going to be almost exclusively “off piste”, as the Dakar dudes say, was Ross Branch, the “Kalahari Ferrari”, the Botswana boytjie that caused such a stir with his incredible Dakar debut. Botswana is close enough for us to call him ours, isn’t it?. From the moment we turned onto the dirt, the fun began. Well, if the truth be known, for me it was initially fear, translating into fun as I got to grips with the R, and it’s talents started to shine through.
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje / www.zcmc.co.za
We encountered fast gravel plains interspersed with rocks, ruts, washes and sand. Lots of sand. That “S” word that strikes fear like a dagger to the heart of many an Adventure bike rider. With my bike in Rally mode and my seat in the 850mm low position, in case I needed to dab a foot down, (905mm in the high position) and the slip control allowing decent controlled slides with off road ABS engaged I was G for go. Please understand that whilst I don’t totally suck at off road adventure bike riding, I’m by no means an off road boff. Adding to my potential woes was the fact that our TKC 80’s were pumped to 2.5 bar to prevent pinch flats or cuts on the sharp rocky lurkers that we were hitting at speed. No help in the sand there then!
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje / www.zcmc.co.za
The quickshifters fitted to the bike were a revelation. As you dirt donks out there will know you have two choices when riding a motorcycle in sand. For those who have not yet experienced this unique experience, allow me to explain. Option one. Proceed slowly and carefully as if you are looking out for mines in a minefield. The front wheel is pushed this way and that by the sand demon that lives in the sand, so you spin your legs like a roadrunner as if you are a twin paddle Mississippi paddle steamer. Trouble is, the paddles soon go limp as you run out of steam and inevitably grind to a halt. At this point your quivering spent pins can no longer hold you up, so you capsize in the sand, often under the bike. If all you have to get through is a 20 metre wide river bed then option one will work, however if you have kilometres of sand in which to battle the sand demon then you have to come up with another plan.
That plan is this. Hook second gear and slip the clutch out so the bike doesn’t stall. First gear will simply dig a hole in the sand and roost the crap out of your ex buddy who was waiting patiently behind you for his turn to have a go at said sand demon. As you accelerate, the front wheel rises up out of the sand and the sand demon falls off. Suddenly you are no longer flapping your arms around like an Outsurance pointsman, because the bike is running relatively straight. Be warned, this technique is not for the faint hearted as you are now proceeding at a rate of knots, so should you abandon ship at this stage it is most likely going to hurt. As the sand demon falls off you need to stand up, grip the bike between your knees and try and relax your death grip on the bars. Now you can put your butt back to get the front even lighter and make it even more difficult for that pesky demon to mess with your front wheel.
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje / www.zcmc.co.za
A word of caution. Many riders, at this point, make the mistake of studying the sand in front of their wheels, presumably to take avoiding action if they see a particularly nasty sand demon lurking ahead. Don’t fall for this heinous plot! Cast your gaze ahead, with only your peripheral vision scanning for nearby lurkers, and ride towards that distant point. This way you will use those nasty demons for traction rather than fall into there clutches.
Why did I share this dark secret with you? Because you need to understand that the other variable, hitherto unmentioned, is the bike that you are riding. As you who have previously fallen foul of the sand demon know, gravity sucks! So, the heavier the bike you are riding the more chance the demon has to grab your front wheel. Darn!, now you get it, don’t you? Enter the KTM 790 Adventure R. This baby, defying gravity as she does, simply hoiks the front wheel out of the clutches of Monsieur Le Sand demon all the while flashing him a single finger salute! Defeating the sand demon has never been this easy on an adventure bike. If we all start riding Adventure R’s’ or straight Adventures for that matter, the sand demon will have to go on the dole or find another day job. That’s a fact! The quickshifter is another sand secret weapon, because you stay on the throttle and hook it through the gears, never giving the demon a chance to retard your progress enough to grab the wheel. All of a sudden you have brought a gun to a knife fight and your confidence spikes and you start playing with the sand monster. How cool is that?
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje / www.zcmc.co.za
Ross Branch is so good at beating the daylights out of the sand demon that, and I have it on good authority, old demon runs and hides when he sees Ross coming. Asked his opinion of the 790 R in the sand he beamed. “It’s even easier than my Rally 450 because the twin cylinder hit is less brutal and more linear, I love it”. I can’t say that the R turned me into even a “Kalahari Kia” in the dirt, but what it did do was turn my apprehension into enjoyment.
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje / www.zcmc.co.za
We stopped for lunch at a spot literally on the edge of the famed Merzouga sand dunes. I looked out over the amazing expanse of rust coloured sand and felt an oily snake of caution filling my gut. Intuitively I knew that it was not the sand demon that dwelt there but rather his evil sibling, with twice the guile and venom. We had stumbled upon the lair of the dune demon himself! Being older and perhaps wiser I witnessed some of my countrymen, full of confidence from their defeat of the sand demon, sally forth against this new foe. The battle raged hither and thither and when we at last were forced to regroup we had lost one of our number. Veritably the bravest of us all. The dune demon feinted, providing traction and then struck! Thrown from his noble steed he suffered grievous wounds and was forced to retire from the field of battle.
Ok, enough of the medieval imagery. The fact that the bikes could even traverse the dunes was testimony to their ability. While we were there, two guys on new GS’s arrived, took one look at what the guys were doing with the R’s on the dunes, took a quick photo, then got the hell out of there! Perhaps they were chilled to the bone by the mournful wail of the dune demon. What remained was a brisk trail ride back on a track circumventing the dunes. Back at the hotel everyone was gushing over the ability of the bikes. Riding these bikes you need to constantly remind yourself that you are on an Adventure bike and not a pukka dirt bike, lest you overstep the mark and reap the whirlwind.
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje / www.zcmc.co.za
Watching Ross in the dunes was amazing. Clearly you need to be able to “read” the dune in all it’s incredible complexity’ levels of traction change constantly, as do the inclines of the dune face that you encounter. Misjudge a slope angle or slip face and you hit a lethal drop off, only to crash down in a heap. Not for the faint hearted! Having said this, the bike had the guys doing things that I honestly don’t think they would typically attempt on an Adventure bike. KTM’S 790 Adventure R is in my humble opinion in a class of one, albeit even a new class entirely in terms of off road prowess. Combine that with it’s many other talents and you have a huge winner. It is incredible that 240mm of suspension travel and a couple more mm of ground clearance can make a bike feel so different. Admittedly the R suspension is fully adjustable, and, in the way of serious KTM’s, proper! It negotiates whoops and ruts with a finesse that I have only experienced on a fully fledged dirt bike. It also has a slightly more relaxed head angle, thus increasing the wheelbase slightly and enhancing stability at speed. A steering damper is there as a catch fence.
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje / www.zcmc.co.za
KTM have broken new ground, with their only competition coming from within. If your adventure is going to be “hard” in nature, you would be well advised to equip yourself with one of these weapons. The bike will thrill you and extract every ounce of your riding ability in the best possible way. The R can be had for a bargain R185999. The Adventure segment revolution has officially began and the guillotine doing the damage is most definitely orange!
A huge shout out to Franziska and Riaan and the other members of the KTM SA team like Shondor and Stefan, who rode along and made the experience so epic. The passion you have for your brand is inspirational!. Thank you for the privilege of putting your new bikes to the test in magnificent Morocco. Thanks are also in order for Hein and Dieter Engelbrecht from ADA who shepherded us on the rides. You gentlemen rock.
Photo credit: Zoon Cronje / www.zcmc.co.za
And finally, kudos to the most badass, hardcore adventure motorcycles on the planet. The 790 KTM Adventure and R, thanks to you the colour of extreme adventure is most certainly orange.
The Kloofzicht Estate is situated in the Cradle of Humankind. Fostered by mountains all round, it is quite a mystical place. Mirror smooth lakes, game roaming free in lush, summertime greenery, it’s the kind of place you will visit more than once in your lifetime.
But there is work to be done, so time to focus. A few souls are fortunate enough to sit in a dimly lit boardroom, busy watching a video clip of an electric Supersport motorcycle that is capable of accelerating from 0-250 km/h in just 10,9 seconds. The motorcycle is called the SuperNEX, manufactured by Kymco. But that is not what this story is about.
Photo credit: Kymco South Africa
Known mainly for scooters and ATV’s, Kymco as a brand requires little introduction to the local motorcycle industry. In the early 2000’s, there were many to be seen on our roads. After a period of success, the small and seemingly vulnerable local importer closed its doors due to unforeseen circumstances. This was quite sad and left a lot of owners stranded.
Manufacturing in excess of 570 000 vehicles annually, with close ties to Kawasaki and BMW, it was only a matter of time before the re-emergence of Kymco to the local market.
Enter “Tuning Fork (Pty) Ltd”, who has been awarded the sole rights to import and distribute Kymco to the South African market. A company perhaps better known as “Yamaha SA”, in layman’s terms.
Photo credit: Kymco South Africa
Robin van Rensburg, the newly appointed Managing Director of Tuning Fork (Pty) Ltd, shares his vision for the road ahead. He seems to be a man of action and has brought about many telling changes already in just a short space of time. Next up, Peter Wilkins gets down into the “nuts and bolts”, introducing the range of products in more detail. This likeable man has been the point man at Yamaha for many years and will now also be the head of operations on the Kymco side.
Peter continues to introduce each model to us in methodical fashion from smallest to largest. The range to be imported to the local market seems more than adequate and consists of different capacity scooters, quads and side by side ATV’s.
I will try and be as methodical as Peter in giving brief feedback of the various models as I experienced them during some lengthy test rides.
Noodoe Navigation
The newest Kymco range of scooters from 400cc and above sports the revolutionary Noodoe GPS and tracking system. As far as my knowledge goes, this is a first in the scooter market. This is a built in GPS system that is interactive and can be customized to the riders taste.
Photo credit: Kymco South Africa
It also has the added benefit of tracking other Noodoe enabled scooters that form part of your group to make sure no one gets lost. A really slick piece of kit indeed.
Scooters:
Agility RS 125
Photo credit: Kymco South Africa
This little scooter weighs only 97kg dry with a seat height of 800mm. It seems small and agile, hence the name. Meant for heavily congested city traffic, this little one should be lots of fun to ride. This is one of two models that we did not get the opportunity to ride.
The “Like 125i” is the fashion statement of the range. This very cute scoot resembles the looks of a Vespa and is capable of speeds of over 100kph. The seat height is only 770mm and is therefore ideal for shorter riders. This one was also unavailable for testing.
The G-Dink 300i was available for test riding. This is a scooter in the typical Kymco tradition and is very well priced. An even lower seat height of 760mm makes this a real possibility for anyone who wants to take up motorcycling as a means of transport. The seating position is very upright and the scooter seems small when climbing aboard. This is the first step in performance scootering and can certainly hold its own in any traffic condition.
I will make no bones about it, but the G-Dink 300i ABS was my favourite scooter on the day! It certainly seemed most zippy and agile. Although it only has a single disk brake at the front, it still offered excellent stopping power, with the ABS giving that wholesome reassurance. Bill Hunter, my fellow journalist and I had huge fun conducting roll-on acceleration tests between the pair of 300’s, and the G-Dink 300i ABS was certainly the strongest performer.
Photo credit: Kymco South Africa
I can see myself on this scoot for the daily commute as it has ample power to deliver you from evil and good handling to boot.
The XCITING S 400i is a serious piece of engineering. As standard, it sports the Noodoe navigation system mentioned earlier. With more than 26Kw of power on tap, this scooter makes light work of intercity travel. It can cruise effortlessly at highway speeds all day long and still has some of the sporty feel that I mentioned on the G-Dink 300i. The fuel capacity of 12,5 litres should deliver about 250 km between refuels.
This is the flagship of the Kymco scooter range and is a monster that should be taken seriously. It has an array of features, which include Noodoe navigation, Keyless ride and Brembo ABS brakes. Tyre pressure sensors is also a standard feature. In my personal frame of reference, the touring scooter does not make a huge amount of sense, but be that as it may, it will certainly put a smile on your face every time you turn the throttle. It is very roomy and comfortable, with ample focus given to passenger accommodation. Needless to say, this was a favourite among the press!
We drove the scooters to a proper 4×4 facility, where the full range of ATV’s awaited us. This was really a nice touch and I must confess, the highlight of my day. We had some good laughs and the best pizza in Krugersdorp, freshly prepared while we were having fun on the various offerings.
Photo credit: Kymco South Africa
Daniël Pienaar and myself “got lost” on some of the most scenic trails that the venue had to offer. The capabilities of these quads were properly tested in all sorts of terrain. To be honest, I do not have much experience on ATV’s, so I have limited frame of reference to compare these quads with. All I can say is that the quality, power and handling was more than adequate for much enjoyment.
This was the pinnacle of fun on the day! For most of us, this would be the first go in a Side by Side vehicle and we didn’t really know what to expect. The roll cage and safety belts went a long way to reassuring us that all was going to be okay. It was amazing how much we achieved as first timers. There was this really scary off-camber, rocky ledge that we traversed successfully, despite limited experience, as mentioned previously.
Photo credit: Kymco South Africa
These Side by Side vehicles offer 4 wheel drive, low range and high range, load carrying capacity and more than enough ground clearance. I can see them being widely used on farms and Sunday outrides for the whole family.
In summary, this was a day that we all enjoyed and the memory will stay with me for some time to come. Not to single anyone out, I would like to commend Jessica Jooste and her marketing team for a well planned, memorable day of fun and laughter. This was certainly a team effort that required careful planning and vision.
May this be the start of a successful new venture for the Tuning Fork company and the new home of Kymco as a brand.
I will always remember the first time I stumbled onto the Loteni Valley, conveniently hidden away from the rest of the Midlands Meander, KwaZulu Natal. I would like to claim that I discovered this piece of heaven, but that would simply not be true. It had that much of an effect on me! I was on a ride to nowhere…
Photo credit: Rob Till
I say “a ride to nowhere” because that is what I do when I meander solo. I spread out my trusty, wrinkled and outdated topo map on the bare earth beneath me and stroke to frontiers unconquered. That is how many of my journeys begin.
This time was no different. The only other companion on this journey was Liberty, my trusty and loyal BMW R1200GS Trophy. The year was 2016. It felt like I had discovered a parallel universe. Just Liberty, my map and myself.
My thoughts usher me back to the present day as I behold the same scenery yet again, the same emotion. This time Liberty is but a fond, everlasting memory.
The brand new BMW R1250GS Adventure burbles underneath me as I throttle back from 5000 rpm, backing into the next flowing, undulating corner. I feel like I am conquering this private world all over again.
Photo credit: Rob Till
She is a beauty, this Exclusive model dressed in her Golden-Green, Kalamata dress. For today, just today she is all mine as this mystical world unfolds. But let’s escape from this dream for just a moment, as I explain…
Earlier this morning my fellow journalists and I get transported from a busy King Shaka International airport to the Beverly Hills Hotel, Umhlanga, and a breathtaking view of the Indian Ocean. After breakfast we are greeted by the ever cheerful Chris Modise, National Sales Manager, BMW Motorrad SA.
Photo credit: Rob Till
It is a proud moment for Chris and team as he introduces us to the new flagship GS models that we are here to evaluate. He mentions that BMW Motorrad has just completed its 8th consecutive year of record production. Close to 165 000 newly manufactured BMW Motorcycles has seen the light of day in 2018 alone. The Juggernaut seems to be at full momentum, hence the slogan “Unstoppable”, adopted a few short years ago.
For the whole of today I will be aboard the R1250GS Adventure, shod with brand new Metzeler Karoo 3 tyres. She is the direct replacement for the outgoing R1200GS Adventure. The so called “GSA” began life as an 1150 back in 2002.
Photo credit: Rob Till
As the undisputed heavyweight champ, it is no stranger to criticism. Seemingly unfazed, it goes about its business of being the weapon of choice for the local adventure bike community.
The subtle changes to the chassis and electronics certainly compliment the new engine design. BMW seem to always take the opportunity to make numerous but telling changes. These changes most regularly go unpublished, but seldom unnoticed.
Case in point, I notice how much more smoothly the gearbox works. As a result, the shift assist feels more sorted on the boot, especially when downshifting. Subtle design queues include the black handlebars, white hand guards (HP model) and redesigned chrome style side panels.
Photo credit: Rob Till
We leave a congested Durban behind in search of the serenity that the Midlands Meander and Drakensberg regions have to offer. The open road affirms yet again why this beast has become a household name. If you have not experienced one of BMW’s Adventure incarnations, then do yourself a favour by contacting your local dealer for a test ride. But be sure to plan a full day of riding, as this is where you will truly appreciate its qualities.
We spend the night in the glorious Drakensberg Sun Luxury Hotel where we share the days’ experiences over good food and drink. This place is cradled in an Amphitheatre of mountains and lush green beauty abounds.
Photo credit: Rob Till
Day 2 beckons, and I am handed the Storm Black R1250GS, fitted with Michelin Anakee Wild tyres. We leave a thousand photo opportunities behind, in search of new ones. There is lots and lots to be said about these bikes, our experiences and where we rode, yet I have decided to cover two of the most hotly debated questions a typical Motorrad Sales Executive has to deal with. Follow me….
“What should I buy, The standard GS or the Adventure?”
The simplest answer would be that you cannot really make a mistake with either. Point is, on this launch we spent two days in all sorts of terrain on both these variants. The one could go where the other did. Plain and simple.
However, this answer seldom suffice, as the customer searches from a deeper conviction. So here goes; From a “Rand-and-Sent” point of view, the Adventure model certainly makes more sense. For the extra R25 000 odd, you get the larger fuel tank, larger wind shield, higher suspension, upper and lower crash bars, LED driving lights, quick adjustable rear brake lever and wider footpegs. The seat also has extra padding and there is a neat glove box forward of the fuel cap that can hold your credit card, spare cash and gate remote. You also get steel luggage frames as opposed to the standard GS’s Plastic frames. For most buyers, this warrants a decision towards the GSA.
Photo credit: Rob Till
Then there is the other side to the coin; The standard GS is a much more exciting bike to ride, primarily because of the very absence of these extras. Whereas the Adventure ushered me into a comfort zone of bird watching and flower smelling, the standard GS kept provoking me to cover more ground in less time. The GS was an absolute blast to ride. These bikes are so similar, yet so different.
Photo credit: Rob Till
The difference in character boils down to more than just the spec sheet.
Careful thought and engineering went into the portrayal of character, so to speak. I know many friends who have had more than one Adventure, eventually down scaling to the standard GS for a different look and feel. I am on that same path. Owner of numerous Adventures, I have since found the standard GS a more rewarding bike to ride. I often find myself in the middle of nowhere, needing nothing more than a GS and a soft luggage roll strapped to the back.
Photo credit: Rob Till
“Tell me more about the automatic suspension?”
This question warrants an article all on its own, but allow me to condense a few meaningful words for now. To be correct, the suspension system is called “Dynamic Electronic Suspension Adjustment” or DESA in short. This basically gives you 3 options, which I will cover briefly;
Auto mode:
In auto mode the suspension adjusts the damping automatically, in accordance with the demands of the varying terrain. I am starting to sound like an engineer….
The earliest version of this was to be found on the R1200GS Rallye, introduced in 2017. The good news is that it has evolved slightly on the new bike into a more compliant, less choppy ride. It seems a little less foreign to deal with and becomes less excitable, for lack of a better word, than the first incarnation mentioned.
I find it useful in most conditions off road for when I want to enjoy a ride without thinking too much. In this mode it is also more stable at high speeds, than the first version. I tested this one numerous times and once took the bike up to very illegal speeds on a open gravel road. She remained composed.
Photo credit: Rob Till
Max mode:
Maximum mode adjusts the preload on the suspension spring to a much firmer level, making the bike grow in height quite a bit.
This is the mode I use most often. I find this to be my favourite mode for hard sports riding on twisty roads, primarily because it keeps the bike more stable and gives best ground clearance for really hard cornering. It is also much more predictable due to the fact that it is a set point.
Off road, I prefer this mode for speed ranges above 120 km/h. It becomes your best friend at these speeds. The harder you ride, the more it rewards.
Photo credit: Rob Till
Min mode:
Minimum mode adjusts the preload on the suspension spring to a much softer, compliant level, making the bike much lower in the process.
This is the mode I find most useful for speeds below 100 km/h. I also prefer this mode in slow, technical riding. The downside is that the ground clearance is compromised, so take care when traversing rocks, logs and other foreign objects.
Photo credit: Rob Till
In summary, the two days spent in the company of the BMW Motorrad team and their newest offerings was certainly time well spent. Accolades to the team for planning such adventurous routes, backed by some of the most exquisite destinations. The new motorcycles are state of the art and will certainly position the brand well for the next round of battle in this, the premium segment of Adventure touring. These bikes seem to tick all the boxes with even less effort than before and should enhance the ownership experience, especially with the added peace of mind that the 3 year, unlimited mileage warranty offers.
We feel like outlaws from some Wild West movie as we roll into the bustling little museum town of Cullinan on our three iron horses. It’s a sunny Sunday morning. The perfect weather sees every conceivable type of motorcycle lining the streets in front of the coffee shops and popular diners. Life is good as always, I suppose…
I find myself astride the Indian Springfield Dark Horse, with Simon flanking me on his custom Triumph modern classic and Bjorn on his KTM 390 Duke. It was a leisurely cruise from the big smoke on this glorious morning, the Dark Horse purring along just fine in top gear. The monster torque from this 1811cc motor makes for an effortless traverse.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
On our way, we pass the lush, green and beautifully kept farmlands. Riding at the back I spot a photo opportunity. As I roll off the throttle, I see Bjorn and Simon doing exactly the same in front of me. No communication needed as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all.
We start positioning the Dark Horse in this field of green. Bjorn, our resident photographer starts capturing beauty, as he always does, while Simon and I discuss the ride so far.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
In November 2017, I was privileged enough to ride the “big brother” Indian Chieftain on a three day cruise into the Midlands of KZN. The Chieftain is the more elaborately specced version, suited more to the full time roll of touring. The ride report ‘Travelling like a Chief’ can be viewed from the archives of this website. I was truly impressed back then, and I am truly impressed now. The Chieftain and the Springfield differ somewhat in form and function.
The Chieftain sport more creature comforts and appeals to the touring community first and foremost. A community where ultimate comfort and refinement is demanded. In this habitat it is hard to fault, as the journey through the midlands confirmed. The Springfield Dark Horse, on the other hand, was created for a different purpose, one that appeals more to the rebel inside, one that promotes individuality even more, one that sets apart.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
A most glorious feature of the Dark Horse, is that it can be transformed from touring-to-naked bike in seconds. The very effective touring screen can be removed in a jiffy, making for an appealing naked style street rod. This greatly enhances functionality, both in looks and riding experience. There are many occasions where I feel like a fuss-free, wind in the hair style cruise into the country side, especially in South African summer time. As I found on my urban travels, the Dark Horse evoked much more reaction as a naked bike, than the fully faired version. She is a soulful beast, to say the least. I would certainly go naked, most of the time.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Although the seats are very comfortable and plush, the cruiser type seating position on the Dark Horse, as with any cruiser style motorcycle, positions the feet far forward on long running boards for a more relaxed knee angle.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
To the rider of more conventional motorcycles, this poses quite a demanding adaptation in seating posture. No fear, when Indian is near! The engineers at Indian, to the rescue. a Riders’ back rest can be inserted with very little effort, affording the necessary lumbar support to the small of the back, making the transition from conventional-to-cruiser seating less traumatic. This seems to be the answer and a very cool feature indeed, making long hours in the saddle an option.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The basic ride and feel of the Dark Horse, is very similar to the Larger Chieftain, as mentioned earlier. The technical specifications are roughly the same, due to the same chassis being used successfully in both versions. This is a trend nowadays with most of the premium manufacturers, which cuts down dramatically on development costs and parts holding. It never seizes to surprise me that these manufacturers can engineer such similar, yet different riding experiences from such similar, yet different motorcycles. No pun intended…
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
In conclusion, I find the Indian Springfield Dark Horse a true pleasure to ride. The quality, matt black paint finish, evoke reaction from all other type of riders and brands. Almost everyone takes time to look and stare, ask questions and contemplate. Off course, this is very much part of the function desired when engineering this beast. I had the bike for a few days only and felt that I was not ready to give it back on the day of its return to ground zero. The friendly and helpful staff at Indian Motorcycles, Melrose Arch, Sandton was pleased, as this seems to be a favourite with both staff and customers.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
I find the Indian brand refreshing and uniquely positioned in the cruiser market. The typical Indian customer is less price-sensitive and therefore doesn’t mind paying extra for this level of individuality. These are individuals, first and foremost, not simply stereotypes and crowd pleasers. Unique motorcycles seem to draw unique souls, it seems…
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As a certain wise man once said; “If you follow the crowd, you will end up no further than the crowd”.
We caught up with Clint Seller (team boss at Seller Racing), to discuss his new King Price Xtreme Yamaha Racing Team and to find out what their plans are for the future. Check out our short documentary video to see how it all went down.
Do not for a moment believe all you read on Google! Google “Indian beast of burden” and you will come up with a Gaur or a Zebu. Never heard of them? Well, nor had I until I asked Google. Turns out a Gaur is like the Asian equivalent of the American Bison. It is a seriously large bovine that, when domesticated, is used for all manner of work, not least of which is lugging stuff around. A Zebu on the other hand is a “humped Ox”. This too is a large bovine used quite extensively as a beast of burden in India and elsewhere in Asia.
Photo credit: Needpix.com
If you have never been to India you could be forgiven for believing Google. However, if you have travelled a bit in India as my mate Simon and I did a few years ago, Google, or nobody else for that matter will be able to pull the wool over your eyes. You will know categorically that the true Indian beast of burden is a motorcycle. Not just any motorcycle, but the TVS XL Super Heavy Duty to be precise.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
You could even be forgiven for not knowing that TVS is the third largest motorcycle manufacturer in India, founded in 1978 and with an annual revenue of around 2.1 billion US Dollars. Not too shabby hey?.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
South African bikers probably only really became familiar with TVS as a motorcycle manufacturer when they collaborated with BMW in a joint venture to build the motors for the BMW 310 R and GS. TVS, in a similar way to Honda with their legendary C50 step through, built their reputation on a diminutive step through “help my trap” which evolved into the ubiquitous XL Super Heavy Duty.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
The first bikes were so easy to ride that anyone who had ever ridden a bicycle would find it a doddle to ride. The shape was similar to what we know today, but with pedals to get the little beast going as well as to assist on really steep inclines.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
Sporting a somewhat asthmatic 50cc two stroke motor the tiny TVS was an instant hit. Equipped with a single speed twist and go throttle and a really practical design, the little workhorses where dirt cheap to buy and maintain. With a population in excess of a billion people, many of whom are financially challenged, the tiny TVS provided transport for the masses.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
The instant popularity soon saw TVS bump the motor to 70 cc [69.9cc to be exact] and fit the bike with footpegs and a kickstart, rather than pedals, to light it’s fire. The bike remained super easy to ride and came standard with a decent carrier behind the rider.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The step through design allowed riders to carry a huge bag of flour, or whatever, between their legs, with some other goods lashed to the rack.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
A removable seat can be attached to the rack in seconds to accommodate a passenger.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
It is not at all unusual to see a family of three or even four cruising around on a Heavy Duty. Dad riding, Mom holding a baby on the back, typically riding side saddle, with a toddler standing on the front floorboard between his Dad’s legs. No problem!
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
The tinky two stroke churns out 3.5 Bhp @5000 rpm and 5 Nm of torque @3759 rpm. Not exactly Hyabusa type power I concede, but enough to get the job done. The 4 litre tank of premix will take you around 240 kays!
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
The chain is fully enclosed, keeping maintenance to a minimum and not allowing the chain and sprocket to eat your wife’s Sari (or teeth).
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
Fully fuelled, the wee beastie weighs in at a mere 66 kg’s, yet boasts a payload of 130 kg’s. Not that your average Indian owner will take much notice of silly numbers like that.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
It is widely stated that you can load up to 400 kg’s on your TVS. Owners obviously take the “Super Heavy Duty” seriously! Marie biscuit 2.5 x 16 spoked wheels somehow manage to take crazy abuse and stay reasonably round. A puny 80 mm drum brake on the front is assisted by a 110 mm rear drum to contain the 60 kph speed potential of the Super.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
Beast of burden? Damn straight! Check out some of our photos to see what Indians carry on their Super Heavy Duty beasties. If I told you, without photographic evidence, I would not blame you for a moment for wondering whether I was spinning you a line. It truly beggars belief.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
The TVS XL Super Heavy Duty has such a huge following that it has spawned a cottage industry. There are manufacturing facilities that make a living primarily from making accessories for Heavy Duties.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
Tankbags, seat covers and passenger seat covers abound in every design that you can imagine. Simon and I were so taken by these amazing little bikes that we decided there and then that we would import one.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Simon got a set of accessories custom made to his design. We literally waited while the goodies got sewn up.
Photo credit: Dave CilliersPhoto credit: Dave CilliersPhoto credit: Simon Morton
To us, the Super Heavy Duty is a fascinating little example of an amazing Indian success story, yet to literally millions of Indian families it is a faithful companion. It fetches and carries tirelessly, providing families with affordable and practical transport. You have to wonder why we do not see bikes being used in a similar fashion by cash strapped South Africans.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
For only a few months taxi fares they could have their own independent transport. The penny has dropped in countries like Angola, the DRC, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi to name a few.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
Small bikes abound in those countries, even being used as taxis. Just a final word on the star of this story. TVS has discontinued the 69.9 cc two stroke motor in favour of a 100cc four stroke powered version.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
So if you thought that Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni are the best known and loved Indian legends, you better think again. That title is surely owned by another Indian legend, the tiny motorcycle with a big, big heart. The TVS XL Super Heavy Duty.
This new Vespa is the most powerful ever made by the iconic Italian brand. Subtle aesthetic changes and a brand new engine makes it an offer difficult to resist when it comes to being stylish on a Sunday morning breakfast cruise… or when it comes to your daily commute. ZA Bikers went to Italy to have the first taste of this new Vespa.
Photo credit: Vespa Italy
1946: the post-war Italian genius creates something unique. It could have been a scooter, but in reality, it’s so much more than that. It’s a Vespa: a unique mix of flair, elegance and easiness, an effortless cool way to move around the city as immortalised by Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn in the classic movie Roman Holiday (1953).
Photo source: Pinterest
For decades, Vespas have been, well, Vespas! But in 2003, the Vespa engineers decided to go wild. Or mostly to go wide! Alongside the “narrow” body, they created a new range of Vespa, bigger machines called in Vespa factory speak, “Vespone” (the big Vespa). That was the GT and GTS family, and that proved to be a great idea, since the Italian brand has sold more than 435 000 units. The GTS 300 was the flagship until last year: welcome the new GTS 300 HPE.
Photo credit: Vespa Italy
What’s new?
Much more than you would imagine by simply looking at the bike! The new one looks nearly like the old one, but this is because Vespa does what Vespa customers want, which is a machine with a distinct look that everyone can recognize. This is why the new GTS 300 HPE has evolved in a subtle way: the front panel, the central part (which Vespa call “the tie”) is lower, longer and larger, and the body behind the front wheel has changed a bit as well. Other subtleties like Lateral airvents have been redesigned, as well as the mirrors, the seat and the grab rail. The easiest way to spot the new model is certainly the new, full LED headlight.
Photo credit: Vespa Italy
By the way, I’m just not talking about the new GTS 300 HPE, but five new GTS 300 HPE variants. See the silver wheels and front spring? Then, it’s the standard GTS version. The Touring one sports a small windshield and a rear luggage rack.
Photo credit: Vespa Italy
Black wheels allied to a red front spring, maybe? Then this is the GTS Sport version, but if it has matt paint and small touches of red on the body, than this is the GTS Super Sport! We could test ride the four of them, which are absolutely identical, technically speaking. This is then a matter of taste to decide which one suits you the best (the matt blue Super Sport will do ok for me, thank you).
Photo credit: Vespa Italy
That’s not all: in a couple of weeks, the fifth version will join the range. The GTS SuperTech features a full colour 4’’3 TFT dash, connected with the latest Vespa Apps, and will give you the opportunity to have and save comprehensive data on the on-board computer, as well as a GPS. The SuperTech will come in black or matt grey paint with black wheels and a yellow front spring.
Many scooters offer limited colour schemes, perhaps with a choice of black, silver or white, and consider yourself lucky if you can pick up a blue one. Overall, across the five versions, the GTS 300 HPE comes in 13 different colours! No need to mention the comprehensive accessory range: there is surely a GTS 300 HPE for everyone! Aside from the above changes, the chassis, brakes and suspension remain similar to previous versions.
Photo credit: Vespa Italy
HPE, they said…
If you are a bit of a car-maniac, you may know that in Italy, the HPE logo first appeared on the “shooting brake” 3-doors Lancia Beta in 1975, and the initials meant “High Performance Estate” or High Performance Executive, according to diverse Lancia sources). At Vespa, it signifies “High Performance Engine”, and rightly so as the GTS 300 HPE is the most powerful Vespa ever built by the factory. Okay, we are “only” talking about 23,8 hp (@ 8250 rpm) and a beefy 26 Nm of torque (@5250 rpm). Hence, that makes a significant 12 % power and 18 % torque increase compared to the previous version.
Photo credit: Vespa Italy
To achieve this power increase Vespa has built a virtually new engine: new head, bigger valves, new cams and piston. This engine also comes with a new, reinforced clutch and a stronger secondary belt. Engine cases are new, to reduce internal noise and the fuel injection, as well as the starter mechanism is upgraded. The spark plugs are now iridium. The service intervals have increased from 5000 to 10000 kilometres, after the initial 1000 km service. The HPE engine is obviously Euro 4 compliant, and will easily cope with the 2020 Euro 5 regulations, say’s Vespa.
Photo credit: Vespa Italy
From Arenzano to Finale Ligure
No, I’m not referring to some new fancy Montecasino restaurant, but to our itinerary. We had the chance to ride the new Vespa on a great mix of coastal roads, mountain passes and city cruising. As it happens during a sunny and relatively warm winters day, it was a perfect day for riding.
Photo credit: Vespa Italy
Once on-board, the GTS 300 HPE proves itself to be extremely easy to ride – after all, this is what everyone can expect from a scooter. Although the seat height is at a mere 790 mm, the new seat shape and the fact that it’s quite narrow towards the front makes it an easy bike to climb on. The weight (160 kilograms, same as the previous version) never feels heavy. There is plenty of room, thanks to the flat floor, to stretch your legs.
Photo credit: Vespa Italy
Once started, the new engine delivers some slight vibrations that you can feel through the seat, but they disappear once you are on the move. With its 12 inches wheels, the GTS 300 HPE is as agile as a springbok and makes the city its own territory: lane splitting, lane changing and going through congested traffic has never been so easy. And the new engine helps too. From 0 to 30 km/h, the acceleration is very smooth (it feels like the throttle is linked to a stronger spring for the first millimetres), but then the drive is very solid from 30 to 90 km/h, making the GPS 300 HPE the king of the “Robot Grand Prix” against the average set of wheels. Pressing on, the speedo needle fills the clock, slightly above 140 km/h, a genuine 120 to 130 km/h on the GPS: enough for suburban commuting. We came back from our test with a fuel consumption of slightly over 3 l/100, which gives, with the 7 litres fuel tank, 200 km of fuel range. Another surprise came from the comfort side. The front fork is just average, but the seat and the rear shocks are surprisingly good, much more so than some Japanese counterparts.
Photo credit: Vespa Italy
The road holding is okay with the 12 inch wheels providing more agility than stability, but the cornering ground clearance is decent and the Michelin City Grip tyres live up to their name, and not only in the city. This is no Sportbike, but when you ride a scooter, it is always plenty of fun. The Vespa GTS 300 HPE delivers a really satisfying way of riding.
Photo credit: Vespa Italy
Each time I ride a “mid-capacity” (300 to 400 cc) scooter I realize how suitable they are for real life needs and I can surely see myself going to work on it everyday, as well as having a blast on a sunny day riding the M6 from Cape Town to Hout Bay. Probably the coolest answer to Cape Town’s traffic woes. And I’m surely not the only one to realize that the segment is getting bigger and bigger.
Photo credit: Vespa Italy
Alongside the well established Suzuki 400 Burgman and Yamaha X Max 300, we’ve seen lately the arrival of the Honda Forza 300 and the SYM CityCom 300i, and even more recently the Kymco XCiting S 400i and the BMW C 400 X. Yet the Vespa remains unique: yes, it’s less powerful, less equipped and surely less versatile (mainly for high speed cruising and wind protection), but it is the original “real deal” and adds a genuine touch of charm. The fundamentals are untouched and with this new engine comes more efficiency and fun, so it is difficult to resist with it’s unique Italian charm.
For more information on Vespa is South Africa visit: www.vespa.co.za
Triumph is being fiendishly clever with its Bonneville range. They are utilising their fantastic 1200cc parallel twin with its 270 degree crank across a range of highly desirable models. This review came about by taking a ride on their Bobber. I had been wanting to ride that beast from the moment I first laid eyes on it. The Bobber makes absolutely no sense at all, yet it makes all the sense in the world! Does that sound oxymoronic? Let me explain. The Bobber has minimal suspension travel, is strictly a solo ride, has a far from ideal riding position and an impractically small fuel tank. No sense, not so? Who gives a rats patootie, because to ride it is to love it! The 270 degree crank motor, breathing through two stubby silencers, emits a muted small block Chevy like rumble. Slip the clutch and it takes off like a terrier after a rabbit. Short shift through the slick box and it builds speed on a mellow wave of torque.
Photo credit: Triumph Motorcycles
And then the looks. Bobbers got their name from rigid frame bikes of old with sprung tractor type seats to give some semblance of bump absorption. Triumph has snuck a shock under the seat in a linkage which looks like a rigid frame but gives 77mm of rear wheel travel. I rode the Bobber around for a day which spawned a crazy train of thought. If I hit the gym really hard and got the biceps to 16 plus inches then I could get a full sleeve tatoo and just chase endless sunsets on the Bobber, in denims and a vest, open face helmet and aviator sunglasses. Crap! That’s not going to happen, Dave. Get real. How else could I get to chill on a bike with that super mellow, sweet, big twin motor, but in the real world? The T120 Bonneville Black, that’s how.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
And so it was that I got to swop the uber cool Bobber for the somewhat staid, but hugely practical T120. Riding back to Pretoria from Triumphs Sandton HQ I immediately got a huge grin on my face. The Bobber had worked my case physically on the ride to Jhb. As awesome as it is in town and around duty, it is limited on the highway. The bobber riding position is just hard work. The T120 on the other hand, is sublime.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Geared to run at just over 3000 rpm at the legal limit, it lopes along effortlessly with slower traffic despatched with a twist of the wrist. The riding position is relaxed and neutral. Low rise bars fall naturally to hand with your torso leaning ever so slightly forward. Legs are tucked under you at a relaxed angle. The seat is flat and comfy.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Looks wise, the T120 is real old school Bonneville. Painted fenders and for the “Black”, flat black peashooter exhausts. The 14,5 litre, classic Triumph tank is finished off with rubber tank pads and raised Triumph tank badges. Sounds a bit small perhaps, but brilliant fuel consumption gives 300k plus range.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
My test bike was a matt silver colour with a chocolate brown seat. Sounds odd, I know, but it actually gives the bike an air of “old school cool”. The now familiar faux carbs hide fuel injectors and in typical Triumph fashion, the attention to detail is top class. The bike looks right, in a sensible brogue shoe kind of way. Not funky like its Bobber sibling, but just where function meets form in a classic way.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Analogue speedo and tach are complimented by a small digital display giving you all the info you need. Trip metres, distance, current and average fuel consumption, clock and range are all available at the mere press of an “info” button. Brilliant! The ease of use of the bike, in every way, epitomises what this Triumph is all about. It has absolutely no vices. Redlined at 7000, the T120 is only revving 4000 at around 145 kph and remains super smooth and mellow. The effortless nature in which it gathers speed makes it deceptively fast.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
This bike reminds me of the days before specialised bikes that cater to a particular purpose. Those days when you bought a bike and it did everything you needed to. Commute to work, tour, one up or two up, carve corners, even do a track day. They didn’t excel at any one task, but did pretty damn well all round.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Today we think we need bikes for dedicated tasks. Adventure, sport, commuter, etcetera, etcetera. Flip! How complex has life become? Anyone buying a T120 Bonnie can revel in its simplicity and user friendliness. Brakes are twin 310mm discs up front chomped on by 2 piston Nissin callipers, with a single 255mm disc at the back. Stopping power is progressive, with good feel.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Suspension on the Bonnie is only adjustable for preload on the back. The standard settings are plush and keep the bike tidy through the bends. I suspect that if you got ham fisted and pushed the bike really hard, you would find the limits of the suspension. Ride it the way that feels right, and it’s just fine. Don’t expect your Labrador to be an attack dog. He is just going to be a totally reliable faithful companion that you love spending time with. So it is with the T120.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
That, my friends, is both its strength and weakness. Many will revel in its easy going nature. Despite a really descent turn of speed, and never feeling underpowered, some may feel that it is just a tad too nice. No problem, because for you, Triumph has just launched their Speed Twin. Toss 28 kg, add 20% more power and torque, firm up the suspension and tighten the riding position ever so slightly and you have a Labrador cross Pitbull, with just a streak of mean to liven up your life.
Photo credit: Triumph Motorcycles
So there you have it sports lovers. No matter which way you roll, there is a Bonnie to tickle your fancy. The 1200 Scrambler, with its dirt worthy tweaked motor and brilliant suspension is going to seriously tarnish some Adventure bike egos. Mark my words. The Bobber and Speedmaster take street cool to new levels in an incredibly authentic way. Speed Twin is retro cool performance in an amazing, attractive, simple and effective package. The T120 brings it all together in a competent, authentic classic retro way that really pleases. If you want a timeless bike that oozes soul and is a blast to ride, look no further than a Bonnie. A real Triumph of function and form!
Back in 2017 I reviewed the Tracer version of Yamaha’s MT-07. Read my review (Yamaha MT-07 Tracer – Middleweight Cruise Missile), and you will see that I was pretty taken with the bike. Essentially Yamaha took what was a proven motorcycle and equipped it for some serious all round motorcycling duty. 3 more litres in the tank, longer travel suspension, lengthened swingarm for high speed stability and a really effective adjustable windscreen. A comfortable double seat completes the picture. But here is the thing.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Why, in all that is holy, are the streets not inundated with MT-07 Tracers?. The parallel twin engine is an absolute cracker. Gearbox is as slick and precise as they get. Brakes are powerful, full of feel and inspire huge confidence. A week of commuting shows an average fuel consumption of over 24k’s per litre. Ally that to a 17 litre fuel tank and you have a range of over 400 k’s. The chassis and suspension are totally up to providing an invigorating ride. This excellent package sells for a hugely competitive R124950. Then there is a lesser known or publicised fact to sweeten the deal. In a comprehensive and extensive survey conducted in the USA, motorcyclists who had owned their bikes for 4 years were polled on issues with their bikes that occurred outside of regular service and maintenance. In other words, who builds the most reliable motorcycles on the market, not based on hearsay or manufacturers claims, but on statistical fact. The results were really interesting. Fact is Yamaha scored number one by a fair margin ahead of Honda and Suzuki who dead heated for second and third spot, with Kawasaki in fourth. Harley-Davidson scored fifth. Other prominent European brands [no name no pack drill] didn’t make the top five! The long and the short of it is that Yamaha builds the most reliable bikes on the planet. Period!.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
So why the hell don’t their bikes sell in the numbers that they deserve to? They are attractively styled, well priced, well specced and dynamically excellent. The importers are a massive listed entity, so backup is pretty much guaranteed. Could it be that South African buyers tend to wear blinkers, and are not so well informed?. How many makes of bike did you research and test ride before your last purchase?. I challenge you to ride a MT-07 Tracer before forking out on your next commuter cum middleweight Sports Tourer.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The true strengths and weaknesses of a motorcycle emerge when you use it day to day. For example, a notchy gearbox may be overshadowed by a bikes performance experienced on a test ride, however live with it in the long term and it starts to irritate you like a festering sore. The quirky supermodel is exciting for the first few dates, but you don’t necessarily want to marry her! Tracers are bikes that you can happily marry. In fact, the longer you are together the better it seems to get!
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Go spend some time with one, and I’m sure you will agree.
It was Albert Einstein that stated, “why do I always get my best ideas in the shower?” Simply put, this means that we must sometimes remove ourselves from the immediate situation, relax and talk or think it through objectively. Thank you, Mr. Einstein!
This is exactly what we did on one clear summers night, deep in the Limpopo bush, nestled around a campfire with the sound of a glorious waterfall rushing in the background. The setting was idyllic, but the cost of getting there was a less peaceful story. It was the second consecutive trip of this sort where one or more members of our travelling party had sustained costly damage to their high end, big bore, twin cylinder adventure bikes. The way we like to ride sometimes just does not suit these big brutes.
This was the birth of what we like to call “The Singles Club”. We have raised many an eyebrow in our attempt to explain the title. Off course Singles refer to the use of single cylinder, medium capacity Scrambler type motorcycles, that can go just about anywhere.
If the reader will bear with me, I would like to profile the main players, as you may just find yourself relating in more ways than one to our stories. Singles clubs are all about matchmaking, after all…
Cobus Bekker and his lovely wife Ilse enrolled in the “Introduction to motorcycling” course at the BMW Riding Academy a little over two years ago. I was their instructor on the day and we have since become close friends.
Cobus Bekker and the author contemplating the road ahead….
Soon afterwards, Cobus acquired a beautiful, 30th year limited edition BMW R1200GS Adventure for himself and a BMW G650X-Country for Ilse. The light switched on and Cobus started consulting more and more about my travels. A country boy and farm owner in the true sense of the word, Cobus loves the outdoors and has extensive 4×4 experience. Among many strengths, Cobus is an excellent navigator and good organiser. He has situational awareness that I admire.
We soon embarked on our maiden voyage which was, to say the least a monster challenge. Cobus realised that adventure biking had unique challenges, yet ecstatic reward when done right. He soon bought a BMW G650X-Country Single, like Ilse’s for our more extreme travels and has not regretted this choice.
The horse whisperer…. Cobus and horse share a joke!
The second member of our team is Hennie Olivier.
Hennie and I became close friends when we did an Eastern Cape mountain pass challenge together. We ended up traversing 16 of the most scenic and challenging mountain passes that this province has to offer in the space of only two days. We did this in the heart of winter and it was an unforgettable experience.
Hennie is an extreme cyclist and multiple Cape Epic finisher. We call him the “Replay Chappy” as he can just keep on going in the face of severe adversity. My kind of travelling companion, Hennie always has time for a quick joke or quirky video interview. He is well travelled and has lots of experience. Yamaha DNA stored so deep in his body, that no antidote or cure has yet been found. Owner of two Yamaha XT1200Z Super Tenere motorcycles, Hennie also acquired himself an XT 660Z Tenere Single for our more extreme adventures.
My role in the team is to be the instigator. I travel differently to almost everyone else I know. I tend to give my trips a theme, rather than a destination. I have learned over the years to travel as the wind blows. I develop my ideas while I travel and seldom plan in advance. My informal approach does not suit everyone and I often find myself alone in the remotest of places. This is my medicine, my mojo and my religion…
A simpler life of sunshine and fresh air….
For this kind of travel, I decided on a BMW F650GS Dakar. For many years, this was the top selling motorcycle in its segment and prompted firms like Kawasaki and Suzuki to re-launch their archaic singles in a bid for market share. The Dakar has good carrying capacity, excellent fuel consumption and good range. The suspension gives a plush ride and there is ample torque for technical riding.
For our latest Adventure, we decided on the theme of Normandien Pass in KwaZulu Natal. The plan was to travel from my home in Centurion through Memel in the Eastern Free State, to Normandien Pass in KwaZulu Natal. We would then travel to Verkykerskop and surrounds, before heading back to KwaZulu Natal and my favourite Inn, located in the small village of Van Reenen, but more about this later.
With lots of daylight hours still to burn, we reach the tranquil farming town of Memel, which has become quite popular with travellers in the last 15 odd years. It reminds me of times much simpler, with friendly people and colonial buildings gracing the streets. We would see a lot more of this in the days ahead, as we travel back through time. We did not tarry here for too long, as there was lots more to discover before dark.
The winding open spaces between Memel and Normandien is worth the effort…
Part of my travelling success is the fact that I am a good observer and like to live in the moment. I gather notes in my head for my next visit to Memel, as there is an old army acquaintance farming in the area that I had not seen for thirty years. I would like to pay him a surprise visit in the near future. That could prove to be very interesting. The beauty of travel is that the more you see, the more you realise how little you actually know.
Onwards to Normandien Pass, more than 1900 meters above sea level and the beauty as was expected. We enjoy the leisurely ride immensely and there is little need to concentrate on anything but the green rolling hills. For this trip Hennie could not join us, due to professional commitments, so we decided to call on the help of two young gentlemen and a backup vehicle. It also helped that both Christof Bekker and Theo Pistorius has a keen eye for photography. A luxury I am seldom afforded on my travels.
Breathtaking vistas await…
So we found a beautiful vista on top of Normandien Pass and decided to pitch our tent on the spot. The view was simply breathtaking as we watched the sun set on this memorable day. Needless to say, the wind on top of the pass kept us occupied until the early morning hours. This kind of weather is often encountered on high mountain ranges and one is advised to factor this in before setting up camp.
Verkykerskop, where time stopped ticking many moons ago…
Another glorious day awaited us, as we packed up and headed back over Normandien’s towards the sleepy village of Verkykerskop (loosely translated as “spy hill”), somewhere in the Free State Province. This charming little place is rumoured to have about twenty residents. We located the local diner and spent hours laughing, listening and observing. This was an unexpected surprise and this little place will certainly see us again.
The old diner entertained us no end…
Our final stop for the day was The Green Lantern Inn, situated in the small town of Van Reenen. What was historically a railway town, has since turned into more of a tourist attraction after the railway system collapsed in the mid 90’s. This little town is also home to Llandaff Oratory, which is a privately owned 8 seat Roman Catholic church built in 1925 by Maynard Matthews. The aggrieved father built this church in memory of his son Llandaff who died while saving 8 lives during the Burnside Colliery disaster. These little gems abide all over South Africa and we simply have to afford ourselves the opportunity to take “the road less travelled”.
None of my three travelling guests had ever been to the Green Lantern Inn before. I enjoyed watching them walk through the doors and back in time as they gazed on old artifacts, creaking wooden floors dignified by the most pleasing old furniture. On the farside wall one can watch silent movies that date from the 1920’s. Guests grace these comfortable chairs with book in hand or good companionship.
The staff here is warm hearted and happy hour becomes quite a treat in the adjoining pub. This is the local hang out and soon an old friend graces us with her presence. Meet Bo-Jangles, a particularly social donkey appears from behind the counter, complete with hat on head. She is the local flavour. Guests get to feed her fruit and sweets in turn for her good company. She lingers around for a few minutes until she gets bored and leaves on her own terms, in her own time. She is one of the well kept secrets here and always a treat to see.
After exchanging pleasantries with the locals, we move over to the dining room where one can feast on lamb curry, oxtail and other native specialities. We reminisce our experiences around some fine cuisine and share some more laughter.
Bo Jangles, our favourite donkey in the whole world…
After an evening well spent consorting, mingling and more, each retire to his old fashioned hotel room for a well deserved, good nights’ rest before the open road calls again.
On the final morning we had a delicious breakfast, discussing the last leg back home to old smokey and beyond. Sitting on the N3 highway at the leisurely national speed limit, I compose my thoughts. I remind myself how easy it is to envision and structure such a weekend breakaway. It all lies in taking the decision to go out and live.
Having had this discussion with so many, it still amazes me how some disqualify themselves from living the life, presenting menial and worn out excuses. The resources needed is least of the reasons not to go out and discover.
And I say to myself, what a wonderful world….
Sometimes a good life is just one decision away. Thereafter, a cultivated mindset that moves us into the freedom zone inch by inch.
There is not much competition anymore in the “big motard” segment for enthusiastic bikers seeking for a hooligan machine to ride! Alongside the existing Aprilia Dorsoduro 900, Ducati introduces a seriously revamped version of their Hypermotard. Bye-bye the 939, welcome the 950! ZA Bikers flew to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to test ride the standard 950 version on the road and the SP version on track, near MasPalomas, in the Canary Islands…
Photo credit: Ducati Italy
“Am I wrong, or do they look the same?”. If you are emerging from a hangover like wake-up, differentiating the Ducati Hypermotard 939 from the 950 may be a bit difficult.
Photo credit: Ducati Italy
However, there are two unmistakeable features: this first being the main headlight, which now has two stylish integrated DRL LEDs.
Photo credit: Ducati Italy.
Secondly, the exhaust is no longer on the side, it has emigrated upwards and now exits as two double short under-tail mufflers. Ducatista will be delighted to see that the shape of the exhaust pipes, after the tranquillisation chamber, has been designed exactly like on the iconic 916.
Photo credit: Ducati Italy.
There are many more subtle differences between the two models. First are the ergonomics: big sections of the bike have been redesigned for a better man to machine connection. The handlebar is more open by 7°, so the new riding position gives you better control of the front end of the bike.
Photo credit: Ducati Italy.
The frame has been redesigned in its mid-section, being narrower and also lighter by 1 kilogram, they have achieved this by using thinner tubes (from 3 to 2,5 mm), however only when there is no structural rigidity issues.
Photo credit: Ducati Italy.
The seat is also narrower, and the inner leg curve measurement is now 53 mm, so despite the seat height being slightly intimidating at 870 mm (890 mm on the SP), because of the new cleverly designed seat (it’s the equivalent of a bike 12mm lower), this ensures that your feet can be placed firmly on the ground.
Photo credit: Ducati Italy.
On the electronic side, the Hypermotard pair are controlled by the Bosch 6-axis IMU system, managing the traction control and wheelie control (8 levels each), and cornering ABS (3 levels). All of the above offer different packages according to the 3 different riding modes, which are as followed;
Sport: The performance-oriented Sport Riding Mode settings – suited to sports-style riding on both track or twisting roads – unleash the full 114 hp of the twin-cylinder Ducati engine. DTC is, in fact, set to level 3, DWC to level 3 and ABS to level 2.
Touring: Touring Riding Mode is ideal for inner city hops or out-of-town runs or simply for those who prefer a clean, fluid riding style. It still uses the full 114 hp of the Ducati twin-cylinder engine but delivers it more gently thanks to more safety-oriented electronic settings. That why DTC is set to level 4, DWC to level 5 and ABS to level 3.
Urban: Urban Riding Mode is intended for daily around-town use or when road conditions offer little grip (e.g. in the wet). That’s why this Mode limits the power of the twin-cylinder Testasretta to 75 hp and all electronic settings are dialled towards maximum safety. That means DTC is set to level 6, DWC to level 6 and ABS to level 3.
You can also create your own custom rider mode by using the left-hand switch-cube, which is very user-friendly to set up. The Hypermotard is fitted with a 4.3″ colour TFT display which is very sexy, as it’s nearly the same as the recent Panigale V4. All the usual information is there, and its all very easy to read.
Photo credit: Ducati Italy.
There is more news coming from the engine side. Like on the 939, the 950 is actually a 937 cc engine (that’s all marketing magic!). Hence, the pistons are new, the compression ratio is higher (from 12,6 to 13,5:1), and the exhaust cams, engine mapping and throttle bodies (now with a 53 mm diameter instead of 52 mm on the 939) are also new.
Photo credit: Ducati Italy.
The engine head-covers, made of magnesium, are responsible for a 1 kilogram weight reduction (add minus 500 grams from the new aluminium front fork inner tubes and less 600 grams from the new brake discs, and that all contributes to a total loss of 4 kg compared to the 939). The engine delivers 114 hp @ 9000 rpm and 96 Nm @ 7250 rpm. Those figures are rather similar to the previous version, but Ducati said they’ve been working a lot to strengthen the engine characteristics as well as making it more efficient, with 80% of the torque being available from 5000 rpm.
Photo credit: Ducati Italy
Of the two versions, the SP is differentiated by its tre-coliri paint scheme (the standard 950 only comes in red), its Öhlins, front and rear, fully adjustable suspension, the Marchesini forged wheels, some carbon parts (front mudguard, engine covers), removable pillion footpegs, as well as the up and down Quickshifter, which can be fitted as an option on the standard version. Pirelli Supercorsa SP also come as standard, replacing the Diablo Rosso 3 of the “plain Jane” version.
Photo credit: Ducati Italy
Enough said. Time to ride.
Canary Islands are a biker’s heaven!
We started our test ride with a 130 kilometres morning tour composed mainly by some very narrow – and scenic – mountain roads, over the Las Nieves Peak, reaching an altitude of 1939 metres. It’s sunny and quite warm from the first morning hours. You don’t need more than a few corners to realize that you don’t want to be, on that special moment, on any other bike.
Photo credit: Ducati Italy
The first thing you notice is a strong mid-range: on those roads, I was using mostly second and third gear, not so much the fourth, and the corner exit traction is very pleasant. Second point are the brakes: the front is as powerful as you can imagine, coming from a Brembo system with radial callipers, but due to the high suspension travel, the rear is not so efficient (a classic Ducati feature), and the ABS activated itself from the rear, a couple of times. Third is the handling: the bike is not a proper lightweight (although it’s not on the heavy side either, with 200 kilos with a full tank), but the engine is simply brilliant. Look to the apex, change directions while on full throttle, going left, right through twisties with no time to rest in between is simply great fun.
Photo credit: Ducati Italy
The Hypermotard 950 simply becomes a extension of yourself and you can ride at a great pace in an easy and effortless manner that is difficult to match. The only little trick comes from extremely sharp corners when the serious braking initial bite and the traditional Motard geometry brings a little instability from the front end. But you can stabilise with a soft touch of rear brake or also opening your leg towards the ground, to make it stylish and safe!
Photo credit: Ducati Italy
The last great surprise was the overall level of comfort: it can’t obviously compete against a Multistrada 1260, but although the seat does not look very thick, its foam is comfortable and the flat shape of the seat allows you to change position easily. The suspension works well too, with a progressive compression and a decent feel in the rebound. We returned an on-board computer 6,2 litres per hundred figure – at a rather sporty rhythm all morning long.
Knee-down time
In the afternoon, we had a couple of track riding session on a SP version, with some optional racing footpegs, steering damper and the racing Termignoni exhaust, which brings the power to 120 hp… and exhaust note to a really thrilling deep and proper V-twin sound.
Photo credit: Ducati Italy
It took me nearly one session to get accustomed to the bike. The riding position is not exactly what one is used to when it comes to trying to go fast and get your knee down in corners. The bike is high and while being stiffer than the Marzocchi fork and Sachs shock of the standard version, the SP version’s full Öhlins equipment still generates a bit of movement under the hard braking moments.
Photo credit: Ducati Italy
Although the lean angle has been improved by 3° compared to the 939 SP (47° versus 44°, as it is also for the standard 950 version), you still need to place your boot on top of the footpeg to avoid unexpected scratching! That also says how easy it is to lean the bike only after a few corners. The MasPalomas racetrack is very special: it’s located on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean but its also quite dangerous as there is a chicane in the middle of the pit straight and, in and out, the walls are just so close! You get there full throttle in fourth gear, downshift to third, and as you’ve thrown the bike into the right hand corner, it’s time to get to the other side. And, this is not a joke, but there is a good bump on the lane.
Photo credit: Ducati Italy.
The Hypermotard 950 SP changes lane without any effort, you can feel the bike slightly airborn over the bump as, being already flat out, the traction control gets into action for a tenth of a second and thereafter, the system does not cut the feeling of acceleration and the SP now goes up the hill towards the corner One. This one is very interesting, as you have to switch from a right hand to a left hand corner while braking hard and downshifting two gears. But everything gets so easy on the SP that you quickly feel very confident to push your braking point forward.
Photo credit: Ducati Italy
Lap after lap, once you find that you need to be mobile on the bike, more mobile than on a superbike, you’ll discover great fun, safety and confidence. It’s what all big supermotards are about and there is no doubt the Hypermotard 950 SP is now the class leader.
Nothing excited me more as a sixteen year old, than getting up at dawn on a beautiful Sunday summers morning. Throw on jeans, T-shirt and jacket. Grab my open face helmet and gloves and push my Honda SS50 GT into the street.
The lure of the open road egged me on as I allowed the little Honda to warm in the fresh morning air. Riding out of town on the old Bronkhorstpruit road, I would daydream about the motorcycle adventures awaiting me. Long distance travel by motorcycle has always attracted me with an inexorable pull greater than gravity itself.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
It seems I am not alone in this. As far back as 1912 it is documented that a fellow by the name of Carl Steams Clancy circumnavigated the globe on a Henderson motorcycle – 20,000 miles in almost a year. How’s that for hardcore? Probably 90% were dirt roads on a rigid frame motorcycle.
Photo credit: Passion-Harley
These days we argue for hours on end about the merits of our “Adventure Bikes”. In 1912 the trip was the adventure and the bike simply the means. In fact, on that note, here is a thumb in the eye for you “Adventure bikers” out there!
Photo credit: Passion-Harley
The Guinness record for the most mileage by a round the world traveller is held by an Argentinian, Emilio Scotto, who over the course of ten years covered 500,000 miles (735,000 k’s). He rode through the Amazon, crossed both Americas (North twice), Europe (including Iceland), Russia, Mongolia, Asia, India, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and Africa. This included crossing the Sahara and traversing the West and East coasts. Congo, Zaire, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, in the rainy season! Ok guys and girls, what bike do you think Emilio rode? What appropriate bikes were around in 1996 when he set out from Agrentinia with 300 US dollars? Africa Twin? BMW GS? Yamaha XT 600 Tenere? Ok, I’ll tell you, because if you don’t know you will never guess! It was a Honda Gold Wing 1100 Interstate.
Photo credit: Sportmotor
In Emilio’s words, “She is my friend, my only travelling partner”. Laden with all his worldly possessions, literally! 4 gallons of fuel strapped on top of each pannier, and 5 gallon of water on the passenger seat, Emilio rode this 1100 pound behemoth everywhere over the course of 10 years. Deserts, swamps, ice and snow, he crossed them all. Kinda screws your bragging rights after riding your purpose built dually through Namibia doesn’t it?
Emilio is not alone in riding inappropriate bikes in inappropriate places. Nick Sanders is a good example. He rode an Enfield Bullet 61,200 k’s around the world. No big deal, he jumped on a Yamaha R1 and rode 32,070k’s in under 32 days. All in all, he has done 7 around the world bike trips (his first RTW trip was by bicycle) ‘Nuffsaid!’.
Photo credit: Photo bucket
Seems fellows with the surname Sanders have a penchant for this sort of thing. Kevin Sanders holds the world record for a motorcycle circumnavigation. Alaska to Florida, across Canada, the USA, Europe, Turkey, Iran, Dubai, Australia, New Zealand, and back to America. All in 19 days 8 hours and 25 minutes! Holy cow! Sjaak Lucassen also favours sport bikes for world travel. He did RTW trips on a Honda Fireblade and a Yamaha R1.
Photo credit: Motorcycle-diaries
Helgen Pederson put BMW’s venerable GS on the map by travelling across 77 countries over a ten-year period, doing about 400,000 k’s on his R80GS. John Gerber travelled 32,000 k’s on his Vespa Rally 180. Zoltan Zulkowsky and Gyula Bartha covered 170,000 k’s around the world on their Harley back in the day. The day was 1928 to be precise!
Photo credit: Amid
Perhaps the best documented travelogue is that by Ted Simon. Ted, a journalist in London, chose a 500cc Triumph Twin as his means of adventure travel. When Ted decided to travel the world he felt the obvious mode of transport was a motorcycle, despite, not at that point owning a bike or possessing a bike licence. His book, “Jupiter’s Travels”, is a must read for any aspirant motorcycle traveller.
Photo credit: Motorcycle-diaries
Four years and 126,000k’s later, Ted completed his journey. His account is not just about the bike, but also richly interwoven with the adventures and fluctuating emotions common to almost all long term travellers. He also factually documented the world as he saw it in 1974. The trip, undertaken at the age of 42 was hard yet exciting. Interestingly Ted undertook another trip at the age of 70, retracing his route from 1974. His views on how the world had changed over the span of 24 years is rather sobering to say the least. It certainly makes “Dreaming of Jupiter”, his account of his second trip, tantalizing reading.
Photo credit: Motorcycle-diaries
“What if my bike breaks?” is certainly a thought in the back of every long distance riders mind. Ted’s bike ate its first set of pistons after 7,000k’s. Emilio Scotto by comparison had his one and only engine overhaul after an incredible 250,000 odd miles, despite putting his Wing through the most unspeakable torment. In Iceland it took him an hour to cover 150 metres. In the Congo he rode through mud holes big enough to swallow a truck, and Asia in monsoon season. It defies belief that a luxury tourer could survive even a tenth of what was thrown at it! It’s an incredible testimony to Honda build quality and reliability!
Photo credit: Sportmotor
So what do we glean from all of this? Firstly, the incredible resilience of the human spirit. If you believe it you can achieve it! Secondly, motorcycles, no matter what form they take are the true adventurers first choice of transport. The question is not whether your bike is up to it but whether you are up to it?
Perhaps I should end my telling you about another Guinness World Record holder, Dave Barr. Dave was a career soldier. Helicopter gunship gunner for the last two years of the Vietnam War. Joined the Israeli Defence Force and served for two years as a paratrooper. Seems this wasn’t enough adrenalin for this junkie as he then joined the Rhodesian light Infantry to fight communism in another form. At the end of hostilities he moved south and joined the SA Defence Force, where he served in 32 Battalion as gunner on the legendary Col. Jan Breytenbach’s jeep.
Photo credit: Passion-Harley
Daves military career essentially ended when the vehicle hit a landmine. Pulled from the burning wreckage by Col. Jan, Dave lost both his legs. One just above and the other just below the knee. After a lengthy convalescence Dave returned to the States and, fitted with prosthetic limbs, jumped on his 1972 Harley Wide Glide and rode 133,575k’s around the world. He was first motorcyclist to traverse Siberia in the winter. In answer as to why in winter, Dave simply says, “Well, frostbite on my feet wasn’t a problem”. He subsequently rode an 883 Sportster to the four compass extremities of Australia for a second Guinness record.
Photo credit: Passion-Harley
Dave has a deep love for Southern Africa and does annual fund raising rides across S.A. When asked why he does these things he gives a profound answer. He says that when we cash in our chips and God enquires what we did with the incredible gift of life he gave us, we better have some proper answers. Makes one think, doesn’t it?
Triumph UK sold more than 61000 motorcycles last year. They are on a progress process by extending, somehow, their “Modern Classic” range. Alongside the Bonneville T120, the Thruxton & R, the Bobber & Black, the Scrambler 1200 XE & XC, the Speedmaster, and now there is the eighth member of the family. Welcome the Speed Twin, the missing link between the Bonneville and the Thruxton… ZA Bikers went to the island of Majorca, in the Mediterranean Sea, to test ride the new 1200 Speed Twin.
Photo credit: Triumph Motorcycles
Bikers are getting older and bikers are getting more nostalgic, aren’t they? So it makes sense for Triumph to offer a new motorcycle with a classic look and modern behaviour. The new Speed Twin is recalling a famous name for Triumph: back in 1938, the 500cc Speed Twin was the first modern vertical twin with outstanding performance. Designed by the then Triumph Boss Edward Turner, the Speed Twin delivered 27 hp, and was produced for a record period of time. [28 years until 1966 !) It surely set the genre of the “archetypal British parallel twin cylinder motorcycle”, as the Speed Twin inspired BSA, Norton and other brands to develop their own offerings to compete against the Triumph.
Photo credit: Triumph Motorcycles
Many years later, the new Speed Twin offers 97 hp and 112 Nm of torque. In other words, it’s a Bonneville, with Thruxton-like performance, which makes it very fun to ride, and with its estimated selling price that was indicated to us at the launch, I believe this new offering from Triumph will offer great value for money.
Photo credit: Triumph Motorcycles
The new Speed Twin is conservative with the colour choice. The black scheme comes as standard, with the dual tone grey/black or “korosi red” / black requiring a couple of extra bucks.
Photo credit: Triumph Motorcycles
But whichever colour you fancy, the rest of the bike has a lot of black accents. Engine, wheels, front fork, mufflers, are all black, albeit with classy brushed aluminium bits and bobs here and there for contrast.
Photo credit: Triumph Motorcycles
The rest is rather minimalist. Look at the tiny rear light and the LED indicators, and admire the bike’s compactness.
Photo credit: Triumph Motorcycles
The Speed Twin silhouette is tipped over the front end, a stance that elicits a real dynamism. And that dynamism is not only a promise:The Speed Twin is 10 kilograms lighter than the Thruxton, thanks to the new wheels (front wheel and discs are 2,9 kg lighter) and new engine casing, and that translates to better agility.
Photo credit: Triumph Motorcycles
Compared to a Thruxton, the new Speed Twin has a longer wheelbase (+ 15 mm) and the weight distribution is 2% more forward. The riding position is also more neutral, with footpegs located 38 mm further forward and 4 mm lower, than those on a Thruxton.
Photo credit: Triumph Motorcycles
Before starting the engine and enjoying the deep tone of the vertical twin cylinder coming from the new exhaust (a pair of Vance & Hines silencers, coming either in polished or black finishes is also offered as an option), I have to pay tribute to Triumphs’ fit and finish.
Photo credit: Triumph Motorcycles
The bike looks clean and is brilliantly built with precision and many touches of class: just look at the brushed aluminium mudguards, the forged alloy headlight bracket, the retro-looking Monza fuel cap, the LED lights everywhere, the tiny “Triumph” logos all over the bike. Great job!
Photo credit: Triumph Motorcycles
In Europe, the Speed Twin is sold at the very same price (12900 €) as a BMW R nineT Pure standard and without any options, the German stallion might suffer from the comparison. Yet, the German is more powerful: 110 hp and 116 Nm of torque, against 97 hp and 112 Nm on the British side.
Photo credit: Triumph Motorcycles
The Speed Twin however delivers its figures at a lower rpm. (6750 rpm against 7750 for the power, 4950 against 6000 for the torque) and as the Speed Twin’s gearing is a bit shorter, there is always plenty of oomph and great roll-on acceleration, even in sixth gear, to enjoy on this British bike.
Not only a perfect commuter
The new Speed Twin is incredibly easy to ride. Its overall dimensions (a dry weight of 196 kilograms and a decent seat height of 807 mm), allied to a compactness for a 1200 cc machine makes it accessible for nearly every shape of rider. All the controls are very smooth and the engine at low revs is a peach too, and that makes the Speed Twin a perfect commuter. There are three riding modes, “normal”, “sport” and also “rain”, as well as traction control.
Photo credit: Triumph Motorcycles
With a very neutral riding position and reasonable tyre size (the rear is “only” a 160/60), the Speed Twin is easy to steer and very agile as a mid-capacity bike. Triumph’s argument regarding the Speed Twin has been focusing a lot about the weight reduction compared to a Thruxton, with 10 kilograms less. So, not only can the Speed Twin be seen as a perfect commuter, it can surely be an awesome breakfast run machine, for a Sunday morning blast on any winding road you fancy.
Photo credit: Triumph Motorcycles
You won’t need many corners to find how competent it is. It starts with the good tyres, as the Pirello Diablo Rosso 3’s are quick to warm up, and then the next step is to explore the more than decent ground clearance.
Photo credit: Triumph Motorcycles
The engine delivers all its power in a rather linear fashion, and whilst chasing other journos over the Majorca island twisties, I was quick to find out that the 7000 rpm redline is not the real limit, as the big Twin is happy to rev up to 7500 rpm with a proper top end whack too! For sure, the Speed Twin deserves its name!
Photo credit: Triumph Motorcycles
I was impressed with the bikes fuel consumption too, I still managed to come back with a 5,5 l/100 on-board computer figure, which makes an acceptable fuel range of 250 kilometres. With the 15 mm extra wheelbase as compared to the Thruxton the high speed stability in fast corners is not an issue. However, if you are attached to the extreme precision and feedback from hi-specced suspensions, the Öhlins-mounted Thruxton R can’t be beaten and remains on top of the ultimate handling hierarchy of the Triumph Classic range. The Speed Twin however is more versatile and offers great value for money.
Photo credit: Triumph Motorcycles
Triumph has ticked all the boxes, and then some, with the new Speed Twin: it’s fun, it’s easy to ride, it looks great and sounds great too, goes strong and can take corners well. The Speed Twin is a new, fresh offering from Triumph and pays great homage to the genuine essence of motorcycling.
Cape Town’s motorcyclists are evangelists for the Mother City. We can’t help it—not only do we have amazing scenery, food and people, but the riding here is top notch. Tell a local motorcyclist that you’re visiting Cape Town, and he or she is likely to drop everything to take you riding.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
Which is exactly what I did, when ZA Bikers editor-in-chief, Simon Morton, informed me that he was heading to Cape Town for the holidays. I hit back with my standard response: “Of course we’ll go riding. It’ll be amazing. You’ll love it.”
We put a call into our friends at Triumph South Africa, and managed to hustle a couple of bikes via their Cape Town service centre, MHM Motorcycles. Then I mapped out one of my go-to routes—a 250 km loop that includes Helshoogte Pass, Franschhoek Pass, the Elgin Valley, Clarence Drive, and very little highway.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
If you’re a local, you should know it well. If you’ve never ridden it, stop reading right now and go tick it off the list immediately. It combines some of the Cape’s best roads with some of its best vistas—and it’s one of the best days out you can have on two wheels.
Triumph have a few bikes in their line-up that would have smashed that particular route, but Simon and I had planned to take it easy. So we opted for supreme style—and picked up the Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster and Bonneville Bobber Black.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
Both bikes are proof that Triumph’s modern classics are about both style and substance. Under the hood, they’re powered by the same punchy 1 200 cc parallel twin motor, good for 106 Nm of torque. It’s a gem of a motor, with enough grunt to launch the bikes off the line and fire them out of corners. And it’s backed up by an equally good fuelling, clutch and gearbox package.
Simon went for the Speedmaster, which meant his ride was decidedly more comfortable than mine, thanks to a well-padded seat and forward pegs. I hopped on the Bobber Black—and began questioning my life choices about 50 km into the ride.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
Don’t get me wrong—I absolutely love the Bobber Black (so much so that I hung onto it for an extra couple of weeks after the ride). But its mid controls, drag-style bars and slim, cantilevered seat make it more suited to bombing around the city, than munching miles and miles of countryside. So we broke the ride up with breakfast and lunch stops—and plenty of photo ops too—which gave my back and legs lots of time to recover.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
And whenever we stopped, both bikes were mobbed by passersby. It was totally expected; the Bobber Black’s burly, murdered-out aesthetic, and the Speedmaster’s classy black and white livery, are both impossible to ignore. I almost felt sorry for my friends, Stephen and Teresa, whose Yamaha XT660 and Honda CRF250L didn’t get quite as much attention.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
But the day wasn’t about bragging rights, or even brand bashing. It was about buds on bikes—soaking up the scenery, chatting away, comparing notes and collectively taking a breather from everyday life. Between Ou Meul Bakkery in Simondium’s R49 breakfast special, and pies at the insanely popular Peregrine in Grabouw, there was plenty of time to wag chins.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
In between, we put the Bobber Black and Speedmaster well through their paces. Even though our route included some relaxed stretches, it also included my two favourite roads: Franschhoek Pass and Clarence Drive.
Once we’d shuffled our way through the tourists overrunning Franschhoek, the famous pass unwound before us. It’s as much fun going up as it is going down, with endless turns, and sprawling views on both sides of the mountain.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
Clarence Drive—the road that stretches from Rooi Els to Gordons Bay—is even more epic. Think of it as a long ribbon that twists and tilts alongside False Bay’s shoreline. I’ve ridden both pieces of road many, many times, and I’m still not bored of either.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
Neither Triumph has much ground clearance—so on roads like these, you either need to take it easy, or push as hard as possible until the peg meets asphalt. “I just adapted my riding style to suit the bikes laid back ergonomics,” Simon tells me, “and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings that I was in—as opposed to riding as if I was on a race track.”
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
The day ended up being a mixed bag of chilling and hustling; riding and shooting the breeze. There’s a million ways to show a friend the Cape—but I’ll pick the back of a motorcycle every time.
Located approximately 8500 kilometres away from South Africa across the Indian Ocean, Indonesia is a world on its own. ZA Bikers went on a motorcycle trip over the two islands of Java and Bali, to discover how different they can be, as well as enjoying the essence of slow pace touring on a Royal Enfield Bullet 500.
Indonesia is surely a world on its own. The country is a sprawling mass of 17508 islands where over 700 dialects are spoken. There are 268 million inhabitants, 87% of them being Muslims, which makes it by far the biggest Muslim country in the world. There are over 400 volcanoes, of which more than a hundred are still active and unfortunately, Mother Nature wakes up more often than not, with resulting natural disasters.
Photo credit: Philippe Guillaume
The biggest island, Java, covers nearly a tenth of South Africa’s surface area, however, Java hosts 168 million inhabitants, over three times the South African population… Density is the keyword.
When it comes to motorcycles, Indonesia is also a world on its own! In 2017, 5886103 two-wheelers were sold! Yes, nearly six million! However, the market is suffering a recession, as more than 7 millions units were sold in 2012 – if only South African recessions where this mild.. Hey?
Photo credit: Philippe Guillaume
Honda is, by far, the giant, with a steady 74,5 % market share, followed by Yamaha (22,9 %), Kawasaki (1,3 %) and Suzuki (1,2 %). Locals are passionate about motorcycling and racing but although you’ll find millions of “99”, “93” and “46” stickers on the machines, it’s mainly a scooter country, as the best seller is the Honda Vario, a big wheel commuter.
On the main streets of most villages, I was surprised to cross a “start” and “finish” line. Reason: drag racing is popular amongst youngsters and the best racers are seen as heroes and can make quick money.
Photo credit: Philippe Guillaume
It’s not compulsory to ride with daylights, but wearing a helmet is, although the rule is barely obeyed, especially in the rural areas. The most popular motorcycle gear is by far… wait for it, flip-flops! However, we dressed in full riding gear to cover nearly 1600 kilometres of road over the Bali and Java islands.
A genuine tourer!
Surrounded by several dozen 150cc scooters, the Royal Enfield looks like a genuine tourer. With 28 hp, compared to approximately 10 for most of the two-wheelers encountered on the road, the Bullet has enough torque for easy overtaking and making its own way. You can’t really ride fast in Indonesia and this is why the Bullet is the perfect weapon for touring. Due to the traffic density and the amount of trucks, reaching 80 km/h is not so easy on the main roads as well as in the countryside, where the tar is not much wider than a Toyota Avanza. (These tall-narrow-and rather-ugly MPV’s sell like hotcakes there, and it’s easy to understand why, due to the road conditions). You find yourself mostly cruising between 50 and 60 km/h.
Photo credit: Philippe Guillaume
Indonesia is definitely not a big, wide open-space country, such as SA, but our tour guide whipped up some magic. After comprehensive research on all sorts of modern tools (such as Google Maps and Google Earth), he managed to find some extraordinary routes through exotic, charming and out of this world paths in the middle of primary forests, inhabited by the local version of the Big Five, being monkeys, varan-lizard, cobras, giant bats and last but definitely not least, some lone tigers!
Photo credit: Philippe Guillaume
The first couple of kilometres were done near the Sacred Monkey Forest natural area; and predictably, there are monkeys all around and when you stop, you need to be careful to not leave a pair of gloves or a set of keys around or else they will be stolen. Although to be fair, the local monkeys are not aggressive, like the Capetownian baboons. After this first taste of the Indonesian wild life, our tour guide, François, shared with us his deep knowledge of the Indonesian countryside and suddenly, our ride took on a different dimension. We find ourselves surrounded by a patchwork of several shades of bright green, being rice plantations, which nearly cover every square centimetre of the Indonesian countryside. Their clever irrigation system and shape of the terraces are so unique that UNESCO classify some of them as World Heritage Sites, such as the Jatiluwih, in Bali.
Much more diverse than it seems
Twelve days Adventure riding and Indonesia reveals its wonders – a lot of people, a lot of rice plantations, Hindus in Bali and Muslims in Java. You can’t assume that Indonesia is simple – it isn’t; it’s busy and it’s complicated.
Photo credit: Philippe Guillaume
In the heart of Java island, we start to get into altitudes as high as 2300 metres above sea level, a mission which our Bullet coped with very easily, thanks to the torque of the thumper. Here in Java, there is another cultural group settled in the mountains called the Tenggers and they offered us, by chance, an extraordinary night, as we stayed over at the remote city of Podokoyo. They live in some 30 villages around a volcanic area, where the perfectly round craters of the Bromo and the Semeru volcanoes shape the landscape and are visible from a dozen kilometres away as they eject a small cloud of gas every twenty minutes or so.
Photo credit: Philippe Guillaume
Reading in the stars, a local Shaman decides on an evening of celebration. The Tengger believe in the man-horse divinity. Tonight there is no other Westerner in sight but we quickly find ourselves surrounded by a dozen Tenggers, each one bearing a friendly smile and over-excited mind. Twelve Tenggers – in gold and purple outfits, complete with bells and trinkets, start a dance while straddling small wooden horses that are as colourful as the ‘riders’. The dancing becomes more and more animated; the Shaman contributing to the rising tempo by slamming his lash on the ground. A pot is filled with flowers, eggs, rice and the contents of a small perfume bottle. When this is done one of the wooden horse ‘riders’ drops to the floor, gathers up the pot, drinks half of its contents and throws the rest over his head. From here on in, things get much wilder. The drum beats deepen and the dancers become more and more ecstatic and entranced, some of them rolling their eyes back into their heads, a trickle of saliva dribbling from their mouths. Soon the scene turns into a frenzy where it becomes difficult to disassociate people from horses. One of the Tengger grabs a live chicken, rips its neck with his teeth, drinks some of the blood then shares it with whoever looks interested. Not content to end it here another celebrant takes a neon tube, breaks it, gathers together the shards and starts to eat some of them. I take this as my cue to leave the party and get some sleep. Was it a dream? Or was it true?, I ask myself.
Photo credit: Philippe Guillaume
The next morning’s ride brings us back to reality. After a lekker morning of sand riding around the volcanoes, we ride down again to sea level, going across an incredibly dense primary forest in which, for sure, tigers, cobras and many monkeys abound. Indonesia is truly fascinating and blessed with a variety of natural wonders…
Photo credit: Philippe Guillaume
Acknowledgements: many thanks to Vintage Ride travel agency, who gave us the opportunity to discover the Indonesian marvels. If you are tempted, several dates are scheduled for 2019. For more information visit www.vintagerides.travel .
You also might meet our tour guide François as he will now be leading the Vintage Rides tours in the Western Cape. Check out if you meet a bunch of Enfield riders near Worcester or Paarl.
Cast the window wider, sonny;
Let me see the veld
Rolling grandly to the sunset
Where the mountains melt;
With the sharp horizon round it.
Like a silver belt
Years and years I’ve trekked across it;
Ridden back and fore
Till the silence and the grandeur
Ruled me to the core;
No one ever knew it better;
None could love it more.
There’s a balm for crippled spirits;
In the open view.
Running from your very footsteps
Out into the blue.
Like a wagon track to heaven.
Straight ‘twixt God and you.
There’s a spot I know of sonny,
Yonder by the stream;
Bushes handy for the fire,
Water for the team.
By the old outspan sonny,
Let me lie and dream. P. GIBBON.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
At 4.40 am on the 17th of December I rolled out on to the N1 highway on my heavily laden metal beast of burden, my orange and black Kawasaki KLR 650, affectionately nicknamed “the Killer bee”. KLR, killer, get it? I was expecting a really hot ride so wanted to exploit the cool of the morning to allow me to smash some serious k’s before the day got really warm. My destination for day one was the lovely little Karoo town of Nieu Bethesda, 30 odd k’s before Graaff-Reinet. It is always difficult to wear the right kit for early morning starts, when the wind chill factor can make one quite nippy. Too warm a jacket becomes a heavy liability later in the day, so I dress in layers, with a wind proof shell over my airflow jacket. The sky was heavily brushed with clouds which leaked the odd drop on me as I skirted a still silent Jo’burg and on to the Grasmere toll plaza which was experiencing a traffic jam. Rows of holiday makers queued ten deep at the booths. As you know, bikes rock! So I rumbled past to the head of the queue. “what’s going on?” I asked the chap. “Eish, we offline!”, came the reply. In the interest of good fuel economy and decent tank range coupled with mechanical sympathy, I was cruising at 115 kph on the KLR’s speedo. [Interestingly enough, this would equate to around 123 kph on my KTM 1090, Africa Twin or Yamaha Super Ten which all over read by an almost unacceptable margin.] The “ancient” cable driven speedo on the KLR, when checked against my GPS, is almost spot on. This got me thinking about the Tortoise vs Hare effect that I started noticing. The KLR was able to stay glued to it’s speed. When trucks impede your progress, you simply pass the row of cars stuck behind it and overtake without having to cross the centre line. Cars which flew past you earlier at 130 are now restricted, sometimes for kilometres, to 80 kph. It is amazing how many k’s pass before they fly past you again only to be hindered once again by the next truck, of which there are many on our roads these days.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
I had a fuel “splash and dash” in Ventersburg, then rolled on to Bloem, with the KLR throbbing along sweetly at a relaxed 4,500 rpm. The One Stop was so overrun with holiday lemmings bound for the coast that I ditched breakfast plans, settling for a take away coffee and a lunchbar, then got back on the bike. Bloem was actually really cold and heavily overcast and the skies to the south appeared black and heavily pregnant with rain. As it sometimes happens the road seemed to follow a lighter path through the dark skies and I only hit 5 odd k’s of proper rain before I scudded out from under the bank of clouds and reached a dry and hot Colesburg. It was only midday and I had only 150 odd k’s to go.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
As one enters the Karoo proper, and as I would experience over the next few days, there are huge swathes of our magnificent country that are still in the grip of a devastating drought. Riding through the Great Karoo under a cobalt sky and through a wall of relentless heat, I found myself wondering at the tenacity of the people and animals that inhabit this arid land. The turn off to Nieu Bethesda took me off the national road and after a short while I trundled into the town, heading straight for the Two Goats Deli and Brewery that I had discovered on a previous adventure. I wolfed down a sandwich to quell my hunger and slaked my now considerable thirst with two tankards of “Honey Ale”. If you have not yet visited this little gem of a town, put it on your bucket list. No streetlights, banks or ATM’s, and with tree lined dirt roads emanating from the typical steeple’d church at it’s centre, it oozes old world charm. It was also home to the famous “owl lady”, Helen Martin. In fact, it is probably thanks to the outsider art works of sculpture created by this somewhat tortured soul, that Nieu Bethesda rose to prominence as a tourist destination. The town also has some of the finest dinosaur fossil beds to be found in the Karoo. I always stay at a lovely little B ‘n B called Starry Nights. A real “home from home” spot. Give Bronwen a buzz [0834427734] if you are looking to stay over, you will not be disappointed.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
There is a lovely little pub and pizza spot in the middle of the village, opposite Helen Martin’s Owlhouse. This was my supper venue, so after a shower I strolled through the early evening glow for a sundowner. Earlier in the day, just before the turnoff to the village, I was passed by a couple on a BMW 1200 LC GS. So it was, in typical kindred spirit fashion that I spent a delightful night in the company of Rudie and Rene’ Kruger, a couple from Centurion, also on an extended road trip that would take them to the West Coast and back. Rene’, in the interest of sensibility had left her own Bee Em at home and was riding pillion with her man. You are never lonely on a motorcycle road trip. Watered and fed, we strolled back to our accommodation in the cool of a star speckled Karoo evening, tired but content.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
True to form I was up early and on the road out of the valley and over the Sneeuwberg to Graaff-Reinet by 6am. Taking advantage of the decent range from the 22 litre tank on the Killer Bee, I fuelled in Willowmore, a full 440 k’s from Colesburg. The solitude and vast vistas of the Karoo accompanied by the reassuring throb of the big single feed your soul. Oh yes, I must tell you about Roelof. About 30 klicks south of Aberdeen, I stopped where a farm road spills out onto the main road to secure my rainsuit bag which was trying to go AWOL. A farm bakkie emerged, and the driver, who was accompanied by his young son, asked if I was OK. So this is how I met Roelof. Turns out he is a hectic adventure biker who rode his KTM 990 with mates through the Darien Gap in South America. After running a fruit export operation in Pretoria, he is now farming the family farm near Aberdeen in the Karoo. A mere 4k’s from the main road he has self catering farm stay cottages on his farm, and plans to host adventure rides from this venue in the future. Watch this space for details! In fact the town of Aberdeen has plenty to offer, so before just haring through, stop and linger a while.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
Around 40 k’s after Willowmore I took a right to De Rust. This road undulates and curves through some amazing scenery before it makes a T-Junction in De Rust. Turn right and the road leads you through Meiringspoort, with the most spectacular scenery you can imagine!. The road follows the course of the river which over the ages has cut it’s way through the mountain to create this spectacle. Once you exit the Poort it is a short hop to the Prince Albert turnoff, where I was to meet my mates from Montagu. If you have not yet visited Prince Albert, do it! Again, a tidy little Karoo town with lots of history and, nestled at the foot of the Swartberg pass, perfect as a base for Karoo travellers.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
I pulled in to the Lazy Lizard, a funky little eatery that makes a damn fine coffee, on the main street of Prince Albert, to wait the arrival of my bud Cobus, on his 700 TransAlp, together with his sons Eckardt and Krisjan, riding another KLR and a TVS 180 Apache respectively. The tiny TVS, commandeered for the trip from his wife Tersea, is no stranger to the open road, having been ridden down to Montagu from Pretoria a few months back. We had slight reservations about it’s ability to negotiate the somewhat extreme road that we intended riding down Gamkaskloof to Die Hel. I was on my third coffee when the troops arrived. The typical banter of an easy friendship ensued as we planned our assault on Die Hel. We sought out the local camp site, pitched our tents then went shopping for provisions for the next two nights of camping. “Ons gaan nou braai”, was the popular call, so Karoo chops and wors were on the menu, with a stew planned for the next night at our Die Hel campsite. Captain Morgan, the travellers mate, got things off to a great start as the fire burned down to braai ready coals. The sky was clear and the weather warm with the earlier gusty wind having died down. Tents pitched amid the organized chaos of unpacked bikes formed a wonderful backdrop to another memorable “kuier”. The evening drew to a close as we sat chatting and sipping on the now customary, Captain laced, “Renoster” coffee. With the heady anticipation of an epic ride in the offing on the ‘morrow, we snuggled into our sleeping bags for some welcome slumber.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
As is typically the case when camping I rise early, so at first light I showered and started striking camp. One by one the troops too followed suit. We arrived at the town butchery for our meat for our planned stew, topped our fuel tanks then headed out of town. The bottom of Swartberg pass is reminiscent of Meiringspoort before they tarred the road. The road starts to rise onto the pass proper, opening up magnificent vistas. Not even 20 k’s up the pass the turnoff to Die Hel goes off to the right. Two signs at the turnoff help build the excitement. The first reads “Dangerous road for 48 km! Use at own risk”. The sign is covered in stickers put there by fellows who have ridden the road, such as “GPS for Africa” and “GlobeBusters MOTORCYCLE EXPEDITIONS”. Numerous 4×4 clubs have added their logos too. The next sign reads “Gamkaskloof 37 Travelling time two hours”. Slightly confused by the discrepancy in distance between the two signs, which are a 100 metres apart, we rode off. A bunch of guys on adventure bikes were parked under a tree in the shade, waiting for their backup vehicle, having just ascended the pass. We stopped for a chat. Their was a KLR, a couple of airhead GS’s and an 800 GS. After exchanging typical questions about where we were from and where we planned on going, one of the guys said “Oh, you that guy from ZA Bikers, I just read your blog about the Doohickey, now you are on the trip you spoke about!”. Youbetcha!, I’m that guy!. We shared a few war stories, as is the custom amongst adventure bike riders then got on our way. The guys gave a parting glance at the little TVS that had us wondering if we had perhaps brought, in the case of the 180 Apache, a knife to a gunfight.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
Die Hel was so named by an early visitor to Gamkaskloof who exclaimed “die plek is so warm soos die hel!”. [this place is as hot as hell] The name stuck. We planned to complete the ride before the heat of the day really manifested. With the occasional cloud looking like white brush strokes on a blue canvas, the weather was splendid. Speaking of names, “Gamkaskloof, in the language of the Khoisan who named it, means Lion Kloof. I marvelled at a time when lions, in abundance, roamed this land. The descent makes for excellent riding. Loose and rocky in places, open and flowing in others, the road ebbs and flows through fields of proteas in places, with the occasional stream crossing, now reduced to a trickle by drought. Some mountain bikers making the descent became the odd moving chicane as we endeavoured to get past. The more skilled riders match a motorcycle for speed as they strut their stuff down the gnarly dirt track. The final part of the descent gets steep and somewhat rutted with hairpin bends and drop offs. A sign at the foot of the pass announces that you are entering the Swartberg Nature Reserve, Gamkaskloof. You then ride on a few more k’s to a beautiful small valley dotted with the renovated homes of the early settlers. These dwellings can be booked by visitors to Die Hel, or alternatively, like in our case, you can camp.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
I waited for everyone to arrive, with Krisjan on the TVS bringing up the rear scant minutes behind the pukka adventure bikes. He reported that some of the rocky sections had been a bit hairy but that the light weight of the little 180 had allowed him to pick the best line down the road. He was full of praise for the plucky and tough little Indian bike. The TVS once again proved that it is not the size of the bike in the adventure that counts but rather the size of the adventure in the bike!. The Killer bee was huge fun to ride in the dirt. Running down steep inclines against compression allowed minimal use of the brakes, whilst the steep uphills were despatched with torquey tenacity. The adequate suspension travel, 21 inch front wheel and relative light weight make technical sections a bit of a non event.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
It was late morning by now and the heat was building. We sat under the shaded veranda of the shop and quaffed a couple of cold beers and feasted on freshly baked farm bread, cheese and jam. The thatched shop is scattered with items that bear testimony to the history of the valley and the people who made it their home. Only in the early 1960’s did the road get built, finally linking the kloof to the outside world. Prior to that goods were brought into and out of the kloof by donkeys on a bridle path. The nearest town is Calitzdorp, so travel in and out of the valley was no mean feat. To this day there is only one road, the one that we had traversed, in and out of the Gamkaskloof. The shop and its surroundings, consisting of a small swimming pool and some green lawn flanked by a small vineyard, and dotted with the odd restored dwelling is an oasis in the harsh heat and singed landscape. We paid our camp fees, a paltry R50 each and rode a short distance to our campsite. We pitched tents, dispensing with the need for the flysheets as we expected the evening to be both dry and warm, then lay in the shade for a siesta.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
In the late afternoon, wilting in the relentless heat, we went for a swim and a cold shandy. Rejuvenated, we returned to our camp to prepare our evening meal. Cobus and I got our trusty Trangia stoves going and sucked on a mug of red while I prepared our stew consisting of cubed rump steak, butternut, tomato, onion, potatoes and peas in their shells. As the light seeped from the sky and the heat softened to a balmy glow, the delicious aroma of the bubbling stew permeated the air. We shot the breeze for a couple of hours before ladling stew over the rice on our plates and tucking into what, even though I say it myself, was a damn fine chow! The mandatory Renoster coffee put the seal on what had turned out to be a really special day. The next day would see us going our respective ways, with Cobus and his boys meandering back on scenic dirt roads while I had in mind to ride Prince Alfred’s pass from the Langkloof over the mountain, to hit the national road near Keurbooms river, then on to PE.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
Up at 5am we hastily packed up and rode out of our campsite by six. As is often the case, the ascent of Gamkaskloof in the early morning was a blast. The air was still cool and we were blessed with another splendid day albeit with signs of more serious heat in the offing. We gathered at the spot at the top of the pass where we had chatted with the bikers the previous day then rode back onto Swartberg pass. The pass, closed until a year odd back for the repair of storm damage, is in good nick. Cresting the pass and descending into the valley on the Oudtshoorn side is great adventure riding. The surface, whilst rocky in patches, is good and the views spectacular. At the foot of the pass we said our goodbyes and I sped off to meet with my buddy from Sedgefield, Mike, with whom I was to ride Prince Alfred’s pass.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
The ride into Oudtshoorn is amazing. Back on tar, the road sweeps through twisties that beg for full leathers, knee sliders and a Sports weapon. Even the KLR was a blast pitched on its ear through the bends. I met up with Mike at the foot of Outeniqua pass on the Karoo side, where we punished a quick breakfast before riding the N9, and a short piece of route 62, before turning off at the hamlet of Avontuur. Back on the dirt the two KLR’S ran in tandem up and over Prince Alfred’s pass. The guys in the western Cape are seriously blessed with fantastic adventure bike routes. Once again, great views and good dirt roads made for splendid riding. With the day now properly hot we stopped at the well known “Angie’s G Spot” for a cold coke. I had a good chuckle at the welcoming sign at Angie’s which advertises Hot beer, lousy food, bad service, “kak” accommodation – welcome to Angie’s G Spot.
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
Only when you ride these roads do you fully appreciate the devastation wreaked by the fires which have ravished these areas. Charred stumps stand as stark reminders, on blackened hillsides, of the fury of the blaze. Typically I would have continued straight along this road through a section of the magnificent Knysna forest. The fires however, have reduced this area to a blackened wasteland, so we veered off left to eventually meet the N2 just east of Plett. Once again it was time for goodbyes as Mike returned to Sedgefield and I hopped on to the N2 to PE, which I reached by around 3pm after being buffeted for the last 80 k’s by a proper side wind. Welcome to the windy city indeed!
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
After a few days with family it was time to return home, so at 5.15 am on the morning of the 26th, I again hopped on the Killer Bee and in the cool of the morning ran at 5000 rpm’s to Cradock. This equates to around a true 122 kph but interestingly increases the fuel consumption significantly. The KLR had, to this point, running at 4,500 rpm, averaged better than 19 kpl consistently. An extra 500 rpm dropped the consumption closer to 16 kpl, reducing the tank range from 450 k’s to around 350. I rode the more scenic route to Gariep Dam and then to Bloem where I downed a quick milkshake before once more braving what was now consistent 38 degree heat. With a total travelling time of 11 hours and 15 minutes I rolled up to my gate in Pretoria, having smashed a 1100 k ride. The Killer Bee had passed the road trip test with flying colours! Total oil consumption for the just on 3000 k trip was a mere 400 ml. Given the heat and sometimes extreme conditions, that is more than acceptable. The simplicity of this honest motorcycle totally won me over. Even the comfort was a surprise. A reasonably plush seat [for a dualsport bike] and a neutral riding position both contribute to the ability to crack long days in the saddle. A fuel range of at least 350 k’s minimises fuel stops and gives piece of mind. The speeds at which I rode allowed proper sightseeing, as opposed to the typical full speed ahead trap we typically fall into. The standard screen, whilst taking all the blast off my chest, allowed enough air to still bring a degree of cooling on the sweltering parts of the ride.
MY KIT.
I often get asked how I carry my gear when on an extended road trip. On this trip I exclusively used the excellent products produced locally by All Terrain Gear. My tent and camping equipment, being groundsheet, pillow [a super comfortable memory foam “visco elastic” pillow available from XKULCHA], sleeping bag, thermal liner and self inflating mattress all fit into my ATG dry bag which is easily secured to the back seat with its adjustable straps. It forms a great backrest too. My cooking kit goes in my topbox together with an Olympus “ruggedised” camera. A small cooler bag carries the days food and hip flask for “Renosters”. A chamois for visor cleaning lives here too. The rest of my kit, being clothes, tools, puncture repair kit and running shoes go in a set of ATG 20l soft luggage panniers which come with all the straps to secure them properly to the bike. Despite the extreme riding conditions they kept water and dust out and stayed securely in place. The waterproof and dustproof roll top inner bags allow you to remove your kit without having to take the pannier bags themselves off the bike. I was impressed by how nicely they cleaned up post trip after a brushing with a soft brush and soapy water. Highly recommended. [Also available from XKULCHA as well as other selected motorcycle accessory outlets]
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
As for clothing, I protected my feet with my trusty and comfortable Forma Adventure boots. [Available from DMD] Riding pants were my ancient, but still serviceable Fox freestyle motocross pants which have serious cooling vents. I don’t think you can get them any more but XKULCHA Dakar pants have served me well on similar trips in the past. In this heat an airflow jacket is essential, so my trusty Alpinestars airflow was pressed into service. It also gives the peace of mind of good soft armour. For cooler early mornings I pull my Alpinestars Enduro jacket over the airflow as a wind proof shell. It is tough and rugged and suitable for extreme offroad conditions. It is very well vented too. It has no armour so is only suitable as a shell and for some abrasion protection but not for knocks. My helmet is a Bell Adventure helmet which I find extremely comfortable with a visor that seals particularly well. I do however find that it is more wind affected than my Airoh Adv helmet, but about on a par in this regard to my Arai tour X. Gloves are a brand called FIVE-5, and are a mix of tough textile with leather reinforcing in high stress areas and are well ventilated. They have proven to be hard wearing and durable and very comfortable without any bunching in the palm area. Unfortunately I have no idea where I got them. So there you have it guys and gals!
Photo credit: Dave Cilliers
I may have rattled on a bit with this account, but I really tried to recount what an absolute joy it is to ride a motorcycle far and wide across our magnificent land. Maybe you are a strictly tar rider. It doesn’t matter. Get out of town with like minded buds and live a little. You owe it to yourself! Motorcycles offer a unique opportunity to enjoy a real modern day adventure especially given the weather and countryside we have in SA.
From the moment that engine got mounted onto a bicycle to create the first motorcycle, men have tried to make these contraptions go faster. Quite why we have been obsessed with speed, I really don’t know. Ego and testosterone I suppose! As volatile a mix as nitromethane! Two German gents, Hildebrand and Wolfmiller, went one better then old Gottlieb Daimler (credited with building the first ever motorbike in 1888) when they built a 1500 cc liquid cooled twin cylinder bike that managed 25 mph (40kph). Scarily fast when you consider that the brake was a metal bar that dragged on the ground to eventually bring the whole plot to a stop.
www.mecum.com
The Americans really got things going when, in the early 1900’s, Indian, Harley Davidson and Flying Merkel started vying for the bragging rights to building the worlds fastest motorcycle. The Flying Merkel may have provided inspiration for KTM’s of the future as they were painted bright orange and had V-twin engines. In fact V-twins have powered Harleys ever since! The “Indian” was resurrected by Polaris, who added the iconic brand to their range of four wheelers, snow bikes and Victory motorcycles. A brand new Indian Scout was launched at the 2014 Sturgis Rally in the States. Back in the day the Scout made the Indian a household name in America as Indians performance model. It was popular as a “Wall of Death” racer. A popular fairground attraction was watching riders on Indian Scouts blast around a cylindrical wooden drum with centrifugal force pinning them to the vertical walls. That darned testosterone again!
Charlie Ransom rides the 14-foot-high Wall of Death on his Indian Scout. Photo credit: Chris Nelson
Lets get back to the 70’s to explore what was happening to motorcycles in the quest for speed and world records. Drag racing! Racing over a quarter mile from a standing start (Not men dressed as ladies running with their skirts up) Gotcha! The wildest class was known as “Top fuel”. 8 inch M + H slicks, or “gumballs”, mounted on custom built MTC rear wheels, would distort, then spin wildly off the line, desperately scrabbling for traction as nitromethane fuelled engines belched flame from stubby unsilenced exhausts. The rider, stretched out flat on top of his monster, would desperately try to keep the bike straight and “hooked up”, drag racer speak for rear wheel traction. This was made all the more difficult by the accelerative g-force draining the blood from the brain as the roaring, flame belching, tyre spinning beast left a 100 meter black, torque induced, rubber footprint as proof of it’s passing.
Photo credit: www.motorcyclistonline.com
The men that ruled motorcycle drag racing in the early mid seventies were, Joe Smith, T.C Christenson and Russ Collins. Honourable mention must go to Terry Vance, Boris Murray, Danny Johnson, Marion Owens and Sonny Routt. All legends in their time. “How fast did these bikes go through the quarter?” you may ask. Drag racers strive for two numbers. ET, or elapsed time is the absolute measure. How long does it take from when the light on the “Christmas tree” goes green to when the bike breaks the beam at the end of the quarter mile? The second, less important number, but certainly allowing for considerable bragging rights, is the terminal speed. The maximum speed that the bike attained through the quarter mile. In early 1976 the World record ET by a top fuel bike was posted at 7.861 seconds. The highest terminal speed? 182.55 mph.
Photo credit: www.hotrod.com
The venerable Colt sixgun may have ruled at the showdown at the OK Corral, or on the streets of Dodge. We saw different weapons of choice at Ontario, Pomona, Bakersfield, Englishtown, Indianapolis, Fremont, Bowling Green and National Trail in Columbus Ohio. Innocuous names for the venues around the States and Canada that witnessed the tyre shrieking, smoking cacophony of sounds and sights of Top Fuel drag racing!
Photo credit: www.motorcyclistonline.com
Strangely enough the man who consistently allowed Top fuelers to run in the seven’s and eights was a fellow named Marvin Rifohin. “Who the flip was he?” you may ask… Well, Marvin was head honcho at M+H Tire Company. The introduction of six inch and eight inch wide racing skins immediately rendered single engine drag bikes obsolete. At last the huge power of double and even triple engine monsters could be harnessed. Riders could “hook up” that rear gumball and slingshot down the quarter in previously undreamt of elapsed times. Even to this day traction has been the Holy Grail for motorcycle performance in general. In the past it was tyre technology and to a lesser extent, engine design which sought to harness all the available traction. Today these two have been joined by electronic traction control wizardry, but more of that some other time. Lets get back to drag racing, 70’s style.
Photo credit: Pintrest.com
Joe Smith learned his trade with a single engine Harley 74 powered bike. Marvin blew the head off that box and Joe came to the fight with two enormous Harley 74 engines lashed together in tandem! Long, low and lean, the guttural stutter of the beast firing up was a sound you would not easily forget. The gentle potato – potato beat of a stock Harley was amped into a staccato blast of unbridled power. Radical cam timing and hot drag pipes would ignite unburned fuel and flames belched from the short exhausts, what a sensory overload! Aptly dubbed “The Sledgehammer”, there was nothing subtle about Joe Smith’s Harley 74 double.
A familiar sight in the opposing lane that would strike fear into the heart of the opposition was the diminutive T.C. Christenson stretched out on the double engine, John Gregory tuned Norton. This bike went by the wishful, yet prophetic name, “Hogslayer” (for the uninitiated, Harleys have always been known as “Hogs”). The Norton engine bike, with it’s engines of British origin, brought diversity to the start line. Running a mix of 95% nitro, 2,5% propylene oxide and 2,5% methanol through those Norton mills produced sparkling performance. Probably the most consistent of the three bikes featured here, it was testimony to T.C’s brilliance and Gregory’s technical acumen. Joe Smith’s Harley Davidson motors displaced over 3 litres. Hogslayers’ Norton motors were tiny by comparison, running 810cc per engine. despite a wicked state of tune, and standard 1960 Norton Atlas conrods, the Gregory built bike drew from the vast well of knowledge acquired with their earlier single engine Norton drag bike. Consistent and fast, the stuff of which champions are made.
Photocredit: http: www.nortonhogslayer.com
If you think that bikes are impressive, and they are, you will be utterly gobsmacked by the Russ Collin creation! “Atchinson, Topeka and Santa Fe” was the name Russ gave to his three engine Honda four powered bike. Yes Lavergne, you heard right! 3288cc, 12 cylinders, 850 pounds of fuel injected fury, pumping out almost 500 horse power! The Honda was the bike that was the first into the 7’s. 7.861 seconds at Ontario. New elapsed time world record. Can you imagine that spectacle? 400 horse power being dumped into and 8 inch M+H slick with 850 little gravity gremlins trying to give it to the ground. That massive gumball distorting, spinning, smoking as it deposits a strip of rubber on the tar. Accompanied by the shriek of three nitrous fuelled fours building up to an 11,000 rpm crescendo! I told you the 70’s were heady days indeed!
I own a Triumph Street Twin, which I bought back in late 2017. Since buying the bike, I have been gradually customising it to my liking.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
When I first got the bike, I found the suspension to be a bit on the soft side, especially around corners the front-end felt somewhat squishy. So, I took it to Justin Waddington from Shock Logic and he fitted a set of K-tech shocks at the rear, and upgraded the standard front forks with progressive stiffer springs. These modifications really improved the bikes handling.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Annoyingly, Triumph had restricted the 2016 (first generation) Street Twins, and as a result the bike’s power would feel sluggish in the mid-range. I did a ton of research about this online, and I found that they had done this not in the traditional way via the ECU, apparently they had been restricted mechanically via a restricted Camshaft, resulting in a max output of only 47 hp.
The guys on the forums speculated that Triumph did this because a none restricted Street Twin would have similar power to the more expensive T120, and therefore why would a consumer ever buy the T120 at a more expensive price?
Whatever the reason, the 900cc motor on my Street Twin obviously had a lot more to give, so I made it my mission to try and get more performance out of it. Having done more online research, I came across a company in Germany called Classicbike Raisch who had developed a performance Camshaft for the 2016 Triumph Street Twin.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Long story short, I fitted the Camshaft into my bike, along with a BMC Air Filter and a Rapid Bike Easy fuelling module. The results were outstanding! She now has a max output of 62 hp, and the bike now pulls much stronger than before, and delivers way more power in 3rd/4th gear. It has totally changed the characteristics of the bike, and I am really enjoying it so far. An expensive upgrade at approx 15k, but worth every penny.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Please note: for 2019, Triumph has added an extra 10 hp to their standard Street Twins, so the engine modifications that I have done would only be advisable on the first generation models.
In the paint department, I visited Kim from The Air Brush Studio in Pretoria, who did a frikken awesome job. She painted the tank in a dark metallic blue and silver, with gold leaf pinstriping and logo.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The fender and side covers became black with a blue pearl tint that sparkles in the sun. Kim added her personal touches by airbrushing a Union Jack design with Street Twin logo on one of the side covers – it looks Rad!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
I also had some custom leather work done, which included a tank protector/bag and the re-upholstering of my seat. This was done by Dion Korkie (Leather Man D), who is also based in Pretoria; his craftsmanship is incredible, and his prices are very reasonable too – check out his Facebook profile for more information.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Other upgrades included; a new set of Pirelli Scorpion Trail II tyres, Vince and Vines full system high pipe, anodized gunmetal grey gear selector and foot rests, and Triumph laser etched valve caps.
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Because of budgeting reason’s, it has taken me the best part of 2018 to finish my ride to my liking, and up until that point, I had not ventured anywhere outside of Gauteng. So, when I received a newsletter about the 2018 Sabie Bubble Run, I was very keen to go along for the ride, as this trip was going to be the perfect place to mingle with other like-minded Triumph enthusiasts, and for the first time, I would get to ride and experience my bike on some of South Africa’s finest undulating roads.
What is the Sabie Bubble Run?
The Sabie Bubble Run began in 2014 by Joe Fleming, Leroy “Black” Tulip and Marnitz Venter. It was inspired by a few different traditional runs from the United States (The Gypsy Run and El Diablo Run), but was given a South African flavour.
During the inaugural run, the first two days were filled with rain. It was pretty miserable, and their only saving grace during those days was their “Bubble Shields”, and the word “Bubble” stood out to them. So, they decided to call it the Sabie Bubble Run.
Photo credit: Joe Fleming / Bonafide Moto Co.
Simply put, a traditional run is high mileage and low drama. While the modern run is essentially a forty mile coffee run with a lot of bolt on chrome compliments, a traditional run is riding, camping and a hell of a good party. They are geared towards the rider who feels out of place at a “major rally” or anywhere you find an excess of “LIVE TO RIDE” patches.
This years Bubble Run
I have known about the “Sabie Bubble Run” now for a number of years, and I have always wanted to go and experience it for myself. Unfortunately in years gone by, I have always had other commitments but this year I was free. So, I quickly signed up and paid my entry fee of R1 800, and that was that.
Amazingly, for a mere R 1 800, the trip included; accommodation, dinner each night at camp, an endless supply of coffee and beers, plus a few other gift items. Honestly, this is really good value for money, and I cannot figure how they made such a trip of a lifetime so affordable – what a Bargain!
Photo credit: Joe Fleming / Bonafide Moto Co.
Reading the itinerary for the first time made me extremely excited for the trip. A mixture of; stunning scenery, some of SA’s best twisties, Mpumalanga’s finest tourist attractions, waterfalls, lots of coffee stops & pub lunches along the way, and evening chilled camp fire vibes by the Sabie river – it sounded awesome.
Photo credit: Joe Fleming / Bonafide Moto Co.
The Bubble Run is aimed mainly at classic bikes, although there were a few non-classic bikes on this year’s ride. The organisers seem to be very chilled about what bikes are allowed, in-fact on their website it states:
“It does not matter what you ride. So long as you ride.”
Photo credit: Joe Fleming / Bonafide Moto Co.
Packing for the Ride
Planning for any kind of bike trip is exciting, it always starts to build the anticipation weeks before the trip. Especially when considering how to pack everything that I was going to need for a 5 day camping adventure on the back of a Modern Classic motorcycle.
For this particular trip, I decided that I was going to use my OSAH Drypack 40L Duffel bag, because it was fully waterproof and came with X4 tie down straps, that easily attached to my frame (underneath the seat), and tied my bag down into position without any movement – a perfect fit!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Now for the fun part, trying to figure out how to fit everything that I would need for a 5 day camping trip into a 40L bag. Luckily, there was already tents supplied by the organisers (Bonafide Moto Co.), so this was one item that I did not need to worry about.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The first thing that I considered was my sleeping stuff. I pulled out my old self inflating sleeping mat, to find that it had a puncture. I tried to fix it using the repair kit that came with the mat, which was not a great idea as it made a real dogs dinner of the mat, and after all the faffing around, it still did not fix the puncture.. Aaagh!
I then came across a very compact stretcher by a company called All Terrain Gear (ATG), at R2,200. This was a bit more pricey than simply buying another inflatable sleeping mat, but my thinking was that it would last a lifetime and would never get a puncture, so I bought it. I am very happy that I did because it sleeps lekker!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
I took my old sleeping bag along which I fitted into a dry sack, then using some bungee cords, and the very handy D buckles that are cleverly paced on-top of the OSAH bag, I was able to easily secure down my sleeping bag on top of my OSAH bag. Oh, and I also bought a memory foam compact pillow which I bought from Xkulcha which took minimal space in my bag.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Instead of packing a lot of t-shirts, I bought two Under Armour non-iron t-shirts, which I was able to wash at camp each day. Shopping at Outdoor Warehouse, I found small bottles of laundry and body wash, which helped to keep my toiletries downsized. I love the fact that you can pretty much get everything you need in a mini version of sort. When you apply your mind to it, you can really pack allot of essentials into a small space.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
So that was that, everything I needed for my trip packed easily into my bag, and then fitted onto my bike – I was now packed and ready to go!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
My Impressions
The trip was an absolute blast! I really enjoyed riding around the beautiful roads of Mpumalnga, and riding my bike now with the upgrades on these roads was pure motorcycling bliss.
Photo credit: Joe Fleming / Bonafide Moto Co.
The absolute highlight of the trip for me was visiting and swimming at Forest Falls, which is located near Pilgrims Rest – it was totally epic! All the people who attended the ride were really cool and easy to get along with, and it made for a magical experience.
Photo credit: Joe Fleming / Bonafide Moto Co.
The daytime was spent cruising around the Eastern Transvaal region, at a leisurely pace, stopping at pubs along the way and visiting some of the local hotspots.
Photo credit: Joe Fleming / Bonafide Moto Co.
After a long day in the saddle, a quick dip in the pool before winding down for the evening, and then sharing stories of the days ride, whilst enjoying a scrumptious dinner – was a wonderful experience it was.
Photo credit: Joe Fleming / Bonafide Moto Co.
I have to give a shout out to both Richard Harper from Ride Motos Take Photos, and Joe Fleming from So Tall Right Now, as they are masters at taking tracking photos whilst riding on their bikes. I was very impressed with their techniques and skills – Respect!
Photo credit: Joe Fleming / Bonafide Moto Co.
Another memorable occasions for me, was riding Ashleigh’s (from Triumph South Africa) Street Triple, and on the famous 22 road. Oh my soul, what a machine!
What I forgot to mention earlier, is that the itinerary had a RULES section, which explained the do’s and don’ts of the trip – they read:
“We aren’t one for all kind of rules when it comes to the run. Just one simple rule that can be applied to life and will ensure that you’re safe, treat everyone with respect, and have a great time…
DON’T BE A DICK”
When I first read this statement it made me chuckle. However, I had to remind myself of this rule, whilst riding over Long Tom pass and overtaking a few slower riders through some of the bends. It occurred to me that I was actually being a dick, so I retracted back to a slower cruising pace. What seemed like a joke at first is actually a very true and clever statement, and I will always remember it going forward through life’s journey.
Photo credit: Joe Fleming / Bonafide Moto Co.
Overall I really enjoyed the trip, and I will be back on one of Bonafide Moto Co’s adventures again next year – for sure.
Bonafide Moto Co.
Bonafide Moto Co Adventures? I thought this was the Sabie Bubble Run?
Photo credit: Joe Fleming / Bonafide Moto Co.
Since the Bubble Run which started in 2014, Joe and his good friend Alan Shenton created a brand called Bonafide Moto Co. which has now evolved somewhat, and offers throughout the year numerous adventures and rider training events – such as; In Search of Swazi Gold, Adventure to Sani Pass, and One Night In the Dirt. Again, these adventures/training events are mainly aimed at classic bikes, but it seems that anyone is actually welcome, you certainly won’t get frowned upon if you arrive on your KTM, on the contrary these guys make you feel welcome whatever you ride.
Photo credit: Joe Fleming / Bonafide Moto Co.
To keep up to date with all things Bonafide, follow their Facebook & Instagram pages below… #HeresToTheNextAdventure
Adventure motorcycles are all about compromise. Some go for maximum off-road prowess, at the expense of open road comfort, while others prioritise touring over hooning in the dirt. The trick is to make those compromises as small as possible.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
With a stonking 1 215 cc three-cylinder motor, and a dry weight of 248 kg, it’s pretty clear where the Triumph Tiger 1200 XCA sits on that spectrum. But what’ll surprise you, is just how versatile it actually is.
The Tiger XCA is Triumph’s flagship adventure bike, with a spec sheet to match. It makes a respectable 139 hp at 9 350 rpm, and 122 Nm at 7 600 rpm. That’s delivered straight to the back wheel via a drive shaft, with a ride-by-wire throttle, hydraulic torque-assist clutch and six-speed box managing power.
That puts it in the same ballpark as BMW’s new R 1250 GS—but in reality it’s a very different machine. Its in-line three has a characteristic as unique as the Beemer’s boxer mill and makes its numbers higher in the rev range. It really is something else; the way it delivers power—and the sound it makes as the motor climbs through the revs—are downright addictive.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
The Tiger 1200’s chassis is well sorted too. It’s built around the same steel trellis frame that’s become a hallmark of the Tiger range, with an aluminum swing arm encapsulating the final drive. And it’s kitted with WP suspension at both ends; 48 mm forks with 190 mm of travel, and a mono shock out back with 193 mm of travel. It uses Triumph’s proprietary ‘Semi Active Suspension’ system, and is electronically adjustable too.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
The wheels are spoked tubeless numbers—measuring 19” up front and 17” out back. And the brakes are a mix of Brembo and Nissin parts, with twin discs up front and switchable cornering ABS as standard.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
You also get a 20 l fuel tank that’s good for about 300 km between stops, and a seat height that’s adjustable between 835 mm and 850 mm. Bits like the engine guards, bash plate and hand guards are standard equipment. Other fancy bits include a keyless ignition, LED lighting with slick-looking daytime running lights, and an electronically adjustable screen.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
At R254 000 the XCA is a little pricier than the XCX, but that extra change buys some sweet upgrades. The XCA’s headlights feature adaptive cornering tech, and LED spotlights are included too. Heated grips come installed, along with separately heated rider and passenger seats, and chunky off-road foot pegs.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
The XCA also comes with Triumph’s shift assist quick-shifting system, hill hold control, and a titanium and carbon fibre-wrapped Arrow silencer. It’s not the loudest pipe I’ve heard, but it does add a little substance to the Tiger’s soundtrack.
But it’s the sheer amount of useful gadgetry that truly sets the Tiger 1200 apart. Everything is monitored and controlled via a 5” TFT display, and an easy-to-use switch arrangement. From here, you can flick through all the data you’ll ever need, change riding modes, and even customise various settings.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
It’s a pretty intuitive system—for the most part—but I did find one or two settings confusing. For example, you can switch between different speedo and tach layouts—but only if you dive into the menu first to change the default settings. (By default, the different layouts are linked to each riding mode.) My biggest gripe is Triumph’s standard cruise control, which works OK, but has to be canceled by pulling the clutch or brake (rather than via a button).
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
The Tiger 1200 electronic aids include traction control, and six riding modes—two of which are off-road specific, and one of which is a user-specific custom setting. Each mode includes specific suspension settings—but what’s nifty, is that you can easy fine tune the suspension stiffness further, on the fly.
On the road, most of the electronic aids are refreshingly unobtrusive. Settings feel subtle rather than drastic—and that’s a good thing. Triumph’s ride-by-wire and fuel injection systems are at the top of their game too, and the Tiger 1200’s throttle is direct and predictable.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
That rev-happy triple really is a gem—firing the Tiger off the mark and out of corners with at even the slightest encouragement. It spools up quick too, moving you through the six speed box rapidly. Triumph’s shift assist works well enough, even if it does take a solid foot to shift up—and the hydraulic clutch is feather light when it’s needed.
Honestly, I expected the Triumph to be punchy. But what I didn’t expect, was just how nimble it is, especially for a litre-plus dual sport. Hustling it through corners is oodles of fun and less work than you’d think. Even in heavy traffic, the big Tiger is easier to squeeze between pesky cars than you’d imagine.
That nimbleness translates to a surprising level of off-road capability too. Even though my test unit was fitted with extremely road-biased dual-sport rubber, I had no problem traversing gravel and farm roads aboard the Tiger. So I pushed it harder—tackling loose stretches of steep ‘twee-spoor’ too.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
Granted, I didn’t take it through sand dunes, or on a pukka enduro course—and I wouldn’t want to either. But for general purpose adventure riding, the Tiger 1200 is hella good.
That’s partly down to its two off-road riding modes, which blend various levels of ABS and traction control interference. Switch it to ‘Off-Road,’ and it’s very forgiving; flick to ‘Off-Road Pro,’ and suddenly the back wheel’s snaking around and putting a huge grin on your face. (It’s just a pity that you can only switch between the road and off-road modes when the bike is stationary).
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
But it’s also the Tiger’s ergonomics that make it such a usable motorcycle. The rider triangle—and the amount of padding on the seat—are all-day-comfortable. And even though the screen’s a touch too low at its highest setting for my 1,86 m frame, it should hit the sweet spot for most riders.
Get up out of the saddle, and it’s immediately clear just how switched on Triumph were when they designed the Tiger’s layout. The fuel tank’s perfectly sculpted to be narrow between your knees, making it easier to move your body—and the bike—around, when you’re negotiating tricky terrain.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
It’s considerations like these that make the Tiger 1200 so appealing. I used it in town, in traffic, on twisties, out on the open road, and off the beaten track—and it never felt outgunned. And with plenty space for luggage, it left me itching to pack a bag and kick up dust clouds for a few days.
I get it horribly wrong as I brake-slide into a tight left hander, attempting to bush-up on my rusty enduro bike skills. It is the first outing on my trusty KTM200XC-W in more than a year. My two wheeled companion high-sided me and I get that weightless feeling as I fly through the air like Superman…. Off course, my landing was less graceful than that of the superhero on the silver screen. I am heavily winded from landing on my right shoulder and thereafter flat on my back. I lie there for a few seconds before even attempting to get up. “Why do I keep doing this?”, I ask myself while shaking my head. I can only laugh as I try and regain my composure before the arrival of my riding buddy.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Yet there was something funny and almost out of place in this scenario. I have donned myself with the latest Acerbis adventure bike jacket and pants. Some might argue that this is not the appropriate gear for where I find myself deep in the woods on a very technical enduro bike trail. I agree wholeheartedly!
But there is method to my madness…. I am here to test and review this new addition to the world of adventure riding gear. This is what I call the torture test. Slow technical riding in hostile bush and thorn trees, with virtually no breeze to cool me down in a warm, humid setting. This often comes with the territory, so to speak. “Africa is not for sissies” is how the saying goes.
Photo credit: Rob Till
Most adventure bike owners also own what we call a “plastic bike”. This is something in line with what I was riding in the opening paragraph. Something that resembles the likes of your favourite motocross, enduro or trials bike brand. Acerbis is best known for supplying OEM and aftermarket body plastics for these small, lightweight specimens at affordable prices. For a few hundred rand, thanks to companies like Acerbis, you can buy a plastic, bolt-on body kit that will make your enduro or motocross bike look brand new again. That is the beauty of plastic bike riding, as it is certainly easier on the bike than the rider.
Back to the riding gear. Upon my visit to Adrian Bac, well known and likeable chief in charge at AMP distributors, I was very surprised to learn that Acerbis also make adventure bike riding gear. Adrian himself is deeply rooted in the world of motocross and adventure biking. He keeps himself close to the action on weekends, supporting his son who participates in motocross on a national level. Whenever Adrian gets a break, he boards his Yamaha XT1200Z for the other passion in his life, adventure biking. He has been using this same Acerbis outfit for quite a while now and was very excited to get me to share in the experience. I was a little reluctant, to be honest.
Photo credit: Rob Till
The time came for me to see this adventure wear up close and in person. As we tried for size, it soon became apparent that I underestimated the Italians! The fit is perfect for my body size and type. Perhaps I have Italian blood somewhere in my past! I soon remembered that the Italians are renowned for fashion, style, art and beauty. This is what they do, to be frank!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The attention to detail is typical Italian. Fine, meticulous stitching and well shaped inlays personify this suit. A well laid out ventilation system forms the central theme from the front 4 openings, all the way to the two exhaust slots at the rear, facilitating good flow-through of cool, fresh air. I certainly found this adequate in the conditions encountered as described in the opening paragraph.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Furthermore, the four front pockets are well placed for easy reach. The left hand vertical opening is ideal for my smartphone, while the horizontal opening on the right is ideal for securing my wallet and other documents of consequence.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The two bottom pockets are very roomy, but I seldom use these, as I do not want my adventure suit to become too heavy. I would much rather stow other items in my top box or panniers. The winning pocket for me, is the transparent left hand sleeve pocket, it’s ideal for storing a garage card or cash, and gives you quick and easy access at the famed toll gates, which we so often encounter on our motorways.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
At the rear is the famed bum bag for stowing the included thermal and waterproof inner. Once again, pockets that I seldom use for similar reasons.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The back also sports a pocket for a water bladder, with comfortable, easy to reach channeling for the feeding pipe on more challenging rides.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The advantage to this is that you no longer have to carry a separate backpack to facilitate the water bladder. This is a feature offered on a wide range of adventure jackets nowadays.
Adventure Pants
The matching pants, sold as a separate item, also sport vertical ventilation slots and two “secret pockets”, as I call them. This I mostly used for carrying my cash with me. An obvious oversight on part of the pants, is that the pipes are not roomy enough to fit over most adventure boots. I was fortunate to pull them over my adventure touring boots, but would certainly not have been able to fit them over my more rugged plastic motocross boots. This leaves most with only the option to tuck them into their boots, negating the waterproof capabilities offered by the included waterproof liner. Who likes wet boots??
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Funny that, as the rest of the suit is very well presented and practical to use. The waist adjustment belt is nicely tucked away and fairly easy to use once you get the hang of it, although the one fastener did rip out of the pants main body due to sparse stitching, it could also be my middle age bulge putting too much pressure on the waist tackle, off course. Other than these complaints, the pants are comfortable and cool on the body.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Carbon G3.0 Gloves
Adrian was also kind enough to give me the above mentioned gloves to test. These were certainly very impressive. This is a light, easy-on glove with good knuckle protection and more than adequate hand protection for low to medium speed adventures. They will not be suitable for high speed crashes, as this is not what they were designed to do. These gloves offer excellent feel on the grips and all important controls, which will certainly afford you less mistakes in technical riding.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
They are the closest thing to riding with bare hands, which suits my style of riding to the tee! The fore fingers on both gloves, have a silicone outer patch that offer even better grip on the levers in wet conditions. Nice touch! I can certainly recommend these gloves, bearing in mind that they were not designed with weather and high speed protection in mind. Time will tell how durable they are, yet so far, so good!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Conclusion
At the time of writing this conclusion, I have been on many adventures wearing this suit as described. I have yet to experience extreme cold and wet conditions wearing these, but for everything in between, I found this to be my suit of choice at this present time. The jacket retails for R 5200, the pants for R 3000 and the gloves for R 1100.
Photo credit: Rob Till
The pricing is spot-on, offering good value for money, in my personal view. The outstanding theme in this article, is the comfort levels and how good the suit makes you look. The cut has been well defined and is tasteful on the eye. After all, who does not want to look cool while practising the coolest lifestyle…..?
Here’s something that would top any three-year-old’s Xmas list: a wee little wooden balance bike, styled to mimic a full-size café racer. Sure, these pint-size two-wheelers don’t have motors—but if they don’t put a smile on your dial, you might want to check your pulse.
They’re the work of Johann de Wet, who builds them under the label ‘Lawless Bikes.’ Johann’s not a carpenter though—he’s actually a business intelligence consultant based in Paarl, and Lawless is just an after-hours creative outlet.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
Johann fell in love with café racers six years ago, when he stumbled upon a custom 1976 BMW R75 online. Then, this time last year, he had an idea…
“It was December vacation and I was on a woodwork high after a table and chairs project for my two daughter’s rooms,” he tells us. “Somehow, between browsing motorcycles and woodwork pics, some motorcycle-inspired balance bike pics popped up.”
“I had a few days of vacation left and some wood from the aforementioned project, so I decided to take a stab at building one for my daughters. It came out pretty well, so I went on to build a second bike, inspired by the BMW model which started it all.”
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
“That one in particular drew enough attention from a few friends and colleagues, who asked me to build some for them a well.”
Since that first attempt, Johann reckons he’s built about 10 Lawless balance bikes. “I only really build on order,” he says, “and also have to juggle it with a full time job and being a dad and husband, so time is limited. The range of customers has been interesting though…from kids to art galleries, and everything in between.”
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
Each Lawless build is based on one of two templates that Johann’s designed: a classic BMW boxer, and a Triumph modern classic. (He’s also in the process of figuring out a third, Harley-Davidson-inspired design.) There’s room for customisation too; one of the bikes shown here is styled as a café racer, and the other a scrambler. And Johann’s even built a bike to match a client’s custom-built Triumph Bonneville before.
Each build starts out as a stack of Bitch plywood sections, CNC-cut by Cam Craft in Salt River, according to Johann’s CAD drawings. “The first five bikes were cut by hand using a jigsaw,” says Johann, “which was very labour intensive and time consuming, and the quality was inconsistent. I then downloaded a CAD program and went about capturing the designs on there.”
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
Once Johann’s assembled the parts by hand, there’s still a surprising amount of work left. That includes sanding and treating the wood, cutting the bolts to their ideal lengths, and carefully spray painting bits that need colour.
Despite their size, Lawless bikes are loaded with thoughtful details. The distinct shapes of the BMW boxer and Triumph parallel twin motors are instantly recognisable, and Johann even builds ‘exhausts’ for the bikes. There are more subtle touches too; check out the sculpted fuel tanks, the ‘fork boots’ and the baby Triumph’s side panels.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
The Triumph also wears a café racer-style tail section, with low slung handlebars. And the scrambler-styled BMW has straight up bars, knobbly tyres and a bench seat. The seat’s covered in genuine leather too, courtesy of Kingdom Upholsterers in Paarl.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
The wheels, tires and grips are all standard kiddie bike parts, but Johann trims to grips to get the proportions right. His bikes even have faux headlights. They’re made from the lids of a particular set of coffee and tea cannisters, with laser-cut perspex lenses.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
Each bike’s finished off with a tank badge, bearing the Lawless Bikes logo. The bikes shown here feature the logos of their respective marques, but Johann usually only does this on his personal bikes, to avoid legal hassles.
Naturally, every Lawless bike rolls and turns too—but Johann officially markets them as display pieces rather than balance bikes. “Aside from my own daughters using them, I have not done any rigorous testing,” he explains.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
“Most bikes I’ve built have been for display purposes, so there is still very little feedback in the way of kids using them. I tend to alter the design slightly with each iteration in an attempt to improve it—but until a three-year-old has owned one I will not know what their true limits are.”
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
Any toddler lucky enough to be picked as a test pilot, is sure to be the envy of his pre-school classmates…and a few adults too!
Travelling for extended periods by motorcycle presents one with some logistical challenges, especially when you need to carry a fair amount of stuff. “Credit Card” travel is popular in places like Europe and the USA where you can hop on your bike with minimal kit and have plenty of overnight options which simply require swiping your credit card. Travel in “the Colonies” is more of a challenge. Adventure biking often takes us off the beaten track where infrastructure is either minimal or totally non existent. We need to carry some essentials along with us. Tent, cooking stuff, tools and clothing all need to be stashed securely, especially when our route may deteriorate into a real goat track. To keep the weight of your kit as low as possible, panniers are your best bet. Mass centralisation is a modern buzz term meaning keeping the weight of your bike as low and “central” as possible. This prevents the bike feeling top heavy and wanting to topple over without much provocation. Picking the bike up after capsizing is also much easier if the weight is low.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Panniers are either “hard” cases, typically mounted to either side of the bike, or soft luggage, a modern version of saddle bags used for ages to stash provisions on horses. Which system is better? Like with so many things relating to motorcycling, each has pros and cons. Hard cases are securely mounted, don’t move around and are easy to pack and lock. This is a serious consideration when your bike is parked unattended. Especially when travelling through poor countries with many opportunistic thieves. Negatives of hard cases are weight, vulnerability to damage in a spill and how they encourage you to “fill that space”. You tend to take stuff that is not essential to your trip, simply ‘cause you have the space!. If your travels take you over rough terrain there is another major consideration. Let me quote a passage from Ted Simon’s book, “Dreaming of Jupiter”, the account of his second round the world trip, to illustrate. “I am already out of sight of the junction and halfway through the second patch of mud when I lose it, but this time my right foot is stuck in the glutinous clay, and the forward motion of the bike drags it under the alloy pannier before I fall. It’s very bad. For the first time in my life I hear the loud snap of a bone breaking. Then I’m on my side with the full weight of the bike pressing down on my foot”.
For me, the solution is to use my hard luggage for tar and dirt highway travel, but if there is any serious off road riding to be done, I opt for soft luggage. Enter ATG’s soft pannier system. The bags are rectangular in shape with a firm plastic back and bottom to allow them to keep their shape to facilitate packing. The broad band of material which throws over the passenger seat is velcro equipped, allowing you to adjust to the width of your bike. Pannier brackets are required to keep the bags out of the back wheel, as well as to secure them to the bike. The bags are equipped with “D” rings at each corner to help tying them down. A lot of thought has gone into the design and how to secure them to just about any bike. The instructions which come with the bags has cleverly colour coded the various straps, to act as a guide as to how to use them.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The bulk of the weight is carried by the broad velcro top strap, supported by two adjustable straps which straddle the seat and clip to each bag providing additional support. Another adjustable narrower strap fits through the bottom “D” rings and right around the bottom of the bags to hold them against the bike, and preventing them from splaying outwards. Four additional loop and velcro equipped straps allow additional fine tuning to secure the bags totally for complete peace of mind no matter where or how you ride.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The bags themselves are made from a heavy duty, wear and abrasion resistant cordura. Each bag has a roll top inner water proof bag with it’s own carry harness. This means that you can leave the bags secured to the bike and simply remove the inners filled with your kit, free from dust or rain. The bags have a velcro secured roll top with a clip on each side to close snugly and keep dust out. The roll top allows you to keep the bag snug irrespective of how full it is. Each bag has a recommended weight limit of 11Kg’s. That allows you to stash a lot if kit!. The bags are strategically reinforced with strapping to protect against abrasion and to add to their general strength and ruggedness. Reflective flashes are sewn across the back of each bag to enhance visibility.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The bags fit best and ride most securely when fully loaded, with the weight providing stability. Your heaviest items should go at the bottom of the bags, with items you may need to access, such as rain suit or fleece, at the top. With these bags fully packed and an ATG waterproof carry bag secured across the back seat, you are sorted for really extended travel on any kind of road, in any kind of weather. The quality of materials and workmanship is excellent and on a par with the best similar products, such as Enduristan, from anywhere in the world.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Let Ted Simon, now halfway around the world in Australia, have the final say. “When we got back to Dave’s place I made a momentous decision. I took off the big metal boxes and put on some canvas bags that a friend of Dave’s had designed. I had two good reasons. First, I thought it would be almost impossible for Malu [his partner] to sit comfortably on the bike with those boxes there, because they were too long. Just as important though was my desire to lighten up. I felt that I had never really given the bike a chance with all this weigh on it. Andy White’s bags were clever and convincing, and I went for them. I sent the boxes back to England, and I never regretted it”.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Get yourself a set of ATG soft luggage, also clever and convincing, if you have an epic adventure in mind. You too, will never regret it.
Thank heavens corporate South Africa seems to be seeing the light at last. One of the absolute worst carry overs from the colonial era is the suit and tie culture. British explorers traversed the African continent wearing suits and ties and pith helmets. There was no way you could “go native” and dispense with the silk snake that was strangling you. Take off your jacket? Never! You sweated up a storm on your stiff upper lip. For some inexplicable reason the locals started to emulate the European dress code. Before you think that we are the only “doff” fellows, consider the Indians. Many of them did the same thing. Thanks to dudes like Bill Gates and many of the other Tech wizkids it became cool to pitch for work in jeans, tackies and T shirts. Slowly but surely it dawned on us that the old waistcoat, jacket and tie could be put out to pasture and we started to dress in a manner befitting our hot African climate.
Unfortunately we still see the odd brain donor riding his bike in shorts and flip flops. You only have to have one off to realise that tar and skin don’t gel. Tar always wins! Jeans or chinos offer only marginally more protection. Thanks to the savvy and stylish guys at proudly South African company XKULCHA, we can now ride our bikes “smart casual” and not go unprotected. With the latest addition to their Klassic range we can now look so smooth that we can almost slide uphill without falling off of our scooters! Previously only available in black denim, we now have a chino type material, also in black, which looks really smart, and would not look out of place in any boardroom.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The cut is similar to the jeans, but without any loud branding. Protection is provided by hip pads as well as dense foam knee inserts, neither of which are visible or detract from the classy appearance of the garment. Comfort in hot weather is aided by the cotton lining. Sizing is a doddle, with various leg lengths available. My only criticism remains the knee inserts which, when seated on the bike ride up too high. The thigh is well protected but the patella is only just covered. I would like to see the whole panel move down by 4 or 5 centimetres. I can only comment on the long leg garment. It may not apply to you more vertically challenged dudes with shorter pins.
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So there you have it. Really smart black denims or chinos in that classic cut for when you need to “dress up” a tad. As with all XKULCHA products you can have them repaired, or replaced if necessary, for free if you do land on your butt. No more excuses to not wear all the kit all the time, beauty is you don’t have to look like a biker “heavy” while doing business. Stylish, smart and tough, they are a steal at a little over two grand.
Done the what? Is that some kind of dance? Like first cousin to the Macarena, perhaps? No dudes, it is just KLR speak. Kawasaki’s venerable KLR 650 has been around, in various forms, for almost 40 years. Actually incredible that you can buy a bike that has been made, without many changes, for this length of time. The other interesting thing is that the KLR is not really good at any one thing, yet it has enjoyed huge popularity wherever it has been sold. Google any epic ride around the world, be it a Round the World trip or traversing the Great Alaskan Highway, and I will bet that a KLR has done it. So to what can we ascribe the KLR’s success? In essence, simplicity, practicality, reliability and fantastic value for money.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Current KLR’s have been upgraded to the point that they must be close to the most reliable bike on the planet. The bike sports a fairing and screen that allows comfortable cruising at the legal limit. It also has a decently sized tank, upwards of 22 litres. Allied to reasonable consumption you have a good range of around 440 k’s or more, depending on cruising speed and conditions. The seat is good, by dual sport standards. It is also endowed with a sturdy rack incorporating a tool kit. The frame is steel, and able to mount panniers without buckling, like alloy framed dual sports. The motor is a water-cooled single, with twin cams, in a mild state of tune. The gearbox is a 5 speeder.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Oh, the Doohickey!, I’m sure you are chomping on the bit to know what that is. It is the tensioner mechanism on the balancer shaft chain. In early years this was prone to failure. If your bike started vibrating significantly it was a sure sign that your “doohickey” had come apart. If you were unlucky the bits would get into, and often trash your motor. Kawasaki eventually upgraded the tensioner around 2009. Most KLR aficionados will tell you that you should still do the aftermarket mod, ‘cause the Kawi mod was a bit iffy. So now you know. Get your Doohickey done!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
In the final form of KLR that came to SA, the bikes were pretty sorted. Firmer suspension, thicker spokes and upgraded alternator to power accessories, it was all there. So, whilst the KLR is good at nothing, it is quite decent at damn near everything. I love it’s old world simplicity. Turn the key, rotate the handlebar mounted choke lever, give a whiff of throttle and the KLR leaps into life. Back off the choke to a fast idle and by the time you have donned helmet and gloves, you are ready to roll. Oh yes, turn the tank petcock to “open”.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Right off idle you have torque. Some of the forums I have read reckon that the KLR will rotate the earth before it stalls in first gear. Although heavy for a dual sport, when compared to a Honda XR 650L or a Suzuki DR 650, the kawi is a much better touring ride. Both the other bikes are better off-road, but have no wind protection, small tanks and racks for seats. The Honda also vibrates like a demon at highway speed. The Kawi might not dance off-road, but it will always get you there in it’s reliable workmanlike way.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The KLR has been around for such a long time that you can get any accessory that you can ever want, or think of. Despite upgraded piston rings, also around 2009, the bikes tend to use oil if revved over 5000 rpm for long periods. I suspect that the crankcase breather can’t quite cope at high revs, so it tends to build crankcase pressure and blow oil out of the breather and into the airbox, from where it is sucked back into the motor and burnt. This is not uncommon amongst big singles and twins. With a 16 tooth front sprocket installed, the Kawi runs at just over the legal limit at 5000 revs. At this speed, you get around 22K/litre.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Happy days. The motor is smooth and happy at this speed, and runs up the steepest of hills in top gear without bother or shedding any speed. You kind of get a serendipitous feeling as you thump along, just knowing that all is really well with your KLR. It is probably similar to the feeling that Toyota Landcruiser owners get when they are overlanding. The pleasure of knowing that you can take the reliability of your wheels for granted, so just bring on the adventure. The less electronic features your bike has the better.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Let me give you an example of electronics gone wrong. Traction control works by two wheel-speed sensors, feeding front and rear wheel rotation data to the engine management computer. Should your back wheel rotation speed exceed that of the front wheel by a certain margin, the computer assumes the back wheel is spinning up. It cuts the power to your back wheel to equalise things again. All good. Until, for example your front wheel sensor stops working. The computer assumes the back wheel is spinning out of control and, yes, you guessed right, cuts the power. A mechanical error message appears on your dash, telling you, according to your handbook, to take your bike to the dealer to run a diagnostics programme.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Problem is, you may be on the road of bones in Mongolia when your pride and joy says, “Houston, you have a problem”. Fact is, in essence, there is nothing wrong with your bike! But, and here is the thing, you don’t know that. You see yourself stranded in the wilderness, and promptly curry your rods! See why I want to do my next really “wild ride” on a KLR?. Every fancy electronic gizmo on your bike, that looks so good on the spec sheet, could become an unsolvable ball ache, when you are stuck in the back of beyond. Just ask the guys who’s bikes stopped reading their “keyless entry” fobs when they were far from home. Or near to home, for that matter!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Ultimately we will have to just don our big boy pants and tough it out. Fact is, the industry will keep playing with things that aren’t broke, trying to fix them. In the meantime I am just going to enjoy my KLR, thanking the gods of things mechanical, rather than electronic, that my Doohickey is fixed!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
On the 18th of December the KLR and I are cruising to Nieu Bethesda, overnighting there, then on to Prince Albert, where i am meeting a couple of mates. Together we will traverse the rugged and magnificent Swartberg Pass, then wind our way down Gamkaskloof to Die Hel. Then i will simply go where the fancy takes me and my trusty KLR. Can’t wait! Tell you all about it in the new year.
Back in April, I tested extensively the Z900 RS (Kawasaki Z900 RS – The legend Returns!), and every since then I have been keen to ride their “Cafe” version, to see how they compare.
Kawasaki distinguish between this and their regular Z900 RS by adding “Cafe” to the name. Many would suggest that this is therefore the Cafe Racer version of the two Z900 RS’s. Reasonable assumption considering the original bikes that gave rise to the name. Back in the sixties and seventies bikes were generally naked, that is unfaired. Ducati’s legendary SS models, both in 750 and 900 form came standard with half fairings, as did Moto Guzzi’s 850 Le Mans, which sported an abbreviated handlebar fairing of sorts.
Photo credit: www.motorcyclespecs.co.za
Clones of these fairings started to find their way onto modified naked bikes to make them look and ride sportier. Touring bikes had big barn door type fairings which may have kept the wind off, but looked friggin’ awful.
To achieve more of a “racer” look, you would replace the cowhorn standard bars, with which bikes of the day were equipped, in favour of clip ons, or what were known as “Clubmans”. These had their origin in guys who would modify their bikes to go Clubmans racing, and limited by a tight budget, would sometimes just invert their standard bars, which would get your torso into a more wind cheating position. Slowly but surely the custom crafters started refining these bars into narrower, more comfortable ones. Hey Presto! Clubman bars were born.
Photo credit: www.lossaengineering.com
What Kawasaki have done with the Cafe version is exactly what we did with our Z1’s back in the early 70’s. They have changed the bars to a set of Clubmans, and fitted a handlebar fairing. The fairing is really period correct. Almost every handlebar fairing cloned in the seventies was a replica of the neat and effective unit which came standard on the BMW R100 S. The fairing fitted to the Cafe Z900 RS is a dead ringer of the original Bee Em chap. What it does for the Z900 RS is really take the looks to another level. Painted in Kawasaki’s hallmark green, the bike sports a white stripe that starts above the headlight and broadens as it sweeps down the fairing, continues across the tank and side covers and onto the tail piece where it shrinks in width once more.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The stripe gives the bike a sort of Dodge Viper kickass attitude, which increases it’s allure even more. Wheels are a slightly different design to the naked RS, and are finished in black with a green pinstripe which looks superb.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Some suggest that this bike harks back to handlebar faired Kawasaki’s like the Eddie Lawson Replicas and ZXR’s. I beg to differ. This is Z1, modified ‘70’s style, through and through.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The rest of the Café is pretty much left as is, and given what a cracker the standard Z900 RS is, that’s a good thing. Visually the only other change is a satin finish on the pipes as opposed to the shiny chrome of the standard bike.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Looks stunning overall, a real head turner wherever you go. The seat has a sort of single drag bike look. Kawasaki have dished the front slightly more with a taller tail bone section. Looks and works just fine. So, how does she ride?
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The bars place you just a smidgen further forward and lower, without creating any neck or wrist discomfort. It almost feels more natural, given the slightly rear set foot pegs with which the Z900 is fitted.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The bars don’t look great, I think Kawasaki could have made them look more “trick”, but they are nicely positioned, and fall naturally to hand. I love the fact that they are black, also practical in that they don’t reflect sunlight into your eyes.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The slightly more aggressive riding position, paired with the reduced wind blast thanks to the fairing, makes the bike a lot more pleasant to ride at speed. You willingly indulge in the type of tomfoolery that the torquey, turbine smooth motor and responsive chassis encourages.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Riding the bike far and wide over the course of a 1500k weekend reinforced what a great all rounder this Café is. Droning down the freeway, tearing through the twisties or simply styling in Clarens, the Café takes it all in it’s capable stride. It is comfortable for rider and passenger, plush enough for our less than perfect roads, and fast enough to keep you entertained.
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To cap it all it oozes old world cool, yet is practical enough to be an everyday ride. Read my comprehensive test on the standard Z900 RS for detail that I don’t want to regurgitate here, but know that for me, the Café makes an already superb bike even better! For a small price premium you get an even more functional and handsome bike that will give you years of reliable and enjoyable riding. Fans of the Green Meanie brand have never had it so good!
I recently had the opportunity to ride the Crosby 400 Adventure brought into SA by V-Custom Cycles in Centurion. This recent addition to the Crosby range is most interesting, in that it ticks a much needed box. The beauty, to me, is the simplicity of this bike. The motor is the familiar 397cc air cooled single that powers the Crosby range.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The single overhead cam 4 valve unit generates 27 Hp @ 7000 rpm and 35 Nm of torque @ 5500 rpm. Not heady numbers by any means, but enough to deliver satisfying performance for the intended purpose of the bike. Electric start and fuel injection makes firing up the Crosby a doddle.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Visually the Adventure looks the part. A 90/90 x 21 inch, Kenda shod front wheel hints at off road capability, with a 130/80 x 18 rear giving a wide variety of off road tyre choices.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Suspension is by way of 43 mm front forks with preload, compression and rebound adjustability. The forks felt reasonably dialled in, with a firm yet controlled ride, so I did not experiment with the adjustments due to limited time with the bike.
The rear shock is a mono unit adjustable for rebound and preload.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Brakes are discs, with a 280mm front and 220mm rear. Whilst not overly powerful, they are well suited to off road use and a big improvement on the units fitted to the road Crosby I sampled a while back.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The seat height is a tallish 880 mm, but, allied to a dry weight of only 151 kg’s, doesn’t present problems to most riders. The motor exhibits decent torque low down, so low speed manoeuvres and pulling off from rest is made pretty easy.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The bike feels relaxed at around 110 kph, and will cruise at 120 if needs be. The seat is firm but quite nicely shaped. Really long tours may well require a gel seat pad. The bike comes standard with BMW lookalike panniers.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The locks feel a trifle stiff, but can probably be adjusted to operate more smoothly, the panniers swallow a fair amount of kit, and together with a stuff bag would accommodate your kit for an extended trip. The panniers are not waterproof, so one needs to use waterproof inner bags.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The Crosby 400 Adventure brings a really feasible simple option to the Adventure bike space. Many riders are embracing touring on smaller more manageable bikes with proper off road ability. Also bikes that don’t break the budget to buy and run. The Crosby is spot on. The tank, together with decent fuel economy allows a decent range. I would like to do an extended tar cum dirt adventure ride on this bike to really put it through it’s full paces, but what I can tell you is that my initial impressions are promising.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
At a price point of R69 000 (including fitted panniers), the Crosby is a lot of bike for the money. You could just pack it and depart on your adventure.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The screen works really well to keep the windblast off, and the clocks are a combination of analogue and digital giving you all the info such as fuel levels, trip meters that you need.
As with the road only Crosby, the general fit and finish, whilst acceptable, is not up to what you would get from a bike out of Japan. On the other hand you don’t have to pay a premium for it though. Right now, especially considering the spend, there is nothing out there that offers what the Crosby 400 Adventure does. The last option of a dirt worthy, simple bike with proper adventure credentials died with the venerable Kawasaki KLR. The Crosby may just fill that gap.
The idea to do a long term review of the Sport Glide started early in the year when I first laid eyes on it during the Ride, Ride, Slide event hosted by The Motor Company in Croatia. We where there to ride the Street and Tour Glides, as well as new Sportster models. Doing duty as a backup bike for the support crew was a maroon Sport Glide. From the moment I saw it I felt that it was the most perfectly proportioned Harley I had ever seen! The more I studied it, the more the practical aspects of the bike emerged. Harleys, in the past, have tended to be long on form and short on function. People buy them because of how they look and feel, and perhaps how they make their riders feel, too. In fact, this is such strong motivation amongst the old Harley faithful that it is, for them, almost blasphemous for H–D to tamper with the mould.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
I overheard a well known, long term Harley rider, talking to a group of buddies at a Harley gathering recently. Whilst he conceded that the new Milwaukee-Eight motors where great, “they no longer feel, or sound”, like old school Harleys. Wow! How dyed in the wool can you get? From my perspective as a lover of two wheeled vehicles generally, and having owned at one point a H–D Sportster 1200 Custom, the improved function part of the form versus function equation makes total and complete sense. The latest Harleys are simply vastly better motorcycles. Period! What it does illustrate however, is what a blessing, [and curse] a strong brand identity can be. Sometimes you are damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Lets take a proper look at the Sport Glide then, shall we? The bike has the typical, low slung Harley look. The front end sports the most beautifully sculpted handlebar fairing. Small and neat, it is big enough to be functional, as, like on most Harleys, you sit low in the bike. The bars are not overly wide and fall naturally to hand. The tank is the absolutely classic H–D profile and takes a decent 18,9 litres of gas. A slim sculpted double seat riding onto a bobbed rear fender completes the perfect profile. Two “bagger” styled panniers enclose the back wheel. Like baby bears porridge, they are neither too big, nor too small, but “just right”. The rear indicators double as stoplights, and, like the headlight are LED’s. Try as I might I cannot fault the classic looks of this bike. There is nothing I would want to change.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The wheels are what Harley call their “Mantis” design, and with a 130/70×18 up front, and a 180/70×16 rear are another stunning contributor to the overall looks of the bike. Thankfully the wheels are also sized to complement the handling characteristics of the bike. OK, so I know i’m gushing, but see for yourself, will you?.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Central to the looks is the black and silver accented 107cu i Milwaukee – Eight V-Twin engine. That is 1745cc in metric speak. Whilst the 80 odd horses it pumps out [the Motor Company doesn’t quote HP figures, but Cycle World ran it on a dyno] may not sound too impressive, however Harleys have always been about torque and real world power. Fully fuelled, the bike is for a H-D, quite trim at 317 kg’s. The 145 Nm of torque @ 3250 rpm, punts the bike along very nicely. The 6 speed gearbox has that authentic, hewn from steel, American feel. Shifts are precise but solid. Final drive is by the now a familiar industrial strength belt. The bike is braked by a single disc, chomped by a 4-piston calliper up front, and a 2-piston calliper at the rear. Brake action, whilst not in the Superbike league, is adequate and reassuring. ABS is, as is the modern norm, standard.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Instrumentation is via a tank mounted circular speedo with a digital window showing trip distance, RPM, fuel range, fuel level etc, everything is accessed via a simple button on the left handle bar switchgear. Also nestled on the same side is a cruise control button. Magic! Starting is by way of the now familiar H-D key fob keyless system. Put the “kill” switch in the “on” position, and the beast comes to life. Hit the starter button, and you are in business. Everything about the bike reeks simplicity, like God intended!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
It was this inherent simplicity, allied to the stunning looks and all round practicality of the Sport Glide package that got me thinking. The fact is that we are living in an increasingly sterile world. Almost everything that used to be fun, is either now no longer politically correct, infringing on someone’s questionable human right, or just generally frowned upon. Enter motorcycles. They are the one thing that still shatters the boring mould! Unfortunately, suggesting that someone “get a bike, Bru”, is not always met with enthusiasm by all and sundry. Motorcyclists do not always ride with the necessary sense of self preservation that they should and have caused bikes to be summarily labelled as dangerous. Enter the Motor Company’s products. Harleys have never placed the emphasis on speed, but rather a lifestyle. Harley riders often ride in groups, or even when alone, tend to announce their presence with pipes emitting some rolling thunder.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The biggest killer of motorcyclists, their ego’s, are, in the case of Harleys about form, not function. You don’t have to race your buddy to score points, you just have to make your ride look sweeter than his. The two of you then roll down the road, slow enough for all to see your awesome American Iron. Statistically this is proven by the low rates for insurance of Harleys as opposed to other, similar value bikes. Fact is, Harley riders crash less. So here’s the thing.
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Joe and Janet Bloggs live this dreary existence. Work, work and no play. “We have to get a life”, they say. But how? Buy a Harley, that’s how! Flog one of your four wheeled shopping baskets, and for similar money, or even less, buy a Sport Glide. Bowl the cage with the excitement factor of a dysentery amoeba and experience what I have over the last few weeks. After studying the practical side of the Sport Glide I decided to use it day to day as transport, and as the freedom machine that it is, on the weekends. Rolling up the garage door and surveying the sexy curves of my ride for the day always evoked a sense of occasion. I have just never had a Fiesta, Polo, i 20 or the like ever do that to me. Roll out of my estate, greet the guards who are giving me a thumbs up [which I never get in a car] and cruising to the Gym is a whole new buzz. Firstly, the traffic is now a non entity, with many cars actually moving over to give me space so that they can better eyeball my gleaming black Glide. Pull up at Virgin Active and all and sundry stop and drool over my ride. Flip! Can it really get this good?
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The whole day I cruise between clients, slowly growing accustomed to their envious stares and questions. The bike performs this hum drum stuff faultlessly. Instead of being frustrated by heavy traffic, I simply roll slowly by, revelling in the freedom. The panniers swallow up my kit and sundry goods. The commanding riding position makes you feel like you own that particular piece of road. The Glide torques off the line at robots leaving all in it’s wake. At one point a fellow on a GSX600 pulls up next to me, with let’s race body language. I look straight ahead and proceed on my way, treating him with the disdain he deserves. For heaven sake, would you try and give the King a wedgie?. The Sport Glide, despite its decent turn of speed, is above that sort of foolish frivolity.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Come the weekend and my panniers are packed and I am off to Mpumalanga to put the “Sport” part of this Glides name to the test. I choose my route carefully. The highway is despatched in comfort, with the cruise control set to 130. The tiny fairing works a treat at this speed, leaving my helmet in clean air but taking all the windblast from my body. Topping up with fuel brings another revelation. 23 Kpl! Take that, Fiesta and Polo! This gives me a touring range of over 400 kays. I decide to avoid the stop and go’s in Schoemans Kloof and go straight past Waterval Boven, revelling in the stability of the Sport Glide through the long sweeps. This Glide is a Softail, so I dialled in a lot more preload by simply turning in the easy to hand adjuster.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
This gained some ground clearance and firmed up the ride. At no stage was it harsh, but rather soaked up everything the sometimes less than perfect roads threw at it. It also eliminated the vagueness felt when on a softer setting, completely. Front suspension is upside down cartridge forks, which, whilst non adjustable, work just fine.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Turning past Sudwala, then on to Sabie and to my Graskop stop for the night, I rode at a sports touring pace, enjoying the ride more than on any Harley I have ever ridden. At first I was apprehensive about grounding hardware through the bends, but then started to relax and simply enjoyed the ride. Whilst by no means a “scratcher”, this Harley–Davidson deserves its “Sport” label, certainly in the context of what genre of bike it represents. I did not even touch a foot peg once over the full duration of my ride. My travelling companion, Ryan, was on his Yamaha XSR 900, their heritage bike, and a splendid one at that. At no time did I feel that I was holding him up. On the contrary, he was impressed by the manner in which the Sport Glide powered out of the sweeps, and up the straights. Obviously, if it had come down to a race, the Yamaha would have been off like a sweaty sock, but the point is I had a great ride, at a fair clip, on the Harley. This is no one trick pony.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Let us talk versatility. The Sport Glide has some ingenious design features. The handlebar fairing, or cowl, clips off, literally, in 8 seconds. Similarly, the panniers detach in seconds. You are then looking at a clean mean street prowler. It looks as stunning naked as it does dressed. Going on a Cafe Cruise? Rip her clothes off! Taking a tour ? Pop on the panniers and cowling. All this without needing a single tool. Brilliant!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
So let me try and summarise. In the Harley–Davidson Sport Gide you have an immensely versatile package that can literally change the way you are living your life. Harleys have been around since before nostalgia became vogue. Now that they have added a huge dollop of function to their world renowned form, a lifestyle change is more feasible than ever before. Dump the Polo, keep the family car, and get yourself a Sport Glide. Your commute will become a pleasure and your babe will love the new man in her life!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Join your local HOG chapter [Harley Owners Group] and you will introduce a whole heap more “social” into your life. At a mere R238 000 it is a steal. You cannot imagine that life can be such fun.
Standing position, legs open, knees bent, elbows bent, vision correct! I make sure to follow the rules and give myself a fighting chance. Second gear selected, ready to give it full throttle.
The moment of truth comes as I dip the 21 inch front wheel into the sand. I proceed cautiously until I get a feel for the nature of the sand, dabbing a foot here and there from the standing position. Time go give full throttle as the sand starts swallowing the wheels. The cross plane twin cylinder engine bursts into life and propels me to the crest of the first dune. Over the summit I look forward to the downhill in order to gather proper momentum now that I have a feel for my surrounds.
Photo credit: BMW Group PressClub
Cresting the second dune I start laughing in my helmet, embarrassed that I had underestimated this brilliant new machine which I straddled just a few hours earlier. I stop at the second crest for a photo opportunity and give myself a breather after quite the wrestling match. I am surrounded by a sea of dunes as I cut the engine. The late afternoon sun winks in amber and all I can hear is my elevated breathing. This is one of those moments to remember. The only other activity I can detect is Rob Till, a brilliant photographer hired by BMW Motorrad rushing in to capture the moment.
Photo credit: BMW Group PressClub
As I collect my thoughts, I cannot help but admire the courage BMW showed by selecting this venue. Sand riding is one of the ultimate tests for any adventure machine and greatest fear for most adventure riders, at least for those big enough to admit it. Thinking back to earlier in the day when I first saw the row of F 850 GS’s parked in front of the hip Radisson Red Hotel on the V&A Waterfront. I should have known BMW was serious about this one when noticing the fresh mix of knobby tyres on each press bike.
Photo credit: BMW Group PressClub
I later complimented Edgar Kleinbergen, General Manager of BMW Motorrad SA, for allowing these bikes into their natural habitat with the right footwear. I have previously battled against Edgar at the 2018 Sabie GS Challenge, and he is a very talented Adventure rider. His enthusiasm, energy and love for the sport does not go unnoticed. Dutch by birth, Edgar has been in SA since early last year. He uses every free hour for exploring our vast expanses, together with a network of local riders. Don’t look now, but Edgar is truly falling in love with our Country and its endless possibilities.
Photo credit: BMW Group PressClub
The new F 850 GS comes at a very crucial time in the history of the middleweight Adventure segment. It has been a full decade since I was fortunate enough to attend the world launch of the inaugural F 800 GS in the Algarve Province of Portugal. Since then, this segment has become hotly contested with no clear leader. BMW gradually lost its stranglehold as fans had to put on the patience-cap year after year.
After freshening up, we socialised a bit before the early evening press conference. At the conference, Edgar shared statistics about another record year for BMW Motorrad worldwide. The juggernaut seems to be at full steam, although most would agree that the local market is taking strain. BMW is expecting a lot from this model and the excitement is tangible. After the interactive press discussion, we retired to a well-received dinner on the rooftop, overlooking most of V&A Waterfront.
Photo credit: BMW Group PressClub
The next morning was my turn to ride the new F 750 GS. Being the more road orientated of the two, it was shod with Michelin Anakee 3 tyres. As sibling to the F 850 GS, they share a degree of parts and are always launched together.
Photo credit: BMW Group PressClub
The second days’ route was laid out to include winding tar sections as well as mountainous gravel roads. The first highlight on this route was the winding Franschhoek pass where this playful GS came into its own. Carrying the on-board camera for a fellow journalist, I was given the proverbial license to hooligan up and down the pack in the name of “good videography”. I was in my element and so was this youngster of a GS. In the days of old, the F 700 GS’s chassis could get “bent out of shape” a bit with hard, committed sports riding. This model is definitely a step up. Composed, predictable handling, the 750 invited me to go harder.
Photo credit: BMW Group PressClub
Time to hit the dirt, as we gradually make our loop back to Cape Town. This was to be the true test. I found a rough, corrugated piece of gravel with some sand patches to wind the throttle open. Seeing 130 km/h on the speedo, I was expecting the bars to become lively in my hands. Not to fear, the 750 remained calm and composed and I remember thinking that very few will ever feel the need to take this bike up to these speeds on this kind of gravel surface. It had passed the test I came to give it!
Photo credit: BMW Group PressClub
Back on tar, towards Betty’s bay, a fellow journalist and I hooked up for a spontaneous top end run. The 750 stayed alongside the 850 he was riding up to an indicated 195 km/h, after which the 850 pulled away slowly. Impressive indeed.
Winding along the Old Coastal Road towards Pringle Bay and Rooiels, the tourist in me eventually awoke and I rode at a leisurely pace, absorbing the fresh sea breeze and breathtaking scenery.
Photo credit: BMW Group PressClub
Our lunch stop was at the Idiom Wine Da Capo Vineyards, high in the mountains behind Gordon’s bay. We celebrated a successful event with fine food and good company. Shortly afterwards, the Gauteng based attendants blasted up to Cape Town International for our flight back to the Old Smokey.
Photo credit: BMW Group PressClub
Conclusion
The aim of the article is not to bore the reader with endless technical details and specifications. We have prepared a press release to piggyback on this article for the more technically minded.
Starting with the F 750 GS; few realize that this motorcycle has one of the toughest jobs in the BMW stable. It often has to fit the bill for shorter riders and physically smaller lady riders. These groups demand the same levels of performance as the larger capacity enthusiasts.
Photo credit: BMW Group PressClub
The previous 700 was fairly nervous on unpaved surfaces and required a good amount of effort and skill to navigate. This made life hard for those who had a limited choice as previously mentioned. The new F 750 GS seems to address exactly this aspect. As mentioned before, it is much more composed than the previous model and that can be felt through the calm handlebars. There is also a reassuring steering damper present as standard, although intervention of this part was never required.
Photo credit: BMW Group PressClub
Seat height and basic seating arrangement feel the same as the outgoing model, so no surprises there. The engine accounts for much more character and low down torque is markedly better. The suspension is certainly of a higher quality and the performance could not be faulted for its intended use. As a road bike with the ability to traverse gravel surfaces in comfort and luxury, this motorcycle is spot on. Commuting on the 750 should be effortless, and it would not shy away from long distance touring with decent wind protection fitted. All in all, this spirited performer will do what it was designed for and is an exciting bike to ride.
Onto the F 850 GS, and the answer is much more elaborate. The 850 has the job of being what I call an Adventure Sports Bike. In my definition, this means that it will see a lot more action than most larger capacity bikes. For many a talented rider that cross over from enduro sport into adventure sport, this will be a first stop.
Photo credit: BMW Group PressClub
It handles the rough stuff as good as any, and has become a true alternative to the larger capacity ultra-marathon contenders. Most of the major complaints have been addressed, in that the new motor has much more character and grunt, with the additional beautiful sounding note.
The brakes certainly have more bite. The tyres are now tubeless, and the bike sports most of the same luxuries that are found on BMW’s more premium models. Examples include; cruise control, TFT flat screen interface, shift assist and user defined modes. The fuel tank is situated in a more conventional lay-out between the riders legs, which makes the back end look light and skinny. The skinny rear leaves more room for a pillion rider to stand behind the pilot, a grossly overlooked feature on the previous model. In the looks department, the 850 is certainly on a different level and exudes youthful appearance.
Photo credit: BMW Group PressClub
All in all, the middleweight class has a new contender that will certainly make its presence felt. But what excites me the most is that the gap between the big bore bikes and the middle class is shrinking, thanks to the upgrades found on this new arrival.
While Braam was faffing around in the dunes on the F 850 GS, I was shooting around the Cape Peninsula aboard the F 750 GS. Perfect weather meant horrendous traffic—but the 750 was still the perfect scoot for urban and spirited coastal road riding, thanks to its punchy motor and nimble chassis.
Photo credit: BMW Group PressClub
The next day, I swapped over to the eight-fiddy for a longer route, that included highways, mountain passes and stretches of dirt. The mid-sized ‘travel enduro’ blew me away with how versatile it is.
Even with the slightly vague on-road feel of the Continental TKC80’s, the F 850 GS railed corners with minimal effort. I’m a huge fan of taller adventure bikes for their commanding riding positions, and the 850’s ergonomics are spot on. Power delivery is crisp, and the optional quick shifters our test units were fitted with only added to the fun. (I can’t say the same for the clutch though, which I found to be stiff and notchy).
Photo credit: BMW Group PressClub
I was a little concerned that the BMW’s redesigned fuel tank would get in the way on the off-road bits, but the bike was surprisingly narrow between my legs. It was also easy to manhandle over rougher, looser terrain. And then there’s the electronics package; the TFT looks good and works well, and the ABS and traction control settings in the ‘Enduro Pro’ riding mode were helpful rather than intrusive.
The only downside? I only got to spend a day on it.
Road Tripping through the Free State – Just outside of Clarens.
Our buddy Johann Claassen, who served as road captain on Cancervive, heads up the Rustenburg chapter of Steelwings. For those who don’t know, Steelwings is a dedicated club for Harley–Davidson owners. Members come from all walks of life, but the common thread is a passion for the iconic American freedom machines. Johann invited us to spend a night or two with him and his Missus at the Steelwings “Back to basics” Rally at the Gariep Dam Forever resort.
5:00 meeting spot at the Castle Walk Engen garage in Pretoria.
Early on the morning of Friday the 9th of November, we trundled out of Pretoria southbound. I was riding my GS Adventure, Bjorn was on a Kawasaki Z900 RS Green Meanie and Simon was on a magnificent Harley Road Glide Special. We negotiated the early morning Jo’burg traffic with “Born in the USA” belting out the speakers of Simon’s Glide. Cruising south at a leisurely pace, all was particularly well with the world. By early afternoon, after a brekkie in Bloem, we rolled into Gariep Dam.
BMW R1200 GS ADV – The consummate do it all bike. No wonder they are so popular.
As the sun bid goodnight to the sky, we revelled in the magic of another magnificent African sunset. We joined the now plentiful rallygoers for the evenings festivities in a Marquee. After a few “lemonades” had flowed, things got typically lively. A really good time was had by all. We retired by about 10 pm allowing the Harley faithful to reconnect with old friends and party into the early hours.
Take a look at some pics of the Steelwings guys, birds and bikes. Thanks Johann for the invite and hospitality. You rock Bro!
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We planned to get an early start on our second days riding to Bethulie, birthplace of Sir Laurens Van Der Post, and then along the Maloti route to Clarens.
Look at the Meerkat Biltong we found on route to Bethuile.Typical Karoo landscape photo opportunity with the Harley.The local Bethulie ZZ Top resident admiring our Harley.KAWASAKI Z900 RS – By the end of the ride Bjorn was trolling the internet to see what he could earn from the sale of a kidney! He was absolutely smitten by the incredibly versatile retro Kwakka.Customers at the Restaurant thinking that we a little strange!The Green meanie looks rad against the patina backdrop.
We spent the night at Clarens Inn & Backpackers, which was also host to a Ulysses contingent, as well as a bunch of lowveld KTM riders, on there way back home after riding Lesotho. All the bikers created a lot of cheerful banter, and a really fun time was had by all.
Clarens at Braai time.
We dined at one of the many street cafe’s, which make this town so quaint. By this point the days riding and good food increased the gravitational pull on our eyelids, so it was off to bed.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON ROAD GLIDE SPECIAL – Simon turns into a toffee nosed larney on this bike. He is the first to admit that really long days in the saddle tucker him out. Not on the Harley couch though. That beast eats miles easier than Zuma through the national budget. He spent the days on the big H–D with a faraway look in his eye, dreaming of chasing horizons on a similar bike with his Missus on the back.
We got going bright and early the next morning, and passed a group of road tripping Ural side-car rigs on the way to Villiers.
Passing a Ural convoy on our way to Villiers.
We punished a quick breakfast, and cruised into Pretoria well before lunch. Our Free State road trip, took in some amazing scenery and covered almost 1500 km.
I am standing on the line, waiting for the lights to go out and the race to start. Every nerve on full alert, I hold the revs steady at 7 000 rpm, waiting, waiting, waiting. The moment of truth as the lights go out and more than 30 angry racers storm into the first left hander, jockeying for position. Modern day gladiators, battling it out in modern day Colosseums.
In many ways very little has changed since the days of old. It is no less intense alongside the track, as screaming, blood thirsty fans wave their fists in support of their chosen gladiator, living in the moment. We see this scenario repeated weekend after weekend in different sports all over the world.
Motorcycling has been my chosen profession for the last eighteen years. Counting my blessings every single day, I could not imagine a life much different! As the tempo of my professional engagements evolved from time spent on the sales floor to time spent in wind, rain and sun, rider gear has become a central part of my everyday life. The demands placed on the latter means that virtually every strength and weakness gets exposed. I truly wear them through from the inside out. Long hours in the saddle doing photo shoots, product reviews, selective rider training scenarios, off road events and shootouts all form part of my daily routine.
The one piece of equipment that gladiators from every era depended on most was and still is their helmet. This is plain logic and common sense. Helmets get worn wherever hazard lurks. Motorcycle helmets have evolved more so than any other sport. The helmet has come into its own as more and more emphasis is placed on safety.
Strangely enough, this was not always the case. Open face helmets used to be the norm as recently as 30 odd years ago. Motorcycles were simpler and freedom of movement received first priority. Full face helmets were an expensive luxury afforded by a fortunate few. Over time, full face helmets became the norm. This was almost more of a fashion statement. Realization of obvious safety benefits transpired with time and the fashion statement soon became a most vital safety benefit. For once, fashion served a purpose in protecting the masses. Gradually, our vanity became responsible for jackets, pants, boots and gloves to become main stream.
A certain German helmet and motorcycle manufacturer, saw the direction the market was taking and seized an opportunity in 1980 to manufacture a helmet that incorporated the freedoms afforded by an open face helmet, as well as the protection and shielding afforded by a full face. These revolutionary helmets were called “System” helmets. Their sales story grew from scepticism, to acceptance, to huge sales successes, before other manufacturers sat up and took notice. Nowadays almost every helmet manufacturer of consequence offers this unique style of one button metamorphosis from open face to full face.
Personally, I never made the transition into this new direction, which was for one reason only. As far as I was concerned, these helmets never really matched the sharp styling of the racing full face and enduro style adventure helmets. They always seemed quirky and I could not envision myself wearing one anytime soon. That was until recently, when I got a phone call from a specific importer.
It was with an open mind that I visited Mark from Henderson Racing Products. He sounded very excited over the phone as he explained that he had just received the first shipment of Scorpion helmets. As an active adventure rider, he wanted me to come and view the new Scorpion ADX-1. On arrival and presentation, it took me about ten seconds to get equally excited as he explained the features to me.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Here I was, looking at the helmet that I had secretly hoped for. What I saw was an adventure type helmet, complete with peak, sun visor, simple venting system, simple “open-to-closed” conversion mechanism and road helmet transformation properties. But what impressed me the most was that it was just “drop-dead-gorgeous” in the styling department!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Mark took time to explain the TCT Composite shell. This is a proprietary 5 layer blend of interlaced and specially formulated fiberglass, Aramid and organic poly-resin fibers. It sports ECE 22.05 standards approval, which is the toughest standard of testing worldwide and required for all forms of premier racing. This piece of information convinced me to give it a go.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Trying out the different styles it became obvious that the medium was too small for me and the large slightly too big. A word of advice to any prospective helmet buyer, is to always go for the smaller size when in doubt. It took a good part of 3 000 km for the helmet to eventually settle to my specific head size and shape. It certainly was worth the initial pain and discomfort and she now fits like a glove.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
More than 6 000 km later, from Namibian desert, to Botswana heat, to just about anything in between, prompted me to pen my conclusions to paper.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
After settling in, the helmet has now become as comfortable as any premium helmet on my shelf. The clear visor is thick and durable, seats tightly and certainly keeps the wind out. The sun visor, as always is a big plus and helps in the brightness of the Route 62 sun. It deploys at just the slide of a button.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
I have been spoilt by the open-to-closed conversion and find myself riding in open face mode during slow traffic conditions, in the dunes and gentle cruises along the coast. At higher speeds, the helmet is more quiet than any other full face in my arsenal. This is especially noteworthy, as wind noise is what most “open-to-closed” helmet owners complain about.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The quality of the inside padding is spot-on and it has now been tested in diverse conditions. High speed testing is usually the final insult for many adventure type helmets, as the very design is in conflict with certain envelopes of the speed spectrum.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
I tested this helmet on a recent adventure bike launch up to speeds of 195km/h on an F750GS with virtually no wind protection and found it ultra-composed and tracking straight.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
An interesting feature is that the helmet can be converted for street use by removing the peak and fitting the included side plates. It then fools anyone into thinking it’s a proper sports helmet, even stylish enough to satisfy all but the most avid from the naked bike clan. It looks especially menacing with the optional dark visor!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
I have been thinking long and hard about possible criticisms with this product, but fail to find anything concrete. Perhaps the weight of the helmet would bother some, although mass specification is on par with similar offerings. The sun visor conversion slider work counter intuitively for me and took some getting used to. In the closed configuration, the cheek pads put quite a lot of pressure on the jaw, which in my case is reassuring more than a drawback.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
In conclusion, the recommended retail price of only R 5 500 blew me over for the level of quality and features on offer. When collecting the helmet, the price was not yet finalised and my expectation was that it would certainly be more expensive. The array of colours available will suit most tastes and replacement parts are readily available from this very approachable distributor.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Do yourself a favour and check out the new Scorpion helmet range, you may just find your next purchase to be one of these.
When you spend the amount of time on bikes that I do, and especially on less than perfect roads off the beaten track, it is almost inevitable that you will capsize at some point. Earlier in the year I rode down to Port Elizabeth to spectate at the Ironman triathlon. On my way home I made a detour to a game farm, 70 odd k’s from Colesburg. The last 30 k’s was on a reasonable dirt road. Reasonable that is until I had to leave the farm the next day after 15 hours of rain. My KTM 1090 R was shod with Pirelli road rubber, as I was keeping the knobblies fresh for dirt trips. The rain took me totally by surprise.
I rode straight onto a road that had literally turned into a quagmire overnight. Feeling my way gingerly, I tried to get a feeling for what traction there was. Very little, to be frank. Wanting to get the dirt done with I foolishly, with hindsight, sped up from a manageable 60 to around 80 kph. All good, until I hit some water filled potholes that is. Not wanting to do anything sudden to upset the bike further, I tried to keep a constant throttle and ride out the bumps. What followed is a bit of a blur. The bike started getting a porpoising action going which got more and more violent, until I abandoned ship. The bike went down on its left hand side. I must have tried to save it till the last moment, because the 1090 landed on my left lower leg before doing its own thing and I slid and rolled down the road.
Those of you that have fallen off your bikes in similar fashion, will know that even as you are sliding on your bum and other extremities, you are counting the cost of your loss of talent. Standing up, I hobbled back to the bike on a seriously painful ankle. Picking up the bike there was ominous clicking and crunching from my lower leg. The standard KTM crashbars did a reasonable job, together with my soft pannier brackets, of protecting the bike. The soft, muddy road also helped to absorb a lot of energy from the crash, as did my lower leg. I decided it would not be a good idea to remove my boot to asses the damage because I was pretty sure I would not get it on again. What followed was a cold, wet and painful 600 odd kay ride home. Why do I tell you this tale of woe? Enter RUMBUX protection bars.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
I made the error of being pennywise and pound foolish. If I had really thought about it, I would have realised that the factory crash protection, whilst better than nothing was not totally up to the job of protecting the bike, and perhaps more importantly, the rider. There is no way that you will escape with no damage, however RUMBUX products show that an incredible amount of research and development goes into their design. My handlebars and front flicker needed replacing. I took my bike straight off to RUMBUX and asked the guys to fit the top section of their 1090 R system. I have the KTM factory bashplate fitted. The full RUMBUX system sports a bashplate incorporated into their design as well as engine casing protection.
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Studying the fit of the RUMBUX bars it is obvious that they hugely improve both bike and rider protection. In my case, my leg would not have been trapped under the bike. The wider top section of the RUMBUX bars not only offer greater radiator and body work protection, they prevent the bike from landing fully on its side. The fit and finish is superb, and look for all the world like they were designed and fitted in the bike manufacturers factory.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Honda equipped all their Africa Twins used for the Honda Quest event, with RUMBUX bars. Neither their bikes or riders could afford to be damage to the extent that they could not continue the ride. Despite numerous offs, the RUMBUX bars kept the bikes operational.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Now here is the thing. South African Adventure bike riders ride through some of the most demanding and hostile riding country in the world. You simply cannot afford to render your bike unrideable after a dirt or tar off. I believe with total conviction that when it comes to comprehensive protection for you and your bike that RUMBUX bars have no peers. Riders all over the world have cottoned on to this fact and this proudly South African product flies the flag on Adventure bikes all around the globe.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
I would strongly suggest that for what is a small amount of money compared to the value of your bike, you give the guys at RUMBUX a shout. You owe it to your bike and yourself. Pray that you don’t crash, but dress your bike for the occasion.
Harley-Davidson’s future looks…interesting. The Motor Co. is on a mission to expand their portfolio, with motorcycles as diverse as the electric Livewire, and adventure-touring Pan America, on the way. That’s left some die-hard Harley fans vexed; worried that the brand will stray too far from its roots.
They shouldn’t fret though—because while H-D are certainly trying hard to reach a wider audience, they’re also quietly refining their core bikes in the background. Just look at the 2019 Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special. It’s a mainstay of the Milwaukee marque’s line-up—and while it might not be a groundbreaking new model, it’s had some pretty sweet improvements.
The Road Glide Special is effectively an upgraded version of the ‘regular’ Road Glide, with a price tag that’s R20 000 higher. (The Special costs R375 000 in black, R380 000 in colour and R401 000 for custom two-tone paint.)
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
The most obvious difference is the finish: while the standard Glide is loaded with chrome, the Special looks far more menacing with almost-all-black components. My test unit came in the Silver Flux / Black Fuse colour scheme, which consists of a sublime deep silver flake paint job, with black scallops. The Special also gets better-looking wheels, and stretched cases that offer a little more storage.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
Then there’s its biggest drawcard: the motor. For the past couple of years, both versions of the Road Glide have been powered by Harley’s 107 ci Milwaukee-Eight mill. But this year, the Special gets a bump to 114 ci (or 1 868 cc), bringing its torque output up to a mighty 163 Nm at 3,000 RPM.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
I’m an unapologetically huge fan of Milwaukee-Eight power plant—and the 114 derivative in the Road Glide Special is downright rowdy. It pulls hard through the rev range, and has no problem propelling the Special’s considerable heft (391 kg, wet) forward. The throttle feels smooth and responsive without being clinical, and even though the Glide’s clutch needs a heavy hand, actual gear shifts through the six-speed box are slick.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
With the Special’s price tag—and considering we’re almost in 2019—I feel like I’m supposed to complain about the lack of techy features, like switchable riding modes. But I’m not sure I want to; the Glide is plenty usable (and fun) without them. And Harley-Davidson have already announced traction control, linked braking and a few other features for next year, so that extra refinement is just around the corner.
The Road Glide Special’s grunty V-twin is matched by a surprisingly agile chassis. On the open road, it holds its line like a cruise liner in quiet waters. And despite its touring designation, it loves spirited riding too. Few things are as fun as manhandling a bagger through twisties, and while the Special doesn’t quite hustle through turns like a sport bike, it sure holds its own.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
With a 19” front and 18” rear wheel (versus the standard Glide’s 16” rear) it feels more balanced too, with an extra degree of lean on each side. Getting the floorboards to touch tarmac was near impossible, no matter how hard I flung the Harley’s high and wide handlebars around. With ABS and twin discs up front, it’s easy to slow it down too—but I did notice the front brakes get a little wooden as they heated up.
I had limited time with the Road Glide Special, but somehow managed to squeeze out more mileage in a few days, than I normally manage in a week of testing. It included a rapid 400-plus kilometre ride to Montagu for lunch one Friday, where the Special’s all-day comfort shone through.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
The ergonomics are just about flawless—with a wide, cushy seat, and well-placed handlebars and floorboards. My only niggle was the positioning of the dual toe-and-heel gear shifter, in relation to the left floorboard. My size 12 foot didn’t quite sit right in between them—a problem that could easily be fixed with some basic adjustability.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
The Road Glide’s fixed fairing is stable at speed, but if you’re as tall as me (1,86 m), the sleek windscreen won’t block all the wind. With the right helmet on, the buffeting isn’t too bad—but taller riders might consider fitting something more substantial.
Behind the fairing, you’ll find a classy mix of old and new school styling. The Road Glide’s kitted with analogue speedo, tacho, temperature and fuel gauges, but it’s also sporting Harley-Davidson’s new Boom! Box GTS media system.
There’s a full colour TFT touch screen display front and centre, flanked by a pair of 6.5” speakers (the regular Glide gets 5.25” units). The system is Bluetooth capable, and includes everything from onboard navigation to a media player. The system honestly has more features than I had time to explore—like voice recognition, and the ability to link up your in-helmet comms system.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
I simply paired up my iPhone, and found myself flicking through my favourite tracks in no time. The system’s touch screen works just fine with gloves on, and the handlebar-mounted buttons are both intuitive and effective. (I just couldn’t figure out how to pause and restart a song, but I’m sure I was just being daft.) There’s even a USB port in one of the fairing’s handy cubby-holes—I used it to charge my phone, but you can also use it to plug in a USB drive.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
Audio quality is relatively crisp for a bike-mounted system, but the speakers run out of presence at speeds over 100 km/h. There’s also an auto-volume option that dips or raises the volume depending on your speed, so that you don’t have to be ‘that’ guy at the traffic lights. I gave the navigation a whirl too, and found it to be a huge improvement over Harley’s previous offerings.
I’d love more time to fiddle with the Boom! Box GTS setup, but it does highlight one of the Road Glide Special’s strengths: creature comforts. Not only is it plush enough to spend hours on on, but it’s also loaded with 71 litres of storage, thanks to the lockable side-cases. Between those, and the fairing’s little cubbies, there’s no need to stuff your pockets or carry a backpack. And with a well-engineered cruise control system in the mix, you’re not likely to get tired soon.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
Add a passenger though, and you’ll need to upgrade a few bits. The pillion seat is slim, and tapers off towards the back—so you’ll want a sissy bar at the very least, or a new seat with a padded top box for the ultimate two-up setup.
That doesn’t stop the Road Glide Special from being one of the raddest motorcycles I’ve ridden recently. I wouldn’t pick it for day-to-day riding—especially in tight traffic, where it’s just too unwieldy. But between devouring miles on the open road, and hooning through my favourite mountain passes, the Special has me hooked on #BaggerLife.
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2nd Opinion
By Simon Morton – Online Editor at ZA Bikers.
I have just come back from a 3 day extended trip in which I rode the Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special for a full 1500 km. On the first day I rode approx 700 km from Pretoria down to Gariep Dam in the Southern Freestate. Riding the N1 highway was superb – the Glide is such an extremely comfortable bike and with the added benefit of an on-board infotainment system, 700 kays in a day was a doddle.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Like Wes, I also had a small issue with the dual toe-and-heel gear shifter but mine was a bit different. I found that whilst trying to sit more upright, during long stints on the bike, I was not able to slide both feet back on the footrests due to the heel gear shifter being in the way. Instead, I found relief by resting my feet on the rear pegs.
I was able to pack all that I needed for my trip easily into the bike’s panniers, and having my cell-phone on permanent charge gave me peace of mind that I would not get stuck on-route, without any communications. The Glide’s 114 ci motor is truly sublime! Nothing beats hurtling along through some of South Africa’s finest vistas, listening to the sound of a throaty V-twin backing track.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Everywhere I stopped bystanders would flock to admire the Glide and to take selfies. I really enjoyed the status factor when riding this beast – this is such a badass bike!!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
My only real dislike was when traversing through very bumpy and pothole stricken roads, in this scenario the Glide was a real handful to navigate.
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Overall I had such an amazing experience, riding a Harley-Davidson of this calibre on good roads is pure motorcycling bliss – a real mile eater for sure!
Total concentration, I make myself a promise in the privacy of my helmet; “one day I will ride this gravel mountain pass to watch the scenery, rather than enjoy the corners”.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Off course I am talking about Prince Alfred pass. This well-known adventure bike trail joins the settlement of Avontuur with the very popular coastal town of Knysna. My bike is fitted with a set of Dunlop Trail Smart Max tyres and these will be the topic of our story.
Dunlop is the world’s oldest and most successful tyre manufacturer! The company was founded in 1888. To their credit, they have more than 138 World Championships, in multiple disciplines. They take pride in 13 consecutive Isle of Man TT wins. To rub salt into the wounds of their competitors, BMW and Dunlop achieved the new lap record at this famed road circuit in the hands of Peter Hickman earlier this year.Despite all this, Dunlop as a motorcycle tyre is not well known and supported in South Africa. Hard to understand why.
Photo credit: IOMTT
Over time, I have concluded that motorcycle tyre choice is as personal as the choice of underwear. I have been in endless discussions where self-proclaimed gurus defend their choice of rubber to whoever cares to listen. Tyre choice is one of the most hotly contested topics on local adventure bike forums.
Let us zoom in for a moment. Local adventure riders expect a lot from their motorcycles and equipment. Rightfully so, as our standard of rider is probably the best in the world. South Africa being the reigning GS Trophy World Champions only enforces this argument. Furthermore we are fortunate enough in that SA offers some of the best riding terrain and freedom of movement. Adventure biking is therefore a serious past time for most of us.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moriera
But these wide expanses of seemingly unlimited riding also come with unique challenges. Most of the population is urbanised, thus getting to the most beautiful destinations often include long periods spent on paved roads. Being a warm, sunny part of the world also means high surface temperatures. Combine this with high speeds and heavy loads and you soon come to realize just how important the correct tyre choice is.
The main consideration is whether to fit the knobbly type tyres that offer good grip on gravel surfaces but limited lifespan or choose the option of a more road based tyre that provides better grip on paved surfaces and also offer much better lifespan. Adventure riders lament the fact that they seldom get more than 5000km on these knobbly type tyres. Combine that with rising tyre prices in recent times and the argument gets stronger for those selecting the more road based option.
When I was offered the opportunity to test the new Dunlop, I conceded with a smile and an expectation. I knew very little about this tyre, but knew also that Dunlop could be trusted to production of the highest standard.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moriera
The first superstition I perform when inspecting a new tyre is to test the compliance of the rubber with my finger nail. This specific example seemed very fresh and the feel of the compound impressed me. So far, so good. Over many years of racing in various disciplines, I have seen the effect of heat cycles on rubber. With frequent heat cycles most tyres gradually dry out and become less compliant. Over time, grip levels start to suffer, which hampers overall performance. On this topic, it must be said that these tyres gripped like new, even after 5000km of all-surface riding.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moriera
Shortly after fitting these new hoops, I went on an eight day journey, traversing some of the most scenic gravel passes in the fairest Cape. This would provide opportunity to test them thoroughly on a vast array of gravel surfaces as well as the odd paved roads. The tough life of a journalist and product tester!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moriera
These tyres impressed from the word “go”. Contrary to popular wisdom, I kept the tyre pressures at 1.5 bar front and 1.8 bar rear. I did this while fully loaded with panniers and top box. It helped a lot in smoothing out the ride and I experienced a very cushy feel from both the front and back of the bike. Few riders realize that the tyre provides the all-important first line of suspension. These pressures certainly suited my setup and intended use. I still remember how I laughed in my helmet when negotiating the smooth tar surface of the Huisrivier Pass, just outside Calitzdorp. I was wondering when I would feel the metal panniers scratching against the tar surface. Man, was that an enjoyable moment in time? The kind of moment we, as motorcyclists, live for… We have all been in that “zero zone” where it seems that everything is just working perfectly. Respect!!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moriera
Yet the greatest claim to fame with these new tyres is longevity. With most press releases, where new tyres are concerned, promises are made about better mileage and better grip, yet this seldom materializes in the real world. You can just imagine my apprehension when the local importer mentioned the longevity part! The only way, was to ride the tyres as hard as possible, for as many kilometres as I could pack in before having to feature this article. Included is a photo taken earlier today after almost 5000km of all terrain use. On the picture, one can see that the contact area has barely been compromised. Very impressive indeed. I have now used this set for 4 months at the time of writing and will continue to use them to the end of their life span.
Photo credit: Braam Smit
In conclusion, the Dunlop Trail Smart Max is exactly what I was hoping for. It adds an impact player that could well upset the local status quo. Especially on the longevity aspect, it seems that the Dunlop is going to deliver more than current options. I loved the feel on the road, even more so in spirited riding situations. I cannot fault it in general off-road adventure riding.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moriera
The more popular Front 120/70R19 retails for R 1625,00 and the Rear 170/60R17 retails for R 1895,00. Combined with the durability aspect, this offers good value for money. You are then certain to buy into a heritage that has been built over many years.
In this beautiful world of ours, trust is earned not given!!
Why do you suppose I refer to the Optimate3 as a “system” rather than simply a charger? Quite simply, because that is what it is. Let me try and explain. I need to come clean at this point that I am the original, and I am sure the world’s worst, technophobe. Please understand that “smart phones” are much smarter than me! Don’t ask me to programme anything electronic. I am so bad that even setting the time on my bike’s dash is a major endeavour and there is no way that I would even attempt it without reading the manual. My head simply does not wrap itself around electronics. Give me mechanical any day and I will suss it out, but electrics? No way!.
I am in the blessed position to own more than one motorcycle. I do, also, contrary to popular belief, own a car. [unfortunately there are times when just can’t do the job with a bike and the only option is then a four wheeled shopping basket] Problem is, I can’t ride them all, all of the time. Sometimes weeks go by where a particular bike does not get started. Modern bikes, with their sophisticated electronics do not like weak batteries. They are invariably fuel injected too, so when you try to start the bike the fuel injection needs to deliver a squirt of mixture before, or as the motor turns over to light the engines fire. All of this needs power and then spark. Even push starting doesn’t work because said fuel injection doesn’t work. How do I know this? Half an hour of working up a serious sweat trying to push start my KTM 1090 Adventure R is how I know this! Enter battery chargers.
Old world battery chargers did exactly that. Irrespective of how charged your battery was they kept on charging. If you didn’t keep on monitoring the state of the battery, by trial and error, it would simply cook your battery. The world, thankfully has moved on and we now have, like “smart” phones, smart chargers. The Optimate3 is one of those, and a devilishly clever one at that. I have already told you, ad nauseam, how technically challenged I am when it comes to things electronic, so I am not going to try to tell you how it works technically, but rather how it works practically!
The Optimate3 comes equipped with two means of connecting it to your battery. Firstly, there is a connection which can be permanently attached to your batteries terminals and cable tied to the bike or car. If you want to periodically top up and maintain your battery charge you simply plug the male\female and it is then simply a matter of plugging the charger plug into a wall socket and switching it on.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The second option, and the one that I use because of my multiple vehicles, is the crocodile clip equipped wire. Two colour coded [for elecro-idiots like me] crocodile clips with the said male/female connector get attached to the charger, clipped on to the relevant battery pole, plugged in and switched on. Bob’s your uncle!.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
And that friends, is the wonder of this device. No further intervention is required. The Optimate3 tests where your battery is at and starts remedial action by applying an appropriate level of charge. It even has a “Dave proof” feature which will tell you if you have connected the crocodile clips to the incorrect poles. How cool is that? An explosion in my garage could wreak some havoc but thankfully Optimate3 has got that covered.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
A panel of lights on the charger itself indicate what the battery is doing, so that you know when your battery is sorted or still “undergoing treatment”. Once the battery is fully charged, it automatically goes into a maintenance mode, whereby it monitors and maintains an optimum charge.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The Optimate3 comes with very comprehensive instructions and specifications for you guys who understand, and get your jollies from reading stuff like that. For us lesser mortals, we simply read how to attach it to our batteries and then forget about it till we unplug it and go ride. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Well I suppose I can. I bought one. ‘nuffsaid!.
For more information visit: www.bikewise.co.za Or call Bikewise on: 011 566 0333
At the best of times we should take really good care of our bikes and riding kit, however in these financially taxing times it becomes even more relevant. We need kit as well as bikes to weather well so that we can extend their working life and give us more value for our hard earned loot. Enter the Motul motorcycle care range of products. Rather than raiding your local hardware or grocery store for general cleaning agents that may contain chemicals or other agents which may harm, instead of enhance our gear, the French lubricant giant has some bespoke products with which to pamper our rides and kit.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The first two products I wish to tell you about are formulated to keep your skidlid, brain bucket, pip protector, OK then, your helmet, in tip top shape. Harsh South African riding conditions invariably leave your helmet and visor dusty, dirty and bug bespattered. Motul’s helmet and visor clean comes in a 250 ml plastic bottle with a trigger type spray applicator. Specially designed and tested to loosen dust, dirt, oily road residue and bug innards without compromising your helmet and visor materials, you simply spray it all over helmet and visor, leave standing for a minute or so, then wipe clean with a clean soft cloth.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
It penetrates all the cracks and crevices and loosens the grime so that you can easily coax it out. Rub up nicely, and your lid is left shiny and clean, with nary a streak. Magic. So much for the outside.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The said SA riding conditions allied to some spirited riding sometimes causes us to work up a sweat, which can leave your helmet somewhat funky, and not exactly smelling like the proverbial roses! Don’t stress, Motul interior clean to the rescue. At the end of the ride, spray the inside comprehensively and leave the helmet in an airy space to dry. Active ingredients called Methylchloroisothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone, [I kid you not] kill all the smelly bacteria and leave your helmet sweet smelling and fresh. Sorted!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The third product tested is really relevant for the current crop of bikes and riding gear which sport a matte finish. It is specially formulated to clean, enhance and protect matte surfaces. Damn! Where was this when I had my matte green Triumph Scrambler? Conventional polishes change the matte finish to a “flat” finish. The Motul matte surface clean does exactly what it says. The 400ml aerosol can with a conventional spray nozzle makes it a doddle to apply. Spray on, leave for three minutes and polish off with a clean dry cloth, and Voila! Like new!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
I put the spray to the test on my two matte black helmets, as well as the panniers on the beautiful Harley – Davidson Sport Glide that I have for a medium term review. The bike is a magnificent deep glossy black, with the exception of the panniers, which are matte black. The Motul muti did it’s magic, restoring all my matte goodies to their former glory. Descent kit this Motul MC Care range. It’s a definite thumbs up from me.
MOTUL MC Care
For more information on the products used in this article, click on the links below…
I have owned a pair of XKULCHA Dakar pants for a couple of years now and done many miles in them. To be frank, they are my Adventure pants of choice, even above the Adventure pants which form part of my suit. I choose to wear them [the Dakar pants] with my jacket. Why? You may ask. Let me tell you. Firstly, the comfort. They are cut high in the waist, especially at the back. They also have a broad, wide belt. These two features provide proper kidney cover with a nice supportive feel. They are also long enough. I am tall and slim. Typically if I get pants that fit properly around my waist they hang half mast.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
With the “long” option Dakar’s they are perfect, even when seated on the bike. The cotton lining is comfortable, even in Botswana heat. This is aided by the mesh vent in the crutch. A perceptible stream of air keeps the nether regions cool in the African heat. In winter I simply wear running shorts under the pants, to keep the “heat in”. The pants lower leg can be zipped open to accommodate MX boots, allowing easy fitment. Subtle features abound. There is a cell phone pouch on the front upper right thigh with a secure flap. Pockets are reinforced on the edges for durability. The right pocket sports a key clasp to secure your house keys while bouncing around rough terrain.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The soft armour covering the knee is really comfy and keeps the old patella’s warm in winter. They could perhaps be moved down by three odd centimetres as they just cover the knee when seated. Removable soft hip protection can be attached with velcro if desired, and comes standard with the pants.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
I just waxed lyrical about my old Dakar’s, so what is up with the newest derivation?. Whilst the old style came in a heavy duty grey fabric, the new pants are made from 500 denier ATF high abrasion resistant cordura nylon. They come in an earthy dark salmon type of colour which is both attractive and practical. Like the old models they have a eshweshwe print cotton inner for comfort and breathability.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Crash zones have been subtly reinforced with ballistic nylon panels. Knee pads are removable, allowing fitment of hard shell armour if so desired. Compact foam knee and hip protection is once again standard. The new material, whilst equally protective, is more attractive and lighter, making for even higher comfort levels.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The crutch airflow mesh is also retained. In short, the new Dakar adventure pants from proudly South African Xkulcha, retain all the features of the originals with a more contemporary look, and even better performance. Having worn them extensively on a 3,500k trip recently, I can confirm that they are real winners! The peace of mind of knowing that you can have them repaired or replaced free of charge in the event of a mishap, ensures no buyers remorse. Highly recommended.
Most of my day-to-day riding is done sans passenger. So when Triumph offered me a set of wheels for the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, the classy single-seated Bobber Black was a shoo-in. That is, until my significant other decided to tag along.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
Switching strategies, I opted for the equally stylish 2018 Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster instead. After all, the Speedmaster is just a Bobber with a passenger seat, right? Not quite.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
It’s true that they’re mostly the same bike under the hood. Both are powered by Triumph’s 1 200 cc ‘high torque’ parallel twin motor, making 76 hp, and a stonking 106 Nm of torque. You also get a wet clutch, six speed box, and rider aids that include ABS, switchable traction control and two ride modes.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
The Speedmaster and Bobber’s rolling chassis are virtually identical too. Up front, you’ll find the same 41 mm KYB forks as the Bobber, with the 16F/16R wheels from the Bobber Black. Braking is via twin 310 mm discs and a Brembo caliper up front, and a single 255 mm disc with a Nissin grabber at the back.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
The rear end also features Triumph’s gorgeous faux hardtail design, with a KYB mono-shock tucked in under the seat. Except the Speedmaster’s seat doesn’t ‘float’ like the Bobber’s does. Triumph have added struts to the subframe, to support the rear fender, the back of the seat, and a small passenger pad.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
But that rear section’s not the only feature that sets the Speedmaster apart from its cousins. It’s also got a larger fuel tank, forward-mounted foot controls, and wide, swept-back handlebars. My test unit came in a sweet black and white colour scheme, punctuated by gold striping and finished with period correct tank badges. It also came with a few optional extras: softer grips, rubber knee pads on the tank, crash bars, and a pair of Vance & Hines cans.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
Every single finish—from the paint right down to the chrome trim on the headlight—was immaculate. The long-stemmed chrome mirrors look classic, but work well, while the LED daytime running light adds a modern edge. I’m a fan of the Speedmaster’s digital/analogue combo speedo too, which packs in all the important info in an easy-to-read layout.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
So while the Bobber packs a lot more attitude, the Speedmaster errs on the side of elegance. It’s fully British, fully cruiser and fully classy. And it’s a real head-turner too, attracting admiration from riders and non-riders alike.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
Getting the Speedmaster out on the road surprised me though. The laid-back riding position and classic looks suggest a relaxed ride—but the punchy parallel twin pulls hard, straight off the mark. There are no hiccups in the fueling (or gearing), and power is usable all through the rev range. Braking is excellent too; the brakes are strong, but not grabby. And the combination of the 270 degree crank and those Vance & Hines cans generates a raspy sound and feel.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
Switching between ‘Road’ and ‘Rain’ modes doesn’t make a huge difference, but it changes the power delivery enough to be a worthwhile feature. Deactivating traction control also hardly makes an impact—unless you execute a couple of hard downshifts. Triumph have also fitted cruise control to the Speedmaster, but it’s a rudimentary one-button system that’s more frustrating than it is useful.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
The Speedmaster also handles way better than any cruiser should, once you adapt your riding style. Those goofy handlebars felt a little awkward at first (like I was pushing a wheelbarrow), but I soon figured out how to make the setup work for me. And once I did, the Speedmaster felt like it was cornering on rails.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
With forward controls it took a tiny bit longer for the pegs to touch down in corners—but they did make contact, often. (A friend riding behind me nicknamed the bike ‘Sparky,’ and pointed out that I was millimetres away from wrecking those beautiful chromed silencers.)
That mix of performance and an easygoing attitude make the Speedmaster enigmatic, in the best possible way. Never before have I ridden a motorcycle that both encouraged me to take it easy, and get rowdy, at the same time.
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
It scores well on comfort too, from the shape and padding on the seat, right down to little details like the size and shape of the foot pegs. It’s not the best long haul or high speed bike though. A lack of wind protection, combined with a distinctly non-aerodynamic body position on the bike, means that any turbulence tires you out real quick. (Fitting a screen might be the simplest solution here.)
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
I only have one gripe with Speedmaster, and it’s a biggie. That little passenger pad on the back isn’t particularly effective for anything more than a quick blast to the café. My plus one politely pointed out that it stopped being comfortable halfway through the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride already. (Triumph offer a ‘Comfort Pillion Seat,’ but I can’t comment on how well it works.)
Photo credit: Wesley Reyneke
Luckily the Speedmaster has a lot more going for it than just a pillion seat. I’d take one anyway, ditch the rear pad for a small luggage rack, and continue my solo adventures… in supreme style.
Back in the ‘80’s South Africa went through a “petrol crisis”. I was working for a Honda dealership at the time and we would sell upwards of 50 bikes a month!. Bike salesman were order takers, and printed money as bikes flew of showroom floors. The challenge was to get enough stock to meet the demand. Motorcycles made huge sense as fuel efficient transport then, and they make even more sense now. So why are bike sales not off the charts? Our resident youngster, ZA Bikers photographer, Bjorn, has an interesting theory. Thinking about it, he may be on to something. Bjorn reckons that parents feel uneasy about their children’s safety on South Africa’s roads and don’t want them on bikes. I get it. When my kids were at school I too was not keen to have them on bikes. Transporting them here, there and everywhere was a mission, so what was the solution? A Yamaha B – Whizz scooter, that’s what. My daughter, the older of the two, scooted to school without any mishaps, as did my son when he inherited the little Yammie. Here’s the thing guys. Nothing has changed. Scooters just don’t have the “motorcycle” stigma. Once folks have got used to their kids scooting around, the transition to motorcycles is so much easier as we now have a safe track record and a traffic smart and aware kid.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Enter the “Scooter Revolution”. There is simply no better way to negotiate snarled up city streets than on a modern Scooter. This was brought home to me with a bang by a couple of weeks commuting on Sym’s brilliant CityCom 300i. I use motorcycles as my everyday transport, only resorting to driving a car if there is no way a bike can work. For example when you have to load a whole lot of stuff. The day that we collected the Sym from KMSA Distributors SA, the importers for these quality Taiwanese scooters, I was asked by a buddy to help him take his bike for service in Centurion. Gerry is a big guy, weighing in at around 100kg’s. I had my doubts about the ability of a 300cc scooter to haul 180kg’s at highway speeds, but was keen to give it a go. Fact is, we where blown away! Not only did the plucky scoot maintain highway speed with us both aboard, it did it in comfort!. In the weeks that followed I was impressed by not only what the scooter did, but how it did it. The Sym never feels laboured. It cruises at 120 on the highway at 6500 rpm, with another 2000 rpm to spare. Totally chilled. It is so willing that you find yourself backing off the throttle to reign it in as it runs to 130 plus.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Scooters carry their weight really low with both fuel and engine slung really low in the frame. This makes steering light and effortless. The 300i sports 16 inch wheels which add to the stability and excellent all round handling.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Suspension is conventional forks up front and twin shocks at the rear which are adjustable for preload. On their second preload setting they managed everything, including the two up duty admirably.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Typical of most scooters, the ride can be a little choppy over uneven surfaces, but that is being really critical. All in all the comfort is superb. Twin 260mm discs with twin puck callipers and braided hoses makes stopping from any speed a cinch.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The motor is a gem. A 278,3cc single, water cooled with a single overhead cam and a ceramic coated bore is peppy and super smooth, both in town and on the highway. It simply never feels strained or stressed with the CVT transmission seamlessly punting you along, easily outpacing the general traffic.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The practicality of a scooter is brilliant. I needed to pick up some bird seed. I normally buy in bulk and therefore have to use the car. No problem with the Sym. Two 10kg bags under the seat and a third hanging from the bag hook in front of my knees. There is a cubby with a power point for charging your phone or whatever. The under seat storage takes a full face helmet and rain suit quite comfortably.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
An extended time with this Sym also showed it to be very fuel efficient. The ten litre fuel tank is good for 300k’s of typical Gauteng commuting. By that I mean a combination of highway and around town. I averaged 32,3k’s on a litre with typical riding.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Styling is modern and really handsome. Build quality is above reproach too. The windshield works really efficiently and the body provides proper wind protection. This 300 really hits the sweet spot in terms of overall balance. For me it is the perfect size. A tad smaller than a maxi scooter, but with adequate performance and real ease of use that makes it an ideal day to day ride.
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At last the penny has dropped for me. I am going to do what half of Europe has already done. I am going to join the scooter revolution and get the freedom of the city! I’ll keep my bigger bikes for what they are built for and enjoy “scooting” around the city.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
At R65 odd grand the 300i will make a perfect addition to my garage. Do yourself a favour, go ride one and discover for yourself how to slice and dice traffic like never before. Could just turn you into a revolutionary too.
This years Pirelli BOTY is a really interesting one! Before we get into the meat of things I would like to give a huge shout out to Pirelli. We are living in challenging times to put it mildly. The motorcycle industry, like the general economy, is under siege, yet Pirelli, stalwart sponsor of this event since inception stood in the gap once again! It is one thing to be recognised for a sponsorship but it would be remiss not to commend Pirelli on the excellent quality tyres that they are currently engineering. The bikes on test were all Pirelli shod and I truly believe that a significant amount of their handling prowess, both on the road and track, is partly due to the confidence inspiring Pirelli tyres. Back in another age Pirelli Phantoms were my tyre of choice on my Kawasaki GPZ 550 endurance race bike and let me tell you, if I was racing a production bike today it would also run Pirellis. ‘Nuffsaid!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Right, let’s talk BOTY. In previous years I went out on a limb and gave my winner and runner up and so on. I am going to break with that tradition simply because there were so many stand out bikes in their respective classes this year that to pick a winner would almost disrespect the others. I will need to cast my vote, and I will, but right here and now I will tell you what stood out for me and why.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
TRIUMPH 765 STREET TRIPLE R
This middleweight sports naked is damn near perfect. As a motorcycle journo I try to analyse the various aspects of a bike like brakes, chassis, suspension, engine, ergonomics and then how all these facets hang together to give the rider a “feel” for the bike. The styling and looks of the machine also contribute to this “feel”. This is an almost extrasensory aspect developed from riding bikes daily for over 40 years. Bikes that may be a real buzz to ride for a day might be a pain to own in the long run. The 765 is quite simply sublime. Refined in absolutely every area. The suspension rides bumps on the road with aplomb yet gives perfect feedback on the Gerotek dynamic handling circuit. Probably not surprising with Ohlins in the rear and Showa USD forks, all fully adjustable for preload and damping. Brembo monoblocs provide faultless brake feel and action and that fantastic sonorous triple engine drives with authority from low in the rev range. This bike will make average riders good and good riders brilliant. Flawless and incredible value given it’s performance and spec at just over R150K.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
KTM 790 DUKE
KTM’s latest addition to the Duke family absolutely redlines the fun counter. Our test unit was blinged out to the max from the Powerparts catalogue and had, especially the younger journos, drooling! The parallel twin motor pumps out impressive power right off idle and keeps that up till redline. A responsive chassis channels all this performance in an impressive manner. It is the perfect size and power for the dynamic handling circuit, and a really fun time was had by all on the little Duke. Only when ridden back to back with the Triumph does it come up short. It feels a trifle loose by comparison with slight brake fade from the “budget Brembo’s”. It matches the Triumph blow for blow in the engine department, albeit in a twin cylinder way. Hugely appealing to younger, less discerning riders out there but perhaps less so to those really experienced pilots. Ridden in isolation it will certainly thrill prospective owners, and it’s flaws will be easily overlooked by those with a hint of orange in their blood!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
KAWASAKI NINJA 400 SE
Oh Lordy! What a fantastic bike! I had never ridden this little green rocket before and after a couple of laps memories of my giant killing Yamaha RD 350 came flooding back. Obviously the parallel twin four stroke delivers it’s power differently to the legendary little ‘stroker, but it is no less impressive. Nothing about the bike feels built down to a price. It is a genuine sports motorcycle that will give larger capacity bikes a hernia on a tight windey road. The motor generates surprising power in a linear fashion. I even managed to stay ahead of a decently ridden Husky Vitpilen, despite a 300cc engine disadvantage. This incredibly competent little green meanie can be had for a paltry R79995. Personally this is my bike of the decade!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
HONDA GOLDWING
What can one say about a bike that has evolved over a period of 43 years from the original GL 1000? Especially when that evolution has been undertaken by Big Red. It is the quintessential super tourer, especially when the 1800cc flat six engine is mated with the seamless DCT gearbox. It is built with only one purpose in mind, and that is to take it’s rider and passenger far and fast in absolute comfort. It hits the bulls eye in every respect. The only criticism, if you can call it that, is an element of “playstation” in the way it goes about it’s business. The rider feels almost detached from the bike in the real world, if you get my drift? It is like flying a jumbo versus a Pitt’s special. Both are incredible aircraft, just very different in the way they go about their business. At R392000 it is only really accessible to a limited few which is perhaps also a consideration in these trying times.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
BMW K1600 BAGGER
Any motorcycle with an inline 6 cylinder engine is going to be special, and this is no exception. In “Bagger” guise the K1600 is a magnificent steed. With a fit and finish on a par with Honda’s Goldwing, it is a wonderful way to reel in the horizon, aided and abetted by that brilliant motor. Like the Honda it has raised the Super tourer bar in a “cruiser” like fashion. Fans of the blue and white propeller brand will not be disappointed. At R348100 it is also only for a privileged few and also gives one the “playstation” riding sensation.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
TRIUMPH TIGER 1200
Every time I sling a leg over the latest incarnation of Triumph’s biggest Triple I am reminded of why it has placed so high in previous competitions. It is an excellent all round motorcycle which is competent in many roles. Still very much a riders bike, it is a hoot to ride. Whether trundling down the superslab or attacking the twisties it feels equally at home. Rider and passenger creature comforts are at an all time high. The wonderful gruff ‘n tough triple is a pleasure at all speeds. An excellent all round motorcycle.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
DUCATI MULTISTRADA 1260
The Italian take on the Swiss Army, do it all motorcycle theme, albeit with a road bias. Lovers of the V – Twin Testastretta motor will not be disappointed. The 1260 motor is a belter! The long travel suspension initially makes really fast riding a trifle disconcerting, but once you get used to the amount of suspension movement you can really hustle this beast down a windey road. You sit very much “in” this bike as opposed to on it. Hugely versatile, it is a jack of all trades but it’s weakness is that perhaps it is not really “master” of any.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
HUSQVARNA VITPILEN 701
I commented to a fellow journo that the Husky was predominantly an artistic expression with it’s almost “art deco” styling. That was before I rode it. What an impressive motorcycle, especially on the dynamic handling track. I was in “super single” heaven. The big single pulls with reasonably smooth authority right from the basement. Handling is top drawer. The Vitpilen gives excellent feedback as you dive into turns, rail through sweeps and climb on the impressive stoppers. It is not quite as at home on the street, where high speeds have it feeling somewhat extended, with the big one lunger breathing hard. Despite it’s unique styling and competence I cannot help feeling that it is perhaps R20k too expensive to be a real contender.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
KAWASAKI H2 SX
If, like me, you are a fan of Sports Tourers, then this bike will properly blow your hair back, and a whole lot more besides. The supercharged H2 motor has found it’s natural home in the Sports Tourer. Endless power and speed are accessible at the twist of the wrist. The rest of the bike can be set up to complement your preferred riding style. An amazing motorcycle. The only nagging thought from a BOTY perspective is whether, when all is said and done, the H2 SX is a better motorcycle than it’s brilliant sibling, the ZX 1400. I get the feeling that in the real world the way simpler ZX delivers the goods with less mechanical complexity. That is, of course, until you hear the waste gate on the supercharger chuntering and chirping. Damn, this is a tough job!
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
KAWASAKI Z900 RS
I love this bike! It does not rely on it’s old school cool styling to win you over, as some retro’s do. Underneath that sweet styling is a fundamentally good and versatile motorcycle. The motor delivers real world performance that totally satisfies, as does the suspension and chassis. It is the kind of bike that you ride, and then start doing the ownership sums on. A real contender.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
BMW R310 GS
WIthout taking anything away from it’s real world usefulness and performance, the little Bimmer felt out of it’s league in this company. It’s tiny road focussed sibling punched so far above it’s weight last year, astounding all with it’s performance, that we were perhaps expecting too much from the littlest GS. The attributes that make it perhaps better in day to day use, like comfort and versatility and suspension travel when compared to the regular G 310 R, hampered it in fast road and track riding. Great little beastie, but as a BOTY contender, no cigar.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
DUCATI PANIGALLE V4 S
Last, but oh so definitely not least, is this all conquering Italian that redefines the word Superbike. No one can argue that this bike, sporting the largest capacity Superbike motor of them all, with a fair amount of Ducati’s MotoGP DNA in it’s makeup, raises the bar in almost all respects. If you are up to it, that is. To be brutally honest, precious few riders have the skill to utilise this weapon to the full. In fact, around the dynamic handling track, if you had the gonads to do it, you hardly could get it out of first gear. In a way, for me, it’s like being married to a super model who you feel you can never really satisfy in the bedroom. Her pretty, girl next door type sister almost becomes more appealing. It exposes your lack of ability, because everyone knows that the machinery that you are on is not deficient. So, for me, for all it’s undeniable brilliance, it is simply a bridge too far.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
To sum up. I tried to give you some insight into my thought process as a judge at this great Pirelli sponsored event. No matter what wins, you may well think differently. Please forgive our choice. At least we have ridden them all in the same environment and have tried to be ruled by our heads and not our hearts. As passionate motorcyclists that is not an easy task, especially given that there was genuinely not a bad bike there.
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At the end of the day, it is you the motorcycle rider that ultimately wins. We have never been so spoilt for choice!
A new recruit has joined the Autobot Freedom Fighters and he goes by the name of Zontes ZT250-R, assigned by the leader himself Optimus Prime. Becoming an Autobot is a mission of its own, there is a list of expertise to have at hand such as; manoeuvrability, performance, stealth and most of all loyalty.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
When it comes to stealth, the ZT250-R has clearly aimed its target at the smartphone generation, with its modern design as well as its flashy colour range. The free screw design really blends the bodywork together, giving you a very neat finish to look at with no major visible gaps between the bodywork. As stealthy as it may be in the new urban society, the ZT250-R doesn’t sacrifice practicality nor functionality.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Armoured with a very stylish yet robust bash-plate, that doesn’t just protect the undercarriage but scoops up the air to keep the motor cool as well. Bent radiator fins, “no I don’t think so!”, says the blacked-out radiator guard, which covers the entire surface area with styling to match. The exhaust is protected with a cleverly designed wrap-around heat shield that definitely kept both myself and my fellow passenger cool whilst on our ride.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
When it comes to performance the ZT250-R may seem under-powered when looking at the spec sheet but with a lightweight of 146kg, the 24hp and 23Nm are more than adequate. The dual overhead camshaft, four-valve, single-cylinder engine has proven to be not only sporty but economic. During my urban travels, I managed to get an average fuel consumption of 3.0 l/100km and with highways combined it steadily moved up to 3.5 l/100km.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The gear ratios are very short, so you find yourself cruising along in top gear which hence provides you with such an economical ride almost scooter-like. Even with the short gear ratio’s you are kindly provided with a top end of 145 km/h, which translates to a high rpm ride on the highway at 120km/h with revs reaching 8000rpm with only 10000rpm available. I think the ZT250-R is a city dweller and loves being ridden around town but that’s not to say you can’t take it comfortably on the highway.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The manoeuvrability of the ZT250-R is great, making tight parking lots and back street manoeuvres quick and effortless. The front suspension gives off a plush ride and very stable feel, whilst riding on some seriously pitted backroads. When the highway to hell ends and the stairway to heaven begins, that is when the plush front suspension suffered with me. Bottoming out under hard braking was a factor for myself and without adjustment on the front forks, it left me rolling my wrist forwards rather than backwards.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The rear nitrogen shock was the exact opposite to the front suspension—the rear was heavily sprung and it gave me the same talent as Niki Lauda, which was to feel whether the coin I just rode over was heads or tails. Once a passenger has been seated on the back of the bike this all changes, making long journeys manageable.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Stopping quickly and safely is not a problem on the ZT250-R, due to it being equipped with a reliable BOSCH ABS system. I found the brakes to work very well in day to day use and in sporty riding, I was able to switch the ABS off with a touch of a button. Good braking is also complimentary to the surprisingly good factory fitted Radial rubber. Not only did they give me confidence under braking but they also provided good grip, mid-corner.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The clutch and brake levers on the ZT250-R are both adjustable and have a neat safety feature. This safety feature is foldable levers and if you’ve ever dropped a motorcycle you’ll agree with me that this is a neat function – no more snapped levers.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The rider cockpit is comfortable as well as ergonomically pleasant when having to use the controls and when changing your riding position. The reach to the bars and legroom are very commuter based, therefore making daily journeys a treat. When getting into a sporty rider position for some backroads the ZT250-R is very accommodating, giving you plenty of room to move around.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
A great convenience on the centre-control is having multiple functions. You can now engage the anti-theft lock, fuel tank cap, headlock, seat lock and ignition lock all with the turn of a key.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The digital LED display is clear and simple to read, displaying nearly all necessary information. A gear indicator is not present on this model and with it being a beginner bike, this may be an issue for novice riders. Visibility was not an issue for me on the ZT250-R, with the mirrors being cleverly able to rotate 360 degrees, eliminating all blind spots as well as making them easier to adjust. The switchgear is really simple, chunky and backlight too. The switchgear has a cool red backlight but it only highlights the buttons not the functions of the buttons, leaving a beginner or new owner in the dark.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
As you all know, fuel has recently become pretty expensive but on this Zontes, I must be honest and tell you my wallet hardly felt a difference.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
R221 plus/minus gets you a full 13L tank on the ZT250-R and it took me a distance of 371.4km which is exceptionally economic for a 250cc motorcycle.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
When a full tank can take you so far, it’s very important to have a comfy saddle and may I say it doesn’t disappoint – this is probably one of the comfiest seats on a lightweight motorcycle, that I have ever placed my rump upon. The seat on the ZT250-R is comfy and also grippy, making sure your butt is in the correct position at all times. Behind the pillion’s throne, you will find a neat set of pillion handles that blend in with the swingarm and handlebars colour scheme.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
The headlamps give off the transformer like appearance which tends to turn heads all day long. This beam of light is created by LED globes that not only provide a great life span but also provide you with a longer field of vision.
Photo credit: Bjorn Moreira
Loyalty is the key to success and this is what Zontes and the ZT250-R provide. Zontes reassures us that the parts holding in South Africa is huge and that locally unavailable parts can be sourced from the Chinese mother company within 2 to 3 weeks. When looking at the prices of other 250cc rivals, you ask yourself the question, “well how much does the ZT250-R cost”? Here’s the answer: you can buy the Zontes ZT250-R today for only R44900 and let me tell you this, you can’t buy anything as modern-looking, economic or that’s going to turn heads, for the same price.
Royal Enfield can perhaps lay claim to being the oldest motorcycle brand in the world, and have been producing their “modernised” single cylinder units since 1970. Give a warm welcome to their new offering based on a so-British vertical twin engine. ZA Bikers went to Santa Cruz, California, USA, to test ride the brand new Royal Enfield 650 Interceptor and 650 Continental GT and found out that they are bloody good!
The motorcycle legends aren’t supposed to die but Royal Enfield very nearly did. In the mid 2000’s, the brand was not iconic; just out-dated. The Chennai (India) factory was producing 18,000 units of a four-decades old Bullet, appealing to some faithful locals and a few manic foreigners and upsetting the biking community at large by the apparent lack of reliability and pre-historic technology. But hey! over the last financial year, they delivered 820,000 motorcycles, which suggests one of the best motorcycle resurrections ever! The single cylinder bike range (Bullet 350, Bullet & Classic 500, Himalayan 410) is now complemented by a brand new platform, based on a fresh and, yet so British, 648 cc vertical twin.
With this new pair (Interceptor and Continental GT), Royal Enfield have some serious ambitions. Funny enough, no pricing, other than in the US, has been divulged during this world launch, but the company’s strategy is to be aggressive with pricing. The Interceptor will start at as little as 6,799 $ and the Continental GT at 7,199 $, which puts the competition in a rather uncomfortable position, although the competition is also rather scarce. The Interceptor competes against the Triumph Street Twin and the Moto Guzzi V7 III Stone, and the Continental GT against the Triumph Street Cup and the Moto Guzzi V7 III Racer. Obviously, local South African pricing and availability has to still be announced. What we do know is that this won’t be before the beginning of 2019. As a cherry on top of the cake, the 650 twins will come with a worldwide 3 year warranty!
Royal Enfield is so obsessed by quality that they’ve built a batch equivalent to 5,000 machines that won’t be sold to customers, but rather used in testing to perfect their building process consistency. 5,000 is a massive number and it shows the absolute commitment to getting the quality spot on.
Historic times
Royal Enfield is proud of its past and has even created a position for a genuine historian and fascinating story-teller, in the person of Gordon May. Gordon reminded us of the complex brand history, which is much more complex than the 1932 and onwards Bullet dynasty, which is too often associated to the British-then-Indian brand.
In his presentation he covered two examples:
After the 2nd world war there were 200,000 motorcycles running in the USA. In the 60’s, the figure jumped to over 3 million, many of them being based in California. The British industry was then a great supplier of fun for the baby-boomers, and alongside Triumph, Norton and BSA, Royal Enfield took its share with the Interceptor. The Interceptor was a 650 vertical twin produced from 1960 to 1962, then followed by a 750 version (in reality: 736 cc), which was made up to 1970 when the British subsidiary of the brand collapsed forever. The Interceptor was a rather refined motorcycle, with a lot of mid-range torque.
In the early 60’s, the British government put a limit to new bikers, by limiting them to motorcycles with a maximum of 250 cc engines! At the time, Royal Enfield had a commuter, the 250 Crusader. They improved it to make the Continental GT, which was in early 1965, the fastest (the top speed was over a genuine 135 km/h), the most sophisticated (it was the first British motorcycle to have a 5-speed gearbox) and also, the most expensive 250 cc of the time (at 270 British pounds, when a standard 250 was then costing between 200 and 220). Royal Enfield proved the bike’s potential by organising a launch going from the furthest point North of Scotland to the furthest point West of Cornwall: the small 250 did the 1340 km of B-roads in one day without any trouble.
For 2019, the new 650’s are here to relive the past, the Interceptor in a rather direct heritage kind of way, whilst the Continental GT is just in keeping with its ancestor in spirit! Although their designs are very distinctive, they share the same essential running gear, being different only in styling, ergonomics and the rear suspension settings.
Genuine twins!
Interceptor and Continental GT share the same new engine. Gone is the time of the iconic, long stroke, 360° vertical twins. They were full of charm, for sure, but also full of vibrations, oil leaks, difficult to start and lacked true potential. Royal Enfield made different prototypes of the engine and during a comparative test of 180°, 270° and 360° versions, the 270° unit came up trumps. The engine is suitable for beginners and complies with A2 regulations: it delivers 47 hp @ 7,250 rpm and 52 Nm of torque @ 5,250 rpm (with 80 % of it being available from 2,500 rpm), and it doesn’t take long to be convinced by a broad spectrum of qualities.
It sounds good, like a proper twin but fortunately not too loud. It’s smooth enough for daily use (you can ride at 60 km/h at 2,200 rpm in 6th with a smooth response, thanks to a nicely tuned Bosch fuel-injection), it’s quite lively around 4,500 rpm and the power delivery is sensitive between 5,000 and 7,000 rpm, although some vibrations are felt as the rev-needle goes higher and higher. For commuting and B-road fun, the 650 twins are great. It does long distance too, as it’s running at 5,000 rpm at 120 km/h in 6th gear, in an effortless and vibration-free manner that makes the Bullet 500 an archaic, yet adorable, motorcycle! These Royal Enfields are now mile-eaters in an unprecedented way for the brand.
Beginner-friendly
The Harris Performance company was bought a couple of years ago by Royal Enfield. Harris made some GP 500 frames in the mid-90’s and what they made for the 650 twins is just remarkable! Although the technology is rather simple (a steel, double cradle unit), the chassis gives instant confidence and a perfect balance. Ride them for a couple of hundred meters and you’ll definitely feel at home – as comfortable as sitting next to a fireplace, with your cat sleeping over your knees. When the pace gets faster, the bikes still impress with class-leading agility and real cornering confidence, with a planted front end and great ground-clearance. The Pirelli Phantom tires look old school, but their compound has been developed for the 650’s and they offer great grip and feedback.
We’re not talking here about some superbike riding style, but a fast yet smooth pace in line with a modern classic. The brakes, made by ByBre (the Brembo low-cost branch) as used by KTM on some models, are good enough too. ABS is standard.
Which one to choose?
We started our first day of testing with the Continental GT and Royal Enfield was confident enough to take us down some very scenic and twisty roads, near the charming little town of Pescadero, surrounded by some dense forests of sequoia trees. On those roads, the Continental GT seduces by its great agility and the confidence provided by its chassis and it’s more radical riding position (the foot pegs are 9 centimetres further to the rear than those on the Interceptor, and the handlebars 2 cm further and 4 cm lower), which gives a different riding experience. (Ask Jorge Lorenzo: a new ergonomic fuel tank helped him to win GP’s on the Ducati!). However, the riding position is far from extreme and the Continental GT proved itself to be a very comfortable machine, including the seat, which initially felt too firm but was actually fine.
If the Continental GT is an easy bike to ride, the Interceptor is even easier. The natural riding position and its brilliant balance not only makes it a pleasure to ride, its makes it perfect as a commuter too.
Both of them are nicely built: they’re not endowed with billet-machine parts and exotic components, but the overall level of finishes and assembly is more than decent, especially considering the pricing. Your choice of which model will ultimately come down to personal preference, be that Cafe’ Racer or Classic Retro.
The two new 650 twins from Royal Enfield are a refreshing and worthy addition to the current crop of modern classics out there. In some hard to define and odd way, they seem the most “authentic” take on the original theme.
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Ride one when you get the opportunity and see for yourself.
For more information on Royal Enfield in South Africa, contact your local dealer: www.royalenfield.com
