This is the littlest bike in Suzuki’s V–Strom Adventure Sports line up. Sporting the same engine as that in the GSXR 250 road bike, it is a tried and tested unit. A parallel twin of 248cc, it revs to 10,000 rpm and produces it’s maximum torque of 17,3 ft-lbs at 6,500 revs. The styling is familiar V–Strom, and at a quick glance could easily pass for a 650. With a magnetic tank bag friendly steel tank and solid build quality, it weighs in at 188 kgs. The wheels are 17 inchers back and front, with a 140/70 rear and a 110/80 front. Seat height is a not too lofty 800 mm. The DL 250 has a substantial rear carrier rack, and our test unit was fitted with a 23 litre Suzuki factory top box, finished in a complimentary black satin colour.
Suspension is non adjustable up front and preload adjustable on the rear, allowing you to compensate for load. The spring rates are pretty sorted, and at no stage did I bottom either end, despite riding some relatively gnarly dirt. I did find that the damping could be somewhat overwhelmed by stutter bumps if negotiated at speed. Dialling back the pace settled everything down again. I rode a really rutted and eroded dirt road and expected the 17 inch wheels to be somewhat nervous. Surprisingly this was not the case. The wee Strom took it all in it’s stride. If the truth be told, neither of us enjoyed the road, but I don’t think any bike short of a full out dirt beast would have, it was that bad.
Brakes are single discs, front and back. Brake action was solid and predictable, with decent feel, even on the dirt. The bike is ABS equipped, which is reassuring for newbies. I found the seat reasonably comfortable, and the fairing mounted screen, despite being non adjustable, worked a treat. All in all the little ‘Strom was pleasant to ride.
The motor, whilst obviously no fire breather, revs freely and is always willing. It tops out at 136 odd k’s an hour on the redline. Cruising at 115 kph has the motor spinning at a heady 9,000 rpm. For those with some mechanical sympathy it can be a trifle unnerving to rev the motor this hard. I must say, the DL 250 seems to be happy, and feels totally unburstable.
A nice feature is the fact that the frame is rigged to accept factory panniers. Handy on a lightweight, go anywhere tourer. Off road excursions are made possible by the addition of a proper bash plate to ensure that rocks do no mischief. The bike is not really adequately powered for lengthy two up duty, but can suffice for the occasional short commute.
So who is going to buy this little Strom then? I see two potential customers. Firstly as an adventure bike for a lady, or for a youngster wanting to ride along with his dad, who more than likely will have a bigger version. The two peas in a pod appeal will be especially attractive to Suzuki aficionados. Alternatively you may well find that the bike will appeal to an older gent who wants something solid, man sized and dependable to simply cruise around on. At R73 250, and returning a respectable 3,9 l/100 on fuel, it makes a lot of commuting sense. A 17,3l tank gives a fair amount of range too.
Typical of all Suzuki’s you are likely to have years of service from your DL 250, over which time your petrol saving will pay for the bike, not to mention the fun you can have along the way. I would happily embark on a “tiddler tour” of note on this bike. Slow it down a bit and smell the roses and introduce some excitement into your life. The smallest V-Strom may just be your ticket to a whole new world of adventure.
For more information visit: www.suzukimotorcycle.co.za
The OSAH Drypack 40 Duffel Bag is very lightweight (weighing at:1.1kg), and is made from a 500d PVC material, which is a very tough and durable puncture and wear resistant material. The roll-top closure ensures the Duffel Bag is 100% dust-proof and waterproof.
The OSAH Drypack 40 Duffel Bag comes with a set of 4 tie-down straps, with a quick release buckle system, designed so that you can strap the bag down easily onto your motorcycle.
I tested this theory by mounting the bag onto one of our adventure bikes, and found that the system was really simple and worked extremely well. What I especially liked is that the mounts do not scratch your bike in anyway.
I also found that by using the D-rings (which are placed on-top of the bag), I was able to mount an additional tent onto the bag using a simple strap – this is really a nice feature and make the OSAH Drypack 40 Duffel Bag extremely versatile for biking trips.
and when not in use the OSAH Drypack 40 Duffel Bag stores away into a small nifty bag, making it very easy to store away.
The ritual of erecting my tent, sorting my bedding and getting coffee water on the boil. Ladling ground coffee into my Coleman plunger and savouring the rich coffee aroma. The glug from my hipflask, to put that “renoster” into my coffee. Sitting back, sipping slowly as harsh daylight softens to a pastel glow. Listening as the jackal announces his presence to the creatures of the night. The guinea fowl and pheasants, clucking and screeching their way to their roosts. The onset of another African evening, seemingly unchanged since time began.
Bikes are pretty reliable. Since the ‘70’s we have been able to venture far and wide without being plagued by mechanical, or other maladies. Must be honest, I am a bit concerned by modern electronics. Where in Africa is my bike going to stop “reading” it’s key, or is a sensor going to stop “sensing”? Let me not go there. Suffice to say, I have just acquired a KLR 650 Kawi for an extended African trip I am planning for next year. Simple and basic, like God intended.
From a motorcycling perspective, my personal knowledge of Dunlop began in the early 1970’s. If you were venturing out into the wide blue yonder on your bike, [remember this was before the advent of “Adventure” bikes] you would spoon on a set of Dunlop Fort tyres. The Forts had a sort of Trials tyre look to them and were tougher than old boots. They were originally built for cars. I am pretty sure that many a Model T rolled on Dunlop Fort tyres.
The Q3’s are really handsome tyres, with the appearance of a slick sporting long grooves from the centre of the tyre to the edge. These longitudinal grooves carry water away from the tyre surface. The profile of the tyres is also shaped to help make the bike turn intuitively, yet maintain straight line stability. Multi-tread technology infuses the tyre with silica in the centre with softer compounds on the shoulders. This gives superior mileage, or in our case kilometreage, without compromising cornering performance. It also helps the tyre maintain it’s profile for longer. Local testing supports these claims. Dunlop Sportmax Q3+tyres come in sizes compatible with all popular middleweight and heavyweight sports motorcycles.
Victories have not been restricted to the tar either. Cody Webb was the World Super Enduro Champion in 2018 on his Dunlop shod KTM. Fact is, Dunlops are the worlds winningest tyres!
Waterkloof Heights, 103 Club Avenue, Pretoria
Urban Barista Mobile Espresso Bar
23 on Hazelwood
Vintage Coffee Menlo Park
So what is this Motul memories all about, you may ask? Let me explain. I started my motorcycling in the ‘70’s. That was the era when, as a sixteen-year-old, a person was entitled to get a licence for a motorcycle with an engine capacity of 125cc or less. For the vast majority of youngsters, that meant a 50cc autocycle, or “Aut”, as we called them. For me, that first meant a Honda S50, and then a Honda SS 50 GT. Needless to say, that little blue Honda with the white pinstripes on the tank was my absolute pride and joy. To some, a fifty was a convenience. Less hassle than pedalling a bicycle. To me, it was the beginning of a wonderful new world of adventure. My universe immediately shrank. I could now venture far and wide, free of the shackles imposed by my pedalling ability. Far distant places, like Durban, had an immediate allure. The question was, “Will my Honda make it, or will it overheat, seize and expire?” In my search for answers, I started delving into the lifeblood of my tiny four-stroke Honda. I began to understand the importance of lubrication.
I started following endurance racing. The Bol d ‘Or is the motorcycle equivalent of Le Mans. In fact, it is staged at the same circuit; the bikes just go the other way around the circuit. Surely, I reasoned, these bikes, running flat out for twenty-four hours, would use the best possible oil to give themselves the best chance of finishing, let alone winning? That is how I discovered a French motor oil called Motul. This company were on a quest to develop the best possible oil to meet the demands of “the Bol”. The French are absolutely passionate about endurance motorcycle racing, so it is probably not so surprising that a French oil company developed oil specifically to meet the extreme needs of this particular motor sport. I reasoned that if Motul could keep these engines in one piece, it should do the trick for me, too. From the moment that Motul became available in SA, I have never used any other oil. So it is that over years of riding countless thousands of miles around Southern Africa, Motul has literally kept things together, giving me endless motorcycling pleasure and creating many Motul memories. Let me tell you about just one that springs to mind.
A couple of years ago, I set off with 11 guys on a ride around the Okavango Delta in Botswana. We left Pretoria around 6 am in late October. Those of you who have travelled through Bots in summer will know how blisteringly hot it gets. It is still too early for the rainy season to bring relief to the parched land. Trees stand scorched and dry across the dusty land. We were on our second TVS Tour. A year earlier, we rode 5 TVS Apache Indian built bikes to Vic Falls in Zimbabwe.
Our route took us through Botswana, through the border at Kasane, and on to the Falls. We then travelled down through Zims to Beit Bridge and eventually back home. The guys so enjoyed this trip that they started clamouring for another “TVS Tour”. Enter the Delta Dawdle. Why Dawdle? Well, TVS’s are either 160 or 180 cc, so speed is not a big issue. Part of the enjoyment of these trips is that you kind of take a smell the roses approach. The bikes are typically running at more than 7000 rpm (redline at 9) for 3500 km. Hence the Motul connection. A prerequisite to coming on a TVS Tour is that, prior to departure, you fit a fresh oil filter and change your oil to Motul. Temperatures in the north of Botswana at this time of year hover constantly around 38 to over 40 degrees C. The tiny TVS singles are subjected to an awful hammering as they rev close to their limit for days on end. To give them the best chance of surviving this abuse, you have to be able to trust your engine oil implicitly.
The first day took us to Palapye, 500 km from home. No problem. By late afternoon, we were all sitting at Itumela Camp, sipping on the first of a series of bitterly cold St. Louis lagers in an attempt to rehydrate our heat-battered bodies. War stories were a little different to usual. Guys were not talking speed, but rather how they were averaging over 40 km/l on their TVSs. 700 km on a 16-litre tank. Incredible. Day two had us off to an early start, trying to hang on to the cool of the morning for as long as possible. We ran the bikes harder too, and in no time had dispatched the 180 km to breakfast at the Wimpy in Francistown. By the time we left for Nata, two odd hours away, it was properly hot.
At one point, the guys stopped under a tree, sitting in the shade, wilted in the dusty, cloudless hell. Pulling into Nata lodge for lunch, we dipped our T-shirts and jackets in the pool and put them on, revelling in the temporary cooling effect of the water. Back on the bikes, we travelled another 100 km to Planet Baobab, our planned campsite for the night. The gutsy little Motul lubed TVS’s had carried us another 500 “kays” through hellish heat. Every bike was running like a train, sounding great and, incredibly, upon checking, required no oil top-up. See why I insisted on Motul 5100? The stuff is flipping magic!
Planet Baobab were fully booked, so just as we were facing two more hours of riding to Maun, the travel gods smiled on us. As we were being sent on our way, hot and dejected, a buddy, Nick Weidemann, walked into reception, heard of our plight and immediately offered to share his campsite with us. Score! To reciprocate, we shared our magnificent Botswana fillet steak with Nick and his family. Steve Coleman, notorious from the Apache Raid on Vic Falls, started meting out “straf doppe” that he called Minkie’s, “cause they were equally hot”, being a concoction of Stroh rum, tabasco and a drop of his Triumph Bonnies fork oil. We dined like kings and all turned in reasonably “well oiled’.
Back on the road, we circumnavigated the south of the Delta, then rode north, crossed the Namibian border and traversed the 30 odd kay’s of dirt road through a game park. Maik, a German friend, experiencing his first visit to Africa, was at a total loss for words when he saw some elephants bathing 100 metres away at a water hole. The first free roaming ellie he had ever seen.
Nunde lodge on the Kavango river was our home for the next two days. The riding and the heat had so sapped the guy’s energy that they all voted for a day’s R and R. Sitting on the deck over the river, watching the blood red sun, coloured by the African dust, sink into the river, all was extremely well with the world!
Resuming our travels, feeling bright-eyed and bushy-tailed after our rest, we were greeted by the spectacle of a huge herd of buffalo crossing the Caprivi strip as the sun rose on another African day. Running like clockwork with the Motul in their motors, the TVS’s carried us down the Caprivi, back into Botswana and through the Chobe game reserve to Kasane. By now, everyone knew that they could totally trust their Motul-lubed bikes to go the distance, so we just totally relaxed and soaked up the experience. Heading south from Kasane, we enjoyed the abundant game that roams free across this vast land. Stopping occasionally to allow herds of elephants to cross the road, we cruised down to our overnight stop at Woodlands campsite, 16 odd kay’s before Francistown.
With tents pitched, we cooked up a storm with the final braai of the trip. We woke to find that some guys had pitched their tents on termite holes. The little suckers simply munched their way through the tent and, would you believe it, right through blow-up mattresses! Talk about that sinking feeling! By the way, in case you were wondering. TVS tours have no backup vehicles, and we carry all our kit on the bikes. Soft boys need not apply!
On the penultimate day of our trip, we ran south, crossed the border, and on to Ellisras. We decided to stop in Vaalwater for our final night at the little dodgy hotel. We ran over the mountain from Ellisras in a high-speed TVS train, slipstreaming each other flat out to our destination. We saw 135 km/h on the digital speedos as we played our game of tag. The final night saw the emergence of Minkie again, with Corporal Coleman dealing out the pain. What a trip it had been! Tiny TVS’s traversing the harsh and arid African hinterland with that magic Motul muti in their bellies. On the following day, as it inevitably must, it was back to our everyday lives. The joy of riding motorcycles is that when life once again becomes a pain, for whatever reason, it is time to make more Motul memories of the two-wheeled kind.
Nyandezulu Experience
The Red Desert
Beaver Creek Coffee Estate & Roastery
Macbanana
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White Arrow vs Black Forest
Price
Whilst the essential recipe has remained the same, the bikes have been continually upgraded as they have evolved through Knucklehead, Shovelhead, Panhead, and Evo to name but a few engine derivatives. Each model has managed to gain an almost fanatical following, which is not often, if ever, emulated to the same extent, or so consistently, by other brands. On day one of our Croatian stay we got to ride two of Harley’s latest tourers; the Road Glide, and the Street Glide, both part of Harley’s Softail range. Both these Glides are powered by the powerful, torquey and refined Milwaukee – Eight 107 cubic inch engines. The single biggest difference is that the Street has a handlebar mounted fairing, while the Road has it’s fairing frame mounted. Both variants offer good wind and weather protection, but have distinctly different riding characteristics.
Let me not get ahead of myself. The heart of any motorcycle is it’s motor. The 107 cube Milwaukee Eight mill in these bikes is a gem. For a big capacity V-Twin it is uncannily smooth and refined. A muted velvety rumble makes it’s present felt in a lovely way as it punts you down the road. The torque is available right out of the basement, so there is no need to rev these bikes. The power characteristics are akin to a really good diesel motor, where the response is instant and you short shift on a creamy wave of torque into top gear, [6th], and then just aptly Glide along. The transmission is a trifle clunky, but positive. Consistent with the general “hewn from billet” feel of these bikes. Overtaking is an effortless exercise. Roll the throttle open and the bike lunges past. No sweat!
It is in how they handle that subtle differences between the Road and Street emerge. Firstly, I must tell you that I was pleasantly surprised by the extent of the ground clearance. It is only when you are going at virtual sport touring pace that any part of the hardware starts to drag on the road. This allows really pleasurable riding in the mountains. I expected the Street to be a tad heavier steering since it carries the weight of it’s fairing on the bars. In fact, the opposite is true. The Road, with it’s frame mounted fairing, steers slower, albeit with a wee bit more stability. When the pace hotted up, the Road was definitely my weapon of choice, whereas in the urban sprawl, I found the Street easier to manoeuvre. With their long wheelbase neither can be described as super agile, so U-turn’s and parking require a little planning and thought. I am sure that this is second nature to owners. Watching the Harley support crew move these bikes around proved this point. They tossed them around with an abandon born of a lot of practice. What did amaze me was how good the spring rates and damping is on the Glides. With there trademark low slung look, Harley do not have a lot of suspension travel to work with. What they do with the available travel is phenomenal. The soft tail rear suspension soaks up bumps and keeps things under control, whilst the upside down front forks match them perfectly. Kudos to the H-D suspension gurus.
All the Harleys that I have ever ridden are blessed with handlebars with a really natural bend. Everything just seems to fall to hand. These bikes are no exception. A bit like baby bear’s porridge. Just right! The same can be said for the seats. Harley seats tend to cup your butt. You don’t sit on them, but in them. This spreads your bodyweight over your whole tush resulting in hours before the dreaded “numb bum” sets in. Despite being prone to a bit of lower back ache, probably the side product of capsizing too many times over many years of riding, the seating position on the Glides caused no woes. These are really perfect bikes for the long haul. Point them in the right direction, engage the cruise control, choose your music of choice on the comprehensive infotainment system, settle in and enjoy the ride.
The muted rumble of the dual balance shaft big twin is really soothing. You get the feeling that it is totally under stressed and will keep on running for eternity. The story goes, and yes, it may just be an urban legend, that the first V-Twin motorcycle that The Motor Company ever built ran over 100,000 miles without major attention to the motor. Every aspect of these big Harleys feels anvil solid with beautiful finishes everywhere. The quality of the paintwork is beyond reproach. The black and candy apple red being two of my personal favourites. That said, the matt black looks amazing as well. Speaking of looks, you may realize that I have not attempted to describe these bikes. That is quite simply because all the world knows what a Harley-Davidson motorcycle looks like. You can ask the most random people and they will kind of describe the look. A bit like the motorcycle equivalent of the Coke logo. Part of Harley’s allure is their familiar image.
So it was that we crossed the Croatian countryside in lovely sunshine, traversing farmlands and rolling our muted Harley thunder through quant villages of stone built houses with red tiled roofs. Here and there houses stand vacant, in varying stages of disrepair. I found myself wondering if this was a consequence of the conflict that gripped this now peaceful land over twenty years ago, or whether it is the muted world economy which is driving folk from the countryside to the cities in search of employment. My reverie was interrupted by a lunch stop at a lovely old sprawling country restaurant. Croatian food is hearty wholesome fare. Roast meat, potatoes and the like. With the inner man fortified we swept across the inland plateau and back to the coast, stopping enroute for a coffee at a hotel with a magnificent elevated view over the Adriatic. Exploring the countryside on a big touring Harley is indeed a wonderful experience. Touring Harley style has never been so good. The relaxed demeanour of these big Glides chills you out as the k’s roll effortlessly by. Come up behind slower traffic and you simply roll it on and the Milwaukee-Eight motor responds instantly, no sweat. After a great days touring we negotiated late afternoon traffic back to our hotel. We watched the setting sun paint a silver swathe across the Adriatic as we sipped on a cold one and shared tales of a good days riding.
We rode the Sporties in typical fashion, cruising the Croatian coastline, stopping every now and then to sip on a coffee and take in the sights.
The other Sportster model we rode was the Iron 1200. The big difference is a larger diameter 19 inch front wheel. The forks are more spindly, and have lost the hefty fork brace on the 48. The bars are slightly higher too. Mounted around the headlight is a neat handlebar mounted cowling cum fairing. My personal opinion is that the cowling would have looked more at home on the Sportster Roadster with it’s Café Racer styling. The foot pegs have also been moved back to a mid mount. The 48 Special, for me, has a clearer idea of what it wants to be than the Iron. I found the riding position and overall stability of the 48 significantly better. If you choose the styling of the Iron you must be prepared to sacrifice some riding function. “Different strokes for different folks”, as the saying goes.
We retraced our route, this time going down the mountain and back along the coast road. We stopped for photos at a view point overlooking the Adriatic. Stunning! The late afternoon traffic was such that we rode at a sedate pace back to our hotel. I moved the two Sportsters into a suitable position to take some photos. The bikes have paint jobs reminiscent of the AMF era in the 1970’s. For me, the colours and striping are fantastic! I would have a hell of a tough time choosing a favourite. Snapping away with the incredible Croatian scenery as a backdrop to the two handsome Sporties, I just savoured the moment.
A fun element to all our riding was some friendly rivalry between the South African journalists and some of our Indian counterparts. India is somewhat starved of big bikes, so whenever their journos get to throttle bikes with significant cc’s, it is game on! Enter Vijay Rossi and Vishnu Marquez. You will be pleased to hear that your SA journos, ably supported by Harley SA’s Aidan Johnson, who really knows how to peddle a Harley, gave a good account of themselves and kept the SA flag flying high.
Our final day in Croatia was a really fun one. We were bussed to a location just outside the city of Split, where The Motor Company got the local villagers to build a flat track race course. Fiendishly clever, the one end had two turns, creating a short or long oval. Whoever was in the lead on lap one would have to do the long oval, allowing the trailing rider to take a short cut. The result was close racing irrespective of ability. Huge fun was had by all, despite a few low speed get offs. To ensure that we would have some idea of flat track technique, Harley brought in two specialists to show us the way round. The one was the current leader, on a modified Harley Street Rod, of the European DTRA Hooligan Championship, Grant Martin. The other instructor was none other than World Superbike and MotoGP star, Reuben Xaus. Shootamonkey! These boys can ride!
Harley built a gaggle of flat trackers for this sort of event. Every one of the journos would have ordered one on the spot, given half a chance. Take note H-D! With steel shod left boots we were soon slip sliding our way around the oval. It would have required surgery to remove the grins. When the dust settled, literally, it was Leandro from Brazil, who came up trumps. If the truth be told, it was a one horse race. He absolutely smoked us mere mortals. Turns out he won a Brazilian Superbike championship a couple of years back, and still races motocross competitively.
Lunch was another high point. We were taken to a tiny hamlet, population 11, to a restaurant housed in a two hundred year old stone structure. Three foot thick walls, shutters and wooden beam ceiling. The walls were covered in local memorabilia. Swords, rifles, saddles, pistols, even a steel helmet with a bullet hole right through it. Certainly hope the owner wasn’t wearing it at the time! Platters of wholesome nosh had us feasting like kings. Reuben and Grant lunched with us, and we chatted like old bud’s. The motorcycling brotherhood is a wonderful and diverse thing indeed! Tired and content, we returned to our hotel for a farewell dinner on the terrace of our hotel. Swapping war stories, we cemented new friendships and put the cap on what was a truly wonderful experience.
The motor pumps out 111PS @8500 rpm and a healthy 98,5Nm of torque @6500 rpm. It delivers 80% of the torque from only 2000 rpm. The bike doesn’t feel fast in a ZX 10 kind of way, but fast in a “strong” kind of way, if you know what I mean. Weighing in at 215 Kg’s, it is not particularly lardy. All of this translates to a top end of around 230 kph. Not to shabby hey Nige?
A 120/70×17 front wheel and 180/55×17 rear contribute to the decent handling characteristics. The wheels are mags with a rather difficult to clean design. I would have liked something along the lines of the Lester after market mags that we used to fit to our bikes back in the day before mags became standard equipment on sports motorcycles.
Being somewhat old school, I like to keep the electronic intervention to a minimum and rely on decent riding habits to keep things tidy. Using the gearbox is a doddle too. Shifts are crisp and precise. Miss a gear here and it is because you are sloppy, not any fault of the bike.
