THE TEAM: EDITOR & DESIGN: Rob Portman rob@ridefast.co.za 082 782 8240 ED’S NOTES: ROB PORTMAN ADVERTISING: Kyle Lawrenson lawrensonk@mweb.co.za 071 684 4546 ACCOUNTS & SUBSCRIPTIONS: Anette anette.acc@mweb.co.za 011 979 5035 CONTRIBUTORS: Sheridan Morais Brad Binder Darryn Binder Gerrit Erasmus GP Fever.de Eugene Liebenberg Niel Philipson The Singh Mieke Oelofsen Greg Moloney Copyright © <strong>RideFast</strong> Magazine All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, articles, or other methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher. The motorcycle tyre market has become a very serious business and ultra-competitive. Never before in my 15 years as a journo had I been invited along to a tyre launch. This year so far, I have been on three. The technology involved in modern day tyre’s is so in depth, so much more than just gluing pieces of rubber together. The end user demands more than ever - tyre’s that offer more grip, more stability and agile while still offering massive mileage. Not an easy combination to get right, hence why tyre manufacturers have delved deep into modern day tech that is available to satisfy customers’ needs and wants. In this issue, I expose the latest tech from two of the leading brands in the sports touring segment. Starting off with Michelins new Road 5, where I fl ew to Spain and then literally a month later was off to Morocco for the launch of Bridgestone’s new T31 sports touring tyre. I also tested their new A41 adventure tyre which was loads of fun! The third launch was Pirelli’s new Diablo Rosso Corsa 2 tyre, and was pleased to see it was held right here in SA. That full test will be featured in our next issue. All the tyres tested were seriously good. My eyes were truly opened to the technology that is now put into tyres, and thank goodness, because with bikes getting stronger and faster, we need tyres to be at their best to help control all the madness. Speaking of madness and modern-day bikes, we have two of the very best ever superbikes tested in this issue - a world fi rst in fact. Myself and my fast-little mate, Shez Morais, managed to get our hands on the new Ducati Panigale V4 S and the very limited-edition Ducati Panigale 1299 R Final Edition. Once again, a case of it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Shezza’s sponsor, Paul Stuart from PRIDE Bulk Logistics, very kindly and bravely let us test his 1299 R FE along with the new V4 version - piping the Italian manufacturers’’ last V-Twin superbike against their latest 4-cyclinder creation. It was also my fi rst time testing the new V4 here in SA, after having ridden it at the world launch in Jan at the Valencia circuit in Spain. Shez was also very keen to ride the new red machine, after I had raved about it to him on more than one occasion. It’s a great test and I have no doubt you will enjoy the article we have put together. While we had the new V4, we decided to put it up against another Italian V4 - The Aprilia RSV4RR. Big thanks must go out to DeWet Kruger, one of our readers who answered our calls on Facebook asking for an Aprilia to use for the test. Another world fi rst if I’m not mistaken...? Our cover story for this month is an interesting, and different one for us. Husqvarna SA launched its new range of street bikes down in Cape Town, the perfect setting for these modern-day retro styled bikes. I really enjoyed the test, although not at fi rst if I’m being honest. My fi rst impressions of the bikes were somewhat confusing. While I loved the styling, and build quality of all three new models, I had to really change my mind set to help appreciate what they are all about. My sportsbike cap was put on the shelf for this test, and fl at out all action mentality traded in for a more open, free minded one to better help understand and fairly review the bikes. I think the test came out perfectly and at the end I can say I enjoyed the unique riding experience from the bikes and look forward to a follow up test up here in JHB in next month’s issue. We have once again managed to put together an issue packed with loads of tests, reviews, custom builds, tips and tricks for you all to enjoy. Not that much racing in this issue I’m afraid, but we might have an exciting new exclusive MotoGP columnist from next month onwards, bringing us direct news from the paddock and track. Really excited about this and really hope we can make it happen. Until next month, Ride Fast, Ride Safe! Rob Portman RIDEFAST MAGAZINE MAY <strong>2018</strong> 1