Dirt and Trail June 2020-2

RIDE MORE, STRESS LESS! 

JUNE 2020 

SA’S ADVENTURE MAGAZINE 

RIDING 

Painting the town 

Red with some 

Honda machines. 

QUICK TEST: 

THE KTM 790 

ADVENTURE R RALLY 

PLUS: 

// PILLION ADVENTURE RIDE 

// TUNED UP BMW R1250 

// MYSTIC MYANMAR RIDE 

RED 

A NEW 

TIGER 

A close look at Triumph’s 

new Tiger 900 Rally Pro

K&N Style Filters 

Available sizes 28, 35, 39, 42, 48, 

52, 54 and 60mm R125.00 

8000Ma 

Jump Starter & Power Bank R1299.00 

18L / min 

RAC610 Inflator R449.00 RTG5 Gauge R249.00 

Bike and ATV Covers 

Available sizes S - XL 

From R270.00 

Ring Globes 

H7 150% Power R330.00 

H4 150% Power R290.00 

EMGO Top Box 

R990.00 

Diverse and S innovative filters – 

S 

S 

S S S S S S 

also for motorcycles. 

The largest filter range for maximum workshop performance. 

Our filters protect not only the engines, but also the people in the vehicle. With our comprehensive filter range in uncompromising quality and 

with maximum market coverage, we ensure that the right product is available for every requirement to keep dirt, abrasion and the finest particles 

away from the powertrain and the occupants. With MAHLE, your workshop delivers 100% performance, today and tomorrow. 

Distributed by Autocycle Centre 

www.mahle-aftermarket.com 

DESCRIPTION PART NO. SRP Inc. Vat 

SMART CHARGER 1 AMP DFC150 R599.00 

SMART CHARGER 3.5 AMP DFC530 R899.00 

SMART CHARGER 4 AMP PSA004 R999.00 

SMART CHARGER 8 AMP PSA008 R1349.00 

SMART CHARGER 4 AMP PSD004 R1199.00 

ROAD , TRACK , ADVENTURE 

Rim Locks Front and Rear 

SMART CHARGER 8 AMP PSD008 R1499.00 

TOPLITE 

R110.00 R465.00 

Tubeless Puncture Kits 

License Disc Holders 

R168.00 

Bar Ends 

R100.00 

GAUTENG 

GAUTENG ZEEMANS MOTORCYCLES 011 435 7177 

ZEEMANS BIKING ACCESSORIES MOTORCYCLES 011 012435 3427177 

7474 

BIKING GAUTENG FACTORY ACCESSORIES RACING 012 011 342 8677474 

0092 

FACTORY ZEEMANS GAME MOTOR RACING MOTORCYCLES SERVICES 011867 435 8490092 

7177 7000 

GAUTENG 

GAME BIKING MOTO-MATE MOTOR ACCESSORIES RIVONIA SERVICES 012 011849 234 3427000 

5275 7474 

ZEEMANS GAUTENG MOTORCYCLES 011 435 7177 

FACTORY MOTO-MATE RACING RIVONIA STONERIDGE 011234 867 6095275 

0092 0944 

BIKING ZEEMANS MOTO-MATE GAME JUST 

ACCESSORIES 

BIKING MOTORCYCLES 012 

STONERIDGE SERVICES 011 011 016 435 342 

609 849 421 7177 7474 

0944 7000 1153 

FAST BIKING JUST MOTO-MATE KCR KTM ACCESSORIES MOTORCYCLE BIKING RIVONIA FANATIX 011 012 016 011 867 342 421 234 975 0092 7474 1153 5275 5405 

GAME FAST KCR MOTO-MATE OFF-ROAD KTM MOTOR 

MOTORCYCLE CYCLES SERVICES STONERIDGE FANATIX 011 011 012 849 867 975 609 333 7000 0092 5405 0944 6443 

MOTO-MATE GAME OFF-ROAD JUST PRIMROSE MOTOR BIKING RIVONIA SERVICES MOTORCYCLES 011 012 016 011 234 849 333 828 421 5275 7000 6443 9091 1153 

MOTO-MATE PRIMROSE KCR RANDBURG MOTORCYCLE EDENVALE RIVONIA MOTORCYCLES FANATIX 011 011 234 027 828 975 792 5275 0545 9091 5405 6829 

MOTO-MATE KCR RANDBURG OFF-ROAD WAYNE MOTORCYCLE HEASMAN EDENVALE MOTORCYCLES FANATIX RACING 011 012 011 975 027 792 955 333 5405 0545 6829 5960 6443 

PRIMROSE JUST WAYNE BIKING HEASMAN MOTORCYCLES RACING 011 016 011 828 421 955 828 9091 1153 5960 9091 

RANDBURG KCR MPUMALANGA 

MOTORCYCLE MOTORCYCLES FANATIX 011 011 792 975 792 6829 5405 

OFF-ROAD MPUMALANGA 

WAYNE BIKE CITY HEASMAN CYCLES RACING 012 011 013 333 955 244 6443 5960 2143 

PRIMROSE BIKE 

FREESTATE 

CITY MOTORCYCLES 011 013 828 2449091 

2143 

MPUMALANGA 

RANDBURG FREESTATE 

SALLEYS MOTORCYCLES YAMAHA 011051 792 430 6829 3326 

BIKE BIKE CITY 013 244 2143 

SALLEYS 

CITY 

YAMAHA 

013 

051 

244 

430 

2143 

3326 

MPUMALANGA 

FREESTATE 

BIKE SALLEYS CITY YAMAHA 013 051 244 430 2143 3326 

Hand Guards 

Various Colours available 

ABS Plastic R470.00 

Alloy R990.00 

Scooter V Belts 

From R110.00 

Tyre Levers 

From R95.00 

From R48.00 

Jerry Cans 

From R450.00 

Fork Boots 

PBA DEALER LISTING 

PBA DEALER from R120.00 LISTING 



NORTHWEST 

NORTHWEST 

BIKERS PARADISE 018 297 4700 

BIKERS INSANE PARADISE BIKERS 018 014297 5944700 

2111 

INSANE NORTHWEST 

MOTORS BIKERS @ KLERKSDORP 014 018594 4682111 

1800 

NORTHWEST 

MOTORS BIKERS WATER RITE PARADISE @ KLERKSDORP MOTORCYCLES 018468 297 7711800 

4700 5050 

BIKERS NORTHWEST 

WATER INSANE PARADISE 

RITE BIKERS MOTORCYCLES 018 014 018 

771 594 297 

5050 2111 4700 

INSANE BIKERS MOTORS LIMPOPO PARADISE BIKERS @ KLERKSDORP 014 018468 594 2971800 

2111 4700 

MOTOS INSANE LIMPOPO WATER K.R.MOTORCYCLES @ BIKERS RITE KLERKSDORP MOTORCYCLES 015 018 014771 297 468 5945050 

3291 1800 2111 

WATER MOTOS K.R.MOTORCYCLES RITE @ KLERKSDORP MOTORCYCLES 015 018297 771 4683291 

5050 1800 

WATER LIMPOPO RITE MOTORCYCLES 018 771 5050 

LIMPOPO K.R.MOTORCYCLES 015 297 3291 

KZN 

K.R.MOTORCYCLES LIMPOPO 

015 297 3291 

K.R.MOTORCYCLES KZN PERRY’S M/CYCLES BALITO 084 015353 2972713 

3291 

KZN PERRY’S ROCKET M/CYCLES RACING PINETOWN BALITO 084 031353 7022713 

2606 

KZN 

ROCKET ROCKET 

RACING RACING PINETOWN 

MARITZBURG 031 033 

031702 264 

7022606 

3240 

2606 

PERRY’S RBS YAMAHA M/CYCLES BALITO 033 084 031264 353 701 1103240 

2713 1311 0056 

ROCKET RACING MARITZBURG 033 264 3240 

ROCKET RBS YAMAHA RACING PINETOWN 031 031701 7021311 

2606 

RBS YAMAHA 031 701 1311 

ROCKET 

UMPLEBY RACING MARITZBURG 

SUZUKI 033 

031 264 

303 3240 

8323 

RBS YAMAHA 031 701 1311 

UMPLEBY SUZUKI 031 303 8323 

PART NO. DESCRIPTION PRICE 

50081406/L CARB CLEANER 400ML 50.00 

is OEM 

50201414/L TERMINAL PROTECT RED 50.00 

50201415/L TERMINAL PROTECT BLUE 50.00 

50320400/L BRK,CLTCH,CHAIN CLEANER 44.00 

50500192/L CHAIN LUBE 150ML 34.00 

50500193/L CHAIN LUBE 400ML 69.00 

50510403/L CHAIN WAX 400ML 71.00 

50510404/L CHAIN WAX 150ML 34.00 

51528262/L PETROL INJECTOR CLEANER 10.00 

53203200/L AIR FILTER SPRAY 55.00 

53203500/L AIR FILTER OIL 500ML 55.00 

53204005/L BIO FILTER CLEANER 5l 325.00 

53204400/L BIO FILTER CLEANER 400ML 47.00 

53780300/L SPARK 300ML 44.00 

55000314/L TYRE FIX 200ML 45.00 

56000001/L FORK OIL SYN 5W 125.00 

56000002/L FORK OIL SYN 10W 125.00 

56000003/L FORK OIL SYN 2.5W 135.00 

56000400/L MOUSSE LUBRICANT 100.00 

RIDE HIGH WITH YAMAHA 035 789 1851 

RIDE PERRY’S GAUTENG HIGH M/CYCLES WITH YAMAHA UMHLANGA 035 031789 5661851 

7411 

PERRY’S ZEEMANS M/CYCLES MOTORCYCLES UMHLANGA HILLCREST 031 011566 765 4357411 

2560 7177 

PERRY’S RIDE BIKING HIGH ACCESSORIES M/CYCLES WITH YAMAHA HILLCREST 031 035 012765 789 3422560 

1851 7474 

PERRY’S CAPE FACTORY PROVINCE M/CYCLES RACING UMHLANGA 031 011 566 867 7411 0092 

RIDE HIGH WITH YAMAHA 035 789 1851 

CAPE PERRY’S CRAIGS GAME PROVINCE MOTOR M/CYCLES SERVICES FITMENT HILLCREST 031 021 765 939 849 2560 8944 7000 

CRAIGS TRAC-MAC MOTO-MATE RIDE PERRY HIGH M/CYCLES 

M/CYCLE BELVILLE RIVONIA WITH FITMENT YAMAHA GLEN ANIL 021 011035 031 

939 945 234789 566 

8944 3724 52751851 

7411 

CAPE TRAC-MAC MOTO-MATE PERRY’S PROVINCE BELVILLE M/CYCLES PAARDEN-EILAND STONERIDGE UMHLANGA 021 011031 945 510 609566 3724 2258 09447411 

CRAIGS TRAC-MAC JUST CAPE PERRY’S BIKING PROVINCE 

M/CYCLE PAARDEN-EILAND M/CYCLES WYNBURG FITMENT HILLCREST 021 016031 510 939 761 421765 2258 8944 4220 11532560 

TRAC-MAC MIKE KCR CRAIGS MOTORCYCLE HOPKINS M/CYCLE WYNBURG BELVILLE MOTORCYCLES FANATIX FITMENT 021 011021 761 945 461 975939 4220 3724 5167 54058944 

MIKE NEVES OFF-ROAD CAPE TRAC-MAC HOPKINS MOTORCYCLE PROVINCE PAARDEN-EILAND CYCLES BELVILLE MOTORCYCLES WORLD CC 021 012021 461 510 930 333945 5167 2258 5917 6443724 

NEVES PRIMROSE CRAIGS TRAC-MAC MOTORCYCLE M/CYCLE WYNBURG MOTORCYCLES PAARDEN-EILAND FITMENT WORLD CC 021 011021 930 761 828939 510 5917 4220 90918944 

2258 

MIKE EASTERN RANDBURG TRAC-MAC HOPKINS CAPE MOTORCYCLES BELVILLE WYNBURG 

021 011 021 461 792761 945 5167 68294220 

3724 

EASTERN IMOLA WAYNE NEVES TRAC-MAC MOTORSPORT HEASMAN MOTORCYCLE CAPE PAARDEN-EILAND RACING WORLD CC CC021 043 011 021 955 722930 510 5917 5960 11575917 

2258 

IMOLA WICKED TRAC-MAC MOTORSPORT CYCLES WYNBURG 043 021 722 510 761 11572968 

4220 

EASTERN MPUMALANGA 

MIKE HOPKINS CAPE MOTORCYCLES 021 461 5167 

IMOLA BIKE NEVES FREESTATE 

CITY MOTORSPORT MOTORCYCLE WORLD CC043 013021 722 244930 1157 21435917 

FREESTATE SALLEYS YAMAHA 051 430 3326 

SALLEYS FREESTATE YAMAHA 051 430 3326 

SALLEYS YAMAHA 051 430 3326 

PBA 

NORTHW 

BIKERS P 

INSANE B 

MOTORS 

WATER R 

LIMPOPO 

K.R.MOTO 

KZN 

PERRY’S 

ROCKET 

ROCKET 

RBS YAM

EDITOR: ROLEY FOLEY 

THE TEAM: 

EDITOR: 

Glenn Foley 

foleyg@mweb.co.za 

DESIGN: 

Rob Portman 

rob@ridefast.co.za 

www.gameservices.co.za 

ADVERTISING: 

Sinead Foley 

foleyg@mweb.co.za 

Sean Hendley 

bestbikemagazines@ 

yahoo.com 

071 684 4546 

For CPT: Lorna 

lornad48@yahoo.com 

HMMM what to say for this month? 

I think that we are all a bit sick of 

this whole Lockdown thing and I 

worry about how long it is going to 

take SA as a nation to recover from 

more than a month of inactivity. But 

it might just be balanced by the fact 

that - to date and God willing, SA 

to a large extent has dodged the 

bullet. Who knows. 

But bikes are the grandest things 

ever invented and riding one is the 

very best way to self isolate. 

Stay safe - and we see you out 

there soon. AND... 

Bike shops are open and they 

NEED your support! Pop in, say 

hello and even if its small, buy 

something! 

See you out there! 

Heres a lockdown smile: 

Jack and his wife Diane went to the 

local Motorcycle show every year, 

and every year Jack would say, 

‘Diane, I’d like to ride in that 

helicopter. 

‘Diane always replied, ‘I know Jack, 

but that helicopter ride is ninety 

quid, and ninety quid is ninety quid’ 

One year Diane and Jack went to 

the show, and Jack said, 

‘Diane, I’m 85 years old. If I don’t 

ride that helicopter, I might never get 

another chance.’ 

To this, Diane replied, ‘Jack that 

helicopter ride is ninety quid, and 

ninety quid is ninety quid.’ 

The pilot overheard the couple and 

said, ‘Folks I’ll make you a deal. I’ll 

take both of you for a ride. 

If you can stay quiet for the entire 

ride and not say a word, I won’t 

charge you! 

But if you say one word, it’s ninety 

quid.’ 

Jack and Diane agreed and up they 

went. The pilot did all kinds of fancy 

manoeuvres, 

but not a word was heard. He did 

his daredevil tricks over and over 

again, but still not a word. 

When they landed, the pilot turned 

to Jack and said, 

‘By golly, I did everything I could to 

get you to yell out, but you didn’t. 

I’m impressed!’ 

Jack replied, ‘Well to tell you the 

truth, I almost said something when 

Diane fell out, 

but you know,..... ninety quid is 

ninety quid!’ 

ACCOUNTS & 

SUBSCRIPTIONS: 

Anette 

anette.acc@mweb.co.za 

Office no (011) 979-5035 

(011) 979-0053 

CONTRIBUTORS: 

Kurt Beine 

Zygmund Brodalka 

Tristan Foley 

Mike Wessels 

Jaun Delport 

Shado Alston 

NEW & BACK ISSUES 

AVAILABLE AT WWW. 

MOTOMEDIA.CO.ZA 

Piston and Gasket Sets 

Cranks, Conrods and Camshafts 

Cylinder Kits, Rebores, Main Bearings and Clutch Plates 

Email:G124@mweb.co.za 

EMAIL: 

no 4 Fifth avenue 

Northmead 

Benoni 

011 425 1081/4 

2 DIRT & TRAIL MAGAZINE JUNE 2020 

VALVES,STEM SEALS AND SPRINGS

Don’t be a chop… 

Be lekker! 

The Motorcycle Industry was officially 

allowed to open for as close to normal 

business as possible under the lock down 

regulations a few days ago, so please 

support them as much as you possibly can. 

You can now buy whatever you need or 

want including bikes, clothing, accessories, 

parts, services, basically anything and 

everything on offer at your favourite 

dealership … but under strict regulations 

and guidelines from the authorities. So, 

when you do go to your local dealership 

don’t be a chop and give them a hard time 

about the way they have to do access 

control, conduct business and etc., it is what 

they are forced to do in order to be able to 

trade. Also, please remember that 99.9% 

of the bike shops out there are small family 

owned businesses that have had absolutely 

no income for the last two months or so. 

They don’t have big corporation finance 

supporting them and they are just trying 

to keep food on the table and roofs over 

the heads of their families and employees 

and most of them do not qualify for the 

governments strictly regulated ‘bail out’ or 

assistance packages. So, please do not try 

and push them for maximum discount or 

to do free work, most of them are already 

running at tiny profit margins just to try and 

get some money in. Just pay the price and 

know that you are helping a Dad put food 

on the table, a boss pay his staff’s wages so 

they can eat and have a warm safe place for 

their families. Sadly, a lot of bike dealerships 

have had to close their doors forever 

because of the lock down and we need to 

prevent this from happening to more and 

more shops as it causes a chain reaction 

right through the industry. When they close 

down or cannot pay their suppliers it puts 

the cash flow of the suppliers/importers/ 

distributors under strain and some of 

importers and distributors are already 

looking at the future with very little optimism. 

At the end of the day fewer and fewer 

options are available to us as the biking 

community and eventually we may end up 

with very little or no proper bike shops or 

importers in SA. 

So …. let’s get out there and support the 

bike industry and help keep it going for 

generations to come. 

SPECIAL FINANCE OFFER 

KTM 390 ADVENTURE 

FROM R 1,850 

PER MONTH* 

Please make no attempt to imitate the illustrated riding scenes, always wear protective clothing and observe the applicable provisions of the road traffic regulations! 

The illustrated vehicles may vary in selected details from the production models and some illustrations feature optional equipment available at additional cost. 

Photo: R. Schedl 

START NOW 

ADVENTURE MORE. 

Retail price 

Monthly instalment 

Interest rate 

Term 

Deposit 

R 93,999 

R 1,850 

9% 

60 months 

R 9,400 

Principal debt 

Total cost of credit 

Initiation (included in instalment) 

Service fee (included in instalment) 

R 85,807 

R 111,012 

R 1,208 

R 69 

*Finance offer valid from 1 June 2020 until 31 August 2020 on all new, in-stock 390 Adventure 2020 models, while stocks last, at 

all participating KTM dealers. All information with the proviso that mistakes, printing, setting and typing errors may occur. Please 

consult your local dealer for further details and tailor made offers. Terms and Conditions apply. Finance is subject to approval and 

client risk profile. Initiation fee and service fee may be applicable. 

KTM Finance, a product of WesBank - a division of First Rand Bank Ltd. Registered Bank. An Authorised Financial Services 

and Registered Credit Provider. NCRCP20. 

4 DIRT & TRAIL MAGAZINE JUNE 2020

Looking for a world 

class decal kit? 

Bandit GFX takes 

over Racestar Graffix 

It was totally unexpected, who would have 

thought that Racestar Graffix and Bandit 

GFX would become one and the same. 

Truth be told it was a match made in 

heaven, the two companies ran separately 

but so much alike, the transition was 

effortless, it was meant to be. 

Some good news in times of turmoil, 

the world will never be the same, but 

one thing is for sure we all need to get 

out there and spin up some dirt. From 

Monday the 1st of June Bandit GFX at 38 

Langwa Street in Strydompark will be fully 

operational, it will be business as usual. 

The team will be stronger than ever with 

Alex Nardini and Wesley du Plooy coming 

on board to join Mauritz Meiring’s team 

with Ricky Raaff and Clinton Dick. All 

artwork from both companies has been 

centralized, the printing machines are the 

same so colour consistency and quality 

will remain top class. 

The team can be contacted on the Bandit 

GFX landline 011 462 5520 or the old 

Racestar number 072 545 1471. Email 

addresses are the designers first names 

@banditgfx.co.za (Mauritz, Clinton, Ricky, 

Wesley or Alex) 


ALL DEALERS 

NOW OPEN! 

The Guys from 

Supermoist have been 

busy at work during 

the lockdown period 

NEW BIG BOY SHIPMENTS ARE HERE! 

Instead of a conventional boring old facemask, 

Suopermoist has come up with Le Buff – a 

mask, come scarf come chest warmer, 

branded in your favorite motorcycle livery with 

a long front to keep your chest cozy while you 

ride. Soft cozy, washable fabric and it serves 

to keep nasty viruses at bay. Also available in a 

lighter breathable summer fabric. 

www.supermoist.co.za for all sorts of 

corporate gear. 

Trade enquiries are welcome. 

Swift 125/150 

R16,599.00 

Mustang 250 

R35,999.00 

For the full scooter, motorcycle and ATV range, visit our new website: www.samotorcycles.co.za 

Velocity 150 

R15,999.00 

Adventure 125/150RS 

R17,999.00 

Utility ATV 250 

R55,999.00 

IMPORTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY 

Join Big Boy on 

Bike Tyre Warehouse 

opens in Port Elizabeth 

Prices include VAT and pre-delivery inspection only. Prices exclude licence, registration and any service costs unless specified. Prices are correct at the time of going to print and may 

change without notice due to currency fluctuations or at dealers who are located in outer-lying areas. All advertised models are available at the time of going to print unless specified. 

The well known motorcycle tyre guys from 

Midrand have opened a new branch in the 

Windy City. Which is really good news for all 

Eastern Cape bikers because as with their 

flagship JHB branch, the P.E. branch will also 

stock all the top tyre brands such as BATT, 

BRIDGESTONE, CONTINENTAL, HEIDENAU, 

MAXXIS, METZLER, MICHELIN, MITAS, 

MOTOZ, PIRELLI and etc. with great monthly 

Combo specials, sound and professional 

tyre application advice and service. Under 

the leadership of Alan Hughes who brings a 

wealth of experience and knowledge from 

years and years of motorcycling they will 

also be doing SBS brake pads and discs, 

DID chains, various well known brands of 

sprockets and generally most things to do 

with the wheels on your superbike, track bike, 

cruiser, chopper, cafe racer, tourer, adventure 

bike, dirt bike or ATV, as well as a few selected 

bolt on accessories and etc. 

You can find them at Unit 1 & 6 in Moffet 

Business Centre 4, corner of Restitution and 

Overbaakens roads in Fairview, Port Elizabeth 

or give Alan a call on 083 267 2685 or drop 

him a mail on alan@biketyrewarehouse.com 


X-Wash Foam filter 

cleaner and motorcycle 

wash: Keeping a 

bike fresh is all about 

maintaining it. 

Clean your Dirtbike, 

Quad, SXS, Adventure 

bike, boots, kids 

A big part of maintenance is regular cleaning of 

both the bike and the air filter. 

In todays busy times, you want convenience 

and ease of use – and you want a product that 

works and that does not damage your bike… 

X-Wash DirtBike wash: Spray on – 

Spray off (Touchless). Available in 

orange and blue. 

To be fair, we are also guilty of buying basically 

any soapy substance that helps to get the job 

done. The problem is – many solvents and 

soaps leave streaks, chow your anodized bits 

and galvanized surfaces – and many of them 

leave nasty marks on modern aluminum parts. 

The guys from X-Wash popped past to give 

us a demo. Fortunately our junior member had 

not cleaned his YZ up to scratch – and we 

happened to have a very dirty, muddy Yamaha 

Side by side in the garage… 

These guys guarantee that their product, 

designed specifically for motorcycles will not 

leave marks or streaks because it contains the 

right stuff. 

Demo Time. 

Tristans bike had literally been rinsed after the 

last ride, and it was still very mucky. The Rhino 

was, quite frankly, filthy and we were plucking 

up the courage to get stuck in and clean it… 

We don’t want to oversell, but – from what we 

saw, the system is simple and it works really 

well. They stress that it will not remove ingrained 

stains, but that if you use it constantly from new, 

it will keep your bike looking very fresh. To prove 

this they brough along a very tired looking 2014 

KTM300 that had spent lots of time on the 

rocks. They have used this product since new – 

and there are none of those nasty mud stains to 

be seen. We include a pic of the hubs. 

Tee’s bike did come out a helluva lot cleaner – 

and we cleaned a small section of the Rhino to 

give you an idea. And it was literally spray on 

Adventure bikes - no streaks no fuss... 

This hub is on a very well used 300. 

– spray off. Very simple and the bikes look really 

pretty. The product contains a bit of wax that 

beads, protects and gives it a bit of a shine. 

We are pretty careful with road and adventure 

bikes because we constantly get moaned at for 

leaving streaks on the demo’s that we borrow. 

This lot climbed into our Terra and it emerged 

looking squeaky clean and fresh. 

We used about ½ a liter on our dirtbike. 

Cost per 5 litre is around R75.00. You can dilute 

up to 1/1 for a slightly dirty bike. 

Foam filter cleaner: 

Cleans boots a treat. 

ot your wifes favorite blouse – this gets rid of all 

the debris. 

On a 5 litre system, used correctly, you’ll clean 

between 40 and 50 filters. 

It works, it’s handy, clean and tidy. Great 

system. 

It’s also handy for removing excess 2-stroke 

oils from a dirty pipe – and its also a great chain 

cleaner. Rise afterwards and re-lubricate. 

2 litre Kit (bucket, gloves and 2 litres of product) 

around R175.00 

5 litre fluid refill R225.00 

Also available in bigger quantities. 

Available from your dealer. Trade enquiries 

welcome! 

dpaind.office@gmail.com 

(011) 422-4882. 083-625-8150 Phillip or Tracy. 

From this... 

We washed a quarter - from this.... 

Spray off 

To This. Spray on - spray off. 

Spray on 

The quarter looks new 

Here is the gospel according to any mechanic 

worth his or her salt: 

You HAVE to clean and lube your air filter 

on a regular basis. ESPECIALLY in dusty 

conditions. And if you are not used to it, it can 

be a messy chore. 

These guys have a great system. They sell a 

foam filter cleaner in kit form. Cleaning Fluid, a 

bucket and a pair of rubber gloves. Pour the 

fluid into the bucket. 

Add the dirty filter, pretend like you are doing the 

dishes. You’ll see the muck lifting out. remove 

the clean filter, squeeze the product back into the 

bucket, (remember don’t wring the filter, it will tear 

– and you damage the glued bits), rinse your filter 

out thoroughly with water and allow to dry… 

Then oil, grease and refit. 

From what we saw, the product works 

instantly and perfectly – all the muck settles 

to the bottom and is left in the bucket – once 

it’s settled, you pour the fluid back into the 

decanter and you use it again and again. We 

filter the fluid back through a funnel with a lappie 


Must have EVS gear 

for your kids 

If your kids are anything like ours, you’ll 

have noticed that lockdown has not stunted 

any form of growth. Our kids have grown 

up in EVS gear – it is tough, durable and 

comfortable and it has saved many hospital 

bills. They have just unpacked a shipment of 

new EVS clobber just for the little guys… 

The Bantam Youth Chest deflector: 

This Comp Suit is an ultra-lightweight 

ballistic jersey offering full upper body 

protection and breathability for all day 

comfort. 

• Side zip design allows for full roost 

protection 

• Removable sleeves 

• Hard plastic chest, back, arm & shoulder 

protection 

• Full torso & elbow protection 

• Full articulating spine protection that 

moves with you 

• Lightweight ballistic fabric with mesh 

stretch panels for superior fit 

• Neck brace compatible 

The EVS Kids Mini Slam Combo is sold as 

a set and includes Option Knee and Elbow 

Pads and the R2 Race Collar. 

EVS Mini Option Elbow Pads: 

• Hard molded polypropylene shell. 

• Perforated bio-foam liner for increased 

breathability. 

• Tri-Y forearm strapping system 

provides greater 

support and reduces 

migration. 

• Extended forearm protection pad. 

• Asymmetric design provides anatomical fit 

for left and right arms. 

• Sold as a pair. 

• Kids mini model. 

EVS Mini Option Knee/Shin Pads: 

• Hard molded polypropylene shell. 

• Perforated bio-foam liner for increased 

breathability. 

• Full knee to shin coverage. 

• Reinforced TPR hinge system. 

• Asymmetric design provides anatomical fit 

for left and right legs. 

• Sold as a pair. 

EVS Mini R2 Race Collar: Get them 

used to a neck brace early on… 

The EVS R2 Race Collar helps prevent 

spinal injury in the neck area. Placed 

between the helmet and shoulder, the 

R2 Race Collar is designed to minimize 

the possibility of the cervical spine 

overstretching in a fall. 

• Soft-density core is made from a PU foam 

base for energy dissipation. 

• Washable outer ballistic nylon shell. 

• Race collar strap system. 

• Low profile design. 

• Easy-to-use soft strap closure on the front. 

At your bike shop or: facebook.com/ 

Hendersonracingproducts 

RAD KTM News 

The RAD KTM shop has undergone 

something of a transformation. And its too 

cool! 

Rather than the upstairs downstairs 

premises that they had, they opted to move 

around the corner, in the same building and 

to create a space that simply oozes the 

KTM brand - still on several levels - but the 

concept and feel of the brand new store is 

really awesome. 

You’ll recognise the same faces with a 

few new additions - and we’ll feature the 

team soon - when the shops signage and 

everything is completed. 

So - same place, just hit a left as you go 

through the boom gate. Same awesome 

coffee, lekker kuier plek outside. 

Awesome range of new KTM motorcycles 

and accessories. And what they might 

not have in store, you’ll probably find just 

up the stairs at the Bike Kings accessory 

megastore. 

More on this lot soon! 

Corner Rivonia and Witkoppen Road, 

Witkoppen Rd, Rivonia, Sandton. 

(011) 234-5007 

www.radmoto.co.za 


Leatt - GPX 5.5 

Flexlock Boots 

ANKLE AND KNEE SAVING OFF-ROAD 

BOOTS WITH ADJUSTABLE FLEXLOCK 

SYSTEM… 

The all new Leatt GPX 5.5 FlexLock boot is 

a 3-year project with long term development 

and testing using our Pro athletes from all 

over the world! 

The GPX 5.5 boot is a real head-turner, but 

the design brief was comfort and protection. 

They tell us that the adjustable FlexLock 

system reduces forces to the ankle by up to 

37% and the knee by up to 35% by locking 

out the ankle movement when over flexed, 

giving you that feeling of security. 

The boots include the SlideLock Velcro 

function, ground-breaking in security 

fastening boot technology. 

FlexLock System: 

• Adjustable boot flex 

• LockOut of the ankle movement 

• Force Reduction 

LockOut ankle movement gives: 

• Up to 37% reduction of ankle forces 

• Up to 35% reduction of forces to the knee 

• Reductions compared to the market 

leader/most high-end boots 

Fit: 

• Outstanding first-class fit even for wide 

feet 

Ankles: 

• 3D-shaped impact foam over ankles 

• Heel grip ankle design 

Toe-Box: 

• Low-profile, gear shift friendly shape 

Sole: 

• DualZone hardness 

• Extended foot peg riding zone for arch and 

on the blade riding style 

• Steel shank reinforced and CE certified 

Bike Grip: 

• Flat and grippy bike side of the boots for 

great bike feel 

Buckles: 

• Forged Aluminum 

• Over-locking function 

Inner Liner: 

• Breathable mesh 3D liner with anti-slip 

reinforcement for zero heel lift 

www.leatt.com 

next 

step 

Cuff: 

• SlideLock system 

• Auto-locking, one-way sliding closure 

LEATT.COM/NEXTSTEP 


from us as soon as they are permitted to trade 

again, and we are keen to build relationships with 

new clients,” said Momsen. “We are working 

with Motul to optimise product availability during 

this challenging time,” he added. 

Momsen also described how becoming a Motul 

distributor is both a source of great pride to his 

team, and an opportunity to raise their standards 

still higher. Indy Go Tyres can be contacted via 

their website www.indygotyres.co.za or by email 

at motul@indygotyres.co.za 

“With our ongoing Motul distribution 

arrangement with Bikewise and our Motorcycle 

products going from strength to strength, 

the addition of two distributors in different SA 

provinces is further evidence of our commitment 

to making Motul products even more readily 

available. Motul believes that it is through this 

kind of teamwork that we can offer the best 

possible service. To this end, we are always 

open to discussing potential new partnerships,” 

confirmed Mercia Jansen. 

www.motul.com 

Motul Oils and 

Lubes: Getting 

Ready for Life After 

Lockdown: 

Motul is a world-class French company who 

specialises in the formulation, production and 

distribution of high-tech engine lubricants (twowheelers, 

cars and other vehicles) as well as 

lubricants for industry via its Motul Tech activity. 

Unanimously recognised for more than 160 years 

for the quality of its products, innovation capacity 

and involvement in the field of competition, Motul 

is also recognised as a specialist in synthetic 

lubricants. As early as 1971, Motul was the first 

lubricant manufacturer to pioneer the formulation 

of a 100% synthetic lubricant, issued from the 

aeronautical industry, making use of esters 

technology: 300V lubricant. 

Motul is a partner to many manufacturers 

and racing teams in order to further their 

technological development in motorsports. It has 

invested in many international competitions as an 

official supplier for teams in: Road racing, Trials, 

Enduro, Endurance, Superbike, Supercross, 

Rallycross, World GT1, 24 Hours of Le Mans 

(cars and motorcycles), 24 Hours of Spa, Le 

Mans Series, Andros Trophy, the Dakar Rally and 

Motul Roof of Africa. 

With the second easing of lockdown restrictions 

in effect from 1st June, Motul is looking forward 

to more businesses being able to start trading 

again and contribute to the health of the 

economy. 

Motul has been working behind the scenes to 

onboard two new distributors in the effort to help 

all their customers prepare to hit the workshop 

floor running once the government gives the 

green light. 

“We’re always excited to welcome new 

distributors to the Motul family,” commented 

Mercia Jansen, Motul Area Manager for 

Southern and Eastern Africa. “The speed with 

which these two distributors have adapted 

to the Motul way of doing business promises 

great things for the future, including outstanding 

service for workshops and retailers looking for 

Motul products,” she concluded. 

Port Elizabeth and the Eastern Cape will 

benefit from Automotive Performance Solutions 

becoming an official distributor of Motul 

Automotive, Heavy Duty, and Agricultural 

lubricants. The owner Domiziano Azzalin, is 

confident that his team is ready to commence 

deliveries of products as soon as is allowed. 

“We’re using the lockdown period to fine-tune 

our knowledge of Motul products and to finalise 

arrangements for the logistics,” said Azzalin. 

“We’re also working on some special opening 

offers that reflect our pride at being associated 

with a premium global brand like Motul,” he 

added. To get more info about these offers you 

can go to www.raceaps.co.za or to contact him 

directly at sales@raceaps.co.za 

In KZN, Indy Go Tyres is gearing up to offer 

Motul’s range of Automotive products and 

lubricants as soon as the current restrictions 

are eased. The owner Charl Momsen is working 

on promotional introductory offers for retailers 

across KZN. “Our current customers can order 

OXFORD Hotgrips 

EVO 

New THERMISTER controlled 

heat setting technology - 

intelligently scans and maintains 

temperature automatically. 

The innovative intelligent heat 

setting memory function, stores 

the previous heat setting and 

defaults to this at power-up, 

saving time when in regular use. 

Five heat settings give 

increased control for the 

perfect operating temperature 

with LED lights to indicate the 

temperature setting. 

The heat controller uses a sealed-for-life welded 

case – making it weatherproof. 

The battery saving mode 

protects against flat batteries. If 

you forget to turn the switch off, 

it will do it for you. 

The grips are 123mm but can be 

trimmed to 114mm if required 

and has open ends so that bar 

end weights can be fitted. 

The kit includes all needed parts: 

set of grips; heat controller; 

mounting bracket; wiring loom, 

cable ties and grip glue. 

Available from most dealers 

country wide. 


Trax KTM’s 790 “S” 

Limited Edition. 

You might have seen the adventure feature that 

Barbara Muszynski did for us in last months 

issue of Dirt And Trail magazine? She and her 

hubby are died in the wool adventurers and 

spend just about every free second in the saddle. 

Sean approached her about becoming a regular 

contributor – and when the guys from Trax 

KTM got wind of that, they, in turn offered her a 

special bike for a few months so that she can get 

to all of these cool places. 

What they have done is taken a KTM 790 “S” 

and made it even more dirt worthy. And all of the 

modifications make perfect sense for a shorter 

rider… and in our humble opinion, the bike just 

looks so cool! 

Aggressive tyres, a higher front fender and a 

really cool Decal kit give the S a bit more off-road 

cred. In fact – unless you know the bikes well, it’s 

pretty easy to mistake it for the “R”. 

Best of all, if you are keen on this conversion 

it will cost the same as the standard bike. The 

Akarapovic pipe is an optional extra. 

So when you see that neon orange and black 

beasty rolling into your hood, go and say hello. 

Chances are excellent that there is a story in the 

making. 

Pop down to the shop in Silverlakes and have a 

looksee – great workmanship, one pretty bike… 

www.traxktm.co.za 

ACCELERATE YOUR 

FITNESS FOR ENDURO 

www.basefit.co.za 

“I couldn’t podium 

without BaseFit” 

– Bruce Viljoen 

Bruce Viljoen #44 

Multiple GXCC & Northern 

Regional Champion 

THE AUTHORITY IN 

FITNESS 

FOR DIRT BIKERS 

Contact us NOW at: info@basefit.co.za | 082-461-1443 

Photo by: Chantelle Melzer Photography 


Triumph Tiger 1200 Explorer 

‘12-’14 S/Steel Cooler Grill 

Powerbronze cooler grills are designed to 

enhance your machine’s appearance and protect 

your vulnerable radiator from being damaged by 

debris thrown up by the front wheel. Made from 

stainless steel and polished to a mirror finish, our 

cooler grills require no modification to fit and cost 

much less than a new radiator! 

There are over 45 models currently available 

in the Powerbronze cooler grill range, each a 

guaranteed fit for the model. 

Triumph 1200 Explorer ‘12- 

’15 Carbon Look Hugger - 

No Chain Guard 

Give the rear of your bike a Powerbronze rear 

hugger. Each rear hugger comes pre-drilled 

with all mountings, so no drilling, cutting or zip 

ties required. All Powerbronze rear huggers are 

made from high impact plastic for a smooth 

internal finish and “rolled” edges and all brackets 

and necessary fixings are supplied. They use 

‘Posi-Fix’, steel sleeved rubber mounting points 

to dampen vibration and avoid cracking. Many 

of their huggers have chain gaurds built into the 

shape where appropriate. Over the last couple 

of years Powerbronze has started introducing a 

number of vented rear hugger on some models 

with the option of gold or silver coloured mesh 

vents for that extra bit of style. 

Triumph Tiger 1200 

Explorer, 12-15, Tiger 1200 

Explorer Xc, 13-15 Wind 

Deflector 

Now here is quite a nifty little gadget. The 

Powerbronze Wind Deflectors are designed to 

help keep down the air blast hitting the rider, 

which helps with strain and muscle fatigue in the 

neck, shoulders and lower back making those 

longer journeys a lot more pleasurable. They are 

available in a range of colours. 

Check out www.trickbitz.co.za for your nearest 

stockist and while you are there have a look at their 

great range of aftermarket ‘trick bits’ for your bike. 


GET IT. 

READ IT. 

LOVE IT! 

SA’S MOST LOVED 

ROAD & TRACK 

MOTORCYCLE 

MAGAZINE. 

READ IT AT www.motomedia.co.za

Triumph Adventure Gear 

It’s been quite a big Triumph month for both of 

our publications – they are the one importer that 

has been operating during the lockdown period. 

Triumph SA is selling genuine Triumph wear at 

never to be repeated prices… 

BLACK DIRT BOOTS with TriTex waterproof, 

windproof and breathable Z-liner. They have an 

adjustable triple buckle fastening system, full 

grain leather outer with vintage finish are CE 

certified to EN13634, (which means they are 

lekker safe), and also have adventure dualdensity 

anti-slip lightweight rubber sole with 

reinforced ankle area with TPU protection. 

The shoulder, elbow, 

back and chest 

protector pads 

have all the correct 

CE certifications 

and are all easily 

removable to make 

cleaning the jacket 

much easier. It has 

adjustable hem 

and cuffs as well 

as dark reflective 

inserts on sleeve 

and on logos, two 

outer pocket and a 

connection zipper to 

the Terra GTX Jeans 

Which can also be 

connected to the 

BEINN JACKET via 

a zipper and have 

a non-waterproof, 

lightweight outer 

jean with removable 

liner and stretch flex zones for increased comfort 

and flexibility with ankle adjustment on the main 

fabric which has all the correct CE certified 

removable protectors on the knees and hips. 

Arai 2020 helmet 

range arrives in SA. 

Arai South Africa has landed their 2020 

range of really striking and eye catching 

colours. Get hold of them on bikewise@ 

kmsa.co.za or 011 566 0333 to find your 

nearest stockist. 

The Beinn GTX Jacket in Khaki CLIMATE has 

removable inner jacket with lightweight with an 

extremely light, space-saving liner which can be 

worn separately when off the bike. The outer 

jacket is non-waterproof and has storm cuffs at 

sleeves, basically stops the breeze blowing up 

your sleeve. It has air vents directing maximum 

flow through the main body of the jacket and 

an action back for comfortable fit whilst riding. 

The sleeves have adjustment for a controlled 

and personal fit, whilst helping to maintain the 

correct positions of the protectors along with 

waist adjustment and wrist adjustment to really 

make sure it fits a snuggly as it should. The 

shoulder, elbow, back and chest protector pads 

have all the correct CE certifications and are all 

easily removable to make cleaning the jacket 

much easier. Then to top it all off it has 2 water 

repellent zipper pockets, 1 patch pocket, 1 hand 

warmer pocket and 1 large lower back pocket to 

store removable your jacket when not in use and 

you can stash away hood on Gore-Tex jacket. 

TRIPLE MESH JACKET Made from TriTech 

performance outer fabric, Airflow mesh with 

TriTech removable showerproof, breathable lining 

and breathable mesh lining to aid air circulation 

and increase ventilation. Also features air mesh 

directing maximum air flow through main body. 

Along with the TPU moulded shoulder panels 

DRYSDALE GLOVES are waterproof, 

breathable gloves with LTD double cuff liner 

and vented knuckles and finger pieces, wrist 

adjustment, pre-curved fingers, stretch paneling 

details, zipper cuff and is made from goat leather 

with Nyspan stretch fabric stretch paneling. 

A full adventure suit in either full black or with 

a khaki jacket and all on special right now at 

Triumph SA. 

Best you get there now before they are all sold 

out. Give them a call on 011 444 4444 to find 

out more or drop in at the corner of South and 

Dartfield roads in Eastgate ext. 13 in Sandton. 


KTM BOUGHT GAS-GAS 

WHAT’S THE STORY? 

At last months KTM 390 

Adventure Launch, the 

marriage between the KTM 

Group and Gas-Gas was 

confirmed and presented 

to the South African press. 

And whilst, initially Gas-Gas 

is not expected in SA (you 

never know…) it makes for 

a good story as the KTM 

group continues to be a 

major force in the great 

world that is motorcycling… 

In a nutshell: KTM Industries 

AG and Black Toro Capital 

signed an agreement to work 

together – saving the Gas-Gas 

factory and boosting KTM 

product range. 

On the surface it seems quite 

a simple deal and the logical 

conclusion is that we will see 

red bikes alongside orange 

and white ones in dealer 

showrooms globally. 

But what does it mean for Gas- 

Gas and what is the point for 

KTM? Here’s what we know… 

What’s the story? 

It is an understatement to say 

Gas-Gas has had an up and down 

recent history. Bankruptcy, staff 

layoffs, buyouts, re-launches, a 

fire and poor sales have put the 

the Spanish manufacturer, and all 

associated with it, through the mill. 

Despite that, the brand Gas-Gas 

remains a strong one which is 

why when news broke that KTM 

were buying a major share of the 

company, it came as no surprise. 

Gas-Gas is joined to Torrot ( an 

e-mobility company) so KTM 

has not only bought a Spanish 

enduro and trials arm but a 

whole ‘e’ brand as well. 

We know KTM were not the only 

interested party and understand 

Sherco owner, Marc Tessier was 

also in the running. 

What’s the financial issue? 

Most recently the Girona-based 

Gas-Gas factory underwent a 

temporary layoff of staff due to 

a fall in sales, which dropped 

from 39.3M Euros in 2017 to 22M 

Euros in 2018. It was the point at 

which parent company, Torrot, 

cried enough with mounting 

debts growing to 23 million Euros 

– putting the factory at risk. 

As recently as September (2019), 

Gas-Gas received financial aid 

from the Spanish government who 

injected 4.6 million Euros to the 

company to reduce the chance of 

shutdown while a new owner was 

sought. 

Enter KTM Industries AG 

KTM Industries AG (soon to be 

renamed Pierer Mobility AG) 

and Black Toro Capital signed an 

agreement to give Gas-Gas a future 

and boost their own portfolio in 

terms of trials and e-bikes. 

“New models will be developed 

alongside the Trial and Enduro 

bikes of Gas-Gas” says a statement 

by KTM Industries AG, which 

importantly also points out 

that production of Gas-Gas and 

TORROT electric vehicles will 

continue in the Gas-Gas factory in 

Girona, Spain.

KTM took over the rights for 

Husqvarna Motorcycles when 

the then Italian produced 

brand was on its arse - so this 

is nothing new. It is also not 

the first time KTM has shown 

interest in Gas-Gas as the 

two brands tried reaching an 

agreement back in 2015. That 

deal fell through before Torrot 

took over. 

Orange bikes painted red in 

showrooms? 

Black Toro Capital has also 

released a statement saying: 

“This agreement will allow 

the expansion of the Gas-Gas 

product portfolio into different 

segments, engine capacities and 

models. The main new models 

will be four-stroke and electric 

motorcycles (including children’s 

models) as well as electric 

bicycles.” 

So, this all translates to a four 

stroke Gas-Gas range again and 

a reliable one at that with parts 

back-up and a strong dealer 

network. 

About time. 

What is unclear at this stage is 

exactly how Gas-Gas models will 

differ from KTM or Husqvarna 

models. We know of course the 

Husqvarna’s share much with 

KTM models but we also know 

the strong points of the Gasser 

are its chassis and in particular 

its OE suspension. 

Chances of KTM Industries 

AG, owner of WP suspension, 

releasing a model range with 

KYB suspension are slim but we 

await news on this. 

Going forward with KTM 

produced engines, this means 

Gas-Gas models will not have the 

same hurdles to jump regarding 

EU emissions laws they would 

have faced because KTM already 

has this in hand particularly 

with the fuel injected, two-stroke 

engines. 

What else might it mean? 

This is speculation but it could 

mean we see another brand at 

races all over the world, instead 

of it being quite so much of a 

two-horse race between orange 

and white teams. Gas-Gas 

already launched a range of MX 

bikes and introduced the team 

to take part in the MX GP – but 

COVID has kyboshed that too. 

The first step in re-establishing 

the Gas-Gas presence on the 

world stage in general at major 

events. 

KTM will have the possibility to 

include a trials bike under its 

wing at long last but we don’t 

expect to see orange ones. 

The Gas-Gas trials range has 

remained the bedrock for the 

company as it moved through 

the various ups and downs in 

recent years – the bikes are good 

and have a reputation. 

The deal could see the Gas- 

Gas trials bike range growing 

however to include more models 

including potential four stroke 

but certainly smaller capacity 

models – KTM makes the smaller 

capacity engine for Beta’s 80cc 

models, we believe. 

E-bike collaboration 

The deal will also mean a 

progression of the e-bike 

development with both Black 

Toro Capital and KTM Industries 

pointing to this in their separate 

releases about the deal. The KTM 

Group already makes a lot of 

electronic components for other 

brands and the trade between the 

two seems an easy fit. 

KTM (and Husqvarna) and 

Torrot already have solid kids 

e-motorcycles which are onpar 

with the petrol-powered 

equivalent models and we expect 

this will only develop into the 

adult market in the future. 

Then there’s the rapidly 

expanding e-cycle/e-mobility 

market which is huge business 

globally and one which KTM 

Industries AG are very much into. 

End user parts supply, new 

bikes, dealers? Nothing for 

South Africa is planned. BUT: 

In terms of the end user, i.e. 

the customers who already 

own a Gas-Gas and those who 

potentially might buy one in 

the future, it can only be a good 

thing. Dirt And Trail has an old 

red Husqvarna still – and parts 

are always available from KTM. 

It is worth remembering there 

was a dormant period when KTM 

bought Husqvarna before we saw 

the new white bikes coming out 

of Austria. It is likely there will be 

a similar delay in any red bikes 

with KTM engines coming out 

of Girona. And with the current 

COVID situation, you can bet that 

any major production plans have 

been affected… 

Interesting times and in our book 

– it is great that the iconic Spanish 

brand is being kept alive…

ONDA 

AYS 

The phone rings. It’s the business execs from Honda SA. “Morning 

Roley! We see that you are out and about with other brands riding bikes 

and stuff?” “Well – yes we have an essential services permit – and the 

motorcycle public still need to see what’s happening and…” Click! 

The phone goes dead. Try to 

call back – voice mail “Sorry our 

offices are shut due the the COVID 

pandemic… please call us again 

soon.” OK – carry on and we 

promptly forgot about the call… 

The following morning, before 

the chickens were even up, we 

hear a mighty roar at our gate… 

Stumble out of bed to give 

whoever it is a square “Uitkak” 

– and there sits what seems like 

the whole corporate office from 

Honda South Africa! 

How cool is that? People are 

getting hung up with the whole 

lockdown thing – and what better 

way is there to isolate than in 

the saddle of a motorcycle? Then 

there’s another beep at the gate.... 

Honda and Motul SA’s brand 

ambassador, Brian Capper got 

wind that something was up – 

and HE arrived with two more 

bikes in tow. MAN – too cool! 2 

Africa twins and a whole row of 

CRF’s. And Brian was grinning 

28 DIRT & TRAIL MAGAZINE JUNE 2020 DIRT & TRAIL MAGAZINE JUNE 2020 29

He did not warn us about the 

gearing when we first climbed on, 

so we tore out of the yard – first, 

second, third, fourth, fifth and kept 

looking for a sixth gear. This one 

is geared so short – a veritable 

wheelie machine. 

Obviously you sacrifice top-end, 

so it’s not ideal as a trail blazer any 

more – but MAN! 

We got to use it on the rocks 

and it was pretty flippen awesome. 

Small chassis, light weight, great 

ground clearance and the new 

torque delivery is just spot-on! 

like a lunatic – his first ride since 

lockdown started… 

Coffee, biscuits, (salad for 

BC), lots of bench racing – and 

we headed out onto the chilly 

trails for a morning of scientific 

motorcycle reviews… 

The two Africa Twins were 

designated a route with our 

Sean Hendley, hooking up with 

the dirtbikes all along - and the 

platoon of Honda Dirtbikes set off 

on some of the more tricky trails 

that we know. 

Honda had two versions of 

the new 1100cc Africa Twins, the 

“standard” 18 litre Africa Twin, 

which we always incorrectly refer 

to as the “Naked” and the big 

mamma Adventure sport. 

The 2020 Honda 

Africa Twins: 

The Standard is a compact (For 

and 1100 cc adventure), tight 

sporty package with an 18 litre 

tank and a small screen. The 

18 litres still gets you around 

280KM’s of smiles. It is quite 

a bit more dirt and commuter 

oriented than the big one – and 

it is still enormously capable and 

comfortable on the tar. Our Editor 

Glenn chose this as his favourite 

of the two models– BUT he is not 

conviced of the DCT. A bit old 

school maybe and he prefers the 

manual transmission. 

Motorcycles are always a very 

personal choice. 

By contrast, Sean absolutely 

loves the Adventure Sport – with 

all the bells and whistles – and he 

LOVES the DCT. So – in a nutshell, 

Honda has created (Yes, the bikes 

are quite different to the 1000 

Africa Twins), two bikes that will 

suit all kinds of riders. Well four 

actually because both models are 

available as DCT or manual. But 

Let’s not overcomplicate stuff. 

The Adventure sport is a pukke 

big adventure aimed at taking 

you to far flung places in absolute 

comfort. A massive 25 litre tank 

will get you to Timbuktoo – the 

large adjustable touring screen 

ensconces you in a bubble on 

chilly Highveld mornings – and – 

a big feature is the fact that the 

Adventure sport comes standard 

with tubeless tyres. 

This one has all the bells and 

whistles from traction Control to 

wheelie control. Hand warmers, 

lean angle sensors – it is a real 

high end adventurer with all of 

the current Mod Cons available 

on the market. 

If you are looking at purchasing 

an adventure any time soon – 

then these bikes are absolutely 

one option that you need to ride. 

The Dirtbikes: 

Two of the guys from Team Honda 

were on their personal CRF 450 

RX’s. Brian rolled in with the 2020 

CRF450R and a 2109 CRF250 RX. R 

– obviously MX, The RX is a Cross 

country bike. 

The 250RX: 

On our ride, we included all the 

techy bits that are available. 

Our one beef with the RX 250 last 

year was the lack of Torque. It has a 

small compact chassis, a beautiful 

engine that revs to the moon – and 

sublime suspension and braking 

– but the moment you want to do 

more tech stuff, the bottom end 

is just slightly lacking. It is a true 

cross country bike, perfect for 

events like GXCC and so on. 

Brian uses this bike ONLY for 

tech – and to do that – he has 

simply changed the gearing and 

fitted a fan – and it has become a 

whole new machine. 


Brian explains that on the 250, he is 

not interested in fast, and he uses the 

bike for events like EWXC – and we can 

understand why. Low gearing lots of 

torque and clearance – and it does not 

cost a fortune to convert. And he has 

proved that bike is competitive – last year 

he took one of the wins in the senior class 

against some pure enduro machines. 

The Standard 250RX is a great, fun to 

ride, a quick, nimble easy trail bike. If 

tech, rocky riding is your thing with the 

gearing selection and fan, you basically 

get a whole new machine. 

An interesting mod for sure. 

The 2020 CRF450R: 

We are not going to kid you – the Honda 

450 is a fire breathing race machine. We 

each rode this on a bit and agreed that it 

was best left to a pro rider. 

They tell us that for 2020, Honda’s 

flagship CRF450R—the same platform 

raced by Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen 

and Justin Brayton—puts more engine 

management choices at the fingertips of racers, 

with the addition of Honda Selectable Torque 

Control (HSTC). The system maximizes reartyre 

hookup to keep all of the Unicam engine’s 

horsepower driving the bike and rider forward. 

The system measures rate of rpm increase and 

adjusts delivery accordingly, and a handlebarmounted 

switch enables selection from three 

levels of delivery. 

In addition, the CRF450R’s front-rear balance is 

refined and handling is improved thanks to internal 

suspension updates, and a new battery position 

that lowers the machine’s center of gravity. 

We quizzed Brian on the differences from last 

years 450 R. 

“The bikes feel very similar”, was his reply. 

“If anything, Honda has, once again just made 

the bike – I don’t want to say smoother – but 

it definitely more rideable. After reading up on 

the bike, it seems that they have not done much 

with the geometry on the 2020, small things like 

shock internals, repositioning the battery but 

somehow, it just feels like it turns better.” And 

then he grins – “Not that we have a track to ride, 

they are all closed…” 


We asked him about the power 

modes… “Only flat out was his reply 

with a grin.” 

As it happens – we have a little 

track. And we headed out there – 

and Brian put on a display for us. 

That 450 is ridiculously quick and 

agile – it’s always great fun watching 

a talented rider railing the berms 

and hitting massive jumps – and well 

– not crashing like the rest of us… 

My personal favorite line is that 

I can do freestyle, MX and anything 

that gets airborne. Backflips you 

name it – but the landings catch me 

every… flippen… time… 

Finale: 

What a cool day! Honda sure builds 

some great motorcycles – and 

hopefully we’ll see more of them 

making their way onto tracks and 

trails around SA. You can always 

count on a Honda’s reliability – and 

the fact that they have a dealer 

network par excellence means that 

parts and servicing should never be 

a problem. 

We’ll be grabbing a stock 250 and 

450 RX soon for a good long outride 

– we’ll share our thoughts on those 

– and rumour has it that Honda has 

agreed to leave the adventures with 

us for a week or so (Thats a hint!), so 

– there’s something to look forward 

to as well. 

Go and check the bikes out at 

your closest Honda dealer. www. 

honda.co.za 


2020 Triumph Tiger 

900 Rally Pro 

and GT Pro 

AVAILABLE IN SA 

JULY 2020 - BOOK 

YOURS NOW! 

New engine, new suspension, new… well, new everything… 

The new Triumph 900’s were launched in Morocco earlier this 

year. Although no –one from SA went along – and by all accounts 

I think that we missed a fantastic event, we have managed to get 

our mitts onto a launch story by Spurgeon Dunbar. The bikes are 

expected to be here any second now… and once we get our Mitts 

onto them, we’ll do a good old local test. 

By Spurgeon Dunbar 


According to the claims that Triumph made 

at the press introduction of the Tiger 900 last 

December, they would have you believe these new 

models are revolutionary new machines compared 

to the previous Tiger 800s. 

These are bold claims. 

As a former owner of a 2015 Triumph Tiger 800 

XCx and Common Tread’s resident adventure bike 

enthusiast, I took a personal interest in this new 

model. Triumph is positioning these new Tigers 

— GT models for primarily street use and Rally 

models for those who go off-road, replacing the 

XR/XC nomenclature - to be ground-up redesigns, 

better in every way than the previous Tiger 800s. 

I wanted to see if reality measured up to the 

marketing, so I headed off to Morocco to ride 

both the Tiger 900 GT Pro and the Rally Pro to 

learn more about what had changed, but more 

importantly to see how those changes translate to 

the road. And of course, off-road. 

Reading through the press materials, it’s clear 

that Triumph has delivered pretty much a new 

machine with the Tiger 900, but nowhere is that 

more apparent than with the new 888 cc engine, 

which has a completely different feel, sound, and 

character. That being said, the major service 

intervals remain unchanged at 9500 KM’s for oil 

changes and 19000 Km’s for valve checks. 

The new Tiger 900 comes in two 

different lines the dirt-focused Rally 

with Showa suspension and tubeless 

spoked wheels (left), and the roadfocused 

GT with Marzochi suspension 

and cast wheel (right). 

The Rally Pro and the 

GT Pro strike a pose 

If you are not keen on the techy stuff then skip 

the next few paragraphs and get to the ride report. 

It is, however very interesting to note all of the new 

tech on the 900. 

New Engine: 

I want to focus on the crank: Where the previous 

engine had an even 1-2-3 firing order, the new 

“T-plane crank,” as Triumph is calling it, is really 

the first of its kind. It utilizes a 1-3-2 firing order 

with one and three firing closer together and the 

final hit in cylinder two comes after a break. 

This gives the engine a completely different feel, 

arguably for the better. It pulls stronger right out 

of the gate, but not with as much urgency as the 

Yamaha triples. It spins up strong and evenly and 

allows the bike to be ridden comfortably between 

2,500 rpm and 7,000 rpm. I kept looking down at the 

tachometer, expecting to be higher in the rev range, 

based on my experience with the previous engine. 

While torque has increased to 65 foot-pounds 

at 7,250 rpm, top-end horsepower remains the 

same at 95 horsepower at 8,750 rpm. I absolutely 

commend Triumph for this. Instead of just 

increasing displacement and throwing an extra few 

ponies up top, they instead offered a better overall 

The new larger capacity 900cc triple engine is tilted 

further forward in the frame and positioned lower for 

improved weight distribution. It is also 2.5 kg lighter. 

Engine updates include new camshafts for 

increased torque and acceleration, new NIKASIL 

aluminum liners allowing increased capacity 

and torque, a new T-Plane triple crankshaft for 

improved engine character, and more 

12% more horsepower in the mid-range and more 

power across the entire rev range up to peak power. 

Tiger 800 vs Tiger 900 acceleration times. 

38 DIRT & TRAIL MAGAZINE JUNE 2020 DIRT & TRAIL MAGAZINE JUNE 2020 3 9

experience by improving performance where 

most riders are going to use it. 

I think the theme of this review could 

actually be the fact that Triumph listened to 

Tiger 800 owners as they designed this new 

bike. And a perfect example of that is the 

location of the new airbox. In order to get to 

the air filter on our current XCX, one had to 

remove the radiator shrouds, tank shrouds, 

and finally the tank itself before reaching 

the airbox, which had a multitude of screws 

holding it into place. The ritual takes upwards 

of an hour, and that is if you are fast and 

familiar with the work. 

The location of the new air box and air filter 

is a drastic improvement over the previous 

version. 

The new air filter is sensibly located 

underneath the seat. You have to remove 

four bolts holding on the lower tank shrouds 

and then six screws to release the cartridge 

air filter. The process from start to finish 

might take you 10 minutes. For anyone who 

rides these bikes off-road, this is such an 

important advancement because you can now 

check your air filter much more regularly. In 

extremely dusty conditions, you’ll want to 

check it or clean it (if you swap to a reusable 

filter, which we recommend) after every ride. 

Tiger 900 chassis 

Many riders like to remove those pegs when 

riding off-road so they don’t interfere with 

moving around on the bike. That wasn’t 

possible with the previous Tiger. The second 

problem with this design is that it makes it 

really easy to damage the frame of the bike in 

an off-road crash. There were multiple reports 

of Tiger owners who bent a passenger foot peg 

mount in a crash and had to get a new frame 

from Triumph. The Tiger 800 was the only ADV 

bike I can think of with this design in 2019. 

With the new 2020 Tiger 900, the rear 

aluminum sub-frame is now removable, with 

four mounting points to a new steel trellis 

frame. The passenger pegs are also removable, 

allowing for better range of motion for the 

rider in off-road scenarios. 

The only downside here is that I feel like the 

fit and finish on the welds aren’t up to what 

I’ve come to expect from Triumph. Also the 

size of the bungs where the passenger pegs 

attach to the sub-frame are smaller than the 

outside diameter of the peg mounts. Overall it 

just looks a bit rough. 

All neat and lekker and modern... 

Brembo Stylema brakes... 

Figuring out all of the electronics will take a while... 

At five feet, six inches tall, Kelly Callan from 

Ultimate Motorcycling was able to comfortably 

ride both GT Pro and Rally Pro models. 

Showa forks up front... 

Redesigned skid plate 

There are some discrepancies in the 

literature Triumph provided, but the weight of 

the new Tiger 900 is up to 25 kilogrammesm 

lighter than the previous Tiger 800. But what is 

important to note is that it feels much lighter 

by comparison because of the distribution of 

the weight. 

The engine now sits 20 mm lower in the 

frame than the previous version and 40 

mm further forward, as measured from the 

center of the crank. The engine is also angled 

forward roughly six degrees. You’ll notice the 

radiator at the front of the bike is now split 

to accommodate this change. Because the 

new engine requires less oil, they were able to 

reduce the size of the sump. Therefore, ground 

clearance was actually improved in spite of 

the fact that the engine sits lower in the frame. 

Tiger 900 brakes and wheels 

The new Tiger is slowed down using Brembo 

Stylema four-piston calipers, which replace the 

old Nissins. The brake rotor size has increased 

from 305 mm to 320 mm and there is now a 

radial master cylinder. The rear brake is a singlepiston 

Brembo caliper and a 255 mm disc. 

Adjustment at the brake lever offers an 

extreme range of motion so you can precisely 

tune where the lever sits. Braking is drastically 

improved over the previous Nissin set-up. 

The initial bite is strong and the lever pull is 

comfortably progressive. 

The big benefit for off-road riders is that the 

rear brake pedal on the Rally and Rally Pro is 

now the same as that found on the Scrambler 

1200. It features two different positions, so 

when you’re riding in the standing position 

you have a much easier reach to the rear 

pedal, as well as improved braking feel. 

The base Tiger, GT, and GT Pro all receive 

cast wheels, just like the previous XR line of 

Tiger 800s. The front wheel fits a 100/90-19 

tyre and the rear utilizes a 150/70R17. 

The Tiger 900 Rally and Rally Pro receive 

cross-spoked, tubeless rims, a feature not 

previously available on the Tiger 800 XC 

bikes. This means that riders sticking to the 

street can now get away with just carrying a 

tyre plug kit. For those of you adventuring far 

off-road and running lower tyre pressure, I 

would still recommend using a tube. If you’ve 

ever tried to set a bead on a bent rim off-road 

with a “tubeless” setup, you’ll know why. It’s a 

pain in the ass. That being said, the tubeless 

rims are a nice win for the majority of the 


ADV riders out there who aren’t 

handling much off-roading in their 

regular day-to-day. 

I was disappointed that there 

is still no option for a more 

aggressive stock tyre for the 

Rally and Rally Pro. All of the 

new Tiger 900s will ship with the 

more street-oriented Bridgestone 

Battlax Adventure A41 Tyres. 

On our off-road day, we rode 

with Pirelli Scorpion Rally tyres 

mounted to the rims. They still 

offered plenty of performance 

on the street, but their off-road 

grip was far superior to the 

stock rubber. Triumph should be 

shipping the Rally Pros with this 

tyre, or something similar. 

Tiger 900 suspension 

Gone is the WP suspension found 

on the XC variants of the Tiger. 

The new Tiger 900 Rally and 

Rally Pro are fitted with a fully 

adjustable Showa suspension. 

The front fork is now 45 mm in 

diameter and features adjustment 

for compression and rebound 

damping, as well as preload. 

The rear shock is adjustable for 

preload via a remote adjuster and 

rebound damping by a screw. 

Suspension travel for the Rally 

versions has increased to 240 

mm at the fork and 230 mm at the 

rear shock. To be clear, these are 

class-leading specs for off-roadfocused 

ADV bikes. Only the KTM 

790 Adventure R has more travel 

and only by 10 mm at the rear 

shock. 

The base version of the Tiger 

900, GT, and GT Pro are now 

suspended by a Marzocchi setup. 

The front fork is a 45 mm inverted 

unit with no adjustment on the 

base version. A bump to the GT 

or GT Pro gets you adjustment 

for compression and rebound 

damping, a first for the more roadfocused 

Tiger. Travel at the fork is 

unchanged at 180 mm. 

The rear shock features a 

manual adjustment for preload 

on the base version. A bump to 

the GT adds an adjustment for 

rebound damping. The biggest 

change comes for folks who opt 

for the GT Pro, as it now features 

a rear shock that’s electronically 

adjustable for preload and 

rebound damping. Travel for all 

versions of this rear shock is 

170mm. 

Tiger 900 electronics 

AAARGH here we go! Pay 

attention! 

At the top of the Tiger line, the 

GT Pro and Rally Pro come fully 

equipped with all of the electronic 

options available for these 

models. So we were able to test 

the bikes with all of the options 

available. And there were many. 

As mentioned above, 

adjustment for the rear shock on 

the GT Pro is tackled via the new 

seven-inch TFT dash (GT Pro and 

Rally Pro only). There are four 

options for pre-load settings and 

nine levels of rebound damping 

available ranging from comfort 

to sport. Pre-load settings are 

selectable as an individual 

setting, but damping settings 

can be selected one of two ways. 

Each of the riding modes has a 

predetermined damping setting 

but these can be overridden if 

you’d like to dial in more or less 

damping within a certain setting. 

The GT Pro gets five rider 

modes, Road, Sport, Rain, Off- 

Road, and Rider. Rider mode 

allows you to configure the bike 

the way you’d like and save your 

options. It’s important to note 

“Power comes on much sooner 

and stronger. The low- to midrange 

grunt is immediately 

noticeable. And the sound and 

feel are impressive.” 

that ABS cannot be turned off via this control 

setup. That option is reserved for a sixth riding 

mode, Off-Road Pro, which is only available on 

the Rally Pro. 

I think this is an oversight on Triumph’s 

part. I don’t think it makes sense to make this 

mode available only in the Rally Pro version of 

the bike. Riders who are perfectly happy with 

the GT Pro or the base Rally should be able to 

configure the settings how they see fit. They 

shouldn’t have to bump to the Rally Pro in 

order to fully disable ABS and traction control. 

More on this later. 

Each of the ride modes adjusts throttle 

response and intervention from the ABS, 

traction control, cornering ABS, and cornering 

traction control, the latter two being provided 

via a new Continental Inertial Measurement Unit 

(IMU). The base Tiger is the only one of the five 

models not to receive the IMU. 

The two top-of-the-line models also get 

heated grips, heated seats (rider and pillion), a 

tyre pressure monitoring system, and Triumph’s 

Shift Assist Pro, which allows for clutchless 

upshifts and downshifts. There is also a new 

version of the Triumph MyApp program for 

turn-by-turn directions available with these 

models. We got to try a BETA version of this 

but there proved to be quite a few connectivity 

issues. It’ll be interesting to see how that 

improves, because it worked really well when it 

was working. 

There are four different dash layouts 

available but my biggest gripe is that none of 

them provided a clear, easy-to-read tachometer 

layout. It was hard to see exactly where I was in 

the rev range. 

Navigating the dash was a bit cumbersome, 

as well. I have used previous versions of 

Triumph’s TFT dashes so I was able to figure 

out the layout relatively quickly. However, 

some of my colleagues who haven’t had the 

same previous level of exposure to Triumph 

products struggled to figure out exactly where 

to find certain features without a lot of back and 

forth. More so than ever before, I’d recommend 

new Triumph Tiger 900 owners spend some 

considerable time with their owners manuals 

before heading out for a ride. 

Riding the Tiger 900 on the road 

We started out with a street ride that had us 

leaving Marrakesh early on Saturday morning 

and ending the day south of the coastal city of 

Essaouira. Throwing a leg over the Tiger 900, 


Morocco is adventure heaven. 

Riding the Tiger 900 off-road 

We kicked off our second day of 

riding on the beach just past the 

ruins of the Dar Sultan Palace 

south of Essaouira. For this day 

everyone was riding Tiger 900 

Rally Pros with Scorpion Rally 

tyres and the center stands 

and passenger pegs removed. 

As someone who has ripped a 

center stand spring off of a bike 

off-road before, I understood this 

particular preparation. 

Whereas the engine was 

the first thing I noticed while 

riding on the street, it was the 

chassis that caught my attention 

immediately in the sand. The bike 

was drastically more balanced offroad. 

It’s not nearly as twitchy as 

the Tiger 800. It feels planted and 

confident in loose sand and rock. 

The Rally Pro’s suspension 

had been tuned for us on the 

second day by former Dakar 

Rally racer Alex Busquets. On my 

bike, compression and rebound 

damping on the front fork were 

both set at 10 clicks (turn the 

clickers all the way out and then 

turn in 10 clicks) and each tube 

got 20 mm of preload (turn the 

clickers all the way out and then 

give them 20 full rotations). For 

the rear shock, the preload was 

set at the normal off-road setting 

in the owner’s manual and the 

rebound screw received three 

fourths of a turn open from the 

fully closed position. I took 

the time to get these settings 

from Alex because they worked 

perfectly. Steve Kamrad and 

I convinced our ride leader, 

Gary Morgan (an instructor 

at the Triumph off-road riding 

academy), to let us spend some 

time jumping the bikes off of 

a rock formation at the top of 

a long downhill section. We 

told him it would help with our 

“testing.” (Stuck with me and 

Steve all day, Gary was clearly a 

patient man.) Despite the jumping 

antics, we only bottomed out the 

suspension once the entire day. 

And the one time it happened, 

it hit the suspension stops, not 

the skid plate, which was a big 

improvement over the previous 

Tiger 800s. It appears that 

the claimed improved ground 

clearance is in fact a reality. 

I preferred Off-Road Pro mode 

to regular Off-Road mode. Off- 

Road mode allows for some wheel 

slip before traction control kicks 

in helping riders new to off-road 

riding manage their experience. 

I found it too intrusive for times 

when I was looking for more 

wheel slip through the corner or 

in sand and loose gravel. 

As I mentioned earlier, I am 

disappointed I can’t have Off- 

the first thing this previous Tiger 

owner noticed was the engine. 

I love it so much more than 

the outgoing Tiger 800 plant. 

Power comes on much sooner 

and stronger. The low- to midrange 

grunt is immediately 

noticeable. And the sound and 

feel are impressive. The only 

downside I noticed was that right 

around 6,500 rpm there is a slight 

buzziness in the hand grips and 

the seat that continues up to the 

redline, right around 10,000 rpm. 

However, this bike will cruise at 

85 mph in sixth gear well before 

this starts becoming noticeable. 

The roads we were riding 

were broken and bruised with 

potholes, gravel, and sand. They 

were perfect for testing the 

versatility of an adventure bike’s 

suspension. On the street, the 

Rally Pro’s suspension felt plush, 

if not a little soft. I found myself 

wondering about how it was going 

to fare in the off-road portion of 

the ride. It’s important to note, 

however, that up until this point I 

had made no adjustments to the 

suspension settings. 

After a coffee break, I swapped 

over to the GT Pro and the 

differences between the two 

bikes were immediately apparent. 

The GT Pro, with its shorter 

suspension and smaller diameter 

wheels, feels much more like a 

compact sport-touring bike with 

a comfortable upright riding 

position. I electronically dialed 

in the suspension to the sporty 

end of the spectrum and the 

performance was impressive. 

It’s important to note that the 

seat height on the GT is more 

approachable than the Rally’s, not 

having changed over the previous 

XR. There are two different 

positions for each model. The GT 

Pro can be set at 31.9 inches in 

the low setting and 32.7 inches 

in the tall setting. The Rally Pro 

ranges from 33.5 to 34.25 inches. 

There is an accessory comfort 

low seat which lowers the stock 

seat height roughly three fourths 

of an inch. There is also a “Low 

Suspension” version of the GT. 

At five feet, six inches tall, Kelly 

Callan from Ultimate Motorcycling 

was the shortest rider in our 

group. She was able to flat-foot 

the GT Pro in the lowest seat 

setting and was on her tippy-toes 

on the Rally Pro in the tallest 

setting. She said if she were to 

opt for a Rally Pro, the low setting 

of the stock seat was plenty 

comfortable for her. However 

it’s nice to know the low seat is 

available as an option. 

By comparison, at six feet, 

three inches, I was able to flatfoot 

the Rally Pro in the tallest 

position. The tank is restyled 

over the previous Tiger 800 and 

allows for a more comfortable 

reach to the ground and is easier 

to ride while standing. Overall, 

this line of Tiger 900 remains one 

of the most approachable and 

customizable bikes for riders of 

varying sizes. KTM could stand 

to learn a thing or two in this 

department. 


Road Pro mode in the base Rally 

trim. I don’t need heated seats, 

Triumph’s additional protection 

parts, or a quickshifter, but I 

do need Off-Road Pro mode to 

really ride this bike to its fullest 

potential off-road. Riding without 

traction control for the majority 

of the day, I was very impressed 

with the amount of traction the 

engine was able to find. When I 

read Triumph’s marketing talk 

about the new engine and how 

the revised crank and firing 

order were going to help the bike 

maintain grip at the rear wheel, 

I immediately chalked it up as 

marketing talk. I was wrong. 

After riding through a 

particularly loose uphill rocky 

section, Steve and I pulled over 

and just kind of gave each other 

a knowing look. Whereas the 

previous Tiger would just start to 

spin its rear wheel, this new bike 

digs in and hooks up. The throttle 

response is vastly improved and 

the bike doesn’t stall as easily 

as the previous 800. I think the 

slipper/assist clutch might have a 

hand in that. 

For all of the improvements 

Triumph made, I was still 

disappointed with the crash 

protection. I don’t think aluminumbacked 

handguards are too much 

to ask for and the skid plate struck 

me as rather flimsy. I would love 

the larger, sharper rally footpegs 

that used to come on the XCA as 

I found my feet slipping off of the 

stock option, especially after water 

crossings. As for the crash bars, 

the jury is still out as I didn’t have 

an opportunity to test those at this 

launch. 

Pricing and competition 

Historically, the battle for the 

middleweight adventure bike title 

has been between the Triumph 

Tiger 800 and the BMW F 800 GS. 

Compared to the fully loaded F 850 

GS that I rode last year in Moab, 

the Tiger 900 Rally Pro offers 

improved adjustability and better 

travel from the suspension and 

slightly more power and feel from 

the engine. For the first time ever, 

I’d argue that the Triumph has 

surpassed the BMW in off-road 

performance while maintaining 

its on-road manners. That being 

said, for folks who don’t like to 

manually adjust their suspension, 

BMW does have an electronically 

adjustable rear shock. 

If you were to compare the topof-the-line 

Tiger 900 GT Pro against 

the more street-focused F 750 GS, 

you’d have to measure it against 

BMW’s top-of-the-line package. 

For the first time since the 750’s 

introduction, the Triumph now 

offers more features than BMW 

in this particular road-going 

package. You get a fully adjustable 

suspension, more power, and 

better stock comfort amenities. 

There are even more ADV bikes 

on their way in 2020. First was 

the new Africa Twin. Then came 

the KTM 390 ADV. The Tiger 900 

is here soon and Yamaha keeps 

promising us that new Ténéré 700. 

One thing is for sure, if you’re 

a fan of adventure bikes, you face 

no shortage of available options. 

S997 


Conclusion 

I think that for anyone out there 

looking at an adventure bike, it’s 

extremely important to be honest 

with yourself about what kind of 

riding you’re going to take on. The 

Tiger 900 GT Pro and Rally Pro 

are two very different machines. 

If you know you will stick to the 

street for 90 percent of the time 

with a few dirt and gravel roads 

thrown in here and there, go with 

the GT or GT Pro. It’s an excellent 

sport-touring adventure bike. 

However, if you’re like us 

adventure nuts and you really 

want to challenge yourself offroad, 

then the Rally Pro is the nobrainer 

choice between the two. I 

couldn’t stop smiling while riding 

this thing off-road. If it were up to 

me, I would have spent the entire 

trip tracking down trails to ride. 

I went into this review 

completely skeptical. I felt like 

Triumph was blowing smoke 

about how much better this 

new bike was going to be. I was 

incredibly wrong. The new Tiger 

blows away the previous Tiger 

800 in nearly every way. I would 

challenge anyone out there on a 

Tiger 800 to find yourself a test 

ride on the new 900 and try to 

disagree. 

The bikes should arrive at the 

end of June, retail mid July. Full 

local feature soon! 


THE RADDEST 

MOTARD! 

The guys from RAD KTM 

down in Rivonia have not 

been sitting on idle during 

lockdown. They have been 

busy with a few projects that 

they had in mind but could 

not complete during normal 

hours coz they were busy 

servicing their customers…. 

Words: Glenn Foley 

Pics: Beam Productions 

And the beauty of this build is 

that fact that it’s pretty simple 

to pop it all back into dirt trim – 

and go and do what the bike is 

actually made for… 

The 500 is a great choice for a 

bike like this, simply because it 

produces great big gobs of torque 

and very user friendly power 

without revving itself stukkend. 

Ultimately, this means that 

service intervals are reasonable 

– and that the bike should have a 

good long life in road trim. 

What they did: 

They found a very cool set of 

17” BST wheels lurking in the 

workshop. These were sent id 

for a bit of CNC machine work to 

fit the wheel, sprocket and front 

brake disc. The standard dirt fare 

has been stashed lovingly away 

for future use. 

While the wheels were being 

sorted, the guys grabbed some 

Powerparts from the KTM 

catalogue - a motard front fender, 

LED headlight cluster and 

Powerpart brushguards. 

A bigger volume 15RCS front 

superbike reservoir was procured 

and fitted to the standard 

brake lines and caliper. This 

was probably one of the most 

important upgrades – increased 

fluid volume means the the 

brakes run a bit cooler…. More 

on this shortly. 

Out back, the brakes also got 

a little bit of attention with a 

KTM Powerpart master cylinder 

extension kit. 

They pimped the bike a bit with 

a selection of Powerpart anodized 

covers, caps and levers – man it 

looks trick. Rounding things off, the 

crew selected Acerbis covers for the 

engine, and KTM swingarm guards. 

They took a ride – and felt that 

something was missing…. Yup! A 

pipe, so that gorgeous Akarapovic 

slip on was mounted – complete 

with an R&G Silencer slider. 

The finished look is really really 

cool. If you get a gap head to the 

store – it’s up front and centre on 

the display. 

You will have seen the 500 rally Adventure that they 

built and we rode a couple of issues ago? Well they 

decided that the EXC-F is such a cool platform to 

work with (If you have ridden one, you know), that 

they would use some bits that they had in stock to 

build a sweet, street motard. 

When we were let out of level 5, we went to 

kuier at the shop and there stood the project in 

all its glory just waiting to be ridden. 

Mike, the man who built the bike is very 

quick to point out that, although they certainly 

can, they have not gone all out to build a 

competitive race machine, but rather a fun 

to ride play bike that can be roadworthied 

for use on the road (what a cool way to get 

to work and back!) - and then – taken out 

to the track for a few social laps on the 

weekends. 


A couple of days later, we met 

Miguel and his crew at a li’l track 

at a private testing facility within 

lockdown hours to have a bit of fun… 

Ride Impressions: 

100 percent fun. Please do 

bear in mind that this fat rider 

is certainly no track racer, a 

couple of laps on this big girl 

forced a great big grin. The bike 

is light, flickable – and in the right 

hands will pull huuuuge wheelies 

without much effort. The stock 

suspension felt just fine for this 

weekend wobbler and brakes and 

all that were well above our pay 

grade. A quick dash out and about 

the suburbs of Benoni caused 

much laughter as we blitzed the 

traffic lights scared the hell out 

of the joggers and walkers out 

for their 3 hours of freedom. 

One thing that we really liked is 

the fact that the 500cc engine is 

smooth – and you don’t get that 

itchy, annoying buzzy vibration 

coming up through the pegs and 

the bars. 

This is a great idea! A work 

commuter in the week and a dirty 

girl on the weekend! 

You’ll read our comment about 

the brake earlier. This bike is a 

casual commuter/fun machine – 

NOT a full blown race bike - and 

for the intended purpose – all 

who rode her agreed that it’s a 

great, fun to ride super single. 

RAD’s whole idea was to create 

something cool for blasting about. 

You’ll save a fortune on fuel, get 

to work first in the morning – and 

get out onto the trails on the 

weekends without too much fuss. 

Serious motard racing is all 

about fast, short twisty stuff – 

and that’s when components like 

the stock brakes might start to 

fade. If you want a race motard, 

you’d need to really pay attention 

to the brakes. You don’t need BST 

wheels, they are high end items – 

and thusly, pretty expensive – so 

RAD also offers a full motard build 

with Excel wire wheels, Haan 

hubs, a moto master caliper and a 

bigger brake disc. 

Decide what you want – chat to 

the team – and they will make it 

happen. 

This one – 100 percent fun! 

Go and have a looksee. 

www.radmoto.co.za 


Two South Africans, Johan and Kim recently took on majestic 

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma on Honda’s mighty CRF250L’s. 

They sent us a note: We wanted to reach out to you to see if Dirt & Trail 

would be interested in an article on a recent 2500 km trip my girlfriend 

and I did thru Myanmar/Burma on two Honda 250 CRF’s. 

Absolute! Sounds like our kind of adventure! 

By Johan de Villiers 

Mystic 

Myanmar on 

Dirt Bikes 

Living in South Africa as 

an adventure biker has many 

advantages. It is a great place to 

get your motorcycle fitted out 

with state-of-the-art equipment 

and thus a great starting point 

for any expedition to some of 

the wildest and most beautiful 

countries in Africa, such as 

Botswana, Zambia, Namibia 

Tanzania and Rwanda. But 

once you have visited all these 

gorgeous destinations, including 

the Serengeti, Chobe, Moremi and 

witnessed the silver back gorillas 

in Rwanda, where to next? 

That was the question we were 

pondering planning our next 

adventure sitting around the 

dinner table at our sea-side home 

of Melkbosstrand in Cape Town in 

early 2019. Both Kim and I were 

also seasoned off-road racers, so 

to combine our adventure bike 

skills with our dirt bike abilities 

seemed like a logical choice at 

the time. In addition to that, 

we have spent many months in 

Cambodia, Indonesia and Nepal 

and loved the culture and food 

of those remote countries. How 

we stumbled on mystical Burma 

or Myanmar as it is now known, 

eludes me, but what an adventure 

it turned out to be! 

Situated in South East Asia, 

Myanmar is bordered by 

Bangladesh, Laos, India, Thailand 

and China. The Andaman Sea 

and the Bay of Bengal forms 

the southern coastline. Under 

a strict military dictatorship 

until 2011, the country was off 

limits to all western travellers 

for many decades. Although 

a mostly peaceful Buddhist 

country, most foreign embassies 

still advise citizens to stay clear 

of Rakhine State, which is on the 

western coast because of the 

ongoing ethnic genocide known 

as the Rohingya conflict. The 

rest of Myanmar is classified as 

a “high caution” country but it 

is generally safe for travellers 

provided that the correct 

precautions are taken. 

We contacted a Russian 

motorcycle dealer that organised 

us two Honda 250 CRF dirt bikes 

on arrival in Mandalay after an 

exhausting international flight via 

Thailand from Johannesburg. 

Our original expedition plans 

included hiring a seasoned 

local Burmese guide that 

would provide translation and 

navigation assistance with the 

numerous tribes we were going 

to encounter. This individual was 

unfortunately missing in action 

when we arrived in Mandalay and 

left us in a precarious position at 

the very start of our trip. 

With this backdrop, what could 

possibly go wrong? 

With the benefit of hindsight, 

not having a guide turned out to 

add to the mystery of exploration 

in Myanmar. 

We were forced to purchase 

a data sim and - for the entire 

expedition, we relied on Google 

Maps via our mobile phones 

strapped to our Honda 250 

motorcycles. Even in the thickest 

jungle we had unbelievably strong 

4G reception via cell phone 

towers. It does help to carry a 

spare power bank as electricity/ 

charging is not always guaranteed 

on arrival at your chosen 

destination. 


The ride: 

Myanmar’s scenery rates an easy 4/5. You will 

experience some of the most majestic rain forests 

on the planet, curvy mountain roads and beautiful 

freshwater lakes. 

For those history buffs amongst you, give it at 

least a rating of 4/5 as well. Burma has a rich, if 

somewhat brutal history but with amazing pagodas 

and temples to rival the best in Asia. 

On a cautionary note, bear in mind that traffic is 

insane in the city areas. The rural traffic does not 

adhere to rules of the road. Road conditions are 

generally single lane, single track and in the rural 

areas completely dirt and mud. Be Alert. ALL THE 

TIME. Massive trucks tend to come down the many 

mountain passes at blinding speed and will consume 

both sides of the road, without any yellow lanes for 

you or your bike to pass safely. Hence the need for 

intercom systems between the riders. 

We were humbled with the hospitality of the 

mountain tribes in Mindat, deep in the western 

jungles even without the benefit of being able to 

translate their language. Every time Kim took off 

her full-face motorcycle helmet, the villagers came 

streaming out of their bamboo huts because it 

was the first time that they have seen a blonde 

westerner in their life! 

Deep in the mountains in 

Kanpetlet, Chin State. 

In some of the remote villages, 

there are no bed and breakfasts 

or accommodation available. 

We introduced ourselves to the 

local chief of the tribe and they 

willingly shared their private 

residences for a small fee. The 

advantage of this is obviously 

safety, nobody messes with your 

bike and they cook some really 

scrumptious meals as well! 

One of the highlights of the trip 

was our arrival at one of Asia’s 

great inland lakes, Lake Inle in Shan 

state. The local fishermen on the 

lake, practice a distinctive rowing 

style which involves wrapping one 

leg around the oar whilst balancing 

on the other leg on the stern of 

their small boats. Much of the lake 

is covered by water plants and 

reeds, this unique style affords 

them the ability to see above the 

vegetation whilst rowing. If you go, 

it is well worth planning your trip 

to spend at least two or three days 

around this lake. 

Floating Village Lake inle... 

Another major highlight of 

the trip was the golden temples 

of Bagan that easily rivals the 

magnificent pagodas of Angor 

Wat in Cambodia and should 

be a bucket list entry for any 

adventure biker! The hundreds 

of temples that are located 

across the plains of Bagan are 

the most inspiring testament 

to the religious devoutness of 

Myanmar’s people – and rulers 

– over the centuries. These 

Burmese temples are rated as 

some of the richest archaeological 

sites in Asia. If you have the spare 

funds available, park your bike 

and rent an early morning hot air 

balloon for a sigh of a life time! 

Whilst you enjoy riding 

the twisty mountain roads 

in Myanmar, do not forget to 

sample the exotic food and bear 

in mind that fuel will be at least 

fifty percent cheaper than South 

Africa. Data costs for mobile 

phones are at least seventy 

Beautiful tea house... 

percent cheaper and Myanmar’s 

local coffee (Genius) and whisky 

(Grand Royal) is exquisite and 

cost a fraction of what we pay 

locally. 

Our expedition finally ended 

after travelling more than 1600 

miles in 21 days without a single 

breakdown on the two trusty 

Honda CRF 250s. Would we do it 

again? Hell yes, Myanmar is biking 

paradise! 

Before considering any 

adventure bike expedition : 

• Navigation, Weather & 

Accommodation 

• Personal Health & Inoculations 

• Motorcycle spares & 

maintenance 

• General Expedition Kit list 

• Rider & Protective Clothing 

• Travel Documentation & 

Passports 


Navigation, Weather & 

Accommodation 

It is vital to remember that good English maps 

for Myanmar are virtually impossible to get 

hold of. This is even truer if you plan to visit 

the more remote mountainous areas to the 

west of the country. In addition to that, there 

are NO English road signs or markings as 

everything is only in Burmese. Considering 

that the country is in excess of 260 000 square 

miles (or 676 000 square kilometres) 

In terms of safe accommodation, we did 

some intensive research before the time for 

clean and safe B&B’s that have had previous 

travel recommendations. It would be useful 

to study a map of Myanmar beforehand 

to familiarize yourself with the general 

topography of the country. The country is 

divided in 14 provinces which consists of 7 

States and 7 Regions. 

The terrain, weather conditions and 

fauna/flora differ greatly between the 

areas. Bear in mind that Myanmar has a 

monsoon climate with three main seasons. 

The hottest period is between February 

and May, when there is little, or no rain and 

temperatures can rise above 40°C (104°F). 

The rainy season is generally from May 

to October. The period during October to 

February provides better dry and cooler 

weather which is what we would recommend 

for travel. Plan your trip accordingly. 

With regards to the types of roads that you 

will experience in Myanmar, a proficient skill 

level of riding is required should you choose 

to do it in the dirt. Originally, we would have 

preferred machines in the 690 to 800 cc range, 

but it is virtually impossible to rent off road 

motorcycles of this capacity in Myanmar, 

never mind true adventure bikes. Nearly 

ninety five percent of all bikes are cheap 

125cc Chinese scooters. Our normal KTM 

1290/GS 1250 machines would have coped, 

but some of the single-track mountain ruts 

would have proved challenging to ride with. 

Personal Health & Inoculations 

Being a remote third world country, it is vital 

that sanitisation is high on your priority list. 

Hand wipes can come in very handy when no 

hot shower is available for days. Also, don’t 

be afraid to ask the local villagers for a bucket 

with some clean river water when required! 

Most of our 

accommodation 

was simple but 

neat and clean. 

A Budhist monk 

who gave us 

directions 

A remote 

waterfall in the 

Nat Ma Tung 

National Park 

Rest stop at Nan 

Koot hill. 

The chiefs tribal 

hut in western 

mountain Range. 

You have to 

sample the 

local food. 

Before the trip ensure that you have 

as a minimum the correct inoculations 

for Hepatitis A & B, Tetanus, Typhoid 

and Yellow Fever. A good anti malaria 

drug such a mefloquine is also highly 

recommended. We packed a small first 

aid kit that included anti-fungal creams 

as well a broad-spectrum antibiotic and 

rehydration tables. You are not going to 

find a local pharmacy around these parts 

easily unless you are in the bigger cities, 

so don’t overlook this requirement. 

Motorcycle spares & maintenance 

On any expedition, especially on dirt or 

adventure bikes, weight is of paramount 

importance. The lighter you can travel, 

the better! Having said that when you 

end up on something as small as a 250cc 

machine, you must plan even more 

stringently about what to take with on a 

three-week journey. On the little Hondas 

we had to make do with less than 20 

Kilogrammes of total gear. 

We knew that the machines were 

relatively new and that they just had a 

major service, so we decided to keep 

tools down to a minimum in the event of 

a breakdown. We ensured beforehand 

that the bikes were equipped with 30/70 

on-road/off-road tyres which turned out 

to be a good balance in terms of the 

terrain encountered. 

Owing to the large number of scooters 

that the Myanmar people use for daily 

transport, it is relatively easy to find a 

repair shop of some kind, even in the 

remotest of villages. Your biggest risk 

would really be to either have a flat tyre 

or to run out of fuel. Plan your refuelling 

stops carefully as you have a limited 

range on a small off-road bike and the 

country has very big distances to cover 

in some cases. In addition to that, be 

careful of contaminated fuel. 

We carried a small tyre repair kit just 

in case, but for the rest of the time, a 

Leatherman, Duct Tape and Cable/Zip 

ties should be enough. Interestingly 

enough, it was impossible to get hold of 

chain spray at any point in time. Ask any 

repair shops for some old engine oil and 

apply with an old toothbrush. Works like 

a charm! 


General Expedition 

& Kit List 

General Expedition and Kit 

List we normally divide into 

Accessories, Camping Gear and 

Miscellaneous Kit before we 

travel. Carry a survival watch, 

such as a Garmin or Suunto, just 

in case your GPS on your mobile 

phone fails. Steel Putty is vital 

in case you have a major spill on 

one of the dirt bikes whilst riding. 

We packed a small mace spray 

each for personal protection, 

but to be honest never once felt 

threatened in Myanmar. 

Rider and Protective 

Clothing 

When packing, remember the 

lighter the load, the better. 

Separate your packing list for 

clothing into Riding Gear & 

General Clothing, Head Gear and 

Footwear. 

It is highly recommended to 

bring your own full-face helmet 

and riding gear. You already know 

it fits, it is clean, and you can have 

your own intercom system fitted 

beforehand. Considering the vast 

distances that you cover via dirt 

bike in Myanmar, it really helps 

to have instant communication 

between the riders. From 

shouting warning about oncoming 

trucks & meandering bush pigs 

in the road, to highlighting some 

beautiful temples or pagodas 

in the jungle! Just remember to 

charge them at the same time 

as your mobile phone when you 

arrive at your destination each 

night. 

Travel documentation and 

passports 

Being from South Africa, we 

applied for a visa online for 

Myanmar. It is cheaper to book 

your tickets through Bangkok in 

Thailand and then take a regional 

flight into Mandalay. Remember 

to upload all your travel 

documentation & inoculation 

certificates into the cloud, either 

via Microsoft One Drive or 

Dropbox. In the event of a lost 

passport you can easily retrieve 

it and gain access to emergency 

travel documents from your local 

embassy in Myanmar. Credit 

cards obviously only work in 

the large cities, so ensure that 

you always have enough local 

currency to pay for food and fuel. 

Safe riding! 

The entrance to 

Kakku Pagoda 

complex in 

Taunggyi 

One of the 

temples. 

This one near 

Mandalay. 

There are 

some really 

beautiful 

things to see... 

The Hondas 

were flawless... 

A Kayan 

Tribeswoman 

teaches Kim 

to weave. 

About the author: Johan de Villiers 

Johan has adventure biked extensively through 

several South, Central and East African countries 

on either one of his KTMs or Triumph Tigers. In 

addition to that, Johan enjoys travelling in South 

East Asia, including hiking Nepal and staying 

with the remote Cambodian jungle tribes on the 

border of Laos. When not overlanding through 

Africa, he is also a seasoned off-road and rally 

racer on two wheels. In his spare time Johan 

is a qualified helicopter pilot, high altitude 

mountaineer and a regular contributor to 

various overland and aviation publications. 


LOCKDOWN 

BLUES 

A quick shoot with the Holeshot 

Husqvarna riders, Zander Goosen and 

Heinrich Aust. 

It was a chilly lockdown morning when 

the family and I were using the allotted 

time to partake in our morning exercise. 

Roughly 3 KM’s from our offices, there is 

a lekker rocky hill where we take off on 

the bikes to do a few laps. As we arrived, 

we were greeted by two Husqvarnas 

charging down the hill. We stopped them 

to say hello! Turns out that Heinrich Aust 

and Zander Goosen live nearby and they 

had the same idea that we do… 

“Huzzit Boys!” and then comes the 

clincher – “Hello Uncle Glenn!” 

Uncle Glenn? 

Damn! Time to shave off that hairy 

lockdown stuff on my face. 

As motorcyclists do, we got to 

chatting about the state of the nation, 

racing plans for the year, sponsorship 

agreements and the impact of COVID 

and all sorts. And we only had about an 

hour and a bit left of our allotted time, 

so we looked for the gnarliest trails we 

could find. 

Heinrich has become a bit of a 

household name – he exploded onto 

the scene with his mad skills on the 

MX track, decided to diversify with a 

short Sojourn racing off-road – and then, 

under the wing of Husqvara SA man Taki 


We now know 

where Aust got 

his nickname... 

Bogiages he discovered Hard Enduro. And we are 

sure glad he did because this young man seems to 

be utterly fearless and has some amazing skills. 

His dream was to do Roof Of Africa Gold class 

at 16 – and last year he did just that – finishing in 

a very respectable 14th place. Heinrich definitely 

leans towards the more extreme stuff competing in 

events like Nitex, the odd EWXC and the old Powasol 

events. Earlier this year, he was invited to race as 

a replacement for the injured Maddy Green in the 

official Pepson Plastics Husqvarna national Enduro 

team alongside Brett Swanepoel. Despite some 

navigation issues, he had a very successful outing at 

the Rover event – and people are paying attention. 

Zander Goosen actually started riding with 

our Adventure Company when he was but a snot 

gobbler. Life and starting businesses and stuff got in 

the way of important things like riding bikes – and 

about 3 years ago, he started riding again. He is 

like “Ou boet” to Heinrich and a couple of the other 

youngsters. 

He Loves Hard Enduro on his Husqvarna 300TPI, 

but happily sits back to watch the laaities do the 

seemingly impossible stuff. 

Last year he raced Gold Roof. 

Both of these guys race under the East Rand 

based Holeshot motorcycles banner. 

Something quite funny happened while we were 

out there – we were up near the road and Heinrich 

was attempting to jump this mad ass huuuuge rock 

when the local constabulary rolled in. He timed it 

perfectly and as they were checking out our media 

permit, he flung himself about 15 kilometres up into 

the air. 

Well the police guys eyes nearly popped out of his 

head… “Hau! These Mlungu’s are Crazy!!” Our permit 

was promptly forgotten as the climbed out of the 

vehicle to enjoy the show! 

SA is such a cool place! 


We chatted as we went along. Both riders 

are frustrated at not being able to race. They 

enjoy the national enduro series, the WFO’s in 

natal and the Lowveld series, but of course, 

not being allowed to travel and the gatherings 

act has put a kybosh on all of that. They have, 

however managed to keep fit, lots of home 

gyming – and then of course when level four 

was announced, the bikes were unleashed. 

For 3 hours a day… 

Awesome to meet and chat to these guys. 

Next month it looks like we have an 

appointment with Sherco’s Wade Young… 

and we’ll see what he’s been up to during 

lockdown. 

Watch this space. 

Just a quick note: This whole COVID thing 

has messed with our exchange rate – a lot. 

Remember that the current European bikes 

are new gen, so if there are any changes for 

2021, they will be small. If you are in the 

market, our suggestion is that you buy now… 

we can guarantee that when stock runs out 

price hikes will be on the cards. 

holeshotnmotorcycles.co.za 

husqvarna-motorcycles.com 

The Covid police stopped just 

to watch the fun and games... 


DIRT & TRAIL MAGAZINE JUNE 2020 67

A quick ride on the rare 

KTM 790 

Adventure R Rally 

While we were at Trax KTM 

doing a feature on their “S” 

special, we noticed a very rare 

bike lurking in the workshop. It 

was 1 of 500 KTM790 Adventure 

R Rallys and it was with their 

technicians for some special setup 

work. Talk about the right 

place at the right time… 

Trax Boss Riaan was due to meet the owner 

the following day to test out the tweaking and 

in his usual, friendly fashion – he invited us 

along to have a quick ride. How cool is that? 

One of 500 bikes GLOBALLY. 

Now you might not know too much about the 

KTM 790R Rally edition, simply because it is so 

rare, but – here is a general rundown of the bike. 

• The 790 Adventure R Rally is a very 

exclusive model limited to 500 units globally 

and aimed at riders who want a stronger offroad 

performance from their adventure bike. 


The rally in standard form. 

No added extra’s. 

• The new R Rally shares the same steel chassis 

and LC8c parallel twin engine but with improved 

suspension, thanks to the WP XPLOR PRO fork 

and shock absorber. The bike has gained 30mm 

in suspension travel and the seat height has risen 

to 910mm over the standard 790 Adventure. The 

XPLOR PRO suspension pack has been built in 

the same department as the WP’s Factory Racing 

Equipment and KTM say it is “close to” the 

same level used by the Dakar-winning Red Bull 

KTM Factory Racing Rally team on the KTM 450 

Rally. The shock uses the signature PDS system 

and the damping can be easily adjusted. At current 

exchange rates, that shock alone would set you 

back almost a cool 100k. 

• The WP XPLOR PRO 7548 fork uses the cone 

valve technology, a system that allows a good 

damping performance without compromising 

comfort or bottoming resistance. Setting changes 

are also easier to make via the external adjusters. 

The suspension adds 30 mm of travel to both ends 

for a grand total of 10.62 inches of travel. 

• In addition to the suspension upgrade the R 

Rally is also equipped with an Akrapovic exhaust, 

carbon fibre tank protectors and the Quickshifter+ 

system (Shifts up and down). 

• KTM has also changed the rims, which they 

label “narrower and tube type”. 

• The seat takes on a straighter shape to 

improve the ergonomics when you ride in a stand 

up position. This owner opted to fit the dual 

comfort seat. 

• The foot pegs are longer than standard, wider 

and have improved grip and width to give the rider 

a better feeling when standing up. 

• A pair of four-pot calipers bite 320 mm discs up 

front with a twin-piston anchor and 260 mm disc in 

the rear and Bosch 9.1 MP corner-sensitive, offroad-tuned 

ABS all around. 

We love the fact that if you prefer a raw ride for 

your off-road work, you can turn the anti-locks off 

in their entirety. 

Power comes from the same LC8c engine that 

propels the base 790 Adventure R. 

It has 94 horsepower on tap backed up by 

65 pound-feet of torque. Power flows through a 

slipper-type clutch and a six-speed transmission 

before it heads to the rear wheel via an O-ring 

chain drive. 

Chris Birch in action 

on the Rally 


KTM says of the new model: 

“Quite simply, we’ve built the KTM 790 Adventure 

R Rally because we can! At KTM we continually 

try to push ourselves and the development of our 

products. We have the equipment at our disposal, 

and we know how to make a truly special bike for 

our hardcore customers.” 

We met the owner of the Bike, Fred Bibbey and 

his son Andre the following day. Andre was along 

with dad on his new KTM490 ADV. The family that 

plays together… 

As adventure guys do, Fred has added some 

practical extra’s. He visited the guys at Touratech 

and bought some custom luggage, protective bars 

and a single finger clutch system by Camel ADV. 

Guys that single finger system is amazing! 

Although it is cable actuated, it feels as light as a 

hydraulic system. The Touratech stuff is always 

top quality - it looks great, function and protection, 

without ruining the bikes aesthetics. Chat to the 

guys at Trax, they will get your bike sorted. 

We took the opportunity to shoot a few snaps 

and spent a bit of time shooting the breeze about 

all things motorcycle. 

Fred absolutely loves the bike. And it sounds as 

if he has a few to choose from. He had a KTM 1290, 

but he was looking for something that was lighter 

and more nimble – and this one has done just that. 

When KTM developed the 790, they made a 

unique niche in the adventure game – because, 

you simply cannot compare the bike to anything 

else on the SA market. Yamaha has teased with the 

T7, but we await that with bated breath. We took 

a very quick whirl on the bike – bearing in mind 

the rarity and the current COVID balance in the 

companies bank account and a few things really 

stood out. 

It is taller than the stock 790R. This means better 

ground clearance. It feels a bit more aggressive and 

dirtbikey. 

Whilst the power is pretty much the same as on 

a stock bike, you can feel the high end suspension 

really doing its job. It’s a bit like a dirtbike on 

steroids really. 

The quick shifter is a great touch – we seldom 

remember to actually use it – but when you are in a 

hurry, it’s a really great feature. 

Plenty fast, well planted and just so forgiving… 

The bike simply flows… we can fully understand 

how you’d feel like a Dakar star on one of these… 

And – it’s flippen pretty in a very subtle way. 

Something truly unique. 

This one came from Trax KTM. 

www.traxktm.co.za 

Riaan with the 

Trax Custom 790R. 

Fred on the Rally. 

It is a thing of 

beauty! Fred with 

his son Andre. 


Performance Technic 

BMW R1250GS 

BMW’s new bombshell adorned 

with an Akrapovic exhaust, a 

Sprint air-filter and Rapid Bike 

tuning to turn it from a simple 

explosion to a nuclear event. 

It sounds easy, right? Donovan 

Fourie took a trip to Performance 

Technic to find out just how 

complicated all this has become. 

Strict new Euro5 laws make the 

tuning of motorcycles difficult. 

The stringent set of rules being 

imposed by lawmakers mean 

manufacturers need to create a 

complicated system to meet the 

ever more demanding emission, 

safety and noise regulations and 

the more advanced methods of 

policing all this. 

The first model released that 

met Euro5 is BMW’s new R1250GS, 

a motorcycle so restricted that it’s 

amazing it can even idle without 

conking out. Yet, somehow, it is 

the best boxer motor BMW has 

ever made. 

No, it doesn’t push the big 

numbers of the KTM 1290 and 

the Ducati Multistrada, but the 

way it pushes out its numbers 

is what makes this motorcycle 

so laudable. It has a max output 

Pics: Meghan McCabe 

of 136hp, a chunk down on the 

160hp of the Ducati and KTM, 

however, while the Katoom and 

Duc build to their max outputs 

as they climb the rev range, 

the BMW feels as though its 

horsepower curve is a straight 

line, pushing 136hp from the 

moment you open the throttle. 

Backing that up is a monumental 

143Nm of torque. 

The question I’m often asked is 

why we would want more? Why 

would we want to tune a motor 

that is already so good? Why 

would we want more power? 

Because it’s fun. 

With that argument 

undoubtedly settled, we descend 

upon Performance Technic, the 

Fire It Up Group’s tuning facility 

overlooking Kyalami Racetrack. 

Dean Michau is the hands-on man 

behind Rapid SA, the division 

that deals in Rapid Bike tuning 

products and Sprint performance 

filters. While the Fire It Up Group 

is keen on all aspects of their 

business if you really want shop 

owner Craig Langton to rattle on 

excitedly for hours, ask him about 

Rabid Bike tuning. 

The Akrapovic exhaust is a 

standard-issue bolt-on fitting. 

What is fascinating is the amount 

of tech in these exhausts, with 

the Cat, lambda sensors, butterfly 

flaps and various exotic materials. 

Gone are the days when exhausts 

were hammered together with 

sheet metal and pipe benders. 

The Sprint Filter simply fits in 

where the standard filter sat. The 

amount of technology crammed 

into a filter is astounding – the 

Sprint Filters use a synthetic 

polyester material that offers 

better airflow than the standard 

filter, but with the same dustproof 

and waterproof qualities. 

More so, the Sprint filters can 

be cleaned via compressed air. 

Mechanics not familiar with Sprint 

technologies will grimace at the 

thought, and they are correct – 

the last thing you want to do to 

an ordinary cotton filter is blow 

compressed air at it, where it 

will rip and destroy it. Polyester, 

on the other hand, loves a good, 

cleansing blast of air. 

The exhaust and the filter were 

the easy parts – we now move on 

to the tricky stuff, tuning the bike. 

In the old days, motorcycles 

used carburettors, and anyone 

with a vague comprehension of 

how a screwdriver worked could 

fettle the own fuelling. You get the 

jetting right through the use of a 

chart, you play with the needle 

for better performance between 

20 and 80% throttle, and the 

pilot jet controls slight throttle 

openings. You can do some 

upgrades – bigger carbs, hollow 

needles, drilling the needle seat 

and so on. And then the bike is 

tuned for all gears, all revs and all 

throttle openings. Life was good. 

My, how things change. 

So, here is how the Euro5 1250 

GS works – all fuelling by the fuel 

injectors is based on the readings 

from the lambda sensors, the little 

devices plugged into the exhaust. 

They monitor the air/fuel ratio 

by measuring the temperature 

of exhaust gases – if the gasses 

are too cold, then the motor is 

running too rich and needs less 

fuel, whereas if the gasses are too 

hot, the engine is running too lean 

and requires more fuel. 

It sounds simple, but the ECU is 

taking readings every nanosecond 

and adjusting the fuel ratio 

accordingly. This whole system is 

carefully balanced, with the heat 

readings from the lambda carefully 

programmed to coordinate with 

the fuelling. The piggyback fuelling 

systems that plug into ECUs serve 

to adjust the readings from the 

lambda and therefore trick the 

ECU into changing the fuelling for 

the better. 

With Euro5, the exhaust system 

now has three lambda sensors all 

providing input to the ECU that 

Dean Michau with 

the Rabid Bike 

device that plugs 

directly into the 

ECU without any 

modifications. 


derives a fuelling map based on 

that. Suddenly, tricking the ECU 

becomes difficult, hence there are 

no piggyback systems that work 

on Euro5 machines. 

Step forward the Rapid Bike 

system that can read the actual 

ECU and reprogram it. Again, it 

sounds simple, doesn’t it? 

Here’s everything that is taken 

into consideration when writing 

a fuel strategy – air pressure, 

air temperature, type of fuel, 

quality of fuel, humidity, dust 

and impurities. With those 

externalities, the tuner uses 

ignition timing, fuel mapping, 

torque limiters, RPM limiters and 

throttle limiters to create the 

optimum recipe for performance. 

Dean will run the bike on the 

dyno, extract the readings from 

the ECU onto his special Rabid 

Bike device and then downloads 

it onto his laptop. He then fettles 

all those elements to create the 

best combination. 

It’s sounding more complicated 

now, right? It’s about to get worse. 

The R1250GS does not have 

one fuel map that it uses for all 

scenarios – it has more than 100 

maps. There’s a different map 

for each gear, for each riding 

mode, for each electronic setting, 

for starting the motorcycle, for 

when the fuel light comes on, for 

different engine temperatures – 

pretty much every variation of 

events and configurations has 

its own mapping. And Dean has 

to open this all up and figure 

out what is what. It gets more 

complicated because BMW does 

not provide an explanation of 

what map controls what function 

– Dean has to figure it out. 

It’s more than merely making 

the fuelling richer or leaner, or 

advancing and retarding the timing. 

For example, the throttle limiter 

controls the butterflies that open 

and close to let more air in. In a 

previous era, the butterflies were 

connected to a cable connected to 

the twist grip, and how much the 

rider turns the throttle determines 

the butterfly opening. 

Not any more – with ride-bywire, 

an electrical cable leaves 

the twist grip and runs to the 

The Sprint Filter for the GS is 

waterproof, dustproof and offers 

significantly better airflow. 

It can also be cleaned using 

compressed air at a garage. 

DynoBike v. 2.1.3.10 DEFAULT user 19-May-20 10:55:26 AM Dimsport DFMTF 

ECU. That then Workshop/tuner: reads what you’re 

Address: Internet: 

doing and interprets Phone: Fax: how E-mail: much 

to open the butterflies. On some 

bikes, even when you are fullthrottle 

on the handlebar, the 

butterflies open only 75%. With 

Rapid Bike, they can adjust these 

openings so that the butterflies 

open 100%, although this often 

results in a nearly unrideable 

bike, so they’ve had to do some 

trial and error. 

Where Euro5 severely restricts 

motors is in the fuel ratio – the 

best performance is generally 

achieved when the ratio is around 

13 parts air to one part fuel. 

However, the people in Brussels 

have determined that the best 

emissions are achieved when 

the ratio is 14.7:1, so they have 

decreed that all motors shall run 

at that ratio in all circumstances. 

What this means is that motors 

nowadays are hugely starved of 

fuel and are running lean. It’s like 

making Hussain Bolt run the 100 

metres while on a diet of nothing 

but lettuce. 

Yet, somehow, BMW has 

made the GS work, despite these 

disabilities. However, it can work 

better. 

When Dean took delivery of a 

1250GS to develop a Rapid Bike 

strategy for it, he spent the next 

five days tampering with various 

maps, loading them on the bike, 

running it on the dyno and then 

trying again. Eventually, they got 

Client name: FIU TEST Vehicle plate: JTP265MP Manufacturer: BMW Model: R1250GS Type: 2019 

STOCK 

Motor Power 116.3 Hp @ 7673 rpm 

Wheel Power 106.7 Hp - Loss Power 12.7 Hp 

Engine Wheel Dissipated 

Wheel Torque 109.5 Nm @ 6244rpm 

Ambient T 20.9°C - P 1026.9mbar - Corr. factor 1.00 

Gear 4 - Ratio 3.52 

RPM min 2500 - max 9500 

Theoretical maximum speed: 188.4 km/h 

SPRINT FILTER & FULL AKRAPOVIC SYSTEM ADDED 






RPM min 2500 - max 9500 


SPRINT FILTER ADDED 






RPM min 2500 - max 9500 


SPRINT FILTER, AKRAPOVIC & ECU TUNE 






RPM min 2500 - max 9500 


124 

122 

120 

118 

116 

114 

112 

110 

108 

106 

104 

102 

100 

98 

96 

94 

92 

90 

88 

86 

84 

82 

80 

78 

76 

74 

72 

70 

68 

Hp 66 

64 

62 

60 

58 

56 

54 

52 

50 

48 

46 

44 

42 

40 

38 

36 

34 

32 

30 

28 

26 

24 

22 

20 

18 

16 

14 

12 

10 

it right – see the dyno graphs. 

2,500 

3,000 

3,500 

4,000 

4,500 

In fact, they got it so right that 

they now export their maps and 

strategies to America, Europe 

and soon Australia. There are 

people in South Africa that 

bought a special map from 

America only to later discover 

that these maps originated in 

Kyalami Business Park. 

In standard trim, the 1250GS is 

a bullet with power throughout 

the rev range. After the 

5,000 

5,500 

RPM 

6,000 

6,500 

Performance Technic tuning, 

the performance is moved to 

another level entirely – it feels 

as though its at the coast, with 

17% more power. It’s more lively, 

there’s more grunt and more 

growl, all delivered smoothly and 

effortlessly. 

That level of performance is not 

possible through an exhaust and 

filter alone. 

performancetechnic.co.za 

R1250GS PROJECT BUILD ALL RUNS: Here are the graphs with all the variations of modification – note that 

we don’t really look at the actual horsepower numbers because each dyno will give a different reading. 

What is important is the difference between the graphs. 

– The blue line is a run with the standard bike 

– The green line is after the Akrapovic exhaust is added 

– The red line with the exhaust and the Sprint Filter 

– the pink line is after the exhaust and filter have been added, plus Dean’s five days worth of tuning with 

the Rapid Bike system. 

7,000 

7,500 

8,000 

8,500 

130 

125 

120 

115 

110 

105 

100 

95 

90 

85 

80 

75 

70 

65 

60 

55 

50 

45 

40 

35 

30 

25 

N·m 


From the Back seat 

of a KTM 1290 Super Adventure R 

Ever wondered what it’s like to tour on the back of a big Adventure 

bike? Anne Brawley came to visit from Spain and joined our Kurt Beine 

for a 2200 kilometre, 4 day ride from The Cape all the way up to JHB. 

She reckons that it was GREAT! Even more reason to go and buy 

yourself a motorcycle… She says… 

The views through 

the Eastern Freestate 

blew me away... 

My very good friend Kurt Beine, 

owns a KTM 1290 Super Adventure 

R. It’s orange, which isn’t my favourite 

colour but as a back seat passenger 

you can’t be fussy. We haven’t seen 

each other for years but have been 

friends since our Air Force days in 

1982. Yes he’s a very old friend. In 

February he sent his bike by roadfreight 

to Cape Town, the magical city 

of South Africa so that we could ride it 

back to Johannesburg. 

After a great week of riding around 

Cape Town, visiting the Spice Route 

(not an Indian Restaurant), eating 

pizza, tasting beer and buying 

chocolate (well Kurt bought chocolates 

as I’ve given up eating “junk” in 2020 

except on public holidays), visiting 

the absolutely awesome Boulders Bay, 

where we saw penguins behaving badly 

(at least two of them were mating), 

visiting Blue Peter and the V&A 

Waterfront on numerous occasions 

and watching incredible sunsets at 

Blouberg and Sunset Beach, we finally 

left Cape Town on 14 February. The 

date wasn’t picked for any romantic 

reason in case you’re wondering...... 

although he would swipe right! 

SA sure is a 

beautiful place... 


DEALER LOCATOR: GAUTENG & KZN 

Camps Bay. The 

Cape is beautiful. 

EVERYTHING 

YOU NEED 

AND MORE! 

DIRT & ROADBIKES 

• NEW & USED BIKE SALES 

• SPARES & SERVICE 

• ACCESSORIES 

Tel: 011 823 5830/1 

Address: Unit 14 The Terminal 

Cnr Dr Vosloo and Trichardt Roads, Dr 

Vosloo Rd, Boksburg 

Email: sales@holeshotmotorcycles.co.za 

BIKE SALES | SPARES 

SERVICE | ACCESSORIES 

TEL: 011 362 2182 

Unit 9 The Terminal Centre, c/o Trichardts & Dr 

Vosloo Street, Bartlett, Boksburg 

www.shimwellsyamaha.co.za 

THE ADVENTURE 

& DIRTBIKE 

SPECIALISTS 

IN PRETORIA! 

22 BLESBOK AVENUE , KOEDOESPOORT INDUSTRIAL 

087 808 3650 / 087 808 3649 

Email: info@offroadcycles.co.za / Website: www.offroadcycles.co.za 

Beer Vlei Dam. 

Bone dry when 

we were there... 


During the week riding around Cape 

Town, I was constantly telling Kurt to slow 

down, mind the cars, watch that driver, nag, 

nag, nag. I’m surprised he didn’t chuck 

me off. I was intrigued at how the rules of 

the road are quite often ignored in South 

Africa, as I’ve been living in Europe for 

some years. Even the taxi drivers seemed 

to admire the bike and often let us through 

or waved at us. However, Kurt was always 

my favourite bike rider and I trust him 

totally with my life....on a bike. The orange 

bike is very powerful and I eventually got 

used to being relaxed on the back, taking 

photos and making videos once Kurt used 

the “rain mode” for a day or so. It was far 

more comfortable. The mode apparently 

drops the horsepower from 160hp to 100hp. 

He switched back to full power long before 

I realised it, as “it was easier on the throttle 

on full power”. Not sure I believe that. 

The only negative issue during the week 

was wearing all the bike clobber. Glenn of 

Dirt and Trail very kindly lent me a biker 

jacket, Kurt lent me a Desert Fox helmet and 

I bought some really good gloves from the 

Flying Brick Bike shop in Paarden Eiland. 

EVERYTHING 

ORANGE! 

031 035 0090 

21 Park Boulevard Centre, 

11 Brownsdrift Road, Durban 

MOTORCYCLE 

SALES & 

ACCESSORIES 

033 264 3240 

316 BOOM STREET, 3201, 

PIETERMARITZBURG, KWAZULU NATAL

Rather be safe than sorry, but in the heat, 

in the middle of February, bike gear can 

get hot... A pair of side boxes would have 

solved the problem, as we could’ve put all the 

clobber in the boxes once we had arrived at 

our destinations. 

By the way, the V&A Waterfront has lock up 

boxes for a nominal rental fee at The Shed if 

you ever need them. The information office 

at the V&A Waterfront wasn’t aware of this 

option when I asked about it. 

We left Cape Town with Kurt in the front 

of the bike and me on the back. Strangely 

that day, the weather was pretty grim and 

the Mountain was shrouded in cloud and 

mist. I can’t wait wait to get back there, but 

was so excited to be going to Joburg on the 

back of this orange monster. I’d never been 

on such a long bike ride. We decided not 

to ride like “bats out of hell” but enjoy the 

ride through this part of South Africa. I’m so 

glad we did it that way, as I saw parts of the 

country I’ve never seen before and probably 

wouldn’t have appreciated as a passenger in 

a car. Kurt had set up Sena helmet comms 

(which he must have regretted) so it was 

awesome to see the magnificent scenery and 

listen to music and chat about it at speed. 

Entering the three way 

bridge at Gariep Dam. 

Road, Rail and water 

tunnels underneath. 

Gariep Dam - really 

beautiful. An oasis in 

the desert. 

Signs like these remind us 

of South Africa’s short but 

rich history. 

We bumped into one of the 

Harley clubs out and about 

near Montague. Motorcycles 

are wonderful things. 


The gravel road to Neu 

Bethesda. now the 

road is tarred... 

Here’s a tip to any guy who 

pops a lady on the back: 

Rather take it easy. It’s no fun 

having the crap scared out of you. 

If you want your better half to join 

you, save the fast stuff for when 

you are alone. 

On the first day, we rode 

from Cape Town to Willowmore, 

via Franschhoek, Montagu and 

Barrydale on Route 62. We 

covered 644kms in an average 

temperature of 36 degrees. We 

had breakfast at the old train 

station in Franschhoek, were 

given the free OBS (Old Brown 

Sherry) shots for bikers at 

Country Pumpkin in Barrydale 

and saw loads of other bikers 

mostly on Harleys, as there was a 

festival in Montagu that weekend. 

I bought my iconic Route 62 T- 

shirt at Ronnie’s Sex shop, which 

was run by a really lovely girl. The 

surrounding area was incredibly 

green and a farmer we met, said 

they’d had great rains. The roads 

in South Africa - at least those 

we travelled on - were in amazing 

condition. 

There were some roadworks 

but the workers regulated the 

traffic on a timely basis. 

We spent the first night at the 

Old Jail in Willowmore, which 

was wonderful, especially the 

breakfast the next day but the 

open bathroom was a bit of an 

oddity. Thanks to Eskom, or 

rather no thanks to Eskom, load 

shedding kicked in at about 

2am so the mozzie machine 

switched off and we were woken 

by mosquitos which hadn’t 

turned off their very annoying 

noise. However the lack of sleep 

didn’t dampen my enthusiasm for 

the second day of our trip. 

We left Willowmore and headed 

north towards Aberdeen, Graaff 

Reinet, Nieu Bethesda, Middleburg, 

Colesburg and stopped at Gariep 

Dam. The road to Aberdeen was 

very boring due to the wind, which 

meant I didn’t really see much as 

my head was tucked behind Kurt’s 

back. The area around Beer Vlei 

dam was very dry. Another farmer 

we met, said he hadn’t had decent 

rain for 5 years. We stopped at the 

amazing Polka coffee shop in Graaff 

Reinet. I had a delicious muffin and 

coffee with hot milk and Kurt had a 

huge scone and coffee. 

I must say I miss South African 

coffee shops in Europe. They 

really are the best! We met 2 ex 

pilots (a wife and her husband) 

outside Polka because they were 

admiring the bike. The husband 

has a KTM 1290 but his wife won’t 

allow him to ride it - in her words: 

“As she likes him alive”. She 

We had to stop in at 

Ronnies Sex Shop. 

Synonymous with 

adventurers... 

The start of Route 62 

from Robertson to 

Outshoorn. Very cool 

route to ride.... 

Outside the Country 

Pumpkin in Barrydale. 

Orange place - so we 

had to stop. 


should try hopping on the back sometime! It 

is amazing! 

The houses in Graaff Reinet lare so neat 

and well maintained - making it a very pretty 

town. We almost ran out of fuel between 

Nieu Bethesda and Middleburg as the main 

man forgot to fill up the fuel tank. I think we 

made it on a prayer – mostly by me and he 

thinks we made it as “He carefully calculated 

the distance versus fuel consumption”. 

Every self-respecting male rider has been 

here… 

Needless to say, this was the slowest 

50kms of the trip. The scenery was 

magnificent and I was reminded of our 

anthem - especially a part of the 2nd verse, 

“Oor ons ewige gebergtes, waar die kranse 

antwoord gee”. 

It was slightly colder on Day 2, 35 degrees; 

we rode 512kms and got caught in the rain 

near Colesburg. We decided it was probably 

better to keep riding, rather than stopping in 

the rain, getting off, unpacking our rain gear 

and getting dressed. Those helmet comms 

really worked well. 

As we hadn’t booked accommodation, 

we found a lovely cabin through Booking. 

com after an extortionate quote from the 

camping site at Gariep Dam because it was 

St Valentine’s weekend - a bit of a washed 

out weekend but still expensive. 

We had supper at Tjailatyd Restaurant, 

where we met more bikers as they also 

admired the KTM. They invited us to stay 

with them somewhere outside of Gariep 

Dam but they were all blokes and I didn’t 

want to gatecrash their weekend. 

I quickly got used to random strangers 

admiring the orange monster. 

On day 3 of our trip we rode around part 

of the Gariep Dam, which is huge! 374 kms 

square - and then rode via Ficksburg and 

Clarens to Harrismith, a distance of 643 kms 

and a degree cooler than the previous day. 

The view from the back of the bike on the 

3-way bridge over the dam was incredible. 

It’s a road, rail and water bridge. Quite an 

engineering feat! 

We bypassed the Concentration Camp 

Cemetery which I regret now, as the road 

was gravel and even though the bike is built 

for off-road riding, I’m not. I can’t see the 

point in being bounced around when you 

can be comfortable and I really don’t like 

getting dirty. 

Anne Brawley the 

author at thePolka 

coffee shop on Graaf 

Reinet.... 

Not sure where this 

is but we crossed 

hundreds of little 

bridges... 

There are beautiful 

churches in every 

little town. 

The start of the 

flats in the Karoo... 

We passed a zebra in a field with cows, 

drove around the road to Maseru and stopped 

for muffins with cottage cheese and biltong 

(something else you don’t get in Europe) at 

Constantia Cherry Farmstall, a lovely coffee and 

gift shop, although I wasn’t impressed with the 

huge organic hens walking around freely but 

then I’m petrified of birds. 

The scenery in the Clarens district is simply 

stunning. The colours of the gigantic rocks 

are awesome. You really get to appreciate it 

through a helmet visor - it kind of felt up-close 

and personal. We browsed the artist town of 

Clarens and then rode the rest of the way to 

Harrismith, where I was impressed that most 

houses had solar heaters. 

We stayed at Cyara B&B in Harrismith, which 

is where my sister lives. We had a great roast 

dinner for supper, prepared by the owner, Ron 

Burgess. They offer really good rates for bikers 

and have plenty of comfortable rooms. As it’s 

about halfway between Pretoria and Durban 

it’s a great place to stay over or have a bite 

to eat on a bike run. After a hearty breakfast, 

Ron kindly took us on a game drive around his 

farm. We saw zebras, blesbok and wildebeest 

but didn’t manage to find Ron’s 3 missing cows. 

(He found them safe and sound the next day). 

Sadly it was the last day of our 4-day trip 

from Cape Town. We rode the last 333kms in 32 

degrees to Joburg via the Vaal Dam. We passed 

Platberg Mountain, various maize towers and 

then entered the industrial areas of Joburg. The 

traffic wasn’t half as hectic as the traffic in 

Cape Town, which really surprised me, as I’d 

expected it to be the other way around. 

All in all, it was probably one of the best 

trips of my life. We split the bills equally, which 

included accommodation, fuel and food. We 

spent about R3236 on fuel and travelled 2132 

kms, which equates to about R1.51 a km. Kurt 

is definitely a great bike rider as so many people 

already know and I’m very grateful to him for 

this experience. 

The next day I attended a bike course and 

passed at Roto Rookies – which is highly 

recommended! 

I really need to be the rider on the next trip. 

I’ll be back to SA soon. If you are lucky 

enough to live there – get on your bike and go 

and explore your own country. It’s a wonderful 

place! 

Big thank you! 

Anne Brawley 

Alicante, Spain. 


BUYER’S GUIDE 

SELLING 

YOUR BIKE? 

FIRE IT UP IS THE MOST TRUSTED PURCHASER IN SA! 

WE PAY INSTANTLY, WE COLLECT, WE COME TO YOU! 

www.fireitup.co.za 

BMW 

R nineT Scrambler R204,400 

G 310 GS R81,400 

F 750 GS R179,400 

F 850 GS R188,900 

F 850 GS Adventure R223,300 

R 1250 GS R263,000 

R 1250 GS Adventure R288,900 

DUCATI 

Multistrada 950 R207,900 

Multistrada 950 S R253,200 

Multistrada 1260 R232,000 

Multistrada 1260 S R284,700 

Multistrada 1260 Enduro R283,400 

Multistrada Pikes Peak R345,300 

Multistrada Grand Tour R312,900 

Sixty 2 Scrambler R119,500 

Icon Scrambler R144,900 

Full Throttle Scrambler R172,900 

Classic Scrambler R164,900 

Desert Sled Scrambler R187,900 

1100 Scrambler R199,900 

1100 Scrambler Special R216,900 

1100 Scrambler Sport R230,900 

HONDA 

Africa Twin 1100 Manual R210,000 

Africa Twin 1100 DCT R229,499 

Africa Twin 1100 AS Man R236,000 

Africa Twin 1100 AS ES R269,000 

XR190 R49,620 

XR150L R32,960 

XR125L R30,000 

CRF250L R74,999 

CRF250 Rally R77,999 

CRF110F R34,400 

CRF125F R42,900 

CRF250RX 19 R105,999 

CRF250RX 20 R116,600 

CRF250R 19 R98,900 

CRF450RX 19 R110,999 

CRF450RX 20 R122,100 

CRF450R 19 R109,999 

CRF450R 20 R121,000 

TRX250TM R98,000 

TRX420FA R154,999 

HUSQVARNA 

TC50 mini R44,699 

TC50 R44,699 

TC65 R53,699 

TC85 R66,699 

TC125 R87,699 

TC250 R99,699 

FC450 R109,699 

FC350 R113,699 

FC450 R115,699 

FC Rockstar 2019 POD 

TE150i R107,699 

TE250i R127,699 

TE300i R133,699 

FE250 R127,699 

FE350 R129,699 

FE450 R132,699 

FE501 R134,699 

701 Enduro R141,699 

TX125 R94,699 

TX300i R123,699 

FX350 R126,699 

FX450 R128,699 

FS450 R122,699 

701 Supermoto R141,699 

KAWASAKI 

Versys-X 300 19 R79,995 

Versys-X 300 20 R85,995 

KX65 R41,995 

KX85 BW R54,995 

KX250 R115,995 

KX450 R119,995 

Brute Force 300 R74,995 

Mule SX 2×4 R145,995 

Mule SX 4×4 R179,995 

Mule PRO-MX 4×4 R209,995 

Teryx 800 ESP LE R299,995 

KTM 

50 SX R43,999 

50 SX Mini R43,999 

65 SX R52,999 

85 SX R65,999 

SX-E 5 R58,999 

125 SX R85,999 

150 SX R89,999 

250 SX R97,999 

250 SX-F R106,999 

350 SX-F R110,999 

450 SX-F R112,999 

450 SX-F FE R126,999 

150 XC-W TPI R104,999 

250 XC TPI R121,999 

250 XC-W TPI R122,999 

250 EXC Six Days TPI R130,999 

300 XC TPI R126,999 

300 XC-W TPI R127,999 

300 XC-W Six Days TPI R136,999 

300 EXC TPI ERZBERG R141,999 

250 XC-F R122,999 

250 EXC-F R122,999 

250 EXC-F Six Days R129,999 

350 XC-F R124,999 

350 EXC-F R124,999 


50 XC-F R127,999 

450 EXC-F R127,999 


500 EXC-F R129,999 


FREERIDE 250 F R101,999 

390 Adventure R85,999 

790 Adventure R181,999 

790 Adventure R R194,999 

790 Adventure R Rally R273,999 

1290 Super Adventure S R241.999 

1290 Super Adventure R R249,999 

690 Enduro R R159,999 

690 SMC R R159,999 

MOTO GUZZI 

V85 TT R209,000 

PUZEY 

EGL Madix 250cc R38,990 

EGL Madix ATV 125cc R15,999 

MXR 180 - MX R24,990 

STX200-Enduro R26,999 

STX200-Motard R26,999 

STX250 - Enduro R32,999 

Thumpa 70cc R9,499 

Whiz Kid 70cc R9,499 

XP 125cc R11,999 

XP Stomper 125cc R12,999 

SUZUKI 

TF125K5 R33,550 

DR200SEL5 R52,500 

DL650XAMO R128,500 

DL1000XAL9 R172,900 

DL1050RCM0 R221,950 

RM-Z250M0 R99,982 

LT-F250L8 R76,950 

LT-A400FM0 R131,750 

LT-A750XL9 R160,700 

LT-F400FM0 R131,855 

SHERCO 

SE 125 Racing 2T R99,000 

SE 250 Racing 2T R129,400 

SE 300 Racing 2T R132,700 

SE 125 Factory 2T R109,900 



SC Cross Country 125 2T R112,300 



SE-F 250 Racing 4T R132,300 

SE-F 300 Racing 4T R134,200 

SE-F 450 Racing 4T R138,600 

SE-F 500 Racing 4T R139,800 

SE-F 250 Factory 4T R142,700 




SE-F 455 Factory BAJA 4T R198,900 

ST125 Racing R93,900 



ST300 Factory R115,900 

X-Ride 290 R90,700 

All pricing correct as at time of publishing, but may vary due to exchange rates etc. 

All pricing correct as at time of publishing, but may vary due to exchange rates etc.

SELLING YOUR BIKE? FIRE IT UP IS THE MOST TRUSTED PURCHASER IN SA! 

WE PAY INSTANTLY, WE COLLECT, WE COME TO YOU! 

www.fireitup.co.za 

DEALER LOCATOR: CAPE TOWN 

SWM 

SD 650T R132,572 

SD 650 X R132,572 

RS 300 R R111,198 

RS 500 R R121,950 

TRIUMPH 

Tiger 800XCX R186,000 

Tiger 800XCA R205,000 

Tiger 900 Rally CN7 R192,000 

Tiger 900 Rally Pro CS7 R215,000 

Tiger 1200 XCX VN3 R226,000 

Tiger 1200 XCA VS3 R260,000 

YAMAHA 

PW50 R27,950 

TTR50E R27,950 

TTR110E R46,950 

XT1200Z R209,950 

XT1200ZE R239,950 

YFM350 Grizzly 2x4 R114,950 

YFM350 Grizzly 4x4 R124,950 

YFM450 Kodiak 4x4 R149,950 

YFM450 Kodiak 4x4 EPS R164,950 

YFM700 Grizzly R214,950 

YFM700 Grizzly SE R229,950 

YFM90R R44,950 

YFZ450R R179,950 

YFM700 Raptor R199,950 

YFM700 Raptor SE R209,950 

YZ65 R66,950 

YZ85 R72,950 

YZ125 R84,950 

YZ250 2 Stroke R99,950 

YZ250F R119,950 

YZ450F R134,950 

YZ125X R84,950 

YZ250X 2 Stroke R99,950 

YZ250FX R119,950 

YZ450FX R134,950 

WR450F R139,950 

ZONTES 

ZT310-T R74,900 

All pricing correct as at time of publishing, but may vary due to exchange rates etc. 

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