MRW issue 5 preview

MOTO RIDER WORLD ISSUE 5
WWW.MOTORIDERWORLD.COM
2
ISSUE #5
HEAD HEAD
ALL-NEW HONDA
CBR1000RR-R SP
TESTED: ICONIC SUPERBIKE
KAWASAKI
ZX-7R
THE END OF
EXCLUSIVE
TEST
ALL-NEW YAMAHA
YZF R1M
EXCLUSIVE
TEST
TRIDENT
MM93?
TRIUMPH
PLUS: THREE BMW’S TO DURBAN & BACK | TRIUMPH ROCKET 3 GT & BMW R18 | THE KTM MOTOGP VIEW

EDITOR’S
NOTE
It’s a fresh new year and with that
comes new ambition, drive and
motivation, but also stress, worry and
doubt. That’s pretty much how I am
feeling heading into 2021 with MRW.
In this first issue of 2021, we have
given you the reader so much
to enjoy - from the latest litre
superbikes, big cruisers, small
adventure bikes, to a new brand that
has just arrived in SA and could just
be your “HERO” to help survive the
uncertain year ahead. A jammed
packed issue with a great variety of
bikes tested and featured.
We’ve worked non-stop to bring you
nothing but the best and wanted to
help kick start your new year with a
good read along with quality design
and presentation.
We here at MRW feel the need to
give our SA market the quality they
deserve, an international magazine
filled with quality content that we
as South African’s can be proud
of. For so long we have been left
behind and have had to rely on
overseas magazines and media
sources for our news and reviews.
We are here to change all that and
bring you closer than ever
to it all, and all done right
here in SA! Proudly SA!
This year we want to do
more, bring you more,
and to do this we need
support from you our
readers and advertisers.
It’s a combination
we cannot do
without so I ask
you to please
spread the
word as far
and wide
as possible
and look
closely at
those who
are advertising and
supporting us in our magazines as
they are the ones that deserve your
support. Without this, there will
be no MRW and all the passionate
motorcycle fans here in SA,
including myself, will have to go
back to scanning the internet and
subscribing to overseas sites that
cost an arm and a leg.
My goal for 2021 is to carry on
delivering top quality to you all, but I
want to dig deeper and talk to more
MotoGP riders, do more exclusive
tests and features. I have managed
to build up some great contacts
over the years and I intend to put
them to good use once again.
MotoGP is a big passion and we
will be focussing on it as much as
possible, as we do in this issue with
great features on Marc Marquez and
Darryn Binder. I’ve been watching
some Marc Marquez documentaries
over the past few weeks and I must
say I miss seeing him in action. His
talent, his style, his entertainment
- just like Rossi who took MotoGP
to another level Marc did the same,
changing the way riders had to ride,
think, commit, upping the level even
more, making MotoGP more of a
spectacle than ever. Yes, in a way
it was nice not having him there in
2020 allowing others to shine, but I
must be honest, I miss MM93! Let’s
hope we do see him back in 2021 -
let’s just hope we see him come back!
One of the hottest riders heading
into 2021, and one that I am always
very excited to see in action, is
our very own Darryn Binder, who
makes the switch from KTM power
to Honda and in a team that knows
how to win. Donovan Fourie put
together a great little feature on
DB40 for us in this issue highlighting
just what a Rockstar he truly is.
Can’t wait to see Daz and Brad in
action this year and for sure will be
screaming for them at every single
race and supporting no matter what!
I hope the start to the new year
has gone well for you and we here
at MRW wish you nothing but the
best going forward. May you have a
blessed and safe 2021 and beyond!
CONTRIBUTORS
Shaun Portman
Beam Productions
Adam Child “Chad”
Sheridan Morais
Donovan Fourie
Mitchell Boyes
Brian Cheyne
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CONTACT
DETAILS
EDITOR/OWNER
Rob Portman
082 782 8240
rob@motoriderworld.com
ANYTHING & EVERYTHING
Shaun Portman
072 260 9525
shaun@motoriderworld.com
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TESTED
HERO X
PUSLE 200 T
next few months we here at MRW have been
tasked with helping promote and expose the
brand to the market through our print and digital
mags plus all our social media platforms.
Hero MotorCorp is the brand I have been
blabbing on about and just like me, you’d
probably know them best as Hero Honda from
back in the day. That was when they were
building small capacity bikes for Honda and
selling millions helping make the Japanese
brand the biggest selling motorcycle brand in
the world for many years. But, Hero MotorCorp
soon realised that they could do it all themselves
and take what they have learnt from Honda and
produce affordable, fuel-efficient motorcycles
for the world to enjoy.
Fast Forward to 2021 and finally the brand is
here in SA with 4 models making their way into
the market. We start here with the X Pulse 200 T
model and will be highlighting the other models
in the coming months.
As mentioned, affordable and fuel-efficient are
keywords used when making Hero motorcycles
and this was very apparent from the word go
with the X Pulse 200 T. Build quality is great, for
a small capacity motorcycle made in India. You
can tell they have taken what they learnt from
building for a giant brand like Honda. Nothing
too fancy or spectacular, just nice and neat and
finished well all around.
Value-for-money was another phrase that
popped up when chatting to the crew from Hero
SA and I can’t argue with them when it comes
to the X Pulse 200 T. Priced at only R37,999,
you get a 200cc single 4-stroke, fuel-injected
machine that produces a nippy 18hp and 17Nm
of torque along with disc brakes front and rear
- one’s that actually work - 37 mm telescopic
front forks and a 7-step preload-adjustable
monoshock. Electric start, along with kick start
for those flat battery days, LED lights front and
rear and a decent little TFT dash that displays
more info than most modern-day sportbikes.
Like they said, proper value-for-money!
HEROIC
NATURE
H E R O X P U L S E 2 0 0 T
We are all looking for
something positive heading
into 2021, except for COVID,
and it might just be in the form
of a HERO, not with a cape, but
one with a 200cc engine.
Words Rob Portman | Pics by Beam Productions
It’s a brand new year and there is a brand new
motorcycle brand making its way into the SA market
- and it just happens to be the biggest selling twowheeled
motorcycle brand in the world. Over 90
million units sold to date, 5 million alone in 2020 -
remember that kak year? Not so kak for this brand
who was voted the Manufacturing Innovator of the
Year 2016 by Time Magazine.
It has been a long process getting this brand into
the country but it has finally arrived and over the

EXCLUSIVE
TEST
TRIUMPH
TRIDENT 660
THREE
FORALL
Triumph’s all-new entry-level Trident is powered by a 660cc triple and
is taking on the top-selling competition head-on with British style, a
charismatic engine and, according to Triumph, class leading handling
and value for money. We travel to Tenerife, Spain to find out.
Words by Adam Child | Pics by Kingdom creative / Triumph
You can’t underestimate the importance of
this bike for Triumph. The Trident jumps into
the entry-level naked market as an attractive,
punchy middleweight to take on the strong
and established competition such as Yamaha’s
MT-07, Kawasaki’s Z650 and Honda’s CB650R
who all have new models for 2021. This
segment counts for an increasing number of
sales and is key for manufacturers hoping to
attract new riders; getting them on-board
with their brand as soon as possible. The
British brand hopes the all-new Trident
wil feature highly in their sales
chart in 2021 – but have they got it
right? Two days of testing in should
uncover some answers.
Does it have the power?
The capacity of the triple engine is 660cc,
therefore some may assume it’s an
electronically de-tuned Street Triple S, but
that’s not so. It is based on the older 660 unit
and is furnished with 67 new components. This
obviously means a serious re-design: new crank,
clutch and gearbox with different ratios.

UN
BREAK
ABLE
THE STORY OF THE
HIGHWAY-HUNGRY HAYABUSA
“My Dad’s got a Busa with over 100,000km on it.” Holy
crap, that is a lot of mileage, has it ever been rebuilt or
anything? “No, never.” Ok then, tell us about it.
Words & pics by Mitchell Boyes

EXCLUSIVE
TEST
HONDA SP VS
YAMAHA R1M
FASTHONDA CBR1000RR-R SP
FORWARD
VS YAMAHA R1M
We recently got invited to test
the new Honda CBR1000RR-R
SP at Kyalami and instead of
just sampling the new top Blade
on its own we decided to put it
up against one of its Japanese
rivals - Yamaha’s R1M.
Words by Rob Portman | Pics by Beam Productions
Two of the best new production superbikes
on the market today around one of the best
tracks in the world - now that’s what I call a
good time!
I got an invite from Honda SA to attend
the recent Track-Daze event at Kyalami to
once again sample the new range of Blades.
It was also a chance for Honda SA to give
the first customers a chance to ride their
new machines around the best track in
the land - something that we don’t get to
experience enough of, to be honest.
Now, in a situation like this, I like to take
full advantage, so instead of just rocking up
to the track and riding the Blades on offer,
like others do, I decided to give our reader’s

EXCLUSIVE
FEATURE
KTM MOTOGP
BIKE VIEW
Here you can see a lot
of information can be
delivered via the dash.
Each rider has different
preferences on what info
they need when on track.
THEMOTOGP
What do Pol
Espargaro and
Brad Binder see
and use on their
dashboard and
handlebars when
in full flight with
their KTM RC16s
in MotoGP? We
decided to ask...
VIEW
Thankfully, MotoGP is not F1. The riders do not have a set of
controls equivalent to a small aircraft but the KTM RC16s are still
instruments of outstanding motorcycle tech and engineering.
They are two-wheeled racing machines that can be fine-tuned to
enable a consistent lap time gain of tenths of a second. Physically,
Pol Espargaro – a rider who has been with the KTM MotoGP
project from the first Grand Prix in 2017 and Brad Binder – a 2020
rookie in the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing crew who is learning
the demands of the premier class and the equipment it entails,
both have major input for the behaviour and performance of the
Words by Adam Wheeler (KTM Blog)
Pics by RobGray/PolarityPhoto
RC16 with their riding, but there are some
essentials they need to hand.
Brad Binder: It’s quite self-explanatory.
I’ve got my throttle, brake, kill switch and
the neutral lever, which I will hit when I
come into the pitlane. The lever is like that
so it’s harder to hit it and send the bike
into neutral when you’re on track.
Pol Espargaró: We obviously have so
few buttons on the right side because my
hand is busy with the throttle. For me the
position of the brake lever is not super
important. It doesn’t need to be in the
perfect place but what is important is the
feeling of the lever. It needs to be spongey
and not far away. My fingers are not so
long. I need a ‘soft’ feeling on the lever and
I have it quite close to the bar.
Brad Binder: I’m not too fazed with the
type of handlebar grip I have. Last year in
Moto2 I used slightly thinner ones but on
In changing
conditions it can
be necessary to
have different
setting options
on the bike.

EXPLORING
Shaun’s first big assignment since joining
ON BMW’S NEW
S1000XR & F900XR
JHB TO SOUTH COAST & BACK
the MRW team was to take three new BMW
machines on a test from Johannesburg to
the South Coast and back.
Words by Shaun Portman | Pics by Beam Productions
After recently joining MRW full time my
brother Rob informed me that my first
assignment would be a trip down to Durban
to do some dealer visits. Naturally, this
wouldn’t be done in a car so we needed to
rustle up some bikes. I gave Greg and the
team from BMW Motorrad West Rand a call
who have been supporters of ours since day
one and asked them if they had any demo’s
for us to use. Greg didn’t hesitate and told
us to come through and collect an F900XR,
S1000XR and R1250GS Adventure.
The perfect combination of German
machines for a long ride like this and my
first time testing the latest additions to the
ever-growing BMW Motorrad range. Both XR
models are from the sports-touring segment
while the GS is pretty much do-it-all in any
terrain. All-three bikes have all the latest tech
and specs from top-grade electronics to
cruise control, which is always welcome on
long trips like this.

EXCLUSIVE
TEST
ICONIC
SUPERBIKE
EVERKAWASAKI ZX-7R
LASTING
Every motorsport enthusiast remembers the hay days of Superbike racing
and the iconic and now classic superbikes used by every manufacture who
competed in the World Superbike Championships back then. We at Moto
Rider World have a treat for you as we take you back in time and test some
of those iconic machines - starting with Kawasaki’s very much loved to this
day ZX-7R machine. Words by Shaun Portman | Pics by Beam Productions

EXCLUSIVE
TEST
TRIUMPH
ROCKET 3 GT
& BMW R18
TWO CRUISERS:
ONE BIG & ONE BIGGER
IRON
HORSES
The cruiser market has always been
popular and mostly dominated by the
likes of Harley-Davidson, but more-andmore
manufacturers are starting to dive
into this market releasing some very
tasty treats such as the two new models
we have on test here...
Words by Rob Portman | Pics by Beam Productions
I’ve always looked at cruisers as the old
man’s bike - for riders that no longer
seek speed or thrills, but rather peace
and harmony. Climb on your bike and
go ride anywhere and everywhere and
just set your mind free.
Cruisers have never been known for big
tech or fancy gadgets, but rather the less is
more theory - a little goes a long way kind
of vibe. When you think cruisers you think
Harley-Davidson, Indian, or at least I do,
but these days cruiser riders are spoilt for
choice. No more just having to settle for the
little options available, now, a wider range is
available and boy have they come a long way.
Until now, I’ve had no desire to cruise, I’m
still very much the sportbike enthusiasts I
have always been, but with this new venture,
I have been asked to step out of my comfort
zone and give different aspects of motorcycle
riding a go. So, I decided to give the whole
cruiser thing a go and got my hands on two
of the latest offerings on the market today.
Turns out it was more like testing apples
against oranges. While I thought I was testing
two cruisers, turns out one was very much
an old-style cruiser, and the other a gift sent
from the motorcycling gods! So, I scrapped
the versus test and decided to rather just
highlight my views on both machines.

FEATURE
SMALL
ADVENTURE
BIKES
MATTER?
A
To go “adventuring” you need a big, expensive, fully kitted out adventure
bike don’t you? Well, not really. Brian Cheyne tells us how one can go
exploring our beautiful country on some very affordable adventure bikes.
Words & pics by Brian Cheyne
DOES SIZE REALLY
few winters ago I was on my way to work
in my car. I was jockeying for a piece of road
when a motorcyclist came past me. He was
dressed for the cold. His bike had a big bag
on the back. In front of the bag, a sleeping
bag and a bright pink sleeping mattress were
strapped down. I envied him for the adventure
he was embarking on. Alone. I finished the
story-line in my head of the moments ahead,
the road, the tranquillity of it all. The freedom .
Wherever he was heading, a part of me wanted
to go with him. I am sure there were quite a
few other motorists who also wanted to be
a part that lifestyle but somehow never take
the leap.. They probably think that in order to
go on any type of adventure, you need a 1250
GS, all the panniers and a ‘Proudly Meerkat’
sticker. But let me make one thing abundantly
clear; adventure is not defined by engine size
and can be had for a lot less money than some
people spend just on accessories.

EXCLUSIVE
FEATURE
THE STORY OF
DESMO DOVI
UNDAUNTED
TO UNEMPLOYED
A N D R E A D O V I Z I O S O
Over the years many riders have come through the ranks and have gone on to
become legends of the sport despite the fact that they never won a premier class
title. take Randy Mamola for example, year after year the American just could
not get that title no matter how hard he tried. Andrea Dovizioso is in the same
boat. He has become a legend of the sport even though he was never able to win
a premier class title. Now, he has decided to take a sabbatical in 2021. This is the
story of how Andrea Dovizioso went from up and coming hero to dejected legend.
Words by Mitchell Boyes | Pics by RedBull Content Pool
Born in 1986 in the town of Forlimpopoli,
Italy, Andrea Dovizioso was a name that
would become world-renowned in the
future. Andrea Dovizioso is the son of Sicilian
motorcycle racer Antonia Dovizioso who, from
an early age, encouraged Andrea to get into
Motorcycle racing.
Dovizioso got his first big break in
Motorcycle racing in 2000 when he won the
125cc Aprilia challenge. In 2001 Andrea moved
to the 125cc European championship where
he once again won. In the same year, Andrea
also took part in his first world championship
race at Mugello where he unfortunately retired.
After showing that he had what it took, Andrea
joined the 125cc world championship for the
2002 season. Dovi’s first season in the 125cc
championship was not exactly spectacular. He
finished 16th. In his second season there was
a notable improvement from the young Italian
manging four podiums and finally finishing
5th at the end of the season. It was in 2004
Andrea Dovizioso showed what he could do.
After 5 race wins and four podiums, Andrea
Dovizioso won the 125cc World Championship.
After a good three years in the 125cc class, it
was time for Andrea to move up to the 250cc
class. Dovizioso had a successful 3 years in the
250cc class finishing 3rd in 2005. In 2006 he
finished runner up to none other than 5-time
world champion Jorge Lorenzo. In 2007, after
once again fighting for the title and once
again finishing 2nd overall, Andrea Dovizioso
announced he would be moving up to the
MotoGP class.
In 2008 Dovi was in the GP class with a
satellite Honda and had a very impressive
rookie year finishing in 5th place overall.

Words by Declan Constable (everythingmotoracing.com)
THE DOVI & GIGI
DILEMMA
Andrea Dovizioso has opened up the flood
gates about why he left Ducati.
Could we see
Dovi back in these
colours for 2021?
Strong rumors
that he will replace
MM93 if he is
unable to return.
After 8 seasons with the Italian
manufacturer Andrea Dovizioso has
parted ways with Ducati, announcing
this in terrific fashion in the Austrian GP.
Dovizioso was sick and tired of how he
was being treated by Ducati who expect #1
and anything less than this is unacceptable,
Dovi took 3 runners up medals in MotoGP
behind Marc Marquez who is the most
dominant rider the sport has ever seen
since Valentino Rossi’s 2001-2005 title run.
Prior to and during the Austrian Grand Prix
there was much talk surrounding Ducati and
Dovizioso with no news of a contract being
signed for 2021 and onwards with growing
frustrations between the two becoming more
and more public. These frustrations were
highlighted in the Red Bull Documentary
‘Undaunted’ which followed the 2019 season
of Andrea Dovizioso, giving viewers a look into
what goes on behind the scenes, it was very clear
watching this that Dovizioso held much anger
and frustration towards Ducati and this blew up
over the Austrian Grand Prix weekend.
During the weekend several Ducati members
including Davide Tardozzi confirmed to the
media that they were looking at Dovizioso’s
performances and evaluating these to
decide whether they wanted to hire him for
the following season, they publically gave
Dovizioso an ultimatum stating that he had 3
race weekends to impress and if he didn’t then
“There was never an offer,
there were no negotiations.
I still did not know that
they no longer wanted me.”
they would look to hire another rider. This was
the tipping point for Dovizioso, after years of
frustration towards the brand and bringing them
14 MotoGP class wins he felt disrespected.
The confirmation of the split was confirmed
by Dovizioso’s manager Simone Battistella to
Sky Italia the day after this ultimatum was given,
Ducati CEO Paolo Ciabatti also confirmed this on
the same day, Dovizioso had cut ties with Ducati
and confirmed he wanted to focus on racing
and not on a contract. The Austrian Grand Prix
race was the very next day and was bittersweet
for Dovizioso who took the race win, putting up
middle fingers aimed at Ducati on the podium for
all to see.
It was common knowledge that the reason for
the split was down to money with Ducati wanting
to give Dovizioso a pay cut due to COVID-19
cutting into their budgets, however, Dovizioso has
confirmed otherwise in an interview with Italian
media Gazzetta Della Sport saying, “It was said that
I wanted this and that. All lies. There was never an
offer, there were no negotiations. I still did not know

RACING PAGES
THE FULL
FEATURE
DARRYN
BINDER
ROCKSTAR
The year 2020 changed tact slightly for South Africans, and
perhaps justice in general, when it saw Darryn Binder take his
first win. It later saw him take his fourth podium and begin to dig
his heels in as a regular frontrunner, doing so in a mature manner
while still retaining the title of the most entertaining rider in Moto3.
Words by Donovan Fourie | Pics by Polarity Photo & KTM Images
His rushes from so far back on the grid
that the curvature of Earth was blocking
his view of the front row, to the leaders
in just a handful of laps has seen him
be compared to a charging hippo, a
rhino and a swooping eagle. It’s a joyous
sight to behold as he storms through
unsuspecting riders until he finds himself
with nothing but fresh air before him,
where he has learnt to stay.
His pace has not dropped in the
slightest – perhaps he’s getting even
faster – but the way he rides, his tact and
racecraft, especially his patience, has
grown exponentially in 2020, and therein
is where he is now thriving.
Despite that, he has a reputation among
journalists as being a bit of a crasher, as
someone who pushes too hard without
thinking and loses it. Some have said that
you can set your watch to Darryn Binder’s
crashing.
That only goes to prove that many of
our journalist brethren are idiots.
He crashed at Jerez, where he pushed a
little too hard before the last lap and was
noticeably bummed for days after that.
He crashed again at Misano 1 when he
high-sided massively after the S-bend.
See? Pushing too hard, said the airheads,
not noting that he was chilling behind the
leader at the time, and hit Misano’s cliff-

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