Dirt and Trail AUG 21

AUGUST 2021 

We test Batt’s 

New Adventure Tyre 

AUGUST 2021 RSA R35.00 

21008 

9 771815 337001 

in this issue 

2022 Models yamaha & Gasgas 

ROOF OF AFRICA NEWS 

Africa Twin Revisited 

on the couch : DallAn goldman 

and lots lots more....

SCAN and WATCH 

TRAVELING THE ROAD 

LESS TRAVELED 

T 

GET OPTIMIZED! 

WP PRO COMPONENTS 

WP develops high-performance motorcycle suspension and components. 

With a focus on innovation and precision, WP is committed to giving riders the technical edge to take their 

The MASTER of Adventure - NOW AVAILABLE 

riding to their personal pinnacle of performance. But to harness speed, one must be truly dynamic, so 

FEATURES 

adjustability is of top importance. This lets WP-equipped riders maximise their potential to meet the 

-Hill unique Hold demands Control on System equipment, personal skills and fast-changing conditions in the powersports realm. 

-Slope Dependent Control System 

SUZUKI DL1050 XT V Strom 

-Load Dependent Control System 

-Cruise Control System 

FROM R221 950 

-3 Level Traction Control System 

-Height Adjustable Rider Seat 

WWW.WP-SUSPENSION.COM 

www.suzukimotorcycle.co.za 

suzuki_motorcycle_s.a 

@MotorcycleSA 

T’s & C’s Apply

SCAN and WATCH 

THE ADVENTU 

ly 

GAUTENG 

BIKERS WAREHOUSE 

BIKING ACCESSORIES 

FAST KTM 

FIRE IT UP 

GAME SERVICES 

MOTO MATE EDENVALE 

MOTO MATE RIVONIA 

PRIMROSE MOTORCYCLES 

RANDBURG MOTORCYCLES 

SILVERTON MIDAS 

ZEEMANS MOTORCYCLES 

LEKKA RACING 

AVAILABLE FROM YOUR NEARE 

THE ADVENTURE AWAITS 

CAPE PROVINCE 

CRAIGS MOTORCYCLE NEVES 021 939 8916 

MOTORCYCLE WORLD 021 930 5917 

TRAC MAC BELLVILLE 021 945 3725 

TRAC MAC PAARDEN EILAND 021 510 2258 

TRAC MAC WYNBURG 021 761 4220 

FREE STATE 

SALLEYS YAMAHA 

018 297 4700 

018 468 1800 

018 771 5050 

051 430 3326 

021 939 8916 





NORTHWEST 

BIKERS PARADISE 

MOTOS KLERKSDORP 

WATERITE MOTORCYCLES 

VR1 MX V 

ADVENTURE 

FREE 

DARK VISOR 

REMOVEABLE WASHABLE LINERS 

DOUBLE VISOR LOCK 

CLOSABLE CHIN CLOSABLE VEN CHIN VEN 

T 

DOUBLE D RING CHIN STRAP 

R1895 

INC VAT 

NORTHWEST 

BIKERS PARADISE 

MOTOS KLERKSDORP 

WATERITE MOTORCYCLES 

CAPE PROVINCE 

CRAIGS MOTORCYCLE NEVES 

MOTORCYCLE WORLD 

TRAC MAC BELLVILLE 

TRAC MAC PAARDEN EILAND 

TRAC MAC WYNBURG 

ADVENTURE 

VR1 MX V 

051 430 3326 

018 297 4700 

018 468 1800 

018 771 5050 

FREE STATE 

SALLEYS YAMAHA 

INC VAT 

DOUBLE D RING CHIN STRAP 

R1895 

REMOVEABLE WASHABLE LINERS 

DOUBLE VISOR LOCK 

CLOSABLE CHIN CLOSABLE VEN CHIN VEN 

T 

DARK VISOR 

FREE 

AVAILABLE FROM YOUR NEAREST PBA DEALER 

GAUTENG 

BIKERS WAREHOUSE 

BIKING ACCESSORIES 

FAST KTM 

FIRE IT UP 

GAME SERVICES 

MOTO MATE EDENVALE 

MOTO MATE RIVONIA 

PRIMROSE MOTORCYCLES 

RANDBURG MOTORCYCLES 

SILVERTON MIDAS 

ZEEMANS MOTORCYCLES 

LEKKA RACING 

motorcycle_s.a @MotorcycleSA 

T’s & C’s Apply 

FROM R221 950 

SUZUKI DL1050 XT V Strom 

venture - NOW AVAILABLE 

LESS TRAVELED 

011 795 4122 

012 342 7474 

011 867 0092 

011 467 0737 

011 425 1081 

011 027 0545 

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012 804 8888 

011 435 7177 

084 080 8237 

KZN 

PERRY MOTORCYCLES CC 

RBS YAMAHA 

RIDE HIGH WITH YAMAHA 

ROCKET RACING PMB 

ROCKET RACING PINETOWN 

UMPLEBY SUZUKI 

LIMPOPO 

KR MOTORCYCLES 

TRAVELING THE ROAD 

MPUMALANGA 

BIKE CITY 

031 566 7411 

031 701 1311 

035 789 1581 

033 264 3240 

031 702 2606 

031 303 8323 

015 297 3291 

013 244 2143

Intro. Keeping the wheels turning... 

We wanna hear from you info@motomedia.co.za 

Read our back issues at www.motomedia.co.za 

Note from the Editor 

Glenn “Roley” Foley 

Koos and Sipho, two biking buddies are working on a building site. 

Sipho says to Koos, “I need to go riding! I’m going to get the day off. I’m going to 

pretend I’ve gone mad!” 

So Sipho climbs up the rafters, hangs upside down, and shouts “I’m a light bulb, I’m a 

light bulb!” while Koos watches in amazement. 

The foreman shouts, “Sipho, go home. You’ve gone mad.” 

As Sipho leaves the site, Koos starts packing his kit up to leave as well. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” asks the foreman. 

“Well, I can’t work in the blerry dark!” said Koos. 

Have a great riding month! 

August Issue 2021 

PUBLISHER: 

Glenn Foley 

foleyg@mweb.co.za 

ADVERTISING AND EDITORIAL: 

Sean Hendley 

sean@motomedia.co.za 

071 684 4546 

OFFICE & 

SUBSCRIPTIONS: 

Anette 

anette.acc@ mweb.co.za 

ONLINE & 

DESIGN LAYOUT: 

Kyle Lawrenson 

kyle@motomedia.co.za 

LAST CHANCE 

TO WIN... 

Cape Town Sales and News: 

Lorna Darrol 

lornad@motomeda.co.za 

074 122 4874 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

Stefan van der Riet 

CONTRIBUTORS 

Shado Alston 

Donovan Fourie 

Tristan Foley 

Kurt Beine 

Mike Wessels 

Mizz B 

Kyle Foley 

Videos and more 

available online... 

Copyright © Dirt And Trail Magazine: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, 

distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, articles, or other methods, 

without ASking nicelly... 

WWW.MOTOMEDIA.CO.ZA 

no 4 

Nor 

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Spring Kits Available 

WISECO PISTON KITS Wiseco leads the aftermarket performance kits by producing the 

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Email:G124@mweb.co.za 011 425 1081/4 

www.gameservices.co.za

Look out for a Triumph dirtbike near 

you! 

Triumph has announced that development is well 

under way on a comprehensive range of all-new 

competition Motocross and Enduro motorcycles. 

“Joining our class leading and globally renowned 

motorcycle range this all new competition MX and 

Enduro family will bring all of Triumph’s engineering 

expertise to riders and racers worldwide.” 

This will be accompanied by a landmark moment 

for Triumph and the MX and Enduro racing world 

with an all new Triumph factory race programme, 

and a commitment to top tier championship racing 

in both Motocross and Enduro series. 

Coming hand-in-hand with this commitment, 

to race and win at the highest level in the sport, 

Triumph is has announced that global Motocross 

legend Ricky Carmichael and five-times Enduro 

World Champion Iván Cervantes have joined the 

Triumph family as active partners in both bike 

testing and preparation for racing. 

An announcement of the timetable for the launch 

and reveal of the motorcycles, as well as the 

racing programme and the full story on the product 

advantages the new Triumph MX and Enduro offer, 

will follow in the coming months. 

“Today’s announcement marks the beginning of a 

new chapter for the Triumph brand, which everyone 

at Triumph is incredibly excited to be part of. We are 

100% committed to making a long-lasting impact 

in this highly competitive and demanding world, 

with a single-minded ambition to deliver a winning 

motorcycle line-up for a whole new generation of 

Triumph riders” 

Nick Bloor: CEO Triumph Motorcycles Ltd 

Interesting stuff this! 

www.triumph-motorcycles.co.za 

New WP Suspension XACT PRO 

6500 Fork Cartridge Kits 

An easy upgrade option for KTM, Husqvarna and 

GASGAS motorcycles with WP Suspension’s new 

“plug and play” XACT PRO 6500 fork cartridge kits. 

WP Suspension has announced a further addition 

to their performance upgrade line of products for 

off-road with the WP XACT PRO 6500 Cartridge 

fork kits. Like the XPLOR PRO 6500 versions 

released earlier in 2021, the new XACT cartridges 

are designed to be an easy performance upgrade 

to the standard set-up of your bike. 

To be clear, standard model KTM, Husky and 

GASGAS enduro bikes come with XPLOR 

components while motocross and cross-country 

machines come with the WP XACT suspension 

components. 

As always, we know that readers use a different 

horse for different off-road courses so this new fork 

cartridge kit will be of interest to those who run 

the MX-based bikes in enduro, cross-country or 

wherever. It is also a different option for an upgrade 

whatever you ride. 

XACT PRO 6500 fork cartridge kit highlights: 

• Improved feedback from the track in different 

riding situations 

• Closed cartridge units 

• Pressurised system reduces cavitation risk for 

no damping loss 

• Extreme longevity due to the use of only highquality 

materials 

• Wide range of adjustment with all settings 

adjusted externally 

• Spring preload fully variable 

• Handcrafted parts 

www.wp-suspension.com 

BU 

Exp 

Mot 

nas 

It co 

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VISUAL 

PRECISION 

BULLETPROOF PROTECTION - MOTO VELOCITY GOGGLE RANGE 2021 

Experience incomparable optical clarity as you rip it, grip it and ride your heart out with Leatt’s RAD NEW 2021 Range of 

Moto Velocity Goggles. 170º WideVision tech and Permanent Anti-Fog prevents impending obstructions from causing a 

nasty crash, while, bulletproof protection make your eyes impervious to roost, supplying clarity that doesn’t quit. 

It comes as no surprise that our 2021 Moto Velocity Goggle Range is one of the most popular! 

THE SCIENCE OF THRILL 

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Another motorcyclists hits JHB: 

A big congratulations to Rodney Serfontien of BMW 

Motorrad Fourways and his beautiful wife Lynette on 

the arrival of their little bundle of joy. May she bring 

you many, many blessings, happiness and love and 

may she also have many brothers and sisters. 

husqvarna-motorcycles.com 



FORMA PILOT MX BOOTS - R6750 

RRP, incl VAT 

“Gorgeous!” is the first thought that comes to mind 

when we first saw a pair of these boots at DMD. 

We like the simplicity of the design and colouring, 

the high end feel of the quality of the outside of the 

boot as well as the comfort of the inner upholstery 

and linings. And the price seems quite reasonable 

as well especially with all the features jam packed 

into boot. The outer is made of a synthetic material 

upper, personalized MX-B compound double 

density rubber sole for increased abrasion resistance 

and longer durability with a bonded MX-B sole, 

(featuring Goodyear stitching directly to the I.N.&F.S. 

midsole), for enhanced rigidity and long-lasting 

use. Then there is the F.C.S. (Flex Control System) 

with anti-torsion and double rear stop and injection 

moulded plastic protections with personalized 

rubber heat gripper protector and adjustable velcro 

closure. They also have a replaceable/adjustable 

aluminium articulated “Evo Security Lock” buckles 

and “Security Lock” strap holder. The inside 

has a padded inner lining, polyurethane nylon 

reinforcements, soft polymer padding with memory 

foam and I.N.&F.S. (Incorporated Nylon & Fiberglass 

Shank) midsole featuring anti-bacterial replaceable 

footbed with A.P.S. (Air Pump System) and spare 

Eva Anti-shock inserts included. Just good stuff all 

around. For more information or to view their wide 

range of great products or to find your nearest 

stockist go to: 

www.dmd.co.za 

Meet the new team at BMW 

Motorrad West 

Every so often dealerships go through a 

metamorphosis and it is all part of the growing 

process as they get bigger, better and stronger. 

Jacques Pretorius joins the team as Motorrad Sales 

manager. Starting out in the industry 22 years ago, 

fresh out of school with Van Breda Motorcycles in 

Springs. Seven years later he joined the Motorrad 

network of dealers and movied up through the 

ranks as career growth opportunities presented 

themselves. Jacques is flanked by Duane Jordaan 

and Omri Naude, who has been in the Motorrad 

network for a few years and comes from a strong 

biking family with his uncle owning the oldest and 

biggest motorcycle dealership in Polokwane. Duane 

was part of the driving force behind the success 

of Mikes Bikes out in Boksburg. They entire team 

comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience. 

Aunty Joan Exner is still the friendly face behind the 

counter looking after your servicing and parts needs. 

Go meet them at Hendrik Potgieter Rd, Little Falls, 

Roodepoort or give them a call on 011 761 3500 

Please make no attempt to imitate the illustrated riding scene. Always wear protective safety gear and observe the applicable provisions of the road traffic regulations. 

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





C 

C 

W 

B




Hailed as the most premium 250 

4-stroke motocross motorcycle 

available, the Husqvarna FC 250 is 

engineered to keep ahead of the field. 

Featuring a lightweight and compact 

engine as well as a PANKL gearbox 

and advanced electronics and 

ergonomics, the FC 250 maintains the 

leading position in the 250 4-stroke 

class. 

For 2022 we upgraded the hydraulic 

clutch to an all new high-performance 

Brembo system for perfect 

modulation at all times. On top, 

striking new dark blue and white 

graphics stylishly adorn the Swedish 

inspired design. 







Uncompromised 

Ability 

FC 

250 

Chromium molybdenum steel frame 

CNC machined triple clamps 

WP Xact Suspension 

Brembo Callipers and controls

Bike Tyre Warehouse joins forces 

with Gedore 

Well, haven’t we all lost our 10mm ring spanner at 

least once this week, twice last week and so many 

times before that - all disappearing into that same 

void where the odd socks and tie downs go. Yeah… 

and the 8mm, the 12mm and 13mm spanners and 

a myriad of Allen keys. 

The guys at BTW have teamed up with premium 

tool company ‘Gedore’ to bring you the “Lost 

Spanner” tool kit. In a really nice looking, high quality 

and sturdy canvas roll up which fits snugly under 

your seat, your hydra pack or back pack or even 

inside your fairing and contains a 8mm, a 10mm, a 

12mm and a 13mm ring/open end spanner as well 

as 4 – 5 – 6, Alan keys, most every tool you need 

for a quick mid ride adjustment or emergency repair. 

For more info get hold of the gang at Bike tyre 

Warehouse for stock availability on 073 777 9269 

or 083 467 1349 or drop them a mail on sales@ 

biketyrewarehouse.com 

BattTech LED Motorcycle spotlights 

- R1,400 incl. 

Be seen before you’re heard. We like this idea, 

especially with most drivers these days seeming 

almost oblivious to the world around them and other 

road users. Increase your visibility on or off road with 

BattTech LED Motorcycle Spots. These powerful 

add-on lights feature white light with an optional 

amber strobe, making them ideal for high-visibility 

all-weather commuting during normal riding or while 

lane splitting. 

BattTech LED Motorcycle Spots are suitable for 

Road, Dual Sport, ATV & Side-x-Side applications. 

KEY FEATURES: 

• LED Chip, CREE Lamp Beads 

• Colour Temperature: 6000K with White or Amber 

Strobe 

• Combo Beam Pattern 

• IP69K Water Proof Rating 

• Super-Tough Aluminium Housing 

• Bottom Mounting Adjustable Bracket 

• Wiring Harnesses Included 

• Multiple Strobe Settings 

Get hold of the gang at Bike tyre Warehouse for 

stock availability on 073 777 9269 or 083 467 1349 

or drop them a mail on sales@biketyrewarehouse. 

com 

Protect your ride with the alarm disc 

lock… 

Here’s a cool mergafter. A motorcycle disc lock 

that screams the moment that someone tries to 

move or relocate your motorcycle to a more suitable 

venue – like Maputo. It fits any bike with a disc 

brake and emits a howl that should scare the perps 

– or at least wake you up that you can get the .38 

ready. Pricesd at R600 per unit – and if you have a 

clooection of bikes, they will do you a discounted 

deal. 

www.gasjunky.co.za

TCX Comp EVO Michelin Boots. 

Last month we mentioned that TCX boots have 

returned to SA. They are making their way to dealer 

showrooms as we type. These are the TCX Comp 

boots – we’ve bought a pair and will run them for a bit 

and get back to you on fit and quality. 

This from TCX: The TCX Comp Michelin EVO 

Boots are the culmination of years of off-road racing 

experience, combining the latest in materials and 

protective technology to create a boot that performs at 

the highest levels of competition. 

Providing pro-level protection, the TCX Comp EVO 

Boots are constructed of breathable water-resistant 

micro fiber and reinforced with a Polyurethane frame 

that supports and protects. Combined with a Double 

Flex Control System that wards off torsion injuries and 

supports the riders ankle, the Comp EVO provides a 

wide range of motion without letting riders down when 

it comes to protection. The Michelin edition of the 

Comp EVO brings the legendary off-road performance 

of Michelin tires to the soles of your feet, giving riders 

unparalleled control and feedback. 

Features: 

• Upper constructed of high wear-resistant micro 

fiber and PU frame 

• PU adjustable shin plate 

• Breathable fabric liner with double compound PU 

sold padding around ankle area 

• Ergonomically designed, micro adjustable 

aluminum buckles 

• High wear-resistant Michelin Hybrid MX sole 

• Double Flex Control system 

• Internal high grip zone heat guard 

• PU toe guard and rear heel reinforcement 

• Steel toe cap 

• Ankle and malleolus reinforcements 

• Calf adjustment system 

• CE certified 

USWE ZULO 6 HIP PACK: 

With bladder option 

We have been using USWE packs for years on 

our dirtbikes, it’s a good quality product, but we 

have just recently started utilizing their hip pack 

offerings for tools and stuff. 

Organization in the ZULO 6 is plentiful as the 

pack offers multi-organizer pockets to sort and 

stash tools, snacks and spare parts. There is 

also a large cargo compression area to cinch up 

and keep the weight of the pack or an added 

jacket close to your body. There are a total of 

four exterior pockets on the Zulo 6, an LED light 

attachment for getting home in the dark and 

some reflective hits for safety on the road. 

We like the banana-style shape of the USWE 

Zulo 6L. The neatly organized pouches of 

the Zulo 6 make it a standout and we like the 

compression straps and side pouches too. It’s a 

bummer that the bladder is sold separately but 

it also keeps the price down for riders who’d 

rather stuff a bottle and don’t need the bladder. 

A solid option overall. 

Imported by Henderson racing products and 

available at dealers. 

Vermont – Branded winter 

clothing 

Ideal for the frigid temperatures we are 

experiencing at the moment, we are all looking 

for that extra jersey, hoodie or jacket to keep the 

winter chills at bay. From soft shell jackets and 

warm polar fleece tops for working comfortably 

in the office to some serious Unisex jackets with 

removable polar fleece and thick, snug hoodies 

all branded with your favourite products from 

Vermont. Then to keep your ears warm is a great 

range of caps, hats and knitted beanies. It goes 

without saying that all these products are great 

quality and good value for money. For more 

information talk to your retail outlet or contact, 

Vermont Sales on 011 314 7711 or visit their 

web site www.vermontsales.co.za you can also 

follow them on all the social media platforms.

Acerbis X-Power Kit for KTM, 

Husqvarna and GasGas... 

Motor Crankcase and Ignition/Clutch covers that 

protect against wear from boots, impacts, dirt, mud, 

and other debris 

Right side: provides protection for the clutch cover, 

water pump, and lower casing 

Left side: provides protection to the ignition cover 

and clutch actuator 

Molded openings to access the filter cover and oil 

cap. Easy to install by utilizing the original crankcase 

and ignition/clutch cover bolts 

Resistant to high temperatures 

Designed not to interfere with boots 

Compatible with ACERBIS skid plates 

Imported by Bikewise and available from your 

dealer. 

Just arrived … New from Tork Craft 

The latest Tork Craft 6 draw roller tool cabinet 

packed with 184 quality tools that we all lust after. 

The unit has 4 standard draws, 2 deep draws plus 

1 side door all lockable, 4 castor wheels, 2 with 

lockable brake and all packed with every tool you 

will ever need 

Included is a working tabletop, the total unit 

measures 900 x 850 x 450 mm. The 184 quality 

tools are well selected including every conceivable 

tool one would need for all professional industries, 

motor racing, all workshops and DIYers. 

The comprehensive range of Ratchets, all the 

sockets’ sizes inch and metric, T Bars, extensions, 

all accessories. Combination spanner sets, Allen 

key sets, deep wall sockets. All the hand tools, a 

full range of pliers and cutters, plus specialist pliers, 

wrenches and grip pliers, hammers, screw drivers, 

files, and full range of bits. For more information or 

to find your nearest stockist, or just to drool over 

some very tasty tools go to www.torkcraft.com and 

look up product code TC620050. 

As we are sure you are all aware by now, Tork Craft 

is a leading brand at Vermont Sales and all products 

are available from leading stores countrywide. For 

more information talk to your retail outlet or contact, 

Vermont Sales on 011 314 7711 or visit their web 

site www.vermontsales.co.za you can also follow 

them on all the social media platforms.

D 

EVS Flex Lite Elbow Guard. 

Good news is that a shipment of fresh EVS gear 

has just arrived in SA. 

The EVS Flex Lite Elbow Guard is a lightweight 

breathable elbow guard with Reactive Memory 

Foam which is naturally soft but hardens on impact. 

The compression sleeve features Tac-Grip 

technology to ensure that the Flex Lite stays in 

place while riding. 

Features: 

Reactive Memory Foam which hardens on 

impact 

Air Mesh perforated fabric 

Compression sleeve design features Trac-Grip 

on upper and lower cuff to limit migration 

CE 14120 Level protection 

Imported by Henderson Racing Products and 

available at dealers. 

Leatt X Frame Hybrid Knee 

Braces in Black - Leatt Motocross 

Enduro Body Protection 

The Leatt X-Frame Hybrid Knee Brace is 

made of lightweight but strong injected carbon 

composite material. Engineered to help reduce 

forces to the knee, the X-Frame limits knee injuries 

and is CE certified as both a medical device 

and as impact protection. 

Sporting asymmetrical hinges with a slim profile 

for improved contact with the bike. The outer 

hinge’s feature durable metal gears which offer 

a smooth and precise movement. A comfortable 

fit is achieved with an easy strapping 

system, interchangeable hinge padding sizes, 

and a low-profile shin bone pad that fits inside 

any MX boot. 

Available at your dealer. 

The New Voyager handguards 

bring Cycra into the world of Adventure 

touring motorcycles. 

These ones are specifically manufactured for 

bikes like Yamaha’s T7, Honda’s Africa twin, 

and KTM’s ADV models... 

Design influenced by the Cycra hard enduro 

experience. 

Sliding spoiler for increased ventilation. 

Single mount system. 

Double finishing: sand-blasted and polished. 

Kit includes specifically designed spacers for 

mounting. 

Imported by Henderson Racing Products and 

available at dealers.

Doug Farrell

Linex Yamaha Lynnwood news... 

Justin Boniface has joined the team as customer 

relations manager. 

Roland Mobedi is now the Motorcycle Sales 

Manager. 

It’s a very impressive store, BUT - more 

importantly... they are planning a Playstation SX and 

Moto GP league.... note the current leader board! 

Linex Yamaha Lynnwood www.linexyamaha.co.za

2022 models 

Yamaha revise two-stroke YZ motocross 

range and reveal all-new YZ125 

Yamaha is aiming to get the holeshot on the off-road racing 

competition with their 2021 two-stroke motocross range; 

revealing updates to the YZ85 and YZ250, plus an all-new 

YZ125 for good measure. 

2021 Yamaha YZ125 in detail 

Starting with the new YZ125, the mid-sized dinger gets 

a more powerful engine, revised chassis, slimmer profile 

and new look. Also promising better brakes and improved 

handling, Yamaha claim it’s the ideal machine for up-andcoming 

riders progressing through the discipline. 

Yamaha has tickled the carburettor and installed a longer 

conrod and heavier crank, with changes also made to 

the gearbox and air intake to help make the increase in 

performance more manageable for the rider. 

Covering these internal alterations is revised bodywork, 

which also masks an tweaked rear frame that features a 

new mounting point for the pipe, and improved routing for 

incoming air. In the middle there is a slimmer tank, seat, and 

radiator shrouds - reducing the width between the rider’s 

knees by nearly 36mm for great control. 

The changes don’t stop there. Low speed damping has been 

altered at the front and rear. What’s more, there’s a new twopiston 

front caliper and 270mm disc featuring larger diameter 

25.4mm pistons and new pads said to give a 30% increase in 

contact with the disc. 

Yamaha YZ250 changes 

Like the 125, the 250 is now also 36mm narrower between 

the rider’s legs and features a flatter seat – said to make 

shifting your weight from front to rear an easier practice. 

Helping further in the bends is revised low-speed damping in 

the 48mm KYB front forks and rear shock. 

Adding to this is better stopping power, with a new 270mm 

front disc working with a more rigid caliper, complete with 

larger diameter 25.4mm pistons. A new front pad also 

promises a 30% larger contact patch with the disc. 

At the rear, the disc size comes down by 5mm to 240mm 

and is combined with a new caliper that saves just shy 

of 100g of the total weight. Much like before, there’s 

also improved bodywork, said to help enhance air intake 

efficiency. 

YZ85 also improved 

Away from the 250, the YZ85 is also improved with a new 

look and revised ergonomics. Starting with the bodywork,

new aggressive plastics boast a similar look to 

larger YZ models, with the overall width reduced 

by 25mm at its widest point. It’s also a practical 

change, too with the front fender now directing 

more air toward the bike’s radiator. 

There’s also greater ease of movement around the 

bike, thanks to a flatter seat and new five litre fuel 

tank. New side panels also use their rear vents to 

direct air into the airbox. Beneath all this lies a 570g 

lighter aluminium rear frame, and revised swingarm 

said to help improve chassis stability. 

The rest of Yamaha’s motorcross line-up... 

Fresh colours are available across the entire 

motorcross range, with the four-stroke YZ250F and 

YZ450F also receiving tweaks to their suspension 

settings and new rear sprockets. Changes to the 

engine characteristics can also be made quickly on 

your phone via the Yamaha Power Tuner system.

GAS GAS 2022 

OFF-ROAD MODELS 

2022 models 

Globally, Gas Gas has expanded their off-road line up 

for 2022 with the introduction of the EX 250 fuel-injected 

two-stroke that is designed specifically for closed course 

competition use. The cross country line also includes the 

EX 300 two-stroke, EX 250F, EX 350F and EX 450F fourstroke 

models. 

It’s been less than two years since Pierer Mobility grabbed 

a majority stake in the GasGas brand. The effort has been 

noticeable, however, from the friendly price tags on last 

year’s models to Justin Barcia’s Supercross win in his first 

race with the new factory team. 

All-new to the company’s motocross range are the MC 

250 two-stroke and MC 350F four-stroke bikes. The MC 

250 gives GasGas a player in the 250 two-stroke category 

to compete with the likes of Yamaha, sister company 

Husqvarna, and parent company KTM. The MC 350F 

comes via KTM’s existing 350 equipment, offering riders 

an alternative between 250 and 450 four-stroke performance. 

The youth-oriented MC 85 now offers a second, smaller 

wheel-size option for the new model year, while returning 

to the MX range in 2022 are the full-size MC 125, MC 

250F and MC450F, the youth-focused MC 50 and MC 65 

two-strokers, and the electric MC-E 5 youth bike. 

Enduro competition is something the Spanish brand 

holds close to its heart, as showcased by the return of the 

quick-revving EC 250 and EC 300 two-strokes. 

Both are high on the fun factor while offering serious riders 

a race-capable package. For trail riders and cross-country 

racers, there’s a new EX 250 based on the same platform 

as the EC 250. The rest of the cross-country lineup is 

comprised of the EX 250F, EX 350F and EX 450F. 

All 17 off-road bikes come with red frames, red bodywork, 

and red number plates for ‘22. 

GasGas says this year’s lineup “embraces a distinct Spanish 

style as we continue to celebrate the rich and proud 

heritage GasGas has in trial competition and off-road 

racing.” 

Its a great brand with great local backup. 

Pretoria: 

Trax 

www.traxmoto.co.za 

Johannesburg: 

FAST. 

www.fastktm.co.za 

KwaZulu-Natal: 

Alfie Cox Racing 

www.alfiecox.co.za 

Western Cape: 

Eddy2Race 

www.eddy2race.co.za 

Visit www.gasgas.com for the full line-up of GASGAS 

motorcycles.

BATT 

TOURMASTER 

Dual Purpose Adventure Tyre 

Our Sean Hendley has far more experience than most when it comes 

to tyre knowledge thanks to his time with brands like Pirelli. When 

we were asked to test the new BATT Tourmasters, we left all the 

techy stuff for him to explain. We just rode on them and can tell you 

what we think of the new rubber… 

So!! Somewhere in this article I am going to make a statement that 

might offend some of you but it needs to be said to put some things 

in perspective, especially when it comes to the equipment you ride 

with and fit to your bikes. 

Recently, BATT tyres launched a new 70/30 adventure tyre called the 

TOURMASTER and gave us a couple of sets to try out. The sizing at 

120/70-18 (120/70-19) for the front and 170/60-17 is aimed at the biggest 

portion of the market namely the BMW R1250GS, the KTM 1290 Super 

Adventure, Harley Davidson Pan America and the like, basically the big, 

comfortable and powerful soft roader.

NE 

HA 

B 

f 

A 

Gra 

It costs a huge chunk of money to develop 

a tyre and to make moulds hence the 

limited size range for the time being, but 

all the other popular sizes are planned for 

the near future. 

Firstly, let’s have a look at the tyre itself 

before giving you our ride impressions. 

The BATT TOURMASTER is a steel 

belted radial tyre with a ‘V’ speed rating 

which is up to 240kmh. 

Stuff you need to know: 

Two common mistakes people make: 

Fitting tyres with incorrect speed ratings 

and fitting tyres with incorrect weight 

ratings. 

Please read this – because we often hear 

stories about incorrect applications and 

then buyers take to face book and whine 

about the fact that the tyres are not 

lasting like they should and – sometimes 

they even delaminate… scary stuff! 

Speed Ratings: 

Speed ratings are the maximum safe 

speed for a tyre for a maximum of 10 

minutes at a time – this applies to all 

tyres. Let’s extrapolate that out a bit, 

60km/h works out to 1km per minute, 

thus 120kmh will be 2km’s per minute 

and 240kmh will be 4km’s per minute… 

So it stands to reason that travelling at 

240kmh for 10 minutes you will cover 

40km’s. Think about that a bit, running 

around locally it is nigh on impossible to 

do that anywhere in a built up area, on 

our freeways and so-on. You will be buying 

a lot of take aways, cokes and etc for 

local law enforcement or be helping put 

their kids through varsity. 

Weight Ratings: 

The rear tyre has a weight rating of 72 – a 

code equating to 355kg’s and the front 

60 or 250kg’s. So, the two tyres combined 

can carry a total weight, (Rider, 

Pillion, luggage and GVM of the bike 

itself), of 605kg’s. 

Overloading will result in the speed rating 

being compromised, in other words you 

will have to keep to lower speeds to keep 

the tyre within safe operational temperatures 

and etc. So yes! There is quite a 

science to tyres when it comes to speed 

vs weight. 

The other science to tyres is that they 

have to run through a couple of heat 

cycles before being hammered to their 

limits. This ensures that the rider cures 

the tyres correctly which radically extends 

tyre life. 

We are told that the TOURMASTER is the 

first adventure tyre to offer a heat cycle 

indicator, (and we believe them because 

we don’t know of any other tyre with 

this feature), in the form of an indent in 

the centre of each tread block running 

around spine of the tyre, so once the 

tread block wears down so the indent is 

no longer visible then the tyre is cured.. 

Once that has worn off the tyres have 

done their heat cycles and are ready 

to rock ‘n roll. Kinds of a guide for Doff 

oakes like us who just want to ride. 

The other bit of science that is very important 

and generally thrown to the wind 

by adventure riders is the tyre pressures. 

There is a school of thought in adventure 

riding circles that you have to decrease 

tyre pressure when riding off road to 

get optimum traction. And yes, lower 

pressures do assist with traction, but 

here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t 

decrease pressures when riding off road, 

especially on a softer off road machine: 

• Firstly, decreasing tyre pressures 

puts a lot of strain on the sidewalls 

which end up flexing a lot more 

and causing them to weaken, (think 

about bending a piece of metal continuously 

on the same spot, 

A 

A 

A 

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and the best value-for-money thanks to our 4-TYRE 

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4-TYRE COMBO PRICES: 

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• 24*8.00-12 & 24*10.00-11 R5,800 SAVE R800 

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• 26*9.00-12 & 26*11.00-12 R6,200 SAVE R1,040 


• 25*8.00-12 & 25*10.00-12 R6,200 SAVE R1,088 

• 26*9.00-12 & 26*11.00-12 R6,600 SAVE R1,040 

• 26*9.00-14 & 26*11.00-14 R7,200 SAVE R1,040 


• A047 30*10.00-14 R9,600 SAVE R3,080 

* Prices include VAT. We ship nationwide. 

A047 

GraphicWerx Advertising & Design 

• Race/ Rally, On and Off Road 

BATT HOLDINGS: 

UNIT 9 SABLE PARK, 997 RICHARDS DRIVE, MIDRAND, JHB 

QUOTES: 073 777 9269 / 083 467 1349 • ADMIN: 011 205 0216 

• BRUCE@BATTHOLDINGS.COM 

www.battholdings.com 

Batt ATV D&T Aug '21.indd 1 2021/07/22 14:40

• it eventually gets quite hot and is easier to tear). 

• Your rims are more prone to damage from rocks and the like 

with softer pressures and the tyre puncture easier as well 

The biggest problem boils down to laziness, very few adventure 

riders actually increase tyre pressures once back on tarmac 

and then want to ride at 240kmh to the next dirt section, lower 

pressures = lower speeds. Then they want to do warranty claims 

when the tyres fail and get all bent out of shape when the claim 

is repudiated. Running tyres at low pressures is abuse of the tyre 

and has a very unmistakeable and unique effect on tyres that is 

easy to spot by the tyre people, so theres no way to bull-dust 

your way out of it. 

Right! Back to the TOURMASTER’s: 

Most adventure tyres have a 6mm tread depth whereas the 

TOURMASTER has an 8mm tread depth. This means that they 

should last a bit longer. 

Then, like KFC’s 11 herbs and spices and Coca-Cola’s recipe, 

their ratio of silica to rubber (no carbon black) and other ingredients 

in their compound is a closely guarded secret, but we are 

assured they have been carefully designed for exceptional grip 

and handling in wet and dry conditions without compromising 

the durability needed for the harshest African riding conditions. 

All with a weather eye on affordability in our market, we are told 

that a set will sell for a little over R3,000.00 odd rand fitted and 

that is a great price. 

The BATT TOURMASTER leans more towards tarmac riding 

(70/30 equals seventy percent tar, thirty percent gravel) with the 

larger wider block design on the crown and the wider groove 

spacing providing more rubber contact patch ensuring maximum 

traction on tar making it easy to dissipate water, providing more 

grip and confidence in wet weather riding. The deep tread, with 

wider spacing and medium compound ensures more traction 

and damping capability when off-road riding especially at high 

speed on loose gravel. They tell us that the unique tread pattern 

also helps to fling the mud off when you hit the slippery gravel. 

The tyres overall construction gives this more on road tyre a rugged 

off road look suitable for any street orientated dual purpose 

bike. 

With all of this mind we decided to test them on a couple of the 

most powerful street oriented adventure bikes on the market, 

which also happen to be two of the bestselling adventure bikes 

in South Africa. From KTM South Africa we got the absolute latest 

1290 Super Adventure, a freaky bike with proper ghost rider 

capabilities with its adaptive cruise control, you just have to go 

and ride one of these to feel the freakiness. Then from Rodney 

and the team at BMW Motorrad Fourways we were loaned a 

BMW R 1250 GS – HP, (for Horse Power), and Man Oh Man that 

front wheel loves to get high. 

So, two heavy weight and muscular tyre shredders with all the 

mod cons and just for good measure we got the two chunkiest 

okes in the office, both north of 100kg’s each to really put the 

BATT TOURMASTER’s through their paces. 

After about 300 KM’s of urban running in (read our bit about the 

heat cycles), we took the bikes on a grand ride out into the Ver 

Verlaate Vlaktes… 

Our route took us out of the East Rand through Nigel and into 

Balfour and then onto Greylingstad, Standerton, Perdekop to 

a quick lunch in Volksrust before heading to our overnight digs 

just outside Wakkerstroom, just on 300km’s and mostly high 

speed tar all the way which we took full advantage of wide open, 

sweeping bends and quiet roads with not much in the line of 

obstacles like big trucks, potholes and law enforcement giving 

us a great opportunity to really test the top speed limits of the 

tyres for long stretches.

The following day it was down into the sleepy and quite chilly hamlet 

of Wakkerstroom to fuel up the bikes before heading up into the mountains 

for some proper off road testing. The route took us up along quite 

a gravelly, marble strewn dirt pass over the saddle of the mountains 

between Wakkerstroom and Utrecth. About two thirds of the way we cut 

a left alongside a game reserve towards Luneberg where we made a bee 

line for Paulpietersburg then Piet Retief and some lunch before aiming 

for Ermelo, Bethal, Trichardt, Leander and home via Springs on the freeways, 

another 450km’s. At the time of writing this review we had done 

around 1,150 kays on the tyres and have a pretty good idea of what they 

are all about. We are still going to try and put on another few kilometres 

on before we go to print, under prolonged daily use. 

Here is what our testers had to say: 

Séan says: 

I do not consider myself the best or the fastest rider out there, but I am 

fairly capable on tar enjoying high speeds and long distances a lot more 

than my mates. I am fairly competent in the dirt on the big bikes but 

do despise mud and sand. Like any red blooded South African I regard 

any new product or brand on the market with a degree of suspicion and 

like to do a bit of research into said product before risking life and limb. 

Fortunately, having been involved with motorcycle tyres for a number of 

years I do have a slightly better understanding of the technology, how 

it should be applied and how it works. Listening to the guys from BATT 

Tyres answer some quite tough and direct questions I posed to them 

on their new TOURMASTER adventure tyre easily and confidently with 

proper facts on the technology used did a lot soften a my initial suspicions. 

So when it came to running in the tyres on the BMW R1250GS, 

(Kyle did the same with the KTM 1290 Super Adventure), I stuck to the 

game plan, mostly to tar and sticking to the posted speed limits, stopping 

every 100kays or so for 30 mins to let the tyre cool down thereby 

running the TOURMASTERS through the heat cycles properly. The last 

90 odd kays was a freeway burn back to the office at about 300 odd 

kilometres was where they stood overnight before our ride out to the 

great blue yonder. 

We purposefully took two different bikes as each bike has different suspension, 

chassis, weight, power delivery and handling dynamics giving 

us a better idea of what the tyres might do on different bikes. During the 

ride we constantly swapped bikes every hundred kays or so, going from 

one bike to another and then back again and again and again so that we 

could feel every nuance and foible the tyres returned on each bike. 

We also had along a Honda CRF 1100 Africa Twin shod with Karoo 

Streets as a ‘control subject’ to refer back to. 

The KTM Super Adventure is significantly faster and more powerful than 

the GS. The KTM has lower bars and you sit lower to the ground than on 

the GS with a slightly more aggressive seating position ideal for carving 

up the twisty stuff on the tar. Running along the long sweeping roads at 

around 240kmh in fairly cold weather, which reduce traction quite a bit, 

did not raise any concerns for me about the tyres losing traction when 

cranked over in a bend. Because of my length at just on 2 metres I take 

a lot of wind to my torso at these kind of speeds which in turn has me 

pulling up on the bars and transferring my weight and the bikes weight 

to be more bias on the back wheel, lightening up the front wheel quite 

a bit when I am sitting up straight. This results in the front end getting 

a bit lighter causing the front end to wander a bit, absolutely no fault of 

the tyre and easily corrected by loosening my grip on the bars a bit and 

hunching down and forward a bit. 

The GS with its more upright sitting position made this a bit more prevalent 

and I have experienced many times before on other big adventure 

bikes on a variety of different tyres and the same cure had worked on 

every single one of them. Although, it must be said the sensation is even 

more dominant on more aggressive, knobbly tyres and does require a 

lot more willpower to soften your grip on the handle bars and hence 

the reason they have lower speed ratings. Jumping on the hooks hard, 

doing some emergency stops had the ABS lighting up the dashboard on 

both bikes, but never did the tyres get out of shape and the same is true 

for hard acceleration off the line. It took some really stupidly aggressive 

acceleration to get the traction control warning to flash on the dash.

Obviously, once I turned all that off I could smoke the tyre a bit, but 

once again that did require some quite enthusiastic throttle application, 

and in most instances the tyre bit in hard and lifted the front 

wheel off the deck, particularly on the BMW. 

In just plain touring mode, trundling along a 150kmh both bikes 

were rock solid on the road. My one concern was road noise 

because of the width of the tread between the blocks being quite a 

bit wider than a normal 70/30 tyre, and honestly, if there was any it 

was drowned out by the wind noise in my helmet. 

Once in the dirt and each bike dialled in to my personal preferences 

I could ride almost as fast as I think I am. The first 15 to 20 kays of 

dirt was reasonably smooth dirt road up a mountain pass, but covered 

in a lot of loose sand, shale and lots of loose stone that makes 

you feel like you are riding on marbles. The road maintenance guys 

were a little further up the pass and had sprayed water to keep the 

dust down whilst they were grading quite a tight twisty section at 

the crest of the pass. This firstly made the surface a bit slick, but 

also long rows of sand heaps were created by the grader, all in all 

making for very interesting riding, especially on the big soft roaders. 

The marbles were quite a bit of fun to start out with, as was crossing 

the heaps of sand from the grader and cornering through the 

slick, wet sections and my concern was that the Touermasters being 

advertised as a 70/30 tyre might not be up to the task at hand 

and the bikes would get all squirley under me. 

NOT SO! The deeper tread and wider than normal groove really 

came into their own and dug through the mess for the most part 

and kept me upright and stable, inspiring more confidence than I 

should have had and had me whizzing along at a reasonably quick 

pace. Once off the pass we were on to some very good sweeping 

dirt roads with a bit of deep sand here and there, a few dips and 

water rutting thrown in for good measure and all the while I could 

happily maintain speeds in excess of 100kmh and in a lot of sections 

I could even run at well over 140kmh. 

Not being the greatest rider around I usually slow right down in corners 

on the dirt, however on this particular ride I could run through 

the corners at quite a pace, just have to keep an eye for free 

ranging steaks and chops which when suddenly encountered half 

way through a bend or cresting a hill required quite urgent application 

of the brakes and we all know that in the dirt that does get the 

adrenalin pumping quite hard, but the tyres worked well with the 

ABS, Traction control and etc to keep the bike upright and on track 

without too much concern. 

After about 150kays or so of dirt riding it was the long haul back 

on the tar, most of which was done at significantly faster than any 

of the posted speed limits and through all of this. Not once did I 

have any grip or traction concerns from the tyre. Swapping onto 

the ‘control subject’ bike, the Africa Twin shod with Metzeler Karoo 

streets both on tar and in the dirt confirmed in my mind that the 

TOURMASTER is as good as any of the main line brands. I like the 

tyre and would happily spend my own money and fit them to my 

own bike when the time comes. 

Glenn says: 

I always kind of roll my eyes and shrug my shoulders when we do 

a tyre test, mostly because the features I read, the skills that the 

testers have are way beyond those of us mere mortals. 

But – I can tell the average every day rider whether I like a tyre or 

not – and sometimes I can tell you why… 

So my biggest concern with this feature was the following… 

You can understand the logic to fitting a well-known global brand to 

some of the most powerful motorcycles on the planet. That makes 

sense – but to fit what has become known in SA as a more budget 

tyre to these two high end (read high price) monster ADV bikes was 

of some concern (well to me anyway). 

But I ‘spose that’s why we get danger pay and it is our job to make 

sure that if something is sub-standard we can tell consumers about 

it.

So here’s the skinny: 

Initially, I rode gingerly just to get an idea of how the tyre feels 

and reacts. Not bad it all behaves as expected on the tar and in 

an urban environment. But to start with I was careful about riding 

hard or trying anything stoopid. 

When we headed out on the long trip, I waited for a long open 

road with lots of space before I opened the GS wide open and 

took her up to the 220KPH mark. The tyres behaved flawlessly, 

sweeping corners no problem… all very confidence inspiring. 

Guys, if something was amiss, we’d tell you, but I’d guess we 

are a bit faster than some and a bit slower than others, but on 

this ride, the tyres felt really, really good. 

The following days gravel sections (Note) not hard enduro. We 

rode some great gravel roads, some horrible gravel roads and 

lots of sweeping corners… The kind of stuff “normal” adventure 

riders enjoy. 

I like the feel and feedback. I enjoyed the grip. The bikes soaked 

everything up and we had a really awesome ride. 

I’m not entirely sure what else I am ‘sposed to say? 

Would I fit a set to my personal bike? 

Absolutely! 

Spending personal time in the saddle on two of the biggest bikes 

on the market have us convinced. 

I think that the guys from BATT have made a great tyre. 

Feedback from some of our more trick wheelie kings is that they 

would like a bit more grip for hoiking up the wheel and all that – 

but remember – the softer the compound – the less life you get 

from any tyre. 

When BATT tested these tyres in a softer compound, the result 

was 4000 KM’s less tyre life. 

That’s a lot of rubber usage - so as they say… what you lose on 

the swing, you gain on the roundabout. 

In the final summary, the all new BATT Tourmaster adventure 

tyres are great value for money that really do what they say on 

the label. 

You won’t go wrong putting a set of these on your bike for a 

good bit of touring on tar and dirt or even for your daily commuting 

and weekend burns along your favourite dirt routes. 

All you need to understand is that this tyre is not an extreme 

adventure or off-road tyre. 

In our humble opinion it is a great, affordable option for the 

masses of normal riders who are looking for solid performance 

and decent tyre mileage. 

Cycle Technology ccT/A 

EST. 1978 

Adventure, Classic & Custom 

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These ones were very professionally fitted by the Bike Tyre Warehouse 

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“I grew up watching 

crusty demons & Travis 

Pastrana really inspired 

me to start freestyle. 

Who knew it would bring 

me this far?”

Catch up: 

Dallan Goldman 

SA’s FMX Guru… 

The name Dallan Goldman is 

synonymous with Freestyle 

motorcross. He send us some 

news about what he has been 

up to… 

Photo cred : @Solidfoto ( Matt 

Collins) 

p.h.d.productions ( Eric Phalin ) 

Trenton Woods @trentonwoods 

Riders : Dallan Goldman , 

Jarryd McNeil, Tom Parsons , 

Colby Raha , Vinnie Carbone , 

Hagen McGill, Christian Dresser 

Name: Dallan Goldman 

Nickname: DG. 

DOB: 5 January 1993. 

Sport: Freestyle Motocross (FMX). 

When and how did you start riding 

FMX? 

End of 2007 I hit my first ramp , came 

back in 2008 & haven’t stopped since 

unless I’ve been out with injuries. 

Who influenced you? 

I grew up watching crusty demons 

& Travis Pastrana really inspired me 

to start freestyle. Who knew it would 

bring me this far? 

Hometown: 

Fourways , Johannesburg. 

Favorite spot to ride? 

Jungle Rush FMX compound , Mcneil 

farm, Maddo’s (Robbie Maddisons 

spot), South broom hills. 

Other hobbies / sports? 

Bounce Inc Trampoline parks 

• MMA 

• MTB 

• Golf 

• Wake boarding 

• Gym / fitness

Favorite trick: 

Big dirty whip. 

1 hand Flatliner aka aero plane. 

Biggest achievements to date? 

I was lucky to enough to ride at Maddo’s (Robbie 

Madisons) house and learn to flip to dirt there. 

Riding demos in different countries such as 

California, Arizona, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Oman , 

Australia, Botswana, Namibia, Rwanda. It’s been 

a great experience. 

• I have multiple podiums & a win at King 

of the whip 2017,2018,2019 including a win in 

both FMX segments. 

• Performed at the first ever monster jam 

South Africa . JHB had their largest crowd ever of 

65000 people. 

Favorite Holiday Destination 

- Local would be South Broom with the family & 

friends. 

- International would be a riding trip to California 

with the Jungle Rush FMX crew. 

Sponsors: 

Jungle Rush FMX 

TRP distributors 

Thor Mx official 

Ride 100% 

KTM South Africa 

BOUNCE inc South Africa 

Motor medic racing 

Ekolu suspension co 

Riders : Dallan Goldman , Jarryd McNeil, Tom Parsons , Colby Raha , 

Vinnie Carbone , Hagen McGill, Christian Dresser

2020 started off very slow with all our upcoming events 

in South Africa being cancelled for the foreseeable 

future. 

The hard South African lock downs didn’t allow us to 

ride for a few months so I took this opportunity to get 

some shoulder issues sorted out with Dr Breckon at 

Morningside hospital. 

Once I recovered & with no events being allowed to host 

or participate in South Africa, I had some opportunities 

to head over to the USA and get back to riding as they 

are opening up and going back to normal life. 

I spent my first couple of rides at the Mcneil farm with 

Jarryd Mcneil (15 time X games medalist), this allowed 

me to get back into the swing of things. I had the 

opportunity to ride and film in the hills at the Mcneil farm 

for Colby Raha’s new movie Gnaria. 

When the filming and riding was done I headed to 

Arizona to meet with my FMX buddy Jerad Larue & 

headed out to meet up with Jeff Griffin for my first show 

back for 2021 season in Lake Havasu . 

After spending a month in Arizona and traveling to a few 

demos I landed up back in Temecula, Southern California 

and continued riding with Jarryd at the Mcneil farm and 

had a few rides at Robbie Maddison’s house (The Madd 

house ) where I was joined by the likes of Twitch & Taka 

Higashino . 

I wrapped up my final ride at the Mcneil farm and headed 

home to spend some time with my family & fellow Jungle 

Rush FMX team mate Michael Oyston before I head 

back to ride some shows & get some more training in to 

up my level of riding. 

More to come of my ripping it in the states. 

Stay tuned & follow my progression on @Dallan_ 

Goldman & @JungleRushFMX . 

Thanks to my sponsors for all the support 

Jungle Rush FMX 

TRP distributors 

Thor MX official 

Ride 100 percent 

Motor medic racing 

Bounce inc South Africa 

KTM South Africa 

Ekolu suspension co 

Instagram - @Dallan_Goldman / @JungleRushFMX 

Facebook - Dallan Goldman FMX / Jungle Rush FMX

CRE-8296 

Save your knees. 

All about CTi Knee Braces. 

Local is lekker! 

advertorial 

Anybody who rides or races dirtbikes will at one point 

probably twist a knee or worse still give it a bit of a 

smash 

It’s just the nature of the sport and the forces it exerts 

on your body and this is the same with all sorts of extreme 

sports … That is why they are called “Extreme”. 

We have had a regular advertiser in the form of CTi knee 

braces from Ossur down in the Cape who sent us some 

interesting info on what their product is all about. 

Since 1983, CTi knee braces have been tested and 

trusted by professional extreme sports athletes around 

the world and in particular dirt bike riders. Riding a dirt 

bike exerts high levels of forces on the knee and puts 

massive physical demands on equipment. The construction 

of the CTi makes it ideal for these kinds of 

sports. 

The MX kit, which includes a Patella Cup, Gear Guards 

and Undersleeve, are normally selected to provide additional 

protection. 

CTi braces provide a combination of stabilisation 

and protection of the knee joint. This custom-made 

brace uses Accutrac® hinges with extension stops to 

glide with the knee and breathable liners coated with 

bio-inert Össur® Sensil® Silicone to reduce migration 

and skin irritation. Reversible field-serviceable buckles 

and trimmable straps facilitate fast adjustments and 

customised fit. CTi custom braces are available in 2 

models, standard and Pro Sport and can be further 

customised with a variety of options, colours, designs 

and/or accessories. 

The CTi Custom is available as two different models, 

namely the CTi Standard for Medium to High Impact 

and contact athletics such as skiing or wakeboarding 

and the CTi ProSport for Large Impact Athletes competing 

in contact sports for example, motocross and 

is available in 12 standard matte or gloss colours. For 

those that want a more custom look, custom paint is 

available for an additional charge. Fees vary dependant 

on the complexity of the design. 

So what goes into making a truly custom ligament 

brace? 

It’s important to remember that a truly custom brace 

should fit like a glove mimicking the contours of the leg 

and movements of the knee perfectly. Achieving this 

level of truly custom fit requires a unique combination 

of state-of-the-art technology and materials with hand 

finishing to fine tune for an exceptionally individual and 

personalised brace.

“CTi Knee Braces give me the 

confidence to push my limits.” 

KIRSTEN LANDMAN 

FOLLOW US: / CTiKneeBraces @CTiKneeBraces 

TEL: 0860 888 123 www.ossur.com/en-za/bracing-and-supports/cti 

CRE-8296_CTi Custom Advert_KLandman_SA_A4.indd 1 16/07/2021 11:14

The finished product is the result of a number of steps: 

• Measuring: A very specific series of data points are 

recorded by trained orthotists through a combination of 

digital imagery and measurements. 

• Designing: Using the raw data from these images and 

measurements, the specialist creates a 3D CAD file of 

the leg utilising their own in house proprietary software. 

Then, this CAD file is sent to a CNC machine and an 

exact foam surrogate is carved out giving the brace 

techs an exact 1t o 1 replica of the patient’s leg. Working 

directly on this foam surrogate the brace can be 

sculpted exactly to the contours of the patient’s leg. 

• Making: Using CNC technology, combined with CAD 

the carbon fibre for the brace is cut and routed to 

match the exact measurements. This is done before 

being hand-shaped to the positive model of the leg. 

• Accuracy: Hinges are fine tuned to ensure accurate 

anatomical tracking and alignment. Their trained manufacturers 

then refine this further, hand-crafting the final 

shape of the brace to match the exact contours of your 

leg. 

• Finishing: the customer/patient can Choose from standard 

colours or challenge their in-house graphics team 

to create a unique and identifiable design custom made 

only for you … The only limit is your imagination 

Design features that work 

The rigid upper and lower arms combine with the hinges, 

condyle pads and straps to properly align the knee joint and 

provide an accurately-tracking exoskeletal support. The 

three main characteristics of the CTi make it ideal for any 

sport that puts massive physical demands on equipment or 

players. 

• Carbon Fibre 

Rock-solid, lightweight protection 

• Accutrac Hinges 

Smooth move - smooth ride 

• Sensil silicone and SenseEdge 

No slip-ups! 

Össur is confident enough to provide a limited lifetime warranty 

on CTi Custom brace. 

It applies to the frame and the Accutrac hinges and is limited 

to mechanical and manufacturing defects for the lifetime 

of the person that the brace was originally built for. 

So! If you are an average Joe Weekend Warrior with no real 

need for a custom unit or the tin to afford such, the CTi’s 

rigid carbon-fibre frame provides optimal protection and 

stabilization of the knee joint. With its flexible subshells, CTi 

comes with off-the-shelf convenience. So, you can wander 

down to a local agent and get a standard unit off the shelf. 

Key features of which are as follows: 

• Flexible subshell and adjustable tibial strap capture the 

tibia and allow adjustment in hinge depth for a more 

customized fit. 

• Reversible field-serviceable D-rings and trimmable 

straps facilitate fast adjustment and customized fit. 

• Non-corrosive materials, ideal for water sports. 

• Anatomically-correct Accutrac® hinges with extension 

stops. 

• Proprietary Sensil® silicone liners designed to reduce 

migration. 

• Available in 2 models: Standard model for moderate to 

high impact levels and Pro Sport model for the highest 

impact levels. 

• Available sizes - S, M, L, XL, XXL 

Another question that is frequently asked is, “Does medical 

aid pay for them?”. 

Well that depends on the medical aid, generally they do 

pay for them if it is necessary in stabilising a patients knee 

during the healing period after an operation as a result of 

an injury. However, some medical aids will not pay for them 

as a preventative measure and others will allow you to use 

your saving account with them to pay, you just have to 

check with your medical aid for specifics. 

advertorial 

So, as we all know custom made items are never cheap, especially 

hand made one off customs like these knee braces, 

so what kind of warranty do they offer? 

With all the art and science working together to make a truly 

individual and personalised brace, 

We say, grab yourself a set, whether medical aid pays or 

not, anything that keeps you off crutches and in the saddle 

and riding is a great idea and investment in our books. 

Check out https://www.ossur.com/en-za/bracing-and-supports/cti 

for more information.

YOUR NEXT HORIZON IS HERE. 

With rugged, rally-bred features, outstanding 

reliability, a versatile engine and true on and 

off-road capability, the Yamaha Ténéré 700 

opens a new world of possibilities for riders. 

The Ténéré 700 is designed to deliver classleading 

handling and agility on and off-road. 

Your next horizon is here. 

www.yamaha.co.za · +27 11 259 7600 · Facebook: Yamaha Southern Africa · Instagram: @yamahasouthafrica

Toni bou 

AFRICA TWIN

So yes!! It may not be the biggest, 

meanest, baddest most powerful 

Adventure bike on the market, but 

this bike makes sense to me, my 

wallet and my riding style. Besides, 

huge power only makes sense if you 

can actually use it all, useable power, 

with a great chassis, suspension and 

ergonomics makes a lot more sense to 

me. And oh yes – so does the price! 

Sean only ever got to ride the 1100 

Africa Twins at the launch two years or 

so ago. In the last couple of months we 

have spent a lot of time on these two. He 

shares his thoughts. We also let Stefan 

loose on the bike. He is somewhat less 

experienced than our lot, so he gives 

some interesting feedback. 

As for Manual VS DCT – there are 

fistfights here over who prefers what. 

Sean says: 

The CRF1100 Africa Twin is not the 

biggest, baddest ADV bike in the power 

department making an easy 100HP at 

7,500 RPM. 

The difference for me is that it is all 

actually useable. Big powered adventure 

bikes that create monster power, are 

more often than not quite intimidating 

to ride, even to a relatively experienced 

rider. Yes, we are all speed freaks on tar 

and in a straight line, but we are also 

slaves to fashion and thus we all have to 

fit aggressive looking off road tyres to our 

bakkies as well as our adventure bikes. 

Read our Batt Tyre feature elsewhere! 

The problem here is that said tyres 

generally are not up to the rigors of 

high speed on tar for anything more

Africa 

Twin 

Words: Sean Hendley 

Pics: Black Rock, Kerry Hughes and whoever 

Revisited (long term use and abuse review) 

than a couple of minutes before they start manifesting issues 

like overheating and delaminating or causing the bike to get 

frighteningly squirley under you and short before long selfpreservation 

kicks in and the throttle is wound back in… 

For me the trick is getting all the available power onto the 

ground and being able to use all of it and the Honda CRF1100L 

Africa Twin, in my humble opinion has got that right. We 

recently went on a trip to test tyres fitted to a Super Adventure 

and a HP and the Africa Twin went along for our photographer 

to ride and as a control subject because it is shod with a 

different set of tyres and is, in our humble opinion, equally as 

capable as the other two bikes every situation. 

With the right rider, (me ),

Qwerty like keyboard makes turning 

the indicators on entertaining. 

Now it has android Play 

it easily ran around the 220kmh mark for hours on end on the 

tar and through the twisty stuff it is an absolute peach, super 

stable, confidence inspiring and an absolute hoot to ride. I 

recently took an Adventure Sport DCT to Redstar for a bit of 

a cornering school, which you can read about in this issue as 

well, and surprised a whole bunch of Tupperware Torpedo’s 

running around the outside of them in corners… on adventure 

tyres I might add. 

Then a week or two after that we went out for a quick 865km 

ride in 12 hours through E.T. on a couple of naked bikes, (read 

about that in this month’s edition of Ridefast – what a great day 

out that was), with our photographer following along on a Africa 

Twin – manual, we were sniffing gas and hauling ass the whole 

way and we never waited longer than 3 or 4 minutes for the 

Twin to catch up. 

Towards the end of the day, on the homeward bound leg of the 

trip I swapped onto the Twin to give Stefan a go on the Nakeds, 

regular contributor Shado was on the Kawasaki ZX900, we 

were on the very sweeping and twisty road from Barberton 

to Badplaas and young Shado had to peddle hard on the 

Kawasaki to hang with the Twin in the bends … Well that is my 

story anyway and I am sticking to it. 

Over the last two months or so we have clocked up an easy 

2,500 to 3,000 kays on the twin on tar, plus a further grand and 

a bit in the dirt, all the time in the company of other bikes with 

a variety of different riders from all walks of life with their own 

brand allegiances - and each and every time the Africa Twin 

won new admirers when we swapped bikes with them. 

As a long distance road tourer or day to day commuter the Africa 

Twin is comfortable, the ergonomics, particularly for a person as 

tall as I am are infallible, although it must be said I do prefer the 

little shorty wind shield on the small tank variants as opposed to 

the tall windshield on Adventure Sport. No matter what position 

I put the adjustable tall screen I find it either messes with my 

line of vision or the turbulence over the top of it get the peak of 

my helmet rukking and plukking quite uncomfortably especially 

north of 180kmh. The little fixed shorty screen offers more than 

enough wind and elements protection, with the cut out in the 

middle breaking up enough of the turbulence to keep my lid 

stable north of 200kmh. The cock pit is also a very nice place 

to spend long hours on the road, the bars are nice and wide, 

the seat reasonably firm and comfortable and the TFT screen is 

really easy to read in any light. 

My only gripe with the Twin, in any of its variants (and I did 

mention this when we went to the launch), is the very overly 

complicated onboard operating system. The left hand switch 

cluster might as well be a qwerty keyboard there are so many 

button, switches and what nots on it. It literally takes concerted 

effort and concentration to locate and use the indicator 

switch amongst that lot, then as if that was not enough there 

is another menu accessible on the right hand switch cluster 

which has to be used in unison with the left switch cluster to 

find and operate things like the heated grips and etc … all the 

while the TFT is a touch screen as well, and in most instances 

duplicating the functions on the switches. 

Goodness me it all does get rather confusing, but the Africa 

Twin is just that good that I could learn to live with all of that. 

My absolute favourite feature is the DCT or semi-automatic 

gearbox, those controls are easy and intuitive to use, and my 

question is, “Why the heck doesn’t every manufacturer offer a 

variant of this feature on their bike?” 

Around the track the other day I set it on S3, (sport mode 3), 

and just hung on the gas or clamped down on the hooks. 

Under braking I could feel the gearbox kicking down hard and 

assisting with the braking and cranking over and winding up 

the revs out the other side of the corner the bike was always in 

the correct gear, even in the quick left-right flick flack corners. 

The only time I felt the need to revert to the manual handle 

bar mounted shifters was when I was challenged down the 

straights by other riders and needed to hold gears a little bit 

longer to fend off top speed drag race challenges. All the while 

the suspension, chassis and brakes all working in unison to 

make me look like a much better rider than what I actually am. 

Well, there you have it, as a road bike, a touring bike and a 

corner carver it does the job exceptionally well … but what is it 

like in the dirt, as an adventure bike? 

A 

S 

A 

A 

C 

Th 

en 

en 

no

MOUNTAIN, DESERT, ROCK, SAND, 

AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN 

SA’s MOST AFFORDABLE 

ADVENTURE OPTION 

AFRICA TWIN 

CRF1100 

The Africa Twin is ready to conquer it all with its potent 

engine and dynamic chassis. Purchase this model, and 

enjoy free rider training. Find a dealer and book a test ride 

now! 

www.honda.co.za

A big dirt bike is the best way I can describe the 

Africa Twin. It tips the scales at around 240kg’s, 

about 5% heavier than the 230kg Super 

Adventure and around 10% lighter than the 

268kg GS. It has 250mm of ground clearance 

on par with the KTM and a good deal more than 

185mm’s of the BMW. The Twin is a tall, slender 

bike riding on a 21 inch front wheel and an 18 

inch rear wheel and it is designed equally well 

for standing and riding or sitting, especially for a 

taller rider. Standing up on the pegs, at 2 meters 

tall I am not hunched over the bars or floating 

somewhere between sitting and standing in 

a semi squat position but rather upright in a 

natural and neutral weight position. Immediately 

I am more comfortable and a lot more confident 

with the bikes balance and handling in the dirt. 

The 105Nm’s of torque coming into full song 

at a lowly 6,250rpm and sounding and feeling 

like an old long stroke motor but with all the 

response of a modern short stroke, big bore unit 

so you always have plenty of grunt on demand 

all the time without it being intimidating inspiring 

even more confidence. 

So, besides the ergonomics and the engine 

working very well together to make you want 

to push the limits in the dirt, the suspension 

and chassis with my 115kg’s onboard have 

never once faltered. The only time I have ever 

managed to bottom out the suspension was 

during the official launch when I was getting 

ever more confident launching the Twin out of 

ditches higher and higher each time until the 

shocks eventually called ‘uncle’ and bottomed 

out. This is the first adventure bike that I 

personally have ever had the confidence to try 

that kind of craziness on. Cruising up goat paths 

in the Magaliesberg over the famed ‘marbles’, 

hanging through long sweeping off road bends 

at irresponsible speeds, buggering around on 

old deserted MX tracks or chasing sun sets 

down long dirt roads after a day in the saddle 

the Twin always makes my heart smile. I am 

so terribly happy that we have one on a bit of 

a long term demo and I am kind of hoping that 

they forget to fetch it. 

As I mentioned at the beginning, on paper it 

may not measure up well against the bigger 

capacity bikes but screw the peer pressure and 

go ride one for yourself, or pop down to our 

office and we will go out for a ride with you and 

let you have a proper ride on this one. 

Stefan says: 

Now I am most certainly not an adventure rider. 

In fact, I believe I’ve only been off-road with an 

actual adventure bike no more than 5 times in 

my life, and I’ve only been riding off-road for 

about a year. So I have a very amateur opinion 

when it comes to off-roading on two wheels, 

and riding on two wheels in general. Not only 

am I an inexperienced off roader, I am also very 

nervous off-road, for obvious reasons. But this 

beautiful piece of Japanese machinery gives me 

much needed confidence when hitting the dirt. 

Now I’m not that confident that I started sliding 

around corners and popping wheelies, but I 

have a ton of fun just cruising at 80-100 km/h

on the Honda Africa Twin on a relaxed gravel road 

through the mountains. 

For newer riders, the seat height on any adventure 

bike is a challenge, because you know if you run into 

trouble off-road you won’t be able to plant a foot and 

save yourself that easily, but once you start moving on 

this bike, it does almost all of the work for you. And 

the fact that this bike is on the lighter side of super 

adventures, being only 1100cc, makes it a little easier 

to handle at slow speeds and when manoeuvring 

around with your feet. Don’t get me wrong, reversing 

this bike up a slight incline is still a pain if you’ve got 

short legs, but at least it’s easy to do a u-turn, or 

change direction so that you won’t get stuck on a hill. 

When it comes to the technical aspects like 

suspension quality and weight distribution I’m no 

scientist, but as a novice offroader, I can say the bike 

is as smooth as butter on gravel and even light sandy 

roads (we all know how terrible sandy roads can be). I 

found very little wandering or sliding of the front wheel, 

and the suspension soaks up all of the big rocks that I 

always seem to run into. The brakes also have plenty 

to give, not that I needed to use all of it at any point. I 

managed to stop and slow down easily without having 

to grab brakes or getting any heart attacks. 

The electronics on the Africa Twin seem very 

overwhelming at first glance, due to the giant control 

panel on the left handlebar, but with a little bit of 

playing around you learn how it works quickly. You can 

change riding modes with the push of a button and 

you have a lot of fine control when adjusting things like 

traction control, engine braking and ABS at various 

levels. The large TFT screen gives you all the info and 

menu options that you need and the interface design 

is clean and easy to understand once you get to know 

the bike. 

On the road, the bike is as fun as can be for 

people who are more comfortable in high traction 

environments. I wasn’t getting my knee down but 

I’m sure you could get close, and Sean seems 

to think he’s on a supersport when he rides this 

bike through twisty mountain roads. The paralleltwin 

makes fantastic power and low-end torque 

which is quite fun and very useable when cruising 

around town. At high speeds it’s very stable, even 

with the on/off-road split tyres, and so stable that 

you could cruise and drive hands free on cruise 

control. Even though the standard Africa Twin 

comes with a tiny little windscreen, the angle of it 

gives more than enough wind protection. 

I’ve found that when comparing to something 

like the GS1250 featured in the BATT Tourmaster 

article, which has a considerably larger 

windscreen that is also adjustable, there was less 

wind noise in my helmet with just the tiny Africa 

Twin screen. 

All in all, the more I ride this bike, the more I want 

to buy one. It’s just one of those bikes that make 

you want to ride more, it even makes me want to 

do more adventure riding. It’s a comfortable, easy 

to ride motorcycle that you can ride down to the 

Cape, or just to the office and back again. 

At current prices, the Africa Twin is a bargain. The 

manual is available for R 

The DCT is a smidgeon more @ 

www.honda.co.za for your closest dealer 

The DCT Model we took around Redstar Raceway

Motul Roof of Africa News: 

The dates are released, and bookings are open. We put a few questions to Charan Moore, Motul Roof of Africa Route 

Director and Manager of Live Lesotho, about this Years’ edition of The Motul Roof of Africa. 

• So, let’s clear up some detail here, what edition is this year’s event after missing 2020? 

The 2021 Motul Roof of Africa will be the 53rd edition of the ‘Mother of Hard Enduro’. Last year was only the second time 

in the long history of the Roof that it wasn’t possible to stage the event.

Pics by ZCMC

• The dates have been moved, tell us what 

they are and what the thinking was behind 

moving them? 

The dates for the Motul Roof of Africa are 24 – 27 

November 2021. 

This year’s Roof was originally slated to happen 

in December, but we pulled the dates forward at 

the request of the Lesotho Sports Commission so 

that they could host a District Four African Youth 

Sports Tournament in December. 

With the MSA and FIM calendar already so 

jam-packed, it wasn’t easy to find alternative 

dates. However, the end of November emerged 

as the best option after we consulted with all our 

stakeholders. Unfortunately, there could be a few 

clashes with the Matric exam timetable, but this 

was only released after we had confirmed the new 

Roof dates. 

• What are the current COVID-19 restrictions 

as far as entry and exit from Lesotho? 

EnduroX returns for this year’s Motul Roof of Africa, taken at 2019 

edition 

The current entry requirements for Lesotho are 

a valid passport and a mask, plus evidence of a 

negative COVID-19 test result with the test having 

been taken within 72 hours of crossing the border. 

This test result will then be valid for two weeks 

after the first entry. That means there will be no 

need to re-test when leaving Lesotho after the 

Roof. 

We’re in close contact with the Lesotho authorities 

and should these restrictions change, we will 

inform everyone immediately via our website, 

social media platforms and newsletter. We will also 

keep the media up to date but for now, these are 

the only restrictions. 

• We believe you have already received 

approvals from a number of stakeholders, 

including MSA (with some provisos), can 

you elaborate or is it still at a sensitive 

stage? 

We have all the necessary approvals from both 

MSA and the Lesotho Government. Permits 

have been issued from both and we have the full 

backing of the Lesotho Government in hosting the 

Motul Roof of Africa 2021. 

Enjoy the facilities at the Motul Roof of Africa Village at Thaba Bosiu 

again this year, pic taken 2019 edition 

All recommended COVID-19 compliance measures 

and safeguards will be in place to ensure 

everyone’s safety during the event. These will be 

communicated closer to the time to ensure they 

are the most up to date version. 

• Who’s allowed – support crews? 

Spectators? 

Currently, as per MSA regulations, one competitor 

plus five support crew members per competitor 

will be allowed access to the Motul Roof of 

Africa Race Village. To facilitate social distancing 

measures, spectators will not be allowed access 

into the Motul Roof of Africa Race Village unless 

they form part of a competitor’s registered support 

crew. 

The Maloti Mountains are calling,

Pics by ZCMC 

• Any new developments this year to the format of the 

event or the classes? 

2021 will see the introduction of an Iron Class in addition to the 

Bronze, Silver and Gold Classes. This is to provide an easier, 

entry level option for less technically proficient riders who wish to 

compete in the event. The racing format will remain unchanged – 

Round the Houses, followed by EnduroX for the Gold Class and 

a Time Trial for the Silver, Bronze and Iron Classes. These initial 

chapters will be followed by a spectacular two days of racing in 

the iconic Maloti Mountains. 

• How are the entries coming along and is there interest 

from overseas riders again this year? 

Entries have been great, and we really appreciate the support that 

we’ve received. We are currently sitting on *350 entries for the 

2021 Motul Roof of Africa. There has been interest from overseas 

riders, with around *10 entered so far, but we are working on a few 

exciting additions to the international roster. 

Fast flat sections with picturesque views, 

*At time of printing. 

• Any detail or highlights for the routes this year? 

Competitors are in for another epic adventure through the Maloti 

Mountains! We have been hard at work fine-tuning our routes and 

competitors can expect a meticulously marked and tested route. 

We have also discovered a few new sections that will add great 

value to the event. But the main highlight for us will be having 

competitors back in the mountains of Lesotho! 

• How will you be handling medical emergencies in case of 

any injuries? 

Riding in the Moutains of Lesotho 

We have an extremely professional team to deal with any medical 

emergencies. The ER24 team has many years’ experience at the 

Motul Roof of Africa. 

There will be four ambulances on standby at the event, two at 

the Motul Roof of Africa Village and another two 4x4 ambulances 

that will be strategically placed throughout the route. In addition 

to this, there will be a helicopter on standby at the Roof Village 

for medical emergencies with a second helicopter available 

if necessary. We also have a tracking system which gives us 

incredibly accurate knowledge of each competitor’s location - 

these tracking units also feature an SOS function which riders can 

activate in case of emergencies. 

Our competitors’ safety is always our number one priority. 

• Should competitors expect a tough event based on the 

unfortunate cancellation last year and the amount of 

time you’ve had to hone the routes and make the event 

everything we’ve expected from the Mother of Hard 

Enduro? 

The Maloti Mountains are calling, 

Competitors can expect a similar standard of event to 2019. 

That is, a tough course that is achievable if you put in the work. 

Nothing comes easy in the Maloti Mountains, and competitors will 

need to dig deep to get a finish at the 2021 Motul Roof of Africa. 

• Any training tips? 

Put in the hours on the bike. The best training you can do is 

always spent on the bike, so try and do some longer weekend 

rides. Aim for a 6- to 10-hour ride at least once per weekend – and 

twice if you really want to give yourself the best possible chance Wade Young impresses during the EnduroX at the 2019 edition 

of conquering the Roof. If you don’t have the time to spend so 

long in the saddle, try to work on your cardiovascular fitness: 

cycle, run or swim.

Pics by ZCMC 

Always keep in mind you are training for endurance, and this 

requires longer hours. A 10-minute run isn’t going to make 

massive improvements; to build up the endurance required 

to ride the Roof, you will need to go long and often! 

• Is there enough accommodation available in 

Lesotho – suggested spots to consider? 

Accommodation is available in Lesotho, but with the 

popularity of the event it does fill up quite quickly. We 

would suggest first looking at our website www.roofofafrica. 

co.ls for a full list of accommodation options and if they 

start to fill up, looking at alternatives such as camping or 

motorhomes, both of which make great options. 

• Start/finish – same as the last time round or would 

you consider finding a lekker pass so that we mere 

mortals can watch the riders slog up and down the 

mountains. 

The start/finish will be the same as in 2019, at the Thaba 

Bosiu Cultural Village. This option also creates a more 

controlled environment to implement COVID-19 protocols. 

We are working on creating something spectacular very 

nearby for spectators to enjoy, and there will also be a 

number of opportunities to follow the riders and experience 

the battles in the mountains. 

• There were a few grumbles from competitors about 

the Round the Houses format onto the Endurocross 

track last time round. Have you had a think about 

that? Are you going back to the old format or does 

the Endurocross stay? (PS. we loved it!) 

Epic trails and meticulously marked routes await 

G 

EnduroX stays. The Motul Roof of Africa needs to keep 

pace with the rest of the Hard Enduro scene and EnduroX 

has become an integral part of the Hard Enduro format. It 

creates great hype for the event and brings the action to the 

people of Maseru – of course, we’ll be complying with all 

COVID-19 regulations in place at the time of the event. 

• In the possible event that Motul Roof of Africa is 

not able to go ahead this year, what are the returns 

policies for people who have entered and any tips 

for those who have booked accommodation? 

Wade Young current Motul Roof of Africa champion 

O 

All competitors will be entitled to a full refund less a small 

handling/admin fee, or the opportunity to roll over their entry 

to 2022. We have worked tirelessly to ensure the Roof goes 

ahead as planned in 2021 and for now we feel as confident 

as one can, that the event will be going ahead. But as this 

pandemic is out of our control, it is of course not impossible 

that the event may need to be moved to next year, in which 

case we will inform everyone immediately. 

With regards to accommodation bookings, we can only 

advise Roof competitors to ensure they understand the 

cancellation policy of their preferred establishment and 

make sure they are happy with it before booking. 

C 

We would just like to add, as the organisers of the Motul 

Roof of Africa, we would like to thank each and every 

competitor, supporter, sponsor and stakeholder for their 

patience, understanding and support. It has been a tough 

year and a half for all of us, but we are determined to 

do everything we possibly can to bring the excitement, 

adventure and racing of the Roof back to our communities.

www.gasgas.com 

GET 

Photos: Sebas Romeo, Mitterbauer H. 

ON THE 

CHECK IT OUT! 

G A S ! 

Spice things up and take shredding around your local MX track to a whole new level on bikes 

that deliver proven technology and vibrant styling. Choose one of our screaming 2-strokes 

or a powerful 250cc or 450cc 4-stroke and enjoy our no-nonsense approach to performance, 

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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.

RAD KTM - RAD Indeed! 

A lekker place to shop. 

One of the dealerships that has not succumbed to becoming 

a multi Franchise is RAD KTM in Witkoppen Road. 

We asked the DP Miguel why that was - and his reply was 

simple. “We love KTM and our focus is on that brand.” 

Take a wander out there some time. Its a really friendly store - 

and we hate to harp on about it - but in these chilly JHB times, 

they do serve a fine cuppa coffee. 

The showroom is mighty impressive with just about the full 

KTM range of Road, Adventure and Dirt bikes just looking for 

a home. 

On the same level you’ll find the full range of KTM Powerwear 

and a well stocked parts department. 

Go down a level to one of the most impressive workshops 

you’ll ever see, with qualified personnel giving the service 

bikes some attention. 

Now take the trek upstairs to Level 3 where you’ll find a 

selection of clean pre-owned motorcycles. The guys are quite 

fussy about what they trade and buy, so each unit is very 

clean - and they put it through the workshop before it goes to 

a new home. 

While you are there - go and have a look at RAD Moto’s 

selection of collectable classic motorcycles. 

Its worth the visit - a little bit of SA motorcycling history... 

Thats Rad KTM - 1 Wall street, Corner Rivonia & Witkoppen 

Road, Sandton Phone:011 234 5007 www.radmoto.co.za 

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World Of Yamaha Now A Full Retail Store: 

If you have ever driven along the M1 around the Sandton 

area, you’d be hard pressed to miss the magnificent Yamaha 

building. 

This used to be Yamaha South Africa’s head office and 

storage depot and all sorts but as of just a little while ago, 

it is also a full Yamaha retail outlet. 

And it is amazing and well worth a visit because... 

• Best Coffee. Andre the main man in charge Andre 

De Villiers challenges you to find a better cup at any 

dealership in SA. 

• Two motorcycle brands: Kymco’s impressive range of 

scooters and Yamaha’s lineup of delectable dirtbikes, 

Adventure machines, Ag units, ATV’s and superbikes. 

• An amazing accessory store. Pretty much, one of the 

biggest around with a massive variety of clobber for all 

kinds of riding in addition to casual wear from Yamaha 

and VR 46. 

• Workshop. Yup they will take your baby in and give 

it the love it deserves with very qualified technicians 

swinging spanners. 

• Parts. The parts counter is just about sorted and 

ready to roll. Naturally the focus is on Yamaha products 

but they will carry popular bits like brake pads, 

chains and so-on. 

But wait - there’s more! 

Yamaha is famous for a few other products too. If you are 

a Musician - you need to go and check out their range of 

instruments. Drive mom nuts and get junior a drum kit. We 

dare you. But there is everything from Guitars to pianos, 

drums to amps, and everything in between, including some 

sweet sound equipment like Hi-FI’s, speakers sound bars 

and so-on on display and some selected goods for sale. 

Power products - Mom needs a lawnmower and maybe a 

generator for that pesky Eskom intervention... 

Marine: 

If you are a person who loves to get out on the water - you 

need to check out some of the amazing watercraft in store. 

From Yachts to rubber dinghies, there is a massive selection. 

Guys its very impressive to see. An amazing store. if you 

are at a loose end on the weekend go and have a looksee. 

19 Eastern Service Rd, Kelvin, Sandton, 2054. 

Easy to get to. Lots of safe parking. 

www.yamahashop.co.za 

Phone: 011 259 7600

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45,000km 

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R1250 RS, 2021 

2 300km Top Box 

R199 000 

R 1250 RS, 2019 

100km 

R215 000 

R1250RT, 2019 

18 000km 

R230 000 

C400 X 2020 

1,300km 

R109 000 

R1250 Vespa GS 300 ADV, GTS, 2020 2018 

13,500km 000km (Factory Lowered) 

R269 R99 000 

Vespa 250 GTS, 2011 

13, 000km 

R89 000 

BMW Motorrad Fourways 

R1250 GS ADV, Adventure 2019 2013 

534,000km 

Top Box & panniers, Akropovic 

Slip R245 on000 

R320 000 

Cnr Witkoppen and Cedar Road. 

Fourways, Gauteng. 

Tel: (011) 367-1600 

Email: rodney.serfontein@cedarisle.co.za

Pimp 

My Ride 

All about sticker kits and stuff. 

By Kyle Lawrenson. 

South Africans can be quite bling! We buy 

things and pimp them straight away. We can’t 

leave things standard and we also use them for 

bragging rights. You buy your bike and the first 

thing you do is look for aftermarket parts. 

One of the most economical and effective routes 

is a good sticker kit. Just have a look around. 

Yamaha launched the T7 and look at how many 

of them have sticker kits? How many people 

race? Look at their bikes. 

Sticker kits are an identity of the rider and 

in some cases bragging rights. Some kits 

showcase different classes as well as sponsors. 

Best of all a fresh sticker kit makes a bike look 

and feel like a new one! 

Step 1 - Choosing your Kit: 

At RobertCo they have a selection of pre-designed kits that you can 

personalise. This is cool because if you want to include a photo of your dog, 

your mom, your GF, it’s all possible. These kits are bike specific and year 

specific and they have a massive selection of templates to work from. you 

need to let them know what bike you have – ie: A 2015 CRF 250 X or a 2005 

YZ125. Once you have chosen a design the process is very simple. You 

send them the Logos or whatever you need included, they do the design 

work and send you back an idea of what your bike will look like. If you like, 

it’s game on… 

They will send you the proof along with an invoice. You pay (that’s important) 

and the process starts. 

A few years back you could buy a sticker kit that 

was pre-made for any bike from any dealer. But 

those days are over due to the cost of importing. 

Now there are lots of guys who can pimp your 

ride. You’d have seen the competition we ran 

for the guys from RobertCo? They have sorted 

Decals for all of our bikes – quality workmanship 

at what we think is a reasonable price. And most 

importantly, the kits are lasting well and handling 

much abuse. 

We went along to RobertCo and walked through 

the process. 

Step 2 - Printing the Kit: 

Once the design has been signed off and the deposit received, 

the final design is broken up and nested (This is the process 

where the entire kit fits into a designated print area) onto high 

strength vinyl. Quality vinyl is pricey because it is all imported… 

The print file looks very confusing and does not look like a 

sticker kit at all rather a sticker sheet). From there the kit is 

added to the print run. 

The print run is the special part here. RobertCo has invested 

in a fairly high tech Latex Printer. What does this mean? This 

means that the inks are not solvent anymore and the drying 

time is almost instant. This Brings the delivery time down by at 

least a day. 

That doesn’t sound like a lot, but when a guy is off racing and 

in a hurry, it helps…

How does a LATEX Machine work? Pretty much the same 

as any other desktop/digital printer. The inks used are 

water-based and the Latex acts as the carrier for the colour 

pigments. The vinyl goes through a drying process as it is 

printing and can be applied or laminated almost immediately 

and, they tell us that it’s eco-friendly. 

Nice one guys! 

Step 3 - Lamination and Cutting. 

Laminating is a very crucial part as we all want our graphics 

to be protected from the harsh elements of riding. The 

laminate used is a thick clear vinyl the goes over the print. 

This can be laminated cold or warm. Once laminated the 

sticker kit will go onto the vinyl cutter/Plotter and be cut. 

Step 4 – Installing. This is the trickiest part… 

RobertCo offers the following: 

Clean the old plastics and install new graphics or, you 

supply the plastics clean and they apply the graphics or they 

can supply NEW plastics and install. 

Chat to them, but we’ll tell you that for the extra cost, it’s 

worth getting them to do it all coz it can be a real ballache. 

If you want to install it yourself, no worries, they will send 

you the sticker kit anywhere in SA. Just – take your time… 

How to apply a sticker kit: 

The plastics on the bike that we sent down was not perfectly 

clean. The team of applicators jumped onto the bike and 

started the process. 

• Old stickers are removed and the glue residue is 

cleaned with a glue remover or Turps. NOT THINNERS 

- Thinners is oil-based and will not allow the vinyl to 

stick onto the plastics. Powasol makes a great gum 

remover – look them up! 

• Once the plastics have been cleaned allow them to dry. 

This takes a few seconds as the cleaner evaporates 

quickly. From there we start with the application. 

• Before removing the backing from the vinyl place the 

sticker in its place and ensure that you have it all lined 

up correctly. Once you are certain and happy that it 

lines up pull the back off in one corner. Don’t remove 

the whole backing as you are going to have to reline up 

the graphics etc. Apply the corner and work your way 

from left to right or vice versa. 

• Application is not a rush job. Take your time and 

line it up properly. While applying you will find more 

challenging parts where you might require heat. Yes by 

all means use a heat gun or your mom’s hairdryer. But 

keep your distance from the vinyl and don’t heat it up 

too much. Vinyl can mould to convex curves, but too 

much heat will make it stretch. The application process 

can take up some time. RobertCo did our Honda 

CRF250x in an Hour. That was cleaning and applying. 

And they are experts. 

• Activating the glue. Once you have applied all the 

plastics take your heat gun or hairdryer and go over 

the whole sticker kit rubbing the corners etc with your 

fingers. Keep in mind - leave a good distance between 

the plastics and the Heat gun/Hairdryer. You warm it to 

active the glue and ensure that it sticks properly. 

To sum it up. The days of a long wait for sticker kits are 

pretty much over. 

Once the design has been approved RobertCo can have 

your sticker Kit ready for collection or delivery within 48 

HRS. 

If you want it installed you would need to arrange with them. 

Great bunch. Great product. 

www.robertco.co.za

“Blood,Sweat 

and Tears To... 

Joy and Gears...Oh Boy... 

Motorcyclists are amongs the greatest 

people on earth. We’ve always said it 

and we’ll say it again. Read on... 

It all happened during the initial stages of Lockdown 

Level 5. 

Who would of possibly thought the following fourteen 

months or thereabouts for Brett Joubert would test him 

in such an agonising and antagonising way, mentally, 

physically, spiritually, emotionally and last, but certainly 

not least financially. 

Brett, an avid rider of anything with two wheels, with or 

without an engine is a Plumber and the owner of WTF 

Plumbing. He was called out to replace a burst geyser 

during the initial stages of Covid-19. 

Now Lockdown Level 5 in itself is no joke, but 

Lockdown Level 5 without any water is worse than an 

April Fools joke. 

Who would have imagined on that particular day Brett 

wouldn’t be going home - but would be ‘checking in’ 

to hospital for an Emergency operation after falling off 

the customer’s roof and shattering his tibia, fibula and 

ankle socket with an open fracture. 

The first of many many operations happened that very 

day. There were in fact several more to come, within 

very short spaces of time - literally days apart. 

It is worth mentioning that while waiting for the 

ambulance to arrive, his broken and shattered bone 

protruding from where it had pierced through the lower 

part of his leg. He made a telephone call to his cousin, 

also a qualified plumber to ensure what he set out to 

intially do, not break a leg, but rather to replace the 

geyser... 

I guess the lyrics of Alanis Morissette come to mind... 

“Isn’t That Ironic.” 

What followed, was five operations to stabilise the leg. 

Brett was bound to a wheelchair and crutches for in 

excess of a year. 

In and out of hospitals, steel plates and screws 

inserted in one of the operations and removed again in 

another. 

Having to go to the wound clinic at least twice a week 

for months on end... and this is just a very condensed 

version. 

What he didn’t envisage at the time was that his leg 

would eventually be amputated. 

Apart from what he was having to endure personally 

and from a business point of view there were other 

aspects of his life where he had to keep a cool head 

under conditions that were hotter than forging a piece 

of steel. His son was writing his matric final exams,

there was a family tragedy and somehow still being able to 

keep the ship afloat says something about this man. 

Today we believe he has those ants, you know those red bum 

biting ants in his pants. 

He built a Pit Bike in a wheelchair if you not sure or don’t know 

about it, ask the dudes that have ridden it, they can sum it up 

in three alphabetical letters: 

WTF!!! 

We guess initially he did this to keep himself busy. Looking 

at a deteriorating part of one’s body day in and day out most 

certainly can poison the strongest of minds, but not Brett. 

Somewhere deep down he yearned just to be able to do things 

with his family again,to be able to be of support to all, the way 

he just does in his own unique way, to be able to somehow 

continue to have the impact he does, he’s literally just an 

impact ‘FULL BEING’ 

In Feb this year, Brett had his leg amputated thanks to an 

infection which could not be treated successfully. One can 

just imagine, an integral part of one’s body, something you are 

accustomed to seeing day in and day out for decades, (we 

won’t say how many). 

Your leg is there when you are wheeled into theatre, and four 

hours later it’s just not there anymore. Just think about the 

process one has to go through to even try and comprehend 

something like that, before and after, one may tend to think 

one knows but you can one ever fully prepare oneself for such 

radical change. 

Surprisingly, after all the pain endured during this time, it was 

a relief once the amputation was performed as now he could 

move on with his life and get back to ‘normal’. 

also driving a manual vehicle within two days of having the 

prosthesis fitted. They are still working on the fine tuning of the 

leg before a final one will be made. 

Brett adds by saying, 

“I’m not DISABLED at all simply because people have given of 

their precious time unconditionally. 

I immensely appreciate and value each one of you individually 

for your unwavering support in today’s tough economic times, 

the unexpected calls, the visits, the messages, your meaningful 

words, the encouragement I have received and walking by my 

side and all of that has without a shadow of a doubt ENABLED 

me. 

The support I have received is so overwhelming.” 

Since receiving his prosthetic, he has finally been able to take 

part in one of Shadey Films #PitchandRide events, which was 

held on 12 June 2021 at Red Star Raceway. Brett participated 

in practice and two motos. 

After working on everyone else’s bikes for the past year, finally 

getting to ride on his own was absolutely liberating.” 

Brett auctioned off the bike he built that was mentioned earlier 

on with the help of brothers Cade and Travis from Shadey 

Films, and Bryce from Rogue Minis to help raise funds. 

They had a live streaming interview with Brett at Dirt Bronco 

at one of the Shadey Films #PitchandRide events that they 

host at least once a month at various tracks around Gauteng. 

The draw for the bike was live streamed and was punted 

continuously by Cade, Travis and Bryce on social media. 

Brett is indeed thankful to each and every single person for 

their contribution/s to his worthy cause. He admits that many 

of the people, he has never met before. 

People took from one, to as many as ten tickets. Some were 

even from friends from abroad. However each ticket was a 

significant contributing factor to what continues below. 

Paul Jacobs from Honda SA, an old school friend of Brett’s and 

an ambassador for Riding for a Limb got involved and set up 

a meeting with Gerda du Toit, a double amputee and also an 

ambassador for Riding for a Limb. From there he met Charl 

Beukes, a trustee of Riding for a Limb, who worked closely with 

Brett from soon after his leg was amputated and continues to 

do so now. 

Riding for a Limb is a project of the Kirsty Watts Foundation, 

a registered NPO which has helped people country-wide, 

helping to fit prosthetic limbs. These limbs usually cost 

around R160,000 per pair, but the Foundation has managed 

to bring the average cost down, including rehabilitation and 

consultations, making it accessible and a more realistic option 

for recipients. 

The coning of the stump started approximately six weeks 

after amputation, which took three weeks to complete. A 

cast of Brett’s leg was then made and the prosthetic limb was 

manufactured and completed within four days. Brett managed 

to walk a few steps immediately after the prosthetic was fitted, 

and has since been walking with the help of crutches. He was

MOTORCYCLE 

HOMOLOGATION 

AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN 

If you are a regular reader of our titles, you’ll see that 

we often mention that we have lost a model due to 

homologation laws. Homologation is a dark and murky topic 

that been around for ever and a day, but has really come 

into the limelight just a few short years ago. We got hold of 

Arnold from the Association of Motorcycle Importers and 

Distributors, (AMID), to get a better understanding of this 

lot… 

It all quite involved, but have a read anyway… there is a test at 

the end… But it explains why we lost built for Africa bikes like 

Kawasaki’s KLR650, Suzuki’s DR 650 and Honda’s XL… and it 

also explains to some extent why parallel imports are no longer 

available. 

What is Homologation? – It is the process by which a motor 

vehicle, (which includes passenger cars, motorcycles, busses, 

trucks etc.), is evaluated against a set of standards and if found 

to comply will then be approved for use on public roads. 

Why do we have it? - Following on the democratic elections held 

in 1994, South Africa was re-admitted to the United Nations. It 

then became a co-signatory to what is referred to as WP29, which 

is a permanent Working Party dealing with the “Harmonisation 

of Vehicle Regulations”. Then followed quite a lengthy process 

whereby South Africa adopted UN Regulations for motor vehicles. 

These regulations are referred to as UN-ECE. Although our SA 

standards are referred to as SANS, they are effectively a copy 

and paste of the similarly numbered ECE Regulations with maybe 

small modifications to account for local conditions. 

The advantages of using UN-ECE regulations are amongst 

others that it makes it easier administratively to formulate 

regulations and keep them up to date. More importantly, 

because we use internationally accepted standards, it enables 

import and export of vehicles without unnecessary double 

testing to non-ECE standards, i.e. local standards do not 

become trade barriers. 

For practical reasons at the time, the SABS/NRCS, (National 

Regulator for Compulsory Standards), and NDOT conceded 

that UN-ECE regulations alone would be problematic as a 

single standard, because many motorcycle factories did not 

have all ECE test Reports available for all models. The best 

common denominator at the time were EEC, (European), 

regulations, which were then adopted as “equivalent” 

standards. Practically this means that an Importer can either 

present EEC test reports, or UN-ECE, or a combination of both. 

EEC standards are generally higher than UN-ECE. Hard as the 

Industry tried, we could not get any other countries’ standards, 

such as US-DOT as second equivalent. 

These regulations, which focusses on safety critical 

components, are encapsulated in what is referred to as 

VC9098, (Vehicle Compulsory Standards). From a public health 

and safety perspective, it is a vastly superior system to what 

existed previously, which was nothing better than a physical 

scrutiny to ensure that a motorcycle “looked” roadworthy, but it 

also created new problems for the Industry.

How does it work? – When an Importer decides to bring a 

specific model to South Africa, a sample unit gets inspected by 

the NRCS, and they then also scrutinize the suite of test reports 

as required by the VC9098. When everything is found to be in 

order, an approval is granted and that vehicle model is loaded on 

the e-NaTIS system. Without this process it is not possible to get 

a new model onto the Natis system. These procedures do not 

apply to off road vehicles not designed for use on public roads. 

In order to sell new motor vehicles in South Africa one has to 

be registered as an MIB, (Manufacturer/Importer/Builder). A 

company’s MIB is linked to Natis, and all new models are linked 

to a particular MIB, to which in turn specific VIN’s are linked. This 

is so that an MIB can be held accountable for those vehicles that 

they imported or built. If two different MIB’s were to import the 

same vehicle model, they would each have to homologate their 

own models. One cannot use the homologation approval of the 

other. 

All this became law on 1 December 2011 with a two year 

phasing in period. All new models would have to comply with 

VC9098 from that date onwards. Existing models introduced 

under the old system had a two year grace period in which to be 

homologated, failing which it would no longer be possible to sell 

such “un-homologated” models for road use in South Africa. 

What were the implications? – At the time, real examples such 

as the Kawasaki KLR650, Suzuki DR650 and Honda XR650 were 

mainly manufactured for the USA market. As they were unable 

to meet European emission standards, the Factories did not 

test these models to EEC standards, nor to UN-ECE standards. 

Although I simplify, USA standards are widely adopted 

throughout North and South America, and with some small 

variables, are also accepted in Australia. 

Interestingly, USA emission standards are higher than the 

South Africa standard, but because the test reports, which 

has to refer to a particular standard, were not available, we 

“lost” these models, although it was not purely the absence 

of emission test reports. Other test reports were also not 

available. 

Consequently, the SA Importers of these models could not 

obtain the necessary UN-ECE, (or EEC), test reports for these 

models and were unable to homologate, therefore unable to 

sell. One positive was that the really cheap Chinese products 

could also not be homologated as some components could 

simply not pass the UN-ECE regulations, although some 

may argue that cheaper transport should have been a higher 

priority. 

What are the costs and why can it be expensive? – To 

homologate a motorcycle in South Africa amounts to a direct 

cost of slightly under R4500 per model. Then there is the cost 

of technical staff, but the impact on the local consumers is not 

significant in the greater scheme of things. 

The bigger costs are borne by the Factories and as this is 

spread over many units of production, it is not normally felt at 

local level. As for expensive see below. 

Why do the SA Importers not test themselves? – There are 

several reasons. In order to comply with “Conformity of 

Production” rules, the Factories have to submit a model for 

testing. An interested 3rd party cannot as they are not the 

manufacturer. Similarly, the manufacturers of components 

must obtain test reports and provide these to the Motorcycle 

Factories. For example the manufacturer of a tail light is 

responsible for the testing of the component. The Factory 

is responsible for having the same component tested 

with regards to its position as mounted on the complete 

motorcycle. So you have similar scenarios for mirrors, 

hooters, head lights and indicators. 

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Apart from the fact that no motorcycle test laboratories exist in 

South Africa, the above scenario describes why a model cannot 

be homologated by an independent importer. Some Factories, 

(but not all), will specifically homologate for a particular market. 

The cost is rumoured to be in excess of USD30k, which is 

roughly R450k. Not worth the cost unless volumes justify the 

expense, and South Africa is a relatively low volume market! 

What about parallel/grey/second hand? – The adoption of 

VC9098 also had the implication of shutting down the so called 

grey and parallel import activities, essentially because Importers 

of these products were not sourcing from a Factory, and 

therefore had no access to the original test certification required 

for homologation. Second hand vehicles are not sourced 

from the Factory, (although manufactured there originally), 

which means Factory obtained test reports cannot be used. 

Components may have been changed, (think exhaust, indicators, 

OEM brake pads etc.), during initial ownership, which effectively 

means that every individual unit requires testing, which is 

practically and financially impossible. 

Contrary to popular belief at the time, AMID was not the driving 

force behind the changes in legislation. The changes came about 

as described early on in this article, and the motorcycle industry 

was in fact the last automotive component which was able to 

import and sell second hand vehicles in South Africa. 

In summary - The subject is quite complex and I have out 

of necessity tried to provide an explanation which most will 

understand. This means I had to leave out steps and technical 

points which a very technical person may find lacking. 

Unfortunately I cannot use up the whole magazine so kindly see 

my explanation above in this context. 

Arnold Olivier - National Director 

Association of Motorcycle Importers & Distributors (AMID) 

HON 

R29 

Hond 

R39 9 

0 

40 G 

VER 

DEA 

073 075 2363 

We are back up 

and running 

out of temporary premises for servicing, 

repairs, parts and etc. 

Call Rodney 

073 075 2363 

(KZN) 

follow us on facebook 

THE NAME OF THE GAME IS 

GETTING 

073 

BACK 

075 

INTO 

2363 

BUSINESS! 

WE HAVE SURVIVED 

THE LOOTING & IT IS THE COURAGE 

TO CONTINUE THAT COUNTS. 

The Power Centre, 

21 Lanner Road, New Germany 

ron.rocket@vodamail.co.za 

031 702 2606 (KZN) 

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HONDA CRF110 2018 

R29 950 

KTM 85SX Big Wheel 2021 

P.O.A 

YAMAHA YZ450F 2016 60th Anniversary 

R84 950(MX Gear incl worth R10 000) 

Honda CRF150 2007 

R39 950 

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DEAN@VLA1.CO.ZA 

KTM 450SXF 2021 

R124 950 (MX Gear incl worth R10 000) 

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P.O.A 

! 

GE 

y 

a

South Africa 

to Slovenia on GS’s 

By Cronjé Bruwer 

We really do have the privilege of meeting some of the nicest people 

with the most interesting tales of epic motorcycling adventures. 

Recently we were wandering around BMW Motorrad West out in 

Roodepoort when we were introduced to a Mr. Cronjé Bruwer who 

told us about an adventure that he and two mates went on in 2019. 

They rode their GS’s all the way from JHB through Africa and into 

Eastern Europe. We obviously fell in love with the idea and the story 

and only too happily agreed to publish it and get everybody lusting 

to wander. 

The journey and the story is quite long but incredibly interesting so we 

will be publishing new episodes every month or whenever he sends them 

along. Like our ed always says… You need a motorcycle in your life. 

Episode 1 – Planning, South Africa, Botswana and Zambia: 

A trans-African motorcycle trip has always been a bit of a daydream of 

mine and I have always wondered about but how, when, how much, how 

long, which route, safety, what to take - and many more unanswered 

questions. 

One day, during a casual chat with Jaques Nel from Evolution Motorcycles 

about said African trip daydream, his immediate answer was “Let’s 

go!!” 

This answer got me thinking more seriously about the trip, but all these 

unanswered questions were still in the back of my head. But Jacques 

enthusiasm was the spark I needed to stop dreaming about this trip and 

set up a provisional route which I sent it to Jacques for his input and his 

response was a very enthusiastic “When are we leaving?”. An old friend 

of Jacques, Colin Britt also got very excited and indicated that he will be 

joining us. Well now that 3 of us were committed we started to establish 

a final route, a departure date and a time frame as well as starting with 

preparations. 

Photo 1 

Preparation for the trip 

The preparation for such an extended trip is a huge task and in retrospect 

most of our worries were unfounded. Valuable input regarding the 

route and duration of the trip was given by Edrique Botha who done a 

similar trip some time before. Uwe Schmidt helped us with many of our 

unanswered questions and slowly our final plan came together. 

Photo 1 

Some advice to prospective Africa travelers is this, do it while 

you have the strength. The longer you postpone it the older 

you get. Riding a bike all day every day for several hundred 

kilometers a day is strenuous at the best of times, riding in 

unknown conditions, off-road and through strange countries 

only intensifies that, especially when your diet has to change to 

suit whatever is available, but don’t not do it because you feel 

you are too old, I was 57 when I did this trip. 

Herewith some answers to our questions: 

Safety in Africa? 

The East African countries we travelled through were safe. 

Nowhere did we feel threatened or unsafe. In fact, once we 

got north of our borders we felt completely safe. Obviously 

you have to take note of where there are trouble hot spots and 

work your route around them, but in general African people are 

friendly, welcoming, helpful and very generous, it really is a joy 

to travel through Africa. 

How much? 

For accommodation an estimate would be 15 USD/day in 

cheap hotels. 

A further 15 to 25 USD/day for meals and other expenditure … 

and 1 tank of fuel/day. 

Transportation of motorcycles back then from Alexandria to 

Athens was approximately R15,000.00 for all three bikes. 

How long? 

With the route we followed I would suggest a minimum of 3 

months, we pushed a bit harder and did it in 2.5 months due 

to time restraints. 

Our 3 musketeers had a “pack day” ensuring we had all the 

necessary equipment between the 3 of us. Since we had no 

back-up vehicle we had to carry all equipment and spares on 

our motorcycles. A further hint is not to over pack. For instance 

we managed the entire trip with the tyres we fitted before 

leaving from South Africa all the way to Slovenia, therefore 

carried a spare tyre all the way unnecessarily. But rather safe 

than sorry.

Photo 2 

The BIG day of departure 

On the 18th May 2019, with a song in our hearts, a 

huge amount of excitement and some trepidation 

of the unknown we departed from Jacques’s house 

and pointed our bikes north. Our intention was to 

cover as much ground as possible during the first 

2 days riding through South Africa and Botswana, 

having travelled through both quite extensively the 

real adventure would start for us once we hit Zambia. 

Below is our route we followed from Johannesburg to 

Livingstone in Zambia. 

Photo 3 

We managed to reach Nata lodge on day 1. From 

Nata onwards we stopped at Elephant sands and 

crossed the Zambezi river by means of ferry into 

Zambia and slept in Livingstone. 

Photo 2 

Photo 4,5,6 

Victoria Falls 

The route we follow through Zambia 

Photo 7 

On the northern outskirts of Lusaka we stayed over 

at a lovely farm and hotel called Fringilla. During 

supper the owner joined us and recommended that 

we visit Africa House at Mpika in northern Zambia. 

Africa House was one of the highlights of our tour. 

For those interested a video on YouTube named “The 

Curse of the Africa House” gives the background 

of this historical landmark. A documentary charting 

the life of Sir Stewart Gore-Browne and his lifelong 

obsession to build a stately home in the wilds of 

Africa, on the shore of lake ‘Shiwa Ngandu’ lake of 

the Royal Crocodiles. 

Photo 8,9 

Kapishya hot springs, belonging to a grandson of 

Mr Stewart Gore-Brown who build Africa House is 

situated next to the Africa House. This is a must see 

destination in Northern Zambia 

Photo 10,11 

Our 3 tour friends at Kalambo falls on the border 

between Zambia and Tanzania. 

Photo 12 

The road from Mbala to the Tanzanian border post 

could hardly be called a road so bad it is. The border 

post between Zambia and Tanzania. 

Photo 13 

Episode 2 will follow soon in Dirt & Trail Magazine … 

(The following videos is available on YouTube of our 

trip: South Africa and Botswana - A Africa SA-Bots 

… Zambia – B Africa Zambia) 

Follow their Youtube Channel https://youtu.be/ 

ECc5o3-ucHk 

Photo 7 

Photo 3 

Photo 5 

Photo 8 

Photo 4 

Photo 6 

Photo 9 

Photo 10 

Photo 11 

Photo 12 

Photo 13

BUYERS GUIDE 

BMW - www.bmwmotorrad.co.za 

R nineT Scrambler R243,249 

G 310 GS R108,800 

F 750 GS R206,600 

F 850 GS R213,900 

F 850 GS Adventure R240,200 

R 1250 GS R322,900 

R 1250 GS Adventure R343,700 

DUCATI - www.ducati.co.za 

Multistrada 950 R228,800 

Multistrada 1260 R292,000 

Multistrada 1260 Enduro R297,900 

HONDA - www.honda.co.za 

Africa Twin 1100 Manual R233,800 

Africa Twin 1100 DCT R252,400 

Africa Twin 1100 AS Man R262,500 

Africa Twin 1100 AS ES R305,000 

XR190 R56,900 

XR150L R37,700 

XR125L R34,800 

CRF3000L R84,999 

CRF450L R129,999 

CRF110F 19 R37,600 

CRF125F R46,900 

CRF250RX 21 R121,300 

CRF250R 21 R108,900 

CRF450RX 21 R133,100 

CRF450R 21 R132,100 

CRF450R 20 R121,000 

TRX250TM R111,300 

TRX420FA R170,900 

GAS GAS - www.gasgas.com 

TXT300 RACING R129,000 

EC250 R129,000 

EC300 R135,000 

EC250F R131,000 

EC350F R133,000 

MC125 R96,000 

MC250F R121,000 

MC450F R126,000 

MC E-5 R65,000 

MC50 R50,000 

MC65 R63,000 

MC85 R77,000 

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

Brought to you by 

HERO - info@heromotorcycles.co.za 

ECO DELUXE R16,499 

ECO 150 R20,999 

ECO150 TR R22,999 

XPULSE 200T R38,999 

XPULSE 200 R49,999 

HUSQVARNA - 

www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com 

TC50 mini R55,699 

TC50 R56,699 

TC65 R69,699 

TC85 R83,699 

TC125 R102,699 

EE5 R110,699 

TC250 R124,699 

FC250 R135,699 

FC350 R140,699 

FC450 R143,699 

TE150i R125,699 

TE250i R147,699 

TE300i R153,699 

FE250 R149,699 

FE350 R151,699 

FE450 R154,699 

FE501 R157,699 

701 Enduro R186,699 

TX300i R152,699 

FX350 R150,699 

FX450 R153,699 

FS450 R158,699 

701 Supermoto R186,699 

KAWASAKI - www.kawasaki.co.za 

Versys-X 300 20 R85,995 

KX65 R52,995 

KX85 BW R62,995 

KX250 R115,995 

KX250 XC R149,995 

KX450 XC R145,995 

Brute Force 300 R84,995 

Mule SX 2×4 R179,995 

Mule SX 4×4 R179,995 

Teryx 800 ESP LE R299,995 

KTM - www.ktm.com 

50 SX R51,999 

50 SX Mini R49,999

BUYERS GUIDE 

65 SX R64,999 

85 SX R78,999 

SX-E 5 R66,999 

125 SX R100,999 

150 SX R105,999 

250 SX R114,999 

250 SX-F R126,999 

350 SX-F R130,999 

450 SX-F R132,999 

450 SX-F FE R148,999 

150 XC-W TPI R116,999 

250 XC TPI R135,999 

250 XC-W TPI R135,999 

250 EXC Six Days TPI R143,999 

300 XC TPI R142,999 

300 XC-W TPI R139,999 

300 XC-W Six Days TPI R150,999 

300 EXC TPI ERZBERG R156,999 

250 XC-F R137,999 

250 EXC-F R136,999 

250 EXC-F Six Days R146,999 

350 XC-F R137,999 

350 EXC-F R139,999 


450 XC-F R140,999 

450 EXC-F R142,999 


500 EXC-F R145,999 


FREERIDE 250 F R101,999 

390 Adventure R107,999 

890 Adventure R219,999 

890 Adventure R R239,999 

890 Adventure R Rally R319,999 

1290 Super Adventure S R299.999 

1290 Super Adventure R R314,999 

690 Enduro R R185,999 

690 SMC R R185,999 

MOTO GUZZI - www.italianmi.co.za 

V85 TT Evocative E5 R234,850 

V85 TT Travel Pack R249,850 

PUZEY - www.puzey.co.za 

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 

www.suzukimotorcycles.co.za 

DR200SEL5 R55,950 

DL650XAMO R144,500 

DL1000XAL9 R172,900 

DL1050RCM0 R221,950 

LT-A400FM0 R139,950 

LT-A750XL9 R169,950 

LT-F400FM0 R139,150 

SHERCO 

www.shercosouthafrica.co.za 

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 

SWM 

www.swm-motorcycles-za.com 

SD 650T R132,572 

SD 650 X R132,572 

RS 300 R R111,198 

RS 500 R R121,950 

BUYERS GUIDE 

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

BUYERS GUIDE 

SYM - www.sym.co.za 

NHT125 R29,995 

NHT200 R35,995 

NHX125 R29,995 

TRIUMPH 

www.triumph-motorcycles.co.za 

Tiger 900 GT PRO R215,000 

Tiger 900 Rally Pro R229,000 

YAMAHA - www.yamaha.co.za 

PW50 R34,950 

TTR50E R34,950 

TTR110E R46,950 

XT1200Z R224,950 

XT1200ZE R249,950 

YFM350 Grizzly 2x4 R119,950 

YFM350 Grizzly 4x4 R159,950 

YFM450 Kodiak 4x4 R179,950 

YFM450 Kodiak 4x4 EPS R184,950 

YFM700 Grizzly R214,950 

YFM700 Grizzly SE R259,950 

YFM90R R44,950 

YFZ450R R199,950 

YFM700 Raptor R199,950 

YFM700 Raptor SE R229,950 

YZ65 R66,950 

YZ85 R75,950 

YZ125 R84,950 

YZ250 2 Stroke R99,950 

YZ250F R129,950 

YZ450F R149,950 

YZ125X R95,950 

YZ250X 2 Stroke R104,950 

YZ250FX R129,950 

YZ450FX R144,950 

WR450F R149,950 

Brought to you by 

ZONTES - www.zontes.co.za 

ZT310-T 

POA 

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

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Looking for motorcycle parts or accessories 

Phone 011 395 2553 - 082 756 1008 

Email : info@nickscycles.co.za 

082 756 1008 

Mon - Tues 8am to 5pm Wed 10am to 5pm 

Thurs - Fri 8am to 5pm 

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NEWBIE TIPS: 

With so many new riders entering the world of offroading 

– we’ll run a fairly regular column with tips and 

tricks from experts in the adventure, ATV and dirtbike 

scene. 

This month we take a look at some sensible things that 

you should never leave home without when you head out 

on your ride. 

TECH FEATURE 

BUM BAG ESSENTIALS 

A Hydration Pack. 

We have fond memories of forgetting ours once when 

a veritable rock hopper invited us for a “little ride” and 

we almost died from dehydration in the first 20 minutes. 

There are lots of varieties on the market and most have 

space to pack other goods too – but always, always 

take a drinking pack along for the ride. We won’t tell you 

how to fill it, people have all sorts of preferances when it 

comes to staying hydrated – but we usually carry lots of 

water. 

Inside that we always pack a chocolate, biscuits 

and peanuts just for that little energy kick along the way. 

A basic tool set. 

Running our tours and trips, we often get asked what we 

recommend. So for the sake of this feature, we actually 

emptied our ride bag so that we can show you. It all 

looks fairly ratty but this stuff works hard on every ride 

– and we are usually able to get just about any machine 

sorted… 

Sometimes, things do go wrong and you don’t want to 

get stuck out there without a few simple tools that could 

get you sorted. There are loads of options available 

in the form of tool rolls from any reputable accessory 

store – but we’ll run you through a few bits that are nonnegotiable 

every time we go out. 

One of the greatest tools that we ever invested in is the 

Motion Pro Trail Tool. We cannot tell you how often this 

compact multi tool has saved our asses! We have no 

idea who stocks them locally, but have a look on line. 

Well worth the rands you spend. 

Pliars. You can’t beat em whether you pick up wire in 

your chain or you need to grip something. We use them 

all the time. 

Ring spanners. Have a look at the popular sizes on your 

bike – usually 8. 10. 12. Why ring spanners? They grip 

the bolts better. 

A flat and phillips screwdriver. 

A compact socket set. 

A compact set of Hex Keys (if your bike has hex bolts). 

Here’s another tip. 

Hex keys are very easy and compact to carry. On some 

of our bikes, we have changed out the oem bolts for hex 

units for this reason: You can almost strip a whole bike 

with one or two hex keys and they very seldom strip. 

Cable ties. Whoever invented those needs a gold star. 

We have used them for everything from holding tyres in 

place to patching bust levers. 

Epoxy. Especially for the rock hoppers who fall a lot. A 

cracked casing can mess you whole ride up. This stuff has 

saved hundreds of people all around the globe. 

A roll of insulation tape. 

A short length of rope. We knot it on both sides to that if 

you need to give someone a tow it’s simple. 

If you do not run Mousses: A puncture kit. With inflators. 

And patches. Tubes are bulky very difficult to carry. 

Tyre levers with ring spanner heads that match our bikes 

axle bolts. 

A small shifting spanner. 

A couple of spare bolts. Because you never know when 

you need some. 

TIP: This is all wrapped up inside our best Sunday socks. 

The socks stop the screwdrivers and sharp tools from 

stabbing things like your hydration bladder. 

Check your bag before every ride. Spanners and things 

have a sneaky little habit of growing legs… looking at this 

lot, our little shifting spanner appears to have gone off for 

a little walk… and so has the epoxy DAMMIT! 

A cell phone. Got a serious problem – you can call 

mommy for help. Wrap your phone in a Ziplock plastic bag 

to stop it getting wet. 

Last Tip: Always ride with a buddy. Especially if he or she 

is mechanically inclined. It makes sense to always ride 

with a friend. 

If you have suggestions, or queries, please send them 

along to foleyg@mweb.co.za and we will share your 

wisdom and get you some good answers. 

In our next issue we’ll have a quick look at safety gear and 

why it is so important. 

M 

FEBRUARY 2021

For all makes of: 

Motorcycles Scooters Quads 

Looking for motorcycle parts or accessories 

Phone 011 395 2553 - 082 756 1008 

Ad 

Cu 

Ac 

SHADO ALSTON 

Email : info@nickscycles.co.za 

082 756 1008 

Mon - Tues 8am to 5pm Wed 10am to 5pm 

Thurs - Fri 8am to 5pm 

Closed Saturdays/Sundays & Public Holidays 

Pro 

Bu 

of 

Ac

www.go-mx.co.za 

Specialists in motocross gear and accessories 

R 

173 Blaauwberg Road, Table View info@go-mx.co.za 

079 270 8958 

@go_mx @GO.MX.CT

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Dirt and Trail AUG 21

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