RIDEFAST DECEMBER 2021

DECEMBER 2021 

21012 

DECEMBER 2021 RSA R35.00 

9 772075 405004 

Midweight 

KAWASAKI ZX650 

IN THIS ISSUE 

ONE THE COUCH WITH DORREN LOURIERO - 4 TRIUMPH MODERN CLASSICS - 1954 VICTORIA 

VICKY BUILD - MOTO GP ROUND UP - CLASSICS TOURING THE CAPE AND LOTS MORE... 

RIDEFAST MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2021 1

©FIVE Advanced Gloves 2021 *FIVE : le spécialiste du gant **sous conditions 

PubFIVE_ 

SUZUKI 

FOR EVERY JOURNEY 

WHATEVER YOUR RIDING STYLE, THERE IS A MODEL FOR YOU! 

For more information visit www.suzukimotorcycle.co.za 

or visit your nearest authorised Suzuki Dealer. 

2 RIDEFAST MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2021 

w 

www

PROTECTION / FITTING / DESIGN 

STUNT EVO 

Black / Red 

©FIVE Advanced Gloves 2021 *FIVE : le spécialiste du gant **sous conditions 

THE 

GLOVE 

SPECIALIST* 

U! 

za 

RACING STREET CUSTOM ADVENTURE MID SEASON WINTER HEATING 

WOMAN OFF ROAD 

GLOVES 

When riding a motorcycle, the glove isn’t just an accessory. It is the essential link between the rider and his machine. So 

better to trust a specialist. FIVE has based its development on a simple principle: you can’t design a pair of gloves like you 

design an item of clothing. Every detail counts to provide both precision in the feel of handlebar controls, comfort and protection. 

That’s why FIVE focuses, exclusively, on the development and production of technologically advanced gloves, resulting 

from its experience of racing competition at the highest level (MotoGP, SBK, Endurance, MX, Enduro ...) To convince yourself, 

just try one of our 90 models at an authorized FIVE dealer. Your hands will feel the difference. 

FIVE ADVANCED GLOVES: THE glove specialist. 

www.autocyclecentre.co.za 

www.poweredbyautocycle.co.za 

poweredbyautocycle 

powered_by_autocycle 

RIDEFAST MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2021 3 

PubFIVE_OfficielDuCycle_Mars2021.indd 3 02/03/2021 10:28

Intro. Keeping the wheels turning... 

DECEMBER Edition 2021 

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

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

It’s been a busy year and here we are 

heading into Christmas already... 

We have had to carry quite a lot of 

content over to our January 2022 issue 

- great because that gives us a bit of a 

head start for the new year. 

This is a proudly South African family 

run business and our team thanks all of 

you for supporting our magazines. 

If you missed a back issue, please go 

and have a look at www.motomedia. 

co.za 

Remember to get all of your Christmas 

gifts from your motorcycle dealer. 

A foursome of motorcyclists, all in their 

40’s, discussed where they should meet 

for lunch. 

Finally it was agreed that they would 

meet at Hooter’s Because... 

The waitresses were young, good 

looking, and wore short-shorts. 

Ten years later, at age 50, the buddies 

once again discussed where they 

should meet for lunch. 



The food and service was good, they 

had many televisions to watch the 

games on, and the beer selection was 

excellent. 

Ten years later, at age 60, the foursome 

again discussed where they should 

meet for lunch. 



There was plenty of parking, they could 

dine in peace, and it was good value for 

the money. 

Ten years later, at age 70, they 

discussed where they should meet for 

lunch. 



The restaurant was wheelchair 

accessible and had a toilet for the 

disabled. 

Ten years later, at age 80, the friends 

discussed where they should meet for 

lunch. 



They had never been there before. 

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas 

and if you are heading out on holiday - 

ride safely. 

If you have suggestions or comments 

please get in touch. 

foleyg@mweb.co.za 

The RideFast Magazine Team. 

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.lawrenson@icloud.com 

Cape Town 

Lorna Darol 

lorna@motomedia.co.za 

074 122 4874 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

Stefan van der Riet 

CONTRIBUTORS 

Shado Alston 

Donovan Fourie 

Kurt Beine 

Morag Campbell 

Videos and more 

available online... 

2021 


NC 

NC 

2021 2021 

NC750X/DCT 

Copyright © RideFast Magazine: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, 

or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, articles, or other methods, without the prior 


written permission of the publisher. 

NC750X/DCT 

WWW.MOTOMEDIA.CO.ZA 

THE THE NEW NEW NC750X: NC750X: DO DO IT ALL, IT ALL, AND AND 

BETTER BETTER THAN THAN EVER. EVER. 

Specialization may be fine for something like golf clubs, but we think great motorcycles should 


be able to do it all. Case in point: The 2021 Honda NC750X. This is a bike is for motorcyclists who 


THE 

BETT 

Specializatio 

be 

be 

able 

able 

to 

to 

d 

appreciat 

appreciate b

21 

: 

YOU REALLY 

SHOULD 

JOIN THE 

HONDA 

FAMILY 


NC750X R128 500 

NC750X DCT R138 200 

NC750X/DC 2021 

NC 

should 

ld 

lists who 

who 




Randburg: 011 795-4122 

NC750X: R126 000 

THE NEW NC750X: DO 

BETTER THAN EVER. 

THE N 

BETTE 

You NC750X/DCT 

meet the nicest 

people on a HONDA. 

be able to do it all. Case in point: The 2021 Honda NC750 

THE NEW NC750X: DO IT ALL, AND 


appreciate both versatility and virtuosity in their adventu 

model some big improvements. More power. Specialization 

A larger int 

and a lower seat height. Plus some huge be technologic able to do upi 

riding modes, new instruments, a new frame, appreciate upgraded bob 

heart, the twin-cylinder engine produces model a broad some torque b 

And you can choose from two transmissions: and a lower conventio se 

Honda’s revolutionary automatic DCT. Either riding way, modes, this lat 

one-bike choice for the rider who wants heart, to do it the all. twin 

And you can c 



appreciate both versatility and virtuosity in their adventure machines. This year, we’ve given this 

NC750X/DCT 

model some big improvements. More power. A larger integrated storage area. Lighter weight, 

and a lower seat height. Plus some huge technologic upgrades like throttle by wire, selectable 

riding modes, new instruments, a new frame, upgraded bodywork, and standard ABS. At its 

heart, the twin-cylinder engine produces a broad torque curve as well, making it a joy to ride. 

And you can choose from two transmissions: a conventional manual-clutch six-speed, or 

Honda’s revolutionary automatic DCT. Either way, this latest NC750X is going to be the perfect 

one-bike choice for the rider who wants to do it all. 

THE NEW NC750X: DO IT ALL, AND 


Specialization Specialization may may be be fine fine for for something like golf clubs, but but we we think think great great motorcycles motorcycles should should 

be 

be 

able 

able 

to 

to 

do 

do 

it all. 

it all. 

Case 

Case 

in 

in 

point: 

point: 

The 

The 


2021 Honda 

Honda 

NC750X. 

NC750X. 

This 

This 

is 

is 

a bike 

a bike 

is for 

is for 

motorcyclists 

motorcyclists 

who 

who 



NC750X: R135 500 DCT 


Honda’s revolu 

one-bike choic

All the NEWS proudly brought to 

you by HJC HELMETS 

KISKA.COM Photo: R. Schedl 

ANNOUNCEMENT 

Bike Tyre Warehouse West Rand 

changes hands… 

Please note Bike Tyre Warehouse West Rand has been 

closed as at 15th November 2021 and the new store in 

the same premises is now independently owned and 

is operating under a new name. The company is in no 

form or manner or in any way connected to the Bike Tyre 

Warehouse Group. 

Queries: www.biketyrewarehouse.com 

Bike Tyre Warehouse 

Midrand 

Now a Voge motorcycle 

dealer 

This is a partnership of two 

brands that are really shaking 

up the South African Motorcycle 

Industry and we are well acquainted 

and have a lot of respect 

for both. Bike Tyre Warehouse 

Midrand is now an official dealer 

for Voge Motorcycles, the 300cc 

range imported and distributed 

by SA Motorcycles. Voge offers 

three unique models, all providing 

unrivalled value and performance 

in their own respective categories. 

Visit their website www.biketyrewarehouse.com 

for more info and 

specs on the Voge 300 range or 

pop in at BikeTyre Warehouse 

Midrand for a closer look at these 

three incredible models at 997 

Richards Dr, Halfway House, Midrand 

or call them on 011 205 0216 

And if you’re looking for a handy 

little gift check out these cool ICE, 

(In Case of Emergency Capsules), 

made from lightweight aluminium 

and water proof to carry 

life-saving information or chronic 

medication. You can wear it on 

your riding jacket, cut or key ring 

a great little Christmas stocking 

filler which could save your loved 

ones life. Retail ONLY R60 incl. at 

any BTW Store nationwide. 

Then… how about about this 

awesome LitePro Multifunctional 

Emergency Light which features 

a 10W Rechargeable Battery 3.7v 

2200mAh Lithium Ion with a running 

time of +/- 3 Hours and time 

to full charge of just 3 hours, has 

700 Lumens with 4 light modes 

– High – Low -SOS and Strobe. 

It’s made from ABS material with 

a 360 degree adjustable head, 

magnetic base, Micro USB Cable, 

USB in/out and is Waterproof. The 

unit has a light block power level 

indicator so you have a heads 

up on your remaining power use. 

With its magnetic base you can 

pop it onto the frame on your bike 

if you’re working at night, or under 

your bakkie or under the bonnet. 

Charge it while riding. It’s small 

enough to fit under your bike seat 

or in your top box, in your back 

pack or in your cubby hole. ONLY 

R399 incl. a great gift for the 

Christmas stocking. Also at any 

BTW store Nationwide. 

www.biketyrewarehouse.com 

6 RIDEFAST MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2021

KISKA.COM Photo: R. Schedl 

how 

sandstorms 

begin 

It’s time to adventure even harder. The new KTM 890 ADVENTURE R 

is here – a true offroad travel specialist. With class-leading handling, 

rally-like agility, and boosted power and torque figures, you can be sure 

you’ll never eat dust, except in the sandstorm you create. 

FIND OUT MORE AT WWW.KTM.COM 

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. 




A rose between the thorns at BMW Motorrad 

Fourways. 

Rocheal Fortune recently joined the well-oiled sales team at 

BMW Motorrad Fourways. Rocheal is a long time and passionate 

biker and rides for ladies only club “The Nuns” on her ZX14. 

Having spent the last 15 odd years in the advertising industry 

and riding most weekends either on breakfast runs, events or 

Track Daze, she decided to follow her passion and joined the 

motorcycle with a top notch and pro-active team. Pop in at corner 

of Cedar and Witkoppen roads, Fourways, or give them a call 

on 011 705 1480 

Honda Wing East Rand Mall gets a nip and 

tuck 

Here is a dealership that has been around and around the block 

for easily over 20 years, if not more. Forming part of the Motus 

group they have also taken Honda Wing Sandton under their wing 

in recent months. Over the last 3 or 4 months they have been 

renovated, renewed and rejuvenated. The new showroom is huge, 

well-lit and very easy to navigate and well stocked with new and 

used bikes and they are buying good used stock on a daily basis, 

so if you are wanting to sell or trade in your superbike, tourer, 

cruiser, adventure bike or dirt bike on a new bike take it down 

to them for a thorough assessment and a sensible offer. Speak 

to boss man Simon Edwards or his team of Daleen Webber and 

Andrew Dare. They are still at corner Jan Smuts Ave and Loizides 

St, Bardene, Boksburg or you can call them on 011 826 4444 

Nicks Cycles – the plot motorcycle shop. 

Fair pricing, excellent workmanship and a friendly atmosphere 

are the foundation stones of this long standing Old School 

bike shop on the East Rand. In tough economic times most 

people are hesitant to spend any money, especially on 

big expensive project, but not Nick Benn owner of Nicks 

Cycles on the border of Kempton Park and Benoni. He has 

just dropped a substantial portion of his life savings in to 

extending the shop creating more workshop and showroom 

space to better service their customers. What initially started 

out as a converted ‘Chicken Coop’ some 25 years plus 

years ago has slowly morphed into a neat, well stocked, 

well run and well supported enterprise. The busy workshop 

is professionally kitted out and overseen personally by Nick 

himself, with Jo-Ann looking after the showroom. They have 

a good range of accessories and parts in stock and whatever 

they do not have they can source for you quite quickly and 

for the budget conscious they also buy and sell used kit and 

accessories and - there are some great deals to be had. The 

long and the short of it is their passion for bikes has earned 

them a great reputation. They’re bike people. That means you 

care about your bike. 

Visit them at 27 Van Wyk Road, Brentwood Park AH, Benoni 

or give them a call on 011 979 7114 or 011 395 2553 or 082 

756 1008 and you can even mail them on info@nickscycles. 

co.za 




VLA Racing Your Yamaha dealers in 

the Vaal Triangle. 

We’ve told you about these guys before.. They are 

just growing from strength to strength with a couple 

of changes along the way. Reece Brown is the man 

at the helm leading the team onto bigger and better 

things. A mechanic by trade but divides his time 

equally between the workshop and the showroom. 

Goodwin Banda is his ever smiling right hand man 

in the workshop with Pertunia Mamba keeping 

the parts and accessories department running like 

clockwork. Melissa Visagie will sort out all your 

finance needs from finance applications, insurance 

needs and the like. Having wandered around the 

Vaal Triangle quite a bit of late we are yet to find a 

bigger and better stocked accessories department 

in the entire ‘Triangle’. All the major brands are there 

from entry level all the way through to premium 

products. They have an excellent selection of very 

tidy pre-loved bikes and forming part of the Vic 

Legacy Auto group they have they have the backing 

and ability to happily trade bikes in on cars and 

cars on bikes and they will even do outright buy 

ins on road/adventure/dirt and superbikes, cars, 

bakkies, kombi’s and etc. So, if you need a tow or 

race vehicle, a new bike or want to get the latest 

kit or some work done on your pride and joy then 

it is definitely worth the trip out to the Vaal Triangle. 

Go see them at 40 General Smuts Rd, Duncanville, 

Vereeniging or give Reece a call on 072 709 4269 or 

email him on reece@vla1.co.za 

OXFORD RAINSEAL OVER JACKET 

AND PANTS 

Let’s talk about the weather, this summer has 

been an interesting one so far, one day sweltering 

hot with the sun trying to grill your skin to pork 

crackling and then the next few days cold, 

miserable and wet. And if you’re on a bike the 

cold and wet get even more miserable. The guys 

from DMD have just the thing for that - the Oxford 

Rainseal over jacket and pants. Okay, so the wet 

weather makes sense, but how do they help in the 

cold you might ask. Well, from personal experience 

if you pull this lot over your airflow summer gear 

it will stop the cold wind getting in and your 

summer gear will create a thermal break between 

the Rainseal gear and your skin. It might not be 

very toasty but it is a lot more comfortable than 

chattering teeth and shivering. Simple yet carefully 

designed and beautifully made light weight weather 

protection. 

Rather than guess how much bigger your overs 

need to be to fit over your normal riding gear, these 

are intelligently sized so that you simply buy YOUR 

SIZE! 

Jacket: 

RRP, incl VAT R915.00 

Sizes: S – 6XL 

Key Features 

• Fully lined with a soft collar 

• Reflective detailing 

• Adjustable cuffs 

• Adjustable hook & loop waist 

• Draw-string hem 

• Water resistant seams 

• Intelligent sizing 

• Available in Black and Fluorescent 

Pants: 

RRP, incl VAT R595.00 

Sizes: S – 6XL 

Key Features 

• Half lined for comfort 

• Extra-long zip and wide leg gussets - easier to put on 

• High visibility detailing 

• Elasticated waist 

• Hook and loop adjustable ankles 

• Water-resistant taped seams 

• Intelligent sizing 

• Available in Black and Fluorescent 

Go to www.dmd.co.za for your nearest stockist. 


K16 

R25 350 

R255 R30 



B 

W 

AirCraft affordable Spray Gun Options now 

available 

Complete kits, a full range of spray guns, compressors, 

accessories, hoses and full range of airbrushes for the home 

workshop and professional 

AirCraft is a well-established brand in South Africa specialising 

in pneumatic systems and air tools. Catering for pneumatic 

solutions for both the DIYers, handyman and the professional 

tradesman. The AirCraft brand is especially well known 

among airbrush artists, Spray painters and air tool endusers. 

The excellent service backup ensures peace of mind 

to all retailers and customers. The range extensively covers 

pneumatic solutions offering a complete solution to the market 

and the workplace. The bonus with this range is the free 

Air Tool Training course and Air Supply in The Workshop for 

all customers, which covers all you need to know about the 

products, setting up your workshop, features, pneumatic 

systems and air tools. 

A range of convenient industrial quality gravity feed spray gun 

kits that include a touch-up spray gun as well as a fill size HVLP 

spray gun. Great for home workshop and professionals alike. All 

polished aluminium bodies with gravity feed plastic cups. 

The Comp04 kit consisting of a Compressor & Airbrush kit is a 

quality airbrush set and the high-performance, oil-free piston 

compressor COMP04 offers airbrush specialists complete 

flexibility in all areas. Neatly equipped with a filter/water trap 

and regulator, making this setup a convenient option for 

everyone. AirCraft also offer a vast range of accessories, hoses 

and range of airbrushes to enhance their kits even further. A 

quiet running airbrush compressor with auto stop function - 

meaning it only runs while you are using the airbrush. Locally 

supported by South Africa’s No. #1 Power Tool Accessory 

Supplier, Vermont Sales. 

To view the full range and the options on the spray guns go 

www.vermontsales.co.za and click through to AirCraft 


Hi Tech Mag Repairs 

You got a rim you need sorted on your bike, car, bakkie… they 

have you covered 

If, like so many of us, have managed to mangle your expensive 

mag rims on your bike, bakkie, car, trailer or caravan then you 

need to keep these guys number close at hand. So! You all 

know about Hitech Mag Repairs, but what we didn’t know is 

that they do all sorts of wheel work from the obvious widening 

of rims to actually changing the size of your rim. Especially 

those weird 16” and 16.5” rims that nobody seems to make 

tyres for… and all the V-Max and old ‘Blade owners now 

suddenly sit up and try not to choke on their tea… Really? YES! 

Really. 

They do rim step ups and step downs and we would challenge 

you to spot where they have worked or what they have done. 

They also do polishing, custom colour matching and even hydro 

dipping of rims. Many years ago at a previous employer a staff 

member managed to mangle one of our superbike trade ins, the 

front rim took such a hard hit that it ended up in 3 pieces. We 

sent it into Hitech hoping they wouldn’t laugh at us too loudly 

and lo and behold the rim arrived back in one piece, looking 

brand new and perfect round and straight and it worked a treat 

when we put it back on the bike. No challenge seems too big 

for them… just don’t be a chop and take them a spoked rim 

from a Dirt or Adventure bike… take the hint from their name – 

“Hitech Mag Repairs”. We’ll be sending our poor VW’s wheels in 

for some TLC soon… Watch this space. 

You can find them at 208 Bosworth St S, Alrode South, Alberton 

and can call them on 011 900 1341. 

R 

F700 R 40 N 

11400 

R1 

50 

R105 R14 

R120 

96 R18 50 

R89 R1850 

B

BMW Motorrad 

West Rand 

K1600 Bagger, 2020 

R1200 GS , 2009 

R255 3500km 000 85 R75 000km 

R255 R309 000 995 

R75 R104 000995 

S1000R, 2019 

7 R319 000km000 

R169 R319 995 000 

R NINE T, 2020 

F700GS, R 4000km NINE 2019 T, 2020 

114000km 

R145 

500KM 

000 

R105 R145 000 000 

R1200 GS, 2009 

R299 000 6 R165 7500km 000 

R269 R299 995 000 R104 R165 995 000 

R1200GS, 2007 

96 R185 500KM 000 

R89 R185 000 

F850 GS, 2018 

24 

R175 

000km 

000 

R159 R175 995 000 

K1600 GTL, 2017 

17 

R185 

000km 

000 

R249 R185 995 000 

BMW Motorrad West Rand 

Email: japretorius@cfaomotors.co.za 


RIDEFAST MAGAZINE JUNE 2021 43



Stompgrip Tank Pads: 

Stompgrip Tank Pads make gripping your ride incredibly easy, 

and therefore requires less energy to hold on to the bike. This 

reduces fatigue and arm pump with morelower body grip and 

less upper body stress. On the track, this helps to keep the 

rider stable whether they are braking from top speed or heading 

into their favourite sweeping corner. Each pad is constructed 

of a non-abrasive material that features an aggressive volcano 

bump pattern. Does not cause unnecessary wear to your 

riding pants or leathers. Each Stompgrip Tank Pad is custom 

designed and engineered to fit your specific bike model. 

Features: 

• Available in black and clear 

• Paint and graphic remain visible through clear pad 

option 

• Pre-molded rounded edges that resist peeling 

• Super strong 3M adhesive back 

• Made in USA 

Keiti Speed Lock cruise control. 

So! Here is a feature that we have gotten used to on most 

modern bikes but really miss on older generation bikes, 

especially when on long tours heading down a seemingly never 

ending highway with your right hand and shoulder starting to get 

tired. The Keiti Speed Lock is the simple and totally safe way to 

add cruise control to any bike. It is easy to install, only 3 steps, 

you can make it happen within 15 seconds and this adjustable 

control fits any motorcycle. The Keiti Speed Lock is constructed 

from aluminium and features an internal gear that allows you 

to adjust the tension on your grip with one hand. Simple, Safe, 

Affordable and you can quickly swap it from bike to bike in a 

matter of seconds… You know you want one. 

Keiti Tie Down straps 

Tie downs are a huge source of contention in any bikers 

life. If you have a good set they are sure to go missing 

if you leave them unattended. The Keiti ties downs are 

40mm wide and 2 mm thick, making them really heavy 

duty with carbine hooks so that they cannot unhitch 

themselves and soft loops so they do not damage your 

pride and joy. 

Keiti Universal licence plate bracket 

The quickest and easiest wat to tidy up the rear of your 

bike. Get rid of that ugly OEM contraption a replace it 

with this compact, classy and tidy aluminium unit that 

easily bolts on and even has a spot for your indicators. 

TrickBits Universal integrated LED Tail 

light, indicator and licence plate lights. 

If you’re building a really special custom or just want to 

clean up the look of your bike TrickBitz has these really 

tiny, but amazingly bright integrated tail light, indicator 

and number plate light jobbies. Not much bigger than a 

small cigarette lighter, so you can really tuck them away 

and only have them seen when they are switched on… 

perfect for clean lines on any bike yet still bright enough 

to be legal and safe. Couple them with the licence plate 

holder and you can really tidy up the back of any bike. 




TrickBitz Swingarm spools 

Billet aluminium and available in a variety of colours. 

Great for getting the back of your bike in the air to 

clean and lube your chain and for protecting your 

swingarm in the event of a spill, cheaper to replace or 

repair your swingarm too. 

TrickBitz tubeless puncture repair kits 

Get one or two or three… or more, chuck it under your 

seat, your top box, the boot of your car and forget 

about it. Do it now! And you will thank us one day. 

They’re not hugely expensive and you will be glad you 

have it with you one day for sure or sit on the side of 

the road waiting for your mates to ride home 1 or 2 

hours to fetch a bakkie or car with a trailer then drive 

another 1 or2 hours to fetch and then drive another 

2 odd hours to get home… and you told your Missus 

that you are going out for a quick breakfast run for the 

boys and will be back in plenty of time for that family 

lunch… Ja Né! Try that again next weekend and see 

what she has to say. Then you have to load your bike 

to get it to the shop to fix it and then go fetch it again… 

all could have been avoided with a quick 10 minute 

roadside repair… tut, tut, tut. 

All of these are imported by trickbitz and are available 

at your dealer. 

AGV’s K1 Helmet 

We told you last month that AGV helmets now has a 

new importer. They have just landed a batch of K-1 

road helmets. The AGV K-1 is the new integral helmet 

from AGV, the successor to the K-3. The helmet is ideal 

for those looking for a sporty design at good value. 

Features 

• Outer shell made of thermoplastic resin, high 

strength and very light. 

• 2 outer shell sizes for a good fit. 

• EPS (inner shell) in 3 sizes and 4 densities, for 

optimal shock absorption. 

• The shape of the helmet has been designed 

to reduce the forces of impact on the 

collarbone. 

• The ventilation system consists of air intakes 

top, in the chin rest and has a spoiler on the 

back with exhaust fans. 

• The new rear spoilers have been tested in the 

wind tunnel, provide high aerodynamics and 

stabilize the helmet at high speeds 

• XQRS (X-tra Quick Release System): 

replacement of the visor without tools and in a 

few seconds possible. 

• Lining without stitching on the most sensitive 

areas. 

• Lining: 2Dry (for excellent absorption of 

moisture) and Microsense. 

• The removable lining is removable and 

washable. 

• Padded side panels optimized for wearers of 

glasses. 

• Double D closure system. 

• Weight: 1.49 g +/- 50 gr (in size MS) 

Imported by Bikewise and available At your dealer. 




Scorpion’s Versatile Exo-Tech Flip-Up 

Helmet. 

The Scorpion EXO-Tech, is approved as both full-face and jet 

(open-face) helmet, takes the development of the Scorpion 

flipback to the next level. Whether you choose to wear your Exo- 

Tech as a full-face or jet helmet, you can be sure of maximum 

safety and comfort. All you have to do is push the chin bar of the 

thermoplastic helmet up over the visor or pull it down into the 

chin position. It couldn’t be simpler. 

And it comes with all of the correct ratings… 

• Visor: clear, with Pinlock anti-fog system 

• Sun visor: dark smoke, with fog-retardant coating 

• Material: ABS 

• Outer shell sizes: 2 (XS-L, XL-XXL) 

• Fastener: Ratchet fastener 

• Weight: approx. 1700 g 

• Lining: Kwikwick3 lining, removable and washable, 

very soft and pleasant against the skin, with 

integral groove for spectacles 

• Ventilation: adjustable chin and top inlet vents 

• Certificates: ECE 22.05 (as full-face and jet (open-face) 

helmet) 

• Other features: includes chin curtain. 

Scorpion Exo-HX1 Taktic, fullface helmet 

Calling all streetfighter fans: The Scorpion Exo-HX1 looks pretty 

mean. 

Pleasantly light weight achieved by Ultra TCT (Thermodynamical 

Composite Technology) outer shell construction. Add to this the 

comfortable Kwikwick 3 lining, refreshing ventilation, peak and 

side covers - this streetfighter helmet seems to be the biz! We’ve 

just bought one for Sean – he’ll be using it a lot and wqe’ll give a 

full local review on this versatile lid. 

• Visor: clear, with Pinlock MaxVision anti-fog visor insert 

• Sun visor: integral, smoked 

• Material: Fibreglass 

• Outer shell sizes: 2 (XS-M, L-XL) 

• Fastener: Ratchet fastener 

• Weight: approx. 1,350 g 

• Lining: Comfort lining, fully removable and washable 

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Incoming 

KAWASAKI Z650 RS 

Some new bikes expected for 2022... 

Kawasaki Z650RS here in ‘22 

Kawasaki has expanded their retro naked model range to include the 

Z650RS. The Z650RS is to the Z900RS as the Z650-B1 was to the Z1 back in 

the 1970s glory days. 

As the name suggests the Z650RS is powered by the 649cc twin from the 

Z650 and Ninja 650 models, which produces 67bhp @ 8000rpm and 47lb.ft @ 

6700rpm.As it’s aimed at new riders as well as experienced folk. 

Also carried over from the Z650 is a tubular steel trellis frame that weighs just 

13.5kg.The frame has been specially designed to be skinny in the middle to 

make it easier for riders to get their feet down, on top of a low seat height of 

just 820mm.Perched atop the frame is a 12 litre tank (a little small if you ask us) 

although that does contribute to a kerb weight of 187kg. 

Also coming across from the Z650 are the suspension and brakes. A set of 

conventional non-adjustable 41mm forks take care of things up front, while a 

horizontally mounted monoshock (adjustable for preload only) deals with bumps 

at the back.Braking duties are looked after by a pair of twin piston calipers on 

300mm discs along with a single piston on a 20mm disc at the rear, both of 

which are assisted by Bosch ABS. 

The big changes to the RS compared to the Z650 come in the styling 

department. Gone is the modern upswept tail and pointy headlight, in favour of 

a ‘duck tail’ cowling and single round lamp.The wheels too are new designed to 

resemble classic spoked units, while the wavy discs from the Z650 have been 

chucked in favour of something more classic. There’s also a thoroughly retro pair 

of analogue clocks, with a little digital centre panel for extra info. 

It’s expected the bike will be a Z650RS, with Kawasaki adding a retro twist to the 

budget twin, and the latest video clip gives us the biggest hint yet with a classic 

Z650 making an appearance in the background of a chess match. 

If the new model looks half as good as the larger capacity Z900RS first released 

in 2017, it would offer a chic retro option for those looking for a little less power... 

Looks great. Watch this space full local feature as soon as they arrive. 

www.kawasaki.co.za 



Incoming 

Suzuki GSX-S 1000GT 

Suzuki have unveiled a new sports touring version of their 

recently updated GSX-S1000 called the GT. The new bike You also get LED lighting all round and Suzuki’s SIRS intelligent 

uses the same 150bhp K5 GSX-R engine as the naked bike riding system electronic suite. 

but is wrapped in a new set of touring plastics with a comfortable, 

upright riding position. 

The main point of difference between the GSX-S and the new 

GT is the large screen and fairing to give the rider protection 

from the wind and the elements for long-range comfort. 

The bike will be a sportier alternative to the and will replace the 

GSX-S1000F as the Japanese firm’s long range road option. 

Rider comfort is the order of the day – not only does the rider 

get that screen and bodywork to hide behind, the bars and 

footrests have added rubber to reduce vibration. 

You also get a new seat designed for comfort, a lightweight 

assisted clutch and cruise control to make hours in the saddle 

as carefree as possible. 

Suzuki has also put a lot of emphasis on the bike’s pillion provision 

with a large comfy looking seat and new rear grab rails to 

hold on to. 

Unlike the standard GSX-S released earlier this year, the GT 

gets a 6.5-inch full colour TFT dash with full smartphone connectivity 

giving GPS maps and the ability to make and receive 

calls, control music and even access your calendar – should 

you want to. 

Suzuki says the new windscreen, fairing and mirrors have been 

honed for aerodynamic efficiency to reduce rider fatigue with 

hours of testing in the wind tunnel. 

The KYB suspension and Brembo brakes of the standard 

GSX-S remain, which means 43mm upside down manually 

adjustable forks and a preload and rebound adjustable rear 

shock. The radial Brembo brake calipers bite into 310mm twin 

front brake discs and a 240mm single rear and have standard 

(non-leaning) ABS. 

Instead of the GSX-S’s three-spoke wheels, the GT gets 

lightweight cast aluminium six-spoke units shod with the latest 

Dunlop Roadsport 2 tyres with a bespoke internal construction 

tailored to the bike. 

The Suzuki GSX-S1000GT will be here in the first quarter of ‘22 

www.suzuki.co.za 



GREEN 

ENVY 

Words: Sean Hendley 

2nd Opinion: Stefan vd Riet 

Pics: Black Rock Creative Studio 

“Ninja”… That word inspires awe, respect, mystique and possibly even 

a little bit of nervousness, especially when it comes to motorcycles. The 

Kawasaki Ninja is a name given to several series of Kawasaki sport bikes 

that started with the 1984 GPZ900R. In 1984, it looked like something 

out of a Jules Verne novel and in 1986 really achieved cult status when 

Tom Cruise rode one in the Top Gun movie. Through the years the Ninja 

has evolved into a yard stick by which most sport bikes are measured, 

particularly in World Superbike Racing where Jonathan Rea and KRT have 

made it the bike to beat. A year or two ago Ana Carrasco became the first 

lady to beat the guys at their own game aboard a 400cc Ninja, (which you 

will remember, we have reviewed once or twice and flippin’ love it). 



So - when we laid our eyes on the newly arrived 650cc 

variant lurking in the basement of KMSA’s head office we 

were quick to beg the first ride. Sadly it was that new that 

it hadn’t even been started yet and still needed to be run 

in by their technical staff and given its first oil change. As 

soon as it was ready they gave us a call to fetch it and we 

wandered around on it for about a week, having to fight 

our millennial photographer for saddle time. Kawasaki 

does build gorgeous bikes and the 650 Ninja, with its 

green and black livery with red and white high lights 

here and there is no exception. The modern day industry 

standard or fashion is to have a very strong family 

resemblance from the smallest, most entry level offering 

all the way through to the flagship in the range and with 

both the 400cc and 650cc that is very evident. 

Top of the pops are the twin LED headlights, each 

featuring low and high beam as well as a position lamp, 

offer increased brightness, really emphasising the 650 

Ninja’s lineage to its bigger sibling the ZX10 range and 

even a little bit to the H2 range. The Ninja 650’s sharper 

new styling gives it a sportier appearance and even 

stronger Ninja family looks. Its sleek and sporty design 

inspires a sense of pride, heritage and even confidence 

in riders. And, the pillions haven’t been forgotten either 

with improved rider as well as passenger comfort. The 

rear seat with 4 thicker urethane pads, (approximately 5 

mm thicker at the centre, 10 mm thicker at the sides) and 

sides that extend more widely offers increased passenger 

comfort. And the bike is exceptionally comfortable from 

the shortest rider to 2m lumps like me. The 650 is a very 

narrow bike, but also quite long for its class. The foot 

pegs are set far enough below and backwards of the 

seat to create an easy, comfortable angle on the riders 

knees and hips for long days in the saddle. The reach 

over the tank to the handle bars is equally as comfortable, 

encouraging a sporty riding style without putting undue 

pressure on your wrists, shoulders or lower back. After 

kicking Stefan out of the saddle I managed to get in about 

300kays worth of riding, from back road touring, to urban 

commuting and around a 100 kays of booming down the 

freeway, in decent comfort all the way, yeah… after that 

amount of saddle time my jocks started cutting into my 

arse cheeks, but that is the case with absolutely any seat, 

chair and etc if you spend extended periods of time in it. 

What I did appreciate was the lower back support offered 

by the bump stop against the front of the pillion seat. 

The all new digital TFT colour instrumentation, a 

Kawasaki first in the 650cc class, gives the cockpit 

a high-tech, high grade appearance. The new 

meter also offers additional features unavailable 

on the previous models. A Bluetooth chip built into 

the instrument panel enables riders to connect to 

their motorcycle wirelessly. Using the smartphone 

application “RIDEOLOGY THE APP,” a number of 

instrument functions can be accessed, contributing 

to an enhanced motorcycling experience. Vehicle 

information such as the odometer, fuel gauge, 

maintenance schedule, etc can be viewed on the 

smartphone. Riding logs which varies by model, but 

may include GPS route, gear position, rpm, and other 

information can be viewed on the smartphone. When 

connected, telephone notices are displayed on the 

instrument panel. Riders can also make changes to 

their motorcycle’s instrument display settings such 

as preferred units, clock and date setting and etc 

via their phone. And on certain models, it is even 

possible to check and adjust vehicle settings such 

as Rider Mode, electronic rider support features, and 

payload settings all using the smartphone. 



S 

E 

F 

M 

// 

// 

// 

// 

// 

// 

// 

Kawasaki has also employed a new 

rear shock absorber set up. Compared 

to Kawasaki’s traditional Uni-Trak rear 

suspension, which mounts the shock 

unit vertically, with the new Horizontal 

Back-link rear suspension, the shock unit 

is almost horizontal. Kawasaki’s original 

suspension arrangement locates the 

shock unit very close to the bike’s centre 

of gravity, greatly contributing to mass 

centralisation. And because there is no 

linkage or shock unit protruding beneath 

the swingarm, this frees up space 

for a larger exhaust pre-chamber, (an 

exhaust expansion chamber situated just 

upstream of the silencer). With a larger 

pre-chamber, silencer volume can be 

reduced, and heavy exhaust components 

can be concentrated closer to the centre 

of the bike, further contributing to mass 

centralisation. The result is greatly 

improved handling. Another benefit is 

that the shock unit is placed far away 

from exhaust heat. Because it is more 

difficult for heat from the exhaust system 

to adversely affect suspension oil and 

gas pressure, suspension performance 

is more stable. The Horizontal Backlink 

rear suspension offers numerous 

secondary benefits like this that really 

just make the 650 Ninja so rideable. It 

encourages you to push the limits of the 

bike as well as your skill levels. 

Another great feature is the slipper 

clutch. Based on feedback from racing, 

the Assist & Slipper Clutch uses two 

types of cams, (an assist cam and a 

slipper cam), to either drive the clutch 

hub and operating plate together or 

apart. Under normal operation, the 

assist cam functions as a self-servo 

mechanism, pulling the clutch hub and 

operating plate together to compress the 

clutch plates. This allows the total clutch 

spring load to be reduced, resulting in a 

lighter clutch lever feel when operating 

the clutch. And that lighter clutch feel is 

really noticeable when doing the daily 

grind through rush hour traffic, your left 

hand doesn’t get as tired or sore. Then, 

when excessive engine braking occurs 

as a result of quick downshifts or an 

accidental downshift, the slipper cam 

comes into play, forcing the clutch hub 

and operating plate apart. This relieves 

pressure on the clutch plates to reduce 

back-torque and helps prevent the rear 

tyre from hopping and skidding and 

creating the need for a clean set of rods. 

This race-style function is particularly 

useful when sport or track riding. 

The Dual Throttle Valves offer increased 

power and greater ease of use care of 

a second set of ECU-controlled throttle 

valves. 

Late-model sport bikes often use largebore 

throttle bodies to generate high 

levels of power. However, with large 

diameter throttles, when a rider suddenly 

opens the throttle, the unrestricted 

torque response can be strong. Dual 

throttle valve technology was designed 

to tame engine response while 

contributing to performance. 

On models with dual throttle valves, 

there are two throttle valves per cylinder: 

in addition to the main valves, which 

are physically linked to the throttle grip 

and controlled by the rider, a second 

set of valves, opened and closed by the 

ECU, precisely regulates intake airflow 

to ensure a natural, linear response. 

With the air passing through the throttle 

bodies becoming smoother, combustion 

efficiency in improved and power is 

increased. 

The Economical Riding Indicator is a 

mark appearing on the instrument panel 

to indicate favourable fuel consumption, 

encouraging fuel efficient riding… 

needless to say, we studiously ignored 

this feature and just gave the 650 some 

space to fill her lungs and shout at the 

world and stretch her legs. 


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I had to meet our photographer Stefan for an early morning 

photo shoot on the 650 in a picturesque little village that did 

require a rush hour commute of about 30 kays. 

With SA being in the state it is we all have to stand in a queue 

for our ration of electricity coz the traffic lights were out. The 

narrowness of the 650 came into play dodging ‘dumb f@%k’s’ 

lane surfing while busy social-media surfing. 

The rear view mirrors mounted way out front are marginally wider 

than the riders elbows allowing for good rear view but are also 

great for measuring space between vehicles as you lane split. 

That lighter clutch was received with much gratitude by my left 

hand and the riding position had me looking over most vehicles 

with ease. That slipper clutch and ABS were tested on more than 

one occasion along with my lung capacity and my command 

of expletives in more than one of our official languages. All 

performed admirably. 

Once I was out of traffic and playing in the twistys and could 

really use all of the rev counter the mid weight Ninja really came 

into its own, and I am quite sad I didn’t get a chance to take it 

onto a track. The dual throttle valve technology, really does keep 

it all smooth and predictable without stealing any of the power 

or torque. The rear suspension set up along with the trellis frame 

kept it all neat and tidy through the corners to the point that I 

had to remind myself I was in a semi urban area and not wearing 

leathers as I started pushing harder through the bends. Once 

the photoshoot was done it was time for a quick cup of coffee 

to freshen up the vocal cords for the next bit of rush hour traffic 

out of town and onto some nice sweeping back roads for about 

150 kays to really stretch the 650 Ninjas legs. Whipping along 

the sweeping back roads through the countryside all resplendent 

in green and sunshine after the spring rains easily at around 

180kmh really got my heart singing. SA roads being what they 

are these days makes really good suspension vital, not just for 

cornering speed or braking and acceleration weigh transference 

but also for nasty bump absorption, which can really catch you 

off guard and get everything quite out of shape and if you’re 

unlucky… throw you into the beautiful scenery. The 650 Ninja 

quietly soaked up all the bumps and lumps so much that I turned 

around and went at a really bad section of road two or three 

times flat out to see if it would get all squirley, which it didn’t. 

Whipping down the freeway and tucking my 115kg, 2m lump into 

the fuel tank recesses and behind the windshield I managed an 

admirable 192km ph on a flat section with a bit of a head wind. 

I suspect that once the engine has loosened up a bit I might be 

able to get a bit more out of it, but the torque and the power are 

more than enough to have a lot of fun in the mountain passes 

and hit the long road to your favourite part of the country. 

I didn’t check exact mileage but it was somewhere around 500 

kays or so and we used about a tank and a half of juice, giving 

us somewhere in the vicinity of 20 to 22 kays to a litre give or 

take, not bad considering the engine was still tight, about a 

thousand clicks on it when we collected it and we weren’t riding 

for economy. 










































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































I suspect that once the engine has loosened up a bit I might be

Stefan says: 

Right off the bat this bike looks and feels like a little superbike. 

When I first sat on it, it reminded me a lot of the Ninja 400 size 

wise. The seat is all too comfortable and quite low allowing 

me to bend my knees with my feet flat on the ground. The 

riding position is extremely comfortable with the raised bars 

not too far ahead, and the low mid/back pegs. After a long 

day of riding my knees were the only joints to start aching, 

my back and wrists were still ready for more riding. What’s 

nice about the engine is that you can cruise around at low 

speeds and low revs and it feels like a very relaxed bike, 

almost unassuming, but once you get above 6000 rpm you 

realise, this is a Ninja. Every back road and highway turns into 

a race track if you wring the throttle, and it has ample power 

to put a smile on your face. It’s a lightweight little superbike 

that you can easily throw around corners, and getting into the 

full tuck race position feels very welcoming on this bike. The 

brakes and ABS also work fantastically, saving me from a few 

swerving taxis whilst racing down the highway. With me riding 

and my girlfriend (combined weight of around 120KG) on the 

back we could easily cruise at 170-180 kph with more power 

to give. I never got the opportunity and enough space to push 

for top speed but I can see this bike reaching 210kph with me 

alone on it no problem. From a photographer’s point of view, 

this bike is stunning. You could take pictures of it all day. The 

aggressive styling and Kawasaki green make for very Iconic 

Ninja Photos. Sean says he had to chase me off the saddle, 

but it’s mostly because I wanted to take it out to more photo 

spots, enjoying the ride all the way. 

In the final analysis: 

This is a lot of motorcycle for around R125,000.00 with looks 

that will turn every other road user green with envy. It is more 

than quick enough, handles like a sport bike, tours just as 

easily and is great for commuting and at almost twenty rand 

to the litre for fuel it is light on your pocket at the pump. Go 

check out www.kmsa.co.za for more info, your closest dealer 

or to arrange a test ride. 

Engine type 

Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke Parallel 

Twin 

Valve system 

DOHC, 8 valves 

Displacement 

649 cm³ 

Fuel system 

Fuel injection: Ø 36 mm x 2 with 

dual throttle valves 

Starting System Electric 

Lubrication 

Forced lubrication, semi-dry sump 

Brakes front 

Dual semi-floating 300 mm petal 

discs. 

Caliper 

Dual piston 

Brakes rear 

Single 220 mm petal disc. 

Caliper 

Single-piston 

Suspension front 41 mm telescopic fork 

Suspension rear Horizontal Back-link with adjustable 

preload 

Frame type 

Trellis, high-tensile steel 

Wheel travel 

front 125 mm 

Wheel travel 

rear 130 mm 

Tyre, front 

120/70ZR17M/C (58W) 

Tyre, rear 

160/60ZR17M/C (69W) 

L x W x H 

2,055 x 740 x 1,145 mm 

Wheelbase 

1,410 mm 

Ground clearance 130 mm 

Fuel capacity 

15 litres 

Seat height 

790 mm 

Curb mass 

193 kg 

Maximum torque 64 Nm / 6,700 rpm 

Maximum power 50.2 kW / 8,000 rpm 

Fuel consumption 4.5 l/100 km 

Transmission 

6-speed, return 

Clutch 

Wet multi-disc, manual 

Final drive 

Sealed chain 


WHO IS 

DORREN LOUREIRO? 

Well we have all heard of brothers Brad 

and Darren Binder, Sheridan ‘Shez Show’ 

Morais and more recently of Steven 

Odendaal, Cam Petersen, Matthew 

Scholtz and many more. South Africa 

has an extremely rich history of motorcycle 

racing success internationally with 

a surprising amount riders competing 

and have competed in the international 

arena over the years. Think of names like 

Paddy Driver, Kork Ballington, brothers 

Jon and Peter Ekerold, the Petersen 

brothers, Les van Breda and the list goes 

and sadly we here very little about them 

on our radio and TV stations because 

they are not playing with balls. And the 

same is true for young, up and coming 

new talent and being out of the public 

eye they battle to get sponsorships and 

go race overseas and are basically reliant 

on the goodwill of family and friends. We 

have to ask how much talent are we losing 

in this arena because of these guys 

and girls going unnoticed and not being 

able to afford to go race where they will 

get noticed. 

Well, luckily for us Dorren Loureiro has 

parents that are completely supportive 

and passionate about his racing career 

and fortunately do have the means 

to send him overseas to go race and 

get noticed. Dorren has raced in the 

same team with 6 time World superbike 

champion, Jonathan Rea. As her team 

mate, he was instrumental in helping Ana 

Carrasco take her first championship win 

in WSBK Supersport 300 in 2018 and 

become the first lady to beat all the guys 

in the male dominated sport of motorcycle 

racing . He is mates with Tom Sykes 

and is managed by Spanish Supersport 

Champion and old WSBK racer, now 

retired mostly, David Salom, (Fuentes 

to be technically correct), and regularly 

rubs shoulders with WSBK elite and is 

becoming a well-known and well liked 

personality in the paddock. 

We got to spend an hour or to chatting 

with him and just finding out a bit more 

about this unassuming, humble lad from 

Kempton Park… 

Our hometown and base for our offices, 

which already makes him a Good Guy in 

our eyes. 

Doz, what was it like being in a team with 

WSBK champions of the likes of Johnny 

Rea and Tom Sykes, did you get to 

spend much time with them? 

So, I got to spend every breakfast, 

lunch and dinner with them in the same 

hospitality suite, the same everything… 

so I got to speak to him, (Johnny Rea), a 

little bit. The difference between Rea and 

Sykes is that Rea is all business, he is 

there to race only, he doesn’t speak to a 

lot of people, and is completely focused 

on his job. 

Sykes is very… like… friendly, talks to 

anyone and everyone. I mean like, if you 

get an autograph from Sykes he will have 

a conversation with you, maybe a 10 

minute conversation. With Sykes I could 

even do a track walk with him and get 

pointers from if I needed to. He was more 

of a mentor to myself and the rest of the 


junior riders in the team and we are even friends on 

Facebook, not only on his racing page but also on his 

personal page and I can chat to him whenever. 

With Ana and I racing in the same class, I was under 

team orders. Kawasaki and WSBK really needed a 

lady champion and I was told to assist her as much 

as I could by running interference for her and making 

sure I finished behind her, which wasn’t always easy 

because some races my set and feel just worked 

better than hers and I would up in the top five and 

she would be running around the bottom of the field, 

it would have been career suicide for me to drop 

back so far. When it was within reason I would always 

let her finish ahead of me. Towards the end of the 

season when she was a definite title contender those 

orders were reiterated in the sternest manner possible. 

But it was great to be in the team with both Ana 

and Johnny celebrating championship wins that year. 

Do you think it is maybe time for Rea to take a step 

back, maybe leave while he is still at the top of his 

game, not like Rossi who has possibly left it a bit 

too late, especially in light of the of the really strong 

challenge from Toprack this year? 

This is the first year that I have actually seen someone 

actually get under Rea’s skin, Toprack has really 

unsettled him this year and I think it is because 

Toprack is still very young and has everything to gain. 

You know Rea has achieved much more than anyone 

else in WSBK and is trying to keep at that level. 

But Kawasaki needs Rea to keep doing what he 

is doing, but you don’t want to end when you are 

running at the back of the field and fighting for last 

position, you don’t want that to be your legacy. I think 

like Rossi should have thrown in the towel long ago, 

two or three years ago he should have called it and I 

am a big Valentino fan, MotoGP is really not going to 

be the same without him. 

Do you think Rossi will come across to WSBK for a 

year or two before going into final retirement? 

Never!... Rossi?... Not a chance! The problem is 

Superbikes is a much higher level racing than what 

people think, but it doesn’t have the glam, the glamorous 

side that MotoGP has. Everybody for the most 

part is approachable and are always willing to help 

where they can, almost like one big family, MotoGP is 

very, very different with much more politics and much 

more money. 

In Superbikes… there’s like no rules when it comes to 

rubbing fairings, rubbing is racing, the only rule they 

are really sticky about is exceeding track limits… Yes, 

there are rules but for the most part they just let the 

racers get on with racing. When the guys get stupidly 

dangerous then it is definitely time for them to step in. 

Lets talk about your career for bit, right in the beginning. 

You’re this little laaitie from Kempton Park, how 

old were you when you got onto the bike first time? 

It was 2010, so I was ten turning eleven. I grew up 

in Kempton Park, literally the same street and house 

almost my whole life so far, I moved once when I was 

three years old to the house where we live now. When 

I was younger my dad used to race BOTS and a club 

races for fun, he was quite fast. I was always at the 

track from three years old and I have always wanted 

to race since then. We went to World Superbikes at 

Kyalami in 2009 and they had those little Honda NSF 

Dorren with team mate Ana Carasco, first women champion WSSP 


GET YO 

KIDS KIDS OO 

THE THE RR 

“PLAYST 

“PLAYST 

100’s, we watched that race and the next 

season I was racing them… in 2010. 

2011 I did my season there also, but with 

the 150cc class as well. I raced both 

classes that season, just for experience. 

In 2021 I stopped racing until 2014. I was 

too young, too stressed, getting hurt. We 

knew I would start racing again, but I just 

needed a break to readjust my expectations 

and my attitude. Then in 2014 I 

started on 250’s. I only started halfway 

through the season… with four race to 

go I finished second in the championship. 

In 2015, I put in a full season and 

won the championship. After that I went 

to WSBK’s equivalent of Red Bull Rookies 

cup, it was the European junior Cup. 

That was my first season internationally, I 

didn’t finish a lot of races. I was still very 

young and inexperienced and wanted to 

win so badly that I pushed to hard and 

crashed a lot… just how it is. We were 

racing Honda 650cc in line 4’s, 100HP 

bikes, that’s what I started my international 

career on at 15 years old, turning 

16 somewhere during the season. 

My Dad and Mom went across, one of 

them, every race with me. My parents 

have been my biggest supporters, I 

would not have been able to achieve 

what I have so far without them, they 

have funded all my racing from the start 

and have done everything for me. 

In 2017 I went to 300’s for the first time 

and rode for David Saloms team. That 

was the first year of the 300 Supersport 

class in WSBK. They replaced the Junior 

cup with the 300 class. 

How did you manage to get into David 

Saloms team? 

I was ballsy hey! So in the year before 

300 started had a team in 600’s with Ilya 

Mikhalchik, there season was coming 

to an end, it was the last race and I had 

just been told that Junior Cup was done 

and dusted and if I wanted to race in the 

300 championship the following season 

I needed to find a team, my back was 

against a wall and I needed to make a 

plan quickly. Because 300’s were new, 

no teams had been announced yet. 

I raced Junior cup that day and then 

walked straight into David Saloms box 

with his 600 rider and asked, ‘ Where’s 

David Salom?’, Ilya introduced me to 

David and I said, ‘I want to race 300’s 

for you next year’. He said, ‘Deal, sign 

here’… right there, deal done. He liked 

the fact that a relatively unknown sixteen 

year old had the balls to walk into a big 

team with back up and basically demand 

a ride. To this day David and I are great 

friends, he is my mentor and manager, 

and the whole of last year I stayed with 

him at his house. In fact I’ve just got off 

the phone with him now, he is coming 

to stay with us now in December. He is 

coming to do some training with some 

kids here. And… Yoh! He is still fast, 

embarrassingly fast. 

I got the ride which was very nice, that 

season I got four or five top fives, leading 

a lot of the laps, I had a lap record. In 

2018 I also rode for David, but then we 

moved to Kawasaki, Factory Kawasaki 

which was with Ana Carrasco, Johnny 

and Tom and etc. Ana had 2 race wins 

that year which set her championship 

up. The championship was shorter back 

then with only 8 races per season, now 

we have sixteen races per season, which 

meant that if you got one or two race 

wins back then, then you were almost 

guaranteed of the championship. 

And don’t think that Ana and Maria get 

any special treatment, they are super-fast 

and at the level they ride at you can’t 

afford to give them any special leeway. 

When we are on track racing they are just 

another competitor to beat. If anything, 


as guys we are more aggressive against 

them, because nobody wants a girl to beat 

them. That year that Ana won she was very 

strong, the races she won, she did it by a big 

gap. In Donnington joined her on the podium, 

finishing second, four seconds behind Ana. 

Back then were wasn’t a ‘weight’ rule and 

there was a 25kg weight difference between 

the 2 of us, so not only is she very fast rider, 

she can also get more out of the bike because 

of her weight advantage. Even this year, with 

the new weight rule of 5kgs I am still 20kg’s 

heavier than most of the front group. 

45 riders lining up on the grid and all diving 

into turn one to try and get hole shot makes 

for great spectator value but must be a scary 

as all heck for you guys. 

So, in Barcelona I qualified in 21st position 

and made it all the way up to 12th by the 

first corner where I was pushed wide and 

re-joined in 28th position, and I was still in the 

lead group. It is not scary, but you are always 

hyper focused, you can’t worry about where 

the other guys are, you have to decide on a 

line and stick to the plan and trust the rest of 

the field to do the same. 

Late 2018 I joined Nutec racing RT Motorsports 

for the 2019 season and that wasn’t 

a good season for me. We just had so many 

mechanical issues that some days I would 

only be able to get in 3 laps of practice before 

the race. The one weekend we went through 

12 clutches. In 2020 I didn’t race because 

of Covid, and this season I went and raced 

again, but I did struggle a lot with my weight, 

still managed to get some decent results with 

a 4th and a 5th as well as a 7th and a 9th, 

mostly in the top 10 for most of the season 

but never able to fight for the podium this 

year… just a little bit too heavy for a little 

50hp bike. 

So for the last 2 rounds of this season I am on 

a 600cc for the Spanish championship. I leave 

in a day or two go my debut in the 600 class 

at Valencia and Jerez a week after each other 

with Jarryd Schultz. We will both be on Yamaha 

R6’s for the iDENT team, not a full factory 

ride but they do have Yamaha support, basically 

the satellite team for the factory which is 

really hard to get into for wild card riders, so 

I am really happy about that and if the races 

go well I should have a full season seat with 

them for next year. 

This was all arranged by David Salom. He 

doesn’t have a team anymore but has taken 

me under his wing as my personal manager. 

He had heard that this team was looking for 

a rider and approached them. They came to 

watch me race and after the race I was called 

into their box for a meeting and signed me up 

for the last two races of the season. Generally 

getting a ride is very subtle, the teams watch 

you in every aspect of your life on and off the 

track, how you conduct yourself, how you 

dress, how you interact with other people of 

all walks of life and they will also just shoot 

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the breeze with you casually, but actually they are interviewing 

you. Then they also look at your size and 

determine what size bike would better suit you, and 

then they decide who they want months in advance 

before approaching you with an offer. Essentially 

your entire racing career is one long interview in the 

hope of getting a championship or two under your 

belt. 

Tell us a little bit about the life of a young SA racer 

trying to make it on the international scene, is it all 

glamour, rock stars, super models and the party life? 

No! No not at all, I generally have to drive myself to 

the races. Sometimes it 10 hours like from Valencia 

to Jerez and sometimes it is 3,000km’s and 3 days 

on the road, sleeping in petrol stations in the back of 

my van and etc. I am usually over there for around 

five months at a time, this year I have only been 

home for less than a month the whole year. A lot of 

the time it is very lonely, I have basic Spanish, but 

the language barrier is a big problem. I can’t just go 

next door and chill with the neighbour or go down 

to a local coffee shop and find somebody to chat. 

And living alone in a remote little town up in the 

mountains in a foreign country with lousy network 

single does become quite stressful, especially when 

you have had a bad day or race and need to talk to 

somebody about it. The hardest thing to adjust to 

over there was the Siesta, for five hours every day, 

Monday to Sunday the shops are closed from 12pm 

to 5pm, no exceptions, Sundays nothing is opened 

the whole day and some days I wouldn’t have 

anything to eat and all the shops would be closed. 

Five months I was alone, really alone except for race 

meetings, which was really hard for me but also an 

amazing experience because I got to learn so much 

about myself and learn how to take care of myself. 

But it was worth it for the training time I got. I got to 

train at all the best tracks and even spent time with a 

lot of the Moto GP riders and follow them around the 

track and learn lines from them, braking points and 

so on. 

Besides your training on the track, what fitness 

regimes did you try follow off track? 

So, in the 300 class I would try anything to lose 

weight. When I was racing 300’s I would eat one 

egg a day and just run or skip as much as possible. 

I would try do an hour of skipping and a 5 kay or an 

hour of skipping and a 3 hour cycle… on one egg for 

the day. It really is not healthy but I was desperate 

to lose as much of my 20kg weight disadvantage by 

trying to get my body to start eating at my muscles 

because I only have 7% body fat so I needed to drop 

muscle mass and I managed to drop down from 

70kg’s to 65kg’s, but it was absolute torture. Now 

that I am on 600’s I eat a bit healthier and just spend 

as much time as I can in the saddle, riding fitness is 

80% of your stamina. Like Rossi, he doesn’t do any 

fitness training with his riders, they just ride, ride, 

ride every day because once you build up that riding 

stamina you don’t need to be able to run across 

town. We actually practice controlling or slowing 

our heart rate down, because we spend 30 to 40 

minutes per race at between 150 and 180bpm, we 

need to be able to control our heart rate so that we 

don’t pass out or have a heart attack, being calm 

and staying calm also helps with your race focus and 

concentration. 

What do you do to deal with the pressure of racing 

and seeing other competitors crash? 


I think it is just a mind-set, you have to basically not care and just see their crash 

as another obstacle between you and your goal out of the way. I know it sounds 

pretty callous, but if it isn’t one of my friends or the rider wasn’t badly injured or 

passed away I don’t really think about it. Like when Dean Vinales crashed and 

died, that happened right in front of me and I really did struggle to race the next, 

that really was not lekker. 

I went to see a sport psychologist in 2018, because I was still so young and 

had a hard time dealing with the pressure, especially from SA, you feel a lot of 

pressure from South Africa. Because there are so few of us and we know that 

the whole of SA is pinning their hopes on you to make them proud and throwing 

their cup of tea at the TV when you don’t, it does take its toll on you. But generally 

I don’t think therapists help, talking to my Dad and Mom keeps mee grounded 

and my head in the right place, my Dad gets me sorted, if I am stressing and 

I phone him he gets my head straight. Like I mentioned earlier, without my family 

I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this and I am eternally grateful to them for 

everything that they have done for me in my life. 

So, as I understand it your ride for iDENT in the last two rounds of Spains CEV 

championship is really a feeder system to the world championships and if you 

do well in these two races you will get a permanent full ride with iDENT for next 

year which will also include 3 wild card rides in premier class events which could 

nett you a solid career in one of the premier classes… 

Well Dozzy, this has been a very interesting chat and it has been really great 

meeting you and we really do wish you well with your new team and we do hope 

to see you back in one of the premier classes in the very near future. 

B 

F 

R 

4, 

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R 

K1 10 

33 R 

R2 

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13 

R 

R1 

64 

R8 

B 

R1 

7 

R3 

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4, 

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TR 

39 

R8 

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BMW Motorrad 

Fourways 

R18, First Edition 2020 

4,000km E X Demo 

R280 000 

S1000 RR, 2010 

45,000km 

R119 000 

R1250 RS, 2021 

2 300km Top Box 

R199 000 

R 1250 RS, 2019 

K1600 100km BAGGER 2018 

33 R215 000km 

R289 000 

R1250RT, 2019 

18 F700 000km GS 2013 

R230 48 000km 

R79 000 

C400 X 2020 

1,300km S1000 RR 2014 

R109 49 000km 

R155 000 

Vespa 300 GTS, 2018 

13,500km 

R99 000 

R1200 GS 2008 

64 000km 

R85 000 

Vespa 250 GTS, 2011 

13, 000km 

R89 000 

K1600 GTL EXCLUSIVE 2016 

30 000km 

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R1250 GS Adventure 2013 

34,000km 

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G310 R 2020 

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Fourways, Gauteng. 

Tel: (011) 367-1600 

Email: rodney.serfontein@cedarisle.co.za 

R1250 GSA 2018 

7 000km 

R320 000 

R18, First Edition 2020 

4,000km E X Demo 

R280 000 

R1200 GSA 2011 

86 000km TO MANY EXTRAS TO 

MENTION 

R110 000 

S1000 RR, 2010 

45,000km 

R119 000 

KTM 1190 ADVENTURE S 2015 

55 000km AKRAPOVIC PIPE 

R119 000 

R1250 RS, 2021 

2 300km Top Box 

R199 000 

TRIUMPH TIGER 1050 SPORT 2013 

39 000km 

R89 

R 1250 

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RS, 2019 

100km 

R215 000 

KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE 2015 

8 500km 

R1250RT, 

R105 R175 0002019 

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C400 R69 R105 000 X 2020 

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F800 GT 2016 

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R99 Vespa 000300 GTS, 2018 

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Tel: (011) 367-1600 

Email: RIDEFAST rodney.serfontein@cedarisle.co.za 

MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2021 33


TOPRAK 

Razgatlioglu 

2021 WSBK CHAMPION 



TRIUMPH 

AND FRIENDS 

Modern Classics 

The phone rings. It’s the guys from Triumph South 

Africa. “Guys! The new modern classics are with 

us, how would you like to come and ride them?” 

For sure! We don’t really need an excuse for a day 

out. But we needed to do something a bit different. 

People get tired of hearing stuff from the same ol 

people, so we roped in some friends to tell you 

what the bikes are like. 


Present for duty: 

The bikes included: 

• The new Euro 5 T120 Bonnie and a very limited 

2019 Euro 4 T120 Ace – one of only two in the 

country and number 1400 of 1400 globally. 

• The Bonneville Bobber (The Brutal Beauty) was 

present for duty. 

• The Thruxton based Speed Twin they gave 

us was also a Euro 4 model – their Euro 5 was 

with a customer for the day. But it’s cool to have 

the Euro 4 models to compare with the Euro 5 

units. 

All have the new Hi performance Torque parallel twin fuel 

injected engine. And yes, we drag raced all of them… 

fastest of the Batch is the 2019 Speed Twin, followed by 

the Bobber, then the latest Bonnie with that gorgeous Ace 

just a smidgeon behind it. But most of these bikes are not 

top-end get your knee and elbow down bikes, these ones 

are all about Uber Cool urban cruising… 

The fox in the henhouse was the new 1200 Scrambler 

that was loaned to us for the day. It doesn’t really fit into 

this feature, but it does have the same Euro 5 engine and 

we can confirm that the upgraded performance is pretty 

flippen spectacular… The old one is brilliant and this one 

is even better! 

A lot more on this one in future issues… 

Our guests: 

All of our riders are experienced riders from very different 

backgrounds. 

• The big chief of Motul Oil in Southern Africa, 

Mercia Jansen came along to give us a ladies 

perspective. Mix FM DJ and muso “Al Your Pal” 

Smythe who has a superbike background came 

along for the day. Sadly he had to rush 

off to entertain us on the radio, so he only got to 

ride the Bobber. 

• Zona Enduro’s Peter Schleuter was out for the 

Motul Roof Of Africa, so we chucked him into the 

saddle. Back home in Germany, he rides a Honda 

CBR 1000F. Jason Foley is out 

from the UK. His weapons of choice have always 

been of the German manufactured tourer 

variety – so this was the very first time that he 

has ridden anything like this lot. 

• Regular contributor singer/songwriter Garth 

Taylor hung up his guitar for the day and 

exchanged it for a few sets of handlebars. 

We all assembled at the Triumph head office really early to 

work out the routes and sample some British coffee and 

then we headed out for the hills. Our routes took us onto 

the freeway for a catch up stop at the beautiful Casalinga 

venue near Muldersdrift. Then it was out along the back 

roads to the base of Krugersdorp hill. Down towards 

Hekpoort, with a turn off onto the satellite road where we 

were moaned at for taking photos. Apparently it’s a private 

road. We didn’t know that! 

We took off further down the road past the ADA training 

venue in Broederstroom for a quick bite to eat at the 

market shop down the road. And then we took some back 

roads out past Lanseria airport with an urban grind back 

to Triumph South Africa. It’s a great route and to quote our 

German Visitor “I cannot believe that you have so many 

cool places to ride just outside the city!”. And he is quite 

correct. Everything is lush and green. The roads are in 

excellent condition and… the middle of the week meant 

that the roads were not too manic. It’s a great ride for 

sure, made even better by some good friends and… 

of course some interesting machinery. 

Bobber 

Bonnie Ace 

Speed Twin 

T120 

The new Scrambler 1200 Is quite special. 

Full Feature to follow 


l. 

We told our guests that they had to write 

the story, so without further nattering here 

is the rundown: 

T120 Bonneville: R188,000.00 

The Bonnie is one of those iconic bike 

in Triumphs lineup. Retro cool, the new 

one certainly looks the part, but would 

Euro restrictions choke it up? The British 

designers have managed to chop almost 7 

Kg’s in total off the previous model, which 

includes a 2 kilogramme weight saving on 

new 32-spoke wheels. 

It’s easy to get all nostalgic about a bike 

like this, but don’t be fooled, Triumph has 

packed it with their very latest parallel twin 

power plant. Peak power and torque are 

claimed to be the same as the previous 

T120 model 58.8kw/78.9bhp @ 6500rpm 

and 102Nm/75.2lbft @ 3500rpm. Triumph 

has reduced the weight of the crankshaft 

and tell us that with improvements to the 

balance shaft and clutch, produced an 

engine that is more responsive and revs 

more freely. 

Up front it boasts new sliding-caliper 

Brembo stoppers. Conventional (non-lean 

sensitive) ABS comes as standard and 

there is still a Nissin rear caliper out back. 

Cruise control is a standard feature. 

Garth says: 

The T120 is by far one of most comfortable 

bikes I have ridden. It’s a great urban 

commuter, someone who enjoys lazy 

Sunday afternoon outrides. BUT! Don’t be 

mistaken because when you open up, the 

power on this bike is quite extraordinary. 

It’s strange to think that all the bikes in this 

pack have the same or very similar motors, 

but somehow Triumph makes them all feel 

a bit individual. If I wanted to pop a bike in 

the garage for my partner or just for lazy 

Sundays this is ideal. Not scary, just easy 

to ride. I felt that the throttle response 

is a bit more lethargic than the others, 

particularly the Ace… I love the comfort, 

suspension and seating position. What a 

cool, chilled bike to ride. 

Mercia Says: 

Very smooth and sophisticated. Almost 

too smooth for me. I like older bikes with 

personality. BUT… what I can say is they 

did not sacrifice on power or torque in 

order to achieve Euro 5 standards. This 

motorcycle still has all the power and more 

when you need it. The riding position is 

very comfortable and natural. 

Jason Says: 

This bike just feels so refined. Everything 

is smooth, it’s the most comfortable of the 

bunch and I love the looks. Don’t be fooled 

by the Euro 5 Smoothness though, in a 

drag race, it actually beat the Ace by a few 

bike lengths… 

Peter Says: 

A classic bike. No big surprises, it did 

exactly what I expected. I love the colour 

and quality finish. The engine is smooth 

and refined and the suspension and 

handling is just fine for a relaxed bike like 

this. 


• 

• 

• 

• 

T 

2019 T120 Ace. Used R169,000.00 

The T120 Ace is based on the Bonneville 

T120 Black, with the 1200cc High Torque 

twin Bonneville engine, a dedicated 

chassis and suspension set-up for 

“Relaxed riding every day, all day, alone 

or with a pillion.” To quote Triumph. 

This one is something of a rarity… as we 

said earlier, one of only two in SA and 

one of just over a thousand in the whole 

world. And it is special, most of our riders 

kept gravitating towards it throughout the 

day. 

The bike is a homage to the first 

generation of cafe racers, as well as the 

iconic Ace Cafe in London. This special 

edition features a host of special features, 

such as the blacked out urban ‘traffic 

light racer’ theme, including a matt Storm 

Grey/Ace Cafe stripe paint scheme and 

graphics. Also featured is the ‘Head down 

– Hold on’ tank graphic design, as well as 

black four bar Triumph tank badges, black 

intake covers and engine badges and a 

black bench seat. 

The minimal fender set-up is thanks 

to the removal kit fitted as standard in 

most markets, with bullet LED indicators 

as standard fitment. Limited to a run of 

1400 worldwide, each bike came with 

a numbered certificate, signed by both 

Triumphs Nick Bloor and modern Ace 

Cafe founder Mark Wilsmore. 

Garth says: 

The Ace sounds fantastic! And has 

loads of personality, but I do feel that 

the new, standard T120 seems to handle 

a bit better. This one tends to want to 

stay upright. It delivers lots of grunt just 

like the rest of the bikes. It revs quickly 

compared to the new T120 – probably 

thanks to the less restrictive pipe. My 

pick between the two – The Ace – it just 

feels more fun – while the new model is 

perhaps too smooth. 

Mercia Says: 

I rode this straight after the Euro 5 T120 

and it immediately put a smile on my 

face. I prefer “old school” if you can even 

call a 2019 that. You know you are on 

a motorcycle and it’s not just the Vance 

& Hines pipes. This bike talks to you 

and moves your soul, it’s full of attitude. 

That throttle is very responsive. It is also 

beautiful, unique and stylish. From the 

matt storm grey café racer design to 

all the small little details. I went to the 

legendary Ace café in London and loved 

the vibe. So I thoroughly enjoyed the 

whole experience of riding this motorcycle 

and that is what modern classics are all 

about. It’s all head down, hang on… 

Jason Says: 

This was my first bike for the day. 

This bike is just so clinically smooth, 

gearbox, engine, everything… nothing 

like the bikes that I am used to. Despite 

the fact that the bike is a naked It is so 

comfortable and I’d be happy to ride this 

one literally for miles… Of all the bikes 

I rode, this was my favorite, from the 

styling to the delivery of the ride, it’s just 

so much fun and in my opinion it’s the 

prettiest of the lot… 

Peter says: 

Absolute eye catcher, sounds amazing! 

So much fun to blast around on. A cool 

city cruiser and head turner. Feels more 

powerful than the blue one. Love the 

matte black finish and special touches. 

YO 

YAM 

M 

RE 

Mercia Jansen from Motul 


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The T120 Bonnieville Bobber… 

R202 000 

Triumph updated its Bonneville Bobber 

platform ahead of MY2021 with a 

number of improvements. Brake and 

suspension components were spruced 

up, along with a larger fuel tank and the 

extra range it brings. The suspension 

and brake components come off a 

higher shelf to finish the practical 

changes. New paint packages and 

expanded blackout treatment gives 

this bike a unique look, in spite of 

Triumph’s efforts to channel the soul 

of a decades-old design. Wire wheels 

set the stage with blackout rims and 

hubs all bound together with polished 

spokes. The blackout treatment 

continues into the fork sliders, 

headlight can, and triple clamp, plus 

the swept area of the inner fork tube is 

covered by old-school, bellows-style 

gaiters. Too cool! 

Like the bobbers of old, this modern 

version carries the characteristic 

chopped-down fenders front and back 

that gives it its name. The single round 

headlight housing is also a historical 

throwback, though like the rest of the 

lighting, it relies on LED brightness 

for effective two-way visibility and 

sports a DRL feature to help you be 

seen during daylight hours. Around 

the back of the light is a single round 

gauge with an analog speedo, idiot 

lights, and LCD screen to handle all of 

the instrumentation in one location. Its 

minimalistic and very cool! 

This is the only bike that Al Your Pal of 

Mix FM got to ride before he took off 

for the studio. His thoughts: 

It’s not every day that you get invited 

to enjoy a ride on a new bike. It’s not 

every day that you get to ride more 

than one bike! The other day just 

happened to be that day all thanks to 

the guys at RideFast! Not only did I get 

to experience the Triumph Bobber and 

the Triumph Scrambler, but I also got 

to spend time rubbing shoulders with a 

good bunch of people! 

I was a little apprehensive when it 

came to getting on the Bobber and 

that only because I am 6 ft plenty. The 

Bobber is a low ride and with my long 

legs I was expecting an uncomfortable 

ride. Quite the contrary, my legs were 

well tucked in to the contours of the 

bike and the ride was comfortable for 

my abnormal size! So my expectations 

continued to shatter - the name 

Bobber had me expecting a ride where 

I would be Bobbing up and down or 

even side by side like one of those dog 

ornaments in the back of a car window! 

The ride was totally the opposite. It 

was a smooth ride. 

Then it came to throttle action and 

seeing what this classic looking 

machine would deliver! What a 

machine. You open the throttle and 

you feel the power and torque between 

your legs. Listen it isn’t a super bike ... 

but it doesn’t have to be. It’s a classic 

that has style and just says classy. 

It’s fast enough to enjoy the open 

road. It has the power to do exactly 

what you want it to do and it is such 

a well-balanced motor bike! Do I want 

one? Damn right I do!! Boys and their 

toys they say! They are so right! Thank 

you to the guys and girls at Triumph 

Sandton for trusting me with one of 

your amazing toys! 

Mercia Says: 

I tried this after that monster Scrambler. 

Quite a change going down that low 

again. You go into cruise mode and 

start hearing “Get your motor runnin’ 

head out on the highway” in your head. 

It’s very responsive and quick of the 

mark. I rode it on mostly straight roads 

and gentle turns, so cannot comment 

on the handling in corners. 

Garth says: 

The best thing about the Bobber is 

the sound! It’s got a real throaty growl 

to it. In the saddle you know that you 

are on a big bore bike. Although it’s a 

custom, it’s actually quite plain. It’s a 

really comfortable despite the small 

seat. Suspension under your butt is 

quite limited thanks to the shock under 

the seat. Because the bike is so long, 

handling is different to the others so 

you have to ride around that. Cornering 

is interesting, it wants to stay upright 

and I scraped the pegs a few times. A 

real head turner, but not for everyone! 

Go and get one and customize away… 

King of cool! 

Jason says: 

I fully expected this one to be like a 

famous American brand. But it isn’t. 

It has a chilled seating position, but 

so refined and smooth. The pegs and 

bars are well laid out with a very natural 

riding stance. It doesn’t ride like it 

looks. I fully expected the ape hanger 

effect, but it’s nothing like that. I did a 

lot of straightish roads, the bike feels 

very planted. The few corners need a 

bit of body English thanks to the length 

of the bike. Power delivery is really 

sublime and that engine is great! It’s a 

great looking bike, but a bit selfish with 

only a single seat. 

Pete Says: 

A Proper head turner. At every traffic 

light I was given thumbs up – even by 

your Taxi drivers. In my opinion – long 

distances would be a challenge – this 

bike is more for posing. For me, the 

seat position was not perfect – but I’m 

shorter than the other guys. Quality, fit 

and finish is perfect. 

Al Your Pal Muso and DJ from Mix FM 

Singer song writer Garth Taylor 

OU 

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The Triumph Speed Twin: R202,000.00 

Triumph’s Speed Twin is more than just a comfier Thruxton. Don’t be 

fooled by its classic appearance, this is a different animal, laden with 

plenty of technology and certainly not just a Thruxton with flat bars. 

It’s sad that the Thruxton is no longer brought in, but this is a great 

option if you are keen on bikes like this. Three engine maps, Rain, 

Road and Sport. It features the same tuning profile as the Thruxton 

series, with some changes unique to this model, including a lowinertia 

crankshaft and high-compression head. 

Triumph took the best bits from the raciest of their retros and laidback 

roadsters to build this one. The more you look over the Speed 

Twin, the more you appreciate the build quality. Brushed-aluminium 

everywhere, smoked reservoirs, hand-painted coach lining on the tank 

and the offset “Monza” fuel cap. The Brembo master cylinder joined 

to an adjustable brake lever to match the Brembo 4-pot, 4-pad front 

brakes and additional old school accents bring this iconic Speed Twin 

its heritage due. 

Just look at it! King of cool Café’s for sure! 

Garth says: 

Amazing motorcycle. Really comfortable and it handles so well! Of all 

the bikes, this one is best through the corners and twistys. It also feels 

sturdy and well planted at higher speeds, although, being a naked, 

sustained high speed can be fun. Smooth shifting quick shifter and 

loads of torque. Really, really comfortable to ride too. I liked this one… 

A lot!! 

Peter Schlüter from Hard enduro World in Germany. 

Mercia Says: 

This was the biggest surprise for me to try. This bike is feisty and 

fast! A very different feel to the Bonnies. It still has all the rumble and 

easy torque but more snappy and powerful. Riding position is quite 

aggressive and not for long distances. 

I had a lot of fun on this and just wanted to race… 

Jason Says: 

The sportiest of the bunch with the most aggressive seating position. 

You tuck in more than on any of the others. Not uncomfortable like 

a conventional superbike, but you do feel it after a long stretch. The 

engine tells a story, it seems to rev a lot more than on the Bonnies or 

even the Ace and its racier and a whole heap of fun to ride. You know 

where they are aiming, the suspension is quite firm too… I would love 

to take it around the track… 

Pete Says: 

Love it! Powerful, cool styling, very nice colour, racier suspension, 

absolute eye catcher! For me is a toss-up between this one and the 

Ace as to which one parks in my garage… 

There you have it. Some very different opinions from a variety of 

motorcycle people. Although the bikes share that 1200 parallel engine, 

they are all quite different. More on that terrific new Scrambler in 

future issues, but for now… get to your Triumph dealer for a test ride. 

www.triumph-motorcycles.co.za 

UK’s Jason Foley 



A RARE BIT OF MOTORCYCLING HISTORY 

FOUND IN A HEDGE 

In the September 2021 edition of 

Ridefast magazine we told you 

about Big Eazy’s Custom Bikes 

in Little Falls, Roodepoort and 

mentioned that he had dragged 

an old classic Victoria “Vicky” 

out of a hedge in Honeydew 

and that he had big plans for 

it. Well, he has basically gotten 

as far as he can get with the 

part availability on this very 

rare brand and even rarer bike 

without having to spend an 

arm and a leg to have parts 

remanufactured. 

Johann is an avid historian and loves 

to hang out at antique shops, pawn 

shops and wandering around the back 

roads of our beautiful country looking 

for those rare and interesting bits and 

bobs time has forgotten about and then 

returning them to their former glory as 

best as parts availability and cash will 

allow before selling them on. Bumbling 

around an antiques dealer in Honeydew 

he noticed what looked like an old school 

headlight and front rim sticking out of an 

ivy hedge in the garden and on closer 

inspection found it to be a complete 

‘help my trap’ moped. He approached 

the owner of the shop who advised him 

that it was actually on the neighbours 

property and they would have to chat to 

him about buying. Half an hour later, with 

a lighter wallet Johann had the ‘Vicky’ 

safely loaded on his bakkie and a head 

full of ideas about how he was going to 

restore it. 

Some 4 months later and plenty of 

workshop hours he has the old girl 

looking as bright and shiny as a new pin. 

Spending a lot of time on the minutest 

detail and adding one or two custom 

touches. Unfortunately, the internal 

working of the engine had suffered 

muchly being stuck and exposed in a 

Highveld hedge for untold amount of 

years and much to Johann’s annoyance 

parts are basically extinct on this little 

beauty, particularly engine parts. 


So he has now built it as a display piece for 

a shop window, man cave, restaurant décor 

or the like and is open to all reasonable 

offers. It has been painted in period correct 

colours of Cardinal red and Bombay ivory, 

with a custom hand tooled leather seat 

and everything that can be polished to a 

lustrous shine has been. 

Now for a bit of a Wikipedia history lesson 

on the brand; a surprisingly prolific brand 

with a couple of championships and world 

records to its name and recovered from a 

thumping from Allied bombing in WW2. 

Victoria was a bicycle manufacturer in 

Nürnberg, Germany that made motorcycles 

from about 1901 until 1966. It should not 

be confused with a lesser-known, unrelated 

Victoria Motorcycle Company in Glasgow, 

Scotland that made motorcycles between 

1902 and 1928. In its early decades Victoria 

in Nürnberg fitted proprietary engines 

purchased from various manufacturers 

including Fafnir, FN, Minerva and Zédel. 

In 1920 Victoria launched the model KR 

1, which has a 494 cc BMW twin-cylinder 

side-valve flat twin (boxer engine) mounted 

longitudinally in the motorcycle frame. The 

engine produced 6.5 bhp and transmission 

was via a two-speed gearbox. 

When BMW started making its own 

motorcycles, Victoria turned to making its 

own engines. In 1923 Victoria launched its 

KR 2, an overhead valve flat twin producing 

9 horsepower. In 1924 Victoria followed 

this with the KR 3, which produces 12 

horsepower and has a 3-speed gearbox. 

In 1925 Victoria built Germany’s first 

forced induction engine, and in 1926 a 

496 cc Victoria achieved a motorcycle 

land speed record of 165 km/h. In 1927 

Victoria launched the 596 cc KR VI or KR 

6. Based on this model the factory offered 

a high-speed sports model with twin 

carburettors that produced 24 bhp, later 

named the KR 7. At the same time Victoria 

also offered the 200 cc side-valve KR 20 

and 350 cc overhead valve KR 35 models. 

In 1930/31 it added to its range the KR 50 

(side-valve) and KR 50 S (overhead valve) 

models, which have engines imported from 

Sturmey-Archer in England. 

In 1932 Victoria won the sidecar class of 

the European Hill Climb Championship with 

a 600 cc machine and thereafter offered 

a model with 20 bhp and a four-speed 

gearbox as the KR 6 Bergmeister, Mountain 

Master). At the same time it offered the KR 

15 and KR 20 Z models with 150 cc and 

200 cc two-stroke engines supplied by ILO. 

In 1933 Victoria introduced a 500 cc parallel 

twin, the KR 8. This had a side-valve engine 

with its cylinder block inclined forwards 

almost horizontally. This placed the valves 

under the cylinder head, where the exhaust 

valves suffered from overheating. In 1934 

the National Socialist government forbade 

the import of foreign components, 


X-R 

which ended Victoria’s use of Sturmey-Archer engines. 

In 1935 Victoria revised the KR 8 engine to the unusual 

exhaust over inlet valve, (EOI), layout, and called the 

resulting model the KR 9 Fahrmeister, (Driving Master). 

Using EOI on a nearly horizontal engine placed the exhaust 

valves in cooler air at the front and solved the overheating. 

Unfortunately it also increased the complexity and cost of 

manufacture and maintenance. Victoria discontinued the 

KR 9 after 1935. Also in 1935 Victoria introduced the 350 

cc KR 35 B and KR 35 G models with Lackler-patented 

cylinder heads. In 1937 the first KR 35 Sport was built with 

a Columbus engine. In the same year Victoria introduced 

new KR 20 LN Lux and KR 25 S Aero two-stroke models, 

whose engines with flat-topped pistons were developed 

by Richard and Xaver Küchen. In 1938 Victoria offered the 

Columbus-engined KR 35 SN and KR 35 SS models. At 

the same time Victoria expanded its range of two-strokes 

with the lightweight V 99 Fix, V 109 Fix (which was a ladies’ 

version of the V 99 Fix, KR 12-N and KR 15-N. 

In 1939 the Second World War almost completely halted 

production of the KR 35 Pionier, although limited production 

continued until at least 1942. In 1945 the Victoria factory’s 

production hall was severely damaged by Allied bombing. 

In 1946 Victoria resumed production with the 38 cc FM 38 

bicycle engine. In 1949 the company resumed production 

of the pre-war KR 25 Aero model. In 1950 Victoria 

introduced the 99 cc V 99 BL-Fix and modernised the KR 

25 Aero with a telescopic front fork. At the same time the 

company built the models Vicky I and Vicky II using the 

FM 38 bicycle engine. By the end of the year KR 25 Aero 

production was 14,000 per year, and from 1951 the model 

was equipped with Jurisch plunger rear suspension. 

In 1953 Victoria developed its popular model further as the 

KR 26 Aero, and expanded its range with the new Küchendesigned 

V 35 Bergmeister. The V 35 is a 350 cc OHV 

four-stroke V-twin producing 21 bhp. The V 35’s powertrain 

combines chain primary drive to the gearbox with shaft 

drive to the rear wheel. The Bergmeister was highly over 

engineered and very expensive to buy. Only around 1000 

motorcycles could be produced before the model was 

scrapped due to poor sales. The Bergmeister is one of the 

rarest motorcycles in the world today with only a few known 

survivors 

In 1955 Victoria introduced the Peggy motor scooter, which 

has a 200 cc fan-cooled two-stroke engine and an electric 

starter. In the same year the company also offered the 

technologically advanced - but consequently expensive - 

KR 21 Swing motorcycle. In 1957 Victoria launched a new 

model with a 175 cc OHV four-stroke engine imported from 

Parilla in Italy: the KR 17 Parilla. In 1958 Victoria merged 

with DKW and Express Werke AG, forming Zweirad Union, 

which continued the Victoria name for mopeds such as 

the Vicky and motor scooters. In 1966 Hercules took over 

Zweirad Union and terminated Victoria production. 

In 1954 Victoria introduced the Vicky moped. It was 

designated model III. Vicky had a 2-stroke 48cc engine. 

The Vicky III was exported around the world from January 

1956 and the Saund Zweirad Union India Ltd. manufactured 

Vicky mopeds in the city of Gwalior, India in the early 1970s. 

Stop in at Big Eazy’s Custom Bikes to view this very rare 

little machine and try not to go “Goo-Goo-Ga-GA” over 

all the lust worthy stock in the shop – a proper Man Cave 

shop on the corner of Hendrik Potgieter and Zandvliet Rd, 

Wilgespruit, Roodepoort or give them a call on 

083 339 6966 

Master Builder Johann from Big Eazy 

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2021 MOTO GP ROUNDUP. 

The last race of the year was pretty damn phenomenal, with a 

historic 3 Ducati’s on the podium and massive farewell celebrations 

for Valentino Rossi. It’s been a very exciting season - but 

what the hell do we do until it all kicks off again for the ‘22 

season? 

One helluva year for Yamaha 

The racing bosses at Yamaha head office in Japan must 

high-fiving themselves right now (or whatever it is that Yamaha 

racing bosses do to celebrate success). With Toprak winning 

the World Superbike Championship, the first in WSBK since 

Ben Spies won it for them in 2009, Yamaha has taken this 

year’s MotoGP, WSBK, British Superbike, MotoAmerica and 

Japanese Superbike Championship, giving them a collection of 

golden cutlery from all the major racing categories. 

If we trek through the racing history books, we will probably 

find that this has happened before, but we would be damned if 

anyone remembers it. Yamaha has much to rejoice about. 

The machine in question was a 2021 Yamaha M1, the same as 

that ridden this year by Valentino Rossi and championship winner 

Fabio Quartararo, as part of his new signing with the WithU 

RNF Yamaha MotoGP Team that replaces the Petronas Sprinta 

Team from this year. 

While the other Yamaha riders toiled with the 2022 prototype, 

Binder Younger was tasked with doing nothing but riding the 

bike and getting used to it – “tyres, petrol and go”. 

Indeed, he needs time to get used to it when considering the 

mountain he is attempting to climb. It’s an uphill most rookies 

find formidable, even when moving from a 160kg (roughly), 

138hp Moto2 bike, as is the traditional way. 

Except Binder is moving straight from Moto3, where the bikes 

weigh just 82kg and push a relatively meagre 60hp. To put 

things into perspective, a MotoGP bike has to weigh no less 

than 157kg, and the strong ones can make as much as 300hp. 

Darryn Binder’s first glorious outing 

MotoGP held its last official test of the year at Jerez in Spain, 

marking the first glorious exiting of a pitlane for Darryn 

Binder aboard a MotoGP machine.

That means that Binder Junior has to adjust to double the 

weight and nearly five times the horsepower. 

He did rather well, all things considered. At the end of the 

first day, his times had dropped to four seconds off the leader, 

and at the end of the second day, this gap was down to 

three seconds, 0.6 seconds behind the closest rookie from 

Moto2. 

Perhaps the second day could have seen an even bigger 

improvement were it not for a midday crash that left him in 

some discomfort (he spent an hour lying on the floor of the 

race truck afterwards waiting for the throbbing to go down). 

However, the crash taught him a valuable lesson – those 

Michelins need to be kept warm, something he was warned 

about but now understands fully. It happened on the out-lap 

when the weather was still chilly, and the tyres were not yet 

up to full temperature. He then spent a chunk of the first half 

of the lap letting riders through, giving the tyres yet more 

time to cool down. 

Then he went down the back straight and turned into the 

following hairpin. He didn’t even turn very quickly or push 

very hard, but cold tyres are a cruel mistress – as he tipped 

in, while still on the brakes with the throttle closed, the rear 

tyre stepped out and high-sided him massively. He may 

have befriended the truck floor for an hour, but he also learnt 

a valuable lesson in keeping tyres warm. 

The first test showed promise, but it is too early to tell how 

well he will fare when the season begins next year. For now, 

in pre-season, the gap will close rapidly, but as Binder gets 

closer to the leaders so every tenth of a second will become 

more crucial and more difficult to achieve. 

Only then will we see his true potential. 

Pecco 2nd Overall 

Miller 4th Overall 

Brad Binder 6th Overall in MotoGP 2021 

Espargaro 4th Overall

As we have said before, testing times mean 

very little, as the below headline reiterates. 

Testing times mean very little 

People love poring over testing times as 

though they are deciphering the hidden secret 

of eternal life, and much of this is down 

to boredom. The season is over, the desert 

of the off-season is upon us and we search 

desperately for any MotoGP fix we can find. 

Truthfully, most MotoGP riders really couldn’t 

be bothered finishing anywhere in the 

post-season Jerez tests. They’ve had a long 

season, and they want to go home. They will 

do the test, give the input required, and if they 

do not top the timesheets, then who cares? 

The beach house in Ibiza awaits them. 

For example, Nakagami finished the test in 

second, but this grand achievement does not 

cement his spot as a 2022 title contender. 

It just means he did a fast lap time at a test 

where no one is bothered. The same can be 

said about Maverick Vinales, famously the 

most successful winter test champion ever. 

It’s the summer championships – the ones 

that actually count – that seem to bother him. 

Vinales finished the test in eighth on the Aprilia, 

a fair bit down on where he usually finishes 

testing. 

That bit could be potentially worrying but 

probably isn’t. 

A historic 3 Ducati’s on the podium 

Mir 3rd Overall 

Cheers Rossi!

What is interesting is that championship 

runner-up, Pecco Bagnaia, continued his 

excellent form to finish on top and praised the 

2022 bike after believing that Ducati would 

find it difficult to top the 2021 machine, which 

he also praised. This is bad news for everyone 

else. 

Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo finished the test 

third and found the 2022 Yamaha is not much 

different to the 2021 model. The Frenchman 

was hoping Yamaha would bring more top 

speed for 2022 but didn’t seem too overjoyed 

so far. There’s still a long way to go until 

Qatar 2022. 

Brad Binder finished the test as top KTM but 

down in 13th place. This shouldn’t worry anyone 

because Binder, like much of the rest of 

the field, spends testing doing laps and giving 

feedback. Sunday at Qatar is what counts. 

What to do for the rest of the year? 

We have some waiting to do until the next 

test in February next year. 

May we suggest passing the time visiting 

your dealer and riding motorcycles? 

Thanks 

Donovan Fourie 

donovan@thebikeshow.co.za 

www.thebikeshow.co.za 

We look forward to seeing Darryn on the start grid

The 

Britten 

V1000 

Ahead of its time… 

Never heard of it? Well we have 

– and we even tried to see the 

bike at its home in the Auckland 

Museum of natural history. Sadly, 

when we were there, the museum 

decided to swap the Britten 

display for a flippen Aeroplane… 

Silly people! This bike is the stuff 

that legends are made of. 

Read on… 

HISTORIC BIKES 

handles because he couldn’t find exactly 

what he wanted. It was almost inevitable 

that he would build his own bike, the 

Britten V1000. 

Usually when someone decides to 

build their own machine, they tend to 

build parts like the chassis and the 

bodywork themselves, and pinch the big 

components like the engine, suspension 

and wheels from mainline manufacturers. 

Not John Britten. 

He fabricated almost every component 

from scratch. Then, it was hand built by 

a group of friends in a shed, thousands 

of kilometres away from any racetrack, 

and went on to beat the major motorcycle 

manufacturers. 

Innovative design. 

The liquid-cooled, 1000cc, V-Twin engine 

was developed in-house. He heat treated 

the engine by placing it in his wife’s 

pottery oven and cooled it with water 

from his swimming pool. The home-built 

160bhp motor was far more advanced 

than the rest of the competition and even 

featured a fully programmable ECU… 

This was 1991. If our memory serves 

correctly, Ducati were the only mainline 

brand with programmable ECU’s. 

But the engine was just the start of this 

machines innovation. Unconvinced with 

conventional front fork design, Britten 

decided that it could be done better. 

New Zealander John Britten was a 

mechanical engineer, motorcycle nut 

and amateur racer. He didn’t see himself 

as anything special. This was probably 

down to the fact that he lived on an 

isolated Island, so if he needed a part, 

he built it himself. He built his own 

house from recycled materials, 

casting things like door

He created a fully adjustable girder 

(Hossack) style double front wishbone 

suspension system which was linked to 

an Ohlins racing shock. This was then 

connected straight onto the engine, 

which in turn formed a stressed member 

of the chassis. Due to the lack of a 

conventional frame, the bike was lighter 

than the competition, weighing in at just 

145kg. 

The rear suspension was also an 

example of out of the box thinking. 

Instead of taking the easy route, the 

rear shock was mounted in front of the 

engine. Interesting – but the thought was 

that with greater airflow, the shock would 

run cooler. 

At the time Carbon Fibre was still new 

and really only used on formula 1 race 

cars. John designed the interesting 

faring, using wire stuck together with a 

glue gun to form a basic outline. This 

was then clay molded and formed in 

home-made carbon fibre. He even made 

the wheels and forks from the stuff - 

unheard of at the time. 

Track success: 

What makes the Britten V1000 legend is 

its on-track successes. 

On its first outing at the 1992 Daytona 

Supertwins race, the Britten led in 

spectacular style. The class-leading 

factory Ducatis just didn’t have the 

power to keep up with the machine from 

New Zealand. Racer Andrew Stroud 

demonstrated this brilliantly by wheelying 

away from his rivals at every opportunity. 

Unfortunately, on the penultimate lap, 

one of the few parts that Britten hadn’t 

manufactured failed, denying the team its 

first victory. 

But even without the win, Britten had 

proved that his concept worked. 

In the following years the Britten 

dominated at home and abroad. It won 

the New Zealand National championship 

in 1993 and 1994 and won multiple 

British, European and American Race 

Series (BEARS) races during the same 

period. 

Sadly, the Britten’s racing career wasn’t 

all positive. When the team returned to 

the Isle of Man TT after a successful test 

year in 1993, they experienced a major 

disaster. Their rider, Mark Farmer, a top 

British road racer at the time crashed 

in practice at the fearsomely fast bend, 

Black Dub and was killed instantly. 

After an inquest it was found that the 

accident wasn’t due to bike failure, but 

the tragedy certainly put a damper the 

team’s 1994 efforts. 

In 1995, after a few years of key 

development, the bike won the BEARS 

championship outright and embarrassed 

the competition at Daytona, finishing an 

unbelievable 43 seconds ahead of the 

closest rival… 

Record Breaker: 

In 1994, The Britten V1000 smashed four 

FIM World Speed Records in the 1000cc 

class, the most impressive being the 

Britten’s astounding 188mph (302kph) 

flying mile.

In 2008, Motorcycle journalist Alan Cathcart wrote: 

“It’s an easy bike to ride, in the sense it’s got a very wide power 

delivery, but to really get top performance, you have to ride 

it like a grand prix bike... And having ridden all the superbike 

contenders in the world today, I can say that the Britten is the 

closest to a grand prix bike.” 

“It’s incredibly ironic that instead of Europe or Japan, the most 

sophisticated and technically advanced motorcycle in the world 

comes from New Zealand”. 

But it wasn’t only fast – the artsy folk loved it too. 

Guggenheim curator Ultan Guilfoyle named John Britten as the 

man “who stood the world of racing-motorcycle design on its 

head”, and as a result the bike was featured in the New York 

Museum’s exhibition Art and the Motorcycle. 

Unfortunately, just after the end of the 1995 season, John 

Britten was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. He 

passed away aged just 45. 

A total of 10 Britten V1000s were produced by the Britten 

Motorcycle Company and now exist in collections and 

museums around the world. 

Like so many amazing people who died so young, who knows 

what else this man could have achieved. 

HISTORIC BIKES

Some fast Facts: 

Specifications 

• Wheelbase 1420 mm 

• Weight 138 kg 

• Fuel Tank Capacity 24 litres 

• 166 HP @ 11,800 rpm 

• Maximum safe engine speed 12,500 rpm 

• Maximum speed 303 km/h 

Engine 

• Water-cooled 999 cc 60 deg V-Twin quad-cam 4-stroke 

• 4 valves per cylinder, belt driven 

• Compression ratio 11.3 : 1 

• Bore x stroke 98.9 mm x 65 mm 

• Piston, flat-top slipper 

• Titanium conrods with oil feed to little end 

• Titanium valves Inlet Ø40 mm Exhaust Ø33 mm 

• Wet cast-iron cylinder sleeves / opt silicon carbide–coated 

alloy sleeves 

• Composite head gaskets 

• Back torque dry clutch 

• Wet sump. Oil feeds to big ends, gudgeon pins, camshaft 

lobes & gearbox shafts 

• Programmable engine management computer with history 

facility 

• Fuel injection - sequential, 2 injectors per cylinder 

Transmission 

• Gearbox, 5-speed constant-mesh, sequential manual 

transmission, chain-drive / opt. 6-speed 

Chassis 

• Fully stressed engine with ducted under-seat radiator. 

Top chassis, girder & swing arm all constructed in carbon/ 

kevlar composites 

• Front Suspension: double wishbones, Hossack suspension. 

• Rear Suspension: swing arm with adjustable three-bar linkage 

• Shock Absorbers: Öhlins 

• Rake: adjustable 

• Trail: adjustable 

• Front Wheel: 3.5” x 17” in-house carbon composite 

• Rear Wheel: 6.0” x 17” in-house carbon composite 

• Front Brakes: Twin 320 mm cast-iron rotors with opposed 

4-piston Brembo callipers 

• Rear Brakes: 210 mm rotor with opposed-piston Brembo 

caliper. 

Racing Achievements 

1991 

• 2nd and 3rd Battle of the Twins, Daytona, USA 

1992 

• 1st Battle of the Twins, Assen, Netherlands 

• 2nd Pro Twins, Laguna Seca Raceway, USA 

• DNF Battle of the Twins, Daytona, USA 

1993 

• Fastest Top Speed at the Isle of Man TT 

• 1st (BEARS) 2nd (Formula 1) Australian TT Bathurst 

• 3rd Battle of the Twins, Assen, Netherlands 

• NZ Grand Prix title 

• World flying mile record (1000 cc and under) 

• 188.092 mph (Rider Jon White). 

• World standing start 1⁄4-mile (400 m) record (1000 cc and 

under) 

• 134.617 mph. 

• World standing start mile record (1000 cc and under) 

• 213.512 mph 

• World standing start kilometre record (1000 cc and under) 

• 186.245 mph 

1994 

• 1st Battle of the Twins, Daytona, USA. 

• 1st and 2nd New Zealand National Superbike Championship.

Pics by: Neil Phillipson & Jeff Latham 

WORLD OF 

MOTORCYCLING 

R A C E S E R I E S 

Series: Final Round - 

Phakisa Freeway 13 Nov ‘21 

Classic Superbike Racing 

Association rounds up. 

Pics by Neil Phillipson and Jeff 

Latham 

CSRA Background: 

The CSRA was formed by 

like-minded, older generation, 

competitors and enthusiasts 

who enjoyed a “heyday” of 

South African production 

bike racing in the 1980’s as 

spectators, road riders and 

competitors. 

CSRA allows these enthusiasts 

to relive their youth and 

compete, in modern times, on 

bikes that were Kings of the 

Track back in the day! 

The highlight of each race 


season, Covid allowing, has traditionally been the 

two race meeting International Classic TT when 

riders from the UK, Scotland, Ireland and France 

travel to SA for bragging rights and fierce racing on 

SA soil! 

International superstars, Ian Simpson, James Hillier, 

Michael Dunlop, Alan Duffus, Howard Selby, Gordon 

Grigor, Iain “Fearless” Macpherson and Steve Parrish 

have graced our circuits on machines flown in from 

abroad 

There are 3 categories for the CSRA: 

Formula 1 – Bikes from 1984 – 1989 

Formula 2 – Bikes from 1975 – 1983 

Formula 750 – Bikes up to 1975 and any 750 up to 

1989, 2 strokes up to and including 1993. 

Riders must be 35yrs or older to compete in this 

series, tires, suspension and engine mods are open. 

Given the age of the competitors and machinery, one 

would be forgiven for thinking that the riders merely 

parade around the track for each race. In reality 

though, once the flag drops, the racing is as intense 

and fierce as any MotoGP race – well nearly anyway! 

For any information relating to the CSRA or 

information on how to become involved, please 

contact - Mike McSkimming on 083 632 9165 

Roll on 2022! 

The old gals have still got it! 

Wind, dust and heat greeted the competitors for 

the final round of the Classic Superbike Racing 

Association race meeting held at the legendary 

Phakisa Freeway in Welkom on the 13th November. 

Three new class champions were crowned on the 

day! 

As has been the norm for 2021, the CSRA class 

again made up the biggest field on the day with 23 

Classic race prepared motorcycles lining up on the 

grid to do battle. 

The racing up front was close with 4 riders swopping 

the lead on numerous occasions for most of the race 

until invitational rider AJ Venter on an IVID sponsored 

GSX-R1100 and Paul Jacobs managed to break 

away for top honors in the F1 class, followed home 

by class newcomer Matthew Herbert and reigning 

Champ 

Jaco Gous. 

Reigning F2 champion Mike McSkimming’s Katana 

cried “No more!” with only 3 laps to go leaving Fergal 

McAdam to take the win from father and son Dylan 

and Iain Pinkerton, both on GSX1100’s. Mike’s DNF 

meant that Fergal closed to within 1 point of the 

championship lead! 

Ewoud Pienaar continued his good run of form this 

year winning out the F750 class from Lionel Black, 

riding a borrowed GSX-R750 and F750 class stalwart 

Gary Edwards. 

With this event being the final round of the 2021 

WOM Race Series and other track events taking 

place on the same day, the race meeting was in 

danger of being cancelled due to a lack of entries 

across the other classes. 

A massive thanks must go out to the CSRA and 

HMG who stepped in and covered the financial 

shortfall, thus making sure that this event took place! 

2021 CRSA Championship Results: 

F1: F2: F750: 

Jaco Gous Mike McSkimming Ewoud Pienaar 

Paul Jacobs Fergal McAdam Lionel Black 

Jared Millar Iain Pinkerton Gary Edwards 


ARE EMISSION CONTROLS 

T 

SPOILING THE FUN? 

By: Sean Hendley 

Credit: Stephan Marais – KTM SA – for 

his knowledge, input and assistance 

with this article. 

Like it or not – change is a-comin to 

our industry. Sean popped down to 

kuier with KTM Groups technical man 

Stephan Marais for a chat about emission 

control laws and the effect it is 

having in the motorcycle industry… 

He says: 

We are told that we are killing our planet 

with the emissions from our internal 

combustion engines - and in an effort to 

save us all from extinction a whole lot 

of rules, regulations and policies have 

been passed into law regarding said foul 

gasses. 

And! We all know the effect that has had 

on our industry. Way back in 2014… or 

thereabouts, new homologation laws 

were gazetted in this country and… 

POOF! Just like that all sorts of bikes 

were outlawed, and everything had to 

have a catalytic converter fitted into the 

exhaust and that was the end of loud 

pipes and the general perception was 

that was also the end of all our fun… 

OR is it? 

We wanted to know what this whole lot 

was all about. This emission thing has 

brought about a new era of motor engineering 

that government school educated 

old timers like us do not understand 

and cannot fix ourselves. 

Cat vs Decat, Fuel injection and electronics 

packages vs carbs, points and 

condensers, (basically IT Tech mechanics 

vs busted knuckles and spanner grease 

monkeys). 

2 stroke vs 4 stroke, (Thank the Good 

Lord above they haven’t forced diesel 

tech on the motorcycle market yet – oh… 

wait, Diesel is also a swear word these 

days). But electric tech is lurking in the 

sidelines. Silent running bikes. WTF? 

This is quite a wide, involved and pretty 

complicated topic as it turns out and 

varies from manufacturer to manufacturer 

and from model to model from the 

same brand. Here, we just scratch the 

surface and have left out quite a bit of 

some possibly interesting bits and bobs 

which we might explore at another time 

in other articles. The fact is. Laws are 

forcing changes to the traditional way of 

motorcycle thinking. 

2 Stroke vs 4 Stroke 

Now! Make no mistake – we are huge 

fans of 2 strokes and were particularly 

traumatised by their demise when the 

new homologations laws were introduced 

way back when. 


This led to the death of so many cool 

2-stroke models, particularly from 

Japanese manufacturers. 

Supposedly their smoke – our favourite 

cologne – was way too polluting and 

damaging to the environment and the 

ozone. 

Really? 

Uhm, weren’t diesel vehicles considered to 

be the preferred ‘Green’ mode of transport? 

Have you seen how they smoke? 

Have you breathed in that crap? Jet 

planes? 

Somethings stinks here… and it isn’t 2 

stoke smoke. 

It has taken a few dedicated years of 

hard work by a heroic few to design a 

fuel injection system for 2 strokes that is 

becoming acceptable to the tree huggers 

and politicians. We are pretty sure we’ll see 

this tech seeping through to other brands 

as controls tighten up. 

A quick side note. We know for sure that all 

EU spec bikes come into the country with 

full emissions packages onboard on both 

2T and 4T, (dirt bikes in particular), and 

that they are removed and the mapping 

gets changed by the importers. Yup, dirt 

bikes also come with catalytic converters, 

charcoal filters, lambda sensors, solenoids 

and actuators that all get removed before 

they hit the showroom floors. 

The 

wait is over 

“2T or not 2T?” that is the question… 

Supposedly 4T bikes burn cleaner, have 

a better longevity and are more rideable. 

But they also have more working parts, 

valves, valve seats, valve guides, valve 

springs, shims, shim buckets, rocker 

arms, cams, timing chains, timing chain 

guides, timing chain tensioners and a 

bunch more stuff that 2T motors don’t 

have and don’t need. 

4T motors are more fuel efficient and are 

generally kinder to the environment. 

However, the advent of the fuel injected 

2T motors and advances in cleaner burning 

2-stroke oil is making 2- Sroke tech 

more acceptable. 

Some, like the KTM groups TPI system 

with its sensors, ECU’s and fancy 

technology does all the thinking for you, 

negating the human factor out of the oil 

fuel mixture, and ultimately making a 

cleaner ride. 

Also, for endurance and extreme race 

and riding like The Roof of Africa for 

instance, every time the rider stalls and 

restarts, the sensors kick in, check conditions 

and sends that info back to the 

ECU which adjusts air fuel accordingly to 

achieve optimum performance – and the 

cleanest possible burn. 

Is the fun, character and charm being 

engineered out of our bikes by all the 

emission control systems and all the new 

electronics and technology - or, is it just 

making it different, better and we need to 

move with the times? 

Modern bikes in most instances are mind 

blowing, ridiculously fast, amazingly 

stable and easy to ride in any conditions. 

They might not shake, rattle and roll like 

the old bikes, but they do snap, crackle 

and pop when you twist hard on the 

throttle in full sport mode and bang even 

harder on the quick shifter. 

FUEL INJECTION vs CARBS. 

Fact: Fuel injection burns cleaner than 

Carburettor. 

The only real advantage carburettors 

have over fuel injection is that they can 

be fixed almost anywhere. The trick 

comes in fine tuning them or setting 

them up for different altitudes, air pressure, 

humidity and etcetera. 

Fuel injection seldom gives trouble – in 

our experience the fuel pumps tend to 

give in after lots of mileage, but you cant 

just fix them on the side of the road. 

Fuel injection barely ever clogs up with 

old fuel, basically because there is no 

float bowl or jets to speak of. Fuel injection 

is also self-correcting every time 

it starts. That’s where all your sensors 

come into play, communication with your 

bikes ECU (Brain). 

norden901 

CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY 

come for a 

test ride 

taking 

deposits 

first shipment expected 

end jan 2022 

DEALERSpoiled AUTHORIZED KTM, HUSQVARNA AND GAS GAS Willow Rock Shopping Centre 

Solomon Mahlangu Drive, Willow Acres, 

Pretoria East 

Tel: 012 111 0190 

www.traxmoto.co.za 

Spoiled 

for Choice 


Scan to Find us

What does that mean? 

Well, you don’t have to re-jet every time you change altitude or if the day is 

particularly humid or even drier than usual, something the racer boys can 

appreciate especially when racing up here in Gauteng and then going off 

to the coast to race the following weekend. 

Think about it on road going bikes too. 

We love to go riding in the mountains, along the coast, next to a dam/ 

lake or a river or in valleys or all of that in just one ride if you are really 

lucky. Conditions are changing all the time and you bike is recalibrating 

accordingly all the way to make sure you have maximum power, torque 

and performance with the best fuel economy and emissions. 

Basically, you get more saddle time and less time trying to figure all that 

stuff out for yourself. 

And the bikes burn clean – not rich or lean. 

It works for us – We like it! 

Catalytic convertors: 

A catalytic convertor is a device that is built into the exhaust system of a 

motor vehicle, containing a catalyst for converting pollutant gases into less 

harmful ones. 

Don’t just grind the catalytic convertor out… 

We’ve all heard told that catalytic convertors can rob your bike of power, mess 

with the top end and all sorts of other accusations including that it takes away 

the “Braaappp”, so I went along and chatted to some very knowledgeable 

people on the subject and got some definitive answers. 

And the definitive answer is that Decatting your bike really can stuff it up… and 

your wbikes warranty becomes null and void. Unless you get your brands IT 

Tech wizard to remap your ECU and a bunch of other bits of computer floating 

around your bikes engine. 

Here’s why: 

Removing the catalytic converter messes with the flow of gasses from the 

engine out the exhaust, reducing the back pressure, (much like gutting a pipe 

back in the day), and it makes the engine run too lean. 

And we all know that when an engine runs too lean it also runs too hot and 

in prolonged use will cause detonations on the piston, (the particles in the 

material get so hot that they start exploding), and inevitably it can eventually 

lead to the piston melting and a complete mechanical failure. 

This is basically the equivalent of taking a blow torch to your pistons… 

unless you get it done by the authorised pro’s and they remap the 

electronics into believing the cat is still there, which will include the installation 

of a performance kit or evo kit from the factory and require the 

fitment of a performance full system exhaust pipe eliminating the catalytic 

converter, the removal of the charcoal filter and various sensors associated 

with the Cat and charcoal filter and one or two solenoids/actuators 

here and there and 

then changing the 

fuel mapping. 

A lot of 

equipment, 

a lot of 


labour and plenty know how that all cost a pretty penny, but 

if you are addicted to power and speed or just wanna be the 

‘Groot Meneer’ at the braai then you just have to do it… 

We asked the question: Modern Fuel injection eliminates the 

need for fiddling with jetting – no matter the altitude. Surely it 

will pick up that the Cats are removed and compensate with a 

richer fuel mixture? 

Well it turns out that, particularly on the latest models it does 

not. 

There are a bunch of sensors all over the exhaust system, 

airbox and etc, as well as charcoal filters with sensors and so 

much more that measure atmospheric conditions like unburnt 

fuel, (which gets reburned by the way), altitude/air pressure, 

humidity, hot and cold, O2 vs CO2 and a bunch of other 

conditions and variables that all affect the air fuel ratio every 

millisecond the engine is running. These sensors then send all 

this information along to the relevant ECU, yes there is more 

than one and up to nine in some cases, which process the 

information and then adjust the air fuel mixture to be optimum 

for performance, fuel economy and power with acceptable 

emissions. 

Removing the Cat messes with the bikes brains and gets it 

adjusting, recalculating, recalibrating and changing stuff up like 

the cat is still there and when the info comes back less than 

favourable from all the sensors its does it all over again and 

again and again and… until it eventually has a nervous 

breakdown and just blows everything up. 

On modern bikes, each bike has its own unique code, pretty 

much like DNA, registered with its company of manufacture the 

day it rolled off the production line - and you have to have some 

very top secret and complicated equipment to connect the bike 

to the cloud before you can access any of its ‘Control Units’ and 

start changing the settings. 

The codes of which appear as lights on a board and you have to 

have a ‘monkey puzzle’ card for each different model of bike to 

know what code the light is referring to, then you have to look 

that code up in a thesaurus of codes before you know which 

sensor or part to closer investigate and or replace. 

Which is a great little Segway to the next part of this 

investigation, the electronics packages. 

But before we do, it has been noted by more than one rider that 

the re-installation of the catalytic converter noticeably increased 

the low torque of the engine and that is what you need to get 

the hole shot and accelerating out of corners or coming off 

the brakes or getting the front wheel in the air for that perfect 

wheelie pic. 

Food for thought. 

Happy biking… 

Remapping basically switches this function 

off and runs the engine on a pre-setting 

determined by the technician. And don’t think 

you can get your nefarious hacker computer 

nerd nephew or niece to hack in and do all of 

that for you on the cheap. 


Mike Hopkins 

Classic Tours 


Rent yourself a classic bike to tour the Cape! 

Classic Tours grew from a problem Bob Hall 

of Mike Hopkins Motorcycles was having with 

his personal collection of classic Japanese 

motorcycles. They were never ready to ride 

when he wanted, and this was simply because 

they did not get ridden enough to keep them 

in working condition. All suffered from flat 

batteries and gummed up carburettors. 

Before Covid, MHM was successfully hiring out modern 

bikes to overseas visitors. Why not then also hire out classic 

Japanese bikes, as these have become increasingly popular 

with the slightly older motorcyclists from Europe and the US, 

wanting to relive their motorcycling youth. 

However, there are certain inherent difficulties in hiring out 

40-year-old motorcycles on an individual basis. So, the 

concept of supplying a complete tour package with guide rider, 

back-up support vehicle and spare bike was developed. This 

would ensure that the participants get to ride on the best Cape 

roads, be able to swop bikes and increase the classic riding 

experience and, if a breakdown should occur, it could quickly 

be resolved. 

Fast forward to today and MHM now has a fleet of running, 

classic motorcycles from the period 1978 to 1985: Honda 

GL1100, GL1200, CBX1000s, CB1100s, CB900s, CB750s, 

Suzuki GS1000S, Yamaha V-Max, and - coming soon – a 

Honda CX500 Turbo, CX500, VF750F {yes, the one with 

defective camshafts}, and a Triumph T140 Bonneville. 

In time it is planned to increase this fleet with motorcycles of 

this period from other manufacturers. 


An initial 2-day tour to Cape Agulhas was successfully run on 

the 18th and 19th of October, with 4 riders and 1 pillion - riding 

a CBX1000, a CB1100F, a CB900F, a CB750KZ, with Bob as 

guide on a GL1200, and a swap out CB750F bike with Gino on 

the back-up trailer. All the participants had to worry about was 

enjoying the scenery, the ride, and camaraderie generated by 

riding these older machines. 

After a breakfast briefing at MHM, they took a leisurely ride 

through the Stellenbosch wine lands to Gordons Bay. Then onto 

one of the most scenic rides in the world - Clarence drive to 

Rooi-Els - stopping for coffee and photos along the way. The old 

CB900 gave trouble - not starting after the break, so Gino gave it 

a good talking to, which got it behaving again. 

The route then went via Betty’s Bay and Kleinmond to Hermanus 

where they stopped to admire the interesting sculptures at 

Gearing’s Point and took pictures of the Traffic wardens posing 

on the bikes. 

There are still roadworks with stop-go’s, between Hermanus and 

Stanford but, fortunately, this did not delay them long and the 

group were in good time for lunch at the Ou Meul in Stanford. 

Suitably refreshed, the bikes were refuelled (turns out these old 

machines are quite thirsty!) and the group rode on to Gansbaai 

. The road led them onwards to Elim. The R43 that goes from 

Pearly Beach to Elim can be considered one of the best biking 

roads in the Cape - good surfaces, sweeping bends and hardly 

any traffic – brilliant! So after having had a very enjoyable time 

whooshing along and stretching the legs of the old bikes, the 

group arrived in Elim just in time for tea. 

Elim is very interesting. The whole village, of about 4000 people, 

belongs to the Moravian Church which was established in 1824. 

The main street has thatched houses dating back to that period 

and all the village inhabitants are members of the congregation. 

A lovely little coffee house called Maakit Mooi Coffee provided 

refreshments for the thirsty riders. 

Onwards then to Cape Agulhas along straight roads. The wind 

picked up by which made this last a leg a bit tiring - no cushy 

fairings on these old bikes! The sight of the Agulhas Country 

Guest House, the overnight stopover, was a welcome sight. A 

quick freshen up, then down to the beach for sundowners while 

watching the sun set over the two oceans divide. A relaxing end 

to a great day’s riding. 

BE 


The next morning, after breakfast, the lighthouse was climbed 

and explored for a few hours. A word of caution, the last ladder 

up inside the lighthouse and the small outside walkways are not 

for people nervous of heights! After a last coffee in Agulhas the 

participants geared up and set off to Dassiesfontein farm stall for 

lunch, driving back via Bredasdorp, Napier and Caledon. 

The CB900F was eventually switched out with the backup 

CB750F - partly to give the CB750F some exercise but… the 

CB900F broke both its speedo and tacho needles – 40 years of 

sun made them very brittle. 

Dassiesfontein farm stall on the N2 is a fascinating stop. Not 

only do they serve generous portions of tasty food but they also 

have a fantastic stock of old world merchandise - hundreds 

of lamps hanging from the rafters, wood burning stoves, tin 

pots, old furniture, and bric-a-brac everywhere. Unfortunately, 

or perhaps fortunately, the lack of luggage space on the bikes 

prevented some people from indulging. 

Lunch done, the route then took them across country around 

the end of the Theewaterskloof Dam which is now full and 

overflowing - quite a change from 2 years ago - to the village of 

Villiersdorp. 

From there back to the middle of the dam and then up 

Franschhoek pass with a photo stop at the top with classic late 

afternoon views across the valley. 

It was a quick stopover at the Franschhoek Station Bar for a final 

drink - and to refuel the bikes! Then on over the Helshoogte pass 

to Stellenbosch and down the Bottelary Road back to MHM - 

just as the sun was starting to go down. 

Overall, a great mini tour and a promising start. The bikes largely 

behaved themselves and so did the tour participants. 

To book – get in touch with Bob Hall at Mike Hopkins 

Motorcycles. 

Sounds too cool! 

(021) 910-0535 

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17D_Q3+_SalesBull_2pg_r2_Layout 1 4/13/17 3:08 PM Page 1 

DURABILITY THAT MATCHES PERFORMANCE 

TRACK DAY 

REMY GARDNER 

MOTO 2 

Pic by: Rob Gray (Polarity Photo) 

THDO THE MATH 

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+ = 

LEAN 

GRIP20% ANGLE. STREET 

MORE 

LEGAL. . 

TIRE LIFE = 

affordable price. 

340 

Offers a balance of 

350 

62° 

17D_Q3+_SalesBull_2pg_r2_Layout 1 4/13/17 3:08 PM Page 1 

EFITS 

LESS 

FEATURES & B ENEFITS 

GRIP 

achieves lean angles up to 62 degrees*. 

• This purpose-built track-day tire achieves lean angles up to 62 degrees*. 

ed for street-legal use. 

• The Sportmax Q4 is DOT-approved for street-legal use. 

in the wet 

quire tire warmers, and 62 

DURABILITY 

runs at street LEAN 

THAT MATCHES PERFORMANCE in the wet 

or chassis or electronic adjustments. 

dry 

WEAR 

• The user-friendly Q4 does not require tire warmers, and runs at street 

MORE 

dry 

ANGLE 

pressures, eliminating the need for chassis or electronic adjustments. 

bon black like Dunlop’s racing slicks for TRACK DAY 

conditions with 

PERFORMANCE 

uses a continuously wound strip compound 

LONGER 

MORE 

• Rear tire compound contains carbon black like Dunlop’s racing slicks for 

maximum grip. 


20% MORE 

• Jointless Tread (JLT) technology uses a continuously wound strip compound 

STREET 

LONGER 

across the rear tread profile. 

WEAR LIFE 

to optimize stability, flex, and grip across the rear tread profile. 

LEGAL 

WHERE WEAR 

ses carbon fiber reinforcement in the 

• Carbon Fiber Technology (CFT) uses carbon fiber reinforcement in the 

DO 

0 

ng performance, braking stability and feel. SPORTMAX 

THE 

Q4 

MATH 

sidewalls for exceptional cornering performance, braking stability and feel. 

TRACK DAY 

a. 

• Dunlop branding on the tread area. 

• Made in the U.S.A. 

nlop retailers, as well as race distributors. 

• The Q4 is available through all Dunlop retailers, as well as race distributors. 

ze Load/Speed Part Number 

Size Load/Speed Part Number 

0/70ZR17 (58W) 45233176 

Sportmax Q4 Front 120/70ZR17 (58W) 45233176 

0/55ZR17 (73W) 45233177 

Sportmax Q4 Rear 180/55ZR17 (73W) 45233177 

0/60ZR17 (75W) 45233131 

180/60ZR17 (75W) 45233131 

0/50ZR17 (73W) 

MORE 

45233060 

190/50ZR17 (73W) 45233060 

0/55ZR17 (75W) 45233074 62° 

PERFORMANCE 

SPORTMAX190/55ZR17 SPORTMAX 

(75W) 45233074 

0/55ZR17 (78W) 45233092 

200/55ZR17 (78W) 45233092 

GPR-300 

RADIAL PERFORMANCE 

TOURING 

SPORT TIRES RACEMore than 80% TRACK of the Q3+ Performance STREET touring SPORTtyre 

Great Handling 

PERFORMANCE 

TOURING at an 

Sportmax Q4 

has been redesigned 

that not only lasts longer, 


+ 

Sportmax Q3+ 

compared to the Q3 

but performs at higher 

62° Sportmax LEAN 

20% 

GPR-300 ANGLE. STREET 

MORE 

LEGAL. . levels 

Sportmax Roadsmart III 

LESS TIRE LIFE = 


FEATURES & B ENEFITS 

GRIP 

DunlopMotorcycleTires.com 

©2018 *As tested Dunlop by Motorcycle Dunlop on a Tires. 2017 Suzuki GSX-R 1000 RR on a closed track at Barber Motorsports Park. • This purpose-built track-day tire achieves lean angles up to 62 degrees*. 

@RideDunlop DUNLOPTYRESSA 

DunlopMotorcycleTires.com. ©2017 DUNLOPTYRESSA 

Dunlop Motorcycle Tires. 

DUNLOPTYRESSA 

• The Sportmax Q4 is DOT-approved for street-legal use. 

62 LEAN 

in the wet 

WEAR 

• The user-friendly Q4 does not require tire RIDEFAST warmers, MAGAZINE and runs DECEMBER at street 2021 68 

pressures, eliminating the need for chassis or electronic adjustments. 

dry 

ANGLE 

• Rear tire compound contains carbon black like Dunlop’s racing slicks for 

maximum grip. 


310 

320 

330 

340 

350 

S594/A 

0 

10 

10 

20 

30 

40 

50 

More than 80% of the Q3+ 

has been redesigned 

compared to the Q3 

20 

30 

40 

50 

60 

120 

60 

120 

70 

80 

110 

110 

MORE 

PERFORMANCE 

70 

90 

100 

80 

90 

100 

Performance touring tyre 

that not only lasts longer, 

but performs at higher 

levels 

SPORTMAX 

S594/A 

GPR-300 

Great Handling at an 



PEDRO ACOSTA 

MOTO3 

DUNLOP DOMINATION 

2021 MOTO 2 & MOTO 3 CHAMPIONS 

©2018 Dunlop Motorcycle Tires. 

S594/A

RIDEFAST DECEMBER 2021

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