Adventure Magazine 14 by adventure magazine

1st Recce for 2010

Super Tenere Launch Report Droomers Yamaha Feature

Industry News Gear Review Dealership Feature Cape Adventure Bike Challen Super Tenere Launch Report

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Contents

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Issue 4t33n What a month we had. The Super Tenere has just had its official launch in Swaziland and the Cape Adventure Bike Challenge had its 1st recce for 2010 in the Rooiberge outside Van Wyksdorp.

We head on down to Droomers Yamaha in Belville to check what they offer the market.

We would also like to welcome a new Advertiser - Leatt Brace, Have you got yours yet? The launch looked like it ran smoothly and I would like you guys to support our some of the journos who attended are saying advertisers because without them, we wont that its just the best adventure bike currently be here. available. Bold statement I think. Ill keep the Till next month! big three shootout a little under the table Please submit your stories to info@adventuremagazine.co.za then.

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Featured Gear

Bmw Enduro GS 3

R3950-00

Available at Hamman Motorrad www.hammanracing.co.za

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Featured Gear

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Featured Gear

For more information and sales visit www.hexdiagnostics.co.za or call +27 21 880 1433

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Droomers Yamaha Belville

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New Rides

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Droomers Yamaha has been around for ages. I remember as a kid, I used to run in there and go and look at the Yamaha Blasters and Banshee’s. Man did things change in the last 15 years or so. They recently relocated their accessory and gear shop to the second floor and what a nice store it is. They carry most of the gear you could ever want and need. From Hydration packs to helmets and even socks chances are if you need it, they will have a product for you. Yamaha has really made an impact on the adventure market in the last 2 years and it shows. Yamaha just launched its Super Tenere and I’m sure it won’t be long until they have a ride able demo available. Droomers caters mostly to the road and adventure market, but they also have a decent marine range with jetski’s and power boats. Their workshop is obviously also kitted out to serve both sides of the industry. Why not drop in and check it out for yourself. David and his team can’t wait to meet you.

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New Rides

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New Rides

Super Tenere Launch By Dualsportafrica.com

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New Rides

rapid acceleration in “Sport Mode” and the smooth top end of around 219km per hour. A special thanks to Adrian Bac (Red Cherry To be fair to a motorcycle of this stature, a Advertising) and Jan Du Toit (Country Trax) route was created to put the big girl through for creating this fantastic route. her paces without being too difficult for the group of 20 plus media journalists. Traction Control The REVOLUTION has begun..... the days of Starting in Ermelo, Mpumalanga, NE South having to switch off the traction control and Africa, we headed East along gravel service ABS systems when you hit the dirt are ofroads adjacent to the railway line running out ficially over. The XT1200Z Super Ténéré has of town. The road was laden with loose quarry the most advanced technology available on stone, thick powdery dust and deep concrete a commercial Dualsport motorcycle today. storm water culverts, which, if you weren’t paying attention had a tendency to drop you The True Test: Imagine freshly wet hard in and then rocket you skyward out the other packed clay roads - as slippery as it gets. side! We passed a water truck along the way, wetting the forest roads - needless to say I Into Swaziland, the gravel roads were in good have never ridden in such slippery condicondition in some places, but descending tions. down the valley to our overnight stop, we enThe traction control has two settings - Decountered steep and very loose gravel, tight fault Mode 1 (Most traction) Mode 2 (Modercorners and cattle - the Super Ténéré got it a ate traction but a little bit of wheel spin) and chance to show us how well the Unified BrakOFF Mode. ing System and Traction Control really work. The Route: Swaziland

On the second day we made our way North out of Swaziland and into the lush forests of Mpumalanga in the Barberton region. A well placed water truck wetting the dusty roads gave me the opportunity to push the traction control to the max in the slippery wet clay. Along the various tarred sections of the 680km, we were able to open up the 1199cc V-Twin motor and experience the delight of 18

With the Traction Control set on Default Mode 1 (Most Traction), it was nearly impossible to get the rear wheel to spin even in the wet clay. The acceleration is smooth and there is no engine spluttering. It feels like the clutch is slipping as the bike accelerates smoothly forward. With the Traction Control set on Mode 2 (Moderate Traction) the back-end was a little loose, but the bike behaved incredibly

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well on the slippery surface and always still Mode 2. accelerated with very slight wiggling. For Gravel sections and tricky loose or rocky sections you would want to use T Mode and With the Traction Control switched to OFF Traction Control Mode 1 MODE - the bike began to behave like its other If you are more experienced and like to ride 1200cc and 990cc competitors would on an like a hooligan, then switch the Traction ice rink - almost putting me down in the mud. Control ,to Mode 2 or OFF Mode and the power to S Mode - for a more, OLD SCHOOL type of There is no doubt some riders will prefer to riding. ride with the bike in OFF MODE all the time, Seat Height and Comfort: allowing for drifting and wheel spinning, but With Adjustable 845-870 mm – which is even if you need to get the bike under control lower than the XT660Z Ténéré, allowing for a in adverse conditions, or you are a novice much wider range of riders - Yamaha hit the Dualsport Rider, the technology won’t let you nail on the head with this important feature. It down - or put you down. keeps the centre of gravity lower as well. The broad seat is superbly comfortable and has What does Yamaha D-Mode do? - (Drivea stippled texture for bum grip so you don’t Mode) slide around. The NON technical explanation is that it gives the rider a choice to manage the (Engine Wind Protection: Mapping) power output in accordance to the The standard wind shield is more than adterrain being ridden. equate due to the fact that it can be adjusted Example: to two positions and the added low seat On the XT1200Z Super Ténéré, the Sport Mode position. Higher screens are available if you will give you quicker acceleration on the tar, are an exceptionally tall rider. but maybe too powerful for a technical rocky river crossing. The fuel consumption is also Fuel Economy: greater in S-Mode. Depending on the mode you’re riding in, Sport Touring Mode will be noticeable more docile, Mode or Touring Mode - your economy will but will be better to handle in loose sections range between 18km and 21km per litre. If you and wet conditions - fuel consumption is prefer to ride with traction control in OFF improved in T Mode and you will lose a bit of Mode and D-Mode set to Sport - then in loose top end as well. conditions with the rear wheel spinning you So for road riding, short day rides where fuel can expect as low as 16km per litre. The top economy is not an issue you would want to left reading on the dashboard will indicate use S mode and Traction Control mode 1 or litres per hundred kilometres. Adventure Magazine

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At no stage during the nearly 700km trip Off Road Handling: did I feel the bike was anything heavier than Here is a bold statement - “The XT1200Z 180km. As previously mentioned, it feels very Super Ténéré has off road handling that is, much like a XT660Z in the dirt, obviously with without a doubt, ahead of any of its competi- more grunt. On tar the Super Ténéré feels tion - 800cc, 990cc and 1200cc alike - The like a big sport bike, but not a heavy one Super Ténéré wins hands down.” that’s for sure. The side mounted radiator is Changing the combinations of D-Mode in equally balanced out with the bike battery and T-Touring and S-Sport mode and the TCS electronics on the opposite side. mode between Mode 1, Mode 2 and OFF Mode You can put the bike down on its side and gives the rider the choice of just how much easily pick it up on your own. power, how much wheel spin and how much fun you want to have. Throw in fully adjustableUBS - Unified Braking System - (ABS Type) rebound and damping front and rear suspen- Gone are the days of switching off the ABS... sion - and you got an unbeatable Dualsport This is the second and most noticeable part motorcycle for experts and beginners! of the riding revolution. Until now if you have It feels very much like its younger sister been riding 800cc, 990cc or 1200cc dual the XT660Z Ténéré - agile, light, incredible sport motorcycles, you’re probably used to suspension and very confidence inspiring. stopping as you hit the gravel, switching off the ABS and then proceeding with caution, On Road Handling: especially on steep loose gravel sections, The ability to vary the Fuel Mapping with right? YCC-T- Yamaha Chip-Controlled Throttle One would think that a bike weighing 261kg system - allows for smooth, gutsy sport and having 81kw would be a bitch to handle handling and instant response acceleration, in the rough but Yamaha has changed the like you would expect from a Sport bike. The course of riding history with the XT1200Z low centre of gravity permits riders to throw Super Ténéré. the bike around as if on a race track. With The UBS works off road and on road - pethe standard fitted dual sport tyres you can riod!!! -subject closedexpect super smooth handling well in excess According to the load and the speed you’re of 200km/hour. The max speed attained by travelling, the rotation speed sensors in the me personally was 219km/hour on a flat tar front and rear wheels on the Super Ténéré road. will intelligently utilise the braking to ensure safe stopping on ALL surfaces. Bike Weight - can you feel its weight? (261kg wet) When the ABS computer detects a wheel 24

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locking tendency, it sends signals to an infinitely variable hydraulic pressure unit that modulates braking pressure smoothly to avoid wheel lock-up. In this way, it often takes action before a slide even begins, to deliver smooth, controlled, confident stopping power. If you grab a hand full of front brake in the loose gravel or wet, the rear is activated first and then the front, unifying both wheels together. If you stand on the rear brake first, then its activated independently and will even allow a little slide - but still stop you rapidly even on steep loose gravel. So you NEVER get that “Run Away Train” feeling. Of course some riders are going to moan about the lack of an OFF SWITCH for the UBS, but once you’ve ridden with it, there is no reason to want to switch it off - maybe that’s why Yamaha allowed a little slide, just to please the hard core riders :)

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This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first recce takes place on the Rooiberge outside Van Wyksdorp located in the Klein Karoo on a game farm called Rooiberg. When we were asked by the organisers (Motorrad Adventures) to join them on a recce out in the field we jumped at it. Not knowing what to expect, we were quickly put to ease. We were assured to not worry about a thing and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exactly what happened. We left Worcester on Friday morning, making our way through Barrydale and heading towards Van Wyksdorp via the R62. We turned right onto the gravel road and reached Rooiberg Lodge after about 90km or so. We were greeted by the hosts and quickly showed our chalets. Heading off to supper where we were served some lovely curry and minus some onions for a few of our companions. Saturday morning, we were quickly recruited to go and sample the red route. Things started really slow with me hopping on the KTM990, but soon found out that the Pirelli Scorpion rear just did not have enough grip 28

to tractor up the mountain. I headed back down again and hopped on my back up Yamaha WR450- really, the best tool for the job. Boris on the BMW GS Adventure in front of me coped really well with the terrain and showed some great skill negotiating the rocks and boulders. I caught up to the group quickly and we started following the 35km mountain trail. There sure are some great views up here, I though as I just casually followed the trail. This is definitely a great route for the guys who want a little more of a challenge than just a dirt road with a few interesting bits. Little did I know that few kilometres down the line things were going to get really interesting. With Chris Hamman out in front and Boris having dropped the GS Adventure a couple of times, I could see, this is no Mickey Mouse trail. We headed down the down slope of the mountain. At first it started out a zigzag, nice and slow but then it got a little more interesting with some more challenging bits. Nevertheless, if you possess the skills

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and know you and your bikes capabilities, you will seriously love this trail. After we came down the mountain, we turned into what I’d like to call a little bit of bundu-bashing with some awesome mini obstacles. We rode through some interesting river beds which will probably be even better after the winter. We headed back after I found myself in a thorn bush, whining like girl, according to our pack leader. I must say, I would have probably still been there if Hennie did not help me up out from underneath the bike. A couple of moments later, he too found himself in a thorn bush with some thorns staying behind. Heal soon mate! Our Steaks and Boerewors supper was out of this world, with some awesome Irish coffee’s making our tummies warm and eventually putting us to bed. This year’s CABC really should not be missed by anyone. The Green and Orange route will be very scenic and well organised. For more info and even more pictures, check out www.cabc. co.za

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