Dirt & Quad Dec 2006 by George Portman

THIS MONTH: OUR FREE CALENDAR SOUTH AFRICA’S ONLY FAMILY DIRT & QUAD MAGAZINE

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YAMAHA

WOLVERINE 450

HONDA

CRF150

ALL OTHER COUNTRIES R13.12 Excl. Tax

REN

RSA R14.95

E D 0 A 0 8 EG DECEMBER 2006

-AM CAN

NOW OPEN! Your Authorised Dealer in the East!

2007 OFFROAD RANGE NOW HERE!

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FREE HONDA TRAINING

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2007

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SOUTH AFRICA’S DIRT & ONLY FAMILY QUAD MAGAZINE

ADLY CROSSROAD HONDA TRANS ALP 07 TRIUMPH TIGER MUDBUSTER RIDES, RACING & MUCH MORE......

E RENEGAD 800 YAMAHA

WOLVE 450

RINE

HONDA

CRF1

ALL OTHER

DECEMBERCOUNTRIES R13.12 Excl. Tax 2006 RSA R14.95

CAN-AM

ON THE COVER: The Can Am Renegade arrives soon. Find out more on page 10.

Hullo Chaps and Chappetts, it’s the silly season. Christmas is around the corner, crazy how time ﬂies. To you and yours – all the best and if you are off on holiday travel safe and come back in one piece so that we can take pictures and put your mugs into the mag next year. A couple of thoughts – helmets and riding kit makes for excellent Christmas gifts – if you or yours do not have – it is a worthwhile investment. Hang back in the dust – it’s lekker muddy at the moment – but it is bound to dry up soon – don’t ride on top of each other – it could lead to an interesting prang. Leave the booze for after the ride… chances are excellent that if you cannot do a ride without drinking a dop on the trail – you are an alcoholic and you need help. Booze and bikes do not mix – it’s a one way ticket to Baragwanath hospital or worse. If you do ride through the homelands and things – spare a thought for the locals, take it easy through the settlements, watch out for chickens, kids and creating big dust – those guys live there and you are visiting them. Spread the love – give the kids sweets and any old clothes that you might have – next time they welcome you back with open arms. Stick to the trails – don’t ride in restricted areas, steer clear of donnering through virgin bushveld – the land does not belong to us, but to our kids and their kids. Spare a thought for the local wildlife, take it easy and enjoy the ride without impacting the environment. If you happen to be at home over Christmas – spare a thought for the neighbors, they want to relax and making a racket up and down the streets or outside their houses might just get them angry enough to shoot you – and then you end up in Baragwanath again…

12 16 20 26 32 36 42 46 52 102

2007 TRIUMPH TIGER Once a giant trailie, Triumph’s new Tiger is now a perfectly proportioned all rounder poised to claw new fans.

KAWA 07 KX’S Kawasaki’s KX range is as synonymous with motocross as its ZX is with sportsbikes.

YAMAHA WOLVERINE The ATV that Yamaha has classed – and we quote as a “very terrainable sport segmented 4x4 ATV.

HONDA CRF150 In the last issue, we promised that we would do a full test on the brand new CRF150R and here it is.

LINHAI XL300 RUSTLER One of the most popular “alternative” brands on the market is Linhai. Their Rustler outsells most of the mainline ATV’s.

ADLY CROSSROAD 300 We took the Adly along on the CRF150 test and I got to spend a good few hours in the saddle, following Kyle as he put the Honda through its paces.

BANSHEE REVISITED A stock Banshee is huge fun out in the bush – We almost forgot how much she loves fast open trails.

HONDA TRANSALP Initial impressions when riding home were of a really user friendly, predictable bike with a ﬂexible power delivery.

MUDBUSTER & KAWA STX12F JETSKI We get to play with two completely different motorised toys and had a whale of a time.

DAKAR CAN AM In the past if you rode the Dakar on an ATV, you were basically on your own. This year, Can Am is sending a backup truck, water carriers and full race support for the ﬁrst time in the history of the race.

....and much more: Rhino for the roof (pg 62) Bling quads (pg66) Assorted rides, racing and more.....

If you are towing your bikes and quads on holiday with you – make a point of getting your trailer checked out – wheel bearings and U bolts have been known to collapse, so check them out to avoid the inconvenience of a breakdown en route. That’s all – travel safe, enjoy your holiday’s see you out on the trail.

2 December 2006

Dirt&Quad is produced and published by SB Publishing enquiries on 016 366 0472. E.mail us on: foleyg@mweb.co .za CALL US IF YOU CAN’T FIND THE MAG ANYWHERE AND WE WILL IGNORE YOU AND GO OUT FOR LUNCH INSTEAD. CALL (016) 366-0472 IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE FINDING US. TO ADVERTISE CALL TALITHA ON 082 557 2561 COLOUR REPRO AT SB GRAPHICS. PRINTING BY CONTI AND PRINTABILITY JO’BURG & PINETOWN. DISTRIBUTED BY RNA. ANYBODY WANT GRAPHICS DONE OR TOP NOTCH PUBLISHING CALL US ON YOU GUESSED IT, 016 366-0472. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. SB PUBLISHING OWN THE RIGHTS TO EVERYTHING ELSE IN THIS MAG. COPY ANYTHING AND YOU’LL HAVE TO SUBSCRIBE TO ANY OTHER LOCAL QUAD MAG........ AND WE KNOW YOU DON’T WANT THAT.

ACCESSORIES 2007 FLY 805 JERSEY - R349.95 PANTS - R999.95

THOR STATIC JERSEY - R349.95

LADIES THOR PHASE GEAR PANT - R949.95 (GIRLS R799.95) JERSEY - R299.95 (GIRLS R279.95) QUADRANT BOOT - R1399.95

THOR PHASE S7 JERSEY - R349.95 THOR PHASE S7 PANTS - R999.95 THOR IMPACT BODY ARMOUR - R1399.95

VEGA MOHAVE HELMET - R549.95

THOR WOMENS/KIDS STATIC MX GEAR QUADRANT KIDS PANT - R799.95 BOOT WOMENS PANT - R999.95 ADULT - R1699.95 KIDS JERSEY - R299.95 KIDS - R1299.95 WOMENS JERSEY - R349.95

THOR 50/50 BOOT - R1499.95

2007 FLY VENOM HELMETS ADULT - R799.95 KIDS - R649.95 CHILLI BOMB - R300.00

HMF PERFORMANCE PIPES - R2500.00 FITTED

THOR ENEMY AND HERO GOGGLES

D&QNews WARNING FOR ALL RIDERS IN THE PORT ELIZABETH AREA!

CLASSIFIEDS Selling a bike, a quad, your mother – in – law? Send the details to foleyg@mweb.co.za and we will stick them in the classiﬁeds for you. Notice: private sellers only – no dealers.

The chaps from the Sardinia Bay horse riding association as well as trafﬁc police and nature conservation have all got together and had a meeting, they will now be implementing the following:

2005 Bombardier DS650 R52500.00 2005 Honda TRX 300 R28500.00 2006 Suzuki LTR450 R47000.00 2006 Aeon 220 R20000.00 Contact Eric on 082 374 7810

If any quad, bike, kiddies, juniors, seniors or actually anything they not to happy with ride in the SARDINA BAY CONSERVANCY AREA, PIPELINE, THE WEST SIDE OF ROVER OR BEHIND MOUNT PLEASANT, DOWN TOWARD THE BEACH SIDE will be considered breaking the LAW. As of the first of November the Traffic Department will be putting 3 off road POLICE motor cycles to patrol the area, LEGISLATION states that they can confiscate all quads and two wheelers and arrest the culprits. They know that the members of Rover can ride the club area and will be left alone but for those who should cross over.... a zero tolerance attitude will be taken. The police will be fully kitted and are all competent riders. SOOO.......... we have all been warned, ride safe and have loads fun D&Q Eastern Cape.

2004 Honda TRX 300 R25500.00 2006 Helix 100cc R10500.00 Jonway 150cc R7500.00 Contact Johan 082 887 4223 2005 Yamaha YFZ450 Lonestar R90000.00 2004 Suzuki LTZ400 R60000.00 Above bikes have everything and are intended for serious racing. Contact Hein 082 929 3582 OR 041 368 7561 2005 Gomoto 125cc low kilos very clean. Contact Julie 082 825 0536 Yamaha Raptor 80cc 2005 model as new, colour white/red. R14000-00 neg Area KZN. Tel : 084 208 5880

2003 Suzuki LTZ400 complete with Bush Guards, Nerf Bars, Performance pipe & Wheelie Bar Price R30 000.00. Call Des 083 654 7642 2004 Suzuki LTZ400 complete with Bush Guards, Nerf Bars, Performance pipe and Wheelie Bar Price R32 000.00 Call Des 083 654 7642 2006 Honda CRF230 Price R24000.00 Call Des 083 654 7642. KVF 300 Lekota Immaculate - low mileage R23000.00 Phone Anette 083 314 2203 Yamaha Blasters x 3 R11000 each onco Russel 082 788 3774 1999 DRZ400 in good condition R20.000 Glenn 072 177 0621

ENDURO AFRICA In Africa a child dies every thirty seconds from malaria, its as simple as getting a mosquito net to them, this would mean the difference between life and death, that is where what we take as a fun past time will make a difference, MOTORCYCLES helping health workers cover vast distances in hostile terrain delivering health care to the most remote, rural communities, where it is needed the most. THIS IS ENDURO AFRICA ! Enduro Africa has hit SA and is about to get underway, i have been keeping a close eye on this ride and am glad to say that everything looks like its running to plan, on the 3rd of November one hundred and forty odd bikes arrived for assembly in Port Elizabeth, a lot of the local riders from the Rover Mx Club have been working together day and night preparing these bikes for there voyage around the Eastern Cape. The Enduro Africa event will initially provide transport to the rural areas of the Eastern Cape where these motorcycles will help relieve thousands of people from the day to day suffering caused by ill health and poverty, they will also provide the necessary transport that is so needed for all the Doctors and health care workers to see the patients that are not able to get around or live in such barren conditions. Later as this project proceeds the the motorcycles will be moved up and distributed as far as Zimbabwe where the health care and transport system is just simply non existent. The riders that will be partaking in this event have all raised a minimum of four thousand Pounds, this covers the costs including the purchase of the motorcycle and all the other paraphernalia needed, when the

riders are ﬁnished they will donate one hundred of these motorcycles to Riders For Health and the remaining motorcycles will be auctioned to raise funds for an Eastern Cape project. Riders For Health are strongly supported worldwide and in 1986 a number of international riders led by Randy Mamola began raising money for children in Africa. Randy Mamola and other founder members Barry /Andrea Coleman noticed how the vehicles in the health care sector where not coping and started to develop a system, with help from other development agencies to keep motorcycles running without breakdown in the health care sector. Riders For Health do not receive any help from the government and to date have held events in countries like Germany, Spain, UK, USA, India and now here in SA in our very own Eastern Cape region. Enduro Africa will start and ﬁnish in Port Elizabeth and i think the riders are going to really enjoy the ride as there is a medley of every type of terrain down here, the challenging mountain passes, rivers to the Wild Coast and the Big Five resorts is something that these guys will not forget in a long time, the bike that has been chosen for this enormous task is the Yamaha AG200 and from what the organizer Mike Glover of Red Cherry adventures has told me it will not struggle at all and is a strong reliable unit, with all these great guys behind the wheel of Enduro Africa I can see it being nothing but a storming success. GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND WE WILL SEE YOU ALL OUT THERE, FROM THE WHOLE TEAM AT DIRT & QUAD MAGAZINE NATION WIDE !

December 2006

YourPage

These pics were sent in by a couple of our readers. You’ll do anything for fame.......

Dear Glen, I recently heard about the ride you guys organized from Ballito to Jo’burg and I would love to drag my quad mates here in Dubai down to SA to join in the next event. When is the next event and how can we enter? We ride a lot here in the desert of Dubai and would love the challenge of some different terrain. Thanks, Alan Jahnig

Like the saying goes: Dit vat ‘n man op ‘n perd en nie ‘n ....... op ‘n vark om LTR 450 te ry nie. This boytjie at the Elliot Fun day this past weekend was found lacking. Zoom in and appreciate a great action shot by our local journalist for Dirt and Quad Magazine. Wanna be in the magazine? Take tumble when next Llewellyn is around

When things go wrong: Going... Going... Gone. A WR450 takes a swim.

6 December 2006

D&QStuff With christmas not that far off, we thought that we would share a few ideas with you for the stocking. All of these products are bought and paid for, tried and tested by the DnQ staff. Its stuff that we like and ﬁnd rather usefull... Take a look and try them for yourself: Genuine Yamaha Kit: Yamaha has brought in a full range of genuine kit to suit your bike or quad. It is excellent quality and not as pricey as you might think… available at all Yamaha dealers.

Billet stuff for your quads: Fuel caps, brake reservoirs, throttle housings… add some bling to your ride – reasonably inexpensive and it looks really cool. Imported by Ballistic ATV

OMF beadlock rims: This lot are brought in by Quad revolution – they are available for all makes and models in a variety of anodised colours. Available at most dealers. Pink is in fashion at the moment – get down to your local dealer and check out the latest in ladies riding gear from the Thor stable.

Bike protection: How’s about a sump guard from the Hyde guys. They are lightweight, easy to ﬁt and you can wrap it up and stick it under the tree for your nearest and dearest. Available from most dealers or phone (013) 733-4196

8 December 2006

what’s hot Warn Winch: For when you really get stuck – they make winches that ﬁt onto anything – including your Jetski or canoe… Phone: (011) 627-2500 for your nearest dealer

Forma Boots: We have invested in their quad speciﬁc boots and the MX boots and found them to be superb in the comfortable department. They are priced competitively, offer excellent support and protection and look cool. Available at dealers all over

A Years Subscription to Dirt and Quad: It’s really inexpensive and it’ll keep the keep you busy for a while with lots of interesting stuff about anything with a motor every month. Phone (016) 366-0472

Goodies From Gear To Go: These guys gave us a pair of gloves to feature and my 1 yr old child wandered off with them – so we can’t show you a picture but they are really cool. They also import the Scoyco range of knee guards and elbow protectors – and all sorts of other stuff - which is really cool… And we promise to insert a pic of the gloves as soon as they turn up. Gear to go: 083-304-3715

Wynns bike stuff: Wynns has always been famous for products like Cleen Green, but they have added some bike and quad speciﬁc products to the lineup. They now make a good chain lube and they have wrapped their tyre weld in a polystyrene casing to prevent them from exploding while out on the trail. Available at most parts shops or call (011)7869074

December 2006

COMING SOON

COVER STORY CAN AM

The new beasty is due to hit our shores very soon - so we decided to do a recap on the quad and what you can expect. You can rest

RENEGADE

assured that we will do a full local test as soon as the ﬁrst one arrives - and that will be sooner rather than later...

he Renegade 800 is considered the solution to the adventurer’s dreams. This machine will allow a go fast sporty rider to get a huge adrenaline rush and still be able to tackle those obstacles that a typical sport ATV cannot get over, or around. This machine is very well thought out and much attention has been given to detail. First things ﬁrst, the Renegade has a whopping 800cc V-TWIN Rotax engine and has massive amounts of torque with a brutal 62 horses to add to that. The engineers over in Valcourt decided that if they position the cylinders in an 80-degree V this would lower vibrations that can become bother some to the riders. This is the same popular Rotax engine that propels riders down the trail on the Outlander and Outlander Max. The Heart of the Renegade breathes through an Electronic Fuel injection system with a 46mm throttle body and two Siemens VDO injectors. The throttle response is right at your beck and call. This is one time that you will be careful what you ask for. The Renegade comes alive with an electric start. The liquid cooling is how CanAm plans to keep the Renegade operating within prime running temperatures. This engine has massive “Take No Prisoners” power - take the Outlander for a spin and you will get the idea. The drive train on the Renegade is something of a work of art as the engineers over at Can-Am have worked in the Visco-Lok progressive locking differential on the front of this beast. The Visco-Lok was made to conquer one very prevalent problem in the ATV industry. This system not only controls the speed at which it transfers power, it also takes the power from the slipping wheels and transfers it to the gripping wheels. And the best part of the Visco-

10 December 2006

Lok transmission is that it has no effect on the steering so its completely transparent to the user. All the power we keep talking about is sent from the engine and into the CVT or Continuously Variable Transmission. This eliminates the need for shifting gears and gives the rider instant power on request. There is also engine braking along with this package that will give less experienced riders more conﬁdence on those steep descents. The CVT is also very tunable to each rider’s personal liking. Once the power has been made and is sent to the CVT, it is then sent out to the front and rear suspension. The front suspension on the Renegade has a few things that will appeal to the racer side of the Utility riders hearts. The front shock mounts have been moved in at the top to give the Renegade one more inch of travel. This brings the total swing to 9 inches and that is something to soften the ride a bit. There are double A Arms up front with the upper being aluminum and the lowers being stamped steel. The RS-Type setup is formulated for an Anti-Dive geometry which will help control the roll center on the Renegade while getting through the tight corners. Another feature we noticed was the brake rotors. So often in the past a single rotor is mounted on the drive shaft before the transaxle. But the engineers at Can-Am found that moving the rotors out to the wheel gave the rider better control when braking. This is more evident when racing through high-speed corners and descents. Working our way to the rear of this beast I found that the rear swingers had only one mounting point. The RS-Type TTI rear suspension is probably the simplest in the industry. The

independent suspension has a total of ten inches in travel and with the TTI there is virtually no trail scrub. When the rear wheel moves upward through the motion of travel it does not move outward. This saves the Renegade a lot of power to put elsewhere and keeps stress off major components. The TTI rear end is also carried around on High Pressure Gas shocks. All of these fine pieces are mounted to Can-Am’s SST frame system. This frame is very narrow and simple, but it has very useful design characteristics. Being that the frame is narrow it should allow riders to skip across any obstacle with ease. like all of the other Can Am’s, it looks like a single ski and the SST frame works like one. This frame has just enough rigidity to make the Renegade tough but allows for flex to help in the bikes handling. Every mount for the suspension has been strengthened and this also goes for the shock towers. This will let fast riders be more confident in the trail while not having to worry about parts flying off when the going gets rough. The looks of the Renegade 800 caught our attention. It looks fast from a distance, the aggressive front plastics just say “I am Explosive, Muscular and always battle ready”. These are words that engineers at Can-Am have been looking for in their efforts to make a statement with the Renegade. The colour is also a testament in its own right. Yellow has been around for a while and it has carried over from the Outlander family to the new Renegade. Sharp corners and positive lines are the only words I can use to describe the futuristic looks of Renegade. The designers have put in a few long hours and I think they have a winner. The seat is tight and narrow for the riders to move around on. It is also very comfortable. The fenders from the

riders seat have been cut in a little so that you can see the leading edge of your wheels. This will also be helpful in Cross Country racing as the Renegade has already had many eyes focused on it there. The Center-cast wheels are also a new feature that only Can-Am has ventured into. With a typical rolled edge rim and a cast center the wheels designs are limitless. The accessory departments will have their hands full trying to come up with cool designs for the wheels center. They are also lighter than a standard rolled edge wheel. Mounted on these cool wheels are ITP’s newest and possibly most aggressive tyres. The ITP holeshot ATR tires have so much meat on them that they must be meant for extreme conditions. They look great but only time will tell how they work in all situations. Up on the flight deck they have fitted a Digital gauge that tells you anything that you need to know about the Renegade. The compact digital multifunction gauge is mounted right between the bars just in eyesight. This handy little compact gadget will tell you when you are in four wheel lock along with gear position, fuel levels, speed, trip and hour meters and it’s back lit for those night riders out there. Right behind the flight deck is a rack area for extra storage and it will have accessory racks for hauling goodies around the house. They plan on having a few cool accessories for the Renegade that will just put a sweet topping on the cake. We will have to wait to get some ride time on the new Renegade as the final refinement is taking place as we speak. Until then we will just have to drool - but it will be here sooner rather than later... Watch this space. CMH Recreational products (011) 462-9777

December 2006

Rare indeed is the occasion when a witty caption brings absolutely nothing to the table. So we won’t even try

FIRST RIDE: TRIUMPH TIGER 1050

EASY TIGER Once a giant trailie, Triumph’s new Tiger is now a perfectly proportioned all rounder poised to claw new fans. But is the radical overhaul too much to take? Words: Simon Roots Pics: Gold & Goose

or some reason, best known to themselves, manufacturers can’t seem to hit a barn door with a banjo when it comes to building hearty utilitarian fare for the masses. There’s a long list of near-misses in the class. Yamaha’s new FZ-1 Fazer has been widely grumbled about after almost unanimous approval of the old model, the Ducati Multistrada has the sort of looks that would scare

12 December 2006

a police horse, BMW has failed to spark interest in its ever increasing range while the rest of the world’s manufacturers are missing a massive trick by not building a quality big-bore all-rounder for the thousands who either can’t fit or can’t stand yet another devastating, yet diminutive, sportsbike. Triumph, however, is proving that its fingers are firmly on the pulse by morphing the once

weighty, clumsy and downright ugly Tiger into a machine that has the potential to tick more boxes than a football pools addict. Nearly a decade and a half on from the ﬁrst Tiger, and gone are the offroad looks (the original’s ability on dirt was as mythical as the healing properties of powdered tiger penis), the lofty seat height and aging motor. All these niggles have been replaced by modernity,

ability and style. The name remains the same, but, bar the odd nut and bolt, the 2007 machine is completely new in conception, purpose and execution.

The Tiger’s lion heart At the heart of the new Tiger is the ubiquitous triple motor, now no longer the 955cc displacement of old, but the fully up-to-date 1,050cc version. Indeed, Triumph’s

NewBikes There’s plenty of grunt inside these cases. Triumph’s 1,050cc motor fits the Tiger perfectly with lots of low down torque, a healthy mid range and enough puff to get the Tiger speeding to around 150mph. Revisions are slight, but have been designed to improve economy and reduce sound as well as get throttle response pin sharp. You’ll not find many flaws here. Based on the Daytona 675’s clocks, the Tiger’s new dash can tell you everything from your top speed to your horoscope. Bars are a bit tacky for some, but look smart to us. components have been completely overhauled and the riding ergonomics and wind protection are radically revised for increased comfort. But it was the inclement weather that made the biggest splash at the launch in Spain. Half of Malaga’s average November rainfall fell in a day and it was easy to think that the three years of intense development would disappear down the plughole. But while rain hampers the most dynamic of testing, it can highlight features and flaws that would ordinarily be hidden from sight.

Head for the hills

engineers have further refined the engine and key revisions (including an uprated ECU with double the capacity for improved efficiency and responsiveness, reduced engine noise and, for the Tiger at least, a longer top gear) will feature on future versions of the Speed Triple and Sprint ST which share the lusty lump. Power and torque figures are naturally higher on the new machine, now peaking at 114bhp at 9,400rpm and 100Nm at 6,250rpm, all

while achieving better fuel economy of up to 30 per cent (enabling the tank size to drop four litres to 20 litres). But it’s the chassis and styling of the new bike that gives the Tiger new teeth. Gone is the old steel chassis to be replaced with a purposeful aluminium frame. Also gone is a massive 17 kilos. Weight loss has been achieved pretty much everywhere, from the new cast wheels to the compact instruments. Suspension and braking

Localised ﬂooding brought the area’s golfers scurrying back to their beds causing horrendous trafﬁc jams. Stuck in the middle of this Tarmac fairway, the Tiger took it all in its stride, offering excellent low speed manners, sublime balance and a commanding view of the carnage around, making it as easy a commute as you could possibly wish for. We then headed for the hills, on the A376 to Ronda, a road that makes the TT course seem like the M1, which would be great on a dry day, but one of the most perilous routes I’ve ever ridden in the wet. That said, the Tiger offered

impeccable control throughout the countless turns. In part, this was down to the excellently matched Michelin Pilot Roads (now on conventional 17 inch wheels, down from the trailie spec 19s), but the Tiger itself must take much of the credit for offering delicate braking and positive feel peeling in to a turn, with smooth throttle response and waves of torque exiting each curve. For much of the route, the Tiger was left in third gear and offered smooth drive from under 2,000rpm right the way through to the rev limiter at 10,750rpm. Geared for around 240kph, speed is bountiful, whether generated by its gutsy surges of torque or through wringing the Tiger’s neck. Cog changes are smooth, throttle response crisp and clutch use was light, all vital for stressfree riding in stress-intensive conditions. The excellent ergonomics made the Tiger feel an intuitive machine, improving conﬁdence through each curve, and the positive feel from the Tiger’s Showa forks bodes well for an excellent ride in the dry. The brakes have been made a little less fearsome than the Speed Triple’s, but are a vast improvement from the old Tiger and those on the Sprint ST I’m riding as a long term

December 2006

NewBikes test bike. Wetter than a halibut’s bathing costume, I rode back down to the coast with more questions that this ride could currently answer. How does it perform on a warm, dry road? What’s the ground clearance like? Will its brakes fade, how

comfortable is it on long motorway journeys, is it a good two-up machine? What is for certain is it is an immeasurably better bike, in terms of ability, style and ergonomics, than the long in the tooth Tiger it replaces. What is also

TRIUMPH PRODUCT MANAGER SIMON WARBURTON

Why the radical overhaul? W e get lots of information from riders on what they like and what they want. So for Tiger customers we knew practicality was key, as well as things like wind protection and fuel economy. We also wanted to improve handling on the road, chassis control and give it a higher speciﬁcation as well as making it look a lot nicer. Very few people use the off-road aspects of the trailie type of bike, we see them more as stripped-down tourers. We also read the press around the world to get a ﬂavour of worldwide markets.

unquestionable is that it offers outstanding ability and agility in terrible conditions. These positive reactions allude to the Triumph becoming a star performer in a much-maligned class – and all at

It’s important to then look at the market place to see what’s a success and what isn’t. We put all three sources together and try and make a picture from that.

a price where it’s difﬁcult to say no (even if it’s R5000 more than the old model). I have no doubts that this all-rounder is perfectly pitched to the market and I for one can’t wait to prove it in the dry. SB

WHAT MAKES IT TICK?

Triumph Tiger 1050 Speciﬁcations Price: TBC

CHASSIS The steel frame has been replaced by a modern twin spar aluminium chassis. The seat height is slightly lower, but the slim body enables easier balancing at low speeds. Wheelbase is 5mm shorter at 1,510mm while rake is sharper at 23.2° (was 25.8°) although the trail ﬁgure is only 0.2mm shorter at 87.7mm. Agility is improved by the loss of 17 kilos. The braced swingarm mimics that used on the ﬁrm’s Daytona 675.

Engine Type: Liquid-cooled, DOHC, in-line threecylinder Displacement: 1,050cc Bore x Stroke: 79 x 71.4mm Compression: 12.0:1 Carburation: Keihin multipoint sequential EFI Gearbox: Six-speed Power: 114bhp @ 9,400rpm (claimed) Torque: 100Nm @ 6,250rpm (claimed) Cycle Parts Chassis: Aluminium perimeter Suspension: (F) 43mm usd Showa forks, fully adjustable, (R) Monoshock with adjustable preload and rebound damping

WHEELS No more trailie-style 19 inch wheels, Triumph’s use of 17 inch cast wheels allows more modern rubber to be used.

Brakes: (F) Twin 320mm ﬂoating discs, four piston radial calipers (R) Single 255mm disc, two piston calipers Wheels/Tyres: Cast/Michelin Pilot Road (F)

BRAKES Radial calipers from the Speed Triple are tempered slightly by a larger diameter master cylinder. Discs are 320mm.

SILENCER Optional race silencer boosts power by around 10bhp, putting it on a par with the Speed Triple.

14 December 2006

MOTOR The 1,050cc motor has already found fans from its use in the Speed Triple and Sprint ST. The use in the Tiger just emphasises its versatility. A taller top cog makes the Tiger feel more relaxed at speed while slight changes to the inlet and exhaust systems give it lots of grunt. ECU memory is doubled to allow better efﬁciency.

120/70 17 (R) 180/55 17 Rake/Trail: 23.2°/87.7mm Wheelbase: 1,510mm Capacity: 20 litres Dry Weight: 198kg Contact

Triumph UK 011 448 1112

SUSPENSION The 43mm upside down Showa forks are fully adjustable while the rear shock has preload and rebound adjustability.

NewBikes

FIRST RIDE: KAWASAKI MX

KING’S

CROSSERS

Kawasaki’s KX range is as synonymous with motocross as its ZX is with sportsbikes. JP ﬁnds out how the 2007 range has evolved

Words: Jon Pearson Pics: Ray Archer

espite inviting SuperBike along to the UK launch of the 2007 range, in a wet and muddy Winchester, the KMUK marketing bods starkly admitted they would “much rather SuperBike readers bought a ZX-6R”. They just want you to know that Kawasaki also makes motocross bikes, like they also want you to know it makes jet-skis, heavy machinery and highspeed trains (can’t wait for those launches). So here I am, laughing my head off and scaring myself to death in equal measure – pretending to be down with the MX massive – all in the name of ‘brand awareness’. Awesome, dude. In MX launch reports like this, I usually rattle on about how the MX1 category, 250 two stroke and 450 four stroke bikes, are too serious, and advise you their smaller siblings are better options. Not so with Kawasaki. These are old clichés, I know, and not very specific, but I’m hard pushed to find a better way of describing them other than well balanced, plush-handling and easy to use. Some tricky-as-hell corners, slippery-as-hell jumps, take-offs and landings had suffered badly from heavy overnight rain. It was a fight to make the front grip – a matter of using body movement, weighting the footpegs and using the throttle to slide the rear. Despite the obvious differences between the light 125 and the punchy 450, each felt accurate and agile. Even when I asked the wrong question, they

gave the right answer and got me out of trouble. A difﬁcult chassis and aggressive suspension would not have helped on this track, trust me, and I came away surprised with the similarities across the four bikes.

Arm wrenchers? The effortless chassis’ are matched with some surprisingly easy-to-use engines on all four models. By deﬁnition, the 125 (two stroke) and 250F (four stroke) are tailored for a less powerful assault on a motocross track and are therefore more user-friendly. By contrast, you’d expect the fearsome 250 (two stroke) and 450F (four stroke) to be arm-wrenching animals ready to whip you on your arse at the twist of the throttle. But both KX250 and KX450F felt deceptively easy to get along with, which goes against the norm, especially by comparison to Honda’s CR250 and CR450F. The

big two-stroke Kwacka is torquey low down and without the usual kick-in-the-arse power-band, which has amateurs like me sapped of arm muscle strength in no time. I was laughing in the face of jumps, literally, and clearing doubles – pretending, at least, to be a motocrosser for the day and loving it. For the first time I can remember on a 250 stroker, I had to be flagged in at the end of 20 minutes; usually it’s me who does the flagging. For the technical record, the twostroke bikes see very few changes for 2007, having had a complete revamp two years ago. The 2007 four-strokes both have, in short, suspension and chassis changes to make them lighter, quicker steering and plusher over the jumps. Engine tweaks have produced better lowdown torque and high-end power – a broader spread basically.

Just imagine Marketing exercise or not, motocross bikes are brilliant fun, so stuff the brand-awareness exercise. Buy a ZX-6R or 10R or whatever road bike, but, if you can afford one, think about a crosser too. Imagine being able to ride all year round and never worrying about a track-day being rained off. Imagine doing slides all day long, jumping 15 feet in the air and falling off, getting back up and doing it again and again until you can’t stand up anymore. Imagine a world without speed cameras. You know Kawasaki makes great sportsbikes; it makes great dirt bikes too. Try them.

Speciﬁcations

Kawasaki KX125 Two-stroke, lc, single, 124cc, Mikuni carburettor, six speed, high tensile steel perimeter, 27°/113mm, 48mm USD compression and rebound adjustable forks, Uni-Trak fully adjustable mono shock, single 250mm semi-ﬂoating petal front disc with single piston caliper, single 240mm rear with single piston caliper, 1,470mm wheel base, 8.2litres, 87kg Kawasaki KX250 As above except 249cc, 26°/105mm, 1,480mm wheel base, 97kg Kawasaki KX250F As above except 4-stroke, 4v, DOHC, 249cc, 27.7°/119mm, 47mm USD forks, 1,469mm wheel base, 7.2litre, 92.5kg

Kawasaki KX450F As above except 4-stroke, 4v, DOHC, 449cc, 27.1°/117mm, 1,485mm wheel base, 7.2litre, 99.8kg CONTACT: KMSA 011 448 1112

16 December 2006

CONTACT DETAILS Important Numbers: We are inundated with queries about numbers for importers, quad & dirtbike prices and so-on. Here’s a list of the guys that we know of – if you are an importer and you are not listed here send your info to foleyg@mweb.co.za and we will update the list. You must however, import a speciﬁc brand (eg Ferrari or Piaggio) – we cannot list individual dealerships

Adly Aeon AIE Arctic Cat Barossa Beta BMW BSI Can AM Cobra Dacar Dinli E-Ton Freeland Quads Gas Gas Hawk Honda Hunter Husaberg Husqvarna Hyosung Jailing Jordan Kawasaki KTM Kymco Linhai Masai Pro Trax Polaris Retroquad Rustler Suzuki TM XMoto Yamaha

18 December 2006

(011) 462-9777 (011) 448-1112 (011) 475-5520 (011)807-8717 (011) 608-0069 (011) 345 6900 (011) 805-7673 (016)422 9647 (011) 462-9777 (011) 448-1112 (012) 661 6169 (011) 974-1200 (031) 579-1687 (021) 510-5117 (011) 719-9000 (012) 657 0234 (011) 847-9400 (031) 700-3276 (011) 659-0238 (011) 828-3921 (011) 448-1112 (011) 787-0103 (031) 464-6497 (011) 448-1112 (011) 807-8717 (031) 579-1687 (011) 963-0640 (011) 974-1200 (011) 618-1592 (011) 970-3200 (011) 422-6354 (011) 970-3200 (011) 974-1200 (041) 487-3303 086 00 X MOTO (031) 710-6400

WE RIDE

RIDE Yamaha

450 WOLVERINE

20 December 2006

YAMAHA 450 WOLVERINE

he Wolverine 450 is on its way. Its one of those quads that we thought would be here a whole lot sooner, but Yammie SA opted to hold back a bit and release it for 2007. We take a look at what makes these automatic sports utility ATV’s Tick.

The Yamaha line has seen plenty of up-graded ATV models over the past few years. The Grizzly, Kodiak and the Big Bear are all up-dated from the original models. The original Wolverine 350 4x4 remained unchanged since its introduction back in 1995. We often wondered why Yamaha had not changed or upgraded the unit for over ten years – until 2006 when the new machine was introduced. With an answer only We now have the new Yamaha Wolverine 450 4x4, a 4wheel drive

ATV that Yamaha has classed – and we quote as a “very terrainable sport segmented 4x4 ATV.” Getting technical The Wolverine is not a totally redesigned model from Yamaha. This unit is quite similar to the Kodiak before IRS. It hosts the same frame and same engine, but due to a few changes, the unit now weighs in at 30 kg’s lighter, which translates into a more efﬁcient ATV. Powering the Wolverine is a 421cc, SOHC liquid cooled engine that uses a 45-degree inclined cylinder head. It breathes through a Mikuni BSR33 carburettor and exhausts through a stainless steel piper with an increased ﬂow end-cap. The engine is quick revving and responsive, producing a sporty feel. Mated to the Wolverine’s 450 engine is the widely used Ultramatic automatic transmission. Yamaha also uses this transmission design in their

Grizzly and Kodiak units. The Ultramatic performs well in many aspects and produces a smooth, predictable ride. The automatic transmission supplies forward, neutral and reverse. No low range on this one for instances when extreme slow-moving power is needed. Located on the right handlebar near the handgrip, is the On-Command, push-button in and out four-wheel drive control, which switches the unit into four-wheel drive.

December 2006

WE RIDE YAMAHA 450 WOLVERINE mounted on all-new 12” aluminium wheels. The new rims lighten up the ATV and the newly designed low profile rear tyres have a great tread pattern that worked well in the rocky, wooded trails that we rode. The rear tyres are sport-oriented with a racing look; the low profile makes the sidewall stiff, which equals great slide steering ability. The Wolverine boasts a low seat height, a low centre of gravity and a fairly tight turning radius in its category. The unit really does retain some impressive handling characteristics. Ride Impressions The Yamaha Wolverine answers the every day ATV riders call for a sporty 4x4 ATV. The question is, does this fill the actual needs of the more-aggressive sport ATV rider? That is a question that only the actual rider can answer. This unit is a good at everything ATV. Actually, the basic machine comes from a utility background but due to the light sporty changes, Yamaha has produced excellent results. Our testing indicated a stable unit with great off camber balance, good acceleration, a comfortable ride, excellent high speed handling on tight trails - and the unit is still a true utility in the rough stuff. We used the new Wolverine 450 as hard as we could hitting jumps and pounding the trail without any noticeable problems. We found it to be a really tough machine. Ergonomically the Wolverine is well styled and has a do-everything-well feel, the controls are located in all of the correct positions. After riding and playing with this quad for a complete weekend, we could only come up with two small complaints worth mentioning: The rider seating position is quite good for a normal size rider, six foot tall or less. A larger rider that tends to ride in a more aggressive position seated toward the front of the ATV may find less knee room on the left side. The drive selecting shift lever is positioned on the left fender side adjacent to about where the taller rider’s knee would be positioned. In this forward riding position, a rider might have Brakes and suspension: Braking is taken care of by dual disk brakes front and a single wheel mounted disk brake out back. We noticed that engaging the 4-wheel drive made for more efficient downhill engine braking and overall better foot brake stopping power. The Wolverine has the tendency to skid the back tyres more when using the foot brake without engaging the 4wd system. Although braking power is excellent, we did notice some squeaking and chattering sounds when we had to slam on anchors. This is a common occurrence with dusty or muddy trail conditions.

22 December 2006

The Wolverine is well styled and has a do-everything-well feel The Wolverine uses a double A-arm suspension with 6.3 inches of travel front and a swing arm rear with 7.1 inches of travel. Both front and back shocks are ﬁve-way preload adjustable and supply a good ride, along with a surprising amount of sporty feel and comfort. The suspension is completed by a newly-designed set of front and rear Maxxis radial tires

issues with hitting their knee into the plastic lip of the body formed plastic just under the shift lever. Although it’s a small problem, one of our testers did feel the pain a few times when riding hard. Please understand that only the giants out there will have this problem. Second, the newly styled body makes for

WE RIDE YAMAHA 450 WOLVERINE large, roomy floorboards. But we do feel there is room for improvement in the operation of the foot brake, as the rider must lift their foot from the low floorboard mounted foot peg in order to actuate the rear brakes. Another and perhaps better way to position the riders foot would be to raise the foot peg a bit higher and move the brake lever out about ¾ of an inch out. This would allow the rider’s foot to sit directly over the foot brake and be in the best ergonomic position for quick and efficient use. Again, these are not large problems – and you will quickly adapt, but we must point out our findings. Looking at the Wolverine you see the sport styling of the Raptor and YFZ 450 coming through, with the same long sharp fender lines and similar head and taillight configurations. Information is passed on to the rider via a sporty new digital LCD display

24 December 2006

with speedometer, odometer, trip meter and 4WD/2WD indicator light. There are no steel racks on the new Wolverine, instead the rear plastic body has incorporated a useful storage platform on the rear of the machine, which allows you to take along all of your trail necessities. Conclusions: What a fantastic machine. We have no idea why Yamaha did not introduce it to the market last year – it’s the perfect balance between unintimidating, sporty performance and utility rock climbing. We reckon that it should sell in droves, particularly to the guys and girls who enjoy the convenience of riding an automatic machine. And it’s a damn ﬁne looking quad at that. It arrives next month – make sure that you get to your dealer and check one out.

450 WOLVERINE SPECS ENGINE Type Displacement Bore x Stroke Compression Carburetion Ignition Starting System Transmission Braking Drive Train Shaft

4-Stroke Single, Liquid Cooled w/Fan, SOHC 421cm3 84.5mm x 75mm 10 : 1 Mikuni 33mm BSR DC-CDI Electric w/ Auxiliary Pull Yamaha Ultramatic V-Belt w/ All-Wheel Engine Yamaha On-Command Push-Button 2WD, 4WD;

SUSPENSION Front Independent Double Wishbone, 6.3” w/ 5-way Preload Adjustment Rear Swing Arm, 7.1” w/ 5-way Preload Adjustment BRAKES Front Rear

Dual Hydraulic Disc Hydraulic Disc

TYRES Front Rear

AT23x8-12 Radial AT23x10-12 Radial

DIMENSIONS LxWxH Seat Height Wheel Base Ground Clearance Fuel Capacity Dry Weight

77.9”x41.7”x43.1” 33.1” 48.5” 8.7” 17 litres 234kg’s

WE RIDE

WE RIDE HONDA CRF150R R32,500

26 December 2006

n the last issue, we promised that we would do a full test on the brand new CRF150R from Honda in this months issue. Honda kindly dropped the bike off with us and we took off to ERORA to put the little bike through its paces. Our Junior MX tester Kyle De Bruin was initially a bit skeptical about a 150cc Four stroke Moto crosser – but he soon discovered that dynamite does come in small packages.

comfortable and accessing the gear and brake lever is as per any full sized bike. The brake pedal and gear lever are large and easy to get to. The gripper seat is comfortable and offers excellent grip for moving around. The Clutch and brake levers feel just right. We would like to see Renthal bars like on all of Honda’s other models, the stock steel bars are a bit dated. We would also like to see a quick adjust clutch.

Features: When you think of a 150cc fourstroke engine, an air cooled pit bike type motor springs to mind – but let me tell you – a higher performance four stroke mill you will not find. This is a proper race donk. A compact, liquid cooled, four-valve four-stroke single cylinder engine. It is fed by a massive 32mm Keihin flat slide carb with a Throttle position sensor. It is mated to a 5-speed gearbox and revs all the way to 14300RPM and puts out a claimed 17kw of power. You need to remove the seat to get to the airfilter.

Ride impressions: No electric button on this one. The CRF starts really easily once she is warm – when it was cold it took a good few kicks to get her going. The bike that we rode did have a ﬂat spot the size of Russia, but judicious use of the throttle allowed the rider to get around this. The power characteristics are completely different to the kind that you experience from a two stroke – more constant torque, rather than a big hit as the revs kick in. The 150cc mill revs it’s little heart out with plenty of bottom end torque and it is possible to

HONDA CRF 150 R MAXI 4-STROKE MINI The mill is nestled in a very neat semi double cradle steel tube frame, onto which they have bolted adjustable Showa suspension front and back. Single pot hydraulic disc brakes take care of stopping duties front and rear. A 17-inch front wheel is mounted up front, with 14 inches out back. They are shod in Dunlop rubber. Ergonomics: The Styling is modeled after the CRF250R and the CRF450R. Its physically quite small, Kyle measures in at about 1,6m and weighs in at 60kg. While he is actually too big for this bike, he immediately felt quite comfy. We did move the bars slightly forward for a more aggressive riding position – but that was it – as for the rest it felt just ﬁne. The pegs are standard size – so footing with an MX boot is

wheelie this thing in just about any gear. Acceleration is smooth – she feels best when you open the throttle wide, it’s not designed for plodding around on the plot and the stock aluminium pipe sounds as good as any aftermarket system. This little bike boasts proper MX suspension – do not be fooled by the small look and feel of this machine – it has been designed with big jumps and whoops ﬁrmly in mind. At the Honda launch, we watched veteran rider Gary Petersen playing around on one and we were astounded at just how well the bike performed even with a larger rider on board. Straight line riding: She soaks up the ruts with no headshake – you can virtually let go of the handlebars.

December 2006

WE RIDE HONDA CRF 150R

Smaller riders will really appreciate this thing

Cornering: It sticks like glue. The light weight and combination of smooth clutch, throttle and rear brakes means that you can really chuck this thing around. Jumps: Smaller riders will really appreciate this thing – she ﬂies straight and true and soaks up even the biggest hits. Even though Kyle weighs a lot more than your average mini racer – he was still impressed with the suspension. Top end: We feel that something like the two stroke CR85 is probably faster at the top, but through the gears the CRF150R is a better bike. In saying this we did not have a CR to ride on the same day. Conclusions: What a bike! To be completely honest, this newcomer has surpassed our wildest expectations. Honda has pioneered a four stroke mini moto crosser, which in our opinion will run with anything in this class. It is destined to race the 85cc class next year – we will watch the results with much interest. Guy’s - four strokes are the way of the future- if this 150 is anything to go by – then we all have a lot to look forward to. Price: R32500.00 Imported by: Honda SA: (011) 847-9400

28 December 2006

WE RIDE

WE RIDE LINHAI

XL300 RUSTLER 4x4 – R41,000 4x2 - R36,000

32 December 2006

LINHAI XL300 RUSTLER EXCELLENT VALUE FOR MONEY ne of the most popular “alternative” brands on the market is Linhai. Their Rustler outsells most of the mainline ATV’s because it has proved to be excellent value for money. 2006 is the brands 50th anniversary. It’s nice to see that the little guys have also been around for such a long time… In celebration of the milestone, they have introduced a limited edition XL300 Rustler. We took it for a spin to see what it is all about.

While it looks similar to the standard 260, but this Rustler has received quite a few upgrades. Lets take a look at some of the changes: The most obvious alteration is the redesigned front end. Linhai seems to take inspiration from the other brands – in this case, Polaris. They have ﬁtted a box carrier very similar to the one that you

would ﬁnd on the Hawkeye. It’s a practical design – a sturdy carrier that doubles as a storage bin. The copying goes even further, the old square lights have been replaced with more angular units molded into the front box. The nett result is a far sportier looking ATV with heaps more practicality chucked in for free. Out back, the old steel carriers are gone, replaced by a more sporty Teﬂon unit and a nice addition is the two grab handles which have been built into each side. These are designed for a passenger to hold on to and they make for a comfortable ride. In addition to the carriers, they have tucked a neat watertight storage compartment under the seat. But that’s just the start of it. Linhai has opted to take it a few steps further and we like the new features.

December 2006

WE RIDE LINHAI XL300 RUSTLER

Power is predictable They have changed the old mechanical 4wd actuator for a switch on the bar. It’s a cool addition and far more user friendly than the old system. The gearbox has gone under the knife, and the anniversary edition sees a sturdier clutch system than the old one. This means that it should be even better at crawling through mud and other sticky terrain. The old digital clock has been changed for a new system which is neatly mounted into the handlebar console – it is, however, quite difficult to read in bright sunshine. Other standard features include things like brush guards, polished mag wheels with big 12 inch Duro rubber mounted for traction and clearance, and hydraulic disc brakes all round. The engine is the same as you will find in the standard Rustler, a very basic, efficient liquid cooled four-stroke mill with high and low range and reverse gear, which is fed by a Mikuni carburetor. Exhaust emissions are taken care of by a very quiet black exhaust system, which is tucked unobtrusively beneath the rear plastics. You are given high and low gear options with the aforementioned 4wd on the fly system. Reverse is a given, along with the magic electric start button. Final drive is via a sturdy shaft to the rear wheels. Access to the air filter is a tool less affair, you simply unclip it all, and things like the spark plug and oil filter are easy to service. Ride impressions: We have always enjoyed the Rustler and the limited 300 is the best of the lot so far. Whilst Linhai has still not perfected the art of the soft throttle, they do give you a very capable quad with decent suspension and a good, smooth ride.

Power is predictable – no mind blowing, arm stretching stuff, but it does deliver a fair spread of power for all kinds or terrain. The 300 is noticeably stronger than the 260 – not necessarily up at top speed, but certainly from the bottom and through the midrange. We are quite glad that they have upgraded the clutch, this just makes the ATV even stronger in low range – and the motor will be able to take more of a punch. From the riders perspective, seating is comfy with firm footing and all of the controls in the right places. The wide seat is well padded for long outrides and they have done a good job in the passenger comfort department. They do not market this ATV as a twin seater – but the love handles out back offer the pillion a lot of confidence – and they make sense because lets face it, whilst we don’t recommend lifting - most of us will do it at some time or another. One thing that we did notice is that there is not much space for passenger footing – so you will need to be careful if you want to get to the rear brakes in a hurry. The new 4wd system is an absolute pleasure, instead of hassling with levers, you just actuate the switch on the handlebar and the front wheel drive engages to pull you through the rough stuff. Thanks to the recent rains, we had lots of rivers and mud to mess around in – and we found that the Rustler simply takes everything in its stride. The big plastics offer excellent splash protection, keeping the rider dry and mud free. Traction from the duro tyres is excellent – the brakes are fine... its a nice ATV. Not fast, not awe inspiringly exciting – but really nice all the same. And good value in our book. Imported by Smith Mining (011) 970-3200

34 December 2006

QUAD TEST

WE RIDE ADLY

300 CROSSROAD R29,000 CONTACT : CMH Recreational Products - (011) 462-9777

hen the D&Q guys mentioned that they were going out to test the 2007 Crossroad, I asked if I could tag along for the ride. I have ridden a few quads here and there – but I had no idea that I would be put on the hot seat and told not to fall off. My experience is limited to the odd short ride on a few machines, but in all honesty you can rank me as a complete novice.

quads on the market, but I do like the overall look and feel of the Crossroad. I like the Kenda tyres, the seat is comfortable and soft, the clock is easy to read and the controls are all well placed. Theres a nifty utility box under the rear mudguard and the tail light setup is pretty neat. They could have fitted more sporty headlamps, but the round units are fine. I am also not too sure about the shape of the exhaust pipe – I would fit something better.

We took the Adly along on the CRF150 test and I got to spend a good few hours in the saddle, following Kyle as he put the Honda through its paces.

Riding impressions: The ﬁrst time that I stopped I was moaned at for putting my feet on the ground. It’s a natural thing to do if you ride a bike, but I am told that you can really hurt yourself if you try it on a quad. Apparently you can buy nerf bars

Styling: It’s not as aggressive as some of the

36 December 2006

for the Adly – it’s the first thing that I would do. I found the Crossroad very easy to ride. It has a five-speed gearbox with a clutch – some beginners I am told, find this a bit daunting, but because I had ridden a motorcycle before, I found it really simple to master. It does have a reverse gear but I did not need to use it at all. The engine is responsive – with a fair amount of nip, you cannot compare it with something like a Raptor, but it really does go quite well. I did not try any big jumps and things, heeding the prior warning not to fall off, but I did open the throttle through some fairly rough terrain and on some very rutted gravel and found that the

A novices point of view: Stevo Sturlic

December 2006

QUAD TEST CROSSROAD 300 suspension is nice and soft. Handling is predictable and smooth. The brakes also feel really good – its got disc brakes all around which I am told are way better than a drum brake system. I, however don’t care about the technicalities– as long as the thing stops when I want it to.

that they could get some good photos. I did this, came out soaking wet – but man what fun. We also tried a few deeper crossings where I was convinced that the Adly would get stuck – but it didn’t. It delivers good power to the back wheels and churns its way through no problem.

The ﬁrst thing they taught me to do was a donut, that thing where you hold the throttle open and go round and round in circles – heaps of fun, and it looks good, but it doesn’t actually need that much talent. It did, however give me a good idea of this quads all round stability and I was quite impressed at how well planted it feels. At no stage on the ride did she feel as though she was going to tip over – it sticks well.

Conclusions: I think that the Adly is a good beginners quad. So often people go out and buy the fastest and the biggest and they end up getting hurt. Something like this has a blend of good handling and power for anyone who wants to learn the basics before upgrading. I had a really good time, the Adly is excellent fun. I hope they call me out for the next test.

They conned me into tackling some really big puddles – I was told to hit them at speed so

300 CROSSROAD SPECS ENGINE Type Displacement Gearbox Final drive Brakes Wheels: Suspension

38 December 2006

4-Stroke with electric start 285cm3 5 speed with reverse Chain Hydraulic discs front and rear F: 22.7.10 R: 22.11.10 – Kenda Klaws F: adjustable – double A-Arms R: adjustable monoshock

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QUAD TEST

YAMAHA 350 BANSHEE

WE RIDE YAMAHA 350 BANSHEE R49,995 n last months issue, we received a letter from a youngster by the name of Chad Smith who wanted us to do a test on Yamaha’s famous Banshee. It turns out that our mag even sells in far ﬂung towns like Potch and we got a call from George Wolvaard who happens to own two of these famous quads, both in pristine condition. He invited Chad and ourselves along to come and ride the quads and to do a feature. We met them at the Wild Thing raceway…

The Banshee is the bike that started the sports quad revolution. It is powered by a twin cylinder 350cc two-stroke mill, derived from Yamaha’s famous RD350LC street bike. It has remained virtually unchanged since it’s inception in the early 80’s and it has achieved something of a legendary status in the ATV world. Interestingly enough, in the right hands, the Yamaha Banshee is still competitive on the track. It’s scary fast and excellent fun to ride. George owns two of these howlers – one in stock trim for riding trails and the other, with dropped suspension for oval racing and ﬂat track. Both have been mildly tuned by the Uthuli development guys who specialize in prepping Yamaha Banshee’s. Both were excellent fun to ride – our tester Grant Morris took them through their paces – and we let young Chad take them around the ﬂat track. The smile on his face when

42 December 2006

he got in was worth a million bucks – the only problem is that he now wants one for Christmas… Lets take a look at what makes these quads tick and some of the aftermarket goodies that have been fitted. Stock bike: Belongs to: Dideon Kondos, long suffering girlfriend of George. Year model: 2006 Modifications: Bosson twin pipes Cut seat by Uthuli Racing Lots of girly stickers and things. Tusk Nerf Bars. Suspension: Standard. Engine: Standard. Tyres: Stock Dunlops Everything Else: Standard. That’s it – nothing fancy at all. Flat tracker: Belongs to: George Wolvaard. Year model: 2001 Modifications: DMC 2 into 1 pipe. Ported, Boyesen Read Valves. Standard Bore. Large aftermarket nudge bar Cut fenders Suspension: Dropped via brackets on the front A-arms, but can be reset to standard. Tyres: Hoosier front, Kenda Rear. Could not get stock of Hoosier rear tyres. Quick ride impressions: MX: We took the stock Banshee around the MX track for a couple of laps – we were amazed at just

how quick this thing is despite the fact that it is such old technology. Grant surprised more than a couple of the guys on their fancy new quads as he overtook them through the corners and things. It has to be said that the Banshee was never built for MX – but if you really want to give her a whirl she is surprisingly capable. Jumping is interesting, because she is longer than most quads, and the engine weighs the front end down, the Banshee does tend to dip her nose on the big air stuff, so you ﬁnd yourself giving a quick panic rev whilst you are airborne to level the quad out. Everyone commented on the fact that the suspension is very smooth and predictable on landings. Bush Bike: A stock Banshee is huge fun out in the bush – she loves fast open trails and will run with the best of them Guys like Dalie Terblanche and Boesman have raced the Banshee with much success on the national circuit over the years and it is easy to understand why they have been so successful. It’s a totally different kettle of ﬁsh to a four stroke, you need to open her wide to get going and she has long legs to take you anywhere. Technical stuff needs lots of input it terms of clutch and throttle control and the Banshee does not have the best ground clearance in the world so you do need to watch out for big rocks and lurkers on the trail. The Banshee is built for sand dunes and desert racing.

Shrieking Good Fun

December 2006

TEST YAMAHA BANSHEE Flat Track: Now this is where the Banshee feels most at home. The one that we rode comes with a twist grip, which is fine for flat track – but we do not advise this for MX or riding in the bush. We all had a go around the track and found her to be crazy fast and superb fun as the wheels spin and you step the ass out through the corners. The two stroke mill shrieks to life as you open the throttle and the world speeds past in a blur… the adrenaline junkies will love it. The dropped suspension makes a huge difference in handling and the slightly breathed on engine is noticeably more responsive. We watched as Oval racer Buks Wolvaard tore around the circuit as a rate of knots… Riding does not get much more fun than this – if you have never tried flat track or oval racing – you have to give it a shot sometime. And a quick word from Chad: This is the first time on a Banshee; he swapped seats with his Kymco 300 for the day and had nothing but smiles when he climbed off: An awesome ride I am 15 year’s old and got an awesome opportunity to ride and test the well known Banshee with the guys from Dirt & Quad this past Saturday at the Wild Thing Raceway. The Banshee is a really super machine and it’s a pity that it is going to be discontinued as it will be missed by many. The Banshee has explosive power and handles excellently and is so unique in the looks and the engine sound! It is a GREAT quad and I will recommend it to anyone. Thanks again to the guys from Dirt & Quad as well as George and Dideon from Potch (the two Banshee owner’s) for this great experience which I thoroughly enjoyed! Chad Smith So – bottom line: It might be old technology – but you must never get too complacent. If you find yourself riding along and you hear a swarm of bees coming up behind you – move over because chances are good that a Banshee is whuppin your ass. Available on order from Yamaha dealers – and we have seen one on the floor at Hatfield: Price: R49995.00

44 December 2006

The Banshee has explosive power

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BIKE TEST

RIDE HONDA

650 TRANSALP R63,000

46 December 2006

Words: Sir Paddy onda has released their 2007 Trans Alp – we had a brief opportunity to ride it at last months launch – but it was such a short spin that we really still had no real idea of what the bike is like. Sir Paddy blagged one from one of the dealers and took it for an awesome ride through some very beautiful riding areas here’s what he thinks about:

HONDA’S LIKEABLE MIDDLEWEIGHT – THE XL650V TRANSALP. Being in the market for an adventure bike myself, a recent Trans-Karoo journey brought home to me the potential advantages of a twin

cylinder model, in terms of superior cruising ability and stability over the potholes and corrugations that litter our dirt roads. Unfortunately KTM’s 990 Adventure is beyond my budget, while a 750 cc Honda Africa Twin I checked out in Elands Bay felt rather heavy, but got me wondering about its smaller sibling, the 650 TransAlp. Internet research indicated that it is regarded primarily as a road bike in Europe, but the presence of a 21-inch front wheel, elevated silencer and carburetors argued for signiﬁcant off road ability, so it was a pleasure to be entrusted with a pristine blue and silver example for evaluation, by Honda Wing East Rand. The presence of a Sebring slip-on silencer, extended windscreen and Puig

luggage box were welcome extras, although Honda itself does make a comprehensive set of panniers for the TransAlp. Initial impressions when riding home were of a really user friendly, predictable bike with a ﬂexible power delivery, viceless handling and two ﬁnger front brake and clutch controls. A comfortable riding position was low enough to get both feet down easily when stationary. Caning it up and down Jo’burg’s two most “Alpine” roads, the hairpin infested Sylvia’s Pass and Stuart Drive only reinforced this impression, as nothing scraped or slid and I survived the experience intact and unscared. Full marks for on road ability, then.

December 2006

BIKE TEST TRANSALP

Next day saw the start of the real test as we headed out for Heidelberg and its surrounding network of dirt and tarmac roads. The rock strewn route from Suikerbosrand to Schickfontein produced no surprises at all – the Transalp might as well have been on asphalt as it rolled smoothly over all but the largest granite protrusions, ignoring any attempts by corrugations, gravel or sand to deviate it from my chosen trajectory. The combination of an appropriate wheelbase, compliant suspension and smooth power delivery created a sense of safety and conﬁdence that I found most appealing, being keen on preserving my skeletal integrity for mundane purposes such as earning a living! A sterner test was obviously called for, so after my customary snack at Heidelburg’s well run Wimpy it was off along the railway service trail back into Jo’burg, after a brief excursion up to the radio towers overlooking the town. This time washouts, soft sand, deep granite chips and wavelike undulations all conspired to make progress challenging, but like a true lady the TransAlp ignored their efforts, sailing safely and serenely along at a moderate pace in keeping with her unrufﬂed style. Moderate rocky trails are rideable, but sharp ledges and loose stones larger than a cricket ball are best avoided. Blasting along off-road just isn’t this bike’s modus operandi, but adjust your speed to its capabilities and you will

48 December 2006

BIKE TEST TRANSALP be rewarded with serene and enjoyable progress devoid of unnecessary energy expenditure or nasty moments. Ideal for riders with limited off-road experience and / or the sort of loads associated with adventure biking.

Later that weekend Dr. George and I subjected the TransAlp to some dirty treatment in the veldt near Wild Thing raceway (his idea of course, never mine!), where narrow tracks, choking dust, slimy mud and a stream crossing did their best to make the TransAlp lie down and cry “Enough!”… But she wasn’t having any of it. The stream and various elevated obstacles were dispatched with aplomb, the dust endured stoically and the mud simply avoided whenever possible, or subdued when necessary. The good doctor professed himself to be well impressed and my estimation was growing even higher, to the point where I realised that this capable, versatile bike must feature high up on my shortlist. Honda classify the TransAlp as a “Rally Tourer” so to evaluate its touring abilities I took a day trip down to the Golden Gate, via Frankfort, Bethlehem and Clarens. The weather and scenery were perfect, while the bike didn’t miss a beat, cruising happily

50 December 2006

anywhere between 120 kph and its 160 kph top end and returning 250 to 300 kilometers per 19 litre tankfull. Rider comfort was good, overtaking ability more than adequate and handling as sweet as ever, giving me one of the more enjoyable tarmac rides I’ve ever experienced. Incidentally, now is a great time to tour this area as the new grass / sandstone contrast looks spectacular and the winding, ﬂowing roads are stunning. On the potential improvements side a bit more power and less weight would be nice in the interest of some more excitement and an easier pickup when it does fall over, but the TransAlp’s excellent build quality, truly likable nature and surprising off road capability are potent arguments in its favour.

At R63, 000 the TransAlp is good value for money, especially as Honda provide a free off-road riding course worth R1, 000 with every one purchased, plus their excellent dealer and service backup. So if you’re looking for a versatile, user-friendly adventure bike the TransAlp is well worth sampling. I certainly liked it and reckon that lots of other riders would too. Honda SA (011) 847-9400

Unbelievable New Prices!

Unbelievable Unbeliev Unbelie vable New Prices!

DL 450

DL 150

R14 000

DL 270

R37 500

DL 110

R11 460

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R24 500

DL 50

R8 000

ALTERNATIVE FUN

RIDE 800cc

MUDBUSTER R59,995

52 December 2006

t’s not that often that we get to simply have a good time. Testing motorcycles and quads is actually quite a scientific process, hard work really – far more involved than running a multinational companies books or drawing plans for skyscrapers or brewing beer - well that’s what we like to tell everyone anyway and to be quite honest we wouldn’t swap our jobs for all the money in the world. When we saw that the Speedworld bunch were importing Sandmaster type off road cars, we figured that it would be a great excuse to go and have a bit of fun. To sweeten the pot, Chris from Speedworld suggested that we take the new Kawasaki STX12Fjetski for a spin after the test. Silly suggestion – We are a Dirt and Quad mag after all, what do we know about watercraft? When he pointed out that the jetski actually has a motorcycle engine, we felt that our investigating this mode of transport was justified, so we reluctantly wandered down to the dam for a spin…

Vitara is that little Jeep - like thing that they build), which delivers, what is in our opinion, a brilliant spread of power for an off road toy like this. If you can drive a car, then you can drive this thing. Its got the usual clutch and accelerator mechanism – but the fact that this speciﬁc one is a left hand drive model for the American market takes some getting used to. Future models are destined to come with the steering wheel on the correct side. The beauty about having a car motor to power this buggy is the fact that replacement parts are really cheap. The motor is slotted into the rear of the buggy, with direct drive via the diff to the rear wheels. A huge radiator is mounted behind the driver’s head with two large cooling fans, which kick in when the thermostat engages. We like the fact that every consumable component is so easy to reach – changing plugs is a ten minute job, changing oil and ﬁlter is dead simple, getting to the distributor is simple… it all makes good sense.

Pics: Angie “two and a half stroke” Botha. Speedworld seems to have all of the bases covered. They own and operate the dirt track out at Chimes, and they operate the Danie Taljaardt dam on the outskirts of Benoni. Brilliant marketing this. They sell Quads, bikes and Jet Ski’s and they can offer you a venue to sample each of their machines. We met them at the Speedworld Dirt Park to take a quick outride on the Mudbuster: Mudbuster MPW800SLX: For some reason we have always been vaguely skeptical about off road cars of this nature. In true unbiased style – this misconception is purely because we had never tested one before. We thought that they were dangerous beasts, heavy and unwieldy and probably very unsafe… Well, we stand corrected. If the Mudbuster is anything to go by, then we had it all wrong. Techy Info: Powerhouse: It is powered by a super reliable three cylinder 800cc Suzuki Vitara motor (the

Chassis and suspension: The steel chassis is very strongly built, whilst it is pretty heavy, it looks good and solid which is what you need for an ATV of this nature. They have kept things pretty safe with steel sidewalls and a substantial roll bar incorporated into the roof. Suspension is supplied via long travel A-arms mounted front and rear, with sturdy looking long travel shock absorbers bolted into place. 12-inch wheels provide additional ground clearance – and clearance is excellent, we placed a crash helmet under the chassis just to be sure – and there was still space for another one – far greater than any quad that we have ridden. The down side is that the Mud buster is pretty wide, so you will be a bit limited on tight twisty trails. Hydraulic Disc brakes are mounted front and rear. Seating and ergonomics: Once again, we are impressed with the safety features on this thing. Comfy bucket seats are ﬁtted with a dual harness safety belt system to keep the

December 2006

TEST MUDBUSTER QUICK SPIN: Kawasaki STX12F Jet Ski

There seems to be a resurgence in the popularity of Jet ski’s. The last time that we rode one of these things was probably ten years or so ago, my mate owned two two-stroke Polaris 750’s and we used to head to the Vaal as often as we could to play. Speedworld are Kawasaki Jet ski dealers and after the dirt gathering exercise on the Mud Buster, we felt that a quick ﬂip at their Speedworld jet ski Park at the old Danie Taljaardt Dam just off Snake road in Benoni would save a lot of griping from the minister of home affairs about muddy clothing and the like.

passengers secure. We found that there was more than enough space in the foot well for the pedals even though we were wearing MX boots. The seat is adjustable, like in a car, so the short-legged people will be able to adjust the seat to reach the pedals. The dashboard is Spartan, they have ﬁtted a digital display for speed indication and so on, but it is difﬁcult to read. The new ones will have proper analogue clocks. We noticed a mounting bracket for a pull out radio, but realistically, this is a doff idea because the radio will be

54 December 2006

destroyed by mud and dust out on the trail. It comes with indicators front and rear, bright front headlamps and taillights and a bank of spots up on the roof. Drive impressions: Marvelous Fun… We had no idea just how much fun the Mud Buster is. We spent the afternoon blasting around the quarry at the back of the track and we have to say that we are super impressed. The most outstanding feature is the soft suspension; this thing glides over the ruts and lurkers and offers a really smooth ride. It has to be said

Now - to the purists out there – you might be alarmed that we are doing a feature on a wet bike rather than something that you can use on land – but the fact of the matter is that this is a lifestyle magazine – and if you can have fun on it or in it, we’ll take it for a ﬂip and tell you what we think… A wet bike is more similar to a quad than you might think. You sit the same, you steer the same, the throttle mechanism is very similar, just on the outside of the bar – and the brakes are just about as good as my old drum brake Yamaha Blasters were… The beauty of a Wet bike is that if you do happen to take a tumble, you get a nice refreshing swim for mahala. We noticed that you do stay nice and dry if you manage stay on board – and to be honest it’s actually quite difﬁcult to fall off this big Kawasaki. I am going to try to describe the STX12F in a nutshell: It’s ridiculously fast, superbly comfortable, with predictable handling and it’s smoother than anything that we have ridden before. It also happens to be huuuuge fun and if we lived near a big dam or at the ocean, we would love to own something like this.

TEST MUDBUSTER QUICK SPIN: Kawasaki STX12F Jet Ski

that we did not ride any serious rocks, but the rutted tracks and donga’s were no challenge for the sporty buggy. As we mentioned earlier, some of the tighter trails are an interesting challenge. Quads and bikes are more versatile than something like this – so you need to look at the Mud Buster as a whole new toy. Toy? You bet. What’s it they say – the older you get the more expensive the toys. The Mud Buster is surprisingly stable and well planted; it delivers excellent user-friendly power and is fairly responsive to your throttle input. The steering is light, shifting gears is smooth… Hurtling along through the mud puddles is fun – despite the fact that it is only a 2wd, we didn’t get her stuck, but we did manage to get covered in mud because it offers zero splash protection. As you turn, the spinning rear wheels do an extra good job at chucking the mud into the cab from the side – so you are in for some really dirty

56 December 2006

business. First on the shopping list would have to be a screen of some description – and then – some serious mud ﬂaps to help prevent the side barrage… But it’s all part of the fun really. Ladies spend a fortune on magical skin treatments – one free mudpack from one of these things is all you really need – hey I think we’re on to something. Conclusions: Would we sell our quads and bikes to buy one of these? Not just yet. But if for some reason we were unable to ride – then this would be an excellent substitute. If money is no issue and I was looking for more fun to keep in the garage? No question – I’d buy one tomorrow. Its heaps of fun, its fast, it feels solid and safe… where do we sign. Price R59.995.00 Imported by: Speedworld (011) 973-1640

That’s it. Take one for a ride – the grin factor is massive. Here are some specifications and features: - 1,199cc four-stroke engine similar to the one found in Kawasaki’s ZX12R road bike. - Electronic fuel injection - Dual overhead cams (DOHC) are light and compact for less valve train inertial mass, and provide consistent valve timing at high rpm - Four-valve cylinder head Tip-over protection shuts engine off if craft tilts more than 61° - Waterproof ECU and ignition coils protect the ignition system from electrical shorts - Unique semi-dry sump oil system lowers the crankshaft in the engine, eliminates the need for scavenging pumps, and if the craft is capsized the oil stays in the sump instead of flooding the crankcase - Large capacity air box lowers engine noise and improves air intake flow - Water-jacketed exhaust system reduces noise level and temperatures. - Freshwater flush fitting helps the operator easily rinse out the motor’s cooling lines - Kawasaki Smart Steering monitors steering input and engine speed, and when certain conditions are met, raises rpm to initiate a turn - High-performance sponsons help the hull get up on plane and provide more aggressive “grip” in turns - Three-blade oval-edge stainless steel impeller provides maximum efficiency and incredible durability - Spacious, close-to-the-water open rear deck. - LCD multifunction meter system with speedometer, tachometer, hour meter, clock, trip distance, trip time, fuel level and warning lights allows operator to easily monitor necessary information, and also alerts operator to low fuel or high engine temperatures - Kawasaki Splash Deflector (KSD) helps keep spray off the operator and passenger - Storage compartments in bow, glove box and under seat can carry fire extinguisher, tool kit, cooler and more - Large capacity fuel tank allows more riding between fill-ups - Finger-type throttle reduces hand fatigue and increases comfort - Magnetic keyed ignition switch helps deter unauthorized use - Automatically retracting boarding step makes reboarding in deep water easier We rode the 1200 STX which retails for R95995.00 But you can also buy a 1500cc for R109995.00 Phone: (011) 973-1640

TRICK QUAD

JHB YAMAHA ROOF OF AFRICA RHINO

or the ﬁrst time in history a Yamaha Rhino has been entered into the Roof Of Africa. It has been prepared by the guys at JHB Yamaha and it will be piloted by shop owner Ian Kilburn and JHb Yamaha worshop foreman Derek Robertson, who also happens to be the man who built this Rhino has volunteered to navigate. A braver - or more stupid soul you will never ﬁnd... They has promised us lots of photo’s and a full story for next months issue – watch this space…

JHB Yamaha Trick Rhino: Full Elka Suspension. Douglas Rock Star Rims. Kenda Bearclaws. GYTR bashguard. GYTR Bullbar. GYTR Hard Top Roof. Aluminium doors – locally manufactured. FMF Pipe. GYTR Airﬁlter. Engine – slightly modiﬁed. Juice Box rev Box by Scary Fast. 4 Point Seatbelts. Rider to Rider comms.

Elka suspension all round

GYTR rhino skid plates all round

Spare wheels on the back

Standard seats with cross over seatbelts

A standard Rhino tops out at 60kph. This one has been tested to 94KPH. (011) 454-3866

A jack is bolted to the tow hitch

A ﬁre extinguisher just in case

62 December 2006

An emergency knife

Storage boxes in the front

Yamaha Rhino To Enter Roof Of Africaâ&#x20AC;Ś

December 2006

TRICK QUAD

66 December 2006

n past issues, we have featured all sorts of off the shelf goodies on the trick quads running around all over the show. When the guys from East Rand Quad and Bike told us about their tricked out Pred, we decided to take a closer look. With the new KTM powered bike coming out next year, Polaris has a lot to look forward to, the old one is certainly no slouch – and with all the extra’s it’s just such a peach…

Bush bike: Most of the quads that we have tested have been set up for track application. This one has been built exclusively for enduros; National racer Hennie Human uses it as a practice bike. All of the parts are available literally off the shelf – you simply bolt them on, dial them in and off you go.

Engine: The 500cc Fuji motor internals have been left standard. Reliability is hugely important in racing, and they have opted to go with the stock mill. They have, however fitted an HMF performance pipe, a Dyno Jet kit and Pro design filter. Some tuning on the dyno has pushed the brake horsepower from 44bhp to 52bhp – significant gains in anyone’s language. Cosmetics: The stock plastics have been removed and replaced with aftermarket Maier units. They have selected black – it looks very cool and the aftermarket stuff bolts straight on. The decals have been custom made to the shop colours by Grafix. com. They do sticker kits for all kinds of machines. The stock fuel tank has been replaced with a long range IMS unit.

More Off the Shelf Magic: East Rand Quads and Bike’s Predator…

December 2006

WORLD OF Q PIMPED POLARIS Ergonomics: They have paid much attention to suspension and rider comfort. The standard bars have been replaced with aftermarket Pro Tapers with lifters for stand up riding; they offer the rider more versatility than the standard fare. Polisport brush guards are mounted for hand and lever protection. Pro Armour nerfs with integrated wide pegs

68 December 2006

and heel guards have been mounted for sure footing. They look great and offer your feet and legs excellent protection. Up front they have ďŹ tted a DGS nudge bar, with a DGS grab rail and utility pouch out back. The grab rail incorporates handles, which are excellent for picking up and moving the ATV around. Pro Armour skid plates protect the underchassis.

Suspension: This thing boasts very trick suspension. Up front they have ďŹ tted wider aftermarket Lonestar A-arms. Mounted to these are fully adjustable ZPS PEP shocks. Out back, they have stuck with the standard swing arm and Chrome Molly axle, but they have mounted blue anodized Dirtware Spacers for a slightly wider tread. The stock monoshock

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PIMPED POLARIS has also been replaced with a PEP system with remote reservoir. Kenda Knarly’s are mounted on aftermarket Douglas Beadlock rims. Ride Impressions: Suspension setup on a bike like this is critical and the combination of the PEP units and the Lonestar A-arms makes for a much smoother ride. We like the feel and positioning of the bars - it feels more comfortable than the standard machine. As far as the engine goes, they have not played with the bore or anything but this trick Pred is plenty fast enough for the average rider. Throttle response and roll on power is far better than on a standard machine – but it is still not so wild that it will tear your arms out. It’s a good handling, well balanced all round machine – perfect for hours of fast riding in the bush. Conclusions: Good stuff this – and there is still so much more that can be done to the Polaris Predator. Next year these guys will be hotting up an Outlaw – watch out for a full test soon… East Rand Quad and Bike: (011) 823-2560

70 December 2006

TRICK QUAD

BALLISTIC YAMAHA YFZ 450

72 December 2006

ou might have heard about a company called Ballistic ATV SA – they import all sorts of goodies for quads like decal kits, riding gear, nerfs and all sorts – you might have seen the feature that we did on the Full Throttle LTR450, much of their stuff was on that quad. Ballistics Jaco got hold of us and told us that he is in the process of customizing an YFZ450. We went along to see what it is like.

Once again, this quad is being customized with off the shelf goodies, the motor has been left alone, but Jaco is slowly customizing over time to create a showcase of all of the products that these guys import. He started with the basics – Ballistic import all kinds of Decal kits for ATV’s. H e has selected the skull graphic kit for his quad. A sticker kit always freshens up the old plastics and they look really cool – it’s a great Christmas present idea. Pro elite Nerf bars are ﬁtted, with a wide peg for good footing.

Ballistic: YFZ 450

December 2006

GONE BALLISTIC The motor is stock, but they have fitted an LRD pro 4 full exhaust system and a K&N Filter with an Outerwear sleeve. They have also fitted a Dynojet jet kit. A Juice Box CDI is fitted – it gives the quad a slightly different power curve to the standard unit.

The rest is all bling stuff – polished aluminium Speddick Rims – first time that we have seen these and we really like… they are shod in low profile Kenda Klaws for flat track riding. He has opted to fit ODI grips; we have mounted these on a few of our quads and have found them to be some of the best on the market. Ask your dealer to order you some.

74 December 2006

Then there is all of the billet stuff made by Modquad:Flame theme caps are ﬁtted to the fuel tank and brake reservoir. The Thumb throttle cover is the same, as is the longer than standard thumb lever. Shock pro shock covers protect the standard suspension.

And there is a lot more to come, Ballistic import all sorts and they are prepping this quad as a sort of – mobile showroom. Fullbore plastics are on their way, along with new Pro Elite bumpers and grab rails; I shock Hydro Dynamic suspension and too much billet stuff to mention. Full test soon. www.ballisticatvsa.co.za

Isiyala Quad Drive

An African Words: Graham ‘Houtpiel’ Woodcock

76 December 2006

e arrived at South Africa’s Johannesburg International airport to be met by George of Superbike SA and Dirt & Quad fame, we being Graham and Lynn. We were invited over by George after he came over to the UK and stayed with us whilst on Superbike business.

to leave and start a new life here in South Africa. Although on different continents our love for biking has remained and we have both been lucky enough to create careers out of our hobbies. George as you know is into publishing and myself into the training side of bikes.

George and I go back a long time, growing up together, then getting into bikes together, and generally enjoying ourselves, until the selﬁsh git decided

In the UK we are not allowed to even get on a bike unless we have some training ﬁrst. This starts off with CBT (Compulsory Basic Training), which

George and I go back a long time, growing up together, then getting into bikes together, and generally enjoying ourselves, until the selﬁsh git decided to leave and start a new life here in South Africa

Dream Trip

December 2006

once complete will endorse your licence to be able to ride up to a 125cc machine whose power output does not exceed 14.6 BHP !!!! Yes I know what you are thinking, and thank god we still have countries like Africa which allow us some reasonable freedom (for now at least). So my job as the Instructor is to make sure each student is safe enough to ride on the overcrowded roads of the UK. This starts off with an introduction explaining why we must do a CBT, followed by brief on clothing and the importance of safety equipment, helmet, boots, gloves etc. Then we move onto the bikes themselves, explaining all the controls, how they work and what they do. We also explain about maintenance, chains tyres, lights, etc. The next element involves learning how to use the controls, riding the bikes around the site, the use of slow control, throttle clutch and rear brake to be able to ride at walking pace without wobbling, this will help to do the next stages, figure of eight, slalom through cones and ultimately a U-turn without putting a foot down. We then do simulated left and right turns showing the importance of rear observation, and finally the emergency stop. Once the previous elements are complete we then have another brief all about what to expect on the roads, dealing with hazards, how much more vulnerable we are as opposed to other road users, correct positioning, observations, dealing with roundabouts, traffic lights, cross roads etc. It’s amazing how many youngsters do not know the simplest of rules. We then move onto the actual road ride which must be a 2 hour session with radio contact. I take two students out together and we practice everything previously taught on the CBT site

78 December 2006

ensuring everything is being done in a safe and controlled manner. Only then will we return to the site and issue a DL196 (CBT Certificate) which lasts for a period of 2 years. The CBT was fetched into our legal system in 1990 and I think it is a very good thing as it did reduce the accident rate in the 16 to 18 age group by over 50%. Where it does fall down for me, and as a Certified Cardington Instructor I shouldn’t be saying this, is that the 2 year period is a joke. If you do not take a practical test within that time, then you must go back to do another CBT, at a cost of £85 (R1100) a go. I get people coming back to me three or four times who use thier little bikes for commuting and have no intentions of taking a practical test, how can I give them Basic Training, they already know how to do it! Once a person has successfully done their CBT, they can now ride legally on the road on a machine not exceeding 125cc with a power output not exceeding 14.6 BHP. To go any further than that depends on the age of the student. If under 21 they can take a practical test on a 125 cc machine and gain a full licence which will then allow them to ride any machine which does not produce more than 33 BHP. This does not restrict them to the kind of bike they could ride as they can ride any machine as long as it is restricted. I often get young lads 17 years old who pass and buy GSXR 600’s and have the bike shop fit restricter kits in. This “restricted” period lasts for two years and the licence then becomes fully unrestricted and the restricter kit can now be removed from the bike. If you are over 21 then your options are as above or the DAS route (Direct Access). This is the recommended route I would choose. You must take your practical test on a machine with a power output of at least 46 BHP and you can only legally ride it whilst accompanied by a Cardington

assessed DAS Instructor and in radio communication with him. I usually do a three day course, which entails two full days instruction, culminating with a test on the third day. If the test is successful then you get a full unrestricted licence and you can ride any bike available. Training does not stop at this point, although it is now optional. There are various groups which do advanced riding, the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) is one of them of which I am a member. These groups are all about increasing your observation and machine control skills, in order to give you the best possible chance of being unharmed by other road users whilst riding.

The bike scene in the UK is big and increasing all the time, that’s why all the new European legislation is coming into being over the next few years to try and restrict our freedom further.

The bike scene in the UK is big and increasing all the time, that’s why all the new European legislation is coming into being over the next few years to try and restrict our freedom further. So it is an absolute pleasure to come to South Africa and experience the freedom you all take for granted. Our trip to South Africa included an overnight stay at Isiyala Game Lodge courtesy of Dirt & Quad Magazine. The stay was to include a quad ride through the game reserve. We left the Dirt & Quad ofﬁces heading on the N12 via Brakpan, Springs, toward Middleburg. At Witbank I noticed we were in a large coal mining area, interesting to me as my home town in the UK (Barnsley) was the centre of the UK mining industry which is now extinct. I also worked in the coal mines myself as a young man. The slag heaps gave it away and thinking back twenty years they were part of the scenery at home, but now they have all gone,

Isiyala Quad Drive and I must say home looks a lot prettier without them. Just off the highway we saw the most extreme crane I have ever seen, It was the size of a large building, raking huge amounts of earth out in its massive bucket, strip mining George told me. After going through Middleburgh we started to see Game lodges on both sides of the road, the landscape changed to

gentle rock strewn hills with the odd Deer being seen in the distance. We were looking for Isiyala Game Lodge, our instructions were 34 k out of Middleburg on the left side of the road. We spotted the sign and opened the gate to drive in. The road towards the Lodge was two strips of concrete for the wheels to stay on, and the going was fairly easy in the Dirt & Quad Mercedes Vito, up and down gentle hills, through streams, and then it started to get steeper with tighter bends, through

December 2006

Isiyala Quad Drive the trees, and then STOP, a guy with a massive caravan being towed by a VW Polo was blocking the way. We could smell the clutch was burning and the little Polo looked extremely unable to tow such a large load and had obviously decided enough was enough when it saw the steep incline it was being asked to climb. It would

have been a tow for the Vito to get up there. We were amazed that this guy had even attempted to drive along the ﬂat area let alone the hills. He had just manoeuvred the vehicle around a sharp right hand bend in between the trees and started up the steep incline, and his predicament was how to get back out.

We could smell the clutch was burning.

We approached him and we could see he was extremely elated to see us, he was with his son and his grand daughter who were also looking bemused. He told us it was ridiculous for the game lodge to have caravan parks with such ridiculous access to them. We asked him which game reserve he was going to and of course he was at the wrong one even though the 10 foot by 10 foot sign at the gate clearly stated Isiyala Game Lodge. His son got in the car to reverse back down the hill and around the tight corner, but it was obvious he didn’t know how to reverse with a trailer on the back as he was putting the wrong lock on and the caravan was getting even more stuck. His father was shouting at him in the Afrikaans language I couldn’t understand, but I could imagine, and then he told me his son was not very good at driving (surprise) and asked if I could reverse it out for them. I reversed it round the corner so it was at least in a straight line and then we had to leave as we were running late. We managed to get the Vito turned round so we could go back to the highway and left the Caravan club to their own devices, it was at least two kilometers back to the gate with no chance of turning their vehicle around. We took the next gate into the reserve but having arrived late we didn’t have time to book in to the Lodge before meeting our guide Anton. We had a quick introduction to the quads which were fully automatic Polaris machines with high and low range 4 wheel drive, we also used a Polaris Ranger which is a quad with a steering wheel and two front seats (a bit like a noddy car).

80 December 2006

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Isiyala Quad Drive We set out on four quads up the dusty trail but after a short ride we had to re-think our strategy as Lynn, a complete novice, was struggling with the size of these machines. That’s when we were introduced to the Ranger and we continued on our game drive with 2 quads Anton our guide and George, plus Lynn and myself in the Ranger.

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The going was quite easy although as you would expect a little dusty. After going through the main gate into the reserve we followed the trail along toward the Isiyala Lodge which came into view nestled in a basin below the mountains. It was an excellent view of the resort and quite inviting. Riding straight past the Lodge the ground became quite rocky and the pace slowed down some what, but the 4X4 quads made light work of it followed by the Ranger which Anton assured me would also go anywhere where the quads went. Within an hour of the start we were watching Blesbok, Zebra, Impala, Wild Boar, and Wilder beast. We were also searching for a Cheetah which resided in the area but failed to show itself. We were out for three hours before returning the quads, the drive was extremely enjoyable but being at the back we were eating George’s dust most of the time so on the way back I sneakily shot past him and then gunned the Ranger along the dustiest part of the trail to create as much of a dust cloud as possible. When we got back to the start with dust everywhere, our riding gear was caked in the stuff, it was all over the camera equipment, and our faces were a picture, we were in desperate need of a shower. We got in the Vito and drove back to the lodge which is set at the base of the hills near a waterhole and is so beautiful we felt we could stay forever. The Lodges with thatched roofs, and pretty brickwork in the walls, balconies over looking the water hole, felt so inviting. The rooms have king sized beds, en-suite facilities, and tea & coffee making facilities. The decor and ambience extrude comfort and luxury. We showered and donned fresh clothing and immediately headed for the bar as we needed to wash down all the dust we had eaten. What better way than to have a tall ice ﬁlled glass of Brandy and Coke (George tells me I should say Klippies and Coke!), sitting on the decking at the side of the pool in a sun lounger. This was tranquility at it’s best. After a few more glasses which were served by a nice guy called Solly we decided to ask about Dinner. It turned out Solly was the bar man, the waiter, and also the Chef, a very versatile man indeed. His ﬁrst two

82 December 2006

We were eating George’s dust most of the time so on the way back I sneakily shot past him and then gunned the Ranger along the dustiest part of the trail to create as much of a dust cloud as possible.

roles were not very impressive, but he exceeded all expectations in his role as chef. We had ﬁllet steak served with the most amazing tasting onions, and vegetables. The steak melted in the mouth and it was by far the best meal we had eaten in our two weeks in South Africa, all washed down with a bottle of Shiraz which Solly had wrestled with a cork screw and had somehow got the cork so far down the neck that the corkscrew couldn’t reach it. like I said his skills as a waiter left a lot to be desired, but after enjoying his fantastic cooking we would forgive him anything. After a few more drinks and a lot of talking over the events of the day, we retired feeling very gratiﬁed with life and fell to sleep in the luxury of the king sized bed. I awoke next morning feeling refreshed and ready for a walk. I took the camera and walked out into the dawn, the sun just peeking over the mountains bathing the water hole in a lovely golden glow. There were a group of Blesbok grazing on the banks of the water hole, and as soon as they caught site of me they were off making there way up the valley and disappearing into the long grass. In the shallows of the water hole I noticed heaps of frog spawn and thousands of tad poles swimming, the next generation of singers in the chorus of that amazing song you only hear in Africa, the sound of the night. I saw two young deer busily rooting about at the back of the lodges, jumping over the massive rocks and boulders which litter the landscape, and whilst looking into the water I startled a Jack Rabbit which in turn startled me as it set off at an amazing speed over the neatly mown lawn to disappear into the long grass. We ate a hearty breakfast before loading the Vito and heading off with Solly on board to give him a lift to the highway as it was his day off and he was heading home. Tracing our route back through Middleburg we were back in Meyerton before lunch. An experience which will stay with us forever. Enjoy your country. We certainly did. Isiyala Lodge is part of the Forever Resorts. Call them on (013) 262 3075/6 or email loskopres@aventura.co.za

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84 December 2006

whole clomp of bikes and quads descended on the sleepy town of PaulPietersburg for one of the coolest rides of the year. The weather played along â&#x20AC;&#x201C; there was almost no dust and the forestry guys allowed us to explore the area on our quads and bikes. It was huge fun â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a real family ride and the local German community made sure that everyone was well fed and looked after. We wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bore you with all of the detail â&#x20AC;&#x201C; take a look at the pics and see for yourselvesâ&#x20AC;Ś Family Adventures have lots of rides planned for next year â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so if you want to go along, give them a shout. www.familyadventures.co.za (011) 396-1682

December 2006

COMMUNITY CONCERNS

Offroad Riders giving back to the communities:

e have all done something or

Royal Enﬁeld bikes were purchased with some

other in our lives, whether we know it or not, to help or improve

of the money and donated to organisations like WWF, Palliative Care and St Marys Hospital,

the standard of living for people in

who in turn sold the bikes to raise monies for

our country. From giving that odd two rand coin to the parking attendant or joining a beneﬁt ride

other humanitarian causes. Red Cherry Adventures, after hearing of

or function. I recently spent some time with Red Cherry

ENDURO INDIA, embarked on ENDURO AFRICA which is being held from the 20th to the 30th

Adventures and these guys really have taken on

of November. This will see one hundred bikes

somewhat of a responsibility as far as caring for their community and giving back to the people

being donated through Riders for Health to doctors and health care workers in Zimbabwe

who allow us to travel through their lands. Red Cherry Adventures has come up with a

and ﬁve hundred thousand Rand being ploughed into ten projects which are to be run through

heck of an idea, to give something back to the

Rotary International across the Eastern Cape.

underprivileged communities of the Eastern Cape, by means of alleviating the crises in

Red Cherry felt more had to be done and TOUCH AFRICA was born. Touch Africa is

education and health care sectors, with a particular emphasis on rehabilitating all the old

geared up to provide excellent television viewing and enormous branding and corporate social

buildings and schools. Actually anything that a

responsibility investment from the Corporates

drama classes and the DTI will run workshops

community would need. For most of us it’s the norm to wake up and

who get involved. Corporates will reap the beneﬁts of this investment not only through

on empowering women. The ﬁnal touch will be the donation of the Quads

go to school, have all the books that you may need, get the necessary education, but for many

the medium of television but also through their own public relations initiatives through their

to various organisations where a comprehensive needs analysis will be done ensuring that the

South Africans this is not the pretty picture.

involvement in this incredible cause.

They have to walk miles and miles to schools which, if they are lucky, might still be in some

Touch Africa will result in the make-over of ﬁve villages in the Cacadu Municpal area. The

Quads are donated to the worthiest causes like nature conservation, NSRI, hospitals and clinics.

sort of reasonable condition. The ﬂoors in many of these buildings are none existent, the roofs

plan is to get as much Corporate investment as possible to ensure this vision becomes a reality.

as possible through the sale of sixty Corporate sponsorships which will then allow them to

leak so badly that when it rains the students

A representative from each Corporate will

have to go home and any books they might have get damaged.

participate in the recce ride, visiting all villages and communities that are to be rehabilitated,

bring in the necessary resources ensuring that Touch Africa touches the lives of thousands.

For the few that do have school buses, luck is still not on their side, as they are left standing in

a whole bunch of carpenters, plumbers, electricians etc. will be recruited to carry out

often let things slip right by us, the Quad and two wheeler fraternity is always ready to put

sheds which originally had minor problems but

the rehabilitation work required on schools,

something together and help and we always

over time neglect has taken its toll and these minor problems have now left them totally

clinics, community halls and others to build the required sports facilities. The quads will be used

excel. If you or your company feels that they can make a healthy difference then contact Elise at

unusable and in serious need of major repair or replacement.

to reach the different destinations required and ultimately all this will form the nucleus for a

Red Cherry Adventures and she will ﬁll you in on any and all other details that you might require.

The TOUCH AFRICA initiative is a home grown

seven part T.V. series similar to that of “extreme

concept born out of another charitable event, namely ENDURO INDIA where one hundred

home makeover”. While construction is underway and all

Tel: 041.581.5336 Cell: 076 170 6449

motorcycle riders from all over the world raised four thousand pounds each for a ride through

necessary improvements are taking place the children and communities will be taught how to

Fax: 041.581.5334 E-mail: elise@redcherry.co.za

Kerala India.

ride Quads, receive free eye tests, free art and

86 December 2006

The aim is to raise as close to Six Million Rand

We all understand what should be done and

RIDES

WAKKERSTROOM TECHNICAL?

Is it tech technica s the ride technical….? How many times have I been asked that question? Countless times. Groups of riders come to Wakkerstroom almost every second or third weekend. Friday evening everybody gets together to meet over a drink and a lampchop or two. In the entertainment area, where the braai is, there are lots of pictures of our previous rides against the walls. Inevitably, the discussion turns to the kind of terrain that we are going to ride the following day. That is usually when the infamous question is asked. Is it technical? I still don’t know how to answer that. After giving it much thought, experiencing many rides, witnessing different riders’ capabilities and discussing rides with them, I would like to give my opinion on this topic. Let me make it clear. I am not the worlds fastest, nor the best rider. I am an average rider and these are only my average personal thoughts. As a young chap I used to be a good rider. I stopped riding for more than 20 years and it took me a long time to get to a certain standard of riding again. Especially in the technical, tight sections. I started riding again with my friends in the Wakkerstroom area and were literally thrown in on the deep side! Although Wakkerstroom is mostly prime grasslands it is also beautiful mountainous country, some of the best technical riding ever. Some say technical means steep hillclimbs. Others, steep hillclimbs with rocks. Stef, a guy who takes his KDX200 everywhere, and I mean everywhere, says climbing a mountain on a cattle trail with rocks and a steep off-camber to the one side, is his deﬁnition of technical. On these rides your margin of error is very small as the slightest mistake sees you

88 December 2006

tumbling down the “long” side of the hill. Piet, a local, reckons the rides that we do where you have to slide down a steep descent into a riverbed and then maneuver your bony over big rocks while maintaining enough momentum to climb out the other side, is technical. In my opinion technical rides are very tough and physically demanding. Being on the wrong side of forty it is hard for me to get fit enough for long, fast rides. I am also very wary of breaking anything at high speed. We tend to, as a result of this, prefer the slower very technical rides. Riverbeds with wet rocks, dongas, long stretches of uphill roads with thousands of loose rocks and then down again. Relatively slow stuff where when, not if, you fall, you basically just fall over. I tumbled down a very steep hill and although the bike fell on my knee nothing was broken as I am sure it would have been at high speed. Some riders find that hard riding. We have been fortunate to ride with a mix of every kind. From absolute newbies to legends. By far the majority of them said that they prefer this kind of riding. For technical riding however, you need to carry a few basic spares like tubes, levers, masterlinks, towstrap, tyreweld etc. The rocks are responsible for punctures, the hills for clutch- and brakelevers and so on. Most of the places we ride are inaccessible for vehicles and riders have to rely on each other for help when in distress. Technical terrain requires torque – lots of it. Being a 2-stroke fan myself I have to admit that at first, it looked as if the 4-strokes were easier to take up there but now I am not so sure anymore. I am of the opinion that if you’ve mastered your 2-stroke it becomes a lot more forgiving than some of those overpowered beasts.

But that, I think, is a topic for another day. When on a 2-stroke have your flywheel weighted – it makes a world of difference. Also, spend a few rands extra and buy protection for that fancy pipe. Believe me, a performance pipe doesn’t “perform” too well when flattened. Protection for your hands and levers is also a wise decision. It is very difficult to put together a ride that suits everybody. In the first place you have no idea of the ridingskills of the riders. Nor what their expectations are, their level of fitness or physical strength. Sometimes you get pros riding with beginners. I have to give full credit to all the excellent riders that I have had the opportunity to ride with. Not once have I seen any of them becoming impatient with the slower, less experienced riders. In fact, the best rider I have seen always rides at the back, closing gates and helping the guys that are struggling. So what is a ride that will be enjoyable for someone like myself and a rider like Russell, Guy, Ian or the Porra? Is it the 30 km ride that we did in January that took us 6 _ hours or is it the Waterfall ride that was 180 km in pouring rain and took us the whole day? It is easy to put together a ride so technical, difficult and physically draining that riders vow never to return again. Believe me, I know of places where the locals regard it as a challenge to “ride the visitors to death”. A local, familiar with the terrain, doesn’t need to be an exceptionally good rider to outride visitors. He or she usually leads the ride anyway. No, I believe it must be scenic, lots of variations, rocks, wet patches, mud, tight turns, a bit of everything but not too fast. Above all it must be challenging an enjoyable. It must improve your riding. When I started riding again we used to struggle

up one particular hill aptly named Road to Hell. Now we all fly up there! I read that many of our local heroes do trail riding to improve their technical riding. One guy came down and on being told that we were going to do about 90 km the next day asked me what they will be doing for the rest of the day? Can they, he asked, go for a second round? Well, at the refueling point I found him lying in the shade thinking of everything but a second round! In our experience a ride between 80 and 120 km that takes us about 4 to 6 hours is a lekker technical ride. That is in the Wakkerstroom area and of course, depending on various factors such as weather conditions, stoppages and riding skills. Although tough, challenging and tiring it remains social riding that can be enjoyed by all kinds of riders but most important of all, is the least dangerous of all. Don’t ever ride alone, least of all when doing technical terrain. You are going to get stuck somehow, and those nice-looking high-tech boots are not made for walking! Lastly, I cannot overstress the dangers of dehydration when doing technical stuff. Remember, because of relatively slow speed, airflow over yourself and the bike is minimized, causing your body to perspire more resulting in the rapid loss of essential bodyfluids. Don’t think that because you are not tired you don’t need to take in liquids. You will suffer the consequences for days after the ride. I still don’t know what the answer to the question is. Hopefully in time, it will come to me. Meanwhile, I like the slow, heavy stuff. Words & Pics: Pieter Bruwer 082 493 2897

it technical? chnical?

December 2006

OFF ROAD TRAINING RIDING OFF ROAD IS HARD ENOUGH, THROW IN SOME SOFT SAND AND MOST RIDERS BAULK AT THE THOUGHT. COUNTRY TRAX TEACH YOU HOW TO HANDLE THIS PERCEIVED PROBLEM.

Country Trax Training for the D&Q Team

TALITHA, FONNIE & CANDICE

90 December 2006

TALITHA GOING THROUGH SAND

HIGHER THAN HIGH YOU CAN’T GET ould anyone experience such a high? Could anyone be so lucky and call it part of their job description? Well, yes, I am one off those lucky ones. For years I have said that I want to attend one of Jan du Toit’s offroad courses at Country Trax, Amersfoort. Why? You would ask yourself. Well, I have never been very confident on dirt roads. Since the first GS Challenge took place, I promised myself that I will also one day be there. I got there on the Thursday night, which was not the best time to arrive. It is preferable to leave earlier and get there in the light. The road from Amersfoort could be a long 40km drive in the dark. Even longer with a broken collarbone; but we’ll get to that later. I met Middelburg’s assistant Chief of Traffic, Gerhard, who turned out to be a brilliant rider, because a certain Mrs. Molefe looks after him so well and even provided him with a HP2 with a blue traffic light and all. I must say, a very trick HP2 if you ask me! Fonnie joined us on the Friday morning on a HP2 with compliments from BMW Lifestyle. That Friday morning we were all told to take our windscreens off. My mirrors were also removed in the process. I thought if I am going to

fall I had better ensure that my bike wasn’t the casualty. Have you ever seen a naked look GS? Well, now there were a few of them. The HP2 was left standard. I was very apprehensive at first and would never have dreamt of that I could accomplish the things that Jan and Gerhard made us do by the end of the weekend. Whenever I went on a dirt road, every hole, every stone attracted me to either ride over or through it. I could not even go round a slight corner without fear off falling off. Now I know why! The fact is: when you look at an object in the road, you are going to ride over it. You tend to fixate on an object, making it your focal point. During the weekend whenever I fixated on something I either fell or got into trouble. Before the weekend I spoke to quite a few people that had attended the course and I was certain of one thing: Falling was going to be par for the course. I must just tell you about this little tale. My Maths teacher from Volksrust, Dries de Jager, is very, very particular about his bikes. His wife, Rona, told him before his training weekend not to fall. Dries’s reply was that he did not intend to. When I asked him about it, he said he fell himself silly and stopped counting each time he hit the dirt!

December 2006

OFF ROAD TRAINING Country Trax Style I fell many times, but most of them were at walking speed when you are trying to ride through cones and sticks. It was all about balance and becoming at one with your bike. The picking up was the problem. You are eventually so tired that you are not able to pick your bike up. But it is such a group effort; the second you are down, two or three people are there to help you up. But I promise you, it gets better and better. One of the advantages in going to these courses, is the fantastic people you meet from all walks of life. Candice Truda and her better half Grant Biddulph were an example of some of those amazing people. She is only knee-high to a grasshopper but always there to help you. This was her second visit to Jan’s farm and she went with them on the Angola trip. By Friday afternoon I was already trying to let my back tyre break away. When you are in a two spoor

road or ditch, Jan teaches you to move your weight forward, turn the steering slightly and then accelerate. This enables the bike to change direction immediately. It was the most amazing feeling to be able to do this with a bike that is 230kg. It is not something I can explain. You dirt bike riders out there probably think that I am going on and on about it, but for us beginners it is awesome to have total control over your machine. Then came the sandtrap which is about 120metress long. I bravely volunteered to go ﬁrst because I was so anxious. Was I proud of myself? I went through it three times without falling or even stopping to put a foot down. But I just had to do it a fourth time. You go from 1500rpm to 8500rpm in a second. Then you just have to look up, stand up and open up. I think I opened up too much and the next minute my GS just spat me off. Ag ja. Landing with my head

TALITHA’S FALL

TAKING EVERYTHING OFF THAT NEEDS TO COME OFF

NAKED GS1200

92 December 2006

CANDICE TAKING EVERYTHING OFF WITH LARRY LOOKING ON

JAN DU TOIT -TEACHER

CONEWORK

GERHARD THE “SPIETKOP” AND TALITHA

GERHARD STRYDOM -TEACHER

TALITHA GOING OVER SLEEPERS

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like a 1200-cc BMX.

BMW HP2

BMW Motorrad Tel: (011) 690 2600 Fax: (011) 805 3629

www. bmwmotorrad.co.za

Sheer Riding Pleasure

OFF ROAD TRAINING Country Trax Style in the sand I just knew I had hurt myself. Fonnie and Candice were still laughing at me when they realized that I wasn’t getting up, so I must have been hurt. I have now joined the offroad clan off broken collarbones. But thank goodness for all the doctors on the course. Chris Meintjies referred me to one of his buddies, and I am now pinned and screwed for life. I shall return to Jan’s farm on the 19th of January 2007 to ﬁnish the part that I missed out on. I never thought I could love my GS even more, but SHE IS AN AWESOME BIKE. Talitha. What ever you do, don’t look down. Stand up, look up and open up. It does not sound like much, but if you are doing BMW’s training course at Country Trax, it will change the way you look at taking your bike offroad. For those not in the know, Country Trax is situated between Amersfoort and Piet Retief on the farm off offroad guru, Jan du Toit. Before we even get to the training, the setting is perfect.

FONNIE & LARRY IN THE HOLE WE HAD TO JUMP OVER

94 December 2006

For us city people, this is the place to come too. The sound of cows waking you up in the morning, what can be better? The farm is nestled in the tippical flowing grasslands of Mpumalanga with the mountains as a backdrop. Beautiful. Talitha was envited to do the training course and I got to go along (yes, I know I am spoiled). Having ridden Talitha’s GS for many kilometers, I was very curious to find out just how difficult it would be to cope with the bike offroad. To put things into perspective. My offroad experience dates back to 1983-1984. This involved playing with a Honda XR200 on my brother-in-law’s sugercane farm in Natal. Realy nothing to get exited about. To my horror I found out that Talitha would be taking and riding her own GS, and I would be getting a bike from BMW South Africa. Great stuff. Now I have to do all this on a strange bike. Somebody was setting me up for a fall. And a great big one, it seems like. Then it was decision time. Do you want an Adventure or the HP2? A couple of phone calls later and I was confused as hell. Do you take

MARK LIFTING THE BACK

OFF ROAD TRAINING Country Trax Style the Adventure with less power but is heavier, or do you take the HP that is lighter, more powerfull but a hell of a lot higher. In the end I decided on the HP, purely because I haven’t ridden it before. This will give an extra perspective to my story. This is one decision that, as the weekend progressed, I was never sorry about. The HP is an awesome bike, and riding it for the weekend proved to be the most fun I have had in a long time. The course at Country Trax is a three day course with the first two days being the official training days and the third day you are taken on an outride on the farm to apply the things you have learned. Talitha opted to trail the HP through on the Thursday evening and I rode through on her GS the Friday morning. I think her option was probably the better one, as my Friday became quite a long day. The course is not only physically demanding, but also mentally. Having a fresh start on the Friday would probably help a lot. Jan starts you right at the beginning, even how to mount and dismount your bike is looked at. It might sound simple and you would probably think that after riding for a long time, you would probably get that right. But parked on an incline with loose gravel under your feet, your bike has just stalled and you need to recover yourself and your bike to safety, it is these small things that count. And this is how the whole course is handeled. Practical examples of what to do at certain times during your riding is given. Jan and his staff also explains to you why it is done a certain way, and shows you what would happen if you get it wrong. Being a onroad rider my biggest concern going into the weekend, was the level of grip one would be able to get on the dirt. That proved to be the least of my troubles. It was the slow stuff that proved to be the challenge. Most of your time spend offroad will be manuevaring your bike through obstacles. It was on this manuevaring that most of our time was spent on throughout the weekend. Slowly but surely the guys build your convidence to tackle more and more difficult obstacles while all the time teaching you different tecniques of riding. One thing that you must be sure of when attending this

course. You are going to fall. Or as it is called on the farm:”You will involantary depart from your motorcycle”. That is the reason that the first thing you do on the Friday morning is to take of all the bits that is not essential to riding and storing them out of harms way. I enjoyed the weekend incredibly. The atmosphere in which the training is done is relaxed and from the point of view that you do not have to prove anything to anybody except youself. A good joke is never very far away and relaxes everybody and gives you the space to build your convidence to a point were you cannot believe the things you do with the bike towards the end of the weekend. And the HP? What a bike. I can now understand why there is such a hipe out there about this bike. The HP does everything so effortless and it makes it look much easier than it is. Having the HP for the weekend proved to be the best decision I have made in a long time. It is so nicely balanced, has enough power and is so well designed that it can handle anything you ask of it. Granted, this is a very offroad focused bike, and would not fit the bill for everybody. But if offroading is your thing, you need not look any further than the HP. Loads of fun. I would love to say at this point that our weekend went according to plan and we rode of into the sunset. But it didn’t. One of the final obstacles Jan puts you on, is the sand. Man, is this a handful. Everybody did well, everybody helped to pick up the ones that did not make it through and everybody had a good old laugh. But it had to happen. Talitha took a nasty fall, landed wrong, and snap there goes the collarbone. Just like that, completely unspectacular. Sorry Talit, I would love to say it spoiled the weekend for me. But it didn’t. This was still one of the best.

GERHARD ON THE HP2

To Jan and his team, thanx, that was great. I hope to see you soon. To Rob at BMW Lifestyle, thanx for the HP. You’re lucky I brought it back. To all the people with us on the course, you are the best! FONNIE

RAMPING AND TRYING TO LIFT THE BACK

96 December 2006

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VARIOUS INTERNATIONAL RIDERS TO COMPETE IN 39TH ROOF OF AFRICA The 39th Lesotho Sun Roof of Africa, the last round of the national off-road championship for bikes and quads that will take place from 30 November to 2 December in the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho, has once again attracted lots of international competitors from all over the world. Known in off-road racing circles as one of the toughest events in the world, the 2006 Roof of Africa will this year provide bike and quad competitors with a challenging and interesting route as the heavy snow and rain during the year changed the racing surface. This year, the route will also include certain sections last used two years ago and regular competitors will notice that the top of Baboons Pass is washed away. It is elements like this that draw competitors from the USA, France and Germany while teams from Zambia and Namibia also entered to proof what competitors from Africa are capable of. This year will also see the most women ever entering the Roof of Africa once again sponsored by the Lesotho Sun hotel and casino in Maseru. Two bike competitors from Germany, Michael Mailhammer and Gerhardt Forster, will take on the rest on Beta two-wheelers while three off-road bikers will travel from Namibia to strut their stuff in the south of Africa. In the quad category, local heroes will have to watch out for the experienced Christoph Kühnl from France who has participated and finished a handful of races in Lesotho and finished second overall in 2004. He will be accompanied by senior rider, Patrick Armabessaire, who finished third in the Senior Class in 2003. Both riders will be participating with Bombardier DS650 quads. The six quad entries from Zambia include two female competitors (Lindie van der Merwe and Lisa Schone) and they will take on seasoned the South African female quad competitor, Karin Cilliers, as well as Delyse Slabbert who participated for the first time in Lesotho earlier this year when she finished second in the Ladies Class at the Quadworx Mini Roof. Michele Barnes and Tarryn Steyn will also take on their first Lesotho race. On two wheels, the young Nicole Welch (19) will tackle the Lesotho Sun Roof of Africa for the Ramco Suzuki team in the Novice Class while Samantha Tinkler will be participating in her first Lesotho race in the Ulysses Class. The 2006 Lesotho Sun Roof of Africa will be a challenge in more than one way – man and machine will bond to complete all the various sections of the race. On Thursday, spectacular racing will entertain spectators in the streets of Maseru when the riders will tackle Round the Houses after which they will depart for the time-trail that will start at Lancer’s Gap. On Friday and Saturday, the bikers and quad competitors will have to complete different routes with

the two-wheelers staying in the mountains for 80% of the race while the quad riders will take on a combination of mountain passes and some low-land areas.

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On Friday and Saturday, the 2006 Lesotho Sun Roof of Africa will start and ﬁnish at Matsieng south of Maseru.

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Team Can Am to Tac Tackle the Dak

Team SA in t

102 December 2006

Can Am to Tackle ackle the Dakar:

top Sponsors 3 riders Wanted

nce again the famous Dakar race is looming. It is possibly the biggest offroad event in the world, slightly bigger than the annual Quads 4 Quads ride and the great news is that one of the quad manufacturers are taking the race very

seriously. In the past if you rode this event on an ATV, you were basically on your own. This year, Can Am is sending a backup truck, water carriers and full race support for the ďŹ rst time in the history of the race.

Testing underway during the local racing season

December 2006

103

Dakar - Can Am Can Am are entering an international team of six riders, two of these riders are South Africans, multiple SA champ Cornel de Villiers and veteran racer Johan Steenkamp. This is no mean feat when you consider what a tiny country South Africa is in the grand scheme of things. We do seem to churn out great rugby players, Cricketers and off road racers. It is a real honour to be selected for a team of this caliber and we hope that you follow their progress throughout the race. Another old racing and mechanical face is Mr Geoff Ochse who has been called out of retirement to come and swing spanners for the team on the trip. They are already working frantically to get the quads prepared – this year the South Africans will be riding powerful 800cc Can Am Outlanders - they feel that the 4wd system will give them an advantage in the sand, the other guys will be on DS650’s. As you can well imagine, an undertaking like this costs a fortune – they gave us some idea of the costs – the entry fee for each rider is R400.000, the quads each cost about R200.000 fully prepared, then there are shipping costs, food costs, they are working to a budget of around 1.8 million. Can Am SA are sponsoring a lot of it – but there is still a shortfall of about R600.000. Team Can Am SA is looking for a Corporate sponsor to step in and help.

In return you will get title sponsorship – the boys will ride in your branded colours and Cornel will race in your branding for the 2007 season. Dirt and Quad will feature an article on the Paris Dakar once they return with photos and branding and we will ensure that your company gets a fair shake. We will also do regular features on next year’s national series. Private donations are also welcome, if you are passionate about the sport and you have a few bob lying around please help out. To make a donation please phone Fred Fensham at CMH Recreational Products (011) 234-2544 Or you can log onto the Family Adventures Website, click on the Dakar link and take a look.

The rear fenders are removed and replaced with Aluminium fuel tanks. This ups the fuel capacity to 60 litres, twenty on each side plus the standard tank. Total range is pushe up to 280 kilometers.

What goes in to building a Dakar racer? We spent a bit of time with the guys in the workshop running through some of the prep work required to make a machine Dakar Worthy. We had no idea just how much work is involved, the guys are working ﬂat out to have the quads ready in time. Cornel took a year off from the National series to race the 800, so he has become quite familiar with the machine and has used his experience to turn them into desert racers. The rear fenders are removed and replaced with Aluminium fuel tanks. This ups the fuel capacity to 60 litres, twenty on each side The entire frame is re-enforced, even the bottom of the frame gets a 2ml welded steel plate for extra strength and protection.

Wider A-arms are mounted, with the shock repositioned for a softer ride and longer travel. The stock shocks will be replaced with Elka suspension.

104 December 2006

Custom nerf bars are made from steel piping – on one side they fill the nerfs with engine oil in case of emergencies. On the other side they fill with water. Each side takes 3l of fluid.

Dakar - Can Am plus the standard tank. Total range is pushe up to 280 kilometers. The entire frame is re-enforced, even the bottom of the frame gets a 2ml welded steel plate for extra strength and protection. Wider A-arms are mounted, with the shock repositioned for a softer ride and longer travel. The stock shocks will be replaced with Elka suspension. Custom nerf bars are made from steel piping – on one side they fill the nerfs with engine oil in case of emergencies. On the other side they fill with water. Each side takes 3l of fluid. A weird looking bracket is mounted up front. This will eventually incorporate a windshield, and brackets for all of the navigation tools, tracking locator and warning lights. The tracking and navigation equipment costs around R30.000 per quad. The stock bars are replaced with Fasst flex units and handlebar raisers.

The standard wheels are kept as spares, but OMF beadlock rims are mounted for the race with Kenda or Maxxis tyres as their choice of rubber. (THEY ARE LOOKING FOR A TYRE SPONSOR)

Spares: They carry 2 CVT belts, with the special tools to remove and replace the part. They carry at least 1 spare wheel and a puncture kit. Cable ties and Duct tape.

The engine is kept as standard as possible – the only modification is to the cylinder heads which are flowed by go fast Guru’s SAC, the racing car guys. They also fit a performance pipe and an EFI management system.

A good ﬁrst aid kit is compulsory, along with a space blanket, strobe lamp, lighter, mirror and a couple of smoke bombs.

And that’s just the start of it. The guys have to build brackets for the spare batteries, carry space for all of the parts and the spare wheels – and a lot more… We chatted to Johan about what they need to carry and wear for the race: The typical rider does not carry much – 2lt of water and a rat pack with lots of sugar based foods for energy They wear the normal MX gear and body armour with an enduro jacket to handle the cold weather. They also carry about three sets of goggles.

On the marathon stages where there is no backup vehicle, they carry two spare wheels. The Dakar kicks off on the 29th of December – keep an eye on the TV – Supersport will be giving the Paris Dakar full coverage, so keep an eye out for team Can Am. Please – these guys are looking for funds – if you are in a position to sponsor even a small amount, give them a call. (011) 234-2544/ # 082 990 9506 – Fred Fensham

The stock bars are replaced with Fasst ﬂex units and handlebar raisers.

A weird looking bracket is mounted up front. This will eventually incorporate a windshield, and brackets for all of the navigation tools, tracking locator and warning lights. The tracking and navigation equipment costs around R30.K per quad.

106 December 2006

WISHING YOU A JOYOUS FESTIVE SEASON FROM ALL AT

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READERS RIDES

The Family That P Plays toget hen we were doing the Banshee story at the Wild Thing Raceway, we came across a guy and a girl on almost matching LTR450’s. They are from Nelspruit, both race in the inland series – it just goes to show that the family who plays together, stays together… Please excuse the dirty pictures, it was muddy when we caught up to them.

W 108 December 2006

His: Rider: Johan Bezuidenhout 2006 ltr450 Mods: Bling Star Bumper and Grab Rail. Elka Suspension. Hyde Skid Plates. Bling Star Nerfs with integrated Heelguards. Updog Sticker Kit. Fasst Flexbars. Radical Rims/Maxxis Razrs.

Performance parts: HMF full system.Cylinder head ported and ﬂowed. Power commander Injection Management system. Cherry Bomb. 13 tooth front sprocket for better bottom end. Stats:Started Racing in May 2006. 1st in the open class, lowveld Rally Club. 2nd in the Blaster class. ERORA – 3rd overall in the Open Class. Prefers MX to Flat track because Elaine beats him on the Flat…

Hers: Rider: Elaine Kruger (20) 2006 LTR450 Mods: Cherry Bomb Open Airbox Gutted pipe

Hyde skid Plates Nerf Bars Bling Star bumber and grab rail. Decal kit. Motor: Stock. Stats: Started racing in May on a Blaster. Ladies champ at the Lowveld Rally club. Runner up at ERORA Prefers riding ﬂat track because she beats Johan. Likes mixing it up on the MX track. Loves Pink. Would like to see more lady riders on the tracks.

And there you have it – they ride under the Effektus Racing banner – look out for them on the circuit next year

amily That Plays together… December 2006

109

HELMET SAFETY

HELMETS his story could save your life – read this it’s fascinating:

A 400 G-force blow to the head is more than enough to kill you. With a helmet on, your brain would only feel 150gs of the 400g blow. In the process of reducing the G-forces from 400 to 150g’s, the helmet gives up its life expectancy to save yours… Helmets are, to motorcyclists and quad junkies, what bodyguards are to dictators - expendable. If you crash hard enough to crack the face guard on your helmet, don’t whine and complain. That crack absorbed energy that could have crushed your skull. A broken helmet is a thing of beauty…. if the rider lives to see the crack. We do not mean to scare you, but by the same token you must read this

will cause severe brain damage or death. The function of a helmet is to make sure that your head is cushioned enough to keep the g’s that your brain sustains below the fatal level. How far below? An off road helmet won’t pass the Snell Certiﬁcation test if it transmits anything more than 290g’s to the brain after slamming head ﬁrst into the ground at a speed of 30.9kph. Q: HOW DOES A HELMET LESSEN G-LOADS? A: At the instant a helmet contacts ground, the g force on the helmet, your skull and contained brain are all the same. But, while the helmet stops moving, your skull and brain keep moving inside the helmet. Over the course of six milliseconds, the helmet’s foam liner compresses as the skull presses against it. If

helmet transmits to the head. Too stiff and too many G’s get through. Too soft and the human head isn’t slowed down gradually enough. Thickness: The thickness of a helmet is determined by the foam liner’s wall thickness. Logic tells you that the thicker the liner, the more adept the foam is at shock absorption. Unfortunately, liner thickness has to be compromised for the helmet wearer’s mobility and usage. No rider wants to wear an enormous helmet, because it would reduce his ability to function.

Q: HOW HARD IS A HARD HIT? A: If you hit hard enough to receive a concussion (around a 200g impact) your helmet liner and the fiberglass shell are almost certainly damaged. To put this into perspective, if you tipped over backwards in an office chair (or in a school chair) and smacked your helmet against a concrete floor, the head inside could feel a 200g load.

The goal of a helmet is to match liner stiffness and liner thickness to limit the blow to no more than 290g’s. Q: WHAT HAPPENS TO THE LINER IN A CRASH?

INNERMOST SECRETS OF YOUR HELMET advice on helmet safety and heed it. We share it with you, in appreciation of “our good helmets” that have done their jobs and saved lives. Q: WHAT EXACTLY IS A “G”? A: When talking about helmets, the term “g” refers to the acceleration of a body due to the force of gravity. As you sit in a chair reading this sentence, you are withstanding a one-g load. If that 32 footper-second force wasn’t there, you would ﬂoat off into space. If we go back to the 150g plus hit that Mburu’s helmet took in the Zambia AMU crash, that is 150 times stronger than the earth’s gravitational pull. For A-stream maths students, that force is equal to 4800-feet-per-second of acceleration…or 11mph.

the shell does its job, it gradually slows the head down-dissipating g’s as it goes. The foam liner is essentially a braking system that brings your head to a controlled stop-instead of having it rattle off the ground.

A: Each hit to the helmet compresses the liner and reduces its wall thickness. On less severe, laugh-in-style crashes, the liner almost always rebounds back to its original self. That isn’t true in a bad crash.

To be Snell certiﬁed, the liner must slow the head down to a level which is well within the G-range that allows the cerebrospinal ﬂuid to protect the brain from banging hard against the skull.

Q: WHAT HAPPENS TO THE HELMET LINER IN A BAD CRASH?

Q: WHAT IS THE DELICATE BALANCE BETWEEN A HELMET LINER AND G-FORCE? A: To pass the Snell test, a helmet has to perfectly balance liner stiffness with liner thickness. This is a two-prong safety program.

Q: WHY DO “G”s HURT? A: Research has shown that a 400g to 600g impact to the head

110 December 2006

Stiffness: The liner material must be stiff enough to limit the shock that the

A: If the helmet is hit hard enough to permanently indent the liner, its protective properties are seriously reduced. At the spot of the indentation, made by the rider’s skull, the foam material’s stiffness is increased, while shock absorption is reduced. If you hit your head in the exact same spot a week later, the odds of exceeding 290g are massive, because there is less foam available to act as a speed brake. Even worse, if the liner is cracked and splintered, both stiffness and shock absorption are reduced. All scenarios are bad for your health.

Q: HOW CAN YOU TELL IF THE HELMET IS DAMAGED IN A CRASH? A: First, inspect the outside of the helmet and locate the site of impact. Secondly, look for signs of cracked or delaminate ﬁberglass around the point of contact. Polycarbonite (plastic) shells discolour and dent in the area where the shell took a hard blow. The most common place for the helmet to crack is where the face guards absorb impact by bending, and thus crack when bent beyond their yield strength. If the helmet is fractured, dented or cracked, do not use it anymore. Q: HOW MUCH DAMAGE IS TOO MUCH? A: Surface scratching and abrasions are okay. Even small gouges, caused by sliding across a sharp rock, might not be a deal breaker. But when a gouge is

December 2006

111

HELMET SAFETY outside of the shell and ﬁnd the corresponding area inside the helmet. Look for obvious Styrofoam cracking or indentation. The most noticeable liner compression is along the sides near the edge of the shell. When the liner is damaged though compression, you will see signs of ﬁssures. Some manufacturers, like Shoei and Arai use a white liner and paint the inner surface with black latex. This heightens the ability to see damage.

deeper than onequarter of shell thickness, the helmet is unsafe. Why? You wouldn’t take a hacksaw and cut a quarter of the way through your bike frame’s main down tube and feel safe about it, would you? Q: IS THE HELMET SAFE IF THE SHELL IS OKAY? A: No! You have to evaluate both your medical state and the state of your helmet’s foam liner. Medical state: If you hit hard enough to momentarily lose consciousness, that brings the helmet’s future safety into question (because the number of g’s required to knock you silly is enough to damage the helmet). Helmet liner: Even though the helmet’s shell shows no serious damage, it still doesn’t mean the helmet is good. If the hit was hard, it probably compressed the helmet liner. You need to inspect the liner to make the go or no-go decision. Q: HOW DO YOU INSPECT A HELMET LINER? A: There are four basic steps to checking the liner. Pull out the helmet padding so you can see the foam liner clearly. Locate the site of impact on the

112 December 2006

Look for imprinting in the foam by the stitched edges of the ﬁbre pad. If any are visible, it means that your head has been banged so hard inside the helmet that it crushed the stitching into the liner’s foam. The most common impact area is in the front of the helmet where the visor attaches to the shell. Q: WHAT IF THE LINER ONLY LOOKS A LITTLE DAMAGED? A: The helmet is no good if it shows any damage. Even if the rest of the helmet is perfectly ﬁne, the site with the damage will no longer absorb a full hit. It could be compromised by 10 percent or as much as 50 percent, or may not even be there at all when needed most. Don’t take the chance. Q: WHAT CAN I DO IF I CAN’T TELL IF MY HELMET IS DAMAGED? A: All helmet manufacturers offer inspection services. Send your helmet to them and they will thoroughly inspect it-usually for no charge. The only downside to the service is that it can take a month or more if shipped from here. If you want to take advantage of the manufacturer’s inspection service, you’ll be without your helmet while it is being checked out-which isn’t a bad thing if the helmet has been compromised. It is cheaper to buy a new one and certainly safer, indeed one should have a new/spare helmet in one’s kit-bag.

Q: IS THERE AN EASY WAY TO MEASURE IMPACT FORCE? A: Yes. The Shok-Spot R is a calibrated sensor that visually warns you that the shell of the helmet has taken a significant impact. It’s a triangular-shaped warning window that attaches to the rear of a helmet. The indicator breaks if the shell of the helmet sees a 180g deceleration force. That level of impact is enough to create a 90g to 100g load on the brain. If the sensor’s indicator trips, Shok-Spot R recommends that the helmet be sent to the manufacturer for inspection. Q: CAN MY HELMET BE DAMAGED BY DROPPING IT BY ACCIDENT? A: No. When a helmet falls off a shelf, pick-up bed or bike seat, the liner takes absolutely no load because there isn’t a ten-pound head inside. The same can’t be said for the paint job though. Q: WHAT ABOUT THE SOFT FOAM LINER PADS? A: The soft foam pads in a helmet provide no protection in a crash. They are fit pads. It is important that the fit pads are inspected for deterioration, though, because they help keep the helmet centered on your head. Q: IS THERE ANY DANGER OF HELMET STRAP BREAKING? A: No. Not only are Snell-certified helmets overbuilt, the straps are ten times stronger than they need to be. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t inspect the straps for fraying at the string or looseness at the rivets. Q: DO HELMET STRAPS NEED ANY SPECIAL CARE? A. Rinse off and wipe the strap down. If a strap gets too stiff from dried sweat, it is more difficult to slip through the D-rings. If the end of the strap starts to fray, you can burn the frayed ends with a flame to melt the frayed threads together. It should be noted, however, that if this scenario arises, you have had that helmet way too long. Q: HOW OFTEN DO FACTORY RIDERS REPLACE HELMETS?

A: You might think that factory riders have a new helmet every week, but it’s not true. Once a helmet gets broken in, it feels good and factory riders don’t want to wear a new one. They will immediately replace it after a hard crash or if its paint is scratched, but they could wear the same helmet for a complete series. Q: HOW OFTEN SHOULD I REPLACE MY HELMET? A: Snell’s Memorial Foundation recommends replacing a helmet after five years of normal use (with no crashes). The top USA test riders think that this is too liberal for motocross. The California Highway Patrol’s regimen of new helmets every two years makes more sense. Why? The styrofoam liner changes molecularly over time. It becomes more brittle as it ages (and the harder it is, the less it compresses). Q: HOW CAN I MAKE MY HELMET LAST LONGER? A: A top USA helmet designer was asked this question and he offered four tips: Inner pads: He doesn’t recommend machine washing the helmet’s inner liners. If you get in the habit of machine washing, it’s too easy to machine dry the liner. This quickly breaks the foam in the liner down and impedes helmet fit. Gently wash the liner by hand with soap and water and hang dry. Shell: Clean the shell and liner with mild soap and water. If you have to remove adhesive residue, use a light glue. Don’t use anything stronger. Not only do the fumes from gasoline, lacquer thinner and contact cleaner damage stryrofoam, the liquid will melt the liner if it runs down the visor hole around a helmet edge. Coating: Wax the fiberglass shell with a quality car wax. It will help protect the paint and make the helmet shiny. Protection: Keep the helmet in a bag when not in use and keep it out of the sun if possible.

REAL WORLD

MEDICAL

Tips Compliments of Netcare Olivedale Hospital

ets face it. Accidents can and do happen. Its something that we do not like to think about and many of us feel that it can never happen to us. We have roped in the guys from Olivedale clinic to offer a few pointers on how to prevent and / or treat injuries that might occur out in the veld.

Medical tips – Head Injuries Welcome to this new and exciting project of informing you about relevant medical issues and tips that will be in every issue. I think this will be of beneﬁt to motorcyclists. The information that I will be giving you will be in basic layman’s terms and should you have any queries please contact me at the e-mail address listed below.

The ﬁrst topic that I will be discussing is head injuries and the need for wearing a helmet.

A penetrating head injury is when an object breaks through the skull and enters the brain itself.

Firstly let’s just have a look at the basic anatomy and function of the brain. The brain forms part of the Central Nervous System (CNS) and are made of specialized tissue meaning that once a section of the brain dies, it can not regenerate itself. The brain is a vital organ meaning that you cannot live without it and it controls your whole body including things like breathing, heart rate etc. which are involuntary movements. Your brain sends messages to these organs without you having to think about it unlike the movement of limbs etc, which are called voluntary movements.

Symptoms of a head injury may be immediate or develop slowly over several hours even if the skin appears intact or the skull is not fractured (broken) because the brain can bang against the inside of the skull and be bruised (called a concussion) so the head may look ﬁne, but complications could result from bleeding inside the skull. In serious head trauma, always assume the spinal cord is also injured.

Three connective tissue membranes enclose the brain and the spinal cord and their function is to protect the CNS and blood vessels. The brain is protected by the skull, with one opening for the spinal cord. The skull is in turn protected by the skin (scalp). A head injury is any trauma that leads to injury of the scalp, skull or brain. These injuries can range from a minor bump on the skull to a devastating brain injury. A head injury can be classiﬁed as either closed or penetrating. In a closed head injury, the head sustains a blunt force by striking against an object. A concussion is a type of closed head injury that involves the brain.

114 December 2006

Stating the obvious, prevention is always better than cure, hence the critical importance of why you should always wear a helmet that ﬁts correctly (ask your dealer to make sure you buy the right size). Parents please do not use the phrase “he/she will grow into the helmet” – it is worth buying the correct helmet and changing it as your child grows. Much better than watching your child lying in hospital. An incorrectly ﬁtted helmet or a loose chin strap is as good as NOT WEARING A HELMET AT ALL. A useful acronym to remember is HOSP, not only is this is an abbreviation for hospital because this where you could possibly land up but also stands for Helmet On Strap Properly. The following symptoms suggest a more serious head injury that requires emergency medical treatment:

• Loss of Consciousness, confusion, or drowsiness • Nausea and vomiting • Convulsions (fitting) • Fluid drainage from the nose, mouth, or eyes (may be clear or bloody) • Irritability (especially kids), personality changes, or unusual behavior • Slurred speech or blurred vision • Inability to move one or more limbs The following steps should be taken: • Call the emergency medical services. • If the patient is conscious (awake and talking to you) ask him/her to keep still until medical help arrives • If the patient is unconscious or vomiting, roll the head, neck and body as one unit in either direction through to just over 90˚ and hold in this position to prevent choking and to protect the spine, which you must always assume is injured in the case of a head injury. • Stop any bleeding by firmly pressing (the cleanest possible) cloth/shirt etc that you have available and if the blood soaks through just add another on top of the other – never remove the original one as you will not give the blood time to clot at the site. • Try and keep the helmet on if possible as the medical personnel will know how to remove it without moving the neck. Please note that these are the real basic tips and the best suggestion will always be to go for first aid training as this will give you greater insight and knowledge especially on CPR and emergency procedures that you might be faced with one day. For medical emergencies dial Netcare 911 on 082-911 For first aid training dial (011) 695-9600 Be safe and look after yourselves out there and I will tell you about the risk of dehydration in the next issue. Marc van Heerden For further information e-mail marcvh@olivedale.netcare.co.za

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THUNDER

Brakpan is usually the butt of all sorts of uﬂattering jokes – did you hear about that Brakpan oake who…- you get the idea, but did you know, that Brakpan is also host to one of the most brilliant off road setups in the country? We went along to take a look… Thunder Valley is just on the outskirts of Brakpan town at the old Oval track. It has recently been taken over by two very enthusiastic guys, Ryan Shapiro and Dany Hersch who are – in our opinion doing a fantastic job at revamping and turning the place around. The Oval is still there and they have a fairly busy schedule with night races and speedway events happening all the time. They also open the track to the weekend warriors, so if you want to practice your cornering skills, then this is

116 December 2006

the place to do it. It has a really large shady grandstand to sit on if you do not want to ride – so you need not fry out in the sun. But they have expanded on the theme. Werner the Flying Dutchman has built his freestyle park at one end of the premises and chances are good that if you go there on the weekend, you will ﬁnd him, Lee and lots of the other guys practicing their in ﬂight moves. It is excellent entertainment and well worth watching. Down the way, they have built a serious bike MX track and the guys who were riding that we spoke to say that it is brilliant. Further along is the Enduro loop, a quick ten or so kay course which will keep you busy for a good while. Then there is the ATV track – built exclusively for the quad guys and that is well worth checking out

VALLEY

– not too technical or tiring – just heaps of fun. They have also built a 200m drag strip for quads and bikes. And there is more. From this venue you can ride out to Chimes, or if you prefer you can take a longer route, the local riders all know the trails and will be happy to advise on the best routes to take. They also cater for the Pitbike brigade with a dedicated pit bike and mini moto track. There is a workshop open on the weekends, just in case you have a breakdown, chances are good that they can get you going again. Kids quads are available for rent. The catering is taken care of by the friendly canteen staff, the food is inexpensive and pretty good. The sports bar is licensed, so if you would like a cold one after a day in the saddle, they can

help you there. A big screen TV is installed so that you don’t miss the rugby and they have clean ladies and gents loo’s which is a real bonus. An accessory shop is open every weekend, so you can buy goggles or gloves, whatever you happened to leave at home on the day. It really seems to be an all in one off road venue, catering for the social riders as well as the guys who would like to have a dice or two. The entry fee for the day is only ﬁfty bucks - this one comes highly recommended. Family Adventures will be using this venue as the start and ﬁnish point for next years Quads 4 Quads charity ride. Thunder Valley: Phone: 082-345-1299 082-552-9661

With 2007 on the horizon, we thought that we would ﬁll you in on a few adventures that we have planned: Get your Passports in order – we have some exciting cross border ideas… For the balance of this year we have our Forest Ride which is almost fully booked – if you would like to come, be sure to give us a call chop chop so that we can try to get you in. On Sat the 16th of December we will be doing a day ride in the JHB area – standby we will send the info as soon as we have it all worked out. To all our friends and customers: We wish you all a very happy festive season.

2007 Rides January: Waterberg Mountain Ride – Naboomspruit: It’s a great ride through the Waterberg mountains – we cross four or ﬁve farms in the area and the riding varies from techy type stuff to fast open sections. Accommodation in a comfy resort with hot springs and pools and all sorts. See you there. February: Van Reenens Adventure: We explore the old wagon trails throughout the famous Van Reenens Pass area. The farmers all open their lands; we ride rivers, mountains, rocks and ravines – it beautiful, muddy and heaps of fun. March: The Majuba Mountain Ride: A fabulous ride through the mountains and rivers of the Natal midlands. Comfy Hotel accommodation, excellent food and a ride of some note… April: Easter: 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th: People have requested that we do our Swazi Border Ride. It’s in South Africa so you do not need a passport. A spectacularlarly beautiful place in the middle of nowhere – come and put your feet up and relax, enjoy a few braai’s and two days of riding… Long weekend: 27th April – 1st May ; Tri Nations Adventure: We start in Mozambique, ride all the way to Swaziland, through that country and into South Africa. Make sure that you have your passports in order and we will send out the booking forms out as soon as we are ready. 25th May: Botswana – Camping, Lux tents or Chalet options. On the banks of the Limpopo river a fabulous ride into the heart of the Tuli Block. June: Sandstone Mountain Adventure: In the beautiful Eastern Freestate – a spectacular ride through the beautiful Maluti Mountains. Great food. Comfy accommodation. July: Steelpoort River ride – this time with a difference, we have found a beautiful grand old Hotel – its perfect for the kids with swimming pools, tennis courts and all sorts – really cool – and we spend the day exploring this famous river ride. August 9th: Pongola: Long weekend. Take Thursday to travel down, we ride some of the best terrain in the country on Friday and Saturday and head back home on Sunday. Hotel accommodation or camping. September: Quads 4 Quads – Our annual charity ride from JHB to Ballito and back again. To keep numbers manageable, we will be riding from JHB to Ballito with half of you, taking a three day break, turning around and coming back up with the other half. Costs approximately R2000.00 with R1000 donated directly to the Quadriplegic association of SA. Go down, come up, or do it both ways if you like – its great fun… We leave JHB Thurs 20th Sept, arrive in Ballito on the Sun 23rd Sept. Leave Natal on the Thursday 27th of Sept and back in JHB on Sunday 30th Sept. October 26th: Swaziland: We have three venues in the beautiful Mountain Kingdom of Swaziland – We’ll choose one and let you know where we are off to – it’s a beautiful place. November: Forest Ride – Graskop: this is our annual end of year trip, make sure that you book early – beautiful, spectacular – a real family ride in the mountains and forests of the lowveld. December: A day ride in or around the JHB area, we’ll let you know closer to the time… Venues might change here and there – the dates stay the same – it’s going to be a great riding year, watch Dirt And Quad magazine for all of the stories – and updates on all of the adventures.

Join our mailing list at www.familyadventures.co.za

Phone (011) 396-1682. (011) 979 3923

The Family Adventures Team www.familyadventures.co.za foleyg@mweb.co.za

(011) 396-1682. 072-177-0621. 082-870-6134

A list of the establishments who open their arms to the offroad fraternity. Most we have been to – some we haven’t – but here’s a list of places for a weekend getaway or day out. If you know of other places let us know at foleyg@mweb.co.za.

GAUTENG:

EASTERN CAPE:

FAMILY ADVENTURES: Weekend and day rides all over SA on a monthly basis. Teambuilding. Day ride rentals. Quad Training. 10 mins from JHB airport: (011) 396-1682 www.familyadventures.co.za – bookings essential.

THE KRAAL 4x4 & Quad bike trails, horse riding, paintball, ﬁshing, braai facilities. 072 740 0868

ERORA TRACK: On the East Rand. Nice quarry where you can play. Flat Track, MX Track, Braai facilities, outride. (011)965-1002. 082-457-6962

Kouga Quad Adventures 4x4 trails, mountain trails, ﬁshing, swimming,hiking. Quad hire.Accommodation, campsite,lapa and braai facilities. Eben 0829211390 Erika 082873747

WILD THING RACEWAY: South of JHB. Flat track, MX track, outride, braai facilities, Rivers, rocks. SUZUKI DAYTONA PARK: Fourways side. Track, outride, braai facilities, quad rentals. (011) 795-1091 KUNGWINI ADVENTURE TRAIL: Bronkhorstspruit. Forest track, braai facilities, swimming pools. 082-653-4632 AFRICA OUTDOOR GROUP: Hartebeespoort Dam. Quad training and teambuilding. (012) 244-1309 LITTLE AFRICA SAFARIS: Quad rentals and outrides Benoni (011) 421-2661 SPEEDWORLD DIRT PARK: A nice track, clean loos, just next to Chimes Tavern in Benoni. (011)421-2661

KZN: MAJUBA LODGE: Newcastle rustic cottages in the mountains. Mixup of riding terrain. Best people Denzil (034) 315-5011 KELVIN GROVE: Rustic accommodation in the mountains. Great riding. Winterton. (036) 488-1652 D-TOURS: With Dallie Terblanche. A three day ride through the heart of Zululand. Brilliant stuff. 082-872-3346

BASS LAKE ADVENTURES: Henley On Klip. Allan has developed a nice bit of everything at the famous dive centre. Quads for rent. (016) 366-1127 KOESTERFONTEIN QUAD FARM Magaliesberg - Accomodation available. Various trails . Flat track & Technical section for experienced riders. Contact - Nico 083-577-3583 or 014 577 1583

MTONJANENI LODGE: Ulundi this is where they launched the YFZ450. (035) 450-7044

HNK 4X4 & QUAD TRACK Off the allandale turnoff. Midrand Flat track, kiddies track, drag strip and some great technical riding in the quarries. R40 per Bike and R80 per 4x4. Warren: 072 353 5545 - Email: lorenne@cog.co.za

HIGHSTAKES ADVENTURE FARM: Cato Ridge (031) 782-1459 RIVER QUAD TRAILS Ballito. Rides, hikes and ﬁshing. Call Michelle Phone (032) 942 8014

COASTAL OUTDOOR ADVENTURES Gingindlovu, Zululand. www.coastaloutdooradventures.co.za. We really have an all terrain ride and cross rivers 4 times thru forestry natural bush game reserve and beach. Gerald 082 577 1504 , e-mail: gsouchon@iafrica.com

FREE STATE:

SKIPSKOP: Magaliesburg. Accomodation available. Elize 083 310 4867 www.skipskop.4u.co.za

De ARK LODGE : Clarens. Nicest people in the world. Good food. Nice pub. Great accommodation. Technical. (058) 256 1202

OFFROAD ADVENTURES UNLIMITED: 45 min from JHB or PTA. Quad hire. Kiddies Parties. Camping,accomodation, braais, dam with boats, pool, foofy slide. (011) 678 9755 (O/H) or Alan 082 350 3616 DANIELS RUST GAME FARM: In The Cradle World Heritage Site. 25 km from KRUGERSDORP. Plenty of game to be seen on rides. We cater for all levels of experience; children must be 13yrs of age to ride their own quad. No private quads are allowed. This is also a great corporate, team building activity Marelize 084 6031111.

NORTH WEST: BOE-BOE’S NEST: Swartruggens/Koster. Chalets or Day visitors, 3 quad trails. One for the experts only! Swimming, hiking, ﬁshing. www. boeboesnest.co.za E-mail : info@boeboesnest.co.za Louise 072636404

WESTERN CAPE: LOVAIN GUEST FARM: Near George Fantastic riding with a track and lekker accommodation. Explore the Montague Pass and surrounding mountains. (044) 888-1726

118 December 2006

ALKMAAR: 4x4 Trail: Nelspruit. (013) 733-3029 ECO QUAD ADVENTURES Mpumalanga, Eco trials, quads for rent, only standard xhaust pipes allowed Rassie,Valerie, Valmari 013 - 712 2365(t), 013 - 712 6498 (f), hitech.security@soft.co.za INDUNA ADVENTURES: Hazyview Rentals (013) 737-8308 LEKOA LODGE: Villiers Rentals, beautiful accommodation, track and outride. (058) 821-0601 MAC MAC QUAD TRAILS: Sabie and Graskop. Very scenic trails. Private quads and rentals.Self-catering acc. and camping 072 629 3876 macmacquad@mweb.co.za

INTABA CAMP: Loskopdam. 750ha Private Game Reserve. Groups 10 - 25. Tel: (013) 282 5231

RUBY RIVER RESORT: Loskopdam. Quad Friendly - Self Catering. Chalets & Camping. Tel: (013) 282 5231 082-414-2448

SANI PASS Guided tours, max 10 people on our 250cc quads. 1-2 hour adventure trails or 4 hour Sani Pass tour. Accomodation available. No private quads. Chris: 083 404 4422 ccorbett@eci.co.za

MIGALSOORD TRAILS - Magalies. Fast, intermediate and kiddies tracks, as well as 40km outrides. Camping facilities available. 082 552 3815, 082 462 7524, 014 577 0777

ALBERTON 2 MAGALIESBERG: 130km over 2 days - there and back. Russell 082 788 3774

3 PROVINCES: Volksrust. One of the most enthusiastic operators around (017) 735-5286

QUAD FARM: 40 km from Middelburg. 9 km adventure trail 1.9 speed track 1 km kiddies track. Andries:072 467 6838

IMBABALA LODGE: Weenen. (033) 496-189

SANI PASS: (031) 464-9908 MAGALIES VALLEY QUAD CENTRE: Hartebeespoort – 083-691-2307

MPUMALANGA:

CAROLINA LODGE: Best Food, nice pub, rustic accommodation. Fantasic riding. (058) 223 0552 CLIFFDALE: Memel (058) 924-0740 MERRIMETSI: Excelsior (051) 973-7204 KROONSTAD QUAD TRAILS: Trails of all lengths and difﬁculties including one for kiddies. Quad hire and accommodation available. 082 805 9003. www. quadtrails.co.za LIBERIA QUAD AND GUEST FARM. River mountain and lots of riding terrain in beatiful eastern OFS. Self catering chalets and swimming pool. 0832620261

BOTSWANA: KWA NOKENG LODGE: Just over the Groblersbrug border post out past Potgietersrus. Perfect for quads and ideal for bikes if you want to learn how to ride sand. Too hot in summer – book for winter. Long rides through the bushveld and game reserve. (09267) 491-5908

SERENDIPITY QUAD TRAILS: Waterberg. Three trails in a private nature recerve. Camping, Caravans and Self-service accommodation. 014 743 3540. info@serendipity.co.za WATERBERG: 3rd highest area in the Waterberg. 21km on Vaalwater. 45km ride (17 in mountains) Max 20 People. Adam or Riekie 082 770 1628

LIMPOPO: SUNLAND BAOBAB JUNGALOWS Tzaneen/Modjadjiskloof Quads for hire and many great outrides Tel/fax : 0153099039 www.baobab.fhi.co.za baobabbars@mweb.co.za VOËLVRY BOSKAMP Naboomspruit, Quad & two wheelers, 20Km for women & kiddies, 40Km rides for the more experienced. Accommodation available, Camping site and swimming pool 014-7430540 UITSPAN QUADS Naboomspruit. Quads & Two wheelers. 10 & 20 km trails, ﬂat track and drag strip. Also accommodation, camping and ﬁshing available. Tel: 014-743 2333 or Fax: 014-743 3059

NORTHERN PROVINCE: SLYPSTEENKOP: Explore the game farm. Eco friendly, relaxed getaway. Comfy accommodation. (014) 533-0057 BLOUBUL QUADTRACK : Near Brits Accommodation available. Flat track, 4x4 track, bumps, kiddies track, swimming,paddle boats ! E-mail: brieka@mweb.co.za www.bloubulquadtrack.com Dries Botha 0827658555

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Howdy D&Q Illegal Dumping , Speed and the ongoing roadwor Having recentl thy issueâ&#x20AC;Ś y gone back to doing it on all myself a Banshee fours, I bought . Being fortuna te enough to I can sneak over live in an area a hill and be where in the bundu, occasional midweek I tend to go ride. Lots of for the dirt roads and open land gives an enormous chunk me the space to play in the of (those who are Wilgeheuwel/Ru in the area, imsig area give me a shout and letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s go riding). Today (Friday 17th November) I went for a to ďŹ nd that TONS ride and was of illegal dumping disgusted week or two. has taken place Building rubble, in the last garden refuse (mainly from and â&#x20AC;&#x153;commercialâ&#x20AC;? a panelbeating waste shoplots of broken does this make car bits). Not riding risky due to punctur only we will all lose es, but it also the priviledge means that of using the decide to fence land when the it off. owners What I would like to suggest is that all riders eye out for illegal everywhere keep dumping and report an council (as in it. And if (WHEN!) my case) ignores the town you, kick up offenders if a stink. Photogr you can, take aph the number plates and shameâ&#x20AC;? then and company names in the press. and â&#x20AC;&#x153;name Caxton used to on dumping and do some lovely werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afraid articles to publish pics the people living and details. And in the area see if us taking an the area clean, interest in keeping maybe they wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be so eager to and accuse us point ďŹ ngers of noise polluti at us on. Think about the community. it- we are all part of As for speed, I am having way too much fun on my Banshee testing the warp : 99.6kph todaydrive on DIRTâ&#x20AC;Ś go check details: www.bat out my webpage tlegoose.com/q for uadzilla.htm Battlegoose PS: Roadworthy issues- I have been spotted around where by a couple of I ride. I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cops been misbehavingkeeping off the riding slowly, road where possibl e, using hand to use the road. signals when In every case I have they have acknowl me alone. So all I can say edged me and left is that if you the roads, bear feel you HAVE in mind that to ride on you are there, and behave a guest and have yourselvesâ&#x20AC;Ś and no right to be maybe the cops will tolerate you. Dumping is a huge problem - people are few pics of the disgusting crap lying all herewith a over the place gladly publish where we ride. details of the We will offenders - so have a photo send them... - even better. and if you Glenn

120 December 2006

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L i f e s t y l e

C e n t r e s

GROUP

CRF250X from R1 R1 249pm*

The Power of Dreams