Enduro world May 2016 Preview by Enduro World Magazine

THE BEST RIDE YOU’LL EVER READ

YAMAHA'S

#150 MAY 2016

FAST FLAT CORNERS

QUEST FOR PODIUMS

WITH TRISTAN PURDON

BETTER EWXC RESULTS WITH BRETT SWANEPOEL

2016 GS TROPHY

TEAM SA WINS

WIN 1 OF 2 LEATT WATER FILTERS

THE WAY I SEE THINGS ISSUE 150 I MAY 2016

EDITORS COMMENTS

ANNOUNCING AN EXCITING NEW ERA FOR ENDURO WORLD MAGAZINE Enduro World Magazine was born because of a need in the market – both from Readers and Advertisers. Now, almost 13 years later, the market’s needs have changed and there is a global decline in the popularity of printed media as digital media becomes more and more popular.

Gary Franks Editor

Enduro World recognised the change four years ago when we introduced a digital version of our magazine. Although the signs had been there for some time, we delayed the decision to drop the printed mag because we know there are still many who enjoy printed media and we really do hate to disappoint, but the digital version offers so many advantages that completely outweigh the “but I like something I can hold” argument. We are confident that once anyone experiences the online version, they will appreciate the many benefits and agree with us that this is a step forward. The April 2016 issue was the last printed issue.

gary@enduroworld.co.za Troy Erasmus Events Co-ordinator events@enduroworld.co.za MDS Design Studio Art Direction/Design mdsdesign@iburst.co.za Denise Forsyth Subscriptions / Admin / Event Entries, Club Membership / Back Issues

• Statistics show that adults are spending significantly more time on mobile devices every year – up from a daily average of 21 minutes in 2011 to 76 minutes in 2015. • Printed magazine sales in SA for the 4th quarter of 2015 were 11% lower than the previous year. • Digital mag sales in SA grew 7, 5% in the last quarter of 2015 alone. • If you want to see proof, go into a reception area and see how few people look at the many magazines available versus how many are lost in their mobiles. The reaction from both advertisers and readers has already completely overwhelmed expectations, leaving us really excited and enthusiastic about Enduro World’s new era. Moving to completely digital enables us to design the magazine with far more freedom. With fewer limitations on space, images can be much larger and we can publish many more … and they look so much brighter and more vivid with the transmitted light from any modern device. Text will also be larger and the whole experience more interactive with links to websites and even videos. Advertisers are also looking towards digital media for better ways to advertise and Enduro World online can give them that whilst also dramatically reducing advertising rates. Ads are hyperlinked to the advertiser’s website, making them even more effective. Other advantages include consistent delivery (not affected by postal strikes), back issues and all your reading stored in one location which is always with you. Plus the magazine is less expensive and more environmentally friendly.

info@enduroworld.co.za Dawn Blackstock Accounts accounts@enduroworld.co.za Lynne Franks Public Relations lynne@enduroworld.co.za

Contributors Andy Hanmer, Chris Birch, Megan Jaffray, Hilton Hayward, Kirsten Landman

Directors G. Franks, L. Adam Tel: 011 792 1136 www.enduroworld.co.za

Disclaimer: Whilst the Editor and Publishers of Enduro World will endeavour to ensure that the information in this magazine is factual, accurate and technically correct, we cannot guarantee this nor accept responsibility for any mechanical or other damage or injury to persons or machinery

At the same time we really want to invite more interaction from our readers – submit your stories, tips and suggestions to help us make your mag everything you want it to be. Thanks for your support and enjoy the read.

Gary

resulting from information given in this publication, whether printed or implied. We reserve the right to decline publishing material not deemed suitable. Enduro World (Pty) Ltd.

contents ISSUE 150 I MAY 2016

Features

Regulars

Nomadik EWXC Serendipity

Kirsty’s Turn

Improving at EWXC

Motul Techni-Talk

The Finish Line

GS Trophy 2016

What’s Coming Up

Fast Flat Cornering

New Products

Justin Thompson Update

Parts Bin

Doing Our Part

KTM Festival

I Should’ve Turned Left

My Story

18 20 26

Round 2

By Brett Swanepoel

Hydration for Extreme Events

By Mandy Thomas - Basefit

Thailand

By Tristan Purdon

Dean Birnie leads by example

Battlefields KZN

Lorraine rides 40 200 kms on a KLR

Eduan Bester

8 20

ON T H E COVER DAVID GOOSEN ON THE YAMAHA YZ 250F Emerson Haupt

Log on to www.enduroworld.co.za for more images, info & videos or find us on

Racing the World SuperEnduro

Replacing Yamaha clutch plates

Racing updates from SA and the World

New products and reviews

News and interesting stuff

Pics by Lynne and Gary Franks

NOMADIK EWXC ROUND 2, SERENDIPITY, 27 FEB 2016 For 2016 Serendipity will be our furthest venue for most people, especially for the riders who come up from KwaZulu Natal, Mpumalanga and the Freestate. But there is no question the riding there more than makes up for the long drive. Our somewhat infamous Track Director, Igor Baleta, worked really hard on setting a route which could now incorporate sections of the magnificent Waterberg game farm previously not open to riding. Over the course of several trips out to Serendipity and many long days of exploring, cutting, clearing, lifting, moving and hard physical work, he was proud of his latest creation.

8 NOMADIK EWXC

Then the area once again received more than its fair share of rainfall just days before the race, and panic set in. So on Friday Igor took me out on a loop to ensure all sections were still rideable. There were several fairly challenging climbs and descents but one climb, which had taken him two days to clear, proved to be a problem. Two steps right on tight corners would definitely cause a big bottleneck. With just two of us there it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t an issue, but you really have to consider what will happen in a race after the top guys have gone through. It was such a nice section and a pity to take it out, but there would still be more than enough in the loop to get the sweat flowing. Sure enough some sections which were mildly challenging for us on Friday, caused a bit of mayhem in the

Roan Cloete 8th in E1

Achim Bergmann 2nd in Seniors

other o World for an “Thanks Endur Courtis kend” – Gavin awesome wee

Gavin Courtis 7th in Seniors

race after many bikes had been through. Nevertheless the course was brilliant and I knew after just one lap that it was our best EWXC route to date. Even whilst riding it on Friday I thought to myself how fortunate we are to have Igor, who must surely be the best course setter in the country, making our routes for us. It’s routes like this that make me wish I were racing instead of organising. Once again the 250+ entries were a pleasant surprise. However too many late and on-the-day entries proved to be a problem with timing and results getting out quickly and effectively. For the Enduro World Crew having these delays is hugely stressful and disappointing. We want every rider and supporter to have a great experience at our events. We know everyone wants to enjoy prize giving and start the journey home as soon as possible and we really do feel the weight of everyone’s impatience. And it’s always caused by people doing silly things like entering late, forgetting to have a timing tag coded to match a new or temporary number, not having a number on their bike or the wrong number … The only we or any other club accepts late or on-the-day entries, is because running events is expensive and we need every cent we can get. However the problems late entries can cause really isn’t fair to all the other riders who have bothered to enter early. So we have made a decision …..

NO MORE LATE ENTRIES AT EWXC’S! We will take on-the-day entries, but they will start from the back of the field and will not get a position or points in one of the classes. Their times will be shown in a separate class called “non competitive”. Entries are always open several weeks before the event and close on the Wednesday, 3 days before, which should be more than adequate time to enter.

At the front of the field was the Proudly Bidvest Yamaha rider, Brett Swanepoel, who had a point to prove after he was beaten by Dwayne Kleynhans (Brother Leader Tread KTM) at the national enduro a week before. Brett set off like a wasp had got into his shorts, going on to lead from start to finish. Dwayne unfortunately pulled out on his 2nd lap, his flu causing him to feel like his heart was going to attack him. Barend Erasmus (Rudamans Yamaha) took up the slack to grab 2nd overall, winning the E2 class ahead of Hein van Niekerk (Bikers Warehouse Husqvarna) in 3rd overall. Vinnie Labuschagne (Enduro Tech KTM) put in a great ride to take 2nd in E1 and it was good to see Warren Barwell back and on the podium in E2. Steve Carr (Roost KTM EC Security) had another dominant ride in Seniors ahead of a very good ride by Achim Bergmann and another returned rider, Iwan Roux. Shaun Kirk (Liqui Moly Cayenne Beta) and Otto Horlacher had their normal ding-dong battle with Shaun emerging the winner on this occasion – nice to see John Blignaut making the podium too. One of the most competitive classes is Highschool with 28 fit, strong, fearless up and coming young riders brimming with testosterone fighting it out. Wihan Le Hanie (Rudamans Yamaha) took the win for the 2nd consecutive time, ahead of Adriano Catalano (D&H Eng. Yamaha) and Luke Walker (Leader Tread KTM).

> NOMADIK EWXC 9

MAY 2016

Race 2 also saw some close racing with 107 riders spread across the three classes, giving it all they’ve got in the heat of the day. Not to forget the 17 young riders in the Junior and Green class race who also had to race in the heat. Well done to all riders and thanks for racing Nomadik EWXC.

Stephen Marinov and Ghislain van der Merwe

“Travelled do wn to Nylstro om this past w round two of eekend for Nomadik EW X C. Definitely w Enduro World orth the drive, team as alway s hosted a gr Barend Erasm ea t event” – us

Cindy Porobich

Start of the Green race Luke Walker 3rd in High School

14 NOMADIK EWXC

lent loop in ages. Excel d ha e I’v es st rid “One of the be EW crew” – l done to the el w n once agai bs Dennis Jaco

Start of the Junior race , awesome uro World crew nd E le ho w e on 09/04!” – “Thanks to th fun. See you of t lo a d ha I d junior loop an der Spuy n va an Caydi

Hein van Niekerk 2nd in E2

NOMADIK EWXC 15

MAY 2016

IMPROVING YOUR'S C X W E T A S RESULT

Pic by Scott Pix

Good bike setup, especially suspension, is vital By Brett Swanepoel

These technical and demanding races are challenging on the body and mind so in order to be 110% prepared here are a few things that I suggest you need to get done. Bike When it comes to the bike, you need to make sure your bike has the right setup and adequate protection. A good bike that is easy to ride in technical terrain is obviously key, but one of the most important things in my opinion is having a good suspension setup. This is vital and can really determine how well your race goes. I use Hilton Hayward to do my setup.

16 IMPROVING YOUR RESULTS

Your Body Your own physical preparation before the race is also critical - you must make sure that leading up to the events you have been eating well and have drunk enough water so that you are well hydrated. Keeping Cool On race day, try wearing kit that will keep you cool as this will help with your performance throughout the day and assist with the delay of muscle fatigue. What works well for me is an EVS cooling vest which keeps my core temperature down. Hydration A mistake a lot of people often do is to just ride with water. This will make your day harder than it should be as your body needs electrolytes and salts to be replaced because you burn them up. A good electrolyte replacement/ energy drink is therefore very important in your hydration pack. Â

Pic by Scott Pix

Stay calm when you get into difficult situations

Ride Smart During the race itself, you must always look for the shortest and fastest line without going off the course or cutting corners because every second counts. It can also be the difference between getting stuck, which wastes a lot of energy, and having a clean run, which saves time and is obviously more efficient. Strong Calm Mind Your mind is one of the strongest things and when the going gets tough you need to keep positive and push through.

Looking ahead and choosing the best lines will help you cover technical terrain more efficiently

You must try not to panic or get flustered when you get into difficult situations as it just wastes energy and you often end up crashing. I know itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easier said than done and I often make the same mistake myself but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something to focus on. Fitness and Strength However, the most important factor in order to have a good, safe race is to be fit and strong. This not only ensures that you to keep up the pace but prevents injuries.

MAY 2016

HYDRATION S E C A R E M E FOR EXTR

by Mandy Thomas - www.basefit.co.za

Following last monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s topic on the importance of hydration and how it affects your riding performance, there are times when we can take our hydration a step further. But this strategy is a complex one used only for extreme races lasting the entire day or over multiple days only. It involves carefully planned fitness training the week prior to your big race, while manipulating the macros in your diet (protein, carbohydrates and fats) and steadily increasing your water intake. Done well, it is a highly effective strategy in keeping your body hydrated. This extra hydration will allow you to go for longer while your opponents succumb to fatigue. Remember, your body will first cool itself before it gives you energy. So if your body if running out of water you will feel the energy draining from your system. The trick is to go into your big race with enough water on board on a cellular level that you have ample to get you through far longer than the usual 4 to 5 hours. But of course there is a catchâ&#x20AC;Ś Carrying so much water will make you heavier and feel a bit like the Michelin man. This in turn can make you slower initially. However, being a bit slower in the beginning is far better than running out of energy later. Hence why this strategy is only used of long events not short 3 to 4 hour sprints. So how do you do this? The trick is to get as much glycogen (available energy) into your muscles as possible. Not only for energy purposes but also glycogen can hold 3 times its volume in water. Step 1: Deplete current glycogen stores through light exercise and limited carbohydrate intake. It is very important to train your entire body evenly as only muscles exercised will benefit from the increase in glycogen levels when carbohydrates are re-introduced.

MONDAY & TUESDAY: Drop your carbohydrates down to about 40% of your total daily calories. Please do not drop your overall calorie intake, so what you take away in the form of carbohydrates, replace with protein and a little bit of fat. Keep your water intake the same amount as you usually drink. Do a light training to near exhaustion, (not total exhaustion), doing body weight training only or very light resistance. Train for about 45 mins to an hour max. Do not do heavy weights as the idea is not to be stiff or sore, just a bit tired. Remember you must work all your muscles so going for a run or spinning is not going to work. You need to be doing exercises like burpees and mountain climbers. WEDNESDAY: Your training session today will be the same at Monday and Tuesday, but a little less intense. If you can, try do this session in the morning. Now we are going to change things around a bit. Today your meals will be made up of 80% carbohydrate. That leaves only 20% for proteins and fats. But here is the catch. Only make this change AFTER you have trained. So if you train in the afternoons you will only make this change from dinner onwards. Your water intake will also now start to increase after your training session. You will increase it to 150% of your usual intake. THURSDAY & FRIDAY You can drop your carbohydrates slightly to about 75% of daily calories, and make up the difference in protein. Keep your water intake to 150% of normal water intake. Do light training for 30 mins max. It is important to do some exercise, and not take complete rest, however keep it very light and easy.

Step 2: Refeed your muscles and maximise on above normal glycogen stores through decreased exercise and increased carbohydrate and water intake. It is very important not to increase your overall calories when increasing your carbohydrates. You will need to eat less protein and fat at this point to make up for the increase in carbohydrates.

RACE DAY Eat about 250g of carbs between 3 and 1 hours before racing Keep taking in water up to 30 mins before the start for your race

This process is done over the 5 days leading up to your big race. Below is a step by step guide assuming your big race is begins on a Saturday:

If you have any further queries on race preparation or would like to join the Base Fit team of successful athletes please mail me on mandy@basefit.co.za

18 HYDRATION

Have a great race!!

OLX SA PRO SUPERENDURO 19

MAY 2016

GS TROPHY 2016

S N I W A TEAM S

Info from BMW Motorrad Pictures by Stefan Boshoff and BMW Motorrad

The fifth BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy, the 2016 Southeast Asia edition came to a close, after seven hard days’ riding, with a spectacular finale on Saturday, March 5. With the competition still in the balance right up to the final special test, it was a tense finish – decided in favour of Team South Africa. It was a week packed with high temperatures, amazing off road riding, friendly people and adventures in the jungle. 19 teams (comprising 57 riders plus 19 embedded journalists) representing 25 nations for a seven-day over-1300 kilometre trek through the forests, jungles and mountains of Northern Thailand. The riding was possibly the most technical yet, as the riders guided their BMW R 1200 GS bikes along single-track trails more akin to enduro racing than adventure competition. Temperatures ran into the high 30°C range with high humidity - it was one of the hotter, sweatier GS Trophies! The start came at the Rim Doi Resort, in Chiang Dao at 8.00am on the morning of February 28, and while unseasonal heavy rain had washed out the planned course for day one, the riders were still treated to some excellent off-road trails before hitting the first – and possibly physically the toughest – special test, ‘Broken Bridge’. Such themes are by now familiar, long days in the saddle with always some challenging riding, combined with special tests that challenge the riders’ teamwork, their problem solving skills, often their strength, as well as their bike riding. As ever, the riders would reach the nightly bivouacs well-exercised. The 2016 edition again saw the event grow, with 114 motorcycles on the tour and an entourage of close to 200 people (riders, marshals, medics, caterers, organisers and more). As ever, the motorcycles – BMW R 1200 GS and GSA – were up to the task; occasional puncture repairs on the trail tested the practical skills of the riders while crash damage gave the BMW Motorrad mechanics a few hours work each evening; but the engines and chassis never gave up. The latest GS bikes were praised for their ease of use, great rider aids and sheer ruggedness. As before, the competitors were won-over by the bike’s character as much as the sheer capability of these iconic machines.

20 GS TROPHY 2016

Team South Africa wins. Team South Africa has been one of the strongest teams in every edition of the GS Trophy since their debut in 2010. They missed out on the win then, by just one point, and came close again in 2014, so the win this year was especially savoured. Thorough preparation meant the team were always in contention – they were in fact the team to beat – but John Harris, Charl Moolman and Byron Coetsee, with embedded journalist Stephan Boshoff, were winners on every level, winning as many friends as points. Also there from SA were - as marshals Jan du Toit, Marchant Maasdorp and Jolandie Rust; as part of the international ladies team, Morag Campbell. Team UK and Team Germany were their nearest competitors and the unrelenting efforts of the two teams kept the outcome of the event in question right up to the very last test. And while the strength of Team South Africa could not be denied, it was fitting that the runner-up position should be shared by these two great teams (Team UK having won in 2010, Team Germany in 2012). The BMW R 1200 GS - competition proven. The BMW R 1200 GS proved more than up to the challenge of seven days on the trails in Northern Thailand. The 2016 R 1200 GSs featured the latest engine revisions, including a new heavier crank that makes for smoother running and Shift Assist Pro that allows clutchless up- and down-shifts. The code plug enables the Enduro Pro mode to modify the rider-assist systems to suit sportive off-road riding. And with just the lightest level of crash protection, including the

Charl, Byron and John - what we will do for photos

Morag (left) with her two team mates

The one-handed scrub will amaze even James Stewart

aluminium enduro engine guard and steel crash bars – plus the rugged Metzeler Karoo 2 tyres – the GSs were totally trail-ready. Final results 1 South Africa 2 Germany 2 UK 4 CEEU

299 pts 268 pts 268 pts 254 pts

L to R - Charl Moolman, John Harris, Tomm Wolf, Director of Sport for GS Trophy, Byron Coetsee and Stefan Boshoff

GS TROPHY 2016 21

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MAY 2016

he idea had been something I have wanted to do for the last 3 years since the ladies class became part of the World SuperEnduro series. Through travelling and competing overseas for the last 2 years I had been lucky enough to make a few contacts. One of whom is the well connected, helpful guy who is always willing to go out of his way to help out South Africans, Holger Dettmann. The race date for the Prague Super Enduro was set for 12th March. Late on Sunday evening the 21st February I received a message from Holger saying I have to come race the last 2 rounds (Prague and Madrid) of Super Enduro which would feature ladies races as well. He had a bike for me and all I needed to do was get myself to Hamburg, Germany. I sat down with my family and we discussed it – they are so supportive and amazing that the next day we booked my flight and got the visa sorted. We had everything planned within a week. It was a complete last minute decision with no preparation whatsoever, but a great opportunity like this was one I couldn’t let pass - all I could do was go there and do my best and come home with experience. As soon as I landed in Germany on the 2nd of March the preparations started. Holger had a 2014 KTM 125exc waiting for me. A nice bike but it needed some work. Thankfully Blake Gutzeit arrived 2 days after I arrived and I was relieved to not be alone and to have another familiar face there.

FORCE FUEL

The first day riding in the very cold, wet and gloomy Germany was a riding lesson on its own. We probably went to the toughest and most technical Enduro X tracks, well that’s what it felt like for me. This was the first ride for me on the 125 and the first experience for me on a proper Enduro X track. It was snotty and slippery, my hands and nose went numb from the cold and we were under the watchful eye of a very experienced Hard Enduro, Trials and Enduro X trainer. It was a tough day on the bike and I finished that full day of riding with so much doubt and uncertainty, I thought to myself I had made a

mistake coming here and had just wasted money I didn’t have. Thankfully Blake cheered me up and told me it would get better. After some work on the bike to make it more comfortable and changing the suspension to suit my style of riding, my next ride was a lot better already. We rode and trained solidly for a week, getting in us much preparation as possible and getting used to the bike. Within a flash Blake and I were already on our way to Prague. As soon as we arrived on the Wednesday evening we went straight to the arena. The Enduro X track was built in an ice hockey stadium. The work and effort put into building that track was mind blowing, nothing like I had ever seen before. Absolutely gobsmacked and wide-eyed I looked at this track and have to admit I shed a tear or 2. Everything looked so big and intimidating. I must have walked that track a 100 times, taken a picture of every obstacle and replayed it over and over in my mind. I totally freaked myself out because when it came to riding the track for the first time it really wasn’t that bad. Our racing time was 6 minutes + 1 lap. I thought to myself, ah that’s so short in comparison to what I’m used to, spending 5-8 hours on the bike at a normal hard Enduro race. But that 6 minutes

was the longest 6 minutes of my life! The program for race day was free practice, then later you get timed practice where in that 6 minutes of riding you have to put in a hot lap to set your fastest time. I only managed to qualify 4th for the day. Then the next 2 heats were the races that counted. The nerves were eating me up inside, hearing that crowd and walking out into the arena and seeing all those people, a total of 8000 bike-mad fans from all over Europe. I only had 2 chances to get it right and there was no room for error. With only 6 minutes not even a second of time can be wasted. My fellow lady competitors were 6 women from across Europe, the main protagonists being Sandra Gomez (X Games gold medallist, USA Enduro X champion, Spanish Trials champion and sister of extreme Enduro champ Alfredo Gomez), the UK’s Emma Bristow (World Trials champion) and then Maria Franke (German Motocross champion) - so my competition was tough and I was going to try and battle it out with the world’s best. I went into heat 1 as relaxed as possible, not getting too hyper and just tried to ride as smooth and consistently as possible … and it worked. Sandra and Emma were in a league of their own but the battle was between Maria Franke and I. My starts weren’t the greatest and I got into 4th out of the gate. Hanging close behind Maria I forced her into a mistake and managed to finish heat 1 in 3rd position. Heat 2 was the race that counted and meant that wherever we finished would be where we ended up in the world championship, so there was no pressure at all … except for a lot. Again my start wasn’t good at all, I came out 4th and Maria was up in 2nd place with a very good start. I was pushing hard and tried to get closer to her. Pushing too hard I messed up the rock garden dropping the bike and stalling it. Having to kick start the bike I lost about 15 seconds which

was a quarter of the lap and by the time I got going she was out of sight. I managed to get back 4th place and to the finish line without any further mistakes. Coming home in 4th overall for my first ever Super Enduro championship was good enough for me. It was a great experience and I learnt so much, I met so many new people and made a few new contacts - I definitely walked away from this a whole lot more experienced in so many ways. I can’t thank the people who made it possible enough. To Holger Dettmann - thank you for your kindness, trust and believing in me. You helped improve my riding and made it all possible. To Red Bull South Africa for your assistance in getting me over to Europe and back home, then to Leader Tread and Brett Sproson for the ongoing support always through all my races and everything I set out to do – thank you. Blake Gutzeit for all the help and the good company, you are an inspiration and super talented rider, and then lastly my family, good friends and everyone in South Africa for their support and all the encouragement. Thank you all so much!

Instagram: Kirst Landman

Twitter: @kirstlandman

KIRSTY’S TURN 25

MAY 2016

ke gripping the bi er I want to be rn ck. co ba e t th bi r a te As I en d leaning an d ea ah g s lookin with my knee cle racing. ial in motorcy uc cr ry ve e ar ck brakes Front brakes ore than my ba m es ak br t so fron front brakes al I’m using my more of your ng si U e. ed id nc sl t la d ba so I don’ ore in-line an m – l ua eq ke keeps the bi e corner. coming into th

Tristan Purdon G N I R E N R O C T A L F T S A F ON

As you can see in this photo I am central over the bike. Eyes looking forward gripping the bike with my knees, getting set to release the brakes

PURDON OLX SA PRO SUPERENDURO 26 TRISTAN

Now I move my weight to the front of the bike. This helps the front tyre bite and ensures the bike does not loop out from underneath me when I get on the gas. with no rut so slippery corner st fa a ite qu critical. This is the best line is ng tti ge d an traction d moving l my braking an al d he is fin e ead, put So now that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;v leg out, look ah y m t se I d ar peg so the bike my weight forw y outside foot m on re su es ttle smoothly a bit of pr apply the thro d an t, ou e id very crucial does not sl ottle control is hr T . er rn co t sure on the on the slick fla g a bit of pres tin ut P . is th e on a corner lik ers. lps on flat corn he g le outside on the outside to get weight ng tti si am I Note where footpeg.

I hope these few tips can help you on your quest to drop your lap times and improve your speed.

TRISTAN PURDON 27

MAY 2016

Justin on the YZ250 at Freestone

CATCHING UP

N O S P M O H T N I T S U WITH J Another year of racing in the USA began for Justin Thompson #16 at the James Stewart Spring National at Freestone Raceway, Texas (15th â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 19th March 2016). This year Justin is competing in the Schoolboy 1 and 125 (12-16) on a Yamaha YZ125 and also in the 250 B (limited) on a Yamaha YZ 250F at Freestone. Timed practice kicked off on Tuesday the 15th, the track was in excellent condition and weather was looking great. Justin had an ok Schoolboy 1 practice but unfortunately made a couple of mistakes and never really got into his rhythm, so

30 JUSTIN THOMPSON

only managed to qualify 22nd. They run 2 divisions in the major classes and Justin unfortunately landed up in a very strong division, he had a number of the really fast factory guys in his division. Schoolboy 1 After getting boxed in to exit the 1st corner 11th, he fought back to 7th but dropped two places and took 9th in his Division race. In the Final there are 40 riders (the top 16 from each division plus 8 from the LCQ) and he had to struggle through from 15th. After pushing hard he managed to finish 10th.

Justin on the YZ 125 at Freestone National

Justin getting some advice from Blake Wharton. Sebastian Tortelli from Champ Factory had Blake help him out with the training at Champ Factory, Blake coached Justin for a few weeks in California

Justin had put in a lot of training for this and was hoping for a top 5 so he was fairly disappointed in his performance, but says that he now knows how much more effort he has to put in in order to compete at this level. 125 (12-16) A bad start in his first race saw him 25th after lap 1. These races are only 6 laps so despite pushing really hard he had to settle for 15th place. A better start but getting caught up in 1st corner chaos saw Justin again having to fight from 17th. He managed to make it to 13th at the finish line for 11th overall for this class. Although he also competed in the 250 B Limited class, it’s not a class that he is focusing on but it will help him with his

training. He hopes to qualify in the 250 B class for Loretta Lynn’s National (August 2016), but still needs a lot more time on the 250. Justin’s main goal for 2016 is to qualify and to finish in the top 5 at Loretta Lynn’s in the Schoolboy 1 class. He knows he needs to put in 200% with his training, stay healthy and be totally committed to his dream. A lot of dedication, commitment and intense training awaits him. He will be returning home to SA on the 23rd March for a short break and then returns to California to continue with the program and work hard to achieve his goal. We wish Justin lots of luck and success.

JUSTIN THOMPSON 31

MAY 2016

I SHOULD HAVE

T F E L D E N R TU

Editors Comments: Longtime friend, Lorraine Spence, is one amazingly inspirational lady. You may remember us mentioning her book “Butterflies and Flat Tyres” a couple of years ago, about her mainly solo ride from Zurich to Singapore via Siberia – a fascinating read. Well Lorraine has just completed another incredible adventure through the Americas. Sadly there will be no book this time but check out her blog at http://lorrainespence.com Lorraine says, “I cannot believe the trip is over it seems to have gone so fast and I still cannot really process all my experiences. The most important thing I did was to get married on the 5th November 2015. I travelled 40200km (25000 miles), visited 22 countries and 7 states in America, rode my bike to 4810m at Paso de Jama in Chile, crossed the Amazon, patted a whale and overall just had a ball. I am really sad it is over as I just want to continue riding, but I miss my husband Joern terribly and I think it is time to go home... however I’ll be BACK”.

AMAZON

Main details Almost 8 months - 2nd August 2015 to 17th March 2016 50% solo & 50% accompanied (6 weeks with tour group through the Amazon, and 10 weeks with Joern, my husband) Bike: Kawasaki KLR650 2001 C Model (aka “Gadget”) Total distance: 40200km 25000 miles Highest altitude: 4810m in Paso de Jama in Chile Countries: 22 countries visited and 7 states in the USA Route: Amazon Challenge Group Tour: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana Flew to visit: Venezuela, Curacao Solo South America: Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina With Joern (my husband): Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, (we also travelled in Suzuki 4x4 due to Joern’s bike issues 3657 km’s) Solo Central America: Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Mexico Solo USA, States: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee

OLX SA PROSPENCE SUPERENDURO 36 LORRAINE

MEXICO

ATACAMA

USA Lorraine bought the Kawasaki KLR with 38 500 km’s on the clock. The only issues she had with the trustworthy machine were: 1. The starter relay connection came loose in the Amazon – this was easily fixed with a zip tie. 2. Also in the Amazon, excessive carbon built up which lead to excessive fuel consumption, much coughing and spluttering and zero power until it totally died. Joern’s suggested fix worked – change the spark plug, run it until hot, take the air filter off and spray half a bottle of carbonated water into the air intake while revving it like crazy. This resulted in great clouds of black smoke … followed by the KLR running like a dream ever since. Poor quality fuel is the likely cause. 3. In Chile the carburettor’s vacuum membrane split. She managed to find a spare from a guy who rents out KLR’s in Santiago.

CHILE

Lorraine says “I would certainly recommend the KLR as one of the best adventure bikes. I was so sad to leave the bike and cried (silly I know as it is just a machine but it was my trusty companion too).”

“The most important thing I did was to get married”

LORRAINE SPENCE 37 OLX SA PRO SUPERENDURO

FEBRUARY 2016

TECHNI BY ANDY HANMER

REPLACING YOUR YAMAHA CLUTCH 1 eplacing your clutch is not a difficult task, and the skill can be extremely useful. For example, you’re in the highlands of Lesotho, your clutch is fried, the sun is setting. You’ve had the foresight to carry a couple of spare clutch plates with you. You could be heading for home and supper in half an hour. The alternatives are a long walk out or an uncomfortable night in a kraal. Here’s how you do it...

Removing clutch cover

Removing pressure plate

Pressure plate coming out

Adjustment. The secret to a sweet Yamaha clutch is the big adjustment wheel on the clutch perch. You should make a habit of adjusting your clutch lever travel frequently. Certainly before every ride but also after any occasion where you feel that you may have abused the clutch. The adjustment should result in free play at the end of the clutch lever of between 3 and 6 millimetres.

Clutch taking up with a jerk as you let the lever out and finally, a burnt smell to the oil when you remove the oil filler cap and sniff the fumes.

Diagnosis. In the Lesotho scenario above, you would find that there is no drive at all to the rear wheel with the motor running in any gear. However, in less fraught situations the clutch will give you warning signs that it’s on the way out. These are: Clutch slipping when you pull away. Clutch dragging, making it difficult to engage or change gear.

38 CLUB YAMAHA

Dis-assembly. If you’re working in the civilised confines of your workshop, you can do this by draining the oil and standing the bike on a paddock stand, or letting it rest on the side-stand. An emergency job in the bush will require you to lay the bike down on its left hand side to prevent the oil escaping. The clutch cover lives on the right hand side of the bike, behind the rear brake lever. Remove the rear brake lever by pulling out the R clip that goes through the brake lever pivot bolt behind the frame rail. Now unscrew the pivot bolt, disconnect the return spring and let the lever hang out of the way. Remove the bolts that secure the clutch cover and pull it off. You are now looking at the pressure plate and the six bolts that secure it. Remove the bolts in a criss-cross

FEBRUARY 2016

TECHNI BY ANDY HANMER

Soaking plates in oil

Fitting plates

Torquing pressure plate

Filling up with good oil

pattern, unscrewing each bolt four turns at a time. Remove the bolts with their springs then pull off the pressure plate. Behind the pressure plate is the stack of clutch discs which you can slide out. You may need to manipulate the last couple of plates out with a screwdriver.

Closing up. Before you close up, adjust the lever free play at the clutch perch, then pull the clutch in while watching the pressure plate. You want the pressure plate to lift off the clutch plates dead straight. If it goes cock-eye you will have to replace the clutch springs. All being well, replace the clutch cover. The torque on the clutch cover bolts is also 10Nm so you may as well use your already-set-up torque wrench to do up those bolts. Put a dab of waterproof grease on the brake pivot bolt and re-install the brake pedal, R clip and return spring. Fill up with the correct amount of MOTUL 5100 or MOTUL 300 and you’re done.

Installing the new clutch. The new clutch kit that you have bought will include plain steel plates, fibre plates and a thin cushion spring. Over the years, Yamaha have used different arrangements of cushion springs in their clutches. For this article we are dealing with late model four-strokes. For earlier bikes or two strokes you must look at the manual. Continuing with the late-model four-stroke, we can start installing plates. To prevent start-up wear, it is important that we pre-lubricate the fibre plates as we install them. Put some fresh engine oil into a plate or a flat dish and then, before you install each fibre disc, dip it in the oil, wipe off the excess and fit it. On a Yamaha, the first plate in is a fibre plate, followed by a steel plate. After the second fibre plate the cushion spring goes in, then you can continue fitting the plates, alternating steel plates with fibre plates. The last plate is a fibre plate then you can install the pressure plate. Fit the pressure plate bolts and springs, again tightening them in a criss-cross pattern, four turns at a time. Note that the pressure plate bolts should be torqued to 10 Nm. Please use a torque wrench for this. A stripped thread is going to be really expensive to repair.

A get-you-home dodge. Remember this trick; it works for any make or model of off-road bike. You’re in the bush, your clutch has packed up and you have no spare clutch plates. Remove the pressure plate. Take out the first fibre plate and break it in half. Stack the two halves on top of each other in the clutch basket and re-fit the pressure plate. It’ll get you home. Finally... The new clutch will bed in quite quickly, be sure to adjust the clutch lever free play frequently while it is settling into its new home. Ride safe.

TECHNITALK 39

MAY 2016 2016 FEBRUARY

NEW

S T C U D O R P

STUFF YOU NEED & WANT

LEATT Hydration Packs

CHEST PRO

With safety being the reason they got into the motorcycle industry, Leatt are well known for some of the best protection gear on the market. Now they are protecting us from dehydration too with purpose designed hydration packs for every application. We reviewed the GPX RACE HF 2.0 in the Feb issue – a great little pack for racing.

4.5

All Leatt packs feature the super strong and user friendly Cleantech bladder and a unique chest harness which makes the waist strap obsolete. At the big end of the scale they offer the CHEST PROTECTOR 4.5 HYDRA – a substantial CE certified chest and back protection system with built in hydration pack. Capacity is 3 litres of fluid and a whopping 10 litres of luggage space. There’s a removable waterproof pouch for any size cell phone and lots of handy little pockets and pouches. This would be a great system for riders doing adventure rallying but we found it a bit on the heavy side for enduro, mainly because of all the substantial protection it offers. The GPX CARGO 3.0 OFF-ROAD features the same hydration pack as the CHEST PRO, just without the chest protector. It still has the same substantial back protection and volumes so there’s room for everything you want to carry. The back protection padding make it a bit heavy but you can remove some of the pads to suit your needs. This pack also has loads of features like the CHEST PRO model. It would be well suited to off road racing and general outrides where capacity is important. The one that really has grown on us is the GPX 2.0 TRAIL WP. The WP stands for waterproof and this pack is made from a fully welded waterproof shell – the fabric is much more rugged and durable than your typical pack which also means it keeps its shape nicely – yet it’s still very light. The bladder is 2 litre and there’s 5 litres of luggage space. It has a removable tool roll, pockets all over for cell phones and stuff and good ventilation and insulation for the bladder. This is a great pack. Check out www.leatt.com for info on these and other packs.

54 NEW PRODUCTS

GPX CARGO 3.0

GPX TRAIL 2.0

DIRT

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FOURWAYS & HILLCREST: mandy@basefit.co.za Mandy Thomas: 082 461 1443 CENTURION: centurion@basefit.co.za Lodewyk JV Vuuren: 072 343 2465 Twitter: @base_fit