MRW Issue 1

www.motoriderworld.com 

ISSUE #1

EDITOR’S 

NOTE 

Hello all, and welcome to my new motorcycle 

experience. I could say it’s been 

a long time coming starting my own 

website/magazine, but I would be lying. 

The idea of going out on my own 

and starting my own motorcycle media 

company has always been something 

I’ve wanted to do for a long time, 

but never really had the balls to do it. 

Whilst sitting at home one day, just over 

a month ago, and not having my family 

here to keep me entertained and my 

mind fully occupied, I got to thinking 

about the idea of starting my own thing. 

I’ve built up such great resources and 

connections and have such great support 

from within the industry and from 

reader’s and fans all over so why not do 

it? Often when I had these thoughts my 

mind would go into ‘play safe’ mode, 

and I would convince myself to carry on 

just doing what I was, basically doing 

the majority of the work and using all 

my resources to benefit another party. 

For years many have told me to go 

out on my own and for year’s I just 

doubted myself and didn’t trust in my 

own ability to do so. But, after chatting 

to my beautiful wife, my family, and 

some big players in the SA motorcycle 

industry I decided to take the leap and 

go out on my own – Moto Rider World 

was born! 

It’s been a month of hard work and 

long hours, but finally the website and 

first digital issue is out for you all to 

enjoy. Moto Rider World is everything 

I have done over the past 15 years just 

amplified. I’ve taken a winning formula 

and made it better, I hope. But Moto 

Rider World is not just about me, it’s 

for everyone, by everyone, and that is 

something I really want to get across 

with this new venture. I will be leaning 

on you all for support and guidance, 

more so than ever before, and so far, I 

have had it in abundance, which makes 

me very emotional. It’s a good thing I 

can type this out, if it was a video you 

would all be seeing tears right now. 

It’s been an emotional roller-coaster 

so far, but like most, it’s been loads of 

fun and it will carry on being fun, exciting, 

stressful, painful, rewarding, and 

every other emotion for years to come 

I’m sure, and I hope you all stick with me 

and come along too! 

Thank you all for everything, because 

without your support this would not 

be possible. To all my advertisers, from 

the bottom of my heart I thank you for 

believing in me and Moto Rider World 

and promise to give you the coverage 

you deserve. 

Rob Portman 

rob@motoriderworld.com 

WEBSITE: www.motoriderworld.com | FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/Moto-Rider-World | INSTAGRAM: rob_motoriderworld 

Copyright © Moto Rider World: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be 

reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, 

articles, or other methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Brad is the guy 

KTM need... he 

is brave, young, 

and talented. He 

is everything KTM 

was looking for. 

Pol Espargaró on Brad Binder in a recent interview with Rob

I’m not here for the 

200th podium, I’m 

here because I like 

to race motorcycles. 

Valentino Rossi ahead of the Brno GP

It was so scary, it was 

terrifying... you need to 

have respect for the 

other riders on track... 

Rossi talking about the horrific crash in Austria.

When the bikes 

crash, you listen 

to the scratches 

[on the asphalt], 

so, I listened 

and I said, ‘f***, 

someone’s 

crashed I heard a 

big, big explosion. 

I think it was when 

Johann’s bike hit 

the wall. And then 

I see the pieces all 

around. So, what 

I did is protected 

myself. I covered 

myself when I 

see the bike was 

flying over. 

Vinales talking after the horrific crash in Austria.

We are making clear 

progress, I’m gaining 

confidence race by race, 

and I’m looking forward 

to seeing if we can take 

another step forward... 

Alvaro Bautista after his first podium on the new Honda.

NEWS 

DESK 

What is DCT? 

DCT is an automated, electro-hydraulic clutch and shift operation 

gearbox, comprising a pair of independent clutch 

packs housed in one unit, each of which are connected to 

separate gear sets – one clutch works with start-up, 1st, 3rd 

and 5th gears, the other with 2nd, 4th and 6th gears. 

Gear changes are made either in Manual mode by the rider 

using the ‘paddle-shift’ style triggers on the left handlebar, 

TEN YEARS OF DCT 

Honda reaches Ten Years of production of Dual 

Clutch Transmission Technology for Motorcycles. 

Honda is marking a decade 

since its Dual Clutch Transmission 

(DCT) technology first 

appeared in its two-wheeled 

product line-up. 

Having first appeared in dealerships 

across Europe on 

the VFR1200F sports tourer, 

Honda’s DCT remains unique 

in the world of powered 

two-wheelers. In total, over 

140,000 machines with DCT 

have been sold in Europe, and 

in 2019, 45% of Africa Twins, 

52% of NC750X’s and 67% of 

Gold Wings sold in Europe 

were the DCT version. 

Its success has been in large 

part due to a constant evolution 

of the technology, with 

refinements to the smoothness 

and timing of the gear 

shifts, and adaptations to 

match the riding characteristics 

required of a broad range 

of different models. Examples 

include an off-road focussed 

‘G switch’ addition for the Africa 

Twin and X-ADV, and synchronisation 

with Hill Start Assist, 

Walking Mode and Idling 

Stop on the flagship GL1800 

Gold Wing luxury tourer. 

or in Automatic mode according to shifting 

schedules dictated by constantlymonitored 

parameters including vehicle 

speed, engine rpm and throttle opening 

angle. In either case, no clutch 

lever or footshift is needed. During 

a gear change, as one clutch disengages, 

the other clutch simultaneously 

engages the target gear 

to ensure a consistent, ultra-fast 

and seamless shift, with no loss of 

drive to the rear wheel. 

In addition to the natural advantages 

for sporty riding that this 

brings, DCT also allows the rider to 

focus more on their riding line, braking 

points, cornering and acceleration. Further 

benefits include reduced rider fatigue, low 

stress urban riding, the impossibility of stalling and greatly 

reduced pitching of the motorcycle during gear changes.

NEWS 

DESK 

HONDA’S NEW 

SUPERSPORT 

Who said Supersport 600cc 

machines were dead? 

Well, just about everyone, 

except for Yamaha who 

took the massive leap 

in releasing a (slightly) 

revamped version of their 

class-leading R6 machine 

a few years back. None of 

the other manufacturers 

followed suit, not wanting to 

spend money on what they 

considered a dying breed. 

The designers obviously got lazy, and 

just put the tailpiece from the 2004 

model onto the new bike... not very nice. 

It’s no secret that sales of the 

screaming 600cc machines 

worldwide took a huge dive, 

with many riders in that market 

rather wanting to go for 

the older, stronger, and faster 

1000cc brother. 

But, Yamaha do not have to 

feel so alone anymore. Honda 

have now also come to the 

party and released an updated 

version of their very ancient, 

yet reliable CBR600RR. 

What you see here is leaked 

pictures that have flooded the 

web of the new 2021 Honda 

Supersport machine, which 

lends many design ques from 

it’s also new older bro, the 

CBR1000RR. 

Sporting a very similar HRC 

racing livery, and slightly more 

“Turning Japanese” eyes, the 

little bro also gets wings, for 

whatever reason we have no 

idea, but they are there. No 

doubt those were put on just 

to have one up on their rivals 

To really revive the Supersport 600 market, 

and their dated CBR600RR Honda should 

have gone completely wild with the design of 

the bike, instead, they have just given it a bit of 

spit and polish and released what looks like a 

bike from back in 2004, apart from the wings, 

which seem pretty pointless on a 600 machine. 

in the market, namely the R6, 

which doesn’t have wings, so 

Ne neh ne neh neh, say Honda. 

Apart from the odd new design 

here and there, the 2021 

model pretty much stays the 

same. The new 600RR keeps 

its classic 599cc inline four engine 

configuration, but moves 

peak power up to 14,000 rpm 

on the dash. New camshafts, 

valve springs, and cranks make 

use of lighter metals, which 

helps it rev a bit more and 

free up the motor. The throttle 

bores have been enlarged and 

the intakes and exhaust have 

been tweaked to boost peak 

power from 113 horsepower to 

119 – putting it one up on the 

R6 once more, 2 in fact, with 

the blue bike pushing out 117 

according to the spec sheet. 

Keeping up with the times, 

the new middleweight RR 

gets a fly-by-wire electronic 

throttle that goes to the bike’s 

ECU before it decides how 

hard to accelerate. The bike 

gets an inertial measurement 

unit to sense lean, pitch and 

how sideways you’re getting, 

and that feeds in with data 

from a dozen other systems 

to determine your final throttle 

opening. So, the 2021 bike

NEWS 

DESK 

gets throttle modes, traction 

control, wheelie control, engine 

braking modes and lean 

angle-sensitive ABS – impressive, 

but is it all really needed 

on a 600 Supersport? Why 

not, we suppose… 

It gets a full color TFT dash 

(love it), LED lighting, a lighttouch 

slipper clutch and a new 

look which Honda says also 

offers the lowest drag coefficient 

in the class – thanks to 

the wings and aero. It misses 

out on a quickshifter, which 

is pathetic once again from 

Honda, not sure why they 

can’t put that on but throw 

every other riding mode and 

electronic assist at it, to us, the 

quick-shifter is a must on any 

machine post 2010. 

In terms of curb weight, you’re 

looking at 194kg, which is 

8kg’s up on the previous machine, 

what the hell? and only 

7kg’s lighter than the new 

CBR1000RR - highlighting 

the narrowing gap between 

the 1000cc and 600cc classes 

in terms of rideability and explaining 

the widening gap in 

sales figures. 

It looks like Honda have taken 

a big risk, but like Yamaha still 

believe there are those who 

crave that screaming sensation 

one can only get from a 

Supersport 600 machine. We 

love Supersports, and hope 

they will forever continue, but 

with that gap from 300cc, and 

1000cc bikes being bridged 

Find whatever parts we have left 

in the warehouse and make a 

new CBR6000RR - That’s the 

impression we get when looking 

at the so-called new bike. 

dramatically, is there really a 

market for these machines 

anymore? We are not 100% 

sure, and the fact that the 

new CBR6000RR won’t even 

be making its way into the 

European market, and possible 

here in SA, highlights that 

there is no real demand for it. 

And with a price tag of 13,900 

Dollars (around R270k) in the 

States, there really is no point 

in buying one, as for a few 

more Dollars one could just 

get the CBR1000RR. 

At least they gave it more 

power, and we do quite like 

the looks of the new LED 

lights, but that’s about it, to 

be honest.

NEWS 

DESK 

Pics by Beam Productions 

GET A RAD KTM 

EXPERIENCE 

If you are a KTM fan or want to be, 

then RAD KTM out in Sandton is a 

place you have to visit. 

This massive dealership has been one of 

SA’s premium KTM dealerships for quite 

some time now and they just keep getting 

better and better with every passing year. 

They have recently made some changes to 

their dealership, making their KTM section 

really prominent and fully stocked with all 

the latest offerings from KTM - from motorcycles 

to official Powerwear. You won’t 

find a bigger or better range of apparel 

or riding gear anywhere else in SA - they 

stock the widest selection of official KTM 

stuff, even the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 

gear, which is a must for all fans of the 

brand and Brad Binder. 

So, for everything KTM make sure you visit 

them at 1 Wall Street. Cnr Witkoppen and Rivonia, 

or call them on 011 234 5007.

NEWS 

DESK 

GARDEN 

ROUTE 

MOTORCYCLES 

On our recent visit to George, we came 

across this very impressive motorcycle 

store and just had to take some 

pictures and a video. 

Blown away - that’s how we felt as soon as 

we set foot in the very impressive store. The 

layout and stock on hand was so profound 

we could not help drool in pure delight. 

We really did not expect to find such a striking 

shop out in George, after all, we didn’t 

even know more than 10 people lived there. 

The service was sublime from the second 

we walked in, and we just had to grab a 

warm cappuccino, one of the best we have 

ever had it must be said. 

The workshop is fully equipped for all your 

needs and was in pristine condition - COV- 

ID would never survive in there! 

You are guaranteed a very special shopping 

experience when visiting Garden Route 

Motorcycles, so we suggest you pop in and 

find out first hand just how good it truly is - 

Paddagat Shopping Centre Shop 2 Cnr 3rd 

and, Knysna Rd, George East, George. 

Tel 044 093 0929 

www.gardenroutemotorcycles.co.za/

NEWS 

DESK 

AN R1 WITH WINGS! 

Yamaha Unveils Petronas MotoGP Limited Edition YZF-R1 

The latest edition of R1 is a 

proper good package, but 

we would have a little more in 

terms of design change just to 

help break the mould from the 

previous model. 

It would have been great if 

Yamaha have kept up with appearances 

and slapped some 

cool looking wings on the 

fairing of the new model, especially 

the up-specced R1M 

model - with it’s dreamy carbon 

fibre everywhere. 

It looks like Yamaha have listened, 

well, kind off, and have 

put some wings on their R1 

machine, albeit a very limited 

run of them and ones that 

shouldn’t really be seen out 

on the road. 

Just recently, Yamaha Europe 

joined with the Yamaha Austria 

Racing Team and unveiled 

the MotoGP edition YZF-R1 

Petronas replica. This special 

superbike is a limited edition, 

only 46 units will be made 

available - 46 hey, wonder if 

that’s a sign to come from the 

Petronas Yamaha team? 

Each bike gets a unique identity 

number and excluding 

VAT the price of YZF-R1 Petronas 

at 46,000 Euro (+/- 

R920k). The company offers 

to buyers some special things 

like KYT helmet, Yamaha SRT 

polo shirt, and opportunity to 

get a VIP guest role pass for 

MotoGP race. 

The Yamaha R1 Petronas 

MotoGP edition has the 

same design as the MotoGP 

YZR-M1, featuring 

Genuine Yamaha Technology 

for Racing (GYTR) 

carbon fairing kit, MotoGP 

winglets, racing footrests, 

and dual-tone livery. 

The bike also sports a sloping 

fuel tank, a stepped-up 

seat, a raised screen, golden-coloured 

forks and an 

all-LED setup for lighting. 

It also comes equipped 

with Brembo-sourced disc 

brakes on both the front 

and rear wheels along with 

dual-channel ABS. 

The suspension duties 

are handled by Ohlinssourced 

race suspension, 

including the FGRT 

2 forks on the front and a 

TTX rear shocker. 

It also gets a race-specific 

steering damper, ECU, 

quick action throttle, and 

Michelin tyres. 

In addition to the motorcycle, 

every customer will 

receive an exclusive package 

containing a KYT helmet, 

a Petronas Yamaha 

SRT polo shirt, and an 

opportunity to get a VIP 

guest pass for any MotoGP 

round of their choice. 

The first two owners 

(right) have already taken 

delivery of their machines... 

lucky bastards!

NEWS 

DESK 

shaft—up from the 217 horsepower of 

the standard unit. The weight saving can 

be attributed to the full-titanium exhaust 

from Akrapovic, tipped with a carbon 

fibre muffler and carbon-fibre front fairing 

with its large biplane winglet design. 

It looks even meaner than the standard 

Tuono, all thanks to the MotoGP inspired 

winglets - and we personally think the 

Aprilia MotoGP bike is a stunner!!! 

The parts used to develop this machine 

are obviously, top-of-the-line and also 

MotoGP inspired. Anchoring this beast 

comes from the combined braking force 

of a set of Brembo GP4-MS calipers, 

mated to Brembo T-Drive discs and a 

19x16mm Brembo master cylinder. The 

Noale team also fitted Marchesini forged 

magnesium rims to the Tuono V4 X, clad 

in track-ready slick tyres, of course. 

APRILIA TUONO V4 X 

A 221hp track only weapon that even has wings... yes please! 

Oh how we love it when manufatirers 

go crazy and release 

machine like this, and the Italians 

are the best at doing it! 

The Aprilia Tuono is and has 

been at the forefront of the 

beauty that is naked sportbikes, 

and after the release of 

the superbike Aprilia RSV4 X 

lst year, Aprilia have decided 

to add some extra spice to 

their already very spicy Tuono 

V4 100 model. 

The beauty that you see before 

you is a limited-edition, 

track-only version of the 

standard Tuono. The only 

thing which puts us off is that 

it is going to be limited to only 

10 units. Only 10 units of this 

Italian awesomeness? It’s a 

shame! 

Aprilia is renowned for blessing 

the Tuono series of motorcycles 

from the same ingredients 

which make the RSV4 a 

formidable player in its segment. 

And they have done it 

again by wedging the 1,077cc 

version of its V4 engine found 

on the RSV4 1100 Factory into 

the frame of the Tuono. 

This limited edition sheds 

around 18 kg from its streetlegal 

counterpart and now 

weighs a measly 166 kg. If that 

doesn’t make you jump from 

your seats, the power output 

definitely will. This carbonfibre 

clad piece of art puts 

out 221 horsepower at the

NEWS 

DESK 

The Aprilia Tuono V4 X has to be one of the 

coolest naked bikes we have ever seen, 

and it’s such a pity that the world will only be 

graced with 10 of these Italian masterpieces. 

The standard switchgear has 

made way for a pod of racing 

buttons on each handlebar. 

The controls too, are billet 

aluminium pieces. Other 

performance bits include the 

Öhlins semi-active electronic 

suspension and an up/down 

quickshifter. 

Aprilia has also introduced a 

track configuration of the Tuono 

V4’s electronics (including 

a new dash layout). How have 

we not talked about that gorgeous 

paint job yet? Aprilia 

has gone retro with the colour 

scheme, using the famous 

“Bol d’Or” livery that was used 

in the 2006 endurance race on 

the Aprilia RSV1000R Factory. 

The Tuono V4 X is priced at 

41,500 dollars, roughly translating 

to R800k - yes that is a 

ridiculous amount of money, 

but if we had it, Aprilia could 

gladly take it!

NEWS 

DESK 

and resistance and in this respect 

it is placed between the 

well-known DLC coating (Diamond 

Like Carbon) and pure 

diamond. In contrast to the 

metal surfaces used so far, the 

coating with the ta-C industrial 

diamond does not wear off. 

At the same time, this type of 

coating also offers a drastically 

reduced friction coefficient. 

Thanks to excellent dry lubrication 

properties and the 

elimination of wear, the tetrahedral 

amorphous carbon 

coated rollers of the M Endurance 

chain offer maintenance 

comfort equivalent to that 

of a shaft drive motorcycle. 

This includes all the cleaning 

work that is unavoidable with 

a conventional chain due to 

splashed lubricant. Accordingly, 

the M Endurance chain 

also offers maximum environmental 

friendliness. 

The M Endurance chain in 525 

pitch is now available initially 

for the two 4-cylinder models 

BMW S 1000 RR and S 1000 

XR. The M Endurance chain 

is available as accessory or 

directly from the factory as 

an option. Further BMW Motorrad 

models are being prepared 

for this feature. 

BMW MOTORRAD PRESENTS M 

ENDURANCE CHAIN. 

Lubricating your chain was yesterday. Maintenance-free like 

the shaft drive for the first time. 

For more than 90 years, the 

maintenance-free, environmentally 

friendly and comfortable 

shaft drive has been 

one of BMW Motorrad’s immovable 

technical cornerstones. 

With the M Endurance 

chain, BMW Motorrad now offers 

a maintenance-free chain 

with comparable characteristics 

for the first time. 

Like previous X-ring chains, 

the M Endurance chain has 

a resident permanent lubricant 

filling between the rollers 

and pins, enclosed by X-rings. 

What is completely new, however, 

is that the previously 

necessary additional lubricant 

addition for the rollers and 

thus the familiar “chain lubrication” 

is no longer necessary, 

nor is any re-tensioning required 

from time to time due 

to the usual wear. 

This enormous gain in comfort 

was made possible by 

using a new coating material 

for the rollers: tetrahedrally 

amorphous carbon (ta-C), 

also known as industrial diamond. 

This coating is characterized 

by extreme hardness

NEWS 

DESK 

HRC 

REVEALS 

MARQUEZ 

TO BE OUT 

FOR UP 

TO THREE 

MORE 

MONTHS 

Title chances evaporate for 

Repsol Honda’s defending 

MotoGP champion. 

Reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez will 

be sidelined for up to three more months – potentially 

putting him out for the entire season – as 

he continues to recover from his broken upperarm 

sustained at Jerez 1. 

Marquez, 27, fractured his right humerus in the 

opening round of the delayed 2020 championship 

and attempted to ride at Jerez 2 just days 

after undergoing surgery, but sat out the race. 

Damage to the titanium plate prior to Brno 

meant that Marquez would be sidelined for an 

extended period, but it was expected he would 

be fit for Misano in mid-September. 

Instead, his earliest 

return will be mid-October, 

otherwise November. 

“There has been a lot of talk 

about Marc’s recovery and the 

various deadlines, but from 

the first day after the second 

operation we have said that 

the only objective that exists 

is for him to be 100 percent,” 

commented Repsol Honda 

team manager Alberto Puig. 

Marquez’s title chances have 

now evaporated completely, 

meaning he will lose the title 

for only the second time 

since stepping up to MotoGP 

in 2013. This year’s condensed 

season is scheduled to conclude 

on 20-22 November at 

Portimao, Portugal. 

Despite ongoing suggestion 

that Marquez could in fact be 

suffering from nerve damage 

at this point, Honda hasn’t 

confirmed that is the case. 

“The MotoGP world champion, 

together with HRC, have 

consulted with and compared 

the opinions of a number 

of specialists in regard 

to the injury to the humerus 

of the right arm,” a segment 

read. “As a result, all parties 

have decided to modify the 

planned recovery process. 

“The objective of both Marquez 

and the Repsol Honda 

Team is to return to the world 

championship when Marc’s 

arm has fully recovered from 

the serious injury that occurred 

in Jerez. 

“It is estimated it will take between 

two to three months 

before Marc can return to the 

RC213V. HRC has not set a 

grand prix for the return of the 

reigning world champion and 

will continue to report on the 

evolution of his recovery.” 

Source: cycleonline.com.au/

Please make no attempt to imitate the illustrated riding scenes, always wear protective clothing and observe the applicable provisions of the road traffic regulations! 

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

Photo: R. Schedl

MV RUSH 1000 

PRODUCTION 

BEGINS 

From MV’s hands to yours! 

The art of handcrafting the 

wildest dreams into reality 

is defined by the MV Agusta 

RUSH 1000. 

Currently, the MV Agusta 

RUSH 1000 is top priority 

on the production line to get 

these bikes to their rightful 

new owners!

Brad Binder first 

made his mark 

in Grand Prix 

racing in the 

Moto3 class in 

2016 where at 

the third round of the Moto3 

championship in Jerez, Spain, 

the South African won his 

first ever Moto3 race starting 

from last on the grid. Binder 

went on to win the Moto3 

World Title that year with 4 

races left in the season. It was 

something that made people 

think that this youngster 

might have what it takes to 

make it in the premier class 

one day. 

After winning the Moto3 

world championship Binder 

moved up to the intermediate 

Moto2 class with Red Bull 

KTM and had a difficult season 

as a result of breaking his 

arm in a crash during winter 

testing. In 2018 things started 

to go Binder’s way once 

again with the South African 

scoring his first win at the 

German Grand Prix. It would 

be the first win of many in 

the intermediate class. The 

first half of the 2019 season 

was difficult for Binder due 

to issues that KTM had with 

their 2019 Chassis and the 

introduction of the Triumph 

765 engines. At about the 

halfway point of the season 

KTM reverted back to their 

2018 Chassis and, just like 

that, Brad Binder was once 

again back to winning ways. 

By making up a large points 

deficit to the championship 

leaders Binder was able to 

finish only 3 points behind 

eventual championship winner 

Alex Marquez. 

After the two races in Jerez 

it was clear that while Binder 

was still learning the ropes 

of the big bikes, he had the 

talent and speed to become 

a top 10 regular on the KTM. 

The weekend of the Brno GP 

Brad seemed to have decent 

pace throughout the practice 

sessions and managed 

to qualify a brilliant 7th place 

for Sunday’s race. 

Binder got a relatively average 

start but managed 

to quickly find his way up 

the field after finding a gap 

around the outside through 

the first corner leaving him 

on the inside for Turn two. In 

an exclusive interview Binder 

showed that he is an experienced, 

calm and composed 

rider, saying that “the start 

was pretty chilled”. Binder 

then went around the outside 

of his KTM teammate 

Pol Espargaro to take fourth 

position.

“In an exclusive 

interview with 

Rob Portman and 

Donovan Fourie, 

Brad Binder said 

“I’ve never gone into 

a race not planning 

on winning” and he 

proved that at Brno 

where he made the 

best of opportunities 

that came his way...” 

Shortly after that Binder 

passed the Aprilia Rider and 

brother to Pol, Aleix Espargaro 

to claim the first of three 

podium spots. The Flying 

Frenchman Fabio Quatararo 

was up next and Binder disposed 

of the two-time race 

winner with relative ease to 

put himself up into 2nd place. 

Brad Binder then began to 

hunt down race leader Franco 

Morbidelli like the predator 

that he is. After a few laps 

it was clear that Binder had 

far superior pace to the Italian, 

catching the Petronas 

Yamaha rider after only a few 

laps. Binder then made the 

pass that would change his 

life forever, the pass for first, 

and the rest as they say was 

history. Brad Binder went on 

to take what is already considered 

a famous victory 

by an impressive margin of 

more than five seconds and 

become the First South African 

to win in the premier 

class of MotoGP. 

In an exclusive interview 

with Rob Portman and Donovan 

Fourie, Brad Binder 

said “I’ve never gone into a 

race not planning on winning” 

and he proved that 

at Brno where he made the 

best of opportunities that 

came his way, capitalised on 

the tyre issues of others and 

was prepared to fight for 

the win if he had to. Binders 

win also says a lot, not only 

about him as a rider, but 

about the confidence he has 

in the KTM MotoGP project. 

After being with the KTM 

project since 2016 he has 

seen how they have grown 

and has realised that they 

are making phenomenal progress 

when you consider the 

relatively young age of the 

team. In the same interview 

Binder praised KTM for giving 

him a bike that he said 

surprised him throughout the 

race. In the interview Binder 

spoke very Highly of his team 

calling them “the most legendary 

crew ever.” Binder 

said that on the Friday he

wasn’t feeling comfortable 

on the bike and told his team. 

They set right to work fixing 

the problem and had it fixed 

before he went out on track 

for Saturday’s practice sessions 

and qualifying. 

Brad Binder along with 

many other riders that weekend 

expressed concern as 

they had no idea what would 

happen to the tyres in the 

last 8 laps. As we now know 

Binder had no major tyre issues 

towards the end of race 

and was able to easily 

manage and build 

on the gap that he 

had built. Binder said 

though, that he had 

misread his pit board 

as saying he had a half 

a second gap and not 

the five second gap 

that he actually had 

and so he kept pushing 

until the very end. 

The South African GP 

winner said that the 

last three laps of the Brno 

Grand Prix were in his view 

the three most perfect laps 

he had ever ridden. Binder 

also said that he told himself 

“Hey, chill out” in an attempt 

to stay composed towards 

the end of the race. 

Brad Binder has always 

been a rider who prefers to 

lead rather than follow because 

then he says he can be 

in control. Looking at him race 

it shows, with him being so 

comfortable at the front of all 

the races he has won throughout 

his career so far, but when 

talking about his Brno win the 

new king of KTM said he was 

on another planet and that 

it took him a while to realise 

that he had just won his first 

premier class Grand Prix. He 

did eventually realise though 

when he saw his brother, Darryn 

Binder, and the CIP Moto3 

team waiting at turn one and 

said to himself “Holy Sh!t, I’ve 

just won my first GP!” 

There are many things that 

are special about Brad Binder’s 

first premier class win but 

perhaps one of the most special 

for Binder is receiving the 

famous nod of approval from 

Mr MotoGP himself, Valentino 

Rossi. On Binders cooldown 

lap, after celebrating with his 

brother, the Doctor pulled up 

next to MotoGP’s newest winner 

and doffed his proverbial 

hat to the young South African 

showing that The Doctor 

approved of what had just 

happened. This is perhaps one 

of the biggest compliments a 

fellow rider could receive from 

Rossi. With Binder saying “It’s 

something I’ll never forget” 

What a lot of people have 

forgotten is that only two 

weeks before winning his 

first GP Binder had a massive 

high side going into 

the Jorge Lorenzo corner at 

Jerez with the bike then hitting 

him in the ribs. What this 

means is that Binder won 

his first GP while not fully 

fit which makes what he did 

that much more spectacular! 

“There are many things that are special 

about Brad Binder’s first premier class 

win but perhaps one of the most special 

for Binder is receiving the famous nod 

of approval from Mr. MotoGP himself, 

Valentino Rossi.” 

In the interview with Moto 

Rider World Brad Binder 

spoke about the Covid-19 situation 

and how that affected 

him as well as how he prepared 

himself for the 2020 

Season in terms of training. 

He said that when he first 

rode the GP bike it was crazy 

how much effort it took to 

ride the bike properly. When 

Covid-19 hit the riders had 

more time. Binder took that 

time and used it wisely while 

locked down in South Africa 

and says that he trained

harder than he has ever trained in 

order to be fit enough to ride the 

MotoGP bike regardless of the 

conditions that he might come 

across in the reshuffled 2020 

calendar. This showed during the 

two GP’s at Jerez where temperatures 

were significantly hotter 

than usual and so peak physical 

fitness was very important. 

The 2020 MotoGP season is 

shaping up to be one of the most 

unpredictable seasons in recent 

history due to the absence of 

the dominant force that is Marc 

Marquez and the lack of any one 

dominant rider now. With Brad 

Binder’s victory in Brno and his 

very mature ride to 4th place 

in what was a drama filled Austrian 

GP this past weekend he 

is now sitting in 4th place in the 

championship standings and the 

question has to be asked, Does 

the South African have a shot at 

the 2020 MotoGP world championship? 

In short, yes, but so do a 

number of other riders with a lot 

more experience than the rookie 

from Potchefstroom. 

Binder ended the interview 

with Rob Portman and Donovan 

Fourie by sincerely thanking 

everyone who had been supporting 

him over the years such 

as his parents, girlfriend etc. and 

went on to thank the South African 

fans for constantly cheering 

him on throughout his career. 

The interview with the newly 

nicknamed Giraffe King showed 

that while we as fans put these 

MotoGP superstars on a pedestal, 

they can still be normal, cool, 

down to earth guys. 

Nevertheless, Brad Binder’s victory 

at Brno united a country in a 

time when South Africa needed 

it. In the space of 45 minutes 

Brad Binder went from, that guy 

who rides bikes, to a MotoGP 

winner in the eyes of South Africans 

who had never, before that 

day, even heard of MotoGP. 

As a South African who is a 

true fan of the sport, I have had 

the privilege of watching Brad 

Binder make his way through the 

different classes, going toe to 

toe with the best motorcycle racers 

in the world and consistently 

beating them. Brad Binder may 

not win the 2020 MotoGP world 

championship, but it would be 

very difficult for anyone to argue 

that he is not a future MotoGP 

Champion.

“Honestly, right now, I’m lost for words. I’ve 

dreamt of this since I was a little boy and 

today it came true. It is amazing to win my 

first GP [in MotoGP]. Thank you to everybody 

who supported me, and the whole team; they 

put an insane motorcycle beneath me today! 

I didn’t know if we could win but I knew we 

would have a go. It was the craziest ten laps 

of my life at the end. I was being as soft as I 

could. It was incredible. Unbelievable.” 

SA’S VERY OWN 

SUPER HERO!

Brad Binder’s truly memorable 

ride into the history 

books and then his immaculate 

calm TV interview with 

Simon Crafar in the Brno pit 

lane afterwards made me 

smile. Memories of another 

great South African World 

Champion, the Brno road circuit 

and the apprenticeship 

as a Grand Prix reporter. 

Forty years ago, I travelled 

to report on the Czechoslovakian 

Grand Prix on the old 

Brno road circuit. It was my 

first season as a Grand Prix 

reporter, and I was keen, very 

keen, too keen. There was 

massive interest in the 350- 

cc race which was the penultimate 

round of the Championship. 

It was a fight between 

the toughest Grand Prix rider 

I have ever met, South African 

Jon Ekerold and the talented 

German Toni Mang. Privateer 

Ekerold arrived at the 10.920 

kms road circuit on a sweltering 

afternoon with a 14-point 

lead in the Championship. It 

was not easy for a South African 

to get a visa to race in 

Czechoslovakia. 

His two Bimoto Yamaha 

mechanics had been refused 

entry and he only managed 

to get a precious visa because 

he had inherited a Norwegian 

passport from his father. 

Ekerold looked so much 

the likely World Champion 

as he trailed leader Mang 

through the villages, corn 

fields and forest. Suddenly 

the Champion elect started 

to slow, which we discovered 

later was with a broken piston 

ring. He limped home in 

tenth place, with Mang’s victory 

ensuring the pair would 

go into the final round in 

Germany on equal points. 

I was first there with pen 

and notebook in hands as Ekerold 

limped into the pits and 

took off his helmet. Others 

with a bit more experience 

and nouse than the novice 

waited for the dust to settle. 

I had dived in as Jon was 

still removing his helmet with 

a breathless enquiry about 

why he had slowed and how 

he felt about not winning 

the World title. His reply was 

unprintable, and he made it 

very clear what he thought 

about me. 

A week later I drove to an 

iconic venue for the final 

round of the 350 cc World 

Championship. The Nürburgring 

road circuit nestling in 

the Eifel mountains was on 

its last legs. As I drove into 

the paddock Jon Ekerold was 

waiting for me at the gate. 

I was ready for another ear 

bashing but instead he apologised 

for his outburst, said 

he was out of order and I was 

only doing my job and shook 

my hand. He then went out 

to produce a ride of pure genius 

and guts that you had to 

be there to appreciate. 

His victory over Mang 

brought him that World title 

and left me with memories I 

will never forget. His last lap 

between the trees and barriers 

that lined the 22.835 kms 

deteriorating surface was one 

of the greatest single laps I 

have ever witnessed. His last 

lap would have qualified him 

in second place on the 500cc 

grid and his race time would 

have placed him fourth in the 

500cc race. 

Onto Austria on Sunday and 

I loved both the old Salzburgring 

and in recent years to 

the similar picturesque location 

of the Red Bull Ring. The 

Salzburgring was special especially 

watching those 500cc 

grand prix motorcycles at 

such a high speed. It was the 

ultimate amphitheatre for riders 

to show not only skill but 

so much nerve and courage. 

A little Alpine stream used 

to trickle between the trees 

past the media centre and a 

family ran the communication 

service, charging extortionate 

prices. Upset Mother, Father 

and especially Daughter and 

there was no chance of copy 

being filed. 

In 1983 Kenny Roberts was 

fighting like a true champion 

to win back the World title he 

had last won three years earlier. 

It was a crucial sixth round 

of his fight with Freddie Spencer 

at the Salzburging. I had 

organised with Yamaha that 

if he won, the presenter back 

in London could interview him 

live for BBC Radio at the end 

of his victory lap on the finish 

line before he went to the 

podium. Kenny completed his 

part of the deal perfectly. A 

classic six second win over Eddie 

Lawson and he stopped in 

front of me, took off his helmet 

and put on the headphones 

ready to speak to the BBC. 

Unfortunately, the people 

back in London had not 

grasped the situation. Instead 

of coming straight to 

Kenny they asked him if he 

would mind waiting a couple 

of minutes because they 

were doing a cricket round 

up around the county club 

grounds. Kenny may have 

just completed 131.440 kms 

at over 190 kph but he never 

lost that wicked sense of humour. 

He asked them if that 

was the same game of cricket 

in which the match can 

last five days and still end in a 

draw. Kenny waited, the rostrum 

ceremony waited and 

eventually the interview with 

the winner was completed. 

Four decades later and I am 

still learning.

Beirer started the interview 

by addressing the journalists, 

saying “I don’t know 

what to say, as you can imagine 

I’m still smiling from Sunday” 

referring to Sunday’s fantastic win for 

the Austrian manufacturer. He went 

on to say how proud he was of the 

KTM MotoGP project because they 

started with nothing, to a design, to a 

bike that wasn’t competitive, to now, 

becoming a team that has won a MotoGP 

race and which appears to be 

more competitive than ever. 

The first question asked by one of 

the eager journalists raised the topic 

of whether or not KTM is ready to 

lose their concessions (Concessions 

being the special privileges that newer, 

less competitive teams are given 

to help bridge the gap to the bigger 

teams). This is an interesting question, 

because now that KTM is becoming 

a more serious threat to the 

podium regulars, the loss of concessions 

is something that the Austrian 

factory will have to consider. 

Beirer said that he had not even 

thought about the fact that KTM 

might lose their concessions but 

made it very clear that if it were to 

happen, he and KTM would take it 

as a compliment. It would show that 

they have reached the level of competitiveness 

that they aimed to reach 

at the beginning of the project. 

Beirer goes on to say that KTM are 

ready to lose their concessions and 

that it would not affect them very 

much. Beirer then mentions that despite 

the win from premier class rookie, 

Brad Binder, at Brno, the target 

stays the same. Their target, he says, 

is to have more than one bike in the 

top 10 positions come the chequered 

flag on a Sunday. More specifically 

though, to achieve this goal not because 

people have crashed in front of 

them, but rather because they have 

the pace to run in those positions, 

and fight to stay in those positions. 

The next question asked was about 

the fact that over the last 3 years 

KTM seemed to have been making

small, incremental improvements 

with each new version of the RC-16. 

However, it seems that they have now 

made a huge step forward in the performance 

and rideability of their bike. 

Pit replied by saying that over the last 

few years they have been criticized 

for building a bike that only Pol Espargaro 

could ride, 

with critics saying 

that Espargaro was 

risking his life for the 

Austrian factory. He 

acknowledged that 

this is partially true, 

which is why he 

has a lot of respect 

for Pol Espargaro. 

He said, “the Target 

from the beginning was to build a 

bike which is ridable not for one rider 

but for more riders”. 

Beirer goes on to say that he has 

never been disappointed with the 

performance of their bike, because 

at every stage of its development 

they were as fast as they could have 

been. At the end of 2018, KTM made 

the decision to stop the process of 

bringing small upgrades that make 

small differences to almost every race 

weekend. Rather, KTM began the development 

of the 2020 bike as early 

“The target from the 

beginning was to build a bike 

which is ridable not for one 

rider but for more riders”. 

as possible in 2019 so that their 2020 

bike would be a much bigger step up. 

Pit Beirer said that after a lot of testing 

with the test riders Dani Pedrosa 

and Mika Kallio, they could see that 

the 2020 bike was better. 

Then the Coronavirus hit the world. 

Beirer said that he constantly had to 

convince the board of directors, the 

team and the riders that the new bike 

was better and that they would see 

this as soon as racing got under way. 

After the performances, we’ve seen 

so far out of KTM at Jerez, Brno and 

Red Bull Ring, I think it’s fair to say 

that he was right. 

The next journalist, like all the others 

before, congratulated Pit on 

KTM’s first win. They went on to ask 

how big of a role Dorna (the owners 

of MotoGP) had played in KTM’s journey, 

apart from all the hard work that 

KTM put into the project. Pit responded 

with a small chuckle and said that 

a few years ago you could have been 

two seconds off the pace and still 

pick up a point. Now however, things 

have become a lot more competitive, 

and one second can cover 20 riders. 

It is thanks to the rules that Dorna 

have implemented over the years that 

this has happened. Beirer goes on to 

say that Dorna have set up the rules 

in such a way to allow each manufacturer 

to build a unique bike. A bike 

that captures the essence of the project 

and allows for some individuality 

but, at the same time have kept the 

rules strict enough so that no one 

team can massively outperform another. 

He also mentions that Dorna 

gave them a very warm welcome into 

the MotoGP. 

It is done that way so that the racing 

is more about the rider than the 

bike. That being said though there are 

definitely some bikes that are superior 

to others. Take Honda and Aprilia 

for example. 

The next Question raised is, in my 

opinion, a rather interesting one. The 

journalist asks Beirer how many testing 

days they had planned for the 

season and asked whether or not the 

Coronavirus outbreak had affected 

their plans. He replied by saying that

“He is a 

prototype of a 

special racer, 

we love him”. 

the Austrian Factory try to go testing once a 

month under normal circumstances. Now personally 

I had no idea that KTM were allowed 

to test that much. Beirer said that they went 

two months without testing but that KTM are 

at the level where they don’t need the extra 

testing and can cope with a stricter testing 

schedule like the bigger teams. 

KTM and Aprilia are the two newest manufacturers 

to MotoGP and so it is interesting 

to compare their progress so far. When answering 

a question about whether or not KTM 

feels like they are better than Aprilia Beirer responded 

firmly saying that “there are no bad 

bikes or bad riders in MotoGP” and went on 

to say that KTM were making waves in the 

smaller classes and were invited to show what 

they could do in the premier class. But there 

is no substitute for experience and KTM have 

slowly been accumulating data so that each 

year they become better and better. 

The next journalist asked whether or not it 

felt more special to win with a rider who had 

been through the different world champion- 

ship classes with KTM (Brad Binder). 

Pit replied that he had two hearts on 

the subject. On one hand, purely because 

of the dedication and time that 

he put into the project, Pol Espargaro 

should have been the rider to get 

KTM’s first win because “in bad and 

good days he was fighting like a lion 

for us” He goes on to say that on the 

other hand to win with Brad Binder 

is the nicest thing you can reach as a 

race team and sport manager. “it was 

a huge satisfaction to do it with Brad” 

Beirer Said. Beirer also said that breaking 

into Moto2 was difficult as it is a 

highly competitive class, but he plead 

with KTM’s board of directors to do 

it so that they didn’t lose their world 

champion from Moto3. Now, while Pit 

Beirer never actually says Brad Binders 

name, it’s rather heavily implied 

that he is talking about Binder. 

Rob Portman from Moto Rider 

World then got his turn to talk and 

asked what exactly Brad had brought 

to the KTM MotoGP project. Beirer 

made it very clear that you can’t develop 

a bike with a rookie and that 

not until this year have KTM had a 

bike that was ‘rookie friendly’ so Brad 

Binder came into the team at a good 

time. He also says that Binder is an 

experienced rider and as a result is 

capable of telling the team what he 

needs in order to make the most of 

what the KTM has to offer. According 

to Pit, from the beginning Binder 

said that he liked the bike and that at 

Jerez, Brad was sure that KTM had 

the best package of any other team. 

Pit Beirer then said something that 

will make all South African motorsport 

fans burst with pride. When referring 

to Brad Binder, Pit said “He is a prototype 

of a special racer, we love him”. 

Beirer also said that Brad can be two 

people, he is a gentle, nice and relaxed 

guy and that if you look at Brads parents 

that makes sense because that is 

what his family is like. When it comes 

down to business though, Brad is a 

fighter like no other and will always 

give everything that he has. 

Throughout the Interview Pit gives 

some amazing insight into the workings 

of the KTM MotoGP project and 

says some amazing things about the 

young man from Potchefstroom. I’m 

sure that there will be many more of 

these comments coming in the future 

as Brad Binder and KTM continue to 

build on their momentum from Brno.

Congratulations to Brad Binder and the Red Bull KTM Factory 

Racing Team who captured their first win at the Czech MotoGP. 

This historic victory marked the first premier-classwin for both 

Binder and KTM. #ORANGEMOTOGP

She’s expensive 

Even if you say it quickly, 

R499,000 is a lot of money, 

making the Brutale 1000RR 

the most expensive naked 

bike on the market. Ducati’s 

Streetfighter V4 S, arguably 

MV’s closest competition, 

also comes with semi-active 

Öhlins suspension and 

205bhp but is under 400k at 

R359,500, and Aprilia’s Tuono, 

also with semi-active suspension, 

is even cheaper at 

R315,000. Yes, you could argue 

the MV has more exclusivity 

and that with all its carbon 

and other goodies, is the 

most eye-catching. But the 

Ducati is also new for 2020 

as well as R139,500 cheaper. 

“The new mv Brutale 1000RR is the 

most advanced mv to date, and its 

titanium rodded engine now wants 

to rev higher and create even more 

power: a quoted 205 Italian horses.” 

Meanwhile, MV dealers up 

and down the country will be 

saying, you’re buying into the 

image, brand and exclusivity. 

If you want a Rolex, you must 

pay Rolex money. 

Power and torque 

It’s crazy to think that if you 

don’t’ have over 200bhp in 

the super naked class then 

you’re turning up to a gunfight 

with a knife. MV has really 

pushed the boundaries 

with the 998cc Brutale now 

producing a quoted 205bhp 

at 13,000rpm. To put that in 

perspective, the new MV is 

on par with Ducati’s Streetfighter, 

which, remember, has 

a larger capacity (1103cc) and 

way ahead of Aprilia’s Tuono, 

which produces ‘just’ 173bhp. 

Where do I start with the 

dramatic MV Agusta Brutale 

1000RR? It looks like it’s doing 

a million miles an hour stood 

still. I can’t remember a recent 

bike that is so dramatic, individual 

and, perhaps because 

it says MV Agusta on the fuel 

tank, exclusive. I spent nearly 

a week with the MV yet was 

still admiring it and finding 

new parts to fall in love with 

when I gave it back. From the 

front, the distinctive Porschelike 

headlights mean it’s immediately 

identifiable as a 

Brutale. The cut away rear 

seat section featuring fourprotruding 

silencers and a 

sculpted swing-arm combine 

to make one of the best rear 

ends on the market… But, like 

everything exclusive and Italian, 

the MV comes at a price 

– an eye-watering R499,000. 

It’s not just about the looks, 

though. The new MV Brutale 

1000RR is the most advanced 

MV to date, and its titanium 

rodded engine now wants to 

rev higher and create even 

more power: a quoted 205 

Italian horses. I couldn’t wait 

to find out if the 2020 Brutale 

went as fast as it looks, 

which is why we headed to 

Italy to find out both on road 

and track, flicking between 

Pirelli road and slick tyres to 

get a real flavour for this Italian 

beauty. Yes it’s a tough job 

but someone has to do it.

That relatively small 998cc 

capacity and the inherent engine 

characteristics of an inline 

four-cylinder mean that 

maximum torque – 116.5Nm 

at 11,000rpm – is reasonably 

high in the rev range, 

and only bettered by larger 

capacity bikes in this category. 

In comparison to other 

1000cc naked machines, it’s 

way ahead. 

MV has achieved this impressive 

output through a 

series of engine improvements, 

the main and the 

most expensive being the 

introduction of titanium 

conrods, which allow the 

engine to spin faster and 

higher. There are also new 

valve guides and camshafts, 

which allow new timings on 

both the exhaust and intake 

valves. Lubrication has been 

improved, and the amount of 

oil needed for the engine has 

been reduced. 

The screaming inline-four 

now breathes via a new airbox 

which is fed from longer 

air-intakes. And the tuned engine 

now releases its gases via 

a stunning four-into-one into 

exhaust system which is made 

in partnership with Arrow. 

There’s new ride-by-wire fuelling 

with double injectors and 

four rider modes (Sport, Race, 

Rain, and a Custom mode). 

Time to ride 

Thankfully the four-into-one 

then back-into-four exhaust 

sounds as good as it looks. 

MV doesn’t know how to 

make a bike sound dull. It’s 

passed Euro-4 homologation 

yet sounds fantastic. At 

low rpm there is a distinctive 

burble, it sounds mechanical, 

soulful and very Italian, not 

bland or near-silent like some 

Japanese bikes. On large 

throttle openings, from low 

in the revs you can hear the 

air-box breath, you can feel 

it gasp for air, ready to fire 

you forward. Dance on the 

fluid and fast up-and-down 

quick-shifter, get the revs 

building, and boy does the 

RR let out a scream. The MV 

loves to rev, maximum power 

is at 13,000rpm, but will continue 

revving a little more. I’d 

forgotten how much in-line 

four-cylinder machines enjoy 

“At low rpm there is a distinctive 

burble, it sounds mechanical, soulful 

and very Italian, not bland or nearsilent 

like some Japanese bikes.”

evs and, now with lighter internals 

like titanium rods and 

less friction from new pistons, 

this one is more than willing 

to sing a high-revving chorus. 

However, there is a flip side 

to all this, and that is the lack 

of drive and torque lower 

down in the rev range. Below 

6000rpm there isn’t a 

lot going on and the party 

doesn’t really get started 

to 8000rpm. Yes, it will pull 

away cleanly from low in the 

rpm, but not with any real urgency 

and it feels laboured. 

For rapid acceleration 

from low speed, exiting 

a low corner, or for 

a quick overtake past 

slow-moving vehicles, 

you need to flick back a 

gear or two. 

Thankfully the gearbox 

in partnership with 

the up-and-down quickshifter 

is effortless and 

smooth, but on a few 

road occasions I felt 

short-changed and wished 

I’d flicked back another gear 

or maybe two. Not ideal for 

the road. While I’m knocking 

myself off the MV Christmas 

party list, the fuelling is okay 

but not perfect, which is what 

you’d expect for a 499-grand 

bike. Race mode is too way 

too sharp and aggressive for 

the road, and Rain feels like 

you’re towing a caravan. MV 

has historically had niggles 

with fuelling, and this has improved 

hugely over the years, 

and their fuel injection has 

improved on every model I’ve 

ridden, but so has the competition, 

for whom fuelling isn’t 

even an issue. 

Arguably, this F4 Superbikebased 

café racer, complete 

with bar-end mirrors, was 

never intended to for meandering 

about on or even for 

commuting into town. Instead, 

tuck in, lie on the tank 

and make it scream. On track, 

you shouldn’t really let the 

revs drop below 8000rpm. 

Simply keep it pinned and ride 

it like a 600 by only changing 

gear when you venture near 

the rev-limiter. 

When the revs are in the 

top third of the range, this 

is one fast naked. 200bhp 

was enough to win in British 

Superbike a few seasons 

ago, now it’s driving a an unfaired 

road bike. And when 

you ride it hard acceleration 

doesn’t seem to tail off, it just 

keeps revving and accelerating. 

Even when you tap into 

top it shows no sign of tailing 

off. Occasionally I was seeing 

265-270kph on the fullcolour 

digital speed and still 

accelerating, revs still rising. 

Mind you, it’s not easy to 

see the updated TFT dash 

because they are too close to 

the fuel cap, angled up and 

hard to read. The dropped 

bars, however, work perfectly 

at high speeds, and you can 

get really tucked in, arse up 

against the sculpted pillion 

seat, with toes on pegs. Even 

at 240kph it was bearable, 

which is what you can’t say 

on most hyper-naked bikes. 

“200hp was enough to win in British 

superbike a few seasons ago, now it’s 

driving an unfaired road bike. And 

when you ride it hard acceleration 

doesn’t seem to tail off, it just keeps 

revving and accelerating.” 

Handling 

Like the engine, there are 

two stories to the chassis 

and handling. Historically MV 

has always scored highly in 

the handling stakes, especially 

on the track, but have 

been let down in real world 

performance on the road. It’s 

a similar story for the new 

2020 Brutale RR, despite being 

more user friendly than 

ever (if you can call a naked 

205bhp superbike ‘friendly’). 

It’s still harsh on the road. 

Even in the softest mapping

Sport mode, the Öhlin’s semiactive 

suspension is harsh, 

especially the rear. The front 

isn’t too bad – there is the 

odd jolt over large imperfections 

– but the rear is noticeably 

harsh. This may be exacerbated 

by the narrow seat, 

or the lack of travel/sag in 

the rear shock – either way it 

causes uncomfortable jolting 

over bumps. I opted to soften 

the settings via the custom 

mode, which can be done on 

the dash, or via your phone 

using the MV Ride App. But 

again, even with the suspension 

softened, the rear was 

improved but still occasionally 

harsh and firm. On billiard 

table-smooth surfaces, up in 

the mountains on stunning 

roads which surround Mount 

Etna, it is not a problem. But 

in town, on poorly surfaced 

roads, it became a painful issue. 

Even on the motorway, 

I had to occasionally lift my 

bum off the seat to ease the 

pain whilst crossing poor 

over-banding on bridges. 

Again, you could reason that 

few owners will be riding a 

new R499k MV around town, 

and that it belongs on mountain 

passes and fast smooth 

roads. And yes, the front-end 

feeling is good, there’s a nice 

connection and feel as you 

roll into a corner. The racy, 

dropped bar position feels 

more natural at speed, and 

encourages you to hang off 

the inside. But then you hit a 

series of bumps and the rear 

jolts and you lose the confidence 

to push on, despite 

the excellent rider aids keeping 

you safe. 

On the track, where the surface 

is consistent and bumps 

are kept to a minimum, the 

MV comes together. It works. 

You can even flick into Race 

mode, which gives even more 

suspension support. 

On track the new Brutale is 

in its element and feels like a 

race bike with the bodywork 

removed. Ground clearance 

is huge, the dropped bars allow 

you to hang off naturally, 

knee brushing every apex. 

That huge power combined 

with taught suspension 

means the bike feels alive, 

though never unstable, even 

at very high speeds. There is 

a little movement in the bars, 

but nothing alarming which 

is impressive for a bike with 

a short wheelbase and so 

much drive. 

You sit more in the bike, out 

of the wind, and it’s less physical 

than most naked bikes – 

the best compliment I can bestow 

is that it feels and handles 

like a race bike with the bodywork 

removed. Everything 

works: peg positions, rear seat 

hump… you can really tuck in 

carry enormous corner speed 

with no fear of understeer like 

some naked bikes which push 

the front. Excellent. 

Time to stop 

All the ingredients are there: 

huge grip generated by Pirelli 

rubber, high quality Öhlins 

43mm semi-active forks, and 

the very latest Brembo Stylema 

Monobloc 4-piston calipers 

grabbing 320mm discs, 

all backed up with cornering 

ABS. On the road, just a brush 

of the span adjustable lever 

is enough to haul it up with 

precision and feel, but on the 

track the ABS is too intrusive 

and the re-intervention of 

the brakes is too slow. On the 

road, in protective jacket and 

jeans, I never really pushed 

on hard enough to test the 

stoppers, and I had no complaints. 

But on track, the ABS 

didn’t match the ‘high-tech’ 

feel of the rest of the bike. 

On the track, braking from 

260kph plus down to 80kph 

or less and the ABS was too 

intrusive and inconsistent. 

Sometimes there was a faint 

judder or pulsing in the lever, 

occasionally when a few 

bumps were thrown in to test 

the set-up is was a little more. 

I wanted to brake deep into 

the apex, trailing the brakes 

but the ABS, with this inconsistency, 

wouldn’t allow me 

to do this.

Rider aids keeping the wheels inline. 

As expected and in line with the 

competition, a 6-axis IMU now sits at 

the heart of operations, and communicates 

with the traction control and 

ABS braking. There are 8 -levels of 

TC, which can also be de-activated, 

again via the dash or your phone on 

the MV app. MV now call their antiwheelie 

‘front lift control’, and is remarkably 

similar. However, rather than 

dramatically cutting the power when 

the front wheel lifts from the road/ 

track, it will now hover slightly, or the 

forks will extend dramatically, power 

is reduced to ‘hold’ the wheelie, or lift 

rather than dramatically cutting the 

power, causing pitching as the front 

drops back to the track. There is also 

launch control as standard, plus that 

up-and-down quick-shifter and cruise 

control on the right bar. 

The rider aids, particularly the traction 

control, are excellent. On track, 

you don’t ‘feel’ them working, which 

is usually an indication of a smooth 

system. It’s worth noting that on track 

we ran Pirelli slicks and, on the road, 

conditions were perfect, this time 

grippy Pirelli Diablo Rosso tyres doing 

the work. It will be interesting to 

see how the rider aids perform in less 

than favourable conditions in winter. 

And as mentioned before, the fullcolour 

TFT dash is lovely to look at 

and reasonably easy to navigate, but 

on the move too close to the rider, 

and reflects the sunlight badly. This 

also makes it hard to see which mode 

you’re in and how much TC you’ve 

added or removed. 

The new Brutale 1000 RR is sold out 

worldwide and the one-and-only unit that 

did make it into SA has been delivered. 

Verdict 

There is so much to love and appreciate 

about MV Agusta’s new Brutale 

1000RR. The styling, for starters, is 

unique and sculpted like a work of art. 

It’s exotic, and owners will be buying 

into a unique brand. 

It is certainly the best MV Brutale to 

date with huge power and is thrilling 

engine performance towards the last 

third of the rev range. It handles like 

a race bike without bodywork, and 

the rider aids are the finest to grace 

an MV to date. On track it is wonderful 

to ride – exciting and involving – 

but there are drawbacks. On the road 

the rear is too harsh, even when you 

soften the electronic Öhlins suspension, 

the fuelling is a little harsh and 

the TFT dash, though attractive, is 

too close to the rider. And we’ve not 

mentioned the price. Yes, we always 

expect an MV to be slightly more than 

the competition, but close to R190k 

more than an Aprilia Tuono is a big 

pill to swallow. 

So yes, there is a lot to applaud. MV 

have clearly done their homework, 

and have made a stunning-looking 

naked that works superbly on the 

track. Would I love to own one? Yes, 

but only for long enough to make my 

friends envious. Would I purchase one 

over the cheaper, more road focused 

road competition? Sorry, no. 

TECH SPEC 

New price R499,000 

Capacity 998cc 

Bore x Stroke 79 x 50.9mm 

Power 205bhp @13,000rpm 

Torque 116.5Nm @11000rpm 

Wheelbase 1415mm 

Seat height 845mm 

Dry weight 186kg

Honda’s vision of building a 

superbike for the masses to 

enjoy had been commended 

by the overall public - a 

superbike for all to enjoy. It 

was a bike that had qualities 

both out on the road and on 

the track. Honda’s please-all 

approach had worked and 

this showed in bike sales 

across the world. 

Slowly but surely though, 

as their competitors released 

faster, more advanced 

machines, the Honda 

superbike public started 

taking note and those “Fire- 

Blade” privileges and bragging 

rights soon became a 

thing of the past, replaced 

with comments of shame 

and embarrassment instead. 

Honda’s approach of a ‘superbike 

for the masses’ to 

enjoy out on the road with 

good track abilities had hit 

its sell by date, and Blade 

fans held signs up in protest 

for a new machine; one that 

would bring their success 

and bragging rights from on 

the track in MotoGP to their 

KEY SPECS: 

ENGINE: 999cc, DOHC, liquid-cooled 

inline-four; 4 valves/cyl. 

BORE & STROKE: 81mm x 48.5mm 

MAX POWER: 201hp @ 14,000rpm 

MAX TORQUE: 108Nm @ 12,500rpm 

SEAT HEIGHT: 831mm 

WHEELBASE: 1455mm 

kerb weight: 201kg 

PRICE (EST): R380,000 base (est) 

R480,000 SP (est) 

*Power figures as per our dyno test

I had to keep reminding 

myself I was not Marc 

Marquez, even though 

the RR-R made me feel 

just like him. 

lips at a local track day or 

breakfast run. 

In the hands of the unassuming, 

general rider it was 

a hit, but to the track nutter 

wanting bragging rights it 

was lacking. 

They wanted to be able 

to adorn their bike with the 

famous wings logo with 

pride, rather than parking 

a mile away not to be seen 

and avoid all the verbal and 

shameful abuse. ‘Honda gives 

you wings’ was a great catch 

phrase, but that’s where it 

ended. Now, with the new 

FireBlade, it’s rather, Honda 

gives you wings to sore higher 

and faster than before. 

Fast forward to what seems 

like an eternity of hearing 

about a new FireBlade model 

coming and finally Honda’s 

fans can shout proudly once 

“But, as they say here in SA “a 

boer maak n ‘plan” and that’s 

exactly what Riaan Fourie and 

his team from Honda SA did.” 

again. I was lucky enough 

to have been the first journo 

in the country to sample 

the new machines a few 

months back. Both the new 

CBR1000RR-R and RR-R SP 

models blew me away with 

their new-found speed and 

sophistication. More power 

than ever before and a new 

aggression that had been 

lacking on previous models. 

The bikes were sublime, but 

I did have a few gripes, the 

biggest being the fact that 

the base RR-R model didn’t 

come standard with a quickshifter 

or autoblip. I mean, 

really? It’s 2020, how the 

hell does a big manufacturer 

like Honda release a R350k 

plus new weapon without a 

quickshifter and autoblip? 

It has just about everything 

else on – from riding modes 

to a 6-axis IMU – but they 

couldn’t see fit to just add 

a quickshifter and autoblip? 

Shame on you Honda! 

As they say here in SA “a 

boer maak n ‘plan” and that’s 

exactly what Riaan Fourie and 

his team from Honda SA did. 

They did their homework and

a bit lazy, think mainly 

down to fueling, but once 

it gets going there is not 

much out there right now 

that will compete with it 

- yes, the FireBlade could 

very well now be the fastest 

production bike on 

the market – haven’t been 

able to say that for a very 

long time now have we? 

The quickshifter and autoblip 

just adds even more 

flavour to the delicious 

ride the RR-R offers, and 

it helped smoothen out 

gear shifts that did feel a 

bit hesitant from the gearbox 

on the RR-R in the 

first test I did. It’s 2020 

Honda, using a clutch to 

change gears is a thing of 

the past and I suggest you 

listen to the team here at 

Honda SA who know the 

importance of having one 

fitted from standard. 

While Honda have manged 

to give their new production 

superbike machine 

plenty more power, 

they’ve also managed to 

keep the core of what has 

made it such a hit with 

fans around the world over 

the years, that being that 

oh-so-sweet handling and 

easy to operate and understand 

chassis. Although, 

they have made it a little 

less accommodating for 

taller riders, with the new 

higher pegs and slightly 

more racy, lower bars. This 

listened to what I had to say 

after that first test, slamming 

them for not having a quickshifter 

and autoblip, and also 

the fact that the gearing felt 

way too long. So, “the boer” 

made a plan and fitted shorter 

gearing, a genuine Honda 

quicksfiter with autoblip capabilities 

(which would have 

been an optional extra for 

customers) as well as some 

very cool looking original 

HRC carbon fiber bits to the 

base RR-R homologation 

model they have here in SA. 

He then invited myself, along 

with other journos to come 

out to Redstar Raceway and 

sample the new updated “SA 

Spec” RR-R. 

It didn’t take long for me to 

be grinning from ear to ear in 

my Scorpion helmet, screaming 

in pure delight, with a bit 

of fear thrown into the mix. 

“This thing is stupid fast, and with 

the now shorter gearing it pulls 

harder than ever before and 

carries that speed effortlessly.” 

This thing is stupid fast, and 

with the now shorter gearing 

it pulls harder than ever before 

and carries that speed 

effortlessly. There is power 

a plenty from 7000rpm onwards, 

below that it’s still

might feel a bit alien to those 

riders wanting a superbike for 

the long open road but for 

track riders it’s spot on – very 

Marc Marquez attach position. 

I’ve never ridden a Marc 

Marquez MotoGP Honda, and 

probably never will, but if I 

could imagine what the bike 

feels like I would say the new 

Blade is the closest thing. 

That poised to go fast riding 

position with a front end that 

thrives on being pushed to 

the limit, I found myself trying 

to impersonate the 8-times 

world champion out on track 

with my elbows out ready to 

slide on the tarmac. I soon realized 

that I am no Marc and 

my elbows were nowhere near 

the tar but nevertheless, the 

new CBR did its job perfectly 

and made me feel like I was 

the man himself in full flight. 

The handling on the new 

RR-R is glorious and on par, if 

not better than most of their 

competitors at the moment, 

and that’s saying something, 

considering we as the public 

are blessed with the likes of 

the new Yamaha R1 and Ducati 

Panigale V4R. 

Braking is stupendous, styling 

is eye-catching and modern, 

and it even has wings, 

something only a few in today’s 

market can say. 

Overall, the new Blade will 

impress all that are lucky 

enough to climb onboard and 

lends itself more so now than 

ever to the faster track rider 

looking to improve their laptimes. 

It’s all that was good 

from previous models just 

amplified, and now has the 

power to impress even the 

most stubborn critic and, with 

the tweaks made by the team 

here at Honda SA, has probably 

now made the new RR-R 

the best production sports 

bike on the market today! And 

that’s just the base model… 

Before, Honda focussed on 

making a bike that catered 

for riders out on the road 

and track, with a strong 

focus on comfort and ease 

of use. For the new model, 

there has definitely been 

more of a shift towards the 

track side, with hints of road 

riding thrown in. 

I remember a time when I 

used to scrape the standard 

foot pegs on previous gen 

FireBlades, but that will 

never happen in the new 

bike. The electronics are 

excellent in assisting and 

helping you get on with 

enjoying what is an awesome 

riding experience. 

Click on the link 

above to watch the 

full video review 

Aggressive, yet 

effortless - the new 

RR-R is a proper 

good machine.

A few months before the start of the 

season we started getting our paperwork 

together. It was a very difficult 

period because no one could give us 

any answers as to whether we would 

be allowed to travel. I just kept training 

and made sure I was ready; the 

rest was out of our control. With some 

persistence and loads of paperwork, 

we managed to leave SA on the 17th 

of July. This was only possible with 

the help we received from the following 

people and organizations: Motorsport 

South Africa: Spark Bright, 

Ashwin HARRI, Jacqui Monteiro, Vic 

Maharaj South African Minister of 

Sport: Honorable Mr. Nathi Mthethwa 

RFME and ESBK: the Spanish Motorcycle 

Federation Spanish Embassy 

in Cape Town: The Spanish Consulate 

was very helpful and made sure 

we received a visa in record time. My 

team Rotek Factory Racing: Mario 

Rolandi and Nejrotti Max for getting 

all the permissions and documentation. 

My parents: for all the sacrifices 

and effort. 

We finally got to the German 

school as we had to fly via Frankfurt 

only to be told there was a document 

missing from the Spanish embassy 

and we can’t leave. That’s me above 

sitting next to my bags, devastated. 

My dad sends the Spanish Consulate 

an email at 17:15 and by some luck, he 

replied and attached the document. 

What a relief, but a roller coaster of 

emotions.

We hired a camper van in Barcelona 

and drove through to Navarra about 

500km away for the first race. I was 

unable to do testing with the team a 

few weeks before so it was my first 

time on the new chassis. 

Living in a van is fun, but it can get 

cramped at times. We had to learn to 

cook, clean, and do the washing, so 

we share the responsibilities. I must 

admit I miss my bed. 

I’m learning a little Italian, Spanish, 

and Greek. We have 4 different nationalities 

in our team so it can get interesting 

when we try to communicate. 

Round 1 Navarra 

I qualified 13th made good progress 

in the race but I lost the front and 

crashed. We had the tyre technician 

and they confirmed it was a bad tyre. 

The tyre still looked new after 8 laps. 

Race 2, I finished in 12th out of 30 

riders. I have improved my lap times 

and getting closer to the front guys. 

We were 8 riders fighting for 5th 

place in the race. I’m still working on 

my race craft. 

Round 2 Catalunya 

It’s a very technical circuit with lots 

of elevation that you can’t really see 

on TV. My very first race last year was 

at this circuit. In practice, the bike felt 

great after the team found a faulty 

ECU that was causing a miss fire. In 

Qualifying, I was trying to find a good 

group to go with because the slipstream 

is very important on these 

bikes. It’s not always easy because 

the guys sit up as soon as you follow 

them. I qualified in 13th. 

Race 1, I had a good start but found 

myself fighting in a group while leaders 

started to getaway. By lap 5 I got 

to the front of my group and started 

to push to catch the group in front. 

As soon as I got to the front all my 

For those who think 

travelling the world 

and racing bikes is all 

glitz and glamour - 

well, it’s not. It takes 

massive sacrifice, 

determination, money, 

patience and will power 

to make it happen.

sector times came down. Unfortunately, coming 

out of turn 10, I gave too much gas and 

lost the rear. This caused me to low-side and 2 

riders crashed into me. I had a slight concussion 

from the crash. The team did a great job 

to repair the bike for the second race. 

I was feeling so nauseous and wanting to 

vomit and lots of pain heading into race 2. The 

temperatures were also 36 degrees, so it was 

really hot. My team and my dad did not want 

me to race but I said let me try. I had to start 

lower down on the grid because of the crash. 

In the race, I was really struggling to ride but 

eventually finished the race in 13th out of 30. 

For now, we have a break but can’t come back 

to SA otherwise we can’t return for round 3. 

It’s been tough being away from home, my 

gran passed away 3 days ago and we can’t be 

at the funeral. The sacrifices that the Binders 

made were incredible because it’s not easy 

living in Spain out of a suitcase but I’m great 

full to be here and have this opportunity. For 

now, I’m still doing school via zoom. 

Thank you to everyone for all your support 

and to Moto Rider World for coming along the 

journey ahead. 

A priceless moment - 

Ruche getting to train 

with his heroes in Spain.

The 2020 KTM 1290 SUPER 

DUKE GT will arguably be 

the most sophisticated, high 

performance long-distance 

sports tourer on the market 

when it arrives in showrooms 

later this year. Taking the best 

from ‘The Beast’; the GT combines 

the phenomenal engine 

performance, street handling 

and race track capabilities of 

the KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE 

R and brings them into a machine 

that is as happy munching 

massive miles in comfort 

as it is carving up challenging 

corners with a passenger and 

luggage. 

In order to fully test out 

these credentials before its 

upcoming release, KTM invited 

multiple Isle of Man TT, 

Macau Grand Prix and British 

Superbike race winner, Michael 

Rutter, to take the new 

KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE GT 

to the legendary Isle of Man. 

With a racing career spanning 

30 years and also as a bike 

journalist, the Englishman has 

ridden a hugely diverse range 

of machines and knows what 

he wants from a bike on track 

and on the road. 

Steeped in motorcycling 

history largely thanks to the 

challenging 37.73 mile (60km) 

TT Mountain Circuit, the island 

is also an incredible place to 

go touring on a motorcycle 

due to its stunning and undulating 

landscapes, winding

oads and historic landmarks. 

The Mountain Section remains 

free from speed restrictions 

but riders must treat it with 

the respect it deserves; control 

and precision from a machine 

mixed with experience 

from the pilot make the difference 

here. 

Setting off from the Benmy-Chree 

Steam Packet 

Ferry at the port in Douglas, 

Rutter’s route saw him tour 

the town before cruising the 

overlooking coastal road and 

then heading to Fairy Bridge 

to wave to the fairies. Back 

through Douglas, Michael and 

the GT then take to the TT 

circuit until Ballaugh Bridge, 

turning off the course to head 

to the Jurby Motordrome in 

order to remove the panniers 

and add some pace. The race 

circuit on the north coast of 

the island providing the possibility 

for full-throttle thrashing 

and – thanks to its fast 

and bumpy nature – is often 

a testing ground for racers 

perfecting their set-up during 

the TT fortnight. 

With the ‘boxes’ back on, 

Michael and the GT headed 

to the town of Ramsey, where 

the road begins its climb of 

the Snaefell Mountain. Powering 

out of the Gooseneck, 

Rutter unleashes 175hp of 

LC8 power of the KTM 1290 

SUPER DUKE GT all the way 

across the mountain before 

stopping at the Creg-ny-Baa 

public house. 

As well as the latest 1,301cc 

LC8 V-twin engine with even 

smoother power delivery, the 

KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE GT is 

a technical powerhouse as it 

utilizes the full suite of KTM’s 

best electronic performance 

and assistance systems. With 

lean angle sensitivity for 

braking power, traction control 

and different ride modes 

including an optional ‘Track’ 

mode it allows further adjustability 

of the electronic settings. 

These advanced systems 

enable riders to explore 

the full potential of the GT’s 

capabilities. 

Big changes for the 2019 

GT also focused on increasing 

comfort; from new settings 

for the electronically 

adjustable WP suspension, 

improved aerodynamics 

from a redesigned screen 

with new adjustment mechanism, 

wind-deflecting hand 

guards and a full color, 6,5 

inch TFT display. 

Other detail improvements 

include moving the Cruise 

Control switch to the left bar, 

storage compartments in 

the fairing sides with a USB 

charging point and the ultrapowerful, 

full LED headlight. 

Two color options, white or 

black, are available and the 

GT is also navigation ready 

thanks to KTM MY RIDE, 

using smartphone connectivity 

to offer turnby-turn 

directions with 

audio, along with phone 

call management and the 

ability to toggle through 

a music playlist. 

Click and watch the 

full video below and 

discover more about 

the 2019 KTM 1290 

SUPER DUKE GT at 

your local KTM dealer. 

www.ktm.com

“2002 WAS THE LAST YEAR FOR 

THE NSR500, ALTHOUGH THIS 

MODEL DID NOT SEE ITS END 

JUST YET. THE SUN HAD SET ON 

TWO-STROKE ENGINES.”

independently adjusted. 

More adjustment and settings 

than ever before on 

ABS, engine braking and 

brake control. 

The differences between 

the base model and the M 

model are; carbon bodywork, 

polished tank and 

swingarm plus wireless 

communications via an 

app to assess your track 

performance. The race version 

is also equipped with 

some of the highest specification 

Ohlins suspension 

ever seen on a production 

motorcycle – the same 

forks as on Ducati’s Panigale 

V4R but this time the 

NPX pressurised forks are 

electronically-controlled. 

Only 5 of the new carbon-clad 

R1M models 

made their way into SA, 

with customers having to 

pre-order and pay a deposit 

towards the total 

R425,000 price tag in advance 

to secure their bikes, 

so how lucky am I to be 

able to test this one then? 

KEY SPECS: 

ENGINE: 998cc, liquid-cooled inline 

4 cyl DOHC; 16 valves 

BORE & STROKE: 79.0mm x 50.9mm 

MAX POWER: 183hp @ 14,000rpm 

MAX TORQUE: 104Nm @ 12,000rpm 

SEAT HEIGHT: 861mm 

WHEELBASE: 1404mm 

kerb weight: 203kg 

PRICE (EST): R329,950 base 

R424,950 R1M 

*Power figures as per our dyno test 

So, let me start by answering all your 

questions straight off the bat; is it fast? 

Yes, really, not as top end fast as the new 

Honda or Ducati Panigale V4R but it’s 

not far off. How does it handle? Superbly. 

Electronics? It has plenty and they all 

work, properly, and better than ever before. 

Is it better than the previous model? 

Yes, in every way possible! 

Ok, so that’s that then… 

No, just kidding, I have so much more 

bragging and praise to dish out for the 

new Yamaha R1M, so let me start with 

some facts. The updated Big Bang crossplane 

motor, or CP4 as it’s now called, 

pushes out a healthy 200hp, making it 

the most powerful production R1 model 

to date. The base R1 and R1M models 

share the same motor, pushing out the 

same power figures. For 2020, the base 

and R1M’s comprehensive six-axis-IMU 

supported electronic package will allow 

even more refinements. There are now 

seven electronic rider aids that can be

Simply put, the new R1M is 

the pinnacle of R1 offered to 

the market and a step above 

the base model. It’s one of 

those machines we all dream 

about and for very good reason, 

as it’s a dreamy package. 

This bike is smooth, silky, 

and powerful in every way 

possible. It makes quick and 

easy work of any and all corners, 

loves being pushed to 

the limit and does so with a 

symphony of pure delight 

belting out of the extra-fitted 

Austin Racing exhausted system 

fitted to this bike. I will 

never get tired of hearing 

and thrashing a big bang R1 – 

it’s something that will stand 

the test of time. 

When I tested the new R1 

base model a few months 

back I was worried it was not 

going to be much different to 

the previous model, which is 

not a bad thing, because that 

bike was sensational. How 

could Yamaha possibly make 

their already outstanding 

machine any better I asked 

myself? That question was 

quickly answered after only a 

few laps on the new machine. 

To the naked eye, not much 

has changed, but the changes 

made can be felt out on track 

and when used properly will 

result in faster lap times and 

an overall better ride. 

That was the base model, 

this is the R1M, and the 

overall riding experience on 

this machine is just 20-30% 

better. While the power figures 

from the CP4 motor are 

the same, the way the Ohlins 

electronically controlled 

suspension helps use it all 

means the bike, and the rider, 

feel faster around every corner 

and down every straight. 

“To the naked eye, not much has 

changed, but the changes made 

can be felt out on track and when 

used properly will result in faster 

lap times and an overall better ride.” 

The R1M is a proper 

dream bike - you crave 

its beauty, its power, 

its pure awesomeness. 

The sensation of 

riding this bike will 

forever be embedded 

in my dreams.

Watching Shez Morais in action on the R1M was 

poetic - headlights, mirrors, and all, he was 

showing full blown race bikes how it’s done. 

Go watch the onboard lap with Shez on our 

website; www.motoriderworld.com 

It gets the power down and 

keeps it there – even when 

braking hard and getting the 

front a little bit out of shape, 

the electronics work together 

and pull the bike back inline 

without me having to call 

on any of my years racing experience, 

it does it all for you. 

I’m still not 100% convinced 

that electronic suspension is 

the way to go, especially for 

track riding, but after testing 

the R1M I’m a bit more 

convinced. It’s the best I’ve 

sampled to date, even better 

than the Ducati V4R and new 

Honda CBR1000RR-R SP. 

While it might not be the 

fastest out of the crop of 

new breed sportbikes, it sure 

is the easiest to go fast on. 

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not 

far off the top speed of the 

V4R, new CBR and BMW 

S1000RR, but the way it gets 

there is what sells this bike. 

Modern day litre sportbikes 

are pure bred track beasts 

and most of us mere mortals 

won’t be able to extract 

more than 60% of their true 

capabilities, but where the 

new R1M has a slight edge 

and advantage over the others 

is the way it lets the rider 

extract all that goodness, it’s 

just that little bit easier to use 

than the others. 

It was so smooth and so effortless 

to go fast on this bike 

- It was like I was floating on 

a cloud, just at a really fast 

pace. It’s the smoothest superbike 

I have ever ridden, it’s 

typical Big Bang R1, just more 

amplified than ever before. 

I love the new beefier look 

at the front and dressed in 

carbon, it just looks so good. 

I do think Yamaha could have 

maybe put some wings on it, 

especially the R1M model, just 

to make it a bit more exclusive. 

Nevertheless, it catches 

the eye and doesn’t let go. 

It’s a sight that will forever 

stay in your mind and believe 

me when I say, the sensation 

of riding this motorcycle will 

forever live in my heart and 

soul – it was simply spectacular 

to say the least! 

Out of all the new sportbikes 

I have ridden, is it the 

fastest? No, that’s between 

the V4R and new CBR. Is it 

the best looking? No, but not 

far off – that title would still go 

to the Ducati V4R for me, although 

it’s so close between 

all the bikes. Does it handle 

the best? Yes and no, it’s for 

sure between the new Honda 

and Ducati. In fact, they are all 

just so sublime. Lap time wise 

will it be the fastest? Yes. It 

will be close, but I think the R1 

will just take it. 

Click on the link 

above to watch the 

full video review

The World Superbike Championship 

and all the fans that are watching are 

anticipating a shake up with the arrival 

of Scott Redding. All of a sudden fivetime 

world champion Jonathan Rea is 

having to work a hell of a lot harder to 

stay top dog in the World Superbike 

paddock. The likes of Toprak Razgatlioglu 

on the factory Yamaha is looking seriously 

quick. Alex Lowes on the factory 

Kawasaki has already shown this year 

that he has the speed to fight at the top 

and tattooed bad boy new-comer Scott 

Redding on the factory Ducati might finally 

be the hero that the Italian giant 

has been looking for. 

After a less than stellar MotoGP career 

the brit cleaned up in BSB getting 

20 podiums and taking the BSB title 

and is now attempting to do the same 

with the big boys in World Superbikes. 

So far Redding has managed two wins 

and seven podiums from nine starts and 

is currently very much in the fight for the 

championship. 

After the races in Portugal, the pendulum 

swung once again in favour 

of Rea with the Northern Irishman 

winning all three races 

and Redding only making the 

podium in one. Come The first 

of two weekends at Aragon 

though, Redding won race 1 

retaking the championship lead 

from Rea meaning Redding was 

leading the points going into Sunday’s 

Superpole race and Race two. 

Both the Superpole race and Race 

two though would go the way of Rea 

with Davies in 2nd and Redding off the 

podium in 4th. Due to his good showing 

at the first weekend in Aragon Rea 

heads into the second half of the championship 

with a 10-point lead to Scott 

Redding. It looks as though this could 

be one of the hardest fought 

championships in years, already 

having four championship leaders 

after the first three rounds. 

To be brutally honest the 

World Superbike Championship 

between the 

years of 2015 and 

2019 was plain 

old boring. A 

lot of people I 

know, myself 

included, really lost interest as 

a result of Rea’s pure domination. 

Rea wins this, Rea wins 

that, Rea wins everything. 

Since its founding in 1988 the 

World Superbike Championship 

has always been won and 

lost through tight battles, equal 

machinery and legendary rivalries. 

Thinking back, we remember 

the likes of Toseland versus 

Bayliss and Haga versus Spies.

“As soon as the season started things were 

interesting! Finally, a rider who seemed fast 

enough to take on the then four-times world 

champion and maybe even give him a taste 

of his own medicine. “

Half-way through 2014 we got the 

news that Kawasaki signed the now 

five-time consecutive world champion, 

Mr Jonathan Rea. As fans we 

thought we were in for some monstrous 

battles that would stand the 

test of time. But as of late, with 

Rea’s total domination, this has not 

been the case. 

The duo of Rea and Kawasaki 

were so dominant that no one could 

hold a candle to them. Ducati spent 

four years trying to claw their way 

back to the front and hold on to 

the beast that was Rea. First there 

was Davies who tried and tried but 

could not consistently beat Rea. After 

Davies couldn’t get the job done 

the Bologna based factory decided 

to bring in Marco Melandri, again 

with little to no success. 

Enter, Alvaro Bautista. After he 

lost touch with the MotoGP boys the 

Spaniard decided to take a crack at 

the World Superbike Championship 

with Ducati. 

As soon as the season started 

things were interesting! Finally, a 

rider who seemed fast enough to 

take on the then four-times world 

champion and maybe even give 

him a taste of his own medicine. 

After the first few races it seemed 

that Bautista already had one glove 

on the title but Bautista, like all the 

others, caved under the pressure 

of Rea. No matter who they hired 

it seemed that there was nothing 

Ducati could do. 

Does Redding have what it takes 

to tame the Bologna bullet? Only 

time will tell if the domination of 

Rea will continue, Let’s hope not 

because this season is shaping up 

to be one for the history books

it of movement, but nothing 

that was too off putting, and 

considering the amount of 

force I was loading it with it 

handled it all very well. Once 

off the brakes and committed 

in the turn I could feel the 

softer side walls holding onto 

the tar like a kid to a candy 

bar. While the grip was good, 

there was still a hint of movement, 

especially at full lean 

angle when trying to bring the 

bike back to the apex. A little 

off putting, but again, this was 

me throwing everything I had 

at the tyres, so the movement 

could be expected. 

The rear tyre also felt 

more responsive and grippy, 

happily following my every 

command. At full lean angle 

around the long turns I could 

still feel that slight movement, 

but nowhere near as 

much as on the harder compound. 

Once up on the fat 

part of the tyre an abundance 

of grip takes over and helps 

leap the bike out of the turns. 

Overall, I have to give both 

Bruce and the new soft slicks 

a pat on the back as they 

have both adapted and listened 

to what the end user 

would like more of and made 

it happen. For now, the new 

soft compound UHP slicks 

are not yet available in SA but 

MORE GRIP MEANS FASTER 

LAPTIMES AND THE NEW BATT UHP 

SOFT SLICKS GIVES YOU BOTH. 

hopefully will be soon. It is a 

big, expensive exercise for 

Bruce to carry out but maybe 

with my approval it might just 

happen. 

For more information feel 

free to contact Bruce on 073 

777 9269. 

Last year, Batt released their 

UHP slick track tyres, catering 

for the track day rider 

looking for a tyre that offers 

suitable grip levels, great stability, 

and most importantly, 

longevity. The Batt UHP (Ultimate 

High Performance) 

slicks offered all of the above 

and have been a huge hit 

with track day riders across 

the land since their release. 

I have personally tested 

the UHP slicks and approved 

them for their purpose, which 

was a track tyre aimed at the 

group B, C, and D track day 

rider. Decent enough grip, 

but the main highlight being 

the stability under braking 

and longevity – these things 

last forever! 

While the price conscious 

rider loved the UHP, the faster, 

but still budget conscious 

rider wanted a bit more grip 

out of the UHP slicks. A softer 

compound, one that would 

still last but offer more side 

grip. Bruce de Kock, the motorcycle 

tyre genius here in 

SA, and the man behind Bike 

Tyre Warehouse, listened to 

the cry from faster track day 

riders wanting the same price, 

longevity, and stability the 

UHP hard compound slicks 

offered but with more grip. 

The hard compound has 

very hard side walls, so while 

there is ample amounts of 

grip available at full lean angle 

on the front and back 

tyre, there is a bit of movement, 

due to the fact the side 

walls are very hard. Bruce 

then decided to do some 

homework and has since 

created a soft compound of 

the UHP tyre, which he gave 

to me to test and critique 

before deciding on bringing 

a bunch of them into SA for 

the track rider market. 

Fitted to our then red 

Ducati Panigale V4, I could 

straight away feel the softer 

compound sticking to the tar 

with more intent compared to 

the harder ones. Stability was 

still there in abundance, a real 

highlight of both the hard and 

soft tyres, but the real gain 

was found whilst trail braking 

hard and deep into the turns, 

loading the front tyres side 

walls with massive amounts 

of pressure. There was a slight

BEAM PRODUCTIONS GALLERY



We do live in a beautiful country, and 

we sometimes take that for granted, 

well at least I know I do. Yes, there are 

so many problems we as South Africans 

have to deal with, but just like 

anything we love, you have to take 

the good with the bad. This is our 

home and will always be, no matter 

where we end up in life. On a recent 

trip down to George I got to experience 

a little more of this beautiful 

home I live in. 

In my 38 years of living in SA I 

had only been to George once before, 

many moons ago whilst driving 

through to Knysna, myself and my 

gorgeous wife Amy, stopped at a little 

restaurant for a rest and to grab a 

bite to eat. That is as far as my George 

experience had got, until now. 

I got a call from Mr. Jos Mattheysen, 

owner of Ducati SA and the massive 

World of Motorcycles dealership out 

in Centurion, asking if I would like to 

accompany him and some Ducati customers 

down to George for a week of 

riding not only the new Ducati Streetfighter 

V4, which has just arrived in 

SA, but also sample the wonderful 

world that is Ducati Scrambler. 

How could I say no, even though 

I was stressed and bombarded with 

work to do before the launch of Moto 

Rider World, I saw it as a chance to 

quickly reset the batteries whilst taking 

in some of the glory that is our 

beautiful land. 

Jos had bragged to me on many 

occasions about just how majestic 

that part of SA is. “it’s two-wheeled 

motorcycle heaven” is how he actually 

described it. He went on for hours 

about how stunning it is down there 

and could not believe I had never experienced 

the famous Outeniqua 

Pass before. I could 

hardly pronounce it, never 

mind heard of or experienced 

it before. So, our bags were 

packed and along with my 

trusty crew, Gerrit and Daniella 

from Beam Productions, 

we were off and our journey 

to George had begun. 

Before we left, I had 

thought why not take another 

‘Super Naked’ bike down 

to test, one that I had tested 

a few weeks prior, but unfairly 

around a track, where it 

was very much out-of-sorts. 

So, a simple phone call to 

Kawasaki SA who bent over 

backwards to assist me, and 

I soon had a 3rd member in 

the van with me, the mighty, 

supercharged animal that is 

the Kawasaki ZH2. 

No doubt that the long, 

open, ravishing roads that I 

had been promised would 

suite the powerful green 

mamba down to a tee and it 

would be more of a fair fight 

against the new Streetfighter 

V4, which had pretty much 

wiped the floor with the ZH2 

at the track test we did. 

After a long, relaxing 12 

hour drive we arrived in 

George and were greeted 

by some very happy people 

and great weather. After 

being shown to our guest 

house, the lovely Lord Caledon 

Guest House, we headed 

off to Jos’s place in Fancourt. 

After a quick welcome drink, 

we were quickly instructed 

to kit up as we were heading 

straight for this so-called glorious 

Outeniqua Pass. 

With the ZH2 still nice and 

cozy in the van, I was handed 

the key to one of the three 

new Ducati Streetfighters 

that were present in the garage. 

Two were the high-spec 

S models while the one I was 

handed was the base model, 

so basically just no electronic

suspension for me. Another big benefit of 

being close to the sea, apart from the time 

away from the chaos that is JHB, was the 

fact that we would have an extra 17-19% 

power on hand, courtesy of that sweet sea 

air. This would benefit the Ducati’s more 

so than the Kawasaki ZH2, which always 

has full power activated thanks to the supercharger. 

Kit on, key in, time to head off and out 

the alluring and massive Fancourt Golf Estate, 

through a little part of George and up 

to the famous pass, which I had sampled 

on the way down in the van and was more 

excited than ever to experience on 200hp 

beasts of the green and red kind. 

It was the Red Dragon up first and instantly 

I could feel the extra power available 

on tap. My first squirt in anger (ok that 

sounded a bit wrong but get your heads 

out of the gutter and focus) my arms were 

nearly torn from their sockets, but the 

brute force exerted from the now intensified 

V4 power plant was insane. FML, was 

my first reaction, followed by the biggest 

ear-to-ear grin imaginable! Let’s just say 

all the bodily fluids were activated and just 

about in full swing. 

Keeping myself, and my now very excited 

body and mind in check, it was almost 

time to blast the red machine up the pass 

for the first time. With Jos at the front, 

myself in the middle and Brandon Halasz 

from NuHuman at the tail on his Streetfighter 

V4S it was time for us to head up. 

Being the track rider I am, I tend to find 

myself attacking road passes such as this 

a bit too much like a racetrack, hammering 

on the brakes hard, punishing the gearbox 

up and down, physically man handling the 

bike. I have learnt that this is not the way 

to do it on the road, especially through 

the long-beautiful sweeps which presented 

themselves on this pass. Smooth is the 

name of the game on this pass and Jos 

was doing it to perfection and showing off 

just how to ride the pass to perfection.

The new Streetfighter is a testament to the 

job Ducati has done, and the adjustment and 

improvements they made in the transition 

from faired superbike track demon to 

everyday mountain pass thrasher and street 

lover - it enjoys and thrives on it all, and 

it made me feel totally confidant, totally 

reassured every time.

Nice, wide swooping lines 

keeping the bike between 

3rd and 4th gear with hardly 

any braking, other than when 

a truck appeared out of nowhere 

around a blind corner, 

then it was anchors on, and 

bum tightened. It felt long, 

yet so fast, if that makes 

sense on our first climb up. 

We reached one of the lookout 

points right at the top 

and quickly turned the fighters 

around ready to tackle 

the pass again, this time going 

down. 

Again, nothing but smooth 

sailing and big grins from all 

involved, both man and machine 

were loving life on this 

pass, which has more twists 

and turns than a Quentin Tarantino 

movie. 

Heading into this test I was 

a bit concerned at how well 

the new Streetfighter would 

handle being out on the road. 

Yes, it’s a naked streetfighter 

but what I tested out on track 

was an aggressive, direct 

weapon – a Panigale without 

a fairing, which is exactly 

what the SF V4 is. Would 

that aggression be able to 

translate on the road? Yes, 

and better than I could have 

ever expected. The ST V4 

has transitioned from track 

weapon to street lover with 

ease, loving every second of 

me thrashing it out on the 

bendy pass. Like Elton John’s 

“Like Elton John’s fingers to the keys 

of a piano, the Streetfighter V4 flowed, 

caressed, and made passionate love to 

the smooth, curvy tar.” 

fingers to the keys of a piano, 

the Streetfighter V4 flowed, 

caressed, and made passionate 

love to the smooth, 

curvy tar. It was at one with 

the smooth, flowing bends, 

urging me to go harder and 

faster (ok, minds out of the 

gutter again please)

Jos on his beautiful, oneand-only 

Bumblebee 

Streetfighter V4 

moments, both front and back, it 

was time to head back down to 

Fancourt for some much-needed 

rest and food, although there 

was not much rest 

but rather plenty 

of food and beverages 

(we will call 

them) and loads of 

smiles and chatting. 

We eventually left 

and headed back 

to the guest house 

for some rest ready to tackle day 

two in Gorgeous George. 

Day 2 had arrived and so had 

the freezing cold weather. On our 

way up in the van the day before, 

we had seen signs of snow on 

the mountain, and on day 2 there 

was plenty more. Icy topped 

mountains in the distance was 

a pleasing sight, even if it meant 

we could not ride, it’s not every 

day you see snow on mountains 

here in SA. Videos and pictures 

“...my concerns about whether or not 

the SF V4 could translate to the road 

were profoundly cast aside and this 

was only after 2 runs on the pass.” 

soon blasted all over social media 

of snow on the mountain and 

in surrounding areas, so it was 

going to be a day of chilling enjoying 

great company and some 

beverages, as we call them. 

Day 3 and the weather had 

cleared up opening up another 

chance for us to experience more 

The power on hand was direct, smooth, yet 

forceful – it had it in abundance and the electronics 

package was happy to play along. On 

passes like this it’s all about keeping the revs up 

and in the sweet spot, having power on hand 

ready to blast out of the turns. Well, this thing 

had a sweet spot at every rpm. There was no 

lagging, no hiccup at any point in the rpm. I 

found myself gently caressing through 3rd and 

4th gear, using the wealth of power on hand to 

blare out of the turns, and the perfect measure 

of engine braking on deceleration to help scrub 

off speed and line me up for the turns. When I 

wanted power, it was there, when I wanted to 

turn, it did, when I got the turn slightly wrong 

and needed to correct, the SF 4 graciously assisted 

– my concerns about whether or not the 

SF V4 could translate to the road were profoundly 

cast aside and this was only after 2 runs 

on the pass. 

Needless to say, we spent another hour or so 

racing up the pass at will, carefully and cautiously 

dodging traffic and enjoying the splendor of 

the SF 4 on the pass. After some pants staining 

It’s the power on the ZH2 that 

keeps you coming back for more. 

I wasn’t worried about the 

gearbox or handling, all I wanted 

to do was thrash that throttle on 

and feel the burst that blurred 

everything around me.

of the wonderful roads that surround the 

George area. Our plan was to get as many 

people on bikes and head out over the pass 

again, down Robinsons Pass and through 

De Rust towards the glorious Meringspoort, 

or so I was told. 

On this day, I would be spending all my 

time in the saddle of the supercharged 

beast that is the green mamba, ZH2 Kawasaki. 

Complete comfort greeted me when 

climbing on, a little bulkier compared to the 

SF V4, but still really comfy. 

I had done some street riding on the ZH2 

up in JHB and loved it, so was excited at 

the prospect of thrashing it around some 

long bends. Instantly, as always, that supercharged 

power just gets the eyes popping 

and bum clinching – it really is just ridiculously 

fast this thing! For sure faster than the 

SF, even with its 17-19% increase. 

I was very grateful that the braking system, 

which is ABS equipped, works so well on 

this bike, as they were put to the test more 

often than not trying to stop this beefy animal. 

The extra weight (around 40kgs heavier) 

over the Ducati could be felt around the 

turns, where the ZH2 needed some persuasion 

getting into the turns. The extra weight 

was welcomed out on the open straight 

road where it was planted at high speeds, 

but around the bends is where things got a 

bit edgy. The ZH2 handles well, it’s just that 

speed that makes things a bit more exciting 

than you would want. This bike has so much 

pace that it’s hard for the brain to keep up, I 

really can’t explain how damn fast this bike 

is. Hitting the brakes and getting the 240kg 

plus bike stopped and around long bends is 

a full-time job, and you have to stay focused 

otherwise you will be taught a proper lesson. 

Like we had done the night before, and the 

night before that, the green mamba enjoys 

its beverages, and just like a thoroughbred 

racehorse, doesn’t like keeping it in the tank. 

All the power comes at a price, and if you 

are a trigger-happy rider, like me, then you

will be spending some time at garages 

helping quench the thirst of this very 

fast machine. 

After a quick coffee and samie stop 

in De Rust, we headed off in the direction 

of the beautiful icy mountain in the 

distance and towards Meringspoort. 

I was told that this section of road 

was even better than Outeniqua, and 

the views were simply breath-taking, 

and they were indeed. Holy moly, 

what a stunning place. I felt bad and 

ashamed that I, as a born and bred 

South African, never even knew this 

place existed. Shame on me, but I was 

determined to make up for lost time. 

After about 6000 laps up and down 

through the mountains I finally parked 

the ZH2 on the side of the road to 

take in the sights and sounds. Hearing 

those booming Ducati V4’s symphonies 

bouncing off the mountain walls 

was something I will never forget – I 

could have stayed there all day and 

just closed my eyes and let my ears 

get off on that oh-so-seductive sound. 

Life was good, and I was taking it all 

in and even though the green mamba 

was acting like a kid on too much sugar 

on more than one occasion, more 

often than not it was the perfect companion. 

It’s a really good machine, just 

please, if you do get one respect the 

power on hand as it is more than most 

can actually handle. 

Another fantastic day riding came to 

a close and after a very chilly ride back 

to Fancourt it was time to light up the 

braai, get warm, and enjoy great company, 

food and beverages (as we call 

it) once more. Bodies and minds were 

tired after an eventful day, so it was 

early to bed ready for a day of something 

a bit different – Scramblers!

THE 

SCRAMBLER 

EXPERIENCE 

I have had a little taste of the wonderful world 

of Scrambler before and was looking forward 

to another down here in Gorgeous George. Mr. 

Scrambler himself, grounded SAA pilot Glen 

Bennett, was along on the trip and proudly 

showed off his new Scrambler 1100 to anyone 

and everyone. He really is the perfect ambassador 

for this range of bikes, wearing everything 

Scrambler on the entire trip. 

Jos, I thought, had a lekker route planned 

out, only for me to find out later on that it 

was a route he had heard of but never tried 

before. From Fancourt we headed up Knys- 

na’s main road before hooking a left through 

4-passes and onto a gravel road that would 

take us through some farmlands and into the 

heart of Knysna. 

What an amazing journey it was, packed 

with some tight, twisty tar bends as well as inviting 

gravel roads with some testing corners 

thrown in. Add in some cows crossing, single 

lane stretches with 4x4’s double cabs doing 

Dakar styled driving hurtling past us and you 

have what Scrambler is all about. 

I loved every second of my time on the 

Scrambler 800 Roland Sands machine I had 

for the day, one of only 2 that came into SA. It 

was the perfect bike for this trip, unassuming, 

not intimidating in the slightest – it was actually 

calming and helped me de-stress and 

enjoy and take note of the beauty that is my 

life at the moment. It joyfully played along on 

the entire trip, as did the Desert Sled model 

ridden by Gerrit Erasmus from Beam Productions, 

who was properly bitten by the Scram-

of V4 engines and helps amplify what is 

an already exhilarating ride. I also learnt 

that naked bikes can be the perfect companion 

out on the open road, and that 

they really are a perfect blend of sport 

and touring in many ways. I learnt that 

the ZH2 needs your full attention and 

respect to be fully appreciated and enjoyed, 

and that supercharged power is 

ridiculously fast! I learnt that there is another 

side to motorcycling other than 

just flat out sportbike thrashing, and that 

it’s ok to get a little dirty now and then. 

But most of all, I learnt what riding motorcycles 

in this beautiful country is all 

about; it’s about freedom, it’s about expression, 

it’s about forgetting all your 

worries and your gripes, and just focus 

on living. It’s about spending time 

with great friends, in great environments, 

on great motorcycles more 

often and not letting this crazy world 

we live in corrupt you and bring you 

down. It’s about getting out there and 

living, exploring, enjoying life as much 

as possible. I did just that on this trip 

and I will never forget this experience 

for as long as I’m around. One thing is 

for sure, I will be back in George sooner 

rather than later, and hopefully on 

some amazing machines, with amazing 

people once again. The only thing 

missing on this trip was my family, 

who will definitely be coming along 

next time around. 

bler experience and who we had to man 

handle to get the keys back. Jos, along 

with his partner Lida, spent the day on 

the 1100 Special equipped with top box 

and all, along with big smiles and no 

aches or pains from the long ride. 

We arrived in Knysna and after a nice 

lunch hopped back on the bikes and 

headed back on the blissful tar roads 

back to George. The Garden Route as it’s 

called really is a beautiful place to ride a 

motorcycle! A few stops along the way to 

take in some sights before getting back 

to Fancourt all in one piece, another great 

day in Africa! 

We made it back just in time as the 

heavens opened up literally as we rode 

the bikes into the garage. I saw it as the 

perfect way to end off another delightful 

day riding some great motorcycles with 

some great people. 

Overall, I learnt many things on this 

trip. I learnt that Ducati sportbikes can 

translate well to road riding, and that sea 

level air really does help get the best out 

“...it’s about freedom, 

it’s about expression, it’s 

about forgetting all your 

worries and your gripes, 

and just focus on living.” 

One can’t help but smile 

after a day of riding 

Ducati Scramblers

A JOURNEY THROUGH 

MOTORCYCLING – 

MY LIFE WITH BIKES 

THE MIGHTY PW50. 

Here at MRW we want to help give want-to-be writers, 

bloggers and pundits their chance to tell their stories, 

to showcase what they have to offer. 

If you go to the website (www.motoriderworld.com) 

you will find a FanZone section, where stories and features 

from fans across the globe have been posted up 

- a platform to help expose everyone’s experiences. 

On top of that, we will also be selecting one FanZone 

feature every month and publish it right here in 

the digital mag. This months one, and the first ever, 

comes from Peter McBribe, a long time motorcycle 

nutter here in SA who tells us about one of his journeys 

through motorcycling. 

I was three years old when 

the Christmas of 1986 in rolled 

around. I can’t really remember 

anything about it. But in 

a photo album tucked away 

somewhere in my parents’ 

house. You will find some 

pictures of my brother and 

myself. Wearing track suits 

and gumboots. With BMX 

helmets and those old Velcro 

strap skateboard elbow 

and knee pads. Taking turns 

sitting on a Brand new 1986 

Yamaha PW 50. 

First released by Yamaha 

around 1980, the “ Peewee 

“has been a constant feature 

of the Yamaha sales line 

up ever since. And until KTM 

started building minibikes. Almost 

everyone who started 

riding dirt bikes as a little kid 

started on a PW. That little 

bike became a fixture of my 

life. I had just learnt how to 

ride a bicycle without “training 

wheels . So, without much 

coaxing, I learnt how to ride 

the Peewee. It didn’t happen 

overnight though. One of my 

first memories of riding that little 

bike was sitting, half on the 

tank, half on my old man’s lap. 

As I held onto the handlebars 

and he rode the bike. Showing 

me how everything worked. 

We lived in a little town 

called Jwaneng in the south 

east of Botswana. Home to 

the Jwaneng diamond mine. 

The Crown jewel of the De 

beers diamond empire. Close 

to the airstrip that the mine 

had built. There was a clear 

area of solid hardpack gravel. 

A rarity in that part of the 

world. Where thick desert 

sand is the order of the day. 

Dad took us out there a few 

times . We would get “kitted 

up” and one day after several 

thousand laps of the gravel 

pit with Dad at the controls, I 

asked if I could try “by myself “. 

Once I had worked out the basic 

controls, the most important 

thing in my life became , 

seeing how far I could “ skid 

“ grabbing a handful of gas , 

then a much more enthusiastic 

handful of rear brake. My 

old man would dutifully measure 

out the “ skid” and keep 

score. NOTHING on earth was 

more important than beating 

the previous record. 

If you have ever taught 

a kid how to ride on a PW. 

There is a fairly consistent 

routine to how it works. The 

kid is normally a little scared. 

So a short burst of acceleration, 

with that very distinctive 

PW sound. Is followed by 

a much longer period of the 

bike idling as it goes forward 

and gently slows down. Then, 

that’s all you hear until the 

bike runs out of fuel. Because 

once the kid gets the idea 

and gets a little confidence. 

Generally speaking, all the 

wild horses in kaapsehoop 

couldn’t drag the kid of the 

bike. A story I have still not 

lived down, 35 years later, is 

that on more than one occasion. 

I fell asleep while riding 

my trusty peewee. 

One day when the powers 

that be decide that it’s time 

to press the big red buttons 

and wipe out humanity with 

a good old fashioned atomic 

holocaust. All that will remain 

on earth will be cockroaches, 

scorpions, a few Honda cub 

90’s and the vast majority of 

the PW 50’s that have been 

manufactured. The designers 

intended the bike to be 

given as a Christmas present 

to kids. So the design made it 

look like a toy, and they made 

it small enough that parents 

could convince kids that it 

came down the chimney with 

your friend and mine, Uncle 

Santa. A shaft drive was chosen 

to minimise maintenance, 

an auto lube system took the 

guess work out of mixing fuel 

for Dads who may be new to 

the wonderful world of two 

stroke motorcycles. (My old 

man would rather die than 

rely on an auto lube, so 32:1 

premix it was). In hindsight, 

this was a genius strategy 

by the people from Yamaha. 

Making the first experience 

with off road motorcycling 

easy and relatively low risk. 

Allowing time for the learning 

curve to kick in. Something 

that is lacking with the newer 

and very highly strung 50’s 

that are on the market now. 

PW’s are still available brand 

new from your nearest Yamaha 

dealer basically unchanged, 

apart from colour, since the 

early 80’s. Our little ’86 bike 

was bought from Primrose 

motorcycles in Germiston for 

R1200.00. A controversial 

price increase from R576 in 

October of that year. The massive 

popularity of the bike and 

the difficulty in getting bikes 

in during the height of worldwide 

sanctions at the time , 

drove the inevitable increase. 

That little bike taught about 

20 or 30 kids how to ride. The 

frame got welded probably a 

dozen times. It got raced for a 

least ten years by various kids 

and it just did not ever miss a 

beat. I hope whoever owns 

that bike now takes good care 

of it. I nearly got it back in 1998, 

but unfortunately it had just 

been sold on. Will I buy a PW 

sometime for Nostalgia sake. 

Absolutely. But it will have to 

be an 86. Thank you Yamaha 

for building a legend. 

Want your story featured? 

Simply email your 

words and pics to rob@ 

motoriderworld.com

BINDER’S BOOTS: 

TCX IS AVAILABLE 

IN SOUTH AFRICA 

TCX Boots has grown to the illustrious 

brand it is after humble beginnings in 1999 

in the province of Venice in northern Italy. 

Now, they have a range of boots for all riding 

applications and all types of riders, including 

South Africa’s very own Brad Binder in 

MotoGP. And they are available in South Africa 

through the Parabolica website. Shaun 

Wray of Parabolica tells us about them: 

Parabolica is proud to reintroduce TCX to 

South Africa. The brand is of exceptional quality 

and used by world championship riders 

across many categories, even our very own 

Binder brothers. Over the next few months, 

we will increase our range to sport, both on 

and off-road, touring and the urban lines with 

massive attention to detail. 

All riders need to look great, feel comfortable, 

and most importantly have the right 

protection. That is why we are running a 

launch promotion on all sports boots – order 

any pair of TCX sports boots from Parabolica 

at an already discounted price of 

R7,399, and get a free pair of technical 

socks and a trackside cap. 

DFC bracing system 

TCX is showing ever-increasing technology 

with features like the DFC system 

with a PU frame attached to the boot and 

two lateral hidden screws positioned on 

the heel counter at malleolus level. At the 

back of the boot, the system is equipped 

with two lugs that slide inside dedicated 

‘safety lock’ pockets which allow a back 

flexibility up to 13 degrees, avoiding the 

overextension of the ankle joint to limit 

the risk of injury. The PU frame of the 

system is thin and shaped around the 

boot to offer a flat internal surface, 

which allows a good grip on the 

bike and prevent from becoming 

caught on the bike while riding. The 

DFC System is engineered to also 

offer an excellent level of protection 

in case of impact; the heel counter is 

designed to absorb impact energy and 

compression, and it is equipped with 

rear and lateral slider to facilitate the 

natural sliding in case of a fall. 

The internal fastening system features 

long-lasting laces joined to the boot lining 

and a newly designed padded tongue 

to offer an increased level of comfort. It 

ensures that the upper wraps the foot, 

providing maximum fit precision and 

sensitivity while riding. The Fasten Fit 

Control offers an adjustable fit according 

to the rider’s individual foot anatomy. 

Sole by Michelin 

You read that correctly – the sole of TCX 

is designed in conjunction with Michelin 

for increased grip on the footrest, 

increased stability, a more durable sole 

and more heat resistance in both wet 

and dry conditions. 

The toe and heel slider is made of lightweight 

magnesium for better wear resistance. 

Tel: +27 74 143 2764 

Email: shaun@parabolica.co.za

BRAD BINDER 

SUPPORTERS FLAG 

Are you a huge BB33 fan? Of course 

you are, and this is one item you really 

need. The new supporters flag is now 

available and it is a proper design and 

material - the real deal if you like. 

Price: R480 

From: www.bradbinder33.net/shop/ 

MASS CUSTOM RS 

GLOVES 

DIVEBOMB DARRYN 

BINDER PRINTS 

The latest out from Michael Rogers 

Art, our very own superstar - Divebomb 

Darryn Ltd Edition prints. 

Price: R495 (excludes postage) 

From: Michael Rogers 074 101 5000 

Need a new pair of track gloves that 

look amazing and will protect you if/ 

when you crash? Then these are a 

great option to look at. 

The Mass RS gloves are made from 

high quality cow leather featuring all 

the protection you need on track or 

on the road. As you can see they are 

available in a variety of colours, and 

you can even order a pair of your own 

custom design or colour. 

Price: R1800 each 

From: Mass Sports SA - 060 549 2210

RACING PAGES 

TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION 

DUNLOP’S RACE TO ROAD PHILOSOPHY 

With engineers and designers across Europe, Japan and North America, Dunlop boast 

a truly global Research & Development operation with innovations quickly put to the 

toughest test of all – racing. With innovations such as low profile tyre shapes, radial 

constructions, directional and constant curve tread designs, aramid casing materials, 

Multi-Tread (MT) technology as well as JLT – all directly developed through our passion 

for motorsport. What they have learnt on the track, they apply on the road, in fact, 

Dunlop were the first to apply race tyre performance standards to street tyres. 

Dunlop invented the pneumatic 

tyre back in 1888 to 

win races and they’ve never 

looked back. To this day 

Dunlop continues to break 

records, their recent success 

at Isle of Man TT confirmed 

their reputation as the tyre 

to have at the TT. Continued 

dominance in the FIM Endurance 

World Championship, 

along with dozens of national 

championships and the men’s 

and women’s MXGP wins. 

TT legend John McGuinness 

chose Dunlop for each 

of his wins on the Island. 

Dunlop was the choice of 

for the first 100mph production 

lap in 1969 and since then 

we’ve claimed the absolute 

speed records of 127mph, 

128mph, 129mph, 130mph, 

131mph, 132mph, 133mph and 

the new 2018 Peter Hickman 

landmark of 135mph. 

Away from the TT, Dunlop 

invests heavily in the world 

Moto2 and Moto3 world 

championships, supplying 

all the tyres. This means that 

over the years Dunlop has had 

crucial input from the likes of 

Marc Marquez, Maverick Vinales, 

Johan Zarco, Jack Miller, 

Brad Binder… the list goes on 

and on. 

In the FIM World Motocross 

Championship, Dunlop is the 

choice of top teams such as 

Monster Energy Kawasaki 

MXGP and our winning Geomax 

MX-33 tyres are available 

for all off-road riders. 

Dunlop is also the most 

successful tyre brand in Endurance 

Racing. Teams such 

as SERT Suzuki and GMT94 

Yamaha have chosen Dunlop 

to win championships – relying 

on our enduring performance 

in races such as the 

Bol d’Or, Le Mans 24 hours 

and Suzuka 8 hours. 

With that kind of expertise, 

it’s not surprising that 

the race tyres develop so 

fast, and that so much useful 

technology cascades down 

to road-going tyres such as 

the Q4 and RoadSmart III – 

RoadSmart III’s Nano-Technology 

compound that grips 

more and yet lasts longer, 

for example, stemmed from 

improving race performance 

not just in Moto2 and 

Moto3 but in the Endurance 

World and MotoAmerica 

championships too. 

Dunlop has come a long 

way since May 18, 1889, 

when Willie Hume destroyed 

the competition 

in a Belfast cycle event by 

winning four of the day’s 

five races using pneumatic 

tyres invented the previous 

year by John Boyd Dunlop. 

It was the dawn of Dunlop’s 

drive to win – a spirit which 

continues to this day.

RACING PAGES 

MOTOAMERICA 

AT THE RIDGE 

Our South African contingent continued their onslaught 

of the Moto America Championship over the past 

weekend. The season has been exceptionally close 

despite the whole fight against the pandemic and what 

that entails for Motorsport worldwide. 

Words by Greg Moloney 

In the Junior Cup, Rocco 

Landers (1) converted his 

luck again and took the first 

wins of race weekend, but as 

usual with a rider who gets 

away at the front he lost 

valuable TV and online face 

time and due to the incredible 

battle between the two 

SA riders Dominic Doyle 

(25) and Sam Lochoff (57), 

the director stayed with 

their bar bashing action to 

the line, with the Eastern 

Cape youngster, Doyle just 

popping Cape Towns Lochoff 

to the line. 

It was more of the same 

in Race 2 where Liam Grant 

and David Kohlstaedt were 

definitely in a racy mood in 

the Liqui Moly Junior Cup 

and they both made some 

daring passes for position. 

Grant unfortunately went 

down, but Kohlstaedt put 

himself in fourth, just behind 

Doyle and Lochoff 

who were unable to catch 

Landers, but just could not 

get ahead of the champ. 

Cam Petersen (45) seems 

to be untouchable in the 

Superstock 1000 category 

taking his 4th win and decimating 

the field again. He 

was pushing initially to get 

away, but in the end looked 

very cool and calm across 

the line, and his braking issues 

certainly seemed to 

be completely sorted out. 

Petersen was also able 

to finish in the top 10 in 

the Honos Superbike Class 

again, and we believe, as 

with our other two Moto 

GP heros across in Europe, 

he is being looked at by 

some bigger guns for 2021. 

Watch this space! 

In the Superbike class, 

action has been world 

class all season long and 

SAs hope Mathew Scholtz 

(11) has been in it all the 

way. This weekend was 

more of same with Scholtz 

taking a 2nd in Race 1 behind 

Cam Beaubier. 

Former teammates Josh 

Herrin and Toni Elias wowed 

the online viewers in Sunday’s 

HONOS Superbike 

race two at the Ridge Motorsports 

Park. Elias made 

a perfect pass on Herrin 

in the final section leading 

onto the front straight to 

take over fifth, but it was 

all for naught as he was 

moved back to sixth in the 

results because he missed 

going through the chicane 

after crossing the finish 

line. Mathew was just off 

the overall podium for race 

2 but remains in contention 

for the Championship. 

“I just need to get some 

wins...”, said Scholtz chatting 

to MRW post race. 

We know they are coming 

and we will be right 

there when that happens 

and bring you all the up-todate 

news and latest out of 

the MotoAmerica paddock.

Follow the presenters of Hanging Cable SA / RacedayTV on their 

own page, right here in Moto Rider World as Keith Botha and 

Clifford Ogle follow the South African motorcycle racing scene and 

bring you all trackside interviews and race reports. 

With each edition, the team will ensure to bring you exclusive 

features straight from the Horses mouth with some fantastic behind 

the scenes content. 

These guys will also bring you great tech talks as they go around 

and visit some of SA’s fastest racing teams and riders. 

“We are very proud to be contributors to this wonderful new digital 

platform by Rob Portman and can’t wait to share all the racing 

action with all of you guys.“ 

Watch their full Shows on RacedayTV and teaser bits right here in 

Moto Rider World.

MRW Issue 1

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