CAPE TOWN (March 8, 2013) – The 2013 Harley-Davidson Breakoutmotorcycle is an urban prowler.  With authentic swagger that turns heads in traffic and a proud stance certain to draw a curb-side crowd on bike night, the Breakout is presented as a premium model in its segment with distinctive finishes and specific components not available on other Harley-Davidson bikes.

Long and low-slung, the Breakout features a 240mm rear tire visually balanced with thick forks and chopped fenders, while a shaved tank console and a drag handlebar keep the profile low. A Twin Cam 103 powertrain and other components are trimmed in gleaming chrome and gloss-black paint.

Like the acclaimed 2013 Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) Breakout model that precedes it, the Breakout features styling that’s smooth, tight, and intended to showcase the engine and the tyres.

“With Breakout we got down to motorcycle essentials, which means emphasizing the powertrain and the wheels,” says Harley-Davidson Styling Manager Kirk Rasmussen. “The black and chrome engine visually pops out of  the center the bike, and then to maximize the impact of the tires, the fenders are chopped . We wanted a lot of rubber showing to give the Breakout a tough, muscular look.”

The Gasserwheels are new and specific to the Breakout, according to Rasmussen.

“We’ve always loved the gasser-style drag racing wheels from the 1960s and ‘70s,” says Rasmussen. “Our wheels are loosely inspired by those classics. Each wheel has 10 half-round spokes. The gloss-black powdercoat is machined away on alternating spokes and the rim edge to expose the aluminium under the paint.”

A gloss-black finish is also applied to the new cast aluminum oil tank, as well as fork lowers, brake rotors, muffler shields and the handlebar.

“To lower Breakout’s overall profile, we placed the speedometer on the handlebar riser,” says Rasmussen, “and topped the fuel tank with a black leather strip that covers the seam, and a chrome-plated pod that’s just high enough to conceal necessary wiring and vent lines. The handlebar is a new curved drag bend that which I think feels aggressive when you ride.”

The Softail chassis mimics the clean lines of a vintage hardtail frame, but utilizes rear suspension control provided by coil-over shock absorbers mounted horizontally and out of sight within the frame rails. The Breakout is fitted with ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) and the Harley-Davidson factory-installed security system.

Key Breakout Features

• The Twin Cam 103B™ engine with 103-cid (1690cc), counter-balanced and rigid-mounted within the frame, is rated at 95.9 ft. lbs. of torque at 3000 rpm. The engine is equipped with Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI), and Automatic Compression Release (ACR), and is mated to a 6-speed Cruise Drive transmission.

• The powertrain is finished in black powdercoat with chrome covers and gloss-black shields over chrome dual-staggered mufflers.

• Gasser-style 10-spoke cast aluminum wheels are finished in gloss-black powdercoat with machined highlights; 8 by 18-inch rear and 3.5 by 21-inch front.

• Floating front and rear brake rotors have gloss-black carriers.

• Front and rear fenders are chopped. The front fender location and bracket are specific to the Breakout. The rear fender is shaped and positioned to fit close to the 240mm tire. One-piece forged aluminum rear fender supports are highly polished.

• The front end spreads 49mm forks approximately 1.75-inches wider than previous FX Softail models to allow fitment of a 130mm front tyre. The fork lowers and headlight bucket are finished in gloss black.

• New Single-Rib Cast Aluminum Oil Tank is finished in gloss black.

• A 18.9 litrefuel tank is topped with a black molded-leather strip and a low-profile chrome cover.

• · The two-piece seat features a passenger pillion that may be removed without tools for solo riding and to fully expose the rear fender. Laden seat height is 24.7 inches.
• An all-new wide drag-style handlebar is finished in gloss black. The speedometer is mounted on the chrome pull-back handlebar riser.

• Discreet low centre-mount license plate and combination stop/tail/turn lights leave the wide rear fender uncluttered.

• The glass-filled fuel tank medallions and graphics are exclusive to the Breakout.

• Available solid colors include Vivid Black, Big Blue Pearl and Ember Red Sunglo.
• An all-new wide drag-style handlebar is finished in gloss black. The speedometer is mounted on the chrome pull-back handlebar riser.

• Discreet low centre-mount license plate and combination stop/tail/turn lights leave the wide rear fender uncluttered.

• The glass-filled fuel tank medallions and graphics are exclusive to the Breakout.

• Available solid colors include Vivid Black, Big Blue Pearl and Ember Red Sunglo.

Restyled for 2013, the Harley-Davidson Street Bobis a stripped-down and rowdy bobber based on the Harley-Davidson Dyna platform that appeals to riders who appreciate the pure essence of motorcycling; a typically powerful American V-Twin engine at the heart of a bike with simple eye-catching styling that carries only the most essential equipment.

The new Street Bob Special Edition is upgraded with a 1690cc engine to deliver that unmistakable Harley rumble.  We’ve embellished it with distinctive two-tone scallop paint and steel laced wheels with attention-grabbing red rims to deliver a bike that stands out by its looks just as much as its sound. The Street Bob Special Edition delivers that high-end bobber look and features straight out of the crate, with ABS as standard to elevate its specification to new heights.

“Our focus for the Street Bob is always on street appeal,” said Harley-Davidson® Styling Manager Tony Pink. “This bike is for the owner who would order a muscle car with the biggest motor and no radio. As part of this restyle, we cleaned off the rear fender, ditched the battery box trim, and bolted on a classic oval air cleaner cover. The goal is to create the elemental Big Twin that a customer can define as his own.”

The defining elements of the Street Bob are retained for 2013’s Special Edition – a solo seat, chopped rear fender, and mini ape-hanger handlebar give this motorcycle an unmistakable profile. New styling features include a black Twin Cam 103 powertrain with highlighted details, blacked-out front end, clean rear fender with combination stop/tail/turn lighting.

Key Street Bob Special Edition Features

• Rubber-mounted Twin Cam 103 V-Twin engine with Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI), rated at 95.9 ft. lbs. of torque

• 6-Speed Cruise Drive transmission

• Red Steel Laced wheels; 19-inch front/17-inch rear

• Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) as standard

• Scallop two-tone paint, in Big Blue Pearl/Vivid Black

• Blacked out triple clamps, powertrain, and battery box cover

• Full-length wrinkle-black cast console with integrated ignition switch

• Clean chopped rear fender with stop/turn/tail lights for a minimalist bobber look with uncovered fender supports

• Rubber isolated handlebar risers with forged top clamp for reduced vibration and simplified customization

• Stainless steel, internally-wired mini ape-hanger handlebar

• 17.8 Litre Fat Bob® fuel tank

• Solo seat

• Mid-mounted rider footpegs and controls

• Michelin Scorcher tyres: 100/90B-19 57H front, 160/70B-17 73V rear

• Chrome exhaust with dual staggered shorty mufflers.

I was personally never a fan of the 21” front wheel, so the drop to a 16” gives it a much more of a Fatboy look and is far more pleasing to the eye. It also makes the bike handle better and this where the Sportster shines. The relatively low dry weight of 251kg’s and 710mm seat height means that this bike is slammed to the ground. It’s low, loud and proud and with its candy orange flaked paint, it fits the part perfectly.

The low seat height makes it incredibly easy to ride at about any speed. The drag bars brings your body a bit forward and the mid mounted foot controls contribute to that seating position. It’s almost clear that this bike was not intended for extremely long journeys. The 17l fuel tank gives adequate range as we managed about 18km/l. The 1200 Sportster is not very quick, but it’s no slouch either. And in traffic it’s actually pretty nimble and very nippy.

The 1200 custom has a cruising sweet spot of about 130kph; this is where the bike feels at its happiest. You continuously find yourself short shifting and riding the torque wave through the gears and that’s mainly due to the audible pleasure that the Screaming Eagle pipes produce, which was fitted optionally to our test bike. Our 1200 Custom also had a click on Chrome fly screen, which made riding the open road at higher speeds a lot easier.

Another nifty little gadget our bike was fitted with is the Boom audio, which allows you to run music off your IPhone or Android phone while riding. This is simply plug-and-play and volume is pretty good at speeds up to 120kph. While you change your track selection while riding, you can adjust the volume and turn the setup on or off. Your phone is also housed in a lovely magnetic leather bag, which mounts to the tank.
The 1200 Sportster is such a versatile, easy to live with bike and it’s no wonder that it’s so popular. From a customisation point, you can turn it into anything you want, from a bobber to a chopper with ape hangers, the 1200 sportster makes a great platform.

Optional extras on our bike :
Tall screen
Tool Bag
Boom Audio
Screaming Eagle Slip-ons

For more information on the price of the accessories, please call your local Harley-Davidson dealer.
The Sportster 1200 Custom retails for R128 995
For more info, check out Harley-Davidson online at Harley-Davidson.com

CAPE TOWN (25 February, 2013) William J. “Bill” Davidson, Vice President of the Harley-Davidson Museum, will visit South Africa for the first time to join the iconic brand’s 110th Anniversary celebration at Africa Bike Week from 26 to 29 April 2013.

Harley-Davidson is celebrating 110 years of freedom, self-expression and epic adventures. South Africans will have an opportunity, for the first time, to meet the current face of the Harley-Davidson legacy Bill Davidson.

Davidson said, “I am looking forward to Africa Bike Week and joining our fans in South Africa in celebrating Harley-Davidson’s 110th Anniversary. It’s always a pleasure to meet, speak with and ride alongside Harley-Davidson enthusiasts.”

“I am particularly excited to visit South Africa as we recognise the enormous growth potential this region has for the Harley-Davidson brand and we have big plans to expand in to the African continent” says Davidson.

Davidson, the great-grandson of co-founder William A. Davidson and the son of William G. “Willie G.” Davidson, Chief Styling Officer Emeritus, started riding motorcycles at the age of seven. He joined the company in 1984 and held various leadership positions before taking on his current role. Throughout his 28-year career with the company, Davidson has focused on strengthening the Harley-Davidson brand and relationships with riders around the world.

“Don’t miss” activities at Africa Bike Week which include official Harley-Davidson and dealer exhibitions, non-stop live entertainment, a ride-in bike show, bars and food vendors, free Harley test rides and a mass ride-out.

For more information about Africa Bike Week or to keep up to date on Bill Davidson’s South Africa trip, visit www.africabikeweek.co.za or Like our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/HarleyDavidsonAfrica.

ABOUT THE HARLEY-DAVIDSON 110th ANNIVERSARY:

The Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary is a year-long, global celebration connecting millions of Harley-Davidson fans across the globe united by a common bond and shared passion for freedom, self-expression and epic adventure. Included in the official 110th Anniversary calendar are 12 different 110th Anniversary experiences that Harley-Davidson will bring to existing motorcycle events in global markets throughout 2013. The events span 11 countries on six continents and will be capped by two main celebration events in Rome, Italy, in June 2013 and Milwaukee during Labor Day weekend in August 2013.

Harley-Davidson fans are invited to learn more about the 110th Anniversary and join the celebration online where they can share videos, images and experiences on Facebook, Twitter with the hashtag #HD110, and at www.h-d.com/110.

ABOUT HARLEY-DAVIDSON:

Harley-Davidson Motor Company produces heavyweight custom, cruiser and touring motorcycles and offers a complete line of Harley-Davidson motorcycle parts, accessories, riding gear and apparel, and general merchandise. For more information, visit Harley-Davidson Africa’s website at http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_AA/Content/Pages/home.html or Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/HarleyDavidsonAfrica

My original Leatt brace

I decided to pop down to Leatt’s head office in Cape town and we decided that a clean up and padding replacement was needed. I originally thought about going with the factory blue kit, but after some pondering, we went with the factory black. To me black and blue has always been a good combination and at around 500ZAR, its a worthwhile investment to have you brace looking like new.

Leatt Factory Black Padding

After about 30 minutes, the brace got back to me after it was serviced and cleaned. The brace was no fitted with the Factory Black padding kit and stickers and I must say, I really like how it came out.  Its no longer an in store shelf model, but a fully custom padded Leatt brace.

The Custom Leatt Brace

If your brace is looking a little dull, check out the padding kits. For the money spent, it will completely transform your old brace into something funky!

The previous model 1200GS we rode was the single overhead cam variant back in 2009. While this was great and the package was still very good, BMW stepped up the game a little more so and upgraded the wonderful boxer motor to a double overhead cam. This gives the bike 81kw and 120nm. The power is still very linear, although the engine does not feel as lazy anymore. The new engine feels snappy and there is plenty power available everywhere throughout the rev range. I must say that going with the DOHC setup really brought the boxer into the 21st century and up to par, in terms of excitement with the other brands.

The 1200Gs is still a very good motorcycle despite its size. The boxer engine gives it a really low centre of gravity and you will only feel this after riding a few trails with it. The telelever and paralever makes gravel roads a breeze and the anti-dive system is really something to behold. I thoroughly enjoyed the ESA (electronic suspension adjustment) system. I could switch from comfort to normal and to sport with the push of a button and believe me, comfort mode activated on a corrugated gravel road is like driving in a Rolls Royce. The ride is soft and forgiving. Traction control and ABS is standard, but can also be disabled. ABS can only be disabled while the bike is stationary, but traction control can be activated and deactivated while moving. There is also a sport mode which allows a little bit of tire spin, and obviously a lot of tire spin with it disabled. If the mode is enabled, it will cut the power as soon as wheel slip is detected. It will also make sure the front wheel stays on terrafirma by cutting the power as soon as it starts to lift. It’s a really good system and will be very helpful to new riders starting out on gravel riding. I can just imagine what traction control will do for riders on a wet, slippery road.

The front 110/19 and the rear 150/17 are BMW mag wheels and are fitted with Tourance EXP 2 Tires. They prove to work very well on the tar but, as you can guess, struggled on rough gravel and off-road. The first thing I would do on a motorcycle like this is fit a set of Mitas or Heidenau 50/50 tires. They usually give the same sort of km per set.

After spending a good amount of time with the 1200GS I understand why there are so many on the roads. It’s really a brilliant motorcycle and is currently the benchmark for adventure touring. I’m really excited to test the Honda Cross Tourer a little later this month and see how it compares!

The R1200GS is available nationwide and a suggested retail is R 137,950.00.

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Firing it up it sounded good, too. The parallel twin had a little obnoxious rumble to it, something which is not very common with Honda’s smooth inline fours or V-four engines.

The first thing you notice on the bike is that it has a very upright riding position to it. Some call it an adventure bike, some say it’s a commuter and some even say it’s a super moto-like motorcycle. Firstly, the bike is a great do-it-all motorcycle. When I rode it the 1^st day, I admit to not liking it at all; it felt so bland to ride. Then I figured out that I was doing it all wrong. This motorcycle was meant for the city, lane splitting or taking the occasional twisty country road.

At 120kph there is ample power to ride along all day and you should return pretty good fuel consumption too. Honda claims just 4l/100 for it and while I got 5l/100km I did not ride it in any way that had fuel economy in mind.

With the fuel tank under the seat, the relatively heavy 214kg dry feels nimble and light and I could not believe how well it takes the bends.  The 14l tank is good for at least 300km with normal riding and probably closer to 400km if you ride a little more fuel conscious.  The 38kw and 62nm feels nice and torquey, but never feels like it gets going like a conventional, higher revving motorcycle. It shines in town and traffic, where you never find yourself doing gazillion miles per hour! The cubbyhole compartment located where most motorcycles have their fuel tanks is a brilliant idea. It carries one helmet and you gloves with ease and is also perfect to picking up bread and milk from the store. I was surprised to see how many groceries to could fit in there.

Most people argue that if it looks like an adventure bike, it must be one. It is, in fact, a lifestyle bike. Call it a soft roader of some sorts. It does good gravel road and tracks perfectly fine and, with companies manufacturing crash bars as we speak, people will have protection when they do venture off road. Keep in mind that the sump is fully exposed, so if you are planning to go into more extreme rocky conditions, please fit a skid plate. There is also a relatively good range of dual purpose tires available in 17inch.  The 120/70/17 front tire and the 160/60/17 rear tire are road only tires. They work great everywhere except on gravel, mud and sand.

The front suspension is 41mm non-adjustable telescopic forks. The rear is a pre-load adjustable monoshock type. I feel that if the bike was aimed at adventure riding, the front suspension should have been adjustable in one way or another.

You might be disappointed that Honda gave us another road bike. This bike is aimed at the commuter segment, which I think is brilliant for that. It turns quickly, stops well and also has enough poke for around town.  On the open road, don’t expect much more of a top speed over 170kph. There simply is not enough power to pull you around at that kind of speed.

It takes a lot for a bike to change my initial opinion after riding it for a while. The NC700x completely surprised me after a few days. If at first glance you feel the bike is too boring or bland when riding it. Think about it again. This bike rocks, given its purpose: People who are commuting.

The NC700X retails for R66 000 and is available from Honda dealers nationwide. Book your test ride today.

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What’s new?

So, looking at the Sertao, you will notice that it still looks pretty much like the old Dakar. To be totally honest, it sort of still is. I think BMW went with the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mindset and you know what? It works.
Let’s look at this bike as a face lifted, more economical model.
For starters, the front facia is completely new. The front light looks like it could have been shared with the X challenge, but it suits this machine pretty well. There is a new screen and also a new instrument panel. This makes the bike feel much more like the 800 and the 1200GS. The dated feeling for the Dakar, with the analogue only clocks, are gone. ABS and heated grips are standard, but it can be ordered as an option without these from the factory, if you want to save a few bucks. Personally, I would, as it’s just an added expense and if you are going to be riding off-road more than on road, I highly suggest ditching the ABS.

Riding impressions

The 652cc engine pulls well through the rev range. The water-cooled motor seems to have a little bit of flat low-end but picks up nicely around 4-7 thousand rpm. The bike actually accelerates very well for a single. On the road the handling is pretty good. You can really ride the bike aggressively through the corners and, even though the suspension is suited to off-road, it seems to cope fine with quick turning adjustments. The brakes work very well and there is very little interference with the ABS, unless you stomp on the back brake or the road is a little sandy.

Off road is where the bike actually works. There is no other way to say it, but it really does the job tremendously well. 1st gear is low enough for technical riding and there always seems to be power available. So many people think of the 650GS as soft, and I can assure you that with the right tires, this bike would be stupidly capable. The 210mm front and rear travel is actually pretty adequate and the bike will take small jumps with ease. In stock form on our test route which included rocky and sandy single tracks with the occasional small whoop section, it felt at home, with the exception being the tires. The brakes are great off-road if you switch the ABS off. Thankfully the ABS is only on the rear wheel and can be deactivated directly from the bars, at standstill.

The wet weight of 193kg might concern you, but it seems be kept rather low, with the under seat fuel tank. It didn’t feel very top heavy and you only notice the weight when you are down steep rocky sections and you need to be on the brakes most the time. Other than that, it feels on par with the 650 class, excluding the more endure-based machines.

Open road gave us about 20km/l with most of speeds between 120-150kph. This gives you a range of about 200km to reserve and another 80km when traveling in reserve. Bmw claim 4.3l per 100km at 120km/h and 3.2l/100km at a constant 90km/h. Im pretty sure its attainable. Top speed measured at 165kph on the gps with the speedo pointing towards 170 and a bit.

Overall

You really can’t fault the GS Sertao. It’s a great dual purpose travel bike and with its relatively tame low rpm power its suited to most levels of riding. There is a low seat available for the shorter guys and girls but at 860mm it didn’t seem excessive. If you need a bike to commute with during the week and want to start out-riding on the weekends, the sertao is a great option and having the benefit of Bmw on call should something go wrong is just an added bonus. As a travel bike it makes a lot of sense. Plenty accessories from High screens to panniers to wide footpegs and then there is the delicious touratech tank that will give you a total range of over 1000km! Perfect for a round trip over the weekend.

The Gs Sertao as tested retails at R89 995, this includes Abs and heated grips

Check out www.bmwmotorrad.co.za for your nearest dealer.

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When Honda broke the news that they were bringing the 650L to South Africa, I sat up and listened with both ears. During the last quarter of 2011, it was nearly impossible to find a demo model as they were being brought in in small quantities, literally all pre-sold from the show room floor.

When I had the opportunity to snatch one for a week before most of the other journo’s got hold of it, I just had to.
I must say, I was really looking forward to the bike. When I saw it standing there waiting, I noticed something, something that might be a problem for the shorter generation. The XR650L is tall! Anybody shorter than about 1.85m will have trouble reaching the floor.

The 650L was released in ‘93 where it used the same engine as the Honda NX650 Dominator with a similar off road frame from that of the XR600R. It stayed much the same over the last 19 or so years and it’s still as dead reliable as it was back then. In fact, this is probably one of those preferred ‘around the world’ bikes, since you will more than likely find spare parts for it, anywhere.
The engine is a fairly lazy 644cc air cooled single cylinder four-stroke with a relatively low 8:3:1 compression ratio. It has a 5 speed wide ratio gearbox with a rather short 1st gear that will probably climb you straight up a wall.

The suspension on the front is 43mm air adjustable Showa cartridge fork with a 16 position compression and damping adjustability. It also has a huge 11.6 inches of travel. That’s on par with most Motor-cross bikes! The rear is a Pro-link single shock with preload and 20 position compression and 20 position rebound damping adjustability and 11 inches of travel. The suspension works very well on rough terrain. It almost seems to perform better the rougher the terrain gets. I had it in sand whoops and on mountain trails and I really could not fault it. The front was perhaps a little soft when getting on the front brakes.

The brakes are typical dirt bike. They are nowhere near those of the more exotic bikes, but they work well on both tar and off road. I personally like them a little stronger but, for a bike like this, I really can’t complain.

The only gripe I think most riders will have is the small fuel tank. It holds 12 litres and, of that, 2 litres is reserve. With my mixed testing with some highway speeds (120kph), some gravel cruising and a short stint in the dunes, I got 120km to reserve. My second stint, in the dunes only, saw me 71km to reserve. So if you are planning on using it as a light duty adventure bike, there are oversize tanks available around the R3000 mark and it would be a great investment.

Competition in this segment is rather fierce. You have the DR650, the KLR650 and the XR650L. Depending on what your riding style is like will influence your thoughts. The KLR is a better long distance bike, but lacks the suspension and crashability of Honda.It does have a bigger tank from the start and will need less modification if your purpose is to travel. The DR650 is very similar to that of the Honda; small tank, lower seat height and suspension that is not so off-road orientated. It’s a good compromise if the XR is too high. However, the XR is a great do-it-all bike. You can ride it like a dirtbike, you can use it as an adventure bike (after you fit that tank) and it’s better suited to the bigger guys. It’s a great compromise between hard enduro and light weight dual purpose bike. It will never be an enduro, but it has that minimalistic feeling to it. Best part is, it is available new, from only R49 000.
This is a no brainer.

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Put up your hand if you don’t know about the KTM990. I don’t even need to say that I’m guessing you all know about the bike and secretly want to own one. Even if you are riding a Bavarian steed; deep down, you know your blood a slight tinge of orange in it.

And rightly so! The 990 has not changed much over the last couple of years, besides some little cosmetic changes like orange crash bars and a new front facia LCD/ speedo. This was probably the biggest change in the model since the 990 came out, which, as you should also know, replaced the wonderful 950.

Previous generation 990s had a snatchy throttle. You would ride around in 1st gear and the slightest twitch of your wrist would send the bike flying forward at a relatively intimidating pace, and even if you are used to the power, it could still catch you off-guard. The snatchy throttle has been cured and, I must admit, it’s so smooth down low now that even your granny could take it to the shop to buy bread on a Sunday. So from that point, the bike can’t be faulted.
The biggest biggy in the range was the R version, which versus the regular 990. Why would you want the 990 if you can have the R with longer travel suspension and the added power? Everybody wants more power, right? Thankfully, the new bike is now identical in terms of power with the R. Yes, it uses the same fuel injection mapping and I’m told that even more power can be extracted by fitting aftermarket exhausts like the Akraprovics. So now if you are on the shorter side of things, you can buy a 990, have the same bragging rights with your mates and still not feel intimidated with only your toes touching the ground, like you would on the R.
The 990 also has ABS. Not everybody is fond of ABS on dirt but, thankfully, this time around they made it very easy to switch off. The previous generation always had me fighting with it and, right now, it’s really a simple 5 second approach, as long as the bike is standing still and in neutral. You simply hold the button for about 5 seconds and voila, ABS off and playtime can begin.

The biggest perk of something exotic is the parts. Brembo brakes and WP suspension is really in a class of their own. It handles the worst gravel roads with ease and, what may feel on the faster side on any other bike, feels rather normal, perhaps a little bland, but yet comfortable and in control. I’m sure you’ve had the ‘oh-dear-what-now, I’m going too fast and I might go down’ feeling. The simple “stand up, open up” term comes to mind and the Adventure jumps forward, breaking the tail loose, sort of like the black stallion (orange perhaps?) and it just pulls you through anything. Yes the suspension is really that good. Combined with better dual purpose tires, the bike would make any road a breeze. It’s no wonder it’s the alpha dog when it comes to aggressive adventure riding.

The nature of the LC8 motor is a little on the peaky side. It sounds great when spinning at 6000rpm+ and below that, it’s just a mountain of torque, ready to roost anything behind you! As a touring bike, I felt it handle pretty well on tar, with a cruising sweet-spot of around 150kph. Around that speed you should still see decent fuel economy as it’s no secret the LC8 can drink like a v8 if you hold the taps open. There are talks of around 19km/l around 100-110kph and an average of about 15-16km/l around 140kph. Not bad for a bike that only spells FUN.

The 990 brings out the little naughty boy in everybody who rides it. They call it “the Dark Side”… I’ll take two if you can give me some cookies with my milk, please!

Thanks to KTM Cape Town for the practically brand new 990 (800km) they loaned us! Much appreciated!

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