In this issue

South Africa's No.1 Motorcycle Magazine for over 40 years.
What’s inside?
Pg 4 - Trade News
Pg 8 - Workshop Tips
Pg 10 - Honda Fireblade
Pg 18 - Custom - American Dream Pg 24 - 2 Stroke Tech
Pg 26 - Gone But Not Forgtten Pg 28 - State of the Nation
Pg 32 - NSU Sportsmax
Pg 38 - Motorcycle Advice
Pg 40 - GS Turns 40
Pg 44 - Ducati Scrambler
Pg 48 - Mike Scott MotoGP
Pg 50 - Moto GP Round Up
Pg 54 - Ago’s Artefacts
Pg 62 - Riding for a Limb
Pg 64 - Suzuki DL 1050 XT
Pg 68 - The Melton Tour
Pg 74 - Book Review
Pg76 - Ducati 250 Quattro
Pg 84 - Charley’s Chat
Pg 78 - Classifieds & Events

Triumph Tiger 800 XCA, 2020, 1635KM, R169,888

Last month, you read about the new Triumph Tiger 900. I told you that it is a step forward from the outgoing Tiger 800 but that didn’t necessarily mean that the 800 is a bad bike. Far from it. The Tiger 800 remains a brilliant road bike, with a fantastic engine, good comfort and good looks. In short there’s nothing wrong with it at all and only a hardened off-road rider could criticise its lack of lowdown torque in off-road riding. But, how often are you likely to be doing that?

2 mins

Workshop Tips

If there’s one thing that you have do yourself, regularly, it is to lubricate your chain. The advent of the ‘O-ring’ chain has made this less essential than previously, or maybe it would be more accurate to say that intervals between lubrications has been extended, even if the need to has not.

2 mins

Fired Blade

HONDA CBR 1000 RR-R

8 mins

Oh, For Goodness Sake More New 2-Stroke Tech!

I’m thinking about re-naming the magazine, ‘2-Stroke Bike SA’, given the amount of news there is coming out about the engine. It seems we can’t publish an issue without there being some new development that someone, somewhere is working on.

2 mins

Historic Racer Test Mike Hailwood's NSU Sportmax 251rs Racer The Start Of It All.

Landmark ride at Germany’s Oschersleben circuit on one of the two West German-built NSU Sportmax 250s on which Mike Hailwood first made his name in international racing

8 mins

BMW GS Turns 40

Little did BMW engineers realise that, 40 years ago this year, they conceived a motorcycle that was to shape future motorcycling so fundamentally. In 1980, it would have been impossible to predict that the R80G/S and its successors would become the best-selling motorcycle range in the company’s history.

4 mins

The MotoGP Round-Up 16 August - Austria

You have to be kidding me!

6 mins

Giacomo Agostini's Sala Trofei: Ago's Artefacts

I make no apologies for publishing this long story about the man who is arguably the greatest rider of all time. Whether your vote goes instead to Hailwood or Rossi or even Marquez, there can be no doubt that Giacomo Agostini stands shoulder to shoulder with them. Here, Alan Cathcart visits Agostini’s new Sala Dei Trofeo and hears some wonderful reminiscences from the man himself.

10+ mins

Suzuki V-Strom 1050XT

When there is an acknowledged market leader in a given category of motorcycle, it does tend to blinker people to alternatives that are, in all likelihood, just as good. Often the market leader is there simply because of a better marketing campaign or fortuitous exposure in some form of media. I’m not saying that they’re no good and don’t deserve to be at the top of the pile, but let’s get things in perspective.

6 mins

THE MELTON WOLD

Melton Wold Guest Farm (40 km west of Victoria West) is one of those rare old Karoo institutions which should be on the bucket list of all itinerant motorcyclists. It’s ten years since I last visited it and I decide to explore some long-awaited virgin dirt tracks en route.

10+ mins

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Bike SA Magazine Description:

The Best Selling Motorcycle Magazine in South Africa - By Far!!