Going Green

Going Green
by Stretch Henrick

We decided a few months ago to go ‘green’, or at least as green as a motorcycle establishment can get. I mean, how difficult can it be? Jay Leno got it right. Not sure who Jay Leno is? He is a very rich US talk show host who is a rabid petrolhead. Read about his garage here - http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/jay-leno/technology/4213287

Leno has the money to be an example of what can be done but simpler things are within most of our grasps. Obviously this is not an overnight process so like everything else, one starts with the easy stuff.

OIL

Recycling oil is something we have been doing for years. We have a few 210 litre drums (44 gallon drums for the non-metric) into which we pour all our old oil. When the drum is full, we phone Oilcol and they come and remove the old oil for recycling. Alternatively, phone the Rose Foundation to find out more about the disposal of old oil.

METAL

This is easy. We divide metal into steel, aluminium and mixed.other and put them in separate containers. When they are full, we go off the nearest scrapyard and get a few bucks back in the process.

CARDBOARD

Lots of spares come on a card or packed in cardboard boxes. We get entire bikes in cardboard boxes. We have one huge box (about 2 cubic metres) into which all the cardboard goes. Every now and then, it gets collected. We will never get rich on this, the going rate (they pay by weight) seems to be about R10 for every cubic meter of cardboard.

PLASTIC CONTAINERS

Most new oils, coolant, brake fluid etc come packaged in plastic containers. More accurately they come in high-density polyethylene .e containers (Plastic is strictly speaking a property not a substance) and are usually referred to as HDPE containers and they are made from petroleum products. All of the oil containers we use are recyclable (look for the recycle symbol containing the number”2” on the container).

Should not be a problem to recycle then, right…right??

Big problem. NO ONE locally wants containers which have had oil in them. Why not nobody can tell me. I cannot fathom why a container originally made from petroleum products and has once had petroleum products in them cannot be recycled. Places like PETCO have not been much help either!

Can anybody solve this mystery? Does anybody know somebody who can clear this up for me? Can anybody point me in the right direction? Anybody??

PARTS WASHING/DEGREASING

For years the accepted method was the parts washer which was (still is) a partially enclosed counter height unit which pumped power paraffin through a hose with a brush on the end. The pieces that required cleaning were placed on a grid and brushed whilst the paraffin loosened the oil or grease and flushed it away. This old paraffin drained down through the grid into a container where it was ready for reuse. Eventually the paraffin gets too dirty to be of much use and has to be replaced.

It should not be too much of a problem to convert this setup to a water based system, no?

All the chemical and cleaning companies I have spoken to have water based degreasers but none of them can be recirculated. They all work on the principle of emulsifying the oil or grease into a form which can be flushed down the drain which is not what I want to do. I want a water based degreaser which can be recirculated.

I know the stuff exists, I just have not found it locally yet.

I am open to ideas.

Motard race report March 2011

First 1st
by Stretch Henrick

It has taken 10 race meetings on the short circuit to get to where we are now. Killian started motard racing in 2010 on the demo Aprilia SXV 550. Initially we ran the bike as is (stock tyres and all) with just the road gear removed and the mandatory changes done (wiring up of brakes, sump plugs etc). As the year progressed (and as Killian progressed as well) changes were made. Motard specific tyres and gearing came first followed by a performance pipe and air filter. The suspension was altered (several times) to accommodate Killian’s improving lap times.

Weak areas were identified and addressed. We tried drag racing (to improve starts) and took part in a Gymkana. The deal was that if he got good results, we would look at a 450 for 2011. A 3rd in the All Tar Modified class and another 3rd for the year in the Dirt class saw us uncrating an Aprilia SXV 450 for 2011.

Now, on paper, the 2 bikes (450 vs 550) should be identical except for bore, stroke, and smaller throttle bodies on the 450 but it turned out that the bikes have very different engine characteristics. Where one could rely on the 550’s torque to get one off the line fast (rev to 7 000 rpm, dump the clutch and you are in front) the 450 is a revver that requires a lot more finesse.

The 450 is also more critical when it comes to gearing. If you found yourself in too high a gear on the 550, just open the throttle and the torque would pull you through. Not so on the 450. During practice for the All Bike Race Day (16th December 2010) we ran the same gearing as we ran on the 550 but it was geared too tall. The only other sprocket option we had (at short notice) was only 1 tooth bigger which should only have made a 200 rpm difference but the 450 ended up running 800 rpm more. That extra tooth was just enough to get the bike into the strong part of the rev band.

We were pleased with the results achieved at the ABRD. A 2nd and a 1st in the Motard class gave us a 2nd overall. In the BOTT’s class we finished in 7th (put of 17) which, considering the 450 was by far the smallest bike in the race, was a very good result indeed.

For our first race of 2011 (12th Feb 2011) we transferred everything from the 550 onto the 450: wheels, suspension, bodywork, the lot. We fitted Michelin Soft compound both front and rear (we wanted a medium for the rear but for some reason or other we got sent a soft). The rear tyre was absolutely shredded by half way through the race meeting so we swopped it for our old 2010 standby rear tyre and finished the day with a 3rd in the All Tar class and another 3rd in the Supermoto class.

Shredded rear tyre

Saturday 5th March saw us at the track bright and early for the 2nd race of 2011. Killian qualified 5th in the All Tar class. In the Supermoto qualifier he clipped a tyre on lap 3 which meant he had to come in for repairs (bent brake lever) but still managed to qualify 3rd. Racing in both classes has definite advantages – double the practice and qualifying sessions.

The first All Tar heat went well. Killian finished 3rd overall and 1st in the Stock class. The tyres gripped well and the bike was going well in spite of a slightly leaky header pipe (courtesy of a slide out on Monday’s practice).

The first Supermoto heat did not go so well. Killian had just started lap 2 and went into the dirt section turnoff a bit hot. He braked as hard as he could but still ended up clipping someone’s rear wheel and down he went. The damage was minor (bent r/h handguard and handlebar mount) but it meant a DNF for that heat.

Dropped it at the dirt section turnin

The second All Tar heat also went well. Killian finished 2nd overall (courtesy of Carl Liebenberg going down) and another 1st in the Stock Class. He also did a personal best lap time of 49.1 seconds which was the second best lap time of the day.

The 2nd Supermoto heat was a disaster. Killian had to start from the back of the grid but a good start saw him exiting the dirt section in 5th place. By lap 3 he managed to pass Junior Joubert and was right on Dean Hart’s (who was riding like a demon) rear wheel when he overcooked it in the dirt section on lap 5.

This time it was the left side handlebar guard which was bent and so was his little finger. It was sticking up at a right angle, probably dislocated. A quick pull on the finger straightened it out (Killian did this, not me) and it popped back into place.

I straightened things out the best I could (I was running out of handlebar mounts) and got the bike re-scrutineered (again!) while Killian was inspected by the medics (downplaying his finger) and showing him his fresh roastie (right over Monday’s bruise) instead. Another DNF in the Supermoto class.

Roastie on top of bruise

We made a tactical decision to withdraw from the last Supermoto race and just do the 3rd All Tar race instead (before the pain really kicked in). We moved the clutch lever perch inwards, moved the grip right to the end of the handlebar and adjusted the long clutch lever with plenty of slack so that it only just disengaged the clutch. With this setup Kilian reckoned that, at best, he had 2 clutch pulls left in him.

We kept his hand in ice for as long as we could. Once he was suited up and gloved, I duct taped his little finger to his ring finger. The tactic was to go out last (to reduce the possibility of having to sit on the start line with the clutch pulled in), toe the bike into neutral when approaching the start line and to only pull in the clutch when the flag man leaves the track (about 5 seconds before the start light goes out) and shift without the clutch for the race.

The tactic worked. Killian was 2nd on the grid (front row) so even with a slow start he was 4th after 1 lap right behind Dean Hart. He lost 2 places in the next 2 laps but gained a few places when riders in front of him went wide at one of the bus stop chicanes so he finished 1st in the Stock class again.

The final Supermoto race turned out to be the best race of the day (rivaled only by the Westman vs Pantony Supermono race) Carl Liebenberg was on pole with Alec Combrink 2nd on the grid. Carl got the holeshot and was 1st into the dirt section. Alec had the edge in the dirt with Carl slightly faster on the tar. Alec managed to pass Carl on the entry into the dirt on lap 2 but the 2 were never more than a few metres apart for the whole race.

Carl (#711) and Alec (#29) turning into the dirt section

More often than not they were side by side coming into the dirt section and their battle had the spectators on their feet and cheering for most of the race. When the flag dropped it was Alec first over the like about a metre ahead of Carl. It was a brilliant display of riding skill by both of them. It also gave Killian a rare opportunity to observe and learn from 2 vastly more experienced riders.

Killian’s three 1st places gave him 1st overall in The All Tar Stock class for the day but no points in the Supermoto (dirt and tar) Class. Mixed fortunes indeed.

It is difficult to say if Killian’s improved lap times are due to his riding improving or due to the bike. There is no doubt about it, in the right hands, the Aprilia SXV450 is fast. It does require careful setting up and it must be ridden in the powerband to get the best out of it. Another interesting thing, in spite of being as fast as the 550 (maybe even faster) it uses much less fuel.

Nevertheless a solid 1st with barely a years racing experience is a darn good result indeed. Many thanks to Alpinestar, Shark, Michelin and Aprilia SA for all the help and support. Also many thanks to friends, competitors and marshals who rallied around to help. It is greatly appreciated.

Killian’s hand the next day

January/February/March 2011 Newsletter

117 ROELAND STREET, CAPE TOWN
PH: 021 461 0991/021 461 1015
FAX: 021 461 0996
VAT #: 4230168546
REG #: CK92/04746/23
Jackie@eurobike.co.za

January/February/March



Hi all

We are already in March and this year promises to go as quickly if not quicker than last year. Stretch and I took off 4 days over Xmas and that too, went too quickly. This is the only holliday we take every year and it is far too short to cram everything we would like to do into it.

We closed last year on a bit of a “low” as it was really a bad year for most bike shops and we watched as many of the long standing shops closed their doors, this was more evident in Johannesburg than in Cape Town. Its sad to see this happen when you have been in the industry as long as we have. However, we opened again in January and had one of our best months ever – the workshop was buzzing as we struggled to accommodate all the bikes getting booked in and this has not yet stopped. Everyone must be taking advantage of the great biking weather in Cape Town!

RACING NEWS

Killian finished the 2010 season in 3rd place overall for both the Modified Tar Class and the Modified Supermoto Class (Tar and Dirt) racing the Aprilia SXV550 – well done. He participated in the All Bike Race Day on the Aprilia SXV450 and entered BOTT’s (Battle of the Twins) and finished 7th overall in a field of 17 bikes and most of them being 1098 Ducati’s, 999 Ducati’s and the GS800 boxer cup bikes – a fantastic achievement for his first time on the Main Circuit and on a 450 Aprilia!! He finished 2nd overall in the Motards.

His first race of the new season on the SXV450 was on 12 February and he finished 3rd overall in the Motard Tar and Super Motard (Tar/Dirt) in the stock class. His race on 5th March he finished 1st overall in the Motard Tar class (see more regarding this in Stretch’s race report which is on the blog)

We would like to thank the following sponsors who are assisting with his racing: Langston Racing for their generous donation of Alpinestars leathers, gloves, boots, knee guard, neck brace, socks, brake pads, Shark Helmet, Michelin Tyres, and Aprilia SA for the discount on his spares.

Steven Matthew”s races a RXV450 and he finished 1st overall in the EWXC in Novice B Class for 2010, he finished in the top 2 in the Social Enduro and offroad Classes and is hoping to do the Roof of Africa on his Aprilia RXV450. A fantastic achievement for Steven and this was the first year that he raced an Aprilia, in previous years he has raced a Honda.

Next Motard Race – 9 April at Killarney on the Half Main
Next Enduro Race – 12 March in Wellington

Killian (#4) and Dean Hart following on a KTM
PHOTO COURTESY OF EYE CATCHER IMAGES

NEWS FROM APRILIA

The designers and engineers at Aprilia obviously haven’t spent the last two years sitting around discussing Max Biaggi’s relentless progress towards his and Aprilia’s first World Superbike championship. While the Roman Emperor stamped his authority on the racetrack the boffins worked hard at improving the breed even more for the rest of their customers, and the fruits of their labour will be seen in the first quarter of 2011, when the championship winning V-four arrives in Special Edition RSV4 F (APRC) guise.

Aprilia’s roots are in racing and the competitions department works closely with the manufacturing division. This collaboration over the past two years while racing the RSV4 in World Superbike now brings the same technology that allowed Biaggi to challenge so strongly in 2009 and dominate the World Superbike Championship in 2010 to a roadgoing version of the litre-class V-4 superbike. This all comes together in the Aprilia Performance Ride Control (APRC) package.

Apart from the state-of-the-art traction control that has eight manual settings and automatically adjusts itself to suit the characteristics of the tyres on the bike, the new RSV4 Factory APRC SE features Aprilia Wheelie Control (AWC) with three settings, Aprilia Launch Control (ALC) with three settings for lightning-fast starts on the racetrack, and Aprilia Quick Shift (AQS) for ultra-fast gear changes without the rider closing the throttle or using the clutch.

The APRC package uses an automotive inertial sensor platform with two gyro meters and two accelerometers feeding the ECU information about the dynamic conditions of the motorcycle. This is then used to fine-tune the engine management parameters accordingly, while leaving the rider with the capability to adjust any of the APRC components individually.

Unlike most other motorcycle electronic rider aids, the Aprilia systems give the rider plenty of choices rather than arbitrarily emasculating the machine at any faint hint of potential trouble. The eight-setting traction control cleverly “learns” the tyre radius and final gear ratio when the rider asks it to, and then does its job accordingly, where most other systems are optimised for a single size and type of tyre. The three-setting Aprilia Wheelie Control monitors where a wheelie starts and where it is likely to end and kicks in to make for a softer landing, and the launch control system allows the rider to simply open the throttle and dump the clutch when the flag drops or the light changes if he chooses, or launch the bike from the line in the conventional fashion. This system also provides three settings for the rider to choose from.

Apart from the race-developed electronics the Special Edition RSV4 F APRC motorcycle comes with improved engine lubrication for prolonged track use, closer internal gear ratios, and a new, lighter exhaust with an advanced butterfly valve management system to suit the ride-by-wire mapping and allow improved breathing and efficiency throughout the rev range. The Aprilia Special Edition Aprilia also boasts new ultra-light forged aluminium rims shod with new-generation dual-blend 200/55 tyres specially developed in a collaboration between Aprilia and Pirelli.

Recently arrived in South Africa is the all new Dorsoduro 1200, a hard-core evolution of the stylish Dorsoduro 750 V-Twin supermotard. This performance-focused street fighter is blessed with stunning looks that make it stand out in any crowd. The new highly oversquare 90o V-twin water-cooled engine uses four valves per cylinder, double overhead camshafts and twin-spark ignition to extract 130 horsepower at 8700 rpm and 115 Nm of torque at 7200 rpm from 1200cc. The four camshafts are driven by a combination of gears and chains and the engine features triple-map Ride-By-Wire technology with Sport, Touring and Rain maps. Fully adjustable 43mm upside-down front forks and a piggyback design side-mounted Sachs rear shock are standard, as are Brembo brakes with radial calipers. The outrageously agile and sporty motorcycle is designed for pure functionality with very little in the way of ornamentation and an absolute minimum in the line of body panels.

The bike is also available with a two-channel ABS system and Aprilia Traction Control (ATC) with three different selectable levels of performance.

Thankyou to Andre van Rooyen at Aprilia SA for this article.

1200 Dorsoduro

The bike arrived and prior to even uncrating it we sold it to one of our customers who has a perchant for black naked bikes. The first time he saw it was when it came out the crate. It was not long before he had clocked up enough kays for it to have its first service. Liking more simplistic designs, Stretch did a modification to the tail end and made up his own “tail tidy”. It looks really good. We have just received the “gel seat” he ordered and this he reckons makes a big difference. (the standard seat is a bit hard).

The next shipment will be here mid April and the Importers have agreed to keep the price at R119 995 incl vat for this shipment only. If you want one, R5000 non-refundable deposit will secure one for you. They are available in black or perlascent white.

RS125 4 Stroke:

The RS125 will be replaced with a 4 stroke version and this bike should be in South Africa in June/July. The “doing away” with the 2 stroke’s has been on the cards for a long time and this is all due to 2 stroke emission laws in the States. If you have a 2 stroke then hang onto it as I see these becoming quite collectable, if you don’t have one – nows the time to purchase one.

In standard trim the RS125 pushes out 28hp and with an arrows performance pipe ups the power to over 30hp. The 4 stroke version will push out (depending on market) somewhere between 13bhp and 16bhp!!!

FACEBOOK

Please don’t forget to go and join our Facebook site. Under search type in EUROBIKE CAPE TOWN all in CAPITALS. We update the news on our page weekly. If you would like to start a discussion on the page then please do.

That’s all for now, don’t forget Coffee on Saturdays from 09h00 to 12h00.

For those of you in Cape Town please bear in mind that should you wish to go on a breakfast run then leave very early as our roads are full of cyclists and runners limbering up for the Argus Cycle Tour (Sunday 13th March) and 2 Oceans Marathon on (Saturday 23rd April)

Stretch and Jackie

November/December 2010 Newsletter

117 ROELAND STREET, CAPE TOWN
PH: 021 461 0991/021 461 1015
FAX: 021 461 0996
VAT #: 4230168546
REG #: CK92/04746/23
Jackie@eurobike.co.za

November/December



Hi All

Wow, where has the year gone? It has been a very busy year with a lot of triumphs in the Aprilia field. Our biggest triuph must be that our son, Killian went from absolute rookie to coming 3rd overall in both the Motard and Supermotard categories for the year in the WP Championship. Next year he will be racing in the stock class on a SXV450 and he will be participating in the National Coastal Series. Steven Matthews on his RXV450 finished 1st overall in EWXC – class Novice B for the year and of course Max Biaggi winning the WSB Championship for 2010 – congratulations to them all.

TOY RUN

The Toy Run has come and gone and thankyou to all of you who participated. I was stuck for most of the day selling T-shirts but it was nice to see so many of you there, and for those who came to say hello – it was good to see you. One of our newer Aprilia owners was the lucky man who won the Triumph. Congratulations to Keith Huxley.

ALL BIKE RACE DAY

A day of bikes and no cars – blissful! On 16th December the WP Motorcycle Section will be hosting the All Bike Race Day.

Fancy yourself as a racer and never had the opportunity to try? Have never riden on the main circuit? This popular event has been running for many years and gives all the “Breakfast Run” chaps and ladies the opportunity to go and battle it out for the Breakfast Run race, every year there is a Mille or 2 contesting for the title – come on lets hope this year there is more than just 1 or 2!

There is a whole variety of races you can take part in and for more info go to www.allbikeraceday.blogspot.com. Killian will be taking part on his SXV450 and riding in the Battle of the Twins and powersport class. It will be interesting to see how the Motards (Rob Gortmaker and Grant Geyer will be participating too) fare with the 400’s.

Gates open at 09h00 and racing will start at 10h00 and finish at 18h00. Entry for adults R40,00 and U16 – R10.00, U12 – Free.

If you are not going to race then come and support those who are. Pack the cooler box, pull out the skottel/braai and we will see you there.


XMAS SHOPPING

Either leave this newsletter lying around or send your spouses/partners/family to the shop – we have some really nice stocking fillers:

Go Pro Full HD Camera

Fit it to your helmet and you can record footage of your riding. If you are into sky diving, absailing this small camera can be fitted to your helmet or you can get a chest harness or handlebar/seatpost mount for it. The nice thing is its waterproof to 60m! In photo mode it is a 5 meg camera. R3595.00 cash.


Shark RSI helmet in Italian colours

The latest RSI which allows for people who wear glasses – R4835.00. Stretch has always struggled to find a helmet which would accommodate his glasses and in most cases he has had to cut the foam in order for the arms of his glasses to be able to fit through – this is no longer the case – all the latest shark helmets cater for people wearing glasses/sun glasses.



Lightech bobbins

Anodized aluminium bobbins for rear stands – available in different colours – R250.00






Lightech handlebar end weights

Anodized aluminium handlebar end weights – available in different colours – R430.00



Coolmax Tops

Coolmax tops for wearing under your leather jacket/cordura jacket or leathers – helps you move easily and draws the sweat away – R465.00

• 1 piece full leather racing suits – R2800.00
• Caponord light guard – protection for your headlight – R350.00
• Aprilia Caps – R120.00
• Aprilia Pen/Pencil sets – R120.00

SPECIALS FOR DECEMBER ONLY – CASH/EFT (no Credit Cards)

• Gloves (excluding Alpinestars) – less 15%
• Bike Covers – made by Capetonians for Cape Town weather. They wont blow off and have been modeled on Aprilia’s. The X-Large fits the caponord! - less 15%
• Shark Helmet – less 10%
• Open faced helmets – less 10%
• Tank pads – less 15%
  

All the above discounts are for December only and apply to stock we have on hand only!

We will be closing for a couple of days over Xmas – from 12h00 on the 24th December and will return to work on the 3rd January. We wish you all a peaceful Xmas and New Year and will see you all in 2011.

Stretch and Jackie

Enduro World Cross Country Series 2010

EWXC Final Round November 2010
by Steven Matthews

Saturday, 13 November brought on the 3rd and final round of the hardcore EWXC series held at Zone 7. Morning rain was welcomed from a dust settling point of view but must have reduced the spectator attendance. It was a big turn-out nonetheless and the racing promised some serious close up action.


The course had been altered drastically for this round. Several obstacles were changed and large sections of the whooped-out sand were taken out. This made the course much shorter and all the obstacles were in pretty much a straight line, one after the other, right next to the spectators. The best seats were in the track-side beer garden which had a good view of quite a few obstacles.


The start was the usual, bike engine off, riders 10m behind. Flag drops and you run to your bike, start and go. I got the holeshot in a big way on my Aprilia RXV 450, and led for the first lap and a quarter, before serious arm pump kicked in and 4 guys managed to overtake me. I kept at it although the arm pump never went away, and managed to claw my way back to a 3rd place over all in the heat, 11 gruelling laps in 45 minutes is what it took.


Sitting in my pits, waiting for my second heat, and watching the pro heat, Anthony Reinardt ( 4th in SA MX Nationals for 2010) and his team mate Noel Stander came in to refuel. Refueling was really not needed but they were fast enough and leading by so much that they could without compromising their positions.

Just as they had finished refuelling and Noel started his bike, Anthony's bike burst into flames, Noels leg also caught fire but he never noticed and rode off. Fortunately the flame went out. Anthony on the other hand was not so lucky because no sooner had his bike caught on fire when he too caught on fire.


He jumped off the bike, dropping it to the floor. By this time the bike was totally engulfed in flames and so was he, from head to toe. I grabbed my fire extinguisher and ran and put him out. My friend Haydon Wood followed with his extinguisher and helped put the bike out.

Anthony must have been in flames for close to 10 seconds before I got to him and put him out. His kit had started melting around his legs and he sustained some minor burns on his neck, face, legs and groin. Considering that they never had fire extinguishers in his pits, nor in the ones next to him ( both professional pit crews) he was extremely lucky to be alive, let alone come away virtually unscathed! (Neither Haydon nor I got so much as a thank you from him or his team.)

Heat 2 was started and I was not as quick to get off the line. I got away in 3rd and quickly caught up to the 2 guys ahead of me before the end of the start straight, and slotted in behind them as we hit a narrow section which drops off onto the dry sandy area around a dam.


The guy in second had a moment and I got past him, into second, where I stayed for a few laps before he caught up and overtook me, then he continued on to leading the race. I was feeling much stronger in this race with no arm pump and reeled in 2nd place and managed to overtake him.

From here on we had a major battle for 2nd swapping positions many times before he finally got past me and pulled a gap. Again 45 minutes and 11 laps later I ended in 3rd.

Our heat combined two classes, Novice A and B. I fall into B which is for riders of less than two years experience. My two 3rd places overall were actually a 3rd and 2nd in my class, translating to 20 and 22 points.


These should have given me second in my class for the day, but I was given 39 points and fourth place at prize-giving much to my amazement. I disputed this but it was too late as I should have checked the provisional results before prize-giving and had not, so nothing could be done to rectify the situation.


Fortunately my points total for the year was still the most so I am Novice B EWXC 2010 Series Champion on my Aprilia! I also scored more points for the series than any other rider of any class, that being 139 out of a possible 150. Yeeeeeehaaaaaa, RXV, RXV, RXV. My wife Tanith has been given legendary status after winning not only the EWXC Ladies Series but also the EWXC Social Series.

Caponord Geluksburg Weekend

Caponords, Geluksburg & the hokey pokey

By Pieter Hansen

First of all, I would like to thank everyone that attended the trip. It was absolutely fantastic. To those that missed out, maybe next time...

It all started on Friday morning 27 August 2010 at 6:30.

5 Caponords met up at a petrol station on the R50 (Delmas Road). Got fuel, got coffee and discussed the day ahead. Our destination was Geluksburg; a small town in KZN, somewhere between Harrismith and Bergville. Our route was Delmas, Standerton, Vrede, Memel, Verkykerskop, Harrismith and finally Geluksburg.

The road between Delmas and Standerton was terrible. I underestimated the “warnings” of the road is bad... thing is, there is no road. There are little patches of tar between all the potholes... seriously, it was that bad! There even was more than one car on the side of the road with tire blow-outs! We did not stop for pictures here.

After breakfast in Standerton we headed to Vrede, quick refuel (I might add that the Caponords had excellent fuel consumption) and off the Memel. We stopped at the “famous”Memel hotel for some greatly appreciated refreshments.

Memel Hotel

Memel Hotel again

From Memel we took a 35km gravel road to Verkykerskop. The gravel road was a bit exciting with loose, very big rocks on large sections of the road... but yes, fun all the way.

First gravel from Memel

We stopped in Verkykerskop to up the tire pressures for the tar section to Harrismith. The sign at the Verkykerskop stop was very amusing... “eat and get gas”!

Quick stop in Harrismith for some lunch and refuel, as there is no fuel in Geluksburg!
From Harrismith we took a 35km gravel road towards Gelukburg, which takes you to Tintwa and middledale pass. I originally thought it was the same pass, but apparently is it two different passes that follows on each other.

What I can say about Tintwa/middledale.... WOW!

Middledale panoramic


Middledale Pass

Middlepass again

The gravel road leading up to the pass is pretty straight forward, with some interesting spots here and there... nothing serious though. The last 15km towards Geluksburg is a tarred road that is truly magic. A must for anyone that has never been there!

We reached Geluksburg around 17:30. It was a long day on the bike for only 450km, but we stopped plenty and had a great day. The weather was perfect, blue skies and no clouds. Our stay-over venue in Geluksburg is “The Homestead”. I highly recommend this place for anyone that would like to spend a night, with great value for money. Single rates at R400 per night, sharing rates at R300 for standard and R350 for luxury rooms... and it includes Dinner, Bed and Breakfast!

House in Geluksburg

The food was excellent. Service was more than what can be expected from 3 star accommodation! And the biggest plus of all, they ARE biker friendly!

When we arrived at Homestead, Wynand was already waiting for us. The main reason for the trip was to get as many Caponord owners together as possible. It turned out that it was more than just a meet and greet, and some good friendships were formed. Another Capo owner arrived around 18:30 (and a late addition arrived Saturday afternoon at 15:00 – which made a total of 8 Caponords for the weekend)!

Day two, after breakfast and a group photo we had a quick chat about the day’s riding.
We split up in two groups, those with pillions headed to Clarens via Golden Gate and Rolf, Jan and I went for the gravel circle route which leads to the Swinburne tunnel.

Golden Gate

Jan and Rolf on gravel

The gravel road from Geluksburg towards Ladysmith was perfect! Some hard rocky sections, but good gravel for medium to high speed gravel riding. The weather again was perfect, with some clear blue skies, and temps going to high 20’s (reaching just above 30 here and there).

Gravel around Geluksburg

Gravel around Geluksburg

The next section was tar past Ladysmith towards Newcastle. About 30k’s after Ladysmith the gravel starts towards the tunnel. Again the most amazing gravel roads. It was a perfect day for riding!

A couple of km before we got to the tunnel, Jan with the GPS riding in front, the road all of a sudden and without warning turned into a “double lane single track” (Rolf came up with that). Jan had a “you put your left foot in, and your right foot out.... hokey pokey and shake about”. Rolf and I were cracking ourselves until we had to endure the same hokey pokey manoeuvres.

It was a short section with dongas, rocks and nothing were you expect road. My rear wheel at some point lifted from the ground... with me looking at my front wheel from a totally wrong angle!

But we managed to get past the section without any incident. The Caponords behaving well under the circumstances (I suppose I must add that we weren’t going slow leading up to this section – so we hit it at speed).

After settling down we headed to the tunnel. 400 meters through the dark; Nice!
We had some interesting spots heading out towards the N3.

We had some lunch at Van Reenens tea garden and headed back towards Geluksburg. Gravel road leading up to Tintwa/middledale pass... where we stopped several times for pics!
We returned to Gauteng on Sunday with a very uneventful N3!

All-in-all a great weekend! It was great to finally meet some of the other Caponord riders and to see 8 Caponords together for a weekend getaway. Thanks to everyone that made the weekend awesome!

September/October Newsletter

117 ROELAND STREET, CAPE TOWN
PH: 021 461 0991/021 461 1015
FAX: 021 461 0996
VAT #: 4230168546
REG #: CK92/04746/23
Jackie@eurobike.co.za

September/October



Hi All

Wow, what a way to start this newsletter – Max Biaggi has won World Superbike Championship on an Aprilia RSV4!!! More about Aprilia’s race heritage in a report compiled by Stretch further on in this newsletter. Are we proud – definitely! In actual fact there are many racers out there that are doing the brand proud be it overseas or locally.

It is our anniversary this month. Eurobike was started in October 1992 and we initially operated the business out of our garage in Newlands. Things started expanding and Stretch, who only worked on the bikes after hours (he worked at Telkom), got someone in to prepare the bikes for him and do the “donkey work”. There obviously was a need for servicing, repairing and rebuilding of Italian bikes and as the business grew and the neighbours complained we needed to find premises. In 1997 we purchased Dick Bate Motorcycles and moved our entire operation to Salt River. Stretch was still employed by Telkom and I in the meantime came in and managed the business for him. Wow, what a learning curve. My motorcycle experience upto that stage had been helping Stretch rebuild the odd Laverda, listening to Chris Prior in the garage whilst polishing the odd motorcycle part, helping at racing and attempting not to crash his 400/4 whilst practicing my riding skills.

I had my own business so the admin side was not new to me. We took on the existing staff from Dick Bate. The staff whom had really only worked on all things Japanese were in for a learning curve as we introduced Eurobike to them which was predominantly all things Italian. Stretch, however, did work on a lot BMW’s as well. Shortly after taking over the business the admin lady left to have a baby and Cecil went on leave. I now had to source “Japanese bike bits”, batteries, spark plugs etc. I had people phoning for prices of things I had never heard of. All I can say is thanks to Donald Craig who so many times came to my rescue. Of course the other part of being a WOMAN in a MAN’S world was something else. I can remember Woolfie of Charlies Honda (no longer in business) phoning me and telling me that they had set up a Motorcycle Union for the motorcycle shops and that he suggests I join so that I have some sort of backup, afterall I am a woman and I may run into problems! Gary Johnson of Suzuki World (no longer in business) told me that some of the bike shops had put out bets as to how long I would last!!

I'm still here and they have all gone! Stretch left Telkom in 2003 and joined me on a full time basis. It is 13 years ago and wow have I learnt a lot!

FLEXI-SHIELD:

We will be wrapping our RSV4 in a product called flexi-shield. They will be coming to do this tomorrow at 14h00. Please come and join us and watch how they apply this product.

It is a flexi shield made out of a 200 micron film which is applied to all the body panels as well as your headlight and indicators. This product is really tough and if a stone does manage to chip it, it seals itself within seconds. It protects your bike from sandblasting and stone chips and comes with a 12 month warranty on workmanship.

Pricing is as follows:

Superbike – R2900
Street Fighter/Naked – R2300
Tourers – R3500
Panniers – R1600

It takes approximately 3 days from time of taking pattern to the end product. All panels are laser cut.

APRILIA NEWS:

Dorsoduro 1200 – the first units have been ordered by Aprilia SA and they should be here sometime in January 2011. Price will only be determined upon the shipment arriving.

Tuono V4 – Its expected to go into production mid 2011 and will definitely be ordered by Aprilia SA. If no delays occur, they should be here during the 3rd quarter of 2011. No pricing available yet.

Shiver 750 – 2010 Model which is black with a red frame: R89995 incl vat. Older shiver model (we have 1 in stock in black) R85995 incl vat. No difference between the models except the colour scheme.

RSV4 Factory – 2009 Models which are identical to the 2010 Models have been reduced to R225 995.

The 2011 Model RSV4 Factory with APRC (Aprilia performance ride control) arriving late January 2011. No price as yet.

RXV 450 (Enduro model) – 2008/2009 Models on special at R57500 and R64800 respectively.

RXV 550 (Enduro model) – 2008/2010 Models on special at R64600 and R91800 respectively.

SXV 450 (Motard model) – 2007/2008/2009 Models on special at R58500. R65700 and R90000 respectively.
SXV 550 (Motard model) – 2009 Model on special at R91800

RS125 – 2008/9 Models at R49995

NEW PRODUCTS:

Aprilia - we have new caps in stock @ R120.00 incl. vat

Motul Shine and Go - spray it on and wipe it off. Really nice bike cleaner. R165.00 incl. vat.

License Holders - in carbon fibre and metal @ R140.00 incl. vat.

Cargo Nets - for holding all your goodies at the back of your bike - good for going to rallies. R80.00 incl. vat.
Motul 2 Stroke Oil - now available in 4L @ R498.00 incl. vat.

Battery Tester - Yuasa battery tester that tests the degree of charge and checks cells (for unsealed batteries). R67.00 incl. vat.
Digital Tyre Gauge - R180.00 incl. vat.

RACING NEWS:

With only 1 race left for the season, our Son, Killian, will finish either 2nd or 3rd overall in the tar class and the Supermotard class. The points are really close with 2nd and 3rd places in the championship and there is a big drop off to 4th. This is an amazing achievement for youngster who has never raced before, never done motocross before and where his riding experience compromised of an Italjet at age 6, which he used to ramp over various pavements and bmx courses. He then moved up to a KX60 with gears and from there progressed onto a small-wheeled KX80 with performance pipe. When he outgrew his KX80, I suggested he try my KDX200 but he felt a bit intimidated by its height.

Stretch took him off to a Motard riding school held at Killarney last year and they took out the KDX200 and the SXV550. Stretch rode the KDX whilst Killian and Steven Matthews had fun on the SXV550. Killian was in Matric and we mentioned that should he do well in Matric, he could race for 2010 on the SXV550. What a "carrot" - he got an excellent Matric, and he has proven that he is clearly a good learner. He has gone from rookie to elbow bashing with the front runners. At the last race meeting he was awarded the Rider of the Day award, which was sponsered by Maxxis. Stretch and Killian have become a formidable team and next year Killian will be on a SXV450, competing in the Regional series as well as the National Coastal series.

INTERNATIONAL RACING:

Congratulations to Aprilia and Max Biaggi on winning the 2010 World Superbike Championship

Many will argue that Leon Haslam handed him the championship on a plate when his engine let go but, although it was mathematically possible for young Haslam to win the title, it was highly unlikely as he went to the Imola round 63 points behind Biaggi. Nope, Biaggi and Aprilia won the Championship fair and square.

It’s not the first time Biaggi has won a Championship on an Aprilia. Max won the 250 World Championships in 1994, 1995 and 1996 on Aprilias. And that was not Aprilias first GP Championship either. In 1992 Allesandro Gramigni won the 125 GP championship on an Aprilia although Honda took the Constructors title.

Loris Reggiani was the first person to put Aprilia on the podium in 1985 with a 3rd at the Yugoslavian 250 race and another 3rd at the San Marino GP with a 6th overall in the 250 Championship. Loris gave Aprilia their first 250 GP victory winning the San Marino race in August, 1987. He later won the French 250GP in 1991, the Spanish and French 250GP in 1992 and the Czech 250 GP in 1993 on an Aprilia. Although he was never a World Champion, he certainly helped put Aprilia in the GP map.

On 15th August 2010, Nicolas Terol won the Czech 125 GP on an Aprilia giving Aprilia their 276th win at GP level, one more than MV Agusta. To break it down that is 133 wins in the 125 class, 143 wins in the 250 class, 26 World Championships and 18 Manufacturers Championships making Aprilia the most successful manufacturer at GP level.

It is not only on tar that Aprilia has done well. In 1992 Tommi Ahvala won the Outdoor World Trial Championship on an Aprilia. A year later (in 1993) Tommi won the Indoor World Trials Championship on an Aprilia.

Jerome Giraudo won the 2004 S2 Supermoto Championship on an Aprilia SXV450 in its debut year. In 2006 Thierry van den Bosch won the S2 Supermoto Championship on an Aprilia SXV450 with Jerome Giraudo second in the Championship. Aprilia took the Manufacturers Championship in 2006 and in 2007.

Stefan Merriman competed in the E2 World Enduro Championship on an Aprilia RXV450 in 2007. In 2008 he won 3 races on an Aprilia RXV550 in the E3 class and finished the season 5th overall.

On the MotoRally side, Alex Zanotti put Aprilia on the podium with a 3rd overall and 1st in class on an RXV450 in the 2008 Pharaoh Rally. This was followed by another 1st in class by Paolo Ceci at San Teodoro (Sardinia 2008) and another 1st in class by Lopez in Tunisia in 2010.

So there you have it: 36 road and 7 off road World Championships and a total of 342 wins (so far) in World premier classes is a pretty impressive trophy list for a manufacturer who only started with motorcycle production in 1970.

BIKES FOR SALE:

Please note that we will only advertise bikes here that have a full service history:

CAPONORD - 18000kms on the clock, immaculate condition with lots of extras (higher screen, panniers, etc). 2008 model. Contact Deon on 0834696554

MV AGUSTA 750 - has just had a big service done, 2000 model, 20913kms, FSH. Bike at Eurobike.

RS250 - Full service history, 35062kms, 1996 model. Bike at Eurobike.

RSV 1000 - Immaculate, 15189kms with Akrapovic pipes, full service history. Bike at Eurobike.

DATES TO DIARISE:

17 October - Suzuki South/WP Motorcycle Section Riding School.

13 November - Regional Motorcycle Racing - Main Circuit.

13 November - Beaver Rally: Entries available from Eurobike.

27 November - Motard Racing - Half Main Circuit.

28 November - Toy Run.

That's all for this newsletter - Ride Safe.

Stretch and Jackie