July 2010 Newsletter

117 ROELAND STREET, CAPE TOWN
PH: 021 461 0991/021 461 1015
FAX: 021 461 0996
Jackie@eurobike.co.za

July 2010



Hi All

I hope by the time that you receive your newsletter the weather has improved drastically and if you are a fair-weather rider, you will be dusting off your bike and getting ready for Spring to arrive. It has been a cold winter and I hope that you have had your bike on its Optimate charger through winter. If not, we do stock most batteries!

We carried out a test with one of the bike covers we sell and we kept one of our bikes under it. The bike was kept outside, bearing in mind that we live in Newlands, we are pleased to report that the bike was kept dry, did not wash away and did not deteriorate at all. Not once did the cover blow off and I can assure you that the north-wester pumps in Newlands. Can definitely recommend one of these covers for a bike that lives outside.

As we all battle through the depression, not that you would have thought there was one whilst the World Cup was on, bike sales have been slow but our workshop has been busy – thank you to all of those who have supported us.

During the World Cup we met some really interesting people who popped into the shop. One of the Couples was from Seattle and they owned Aprilias and wanted to compare Aprilia Cape Town with Aprilia Seattle. They loved our shop and loved all the photo’s on the wall. They took lots of photo’s to show their dealership. The other couple were from Spain – they were originally from South Africa but now lived in Spain. It was so nice to talk to other Aprilia owners and find out about their shops. They will receive this newsletter and forward it to their Aprilia community. We have gone International!!

MOTARD RACING:

Our Son, Killian, has been doing so well in the Motard Racing and is lying 3rd in the Championship at present. He is doing a sub 50 per lap on the (shortened) half main and is flying. He participated in the drag racing at Killarney and posted the 2nd quickest time in the ¼ mile. At the race meeting on 21 August in his final race he was on the front row of the grid and led the race from beginning to end! What a fantastic combination of rider, bike and mechanic. Stretch is having fun being father, mentor, teacher and mechanic for him. Stretch has a wealth of racing knowledge and Killian is a fast learner. An awesome team and I think they will go far. To those of you who have been going to support them – thank you.

Killian on SXV550 and David Jacobs on KTM

As many of you know, Cecil had a bike accident on the 20th May and is healing very slowly. His trusty CD200 has already been repaired by the Workshop but his body is taking a bit longer to repair – we wish him well.

I, in the meantime, have been taking a crash course in all things Japanese and I thank Theo and Dicky at Honda Cape Town and Fuzzy at Yamaha for helping me when I need it. If you phone and it takes a while for the phone to be answered, please do not hang up, I'm on my own and will get around to answering the phone. It is easier, if you want to enquire as to stock or prices, to email me at jackie@eurobike.co.za , I check my emails regularly.

We have a few Alpine Stars jackets, gloves and boots if you would like to take a look. We have all the catalogues and can order anything from them for you. Please pop in and come take a look.

MAX BIAGGI REPLICA - RSV4:

For those of you who would like to purchase a very special and limited production bike, Aprilia is making a limited amount of Max Biaggi replicas. The bike will not be homologated for riding on the street but ONLY for track use. On placement of order it will take approximately 4 months for the bike to arrive (in time for Xmas). Retail price is R665955.00 incl vat and should you wish to order one you will need to pay 60% on order. It pushes out 20hp more than the production bike and the Maximum torque at the crank is 10 Nm more than the production bike. I do have all the specs for those interested in purchasing one.

BIKES FOR SALE:

These are bikes that belong to Aprilia owners and they are bikes that our Workshop have serviced and in most cases have full service histories.

MV Agusta 750, 2000 Model, 20913kms on clock, FSH – R85000.00
(Can be seen at Eurobike)

Aprilia RSV Mille, 2005 Model, 15189kms on clock, Akrapovic slip-ons, FSH, Immaculate – R70000.00
(Can be seen at Eurobike)

Aprilia RS250, 1996 Model, 35062kms on clock, FSH – R25000.00
(Can be seen at Eurobike)

Aprilia Pegaso, 2001 Model, First registered in 2004, 27000kms on clock, service history since new owner acquired bike – R40000.00neg. Contact Willem on 0834481651

Aprilia RSV Mille Factory, 2009 Model, 2000kms on clock. Contact Chris on
0829687203

Aprilia Tuono, 2007 Model, Immaculate, FSH. (Old shape) Contact Deon on 0725936530

Moto Guzzi Cruiser – R40000.00 (Can be seen at Eurobike)

Yamaha RZ500 – R50 000.00 (Can be seen at Eurobike)

DRAG RACING - A BRIEF ENCOUNTER
By Stretch Henrick

In the mid ‘80’s a couple of us decided to try drag racing. We went to Killarney and signed up. In those days the dragstrip ran from turn 1 towards turn 5 – opposite to how it runs today. In the end, it was myself (Stretch) on my 1980 Jota (many consider this to be the best bike ever made) against Geoff Waldron on Dave Abraham’s 1981 Jota (just as fine a bike).

I had an old Michelin M48 tyre on the back which had worn a little square from all the commuting so I was not too worried about wasting rubber as I had a new ME99 replacement waiting at home. The event was run elimination style which gave us plenty of time to improve. Times started in the 13’s and in spite of the tall first gear we managed to get down into the 12’s by the end of the day.

Fast forward about 25 years…..

We decided that Killian’s starts could do with a little improvement so perhaps it was time to visit the dragstrip again. We duly pitched up good and early on Sunday 25th July 2010 and signed up. First run ever on the strip for Killian on the SXV 550 produced a 12.561 sec run with the bike banging off the rev limiter with 150 metres still to go.

Second attempt was marred somewhat by a missed shift produced a 12.65 sec time. Obviously room for improvement as we still have all afternoon to drop those times, right?

Wrong! Turns out the event (for the motards, anyway – not sure about the rest) was run as a “bracket’ race which means ones quickest time in practice is ones “bracket’ time and the object was for the rest of the day to get as close to this time as possible i.e. consistency. Going appreciably faster would eliminate one. Racings version of a golf handicap, I suppose, but without any incentive to improve.

So there we were, first elimination run and Killian gets off the line better than last time and promptly gets eliminated for bettering his “bracket” time. So, in spite of posting the day’s second fastest time for the Motards (12.524 sec) we were finished for the day.

In short, he did in 3 runs what we took a whole afternoon to do on bikes with nearly twice the engine size.

I think I now know the origin of the saying “the older I get, the faster I was”


IMOC NEWS:

The Italian Motorcycle Owners club have a movie night on the and its held at the 3rd Thursday of the monthCrankhandle Club in Wynberg. All movies are motorcycle related. For further information on what's happening with IMOC go to www.imoc.co.za

FACEBOOK:

We are on facebook and if you have not joined us then please do, we have 2 pages and you need to join them both. Once on facebook if you type in EUROBIKE CAPE TOWN (all in capitals) you will see the front of the shop go and join there, the other page comes up as Eurobike Cape Town and its in lower case – go and join there too. We put information on our facebook site on a weekly basis and its one way of staying in touch.

DATES TO DIARISE:

Motard Racing – 25th September – come and support Killian.

The All Bike race Day on the 16th December – time to dust off your leathers, your bike and go participate in a days racing or come watch a day of bike racing.


That’s all for this newsletter, if you would like to add an article to our newsletter then please email me the contents and we will forward onto Tarryn who maintains the blog for us. Any ideas – forward those to us too.

Safe riding,

Stretch and Jackie

Ceres Enduro Update

RXV on Podium in Ceres Enduro
by Steven Matthews

Saturday 26 June was the date of the latest Regional Enduro. It was held on a farm just outside Ceres. The weather on the day was great and rain a few days before ensured there was very little dust.

The loop was of varying terrain, from super fast gravel roads which are more suitable to off-road races than enduros, to really steep hills with very little traction, hectic rocky sections and deep mud-holes.

The first steep hill was carnage by the time I got there. Bikes and bodies strewn all over on the way up, and bikes lining up at the bottom waiting for a gap. As soon as the guy in front of me moved, giving me space to get past and ride up the hill, I gave it gas and started the climb. It was going well until near the top , some dingbat who had wiped out into the brush on the side of the track, pushed his bike straight in front of me. My front wheel climbed his front wheel and bounced to the left. I had to get off and bring the wheel around to face the right direction. Its not easy to pull away once having come to a standstill on a steep hill with very little traction, but I got back on my Aprilia and managed to get going again. As I was nearing the top there was someone who had wiped, trying to pull away. He wasn't so lucky and flipped his bike. I thought he was going to land right on top of me but fortunately he and his bike fell to the left as I passed on the right. The mud-holes also created some bottlenecks as bikes got stuck and splattered mud everywhere.

I had a great race with no problems and only one silly wipe-out which landed me in a ditch. This lost me some time as I had to manhandle the bike back onto the track. Although the flat, fast open sections are not my cup of tea, it was really cool flying past other bikes making it seem like they were looking for parking. I got to a top speed of 133km/h. I did three laps in 2 hours 33, a total of 81km. My fastest lap was 49 mins. This put me 2nd in my class for the day.

EWXC June 2010

Aprilia RXV 450 On Top of Podium Again in Extreme Event!
by Steven Matthews

Saturday, June 12th was the day of the second round of the EWXC MX/ENDURO Extreme Series held at Zone 7 in Cape Town. This event has surely got to be one of, if not the, best event on the South African motorsport calendar. It is nothing but action packed. Spectators line the course alongside the sixteen man-made obstacles, to get an unrivalled trackside view of the gruelling, blood, sweat and vloeking, as the psycho riders fight their way around the track.

Tackling the sixteen man-made obstacles requires technical riding ability. Doing them at race pace takes about six to eight minutes per lap, and absolutely obliterates your energy levels after a couple of laps, making the obstacles seem even more hectic as you repeatedly try summon up power to get over them. By lap five, you start praying for the end of the race as you struggle to stay in a straight line. Each time you pass the finish line you hope in vain to see the checkered flag until finally, like a dream come true, there it is and the battle is over. Yeeeeeehaaaaaa!

Due to several factors like World Cup soccer, Springbok Rugby, a few other motorsports events and rain in the week leading up to the event, (not to mention the lack in size of cahoneys on many regular enduro racers), the entries were low and some classes had to be combined. I entered Novice B - riders with less than two years riding experience. My class was put with Novice A (more than two years experience). I gave it horns and won Novice A in both heats and thus took the top step on the podium. My wife Tanith had a fantastic race; won Ladies and came third overall in Social class.

April/May/June 2010 Newsletter

117 ROELAND STREET, CAPE TOWN
PH: 021 461 0991/021 461 1015
FAX: 021 461 0996
Jackie@eurobike.co.za

April/May/June 2010



Hi All

Wow, where has the year gone, we were remarking about this yesterday when one of my younger friends said “when you are old time passes quickly” only for one of my kids (age 19) to remark “I think this year is passing too quickly and I’m not old”!! Well whatever it is, it is passing far too quickly. There are 5 days to the World Cup. Overheard at the racing , one of the Motard racers was asked what time the rugby was on – his retort was “ask someone who cares, do I look like a rugby player or someone who would be interested in rugby, we are real men, we ride bikes and race”. There will be no further mention of rugby or soccer in our newsletters.

Stretch and Killian and some of our Aprilia owners went up to World Superbikes at Killarney and were pampered in the Aprilia boma. From those I have spoken to, a great time was had by all. I have included some of the photo’s from the event. A big thankyou to Andre van Rooyen, Aprilia’s Brand Manager, for organizing this event. A lot of hardwork goes into arranging something like this.

The visit to the Aprilia pits was eye opening to say the least. What one sees from pit lane on TV is only a small part of things. Max Biaggi and Leon Camier were in the same pits with Sheridan Morias next door. Max and Leon had 2 bikes each (with everything colour coded) and Sheridan had one bike (rumoured to have been built up out of spares). Behind the scenes was a different story. Rows of tyres mounted on rims and all warmed up ready to go, a mobile workshop dedicated to suspension work, 3 technicians each for Biaggi and Camier analysing info from the onboard data loggers, boxes of spares (for bodywork, engine and cycle parts), spare leathers, helmets etc etc. Mind boggling to say the least.

This is the bike Biaggi rode. Note the colour-coded tool chests.

Stretch was really keen on buying some or other genuine SBK part to compare with our demo bike but this was not to be. Any suspension brake component that is damaged gets replaced with new and the old broken or faulty bits are returned to Ohlins or Brembo for analysis and repair. No doubt there would have been throwaway items after Sheridan’s fall but they did not have access to the pits at all after the race.

He did, however, find something on the 4 works bikes that anybody can buy. Have a look at the pic below. No, not the trick aluminium stand or the carbon fibre bits but the crash bobbin between frame and fairing . Yup, thats a dead standard 1st gen Tuono crash bobbin. Go to your nearest Aprilia dealer and order a drift (plastic bit) part number AP8163193 and a bottom (the anodised cup) part number AP8134922 and you too can have genuine parts as raced by Biaggi and Camier.
An interesting thing to note are the carbon fibre covers on all the external engine covers (WorldSBK rules) yet the SuperStock rules do not allow carbon fibre exhaust hangers as these are a major danger (when they break they leave sharp ragged artery ripping edges) in accidents. One case where the street guys get the lighter product.

Black crash bobbin in blue anodised cup between frame and fairing.

For those of you who watch motorcycle racing on TV or perhaps followed the National Motard Racing, we had our moment of fame when Eurobike Aprilia was emblazoned on the screen on 2 ocassions. We sponsored one of the races and they were giving the sponsors some airtime. Killian also had his moment of fame as they showed a really good picture of him too! The dreaded virus hit our computer via an email we received so this newsletter is very late as I lost most of my email addresses and it was back to the files and job cards to check for my email list which comprises of over 200 Aprilia owners! We have changed the shop around again, so please pop in and come see – your feedback would be valuable.

RSV4R STANDARD MODEL:

We have the RSV4R standard model in the shop and it is a beautiful pearlescent white. It is the only 2010 Model that came into the Country and it is selling for R185995.00 incl. vat.

SHARK HELMETS:

Featured in Fast Bike Magazine in the May 2010 issue.

Winter special on stock items only less 15%

RSR2 Carbon
Was R8400, Now R7140


RSI Thetys
Was R5245, Now R4458

RACING:

The last short circuit meeting on 22nd May was run in the opposite (anti-clockwise) direction. This is fine for the tar classes but the dirt section proved to be a bit of a challenge. The problem here is that all the jumps are not incorrectly configured, which makes for VERY hard landings.

Normally take offs are steep with a gradual landing ramp but, with everything in reverse, the drop offs were very abrupt. The picture says it all:

Suspension front and rear bottomed out allowing belly pan to ground out.

Killian did really well in the all tar race and got down to 1 minute per lap on the half –main. He finished 3rd overall in the Tar class. Well done Killian!

Steven Matthews raced his RXV450 on the same weekend and despite the heat and a blown fuse (and that was not himself) he finished 8th overall. Tanith Matthews finished 3rd overall in the ladies class. Steven – I think you need to buy your wife an Italian bike now!! Well done to you both!

Steven Matthews on his RXV450

The Importers still have some enduro RXV450's in stock and pricing is as follows: RXV450 - 2007 Model: R64995.00 incl vat RXV450 - 2008 Model: R72995.00 incl vat For those of you who would like to go Motard Racing the Importers still have a couple of Motards left at really good prices. Our SXV is testimony to the fact that they are bullet proof. All we have done to ours is we have put on skateboard wheels as crash bobbins (works really well, so if you have old skateboard wheels lying around, we would love them), we have put on handguards and changed the gearing. We are going to try a motard racing tyre on it for the next race meeting (Killian has been racing on the tyres it came out with!)

SXV450 - 2007 Model: R65995.00 incl vat
SXV450 - 2008 Model: R73995.00 incl vat
SXV450 - 2009 Model: R99995.00 incl vat

SXV550 - 2008 Model: R75995.00 incl vat (this is what we have on the track)
SXV550 - 2009 Model: R102995.00 incl vat

RACING DATES:

Super Motard racing - 12th June: Come support Killian on the SXV550 and Jean Pieterse on a RS125

Zone 7 - 12th June: Come and support Steven on the RXV 450 and Tannith Matthews at the MX Enduro Extreme

Main Circuit Racing - 26th June: Roxy Wood on a RS250 and Paul Medell on a RSV Mille will be racing.

I would like to mention that the Motard Racing and the MX Enduro racing is very cheap to go watch. To watch the Motards, Super Singles, CB150's, Carts, will set you back R40.00 per adult. The MX Enduro will cost you R20.00 per adult. Just think a day of motorcycle racing only (NO CARS spilling oil!!!)

Photo of Roxy Wood who races the RS250 Aprilia on the main circuit. Look at the angle of her leg!!

WINTER MAINTENANCE:

If you are one of those fair weather riders, then now is the time to purchase an Optimate battery charger and put your bike into hibernation for winter. The Optimate is an intelligent charger and will sense when the voltage on the battery is low and will keep the battery fully charged through winter. This is of course if we have no load shedding! We have the new Optimate 4 in stock - R660.00 incl. vat.

Another product we have in stock is an Octane plus booster, one of the most important things about this product is that it stops the fuel from deteriorating - R130.00 incl. vat per can. Put it in your bike's tank when you put the bike into hibernation and you won't have to flush the tank out when you take it out in summer.

We have bike covers in stock, which have been manufactured by a Cape Town company for Cape Town winters and the sizes are genuine. They modelled most of the sizes on our Aprilia's. If you buy the XL, it will fit your Caponord and it will cover it properly. These covers have extra straps at the bottom of them to ensure that they do not fly off. Cecil tested one of these covers at our shop in Windy Woodstock and we can tell you that they do stay on! Prices from R342.00 to R575.00 incl. vat.

If you are going to carry on commuting on your bike then now is the time to make sure that your brakes are in excellent condition, what with our wet roads, jay-walkers, Dodge-the-Freeway guys, etc. Stretch can make stainless steel brake hoses for most bikes. If you have an older bike with dodgy brakes then this is the way to go! We stock a full range of brake pads for Italian bikes.

Please also ensure that all your lights and indicators are working.

We have a range of gloves in stock for both men and women to keep the winter chills at bay. We also have waterproof Aprilia jackets that have a fleecy lining in them - the perfect jacket to wear when you go watch racing - R760.00 incl. vat.

FUEL LINE FOR UNLEADED FUEL:

For those of you with older bikes, we have 5mm fuel lines in stock for unleaded fuel. This fuel pipe has been imported from Italy and will do just the trick. It is retailing for R100.00 per metre incl. vat.

MOTOXCLEAN:

We have been given the Cape Town distribution of MotoXclean. This is a South African made product and it really cleans your bike well. We have tested it ourselves and not only does it work really well on your motocross bike, but we have been washing all our bikes with it as well as using it to clean the workshop floor. It works really well on everything it comes in contact with. You can now wash your bike and your driveway all in one go! It is very well priced and you can buy it in a 750ml trigger bottle for R46.00 incl. vat, or a 5L papsak for R84.00 incl. vat. If you buy the papsak then you need to buy the trigger assembly with hose R48.00 incl. vat.

The papsak is a fantastic idea and basically it looks like a large papsak, you clip on the trigger assembly and you spray down your bike and hose off. Turn the tap off and leave the trigger assembly attached for the next time. It stores well and does not take up much space.

LEATHERMAN/GERBER & WOLF EYE:

We have some Leathermans, Gerber & Wolf Eye torches and Raider knives at very old prices to clear. Shop early for Fathers Day!

ALPINE STARS:

We have been given the Cape Town distributorship of Alpine Stars and our stock should be in the shop by next week Thursday - 10 June.

ITALIAN MOTORCYCLE OWNERS CLUB (BETTER KNOWN AS IMOC):

If you are not a member, I suggest you join. There are so many benefits to belonging. The best one must be that you do not have to ride at the back or in the middle of the Toy Run and you get to park your bike inside at Maynardville. They are also a social bunch of people and you get to see really good movies (bike movies of course!) in Winter.

• Meetings are held on the 1st Thursday of the month
• Social evening for all motorcyclists whether you ride an Italian bike or not on the 2nd Wednesday of the month. Usually they serve really yummy food and this is all included in your membership!
• Movie evening on the 3rd Thursday of the month
• They are trying to put together an IMOC table for Xmas in July to be held at Wynberg Club on 24 July
• They do have runs.

STAFF NEWS:

Cecil had a bike accident on the 20th of May and is recovering slowly. We wish him well (Please note that this leaves me - Jackie to answer phones, spares, etc, so if I sound harrassed, please understand).

COFFEE MORNINGS:

We are open most Saturday mornings from 09h00 to 12h00. Come and join us for a cup of filter coffee and meet other Italian Bike Owners

BIKES FOR SALE:

RS250 - Chesterfield Replica with FSH (bike can be viewed at Eurobike) - R25000.00
Pegaso 2000 Model, FSH and bike is immaculate - contact Xavier on 0781241997
Pegaso 2000 Model, has been serviced by ourselves - contact Philip on 0743334133
Tuono 1000cc 2007 Model - FSH and immaculate - contact Deon on 0725936530
RSV1000 Factory - Bought in 2009, very low kms, immaculate - contact Chris Grobbler on 0829687203

APRILIA PRICE LIST ON NEW BIKES:

RS125 - R49995.00 Pegaso Strada (650cc) - R81250.00
Pegaso Trail (650cc) - R83250.00 Shiver (750cc) - R89995.00 - Naked bike
Dorsdouro (750cc) - R112500.00 - Motard
Mana (850cc) - R113500.00 - Automatic bike
Tuono Standard Model (1000cc) - R10800.00 - 2008 Model - Hooligan naked bike
Tuono Standard Model (1000cc) - R122500.00 - 2009 Model - Hooligan naked bike
RSV1000R Factory (1000cc) - R127500.00 - Red lion - Superbike
RSV4Factory (1000cc) - R245995.00 - WSB Replica
RSV4R (1000cc) - R185995.00 - Superbike

Prices of the SXV and RXV are above under Racing.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NEWSLETTER:

If you would like to contribute towards our newsletter then please email me at jackie@eurobike.co.za

Thankyou to Geoff Wood for the photos of Roxy. Thankyou to Steven and Tannith for their photo contributions and race reports. That's all from us, zip up it's going to be a cold winter. We finish this newsletter with a photo of Roxy on the Main Circuit.

Stretch and Jackie

Roxy Wood on the RS250 Aprilia on the Main Circuit