Bikers Hub

By: Jasmin Nato

Yamaha Motors welcomes its newest addition in their Sport ATV line–the Yamaha Raptor 250R. Boasting the qualities of the Raptor 250 and improved performance and handling thanks to its piggyback reservoir shocks, the Yamaha Raptor 250R is ready to conquer the track and trail.

Short History of Yamaha Raptor 250R

It was 1988 when Yamaha Motors introduced Yamaha Blaster 200. From its release, it quickly gained popularity in all ATV lovers all over the world and became one of the best selling quads of all time. However, the emission restrictions have changed over the years and became more restrictive. Yamaha Blaster, with its two-stroke power plant, has lost its charm and then Yamaha Motors decided to cut its production in 2007. After a year, they released its modern and sportier successor: the 2008 Yamaha Raptor 250.

2 years have passed and now Yamaha Motors is now aiming for higher ambition with the Raptor 250. Just arrived in the market is the wilder Yamaha Raptor 250R.

Key Features of Yamaha Raptor 250R

* Intimidating Raptor style and stance and bold and stylish design
* Ergonomically-designed for all-day sport-riding
* Five-speed manual transmission that has gear for every terrain
* Lightweight 249cc, air-cooled Yamaha Raptor 250R engine
* Low-profile 19-inch rear tires for superb traction and performance
* Longest suspension travel and lowest seat in its Raptor class
* Most lightweight Quad ATV that is greatly maneuverable and provides nimble handling

The lightest Quad ATV: Yamaha Raptor 250R

Yamaha Raptor 250R is considered the most lightweight Quad ATV in the market. What makes it even more awesome is that it performs it gives each rider the most powerful experience in the track and trail.
Each part of this wonderful Quad ATV is a perfect mix to make it the most lightweight.

The low weight rating of the Yamaha Raptor 250R is thanks to a combination of aluminum wheels and Dunlop ATV tires. These tires reduce unsprung weight and allow the suspension to work more, without restraint. The compact steel frame of the Yamaha Raptor 250R engine provides strength and lightweight power plant. By using advance and updated technology, the Yamaha Raptor 250R is able to create a 4-stroke air cooled engine that is 50 pounds lighter than its predecessor, the Yamaha Blaster.

Clearly the Yamaha has succeeded in creating the best ATV in the market: the Yamaha Raptor 250R.

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Resource: Yamaha Raptor 250R

By: Motoman

Samuel Johnson, the guy who wrote the Dictionary of the English Language, once said, “Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless.” There’s more to the quote, but the point here is, a little bit of knowledge can go a long way in life — especially if you’re working around bikes. And since we’re on the topic of knowledge and integrity, our techs at J&P Cycles — with a combined 750 years of technical knowledge— have agreed to share some of their favorite tech tips with us. Think of it as a sort of Hints from Heloise, only for motorcycle riders instead of housewives. You might want to write some of this stuff down:

Read the rest of this entry »

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Ok so India is supposed to be the economy to watch in the coming years. High growth rates, improved manufacturing quality etc.

I didn’t realise that Bajaj was represented in South Africa but it is apparently represented in South Africa by Jonway.

Here are the specs for the Bajaj Platina 100cc which is available for R7999:

Dry Weight: 109Kg
Wheel Base: 1235mm
Exterior Size: 1945mmx770mmx1065 mm 
Maximum Speed: 75km/h (Under Controlled Test Conditions)
Maximum Payload: 120Kg
Fuel Capacity: 10.5L
Brake Type: Front:Drum Rear:Drum
Engine Type: 4stroke,single cylinder, air-forced cool
Maximum Power: 6.03 kW @ 7500rpm
Starting System: Kickstart
Tyre Size: 2.75 x 17, 4/6 PR Rear Tyre Size 3.00 x 17, 6 
 
For more info you can check out the Jonway website.

Indian products are often perceived as “cheap and nasty” but you can’t deny that competing on price these products trump the products out of Japan. Obviously there is not the same “brand” yet attached to them it will be interesting to see if these brands start gaining traction locally.

Thoughts?

Every week I take my daughter to art classes in Randburg and I pass the signs for Puzey motorcycles. Yesterday I finally remembered to check them out on the web and I must say I am suitably impressed.

Firstly they have a really kick ass website – everything works smoothly without being over the top and there are lots of great pics for users to check out.

But secondly they come across as a really great entrepreneurial story being headed up by a Zimbabwean designer Mike Puzey who is apparently also behind the design of the Big Boy scooter.

Anyway I found this MadAss125cc bike on their site and was keen to get feedback from the South African biking community on the design and performance of these Puzey bikes.

Thoughts?

On Friday the 15th January Honda SA hosted their 2010 teams, who will be announced in the near future, as well as the technical steward from Motorsport SA (Kevin Bidgood) at the Honda SA head quarters in Midrand.

The crated motorcycles were wheeled out of Honda’s warehouse by fork-lift and upon being lowered to the ground, the frame numbers and designated riders for the motorcycles were documented by the steward. Once this was completed, the motorcycles were un-crated and the fairings and tanks were stripped off to allow the Technical Steward to access the electronics and then wire the head to the block upon which an MSA seal was added.

In doing so MSA together with the assistance from all the importers will ensure that no tampering or illegal machining will take place and thus ensure that cheating will be a thing of the past.

Vaughan Swanepoel, Motorsport liaison Honda SA: ” We welcome the new rule changes for the 2010 Road Racing season to allow, and more importantly, ensure a level playing field for free and fare racing in the 2010 season. Honda SA offers MSA and their affiliates our maximum support and we would like to thank Kevin for giving up most of his Friday to assist us with this process.

We are adding the final touches to our 2010 campaign and we are quite confident in the fact that we will be championship contenders in the upcoming Road Racing season. 2009 saw us win our first manufacturers title in no less than ten years with 2nd place finishes in the final standings in both the Supersport and Superbike categories. Honda is well and truly back and cant wait for the first race to extend our exploits and bring home the spoils once again in the manufacturers title and our riders are hungry for the rider’s Championship.”

The Castrol/Honda Day of the Champion day at Zwartkops Raceway on Sunday, January 31, will see many the greats of international and local motorcycle racing on the track. The programme will feature 18 International riders competing with South Africans. The day will include 2009 Isle of Man Senior TT winner, Steve Plater, who set the fastest-ever race-winning average speed of more than 210km/h.

Heading the International contingent will be eight times world champion Phil Read and Mick Grant, seven times Isle of Man TT winner – together with such names as Alan Walker, Alan Cathcart (now Sir Alan Cathcart), John Chapman and Tony Salt. A long list of riders, many of them former champions, make up the South African contingent, including Dave Peterson, Alan North, Buks Boshoff, Howard Mellet, Jerry Anassis, Jimmy Guthrie, Kevin Hellyer, Keith Zeeman, Les van Breda, Peter Ekerold, Rodney Gray, Wayne Duncan and Wayne Heaseman.
Of special interest is that Ian Scheckter – six times South African motor racing champion will return where to where his motor sport career started – racing motorcycles. Ian will be a special guest and will ride with the greats on Sunday.

Yoshiaki Nakamura M.D. of Honda South Africa will be racing over the weekend on a Honda RC171. He was a factory racer in the 1970’s and will take the opportunity of launching a special edition of the TT-winning Honda Fireblade during the day.

The Historic Motorcycle Group will feature a full field of racing motorcycles with such great names as Norton, AJS, Bultaco, Greeves, Triumph and the Japanese onslaught in the sixties with the screaming Hondas, Suzukis and Yamahas before the Italian empire struck back with the might of Ducati.

The day will not only be for demonstration events. There will be an SA Tourist Trophy race for historic motorcycles. the Suzuki SV Cup for more contemporary Thunderbikes, while the stars of tomorrow will compete in the first race for the Honda NSF 100 series which is the Honda initiative for development and young riders.
Motoring journalist and publisher Ian Groat says his Team Incomplete will not be all there this year, with one of its members, Errol Cowan having passed away last year after a short illness.

Multiple world champion Jim Redman, who is now 78 years young, will again be on the team’s four-cylinder Honda 250 R163. Last year this six-time world champion took part in no fewer than 14 classic motorcycle race meetings around the world as Honda celebrated 50 years of international motorcycle Racing.

Peter Labuschagne will ride Team Incomplete’s 1963 Matchless G50 this year, with Jimmy Guthrie, a Manx GP winner, on a Manx Norton 500, while Ian Groat’s 1954 350 Manx will be the oldest bike out there.

Sir Alan Cathcart, arguably the world’s leading motorcycle racing journalist, will ride Ian’s Bob McIntyre replica AJS 7R, while Team Incomplete strives to complete its latest machine, a replica of Peter Williams’ alloy-wheeled Matchless G50 in time for the Zwartkops event.

We have had an enquiry from one of our community members seeking advice around a suitable “scrambler” of his 12-year old son.

The child has a bit of riding experience on some of the smaller models and is described as being “not the strongest kid around”.

Do any of our readers have any recommendations of a suitable model for this child?

The launch of the Ducati Street fighter –Soul of a Superbike, Attitude of a fighter

Living up to its name, there was little dought that the Ducati Streetfighter would score a round one knock-out when it entered the ring for the first time at the 2008 EICMA Show in Milan an immediate impact on the international press and the public, it was nominated “most beautiful bike in show” and raised the bar for the for extreme nakeds by creating a new point of reference in the market

The superbike soul of the Ducati Streetfighter combines aggressiveness with the refined elegance of a naked and just one look at the bike provokes an intense rush of adrenaline and excitement. Stripped to the bare essentials, its combination of state-of- the-art race technology, skeletal styling and contemporary design takes Ducati’s big naked concept to the very top of the fighter food chain

The true Ducati spirit is captured by an incredible powerful Desmodromic L-Twin 1098 “Testastretta EvoluzioneZ” engine producing 155hp with an incredibly wide spread of power thanks to 85lb-ft (11.7kgm) of torque. The street fighter’s power and precision is further maximised by weight in an just 368lb (167kg) (S version) and futher benefits from technology derived directly from Ducati’s MotoGP and Superbike projects. Ducati Traction Control and Data Analysis racing-style braking system, fully adjustable suspension and forget wheels all come as standard equipment on the “S” to complete the battle-ready package.

Engine
TypeL-Twin cylinder, 4 valves per cylinder Desmodromic, liquid cooled Displacement1099cc Bore x Stroke104 x 64.7mm Compression Ratio12.5:1
Power155hp – 114kW @ 9500rpm

Torque85lb-ft 11.7kgm @ 9500rpm
Fuel injection Marelli electronic fuel injection, elliptical throttle bodies ExhaustLightweight 2-1-2 system with catalytic converter and two lambda probes. Twin stainless steel mufflers
 
Transmission
Gearbox 6 speed Ratio1st 37/15, 2st 30/17, 3rd 28/20, 4th 26/22, 5th 24/23, 6th 23/24
Primary Drive Straight cut gears, ratio 1.84:1
Final Drive Chain; Front sprocket 15; Rear sprocket 38
Clutch Dry multiplate with hydraulic control

More details on the bike can be found here. Otherwise post your views on the bike below.

As a starting point for this blog I thought I would kick off with the scooter I saw in Cresta - The Big Boy Sportflite T32 125 which retails today at R8450 in South Africa.

Specifications:
Engine Type:  FT152FMH / BN157QMJ
Displacement: 124.6ml / 149.6ml
Fuel Consumption: (l/100km) ≤2.8 / ≤2.9
Max. Power:  6.0kw/8000r/min / 6.3kw/7500r/min
Max. Torque:  8.45N.m/5500r/min / 9.2N.m/5500r/min
Max. Speed: 90km/h / 85km/h
Transmission: CVT
Clutch Type:  Automatic
Final Transmission: Belt
Starter System:  Electric / Kick

Usage:
Max. Design Speed: 90kph
Max. Rider Weight: 110kg 
Age Requirement: 16yrs with A1 Learners License / 18yrs with A1 Learners License
Rider Level: All levels
Highway Use: Yes, Short Distance
 
Warranty Period:

1 Year / 10 000km Limited Big Boy Scooter Warranty

We welcome comments and thoughts on this scooter below.