GET USED TO IT - FUN ON TWO WHEELS NOW BIG BUCKS

+ Click to Enlarge COMPACT PACKAGE: This shot of the BMW S1000RR World Superbike racer in testing gives you a good idea of just how small it is.

January 29, 2009
By Denis Droppa

Get used to expensive motorcycles. South Africa's bike industry, already hit by falling sales, is in for an even rougher ride in 2009 with big price increases.

The new year has already heralded several increases due to the weakened rand with more expected soon, while this year's AMID Motorcycle and Lifestyle Expo has been cancelled due to the general belt-tightening.

"We're in for a tough time in 2009 with price increases of 25 percent or more," says Chris Speight, managing director of Kawasaki Motorcycles South Africa. "The rand has lost ground against the yen in the last few months but the forward cover that kept prices static has now run out and we're forced to raise them."

He cites Kawasaki's popular ZX-10 sports bike as an example, which this month shot up from R130 000 to a whopping R148 000.

Suzuki expects similar price increases for any importer dealing in yen, though some motorcycle importers are taking the knock better than others. Honda, for example, has managed to keep its recent increase on the 1000cc Fireblade to just six grand (now R126 000) and Yamaha has raised the price of its R6 from R95 000 to R104 900.

So, for those able to afford them, here are some of the exciting new bikes headed for South African showrooms in 2009:

Aprilia
The big news from the Italian firm is the new RSV4 which Max Biaggi will race in this year's World Superbike series. The road version's 999cc V4 engine is the most powerful yet developed by Aprilia and it's harnessed by traction control, fully-adjustable Ohlins suspension and Brembo brakes.

The race-spec RSV4 Factory will arrive here around July, the meeker and cheaper standard version will follow in October.

There will also be updated versions of the Aprilia Shiver and Mana automatic, while there are plans afoot for a 1200cc Pegaso dual-purpose early next year.

BMW
The German manufacturer has upped the size and power of its four-cylinder K models from 1200 to 1300cc, and they'll go on sale in South Africa starting with the K1300 GT tourer in April, followed a month later by the K1300S sports tourer, and later the naked "R" version. All derivatives are now available with ESA II electronic suspension adjustment and ASC traction control as options. The K1300S has become slimmer, but retains shaft drive to be unique in this class.

The BMW S1000 RR, the new litre superbike, is perhaps the most highly anticipated sportbike of 2009. It's the production version of the machine that Ruben Xaus and Troy Corser will debut in this year's World Superbike series, and production units will be built to meet homologation requirements. They will go on sale in December and arrive in South Africa just a month later.

Honda
The Fireblade is unchanged for 2009 except for being launched in a range of three new colours that include Repsol racing MotoGP livery; the bike has just arrived in Honda showrooms.

In April the CBR600 will become available with new colour schemes, improved mid-range torque and uprated brakes; later in the year there will be some additional new-product activity which Honda is cagey about. What they will reveal is that the long-awaited successor to the CBR1100 XX Blackbird sports tourer should be on the road within three years. It's likely to sport an all-new V4 engine, while the next-generation VFR, also a V4, will be upped from 800cc to 1000cc capacity.

Kawasaki
The all-new ZX-6R will arrive next month with more power, a lot less weight, a new fork Kawasaki describes as "revolutionary", and substantial efforts to centralise mass.

The ER6 and EX6 facelifts will arrive in February and the new dirt-chomping KX450 and KX250 will also arrive this year sporting major upgrades.

KTM
In March/April the orange brigade will launch its most powerful bike yet, the RC8 R, with engine capacity increased from 1148 to 1190cc.

Launched at the same time will be the 990 SMT supermoto tourer, followed later by the new 990 Adventure R. "Good" news is that KTM already had a 20 percent average price increase in October and there won't be any more increases in 2009.

Suzuki
The big news is the all-new 2009 GSX-R1000 which will arrive in March or April. It's lighter and more powerful, with a more compact engine, a shorter wheelbase and a longer swingarm to improve racetrack performance. As before the Suzuki Drive Mode Selector offers push-button selection of three performance settings to suit riding conditions.

Triumph
The facelifted Daytona 675 wil arrive in a month with cosmetic tweaks and a power-to-weight ratio improvement. At the same time the Street RRR will make its debut featuring fully adjustable suspension and a funky orange paint job. In May the new Bonneville SE will arrive, a 1970's-flavoured replica (compared to the regular '60s inspired one) and in November Triumph's Thunderbird parallel-twin cylinder 1600cc will cruise into town.

Yamaha
The 2009 R1 is all changed with a new engine, chassis and suspension. It's the first so-called "big bang" engine used in a production bike (each connecting rod is 90º from the next) and Yamaha says the benefit is the low-rpm torquey feel of a twin with the high-rpm power of an inline four. The R1 will be in local showrooms in the next two to three months.

It will be a busy year for the Japanese company; also coming are the YFZ 450 R fuel-injected quad, Raptor 700, XJ 600 Diversion, V-Star XVS 950 cruiser, and the dual-purpose XT660 Z Tenere. Towards the end of the year Yamaha will introduce its new range of YZ motocrossers (85cc, 125cc, 250cc and 450cc) as well as the WR250 and WR450 enduro versions.