We were recently invited to spend a few hours with the new people from Ducati South Africa, now part of the VW SA stable, at VW HQ in Sandton.

 Six new dealers will now be placed throughout South Africa and everything will be up and running by the end of the year, we were informed. Great news indeed for all Ducati fans with a vast range of new models arriving on our shores daily.

 Ducati SA will also offer many other new features like roadside assistance; finance packages and improved after sales and parts. We’re certainly looking forward to a new journey with Ducati SA and, of course, testing some of their new models in the near future.

 Go to their new site www.Ducati.co.za for more information.

The Red Bull KTM team turned up the heat at Round 7 of the National Motocross Championship this past weekend at the iconic Teza Motocross Track in KwaZulu-Natal. With near-perfect rides, dominant performances, and strong championship momentum, the team walked away with the manufacturers’ trophy and confidence heading into the season finale.

Cameron Durow put on a flawless display, going 1-1 in both MX1 and MX2 to end the day on the top step of both podiums. His blistering pace saw him take fastest times in both qualifying sessions and sweep all four motos. “What a great day’s racing!  Teza Motocross Track is still definitely my favourite track,” Durow said. “I was able to execute a near-perfect day — fastest in both qualifying sessions and all four motos, taking 4/4 moto wins.  Had so much fun out there with some great battles along the way. In MX2, I managed to claw back a huge chunk of points and move back into 2nd in the championship standings. In MX1, I built a little cushion at the top heading into the final round. Feeling strong, motivated, and grateful for all the support as we head into the season finale!”

Luke Grundy kept his MX2 championship campaign on track despite a challenging day that saw him finish 4th overall. “Preparation was all there, just not the execution,” Grundy admitted. “P4 overall! Still got arm pump again this round — worse than last round, but we are narrowing down the options to what could be causing it. Extended the points lead by another 3 points this weekend which leaves me going into the last round with a 30-point lead, which I’m very happy with.”

Trey Cox once again showcased his skill, dominating the High School Class with a perfect 1-1 score to tighten his grip on the championship lead. He also pushed through a challenging day in MX2 to secure valuable points. “Perfect day in 125’s but a very average day in MX2,” Cox explained. “Went 1-1 in 125’s and 6-5 in MX2. Struggled with bike setup and comfortability on my 250, as well as a really twisted ankle that didn’t help me. Going to sort this out and come back better for the last round.”

With Durow sweeping both premier classes, Cox on top of High School, and Grundy extending his MX2 lead, KTM walked away with the coveted manufacturers’ trophy, a true reflection of the team’s strength and depth. Team Manager Kerim Fitz-Gerald added, “This was one of those weekends that really showed the character of our riders. Cameron had a dream day and stamped his authority on both classes, Trey showed the grit of a true champion despite carrying an injury, and Luke managed to extend his lead even on a tough day. To walk away with the manufacturers’ trophy is just the cherry on top. We’re in a great position going into Johannesburg, and I couldn’t be prouder of how the team is pulling together.”

As the championship heads into its final round in Johannesburg, all eyes will be on the Red Bull KTM team, where multiple 2025 national titles are set to be decided.

We’ve now covered just over 2,000km on our, very attractive, GX. Before we got there we took it to ‘Doctors Bikes’ for its first 1,000km service. We did creep over to 1,300km though before it was performed, so sorry for the disgraceful forgetfulness. Anyway, we have used Damon and his professional guys before and they once again performed admirably. Please go and visit them for all your Suzuki needs, and more, in the Krugersdorp area.

Our next 730 km venture was to an insane birthday party held in Clarens, but more of that later. To assist with our travels we fitted the genuine Suzuki panniers that cost a hefty 25k, which also fit their GT and DL1050 models. A quick and easy thing to do I thought, err, not really. The two pannier adapting brackets that fit onto the back of the bike are straightforward enough (with all screws provided), as are the footrest adapter brackets that hold onto the bottom of the panniers. However things soon went south when we had to build the pannier locks using a thousand small pieces found inside various coloured small packets, why is that you might ask. Well, after obtaining the instructions from a QR code mass frowning soon began. The concept is to construct the locks that work with the bike’s original key. A clever idea but I soon passed it on to Stuart Baker (boss of Suzuki motorcycles), whom had hours of fun with his dust covered vintage vernier calipers assisted by his professor like extra thick spectacle lenses, then this daunting task was before long completed, hurrah! If you’re not vernier compliant, and half blind, you’re better off leaving it to your local dealer, believe me.

Anyway, we had fun and a few beers doing so, well I did. Then it was off to our resident wrapper, Johno, from www.artinmartin.co.za, who once again worked his magic and did the same awesome job that he did to the bike with the panniers. The bike looks magnificent on all counts now and looks even better with the new panniers fitted, well worth the addition if you own a GX. I was quite surprised by how much you can cram into these bulging bits, and I don’t mean my stomach at the birthday occasion.

The GX does eat up the kilometers with ease, and once again I must impart how superb the thickly padded seat is – tremendous! I did observe an interesting issue about fuel consumption sitting around the 160km/h mark; it is a bit thirsty at those speeds riding in A mode. Before setting off on the hangover laden return journey I chose to put the bike into B mode, and even though it makes the same horsepower, and it only affects throttle response (Suzuki says), it did use around three litres less over the same distance. A bit strange but true, I might try the same in C mode next time.

The more I ‘live’ with the GX the better it becomes, a true motorcycle companion on all counts. It really is a wonderful machine that does everything from racing around like a madman, to daily commuting, to rapid touring. You just have to go to your local dealer and demand a test ride and absorb the delights of the GSX-S1000 GX. Tune in next time to see what we did next?

Go to www.suzukimotorcycle.co.za to locate your nearest dealer.

A big thanks to www.doctorsbikes.co.za for the servicing and care.

And a massive thanks to www.artinmartin.co.za for the mega wrapping achievement.

2025/08/25