Whether you are talking engine, handling or styling, the word it brings to mind is sharp.

Whether you're talking about handling, throttle response, brakes or styling, the one word that Honda's CBR250R mini-sportster brings to mind is “sharp”.

Sling a leg over the saddle - only 780mm off the ground - and the first thing you notice is how slim this 249cc fuel-injected single is; the engine is less than 300mm wide across the cases and the handlebars, at 710mm, are only just street-legal.

Punch the button to fire up the engine and blip the throttle: throttle response is as fast - and as precise - as a cobra strike. Pull away, and I promise you will stall it at least once, as you learn that the clutch is as sharp as a light switch.

This bike makes absolutely no concessions for ham-fisted riders: you will ride it right, or you'll look like an idiot.

IT GOES WHERE YOU LOOK

But it's only when you get it out on your favourite twisties that you find out what sharp is all about. In the time-honoured tradition of lightweight European sports machines (think Ducati 250 Diana) you don't ever steer the CBR250R; it goes where you look, with precision response to the slightest input that makes you concentrate on what you're doing - which is never a bad thing on any motorcycle.

The seat is little better than a plastic plank (although perfect ergonomics ensure that the bike is surprisingly comfortable) and the suspension on the race-track side of firm, so the CBR250R tells you in razor-sharp detail exactly what's going on 'twixt tar and rubber.

Nevertheless, it's seldom twitchy; I was quite surprised at how well it coped with the poor surfaces and sudden camber changes of my everyday commute, and it ran straight and steady at full taps, for as long as I wanted.

I held it wide open all the way down our six-kilometre test straight, draped over the tank like melted cheese, with knees and elbows neatly tucked in, trying to squeeze out a genuine 160km/h (100 miles per hour in the old language) but the best it would do - even with the race-spec Yoshimura tailpipe - was 154, with 164 showing on the digital speedometer and the rev-counter halfway between 9 and 10.

A quick look at the specifications, however, reminds you the that the twin-cam, quarter-litre single delivers peak power (19.4kW, according to Honda) at 8500rpm; that the power doesn't begin to tail off for another 1000 revs is a striking tribute to how sharply the boffins at Honda Thailand have set up the 38mm fuel-injection system.

As is its overall fuel consumption of 4.5 litres per 100km, given that this bike lends itself to being ridden almost everywhere flat out - and was!

“What have you been up to?”

Which is what makes the CBR250R just as sharp a commuter as it is a Sunday-morning canyon carver; there are not many modern sports bikes that can be ridden hard enough in traffic to make them work properly, without placing their riders in grave and imminent danger.

The afternoon commute becomes the Eastern Boulevard Grand Prix and the grin on the rider's face wide enough to prompt Herself to ask: “What have you been up to?”

The brakes are discs at both ends, albeit with low-budget Nissin sliding callipers, and are sharp enough to inspire confidence that they can handle anything this 161kg (with a full tank!) bike can throw at them. They got hot enough on one 6am 'down' run through a favourite bit of inner-city lunacy that I could smell them, but manfully refused to fade.

The styling is just as sharp, seemingly equally derived from CBR1000RR Fireblade and the VFR1200F sports-tourer and reflecting, in particular, the latter's 'layered' lower fairing.

The execution is clean and tidy (when last did you see a fully lined fairing on a 250?), fit and finish a cut above the average, while the comprehensive and stylish instrument panel would do justice to any sports bike and is, in fact, significantly easier to read than that of Honda's much-hyped VFR800X Crossrunner.

Even Herself, who stands 1.8 metres tall and usually disdains anything boasting less than 850cc, said she didn't feel that she was on a 'little'

bike and would happily go shopping on it.

VERDICT

At R39 999, Honda's spicy little Thai is one of their sharpest blades yet, a precision tool whether slicing the commute or the circuit; in fact Honda SA has already developed a racing version for the Northern Regions 250 Production Class series, including the Yoshimura tailpipe you see on the test bike.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 249.6cc liquid-cooled four-stroke single.

Bore x Stroke: 76 x 55mm.

Compression ratio: 10.7:1.

Valvegear: DOHC with four overhead valves per cylinder.

Power: 19.4kW at 8500rpm.

Torque: 23.8Nm at 7000rpm.

Induction: PGM-FI electronic fuel-injection with 38mm throttle body.

Ignition: Computer-controlled digital transistorised with electronic advance.

Starting: Electric.

Clutch: Cable-operated wet multiplate clutch.

Transmission: Six-speed constant-mesh gearbox with final drive by chain.

Front Suspension: 37mm conventional cartridge forks.

Rear Suspension: Pro-link monoshock adjustable for preload.

Front brake: 276mm disc with twin-piston floating calliper.

Rear brake: 220mm disc with single-piston floating calliper.

Front tyre: 110/70 - 17 tubeless.

Rear tyre: 140/70 - 17 tubeless.

Wheelbase: 1369mm.

Seat Height: 780mm.

Kerb weight: 161kg.

Fuel tank: 13 litres.

Price: R39 999. (Yoshimura tailpipe R2250 extra) Test bike from: Honda South Africa.

This concept cafe racer is the work of two university students, with help from Triumph.

This concept café racer doesn't come from Triumph's deservedly famous in-house design studio, and it's not the work of a custom bike builder. It's a project by two young English designers, Roy Norton and Tom Kasher, based on the Triumph Bonneville - and that's a story by itself.

Norton and Kasher came up with the idea - and the first sketches - for “a bike taking retro themes in a modern direction” during their final term at Northumbria University; it was actually their thesis project, and the final renderings were good enough to land them an internship at the Xenophya motorcycle design studio.

FULL-SIZE CONCEPT BIKE

But first prize was still to build a full-size concept bike, so they contacted Triumph product manager Simon Warburton, who was so impressed with their proposal that he wrote a brief asking for “a bike based around our 865cc air-cooled parallel twin, styled to appeal to younger riders.”

What he wanted, he said, was to see “the bike the Bonneville might have evolved into, in an alternative universe”.

He not only gave them a Bonneville as the basis for the project, he had the Hinckley white-coats help them create a 'digital tape' - an image of the bike from the side that allows the design to be checked against physical parameters such as seat height and ergonomics (will it be rideable?), fuel tank capacity (will it have the range to get from one fuel pump to the next?) and physical constraints (will the engine fit?).

TRUE CAFE RACER STYLE

Norton and Kasher said the factory “provided huge amounts of support and guidance through the design stage,” to make sure the resulting bike would be feasible, that it would run and even that it could be made street legal.

The standard Bonneville frame was chopped off and a whole new rear cradle and subframe (very short and cobby in true café racer style) was fabricated and welded into place, at the same time creating an upper mounting point for a monoshock rear-suspension conversion.

The front suspension was also ditched, this time in favour of a modern take on the old-fashioned girder fork, all sleek, tapered lines and crisp edges, with a single, central damper and very short links.

The seat and handlebar grips are finished in waterproof fabric (supplied by British bikewear specialists Barbour), while the fuel cap and instrumentation were specially made for the bike.

LEARNING NEW SKILLS

Then the basic mock-up, with its furniture made mostly from polystyrene foam and clay, was moved from the university workshops to Xenophya, where it was shaped, moulded, smoothed and spraypainted into what you see here, complete with Firestone tyres, Triumph Thruxton brakes and 1930's style inverted levers.

Everybody has been pleased with the result; Warburton said: “The bike looks great and there are some elements of it that may have an influence on some of our future projects.”

Kasher feels they've achieved what they set out to, “and we've learned new skills”, while Norton said working alongside Triumph had been a fantastic experience.

“It has given us an insight into working within the motorcycle industry at the highest level.”

Xenophya were also impressed; Norton and Kasher are now working there full-time, so we can look forward to seeing their fresh thinking and elegant engineering on future projects from this young design house.

Kawasaki has released a four-seat version of its 750cc Teryx side-by-side quad.

The puns about Kawasaki's new quad, all based on a number one more than three and one less than five, could go on forever, so we'll just square up to it and tell you that Kawasaki has released a four-seat version of its 750cc Teryx side-by-side quad, winner of the RUV class of both the Baja 500 and Baja 1000 desert races at its first attempt in 2009.

But that's not just a matter of stretching the chassis and bolting in another row of seats, which would result in a long, narrow and rather unstable vehicle.

A new, cross-braced frame replaces the ladder-style chassis of the two-seater, welded up from square-section tubing with the minimum possible number of gussets to keep the weight down.

The wrap-around roll cage has high-strength steel sections welded in at key stress points and tough steel bash-plates to keep the engine going when the going gets rocky.

Obviously, the wheelbase is longer - 257mm longer, to be exact - but the track is also wider, by 56mm in front and 86mm at the rear.

Suspension is by double wishbones with Showa gas-charged dampers all round, adjustable for preload in front, and for compression and rebound damping as well as preload at the rear.

TOUGHER ENGINE

Kawasaki's slide rule samurai also beefed up the 749cc V-twin engine, and its transmission, to deal with the extra loads it would be pulling.

The piston walls are now thicker, the inside of the gudgeon pins are now machined to prevent possible manufacturing imperfections and stress points, while the outsides are micro shot-peened to reduce friction and prevent stress cracks.

A bigger radiator and cooling fan help the engine keep its cool, while another fan and heat shields under the front seats help the driver keep his.

To prevent jerking as the drive belt takes up, the Teryx4 now has a centrifugal clutch between the crankshaft and the drive pulley (Kawasaki says it's a first for this class of quads) that provides precise throttle control when tackling rock rocky terrain - and also increases belt life.

The constantly variable belt drive obviates the need for low range, but the Teryx4 comes electrically switchable 2WD to 4WD to 4WD with front differential lock.

MUD, SAND AND WATERPROOF

Braking is entrusted to 200mm discs gripped by 27mm twin-piston callipers with braided stainless-steel lines look at the front, with a sealed internal ‘wet’ brake at the rear that's totally mud, sand and waterproof - and doesn't steal any of the Teryx's 318mm ground clearance.

The four-seater also comes with doors front and rear, and the roll-cage has built-in shoulder bars and grab handles. The high-backed bucket seats have dual-density urethane cushioning for comfort and support and the rear seats are slightly higher than those in front for unobstructed vision.

It even has four cup-holders and a passenger-side glove compartment for small items.

Instrumentation includes a speedometer and fuel gauge, an odometer/hour meter, a clock, dual trip meters, a 2WD/4WD indicator, a handbrake indicator, coolant and fuel-injection system warning lights, a seatbelt warning light, neutral and reverse indicator lights and an oil-pressure warning light.

The cargo bin is 454mm long by 1210mm wide and 220mm deep, and rasted for 113kg; it'll take a 50-litre cooler, a five-litre fuel container with room for a few other odds and endfs, all held down by four lashing points in the floor.

Fuel capacity is 30 litres, which means you will run out of steam before the Teryx does.

Optional extras include half and full windscreens, wipers, an aluminium hard top, a sun top, aluminium rims, a winch mount, head and tail light guards and a towbar.

The Kawasaki Teryx4 will be available in South Africa from mid-February at R169 995.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 782cc liquid-cooled four.

Bore x stroke: 85 x 66mm.

Compression ratio: 9.3:1.

Valvegear: SOHC with four overhead valves per cylinder.

Power: 40kW at 7000rpm.

Torque: 58Nm at 5250rpm.

Induction: Digital electronic fuel-injection with two 36mm Mikuni throttle bodies.

Ignition: TCBI with electronic advance.

Starting: Electric.

Transmission: : Continuously variable belt-drive transmission.

Front Suspension: Adjustable dual A-arm with gas charged shocks adjustable for preload.

Rear Suspension: Independent rear suspension with fully adjustable, gas charged, reservoir shocks.

Front brakes: Dual 200mm discs with twin-piston floating callipers.

Rear brake: Sealed, oil-bathed, multi-disc.

Front tyre: 26 x 9R12 tubeless.

Rear tyre: 26 x 11R12 tubeless.

Wheelbase: 2187mm.

Kerb weight: 733kg.

Fuel tank: 30 litres.

Price: R169 995.

Harley-Davidson has gone for a less-is-more approach with two new cruisers.

Harley-Davidson has gone for a 'less is more' approach with two new cruisers, just released under the designation Model Year 2012.5 - one a retro 1970's Sportster, the other a modern, matt-black take on the Bobbers of the 1950s.

SEVENTY-TWO: A ROAD, NOT A TIME

The Seventy-Two recalls an era of disco balls and metal-flake paint, a time when Arlen Ness and Uncle Bunt were showing the world just how minimal a motorcycle can be. The name, however, doesn't signify the year but commemorates Whittier Boulevard, the legendary cruising street in East Los Angeles also known as Route 72.

Harley-Davidson manager of industrial design Frank Savage said: “Those early choppers were colourful and chromed, but also narrow and stripped down to the essentials; they were almost as simple as a bicycle.”

For the Seventy-Two, Harley has jazzed up the iconic metal-flake paint finish of the time by laying down a base coat of straight black, followed by a polyurethane colour coat carrying hexagonal flakes seven times the size of traditional metal-flake particles, each flake coated with a thin aluminium film and then tinted red.

Over that there are four coats of clear lacquer, flatted by hand between coats, a logo on the tank top and pinstripe scallop details on both mudguards - with a final clear coat over the whole job.

Add a solo seat that leaves most of the chopped rear mudguard on display, a round air cleaner with a dished cover, powder-coat the engine an understated grey, top it off with a classic 7.9-litre 'peanut' fuel tank and your disco-ball-on-wheels is ready to roll.

The Seventy-Two will be available in South Africa before the end of the first quarter at R118 000.

SOFTAIL SLIM: BARE ESSENTIALS

A big part of the Harley-Davidson legend is the inability of many GI's returning from the Second World War to settle down; today we'd call in post-traumatic stress syndrome, they just called it 'the itch'.

They took military-surplus WL45's and junked everything that didn't make the bike go faster, to create the first custom bikes, known as bobbers after a cowboy-era fashion for cutting short or 'bobbing' the tails of working horses.

And that big-engined, no-bling look lives on in the Softail Slim. From the trimmed front mudguard to the narrow rear frame there's simply less of the Slim; fewer covers, a solo seat and 16” wheels at both ends.

Senior designer Casey Ketterhagen said: “It's time once again to make the engine the focal point of a motorcycle, so we put a Softail on a diet. With a narrow tyre and chopped rear mudguard, the heart of the bike, the engine, becomes the focus.

“We left a gap between the nose of the seat and tank so the rider can see the top of the motor - I like to be able to look down and see what's moving me”

GOING HOLLYWOOD

Keeping the back of the bike clean and simple, the Slim has no tail light - there's one built into each rear indicator - and the forged rear sub-frame struts are left uncovered.

The engine covers are polished and lacquered rather than chrome-plated for a softer glow, and the edges of the cylinder finning are left black.

Ketterhagen admitted: “My own Slim doesn't even have a front mudguard, but we can't go that far on a production bike!

“The Slim is intended as a modern interpretation of those home-built customs of the 1940s and 50s, and we used a number of components that evoke that era, including the Hollywood handlebar.”

The low, wide Hollywood bar was originally an accessory for pre-war Harley-Davidson models with a Springer fork, so-call because many riders of that era used the cross-brace to mount lights and bags. We call it bling, they called it 'going Hollywood'.

More period details include a louvered headlight nacelle, gloss black 'cat's eye' tank console with retro speedometer, half-moon rider footboards, a gloss black, oval air cleaner cover and gloss black rims and hubs.

The special Slim solo seat is upholstered in a tuck-and-roll pattern, and it's only 650mm off the floor.

Ketterhagen explained: “The bars are nice and low, too, so when you're riding you have an unobstructed view forward, which reinforces the idea that this is a very elemental motorcycle, a real back-to-basics ride.”

MOTORVATION

The counter-balanced, 1690cc Twin Cam 103B engine, rigid-mounted in the Softail frame, churns out 132Nm at 3250rpm, while an 18.9-litre tank will take you a long, long way beyond the street-lights.

The Softail Slim will be available in South Africa before the end of the first quarter at R209 500.

Now Kawasaki has a bigger Versys with similar insectoid styling and real-world midrange.

Kawasaki's go-anywhere, do-anything Versys 650 all-rounder has been quietly been making a name for itself since it was released late in 2006 for genuine versatility and long-haul comfort, earning it the nickname the 'Great Escaper'.

Now Kawasaki has done a bit of inside-the-box thinking (the box in this case being the Kawasaki parts bin) to put together a bigger, torquier Versys with similar insectoid styling and accessible, real-world mid-range power.

The slide-rule samurai started with the tried and tested 1043cc inline four Z1000 and Z1000 SX, reshaped the combustion chambers to reduce the compression ratio from 11.8:1 to 10.3:1, increased the length of the intake tracts and fitted new, 38mm oval throttle bodies.

Oval header pipes get the exhaust gases flowing smoothly and a collector hidden behind the engine bash plate keeps it that way, without needing a bulky end can.

The end result is 86.8kW at 9000 revs and a creditable 102Nm at 6800rpm; first and second gears are a little shorter than on the big Zed for killer take-offs (and on-demand wheelies!) while the top four ratios are taller for relaxed cruising and creditable fuel consumption.

With 17” hoops at both ends, the Versys 1000 is intended purely as a streetbike, but Kawasaki has recognised that today's streets have less than perfect surfaces, with potholes, bumps and ripples aplenty.

So, like its smaller sibling, the Versys 1000 has un upright seating position and long-travel suspension with firm springing, enabling it to deal with most roads that are sufficiently well-maintained to appear on a map, without making Herself seasick on fast corners.

The frame is welded up from five cast-aluminium sections, with its main members wrapping over rather than around the engine to keep the centre of the bike narrow, and uses the engine as a stressed member.

The windscreen can be adjusted over 30mm for height by turning two knobs (no tools needed), there's a lightweight, composite rear carrier and (nice touch) a large underseat stowage space that can accommodate rain gear.

Front-wheel modulation is by 43mm 'big piston' upside-downies, with stepless adjustment for preload and rebound damping, while the rear suspension uses a similar horizontal back-link set-up to that of the KLE650 Versys, also with adjustable Rebound damping and preload - the latter tuneable 'on the fly' by means of a large remote handwheel that can accessed by gloved hands while on the move.

Then the white-coat warriors stepped across to the ZX-14R parts bin to pick up that bike's three-mode traction-control system: modes 1 and 2 prioritise acceleration, as with the system on the latest ZX-10R, while mode 3 is similar to the system on the 2010 1400 GTR, set up specifically to keep the bike under control on slippery surfaces.

In modes 1 and 2 the programming allows a degree of wheelspin to maximise acceleration while keeping a close eye on front and rear wheel slippage (and rider inputs on the throttle and brakes) so that it can react to reduce torque before the bike tries to re-write the laws of physics.

Versys, Kawasaki tells us, stands for VERsatile SYStem, and this grown-up version promise the same comfortable, easy-to-live ergonomics with a whole lot more heavy-duty hauling muscle.

The Versus 1000 is due for South African release early in February; pricing will be announced then.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 1043cc liquid-cooled four.

Bore x stroke: 77 x 56mm.

Compression ratio: 10.3:1.

Valvegear: DOHC with four overhead valves per cylinder.

Power: 86.8kW at 9000rpm.

Torque: 102Nm at 6800rpm.

Induction: Electronic fuel-injection with four 38mm Keihin oval throttle bodies.

Ignition: Digital transistorised with electronic advance.

Starting: Electric.

Clutch: Cable-operated multiplate wet clutch.

Transmission: Six-speed constant-mesh gearbox with final drive by chain.

Front Suspension: 43mm inverted 'big piston' cartridge forks with stepless adjustment for preload and rebound damping.

Rear Suspension: Horizontal back-link, gas-charged, with stepless rebound damping and remote spring preload adjustability

Front brakes: Dual semi-floating 300mm petal discs with Tokico four-pot opposed-piston callipers.

Rear brake: 250mm petal disc with single-piston floating calliper

Front tyre: 120/70 - 17 tubeless.

Rear tyre: 180/55 - 17 tubeless.

Wheelbase: 1520mm.

Seat height: 845mm.

Kerb weight: 239kg.

Fuel tank: 21 litres.

Valentino Rossi says he’s still hungry, still motivated and up for a tough fight.

Ducati is quietly confident it can give Valentino Rossi a more competitive motorcycle this year after the racing legend endured the worst season of his MotoGP career in 2011.

Ducati Corse boss Filippo Preziosi says the Ducati Desmosedici that Rossi and his American team mate Nicky Hayden will race this season is a complete redesign of the new 1000cc bike tested by Rossi in Valencia in a post-season test late last year, which proved to be way off the pace of its rivals.

Though the redesigned bike looks deceptively similar and still sports an aluminum perimeter frame and carbon-fibre swingarm, there are new addditions and the only components that actually remain the same are parts of the front forks and steering components.

Preziosi assured that the rest of the bike is completely redesigned, stating: “Ninety percent of the parts are brand new.”

He continued: “We significantly changed the distribution of weight and the bike dimensions to be in the middle of the adjustment range.”

This suggests that a greater range of adjustments will be able to be made according to rider preference and track conditions.

He also said that with the new chassis, the engine position will be able to be adjusted more, though declined to provide details regarding changes to the V angle (the angle between the two banks of the four cylinders) of the GP12 engine, which Ducati has traditionally run at a larger angle than their competitors using a V-four configuration. Preziosi explained that it usually takes two years - from the initial design to the first race - to have a completely refined race machine “but we are accelerating the process with forced steps. It’s a courageous decision, but not impossible.”

Seven-times World champion Rossi had a season to forget in 2011 with a bike that neither he nor Hayden could get up to speed, and they finished respectively 7th and 8th in the championship, which was won by Honda’s Casey Stoner from Australia. Rossi himself believes the team will be closer to the front than they were in 2011, “but the gap is still big, especially compared to Honda, and we still need to work a lot to fix our problems.”

At 32 years old, Rossi still feels he can be a protagonist among the high level of talent in the current field of riders.

“The situation is normal, there are a lot of strong riders, especially Jorge Lorenzo and Stoner, but I feel confident because I’m motivated and I know if I’m in good condition I will be competitive,” he said.

“You can’t compare different eras. I’m older and come from a previous generation. The new riders are younger and very strong, but when I ride well I’m still very fast and my hunger is the same.”

Rossi, who won his titles with Honda and Yamaha, discounted a possible return to a Japanese bike as unlikely, and plans to stick with Ducati for at least the next three seasons. - Star Motoring

For more than a decade, Cape Town's Harley-Davidson dealership was more than a bike shop.

Cape Town's premier Harley-Davidson dealership has been liquidated.

Harley-Davidson Cape Town, in Somerset Road, closed down on December 20 and was placed under provisional liquidation in the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday, following a court application brought by Turnsil Investments, which owns the store.

According to court papers, the dealership's motorcycle sales had declined over the past three years and it presently had a shortfall of more than R2.5 million.

According to an affidavit by Jason Nicol, one of the Green Point branch's directors, they needed to sell about 200 motorcycles a year to sustain the business.

Sales figures had steadily declined since 2006 and 2007, during which years it sold 214 and 222 motorcycles respectively.

Sales dropped to 170 in 2008 and 141 in 2009. In 2010 the dealership sold only 80 motorcycles - 64 percent fewer than in 2007 - and in 2011 it sold 100 motorcycles.

Nicol said they had attempted to secure additional funding from banks, private companies and automotive groups, without success.

“Between 2006 and 2011, the number of sales of motorcycles effectively halved. The only explanation for this is the global financial crisis,”he said.

While there is another Harley-Davidson branch in Tyger Valley, the Green Point branch was the first official dealership to open in Cape Town in 1999 and its closure came as a blow to motorcycle enthusiasts.

Pete Richelmann, clubhouse manager of the Cape Town Harley-Davidson Club, said: There is another store, but the one in town felt like home.

Harley-Davidson is a family and for a lot of us it's like a loss in the family.”

Richelmann, who also chauffeured people around the city on the pillion of his Harley-Davidson, said he hoped somebody would revive the Green Point store one day.

The club's chairman, Gary Pretorius, said that while the existence of the club was not dependent on the shop, it was an iconic landmark in the city.

“When I travel anywhere, I always look up Harley-Davidson dealers and pay a visit; even in Cape Town, tourists and enthusiasts would drive for kilometres just to see the store because it was such an icon,” he said.

Jaco Wessels, a member of the club, said that before the dealership opened, there were only about 40 Harleys in Cape Town, most of them older models.

“It really put Harley-Davidson on the map in Cape Town,” he said. - Cape Times

Four Cape Town bikers have begun a 25000km ride in aid of Red Cross Children's Hospital.

Four intrepid Cape Town bikers on Friday began a four-month ride to Singapore that will see them cover 25 000km through 21 countries and over two continents to raise funds for the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital.

At their home in Rondebosch on Thursday, Taylor siblings Julian, 28, and Shannon, 25, their father Malcolm, 59, and his friend John Byett, 63, were hard at work making last-minute checks to their Kawasaki KLR650 dual-purpose machines and packing.

Chiropractor Malcolm, who is a veteran biker, explained that the trip was to raise funds for the Red Cross Hospital's Infectious Diseases Centre, where his wife Sue volunteers.

“We wanted something good to come out of the trip and the Red Cross was the perfect choice. The hospital works hard to help a lot of children,” he said. - Cape Argus