Our very good friends from Doctors Bikes, based in Krugersdorp, have just moved into impressive new premises. They recently had a new shop launch, where we attended, to show off their hard work.

Damon, and his staff, were very proud to escort people around their vast new shop and they’ll most certainly attract new customers from what we saw. Suzuki, Sym, Lifan (4x4s), are just a few of their top brands on offer, and they also have a large range of clothing, helmets, and bike accessories.

Doctors Bikes have also become a certified Bosch Service centre. So when you bring your bike, or any bike for that matter, for mechanical assistance you can now have your car/van or the like serviced at the same time. So please drop by their new shop for all your motorcycling needs in and around the Krugerdorp area.

Visit: www.doctorsbikes.co.za for more information.

01/12/25

It’s a sad day…

It is indeed, because after six-months with our beloved GSX-S1000 GX it has been returned to Suzuki HQ and passed on to a new owner, so we’ve been informed. We at www.billysbikes.co.za hope you enjoy your new ride as much as we have.

Over the six months, and well over 2,000km of long distance travels, we’ve had nothing but praise for this awesome Sports-Tourer. GSX-R power and superb chassis was always going to please, and it most certainly did. Touring, madness, comfort, cool looking are all there, not to mention some of the best electronic suspension we’ve ever come across, courtesy of Showa. And with our take on Barry Sheene’s 1980s RG 500 paint scheme it attracted a lot of attention too, expertly applied by www.artinmartin.co.za. Get in touch with these professional guys for all your stickery needs and more.

Before we let our GSX-S1000 GX depart we decided to take it onto the Dynojet Dyno for some real world horsepower figures. A bit of a mission because the bike went into ‘limp mode’ complaining about the wheels not rotating at the same time. Still we eventually collected the numbers we sought after with 130hp at the rear wheel and 93Nm. However, if you check out the graph you’ll notice how ‘lean’ the bike goes after 5,000rpm, due to Euro emission strangulation garbage. It would definitely make much more if you fitted a Power Commander fueling module, for example, and even more with a less restrictive exhaust, maybe as much as 10-15hp. A big thanks goes out to our Dyno expert, Noddy, from www.bikeworx.co.za. for his time and effort. You must visit these guys for dyno tuning, diagnostic, servicing, suspension mods, and more.

So a fond farewell to our GSX-S1000 GX, you’ll be sorely missed around the office for sure.

Go to www.suzukimotorcycle.co.za to view their vast range of motorcycles.

We have very sad news folks, Suzuki are to discontinue production of their DL650 XT V-Strom. It seems time has caught up with the middleweight Adventure-Tourer in favour of the parallel twin, which seems to be where every manufacturer is now going. Basically a parallel twin is cheaper to produce because a V-Twin has two cylinder heads, four-cams, etc. And the ever-increasing draconian “Euro garbage” emission laws are also maybe responsible for this disappointing demise of a motorcycle legend. Who knows?

Anyway, we’ve just has the pleasure of the final edition for a few weeks and it’s still a fantastic bike on all counts. Extremely comfortable with one of the best seats in the business, a punchy 70hp and 70Nm V-twin, remember there are no V-Twins left in this class anymore! We saw 190kmh in 5^th gear, on the limiter, so it’ll surpass the 200 mark, which are still impressive figures for a mere 645cc. It also has a large 20-litre tank, ideal for a lazy long journey. Let’s not forget this engine is known to be one of THE most reliable motors ever produced, how’s that for piece of mind? The DL650 XT V-Strom still looks good too with its blue anodized wheels with spokes (tubeless tyres) and a fetching colour scheme, a fact relayed by everyone that saw it.

It’s not all bad news though as they’re still a few left in stock for you to buy from your local Suzuki dealer, please ask them for a test ride to enforce how cool this bike still is. The price is only R166,650, which is a bargain for such a wonderful mid-capacity Adventure bike, with that sparkling V-Twin engine. You can also choose from either this blue/white option, or a mean looking black one, or the iconic Suzuki yellow. We highly recommend you take trip to your local dealer right now before they all sell out. Once they’re gone, they’re gone, with no more to come, but like every vehicle, which this happens to, they suddenly become more sort after, just throwing that out there?

Go to www.suzukimotorcycle.co.za for more information.