KIWI RIDER 01 2020 VOL1 | Page 15

TRIUMPH ROCKET 3 Just landed on NZ soil is the new range of Triumph’s brutish Rocket III – the 2020 Rocket III R and Rocket III GT. Taking over where the old bike left off, the new Rocket III retains Triumph’s claim for the most torque available of any production motorcycle with 221Nm @ 4,000 rpm! However, unlike the previous generation Rocket III, the 2020 models are absolutely gorgeous from every angle. Hat tip to Triumph for really making the massive 2500cc triple look the goods with its blacked-out casings and shining ancillaries. Priced from just $34,990 for the “base” Rocket III R, we can already smell the burning rubber... 2020 SUZUKI V-STROM 1050 Suzuki is a brand that thinks long and hard before they throw upgrades at a model. So when the announcement came through at EICMA 2019 that the brand’s flagship V-Strom model was set to see a massive upgrade in 2020, well, that’s definitely something to get excited for! The 2020 V-Strom sees a near ground-up refresh of the big V-Strom, with the entire styling direction taking inspiration from the legendary DR-Big and recent Katana refresh as well as a much-needed injection of technologies to bring it up to speed with the rest of the class. While the engine is largely the same as the current V-twin, Suzuki has further refined it to ensure it passes the latest hurdles thrown up by the strict European emissions rules. With power figures of While the outgoing model is one of the easiest to live with bikes around, Suzuki has ensured that the 2020 V-Strom charges into the new decade the best that it can be, and we can’t wait to ride it to see how much it has improved. 2020 HONDA CRF1100L AFRICA TWIN Honda’s Africa Twin nameplate is legendary in Adventure circles, but the last iteration of the famous name was quickly overshadowed by rivals. The new CRF1100L Africa Twin looks set to bring the Africa Twin back to the forefront of the Adventure class with a bigger parallel- twin engine and a host of electronics to help bring the bike up to speed with the rest of the 1000cc adventure class. While the old Africa Twin had its fair share of electronics for the time, times have changed. With that in mind, Honda hasn’t dropped the ball and have added a six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) allowing for the addition of new rider aids including wheelie control, cornering ABS, rear-lift control, DCT cornering detection and cornering lights. Honda is also delivering the Africa Twin in two distinct flavours with a base Africa Twin and a larger more touring focused Adventure Sports variant confirmed for our market. The standard version has an improved renewed focus in off-road use, with a shorter, fixed windscreen and a 19 Litre fuel tank in addition to its revised styling. The Adventure Sports offers real long-haul ability and practicality, boasting intelligent Showa Electronically Equipped Ride Adjustment suspension (EERA), tubeless wheels, heated grips, accessory socket, larger skid plate, aluminium rear rack and a massive 24.6 litre tank. We can’t wait to have a go and find out just how the new and improved Africa Twin compares to the rest of the segment. KIWI RIDER 15