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2014 Bike of Year: Vote quick or lose!

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<b>BMW’s R 1200 GS:</b> The big Beemer won the 2013 SA Bike of the Year challenge. <i>Image: Dries van der Walt</i>
<b>BMW’s R 1200 GS:</b> The big Beemer won the 2013 SA Bike of the Year challenge. <i>Image: Dries van der Walt</i>
Dries van der Walt
The 2014 Amid motorcycle show, scheduled for the Nasrec expo centre in Johannesburg, Gauteng (August 8-10) will once again host the announcement of the 2014 South African Bike of the Year.

The 2014 competition will essentially follow the same format as the 2013 inaugural event though the number of finalists has been reduced from 16 to nine.

‘NO OLD BIKES WITH LICK OF PAINT’

Motorcycle importers and distributors were asked to nominate eligible bikes and from those the finalists were chosen. To be eligible they had to be new or significantly re-engineered machines, not just the previous year’s model with a lick of paint.

So, here's the list (those highlighted have been covered in reports or reviewed on Wheels24)...

 •  BMW S 1000 R
 •  BMW R1200GS Adventure
 •  Ducati 899 Panigale
 •  Ducati Monster 1200
 •  Kawasaki Z1000
 •  KTM 1290 Super Duke
 •  Suzuki DL1000 V-Strom
 •  Yamaha MT-09
 •  Yamaha MT-07

A panel of 16 representatives of the mainstream bike media was invited to be judges. During the week before the show they will subject the nine finalists to extensive testing then vote for their favourites.

The judges' votes will be tallied and the top three bikes will be the winner, runner-up and third. BMW’s R 1200 GS won the inaugural SA Bike of the Year title.

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE

Wheels24's DRIES VAN DER WALT will take you along on the journey to the August announcement. Over the next few weeks we will bring you reviews of as many of the finalists as are available for us to test, starting with our review of the the Suzuki DL1000 VStrom - a machine already covered at launch by Wheels24 - and the KTM 1290 Super Duke.

We’re interested in your opinion, so read the reviews (more will appear over coming weeks) and launch reports, pick your own favourites,let us know which bike you think will win the coveted award, and what you think sets it apart from the rest.

You, just like the actual judges, have a vote too!

Which bike do you think should win the 2014 SA Bike of the Year award? Email us and we’ll publish your thoughts on Wheels24. Vote for your favourite in our homepage voting booth!

You could be one of three email entrants to win one of three R500 shopping vouchers - just for voting!
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