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Reader response: 2013 Boty

The 2013 South African Bike of the Year is an initiative by one of South Africa’s dedicated motorcycling portals, TheBikeShow.co.za (which also has a slot on Ignition TV).

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READERS' CHOICE

The winner will be announced later in July, so check back with Wheels24 to find out which bike will claim the 2013 crown.

Wheels24 reader Andrew Perkin shares his thoughts on which bike should claim the 2013 SA BotY title:

 “As an NC700X owner (albeit the manual version), I am somewhat biased, and would be delighted if the Honda won. However I am a realist; The NC is not particularly fast, it handles OK at best, and it can't go off road. It looks good, is wellpriced, and is economical. I'm not sure if these positives are enough to overcome the 'master of none' epithet.

My thoughts on some of the other 2013 Bikes of the Year Awards:

KTM 1190
- Count me as one of the few who don't appreciate KTM's quirky styling. An acquaintance recently bought one, complete with all the horrid orange scaffolding all over the place, and I hate it.

Hyosung GT650R - The bike looks good, is cracking good value and the technology is catching up with the traditional rivals from Japan and Europe. If it does feature in the 2013 Boty, that will be almost entirely due to its value proposition, rather than on its technical achievements. In the same way that Kia and Hyundai have become mainstream vehicle brands, you can expect good things from Hyosung in the future.

‘GOES LIKE STINK’

BMW GS
- BMW motorcycles are simply ‘too good’ in my view. The GS is exactly the machine to use from Cape Town to Cairo, because it won't let you down, ever. Their clinical nature means they lack character. I'm not sure I'd be happy with that sterility, tooling around Johannesburg. The glaring exception to this is the astonishing S1000RR, which is ‘God's own’ motorcycle.

The MV Agusta Brutale 800 - It looks a dog's scrotum, goes like stink and performs well around Kyalami as I'd expect it to do in the Lowveld. At just over R100 000 it's great value.

‘I WANT SO BADLY’

My winner for the 2013 Boty - the Kawasaki Z800

I'm definitely no fan of the green marquee, since whenever I see a Kawasaki, I immediately look around for oil puddles. That being said, I absolutely love the Z800. All the dynamic traits of the MV Agusta, at a similar price. It looks just an inch better than the Brutale.

I get strange stirrings in my nether regions when I see this bike. I want one so badly, it hurts.”

Email us and we'll publish your thoughts on Wheels24.
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