Today at lunchtime I went down to Jonway in Greystone Industrial Park to take a look at the new 300cc Regal Raptor Spyder.

Jonway are the sole South African importers of Regal Raptor, Bajaj, and SAM motorcycles. Their premises are next door to the helicopter launchpad of NetStar, a vehicle tracking & recovery firm.

I parked my Venox and walked toward the entrance, where a small man circa mid 30s in a t-shirt and shorts greeted me. I said I'd come to see the 300cc Spyder, and was told that he has one packed away in a crate, but that he was going to fetch one right now and I'd be able to see it if I waited 20 min or so.

After about 30 min of waiting, I was ready to give up and head back to the office, when I saw (+ heard!) this guy riding in on the Spyder. I couldn't believe my eyes and ears. The bike looked fantastic, and the exhaust note was beautiful. :buw: - I just had to get a closer look.

The bike was black with white flame designs on it (identical to the one shown on the Regal Raptor site), but with a custom exhaust and 300cc liquid-cooled engine (same parallel-twin setup as the older air-cooled 250), but I'm telling you guys, seeing it on the web is one thing, but seeing it up close is something completely different!

I spoke to the man (who turned out to be called Gareth), and asked him a few questions about the bike before shooting a dozen or so pics from different angles. The handlebars and forks feel solid and are plated in high quality chrome, the engine looks big, even without fake fins ala Venox. The wiring is neat without any of the clutter the Venox has going on under the tank. Finally, I got to take the bike for a test ride on the premises :woohoo:

The foot pegs are very far forward (just the way I like it :ok:), and the side stand is a bit hard to reach. Push the electric starter and she came to life, purring loudly. Roll on a bit of throttle and hear the exhaust roar. Yeah, this is the stuff! I put the bike into 1st, rolled on some throttle, eased off the clutch and took a slow ride down the to the helicopter grounds. What I noticed right away was how forgiving the clutch was, I even forgot to release it once between 1st and 2nd and it didn't stall or anything - just kept right on going.

In 3rd, the bike really started to take off, reaching 80 kph without a sweat. (My Venox accelerates much slower and doesn't like being pushed beyond 75 kph in 3rd) The dual front discs brought the bike to a a stop quickly and smoothly. There's so much more I could say about the bike, but I've been :blah: too long already, so I'll cut this short.

I really like the look and feel of the Spyder and the workmanship seems quite good, despite the fact it's made in China. My only gripes are the crappy looking black rubber around the mirrors, the shiny "chrome" vanity covers over the battery, and the fake fuel cap on the left (yes, they put on an extra fuel cap for some reason - go figure) Otherwise, the Spyder seems like an awesome bike. That's my 2c anyway :P

Oh, just in case you're wondering - I can't post the pics right now coz I'm at the office, but I'll make sure to post them on Monday morning.

Cheers everyone and have a good one!

Posted this review at @ACD

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Topic: 300cc Regal Raptor Spyder Review..., By PIWYR forum member:ralmoritz

I figured the extra "gas"cap was a stash compartment. For things like, change for the toll booth, or dice, perhaps balm for chapped lips... use your imagination...

Spare key?

Well, it's taken a while :zzz:, but here are the pics I took that day: (Click on the thumbnails to see full size images)

Some interesting pics there. I found things in the background interesting.

I have a caption for this one: -

Who's the fool that dried my quadbike in the tumble dryer on hot?

Good one Pat! :smack: :hahaha: :rotfl:

Then there is a secret 5 wheel scooter project that I have blown wide open. Look in the background of this one
http://ralphm.info/blog/wp-content/uploads...06/dsc00027.JPG

:hahaha: Great eyes there Pat!!