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Three cheers for return of Think Bike!
Bravo for the motorcyclists of the West Rand who are trying to revive the 'THINK BIKE!' programme that started then shrivelled away a few years ago.
Volunteers handed out bright yellow leaflets and bumper stickers to bikers and motorists on a recent Sunday in Pinehaven to create more awareness of two-wheelers.
Both Dave and I ride motorcycles Dave because he lives and breathes them and gets paid for writing about them, me as a commuter because I can't stand the growing traffic congestion.
Both of us have been hit by car drivers who think they own the road, that bikers should ride in the gutter "and, anyway, I'm in a car and won't get hurt". Me, I've got so much metal in my right leg that it sets off airport metal detectors!
Well, motorcycle sales are at record highs, more and more people are buying scooters to commute, to go to school, to get around their city motorcycles are back! Their riders pay their taxes through fuel levies and vehicle licences and have as much right to their several square metres of the road as any box pilot.
Take a few moments to read our item 'Life as seen from behind (handle)bars' and maybe next time, when you're turning or changing lanes, you might be prompted to check your mirrors, use your indicators and be generally more aware of other road users more vulnerable then yourself.
Les Stephenson
Editor
motoring.co.za
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 |  | | FORMIDABLE FOCUS: Ford really got it right with the design of the new Ford Focus ST with its 2.5-litre, turbocharged Volvo engine - a great blend of the modestly macho with "but I'm a family car" looks. |
Fun for the family from Ford's hot Focus ST
[ See related stories ]
February 22, 2006
 By Les Stephenson
Ford has brought a new challenger to the South African performance car market with the introduction of two versions of its Volvo-powered Focus ST hatchbacks, a family orientated five-door and a sportier-looking three-door.
The engine in each is from sister company Volvo's S40, a 2.5-litre, turbocharged five-cylinder which, in the Ford application, puts out 166kW at 6000rpm (the engine will rev to 7000) and, more importantly for overtaking and relaxed long-distance cruising, 320Nm from 1600 through to 4000rpm.
The six-speed manual Volvo gearbox from the S40 comes with the Sport Technology (ST see!) engine, the most powerful yet installed in a Focus
The six-speed manual gearbox from the S40 comes with the Sport Technology (ST see!) engine |
. The box has, however, a shorter final drive and shorter gears "for a sportier drive".
Ford claims a top speed in excess of 240km/h but the best I saw on our test drive was 220 on a flat, straight and empty country road on the roundabout-route launch drive from Sun City to Pretoria where the cars showed their prowess on the tight 'n twisty Zwartkops race track.
Ford also claims a 0-100km/h time of 6.8sec maybe we'll achieve both target figures down at the coast and tells us the Focus has a five-star crash protection rating from the EuroNCAP people.
There's little difference in performance data between the two body styles, apparently, so buyers' choice will pretty much depend on how they want to be seen; Ford SA sees them as people tired of the usual GT offerings, younger folk keen to be seen to be different
Factory options are scarce the cars are well-equipped already |
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On a more down-home level, they might also be smart enough to want to save a few tens of thousands of rands on their purchase with the three-door stickered at R233 000 and the five-door at a cool R250 000 well below some of the competition and very tempting for a performance sports machine.
Factory options are scarce the cars are well-equipped already but you can opt for a power sunroof (R6400) or a "sports appearance pack" which, roughly translated, means you get some stick-on stripes that shout "boy racer" rather loudly and somewhat rudely for R2000.
Leather upholstery is standard on the five-door models real bum-huggers up front and soft and supple items in the rear but the same seats cost R8200 if you want them in the three-door.
Each model has five seats as standard but, Ford SA says, a four-seat option can be ordered with personal bum-huggers for the rear passengers too.
'Challenges drivers'
The Focus ST was launched in the Amphitheatre at Sun City in North West Province and introduced by Jost Cupido, director of Ford's Team RS performance vehicle division. It's obvious that he loves the car
"The Focus ST challenges drivers to out-perform themselves," he said enigmatically. It was he who quoted a top speed of 241km/h and the 0-100km/h time of 6.8sec (great performance) and added "it's great for everyday use but rewarding for an enthusiast".
Then tempered that by pointing out it could be driven as a normal, very safe, family car "it delivers on what you'd expect in every way".
How's it differ, apart from its honey of an engine and 50mm lower ride height, from the rest of the Focus fleet? Cupido again: new front and rear bumpers, grille and sill skirts, two exhaust pipes, 18"x8" cast aluminium rims (shod with seriously low-profile 225/40 tyres),
Both upper and lower grilles have a graphite mesh with a signature triangular pattern and fog-light openings have been trimmed with brushed aluminium as have the reversing lights and rear foul-weather lights.
The rear lower bumper has been shaped to create a visual "venturi" effect.
The side indicator repeaters have been moved from the front wings and installed in the exterior mirrors. Their former homes now house distinctive ST badges.
Body-coloured bits
The hatch door is bigger and deeper than the standard car and carries a large, body-coloured spoiler that extends beyond the width of the tailgate to above the rear light cluster stacks.
The ST also has body coloured door releases, mirrors and body side mouldings.
The cabin is also a seriously different animal to that of the standard cars. The seats are from Recaro with eight-way adjustment for the fabric-covered units but 10-way for those clad in leather it's because of the seat squab length adjustment. Power adjustment would have been nice, guys.
The steering-wheel is bigger and thicker and has thumb grips, new graphics and remote and three spokes with a larger boss containing a crash bag. The foot pedals are made of drilled aluminium but missing is a rest for the driver's left foot that means the loss of a vital fraction of a second for each gear change.
The electro-hydraulic steering, we were told, can be set by the driver to each of three levels of responsiveness but unfortunately nobody on the launch seemed to know how it was done so we gave that bit a miss.
The main dials will be familiar to a Focus driver but three smaller items live in their own cowl on top of the ST's fascia, all important in a performance car: oil pressure gauge, oil temperature gauge and a dial to tell you how much turbo boost is being used.
No thumps or bumps
The Focus ST is remarkable for its ride quality: Ford has managed to get (for me, anyway) exactly the right suspension balance between comfort and rugged road-holding. Cupido told me the ST rides on springs 30 percent stiffer than those of the standard car and, yes, it shows.
Yet, even at seriously high speeds on North West's uneven and badly maintained roads, it neither thumped hard into dips nor vibrated in disgust over the odd unavoidable pothole and held itself almost flat through even the tightest curves.
Anti-lock brakes, stability control and traction control are standard; the stability control, Cupido mentioned, has been designed to "come in" later than on most other cars to allow the driver some leeway towards having fun.
Ford has also injected some fun into the exhaust note: it's been given what the automaker calls a "sound symposer" to help transmit the noise into the cabin at "time to change gear" engine revs funny how fancy stuff is now needed to do what most drivers do naturally in response to engine note
Eight crash bags come with the car two of them full-length side curtain bags.
Ford SA is looking to sell around 100 Focus ST units a month with a 60 percent bias towards the five-door version and dealers should already have them in stock 100 are here already and another 150 are due around the middle of March.
They'll be delivered with a three-year or 100 000km factory warranty, five-year or 60 000km maintenance plan and three years or 100 000km-worth of free roadside assistance right down to the supply of a guard if you break down in a less than pleasant area.
  
 
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|  | | DAY AT THE TRACK: After a high-speed run (10.3 litres/100km on the motoring.co.za car) from Sun City to Pretoria on Wednesday the new Ford Focus ST was unleashed on the tight and twisty Zwartkop racetrack. Pictures: LES STEPHENSON |
|  | | FUN FOR ALL THE FAMILY: Ford SA reckons the five-door ST will make up most of the sales numbers - it adds a family-sized dose of practicality to a high-performance car. |
|  | | TELLING TAIL: The tail door on the ST is bigger than on other Focus models and carries a large roof spoiler with a third brake light. And note the two tail pipes... |
|  | | AND FROM OUR SWEDISH PARTNER: It says Ford Duratec but it comes from Volvo - the 2.5-litre, five-cylinder turbocharged engine that fills the Focus ST's under-bonnet space. |
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