TRAVERSE 142
tradespeople, and even small business owners who use it for transporting goods.
There’ s also a robust aftermarket community offering panniers, reinforced racks, and dual-sport tyres, making it a flexible platform for different uses.
The instrument cluster is minimal, usually featuring an analog speedometer, odometer, and fuel gauge. None worked on our loaner. There’ s no ABS, no digital dash, no smartphone connectivity, although ours had an aftermarket system fitted— but that’ s part of the charm. Fewer electronics mean fewer things to go wrong, especially in places where repairs are done on the roadside with limited tools.
Durability & Maintenance: Built to Be Beaten One of the Dayang Apollo’ s strongest suits is its durability. Riders in rural Morocco, the Philippines, Kenya, and parts of South America all attest to the bike’ s resilience under harsh use. It’ s the type of motorcycle that keeps going even when maintenance is infrequent and roads are punishing. We know because we rode it as such, taking it places that the many GSs, DesertXs, and Africa Twins would never go. We tried to beat our bikes, numerous rough tracks and massively steep hills certainly slowed us down and at the same time brought on the giggles like a shy school kid.
Parts are cheap and widely available, often interchangeable with other small Chinese or Japanesestyle motorcycles. Routine tasks like oil changes, chain adjustments, and carb cleaning can be done at home or at any roadside mechanic for next to nothing.
TRAVERSE 142