Sometimes the easiest solution to a motorcycle repair problem – as with much in life – is simply to spend the money and get it sorted. So it proved with the long-running saga of my Suzuki V-Strom and its broken magneto rotor.

Having had no success whatsoever with trying to source a secondhand rotor, I bowed to the inevitable and decided to buy a new one. The man who’d offered me a secondhand rotor for R5,000 had claimed that a  new one would cost about R14,000. I called my nearest Suzuki dealer, which was in Mossel Bay, about 140km from our home in Plettenberg Bay. Yes, they could get me a new rotor: it would cost R9,155 (about £390), which was a pleasant surprise, and it would be there within three days. The repair shop I spoke to a year ago said it would take three weeks! I bought it over the phone and collected it a few days later. The V-Strom’s future was looking more positive.

The next hurdle was removing the remnants of the old rotor. Online research had showed that this needed a blow torch and a compressed-air-driven impact driver. Late last year, a motorcycling friend in Plett named Stan had introduced me to one of his friends who had all the tools I’d need. A quick call to Stan now revealed the very sad news that his friend had since died rather suddenly. Stan suggested I try a local Plett repair shop called Muddy Offroads, which said they’d be happy to help.

They duly collected the bike in their bakkie, removed the old rotor, installed the new one, installed a new oil filter, filled the sump, and it was ready the next day. The only problem was the battery, which was only a few weeks old when the magneto failed a year ago but had clearly not enjoyed being on trickle charge for the past year. That would take an extra day. The whole job involved three hours’ work which cost about £65, plus £47 for the battery and £42 for the oil. Okay, the oil seemed a bit pricey but everything else was a bargain. They’d even cleaned and lubed the chain, so the  logical thing to do on picking the bike up was to take the slightly longer way home, via some empty local roads with a few twisties thrown in. The total cost of repairs, including the new rotor, was half what the other bike shop quoted me last year.

It felt wonderful to be on the V-Strom again after its 14 months of enforced idleness. It really is a fabulous bike and truly put a big grin on my face. I’ve ridden all my other bikes in that time – the Ducati and the Valkyrie (both since sold), the Rune, Gold Wing, TL1000S, Triumph Tiger XC800 and Yamaha TW200 farm bike – and they are all great at what they bring to the party, but the V-Strom has its own unique, relaxing cadence.

The grin was still there yesterday when I rode it out to Sedgefield and Karatara in 23-degree sunshine (that’s what passes for mid-winter in these parts). The bike was still its comfortable, sure-footed self. It fulfils the same role as the Tiger 800, and has only 21,000km on the clock from new, so we’ll probably need to sell one or the other. For now, though, the V-Strom is going to get a lot of use. It’s been worth the wait.