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Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Motorcycles, an international languageIf it wasn’t for the international language of motorcycles, I may have finally gone off like a firecrackerTRAVELLING OVERSEAS TO attend new model launches is part of the job at AMCN and, as anyone who travels a lot for work will tell you, it’s not as glamourous as most think. Having just 36 hours on the ground to attend a technical briefing, ride the bike and make sure you spend quality time with your host means you get to do little sightseeing.Am I complaining? Hell no! It’s this craziness that attracts me to the job. However, my ability to cope was sorely tested recently. If it wasn’t for the international language of motorcycles, I may have finally gone off like a firecracker.At times I admire the Spanish for their innate…2 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Harley reacts with Road King SpecialHARLEY-DAVIDSON’S NEW Road King Special might only be a mild reworking of an existing model, but it manages to be a distinctive bike nonetheless.As the name suggests, it’s based on the Road King, but by adding blacked-out bagger looks, Harley has created something to cash in on the latest bagger trends.Harley-Davidson design boss Brad Richards said: “The Road King has always reflected the purity of the Harley-Davidson FL riding experience. By exchanging chrome surfaces for black and lowering the bike’s profile, we’ve moved the traditional Road King into a new space that’s very current in the custom bagger scene.”As well as the blacked-out engine, fork and headlight bowl, the bike gets side cases that are reshaped and extend downwards at the back, giving the bike a longer, lower look. There’s…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Hogs for the HomelessAS AMCN WENT to press, 20 NRL players were 10 days into an 11-day, 4000km ride to raise awareness and funds for Father Riley’s Youth off the Streets charity.Supported by Harley-Davidson, which provided 20 motorcycles for the event and a 2017 Roadster raffle prize, H-D ambassador Nathan Hindmarsh joined the likes of Steve Roach, Paul Sironen, Brad Fittler and 16 more Origin legends on a whirlwind tour of New South Wales that included 14 country towns.By the tour’s end, the crew will have given away 3000 footballs to kids, set up coaching clinics, attended tournaments and greatly assisted, both financially and physically, in returfing the footy oval in the northern NSW town of Walgett.The event is in its fifth year and has so far raised more than $450,000. For more…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Tech versus usJust like any active cruise control or automatic emergency braking technology, the motorcycle-specific system will detect a potential hazard using both a millimetre-wave radar and a forward-facing camera as its eyes and ears. The system will then check to see if the rider has already detected the hazard and begun braking and, if so, will supplement the pressure and ensure the front and rear calipers are getting equal pressure for optimal stopping ability. But if the rider hasn’t begun braking, the system will hit the rear brake first, for two reasons. First, to keep the bike stable and prevent a sudden and unexpected nosedive that could startle the rider. And second, to test the grip levels so it knows just how much pressure it can or can’t apply in an…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Pass Go. Do Not Stop. Repeat“This is what people did for amusem*nt prior to apps”CLEAR OUT THE back of the garage and you’ll find you own at least two copies of the Guinness Book of Records. For almost three decades this annual tome was the default gift choice for birthdays, Father’s Day and Christmas. A quick scan and you could choose a path to 15 minutes of fame. After all, it couldn’t be that difficult to keep a hula hoop rotating while bouncing a rubber ball and reciting Rudyard Kipling’s ‘If’. For 72 hours.This sounded a little prissy to road racers Allan Cunynghame, Peter Stoneman and Dave Richards, who thought a more worthy effort would be the ‘World Motor Cycle Endurance Riding Record’.Having got hold of Ken Blake’s BMW R90S, which had travelled little more…3 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Rocket surgeryTHE MORBIDLY OBESE and slightly long-in-the-tooth Triumph Rocket III has been a favourite of the morbidly obese, slightly long-in-the-tooth riding set for the past 13 years.As it’s a cruiser, many owners don’t bother going down the custom route for their rides. Modified examples of the 2300cc beast usually just feature a pallet’s worth of matte-black paint and around four hundred metres of exhaust wrap. But now Sydney-based builder Wenley Andrews has worked his café racer magic on a 2006 Rocket III and given it the looks to match the gigantic torquey engine underneath.Maybe I’m exaggerating when I say the Rocket is morbidly obese, but in stock trim it weighs 350kg wringing wet. Yet all that heft and road-going presence was part of the appeal for head workshop provocateur Wenley. He’d…5 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Electrifying!DashClean and simple with a bar-type tacho running around the outside. Gear position is easy to read, as are the traction and mode settings. A fuel gauge is slotted on the bottom left with the usual trip computer in the right bottom corner. It works well out on the track, as the information just seems to fall to your eye.Quick Shift System.No need to use the clutch for up-or down-shifts on the GSX-R. The new quickshift system replicates those used in WSBK and MotoGP. A sensor is activated when the rider touches the gear lever, which sends a message to the ECU. The ignition cuts for upshifts and the butterflies are opened via an auto blip system on the downshift.Motion Track Traction Control System (TCS)The processor takes in readings from…2 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Will the real street scrambler please stand up?Thanks in no small part to Steve McQueen, the Triumph TR6C became a legendWith the debut of the latest version of its twin-cylinder Street Scrambler, Triumph has taken another long look in its corporate rearview mirror and homed in on one of the most successful models in its 1960s classic-era line-up: the go-anywhere Trophy street enduro.For all the hullabaloo when Ducati launched its Scrambler sub-brand back in 2014, many people overlooked that it was actually Triumph that invented the street scrambler category back in 1949 with the TR5 Trophy. This powered Triumph’s expansion in the US and was followed up by a bike that for many is still the most alluring of the many different models in the British brand’s twin-cylinder back catalogue, the 650cc Bonneville-based TR6C Trophy Special.With its…15 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Watts it all about?MOTORCYCLING IS AWASHwith abbreviations and technical terms that most of us have become so familiar with that we don’t even think about using them. But the advent of electric bikes has brought with it a baffling array of new language that’s initially intimidating.We’re all comfortable talking about torque and power – whether in imperial horsepower or metric kW – even if we don’t all have an in-depth technical understanding of their interplay. And the concept of fuel economy measured in litres per 100km or the old-fashioned miles-per-gallon is completely self-explanatory.When it comes to electric bikes, the language changes. Suddenly we’re swamped in volts, watts, amps and ohms. Tell us that a bike has a 1000cc four-cylinder engine and we’ll instantly have a rough idea of its size, weight and performance…7 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 1770 S SUPERSTARSThe biggest period of change in road racing was surely the 70s, when the sight of pudding basin helmets and black leathers worn by stern-faced men was replaced by brightly coloured race suits, umbrella chicks, and decalled full-face lids worn by hard-partying blokes who could pass as either rock stars or surfers.Baby boomers Kenny Roberts, Barry Sheene and Gregg ‘Harry’ Hansford were at the vanguard of the superstar revolution of the 70s, and racing has never been the same since. King Kenny is still with us, but as we all know, both Barry and Gregg have gone.To race fans growing up in the era, Barry Sheene appeared indestructible. He not only survived horrific crashes at Daytona in ’75 and at Silverstone in ’82 with a leer and a grin, he…15 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17No off-season for our racerMOST RACEBIKES get a little downtime during the offseason, but not our little Yamaha YZF-R3, which has been logging plenty of practice laps over the past couple of months. We were even given the opportunity to do a back-to-back small-capacity production bike comparo with a piece of motorcycling history – Troy Corser’s Suzuki RGV250 two-banger. This was the very bike that kick-started his career in 1990 when as an 18-year-old he claimed victory in the highly competitive AMCN 250cc Production Challenge.Without giving too much away, I can reveal that lap times between the two bikes were surprisingly similar, but the way each went about the business of posting consistent 1m10s runs around the Wakefield Park circuit were very different. The information downloaded from our V-Box data logger made for interesting…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17top gear1 Custom ShocksSuspensions R Us From $780(03) 9786 4414suspensionsrus.comNitron shocks/ cartridge kits are billet machined and handmade entirely in the UK. Each fully serviceable shock is customised to a rider’s specific spring and damping requirements by Nitron’s experienced team. Aesthetics also play a vital part in Nitron’s design process for the best look and feel.2 Original ShieldCassons From $199.95(02) 8882 1900cassons.com.auThe National Cycle Deflector Screen is claimed to be the most copied windshield in the world, but it’s the only one with patented no-tool Rake Adjust hardware. The screen is 14" (356mm) high and 16" (406mm) wide. There's a universal fit as well as handlebar-specific options.3 Bag It UpAndy Strapz $115/$125(03) 9786 3445andystrapz.comOrtlieb Rack Packs are a great way to keep your gear high and dry. These roll-top waterproof bags…2 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 1770s biker chicks are cool againAnne-France Dautheville threw off the shackles of convention to ride a Moto Guzzi from Paris to TehranIN 2016 THE models sashayed down the Paris Fashion Week runway, setting the catwalk on fire with their leather trousers and dungarees, campfire ponchos and kaftan-styled dresses.Fashion writers went into overdrive as the conservative Chloé fashion house rewrote the rule book for casual elegance.“There is still a silk scarf tied at the throat, but combined with the leather and the flat boots and worn by models who scowl rather than decoratively pout, they take on a new highwayman swagger,” wrote one battle-weary observer.The inspiration for all this cheeky chic was an original French biker, the endlessly photogenic Anne-France Dautheville. Between 1972 and 1981 she rode around the world, eventually writing a book titled And…3 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Cat amongst the pigeonsThe 2017 ASBK opened under sunny skies at Phillip Island, and the story of the weekend without doubt was the outstanding performance of privateer Daniel Falzon. The 22-year-old took his Caterpillar/Mainline Dyno Yamaha YZF-R1 to a string of firsts: first ever pole, first ever Superbike win, first in every race, and now first in the championship. It was an outstanding performance by any measure and had the whole paddock abuzz with excitement. How long has it been since there was a genuine young gun in the Superbike class to challenge the big stars of the last decade or more?The more established racers had up-and-down weekends. Yamaha Racing Team’s Wayne Maxwell (17,2,4) binned his YZF-R1 at Turn 4 on the first lap of Race 1. Maxwell dislocated a shoulder in the…2 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Winner’s words“The weekend has been absolutely unbelievable! I have spent the last 15 months without a ride, no racing at all. We came to the test a few weeks ago and opened a few people’s eyes and then came here and got two wins, a second and the overall win. It’s just incredible. I can’t thank my sponsors and my family and friends enough for getting me here. We have scraped up enough money to get here and hopefully we can find a way to get to the next few events but at this stage we don’t have the finances and I haven’t entered the next round. Maybe we can pick up a few sponsors from this. There’s no better exposure than winning at the first round of World Superbikes.”…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Talking techTyred outAFTER A HIGH-PROFILE tyre deflation that prevented eventual world champion Kenan Sofuoglu from winning the 2016 World Supersport race, and several other instances of WSS tyre issues in previous seasons, a decision was made at Phillip Island on Friday night to reduce the WSS race from the planned 18 laps to only 15. This is not unprecedented, but is hardly ideal for the image of the championship.Also, the new rear Supersport tyre – the B compound in Australia – was pulled from the allocation as one of the new ones blistered and caused a crash for expected WSS front-runner Lucas Mahias. Everybody was given the Hobson’s choice of the A tyre, but they did get more for their allocation.There is no track in the world like Phillip Island for…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Aussie AssaultJosh Brookes (WSBK) - YZF-R1MERMotorsport – EliteRoads.com.auJosh Brookes put it all on the line to race as a WSBK wildcard with the very same bike he rode to victory in the 2015 BSB Championship. The Yamaha YZF-R1M was purchased by Elite Roads Construction company owner Deon Coote for the event, and Brookes also made a substantial financial contribution to fund the appearance. Unfortunately, the team’s number one engine blew during free practice and the 2005 ASBK Champion was left with a slightly underpowered and untested mill for qualifying.“Qualifying was okay, we didn’t get a great position but I did my best lap time of the weekend and it was acceptable. In Race 1 we got away to a good start and there was a bit of argy bargy in the…6 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Suzuki aero warSUZUKI UPPED THE stakes in the aerodynamic war with a new fairing that showed small winglets encased in a double-sided cowling either side of the air intake.Rookie rider Álex Rins said the fairing helped with wheelie control and front-balance in high speed corners. The fairing is the latest in experimental designs to counter the banning of protruding winglets.But aero costs are spiralling. Suzuki was planning to head to a wind tunnel in Japan with factory riders Rins and Andrea Iannone, immediately after the Island test.Apart from the fairing, the main development on the GSXRR is an upgraded engine to add top-end power and more acceleration with only minor chassis changes.…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17250 East lifts offTHE FIRST AMA SX race held at the US Bank stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, saw Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) take his third victory of the season. In the dying stages, Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM) clawed his way back through the field to steal second place from teammate, Ryan Dungey, who came third. Australian Chad Reed (Yamalube Yamaha) went down on the whoops and tumbled down the order to finish 16th.In Round 8 at Atlanta, Dungey scorched off the line to take the holeshot and was never headed as he ticked off lap after lap on the sandy track with his trademark smooth riding style. Tomac recovered from a poor start to get into contention with the front-runners and make a clean pass on Blake Baggett (Rocky Mountain KTM)…2 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Honda’s 2019 V4 Superbike takes shapeWE ALREADY KNOW Honda is plotting a new V4-engined superbike as part of the company’s 70th anniversary celebrations in 2019, and now a new batch of patents have emerged that offer more insights into the machine.Most important is a patent that reveals the design of the bike’s seat and tail unit.We know the engine is a V4 because it’s described in the documents as having: “A front bank and rear bank, which are configured in a V shape opened upwardly and connected to a front upper part of the crankcase. Each of the front bank and rear bank is configured of two cylinders.”It also specifies there will be a chain final drive, so this is no VFR1200 derivative.A second patent that relates to the exhaust hanger and footpegs gives even…3 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Huh?! BMW’s hover bikeLIFE IMITATING ART imitating life? Nearly. This is a bike imitating a toy imitating a bike.As an engineering exercise, BMW has asked a bunch of its trainees to create a life-sized version of the alternate model that can be built using Lego’s R1200GS kit.We all grew up with Lego (if you didn’t, you have our sympathies; there are probably support groups available to help) so the idea of the alternate model isn’t unfamiliar.As well as the main model illustrated on the front of the box, there are usually instructions to assemble the same components in a different arrangement to form a second creation in case you’re bored with the first.In the case of the 603-part BMW R1200GS Lego kit, the alternate model is a futuristic hover bike.The full-sized version comes…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17briefs46% That was the increase in electric bike registrations in France in 2016 – but it’s not the whole story.Check out our electric bike feature on page 56for the 'current' situation“He uses his brakes harder than mortals can stand, riding the infield like lawyers were after him”So wrote the scribes of Cycle, about Gregg Hansford’s Daytona 200 race in 1977.We pay tribute to Hansford and Barry Sheene on page 76.Reece’s ninth world recordSerial record setter American Carl Reese has unofficially broken the record for distance travelled in 24 hours on a motorcycle. The nine-time world record breaker rode his BMW K1600GT 3410.2km around Continental’s 13.6km proving ground circuit. “We still must download the data from VBox and GPS Insight [and] then ship all the evidence to Guinness [Book of World…3 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17The inevitability of autonomyHONDA RAISED MORE than a few eyebrows when it unveiled its innovative self-balancing motorcycle at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. While self-balancing motorcycles date back to the start of the decade, Honda swapped the more conventional (and bulky) gyroscopic solution for a clever and unprecedented two-tiered steer-by-wire system.Now, only weeks later, the US Patent and Trademark office has published what is reported to be the Japanese manufacturer’s first foray into an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system for motorcycles. And what it points to for many is the somewhat inevitable realisation that fully autonomous motorcycles are closer than we think.The technology is already rife on modern passenger vehicles, and Honda has plenty of experience with the so-called Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) it uses on its cars.…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17HeadcheckThe year was... 002015IN YET ANOTHER leadership spill, Malcolm Turnbull becomes Australia’s 29th Prime Minister, succeeding Tony Abbott. Bali Nine drug smugglers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are executed by firing squad in Indonesia. Oscar Pistorius is convicted of the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Ireland and the US legalise same-sex marriage. Terror attacks take place in Paris, and Oz rocker Jimmy Barnes and family narrowly escape a Bangkok bombing that kills 20 people. After 400 days in an Egyptian prison, Australian journalist Peter Greste is released, while drug lord El Chapo breaks out of his jail cell and Donald Trump announces that he will run for America’s top job. Surely he has no chance...How much?Despite having died six years earlier, Michael Jackson has earned more than $1 billion…4 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17accessLetter of the issueThat’s the spiritHi there,Just thought I would drop you a quick line, about to board the Spirit of Tasmania to Devonport, 16 years in a row our group of approx. eight fellas make the journey to the apple isle for the time of our lives.‘Four days on two inches’ is our catchcry, new designed T-shirts every year to commemorate the occasion, life doesn’t get any better. This year I’m taking my RS125.Just tore the plastic wrap off the latest edition of AMCN and first off I read the editor’s blurb, puts me in the right focus for the following pages.The editorial re Ducati’s new V4 (Vol 66 No 15) and the memories of the RG500 that Chris saw for the first time excites me too, as I…11 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Reign makerIt’s been a long time coming, but the new Suzuki GSX-R1000R is on target to claim back the crown it once owned: the King of the Racetrack. There are no pretences that the new Gixxer is just an updated version of the previous incarnation – it is a completely new build. Suzuki claims more than 600 parts are different to the 2016 version, meaning that this bike has had a major shake-up.If you thought Suzuki’s quality was top-notch in the past, this bike takes it to another levelTo be brutally honest, it needed it. Among the current crop of high-tech superbikes, the old Suzuki 1000 was lagging in the performance department. Although it’s still a very capable machine, sales were slowing and it was time to raise the bar for…9 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Chris Vermeulen says...How close is this new GSX-R is to the bike that took you to victory back in 2007?That’s a hard question to answer because the GSVR was a much lighter machine with better slick tyres, which the roadbike doesn’t have. In saying that though, in many ways the electronic package on this GSX-R is better and more refined than the bike I once rode.What is it that feels better about the electronics?Things like the auto blip system are so smooth and definitely a step up from what I had back in the day. It’s really amazing that this level of technology hits the streets. Not only does it make things safer, it also gives the rider a bit of a taste of a MotoGP bike.I bet you didn’t know that…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17The silent rise of the electric bikeWhile electric motorcycles are still few and far between, there’s consensus in the industry that they will become ever more important. For years we’ve been told that they’re coming, but it’s been a faltering start so far. Aside from a couple of notable success stories, it’s often easier to pick out the failures than those that are proving the potential of the electric motorcycle market.American firm Zero, founded in 2006, is probably the biggest success. Its range of all-electric roadbikes is ever-growing and ever-improving, with performance and range coming on in leaps and bounds. Some of its latest bikes will manage more than 190km at highway speed and over 300km in city conditions. With up to 52kW and 146Nm depending on the model, their performance is far better than you…7 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Me and you and a bike named BetsyThrough Timor-Leste, Indonesia and some of the remotest parts of AsiaNearly 4000m up on the cold and desolate border between China and Kyrgyzstan, Dean Martinello was compiling a mental list of all the stupid places he’d been with Betsy before this trip.Three thousand clicks through the Congo in first gear, dodging armed bandits in the badlands of the Sahara desert, stuck in a bog in Siberia…As the snowstorm approached he tried to reassure himself that this situation was no harder. But there was one big difference. This time he had his “pillion in a million”, Sal Clark, to think about.Sure, two years ago she’d happily survived for 12 months on the back of Betsy, Dean’s temperamental KTM Erzberg racer, travelling the length of the American continent.But this time was different.…9 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Mr VersatilityYamaha MT-10Making a road warrior1 Middle Screen Features: Easy fitting and scratch-resistant. Price: $307.922 Tank Bag mount ring Features: Quick release cable Price: $71.233 City Tank Bag Features: 11-litre capacity, expandable to 15 litres. Price: $272.674 Soft Side Case set Features: Anti-theft locks and quick release Price: $676.315 Soft Side Case stay Features: Easy to install Price: $366.08Yamaha MT-10 998cc, liquid-cooled, 16-valve, DOHC in-line four 118kW (claimed) 111Nm (claimed) 210kg (wet, claimed) $17,999 (+ ORC)WHEN BOXES FULL full of genuine accessory touring gear arrived from Yamaha, I was a little overwhelmed by the sheer volume of goodies and extensive instruction booklet. However, it soon became apparent that buying genuine accessories means things actually fit, and the bolt holes were exactly where the instructions said they would be.The mounting ring for…3 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17NSW Northern TablelandsESSENTIALSEbor has a good hotel/motel, café and 24-hour petrol bowser. Dorrigo has all the services you need and the pub is very popular with riders on the weekend. Be on the lookout for law enforcers as we heard anecdotal evidence from locals of unmarked patrol cars staking out the area on weekends, one even boasting of making 47 bookings in a single day.Fix ItThere is little in the way of mechanical assistance along this route so make sure you carry a tyre repair kit and some basic tools. However, there are bike shops at Armidale, Grafton and Coffs Harbour if you get into a bind and need to get your bike transported.EatFusspots Café in Ebor is open evey day and offers good food and great coffee.Tallowood Tuckerbox Café in Dorrigo…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Wings and thingsAll racing fairings look more or less the same, not because the traditional ‘dolphin’ design is the best but because every dimension is defined and limitedWINGS ARE BANNED. Progress has been jammed. MotoGP has taken another backward step away from being a genuine sphere of valuable engineering research.Or has it? Perhaps it’s the opposite … although in unexpected areas of development.Creative engineering in racing is most often not a matter of advancing knowledge and benefitting the human race, but of finding a way round the regulations. Any real advance is by coincidence.As the second round of tests ended in Australia, the biggest surprise came from Ducati, pioneers of the modern generation of winglets and the most vocal opponents of the ban. The Italian squad’s Paolo Ciabatta revealed rather crustily it…3 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17BriefsGreat sportASBK icon Wayne Maxwell showed that even the greats slip up when he binned the bike on lap one of Race 1. He then showed his class by apologising to the riders he had interfered with, also posting the apology on his Facebook page. That’s what the sport is about – hard as nails on the track and top sports off it.The domino effectJosh Waters was the victim of a race incident he wasn’t even involved in. Falzon was duelling with Troy Herfoss and Bryan Staring when Herfoss was forced wide, causing Staring to briefly run off track. This flicked gravel into the air, which punched a hole in Waters’ radiator as he came through behind them.World firstThe opening race of the 2017 ASBK saw a world first when…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17On the smell of an oily ragIT WAS BRILLIANCE on a budget from Mason Coote (Coote Racing/YRD), but he had to work for it. Repsol Gas Racing’s Mark Chiodo (9,1,2) showed the field a clean pair of heels in qualifying when he put his Triumph 675 R an amazing 1.657sec ahead of Coote’s YZF-R6 and it looked as though it was going to be a one-horse race for the weekend.But, as we all know, racing doesn’t always work out the way you think, and so it proved to be.In Race 1, Chiodo binned his bike at MG and Coote (1,2,1) showed great racecraft to take full advantage of the incident and score a well-earned victory from the super impressive Ted Collins (2,3,3), riding for Next Gen Motorsport on his Suzuki GSX-R. Collins is making real progress…3 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17briefsSpeed demonAfter lots of MotoGP and WSBK test sessions in the run-up to race weekend it was no surprise that Chaz Davies started so well at Phillip Island, as the track was in very good condition. But it was a little surprising that he managed a 1m30.189s, almost the best ever for a Superbike, so early in the weekend.Gloves offAfter Race 1, Rea and Davies had a verbal exchange behind the podium, with each saying that the other’s bike was faster. Davies offered to show Rea spreadsheets that proved the Kawasaki was faster at one point as the discussion became tetchy, in a very public fashion.Records fallThe absolute Superbike best lap time was burst into bits by no less than four riders in Superpole, with Jonathan Rea finally winning it…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Spanish skirmishMARC MÁRQUEZ AND Maverick Viñales are edging towards a Honda versus Yamaha battle for the MotoGP championship that threatens to squeeze Jorge Lorenzo and Ducati to a supporting role. And that’s to say nothing of Valentino Rossi, who was unable to match the devastating pace of his new M1 teammate Viñales and departed the Phillip Island test 12th fastest and “very unhappy”.In what could be a dress rehearsal of the 18-race championship, Márquez came out of the pits and tagged onto Viñales, dicing with him over a number of laps. It was an incident which saw tensions running high.When asked by AMCN about Márquez’s moves, Viñales said: “It is not normal in a race simulation to have someone pull out and join you, the track is four kilometres. It was…2 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Advantage ReesThe remarkable Tony Rees grabbed a big lead in the 2017 New Zealand Superbike Championship as he won Round 3 at Taupo while his two main rivals lost points with tumbles. At 49 years of age, Rees is on track to become the oldest racer to win his country’s premier motorcycle title. He leads defending champion Sloan Frost by 42.5 points with just one round remaining.A highlight of the meeting was the debut Superbike victory for dynamic rookie Dan Mettam, who won the Supersport championship last year. Strictly speaking he won half a race as the second heat was run in two sections after being red-flagged, but a win is a win and Mettam was stoked.The greasy track caused worries for all the riders and it caught Tony Rees out…2 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17BriefsSissis returnsJACK MILLER’S MOTO3 teammate Arthur Sissis is yet another talented Australian rider to line up for this year’s British Superbike Championship. The 21-year-old South Australian will join the UK Motobreakers Racing Team to contest the Pirelli National Superstock 600 Class with a view to moving into the Supersport category in 2018. Sissis, who returned to his speedway roots in the British Premier League with the Sheffield Tigers for the 2015 and 2016 seasons, will now campaign a Kawasaki ZX-6R in one of the most competitive domestic championships. We look forward to watching him strut his stuff. PMGet airITALIAN MOTORCYCLING APPAREL giant Alpinestars has just released its rider airbag system to the Australian public. The unit consists of a vest with compartments in the chest, shoulders, back and sides that…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Sidecar seasonDARRIN TRELOAR WON his 35th State Speedway Sidecar Championship when he claimed the re-scheduled Queensland title for a sixth time on 18 February at the North Brisbane track.After being unbeaten in the heats, Treloar and passenger Blake Cox took out the final ahead of Brodie Cohen/Damien Egan, Tyler Moon/Adam Lovell and Trent Headland/Daz Whetstone. Treloar will be shooting for a 19th New South Wales Championship at Broken Hill on 18 March. Tough opposition there for Treloar may be home track stars Rick Howse /Adam Commons who won the Mildura Masters meeting on 11 February.…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17“I’m not expecting to rewrite the record books, I’m just looking to have a bit of fun”You’ve had a very different timeline in bike racing; where did it start?I started off on a Kawasaki Trail Boss, a 100cc farm bike. Then I bought a 250 Montesa and started doing motocross, speedway and short circuit. I quite liked speedway. It was pretty big in Bendigo at the time and I got hold of a Weslake slider and had a ball. I knew the only way to make a go of speedway was to go to England, but the chicken farm was a family business and I was forever part of it. In the mid-70s I bought a [Yamaha] TZ350 and got into road racing, and made it to A-grade.Who were the gun guys of the era?Ray Quincey, Ken Blake, Bob Rosenthal and Ross Barelli, but really I…4 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17RIP Yamaha VMAXTHE FANFARE BEFORE the launch of the current-generation Yamaha VMAX in 2008 was among the loudest in modern motorcycle history. We were teased with hints about the new model for years, and when it finally appeared it was (briefly) the most powerful production bike on the planet.Its passing, however, looks set to occur with barely a whimper.Unable to meet the latest Euro 4 emissions regs, it’s been dropped in many parts of the world for 2017, and now production looks set to come to a halt altogether in August.A brief notice on the VMAX page of Yamaha’s Japanese website translates as: “Although the VMAX has been popular since the start of sales in 2009, we will close production in August 2017.”There’s no sign of a replacement, and relatively slow sales…2 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Next year’s motocrossersWE MIGHT STILL be getting used to the idea that it’s 2017, but already we’re getting the first hints of 2018’s models, and as usual motocross machines are leading the charge.At the start of this month, Suzuki pulled the wraps off its 2017 works crosser, the RM-Z450WS, calling it a 2018 model despite the fact it will race this year.That decision left little doubt that the production 2018 RM-Z450 will get the same changes, and now it’s been confirmed with these newly published patents showing an identical production bike.As on this year’s works bikes, there’s a new frame that’s said to be significantly lighter than the outgoing model’s.The engine appears to be similar to the existing bike’s, at least externally, and retains its kickstarter, bucking the spreading trend of switching…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Out and about Meet Ago at Interfos!IF YOU MISSED him at the 2013 AMCN International Island Classic and have been kicking yourself ever since, you can meet the great Giacomo Agostini at this year’s International Festival of Speed at Sydney Motorsport Park on 23-26 March.Formerly the Barry Sheene Festival of Speed, the newly named International Festival of Speed – or Interfos as we’re calling it – is the latest retro racing event attracting the sport’s biggest stars.The legendary 15-time grand prix world champ will be making an appearance with his equally legendary championship-winning MV Agusta machinery.His in-line four-cylinder 350cc GP machine, on which he won seven consecutive world titles from 1968-74, and the 500cc on which he claimed another seven titles from 1966-72, will both be ridden by the now 74-year-old Italian during the three-day event.If…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Them versus usHonda car-centric CMBS works very effectively on an enclosed four-wheel vehicle with the ability to distribute both braking and suspension forces independently to all four wheels. On Honda cars, the automatic emergency braking capability is a four-step process, beginning with a visual display on the dash and an audible warning inside the cabin. At this stage the car will begin to tighten your seatbelt in readiness for heavy braking forces before applying the brake pressure to avoid a collision on your behalf.Of course, the steering on two-wheeled vehicles is affected considerably more by braking. Front brake pressure tends to stand a leaning bike up, while rear brake pressure mid-corner can have the opposite effect. While the patent doesn’t explain how it will deal with the external and physical forces on…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Head to head2016 Ducati Hypermotard 939 SPThe Hypermotard was produced in 2007 as the Hypermotard 1100 using a 1078cc air-cooled Multistrada powerplant before a mid-sized 803cc version (the Hypermotard 796) joined the line-up in 2010. In 2012 Ducati swapped the upspecced ‘Evo’ model tag to ‘SP’, and the following year a watercooled 821cc variant was unveiled that was the first Hypermotard to incorporate ABS, traction control and a slipper clutch. The all-new 939 of 2016 has a very useful 16-litre tank and comfortable ergonomics that belie the staunch supermoto styling.What it’s gotThe Ducati Hypermotard 939 SP is powered by a liquid-cooled, 937cc, 90° V-twin, fuel-injected four-stroke engine with four valves per cylinder. Power runs through a six-speed constant-mesh gearbox. The front suspension is a 50mm fully adjustable Öhlins USD fork with 185mm…3 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Raj hourThe starter brought the engine to life easily, with a sonorous note, like the bass voice in an acapella songTHAT WAS THE message of Royal Enfield President Rudratej ‘Rudy’ Singh at a local ride day organised for Aussie media late last year. He was visiting the country to build the profile of the Indian-owned brand, which is enjoying renewed popularity Down Under; it enjoyed a massive 63 per cent sales hike in the first three quarters of 2016 compared to 2015.He was also previewing RE’s soon-to-be-released adventure bike, the Himalayan, and getting us excited about the company’s plans to manufacture a whole new line of modern motorcycles – without giving away any details at all, dammit (although I’m sure I heard someone whisper ‘twin’).But for our ride it was the…5 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Gixxer evolution1984Revealed in ’84 then released in ’85, the first slab-sided 750 was the start of something very special for Suzuki. For the first time, real racing technology had hit the streets, and the GSX-R750 with its alloy frame and new oil-cooled 750cc engine, ruled racetracks around the world.1986The GSX-R1100 hit our shores with a larger, torquier motor and a longer wheelbase. Unlike the 750, it was aimed at the road scratcher rather than the racer. It was the first ever production motorcycle to be fitted with a cartridge front fork, and was a much more user-friendly machine.1988An updated 750 was released with a shorter stroke engine. Although modest power gains were achieved via reduced reciprocating mass, the competition had moved on to water cooling and the short-stroke version of the…2 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Finding speedNew MotoGP-inspired pistonsThe pistons are a new forged aluminium with short skirts and cutaways and a DLC-coated wrist pin. An L-shaped upper compression ring has a chrome nitride coating, which helps sealing and reduces friction. Compression has been upped to 13.2:1.Titanium exhaust valvesLighter, smaller titanium exhaust valves can handle more revs, creating more power.Variable Valve TimingA simple system Suzuki has used for years in its GP machines. The cam sprockets alter their timing centrifugally as speed increases. A change of four degrees occurs from 10000rpm, giving the GSXR the best of both worlds: more torque and more top-end power.Top Feed InjectorsThese sit above the inlets and create a mist of atomised fuel to help charge the engine at high rpm.Suzuki Dual Stage IntakeA stacked funnel system has Venturi slots cut…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17What about racing?IF YOU WANT ILLUSTRATION of the rapid pace of development in electric bikes, look no further than the TT-Zero.Held annually since 2009, when it was introduced as the TTXGP, the rate of improvement has surpassed expectations.That first event was won by Rob Barber’s AGNI at an average of 87mph. The speeds have risen nearly every year – 96mph in 2010, 99mph in 2011, 104mph in 2012, 109mph in 2013, 117mph in 2014 and 119mph in 2015.Just as 2016 was predicted to be a breakthrough year in electric bike production, it was expected that the TT-Zero would also see a milestone 120mph-plus average. But again 2016 disappointed; Bruce Anstey’s win at 118mph was the first and only time in the race’s history that speeds haven’t increased.The figures don’t tell the whole…2 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Snapshots from the roadLobo’s classic early 70s anthem for freewheelers, Me and You and a Dog Named Boo , was a number one hit around the world. It summed up the decade when a young generation got on the move. For Australians and New Zealanders it often involved an overland road trip to Europe, starting in Timor-Leste. Dean and Sally followed in the tracks of these 70s adventurers, but decades of political change meant their route took some major diversions.Timor-Leste: Back in the early 1970s, the infamous ‘hippy trail’ took adventurous young Australians from Darwin to the former Portuguese colony, then north via the islands of Bali. Timor-Leste was a cheap place to hang out back then, before Bali was ‘discovered’. But now, when the country is still recovering from decades of political…8 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Knobbs on!OGGY KNOBBS IS one of the best-known crash protection brands in Australia and a true blue home grown product, so it seemed a good choice for our new long-termer. Just one problem – the existing kit, designed with the previous model 650NK in mind, didn’t fit the 2017 version.Luckily, there was a solution. The guys who make Oggy Knobbs are located across the bay in Williamstown, and they offered to use our CFMoto as a test mule to design a suitable kit. It also gave us a chance to check out a bit of an endangered species in our country – a manufacturing business.Promoto owner Frank Hajdu has been in the industry for almost 20 years now, and produced the first Oggy Knobbs kit back in 1999 after seeing something…2 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17The Waterfall WayThis section of the route has a great road surface and some nice open cornersThis is one of those rides that left us wondering whether it was the riding or the scenery that was most spectacular. Either way, it rates right up there as one of the most worthwhile destinations to head for on your bike. The Waterfall Way links the rolling hills of the Northern Tablelands to the picturesque mid North Coast region, just south of Coffs Harbour.Coming from the west, the Waterfall Way (tourist road B78) starts on the New England Highway opposite Armidale airport. There is a good Caltex roadhouse here where you can fuel up and refresh before following the tourist signs east from the roundabout and skirting across the bottom edge of town.As you ride…3 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17eventsShow time11 MARCHVV&VMC (Qld Chapter) Bike, Trike & Sidecar Show, 132 Meakin Rd, Kingston, Qld. Gates open 9am. Burnouts, keg throw, raffles, live music, food, bar and show stalls. Free camping. All entries must be ridden to the show. Kids out at 7pm; bar closes midnight. For more information email events@qldvvmc.com.au or see www.qldvvmc.com.au.11 MARCHMountain Brothers Afternoon Bike Show & Social Evening, Cnr Beantree Rd and Albretch St, Tolga, Qld. Gates open 12pm. Best Harley, Best British, Best Jappa and People’s Choice awards. Refreshments and free camping. All welcome; no BYO. For flyer see www.facebook.com/mountainbrothersMC/.11-12 MARCHInaugural OzVMX Resto Expo, Dargle on the Green, 312 River Rd Lower Portland, NSW. First annual event with a focus on bringing the community together for a fun noncompetitive weekend and giving recognition to restorers…9 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Tayla’s swiftI am confident that I will be fighting for my very first Australian championship titleI AM STILL in a state of shock and disbelief as to the support I have been given leading up to this season. The end of 2016 did not go as I had anticipated with the engine of my bike blowing up in the final race of the year, subsequently ending my chances of placing second overall in the Moto3/125cc Grand Prix class of the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) – instead I had to settle for third. Although that might seem like a good result, it was extremely disappointing after how much hard work I had put in throughout the season.With a blown-up Moto3 sadly sitting in the shed, I really wasn’t sure what I was…3 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Winner’s words“It’s been a fairytale weekend. Getting pole position at the start shocked us enough as it was, then we got consecutive race wins and then finally topped it off with a perfect score. It’s almost like doing an Allerton from last year. It leaves us in a great position for the championship and the Caterpillar R1 is working perfectly. We will do some minor adjustments for the next round but no doubt we will be up there. The racing is incredibly competitive this year with fantastic depth in the field and I can’t wait to get out there again”…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Mr PerfectAs the curtain rose on the 2017 Superbike World Championship season, it was Johnny Rea (KRT) who – as expected – took centre stage with a thrilling double, in the process claiming his 40th WSBK race victory. It is not often a rider turns 40 in World Superbike, in terms of wins at least – only Fogarty, Bayliss and Haga had smashed through that glass ceiling before.Superpole winner, double race winner … looking at the results sheets it might seem like it was plain sailing for Rea. He has now won five of the last six races at what is more or less his home track thanks to his wife Tatia being a native of these parts. But tell the enthralled fans and TV spectators that Rea had it easy…7 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Rolfo wins chaotic raceRoberto Rolfo (team Factory Vamag MV Agusta) scored a heroic win in what was eventually a 10-lap WSS race, even though the close attentions of Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official World SSP Team) proved uncomfortably close over the line, eventually pushing him onto the grass. The winner flashed up Mahias, but the result was given to Rolfo, who at 36 took his and his team’s first win.“It was an unbelievable race, one of the best of my career. Maybe the best one. I saw the other riders were slow in front and I overtook on the very high speed corners which was fantastic.”Mahias, who survived a 250km/h crash at turn three on Friday with no fractures, but a damaged finger on his left hand, was deemed too aggressive as he…2 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Jack attackFIT, FAST AND eager to go racing, Jack Miller is targeting a top 10 finish in this year’s MotoGP world championship.The rising confidence came on the back of the Phillip Island test and another trouble-free pre-season shakedown. And there is still room for more improvement with Miller set to receive the latest edition of Honda’s power-up V4 for the final pre-season practice in Qatar.Miller feels the engine will blend perfectly with the chassis spec of his RC213V, the same frame used by Cal Crutchlow to win at Phillip island last October.“I’m definitely ready to go racing, both physically and mentally. I’ve improved my times every day on the bike at both the Island and Sepang tests, and no crashes,” Miller said. “This was really important for my confidence and a…2 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17History comes alive on the beachTHE FANS CERTAINLY weren’t expecting this...Down the beach roared a 1949 Norton 500T, one of maybe only 200 still in existence globally. It approached the corner-marker drum at a seemingly impossible speed. Then rider Matthew Hugo backed it in like a modern dirtbike. After a long two-wheel slide that ended with a tank-slapping weave, the rear tyre dug in and Hugo accelerated off up the beach again to the roar of the crowd.This was the first lap of practice and the start of one of the most spectacular and best-supported motorcycling events in South Australia in recent years.Four years of planning by the state’s oldest motorcycle club saw the return of racing to Adelaide’s Sellicks Beach after 60 years, and the distinct possibility it might become a biennial event.More than…2 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17Arabian nightsTHE 2017 MXGP season kicked off under lights in the desert of Qatar with eight-time Motocross World Champion Tony Cairoli (Red Bull KTM) taking the double win. In Race 1, Clement Desalle (Monster Energy Kawasaki) took an incident-free second place, while reigning Champion Tim Gajser (Factory Honda) clashed with teammate Evgeny Bobryshev in the battle for third position before coming out on top.The lead in Race 2 was passed around between ex-champions Romain Febvre (Monster Energy Yamaha), Cairoli and Gajser, with the last of these riders taking control until Cairoli charged past in the final two laps to secure his second win. Febvre was third.Jeffery Herlings (Red Bull KTM) had a difficult start to his season due to niggling injuries after several dominant years in MX2. He could only manage…1 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17John McGuinnessJOHN MCGUINNESS IS a household name in real-roads racing with 23 Isle of Man TT wins to his credit – so how does he feel about the job ahead with a new Honda Fireblade and Guy Martin by his side?“I’ve got a space cadet for a teammate”You’re just three wins away from equalling Joey Dunlop’s record, is that a motivating factor for you?Not really because I’ve had my pack of cards dealt 20 years ago and somebody said you’ll win 6 TTs, so I never really dreamed of winning 23, but 26 would be icing on the cake to match Joey. Joey has been my all-time hero. The bottom line now is to enjoy riding the bikes and development of the bikes and stay in one piece really. You know,…4 min
Australian Motorcycle News|Vol 66 Issue 17FRED GIVES UP BIKESAustralian Motorcycle News road test photographs are posed for by skilled, professional riders under controlled circ*mstances. Attempting to imitate their actions may be dangerous. Australian Motorcycle News supports and endorses rider training and wearing protective riding gear. And designer Daz may want to get some special oil-proof duds as he starts his project of bringing a 1973 RT360 back to life. It was going free to a good home, so after vouching for the quality of his domicile he drove over to pick up the prize. The bike had belonged to an older gentleman, and the widow didn’t know what to do with it; Daz wasn’t sure either, but said he’d split any profits if it did turn out to be worth something. As he rolled the bike up onto…1 min
