Innholdsfortegnelse for February 5, 2015 i Australian Motorcycle News

Sense & sensibilities “I’M HERE TO make you an offer you might not understand,” he said. I looked up from my computer and saw Guido Allen standing in the doorway, grinning. “There’s a T160 on the footpath out the front and it’s warmed up ready to go.” The look on my face must have indicated my response and he threw me the keys. “I’ve only just got it going again after I hit a kangaroo,” he offered. “And make sure you go out on the freeway, because until you get it up to highway speeds it won’t make any sense.” But it made perfect sense. Right from the moment the 41-year-old triple heaved itself into life beneath me. I was still all classic-bike starry-eyed from the recent AMCN Island Classic…

Coming soon to a dealer near you! HONDA VFR 800X Crossrunner Price $14,499 (+ORC) BENELLI BN 600GT and GTS (LAMS) Price $9990 Ride Away BN 302 Price TBA CFMOTO 150NK (LAMS) Price TBA DUCATI Scrambler Price Icon: $12,990 (+ORC) Urban Enduro: $14,990 (+ORC) Classic: $14,990 (+ORC) Full Throttle $14,990 (+ORC) BMW F 800 R Price $13,100 (+ORC) R 1200 R Price $21,950 (+ORC) S 1000 RR Price $22,990 (+ORC) KTM 390 Duke Price $7495 (+ORC) 690 Duke R Price $14,495 (+ORC) 1290 Super Duke R Price $24,995 1050 Adventure Price $17,995 (+ORC) 1290 Super Adventure Price $24,995 (+ORC) 1190 RC8 Price $25,995 (+ORC) TRIUMPH Tiger 800 XCx amd XRx Price $17,690 XCx (+ORC) $16,590 XRx (+ORC) HARLEY-DAVIDSON Harley-Davidson Street 500 Price $9995 (ride away) MOTO GUZZI V7 II Stone Price…

Joey, Best Ever Isle of Man TT legend Joey Dunlop has been voted Northern Ireland’s greatest-ever sports star. The poll was conducted by the Belfast Telegraph newspaper. Biker Politicians Three recreational motorcyclists – Trevor Palmer, Peter Jeremijenko and Jamie Evans – stood as Independents in the recently-held Queensland state election. Brits beat Aussies Team UK has finally won the Tahbilk International Challenge. We’re just kidding with the cold tag – congratulations lads! About bloody time! Robbie Phillis No Show Fans hoping to see Aussie racing legend Robbie Phillis in action at the AMCN International Island Classic were left disappointed after an engine failure sidelined his Suzuki XR69 on the opening day.…

MV Agusta has moved swiftly to appoint Urban Moto Imports as the new Australian distributor for its range of Italian motorcycles, following the demise of former importer MV Agusta Imports Pty Ltd. Within days of rumours emerging of MV Agusta’s Australian distributor pulling up stumps, MV Agusta in Italy contacted AMCN to advise that Victorian company Urban Moto Imports has been appointed its new Australian distributor. Urban Moto Imports is a specialist in exotic brands and already handles the local and New Zealand importation and distribution of Bimota, EBR, Confederate, Viper and Benelli motorcycles. A replacement distributor for the Zero range of electric motorcycles, previously handled by MV Agusta Imports Pty Ltd, is also being appointed.…

Quick Specs CB750 FOUR Configuration Four-cylinder in-line Cylinder head SOHC, two valves per cylinder Capacity 736cc Bore/stroke 61 x 63mm Compression ratio 9:1 Cooling Air Fueling 4 x 28mm carburettors Power 50kW @ 8000rpm Torque 61Nm @ 7000rpm Frame Steel tube, double cradle Front suspension Telescopic fork Rear suspension Double-sided swinging arm; twin spring/ damper units Wheels F: 19-inch R:18-inch Brakes F: Single disc w/ single piston caliper R: Single leading shoe drum Fuel capacity 18L Dry weight 220kg Price $2749 (1970, Australia)…

Top 3 TV 1 AMA Supercross Live ESPN 2 Sun, 8 Feb 2pm Catch all the AMA Supercross Round 6 action live from San Diego on ESPN 2. Can Aussie legend Chad Reed make a comeback in the points standings? It ain’t looking good… 2 MotoGP Classics Foxsports 5 Thu, 12 Feb 9pm Not long to go now before the 2015 MotoGP season starts in Qatar on 29 March. In the meantime, Foxsports 5 has regular screenings of MotoGP classics. Check your guide for full details. 3 WSBK Rd1, Phillip Island Foxsports 5 Tue 17 Feb 6am Foxsports’ coverage of the 2015 Superbike World Championship kicks off with Round 1 at Phillip Island on 22 February. To get you in the mood, there’s loads of re-runs from the 2014 season…

BMW Motorrad is giving away a complimentary a sat nav system on selected R1200GS, R1200RT and K1600GT and GTL models. Valued at $1150, the navigator includes a carry case, USB cable and the current Australian and New Zealand mapping on a Micro SD card. The sat nav is mounted on the dash for easy operation, making a trip across town or the wide brown land an experience to be savoured. Model year 2014 R1200GS and R1200RT are also included in the promotion, as well as K1600GT and GTL with 2014 compliance plates. “The R1200GS, R1200RT and K1600GT and GTL are all class-leading motorcycles,’ BMW Motorrad’s general manager Tony Sesto he said. “The pairing with a Navigator V makes these motorcycles an even better investment. Now is the perfect time to…

SO HERE WE are, getting hot and bothered about the new generation of 149kW (200hp) 300km/h Superbikes. But where are we going to ride them? Back in the day, two-wheeled hooligans didn’t have trackdays as an option to get their legal fix of speed. They had the open road and the knowledge their motorcycles could outrun the best cop cars of the time. A 1912 Overland Roadster, complete with wooden wheels, is considered one of the earliest Australian police cars, pressed into service by the New South Wales force. At the time a typical 2kW (3hp) motorcycle could hit 50km/h. The Overland could match this speed – but would you want to be battling its rudimentary controls going this fast? As the decades wore on the cars got more sophisticated,…

Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Honda) had seen his team make some great improvements in his officially entered Honda over the winter and got an intense afternoon of track action at a freezing Motorland Aragon to help his preparations to retain his Number One plate. A subsequent test at Jerez saw him crash early on in the action, suffering a big highside that battered his body and wrecked his crash helmet. After several medial checks he was cleared of having suffered any fractures and is ready to head to the first round in Australia in one piece – but without vital areas of machine set-up fully sorted. “In the end, it was frustrating to miss the test at Jerez, especially because the weather conditions were so good,” said Guintoli after getting the…

MotoGP and WSBK legend Max Biaggi joined 2015 Red Devils Aprilia riders Leon Haslam and Jordi Torres on track at the first day of wet and dry Portimao testing – but his mission was not to help with the WSBK program, despite riding what appeared to be just an Aprilia RSV-4. He was, in fact, making a first track evaluation of new software to meet the future electronic regulations in MotoGP. Despite the often-slippery track conditions Biaggi made multiple runs to test the new software, but a technical issue meant he finally lost the rear entering a corner and landed on his left side. “We had some technical problem,” explained Biaggi, who hurt his left shoulder in the fall, but carried on to ride again in the dry on day…

FEW MODERN interpretations of retro motorcycling can compete with Moto Guzzi’s V7 – simply because the ageless Guzzi has barely changed its style brief since it was first released in 1967. The new generation V7 II has arrived in Australian showrooms, and it’s another example of Moto Guzzi evolution rather than revolution. The V7 II features a new close ratio six-speed gearbox, ABS, traction control and a re-designed clutch. The signature 750cc, transversely mounted 90° V-twin engine remains unchanged, but it has been tilted forward four degrees to provide the rider with an additional three centimetres of legroom. Three version of the V7 II will roll into local showrooms during 2015: the V7 II Stone, V7 II Special and V7 II Racer. The V7 II Stone is already on sale…

Royal Enfield is the world’s longest continually running motorcycle manufacturer. Its unbroken history dates back to 1903. In November 1964, the company released the Continental GT 250. Half a century later the 2014 Continental GT followed. Did You Know? In November 1964, to prove the reliability of the Continental GT, test rider John Cooper rode from the tip of Great Britain to its base (1407km) in less than 24 hours. The trip included a stop over at the Silverstone racing circuit. Got something you’d like us to compare? Let us know by emailing amcn@bauer-media.com.au and we’ll do the rest!…

Every bike show promoter knows how hard it is to get bikers to take the time from their lives and money from their pockets to see what their show has to offer. So what is the Japan doing right? The Mooneyes Yokohama Hot Rod and Custom Show had 15,000 people show up for the single-day Harley-centric event. Not only is this figure impressive, I was more boggled by the fact that 800 of those visitors, including myself, paid top dollar to cross one or more oceans to come from one of the 25 countries represented. There are many great shows around the world, but Mooneyes is seen by many as the custom show of shows. With 650 show bikes on the floor of the Pacifico Yokohama exhibition hall, the level…

Show time 7 FEBRUARY Bathurst Street & Custom Motorcycle Show, Russell St, Bathurst, NSW. General admission is free. Riders entering the formal competition can pay $10 on the day or enter the rally awards for free. A focus this year will be the growing momentum for a second racetrack in Bathurst. For more information call Greg Hirst on (02) 9635 0761. 7-8 FEBRUARY North West Motorcycle Show, Ulverstone Rowing Club, North West Tasmania. Celebrating 100 years of motorcycling. Food, entertainment and more than 100 motorcycles on display, dating from 1915-2015. Adults $10; U16 free. For more information phone 0418 142 158 or email rodpeebles@hotmail.com 29 MARCH Zorro’s Show & Shine, Zorro’s, Factory 10, 95 White Street, Mordialloc, Vic. Live music and other entertainment, licenced bar, coffee vendor, ice cream and…

The 2015 Moto Guzzi Griso 8V SE has landed in Oz. It’s available in the Red Trophy colour scheme, with the black satin lines contrasting with a red satin tank. The bike is priced at $21,500 ride away. The bike is marketed as being “aggressively masculine”. The engine features a 90° V-twin layout, along with a single overhead camshaft and four valves per cylinder. It produces 82kW (110hp) at 7500rpm and 108Nm of torque at 6400 rpm. Named after the wicked character from one of Italy’s most famous literature pieces – I promessi sposi – by Alessandro Manzoni, the Griso 8V SE is one of the most unique bikes to be released by the Moto Guzzi factory. The Griso 8V SE features matching red thread double-stitching, racing footpegs and spoked…

MY FIRST EXPERIENCE at the amazingly organised AMCN International Island Classic has left me wishing the next one was less than a year away! The co-operation between myself, Darren Sciberras – owner of Race Center – and the owner of the immaculately prepared Suzuki Katana, Scott Owen, all began through a mutual contact: Ken Onus from Megacycle exhausts, a proud long-term supporter of mine. I have always wanted to compete at the Island Classic as it attracts so many international champions that I have looked up to throughout my career. The event really did live up to its reputation with an entry list bigger than any event I have attended. Our weekend didn’t start as planned due to an oil spill that took me, Cameron Donald and Steve Martin down…

On the Friday night before the International Island Classic, at a gala dinner attended by more than 600 guests, motorcycling legend Jeremy Burgess was inducted into the AMCN Hall of Fame. The softly spoken Burgess was genuinely shocked at the announcement. “It is a very humbling experience that I did not ever expect,” the former crew chief for world champions including Valentino Rossi and Mick Doohan said. “It is nice to think that there are people out there that think I deserve such an award. Normally the gongs go to the riders. Motorcycling, like a lot of industries, has its kings and serfs. The kings are the riders and the serfs just file in behind and do all the work. It has been a wonderful journey for me in motorcycling…

Scott steps up A last-minute change of circumstances has seen Nicolas Waters pull out of the Aark Racing team – with which he was set to contest the 2015 World Supersport Championship. The ride will now be taken up by on-form Aussie Superbike privateer Glenn Scott. Scott has been impressive in the 2014 Australasian Superbike series on the Insure My Ride Honda CBR1000R, and will now have to adapt his skills to the smaller Aark Racing Honda CBR600RR against the best Supersport riders in the world. Scott has previously raced overseas when he contested the Spanish CEV Championship in 2009, and is not daunted by the prospect of stepping up to the new challenge. The New South Welshman told AMCN he didn’t take long to decide on taking up the…

The gun combination of Darrin Treloar and Blake Cox will be favourite to win the Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship, which will be staged over three rounds this month, after their results in major meetings recently. Two riders from both Great Britain and New Zealand, and one from the USA, are included in the Oceania line-up and will take on most of the top Aussies headed by Treloar, Mick Headland, Scott Christopher, Grant Bond and defending champ Mark Plaisted. The championship opens at Gillman on Saturday 7 February, followed by rounds at Mildura on Wednesday (11 Feb) and Kurri Kurri on Saturday (14 Feb). Mick and Jesse Headland overcame a crash in the first attempt, to take out round two of the recent dyovest.com Sidecar Grand Slam at Murray Bridge, with…

The mid-summer break is over at Broadford State Motorcycle Sports Complex, and the road-racing circuit is once again open for practice, racing and coaching. Broadford is the place to go in Victoria for young riders looking to make a start in road racing, and Motorcycling Victoria’s Junior Development Days are uniquely formatted to help young riders and their parents prepare for competition. Riders from as young as nine years old up to 16 years old can participate, and owning your own bike isn’t a problem either, as there are two Derbi GPR 125s available for use when booked in advance. These bikes have been very kindly donated by Simon Wiseman of Derbi Australia, and provide the perfect introduction to road racing. Coaching includes both on-track coaching of riding techniques for…

Australian Motorcycle News road test photographs are posed for by skilled, professional riders under controlled circumstances. Attempting to imitate their actions may be dangerous. Australian Motorcycle News supports and endorses rider training and wearing protective riding gear. Especially if you’re Kel and walking in to the AMCN Island Classic Gala dinner alongside Jeremy Burgess.“At least you drink beer, Kel. You’d be cheap to keep,” JB quipped with his usual warm grin. Luckily, Kel got to redeem herself later in the night when she presented Jerry with an award, inducting him into the AMCN Hall of Fame – without a beer in her hand. Though the jury’s still out as to whether she should have had more or less alcohol prior to her speech.…

# 1 Custom horses for courses Deus Ex Machina customised a Ducati Scrambler following a drift riding session at Sydney’s Harold Park trotting track. The bike was named the Hondo Grattan. The horse, bearing the same name, won 21 races at the Sydney track during the 1970s. “I had a really big crash there in 2012. I get excited every single lap by this corner.” Favourite Phillip Island Corners Despite his big crash, Northern Irishman Jonathan Rea still loves the Victorian circuit. “Griso is an evil henchman from a famous Italian novel” Love the beast Moto Guzzi’s Quattrovalvole powered 2015 Griso 8V SE is now available in Australia. Yours for $21,500 ride away. Strapz on the move The Andy Strapz pop-up shop, which appears in Cowes each year at World…

It was a year when stars including Casey Stoner, Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo were battling for the MotoGP title. Competition was feirce – with Stoner chasing the wind behind Rossi in several consecutive rounds. Despite several falls and trailing the young Aussie, Rossi ended the season in the lead and clinched the title from his rivals. How much? A set of tyre warmers – as used by Hannspree Ten Kate in WSBK – are great for track addicts. You had to dig deep though – the tyre warmers cost the equivalent of a week’s wages! Era tech Nintendo’s Wii Fit makes losing weight a whole lot easier – with a video game that helps you build strength, twist into yoga positions and guides you through a gamut…

Where are you and Five based? Five itself is based in the south of France. Me, I am half Italian and half French. I grew up in France in an Italian Family. I have one child, he is 32 years old and we are 20 years difference. He rides, but not for race. When his mother was pregnant I bought a motorcycle for him, but it was never his passion. How did you get into the motorcycle racing scene? I was a rider, and I was spending more time on a motorcycle than studying and I had to find a job. So I started with a marketing company and I developed a business with very strong brands in this industry. All my life, I’ve been with the brands. I start…

1 Better Sound Link International $719 (07) 3382 5000 linkint.com.au Arrow slip-on exhausts are now available to suit the new Ducati 821 Monster. The gas-flow optimised pipe is claimed to improve power delivery and engine response. The slip-ons are available with titanium, aluminium, aluminium dark and carbon-fibre muffler sleeves. The midpipe is an additional $165. 2 Easy Oil Choice Ficeda Accessories $64.95 (4L) (02) 9827 7561 ficeda.com.au Ipone RS4000RS is a synthetic ester-based lubricant that is supplied in packaging designed to make choosing the right oil for your bike quick and easy. The RS4000RS lubricant is designed to offer the best possible engine protection, as well as smoother and faster gear shifting. Also available in a 1L pack for $19.95. 3 Stable Table Ron Angel Wholesale $59 (03) 9464 3366…

Triumph is offering the public the opportunity to test ride the full range of Triumph Tigers in their natural habitat. The Triumph Tiger Adventure Demo Day is set to take place in Gembrook, Victoria on Saturday 7 March – offering test riders a mixture of twisty tarmac and scenic dirt roads around the Kurth Kiln Regional Park. The Tiger 1200 Explorer is Triumph’s ultimate mile muncher, while the new Tiger 800 XRx and Tiger 800 XCx are new models for 2015. The new XRx and XCx models feature electronic riding modes, which adapt to the throttle map, ABS sensitivity and Traction Control parameters. Participants registering for the Demo Day will receive a demo ride that’s expected to last over an hour, a Tiger Adventure T-shirt and a barbecue meal. For…

Aprilia will boost its Caponord range with the arrival of two new models – the Caponord Strada and the Caponord Rally. These models will sit alongside the current Caponord Touring. With a retail price of $20,000 ride away, the 1200cc Caponord Strada features fully adjustable suspension, adjustable windscreen, ABS, aTC (traction control) and RBW (ride by wire). Available in black and red, it will hit our shores this month. The Caponord Rally comes standard with all the equipment you need to get off the beaten track. Fitted with new spoked wheels, with a 19-inch front, large aluminium hard panniers, handguards, oversized adjustable windscreen, body side guards, engine protection guard, supplementary LED lighting, aDD, ABS, aTC, RbW and cruise control, it will be available from April at a recommended retail price…

DORNA IS JUST one year away from the great standardisation dumb-down that will, at least in theory, iron out any technical advantage by making all the bikes more or less just the same. Never mind that racing development, as history shows, tends to be that way anyway. Regular rule changes for MotoGP four-strokes have deferred this eventuality, but one only has to look at the last days of the 500cc class to see that V4 configuration became the norm, in yet another triumph for the Universal Japanese Motorcycle (UJM). Dorna’s new standardisation rules represent triumph in a long campaign to create the Universal Dorna Motorcycle (UDM); and an important step in a quest to ensure all races will end with a mass dead heat. But haven’t our Spanish masters forgotten…

#38 Class 500 Post Classic 1967 Egli Vincent Godet EV500 Rider Steven Hari This bike is a work of art. Commissioned by owner Luis Gallur and built in Paris by Patrick Godet, the bike is the third of its type in the world and the only one in Australia. Tuned in Switzerland by Fritz Egli before being crated up and shipped to Sydney, the bike saw its first-ever track time at Phillip Island on Tuesday before the Classic. The cost of the machine is north of $120k. #35 Class 250 Post Classic 1967 CVZ Junior 977 Rider Peter Heles Purchased by rider Peter Heles in Slovakia, the bike was shipped to Australia and rebuilt completely using original parts. According to Peter there are less than 30 of these bikes in…

Three-time WSBK champion Troy Bayliss has given a big thumbs-up to the new dirt track being built at Phillip Island for his Baylisstic Scramble – to be held during the first WSBK round on 20-22 February. Five teams of four will compete, including some of the greatest names in Australian motorcycle racing: Bayliss himself, World Superport champion and WSBK and MotoGP race winner Chris Vermeulen, three-time World Speedway champion Jason Crump, World Supersport champion Karl Muggeridge, three-time Australian Superbike champion Glenn Allerton, and three-time Australian champion Josh Waters to name a few. Bayliss designed the 230m oval flat track, which is situated behind Lukey Heights, and visited last week to view its construction. “It’s awesome, it’s going to be very fiery racing,” Bayliss said. “I’m looking forward to showing my…

Junior sliders crowned The next generation of speedway riders contested the Australian Under 16 Solo Championships at the Ipswich track over a very wet weekend (23-25 January) –with both individual titles having four states represented in the finals. Victorian Jaimon Lidsey won the 250cc Championship ahead of defending champion Brody Eves (Qld), Matt Gilmore (NSW) and Dakota Ballantyne (SA), while the 125cc Championship went to Jack Norman (SA), beating Keynan Rew (Qld), defending champion Lidsey and Gilmore. The Teams Championship was again won by Victoria, with Lidsey partnered by Oliver Hamilton to beat SA (Norman and Mitchell Grech) and QLD (Rowan Miller and Cordell Rogerson). PB Darcy’s d-day Darcy Ward finally had his day before the FIM’s International Disciplinary Court – following his failed alcohol test at the Latvian Grand…