Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2015 i Australian Motorcycle News

HONDA APRILIA KAWASAKI YAMAHA…

Benelli’s LAMS-approved BN 302 is now on sale in Oz. Priced at $5590 (+ORC), the Italian-designed and Chinese-made mini naked sportsbike is targeted squarely at motorcycle newcomers in an attempt to build lifetime brand loyalty from step one. Powered by a parallel twin-cylinder engine, with Delphi MT-05 fuel injection, Benelli claims the DOHC, 300cc, four-valve unit produces a Kawasaki Ninja 300 matching 27kW (37hp) of power and 27Nm of torque – tipping the scales at 185kg. The upright seating position comes courtesy of a 795mm seat height and upright handlebar. Other standard features include a 41mm, adjustable USD fork, adjustable rear shock, twin 260mm disc brakes and Pirelli Angel tyres fitted to 17-inch alloy rims. Available in orange, green, white and black, with a choice of silver or orange steel…

Letter of the issue Team Green I am writing to say thank you to a number of people who assisted a friend of mine, Jeff, and his son, Josh, on Saturday at the WSBK races. On the Monday before the WSBK weekend, they lost their wife/mother after a 14-month battle with cancer. In an effort to help take their minds off the crappy situation, Jeff took Josh to the WSBK races. Before going, Jeff made a comment that he would love for Josh to meet his favourite rider, Tom Sykes. Not certain of how I could do this I sent an email to AMCN seeking contact details for someone who could help get a couple of minutes with Tom for an autograph and photo with the ultimate goal of putting…

Not often in history has the preserve of the elite become available to the masses, but this is one of those rare moments in time. In producing the new YZF-R1, Yamaha have created the closest road-going version of a current MotoGP bike since the Ducati Desmosedici. Only this time the asking price is at least in reach of average Joe and Joan, and this bike is actually intended for racing – unlike the $100K Ducati. For these reasons alone, it’s fair to say the 2015 YZF-R1 is one of the most highly anticipated and track-focused volume-production sportsbikes ever made. And now it’s here! The old R1 was a big cuddly friendly bruiser, which didn’t pretend to be able to carve the tightest of lines, but at least partly made up…

Five years is a decent time between development drinks in bike terms. The first Triumph Tiger 800 hit our shores in 2010, utilising many of the skills and practices learned through its brilliant three-cylinder streetbike range. And seeing as there was never much wrong with the old one, Triumph could be forgiven for going out for a long tea break. If it ain’t broke… During this time chief rivals BMW came out with the revamped 2013 F 800 GS. Two years later, we now have a new range of Tiger 800s to play with. The 2015 Tigers have addressed many of the shortcomings owners complained about – much of them from the rigorous pain Aussie riders put them through. There’s also stacks of new electronic and chassis goodies aimed at…

John Woodley was one of Australasia’s most talented road racers who had the attitude and professionalism to go all the way. If not for a string of inopportune machine failures and a pre-European season crash, the Kiwi may well have been on his way to a works contract, instead of on his way home. His name became synonymous with Suzuki RG500s during the 1970s, although he started out racing in 1971 on a Honda CB750 and put in some stirring rides against top-shelf Production racers John Boote and Owen Galbraith on faster Kawasaki H2 750s. Woodley’s exploits on the heavy CB750 earned him a huge reputation after his unofficial 2h35min Christchurch-to-Blenheim, NZ, road record. A brief stint on a Kawasaki H2 was followed by a drum-braked TZ350A. Woodley immediately did…

Motorcycle handling: it’s seemingly both a science and a black art. But either way, it’s vital to both the enjoyment of riding and the commercial success of any particular model. Many of us don’t feel the need to ride an ultra-fast sportsbike and are happy with a bike of more modest power, but no one wants to ride a bike that doesn’t handle or steer well. And any bike that gains a reputation for unruly handling doesn’t last long in the market. So, given the importance of handling, how come there’s no simple way to make a bike handle and steer well? The problem is that many of the demands placed on motorcycle chassis design are contradictory. The more agile and quick-steering a bike is, the less stable it’s also…

Triple WSBK World Champion Troy Bayliss, who was filling in for injured Ducati rider Davide Giugliano, made an emotional return to Phillip Island for the opening round of the 2015 season – seven years after he retired as world champ. The 45-year-old Ducati legend bagged a respectable 13th position in race one and then 16th in race two – after being forced to pit to change blistered tyres. “The whole experience felt the same as it was seven years ago,” he enthused. “In the end I’m just happy because the lap times in the race were faster than I did in qualifying. It shows progress.” Both 22-lap races were hotly contested by a squad of Brits, with Jonathan Rea (KRT) making the kind of debut for a new manufacturer most…

Thanks to new tuning restrictions on WSBK engines – limited to five percent off the crankshaft weight, cam and valve spring changes, plus alternate conrods (but of the same length, weight and material as the originals) – the WSBK machines are obviously slower than in 2014. Slower in a straight line, of course. But how much slower? Some of the teams, like Honda, Aprilia and Kawasaki have lost probably around 11kW (15hp) in terms of top power. Ducati claims to have lost around 5kW (8bp). Suzuki, remarkably considering how limited tuning is now, claims to have lost nothing on its 2014 top power, and – like some others admittedly – has a much nicer, more linear, more rider-friendly power curve than before. So almost everybody has lost something, but maybe…

The constant improvement of the MV Agusta Reparto Corse team in WSS became absolute domination at Phillip Island. Jules Cluzel was a credible challenger last season but this was something new. Both MVs howled away from the pack, with Cluzel clearing off first and winning his eighth WSS race. Teammate Lorenzo Zanetti secured a clear second in his first ever MV race. “In the next races we will see how things are,” Cluzel said. “Zanetti was pushing me – next time maybe (Kenan) Sofuoglu or Gino Rea. If I focus on me I can win some races.” Zanetti had no dry testing on his MV until he got to Australia. “In the end the team worked well and I compromised my race because I made a bad start, but in…

The changing face of Australian Super Sport was on show with a field packed full of youngsters and first time 600 riders hounding a handful of wily veterans in the championship’s opening round. The resulting action provided plenty of excitement for the spectators at the event with up to five riders at times battling for the lead. Michael Blair showed that he will be a real chance in the Asian Road Racing Championship by guiding his Blair Build/Yamaha/Campbells Hardware Yamaha YZF-R6 to top spot on the podium in both races. He never had it all his own way though, with AMCN’s Paul Young, (SA Kawasaki/ BC Performance Kawasaki ZX-6R), Callum Spriggs, (Allsite Concrete Cutting Yamaha YZFR6), Kane Burns, (GJ Gardner Homes/Moto National Suzuki GSX-R) and Ryan Taylor, (RTR by Moto…

OF THE MANY things to get excited about at the first round of the WSBK season was the sheer pace and carefree performances of WSBK rookie Michael van der Mark on the Pata Honda, And Hero EBR new boy Niccolo Canepa. The 2014 Supersport Champ VD Mark rode to a fifth place in race one, less than 10 seconds behind the winner and he even led race two, before pushing too hard later on and crashing. Fourth in Superpole, nobody doubts the pace of the 22-year-old Dutch rider. But to be a part of the race two podium-chasing pack for so long and even lead for a time was a big surprise for everyone, even Michael – although he is a two-time Suzuka 8-Hour race winner on a CBR1000RR Superbike.…

SPEEDWAY STAR DARCY Ward can resume his career on or after 28 June this year after the FIM finally delivered an outcome to his failed breathalyser test last year. This amounts to a 10 month ban imposed by the F.I.M, backdated to the date of commencement of his suspension from all Speedway, which was put in place 11 days after the Latvian Grand Prix on 17 August. The decision was announced in advance of the reasons at the special request of Ward, who has 21 days from the date of receipt of the full reasoned decision to lodge an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland. Regardless of whether you are a fan of Ward of not, it seems incongruous that the sport’s ruling body can take…

KAWASAKI’S LIMITED-RUN H2 model appears to be just a toe-in-the-water exercise before it plunges headfirst into the world of forced induction with a host of far more accessible machines. Little surprise, given Kawasaki has been hard at work developing its supercharged range-topper since 2009. It obviously doesn’t plan for the technology to be a flash in the pan. All indications suggest the H2 is merely breaking the ice; introducing buyers to the idea of supercharged machines before it gets really serious about selling them in large volumes. Even before the Ninja H2 and Ninja H2-R appeared last year, we revealed Kawasaki had also trademarked the name Ninja R2 . Now we’ve uncovered even more. Kawasaki has also applied for a dozen Ninja titles that could be applied to future machines.…

IT’S TAKING ITS time, but Honda’s forthcoming Africa Twin will bring a new dimension to the burgeoning big adventure bike market by adding a real chunk of off-road ability. The company hasn’t revealed too much technical details, but we can now flesh out more missing details thanks to new patents we’ve spied. We already know the bike has a split airbox design, which sits the main mass of the box above the frame – just behind the headstock – with additional sections fitted outside the frame rails, above the twin radiators. The idea allows the fuel tank – which is a big adventure unit – to fill the space behind the engine. This keeps the tank’s mass far lower and narrower than the BMW R 1200 GS or KTM 1190…

MOTO GUZZI’S CALIFORNIA family will be growing this year, with the 2015 range expanding from two models to five. Joining the existing California Custom and Touring models will be the new Audace, Eldorado and Touring SE. All three new additions are expected to arrive during the second half of 2015, with pricing still to be confirmed. The California Audace features a blacked-out colour scheme, forward-mounted footpegs, rocker gear shift, flat-style drag bar, round headlamp, carbon mudguards and a shortened exhaust system. The California Eldorado features cool retro styling, including spoked wheels, whitewall tyres, wrap-around mudguards, distinctive bull horn handlebar, chrome fuel tank accents, an oversized saddle with passenger grabhandles, full-cover shock absorbers and a gem-shaped rear light cluster flanked by classic round indicators. A choice of Nero Classic and Rosso…

An additional $500 investment ($13,999 + ORC) will get you aboard Yamaha’s new Iron Max Special Edition model. The Iron Max is equipped with all the features of the standard TMAX, as well as a number of exclusive styling touches. The 41mm USD fork has a gold finish (it’s silver on the TMAX), as well as matching gold-coloured front caliper caps. The Iron Max also features an exclusive Liquid Darkness colour scheme with grey pinstripes, matt black wheels, aluminium footplates and gold highlight stitching on the two-tone textured dual seat. The instrument panel features twin circular analogue dials with black backgrounds and white lighting.…

1974 250cc Ducati Scrambler Ducati’s original Scrambler was released in 1962 as a single-cylinder 125cc model. It was followed in 1964 by a 250cc variant, with a 350cc model added in 1967. The first generation Scramblers are referred to as narrow cases. The more widely recognised series two scrambler was released in 1968. Also available in 125cc, 250cc and 350cc variants, a Scrambler 450 was added in 1969 and a Desmodromic valve 450 – known as the Desmo R/T 450 – was added in 1970. The Scrambler was deleted from the Ducati line-up in 1976. What’s it got The series one Scrambler was based on the company’s oddly named Diana model. At the time, Ducati’s Diana was a sought-after sportsbike due to its narrow-case, single-cylinder engine designed purely to win…

ENGINE Configuration 50° V-Twin Cylinder head SOHC, four valves per cylinder Capacity 1731cc Bore/stroke 101 x 108mm Compression ratio 9.4:1 Cooling Air/Oil Fueling EFI Power 54kW @ 4800rpm (claimed) Torque 127Nm @ 2500rpm (claimed) TRANSMISSION Type Six-speed Clutch Wet Final drive Belt CHASSIS Frame material Aluminium Frame layout Tubular Rake 29° Trail 142mm SUSPENSION Front: 43mm inverted fork, 130mm travel Rear: Monoshock, mono-tube gas, constant rate linkage, 120mm travel WHEELS/TYRES Wheels Cast aluminium Front: 21 x 3.5 Rear: 16 x 5.0 Tyres Dunlop Elite 3 Front: 120/70R21 Rear: 180/60R16 BRAKES Front: Twin300mm discs, four-piston calipers Rear: Single 300mm disc, two-piston caliper Control: ABS DIMENSIONS Weight 345kg (dry, claimed) Seat height 667mm Max width Not given Max height Not given Wheelbase 1670mm Fuel capacity 22L PERFORMANCE Fuel consumption 6.1L/100km (measured) Top…

I grew up on a Harley-Davidson. They were my introduction to motorcycling. I was young, maybe four or five, when my dad arrived home on an early 80s Shovelhead. And any Harley owner of any era will know exactly what I mean when I say I grew up on that smell and sound and feel that is so unmistakably Harley-Davidson. It’s an intangible trait of the American brand that, with perhaps the exception of transverse V-twin Moto Guzzis, I’m yet to find reflected in any other motorcycle marque. The Street 500 (and its Street 750 sibling which isn’t destined for the Australian marketplace) is the first time in around 14 years the American brand has started a new platform from scratch. Because since the early naughties and the release of…

The Ducati 999 is the company’s most successful World Superbike weapon – with more wins than the 851, 888, 916, 996, 998, 1098, 1198 and the 1199 Panigale. Not only that, the bike is the favourite of Ducati legend Troy Bayliss, who won three WSBK titles on the three different Ducatis: the 998, the 999 and the 1098. “I loved them all – they were all really great bikes in their eras,” says Bayliss, who also won the 1999 BSB title on a 996. “I think the 999 is a bit of an ugly duckling but I’ve got all my racebikes at home and the 999 is the one, but only just.” In 2006 Bayliss returned from a three-year stint in MotoGP to win the 999’s third WSBK crown, following…

Jed Metcher 14th/DNF Race Center/Demolition Plus Kawasaki ZX-10R Superbike Saturday “Early in the week we almost pulled out due to lack of funds, but our sponsors helped out and it was a last-minute turn-around. On Friday evening I only did one lap but the bike was right, not 100 per cent, but in that setup window you want to be in. We are down to a 1.32.4 and 11th is our goal.” Sunday warm up “We tried a few things to get the bike to turn better on the throttle but we didn’t get what we wanted and we need to go back to Saturday's best settings. Top 15 is a very real chance.” Race 1 - On the grid “I am just focussing on getting off the turns so…

IN A DISPLAY OF riding rarely seen in the Junior Class, 13-year-old Melbourne youngster Jack Mahaffy, riding his ASAP Auto Electronics Honda RS85, blitzed the field in all three races over the weekend and in the process smashed the lap record – set only seven months ago by Australian Champion Jacob Whitehouse – by 0.811 seconds. In his wake Dallas Skeer onboard the Ron Angel Classic racing/Penrite Oils RMU GP8 80 and Scott Nicholson on the Honda RS85 battled it out all weekend for the remaining podium positions, with Skeer (2,2,2) prevailing over Nicholson (3,3,3). The WSBK/ASBK meeting served as the first round for the MRRDA series for both the Australian 80cc Championship and the Australian 150cc Championship. In the 150cc class Dylan Whiteside put his Aussie Crane Truck &…

Honda Marquez ended the second Sepang pre-season test fastest, but from all the changes the team made, it seems Honda spent six days digging itself out of a problem of its own making. It had prototype bikes ready very early that were tested by its own riders, even dragging Aussie Casey Stoner back from retirement to blast around Sepang in the week before the test. Marquez’s fast bike in Sepang appeared to predate the 2015 prototypes. It had the same narrow section in the main beam, but had cut and welded seat mounts and a 2014 fuel tank and seat. The bikes used in the first test looked primitive, but revised seats arrived for the second Sepang test – so the 2014 fuel tank could be used with the 2015…

Round one of the 2015 FIM Motocross World Championship was held at Losail, Qatar, on 28 February, with the much-anticipated entry of multiple AMA champion Ryan Villapoto (Kawasaki) failing to rustle the feathers of the MXGP regulars. Villapoto finished ninth and eighth in the two races, which were both totally dominated by Husqvarnamounted German Maximilian Nagi. Husqvarnamounted Aussie duo Todd Waters and Dean Ferris scored 15th and 13th, and 23rd and 17th respectively. Reigning World Women’s MX number two, Australia’s Meghan Rutledge (Kawasaki), started her 2015 campaign in solid fashion with third and fourth positions, and now sits third in the overall world championship standings. West Australian Jessica Moore (KTM) also scored well with a seventh and 12th placing. Meanwhile in USA, American-based veteran Aussie supercross megastar Chad Reed (Kawasaki)…

DOWN IN VICTORIA , the governing body for motorcycle sport, Motorcycling Victoria, is actively encouraging women to get involved, not just as racers but as organisers, coaches and staff too. Rather than a “monkey-see, monkey-do” didactic approach. MV will run a series of four workshops to open pathways into leadership roles that might not be obvious or apparent, via effective communication, mentoring and management. Of course these skills will also transfer into other aspects of personal and professional life. Dubbed “Women Taking the Lead”, the program is funded by Sport & Recreation Victoria’s Women in Sport & Recreation (WISAR), the workshops will be presented by Leanne Knowles, a coach for Headswitch and MV Board Member, and Leigh Russell a speaker from Inspired Heads. Participants are encouraged to attend all four…

THE SAGA OF Honda’s effort to produce an entry-level sportsbike to challenge the top-selling Ninja 300 and Yamaha R3 has stepped up a notch with the news from our sources in Japan revealing the new model has already been built and tested. It appears last-minute unspecified delays are preventing it from being released prior to this year’s Tokyo Motor Show in October. Despite the new information, details about the actual bike itself, which will be built in Indonesia to sidestep its punishing import duties, are still sketchy and conflicting. Earlier this year, our Indonesian sources claimed the bike – codenamed K64 – is a V-twin with an engine likely derived from the existing VTR250 engine. Now our Japanese insiders say the project is using a totally new parallel twin-cylinder engine…

Engine Parallel twin 1000cc unit, with twin balancer shafts. Should be good for 82-90kW (110-120hp) Frame Aluminium twin-spar frame inspired by Honda’s CRF motocross models Subframe Welded-on tubular aluminium trellis subframe Airbox The innovative airbox design straddles the frame Radiators Side-mounted radiators help keep the bike slim Fairing Large one-piece unit encloses airbox Wheels Wheels are 21-inch front and 18-inch rear Length Estimated at 2205mm Wheelbase Estimated at 1504mm Seat Height-adjustable seat runs up the tank…

ENGINE Configuration V4 Cylinder head Pushrod-operated OHV, two valves per cylinder Capacity 1650cc Bore/stroke 88 x 67.8mm Compression ratio 11.5:1 Cooling Liquid Fueling EFI Power 123kW @ 7800rpm (claimed) Torque 167Nm @ 5000rpm (claimed) TRANSMISSION Type Six speed Clutch Wet Final drive Chain CHASSIS Frame material H4130 chrome-moly tubular steel Frame layout Trellis spaceframe Rake 26° Trail 108mm SUSPENSION Öhlins Front: 43mm NIX30 fork, fully adjustable Rear: TTX36 monoshock, fully adjustable WHEELS/TYRES Wheels OZ Racing forged aluminium Front: 17 x 3.5 Rear: 17 x 6.0 Tyres Pirelli Angel GT Front: 120/70-17 Rear: 190/55-17 BRAKES Brembo Front: Twin 320mm discs, four-piston radially mounted calipers Rear: Single 200mm disc, two-piston caliper DIMENSIONS Weight 263kg (wet, claimed) Seat height 825/800mm Max width Not given Max height Not given Wheelbase 1475mm Fuel capacity 20.8L…

Triumph is releasing an upgraded accessories list with the new XCx. Everything from Givi-made luggage to Arrow exhausts, fork protector kits, chain adjusters, different screens, machined footrest kits, frame protector kits, ’bar risers… We could go on for pages. Triumph has also released a new adventure suit, dubbed the Trek, which is made from 600D Polycordura with CE protectors in the shoulder, elbow and back, as well as knees and hips. The Trek suit also has a removable waterproof lining and comes in yellow and black. For the full range of accessories and riding gear, go to: triumphmotorcycles.com.au…

6 MARCH Snake Valley Motorcycle Rally, Shady Acres Farm, 30km west of Ballarat, Vic. Show ’n’ shine, food and trade stalls, live music and plenty of camping. Strictly over 18s. $50 entry. Call 0432 776 458 for details. 7-8 MARCH The Veteran, Vintage and Classic Motorcycle Club (ACT) 38th Annual Rally, Capital Country Holiday Village, 47 Bidges Rd, Sutton, ACT. All roadworthy motorcycles are eligible. Daily rides, gymkhana, camping, food and refreshments. Entry $15 per person, $5 per bike. For details call Peter Toet on 0408 697 105, Lisa Mill on 0412 545 877 or see vvcmcc.org/VVCMCC-2015-RallyEntry.pdf 7-9 MARCH Mad Max No Man’s Land Run, Sea Lake, Vic. Saturday night entertainment; 10am Sunday departure to Silverton NSW; Sunday night entertainment; Monday visit to scene where Mad Max 2 was filmed.…

Serious injuries to veteran champion Jamie Stauffer, Paul Simonson and Sean Condon cast a shadow over a magnificent opening round of the 2015 Australian Superbike Championships held at Phillip Island as part of the opening round of the World Superbike Championships. Condon and Simonson crashed in the first of what was to be two attempts to run the opening race on Saturday. Condon sustained a dislocated shoulder and damage to his index finger while Simonson was airlifted to hospital for treatment and observation. The second red flag occurred on the first lap of the restart when Stauffer highsided at Lukey Heights while leading the race and sustained a broken pelvis. Due to the lost time it was decided to rerun the race as the opener to the Sunday program over…

DUCATI LEARNED THE hard way that in racing R&D – if you’re not moving forwards, you’re going backwards. With German ownership comes some brutal home truths about laurels and the risk of resting on them, so for this year, a major redesign of virtually all parts has been undertaken. It’s all about giving the riders the tool to get the most out of the Bridgestone control tyres. Loading the Bridgestones so they generate maximum grip is the holy grail of MotoGP. The trick is in static and dynamic weight distribution, suspension and linkage designs and the right designed-in chassis flex so the tyres work down the straight, while braking, leaning and accelerating. For 2014, Ducati designed a new chassis. It started with its steering head moved back by over 70mm,…

American Enduro X ace Mike Brown made it a clean sweep at the recent Insure My Ride Enduro X held recently at Sydney’s International Dragway. Husqvarna-mounted Brown took on the likes of Toby Price, who recently finished third outright in the 2015 Dakar Rally, Tye Simmons, Josh Green and Stefan Granquist and finished first in all three rounds of the pro class. Brown’s ultra-smooth style saw him take the lead in the heats, but he was saving the best for last as he crossed the line eight seconds in front of KTM’s Simmons, with Daniel Sanders a further eight seconds back in third place in the final. That clinched the overall victory for Brown, with Simmons second and Yamaha’s Josh Green third. The man-made course was put together on either…

What got you interested in racing? My older brother raced a RD350 in the late 1970s, and my dad was interested in racing, although he never raced. I bought a Yamaha RD400D that I used to commute on from home in Lenswood in the Adelaide Hills to North Terrace where I worked as an optician. I decided to build the RD into a racer and fitted TZ750 pistons, reed blocks, and J&R chambers. I had trouble with the points ignition and an electronic race ignition back then was $1200, so when a mate of mine sold his TZ250D, which he won the state championship with, I bought it. I didn’t have the money, so I bought a GSX-1100 with a loan, sold it straight away and used the money to…

BAYLISS’ PRE-RACE ambitions were realistic: top tens, even if tyre issues intervened at the toughest track imaginable for his big-lean style. “I know I didn’t finish top ten but I know I had the pace to,” said Bayliss after his two rides to 13th and 16th. “Honestly, in the second race I felt I could run with the guys. So even though I’m old, I’m angry - so I must still be a racer - because I’m pissed off.” For Bayliss, racing from the Ducati pit was familiar, even if the bike wasn’t easy to just click with straight away. “The experience felt the same as it was seven years ago,” said Bayliss. “Race weekend is stressful, you want to do well and anything can happen. The first laps I…