Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 65 Issue 19 i Australian Motorcycle News

YAMAHA AUSTRALIA HAS announced the arrival of its naked YZF-R3 which was unveiled in Milan last October. Dubbed the MT-03, it’s the fourth nakedbike released by the Japanese firm in the last couple of years to carry the MT nomenclature. The 321cc MT-03 uses the same engine, frame, suspension, brakes and wheels as the fully-faired sportsbike, and has the same 780mm seat height. Weight is one kilogram less with a full tank at 168kg, and it is available in the same three colours: blue, black or red. The retail price is $400 less expensive than the sportsbike at $5699 plus on-road costs and they’re in dealerships now.…

KTM’S MID-SIZED single-cylinder Duke is Austria’s ageless fun machine. For the past 22 years, the lightweight Duke has been the choice of those who enjoy motorcycling because of its raw and frantic nature. The fact the original incarnation of the Duke was successful in spite of its left-hand kickstart is a good illustration of the type of rider it attracted. With the single-cylinder fun came the inevitable single-cylinder thump – the teeth-chattering vibrations that are a rite of passage for single-cylinder roadbike owners. And KTM’s LC4-powered platform was no exception. But for Duke lovers it was a small compromise for owning a bike bred from the gnarly racing roots of Supermoto. Time moved on and KTM’s middleweight Duke began to settle down. After three major (and many minor) model upgrades…

A one-time streetbike maniac who was pointed in the direction of racetracks by his Sunday morning buddies, Art ‘The Dart’ Baumann was the first man to win an AMA road race on a two-stroke, in 1969 at Sears Point. He later claimed pole at the 1972 Daytona 200 on a Suzuki 750, and in 1973 won himself a seat at Team Kawasaki alongside fellow wild man Yvon Duhamel, and went on to pick up a bunch of podium finishes for Team Green. Ginger-haired Baumann lived in Brisbane, a quiet enclave just 10km south of central San Francisco. Rising Kiwi rider John Boote visited Baumann’s home in 1974 and was taken aback by the American’s mercenary dedication. The house backed onto the San Bruno Mountain State Park, which had a dirtbike…

TAKE A LOOK at just about any city on the planet and you’ll see custom bike builders pumping out café racers, trackers, bobbers, scramblers and just about anything else you care to imagine. Yet Chris Canterbury, founder and owner of Boxer Metal in California, still managed to knock one out of the park with his fantastically unique 1980 BMW R100 twin-turbo build. “We were invited to the One Moto Show in Portland, but the bike that would have been perfect for it was already packed and shipped to Guatemala,” says Chris. It didn’t make things easier that the One Moto Show was just seven weeks away. Not afraid of a challenge, Chris set out to not only build a bike for the show, but to build something that would really…

AMCN TEST RIDER Alan Cathcart road tested the prototype of the 2016 690 Duke back in September 2015 (Vol 65 No 05) and while there are a few differences between the bike he rode and the production model, these are not extensive enough for me to contradict Alan’s thoughts on the bike, however, I will add my two cents. Both the standard and R models retain the Duke’s signature upright riding position with the R slightly racier due to the 30mm higher seat and rear-set ’pegs. It also has adjustable WP suspension (with 15mm more travel), with rebound and compression split into separate fork legs, making for a much firmer ride. It can be softened to resemble the softer ride of the standard model, but for me that sort of…

An enormously capable and, let’s face it, coveted American-made cruiser for $17,995 The latest motorcycle released from America’s first motorcycle company is, by definition, the most modern of the most retro and therefore could be classed as the most modern-retro of them all. It probably won’t though – its cruiser stance is a little bit too low-cut bootleg in this era of the high-waisted skinny-leg. But if you’re willing to turn a blind eye to the hipster-nista faux pa, in terms of heritage, price and performance, Indian’s Scout Sixty is one of the sharpest bikes on the market right now. Charles B Franklin designed the very first Scout, which made its debut some 96 years ago and arguably became the American brand’s most successful and important model. Franklin was born…

Don’t get me wrong, I’m generally a good mannered, clean living, law abiding chap with a sensible disposition and average 21st-century vices. But I also have rapidly diminishing time in which to raise hell on this planet, so I very much appreciate the opportunity when offered in the form of keys to one of my favourite hoon bikes, a photographer, and $10 lunch money from the AMCN cookie jar. The 675cc Triumph Street Triple is a modern classic. There are few in the know who wouldn’t agree that this feisty lightweight is one of the most fun, frisky and universally accessible sportsbikes ever built. ‘Sportsbike?’, you may spit doubtingly. But have no doubt, the original Street Triple was conceived after, and derived directly from Triumph’s leftfield broadside on the supersport…

1. 2010 Moto Guzzi V7 THE PLAN WAS to make this bike look as classic as possible, using a stack of handmade Revival parts. First to be exorcised was, of course, all the nasty plastic stuff – fuel tank, seat, mudguards, dash, lights and other parts – which were replaced by beautifully crafted aluminium items. The fuel injection stayed, but was heavily revised, and the fuel pump was buried inside the tank to save space. A tiny Motogadget electronic dash replaces the original, machined-from-solid triple clamps hold a Yamaha R6 fork, and rear shocks are custom-built Works units. The entire engine was sandblasted to get rid of the standard black paint. The alloy-shouldered rims are custom made to complete the 1970s look. 2. 1975 Moto Guzzi 850 Beto THIS BRAND-NEW…

Alpine Stars SMX-Plus boots are well suited to sportsbike riders who like to go for a scratch on weekends and also attend the odd trackday. They offer a superb combination of protection and feel, and my pair stood up admirably during a real-world product ‘test’ at Phillip Island recently where I came off at the fast double apex corner – Southern Loop. I’m putting the boots’ favourable post-crash condition down to a pair of well positioned, heavy-duty, shock absorbing pads on the rear heels that kept my fragile feet off the deck during the fall, and subsequently directed the brunt of the impact into the most durable area of the boot. After a good 40-metre slide they still look like they’ve got plenty more to give, so I won’t need…

Having command over this glorious angry sound is one of life’s real pleasures Good middleweight sportsbikes are ridiculously fast machines, bless them. Most of us mere mortal riders, on pre-traction-control bikes at least, are actually quicker through the hills or even lapping a racetrack on a middleweight than on a litre-superbike. For many years this reality, plus the price advantage over litre bikes, fuelled demand that factories competed fiercely to meet. How brave was Triumph, then, to enter the fray in 2000 against the excellent Japanese contenders that dominated the category? Success eluded Triumph’s early challengers – the somewhat flawed four-cylinder TT600 and Daytona 600/650 models – until in 2006 it kicked a stunning middleweight-sportsbike goal with its distinctive three-cylinder Daytona 675. Its heart is the lusty 675cc, 12-valve, fuel-injected…

Things went wrong for the middle class even before the lights went off – triggered by a long delay then a premature flicker. All but two of the first nine riders moved at least slightly, Franco Morbidelli (EG-VDS Kalex) quite a lot. Then they roared off. One rider who hadn’t moved was pole qualifier Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Kalex) and his timing meant he had a lead of better than a second at the end of the first lap, from Sam Lowes (Federal Oils Kalex), Thomas Lüthi (Garage Plus Kalex), Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Kalex), Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Kalex), Morbidelli and the rest. The other was Lüthi – who went on to win the race. Folger was architect of his own downfall, slipping off on the third lap. For the rest, misfortune…

YAMAHA EXTENDED ITS already significant commitment to Australian road racing with the first round of the Yamaha R3 Cup taking place at Wakefield Park over the weekend. Set up to encourage young up-and-coming riders, and subsidised by Yamaha to ensure they have access to a financially viable entry level machine, the class attracted a field of 13 riders and delivered some fantastic racing. The round was swept by New South Wales youngster Zac Levy, but he didn’t have it all his own way with fellow New South Welshman, Hunter Ford (Ford Brothers Racing/PortPerformance/Bell Helmets) and Victorian Callum Alderson (YRD/BlueGorilla/Sign Pro) pushing him all the way. Alderson (2,3,2) edged out Ford (3,2,3) in the final race for second on the podium and second for the round. The remaining races for the…

THE RECEPTION FOR the new Michelin MotoGP tyres was generally positive with the French company earning praise, despite Lorenzo’s marginally slower pole time of 1:54.543 compared to Dovizioso’s 2015 Bridgestone pole at 1:54.113. Fans delighted in the tyre-smoking wheelspin from Michelin’s rears that exhibit quite different characteristics from the Japanese rubber. One of the more spectacular exponents during practice was Scott Redding, glowing with the enjoyment of it all. “With the Bridgestone, it would grip, and then it was gone. With the Michelin, you can spin it.” Jack Miller added: “With Bridgestone, you could spin then pick it up and it would regain grip,” he said. “The Michelin will spin all day without wearing, which is great, but it spoils your speed. You have to have a gentle wrist.” Criticism…

DARRIN TRELOAR AND passenger Blake Cox won the inaugural FIM Speedway Sidecar 1000cc World Cup at Gillman Speedway on Easter Saturday night – a result that was not unexpected on several counts. Four riders from New Zealand, three from Great Britain and two from the USA were included in the 16-rider line-up but the chances of the winners’ trophy leaving via an Australian airport were always remote. Far more likely was that any gathering of the sidecar elite is a serious chance for Treloar to add to his amazing record of victories in the World Championship and FIM Gold Cup (both predecessors of the World Cup), the Oceania Championship, as well as eight Australian Championships and 33 State Speedway titles. But this World Cup win did not come easy as…

CHUCKY SANDERS WILL soon run out of competition if his current form continues. Since celebrating the E3 (>450cc) ISDE title in Slovakia, then scoring the Wildwood Enduro X crown for Christmas, the 21-year-old has been on a roll. Coming into the 2016 season Sanders dominated the first round of the VORC before heading to the first round of the Aussie Championship in Queensland. “I really struggled here at Kilkivan last year, but now we’ve found some ideal settings on the bike I’ve finally secured an outright win,” said Sanders after his four-second round one victory over Lachlan Stanford (Husqvarna 501). Last year’s E1 division (<250cc) winner Josh Green (Active8 Yamaha) was on Sanders’ case all weekend. After taking the leap to E2 (<450cc) this year, Green shared the sprint results…

LUKE RICHARDS EMERGED victorious after the inaugural staging of the Woodlands Grand Slam dirt track meeting on 19 and 20 March. The two days of fluctuating fortunes produced thrilling hard-fought racing as some of the big names – Richards, Marty McNamara and Paul Caslick in particular – got better as the weekend progressed, each taking time to get their machine set-ups just right. Experienced campaigners Mick Kirkness and Darren Herrick led the way in the first leg of the A-final ahead of Richards and Caslick, before a dramatic moment in the second leg saw Herrick fall after part of his front brake collapsed, and that brought down Kirkness as well. Kirkness remounted but could only finish ninth as Richards and Caslick went to the top on points. Caslick then had…

“I wouldn’t change a thing – including all the crashes” JENNY TINMOUTH HOLDS two Guiness World Records, including being the current female Isle of Man TT lap record holder with an average lap speed of 119.945mph. She was also the first British female to race in World Supersport Championship and the first female to compete in the British Superbike Championship when she was invited to race for Rizla Suzuki in 2007 as teammate to current MotoGP star Cal Crutchlow. She ran her own Supersport team, Two Wheels Racing, for two years and is set to start her second BSB season with the Honda Racing team aboard a CBR1000RR Fireblade. What do you like most about racing bikes? It’s the freedom of it and the adrenalin rush. Even if I crash…

When can I buy one? While we might be waiting a little while longer for confirmation that the Neowing will be going into production, some of the parts you can see here are likely to appear on other Honda models in the very near future. These include the rumoured new Goldwing range. OF ALL THE weird and wacky concept bikes on display at last year’s Tokyo Show the Honda Neowing was the wildest of all. And while that would usually mean its production chances were zero, new details have since emerged that suggest it’s got more foundation in reality than its appearance suggests. In case you don’t recall it, the Neowing is a large capacity, leaning, three-wheeled machine with a flat-four engine that’s coupled to both Honda’s DCT gearbox and…

Next-gen CB1100 The Concept CB – effectively a preview of the next-generation Honda CB1100 – has been revealed for a second time with tweaks that show the bike is edging closer to being a production reality. The most notable change over the existing CB1100 is the reshaped fuel tank, allied to a redesigned side panel and airbox cover. Tubular steel grab rails replace the aluminium ones of the current bike and overall there’s a more convincing retro vibe to the bike’s appearance. When will we see it? You’ll have to wait a bit longer. Concept CB Type II While the Concept CB is leaning towards the next-generation CB1100, Honda’s newly-unveiled ‘Type II’ concept hints a more aggressive version could be on the cards. Honda’s CB1300 is the donor for many…

THE ESSENCE OF a motorcycle is two wheels and an engine, and the aptly named Ohio-based Radical Engine Innovations has taken this theory to the absolute limit with its latest design. It has filed patents for a motorcycle which at first appears to be little more than a massive nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial aircraft engine with a wheel at each end. Actually, it’s more clever than that. While at first glance it may look as though the engine is the entire chassis, there is an X-shaped frame with its main members running along the lengths of four of the cylinders. At the front it attaches to an unusual single-sided, Hossack-style suspension system. There’s no visible rear suspension, but there could be a short swingarm in there. As if the engine isn’t…

Happy travels I moved up here to Cobram two years ago to be the skipper of the new paddleboat, PS Cobba, and as much as it was a lifestyle shift to drive the boat, the lack of good roads around here has been soul destroying, to the point that my missus now has more bikes than me. It’s hard being the girl in our relationship now! That said, she was good enough to loan me her FZ6 two weeks ago for my week of Christmas holidays. I had a mate over visiting from the Isle of Man, so he is quite into bikes, and I said I’d take him out for a spin on some of the best roads in Victoria, if not Australia. Another mate loaned me his VFR750,…

If you like smooth and simple, do what I did and spend a few days just enjoying life hardly using more than 3000rpm AFTER A BLISSFUL two weeks with the Kawasaki W800, I promised myself not to use words like retro, classic, nostalgic or bygone – let alone hipster, bearded or cool – when describing it. It would be a disservice to a beautifully simple machine that has an air of ‘made just right’, and it has stayed right from the mid-1960s when you can trace this 800cc parallel-twin to its W1 650 roots. While the W800 is as new as any air-cooled simple twin on the market (and there aren’t many left), it looks like it came from a 1960s mould. This rendition is black, real black. That applies…

Sibling rivalry To do your own comparo of the two Scout variants, look up our first ride report on the 1133cc bike in AMCN Vol 64 No 10 Oomph With a lowered capacity from 1133cc comes less output. The Sixty claims 89Nm and 58kW compared to the big Scout’s 97Nm and 74kW Cubes 60 cubes (geddit?) or 999cc for the Sixty versus 69 cubic inches or 1133cc for the original Scout Blacks Shiny bits on the big Scout get blacked out on the Sixty. That’s engine, frame, bar, wheels, shocks and headlight. Clams You’ll save yourself 2000 of them if you opt for the Sixty ($17,995) over the original Scout ($19,995) – ride away.…

In a shabby Austin suburb, right next to a trailer park, stands a row of rundown industrial units, in one of which, I’m told, resides Revival Cycles. I see only one door open, so I knock on it and ask where I might find the coolest bike shop in Texas. Right next door, says the man. I knock on the next unit, no answer. I try the one after that, nothing. Finally at the fifth or sixth unit the door swings open and I walk into an Aladdin’s cave of sparkling old machinery and ancient artefacts. There’s a 1930s Raleigh, a Velocette Venom, a 1950s slot machine, a late-model CB450, a scraped-up TZ750 fairing hanging on the wall, and a 1960s BMW R69S that belongs to 1993 500 World Champion…

TAKE ON THE MOST INSANE MOTORCYCLING THE WORLD HAS TO OFFER WITH NEVERMIND ADVENTURE. Ride the world’s highest, most remote and toughest roads. Our routes and itineraries are tough and we do not apologize for this. We offer real life unadulterated adventure, we call it old school adventure motorcycling and it is liberating, come and try it. We are not into sightseeing, posing in gorilla suits or playing heroes, we ride motorcycles and we are here to see these beautiful countries and their people before our western materialistic culture destroys the world. You will experience discomfort, anger and frustration, you will sweat, you will get dirty, you will bleed, you will cry, you will laugh....You will LIVE. Leh Ladakh, Kardungla at 6800 meters, Kashmir and the infamous Spiti Valley following…

I’M THE SORT of guy who often says “you get what you pay for”, so when I found out Harley-Davidson’s new FXRG full-face helmet carries a $719.83 price tag, I expected a lot from it. But the moment I slipped it onto my head I could feel it was going to deliver – it was an instant ‘wow’ moment that reminded me of one of those fancy hotels where they give you a pillow selection menu. And now, after a couple of months wearing the helmet almost daily, I’m actually starting to think it’s a bit of a bargain. At this point you’re probably asking: “What is Harley-Davidson doing making full-face helmets? Harley equals open-face lid, right?” Just a handful of years ago you would have been correct, however, H-D…

Jorge Lorenzo was master of the MotoGP night shift workers in Qatar. After an on-the-grid tyre change, the reigning champion started from pole position and finished just the same way, starting the new season as he had finished the last. But it was not an easy race for the Movistar Yamaha rider. Instead of running away, he had to wait until lap nine of 21 to get into the lead, and until the penultimate to make sure he could stay there. But then it was emphatic: by two seconds. The super-fast factory Ducatis had taken early control, until early leader Andrea Iannone slipped off. Then Lorenzo had to fend off strong pressure from Repsol Honda’s Marc Márquez. This he did with fastest lap of the race – a new record…

The first race of the year started as dusk fell over the desert, and was a thriller worthy of the class. Romano Fenati was on pole, the Sky VR46 KTM rider snatching it at the last minute from Livio Loi (RW Honda), and it was Loi who took the lead on the first lap from Fenati and Red Bull KTM rider Brad Binder. Loi was knocked down to 10th next time after a scrape in the usual multi-bike scramble, and spent the rest of the race desperately trying to close up on an eight-strong leading group. It was Binder making most of the running with Fenati leading over the line several times and Jorge Navarro (EG-VDS Honda) also prominent at the front of the typically furious group. Also present was…

The headline act of this popular annual motorcycle festival was supposed to be a celebration of Australia’s superbike history. Instead, the appearance of many hundreds of road-registered Moto Guzzi models swamped the infield on Easter Saturday and took over the classic event. The arrival from Italy of several ground-breaking GP racers from this grand old marque resulted in possibly the biggest Moto Guzzi turnout ever in Australia. That the two most exotic Guzzi racers on the Broadford billing – a 1957 500cc V8 and a dustbin-faired 1956 350cc single – failed to make it to the track for lunchtime runs didn’t diminish the spectacle. Like a piece of fine art, the V8 had spectators spellbound as it sat with its fairing off and the intricacy of its tiny cylinders, miniscule…

MAHINDRA HAS BEEN the first Moto3 team to exercise the right for one aerodynamic upgrade druing the season – and for an unexpected reason. The all-new MGP3O has a redesigned fairing intended to make the bikes harder to slipstream. But when lead Team Aspar rider Pecco Bagnaia tested last year’s fairing in free practice, it turned out to be significantly faster into and through corners. The Mahindra teams convened and agreed the old fairing should be homologated, even though only the official Aspar team had examples at the track. Moto3 rules not only limit the number of changes allowed during the season, but insist that they must be available to all teams.…

DRAG RACING TOOK centre stage over Easter at Willowbank Raceway with the Santo’s Super 3 Extreme event. On the bill was Top Bike, contesting rounds five and six of the 2015/16 400 Thunder Series over two consecutive days. It was a number of years ago that three-time champ Chris Matheson recorded his quickest run to date at Willowbank, 6.04 seconds at 241 mph. With his new engine combo, Matho was looking to go quicker still. On Day 1 he qualified on top with a 6.55 run ahead of Gavin Spann’s PB 6.883, while Damien Muscat belted out a 6.95 for third. In the eliminations round, Matho set the pace again with a 6.338/212 mph pass handing him some valuable ET and Speed points. Steve Badcock defeated Muscat in a 7.64…

IN AN EVENTFUL Round 11 of the AMA Supercross at Motor City, Jason Anderson (Rockstar Husqvarna FC450) was awarded first place after championship leader Ryan Dungey (Red Bull KTM) was penalised for failing to heed a red cross flag. Dungey crossed the line first but was later relegated to third after it was revealed he’d ignored a downed rider caution flag that requires all passing riders to roll jumps. The win by default represented Anderson’s second of the season. Inform rookie Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM) moved up to second – his fourth straight podium result. Despite the penalty, Dungey’s podium streak remained unbroken; he now has 27 back to back and remains 39 points ahead of Ken Roczen (Factory Suzuki). Chad Reed (Factory Yamaha) regained some of his previous…

KIWI ROAD RACER Shaun Harris has cheated death for the second time in his extensive career, regaining consciousness after a period in a coma. A crash at the Timaru round of the NZ Superbike championships left Harris with serious head injuries. But now the popular rider – a fixture on the NZ racing scene for about three decades – is in a stable condition in Wellington Hospital, after being moved there from Christchurch Hospital. Back in 2007 Harris was also seriously injured in a crash at the Isle of Man, where he had won two TT titles in 2003. He pulled through and was eventually able to return to racing. Harris had a big lead in the Superlite championship before he crashed at Timaru and still finished fifth in the…

2006 Yamaha YZF-R1 The R1 was initially known for brutal power delivery, but underwent significant modifications every couple of years to refine the package. In 2006, the model received chassis and engine upgrades, including a new combustion chamber, high-lift cams, and an increased compression ratio to generate even more horsepower. Special edition models included one with 50th anniversary yellow racing livery, and the LE model with Öhlins suspension and slipper clutch. What it’s got The YZF-R1 is powered by a liquid-cooled, four-stroke, in-line four-cylinder 998cc, fuel injected engine with DOHC and five valves per cylinder. Power runs through a six-speed constant mesh gearbox. The front suspension is a 43mm fully adjustable Kayaba USD fork with 120mm of travel. The rear has a dual-sided swingarm with fully adjustable Kayaba shock and…

It’s still all about that engine. Put simply, the bike sounds like a ski boat and pulls like a locomotive EVER SINCE HONDA mugged the market with the launch of the astonishing GL1000 way back, the Goldwing has championed one thing: THAT engine. You got it, that horizontally opposed behemoth, the one that stopped the global motorcycle conversation mid-sentence in 1975. It was big, bold, and had a certain presence. It was also the first liquid-cooled four-stroke to come out of Japan. Yeah, influential. Fast forward. The Goldwing engine is now 1832cc, it makes use of six pots and that engine still stuns. Of course, it’s as horizontally opposed as it ever was. And the enforcer of the range is the Valkyrie. Think of it as a stripped out cruiser…

Front end Both the 690 Duke and 690 Duke R have a 43mm USD WP fork. On the R model it’s fully adjustable with an additional 15mm of travel (150mm versus 135mm) Brakes There’s only a split hair between the stopping power of the standard model’s Brembo front caliper and R model’s M50 unit, but the feel from the M50 is superb Colour options The paintwork follows a familiar theme with the standard model available in orange and white and the premier model available in the livery below, simply called ‘R’! Tyres Both the standard and R models come shod with Metzeler Sportec M7RR hoops – decent rubber for a spot of streetfighting SIDLE UP TO the 2016 690 Duke and 690 Duke R and at first glance you may…

WHAT IF THE R model is not quite your scene, but you want some of the electronic goodies it has to offer? No problem, just turn to the KTM PowerParts catalogue and look for the Track Pack. For $449 (including fitment), plus a $134.99 PowerParts dongle so your bike’s brain remembers the update, the Track Pack can be fitted by an authorised KTM dealer. It provides you with the selectable Rain, Street and Sport riding modes along with variations on traction control to suit. You also get Motor Slip Regulation (MSR) which will lift engine revs to stop rear wheel compression lock-up, as well as Supermoto mode which allows the rear wheel to lock while the front-wheel ABS continues to work. Only the 690 Duke R comes with Motorcycle Stability…

PROVING HOW MUCH faith Indian has in the versatility of the high-revving water-cooled engine, it threw five of the new Indians at racer-turned-bike-builder Roland Sands to build flat tracking contenders for the recent Superprestigio’s Super Hooligan event in Las Vegas. Sands made the standard flat track modifications: removed the front brake, fitted 19-inch wheels shod with flat-track tyres, added a new rear tail, changed the mounting position of the foot controls, added RSD bar risers and triple clamp, as well as an RSD exhaust. Roland Sands himself (shown right) claimed a third-place finish in the 14-rider field, and all five modified Indians finished the race. Sands’ podium saw Indian back on the flat track racing box for the first time in, well, a bloody long time. AMCN’s Deputy Editor Paul…

AUSTIN IS BOOMING – in all kinds of ways. This university city is justly proud of its vibrant counter culture that makes it feel far less corporate-controlled than many American cities. The centre throbs to the sound of live music and old motorcycles, which are everywhere; especially, it seems, CB250s and 350K4s. Honda must’ve sold an awful lot of the things to Americans during the 1970s. Combine the lure of Revival Cycles, the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show and the Circuit of the Americas MotoGP round with the city’s general weird-is-good vibe and you have a great reason to visit Austin. This year the MotoGP round is being held on 11 April – so if you are really keen, you could still plan a last-minute trip. The 2017 date should be announced…

IXON SENT THROUGH these gorgeous leather RS Pro HP gloves just as I was packing my bags to head off on a launch so I grabbed them before anyone else could. Ixon’s new glove is made from a combination of goat, cow and kangaroo leather sewn together with Kevlar thread for maximum protection. They’re still a bit hard, so I may need to sleep in them for a couple of nights to break them in before I wear them on track. Sizes: XS–4XL Colours: Yellow, Blue, Red and White $269.95 Ficeda Accessories (02) 9827 7561 ficeda.com.au…

WEST AUSTRALIAN SAM Clarke has stormed into Australian Supersport Championship contention with a brilliant display of riding at round two of the series at Wakefield Park. Clarke has moved up to second place in the series after starting the weekend in seventh place. Clarke, who showed promise of what was to come at the Phillip Island season opener, piloted his Banham WA Racing Kawasaki ZX6R to two victories, both after a thrilling race-long battle with Luke Mitchell on board the JNL Racing/Maxima Racing Oils/Yamaha YRD/Bodyrock Health YZF-R6. The racing between the two was incredibly close with the combined difference between them for the two races just 0.295 seconds! Young gun and championship leader Troy Guenther battled to match the two pace setters, but showed great maturity to collect valuable series…

BRADLEY SMITH IS to join the new KTM MotoGP team next year, when the Austrian manufacturer makes its return to the senior class. The Briton announced his surprise decision on race morning at the opening MotoGP round in Qatar, confirming on British television that he has inked a two-year deal. Smith has been with the Monster Yamaha team for the past two years, but with the squad used as a holding base for possible future factory riders, his future there was far from certain. Even this year’s contract had been delayed in spite of the fact that he was top satellite rider last year, while favoured teammate Pol Espargaró had been signed on early. Along with Rossi’s signing, this makes for an earliest-ever start to the so-called silly season. With…

WINGS ARE SET to be banned – or at least heavily clipped – in the near future, after growing controversy over not only their efficacy but more importantly their safety. The matter was raised at the GP Commission meeting on race eve, with a proposal to ban them immediately in Moto2 and Moto3, and in MotoGP “as soon as possible”, according to Race Director Mike Webb. However, they continue to sprout. With the factory Ducatis now in full biplane mode, Honda’s vestigial but steeply angled winglets appearing now and then, Lorenzo’s Yamaha fitted with large thrust-forward tea-trays and Rossi’s without, there was no real consensus from the riders. On race eve, Rossi said he would try them, but “I don’t like them because they are ugly”. More agreed that the…

HEADLINING THE NEWS for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is the battle between our newly crowned Dakar Champion Toby Price and the Sultan of Sand, reigning ADDC Champion, Sam Sunderland. While nothing less than a win will satisfy Price, a whole detachment of Aussies is heading to the UAE, each with individual motives. Suffering sand withdrawal symptoms, two-time Australasian Safari Champion Rod Faggotter is a late entry on a Yamaha WR450F prepared by the UAE’s Crazy Camel outfit. “The expense is comparable to an Oz Safari campaign” says Rod “and this may be a one-off, but who knows what could happen in the glow surrounding Toby Price’s Dakar victory.” It’s that same glow that 26-year-old Jake Smith hopes will extend to his campaign and demonstrate his ability to Taichi Honda,…

ROUND ONE OF the Victorian Motorcycle Wreckers Interclub series was run and won in perfect weather at Broadford Road Race Circuit on Sunday March 20. Trent Binaisse took out the Novice over 500cc prize for the day and started his year off well to be eligible to win one of the three series prizes sponsored by monkeybones.com.au. Justin Kaiser took out the Novice up to 500cc trophy on a Ninja 300 and the cash prize donated by Broadspring Consulting. The 125ccGP trophy was won by 14-year-old Scott Nicholson, who has learned well from series stalwart and second-place finisher Peter Scott. Matt Barton took the Moto3 trophy. In the superbike races (F1A) Dean Archbold and Travis Baas shared wins in the three races with Travis taking the overall victory by just…

FORMED IN 1979, The Historic Motorcycle Racing Association of Victoria (HMRAV) is a club that caters for people who love old bikes and want to use them the way their makers intended. The club has more than 350 members and has forged strong ties with all the major historic racing clubs around Australia. It has a full calendar of events each year, including open historic road race meetings, sprints, hillclimbs (bitumen) and ‘Come and Try’ days. The club also participates in the Victorian Red Plate Permit scheme. HMRAV is not just about circuit racing – it also runs sprints and hillclimbs. These events are decidedly more social and seen as a great way to compete on a smaller budget. Recently a number of members competed at the Eddington Sprint, run…

You part were part of the mini-bike generation, and acquired a rare skill very early on My dad bought me a Deltek Rockhopper when I was six. I had the ‘Deluxe’ model with chrome front springs, and I rode it around local bushland. None of my mates had minibikes and I had to entertain myself, so I learnt how to ride on the back wheel, feet on the pegs. I spent a bit of time on my back and gave that centrifugal clutch a real work out, but I was determined. I could wheelstand it pretty good before I could spell ‘hippopotamus’. My first real bike was a Yamaha IT175 and there was a race at Mount Tambourine for motocross bikes, so I thought I’d give it a go. The…