Australian Motorcycle News Vol 67 Issue 07

Maybe this time it’s simply because he loves to race, maybe that has always been his motivation? “ROSSI HAS TESTED at Misano” our stand-in Sub-editor Steve Kealy announced with a tone of incredulity when the press release from Movistar Yamaha arrived. It took a second for the information to sink in; it only felt like a fortnight since we were sent scrambling to our keyboards when news filtered through that the Italian had broken his leg in a dirt bike crash. A quick check of the dates revealed it had been just 19 days, and as I read through the press release, I began to question what it is that motivates the nine-times world champion. At 38 years old, he is at the tail-end of a brilliant MotoGP career, a…

“Power and torque will be monumental!” YOU MIGHT HAVE thought the future generation of turbocharged bikes will be small, efficient and sporty, but patent applications reveal Suzuki is working on a big turbo V-twin cruiser that takes its inspiration from two-wheeled drag racers. While already at the forefront of turbocharged motorcycle development, with its soon-to-be-revealed production machine based around its XE7 prototype parallel-twin turbo engine, the new cruiser is a different proposition entirely. The XE7 engine, shown two years ago, was a development of the 588cc parallel twin created for the Recursion concept bike back in 2013. It’s relatively small, using the turbo to recoup performance to levels of a larger-capacity machine while reaping the emissions and efficiency benefits of its small capacity. However, the new cruiser is clearly aimed…

BY THE TIME you read this, Chinese firm Zongshen will have unveiled its most convincing motorcycle to date – the RX4 450 at the CIMA Motor show in Chongqing, China. Built around a 450cc, water-cooled, DOHC single-cylinder engine, the RX4 is a baby adventure bike with rather more potential than most of its Chinese rivals. Zongshen has long been one of the more outward-facing Chinese firms, and one of the best engine builders. It’s recently done a deal with Norton to mass-produce its upcoming 650cc parallel twin, and the RX4’s 450cc single looks every bit as good as a Japanese or European motor in terms of its design. Zongshen first revealed the engine a year ago in its NC450 competition bike, which was built to compete in the Dakar Rally.…

HONDA WILL REVEAL its all-new Gold Wing and F6B models on 24 October – but somebody got their mits on a brochure and beat the mighty H to the punch. The Gold Wing’s gestation has been a long one. The existing bike is 16 years old now, with only minor updates in that time, and Honda will be aiming to recapture the position of building the world’s most gadget-laden motorcycle. Honda has been patenting ideas for its new ’Wing for years, and the leaked pictures reveal which ones made the cut. Most notable is the front suspension, which dispenses with telescopic forks in favour of a variation on the Hossack-style girder fork used on BMW’s K1600GT. As on the BMW, it uses a cast aluminium fork. Just above the front…

HARLEY-DAVIDSON IS already having a rough time in its main American market, and it’s not likely to find much comfort in the fact that Triumph is on the verge of launching what must be its most convincing cruiser yet – the Bonneville Speedmaster. There’s been a Speedmaster in the range for years, based on a 270-degree crank version of the old 865cc Bonneville engine. But nothing is carried over to the new version, set to be unveiled on 3 October (next day our time), which is based on the water-cooled parallel twin that’s formed the basis of the new Street Twin and Bonneville ranges. Although Triumph hasn’t released details, we expect the Speedmaster will employ the same engine as the Bonneville Bobber. That’s the larger 1200cc capacity, but retuned for…

IN MARCH LAST year, Suzuki showed a concept bike called the SV650 Rally at the Osaka Motor Show in Japan and this newly revealed production version is impressively close to the original. While the SV650 Rally was always simply a body-kitted SV650, with a nose cowl, auxiliary lights, a pillion seat cover and a Yoshimura exhaust, it was still an effective job. It instantly converted the worthy-but-dull SV into a neo-retro bike with café racer overtones. Suzuki is still shying away from calling the SV650X a full production model, instead intimating that an announcement about production and availability will emerge when the bike makes its public debut at the Tokyo Motor Show at the end of October. However, it’s clear that there’s a production future for it. Compared to the…