Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 67 Issue 14 i Australian Motorcycle News

Congratulations Alistair, you’ve scored a Mini Road Chain Lube ($12.90) and a Mini Chain Clean ($11.90) kindly supplied by Link International. Send an image and details about your two-wheeled pride and joy to access@amcn.com.au Giz a squiz Rider: Alistair Wilton Ride: 1979-ish TZ750 Yamaha. He says: Not your “average TZ750”. I originally bought the bike that Wayne Gow was racing in Australia and shipped it to myself here in NZ in 2013. Then I started a ground up rebuild. It already had a CMR frame, works performance shock, a good motor, Rob Hall pipes, 36 mm PJ Lectrons etc. I added my own preferences on TZ forks with Andreani cartridges, 300mm EBC TZ250 race discs and new Lockheeds, wheels (TRX850 front, SV650 rear, adding a cush drive) and…

Tiger 1200 XR The entry-level 1200cc Tiger, the XR enjoys all the upgrades of the new model year. Still very well equipped, the XR comes standard with switchable ABS and traction control (TC), three switchable engine modes, cruise control, Brembo front stoppers and manually adjustable WP suspension. Tiger 1200 XRX Add to the base model’s list a five-inch TFT full colour dash and backlit switch blocks, four engine modes instead of three, semi-active suspension, cornering ABS and TC, and heated grips. There’s LED lighting all around, including daytime running lights (DRL) and self-cancelling indicators. Tiger 1200 XRT On top of the XRX’s goodies, the XRT gets a two-way quickshifter, adaptive cornering lighting and five switchable engine modes on a bike that’s 11kg lighter than its predecessor. There’s Hill Hold Control…

French chassis constructor Georges Martin (inset) had the right idea at the right time. With the dedication to put it into practice, 5800 hand-crafted Moto Martin café racers and frame kits were built between 1972 and 1986. They all harnessed the performance of new-generation four-cylinder Japanese ultrabikes in a way the original, slow-steering and heavy chassis couldn’t. Inevitably, the Japanese manufacturers acquired their own techniques and the arrival of the 1985 Suzuki GSX-R750, with its aluminium chassis, marked the end of specialist frame builders Rickman, Dresda, Egli, Segale, P&M – and Moto Martin. Only Britain’s Harris Performance – of which Moto Martin was the French equivalent – Spondon and Holland’s Bakker Framebouw survived, by focusing on competition chassis designs and superior swingarms for the new generation of Superbikes. Born in…

Top 3 TV 1 2018 Dakar LIVE Red Bull TV 6-21 Jan 11am You can still catch the last couple of days of Dakar from 11am on Red Bull TV. The package takes you behind the scenes and covers the challenges of the world’s toughest off-road rally. SBS is also airing a nightly package (see local guide). 2 Moto 8: The Movie Red Bull TV On demand Anytime From the biggest motocross tracks on Earth to the off-road wonderscape of the Australian Outback, Moto 8: The Movie pairs the greatest riders in the game and the world’s most breathtaking locations in a revolutionary new film about two-wheel passion. 3 MotoGP Test Sepang LIVE Videopass 28-30 Jan 1pm Catch all the action of the Sepang MotoGP test live on MotoGP’s Videopass.…

AS WE SLITHERED around the 90-degree corner, the back straight of New Zealand’s Pukekohe circuit unfolded. All one kilometre of it, which eventually ends in a 50km/h hairpin. Life took on a new perspective as I lay stretched out as long and low as I could on the sidecar chair with my face centimeters from the tarmac. The raucous exhaust note from the 1962 Norton Atlas twin was accompanied by some disturbing mechanical clanks. From the corner of my eye I was aware of the largely-exposed primary chain thrashing around. With nothing to do but make myself as aerodynamic as possible, I had time to think... not many good thoughts. I remembered something I’d read recently about when the pioneering Wright brothers had finally developed their 1903 Flyer into a…

 VALENTINO ROSSI WILL not be hanging around to make up the numbers in MotoGP as he contemplates the age-defying concept of racing past his 40th birthday. Rossi will be 39 when the 2018 season opens in Qatar in March but within a handful of races he will face the agonising decision of whether to risk racing when he is 40 in 2019. Retaining young gun Maverick Viñales is an obvious choice for Yamaha, but keeping impressive rookie Johann Zarco on their books as a back-up for Rossi is also a consideration. Yamaha MotoGP team director Massimo Meregalli believes Rossi, who’s about to enter his 19th MotoGP season, understands the details of his career-defining decision. “Valentino will not want to race on knowing he can only finish 12th, he will only…

MARK CHIODO HAS been named as the second rider alongside 2017 Australian Superbike Champion Josh Waters in the Team Suzuki ECSTAR Australia squad for the 2018 season. Making his Superbike debut, Chiodo will have a lot to learn between now and the 25 February curtain raiser at Phillip Island. But as far as learning curves go, he’s arguably in one of the best places, in a team which won the title last year, and with an all-new bike. “It’s going to be a steep learning curve for sure,” Chiodo said. “However, I have a great team behind me, the current champion as a teammate, and the best motorcycle out there.” Waters is looking to defend his 2017 Superbike title and also become the first rider to win four Australian Superbike…

ROHAN TUNGATE WON his first Australian Speedway Solo Championship after a four-round battle that was only resolved in the final race of the final round. In what turned out to be a fairly predictable top quartet, Tungate edged out 2016 champ Brady Kurtz with a consistent Max Fricke finishing third overall ahead of Jack Holder. Kurtz dominated the heats over the four rounds with 18 wins, a second and a DNF to outscore Tungate by seven points, but he didn’t reproduce that in the finals. At Kurri Kurri (Rnd1) Tungate won with Kurtz left pointless after he fell, Tungate won again at Undera where Kurtz was excluded after Holder fell, at Mildura Tungate only scraped into the B Final on countback, he won that and then placed third in the…

AUSSIE GRAND NATIONAL Cross Country veteran Josh Strang will again campaign a Rockstar Husqvarna FX450 in the 2018 GNCC series. It’s his 11th season in the high-profile American championship, and it’s a fact that hasn’t gone unnoticed by gear sponsor Fly Racing who has recently released a three-part series on YouTube about the likeable Aussie and his career. Called A Decade of Chasing the Dream, the series follows Strang’s career in the US from his maiden season in 2007 where he scored his first GNCC podium, his third place finish in 2008, his second place in 2009 before finally clinching his maiden GNCC title in 2010. The 13-round 2018 GNCC championship will kick off In South Carolina on 24 February and finish on 28 October in Indiana.…

The Rob Woffinden classic is a prestigious night for West Australian speedway riders and the event has been run since 2009. Woffinden is a well known name in international speedway, with Rob riding in England from 1978 to 1993. He was a resident rider at the Claremont Speedway and won the 1987-88 WA Solo Championship. He emigrated to Western Australia with his wife Sue and son Tai (aged 3) where he became involved with Speedway again, and is now remembered as one of the many volunteers who toiled hard to complete the Pinjar Park track. When Tai decided to ride Speedway, his family were right behind him and returned to England when Tai was 15 years old. They lived in a caravan to make ends meet as Tai progressed through…

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. This year’s production cycle meant we had one last page to finish on New Year’s Day. Seriously? Who works on NYD? For most of us, that meant limited libation rations, clocking the fireworks on TV and uncommonly early to bed. And then it was back into the saddle and gearing up for this issue.…

briefs 9000 That’s how many kilometres through Peru, Bolivia and Argentina Dakar competitors will need to complete if they want to see the chequered flag of the 2018 event. The opening eight stages, through the soft dunes of Peru, eliminated plenty of fancied runners. Read our half-way-point update on page 118 Wouldya?! Joan Mir, the Spaniard who scored 10 race victories to claim the 2017 Moto3 world title, knocked back an offer from Valentino Rossi to ride with him at the Italian’s famous ranch. Why? Find out in our interview with Mir and Franco Morbidelli on page 86 Tungate slides to top spot As AMCN went to print, Rohan Tungate claimed the 2018 Australian Solo Speedway title following a hard-fought battle with Brady Kurtz. Read the report on page 123…

1 It’s the 25th Anniversary! The AMCN International Island Classic is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this Australia Day long weekend and the celebration is going to be big. Giacomo Agostini, Colin Edwards, Troy Corser, world-championship winning motorcycles and full access to the true legends, both man and machine, for the entire three-day event. Throw in the second annual running of the FIM Oceania Historic Road Race Cup, the Gala Dinner, the hugely competitive International Challenge and the fact that it falls on a long weekend and we guarantee ol’ Woose will be smiling down from above on the event he worked tirelessly to build into the remarkable spectacle it is today. 2. The ANZAC spirit The 2018 AMCN International Island Classic will play host to this year’s FIM Oceania Historic…

1. ENGINE MODES Rain, Road, Off Road, Rider, Sport and Off Road Pro. The entry-level Tiger 1200 XR variant features only the first three, with the XRX adding Sport, and the range-topping XRT the Rider mode. Off Road Pro is reserved for the XC family and completely deactivates ABS and traction control, and switches the electronic suspension to its Off Road setting. 2. SHIFTER The multi-directional electronic Shift Assist system is flawless and Cathcart reckons it’s got a fair bit to do with the experience Triumph is gaining in developing its 2019 Moto2 machine 3. BOINGERS The Triumph/WP semi-active suspension system on the higher end models is intuitive to operate and effective in its execution 4. LIGHTS As well as LED lighting all ’round, the adaptive cornering lighting system progressively…

The AMCN International Island Classic has mirrored the worldwide evolution of Historic racing to become Australia’s third-largest motorcycle event, behind MotoGP and World Superbikes. The intention was clear, right from the first Island Classic in 1994. In the inaugural programme, event chairman Peter Henderson and circuit manager Fergus Cameron laid out what would become Australia’s most significant historic motorcycle racing event. “Phillip Island has been closely associated with motorcycle racing since the beginning of the sport in Australia,” they wrote. “In recognition of this, the owners and operators of the Phillip Island circuit will conduct an annual Island Classic, which will become a major event on the historic motorcycle racing calendar.” It was a hugely ambitious claim, but it came true. “All competitors over the three-day event will have an…

RIDER PROFILE Name Kel Buckley Age/weight 37 / 60kg Riding experience A few decades Dream Bike (in this company) Harley-Davidson X90 LITTLE-BIG BIKES and versatility aren’t four words I’d normally use together. Especially when I was walking around the Benelli TnT125 looking at potential tie-down points. You see, the number-plate hanger and the indicator mounts – all spots where you can usually anchor something onto the pillion seat – are mounted off the swingarm. And whenever that’s bouncing up and down, you’re never going to get anything to stay put. The only other thing in the pillion seat’s vicinity is the passenger footpeg stays and, even better, they’ve got a tiedown-sized cut out in them with my name on it. A fruitless tiedownsized cut out it would transpire, because not…

Show time 3 FEBRUARY Thunder West 2018, FSB Pearlbrook, Scotts Creek Rd, Murrurundi, NSW. Steel horse muster, bike show ’n’ shine and tattoo competition. Live music, special guest Angry Anderson, camping available from 1 February (no fees) and wheelchair access. No BYO, no dogs and no fires. Entry $25; under 18s free; gates open 10am; no under 18s after 6pm. For information phone Fozzy on 0404 467 171. 25 FEBRUARY South Coast Show & Shine Gear Head Sunday, Toora Recreational Reserve, Jetty Rd, Toora, Vic. Gates open 8am. Bikes, cars, trucks, tractors, army tanks and rides, helicopter rides, live music and more. Fully licenced and catered. Show entry $10; general admission $5; under 15s free. For more information phone Joe on 0431 020 881. 10 MARCH Bike, Trike & Sidecar…

A – Aardvark. A burrowing animal, found in gravel traps. So that’s what the riders are looking for when they go in face first? B - …MW. Smartest motorcycle company in the paddock. Fully involved in MotoGP without all the bother and expense of actually racing. C – Crutches. Least favourite mode of transport for racers. D – Desmodromia. A land of despots where horsepower is all that matters. E – Exhausts. The things that used to make racing sound good, before electric bikes took over. F – Do you have to ask? G – Granddad. Someone who thinks real grand prix racing stopped when the two-strokes were killed off. H – Handlebars. Something for a rider to hold on to when a high-sider hurls him off his Honda. (Other…

AS AMCN WENT to print, Australia’s Toby Price was sitting in fourth overall in the 40th running of the Dakar Rally, 7m35s down on rally leader Yamaha’s Adrien Van Beveren, at the conclusion of the eighth stage of the 14-stage event. Honda’s Kevin Benavides sits in a very comfortable second place, just 22 seconds behind the Yamaha rider, with Price’s Red Bull KTM teammate Mattias Walkner a further 6m12s adrift in third overall. The race at the front is a fascinating one with far more than a winner’s trophy on the line for the leading duo. It’s been 20 years since a Yamaha rider has stood on the top step of the podium (Stéphane Peterhansel, 1998) and 29 years since a Honda rider has celebrated a Dakar Rally win (Gilles…

THE MILDURA RURAL City Council has revealed plans for a $21.8 million motorsport facility in a bid to attract the investors still required to complete the project. The ambitious effort, dubbed the Mildura Motorsports and Community Precinct, includes a three kilometre road racing circuit, a go-kart track and drag strip, as well as both car and motorcycle speedway tracks, a skid pan, various off-road circuits and even a jet boat course. Stage One of the project, which has been described as ‘shovel ready’, includes the road race circuit (including the pit facilities and control tower) and the skid pan. Speaking of its need for investors, Confederation of Australian Motorsport CEO Eugene Arocca described it as a “unique opportunity”. “Investors out there, private or government, really need to look at this…

Michael, you’re one of the most accomplished UK racers across closed circuit and real road racing; are you looking forward to Phillip Island? Last time I was at Phillip Island was on a GP bike in 1999, so it’s been a few years. I’m really looking forward to coming over. It’s one of those fast-flowing circuits that I really do enjoy and I think it will really suit me and my style. I’ll be riding a Yamaha FJ1200 that’s being prepared in the UK by Roger Winfield. I rode a similar bike in the Classic TT two years ago but this is a new bike, totally fresh. You’ve ridden some pretty cool machines at the Classic TT: Matchless G50, Ducati TT1, Norton Rotary – what’s the most challenging thing you’ve…

FOLLOWING Harley-Davidson’s 2017 announcement that it will launch 100 new models during the next 10 years, the American firm has applied for trademarks on three monikers destined for future models; 48X, Pan America and Bronx. The most recognisable is 48X. Since H-D already has a Sportster model dubbed Forty-Eight, it seems logical that it will be a variation on the theme. But the numeric use of the name is harder to explain, as is the X. The existing Forty-Eight’s official name is XL1200X, which might be an explanation, however in the past, Harley has also used a final X to indicate a special, like the VRSCDX Night Rod Special. Pan America instantly brings to mind the idea of a continent-crossing touring bike, but Harley’s range is already overflowing with big…

MCPINT POWER John McGuinness may be dodging questions about his links to Norton for this year’s TT, but it does all but confirm the legend will be back. SANITY SPEAKS Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers has called for an end to the use of unmarked speed cameras, saying the “sneaky” devices do not reduce the state’s road toll. SLIPPING SALES Australian motorcycle sales slipped by 9.3 per cent in 2017 when compared to the 2016 period with 10,659 fewer bikes sold last year. SPEEDY RECOVERY Australian long track champion James Davies was injured during practice for the Australian Solo Speedway title at Adelaide’s Gillman Speedway.…

Ken Wootton was weaving his usual magic through the pages of AMCN back in September 2000. Motorcycling Australia's current Operations Director Martin Port was Ken's Sport Editor and carried the nickname Pretty-boy Port. Inside the mag Gassit was found further up front in the news pages and even hosted the New Products page. You needed to go to the back page to find out where the Woose had been hidden in the previous issue. The new paint-scheme for our Long Term project Hayabusa was still on the drawing board with GSX-R colours scheme receiving plenty of approval from the team. Once painted, the Busa would be given away as a prize to one lucky reader. How much? $287,000 Sydney led the way with the highest median house price of $287K,…

Just like the Ed’s early experiences with learning to operate a clutch, my first bike was a 1972 Yamaha JT1 mini enduro. Dad and his mates rode the first wave of Japanese trail bikes. They would carry me and my bike through the rivers up behind Licola and Dargo. Like a band of early pioneers we pushed, pulled and forded our way into legendary destinations such as Lake Tarli Karng and Wanangatta Station. Often the bikes would be turned upside down on the river bank, having the water pumped out of the crankcase. The larger bikes, after having stalled on a hill, would sometimes fire up in reverse, rocketing back down the hill. My sister also ran the thing into the back of the house. The back yard resembled a…

AS WINTER RELEASED its grip on the south-eastern states, my Five HG-1 winter gloves quickly became too hot for daily commuting and with a couple of full-day tests on my to-do list, I required a glove that sat between Five’s HG-1 and its Stunt Evo summer glove. Enter the GT2 touring glove, and I soon discovered that while GT stands for Grand Touring, these are the most versatile gloves I own. I’ve been wearing the GT2 gloves daily for the past three months, including at our MoTY extravaganza, and I give them top marks for comfort. The Cordura stretch top allows them to slip straight on and off. Protection is via a leather palm, polyurethane (PU) palm pad and built-in PU protection on the back of the hand and knuckles.…

THE LATEST ROUND of “wrapping in red tape and cotton wool before bashing breathless with workplace regulations” finds me looking at my roadbike. My employer now requires me to submit – and follow – a travel fatigue plan for getting to and from work. A few of the guys have done theirs but, as usual, the dog ate my homework. Somehow, one of the guidebook-thumpers in OH&S was told I travel over 500km each way on a motorcycle and instantly predicted my spontaneous combustion. The motorcycling community can picture me, a middle-aged man riding a Suzuki lounge chair sedately along a highway. The safety department, however, sees me on a top-fuel nitro bike riding a single-strand high voltage wire with opportunistic interstate truckies taking potshots at me with assault rifles.…

SPEEDWAY RACING CAN give you the highest of highs or the lowest of lows. I was a Reserve for my home GP in Melbourne last year, and waiting in the pits, I knew any moment I could get a call up to race. I just try and stay relaxed and watch the heats, waiting for something to happen – maybe someone will hit the tape and be disqualified, then I’m on. As soon as I got the call-up to race, adrenaline took over and I was in the Zone. Just getting the chance to race at GP level is tough, so you need to make the most of any opportunity. In that heat I was able to beat out Maciej Janowski, Davey Watt and Martin Vaculik. As a Reserve for…

GRAND PRIX RACE winner Alberto Puig has been named as Repsol Honda’s new team manager for the 2018 MotoGP season, following the shock departure of Livio Suppo at the conclusion of the 2017 season. The 50-year-old will continue his role as the head of both the Asia and British Talent Cup series as he takes on the newly appointed role in MotoGP, and describes his second job as an “honour”. “I’m very grateful to HRC for this opportunity they have given me with the Repsol Honda Team,” he said. “To have the chance to be in this position in one of the most successful teams in the MotoGP championship is a very big honour for me, so I can only focus on giving my best back to Honda, and on…

FOUR AUSTRALIAN RIDERS have been granted an entry in next month’s World Superbike curtain raiser at Phillip Island, with Daniel Falzon, Troy Herfoss and Tom Toparis all named as wildcards for the 22-25 February event, while Wayne Maxwell has been granted a berth under Dorna’s one-event entry loophole. Falzon, Herfoss and Maxwell will join the 1000cc Superbike category, while Toparis will join fellow Aussies Ant West and Lachlan Epis on the 600cc World Supersport grid. Falzon, recently named as a factory Yamaha rider for the 2018 ASBK season, said, “Of course it’s always been a dream of mine to compete on the world stage and any experience we can gather from this opportunity will be valuable as we contest the ASBK season.” While officially only allowed three wildcard entries per…

CAMERON HEEPS DOMINATED a quality field at the Rob Woffinden Classic held at Pinjar Park Speedway on January 6. Organisers proudly called it the best yet, with four-time West Australian champion Heeps stepping up to win his second Woffinden Classic, the only rider to do so in the event’s nine-year history. Daniel Winchester had a perfect score going into the final after winning all his heats, with Swedish rider Kenny Wennerstam qualifying second, having dropped only two points through. Heeps qualified third-highest point scorer for the final, running from gate four which he considered his best option. The last qualifying spot was taken by another Swedish rider, Joel Anderson. He qualified by winning the B final, after scoring 11 points through the heats. After a strong start in the decider,…