Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 66 Issue 06 i Australian Motorcycle News

BACK IN APRIL, we revealed Kawasaki’s plans for a retro-styled Z900RS (Vol 65 No 20). Leaked details of a model internally coded as ZR900B now confirm the bike exists. Our Japanese sources, who also created this mock-up image, say it is powered by an all-new four-cylinder engine designed specifically to have a retro style. While Honda went the whole hog and created the world’s only large, air-cooled four-cylinder engine that can beat the latest emission regulations (see below), the Kawasaki motor is said to be water cooled. However, like the latest Triumph Bonneville’s engine, it has been designed to disguise its nature, with prominent fins that replicates the original Z1 engine. Although it’s known Kawasaki is also working on a supercharged naked retro bike, the Z900RS will be naturally aspirated.…

KTM’S REVISED CORPORATE style is set to spread across its whole range next year – and new spy shots show how it will affect the V-twin Adventure models. We’ve already seen how the Super Duke will be revamped in 2017, and that the Duke 390 is getting restyled to match. Now it’s clear that the 1190 Adventure will get the same treatment. The updated look is based around a new headlight, which is undeniably distinctive even if it’s not conventionally attractive. Instead of the stacked vertical light units used on the current KTM range, all the new bikes get twin headlights. However, they’re long, slim units mounted vertically, with a small split between them – perhaps serving as an air intake on some of the models. While the Adventure seen…

MANUFACTURING dirt bike bits is where it all began 40 years ago for the high-end global suspension brand Öhlins. Now the Swedish company is going full circle with the release of its motocross-specific TTX Flow. Starting from scratch, the TTX Flow took two years and thousands of hours of development and testing to reach fruition and, as it coincides with the firm’s 40-year anniversary; it’s a product Öhlins is particularly proud of. The company is citing unrivalled bike stability and greater traction as the TTX Flow’s two biggest improvements over both its predecessor and its rivals, effectively calming down the bike’s chassis to achieve better control and performance. Effective suspension set-up has long been considered a dark art of turns and clicks and whatever else, but Öhlins has made a…

“I always hoped I’d have a bit of the style of Bob Brown, because Bob was professional” Forty years before the Grand Prix promoters invented a prize for the best performed non-factory rider, there was an unofficial racers’ badge of honour – the top 500 class private entrant. It was particularly appropriate at the end of the 1950s, when MV Agusta was the only premier-class works team, and invariably the winner. Bob Brown finished third in the 1959 World 500 Championship with three podium finishes, as well as two fourth placings and a fifth in seven rounds. He was also third in the 350 championship. The men who beat him in both classes were works MV riders. Put another way, Brown was top four in five of the season’s seven…

There is something very pure and honest about this little air-cooled single Servicing First service 1000km Service intervals thereafter 4000km then every 4000km WE COULDN’T POSSIBLY finish our series of LAMS specials without looking at the market’s most economical learner-approved bike, the CB125E. For a mere $2299 (+ ORC) you can have your own brand spanking new motorcycle. So what do you get for that amount of money? Well, in mechanical terms you get a 124.1cc carburetted single-cylinder air-cooled engine, a five-speed gearbox, and a package built to Honda’s renowned quality standards. In more general terms you get a little ripper of a bike with many things going for it. First and foremost, it’s cheap to run. That fuel gauge goes down so slowly you might suspect it’s broken.…

The V-twin snarls into life with a pleasing throaty note WHENEVER A NEW LAMS bike appears on the market, a wave of excitement passes over my little learner corner of the office. Regardless of how many great bikes I’ve already ridden, I can’t help but wonder if this new model might be ‘the one’. And sure enough, when I heard about Suzuki’s new SV650 LAMS, I got that tingle of anticipation. Youngy jetted off to the Sunshine Coast in June for the launch and on his return he had that glint he gets in his eye when he talks about some bikes (actually, all bikes, but still) and that came through in his test report (Vol 66 No 01). So when he said that we would have one in Gassit…

AFTER BMW LEFT the championship in its official form a few seasons ago, the slightly haphazard presence in recent years has been casehardened into two sharp and well-funded ‘customer-support’ teams in 2016. With its Teutonic technology, BMW was a big departure for Italian-to-the-core Althea Racing team to take on, but so far they are the best of the S1000RR squads. This is a team that won the entire championship with Ducati works bikes in 2011, now with Jan Witteveen as the linkman back to Germany, and double IDM champion Markus Reiterberger as well as recent WSBK race winner Jordi Torres, so it was a formidable effort long before they had turned a testing wheel. That said it has been a tough year, leaving Torres stuck between the works bike top…

WHATEVER THE RE-FORMED and multi-national Pata Yamaha World Superbike Championship team expected in their first year back into the global mix, having both their riders injured and their bike showing speed but few results, was definitely not on any of their spreadsheets. At this stage last season, many of the WSBK regulars thought that the 2014 champion Sylvain Guintoli and super-fast ex-BSB champion Alex Lowes would be the best line-up of all the available riders at that time. When Yamaha signed both – just as the R1 had won all kinds of top races and championships in its first year in 2015 – all observers expected some degree of success, even if it had to take some time to come. So far neither Lowes nor Guintoli have placed higher than…

PERHAPS THE GREATEST perk of working for AMCN is having access to the long-term fleet. You get to ride around on a brand-new bike as though it were your own, making modifications, planning rides and simply enjoying that warm fuzzy feeling whenever you think of it waiting in the garage. But when the time is up, it’s up, and that kinda sucks. For me, saying farewell to the MT-07 has been especially sad. Most of us remember our first ride fondly, and that’s what the Yamaha LAMS was for me. From those first tentative forays into Melbourne’s eastern suburbs with L plate affixed, to a post-deadline blat out to Arthurs Seat, road confidence courses with HART, early morning and late evening commutes to and from the office and eventually, actually…

The longest track gave no chance to escape in a hectic Moto3 race, with the lead pack at one point 15 strong, and the remaining eleven across the line in just 1.6 seconds. Keeping a cool head counted for everything, as Brad Binder took his fourth win of the season to further extend his massive points lead. The Red Bull KTM rider was helped also by fresh misfortune for his closest rival Jorge Navarro. The EG-Honda rider had moved steadily through from 18th on the grid to join battle with the leaders, only to be knocked flying by a headstrong wildcard with two laps to go. Zero points. That wildcard was Stefano Manzi (Mahindra), himself through from 34th on the grid, in perhaps the ride of the race. He finished…

It was an atypical Moto3 race, with the usual dozen-strong leading pack breaking up before half distance. But it was a typical result for champion elect Brad Binder, with a tactical last-lap masterstroke giving the Red Bull KTM rider his fifth win of the year, extending his championship lead to a massive 106 points. The battle was with last year’s winner Enea Bastianini, who had led laps one and three, then dogged Binder’s wheeltracks, the pair better than a second clear after nine laps. With five laps to go the Italian’s Gresini Honda went ahead, but it turned out to have been at Binder’s invitation, and the South African was relieved to note that the lap times immediately stretched. It left the way open for his last-lap attack, and a…

JACK MILLER HAS conceded that his battered body needs repair so he can focus on being fully fit for his home MotoGP race at Phillip Island next month. In a tough decision Miller conceded that a lack of strength in his right hand because of fractures and ligament damage triggered his withdrawal on the eve of Sunday’s San Marino Grand Prix. Miller said he had little choice after fighting a brave battle against injuries suffered in a warm-up crash at the Austrian GP four weeks earlier. “No way could I have done 28 fast laps at Misano, I realised that on Saturday night after qualifying, and a pain-killing injection was not the answer,” Miller said. The 21-year-old has raced just once in four GPs since his seventh place in the…

TWO WINS IN a row and now three for the year to date, but Jason Doyle has still not headed American Greg Hancock in the battle for world speedway supremacy. Doyle won the German SGP at Teterow on 10 September but with Hancock finishing third in the final, Doyle only made up two points in the world championship chase, whittling Hancock’s lead from seven points to five with three rounds remaining. For much of the 200th SGP round, it looked likely that Doyle would put a bigger dent in the existing seven-point gap. Doyle won his first four heats to be four points up on Hancock but for his last heat he changed his setup and finished last while Hancock won. Doyle (12) was still top qualifier ahead of Hancock…

FORMER MOTOCROSS CHAMPION Luke George decided to contest one race meeting in 2016 and his dominant performance left his rivals at the FIM Asia Supermoto Championship meeting on the weekend of 3-4 September, wishing that he had stayed retired. The foreshore of the Newcastle Harbour was the scene of the masterly display by George, who has only done some club days locally, as well as plenty of coaching, after retiring from professional racing in 2010 – and it was his first ever supermoto meeting. George used every minute in the practice and qualifying sessions for both the Asian races and the Newcastle Pro class, and it was soon obvious that the rookie was the rider to beat. Supermoto regulars again this year declared the dirt section to be “testing” to…

“Jack Miller is the sweetest naughty boy in the paddock” You look after the media centre and accreditation for hundreds of media throughout the MotoGP season. How did you end up with such a great job? I started working as a translator in the WRC round in Catalunya, Spain in Rally Costa Brava. The organisers also asked me to translate at the Circuit de Catalunya during the days they hosted MotoGP and F1 races while I had a regular job. I gave my résumé to the MotoGP communications director and I spent five years with the company before I started travelling to races. This year is my seventh season as MotoGP media officer. Which circuits do you enjoy visiting the most and why? I cannot say I have one absolute…

“I’m a bit saddened by the state of Australian road racing” How did you get into racing and bikes? My brother John ‘Wal’ Megalos had a Bridgestone 90 roadbike that he started to race in the early 70s. I was still in high school and helped him out. In 1976 I started racing with the Hartwell MCC with a Yamaha AS1 engine and a factory GYT kit housed in a Hodaka frame! I later bought a brand new TA125 Yamaha from Peter Stevens Motorcycles’ first shop in Moorabbin with the money I saved working as a bank teller. After Bathurst I converted the bike to alcohol, and that made a huge difference in its overall performance. Tell us about that first fateful trip to Bathurst There was a petrol strike…

Its chassis and the fundamentals of its engine are not being changed THE HONDA CBR1000RR planned for 2017 has been one of this year’s hottest topics, with the promise of a new tech-heavy powerhouse. But AMCN has exclusive word that the next Fireblade won’t be the all-new Superbike many fans were expecting. Our Japanese sources, generally impeccably briefed on forthcoming models, tell us the Blade will be honed rather than re-forged. While there will be wide-ranging changes to the engine, suspension and electronics, the updates will not be enough for the CBR1000RR to be issued with an all-new internal model code (see breakout). What this means is the main chunks of the bike – its chassis and the fundamentals of its engine – are not being changed. If correct, it…

THE Z900RS WILL have tough competition from a pair of revamped Honda CB1100s. The base model is due to be updated to reflect the alterations made to the CB1100 Concept that was shown at the Tokyo Show last year. That means a new tank, redesigned side panels, a new headlight and a reshaped rear end. The engine will also be updated to meet Euro4 emissions regulations. The new version is due to be revealed in October, probably at the Intermot show in Cologne, Germany. There’s also said to be a second model, called the CB1100RS, with higher-spec suspension and altered styling. It remains to be seen whether this turns out to be the long-anticipated part-faired version that’s been the subject of speculation ever since the CB1100R concept appeared amost a…

Phillips on top of the world Tassie-born off-road star Matthew Phillips made history when he claimed the inaugural EnduroGP World Championship plus the E2 class title at the final round of the series in France on the weekend. It’s the third and fourth world titles for the 23-year-old, adding to his Junior and E3 titles in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Onya Matty! Read more on page 135 111.039 mph, you beauty! That was South Australian Paul Van Der Heiden’s best lap around the Mountain Course on his way to winning the Newcomers B race at this year’s Classic TT. Full coverage on page 116 H-D’S HARD TIMES The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that almost 200 Harley-Davidson production line staff will be laid off as the American brand…

THE WORLD DIDN’T pay much attention when Honda showed its ‘Monkey Concept’ at the Bangkok Motor Show in March this year. It’s not surprising, really, given that the company never even released any official photos. But these new design patents show that the iconic old-school Monkey bike could be reborn and have a production future. Although instantly recognisable as a Monkey, the Grom-based design is actually a lot bigger than the original Z50. Those are 12-inch wheels, where the classic Monkey has eight-inch rims, so the fact the bike is still in proportion shows it’s something approaching 50 per cent larger. Presuming its dimensions are similar to the MSX125 Grom, though, it will still be small – just more usable than the original Monkey but at the expense of not…

Hammocks and mangos ‘Epic’ Adventures indeed for Mr Young and his tests of the interesting Triumph Explorer bikes up in North Queensland (Vol 65 No 05). It’s by far the best place in Australia to own a motorbike … any motorbike! It’s sportsbike heaven, with several high mountain ranges and literally hundreds of corners only 30 minutes from Cairns CBD. Then there is the incredible adventure/trail/ enduro bike riding 20 minutes away via Kuranda where you can be on Black Mountain Road heading north to the Daintree and Cape York, the same trails that Cobb & Co stagecoaches used at the start of the last century. There is jungle terrain more like Asia than Australia, surrounded by tall mountain rainforests, creek crossings, and cane fields. And you can do it…

On most start lines your heart is beating faster than the engine between your legs, that’s normal. But on the start line of Pikes Peak, your lungs are also gasping for every atom of oxygen they can get. After all, it’s already more than 2800 metres above sea level. Ahead, 20km of climbing, winding bitumen separated you from the finish line that tops out at a whopping 4300m. Welcome to the legendary Race to the Clouds hill climb. One of the prerequisites to tackling this iconic event, other than big kahunas, is the help of a potent motor, and this is one of the main reasons Victory had a crack at it last year. The team believed the event would provide it with an ideal proving ground to help usher…

IT’S A PIECE OF MECHANICAL ART When it comes to breaking out of the big house, there could be fewer bigger incentives to twine a long length of rope from discarded dental floss and scale a barbwire-topped prison wall than to have a Harley-Davidson CVO Pro Street Breakout waiting for you on the outside as your getaway ride. I pondered this as I stood in the shadow of the imposing stone walls of Parramatta jail. The CVO (Custom Vehicle Operations) makeover that the Harley-Davidson’s styling team conjured for its popular Breakout model has transformed it into the sort of bike many who are doing a stretch would happily have as posters stuck to their cell walls. Possibly as a constant reminder to get out and go straight – or to…

 BALLS OUT, HARLEYS aren’t my bag. Okay, so offer me a spin on a factory XR750 flat tracker and I’ll snap your arm off, but those Harley Fat Kings and Road Boys or whatever, just not my can of bourbon and coke, mate. But I also pride myself on having a wide open mind, a healthy sense of the absurd, and inquisitive weakness for two-wheeled vehicles of all kinds. Squeezed from a tube of whup’ass then dipped in molten midnight First impression when the Street 500 rolled out of the delivery van was, ‘Hey, that actually looks pretty sweet’. The long, low Street looks like it’s been squeezed from a tube of whup’ass then dipped in molten midnight. Its presence is every bit the full-sized motorcycle, so much more than…

There’s a whole new world of fun waiting for you above 4000rpm I LOVE MARKETING people, the way they take the English language and combine two or more words into jargon. Cocacolonization and Fictomercial are just two of my favourites. However, every so often, marketing people are responsible for creating something great and tangible, like a motorcycle, and that’s how the Ducati Scrambler Sixty2 was born. The 803cc Scrambler, itself an excellent example of marketing, has been a huge success for Ducati – but it’s not for everyone. Its punchy 55kW engine means it’s not suitable for riders on a restricted LAMS licence, and it’s these people who represent the most profitable section of the Australian motorcycle market. The guys and gals at Ducati had a free-wheelin’ California dream to…

Are we done for the final 1-2-3? Not if other seasons are anything to go by IT’S TEMPTING TO think that it has simply been an all-green season so far, what with Kawasaki Racing Team riders Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes having a one-two advantage in the championship after the opening nine rounds. They have eight and five races wins respectively. In addition, after Rea’s recent no-finish due to bike issues in America, they each have one non-finish each. Their nearest challenger for the top two positions is Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati World Superbike), who has four wins but is still 108 points behind Rea and 62 behind Sykes. Arguably the main difference between these two and Davies is that the Welshman has crashed trying to keep up…

WHEN WE LOOK back on WSBK history one day, the achievements of the 2016 MV Agusta Reparto Corse team – now a side chain of the company rather than a true ‘factory’ team – will be seen as somewhat miraculous. Everybody seems to be over-performing, despite a lack of development, a lack of key parts and testing time, and only one rider. Yet all have played a part in keeping Leon Camier in an impressive eighth place. With more reliability and enough testing, the MV Agusta team would be podium peoples already. Put into context it is an epic effort for the most gilded name in GP racing history.…

IN THE WORLD of the privateers, the Barni Racing Ducati squad has seen Xavi Forés graze but not quite feast on a podium finish. Regardless, 10th after nine rounds and 18 races is a more than decent effort. Ditto the GoEleven Kawasaki mono-rider team, with Román Ramos a sparkling 13th, despite losing two whole rounds to injury. Work to do for the Milwaukee SMR squad, as 2015 BSB Champ Josh Brookes has not found a happy place on the BMW. And with the team moving to Aprilia next year, where Savadori and a returning Laverty await, Brookes’ WSBK prospects are bleak. A late call-up for the Pedercini Racing Team Kawasaki squad, Anthony West blitzed his way to fifth in the wet and has had excellent rides in other conditions. His…

A QUICK SPIN review is exactly as it sounds – quick. It’s simply a few days buzzing around on a bike to get a bit of a feel for what it has to offer, or not, before it goes back to the manufacturer. A long-termer bike, on the other hand, is given a warts-and-all look over and tested under everyday conditions. After enduring some general commuter duties for our Quick Spin review in the last issue of AMCN, the Sol Invictus Nemesis XY400 has now joined our longterm fleet. Over the next four months it will be put through its paces by a team of testers made up of a learner rider, a returning rider, and an experienced rider. We will also be looking into ways the air-cooled 400cc single-cylinder…

A Modern Classic Ficeda Accessories $599.95 (02) 9827 7561 ficeda.com.au The Segura Nomad is a textile/leather combination jacket that exudes a classic waxed-cotton look, but modern tech ensures it’s waterproof and breathable. A removable thermo aluminium liner also keeps the rider warm. It has loads of pockets and armour, and an optional back protector ($29.95). Easy Access A1AccessoryImports $79.95 (07) 3451 1300 a1accessory.com.au Thanks to Motion Pro’s unique patent pending pivoting angled head design, difficult-to-reach tyre valves are no longer difficult to reach. It also provides added hand clearance between filler and hot brake rotors. It’s constructed from lightweight anodised billet aluminium and has a ¼-inch NPT female inlet. Taking Cover Cassons $599.95 (02) 8882 1900 cassons.com.au BMW R1200R riders can now take cover thanks to National Cycle’s VStream+ windshield.…

ROBBIE BUGDEN (SA Kawasaki BCperformance/Kawasaki Motors Finance), put on a faultless display at Sydney Motorsport Park for the fourth round of the Australasian Superbike Championship to extend his lead in the six-round series. Bugden fired his opening salvo during qualifying by claiming pole and a championship bonus point. He then led all but the opening two laps of the first race to totally dominate the event, winning all three races to claim a maximum of 76 points for the round, stretching his lead in the championship to 31 points. Standing alongside Bugden on the overall podium was Beau Beaton (Racer’s Edge Performance/Craig McMartin Racing/North Coast V-Twin). Beaton’s 4-2-3 result indicates that the Ducati is continuing to improve as the season rolls on. However, he had to work for it with…

SON OF A champion, Remy Gardner will replace Isaac Viñales in the France-based Tech 3 Moto2 team next year, riding the in-house Mistral 610 – one of only a handful of non-Kalex-framed Moto2 bikes. The signing was confirmed on race day at Silverstone, ending a season of uncertainty in which the 20-year-old Australian had only returned mid-season on a race-by-race basis. “Basically Herve [Poncharal, team owner] came around and asked if we were interested. Of course the answer was yes,” said Gardner, whose father Wayne was a heroic first-ever Australian premier-class champion in 1987. Negotiations had started two weeks earlier at Brno, Gardner confirmed, adding: “The pressure is off now, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be trying as hard as possible.” Remy, whose racing number 87 reflects the year…

AUSSIE MATT PHILLIPS has written his name into the history books by winning the inaugural Enduro GP World Championship, which wrapped up at Cahors, France on 10-11 September. This achievement was made even more remarkable because Phillips is still recovering from a serious foot injury he sustained while competing at Round 6 of the competition in Euskadi, Spain. The 23-year-old, who hails from Wynyard in Tasmania, won consecutive junior and senior world titles in the 2013 and 2014 Maxxis FIM World Enduro Championships. Phillips switched from KTM to Sherco for the 2016 season, primarily to contest the E2 class aboard a 450SEF-R. He ended up winning not only that class, but also the EnduroGP competition, which includes all classes. After five months and eight rounds of competition, Phillips finished 19…

THE PENULTIMATE ROUND of the series at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in America saw both the MXGP and MX2 world champions crowned. In the premier division, Tim Gajser’s fourth in Race 1 on the Gariboldi Honda was enough to give him an unassailable points lead and guarantee a second title in as many years, after winning the MX2 class in 2015. Wildcard Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) took the double win with compatriot Justin Barcia (Monster Energy Yamaha) coming second in the first race ahead of teammate Jeremy Van Horebeek. In Race 2 Gajser finished second and Glenn Coldenhoff (Red Bull KTM) was third. In MX2 Dutchman Jeffery Herlings (Red Bull KTM) pulled out a gap of four seconds in Race 1 to clinch his third MX2 title. Cooper Webb…

HONDA HAS CONFIRMED there will be no new, Euro4-emissions-legal CBR600RR. So the new Fireblade will be its only true sportsbike in many markets. Stocks of the CBR600RR will still be sold in markets where it remains emissions-legal, including Australia, and the firm will be able to apply for end-of-series exemption in Europe. This will allow it to sell small numbers after the emission regulations are in force, but only up to 100 in each European country, dependent on permissions. Even under that exemption, the bike can only remain on sale for a maximum of two years. It appears there is no project underway to develop a new CBR600RR. The same is likely to apply to most other 600cc four-cylinder supersport bikes, since the Euro4 emissions regulations are particularly hard to…

MV AGUSTA HAS already revealed its new Zagato-styled version of the F4 (AMCN Vol 66 No 05), and now the story behind it has also been revealed. Called the F4Z, it’s a one-off collaboration between MV and car styling house Zagato, created at the bequest of a Japanese entrepreneur who collects both Italian bikes and Zagato-styled cars. Wouldn’t that be nice? Mechanically it’s basically a stock F4, but visually it couldn’t be more different. The bodywork is made from carbon and aluminium, with the bare minimum number of separate panels. Instead, each part is as large as it could be to reduce the number of seams. Everything, including the fuel tank, is new, and the reshaped body required a new intake manifold and exhaust system to be designed. The seat…

NOT CONTENT WITH active suspension and inertial measurement units, Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ Japanese website is announcing the firm is hard at work on developing artificial intelligence (AI) for its motorcycles. It would mean an AI-capable ECU which wouldn’t require your input in terms of settings and adjustments of the bike’s electronic systems, rather it would learn your riding style and capabilities and provide you with the optimum setting you probably didn’t know you needed. According to Kawasaki, the bike would have its own “personality to grow along with the rider”. It also mentions “conversations” between rider and machine, though we suspect this isn’t literal and is simply a result of the translation from Japanese to English. We’re not sure we’re ready for a talking motorcycle.…

2009 Honda CB1300 The CB1300 Super Four evolved from the CB1000, which was designed under the ‘Project Big-1’ concept in 1992. This model was beefed up to 1300cc in 1998 and further developed in 2003 with the overall aim of blending performance and operability. Minor changes such as reducing the width by 20mm and modifying the engine’s ignition timing and PGM-FI were made in 2005. The model is also offered in a semi-faired version, the Super Bol d’Or that has storage compartments for touring applications, but even in naked form the CB1300 boasts a large under-seat storage compartment with a 12-litre capacity. What it’s got The Honda CB1300 Super Four is powered by a liquid-cooled, four-stroke, transverse four-cylinder 1284cc, fuel-injected engine with DOHC and four valves per cylinder. Power runs…

It makes a claimed 77kW at 8000rpm and a tyre-shredding 103Nm at 6000rpm Dashing style This simple dash is very much in keeping with the Octane’s pared back, classic-modern lines. For an extra $320 you can get a small additional clock on the left-hand side with a tachometer and a shift light – though if you do push on towards the 8500rpm redline you’ll find the donk keeps on giving. At higher speeds the Octane’s sporty-cruiser design is susceptible to buffeting, so another extra worth considering for extended highway use would be a windshield. The easy to install units come in two heights: 53cm and 58cm. Scout’s honour Some observers have pointed out the similarities between the Indian Scout and the Octane – not surprising since both marques sit under…

Every couple of years Harley-Davidson CVO (Custom Vehicle Operations) handpicks four models to undergo the CVO treatment. These bikes are fitted with top-shelf parts then sold in very limited numbers with a hefty premium. It’s a price tag die-hard Harley lovers are happy to pay, and after sampling the attention a CVO receives, it’s not hard to understand the attraction. Only the best professionally built customs can trump a CVO. The Breakout was already a popular model, but giving it a CVO makeover has turned it into a must-have item – but you’ll need to part with an extra $12,000-plus for the privilege. So what do you get for your extra investment? 1 Custom paint (three options) with hand-applied graphics. Both Starfire Black and White Gold Pearl models were ridden…

Everything about this bike looks and feels like quality IT REALLY IS no secret that I felt Youngy was punishing me (what for I don’t know) when he allocated rides for last issue’s LAMS adventure test. But it does seem I am back in favour with our most revered Deputy and Road Test Editor, because when we suited up for this urban test, I was pleasantly surprised to find my name tag swinging off the all new Yamaha XSR700. Had we been given free choice this would have been my pick of the bunch, so our relationship will now be a little less frosty moving forward. This thing looks the goods for mine, a tasteful blend of retro styling with all the mod-cons of today’s technology along with a nice…

AFTER A WINTER OF work on engine, electronics and chassis limits, taking the rules right to the last heartbeat of the venerable Fireblade, Honda has so far usurped all the other strong manufacturers in the best of the rest category: Aprilia, BMW, MV Agusta and Yamaha. Fifth in the 2016 standings is the rising Netherlander Michael van der Mark. His opening double podium was unmissable for Aussie fans at PI and he has carried on in that vein for some time, despite some dips and troughs. And still no race victory yet. He is on the same championship points as fourth-placed Giugliano, having scored five podiums in all. Of course many eyes have been not on the rising star of Van der Mark but on Honda’s much more established MotoGP…

THE MOST RACE-FOCUSED Italian machine of recent seasons has not come from Ducati. The loss of Aprilia as an official effort has been great, but the immediate reappearance of the factory bikes (thanks to the MotoGP exiteers IodaRacing) left the 2016 grid laden with potential riches when looked at dispassionately. In the shape of the ever-smiling Superstock 1000 Champion Lorenzo Savadori, Italy has another relatively young self-made talent worth nurturing, and just as well for Aprilia as he has contributed the bulk of the points the RSV4 has scored. The 23-year-old is on 110 points, just like Camier and MV, but is ranked ninth. His race best result so far? A fourth place, at Assen. Alongside Savadori, Alex De Angelis has been brave and determined in his comeback from his…

There can be no more doubt. With seven different winners in the last seven races – Lorenzo, Rossi, Miller, Márquez, Iannone, Crutchlow and now Viñales – this must be a new golden age. This time it was also a welcome return for Suzuki, for the first time since 2007. Maverick Viñales did it in dominant style, seizing the lead on lap one at the end of Silverstone’s famous Hangar Straight, setting fastest lap on the second, and pulling away from an unseemly brawl in his wake. He credited a change that transformed the Ecstar Suzuki GSX-RR after FP4 – “a base-setting change, and some electronics” – for allowing him to qualify on the front row of the grid. That, and a good start, gave him the chance. “The bike was…

It was a Moto2 thriller, rich in drama and surprises, heroism and heartbreak, and an outbreak of pantomime villainy. The villain was title leader Johann Zarco (Ajo Kalex). He caused the heartbreak for home hero Sam Lowes (Federal Oils Kalex), who had been fastest in every practice session, and was aiming for the win with four of 18 laps to go. In the end that honour went to Thomas Lüthi (Garage Plus Kalex), while arguably the biggest winner didn’t even finish on the podium. Lowes, Zarco and Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Kalex) were on the front row, and Folger made the best start. Lowes had taken over by the end of the lap, with Zarco third and soon to take second. All the while Lüthi was moving forwards in chunks from…

Dani Pedrosa is famously the littlest of riders, but he might as well have been eight feet tall on Sunday, as he became the eighth wonder of the world (championship). Well, a record-breaking eighth winner in the last eight races. It was a return of a racer many had started to write off, and proof that he has started to understand how to get the best of the Michelin tyres, if somewhat belatedly. The Repsol Honda man was one of only two riders to choose the new soft front tyre, though as his defeated rival Valentino Rossi (medium front and rear) was quick to point out, with the Michelins, riders have to choose not an overall best tyre for the race, but the best for their style and their bike.…

Two heroes emerged from the Moto2 race. One was first-time winner Lorenzo Baldassarri. The other was second-placed Álex Rins. The big loser, again, was Sam Lowes, with zero points for the fourth time in the last five races, after the Federal Oils Kalex rider crashed out of the group chasing the leader. Zarco (Ajo Kalex) started from pole and led the first two laps. But it was tough at the front, with Franco Morbidelli (EG-VDS Kalex), Thomas Lüthi (Garage Plus Kalex), Lowes, Baldassarri (Forward Kalex) and Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Kalex) trading blows through the tight twists of the compact circuit. And a little way behind, Rins (Páginas Amarillas Kalex), full of painkillers and aggression, charging through. He took the lead on lap six and cleared off, with Baldassarri leading the…

JACK MILLER WILL inherit Spanish engineer Ramon Aurin from factory Honda rider Dani Pedrosa for the 2017 season. Aurin is an HRC appointment and was a data and electronics specialist with Honda before taking over as Pedrosa’s crew chief this year from Mike Leitner who is now at KTM. Pedrosa does not wish to work with Aurin next year and the vacancy with Miller comes with his crew chief Cristian Gabarrini departing for Ducati with Jorge Lorenzo next year. “Ramon has been with Honda a long time and has lots of experience so it will be interesting if I get the chance to work with him,” Miller said. Pedrosa’s crew chief for 2017 will be Giacomo Guidotti who currently looks after Scott Redding at Pramac Ducati and previously worked with…

WHO WOULD MAKE the Superbike Showdown cut? That was the question answered at Rounds 8 and 9 of the BSB Championship. The Superbike Showdown pits the top six riders against each other in the final three Rounds (Donington, Assen, and Brands Hatch). While the entire field still races, the ‘Title Fighters’ all commence the Showdown Rounds with 500 points, plus bonus points for podium positions obtained during the main season. With just 40 points now seperating them, every rider who made the cut has a chance of taking overall victory – and the title. More than 60,000 fans turned out at Cadwell Park for Round 8 on 28-29 August. Leon Haslam (JGSpeedfit Kawasaki) battled hard with championship leader Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati), effectively narrowing the deficit with his…

IN THE 48 hours prior to the final rounds of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championships a deluge turned the Penshurst region into the perfect venue for a whitewater kayak slalom. The water level at several of the proposed creek crossings rose to the point where the Junior Divisions would have required snorkels to compete. But with more than 250 competitors en route to the popular Victorian venue, AORC organisers were quick to reconfigure the now impossible Cross Country Race format to shorter sprints. Many of the creek crossings were left in the course for the Senior Divisions and the mud made a great sport of guessing who was who (without access to the results of the timing transponders). Despite a strong turn of speed from his training buddy Lyndon Snodgrass,…

The Phoenix rises! PHOENIX MOTORCYCLE CLUB was created in 1964 by a group of bikers who hung around a café in Tavistock Street in Adelaide. After some bad front-page publicity following a weekend ride to Mannum, the group was encouraged to become MA affiliated. It did, and the club was officially founded. To gain experience in running competitions, the club ran small off-road scrambles meetings before moving into road racing at Adelaide International Raceway (AIR) in the mid-1970s. Within five years, Phoenix was the largest road race club in Adelaide with over 200 race-hungry members. Members included greats such as Ken Blake, Bill Horseman, Carl Hammersley, Jeremy Burgess and Greg Pretty. Between 1972 and 1986, endurance racing was highly popular at AIR, especially the Adelaide 3-Hour, and in the mid-1980s…