Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 66 Issue 09 i Australian Motorcycle News

ONE OF THE missing pieces in Triumph’s new Bonneville line-up has been revealed in the form of the 2017 Bonneville Bobber. While the other members of the water-cooled Bonnie family – the Street Twin, T120, Thruxton and the new-for-2017 Street Cup and T100 – have followed a tried and tested formula, the Bobber represents something new for Triumph. The bike has been spotted on test on several occasions over the last couple of years, and the final machine is just as radical as those earlier prototypes promised. While the engine is the same 1200cc ‘High Torque’ motor that powers the T120, it has been re-tuned for even more torque at the bottom end. The chassis is also quite different. It’s a convincing hardtail-style design, although there is hidden rear suspension.…

ONE OF THE MOST coveted awards in Australian motorcycle racing has returned to where it began – the prestigious RK Chains Samurai Trophy is coming home to AMCN. The Samurai Trophy is awarded annually to the most improved, most outstanding and best young talent in Aussie racing, on and off the track. With past recipients including greats such as Mick Doohan, Daryl Beattie, Anthony Gobert and, more recently, Mike Jones and Josh Hook, the winner will be in legendary company. The list of 2016 finalists for the 29-year-old award will be nominated by key members of the industry. The general public will then be able to vote online to help determine who will receive the Samurai Trophy. As is tradition, this year’s winner will be announced early next year. Keep…

The Tuono is a clear class leader in terms of peak power output Dimensions A 825mm B 438mm C 850mm D 530mm Intoxicatingly exciting to ogle and aurally unique, the Tuono is just great to ride and eager to go fast from the instant its spine-tingling rasp fractures the ether. Listening to someone else stretching the V4’s vocal chords is almost as satisfying as doing it yourself, but not quite. Feeling is believing and take it as read, Aprilia’s Tuono puts the V into visceral. For 2016, the Tuono received a 100cc boost in capacity plus internal refinement in step with the revised RSV-4 superbike. All this fettling has resulted in a significant power increase over the previous model. Our dyno testing showed the Tuono is clear class leader in…

KTM has been at the forefront of the electronics revolution fromthe outset Dimensions A 825mm B 455mm C 875mm D 480mm The legend of the orange Beast is one that strikes either fear, fanaticism, or bewilderment into the heart of all who come face to face with it. Even if you have no knowledge of the phenomenal power it wields, both its towering height and aggressive poise make it an intimidating creature to behold. Sometimes likened to a giant mutant supermoto, the 1290 Super Duke R left a metaphoric storm of motorcycling turbulence in its wake when it was launched in 2005. Like the now synonymous KTM orange livery and marketing battle cry of ‘Ready to race’, the shock tactics of producing such an outrageous machine were totally deliberate, in…

It’s like an underground cyber-soul party pumping in the palm of yourright hand Dimensions A 828mm B 480mm C 885mm D 515mm As the only bike on test I’d not yet ridden, the MT-10 was the one I looked forward to the most. It’s just the way being bikurious works. Luckily I’ve come to dismiss first impressions, because although some may like the robotic look, in my opinion the MT-10 looks like a smacked arse – not pretty. But, I’m also someone who couldn’t really give a toss what a bike looks like once I’m on board. No time for looking at your reflection in shop windows when you’re stretching the thing’s vocal chords, and that’s what I prefer to do. Nevertheless, I still can’t believe that Yamaha has made…

Human nature will no doubt have caused you to scan the results before reading this summary. And no doubt you will already have formed your own opinions as to whether the scores are justified. If there is one thing which amazes me most about our overall winner, the BMW S1000R, it is its ability to impress such a wide variety of riders. Even dyed in the wool lovers of the voluptuously textured V-twin character seem to come away from the experience of spending time on the BMW with a surprising appreciation of this sharp and clinical in-line-four screamer. I even have to admit to being a little bit disappointed that one of the other great bikes among this seven hasn’t been given the opportunity to share some of the limelight…

A first corner crash took some of the sting out of the first race of the day, but a thrilling battle on the last corners of the final lap made up for it. The big victim of the tangle barely 100m from the start was the ever-luckless Jorge Navarro. The EG Honda rider touched Joan Mir and fell under the wheels of Brno winner John McPhee (SaxoPrint Peugeot) and RBA KTM rider Gabriel Rodrigo. All were out of the race, Navarro suffering a shoulder dislocation, and a bitter blow to his hopes of second overall. Team Asia Honda rider Hiroko Ono had topped qualifying, but a three-spot penalty put him on row two and handed a first pole start to Andrea Migno (SKY VR46 KTM), from new champion Brad Binder…

WITH A DUO of ISDE rookies in our Junior Trophy Team, retaining the title was a big ask, particularly under the new format where every score counts. The Spanish high sierra was a tough introduction for Jack Simpson, an enduro novice, but he demonstrated his talents as a motocrosser by winning the Junior division on the final day. Fellow rookie Nic Tomlinson summed it up: “I just didn’t expect the high level of riding. At the AORC if you were 20 seconds behind Sanders you’d be 15th. But here, 20 seconds behind Sanders puts you about 100th.” ISDE Junior Trophy 1. Sweden 10h 30m 55.71s 2. USA 10h 31m 40.94s 3. Italy 10h 35m 17.21s 6. Australia 10h 55m 06.38s…

WHEN DORNA TOOK over the rights to the Superbike World Championship there were several points of focus, and one was to improve the TV coverage, both its quantity and quality. The quantity is an open-ended question still, but Dorna media manager David Arroyo organised a visit to the TV compound to see the tech and sheer effort being put into the series, and how it is presented. As in many aspects of modern day WSBK, Dorna has brought out its MotoGP playbook to improve its TV coverage. This year it has copied the MotoGP running schedule in terms of what appears on screen during the build-up, and also uprated the graphics and information package. The massive Outside Broadcast (OB) truck brought to Jerez was opened up during the second Free…

It started off horrible. Phillip Island did its worst for the first two days: cold, wet, windy and treacherous. It finished up wonderful, as the characterful southernmost circuit showed its other side on race Sunday. Cool dry weather allowed the hottest of action, in all three classes. And brought a second GP win of the year to the man who had earlier broken Britain’s 35-year long winless drought. It also gave another tension injection to Moto2, and a frightening but ultimately rewarding Moto3 race, stopped after the last of a spate of crashes left the track strewn with riders, bikes and debris. MotoGP had looked as though it belonged to new champion Marc Márquez. Unleashed from the responsibility of counting the points, he dominated qualifying, and took off convincingly in…

Another race of upsets for the series stars added more tension to the last undecided championship and gave a glimmer of hope to Swiss Thomas Lüthi, who for the first time in his career won two races in a row. “Somebody asked me on the grid why that had never happened before. I told him: ‘That’s the reason I am still here’,” the former 125 champion said. The Garage Plus Kalex rider had claimed pole in a topsy-turvy qualifying session from veteran Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Kalex) and triple practice crasher Sam Lowes (Gresini Kalex), with points leader Johann Zarco (Ajo Kalex) only 10th after also crashing twice in a qualifying session with 20 falls. Worst-off was Álex Márquez (EG-VDS Kalex), in great pain and out of the race after getting…

Former ASBK Superbike Champion Josh Waters continued his comeback to domestic racing at Phillip Island with a strong 1-2-1 performance on his Custom Plates Yamaha YZF-R1. Waters has spent recent seasons racing in the BSB championship and this year competed in the All Japan series, and showed that he has lost none of the ability that won him ASBK titles in 2009 and 2012. Waters easily won Race 1 on Friday from recently crowned ASBK Champion, Crankt Protein Honda Racing’s Troy Herfoss who crossed the line just 0.026 seconds ahead of teammate Jamie Stauffer, while Brayden Elliott (Knobby Underwear/Royan Truck Repairs) was a further 0.045 seconds back on his Suzuki GSX-R. After Friday’s second race was abandoned due to severe weather conditions, the riders were presented with better conditions for…

IN HIS THIRD heat Greg Hancock was passed by Chris Holder on the last lap resulting in the American being disqualified from the heat by the FIM Jury under rule 070.10.13, which states: “A rider, who, having started in a heat does not make an honest attempt to ride to the best of their ability, as judged by the referee, shall be guilty of an offence, which may entail disqualification from the heat or a penalty.” Following the decision, Hancock withdrew from the remainder of the meeting and the jury opted to take no further action. Hancock claimed that there was a genuine issue with his bike, but the jury wasn’t convinced. “It’s never happened to me and it took the wind out of my sails,” said Hancock. “It robbed…

ANOTHER ENGINE UPGRADE in the continuing development of Aprilia’s new-this-year RS-GP brought the factory within touching distance of an important landmark at Motegi – only for a last-minute crash to spoil it. While riders ‘Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl have each made it into Q2 once so far this year, they were set for a double, with Bautista topping the Q1 list, and Bradl more than three-quarters of the way round on an even faster lap that would have put him top. With plenty of time in hand, however, the former Moto2 champion slipped off at the 90o corner, and finished third in the session. Bautista benefited from crashes ahead of him and placed seventh in the race, Aprilia’s best result so far.…

A HOST OF changes to the sporting and technical aspects of the WSBK series is set to give a visible boost to the ‘other’ Dorna world championship. While no calendar yet exists for the 2017 season, in a way it has already started thanks to a test day right after the races at Jerez. Significant technical change, in the form of standard throttle bodies for all, will come along in 2017. With none of the new production machines and homologation specials set for WSBK in 2017 having split throttles as standard, much work has already been done on the 2017 stock intake units in WSBK mode. Jonathan Rea (KRT), for example, has already competed with a linked set of four throttles fitted, in Race 2 at Jerez. New bikes will…

AFTER SEVERING TIES with the Yamaha Racing Team, Cru Halliday secured a last-minute ride on the Ducati Desmosport Panigale for the Phillip Island Championship, after Mike Jones booked his MotoGP ride. Halliday used the opportunity to get familiar with the machine and has been earmarked for a possible ride in 2017 if Jones is contracted overseas. “The guys have done a great job with the short amount of time we had,” Cru said. “We dropped seven tenths in Race 3 and each session we went out and got faster.” Halliday finished the weekend with 44-points, and fourth overall in the series. In Supersport news, Callum Alderson has confirmed he will be returning to the middleweight division next season with the support of Andy Offer from AARK Racing. Alderson will be…

 BRYAN STARING’S CAREER in Europe is coming to an end. In 2017 he will return to Australia, so we caught up with the Aussie rider, who has ridden everything from MotoGP to WSBK, to talk about leaving Europe and re-joining Team Honda as teammate to Troy Herfoss. “Unless you have similar or competitive equipment your talent is worthless” Why have you decided to stop racing in Europe now? There are a few big reasons for me that are quite striking and simple. For three years I have not been able to achieve any of the goals that I have set. I feel like it is only getting more difficult for me because every year has been harder, and I have not had equipment capable of winning. There’s also the fact…

EVEN THOUGH IT’S not entirely new, Yamaha’s 2017 YZF-R6 is the first example in years of a modern Japanese 600cc sportsbike. With electronics and suspension derived from the latest R1, it now boasts the sort of technology the class used to thrive on, but there’s no sign of rivals following suit. The bike’s bare bones are familiar. Look past the is-it-an-R1 styling and the metal bits below all look largely identical to the components used since 2008, themselves only updates on the 2006 model. The Deltabox frame, swingarm and engine cases all appear to be straight carry-overs, and even the exhaust – one part that you might expect to change given tighter Euro 4 emissions rules – seems unaltered. But just as Honda has used its old bike as the…

DUCATI HAS SO far announced only tiny tweaks to the Panigale for next year in the form of the latest EVO traction control system on the Panigale S. But recently taken spy shots suggest that there’s something bigger waiting in the wings. Or, more plainly, the latest in a growing list of homologation specials. There are plenty of things on this prototype that don’t add up, but indications are it could be a last-hurrah, top-of-the-range Panigale before Ducati reveals the bike’s replacement in late 2017. The suspension appears to be similar to the Panigale Superleggera, with black Öhlins FL916 forks and billet machined fork bottoms, although these ones are machined even more to include a weight-saving hole, just ahead of the caliper. Another Superleggera similarity is the fact that the…

JUST AS BMW offers multiple sizes of GS-badged machines and Triumph has a host of different-sized Tigers, Ducati is on the verge of expanding its Multistrada range to encompass a spread of engines. Given the existing Multistrada 1200 offerings already provide about as much performance as you’re ever going to ask for in an adventure-tourer, the next new machine will be smaller. We’ve already seen some pictures of the Multistrada 939 on test, but the latest shots reveal much more detail and suggest it will be launched at EICMA in November. The bike is believed to use the same 937cc Testastretta 11° engine as the Hypermotard 939 and the new SuperSport. That means it will generate 83.1kW at 9000rpm and 97.9Nm at 7500rpm, which might seem limp next to the…

FOLLOWING THE IMPLEMENTATION of at least some of the proposed reduced speed limits along New South Wales’ Oxley Highway, a rally has been planned as a last-ditch effort to stop authorities continuing with the changes. The Save The Oxley Ride will be held on Saturday, 5 November and will see two groups of riders leaving either end of the road to converge on the popular Gingers Creek Roadhouse just before lunchtime. There, rally organiser Ken Healy will speak to assembled rally goers and will be joined by Walcha Royal Café owner Toni Heaney, Mt Seaview Resort owner Ralph Clissold and a yet-to-be-named local politician. Both the implemented and proposed changes occur on the 165km stretch between Walcha and Wauchope, a road motorcyclists flock to for its mix of fast, flowing…

2016 BMW F800GS Adventure The F800GS Adventure was first released in 2015. It comes with enduro footrests, a reinforced adjustable foot brake lever, engine protection guards and a pannier rack, as well as an underseat fuel tank that raises the capacity from 16 litres on the standard F800GS to a whopping 24 litres. Like any good BMW there are plenty of electronic factory fitted upgrades too, such as Electronic Suspension Adjustment (ESA) and Automatic Stability Control (ASC), as well as an enduro riding mode which customises the ABS and ASC settings for off-road conditions. Other optional extras include a navigator system, lockable aluminium top cases and panniers. What it’s got The BMW F800GS Adventure is powered by a liquid-cooled, 798cc, DOHC, parallel-twin, fuel-injected four-stroke engine with four valves per cylinder.…

Choosing your own adventure Hi, In reply to Evan McDonald (Vol 66 No 06) and his dislike of all your coverage on adventure bikes, I have to strongly disagree. My previous bike was a 2006 GSX-R600 which I loved. My current bike is a 2016 BMW GS1200 Adventure. I’m 25, and I just completed just over 10,000km from Cairns to Perth Via the Savannah Way, Gibb River Road then up to the top of the Kimberley before reaching Broome and continuing south to Perth. It was all solo and completed in just under four weeks. I met many other blokes riding all sorts of adventure bikes – BMWs, KTMs, Suzuki DRZs and even a bloke on a Triumph Scrambler who’d burnt out his clutch. You obviously hang out in the…

 Servicing First service 500-750km Service intervals thereafter, every 3000km When the road starts to curve, the whole package starts to make sense REMEMBER THE FIRST time you ever tasted coffee? Odds on it left you a little dazed and confused. And yet it’s also odds on that you now won’t go a day without drinking a cup of the dark stuff, indeed, that it has become one of life’s rich little pleasures. For the novice rider coming to a café racer like Royal Enfield’s Continental GT, the experience can be similar. It starts with the arousal of curiosity. While any new bike that rolls into Gassit garage gets attention, the black Continental GT (it also comes in red and green) caught the eye big time. The midnight gloss paintwork, the…

The Monster R shows its sporty nature by saving its biggest hit until 8000rpm Dimensions A 823mm B 468mm C 883mm D 553mm Last time AMCN ran a naked group test it was the Monster 1200 S that joined the party. It was obvious from the outset that the S model was a very different animal than the other supernakeds. With an easier-going temperament and more laidback attitude than the stripped-back racer brigade, it stood out for its alternative approach to what a naked should be: more road than race, more of a cruiser than a carver. Since then Ducati has added the 1200 R to its Monster family. The R constitutes a marked step to the sports side of supernaked roadsters, yet the Monster still has that distinct Bologna…

Each corner is finished off neatly, even under hard acceleration Dimensions A 828mm B 460mm C 855mm D 532mm The Speed Triple is a modern classic which, in comparison to the other nakeds on test, seems almost timeless in its styling. This is a clever move in a sector where many bikes polarise opinions with their looks, and date quickly as a consequence. I haven’t met a single person who doesn’t appreciate the classy finish and styling which draws heavily on the Speed Triple family lineage. If there is a bike that unites opinions, it seems to be the Triumph. This universal appeal extends to the ride experience, too. It would be easy to simply take the modest maximum numbers achieved on the dyno and consider the Triumph out-gunned, but…

The first time I laid eyes on the 2016 Thruxton was at the AMCN International Island Classic back in January. When the shiny new 1200cc liquid-cooled beauty (fitted with the optional nose fairing) was unloaded, I felt the kind of heart flutter generally reserved for YouTube videos of labradors playing with ducklings. Alan Cathcart’s world launch feature in May (AMCN Vol 65 No 22) revealed the performance of the new Thruxton was something special, but dealt mainly with numbers, nuts and bolts. It wasn’t until I threw a leg over the bike at the recent Australian launch that I realised there’s another story to be told here – the story of beauty and the pure joy of riding that this bike delivers. The NSW city of Albury played host to…

When Harley-Davidson lifted the lid on its all-new big twin engine last month, it caused more than the usual stir. While the legendary Milwaukee marque has in the past been accused of putting marketeering before engineering, this time the focus is very much on the nuts and bolts. Quicker throttle response, more power and torque, a smoother ride, better feel... these are just a few of the qualities attributed to the new mill, dubbed the Milwaukee Eight. And early feedback about the engine fitted to its just released 2017 Touring range appears to be backing up H-D’s claims that it has upped the performance ante. Maybe someone at Hog HQ has been listening to the critics? The company couches it in more positive terms, saying the motivation for this new…

I AM A MOTORCYCLIST who has never owned a car. This is not a pathetic and stubborn way to prove my militant two-wheeled totality to a world that couldn’t give a shit anyway. It’s simply because I can’t see the point in owning a tin box in which I couldn’t live reasonably comfortably should I ever become homeless and destitute (again), or in which I can’t carry a stricken or unregistered motorcycle. I’m a van man. Proving the worth of mobile boxes yet again, our trusty Fiat Ducati Maxi came to the rescue prior to our recent nakedbike group test. With a last-minute loss of people power from our test team, plus freak weather taking out large swathes of our intended test route, we were forced to whip up an…

This is a fantastic ride that’s within spitting distance of our largest city for a short half-day escape from the rat race Central Tablelands, NSW ESSENTIALS Plenty of fuel is available at North Richmond, Kurmond and Lithgow. Bilpin does have a petrol bowser but not always PULP. Many outlets offer food including the Pine Orchard at Bilpin for coffee and hot food, and the Imperial Hotel at Mt Victoria, which is always good for a quality lunch. We particularly like Pips Place at North Richmond for a brekky before we take on Bells’ bends. Fix It MRD Motorcycles are located at Unit 2/3 Terrace Rd (cnr Bells Line) North Richmond. They have a fully equipped workshop and any general spares you might need. Opening hours are 9am-5.30pm weekdays, 9am-4pm Saturday,…

FOR THE PAST three years the Aussie trio of Tayla Jones, Jemma Wilson and Jessica Gardiner have dominated the Women’s Division of the International Six Day Enduro to the extent they’ve filled the podium positions in all bar a handful of special tests. Be it Sardinia, Argentina or Slovakia, the gals in the green and gold ruled. Come Spain came the rain – which fell mainly on the ISDE venue in Navarra on the high plains. But while the rain added “a bit more variety to the tests” according to Wilson, it didn’t appear to affect the annual crashfest that is the ISDE. As anticipated, the Australian Yamaha WR250F mounted Blu Cru led from the outset; however, it was obvious the competition had lifted its game. Jones, not long back…

Rea just needs two points of any kind Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Ducati Racing) made a great play in his bid to finish second overall in the final World Superbike standings in 2016 after his latest double win – his fourth this season plus a single from Lausitzring. In doing so he stopped the Kawasaki riders from scoring maximum points, and ensured that the championship fight itself will go to the final round, under the floodlights at Losail on the final weekend of October. Davies was untouchable again, beating Tom Sykes (KRT) in Race 1 by 3.290 seconds and Jonathan Rea (KRT) by 5.893 seconds in Race 2, both run in the autumnal Spanish sunshine. Davies was consistently lapping faster than his chasers on Sunday. “The bike was working,” said Davies,…

Moto3 often surprises by how few crashes there are in such close racing. The opposite was true here: the first start was a crash-fest, with five riders tangling in the second corner: Pawi, Mir, Loi. Darryn Binder and Martín. The last three were able to remount and get going. Then Arón Canet (EG Honda) fell off and remounted, and front-runner Nicolò Bulega (SKY-VR46 KTM) went out after a brush with Leopard KTM’s Fabio Quartararo. Then Guevara fell, and shortly afterward Rodrigo tapped Di Giannantonio in the front pack, putting the Honda rider and erstwhile third-placed Pecco Bagnaia (Mahindra) down. The big crash came on lap six, also in the front gang, as John McPhee (Peugeot Mahindra) fell as they crested Lukey Heights, triggering mayhem. He was hit by Andrea Migno…

CUBE RACING’S CALLUM Spriggs broke through for his maiden win at Phillip Island, in what was his last race in the Supersport class. His victory aboard a Kawasaki ZX6R in Sunday’s Race 3, and third in Race 2, (Race 1 was cancelled) also secured him enough points to clinch the Phillip Island Supersport Championship. Second place in the series went to JNL Racing Yamaha’s Luke Mitchell (8,2), who was riding a Yamaha YZF-R6, and Banhams Racing’s Sam Clarke (1,3), who ended up third on his Kawasaki ZX6R. Saturday morning’s race was held in arctic conditions and a track temperature of 7o . A heavy shower soaked the track during the warm-up lap and a number of riders, including eventual race winner Clarke and third-placed Spriggs, chose to change to wets,…

IT WAS CHRIS Holder’s first Speedway GP win since Cardiff in his world title-winning year of 2012. “To win an Aussie GP is the next best thing to being world champion,” said Chris. After a frustrating year he said: “To finish the year on a high is a big plus, it’s good to know you can still do it in good competition.” Holder narrowly failed to haul in deposed champion Woffinden and sensational debutant Zmarzlik in the quest for the championship rostrum places, finishing fourth in the 2016 series. But spare a though for Jason Doyle Of the 11 SGP rounds this year there were seven riders who each won one –Kildemand, Woffinden, Janowski, Lindback, Hancock, Iversen and Holder. Doyle won FOUR rounds, yet could only finish fifth overall. Though…

BARELY A YEAR after grid-position penalties were introduced to prevent Moto3 riders from loitering on track during qualifying, waiting for a fast rider to follow, a draconian new penalty structure has severely increased the cost. This was in line with threats by Race Director Mike Webb when the penalties were introduced, who said: “If this is not effective, we will go further.” The practice, which sees groups of riders cruising together, then joining a pursuit pack when someone such as Binder comes by, had continued in spite of penalty points and grid-position penalties of three places or more for persistent offenders. From Saturday morning at Motegi, offenders could find themselves in line for much more severe punishment. If at a single event a rider takes more than 110 percent of…

SHANE BYRNE (Be Wiser Ducati) won the British Superbike Championship after a season-long fight with Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) that came down to the final round at Brands Hatch on 14-16 October. The three-race fixture started off in the worst possible way for Haslam’s title challenge after he qualified well down the order and then crashed on the opening lap of Race 1. Australian Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) also fell foul of treacherous conditions, as did James Ellison (JGSpeedfit Kawasaki) who had a spectacular highside on lap six while leading the race. Peter Hickman stepped up to assume control and take a comfortable win ahead of Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) and Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati). Aussie Josh Hook, who arrived injured, suffered a small crash early on that…

FROM THE BACKBLOCKS of Brisbane to the sweeps of Bathurst was a long way for self-taught high-performance guru Barry Taylor. “When I was 12 in 1956, I’d go paddock bashing around Capalaba with Matt Daley, who went on to win a number of Australian short-circuit titles in the 1970s. That’s how it all started. “We didn’t have enough money to hot up our bikes, so we learned to do it ourselves. I’m a bush mechanic, and ended up working at Bill McGregor’s Cairns Honda dealership in 1968, then Griffith Honda at Ipswich. That’s when I bought a Honda CB750. We were always trying to make it go faster, and we came up with an 836cc engine using machined CB350 pistons. That gave me 10:1 compression, and I ground a cam…

IT WAS BACK in 2014 that we first caught a glimpse of BMW’s K-based six-cylinder bagger on test. Despite being based on an existing model and looking largely complete even then, it’s taken more than two years to reach the stage where BMW is happy to finally reveal the bike to the public. So here it is, the K1600B. After last year’s Concept 101, which previewed the new bike’s body panels but added an oversized front wheel, slammed stance and weird timber trim down the sides, it looks a little blander than we might have expected. A more interesting paint scheme could help, but at the moment black on black with black trim is the only option to choose from. Peer through the murky shadows cast by that finish and…

The essence of a street performance motorcycle KTM 1290 Super Duke R Configuration: 75° V-twin Capacity: 1301cc RRP: $24,995 (+ ORC) Aprilia Tuono 1100 RR Configuration: 65° V4 Capacity: 1078cc RRP: $22,000 (+ ORC) Triumph 1050 Speed Triple R Configuration: In-line triple Capacity: 1050cc RRP: $20,350 (+ ORC) Yamaha MT-10 Configuration: Cross-plane four Capacity: 998cc RRP: $17,999 (+ ORC) Suzuki GSX-S1000 Configuration: In-line four Capacity: 999cc RRP: $14,990 (+ ORC) Ducati Monster 1200 R Configuration: 90° L-twin Capacity: 1198cc RRP: $27,490 (+ ORC) BMW S1000R Configuration: In-line four Capacity: 999cc RRP: $20,600 (+ ORC) Streetfighter, roadster, muscle bike, supernaked. It doesn’t matter what you call them, they each contain the very essence of what makes a street performance motorcycle: rich mounds of mumbo, a razor-sharp chassis and a cockpit that…

The S1000R is still the duck’s guts. It’s not perfect, butit just works Dimensions A 818mm B 455mm C 868mm D 540mm A formidable contender in the supernaked class, the S1000R features an eye-popping spec sheet, high-performance S1000RR lineage and great pricing that helped it win AMCN Motorcycle of the Year in its debut back in 2014. Two years on it remains an extremely attractive package for those with a penchant for performance, a love of technology, and an eye for a cracking deal. As well as being incredibly civilised – with cruise control, heated grips, and comfort tuned suspension settings at the touch of a button – the BMW is also extremely well-endowed with the faaaaaark factor. It’s the seamless bringing together of these two worlds that makes the…

Built to suck up punishment, while deliveringexhilarating performance Dimensions A 812mm B 460mm C 868mm D 510mm The most striking attribute of Suzuki’s superbike-derived naked is undoubtedly its price. Three grand more will get you the next-least-expensive MT-10, after which you’ll need another two thousand-plus for the Trumpy or Beemer, and an extra 10 big ones or more for the big twins. The question is: if it’s that cheap, how good can it be? As good as a Gixxer Thou sans fairing fitted with a motocross style Renthal Fatbar, that’s how good! Whenever a new model is thrust upon us with ever more power, cannier electronics, and shinier gold suspension, part of me is overjoyed. But part of me wonders whether it’s all entirely necessary. Resolving my internal conflict allows…

APRILIA ENGINE Configuration 65° V4 Cylinder head DOHC, four valves per cylinder Capacity 1078cc Bore/stroke 81 x 52.3mm Compression ratio 13.0:1 Cooling Liquid Fuelling EFI, 4 Marelli 48mm throttle bodies Power 121.09kW @ 11,000rpm (measured) Torque 114.07Nm @ 9300rpm (measured) TRANSMISSION Type six-speed, quick-shifter Clutch Wet, slipper Final drive Chain CHASSIS Frame material Aluminium Frame layout Twin spar Rake 24.7° Trail 99.7mm SUSPENSION Sachs Front: 43mm USD, adjustable damping, 110mm travel Rear: Monoshock, fully adjustable, 130mm travel WHEELS/TYRES Wheels Aluminium alloy (Cast) Front: 17 x 3.5 Rear: 17 x 6.0 Tyres (std) Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa Front: 120/70ZR17 (58W) Rear: 200/55ZR17 (78W) BRAKES Brembo Front: Twin 320mm discs, four-piston radial calipers Rear: S220mm disc, two-piston caliper DIMENSIONS Weight 214kg (wet, measured) Seat height 825mm Max width 810mm Max height 1080mm Wheelbase…

IN STOCK-STANDARD form, the Nemesis may not be everyone’s cup of Chinese tea, but that certainly hasn’t stopped the licence holders in my household making a beeline for the keys each morning. That’s because the single-cylinder runabout is a doddle to ride. Number one son is still on his L plates, and while his eyes were firmly fixed on my modified café racer, he soon realised that it’s more of a weekend cruiser than a daily commuter. Faced with a choice of the bus or the Nemesis, he quickly learned the joys of practicality. And I’ve enjoyed the comedy value of watching a Gen Y struggle with the concept of a choke. Mrs Ed has also taken a shine to the Nemesis. As a returning rider she has the licence…

1 City of Angels Link International From $69 (07) 3382 5000 linkint.com.au The Pirelli Angel CiTy is designed for sportsbikes up to 300cc and other commuter bikes, and are suitable for riding around the city as well as for recreational use. The tyre features cutting-edge technology for high durability, safety in all conditions and sporty handling. Fronts and rears start from $69. 2 On The Skids Cassons From $69.95 (02) 8882 1900 cassons.com.au The Rjays Skid Glove is made from a combination of leather and textile and it features high-density moulded hard knuckle protection, perforated venting, elasticised panels on the back, a reinforced grip section and dual stitched palms. Men’s and women’s sizes available. 3 Hi-Flow Filtration CTA Australia $130.95 (02) 9604 3377 ctaaustralia.com.au A high-flow replacement air filter from…

Marvellous and Magnificent. Merciless and Mighty. Marc and Márquez. And world champion again – for a third time in four years; a fifth time in seven years. While his last remaining rivals slithered out of contention in a crash-happy Japanese GP at Motegi, the Repsol Honda rider confounded even his own expectations by taking the 2016 MotoGP crown at Honda’s own circuit with three races to spare. “When I arrived, I honestly didn’t expect it. And when I did it, I didn’t expect my team to have T-shirts or anything ready,” said the delighted 23-year-old Spaniard. “But they believed in me.” Few could have believed that both factory Yamaha riders would have crashed out of the race, but it was exactly what Márquez needed. Rossi went early, on lap seven…

Crashes were key in Moto2. Although the championship had been closing up, all that changed on the first lap when Álex Rins crashed on the third corner, remounting at the back of the pack with a broken screen. Next time round it was more distant challenger Sam Lowes who slipped off, having just got ahead of points leader and fierce rival Johann Zarco. While these ignominious exits defined the overall significance of the Moto2 race, they did not define the victory. Ajo Kalex rider Zarco may have denied pole to a hitherto dominant Thomas Lüthi (Derendinger Kalex), but he couldn’t stop the Swiss former 125 champion from leading start to finish, try as he might. The first laps were lively, with Franco Morbidelli (EG-VDS Kalex) in close pursuit of Lüthi,…

IN WINNING THE E3 (>450cc) division outright for the second year in a row, Daniel ‘Colonel’ Sanders may not have been able to save his team, but he did provide something for Aussie supporters to celebrate – in addition to the girls’ historic win. With French Federation bureaucrats denying their riders the opportunity to participate – a kind of protest over last year’s disputed results – Australia and the USA appeared set to duke it out for the 2016 World Trophy. Australia’s Josh Strang was the only bloke to have bested Kailub Russell in the 2016 GNCC, however, their ongoing duel ended on the very first morning in Navarra. Strang upended his Husqvarna FE450 – or vice versa – which resulted in a shattered heel bone and an early end…

There has never been an FIM Supersport World Champion like Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing). Already a four-time title winner, he took his fifth crown after a composed race win on his official machine once his teammate and only championship rival Randy Krummenacher had crashed out of the lead early in the race. Krummenacher had to win and hope Sofuoglu struck trouble to take the title battle even to the final round in Qatar, but he was the one who found the limit of his front and lost it. Behind Sofuoglu was a no-surprise surprise package in the shape of part-time rider Niki Tuuli (Kallio racing Yamaha). After two previous second places, his second place in only his fourth ever WSS race was almost expected as he continued to show…

MotoGP JACK MILLER Qualified: 5th Finished: 10th Fastest lap: 1m30.836s on lap 6 JACK MILLER BOUNCED back at Phillip Island with an inspiring performance that saw him finish in 10th position, just 0.04 seconds separating 8th, 9th and 10th. The Marc VDS Honda rider showed strong pace in difficult conditions to qualify fifth on the grid in the last flying lap of the session. In the race, Miller lost places off the start when he was pushed wide into Turn 1, but forged back to engage in a race-long battle with a half-dozen riders. “It was tough out there, a big old battle with a few hard fighters,” Miller said. “Not my best start that’s for sure, but it was alright. We were sat in a group there with the…

GREG HANCOCK WRAPPED up his fourth World Speedway Championship before Chris Holder delighted the home fans by winning the QBE Insurance Australian FIM Speedway Grand Prix at the roofed Etihad Stadium in a rainy Melbourne on Saturday 22 October. When the 46-year-old American got the better of Pole Piotr Pawlicki in Heat 4 he put the 2016 title out of the reach of his rivals, but he failed to finish the meeting (see story opposite). Even without Hancock there was plenty at stake and the minor placings in the championship were ultimately not decided until the final. The 20 heats produced quality racing and excitement, boosted particularly in the last round as five riders were still battling for the last two places in the top eight for the season. Both…

PHILLIP ISLAND WINNER Cal Crutchlow believes he deserves an upgrade to a full factory Honda RC213V but is resigned to the fact that he will not get a top-spec bike anytime soon. If ever. Riding for the satellite LCR Honda squad, Crutchlow has won two of the past six races. His storming win in the Australian GP comes two months after his maiden victory at Brno. And Crutchlow was miffed not to see HRC top management at the winner’s press conference. Since the Czech GP, Crutchlow has scored 100 points to the 92 by newly crowned world champion and Honda golden boy Marc Márquez who crashed out of the Island race while leading by a comfortably margin. “A factory bike isn’t going to happen, but maybe I deserve more support…

VALENTINO ROSSI IS urging promoters to move the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island to a late-summer date in March. The Italian is increasingly concerned about safety and the image of MotoGP, saying that it is “very dangerous to run this race in winter,” after another weekend of cold, windy and wet weather. The late afternoon race start time of 4pm, with a dramatic drop in track temperature, is also an issue. Rossi dismisses the claim that the Island Motorcycle Grand Prix cannot be run in March a week or two in advance of the Australian Formula 1 GP in Melbourne. The nine-time world champion says the Australian Grand Prix Corporation and Dorna should take note of what happens in Italy and Japan and improve the MotoGP show by moving…

MAVERICK VIÑALES BURIED the reputation of Phillip Island as a bogey-track for Suzuki with a stirring ride to third on the factory GSX-RR in this year’s Australian Grand Prix. Amazingly, it was only the second time in 22 premier class grand prix events (since 1989) that a Suzuki had finished on the podium in the Australian GP at the Island. In 2006 former factory rider Chris Vermeulen finished second, ahead of Valentino Rossi on a Yamaha, in a rain hit flag-to-flag race, riding a 990cc Suzuki. The decade-long wait is a signal that Suzuki is making giant strides after taking a three-year hiatus from MotoGP. Now a Fox Sports TV analyst, Vermeulen retains close links to the Suzuki factory squad. “It was a great ride by Maverick to get third…

AMERICAN IMPORT JUSTIN Brayton (Team HRC Honda) secured back-to-back wins in the Australian Supercross Championship at a slick and technical Toowoomba track. In the heats, Brayton – along with fellow countryman Wil Hahn (NPE Kawasaki) – gapped third-placed rider Lawson Bopping (DPH Motorsport) by more than 40 seconds to set the stage for the main event. Brayton’s poor start in the decider left him fighting through the pack as Todd Waters (Wilsons Suzuki) stormed to an early lead. Waters looked to be the one to beat before the rough track took its toll, leaving him picking up his bike from between the whoops twice in as many laps. Brayton’s experience proved vital as he logged consistent laps to take the win ahead of Hahn. Dean Ferris (CDR Yamaha) rounded out…

SUZUKI AUSTRALIA Marketing manager Lewis Croft was an interested spectator at the final round of the ASBK series at Winton Raceway, and was spotted again in the Australian Superbike category pit area at the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix. While Croft said it would be great to see the new GSX-R1000 winning Superbike races in Australia next year, there are no plans for a factory-backed Suzuki team. The Japanese motorcycle manufacturer will instead offer assistance to teams through its Race Support program. “Suzuki Australia will not be fielding a distributor-backed factory racing team for 2017,” Croft told AMCN. “My purpose for attending these race meetings was to catch up with some riders and teams who have been racing the GSX-R, and understand their racing goals and aspirations for 2017. Of course,…

THE SPORTS RIDERS Club of Tasmania (SRCT), formerly the Sidecar Racing Club of Tasmania, has been running ride and race days at Baskerville Raceway near Hobart since 1976. The club hosted several Australian Road Race Championships in the past, the most recent being in 1999. Through the hard work and commitment of the SRCT members, Baskerville has seen a strong resurgence in motorcycle racing in recent years and now regularly hosts well-subscribed ride days and race days with capacity grids. This coincides with the efforts of the ‘Baskerville Foundation’ which set about raising funds for a much-needed upgrade of the Baskerville facility in 2013. Improvements have been ongoing since then, but December will see work begin to resurface the circuit completely. Baskerville has long been regarded as one of the…