Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 68 Issue 02 i Australian Motorcycle News

The verdict from my better half was that it had been extremely exciting! I’M PRESENTLY WITNESSING first hand the effect an exciting MotoGP season is having on fans who have been skirting around the fringes of full grand prix fandom – and I have a front-row seat. Mrs Ed’s MotoGP education has come via my constant pre and post-race rambling as each round of the championship unfolds. Her knowledge has been obtained more subliminally than via any sort of real interest; I’m not sure if it’s her or I who is more surprised when she wades into a MotoGP-related conversation with her impressive knowledge. As I settled in front of my laptop to watch the recent Assen round of the championship, I was surprised to see the wife appear at…

LET’S GET REAL, you’re never going to wear that old motorcycle jacket hanging in your cupboard – ‘just in case’ will never happen – it’s time to give it a second, more meaningful life keeping one of Australia’s homeless population warm this winter. This year, everyone who sends in a jacket will receive a Gassit Pack valued by us at about a million bucks. Claiming your Gassit pack is as easy as posting your jacket to AMCN Jacket Drive, PO Box 20154, World Square, NSW, 2002 – just be sure to include your postal address and shirt size.…

Access, AMCN, PO Box 20154, World Square, NSW, 2002 access@amcn.com.au How do I donate my jackets? I bought myself a new Alpinestars jacket earlier this year and stuffed the old DriRider into a garbage bag ready for this year’s AMCN Jacket Drive for the homeless. When I didn’t read anything about it in the mag, I was going to drop it off at the local op shop. Luckily I never got around to it because I read in the last issue that the jacket collection is on. How do I get this jacket to you? Dave Jacobs Heathcote, NSW G’day Dave, we were a bit slow out of the blocks this year with the AMCN Jacket Drive, but we are now full steam ahead. There’s still a lot of cold…

Can you spot Jerez from Aragon, and Phillip Island from Motegi simply by the colour of the ripple strips? Then have a crack at our new Whereisit? competition. If you’re finding it hard, don’t panic – name as many as you can, and guess the others, you could end up taking home the big prize. Email your numbered answers to comps@amcn.com.au  for your chance to win! WIN GASSIT PACK AND XCEL PLUS PROTECTION! THIS WEEK WIN A BOTTLE OF XCEL PLUS’ SLUDGE OUT AND RING FREE TREATMENT! AMCN VOL 67 NO 24 WINNER: Alan Mills, Victoria…

WITH A NEW set of panniers as my wingmen, literally, the Benelli and I embarked on a 2000km journey through northeastern Victoria and southern New South Wales. There’s plenty to learn from 2000km in the saddle of a 500cc parallel-twin motorcycle – especially when your travelling companion is riding one of its fiercest rivals, a Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT. They’re both learner legal, they’re both twins (albeit different configurations), one is very new to the market and one more or less owns it. So the XT ’Strom isn’t a direct competitor to the base-model TRK, but how they stacked up against each other on the trip is both intriguing and surprising. I’ll go into detail about how I set it up for the ride, a quick and easy modification which…

A parking brake was required to prevent the bike from rolling away 1. The SMART CLUTCH SYSTEM offers the rider two choices; to use the clutch in the traditional way by operating the lever on the handlebar, or to allow the SCS to handle clutch duties. The two systems operate in parallel; there is no need to switch from one to the other. And yes, the SCS-equipped bike can still do awesome clutch-up wheelies. 2. Because the SCS does not allow the transmission to remain engaged when the bike is parked, the system required the addition of a PARKING BRAKE to prevent the bike from rolling away when left unattended. The parking brake is engaged/ disengaged via a lever positioned above the rear brake lever. 3. MECHANICAL NOISE has been…

DESPITE BEING OWNED by an Indian company, Royal Enfield retains strong ties with its British past, and in 2015 the foundations were laid for its new UK Technology Centre (UKTC) in Leicestershire. The ultra-modern facility sits within Bruntingthorpe Proving Grounds, the largest privately owned vehicle test track in the UK. Spread over 3000m² on two floors, the UKTC acts as the Royal Enfield global HQ for product strategy, vehicle development, industrial design, analysis, research and program management. It contains an impressive industrial design studio and modern workshops, including research centres for engine, electrics, chassis build, paint, modelling, metalwork and parts, each encompassing state-of-the-art equipment. The design studio has variable-height modelling platforms and a suite of workshop facilities, so most model preparation can be done in-house. There’s also a magnificently equipped…

ENGINE Configuration Parallel twin Cylinder head SOHC, four valves per cylinder Capacity 865cc Bore/stroke Not given Compression ratio 12.4:1 Cooling Air/oil Fueling EFI, 2 x 38mm S&S throttle bodies with nitrous Power 75kW @ 7040rpm (claimed) Torque 114Nm @ 5840rpm (claimed) TRANSMISSION Type Six-speed Clutch Wet, multi-plate Final drive Chain CHASSIS Frame material Tubular steel Frame layout Duplex cradle Rake Not given Trail Not given SUSPENSION Öhlins Front: 50mm USD fork, 60mm travel Rear: Rigid WHEELS/TYRES Wheels Forged aluminium Front: 17 x 3.5 Rear: 17 x 5.25 Tyres Shinko Stealth Hook Up Front: 120/60ZR17 (58W) Rear: 180/55ZR17 (75W) BRAKES Brembo Front: Single 320mm disc, four-piston HPK radial caliper Rear: Single 220mm disc, two-piston Goldline caliper DIMENSIONS Weight Not given Seat height Not given Max width Not given Max height Not…

BEFORE FAMED DESIGNER Fabio Taglioni retired in 1989, he had spent several years experimenting with an air-cooled V4 successor to the Pantah twin. In simple terms, he doubled up two Pantah engines side-by-side and used air/oil cooling. He achieved 994cc by using a radically over-square bore/ stroke ratio of 78mm/52mm. This short-stroke design produced 132bhp (98kW) at 11,000rpm using race cams and no silencing – much more than the first 851 Superbike V-twin. This engine had the potential to exceed 112kW (150bhp) using fuel injection. The design also incorporated another first for Ducati, a cassette-type gearbox. At the time of these experiments, Ducati was on the brink of corporate failure, producing fewer than 3000 motorcycles in 1983.…

There is not a great deal on offer as far as regular attractions and activities along this route but there are some great old buildings and historic landmarks to see if you look around. Taralga, Crookwell, and Boorowa all have interesting buildings with many having been renovated and given a new lease on life. The sausages at the Binalong Butchery are well worth the 32km dash south from Boorowa and even come wrapped in newspaper and string for a true old-world experience. While a lot of the area was predominantly pastoral and general agriculture, as you move further north there are signs of the pioneering gold rush days visible throughout the small towns you pass through.…

Show time 21 JULY Vietnam Veterans and Veterans MC NQ Chapter Show & Shine, Kuttabul Hotel, 4741 Bruce Hwy, Kuttabul Qld. Starts 10am; 21 categories. Adults $10; U14s free. For more information phone Wolf on 0475 213 484. 28 JULY KT’s Bikes, Hot Rods & Toughies, Kallangur Tavern, 1517 Anzac Ave, Kallangur Qld. Put your pride and joy on show. Family friendly event; live entertainment. For information phone Kez on (07) 3204 4333 or email kerrie-ann.cole@alhgroup.com.au. 4 AUGUST South Tweed Tavern Bike Show, 53 Minjungbal Drive, Tweed Heads South, Qld. From 11.30am. Family fun event with jumping castle and face painting. Lucky door prize, meat trays, $10 Bob’s burger deal and $30 family pizza deal. Hosted by Tweed Heads Motorcycle Enthusiasts Club. For more information phone (07) 5523 1738. 25-26…

The humidity makes you feel like you’re about to boil... a real smack in the face I’VE BEEN ENDURANCE racing for many years, as has my brother Damian. We made a bit of history in 2016 when we both ended up on the podium at the Le Mans 24 Hours – the first time a couple of brothers had managed it. I was racing a Suzuki and Damo was racing a Honda. This year at Suzuka, however, we’re racing in the same team, BMW Motorrad 39, and I’m stoked. Lead rider and team owner Daisaku Sakai won the iconic Suzuka 8 Hours in 2009 and since then he has gained huge respect for his work with BMW. He asked Damo to ride with him this year as my older brother…

2019 grid finalised Next year’s MotoGP line-up is all but settled. Dani Pedrosa’s retirement has reportedly opened the way to Franco Morbidelli and surprise signing Fabio Quartararo (pictured above) to take the two seats in the new Petronas Yamaha team. This will add a second Frenchman to the grid, alongside Johann Zarco. The other rookies will be Portugal’s Miguel Oliveira, in the KTM Tech 3 squad, and Joan Mir, joining Suzuki. British riders Bradley Smith and Scott Redding will leave the premier class, along with Czech rider Karel Abraham and former 250 champ Alvaro Bautista. Ralf’s corner The name of former German grand prix star Ralf Waldmann, who died unexpectedly of a heart attack in March at the age of 51, has been honoured at the Sachsenring, at the track’s…

WHILE INCREASINGLY STRIDENT with their criticism of Yamaha’s pace of electronic development, both Movistar Yamaha riders say the YZR-M1’s handling is the best in MotoGP. While winless for more than a year, Rossi and Vinales are regular podium visitors and their second- and third-place finishes at the German GP masked the M1’s crucial weakness. Both riders are demanding urgent fixes to acceleration issues on corner exit related to electronic programs, with an upgrade now expected at next month’s Brno test. “I told Yamaha about this in August last year, but since then nothing has arrived,” Rossi said. “We are faster in the corners than Ducati, but they have an impressive advantage in acceleration, but at tracks like the Sachsenring that is not enough.” Vinales said he was unable to counter…

AFTER COMPETING IN his first race at Aghadowey in 2000, William Dunlop went on to achieve international road racing success over the next 18 seasons. William won four North West 200 races, scored seven successes at the Ulster Grand Prix and claimed four rostrum finishes at the Isle of Man TT. Campaigning two- and four-stroke machinery for teams such as Wilson Craig, Tyco BMW, CD Racing and Mar-Train Yamaha, the Ballymoney man claimed a total of 108 race wins at the Irish National meetings. That places him fourth overall in the all-time Irish road race winners list behind Ryan Farquhar, uncle Joey Dunlop and father Robert.…

Jon Ryder Suzuki GSX-R1000 “I’m the proud owner of a 2009 Suzuki GSX-R1000, and a keen follower of Ireland and the Isle of Man road racing scene, as well as New Zealand’s Paeroa and Wanganui street races. “It took me a decade or so to find the ‘plums’ to give the Cliffhanger a go. That all changed last year when a mate and I rode down on our ‘run what ya brung’ bikes, along with fairly average tyres – and had a blast! “The road, the valley, the twists and turns, the personal challenge of pitting yourself against the clock, the social camaraderie with like-minded people, the larrikinism that takes place in the paddock on the Saturday evening... it all makes for a welcome breath of fresh air, a fantastic…

BELOW IS THE prototype for the next-generation version of Ducati’s Diavel power cruiser. While the riding position, with rear-mounted pegs and relatively high seat, make it clear this is a Diavel, the engine and chassis are actually borrowed from the more cruiser-style XDiavel. The big giveaway is the underslung exhaust system, which is identical to the XDiavel’s, as are the engine cases. That means this bike is using the 1262cc, variable valve timing Testastretta DVT engine that debuted in the 2016 XDiavel and spread into the 2018 Multistrada 1260. The old Diavel still uses the 1198cc Testastretta 11-degree motor. In outright performance terms, the newer Testastretta DVT doesn’t add much, but the DVT engine’s 126Nm of torque peaks at 5000rpm, compared to the Testastretta 11-degree’s 123Nm at 8000rpm. That makes…

News Yamaha uses the occasion of the US MotoGP to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The tuning-fork brand did it in style with its MotoGP and AMA teams sporting the yellow and black ‘bumblebee’ livery made famous by Kenny Roberts/Yamaha USA in the 70s. Sport “Personally, when I arrive at Turn Six and go up to the Corkscrew and also arrive at Turn One I always think, f@*k.” Those were the thoughts of world champion Valentino Rossi on Laguna Seca at the US MotoGP. And his weren’t the most strident comments. Bike test In spite of the bug-eyed family resemblance to the previous model, the new Triumph Speed Triple was a ground-up redesign rather than a simple revamp of the existing bike. One of the biggest changes was the meatier 1050cc…

I’m saying yes! Wow! I have just finished reading the latest edition of AMCN and I am happy to say it’s the best one I have ever purchased – an awesome read. I thoroughly enjoyed the Choose your own Adventure feature, it was a very well put together mag. The off-road exploring bits are of great interest to me; there is so much more to see once the bitumen ends. I have been saying to myself for ages that I need to get amongst it, and your adventure issue has inspired me. Can you tell me if the hut used for the story is available for public use? I’m keen on doing some exploring up in that region and to have somewhere like that to stay would be awesome. Rather…

ENGINE Configuration Single-cylinder Cylinder head DOHC, four valves per cylinder Capacity 399cc Bore/stroke 81 x 77.6mm Compression ratio 10.6: 1 Cooling Liquid Fueling EFI, 36mm throttle body Power 23kW @ 6300rpm Torque 36Nm @ 4800rpm TRANSMISSION Type CVT Clutch Centrifugal Final drive V-belt CHASSIS Frame material Steel Frame layout Underbone Rake 25º Trail 102mm SUSPENSION Front: 41mm telescopic, non adjustable, 110mm travel Rear: Monoshock, link-type, adjustable preload, 100mm travel WHEELS/TYRES Wheels Alloy Front: 15 x 3.0 Rear: 13 x 3.5 Tyres Dunlop Scoot Smart Front: 120/70R15 (55S) Rear: 150/70R13 (64S) BRAKES Front: Twin 260mm discs, two-piston calipers Rear: Single 210mm disc, two-piston caliper DIMENSIONS Weight 215kg (kerb, claimed) Seat height 755mm Max width 765mm Max height Not given Wheelbase 1580mm Fuel capacity 13.5L PERFORMANCE Fuel consumption 4L/100km/h Top speed 135km/h…

THE OLD ITALIAN reliability gags aren’t working anymore. Brian Gillen, MV Agusta’s technical director, told AMCN that the release of the new Turismo Veloce Lusso 800 SCS not only signified advancements in MV Agusta’s technical ability, it’s also an advancement in the company’s mentality and the way it approaches changes. “Back in 2015, we wanted to have three peak pillars in our technical direction,” Gillen explained. “Performance is number one, technology is number two – applying technology to new material – and quality is number three. We have had a number of issues in the past which became chronic issues for us. We have changed our methodology as well as our approach to resolving these problems, investing quite a lot in the engineering department over the past few years. We…

ENGINE Configuration Three-cylinder in-line Cylinder head DOHC, four valves per cylinder Capacity 798cc Bore/stroke 79 x 54.3mm Compression ratio 12.2:1 Cooling Liquid Fueling EFI, Mikuni throttle bodies Power 81kW @ 10,150rpm (claimed) Torque 80Nm @ 7100rpm (claimed) TRANSMISSION Type Six-speed Clutch Wet Final drive Chain CHASSIS Frame material ALS steel Frame layout Tubular trellis Rake 25.5° Trail 108mm SUSPENSION Sachs semi-active Front: 43mm USD, electronic semi-active, 160mm travel Rear: Monoshock, electronic semi-active with manual preload adjustment, 165mm travel WHEELS/TYRES Wheels Aluminium alloy Front: 17 x 3.5 Rear: 17 x 6.0 Tyres Pirelli Scorpion Trail II Front: 120/70-ZR17 (58W) Rear: 190/55 - ZR17 (75W) BRAKES Brembo Front: Twin 320mm discs, four-piston radial calipers Rear: Single 220mm disc, two-piston caliper DIMENSIONS Weight 192kg (dry, claimed) Seat height 850mm Max width 910mm Max…

Deliveries of RE’s two new Twins are expected to begin in October, powered by the first Royal Enfield twin-cylinder engine to be built in the modern era, since production of its 700cc Interceptor model ended when the then Redditchbased UK company closed in 1970. Almost 50 years later its Indian successor is the World’s largest manufacturer of middleweight motorcycles, with 801,230 examples of its established range of pushrod singles sold in its Indian home market alone last year. That’s a whopping 96 per cent of its entire production, leaving just 32,000 bikes for export. The opening last year of a third factory outside Chennai will allow annual production to expand to 950,000 units per year.…

JUMPING IS TRICKY at first. The ski darts on take-off and landing and is not at all confidence-inspiring. The bike is so long and heavy that it’s difficult to manoeuvre in the air – so it’s crucial to get your line right on the take-off. In races, jumping can get a bit scary. On the harder-packed snow, the bike has a tendency to bounce off ruts or bumps, so you need 100 per cent commitment, hold tight with the knees and make sure the throttle is pinned on landing. Cos if the the bike kicks sideways you’ve only got a small window to save it before launching into a highside. In the backcountry, though, the take-off is less crucial cos it’s softer snow. The bike won’t really bump off anything…

BY 1991, DUCATI’S 851 was being raced around the world in national championships and modified by local engineers. In the photo above is Jason McEwen on his Kiwi-developed version of the Corsa at Manfeild in New Zealand. Upside-down White Power units replace the original conventional forks, the engine has been tuned by Palmerston North Ducati expert Dave McDonald, and the major sponsor is their local pub at Bulls called The Rat Hole. When not racing this 888 in New Zealand, McEwen was campaigning the Don Bramich 900SS in Australian SuperStreet events. A few years later he took the Britten V1000 to a New Zealand Superbike title.…

Johann Zarco will race a factory KTM RC16 next season. The RC16 is a very different motorcycle to Yamaha’s in-line four YZR-M1 he’s raced since the start of last season, so the Frenchman will need all his talents to adapt to the bike and get it to the front of the MotoGP pack. Not only that, he will also need to develop the machine, because the RC16 is still a long way away from matching Honda, Ducati and Yamaha. There’s no doubt Zarco has the talent to race at the very front of MotoGP, because he is calm but aggressive, and humble but ambitious. All he needs is a motorcycle that’s good enough. The men who know the most about Johann Zarco are his current team owner, Herve Poncharal, crew…

What to look for The ZX-12R has a really bullet-proof powertrain and chassis. Some early clutch basket issues were sorted at the time. But still check for smooth clutch function and also check that the monoshock’s damping hasn’t faded. Always adjust your offer to cover worn consumables like tyres, chain and sprockets, steering-head bearings, brake pads and rotors. Check for costly-to-rectify superficial damage to the fairing and its mountings. A high kilometre example wouldn’t put me off if it’s clean and tidy and comes with good service records. Service history Maintenance access is not a strong point due to frame and fairing design. Some manuals even suggest the motor has to be dropped to change spark plugs. But it’s not true if you’ve got the right tools and a bit…

There is fuel available in Taralga, Crookwell, and Boorowa, although opening hours for several of the servos seems to be a little random on weekends. There are plenty of food and accommodation options also available along the route, with several great pubs at either end being the pick for us. Fix it Directly across the road from the Taralga Hotel you will find a mechanical workshop run by Col. If you have a mechanical problem and need a little help our hot tip is to go for a wander and find him. There is little else other than a few mechanical shops in Crookwell that are generally closed on the weekend. Sleep The Taralga Hotel serve meals seven days a week, have reasonably priced clean rooms, and even have undercover…

A track racer who’s transferred his talent to the between-the-hedges scene WHATEVER THE TYRE and handling issues Michael Dunlop faced with his Tyco BMW, the previously dominant Irishman was comprehensively outpaced during the 2018 Isle of Man TT. Arriving on the Island razor sharp, with their race faces already on after several rounds of BSB action, Peter Hickman and Dean Harrison capitalised on two of the best weeks’ of weather the Isle of Man TT has ever witnessed. With plenty of practice laps under their belts and a film of grippy rubber coating the 37.75-mile Mountain Course, the duo made hay while the sun shone. No one else lapped at 134mph, never mind moving up into the 135s that Hickman and Harrison produced during the Senior TT. Harrison has used…

WorldSSP300 A chaotic and dramatic World Supersport 300 race again delivered surprises and crashes and loads of pre-race sanctions. Ana Carrasco (DS Junior Team) still leads the championship but finished only 10th in Misano, after taking pole position on Saturday. The race was won by Italian rider Manuel Bastinaelli, from Mika Perez and Manuel Gonzalez. Maria Herrera scored her best-ever career finish in Misano, taking sixth. Despite her low finish, Carrasco still leads the series, by 16 points from Luca Grunwald. Superstock 1000 Pole man Markus Reiterberger (BMW) won a race from Maximilian Scheib (Aprilia) for the second time this year, finishing just over two seconds ahead at Misano. Riccardo Russo (Ducati) was third. With two rounds left to run, Reiterberger has 124 points, Scheib 110 and Roberto Tamburini 97.…

Jack Miller MotoGP 14th The crash came from Pol, coming round the outside like an idiot. He hit Rins. I was lucky to avoid it, but went across the gravel, hit the wall, then back across the gravel… My pace was good enough for a top ten, and if you’re with those guys you do better times; I saved the tyre, and I was passing guys to the end. What could have been. It’s because of bad qualifying [15th]. Remy Gardner Moto2 11th Qualifying was not so good, but I was confident. Withdrawing the soft tyre was positive for me, because some other guys struggled with the hard. It was quite a fun race. My pace was good. I’d have liked more, but we need to work on qualifying better.…

MARC MARQUEZ HAS become Honda’s one-man band, with his riding genius the dominant force in the MotoGP championship. It is now verging on the embarrassing both for his despairing rivals and fellow Honda riders. And, more importantly, for his paymasters at the world’s biggest and richest motorcycle manufacturer. Without Marquez, Honda’s championship campaign would be in tatters. With 165 points after nine races Marquez has now scored more points than all other Honda riders combined (they total 157). Despite ongoing issues, Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales are second and third in the championship. Only Marquez’s genius is keeping them at bay. The title hopes of Ducati and Andrea Dovizioso are now completely shattered and Dovi, after an uninspiring seventh in Germany, admitted as much. “I’m not thinking about…

YAMAHA’S 2019 line-up will be boosted by the addition of Monster Energy drinks as main sponsor and two additional M1s slated for Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo. The Petronas-Yamaha squad is expected to run Morbidelli and Quartararo, who have reportedly leapfrogged Alvaro Bautista and Bradley Smith for the gig. Quartararo’s raw talent is highly rated, but with just one recent Moto2 win to his name and a long form slump, the 19-year-old Frenchman can perhaps count himself fortunate to get the ride.…

Australia’s speedway Joeys turned in a good performance in the semifinal of the FIM Team Speedway U21 World Championship at Glasgow on 14 July, even though they narrowly failed to qualify for the final. With all of last year’s quartet now too old, a new team was needed and that was difficult to organise as only Jordan Stewart is riding in the UK’s second-tier league, and Jaimon Lidsey is based in Poland riding in the country’s third-tier league. Kye Thompson, Zane Kennedy and Cooper Riordan came from Australia to join the European-based duo. Australia outpointed Czech Republic and Germany but not Great Britain, all of whose riders were very familiar with the track.…

Bolivian speed As we went to print, the world's fastest motorcycle – Top 1 Ack Attack – was in Bolivia preparing for a crack at its own land speed record, and to break the ›00mph barrier. Five hours of power Genuine motorcycle endurance racing returns to Sydney with the 5-Hour, rekindling memories of the Castrol 6-Hour. Avgas is now history Motorcycling Australia's decision to ban the use of Avgas from 2019 is creating uncertainty within the historic racing community and major historic events. Done too soon Dani Pedrosa is retiring without a MotoGP title, but his pace and consistent results have been better than most riders on the grid.…

She was totally deaf, having to determine her Yamaha TT250’s engine performance by feel BY 1990, THE Australian Safari had become the most notorious motorsport broadcast on Japanese TV, with millions of viewers in their tiny city abodes enthralled by a phalanx of vehicles tearing across Australia’s endless landscape. Safari naming rights were snapped up by large Japanese conglomerates such as Computerland whose influence permeated the event; even more so when Kenjiro Shinozuka won the Auto Division. This resulted in scores of Japanese riders heading Down Under on the chance they could achieve Samurai status in their homeland. As early as 1987 Japanese riders had contested the ‘Sydney to Darwin’; Hideaki Suzuki being remembered for his kamikaze riding style and his enthusiasm. Whenever greeted with a smile, Hideaki would clench…

Congratulations Craig, you’ve scored a beaut Motul cap and T-shirt valued at $35, kindly supplied by our mates at Link International. Send an image and details about your two-wheeled pride and joy to access@amcn.com.au Giz a squiz Rider Craig Condon Bike Moto Guzzi Le Mans He says This is the second Moto Guzzi Le Mans I have owned since 1998. I changed the fork out for 38mm Marzocchis, and barrels and pistons out to 88mm. A friend made adjustable bars and clamps, and I changed the seat – but still have the original. It’s great fun to ride through the Adelaide Hills, and it’s also great for touring, it’s a real all-rounder. The old Moto Guzzi is a long-lasting, reliable bike that is easy to maintain. One of…

THE ITALIAN NAME Turismo Veloce translates to ‘fast touring’, and MV Agusta’s fast touring range presently consists of the Veloce 800, Veloce Lusso 800 (in SCS and non-SCS form) and the Veloce RC. With an SCS-equipped RC (Reparto Corse, or ‘race department’) not available until later this year, the Lusso 800 SCS takes on the flagship role for MV. Being the Lusso model, it’s fitted with Sachs semi-active electronic suspension, MV’s Motor Vehicle Integrated Control System (MVICS) electronics suite, and a TFT dash. There’s also a host of engine and gearbox updates to deliver a quieter and smoother Euro 4-compliant ride. Other standard equipment on the Lusso model includes an immobiliser, heated grips, Bluetooth, cruise control, integrated GPS sensor, 30L hard panniers and the ability to download the bike’s data…

Ever since Royal Enfield unveiled its two all-new retro-styled parallel twins – the Interceptor and Continental GT models – at the 75th EICMA Milan Show in November last year, potential customers around the world have been avidly waiting for them to reach production. That’s not just because of the millions of RE fans – especially in India, the former British brand’s home country – who are eagerly looking forward to trying them out, with a view to buying one. In opting to limit the engine capacity of both new bikes to 650cc, the company has astutely targeted a potentially sizeable market because there is at present no competition in the retro-styled twin-cylinder sector, Triumph having declined to move the Bonneville any lower in capacity than the current 900cc T100. The…

“Our special editions tend to sell out within a matter of minutes” “IT COULD WELL be that in future there’ll be a separate Royal Enfield division which would produce small volume custom bikes for sale,” Sellers, 37, reveals. “We occasionally do special editions and they tend to sell out within a matter of minutes, particularly in India, where there’s such an intense love for the brand. “Enfields are so eminently suitable for customisation because they are some of the simplest motorcycles in the market. They’re made of metal, there’s very little plastic on them, the electronics are very simple – the company as a whole makes this effort to make motorcycles that are very accessible and easy to work on. “The great side-effect of this is for customisation; we can…

AFTER A FANTASTIC season getting the Canadian runner-up position, the only way to go from here is X Games, and to compete in as many AMA races as possible. Over the off-season I’ll be training on dirt and aiming to have my bike set up better, with more power and better suspension. Competing against $30K or $40K bikes means I’ve got my work cut out! Next season I will also be doing some product testing for a Canadian riding apparel brand called CKX. I’m sure I can manage to test all their products to breaking point, so I’m excited about that!…

WHILE THE FACTORY won title after title in World Superbikes, the Fraser Motorcycles-based Ducati Dealer Team was also a formidable force in Australian racing in the early 1990s. Above is one of their 1993 factory customer 888 Corsa racers, which had an actual capacity of 926cc. It cost around $70,000 to buy, and then technicians Arthur Davis and Peter Smith worked their magic on it, assisted by electronics expert Dwayne Mitchell. Key riders in this period were Roy Leslie and Scott Doohan. Doohan finished second in the Australian Superbike Championship while Leslie won the first leg of the 1994 Australian TT at Bathurst by eight seconds from Shawn Giles; he was leading the second leg when an ignition failure stopped the Ducati, handing the overall win to Giles. When the…

The annual Berry Bike Show, held on the lawns of the Berry Bowling Club in New South Wales’ picturesque Shoalhaven region, has just chalked up 13 consecutive years. And despite a new multi-lane freeway now bypassing the historic township, the Shoalhaven Classic Motorcycle Club’s event attracted more than 100 entrants and a bumper crowd in 2018, which turned the carpark into a secondary bike show. The show always attracts stunning entries from local enthusiasts as well as from around the state, and the wide and varied selection of bikes on display at this year’s show spanned more than 100 years, with everything from an early 20th Century Swiss-built classic with air/fuel mixture levers that predate the twist-grip throttle, through to 21st-century high-revving multi-cylinder crotch rockets. In between there were engine…

FOUNDATION STONE 1972 – Kawasaki’s 900cc Z1 roadster bursts on to the scene, stealing the limelight from Honda’s game-changing Honda CB750 by setting new performance benchmarks. ORIGINAL NINJA 1984 – Kawasaki’s GPZ900R, the first Ninja, ups the ante with its pioneering 16-valve engine, claiming the ‘fastest production bike’ title in the process. SPORTS TEARER 1990 – Kawasaki’s ZZ-R1100 sports tourer takes over the flagship role at Kawasaki and the ‘fastest production bike’ title courtesy of its 280km/h top speed.…

There is a detour you can take just before the town of Rugby if you are looking to mix it up a little. The left turn to Rye Park starts with half a dozen kilometres of good dirt and gravel road before turning into a narrow but sealed ride into the village of Rye Park. As you enter the village, a sealed road on the right leads directly to Boorowa past the rural properties and open farmland. Alternatively, you could ride straight through town if you are heading for Canberra and follow a couple of more interesting routes south, but these all include longer unsealed sections better suited to bikes with some dirt road ability. Whichever way you head take care late in the afternoon as the area has a…

Top 3 TV 1 FIM MXGP Rd14 LIVE Loket, CZ mxgp-tv.com 22 July 9pm (AEST) Go to MXGP-TV to catch the MXGP from the Czech Republic from 9pm on Sunday. MX2 Race 1 starts at 9pm, MXGP Race 1 at 10pm, MX2 Race 2 at midnight and MXGP Race 2 at 1am. Other classes will be aired earlier on Sunday. 2 AORC Highlights aorc.org.au On demand Anytime If you can’t get to Dungog, NSW on 28-29 July for Rounds 5 & 6 of the Australian Off-Road Championship, you’ll still be able to catch a highlights package of all the action at aorc.org.au. Rounds 1 & 2 and 3 & 4 are already available on the website. 3 Moto 8: The Movie redbull.tv On demand Anytime Moto 8: The Movie covers…

Dani has long been a source of unpretentious straight talking in a world consumed by bullshit BY THE TIME you read this, you will know what is really happening with Dani Pedrosa. He’s set to make his long-awaited announcement at the German GP, in between the time of writing and the time of reading. But it looks very much as though the little fella will be quitting. After a career in which he was dominant in the smaller classes, but always the bridesmaid in MotoGP. And a career in which Honda has renewed his contract for year after year, sometimes against common sense, but always with impressive fidelity. This departure, not entirely premature, is the latest in a long and pretty mad transfer season that started way back, and with…

Anthony West WorldSSP EAB antwest Racing Grid 10th, Race 6th, 7th overall “Pretty hot out there and not a bad race, but not a great race. Finished, got some points and first Kawasaki, so I think that was the best we could do. The bike has run okay all weekend and no major problems – we’re just lacking a bit of speed. Kyle Smith had a good push to try and catch me and I had to put in a good last few laps to not let him get too close. With the new [ECU] rule change, Kawasaki are trying to get the ECUs ready for all the Kawasaki riders to have them. Hopefully we can use it next round. They said it won’t be a huge difference on the…

Circuit length 3.671km Race distance MotoGP 110.130km Moto2 102.788km Moto3 99.117km 2017 winners MotoGP M Marquez 40m59.525s Moto2 F Morbidelli 41m05.137s Moto3 J Mir 39m34.775s Did you know? The race’s host city is Dresden, which has been nicknamed ‘Florence on the Elbe’ and the ‘Jewel Box’ given its beauty and the city’s Baroque/Rococo architecture. An example of its splendor is the Furstenzug (Procession of Princes) work of art, a 100-metre-long depiction of kings and great thinkers, made of 24,000 porcelain tiles.…

A POOR QUALIFYING performance and the brutal first lap interference of Pol Espargaro, combined to deny Jack Miller a crack at a top-10 finish in the German Grand Prix. Miller knows that starting mid-field or worse is a recipe for potential disaster, and so it transpired in the tight confines of the Sachsenring. “I got bitch-slapped into the gravel in Turn 3. It was coming from a long way back,” Miller said. “Pol [Espargaro, KTM] came around the outside like an idiot in Turn 1 trying to pass me and then tried to go around the outside of three other guys in Turn 2. “It was somebody who was a bit over-excited on the first lap; we’ve all done it. “I’m disappointed for what could have been, but it’s because…

ST GEORGE MOTORCYCLE Club is bringing endurance racing back to Sydney with a full grid of 44 teams entered for the inaugural Sydney 5 Hour at Sydney Motorsport Park on 29 July. Teams consisting of two or more riders will compete in a relay-style format, which means multiple bikes can be used. The action will begin with a Le Mans start, and includes mandatory pit stops and rider changes. The Sydney 5 Hour is for large-capacity bikes, with subcategories for unlimited and 600cc motorcycles. Some top Aussie riding talent will be on display, including World Supersport and ASBK rider Lachlan Epis (Bridgestone Racing), who will be teaming up with his father, Greg, and current ASBK star Ted Collins. Also competing will be Linden Magee (Cutrite Concrete Sawing), Scott Campbell (Tasmanian…

FMX VETERAN Travis Pastrana has paid tribute to the late Evel Knievel by recreating and succeeding with three of the late stuntman’s most famous failed jumps. Donning a Knievel-inspired white leather jumpsuit and riding an Indian Scout FTR750, Pastrana jumped 16 Greyhound buses, then 52 crushed cars, before ending the evening by clearing the famous fountains in front of Ceasers Palace in Las Vegas, watched by thousands of onlookers. Pastrana described the tribute as “the coolest thing I’ve ever done. To be able to get a police escort on the Las Vegas Strip, I mean, c’mon,” he said after the third and final successful landing. “[But] this is all about Evel, and the coolest thing about this whole thing is all of Evel’s family is out here.”…

IF A RUN up a mountain isn’t enough, come back in late April for the quarter-mile sprints, which also has a flying quarter-mile option. The action takes place on the picturesque Kumenga Road, a short distance south of the Cliffhanger. It’s open to everyone and any type of motorcycle. So everything from stock to specialist sprint bikes are eligible. More information is available on the Cliffhanger website, but if you are ever over in Greytown outside the racing season and spot the famous Greytown Racing Team bus, drop in and they’ll tell you all about it.…

KEITH STACKER BEGAN racing motorcycles when he was 17. A year later he won the 1954 250cc Australian Hill Climb Championship on a BSA that was almost as old as he was. This led to an offer to campaign the famous Walsh BSA Bantam which put Keith’s signature red-and-white striped rugby jersey regularly on the podium. “Many people have asked about the significance of that jersey,” Keith told AMCN. “But the truth is mum bought it when I was quite young, it was very comfortable, very hard wearing, and I never outgrew it.” A disagreement with Walsh over race strategy in the Grand National Scramble saw Keith working – and riding – for Jimmy Guilfoyle Motorcycles. Handy on the spanners, it was here Keith unleashed his skills; building such unusual…

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. Especially if you’re a workaholic editor who’s paying the price of too much desk time and not enough bike time. And we mean paying. Poor bloke can’t even sit down and has been forced to work standing up at his kitchen bench with his laptop sitting on top of a large stockpot! And let’s not even mention the pain-killing needles he’s had jabbed into his spine. That’ll just make him cringe even more.…