Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 68 Issue 05 i Australian Motorcycle News

It’s tough to get up, dust yourself off and keep going, but it’s the best thing to do WE HAD BEEN warned before the commencement of the practice day that, while the track was dry, the ripple strips were still wet from the overnight rain. “They are like ice, so stay away from them,” was the warning. Two sessions in and I took the fast left-hander a little wide, touched the ripple strip and spat myself to the moon. It was my first decent crash on track, and in some ways I was glad to get it over and done with as the anticipation of it had been playing on my mind. I was sore from my head to my toes, but I knew I’d be in a lot more…

Who Neil Chivas on a Suzuki GS1100 wire wheeled (Canadian option) during the 1980 Castrol 6-Hour What Cagiva’s Alazzurra 650 produced between 1985 and 1987 had a top speed of just north of 160km/h Where 1983 Swedish TT, at Anderstorp, where Spencer beat Roberts to the line to claimed the 500cc world title The Who part of last issue’s Mental Twisties caught a few of you out. We thought the Where would give the grey matter a workout, but the Spencer/Roberts dual at Anderstorp in ’83 was clearly memorable. Stuart Catley from Williamstown in Victoria was the winner, and he has an IPONE Motorcycle Care Kit from Ficeda Accessories on its way. The popular Mental Twisties page will return in Vol 68 No 06.…

News The annual Sydney Motor Show opened its doors to give us a look at what we would be seeing on the roads in 1991. The Fraser Motorcycles stand (Harley-Davidson and Ducati) was voted the best-looking stand, and the new ZXR 750 was a showstopper. Sport Two Buell RR motorcycles (racing versions of the one pictured) won a national title and a national record, posting the company’s first major victories in the USA. Scott Zampach won the AMA/CCS Supertwins title at Daytona, while Don McCaw hit 307km/h at the Bonneville salt flats. Bike test The FIM gave Norton the go-ahead to build a 500cc GP rotary racer, and Alan Cathcart tested Steve Spray’s RCW588 F1 to see what it was like. The bike weighed 155kg, and the twin rotors produced…

Seventies longhairs Regular AMCN correspondent Mark Heinrich (pictured in 1975) and I were Hamish Cooper’s typical ’70s longhairs. Mark especially so, with hair down to the middle of his back. We both bought our first bikes, 250cc two-strokes, in the early ’70s when we were students travelling daily from the Adelaide Hills to the city. Bikes had an appealing quality of being cheap to buy and cheap to run; they also offered excitement and a sense of rebellion. I can still remember riding up the Mount Barker Road towards Devils Elbow flat strap and not being able to see anything in the mirrors because of the haze of blue smoke. Ah, the good old days! As the ’70s progressed we had a variety of bikes, culminating with Mark being on…

FROM HUMBLE beginnings, the Royal Enfield brand has seen it all. Starting life in the English town of Redditch, it wasn’t just motorcycles that wore the Enfield insignia, but all manner of goods, from rifle parts to lawnmowers. The company saw out two world wars and was among the strongest motorcycle manufacturers of the era. As the British empire grew and ruled the world, it all looked rosy for England and all within her. But in the late 1960s and early ’70s, British development stalled and Japan began to flourish. Royal Enfield’s final production run came in 1970, and the thought was perhaps Enfield would never be seen again. It was the start of a new era, though, as the brand went from strength to strength. Not in England, but…

ENGINE ConfigurationV-twin Cylinder head Desmodromic, two valves per cylinder Capacity 1079cc Bore/stroke 98 x 71mm Compression ratio 13.3:1 Cooling Air/oil Fueling EFI, 55mm throttle bodies Power 63kW @ 7500rpm (claimed) Torque 88Nm @ 4750rpm (claimed) TRANSMISSION Type Six-speed Clutch Wet - slipper action Final drive Chain CHASSIS Frame material ALS steel Frame layout Tubular trellis Rake 24.5° Trail 111mm SUSPENSION Öhlins (Marzocchi, Sachs on Special and standard models) Front: 48mm USD, adjustable compression and rebound, 150mm travel (45mm Marzocchi) Rear: Monoshock, adjustable compression and rebound, 150mm travel WHEELS/TYRES Wheels Aluminium alloy (Spoked on Special model) Front: 18 x 3.5 Rear: 17 x 5.5 Tyres Pirelli MT 60 RS Front: 120/80 ZR18 Rear: 180/55 ZR17 BRAKES Brembo Monobloc M4.32 Front: Twin 320mm semi-floating discs, four-piston calipers Rear: Single 245mm disc, single-piston…

The Morini motor is a little-known technical tour de force ORIGINALLY DESIGNED by the now retired Franco Lambertini, the Corsaro 1200 ZT’s liquid-cooled 1187cc V-twin eight-valve CorsaCorta motor has heavily oversquare dimensions (107x66mm) and weighs just 69kg. It features a cassette-type six-speed gearbox, DOHC cylinder heads, and composite chain/ gear cam drive. It revs to a maximum of 9300rpm and delivers 102.5kW at 8500rpm and 125Nm at 6250rpm. Unusually, that’s more than the previous Euro 3 version, thanks to new electronics and a revised exhaust system. It’s ultra-competitive real-world performance a dozen years after this highly individual engine first entered production and, by any standards, the Morini motor is a little-known technical tour de force for the way it delivers such significant torque with such a short stroke. The engine…

September 24, 1948. Search for notable occurrences on that day and it turns out to have been fairly unremarkable. Even the handful of people building Soichiro Honda’s A-Type two-stroke auxiliary bicycle engine at his newly established Hamamatsu base didn’t notice anything unusual. But it was the day that Honda’s immediate post-war enterprise, the Honda Technical Research Institute, was incorporated to become a new company: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. It’s hard to even comprehend the difference between Japan then and the thriving nation it is today. Back in 1948 it was still an occupied country controlled by the Allied powers following their victory in WWII three years earlier. It would remain so until Japanese sovereignty was restored in 1952. Food rationing was still in place and, while Japan’s fledgling manufacturing industry…

RC165/166/174 Although it’s hard to be sure, since they never get sold on the open market, the six-cylinder 1960s Honda GP bikes – the 250cc RC165 and RC166 and the 350cc RC174 – are among the most valuable motorcycles in the world. The few in private ownership are understood to change hands (very rarely, and always in behind-closed-doors deals) for millions of dollars. Once you’ve heard one in anger, it’s easy to understand the appeal… NSR500 Soichiro Honda may not have liked two-strokes, but the NSR500 family remains the most successful machine of the 1980s and 1990s two-stroke GP era. What started as a climb-down for Honda after the failed four-stroke NR project turned into a massively successful demonstration of how to evolve a winning bike and keep it ahead…

“WE HAVE A really good team doctor. He gives us eating plans, tells us how much water we need to be drinking. He takes little blood tests and urine tests throughout the race to make sure that all our levels are right, and if something isn’t right then he’ll make it right. You couldn’t do it without him. It would not be possible. As soon as we get off the bike, we cool down. Eat, drink, jump straight on the massage table and you tell him everything you’re struggling with and he’ll work on that. As he’s working on that, you try and get a little bit of sleep, or just close your eyes and try and rest.”…

Spring puller Because removing exhaust manifold springs with pliers or a screwdriver is a great way to loose fingers. Magnet on a stick Because one day you will drop a nut in somewhere the sun doesn’t shine. Pen torch Because one day you will drop a nut in somewhere the sun doesn’t shine. Bendy grabber Because one day you will drop a rubber doo-dad in somewhere the sun doesn’t shine. Pack of picks Because fingers are sometimes too fat for fiddly bits. Tap and die set Because careful cleaning and ‘chasing’ of threads can save a lot of costly cross-threading, and tears. Cable oiler Because cables need cleaning, lubing and love, too. Nylon hammer Because one day you will end up hitting your motorcycle with a hammer, and at such…

Show time 1 SEPTEMBER Frogs Hollow Bike Show, Apple Tree Creek Sports Ground, Bruce Hwy, Isis Central, Qld. 12 classes from mild to wild, burnout comp, gymkhana, market stalls, trade stalls, live music and free camping. Meet and greet Friday night. No BYO; no dogs. For information phone 0439 484 666. 1 SEPTEMBER 2018 Coota Picnic Show & Shine, Albert Park, Cootamundra, NSW. 9am to 4pm. Raffles, giveaways, prizes and trophies for both bikes and cars. Saturday night dinner and drinks at the Central Hotel. For information phone Michael Close on 0416 985 247. 1 SEPTEMBER Bega Valley Motorcycle Expo, Bega Showground, Bega, NSW. Show & shine, sand drag displays, trade and club displays, food and bar, children’s activities and live music Saturday night in the Grand Hall. Supporting the…

HERE I AM finishing preparations for Round 8 of the British Superstock 1000 Championship at Cadwell Park, and in a totally different space to when you last heard from me. Early in the season I was left without a ride, so missed two rounds of the championship. This led me to make one of the biggest decisions in my career, to stay in the UK and start my own team. Dubbed No Bull Racing the name speaks for itself. Now I’m back in control of my own destiny and if things don’t go to plan I’ve only got myself to blame. Initially the biggest challenge was where to start? I didn’t have a bike, tools, workshop, storage or a way to transport the bike – let alone team personal. Not…

Supersport CRU HALLIDAY (YAMAHA Racing Team) continued his march towards the Australian Supersport Championship, with a clean sweep at Morgan Park, taking pole position and both race wins. It was a frustrating weekend for rival Tom Toparis (Cube Racing), after searching for a way to bridge the gap to the rampant Halliday. In the opening race, Giuseppe Scarcella (Kawasaki BCPerformance) brought out the red flag on the first lap. After the restart, Halliday showed his dominance by lapping more than a second quicker than the rest of the field by mid-race distance. In stark contrast, championship contender Toparis had to save an almost certain highside and found himself back in the pack. A disappointing seventh was all he could manage by the end. Queenslander Callum Spriggs (Yamaha), returning to racing…

Circuit length 5.9km Race distance MotoGP 0.0km Moto2 0.0km Moto3 0.0km 2017 winners MotoGP A Dovizioso 40m45.496s Moto2 T Nakagami 38m20.883s Moto3 A Canet 35m53.028s Did you know? Silverstone became the site of the British Motorcycle Grand Prix in 1977 after it was decided that the Isle of Man TT was too dangerous for GP racing. The 1977 race was therefore the first to be held on the British mainland. The race moved to Donington Park in 1987, but returned to Silverstone in 2010 when the current 5.9km circuit was established…

Tough break The drama started on Saturday. Heavy rain had hit just one portion of the sprawling circuit – Turns 7 to 9 at the far end – but the first of these is the trademark Stowe Corner at the end of the Hangar Straight, approached at more than 320 km/h. Full of water, the corner was near impossible to negotiate. The first to run straight and jump off was Alex Rins (Suzuki), followed by Aleix Espargaro, Danilo Petrucci and Jorge Lorenzo, who avoided falling. Then Rabat went down, and had not yet got to his feet when Franco Morbidelli’s VDS Honda came barrelling across the gravel and knocked him flying. Rabat didn’t get up again and was helicoptered to hospital with his right leg badly broken… femur, tibia and…

Moto2 qualifying The track dried for Moto2 qualifying at the end of Saturday afternoon, and once again times were as close as paint in spite of the long track, the top 15 within one second of points leader Pecco Bagnaia’s 2m08.153s. Bagnaia only nabbed it at the end, the SKY VR46 Kalex rider displacing Tech 3’s Remy Gardner from a career-first pole by a couple of tenths. Alex Marquez (EG-VDS Kalex) completed the front row, with free practice leader Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Kalex) heading row two from second SKY rider Luca Marini and Speed Up’s Fabio Quartararo. Moto3 qualifying It was all going well until it rained with 15 minutes to go. Everyone pulled in, and Fabio di Giannantonio was already celebrating a career second pole. Then the changeable conditions…

STONER REMAINS Ducati’s only MotoGP world champion. He rejoined the Italian squad in 2016, after a stint with Honda, as a test rider and brand ambassador, with a focus on helping Ducati win another title. With 23 race wins, Stoner is regarded as the master of Ducati’s famed Desmosedici V4, and Ducati has been unable to repeat his 2007 world title victory. Ducati’s 11-year title drought continues to haunt the Italian company, which is again suffering at the hands of Spanish speedster Marc Marquez and Honda.…

YAMAHA’S WILLINGNESS to massively upgrade their MotoGP presence to six bikes in 2021 is evidence of the influence exerted by Valentino Rossi. Yamaha has confirmed that, if asked, it will supply factory YZR-M1s to a VR46 MotoGP team likely to be formed for 2021. Dorna is holding the two grid slots taken back from MarcVDS in anticipation that Rossi will enter his own team after retiring at the end of 2020. “We will provide bikes and also continue with the Petronas/Sepang team plus the factory team,” said Yamaha MotoGP boss Lin Jarvis.…

JOHN MCGUINNESS finally returned to the winner’s enclosure at the legendary Isle of Man’s Mountain Course when he rode the Roger Winfield Paton to victory during the 2018 Senior at this year’s Classic TT. After qualifying fastest, the Morecambe Missile led down Bray Hill and was never headed, beating Norton’s Jamie Coward to the line with Lee Johnson (Honda) in third. “I never thought I’d be back in the winner’s enclosure here, but I’ve worked really hard and it feels very special,” McGuinness said. “The Paton was great – it never missed a beat. I so, so enjoyed that. It’s an amazing feeling and we had no problems, but it was hard work. It takes it out of you after all the barbecues and pies.” Likeable Northern Irish rider Lee…

Triumphant If you’re yet to see or hear the footage of the 2019 Triumph 765cc Moto2 engine being tested on the dyno, stop everything and look it up. Now. Tops Tom Motorcycle-riding Mad Max star Tom Hardy busted a motorcycle thief, but instead of making an example of him, Hardy got the kid the help he needs to sort his life out. Not again! After 34 years, the Essex Arena – home to the Lakeside Hammers speedway club and the annual Dirt Quake event – will close. The site is being redeveloped for more bloody housing. See ya Alvaro It may be a win for WSBK, but it’s the end of an era for MotoGP. After 16 years in the GP paddock, Alvaro Bautista is headed for a WSBK career…

Send an image and details about your two-wheeled pride and joy to access@amcn.com.au Rider Arthur Demiris Ride 2011 Honda CB1100 He says Fifty-two years young, been riding since my late teens, but took a 10-year break while the kids grew up. My previous bikes included a Honda CX500, Yamaha XJ900, BMW K100RT and Honda VTR1000. Now I have a 2003 Yamaha YZF-R6 track bike plus this customised 2011 Honda CB1100. The CB1100 is something I’d always wanted. A Japanese four-cylinder cafe racer. I thought about restoring and modifying an old CB750, but the cost and effort were beyond me. After a bit of internet surfing, I found the CB1100 and luckily my local dealer here in Melbourne had a new ‘old stock’ model in the showroom. The potential…

ENGINE Configuration Single cylinder Cylinder head Pushrod, twin-cam, two valves per cylinder Capacity B & C: 499cc / GT: 535cc Bore/stroke B & C: 84.6mm x 90mm GT: 87mm x 90mm Compression ratio 8.5:1 Cooling Air Fueling EFI, Keihin throttle bodies Power B & C: 20.2kW @ 5250rpm GT: 21.6kW @ 5250rpm Torque B & C: 41.3Nm @ 4000rpm GT: 44Nm @ 4000rpm TRANSMISSION Type Five-speed Clutch Wet, multi-plate Final drive Chain CHASSIS Frame material Steel Frame layout Cradle Rake Not given Trail Not given SUSPENSION Front: B & C: 35mm fork, non-adjustable, 110mm travel GT: 41mm non-adjustable fork, 110mm travel Rear: Twin shocks, adjustable preload, 80mm travel WHEELS/TYRES Wheels B & C: Steel GT: Alloy B:Front: 19in Rear: 19in C: Front: 19in Rear: 18in GT: Front: 18in Rear: 18in…

FOUNDED IN BOLOGNA in 1937 by Alfonso Morini, Moto Morini was a small but prestigious family concern whose sporting flair brought it widespread respect as an underdog capable of defeating much larger and more prestigious brands. Alfonso’s daughter Gabriella took over after his death, and she wisely diversified the model line upwards in 1973, introducing a family of bikes powered by the distinctive 72° V-twin developed by new chief engineer, former Ferrari designer Franco Lambertini. Debuting in 350cc form and later 500cc V-twin and 250cc single-cylinder variants, more than 85,000 of these ground-breaking motorcycles were built over the next two decades. Although profitable, Morini’s volume of 10,000 bikes a year didn’t cover the costs of developing a new range of bikes and Gabriella sold the company to the Castiglioni brothers’…

D-TYPE DREAM Honda’s first ‘proper’ bike, the 1949-51 D-Type, ditched pedals and had a real motorcycle chassis. Its 98cc two-stroke was mated to a two-speed semi-auto transmission with no need for a clutch lever, but which required constant pressure on the foot pedal to keep it in first gear, making it uncomfortable to ride for long distances at low speed. CB750 Look at a 1969 CB750 these days and it’s virtually the definition of the Universal Japanese Motorcycle. But at its launch it was a revolution. Dropped into a world of drum-braked singles and twins, this was an affordable, mass-market four-cylinder with disc brakes. At the time, only GP riders could hope to access that sort of technology. And this was from a company that most people hadn’t even heard…

BORN IN 1906, Soichiro Honda was already middle-aged by the time he formed his eponymous company, but it seems like something he was born to do. His father, Gihei, was a blacksmith and later ran a bicycle shop, giving Soichiro a footing in bikes that would prove useful later on. While lacking much in the way of a formal education – he left school at 15 in 1922 to become an apprentice mechanic – Honda was intensely creative. Setting up his own garage in 1928, by 1935 he had more than 30 members of staff, but he longed to move from repairs to manufacturing. Initially, he focused on the unglamorous field of piston rings, founding Tōkai Seiki in 1937 and returning to part-time education to learn more about the subject.…

What would you be if you weren’t a racer? I’m a carpenter by trade cos my parents made me learn a skill, but as a kid I always liked building motorbike jumps with dad’s excavator. So probably an excavator driver. Is there a bike you’ve always wanted to ride but haven’t? A MotoGP bike, for sure. But I think that day will come. Winning world championships with Honda helps. Who’s the Frederick in Joshua Frederick Hook? My Pop on my dad’s side. He lived next door to us, so I spent a lot of time with him as a young fella and he taught me a lot. When you’re not riding or training, what are you doing? I’m riding or training. I just love sports and I love to stay…

Eddie Lawson is the most successful American to ever compete in the Motorcycle 500cc Grand Prix World Championship. Four times the Californian lofted the championship trophy, the fastest motorcycle racer in the world earning titles on both Yamaha and Honda machinery. Life these days is at a far more relaxed pace, but the man they called ‘Steady Eddie’ is still riding motorcycles, and has rekindled the relationship that made him most famous in his home country, with Kawasaki USA. Lawson rode Kawasakis to win the 1981 and 1982 AMA Superbike Championships, as well as the 250cc AMA Road Racing Championship, before moving to the Grand Prix stage in 1983 with Yamaha. In fact, his exploits on the factory KZ1000 have gone down in racing folklore, so much so that Kawasaki…

Wayne and Donna lived their lives in the public eye and in a very 80s, flamboyant way THE DOCUMENTARY WAYNE, celebrating the life and times of Wayne Gardner, has created a flurry of interest in just a few preview outings. It hits local film screens early September and critics have said already that a big part of the doco’s charm is that it brings the 1980s back into focus. So what’s the big attraction for this wacky decade of big hair, power rock ballads, monstrous shoulder pads and gaudy spandex? Eighties super heroes were an equally quirky mix. Computer geeks, rock stars and financial wolves. Eventually it all fell apart in the “recession we had to have”, to quote then-Treasurer Paul Keating. “I think we’re nostalgic for the ’80s because…

Superbike Two wins, a track record, lap record and the Elite Roads Pole Position Award. Life couldn’t be better for Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing), who looked a picture of confidence to achieve a perfect points haul and extend his championship lead at Queensland’s Morgan Park. Troy Bayliss (Desmosport Ducati) did not let Herfoss have his own way, pushing to the extremes after a sluggish start in the opening race (sometimes off the track!) and putting on a show for the big crowd. In contrast, Josh Waters (Team Suzuki Ecstar) had started well, running third until a red flag after an accident by local Josh Cavenagh (MPR Motorcycles) halted proceedings. The restart allowed Wayne Maxwell (Yamaha Racing Team – Yamaha YZFR1M) to regroup and take full advantage, bolting to the…

Allerton back for finale After a serious motocross training accident left NextGen BMW star Glenn Allerton with multiple fractures, speculation was mounting as to whether team boss Wayne Hepburn would fill the seat until his return. IoMTT star Cam Donald had fans salivating after turning up to a test day at Morgan Park, but Hepburn revealed it was strictly a test day and the former TT winner would not be filling in. Kelso cameo Joel Kelso took time out from his international schedule to take part in the GP Juniors class at Morgan Park. Kelso (below) picked up ‘The Grinning Dingo Pole Position Award’ of $200, which will no doubt come in handy when he jets back to Italy to ride in the final round of the CIV Championship in…

SILVERSTONE MD STUART Pringle (pictured) opened an impromptu press briefing on Sunday evening with a fulsome apology to the spectators, and a promise that “we will be in contact with all the fans” who had booked in advance. But he did not reveal plans for compensation, nor whether he’d seek compensation from the firm that resurfaced the track. Pringle said the decision to abort the races had been made with all interested parties, including Dorna, race direction and the teams. Consultation with both the official Met office and a commercial weather radar platform had suggested that running the races early would avoid the worst of the weather, and that there would be a good chance of running a full program. “But that weather window didn’t happen. If I had known…

MARC MARQUEZ SAID the decision to cancel the British Grand Prix was 100 per cent correct and rebuffed the claims by Jack Miller that the race should have proceeded at a rain-lashed Silverstone (see story page 113). The risk of aquaplaning triggering a multi-rider pile-up, as it did in Saturday practice, was too great a risk according to the defending world champion. Marquez was mindful of the triple leg fracture – femur, tibia and fibula – suffered by Tito Rabat when he was clobbered by Franco Morbidelli’s riderless Honda in Saturday’s scary crash. Sunday’s race was finally abandoned four and half hours after conditions were declared unsafe, with riders reporting dangerous puddles of standing water after a sighting lap. Miller was an exception, saying he had “no dramas” with aquaplaning…

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. Extra large glasses are also a good thing when given the chance to ride your first litre bike. When Dobie threw young Zane the keys to our MT-10 Long Termer at a recent track day, he returned with eyes as wide as dinner plates. Tipping into Wakefield kink at 205km/h will get your blood pumping.…

THE ANNUAL ISLAND Classic has become the first victim of Motorcycling Australia’s (MA) ban on aviation gasoline, with Team UK refusing to convert its racebikes for a single meeting. Organisers are examining other options to ensure some form of a UK team will front the starter over the Australia Day weekend next January. “We’ve loved having Roger (Winfield) and his team at the Island Classic for well over 10 years, but with the ban on aviation gas we understand their reticence to compete,” said Phillip Island circuit managing director Fergus Cameron. “We have UK riders who want to attend, and we are looking at our bike options, so let’s just say the UK team is currently a work in progress.” Winfield announced after this year’s International Challenge that he was…

Happy 70th Honda! The CB750, Supercub and Fireblade are just three of the legendary motorcycles produced by Honda over the past seven decades, and that’s just its roadbikes! The race department (HRC) has won more silverware than it can probably remember and continues to do so at the highest level. The Japanese motorcycle manufacturer also has big plans for the future. We look back on seven decades of Honda on Pg58 NUMBER 1 PLATE Numberplates.com.au has sold a 100-year-old NSW motorcycle numberplate. Boasting a single No.1 digit, the plate was issued in 1918 and has only changed hands a few times. Honda’s general manager owned it in 1935 before it was fitted to an MV Agusta in the Southern Highlands. It was the first time in 80 years it had…

A MOUNTAIN OF jackets have been collected and distributed, and the worst of winter will soon be over, so it’s time to wind up the 2018 AMCN Winter Jacket Drive, and kick off the 2019 drive. Our drop-off points are no longer collecting jackets, but you can make a difference, and help out. AMCN will continue to trade your unused motorcycle jackets for a Gassit Pack, stockpiling the collected body-warmers until the 2019 drive kicks off next June. Between now and then there are two ways you can donate a jacket and receive a Gassit Pack (see breakout at right). Phillip Cantwell from Bungendore delivered a booty of bone-warming jackets to the Mission Australia office at Goulburn, and Dan Strickland was on hand to accept the donation. Fellow reader Glenn…

Road (2014) Stunning and confronting insight to the Dunlop road-racing dynasty, made even more poignant by the recent death of William Dunlop. It covers two generations of the one family that has dominated road racing and the Isle of Man for more than three decades. Tragedy, as well as success, rides on their shoulders. 12 O’Clock Boys (2013) A gritty look inside an urban dirtbike gang of motorcycle pranksters in Baltimore, one of the most economically depressed cities in the US. Wheelies, stoppies and clashes with police are the backdrop for the story of a young teenager trying to hang with what he thinks are the coolest guys in town. On Any Sunday (1971) The most influential motorcycle documentary ever made. It is referenced in the WAYNE doco, and Gardner…

“Who would have thought when we decided to buy motorbikes when we were 70s longhairs, they’d have such a profound influence on our lives” Show and tell On behalf of the Shoalhaven Classic Motorcycle Club, I would like to thank AMCN for your support of our little bike show in Berry (AMCN Vol 68 No 02). This year we had 148 entries across 13 categories. Their entry fees, combined with the raffles and generous donations made by the motorcycling public, saw the club raise $3000 from the day. All of the money raised was presented to Nowra All Saints Community Care, who will use the injection of funds to help out Shoalhaven families in need. We look forward to your ongoing support, and we hope to see everyone again at…

@jeffmotojourno Beer for Woose today 7 years since he passed away. Nurse Wootton kindly sent me a bit of memorabilia when he left us, his cold weather gloves from his last trip. Still got his snot on them. Well I hope it’s his snot! @westcoastwanderer_I miss wearing all my riding gear and sitting on top of mtns with my bike. After 5 years riding around North America and seeing so much there I particularly miss my fav places like this. Where’s your fav place to sit and think about life? @braydenmcmahon photography Favourite photo from the other day at a Wakefield Motorcycle Ride Day #wakefieldpark…

Just twist your wrist and that distinctive-sounding engine will deliver Fuel tank The Corsaro ZZ features a larger 19-litre fuel tank compared with the ZT on the right, which has a 14-litre capacity. The tank is also made of aluminium while the ZT’s is plastic, but they weigh the same Power boost Moto Morini has achieved the unusual by getting more power and torque out of the engine in the process of meeting Euro 4 compliance. The V-twin has 5kW and 3Nm more than the Euro 3 model from the same 1187cc capacity Exhaust Although the more user-friendly ZT has the same twin megaphone-shaped underseat exhaust design as the sportier ZZ, tech boss Massimo Gustato says a new exhaust was developed specifically for this bike Handlebar A reshaped one-piece handlebar…

ENGINE Configuration 87º V-twin Cylinder head Gear cam drive, four valves per cylinder Capacity 1187cc Bore/stroke 107mm x 66mm Compression ratio 11.9:1 Cooling Liquid Fueling EFI, 2 x 54mm Magneti Marelli throttle bodies Power 102.5kW @ 8500rpm (claimed) Torque 125Nm @ 6750rpm (claimed) TRANSMISSION Type Six-speed Clutch Wet, multi-plate, slipper-type Final drive Chain CHASSIS Frame material Chrome-moly Frame layout Tubular trellis Rake 24.5° Trail 103mm SUSPENSION Mupo Front: 46mm USD, fully adjustable, 135mm travel Rear: Monoshock, adjustable damping and preload, 120mm travel WHEELS/TYRES Wheels Forged aluminium Front: 17 x 3.5 Rear: 17 x 6.0 Tyres Diablo Rosso III Front: 120/70R17 (58W) Rear: 190/55R17 (75W) BRAKES Brembo Front: Twin 320mm discs, four-piston radial calipers Rear: Single 220mm disc, two-piston caliper DIMENSIONS Weight 190kg (kerb, claimed) Seat height 860mm Max width Not…

THIS YEAR HONDA announced the end of its long-running ASIMO humanoid robot project after more than 30 years working on such machines. But far from marking the end of its significance, ASIMO’s demise could herald the moment it finally becomes relevant. The first robot able to walk and eventually run like a human, ASIMO taught Honda’s engineers invaluable lessons in sensor technology and the reactions needed to balance. These lessons are illustrated in more practical form in the Riding Assist and Riding Assist EV concept machines, both shown in 2017 – bikes that are able to balance themselves without the need to resort to bulky gyroscopes or shifting weights. This technology might not seem immediately useful, but it will form the basis of the next generation of rider aids; bikes…

JOSH’S WORLD TITLE marks just the fourth time an Australian rider has claimed an Endurance world title. Our first came more than two decades ago when Wollongong-born Peter Goddard won for Suzuki with Doug Polen in 1997. The next came just three years later when Warwick Nowland and Peter Linden were crowned the 2000 world champs, again on Suzuki machinery. Melbourne-born Heinz Platacis won in 2001, but he raced under the German flag. Steve Martin won the title in 2009, and it was then a full 10 seasons before Aussie fans could again celebrate the title, our first with Honda machinery, when Josh Hook claimed the 2017/18 Endurance World Championship.…

I’VE BEEN COMPLAINING for a while about having trouble finding a race boot that doesn’t flap around on my foot – cos chickens have fatter ankles than I do. The search for a new boot to replace my current comfortable but well-passed-their-use-by-date pair has been dragging on for too long, but I may have found what I’m looking for in the TCX RT-RACE Pro Air boot. If you love comfortable boots and acronyms, then these TCX boots will tickle your fancy. They have the F.F.C. (Fasten Fit Control) lacing system for comfort and a secure fit, plus D.F.C. (Double Flex Control System) for safety. They also have titanium heel and toe sliders and plenty of ventilation to keep your feet cool. Speaking of cool, Troy Bayliss wears TCX boots so…

Top 3 TV 1 FIM MXGP Rd18 LIVE Turkey mxgp-tv.com Sun 2 Sep 7pm (AEST) Go to MXGP-TV to catch the MXGP of Turkey from 7pm on Sunday. MX2 Race 1 starts at 7pm, MXGP Race 1 at 8pm, MX2 Race 2 at 10pm and MXGP Race 2 at 11pm. You can catch qualifying on Saturday from 10.15pm. 2 ASBK Rd6 LIVE Winton asbk.com.au Sun 9 Sep 11.10am (AEST) The YMF Australian Superbike C’ship will air live from Winton at asbk.com.au/live-stream/. Superbike Race 1 kicks off at 11.10am and Race 2 at 2.45pm. See the ASBK website for the full schedule and other classes. 3 MotoGP Rd13 LIVE Misano, IT Fox/Videopass Sun 9 Sep 7pm (AEST) MotoGP Rd13 from Misano will air live on Sunday evening on Videopass and Fox…

When Honda doesn’t win, it is always the riders’ fault. Never the engineers’ PERHAPS I’D BETTER begin by apologising. Not sure yet what for, but it seems right. This worthy humility was triggered by Yamaha at the Austrian GP. After their factory riders’ worst-yet qualifying and before their worst-yet race of an increasingly difficult season, the crossed-tuning-forks bigwigs convened an extraordinary but not quite unprecedented press briefing, with the sole purpose of saying sorry. Sorry to the riders, sorry to the media. Just sorry to everybody, really. This was a very Yamaha thing to do … the Japanese company with a streak of humanity. And there was a precedent, back in 2001, when Yamaha’s Nakajima owned up to some design flaws in their final two-stroke, upon which Max Biaggi was…

“THAT WAS SO much fun. You dream of having runs like this. I’ve just got to thank the team so much for giving me a bike that’s so easy to ride. We had such a good game plan, but it’s difficult at this track because it’s so tight. We knew we needed to be more patient at the start of the race to save the tyre, and I was just counting down the laps until I could hit that button and use more power. It was a really tough weekend of racing and all the conditions were so hard, there was a lot of dust on the track. I’m just so happy to take another win and extend the championship lead.”…

FRANCO MORBIDELLI is set to inherit the coveted factory Yamaha team slot occupied by his mentor, Valentino Rossi, in 2021. Confirmation that Morbidelli will be top of the list when Rossi’s anticipated race retirement occurs in two years came from Yamaha MotoGP boss Lin Jarvis. All Morbidelli must do is live up to expectations as the main man at the Petronas Yamaha satellite squad that enters MotoGP in 2019. Morbidelli, 23, is being groomed for the factory gig and his deal to join the Petronas team, guided by guru crew chief Ramon Forcada, has Rossi’s fingerprints all over it. Rossi’s VR46 enterprise manages Morbidelli, and the Italian is one of Rossi’s regular training buddies at his Tavullia riding ranch. “If Franky performs well, then yes, he’ll be at the top…