Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 68 Issue 23 i Australian Motorcycle News

ANOTHER DEBACLE OF an election, depending on who you ask of course, but there’s an upside to the mosh-pit-style jostling for leadership positions in the defeated ALP – one bloke with a chance of taking up Bill’s empty slot is pro motorcycles. Could a bloke like ‘Albo’ be a good thing for motorcycling? Absolutely Well, he gets the concept of motorcycling helping a country’s efficiency, anyway. The Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development, as well as Tourism, Anthony Albanese (he was as I typed this, anyway – it’s probably changed in the three days it takes to get to newsstands) has previously gone on the record with a seemingly decent grasp of the effect motorcycling has on traffic flow, congestion and making us all feel better about…

ANY BIKE MAKER worth its salt is scrambling to get on the electric motorcycle bandwagon and Triumph has embarked on a two-year project to develop one called the TE-1. It is working with Williams Advanced Engineering, sister company of the Formula 1 team of the same name, which has extensive electric vehicle expertise and is developing the bike’s batteries. The motor is being created by Integral Powertrain, while the University of Warwick is also helping. Funding is being helped by the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), via Innovate UK, which was set up to boost the country’s eco-tech credentials. Triumph is leading the project, creating the chassis and providing the manufacturing expertise, as well as defining the…

Congratulations Tim, 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 Rider Tim Alston Ride 2008 Yamaha FZ1N He says Here is my latest pride and joy. I’ve done a couple of modifications to it, including a modified airbox, I removed the catalytic converter, shortened exhaust, fitted a Power Commander V which was tuned by Dave at Sydney Dyno to 1›1 rear-wheel horsepower and 96Nm. With a couple of aesthetic modifications done, too, like full LED lighting, a set of Renthal bars and some bling. This is quite possibly the best bike I’ve ever had. We say It’s not what you have but how you set it…

Reckon you’re pretty quick when it comes to two-wheeled trivia? Then have a crack at our who-what-where series. If you’re finding it hard, here’s a clue – all the answers have appeared in AMCN at some time over the past 67 years. When you reckon you’ve worked out the bloke, the bike and the track, email your numbered answers to comps@amcn.com.au for your chance to win! 1. WHO? Who were the two Dakar legends who rode up and down the Olympic bobsled track in Norway in 2007? 2. WHEN? When did Cagiva stop selling its famous ‘Elefant’? 3. WHAT? What engine capacity did this Suzuki with a unique engine come with? 4. WHY? Why have some of the major manufacturers decided to stop selling ATVs in Australia? 5. WHERE? Where do…

ENGINE Configuration Parallel-twin Cylinder head DOHC, four valves per cylinder Capacity 399cc Bore/stroke 70.0 x 51.8mm Compression ratio 11.5: 1 Cooling Liquid Fueling EFI, 2 x 32mm Keihin throttle bodies Power 33.4kW @ 10,000rpm (claimed) Torque 38Nm @ 8000rpm (claimed) TRANSMISSION Type Six-speed Clutch Wet, slipper and assist Final drive Chain CHASSIS Frame material Steel Frame layout Tubular trellis Rake 24.7º Trail 92mm SUSPENSION Front: 41 mm telescopic fork, 120mm travel Rear: Monoshock, adjustable preload, 130 mm travel WHEELS/TYRES Wheels Front: 17 x 3.0 Rear: 17 x 4.0 Tyres Dunlop Sportmax Front: 110/70R17 (54H) Rear: 150/70R17 (66S) BRAKES Front: Single 310mm disc, two-piston caliper, ABS Rear: Single 220mm disc, two-piston caliper, ABS DIMENSIONS Weight 167kg (kerb, claimed) Seat height 785mm Max width 800mm Max height 1055mm Wheelbase 1370mm Fuel capacity…

ENGINE Configuration 60° V-twin Cylinder head DOHC, four valves per cylinder Capacity 1203cc Bore/stroke 102 x 73.6mm Compression ratio 12.5: 1 Cooling Liquid Fueling Bosch closed loop EFI, dual 60mm Mikuni throttle bodies Power 93kW @ 8250rpm (claimed) Torque 120Nm @ 5900rpm (claimed) TRANSMISSION Type Six-speed Clutch Wet, slip & assist Final drive Chain CHASSIS Frame material ALS steel Frame layout Tubular trellis Rake 26.3° Trail 130mm SUSPENSION Sachs Front: 43mm USD, cartridge fork, nonadjustable, 150mm travel (S model: fully adjustable) Rear: Monoshock, monotube IFP, adjustable preload, 150mm travel (S model: Piggyback IFP, fully adjustable) WHEELS/TYRES Wheels Cast aluminium, ten spoke Front: 19 x 3 Rear: 18 x 4.25 Tyres Dunlop DT3-R Radial Front: 120/70R19 (60V) Rear: 150/80R18 (70V) BRAKES Brembo, ABS Front: Twin 320mm discs, four-piston radial M4.32 calipers…

The 2018 Isle Man TT saw lap records broken in every single class. Between leaps in motorcycle technology, a changing climate beaming down endless sun and a particularly deep pool of rider talent, chasing wins around the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course has never been more difficult. It makes for an intriguing spectacle for the wide-eyed onlookers, and ups the stakes in what’s already hailed as the greatest show on earth. Traditionally used as a warm-up event to the TT fortnight main event, the North West 200 is done and dusted. This is everything you need to know to get the most out of TT ’19 1. NO ONE HAS BEEN AROUND THE MOUNTAIN COURSE QUICKER THAN PETER HICKMAN IF YOU HAVEN'T watched the on-board footage of Peter Hickman’s…

THE ABRASION TEST is the most theatrical and amounts to mounting a section of the cloth (cut directly from the brand-new garment) on a swinging arm, which is then lowered on to what looks like a big old belt sander loaded with 60-grit (the road) travelling at 28km/h. (Interestingly, studies show the speed has less to do with injuries in bike crashes than does the surface of the road being used for the purposes of crashing.) A small copper wire (your skin) under the material completes an electrical circuit which is broken, stopping the clock, when the 60-grit wears through the leather, denim or whatever. The time it takes to achieve wear-through determines the score. Longer is better, obviously. Most garments only last up to about four or five seconds.…

There are two roads that feed off to Berry from the main road through to Nowra – one before you start the climb up Cambewarra Mountain, and the other at the top where the Cambewarra Lookout is situated. The Lookout features a restaurant with sit-down meals and expansive panoramic views across the Shoalhaven region. The roads across to Berry are narrower unmarked sealed roads but are suitable for all types of motorcycles. Kiama is a short hop up the Princes Highway from Berry and provides an opportunity to link up with Jamberoo and Macquarie Pass for a more interesting loop back towards Sydney. The Robertson Pie Shop atop Macquarie Pass is another good spot to stop and you will often find other motorcyclists to swap stories with.…

Top 3 TV 1 MXGP Rd9 LIVE France mxgp-tv.com 26 May 9pm (AEST) MX fans can catch all the action from the MXGP of France at mxgp-tv.com. MX2 Race 1 kicks off at 9pm on Sunday followed by MXGP Race 1 at 10pm. MX2 Race 2 starts at midnight and MXGP Race 2 starts at 1am. 2 MotoGP Rd6 LIVE Italy Videopass, Fox 2 June 7pm Round 6 of MotoGP takes place at Mugello, Italy. The Moto3 race starts at 7pm (AEST), Moto2 at 8.20pm and MotoGP at 10pm. Videopass and Foxtel will air all races while 10 Bold will air the MotoGP race only. 3 Hare Scramble LIVE Red Bull TV 2-3 June 3am (AEST) Catch live action from the Erzbergrodeo Red Bull Hare Scramble at redbull.tv. This is…

Jack Miller MotoGP 4th “It was a good race to stay so close to those guys. The bike was working pretty well, though maybe I got a little bit carried away at the start and used a bit too much of my edge. I knew I had the speed. I just need to understand a bit more about how to do the lap time without using the edge of the tyres.” Remy Gardner Moto2 DNF “I don’t know. Lost the front. I hadn’t had any moments like that throughout the weekend. I had a nice line, but the front tucked. I nearly saved it. Luckily it was on the left side so my collarbone is okay, but I couldn’t push-start it again. I was struggling a bit for grip, but…

Tom Edwards WorldSSP›00 Kawasaki ParkinGo Grid 22nd, Race DNS, No score yet “It was a super tight qualifying and not an ideal result but I was ready to go for the race. Unfortunately, the race was cancelled due to the weather conditions so I am hoping for better luck in the next round at Jerez.” Tom Bramich WorldSSP›00 Carl Cox - RT Motorsports 44th Superpole, Race DNS, No score yet “It’s not one of the easier tracks on the calendar but we have got to take the positives from the weekend. For some reason in the ideal times I could always be fast but I could never string it together. We are as happy as we can be in the position we are in.” Jack Hyde WorldSSP›00 2R Racing Team…

Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha) had another tough weekend despite his bright start to the season back on an R1. Even sixth in race one was still nearly 32 seconds behind Rea after 19 laps. Alex Lowes was fighting a gastric illness all weekend and that was a large part of why he was seventh in race one. He improved in the sprint to go fifth. Wildcards had some strong showings, even those who had little experience of it. The Motocorsa Racing Ducati V4R of Lorenzo Zanetti may have expected to be as strong as ninth in race one but last-minute arrival Tommy Bridewell, a stand-in for the injured Eugene Laverty in the GoEleven team, beat Zanetti in race two. A 12th and then an 11th doesn’t sound earth shattering, but…

DUCATI IS IN NO rush to select a teammate for Andrea Dovizioso in the factory team for 2020. The shoot-out is now between Jack Miller and Danilo Petrucci, with rookie ace Francesco Bagnaia ruled out of contention. Ducati’s new WorldSBK star Alvaro Bautista is also out of the running, with reports confirming the 35-year-old Spanish rider is set to be offered an early renewal to his one-year contract to again lead the team in the 2020 World Superbike Championship. Moto2 world champion Bagnaia, 22, had showed startling speed in pre-season MotoGP testing but has struggled in early season races aboard a Ducati GP18. “It’s too early for Bagnaia to go to the factory team next year,” said Ducati sporting director Paolo Ciabatti. “And if Alvaro is world superbike champion this…

BEWISER DUCATI'S JOSH Brookes secured two BSB victories, leading both races from start to finish at round two of the Bennett’s British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park, recuperating from his double DNF opening round at Silverstone. Showing great pace all weekend, Brookes was able to hold off consistent pressure from the rival Panigale V4 R underneath Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing) across both races. Providing great battles for spectators was FS-3 Racing’s Danny Buchan, who secured third across both BSB races behind second-placed Bridewell. “Race one I nearly got caught out” Brookes said, “I didn’t realise that Tommy was right on my back wheel, but race two I kept a better focus on my board and the times. It was probably a better race than I have done here before, consistently…

DUCATI'S EFFORTS TO disguise this prototype has been its undoing. The styling is so similar to the Panigale V4 that it might have stood a chance of passing unnoticed if it wasn’t for the swirly distraction patterns on the fairings. What it reveals is a combination of parts from the existing Panigale 959 with elements from the Panigale V4 to create the next generation of Ducati’s intermediate sportsbike. The seat, tank and bellypan all appear to be unchanged from the current Panigale 959. The same applies to the few chassis and engine elements that can be seen, such as the engine cases and covers, main semi-monocoque frame, the fork, brakes and even the pillion footpegs. With so much of the old Panigale 959 retained, the V4-like restyling is impressive. The…

100 This year marks the Isle of Man’s 100th running of the Tourist Trophy Meeting. Beginning in 1907, the TT has run every year, apart from during the two World Wars and the 2001 UK foot-and-mouth outbreak. American rider Patricia Fernandez after completing her debut practice session at Ireland’s North West 200 “It’s a different level of crazy. We know women are crazy anyhow, I’m just embracing my side of crazy a little more than other women” A STEAK FOR BLAKE? The 38th annual memorial lunch held to commemorate the late, great Kenny Blake will be held at the Laurel Hotel in Ascot Vale, Victoria, where guest speaker Ray Quincey will recall memories of the Aussie great killed at the Isle of Man in 1981. For more info contact Alf…

EVERY YEAR, AMCN readers help Australia’s less well-off ward off the worst of winter with the donation of their unused riding jackets – better gear for sleeping rough, there isn’t! Warm, padded, mostly waterproof, and well made – if you aren’t using that jacket hanging in the wardrobe, we know people who will! AMCN is once again teaming up with the legends at Mission Australia to collect your old jackets. We have an office full of them already, ready for distribution at the excellent Sydney Homeless Connect event on 2 July. The annual event is designed to offer care and services for the homeless as they enter their most challenging period, during winter. The AMCN Jacket Drive has run since 2012, furnishing homeless people around the country with the kind…

HISTORY IS A fantastic marketing tool for marketing tools. If you’ve got it, bend it, spin it, spruik it, and send it. We all love a good motorcycling folklore yarn, and Indian have some pretty cool tools in the box in the form of the formidable Wrecking Crew factory race team. Motorcycling’s pioneer-years rivalry between Indian and its great Northern nemesis Harley-Davidson on the dirt ovals of olde are like a script made in heaven for stirring a little heat into the American-made bike market. Indian’s owners Polaris knew just which buttons to push when relaunching its great American brand onto a H-D-heavy homeland. And the message has certainly reverberated further afield, too. Flat Track may lack MotoGP’s mass appeal, but it does have the sort of guerrilla marketing grip…

TOP BOX KIT Top Box $362 Top Box Base plate $125.99 Aluminium Deco Cover $65 Top Box Trim Black $130.69 Top Case One Key System $30 TOP BOX ACCESSORY Back rest pad $72 PANNIER KIT Panniers Set 2 x 28L $1,293.60 Pannier Covers Green $234.99 Pannier Locks $75.67 Pannier Stripe Kit $75 Pannier fitting Kit $205.67 PANNIER ACCESSORY Pannier protective film $90 OTHERS Axle Slider $139.45 Frame Slider Kit $275.45 Radiator Guard $121.51 Fog Lights $704.19 Heated Handgrips $369.56 Tank Pad $97 Helmet Lock $177.80…

UNTIL 2014, HICKMAN was an up-and-coming short-circuit racer, with no plans to risk it all between the walls and hedges. “If you had asked me a few years before 2014 I would’ve said I wouldn’t do the TT. But I came to a point in my career where I was really struggling with BSB. I was a top-10 runner but unless I had a big cheque book I couldn’t get a good ride, so I wasn’t going to get anywhere because I don’t come from a wealthy background. I came to a crossroads in my career – either go back to work as a plasterer, or try something different in racing. I just wanted to keep riding bikes, because that’s what I love doing, so I thought that doing the…

ACCORDING TO MOTOCAP partner the RACV, the ratings scheme of riding gear is important because, until now, we riders have been buying in the dark. And according to the motoring club’s chief engineer, Michael Case, that’s because the usual marketing that makes us buy a product has nothing to do with safety when it comes to riding gear. “You can’t tell the likely performance of the gear just by looking at it,” he told AMCN. “Price, brand name and even the materials used are not indicators of how protective a piece of riding gear will be. “Most people think of helmets as the centre of motorcycle safety, but a helmet is only part of the story. But now, if we can use the ratings system to provide information on things…

The Kangaroo Valley Pioneer Museum is located next to Hampden Bridge. The park features historic buildings in an authentic setting, with a swing bridge that marks the start of several walking trails. Activities include canoeing and there are several canoe hire outlets in the vicinity. Belmore Falls near Robertson is worth a look if there has been recent rainfall in the area.…

Show time 25 MAY Malanda Car & Bike Display, Malanda Industrial Estate, Pioneer Ave, Malanda, Qld. Gates open 10am-2pm. Free entry; gold coin donation to cancer research. Prizes for can and bike of the display. Sausage sizzle and cold drinks. For information phone Errol or Rebecca at Eacham Fuel on (07) 4096 5577. 8 JUNE Deni Shovel Muster & Bike Swap Meet, Pretty Pine Hotel, Cobb Hwy, Deniliquin, NSW. Gates open 12pm; judging 4pm. Live music, trophies and more. Entry $20; U16 free. Patch clubs by prior arrangement only. For information phone 0498 648 204. 29 JUNE 3rd Annual Mountain View Bike Show, Mountain View Hotel, 864 Gillies Range Rd, Little Mulgrave, Qld. 10am to midnight. $5 entry. Raising money for services supporting women and children affected by violence. For…

NO SOONER HAD Silverstone announced that it was to commission a complete resurfacing, after the race was flooded out last year, than the same thing happened to World Superbikes at Imola. Although far apart, the two incidents had depressing similarities. There was lots of arguing, but in the end the riders’ view prevailed and safety was preserved. The race was cancelled, and soggy spectators had to go home disappointed. Unlike at Silverstone, however, they had at least seen some racing that Sunday. Weirdly, however, it was the second Superbike race to be hit by crazy weather this year. A late-season snowstorm in mid-April stopped Saturday racing at Assen, though they could catch up again on Sunday. There are certain conclusions to be drawn. One is that the tracks are inadequately…

Circuit length 4.185km Race distance MotoGP 112.995km Moto2 104.625km Moto3 92.070km 2018 winners MotoGP Marc Marquez 41m39.678s Moto2 Lorenzo Baldassarri 25m33.841s Moto3 Niccolo Antonelli 39m30.327s Did you know? Spain’s motorcycle racing ‘factory’ turns out winning riders seemingly by the dozen. But Le Mans’s all-Spain Moto2 podium ended a long and somewhat unusual drought. It was at Aragon in 2013 that Spaniards last took all three steps on the podium when, Nicolás Terol, Tito Rabat and Pol Espargaro locked out the top three. Alex Marquez’s Le Mans win also stopped a run of 27 Moto2 races without a Spanish winner, going back to Marquez himself in Japan in 2017. Round 5 Finishing positions MOTOGP 27 LAPS…

THE FIRST RACE did not disappoint in its usual serving of thrills and variety. It started with a terrifying first-lap crash, when Ai Ogura had a vicious high-side, with the Team Asia Honda spinning back onto the track in the middle of the pack, miraculously avoided by the rear half of the 29-strong field. The pack was split by various other crashes and incidents, but closed right up again for a fraught final lap, with Scotsman John McPhee at the front of it at the end. He had been there at the beginning, but had to fight to regain the position, as second-placed Lorenzo Dalla Porto pushed his Leopard Honda briefly ahead of the Petronas Honda. The top 10 were all over the line inside 2sec, with the inevitable moments…

THE SIGNS ARE there that the remaining rounds of the World Supersport Championship might not be quite the Yamaha-fest that many thought they might be. Sure, Randy Krummenacher and Federico Caricasulo fought out a close battle at Imola, taking their Evans/ Bardahl R6s to a 1-2 finish. And yes, the gap to the best of the rest, which in this case happened to be the MV Agusta of Raffaele De Rosa, was a gaping 13sec. But Lucas Mahias showed that Kawasaki is getting its bike sorted and chased valiantly, and the racing (which featured white flags for rain and a red one for a slightly early finish) was a cracker. The all-Yamaha fight was decided on the final lap when Caricasulo, who had been biding his time and who had…

WINNING HONDA'S 300th premier class grand prix at Le Mans was not the most significant number after Marc Marquez won the 2019 French Grand Prix. Marquez has now won three of the five races so far this season for a strike rate of 60 percent, well ahead of his career MotoGP win rate of 41 percent. This season, he has led 84 laps out of a possible 119, which is more than double the combined total (35) of the four other riders who have led races. The numbers weigh heavily in Marquez’s campaign for a sixth MotoGP world championship.…

JACK MILLER CONCEDES that he needs a calmer approach in the opening laps to capitalise on his raw speed and podium potential. He paid the price for an early charge that saw him briefly lead the French GP when he faded with tyre issues over the closing laps. After leading Marc Marquez, Miller eventually finished fourth, 0.8sec off the podium. “Today when that gap opened up early in the race and I got past Danilo for second then I went all out to catch and pass Marc,” Miller said. “I used too much of the edge of the tyre. I felt I had the speed to pass Marc but wasn’t sure of it for the whole, so I tried to fluster him and slow him down but it didn’t work.…

THE 2019 NORTH West 200 produced seven different winners from the seven races that went ahead, with weather eventually prompting the final Superbike race to be cancelled. As well as Peter Hickman celebrating the first win of the event ahead of Glen Irwin (Kawasaki) and Michael Dunlop (BMW) in the opening Superstock race, and Lee Johnson (Yamaha) claiming the Supersport 1 win ahead of Dean Harrison and James Hillier, Stefano Bonetti became the first-ever Italian (and just the fourth international rider) to win a NM200 race when he beat Jamie Coward and Michael Rutter to the line in the opening Supertwin race. Last year’s fastest newcomer Davey Todd picked up his first North West victory in the second Supersport event on his Padgetts Honda CBR600RR, while 55-year-old Jeremy McWilliams tasted…

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’ve just spent two-and-a-half hours in the queue to reach the Border Force officer at Los Angeles airport, hey Youngy? “You’re a reporter?” asked the beefy-built bloke, who added, “do you tell the truth?” in a heavy emotionless caricature of a Russian accent. “Yes,” replied Youngy. “Then Trump will like you,” the officer resonded in a snap. “But then, I do only report on motorcycles,” offered Youngy, sensing a mischievous streak behind the stone-face hard man. “Then Putin will like you,” he said without so much as a smirk. “Have a…

ZONGSHEN HAS UNVEILED its version of Norton’s 650cc parallel twin engine at a show in China, and it looks ready to be bolted into a production motorcycle. A wiring loom emerging from the left hand side is a strong hint of this. Although Norton’s official line is that the Zongshen 650cc is a completely separate, low-performance engine built under licence, it’s clear the Zongshen’s basics are identical. A partially-obscured line drawing of the forthcoming Zongshen model that’s set to use this engine emerged last month, showing a design not dissimilar to the old Kawasaki ER6n. Zongshen is also known as an engine builder for other manufacturers, so this engine could appear in other brands.…

Dead-set legend The Veteran Racing Motorcyclists Association of Victoria has awarded 97-year-old Wes Brown OAM the Trevor Negri Award for his significant contribution to motorcycle sport. Ride on, Doc Motorcycle-mad neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo is one of the stars of new SBS reality show Medicine or Myth, which tests alternative theories. Bye Burrito Seventies Triumph and Yamaha hero Gene ‘Burrito’ Romero has died in California aged 72. He won the 1975 Daytona 200, the year Barry Sheene crashed spectacularly. Court out The Canberra Times reports that an ACT motorist faces charges of driving with intent to menace after incidents involving cars swerving toward motorcyclists legally lane filtering.…

News Rumours were swirling of Suzuki’s plans to make a 750 sportsbike. A sketch in Germany’s Motorrad Reisin und sport suggested that the bike was likely to be along the lines of the Yamaha FJ1100. The rumours weren’t far off from what became the 1985 GSX750. Sport Eddie Lawson was crowned king of the 1984 500cc World Championship, cruising home in fourth place at the Mugello circuit. That was enough to keep the Yamaha ace on top of the leaderboard, just in front of the Honda pairing of Randy Mamola and Raymond Roche. Bike test With Kel Buckley recently testing the new Katana what better time to look back on the Katana II, with its goregous avant-garde styling? The 1984 Katana 750s put out a sturdy 59.9kW, which seems pretty…

I’m sitting on my first bike, a 1971 Honda SL125 (no 11). From left to right: my mate’s on an Honda XR75, me, next another XR75 and last, an SL70. Yes, we all have our riding armour on, and note there’s no front brakes. We’re all still here. John Tilley After several years of enduro bikes, I purchased a new Ducati with custom paint, 40mm Dell’Ortos, Continentals and SS gearing – I was in love. Here’s a photo of me coming back from an Alpine Rally via Wombeyan Caves road. I did 112,000km on that bike. Paul Reichhart Channelling James Dean on my first big bike, a 1952 Triumph Thunderbird. I’m still riding 60 years later, currently on a VFR 800. Clive Richardson…

IT'S ONE THING buying a larger capacity motorcycle boasting a performance boost over an outgoing model, but if the larger bike is also heavier, then your performance-to-weight ratio may not budge. The new Z400 tips the scales 3kg lighter ready-to-ride compared to the outgoing Z300 which, on a 167kg LAMS-approved machine, signals a big boost in dynamic performance. As well as the engine being used a stressed component, the reduced-capacity fuel tank and the smaller ABS unit, the new wheels, exhaust, swingarm, triple clamp, crank and gears can all boast a weight saving over the 300. The reduced engine oil volume also plays its part.…

THERE’S ENOUGH LEVERAGE IN THOSE ’BARS TO BUST OPEN A BANK VAULT CHASSIS A TUBULAR-STEEL trellis frame and swingarm are matched to a cast-aluminium subframe that houses the fuel tank. Relatively relaxed steering geometry of 26.3 degrees of rake and 130mm trail translate into a much more nimble chassis than the numbers would suggest. Specially developed Dunlop DTR tyres are fitted to a 10-spoke cast-aluminium wheel set of 19-inch front and an 18-inch rear. SUSPENSION SACHS HAS BEEN supplying shocks and forks to the likes of BMW and Aprilia for their sportsbikes for years, and everything it has learned is manifest in the FTR 1200’s 43mm USD fork and monoshock. Full adjustability is available on the S model’s fork and piggyback shock, whereas the standard model has just the essentials,…

SPORTY FTR IN A WORD; carbon. Carbon seat cowl, carbon tank cover, carbon front fender (mudguard to me and you), carbon carbon carbon. And a lovely pair of low-boy Akrapovic slippers. Fast as. TOURY FTR LIKE TO TAKE stuff with you? You need bags. A tank bag, a side mounted messenger bag, and a rear luggage rack on which you can put your significant other bag. Or a tent. Not a wind fan? The touring windshield will help with your weird phobia, all while revelling in comfort and enhanced style points of the tan Aviator seat. RALLY FTR WHAT A TRANSFORMATION this little ensemble makes. Wire spoked wheels, higher Pro Taper rally ’bars and bitey footpegs, radiator protector, wind deflector, Aviator seat, rally mudguards with numberplate holder and matching tank…

ENGINE Configuration Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke In-Line Four Cylinder head DOHC, four valves per cylinder Capacity 1043cc Bore/stroke 77 x 56mm Compression ratio 10.3: 1 Cooling Liquid Fueling EFI, 4 x 38mm throttle bodies Power 88kW @ 9000rpm (claimed) Torque 102Nm @ 7500rpm (claimed) TRANSMISSION Type Six-speed, up-down quickshifter Clutch Wet, assist & slipper Final drive Chain CHASSIS Frame material Aluminium Frame layout Twin tube Rake 27° Trail 106mm SUSPENSION Front: 43mm inverted fork with KECScontrolled compression and rebound damping, manual spring preload adjustability Rear: Horizontal Back-link, BFRC lite gas-charged shock with piggyback reservoir, KECS-controlled compression and rebound damping and electronic spring preload adjustability WHEELS/TYRES Wheels Cast aluminium Front: 17 x 3.5 Rear: 17 x 5.5 Tyres Bridgestone Battlax Sport Touring Front: 120/70R17 (58W) Rear: 180/55R17 (75W) BRAKES Front: Dual semi-floating 310…

YOU MIGHT EXPECT the motorcycle clothing industry to be a bit leery about MotoCAP and what it’s up to, but the industry movers and shakers we spoke to were well in favour of the move. General manager of major importer Cassons, Geoff Wood, told AMCN he absolutely approves of the testing regime. “We are passionate as a team about motorcycle safety,” he said, “(and) consumers need a reference point, as we don’t have the standards on riding apparel that exists in Europe.” That general view is backed up by Joel Ryan, business development manager at accessories distributor Ficeda. “I believe it’s (MotoCAP) a great initiative. For us as a company, it helps support the message we have been telling our customers for years. It highlights the differences between products and…

ESSENTIALS Plenty of fuel is available at Moss Vale, Nowra and Berry. The town of Kangaroo Valley also has a good servo, and several food options. There are plenty of cafes and eateries along this route. Fix it At Nowra there are several local bike shops including Nowra Motorcycles and Nowra City Motorcycles on the Princes Highway, and Glen Henry Motorcycles on the Albatross Road. All have workshops and would be happy to lend a helping hand. If you get stuck, John at JBM Motorcycle Transport will come pick you up and take you and your bike home. You can get him on 0449 149 989 – a handy number to save in your phone. Sleep Kangaroo Valley Tourist Park has several different accommodation options including self-contained cabins and picturesque…

SENILE WARTS, LIVER spots, lumbago, dowager’s hump, a bit of gout and osteoarthritis… Growing old’s a real bugger. Then you hear that 2019 is the 50th anniversary of Woodstock. Gimme a break, mate. We can’t be that old. For those who don’t know, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair of August 1969 was an almost Biblical event for us former Seventies longhairs. Just to meet someone who had actually attended Woodstock was like being in the presence of one of the Lord’s disciples. Of course, most of us were too young or too far away to attend rock ’n’ roll’s most (in)famous festival and precursor to the UK’s 1970 Glastonbury festival, not to mention Australia’s Sunbury Pop Festival of 1972. Typical of that hazy period of rock ’n’ roll, Woodstock…

The trends were confirmed at Le Mans. One of those is that the weather generally plays a big part here – this time rain muddled qualifying, and a cold track complicated race day. Another is that Marc Marquez is currently in a class of his own. What they added up to was a masterful pole position followed by another masterful win. It was his third this year, the 73rd in his career and a landmark 300th in the premier class for Honda. It was rather more exciting than his runaway wins in Argentina and Jerez, because this time the Repsol Honda didn’t lead every lap. But it was no less masterful. The rider who got in front, for laps five and six, was not one of his usual title rivals,…

Record player Marc Marquez continues to break records as his remarkable career matures… and not only for surviving the greatest number of crashes. His pole position for the French GP was his 55th. This puts him equal with Valentino Rossi in modern-era racing and just three behind Mick Doohan’s record of 58. Victory at Le Mans brought his premier-class total to 47, putting him equal fourth overall with Jorge Lorenzo. Ahead of him are the sport’s greats; Valentino Rossi (89), Giacomo Agostini (68) and Doohan (54). Funny fish tank Jack Miller saw the funny side of having crashed three times over the two practice days – the most in the premier class, with 61 tumbles in tricky conditions across all three classes. His third crash was in qualifying, when “I…

After the dominant performances put in by Alvaro Bautista and his Aruba.it Ducati Panigale V4R in every single race you could be forgiven for thinking that the previously dominant Jonathan Rea and his Ninja ZX-10RR needed superpowers to win again. But as Rea’s double at the very old school and endlessly winding Imola proved; they just needed the right circuit layout and their untouchable experience of it to score two particularly well-timed wins. In a race weekend that once again featured two races, not the new normal of three, Imola delivered scintillating periods of drama and some titanic battles. But the fact that Rea won a full-distance opening race by seven seconds and then a short 10-lap race by over two seconds, was even more remarkable than the fact he…

WorldSSP300: no change Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO) still leads the championship with 50 perfect points after the race was cancelled due to bad weather. Mika Perez was on pole on his Scuderia Maranga Racing Kawasaki, and reigning world champion Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec) was third on the grid. Davies, baby Chaz Davies took his factory Aruba.it Ducati Panigale V›R to an astounding pole position at Imola, setting a track best 1m›5.180sec as he pipped Jonathan Rea to the best starting spot. It was Davies’ first pole since Laguna Seca in 2018, and only the seventh of his career, despite his 29 race wins. Randy on song In the Supersport world, filled with Yamahas, two of them dominated the rest in Superpole by some distance, but it was only Randy Krummenacher…

ISDE teams confirmed THE TEAM SET to defend Australia’s top spot in the International Six Day Enduro has been named, as team Australia goes up against 30 nations from all five continents in one of off-road racing’s hardest-fought events. Defending Outright champion Daniel Milner returns again, alongside Daniel Sanders, Joshua Green and Luke Styke. The 2019 Australian Women’s World Trophy Team will be looking to pick up an unprecedented seven consecutive title wins this year with Tayla Jones, Jess Gardiner and Mackenzie Tricker, while the Junior World Trophy Team will be made up of Michael Driscoll, Will Ruprecht and Lyndon Snodgrass. The 2019 event will be held in Portugal’s Portimao over 11-16 November. KB Australia in SdN AUSTRALIA HAS COMFORTABLY qualified for the final of the Speedway Of Nations tournament…