Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 66 Issue 20 i Australian Motorcycle News

IT’S NOT OFTEN we see a concept bike with a 150cc engine but, despite its diminutive stature, Honda’s 150SS Racer is an attractive proposition. Revealed at the Bangkok Motor Show, it’s based around the 12.6kW engine from the Indonesian-made CBR150R and its unfaired sibling, the CB150R StreetFire. That may not sound like a recipe for fun, but the oversized, semi-slick tyres and futuristic flat-tracker styling make the 150SS a head-turner. The concept’s design cues are in keeping with a host of recent Honda concepts which could suggest this is a path Honda is pursuing towards production models in the future. Of course, there’s little chance that this bike, as is, will ever reach production. Those carbon-fibre disc wheels might look good, but they’re never going to make financial or engineering…

THESE DAYS, WHETHER it's at manufacturer level or consumer level, we're all a little bit obsessed with cleaning up the rear end of our motorcycles. Sportsbikes and nakedbikes just look better with smaller, sleeker and cleaner tail sections, but with those improved aesthetics comes a trade-off in terms of visibility. Like it or not, the tail becomes smaller and therefore the tail-light is smaller too. And while technology of globes – or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) – have advanced considerably in recent years, the size of a current-model tail-light is up to a third the size of one 20 or 30 years ago. A team of American riders has developed a simple solution; a wireless smart tail-light that attaches to the rear of your helmet and gets brighter when you slow…

It’s low, it’s sleek, it’s minimalistic ... it makes you feel good just looking at it Sometimes you need an alternative perspective to understand the true meaning of something that’s staring you in the face. As I sat on the plane heading to Noosa for the launch of Triumph’s Bonneville-powered Bobber, I wasn’t sure what to make of this bike, or even how it would fit into the world of motorcycling as I knew it. I got chatting to the bloke next to me who wasn’t into bikes and hit him with my quandary. I pulled out a copy of AMCN and showed him a picture of a modern sportsbike, with all its bells and whistles, in action. Then I showed him one of the Bobber. “The picture of the…

Was it even possible for an Average Joe to successfully make the jump from roadbikes to long-legged adventurers? Christ! Don’t drop it!” was bouncing off the walls of my skull as I wrestled to keep the BMW F800 GS Adventure from flipping the ramp and sending us both sprawling off the edge of the bike transporter. After a few tentative moments I managed to coax it up the lopsided ramp and into the van so I could compose myself. Crap. I might need a hand to unload this one. How embarrassing. It was the closest I’d come to dropping a bike without actually riding it, and the realisation came as a big slice of humble pie. As I stood in our van ruminating on my inadequacies, the 240kg bulk of…

One problem with modern-day retro bikes is that in trying to combine ancient with modern, they often risk embracing the worst of both worlds, and the best of neither. In trying to re-create all our yesterdays in a modern context, their builders sometimes end up with too much engine for the chassis, or insufficient poke to pull the skin off a rice pudding. Better to stick the result on display and simply look at it – reflecting as you do how far and how fast the world has moved on since the bike it’s trying to honour first did its thing. But every so often one comes along that is so totally right, and so luscious to look at as well as fun to ride, that you forget all the…

OUR LONG-TERM Yamaha YZF-R3 racebike went into the opening round of the 2017 R3 Cup series at Wakefield Park, Goulburn, looking almost as good as new following our recent fibreglass repair (Vol 66 No 16). Unfortunately, with my limited racing experience and the constantly changing conditions, I managed to throw the bike down the road twice during the two qualifying sessions, logging a total of four laps. This led to frantic action in the pit area where Phil and the team from Race Center set about repairing the damage while I was sent to the bike wash to clean all the mud from the R3 and myself. The good news was that I managed to keep my crash damage spend to just a set of footpegs. Everything I’d bent on…

1 High Calibre Cassons $399.95 (02) 8882 1900 cassons.com.au The Rjays Calibre 100 per cent cowhide leather jacket has vented and perforated upper arms, a removable quilted liner, dual neck closure, accordion-style waist stretch panel, removable elbow and shoulder armour, and back protector. Available in black in men’s sizes 38-52. 2 Flash Back MonzaImports $239.95 (03) 8327 8888 monzaimports.com.au The Bell Custom 500 Chemical Candy pays homage to Bell Founder Roy Richter’s original 1954 fibreglass lid which was simply called the 500. This new version adds modern protective technology such as a multi-density EPS liner and composite fibreglass shell. It also has a five-snap pattern for shields/visors. 3 Full Coverage Rad Guard Australia $195 (02) 6658 0060 radguard.com.au Rad Guard Australia has developed a new radiator and oil cooler guard…

AFTER A DISAPPOINTING start to his first Ducati season, Jorge Lorenzo admitted it may be his fault his Ducati campaign has got off on the wrong foot, after hoping he had made a bit of a breakthrough in Friday’s third free practice. What they found was “a new riding position” – a simple raising of the seat. He told pressmen when he’d first tried the bike at Valencia, “I felt it was quite high compared with my previous bike.” He asked for a lower seat. “This was probably a mistake.” He wasn’t completely sure, after rain spoiled further chances to try it. “I know I still need time to get used to it.” But raising it again had proved promising, in terms of putting more weight on the front, and…

THE LATE ARRIVAL of Honda’s Fireblade homologation special has put Red Bull Honda World Superbike team operators Ten Kate Racing somewhat behind in terms of performance. Some were surprised not to see any engine spec changes at Aragón’s Monday test, but there was still progress of a kind for Nicky Hayden. “Today was useful for us for sure,” Hayden said after completing 69 laps. “After doing six races it was nice to spend a complete day on the bike, in good conditions. “I would like to say that we went a second a lap faster and found all the stuff, but we tested a couple of little things, a lot of setting stuff that helped the feeling a little bit. “The lap time did not improve as much as we…

THE OPENING TWO rounds of the Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship series were run over 7-9 April at Sydney Motorsport Park with Lucus Vitale (Kawasaki ZX-10R) emerging as the Superbike championship leader. Brad Swallow (Kawasaki ZX-10R) blitzed the first round on Saturday, taking two wins and a second in the three-race format. And despite breaking a chain in the first race on Sunday, his results were good enough to earn him third overall. Simon Galloway (Yamaha YZF-R1) finished the opening two rounds in second position with a string of consistent results, despite being hampered by a knee injury. But Vitale proved more consistent, taking two race wins and a second on the Sunday to seal the round win and grab an early lead in the championship. “That was unreal, I…

THE JONES SIBLING rivalry shows no signs of ending anytime soon after brothers Nathan and Tyson (both riding Kawasaki ZX-10Rs) took the top two Superbike spots in the opening round of the Pirelli Motul Victorian Road Racing Championships held at the State Motorcycle Sports Complex, Broadford, on 1-2 April. After winning the title in 2015, then losing last year’s championship by just four points to younger brother Tyson, Nathan has made no secret that he wants the crown back in 2017. After qualifying on pole, Nathan took the first two races and backed that up with a second in a shortened Race 3 to take the round with 70 points. Tyson (2,2,1) finished second with 65 points and Steve Tozer (Honda CBR1000) was third (4,4,3) on 52 points. After getting…

PIERFRANCESCO (FRANKIE) CHILI, the Tiger of Bologna, was a recent visitor to Australia for the International Festival of Speed at Sydney Motorsport Park. These days the former top-level racer and his wife Romina work on the beach in Misano. “We rent the bed and umbrella for sunshine, and we have some apartments for rent,” he said. “That is what I do mainly in my life now. I really enjoy my retirement because it’s in the summertime. From April to the end of September it keeps me very busy, and in the winter I have to prepare for the next year.” In his day, Chili rode more than 400 top-level races, winning a European Championship, five grands prix and 17 World Superbikes races. He competed professionally for two decades before retiring…

BMW HAS LONG bucked the German stereotype of being humourless by engaging wholeheartedly in April Fools’ Day, usually by issuing a batch of press releases about ridiculous – but almost believable – new products. This year was no exception, with a convincing-looking announcement for a two-wheel drive version of the R1200GS, using an electric motor to drive the front wheel while the usual boxer twin powered the rear. Dubbed the R1200GS xDrive Hybrid, it was just credible enough to fool a fair number of online blogs, closely mirroring the technology revealed in the Wunderlich X2 prototype that appeared in 2015. But the prank turns out to be nearly identical to a real project the firm is working on. Just days before the 1 April press release, we uncovered a patent…

Kawasaki ZRX1200 by Active There’s still a huge following for 70s and 80s-style musclebikes in Japan, and the ZRX1200 DAEG remains on sale there years after it was discontinued elsewhere. This Active version gets a Galespeed master-cylinder, Brembo calipers, Hyperpro suspension and a very expensive (A$3500) hydro-formed aluminium swingarm in a package of parts costing well over A$12,000. And that’s before you add the custom paint and Akrapovič system… Kawasaki Ninja N2 tourer by K’s Style A Ninja H2 converted into a tourer? That’s one way of attracting attention. The changes to the bike are actually pretty minor – a set of Givi panniers, a luggage rack, a custom seat and a taller screen are the sum total of the mods here – but it still begs the question: why?…

A RETRO-MODERN version of Laverda’s iconic 1970s SFC café racer made its world debut at Sydney’s InterFOS event on 23-26 March. Called the SFC/4, it’s based on Laverda’s 1990s 668cc parallel-twin fitted to a tubular spaceframe with top-quality suspension and brakes. It promises 52kW at 8000rpm from its 700cc 180º twin, which is fuel-injected and has a six-speed gearbox. The SFC/4 is being produced by a company called Laverda Corse. It has no connection with the existing Laverda brand, currently lying dormant under present owner Piaggio. Formed by a group of ex-factory employees headed by Piero Laverda, son of the Italian brand’s founder, Laverda Corse aims to build the machine in limited numbers. Piero, his son Giovanni, and Giuliano Cogo, Laverda’s former global after-sales manager, have conducted an intensive development…

I had to ride Kocinski’s RC45 like the four-stroke GP racer it had become In 1997, on the eve of Honda’s 50th anniversary, American John Kocinski delivered a coveted prize to the company’s bosses – the Superbike World Championship. To help him do this, the factory engineers produced what was essentially a four-stroke GP bike that revved to almost 15,000rpm. It was a sweet triumph for Honda, whose corporate and sporting success over those 50 years had been originally based on ever more sophisticated four-strokes. Honda’s previous World Superbikes title had been won eight years earlier, courtesy of Fred Merkel and the RC30. After that the marque sat out the Superbike class at world level for three years at the start of the decade while it worked on a next-generation…

Steve Menneto is president of motorcycles at Polaris Industries, and as such he’s the man who together with Polaris president/CEO Scott Wine ultimately sold his colleagues on the idea of acquiring Indian in April 2011 as a heritage marque to run alongside its much younger Victory brand. Having succeeded in doing so, 51-year-old Menneto was then entrusted with the task of making it work, and returning America’s oldest existing motorcycle company to the marketplace. It’s a task he and his team at Polaris HQ in Minnesota have discharged exceptionally well, developing a strong-selling range of individually styled and distinctively engineered models based on two engine platforms. These comprise the air-cooled OHV Thunder Stroke 1811cc 49º V-twin motor – which kicked off Indian sales in August 2014 with the Chief custom…

When it comes to track rubber, some people are more knowledgeable than others – in a lot of cases it depends on how experienced you are. For those of you starting out in racing or trackdays, here are some basic tips from Pirelli tyre technician Dave Fuller on how to get the best performance from your tyres. One of the most useful things you can do is also one of the cheapest: keep accurate records. Write down your pressures for every session and start to build a database you can refer back to. Bear in mind that the subject of tyres can become very complex very quickly and this article is only intended as a starting point. Go ahead and write in if you would like us to cover a…

IT WAS NIP-tuck time for our CFMoto – the fender eliminator kit for the 650NK is now available and our mates at Promoto kindly installed it for us. I’d like to say that it has enhanced performance, but apart from shaving a modest 1.5kg off the 209.4kg wet weight, it really is all about giving it a leaner, more streetfighter-like profile. Whadaya reckon? The 650NK has been doing a lot of street fighting in Melbourne traffic over the past couple of months, and the good news is that together we are becoming better commuters. I’ve worked out the ideal route, and found that the wide road is sometimes better than the short road since it means easier lane filtering. Getting to know the timing of lights has also helped, so…

It’s not easy to describe how surreal the start of the WSS championship has been in 2017, but find a way of watching this rejuvenated series if you can, because it has been a rolling thunderclap of unpredictabilities, over-exuberance and overestimation of capabilities so far. WSS is great again, just as rumours of its demise have been circulating. We’ve seen 10 different race leaders and three different winners so far in 2017, so it was no surprise when Sheridan Morais (Kallio Racing Yamaha) shot off, only for Kyle Smith (Gemar Ballons Lorini Honda) then Morais again, to lead. Former winner Gino Rea was stopped by a technical problem on his Go Eleven Kawasaki, and many other names would join him in the DNF list. But most were fallers, not retirements.…

VALENTINO ROSSI’S HOPES of a stiffer-construction front tyre to get his season on track were dashed by a delayed delivery of a fourth tyre option to the Argentinian circuit, and then by a riders’ decision not to use the extra tyre when it did arrive. The decision not to use it came from the riders’ Safety Commission meeting on Friday night, although the shipment was expected to be available on Saturday. Rossi had led complaints that the 2017 front Michelin was too soft, but after Qatar several other riders added their voices, prompting Michelin to ship a consignment of a tyre tested at Valencia last year. The delayed arrival meant riders rejected the chance. Márquez had already complained about an over-complicated tyre situation, with three front and three rear tyres…

THE NEW WSS300 class –and with immediate full World Championship status – had its first outing in Motorland. It featured all the bells and whistles of the Superbike and Supersport classes, including a two-part Superpole and a race on Sunday (not Saturday as was once mooted). The 33 bikes that took the starting grid were from only three manufacturers – Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha – but the top three were all on different machines and separated by just 0.153sec in the debut race. WSBK executive director Daniel Carrera sees the new class as an ideal link between national and international competition. “We already have this category in Australia and in Italy, and most probably it will happen in Germany,” Carrera said. “So we want to create links with these powerful…

SPEEDFIT KAWASAKI’S LEON Haslam made a dream start to his 2017 British Superbike campaign, taking two wins from two starts in the opening round of the series at Donington Park over 31 March-2 April. While reigning champ Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) was sidelined with concussion after a heavy fall in warm-up, racing remained furious at the front and the weekend culminated with five riders and four manufacturers represented across the two Superbike podiums. “This is my third ever win at the track and 2006 was the last time I won here,” Haslam said. “To win at my home round at Donington and to get a one-two for the team – it couldn’t have gone any better.” Australia’s Josh Brookes (Anvil Hire Yamaha) made a strong start to his first…

CHAD REED (YAMAHA) copped a US$5000 (A$6680) fine and was docked five championship points after intentionally ignoring blue flags to block defending champ Ryan Dungey’s (KTM) quest to hunt down race leader Eli Tomac in the 450 Main Event at St Louis. It was a move that would ultimately cost Dungey the title lead as Tomac went on to claim his fifth consecutive win and backed it up with a second place finish in Seattle one week later. Dungey’s fourth-place finish in Seattle put the pair on equal points, but Tomac’s win count means he now leads. Marvin Musquin (KTM) took the win in Seattle to move him third in the championship with three rounds to go. Jordan Smith claimed the Eastern 250SX Main Event in St Louis ahead of…

“Maybe I’m okay at this after all” AT THE START of 2017 Mason Coote had been on the sidelines of road racing for more than 12 months, with no plans to return. He’d shown promise in the Supersport class, but the cost of racing was taking its toll – on both his wallet and body. “I was working six days a week [as a motorcycle mechanic at Spot On Motorcycles in Melbourne] and every scrap of money I saved went into racing,” he said. “I was weighing up whether to continue, and at the end of it all I thought the potential return from all this sacrifice just wasn’t worth it. I didn’t rate myself as being that good, to be honest.” Coote’s mind seemed to be made up, until…

FAKE NEWS! April Fools’ Day has been and gone and AMCN tried to pull the wool again. In the magazine and online we reported Aussie car manufacturer Holden was about to start production on motorcycle machinery, namely the Kanga, Goanna, Dingo and Drongo. In an online only yarn, we said that Dani Pedrosa had undergone radical surgery to lengthen his arms and legs, in a bid to benefit more from Marquez’s set-up. The stories got almost 20,000 hits, and Sharon Clarke called the latter the “Best April Fools’ I’ve seen in years. Thanks Dani!” Get schooled Ducati has launched a training program aimed at its growing range of adventure-style machinery. Open only to Ducati riders from Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, the two-level program is tailored around the brand’s…

A RAFT OF new patents show Yamaha’s three-wheeled MWT-9 concept bike could be made in multiple versions. Most interesting is that one of them shows an unfaired version of the bike, rather than the original concept’s half-fairing. When the MWT-9 was first shown it appeared destined for production, but the firm has remained quiet about it since. These new patents suggest the project is still alive. With the biennial Tokyo Motor Show due at the end of 2017, perhaps we will see the production version there.…

Cleek and Evans missed the inaugural street races at Long Beach and instead their fates intersected at Imola It was one of the blackest weeks in the history of American road racing. Two of its brightest young stars were lost to the world in the wake of the 1977 Imola 200, Europe’s premier F750 event. Randy Cleek’s parents owned a motorcycle dealership in Shawnee, Oklahoma, while Pat Evans was raised alongside nine brothers and sisters in San Diego, California. Evans’ dad Dave owned a construction company, and his win-at-all-costs attitude ultimately drove a wedge between he and his talented son. Pat excelled at dirt-track racing, and his tigerish dad was eager to thrust his son into road racing. He fudged Pat’s licence application by adding a few years to his…

Scratch-worthy capability and rollicking good times Servicing First service 1000km Service intervals every 12,000km thereafter. Low 790mm seat makes it easy to flat-foot Separate raised handlebars offer comfortable ergonomics and extra control Adjustable windshield can be moved into three different positions PROS Genuine accessories Smooth power KRT graphics available CONS Stiff competition Pillion seat THE KAWASAKI 650 Ninja bridged the gap between lightweight learner machine and supersport scalpel when it arrived on the scene in 2009. Wrapping a torque-laden 649cc four-stroke parallel-twin in supersport garb and adding a pair of raised clip-on ’bars had never been done before and it received wide praise for providing real-world comfort and confidence-inspiring control. Today’s LAMS version continues to fly that flag of practicality and remains just as attractive to penny-pinching greenhorns as it…

TWO MONTHS AFTER celebrating his 90th birthday, Arturo Magni passed away in his home at Samarate, northwest of Milan. Magni was born on 24 September 1925 in Arcore, a small market town close to the Monza Autodromo, which until 1993 was the home of Italy’s most historic motorcycle manufacturer, Gilera. But as a boy Magni was more interested in building model aircraft, then later designing and constructing full-size gliders. In 1942 he won the Italian powerless endurance title in his own self-made glider, and one of his gliding mates was Ferruccio Gilera, son of company boss Giuseppe, who after the war found Magni a job working in the Gilera motorcycle factory. When Gilera decided in 1947 to re-enter 500cc GP racing, Magni was chosen to help develop Pietro Remor’s all-new…

Once you give a strong message through the ’bars they tip in convincingly and hold a nice line IN TERMS OF style, general layout and size, the VN1500 Classic could realistically be likened to a Harley Super Glide, and it’s a good match for the H-D’s quality, specification and performance. But price, not so much – it’s heaps more affordable than the big American. Still, if you’re considering buying a Kawasaki (or any other brand of non-American cruiser), it should be because you really want one, not because you can’t yet afford a Harley or Victory or Indian. If you go for a ‘metric’ cruiser with your heart still set on an American bike, you’ll never bond properly with it, nor will you fully appreciate its charms. The VN1500 is…

THE ARLEN NESS Anarchy Hood Jacket is the coolest looking bit of motorcycle clothing I have in my wardrobe. As well as having a stylish cut, it features a fleece liner with a hoodie that flaps in the breeze while you ride, and keeps your head warm when you’re not – genius! The jacket is made from premium full-grain cowhide leather, which feels supple and light straight out of the box. Comfort and airflow is enhanced by the non-removable breathable mesh lining, while warmth and snugness is provided by the removable thermo vest liner with hood. Installing and removing the liner is quick and easy, and during the past 12 months I have not snagged the zipper once. While looks are important to a lot of riders, so is protection.…

THE CAFÉ RACER transformation of our Sol Invictus Nemesis XY400 has taken another two steps closer to completion with the installation of the DEI header wrap and a reupholstered, colour-coded seat to match the Bitwell Inc. grips. The bike is looking so good that Sol Invictus has requested we display it on their stand at this Saturday’s Throttle Roll Street Party (15 April) in Sydney. There are still two important jobs that need to be done before the show: fitting a cut-down front guard and mounting the retro-looking Shinko E270 White Wall tyres. We reckon that for something that was built in a garage by a mechanically challenged editor, using only bolt-on parts, it’s going to be quite a head-turner. If you’re heading out to the Throttle Roll Street Party,…

Qualified success WHY ANY RACE series needs the complication, logistics and costs of special qualifying rear tyres – when the riders have the same choice of tyres as each other throughout and limited quantities of their favourite ones depending on conditions at times – has long been a bone of contention in WSBK. Long gone are the days when Pirelli needed every Newton of grip force to set strong lap times, as its race rubber – still based entirely on the company’s streetbike ideas and materials – is now well proven and capable of handling the 150+kW of any superbike. So why run qualifying tyres at all? The answer is, of course, to show off a bit, and to make Superpole more of a spectacle than it was before we…

 JACK MILLER’S SURGING ride to ninth in the Argentinian Grand Prix is more evidence of the gap between Honda’s brutish RC213V and the silky smooth manners of the Yamaha YZR-M1. “F*cking hell, those guys are in another league!” Third-place finisher Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) admitted he had no response to a dominant Movistar Yamaha one-two by Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi after a long fight to try and hold second place. Back in the pack, Miller was happy to accept his 17th to ninth-place performance, finishing less than two tenths behind Ducati-mounted Scott Redding but, with two of the top six finishing spots occupied by rookies Johann Zarco (fifth) and Jonas Folger (sixth), it highlighted the advantages of the YZR-M1. “My goal is top 10 every race so I’ve kept…

AFTER NOT GETTING through the planned schedule in the winter tests, Aruba.it Racing Ducati’s Chaz Davies caught up at Motorland just one day after his first win of the year. He did an impressive 94 laps of the Aragón circuit and swapped his road-biased swingarm, which he’s preferred until now, with the full race option that teammate Marco Melandri uses. “We started with the new swingarm this morning,” Davies said after setting the third-fastest time, well under the 1m50s barrier. “It is quite a big job to change it so we went out and it pretty much worked straight off the bat. “Marco has been running it since we first put it into the program. We had two previous editions, neither of which I liked, then Marco put this one…

THE 2017 MX Nationals fired into life and defending MX1 champion Dean Ferris (CDR Yamaha) picked up where he left off last year, taking both race wins to start his campaign unbeaten. Ferris didn’t have it all his way, chasing down Kyle Peters (Wilsons Cool Air Suzuki) in the opening race to make the pass with only a few lap to go, before Peters was forced off the track with clutch issues. Ferris jumped out front early in the second and led, kept honest by Kade Mosig (DPH Motorsport – Yamaha) who applied the pressure for the entire race. The second-place finish was enough to secure Mosig second overall, ahead of last year’s runner-up Kirk Gibbs (KTM Race Team). The MX2 class was wide open with last year’s series contenders…

WARREN MONSON SCORED the biggest win of his career when he and passenger Andrew Summerhayes (right) won the 2017 FIM Speedway Sidecar 1000cc World Cup at the Gillman Speedway on 8 April. After the 20 heats, the pair matched the 13 points scored by the top two teams from last year – Darrin Treloar/Blake Cox, and Trent Headland/Darryl Whetstone – and all qualified direct to the final. The semi-final added Kiwi rider Andrew Buchanan with passenger Denny Cox (11) to the final line-up for the final when they led home Grant Bond/Glenn Cox (9). Former Australian champion Mark Mitchell and Sam Harrison blew their engine finishing their second heat and struggled on a borrowed bike to finish one point adrift of a semi-final berth. Monson/Summerhayes led all the way in…