Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 69 Issue 07 i Australian Motorcycle News

I HAD FILTERED my way to the front of a queue of traffic, noticing just before I stopped there was another rider doing likewise a way behind me. I made sure they also had enough room to stop in front of the line of cars and waited for the green light. Lights went green and bugger me sideways, old mate was doing his best to muscle past me as we took off. He was in a safe position traffic-wise and I didn’t muck around taking off, though I do like to look to check everyone has stopped for their red light – it’s not a force field… Cool your jets, Turbo. So what’s the etiquette here? I love to have a rant about car drivers not doing the right thing…

WE’VE DUG A lot deeper than most industry observers to discover an answer to that, which also points to a future marketing strategy that can be applied to other famous brand names. Benelli’s Chinese owner has grand plans for worldwide motorcycle sales and Qianjiang uses the famous Italian brand name to leverage prestige in certain emerging markets. The name Benelli sounds bespoke and aspirational, but the reality is that markets have different tastes, so the Benelli TNT design is likely to be tweaked to suit. In the past Qianjiang has offered the TNT 600 under various makers’ names; Benelli in some countries, KSR Moto, Generic, Keeway or QJiang in others. The entire Chinese motorcycle industry is heavily involved in joint ventures with famous brands and design houses that cover research,…

→ BMW K1100RS → BMW R1100RS → Honda CBR1000F → Kawasaki ZZ-R1100D → Yamaha GTS1000A → Triumph Trophy 900 Ken Wootton and six mates set forth for a spirited thrash on six big-bore sports tourers, along some of the best roads in Australia, for the third annual Tour of Duty comparo. The winner of the ‘What would you buy’ category amongst the seven riders was the ZZ-R 1100, and the top pick in the ‘What would you have if someone gave it to you’ category was... the ZZ-R1100 again.…

ENGINE Watercooled DOHC 88-degree V-twin four-stroke with four valves per cylinder, and composite chain/gear cam drive Dimensions: 94 x 71.8 mm Capacity: 997 cc Output : 102 bhp/75 kW at 9600 rpm (Euro 4 compliant) Maximum torque: 87 Nm/64 lb-ft at 7300 rpm (Euro 4 compliant spec) Compression ratio: 11:1 Fuel/ignition system: Electronic fuel injection with Synerject ECU and 2 x 50mm Synerject throttle bodies, each with a single injector Transmission: 6-speed with multiplate oil-bath APTC slipper clutch with hydraulic operation Chassis: CNC machined titanium frame with fabricated tubular steel subframe SUSPENSION Front: Fior-type billet aluminium wishbone fork with twin articulated titanium triangular links, and Kayaba monoshock adjustable for preload and rebound damping with 120mm of wheel travel Rear: CNC…

THIS YEAR, HARLEY-Davidson announced its latest strategy to seek new riders, and to expand sales in Asia; a collaboration with QJ to launch a single-cylinder Harley in China by the end of 2020. “This collaboration joins Harley-Davidson’s global motorcycle leadership with the capabilities of Qianjiang to co-develop a premium 338cc displacement Harley-Davidson motorcycle,” said Matt Levatich, President/CEO of Harley-Davidson. Harley says that it selected QJ based on its experience in developing premium small-capacity motorcycles, its established supply base, its proven capabilities in emerging markets, and its ability to evaluate and to meet consumer requirements. Continuing to capitalise on growth opportunities in Asia is stated as being key to the company achieving its 2027 objective to grow its international business to 50 percent of annual volume, and indeed for Harley-Davidson China…

What to look for STANDARD THINGS FOR a bike this old – swingarm and steering head bearings, brakes and brake lines, tyres and the obvious crash damage around fairings, the bottom of the forks, bar-ends etc. Check to make sure all the panels line up correctly and there’s no big colour change on the corresponding panels (respray). Check for corrosion of fork seals and for any oil leaks around the tappet cover and clutch area. Check for corrosion of alloys on chassis and pipes and check for chain and sprocket wear – if the chain and sprocket are knackered, it’s a sure sign the bike has not been well cared for. What you gain THERE ARE ALMOST endless possibilities with these things. The forks by now will be pretty knackered…

If you have a bike capable of some dirt road options, you can head south from Gayndah into the Pile Gully State Forest, then navigate onto the Hivesville Road, which runs south on the classic red dirt tracks that you would expect to find throughout Queensland. The excellent dirt track snakes south through the tiny settlement of Wigton, and then on to Hivesville. The local hotel is a throwback to another generation, with pressed metal and original hard wood furnishings. It is an easy ride from Hivesville to some busier centres on the highway, where you can get a meal and fuel up if necessary.…

Top 3 TV 1 WSBK Rd11, FR LIVE Videopass, Fox 28 Sep 10pm (AEST) The Superbike World Championship heads to Magny-Cours in France for Round 11. WSBK Race 1 airs live at 10pm Saturday, followed by WSS at 8.15pm on Sunday and then WSBK Race 2 at 10pm on Sunday. 2 MotoGP Rd15, TH LIVE Videopass, Fox 6 Oct 3pm (AEST) Thailand is home to Round 15 of MotoGP. The Moto3 race starts at 3pm, then Moto2 at 4.20pm and MotoGP at a very civilised 6pm. All the action will be aired on Videopass and Fox Sports; 10 Bold will air MotoGP only. 3 ASBK Rd6 Phillip Is. LIVE MXGP-TV 5-6 October TBA Even if you can’t get down to the Island on the long weekend, fans of local racing…

NINE ROUNDS HAVE been raced and I’m leading the British Superbike Championship. We now start the final three rounds called ‘The Showdown’. I’m often asked if I’m for or against this points format, but this is possibly what makes BSB survive in hard financial times. Most riders are paid because the championship and the teams can attract sponsorship. The winner is always decided at the final round and this creates a high volume of spectators and strong television figures right to the end. I’m in favour of it as anything that can help keep us racing has to be a good thing. The Showdown points scoring is the same as any conventional championship, so I just need to carry on doing as much winning as possible. But with six riders…

Jack Miller MotoGP 9th “Good start, was trying to save the rear tyre, but the front was moving around too much the last quarter of the race. Turn 14 was a nightmare… I almost landed up on my head. With all the injuries, I’m looking forward to getting to a decent track. Glad to get out of here in one piece.” Remy Gardner Moto2 DNF “From lap one there was something going on with the front tyre – the front was just closing all the time on the right-hand corners. When I crashed I wasn’t even pushing… just turning in. I’d had five or six saves, but this one was way too early to save.” Josh Hook MotoE 10th and 12th “The second race was quite good, but I made…

“We did a lot of runs through the weekend trying to get a good race pace, and I tried to stick to that. I switched maps really early to save the tyre: I didn’t want to try chase Marc then be a sitting duck at the end of the race. I kept my cool and brought her home.” “Qualifying messed up the whole weekend – the first corner was a bust-up and it was pretty chaotic in the early laps; lost a lot of positions. When I had fresh air my pace was really good: we had a settings breakthrough in warm-up, but warm-up’s too late. But we can hope for some good races in the upcoming rounds.”…

ONE EXTRA UNTIMED 20-minute practice session will be staged during this year’s Phillip Island MotoGP round to aid Michelin’s preparations for 2020. The additional session will be added to the Australian GP schedule to allow the MotoGP field to test Michelin’s new rear construction, which it plans to roll out next season. Michelin wants the new tyre evaluated at Phillip Island because of the high wear and temperatures generated at the track before committing it to the 2020 tyre allocation. The French tyre company does not want a repeat of Bridgestone’s embarrassing ‘Blunder Down Under’ in 2013 when massive tyre degradation forced a mid-race bike swap for fresh rubber.…

A HEROIC PERFORMANCE by Aleix Espargaro at Aragon does not mask the reality of the MotoGP mountain still facing the Aprilia team. After a superb season-best seventh place Espargaro said this level needs to be the benchmark for 2020 when an all-new RS-GP arrives. Espargaro finished 10 seconds behind race winner Marc Marquez (Honda RC213V) at a track where lean-angle braking zones deliver much-needed rear weight and stability for Aprilia. “This result doesn’t mean we are in a different moment, the reality is we are still not competitive enough, no excuses,” Espargaro said. “I really hope next season that every single race can be like this one. “Not for the podium but top eight rather than 30 seconds behind the winner.” Aprilia has been embarrassingly out of the top 10…

NEARBY MOUNTAIN SNOW and a four degree track temperature provided plenty of challenges for riders at round three of the Tasmanian Road Race Championship at Symmons Plains, hosted by the TMCC. Brett Symmonds survived a total brake failure that destroyed his Yamaha YZF-R1 but he still leads the Superbike championship by 58 points from Cody Travers (Suzuki GSX-R1000). Meeting sponsor Wyllie Tiles were hoping for a good showing for their rider Jason Wyllie (Suzuki GSX-R) in the Supersport class, but his meeting was blighted with clutch slip. Series leader Jason Spencer (Honda CBR600RR) added to his points tally while second-placed Loren Bell (Yamaha YZF-R6) crashed out of one race. There was close racing in the smaller classes and good fields in the classic support events. The final round of the…

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. If only T.E. Lawrence had known that. Elsewhere in this issue, we note that ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ owned seven Brough Superiors, and met his untimely demise on one of them in 1935, at the age of 46. Less well known is that he perished after failing to take a corner, after avoiding youngsters on bicycles. Who was it that directed the 1962 movie of his life story? David LEAN. If only he had... #RIPLarry…

Drink-ride Good Morning America runs a feel-good story about bikers buying lemonade from a youngster’s roadside stand. Her nurse mother had stopped to help these bikers after a pileup last year. Kid rocks Newly-crowned WA Junior champion Jayden Martin, 11 years old, wins a wildcard entry to the Phillip Island round of the Oceania Cup on 4-6 October. See you later, mate KTM has fast-tracked rider Johann Zarco’s exit from its factory MotoGP team, citing “realigned priorities” in the development of its RC16 racer. Fatal flight After clipping a car at high speed, an Alabama rider dies while his motorcycle catapults up into the second storey of a building in Foley.…

FIVE DECADES BEFORE Red Bull, a squirt of the upper cylinder lubricant RedeX before departing the petrol bowser was a culture of the 50s that spawned the 1953 Round Australia Trial. The event proved a national phenomenon, and front page news for almost three weeks. The following year, RedeX turned the spotlight onto the two-wheeled brigade, though the logistics of managing a round Australia event for motorcycles proved too difficult. Nevertheless, at a nominal 2405 miles (3872km), the seven-day tri-state trial was promoted as the longest and toughest imaginable. The mileage on the route instructions was constantly understated, complicating rider’s calculations and making navigation a nightmare, particularly on sections where average speeds were monitored by secret controls. Of the 123 entrants, which included top seed road racers such as Jack…

ENGINE Capacity 500cc Type Parallel-twin, four-valve Bore & stroke 69mm x 66.8mm Compression ratio 11.5 : 1 Cooling liquid-cooled Fueling Fuel injection, with 2 x 37mm throttle body Transmission Six speed Clutch Wet, multiplate Final drive Chain PERFORMANCE Power 35W @ 8500 rpm (claimed) Torque 46Nm @ 6000 rpm (claimed) Top speed 160km/h (est) Fuel consumption 3.7L/100km (claimed) ELECTRONICS Type Bosch Rider aides Switchable ABS CHASSIS Frame material Tubular steel Frame type Trellis Rake 27.5º Trail 108mm Wheelbase 1580mm SUSPENSION Type Benelli Front: USD 41mm fork, nonadjustable, 135mm travel Rear: Monoshock, adjustable preload, 125mm travel WHEELS & BRAKES Wheels Cast aluminium Front: 3.5 x 17 Rear:…

Because a relay wouldn’t really be a relay without a baton, would it? BELL AND HER growing team of volunteers decided a hand-carved baton would be the perfect sized object that could get passed between the various women in the various countries. “We decided that we wanted to have a hand-carved baton with a scroll inside it because I wanted to have something that I could put in a glass cabinet or something when the whole thing was done,” explained Bell. It’s the work of the husband of one of the volunteers and it’s really quite remarkable. Hollowed out, it houses a mechanism that holds a length of waterproof and tear-proof paper, which each and every rider on the entire relay is asked to sign. It’s transported around the world…

THE SO-CALLED automatic transmission employed on Honda’s CB 400 T wasn’t a fully-automatic affair like the firm’s more modern DCT set-ups are. The-then innovative Hondamatic technology actually debuted on Honda’s CB750 in a bid to increase accessibility and in turn attract more people to the Japanese brand. So while neither the 750cc or 400cc version required the use of a clutch, you still needed to manually shift between just two cogs – high and low. The lower gear was good until about 70km/h, before you had to shut the throttle and change up to the high ratio, in which the bike was capable for highway speeds. The bike would stop and idle in either gear, and the lack of clutch just meant no stalling, and no not being able to…

Gayndah has a rich history and there are several landmarks around the town, as well as in some of the smaller surrounding towns in the area. The region is known for its fertile red soil, which gives rise to healthy citrus crops and other agriculture throughout the area. Gayndah sits on the Burnett River, which is also an important part of the natural infrastructure. Its shallow riverbed cost the town a chance at being the state capital, as larger cargo ships would have been unable to gain safe passage to the town, making it a less viable option than Brisbane.…

A PHONE ON the bars, barking at me and distracting me and annoying me? No thanks. I ride so I don’t have to answer the phone. So the idea of a Quad Lock hasn’t appealed. But then of course I actually used one, and the brilliant practicality side of having Google maps open for navigation, being able to use the bike-specific-apps we are getting accustomed to on new bikes, and having it talk to the TFT screens is a real bonus. To attach your phone to your bars, you first want to know the phone will still be there when you get to the destination and the Quad Lock system and weather proofing of the device, is excellent. Positioning it exactly where you want it is also easy with the…

Show time 13 OCTOBER 2019 Motorcycle Expo & Swap Meet, 50 May Tce, Lockleys, SA. Gates open 8am to 1pm. Pink Ribbon Ride at 1pm. Tickets $5. Hosted by the Rotary Club of Adelaide West. For more information see the 2019 Motorbike Expo & Swapmeet Facebook page. 20 OCTOBER Tour of Duty Truck & Bike Show, Queanbeyan Showground, Glebe Ave, Queanbeyan, NSW. Show entry 7-9am; judging starts at 12pm. Bikes $25; trucks $50. General admission via gold coin donation. $600 prize for best bike; various categories. For information and pre-registration see VMCFederal.com.au or the VMCFederal Facebook page. 20 OCTOBER Roseworthy Hotel 10th Show ’n’ Shine, Roseworthy Hotel, 435 Horrocks Hwy, Roseworthy, SA. Show open 11am-3pm. Show entry $15; general entry free. Best Bike $250 prize; best car $500 prize. All…

THE SPANISH NATIONAL anthem has no words. This is because of the nation’s three different major languages. To use only one would be divisive, to use more over-complicated. The Italian crowd however managed to think of some words to go with the solemn tune, as it was played for the podium ceremony at Misano. Or one word, anyway. Boo. That was how the army of yellow-clad fans helped to celebrate the end of a great race, a brilliant demonstration of the growing strength of the Yamaha, and the very impressive ability of only one of the Honda riders to counter it. As winner Marquez said, after the contrasting fortunes of everybody else riding an RC213V (crashed, or near the back, or both): “Luckily for MotoGP the rider still makes more…

Circuit length 4.226km Race distance MotoGP 114.102km Moto2 105.650km Moto3 97.198km 2018 winners MotoGP A Dovizioso 42m05.426s Moto2 F Bagnaia 41m02.106s Moto3 L Dalla Porta 39m38.684s Did you know? Tatsuki Suzuki was pretty teary after his first Moto3 win, and for good reason. The 21-year-old from Chiba lives in Riccione and rides for SIC58 Squadra Corse, based 5km from Misano. He is the first Japanese rider to win at Misano and the second to take pole there in the Junior class. The first, 26 years ago, was Kazuto Sakata, who went on to win the 125cc title the following year when he was riding for another local, Riminibased team, Semprucci Aprilia.…

Circuit length 5.077km Race distance MotoGP 116.771km Moto2 106.617km Moto3 96.463km 2018 winners MotoGP Marc Marquez 41m55.949s Moto2 Brad Binder 39m59.247s Moto3 Jorge Martin 37m49.030s Did you know? What a difference a week makes. At Misano, just in the MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 races, 22 riders hit the deck. At Aragon that number was six, and two of them got back on their bikes and got going again. So out of 82 riders who started the three Spanish races, only four retired. We’ve looked and we can’t find a higher finishing rate in the history of GP racing.…

COMING IN TO the 2019 season, reigning 250 Champion Luke Styke had the toughest task of all, facing off against KTM’s Lyndon Snodgrass, Husqvarna’s Fraser Higlett and his own Active8 Yamaha teammate Mike Driscoll, the 2018 under 19 Champion who’d been promoted to the senior ranks. No other competitor broached the 250 podium all year and Styke prevailed with seven wins from 11 starts, eventually finishing ahead of Snodgrass; who won both cross-country rounds but couldn’t quite match Styke in the sprints. Higlett finished a distant third in the championship, only three points ahead of Driscoll. Had MA recognised overall results all four 250 riders would have finished fourth through seventh, clearly demonstrating that rider talent counts far more than engine capacity in off-road.…

JACOB SMITH HAS celebrated back-to-back wins in the third Sunraysia Safari Cross Country Rally at Wentworth Showgrounds over 11-14 September. The off-road veteran led out on Day 1 of the four-day rally and won the first stage before teammate Sam Davie earned his first-ever stage win on the second leg. Toby Hederics (KTM 500 EXC )won the last section of the day. Day 2 saw Beau Hederics retire with a broken handlebar after the previous day’s crash, but brother Toby stepped up again to keep Smith’s Husqvarna in his sights and went on to finish the day 35 seconds in front, with Davie 20 seconds back in third. Day 3 started with a 167km transport section, in which a kangaroo rearranged the front end of Matt Gillespie’s KTM at 110km/h.…

TO COUNTER PERFORMANCE compromises of Euro 5, several of the world’s leading manufacturers have already announced high-performance nakedbikes that actually increase power output while decreasing emissions, as if manufacturers are giving two fingers to the legislators while toeing the legal line. We already know that Ducati’s Streetfighter V4, based on the Superbike Panigale V4, is due to be unveiled at an event in Rimini in late October. This is just one day before the new Kawasaki is expected to appear at the Tokyo Motor Show. KTM is also getting in on the action with a new Super Duke R, while MV Agusta is due to unveil mass-produced ‘RR’ and ‘RC’ versions of the Brutale 1000, which is currently the world’s most powerful nakedbike. While the MVs will make 208hp and…

PAUL KEATING wins the Federal election despite his alleged involvement in a multimillion-dollar salami venture; ‘Syd-a-ney’ became a winner, with the IOC naming it to host the 2000 Summer Olympics; and TV show A Country Practice is axed by Channel 7 after a run of approximately 50 million episodes. Meanwhile in the US, hanging came back into fashion for the first time since 1965, with Washington State throwing the hempen necktie around Westley Allan Dodd for some particularly heinous crimes. Bill Clinton is sworn in as POTUS, the Church of Scientology is granted religious recognition, and actor River Phoenix had a really bad day. How much? Hands up those of you who remember when you didn’t need to mortgage the house to pay for a motorcycle greenslip? Winner! Winner of…

Size matters I’ve just finished watching the Grand Prix races at Misano. Is it only me, or has anyone else noted the cheap and minuscule trophies that are handed out? Look at the F1 items, they’re almost a two-person lift! ‘Our’ guys work much harder; provide much better and far more exciting racing; and suffer more risk. And get a year-five cross country trophy for their efforts! Come on, Dorna. Raise the game. Nick Hellen Brisbane, Qld To celebrate my 80th birthday I rode a total of 8800km for a cup of tea! Help or hindrance? Sam, I live in the bush at Rylstone, New South Wales. A lot has been written about new bike sales slowing. Over policing? Government licensing hurdles? I’m about to turn 67, I am fairly…

AFTER PURCHASING BENELLI in December 2005, QJ president Lin Hua Zhong had ambitious plans to relaunch the marque via a range of new models jointly developed by QJ and Benelli. The 2008 GFC put a brake on the launch of new products, but by 2014, the debut of the four-cylinder Benelli BN 600 was the first fruit of his elaborate strategy. The BN 600 range’s success encouraged QJ management to produce several more Benelli models developed in Italy, but made in China. Their global success made QJ a takeover target for car manufacturer Geely Auto, which in September 2016, purchased a 29.7 percent controlling interest in QJ. Geely first came to global attention in 2010 when it purchased Volvo from Ford for $1.8 billion (Ford had paid $6.5 billion for…

There are plenty of fuel and refreshment stops along this route, even if you take the longer detours that we did. Gayndah has all you need at the other end but there are other accommodation options available along the way, if you prefer. Fix it There are a few bike shops in the larger towns along this route, but much of the riding is through areas that offer no immediate support. So make sure you carry spares, tools and plenty of water if you are going to follow the detours that we took on this ride. Sleep There is no shortage of accommodation options along this route but we stayed at the Golden Orange Hotel in Gayndah. It is run by very friendly locals who are more than happy to…

FLURO RIDING GEAR has always been a turn off for me personally, but that’s because until now I have never run a Limited Edition IOM TT RX-7V. I generally pick a helmet colour due to how well it pops out on a magazine page – nothing to worry about there! This isn’t the first Arai I’ve owned. The first I used to paint a fiberglass stripe through Turn 7 at the then Eastern Creek. I dislocated my shoulder after a highside landed me on my forehead and shoulder all at once, but I never had a headache. I know they work. This IOMTT unit has me feeling a bit of a fraud as I go to pull the thing on – I haven’t earned the right to wear an IOM…

MY DAY GLOWS from a computer screen. Branding, strategies, racing, data, media and dissecting the big picture of how to move forward in a market that is declining faster than a motorcycle down a mountain with a single drum brake. Sounds like any office-based job for a marketer, but my job is unique; I am a marketer for a motorcycle brand. I am a motorcyclist. I own a Versys 650 and my favourite bike on a track is the Kawasaki Ninja H2. I am a female in the male-dominated motorcycle industry. My workplace is 80 percent male with 100 percent male management. This is not an unusual picture for the industry. Women in motorcycling are often in administration, data entry, support and warehousing. It is rare to find us in…

Zarco out In a surprise move by the KTM factory, erstwhile rider Johann Zarco’s tenure was abruptly cut short, in the four days between the Misano and Aragon GPs. The Frenchman was already en route to the Spanish circuit, after finishing 11th in Italy – his second-best result of the season – when he was informed of his early bath. He will be paid not to ride for KTM for the rest of the year, and the Austrian firm has said it will not stand in the way should he find a role with another manufacturer. His replacement for next year remains a vexed question, with Mika Kallio looking increasingly likely to step into the breach after KTM have been turned down by two Aussies, Jack Miller and rising Moto2…

YAMAHA HAS INSTIGATED another senior management change as it seeks to break Honda and Ducati’s iron grip on MotoGP’s podium top step. Months after former YZR-M1 Project Leader Kouji Tsuya was axed for a dismal 2018, Yamaha Racing President Kouichi Tsuji has been reassigned within the company. Tsuji was an influential figure in Valentino Rossi’s Yamaha success when he switched from Honda in 2004 and is greatly admired by the Italian great. Tsuji has been replaced by Hiroshi Itou, General Manager of Yamaha’s Motorsports Development Division.…

AUSTRALIAN SON OF a champion Remy Gardner was offered a quick move to the MotoGP class for next season in the KTM factory team, to take the place of Johann Zarco. But the 21-year-old son of 1987 500cc champion Wayne is understood to have turned it down. The rider was not able to confirm or deny the offer, but while he hopes to move to MotoGP in due course, it is thought that he felt this was premature, and also offered uncertain prospects. He has confirmed he will stay in Moto2 next year, with the same ONEXOX team, along with his team-mate Tetsuta Nagashima, hoping to make a serious title challenge. The KTM seat is a dubious prospect, after the experience of double Moto2 champion and former Yamaha MotoGP star…

AFTER A SEASON in which ultimate victory never seemed in doubt – despite a last lap scramble for a podium position in the penultimate round of the 2019 AORC at Hedley, Victoria – Jessica Gardiner amped it up winning all but one test in the final round to win her fifth Off-Road title for Yamaha. “I really wanted to finish on a good note after I let myself down a bit on Saturday,” said a jubilant Jessica. “It really makes a difference to win back-to-back titles.” Emilie Karlsson, the 2013 Champion, was second on her Yamaha and Emma Milesevic scored a rare championship podium for Honda in third.…

In 1938, Evelyn Howe became the first woman awarded club life membership WHEN THE TASMANIAN Motor Cycle Club (TMCC) started in 1905, motorsport was seen by most as a man’s sport. But that didn’t stop women having a go and, in 1915, a dozen women competed in a ladies-only hillclimb on the East Tamar Highway near Dilston. Standing and flying quarter-mile speed events began to be held on local beaches and in 1926 state Indian dealer John King’s secretary, Miss Constance Forbes, fronted on an Indian Scout and sidecar with a male passenger. A few years later she updated to a 1265cc Indian and sidecar. Often women would accompany their husbands in road trials as the navigator. One of the most successful was the team of Bert and Evelyn Howe.…

NOWHERE WAS THE ethos of cross-country motorcycle endurance racing embraced with more enthusiasm than South Australia’s Barossa Valley. During the 1930s, when motorcycles vastly outnumbered four wheelers, the principal sport in South Australia was road racing at Lobethal, scrambling on Sellicks Beach and statewide reliability trials, the most renowned event being ‘the 24 hour’. Barring the duration of the second world war, the annual 24 Hour Reliability Trial has been held since 1924. Of course there have been multiple winners, however none can match 10-time winner Shane Diener, who dominated the event between 1993 and 2009, with a 50 percent win rate. “Bike preparation was the key to success,” says Shane. “But the bikes are now so reliable with far superior LED lighting. Back then the rear brake (light) would…