Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 69 Issue 08 i Australian Motorcycle News

THE MASS OF electronics strapped to this Ducati Panigale prototype leaves no doubt it’s a prototype testing planned updates, but it’s a mystery as where it will fit in Ducati’s range. The suspension and carbon fibre bodywork are off the range-topping V4R homologation special, but there are enough differences to show it is a new model. It could be a replacement for the V4 R – incorporating revisions to boost its competitiveness in WSBK – or a glamour model freed of compliance with the series’ $65,000 list price cap. So it could easily be a successor to the carbon-framed 1299 Superleggera. However, we believe that while a Superleggera V4 is inevitably coming, this prototype is more likely an updated V4 R. The need to be competitive in WSBK means annual…

MARC MARQUEZ’S FOURTH consecutive MotoGP world championship puts him in exclusive company. In the premier 500cc/MotoGP class, only Mike Hailwood, Giacomo Agostini, Mick Doohan and Valentino Rossi have managed it before. Of these, while Ago has a record seven in a row and Doohan five, only Hailwood (who was 25 years old) was younger than Marquez (26) when he claimed his fourth. Marquez has a long list of ‘youngest-ever’ premier-class records: youngest race winner, youngest champion and youngest six-times champion; as well as youngest eight-times champion, when you add in Motos 2 and 3.…

KTM’S ENTRY-LEVEL RC390 sportsbike is getting a hefty update with a new chassis and styling, and we’ve busted the prototype that looks remarkably close to production. It’s clear stylists have ignored the curvaceous looks of KTMpowered MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 racers. The new RC390 continues the razor-edged look that’s been a KTM signature since the RC8 superbike first appeared as a concept back in 2003. However the next-gen model loses the jutting nose beak and inset headlights in favour of a smooth front end. That single, round headlight is probably a placeholder, simply making the bike legal until a shaped, flush-fitting unit is ready. Interesting details include the floating side panels, jutting out from each side of the fairing, the front turn signals integrated into the nose fairing, and a…

AS A 20-year old in 1936, Bruce Hector trapped rabbits to buy a Norton International so he could road race. In his late 80s, he was patron of the Veteran and Vintage Motorcycle Club of South Australia and cut a dapper figure when he and wife of 60 years Enid made club runs on his Norton Big Four or 16H outfits. Bruce Hector competed in two iconic events in his home state, the 1936 South Australian TT at Victor Harbor and 1938 Australian TT on the awesome Lobethal circuit. In 1939 he was a state representative in the Australian 500 TT at Phillip Island, finishing third. Hector’s longevity made him a great source of eyewitness experience on those events. Talking with GP crew chief Jeremy Burgess at a Lobethal anniversary…

01 KNOCK, KNOCK, NOT A knock sensor system allows the engine to be run on fuel ranging from 91 to 98 RON, although super unleaded 95 RON is recommended for daily use. 02 GET CONNECTED Connectivity is standard across the range and is based around a high-definition 6.5-inch full-colour TFT screen. Linked to the standard BMW Motorrad Multi-Controller, it allows the rider to access vehicle and connectivity functions swiftly and easily. 03 SHINE A LIGHT A big change to the R and RS range is the new headlight, which creates a fresh new “face”. Low, high beam and the daytime lights are LEDs. This makes the RS the third member of the family, next to the GS models, to receive a full LED headlight. 04 BE SEATED A big contributing…

As motorcycle emissions laws tighten it’s easy to find armchair experts who’ll confidently tell you that some of the internal combustion engine’s oldest technologies –air-cooling and pushrodoperated valvetrains – are living on borrowed time. Technology and complexity are held on a pedestal for the endless year-on-year improvements in emissions and performance. Today’s mindbogglingly intricate high-performance engines – replete with variable valve timing, four valves per cylinder, double overhead camshafts and a host of other tricks – are wonders of engineering. But despite constant suggestions that tightening emissions laws will consign anachronisms like air-cooling and pushrods to the same Room 101 that the two-stroke was sent to years ago, they staunchly refuse to be edged out of the market. Indeed, one of the most significant new bikes this year uses both…

1 H-D Headware Harley-Davidson $50.19 harley-davidsonmotorclothes.com.au The Harley-Davidson 59Fifty Baseball Cap is made from 100 percent cotton and features the official 59Fifty silhouette by New Era. It has embroidered Harley-Davidson graphics on the front and back, and a New Era flag logo on the side, along with a 59Fifty visor sticker “for authenticity”. One size fits all. 2 Versatile Versys-X Kawasaki $726.13 (02) 9684 2585 kawasaki.com.au The Kawasaki Pannier Set to suit the Versys-X 300 offers 17 litres of lockable waterproof storage. It uses Kawasaki’s one-key system (the same as the ignitiion key) and the panniers are made from tough polypropylene, with rugged styling to complement the bike. Kawasaki recommends fitting at an authorised dealer. 3 Lady Leather Cassons $699.95 (02) 8882 1900 cassons.com.au The new Dainese Racing 3 Lady…

There is no reference for Jonathan’s Rea’s truly unique fifth successive FIM Superbike World Championship title with Kawasaki except the previous best-ever rider, Carl Fogarty. Rea has already beaten almost all of the WorldSBK records Fogarty (or anyone else) has held in statistical terms, but with 83 race wins (from 274 starts) and now five titles, Rea has a whopping 24 more race wins than Fogarty – and one more title. And all his titles in succession, too. But more than that, it’s the way in which Rea won this particular championship that truly charts whole new worlds of achievement. As sporting comebacks go, recovering from your main championship rival winning 11 straight races, when he is a rookie in the class and who kept moving ahead in the points…

LUCA MARINI LOOKED serene as he took his first win of the season, better than two seconds clear of a fantastic four-bike fight for second. The SKYVR46 Kalex rider credited a settings breakthrough at the last round for a clearly superior performance, underlined by a new lap record. “We changed everything on bike at Aragon, and we started here with the same feeling. But it was a difficult race mentally – alone, in this hot temperature,” he said. Behind him, ultra-close practice and qualifying was matched by the fiercest of battles. Championship leader Alex Marquez (EG VDS Kalex) had led away from pole and for the first two laps, but Iker Lecuona was close behind after Marini escaped. The American Racing KTM rider had taken a flyer off the fourth…

AUSSIE BROC PARKES is currently leading the ASB1000 category of the Asian Road racing Championship by a slender 11 point margin from tital rival Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Racing Team) with one round remaining. After taking an early lead in the championship, the former MotoGP rider had his healthy 35-point lead reduced at the last round in Sepang, the home race for two of his title rivals. The 38-year-old sat out the opening round of his Endurance World Championship campaign to contest the round, where he rode his Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN YZF-R1 to a fourth-and fifth-place finish in the two-race penultimate round. His Yamaha Austria Racing Team had even less luck in the Aussie’s absence, however. Just four hours into the Bol d’Or 24-hour, stand-in rider Loris…

JAYDEN MARTIN HAS emerged from wet and challenging conditions to win the 2019 Banhams WA Junior State Road Racing Championships. Flynn Winning (Honda) won the Superpole style qualifying session at Barbagallo’s round six ahead of William Wasley (Yamaha) and Martin (Yamaha). Wasley took out the first race by nine seconds from Hannah Stewart (Yamaha), with Martin in third. Wasley and Martin put on a great show in Race 2, with Wasley winning a drag race to the line by less than half a wheel, with Hayden Treversh (Honda) third. Martin edged away from Wasley in a wet Race 3, with Stewart third. This gave Wasley the round victory. Championship points were decided after each competitor was allowed to drop their worst round. So Martin took the title with 341 points…

WA’S JUNIOR OFF-ROAD racers have finally been given State championship status with Cody Chittick taking out the main title. Held over three rounds, the final was a ‘Euro Enduro’ format featuring two separate courses plus a compact ‘Motorex obstacle course’. With seven championship classes up for grabs, the action was fast and furious, but three riders were standouts. With a perfect score of 75 points, Cody Chittick was undoubtably the fastest and smoothest rider in the J4 class - 15 years old (up to 200cc two-stroke and 250cc four-stroke). In the J3 class (13-14 years old) Jethro Carriage not only took the win with a perfect score, he was the only rider in the championship undefeated in every race. Phoebe Bronwin took maximum points from the three rounds to win…

AS LONG AGO as February we revealed Honda was giving its Africa Twin a larger engine in 2020, and in July we revealed the details of that engine, including its 75kW power output and 1084cc capacity. Now its official release confirms a new frame, styling and technology for one of Honda’s best sellers in Australia. The Adventure Sport is the most high-tech version, with highlights being suspension that alters damping depending on speed and load, plus headlights that follow the cornering angle. Power is up seven percent to 75kW at 7500rpm, allied to a six percent torque hike, to 105Nm at 6250rpm, all while meeting the latest Euro 5 emissions rules. The additional capacity comes from a longer stroke, up from 75.1mm to 81.5mm, while retaining the same 92mm bore…

THIS IS THE production version of Benelli’s forthcoming Leoncino 800, shown as a concept last year, and expected in showrooms next year. Type-approval documents filed in China, where Benelli’s Italian-designed bikes are built under the direction of parent firm Qianjiang, have revealed that the 56kW, 754cc parallel twin is good to go. Expect an adventure version, probably called the Leoncino 800 Trail, to follow this model.…

Ducati’s ‘everybody’ bike, the Monster, comes in a mind-boggling array of configurations, engine sizes and styles – there’s something for most riders in the line up, if V-twin naked bikes are your flavour. You can choose a 659, 797, 821 or 1200 Monster, and while the first few options are unconventionally-monikered, they all make naked riding fun. The 821 Stealth isn’t a huge change from the standard 821 ($17,500 ride away and available in red, yellow or black), but packaging the heaps-fun multidirectional Ducati Quick Shifter (DQS), adjustable Kayaba 43mm fork, fancy paint and wheel treatment and a nose fairing (it’s still a nakedbike…) for another $1090 (ride away pricing, remember) is good value. But it’s not all just about the looks, and there are some cool features Monster owners…

Brembo brakes, a quickshifter, BMW’s new ShiftCam Boxer engine in a slightly edgy-looking road bike, a perfect 24ºC day and the Noosa hinterland 15 minutes away. This was going to be one of those days. BMW has already copped plenty of attention with its ShiftCam R 1250 GS model. Its predecessor, the R 1200 GS, has been the most popular big Adventure-touring bike this century, and the new version has even been described as “the most important bike of 2019”. The 1250 has passed the test as a worthy successor to the ever-popular GS model that has sold in the hundreds of thousands around the world in the past two decades. But I’ve always had the view that the new variable-valve layout must be more suited to the tarmac than…

On paper, and unless you’re an inner-city hipster who may scale the occasional gutter, Royal Enfield’s 2020 Himalayan doesn’t promise particularly much. Certainly not in this climate of high-tech and high-powered adventure machinery, anyway. However, everyone I know who had actually ridden one – including AMCN’s own Kel Buckley – gave them a great wrap as an easy-to-get-along-with, reliable and capable all-rounder. So, despite being a bit perplexed by its popularity, I needed to keep an open mind. Designed and built in India and first released in Australia in 2017, the Himalayan was created as a reliable no-frills, go-anywhere machine, and this update sees the addition of electronic fuel injection and ABS brakes in order to meet Euro-4 requirements. As adventure bikes go, the Himalayan has a style all its…

There’s a tune running round my head and I can’t shift it: Low. Ri. Der. Ride a little higher… But I’ll just have to hum it as the new Harley-Davidson Lowrider S is part of the Softail family and, unlike the touring models, doesn’t come with a stereo. It’s an appropriate soundtrack for this bike in every way; a sun-soaked 1970s classic everyone can recognise. Plus, taken literally, the new-for-2020 model has a 5mm higher seat than the Dyna Lowrider S that ran until 2017. When Harley stopped producing the Dyna line at the end of 2017, it meant popular models like the Lowriders had to be reimagined around the Softail range, using the freshly unveiled (and more powerful) Milwaukee Eight motor. Where the Softail Lowrider introduced in 2018 uses…

Ican’t look away from the staring soldier, clutching his AK-47, behind the fence. He tilts his head in confusion, slings his gun over his shoulder and flicks through a set of keys to unlock the barbed-wire gate. He drags it open, points towards a small hut and locks the gate once we’re through. Six guards come out of the hut, their eyes examining us. Alissa sits quietly on the back of the XT, covered in silk scarfs in the baking sun. She nervously pulls her sleeves tighter over her gloves. Sweat and heat builds inside her helmet, but she can’t take it off in front of them. The online warnings screamed women should cover their entire body, not look at or talk directly to men, only communicate through their male…

FIVE YEARS AGO ABS brakes were still a straightforward technology in the most literal sense: they only worked when you were going straight forward. Now that generation of anti-lock is fast heading for the history books as cornering ABS becomes increasingly widespread. Game-changing technology doesn’t come along often in motorcycling, but despite a quiet start – it first reached showrooms on the 2015 KTM 1290 Super Adventure – cornering ABS is now becoming the sort of kit that we notice when it’s not fitted rather than when it is. How does it work? Motorcycle ABS first reached production in 1988 on the BMW K 100, 10 years after the same Bosch-developed technology had appeared on cars. But it lacked the key benefit that car-based anti-lock offered; the ability to steer…

THE TWO RIDERS who have almost completely dominated the WorldSSP championship will go into the final two rounds of the year with the same margin of points gap – 10 – as they entered this one, as their unerring consistency deserted them today – and at runaway pace. While sitting behind the leading group, championship leader Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) suffered a huge highside, leaving the way clear for teammate Federico Caricasulo to get clear and into his own temporary championship lead. With the race in his hand, Caricasulo also ended up on his butt, not once but twice; crashing out of the lead, remounting and then falling to a final zero points shortly afterwards. This left an opportunity for two French riders, plus some others. Jules…

ALBERT ARENAS (GAVIOTA KTM) took a first win of the year in a dramatic and crash-hit first race of the day. But second place for Lorenzo Dalla Porta gave a potentially crucial 20 points to the Leopard Honda rider, as his main title rivals suffered sundry misfortunes. Aron Canet (Sterilgarda KTM) was one of three victims of a collision under braking early in the race. John McPhee (Petronas Honda) and Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Honda) the others, while the perpetrator Darren Binder (CIP Green Power KTM), who had forged through to fourth from 25th on the grid, suffered a rather harsh ride-through penalty. Tony Arbolino (Snipers Honda) dropped out of the lead group with severe cramp in his right wrist. He dropped to 20th, but recovered to 10th at the end.…

VALENTINO ROSSI ANNOUNCED at the press conference ahead of the Thailand Grand Prix that he will race with a new crew chief in the 2020 MotoGP season. David Muñoz, currently Nicolo Bulega’s crew chief in Rossi’s VR46 Moto2 team, will replace current crew chief Silvano Galbusera, who will shift his focus to Yamaha’s test team. Galbusera replaced Jeremy Burgess in 2014 but the all-Italian pairing has failed to replicate the success of the Burgess-Rossi combo, managing just nine wins during their six seasons together. The move shows that the seven-time MotoGP champion still rates his chances of being a title contender next year. “Yes, it is true. For next year I will change my chief mechanic,” the 40-year-old Monster Yamaha star said in Thailand. “After Misano, we speak together with…

DESPITE THE PRE-RACE ‘fake news’, both the Red Bull KTM and the Rockstar Husqvarna teams are at full strength for the Rally Du Maroc. If you take the PR at face value, Toby Price still has ‘a bit of work to do on his wrist’ and Pablo Quintanilla ‘is still recovering his leg.’ Also, newly crowned World Cross Country Champion Sam Sunderland sees ‘an opportunity to test under full race conditions’ and all Matthias Walkner wishes is to ‘get some good time on the bike and finish healthy.’ But the truth is, all four Atacama Rally stage winners will be full gas to win the prologue for the choice of start positions, in the hope of building a break on day one of the five-day 2500km rally in the sand…

AS WA’S FIVE-ROUND Hydroquip State Road Racing Championships heads for Collie on 13 October , Ben Stronach is favourite to extend his lead in the Superbike class. The VRT/Dynapumps Yamaha R1 rider had three wins from three races at September’s third round at Barbagallo, but it wasn’t all plain sailing. After securing pole position with a 57.9sec lap Leigh Boujos (JB Racing BMW S1000RR) stole the holeshot in Race 1. Stronach fought back to win from younger brother Cameron Stronach (Motorcycle Movers Ducati 1198 Panigale) and Boujos. Ben held off Cameron to win Race 2 and then took an all-the-way win in Race 3. Ben Stronach leads the points title with 218 points from Cameron on 173 points and Boujos on 164 points. The Cully’s Yamaha Supersport Championship sees Tommy…

How did you first get started in road racing? I started racing flat track as a six-year-old on a Honda CRF50 and moved up through 65cc and 85cc, winning a few junior titles. Ever since my first race at Phillip Island on a Metrakit 70 before winning back-to-back 70cc Australian Championships, I really felt I could do well. What did you learn in flat track that helped make the transition to road racing? On dirt the bike moves around a lot and you learn how to react quickly. And racing in a tight pack on loose surfaces builds confidence in your ability. Do you still get out on the dirt? Whenever I can I like to practice on my motocrosser. I scored a podium in the 2017 Australian Junior Dirt…

Engine Developed by Triumph’s Moto2 engine team, the 765cc triple is Euro5 compliant but features increased peak torque (79Nm at 9350rpm), which includes nine percent more in the midrange, just where road riders want it. Peak power is also boosted nine percent to 90.5kW at 11,750rpm. It comes with a more responsive throttle and freer flowing silencer. Refinements to the gearbox involve lower first and second gear ratios, allied to slip and assist clutch. Performance Triumph claims it’s the lightest bike in its class at 166kg dry. Premium equipment as standard includes Brembo M50 brakes, fully adjustable Öhlins suspension and Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP V3 tyres. Styling Trademark headlights get latest LED technology with “eye-brow” daytime running lights. Minimalist bodywork is more angular and comes in new matt colours. Technology…

Engine Fully LAMS license compliant, the 660cc triple produces 39.7kW but more important is the strong midrange torque of 61Nm at 6000rpm. Performance Some basic DNA of the RS, such as the beam twin-spar frame and gull-wing swingarm, along with lower-spec but similar front fork and rear suspension, offer agile handling. Triumph describes it as “the perfect all-rounder”. Styling Matches key elements of the RS, including lights, mirrors and seat. Technology Two riding modes (Road and Rain), with adjustable throttle response and traction control. ABS braking and Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tyres.…

WE’VE BUSTED THIS early test-mule prototype of a Husqvarna adventure bike. Expect this twin-cylinder model to appear as a concept version at one of this year’s big European motorcycle shows, then arrive in showrooms 18 months or so after that. By then the engine will be around 900cc so we guess the model name will have 901 in it, in line with existing ‘401’ and ‘701’ versions of the Svartpilen and Vitpilen neo-retro street bikes. Ever since it became part of the KTM fold in late 2013, there’s been a clear trajectory to Husqvarna’s new model development path. In short, it takes existing KTMs and adds its own styling twist without making major mechanical changes. This adventure prototype’s engine is clearly identical to KTM’s 790 Adventure, but there are strong…

EARLIER THIS YEAR CFMoto teased us with images of a race-spec 250cc single-cylinder sportsbike and now this leaked image reveals its 250SR road version. Even if the 249cc engine, with 19.5kW at 9000rpm and 22Nm at 7500rpm, hasn’t got the performance to back up its styling, there’s no question it’s a looker. Its design comes from the same Kiska studio that styles KTM’s offerings, and whatever CFMoto is paying to outsource its styling, it’s getting its money’s worth. The headlights are neatly tucked into the nose. Flanked by arcing LED strips mounted on the leading edge of the white, outer section of the nose, this creates a look that’s going to be instantly recognisable without being unnecessarily outlandish. Don’t be surprised if CFMoto makes a larger parallel-twin versions of this…

Had her pegged I really enjoyed the Women in Motorcycling feature in the last magazine (AMCN Vol 69 No 07), especially after a recent encounter. A friend and I recently rode from Orange (cold) to Oberon (very cold) to meet up with a group from Sydney for a ride to Rockley and home (for us) via Bathurst. We were early so dropped in to a local coffee shop to defrost and enjoy a cuppa before the others arrived. We were sitting quietly talking when an elderly lady approached us and started asking where we were from and what were we riding, etc. She then told us her motorcycle experiences which seemed amazing and a bit unbelievable – I wasn’t sure if she was an escapee from a local nursing home…

THE IDEA FOR the Himalayan was conceived by former Royal Enfield CEO and current Managing Director of RE’s parent company Eicher Motors, Siddhartha Lal. Including the 411cc single-cylinder powerplant, it was Royal Enfield’s first ground-up clean-sheet design since being aquired by the Eicher group in 1994. The 410 LS (LS stands for long stroke) was designed in-house by Royal Enfield and is its first engine to incorporate an oil cooler. The design process was a multicultural affair, with the Indian factory calling on Pierre Terblanche (of Ducati 999 and Monster fame) to give the Himalayan its unique look, and renowned frame builders Harris Performance in the UK to produce the frame and swingarm prototypes. The design incorporated a linkage driven monoshock rear end, a first for the company that runs…

THE RIDING POSITION and attitude of the Lowrider S have been fine-tuned by two 100mm bits of metal – the ’bar risers sitting behind the half-fairing, set inside the non-adjustable forks on the top yolk. At the top, the risers grip what Harley calls a “sport-style” one-piece 25mm handlebar. Clearly, the risers are partly there for the impact they have on the styling: look at the bike from the side and the handlebar is at the apex of a neat triangle formed by the forks and tank-mounted clocks, tying the look of the bike together very neatly. Those looks are a really important part of the Lowrider S package, echoing the 1970s custom scene. The tank-mounted instruments are a part of that vibe – and they’re necessary, as the risers…

This was not a ‘wink-wink, nudge-nudge, say-no-more’ moment. And invariably the response would be “I’ve had her over the ton”. Though in very few instances, was this actually true. It wasn’t until 1934 that an official Australian record was set when Bill Thompson managed a two-way average of 112.5mph (181km/h) over the flying mile in his Type 37A Bugatti, a record that held for more than 20 years. In 1938, it was established that motorcycles could be just as fast as four wheelers when Bill Barker’s 998cc J.A.P.-powered Zenith covered the flying mile at 118.42mph (190.57km/h), which was only marginally eclipsed by Peter Whitehead’s E.R.A. Grand Prix monoposto at 118.8mph (191km/h) – before high tides on Melbourne’s 90 Mile Beach halted proceedings. By this time, Sydney motorcyclist Art Senior had…

Whether cracked, worn, peeling or faded, a fresh coat of paint is a quick and easy way to freshen up tired pieces on your bike. When it comes to large pieces like fairings, we’d advise saving your pennies and getting the professionals to handle that for you – you’ll get a far more consistent finish, which is particularly important on large items and imperative for resale value. But when it comes to smaller items, such as this headlight bucket, it’s not difficult to achieve great results with a bit of knowhow and patience. 1 Prepare, prepare, prepare How successful your job is, and how long it will ultimately last, will come down to how well you prepare the surface before you start painting. One of the main differences between…

To bore or to stroke? IN THE ENTIRELY artificial push towards ever-greater roadbike performance, the WorldSBK Championship has had to redefine exactly what a winning WorldSBK machine is. With the entire grid now unified into an all-1000cc grid, an often-overlooked aspect of current and future design choices is in engine bore-and-stroke ratios. In general terms, the more over-square an engine’s bore and stroke, the faster and higher it can rev. All engines in modern use are seriously over-square, but some are more oversquare than others. The Ducati V4 R has a bore and stroke figure of 81 x 48.4mm. The BMW S 1000 RR is slightly down the radical scale, with an 80mm bore and 49.7mm stroke. In the race to keep ahead of rivals on track, these figures make…

MARC MARQUEZ HAD done it again. His eighth World Championship, sixth in the premier class, was achieved in the best possible way – with victory. He didn’t need to win the race – only to finish ahead of his last remaining rival Andrea Dovizoso’s Ducati. Which would have posed no great difficulty. But the Repsol Honda star didn’t fancy being over-shadowed by the man most likely – eventually – to depose him. As at Misano two races ago, Marquez tailed brilliant rookie Fabio Quartaro’s Petronas Yamaha until the closing lap, showing the brilliant 20-year-old French rookie his front wheel a couple of times. He pounced on the last lap, Quartararo returned the move into the tight final corner. But Marquez had judged it right. He went by again on the…

AFTER A STUNNING round win Penrite Honda Racing’s Troy Herfoss has emerged as the surprise new Superbike championship leader. A determined Herfoss battled the windy Phillip Island conditions to take the round from Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Wayne Maxwell, following a controversial result in race two where then championship leader Mike Jones fell after contact with Maxwell at turn four. The clash was deemed a racing incident and after a solid victory in race one, Maxwell now sits just three points behind Herfoss heading into the final round. Suzuki teammate Josh Waters found some encouraging pace to finish on the podium in race two to take third overall for the round. Daniel Falzon was also consistent in fourth, but it was Kawasaki Connection privateer Matt Walters who impressed with fifth for…

TOPRAK RAZGATLIOGLU has been confirmed as a Pata Yamaha rider in 2020. After it was made official he was leaving Kawasaki, Yamaha confirmed its split with Alex Lowes and then named the Turk as its new rider. Lowes has not been confirmed anywhere else as yet, but his exit from Yamaha strengthens the overall opinion in the paddock that he is going to ride a top-line Kawasaki next year. That makes KRT’s Leon Haslam’s future as yet undefined, but he said in Magny Cours that Kawasaki is trying to place him somewhere, and that he has had discussions with other teams. He hasn’t ruled out a return to BSB, where he was champion in 2018. The Pedercini Kawasaki team has expanded to bring the talented Italian rider Lorenzo Savadori back…

SPANISH TRIALS LEGEND Toni Bou has claimed his 13th consecutive TrialGP World Championship by winning every one of the nine-round series, a feat he’s not done previously. His stunning performance takes his consecutive round victories to 14, and his overall total to an unprecedented 112. “Having a perfect season and winning all of the races has been spectacular,” he said. “After exceeding 100 wins, this was the challenge that I was lacking and I am very happy to have achieved it. In addition, I am also very happy to be able to tie with Jordi Tarrés on 14 consecutive victories. We always want more, so we hope to start next season continuing this good spell.”…