Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 69 Issue 13 i Australian Motorcycle News

WHEN HONDA UNVEILED the CT125 concept bike at October’s Tokyo Motor Show it already looked ready for showrooms despite being officially tagged as a concept bike. Now it’s a shoe-in for production after the firm filed trademark applications that can only be intended for the same model. Based on the Super Cub 125, the CT125 mimicked the style and intention of the old CT110, itself a derivative of the earlier C100T. But with the latest Euro 5-compliant engine and the Super Cub 125’s chassis the CT125 has the tools to remain in production for years to come. Honda has filed two trademark applications in the US that appear to be intended for the production version; Trail 125 and Hunter Cub. Those names reflect the original CT’s designation. In Japan, the…

AN AUSTRALIAN START-up that tests safety and comfort for motorcycle clothing on a ratings system has won a major international award. MotoCAP, launched in late 2018, has been awarded a Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) road safety award at a huge event in Monaco. The first of its kind in the world, the MotoCAP tests cover the whole garment, unlike other similar organisations, which only test samples of fabrics, fasteners and stitching. MotoCAP, or the Motorcycle Clothing Assessment Program, is a consumer information program designed to provide riders with scientifically-based information on the relative protection and comfort on a range of motorcycle protective jackets, pants and gloves available in Australia and New Zealand. “Disposable fashion may be expensive, yet lack protective features” said Guy Stanford, Chairman of the Australian Motorcycle…

LAST YEAR’S International Challenge was a bit like the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Team America blasted their way within 42 points of beating Australia on home turf. The team arrived for last year’s epic confrontation like the cowboy cast of that classic Western movie The Searchers. This year they return as The Magnificent Seven with an even stronger team of former champions and AMA frontrunners. The Americans have high hopes of going back home this time as The Unforgiven, having turned Australia Day into The Alamo. Make no mistake, this year’s International Challenge will be a blockbuster. Along for the wild ride is a composite Team UK-Rest of the World, but the main focus will be on last year’s High Noon gunslingers. On debut last year, four-time AMA champion…

Simply read Call me old fashioned or even a Seventies longhair – I am completely comfortable with these terms – and reading recent reviews of new models justify my feelings. I’ve ridden a brilliant, uncomplicated 1992 BMW R 100 RS since 1998, it’s my 19th motorcycle since 1975. I can use every one of its neddies with confidence and that has been sticking this stupid grin on my face ever since. The only things I have to think about is the road and the idiots on it. I don’t have to rely on launch control, ABS, IMU, DCT, EERA, HSTC, wheelie control, rear-wheel lift or hill-start assist – I only have to rely on myself. I don’t have sat nav, a TFT display or Apple car play – thank god.…

Three years ago, almost to the day, Yamaha unveiled the T7 Concept at the EICMA motorcycle show. It dropped jaws of adventure riders the world over, all who have since been made to wait for it, but the Ténéré 700 is finally here. Said to be developed in Italy by the same group of Yamaha personnel that designs the firm’s Dakar bikes, it’s easy to see the DNA. The silhouette of the 700 is hugely reminiscent of Australian Dakar racer Rod Faggotter’s WR450RR Rally bike. It’s immediately apparent that it won’t take anyone long to get their head around the new bike; there are no stocking fillers here, just a raw, simple and, as it turns out, capable motorcycle. No engine modes, no cruise control, no TFT dash, not even…

THE BMW GROUP has its own massive test area in the south of France located between Marseille and Avignon, where it can conduct intense and thorough testing of both motorcycles and cars. The Miramas Test Centre covers a total of 473 hectares and is built on the site of a former Indianapolis-style banked-oval speedway that it acquired in 1986, and has constantly updated and enlarged since then. The old Autodrome de Miramas which opened in 1924 hosted the 100-lap French GP for cars between 1926 and 1933, when the effects of the Depression caused it to be abandoned. The derelict site was purchased by BMW over 30 years ago and completely redeveloped. Today Miramas offers a variety of test tracks measuring more than 52km in length, together with office workstations…

A KICKSTARTER IS out of the question, so the approved method of starting the device was to prop it on the front wheel stand and kick the tyre with the sole of your boot. This was supposed to cause it to burst into life, but after fruitlessly all but wearing out a right boot, I gave up and bump-started the thing, which is apparently what most Megolamaniacs did anyway. This is all very well, but you’ve got to be really ready, for the simple reason that it has no clutch! It means getting up a head of steam with the decompressor lever lifted, while all the time the engine is turning over, then dropping the lever and simultaneously jumping aboard as the engine crackles into life, and suddenly takes off…

Stage 1 Anchorage, Alaska to Tuktoyaktuk, Canada. 1800km This road stage will give Sjaak time to get used to the climate and bike and make any necessary or unforeseen modifications. Stage 2 Tuktoyaktuk to Ward Hunt Island. 2300km The route depends on the ice conditions as Sjaak will need to avoid pressure ridges, which are piled up ice fragments that can be as high as a house! If there’s no way around, Sjaak will have to tackle them by winching his bike and equipment over the top. He’ll also need to find a local guide who knows the land, climate and ice for this run. Stage 3 Ward Hunt Island to North Pole. 800km + Stretches of open water are seriously dangerous and need to be avoided at all costs.…

New stuff 1 Super Sport Suit Moto National $1495 1300 885 355spidiaustralia.com.au The Spidi Super Sport Wind Pro race suit is made with premium Italian cowhide and features protectors on the shoulders, elbows, hips and knees, and it can be upgraded with chest and back protectors. It has an internal mesh liner, flex areas for a perfect fit, and neoprene neck and wrist inserts. Various sizes are available. 2 Sports Boots Monza Imports $449.99 1800 060 882monzaimports.com.au Alpinestars SMX Plus V2 Boots feature a light, durable microfibre upper reinforced with a rugged polymer protector, while a Multi-Link Control (MLC) system prevents ankle torsion while offering freedom of movement. Available in Men’s Euro sizes 39-48 and women’s (Stella) Euro 37-41. 3 Summer Breeze Cassons $749.95 (02) 8882 1900cassons.com.au The Dainese Agile…

IT’S SUNDAY, 5am and raining in town. I jump into the van and head to the servo to follow the ritual of fuel, Maccas, coffee and two painkillers. Today is bracket racing day a couple of hours away at Broadford’s State Motorcycle Sports Complex. Lots of people dream of lining up on the starting grid of a motorcycle race but never quite make it. It’s usually because of one or all of these reasons: I’m not good enough and what if I make an arse of myself; the expense (motor racing can be crazy expensive); I don’t own a race bike. What if I told you that four times a year in Victoria none of this matters. Welcome to the world of bracket racing, run by the Preston Motor Cycle…

HONDA HAS FILED a flurry of patents showing how it might adopt moving bodywork to production models. This follows the recent FIM ruling that active aerodynamics – movable body panels and winglets – are now legal in WSBK. The FIM’s proviso on the use of this technology is that the race bikes can only use the same kit that’s fitted to the homologated street Superbikes they’re based on. This means road riders will also benefit from all the aero advances the rules encourage, so don’t expect Honda to be the only manufacturer to embrace this. Earlier this year Honda hinted that a future Fireblade could have active aero, publishing a patent document showing a design very much like the new 2020 CBR1000RR-R but featuring biplane winglets that could be withdrawn…

Guy’s Great Escape There’s got to be a pretty strong argument that the moment when Steve McQueen’s stunt double Bud Ekins jumps the barbed wire fence on a Triumph TR6 in The Great Escape is the most famous motorcycling moment ever committed to celluloid. How it gained its iconic status is something of a mystery. The jump itself wasn’t massive and quite how the WW2 German Wehrmacht got their hands on a very British Triumph that wouldn’t leave the production line until 16 years after the war ended isn’t clear. But somehow the combination of Steve McQueen and motorcycles never fails to be cool. The filming of the entire bike stunt section in the 1963 movie was done and dusted in two days, with stuntman Bud Ekins (some claim it…

INVERCARGILL’S CLASSIC Motorcycle Mecca museum has undergone a total revamp. Among the new collection of Japanese, motocross and speedway bikes are the first two 60-degree Britten V-twins. Aero-D-One was John Britten’s second motorcycle after the Ducati-powered Aero-D-Zero. It used an air-cooled Denco speedway engine that ran on methanol and revved to 9000rpm. The Precursor was the first complete bike that Britten made from scratch, including its liquid-cooled, quad-cam V-twin engine. It finished second to a factory Ducati at the 1991 Daytona Pro-Twins race. The Classic Motorcycle Mecca is also honouring George Begg, an international roadracer in the 1950s, who returned to New Zealand and built 18 race cars in his rural Southland engineering workshop during the 1960s. Visitors to Invercargill’s Classic Motorcycle Mecca museum during the annual Burt Munro Challenge…

BORN AND BRED in Queensland, Peter Reginald Melton came of age in an era when it was possible for top motocrossers to travel the length of the east coast eking an existence on prizemoney and endorsements; or at least get a feed and enough money for petrol to drive the van to the next meeting. A few competitors such as Craig Dack and Glen Bell built enough of a pre-Facebook fan base to actually earn a living. Motocross spawned Supercross, which moved indoors and was eventually granted National Championship status. Reggie Melton joined Craig Dack in the Marlboro Yamaha Team in 1990, as Dack recalls. “When it came to the serious business of testing, Reggie and I could have some deep discussions. Two seconds later Reggie would snap into the…

Edi, in designing a future BMW Cruiser, what were your parameters? If we go into this segment where we haven’t really been before, it definitely has to truly be a BMW, and it must be absolutely recognisable as a BMW, and not perceived as a copy of anything else, from whoever else. So this means absolutely no V-twin! What we did first was to take a very close look at our BMW heritage, which is very rich, there’s lots of iconic stuff in there. If you have a close look you can discover lots of very typical BMW iconic elements that you can use or refer to, and this is exactly what we’re going to do with each model in our cruiser family of bikes. But presumably you had to…

“THE TROPHY WAS JUST A BUNCH OF GEARS WELDED TOGETHER. AND I THOUGHT, I CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT” Glance at any of James Corbett’s motorcycle masterpieces and you’d swear it was flying. While in a sense these amazing works of art are caricatures, they evoke emotions so keen you can nigh-on smell the Castrol R and hear the screaming open exhausts. Perhaps it was the decade racing off-road buggies that enhanced James’ remarkable sense of motion. Or his keen interest in early French automobiles; where form often dictated function. Whatever it was, James’ discovery of his sculptural talent came after he won a trophy in a variety rally. “The trophy was just a bunch of gears welded together,” he recalls. “And I thought, I can do better than that.”…

MOTO GUZZI’S CALIFORNIA EV Cruiser ran from 1998 through to 2006, but the powerplant can trace its roots back to the Italian company’s V-twins of the 1970s. The California EV is a model that spanned three changes of ownership of the famous Italian marque during its nine-year production life, as well as numerous variants carrying the California name. Since 2004 Moto Guzzi has been under the control of the Piaggio Group, while from 2000-2004 Aprilia (now also owned by Piaggio Group) held the reins. As such, life can get confusing when shopping for a used Moto Guzzi California as the choice can be far-reaching. Those ownership changes of the company also had an effect on quality control and the level of finish, so it’s a case of buyer beware –…

AUSSIE BROC PARKES and his Yamaha Austria Racing Team (YART) celebrated victory in the inaugural Sepang 8 Hour last month, handing the squad the round two spoils of the 2019-2020 Endurance World Championship and moving it to fourth place in the overall standings. While it was credited as a team effort, YART’s Niccolò Canepa rode the entire rain-effected race alone, strating from third on the grid. Yamaha Sepang Racing, made up of world championship stars Franco Morbidelli, Michael van der Mark and Hafizh Syahrin, started from pole position ahead of F.C.C. TSR Honda (Aussie Josh Hook, Mike di Meglio and Freddy Foray) with either one of the high-profile teams tipped for the win. Van der Mark and Di Meglio broke away from the chasing pack for what looked like a…

“Any additional notes would subject the rider to penalties” For some years rumours have been floating across the Dakar bivouacs that some of the better-funded teams were, in the dark nights, overlaying the Dakar route instructions – otherwise known as roadbooks – on high-definition images of Google Earth. And, in doing so, were in a position to provide their riders with advice on how to follow a smoother, less technical and shorter route between mandatory waypoints. This, it’s been alleged, might benefit a rider by as much as a minute – or more – over the course of a day. Or save 250ml of fuel. Or simply offer some welcome respite from the inevitable arm pump. These alleged tactics were made possible by the roadbooks being issued to competitors the…

Josh, at your first attempt of racing at Phillip Island last year, you nearly achieved the impossible, coming within 11 points of becoming the highest-scoring rider. You made it look easy! What were your first impressions of the track? From the rider’s seat the track actually looked almost exactly as I imagined it from TV and all the races I’ve watched over the years. However the views coming onto the front straight were incredibly distracting at first. It’s a meeting that attracts the third-largest crowd in Australian motorcycle racing after MotoGP and World Superbikes. This means the International Challenge riders are playing for keeps. Did you expect such racing intensity? I was quite taken aback by the level of competition on these classic era bikes. I even got my feelings…

INDIAN IS PLANNING to launch a new adventure bike based on the engine of the FTR1200 as part of its 2021 model range – marking a new era of American-made adventure machinery. The new model is mentioned in a leaked planning document that reveals the firm’s launch schedule until the 2021 model year. So it will go toe-to-toe against Harley-Davidson’s Pan America adventure model, which is due to reach dealers at the end of 2020. The two bikes should be very close on specs. Harley has confirmed that the Pan America features a water-cooled, DOHC V-twin with a 1250cc capacity and a claimed power of over 145hp (108kW). Indian’s rival will feature the 1203cc, DOHC V-twin from the FTR1200, which currently makes 120hp (89kW), but should have tuning headroom for…

THE HUSQVARNA NORDEN 901 concept bike, revealed at EICMA in November, has been confirmed for production, and will bring Husky into the adventure bike market for the first time. Given Husqvarna’s position as a subsidiary of KTM, it’s no surprise that the Norden 901 is a redesign of an existing set of KTM-made parts. The chassis and suspension is straight from KTM’s 790 Adventure, while the 889.5cc LC8c engine already appears in the new-for-2020 KTM 890 Duke. It’s clear that the 890 Duke’s engine, making 89kW and 99Nm, is a significant step up from the 790 Adventure’s 799cc version, which peaks at 70kW and 88Nm. Since the larger engine also meets Euro5 emissions limits, it’s almost inevitable that it will be adopted in a new KTM 890 Adventure in 2021,…

Amend or move I’m currently disabled, and a word of warning to all the readers out there, do not try to wipe the excess lubricant from your motorcycle chain with the engine still running and the bike in gear. After 50 years of dicking around with bikes I did it, and amputated my right thumb. And that’s why I did not attend the GP this year. Regarding Patrick Bruce’s Red October letter in AMCN Vol 69 No 10, I’ve been attending the GP since 2004, it’s a great race and a great track. But when is Lindsay Fox going to spend some cash on spectator facilities so the people who put money in his pocket can enjoy this great event and encourage others to, too, no matter what the weather…

Moto2 has wailed with the libidinous sound of three cylinders since Triumph became the official engine supplier for the 2019 season and the fruits of the collaboration are already starting to filter down into production bikes such as the 2020 Street Triple RS and the soon-to-lob Daytona 765. The new nakedbike is a significant developmental step rather than an all new machine, but the RS wasn’t in need of a lot of work anyway. The outgoing model – first introduced in 2017 – is a superb motorcycle, with our own editor Sam Maclachlan praising its agile handling, great brakes and “ripsnorting engine” (AMCN Vol 67 No 04). The handling and brakes remain at the awesome end of the spectrum and that so-called ripsnorting engine now comes with extra snort. According…

THE TÉNÉRÉ, WITH the OEM Rally STR tyres can commute with the best of them, as adventure bikes offer an excellent elevated riding position for battling traffic. The Ténéré is nice and slim and the handlebars are higher than car mirrors, so you can sneak through those little gaps between the traffic. Also, sitting up comfortably gives you great vision for picking gaps and escape routes. The screen gives a decent break from the weather and there are tie-down hooks on the back for strapping your essentials on the seat. The Ténéré’s daily ability puts it in good stead against its rivals in the market; give me the sweet MT-07 engine over a big single any day of the week. The Ténéré is versatile, smooth and surprisingly practical in the…

In 2018 BMW sold 165,566 motorcycles around the world which, in terms of dollars and cents, made it Europe’s number-one manufacturer – KTM sells more units annually, but each predominantly at much lower cost. From 2020 onwards BMW CEO Dr. Markus Schramm is aiming to substantially increase those sales numbers by finally tackling the North American cruiser market which the German manufacturer has ignored since ending production of its R 1200 C Custom in 2004, after manufacturing 40,218 examples. The reason given at the time was that the Boxer engine powering the R 1200 C was too small in capacity to satisfy US customers. But rather than develop something bigger, BMW Motorrad’s then-CEO Dr. Herbert Diess chose other fish to fry in bringing BMW’s motorcycle division back from near-extinction, from…

It’s been my dream for the last 20 years and I’m finally just one-year away from starting the first stage. It hasn’t been easy getting here, it’s taken years of preparation, planning and practice runs, but now I’m almost ready… I’m going to ride a modified Yamaha YZF-R1 across the polar ice-cap all the way to the North Pole. The plan is to ride a motorcycle from mainland America to my arctic destination without any assistance, apart from a support dog sled or skidoo carrying fuel. I’m aiming to make the ride in three stages, eventually ending up at the true North Pole – not the magnetic North Pole like they did in Top Gear – but the point on the northernmost part of the earth that sits at zero…

JOHANN ZARCO HAS put the speculation over his immediate future to bed, announcing the signing of a one-year deal with Ducati for the 2020 MotoGP season. The Frenchman will partner with Tito Rabat on Ducati’s GP19 in the Reale Avintia Racing squad, filling the void left after the sacking of Karel Abraham late last year. Poor results in the first half of the 2019 season saw Zarco released from his two-year deal with KTM in August on mutually agreed-to terms, leaving the double Moto2 world champion without a ride. He was thrown a temporary lifeline for the final three races of 2019, filling in for Takaaki Nakagami on his LCR Honda while the Japanese rider underwent shoulder surgery. Despite some decent results on the notoriously difficult Honda, the signing of…

THE INAUGURAL SULTANS of Slide series wrapped up in December after rounds on consecutive Saturdays at Wagga Wagga, Appin and Kempsey. This new concept formulated by Motorcycling NSW incorporated racing on both the traditional dirt track and then a newly installed TT course on each venue - obviously some riders performing better on one of those tracks in preference to the other. Max Whale put his AMA experience to good use emerging as the overall winner of the MX450 class ahead of Michael Kirkness and Jarred Brook, and also winning the Multi Cylinder class ahead of Tom Edwards and Jamie Portelli. Daniel Yarnold outpointed Jarred Loveday and James Sawdy in the MX250 class, while Jason Griffin topped the Clubman class ahead of Christopher Jarvis and Aaron Statham. The Drane brothers…

IN WHAT COULD be an Australian first, two clubs have combined to run title rounds in two different states on international-standard circuits. Building on record entries for 2019 in the Victorian Road Racing Championships, host Preston Motorcycle Club is combining with its South Australian counterparts to run rounds at both the The Bend and Phillip Island. South Australian State Titles promoter CAFNIX (Café Racer/ Phoenix clubs) will host Round One of the Victorian Road Racing Championship and South Australian State Titles at The Bend Motorsport Park over 1-2 February. The second leg of the interstate battle will be held later in the season at Phillip Island’s Grand Prix circuit over 29-30 August. “We feel grassroots racers are the backbone of this sport and we want to give our riders a…

THOUGH HE’D BEEN a First Division British League competitor for some years, John Titman’s first major title was won on his home track, the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds. “It was the Australian Championships at the Ekka in 1977,” recalls John. “Another rider brought me down in an early heat. Nothing intentional, just a racing incident. He was disqualified though I was backwards into the fence which destroyed my bike. But I won the re-run on my spare bike. “Then worked my way through to win the Final. Phil Crump, Billy Sanders, Phil Hearne, everyone who was anyone was there, so considering the early setback that was a most memorable win.” Though John continued to campaign regularly in the British League for the Halifax Dukes, the Exeter Falcons and Leicester Lions –…