Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 70 Issue 19 i Australian Motorcycle News

43 Valentino Rossi has said he wants to race two more seasons, meaning he will be aged 43 racing towards birthday number 44 (February 16, 2024). “ADMIT IT. WE WERE ALL RIDING AROUND ON LAMS BIKES BACK THEN” Old School columnist Hamish Cooper has his memory jogged about just how powerful big bikes were in the 1970s as he rides Triumph’s new LAMS Trident. Aussie test next issue! BLACK BEAUTY Too much Rocket 3 is barely enough as Triumph announces a limited-edition run of R Black and GT Triple Black with distinctively moody paint schemes and other unique styling features. URAL INSPIRATION We had a heap of fun at AMCN testing the new Ural sidecar last year . Meanwhile an intrepid bunch of Germans took four older versions of them…

Yamaha announced its range of YZ motocrossers for the 1990 model range, with all bikes including the YZ80 copping new graphics. The YZ250 and YZ125 received engine updates that increased power as did the YZ250WR which was identical to the YZ250 apart from the use of a wide-ratio gearbox. Both the 250 and 125 received handlebar, brake and suspension upgrades. SPORT Italians Alessandro de Petri and Edi Orioli made it a Cagiva Elefant 1-2 in the 1989 Pharaoh Rally. The Egyptian event started and finished at the Pyramids and was considered the big shakedown for the Paris-Dakar. Later known as the Pharaons International Cross Country Rally, it ran under various incarnations until 2015. THE SHOW The Birmingham Motorcycle Show in England tore the covers off a bunch of new models…

WITH AN accessory added here and there, Royal Enfield has created a three-tiered range. Starting with the base-model Fireball, it’s the bare-bones model we grabbed to test and, in my opinion, the best looking. Available in bold primary colours of either red or yellow, it carries a recommended retail price of $6540 plus on-road costs. Next in line is the Stellar, which includes a pillion backrest as standard fitment, a chrome exhaust, a slightly classier tank badge and a choice of three more subdued colours, and it will set you back $6840 (plus on-road costs), while the Supernova, with chrome pipes, a backrest, a touring-style screen, two-tone paint and available in two colours options, is priced at $7240 (plus on-road costs).…

Got your eye on a SuperSport? Spare a glance for these AS AN EVERYDAY sportsbike or sports tourer there is, arguably, competition from Kawasaki with the Ninja 1000SX ($16,999 plus on-road costs) and from Suzuki with the GSX-S1000F ($16,290 plus on-road costs) but neither gets close in terms of looks or appeal. I guess Aprilia’s new RS660 has the ability to drag a few sales away from the 950, which is cheaper at $18,490 (plus on-roads) but down on power and, in my view, not as desirable as the Ducati.…

HELLO. I’M A 17-YEAR-old Kiwi racing in Australia in what I hope will be a stepping stone into a world championship. After the first ASBK meeting of 2021 at Winton, I sit third overall in the Yamaha R3 Cup and fifth in the Supersport 300 class. I also managed to get my first trophy in Australia and, for a Kiwi, that means a lot. I had a big decision to make this year: do ASBK or take up an offer to race in the new Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup. This runs as a support class at European rounds of WorldSBK and offers a pathway to the main game. A lot of people weighed into the debate about what I should do, but the biggest input came from Jed…

After a faultless preseason, ninth place wasn’t what Jack Miller had in mind. Miller conserved his rear tyre in the first half of the race before a late push. But grip deserted him, and Miller was unable maintain the leaders’ pace. “Twelve-14 laps from the end – when Viñales came past – I thought now it’s time to start upping the pace and I was able to do that to the low ’55s,” he said. “Then, bang, I hit a wall and started losing the rear on the mid-corner. I was just trying to manage the tyre in the beginning and it didn’t really work – we have to understand what I am doing and the others are doing. For sure these shit little crashes affect my confidence a little…

ON THE BACK of an impressive preseason test at this track, Gardner’s goal was to pick up where he left off at the end of 2020 by putting regular top-five finishes on the board. Aside from qualifying sixth, and a hairy first two corners, the 23-year old posted another measured performance that indicates a title challenge lies ahead. “The actual start wasn’t so bad but I just got swallowed up,” he said. “Jake threw it in underneath me at turn two and pushed me out onto the sand. I was back down in eighth on the first lap. I knew I had my work cut out. But I started coming back. “I had a few moments. I was trying to pass the guys and use a bit more kerb to…

UPON ANNOUNCING ANDREA Dovizioso would try Aprilia’s RSGP at a private test at Jerez over 12-14 April, paddock speculation went into overdrive at the Qatar GP regarding a potential future relationship between the Italian rider and factory. Should the 35-year old be impressed by the potential of the much-improved RS-GP in Andalusia, it is believed Aprilia would be keen to make him the second rider in its race team in place of Lorenzo Savadori, who has so far failed to impress. Dovizioso’s long-time manager Simone Batistella was in Qatar and poured cold water on the speculation. “I don’t think there is a chance [he will race] this season,” he said. “For sure he wants to do the test and he accepted the invitation of Aprilia. He was very keen to…

The Supermoto Club of WA has kicked off its club championship at the Wanneroo International Kart Track. While numbers were down across all the classes the racing was top notch. The club also debuted a totally revamped dirt section, which got the thumbs-up from all the riders. Two riders stood out in the Open division. Adam Baxter won the first race in convincing fashion but in the second he got a shocking start and managed to salvage fourth place. Dave Robertson won the second and third races before Baxter stormed back to win the final race.…

HUGE MOMENTUM IS building in the world of electric motorcycles. Last issue we reported on a plan for major manufacturers to collaborate on a common, swappable battery system. Now Triumph has announced an industry-leading powerplant that weighs just 10kg but pushes out 130kW. This is a fraction of the mass of conventional combustion engines. Triumph has also released design sketches of it fitted to a motorcycle somewhat resembling a Speed Triple. Triumph’s Project TE-1 prototype development involves innovative UK companies Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE), which is developing the battery technology, Integral Powertrain, making the electric motor, and the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) at the University of Warwick. With a completed battery and motor now in a recognisable motorcycle chassis, the partners have been able to bench-test the systems, completing the…

Fast-track recovery Austria’s Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum, destroyed by fire a few weeks ago, plans to reopen later this year after collectors offered it 250 rare motorcycles to display. Options not exhausted Staintune has been saved from closure after being sold to Torqit, manufacturers of stainless-steel performance exhausts. State in crisis Authorities are deeply concerned as a spike in motorcycle fatalities accounts for nearly half Queensland’s road toll so far this year. Small-fry fried After two years of 20-million-plus annual motorcycle sales, Covid has knocked Honda’s numbers a staggering 24 percent in markets that buy its smaller models.…

High-water Marc The 2021 MotoGP campaign has begun and like a Phoenix from the ashes we see that Marc Marquez has emerged from rehabilitation in an attempt to take back his lost title. My question is where does his motivation come from? Already a multi-time world champion, richer than he ever dreamed of and also beaten to hell at the age of 29. Time will tell if his physical ailments have properly healed, but my concern is his mental state after months of doubt over his future and behind-the-scenes healing. What must have been going through his mind when he was sitting at home all those months must have been very tough, even for him. Maybe even tougher than the injury itself. Yet here he is back again to have…

Hang on, who’s Verex? VEREX IS AN AUSSIE family-run business based half an hour southwest of Hobart in Kaoota, Tasmania. It’s the brainchild of Paul Verdouw, a motorcycle fanatic who swapped his engineering business to become a motorcycle exhaust manufacturer, and a bloody good one at that. He started by whipping up a few exhaust systems for himself and mates to use at track days before seeing the potential to turn his attention to it full-time, where his engineering skills and eye for detail make Verex-branded pipes stunning in both their form and their function. It’s a flash mandrel tube bender which has upped Paul’s game in recent years and makes sure header pipes can be aligned perfectly to the contours of any motorcycle. Verex is constantly developing new products,…

ENGINE Capacity 349cc Type Single cylinder, four valves Bore & stroke 72 x 85.8mm Compression ratio 9.5:1 Cooling Air Fueling EFI Transmission Five-speed Clutch Wet, multi-plate Final drive Chain PERFORMANCE Power 15kW @ 6100rpm (claimed) Torque 27Nm @ 4000rpm (claimed) Top speed 120km/h (est) Fuel consumption 2.8L/100km (measured) ELECTRONICS Type Not applicable Rider aids ABS Rider modes Not applicable CHASSIS Frame material Steel Frame type backbone Rake Not given Trail Not given Wheelbase 1400mm SUSPENSION Type Endurance Front: 41mm conventional nonadjustable fork, 130mm travel Rear: Dual twin-tube shocks, six-step preload, 80mm travel WHEELS & BRAKES Wheels Cast aluminium Front: 19 x 2.15 Rear: 17 x 3.5 Tyres…

ENGINE Capacity 937cc Type V-twin, DOHC, four-valves-per-cylinder Bore & stroke 94 x 67.5mm Compression ratio 12.6:1 Cooling Liquid Fueling EFI, 2 x 53mm throttle bodies Transmission Six-speed Clutch Wet, multi-plate, slipper Final drive Chain PERFORMANCE Power 81kW @ 9000rpm (claimed) Torque 93Nm @ 6500rpm (claimed) Top speed 240km/h (est) Fuel consumption 5.0L/100km (measured) ELECTRONICS Type Bosch Rider aids Cornering ABS and traction control, two-way quickshifter, wheelie control Rider modes Sport, Touring and Urban CHASSIS Frame material Steel Frame type Tubular-steel trellis Rake 24º Trail 91mm Wheelbase 1478mm SUSPENSION Supersport Type Marzocchi/Sachs Front: 43mm USD fork, fully-adjustable, 130mm travel Rear: Monoshock, fully-adjustable, 62.5mm shock travel Supersport S Type…

KNOWN FOR HIS wild hair, wild riding and AC/DC inspired ‘if you want blood, you got it’ quote on the back of his helmet, Fred Merkel is a three-time AMA Superbike champion and double WorldSBK champ. The flamboyant Californian took his first AMA crown in 1984 aboard a VF750F; a feat he repeated the following season in that V4’s final year. Merkel then made it a hattrick of AMA wins in ’86 on the all new VFR750F Interceptor – the inspiration for this build. In 1988 Fred stamped his mark on the inaugural WorldSBK championship taking the title, and the following year’s, aboard a Rumi Honda RC30. Indeed, ’89 proved to be his most successful WSB season, with three wins and seven podiums. Despite taking another hat-trick of wins in…

NEW PRICE $14,500 SECONDHAND $4800– $6000 WHAT TO LOOK FOR THE ENGINE SHOULD be mechanically quiet at idle, although primary-drive gear-noise is normal. Issues with leaking water pumps and dodgy rear-wheel bearings in early bikes should have been rectified under warranty. My Beemer guru, Chris Roberts of BM Motorcycles in Ringwood, Victoria, rates the F 800 as remarkably trouble-free. If the drive-belt is near or over its 40,000km service life, factor in the $800-plus replacement cost. Also allow for worn tyres, steering-head bearings, brake pads and discs. The ideal prospect as usual is a nice low-kays example with a full service record, and perhaps, fitted with the optional ABS. SERVICE HISTORY CAPABLE DIY OWNERS can look after normal servicing on an F 800. Access is reasonable to most service items,…

THERE IS A famous series of newspaper headlines, spaced out over less than two weeks, covering the emperor Napoleon’s march across France to Paris, where he reclaimed imperial power. When he first escaped his punitive exile on the island of Elba, he was described as a cannibal (anthropophage), and “the Corsican Ogre”. And so it went on: Monster, Tiger, Usurper... the epithets losing power the closer he got to Paris. And when he arrived there, he had been transformed into “Emperor” and “his Imperial and Royal majesty”, to enjoy “the joyful acclamations of his devoted and faithful subjects”. For the first time in his life, Marc is listening to advice Well, nobody called Marc Marquez an ogre during his long enforced exile – eight months without being able to ride…

Losail International Circuit, Qatar Circuit length 5.380km Race distance MotoGP 118.360km Moto2 107.600km Moto3 96.84km 2019/’20 winners MotoGP (2019) A Dovizioso 42m36.902s Moto2 L Baldassarri 39m56.109s Moto3 K Toba 38m08.887s Did you know? We all knew Ducati’s GP20 is fast but 362.4km/h is really something. With a tailwind and a useful tow from Enea Bastiannini, that’s what Johann Zarco managed in FP4. His velocity is an all-time record for MotoGP – but still 10 kays an hour short of the Formula 1 record, set in 2005 at Monza by Juan Pablo Montoya’s McLaren.…

THE FIELD OF 2021 is emboldened by the arrival of three standout rookies. This race could well come to be remembered for their exploits. Front-row starter Izan Guevara (Aspar GasGas) and Pedro Acosta (Ajo KTM) looked entirely at home in the top five of this stunning 13-rider duel. Less so for Xavi Artigas (Leopard Honda), who skittled likely challengers John McPhee (Petronas Honda), Jeremy Alcoba (Gresini Honda) and Andrea Migno (Snipers Honda) on lap three. From there this settled down to a typical Moto3 thriller, 13 riders regularly trading blows in the leading group ahead of a breathless final lap. Jaume Masia (Ajo KTM) pipped Ayumu Sasaki (Tech 3 KTM) for the lead at the first turn before the Japanese rider binned it in anger a corner later. That left…

Holed up Australian speedway brothers Chris and Jack Holder have tested positive for Covid-19 as they prepare for the start of Polish season over the Easter weekend. The brothers, along with a junior rider from the Torun club and a club mechanic, tested positive, although all reportedly had no symptoms at the time of the test. A period of self-isolation until 2 April and then another test will hopefully clear the brothers so that their league campaign can commence as scheduled on 4 April. PB SGP takes Covid hit The calendar for the 2021 Speedway Grand Prix series has taken a hit with the cancellation of the originally scheduled opening round at Lonigo on 24 April due to the ongoing impacts of Covid-19 in Italy. Teterow in Germany on 22…

LIKE VIRTUALLY EVERY other major motorcycle company, Triumph is positioning to be competitive once we all move to battery power but the whole process is a slow burn, just as it is with cars and even household solar-battery storage. The TE-1 could end up an expensive, high-performance machine like the prototype or scaled into smaller, cheaper, lower-performance models, depending on market demand. Apart from Harley-Davidson, with its LiveWire, mainstream motorcycle brands are spreading their bets across a range of options, starting with electrically-assisted pushbikes. We’ve recently seen Yamaha, Honda, KTM and Piaggio tie up on a project to develop swappable battery packs, which is the start of a process to make e-motorcycles cheaper and easier to recharge. Meanwhile, we’re seeing much smaller companies looking to steal a march, with Kymco’s…

› MODEL 2020 KTM 1290 Super Duke R › IMPORTER KTM Australia Pty Ltd › NUMBER OF AFFECTED BIKES 157 › ISSUE The rear section of the wiring harness may have been routed incorrectly during assembly, damaging the wiring harness. › HAZARD Electrical failures that could affect vehicle operation, increasing the risk of an accident. › ACTION REQUIRED Contact an authorised KTM dealer for inspection and to have replacement parts installed, free of charge, if required. › MODEL 2021 (and models built late 2020) KTM 125SX, 250SX, 250SX-F, 350SX-F 450SX-F › IMPORTER KTM Australia Pty Ltd › NUMBER OF AFFECTED BIKES 239 › ISSUE Due to a manufacturing fault, the motorcycle’s drive chain may be defective, causing it to break or come loose. › HAZARD Loss of vehicle control and…

THE CANCELLATION OF major motorcycle shows may have given some the impression that model development in China has stalled. Not so. We’ve discovered Benelli and its parent company Qianjiang are beavering away on a raft of new models, as well as working with Harley-Davidson on a potential entry-level V-twin. Here’s the detail, revealed via recent Chinese type-approval documents. BEN PURVIS LITTLE MASTER-BLASTER The Benelli 302R is the second new model to appear via the latest approval filings. The bulbous styling of its predecessor has been replaced with vertically stacked headlights and a slimmer fairing. The engine is the existing 300cc twin, making 26kW, while overall weight drops 8kg to 182kg fully-fuelled. MINI-HARLEY The QJMotor SRV300 is a 296cc V-twin making 22.6kW that looks like a miniature Harley-Davidson Sportster. Qianjiang is…

My name is Jordan and I’m currently in the process of building a custom 2016 Kawasaki Ninja 300 based on a popular TV/Anime series, Neon Genesis Evangelion. Here are a few photos of it in its current state, but there’s still a few small updates to be made. Jordan Vendy Other bikes have come and gone but my Ducati 860 abides, man! I got it as a rat for $800 in 1985 and know every wire and gear. If a component couldn’t be binned or swapped for a lighter item, I’d make one and I’ve done everything myself except shims and crank. Crashes only meant that it eventually resurfaced lighter and lairier. It handles like a hotted-up truck, is propelled by a solid wall of sound and I always carry…

SO HERE I am, after a stinking year of Covid that shut down Victoria, back in the part of that State that holds huge significance for me. Even better, I’m on a motorcycle with Triumph boldly emblazoned across its tank. I’ve written before about how I once lived near the Victorian Alps and on my 1970s Triumph crossed from Harrietville to the coast at Marlo every spring and autumn with a group of local riders. It was a seasonal ritual that meant a hell of a lot to us Seventies Ned-Kelly-lookalikes transitioning to 1980s American movie mullets. Our life experience was being tempered by the new process of raising kids for the first time so these weekends away were an important circuit breaker. There was always a mix of motorcycles…

FRANCESCO BAGNAIA’S DEBUT pole position in the premier class and second-ever podium followed an impressive, measured preseason of testing. The 2018 Moto2 World Champion was blindingly fast on occasion in 2020 but inconsistencies wrecked an otherwise promising campaign. Bagnaia identified his weakness over the winter months: generating heat in the front tyre. He struggled mainly in tracks with low temperatures, and took too long to generate heat in Michelin’s fickle front. But having studied the technique of teammate Jack Miller – a master at quickly getting his front tyre temperature up to speed –Bagnaia appears to have cured this previous weakness and has showed immediate speed in qualifying settings. “I’m feeling good,” he said of the change. “We worked a lot this winter to improve where last year I was…

SUNDAY’S HEADWIND MAY have blunted it, but Ducati’s awesome top speed was evident across Friday and Saturday. Johann Zarco posted an eye-watering 362.4km/h on Saturday, the fastest speed ever recorded in MotoGP. He was ably backed up by Jorge Martin (358km/h) and Jack Miller (357km/h). In fact, of the top 10 top speeds ever posted in the premier class, six of them came by Ducati riders this weekend. Pol Espargaro’s Repsol Honda (359km/h) and Iker Lecuona’s Tech 3 KTM (349km/h) were the only bikes able to stay close. Yamaha (344km/h), Suzuki (344km/h) and Aprilia (341km/h) were all notably down on the straight when compared to Ducati.…

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. We know that Aleix Espargaro is wearing his; maybe Jorge Lorenzo should be. The former world champion has been firing rockets at Aleix over his lack of success in MotoGP but we have not seen any comments since the Aprilia racer finished less than six seconds behind winner Maverick Viñales last Sunday. That’s only (checks notes) 45 seconds closer than Jorge finished behind Marc Marquez in his final race in 2019. “Any fool can criticise, condemn and complain,” said Benjamin Franklin once. “And most fools do”...…