Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 70 Issue 21 i Australian Motorcycle News

HONDA HAS ANNOUNCED a massive five trillion yen ($60 billion) investment in R&D over the next six years as the company pivots to electric power and doubles-down on rider and driver aid technology with the ambition of ending all road fatalities for users of its products. The firm says that 100 percent of the cars it sells in most markets will be electric by 2040, with shorter-term targets of 40 percent electrification by 2030 and 80 percent by 2035. While the firm hasn’t made similar promises about its motorcycles, it intends to be completely carbon neutral by 2050 and promises at least three electric motorcycles by 2024. They look like being two scooters – one a 50cc-equivalent model, the other a 125cc-class machine – as well as a 125-class motorcycle.…

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT change to motorcycles in recent years has been the shift towards small-capacity but full-sized motorcycles. Before FCAI stopped giving detailed information on segment leaders, models such as Kawasaki’s Ninja 400 and Honda’s CBR650R/CBR500R were battling for top spot in the Sportsbike segment. AMCN has heard unofficially that Aprilia has already pre-sold over 100 of the new RS660 (a twin-cylinder version of its RSV superbike) in recent months. By comparison, in the first three months of 2020 Ducati sold 30 of its highly regarded V4 superbike and Yamaha 25 of its brilliantly engineered R1. Aprilia’s high-end middleweight is the glamour end of the market. This continuing shift to modestly-priced midsized models puts financial pressure on importers and distributors, as the profit margin is much lower.…

At the onset of the great depression, Phil Irving encountered the motorcycle that was to change his life. It was a 1928 Vincent HRD which had just completed an overland journey from London to Melbourne. Its owner, Jack Gill, was intent on riding the outfit around the globe. However Gill’s companion, Will Stevens, had abandoned the venture after 12,000 punishing miles. Inspired by the machine that would become his home for the months to come, Irving offered to replace Stevens and promptly handed in his notice. The Vincent could accelerate from walking pace to 50mph (80km/h) in top gear and stay there all day at returning 50mpg (4.7L/100km). The sidecar held a brace of two gallon petrol cans, oil, spare parts, a tool kit, tinned food and luggage. On top…

AFTER TOPPING PRACTICE on Friday Ben Baker (Yamaha YRD) followed up his form on Saturday by taking pole position – then stunned the field with a dominant 7.5-second victory later that afternoon in race one. In second spot was popular Victorian Zackary Johnson (Earmold/Grinning Dingo), who managed to stay clear of a tight pack of four riders with Reece Oughtred sneaking home for the final podium from Archie McDonald (ProGP Racing Junior Team). It was a positive weekend for McDonald, having just returned to action after recovering from a broken leg. “I’m just so glad to be back,” McDonald said. “It’s been a tough two months but I’ve done a lot of training and work on nutrition and I’m just happy to be back at a racetrack.” Interestingly, both Baker…

ASIDE FROM MARQUEZ’S comeback, the week’s big story was the return of the Spaniard’s ex-rival in chief: Andrea Dovizioso. The Italian sampled Aprilia’s RS-GP for the first time at a private outing at Jerez over three days, although the final was spoiled by bad weather. It was tipped Dovizioso would use the test as a springboard to an unlikely return to racing for the Italian factory in place of Lorenzo Savadori. But his intention was to prepare himself for a full-time racing return in 2022, he said. “My passion is still for the MotoGP, and I would like to race next year. So I think it was smart to be on track.” But he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of racing this year. “In this moment, I’m completely open, because…

ANTHONY WEST MADE his long-awaited return to racing at the Wakefield Park ASBK round, back on track after serving an FIM doping ban that lasted two years. West is riding a YZF-R1 for MotoGo Yamaha this season, a Yamaha dealership backed by fellow racer Patrick Li located in Bentleigh, Melbourne. Fighting in the top 10 and with a result of eighth in race one and 10th in race two, West was realistic about his expectations and the task ahead. He set his fastest lap of 58.168 seconds in race two. “I’ve now obviously got to work on my fitness, I’ve spent the best part of two years driving a truck and it’s not the ideal way to stay in shape,” the 238-race GP veteran explained. “It’s been great because I’ve…

AFTER A YEAR of racing lost through Covid 19, the Victorian Road Racing Championships roared back into life at Winton earlier this month. Strong fields, riders from interstate and the return of long-term sponsors plus several new corporate supporters showed road racing is back at full revs. If the first round is any indication, Victoria can well lay claim to having Australia’s best-run State titles. The Superbike class of 37 was so large that it had to be split into two races: A and B grade, and C grade. There were 27 Supersport entries and 36 in Formula Sport, which caters for Periods 6, 7 and Pre-Modern classes. Mark Chiodo (Yamaha), who took pole for Superbike A and B, was one of several ASBK riders using the meeting as a…

“I’ve always had a strong never-give-up attitude even when I’ve been hurting” For 10 years in succession you’ve finished on the podium of the Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC). That is a unique achievement, and an amazing statistic in any sport, especially one that is so physically demanding as riding in enduro. I’ve had some great results and it’s pretty fun looking back. Ten years is a long time and I’ve never really thought about the results until you told me, so that was a great reminder. Best memory is, of course, 2013 when I won the NSW State Championship, the AORC and the Australian Four Day Enduro. Your career results demonstrate incredible consistency. At 24-years old you won the Australian Off-Road Championship and have been runner-up seven times since. Do…

“I STARTED RIDING when I was three on an Indian 50, and started racing when I was five,” says off-beat former AMA rider Larry Pegram. “The majority of my racing growing up was flat-track. I won a bunch of nationals when I was an amateur and I turned pro when I was 16.” Pegram, now 47, acquitted himself well, winning four career dirt-track nationals including the Fresno mile to become one of the few riders to have won both AMA Superbike and flat-track nationals. Nicknamed ‘the Worm’ by his younger sister – a handle that stuck throughout his race career – Larry aced school but left as soon as he could. “I graduated a year early, then I was travelling around the country racing dirt-track. My dad raced and my…

HERE’S THE FUTURE of KTM’s long-awaited successor to its mini-Duke range. The new Duke has been snapped in near-finished form and there’s little carry-over from the existing bike. It channels the aggressive look of KTM’s larger-capacity street performance models into a package sure to challenge current sales leaders in the very competitive under-400cc market segment. The original bikes in this range fast-tracked Australia’s change from cheap small-capacity models to higher-tech versions nearly 10 years ago. They still sell well enough for several models to continue to be offered while even ones dating back to 2014 have high resale value. Currently, KTM offers the single-cylinder Duke in 125, 200, 250 and 390 forms around the world, including the important markets in India and Asia-Pacific, but all share many components. The Austrian…

MOTORCYCLE SALES keep booming, with the first quarter of 2021 an amazing 51.6 percent up on the same period for 2020, according to figures released by industry body FCAI. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries listed total sales of 27,256 units, an increase of 9279 motorcycles, scooters and off highway vehicles (quads and side-by-sides). Sales of road models rose 20.9 percent, nearly matching the 22.1 percent increase the entire motorcycle industry experienced for all of 2020. The star performer were off-road motorcycles, with a stunning 88.9 percent increase. OHVs rose 57.2 percent and scooter sales were up 26.9 percent. Commenting on the figures, FCAI’s Chief Executive Tony Weber said the increases “reflect a growing confidence in the economy as people use their disposable income to either upgrade or buy a…

IN LINE WITH the rest of its 2021 models Triumph’s updated Street Scrambler is headed up with a limited-edition Sandstorm version. Like the 900cc Street Twin on which it’s based, the 2021 Street Scrambler gets revised exhaust internals with a new catalytic converter, allied to a new secondary air injection system, to meet Euro-5 requirements without losing performance. Cosmetic updates include a new aluminium number board on the left-hand side, embossed with the model name, new headlight brackets, seat materials and throttle body covers. The old model’s tank rubber kneepads have been relegated to the options list to give it a cleaner look and Triumph intends to keep prices at or near 2020 levels. The Sandstorm hero model, limited to 775 worldwide, comes with parts from the options range including…

A bloke and his bike Here is a love story for you. I first rode this bike went I was 10-years old and I’m now 68. It’s a CSR 650 Matchless Hurricane, which belonged to a shearer who came to our farm in Victoria to shear our sheep. He saw me gazing at it lovingly and asked me if I wanted a ride? Yes was the reply, so off we went – I did have some trouble with the right-hand gear lever, though. I never really saw him again, but four years ago I was working in the Kimberley and I got a phone call from him (I still have no idea how he found me). His news was not good, he had a terminal illness and told me that…

By all accounts, in a Living With-style test, Super Soco’s TC Max electric motorcycle and AMCN’s shouldn’t really get on – it’s designed for city commuting and neither myself nor any of the other AMCN crew live or work in the city. It’s tiny and I’m not and it doesn’t go very fast. And I like to go fast. And when Super Soco’s press guy said “go easy on it, you’re not exactly a jockey” I wondered why I was the first port of AMCN’s call when it came to testing a 103.5kg bike with a top speed of 95km/h. But all that really matters to me – and to you, I hope – is two wheels and a motor, and that is what the Super Soco has. So here…

Aprilia’s fully faired RS660 drew a new line in the sand for streetlegal sportsbikes. Costing around half the price of the RSV4, in real world terms it’s proved much more accessible than the Superbike it’s derived from, and arguably just as thrilling to ride, even for more experienced riders, for who late braking, maxing out turn speed and getting harder on the gas sooner is in many ways much more of a buzz than simply opening the throttle and hanging on. Now, as promised, this new class benchmark in the increasingly significant 650-800cc twin-cylinder sector has been joined by the Tuono 660 naked model that’s turned out to be an even closer derivative of its sibling sportsbike than the Tuono V4 is of its Superbike forebear. THEY GOT THE SUSPENSION…

2021 BMW R 1250 GS ADVENTURE TRIPLE BLACK he list of T motorcycles that can truly claim to be iconic is a short one, but BMW’s GS range is one of them. Starting off with the R 80 G/S of 1980, the GS has evolved into a high-tech all-rounder that is far more capable than it may look. It could be down to its history, legendary reliability, Charly and Ewen, or a bit of all those things, but there’s no doubting the popularity of BMW’s mighty adventure bike. Like it or loathe it, Charly and Ewen inspired a generation of would-be adventurers to pack their bikes up and hit the road, and their choice of motorcycle in the first two series put the GS firmly on the mainstream motorcycling map.…

Beach racing was a hugely popular sport in Australia and New Zealand from the 1920s up until the 1960s, with some events continuing into the 1970s. South Australia’s Sellicks Beach was one of the most famous venues, even hosting Australia speed record attempts. A re-enactment event, held every two years, is proving as popular as the original annual races. This year, despite Covid restrictions that limited the crowd, a record number of entries came from all around Australia to compete. Organisers have a cutoff date of 1963 to ensure the bikes mirror the period the event celebrates. Many entrants have built motorcycles especially for this race, with Triumph twins being a popular choice. However, not even the risk of sand damage puts off the owners of such rare and exotic…

New stuff 1 GETTING THE BOOT Cassons Australia $599.95 (02) 8882 1900 cassons.com.au Gaerne’s GP-1 race boot features replaceable magnesium toe and heel cup sliders as well as a carbon composite support system, which limits the chance of hyperextension or compression of the ankle. Integral external protectors minimise injury from impacts, as well as facilitating sliding 2 KWAKA CLOBBER Kawasaki Australia $35 (02) 9684 2585 kawasaki.com.au The Accelerate t-shirt from Kawasaki made from 155gsm cotton and utilises a twin needle stitch construction for a strong and neat finish, while unique Kawasaki graphics on the front and lower back join Kawasaki logos on the sleeves. Available in Men’s, youth and ladies’ sizes in black or grey 3 BREEZY BOOT Link International $599.95 (07) 3382 5000 tcxboots.com.au The RT-Race Pro Air boot…

BROC PEARSON AND his City2Surf Locksmith team leave Wakefield Park with a race win and the championship lead, but MotoStars / Doctor Mak rider Max Stauffer also bared his teeth at Wakefield Park, showing that he has speed to burn when a win is on the line. Pearson took the opening holeshot from pole position from Max Stauffer with Tom Edwards (Bikebiz) slotting into third. By quarter-race distance sole Suzuki rider Dallas Skeer (Penrite Oils) had moved forward on class rookie Luke Power (Proworx). By mid-race distance Pearson and Stauffer had pulled a small gap on Edwards but the race was about to take a nasty turn. A few laps earlier Joel Taylor (JMT Civil) had pulled into the pits with a mechanical problem. After a quick repair job he…

BEN BAKER (YAMAHA YRD) was able to carry over his form in Supersport 300 to the Yamaha R3 Cup, taking out all three races. In the first race the margin was 6.6-seconds to runners up Archie McDonald and Angus Grenfell (ABU Group). Behind them was a close group made up of Glenn Nelson (Buddys Pest Control), Reece Oughtred (Dynoverks), Cameron Dunker (GTR MotoStars Team), Kiwi Caleb Gilmore (Metcher Motorsport) and Brandon Demmery (MotoCity). Gilmore was pushing his hardest through the pain barrier after injuring both his elbows the day before. Race two saw Baker clear out yet again, this time completing a 4.5-second victory over McDonald with Dunker heading the chasing pack to claim the final podium spot. Race three gave Baker his sixth race win of the weekend, a…

WITH THE EYES of the world trained on him, Marc Marquez’ long-awaited return to action didn’t disappoint. For Marc Marquez, 265 days had felt like a lifetime. “It was a really hard nine months,” he said of the time between his last appearance on a MotoGP machine – FP4 at the Andalusian Grand Prix last July – and the Portuguese GP, the scene of his much-anticipated return. There were doubts, he admitted, as to whether he would race again, doubts whether he’d ever recover full strength in his right arm. “I have some butterflies in my stomach that aren’t normal for me,” he said on the eve of practice. All weekend he had tried to quell expectations. “I met all the team and they’re so motivated. And immediately I said,…

You could never point a finger at Beta and accuse it of not providing enough options. When you include the X-trainer and Racing models, there are actually 17 enduro bikes in the range available in Australia – and all of them are road legal and LAMs approved. Sinking your teeth into the whole fleet is madness. Pre-Covid, when the 2020 models launched, I went and rode all eight RR enduro models, and my favourite four-stroke of the fleet was the 390 RR. So now it’s time to bring it onto my home turf and see if the reality still lives up to the pre-Covid memories. The 2021 RR models received some decent updates considering the 2020 version was a completely new model. Updates include a new seat base, updated dash,…

THE JACKET AND pant combo I’m wearing may look a bit BMW from afar, but it’s from the Rjays Adventure gear range. I’ve been wearing this kit since our 2020 Adventure issue ride to the Snowy Mountains. I literally travelled through blizzards on that trip, and I came away so impressed with its warmth and comfort that it’s now my go-to adventure gear. The GS Birthday ride started out cold, but the temperature gauge climbed into the mid-20s which had me working up a sweat. Quilted and waterproof liners in the jackets and pants, once removed, combine with huge front venting pockets to give maximum airflow and cool your bits. Rjays adventure jacket is available in five different colour options and the pants in three and is available in both…

Casey Stoner is one of the greatest motorcycle racers of all time and the only rider to have won a MotoGP crown on Ducati’s Desmosedici, the bike that has befuddled many a world champion. Indeed the notoriously tricky Desmosedici wasn’t an easy ride, even for Stoner. At the end of his rookie MotoGP season in 2006 the 21-year-old climbed off his LCR “I DIDN’T HAVE ONE STYLE. I WAS MORE ADAPTABLE THAN MOST – THAT’S WHY CONDITIONS DIDN’T MATTER AND CIRCUITS DIDN’T MATTER” Honda RC211V and onto the big red Duke. “My first thoughts were, what have I’ve done?!” he recalls. “I thought I’d sent my career down a spiral by going with Ducati. But we never let that defeat us – let’s go to work with whatever we have.”…

KAWASAKI SURPRISED A few people when it released the Z750 13 years ago. The younger brother to the popular Z1000 was widely tipped to be a naked ZX-6R, but instead Kawasaki bought the machine to the market with a sleeved-down ZX-9R engine, making the 750cc bike a bit of a loner in the middleweight class when the majority of Japanese nakeds at the time were 600cc four-cylinder machines. That original Z750 was a good bike but not great. Cheap suspension that was too hard at the rear and too soft at the front, and the ancient brakes copped a hammering over the years. Plus the quality of finish wasn’t great, with flaky paint and pitting chrome on fork legs. But 2007 saw Zed Jnr get a fairly major rework in…

IN SOME RESPECTS, the third round of 2021 was the return of some kind of normalcy. After a madcap nine months, which saw nine different winners (five of them first time victors), the Portuguese GP finally saw one name – Fabio Quartararo – stamp a little authority on proceedings. And more pressingly, the man he is seeking to usurp as the sport’s unquestioned King, returned. Not since the Jerez double header last July (14 races ago) had a rider won back-to-back races, the longest such sequence of its kind since October 2002-June 2003. While Marc Marquez’s (Repsol Honda) lengthy spell on the sidelines was responsible for a stretch of near unparalleled randomness, it wasn’t the Spaniard that ended it here. Quartararo was irresistible on the Algarve, one of the scenes…

ANY SEMBLANCE OF thought that pointed to Moto2 settling into a familiar pattern was blown apart at the very first turn, when pole sitter Sam Lowes (Marc VDS Kalex) highsided out of second place. It soon became apparent pre-race favourite Remy Gardner (Ajo Kalex) didn’t have the pace to break clear. Instead, Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Kalex), Joe Roberts (Italtrans Kalex) and Aron Canet (Aspar Boscoscuro) enjoyed spells at the front, with Raul Fernandez (Ajo Kalex), Augusto Fernandez (Marc VDS Kalex) and Xavi Vierge (Petronas Kalex) joining Gardner in a vintage seven-rider fight. Yet despite starting from 10th, Raul Fernandez was the danger man, and swooped by Canet on the run to turn one with four laps to go. No one could live with his late-race pace as he scorched his…

SINCE WAYNE MAXWELL (Boost Ducati) announced he would be retiring at the end of the year, we’ve seen lap records tumble and some of the most intense racing possible. It all started on the Friday of the so-called third round of the Australian Superbike Championship at Wakefield Park when Glenn Allerton took his Maxima Racing Oils BMW into the sub-57-second bracket. Maxwell was the only other person who could dip that low in practice, but that lap-time milestone helped set the scene for Maxwell’s crucial pole position and the vital championship point it carries. A good start is crucial at the tight Wakefield Park circuit and perennial foe Troy Herfoss on his Penrite Honda Racing Fireblade was second, with Desmosport Ducati’s Mike Jones completing the front row. When the lights…

THE DECISIONS OF the FIM Stewards and MotoGP’s regulations were once again in the spotlight on Saturday when Pecco Bagnaia and Maverick Viñales had laps good enough for pole position chalked off. Bagnaia set his fastest time when riding through a yellow flag and had his lap time immediately cancelled, according to regulations designed to ensure the safety of track marshals attending riders or machines. “It was impossible to see the flag,” the Italian protested. This came in spite of the news that Digital Flag Panels would be used at all MotoGP circuits. Such displays are common in endurance racing. MotoGP riders had experience of the technology in action at Le Mans two years ago and have regularly requested these panels to be introduced to grand prix rounds. Viñales was…

SINCE HE RETURNED from the USA to contest the 2017 Australian Off-Road Championship, Daniel Milner has won every round of the past four championships. Now, moving up to the open class, he’s odds-on to make it five in a row. With year 2020 truncated due to Covid, and the first rounds of ’21 flooded out, 13 months had passed since our top enduro guns faced off. Golden Sands, along Victoria’s 90 Mile Beach, was an untested AORC venue and everyone was feeling the pressure. Choking clouds of dust hanging between the acacia and tea-trees on the Seniors’ sighting lap, dictated a last minute change from Saturday’s proposed cross-country format, to two 25-minute Super Sprints. Using the torque of the big Kato to the fullest, Milner set an unmatchable pace, finishing…

MARK PLAISTED AND passenger Ben Pitt are new names on the honour roll of Australian Speedway Sidecar Championship winners after a typically enthralling title meeting at the Olympic Park track, Mildura on Saturday 24 April. This championship, and particularly Mildura stagings, have often been highlighted by excitement, drama and controversy and the 2021 staging again delivered each of those components. Friday night’s Qualifying Meeting produced few surprises as six teams progressed to the championship night, and although only one of them played a significant role in the decider, it was pleasing that three young teams showed out well to make it through to Saturday. Five There year was plenty n of drama during and the s 20 he heats sameon championship prot gon s night where seven teams shared the…

IF YOU’VE EVER fancied swinging in a sidecar, the Annandale-Leichhardt Motorcycle Club is hosting a sidecar coaching day on Sunday 23 May for anyone wanting to try their hand at three-wheel outfits or to brush up on rusty skills. Held on the 1.4km-long Pheasant Wood Circuit at Marulan, located just off the Hume Highway 1.5 hours south of Sydney, participants are asked to arrive no later than 8.30am for sign-on before the day gets underway at 9am and finishes at 5pm. Price is $120 and participants are asked to bring a helmet and adequate protective gear, while the facility’s canteen will be open at your own cost. To book your spot or to find out more information, contact Kevin on 0413 296 463 or Darryl on 0409 993 786.…