Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 71 Issue 02 i Australian Motorcycle News

BMW HAS ENTERED the electric commuter market with a radically-styled scooter that varies little from the first concept revealed back in 2017, meaning the CE-04 electric scooter will turn more heads than most superbikes. It is available to order now with prices starting from $20,350 and delivery in early 2022. BMW confirmed its production intention when it revealed the Definition CE-04 last year, showing what was effectively a prototype. Details weren’t forthcoming on performance, price or range and it seemed likely that the design would be toned down for mass production. But you can now buy a CE-04 complete with all the original concept’s features and style. This even includes the orange-tinted windscreen and a jacket with Bluetooth-controlled RGB coloured LED lighting strips sewn in. In production form, the CE-04’s…

BOOING A RIDER while the victor’s wreath is being hooped around his neck after winning a Castrol Six Hour is not how you’d usually introduce yourself to your future husband. But a string of catcalls and hisses was Elayne Kelly’s opening line in her first gambit with her late husband, Jim Budd. “My brother Trevor was co-riding with John Warrian on a Ducati 900 in the ’78 six-hour, and there was some conjecture about who was actually leading the final stages of the race,” remembers Elayne, who was 17 at the time. “We believed Trevor and John were in front, and I was voicing my displeasure at Jim and Roger Heyes being awarded first place!” It was almost a decade later before the two formally met. “It was Bathurst ’87,…

Kork Ballington often wonders why motorcycle racers from the 1970s like him don’t suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome in the same way as some soldiers who fought in war. He lost 45 mates during the 10 years he spent racing at high levels. The first, in particular, had a huge impact on him. It was 1973 and his Kiwi mate Kim Newcombe was living the dream by challenging for the premier-class title against wildly talented rivals such as Giacomo Agostini and Phil Read. Agostini and Read were mounting their challenges on dominant factory-backed MV Agusta four-stroke machinery, while Newcombe was riding a prototype he had developed himself around a 494cc horizontally opposed two-stroke Konig boat engine. After four podiums including one win, and with just one round left of…

IT’S DIFFICULT TO put into words just how comfortable the two-piece Argon Realm jacket is. Two-piece? Well, rather than a removable liner, the Realm’s inner layer is a soft-shell hooded jacket in its own right, and one that you’d be happy to wear off the bike just about anywhere. It’s comfortable, it’s warm and it looks great… and it features an inner mobile phone pocket and two outer pockets. The Realm’s outer layer is made from tear-resistant goat hide, and it’s oh-so-soft to the touch. It comes with a back protector and CE level 2 shoulder and elbow protectors, as well as its own inner pockets (one of which is for your phone) and two zippered outer pockets. The leather outer is not perforated, so it’s great at keeping cold…

AUSTRALIA’S FORMER WORLD Endurance Champion Josh Hook and his FCC TSR Honda France squad have won the 12 Hours of Estoril after what may be remembered as a comedy of errors during the 2021 series’ second round. It was the consistency of Hook and teammates Mike di Meglio and Yuki Takaheshi that earned them the win, while not one but three rival teams crashed out of the lead during the Portuguese event. BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, Yoshimura SERT Motul and YART all crashed while leading the race in what were hot and trying conditions. From fourth on the grid, the FCC TSR team found themselves in third place after three hours and up to second after six, keeping level heads as drama unfolded around them. In the final quarter…

AFTER FALLING VICTIM to the Covid outbreak last year, South Australia’s HARDI 24 Hour Trial bounced back with perfect weather conditions and wins by less than a minute in both the solo and sidecar classes. Both winners also notched up their fourth victories in long careers at the 24 Hour. Sean Throup took his Yamaha WR450F to a 58-second win over Zack Tremaine on a WR250 with Rowan Pumpa (Husqvarna FE 450) finishing third in the solo class. In the Sidecar class, twin brothers Max and Sam Hutchesson (KTM 570 outfit) crossed the finish line just 56 seconds ahead of Mark Launer and Tyson Rohrlach (KTM 525) with Hector Evans and Shaun Buckley (Husqvarna 510) third. Throup had to dig deep to win; having broken a rib eight weeks before…

THE SOUND OF lightning and torrential rain sweeping across South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula seems entirely appropriate tonight. Like motorcycle clubs around Australia, SA’s Victor Harbor-based Mud’n’Tars is facing a storm brought on by the Covid pandemic, local council obligations and lease rights to its main facility. Formed in 1986, the club still follows the founding principles laid down by its original members. Many of these are now life members and some national champions. When the club celebrated its 20th anniversary it produced a promotional sticker with the words ‘Old Legends. Future Stars’. Like motorcycle clubs around Australia, the Mud’n’Tars prides itself as being family friendly and involved with its local community. It specialises in riding and racing Dirt Track, Motocross and Enduro while also supporting road racing. It has two…

The engine is a redesigned version of the Pan America’s 1250cc. Peak power is 90kW at 7500rpm and maximum torque is 127Nm at 6000rpm. Both 43mm USD Showa fork and monoshock are fully adjustable, while Brembo looks after front and rear braking packages. A 17-inch front wheel with a fat 160/70 tyre and 16-inch rear with a bulky 180/70 tyre makes a styling rather than performance statement. H-D says the squat 11.8-litre petrol tank and faired solo seat make the Sportster S look “crouched and powerful”. Rider aids include cornering ABS and traction control, a high-spec slipper clutch, three ride modes plus a custom, cruise control and tyre pressure monitoring. A pillion kit includes ’pegs and a backrest. Rearset foot controls can make the Sportster more of a café racer.…

MOTORCYCLE SALES ARE continuing the trend of strong growth sparked by Covid-19 restrictions and government assistance to wage earners. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), the peak body for Australia’s automotive industry, reports total sales between 1 January to 30 June were up 5.7 percent. There were 55,840 motorcycles, OHV (off-road quads and side-by-sides) and scooters sold, an increase of 3001 units compared to the first six months of 2020 (52,839 units). It’s important to note that those figures are only the brands which are paid members of the FCAI and whose data the governing body has access to. “This steady growth shows us that there is strong demand from buyers who want to use a motorcycle as their first choice for the daily commute and for recreation,” said…

“Just for once I’d like to see the finish line when the placegetters and the rest of the chasing pack cross the line” Really board The television coverage of the MotoGP is generally excellent. I like the commentators and the Fox team in the studio. However, just for once I’d like to see the finish line when the placegetters and the rest of the chasing pack cross the line. Instead, the director shows us the winners pit crew on the pit wall carrying on like vegans in a butcher shop. We see the crowd covered in smoke from a flare, some more of the crowd, in the stands this time, the VR46 crowd, the team principle in the pits hugging anything that isn’t bolted down, we see the rider screaming…

YAMAHA HAS WHACKED the six-axis IMU that’s been developed on the YZF-R1 into the MT-09 series. It constantly measures the bike’s behaviour and rider inputs ready to jump into action if things look like going pear-shaped. This is what it now boasts: KYB Actimatic Damper System This is the semi-active electronically controlled suspension. The IMU gathers data and the ECU controls the damping of the suspension to keep things running smooth. Traction Control System This one is easy, it detects when the rear wheel is beginning to spin faster than the front and power is reduced to slow the rear wheel and regain control. The IMU detects lean angle to decide if power should be limited before slip even occurs. There are three levels to choose from, as…

Moto Guzzi is celebrating its 100th birthday this year, joining other legendary brands like Indian, Royal Enfield, Triumph, Husqvarna, Harley-Davidson, Norton and Benelli in the Centurions’ locker room. As the oldest existing Italian manufacturer in continuous production, Guzzi has marked its Centenary by introducing a couple of new bikes – three, even – carrying the designation of one of its most historic model platforms. These are the classy-looking, chrome-bedecked V7 Special with white striping, a brown seat, wire wheels, twin analogue clocks and machined cylinder head finning, and the more minimalist, modernist-styled V7 Stone, with a sinister-looking all-black powertrain, black seat, cast wheels, a digital speedo and LED lighting. There’s also a Centenario version of the Stone, wearing the silver and green paint scheme of Guzzi’s 1950s serial 350cc World…

IT ALL CAME ABOUT DURING A RETURN FLIGHT FROM PHILLIP ISLAND IN 2007 Mating a fast motor with a good-handling chassis to make the ultimate weapon has appealed to many riders, enthusiasts and designers through the decades. But Bob Thomson’s BTR Special mates an old Harley-Davidson engine with an equally old Manx Norton chassis design and he’s created a race motorcycle like no other. Some would go as far to say the BTR is a work of art, and with industry giants like Steve Roberts and Ken McIntosh involved, few could argue. With vision, help and expertise Bob and his team somehow managed to shoehorn a Harley-Davidson Panhead powerplant into a McIntosh Manx Norton frame to make a 1962-era masterpiece. And according to Andrew Stroud, it goes as good as…

The current MotoGP championship table might not say as much. But things are starting to look pretty rosy again for former champion Marc Marquez. The Catalan’s battling instincts were certainly on show over the past month as he displayed flashes of his former level, having gone to hell and back over a nine-month period after breaking the humerus bone in his right arm during last season’s Spanish Grand Prix. Marquez broke his right humerus bone last July. The humerus is a bad bone to break and has ended many careers, including Carl Fogarty’s, who later described himself as being “one percent of the guy I had been.” Marquez had the fracture pinned and four days later was at the next race, determined to win a seventh MotoGP title. Big mistake…

THERE CANNOT BE a bigger story of sporting triumph and tragedy in racing than the story of the Dunlop family. Three of the Dunlop road-racing greats are dead: Joey, younger brother Robert and Robert’s middle son William. Only Robert’s elder son Michael continues to race at the top. Robert Dunlop didn’t win as many TTs as his big brother but he made the mightiest of comebacks from a horrific accident during the 1994 TT to win again on the Isle of Man. The crash wasn’t his fault. His Marvic rear wheel had collapsed, throwing him into a wall and nearly killing him. His right arm and leg were so badly mangled doctors said he would never race again. Two years later, after multiple operations, he tried returning to racing with…

The ride is racetrack firm and the handling is excellent – the pre-update Gen I version is quite a physical bike, however, requiring a firm hand to pitch it into tight corners at speed. The reward is its ability to carve through a sequence of bends with scalpel-like precision, provided the surface is smooth enough to keep tyres in contact with tarmac. Bumpy roads produce headshake under hard acceleration and front-end twitchiness at corner entry. Throttle wheelies are par for the course in the lower gears. Every crest on your favourite fast backroad becomes a launch ramp. Braking performance from the monobloc Sumitomo calipers is excellent – powerful and progressive with good feedback. But remember that these pre-ABS and pre-traction-control machines demand full concentration and practised rider skills if they’re…

1 HARDEN UP A BIT SuspensionsRUs From $350 (03) 9786 4414 suspensionsrus.com.au The YSS precision high performance steering damper uses a progressive-damping mechanism that works smoothly during normal steering and increases the damping force during sudden steering inputs and loss of control. It is fully serviceable, comes in a choice of four colours and has a two-year warranty. 2 DICEY BOOTS McLeod Accessories $199.95 1300 300 191 argonmoto.com The Argon Dicer is an ankle-high women’s boot with traditional cruiser styling, an elasticised outside and a zipped inner ankle to make sliding on and off easy. Features include EVA foam reinforcement for ankle and shin protection, polyester liner, PU felt insole, PU in-sock, a rubber sole and a sturdy YKK brass zipper. 3 HOODIE SEASON Moto National $199.95 1300 885 355…

POLISH RIDER MACIEJ Janowski has laid down his marker for the 2021 Speedway Grand Prix series with a win and a second placing in the opening two rounds at the Marketa Stadium in Prague last weekend. The second half of Sunday’s meeting produced the best action of the weekend as five riders made the semis in both rounds, with three of them making both finals. Janowski came from behind to win the final on Friday, passing Emil Sayfutdinov with Tai Woffinden trailing after Fredrick Lindgren had been excluded for a tapes infringement. Reigning champion Bartosz Zmarzlik and Leon Madsen were eliminated in one semi-final, then Artem Laguta and Max Fricke (after scoring in each heat to tally nine points) were eliminated in the other. Jason Doyle managed only two seconds,…

Power packs I read with interest your recent article about the Harley Livewire and the TC Max, and knowing that electric is the technology of the future for just about everything that is currently powered by internal combustion engines, I have an important question. With battery capacity and the level of load placed on the motor being the deciding factor of range, does the technology have any allowance for attachment of an external power source in the event of an emergency? I am not talking about another complete battery pack but an auxiliary battery of some kind that can be plugged into the system and provide that extra five or 10km to get you out of trouble, much like the 10-litre jerry can of fuel in the back of the…

When the Yamaha Tracer hit the market, it brought substantial bang for buck and it took on bikes it probably didn’t have the right to. That certainly hasn’t changed. It has had a couple of name changes since 2019; it started as the Tracer 900, went all minimalist to just Tracer and now it’s settled somewhere in the middle as the Tracer 9. Once available in two models, the standard and the GT, it’s now just the panniered-up GT version. The Tracer 9 GT has been gifted some lean-angle sensitive electronics (see sidebar) from the flagship superbike’s parts bin, as well as electronically controlled semi-active suspension. In one significant update, it’s gone from a middle of the road midsized tourer, to a tech-savvy sports-tourer. It celebrates with a sleek modern…

Cos who doesn’t love a bit of bling? THE TRACER 9 GT comes standard fitted with hard pannier cases. You can fit a full-face helmet in each one. They look great and really suit the lines of the bike. You just have to remember they are there! A quick peruse through the accessories catalogue will have your credit card ducking for cover. A few items that caught my attention were a 39L or 50L top case to add to your luggage capacity. There is also a backrest to slap on the case for your pillion. Why not grab some hard case wall mounts? Rather than kicking them around your garage in the dark, you can clip them straight onto the wall when not in use – clever! The Tracer lacks…

ANDREW STROUD DID three test laps at Manfeild in late 2019 and asked for some modifications to suit him. These included a larger rear tyre (which involved making a new swingarm) and a new seat, and the BTR Special was ready to race. Going forward, Dennis Charlett and Stroud are Bob’s handpicked riders and are sharing the racing duties. Charlett first rode the relatively short 1422mmwheelbased BTR Special during Friday practice before the 2020 Classic Festival, which proved invaluable in sorting many of those minor issues which crop up before its first-ever race lap. With Charlett busy racing other bikes for Saturday, Stroud raced the BTR Special to a fine third place overall, which was second in the Pre-1963 Modified & Open class during the bikes first stanza. “I didn’t…

As racing administrators around the world move their national Superbike formula closer to stock specification to manage costs, the response from manufacturers is to bring the stock showroom machine closer and closer to what would have once been considered racetrack exotica. Consumers benefit from the ever-increasing technology applied to roadbikes as so-called Superstock machinery edges closer and closer to Superbike. But on the racetrack, the addition of customisable software and the knowhow to extract the most from it can often mean the difference between winning races and running nowhere. As a result, the Australian Superbike Championship is on the brink of a major technological upheaval. NEVER STOPS MOVING WITH EVERY NEW generation of Superbike, the formula for establishing the national series of motorcycle road racing in Australia presents another challenge…

ARAI DESCRIBES THE EC XD-4 as one of the most versatile helmets on the market, and when you consider it can be run as an adventure touring helmet (with visor and peak fitted), an off-road helmet (with goggles and peak) or a traditional full-face lid (with visor fitted and peak removed), it’s hard to argue the claim. The XD-4 is hand-made, and the outer shell is of a Complex Fibre Laminate. Its shape, like all Arai lids, has been developed for optimum “Glancing off” performance in the event of an impact, which is a feature I don’t plan to test. What I have tested is how the XD-4 feels when riding… both on an adventure bike and on a nakedbike, and, so far, I’m impressed. The XD-4 tips the scales…

THE 1990S WAS a remarkable decade for big-bore sportsbikes with Yamaha’s YZF-R1 launch in 1998 neatly bookending Honda’s Fireblade launch in 1992. The Fireblade owed its potency to a hot 900cc motor shoehorned into a 600cc-class sportsbike chassis. Yamaha’s R1 raised the stakes further by adding litre-class power to an even lighter and more compact package than the Fireblade. The R1 engine was based on the stonking Genesis motor from Yamaha’s flagship YZF1000R model, with the gearbox layout changed to reduce the overall length by 81mm. This allowed the engine to fit within the confines of the R1’s diminutive Deltabox II twin-spar alloy frame. In this review we’ll look at the first and second generation R1s. Gen I ran from May 1998 until April 2002 (the Gen I update model…

The Cairns region offers over 700km of well-surfaced roads THE DEARTH OF international flights and cruise ships in 2021 has created the ideal opportunity ride ‘in-country’ this winter, and where better than the hinterland overlooking one of the seven natural wonders of the world. For sure, it’s a bloody long way, particularly if riding from south of the Tweed (or Melbourne!) and you’ll need to leave your jacket liner in until you cross the Tropic of Capricorn, after which you can expect perfect riding conditions all the way into spring. With a wide spectrum of hostelries, eateries and other attractions, central Cairns is a perfect base to plan rides along the coastline and up to the Atherton Tablelands. If your preference for accommodation is more up-market, then consider Port Douglas,…

When you left New Zealand, how did you end up in the Netherlands? I initially had plans of a world trip, but I really wanted to see the MX des Nations. Being a crosser, I knew the riders in the New Zealand team and they were pretty happy when they suddenly saw me show up in Valkenswaard! It was there I met Graham Kent, KTM’s Factory Motocross World Championship mechanic. I hadn’t come to Europe to do anything in motorsport at all, I just wanted to travel and explore a lot, but he came up with the idea to earn some money during the winter period. As I am a qualified motorcycle technician, Graham arranged a work placement at a Belgian motorcycle shop. So your early years were spent working…