Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 71 Issue 03 i Australian Motorcycle News

LIKE MANY, I’M starting to go a bit stir crazy with this whole lockdown thing, which now looks like it’s going to drag on in the greater Sydney area and other parts of NSW for at least nine weeks. I really felt for Victorians last year when locked down for a marathon 112 days and, state rivalries aside, I really hope we we don’t try to break that record up here. And now southeast Queensland is locked down too… Of course, these lockdowns have big ramifications for motorcyclists and the motorcycle industry. As well as many of us not being able to simply get out there and go for a ride, several rallies, events and race meetings have been cancelled all over the country. It’s still a good time to…

KTM’S PARENT COMPANY, Pierer Mobility AG/PMAG, has experienced a massive 95 percent increase in sales in the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2020. Its sales were up around the world, with a 160 percent jump in the US, while Australia and New Zealand experienced a 25 percent increase with a total of 7842 sales to June this year. The Austrian manufacturer produced 176,045 motorcycle units across its KTM, Husqvarna and Gas Gas brands, plus a further 53,378 electric bikes under its Husqvarna, Gas Gas and R-Raymon E-labels. Part of the group’s development of small electric models is a multi-million-dollar commitment to establish a production facility in Bulgaria, a country positioning itself to become the largest-E-bike producer in Europe. While sales of KTM’s big displacement…

HARLEY-DAVIDSON’S NEW Sportster S will be followed by a much more conventional-looking bobber sharing the same DOHC water-cooled engine. Just three close-up images were shown briefly at the end of the official unveiling of the S; one revealed a circular headlight with a small nose cowl around it. The second showed a bobbed rear fender and twin-shock suspension. The third focussed on the Revolution Max engine, but fitted with an unfamiliar two-into-one exhaust system unlike that on the Pan America or the Sportster S. There’s a chance the Sportster will use a smaller engine While these teasers were meant only to give a clue as to the direction Harley is going, at the same time images were leaked onto the internet showing the whole next-generation, non-S Sportster model. Grabbed from…

Facebook Post of the issue Ducati honours Troy Bayliss and pleases the V-twin faithful, all at once Instagram Comment of the Issue Brad Turner wants to see a Panigalehunter from Austria’s hot rocket shop Stop pussy footing around ktm and give us back the rc1190 or the v4 like you promised Reaching out Want to see your pride and joy featured in AMCN? The only thing we love more than writing about bikes is looking at your bikes. Tag your social pics with @ aumotorcyclenews on Facebook or @ amcn_mag on Instagram, or fire them off in an email to amcn@amcn.com.au And don’t forget to tell us why you love it. Get it off yer chest! Got something funny, new, old or wise to say or share? Do it!…

R 1250 GS Adventure Capacity 1254cc Configuration Boxer Weight 268kg (wet) Seatheight 890-910mm Front wheel 19 inch Price $27,767(ride away) Ducati Multistrada V4 S Capacity 1158cc Configuration V4 Weight 242kg (kerb) Seat height 840-860mm Front wheel 19 inch Price $33,490(ride away) KTM 1290 Super Adventure R Capacity 1301cc Configuration V-twin Weight 221kg (dry) Seat height 880mm Front wheel 21 inch Price $32,130(ride away) Harley-Davidson Pan-Am 1250 Special Capacity 1252cc Configuration V-Twin Weight 258kg (wet) Seat height 830-875mm Front wheel 19 inch Price $33,480(ride away)…

THE FIGURES ARE impressive. Remember, these are road-legal bikes, even the Superleggera. With the race kit, the Superleggera drops down to 152kg! The on-paper figures only tell half the story, as the V4 R and Superleggera are 999cc built as homologation specials, showing what is possible without limitations, whereas the V4, V4 S and SP are 1103cc, therefore deliver more torque. The SP has been built to be more track focused, and Ducati admits the SP is faster around the track for ‘most’ riders than the race homologation special, the R, thanks to more torque and lighter wheels. Although the SP produces the same power as the standard and V4 S, the specification and exclusivity are much higher, hence the higher price tag. Older Ducati 916 and 851 SP models…

“THE MOST IMPORTANT outcome of the corona crisis is that the powered two-wheeler is making a hard comeback for short distance commuting,” says KTM CEO Stefan Pierer. “This begins with the electric bike, grows strongly in the small displacement 125 to 400cc category, and goes even up to 800-900cc. “Sales of the big displacement models above that are all flatlining for us – they’re stable, but all the others have double digit growth. Nobody wants to use public transportation if they can help it, so PTWs especially are benefiting, because of the increased traffic jams caused by people taking the car instead of the bus. So I can’t help but be satisfied, and even optimistic. “Not so long ago, I was very concerned… that the younger generation was looking to…

GLENN HAMMOND CURTISS (1878-1930) was an American aviation and motorcycle pioneer, who later went on essentially to found the US aircraft industry. He was originally a Western Union bicycle messenger who built and raced his own bicycles before opening a shop and developing a line of bikes. But with the availability of internal combustion engines, Curtiss became interested in motorcycles, so in 1902 he began manufacturing his own design of single-cylinder engines in the back room of his bicycle shop, fuelled by a carburettor adapted from a tomato soup can containing a gauze screen to pull the fuel up by capillary action. In 1903 Curtiss was timed at Yonkers, NY at 103km/h, earning him a place in history as the first motorcycle land-speed record holder, riding the Curtiss Hercules 1000cc…

I’M THE TYPE of rider that cannot help riding through a puddle if I see it and, in general, I do a lot of kilometres on the bikes in our test fleet, and as such a lot of dirty motorcycles come and go through my gate. I’ve been using regular car wash products but unless you use a degreaser, that can play havoc with the finish of your bike – they just don’t workwellon really dirty bikes. Recently a box of Motomuck Motorcycle Cleaner turned up and the pink-coloured cleaner has made my regular bike detailing tasks both easier and faster. Motomuck Motorcycle Cleaner is an acid-free, non-caustic wash that won’t fade your plastics, damage your duco or mark your aluminium bits like a truck wash such as CT-18 does.…

AUSTRALIA’S DETERIORATING RELATIONSHIP with China would be getting a lot more prominence in the news if it wasn’t for Covid. At lot is at stake here because China is Australia’s largest two-way trading partner in goods and services, accounting for nearly one-third of our trade with the world. Sadly, a lot of misguided opinions are contributing to a growing anti-China sentiment within Australia. The announcement last week by CFMoto, that its self-described “aggressive foray into the adventure motorcycle segment” continues with super-keen pricing of its new Adventure range, will only create more debate. China’s economic growth is remarkable. Bucking the Covid trend elsewhere, its economy grew nearly 13 percent in the past six months. Some analysts are tipping China will overtake the US by 2030. There are more than 200…

ASSEN IS REALLY too big and flowing for the tiddlers of the WorldSSP300 class, with so many of them chasing the same real estate, especially with so much slipstreaming going on. Final podium and race results relied on penalties as much as prowess, for some at least. Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) plus his teammates Koen Meuffels and Jeffrey Buis made it a clean sweep for the Kawasaki Benelux supported MTM Motosport team in Race One at Assen. Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec) crashed out, as did Tom Booth-Amos (Fusport RT Motorsport by SKM), at the very end. Samuel Di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo Kawasaki) was promoted to fourth when Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Racing Yamaha Motoxracing) was penalised for track limit infringements. In Race Two, an even more intense period of 14…

ASBK Round 5 canned The latest Covid-19 outbreak has forced the cancellation of a second ASBK round this year, with the scratching of the fifth round of the series at Morgan Park in Queensland on 20-22 August. ASBK management has confirmed it can’t find a suitable date that fits with the circuit’s schedule for the rest of the year, and now looks towards Round 6 at South Australia’s The Bend on 23-27 September. If that round goes ahead, it will be the fourth time this year ASBK competitors will face off against each other. KB Pearson on the rise Aussie teenager James Pearson is a name to remember after a sterling effort in the FIM Speedway 250cc World Championship. Pearson joined riders from eight European countries lining up in two…

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. This fortnight’s story relates to the time Fred tried to pick up an adventure bike while wearing Ugg boots. It seems that the great Aussie footwear is not ideal for trying to lever a quarter-tonne of metal, plastic, rubber and hydrocarbons back onto two wheels. And if you are susceptible to internal injuries, AMCN recommends seeking professional medical advice. Just don’t tell ’em Dr Fred sent ya.…

THE NEWS THAT Triumph is to enter off-road competition and its associated aggressively-priced sales market is arguably its biggest move since John Bloor bought the company in the 1980s. Triumph has announced its intention to develop a “comprehensive range of all-new competition motocross and enduro machines” with a simultaneous attack on “top tier championship racing in both motocross and enduro”. While Triumph had success in off-road racing in the 1950s and 1960s, there’s little connection between that and modern motocross and enduro, so it is on a steep learning curve. The firm has employed two big names in off-road to help develop both the bikes and the teams needed to field them in competition. Ricky Carmichael, considered America’s greatest motocross rider ever, and Ivan Cervantes, who had vast success in…

7842 KTM is on a roll. Compared to last year, its worldwide sales are up 95 percent in the first six months to the end of June. The 7842 units it has sold in Australia and New Zealand during that time represents a 25 percent increase. “ASSEN WAS SOMETHING ELSE. THERE WERE HOT SHOWERS AND GOOD TOILETS” Kiwi Ginger Molloy, runner-up in the 1970 500cc class, explains the primitive conditions Grand Prix racers endured 50 years ago. Read our feature on Molloy and his life in the fast lane, starting on page 78 BLING THAT WORKS Here’s the motorcycle winner in the 2021 Shannons Club Online Show & Shine Competition. It’s a 1980 Yamaha 749cc XV750 Virago entered by Michael Capraro. The artistry revolves around a custom screen, half fairing…

Retro rivals The T100 Bonneville interests me, as does the Royal Enfield 650 Interceptor. Have you guys done a back-to-back test? My congratulations on reaching such a significant milestone with your 70 year anniversary! It’s nice to see that some things remain constant in this fast-changing world… I used to regularly buy AMCN back in the 1970-80s, when I owned a number of different bikes – Jawa 350, Yamaha SR500, Yamaha RD250 (last of the air-cooled models, bought new from Yamaha dealer Barry Smith, who’s mentioned in the anniversary issue’s Australian Rules article) and a new Kawasaki Z750L1. Happy days! After reading the article on the pair of Bonnevilles I, too, would question the business case for the T120, especially as the cruise control appears to prevent the rider from…

A LITTLE BLURB on my Ducati 600TL Pantah, from front to back. It has good Dunlop rubber, a carbon-fibre front mudguard replaces the ugly standard one, which also acts as a brace for the skinny front forks, which I’d love to replace but they don’t seem to be available. It has a Suzuki headlight, original instruments, BMW ’bar, handmade idiot lights, black pearl green paint by the late David Meers, warmed-up engine, larger headers into Staintune mufflers, Verlechii swingarm and S&W shocks (RARE!!). Reminds me a lot of a mate’s 750 Norton Commando (not quite as much power). Kim Hewitt THIS IS MY 1981 Suzuki GSX750 EX. I’ve owned it since 1983, when I bought it secondhand with 2500km on the clock. Why do I love it? It’s a pleasure…

ENGINE Capacity 1252cc Type 60° V-twin, DOHC, 8-valves Bore & stroke 105 x 72mm Compression ratio 13.1:1 Cooling Liquid Fueling EFI Transmission Six-speed Clutch Wet, multi-plate, slipper Final drive Chain PERFORMANCE Power 112kW @ 8750rpm (claimed) Torque 127Nm @ 6750rpm (claimed) Top speed 220km/h (est) Fuel consumption 5.5L/100km (claimed) ELECTRONICS Type Harley-Davidson Rider aids Linked cornering ABS, Traction control, Rear lift mitigation, Hill hold control, Rider modes Road, Sport, Rain, Off-Road, Off-road Plus, Custom and Custom Off-Road Plus CHASSIS Frame material Stressed member alloy steel trellis with forged aluminium mid-structure Frame type Hybrid Rake 25º Trail 108mm Wheelbase 1580mm SUSPENSION Type Showa Front: 47mm USD fork, semi-active damping…

ENGINE Capacity 1103cc Type 90° V4, four valves per cylinder Bore & stroke 81 x 53.5mm Compression ratio 14.0:1 Cooling Liquid Fueling EFI, two injectors per cylinder Transmission Six-speed Clutch Dry, multi-plate, slipper Final drive Chain PERFORMANCE Power 157.5kW @ 13,000rpm (claimed) Torque 124Nm @ 9250rpm (claimed) Top speed 299km/h (est) Fuel consumption 5.7L/100km (measured) ELECTRONICS Type Bosch Rider aids Cornering ABS, traction control Evo3, wheelie control Evo, slide control, engine brake control, power launch, quick shift Rider modes Sport, Street, Race A and Race B CHASSIS Frame material Aluminium Frame type Front frame Rake 24.5º Trail 100mm Wheelbase 1469mm SUSPENSION Type Öhlins Smart EC2.0 Front: 43mm USD…

ENGINE Capacity 373cc Type Single cylinder, DOHC, four valves Bore & stroke 89 x 60mm Compression ratio 12.6:1 Cooling Liquid Fueling Bosch EFI, 46mm throttle body Transmission Six-speed Clutch Wet, multi-plate, slipper Final drive Chain PERFORMANCE Power 32kW @ 9000rpm (claimed) Torque 37Nm @ 7000rpm (claimed) Top speed 175km/h (est) Fuel consumption 3.46L/100km (claimed) ELECTRONICS Type Bosch Rider aids Cornering ABS and traction control Rider modes Not applicable CHASSIS Frame material Tubular-steel Frame type Trellis Rake 23.5º Trail 84mm Wheelbase 1343mm SUSPENSION Type WP Front: 43mm USD APEX fork, adjustable for compression and rebound, 120mm travel Rear: APEX monoshock, adjustable for preload and rebound, 150mm travel WHEELS &…

AS EARLY AS 1904, Curtiss had begun to manufacture engines for airships, and on 4 July, 1908, he flew 1550m to win the Scientific American Trophy and its $2500 prize for making the first pre-announced publicly-observed flight of a heavier-than-air flying machine in America. He won the Gordon-Bennett Cup race at the world’s first international air meeting in France in 1909, and in 1910 made the first long-distance flight in the USA by flying 220km from Albany, NY to New York City, for which he won the $10,000 Pulitzer Prize offered by publisher Joseph Pulitzer. In 1911 Curtiss obtained the first pilot’s licence to be issued in the USA, and on 26 January, 1911, he flew the first seaplane to take off and land on water, which he’d once again…

I’VE HAD MY TCX RT-Race boots for over two years now and I’ve worn them on almost every roadbike test I’ve ever done. I’ve walked around in them all day, stood around at photoshoots and ridden thousands of kilometres in them. I could ramble on about how the high-tech materials make them this and that, but I won’t. Instead, I’ll just say that they are my favourite boots ever. They are extremely comfortable, very durable and they look great. Ankle protection is taken care of by an external Double Flex Control System, which doesn’t compromise comfort but squeaks and creaks a lot, but a strategic shot of chain lube sorted that. There are two fail points common to this style of boot if you spend too much time walking or…

TWO YEARS OF lockdown with no motorcycle racing at the Isle of Man has people wondering what will happen next year. Will the TT return as a tired, underwhelming event, or will it be the start of a new era of extreme motorsport? The Isle of Man TT organisers, backed by the island’s government, are committed to relaunching an event that caters to new demands from spectators, competitors, race teams and the manufacturers they represent. As a TT supporter who has long been closely involved with the event both as a race winner and commentator, I believe they have chosen the right path and the world’s oldest motorcycle racing event will grow a new fan base. For 2023 spectators will see a quite different event The TT had to be…

DOMINIQUE AEGERTER won the first of two WorldSSP races at Assen, while running in an all-yellow riding kit and bike paint job that his Dutch Ten Kate Yamaha team had designed especially for their home weekend. It was just like old times with the boys and girls in a fresh new retro livery delivering big time on Saturday and Sunday, and a Superpole win, too. Aegerter won Race One by a clear margin from Steven Odendaal (Bardahl Evan Bros Yamaha) and the fast starting but eventually slowing Philipp Öttl, the top Kawasaki rider, ending in a determined third place using an X rear tyre. Behind the podium places a three rider fight for fourth place ended up with Jules Cluzel, Randy Krummenacher and Manuel Gonzalez closely packed into the top…

FORMER MOTOGP winner and Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow has been announced as the replacement rider for Franco Morbidelli in the Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team while the Italian recovers from knee surgery. The veteran Brit is due to race at both Austrian rounds at the Red Bull Ring this month (8 and 15 August) – though as a Monster Energy-supported rider, you’ll never hear him call the track by its official name – as well as his home round at Silverstone on 29 August. With 18 podiums including three wins from his 10 seasons in the premier class, the British rider remains coy about his expectations of his results, but said being able to spend time on Morbidelli’s two-year-old machine will be beneficial for the development program of Yamaha’s…

THE OPENING RACE of the previous weekend’s third round at Brands Hatch was red-flagged due to an incident that has left 23-year-old Brad Jones in an induced coma in King’s College Hospital, London. The iForce Lloyd & Jones BMW rider sustained serious head, chest and pelvic injuries, the latter of which required surgery, and a statement released on Thursday 29 July from the series’ organisers said “it is anticipated that he will kept in the medically induced coma until the beginning of next week.”…

THIS WEEK HONDA unveiled its 2022 FIMspec CRF250R, which gives an indication of what Triumph will have to match when it joins the MX market. Honda claims the 2022 version has been “completely redesigned” but it has kept the price at $12,199, less than $1k more than the current model. For that you get a DOHC, fuel-injected, short-stroke, 249cc, single-cylinder engine with a compression ratio of 13.9:1. It’s been retuned for 20 percent more torque but has the same peak power hit at maximum revs. It weighs 104kg ready to race, 4kg less than the current model. The twin-spar aluminium chassis has had rigidity increased 20 per cent, using techniques developed on the CRF450R. Improvements to the cooling system and clutch help increase reliability. Lighter, faster and stronger, it carries…

Maximum effort AMCN’s regular guest columnist Max Whale takes his factory KTM to his third win of the season and now leads the American Flat Track Singles championship. Sidecarnival New Zealand is to host two rounds of the 2022 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship, the second at Invercargill a week before the Burt Munro Classic. Race to nowhere The latest Covid outbreaks have forced the cancellation of ASBK’s Morgan Park round plus eight other major motorcycle meetings. In the millions The motorcycle market might be slowly recovering in Covidravaged India, but sales are still down a staggering 3.5 million units so far this year.…

The year was... 1991 Honda had just opened the order book on its now-legendary ovalpistoned NR750 and the first off the production line went to auction at famous British auctioneers Sotheby’s on the opening day of the Milan Motorcycle Show. Bidding for NR001 started at the retail price of £38,000 – approximately $A86,300. The NR sold to an unnamed buyer for an eye watering $A14,000 (£50,000), or the equivalent of roughly $230,000 in today’s coin. RACING NEWS At 19, Mathew Mladin was the recipient of the RK chains Samurai Trophy for 1991. The bloke from Camden NSW was the fifth winner of the prestigious award, presented annually to the most improved local road-racer in top-level competition. Previous winners include Grant Hodson, Rene Bongers and relative unknowns like Michael Doohan and…

I was keen as mustard to get a squirt on the Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 Special. I’ve read Deano’s review from the Australian launch (AMCN Vol 70 No 24), I’ve cross-checked the specs with the competition and I have recently spent four days astride a BMW 1250 GS Adventure which is arguably the leader of the big-bore adventure category. The Pan America has all the right hardware. My local tracks are fairly rocky with a sprinkling of sand, some mud and a scattering of erosion jumps. Nothing really serious, but far more hardcore than you might find on the average dirt-road detour. Initial feelings are important on a bike you intend to take off-road and they’re pretty good on the Pan America. It’s quite a long reach to the one-piece…

even years is an eternity in sportsbike S R&D, and even more so when the model in question is to be raced. Yet that’s how long KTM’s RC390 has been tearing up racetracks, blatting down boulevards and carving corners all over the world. Launched in 2014 as the largest capacity of the three RC models (RC125/200/390) developed by KTM in conjunction with Bajaj (which manufactures them in India), over 100,000 such bikes have now been produced. A number that shows just how important the RC family is for the Indo-Austrian joint venture partners. So now the time has come for a radical revamp for 2022 of KTM’s single-cylinder entry in this increasingly crucial model sector. A sector which combines ride-to-work rideability with attempting to impose sporting supremacy in the increasingly…

ENGINE Type Axial flux motor Controller Advanced Cascadia Motion PM100 propulsion inverter Cooling Liquid Transmission Single speed Clutch Not applicable Final drive Belt BATTERIES Type Lithium Ion Capacity 399 volt Recharge time Wall charge: Full: Not given, 85%: Eight hours Level 2 charger: Full Not given, 85% Two hours PERFORMANCE Power 89kW @ 1rpm(claimed) Torque 199Nm @ 1rpm (claimed) Top speed Not given Range City: Not given, Highway: Not given, Combined: 130km ELECTRONICS Type Not given Rider aids Not applicable CHASSIS Frame material Billet aluminium Frame layout Monocoque Rake 27º or 31º Trail Not given SUSPENSION Front: Fully adjustable double-wishbone multi-link parallelogram fork with modular carbon fibre and aluminium girders Rear:…

TANTALISING PROSPECT: TWO seats up for grabs at Yamaha. It’s not often such an opportunity arises in MotoGP, where riders tend to cling on to what they’ve got, and factories likewise. Contracts of up to four-year stretches (Marc Marquez and Brad Binder) bear witness. It’s come about through natural wastage in one case. No official confirmation yet, but it really looks as though Valentino Rossi is finally going to accede to the passage of time, and make way for a younger rider. Or – though he admits this is would be “very difficult” – he’ll accede to his Arab prince sponsor’s wishes to race for his own new team. Baffling frustration in the other. Maverick Viñales has been oscillating wildly between hero and zero for race after race for a…

HARRY KHOURI (FUSPORT - RT Motorsports by SKM Kawasaki) came back at Assen from a wrist injury and restorative surgery after a crash at Misano. He had to build confidence, and did so in time for Race One, when he gained 19 spots to finish 12th. He got tangled with a falling rider in Race Two but carried on to finish 31st. He is now 19th overall and looking for much more at Most, next time out in two weeks. “Unfortunately this weekend didn’t get off to the best of starts, having struggled to get back into my rhythm in both practice and qualifying,” he said. “I found myself starting from 31st. With a good start in Race One and a good feeling again with the bike, I fought through…

CAL CRUTCHLOW WON’T be the only former MotoGP rider on the grid in Austria, with former Repsol Honda star-turned KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa confirmed a wildcard entry at the 10th round of the series at the Red Bull Ring this weekend. “My focus for the GP,” he said, “is to try and test the things we have on the bike in a race situation. It’s difficult to talk about my expectations after being so long away from competition. It might all click into a racing mentality or it might not – but we’ll try and enjoy the weekend as much as possible.” His last time in a race situation was the 2018 season-ending GP in Valencia where he finished fifth. Now all we need is for Aprilia to give…

WITH ONLY VERY few fans allowed in to the previous WorldSBK rounds at Misano and Donington, there was a 35,000 per day limit set at Assen. Covid protocols demanded they did not come into the paddock but there was still a paddock show erected and working all weekend, being beamed to the crowds on the big screens. The feel of the event, even with the fans all spaced out in small groups in the Geert Timmer chicane grandstand, was still a vast improvement on previous rounds. Until, of course, in a very Dutch fashion the weather broke on Saturday night and lightning storms showed up and incessantly heavy rain flooded out the pit garages via the overflowing storm drains. Three fire engines, six agricultural machines and more than 100 volunteers…

WHEN YOU’RE 14 years old and want to go racing with the grownups you need a helping hand. Calvin Moylan got just that to make his senior racing debut in the Production Championship aboard the Pickett Family Motorsport Yamaha R3. In what can only be described as a great gesture by Mark and Brigette Pickett, they have made the bike available for the rest of this season. With limited track time on an unfamiliar bike, Moylan finished fifth in the first race after starting from the back of the grid. He finished fifth in the second race and fourth in the third. His lap times improved from 1m11.387secs in the first race to 1m10.294secs in the third, showing his potential. JI…