Australian Motorcycle News Vol 71 Issue 16

IF THERE’S ONE good thing to come from this disruptive start to 2022, it’s how quickly the start of the MotoGP season has come around. Previous off-seasons between the last race in November and the first race in March have felt like a lifetime for me, but here we are with testing behind us and the next time we see the GP riders in action will be for the opening practice session ahead of the Qatar curtain raiser on 6 March. It’s no secret I’m a huge Enea Bastianini fan, so I can’t wait to see what he can do with Pecco’s bike from last year, and while all eyes will be on Raul Fernandez to take early season bragging rights among the rookies, I reckon Fabio Di Giannantonio might…

“A direct competitor to Harley-Davidson’s Road Glide Limited” HOT ON THE heels of Harley-Davidson’s launch of its biggest baggers yet, we’ve found evidence that Indian is striking back with its largest tourer yet based on the Challenger. Indian trademarked the name ‘Pursuit’ two years ago, sparking rumours that it could be a lighter or higher-performance model but we can reveal it’s nothing of the sort. New type approval details we’ve got our hands on show it’s set to be a full-dress tourer based on the Challenger bagger. It will use the existing 1768cc, DOHC, water-cooled V-twin, compared to Harley’s strategy of bolting in the CVOspec 1923cc, 117 cubic-inch version of the Milwaukee Eight V-twin. However, Indian’s engine makes 90.1kW at 5500rpm and 177.5Nm at 3800rpm, compared to Harley’s Milwaukee Eight’s…

TRIUMPH HAS BEEN surprisingly open about the development of its TE-1 electric motorcycle prototype and has now revealed it in full as it prepares to start track and dyno tests. The fact this is a collaboration, with funding from the British Government’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, and technical input from Williams Advanced Engineering (which was purchased recently by Australian businessman Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest), Integral Powertrain and WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group) at Warwick University, means this is much more than a pie-in-the-sky dream machine. Triumph has been responsible for the frame, subframe, suspension, bodywork, transmission, control software and the cockpit design. Williams developed the battery pack and cooling. Integral Powertrain created the electric motor, capable of a peak of 130kW and a continuous maximum of 90kW from a package weighing just…

KTM’S PARALLEL TWIN 790 Adventure was only launched in 2019 – growing to become the 890 Adventure two years later – and already a third-generation machine is nearing production. We’ve secured images of a trio of different versions on test, including a road-focused version. The new update is the largest yet, including a substantial restyle and the addition of what will probably to be called 890 Adventure S. It will sell alongside the more rugged 890 Adventure and the hardcore 890 Adventure R. All three gain a new fairing, moving away from the original design, which kept its headlight separate from the fairing side panels, and adopting a more conventional shape. Now the side panels run into the nose fairing, although the headlight itself appears to be carried over from…

WE BUSTED THE secret KTMBrabus prototype last month (AMCN Vol 71 No 14) and said it would go on sale soon. Now KTM has revealed its tie-in with German supercar maker Brabus by launching the Brabus 1300 R. Based on the latest 1290 Super Duke Evo, but with a hefty helping of elements from last year’s limited-edition Super Duke RR, the Brabus 1300 R manages to be a very different beast. A clever restyle adds carbon fibre side scoops and a nose cowl around a headlight that’s borrowed from Husqvarna, albeit with Brabus branding. New ‘Platinum Z’ wheels, designed to mimic those used on many Brabus cars, are added, along with a bespoke Brabus exhaust with a black ceramic finish, Brabus-branded Gilles footpegs, Brabus-branded Magura levers and a heavily quilted…

AS CARS DRIVERS become more reliant on radar-assisted cruise, lane control and braking, motorcyclists are becoming more invisible. Research shows that as motorcycles have a tiny radar cross-section, car-mounted radars may spot them dangerously late or fail to see them at all. BMW and Suzuki have already filed patents for radar reflectors to combat this problem. Their design uses arrays of reflective, metal-coated mirrors mounted on a bike’s extremities to bounce-back radar waves more efficiently. Now Piaggio has filed a patent application that uses more compact electronic active radar reflectors. Passive reflectors are simple, cheap and easy to fit to any motorcycle but are large and ugly. The active reflectors proposed in Piaggio’s patent are far more subtle and can amplify the reflected radar waves, rather than simply bounce them…