Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 71 Issue 16 i Australian Motorcycle News

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…

A CRUISER APPEARS to be the first 650cc variant to come off Royal Enfield’s Interceptor/Continental platform. We’ve got spy images of several prototypes being tested in Europe that look almost production ready. Prototypes have also been seen in India. Indian moto-journalists are predicting it will be called the Super Meteor and say it will go on sale worldwide this year. While some aspects of the design, such as the solo seat and low-rider stance, hark back to the Concept KX, revealed at EICMA in 2018, the radical styling has been dumped. It could become the first RE model to get an upside-down fork, with a conventional fork as an option, but has twin rear shocks, not the KX’s monoshock, and instrumentation that seems to be a development of that available…

Electric two-wheelers have been the coming thing for the past decade, but love them or hate them – and there are plenty of people on both sides of that particular fence – they’re set to become an ever-increasing fact of life in coming years. Almost inevitably it’s BMW Motorrad which has recently introduced a volume production E-model, with the debut of its 2022 CE 04 midsize scooter. It’s being built alongside the company’s internal combustion engine (ICE) models at its Spandau factory in Berlin, in a special 800m² annexe in which assembly line workers are specially trained in the skills required to assemble such a high-voltage vehicle. It’s now on sale in 38 countries worldwide, and here in Australia at a ride-away price of $21,915, which is more than double…

Five years ago Italian trophy marque Moto Morini came pretty close to joining the many other defunct brands from all our two-wheeled yesterdays. But the company’s then owner Ruggero Jannuzzelli was able to invest sufficient capital to keep it af loat while searching for someone with the resources and commitment to bring Morini back to the big time on a permanent basis. And in October 2018 he cemented the deal that saw Chen Huaneng, the owner of Chinese scooter and minimoto manufacturer Zhongneng Vehicle Group, acquire 100 percent ownership of Moto Morini. In my exclusive interview with him that month [see attached] Chen stated his intentions to immediately develop a range of Moto Morini models with 500-800cc parallel-twin engines. These would financially underpin the highend 1200cc V-twins, which the company…

The recent months marked the fourth winter in succession in which eight-time world champion Marc Marquez has fought back from serious injury. It could be argued these recent months were the most critical of all. A heavy knock to the head last November re-injured the fourth right nerve behind his right eye that nearly curtailed his career back in 2011, leading to dizziness and double vision that persisted for months. Steadfast self-belief and a side order of patience has been required. As the 2021 season ended with Marquez absent from the final two races, the situation was grave. It was far from a given that his eye would even heal. “It’s not a bone – it’s something more complicated, more delicate,” said team manager Alberto Puig at the season’s final…

In 1980 Johnny Cecotto raced in the same racetrack twice in the space of two weeks and it felt like night and day: two completely different experiences. On 6 July, he rode a 500cc two-stroke four-cylinder Yamaha, while on 22 June he had been at the wheel of a Formula 2 March 802, powered by a BMW engine. The circuit was Zolder, in Belgium. The Venezuelan ace, who already had two world titles under his belt after succeeding in the 350 and Formula 750 classes, was gradually switching from motorcycle to cars. Today the analogy comes easy: his path, like the ones of at least three other great motorcycle racers, links him to Valentino Rossi who recently ended his career in MotoGP and will focus on cars after over a…

DESPITE APPEARANCES, there is a certain logic to FIM Rally Raid roadbooks, even though they are written in French. For almost all of us, the instructions are academic, something of concern only to riders such as Toby Price and Daniel Sanders. However, here are some basic pointers for when you’ve mastered the Condo 750 or the Sunraysia Safari. The dictionary of 23 acronyms and abbreviations in the world rally raid and Dakar lexicon, from which the roadbooks are compiled, start with the simplest such as AD, meaning a droite, or ‘on the right’ in English. In the same vein, AG means a gauche or, ‘on the left’. Then there’s TJS for toujours, which means ‘always’. Strange that there is no abbreviation for, turn back you’re going the wrong way, something…

PREPARATIONS FOR THE 2022 MotoGP season got underway in early February. And, despite the retirement of Valentino Rossi, figurehead of the sport for more than two decades, there was little to suggest the show will be in any way diminished in his absence. Quite the opposite in fact as Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit hosted two official days of testing over 5-6 February before the MotoGP machines visited the all-new Mandalika International Street Circuit from 11-13 February, ahead of the first Indonesia Grand Prix in 25 years, set to be held next month. In keeping with the trend over the past two years, the pack was exceptionally tight in both outings. At the close of the final day at Sepang, just 0.3s covered the top 11. It was even closer the…

“OUR STYLE OF development is conservative, to try to improve some areas, acceleration or braking, without losing any of our strong points.” Those were the words of Project Leader Shinichi Sahara on the eve of the Indonesian test. And it seems Suzuki has stuck to its principles this winter ahead of a season when it really needs to deliver. Keen to keep hold of prized asset Joan Mir for 2023, the factory brought an all-new bike featuring an improved engine to testing. Engineers have maintained the GSX-RR’s excellent turning capabilities but now with added top speed. At Mandalika, the Suzuki was on average the second-fastest manufacturer through the speed trap. The factory’s ride-height device has evolved from the model that only ran incrementally at the end of last year. And…

THE CONTINUED GROWTH of Aprilia was one of testing’s big takeaways. Not only was Aleix Espargaro second aboard the new RS-GP in Malaysia. Maverick Vinales was able to back it up, posting the fifth fastest time. Due to Aprilia’s concessions, both men had taken part at the Shakedown test at the same track, along with class rookies and test riders, a few days before. “The ’22 bike is not super different from last year’s bike,” said Espargaro. “It’s just a little bit better everywhere. I feel that we are strong.” Aprilia has narrowed the frame of the machine, leading Espargaro to comment that it felt like “sitting on a Moto2” bike. Agility and handling are even better than before, an impressive feat considering its 90-degree V-engine layout. “I was behind…

“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…

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…

DAVE WATKINS DIED on 6 September 2021 from a suspected heart attack, he was in his mid-70s. A potential British Olympian in the 1960s, he started as a bicycle tyre tester. “He was an absolute gentleman; a Dunlop man through and through,” said Motorcycling Australia president and 1997 world endurance champion Peter Goddard, who raced ASBK, WSBK, in Japan and 500 GP. “Always consistent and honest, which can be difficult in that world. A real shame. Every year he’d send birthday wishes and we’d have a catch up on-line.” AMCN also spoke with multiple Australian Superbike champion Marty Craggill, former GP crew chief Dave Cullen, MA CEO and former team manager Peter Doyle, and former Dunlop motorcycle tyre manager for Australia Owen Hughes for their thoughts. Watkins worked closely with…

After spending some quality time with CFMoto’s 700 CL-X Sport on our MOTY ride, I came away impressed with the Cafe racer styled machine. So impressed in fact that I nagged the boss man to see if we could jag one as a long-termer. The boss man delivered and by the time you read this the mid-capacity parallel twin should be nestled in the AMCN garage ready to hit the road and track so we can see how it rolls over the long-term. The Sport is the second model built around the 693cc water-cooled parallel twin and is, as the name implies, the Sports version. The other is the Heritage, which Kel tested in Vol 71 No 06, which runs different wheels, suspension, a single-disc front brake setup and classic…

MARQUEZ’S ATTENDANCE IN the preseason tests was a huge boost to Honda. Not only with the firm’s figurehead return; Marquez’s guidance over five days of testing was crucial as it hones its all-new, radically different 2022 RC213V. Things can only get better for Honda. The 2020 and 2021 seasons were, statistically, the worst two years in the history of HRC’s premier-class competition. Only a series of herculean eff orts from Marquez saved the factory’s blushes through last year, as he totted up three race wins. Once a pioneer of grand prix racing, you have to go back to the first half of 2014 to find a time when the Honda was the best package on the grid. Since then the rise of Ducati and Suzuki, an overt focus on designing…

THE FOLLOWING DIAGRAM instructs that at 343km into the stage, the competitor – who because of the broken blue line is off-road – must take a steep drop (!! double danger), cross the dry riverbed and, 90 metres after the drop, turn right on an average heading of 200 degrees south south west. After which ET follows a P, or piste. A gravel track. Just 1500m later at the 344.5km mark, the competitor should ignore the track to the left and, very shortly after, veer left at the fork on an average heading of 165 degrees south south east. After that, there are parallel tracks (NBX many P//).…

AMONG A RANGE of stories, the biggest of the preseason was the latest return of Marc Marquez. Back from a serious eye injury sustained last November, the eight-time champ felt fully recovered from the double vision issues which kept him from full training until mid-January. Understandably, it took time to get up to speed. Another relief for Honda was the impressive work done by HRC technicians over the winter months. The previous two seasons were nothing short of disastrous, all its riders bemoaning a chronic lack of rear grip on corner entry and exit. A completely new bike first appeared at a test at Misano last October. A new frame, fairing, seat unit, exhaust and engine were all refined from then, giving the ’22 RC213V a different character to its…

YAMAHA’S TOPRAK Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx) has started his 2022 campaign the best way to defend his world Superbike title, ending the two-day test at Portimao almost twotenths of a second clear of sixtime world champ Jonathan Rea (KRT). It was the Kawasaki rider who showed his hand early, becoming the first and only rider to dip into the 1m39s bracket with one quick lap of 1m39.851s and, while the Irishman wasn’t able to repeat it, Toprak reeled off six laps in the 39s towards the end of the day, his quickest (1m39.616s), half a second clear of his own pole time set at Portimao last year. And even more worrying for Rea is that Toprak says there’s plenty more to come. “Today we were working a lot to…

THE SUMMER OF speedway has reached the point when the spotlight switches from two-wheel activity to focus on sidecars in the run up to the Australian Championship on the Easter weekend. The Gillman track staged the Solo Spectacular for the Jack Young Cup and Justin Sedgmen emerged as the winner ahead of Jake Turner – Sedgmen’s fourth Jack Young Cup, only one behind Leigh Adams. Darcy Ward staged the North Brisbane Speedway Masters as his last show for the summer and it was another victory for Ryan Douglas, this time heading Zaine Kennedy, Jake Turner and Nick Morris. While the Jason Lyons Trophy was staged at Mildura with Sam Masters victorious ahead of Justin Sedgmen, Jaimon Lidsey and Patrick Hamilton. Steve Johnston won the Western Australian Solo Championship by beating…

Okay, I admit it. I have a thing for retro bikes. Retro bikes done right, that is, with their proportions spoton, a nicely sculpted fuel tank, a stylish exhaust system, a big round headlight, a twin-shock rear-end… you get the picture. But the trouble with many retro bikes is they come with retro performance. Not so this Triumph Speed Twin 1200 RS. As well as those old-school good looks, this thing goes… and stops and turns, and quite bloody well, too. When it comes to retro, Triumph has plenty of heritage to draw on, and the company has milked those famous names for all they’re worth. The current line-up of Bonneville models consists of the T100 and T120, Scrambler 1200, Speedmaster and Bobber, the Street Twin and Street Scrambler, the…

There’s no finer way to travel the open road on a long-haul than on a plush, gadget-filled mega tourer. Some will say ‘you may as well buy a car’ – but they’re clearly not real motorcyclists. Some will say ‘you can’t have fun on a behemoth like that’, to them I say – learn to ride. Both statements are wildly incorrect. Of course, you can have fun, and for those that think a car is a better option, then you should hand in your motorcycle licence and purchase yourself a nice comfy family saloon. Yes, bikes in this category are large, but don’t underestimate them, and don’t for a minute think you can’t have fun on one. Honda’s Goldwing and Harley-Davidson’s Ultra Limited will get you from A to B…

CHEN HUANENG Moto Morini’s owner Zhongneng Vehicle Group is based in Taizhou, 400km south of Shanghai. Founded in 1987 by Mr. Chen Huaneng, who today is still Chairman and CEO of what continues to be a privately-owned company, Zhongneng’s range of scooters and small-capacity motorcycles is currently sold in nearly 60 countries around the world. The chance to become the first – and still only – western journalist to interview Chen three years ago uncovered his plans for the future of the historic Italian brand – plans which so far right on track. Why did you purchase Moto Morini? We could see that in China, in Southeast Asia, and also in Europe the sales of larger displacement motorcycles are growing very fast. We are an export company, so we must…

MARC MARQUEZ REPSOL HONDA Position P8 Time 1m58.332s Gap to leader 0.201s “The bike has potential – and the fact is, when I push, the times are coming. So the bike has potential and today I started to understand better that front feeling. And even Pol and my brother [Alex] were very fast in their long runs. And in the afternoon in damp conditions, I immediately feel okay when I go out, so [I’m] happy.” POL ESPARGARO REPSOL HONDA Position P10 Time 1m58.420s Gap to leader 0.289s “Yeah, in general I’m pretty happy. To just be this short gap to the first [rider] in a test is important because with a completely new bike still we are missing confidence in making the lap time, especially the lap time. On the…

Australian-, American- and worldrecord holder for land speed on a sit-on motorcycle, Kim Krebs, was planning on testing herself and her machines on the ‘big white dyno’ of Lake Gairdner in the coming days. However, heavy rain in South Australia has forced the cancellation of the Dry Lakes Racers Australia (DLRA) annual Speed Week event, which was to be held on the famous salt lake between 28 February to 4 March. “There’s just too much water on the lake, the roads are not passable now, and we shouldn’t put that landscape under pressure with 1000 vehicles,” Krebs tells AMCN. “Even if the lake dried out, the damage we could do would be unforgivable.” Such disappointments go with the speed racing territory, requiring huge amounts of patience, as Krebs explains. “We…

RATHER THAN IMMEDIATELY kicking on from a dominant end to 2021, the Ducati men took time to get the all-new GP22 up to speed. Its chassis is similar to its predecessor but, the new engine with added horsepower and a revised aerodynamics package that “is making the bike completely different,” says Jorge Martin (Pramac Ducati), there is the feeling Ducati is still playing catch up. Just ask Jack Miller (Lenovo Ducati). “Are we ready? No,” he said, “but when are we ever ready? I feel as ready as we can be”. In Malaysia the factory men complained of a lack of traction, especially during the first touch of the throttle. In Indonesia that issue was remedied, albeit at the cost of some braking stability. A complete base setting is yet…

IF TESTING WAS solely about lap times, alarm bells would be ringing at KTM HQ. Yet after an admittedly shaky start in Malaysia, factory riders Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira were more assured after three days of testing in Indonesia, even if the lap times didn’t show it. KTM certainly means business in 2022. Racing boss Mike Leitner has been ushered out of the team. Francesco Guidotti, formerly of Pramac Ducati, is the German’s replacement. More importantly, Fabiano Sterlacchini was headhunted from Ducati last summer. The Italian was regarded as technical guru Gigi Dall’Igna’s right-hand man, and his influence on preseason was already apparent. There was a new testing strategy that placed priority on reassessing parts used last year and fine tuning the ’22 RC16 – an evolution on its…

YRT and YRD have some pretty impressive talent on the grid this year, but there has been plenty of change at YRT – Mike Jones joining, a switch back to Pirelli and new electronics options. How are you feeling about 2022? We’ve got strong expectations. We’ve got an experienced, balanced rider line up and we’ve probably tested more than we have in previous years. Mike’s doing great, his work ethic and attitude are that of a very accomplished rider. We are progressing really well with him, he’s taking his time getting to know the bike and while he’s fast, he’s not pushing it to the point where he is falling down. He has a lot of experience on different bikes, whereas Cru’s [Halliday] advantage is that he is so experienced…