Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 72 Issue 12 i Australian Motorcycle News

WELCOME TO the AMCN Yearbook, celebrating the past 12 months, and looking ahead to the future. I’m sitting in a hotel room in Mojácar in Spain as I write this Ed’s Desk column after just having tested the new 154kW (210hp) BMW M 1000 R on some fabulous mountain roads, as well as at the Almeria circuit. It had me wondering ‘is this the perfect roadbike?’ I’m not implying the M 1000 R is any better than its direct competitors (Aprilia Tuono V4, Ducati Streetfighter V4 or Yamaha MT-10 SP) but it’s a ripper of a bike with loads of power, a well-sorted chassis and fantastic aero and traction aids. While at Almeria, I also had the chance to track test the updated BMW S 1000 RR. Both BMWs will…

AFTER VIEWING the latest trademark applications, AMCN reckons BMW’s upcoming R 12, a cruiser to sit below the R 18, is likely to use an existing twin-cylinder engine from either the R nineT or a Shiftcam boxer from the R 1250 range. Earlier this year BMW trademarked the name ‘R 12’. Its latest filings are for the term ‘BMW R 12’, a trademark being applied for in the US after the original application for the term ‘R 12’ alone was dropped in that territory, presumably due to other products already using the title. Meanwhile in Germany, where the original ‘R 12’ trademark has now been approved, BMW has applied for rights to the name ‘R 12 S’, indicating a second model in the future small cruiser range. Ironically, BMW started developing…

Access, AMCN, PO Box 6, Bittern, Vic, 3918 access@amcn.com.au LETTER OF THE ISSUE Power to you You gave me a sleepless night! I was reading about the new electric Arc Vector (AMCN Vol 72 No 09) and something didn’t add up. One of my long-term hobbies is designing and making model engines that run – 12cc sidevalve single, 25cc OHC four, 100cc OHV V8 and a 150cc OHC V12 which I fitted to a 1/5 scale of a German Tiger tank. My next project is a 1450cc OHC V12 motorcycle engine. The ‘Tarcutta’ won’t be on the road until 2023. One thing I mulled over during the design and build of the Tarcutta V12 was power and how much would I need to ride the Tarcutta around Australia. Finally I…

Aston Martin and Brough Superior have taken their partnership one step further with the unveiling of the AMB 001 Pro, a next-level 997cc superbike inspired by Aston Martin’s mental 865kW (1160hp) 6.5-litre V12 Valkyrie AMR Pro hypercar. The strictly limited-edition AMB 001 Pro offers a 25 percent power increase on the base model, with its 168kW (225hp) engine producing a power-to-weight ratio similar to that of a Formula 1 car. “We are particularly proud of the new engine type,” said Thierry Henriette at its EICMA 2022 launch. “A crankcase fully machined from solid billet aluminium is a unique feature for a production motorcycle. And the marked increase in power this takes AMB 001 Pro into the hyperbike sector.” The power increase comes courtesy of a new version of the 997cc…

Presented by SHANNONS INSURANCE DEAN ‘DEANO’ MELLOR AGE 55 HEIGHT 167cm WEIGHT 77kg RIDING EXPERIENCE Deano started riding bikes as a kid then got into roadbikes in his 20s. He has tested bikes for various publications from the 90s to the noughties and now sits at the AMCN Ed’s Desk. KEL BUCKLEY AGE 41 HEIGHT 164cm WEIGHT 65kg RIDING EXPERIENCE Kel has been involved in 17 Motorcycle of the Year shootouts so knows a thing our two about how to mediate the arguments when it comes to scoring machinery. PETE VORST AGE 47 HEIGHT 186cm WEIGHT 108kg RIDING EXPERIENCE PV, aka the Rain Man, certainly didn’t let us down this year when it came to precipitation. Pete is AMCN’s Road Test Editor and he likes to wheelie stuff that shouldn’t be…

Presented by SHANNONS INSURANCE Against its European opposition Ducati has languished in the off-road ready adventure market, but the DesertX is the marque’s first proper adventure bike. It’s the machine that every MOTY tester couldn’t wait to get their hands on. Every modern Ducati has impeccable build quality and the DesertX is no different. Fit and finish is excellent, and it’s adorned with desirable goodies like Brembo monoblocs, side-laced tubeless wheels and adjustable foot controls. The Cagiva Elefant-theme paintwork looks amazing and the matte paint on the tank where knees rub seems durable. The fairing feels solid and the non-adjustable screen with its detail print stays put in the rough stuff. I love the look of the DesertX, and there’s no doubt it’s put together with loving Italian hands – but…

Presented by SHANNONS INSURANCE The KTM RC 390 was undoubtedly the surprise package of the 2022 MOTY contenders and all the testers were blown away by just how much fun the 390 was to ride. It was easily the nimblest machine around our twisty test loop and, despite its modest 32kW/37Nm output, we didn’t have to wring its neck to eek every bit of performance from the torquey 373cc single. Fun factor? Tick. The RC 390 also scores well for innovation, as it’s the only motorcycle in its category to be equipped with cornering ABS and cornering traction control. It also has ‘Supermoto ABS’ mode, which disables the rear ABS allowing riders to lock up the rear into corners. This mode also allows extra braking pressure to be applied before the…

Presented by SHANNONS INSURANCE APRILIA TUAREG 660 The Tuareg couldn’t make it but there’s no doubt in the adventure market it’s a significant model. Using a 659cc parallel-twin based around the unit found in the RS660 and Tuono 660, the Tuareg features an impressive list of off-road credentials such as fully adjustable suspension with a generous 240mm of travel, plenty of ground clearance, off-road focused electronics and a kerb weight of 204kg. Mark Fattore was impressed with the Tuareg’s performance when he rode the machine at the Aussie launch and reckons it’s a cracking bike for experts and beginners alike. TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE RR This bike deserves special mention as it not only made it on to our shortlist of 2022 MOTY finalists, but we were champing at the bit to ride…

According to some, it’s still up for discussion just who was the world’s fastest rider in 2022. A glance at the MotoGP World Championship table sees Francesco Bagnaia’s name right at the top after 20 races played. Yet even when his hair was still matted from the victory champagne sprayed after securing Italy’s first premier class crown in 13 years, the 25-year-old was openly admitting there were more complete riders than him on the grid. After the longest season in history, there could be no doubting that Bagnaia won aboard the grid’s best bike. In the second half of 2022, the premier class hadn’t witnessed such dominance from one manufacturer – 12 wins, 32 podiums, 16 pole positions – spread among Ducati’s fleet of eight riders since Honda’s brilliant five-cylinder…

ROUND 1: PHILLIP ISLAND Results: 3-4 | Championship position: 3rd The biggest story out of round one was the Hayshed crash by defending champion Maxwell in Race 1. Maxwell bounced back to take a commanding 2.5sec victory in Race 2, while Desmosport Ducati recruit Bryan Staring led the points with a 1-2 result. The reality was the performance gap to the Boost Mobile Ducati was still there, with Maxwell breaking the lap record previously held by Jones and set on a borrowed Kawasaki ZX-10R at the beginning of the 2019 championship. “When I initially tested the R1 here I had a good feeling with the bike straight away. The results weren’t where we really wanted to be, but I was very confident we would move forward and Cru (Halliday) was…

1 Feature film: Tourist Trophy ttplus.iomttraces.com WHEN YOU WANT A film about the passion of the riders who compete at the Isle of Man TT. Featured riders include newcomer Glenn Irwin, TT legend John McGuinness and Peter Hickman. Free on TT+, the official digital streaming channel for the Isle of Man TT. 2 Aussie speedway Gillman, SA LIVE Live streaming 10 DECEMBER www.australianspeedwaychampionships.com.au A one-off round to decide the 2022 Australian senior solo champion, with an impressive line-up including Speedway Grand Prix rider Max Fricke, Sam Masters and Jaimon Lidsey. 3 2023 Dakar Rally, Saudia Arabia, LIVE SBS, live streaming 31 DEC-15 JAN Check website and local guides Still a month-and-a-bit before the iconic event goes around again, but with Aussie duo Toby Price and Daniel Sanders expected to be…

THE CLASS of his own act was again Dominique Aegerter, especially when allied to the probably best-in-class Ten Kate Racing Yamaha YZF-R6. A second championship on the trot for rider and team hinged on Aegerter’s almost perfect ability to win races from places he shouldn’t be able to do. He won lots of races where others seemed better placed over the final laps. In reality who could contain a rider who took 17 wins out of 24 races? Well, 22 races really, after Aergerter was nerfed off in Race 1 at Most, and then got banned from Race 2 for faking injury. His total was a record, as were his nine wins in succession from Aragon 2 to Donington 2. The next best WorldSSP rider was another former Moto2 charger,…

FOR MUCH of the year it was open to debate whether anyone actually wanted to win the Moto2 title. Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez, the men that dominated last year’s series, winning 13 races from 18, had moved on to MotoGP, as had Marco Bezzecchi. In the first half of the year there was a void, with barely anyone capable of consistently filling it. Almost from the first event to the last, races were slower than in ’21 (only three of this year’s races were faster over race distance compared to last year), despite tyre supplier Dunlop bringing an improved softer rear to the majority of races, suggesting this was a year of transition rather than one of great strength. A consequence of that was open racing, and an open…

Domestically, the only Australian speedway championship meetings for solos to be staged due to Covid were the Under 16 125cc class, where Beau Bailey was the individual champion, and WA combination of Mitchell McDiarmid and Linkin Metcalf the team champion. Sidecars did get to stage their Australian championship meeting for both seniors and juniors, with Mark Plaisted/Ben Pitt making it back-toback victories, while Kayden Gates/Harley Ackerley took the junior title. Track and dirt-track racing fared much better, with all championships taking place. Jarred Brook (pictured) was the only rider to claim class wins at both Aussie titles.…

MIKE JONES has been crowned the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike champion for the third time in his career to cap a drought-breaking season for the factory-backed Yamaha Racing Team. Although Jones held a solid lead heading into the finale at The Bend, three riders were still in mathematical contention for the title. And there was tension aplenty with the impending retirement of three-time champion Wayne Maxwell on the Boost Mobile with K-Tech Ducati – who had every intention of finishing his career on a high – and Bryan Staring, looking to clinch second spot and bragging rights for Desmosport Ducati as the highest-placed V4 R rider. Throw into the mix international stars Jack Miller and his mates Marcel Schrotter and Josh Hook, Senna Agius, BSB Superstock contender Billy McConnell…

KNOWN IN Australia for its range of dirtbikes, Chinese-owned Italian company SWM is about to launch its biggest model yet, and it could fill the gap left by the demise of Harley-Davidson’s old air-cooled Sportster range. Called the SWM Custom V1200, it is an almost identical version of H-D’s once popular 883 Iron and the 1200 Forty-Eight. SWM, or Speedy Working Motors, is one of those old Italian brands which disappeared for decades only to be revived under new ownership in recent years. With funding from China’s Shineray, SWM reappeared in 2014, using the old Husqvarna factory, just across Lake Varese from MV Agusta’s headquarters, as its base. Several of SWM’s models are also essentially old Husqvarna machines, reworked and renamed, but the new Custom V1200 is something very different…

PIAGGIO LEANS TO FOUR The Piaggio MP3 leaning scooter and MyMoover delivery trike look set to be joined by a leaning four-wheeler. Designs filed in a patent application show a quad derived from the MyMoover, powered by a 125cc scooter engine using a tilting, two-wheeled front suspension system. It’s not clear what market the quad is aimed at but in recent months Piaggio has filed several patents related to novel multi-wheel motorcycle and scooter projects. HONDA’S SELF-BALANCER Honda has finally followed up on its 2020 trademark applications for the name ‘Motocompacto’, adding a logo that hints at what it might look like. A simplified, icon-style outline shows a suitcase on wheels, with a seat and handlebar emerging from the top. The documents confirm Motocompacto relates to a self-balancing electric scooter…

FACEBOOK Post of the issue INSTAGRAM > Don’t Forget #amcn_mag Comment of the Issue Barry Faucett enjoys what the amiable New Zealander Simon Crafar brings to the MotoGP table. “I knew it would be an exceptional write up as soon as I saw Simon Crafar’s name. Simon’s MotoGP commentary is brilliant! Thank you AMCN” 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! Head…

Presented by SHANNONS INSURANCE Welcome to AMCN’s Motorcycle of the Year presented by Shannons Insurance for 2022 – the most anticipated test for readers, staff and the industry alike. AMCN takes its seven decades of experience and, over a handful of days, thousands of kays, hours of robust conversation and a few obligatory beers, whittles down the one motorcycle that not only best reflects this moment in time, but which does it the most convincingly as per our testing criteria. This year’s finalists are a diverse bunch, comprising adventure, touring, naked and sportsbikes which range from just over $8K through to $25K. But price aside, we’re looking for everything a would-be buyer is: build quality, value for money, how well it meets its design brief, what (if anything) it brings to…

Presented by SHANNONS INSURANCE The Leoncino 800 Trail was probably the biggest surprise of the group for me. Making the assumption it had made the cut based purely on its value for money proposition, I was surprised at how engaging I found it to be less than halfway around our test loop, not least because of the silly amount of feedback coming from that 19-inch spoked front wheel. Its 234kg (wet) weight can’t be ignored, especially since the Trail is taking on the lightweight scrambler market, but for one of the first in what’s a growing line of big-bore dual-sport machines coming from the marque the overall execution is a positive sign of things to come. Given its sub-$14K price tag, it’s pretty well equipped. Features like the LED lighting, five-inch…

Presented by SHANNONS INSURANCE It goes without saying that the NT1100 is built well – we’ve come to expect that from Big Red. I’m not sure many people would say that the NT is good looking but there’s no denying that its fit and finish is second to none. And second to that, being based heavily on the Africa Twin, reliability and durability should stand the test of time. Honda claims the “NT1100 was made for riders that desire a straightforward touring motorcycle with a rich specification list and a sporty edge to its performance” and I reckon Honda has smashed that out of the park. It certainly leans more toward the touring end of the spectrum, although it’s more than capable of play. But when play time was over and…

Presented by SHANNONS INSURANCE Anyone who tells you Japanese bikes lack individuality hasn’t ridden a Suzuki. Between their tell-tale induction howl and well-sorted chassis, it’s rare to think they feel like anything else. Which isn’t to say they’re not often built to a price, but it’s because of that, the GSX-S1000GT is one of the highest scorers against the value for money yardstick in this year’s MOTY shootout. For less than $20K, you’re riding away on a ridiculously capable sports-tourer – so capable, in fact, it won our annual sports-touring comparo (AMCN Vol 72 No 05) this year. And while it doesn’t score particularly highly in the innovation department, its powerplant, which is based on the long-stroke K5 GSX-R1000 mill, is really well suited to the application with plenty of useable…

Presented by SHANNONS INSURANCE BENELLI LEONCINO 800TRAIL ENGINE Capacity 754cc Type Parallel-twin, DOHC, four valves per cylinder Bore & stroke 82 x 62mm Compression ratio 11.5:1 Cooling Liquid Fueling EFI Transmission Six-speed Clutch Wet, multi-plate Final drive Chain PERFORMANCE Power 56kW @8500rpm (claimed) Torque 67Nm @6500rpm (claimed) Top speed 235km/h (est) Fuel consumption 6.4L/100km (measured) ELECTRONICS Type Not given Rider aids ABS Rider modes Not applicable CHASSIS Frame material Tubular steel Frame type Trellis Rake 24.4° Trail 94.5mm Wheelbase 1480mm SUSPENSION Type Benelli Front: 50mm USD fork, non-adjustable, 140mm travel adjustable, Rear: Monoshock, preload and rebound adjustable, 140mm travel WHEELS & BRAKES Wheels Wire-spoked alloy Front: 19 x 3.0 Rear: 17 x 4.25 Tyres Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR Front: 120/70R19 Rear: 170/60R17 Brakes Benelli Front: Twin 320mm discs, four-piston calipers Rear: Single…

HIGH ACHIEVER AWARD Ducati. For winning the MotoGP World Championship for the first time in 15 years and the WorldSBK title for the first time in 11. Just to hammer it home, it picked up the triple crown in both categories, too, adding the constructors’ and teams’ world titles to the 2022 trophy cabinet. IRON MAN AWARD Goes to Danilo Petrucci who raced factory machinery in three different top-tier genres with three different manufacturers. He kicked off the year in the sand with the 2022 Dakar Rally on a KTM 450 (and even won a stage!), fought tooth and nail with Jake Gagne (Yamaha) for the MotoAmerica Superbike title on a Ducati Panigale V4 before going down by just 20pts, and then jumped on a plane to compete in the…

“It’s really been a stellar year and we didn’t know what to expect at the start,” says Redding. “We have progressed with the bike all through the season, not just with Mike but also with Cru [Halliday]. We dominated at certain rounds but then at other events, we just kept putting the points in the bank. “For Yamaha as a whole, it was an amazing year, taking the title in every class. We had some success in the FX series, but 2007 was the last time we took the ASBK title. In between that we have had some very good riders and bikes, and we came close a few times. Working with Mike has been fantastic, he really fits in well with the culture of the team and his work…

ROAD RACING 2023 MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP* Rd1 26 Mar, Portimao, PT Rd2 2 Apr, Termas de Rio Hondo, AR Rd3 16 Apr, Austin, US Rd4 30 Apr, Jerez, ES Rd5 14 May, Le Mans, FR Rd6 11 Jun, Mugello, IT Rd7 18 Jun, Sachsenring, DE Rd8 25 Jun, Assen, NL Rd9 9 Jul, Sokol, KZ Rd10 6 Aug, Silverstone, GB Rd11 20 Aug, Spielberg, AT Rd12 3 Sep, Barcelona, ES Rd13 10 Sep, Misano, IT Rd14 24 Sep, Buddh, IN Rd15 1 Oct, Motegi, JN Rd16 15 Oct, Mandalika, ID Rd17 22 Oct, Phillip Island, AU Rd18 29 Oct, Buriram, TH Rd19 12 Nov, Sepang, MY Rd20 19 Nov, Losail, QA Rd21 26 Nov, Valencia, ES 2023 SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP* Rd1 24-26 Feb, Phillip Island, AU Rd2 3-5 Mar, Mandalika,…

Harry Khouri Team 109 Kawasaki rider Khouri completed his second WorldSSP 300 season and took a career best seventh at Most after qualifying fourth on the grid that same weekend. It was a tough year in many other races as the 300 field got smaller, but no less difficult to beat. Tom Edwards An occasional WorldSSP rider, Tom enjoyed some up and down experiences in his few outings. He showed up at Assen, Estoril and Portimao, with a season best of ninth at Estoril. Oli Bayliss Some good races, some not so good, but Oli’s mission to learn a lot by doing his best in his first WorldSSP season was completed as planned. A personal best of sixth at Estoril and other top 10s showed he could run near the…

THIS YEAR’S Moto3 World Championship promised to be about three young men, but was ultimately about one. In just his second season, Izan Guevara wrapped up his maiden world crown with two races to spare thanks to a series of stunning performances. The 18-year old racked up seven victories, which ranged from the combative (Jerez, Valencia) to the dominant (the Sachsenring, Aragon). He also proved to be better at maintaining his head in high-pressure moments. Victories in Japan (despite qualifying ninth and suffering a massive warm-up spill) and Australia (a huge practice crash) clinched him the title, and relegated teammate Sergio Garcia – the championship leader from race three to 14 – to a distant second best in the standings. More than that, the times he posted in a handful…

Yamaha continued to shine across national motocross when, after a final shootout with Dean Ferris (Honda) and Todd Waters (Husqvarna), Aaron Tanti sealed the championship for the CDR Yamaha Team. Tanti continued to impress with his first ever SX1 supercross victory at round two. Riding a KTM 500EXC, Alice Springs builder David Walsh was never headed in the 2022 Finke Desert Race. It was the 16th win for KTM, three short of Honda – mostly thanks to Randall Gregory and the legendary Honda CR500 with a record run of five straight wins in the 90s. While still recuperating from a freakish road accident in Saudi Arabia, Daniel Sanders brought together technician Lewie Landrigan, long-time mentor Ben Grabham and a GasGas MC450F for a convincing win in the Hatt ah Desert…

JOHN LYTRAS (Sol Invictus Yamaha) put the points on the board to walk away with the 2022 Supersport crown, staving off any challenge from Ty Lynch (727 Moto Yamaha) and Tom Bramich (Apex Yamaha) to clinch the title by 14.5 points. However, the performance of the weekend belonged to Thriller Motorsport’s Harrison Voight (Yamaha). Voight has been competing in Europe the last few years but, like his team boss Miller, had already sampled The Bend in the 2021 ASBK finale. Voight made a good start from pole position, but nothing like local Dallas Skeer (YRD). Skeer, who has batt led setbacks with mechanical problems all season, shot to the front briefly before being passed by Voight. Behind them, a three-way battle unfolded between Lynch, Bramich and Scott Nicholson (Traction Control…

AFTER POSTING the fastest time in qualifying Ryan Larkin had to serve a six-place grid penalty picked up at the MotoGP support races. He scythed through the field in the opener, taking the lead before the end of lap one and holding the advantage to the flag. Second was Teerin Fleming with Bodie Paige completing the podium after being promoted to pole position. Hudson Thompson kept the championship battle alive finishing sixth ahead of points leader Harrison Watts in 10th, with the pair taking third and fourth respectively in Race 2. Larkin crashed out of the lead in that encounter, with Fleming taking the win ahead of Paige. Watts now had a 21-point buffer to Thompson prior to the final race, but it was Larkin who came through again, taking the…

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… and to not let your Covid guard down when travelling to far-flung places in the world to ride motorcycles. It’s still out there and bloody nasty – and not conducive to cutting hot laps on a motocross track, hey Youngy?! Merry Christmas.…

DID YOU KNOW? The average points Francesco Bagnaia scored per race (13.25) in his MotoGP championship-winning year is the second lowest since the current point-scoring system was introduced in 1993 (only Joan Mir in 2020 was lower). “I feel sorry for every Joe Blow that rides a V4 R on the road and wants to race somebody off the traffic lights – I reckon it’d be pretty difficult” Jack Miller explains how after two years at The Bend ASBK finale he still struggles with the Ducati production Superbike’s light-switch clutch action. 33% The impressive rise of Royal Enfield’s worldwide sales continues, with a major market like Italy experiencing a whopping 113 percent increase for the year. MENTAL TWISTIES The winner of the AMCN neck sock this time around is Andrew…

Henriette has so far delivered the first 64 AMB 001 bikes to their new owners, hand-built production of which has been underway in the Brough Superior factory in Toulouse for well over a year. “We unveiled the bike at the EICMA Milan Show in November 2019, and promised to deliver the first examples exactly one year on from then,” says Henriette. “But Covid-19 impacted our development of a bike which had to fully live up to the expectations of a model that unites two of the most glorious names in British automotive and motorcycle history – we couldn’t take any short cuts. It was only when lockdown in France finally ended that we could complete the intensive tests to establish the final suspension and chassis settings. “So in March 2022,…

Presented by SHANNONS INSURANCE Every MOTY requires a detailed plan, and it’s always a challenging exercise with bikes and bodies coming from all directions – and just when you think it’s all sorted another curve ball is thrown into the mix. This year, with separate cohorts linking up from NSW and Victoria, rather than embarking on a long ride where we stop occasionally, shoot the breeze, swap bikes and continue on, we needed to get the most out of each test riders’ time on the bike and not having to rely on the memory of a few hundred kays ago as to how a particular bike felt in whatever individual conditions it was ridden through at the time. But it wasn’t without its challenges, of course. We were unable to assemble…

Presented by SHANNONS INSURANCE I was impressed with the CFMoto 800MT when attended the launch early this year. Sure, there are a few shortcomings, but there’s no denying that the 800MT represents excellent value for money, regardless of whether you’re looking at the $12,990 (ride away) Sport model or the better-equipped $14,490 (ride away) Touring as tested for MOTY. Well, the bike pictured here is actually the 800 MT Touring Limited Edition, which for an additional $2K over the Touring comes with a unique paint scheme, aluminium panniers and topbox, and Barkbusters. But even at $16,490 ride away, it’s still a helluva lot of bike for the money. The 800MT is powered by a KTM-designed 799cc parallel-twin that makes a respectable 70kW of power and 77Nm of torque. The first batch…

Presented by SHANNONS INSURANCE You know a bike ticks a lot of boxes when everyone in the group is unanimous in their admiration for it. In fact, when it comes to Husqvarna’s Norden 901 the only whinge I heard from the group was that the yellow stripe on the seat doesn’t line up perfectly with the tank stripe and more so when the adjustable seat was in the high position. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the worst thing I can say about the build quality of the Husky. The polarising looks aside, the fit and finish is excellent and the attention to detail fantastic. At the Australian launch of the Norden, Husqvarna representatives were at pains to point out that it was an adventure touring machine sitting in between its…

Presented by SHANNONS INSURANCE I’ll admit to pulling rank and grabbing the keys to Yamaha’s MT-10 whenever I got the chance on MOTY, picking it up a couple of weeks before the test, riding it a fair chunk of the way to our test location and then riding it all the way back home again when we’d finished up. Why? Because it just does everything so right, and it’s just so much bloody fun. Massive tick right there. The MT-10 was heavily revised early in 2022. Sure, the chassis remains largely unchanged, and the engine only scores slightly more power and torque, along with Euro 5 compliance, but it is equipped with a new six-axis IMU allowing for the fitment of lean-sensitive rider aids including slide control, traction control, cornering ABS,…

Presented by SHANNONS INSURANCE The superb Ducati DesertX is AMCN’s 2022 Motorcycle of the Year (MOTY) presented by Shannons Insurance. After an exhaustive test, the judges cast their votes, the scores were tallied and the DesertX came out on top… by a whisker! That’s right – there was only one point in it, but there’s no doubt the DesertX is a deserved winner. Where last year’s MOTY winner, the Multistrada V4 S, reflected the skew in the Aussie motorcycling landscape towards everyday useable roadbikes over pure sportsbikes, this year’s winner reflects the continued and growing popularity of adventure bikes in Australia, of which there were three finalists in the 2022 MOTY line-up. The DesertX is Ducati’s first serious crack at the world of off-road capable midsize adventure bikes, and it is…

CONTACT US gasgas.com @gasgas.australia gasgas.aus CONTACT US husqvarna-motorcycles.com.au @Husqvarna.Motorcycles.Aus HusqvarnaMotorcyclesAUS CONTACT US ktm.com.au @ktm.australia ktmaustralia CONTACT US motorcycles.honda.com.au HondaMotorcyclesAustralia @honda_mc CONTACT US TriumphMotorcycles.com.au triumphaus @triumphaus CONTACT US superbike-world-championship.com Available online at www.shopyamaha.com.au or your local authorised Yamaha dealer. CONTACT US shopyamaha.com.au yamahamotoraus @yamahamotoraus…

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IT HAS taken Ducati 11 years, a V4 revolution, several factory riders and one re-tread prodigal son to win all the big gongs in WorldSBK again. It has been too long for the most successful factory ever, but maybe that made the joy of a job well done all the stronger – especially after Alvaro Bautista made sure of the championship he so spectacularly fumbled in 2019. That year must have been painful for all, but Bautista swears that it was his two tough years on an official Honda that provided him with the motivation and determination needed to make it all okay back to Ducati. He found a better but very similar package to the one he left after 2019 and, as team efforts go, Ducati, Feel Racing, Aruba.…

THE FIRST MotoGP season in the post-Valentino Rossi era always promised to test the state of the sport. With Marc Marquez – the series’ other flagship name – sidelined by injury for six of the year’s 20 races, the names contesting this year’s championship might not have quite got the pulse racing like in years gone by. But aside from falling attendances in certain countries (Italy was, unsurprisingly, the biggest offender), 2022 was a year rich on intrigue and drama. For the first time since 2019 a full worldwide calendar – the longest in history – hosted an intense championship fight that went all the way to the final race, a good deal of variety with seven names taking victories and 14 climbing the podium, and the biggest comeback in…

TENSION HANGS in the air like an invisible fog as riders and teams negotiate Saturday practice and qualifying at The Bend Motorsport Park’s ASBK finale. The preceding weekend’s round at Phillip Island as a support event to the WorldSBK finale has ignited the series like never before. So a range of emotions were expressed early on in South Australia as key riders and teams were presented to the media for the first time. Maxwell, aka the ‘Wayne Train’, has already built up a full head of steam as the defending champion prepares to go out on a high, but with little chance of securing another national title. Winning a race at Phillip Island hasn’t given Maxwell the points boost he needs because he went down the road in the other…