Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 72 Issue 16 i Australian Motorcycle News

“I SERIOUSLY THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO COME A CROPPER, BUT THE DIAVEL REGAINED ITS COMPOSURE” WHEN DUCATI launched the original Diavel back in 2011 I could hardly wait to get a taste of what many were describing as the world’s first performance cruiser. Not only did it pack more power than any other cruiser I had ridden to date, but it was also purported to have a chassis that would allow it to carve up corners in spite of its 240-section rear tyre. Not long after its local launch, I got to ride the Diavel on a familar piece of tarmac when I was out on a photoshoot with other AMCN staffers including then-Sport Editor Rennie Scaysbrook. Rennie had just finished a stint on the Diavel when it was…

SATNAV SYSTEMS that use real-time traffic information and change course to avoid holdups are already the norm, but Honda is working on a motorcycle-specific variation. As well as the usual internet-sourced weather forecasts, the system that Honda has filed patent applications for uses radar, cameras and Lidar systems on other vehicles to feed information back to the navigation. This allows it to have up-to-the-moment knowledge of weather conditions, which can be relayed to nearby bikes heading in the same direction. If there’s bad weather, the system can automatically look for an alternative route or off er ‘refuge’ at a nearby service station. Honda’s patent documents illustrate the system on its luxo Goldwing, which makes sense as it is working on a high-tech revamp for this range-topping tourer to include the latest…

CHINESE FIRMS are racing to make four-cylinder sportsbikes, and the strangely named Nooma is the latest. The bike seen here is codenamed NM663, likely to represent its capacity and, like several other recent Chinese fours, the engine has clear physical similarities to Honda’s CB650R powerplant. It’s bolted to what appears to be a cast aluminium frame, with a swingarm made the same way, and wrapped in race-inspired styling that doesn’t seem to be a straight copy of any existing bike. An upside-down fork, radial four-pot ABS brakes and a TFT flatscreen dash are all clearly visible in the pictures. Exports outside China are unlikely, at least in the short-term, but the Nooma appears to be another example of the rapid development of China’s motorcycle industry.…

“I think it is a realistic goal to be finishing inside the top six prett y much every race”Aussie WorldSSP rider Oli Bayliss talks up his 2023 chances after switching to the Davide Guigliano-owned 3DG4 Ducati squad for the forthcoming season. 1000 France’s Le Mans circuit will host its 1000th Grand Prix when over 100,000 fans will pack the stands for the 12-14 May MotoGP round. MENTAL TWISTIES The, err, personalised picture of Pole Pawel Przedpelski puzzled and perplexed plenty, but not Lucy Lasker from Queanbeyan, NSW! 1. M bottle gone 2. Extra W on logo 3. Extra bolt head 4. Logo made red 5. 90 added UP, UP AND AWAY The world’s first flying motorcycle, the Jetpack Aviation Speeder, is undergoing test flight before possible Federal Aviation Authority certification in…

MODEL 2021-22 Kawasaki ZX1002P (Ninja H2SX) IMPORTER Kawasaki Motors Pty Ltd NUMBER OF AFFECTED MOTORCYCLES 40 ISSUE A programming defect in the multi-function meter may cause the display to restart unexpectedly while in use. If this occurs, the speedometer or neutral indicator may not display as intended, resulting in the rider unable to determine the speed of the vehicle. MODEL 2021-23 Triumph Speed Triple RS & RR IMPORTER PS Importers Pty Ltd NUMBER OF AFFECTED MOTORCYCLES 279 ISSUE Due to a manufacturing defect the radiator fan can exceed its maximum temperature limit leading to a malfunction of the coolant fan motor. If the rider ignores the warning light and continues to operate the motorcycle, coolant fluid may leak.…

FACEBOOK Post of the issue INSTAGRAM Don’t Forget #amcn_mag Comment of the Issue Darrick Deel has flicked the electric switch, and he’s not going back anytime soon! “A lot of people like that sound, but I don’t miss it at all. The reduction gear on the Energica has more of a Tron light cycle scream to it. Riding by just the throttle is amazing. I just can’t go back to clutch, gears and brakes.” 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…

Why move from a V-twin to a V4? For cost or Euro 5? No, not cost or Euro 5; the engine fits perfectly in this motorcycle. The V4 is a fantastic engine and we now use the V4, with, let’s say high-power Ducati bikes above 155hp and we remain V-twin below that. Is this the same V4 as in the Multistrada? The new Rally has a similar engine, which cuts power to the rear two cylinders below 4000rpm, depending on the gear and torque request (at the throttle). The intake, exhaust and mapping are different, and first gear, but internals are the same. Can we expect to see a limited-edition S or R version? We only have this model, we are not planning a S version of a bike with…

Despite being hidden up the far corner of the circuit and its fuddy-duddy-sounding name, the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit Visitor Centre is well worth the walk (or ride). As well as a fully licensed cafe, the History of Motorsport Display and a hugely impressive collection of 25 Aprilia and Cagiva grand prix racebikes, there’s merchandise, slot cars and even a 750m Phillip Island replica go-kart track. It’s a litt le-known fact, but the cafe is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner from Thursday through to Sunday with breakfast starting from 7am, dinner available from 6pm, and the centre doesn’t close until 9pm. If you want to race your mates on the go-kart track, there’s no need to book in advance. Just rock up, pass a breath test – 0.00%!…

The Superbike World Championship holds a special place in the Australian motorcycle racing lexicon, and the seeds were sown even before the series made its debut at Oran Park in 1988 – when mighty Mick Doohan was at his towering, peerless four-stroke best in one of his last local appearances before switching to 500GP racing. Even though the Australian Road Racing Championship was still being held in the early 1980s, hosting the traditional two-stroke GP classes, it was already in terminal decline as superbike racing had become the de-facto national title with riders such as Malcolm Campbell, Rob Phillis, Andrew Johnson, Mick Cole, the late Iain Pero, Paul Feeney and Scott Stephens doing some amazing things on the skinny-tyred, big-bore and (sometimes) ill-handling brutes. Superbike racing was not only a…

SOME BIG QUESTIONS surrounding the first season of world Superbike are still unanswered. Bimota probably built the 200 YB4s demanded by authorities to go racing but probably not in 1988. Would Yamaha have been able to provide 200 engines straight away and could Bimota have had the capacity and supply chain to build and deliver them? Similarly, Ducati mysteriously failed to appear for the last two rounds of 1988 despite rider Marco Lucchinelli qualifying third at Estoril with race finishes of third and fourth keeping him in title contention. There is a theory that the 851 Ducati may not have passed scrutineering Down Under. Questions also arose over the Ducati factory’s ability to manufacture the required 200 production units in 1988 that matched Lucchinelli’s racer, which looked more like a…

1 2023 WORLDSBK, Rd1, LIVE Fox Sports, Kayo & Video Pass 24-26 FEBRUARY Check website and local guides Phillip Island returns to its traditional WorldSBK season-opening slot, with Alvaro Bautista starting his title defence and Aussie Remy Gardner joining the production-based series. 2 2023 ASBK, Rd1, LIVE Fox Sports, SBS & livestream 24-26 FEBRUARY Check website and local guides The Phillip Island road racing smorgasbord from 24-26 February will also include the ASBK opener. Mike Jones has the number-one target on his back, with plenty of seasoned challengers ready to pounce. 3 2023 AMA SX, Rd7, LIVE Fox Sports, Kayo & Video Pass 26 FEBRUARY Check website and local guides The top guns in the 450cc class are in an egalitarian mood: everyone’s been getting a decent crack at circulating at or near…

BIKE SPOTLIGHT KTM RC390 ENGINE 373cc single POWER 32kW (44hp) TORQUE 37Nm WEIGHT 155kg (dry) PRICE $8399 (ride away) “It off ers fantastic and useable performance, razor-sharp handling, super-strong braking and great ergonomics” BIKE SPOTLIGHT SUZUKI GSX-S1000GT ENGINE 999cc inline four-cylinder POWER 112kW (152hp) TORQUE 106Nm WEIGHT 226kg (wet) PRICE $19,090 (ride away) “The GSX-S1000GT meets its design brief prett y well, and the ergonomics are a perfect mix of sport and touring”…

SOME SIGNIFICANT solo speedway meetings have been held across the country after the conclusion of the Australian Championship series. Former world champion Tai Woffinden topped a classy field to win the Darcy Ward Invitational meeting staged at North Brisbane beating Ryan Douglas, Max Fricke and Rohan Tungate in the final. Cameron Heeps won his fifth Western Australian Championship at Pinjar Park, scoring maximum points to top Matt Marson, Luke Killeen and Daniel Winchester in the final. In the Junior 250cc class, Mitch McDiarmid added his home state title to the Australian Championship he won back in November. Rory Schlein then won his fifth South Australian Championship by beating young guns Jake Turner, Jack Morrison and Michael West in the final at Gillman. Amazingly Schlein’s four previous victories had come in consecutive…

KLOCK ON Following in the tyre tracks of Jessi Combs, who became the first female Grand Marshal at the Sturgis Rally in 2017, is land speed racer and Discovery Channel star Laura Klock. A CLASSIC CASE A UK study has revealed classic motorcycles are responsible for less than 0.05 percent of all transport emission pollution in the UK. Maybe they aren’t ridden enough. BASTARD ACT NSW’s Maitland District Motorcycle Club has been devastated by an arson att ack on its clubrooms and memorabilia. IRISH BLOW Soaring insurance costs have led to the cancellation of all of Northern Ireland's 2023 road races. A rescue package is being worked on.…

THE YEAR WAS… Of course, what everyone will remember most from the year 2000 will be the hangover on 1 January, the hugely successful Sydney Olympics and, of course, waking up with all computer-controlled mechanics still in tact after the feared Y2K bug never eventuated. But it wasn’t all fun and games. Johnny ‘eyebrows’ Howard was ushering in the new GST system and fighting off portly opposition leader Kim Beazley, before NSW suffered through its worst floods in 40 years. So it seems that after two decades not a lot has changed. EVO RR Developed by British tuning specialist RS Performance in conjunction with Honda, the EvoRR was a hott ed-up version of Honda’s CBR600. The EvoRR came as a parts kits that customers could fit to their CBR. The…

Retail price $8790 (ride away) Distance covered 1837km Fuel Economy 3.3L/100km Servicing: First: 1000km Minor: 10,000km Major: 20,000km. Warranty: Three years, unlimited km I’ve been mostly using the Royal Enfield Classic 350 as an around-town runabout, taking short rides down to the local shopping centre where I can park it right in front of the entrance so I don’t have to spend 10 minutes hunting for a car-parking spot. It’s ideally suited to this role thanks to its comfortable upright seating position, adequate around-town performance, its fabulous manoeuvrability and its optional rear rack. The Classic’s old-school looks and its lashings of chrome and polished alloy attract plenty of attention, with young and old often caught ogling its almost blinding appearance in full sunlight. On the flipside, keeping all those shiny…

D34G Ducati’s second rider, Austria’s Maximilian Kofler looks like he could be a top contender for this championship-within-championship. So the German-speakers say. Federico Fuligni will ride a second Orelac Verdnatura Ducati for the Spanish based team. And Maiki Abe’s father was Abe, Norick Abe, so the racing gene pool may well be deep and wide and tall. We are excited already. And he’s on a Yamaha, of course, for VFT Racing. Aussie Luke Power and Brit Tom Booth-Amos will contest the Challenge for the Motozoo Racing by Puccett i Kawasaki team. Another Aussie, Tom Edwards, is another nearly full season rider, in the YART – Yamaha WorldSSP team he rode for at some rounds in recent seasons. Yuta Okaya (Prodina Kawasaki) moves up to WorldSSP from the 300s, as does…

There’s free paddock access for three-day ticket holders, Bar SBK ticket holders, as well as camping packages and VIP hospitality ticket holders. If you’ve lobbed for raceday only and want to rub shoulders with the riders and team personnel, wander over to the event information office and you can purchase paddock access for an additional $60. There’s a full schedule, but these are the highlights. FRIDAY 12.20pm WorldSSP ‘New faces’ chat show 1.10pm WorldSBK ‘New faces’ chat show 1.55pm Team manger chat show 5.40pm All classes ‘Top 3’ chat show SATURDAY 3.15pm WorldSSP podium show 4.45pm WorldSBK podium show 5.55pm Aussie SSP300 meet ’n’ greet 6.05pm ASBK meet ’n’ greet 6.15pm WorldSSP super show 6.30pm WorldSBK super show SUNDAY 11.15am WorldSBK quiz game 3.15pm WorldSSP podium show 4.45pm WorldSBK podium…

OLI BAYLISS will contest the 2023 WorldSSP Championship under the watchful eye of former WorldSBK rider Davide Giugliano, who signed the 19-year-old to ride for his D34G Racing squad. Austrian rider Maximilian Kofler will contest the European rounds as Oli’s teammate. While adapting to a new team will have its challenges, the squad runs Ducati V2 machinery which the Aussie cut his WorldSSP teeth on during last year’s 12-round, 24-race season. And while the team itself is also in only its second year of WorldSSP inclusion, having contested the European rounds of the 2022 season with as many as four riders at various rounds, Bayliss believes the match-up has the potential to fight for top-six finishes throughout the season. Speaking after his first test at Portimao earlier this month, where…

The 1990 WorldSBK title, the third for the production-based series, was a brilliant one for Frenchman Raymond Roche and Ducati. Roche came to WorldSBK with a rich pedigree, including third in the 1984 500GP title behind Eddie Lawson and Randy Mamola. after finishing third in the 1989 WorldSBK series, Roche rode out of his skin at the start of 1990, winning three of the first six races and finishing second in the balance. From there, it was really just a matt er of holding his nerve, but five more wins meant that he was in a position to put it beyond doubt at Phillip Island. And that he did, keeping his powder dry with 5-8 results. Roche finished the championship on 382pt, ahead of Fabrizio Pirovano (325), Stephane Mertens (300),…

ALONG WITH Bob Brown’s TT2 Pantah, raced by a young Kevin Magee in the early 1980s, the Gowanloch/Italspares DB1 is part of Australia’s Ducati legend. “The Bimota DB1 we raced at Bathurst and at Daytona’s Battle of the Twins in 1988 weighed 132kg with oil but no petrol and put out 100bhp when we stroked it to 983cc,” Ian Gowanloch remembers. In its ultimate form, Australian 250-350GP champion Chris Oldfield qualified second at Daytona and finished fourth, against the world’s top twins. “The basis of it was the second DB1 race frame ever made,” says Gowanloch. “Arthur Davis and I started with a 750 F1 engine but one day Pete Smith (another famous Ducati tuner) suggested he could stroke it from 61.5mm to 74mm.” The bike competed in several classes, including…

YOUNG KIWI rider Andrew Stroud stunned observers at the 1988 world Superbike finale at Manfeild by qualifying 0.7 seconds behind Davide Tardozzi on a privateer Bimota YB4. However, so close was qualifying that Stroud ended up on the second row. Stroud actually led the field into the first corner in a wet race one. His efforts showed the potential of even a standard-spec YB4IE. This machine actually resurfaced for sale a few years back in “as ridden in 1988” condition.…

RACING WHERE & WHEN RIDE DAYS & SCHOOLS Phillip Island Ride Days / 0490 281 840 Phillip Island, Vic Sydney Motorsport Park Ride Days/0490 281 840 SMSP, NSW Murray Valley Training Co 0459 415 787 Barnawartha North, Vic Champion’s Ride Days (07) 3287 4144 Broadford, Vic Collie Motorplex, WA Morgan Park, Qld The Bend, SA Trakdayz 0401 484 898 Barbagallo, WA California Superbike School / 1300 793 423 Phillip Island, Vic SMSP, NSW Broadford, Vic Morgan Park Qld Mount Gambier MCC Coaching / Ride Days 0448 951 163 Mac Park, SA Ride-Tek MTA 1300 788 382 Sandown, Vic Ridedays WA (08) 9409 1002 Barbagallo, WA Collie, WA Top Rider 1300 131 362 Various venues, Qld Phoenix MCC Junior Coaching 0403 386 788 Tailem Bend, SA Mallala, SA RALLIES & SHOWS…

“THE MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY IS SLOWLY FINDING… STRATEGIES TO GET THESE PEOPLE ONTO MOTORCYCLES” AH, THE internet can be such a cruel world. Recently a mate sent me some keyboard bumpf explaining why Generation X is only buying a few motorcycles, and the Millennials pretty much none. There was a list of reasons for this, which must be a worrying trend for anyone involved in motorcycling, whether it’s making, selling or buying them. These ranged from younger generations of potential buyers being: Unable to get their phone to their ear with a helmet on (they obviously haven’t yet heard of Aussie start-up Forcite helmets); the handlebar has buttons and levers so can’t be controlled by a touch screen; they have to change gears manually and use some strange device called a…

DIFFERENT YEAR, but same old story? The first MotoGP test of the year at Sepang certainly suggested as much, as Ducati picked up from where it left off in November. The winner of last year’s triple crown flexed its muscles in the blistering Malaysian heat, with Mooney VR46’s Luca Marini leading reigning world champion Pecco Bagnaia (Lenovo Ducati) with a lap of 1m57.889s. More worryingly for its opponents, seven of the eight Ducati riders occupied the first nine places. Meanwhile, Yamaha and Honda, always playing catch up to their Italian adversaries through 2022, couldn’t match the speed of the Desmosedicis here. The 2021 world champ Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) was a worrying 17th at the end of day three, while Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) wore a face of resignation…

AFTER A year of surgery, 53-year-old Aussie Andrew Houlihan has won the opening round of BAJA World Cup’s veterans' class. Held on the Iberian Peninsula and riding a Husqvarna RFR450 prepped by Mishal Agihuneim at the Saudi Dirt Bike Centre, the cup is a series of two-day sprints over the type of terrain encountered in the Dakar – mostly sand dunes. Sixth in the prologue saw Houlihan start second on the first leg and he soon found himself leading, suffering an inevitable navigational mistake and then exhaustion after pushing too hard attempting to make up time. “I can ride 600km a day on our sandiest tracks back home,” he said. “But after 250km of the Saudi desert I’m completely knackered!” A mid-pack start position the following day made navigation a…

TWO SEPARATE crashes during the New Zealand Hillclimb Champs have landed five people in hospital, one in a critical condition. Held in Southland’s Bluff as part of the annual Burt Munro Challenge, the first incident occurred just after 11am, with the second occurring a few hours later. Spectators were removed from the hill after the second incident, and racing continued. Organisers said it was the 16th time the event had been run, and the first to record such incidents.…

AFTER INTRODUCING the 649cc Seiemmezzo roadster and similarly powered X-Cape adventure bike (pictured, bott om), Moto Morini is now taking on the cruiser and heavyweight adventure markets. The cruiser’s engine, as on the other two models, is borrowed from CFMoto, which uses the same power unit in the 650NK, MT and GT models, so should be good for around 45kW (60hp) and 54Nm of torque. The frame is model-specific with a low seat height, long wheelbase and a stretched-out rake. Suspension is a conventional fork and twin rear shocks, while the styling is similar to Honda’s Rebel 500 or Kawasaki’s Vulcan S. Morini is also planning a range of 750cc V-twin models with a new, 72kW (96hp) engine that’s yet to be seen. Morini has also talked of a 900cc…

Achange of date and venue brings Bike Fest Oz 2023 (BFO) into the motorcycle retail hub of the Gold Coast and coincides with a major motoring event. Bike Fest Oz 2023 now takes place over 7-11 June and is based on Queensland’s Gold Coast, rather than northern NSW. The new date coincides with Coolangatta’s annual Cooly Rocks On festival that celebrates the cars and lifestyle of the 1950s and 60s. Cooly Rocks On recently won gold in the Major Festivals and Events category at the Queensland Tourism Awards. BFO promotor Chris Beattie said that while northern NSW tourism businesses were committed to his event, local government authorities simply weren’t. “They were actually incredibly hostile to the idea of motorcyclists visiting the Tweed and other NSW coastal regions and spending their…

Access, AMCN, PO Box 6, Bittern, Vic, 3918 access@amcn.com.au LETTER OF THE ISSUE Good advice Regarding Brian Breakey’s Face off letter (AMCN Vol 72 No 15), if your choice of helmet is an open-face, please remember to SLIP SLOP SLAP. You don’t want to lose your nose to skin cancer. Wayne Nikitin via email Happenstance I refer to the feature on the TZ250s and TZ350 in the latest issue (AMCN Vol 72 No 15). What a coincidence… I was just given this book Yamaha Two Stroke Production Roadracing Motorcycles by the author, Greg Bennett, it was written in 2006. Greg now lives and works in Crookwell, New South Wales. Richard Stevens via email Pack it in Even though I am a die-hard internal combustion engine fan, I am mildly interested…

THE FIRST thing to say is if you like the look and specs of the latest S 1000 R M-Sport and you’re thinking of buying one, just do it. It’s a fabulous bike and I highly doubt you’ll be disappointed. My journey to S 1000 R ownership was a convoluted one. Having owned a bunch of retro-style nakeds, sportsbikes, tourers and even adventure bikes over the years, I have always been comfortable riding diffyerent styles of machines. It’s about enjoying their unique qualities and being happy that you are on something well engineered and with two wheels. But when I decided that I wanted to get back into trackdays after many years away, my choices narrowed considerably. I also wanted the bike to be road legal so, long story short,…

WorldSBK rookie Remy Gardner completed two two-day tests in Europe before heading to Phillip Island for the 2023 championship curtain-raiser next weekend. Inside the top-10 on his very first outing aboard the GYTR GRT Yamaha YZF-R1 on the opening day at Jerez, it was a more impressive showing than it may seem given the young Aussie’s recent experience riding only prototype machinery and on very different tyres. “It was good fun, very different from what I’m used to,” he said after his first outing on the 1000cc inline four-cylinder Yamaha. “I think the tyres at the moment are the biggest thing and understanding how much confidence and support the front tyre gives. I did lots of laps [on the first day], like 80-something laps, which is crazy, but I think…

Was it a round of the Australian Superbike Championship or Superbike World Championship? A cursory glance would have created some confusion, such was the local interest in the inaugural WorldSBK round at Phillip Island with a bevy of wildcard entries. And the reason? Aussie superbike technical regulations in the late 1980s and early 1990s were in sync with the FIM rules, which obviously made racing in the world title a far more att ractive proposition – and the prizemoney on off er wasn’t too bad either! “I loved those days, when national teams could compete and be competitive,” said Peter Goddard. “Aussie teams built great bikes – as they do now, but the gulf between the technical regs is now just too much.” Steve Martin agrees. “The Aussie bikes weren’t…

IN THE process of promoting the idea in Europe of a world Superbike championship, former US racer Steve McLaughlin created an unlikely alliance with New Zealand sports marketing firm Global Sports and Promotions. They created Sports Marketing which, as well as establishing the Superbike World Championship in 1988, became a pioneer in getting guaranteed worldwide television coverage. Even the GP organizers hadn’t achieved consistent coverage on this scale. However, the venture was always cash-strapped and the NZ round was dropped after two seasons.…

“THE LIGHTNESS is the secret.” Those are the words of Massimo Tamburini, the original brains behind Bimota. This tiny operation has had a major impact on motorcycling since 1973. It survived by racing what it sold, starting with a Honda CB750. Tamburini and his friends turned a 220kg production road-going motorcycle into a handcrafted piece of two-wheeled racing art weighing just 170kg. Soon customer orders flooded in and what started as a hobby for Valerio Bianchi, Giuseppe Morri and Tamburini became Bimota (an abbreviation of all their surnames). The little company first hit world headlines in 1980 when GP privateer Jon Ekerold won the 350cc world championship on a Bimota powered by a Yamaha two-stroke engine. Bimota later broke new ground in motorcycle design with the centre-hub-steering Tesi and GP-inspired…