Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 72 Issue 19 i Australian Motorcycle News

Kawasaki’s plans for a hydrogen future are progressing quickly, and Australia is already part of its strategy. Last week the Japanese giant filed new trademark applications for the title “HySE” and a logo that depicts a water droplet on two wheels (water is the main emissions of hydrogen-fuelled technology). Motorcycles are a very small part of the overall Kawasaki conglomerate. Kawasaki Heavy Industries covers heavy equipment, aerospace and defence equipment, railway rolling stock and shipping. All these segments are developing alternative fuel strategies. KAWASAKI’S FIRST PROTOTYPE ENGINE WAS A DIRECT FUEL-INJECTED VERSION OF THE NINJA H2’S SUPERCHARGED FOUR-CYLINDER Last year Kawasaki used a shipment of hydrogen gas from Australia to use in an electricity power generation demonstration in Japan. To do this it built the world’s first liquefied hydrogen bulk…

“I remember the classic races of Valentino Rossi vs Nicky Hayden. These guys were heroes. So cool. I thought something thematic was needed that encapsulated it”Hollywood composer Marco Beltrami explains his season 2023 MotoGP title music. 326 All 22 riders entered for MotoGP 2023 have had GP victories in at least one class, with a total of 326 wins between them. That’s a lot of Prosecco! MENTAL TWISTIES Last issue’s winner of the AMCN neck sock for correctly identifying all five changes to the pic of a KTM-mounted Jack Miller in Moto3 is Troy Damon. 1. Dunlop sticker 2. Logo erased 3. Oils backwards 4. Shoe colour 5. Rossi watching WICK FLICK TIX High five to the 10 winners who picked up double passes to see John Wick: Chapter 4…

Back in the mid-1970s, with the inaugural Katherine Carnival imminent, riding mates John Pfitzner and Lofty Evans found themselves at a meeting hosted by carnival organiser Sylvia Wolfe. Sylvia was casting about for ideas that would provide some novel excitement for tourists visiting the Northern Territory other than the standard bull-riding and camp-drafting demonstrations. Possibly John and Lofty had had a beer or two when they suggested they could put on a show by riding a bike under the Katherine River. Impossible said the committee, but John – who’d done some scuba diving while sandblasting the insides of oil tankers in Norway – told Lofty ‘you get the bike and I’ll do the rest.’ Lofty, the local bike dealer, had nothing suitable in his shop, but Hans Van Santen, the…

Quite a few moons ago, I spent a bit of time with Super Soco’s first foray into the Australian market, the TS1200R. Akin to a 50cc moped at the time, it had a top speed of about 60km/h and by today’s standards was a bit slow off the line. But it met its across-town design brief beautifully and you forgave any of its misgivings for the novelty of what was then new technology. Now, four years later almost to the day, I’m riding the third iteration of that small-capacity commuter in the TC Max and the technology has improved a lot. Gone is the 2400W hub-driven motor from the rear wheel, in its place a belt final drive from a more conventionally mounted 3900W Bosch motor. It’s 28kg heavier than…

With seven of the tastiest nakedbikes on the market lined up for our shootout, we needed an equally tasty test route. And with all the riders Sydney based (or thereabouts) we decided to head north to one of our favourite haunts, one that we hadn’t visited for several years: the Oxley Highway between Walcha and Wauchope, inland of NSW’s mid-north coast. The 2019 bushfires decimated this section of the Oxley and, thanks to Covid lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, roadworks to tidy up the mess left behind are only now being completed. Our accommodation would be at the famous Gingers Creek Bush Resort; it too had suffered in the bushfires, but proprietor Gary has been busy upgrading the accommodation which is now better than ever. Our route took us up…

The Ducati Streetfighter V2 might not have been our first choice for this test (we asked for the V4 S) but thanks to its character-laden 955cc Superquadro V-twin engine, straight out of the Panigale V2, it certainly didn’t disappoint. The 90-degree V-twin makes a claimed 112kW (150hp) at 10,750rpm and 101Nm at 9000rpm and, while those claimed performance outputs are well shy of some of the other bikes in this shootout, they are almost a match for the larger capacity four-cylinder Suzuki GSX-S1000. The Streetfighter is the polar opposite of the BMW S 1000 R, in that the Italian gets all narky, hot and bothered when riding at low speeds or in traffic, whereas the Beemer feels content to poke along and keep its cool. And with the mercury well…

As the pandemic gradually disappears, in its aftermath the global motorcycle industry continues to experience rapid growth. Leading this charge among European companies is the KTM Group, whose parent company Pierer Mobility finished 2022 on a continued high after a 12th successive record year which saw sales of its three current brands KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas, continue spiralling upwards to 375,452 motorcycles, an increase of 13 percent. Of those, 268,575 carried the KTM badge, 75,266 were Husqvarnas and 31,651 GasGas motorcycles were sold. Add to that the 118,465 bicycles and e-bikes sold in the same period (up 15 percent), and the company’s overall revenue increased to €2.437 billion ($A3.898b), up 19 percent year-on-year. This resulted in an EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) gross profit of €235 million ($A375m), a…

The Post Classic Racing Association of NSW took on a mighty challenge by hosting the 2023 Festival of Speed at Sydney Motorsport Park and introducing ‘international’ rules for the new class called Unchained Formula One. Before the event, club president Ken Lindsay said that including what he called “international rule classic machines” would provide “entertainment for all tastes”. He described the new Unchained Formula One class as “a more open combination of Australian, New Zealand, USA and British historic rules” – and it certainly provided racing as intense and skilled as any modern class of competition. Hopefully next year’s event will bring out the remaining big-name Australian teams which previously competed in the International Challenge at Phillip Island but have gone into hibernation since 2020. While it will take years…

“NEW HELPINGS AT THE AERO FEAST, WITH SO MANY NEW DISHES BEGINNING TO LOOK LIKE GLUTTONY” BACK IN racing’s second decade, aerodynamics became important. Dramatically handsome swooping dustbin fairings enclosed the front wheel… only to be banned on safety grounds (including brake cooling) in 1957. Seven decades later some, including FIM president Jorge Viegas, are advocating a new aerodynamic ban. Reasons again include brake cooling, among other safety aspects. Others are purely aesthetic. Contemporary MotoGP bikes now look so weird that even the most slavish stylist, turning racing trends into fashion, won’t rush to imitate Yamaha’s laughable inverted seat-back triangle (seen at Portimao tests). There’s a strong argument against outlandish MotoGP developments. Much of its appeal (vaulting power and supersticky tyres apart) is just how close the bikes are to…

A SIGN OF things to come? Twenty-nine of the 30 men on this year’s Moto2 grid will hope not, after Pedro Acosta (Ajo Kalex) posted a performance of ominous control to win round one. This 21-lap race was poised for an all-Spanish last-lap as Aron Canet (Pons Kalex) stalked his compatriot’s every move from the second lap, when Acosta had taken control and the pair separated themselves from the chasing pack. But the 2021 Moto3 World Champ clearly had something in reserve as he edged toward the chequered flag. From lap 17 of 21, Acosta was able to lower his times to the mid-1m42s at will. Initially Canet hung on, only to experience drastically deteriorating front grip on the penultimate lap. Suddenly Acosta’s lead was up to 0.8sec, and he dragged…

TIGHT SCHEDULING saw the Supersport 300 Championship and R3 Cup run together at SMSP, with Brandon Demmery (Sureflight Yamaha R3) proving the class of the field, taking two race wins and a second. Jai Russo (Russo Performance R3) took second with Cameron Swain (Caboolture Yamaha R3) third and Brodie Gawith (Megacycle R3) close behind in fourth position. Swain attempted a break away in Race 2 only to be reeled in by Demmery with Russo, Gawith and Snell all part of the large lead group. Holding back for a slipstreaming move runs the risk of being behind in case of a red flag, and with six laps completed a crash for Brock Quinlan (RaceDNA Motorsports R3) realised this situation. The winner: Swain by a mere 0.016sec, with Demmery second and Russo third.…

JARED MEES (Indian Motorcyle) has won the Yamaha Senoia Short Track over the weekend, pegging back important championship points against Estenson Yamaha rival Dallas Daniels. Mees attempted to make a break in the main event but instead was made to work hard, eventually prevailing by 0.174 seconds from Daniels, with Estenson teammate JD Beach finishing third. “Man, that was a duel… a battle… a fist fight in a phone booth,” Mees said. “We rode super clean; we didn’t touch – we came really close – but I didn’t want to give that one up. Dallas is super hungry, and you can see it in his riding.” Daniels now has 71 points thanks to his double victory at the Daytona season opener, with Mees closing on 57. In AFT Singles, Max…

The full extent of Aprilia’s aerodynamic advances was on full display at MotoGP’s opening round last weekend but behind the scenes its technicians are working on even more radical approaches. This time the focus is on reducing the awkward lump on the top of its RS-GP race bike – the rider. With strict limits on bodywork changes that can be made during the season, the riders’ suits could be an additional route to improved top speeds. So Aprilia has applied for a patent on a set of aerodynamically improved leathers that are intended to get rid of wrinkled leather surfaces and smooth out the bulges and dips on the shape of a tucked-in rider, while simultaneously improving their protective abilities. It all has to be done without hampering all-important rider…

A BUDGET version of BMW’s E-Power Roadster is under development using elements of the CE-04 electric scooter and single-cylinder G 310 R. This follows a trend AMCN has observed recently where major brands are shying away from the challenge of making high-performance, long-range models in favour of small, city-oriented scooters and commuters. The cost of batteries and electric motors, as well as the diminishing returns as bigger battery packs add ever more weight, mean it’s difficult and expensive to make a long-range, high-performance two-wheeled EV. So while BMW has shown big electric motorcycle prototypes in the form of the E-Power Roadster and Vision DC, the first showroom model will be much smaller. And that’s precisely what’s shown in a new patent application, which appears to be built around existing components…

A strong response to the Official BFO warm-up party announced in AMCN last issue has prompted organisers to make it a two-day event. Running over 22-23 April, the Saturday performance by the Feramones at Kingscliff Beach Hotel will be followed by a Sunday ‘recovery session’ at the nearby Chinderah Tavern with Fat Albert as the headline act. This hard-rocking band is a staple support for some of Australia’s biggest acts, and is a local favourite in Northern NSW and the Gold Coast-Brisbane area. As well as music, the two days include participation by the local motorcycle industry, bike displays, a fashion parade and giveaways. Entry is free and all riders and all types of bikes are welcome. Both pub venues are located just off the M1 interstate and within a…

The latest update to Husqvarna’s travel weapon makes a bold statement. Emblazoned on the side of it is the word ‘Expedition’, and here in Cape Town, South Africa, that’s exactly what I’m about to do. South Africa, with its epic scenery, twisty bitumen roads and off-road terrain that is bliss for enduro-course designers, is the perfect proving ground for an adventure motorcycle. You’re hooting along on loose gravel, you turn a corner and suddenly you are in rutted-out sand with rocks thrown in for good measure. Five minutes later you’re splashing through deep mud from some overnight rain. It feels like a whole other world and the Norden 901 Expedition thrives in it. The model is an evolution of the already capable Norden 901, with both bikes to feature in…

Let’s get this out of the way: the Aprilia Tuono V4 has the best front-end and sweetest engine of any hypernaked on the market! I loved the Tuono V4 from the first moment I rode one. It’s one of those bikes that has you feeling like you could actually put a motorcycle on the front row of a grid despite a lack of talent. The S 1000 R is much the same, but the Aprilia also has the 65° 1077cc V4 that is one of the sweetest engines to ever be shoehorned into a motorcycle frame. Figures consist of 129kW (175hp) of power and 121Nm of torque but that doesn’t tell the full story. There’s mountains of top-end but what makes the Tuono such a good proposition for the road…

When I first rode the RS I was a bit nonplussed. It looks cool, the finish and attention to detail is excellent and the engine sounds great but the bike wasn’t making me grin like some of the others. Turns out the Speed Triple is one of those bikes that needs to be pushed to really appreciate how good it can be. I’m not the only one of the group to have ridden the RS in MOTY 2021 and came away thinking ‘it’s okay’, but after having had the chance to really push the RS I’m now thinking ‘holy hell, that’s good’. The RS looks and feels small and skinny which instils a lot of confidence– it’s like being on a wider than average enduro bike. The RS’s frontend isn’t…

When the first MotoGP rules were first announced, Suzuki and Yamaha went away and pretty much shoehorned 990cc four-stroke engines into revised 500 chassis, while Honda started all over. The result was the RC211V, arguably the greatest GP bike of all time, with an ingenious engine configuration at its heart. “Soon these bikes will become legends,” said Valentino Rossi at the end of the five-year reign of the first big-bore MotoGP bikes, the wild 990cc four-strokes that arrived in 2002 and were foolishly replaced by the hated, peaky 800s in 2007. Many MotoGP paddock insiders and fans still remember the 990 years as a golden moment of motorcycle excitement. You could argue that although the era started in 2002 it only really got going the following year, when Ducati’s mind-bogglingly…

16 APRIL 2023 Mirboo North Motorcycle Swap Meet Castle Street Oval, Mirboo North (Vic). Coffee and barbecue on site, and entry is $10 per person. Gates open at 6:30am for setup. For more information on the bi-annual event, tel 0428 684 267, look up ‘mirboo north motorcycle show’ on Facebook or email mirboo.n.motorcycle.show@outlook.com. 6 MAY 2023 Dubbo Motorbike Rally Dubbo, NSW. From Harleys to Hondas, Buells to Beemers and Piaggios to posties – all bikes and riders welcome. The event will be held in Talbragar Street from 9am to 4pm (you can park in ‘Bike Street’ any time, for as long as you like, during this period). Just don’t leave your ride at the motel, as everyone else wants to see it too! There will be stalls, entertainment, local rides…

“BRUCE WAS THE BACKBONE OF ALL THE GOOD TIMES” AS THE ROLLER door came down, a big black crow turned a yellow eye our way before flapping over the roof. I thumbed the GS into life with trepidation, 55 years of motorcycling makes a bloke superstitious. Maybe we’re too late? Maybe it’s Bruce? There’s nothing lower on the emotional rollercoaster than a visit to say goodbye to a mate. My head’s screaming. It’s not right: a lifelong hard-riding motorcyclist taken out by cancer in an organ you’ve never heard of? Where’s the bloody justice in that? What happened to the bloke who figured if he got clocked by coppers on his Ducati 996 at silly speeds he’d be better off not stopping? A year ago we were lugging filing cabinets…

MARC MARQUEZ was under fire after a wild Sunday in Portugal ended in a collision that bruised Miguel Oliveira’s right hip, as well as potentially damaging some ligaments, and breaking a toe on Jorge Martin’s right foot. What’s more, he suffered a potentially fractured first metacarpal in his right hand, which was operated on Sunday evening. While he was handed a double longlap penatly for the upcoming race in Argentina, some of his peers called for a tougher sanction. “What they said in the pre-race briefing was if you keep doing things, you will get stronger penalties,” said Martin. “He keeps doing the same, so he needed to get a stronger penalty. But we all know it’s Marc and they will do nothing – it’s a shame.” Aleix Espargaro went one…

JONATHAN REA has topped the timesheets after a two-day test at Motorland Aragon – although his main title rivals weren’t in attendance. In terms of series regulars, it was himself and his KRT teammate Alex Lowes, HRC’s Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona and WorldSBK rookie Bradley Ray (Motoxracing Yamaha), while Florian Marino tested for the Kawasaki squad and Isaac Vinales for TPR. In terms of the combined times, only 0.103sec separated Rea from Lowes in fourth place, after two warm and dry days of action. Mandalika podium getter Vierge was second quickest ahead of Lecuona, while Ray only got in laps on the afternoon of the second day, after some technical issues, placing him fifth. Australian Luke Power was also in attendance, along with his new Motozoo Racing by Puccetti WorldSSP…

APRILIA’S PARENT company is really pushing the envelope at the moment with rider tech, not just in MotoGP. Last issue we revealed Honda’s plans for detachable airbags; now we can confirm Piaggio will incorporate airbag technology into its MP3 scooter. At last November’s EICMA show, Piaggio displayed a prototype version of the MP3 530 with an airbag built into the front fairing. Now a patent filing shows more detail and why the MP3 is particularly well-suited for this. Airbags have been available on Honda’s Goldwing since 2006 but the idea hasn’t spread. That’s because very few bikes hold their riders in a predictable position and also have a low centre of gravity that reduces the chance of it flipping forward in a frontal crash. The long and low Piaggio MP3 fulfils…

HUSQVARNA WAS so confident in its creation of the Norden 901 Expedition that once designed and built, it sent it out for the ultimate test with none other than five-time Dakar Rally winner, Frenchman Cyril Despres. A perfect choice to put such a bike to the test. But he couldn’t go on his own and would need someone equally as crazy, if not as fast, so Cyril’s professional explorer mate Mike Horn – who’d hardly ridden motorcycles – accepted the challenge. Horn has crossed both the North and South poles on foot and has swum the entire length of the Amazon River. After some minor planning, they set off on an expedition to cross Mongolia diagonally on Norden 901 Expeditions. They crossed rivers, traversed sand dunes covered in snow, and…

KTM’s 1290 Super Duke R is not the most powerful hypernaked on the market, there are bikes that handle better and machines that stop better, too – but I won’t even try and hide the fact that I’ve loved the Super Duke since when I first rode one in 2020. I haven’t had an opportunity to spend any meaningful time with the Super Duke in the last three years, but riding it again was like meeting your favourite musician and not coming away disappoined; I quickly remembered why I loved the KTM so much. It’s not for everyone though, as the mighty V-twin engine isn’t refined or sweet. It’s angry and hits hard when you open the throttle. It can be snatchy and noisy if you try and accelerate in…

“NOW 100 PERCENT OF MY TIME AND EFFORT WILL BE FOCUSED ON MAKING THE MOST OF THE OPPORTUNITY AT THE WORLD FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS” IT’S BEEN a wild start to the year for me with the massive news that I will be competing in the FIM World Flat Track Championship to be held throughout Europe between August and October. The five-round series starts in Manchester in the UK and finishes in Morizes, France, in October. The tracks are mostly between 300-500 metres in length and most are usually used for speedway. There was a bit of a push a few years ago to get some Australians to compete, but the calendar was so spread out it was always difficult, travel-wise. Now the schedule is tighter, so it’s easier for international…

THE INAUGURAL MotoGP Sprint race was 12 laps of thrilling action that resulted in Pecco Bagnaia beating Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez in a fiveway fight. But conversely Luca Marini wiped out Enea Bastianini on the second lap, Joan Mir crashed into Fabio Quartararo on lap one and, with reduced practice time, riders were forced to take more risks. Marini explained a reason for the aggression on show. “It’s a bigger risk for everybody,” he said. “Because there are 12 riders fighting for the podium instead of six.” The grid understands how to approach a race at full distance, whereas this format is still new. “I think we can train ourselves making sprint races, and understand a little bit better also how to manage,” he said. “Because we know very…

THE 2023 FIM MiniGP Australia Series kicked off at the Port Melbourne Go Kart Track on 11-12 March, with Cameron Dunker and Harrison Watts jointly taking the round win in the newly formed 190cc class, while Jake Paige recorded a double victory to take out the 160cc spoils. ASBK regular Levi Russo took pole position with a 51.768s lap. Russo continued his form throughout Race 1, battling with ASBK Supersport champ Dunker and leading until lap 14. A move from Dunker saw them both run off track, leaving last year’s 160cc championship winner Watts capitalise and claim victory. Dunker made it back on track for second place, while Hudson Thompson completed the podium. Race 2 saw disaster for Russo again, this time losing the front on the opening lap. This…

As a guy, I see things through the lens of a guy. Collectively, are men doing their bit to include women or can we do more? From my experience, the men in our sport are supportive and committed to building upon the participation of women. The barriers which exist for women participating in motorsport cannot be soley attributed to the attitude of men. Historically, the sport has been male dominated and, as such, the sport became largely structured to appeal to a male audience. Together with our male colleagues, we are working on redeveloping certain aspects of the sport to be more inclusive of women and make the sport more inviting for women to participate. The initiatives we work on at Motorcycling Australia range from grassroots level all the way…

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… even to bed if you’re on an AMCN shootout and you have a drone buzzing around above you piloted by a somewhat inebriated workmate who doesn’t know when it’s time to down tools and get some shuteye. Give it a rest, PV!…