Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 73 Issue 01 i Australian Motorcycle News

“MATHO TELLS US THAT IN HIS FIRST PROPER JOB HE WAS HAMISH’S COPYBOY. OY. SMALL WORLD, EH?” I WAS up in Queensland riding Suzuki’s fabulous new GSX-8S midsize nakedbike last week when news came through that Triumph had ripped the covers off a new 400cc single-cylinder retro machine that will, like Royal Enfield’s similarly sized single-cylinder retros, be built in India – firstly to cater to that country’s massive and still rapidly growing market before then being shipped off for consumption around the rest of the world. And a good-looking machine it is, too. Under that retro skin lies a thoroughly modern motorcycle with a liquid-cooled 398cc DOHC engine, a slipper and assist clutch, switchable TC, USD fork and monoshock rear-end with an alloy swingarm. Initially there will be two…

CHINESE BRAND Zeths has plans to expand into new markets and this – the ZFR500R (below, left) – is the first indication of how it will do it. It’s the 1980s-inspired bodywork that grabs the attention first, with overtones of old endurance racebikes. Behind the circular headlights set in a bullet-nosed fairing, the Zeths’ bodywork is all-enveloping and relatively free of angles. Underneath lies an aluminium beam frame, with an USD fork and a single-sided swingarm, plus Brembo brakes and the inevitable colour TFT dash.. Power comes from a Zeths-made 494cc parallel twin engine rated at 39.6kW (53.8hp), so no superbike performance, – but with a wet weight of 194kg it should be adequate. The Zeths isn’t the only retro-inspired, alloy-framed sportsbike to appear in Chinese type-approvals. The AW500N (below, right), which…

YEARS OF spy photos of a KTM 390 Duke replacement seems to be coming to an end, with the project spawning Husqvarna-branded derivatives as seen in what we believe to be the replacement for the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401. And all manufactured by Bajaj, so it could be the toughest rival to Triumph’s new Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X in 2024. Despite the Bajaj connection, the KTM and Husqvarna machines (and probably a duo of GasGases as well) share nothing with the new Triumphs. Sure, they’re all DOHC, single-cylinder bikes of around 400cc, but the Triumphs are completely different. Most obviously, the new KTM/Husqvarna’s layout is reversed compared to the Triumph’s; the Triumph’s output sprocket is on the right, the KTM/Husqvarna’s is on the left. The engine sits in a new…

Electric car sales are increasing rapidly and the latest models’ large batteries and fast-charging abilities eliminate concerns about range anxiety, but we’ve yet to see anything comparable in the motorcycle market as manufacturers continue to wrestle to create EV two-wheelers that are better than the existing petrol-powered machines. And that’s the key to success. The recent boom in electric car sales might be partially encouraged by tax breaks or the prospect of lower running costs, but the real tipping point that’s drawing customers in their direction is the fact they’re now better than combustion engine vehicles in many ways. Instant torque, plentiful power, unbeatable smoothness and increasingly affordable pricing means that for many drivers they’ve become the logical choice rather than the eco-friendly statement that they once represented. But on…

OVER THE past year and a half, it’s been tempting to wonder whether Jake Dixon (Aspar Kalex) would ever win a Moto2 race. But the Englishman made good on his weekend promise to take a late victory away from resurgent Japanese star Ai Ogura (HTA Kalex) with two laps to go in a chaotic encounter. Both Ogura and Dixon slotted in behind polesitter Alonso Lopez (Speed Up Boscoscuro) at the start, while Pedro Acosta (Ajo Kalex) struggled off the line, and was stationed behind Fermin Aldeguer (Speed Up Boscoscuro) and Albert Arenas (Ajo Kalex). But Acosta was past them both by the third lap. By lap seven he was with the lead trio, yet it was Dixon who then made his move. Past Ogura on lap nine, he took the…

TWO DAYS OF domination in the results, and the seventh and eighth 2023 race wins for the championship leader do not tell the whole story of the Donington WorldSSP weekend. Not by a long way. Superpole in WorldSSP was taken by Nico Bulega, from Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Ducati). The ever-present Ten Kate Yamaha threat of Stefano Manzi was third on the grid. Manzi would rise to second in the race, but there was no stopping Bulega who added the race win to his new Superpole record of 1m29.323s and lap record of 1m29.511s. Manzi closed in to just over a second off the Aruba Ducati rider at the flag, after 19 laps, with Montella third for his team’s first ever WorldSSP podium. Federico Caricasulo (Althea Ducati) finished in…

ZONTES IS another of those up-and-coming Chinese brands that is starting to get noticed. With many rivals shifting to parallel-twin engines, Zontes is planning to leapfrog them with a self-developed three-cylinder engine due to appear in a range of bikes later this year. Prototypes of a sportsbike, a roadster and an adventure bike have all been spotted testing the engine, which will appear in a variety of capacities from 650cc to 1000cc. The engine takes design cues from Yamaha’s MT-09 with the cylinders cast as one piece with the upper crankcase rather than being a boltedon part. Zontes says its will have higher-performance than the Yamaha triple, with a 13.5:1 compression ratio and the ability to rev beyond 13,000rpm. Like the MT-09, the Zontes uses a two-piece cast aluminium frame. As…

IN THE UK, the company has adopted a direct-sales model, leveraging the relative simplicity of electric motorcycles to dodge the need for an extensive dealer network. Instead, bikes are ordered online and delivered to their buyers’ doors by dedicated vans. There’s no self-assembly required and the company provides at-home service support using its own travelling mechanics. In Australia, there will be a more conventional buying set-up, as Maeving says it’s inked a deal with an established distributor to provide the bikes through an existing dealer network.…

AIR YOUR THOUGHTS OR VENT YOUR SPLEEN Access, AMCN, PO Box 6, Bittern, Vic, 3918 access@amcn.com.au POEM OF THE ISSUE Little ditty Here is a ditty I wrote about the riding experience of me and my mate. It pretty much sums up the average Joe Blow rider that just wants to get on and go. Riding Mates It was a clear chilly day in the middle of any May. That this pair of crazy riders looked to start up and ride away. The machines were ready and we were eager to go for a ride. Time to meet up, go for blast, just you and me, side by side. The cold did not deter our relentless riding desires. To feel the ecstatic freedom that only a ride inspires. Start up…

In physics, all things are connected, which is why technology pioneered in skyscrapers found its way into Formula 1 cars and MotoGP bikes – thanks to a petrol-head astrophysicist. In the 1970s, as skyscrapers grew ever taller, architects ran into a problem: the tallest towers swayed in the wind, giving people motion sickness, at best, and scaring the living daylights out of them, at worst. Engineers from American testing and simulations company MTS Systems solved the problem by inventing the tuned mass damper. Their first, atop Boston’s 60-storey Hancock Tower, featured two 300-tonne lead weights that moved this way and that to stabilise the building. Some years later an astrophysicist and motorcycle nut who had worked at MTS became head of research and development at the Renault Formula 1 team,…

ANOTHER WEEK, another challenge ticked off. Francesco Bagnaia (Lenovo Ducati) ensured the MotoGP field went into the break knowing the number 1 on the front of his machine isn’t just for show by expertly resisting a spirited Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Ducati) charge to reassert some control on title proceedings at Assen. For much of the weekend, it appeared this would be the second round in succession Bagnaia would be usurped by a younger Ducati rival. Young upstart Bezzzecchi was on course to follow Jorge Martin’s (Pramac Ducati) previous week’s feats when he scorched to pole position and a Sprint victory on Saturday, with Bagnaia unable to respond. Yet Bagnaia proved he was more than game for the fight on race day. Experiencing the difficulty of passing Brad Binder (Red…

GAME ON. If Dani Holgado (Tech3 KTM) seemed to have an iron-like grip on the championship until now, that air of control disappeared at Assen. The Spaniard endured a nightmare weekend, qualifying 27th and last before crashing out on the first lap, while closest challenger Jaume Masia (Leopard Honda) took a last-gasp victory. It was a frenetic Moto3 battle, as a lead group of 10 went to war with a number of hair-raising feats into Ramshoek taking the breath away. Disaster was narrowly avoided on several occasions, not least when Romano Fenati (Snipers Honda) pushed Stefano Nepa (MTA Kalex) into polesitter David Muñoz (BOE KTM) on lap 16, with both two KTMs heading off track. But the best was saved to last as Masia led Ayumu Sasaki (IntactGP Husqvarna) into Assen’s…

PEDRO ACOSTA’S recent run means KTM can no longer ignore his rise and the Austrian factory indicated at Assen it will do everything within its means to place the Spaniard in MotoGP next year. As recently as Mugello, the Austrian factory had pleaded with the 19-year-old prodigy to remain in Moto2 for a third year in 2024. But at Assen Acosta declared: “Moto2 is not an option,” believing, “if we continue fighting for the championship this year, maybe that means I’m ready to go to MotoGP.” KTM had previously stated it was more than happy with its current premier class line-up, indicating Acosta may have to look elsewhere to arrive to MotoGP. However, recent memories of losing Jorge Martin to Ducati proved too painful and it is believed it will…

JACK MILLER clarified some outspoken comments made after the German GP in which he implored certain riders not to be “a princess and complain about your bike". The Australian lamented the headlines his quotes caused, calling it “a lot of clickbait and bullshit… at the end of the day, I just want the health of the championship to be better, I want guys to get on with their job and that’s all it is.”…

JARED MEES and the Indian Motorcycle team have prevailed at the West Virginia Half Mile, taking the top spot ahead of KTM 790 Duke-mounted Briar Bauman. Championship leader Dallas Daniels came in third on his Estenson Racing Yamaha in the series’ first visit to Mineral Wells in almost 20 years. “It was one of those tracks where mistakes were so easy to make. You could spin it up, break it in half in the middle of the corner and lose your drive,” Mees said afterwards, adding that he felt Daniels and Bauman had the edge going into the main event. “We made a big shock change before the main… on a track like this it’s probably better to lead and make the guys behind me push a bit harder and make…

JUNIOR CHAMPS OVER 120 riders will contest the Australian Junior Track Championship this coming weekend (8-9 July) at the Barleigh Ranch track just north of Raymond Terrace, NSW. Riders from up and down the east coast, as far away as Melbourne and Townsville, include some who have recently ventured into road racing as well as a contingent who have just returned from contesting the American Amateur Dirt Track Championships. PB SA HOSTS OCEANIA Both the 2024 FIM Oceania Speedway Championship and the FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship will be held at South Australia’s Gillman Speedway early next year. The solo title will be held on Saturday 27 January, while the sidecars will be decided on Saturday 9 March. KB SPEEDWAY CENTURY A TWO-NIGHT super show to celebrate the centenary of…

These new TR-Series singles represent the company’s boldest leap in decades. The first single-cylinder and sub-500cc Triumphs of the John Bloor era they’re aimed not only at introducing a whole new generation of younger riders to the brand but also at the mainstream sections of the vast Asian and Indian markets. In 2017 Triumph announced a tie-in with India’s Bajaj, one of the world’s biggest bike manufacturers, already a stakeholder in KTM’s parent company, and started developing a range that would appeal in both India and the rest of the world. Bajaj has helped with development and production, but the designs are Triumph’s, not rebranded versions of Indian bikes. Triumph Speed 400 THE SPEED 400 is the foundation of the new range and the debut platform for the 398cc TR-Series…

ROCKET MAN Graham Sykes, a 59-year-old Brit, reached 263.6km/h on a UK airfield riding a steam-powered motorcycle he built himself! HOG ROCK Iconic Aussie rock band The Angels has been announced as the headline act this year’s National HOG Rally TAKE IT BACK Both Ducati’s Panigale V2 and Yamaha’s XV250 are being recalled – the sportsbike for its headlights, the cruiser for its spark plugs. VALE DAMON REES Kiwi motorcycle racer Damon Rees, 28, has died in the UK after an unexpected illness. AMCN extends its condolences to his family and friends.…

NEWS The V-twin musclebike that prompted Ducati to take legal action when pictures of a clay model were released (AMCN Vol 58 No 25) has been busted in Bologna. It’s believed the bike will be named Vyper. We’ll need to wait until November’s EICMA to find out. SPORT It is time to get tough on dangerous blocking of some riders, according to Casey Stoner and Ben Spies. Stoner was vocal after he suffered five incidents in qualifying session during the Catalunya GP. Loris Capirossi, Hector Barbera and Aleix Espargaro were pointed out. BIKE TEST Alan Cathcart did his best Bullitt impersonation on the streets of San Francisco riding the Mission One E-Superbike. Producing a claimed 100kW (135hp) and 156Nm, the Mission One is good for a top speed of 257km/h…

FACEBOOK Post of the issue INSTAGRAM @tattoosnob @xfred17 Don’t Forget #amcn_mag Comment of the Issue We’ve seen some hypothetical love children of different motorcycle brands and models over the years, and here’s the latest courtesy of Michael Salamon. “When a Honda CX and Yamaha TDM have children…” 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 to www.facebook.com/aumotorcyclenews AMCN’S WEBSITE IS THE…

BMW R 1250 RS Power 100kW (136hp) Torque 143Nm Weight 243kg (wet, claimed) Fuel Capacity 18 litres Seat height 820mm Price From $25,485 KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE GT Power 128.7kW (172.6hp) Torque 141Nm Weight 209kg (dry, claimed) Fuel capacity 23 litres Seat height 835mm Price $33,165 (ride away) SUZUKI GSX-S1000GT Power 112kW (150hp) Torque 106Nm Weight 226kg (wet, claimed) Fuel capacity 19 litres Seat height 835mm Price $20,090 (ride away)…

Of all Italy’s many defunct marques now to be found in the freezer section of motorcycling’s history store, Laverda is almost certainly the most popular. It has loyal fans all over the world from the USA to Italy, Australia to the Netherlands and the UK to South Africa still hoping it isn’t dead: just resting after the last such bike bearing this historic name was built in 1999. The array of models produced by the firm over its half-century of existence from 1949 onwards continue to exert heartfelt appeal, as manifested by the sea of orange rolling over the Varano circuit north-west of Parma each spring. That’s when laverdisti from all over Europe, headed by ex-company principal Piero Laverda and his son Giovanni, congregate to celebrate the memory of Italy’s…

TOP THREE TV 1 2023 ASBK, Rd5, LIVE SBS and livestream 14-16 JULY Check website and local guides The tension is rising, with Herfoss nipping at the heels of Waters at the pointy end of the championship table, while defending champion Jones is a Morgan Park expert. One not to miss. 2 2023 WorldSBK, Rd7, LIVE Fox Sports, Kayo and Video Pass 14-16 JULY Check website and local guides Imola’s steeped in motorcycle racing history, nestled in the township of the same name. It’s produced some cracking races over the years – Bayliss v Edwards in 2002 the standout – and 2023 should be no exception. 3 2023 World MX, Rd12, LIVE Livestream 16 JULY Check website and local guides It’s a huge calendar, and next up is a trip…

BAGNAIA’S SUNDAY triumph was made all the more remarkable considering how soundly he was beaten the previous day. Like Sunday, this had the ingredients for an all-Ducati, all-Italian scrap early on. Yet not even Bagnaia had an answer for Bezzecchi once the Italian got ahead on lap four. It wasn’t all plain sailing until then. Bagnaia got the jump from Binder, with Bezzecchi leading Quartararo, Marini and Martin in third. But Bezzecchi was on the move as early as lap two, out-braking Binder into De Bult. Then his cut back on the exit of Strubben resulted in him just edging by Bagnaia on the run to Ruskenhoek. He pulled clear from there to win by 1.2sec. Binder crossed the line third. But unknown to him, he was handed a long-lap…

YOU COULD feel the anticipation on the 50,000-strong weekend crowd at Donington: the feeling that someone could displace the astounding combination of Alvaro Bautista and his Aruba Ducati – and maybe even in more than one short race. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) has been brilliant here for years, and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha) scored his first triple header race win at Donington only last year, even in a season in which Bautista would basically dominate. A dry Superpole saw a novelty that was once commonplace, Rea securing a pre-race win. On the new asphalt he posted a 1m26.041s, which was just 0.068sec ahead of Bautista. With Rea also fastest on Friday, thanks to his FP1 dry weather time, things were looking good for scrap up the front of at…

HE WASN’T back on track, but Pol Espargaro returned to the MotoGP paddock for the first time since his career-threatening crash at Portimao to meet up with team members. The Catalan has been recovering from three broken vertebrae and a broken jaw. When it was put to him that KTM is pondering three riders for two seats, Pol quipped: “It’s their problem, not mine. My focus is on recovery, but I have 18 months left on my contract. If I don’t do better results, I’d be glad to move to the side and let a younger guy come in my place. But at the moment I’ll prove I still have some speed.” Espargaro admitted he had considered retirement in the weeks after his crash. But his focus is already on…

THE PREMIER CLASS riders' request to change the current schedule has been rebuked by Ducati, which means it will continue as is until the end of 2023. Riders who convened in the Safety Commission agreed Friday’s P1 should not count toward who qualifies for Q2 in an attempt to limit the intensity of the weekend. This was then discussed among the manufacturers. Four – Honda, Yamaha, Aprilia and KTM – were in favour of the change. One – Ducati – wasn’t, meaning both P1 and P2 will count toward who automatically qualifies for Q2 until the season’s end. “In the Safety Commission all riders were pushing to change the Friday schedule, to make the practice one free, but looks Ducati does not agree. They vote against this,” said Aleix Espargaro.…

DEAN FERRIS (Brisbane Motorcycles Yamaha) dominated proceedings at Round 6 of the ProMX championship in Toowoomba, with the Yamaha rider starting from pole position before easily winning both MX1 motos. The round win sees Ferris move into the title lead, seven points clear of Jed Beaton (Boost Mobile Honda Racing), with defending champ Aaron Tanti (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy) in third. KTM Racing Team’s Nathan Crawford took the overall victory in the MX2 class with 1-2 finishes in Toowoomba. Wilson Todd (Terrafirma Honda Racing) placed second overall (3-1) and retains his lead in the championship over Crawford in second, with Polyflor Honda Racing’s Brodie Connolly in third. Byron Dennis (GasGas) took out the overall victory (2-2) in the MX3 class, increasing his lead in the championship to 25 points clear…

EVER SINCE the BP Sunraysia Rally was resurrected as the Hattah Desert Race, the annual eight-lap, 300km enduro has produced an impressive roster of winners: Ben Grabham, Glenn Kearney, Josh Green, Toby Price, Daniel Milner and Daniel 'Chucky' Sanders – all of whom went on to represent Australia at EnduroGP, the ISDE, GNCC or Dakar. Even with Sanders a nonstarter due to a busted femur, the 2023 Hattah entry was stronger than ever. Fresh from the podium at Finke on his KTM 500, Callum Norton figured he was due for a win after a long string of top fives. Former Australian MX champion Todd Waters was primed to put Husqvarna one step higher on the Hattah podium. They’d be joined by Korey McMahon, winner of the 450 division at this…

KEYNAN REW has lifted himself to equal second after the second of three rounds of the 2023 SGP2 series. Staged in Gorzow, Poland on 23 June, the 20-year-old Queenslander scored 10 points in his heats – the fifth best – before coming from behind to win his semi-final and then finishing second in a hard-fought final. Defending champion Mateusz Cierniak has won both rounds to date – he was unbeaten at Gorzow – and has 40 points with Rew and Poland’s Bartlomiej Kowalski tied on 30, Emil Breum of Denmark on 26, with another Pole Damian Ratajczak on 25. The final round is in Vojens, Denmark on 15 September.…

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 the work of Robin Tuluie, the bike-loving German astrophysicist who’s invented all sorts of cutting-edge technology for F1 and MotoGP – and is now developing an artificial heart! And most of us just feel smug remembering it’s bin night……