Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 73 Issue 14 i Australian Motorcycle News

HONDA MIGHT have only just revamped the CBR1000RR-R SP Fireblade for 2024 but the company has just published a new patent application that appears to show how the same bike might develop further – with a completely new fairing that’s intended to retain the downforce of winglets but without the drag they cause. Redesigned wings are one of the few visible changes to the 2024 Blade, although there are a host of other tweaks under the skin including substantial alterations to the chassis and engine, but they’re still quite conventional – sticking out into the airflow on each side in pursuit of frontend downforce. That means there’s a trade-off, the winglets adding to the bike’s frontal area and increasing drag. The new design hopes to maintain the benefits of the…

KTM HAS huge momentum with the RC16, which it aims to keep going into 2024. In 2021 KTM finished fifth in the MotoGP constructors championship, in 2022 the company finished fourth and last season it finished second. How has KTM done this? Three reasons: big budget, hard work and an aggressive approach to MotoGP’s engineer market. When KTM entered MotoGP in 2017 the RC16 looked very much like a Honda, because that was the winning bike at that time, with Marc Marquez onboard. Since then the MotoGP status quo has totally changed – Ducati is winning everything, so the RC16 is no longer like a Honda. “It always depends on the competition,” says Sebastian Risse, KTM’s MotoGP project manager. “Some years ago the reference was Marc with the Honda and…

THE NEW front tyre uses two compounds, with the outer shoulder sections featuring an all-new compound. The rear, meanwhile, has three compounds with the new compound deployed on the tyre edge (and only likely to be used on track). The S23 retains the S22’s MS-Belt construction. The rear tread pattern design features Bridgestone’s “pulse groove” technology for better wet performance, while both front and rear tread patterns are claimed to optimise both the land:sea ratio (spaces between the blocks of rubber) in the important shoulder area as well as pattern stiffness. In terms of the Bridgestone range, the S23 sits alongside the S22, below the racy RS11 in terms of outright track performance as a fast, all-weather road tyre that can do a job on trackdays too. Luckily, we had…

What if we told you the first successful ‘Superbike’ in Australia was a Yamaha R5 350? It was not known as a Superbike in the early 1970s. The category was Improved Touring. But Tony Hatton’s R5 placed fifth in the 1972 Australian Unlimited TT at Bathurst and all-up earned him one quarter of the price of a house! He also won a New South Wales championship on it in the wet at Oran Park, beating Bryan Hindle on a pure racer Yamaha by half a lap. In 1988 Hatton told me he regretted not taking the machine to England, given the splash Graeme Crosby in 1979 and Wayne Gardner in 1981 made with Moriwaki-Kawasakis the Brits thought were roadbikes, because of their lack of fairings and upright ergonomics. Let’s start…

ROAD RACING ST GEORGE MCC SUMMER NIGHT SERIES Rd3 26-27 Jan, SMSP, NSW Rd4 9-10 Feb, SMSP, NSW AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP Rd1 23-25 Feb, Phillip Island GP Circuit Rd2 22-23 Mar, Sydney Motorsport Park Rd3 26-28 Apr, Queensland Raceway Rd4 12-14 Jul, Morgan Park Raceway Rd5 7-8 Sep, Phillip Island GP Circuit Rd6 4-6 Oct, One Raceway (formerly Wakefield) Rd7 8-10 Nov, Shell V-Power Motorsport Park SA BLU CRU OCEANIA JUNIOR CUP Rd1 22-23 Mar, Cydney Motorsport Park Rd2 26-28 Apr, Queensland Raceway Rd3 12-14 Jul, Morgan Park Raceway Rd4 4-6 Oct, One Raceway (formerly Wakefield) Rd5 TBA Rd6 8-10 Nov, Shell V-Power Motorsport Park SA AUSTRALIAN SIDECAR CHAMPIONSHIP Rd1 2-4 Mar, Collie WA Rd2 16-17 Mar, Shell V-Power Motorsport Park Rd3 6-7 Jul, Sydney Motorsport Park Rd4 15-16 Sep,…

Writing a buying-used article on Harley-Davidson’s flagship Electra Glide model is akin to producing a food review on a McDonald’s menu. It’s a bit difficult to know where to start as the selection is so diverse – plus it’s changed so often over the years. The Electra Glide name can trace its roots back to 1965, although the basis of the model actually stretches back to 1948 with the introduction of the FL(aka Touring) line-up. In recent years it’s been possible to buy a base Electra Glide (FLHT), an Ultra Classic version (FLHTCU), a Limited version (FLHTK) and even an up-spec performance-enhanced CVO Screamin’ Eagle version (FLHTCUSE). Introduced in 1965, the Harley-Davidson FLElectra Glide was the last Harley model fitted with the Panhead engine and the first big Harley-Davidson with…

06 THINGS YOU NEED 1 ALL-SEASONS BOOT Moto National $399.50 (07) 3120 4228 motonational.com.au The new Falco Arrakis is a hybrid adventure-touring boot with a heavy-duty outsole and innovative “winch” quick-reel closure system. Air-Tech ventilated inserts make it an ideal mid-height all-seasons boot while D3O inserts on the ankles provide protection. Available in black and brown in sizes 40-47. 2 GO GREEN Kawasaki Australia $450 na kawasaki.com.au The Ogio/Kawasaki branded Rig 9800 Travel Bag features a SLED (Structural Load Equalizing Deck) system for durability, a wide mouth lid opening for easy access, a large main compartment with adjustable dividers and padded helmet chamber, and several multi-use compartments for apparel and smaller gear. 3 RIDGEY DIDGE Link International $599.95 (07) 3382 5000 merlinbikegear.com.au The Merlin Ridge is made from a combination…

“IT MEANT ON THAT DAY I WAS THE FASTEST SUPERBIKE RIDER IN THE COUNTRY” WE ARE already on the verge of starting a new ASBK season and I can’t tell you all how happy I am to be continuing with Desmosport Ducati for 2024. We had a bit of a mixed 2023 results wise; it was so good to see the team still backed me. When we returned home from The Bend, there were a few weeks where we all just stepped back and didn’t talk about plans for 2024. Honestly, if something hadn’t come off with Desmosport Ducati that was probably me done for racing. The boys knew my position, so I left the ball in their court. I ended up having a chat with Ben (Henry) and discovered…

IT TOOK all of the 113 races for the top three in the Australian Senior Solo Championship to be resolved after an enthralling five-round series which produced a second title win for Rohan Tungate ahead of three-time winner Max Fricke and now deposed champion Jack Holder. Tungate and Fricke were the best to show out in the opening two rounds before Fricke edged ahead going into South Australia’s Gillman finale. The championship was again resolved with all heat points counting to the overall outcome, as well as 4-3-2-1 points for the finishers in each final, but no points for the semi-finals. It is a system that obviously does not make every rider, or fan, happy. WITH FRICKE FIVE POINTS AHEAD OF TUNGATE WITH ONE ROUND TO GO IT WAS CLEARLY…

For the last couple of years Kawasaki has shown drawings of a proposed hydrogen-powered sportsbike as part of its plans to reach net-zero emissions but, at the company’s latest Group Vision 2030 Progress Report Meeting, a real machine was wheeled out for the first time. Based on the H2 SX, the hydrogen-driven prototype uses the same supercharged 998cc four-cylinder engine, modified substantially to burn hydrogen rather than petrol. The required changes include the adoption of direct fuel injection – adding the hydrogen to the combustion chamber after the compressed air from the supercharger has been forced in. That’s vital, as hydrogen takes up a huge amount of space and its stochiometric ratio – the amount of air needed to make it burn properly – is much higher than petrol’s (its…

When Aprilia launched the RS457 paralleltwin sportsbike last September it was likely a naked Tuono 457 would follow. Now, right on schedule, a naked prototype has shown up based on the RS457’s engine and chassis but, rather than being a Tuono, or even an Aprilia, it looks like it’s intended to become part of the Moto Guzzi catalogue. We’d still put money on a Tuono 457 appearing but this prototype doesn’t appear to be that bike. Although we associate Moto Guzzi with its signature V-twin engine layout, that’s only been part of the brand’s identity since 1965. From its foundation in 1921 until then, the company had used other layouts, from singles to the legendary Guzzi V8 and, just as Ducati has moved away from its “only V-twins” heritage, there’s…

“The goal is to reach 40 years old with 40 titles” Repsol Honda’s team manager Takahisa Fujinami can only be talking about one bloke, the 34-time world champ Toni Bou who has just re-signed with the squad for another four years. CLASSIC GASSIT! Because who can’t relate to that?! MENTAL TWISTIES The winner of this issue’s neck sock is James White, who we’re reliably informed had some help from his five-year-old son Jax! 1. Green hat 2. New hat 3. Rossi in crowd 4. Flag gone 5. Green shirt HOT & NOT AMCN’S THERMOMETER FLATOUT LIKE A… The Australian Flat Track Nationals have been awarded Australian Championship status for 2024. The six-round series kicks off on 27 July at Appin, NSW. WAKEFIELD AWAKENS! One Raceway, formerly Wakefield Park, will host…

Anyone who kept a close eye on the goings on at last year’s EICMA motorcycle expo in Milan, Italy, will know Honda quietly ran a renaming broom through its roadbike line-up, presumably to streamline the current model platforms and to make way for new ones. It started with last year’s CB500 line-up; the CB500 nakedbike got shuffled under the Hornet umbrella for 2024 after the CB750 Hornet was added to the stable, while the soft-roader CB500X became the NX500, presumably to form the start of a road-biased adventure touring range – à la NX650 Dominator – while the CB1000R, CB650R and CB300R assumed the sophisticated neo-retro role. So even though an all-new authentically retro-styled 350cc nakedbike would be the perfect platform to tug at the heartstrings of those old enough…

Being told to cease and desist in no uncertain terms by a giant of the automotive world like BMW is a backhanded compliment to your technical endeavour, but even more satisfying must be the confidence to tell them to go and get stuffed! That’s what self-confessed techno-freak Paul Taylor and his mates did back in 1991 when they got a letter from BMW informing them it had seen a photograph of their latest Motodd Laverda 1150 Mk 5 streetbike in the German press, and that its externally conventional but inherently radical front suspension design contravened BMW’s patents. Only one thing wrong, said Taylor at the time, here’s one we did earlier, depicted as it happens in another bike magazine with a publication date some years before your allegedly valid patents.…

For decades I’ve run knobbies on my bush bikes, a string of XTs, KLRs, the Himalayan and the latest, the venerable Suzuki DR650. It didn’t matter what brand as long as they had lumps that’d chuck dirt. Any road bits were treated with caution, especially in the rain, but mud slinging took precedence over scraping corners. That was when my work meant finding out-of-the-way tracks. Recently the Suzuki’s spent more time on tar so, when the knobs flattened out a year ago, I figured I’d try Pirelli’s STRs. There’s only so many roundabouts you can squirrel around with your bum off the seat trying to stay on that flat patch. I’d tried their predecessor, the Scorpion Rallys, on the Himalayan and they transformed the bike to the point where I…

“FIVE IS NOT JUST AN UNUSUALLY LARGE NUMBER TO SWITCH. IT’S A REAL RARITY” WE ARE LOOKING ahead at a 2024 season of transition. Some changes have already begun, others are brewing, as yet in abeyance. But by the end of 2024 there is the potential for a great deal of far-reaching rider swaps and machine exchanges. The main reason is the synchronicity of signings. All but a handful of riders’ contracts are up at the end of 2024: the exceptions being Brad Binder – on at KTM until the end of 2026; Johann Zarco and Luca Marini – Honda, end of 2025; and possibly the sole MotoGP rookie Pedro Acosta, whose exact arrangement with GasGas/KTM is not clear. It throws a greater focus on the five riders who have…

What is the key to finding the perfect route for Dakar? All the ingredients – this means we need the possibility to create a course with dunes, sand, rocks, fast sections, slow sections and navigation. It’s true that today Saudi Arabia offers many possibilities to connect all these factors, which is not always the case elsewhere. The desert is an integral part of the rally. How difficult is it to find a compromise between terrain, navigation and safety? It’s not easy because if we make it too difficult, we can compromise the safety of the event. With navigation, it should not be a lottery, meaning navigation should be challenging enough to bring out the human qualities but not so difficult that winning becomes a matter of luck. So we always…

THE LAUNCH of the KTM 1390 Super Duke in late 2023 means it’s all but inevitable that other models of KTM’s 1290 line-up will be gradually replaced with upsized 1390 models – all gaining variations on the brand’s latest family face and technical upgrades alongside the new LC8 V-twin engine. Despite the name, the latest iteration of KTM’s V-twin engine actually measures 1350cc, while the 1290 came in at 1301cc, so the capacity bump isn’t as big as it first seems. It’s achieved via a 2mm larger bore, up from 108mm to 110mm, alongside the existing 71mm stroke. The more notable change on the 1390 Super Duke’s engine is actually the introduction of a cam-shift variable valve timing and lift system, able to swap between two different intake cam profiles depending…

Back in 2018 Kymco showed its SuperNEX concept to preview the brand’s electric bike plans and a year later the unfaired RevoNEX derivative was shown. Despite both being delayed, updated concepts were shown in late 2022 to confirm the project is still alive. Throughout, one of the key distinguishing features has been the presence of a clutch lever on the left handlebar and a foot-operated gearshift. Although rival EV bikes show that multi-speed transmissions aren’t needed, Kymco is convinced that the interaction and control that they offer is an essential part of the riding experience. However, new patent applications filed by the company have revealed that despite the handlebar lever and foot control, there’s actually no clutch or multispeed gearbox to be found. Bear in mind that like most other…

Riding through Skid Row, past lines of tents erected on some of Downtown Los Angeles’ grubbier sidewalks, seemed a strange introduction to a new motorcycle. But I shouldn’t have been surprised. Since its big push onto the global stage with a brace of new models, including the Himalayan in 2016 and the Interceptor and Continental GT 650s around a year later, Royal Enfield has always danced to the beat of its own drum. And so it was with the recent international launch of the Shotgun 650. Why LA? And why the grungy Downtown area? Royal Enfield Chief of Design Mark Wells explained it was the ideal place to experience the Shotgun 650 in a range of environments, including what turned out to be sometimes messy urban riding, a loop through…

Ducati is so strong that it’s hard to see anyone overcoming the Italian factory’s dominance in 2024, especially since its eightrider line-up will be stronger than ever, thanks to Marc Marquez’s arrival at Gresini Ducati. Aprilia, Honda, KTM and Yamaha will do their best to catch up, but when you examine last season’s statistics, it’s a huge mountain to climb. In 2023 Ducati won the riders and constructors titles for the second year running, with a level of technical dominance not seen since Honda’s RC211V in 2002 and 2003: Desmosedici GP23s and GP22s won both the sprint and grand prix races at 14 of 20 rounds, monopolised the GP podium at nine rounds and scored 96 percent of available constructors points. However, rights-holder Dorna has written new concessions regulations to…

The all-new Battlax Hypersport S23 builds on Bridgestone’s acclaimed all-round sportsbike tyre, the S22. The S23 is designed to excel on both road and track, and in all conditions. Although we tested the new S23 on the sun-kissed Kyalami race track in South Africa, Bridgestone makes the bold claim that it will be equally at home on the wet roads in Oz. That’s not all. In dry conditions it’s claiming a five percent increase in corner speed and a reduction in lap times by 2.4 percent (on average during testing) over its predecessor. And in wet conditions, it’s claiming a seven percent drainage resistance, three percent shorter braking distances and lap times reduced by as much as four percent. All this and a claimed eight percent increase in mileage. ON…

In 1923 George Pettyt, the owner of London dealers Maudes Motor Mart, dreamt up an endurance challenge for motorcycles. As with most motorsport at the time, the aim was to demonstrate reliability over long distances, to prove these new-fangled mechanical contraptions would hold together and function just fine even used way beyond anything an average owner might throw at them. As part of the promotion, Pettyt donated a large silver trophy that was intended to be awarded annually. Each challenge was unique, agreed between the manufacturer and the ACU, Britain’s governing body of motorcycle sport, which would independently observe the test. For the first few decades it was exclusively won by British brands including Norton, BSA, Ariel and Triumph. After World War II it was awarded far more sporadically, although…

9-10 FEBRUARY Redback Rally, Charlton, Victoria. Presented by Sketa Grimshaw Tourers Motorcycle Club. Follow the signs in town to the rally site, 7km out along Boort Rd. Entry $30 at the gate or $25 prepaid, includes badge. Gates open noon Friday. Fully catered, live bands Friday and Saturday nights, entertainment, trophies and gymkana. No BYO, No Glass. See the website at www.redbackrally.com.au for details. 10-11 FEBRUARY Karuah River Rally, Frying Pan Creek campground, Chichester State Forest, near Dungog NSW. Back-to-basics rally with awards Saturday afternoon. BYO everything. Entry and badge $30. Nearest supplies available in Dungog with directions signposted in Chichester Forest involving about 14k of reasonable dirt roads. Check the Bank Hotel, Dungog for a map nearer the date. NB: if fire or weather risks close Frying Pan Creek,…

“THE WINNER OF ROOTHY’S 2023 PUB OF THE YEAR GOES TO…” FAIR DINKUM, the things I do for you readers. Here I am devoting my almost retired self to research and accurate reporting, dedicating day after day in search of perfection, and what do I get? Cash in an envelope? The promise of a ride on your new H2R? A schooner of Tooheys New maybe? Nope, at most a small deduction come tax time. Tich! But I did get a free neck sock from Suzi at Tattersalls Hotel in Baradine. We all did – Gibbo, Kog, Wiffo Jnr and me – after spending the night in her pub. Spend? Not much, a mere $40 a room, although by now she’ll have put that up to cover the damage. Not that…

THE RACING future of current ASBK champion Troy Herfoss has ramped up with confirmation he has secured an overseas ride. It then took another twist at the second round of the Motul Summer Night Series, with the former Honda stalwart racing a Desmosport Ducati. The Gold Coast-based Desmosport team, owned by Ben Henry and Troy Bayliss, had recently announced the continuation of incumbent Broc Pearson on its Ducati V4 R for 2024 but at the same time opened the door to involvement from another Gold Coast local in Herfoss. The intention is for Herfoss to act as a test rider for the team whenever possible in a bid to help Pearson. However fronting up on the ASBK grid hasn’t been ruled out. That possibility will come down to the availability of…