Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 74 Issue 06 i Australian Motorcycle News

COINCIDING WITH the US launch of the 675SS, the first spy photos of its unfaired sister model have emerged on Chinese social media. The naked version will be identical in most respects to the faired model. The frame, swingarm and rear bodywork are all identical, as are the fuel tank, the exhaust and even the aero-cowled front brakes. The changes are limited to the front, where the nose and side bodywork is stripped away and replaced with components that look much the same as the designs used on the 800NK. The sportsbike’s ’bars are replaced with wider, flatter and higher ones, and the footpeg brackets are reshaped to move the ’pegs forward and down compared to the sports model.…

SPEED LIMITED! Motorcycles will be speed limited to 120km/h if draft legislation tabled in Federal Parliament last Tuesday is passed. This is the shock news that broke just as Motorcycle News was going to press last Monday. According to sources, a report prepared by the Traffic Accident Committee said that speed was the main contributor to accidents involving motorcycles, and recommended speed limit legislation be introduced. SALES SHORT Australian Bureau of Statistics figures released recently have shown that total new bike registrations for 1996 failed to top the expected 23,000 mark. In fact, registrations for the 1996 calendar year pegged at 22,550 – under the ‘target’ but still 4.5 percent up on 1995's 12-month total of 21,583. PRETTY WOMAN For a while there I thought I was in the middle…

Gabriel Marcelli conquers a hill in this year’s Trial GP in Belgium. Not sure how he handles living in the shadows of Repsol teammate Toni Bou, who has just won 18 FIM Trial World Championships on the trot. Spot the five changes Fred’s made to this image, email us your answers (and your postal address!) and you could win a neck sock. ANSWERS WILL BE REVEALED IN THE NEXT ISSUE WIN! AN AMCN NECK SOCK EMAIL YOUR ANSWERS AND ADDRESS TO AMCN@AMCN.COM.AU FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!…

THE ZERO NEXT Gen app is the key to unlocking the full potential of the Zero SR/F. With the app installed and linked to your bike, you can make changes to all your settings, including customising your ride modes and monitoring battery performance during charging and during rides that you have recorded. I set up my own mode with full power, full torque, no traction control, bulk regen braking and maximum top speed. You can also customise the dashboard layout to prioritise the information you want displayed while riding. Via this app you can buy upgrades to your bike using the Cypher system. You can buy and unlock some features direct from your mobile phone, although some will need hardware installed on the bike by your local dealer. I would…

RACING IN THE World Junior GP Moto2 championship, Harrison Voight recently had the TS3 on track for a test session at Queensland Raceway. With experience in ASBK Superbike, Moto3 and Red Bull Rookies, he was impressed by the TS3’s straight-line stability, negating the need for a steering damper. “With normal forks you would be more worried about the front, making sure it was planted and not going to tuck. After I had done some laps I could trust the front and focus more on the rear. Braking in a straight line it felt neutral and was very stable. You have to be a little more mindful of the rear. “On a normal bike when you release the brake, you push on the ’bars to turn in. It wasn’t as easy…

I RECENTLY PICKED up this pair of Ixon GP4 Air gloves to go with my new Ixon leather race suit (AMCN Vol 74 No 01) and as soon as I put them on I could tell they would get plenty of use on both road and track as the weather warms up. Made from goat leather, the gloves feature carbon knuckle protectors, reinforced palms, racing sliders and leather connectors between the third and pinky fingers to prevent the latter from bending back. Plenty of perforations and finger vents should provide good airflow, too. The quality of stitching looks to be right up there and the fit is spot-on for my hands. As with most race gloves, they have a long cuff with tightening strap at the wrist and double fastening…

RACING WHAT, WHERE & WHEN ROAD RACING AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP Rd6 4-6 Oct, One Raceway, NSW Rd7 8-10 Nov, Shell V-Power Motorsport Park, SA BLU CRU OCEANIA JUNIOR CUP Rd4 4-6 Oct, One Raceway, NSW Rd5 TBA Rd6 8-10 Nov, Shell V-Power Motorsport Park, SA AUSTRALIAN SIDECAR CHAMPIONSHIP Rd4 15-16 Sept, Phillip Island, Vic SOUTHERN CLASSIC 9-10 Nov, Broadford, Vic AUSTRALIAN HISTORIC ROAD RACE CHAMPS 15-17 Nov, One Raceway, NSW NATIONAL BEARS CHALLENGE Rd4 14-15 Sept, Phillip Island, Vic Rd5 12-13 Oct, SMSP, NSW (provisional) Rd6 16-17 Nov, Broadford, Vic MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Rd14 22 Sept, Misano, IT (KZ cancelled) Rd15 29 Sept, Mandalika, ID Rd16 6 Oct, Motegi, JP Rd17 20 Oct, Phillip Island, AU Rd18 27 Oct, Buriram, TH Rd19 3 Nov, Sepang, MY Rd20 17 Nov, Valencia,…

BACK IN October, 2021 it felt as though Honda hero Marc Marquez’s toughest challenges were behind him. Yet it gradually became apparent over the two years, 10 months and one week that followed, some of the biggest hurdles were still to come. None more so than the one posed in 2024 of turning potential into results. In Austin and Jerez, he came painfully close. But in Aragon he achieved perfection to win a first race in 1043 days. “When I crossed the finish line, I felt I lost two or three kilos,” the Gresini Ducati rider said of the relief that followed his 60th triumph in MotoGP. With the exception of a wet warm-up, Marquez had topped every session for the first time since Austin, 2016. That included a ridiculous…

IN THE UPSET ofthe season, Toprak Razgatlioglu crashed out of the French round with potentially serious internal injuries. However the Turkish star, who holds a mammoth points lead, later said he planned to be back for the next round. His team would not be drawn on this possibility, but Razgatlioglu bravely returned to the circuit a day later to watch his ROKiT BMW Motorrad factory teammate Michael van der Mark storm to victory in Race 1. With Razgatlioglu absent several riders stepped up, including Alex Lowes (KRT) in Superpole, which was held in fully wet conditions. It was his first Kawasaki pole position and only the second of his long career. Second was Niccolo Bulega (Aruba.it Ducati) and third a certain Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW). A wild first race…

JOSH WATERS has emerged victorious from a wild and wet Australian Superbike Championship round while the next wave of talent has emerged. Maiden race wins to his younger McMartin Racing Ducati teammate Harrison Voight and Desmosport Ducati’s Broc Pearson show the future of Australian racing is in safe hands. Waters, who won the round overall, started the weekend by taking pole on his Ducati V4 R. Just a few laps into the opening race, the McMartin Ducatis looked to be in a class of their own. The fight was on for the remaining podium spot and a tight group of four emerged that included the factory Yamahas of Cru Halliday and Mike Jones, Glenn Allerton (GT Racing – BMW) and a resurgent Arthur Sissis (Stop & Seal – Yamaha). Anthony…

THE SILLY SEASON was made less so by the news before Magny-Cours that Alvaro Bautista will be staying on the official Aruba.it Ducati alongside 2024 rookie Nicolo Bulega – a pairing and team that clearly works well. And with the two most recent championship trophies to prove it. On the smaller scale of the Aruba.it Ducati outfit, Adrian Huertas, the WorldSSP leader going into and out of Magny Cours, is leaving not just the team but WorldSBK altogether, after news that Moto2 squad Italtrans had nabbed the Italian to contest the 2025 Moto2 World Championship. “Our philosophy is to help young people realise their dreams, supporting them as much as possible to achieve them,” said Italtrans’ Laura Bertulessi. “Adrian will debut in Moto2 with three years of experience on bikes…

EARLIER THIS year we busted Triumph developing a higher-spec ‘RS’ version of the Speed Twin 1200 at its all-year test facility in Spain. Now that bike is nearing launch with the introduction of a teaser on Triumph’s own website. Despite the video only giving brief glimpses of the model, slowing it down gives a lot of information, all matching the info AMCN gave you earlier this year. The new model gets gold-coloured versions of the Marzocchi fork used on the existing Speed Twin, and the presence of screw adjusters for the damping on their tops shows they’re internally uprated as well. At the back, there’s a pair of adjustable, piggyback shocks, probably from Öhlins as they appear to match the units used on the existing Thruxton RS. There’s a single, circular…

Anyone who has seen the movie On Any Sunday will remember Dave Aldana, ‘the crazy kid from Santa Ana, California’ who had a shot at the Number One Plate in his debut AMA Pro season in 1970. Crashing 15 times. Aldana’s first ride was a Suzuki 80 roadbike that he quickly stripped and rode in the hills on weekends and then to school. “I got into trouble with local police all the time,” he remembers. A few years later he jumped on a Honda 90 and started racing, shooting up the ranks. He started working in bike shops, earning a factory-supported BSA for dirt-track and a factory Ossa for motocross, all by the time he was 19. The dominant rider in the Ascott TT races, Aldana finished third in the…

The Yamaha MT-09 SP takes the already impressive base-spec MT-09 and elevates it to a new level of performance and technology while throwing in a dash of bling. Priced at $20,799 ride away, the MT-09 SP will set you back $3400 more than the $17,399 MT-09, but it’s packed with additional hardware and electronics that justify the price difference for those after a sportier nakedbike. For sure, the base MT-09 (AMCN Vol 74 No 04) is a ripper bike, but the additional gear on the SP takes it to a new level. While the heart of the SP is the same Yamaha CP3 890cc inline triple found in the base MT-09, in the same state of tune, the SP’s electronics package has been upgraded. In addition to Rain, Street, Sport…

It’s a dangerous game hyping racers up when they’re still in their teens. Each year, Moto3 churns out a handful of new, spotty superstars-in-waiting who quickly get eaten up at the next level. Some work out how to swim amidst the barbarity of Moto2, others get swallowed whole, rendering all previous hype foolish. For every Joan Mir or Pedro Acosta there’s a Lorenzo Dalla Porta or Danny Kent. Yet even when keeping that in mind, it’s still difficult to contain excitement at the class’s next big thing. David Alonso doesn’t just have Valentino Rossi’s win record for a single season (11) in Grand Prix’s lightweight category in his sights (he’s on seven with nine races still to play); and he hasn’t just made this year’s title race feel like it’s…

RENOWNED MOTORING racing journalist, commentator and industry marketing specialist John Smailes has penned this new book on Phillip Island, Australia’s fastest racetrack. The prologue highlights Wayne Gardner’s efforts in the creation of the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island in 1987, a race that he went on to win. In the book, Smailes details the history of the Phillip Island racetrack through its many eras, from its inception as a road course in the 1920s, to the development of a permanent circuit in the 1950s, through to the creation of the grand prix circuit in the 1980s and beyond. As well as in-depth research, the book contains interviews with several racers including Wayne Gardner, Mick Doohan and Valentino Rossi, as well as several car racers including Colin Bond and…

“THIS WOULD CATAPULT ME TO STARDOM! FIRST TIME OUT IT CATAPULTED ME TO HOSPITAL…” IN APRIL, just before my 66th birthday, I competed in a four-hour race for commuter bikes at Pheasant Wood Circuit, some 30 years since my last motorcycle race. I had run into Darren ‘Mal’ Malam – whom I’ve known since the mid-80s – who runs two Yamaha R15s in the endurance series, and he had asked me if I wanted to be involved. My instant reply was “f*** yeah!” I ran it by my wife Helen, who was fine… as long I wasn’t going to be racing “all the time”. Mal advised me I’d be riding with Paul Caslick and he’d let me know the third rider soon. Then, if there wasn’t already enough pressure being…

JAKE DIXON (Aspar Kalex) is very much back in contention after scoring his second win in three races after a measured, controlled performance under pressure. At one point the Englishman headed an eight-rider fight for victory before pulling clear with Tony Arbolino (Marc VDS Kalex) from mid-race. Any doubts over the Englishman’s credentials were banished four laps from home. The race’s fastest lap was set and Arbolino’s challenge was broken. And 1.7sec decided it at the flag. Behind, Deniz Oncu (Ajo Kalex) held off Alonso Lopez (Speed Up Boscoscuro) for third on his second race back from a serious wrist injury, making the decisive move on lap 14. Fermin Aldeguer (Speed Up Boscoscuro) ruled himself out with a crash attempting an Oncu overtake on lap seven, while Celestino Vietti (Ajo…

AFTER FRACTURING three bones in a practice crash in Austria, Ai Ogura’s (MSI Boscoscuro) prospects looked grave. Yet three weeks on and the Japanese rider emphatically proved his credentials are for real by beating Aron Canet (Fantic Kalex) and Tony Arbolino (Marc VDS Kalex) in a straight fight. The Japanese rider was the third member of a lead group that broke clear of the pack early on, with polesitter Arbolino making the early running. Yet the Italian, one of a number of paddock names to suffer from sickness during Saturday night, began to tire midrace, with Canet and Ogura demoting him to third, with a pair of clean moves on lap 10. Soon Celestino Vietti (Ajo Kalex) was closing in, making this a lead quartet by lap 18. Then Ogura…

WITH SO MUCH rain falling after the first WorldSSP race of the weekend, Race 1 was postponed to early Sunday morning. The 12-lapper saw a damp track welcome the riders. Those with wets on, like long-time leader Valentin Debise, were fast to start. Aussie rider Luke Power was second at one point but fell from a top-four placing as the track conditions changed. Niki Tuuli won the race, by three seconds, from Federico Caricasulo and Glenn van Strallen. Adrian Huertas was fourth and Yari Montella sixth. Race 2 saw Can Oncu lead from pole (having set the fastest lap of Race 1) but not for long. Stephano Manzi secured a new lap record on lap five, with a 1m40.339s, which he further reduced to a 1m40.027s on lap seven, chasing Huertas.…

AFTER A WET and wild Phillip Island weekend, one piece of good news is that Patrick Li’s MotoGO Yamaha team will be entering the Asian Road Racing Championship in the Superbike class next year, with an initial hitout at the Thai round at Chang International Circuit in December. Patrick (a former ARRC rider himself) wouldn’t let slip who the riders will be until contracts have been finalised, but the word is it will be young talent. The MotoGO entry adds to the Wayne Hepburn-backed Evolution Sports Group presence, which is enjoying some success in the series with Lachlan Epis. Epis, buoyed by a recent maiden podium at Mandalika in the championship, broke a collarbone competing at Chang last weekend (pictured below). Matt Walters made his return to ASBK Superbike competition…

HYDROGEN-FUELLED combustion engines are an easy win from an environmental point of view. They can be made relatively easily from existing petrol engines, although forced induction is desirable, and the exhaust is almost entirely water vapour. Unlike expensive hydrogen fuel cells, which use hydrogen to generate electricity, combustion engines can run on relatively impure hydrogen, which is cheaper and easier to make. On the down-side, combustion engines are far less efficient than fuel cells, so they need more hydrogen for the same range, and hydrogen is extremely difficult to compress into a small volume. Even at 700 bar of pressure, it's much less energy density than petrol, and the tanks need to be cylindrical to cope with the huge pressure.…

THERE ARE just five short weeks to go until the 2024 Australian round of MotoGP kicks off at Phillip Island and we’ve got two three-day double passes and four copies of the new MotoGP24 video game to give away, valued at almost $1700! To be in the running, you need to do two things; the first is to be signed up to AMCN’s weekly newsletter (which you can do at www.amcn.com.au) and the second is to email us your answer to the following question: What’s your favourite thing about the Australian round of the MotoGP? The best response will win one double pass to this year’s event plus a copy of the latest MotoGP video game; the next-best response will win a double pass, while the next three best answers…

LAST YEAR VOGE – the luxury, export-oriented arm of China’s Loncin – previewed its upcoming four-cylinder sportsbike with the RR666S concept. Now the production version is getting a staged introduction in China as the RR660S. While the design has been tweaked, losing the single-sided swingarm and belly-mounted exhaust in favour of a more conventional layout with a dual-sided swingarm and right-hand silencer, the styling is otherwise the same. Other details, such as the Brembo brakes and the adjustable up-side down fork, have made the cut for production. Although Voge is drip-feeding details of this model, it’s already allowed a handful of riders to experience it on track and has gained type-approval. Those approval documents confirm that the kerb weight is 215kg, a little heavier than the best of its rivals,…

Access, AMCN, PO Box 6, Bittern, Vic, 3918 access@amcn.com.au LETTER OF THE ISSUE Racing royalty Loved reading about Ken and Barry Horner’s Vincent in the latest issue (AMCN Vol 74 No 05). They’re such quietly spoken and modest men, who just let their machinery do all the talking on the circuit. It’s such a shame that there’s fewer and fewer places and meetings that allow them to line up these days – the Duke of Richmond should be ashamed of himself – but I hope whatever they’re preparing to do in the near future provides them the stage to show off their immeasurable skills. They really deserve it. It feels like Australian motorcycling won’t really know what it has in the Irving Vincent until it’s gone. Albert PattersonReservoir, Vic On…

Check out the website for the latest reviews at amcn.com.au BIKE SPOTLIGHT DUCATI SCRAMBLER FULL POWER ENGINE 803cc 90° V-twin POWER 53.6kW (72hp) @ 8250rpm TORQUE 65.2Nm @ 7000rpm WEIGHT 176kg (kerb, claimed) PRICE $20,300 (ride away) “Simple, lightweight and fun with midrange punch. Sounds great. Has just the right amount of tech” BIKE SPOTLIGHT TRIUMPH DAYTONA 660 ENGINE 660cc three cylinder POWER 70kW (94hp) @ 11,250rpm TORQUE 69Nm @ 8250rpm WEIGHT 201kg (kerb, claimed) PRICE $14,790 (ride away) “Gem of an engine tops a package offering everyday usability while staying true to its sporting pedigree”…

IT’S FAIR TO say more was expected of Jose Antonio Rueda (Ajo KTM) than just three podium finishes in his first 31 grand prix starts. But the Spaniard showed the speed and tenacity that carried him to successes in both the Red Bull Rookies Cup and JuniorGP series as recently as 2022 to claim his first Moto3 victory here. A track that was soaked at 9am was almost fully dry two hours later. Yet grip was somewhat lacking, with early laps some six seconds off the times set the previous day. Polesitter David Alonso (Aspar CFMoto) built up a commanding 1.6sec advantage on the first lap in low-grip conditions, as the chasing pack gradually found the track’s limits. Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Honda) and Taiyo Furusato (HTA Honda) took turns in…

THIS ONE may go down in history. Angel Piqueras (Leopard Honda) scored an incredible maiden Moto3 victory at Misano, recovering from a double long-lap penalty to mug a top three consisting of David Alonso (Aspar CFMOTO), Dani Holgado (Tech3 GASGAS) and Ivan Ortola (MSI KTM) on the final lap. The Spaniard had been over the line when punting Scott Ogden (MLav Honda) off at Turn 13 on Saturday morning. Despite the team appealing the penalty, it stood. That meant the Spaniard was fired up for Sunday. That would explain how he recovered from 17th to reel in a lead group of five that also included Taiyo Furusato (HTA Honda) and Joel Kelso (BOE KTM). Having sat behind Collin Veijer (IntactGP Husqvarna) from lap nine, Piqueras launched a late attack as…

THREE YAMAHA riders, Unai Calatayud, Aldi Satya Mahendra and Galang Hendra Pratama, led the first WorldSSP300 race home in tricky wet and drying conditions across the 11 laps. Those conditions claimed several other top riders, including Loris Veneman and Mirko Gennai. Race 2, held in dry and sunny conditions, was soon stopped by a red flag for a crash and oil spill. A seven lapper, after a quick restart, provided an even more intense contest than usual. Jeffrey Buis, Pratama and Mahendra were the eventual 1-2-3. Crashes and penalties played a big part in the point scoring at this round, with Mahendra now on 164 points, Veneman on 152 and Race 2 faller Iglesias Bravo on 138.…