Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue#132 - January 2017 i Australian Road Rider

Dougie Lampkin, the 12-time Trials World Champion, has become the first person to navigate the entire Isle of Man TT course on just one wheel. The Isle of Man TT course has been home to many motorcycle feats throughout the years, but until recently, no-one had ever managed to complete those 37.7 miles on the rear wheel alone. When the idea to mono the iconic track in the UK first arose, many claimed it was not possible, but trials champ Dougie Lampkin proved them wrong, live on Red Bull TV. Lampkin’s first attempt was postponed by 24 hours as 88km/h gale-force winds swept over the course. At 5pm, when he finally set off, wind was still a huge problem and the English rider struggled off the line. “It took a…

Apart from having Gina, Oz’s biggest mining magnate, Western Australia can now also boast the biggest Indian and Victory showroom in Australia. Polaris has only built four flagship stores on Earth — Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and now this one in Perth; quite a demonstration of how seriously it takes the Australian market and how it sees its place in that market. Late last year it held the grand opening of its newest retail outlet in Cannington, just a few kilometres from Perth’s CBD. At 1750 architect-designed square-metres, it is substantially bigger than the other Victory and Indian showrooms. Most pointedly, Polaris has built its Perth showroom directly beside the biggest Harley dealership in Western Australia. And you can still see that dealership, recessed as it is over to the side…

Ride a Royal Enfield through the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, the Land of the Thunder Dragon, with ARR and World On Wheels in March 2017. We’re fulfilling a dream by booking a trip to Bhutan and we’d love you to join us and be part of the story. We’re teaming up with World On Wheels again, after riding with them many times when they were still called Ferris Wheels. We’ve ridden an Enfield in the Himalayas with them before, into Ladakh and Kashmir, and have wanted to return to this awe-inspiring part of the world ever since. The tour starts in Kathmandu with a scenic one-hour joyflight to view Mount Everest, and then the first few days are spent exploring Nepal. We cross the border into northern India to discover…

“We turned both footpegs into something Boudica would have been proud of after some enthusiastic passes for the camera” Here at ARR we were lucky enough to have a Guzzi V7 Special as our long-termer last year. Regular readers will know we did a six-month transformation of that bike into a Scrambler using one of Guzzi’s customisation kits and bloody lovely it turned out too. Over the course of its time in our tenure, the great little retro really grew on us and frankly surprised everyone with its all-round ability, particularly how easily it munched miles, as well as being an excellent daily commuter. Understandably we were keen to get our hands on a V9 to see if it was more of the same. However, that’s not to suggest the…

Close your eyes. It’s the ‘70s and motorcycling is at an all-time high with in excess of 100,000 units being sold annually Down Under. Some pretty exotic stuff is making its way to our shores. Motorcycles too. Names like Bultaco, Ossa, Benelli, Laverda ... they were heady days indeed. But not everything was selling. You see, the Aussie marketplace was as canny back in the hippy days as it is today — there’s just less hair. Bikes that didn’t move easily from showrooms then are now collectors’ items. Oh for 20/20 hindsight, huh? So what are the things that didn’t get us to part with our shiny new decimal currency in those much simpler times? The bikes that may have deserved better — or did they get their right whack?…

KABUTO RT-33 With Kabuto’s ACT EVO/R shell technology and wind tunnel design with a Max Vision face shield with tear-off posts, you have the new RT-33, Kabuto’s latest track-ready sport/touring helmet. The same Wake Stabilizer technology found on all Kabuto helmets makes it equally at home on the track as it is on your favourite backroad. A fully removable Coolmax interior and SAF-W Max Vision quick change face shield gives you the comfort and ease of maintenance that buyers expect from Kabuto. Price: $529 (RRP) Visit: www.motonational.com.au DRIRIDER AIR-RIDE 4 JACKET The Air-Ride 4 is a vented sport touring jacket designed for those hot days, but is still useable when the weather turns. The jacket features abrasion-resistant mesh, a waterproof and breathable removable liner, CE armour with a high-density back…

“The first part is the extension of the track, the $52 million to make sure that the track is what drivers and fans want” The Ipswich City Council has released official design renderings of its planned $220 million upgrade to Queensland Raceway. The upgrade will include an extension to the current road circuit as well as an added motocross track, speedway oval, a three-star hotel and various retail outlets. If the organisers are given the go-ahead, the first stage of the development would include adding a left-hand turn at the end of the front straight, as well as another seven corners throughout the track. The six-turn, 3.21km circuit has long been criticised for being uninteresting for both rider and spectator, so it’s hoped the planned extension will lift that stigma.…

The R NineT Scrambler is BMW’s latest offering in what it calls its “Heritage” range. For now that’s the R NineT roadster and there is definitely more slated to come down the assembly line in Germany. The R NineT roadster was originally released in 2013 to commemorate BMW Motorrad’s 90th anniversary and it has seen good takeup on a global basis. The Scrambler makes use of the brand’s older 1170cc oil- and air-cooled Boxer donk, in this guise delivering 81kW (110hp) at 7750rpm, and developing a maximum torque of 116Nm at 6000rpm, keeping an “airhead” in the range (although this and the roadster are the only ones using it). The engine is now Euro 4 emissions regulatory compliant, and that must have taken a bit of work, showing BMW’s commitment…

Learners are spoilt these days. I can say that because when I was one, the choice of bikes to legally ride was fairly limited. I was too old when New South Wales adopted the Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme (LAMS) in 2002, but was envious of the choice of bikes that new riders could have. Then seemingly overnight, the menu for learners around Australia had a style to satisfy every taste. There was everything from 650 motards to 400 enduros and mid-capacity scooters and road bikes. Where it did lack was in the choice of new, big-capacity machines built for learners, but that isn’t the case any longer. This end of the learner market has a lot of machines to choose from, and for good reason. There are more than a…

Roads ranked in the world’s top 10 most beautiful, followed by dinner created by the world’s top chefs — served with alcohol created and celebrated by the world’s top sommeliers — could only be a flight away, right? Having been to this location numerous times and having had the pleasure of accessing motorcycles for the majority of those occasions, I was pleased when I discovered I could hire an adventure bike (not any old adventure bike, mind you!) from the centre of town and explore this magnificent region in my own time. Where am I? France, Northern California or Greece? No, I’m in the heart of New Zealand’s South Island, Queenstown — the adventure capital of the southern hemisphere. Forget the land of the long white cloud, today there’s a…

Don’t forget to write! We mean it. We love to hear from you and everyone else does too; these pages are among the most popular in the magazine. Preferably, keep letters under 300 words so we can fit more in, though we will allow the odd exception without taking to it with the editorial knife. Yes, we will chop ’em when we have to. Do include your real name and some contact details, just in case we need to clarify something. Please write to gleech@universalmagazines.com.au or send mail to Road Rider, Unit 5, 6–8 Byfield Street, North Ryde NSW 2113 — SNAG NEVER MIND THE LENGTH Regarding Rukka gear, a couple of months ago I lashed out and bought a nice new jacket much the same as you have. I…

All you need is one of those little pencil-style gauges, a small digital one or even a dial gauge. Tyre pressure management is crucial. It’s probably the single most important part of bike set-up, and its effects are magnified by heavy loads, higher speeds and longer distances. Too high or too low, incorrect tyre pressures reduce traction, increase tyre wear and completely stuff up your bike’s handling. I’ve lost count of the number of times tyre pressure has had a negative impact on a ride, yet I still made the rookie error of not taking a good-quality, accurate tyre gauge with me on my last big trip. Dumb thing to do. This was the European trip that’s coming up in ARR — two-up and fully loaded on a Ducati Multistrada…

In an attempt to reclaim the satnav industry from the smartphone companies, TomTom has designed a scooter-specific GPS. Over a decade ago, TomTom created its first satnav for cars; it later released TomTom Rider for motorcyclists, and has now revealed the TomTom VIO, the world’s first smartphoneconnected GPS for scooter owners. Unlike other satnav units, the VIO can be used while wearing gloves and gives the rider access to various phone functions. Its waterproof display offers turn-by-turn navigation both on-screen and via a Bluetoothequipped helmet audio system. If a phone call comes in, the VIO will display the caller’s image, giving the rider the opportunity to answer using the headset. The unit includes a speed camera warning system where the display changes to red when the rider is travelling too…

“I also didn’t want liquid cooling because of problems I read about with radiators on rough roads, and I wanted a shaft drive so there would be less maintenance” Way back in 2007, my wife, Julie, and I talked about going to the UK to see my relatives before they all became too old. Having our own businesses, we never thought we would have the time. Then in 2008, after watching Long Way Round and Long Way Down, we talked more about going. This time we talked about shipping our bike over to give us transport while we were there, then the idea grew and we talked about visiting Europe as well. One of the things making us hesitate was Julie’s dislike of flying. With this in mind I jokingly…

“A-mode is the most direct hand-to-throttle relationship, B-mode gives a little less initial punch, and Standard makes it a freak on a leash” Wheelies are nothing without control — and you’ve either got it or you don’t. Watching stunt rider Dave McKenna working his magic in a disused car park made me realise it’s fast and furious work riding like a hero, but it also requires more bravado than I have. Watching the stunt show the night before the launch had me thinking Yamaha was setting the theme for the machine we were about to ride. It couldn’t have been further from the truth; with the MT-10 control is everything, but power is a very close second. The control comes in the form of torque — a common theme in…

Grinning like a cut cat, off come the bike boots, I drop the bike pants and wade into the freezing-cold waters of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. Stuff the warning briefing about “no swimming”. I have to at least get my feet wet at this milestone on the road. We’ve ridden from the bottom of South America to the top of North America. Such is the carefree life of the overland traveller. I’d be a rich man if I got a dollar every time I’ve been asked why I want to ride the world on a motorcycle. In truth, I don’t know. It’s in my soul. But where did it start? I’d been riding for a while but eventually saved up enough money to buy my first bike at age 12 —…

Ridden We go all yankee on your ass. Yep, in issue #133 we’ll have the full Harley-Davidson model range which we sampled in the good ol’ US of A. Oh, and that includes the all-new Milwaukee Eight engine. But wait, we also put the Victory Octane through its paces. Is it the bike that the market screamed for? Just to break it up a bit, there’s a full launch test of the Triumph Thuxton R. It’s a serious hottie. On the road Keeping the stars and stripes theme going, Bill McKinnon takes us across the United States on a motorcycle in Part One of Wild Bill’s ride. And … A whole range of fantastic stuff from the hard-working crew here at ARR HQ. See ya then!…