Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue#138 - July 2017 i Australian Road Rider

“The thought of kissing the apex, corner after corner as you climb up some distant mountain pass in Europe, can get drowned in the paperwork” G et used to being asked for insurance, registration and your licence when you get checked by the police or military on foreign roads. It’s not something we’re accustomed to Down Under, but very common everywhere else. Here are some tips to make sure you’re legal. The free and easy life of the world traveller is a lot more complicated today than it used to be when it comes to paperwork and, in particular, insurance. It seems everyone wants a bit of the hard-earned that you’ve scrimped and saved to head off on your big adventure. The thought of kissing the apex, corner after corner as…

HONDA CMX: MODERN BOBBER When Honda released its all-new CMX LAMS-approved Bobber earlier this year, it was a shot out of left-field — one from the grassy knoll. Honda has thrown the book of clichés in the bin and come up with its own version of a bobber. It’s simple, raw, and offers plenty of scope for those who see a brand-spankers bike as nothing more than a clean, fresh canvas. Despite a fresh start, the raked-out frontend had to be fitted. As did the fat-tyred 16in wheels. The fuel tank is unique and holds 11.2 litres of unleaded. Under that is a 471cc parallel-twin with an exhaust claimed by Honda to “further emphasise the pulse and feel of the engine”. Graphite Black, Victory Red and Matte Armoured Silver Metallic…

“The SV arrived here at ARR brand spanking. Just 280km on the odo. This meant that for the first time in my life, I had to break in a bike” T here’s a good reason why we test bikes over an extended period of time. There are a lot of things you pick up on when you have to live with a bike. This includes commuting, maintaining, travelling and anything else you might do with a bike of your own. Riding a motorcycle for thousands of kilometres, in a variety of conditions, really brings out its quirks — the idiosyncrasies that aren’t noticeable until you’ve put in the seat time. Some good, some bad, but they’ve all got them. I chose to take on the 2017 Suzuki SV650 because it’s a…

SHARK EXPLORE-R This crossover lid from Shark is said to be the brand’s most versatile helmet, and proposes four configurations depending on your mood: urban, open road, track riding, off-road exploration. Explore-R is designed to go everywhere, in any conditions. The package includes an Autoseal system, which flattens the visor onto the helmet to offer better soundproofing. The helmet features a breath guard with a built-in retractable neck roll, integrated sunshield, micro lock buckle system and an anti-scratch and fog visor. Colours: MattBlack, White Price: $579.96 RRP Visit: www.fi ceda.com.au TRAX 115-PIECE TOOL KIT This kit built by Honiton is chock-full of smart combinations and permutations and is backed by a lifetime warranty. The kit fixes everything that a hammer and fencing pliers can’t. kit fixes everything that a hammer…

If you ever wanted to understand what the rising cafe-and-custom movement is all about, your best bet is to immerse yourself in just about any event organised by the team at Throttle Roll. Their biggest event, the Throttle Roll Street Party, was recently held in a blocked-offstreet just a few clicks south-west of Sydney. Though the bikes remain the centre of attention, it’s not just about them. The art, the people, the sound and the fashion are loudly represented. Chuck a steady stream of cold beer and live music in there and it’s little wonder that riders flock from across the country to attend the event. “We started Throttle Roll because there wasn’t really anything out there for the custom motorcycle community as a whole,” explains Mark Hawwa from Throttle…

N ever tried speed dating. But I imagine that it’d be somewhat similar to a multi-bike launch. Lots of short, torrid discussions with a bit of fumbling about while trying to remember where the important bits are. As you would have seen featured in Road Rider #133, Harley-Davidson took a group of Australians to Washington late last year for the launch of its new Milwaukee Eight engine, the capstone of the Project Rushmore program. We spent two days riding as many different models as we could while trying to keep a clear distinction between each one. As is natural, people tend to gravitate towards what they most desire. For me that was the Freewheeler and the Street Glide. Shortly after returning to Australia, I rode the Triumph Thunderbird LT to Melbourne…

“Right now, it’s all a little civilised. Time to wake the neighbours we reckon” W e have had our Racing Yellow Street Cup in the ARR bunker for six weeks now and have covered 1450km in that time. The bike has seen a great deal of inner-urban work, centred on short-run errand duties. Here it gets the nod because of its light and easy nature in traffic. You can fling it about like a Frisbee, lane-split with narrow ease and park it in a flash, making it the userfriendly option. I love exploring inner-urban industrial areas; it’s a sickness. Give me a day in and around old factories, ports and lanes over country town meandering any day. Whenever I’ve had the chance, I’ve taken the thing into all sorts of odd…

TROPHY TALK Dear ARR, I liked your write-up on the FJR but … why didn’t you include the Triumph Trophy SE in the competition? I bought the Trophy but when I was shopping in that category, I included the Beemer and FJR because they actually allow you to take your gear, with shatt-drive, cruise control, and also mess with the twisties when you get there. The VFR1200F wasn’t included because of its short range and I was replacing my Honda ST1300. The Trophy has a 26-litre fuel capacity and I plan on 4.3L/100km using 91 unleaded. Its electronics and weight compare well, as does the comfort of the gel seats and heating. I didn’t go FJR primarily because they don’t recommend top box with panniers, which I use. I have…

LOOKING BACK W hile taking part in the 100 Years of Harley-Davidson celebrations, Leechy pulled the legendary Bill Davidson aside for a few questions. Leechy: We’ve just got back from a big ride with a bunch of like-minded guys and gals. How are you feeling atter a week in the saddle? Bill: What an unbelievable adventure. It was a big ride, but I’m always happy in the seat of a Harley- Davidson. Leechy: Have you visited our shores before? Bill: I’ve been here a few times, but until now I hadn’t seen the beautiful alpine regions and mountain roads. It’s just spectacular. Leechy: I’m sure this part of the job is pretty good, but you still do a lot for the company. What inspires you to keep working as hard as…

“The 100 Years ride took in 2500km, stopping at seven locations hosting Harley-Davidson dealerships along the eastern seaboard” H arley-Davidson has marked the incredible milestone of 100 years in Australia with a ride from Brisbane to Melbourne, taking in several key dealerships en route. Joining was company legend and all-round nice bloke Bill Davidson, the great grandson of William A Davidson, who, along with brothers Arthur and Walter Davidson and William S Harley, founded the company way back in 1903. Indeed, 100 years ago Harley-Davidson opened its first dealership — Morgan & Wacker — in Australia, making it the oldest dealership on the planet. pretty impressive, given the distance from the mothership in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The 100 Years ride took in 2500km, stopping at seven locations hosting Harley-Davidson dealerships along the…

“If you wanna live your life with thrills, hard work and personal introspection, I can’t think of a better way to do it” WORLD ON WHEELS So, just who is this outfit? For more than 22 years, WoW has been delivering guided motorbike tours across destinations including Turkey, Bolivia, Peru, Nepal, Bhutan, India, Morocco, Iceland, Mexico, Guatemala, South Africa, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia. For more information go to: www.worldonwheels. tours Tell them Snag sent ya. T wenty-one days travelling Nepal, India and Bhutan on Enfields. That was the brief. Indeed, the deal was done prior to my taking up the editorship of this fine magazine. The ink was dry and the deal done. All I had to do was be available, turn up, do the tour and report on…

“We packed the castanets and headed to the airport to give the two newies a fair dinkum shakedown on both road and track” T alk about formidable brand designations … Sportster? Bonneville? Commando? Keep that up and you’ll very likely come around to the term ‘SuperSport’. After all, Ducati has made that moniker famous ever since the first Super Sport rolled out in 1974. Such was the importance of that round-case bevel, it is widely held that it saved Ducati from extinction. Yes, significant. That title has delivered us many incarnations since and, in a surprising genrebending approach to its range, Ducati recently launched the latest to wear that venerable badge in the SuperSport and SuperSport S in Seville, Spain. So we packed the castanets and headed to the airport to…

“While this wasn’t my first rodeo on an S 1000 RR, I still approached the bike with all due respect. After all, this is not your normal sports bike” H ow do you test four different bikes at once? Easy. Deploy them all to Tasmania. In Australian terms Tasmania is motorcycling heaven. Endless good-quality roads, enough twisties to keep you amused for days, and amazing scenery. It seems BMW agrees, recently holding a press launch of four new models there. In the platoon of bikes to test were the 1000cc triplets of the S 1000 XR, S 1000 R, and the insane S 1000 RR. Added into that mix was the sergeant major of touring bikes, the K 1600 GT. BMW provided the option to ride the old model as a…

I imagine some of you are looking at this page wondering what relevance a twistand- go scooter has to a magazine such as Road Rider and, cards-on-the-table, a part of me was thinking the very same. I haven’t ridden an automatic bike since 2008 when I had my expectations well and truly exceeded by a 300cc Italian scooter, which nearly put me through a shop window after I underestimated how much acceleration a centrifugal clutch can generate from a standing-start. Fast forward to the present day and the 530cc TMax has blown those expectations to smithereens. I had already been slightly surprised when our contact at Yamaha had a bit of a froth about how good TMaxs are, but when the guys in the warehouse also started waxing lyrical about it,…

“There was a touch of trepidation in the air. You see, next was ‘the big stuff’” A round a year ago I saw some photos on Touratech Nordic’s Adventure Travel website depicting their recent scouting trip through Iceland. A bolt of inspiration hit me and before I’d even finished scouring the photos, I had sent a message. Some history. I had met the director, David Johansson, at one of the Touratech Australia events. He had flown all the way over to Australia from Scandinavia to be our riding instructor at the event a couple years earlier. I immediately sent David an email saying I simply must come and experience Iceland! He responded right away with potential dates for the next season. I booked my ticket within a day of seeing that…

APEHANGER KIT FOR YAMAHA XVS650 B ecause they want to offer good products in a package, Kenma has put together these Apehanger kits for XVS650 Customs. The handlebars are made by Ventura and are 1in in diameter. Included in the package is Venhill Powerhose Plus brake line, Venhill Featherlight Throttle and clutch cables. You can buy the cables and hose separately as a kit if you’ve already found your own bars. The part number you need for the complete kit is XVS650APEKIT. Add in the height of the bars you want (10, 12, 14 or 16) and if you want black bars, finish the part number off with BLK. Available from better bike shops Australiawide, or direct from kenma.com.au. THE GOOD OIL … RRP: $499 SIZES: 10in, 12in, 14in or 16in…