Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue#139 - August 2017 i Australian Road Rider

ARR’S TOP 10 TIPS FOR BUYING WET-WEATHER KIT 1. Guess what? Golfers and sailors wear similar stuff. Don’t limit yourself to the motorcycle retailer. 2. Buy what you need. If you do 2000km a year, you really should look to the cheaper end of the market range. 3. If you do more than 20,000km a year, we’d recommend shopping at the top end of the market range. 4. Do you have carrying capacity? This stufftakes up space. If you’re limited in this area, look to versatile gear that can be worn year round (zip-out liners are good for this). 5. Do you carry pillions in bad weather? A hypothermic passenger is a crook look. Kit loved ones out, too. 6. Leather suits do not hold heat well. You may look…

It’s said a picture can paint a thousand words but the little black cloud with four diagonal lines coming out of it next to the Bureau of Meteorology’s forecast for Thursday could never have hoped to do justice to the hammering we were about to receive. We’d had the day in our diary for a while and, like every diligent motorcyclist, had been watching the weather closely. The whole week was meant to be dry, but the tail end of Cyclone Debbie had a much different scenario in store for us. At one point, as we approached the top of a long, steep hill, a solid white wall stretched left to right across the entire visible horizon. For a few seconds I thought it was fog before realising I was…

“It was a masterstroke of forward thinking that left its rivals, errr, scrambling to catch up” Triumph’s Scrambler 900 became available in 2006, adding yet another avenue for a buyer into the Bonneville range, which today consists of the Bonneville, Scrambler, Thruxton, America and Speedmaster. Here we are taking a look at the original Hinckley Scrambler, which has since morphed into a much more sophisticated beast that in 2017 boasts new-fangled gear like switchable ABS, switchable traction control, ride by wire, torque-assist clutch, immobiliser and a USB power socket. But forget all that. This one is about the barebones jobbie of 2006 and how it stacks up as a used buy. As a style exercise, it was probably a bit of a winner. It certainly gave Triumph yet another avenue…

“There’s a lot of tarmac in this country but there’s a whole lot more dirt, and making the bike suitable for both seems like the right thing to do.” Someone at Yamaha had a really good idea when the new 700 Tracer arrived here in Australia. In fact, they had two really good ideas, but we’ll come to that. First, they decided to “Australianise” the LAMS-legal sports tourer and make it more of a dual-purpose adventure bike. There’s a lot of tarmac in this country but there’s a whole lot more dirt and making the bike suitable for both seems like the right thing to do. It’ll likely open up another section of the market that the standard version doesn’t really cater for as well. To that end, they equipped…

NEWS FOR ROADRIDERS Glad you asked. Boxer engines got their name because each pair of pistons moves simultaneously in and out rather than alternately, like boxers showing they are ready to go into battle by touching their gloved fists against each other before a fight. Of course, they have become synonymous with BMW for motorcycle applications, but Boxer engines of up to eight cylinders have proved highly successful in cars and continue to be popular for powering light aircraft. Many years ago, Max Friz, BMW’s head designer, reluctantly turned to motorcycle and automobile engines to sustain the company. Within four weeks, Friz designed the nowlegendary horizontally opposed twin-cylinder engine known today as the Boxer engine. The first Boxer engine M2B15 was based on a British Douglas design. The M2B15 proved…

Way back in 1953, the race department of East German brand MZ was headed up by one Walter Kaaden, who was literally a rocket scientist who had helped with the Nazi V-2 rocket program. He developed MZ two-strokes combining disc-valve induction with expansion chamber exhausts. The exhausts were essentially Kaaden’s invention and led to incredible results. In 1954, his engines produced around 100bhp per litre and, by 1961, they belted out 200bhp per litre! While MZ could pull the very best racers to ride its quick machines, the company also took on a homegrown communist up-and-comer, Ernst Degner. Then, in 1961, with Degner poised on the brink of stardom, the East German defected while competing at the Swedish Grand Prix. Within hours he was on his way to Japan, where…

Have you ever been “that guy”? You know the one I’m talking about — the guy who stands out from the crowd for all the wrong reasons. Perhaps you downed a few too many ales at a work party or dropped the F-bomb at a kid’s birthday just as the music stopped. Or maybe you just got caught with your pants down (we’ve all been there). Well, Honda’s CBR1000RR Fireblade was very close to becoming “that guy” in the superbike class. Street-legal superbikes are peaking at the moment and any model that doesn’t have the full gamut of electronic rider aids simply gets left for dead ... or dacked in this case. For consumers, it’s bliss. We’re reaping the benefits of millions spent on race engineering and development as manufacturers…

“I reckon I’ve got this,” says the pillion in a million confidently. I’m not so sure. I know her limitations when it comes to map reading. She’s using a map in the back of the Lonely Planet Guide to India as we’re riding into Delhi, which has a population of 22 million souls — roughly the same as Australia. Not wanting to dent her confidence, I make no comment. What could possibly go wrong? “Look, it’s got inner and outer ring roads. All we have to do is make our way to the suburb of Karol Bargh [the Delhi suburb that sells all things to do with motorcycles] and find a hotel,” She Who Must Be Obeyed proclaims. I don’t burst her little bubble then, but. You guessed it. Gridlock traffic,…

SHOEI HORNET ADV HELMET Adventure lids are the new black; I’m seeing them all over the shop. Is it a gimmick? Well, if you’re at all interested in dualsport running, the answer is a resounding “no”. I’ve given this Hornet a thorough test riding through India, Nepal and Bhutan in March and I’m pretty much convinced that, for most applications, an adventure helmet is the go. If I had to own just one helmet for all the different riding I do, it’d be this one. Why? Well, the biggest drawcard for me is the extended peripheral vision the shell shape allows. When you’re dodging goats (I didn’t actually manage to dodge one goat in particular, but let’s not get caught up in who killed who), dogs, scooter mayhem and just…

“That chocolatey basso profundo says all that’s good about a twin streeter” “Old-school noise blows my hair back but I’m fully aware of EPA zealots and their supporters in scaredy-cat 2017” We don’t know about you, but here at ARR HQ we reckon a parallel twin without a decent set of cans is like a milkshake without enough flavouring. All that rorty Brit goodness, nobly announcing your arrival way before you get there. That chocolatey basso profundo saying all that’s good about a twin streeter. And people listen. Sometimes nodding in approval, sometimes tutting and tsking all the way from the Toyota to the checkout. But they be hearin’. Yes indeedy. We’ve had our Racing Yellow Street Cup in the ARR bunker for 10 weeks now and have covered 2500km…

Following the tremendous success of the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, an event that has raised millions of dollars for charity over the past six years, founder Mark Hawwa has launched another international motorcycle event called Ride Sunday. Mark had worked on the project for three years before launching Ride Sunday in July. This ensured that a wide variety of charities are available to support when registering for the ride. The event is open for individual people to organise themselves right across the globe and, unlike DGR, is open to all kinds of motorcycles. Mark says he wants the first Sunday of July to be “the first international day of riding” and hopes the annual event will not just raise awareness for motorcyclists but help people in need at the same time.…

When the world needed to know how to get unheard-of performance numbers out of motorcycle engines, it looked south. Right here, in the Land of Oz. And more specifically, one bloke: Philip Edward Irving. Irving was an engineer and author, most famous for the Repco-Brabham Formula One and Vincent motorcycle engines. He also wrote the books Tuning For Speed and Motorcycle Technicalities and had a tech column in Motor Cycling magazine called Slide Rule. Irving was completely immersed in motorcycles and racing. At 89 (weeks before his death in 1992), he was still tuning engines at Midwest Harley in Ballarat. Business owner Ken James was quoted as saying, “You can’t stop Phil; he just needs to be around engines and make them sing!” Many will know that the Irving Vincent…

When motorcycling laws change, it rarely favours the rider, so when I found out about the tightening licensing laws implemented by VicRoads, I was fairly sceptical. It’s all part of the Motorcycle Graduated Licensing System (MGLS), which began in Victoria and is being rolled out in various forms Australia-wide. From an outside perspective, it may seem like the government is just trying to make it harder for new riders to get on the road but it’s clear that the new system better educates motorcyclists on both roadcraft and riding technique. A more thorough rider education system should, in turn, create safer and smarter motorcyclists. So, if it’s implemented correctly, I’m all for it. To find out what it now takes to get your licence in Victoria, we ran through the…

In Colorado, I follow Route 50 as it descends to the Great Plains and follows the old Santa Fe Trail through Cheyenne and Arapaho Indian country towards the state of Kansas. I pull up for the night in Fowler, a town small enough to have no chain motels or fast-food “restaurants”. Instead, I’m in the salubrious surrounds of Bushy’s Blue Sky Motel for the princely sum of $48 and dinner’s at the Tamarack Grill, just across the road, where the culinary highlight of the trip thus far is placed before me: a piece of home-made banana cream pie the size of Tasmania. I think it might just be the best $3.25 I’ve ever spent. Breakfast the next morning is even more spectacular. It’s the Tamarack’s “Breakfast Burrito”: eggs, sausage, cheese…

“We found this concrete jungle carver is one sharp weapon thanks to its aggressive riding position, deep lean angles and vastly improved suspension” Bemused monkeys determinedly set after us in the jungles of Singapore on the new Harley-Davidson 750cc Street Rod launch. And if you’ll forgive the lame pun, this is one Harley on which you can actually monkey around! Oh, dear … Sorry. Anyway, you can toss it about due to the simple fact that it has the be st suspension and most cornering clearance of any Harley since the XR1200. The 750cc variant of the learner-approved, Indian-made Street 500 ($11,495) arrives in Australia at $12,995 ride away. It should appeal to younger and more aggressive riders due to its macho stance, budget price, sporty performance and exemplary handling.…

SUPER DUKE LUGGAGE SYSTEM The light, stable and incredibly versatile Ventura Aerodynamic Bike-Pack is now available for the 2016-17 KTM Super Duke 1290 GT. The key to the Ventura system is the L-Bracket, which is made to measure to fit each model of bike and custom designed to complement the unique styling of each motorcycle. Once fitted with L-Brackets, the KTM Super Duke 1290 GT will accommodate a range of luggage options via the Astro Top-Box, Sport-Rack, Pack-Rack or Grab-Handle. The Ventura system allows up to 102 litres of luggage-carrying capacity, with two Aero-Spadas zipped together all the way down to the 10-litre Sport-Pack. Ventura’s unique rack system ensures the load won’t shift, even during hard riding, while the positioning offers excellent stability. It is directly behind the rider so…

New bike prices can go up and down like the stock market, so in every issue we’ll bring you the sticker prices. To be completely up to date with things like factory discounts and incentives, check the Road Rider website (www.roadrider.com.au) where we will bring you all the special deals, bonus offers and cashback promotions we can find. We have included the importers’ websites, the place to go if you’re looking for more information. You’ll see that we haven’t listed every bike on the market (yet) but we aim to get there with all of them. Sometimes even we struggle to find the details of the smaller, newer importers. Meanwhile, enjoy this most meaningful of Australian bike listings, covering the bikes you’re interested in. The prices are the most up-to-date…