Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue#128 - Septmeber 2016 i Australian Road Rider

This July more than 100 women riders will commemorate an historic 1916 motorcycle journey across the United States by the Van Buren sisters, Adeline and Augusta. The commemorative event will start in Brooklyn on 3 July and should finish in San Francisco on 23 July following in the Indian tyre tracks of the Van Buren sisters, says event organiser Alisa Clickenger. “With US entry into WWI looming, the Van Buren sisters wanted to demonstrate that women had what it took to be dispatch riders in the army, and their transcontinental journey on a pair of motorcycles made US history. “This was quite an accomplishment for two courageous women at a time when few roads were paved, post-Victorian attitudes were in full flare and women did not yet have the right…

There have been bulky air-conditioners that sat on the back of a motorcycle, but this latest invention is much lighter, smaller, and hangs off your trousers to pump cold or hot air into your jacket. It’s called MiClimate and the makers promise it will hit the market at about US$269 with battery if it reaches its crowd-funding goal of $20,000. With a month to go, they are already 60 per cent funded. It’s being produced by a company in Phoenix, Arizona, which is in the desert and experiences extreme climate changes from around 100 degrees (37°C) maximum in summer and 50°F (10°C) in winter. While there have been other attempts at motorcycle air-conditioning in the past, this is different and less bulky because it uses electronics, rather than a compressor.…

When a Brisbane golf course superintendent lowered the dam level, he expected to find heaps of golf balls and maybe a club or two, but never a 2008 Harley-Davidson Softail Rocker. Craig Clarke, of McLeod Golf Course, said he lowered the dam to stock up the holding dam and couldn’t believe his eyes when he went to inspect the dam. “From 80m away I couldn’t tell what it was,” he says. “When we got closer we saw it was a bike and one of the boys knew whose it was.” The bike was stolen off a club member’s back patio at his house, which backs onto the McLeod Golf Club, two months prior. Police and insurance investigators never found it so the owner, whose name was not revealed, was paid…

California Superbike School founder Keith Code and his crew are now outfitted by Australian motorcycle protective clothing company Draggin Jeans. Keith Code and Draggin CEO Grant Mackintosh have had a long business relationship based on their mutual love and appreciation for safe riding, rider training and education. The Draggin Jeans team uniforms for the California Superbike Schools will be used worldwide, including in the United Kingdom, Poland, Greece, Dubai, USA and Australia.…

Australian motorcycle protective clothing company Draggin is about to release the first single-layer denim jeans with abrasion resistance higher than four seconds. The company also claims the jeans will be as comfortable to wear as a regular pair of jeans. Their announcement follows the ABC Catalyst program in March, which highlighted the difference in quality of protection in motorcycle protective clothing. It showed that the Draggin Roomoto MR4 lining has the highest abrasion resistance of 6.67 seconds, outperforming textiles at 0.25 seconds and leathers at 3.64 seconds. The test was performed by running the fabric along sandpaper to replicate the action of sliding down the road. Catalyst focused on university research into abrasion resistance and the safety aspects of comfort, especially heat. A statement by Draggin says these are the…

Australia’s largest motorcycle dealership network, Motorcycle Holdings Ltd, has become the first motorcycle dealership to go public with a listing on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) in April. MC Holdings owns 34 franchises at 24 locations, including TeamMoto dealerships and stores such as Morgan & Wacker in Brisbane. The ASX stock (code MTO) listed at $2.57 from an issue price of $2, which was a nice return of 28 per cent for the lucky holders and boosted the company’s market value by $22 million to $98 million. It closed the first day’s trading at $2.71, up another 8.4 per cent. The market success of this company will become a barometer for the performance of the motorcycle industry in Australia. MC Holdings has forecast revenue of $213 million in 2015/16, up…

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…

More than just a machine that hipsters will drool over, the Scrambler is a nakedbike with old-school style that performs in a very Ducati like way. If you haven’t heard of Ducati’s new Scrambler, you’ve probably been off the grid for the past couple of years. More than a rebirth of a name from Ducati’s past, the Scrambler is Ducati’s modern retro sensation that has seen a new cult following jump on the Italian brand. More than just a machine that hipsters will drool over, the Scrambler is a nakedbike with old-school style that performs in a very Ducati like way. It’s got an excellent handling chassis, great performance from the two-valve engine and of course highly imitable style. Taking over from the iconic Monster as Ducati Australia’s only learner-legal…

“That night we stayed in thatched cabins complete with open-air showers and listened for the sounds of exotic animals in the veldt all around us” There’s a bull elephant in the middle of the road. He’s enormous! He almost fills the road. He is three times the height of some of the cars that have stopped a cautious distance away from him, and he’s ambling towards the scrub on the roadside without a care in the world. His trunk reaches over the armco and tears off a mouthful of branches. He’s not going anywhere for a while. A driver tentatively idles past on the far side of the road, trying his best to make his car invisible. Gradually others get brave enough to follow. We sneak forward too, passing less…

“Part of that cleverness is apparent as soon as you open any of the vents. Air streams in, ensuring you’ll never breathe in anything stale or suffer in sweltering heat” Race-bred helmets are definitely a cut above. The technology and resultant performance of Shark’s new top-shelf is as good as I’ve ever experienced, and I’m not at all surprised that the comfort, practicality and quality are so naturally built into it. It’s a great helmet. For starters, it is pretty quiet inside and cuts through the air very effectively. The aerodynamics are really good, assisted to some degree by the spoiler built onto the back of the shell — a unique addition to this model. Even on a blustery day with the gusts coming in from the side, there wasn’t…

Ridden We ride Ducati’s top-of-the-line 1200 Multistrada, Harley–Davidson’s fast and furious CVO Pro Street Breakout, and Yamaha’s new learner wondertool, the MT-03. Rides A bunch of rogues are set loose for the archetypal Himalayan experience in India, we tour Grafton and its local regions, hit the Ténéré Tragics, and read about a bunch of mates getting back together in the Grampians when Compass Expeditions holds its Reunion Ride. Not forgetting All the other beaut stuff and regulars you expect to see in each and every issue of ARR. See you next month!…

Honda has broken its March sales record to leap back over Harley-Davidson and retain its position as the top-selling road bike company in Australia in the first quarter of 2016. Heavy discount offers on learner motorcycles and a large delivery of “postie bikes” to Australia Post in the first quarter lifted Honda to 20.5 per cent or 2377 of the 11,576 road motorcycles sold. It was just 91 ahead of Harley-Davidson with 2286 or 19.7 per cent and Yamaha at 1778 or 15.4 per cent. The most significant growth in road bike sales was recorded by Ducati, up 31.1 per cent to 468 and Yamaha up 20.5 per cent to 1778. Roadbikes continue to dominate the market, rising 2.8 per cent to be 46 per cent (11,576) of the total…

You either love or hate it when your chrome motorcycle exhaust pipes go blue or rusty, but now Yamaha Motor has developed a nano-film coating technology that retains the sheen. Some riders like the bluing effect caused by excessive heat as they say it gives the bike character. However, it can also lead to rust over time and limit the life of the exhaust pipes. Last year, World Patent Marketing announced its patented Rid a Blue quick-cleaning product would take the bluing out of the pipe. It uses detergent oil, white diamond polish and an anti-oxidiser chemical to shorten the exhaust pipes’ cleaning process. Yamaha Motor’s manufacturing technology centre has been working on its anti-bluing project since 2002 and last year registered SixONy as the trademark name for the product.…

More than half of Generation Z future motorists under 17 believe that autonomous self-driving vehicles will make the roads safer. This comes as Yamaha has announced it wants to have a self-riding motorcycle available for sale in the next decade. The statistics come from the 2016 Cox Automotive Gen Z Automotive Study by American company Ipsos, which surveyed more than 3000 US residents aged 12–65. Gen Z, which is those under 17 years, account for almost a quarter of the population. While many current motorcyclists have negative comments about autonomous bikes and self-driving vehicles, the next generation of riders and drivers seem more positive. More than half (54 per cent) of Gen Z respondents found fully self-driving vehicles appealing, and 47 per cent want most cars to drive themselves in…

How would you like a vintage 1920s British-style motorcycle built to modern standards and able to be ridden to work every day, but which still wins the Best in Show on weekends? Dig out your old tweed jacket and silk scarf because the Black Douglas Motorcycle Co has just released its top model, the handmade 2016 Sterling Countryman Deluxe. The bike is available in 125cc and 230cc versions, the latter capable of 115km/h, and is certified road legal in Europe. It might require a bit of modification to meet Australian standards. Company spokesperson Marta Trezzi says they have not yet sent one to Australia, but estimates cost would be $16,500 plus import taxes for the 230cc. “We are working on the first bike that will go to Australia. We can…

The first motorcycle — in fact the first motorised vehicle — to cross America may have been found after being lost for almost 111 years. In 1903, George Wyman rode a 1902 California motorcycle from San Francisco to New York at a time when there were no paved roads and, in many places, no roads at all. It must have been excruciating with those thin tyres and no suspension except a couple of short springs under the bicycle-style seat. Later that year, Horatio Nelson Jackson and Sewall K. Crocker became the first people to drive an automobile across the United States. While their car, a Winton, is now in the Smithsonian’s collection, Wyman’s motorcycle, a 1902 Californian-made bike, has been lost since about 1905. Wyman had allowed his bike to…

If you can’t get no satisfaction from your current helmet, a British helmet manufacturer may just have the lid for you. The company was invited to design and produce a range of Davida helmets for the new Rolling Stones Exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London. They were among a group of artisans producing work to commemorate the band’s 50-year music career. However, have some sympathy for the poor devils who want one as they cost $750. Like many in their era, the Stones were often photographed on motorcycles to represent the rebellious counter-culture and they infamously hired the Hells Angels as security guards for their ill-fated Altamont Free Concert in 1969. So it seems appropriate that some form of motorcycle culture is included in the commemorative exhibition. Davida hand-painted…

“By the end of the test I’d all but forgotten I was on a 1200, which is a testament to its balance and handling rather than an indication of anything lacking in the forward momentum department” When I was a kid, still trying to figure out how to stop falling off my moped every time I went near it, a guy in our village bought a brand new Bonneville. It was a 750cc T140 and my mates and I were drawn to it like moths to a flame, despite not owning a tassled leather jacket or a jar of Brylcreem between us. The bike was black and red with hand-painted gold pin-striping, shiny, loud and super cool. In a time of CBX1000s and Z1300s it looked retro even then and,…

If it’s old-school fun you want, the Ducati Scrambler delivers, but just don’t think of it in the old-school terms of a scrambler. It’s more of a lightweight bike that is at home in commuter traffic, mountain roads, even on the highway, but has limited scope on dirt roads. There are four models in the Scrambler range — Icon, Full Throttle, Classic and Urban Enduro — with prices ranging from $12,990 to $14,990. The only differences are minor cosmetic changes to the seat, fenders and either wire or alloy wheels. As a styling exercise the Ducati Scrambler is a winner, with its perfect combination of modern and retro features. It’s powered by the Monster 800 air-cooled desmodromic engine but with new cam timing that gives it more bottom-end torque and…

“Riding north from the first night’s camp at Wyperfeld, the country became progressively drier, sandier, redder, hotter and less populated” It was the first night out on the road from Melbourne, and little did I know that I was about to experience the loneliest night of my life. Earlier that day I left Melbourne behind, headed north and approached Wyperfeld National Park through the small hamlet of Patchewollock in north-western Victoria. From here I rode west into the setting sun, through farmland and eventually into the scrubby desert of the national park. The country became increasingly remote and many kilometres had passed without anyone else on the road before I arrived at the campsite, which I discovered I had all to myself. Somewhat nervously I set up camp, half expecting…

“There’s nothing to be said for being cold and wet. It’s not character building, it’s horrible” I was gutted. I pulled up at their place but they weren’t ready to jump on their bikes. They hadn’t even got their bikes out of the shed. We’d made plans and now they weren’t going to ride at all! “It’s pissing down,” one of them pointed out. “Still a good day for a ride,” I replied. “C’mon, let’s go.” I didn’t get a response. He just turned and walked back down the hall, leaving the front door open for me to follow. It was obvious what I was expected to do. The music was on in the house and I knew the beers were cold. Bloody wimps, I thought, before giving in to…

Yamaha plans to have an automated self-riding motorcycle available within a decade. The Japanese motorcycle company has already run tests with their Motobot, a robot riding a special motorcycle with outrigger wheels which they claim will beat Rossi’s lap times on several race tracks around the world later this year. Most car companies are already testing self-drive cars and believe they will have them available for the market in the next few years. However, Yamaha chief executive Hiroyuki Yanagi has told the Financial Times it would take at least a decade before autonomous technology was available on a commercial basis for motorcycles. “Our current target is how to assist the rider,” he said. “The rider can focus more on safety if the machine handling becomes autonomous and artificial intelligence can…

Yamaha has unveiled its 04Gen concept with swan-style transparent wings at the first Vietnam Motorcycle Show in Ho Chi Minh City. It’s the fourth concept model of Yamaha’s Gen series. The 04Gen features a sculptured floating seat like the Vespa 946, a swan-shaped headlight, and those amazing wings which flip up to expose the frame. It’s one of the adventurous concepts Yamaha has released, including leaning three-and four-wheeler motorcycles, sports cars, and even a robot self-riding motorcycle called Motobot. There are no specs available on the 04G, but we know it’s not electric because it has a stylish muffler. Up front it has an Earles fork with twin shocks which is similar to the BMW Telelever suspension. Another unusual feature is the disc brakes which are enclosed. Maybe that’s for…

Motorcycle riders account for about one per cent of Australian tourism and the industry is worth about $350 million annually to the economy, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. And that doesn’t even include the multi-million-dollar costs of buying and hiring motorbikes, petrol and accessories. A report in the Australian Financial Review says the booming motorcycle tourism industry is dominated by domestic intra-state bikers taking short weekend rides into rural areas and staying in country hotels. “Others do longer interstate trips through classic touring country such as coastal and alpine roads. Then there’s the motorbike tourists who tour for several weeks or months, either in a tour group or by hiring bikes and self-guiding,” the report says. It also says the industry is booming, with motorcycle registrations up 22.3…

A rusted 1932 Brough Superior 800cc Model BS4 Project motorcycle, lost for more than 50 years, has sold at the 28th annual Bonhams Stafford Sale for £331,900 ($623,946), setting a new world record for the brand. It is also the sixth most expensive bike sold at auction and a record for a British motorcycle, beating the 1929 Brough Superior SS100 Alpine Grand Sports that fetched £315,100 ($631,990) at the Bonhams Bond Street Sale on November 30, 2014. The bike was one of eight long-lost Broughs that collectively sold for £752,625 ($1.51m). They had been stored in Bodmin Moor barns for more than 50 years and were discovered whole and in parts, under decades of dust, old machinery parts and household clutter. The bikes were owned by the late Frank Vague,…

“The Springfield has found magic-carpet qualities that I don’t recall feeling in anything for a long time” The Springfield’s ride comfort is outstanding but this wasn’t my priority as I ploughed through a long sweeper at a speed that wasn’t quite as stately as the script called for. My attention was on the wonderful steering, which gave me the faith to ride out the Indian’s looseness while sitting relaxed behind the screen in a supremely comfy saddle. It was almost like being in my favourite armchair doing a virtual reality aerobatic flight, except real and on the ground. I know I should have slowed down but this was too much fun! So I kept it pegged, listening to the huge V-twin roar. When I did sit back and chill later…

“As soon as we are off and riding again, the rain stops, the sun comes out and the road dries up” Murphy’s Law and the Dandy Warhols played significant roles in a recent two-day road test of the new Ducati Scrambler with some friends on their adventure bikes. I had been itching to get my hands, feet and bum on a Ducati Scrambler ever since they hit the country, but the bike has proved so popular it’s been difficult getting press evaluation vehicles, especially up in Brisbane. All bikes had been sold prior to arriving in shipping containers on our wharfs and unsurprisingly delivering them to customers played a more significant role than getting them out to motorcycle journalists to further promote a bike they couldn’t get enough of, anyway.…

Most people haven’t heard of Chillagoe. Roughly 180km from Cairns, the former mining town is now a national park area known for its limestone caves and not much more. We’re fortunate enough to live in Far-North Queensland; if you’re not, get yourself to Cairns, head up the Kuranda Range Road for some great fun with twisty bits through rainforest and on to Mareeba. It is a dull little town but has some of the greatest coffee places — they grow it there, make specialty liquors, there are mango wineries as well as an ice-creamery with tropical fruits to die for. We ride through Mareeba and head left to Dimbulah, along the Burke Development Road, also known as the Wheelbarrow Road. This is where the fossickers for gold came to find…

VENTURA BIKE PACK AND BONNEVILLE PANNIER SYSTEM The light, stable and incredibly versatile Ventura Aerodynamic Bike Pack is now available for the 2015-16 Kawasaki 650 Versys. 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 Kawasaki Versys 650 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 that the load won’t shift, even during hard riding, while the positioning offers excellent stability. And as…

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, which is 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…

SOME GOOD FROM WAR Howard Raymond Davies (HRD) was a development rider for Sunbeam and a winner of the IOM Senior TT in 1921. He is also said to have been a prisoner of war in WW1 and when incarcerated came up with a plan to build his own motorcycles. In 1924 he partnered with E.J. Massey to form HRD. The first JAP-engined machines were on show by the end of the year and brought to market new design fundamentals such as a now-conventional fuel tank. In the following year, 1925, Davis rode a 350 HRD to second place in the Junior TT, and a 500 to victory in the Senior TT. This created great interest in the brand and sales orders swelled. A year later in 1926 the HRDs…