Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 158 i Australian Road Rider

Ducati has decided to shake up the Adventure bike world with a four-cylinder, 19-inch front-wheel machine aimed at beating BMW and KTM at their own game. Prices range from $28,990 to $40,690 in Australia, ride away. Here are some of the highlights: • 170hp (125kW) @ 10, 500rpm/125Nm @ 8750rpm • 19-inch front wheel (laced available) • 215kg dry weight • Aluminium monocoque frame, steel tubes subframe and aluminium double-sided swing arm • 60,000km major service intervals • Designed for long-distance riding on any road surface • 22L fuel capacity • Seat heights from 810-875mm • Improved rider and pillion comfort • Comprehensive electronics • Improved ground clearance At its core the new Multistrada appears to be more about touring – on and off the bitumen – than previous models.…

Ducati Multistrada V4 S + Travel Pack – from $35,990 Ride Away Should you wait and get the new machine? Not if you’re attracted to the feel, thump and soul of a twin. It’s three grand more money, too, spec-for-spec. BMW S 1000 XR – from $27,795 Ride Away A high-performance four-cylinder machine with advanced suspension and lots of technology. Luggage adds $1,790. Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE – $22,499+ORC Another four-cylinder bike with long travel suspension – really good semi-active suspension – the Versys 1OOOSE doesn’t offer the horsepower of the Multistrada but makes up for it with excellent control and standard features. Panniers add $1,650. KTM 1290 Super Duke GT – $31,695 Ride Away With a kick-arse 175hp twin, protective bodywork and KTM heritage, the Super Duke GT looks…

Kawasaki Z650L SE – $11,881 (Ride Away, Sydney) With its trellis green frame, 649cc paralleltwin cylinder engine and sporty good looks, the Z650 L SE is bold and attractive. It has Bluetooth phone connectivity, TFT instruments and one litre more fuel capacity than the MT-07. Suzuki SV650 – $9,900 Ride Away A machine that has been around for decades, the SV offers a V-twin ride and really good value. Proven and reliable but a little heavier than the MT-07. Honda CB650R – from $11,997 RA (Sydney) Four cylinders, USD forks, a 15.4L tank and selectable torque control make the CB650R an attractive option, although at 202kg it’s a bit heavier. Triumph Trident – $10,999 +ORC (estimated) A new model for 2021, this three-cylinder machine is claimed to have the highest…

With just two or three days to explore the region and still get some riding in, we sought advice from Tourism Barossa and expert colleagues to come up with these qems. TOP TUCKER Lambert Estate: At the winery (see below) there’s also a superb restaurant helmed by chef Roger Farley, who has a touch of “mad scientist” about him. His triple-cooked, hand-cut potato wedges and mandarin-glazed carrots are ridiculously yummy and make an ideal accompaniment to his superb mea dishes like slow-cooked lamb shank and pork belly with red cabbage kimchi. All produce is grown on-site and meat procured locally. Enhancements are planned, including a state-of-the-art pizza oven. Ideal for groups and events of any size – just book well ahead. www.lambertestate.com Char Barossa: We had such a fun and…

NSW CENTRAL WEST BACKROAD TOURING I was in an isolated pine forest and the bike parked well off the road in the gravel. A gold-coloured land cruiser approached as I wandered around some distance away. I guess I looked confused. I often look confused apparently… Anyway, the vehicle stopped, the passenger’s window came down and a charming, smartly dressed lady driver asked if I was ok. She was relieved and interested to hear I was taking pictures for ARR. As it turns out, her name was Bronwyn Siglianno and her sons Drew and Joel are competitive Supercross/Motocross racers. Joel races at national level. As we chatted, she revealed she’d done a tree change with husband Peter around 15 years ago. They run an automotive repair business and property at Mt…

The new Katana is a godsend in a world where so many bikes look alike. It was the same back in the 1980s when the first Katanas were released. I still vividly remember the first Katana I laid eyes on, a GS650G, and it was love at first sight. I was 19 and the Katana mantra “Give Them the Sword” became etched into my psyche. The new Katana is a case of déjà vu. Just like my first Katana back in the ’80s, the new version feels just right in every respect, like a hand in a well-fitting glove. The new Katana also evokes feelings long forgotten. There’s the excitement and anticipation before every ride. There’s the grin every time the throttle is opened. There’s the feeling of contentment regardless…

MOTUL CARE PACK WINNER WIN THIS Every issue we’re giving away this beaut pack of Motul cleaning gear worth $49.95. All you have t do to be in with a chance of winning is send us a pick of your shining steed and we’ll pick what we think is the best shot and comment and the top blokes at Motul will fire out this pack to whoever wrote it. Simple. Pack includes some of the best washing and detailing products on the market: • Moto Wash, good for all surfaces • Scratch Remover, a micro-abrasive cream for painted surfaces • Helmet & Visor Clean, to keep your lid and your view pristine. If you’re the winner and you haven’t already heard from us, email roadrider@umco.com.au. We’ll do the rest. MOTUL…

Twenty-three-year-old Joan Mir has won the MotoGP title for Spain, Suzuki and, of course, himself, taking the title with a round to spare. The only Aussie in the field, Pramac Ducati’s Jack Miller, had an up-and-down season that included too many falls and poor results to challenge for the title – but also some great results, including narrow losses. His numerous podium finishes made him one of the stars of 2020 and his move to the Ducati factory team in 2021 will see him considered as one of the challengers for the 2022 title. Mir, the winner of the 2017 Moto3 title, graduated quickly to MotoGP and wasn’t, at the start of the season, expected to be a consistent front-runner for the title with a best result of sixth. In…

Thit’s kinda shocking to think the Multistrada has been with us for 17-odd years, but it’s true, the first 1000s debuting in late 2003 as 2004 models. With styling that could only have come from Ducati – an appearance only a mother could love – the Multistradas were another attempt by Ducati to broaden its range. “...THE MULTISTRADA HADN’T BEEN DESIGNED FOR UNSEALED SURFACES” A decade earlier, Ducati had launched the Monster to capture riders who loved the brand but didn’t want a sportsbike. The Multistrada was the bike to capture those wanting something versatile and while the meaning of the name might have translated to “many roads”, the Multistrada hadn’t been designed for unsealed surfaces. With styling that appeared to be influenced by Supermoto, there were also many Ducati…

When I was looking for my latest Norton Commando seven years ago, my better half asked if it would make a good investment. Not really, I said. Most people who ever lusted after one probably had one by now. And then you have to kick-start the blessed things – hardly likely to boost demand. No, if I was buying a second bike as an investment, I said, I’d buy a Ducati identical to the one I already owned. They were worth nothing at the time, changing hands for as little as $3000. I’d paid more than four times that for mine, second-hand, almost 20 years earlier, and I knew they were a better thing than that. I bought another Norton anyway, my fourth, not for an investment but because I…

BMW F 750 GS – from $16,105 Ride Away The more road-oriented version is lighter, friendly, easy to ride and an inexpensive entry into European motorcycling. Ducati Multistrada 950 – From $21,200 Ride Away Versatility is the name of the game with Ducati’s Multistradas and the 950 has made a lot of friends with its user-friendly nature. KTM 890 Adventure – price TBA Offering more grunt and better suspension than the outgoing 790, this new-for-2021 model looks capable both on bitumen and gravel. Expect similar pricing to the Tiger.…

Remember the good old days when riding a motorbike meant a pair of jeans, work boots, a Marlon Brando jacket and no helmet? Ahh yes, sunglasses on and just ride off into the sunset... bullshit. It might look good in the movies or in an advertisement, but not out on the highway getting sand-blasted by passing road trains. If you’re serious about long-distance motorcycle travel, particularly in Australia’s varying climate, maybe my thoughts will help work out what’s right for you. So let’s go head to toe. “I USE A FLIP-TOP LID AND HAVE DONE FOR DECADES...” FROM THE SHOULDERS UP Helmets cost a lot, but so does brain surgery. Every helmet you wear should meet the legal safety standards and fit well – snug but not so tight that…

Back in the day, you could buy a trackbike or a streetbike, and many riders chose the latter then modified it to be as close to being a trackbike as they could. Race replicas were born and the manufacturers took notice. Sportsbikes started to resemble trackbikes more and more with each passing year. These days, many sportsbikes are simply racetrack refugees, awesome when you’ve got your knee down at 150km/h, but uncomfortable, uncompromising and inconvenient on public roads. Suzuki’s GSX-S1000F wants to break out of that mould by being a sportsbike that isn’t a race replica, built for the road, not for the track. And it’s over seven grand cheaper than its track-focussed high-performance cousin, the GSX-R1000. Where does the money go when you buy the latest and greatest flagship…

Kawasaki Ninja 1000 — $18,796 RA (Sydney) More of a sports-tourer than the Suzuki and costing a couple of thousand dollars more, the Ninja 1000 is a lot more versatile and has some features we appreciate, like cruise control, an adjustable screen and optional panniers. Well worth a look. Yamaha MT-09 Tracer — $17,649 RA With its triple-cylinder engine and protective bodywork, the Tracer is lighter to ride but not as powerful or as sharp as the GSX-S. Where it wins is being more versatile. Ducati SuperSport from $19,100 RA Twin-cylinder sports in a formula similar to the GSX-S: designed for road riding rather than track. Feels faster than 11Ohp would suggest thanks to its lightweight build and sharp handling.…

There are many apps you can choose from for navigation. Here’s a selection worth a look, but note we haven’t installed and tested these apps: it’s more than just a little time-consuming, to say the least. The upshot of most apps is that if you aren’t the customer, you’re the product. If you use free apps they will track what you do and sell that data… somewhat anonymised, I’m sure. Most of the motorcycle-focussed apps have a cost for the premium features. WAZE – www.waze.com A conventional navigation app that works well, but there’s no off-line maps. Other Waze users can indicate hazards (include police traps) so you can be aware. REVER – www.rever.co Discover, Map and Navigate. Free and premium-paid subscriptions. Rever has route discovery through sharing, you can…

“LIFE MUST GO ON, AND THERE ARE FEW GREATER AFFIRMATIONS OF LIFE THAN TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE” Like a thief in the night. That’s how I feel as I tear out of my home in Bali at 10 PM to catch the overnight ferry to the neighbouring island of Lombok. From there, I’ll make a two-hour dash across Lombok and board a second ferry for a 10-day adventure around Sumbawa, one of the least-visited large islands of the Indonesian archipelago. In the year preceding COVID-19, I chalked up eight rides around Southeast Asia. It’s not just for fun, it’s part of my job, or better said my former job as a travel writer. But since the start of the pandemic, I haven’t ridden much further than the bloody supermarket. Some may…

GOODBYE 2020 By the time this is published, 2020 will be gone, Donald Trump will be out of the White House and the first batches of COVID-19 vaccines will have been administered. I hope. 2020 certainly copped a flogging, with many, many people saying how it was the worst year ever, and I’m sure it was for them, especially those who lost loved ones, businesses or jobs. But some good things did happen beyond Trump getting kicked out: the motorcycle world championships still went ahead, Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull teamed up to take on the Murdoch empire, climate change deniers aren’t being taken so seriously, and the bushfire season hasn’t started as tragically as it did in 2020. Through the lens of motorcycling, 2020 was mostly fantastic. After the…

BMW is set to launch a new R 1250 RT touring machine in Australia. Arriving in the second quarter of 2021, the machine will feature new styling, higher-spec standard equipment and improved electronics for safety and performance. “We have given the R 1250 RT a new look, a comprehensive increase in standard equipment and numerous technical upgrades to achieve a whole new riding experience,” says RT project manager Harald Spagl. “As a dynamic tourer with the incomparable BMW ShiftCam engine, it also has the perfect power unit with impressive power across the entire speed range.” The new RT has a ShiftCam variable valve timing engine that produces 136hp (100kW) at 7750rpm and 143Nm of torque at 6250. The new R 1250 RT is fitted with a 10.25-inch TFT colour screen…

Is the GT the peak of L-twin-powered Multistradas? The feel of the big twin is unique – no V-four can be the same... Ducati’s Swiss Army knife, the Multistrada, has a luxury touring model: the Multistrada 1260 S GT. A premium bike with price tag to match. As such, it gets pretty much everything needed to make big distances easy, fast and fun. It’s a large bike with a long wheelbase designed for comfortable two-up riding. The engine is Ducati’s proven variably valve timed, 1260cc Desmo L-twin. Ducati’s Skyhook software adjusts the suspension to suit the situation, and the electronic rider support package spares no expense. As for styling, in the world of ugly sisters that is Adventure bikes, the Multistrada is a Cinderella standout. Even more so with its…

For decades the parallel twin ruled motorcycling, smoother and more powerful than the singles which came before them and with more character than the four-cylinder multis which came later. Many riders, then and now, believe a motorcycle should have two pots. The two bikes here – non-identical twins – are great examples of what makes a parallel twin so appealing: lightweight, willing and easy to ride. As LAMS bikes I was thinking they would make a great introduction to motorcycling; having had them in my shed for a couple of weeks I’m also thinking they are great for anyone wanting a lightweight, economic, versatile and fun motorcycle, no matter how much experience you’ve got. TWIN TWINS The MT-07LA ($11,849 Ride Away) and XSR700 ($12,899) share the same chassis, wheels, engine,…

An eternity or so ago I was a motorcycle courier in Perth, Western Australia. Summers there, even before global warming, were punishing, with 40 degrees in the shade not uncommon. I tried to do the right thing and wear a jacket while many of my colleagues rode around in shorts and T-shirts, until one day I realised my concentration was failing due to heat stress. The jacket went into the top box and I finished the day’s work, only to take the next few days off with crippling sun and wind burn up my arms. Riding in extreme heat sucks. That was a long time ago though. Times have changed and gear has gotten a lot better (and so has sunscreen). These days there is plenty you can do to…

Adventure bike sales have gone nuts over the last few years right around the world and the manufacturers have responded with new, cutting-edge bikes. Triumph has responded by building a new range of Tigers aimed at gaining a good slice of that market, but it’s gonna be tough; there’s a pack of ruthless middleweight Adventure-class bikes all vying for the same tasty slice of your disposable income. The list of bikes in this category is long and varied, many manufacturers having one or even two things to offer: BMW F 850 GS and F 750 GS, KTM 890 Adventure and Adventure R, Yamaha Tenere 700, Honda Africa Twin, Suzuki V-Strom, Ducati Multistrada 950... it goes on. Notice anything about that list? They’re all twins, which we’ll come to in a…

If you’re more serious about getting off the beaten track, then perhaps look at either of the Rally variants of the Tiger. Better equipped to handle more extreme off-road terrain than either of the GT models, the Rally models are designed to take you anywhere your skills can manage. As with the GT, you have two versions to choose from depending and your needs and wallet: the Rally and the Rally Pro, which are $20,150 and $22,550 (plus on-roads) respectively. One of the biggest differences between these and the more road-focussed GTs is the suspension. Where the GT wears Marzocchis, the Rally versions are equipped with fully adjustable Showa gear and offer tons more wheel travel: 60mm extra front and rear at 240mm and 230mm respectively. No electronically adjustable preload…

Australian Road Rider encourages you to look after your local bike shop so that it’s there when you need it, but most won’t have everything you need for a big trip. Here are some online resources to check out for brands we trust and gear we’ve mentioned in the article Earmold – www.earmold.com.au Earmold has been making custom earplugs for decades, with and without audio capabilities (music and communications). Earmold also distributes Sena and Baehr intercom systems. Kriega – kriega.com.au Best known for its soft luggage systems and backpacks, Kriega’s hydration systems include numerous bladders (to suit its various backpacks and many jackets) and hydration packs. Kriega’s gear is built for the tough conditions motorcycle gear is put through. Plugphones – earjobs.com.au Designed to block the noise from a loud…

ARR requested the use of a touring screen on the GSX-S1000F because the standard screen is quite low and doesn’t provide much protection for tall Aussies. It arrived a few days later and took minutes to fit – but longer than we expected. The screen itself is quite a lot taller than the stock unit – about 6 inches (15cm) – and is angled harder into the wind and wider, making it far more protective. It’s actually a screen, a black panel and lots of screws and spacers, so it’s not just a case of slipping off the stock unit and installing the taller screen. The panel fits between the new screen and the bike, extending over the instruments to prevent reflections in the screen at night. The spacers not…

GPS navigation is a minefield of technical terms, hardware, apps, file types and jargon – as I’ve discovered writing this series of articles. The basics can be handled pretty well by the Google and Apple Maps of this world, although their user interfaces when actually trying to ride somewhere leave a lot to be desired, and a lack of phone service can mean a lack of maps. There are plenty of options to download maps to your phone if you’re happy to mount your phone where you can see it while riding, and you’ll need to get power to it, too. Keep in mind you’ll need touch-sensitive gloves and if it rains the responsiveness of your phone to touch goes to poo. Check out the previous issue for our reviews…