Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 162 i Australian Road Rider

The lockdown learners are coming back for their P plates. The motorcycle training industry went nuts in 2020 as people discovered doing the motorcycle learner courses they’d been putting off for years was still possible despite COVID restrictions, because it’s educational. How many were there because they no longer felt safe on public transport, couldn’t go to their usual job or were spending money they’d planned to drink in Bali I can’t say, but it’s great that more people have been learning to ride. The flow of learners may have started to abate a little, but it’s been more than made up for by those coming back for their P plates. Older riders may not realise how onerous getting a motorcycle licence is these days. Blokes (and it’s always blokes)…

If it comes to you as a surprise that the Harley – Davidsotn Pan America is not just a good motorcycle, but is genuinely competitive with other Adventure tourers on the market, it shouldn’t. The Motor Company is a huge manufacturer with lots of resources. Just because Harley hasn’t built an Adventure bike before doesn’t mean it can’t now. The news there was an American Adventure bike coming was official as long ago as 2018. It was a part of the “More Roads to Harley-Davidson”, a plan to diversify its line-up, reduce the average age of a Harley buyer and lessen its reliance on the big tourer and cruiser markets. The new bikes were supposed to launch in 2020, but a pandemic got in the way and the incoming CEO…

“...SO GOOD WE WISH SUZUKI WOULD DO A GT VERSION” The rush provided by one of the best motors ever built for a motorcycle should not be underestimated. Pin the throttle of the new Hayabusa and you’ll know you’re alive, because the rush of adrenalin to the brain is intense. It goes very fast, very quickly. This is a motorcycle for the highly skilled yet controlled rider: if you lack self-control or experience, don’t buy one. If you have those skills and want a big, strong sportsbike, the Hayabusa might just be the perfect bike. UPDATES Suzuki’s third generation Hayabusa is the first update to the iconic bruiser since 2013. The bike isn’t “all new”, but the changes are substantial, and they move it forward without crimping its essential “Hayabusa..mess”.…

When a rider asks, “What’s your favourite place to ride?”, my answer is clear: Sardinia. An island “just” an overnight ferry away from Italy, it was seemingly built for riders. The roads are as twisted as a corkscrew, the road surface is like a racetrack with a camber to put a smile on the face of anyone who likes corners. From seaside sweepers, tight mountain (yup, Sardinia has mountains!) corners and mid-speed-rhythm inland sections, the roads make you feel like you can dance on the asphalt. I remember destroying my boots on a brand-new F700GS I was breaking in once... oops! It wouldn’t be fair not to mention the rest of Sardinia’s menu: delicious Mediterranean cuisine and wines, fantastic beaches, incredible history and architecture. And, ah, the climate in spring…

As I suspected, there was nothing wrong with my Ducati’s ignition system. It just didn’t want to play. My bike was feeling unloved, and why wouldn’t it? Yes, I’d forked out some serious coin for a recent tank job, but only because I had to. Long-term relationships are about care and commitment, and dealing with issues before they become problems, not throwing money about like a politician in a last-ditch effort to solve them. Preoccupied with my own health and wellbeing, I hadn’t shown my bike any love since that hot weekend away during the bushfires at the beginning of last year (ARR #156). It had reason to be pissed off! We hadn’t rocked and rolled once in all the time since, some 18 months, despite being together for 25…

The base price of the R 1250 GS is $23,170. The bike we tested, the Triple Black, is $30,335 (bike prices +ORC). To bring the standard model up toward the specification of the Triple Black, you need to add all the various options packages: • Comfort Package (Keyless Ride, chrome exhaust headers, heated grips, heated seat): $1170 • Touring Package (Preparation for GPS device, cruise control, hand protection, pannier fasteners, tyre pressure • Dynamic Package (Dynamic ESA, Gear Shift Assistant Pro, Riding Modes Pro, MSR (Dynamic brake control): $2185 • Lights package (adaptive headlight, daytime riding light, headlight pro, cruising light, multifunctional indicator lights): $1115 The Triple Black includes all the packages above, with some additional bling. Some Triple Black models come with a selection of Option 719 alloy parts…

The latest addition to the ‘W’ family – a line of motorcycles built by Kawasaki since 1965 that shares characteristics of classic British vertical-twin standard motorcycles – the W175 is a retro beauty with a compact little 177cc donk that may sound small to you but is perfectly sized for commuting in Indonesia. The W175 is a stylish, timeless beauty but, as I discovered, murder on my back on long-distance rides. The guys at Backyard Kustoms remedied the problem by lifting the forks, adding bigger and better rear shocks, Enduro-style bars, bigger 18-inch wheels, a set of dual-purpose tyres, bash-plate, headlight protector, a new exhaust, a pair of lockable panniers, plus a slick paint job in British Racing Green. It is now a capable, lightweight and extremely economical Adventure machine.…

“IF YOU GET ‘OVER REFRESHED’, THE PUB HAS ROOMS” Cowes at Phillip Island is well known to most riders. Usually in October, motorcyclists from all over converge on Phillip Island for the MotoGP. That’s great and a lot of fun, but Phillip Island and surrounds have much more to offer if you’re up for some great scenery. A ride out to the Nobbies on a clear day showcases seal rocks. If you’re lucky you might even see a whale breach. The Penguin Parade in the evening is usually packed; if that floats your boat, go for it. The Vietnam Veterans Museum at the Phillip Island airport is a must for baby boomers and young un’s to understand those times. But why not go for a ride back on the mainland?…

Switching to a Motocell Gold lithium battery is probably the easiest and cheapest way to save a couple of kilograms in weight, and often that weight has been placed in a less than perfect position. In the case of my FJR1300, the battery sits in the fairing, just below the right handlebar, so high and forward of the bike’s centre of gravity, just where I don’t want it. Switching to lithium has other advantages; improved resting voltage means your bike can start quicker and they are capable of many more cycles (discharge and re-charging) than a typical lead-acid battery. Another advantage of the Motocell lithium battery is its size — much smaller than any conventional battery it will be replacing. Of course that means it won’t fit into your standard…

LOOKING BACK HIGH-PERFORMANCE TIMES A couple of decades ago, high performance mattered. We had Suzuki (Hayabusa), Honda (Super Blackbird), Kawasaki (ZX-12R), Yamaha (Thunderace), Triumph (1200 Daytona) and BMW (K 1200 S) all offering super-high-performance large-capacity sporty bikes. Yamaha switched to building the more track-focussed R1 and abandoned the high-performance race, Triumph stopped building four-cylinder motorcycles, while BMW upgraded its bike to the K 1300 S and kept it in the line-up for more than 20 years, but didn’t replace it when the time came. Honda developed the Super Blackbird over time but when the last one was dropped, it wasn’t really replaced – and the nearest thing to a replacement was the weird VFR1200, a shaft-driven sports-tourer. Not the same. MV Agusta has added to the high-performance bikes available, but…

Harley-Davidson has abandoned the 20th-century design, engineering and ride of the Sportster for the biggest update to the model since it was first released in the 1950s. Harley describes it as a Sports Custom. The new 2021 Sportster S is a 121 horsepower (90kW) street brawler equipped with all sorts of modern tech: Revolution Max 1250T engine, TFT ‘Infotainment’ display, cornering safety enhancements and lots, lots more. Ready to roll it weighs in at just 228kg and is priced at $26,495 ride away. The design is modern, yet distinctive. Clearly influenced by the FXDR high-performance machine and influenced by the XR750 Flat Track racer, the new bike is styled to look long and lean, purposeful, aggressive and capable. Sportster S features a massive front tyre, USD forks, flat drag race-style…

BMW R 1250 GS, FROM $26,295 RIDE AWAY After 40 years of GS models, the R 1250 GS is the machine all other Adventure bikes are judged against. It might look cheaper than the HD, but bring the spec up to the Pan America and the prices are very similar. KTM 1290 SUPER ADVENTURE S, FROM $30,620 RIDE AWAY The Super Adventure S is KTM’s versatile Adventure tourer, a high-performance Adventure bike with cast wheels that’s thoroughly updated for 2021. DUCATI MULTISTRADA ENDURO, FROM $32,400 RIDE AWAY A little lighter and with a few more HP than the Harley, the MS Enduro is the last surviving big-bore twin cylinder Multistrada. Is a V-four coming?…

It wouldn’t be a Harley – or an Adventure Tourer – if there weren’t a plethora of genuine accessories available for it. So there are three luggage systems, seats, risers, lights, off-road parts and lots more available. Luggage: Only one tank bag (they must be out of fashion) but there’s sport, aluminium and adventure soft luggage for the back of the bike. The sport luggage is conventional panniers and a top box aimed at primarily road use. Made from composite plastic, they have an integrated handle, can be keyed alike to the bike and are the sort of panniers you carry into the motel room at the end of a day’s ride. Interestingly Harley has built the mounts into the side of the bike, so there’s no ugly hardware on…

“...WINDING DOWN STEEP SWITCHBACK ROADS TO GEIRANGERFJORD AND BACK UP THE MOUNTAIN...” Six years ago, we were riding in snow caverns four stories high on narrow winding roads up to an outcrop known as “the pulpit” that overlooks Lysefjord. Europeans used to riding winding mountain roads come to Norway for a real-world riding experience like no other. Changeable weather only adds to the mystic and challenge of riding the snowcapped mountain ranges, the lush green forests in the south or the often wild and rugged coastline. Stay in small cabins beside stunning fjords, lakes or estuaries. Rug up and ride the Atlantic Ocean Road, built just for fun. The Storseisundet Bridge is a hoot to ride over, but beware if the weather is bad – the waves wash over the…

For the best part of the last two decades, BMW’s Boxer-twin GS models have been considered Adventure bikes, sand-dunebusting, desert-crossing giant dirt bikes, something to conquer the continent. Forty years ago, the R 80 G/S started the movement and now nearly half of BMW’s sales in Australia are from the GS range (the slash was dropped from the name in the early days). Over time, the models after that first 800 got bigger, heavier and became a lot more like touring bikes, usually seen with the bespoke BMW panniers firmly attached as they criss-crossed the world. Then along came the Adventure models with their giant fuel tanks, knobby tyres and footpegs designed more for standing than sitting. Charlie and Ewan turned up next, riding their 1150s around the world across…

For most of us, motorcycling isn’t about cheap transport — but it can be, just like when grandpa was riding around on a BSA Bantam. Just like those little British 125s, the new Meteor is built by a company also known for guns — Royal Enfield. However, the Meteor is a modern retro 350cc motorcycle with fuel injection, a smooth engine and ABS, making it a far cry from the cheap British bike that gave thousands of people their first taste of motorcycling. Made in India for a world market, the Meteor is half the price of some naked LAMS bikes, with the cheapest of the three models coming in at just $6690. That’s the price of the model we rode, the Fireball, available in Fireball yellow or red. The…

Let’s start with the good news: for 2021 you can get a brand-new Kawasaki Versys 1000 for $2500 less than in 2020. The other good news: it isn’t green. (OK, that could be bad news if you’re a Kawasaki Green colour lover.) The bad news: it doesn’t have the awesome electronic suspension of the SE model of 2020, or the cornering lights. THE BIKE ARR tested the previous SE model in issue 155 and we were impressed. The machine’s ability to not just cope with, but actually excel in all sorts of varying situations really impressed. Many bikes try, few really succeed. Motorcycling is such a varied activity that designing a bike which can cope with many scenarios isn’t easy. To do so, Kawasaki fitted the excellent KECS semi-active and…

Those bloody mates of mine do it again, the ones that live in and around sin city. “Hey Rixy, we’re doing a ride out west. Meet us at Narrandera.” You bloody bewdy. The on-again / off-again get-together is on. We’re not in lockdown – for a change. I spend the night organising accommodation; my job is to arrange a nice place for dinner in Mildura. All sorted. As I’m laying out stuff for the ride, some idiot gets COVID and it’s out again in Melbourne. Fingers crossed they’ll leave country Victoria alone. Oh no, the talking heads force us all back into lockdown. After I’ve recovered all the crap I threw around the place in a fit of rage, the rooms and restaurant are cancelled and I sit there staring…

After a long history of owning KTM Adventure bikes, the 1290 Super Adventure seemed like the right bike for the time. I bought the bike brand new in April 2021 from KTM Newcastle. I had been working at the dealership, on the spares counter, for more than 10 years and had recently retired. I had a long history with KTM Adventure bikes and had owned a 950, 990R, 1190R (two of them), a 1290R and a 790R, which I had sold pending the arrival of a new 890R. Then COVID hit and the 890R shipment was delayed. In the meantime, I had ridden Phil James’s 1290 Super Adventure on a road test and I fell in love with the power again. I’d forgotten how poised the big bikes were and…

BMW has announced a pair of fairing and hard-case-equipped cruiser/tourers for 2022 based around the Big Boxer-powered R 18. The R 18 Transcontinental and R 18 B are German bikes built for American touring. Long, low and classically styled, the new machines are designed to poach buyers of American bikes with the promise of German engineering with easy customisation options. Both bikes have a protective handlebar-mounted fairing, self-levelling suspension, Marshall sound systems, a huge 10.25-inch TFT instrument panel, integrated hard luggage and the Big Boxer 1802cc horizontally opposed twin. The R 18 B will go on sale at just under 40K, the Transcontinental just over. Essentially the R 18 B is the stylish bagger, the Transcontinental is the tourer. The ‘B’ has a lower screen, footpegs instead of footboards, no…

The grassroots Walcha Motorcycle Rally is on again, Nov 19-20, on the awesome roads and adventure trails of the NSW Mid North Coast. Walcha sits at the crossroads of two of Australia’s best rides, including the Oxley Highway, making it a go-to destination for touring motorcyclists. The Walcha area also boasts 590km of gravel roads for adventure riders to explore. There will be guided road rides, supported adventure rides, show & shine of motorcycles and hot rods, a sidecar gymkhana, freestyle stunt rider demos, wood chop demos, BackTrack dog jumping, evening live music, demolition derby, AG bike competition, trade stalls, bar, good food and more. It’s inexpensive and in a fabulous location where the locals love riders and their bikes. You can camp at the showground and there will even…

“THE USUAL PRINCES HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SNARL HAS GONE, REPLACED BY A DYSTOPIAN ZOMBIE MOVIE SCENE” The perfect road, through the perfect landscape, on a perfect day; devoid of traffic, wildlife and cops. I was in a marketing Twilight Zone. The temperature is 21 degrees, the sky blue and I have 160HP to propel me across magnificent hot mix corners cutting through this strange, deserted landscape. It was getting close to that perfect motorcycle moment... only a mix of responsible citizenship and desire to keep my license held me back. However, I was on zombie watch. If I saw one, I was going full “Isle of Man”! I’m on the Princes Highway south of Eden, just north of the Victorian border. The combination of fires incinerating the landscape, then record weed…

After 50 years of civil war, Colombia finally got its shit together in the last five years, signing a historic peace deal with the FARC rebels and beautifying its cities to the extent that one of them, Medellin, the former fiefdom of drug lord Pablo Escobar, was named the smartest and most innovative city in the world by respected polls. The country also appears in a poll of my own: the best road riding destination on the planet. Two-thirds of Colombia is stinking-hot low-lying Amazonian jungle; not a good place to ride. I tried it for two hours then turned back. It sucked. But the other third, bordering the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean, is the most hilled and valleyed place on earth thanks to the Andes Mountains, which split…

KTM 1190 ADVENTURE S – $30,620 RIDE AWAY. With 160hp, adaptive cruise control, semiactive suspension and KTM’s reputation for race results and Adventure bikes, the latest Super Adventure is trick and well configured. It’s a little more expensive, but you get the off -road modes standard. DUCATI MULTISTRADA V4 – FROM $28,990 RIDE AWAY. The latest and greatest in from Italy, the Multistrada V4 is powerful, capable, versatile and expensive. High-tech kit. Lots of riding modes, chain drive and an engine with low service intervals. TRIUMPH TIGER 1200 XRX – $26,600 RIDE AWAY. The three-pot engine has a different feel to the BMW’s twin and the Triumph feels a little more top-heavy. The biggest Tigers haven’t been updated in a while and the 900s are also a very interesting option,…

With its wild coastlines and endless glassy waves, hardcore surfers discovered Sumba, an island in the remote south-east corner of Indonesia, 20 years ago. For me, Sumba has another allure: a unique savanna bordered by sea cliffs on one side and volcanic ranges on the other, a place of lush golden grasslands where herds of sandalwood ponies, the fastest horses in Southeast Asia, run wild like something out of Africa. It had to be a cool place to ride. Sumba is also home to NIHI Sumba, a luxury resort that’s been named the best hotel in the world in various polls and that has somehow managed a roaring trade during the pandemic. After a crappy year that saw my 20-year-long career as a travel and moto writer vanish into thin…

BMW F 900 XR – RIDE AWAY FROM $19,835 While the size and weight might more closely match the S 1000 XR, the price and performance more closely match the F 900 XR from BMW. The German bike is lighter and more svelte, but doesn’t have the Kawasaki’s effortless grunt. TRIUMPH TIGER SPORT – RIDE AWAY FROM $19,800 Three cylinders and 1050cc, the Tiger Sport is also versatile, economic and capable. YAMAHA MT-09TR – RIDE AWAY FROM $18,149 The new boy on the block, the Yamaha has three cylinders and is a little lighter and more compact than the Versys.…

EMAIL YOUR BIKE PHOTOS TO ROADRIDER@UMCO.COM.AU WIN THIS Every issue we’re giving away this beaut pack of Motul cleaning gear worth $49.95. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is send us a pick of your shining steed and we’ll pickwhat 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: • Wash & Wax, a waterless cleaner that leaves a wax coating • 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…