Issue#107 October 2014

ST TE LA W NE ES IC PR KE BI

CUSTOMISE YOUR SUSPENSION WHY AND HOW YOU SHOULD MAKE IT YOUR OWN

DESTINATIONS VICTORIA FALLS HOTEL CHARLEY STAYS IN A LIVING MUSEUM BACK ROADS TO BALLINA A MANIACAL MYSTERY TOUR THE SAPPHIRE COAST THE GEM OF NSW RIDING? NEW CALEDONIA FRENCH, TROPICAL AND NEXT DOOR

THE PURPOSE WHY WE RIDE “YOUR MOTORBIKE IS THE VESSEL TO PERFECT FREEDOM”

MURRAY RIVER RUN FROM RIVERBOATS TO MOUNTAIN MEN

DUCATI MONSTER 1200S PEGASUS RISES OCTOBER 2014 (No. 107) AUS $7.95* NZ $9.10 (BOTH INCL. GST)

ROADRUNNERS

KAWASAKI NINJA 1000 SUPERBIKE TOURER YAMAHA SR400 THE SINGLE LIFE KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R MASSIVE PERFORMANCE ZOE GOES STYLING | SEDDO GOES COMMANDO

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On your itinerary, you will journey the real America, meeting the fair-dinkum folk that call the heartland of this amazing country home, eating in true American diners and staying in historic hotels and motels along the way. Beginning in one of the US’s premier cities, Chicago, you will venture across eight states (Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California), encountering numerous cultures and tackling all sorts of geography, from the magnificence of the Great Lakes to the Corn Belt of Illinois, the rolling hills of the Ozarks, the mesmerising Llano Estacado and the Painted Desert. You’ll be crossing the High Plains, climbing through Alpine regions, the Grand Canyon and dropping into the blistering Mojave Desert, before we reach the Land of Milk and Honey and topping it all off in the light-spangled Las Vegas.

You will also visit iconic Route 66 sights such as the Wagon Wheel and Wigwam Motels (Pixars inspiration in the animated movie Cars), the 1929 Chain of Rocks Bridge, St Louis Gateway Arch, Devil’s Elbow Bridge, Gary’s Gay Parita gas station, 4 Women on the Route, 9-foot highway, the Blue Whale of Catoosa, 1933 Texaco Station, Big Texas Steak Ranch, Santa Fe, Cadillac Ranch, Jack Rabbit Trading Post, Apache Death Cave, Twin Arrows … and much, much more!

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CONTENTS #107 “When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I’ve never tried before.” — Mae West gives great advice about any choice — which road, which bike …

4 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

104 NEWS FOR ROAD RIDERS 10

Honda still number one, plans for an Aussie TT, fibre suspension and hemp bikes, Halo helmets and more.

48

56 64

ON THE ROAD 78

88 96 104

New Caledonia: Amazing rides with our French-Pacific neighbour.

Ballina, NSW: Rough roads for rough rides on a mystery tour.

Sapphire Coast, NSW: Over the mountains and down to the sea.

The Murray River: Cruising beside Australia’s greatest waterway.

FEATURES 72 112

The Purpose: Why we ride.

Suspend Yourself: Why and how you should tailor your suspension.

BIKES TO RIDE 40

56

Ducati Monster 1200: Not any old Monster, this is Pegasus rising.

68

Kawasaki Ninja 1000: A civilised superbike that’s great value.

Yamaha SR400: Living the single life in 2014.

KTM 1290 Super Duke R: Absolutely wicked!

The Long List: Victory, Ducati, Moto Guzzi and Project Bolt.

GEAR ON TEST 120 122

123

Earmold Music Monitors: The new, vastly improved edition.

DriRider Vortex 2 Pants: The ideal replacement for the old faithfuls.

Barkbusters BBZ-01: Coldbusters to suit most bikes.

YARNS AND LAUGHS 6 32 35 37 39 145 146

Mathochism: The slow boat from China.

Boorman: Victoria Falls Hotel.

Seddo: Gone commando.

Zoe: A question of style.

Isaac: A guest columnist.

Humour: Matho’s Mardis Gras Last Look: What the boss does.

MONTHLY MAIL 2 28 30 102 124 128 132 138 140 144

Route 66: Win a US trip!

Big Shot 1: Misty morning memory.

Big Shot 2: Sun on sandstone.

Stay With Us: Rider-friendly places.

Whatz New: Retail therapy, anyone?

Readers Rite: You said it!

Price Guide: More than just the dollars.

Subscribe Here: Win a Yamaha Bolt!

Bike Supermarket: Products, services and other cool stuff.

Advertiser Listing: Where’d you see that ad again?

40

112

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 5

MATHOCHISM

SLOW BOAT FROM CHINA The Chinese are still coming. We’re just not their top priority

t’s boom times for boutique bikes, or at least that’s the way it looks as we report more and more o en on new or reborn brands coming into the top end of the market. Ariel, Brough Superior, Norton and a lot more British and European names are back, selling bespoke, low-volume motorcycles to cashed-up enthusiasts prepared to pay for something well above the norm. At the same time, Indian’s return as a massmarket brand shows there’s scope for new players at that level too.

I wouldn’t have predicted much of this a few years ago. Even discounting the Global Financial Crisis, the status quo had been so stable for so long that there looked li le likelihood of so many new names coming into our showrooms.

If anyone asked, I answered that it’d be the Chinese and Koreans we’d be talking about by now. What happened to them?

Nothing happened, really. The Chinese in particular are emerging gradually in our markets. There’s li le incentive for them to rush it. Motorcycles for western markets — big bikes — are a drop in the Chinese motorcycle industry’s deep bucket. China exported almost 10 million motorcycles last year, most of them low-end or midrange machines, and its domestic sales were not far shy of 14 million. Contrast this with imports of only about 4000 machines, two-thirds of which were over 800cc, and a domestic market for 400cc-plus motorcycles of less than 10,000 machines. China doesn’t really do big bikes; they don’t do Westernmarket motorcycles.

Having said that, we cannot overlook Benelli (Qianjiang) and CFMoto, which do have a presence here and produce bikes in the 600-650cc class. But until their ranges expand they won’t be making headlines here, just continuing to cement a worthwhile place in the existing market.

China’s manufacturers must first

I

6 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

“The Chinese in particular are emerging gradually in our markets. There’s little incentive for them to rush it” concentrate on maximising their domestic sales (an unusual challenge when the government is actively reducing its size!) and their sales of smaller bikes into the mass-volume markets of Asia, Africa and South America. Internal pressure for growth will then make them turn to markets like ours. That’s a fair way off. The parallel driver is China’s own recreational and enthusiast market. It’s growing, albeit from a tiny base that makes the Aussie market look pre y big. The factories are already responding to it; sales of 250-400cc bikes have been growing and should crack the million-units mark in two or three years if trends continue.

Looking at the Benelli BN 600, which we reviewed last issue, the signs are good.

But forgive us if we get distracted by Brough Superiors and Indian Scouts in the short term.

swap for the learner-legal Triumph, but it’s still a nakedbike ... which is about as far as the parallels go. We almost managed to get the LAMS-legal V-Strom 650 in but time beat us in the end.

All this change enabled me to bring forward a story I’d intended to run later, Isaac Oosterloo’s “The Purpose” on page 72. I hope you enjoy his reflections on riding as much as I did. On the strength of it, I offered Isaac a guest column while Gregor takes a short break. Greg will be back, as will Isaac’s by-line. ARR

PROMISES Two of the bikes we’d promised you for this issue didn’t make it. The Can-Am Spyder and Triumph Street Triple 660 were delayed beyond our deadline, each for different reasons. I’m trying to confirm new dates to test them so hang in there.

We had the Ninja 1000 and KTM Super Duke up our sleeves, so it wasn’t hard to find alternative stories for you. The Ninja isn’t exactly equivalent to the Spyder, but it is one of those bikes that’s easy to underestimate, simply because it’s so much more versatile than it looks at a glance.

Comfortable, good two-up, able to carry luggage in its accessory panniers, this is a touring bike built on superbike instinct.

The mighty KTM was not an obvious

Benelli 600: a promising sign of what’s to come but China’s rise won’t be rushed

BMW Motorrad R 1200 RT

bmwmotorrad.com.au

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NEWS

NEWS FOR ROADRIDERS

BY NEWS EDITOR MARK HINCHLIFFE (HINCHM@HOTMAIL.COM)

■ Streets ahead: Kawasaki’s LAMSapproved 300 Ninja fell 24 per cent to 1442 sales, yet still beat all but the CT110

HONDA LEADS ROAD MOTORCYCLE SURGE Road bike sales continue to rise, balancing a tiny decrease in overall half-yearly numbers for the industry

10 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

onda’s postie bike and its range of 500cc learner bikes led a small surge in road-bike sales in the first half of the year.

The Honda CT110X postie bike returned to the number-one position with an 88 per cent increase in sales to 1486, knocking the Kawasaki Ninja 300 off its perch a er a 24 per cent decrease to 1442.

But the surge in learner bikes is most heartening news for the motorcycle industry, leading to a slight increase in road bike sales of 2.2 per cent to 21,672.

Aided by a 2.9 per cent increase in ATV

H

sales to 10,721, it offset the continued drop in scooters (-15.4 per cent to 4100) and downturn in off-road bikes (-1.7 per cent to 16,903) for a total market decrease of just half a per cent to 53,396.

Leading the charge in learner bikes was Honda’s range of 500cc machines.

The CBR500R sportsbike was the thirdbest-selling bike with 1049 sales, up 86 per cent, the CB500XA was second in the adventure-tourer category with 198 (up 330 per cent), and the CB500FA naked was third in its category with 194 (up 40 per cent). Thanks to these successes,

NEWS ■ Aussie Post might be phasing it out, but the mighty CT110 has experienced a big jump in sales and is back in the top spot

“Most adventure-tourers recorded solid growth, especially the new models” Honda was again the top-selling company with road bike sales up 2.2 per cent to 4269, but overall down just 0.3 per cent to 12,212.

Other learner bikes which indicate a welcome growth of newcomers to motorcycling were the Kawasaki Ninja 650R (5675 per cent to 231), KTM 390 Duke (100 per cent to 382) and Ducati Monster 659 (11 per cent to 182).

But the growth in road bikes hasn’t been all about learner bikes. There was good growth in cruisers, adventure bikes and naked bikes. For example, Harley’s FXSB So ail Breakout was the top cruiser and seventh best-selling bike, and newcomer Indian sold 175 Chief models in the first half of the year. Harley was again the second-best road bike company with 2.4 per cent growth to 3985.

Most adventure-tourers recorded solid growth, especially the new models such as the Honda CB500XA, BMW’s new water-cooled R 1200 GS (11 per cent to 195) and the Suzuki DL1000 V-Strom (839 per cent to 169). The KLR650 remained fairly steady at the top of the category, up 3.7 per cent to 222 sales.

Yamaha’s masters of torque are proving popular with the MT-09 triple leading the naked category with 434 sales on its debut, which largely accounts for Yamaha’s 29 per cent growth in road bike sales from 1945 to 2508.

BMW also recorded solid figures with a 43 per cent growth in road bikes from 988 to 1411, thanks to new models

such as the R nineT and S 1000 R. Overall, sales were dragged down only

by BMW’s scooter (-29 per cent to 42). In fact, the only major scooter company to record any growth was Vespa, with a 32 per cent surge in sales to 583, thanks largely to its GTS models.

Other road bike sales successes were recorded by KTM (up 109 per cent to 859), Aprilia (26 per cent to 187), Moto Guzzi (19 per cent to 148) and Ducati (8.3 per cent to 914).

Yamaha was the leading brand in the off-road motorcycle market, selling 27 per cent (4579) of the 16,903 off-road motorcycles sold. Yamaha was closely followed by Honda with 27 per cent (4541) of sales and KTM with 15 per cent (2587).

ATV sales increased 2.9 per cent compared to the same period in 2013, with 298 more units sold. Honda regained its position as the largestselling ATV manufacturer, selling 27 per cent (2877) of the 10,721 ATVs sold. Honda was followed by Polaris with 23 per cent (2456) of the market and Yamaha with 17 per cent (1783).

The popularity of scooters continues to decline, with overall scooter sales down 15 per cent in the first half of 2014, compared to the same period in 2013.

Piaggio was the top seller in the scooter market, selling 16 per cent (673) of the total 4100 scooters sold between January and June 2014. Vespa came in second with 14 per cent (583) of sales and Honda was third with 13 per cent (525).

TOP 10 COMPANIES OVERALL Honda

12,212

(-0.3%)

Yamaha

9034

(0.2%)

Kawasaki

5341

(-8.1%)

Suzuki

4758

(-14.7%)

Harley

3985

(2.4%)

Polaris

2456

(40.8%)

BMW

1453

(38.8%)

Triumph

1344

(-2.4%)

CFMoto

1065

(-14.3%)

Husqvarna

1018

(6%)

TOP 10 ROAD BIKE COMPANIES Honda

4269

(2.2%)

Harley

3985

(2.4%)

Kawasaki

2914

(-21.1%)

Yamaha

2508

(28.9%)

Suzuki

1537

(-20.2%)

BMW

1411

(42.8%)

Triumph

1344

(-2.4%)

Ducati

914

(8.3%)

KTM

859

(109%)

Hyosung

401

(-12.1%)

SALES FIGURES IN DOUBT? There’s a call for an independent audit of motorcycle sales figures a er their credibility was questioned. Find out why on page 26.

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 11

NEWS

LIONS TT PLANNED FOR OCTOBER

Closed road, one-way traffic, bikes only, but it’s not a race

■ One-way traffic: The road will be closed for the event

The Lions TT in northern NSW this October is expected to become an annual event. It’s not a race, but a closed-road ride over the Lions Rd, one of the best motorcycling roads on the east coast of Australia. The road connects Rathdowney in Queensland with Kyogle in northern NSW and was built by the Lions Club of Kyogle.

Lions TT CEO Mark Luxford says they plan to bring together the spirit of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and the Isle of Man TT into a unique event. “We’d like to make it an Australian motorcycling icon and a pilgrimage event. Australia is lacking in that,” he says.

The event consists of a 42km ride from outside Rathdowney to Ripples on the Creek Cafe over the Lions Rd plus a motorcycle festival with fun category street sprints, trade stalls and entertainment in nearby Kyogle.

Mark says he has the support of the ■ The TT’s destination is Ripples on the Creek Cafe

“Kyogle is eager for an event to replace the World Rally round it lost” Kyogle community, which is eager for an event to replace the World Rally round it lost a few years ago. At the time of writing, the Lions TT group was still negotiating with land owners to close the Lions Rd from 10am to 3pm on the weekend of 4th-6th October. He says they plan to limit participation to up to 400 riders, who would pay a yet-to-benominated fee to ride on the closed road.

“I’ve been amazed at the core group of enthusiasts keen to use the whole of the road and not have to worry about oncoming traffic,” he says.

The ride is open to all registered bikes, with riders se ing off from the Rathdowney end at intervals of 30-40

12 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

seconds and riding within the posted speed limits. “It’s not a race — oh god no.

We would never get insurance for that.

We have to play it really safe in the first year. This will make or break the event.”

Details have yet to be worked out, but riders may be able to return to the start via the Summerland and Mt Lindesay highways for a second run, or continue on to Kyogle for the motorcycle festival.

There will also be a raffle of a 1983 Kawasaki GT750 which will be modified into a cafe racer by Rockers Classic Motorcycles in Nundah. Mark says all profits raised from the event will go towards the upkeep of the iconic road.

Visit lions .com.

NEWS

LIGHTWEIGHT FIBRE SPRINGS FOR DUCATI? Audi’s weight-savings car tech could become performance-enhancing bike tech

■ More good tech for Ducati’s already high-tech suspension set-ups?

Audi has produced lightweight fibreglass-reinforced polymer (GFRP) springs for its cars and, as owner of Ducati Motor Holding SpA, its motorcycles may soon end up with the same suspension technology.

Audi will fit the lightweight springs in an upper mid-size model before the end of the year. Light weight is crucial for car manufacturers to a ain fuel economy targets set by authorities, but it is even more important in motorcycles for performance, so it stands to reason these springs will end up on future Ducatis.

The springs are a light green, the fibre strand is thicker than the wire of a steel spring, and it has a slightly larger overall diameter with a lower number of coils. Most importantly they weigh just 1.6kg, which is 40 per cent lighter than conventional springs that weigh 2.7kg.

14 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

■ Green: the high-tech springs demand less energy to make than steel ones

“The core of the springs consists of long glass fibres twisted together and impregnated with epoxy resin,” says Audi. “A machine wraps additional fibres

“They weigh just 1.6kg, which is 40 per cent lighter than conventional springs” around this core — which is only a few millimetres in diameter — at alternating angles of plus and minus 45 degrees to the longitudinal axis. These tension and compression plies mutually support one another to optimally absorb the stresses acting on the component. In the last production step, the blank is cured in an

oven at temperatures of over 100°C.” But it is the properties of the springs that make them ideal for motorcycles.

“The GFRP springs can be precisely tuned to their respective task, and the material exhibits outstanding properties,” says Audi. “It does not corrode, even a er stone chipping, and is impervious to chemicals such as wheel cleaners. Last but not least, production requires far less energy than the production of steel springs.”

Audi doesn’t explain how the springs are able to be more precisely tuned, but it would be a real benefit on a motorcycle where rider weight has such an impact on handling. Also, the robust nature of the springs to resist rust, chemicals and stones would make them ideal on a motorcycle where the springs are visible and o en part of the overall design aesthetics.

SALES EVENT

Discover Riding. Re-invented.

$3000 REBATE ON SELECTED MODELS

†

12 MONTH ROAD SIDE ASSIST HURRY, OFFERS END OCTOBER 31, 2014 Visit BRP.com for more details.

FOR PRICING & TEST RIDE CALL 1300 725 949 *Ready to Ride Sales Event ends 31st October 2014, eligible on MY12 & 13. $3000 factory rebate on Spyder RS, RS-S, ST, ST LIMITED, RT, RT-S & RT LIMITED. 1 year roadside assist is provided by NRMA and its state and territory affiliates, for full terms and conditions please contact your local participating Can-Am dealership.

canamspyder.com

NEWS

FUTURE BIKES MADE FROM HEMP? Growing your own motorcycle might not be such a pipe-dream As motorcycle manufacturers look for “greener” and lighter-weight materials to build their bikes, could hemp play a role?

The monocoque frame of the Be.e electric scooter is made from a combination of 90 per cent non-woven hemp fibre and 10 per cent woven flax fibre infused with a biobased resin. This, and Audi’s new car springs made from lightweight fibreglass-reinforced polymer (see p14), are just two examples of manufacturers starting to think outside the square when it comes to materials for their motorcycles. Light weight is necessary to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions, while “green” natural products will also help their environmental credentials.

Use of bio materials in auto manufacturing is not new. During the 1930s, automobile pioneer Henry Ford began

developing soy-based automobile parts, but that was interrupted by the war. Fast forward to the past couple of decades and now most auto manufacturers include bio materials in their manufacturing process.

Most use bio materials in the seats and some mix bio materials into their plastics. Use is still fairly limited, although a 2012 Iowa State University study found vast potential in auto manufacturing for the use of bio products in switches, electrical shielding, panels, paint, oils etc.

Meanwhile, the odd-looking Be.e scooter is the first product from Dutch firm Van.Eko, which is trying to gain kickstart funding to get its product mass-produced.

The company even has plans to rent it out for greater environmental resource sharing.

The Be.e has a choice of 2.5kWh and 5kWh ba eries with 55km and 160km ranges respectively. The ba ery powers a 4kW electric rear-hub motor that pushes the 95kg two-person scooter to speed up to around 58km/h.

See vaneko.com.

■ Underneath, the Be.e is a very humble electric scooter

HALO HELMET NOW FOR MOTORCYCLES You can look like your favourite gaming hero Soon you could be riding around looking like the chief character from the popular computer war game, Halo. The National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA) has announced it will release the Master Chief helmet for use as a DOT-approved motorcycle helmet. NECA produces many products based on licences such as Halo, but most are gimmicks and toys. This will be no toy, they say.

They have released a photo of the unpainted prototype, which looks very similar to the recently released Shark Explore-R with its a ached goggles and 16 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

peak. It looks somewhere between a streetfighter and adventure helmet with its big peak, goggle-style visor and bulky chin bar. NECA reckons it will suit many different types of bike.

“Whether you’re on a Honda dirt bike, a custom Harley or a vintage Vespa, the Halo Master Chief motorcycle helmet will offer the full-face protection preferred

by Master Chief (and savvy bikers everywhere),” the press release says.

There are no more details about when it will be available or how much it will cost. Since it is only planned to be DOT-approved at this stage, it won’t be suitable for Australia but it would be great for costume parties.

Visit: necaonline.com.

■ Master Chief’s helmet is transforming from computer game fantasy to the real thing

NEWS

MOTORCYCLES BREAK AUCTION RECORDS

r The 1931 Indian 4 exceeded $160,000 at auction

Boom times are back for classic bikes Now may not be the best time to buy a collector motorcycle as there seems to be no end to what some collectors will pay for them. International auctioneers Coys broke two world records when they sold a 1931 Indian 1300 for £90,000 (almost $164,000) and a 1953 Mondial 125 Monoalbero for £60,000 ($109,000). The British auctioneer has recently returned to the international collector motorcycle market a er other auction houses also

r Mondial 125: over 60-years-old and breaking world records

set world records over the past year.

Late last year, the Bonhams annual sale of collector motorcycles at Stafford set a world record total of £1,337,475 ($A2.2m), and a Brough Superior owned by the company boss set a world record of $389,202 in April.

In Australia, a record price of $65,000 was paid for a post-WWII HarleyDavidson knucklehead in March and in February one of four 1969 Honda CB750 prototypes sold on eBay for a record $163,844 a er a racting 102 bids.

It certainly is a good climate for Coys to return to the collector motorcycle auction business. Coys managing

partner Chris Routledge says some of their bidders included “some householdname celebrity buyers. I’m really excited about our return to motorcycles,” Chris says — and so he should be.

The record-breaking 1931 Indian is the four-cylinder 1300cc 402 model with alloy pistons, lacquer frame, cadmium-plated spokes and an effective rear brake. It was also the first Indian to get chrome.

The 1953 Mondial 125 Monoalbero is the model that clinched several world speed records, reaching peaks of more than 165km/h. This particular bike, chassis 013, took part in a number of 1950s Milano-Taranto races.

VINCENT IN “The winner was born in 1955 when BITS SELLS FOR the bike was made and wanted to buy RECORD PRICE the Prince for his birthday” This heap of rusted and ba ered parts is a 1955 Vincent 998cc Black Prince that recently sold for the record price of £91,100 ($162,800). It fetched almost four times its estimated value at the £2.4 million ($4.3m) Bonhams Summer Classic Sale of 115 motorcycles in the UK. The bike set a new record for a Black Prince sold at auction.

The bidding between two protagonists apparently got a bit out of hand and it serves as a salutary lesson for would-be collectors not to let the heart rule the head when bidding at auction. The two main bidders ba led over the phone for the bike, for which each had a personal 18 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

a achment. One said he owned a Black Knight in his youth but always yearned for the superior Black Prince.

The other bidder, and the eventual winner, said he was born in 1955 when the bike was made and wanted to buy the Prince for his birthday.

The motorcycle came in pieces and will require extensive and expensive restoration to be roadworthy or even a museum piece. It was the top lot of the motorcycle sale, which also included four Vincents selling over their estimated values. Bonhams director for motorcycles, Ben Walker, said it was their best “Banbury Run” motorcycle sale to date.

■ What were they thinking? The buyers who just had to have it paid $162,800 for this Prince in pieces

triumphmotorcycles.com.au

NEWS

VALE SERGIO

ROBBIANO Motorcycling loses another legendary Italian designer

The man who sculpted the sexiest motorcycle of the last century has died in a head-on crash with a truck.

Motorcycle designer Sergio Robbiano, 46, was responsible for the Ducati 916 along with many other distinctive and highly admired motorcycle designs.

His mentor, Massimo Tamburini, also died in April a er a long ba le with lung cancer. He was 71.

Sergio died when he lost control of his motorcycle and ran into a truck while out riding in Italy’s Genoa region.

Police are investigating the accident.

Massimo and Sergio worked together in San Marino on the 916, which has been hailed as the most

“Massimo Tamburini and Sergio Robbiano worked together on the 916, which has been hailed as the most beautiful bike of the 20th century” beautiful bike of the 20th century.

Sergio is responsible for the design of the Cagiva Mito Evo 125, Bimota 500 V2 and DB5, and several Aprilia and Husqvarna motorcycles. He also

designed some AGV helmets.

He was born in Palermo, but lived in Genoa.

Massimo also worked on the 916 as well as the MV Agusta F4, both of which were highlights of the New York Guggenheim Museum’s Art of the Motorcycle exhibit of 1998-99.

The two designers are responsible for the explosion of underseat exhausts, single-sided swingarms and lightweight motorcycles. Massimo is also credited with designing or playing a major part in the design of the Bimota Tesi 1D, KB2 and DB1, Ducati Paso, 916, 748, 996, 998, Cagiva Mito, and MV Agusta F4, Brutale and F3 675.

CORRECTION: WIMA RALLY The Women’s International Motorcycle Association Australia will host the world WIMA Rally on Phillip Island straight a er the 2015 MotoGP, not this year’s event as stated in a recent edition. WIMA president Moira Stewart says the event will a ract thousands of women from more than 20 countries. “Next year’s international rally on the island will be special because it’s only the second time in 65 years that WIMA Australia is hosting the event,” she says. The first time they hosted the event was in Kiama in 2000. r Sergio Robbiano won a 2004 MDA design award for the Bimota DB5

20 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

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NEWS

MOTORCYCLES

FEATURE IN MOTORCLASSICA

Extensive line-up of classics tipped for Melbourne show Melbourne’s famed automotive exhibition, Motorclassica, is on again in October and motorcycles will again be featured. Event director Paul Mathers says good entries have been received for the Concours d’Elegance and motorcycle area, with about 40 to 50 bikes expected. ”Confirmed entries so far include a 1948 Ariel VG and a 1975 Kawasaki 750, coming all the way from New Caledonia,” he says. “Many exhibits and entries are still in the works, but there will definitely be items of interest for motorcycling enthusiasts.”

There will also be a display of modern bikes from brands such as Benelli, Triumph, MV Agusta and BMW, with trade displays by resellers Boxer & Bevel and Classic Style.

The fi h annual Motorclassica will be held at Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building on October 24–26, just a month before the Melbourne Moto Expo, so some manufacturers may choose to opt for the la er, which is more of a sales show.

Motorclassica is more about rare,

exotic, historic, vintage, veteran, classic and collectable cars and motorcycles of international significance, says Paul.

“Although we are only in our fi h year, what’s gratifying is that the event has reach far beyond Melbourne. We are seeing significant visitor numbers from overseas and interstate, as Motorclassica has become the ‘must do’ event for the collector car and motorcycle community,” he says.

Motorclassica will feature an International Concours d’Elegance, club displays, a 50th anniversary display of Ford Mustangs and will pay homage to Sir Donald Campbell’s dual World Land Speed and Water Speed records set in Australia 50 years ago in the Bluebird CN7 and K7.

WHERE & WHEN MOTORCLASSICA Melbourne Royal Exhibition Building 24–26 October www.motorclassica.com.au

LUCK SHINES ON SUN Harley rider the winner as Morgan & Wacker celebrates Dyna Wide Glide rider Sun Heo got the surprise of his life when he won a Harley-Davidson 883 Iron during the climax of the Morgan & Wacker’s six-week re-opening celebrations in Brisbane.

Thousands of riders and bikes crammed Ross St, Newstead, for the festival climax, which included live music, discounted merchandise and food vendors offering American hotdogs and fries or Mexican tacos.

Sun, from Korea, says the first place he visited when he arrived in 2008 was Morgan & Wacker, where he bought his Dyna. “First destination was not the zoo or Sunny or Goldy [coasts], it was Morgan & Wacker.”

The oldest motorcycle dealer in the country and the second-oldest Harley-Davidson dealer in the world now has a new lease on life with its rejuvenated premises.

r Winner: Sun Heo

22 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

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NEWS

KIWIS GET EXOTIC BIKES Urban Moto appoints New Zealand outlet Five exotic motorcycle brands are now available in New Zealand a er Urban Moto Imports clenched a deal with Clean Motorcycles in Wellington. The store will carry Urban Moto Imports brands EBR (Erik Buell Racing), Benelli, Bimota, Confederate and Viper. It is the first time all five brands will be sold through a New Zealand dealership.

Clean Motorcycles founder Pradeep A apa u has been in the motorcycle industry for 25 years and acknowledges there is a strong and growing market for such exotic brands.

Urban Moto Imports also has plans to increase the number of service agents in the region over the next few months. Meanwhile, it has added North Star Motorcycles in Brisbane as an EBR and Benelli dealer.

Dealership owner Michael Edwards is a former Australian Superbike Championship competitor.

■ Bimota has returned to NZ, along

with several other exotic brands

A ROADSTER FOR CAR DRIVERS?

r The belt-drive rear end with single-sided swingarm is about

r If the Can-Am is a three-wheeled bike, the Polaris is a

the only bit of motorcycle influence

three-wheeled car

Can-Am gave us the modern roadster when it established the Spyder as an alternative to two-wheeled transport, and the bike with two front wheels has cemented itself as a viable, fun vehicle.

Now compatriot company Polaris has come up with the same concept from the 24 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

car driver’s angle. Its Slingshot offers the same three-wheeled platform but instead of a saddle and handlebars, it brings a chair and steering wheel to the equation, along with car-like front-end styling.

They’re calling it a roadster, just like Can-Am’s Spyder, but the car-like

influences extend to the 2.4L fourcylinder engine, car-type gearbox and drivesha , though a belt provides the final drive. With more than 100kW, a solid 225Nm and racy handling, it promises lots of fun.

But is it too car-like for people like us?

NEWS

POLARIS CALLS FOR INDEPENDENT SALES AUDIT FCAI defends sales figures a er manufacturer questions the accuracy of “honour system” Powersports manufacturer Polaris has called for an independent audit of ATV, motorcycle and scooter sales so consumers have a more accurate account. The American company dropped out of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries two years ago over concerns about the accuracy of sales reporting, but its motorcycle companies, Indian and Victory, remain with the FCAI. Polaris Australia & New Zealand managing director Peter Alexander says industry market data, which is managed by the FCAI, is an important tool for monitoring business and industry progress. He says it also gives consumers an accurate picture of “the competitive landscape in our market. It is important to ensure that any reported data is accurate and free of errors or manipulation,” he says.

Polaris marketing manager Alan Collins says the company’s main concerns are in the ATV sector, where it boasted 41 per cent growth to 2456 sales in the first half of the year, placing it sixth in the powersports/ motorcycle industry.

“Victory has lower volumes and Indian is only new to the market so it’s not a concern to the same extent as ATVs, but we would like to see the independent audit cover the whole industry, including road and off-road motorcycles and scooters,” Alan says.

Polaris has expressed its concerns about the process of collecting data for several years, but Peter has only recently gone public. “The collection of data is run basically on an honour system,” Alan says. “It’s based on warranty registrations which the companies supply to the data collection agency for the FCAI. We’re not pointing the finger at anyone, but companies can 26 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

r Are sales of unregistered bikes and ATVs easy to fudge? FCAI says they’re not

use the figures as a PR tool that could be quite misleading for the consumer.

The impact on the customer is at the perception level. Companies can fly the flag that they are number-one in a segment and that can mislead consumers who are purchasing something that doesn’t have the standing they believe.”

A spokesman for the FCAI released this statement: “The FCAI releases motorcycle sales figures on a quarterly basis, highlighting sales in four categories: road motorcycles, off-road motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and scooters. The robust sales data is compiled by an independent organisation with expertise in

automotive data management, using information provided to them by motorcycle, ATV and scooter manufacturers. In providing their information, manufacturers are required to provide the unique vehicle identifier for each vehicle sold. The independent data organisation checks the unique number to see that it has not been previously reported. The FCAI stands by the integrity of this data and its members.”

“Companies can use the figures as a PR tool that could be quite misleading for the consumer”

■ Doubts are focused more on ATV sales figures, but

Polaris would like the audit to cover all bikes

BIG SHOT

IS THERE ANYTHING QUITE AS FREE AS RIDING OUT OF THE MORNING MIST AND INTO THE SUNSHINE, A FEW ESSENTIALS ON THE BACK OF THE BIKE AND ANOTHER GLORIOUS DAY OF RIDING IN FRONT OF YOU?

PHOTO: MICK MATHESON

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THE THINGS YOU SEE

Roadrider A U S T R A L I A N

T H E

R E A L

R I D E

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 29

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THE THINGS YOU SEE

BIG SHOT

THE SANDSTONE BLUFFS BEGIN TO GLOW ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE GREAT DIVIDING RANGE IN THE AFTERNOON SUN. WITH THIS VIEW, PEARSON’S LOOKOUT, JUST SOUTH OF CAPERTEE IN NSW, IS A SUBLIME SPOT FOR A BREAK.

PHOTO: MICK MATHESON

Roadrider A U S T R A L I A N

T H E

R E A L

R I D E

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■ It’s always better to be on the dry side of Africa’s Skeleton Coast

TIME TRAVELLER

Destination: Victoria Falls Hotel, a living museum

to be special so we can all have a really memorable experience on the last day of the trip. We’ve stayed in the Zambezi Sun hotel over many years — but now we’ve switched to the iconic Victoria Falls Hotel, Zimbabwe.

CAPE TOWN NORTH THROUGH NAMIBIA

CHARLEY BOORMAN ’m si ing in my hotel room in Cape Town, penning some ideas for this column and yet again thinking how lucky I am to be here in Africa. I’ve o en spoken about my love affair with this continent but this time I want to talk about my experience visiting what can only be described as a living museum. A window into the past, to the days of the empire and British rule.

Mainly due to a route change, an admin issue, this year we’ve moved our first tour’s end destination from the Zambian side of Victoria Falls to the Zimbabwean side. It’s actually only a few kilometres further and of course a border crossing.

We always like the final-destination hotel

I

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Our route is a reasonably well-trodden one — well, by us anyway. We’ve been doing this tour for about six years now.

We leave Cape Town and head to the Cape Peninsula — Cape Point, sometimes known as the Cape of Good Hope. Not to be confused with Cape Agulhas, the official southern tip of Africa where the two great oceans, the Atlantic and the Indian, meet. Cape Agulhas is a li le further on, but between both points is the bubbling of the two great oceans and a fantastic spot to ride to and explore.

We leave the cool air of the south coast and head north to the wine regions, staying in Franschhoek, a fabulous valley boasting wines of the highest calibre and restaurants to match. The cuisine here is of international renown and the scenery is breathtaking. (I’ll second all of that! The Cape coast and Franschhoek are among my favourites. — Matho)

This first phase of our trip is easy and flows over you in a way that breaks you gently into the ways of Africa. The next few days, as we climb north, will take us into Namibia, were we experience our first border crossing. The temperatures move up the scale and gravel roads become the norm. The adventure is properly underway.

We’re ge ing some miles under our belts, starting to feel at one with our bikes, and each day brings more experiences which you’ll remember for the rest of your life. Whether it’s an incredible view, the wildlife or a special encounter with some local people, this is what it’s all about, collecting memories, savouring life, in fact really living life.

We ride along the infamous Skeleton Coast of Namibia and eventually turn east through Etosha National Park, dodge a few elephants, lions, leopards and practically every other African wildlife icon you can think of before arriving at the Caprivi Strip, a political corridor that connects Namibia into the south of Zambia and the great Zambezi river.

To the north we have Angola, the south Botswana and the east Zambia and Zimbabwe. This is a very special area where elephants travel their old ancient

CharlEy BOORMAN TOUR AFRICA WITH CHARLEY AS YOUR GUIDE Each year Charley takes a group of people across Southern Africa, riding BMWs from Cape Town into Namibia, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Lesotho before returning back to Cape Town. This year we’ve added a ride through Zimbabwe and Botswana too! Riders can do the whole adventure or a section of it. Check out the details and learn more at Charley’s website, www.charleyboorman.com.

“We ride along the infamous Skeleton Coast of Namibia and dodge a few elephants, lions, leopards and practically every other African wildlife icon” routes (don’t get in their way!) and some famous rivers come together — the Okavango, Kwando, Chobe and Zambezi.

VICTORIA FALLS AND THE COLONIAL CUES At the end of the Caprivi we cross into Zambia and with a hop, skip and jump we’re at the famous bridge that joins Zambia to Zimbabwe. Yes, probably the most famous bungee jump in the world, and yes again, you’re right, that’s where the Australian girl beat the odds and survived the bungee rope breaking, dumping her 111 metres into the raging

■ Dust busters: you earn your showers in Africa

Zambezi with the broken rope wrapped around her legs and snagging rocks 6m under the water … but hey-ho, she lived to tell the tale.

The bridge was finished in 1905 under instructions of the great Cecil Rhodes and it’s this bridge that takes us to the finale. Just a few minutes’ ride and we arrive at the historic Victoria Falls Hotel.

Oh my Lord, you will be amazed by this place. Riding the bikes up to the gates and into the grounds feels a li le strange, like bursting into London’s Natural History Museum on an enduro bike and riding around the exhibits!

The hotel was built in wood around 1904 as the need for accommodation in the area increased, again thanks to Cecil Rhodes with his visionary dream of a railway between Cape Town and Cairo.

Ironically, Rhodes never actually got to see the railway or the bridge as he died in 1902, but his legacy is woven into the history of Africa. In 1913 the hotel was rebuilt in stone and was well on its way to becoming one of the British Empire’s treasures.

The place oozes with colonial brashness, from the columns to the corkscrew stairwell and the manicured gardens. The decor, ornaments, furniture and the portraits that adorn the walls are of grander times and you feel out of place in your modern 21st-century clothes. Standing still for more than a few minutes a racts a waiter or a maid: “Can I help you sir? A drink or some food, perhaps?”

And then there’s the view. It is

AUSTRALIAN MOTOGP, PHILLIP ISLAND Charley will be performing his theatre show Charley Boorman Live – presented by Spokes at the MotoGP at Phillip Island this October. Come and hear his tales of adventure and meet him. There are two shows — Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are limited. See www.motogp.com.au for details.

fabulously captivating. Si ing on the verandah of the bar area, your eyes will be fixed on the “smoke” from Mosi-oaTunya or the Smoke that Thunders, as it’s known locally, Victoria Falls.

Around about August the water level of the Zambezi is still quite high, which increases the amount of spray into the air and makes a very cool view while you sit back sipping your G&T reading the Sunday Times. This “smoke” can be seen up to 50km away and it’s no surprise that the falls are one of the acclaimed seven wonders of the natural world and a truly fi ing finale to our 5000km adventure from Cape Town.

I’ve been there many times now, but I’ll never grow tired of this place and especially pondering what went through the minds of the likes of David Livingstone, who discovered the falls in 1855. Reading one of Livingstone’s famous quotes I think us adventure bike riders have a great deal in common …

“If you have men who will only come if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all.” ARR AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 33

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SEDDO

GONE COMMANDO Old dogs don’t need new tricks, they just need familiar toys GEOFF SEDDON tಬs amazing how it all comes back.

The touch. The smell. Itಬs been 18 years but it feels like yesterday!

A er a nine-month search that took me as far as Hawaii, I just bought a Norton Commando from a bloke down the road. Itಬs exactly the one I didnಬt want, and I couldnಬt be happier.

My formative years were the ‘60s and early ‘70s and then I never grew up, so my tastes in cars, girlfriends, motorbikes and music never changed. One thing I learned as the vehicles got older was to buy the best ones I could, as there is enough to do just keeping the blessed things on the road. Donಬt even look at ones that arenಬt going.

The best Commandos go for upwards of 15 grand and closer to 20 for the electric-start Mark 3s, or about twice my budget. These are o en flawless restorations of already good examples which invariably sell for below cost.

I had a look at one, a perfect 1974 850 Interstate that sold for its advertised price of 16K within days of listing. The buyer got it cheap.

Iಬve owned almost all the variants and the 850s have the sweetest engines and Interstates the biggest tanks. 850s also come with at least one disc brake, as do the later 750s. The least reliable Norton I ever owned was a ಬ73 Roadster fi ed with the notorious 750 Combat motor, which I followed up with a drum-braked ಬ69 Fastback, so I knew which ones to avoid.

Thereಬre usually around 40

I

Commandos for sale in Australia at any one time, mostly priced in the teens.

Anything cheaper generally needs work or is in Timbuktu. Roadsters are the most numerous, then Fastbacks, while Interstates are rare. A surprising number are drum-braked early girls and I suspect most of them once lived in the US. Bargains surface occasionally but you have to be quick. A one-owner 850 bobbed its head up at the right price in Far North Queensland. I was onto it in a flash and organised a mate to look at it,

“Mates who remember my first three Commandos think Iಬve taken leave of my senses, as does my wife” but it was already gone. More common are bikes that languish overpriced on websites for months on end.

I was beginning to think the market had go en away from me when an unfinished project turned up locally for close to my money. It had a rebuilt engine and a page-long list of new parts, but the numbers didnಬt match. Tell him heಬs dreaming. A month later, the price dropped a grand and I had a look.

It covered all the food groups; a drumbraked Roadster with a Combat engine which wasnಬt running. The correct

answer was no, but it smelt nice.

I went back a few weeks later to hear it going. The engine was hard to start and raced on one cylinder so we quickly shut it down. I tested the lights, which didnಬt work properly either. I looked harder behind the dust and grime and only saw more reasons not to buy it.

I went home in a funk, kicked the cat and sat surly-faced in front of the fire. Then I started going through the things that needed finishing or fixing and realised it was all stuff that I’d done before. I downloaded PDFs of the factory manual and it was as familiar as reading an old Phantom comic. Then I went through all the good stuff about the bike, of which there was much. I regre ed at least not making a lowball offer which would leave me some wriggle room. I reached for the phone and a deal was done.

The only tool I have at home that fits my Norton is a flat-blade screwdriver, so I set to work on the Amal carbure ors and had it starting first kick and idling smoothly within 15 minutes. So far, so good. I gave it a scrub and polished up the new alloy rims, brightwork and engine cases, and figure Iಬve already added a grand to its value. I still have a dozen things to do when I score the appropriate tools, but hopefully Iಬll be on the road in a few months for under five figures, by which time weಬll already know each other well.

Mates who remember my first three Commandos think Iಬve taken leave of my senses, as does my wife. I have my fingers crossed. ARR AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 35

zoe

ZOE NAYLOR

A QUESTION OF STYLE

Can motorcycling transform Zoe from fashion victim to fashion designer? used to be a real sucker for fashion.

Trying to follow the ho est trends, trawling through the fashion magazines to keep up with the latest styles and spending a lot of time and energy making sure I got my “look” right for the next red carpet event. Sigh!

Now don’t get me wrong, I still love ge ing a quick fix of retail therapy every once in a while, but I certainly don’t feel like I’m a slave to it anymore. It doesn’t fill me up with that false sense of pseudo confidence like it used to. Today, fashion is all about fun for me. My wardrobe is a place where I get to play dress-ups for the day depending on my mood and feeling.

So when it comes to being in the mood for riding a motorbike, where does one begin? I suddenly feel like a kid starting their first day at school. I’m well familiar with my favourite fashion haunts but in the world of motorcycling, which brands are reputable? Which can I count on to last more than a few years, especially considering that I may be spending a few thousand dollars to get fully ki ed out?

I was recently sent some gear from DriRider. When I first checked out their catalogue, I have to admit I made a massive judgement and pre y much dismissed them because their prices were among some of the most affordable. I thought this meant their product was going to be of an inferior quality compared with other brands — but I couldn’t have been more wrong!

I

DriRider is a 100 per cent Australianowned company based in Brisbane.

In ge ing to know this brand I have learnt that they actually design their product specifically for Australian riders and conditions. Furthermore, it’s not available overseas so their fit is really suited to Australian sizing. The fact that they produce such high-quality garments at such an affordable price is now what I consider to be one of their most stand-out features.

“I love the idea of melding timeless fashion and motorcycle gear together. From the bike to the pub without losing that swagger” All their material components are tested at factory level to ensure safety and, importantly, they also put the finished product through a period of real-world rider testing to ensure the product fits and functions as designed.

It’s not uncommon for a garment to go through several changes before we see it on the shelves. On that note, it’s usually around 12 months from when the first sketch is made until the product is available in-store. There’s no quick $2, made-in-China turn-around here!

A er trying on many of the different

styles, I ended up choosing the Siren jacket and GS Speed 2 pant. The pants fit me like a cool pair of ski pants. They are fla ering and don’t make your ass appear like you’ve just eaten 10 cheeseburgers. I also love the 25-degree pre-curved knee of this style so it’s extra comfortable, whether you’re riding a sportsbike or something more upright.

The jacket is slightly more cropped in shape and is wearable in all weather. For boots, I went the Air Tech waterproof tourer and I love them. So comfortable yet still stylish. For gloves, I chose the all-weather Adventure 2 style.

There’s nothing worse than feeling cold while riding. I tested my new gear on one of the coldest mountain mornings and I felt totally toasty the whole time.

DriRider caters for men and women and their catalogue is easy to navigate.

It was sent out as an insert in the mag some issues ago and you can find it at dririder.com.au, where you can also locate your nearest retailer.

While I was talking with DriRider, brand manager Andrew Wright said he’d welcome any ideas or suggestions for future designs. I almost fell off my chair. I love the idea of melding timeless fashion and motorcycle gear together. From the bike to the pub without losing that swagger in your step excites me! I would also love to share your ideas and feedback with DriRider. If you’ve got suggestions or comments, please email me via editor@ roadrider.com.au and I’ll take it to them.

Till next time, safe travels! ARR

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 37

GUEST COLUMN

NOTES FROM THE ROAD

Isaac is travelling through Ireland with his girl … but there’s one thing missing ISAAC OOSTERLOO oof. The last week has been an unending and surreal journey through the depths of Ireland’s drinking culture. And it’s a very deep pool. I have drunk creamy Guinness in tiny pubs with traditional musicians playing in the corner. Had whisky and seafood in restaurants overlooking fishermen in the harbour below. Drunk spiced-rum nightcaps in a variety of hotel rooms, hostels and tents.

The only problem is that a er a week of living like this, my brain feels like some kind of hung-over and spineless jellyfish that has been thrown against a wall. I pick my way through the smelly clothes and empty bo les which coat the floor of our room, try to shake my head clear to obtain some kind of mental clarity, then write these words.”

I have recently flown to Ireland from Australia to visit my girlfriend’s country of origin and meet her family, a er living together in Perth for eight months.

It has already been an outstanding journey. One of those trips you remember forever. A series of unending experiences from a deeply soulful, visually rich and spectacularly beautiful country. The main difference that I have noticed between Ireland and Australia is that this is a country that is still very connected to its past and celebrates its traditions. It integrates them into every aspect of life.

Unlike Australia, it is an old-world country and I can feel that as I travel through.

“W

Also, unlike other European countries which have a high population in a small area, Ireland has only four million people.

Add these aspects to the fact that the landscape here is a postcard-worthy array of green rolling hills, mountain ranges and Atlantic cliff coastline and it

“Unlike Australia, it is an old-world country and I can feel that as I travel through” really is an amazing place to visit. But as we drive past yet another thousand-yearold castle set in perfect green fields, or take our small Ford Focus over a hill pass to see a Lakeland vista in front of us, a single thought plays on in my mind: “God, I wish I had my bike here.”

It is a fantastic motorbiking country (when it stops raining) — a series of interconnecting country roads with perfect corners, stunning views and tiny villages everywhere. Unlike Australia, the distances are not massive between towns, allowing the rider to cruise and explore at whim. The locals are amazingly welcoming and friendly, there is good music everywhere and the craic … well, the craic is mighty.

I have always ridden alone or with a close friend when riding motorbikes around Australia’s varied landscapes. Lived off the back of my bike and camped out in hammocks by a fire in the bush at night.

That is what I am used to. This is how I

travel. Now that I am in the comfortable front seat of a car eating pistachio nuts and staying in a comfortable bed every night, it all just seems a li le bit too … easy. As if when the challenge aspect of travelling by bike is taken away, then it is not quite satisfactory. I guess that’s conditioning for you, in that I am so used to earning everything I do when I travel by bike that a more conventional style of seeing a country just doesn’t scratch that itch anymore.

It’s also the fact that while I am si ing in the passenger seat playing around with the CD player and feeding my girlfriend snacklets, I am planning how I would ride the trajectory of every corner on my bike. How it would feel to have the bracing air on my face as I cruised past these ancient castles and monasteries.

That’s the thing with bikes. If you are used to having one in your life every day, then don’t ride for a few weeks, it does not ma er where in the world you are.

Part of the gloss will be gone.

There is only one thing le to do.

Return here very soon, with a good riding mate and drinking companion.

Ride these tiny back country roads, framed by villages where old men still smoke outside 400-year-old pubs in style. For some reason as well, it has to be on a Triumph Thruxton or Bonneville. It’s the only bike that would do this se ing justice.

Stay upright and safe travels. ARR Greg Reynolds is taking a short break from his column.

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 39

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DUCATI MONSTER 1200S

PEGASUS RISES Ducati’s galloping Monster has grown wings

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STORY: GEOFF SEDDON PHOTOS: HEATHER WARE he new Ducati Monster 1200 was voted Most Beautiful Bike on its release at the Milan Motorcycle Show last year. I don’t see it at first, but everyone else does.

The bike draws interest every time we stop.

Its appearance is dominated by the bodywork, chassis and header pipes; unlike earlier models, the engine is mostly covered up or blacked out. The fuel tank is high and wide, then tapers to a narrow waist between your knees before the bike flares out again to the sexy pillion seat cover. Ah, now I get it. The Monster is a big-breasted Italian mistress with a gorgeous bum. Hop on, hang on and enjoy the ride.

I’m up for it. The bike looks tall on the stand but doesn’t feel it from the saddle.

The Monster tips the scales at 182kg dry, or 209kg wet, and carries its weight low.

Despite the handlebar being higher and closer to the rider than earlier models, the lean forward is more pronounced than on most naked bikes, and the rider’s footpegs are rear-set. The riding position

■ That silhouette is unmistakably a Monster

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■ The new Monster has a slightly sporty riding position that suits it well

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“The cowl can be removed to reveal what could be the best pillion seat ever fitted to a Ducati, complete with grab handles”

DUCATI MONSTER 1200S ■ The hugger with its number-plate mount is a key reason this custom-like rear end is one of the most beautiful in motorcycling

FOR A FEW DOLLARS LESS The standard Monster 1200 is available in red at $19,990 plus onroad costs, a saving of four grand on the 1200S. The engine is in a softer state of tune, although 100kW (135hp) hardly makes for a slug in such a light bike! Forks are 43mm Kayaba upsidedownies, adjustable for compression and rebound damping, and spring preload. Rear shock is a Sachs unit adjustable for rebound damping and spring preload. Less-flash 10-spoke wheels are shod in the same Pirelli Diablo Rosso II dual-compound tyres as the S, while front brakes are middle-shelf Brembo Monobloc M432 calipers on 320mm rotors. Apart from that, it’s the same bike. I’ve not ridden one but I suspect many riders wouldn’t pick much difference. If that sounds like you, you could save yourself a few bucks.

r With the shock mounted to the engine, Ducati was given free rein in positioning the seat and footpegs, resulting in one super comfy motorbike.

Seat padding is 80mm thick at even the lower 785mm seat height. Raising blocks and an adjustable front locating pin in effect then lift it up to the “standard” 810mm fitment

is as much sport as cruise, especially in the twisties when you instinctively bend your elbows to bring your weight further forward. It’ll also cope with a 120km/h breeze all day without feeling like you’re being blown off the bike.

The standard seat height of 810mm is compensated by the bike’s slim midriff and I had no problem ge ing both boots flat on the ground. I’m 175cm tall; shorter riders can lower the seat by 25mm without tools in two minutes.

(An accessory seat can lower it even further to 745mm.) The pillion cowl can be removed in the same time with tools supplied to reveal what could be the best pillion seat ever fi ed to a Ducati, complete with grab handles. If motorcycling is something you share, it could be a deal maker.

Our test bike is the 1200S, which gets a 107kW (145hp) version of the secondgeneration Testastre a 11 engine, compared with the base model’s 135. The extra $4000 also buys Öhlins suspension, much nicer wheels, even be er brakes and a carbon front guard.

It sounds pre y good warming up on a high idle. This is a fly-by-wire motorcycle that knows what’s best for itself, even lowering the indicated redline on the electronic tacho until the oil is warm. As

ಯItಬs a wickedly quick bike in the hills, and the engineಬs a big part of that” on many modern Ducatis, first task is to select one of three riding modes using the blinker cancellation bu on on the le -hand switchblock. The modes affect horsepower, thro le action, ABS, traction control and the dash display. I select Touring, which offers full power on a longer-action thro le and middle levels of brake and traction intervention.

The view forward is a thin aluminium handlebar, a small dash and not much else. Very zenny. Despite also operating the engine computer, the switchgear is simple and stylish. The wet clutch is light and quiet, that distinctive Ducati dry-clutch ra le gone the way of the bevel-drive. It features a progressive self-servo mechanism that presses the plates together under drive, allowing the use of lighter springs and making for a smoother take-off. When the engine is braking, the pressure on the clutch plates is reduced in the style of a slipper clutch.

It all makes for a very sweet-shi ing gearbox, not that you need to do a lot of that with a 1200cc V-twin rumbling along ► AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 43

r In Sport mode, electronics allow maximum performance and the rev counter becomes very prominent on the dash

r In Touring mode, performance is less frenetic and electronic back-ups have a lower threshold. The dash also displays more info

■ Despite a longer wheelbase, this Monster is still agile

underneath you.

I’m ge ing to really like these engines, having also spent some recent time on a 162hp Diavel and 150hp Multistrada.

Calling them detuned 1198s doesn’t reflect their strength and character, which they have in abundance. It’s a flexible motor, pulling from just a few thousand rpm in the lower gears and as low as 90km/h in top. At 120km/h, it’s purring along at around 4200rpm, making good power and sipping fuel like a postie.

It was rare the tacho saw more than 6000rpm, not that I was o en looking.

One time I did was when seeing how fast it would go flat out through the gears. Rushing at you real quick is 145hp and you need your wits about you and a long straight because you’ll be going faster than you think in the blink of an eye. I was thinking that somehow fewer cylinders make it just that li le bit easier to control, when I realised I was still in Touring mode. I tried it again in Sport.

Holy toledo! Although the power is the same, it takes less thro le action to get there and so accelerates even harder.

It was during this time I noticed the tachometer display in both Sport and 44 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

r In Urban mode, power drops and backs-ups chime in sooner, and the speedo becomes the dominant dashboard display

“It’s a very comfy bike and with detachable soft luggage would make a great short-haul fine-weather tourer” Touring modes was sometimes hard to read if the sun was high in the sky behind me. The glare was worst on the top edge of the dash where the tacho is located. The speedo is displayed in large numbers lower on the screen and isn’t a problem.

I spent most of the test in Touring mode; I preferred the so er thro le response and more useful dash display, which includes a clock and trip meter. I did switch to Sport mode, fanging along my regular mountain roads, not for the more detailed tacho display but for the crisper thro le response punching out of corners. It’s a wickedly quick bike in the hills and the engine’s a big part of that, flexible enough to hold the one gear through long sections and with plenty of engine braking to keep you off the picks.

The Öhlins suspension is firm at the factory se ings. The front end felt like it was bouncing off the bumps on the

lightly tarred goat track that is the Great North Road from Bucke y to Wollombi, but it never looked like shaking its head.

If that was my main road (and it hadn’t started raining), I’d have taken more time to adjust the suspension to suit. Massive 48mm Öhlins fork legs separately handle compression and rebound damping (le and right fork legs respectively) and are adjustable for both. Spring preload can also be adjusted on both legs. Down back, a single Öhlins shock is adjustable for all three in a simple cantilever set-up. The front end is a ached to both cylinder heads via a small exposed chassis made of large-diameter tubing. The single-sided swingarm pivots on the crankcase in the usual Ducati fashion but the shock is mounted directly to the rear of the vertical cylinder head. Phil Irving would be chuffed!

On smoother, drier roads, the 1200S was close to perfect. The steering feels

DUCATI MONSTER 1200S

r You can’t really see the motor anymore, but the Monster retains a certain Ducati knack for functional appearance

light with the wide bars, masking a 60mm longer wheelbase. Only the smallest input is needed to tip into a corner and once I adjust for that, it steers precisely, holds its line beautifully and flows between corners like a snake chasing its prey. Cornering clearance is limitless. This was my favourite time on

WHAT’S IN A NAME? The Testastretta engine was introduced in the Ducati 998 in 2002, replacing the first Desmoquattro that had grown from 851cc on release in 1987 to 996cc. The name signifies a narrow head, reflecting a reduction in included valve angle from 40 degrees to 25. It also featured more over-square dimensions to run larger valves. It received a major update in 2007 with the 1098 and reached its zenith in the 1198R which made 133kW (180hp) at 9750rpm.

Knocked off its sports throne by the Panigale, the Testastretta 11 has found a new life powering all manner of modern Ducatis in various stages of tune. The main difference is a reduction in valve overlap from 41 degrees to 11, hence the name.

In the case of the Monster, you can add recast cylinder heads to bolt up to the steering head and rear shock.

Fuel injectors have been relocated to spray directly onto the rear of the hot inlet valve, rather than the colder surface of the intake port, improving vaporisation. Bore and stroke are as per the sporty 1198, so combustion at lower revs is further aided by dual spark plugs for each cylinder.

The under-stressed nature of the whole package is reflected in only having to check valve clearances every 30,000km.

r Carbon-fibre parts are another S-model signature

the Monster and I did more laps of my favourite road than I usually do; up and down, turn around, do it again. We both couldn’t get enough of it.

Having said all that, I was surprised not to find electronic suspension on the top-of-the-line Monster. Could be they’d have trouble hiding all its workings, but I’ve become a convert and missed it on the 1200S. As you’d expect of high-end M50 Brembo calipers on 330mm rotors, the front brakes are as good as they come — immensely powerful, progressive and

r High-end suspension ensures the S exhibits a few superbike characteristics

responsive without ever feeling overbraked. The rear brake, however, was something else. Ducatis have never had a lot down back and seem to have less with every model I ride. Maybe they don’t need it with all that engine braking. It was disconcerting only when I thought about it and the thing stops like a race bike when you want it to.

The Monster is fantastic to ride around the city, especially with the light clutch and sweet gearbox. It is very well balanced down to walking pace and is a feet-up lane-spli er without peer. It ►

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DUCATI MONSTER 1200S ■ The engine is shrouded on the right to keep the heat down and not detract from the tuned-length Diavel-style headers, which are to die for.

Gold forks and 330mm rotors immediately set the S apart from its cheaper sibling

QUICKSPECS

“The steering feels light with the wide bars, masking a 60mm longer wheelbaseರ

r The left side is a bit of a dog’s breakfast of coolant pipes but you do get to glimpse the engine

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has good vision, is comfortable, sounds great and cuts a fine figure in a shopfront window. It’ll even do 300km on a tank. Should you wish, the Urban riding mode reduces peak power to 100hp on a long thro le, with maximum levels of ABS and traction control. It’s particularly useful in the rain, which you’re otherwise likely to avoid on account of how wet you get.

Monsters have always been acceptable touring bikes and this new 1200S may be the best yet. It’s a very comfy bike and with detachable so luggage would make a great short-haul fine-weather tourer. Ducati has produced a dedicated

Model: Ducati Monster 1200S Price: $23,990 (plus on-road charges) Colours: Red with red frame; white with bronze frame Warranty: Two years, unlimited km; roadside assist Servicing intervals: 15,000km Engine: Liquid-cooled fuel-injected desmodromic V-twin, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder. 53mm Mikuni fly-bywire thro le bodies Bore x stroke: 106 x 67.9mm Displacement: 1198cc Compression: 12.5:1 Power: 107kW @ 8750rpm Torque: 125Nm @ 7250rpm Transmission: Wet multiplate servoassisted clutch, 6-speed gearbox, straight-cut gear primary, 530 chain final drive Frame: Tubular-steel trellis Dimensions: Seat height 785-810mm, weight 209kg (wet), fuel capacity 17.5L, wheelbase 1511mm, rake 24.3°, trail 93.2mm Suspension: Front, Öhlins 48mm upside-down forks, fully adjustable, 130mm travel. Rear, Öhlins monoshock, fully adjustable, 152mm travel Brakes: Front, 2 x 330mm rotors, radially mounted Brembo Monobloc M50 4-piston calipers. Rear, 245mm rotor, twin-piston caliper. Threelevel ABS Tyres: Pirelli Diablo Rosso II, 120/70 ZR17 front, 190/55 ZR17 rear Fuel consumption: 5.0L/100km Theoretical range: 300km-plus Verdict: Sex In The City

range of luggage for it too. I suspect a large tankbag would still be a bitch with the high tank.

The 1200S is an all-new model but every inch a Monster, the latest and greatest in a line of bikes that saved Ducati’s bacon 22 years ago and launched a whole new style of motorcycling in its wake. It is a very easy bike to ride, as equally suited to an enthusiast returning to the sport as an experienced rider looking to go scratchin’ with the fast guys. The S offers a tempting mix of performance and bling over the keenly priced base model and even comes in a colour other than red. Bravo! ARR

EAGER NINJA The big green all-rounder has confused Kermit looks yet the muscles of a super hulk. Not short on performance and long on comfort. What’s missing? Not much actually

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KAWASAKI NINJA 1000 ABS

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■ The styling hints at a superbike but the Ninja 1000 is great on tour

STORY: AUSTIN RYMER PHOTOS: TIM MUNRO, AR f you could close your eyes and in a dream-like state imagine what a decent all-round motorcycle would look like, would you come up with the same massive slash of green as this?

The motorcycle you want must fulfil a long list of checks and balances. Should it be super-smooth and responsive? Make it a four-cylinder then. Safe and up-todate? Be er tick the ABS and tractioncontrol boxes along with the ability to cover distances and provide half-decent comfort for you and the other half. It’d have to be 1000cc or greater, wouldn’t it?

Versatile enough to cover commuting, and good for a solo fang on a day off plus a trans-continental two-up tour? Money isn’t found in the rainforest, so you want change out of $20,000. Civil yet with a great note as standard so you don’t get busted by the noise police.

You’ve imagined the Ninja 1000, one of the most perfectly practical motorcycles, albeit awash in Kermit green. There’s a dark-grey option if you can’t be seen in green. Either way, it only costs $16,990 plus on-roads.

Kawasaki has put in a great effort to

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“It’s a dynamic package of performance with a balanced marriage of excitement and refinement”

KAWASAKI NINJA 1000 ABS KEEPING TRAC Big Green has developed a threemode traction control system, KTRC, which has distinct but simple and discernible differences in each setting.

The system is smart enough (and very well programmed) to discern between ham-fisted wheelies and decent “torque” wheelies, which are smooth and have a building road-speed. I could feel but not totally understand this function until I did what every journo doesn’t do and read the manual.

Mode 1 gives very little intervention, allows decent wheelies and cuts back a little of the wheelspin caused by aggressive throttle use.

Mode 2 increases the intervention, reduces wheelies to midgies and could suit a rider getting used to the 105kW. I didn’t use that setting all that much.

Mode 3 offers, as Kawasaki calls it, “riding stability” though I couldn’t help think of Matho’s well-used phrase, “nanny state”. Mode 3 will provide a heap of hold-back on wet roads.

The KTRC system can be turned off for any would-be stunt riders.

The Ninja has two active power modes. In Low you get a cap on power output to 70 per cent and a milder throttle response. When would you bother to reduce power and response? I can only think of ultra-shiny, wet roads with almost no evidence of traction, and possibly in inner-city 50 and 40 zones.

tempt you away from sports-tourers like Triumph’s Sprint GT, Honda’s VFR1200 and the BMW K1300S. This year, Kawasaki dialled in some extra responsiveness with work on the exhaust, thro le bodies, and valve timing and li . Changes to the ECU se ings and gearing apparently bring more torque and added touring benefit. They revised the suspension, added ABS, and tricked up the KTRC traction control and a couple of electronic engine modes from the preceding model. For a motorcycle that claims to be versatile there are very few compromises, bar the pannier mounts built into the rear cowling area.

The looks are sharp and the all-round Ninja is one of the best Kawasakis made.

■ The adjustable screen adds variable protection to this versatile machine

From the moment you climb aboard, adjust the screen height and the control levels to suit, set the power mode and dial in the adjustable rear shock-absorber, it is easy to be in the mood. Clip on the colour-matched optional panniers and tap your touring partner’s knee with a “get set” and the Ninja se les into the open-road groove easily. Both seats cushion well, giving support for aggressive cornering. There is a schizophrenic nature too. One moment it’s channelling some touring vibes, soaking up the bumps and steering its way around with ease, and the next minute you can dispense with the panniers and partner, crouch down under the bubble and play like you are 20 or 30

years younger. You use the brakes with more intent and the handlebars with a lot more power. Even stretching the flyby-wire thro le with more verve works for both entities.

It’s responsive yet with grunt and a desire to rev. Let the Ninja ease down to 27km/h in sixth on a flat road, with ►

“The best part of the equation is its standout bendswinging ability.

Sublime” AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 51

■ Responsive steering makes it a delight to throw into a corner

“The cleverest move by Team Green is fitting up-to-theminute suspension fore and aft”

■ The riding position is very civilised — perfect, according to Austin

the very legible tachometer registering a breath over idle, and wind it on. Some 223km/h later she’ll top out. No fuss and as smooth as you would ever want your 105kW (142hp) delivered. Big fours pump out plenty of pulling power these days and this 1043cc example is exceptional.

The increased response is down in the lower midrange and matched by a honey-smooth connection on the right twistgrip. You can roll on in a gear higher than the old model and get about the same drive. There’s next to no drive-line snatch or roughness.

What I thought at first was shortgearing turned out to be more like hyper-reactivity. The very healthy 111Nm of torque just doesn’t walk out the gate, it strides through in a surge from 3000 to 7000rpm. No doubt the option is to wring its neck through the very smooth 52 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

shi ing and positive gears or use the two lower gears and have the speed limit obliterated with four gears to go. Yes, it pulls hard and feels fast. It’s a dynamic package of performance with a balanced marriage of excitement and refinement.

The one occasion I got carried away I was rewarded with a nice reminder which was short-term expensive and long-term restrictive. The digital speedo positioned way below the eye line needs constant a ention and the numbers flick into the triple digits rapidly.

Engineering-wise, the KHI product matches and in some areas surpasses its direct Japanese competitors. I have owned a few recent Kawasakis and believe the quality is measurably be er post-2000. The refinement is evident in the mechanically quiet engines, be er construction and finish. How good do the

black frame and swingarm look?

The cleverest move by Team Green is fi ing up-to-the-minute suspension fore and a . You know you can throw almost anything at the Ninja. I only twirled the rear shock adjuster — and it’s simple and easy to do — when adding my riding companion and/or some extra gear in the panniers.

Fear or favour, bends or power? The big question is what does the Ninja do best? There is no fear in the way the power is delivered, let alone the prospect of a lesson in lost traction, but without qualification the best part of the equation is its standout bend-swinging ability. Sublime. The suspension in tandem smooths out most of the smaller bumps and creases, yet can take some pre y substantial hits without being kicked off-line. I

KAWASAKI NINJA 1000 ABS

r The stumpy, paired exhaust outlets are unique, but are they really reminiscent of the Z900?

o en braced myself, as you do on sporty bikes, expecting to be launched off-line or out of the seat, but the Ninja charged on without going all dysfunctional. I could endorse the trust and uncanny ability of the green thing a er the first day and nearly 500km, which covered everything from ripple-free freeways to some of the worst sections of pot-holedamaged bitumen I know, and wrapped up with a bit of dirt just to make the first Coopers (green, not red!) taste all that much be er. The suspension and steering make the Ninja 1000 good value, ■ Ditch the panniers and it’d almost be a superbike

rRear preload is quickly and easily adjusted with this knob

and 17 grand doesn’t seem that steep.

Braking is positive and powerful from the wave discs. Good-looking Tokico monobloc calipers biting the 300mm front discs match the rear single piston and 250mm disc in a very balanced manner. The system needs to be brought up to temperature, its power increasing with heat. I didn’t expect or feel any fade. Their performance isn’t quite superbike level, but I liked the progressive feel and power. The ABS on both ends is finely tuned, not at the level of the BMW S1000 but up there

with its Japanese compatriots.

Styling is confused and you can’t argue the Ninja offers a stand-alone statement: “I’m different and I’m prepared to homogenise my character.”

The mirrors at first glance seem too far away and maybe too inboard, but they work and are clear right through the speed range. Vibration is at a low level and the expected buzzes are all but eliminated to reveal a clear view. So what do you think about the mufflers? As an exercise in branding they are unique.

The dual outlets, all stumpy and angular, ►

THE PILLION’S POINTS A different seat, a sportier feel, a new machine. Having been used to the comfort of the V-Strom and another adventure-tourer on a tour in NZ just before this ride, this green machine took on a new feel. One might use the term perched up high. It was a different position, but I liked it. There was room for my legs and nothing in the way of the pegs, except there wasn’t a lot of space between the pegs and the exhaust, so flat boots are a must — leave the heels at home for this ride. I found it a comfortable position with a great view right out in front.

The Ninja was fast and smooth as we ventured through the corners of the Old Road down to Brooklyn. It’s a smart-looking bike with speed and comfort, smooth through the gears and plenty of options for holding on tight.

— ADELE JOHNS

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KAWASAKI NINJA 1000 ABS QUICKSPECS

r Left switchblock lets you set up the electronics as you want them

r You’d better keep an eye on this in order to avoid unwanted police attention!

“The suspension and steering make the Ninja 1000 good value, and 17 grand doesn’t seem that steep” hail from a long line of Kawasakis, starting with the famous Z900, or so they’d have us believe. I can vividly remember the look and sound of the first Z9 belting out of an intersection and up through the gears, and the new Ninja is only related by parentage.

Rounding out an excellent time on the Ninja was the lack of need to constantly stop for fuel. With 19 litres and an almost frugal sipping of the expensive hydrocarbons, 350km-plus stints are possible. We liked our cold dark run down the South Coast of NSW and while night didn’t become day, the headlights and especially the high beam are safe at legal speeds.

What really stoked my fires?

The blacked-out dash, panels and 54 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

handlebars. The only bits that will reflect sunlight will be the few silver fasteners. That is neat and takes away any distractions. The quick-to-adjust rear shock is simple. From standard (which was fine once I’d tuned out a nutcase’s version of quality suspension set-up), all it takes is six turns in for a passenger and another couple for the extra weight in the panniers. I also loved the riding position, which was almost perfect for me. For a change someone understands my weight, height and age — 81kg, 178cm, 59 years. I’m normal and I fit! I also enjoyed the ride, solo or twoup, and the Kawa relishes both tasks.

So what douses my flames? Colour choice. And how about a cruise control

Model: Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS Price: $16,990 (plus on-road charges) Colours: Candy Lime Green, Metallic Graphite Grey Warranty: Two years, unlimited distance Servicing intervals: 6000km Engine: Liquid-cooled in-line 4-cylinder 4-stroke, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder. Variable engine mapping. Variable traction control Bore x stroke: 77 x 54mm Displacement: 1043cc Compression: 11.8:1 Power: 105kW @ 10,000rpm Torque: 111Nm @ 7300rpm Transmission: 6-speed gearbox, wet multi-plate clutch, chain final drive Frame: Aluminium twin-tube Suspension: Front, 41mm USD fork, 120mm travel. Rear, monoshock, 138mm travel Dimensions: Seat height 820mm, weight 231kg (wet), fuel capacity 19L, wheelbase 1445mm, rake 24.5º, trail 102mm, clearance 135mm Tyres: Front, 120/70ZR17. Rear, 190/50ZR17 Brakes: Front, 2 x 300mm discs, 4-piston calipers. Rear, 250mm disc with twin-piston caliper. ABS Fuel consumption: 5.6L/100km Theoretical range: 350km Verdict: Top-rating all-round roadie

and optional grip warmers? And what idiotic designer got away with including and approving the economy “heart” flashing thing? Who looks down and rewards themselves with a KitKat when they see the emblem the size of a Tic Tac indicating they are holding a small thro le opening? The money could have gone into a built-in rack.

This test was discoloured due to two unfriendly pieces of paper via the over-zealous highway patrol and my ina ention. The Ninja deserves a place on the motorcycling landscape, especially as we Australians like them mean (well, sort of) and green; look at the success of the Ninja 300. As Mr Highway Princess said, “Mate, I heard you open it up before I saw you.” Maybe if he’d copped a view of me prior to the gush of air being shoved into the airbox he might have felt a touch kinder and let me off with “I feel sorry for you in green”. ARR

THE SINGLE LIFE It’s a simple, honest, oldfashioned single, yet everything about the reincarnated SR400 screams lifestyle

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YAMAHA SR400

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r There’s elegance in the SR400’s simplicity

STORY: MICK MATHESON PHOTOGRAPHY: JEFF CROW here are two equally valid ways of looking at the SR400.

You can see it as many older riders will see it: a 1978 model with less capacity than it once had, selling new for too much money. Or you can see it as many of its younger buyers will see it: a genuine old-school

T

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bike which forms the basis for their own custom machine and costs less than the sought-a er but o en-worn-out original SR500s. If you’re in the first category but have a mild itch that an SR might scratch, give it a few years until the second-hand ones come on the market with low kays and low prices because if Yamaha is correct, there’s a healthy market among trendy youngsters for a

motorcycle as cool as this old gem.

If you’re going to buy one new, you’ll have a lot of fun with it. It is, in Yamaha’s words, a “blank canvas” that you can turn into your own art. Custom bike builders Dues Ex Machina and Gasolina are two of the many workshops who’ve already been playing with the 400, and indeed Deus already had some 18 designs under its belt based on grey imports. Creative

YAMAHA SR400

r No, this is not a historic photo, but a genuine shot of the SR’s switches.

They’re like, old!

dudes are bobbing them, turning them into cafe racers, making flat-trackers out of them and all manner of other things.

It’s amazing what you can do by peeling off the Yamaha stickers on the tank — they’re not buried under clearcoat — and any other extraneous junk, adding some bullet indicators and a tiny mirror, then swapping the huge and heavy exhaust for one with style and sound. There’s not much to the SR400 so there’s not much involved in making it your own.

But what do you really get when you fork out nine grand for this ultimate retro-bike that is essentially the same bike it was when released

r How long since you’ve seen gauges like this, eh? That’s analogue-technology trip meter and odometer

more than 35 years ago? We could get very philosophical about this question, because anyone who was around in the SR’s heyday would know how much be er the bikes are now, but the majority of people who are about to buy a brandnew SR weren’t even born back then.

That’s two generations we’re talking about, with a chasm between them. Each generation will get something quite different from the li le Yamaha.

It’s a learner-legal bike, a happy fact because it means everyone has access to this unique machine. It goes, rides and stops well enough to rev the heart of any first-time rider and the novelty won’t wear off quickly unless you’re clocking

up big distances regularly. On the other hand, if you’re used to big, powerful bikes that glide over our roads, the only way you’ll get a kick out of the SR is if you’re chasing the quaintness of your youth.

As 400s go, Honda’s four-cylinder CB will run rings around this one for only a token rise in price. But is that comparison at all relevant? Probably not — especially if you’re taken by the aesthetic of the Yamaha. And that’s the key to it.

For the record, the SR400 has adequate power at 17kW, the bulk of its humble torque spread through the middle of the rev range and power rising slowly but steadily to peak at 6500rpm. It’ll dart around town in front of the traffic and ►

“Honda’s four-cylinder CB400 will run rings around the SR. But is that comparison at all relevant?”

■ Rooted in practical design, the SR is a great around-town motorcycle

GIVE IT SOME GASOLINE There’s no end of directions you can go in when customising an SR400. The Tomahawk II, by Gasoline Custom Motorcycles in Sydney (gasoline.com.au), is typical of contemporary oneoffs influenced by cafe racers, bobbers and other sources.

Built for a customer in France, the Tomahawk II began with a process of “stripping the clutter” from a Japanese-market SR400 and features a lot of hand-made metalwork. Touches like clip-ons, trials tyres and heat-wrapped pipe are almost compulsory modifications.

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■ Relive the days of the cafe racer on the 400cc single

r The grey Yamaha stands out today for its lack of flash and bling

pulls nicely through the midrange, feeling fast in the city. In the upper gears, there’s not much response in spite of the fuel injection now fi ed instead of the old carbure or, and in stock form it’s capable of running at a steady 100km/h but feels asthmatic if you ask it for much more.

It’s geared for about 160km/h — the old ton of 100mph — at its 7000rpm redline, but I doubt it’d get there without a long

downhill run. It’s just not that kind of bike, although with a few mods …

Having tried the SR with an a ermarket exhaust, I know how good it can sound when the pipe is opened up a li le and the percussion of the single-cylinder engine is released. There’s your starting point, and the rest of your custom SR will follow from there.

The injection makes the air-cooled,

r Wire-spoked wheels and stainless-steel guards, but the brake is a disc

60 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

“It goes, rides and stops well enough to rev the heart of any first-time rider and the novelty won’t wear off quickly” single-cam motor much easier to live with. No doubt it’ll hold its tune be er, and it certainly runs sweetly right through the rev range, with a steady idle.

You can also count on it starting, a great thing given that there’s no electric start, only a lever to kick. Except for the odd and very obscure dirt bike, I cannot think of any kick-start models on the market today. Certainly none that can only be

r The decals are not under clear-coat so they can easily be peeled off

YAMAHA SR400 ■ Big in Japan: over there, the SR is no novelty and has a cult following

HOW TO KICKSTART A BIKE

kick-started. The last of the XR400 Honda owners would make up the majority of a dying breed and if you go into a biker cafe and ask for a show of hands from anyone who has kick-started a bike, the only ones you’d see would be hovering above greyhaired heads.

But the kids are all right with kickstart. “You don’t think we could have afforded to fit electric start if we’d wanted to?” Yamaha Australia’s Sean Goldhawk asked, redundantly. You can’t get much more retro than this, can you? Kickstarting is cool, a new proof of manhood for hip dudes. Counter-intuitively (or perhaps counter-culturally), it is one of the SR’s selling points.

I’d like to think the suspension is a bit be er than it was in 1978. It’s not bad, and didn’t have the amount of dive under brakes I thought it might, but it’s still rather basic. What did you expected?

Same with the brakes: the single front disc is strong enough while the rear drum has li le feel to it so there’s no real warning before it locks up when you

really stand on it. The skinny tyres are round and black — they’ll suffice but I reckon you might want to try stickier ones if you’re commuting in the wet or hankering for cafe racer cred.

The joy of the 400’s chassis is its light, direct and willing handling. The featherweight steering is a delight and the Yam responds like a pup. Ride it with empathy, not a heavy hand, and you’ll get the most from it. You’ll be scraping footpegs before you know it and zipping through traffic and innercity lanes like a demon. Everything else about the SR feels light too: the clutch, thro le, shi ing each of the five gears.

Perhaps feel isn’t quite the right word, though, because by today’s standards the ►

Do you realise that an entire generation has grown up without any experience of a world without the internet? That same generation has grown up without kick-starters.

Yamaha provides instructions about how to find top dead centre by prodding the kick lever and using the decompression lever to edge the piston just past it. They’ve even gone as far as putting a tiny sight glass in the rocker cover so that when you’ve got the piston in just the right place you’ll see white in the window; old hands will do it by feel, no worries.

That’s the time to release the decompression lever, give the pedal an almighty push all the way through its stroke and listen carefully for the quiet putting of the motor as it comes to life.

The SR needs a better exhaust sound, if only for the primitive thrill of having your physical force answered by the roar of success. You’d be waking the beast rather than stirring the tortoise.

It takes a good kick to get it happening and I watched some lessexperienced riders struggling to get it right, but it’s a heap easier than it was in the days of carburettors. It doesn’t seem to matter whether the engine is warm or cold, thanks to the electronics.

Either way, I found it helped to give the throttle a blip as soon as I’d followed through with my kick.

r Sight-glass helps you find top dead centre before kick-starting

“Ask for a show of hands from anyone who has kick-started a bike and the only ones you’d see would be hovering above greyhaired heads” AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 61

YAMAHA SR400

“Counter-intuitively (or perhaps counterculturally), the kickstart is one of the SR’s selling points” WHY A 400?

■ Spiritual home? An SR in its cave

feedback is all slightly vague.

The bike is low and narrow. Only the most vertically underprivileged will suffer on it. Even then you could cut some of the generously deep foam from the firm, flat seat. Or buy an a ermarket perch, for isn’t that half the point of the SR in 2014? If you disagree, perhaps you’ve missed the entire reason behind the SR’s new life.

And this brings me to another fact you should keep in mind about Yamaha’s single. Even back in 1978, this bike wasn’t considered truly contemporary. One magazine famously compared the SR500 with a much older Veloce e (and judged it the loser). Many of its buyers were searching for the magic of long-lost British thumpers in a world dominated

by big-capacity Japanese fours. As such, the SR was never mainstream, but the domain of independent thinkers. It earned a cultish following almost immediately and never lost it. There’s always been an active core of fans in Japan, where the SR400 has remained current. The Yamaha is in the limelight now because the cult’s time has come again.

Enter into that cult and you will enjoy a modest but honest and characterful motorcycle that is indeed the blank canvas Yamaha says it is, with a complicit a ermarket supplying artistic inspiration and tools. The SR400 riding experience is as simple as motorcycling can get — it’s a small, light and responsive two-wheeler — while the SR400 ownership experience is as complex as your creative mind. ARR

r SRs queue outside Melbourne’s Gasolina workshop/bar/restaurant

62 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

The original SR500 is not coming back. In 1978 it was the logical size because that’s what a big single was — and besides, who’d ever heard of a 400cc anything? Over in Japan, though, their licensing regime made 250cc the easily achievable bike to own and 400cc the biggest practicable motorcycle anyone could own without jumping through nearly impossible hoops. So when Yamaha made a 500 for the world, it also created a 400 for the domestic market.

When the SR500 and subsequent SRX600 dropped off the perch all over the world, it demonstrated a desire for bigger multicylindered things. However, back in Japan the SR400 soldiered on and on. They had a loyal following that maintained a pretty cool custom industry right through the 1990s and into the new millennium. A decade or two later, the western world has said, wow, we can do some pretty cool custom stuff to these old bikes … but we’re only following what Japan has been doing all along.

Anyway, that’s a long way of saying the reason we have an SR400 now, and not a 500, is because that’s what the Yamaha factory is tooled up to make nowadays. It’d take a huge growth in demand to persuade them to set up for a 500cc engine.

r It might have gained fuel injection but electric start was consciously avoided

MILES BETTER Avon has produced a tyre that compromises little Simon Roots / Fast Bikes Magazine

Sure-footed agility inspires conďŹ dence at all speeds

STORM 3D X- M

Inspires conďŹ dence for serious lean angles

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Stuart Barker / RIDE Magazine

Remarkable level of grip impressive stability at speed Jon Urry / Motor Cycle News

Mike Armitage / Bike Magazine

With a tyre life of over 10,000 miles they sound good to me

A fantastic road tyre that works on the track too

Richard Ashcroft / Rescogs.com

Alan Dowds / SuperBike Magazine

MADE IN BRITAIN www.avon-tyres.co.uk www.proaccessories.com.au

ULTIMATE

64 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

KTM 1290 Super Duke R

POWER COLLECTS Superb technology turns the wildest KTM into a powerhouse you can use and abuse

STORY MATT SHIELDS PHOTOS SEBAS ROMERO, FRANCES MONTERO hen a manufacturer releases an evolution of an existing machine, there are always two aspects considered more than any others: is it an improvement and is it a natural progression of the existing model?

In the case of KTM’s Super Duke, they had a mighty task ahead of them. Released in 2005 as KTM’s first true foray into the roadbike market, it was KTM’s second big-capacity machine, following on from the 950 Adventure. Not only did it follow from the Adventure, it shared a lot of the Adventure’s engine and chassis architecture while being sculpted into a balltearing hoon machine — something that it has continued to be.

At the heart of the beast is KTM’s LC8 V-twin engine, this version being a development of the powerplant debuted in the RC8R superbike in 2009. The RC8R went bigger on cubes to 1190cc, was twin-spark and had a bunch more trick internals. The new Super Duke R comes with no less than 1301cc of capacity and a whopping 132kW and 144Nm. Yes, it is seriously big on cubes and mumbo — more than any other production naked bike to date!

This is the fourth generation of the Super Duke and, by far, the most significant revamp the model has seen. The main changes in the past were the adoption of a 990cc engine, EFI and styling updates. Refinement from the raw and raucous original Super Duke has also gone on over the course of the model’s life. Engine refinement, engine performance, handling and styling have been improved so much that you’d almost think the 1290 Super Duke R is ►

W

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 65

“The F1-style piston design is lightweight and low profile, allowing a bigger piston than the 990 and a lighter one than the 1190” far more than an evolution of the bike it supersedes, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

The basic elements that have always made the Super Duke what it is underline the characteristics of this new model.

Although the outside of the engine cases look the same as the previous LC8/RC8 mills, there has been a colossal change within. The 62kg engine’s extra capacity is created by a whopping 108mm bore and 71mm stroke, while fuelling is done by a Keihin ride-by-wire system through 56mm thro le bodies. And while all these big lumps flying around in the bores sound like they will make for a brutal power delivery, the opposite is the case.

QUICKSPECS Model: KTM 1290 Super Duke R Price: $23,495 Colours: Black or Orange Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres Service intervals: 15,000km Engine: Liquid-cooled 75-degree V-twin four-stroke Bore x stroke: 108 x 71mm Displacement: 1301cc Compression: 13.2:1 Power: 132kW @ 8870rpm Torque: 144Nm @ 6500rpm Transmission: 6-speed gearbox, multiplate slipper clutch, chain final drive Frame: Chromium-molybdenum tubular trellis frame Dimensions: Seat height 835mm, weight 189/202kg (dry/wet), fuel capacity 18L, wheelbase 1482mm, rake 24.9º, trail 107mm Suspension: Front, 48mm forks, 125mm travel. Rear, fully adjustable monoshock, 156mm travel Brakes: Front, 2 x 320mm discs, fourpiston calipers. Rear, 240mm disc, two-piston caliper. Switchable ABS Tyres: Front, 120/70ZR17. Rear, 190/55ZR17 Verdict: Big improvement over the previous model. Stupendous, useable power and torque. A naked bike for every rider

66 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

A lot of work has been focused on the delivery of the Super Duke’s torque.

KTM showed us representations of thro le progression at partial load, which demonstrated quite clearly how important the combustion cycle is to endow the Super Duke with its “useable” torque characteristics. A reshaped combustion chamber and inlet manifold, RC8R-derived camsha s, DLC-coated finger followers, and twinspark head are the main aspects of the combustion refinement.

Lower down, the focus has shi ed to reducing reciprocating weight and therefore creating a more instantaneous thro le response. The F1-style piston design is lightweight and low profile, allowing a much bigger piston than the Super Duke 990 and a much lighter one than the 1190 RC8R. The pistons have a hard-anodised, low-friction surface coating, while the crank flywheel has been kept as light as possible and the conrods are lighter than before. All these changes help make a more responsive, free-revving engine that has nearly twice the torque, an extra 300cc more capacity, is more economical and has 15,000km service intervals to boot.

Helping to harness and control this engine’s performance are the latest evolutions of KTM’s ABS and traction control systems. Developed hand in hand with Bosch, the electronic package on the Super Duke R has three functions that ■ the dash is like the Adventure’s, and full of info

work with each other or independently if you so choose: engine maps, traction control and ABS. There are three base engine modes — Sport, Street and Rain.

Each mode changes the parameters within which the engine maps, traction control and ABS work. As you’d imagine, Rain has the least power with so est delivery and full traction and ABS intervention. Street has full power with a so ened delivery, and a medium amount of traction-control intervention allowing slight wheelies and power slides.

Of course, Sport mode has all power available, with very li le intervention of traction control. You can also turn the

KTM 1290 Super Duke R

r The latest LC8 is now up to 1301cc and punches out massive performance

ABS off for Supermoto mode.

The electronic intervention is so subtle you don’t even feel it working a lot of the time. On the dusty, damp and o en unpredictable Spanish back roads of the launch, we really got to see how well they worked when every turn brought a surprise surface that could easily have spelt trouble. Having ridden many new bikes with the different electronic systems out there, I can say that this latest evolution by Bosch is a step ahead of everything else.

As good as the electronic system is on the Super Duke R, the engine is still totally useable in all riding situations.

From stop-start city crawls to flowing mountain passes and arduous racetrack work, even the most unsubtle thro le hand won’t get into trouble with the 180 horses that lie between the rider’s legs.

Regulating the beast is a cinch with the thro le, and there is no need to use the electronics when you experience the performance unassisted. It is just that the electronic aides make every last kilowa and Newton-metre accessible to any rider, seasoned pro through to firsttime big-bike owner.

From idle to midrange to bouncing off the rev limiter, wherever you have this engine revving, it works. It spins quickly, but is so controllable. The low-rev clunk most big V-twins have is not a factor on this bike. Forget the clutch, thro le

is all you need. Midrange performance can’t be faulted out on the open road.

No hunting or surging on the freeway, r Like dinner plates: the 108mm wide pistons have no instant response at any revs and, when skirts to speak of you do crack it open, it just keeps going and going and going. being a more confidence-inspiring Compared with the engine, the chassis package than a ride that needs to be updates are mild, with a steeper rake and tamed, yet without taking any of the longer wheelbase than before, with new excitement out of the ride. suspension, brakes and tyres in line with The ergonomics of the Super Duke the latest offerings from WP, Brembo are a nice balance between comfort and and Dunlop. Now, while the changes are subtle, they have amounted to a handling sport — a ride position that’s not too dynamic that is a long way removed from mild and not too wild. This is something that manifests itself throughout the the nimble and flighty Super Duke 990. bike: the suspension works well on the The emphasis of the chassis updates has road and the track; the engine is superb been placed on scope for adjustment. in every condition; and you can strap There is a big amount of preload a heap to the back of it or knock off adjustment to cater for Super Dukes that the indicators and rear guard and go only see the racetrack or are out touring play on the track. It really is a naked for miles, while the front-end’s range of bike for everyone. No naked bike offers adjustment allows for a firm and fast the range of use that the Super Duke track se ing or a plush and compliant R does. While the electronics are a big road one.

The proof of just how vastly different factor in this, so too is the amount of the Super Duke’s handling can be was work that has gone into ge ing the in the ride, and for this ride it was on handling characteristics so broad and some of the most glorious mountain applicable to such varied situations.

The 1290 Super Duke is not only an passes and sno y back country roads improvement on the old model, it has that Spain’s Costa del Sol could deliver remained in the same vein of the “hoon” en route to the equally superb Ascari bike that the 990 Super Duke always was, race circuit. The twitchy, nervous nature while capturing a greater range of riders of the old Super Duke is gone. It’s fast through its versatility. That’s quite an turning, stable and direct in every achievement. ARR respect — it has clearly moved towards AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 67

THE LONG LIST Our Guzzi moves to Melbourne, our Victory moves in with Seddo and the Ducati keeps moving Matho MOTO GUZZI CALIFORNIA CUSTOM As you might expect, it gets damned cold when the sun goes down at this time of the year, and riding the California from the far South Coast to my new home in Melbourne included the transition from day to night. Riding through Cann River at around 5pm, I started wishing the sparsely featured Custom had a few more bells and whistles, such as heated grips or even a windscreen.

The windblast on my chest was cu ing though my DriRider touring jacket, even with all the innards a ached, so I incorporated that age-old motorcyclists’ trick of sticking a newspaper inside the front of my jacket. That helped, but again a screen would have helped more. Even the engine heads offered li le resistance to the falling temperature that, according to the ambient gauge on the top of the instrument cluster, dipped to around seven degrees but felt some margin colder. That was a shame, because I was hoping to use them in lieu of heated grips a er engaging the cruise control.

Se ing the cruise is a ma er of holding in the bu on for a few seconds until a ■ The Cali stands rock solid against a typical summer’s day in its new home. (Yes, yes, yes, I know …)

68 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

flashing green light appears on the dial, then stabbing the bu on again when you get to your desired speed. There’s no “coast” or “resume” — once you disengage by operating the clutch or brake, you need to stab the bu on again once you get back up to speed. That allowed me to put my gloved thro le hand on the head, but there was li le warmth even there. A later scan of the accessories on the Moto Guzzi website reveals heated grips as an option for an additional $399, which is a sensible

“Any misgivings I may have had were all forgiven as that sonorous twin thudded up the driveway” investment if you’re an all-weather rider.

When the headlight began to take effect, I was immediately impressed.

The daylight running light LEDs are, I suppose, a brighter way of making yourself conspicuous, and when it gets dark, only turning on the headlight

will illuminate the instrument cluster, reminding you to switch it over to the conventional light. Low-beam has a good throw and spread so it’s easier to see through corners, while high beam is well focused to give you plenty of light up the road with plenty more splashing the sides of the road.

I arrived in Melbourne huddling behind a truck that not only reduced the windblast, but helped get the fuel economy under the 7.0L/100km mark.

To be fair, I was si ing on 115km/h for most of the trip and without any form of aerodynamics, dragging my sizeable frame through the air at that speed does li le for the environment.

Arriving home, thinking only of a long, hot shower, any misgivings I may have had were all forgiven as that sonorous twin thudded up the driveway. And the fact that I was able to walk erect a er seven hours on the road was testament to the wonderfully comfortable saddle.

There’s much to like about the custom, and this trip was outside its design brief, but with a few extras its touring options would be greatly broadened.

— JUSTIN LAW

LONG-TERmer tests ■ Our Victory has also found a new home. Will Seddo like it as much as Gregor did?

VICTORY CROSS COUNTRY TOUR I was initially reluctant to take over the long-term Victory from Gregor. It is a massive bike, especially with the top box, and I am not a big bloke at 175cm and 75kg wringing wet. But I do like a challenge.

The most difficult part of owning a bike like this is manoeuvring it around the shed or the yard, especially on uneven surfaces. Have a foot slip on wet grass or find yourself facing downhill with nowhere to turn can be a nightmare.

It’s not the kind of bike you can backpeddle up even a slight incline, and if you lose it, it’s gone.

Thankfully, it all comes good on the road. A er recent stints on a Harley Fat Bob and an Indian Chief Classic, I have developed a taste for heavyweight touring and life at the speed limit.

The Victory immediately feels well balanced, with a low centre of gravity and excellent low-speed manners, happy to pu along feet-up in heavy traffic down to walking pace. I can get both boots flat on the tar when I stop and it’s a surprisingly easy bike to ride around

town, exactly what I didn’t expect.

Out of the city, it’s obviously an awesome freeway bike and handles most other conditions well enough, so long as you’re not in a rush. The bike’s inertia is considerable but you soon learn to compensate for that. The only moment

“It’s been more fun than I expected, and I’m looking forward to heading off on a weeklong 2000km jaunt to Queensland” I’ve had was a blind, steep 10km/h hairpin corner climbing up out of Berowra Waters Ferry, a difficult corner on any bike, but I was only going to get one go at it on the Victory! If I’d had to stop or change my line for a car coming the other way, there was no way it would have ended well. Next time I see a road sign saying unsuitable for caravans, I’ll heed the warning.

Apart from that, it’s been more fun than I expected and I’m looking forward to heading off on a week-long 2000km jaunt to Queensland. It’s a work trip so I need to take a lot of stuff; thankfully, I’ve never seen panniers so big, and then there’s the top box. The bike looks super comfy and like it was made for the task.

But first, with almost 8000km on the odometer, I had to get the bike serviced.

This takes around two hours if, like me, you neither live nor work in Sydney and so prefer to wait around while it’s done.

They are a friendly crew at Victory/ Indian who I suspect know most of their customers by name and provide a quiet lounge area with a huge selection of motorcycle mags to while away the time.

The service comprised an oil and filter change, full lube top to bo om and brake fluid check and top-up. The drive belt was adjusted and rear wheel aligned.

An overall check covers fasteners and anything else that may have come loose and in our case they also gave the bike a much-needed scrub.

We’ll have 10,000km up when we talk again next month.

— GEOFF SEDDON AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 69

LONG-TERmer tests ■ After all those long Outback roads, Peter’s pillion can still smile

DUCATI MULTISTRADA GRANTURISMO A couple of issues back I mentioned Peter Colwell’s communications about touring two-up on his Multistrada. He’s home now and sent me some brief impressions of the Ducati. Take it away, Peter.

“So how does the Multistrada handle a long Outback trip, of the kind where you use a tankful without changing gear?

A waste of power and technology? Well, no, not really. Having just done a quick two-up 7000km trip from central NSW to Alice Springs and back via Townsville and north Queensland, the news is very good.

The easy power means that the bike just flows along without effort. Headwinds are not an issue, which keeps fatigue low.

“The standard screen works well. The low se ing, which I prefer, means some wind noise but no buffeting. The high position cuts the noise but causes some minor buffeting. But overall the screen is fine for a person of my 175cm height.

“Ride: It is critical to adjust the electronic suspension se ings correctly.

Once this is done, the ride is firm on small bumps, but handles sharp and severe bumps very well indeed. This also reduces fatigue because you are not instinctively bracing yourself for sudden road heaves or sharp bridge edges. It feels like there is a distinct interconnection between the wheels.

“The bike was totally reliable for the 7000km, bringing it to 13,650km in total.

70 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

“Having just done a quick two-up 7000km trip from central NSW to Alice Springs and back, the news is very good,” Peter Colwell says No issues arose of any kind. Fuel used varied around 5.0 to 5.5L/100km.”

Meanwhile, my mate Ross McGlade has fi ed an a ermarket Öhlins semi-active rear suspension unit to his pre-Skyhook Multistrada. He reckons it wasn’t a transformative modification but the difference was noticeable, smoothing out the suspension’s action so that he found he could, for example, tour comfortably in Sport mode. When the corners come, he’s already set up to hook in.

While they’ve been out riding, I’ve added less than 1000km to the longtermer’s tally since its 12,000km service.

There have been a number of other bikes to test during that time, so they’ve been my focus. The thing I’ve found most interesting is that I invariably miss the Ducati. The other bikes I’ve been riding are great machines, but I’m yet to find one which, over an all-round ride, has been as satisfying and accommodating as the Granturismo. Of course, they’re usually quite different in purpose — big cruisers, heavyweight tourers, nimble naked bikes and so on — and they each offer unique enjoyment that the sportstouring Ducati doesn’t, but not nearly enough to make me want to swap.

I didn’t expect to like the Multistrada so much. One of the other bikes I’ve been on recently, though, is the Multistrada Pikes Peak. It could tear me away from the Granturismo, but more on that next issue.

— MICK MATHESON

■ Sports bags?

Matho seems hooked on the Multistrada’s versatility

PROJECT BOLT

PROJECT BOLT MEETS

PROJECT SHED The Block has nothing on the Bolt

roject Bolt has a new home!

A er weeks of delays and frustration, ARR’s editorial shed is up and the Bolt has moved in. It was indeed the first vehicle to enter the grand building’s roller door and it even beat the beer fridge. As you can imagine, the Yamaha is much happier now that it’s off the dirt floor and out of the wind a er being relegated to an open machinery shed since we demolished the old shed and workshop.

The Bolt now shares a large and clean bay with our long-term Ducati. At 12 x 15m, and 4m high with a mezzanine level (still waiting for a floor), ARR’s new shed it so impressive I suspect the Bolt may become spoilt and never want to leave.

Luckily, it won’t have long enough here to get used to it because we’re not far short of giving the bike to one of you.

Which is a scary thought for us. This delay in the project means we’re a li le bit behind schedule, but it won’t be hard to catch up. It’s all about priorities. The prime reason the Bolt was the first to enter the shed wasn’t out of any desire to honour it, but simply a result of the need to get on with things. We’ve had a set of Venhill braided steel brake lines here since about a minute a er the old

P

rThe Venhill replacement parts look distinctively classy beside original-issue brake lines

workshop was decommissioned. It’s been painful si ing here looking at the pre y li le things all this time, knowing their place is on the bike, not in the box.

“ARR’s new shed it so impressive I suspect the Bolt may become spoilt and never want to leave” The front cable is a custom-made one to suit the wider Ventura Midwest handlebars we’ve selected. I’ve bolted on the bars but until we get longer control cables and wiring, we can’t put everything back on. First step in the right direction is the custom brake line. It went on perfectly. The rear cable dictated removal of the muffler to allow access but was otherwise as easy as the front.

The Venhill lines come with screw-on banjos, each kit with the right bends for the bike they’re going on. Copper washers are also included, along with much nicer-looking bolts. Once everything was

rKits consist of bolts, washers, banjos and braided lines

threaded into place and aligned, it was just a ma er of nipping it tight, feeding fresh DOT 4 fluid into the lines and bleeding the system.

While I was doing the rear brake line, I noticed the Bolt has been giving someone a few jollies in corners; it is an ex-demo bike, a er all. The footpegs, footpeg brackets and even the frame rails are scuffed. It wasn’t me, I swear!

But it did remind me what a hoot the Yamaha is to ride.

I think we’ll do the control cables in-house. It’s not hard and should make an interesting story. Meanwhile, seats are on the way, painting is being discussed and I’m still not sure what exhaust will best suit the project’s aims.

More next month.

Meanwhile, I’m off to see about moving the beer fridge into the shed and you should be off to page 138 to see about how you could win this bike, scuffed pegs and all!

— MICK MATHESON

DETAILS Ventura and Venhill: www.kenma. com.au, 02 9484 0777

r The Bolt and ARR’s Ducati in their shiny new home. Happiness is a warm slab

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 71

THE PURPOSE Why we ride.

STORY: ISAAC OOSTERLOO PHOTOS: MICHELLE LUCKING, IS ou may see us as we pass in our cloak of leather and noise, and wonder. You might possibly look up from where you load your shopping bags into the boot of your car and notice a motorcyclist passing, balancing on two wheels with a look of fierce pride in their eyes, and be intrigued. What is it about this motorbike life that is, at the same time, both so confrontational and appealing?

Why do these people feel different?

Why do we love jumping onto these machines, which in a highly simplistic statement are just engines stuck between

Y

72 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

two wheels, and tearing off down the road? Any road that we can find, just for the sake of doing it. What drives us on?

What makes us tick and continue to undertake this insanely dangerous operation when there are many more stable and comfortable methods of transport available? Why have we chosen to exist in this subsection of society, with our own culture, traditions and way of life?

Partly, it has to do with the fact that once you are on your bike and riding, nothing else can get to you. All of the mundane clu er which modern life seems to insist on, like a complete immersion in phone technology and social media, keeping up a politically correct and pleasant front for those ►

deeper thinking

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 73

around you, and needing to work for a living, disappears. It cannot touch you here and you are free to simply be le alone, on your own terms. In today’s mad world, where everybody is looking for escapism in one form or another, ours is parked outside in the garage. While others seek out yoga classes, meditation retreats, all sorts of drugs and myriad other ways to overcome stress, all some of us do is jump on a bike. When you ride, you are in a sacred place and you don’t have to tone yourself down or apologise to anybody. You are protected from the bullshit, insulated by the mobility and noise of your bike. You’re nestled in a solo world, and it is a place of very noisy peace.

You see, unlike modern cars which have all the luxuries of a lounge room, operating a motorbike takes the rider into a state of complete mental and physical immersion. At all times, it is necessary to remain focused on traffic, road conditions and gearing. On top of that you must also think ahead about taking the right line through corners and 74 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

along straights. The bike is controlled with subtle hand and foot movements, and shi s with your body’s weight in an immersive and balanced dance. You are too involved, both mentally and physically, to feel the typical comfortable and complacent state of boredom which runs rife in modern life. To quote the Dalai Lama (pick the hippy biker), “Happiness is not something ready-made.

It comes from your own actions.” In other words, happiness has to be earned by what we choose to do. When you are on a motorbike, that rider’s state you feel allows you to be perfectly in the moment and gives you a sense of being truly alive. It colours everything else you do during your day with a general feeling of happiness. A er a while, it becomes highly addictive and defining. Like a drug habit. Or a religion.

And yes, partly it is about the image.

It is a style and way of life that makes the statement, “I refuse to bow down to the rampant mass commercialisation, greed and rules from these ridiculous bureaucrats. I’m going my own

deeper thinking way.” Bikes and the culture which accompanies that lifestyle have always been synonymous with a “freedom of the individual” and “rock and roll” style.

A group of people who have chosen to maybe not take the stringent rules and expectations that are placed upon us all as seriously as everybody else. Those who wanted to find a way to express themselves and feel free, and move away from all of this sycophantic worship of money. A way of saying that to live small, safe and fearful of any possible conclusion is not for us. We live in a world that is increasingly dominated by fear and greed. Big business floods us with advertising and the mass media saturates modern life with information, all in an a empt to turn us into be er consumers and taxpayers. Everywhere we look there are rules and signs. Telling us to walk fast and talk quietly. Telling us to pay our taxes and walk the line.

Motorbikes are a way of pushing back against all that. A way of living on your own terms and maintaining your own sense of style and identity, in a world which sadly seems to be going the other way. A way of saying, “Hold on, I am not interested in any of what you are selling.

I don’t need this. I’m gunna go for a ride in the sun.” It is vitally important for

“Once you are on your bike and riding, nothing else can get to you” people to feel like they are living, rather than simply being alive. Our ancestors hunted mammoths and fought sabretoothed tigers to protect their young.

They lived in a survivalist state of high adrenaline and maintained a constant focus which matched their environment.

For some of us in the modern age, all of the creature comforts that we have (in the West) are just not enough to keep us engaged. We need, and have always needed, something beyond simple and functional practicality. Something to be passionate about. Something to engage and define us. Like other adventurers, surfers and travellers everywhere, motorbike life provides this and is a fantastic way to feel free.

Mostly though, it’s about the feeling that you get when you ride. It’s awesome.

It is, at the same time, the feeling of a balls-to-the-wall adrenaline rush and that of flawless meditation. You start slowly by si ing on your lady, kicking up the stand and balancing the bike with your boots. Then you start her up. The pipes beneath roar away in that old and

familiar sensation, and you listen closely for imperfections in the noise of her engine. Your senses kick in and a smile crosses your face as you let her warm up beneath you. When she’s ready, you find the sweet spot with the clutch and accelerator and surge out onto the street.

You tear off, clicking from first to second gear, and reach the corner at the end of the road. You take it fast, ripping the bike around in a concerted equilibrium of the bike’s speed and the balance of your body weight. You work your way through the quiet suburban backstreets until you reach the main road, then pick your way through the long lines of city traffic, giving bored tradies a moment’s envy as you ease past their vans. Then you hit it.

The highway south.

Nothing else in your way now. The lane in front of you opens up and you click your bike into top gear through a quick series of accelerating gear changes.

The sun opens up over the highway and traffic clears out until the road is empty.

It’s all there is. It’s all there needs to be, and you smile to yourself as you adjust ►

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 75

deeper thinking

“I am not interested in any of what you are selling. I don’t need this. I’m gunna go for a ride in the sun” your sunnies and lean back into the small of your seat. Then you just cruise on the open road, crossing a series of bridges as tiny white yachts sail underneath and birds fly overhead. You ride on in the fresh morning air, cornering on a narrow tree-lined road with no one around and push the bike out. Through the corners and over the hills. Finding small straights where you can open the thro le for a surge of speed and power.

An hour later you hit a tiny coastal town and pull in to refuel. You find a quiet cafe and sip on a black coffee and watch the town unfold around you. Then the ocean calls and you take a side road through the gums as the smell of salt grows stronger. You find a local beach, where you pull some swimming shorts and a towel out of the saddlebags and bodysurf in the small swell, immersing yourself in the cooling waters of the ocean. Then you lie in the sun for an hour, watching the water and eating the fruit you bought until the road calls you

76 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

home. This time, you take a back road through green farmland. You nod to locals as you cruise past them and head further into the hinterland, until you gradually reach the suburban outskirts again. Upon arriving home and walking through the door, your partner may ask, “How was your ride?”

To which you respond, “Oh you know, the usual,” with a slight smile to yourself.

In a way, your motorbike is your gateway to your own sense of style and enjoyment of living. It is the vessel of perfect freedom in which you can just jump on, start her up and ride anywhere you like, all while being outside in the elements with the wind on your face.

You are completely immersed in your environment. It is unlike a car where you travel in a glassed-in room. On a bike you see everything, you feel and smell every subtle change which occurs in the road around you. Every shi in the wind, the feeling of the sun disappearing for a second behind a cloud and the moisture levels in the air are all perceptible to a rider. You can feel the world around you as you move and have no barriers

between yourself and the natural world.

Granted, this is much more appealing on a warm and sunny coastal road than it is while riding in a freezing rain storm in the mountains, but that is just the nature of this life. You sacrifice comfort for adventure, and the feeling that you are free and living in a way which you have chosen. This is why motorbike people love their rides so much and highly personalise them. Their motorbikes are more than simply vehicles which you control to transfer you from point A to point B. They are your companion. Your baby girl and partner with which you can drop away from it all and have amazing experiences. A er a while they become a member of the family and develop personalities of their own.

Motorcycling is not necessary. It is not essential for our survival on this planet but like art and music, it is something that is engaged in in order to feel alive, to transcend what is necessary for us to function in society. Because without these actions that give us a sense of living, we are simply existing in a repetitive routine until the road ends. ARR

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big land We go riding in a tropical, French-influenced Pacific paradise and wonder why it’s still such a secret

78 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

NEW CALEDONIA

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 79

■ Plenty of fun on these mountain roads!

STORY & PHOTOS: IAN NEUBAUER t’s the a ernoon peak hour and I’m channelling through two lanes of traffic flowing slowly out of Noumea, capital of the French semiautonomous territory of New Caledonia.

Suddenly I see an SUV ahead me with the word “Gendarme” on its side and make a feeble a empt to stop and snake into a lane. But the ruse is uncalled for because the coppers move over to give me clear passage through the centre. It’s a fi ing metaphor for the friendly and easy-going nature of the French-speaking islanders of this south sea utopia, a three-hour flight from Australia’s east coast. The weather is balmy, the streets are nice and clean and the roads are as good as you’ll find anywhere in the world.

The one I’m riding on now — the Voie Express 2 — flows 400km along an inland route parallel to the west coast of the main island of Grande Terre. In French it means “big land” and big it is. There’s a 1600m-high mountain range running right through its centre that I’ll be crossing from west to east and then back again

I

80 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

tomorrow. But my current destination is La Foa, a farming community 115km north of Noumea where I’ve booked a homestay for the night.

It’s dark when I arrive at the property.

My hosts — Jean and his son Christophe — don’t speak much English but it ma ers not; they’re warm, friendly people who welcome me with a hearty bowl of deer stew. Introduced in 1870, the deer population has exploded to around 120,000 on Grande Terre at the expense of native species, whose grasslands the deer destroy. Jean and Christophe are among hundreds of New Caledonians who make it their business to rid the island of them.

In broken English, they explain they’re going out hunting a er dinner and welcome me to join them.

Christophe is packing a .375-calibre Mauser 66 with telescopic sight and interchangeable barrel — enough firepower to stop an elephant in its tracks. His old man’s got a foot-long Maglite to stun the deer plus his faithful dog, a jumpy li le Chihuahua called Ki y. But Ki y’s no hunting dog — the

■ Yep, all that and this too. Anyone else tempted to pack up and move?

NEW CALEDONIA damn mu barks in fright every time one of us steps on a twig. On top of that, the deer stew has given me gas. I shoot off a loud round of farts that would probably poison any wildlife we cross paths with if it hadn’t been scared off by the stupid dog. Christophe explains the deer are hard of hearing but have very good eyesight — that it’s the full moon, not Ki y or my exploding bu crack, that is to blame for our lack of luck tonight. A er an hour, we call it quits and head back to the homestead for a couple of wellearned beers.

WEST TO EAST The next day I awake bright and early, say farewell to my hosts and zoom back out to Highway 2. Within minutes I come to an intersection that marks the second of five roads that connect the Grande Terre’s two coasts. I also catch the welcome sight of two ki ed-up bikers standing by a Honda CB600F and a formidable BMW R 1200 R. I may as well take this opportunity to talk about, or confess about, my bike: a Piaggio MP3 300cc three-wheeler I’d borrowed from a mate in Noumea.

The thing kicked ass on the highway, comfortably reaching speeds of 110km/h with a 40-degree lean tolerance that makes cornering fun. And I love the

“I continue riding through a valley carpeted in wildflowers and then into a large bamboo forest” electronic parking system and handbrake that does away with cumbersome kickstands. But at the end of a day the Piaggio is a scooter, not a bike, and there are plenty of places where bikers wouldn’t take you seriously for turning up on one. Luckily, these two guys are cool about it and when I stop to say g’day, they give me a rundown on the road.

“This road is the most beautiful in all of New Caledonia,” says the first bloke, Jean. “At the start it goes through forest but at the very top of the range there’s a barren red landscape that looks like

the moon. A li le further down from there you’ll come to a great big lookout where you can see for kilometres over the ocean.”

“Would you like to ride with us?” asks his mate, Marc.

We spend the first hour or so careering around switchbacks and sharp bends, climbing higher and higher through thick spruce forests covering the western face of the range. It’s here where the Piaggio, which when I come to think of it looks like a Transformer, shows its lack of breeding. The two-wheel tilting ►

■ Jean, Christophe and Kitty, the disastrous hunting dog, in a pre-dinner mood

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 81

NEW CALEDONIA front suspension may give it more grip on smooth surfaces, but on back-country roads like this they amplify every pothole, subsidence and gravel patch I ride over, and I find myself falling further and further behind the boys.

When they stop for a break at a summit, I suggest they ride ahead of me and we meet up again at the viewpoint they told me about. They voice concern about my ability to find it, but with the entire New Caledonian road system downloaded onto my GPS-enabled smartphone, I convince them it won’t be a problem and that I’ll see them later on.

A er 10 minutes riding along a heavily forested ridge I come to an unmarked le -hand turn the guys had warned me about. It ambles across a wetland plateau with long reedy grass and a massive lake in its centre. I continue riding through a valley carpeted in wildflowers and then into a large bamboo forest where the road thins out into a gravely track.

In moments I realise I am inside a ►

■ Riding in the high country of New Caledonia, which rises 1600m above sea level

“The scenery is epic: I can see a kilometre down a ridge, all the way to the coast and away across the Pacific” ■ You’ll find yourself stopping to admire long views, frequently

■ Locals Jean and Marc led Ian along some sensational roads

82 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

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NEW CALEDONIA

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Kanak village — the Kanak being the indigenous minority of New Caledonia who now comprise only 40 per cent of the population. Unlike Noumea with its wide, clean boulevards, this place is a dump and li ered with broken cars. I see a concrete car park overgrown with weeds where a group of Rastafarians are enjoying an early-morning piss-up.

I don’t feel threatened but neither do I feel welcome. So instead of asking for

r Meals in New Caledonia are everything you’d expect r If anyone ever says we vanished into the blue, look of a French territory where game meat is common for us here

directions, I dig out my phone and open Google Maps, which tells me I’ve missed an unmarked turnoff a few kilometres up the road. You’ve got to love technology.

EAST TO WEST A er correcting my route, I cross a few streams and reach the aforementioned viewpoint. The scenery is epic: I can see a kilometre down a ridge, all the way to the coast and away across the Pacific Ocean,

“You can ride a road in the morning and then do it again in the afternoon, yet the experience can be completely different”

r Mineral wealth: New Caledonia owes its affluence to abundant nickel deposits

84 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

where the barrier reef that surrounds Grande Terre ebbs and flows like a giant green snake.

The boys are parked at the crest of a hill where they’ve laid out lunch. But this is no ordinary roadside snack, which in my neck of woods usually means chips, chocolates and squashed sandwiches if you’re lucky. No, this is a Frenchie gourmet picnic with crunchy bague es, cold meats, cheeses, figs, olives, fruit, chocolate mousse for dessert and even a sneaky li le glass of Bourdeaux! I could get use to this kind of stuff.

I take the opportunity to ask the guys if they ever get bored riding around the island.

“I’ve lived in New Caledonia for 30 years and I know just about every road in the country,” says Marc. “But because we’re in the tropics, the landscape can change at any time. You can ride a road in the morning and then do it again in the a ernoon, yet the experience can be completely different. So we get a lot of variety.”

With our stomachs full, we begin the dizzying descent towards the coast. It’s here that I see the lunar-like landscape Jean told me about earlier — slopes layered with mining terraces that have turned the earth rust-red in colour.

Grande Terre has a quarter of the world’s known reserves of nickel — an ore used in the manufacture of stainless steel.

The dollars earned from its export are the reason New Caledonia is so rich compared with the aid-dependent ►

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NEW CALEDONIA

“It’s a magical moment, listening to the rambling river and staring at the cloudless sky” banana republics it counts among its neighbours. But it’s come at a price. While the landscape here is interesting and makes for stellar photography, I dare say it would’ve looked a lot be er before the mining companies ripped it to shreds.

When the descent comes to an end, we hit a long stretch of coast to which the road clings like a needy girlfriend. We pass another couple of Kanak villages lined with broken cars and then hit RP6, the next inland road heading back to the west coast. In contrast to the highaltitude crossing we completed in the

morning, this road follows a river’s edge at the bo om of a lush green valley spo ed with palms. The terrain makes for fast riding and I have no trouble keeping up with Jean and Marc, and I even ride ahead of them for a while. But when we cross a perfect li le wooden bridge that crosses a perfect li le rambling stream, I know we’re about to go our separate ways because I need to stop for a swim. They wish me well and ride into the sunset.

A er a splash in the water I lie down on the roadside and dry off in the sun.

It’s a magical moment, listening to the rambling river and staring at the cloudless sky. From here it’s a quick 30km to the west-coast beach town of Bourail, where I’ve booked a room at a guesthouse. But when I get there I can’t find the damn place and spend half an hour riding up and down the main drag to no avail. I try using my smartphone but it gives me no joy, directing me to a

random spot on the sand where there’s no guesthouse to speak of.

I have no choice but to park my scooter and knock on the door of a nearby house to ask for directions. No one answers, though I hear a bit of a party going in the backyard. When I walk around, I’m approached by a group of guys. They say something to me in French and when I tell them I only speak English, one of them replies in a thick Australian accent. By sheer coincidence he lives not far from my home in Sydney, and I get invited to join them for a drink. It turns into a round of drinks, a steak on the barbecue and a bit of a party around a bonfire on the beach. It’s a totally awesome night and a sensational end to my ride, and it never would’ve happened if my GPS hadn’t failed me. So next time you’re lost on the road, remember technology is good, but people are far be er. Stop and take the time to say g’day. ARR

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86 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

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Northern NSW

OAD BOOGIE Mark signs up for a magic mystery tour and finds some of the best roads around STORY AND PHOTOS: MARK HINCHLIFFE ’ve thrown away the GPS and paper maps. I don’t know where I’m going, so they’re no help.

This is total freedom. Freedom to forget about ETA or route, just concentrate on connecting with the bike and the road. This atypical state of freedom is where I find myself a er my good friend John suggested he organise the next trip away with mates and that he make it a secret destination — a magical mystery tour, if you like.

Not knowing where I’m headed unshackles the burdens that this trip is in any way related to work.

Suddenly I’m immersed in riding my bike — I’ve sort of transformed from Mark Hinchliffe writing a travel article for ARR into Robert M Pirsig writing Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. ►

I

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 89

■ Cruising along Coolamon Scenic Drive

Before we convene, John supplies us with a few scant details via email — where we would meet and costs: “Updated information for the ride.

Accommodation cost $46 per head.

BBQ menu, rump steak, herb and garlic sausages, creamy potato salad, creamy pasta salad and coleslaw. Cost per head $9. Note BYO drinks. Any questions don’t ring me. John K.” On the morning of the ride, the sky knits its brow with intermi ent brushedsteel clouds threatening to spoil the fun.

I had a Victory Vegas 8-Ball for the trip and was looking forward to riding with an open-face so the last rays of summer could slap me in the face. I wasn’t keen on sharp needles of rain. A er several minutes of brooding, I decide to do the Queensland thing and wear the openface lid and leave the wet gear at home.

The five of us meet on the outskirts of Ipswich. Our mismatched pack consisted of two Wings, an old Yamaha XJR1300, a new Ducati Multistrada Touring S and the Vegas. The first hour or so is familiar territory past Wyaralong Dam, Beaudesert, Canungra for breakfast, Numinbah Valley and across the border into NSW. Strangely, the rain has been taunting us the whole way but the skies 90 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

clear as we leave a flaxen-dry Queensland landscape and cross into the subtropical lush green Northern Rivers landscape.

Heading down into the lushness below and on to the quaint township of Chillingham at the bo om of the Border Ranges, we make a sharp right across the bridge toward Tyalgum and I’m emboldened to start pushing our ride ■ The Victory held its own on the rough roads of the North Coast hinterland

captain to up the pace a bit. He responds and the chase begins.

At Tyalgum we turn le toward Uki with Mt Warning playing peak-a-boo behind the blurry sugarcane landscape over our right shoulders. The last stretch winding into Uki is a favourite and I’m in totally familiar country here, le ing the tar rush up toward my bo om as I hover

Northern NSW ■ Overlooking Tweed Valley

“I decide to do the Queensland thing and wear the open-face lid and leave the wet gear at home”

a foot over the road surface and make that screeching foot peg noise on the le side while the right adds a li le bit of exhaust pipe scraping harmony.

At Uki, we turn into the parking area behind the Old Bu er Factory where they churn out some of the best homemade pies you will ever try. The pastry is flaky, the meat chunky and the multiple flavours enough to satisfy any palate. We leave for Nimbin only to be accosted as we exit the car park by a feral local who tells us there is “a pack of filth” up the road who are gathering before they raid Nimbin. As we approach Nimbin, copper choppers are circling and police trail bikes are carving up the feral forests around us. My mind isn’t on drugs or police enforcement, though. It’s considering the condition of the road. It’s crap, but it used to be absolute crap. Seems the good folk of Nimbin having been paying some taxes because it’s been fixed in places.

Again we’re hooking into the bends, crashing through the less-frequent bumps and holes, finally rolling into the main street to park right outside the Hemp Palace where everyone tells us about the impending raid. Seems these guys are used to it. One of our crew, Cyclone, breaks out his tin whistle and entertains the street crowd. A 20c coin ► ■ Historic photo? In August, soon after Mark’s visit, the Hemp Embassy and other iconic Nimbin buildings burnt to the ground

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 91

ends up in my upturned lid. Score!

John confesses to me that he is a bit worried about the coming 12 turns and wonders whether I could take the lead.

He shows me his faded Google Maps printout which he has a acked with a pencil. It’s difficult to make out what he intends, but I see a couple of familiar points and plenty of squiggly lines. I realise we’re in for a real treat, so I accept the challenge to lead.

We backtrack then turn right onto Turntable Falls Rd and right again up the steep Turntable Creek Road. Here the lumps and bumps have festered into bikebreaking boils. My bony bu launches out of the seat over several divots, my helmet bouncing around on my head and my grin growing wider and wider. Some of the locals in their clapped-out hippy vans don’t expect anything coming the other way and tend to take up all of the road.

Either that or they’re off their faces. It’s best to stay as far le as possible. We ride through The Channon, turn le toward Dunoon, then a couple of rights and on to Clunes on the Bangalow-Lismore Road.

John is now back in control of the race. Sorry, the ride. So he takes us under the new highway where there is construction work on the scale of building the Great Pyramids of Giza.

The landscape has been forever scarred.

The benefit is that highway traffic will whizz past and stay off these backroads that are tailor-made for bikes.

We keep riding east up the range that

■ Uki’s pies are worth stopping here for

92 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

“Locals in their clapped-out hippy vans don’t expect anything coming the other way and tend to take up all of the road. Either that or they’re off their faces”

■ 8-Ball: it has to be black, doesn’t it?

VICTORY VEGAS 8-BALL I pulled in behind John’s Goldwing, intent on showing the boys just how hard this 106-cube V-twin can go.

The state of the road jolted me back to reality, and at one point the road simply disappeared underneath me.

I landed with a thud that shuddered through my already broken and fused backbone. Dazed and confused, I realised the bike had tracked through all the irregularities and kept me on course. I owed it all to the combination of a 21in front wheel that crashed through potholes the size of craters, the stiff and wide bars that gave me plenty of purchase and control, and the sturdy rear shock that soaked up all the sharp hits without ever once bottoming out or skipping the rear wheel off the ground.

That was much more than I was expecting from this style-conscious cruiser’s handling. It has its obvious limits. There is no luggage space on the Vegas. I carried a backpack with a

toothbrush, a change of underwear and my camera gear inside a waterproof bag. Even then, I was happier when John offered to bungee my backpack to his Goldwing’s seat.

At the start of the ride, as we stood around the Victory admiring its swooping tank, custom single seat, low clearance and wide beach bars, I couldn’t help thinking I was going to be the first to cry “uncle” for a rest stop.

But as we kicked up the side stands and the skies broke up a little, I smiled. The stage-one accessory pipes crackled like thunder and a light sprinkle of clearing rain spiked my face. I pulled up my face mask, cracked the throttle and barked right back at the elements. This was going to be fun, no matter where the ride took us.

When we stopped at the border for some photographs, the boys couldn’t take their eyes off the Victory. They were surprised I’d kept up with the cracking pace, even though I was trailing at the back of the pack.

Northern NSW

■ Ready to pot the 8-Ball in the green pocket?

■ You can see how Coolamon Scenic Drive gets its name … no, not the blokes!

divides the hinterland from the coastal area of Byron Bay. We turn right onto Booyong Rd where the potholes have lived for many years without disturbance.

A school bus pulls off the narrow road to let us by and we bounce and boogie up and over the ridge, turning le and right and le again. This twisty, gnarled ridge road isn’t actually on John’s agenda. He’s taken a wrong turn and we’re blindly following him in good faith.

Eventually we arrive at the aptly named Coast Road and hook right to roll into the pre y and unpretentious Lennox Head where we stop for a breathtaking headland view up and down the coast.

John declares his love for riding by the coast. He loves the fresh sea breezes and the smell of salt.

We’re too soon at our accommodation for the night, the Ballina Lakeside Holiday Park. And what a pre y spot it is with its back to the lake and just a stone’s throw from the surf beach. But the boys have drinking on their minds, even though it’s only 4pm. They tell me it’s 5pm local time. We hook into nibblies, swig beers, wine and rumbos, then head over to the barbecue to fry up the rump steaks and sausages. It’s a bacchanalian feast worthy of the ancient Greeks and together with road-weariness and my aching back from the constant pounding of broken pavement, I’m ready for bed.

This time, I’m invoking local time and turning in at 9.30, as is Cyclone. The others carry on.

Next morning I’m ready to roll quite early, but there is hesitancy among at least three others. Eventually, with heavy hearts and heavy heads we retrace our tyre tracks up the Coast Road. John has a few more surprises in store for us, but no one seems all that keen. There’s talk of a mutiny, of hi ing the highway and going home. I use all my powers of persuasion with talk of dusky maidens and roads that are tunnels of enticing greenery. ►

“A school bus pulls off the narrow road to let us by and we bounce and boogie up and over the ridge, turning left and right and left again” AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 93

Northern NSW ■ Lennox Head, where any ride’s a good ride

They know the maidens are a lie, but they’re intrigued by the Tunnel Road, so we turn le off the Pathetic Highway at Coolamon Scenic Drive. Then we charge along the ridge that rides toward Lismore before ducking right at the Crystal Castle sign and along another ridge.

We ignore the final turn to the tourist a raction and drop down another ridge that resembles the back of a dragon’s tail, lolling into languid Mullumbimby.

Is everyone smoking hootch here?

Service is friendly but really slow as we wait patiently on our brekky of lentil

muffins and coffee. Heading north out of town, the road swings right and once again becomes Coolamon Scenic Drive, snaking through tunnels of trees.

There aren’t as many bumps here and we se le into a hectic cadence despite the heavy heads among us. This should be called the Tunnel Road, but it’s not.

As we near the highway, there is a le turn onto the Tunnel Road. It’s a short and squiggly bit of road where the canopy is so dense daylight becomes twilight and the lights of the Victory penetrate into the foliage on either side.

■ On the NSW/Queensland border, with toads to the north and cockroaches to the south

94 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

“Tunnel Road is a short and squiggly bit of road where the canopy is so dense daylight becomes twilight. It’s eerie and wondrous” It’s eerie and wondrous at the same time.

Too soon it’s over and we’re in Billinudgel where we join the highway. If you have time, you can continue on and take a couple of le s onto Pocket Road, which becomes Main Arm Road and returns to Mullumbimby where you can do it all over again. Ahead of us is the Tweed Valley Way which entertainingly winds up and over the Burringbar Ranges. This used to be the highway before they drilled through the landscape to create a massive freeway scar from the border to Byron. Now the bikers keep the locals from going bankrupt.

Before we hit Murwillumbah, we lean le on Stokers Road. It’s a bit fiddly here, so you need to check a map as you want to end up on Smiths Creek Road even though it’s signposted as Stokers Siding Road. This spunky run brings you out just near Uki, where we turn right and backtrack through the charming hamlets of Tyalgum and Chillingham, taking our last glimpses of the majestic Mt Warning, this time over our le shoulders. We go our own ways a er taking a li le splash in Hinze Dam. Sometimes it’s also good to let someone else plot the route and keep it a secret from you. ARR

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SURF AND TURF The sensational Sapphire Coast. Fire up the senses while cruising country to coast in southern New South Wales STORY: IAN ROYALL PHOTOS: ANNE KIERREN/RED GEORGE MEDIA otorcycle riders know it’s all about the sensations. Sounds, smells, sights. Take a trip along the Sapphire Coast on New South Wales’ southern fringe and it’s a treat for the senses.

Some are good, some not so — from the sweet aromas of the Bega cheese factory, the sea mist and gum trees to the nostril-turning stench of the twoday-old carcass of a ro ing wombat. Then there’s

M

96 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

even the distinctive odour of a damp marijuana crop.

It’s the sounds too — not just Chisel in your earphones, but the pinging of bellbirds, the grumble of a passing Harley posse.

Even the feeling of tingling hands a er riding a road that’s more ripple strip than tarmac.

Welcome to the natural wonders from the bush to the beach of the Sapphire Coast. The region is not that large and it’s probably best to find a base or two to explore from there. We chose Tathra and Narooma as our twin HQs. And opted for the ►

NSW SAPPHIRE COAST

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 97

NSW SAPPHIRE COAST

■ On top of the world: Ian and Anne came to the coast via the High Country

EAST TO EDEN The ride to the Sapphire Coast meant a day’s ride from Corryong in northeastern Victoria over the Snowys via the Alpine Way. And it’s perfect days like these that take the motorcycle experience to another level.

Stunning scenery, quiet road,

98 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

sunshine, and the type of roads for which the word swoopy was invented.

Is swoopy even a word? Don’t care, that’s what they were. The first section east of Khancoban was a bit narrow, bumpy and messy. Then it opened up for one of our most memorable rides.

Sunshine, clear roads and more curves than Kim Kardashian as we sliced up

the mountain, stopping for a break at Tom Groggin.

Climbing up and hitting the Alpine altitudes, the leaf-less trees provided an eerie backdrop as we ascended to Dead Horse Gap for fresh, cold air and views east to west. Phew. Wow. And more.

What was that about senses?

Sensational.

BULGARIA

r Heading home again through the grand forests of south-eastern NSW

“We opted for the luxury end of camping — glamping. Tents with all the mod cons”

r If you’re wondering how to tour on a Street Triple, think Kriega

drag behind the superb beach. And the Tathra wharf has a great cafe, views and spots for fishing.

From there, the road north through the Mimosa Rocks National Park starts with a short gum-lined twistie with bush tracks on either side luring you to get in the dirt. But our bitumen babes would not be seduced. The road then opens up to a 40km squirt through rolling farmland, punctuated by single-lane rickety bridges and killjoy speed-limit zones. But it’s the region’s best ride, and even the locals say so. It’s quiet and we loved it so much we did it five times. Yes, five.

You jump off at Bermagui, which apparently has great deep-sea fishing, but I’m not a hunter-gatherer, more of a diner, so just serve it up, with chips!

Turning west, the country road to Cobargo was so bumpy it reminded me to get my shockers checked. With nearnumb fingers, we stopped at the 1830s town of Cobargo. It prides itself on being an old se lement but it’s decidedly new

age. Conversations among the locals in the Chalk and Cheese cafe were about meditation classes, energy showers (I’m not making this up) and unlocking your crystal tarot Pilates centre (OK, I might have some topics confused). I strongly suspect these people have never ridden a motorcycle. But they probably should.

The section of the Princes Highway from Cobargo north into Narooma is a surprise delight — big sweeping bends and open roads. Great fun as long as you’re not dicing with caravans or trucks. Narooma is another unexpected wonder; it seems to have a view everywhere, be it the coast, the inlet or the lake. It can seem like one big retirement village. Put it this way, if you ask a local how they are, they’re more likely to say, “I wouldn’t be dead for quids,” than “totes amazeballs”.

The former actually happened, it’s that kind of place.

There’s much to explore, even in town, as it’s a maze of waterways, parks and ► AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 99

NSW SAPPHIRE COAST

r How the other half camps…

“The road opens up to a 40km squirt through rolling farmland, punctuated by single-lane rickety bridges” scenic roads, especially the beaches north to Kianga. Our campsite was south of the town, a short walk to the glorious Handkerchief Beach, which we had to ourselves. Although we were camping at the higher end of the scale, the site a racted many other riders doing it much simpler with a one-man tent strapped to the pillion seat.

Back in Tathra we rolled south to Merimbula, which some say is a bit like a poor man’s Surfers Paradise, but its beaches and views are pre y amazing and the Cranky Cafe on the main beach is worth a lunch stopover. Then there’s the short ride down to Pambula Beach, which frankly could do with another cafe, shop or restaurant. Or a pulse.

But its caravan park does have resident 100 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

kangaroos and those who stay there absolutely swear by it.

There aren’t many bike shops around but best bet for chain lube or clean would be Mick Cole Motorcycles in Bega North.

The appeal of the region is that it’s quiet and stunningly picturesque. Don’t expect beach-edge rides with the waves lapping at your footpegs. And it’s not the Great Ocean Road either. Rather, you get glimpses of beach beauty, then you’re drawn inland — not a bad thing as its farmscapes and national parks are stunning. Bring your fishing road, pack your boardies, borrow a canoe or strap on a sur oard.

It’s quite a destination, the bonus being that, as we all know, it’s also about the ride to the destination. ARR

r The road sometimes gets you close to the water’s edge

BEST OF THE BEST Best road: Tathra-Bermagui Road Best seafood: The Inlet, Narooma Best coffee: Chalk and Cheese, Cobargo Best accommodation: Tathra Beach Holiday Park (owned by Frankie J Holden) Biggest regret: Not taking the road through Bombala on the way home

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Come stay with us FACILITIES: Head along to the Great Southern Inn, Eden, known as “that nice pub on the coast”. Drop in and enjoy some drinks at the bar, have a bite to eat and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere.

Stop in for a light lunch or delicious 158 Imlay Street, dinner overlooking Eden NSW 2551 Twofold Bay. Eden’s staff buys the freshest E: greatsouth@bigpond.com ingredients from their P: (02) 6496 1515 www.greatsoutherninn.com.au best local suppliers.

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PROUD Australia’s greatest river reveals itself during a ride from Echuca to Corryong

104 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

THE MURRAY RIVER

MURRAY

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 105

■ Many paddle boats are in superb condition and used regularly

STORY & PHOTOS: MICK MATHESON team trains and paddle boats hang on doggedly in a modern world. Like big-twin motorcycles, they’re deeply appealing to many of us. It’s not the power or the efficiency — not by any means — but rather something in the elegant but flawed way they get things done. A Triumph Thunderbird LT doesn’t win races but it comes alive on the road.

A fleet of steam trains would be a disaster in today’s cities but they’re one of the few machines that can be expressed succinctly in music. And when it comes to paddle boats, you almost feel like they’re swimming, not sailing.

I park the Triumph on high ground above the Murray River in Echuca and walk down to the riverbank behind the historic port precinct. Many floating relics of the Murray’s past linger here, and it’s impossible to tell if they’ve been le to rot or are queued up like Medicare patients on the transplant list, waiting and hoping for the day they get a second chance at life. I know I could ask a er their fates at the information centre, but I’m in a

S

106 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

“Mulwala and its cross-border sister Yarrawonga are indeed pretty places, but today the wind’s blowing and the water’s grey and choppy” melancholy mood and prefer to sit on the banks of the river and just look at the old girls. They have a magnificent past and a future of some kind, and in the meantime I’ll se le for the present.

It’s a sentiment that doesn’t leave me throughout my ride east up the Murray.

There’s mind-blowing history here, stuff that covers everything from geological morphing to engineering genius.

There’s an unknown and controversial future ahead, one that doesn’t bear contemplation if you’re just out for a ride to escape the routine of life.

■ Murray River Rd hugs the contours and is one of the country’s best rides

THE MURRAY RIVER Right now, there’s excellent riding and exploring to do.

I’ve met the Murray at Echuca, only about a third of the way along its 2500km length. The plan is to hug the river as closely as possible as I ride east, back up to somewhere near its source in the Great Dividing Range. Leaving Echuca, the Murray Valley Hwy doesn’t set me off on the perfect course though, taking me due east while the Murray snakes north through Barmah National Park. I know there are tracks that would take an adventurous rider through forests and floodways where the river escapes from civilised routes, but I was on a very different Triumph when I did that trip, a Tiger XC rather than the big Thunderbird LT. So I park the speedo needle on 100 ►

“The historic John Foord Bridge is now protected and celebrated despite its inability to cope with modern traffic demands”

■ Steamers in storage behind Echuca’s historic port

THE MURRAY PLAN Weave a stretch of the Murray River into any motorcycle tour and you won’t regret it. Riding along the river’s full length is a tour in itself, and if you begin at the top end and make your way over two, three or four days to the mouth in South Australia, you’ll get a real feel for the soul of Australia’s greatest river.

The ride in this story is a good one to factor in as part of a broader tour, or as a weekend out of Melbourne.

Leave the big smoke early on Saturday and you’ll be in Echuca for morning tea. Pull up for the night anywhere beyond Wodonga — I recommend the little river towns further east. If you want to loop around via Omeo, the 1200km-odd ride will be terrific but the days in the saddle longer. Otherwise, backtrack a bit and head through, say, Beechworth, Whitfield and Mansfield to get back to Melbourne, a shorter 1000km-odd and no less fun.

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 107

■ Brekky at Walwa. The general store does a good feed

“A highway patrol car pulls a U-turn in front of me and the officer jumps out with a breath tester. Bugger!” and roll across fertile flats and let this open road lead me on. Where it meets the Goulburn Valley Hwy I take a le and at last meet the Murray again at Tocumwal.

I ride over a modern bridge parallel to the old stone-and-steel railway bridge that’s still in use.

Tocumwal’s on the NSW side of the river, which of course forms most of the NSW-Victorian border. A er poking around the old parts of town to check it out, I take Deniliquin Rd so see what the lesser road on this side of the river is like.

It’s a good choice, as it turns out. A er the relatively busy highways in Victoria, this one’s almost empty, used mostly by locals. It heads through Barooga, which sits opposite the more prominent town of Cobram, and on to Mulwala where I run up against the enormous lake. In hindsight, I should have hooked le and kept going, but I wanted to see more of the town and its impressive water feature so I turned right and rode in.

Mulwala and its cross-border sister Yarrawonga are indeed pre y places, but today the wind’s blowing and the water’s grey and choppy. Not the best weather for waterside fun, so I re-join the Murray Valley Hwy and let the Triumph rumble on. Quickly ge ing bored of the Hwy, I don’t go far before taking a le to Corowa, 108 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

another old river town that I enter over the historic John Foord Bridge. This onelane le over of the 1800s is now protected and celebrated despite its inability to cope with modern traffic demands. No one seems to mind. This takes me to the north side of the Murray again for the ride into Albury via Howlong.

It’s lunch time as I enter Howlong, where I pull into the Court House Hotel for a lunch of excellent pizza with a complimentary beer. Can’t argue with that! I have a second beer, jump on the Triumph and head off. Almost immediately, a highway patrol car pulls a U-turn in front of me and the officer jumps out with a breath tester. Bugger!

I’m not over the limit, but the fresh alcohol in my mouth will probably set off the breathalyser. I slow for the inevitable but she waves me past! Seems she’s not quite ready for me, and the car behind me gets pulled over instead.

I weave through Albury and out via the Riverina Hwy. A few good corners leading to the huge Bethanga Bridge set me up for the coming part of this ride, which now takes on a new character. On the Victorian side of the bridge I join the Murray River Rd and now, at last, I can hug the waterway as the road follows the contours of its southern bank. I open the ►

■ Drowned trees create a bizarre landscape in the upper reaches of the Hume Weir’s influence

■ Swans on Lake Mulwala.

There’s plenty of wildlife to see

THE MURRAY RIVER ■ Echuca retains much of its pioneering history, from original buildings to preserved bridge sections

■ The PS Canberra at home on the Murray

PADDLE BOATS The PS Canberra is one of many paddle boats plying tourists up and down the Murray. It is docked in Echuca’s historic port precinct, along with a number of others, and unlike some of the boats it is still powered by a steam engine. The Canberra is more than 100 years old, though its wood-burning engine dates from 1923.

The port precinct is set up on the remaining, restored part of the town’s wharf, a portion of which was saved from demolition by history-minded

locals way back in the 1960s. It is now home to museums, restaurants and the old boats — well worth a visit.

Paddle boats do come up for sale occasionally but they command premium prices now, partly because of their rarity and partly reflecting the huge cost of restoration and running. A diesel-powered, steel-hull example was recently on the market for $280,000, while a steam-powered, timber-hull one was advertised without revealing the asking price. Makes a Brough Superior look cheap, doesn’t it?!

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 109

THE MURRAY RIVER

r Not quite a paddle steamer, not quite a pub, but she’ll do very nicely!

r Old bikes and cars out for an old-fashioned day along the Murray

“At Corryong it’s not paddle steamers and deep water, it’s mountain horsemen and cascading rapids”

TRIUMPH THUNDERBIRD LT Triumph’s new “light tourer” was magic on this Murray River run. It’s exactly the kind of trip the bike’s made for.

Heavyweight twin-cylinder cruisers have a lot in common with paddle steamers. Or perhaps the dieselpowered paddle boats are a more apt comparison, considering how smooth, reliable and dependable bikes like the T-bird are. For all its contemporary precision and strength, though, the Triumph eschews the speed and efficiency that come with smaller, high-revving engines with additional cylinders. It takes pride in its ponderous dimensions, the motorcycling equivalent of a flatbottomed paddle boat built to make majestic headway on a slow-moving route.

The Triumph had the right pace for the ride. On the policed highways, it was content to sit on the limit. Despite its considerable mass, I reckoned it

110 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

was a cinch to pilot in the little towns, U-turning whenever I wanted to go back to whatever it was I’d ridden past.

The blue-and-white cruiser wasn’t upset once we’d left Albury-Wodonga behind and settled into the fun twists and turns of the roads along the upper Murray. There, its great steering, good brakes and thumping engine guaranteed plenty of corner-carving action, even if I did wish for a bit more clearance.

In the saddlebags and a small bag strapped to the accessory rack, the T-bird carried all the gear I needed for a few days away. The 22L tank meant I didn’t have to concern myself with servos until more than 300km showed on the trip meter. This was a stop-start kind of ride as I took my time seeing the sights, and I never felt a twinge of discomfort or fatigue. This bike’s optional tall screen caused me a little grief when the rain fell heavily at one point, because it hindered vision when it was that wet, but otherwise I appreciated the protection.

Thunderbird’s thro le and we fly along this narrower, winding road with the bush growing close to the edges. At times I slow to look at the views as the river changes bit by bit. The biggest change occurs where the influence of Hume Weir peters out and the river morphs back into something like its original appearance, smaller but a li le wilder.

Past Jingellic, Walwa, Tintaldra and on, the Murray River Rd is a hoot, both fun and scenic. Any of those li le towns is worth a stop, whether it’s for a meal or the night. I head as far as Corryong, where I meet the Murray Valley Hwy again. This is about as far as you can ride up the Murray’s course. From here the river, which is a far cry from the huge body of water I’ve been following all day, disappears into the dense ruggedness of the alps. Its cultural influence seems diminished here too, and I note that Corryong is gearing up for the following weekend’s Man From Snowy River Festival. Up here it’s not paddle steamers and deep water, it’s mountain horsemen and cascading rapids.

I fuel up and turn back to Jingellic, where I’ve booked a room in the Bridge Hotel. It’s a great pub and I know I’m in for a good night. And tomorrow, the roads heading north are going to be just as enjoyable as today’s beaut run along the Murray. ARR

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A BETTER

RIDE Unless you ride a top-of-the-range sportsbike, chances are your suspension ain’t as good as it could be. Here’s why … and how you can fix it

STORY: DEAN MELLOR ike many components on your shiny new motorcycle, the suspension is a compromise, and for several reasons. Factors such as cost, ride quality, handling and bike usage all have to be taken into account by manufacturers to get a motorcycle onto the market at an appropriate price point, and have it appeal to a wide range of riders who will use it in a variety of conditions, riding it at a variety of skill levels and speeds.

But you are not a wide range of riders; you’re an individual (cue the Monty Python fans shouting “I’m not!”). And as an individual, chances are you know how heavy you are, how you like your bike to feel, the type of riding your bike is usually subjected to, and at what speed

L

112 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

you like to ride it. So unless you’re Joe Average, when you ride your bike off the showroom floor with its standard suspension on the standard se ings it will not be perfectly suited to you and your riding style.

“The lightest rider we’ve had in here — I’m talking about an adult — was 47kg,” says Frank Pons, suspension guru and proprietor of Biketek, “and the heaviest rider was 186kg; that’s a lot in between.

The bike manufacturers probably set up a bike with a 70–80kg person in mind.

That’s what they reckon is the average worldwide, not so much in Australia, and that’s what they set the bikes up for. But if you buy a bike and you’re 120–130kg, and you put your partner on the back, another 60–80kg, and then a topbox and whatever, the suspension’s not going to ►

SPECIAL FEATURE: SUSPENSION

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 113

■ ESA, or electronically adjustable suspension, is still bound by the limits of spring and damping rates in the suspension units

be able to cope with the demand.”

Another renowned suspension tuner, Terry Hay from Shock Treatment, agrees, and also points out, “The manufacturers are dealing with the unknown. They don’t know whether the rider is going to be 60kg or whether the rider is going to be 150kg. They don’t know how the bike is going to be ridden, where it’s going to be ridden or by who, so they’re really bound by circumstance just to create an average se ing for what they believe to be the average rider of average ability and average use of the bike. In reality, even though there may be a lot more potential in the bike, the original set-up is going to be average.”

Of course, the other big compromise with your bike’s standard suspension is cost. “There are a lot of compromises when it comes to the economies of producing motorcycles,” says Terry Hay. “If you’ve got a situation where you can save a li le bit of money in production, that might relate to a significant saving on the showroom floor. And what a lot 114 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

“The benefit is not just in the comfort and control of the bike, it’s also a safety issue” of the manufacturers are doing is trying to hit price points to compete with other manufacturers as well.”

So we’ve established that the standard suspension on your bike probably ain’t as good as it could be, but why would you want to spend your hard-earned on modifying it? “The major benefit is that you’re going to get an improved ride,” says Terry Hay. “And that creates a lot more confidence and, at the end of the day, most people ride motorcycles purely for enjoyment. If that bike is producing a more confident-feeling rider and allowing him to enjoy the cornering a lot be er, then he’s simply going to come back with

■ Bling factor: aftermarket gear can also improve your bike’s looks. This is a Matris fork cartridge

SPECIAL FEATURE: SUSPENSION

r Spring is sprung: does your bike have the correct spring weight for you?

“What a lot of the manufacturers are doing is trying to hit price points to compete with other manufacturers” a bigger grin on his dial.”

Frank Pons also points out the safety benefits. “Ge ing the suspension set up for your weight or application is very important,” he says. “A be er ride, less chance of ge ing in trouble through windy, twisty corners — you’re not going to get the sway or the wallowing, you’re not going to bo om-out. I’ve had shocks here that are bent and snapped from constant bo oming out, and you definitely don’t want that to happen as you go touring. The benefit is not just in

the comfort and control of the bike, it’s also a safety issue, that you know you’re not going to run into problems with it.”

Fortunately, on most bikes there are a few things you can do to improve the standard suspension se ings. First, you can tailor the suspension sag to suit your weight (fully geared up for riding) and the amount of gear you’ll be carrying by adjusting the spring preload. This will have a big impact on the handling of your bike. Second, you can adjust the damping characteristics (compression and

r WP suspension is top quality but if you don’t get it set up, your tyres may still wear badly

rebound), which will affect the handling as well as the ride quality. But, depending on the quality of your bike’s standard suspension, and the age and condition of the suspension, there is only so much you can adjust to improve ride and handling and, if it’s still not up to scratch, you’ll have to take more drastic steps.

There are several options when it comes to modifying your bike’s suspension: you can modify the stock suspension units; you can buy some offthe-shelf a ermarket suspension units; or you can go all-out and have some a ermarket suspension units built to your individual specifications. So what path should you take?

“When people ring me up and say I’ve got a whatever, and I’m 130kg, the first ►

■ The varied demands put on sportstourers mean they often benefit most from custom suspension

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 115

ELECTRONIC SUSPENSION Motorcycle manufacturers have started to introduce various forms of electronically controlled suspension, and now the aftermarket suppliers are getting in on the act. Is it any good?

“Electronic suspension is great,” says Justin Chisholm. “It has probably not been clearly explained to a lot of people but basically it means the rider no longer needs to adjust the clickers, so in most cases the electronic suspension is just a servo-type motor driven through the controls of the bike or the ECU, where you’re just changing the clickers or the suspension setting through a motor.

So it’s great that you can have preloaded settings and at the push of a button change those settings rather than stop and get a screwdriver out.

But at this stage it doesn’t change too much of the operating systems within the suspension itself.”

Frank Pons agrees. “All it really does is adjust the damping instead of the clickers,” he says. “But if the shock is not set up properly to start with internally, electronics are not going to fix the problem. Unfortunately, in Australia, all the fun roads that we ride on are bumpy, and all those shocks with the electronic adjustment, whether it’s Öhlins or Showa or WP or whatever, they’re not designed to do the Putty Road. So it’s just a shortcut for adjusting the clickers, that’s all. It’s a bit like a computer — a computer is very smart but you’ve got to feed it with the right information to start with.”

Terry Hay says electronic aftermarket suspension is in its infancy. “At this point in time it’s not proving to be any more useful and in fact it can hamper the range of suspension adjustment. Until they get electronic suspension that’s proactive, in other words something that would, say, scan the road and assess the road terrain and then adjust the suspension to suit before you hit the bump, electronic suspension is always going to struggle. I think at this point in time it’s better at selling motorcycles than solving suspension problems.”

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■ The quality of good brands like WP can be seen in the components and design

“If budget is an issue then you can just modify the existing shocks” question I ask is, what’s your budget?”

Frank explains. “If budget is not an issue then get good suspension like an Öhlins shock — in BMW you go front and rear — but if budget is an issue then you can just modify the existing shocks. In most cases you can get ’em working pre y good, not as good as the Öhlins, but halfway in between the standard shock and the Öhlins, for maybe about a third to half the price of the new Öhlins.”

It should be pointed out that on some bikes, rebuilding the standard suspension might not be an option. “With shocks, it has to be firstly a type of shock that’s rebuildable,” says Justin Chisholm, proprietor of Trooper Lu’s. “If it’s not, a new shock would be required, or there’d have to be a modification to the original shock to allow it to be rebuilt.”

It can also be difficult to rebuild some standard forks. “You’ll find that some of the designs don’t allow for major overhauls,” says Terry. “You may find that internal cartridges in forks cannot be accessed or shock absorbers may not be able to be accessed either, so you could

be very limited in your ability to modify these components.”

If you opt to replace your bike’s standard suspension with some off-the-shelf a ermarket gear, your next questions will be what brand and how much. “There’s a great range of a ermarket suspension available now,” says Justin. “On twin-shock bikes you’ve got from Gazi to Wilbers to Öhlins and Ikon shocks, and the range is endless, but it’s really important to get shocks that you know you can get parts for, that are rebuildable and have a back-up service. And, like anything, you get what you pay for.

“With the forks, it’s more about a ermarket cartridges that will go into the forks. There’s a range of brands now doing fork inserts, there’s a range of advantages there, but again it’s got to be installed correctly and there’s still some science behind ge ing those set up and installed correctly.”

Frank Pons is pre y one-eyed when it comes to the best brand of a ermarket suspension. “I like Öhlins because every one that I’ve sold, you put it on the bike

SPECIAL FEATURE: SUSPENSION

“We see a lot of bikes that are only a year old and have got low kays, but when we drain the oil there’s a lot of grit and grime in the fork” and in 90 per cent of the cases it works straight away, and they’re the most reliable by far on the market,” he says.

“There are other brands that claim to build to your needs, to your specification, your application, but some of them are a li le bit unreliable, meaning the sealing arrangement, the seal, is not quite as good as the Öhlins. We’ve had to do shocks with less than 10,000km, we’ve had to rebuild them. Whereas with the Öhlins you can do 60-80,000km without any dramas whatsoever.”

Terry Hay cautions that you get what you pay for. “In any industry there’s room for Kmart and there’s room for David Jones,” he says. “You’ll find people who damage their shock absorber, or it just becomes tired, and they replace it with something that will be an adequate replacement, that will effectively create a gap between the wheel and the guard,

but if you’re looking to extract be er performance from your motorcycle then the upper end of the market is where you want to be.

“You’ll find companies like Matris, Race Tech, Öhlins or Wilbers will produce a range of a ermarket shock absorbers in which the base engineering is that much be er that you’re going to find you’ll get a more effective performance.

The friction is dramatically reduced in the shock absorbers so you’ll get be er wheel reaction, the whole thing’s more stable plus they’ll have a greater range of features, so being able to adjust that shock absorber to suit your particular requirements is very, very good.”

The final word in suspension for your motorcycle is custom. “Some companies, like Race Tech, Matris and Wilbers go beyond just supplying a high-quality shock absorber and they custom ►

■ The secret to great handling is having quality suspension tailored to your weight and riding style

r Remote preload adjusters of these Wilbers shocks provide quick manual adjustments

r Remote reservoirs on their own can improve shock performance by keeping the oil cooler

r Wilbers is one company offering aftermarket suspension with electronic adjustment

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 117

r Top shelf: Öhlins TTX36 MotoGP-spec suspension is as good as it gets, but isn’t at its best until it’s set up for you

■ Two very easy ways to tailor fork action is to change the oil viscosity and level r Aftermarket fork cartridges, like these Öhlins, screw in to replace your OEM ones

“It’s really important to get shocks that you know you can get parts for, that are rebuildable and have a back-up service, which primarily means replacing the oil at regular intervals” manufacture for the individual,” Terry says. “You could buy a WP or an Öhlins shock, for instance, and you’ll get what’s in the box. Now what comes in the box will be a significant improvement over standard and it will have a wider range of adjustments, but they still don’t take into account who is going to ride the bike, how it’s going to be ridden or where.

When you get a manufactured shock that

■ Most Multistradas sold have Ducati’s semi-active suspension, but the aftermarket is now supplying units for those that don’t

118 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

comes from someone like Matris, Wilbers or Race Tech, they take down the rider’s requirements and they will build the shock and they will spring the shock to suit that particular rider, so that then has a much greater opportunity of producing a be er outcome for the individual.”

Whether you’re running the standard suspension in your bike, or you’ve taken one of the suspension modification

routes outlined above, you still have to regularly service your bike’s suspension components, which primarily means replacing the oil at regular intervals.

“Oil is a degradable product that’s at its best as you’re pouring it out of the bo le,” says Terry. “Its service life is generally 15-20,000km, depending on how hard the bike is used. If you’re chasing consistency in performance, you might want to change it every 10,000 kays.” Terry also points out that as the oil breaks down, your suspension’s damping characteristics will decrease and the oil won’t offer the same level of protection to internal components.

“There’s a lot of moving parts, there’s a lot of heat involved and the oil is not only a damping medium but it’s your lubrication medium,” he says.

Just like changing your bike’s engine oil, the time interval with suspension servicing is just as important as the mileage. “We recommend a fork and a shock service every 12 months,” says Justin Chisholm. “We see a lot of bikes that are only a year old and have got low kays, but when we drain the oil there’s a lot of grit and grime in the fork. People don’t understand that there’s a lot of force

SPECIAL FEATURE: SUSPENSION

“A shock service will bring it up like brand new again, and it’s not that expensive” within the fork, and wear on components, and those li le bits that wear off get into the oil and it becomes very abrasive, wearing components such as O-rings and seals, and it makes the suspension far less effective in what it can do.”

Frank Pons points out that the small amount of oil in a shock has a bearing on its service life. “With BMWs, Triumphs, Hondas and the like — touring bikes, or sports-touring bikes, not so much sportsbikes — most of the shocks don’t even have a reservoir, they’ve just got the shock with a rebound adjustment and a spring preload adjustment, especially BMWs. Now, the oil capacity in that

shock is probably around 300ml, so if you’ve got oil that works really, really hard, that’s not exposed to cooling so they get really hot, the oil goes off in about 20-25,000km. It’s a bit like engine oil — you don’t leave the engine oil in your bike for 30, 40, 50,000 kays, and those shocks, because they carry a very small amount of oil, the oil just burns, which affects your damping.

“A shock service will bring it back to brand new again. It’s not that expensive to service a shock — you put it back to new again and it’s going to do another 30,000km. On average, forks should be done, say, every 20,000 kays for the same reason, because the oil goes off.”

So there you have it: chances are the standard suspension in your bike could do with an upgrade and it will need to be regularly serviced the keep it working properly. But if, as Terry Hay says, that results in a bigger smile on your dial, then it’s go a be worth it. ARR

■ Frank Pons transformed Matho’s DR650, modifying standard suspension to cope with a heavy load, including the big fuel capacity

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 119

TESTING,TESTING Great sounds, cool strides and warm hands. Here are three products we know will make motorcyclists happy EARMOLD MUSIC MONITORS Earmold’s brand-new in-ear music monitors deliver a leap in sound quality over the previous ones. The first thing I noticed when I plugged in my new ones was the depth of the bass and the clarity of the melodies playing from my smartphone. It was another step up from the auditory joy I’d experienced when I first used my original set of Earmold monitors, and again I heard entirely new things in some of the songs in my collection — subtle notes or lines that had never been audible on anything else I’d played them on. I called up my benchmark testing tune, a live recording of a really lively song, soon a er I slid these Earmolds into my ears. Man, when I heard it this time I grinned and boogied down the road on the Multistrada like a deaf man with new ears. I hadn’t expected such a dramatic change.

My old Earmold recreational music monitors had needed some running repairs but when I’d approached Earmold co-owner Aaron Dalle-Molle about it at the Brisbane Motorcycle Expo early this year, he’d smiled the kind of smile that said there was something happening but

■ The Earmold system as Matho usually uses it, with volume control but no microphone. Note the wire’s unused length gathered up and taped

that I shouldn’t worry myself about it yet. “Come and see me at the HOG Rally,” he said. So I did. By then, Earmold had released the fourth-generation version of the monitors. Any doubts I had about upgrading instead of repairing were dispelled the moment I heard the much■ The volume control is easy to use with gloves on

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improved sound quality.

The new ones are also tougher. The various sections encasing spli ers, joints etc are noticeably stronger and should take a bit of a beating and provide longer life.

The overall design is pre y much the same as before. A 3.5mm jack plugs into ■ Sound travels to your ear via an acoustic tube and Earmold’s custom plugs

product reviews

“Because they are a perfect fit, they block outside sounds very effectively, not only meeting Australian Standards but providing Class 5 hearing protection” your music player and the wires take the signal up to a pair of tiny speakers, which in turn play the music through a pair of acoustic tubes that are fixed into your tailored Insta-Mold earplugs. You can buy additional cables that add volume control and even a microphone.

The custom-moulded ear plugs, which Earmold or one of its agents will make for you on the spot (hence their strong presence at motorcycle shows, where they do a lot of their business), are the main reason the monitors are so good.

Because they are a perfect fit, they block outside sounds very effectively, not only meeting Australian Standards but providing Class 5 hearing protection, the highest rating under the Australian system. Earmold says these are the only plugs that will achieve such high levels while also allowing you to listen to music.

The acoustic tubes that carry sound

to your ears are coiled, which gives them flexibility. Sometimes, if the windblast of riding ra les them against your chest or shoulders, you’ll hear a bit of rustling through them but otherwise they do a top job.

The volume control cable is essential, I believe, but then I carry my iPhone in a pocket where I can’t manipulate its own volume control. The microphone cable is great if you want to use the phone, and it has a push-to-answer bu on as well. All the cables — plus a simple extension cable if you need it — connect in-line with secure jacks. The only hassle is their length, but all you have to do is bundle up the excess with tape or something similar and suddenly you’ve got a custom-length cable set-up to suit you and your riding gear. Arranging everything so the volume control wheel and microphone are easy to find with a

■ The jack to plug into your music player or phone is solid

■ Speakers are encased in a tough wrap, into which the acoustic tubes are screwed

gloved hand while on the move takes a bit of practice, but I’ve found that once I get it right it is easy to operate the controls when I wear light gloves and not too hard with thick winter gloves on.

The beauty of the Insta-Mold plugs is they block so much wind roar that you don’t have to have the music volume up very loud, a further benefit for your hearing. With standard in-helmet speakers, you have to turn them way up above the wind noise, making it a deafening combination that many riders ignore to the long-term peril of their hearing. And unlike typical off-the-shelf in-ear speakers, these won’t fall out a er you’ve put your helmet on — and isn’t that one of the most irritating things!

Some background noise is still audible so it’s not like the Earmolds drown out all other sounds and isolate you from the traffic around you; horns, sirens etc are still quite clear. If you turn down the music volume you can have a shouted conversation with your riding buddy at the lights (one everyone else in earshot can enjoy). However, so much of the background noise is reduced that the Insta-Mold plugs remove a huge amount of fatigue and hearing damage from your rides.

I use these monitors on almost every ride. When I don’t, I’m most likely using the faithful old Insta-Mold earplugs, the simple option for blocking excessive noise. Riding without ear protection has long been something I almost never do (and have come to hate, for that ma er) unless I’m behind an exceptional fairing.

Earmold’s recreational music monitors are probably the best way to enjoy music and protect your ears on a motorcycle, with the added bonus of permi ing phone use if you add the microphone to your set-up.

— MICK MATHESON

DETAILS ■ Strong connections between cables don’t come loose

Prices: Monitors from $220; volume control $25; microphone $35; extension $12.50 Info: www.earmold.com.au, 07 3314 6932

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 121

DRIRIDER VORTEX 2 PANTS When winter arrived this year I realised it was time to renew some of my gear. A er a good six years, the time had finally come to retire my old set of DriRider pants and find a worthy replacement. Not that there was much wrong with the old ones. Well, not the outer anyway, just the inner liner, which had decided to give up.

As we all know there’s plenty of gear on the market to choose from and sometimes it’s just easier to stick with the brand you know. As my old DriRiders had served me for all those years, I decided to take a look at the company’s website.

I’m not sure if it was good timing or just a coincidence that a week or so a er looking at the website, McLeod’s brought out its winter catalogue. A er thoroughly

dissecting each page, I decided to go for the Vortex 2.

Like most gear, these pants also come with knee and hip protection. They have a good, wide dual waist adjustment. The outer shell is a 600D polyester with 1200D inner legs and 1000D nylon knees, making them strong and durable. Comfort is increased by the stretch panels around the knees and in the back, giving you comfort for when you’re on the bike, plus stretch material on the inner leg behind the knees.

They’re an all-seasons design with a removable, waterproof, breathable liner as well as a 100g thermal liner that can be taken out when you want protection but don’t need the warmth. When it does get hot, the Vortex 2 pants also have large ventilation panels on the thighs. The two outer pockets are large enough to hold

“The Vortex 2 fit like a good pair of jeans and are comfortable” ■ The Vortex 2 pants are quite stylish, with plenty of features like stretch panels and vents

your wallet and with safety stitching holding everything together you’ll know they won’t come apart. There’s more that I haven’t mentioned. As for how they feel when riding, they fit like a good pair of jeans and are comfortable.

The DriRider Vortex 2 pants are not overly expensive, not when you consider how long you’re going to have them for.

I mean, if they serve me for as long as my last pair of DriRiders, they’ll cost me only $50 a year or about a dollar a week, and that’s cheap to stay warm, dry and well protected.

There are a fair few different styles in the DriRider range but I’m very happy with my choice. The Vortex 2 can be found at most motorcycle shops or if you can’t get to a shop straight away, then check out the range on the web.

— JOHN ARENS

DETAILS Price: $299.95 Sizes: Men’s S–6XL, women’s 8–22 Colours: Black Info: www.mcleodaccess.com.au, 1300 300 191

122 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

product reviews BARKBUSTERS BBZ-01 HAND GUARDS I’ve always fi ed Barkbusters to my adventure bikes for protection of my hands and levers from bushes and in crashes. But now that I’ve ridden with the new Barkbusters BBZ-01 all-weather shrouds, I won’t ever leave home in winter without them to protect my hands from the cold.

Grip warmers only warm the inside of your hands. Your fingertips, knuckles and the backs of your hands are still exposed to the wind. However, BBZ hand guards, which can even go over the top of the standard Barkbusters, provide an effective windshield against the cold.

I recently returned from an 1800km bush bash with a couple of mates on BMWs with grip warmers. My Ténéré test bike didn’t have grip warmers, but it had the BBZ windshields. One morning it was half a degree below zero as we rode on the highway and the guys complained that their fingertips and the backs of

■ Your hands slide right into the BBZs for the ultimate weather protection

their hands were freezing despite having their grip warmers on full bore. While my hands were also cold, they weren’t any colder than theirs and I can only imagine how comfortable I would have been if I’d also had grip warmers.

These guards mainly protect against wind chill, which is the perceived decrease in temperature caused by wind. Estimating wind chill is a complex calculation involving ambient temperature and wind speed. However, at 0°C ambient temperature, travelling at 100km/h on the highway, our hands were in -17.4°C. By shielding my hands from that 100km/h wind, they were still cold but certainly not -17.4!

The BBZ hand guards are also claimed to offer protection from the rain so you don’t have to wear those big, cumbersome wet-weather gloves. That means your hands have more feel of the thro le and levers, which is safer.

As Barkbusters points out, there are many motorcycles that are not able to

accommodate their protectors.

However, the BBZ gets around this through its flexible design. It is made of a windproof and waterproof material that is strong enough to be selfsupporting under wind pressure, yet so enough to flex against fairings and screens without leaving a mark.

Barkbusters claims it can be fi ed to most motorcycle makes and models without interfering with clutch and brake levers, or reducing handlebar lock. Installation is quick and easy and they can go over existing aluminium hand guards without any drilling or customisation. And when the winter chill abates, they are even easier to remove.

— MARK HINCHLIFFE

DETAILS Price: $119.95 Info: www.barkbusters.net, 02 4271 8244

“It is made of a windproof and waterproof material that is strong enough to be self-supporting under wind pressure, yet soft enough to flex” ■ The Barkbusters are designed to fit just about any bike and can be used in any weather

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 123

Whatz new CONTOUR CAMERAS

SUZUKI V-STROM 1000 PACKAGES Suzuki Genuine Parts and Accessories has launched a range of luggage packs for the Suzuki V-Strom 1000 adventure tourer to tailor it into a more focused machine depending on your desire. The Touring Pack comes with tank pad protector, knuckle guards, lower cowling, accessory bar and V-Strom 1000 decal kit. Priced at $699, that’s a saving of $182. The Adventure Pack features a tank pad protector, knuckle guards, lower cowling, accessory bar, side case set and V-Strom 1000 decal kit. Priced at $1799, that’s a $272 saving. The Voyager

MOTUL WASH AND WAX It can be annoying looking at your pride and joy knowing it doesn’t need a wash and that a full detail would be overkill.

What you need is something to wipe the grubby film off it and give it a shine. A shine that lasts would be better still. Motul Wash and Wax is a motorcycle drycleaner with a micro-crystalline wax intended to serve that purpose.

Applied directly to bodywork, frames and wheels, the spray is designed to suck up dust and dirt then leave a protective wax film and a shiny surface finish. Motul Wash and Wax is 124 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

Pack consists of tank pad, knuckle guards, lower cowling, centre stand, side case set, large touring screen, accessory bar, dry roll bag and V-Strom 1000 decal kit. At $2599, it’s a $138 saving. The Grand Touring Pack comes with tank pad protector, knuckle guards, lower cowling, centrestand, side case set, 35L top case, large touring screen, accessory bar, LED indicators and V-Strom GT decals. At $3399, it is a $447 saving.

Prices: From $699 Info: suzukimotorcycles.com.au

available in a 400mL aerosol spray or a 400mL trigger bottle.

Price: $14.90 Info: linkint.com.au/motul

Action-sports camera brand Contour has found a new home in Australia.

Moto National Accessories has taken on distribution of the point-of-view camera brand in our market. The two-camera Contour range includes the Contour +2 and Contour Roam2.

The higher-priced and higher-spec +2 packs in extra features like GPS video mapping, mobile connectivity and laser alignment while also shooting at 120fps. The Roam2 comes without these features and films up to 60fps, but features a still photo Mode, 1080p video, 270° rotating lens and 170° wide-angle lens like the +2.

Price: +2 $499.99, Roam2 $269.99 Info: motonational.com.au

ANDY STRAPZ DROMEDARY WATER BAGS Designed specifically for the rigours of Australia’s varied climates and conditions, the Dromedary water bags are built to be the toughest water-carrying bag on the market. Construction is of two layers of laminated 500 and 1000 denier Cordura, meaning the bags are extremely durable. Lined with BPA-free, food-grade polyurethane, the bags can handle freezing or boiling water. A webbing perimeter strap system makes them easy to stash and they come in four sizes — 2L, 4L, 6L and 10L. Prices: $48-$72 Info: andystrapz.com

NEW AND INTERESTING STUFF HEL PERFORMANCE BRAKE PADS Do you lack braking performance on your late-model sportsbike?

From UK brake pad manufacturer HEL comes the Street Pro and Track Pro Pads designed to improve performance on the road and racetrack respectively. Designed specifically for late-model sportsbikes, there are two compounds available: Fast Road for all sportsbikes and Sport for fast road riding and track-day use. The Track Pro pads are a high-friction race-compound sintered-metal brake pad developed for circuit racing.

Prices: Starting at $95 Info: helperformance.com.au

RAD TOURS Rad Tours has recently commenced halfand full-day tours in the Adelaide region of South Australia. Tours include some great roads through the Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley and Fleurieu Peninsula.

FALCO SHIRO BOOTS Safety and style meld in Falco’s Shiro boots. Looking like a sneaker, they have toe and heel reinforcement and ankle cups, making them a great boot to wear for trips where a dedicated motorcycle boot would be overkill. Oil-proof soles are great for urban riding and the water-repellent full-grain leather and “denim canvas” inserts are good looking and functional.

Boot closure is with laces and a zipper and they’re available in black or brown colour schemes.

Price: $199.95 Info: ficeda.com.au

Rad Tours can cater for up to five riders at a time on its fleet of Benelli BN 600R motorcycles. Get in touch with them to see what they can line up for you.

Price: Various Info: radtours.com.au

PIRELLI ANGEL GT (A) Designed specifically for the greater demands and needs of bigger touring motorcycles, Pirelli’s Angel GT (A) front tyres have been released to match Angel GT (A) rears on heavier sports-touring and touring motorcycles. For long-haul tourers like the BMW K 1300 GT, Kawasaki GTR1400 and Triumph Trophy 1200, the Angel GT (A) has a special two-ply carcass front and rear for improved stability, performance and mileage. The front is available in a 120/70ZR17 (58W) size, the rears in 180/55, 190/50 and 190/55 ZR17 (75W) from all good bike shops.

Price: $219 Info: linkint.com.au

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 125

REPLAY XD Prime X is Replay’s fourthgeneration HD camera and is packed full of features and adjustability, making it a great camera for more than amateur videographers. Smaller and lighter than before, the Prime X has more power, better optics and stronger construction than the previous model to set itself apart in this innovative market. Using a half-inch format lens, it weighs in at under 100 grams, is waterproof to three metres without a case, films up to 120fps and has a simple HDMI/ composite out feed.

Price: $395 Info: replay-xd.com.au

OGGY KNOBS FOR HONDAS Designed to take the brunt out of the unfortunate meeting of motorcycle and tarmac, Oggy Knobs are an excellent investment. Saving precious dollars on a repair bill replacing the likes of engine cases or even frames, Oggy Knobs are built with CNC machining, laser cutting and MIG welding for a strong, accurate fit. The hard sliders

AKRAPOVIC FOR YAMAHA MT-09 Slovenian exhaust manufacturer Akrapovic has released a striking exhaust system for Yamaha’s MT-09. The punchy triple already has impressive power and torque output, but the Racing Line carbon system boosts the MT’s power output by 5kW and adds 6Nm of torque at 5150rpm!

Improving the look compared with the bulky standard system, the stainless system with carbon muffler comes in at nearly 4kg lighter than the original system and also adds a much-needed bark to the MT-09’s exhaust note.

Price: $1190 Info: gasimports.com.au

126 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

have excellent absorption and abrasionresistant qualities while use of aircraftgrade aluminium makes the system very lightweight. Now available for Honda’s CB650F, CBR650F, NC700S and NC750S, the frame knobs come in both black and white while the axle knob for the 650s comes in black only.

Prices: 650 frame knobs $279, axle $99; 700/750 frame knobs $315 Info: kenma.com.au

KARCHER K2.190 Compact, portable and packing huge power, the K2.190 is the latest addition to Karcher’s extensive pressure-washer range.

An entry-level pressure washer, the K2.190 is lightweight at under 5kg and packs 1600psi of punch.

The K2.190 has a big range of accessories so you can do all those cleaning jobs you were meant to do around the house after you have finished washing your bike. And when all the jobs are done, the unit packs away compactly so you can store it out of the way for next time.

Price: $156 Info: karcher.com.au

NEW AND INTERESTING STUFF TOURATECH ADVENTURE DRY BAG These new Adventure Dry Bags come from the genius designers at Germany’s Touratech. Heavy-duty, waterproof travel bags designed for adventure riding, they’re made in polyurethane with welded seams and carry a rating of IP64 for waterproofing and strength in independent, internationally recognised testing. Nylon handles and detachable, padded shoulder straps make it easy to haul the bags around and 3M Scotchlite reflective material graces both ends to make them stand out when you lose them in dense bush.

They come in three sizes: the 31L medium bag is for small racks, the large 49L one has very useful capacity and the extra-large 89L size works well strapped on rear racks or lengthwise across passenger seats. They all come in black, silver, yellow or tan, inspired by the sands of Dakar.

Prices: From $148 Info: touratech.com.au

K&N FOR BMW R 1200 GS/GSA AND H-D XL1200/SEVENTY-TWO There is no more easy and effective way to improve your motorcycle’s performance than by fitting a high-flow air filter. And no manufacturer is renowned for building high-performance air filters like K&N. Designed in the USA, K&N’s latest offerings are for two very different motorcycles — the new BMW R 1200 GS/GS Adventure and the Harley-Davidson XL1200/Seventy-Two. The washable, reusable, high-flow filters are designed to improve engine performance and extend service life. The filters slot into the OEM airbox without any modification, straight out of the box. Too easy!

Price: GS $89.95, H-D $114.95 Info: ctaaustralia.com.au

PELICAN Not just a generic word for a strong case, Pelican designs and manufactures protective case solutions and portable lighting that is used in law enforcement and military services around the world. The company also makes equipment for you and I, with Pelican Australia showcasing

MOTOCHELLO MOTORCYCLE AUDIO SYSTEM A specialist in audio and communication systems for vehicles, MotoChello has developed a new motorcycle stereo system. The MC200 features three audio ports (plus FM/WB), built-in FM radio, intercom and a two-way radio interface. The main improvements of this new system over the previous one are iPhone interface, isolated inputs, automatic volume adjustments and an available Bluetooth receiver.

The MC-200 is a complete system with headsets, microphones (both boom and fixed types) and all cables for connecting audio devices and two-way radios. Extension cables, if needed, and an external push-to-talk button for radio activation are also included. Adapters are available for specialty radios, Bluetooth devices, and for earphone use in place of headsets.

Prices: US$695 for a 2-Rider system and US$645 for a single-rider Info: motochello.com.

on its website the brand’s huge range of products that would make a great addition to your riding equipment. From lighting to phone covers and backpacks, there’s a huge range of equipment that is well suited to the rigours motorcycling can throw at you.

Prices: Various Info: pelicanaustralia.com AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 127

READERS RITE on’t forget to write! We mean it. We love to hear from you and everyone else does too; these pages are among the most popular in the magazine. Preferably, keep le ers under 300 words so we can fit more in, though we will allow the odd exception without taking to it with the editorial knife. Yes, we will chop ’em when we have to. Do include your real name and some contact details, just in case we need to clarify something. Please write to roadrider@ universalmagazines.com.au or send mail to Road Rider, Unit 5, 6–8 Byfield Street, North Ryde NSW 2113 — Matho

D

WINNER PROWLING AROUND ON THE TIGER Here’s a photo from a recent ride on the Tiger 800XC. We stopped for the night in Canberra and the overnight temps dropped to -5°C, leaving a nice layer of frost on the fuel cap.

The ride started in Dubbo on Wednesday. We rode to Mudgee, then the Bylong Valley Way, then across to the Pu y Rd into Sydney. While in Sydney we rode up to Palm Beach, then down through the Royal National Park, and from Batemans Bay along the Kings Hwy over Clyde Mountain to Canberra, and then back to Dubbo on Sunday.

Since picking up the Tiger in mid-December 2013, the Tiger now has just over 10,000km on it.

Philip Lalor Email I’m envious, Phil! What a great ride. For sharing it, and giving other readers some good ideas, you’re this issue’s winner of our Motul bike-care pack. Last time I was in Canberra (actually, out in the Brindabellas for the Alpine Rally) it was a frosty -5°C too.

Feels good when the sun comes up! — Matho ■ That’s frost on the fuel cap, courtesy of a winter’s night in Canberra

128 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

WIN THIS, LOOK HOT! 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 write to us. We’ll pick what we think is the best le er every month 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.

Email roadrider@universalmagazines.com.au or mail to ARR at 5/6-8 Byfield St, North Ryde NSW 2113.

We’ll do the rest.

LETTERS ROADSIDE ASSIST Hi. My wife and I ride a BMW K1200GT and have been trying to get to ride some of the northern NSW highways for some time. Each time something seems to come up so when I got another seven-day opportunity, we jumped at it. Taking the long way, we a empted to do the Oxley, Bruxner and Gwydir highways, among many others, strung into a round trip from Sydney up to Byron Bay and back.

Day 1 was to get to Port Macquarie via the backroads. Enjoyable ride, good weather and an upbeat state of mind, no doubt because there were great prospects ahead. Day 2 was up the Oxley and on to Glen Innes. Now, all I can say is that I figure it’s really hard for any motorcyclist not to ride out the top of the pass without the biggest grin on their face.

You are almost tempted to turn around and go back down again, just so you can come up again.

Day 3 started from Glen Innes heading to Tenterfield. A few kilometres outside Tenterfield we started to feel a roughness in the footpegs, which seemed to come and go. We decided a stop in Tenterfield would be good and upon arrival in the main street we discovered there was no rear brake. Cut a long story short, the drivesha crown bearing had given up the ghost, taken the O-rings and seals with it and poured its lifeblood out on the wheel and brakes. Luckily there were no tight le -handers into Tenterfield as the oil had run over the sidewall of the tyre and onto the contact patch.

KNOW YOUR ENGINE I know how Zoe Naylor feels. Her column about learning the workings of a motorcycle engine (ARR #105) rang a bell with me. When I started riding I had no clue about how a bike worked, and I don’t recall ever thinking I should know. If it started and ran, that was all I wanted. In hindsight, I think my first bike might have been with me a lot longer if I’d known enough to know I should have it serviced regularly.

Or just once.

Some years and a brand-new bike later, I would say to any rider that they need to know a li le bit about their bike’s mechanics. You need to know why it needs some TLC from someone who knows what they’re doing. I have learned more and more, and I’m glad I did because my Yamaha XVS950, which

A failure like this, a er just 48,000km, really does get the mind wondering about the level of confidence that manufacturers have in their own products when they only provide warranties for two years. Really, it’s pre y poor when you think about it. I guess

“Cut a long story short, the driveshaft crown bearing had given up the ghost and poured its lifeblood out on the wheel and brakes” this is a whole other subject and yes, all the nagging fears I had about sha failures flooded over me. I have heard a number of stories and now it seems I have another one to add to them.

Next came the call to BMW Roadside Assist and this is what urged me to write to your mag. It’s a long story of many phone calls, transporting the motorcycle to Ballina, arranging alternative transport to carry on my holiday — sans motorcycle, though — and a number of other issues. Not only did the Roadside Assist take care of all costs (and I mean all costs except repairs) and provide me with a replacement car, they also

took care of shipment costs to get the motorcycle back to me a er its repair.

The best part, and I wish all insurance companies could take note, was that because I was phoning them, there must be a situation and it’s one where I need them to step in and support me. Most companies start to squabble at this point.

Not these guys. Even when the rental car company charged me for the one-way fee and excess kilometres, BMW Roadside Assist stepped in, organised my refund and se led the rental bill.

I must have dealt with six to eight people at BMW Roadside Assist over the period and I have to say that each and every one responded in a very professional and friendly manner, eager to help and keep me posted on progress. They even followed up with the garage on the repairs.

What an awesome bunch of people.

They would really carry my highest recommendation. Not sure if they cover bikes other than BMW. They certainly have me as a customer for a lifetime.

Now I just have to wait for the motorcycle to come back and then plan another a empt. This will be a empt number five. I will do it.

Mark Meyer Email It’s good to hear everything came up trumps, Mark. If things go wrong, having a proactive and supportive system to back you up makes all the difference, doesn’t it? All the best for a empt number five!

I hope you enjoy our story on the roads around Ballina in this issue. — Matho

“I’m always on top of the service schedule because of my rudimentary understanding of what happens inside the engine” has covered over 24,000km, is as good as the day I bought it new. I don’t do any of the service work myself, but I’m always on top of the service schedule because of my rudimentary understanding of what happens inside the engine — I understand why oil needs changing.

A friend who recently got his licence (yes, a guy — we girls aren’t the only ones without a clue, supposedly) owned a bike that was running worse and worse, but until I explained some simple things to him he didn’t realise anything was wrong. Luckily, a mechanic fixed it before it went too far and the bill was

less than it would have been.

So girls and guys, don’t just start your engine, know them.

Amanda Hendriksen Sunshine Coast, Qld I look back on how li le I knew about engines and shake my head. I’d never had any of it explained to me, but it didn’t take long for some of it to sink in as things went wrong with my first couple of bikes.

It’s so true that simply ensuring the oil is changed frequently (more o en than recommended, in many circumstances) improves an engine’s health and lifespan enormously. — Matho AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 129

LETTERS SQUARED KNOBS Mick, do you think it’s worth the cost of running knobby tyres on a BMW GS? I replaced my 2013 model’s OEM tyres with a set of Karoos but wore the knobs off them a er covering 2200km. The front was still all right but the back tyre was squared off and past the legal wear limit.

I keep track of mileage on sealed and

unsealed roads, and even though I think I got the performance I wanted on the la er, almost 60 per cent of the distance I travelled was on tar roads.

This is my first adventure-type bike.

You have a lot more experience on them than me, so I’d like to hear your thoughts on the subject. I don’t know if I can afford to wear out tyres at this rate.

■ Are knobbies worth it if you’re riding mostly tar and good gravel roads, with traction control as well?

SOBERING THOUGHTS Your magazine makes frequent reference to drinking alcohol while riding motorcycles. I consider this to be highly irresponsible. By promoting drinking and riding, you are encouraging dangerous behaviour. You should instead be trying to finally rid us of a practice that continues to kill and maim many riders.

I had hoped that a change in editor would change the tone in ARR, but the references to alcohol remain. Do you realise what a poor influence you

■ It’s hot, dusty and dry, you’re at Humpty Doo, the pub is calling … but a wise rider knows when to imbibe and when to wait till the end of the day

130 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

are having on riders, and mainly the younger ones? Do you feel proud of it?

Name withheld on request It’s true, I do enjoy a beer, and the majority of people I’ve ridden with over many years are much the same. Except that one or two prefer cider, so I’m a li le wary of them. Having alcohol is entirely someone’s choice, and a quite legal one up to a point, so I don’t see that mention of it should be excluded from these pages. As for the youngsters, they’re brought up today in a rigorously antialcohol road-use regime, under which

AG Murdoch Email Cost is obviously an issue for you, but this has to be weighed against the performance you demand — it’ll always be a compromise. If I used my DR for everyday riding, I think I’d keep it shod with dual-purpose tyres, similar to the OEM style where on-road use is favoured in the design. Tar roads rip the hell out of knobby tyres, especially if you turn the wick up at times. Even riding on nothing but gravel roads, it’s hard enough to get good life out of knobby tyres fi ed to the big twin-cylinder bikes. Now, I’m assuming you have traction control on your GS, in which case I’d be inclined to fit tyres aimed primarily at tar roads.

That’s what I’ve got on my long-term Multistrada and I ride dirt roads all the time — though a li le less aggressively than I otherwise might. I’d keep the knobbies for special occasions. If you plan a tour of the outback, for example, buy and fit knobbies for it, wear the extra cost of worn rubber and enjoy the benefits of traction and control. — Matho

P-platers cannot have a whiff of alcohol in them, and that has an enormous influence on them in my experience. Look at it this way: we’ve got all the major road sins in ARR — speed, alcohol and fatigue, this last because we encourage you to go out and ride long distances. But we never celebrate taking any of them to excessive levels, especially drinking. On the contrary, we refer to “a” beer, maybe two. We ran a major feature recently on fatigue. I reckon our readers are cluey enough to work out how to manage these themselves. — Matho

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ROAD BIKE & SCOOTER PRICE GUIDE N Can I afford it? Is there something better for the money?

ew 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 most up-to-date ones available from the distributors. They may change, of course, subject to specials coming and going. We’ve also made it abundantly clear which prices are ride-away and which don’t include on-road costs; the difference to your final payout can be significant, so don’t compare apples with oranges.

BRAND & MODEL

S 1000 R .................................... Naked supermodel ..................$19,290+orc S 1000 RR.................................. Still the one to beat .................$22,400+orc HP4 ............................................ Hyper RR ...................................$27,990+orc HP4 Competition...................... For serious sports riders .........$32,450+orc R nineT ...................................... Simplicity with maximum style $21,250+orc R 1200 R .................................... Ever reliable ..............................$20,800+orc R 1200 RT .................................. Have your cake and eat it .......$30,790+orc K 1300 R .................................... Evil Wulf ....................................$21,990+orc K 1300 S .................................... Autobahn eater ........................$23,990+orc K 1300 S Motorsport ............... Flashy sports-tourer for 2015..$28,990+orc K 1600 GT ................................. Power touring...........................$35,990+orc K 1600 GT Sport ....................... Luxury but lighter, sportier .....$36,490+orc K 1600 GTL ............................... Euro luxury touring .................$37,590+orc K 1600 GTL Exclusive.............. VIP ..............................................$42,500+orc Adv Touring G 650 GS ................................... You’ll be surprised ...................$9990+orc G 650 GS Sertao....................... Rough it or not .........................$10,990+orc F 700 GS.................................... Not really a 700 ........................$12,890+orc F 700 GS ................................... Low suspension model ...........$13,140+orc F 800 GS.................................... Great adv tourer.......................$16,690+orc F800 GS..................................... Low suspension model ...........$16,940+orc F 800 GS Adventure ................ Go further..................................$18,650+orc F 800 GT .................................... Dynamically designed.............$16,300+orc R 1200 GS ................................. All-road master ........................$21,950+orc R 1200 GS Adventure .............. Luxuriously roughing it...........$24,550+orc Scooter C 600 Sport ............................... Sporty maxi ..............................$13,990+orc C 600 Sport Special Edition .... Here in October ........................$15,090+orc C 650 GT.................................... Let’s tour! ..................................$14,990+orc C 650 GT Special Edition ........ Seat heating..............................$16,665+orc

APRILIA

WE SAY

PRICE www.aprilia.com.au

Aprilia prices are maximum recommended advertised ride-away price.

Road Shiver Sport 750 ABS.............. Oh so good ...............................$13,990ra Dorsoduro 750 ABS ................. With ABS ...................................$12,990ra Tuono V4R APRC ...................... Upright sportsbike ...................$21,990ra RSV4 R APRC............................ High tech, high spec ................$23,990ra RSV4 R Factory APRC ABS ..... Racing black ..............................$29,990ra Dorsoduro 1200 ATC/ABS ...... Insane in the brain ...................$14,990ra Adv Touring Caponord 1200 ATC/ABS ........ Truly great all-rounder ............$22,990ra Scooters SR50R Carb SBK ...................... Biaggi replica............................$3990ra SR MT 50 2T ............................. Entry point ................................$2450ra SR MT 125 4T ........................... Cheap commuting ...................$3290ra Scarabeo 200 ie........................ Crisp performer........................$4990ra SR Max 300 .............................. Do it all ......................................$6490ra SR Max 300 .............................. New 2014 Model ......................$7290ra SRV 850 ATC ABS .................... Large with the lot .....................$14,990ra

BENELLI

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Road BN302 ........................................ Expected sometime this year.$TBA BN600i....................................... Base-model mid-sized four.....$8990+orc BN600S LAMS ......................... New LAMS model ...................$8990+orc BN600R ..................................... New sporty naked bike ...........$9990+orc BN600RS LAMS ....................... Another new LAMS model.....$9990+orc BN600GT .................................. Available soon..........................$TBA TNT 899 ..................................... Mid-sized entertainer...............$16,990+orc TNT 1130 ................................... Naked dynamite.......................$19,990+orc TNT 1130R ................................. More explosive ........................$22,690+orc Tre-K 1130.................................. Out of the ordinary ..................$18,490+orc Adv Touring TRE-K Amazonas ..................... Be an individual .......................$19,690+orc

BIMOTA

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Road BB3 ............................................ 1000cc BMW, Italian flair ........$TBA DB8 Bi Posto ............................. Sleek and powerful..................$47,990+orc DB8 SP ...................................... The sweetest candy .................$47,990+orc DB8 Oro Nero ........................... Expensive excitement .............$84,990+orc Tesi 3D Evo ............................... Exotica erotica ..........................$50,890+orc Tesi 3D Naked........................... The full skeleton on show.......$55,990+orc DB9 ............................................ Muscle streetfighter ................$44,990+orc DB9S.......................................... Sharper on the street ..............$46,990+orc DB10 .......................................... Sharp style ................................$37,290+orc DB11........................................... Testastretta 11 at last ...............$56,990+orc

BMW

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Road F 800 R....................................... BMW’s entry-level road twin ..$13,100+orc

132 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

BOLLINI

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Road Speed 200 ................................. Economy ticket ........................$2290+orc Cruiser Retro 200................................... New release ..............................$TBA

CAN-AM (BRP)

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Road Spyder RS SM5........................ The “Spyder” experience .......$19,990+orc Spyder RSS SE5 ...................... Supersports auto .....................$23,990+orc Spyder ST SE5 ......................... The sports-touring Spyder .....$25,490+orc Spyder ST LTD SE5.................. The ST with more ....................$28,990+orc Spyder RT SM6 ........................ New 1330cc triple engine .......$31,490+orc Spyder RTS SE6 ....................... RT plus semi-auto and more ..$39,990+orc Spyder RT Limited SE6.. ......... The full touring triple...............$41,990+orc

CF MOTO

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Road VNight ....................................... Great learner ............................$2690+orc Jetmax 250 ............................... Freeway capable scooter ........$4190+orc Leader........................................ Not fussy ...................................$2190+orc 650NK ........................................ May ruffle some feathers .......$6290+orc 650TK......................................... Bargain touring ........................$7749+orc

PRICE GUIDE Cruiser V5 ............................................... Where’s the engine? ................$4190+orc

S1 ............................................... Nice style...................................$2990+orc

CONFEDERATE

Road Monster 659 ABS ..................... Monster the LAM .....................$12,990+orc Monster 696 ABS .................... Easy to handle ..........................$13,990+orc Monster 796 ABS ..................... Full sized, adequate power .....$15,990+orc Streetfighter 848 ...................... Precision fighter .......................$18,990+orc Panigale 899 ............................. Smaller, sweeter superbike ....$19,990+orc Hypermotard ............................ A hooligan on wheels .............$16,990+orc Hypermotard SP ...................... With tricked-up suspension ....$20,990+orc Hyperstrada .............................. Manners & madness ...............$16,990+orc Monster 1200 ........................... The new generation ................$19,990+orc Monster 1200 S ........................ With better bits.........................$23,990+orc Panigale 1199 ABS.................... Updated 2014 Model ...............$26,990+orc Panigale S ABS......................... Electronic Öhlins! ....................$33,990+orc Panigale Tri Colour ................... Make you melt .........................$39,990+orc Panigale R ABS......................... Race passion ............................$42,990+orc Cruiser Diavel Dark................................ A true power-cruiser ................$23,990+orc Diavel Carbon........................... Deal with the devil ...................$29,990+orc Adv Touring Multistrada 1200 ABS.............. 4 in 1 with ABS .........................$22,990+orc Multistrada 1200 S Touring ..... See the world ...........................$28,490+orc Multistrada 1200 S Pikes Pk ... Flashy paint job ........................$31,990+orc Multistrada 1200 Granturismo ............................. Tour perfection .........................$30,490+orc

www.urbanmotoimports.com.au

Cruiser X132 Hellcat.............................. Badass .......................................$79,990+orc X132 Hellcat Combat............... American war machine ...........$94,990+orc X135 Wraith .............................. Available soon..........................$TBA

SCOOTER BOOSTS BMW’s scooter range now features special-edition options of the two models currently in the line-up. The C600 Sport SE comes standard with an Akrapovic silencer, sport seat, red rear shock spring, sponsor stickers and ABS for $15,090+orc. The C 650 GT SE comes with the Highline Package, which features day-time riding lights, seat heating, heated grips, RDC tyre pressure monitoring, luggage rack, topbox, backrest and ABS, all for only $16,665. Both models will be available in October as part of the 2015 range.

DUCATI

www.ducati.com.au

MOTOLIFE ADDS DUCATI Queenslanders will be happy to know that last month a new dealership opened its doors to Ducati. Motolife will carry the Ducati motorcycle range as well as apparel and accessories.

Motolife is located at 27 Caloundra Rd, Caloundra West. Ducati has also dropped the price of the Hyperstrada, which is now $1000 cheaper at only $16,990+orc.

ERIK BUELL RACING

www.urbanmotoimports.com.au

Road 1190RS Carbon ......................... 175hp, 176kg of joy..................$56,990+orc 1190RX ....................................... Sporting masterpiece ..............$26,490+orc 1190SX ....................................... Superbike basis........................$TBA 1190AX....................................... The adventurous one ..............$TBA

DAELIM

www.daelim.com.au

Road VJF250....................................... Adequate style .........................$3990+orc Cruiser Daystar 250 EFI ........................ Fat, feet-forward cruiser ..........$4920+orc Scooter Bbone ........................................ Its clothes are off......................$3490+orc Besbi .......................................... Small and cute .........................$2190+orc

HARLEY-DAVIDSON

www.harley-davidson.com

All H-D prices are ride-away.

Cruiser XL883L SuperLow ................... For the shorties ........................$14,750ra XL883N Iron 883 ..................... Iron tough .................................$14,995ra XL1200C Custom ..................... Customary show off ................$18,750ra XL1200CA Custom A ............... Show off A ................................$19,250ra XL1200CB Custom B ............... Show off B ................................$18,750ra AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 133

BIRTHDAY NINJA To celebrate a milestone for the Ninja, Kawasaki has announced the release of the 2015 30th-anniversary Ninja ZX-10R ABS with its own graphics. Sixty of them will come with a free Akrapovic slip-on muffler, valued at $1099, but only at some dealerships.

It’ll cost $20,699+orc. A non-ABS version is coming too.

CBR650F ABS ........................... Mid-ranger with torque...........$10,599+orc NC700SA ABS (2013)............... Mr Practical ...............................$8550+orc NC750SA ABS .......................... A little boosted for 2014 ..........$8799+orc CTX700A ................................... A fairing for the open road ....$7399+orc CTX700DA ................................ Dual Clutch Transmission ........$10,899+orc VFR800 ...................................... Tried and true package ............$14,599+orc CBR1000RR............................... Ride what Casey rides.............$16,899+orc CBR1000RR Repsol.................. MotoGP replica ........................$16,890+orc CBR1000RR ABS ...................... Blade with braking backup .....$17,899+orc VFR1200F ABS ......................... For the tech heads ...................$16,999+orc GL1800B F6B ............................ Stripped Wing...........................$25,199+orc GL1800 Goldwing Luxury....... The ultimate luxury tourer......$35,799+orc Cruiser VT400 ........................................ Classic-styled LAM ..................$9399+orc CTX700N ABS .......................... A bike for everything ...............$9099+orc VT750S ...................................... Streetwise appeal ....................$8099+orc VT750C Shadow ...................... Classic appeal...........................$11,749+orc CTX1300.................................... V4 cruiser with unique style ...$18,499+orc VT1300CX Fury ........................ Chopped dragster ....................$15,599+orc GL1800C F6C Valkyrie ............. Valkyrie returns with muscle ..$20,199+orc Adv Touring CB500X ABS ............................. Adventure sports .....................$7999+orc VFR1200X Crosstourer ABS ... Smooth and comfy all-roader $17,499+orc Scooter Today 50 .................................... Do it, Today! ..............................$1849+orc Dio 110 ....................................... New kid in town .......................$2549+orc PCX150 ...................................... Stylish and practical ................$4199+orc NSS300 Forza ........................... Sporty and flexible ..................$6999+orc NC700D Integra........................ Motorcycle or scooter? ...........$11,199+orc

HYOSUNG

XL1200X Forty-Eight................ Retro cool..................................$18,995ra XL1200V Seventy-Two ............ Vintage muscle.........................$18,495ra XL1200T Super Low ................ Cool little tourer .......................$19,250ra VRSCDX Night Rod Special.... Drag bike ...................................$26,995ra VRSCF Muscle .......................... Muscle me ................................$26,750ra FXDB Street Bob ...................... Versatile.....................................$22,495ra FXDBB Street Bob Special...... Street smarts ............................$23,495ra FXDL Low Rider ....................... Not laying low ..........................$23,250ra FXDC Super Glide Custom ..... A bike with attitude..................$23,495ra FXDWG Wide Glide ................. Let your hair hang down ........$24,995ra FXDF Fat Bob............................ Lay off the burgers, Bob! ........$25,495ra FLD Dyna Switchback .............. Dress up, dress down..............$26,250ra FLS Softail Slim........................ Slim, yet PH fat! .......................$26,250ra FXST Softail Standard............. The original ride .......................$27,250ra FLSTFB Fat Boy Lo................... Low bruiser...............................$28,750ra FLSTF Fat Boy .......................... Big bruiser ................................$28,995ra FLSTN Softail Deluxe .............. Classy dude ..............................$28,995ra FLSTNSE CVO Deluxe ............. 110ci, LEDs plus ........................$44,995ra FXSB Breakout ......................... Urban street styling .................$28,995ra FXSBSE CVO Softail ................ 110ci and more .........................$43,995ra FLSTC Heritage S’tail Classic . Visually beautiful .....................$29,995ra FLHRC Road King Classic ....... Be the king ................................$32,495ra FLHRSE CVO Road King ......... King bling, 110ci .......................$47,995ra FLHX Street Glide .................... Bad boy .....................................$33,995ra FLTR Road Glide....................... Coming back for 2015 ..............$TBA FLHTCU Ultra Classic El. Glide.......Comfy .................................$37,250ra FLHTK Electra Glide Ultra Ltd Works burger ............................$38,250ra FLHTCKSE CVO Ultra Ltd........ 110ci mega-tourer ....................$50,995ra

HONDA

www.honda.com.au

Road CB125E ...................................... Cheap commuter .....................$2099+orc CBR125R ................................... The teacher ...............................$4049+orc CBR250R ................................... Fresh and fun ...........................$5510+orc CBR250R ABS........................... With ABS! .................................$6010+orc CBR300...................................... Big H attacks the Ninja 300 .....$5699+orc CBR300 ABS ............................. The anti-lock brake option ......$5999+orc CB400 ....................................... Bulletproof ................................$10,099+orc CB400A ABS ............................. Foolproof...................................$11,199+orc CBR500R ................................... Sporty little twin .......................$7499+orc CBR500R ABS........................... ABS option ...............................$7799+orc CB500F ABS.............................. Sweet as....................................$7799+orc CB650F ABS.............................. New naked four........................$9999+orc CBR600RR................................. Versatile supersport.................$14,390+orc

134 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

www.hyosung.com.au

Road GT250 ........................................ Great beginner .........................$2990+orc GT650 ........................................ Naked value and style .............$5190+orc GT650R...................................... Easy, sporty, affordable ...........$5490+orc Cruiser GV250 Aquila............................ Little cutie..................................$3990+orc GV650C Aquila Classic ............ LAMS value ..............................$6490+orc

INDIAN MOTORCYCLE

www.indianmotorcycle.com.au

Cruiser Scout ......................................... Sportster meets V-Rod?...........$17,995ra Chief .......................................... Leading the tribe back!............$28,995ra Chief Vintage ............................ Signature heritage aesthetic ..$31,495ra Chieftain .................................... First Indian tourer/bagger .......$35,995ra Roadmaster .............................. Full-dress tourer .......................$38,995ra

KAWASAKI

www.kawasaki.com.au

Road Ninja 300 ................................... Even better again!....................$6199+orc Ninja 300 ABS .......................... A LAM with ABS ......................$6699+orc Ninja 300 SE ............................. Tastes like lime .........................$6399+orc Ninja 300 SE ABS..................... Lime LAM with ABS ................$6899+orc ER-6n/nL ABS ........................... Quirky ........................................$9999+orc Ninja 650/L ABS ....................... Mid-sized gem ..........................$10,499+orc Ninja ZX-6R (599) ..................... Striking ......................................$14,999+orc Ninja ZX-6R ABS (636) SE ...... Bigger, gruntier, prettier ..........$16,649+orc Z800 ABS .................................. Sharper......................................$12,999+orc W800 ......................................... Nostalgic, relaxed cruising .....$11,999+orc W800SE..................................... Special Edition .........................$12,499+orc Z1000 ABS ................................ Let it seduce you ......................$16,499+orc Z1000 ABS SE........................... Special edition..........................$16,799+orc Z1000 Sugomi .......................... 2014 model ...............................$16,799+orc Ninja 1000 ABS ....................... A sword with soul ....................$16,999+orc Ninja 1000 ABS ........................ 2014 Model ...............................$16,999+orc Ninja ZX-10R ............................ Back with a vengeance............$18,999+orc Ninja ZX-10R ABS .................... Safety factor .............................$19,999+orc Ninja ZX-10R ABS .................... 30th Anniversary model .........$20,699+orc 1400GTR ABS ........................... Transcontinental ......................$24,999+orc Ninja ZX-14R ABS SE .............. Special edition..........................$20,299+orc Ninja ZX-14R ABS SE Öhlins .. Öhlins, white, gold, scorching $21,999+orc Cruiser Vulcan 900 Custom SE ............ Thin-tyre tripping .....................$12,499+orc Vulcan 900 Classic ................... Classically glamorous .............$12,499+orc Vulcan 1700 Classic ABS......... Great blank canvas ..................$19,999+orc Vulcan 1700 Nomad ABS........ Add a bit of bling .....................$22,999+orc Vulcan 1700 Vaquero ABS ...... Go to the dark side ..................$24,499+orc Vulcan 1700 Voyager ABS....... Plush ride ..................................$25,999+orc

PRICE GUIDE MEGELLI

APRILIA AND GUZZI SLASH PRICES Australian distributor of Aprilia and Moto Guzzi, John Sample Automotive, has announced massive savings across both ranges. The sale has already begun and will run through to 30th November or until stocks of specific models sell out. National manager, Ezio Forcella, says, “Our GO! Try, GO! Buy, GO! Save campaign is the most significant initiative we have undertaken for some time. The pricing on most of these models has not been this low in years and represents exceptional value for money.” To give you an idea of the savings you could make we have featured the Griso 1200 8V which has been reduced from $21,990ra to $20,990ra.

www.megelli.com

Road 250S ........................................... Nice looker................................$4250+orc 250R ........................................... Italian styling ............................$4850+orc 250SE......................................... Sportsbike handling ................$5650+orc

MOTO GUZZI

www.motoguzzi.com.au

Moto Guzzi prices are maximum recommended advertised ride-away price.

Road V7 Stone.................................... Minimalist retro........................$13,490ra V7 Special ................................. Faithful to the original V7 ........$13,990ra V7 Racer SE .............................. Limited edition marvel ............$15,990ra 1200 Sport 4V SE ..................... Grunter ......................................$18,990ra Griso 1200 8V ........................... Grand slam ...............................$20,990ra Cruiser California 1400 Custom........... Kalifornia attitude ....................$22,990ra California 1400 Touring............ All a Cali should be ..................$25,990ra Adv Touring Stelvio 1200 8V NTX ABS ....... Big Brute ...................................$22,390ra

MV SALE FINISHES SOON MV Agusta is having a huge sale that will run through to 30th September. We have quoted sale prices for this issue and will revert back to normal pricing once the sale has ended. Keep an eye out for updates or check their website, www.mvagusta. com.au. The sale includes the Rivale 800, pictured here, for only $19,990ra. Reduced by $1000, it also comes with a free Rivale Corsa Kit valued at $2945, including an embroidered bike cover, anti-theft system, MV Corsa brake cap, MV Corsa billet brake lever, MV Corsa billet clutch lever and many more accessories.

Adv Touring KLR650 ...................................... Bargain with a capital B ..........$8099+orc Versys 650 ABS ........................ Appealing all-rounder .............$9999+orc Versys 650L ABS ...................... LAMS model ............................$9999+orc Versys 1000 .................................Bitumen burner.......................... $15,999+orc

KTM

www.ktm.com.au

Road 390 Duke ................................... Ninja beater? ............................$6995+orc 390 RC ....................................... All new available soon ............$TBA 690 Duke ................................... Sharp and bright ......................$11,495+orc 690 Duke R ................................ The sportier motard.................$13,495+orc 1190 RC8 R ................................ The orange flash ......................$25,495+orc 1290 Super Duke R .................. Ballsy streetfighter...................$23,495+orc Adv Touring 690 Enduro R ............................ Extreme riders only .................$14,395+orc 1190 Adventure......................... High-tech adventurer...............$19,995+orc 1190 Adventure......................... With EDS ...................................$22,995+orc 1190 Adventure R ..................... Add more adventure ...............$22,995+orc

KYMCO

www.kymco.com.au

Road CK 125 ....................................... No nonsense ............................$2095+orc Cruiser Venox 250 ................................. Value and looks ........................$5295+orc Scooter Like 125 ..................................... Fall in love .................................$2995+orc Super 8 125............................... Cool jigger ................................$2595+orc Espresso 150 ............................ I’ll take a double shot ..............$2799+orc Like 200 ..................................... Classic performer.....................$3395+orc Downtown 300i ABS ............... All-rounder with ABS ..............$7495+orc

LARO

www.laro.com.au

Road V Retro 250 ............................... DT250 clone ..............................$2990+orc Cruiser Cruiser 250................................ Learner’s ride............................$3999+orc

MV AGUSTA

www.mvagustaimports.com.au

All MV Agusta prices are ride-away.

Road F3 675 ........................................ Sweet.........................................$18,490ra F3 800 ........................................ Track performance ...................$20,490ra F3 800 Ago ................................ Giacomo’s replica ....................$32,990ra Brutale 675 EAS ....................... Bit of oomph at a good price .$15,990ra Brutale 800 EAS ....................... More power ..............................$17,490ra Brutale 800 Dragster ............... Nanananana Batman! .............$20,490ra Rivale 800 ................................. Rivals the best urban motard.$19,990ra Brutale 1090 .............................. More charm ..............................$17,990ra Brutale R 1090 .......................... Raw, yet refined .......................$18,490ra Brutale RR 1090 ........................ Unleash the brute within ........$21,490ra Brutale 1090 Corsa................... Top jock .....................................$28,990ra F4 1000 ...................................... Beauty and the beast within...$22,490ra F4 1000 RR ................................ Exotic weapon ..........................$31,990ra

PGO

www.motorsportimporters.com.au

Scooter Ligero 50 ........................................................................................$1990+orc Ligero 150 ................................. Good, small package ...............$3290+orc X-Hot ......................................... It’s a hottie .................................$3990+orc Gmax ......................................... Go to the max...........................$4700+orc AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 135

INDIAN SENDS THE SCOUT Indian Motorcycles has unveiled the Scout, the second platform in the reborn brand’s range. Reminiscent of the original Scout from mid-last century, Indian says, “the new 1133cc V-twin engine combines all the design, performance and reliability elements of the original models”. At a wet weight of 253kg, it’s one of the lightest cruisers in its class. Its chassis design features a lightweight and rigid cast-aluminium frame that provides a low 642mm-height seat, and the solo seat is of course covered in genuine leather. The liquid-cooled 100hp (74kW) engine has a peak torque of 98Nm at 5900rpm and drives a six-speed gearbox. The Scout will be available in four colours — Thunder Black, Indian Motorcycle Red, silver Smoke (matte finish) and Thunder Black Smoke (matte finish). It’s due to arrive in Australia around the end of the year; you’ll be able to pick up one of these babies for $17,995ra.

VZR1800 M109R....................... Beaut and brutal ......................$18,990+orc VZR1800 M109R....................... Black edition .............................$19,490+orc VZR1800Z M109RZ ................. Monster energy........................$19,490+orc VZR1800Z14.............................. Special edition..........................$19,490+orc Adv Touring DL650 V-Strom/LAMS ............. Deservedly a big seller ............$11,290+orc DL1000 V-Strom ....................... Powerfully competent .............$15,490+orc Scooter AN400A Burgman ABS ........... A stylish maxi ...........................$10,090+orc AN650A Burgman ABS ........... Overhauled ...............................$13,590+orc

SYM

www.scoota.com.au

Scooter Classic 150 ................................ Noble ride .................................$2799+orc VS 150 ....................................... Branch away .............................$3199+orc Symphony 150 ......................... Sporty big wheeler ..................$2999+orc HD Evo 200 ............................... Whacko! ....................................$4599+orc Firenze 300................................ Full of features..........................$5999+orc MaxSym 400i ........................... Ride-away price........................$7999ra

TGB

www.tgbscooters.com.au

Scooter Bellavita 125 ............................. Very chic ....................................$3990+orc X-Race 150 ................................ You’ll need knee sliders ..........$2590+orc Bullet 150 .................................. Small-calibre projectile ...........$3390+orc Xmotion 300 ............................. Smooth mover .........................$4990+orc Bellavita 300i ............................ Very chic, and bigger ...............$5490+orc

TORINO

www.torinomotorcycles.com.au

Torino ride-away prices are mostly Sydney-based and may vary elsewhere.

Cruiser Veloce 250 ................................. American styled .......................$4695ra Titan 250 ................................... Chop chop.................................$TBA Scooter Galetta Retro............................. Plenty of features .....................$2195ra Aero Sport ................................ Cut the wind .............................$2195ra Famosa ..................................... City chic .....................................$2395ra Messina Classic........................ New retro (Vespa) beauty .......$3495ra

TRIUMPH

PIAGGIO

www.piaggio.com.au

Scooter Typhoon 125 ............................. Blow you away.........................$2990+orc Fly 150ie .................................... Buzz around the city ................$3090+orc Liberty 150ie ............................. Big wheel freedom ..................$3690+orc Beverly 350 ............................... Higher performance ................$7990+orc Yourban 300 ............................. Leaning three-wheeler ............$9990+orc X10 500 ..................................... Big features...............................$11,990+orc

ROYAL ENFIELD

www.royalenfieldaustralia.com

Road B5 Bullet 500 ............................ Fire your guns ..........................$6995+orc G5 Deluxe ................................. She’s deluxe..............................$7445+orc C5 Classic/Military ................... Individual style .........................$7995+orc C5 Chrome ................................ Lots of eye candy .....................$8495+orc

SUZUKI

www.suzukimotorcycles.com.au

Road Inazuma 250 ............................. Let your inner zoomer out ......$4990+orc TU250XL3 ................................. Retro learner .............................$5990+orc DR-Z400SM .............................. Everyday motard .....................$8990+orc SFV650/LAMS .......................... Commuting and fun duties ....$10,490+orc GSX650F/LAMS ....................... Silky smooth ............................$10,490+orc GSX-R600 ................................. Angry bee .................................$14,990+orc GSR750 ..................................... Cracker of a motorcycle ..........$12,490+orc GSX-R750 ................................. The legend continues..............$15,990+orc GSX-R1000 ............................... Even lighter and faster ............$18,490+orc GSF1250S Bandit ABS ............ Long-distance ease..................$12,990+orc GSX1250FA .............................. A little bit of everything...........$14,990+orc GSX1300R Hayabusa .............. Soar like an eagle ....................$19,290+orc Cruiser VL250 Intruder.......................... Bang that drum ........................$6690+orc VL800 C50 ................................. Traditional ................................$10,990+orc VL800 C50T............................... All-new class ............................$12,990+orc VZ800 M50................................ Neat bobber..............................$10,990+orc VL1500 C90T............................. Bad boy .....................................$17,490+orc VLR1800 C109R ........................ Classic looks .............................$18,690+orc VLR1800T C109RT.................... Now as a tourer .......................$18,990+orc 136 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

www.triumphmotorcycles.com.au

Road Street Triple 660 LAMS ............ Learner-legal thrills ..................$12,490+orc Street Triple 675 ABS ............... Streets ahead ...........................$12,990+orc Street Triple 675 R ABS............ Even further ahead ..................$13,990+orc Daytona 675 ABS ..................... Supersport gem .......................$14,990+orc Daytona 675R ABS................... Track day heaven .....................$16,990+orc Bonneville ................................. Tradition reborn .......................$11,990+orc Bonneville ................................. Two tone ...................................$12,490+orc Bonneville T100 Black .............. Livin’ in the ’70s .......................$12,490+orc Bonneville T100 A2................... Nostalgia rules .........................$13,990+orc Bonneville T100 SE .................. Special Edition .........................$14,990+orc Scrambler ................................. Dirt track racer ..........................$13,990+orc Thruxton ................................... To the café! ...............................$13,990+orc Speed Triple ABS...................... It’s a gem ...................................$16,990+orc Speed Triple R ABS .................. Sex on wheels .........................$19,990+orc Sprint GT................................... All world capabilities ...............$15,990+orc Trophy SE.................................. Superb tourer ...........................$27,490+orc Cruiser America .................................... Easy urban rider.......................$13,090ra Speed Master ........................... All round goodness .................$13,090+orc Thunderbird ABS ..................... Aptly named flyer ....................$19,490+orc Thunderbird Storm ABS ......... Thunderous ..............................$20,990+orc Thunderbird ABS TT ................ Brand New ................................$19,990+orc Thunderbird ABS HAZE .......... Shiny and new ........................$21,990+orc Thunderbird Commander ...... 2014’s tough new T-bird ...........$22,490+orc Thunderbird LT......................... T-bird goes touring ..................$23,490+orc Rocket III Roadster ABS...What’s not to love about 2300cc? ...$21,490+orc Rocket III Touring ABS.............. Reasonably easy to ride..........$23,990+orc Adv Touring Tiger 800 ABS .......................... ABS option ...............................$13,890+orc Tiger 800XC ABS ..................... Bash it hardcore .......................$15,990+orc Tiger 800XC SE ........................ Special Edition .........................$16,990+orc Tiger Sport ABS ....................... More growl for the road .........$15,990+orc Tiger Explorer 1200 ................. True adventure-tourer .............$20,490+orc Tiger Explorer Wire Wheels .... The tougher version ................$20,990+orc

URAL

www.imz-ural.com.au

Road T ................................................. Cult status outfit .......................$18,500+orc

PRICE GUIDE Vespa 946 .................................. History in the making ..............$11,990+orc

A HIGHER CALIBRE OF BAGGER Victory will release a very flash-looking new tourer, the Magnum, in November. The new bagger is Victory’s most customised bike yet, featuring 21in front wheel, slammed back-end, threetone paint scheme, sound system with six in-dash speakers, and plenty of other standard features. Peter Harvey of Victory Motorcycles says, “The bagger trend is gathering strong, real momentum locally and the timing of the Magnum is perfect.

Customers have been asking for and custom-building this type of bike themselves and for it to be available ex-factory with the largest production bagger wheel on the road coming standard, plus all the other features, should make it irresistible.” Other custom-style features include ape hanger handlebars and Arlen Ness-designed footboards, footpegs, engine covers, mirrors, brake/clutch levers, and ignition and engine covers. It’ll be available by late November at a retail price of $29,995ra.

VICTORY

www.victorymotorcycles.com.au

All Victory prices are ride-away.

Cruiser Vegas 8 Ball .............................. Sink the 8-ball...........................$19,995ra High-Ball ................................... Ol’ skool cool ............................$19,495ra Hammer 8 Ball ......................... Hammer that 8-ball..................$20,995ra Judge......................................... A younger Victory ....................$20,995ra Gunner ...................................... Very cool bobber......................$19,995ra Hammer S................................. Hammer it! ...............................$22,995ra Hammer LE............................... New limited edition .................$23,495ra Jackpot ...................................... Showroom custom..................$23,995ra Boardwalk Black ....................... Cool classic in black .................$22,495ra Boardwalk Two Tone ................ Cool classic in black and red ..$22,995ra Cross Roads Classic ................ Chromed-up cool .....................$24,995ra Cross Country ......................... Comfortable touring ................$26,495ra Cross Country Tour .................. Ultra-comfortable touring.......$28,495ra Ness Cross Country ................. It’s got attitude ..........................$29,995ra Magnum ................................... Cross Country bling.................$29,995ra Vision Tour................................. Space age looks .......................$30,495ra

VIPER

www.urbanmotoimports.com.au

Cruiser Black Diamond ......................... 2500cc of raw grunt.................$54,990+orc Diamondback ........................... Cruising superpower...............$54,990+orc

YAMAHA

Adv Touring Tourist........................................ WWII replica .............................$20,400+orc Bondi Tourist ............................. Beach to bush tourer ...............$20,400+orc Ranger ....................................... Even tougher ............................$21,600+orc Bondi Ranger............................ New 2014 model ......................$21,600+orc

VESPA

www.vespa.com.au

Scooter Primavera LX125 3-Valve ........ For the designer in you ...........$5290+orc Primavera LX150 3-Valve ........ With a bit more oomph...........$5990+orc GTS250ie................................... Style in a great package ..........$7390+orc GTS300 Super .......................... Vroom vroom ...........................$8390+orc GTS300 Super Sport ............... Sportier style ............................$8690+orc GTV300ie .................................. Powerful Italian ........................$8990+orc PX150 ........................................ The purist’s ride........................$6490+orc

www.yamaha-motor.com.au

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AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 137

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UNEXPECTED ADVENTURES

MATHO’S MARDIS GRAS If there’s one thing tougher than being a bloke embedded with Dykes on Bikes, it’s being dumped by them ell, I’m not the world’s most masculine man but I know what I am, and I’m usually glad I’m a man. But the day I had to be photographer for a story on Dykes on Bikes in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras I wondered if a man was the right, er, man for the job. And whether that man was me. Ah, but what the hell, if you don’t dive into the unknown every now and then, life wouldn’t be half as much fun, would it?

So I manned up and collected my photographer’s pass. I had li le idea of what to expect, how it’d all work or who I was to deal with. I’d had no briefing, no communication from the organisers, no contact with Dykes on Bikes — everything was arranged by others and I was just told to turn up at the event’s starting point at the bo om of Oxford St and be ready when Dykes on Bikes (DoB) led the big parade. No, I couldn’t ride.

I had to be on foot.

Sydney was chaos. All the floats were formed up on Elizabeth St but DoB roared down Oxford St, chucked a U-turn and revved their engines. Beaut, I thought, time to start shooting. I got about half a dozen frames off and the flash packed it in. That’s when I began to think the night might not go so well.

The flash would work sometimes, but less and less frequently. This was back in the days of film, so I had limited numbers of photos I could take and every one without flash was a dud. I had to fix it. As I fluffed about with the damned thing,

W

the flag dropped on the Mardis Gras and DoB took off up Oxford St. Fast.

So fast they were gone. Strewth! I took off, weighed down by camera gear and still messing with the flash. It seemed to be a dud connection because if I bumped it the right way it’d work. Sometimes.

A volunteer labelled “security” blocked my path: “Hey you! You’re meant to be on the other side of the barricades!” He was angry and forceful. I flashed my photographer’s pass. “Why aren’t you with your float?” I explained that two feet weren’t as fast as two-wheelers.

Reluctantly, he let me continue.

“Half out of a desperate hope that I’d fix it, and half out of sheer bloodymindedness, I started punching the flash as I stormed up Oxford St” I caught DoB as they hammed it up in front of the crowd. I heaved deep breaths and took a photo — just one before the flash played up again and the bikes took off. No! My chase started again. So did the security goons, positioned every few metres, and at one point I thought I’d be kicked out because I wasn’t with my float.

I was exhausted, stressed by the failure

to photograph and ge ing angry. I ended up swearing at one particularly officious security volunteer. Strange how it’s o en the people calling for a fair go for everyone who, once they get a hint of authority, become the most oppressive, isn’t it?

I put my head down, furious with the flash by now. Half out of a desperate hope that I’d fix it, and half out of sheer bloody-mindedness, I started punching the flash as I stormed up Oxford St, focused on nothing more than dud equipment and catching DoB. It’s funny how critical things filter through to your consciousness when you’re deeply involved in your own problems, trying to block out the rest of the world. I suddenly heard the words of a roadside PA system, one of those they have every 100m or so along the parade route so that each li le section has its own live commentary.

A very effeminate voice was saying, “Ooh, look at that, people. That’s surely the most macho act we’ll see all night!”

The crowd cracked up. I stopped belting the camera and looked around.

Dykes on Bikes were out of sight somewhere way up Oxford St and the second float was miles behind me. The bikes had lit the crowd’s fuse and now they wanted entertainment, but all they had was me. I was now my own foot-powered float, performing in front of hundreds of thousands of partying Sydneysiders.

Never have I more deeply missed the ability to escape on a motorcycle.

— MICK MATHESON

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 145

LAST LOOK Just over 25 years ago, John Rooth thought it’d be pre y funny to print a photo of young Mick Matheson breaking rocks with a sledge hammer.

He’d just hired Matho as a cadet motorcycle journalist and an image of mundane, backbreaking work seemed appropriate because, God knows, the glamour was a long way ahead of the young fella.

Well, we’re here to tell you Matho hasn’t risen very far in all that time. As deadline for this issue flashes by, we’ve got him outside building the roadway leading to the brand-new ARR editorial shed. True!

After last month’s predictions, we’ve sent the ARR crystal ball away for an overhaul. Maybe some remapping of the fuel injection and a stickier set of tyres too. While it’s away, we’ve hired some new technology to see what’s in next month’s issue — it was the right price from the weather bureau so we couldn’t resist. So here, like the evening weather report, is our best guess about what to expect.

• Honda’s Valkyrie is back and it’s the ultimate stripped-down Gold Wing — it has the wings but isn’t weighed down by the heavy metal, so the focus is all about that awesome flat-six engine.

• Is Suzuki’s LAMS-tuned 650 V-Strom a new rider’s most adventurous way into biking?

• We’ve flicked the switch on Harley’s electric LiveWire. How big a deal is this unexpected upstart?

• We’re going adventure-touring in Tassie again, on a wild ride through some stunning country.

• Or why not go further over the water — to NZ? Next issue we’ll bring you a heap of info and inspiration to twist your arm.

• Take a look with us at the Women’s International Motorcycle Association, through its 2014 annual meeting in Poland.

• Find out how to make just about any bike a happy and comfortable travelling machine.

• Thinking about a new bike? Explore the new finance options that are making it easier to buy bikes and more predictable to sell them on again.

And you’ll enjoy all the news and views you get every month so we’ll see you then. Ride safe.

146 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER

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