IN THIS ISSUE
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 2
January 2015
Its 2015 already… well, this issue comes out in the dying days of 2014, but it’s the January edition, anyway - and what a great summer read. We kick off with the Indian Scout, the new ‘middleweight’ from America’s reborn manufacturer, and what in interesting, surprising package that bike is. And then there’s the EBR 1190R, the latest machine from America’s eclectic bike builder, Erik Buell. The KTM 350SX-F is also featured, and the Ducati Multistrada Pikes peak, which is awesome, according to Pickett. Beyond the bikes we have features on the BMW TS Safari, Touring Italy, lots of products and opinion, and more. Hope you love the issue - please tell your friends about Cycle Torque’s digital editions, many people still haven’t discovered how easy they are to get and how the extra media makes them so much better than the print version. – Nigel Paterson publisher@cycletorque.com.au PS - if you missed the first series of Cycle Torque TV, check your local guide for channel 74 (64 in regional areas) – 4ME is repeating the first series over the summer.
CONTENTS
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 3
RIDDEN INDIAN SCOUT
LAUNCH
TEST
TEST
24
33
DUCATI MULTISTRADA 1200 PIKES PEAK TEST
KTM 350 EXC-F
EBR 1190RX
REGU LARS
YAMAHA TRICITY LAUNCH
57
50
41
05 NEWS TORQUE 15 SMALL TORQUE 18 EDITORIAL ON THE COVER: SCOUT SUPPLIED BY INDIAN
FEATU RES
19 DIRTY TORQUE 21 RACE TORQUE 22 GUNTRIP 75 BIKE STUFF 78 USED & REVIEWED 80 QUAD TORQUE 82 MARKET TORQUE
BMW TS SAFARI
65
TOURING ITALY
68
ROCKWELL TOURING
72
84 BOOK SHOP SALE 92 LETTERS
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 4
NEWS TORQUE
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 5
Norton Oz prices AUSTRALIAN importers of the new Norton Commando have announced that ADR has been sorted and the first shipment of motorcycles is on route to Australia as you read this.
“With the ADR formalities behind us, it’s a very exciting time as we now look forward to one of the world’s oldest motorcycle marques founded in 1898 re-entering the Australasian markets after an absence of more than 35 years.” said Warren Lee – CEO, NF Importers. “I’m sure many would understand that the ADR process can be lengthy and we certainly appreciate the understanding and patience of the many very interested customers waiting to purchase.” The current Norton range comprises the Commando 961 in three model variants; the traditional Sport, the sporty Café Racer and the street naked SF. NF Importers has stated the anticipated recommended retail prices will be $29,990 for the Sport, $33,990 for the Café Racer, and $35,990 for the SF. All prices exclude dealer and statutory charges. As the Commando 961 is built to order and in limited numbers there is a smaller dealer network than for main stream types of machines. Fraser Motorcycles City – Sydney will be the place to get your piece of Norton in NSW, with Fraser Motorcycles Melbourne doing the business in Victoria, Rocker Motorcycles – Brisbane (new Redcliffe location) in Qld, Italian Motorcycles – Adelaide in SA, and Cyclespot Group – Auckland for New Zealand. Other dealerships are expected to be announced in the future. n
NEWS TORQUE
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 6
Troy Bayliss Classic We provide a one- stop shop for all your motorcycle, and ATV needs. Have a browse through our We provide amule onestop shop for all your motorcycle, Virtual Used Bikes Showroom, which displays a cross mule, ATV & jetsection ski needs. Have a browse our of our stock - approx 160 bikesthrough on the floor. We proudly and professionally later model Virtual Used Bikes Showroom, whichservice displays a cross bikes in our onsite service facilities. All types of service section of our stock including - approx 160 bikes on athe floor. is covered fitting tyres. We carry full range of accessories and spare parts. We also have a loan See our professional team of bike service to keep you mobile. technicians for all your service • 9 Buckingham Dr Wangara - p 08 9409 2330 needs. We carry a -full range • 237 Great Eastern Highway Midland 08 p 9250 2522 of accessories, tyres and We. also w w w . m a c spare k 1 . parts. c o m a u have a loan bike service to keep you mobile.
PRO AMA flat-track expert Grand National Champion Brad Baker and fellow Pro AMA flat-track racer Sammy Halbert are both confirmed to contest the 2015 Motul Pirelli Troy Bayliss Classic presented by InsureMyRide and Garden Master at Taree Motorcycle Track on Saturday January 17.
Baker, who is the third youngest Grand National Champion in the history of the sport is also an AMA Pro Flat Track Expert Singles Grand National Champion. Baker, who won the Superpristigio in Barcelona last year, said he is excited to be coming to Australia for the first time. “I am super excited to be competing in the 2015 Troy Bayliss Classic,” Baker said. “Many great stories have been shared with me about Australia and its racing. All I can say is, wow, it sounds awesome. “Troy and many other Australians are amazing racers. With myself and Sammy Halbert being added to the list of riders I am sure the 2015 event will produce some of the best racing yet,” Baker added. Halbert, who won the Americana at last year’s Troy Bayliss Classic acknowledged he has some unfinished business after crashing out of the final while battling Bayliss for the win. “I’m even more excited to head back to Taree this time around,” Halbert said.
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“After battling for the win last January only to crash out before the finish, I definitely have some unfinished business to take care of. “Troy and the boys better be ready because I am in it to win it,” Halbert added. Bayliss said he was excited to confirm two of the AMA’s best racers for the 2015 event. “We are incredibly lucky to have Brad Baker and Sammy Halbert confirmed to contest the 2015 Troy Bayliss Classic. “To see these guys racing some of our best racers on an Australian track, is an opportunity not to be missed.
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“Sammy took out the Americana last year but I know he wants the big one and to take the Troy Bayliss Classic trophy back to the USA. n
NEWS TORQUE
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 7
50 years strong NF IMPORTERS is celebrating 50 years as a distributor of Ducati in Australia, which in fact is also the longest standing relationship in Ducati’s history. During the recent Ducati Global Dealer Conference in Italy, the milestone relationship between Ducati and NF Importers was acknowledged and celebrated with a very special presentation by Ducati Motor Holding CEO, Mr Claudio Domenicali and Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mr Cristiano Silei awarding Warren Fraser (MD) and Warren Lee (CEO) with a commemorative plaque.
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“It was a very special and proud moment for Warren Fraser and myself.” said Warren Lee. “Warren and I naturally have had a very long and passionate involvement with Ducati where we have seen the company and brand evolve to where it is today, as the most exciting and dynamic in the industry. To be recognised for this milestone by Claudio and Cristiano and to share the moment with our global Ducati dealer family was as I say, something very special and we must also sincerely thank our dedicated and passionate company staff, our dealers and most importantly our thousands of valued customers.” On a personal note, growing up in Newcastle, where it all started for NF Importers, the Fraser Motorcycles store was the place of pace for all things motorcycles, especially Ducati. I distinctly remember looking through the window at a row of Mike Hailwood Replicas back in the day, glorious stuff for a broke bike rider. Congrats to NF Importers from Cycle Torque. n
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NEWS TORQUE
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 8
A Festival of Speed
ONCE again the annual Barry Sheene Festival of Speed is looming large.
One of Australia’s major historic road racing events, the BSFOS has racing classes from the very early days right through to Pre Modern machines built up to 1995. One of the big feature events of the meeting is where the fastest 40 machines, pretty much regardless of the class go head to head. Besides the amazing racing, there’ll be club and trade stands, spectator parade laps, a show & shine and a swap meet on Sunday. The BSFOS is also part of the annual Trans-Tasman Challenge, 2015 being the fifth running. If that’s not enough, Freddie Spencer, one of the biggest GP stars in history will be a special guest. Returning for 2015 is Maria Costello, UK’s top female TT and classic racer. For more info go to www.barrysheene.com.au n
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NEWS TORQUE
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 9
Island Classic HOME OF HONDA ON THE
CENTRAL COAST
GET your flat caps on, your old bikes out of the shed, and the pacemaker switched to maximum. The annual Island Classic will be on again at Phillip Island, over the Australia Day long weekend. Seriously though, it doesn’t matter if you’re not into really old bikes, you just have to be into great racing. The Island Classic offers all that and more. The headline act is the International Challenge for Period 5 machines, with riders coming from all over the world to be in it. Jeremy McWilliams, Shawn Giles, Steve Martin, Ryan Farqhuar and Cam Donald are just a few ‘big’ names to take on each other. And for all you Isle of Man TT aficionados out there, John McGuinness will return for 2015, and Connor Cummins will make his first journey to Australia. And while it is a ‘Teams’ event, each rider will be out for individual honours too. The racing, regardless of the class, is intense. Those who have been there know exactly what we are talking about, those that haven’t should make a point of going. It really is one of the ‘must do’ events on Australia’s motorcycle racing calendar. Classes are for everything from pre-war right through to the fast and furious Period 6 machines built up to 1991. Cycle Torque’s editor will even be racing, on his Ducati 851. If you watch the back of the field you might even see him wobbling around. For more info go to www.islandclassic.com.au n
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NEWS TORQUE
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 10
EBR Heroes
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TEAM Hero EBR will continue its quest to be successful in the World Superbike Championship, announcing the team will contest the 2015 championship.
For 2015 the team will have two new riders, Larry Pegram and Niccolo Canepa. Pegram is a well known American rider, whose career has been in the main on American soil, while Italian Canepa has been riding a variety of machines in the World Superbike Championship for some time. Pegram will also act as team manager. “This coming season is something very special for me and I can’t wait to get started. Moving to the EBR motorcycles for me was a big deal, as I have wanted forever to see an American brand in performance motorcycles. Although there were only a few AMA races in 2014, my team and I learned the EBR quickly. Our points finish in WSBK at Laguna, and podium finish in the last AMA race weekend show the potential of this motorcycle, and also convinced me and EBR that Pegram Racing could play a major role in moving the EBR World Superbike effort forward.” Erik Buell commented, “We are delighted to be able to participate in the 2015 World Superbike championship. 2014 was a learning year for us, and we thank very much all the members of the 2014 team for their hard work. It was an incredible task to take on last year, having riders and motorcycles new to the circuit, and team members with no experience on our bikes. But it was part of a long term plan. Since we had a wide range of new people from different backgrounds, we did a large amount of experimentation during the 2014 season to capture a matrix of results from inputs of different team members. Many suggestions did not work out, but all were good for learning.” You’ll see Team Hero EBR in action at the first round of the World Superbike Championship for 2015 at Phillip Island on February 20-22. n
NEWS TORQUE
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 11
Newcastle Toy Run record MOTORCYCLE historians are checking the record books after the Newcastle Toy Run on Sunday, December 7 clocked up 10,000 electronically-counted participants.
And that number doesn’t include the almost 500 riders waiting on the Newcastle Foreshore for the riders to arrive from Stockton. When the first riders arrived at the Foreshore there were still a quarter of the riders waiting patiently to depart the Stockton starting point 25km away! The first Newcastle Toy Run was held in 1979 and the participants could have been counted in the dozens. The story goes that when a member of the NSW North Coast Eagles (a now defunct patch club) spoke to Barry London, then president of the New Tech Tourers, in a Nabiac pub and told him about a toy run they had organised. Barry then contacted the Motorcycle Social Group at the Federal Hotel in Newcastle and the rest, as they say, is history. The first two runs were to aid Woodlands Boys Home, Wallsend by the crew from New Tech Tourers and the Federal Hotel. Woodlands moved to Sydney and the Toy Run chose the Salvation Army as their charity. From 1981 through to 1989 it was Combined Bikers then in 1990 to 2014 it became Bikers for Kids Charity Newcastle Toy Run. The face of the Toy Run in Newcastle has been “Big John” Young who has been part of the Organising Committee from the start of 1981 and has been the sole organiser since 1990. n
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 12
NEWS TORQUE
Yamaha’s 2015 campaign The Yamaha Racing Team (YRT) with Yamaha Motor Finance (YMF) and Yamaha Motor Insurance (YMI) will unleash a three rider team for the 2015 season, purposely selected to spearhead the racing campaign on the all new Yamaha R1. YRT with YMI will contest the Australasian Superbike Championship as well as support events at the WSBK and Moto GP throughout the year. Reigning Australasian Superbike Champion (ASC), Wayne Maxwell and former three time ASBK champion, Glenn Allerton, will join long time Yamaha racer Cru Halliday, on high powered team as they contest the Australasian Superbike Championship in 2015 and debut the new machine.
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 13
HILLS MOTORCYCLE WRECKERS WRECKING JAPANESE AND EUROPEAN BIKES OLD AND NEW MODELS
Maxwell comes to YRT with YMI as the number 1 plate holder after his successful 2014 season. Maxwell is no stranger to Yamaha and has raced for Yamaha at selected international events in recent times. He was attracted to the Yamaha fold because of the professional setup of the YRT crew and also the opportunity to ride the new R1. Glenn Allerton has worked with YRT in previous years as a guest rider on the factory team but now comes on as a full time member in 2015. Allerton finished his 2014 championship run in fourth place despite having knee surgery after round two of this years’ championship but he finished the year out strongly regaining full speed and fitness. Allerton is a three time Australian Superbike Champion, a rare feat in Australian road racing and is revitalised for the 2015 season. Cru Halliday continues his growth with Yamaha after an encouraging 2014 season. Halliday showed true speed and determination throughout the year and battled bravely against some of the biggest names in the sport. With another year under his belt of racing the elite level and with the new R1 underneath him, Halliday will be seen as a legitimate contender in the new season. The 2015 season marks a new chapter for YRT with the new R1 on show and a very different rider line up but it is something that John Redding and his team are looking forward to. “We have had enormous success with the previous R1 and history will show it has been a very good bike not just for road use but also in racing guise. There is a lot to learn about the new R1 but Kevin and the team can’t wait to get their hands on it and see exactly what it is capable of,” Redding said. n
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NEWS TORQUE
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 14
YCF arrives in Oz
YCF products have been exceptionally successful in the French market and are now available in Australia through Lowry Australia.
YCF products feature quality expected in European brands, however due to their manufacturing plant in China, they are able to offer very competitive pricing. YCF is very strong with the incredible range of genuine accessories they offer to customise their bikes and this is a direct contributor to their success in other markets. In Australia YCF will mainly service the ‘FUN’ 4-Stroke bike category. Main competitors include: Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki. Lowry Australia’s initial focus with the YCF range is to focus on the top 10 selling ‘FUN’ category bikes where a substantial sales volume already exists. In addition to this there will be a focus on the existing Pit Bike market as YCF is a world leader in the category for performance, design and reliability all at affordable prices. Founded in 2004, YCF is the collaboration between Yannick Coquard, a rider in the French Motocross championship and Dimitri Bera, an expatriate French technician living in China. Together they created YCF minicross bikes with the idea of providing a leisure motorcycle which would be accessible and affordable to all. YCF products are 100% designed and developed in-house. Due to being developed under competition conditions, YCF products take advantage of the very latest advances in technology, reliability and safety.
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After 10 years of brand building YCF has established distributors in Finland, Austria, Germany, Russia, Ecuador, Italy, Portugal, Austria, Canada and Columbia to name a few. The face behind YCF’s Australian importer, Lowry Australia, is Patrick Lowry who started his career working in a retail motorcycle dealership owned by Paul Feeney. He has been in the motorcycle industry since 1998 and deep down has a passion for motorcycles, riding and racing them from a young age. In 2000 Paul Feeney Group (PFG) began importing MV Agusta and Cagiva from Italy brands and in 2004 expanded to take on the Husqvarna brand. Patrick was one of only a handful of people who moved across into the importing and distribution side of the business and spent his early years running spare parts importing and distribution where he gained valuable after sales experience. In 2004 PFG took over Husqvarna Motorcycles distribution in Australia. Patrick was very actively involved in every part of the business and during Patrick’s time at PFG Husqvarna was truly transformed as a brand in Australia and went from being a relatively small part of many dealers’ business to a very significant contributor to the bottom line.
WINDSCREEN SPECIALIST
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As General Manager of the company, Patrick played an all important part of managing the business and developing the needed strategies to remain successful year on year.
MOTOTOYS
By starting Lowry Australia Patrick Lowry intends to offer a professional level of support for the brands it distributes and actively support its dealers to be successful with Lowry Australia products.
AUSTRALIA
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For more information on YCF products and dealer opportunities, contact Lowry Australia on 07 5520 2483. Check out the online YCF catalogue on www.ycf-motorcycles.com.au n
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SMALL TORQUE BLESSED HARLEY A HARLEY-Davidson motorcycle blessed with the signature of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and later received by Pope Francis, is to be sold for charity at Bonhams 5 February Paris Sale. The motorcycle is to be offered as part of Bonhams Grand Palais auction, entered at no reserve, with an estimate of €15,000-25,000 (£11,700-19,600). Entered at no reserve, this unique motorcycle will have its auction proceeds donated to Stowarzyszenie Przyjazny Świat Dziecka (Friendly World Association), a Polish volunteer, independent, non-profit organization that offers care and support to children and families in need.
STADIUM MX THE Coffs Harbour Motorcycle Club is conducting the Coffs Harbour Stadium MX for Nippers, Juniors, Seniors and Senior Quads with a National competition licence at the Coffs Harbour Showground, on Saturday 10th January 2015. Go to www.coffsmx.webs.com for more information.
WAGGA TRACK NSW and Victorian riders are one step closer to having a mid point Sydney/Melbourne race track after the Wokolena Road Motorsport and Driver Training Complex near Wagga Wagga was recently passed by the local council. There’s still hurdles to jump for the developers though, with a lengthy list of conditions but a never say die attitude will hopefully see the complex built in the near future.
ITALIAN STALLIONS
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 15
All deals are until Dec 31, well after we go to press with the Jan issue, or until stocks last.
FACTORY RACER VICTORIAN racer, Kade Mosig, will partner Jacob Wright on the CDR Yamaha motocross team for the 2015 season on a YZ450F, contesting the premier MX1 class Mosig, who had an impressive 2014 season highlighted with his first MX1 victory at Swann Hill, will be a full time member for the team in 2015 after a guest ride with CDR Yamaha during the 2013 Supercross championship.
PCRA IN 2015 THE NSW Post Classic Racing Association has updated its racing format for the 2015 season. The new format allows most machines to be cross entered into other classes for extra track time.
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There are some changes to classes too, to better mimic the period racing the club is all about. For example, Ducati 888s (maximum 888cc + overbore as per Period 6 MoMS) are now allowed to enter the P6 750 class, and Yamaha TRX 850s are now allowed to enter the PM F2 class. For more info visit www.postclassicracing.com.au.
Saddlebag Set
HONDA TECH BEAUDESERT motorcycle technician Josh Pamment was last month announced as the 2014 Honda Certified Technician Excellence Award winner. Launched in April 2014, over 230 motorcycle technicians from around the country were assessed against a thorough criterion to determine the regional winners and overall national winner.
Keith Lewis, Manager - Training Services at JOHN Sample Group, the importers of Moto Guzzi Honda “Five years ago we started our very and Aprilia have some cracking deals on the table successful Honda Certified Technician (HCT) Training Program. To further demonstrate Honda’s for a range of their machines. commitment to technicians and the role they play From the Moto Guzzi stable you’ll get extras if you within our industry, we have completed our first purchase either a Stelvio, 1200 sport or any of the HCT Excellence Award this year. The award has V7 range. exceeded all of our expectations for Technician If an Aprilia is more your angle you’ll get bonuses take up and we’re all excited about what’s to come in the 2015 Excellence Award”. with the RSV4F and RSV4R, the Shiver and the Caponord.
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Terms and Conditions apply. Vulcan 900 Classic Appeal Deal Kit is included free with the purchase of a new Vulcan 900 Classic (VN900B) from a Kawasaki dealership only. The kit will be sent to the dealership the motorcycle is purchased from within 28 days of claim receipt. Bike must be purchased and collected from the dealership within the promotion period to be eligible. *Over $2000 value claim is based on the retail value of the accessories and includes freight. Kit includes; Rear Rack, Passenger Backrest, Backrest Pad, Saddle Bags, Vulcan Backrest Emblem. The value of the kit does not include fitment to the bike. Only at participating Kawasaki Dealers. Promotion period 1/12/14 - 31/1/15 OR until stock runs out. Refer to www.kawasaki.com.au for any variations to the promotion period or terms and conditions.
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SMALL TORQUE BOORMAN IS BACK COMPASS Expeditions has announced that Charley Boorman is returning to Australia in March 2015 to once again lead a ride, this one from Sydney to Melbourne via Menindee, Broken Hill, Flinders Ranges and the Great Ocean Road. The riding is extremely varied and encompasses some wonderful off road sections, and add to this the great experience of riding with Charley the ride promises to be yet another exciting event. This ride includes “lots of riding & lots of good fun” says Charley Boorman. “I am super excited to ride in Australia”, added the popular Pom. “This is a very unique ride event with Charley as our ride leader”, says Mick McDonald of Compass Expeditions. Tour Dates – 11th – 20th March 2015 with pre-tour bonus night of accommodation in Sydney Hotel on 10th March. Want more info? Go to www. compassexpeditions.com or call 1300 887 327.
NZ OR BUST DAVE Milligan of Get Routed fame is offering up the New Zealand motorcycle shipping part of his business for sale, due to a need to slow down for health reasons. Full training will be provided plus assistance with advertising and marketing. Also included is the equipment used in the shipping of the bikes - namely shipping cradles, tie downs, screws and cordless battery powered drills. Also included is access to the sea freight purchasing companies used by
Get Routed for the past 16 years and the various loading depots in NZ and Australia. This opportunity would suit someone retired or near retirement age who has some ability at handling motorcycles and who lives in the Sydney area. The purchaser would load containers in Sydney and Dave Milligan would help with loading NZ bound containers in Melbourne. Interested parties can call Dave on 03 5625 9080 or email dave@getrouted.com. au.
JUNIOR PATHWAY AUSTRALIAN motorcycle race coaching school motoDNA has been endorsed by Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder of MotoGP, WSBK, Red Bull Rookies Cup, and other championships, as a recommended pathway for junior road racers. MotoDNA has numerous former professional racers as coaches, including Garry McCoy and Chris Vermuelen, as well as professional GP engineers. Javier Alonso, Dorna Managing Director commented: “We are very happy to endorse the motoDNA Academy as one of the racing projects recognised for its support to young riders. We believe the racing programme that motoDNA runs in Australia, which now will also benefit from the assistance of Alberto Puig, is the best way to secure a successful route to the feeder series for the MotoGP World Championship. The collaboration between motoDNA and Alberto Puig, who has a proven eye for spotting talented riders, will ensure the project to be a great success.” n
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 16
ROADSTER REVOLUTION.
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 17
THE NEW BMW R 1200 R - THE BOXER ROADSTER FOR THE KEEN RIDER.
BMW Motorrad and the roadster with the flat-twin boxer engine - it’s a partnership that has kept enthusiasts enthralled for many years, during which time the roadster has come to symbolise the ultimate in unadulterated motorcycling pleasure. The new BMW R 1200 R upholds this tradition of comfort, dynamism and touring capability, at the same time as putting a new slant on the alluring blend. In the new edition of this versatile, multi-talented motorcycle, BMW presents an athletic powerhouse that demonstrates its strengths not only on the road but in design. Arriving in March 2015, register your interest today with Doncaster BMW Motorrad & Bundoora BMW Motorrad. Doncaster BMW Motorrad 814 Doncaster Road, Doncaster VIC 3108 Ph: (03) 8848 0000 doncasterbmwmotorrad.com.au LMCT 8560
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EDITORIAL
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 18
A wild ride 2014 has been a wild ride for Cycle Torque, and as we enter 2015 it doesn’t look like slowing down much. Regular readers would know we’ve branched out into the digital sphere of publishing with our iPad, iPhone and Android versions of the monthly magazine. It’s here I have to give a big thumbs up to our team, the people who put many hours of unpaid work into making us one of the top motorcycle digital magazines out there. With over 500 five star reviews through iTunes – in fact we have a 100 per cent five star rating – we think we can be justifiably proud of what we have achieved. The reason our digital versions, especially the iPad and the iPhone editions, are so popular can be put right at the doorstep of our graphic artist Dionne Hagan, who never complains about the last minute content, well not much anyway, and always gets the job done at an amazingly high level. Dionne didn’t know much about digital publishing but she made it her job to find out and we are very proud to have her on our crew. And then someone had a bright idea to do a TV show. It wasn’t my idea but I’m glad I agreed with it, as it’s taken Cycle Torque to a whole new level in my opinion. I’d be lying if I said it was easy, the learning curve has been huge but thankfully we’ve had some help from friends who have a background in the industry, and that Cycle Torque’s publisher Nigel Paterson is a tech head and has a handle on that side of things. To go from making short videos as a value add sort of deal for our advertisers to making the TV show has been a big deal for us, and without the help of Brian Dyer, Matt O’Connell and Ryan Grubb we would have struggled to get each of the 13 episodes to our viewers. And without the assistance of my
good mate D’Longie we would have sometimes struggled to get the bikes to the locations. We have a fantastic group of workers here at Cycle Torque, some full time, some part time and some contributors. Dennis Penzo, advertising guru and owner of the Good Ship Lollipop; Rebecca Eastment, keeper of records and holder of the swear jar; Darren Smart, dirt bike expert and a 21-year-old in a 50-year-old’s body; Darryl Flack, a road racing expert without being a road racer, and Bob Guntrip – who doesn’t love his eclectic writing style and outlook on motorcycle life? We are more than just co-workers, we are friends, and that’s why the same central team has been together for the close on 10 years I’ve been associated with Cycle Torque, and for Nigel, Bob, Darryl and Smarty it’s been nearly 16 years. On a personal level there’s beens some massive highs and lows during 2014. Because of the TV show I got to ride a Vincent, a dream come true. That was a high, dropping it on loose gravel after riding it for about 30 seconds was a low, but thankfully the owner is a friend and wasn’t worried. I had a bit of a crowd watching too, and they are still talking about it. It was in the first episode of Cycle Torque TV and people still mention it. Well, any publicity is good publicity I suppose. Two other bikes in the TV show stand out too, and they are both classics, the AJS Model 18S and the H2 Mach IV Kawasaki, both owned by mates. 20 years apart and very different but also very special in their own right. On the racing side of things my son Alex racing at this year’s Isle of Man TT will stay with me forever.
I can’t even find the words to say how proud I am of him for his achievements there, even though he only managed to finish two of the five races he contested this year. That two weeks on Mona’s Isle are full of highs and lows. It really is an emotional roller coaster. I don’t know if he’ll go back, if he does I’ll be there to support him, but if he doesn’t go back I’ll be a happy man. The last ‘high’ was hearing the numbers of viewers of our TV series. How does 175,000 per week, 2.5 million over the 13 episodes sound? That’s right, no typos, no fudging the figures. They are real. Could I be prouder of what we’ve achieved in 2014? Not really. I don’t really know what’s going to happen during 2015. Hopefully we’ll be able to do another TV series and hopefully I’ll get to ride the new Norton Commando. I also hope you all have a fantastic and safe festive period, and a prosperous 2015 too. – Chris Pickett
DIRTY TORQUE
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Times Have Changed
KTM 250 SX Mounted Broc Winston Leads Serco Yamaha’s Luke Style
RACING a modern 250cc four-stroke at a national level against the might of the factory teams is almost impossible without spending big bucks. That is one of the key reasons why there is only one factory team left in the MX2 class here in Australia with the other manufacturers either bowing out altogether or opting to back privateers on their 250cc 2-strokes instead of spending the money needed to get the necessary horsepower out of their 250F models. One of the most successful teams in the history of the Australian Motocross and Supercross scene is Serco Yamaha with owner Gavin Eales and his loyal team having been part of the YZ250F race program since the very first model hit Australia back in 2001. Serco has had phenomenal success with the YZ250F racking up six national championships along the way but it is a sad fact that they are now the only factory backed team in the MX2 class for the 2015 MX National and Australian Supercross Championships. Serco makes no secret of the fact that its race bikes spend big hours on the in-house dyno in an effort to get as close to a 15 per cent increase in power from the stock motor via a ported cylinder head, after market cams, high compression piston, Yoshimura exhaust system, race fuel and modifications
to the fuel injection systems and the air-box. Serco backs the extra horsepower up with a Hinson clutch, Pro Taper chains and sprockets and the KYB suspension is re-valved in house with DLC coated fork legs, X-Trig triple clamps and a rear pre-load adjuster. All of these modifications can easily add up to $10,000.00 plus on top of the price of the bike itself and it is a fact that all of the above can be done by any rider or team who is willing to throw big dollars at their race bikes. But it looks like Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and even KTM simply aren’t willing to put that sort of money into their 250F race programs. And this is why we are in the position we are in here in Australia and why the 250cc two-strokes are becoming the norm instead of the exception on the starting lines in the MX2 or Pro-Lites classes. KTM in particular has thrown support behind a number of privateer efforts on its 250SX with Broc Winston, Caleb Ward, Brenden Harrison, Dylan Long, Kale Makeham and Hamish Harwood having had more than their fair share of race and round victories over the last two seasons. Likewise, Luke Arbon rode his SD3 Husqvarna 2-stroker to 3rd outright in the 2014 MX Nationals while TM importer Andrew Franklin backed Queensland
based privateers Joel Evans and Zac Luzzi on a pair of the MX250 2-strokers for the 2014 MX Nationals. Evans posted a more than credible 10th outright at season’s end and Errol Willis was able to punt his Axis Motorsports YZ250 for 8th outright in the series. Why? The modern 250cc 2-stroker puts out the best part of 50 horsepower at the back wheel in stock trim and weighs in several kilos lighter that any of the current 250F models that are only putting out between 40 and 43 horsepower in standard trim so even if Serco achieves its 15 per cent increase in power over the stock engine they would only be matching the power of the stock standard 250cc 2-stroke engine. Yet, in saying all of this Serco and its fire-breathing YZ250F has won the last two Australian MX2 Motocross Championships with Luke Styke (2013) and Luke Clout (2014) on board and you would have to say they are stand out favourites for 2015 with Clout returning for another year with his new team mate Jed Beaton. But, even with the restriction put in place as far as modification available for all of the 250cc two-stroke riders competing in the 2015 MX Nationals there will once again be a gaggle of privateer and semi-privateer riders punting their 2-strokers in a bid to put paid to Serco’s dominance in the championship.
And we have to be thankful for the powers that be allowing the 2-troke into the MX2 series because without these competitors we would go back to the situation that existed back in 2012 where there were less than 20 riders on the grid at the national rounds of the Australian MX2 Motocross Championships. So that’s where we are at here in Australia. Honda, Yamaha, KTM, Suzuki and Kawasaki are throwing big bucks into their MX1/ Pro-Open race teams. In the MX2 class Serco Yamaha are out front keeping the YZ250F on the top of the podium while KTM and TM are backing 250cc 2-stroke riders in a bid to win a championship without breaking the bank account. Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki dabble in supporting a few riders and teams who from the outside looking in seem to struggle at best to keep pace. Sure, times have changed but despite some of my alarmist fellow journalists making statements about the demise of our racing scene I believe that there is no need to panic. Season 2015 is going to be a cracker and the MX Nationals and the new Australian Supercross Championships will offer as good a racing as we have seen here in Australia. Trust me. I’ve been around. – Darren Smart
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RACE TORQUE
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Constant Mesh WATCH out Marc and Jack, there’s a Fab Q in your future Twenty-fifteen is looming as a big one for Aussie fans with Jack Miller making his much-awaited MotoGP debut with LCR Honda. The media spotlight will be on the Townsville Terror from the very first free practice at Qatar, but one senses that Jack couldn’t care less about external pressure. With both Miller and 2013 world champion Alex Marquez graduating out of Moto3, observers are looking for the next teenage superstar. Look no further than the French kid with the Italian name, Fabio Quartararo. Fab Q is a two-time winner of the Spanish CEV Moto3 championship, “the world junior championship” as Wayne Gardner calls it, all at the age of 15. In 2013, Fab came from nowhere to clinch his first title in remarkable circumstances at the final round at Jerez. Fluent in Spanish, Quartararo is known in the paddock as “El Diablo” (The Devil), and arrived at the penultimate 2013 round in Valencia eighth in the standings. He left Ricardo Tormo in much better shape having won both Moto3 races that weekend aboard his FTR Honda. That gave him an outside chance of winning the title at Jerez. Drama followed the crash of Maria Herrera (who led the championship going into the last race) and a mechanical failure for Alejandro Medina combined with a win for Quartararo that gifted him the title by one point from Marcos Ramirez. Into 2014, Fabio won 16 out of the 18 races to totally dominate his rivals, which included Remy Gardner. Riding a HRC-backed Honda, Fabio lapped faster than Miller and Marquez at three tracks they collectively raced on in 2013, courtesy in part of Dorna’s rule restricting Moto3 world championship engine-development during the season. Former 125 GP runner-up Hans Spaan has been a leading 125/250/ Moto3 crew chief since his retirement in 1994, and decries the rules saying that his job now is one of “engine installer”. Age Shall Not Weary Him In 1996, I wrote about Robbie Phillis’s last-ever race at the dramatic final WSBK round at Phillip Island that starred Anthony Gobert in his incredible double victory and Troy Corser’s first world championship. Riding Emil Webber’s Kawasaki, Robbie beat home Craig Connell’s DDT Ducati in the first race to claim 16th and Shawn Giles’ HRA RC45 in leg two for 17th. In 1997, Phillis competed in the German Superbike Championship, and declared the first of his many
retirements at season’s end. He came back to Australia to ride a Harley-Davidson Twin-Sports, and later the Eastern Creek six-hour aboard a 600, and any number of other outings I’m probably not aware of. In recent years he’s run riot in the PostClassic scene on his old Mick Hone-sponsored Suzuki GSX1100. In November, 2014, at the age of 58, Phillis turned out on a Kawasaki Ninja 300 in the Kawasaki Insurances FX300 Ninja Cup. Typical Robbie, he wasn’t there to make up the numbers, he was out to win. After being sandwiched at turn two on lap one of the last race, Robbie knew he couldn’t win but was determined to claim the fastest lap. He missed out, just, but his yelling and wild, waving arms after returning to his garage courtesy of a walking frame bore testimony to what a phenomenal competitor he has been. It’s easy to get distracted by Robbie’s crazy persona and forget how good a rider he still is. I remember watching him out at Oran Park in 1982 aboard his Mick Hone Katana, dazzled by how he was able to dice with the radical Neville Hiscock whilst appearing as if he was riding to work. He’s still on it. Make no mistake, if Phillis was gridded up alongside Marc Marquez he would look you in the eye and tell you he could beat him! From the sublime to the ridiculous, Robbie’s old sparring partner Carl Fogarty recently took out the UK reality TV show I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! after surviving three weeks in the Australian “jungle”. The heat must’ve got to ol’ Foggy after he broke down and cried, “This is the best thing that has ever happened. It’s absolutely mental.” Isn’t this the bloke who won four WSBK crowns and a Senior TT from Steve Hislop? 40 Summers of never-ending Zen It was the title that got me - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. The idea that a ground-breaking book had the word ‘motorcycle’ in its masthead says a lot about the 1970s. ZAMM, as it is known on the interweb, has sold 5 million copies, the largest-selling book that in part encapsulates the very essence of motorcycling – the never-ending journey of self-discovery. Author Robert Pirsig, now 86, wrote eloquently about his three-week trip with 11-year-old son Chris, and Pirsig’s friends the Sutherlands, from Minnesota to California in a style that evoked the changing roads, environs, and atmospheres that confronted his Honda 250, all intertwined
with deep dissertations into philosophy, science, religion, values, the notion of quality, as well as Pirsig’s struggle with mental illness. It is a complex book, which I first started in 1974, but have never finished. I don’t think I will ever finish it, which is not to say I think that it’s too heavy, too indulgent or too damn long. The original edition released in Australia had the sub-title ‘This book will change the way you think and feel about yourself.’ I believe that it has, even if Pirsig warned in his introduction that the book “is not factual in orthodox Zen Buddhist practice, and not very factual on motorcycles, either”. The story behind the publishing of the book is just as intriguing as the clever manner in which Pirsig structured the manuscript. Pirsig claimed the book had been rejected 121 times before he received a letter of interest from William Morrow & Company on June 10, 1969. That ain’t Zen, that’s perseverance! – Darryl Flack
GUNTRIP
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LAST CALL
IT TOOK Jim a fortnight’s gentle persuasion, reasoned discussion, even the odd flare of argument, but at the end of it June gave in, even if she wasn’t entirely convinced. “The doctor,” she reminded him. “You know what he said.” “Yes,” said Jim. “I understand what he said about the effects of the medication, just as you understand why I want to do this.” June said no more about it, then or later. But he could see the anxiety in her face, right up to the moment when he pulled on his jacket, grabbed his helmet and opened the back door to walk down to the shed. “I’ll see you at Brian’s Motor Cycles,” he called over his shoulder. “I’ll be there about 11. You sure you’re okay with directions?” He heard her confirmation and pulled the door closed behind him. It was cold, right enough, but he’d rarely minded morning cold; it wasn’t nearly so bad as the cold you cop at six on a winter’s evening when you’ve still got 300km to ride, with the threat of rain on the horizon. Today, the sun, even at this hour, was already asserting itself. At least the weather would be good. Thank you, God. He pulled up the roller door and eased the cover back off the bike. The Suzuki gleamed from the long hours Jim had lavished on it over the past few weeks, looking about as good as a motorcycle could, he reckoned. He’d bought it on a spring day in 2005, marching into Brian’s and telling the salesman how pleased he was that Suzuki had again started making sportsbikes that looked the part, and could he have a GSX-R750, please? He recalled the next bit of the conversation as if it had been yesterday and smiled at the memory: “I think we can organise that for you, sir. Which colour scheme would you prefer?” “Colour?” said Jim. “Colour? It’s Suzuki sportsbike, mate. That makes it blue and white.” Kids. They had no sense of tradition. He switched on, fanned the clutch, checked for neutral and thumbed the button. A moment’s whir, and that familiar edgy growl filled the shed: he gave it a couple of blips, savouring the Yoshi’s note, hoping the neighbours would enjoy it too. They’d give him this one, he was sure. Over the railway bridge, right onto the highway. A
dull transport section to begin, 30 arrow-straight kilometres, much of it up a shallow incline showing marks of recent repair. A gentle left, a sharper right, another, shorter straight then up the pass. Not much traffic about at this hour. A couple of semis labouring along in the slow lane, then nothing for half a dozen kilometres. Through a small town, stopping for juice. The Ducati – 996? 998? Jim didn’t know the difference – rumbled past as he refastened his helmet. He clambered back on board a little too quickly, feeling a long, sharpening pulse of discomfort from his abdomen. Jim paused a moment, then hit the button. Time for that later. He caught the Ducati man at a particularly uncooperative red light at the edge of town. They exchanged nods and Jim dropped in behind him as the red twin rumbled away into the rising sun. Mr Ducati upped the pace as they began another snaking climb. He edged away on the short sprints between corners but Jim stuck with him, slipping ahead in one or two places. They settled into a kind of competitive restraint, a brisk groove that covered the ground and broadened Jim’s smile. As they passed Forty Acre Road Jim wound it on some more, leading the scarlet bike through a series of evenly cambered curves he knew well. The Ducati stuck to his rear end and together they played some purposeful tunes that echoed across the adjacent paddocks, provoking a couple of cows to run for safety in a distant corner of their mist-wreathed field. It was soon over. As they reached the freeway the Ducati man pulled alongside and raised a thumb before turning away to the north while Jim kept going eastwards, moving cleanly through thickening commuter traffic to keep his unwelcome appointment. Brian stood waiting for him as Jim rolled to a stop at
the kerb, tuned off and handed him the key. They stood in companionable silence for a moment, admiring the gleaming paintwork and alloy. Then they stepped into Brian’s office. Paperwork. He’d been there more than an hour by the time June arrived. He tossed his helmet onto the back seat and climbed in beside her. That stab of pain again. “How was the ride?” “Nice. Found someone to play with.” He knew better than to look at her. He’d heard the catch in her voice and a careful sidelong glance had revealed the flush in her cheeks. “Brian’s putting it into storage for three months,” said Jim, trying for a businesslike tone. “If we haven’t contacted him in that time he’ll sell it on consignment and send you the brass.” The first signs to the hospital began to appear. They’d made the return journey over this route often enough during the past 18 months, since Jim had first seen some blood where it didn’t belong, just as they’d done most things over the past 30 years – together. But this time, Jim’s specialist warned, it might be different. June indicated left and swung into the oncology department car park. – Bob Guntrip
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 23
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INDIAN SCOUT
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Brave new
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Indian
INDIAN SCOUT
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A new look Indian with a new engine gives fans the lightweight answer
INDIAN SCOUT
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Brave new
Indian
N REPORT BY NIGEL PATERSON, PHOTOS BY INDIAN
N RIDING GEAR: NOLAN HELMET, ARLEN NESS JACKET, SARTSO JEANS, MOTODRY ARCTIC GLOVES
THE NEW Indian Scout is a mid-size motorcycle for someone looking for spirited performance, style, ease of riding and a low seat. Now, it’s Indian calling the Scout a mid-size bike, despite it displacing 1133cc – I remember thinking how my brother’s Suzuki GS850G was HUGE - but that was in the Old Days. Even further back was the original Indian Scout from 1920, and they topped out at 745cc. The first models didn’t have a front brake either: the 2015 Scout has anti-lock brakes.
a sportsbike, but the very definition of a sports motorcycle has changed enormously in the intervening years - these days most sportsbikes are uncompromising racetrack refugees, whereas anyone who doesn’t know the history of Indian would consider the bike a cruiser. It seems sportsbikes could be comfortable back in the day.
The modern Scout is good looking and very comfortable. The tank, instruments, headlight, guards… most of the bike, really… is heavily influenced in its design by the The Wall of Death earlier Scout models and Indian should be congratulated for the attention to detail As a lightweight, responsive and reliable machine, Scouts in the 1930s were a popular they’ve gone to in making this bike so nice in so many ways. choice for riders of the Wall of Death, the travelling stunt shows which saw riders in a A thick solo leather seat, roomy riding position and smooth roads make for all-day wooden cylinder, riding in circles and ‘climbing’ the wall to end up horizontal, often comfort, provided you’re not going too fast, when the wind blast will make things performing acrobatics at the same time. Today, the new Indian Motorcycle Company tiring. I’m a little concerned we were spoilt by New Zealand’s relatively smooth roads, is using that history as inspiration to build a new lightweight, responsive machine too, for the Scout has fairly basic suspension at both ends, and not a lot of travel, which offers excellent control, balance and performance. Indian does feature one on which could get tiring if the journey gets bumpy. the Wall of Death in one of its promotional videos. The twin rear shocks are adjustable for spring preload, the forks are non-adjustable.
Old and New The new Indian Scout is what the engineers decided the bike may have evolved into, had Indian not gone broke in the 1950s. So the riding position is actually very similar, although the footpegs are out in front a bit. And the original Scout was something of
The machine is long, low and relatively light. The chassis is aluminium, the wheels 16-inchers at both ends. While this mix could mean ponderous steering and poor overall handling, Indian has done a great job of making the bike handle well - I was impressed with the initial models, and the Scout handles even better. Indian has a range of accessory parts to make the bike more comfortable for those Continued on next page
INDIAN SCOUT
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CYCLE TORQUE
very short and very tall, too. At 185cm I didn’t find the bike too cramped, but taller riders might, so you might be able make a Scout fit you better than other bikes. From a styling perspective the rear shocks are leaned over a long way, and I’ve noticed the bike Indian built for the Wall of Death demo is a hardtail, and looks great sans rear suspension. Never been attracted to a hard tail before, but that one looks cool… Not long ago running out of cornering clearance on a cruiser was a major indicator you were pushing a machine beyond its design limits, but the Scout really feels like it wants to be ridden harder, so the better-than-average clearance for the type of bike it is still doesn’t feel like it’s enough. It’s confidence inspiring in the twisties and the 100hp engine gets from corner to corner faster than most cruisers, too. Not sure if it was cost or styling behind the decision to only fit one front disc to the Scout, but it’s a bit of a shame really, for while the brakes are ABS-equipped and adequate, they aren’t special, and could be a bit more powerful.
A new V-Twin Of course the engine has skipped a few generations. It’s much bigger than Scouts of old, of course, and it’s modern in its design, styling and feel. Gone is any pretence it’s old school - no fake air finning for this liquid-cooled 60-degree V-Twin. The stylists have done an incredible job of making the Scout’s motor look drop-dead gorgeous, painting most of it black then going to town with a milling machine to create beautiful highlights. With 100hp available and a flat torque curve, the Scout’s motor is easy to use and lots of fun. There’s enough vibration to let you know there’s a big V-twin between your legs, but not enough to annoy. Like most modern engines it wants to rev, so a little more throttle is required to get the Scout off the line compared to some other big V-Twins, but unlike older aircooled designs the Scout’s motor doesn’t run out of puff so soon – it’ll happily rev a lot higher than most cruisers, which means you’ll go a lot faster, sooner. In fact, I do wonder what potential the motor has – if Burt Munroe was still alive, what could he have extracted? The mod-cons we’ve come to expect are there - four valves per pot, counterbalancer, EFI, wet clutch…
Inside the powerplant is a six-speed gearbox which is a delight to use. I was disappointed the clutch and brake levers weren’t adjustable, but at least the leverpull effort requirement is pretty low. The gearbox is slick and easy to use, the clutch smooth and hassle-free.
Accessories needed Most Scout buyers will be back to their Indian dealer for at least a few accessories. For a start, there’s no pillion seat or rear foot pegs, and the Scout is so good-looking friends will want you to take them riding. The riding position - like all cruisers - is tough going at highway speeds, so adding a screen will be popular, and touring bags are available too. Indian had a bike with all this fruit on display at the launch, and it was popular with journos who love all that stuff - but if I was going to use it regularly like that, I’d buy the Chief Vintage. The style, the weight, the performance of the Scout should be left unsullied…
Which colour? The paintwork on the Scout is available in four colours - Indian Red (which is dark, not fire engine), Silver Smoke (some would describe it as grey), Thunder Black (yep, black) and Thunder Black Smoke (matt finished black). Of the bunch, I liked the Silver Smoke. It’s close enough to the same colour as the frame (all the models have the same colour chassis) and the brown seat (something of an Indian icon) suits the colour well.
The value proposition At $17,995 ride-away, the Scout offers excellent value for money. It’s comfy, capable, attractive and offers excellent performance - whether you’re comparing it to other cruisers or other twins. And at the same time it’s remarkably easy to ride, and would well suit anyone moving up to their first big bike. In standard trim it’s pretty lean on the standard features, with no pillion or touring capability, but that can be remedied with some loot spent on items from the accessory catalogue. I really liked the Scout, it’s a lot of fun to ride, has a riding position which encourages fun without promoting indecent speeds, looks great and the price is very reasonable. n
INDIAN SCOUT
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CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 28
INDIAN SCOUT S P E C I F I C AT I O N S: INDIAN SCOUT Engine Type: Liquid-cooled V-twin Capacity: 1133cc Transmission: 6-speed, belt drive Fuel Capacity: 12.5 litres Frame Type: Cast alloy Seat Height: 635mm Dry Weight: 244kg Front Suspension: Telescopic forks, 120mm travel Rear Suspension: Dual shocks, 76mm travel Brakes: Single caliper front and rear, with ABS. Tyres: 130/90-16, 150/80-16 Price (RRP): From $17,995 ride away www.cycletorque.com.au/more CALL FOR A QUOTE
1800 24 34 64 WE’LL BEAT ANY PRICE GUARANTEED*
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www.cycletorque.com.au/more www.indianmotorcycle.com
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INDIAN SCOUT
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HANDCRAFTED LUXURY Introducing a name synonymous with luxury, the Indian® Roadmaster™ is designed to cater to the touring rider and their passenger. Premium touches found throughout including adjustable air flow, adjustable passenger floor boards, dual positioned heated seats, Bluetooth connection and much more.
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EBR 1190RX
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Test
CYCLE TORQUE
Eclectic Bears Racer
EBR 1190RX
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Test
CYCLE TORQUE
The EBR 1190RX is the bike the Buell 1125R probably should have been.
EBR 1190RX
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Test
CYCLE TORQUE
Eclectic Bears Racer N TEST BY CHRIS PICKETT, PHOTOS BY DAVE LONGBOTTOM N RIDING GEAR: KABUTO HELMET, M2R JACKET, ARLEN NESS GLOVES, SARTSO JEANS, RST BOOTS.
WE NEED to get a couple of things squared away before we go into the test of the pretty amazing EBR 1190RX. •
Buell no longer exists, Harley-Davidson sold it a few years ago.
•
EBR is owned by Eric Buell.
•
49 per cent of EBR is owned by Indian based company Hero Group.
While not being privy to the deal between H-D and Eric Buell when the bust up occurred, Eric must have been given access to parts, technology etc etc for the EBR to be given life in the form it has been. I guess the daddy of the 1190RX is the 1125R Buell. I actually quite liked the bike, although I think one of the reasons it didn’t sell as well as hoped by Buell was the styling, which to be honest did miss the mark somewhat. It was too bulbous I think, for buyers for whom styling plays a big part in purchase decisions. Whatever I guess, but the fact there’s quite a bit of 1125R DNA in the new EBR 1190RX shows how good that first bike was.
Rebirth A couple of years ago Eric Buell’s new company Eric Buell Racing, produced the EBR 1190RS, a bike which used an overbored 1125R engine to get 1191cc. While lots of parts were similar to that of the 1125R the bike looked so different it was hard to believe the bike even used the same Rotax designed V-twin engine. It was pretty special and built in very limited numbers, I guess to sample the waters to see if larger scale production was viable.
Luckily it must have been, spawning the 1190RX you see here. The fact the Hero Group injected $25million probably helped oil the production wheels somewhat, and the resulting machine uses essentially the same engine and fuel-in-frame chassis as the RS.
TT racer The first time I’d seen an EBR in the flesh was at this year’s Isle of Man TT. I was able to chat with American TT racer Mark Miller who was riding an EBR 1190 for UK based racing outfit Splitlath. They also ran fellow yank rider Brandon Cretu, an All-American dream team you might say. Now while the dream never really came off, the bikes having a variety of issues, which kept lap times and laps completed down, I was impressed with how the bikes looked. Carbon fibre everywhere, those bikes looked special. The team was pitted in the Parc Ferme area next to the DP Coldplaning/TCR Honda team my son Alex rode for, so I was able to get some sneaky looks at them during the fortnight, plus the not too revealing chats with Miller. They weren’t the fastest but boy did they sound the best. Nothing came close, not even the Aprilia powered Norton, in my opinion. So, I was a fan from afar and keen to see how they stacked up in reality. Continued on next page
EBR 1190RX
Test
CYCLE TORQUE
On the stand
The bike is wonderfully small but it’s surprisingly roomy for taller riders. You don’t feel too cramped but then again it will bash you about a bit on rough roads and long distances. But that’s to be expected. If you want the same sort of machine but more comfort you could always buy the naked version of this machine. It’s packed full of technology too, maybe not as much as some of its competition but still, it has plenty. One thing it doesn’t have is ABS, and there’s no option either. Not sure why, but... There’s a 21 level traction control, vacuum operated slipper clutch, very comprehensive instrument package which even allows you to access the system diagnostics. Are you a track junkie? If so, the 1190RX’s instruments cater for that too. Weight is 190kg wet, no doubt helped by the fact the frame is also the fuel tank, and the rear subframe is magnesium too. Showa BPF Big Piston Forks and the rear Showa shock are fully adjustable, there’s an eight piston single caliper doing the business with a massive single outside rim disc, hubless wheels, 185 horsepower, 137Nm of torque, the list goes on. On paper what’s not to like? General fit and finish is good but there are a couple of things here and there which could be better, things like the odd bolt or two which looked cheap and the plastic air scoop for the front brake which looked a little flimsy. Overall, minor in the scheme of things though.
Back road blaster It boasts a power output somewhere in the middle of the Ducati 1198R and a Ducati 1199 Panigale, and the power delivery feels somewhere in the middle too, not having the ‘grunty’ feeling of the 1198 engine nor the franticness of the Panigale’s engine. It’s certainly more aimed at top end power than bottom end wheelstanding grunt but don’t worry, you are under no illusions, this thing has some mumbo. One pretty cool feature the bike has is an automatic chain adjuster, which gives the bike a fearsome sound on deceleration. I initially though it was some sort of gear driven primary drive within the engine, it sounds almost like a supercharger, and intrusive too. But, it’s a very nice intrusive in my opinion. It adds to the aural
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 36 pleasure of the bike. I especially liked the traction control, and it’s very easy to dial in as you get to know the layout of the instruments. I never received a class in mode navigation for the EBR but it was easy to work out for myself. I set it at level three or four out of the 21 and I was still able to do power wheelies under hard acceleration and over humps in the road and so on, but I could also feel ‘controlling’ things out of corners when on the gas hard. The traction control goes about its business without being overt, taking the softly softly approach rather than the smash it down and crush your genitalia like some other traction control systems can. Nice. By this stage I was pretty impressed by the bike but the best was yet to come. Looking at the suspension I was to be honest a little disappointed with the ‘look’. I was expecting some slick and shiny big name European kit but what was fitted were the aforementioned Showa stuff. It wasn’t even a nice colour. Boy was I in for a rude shock. The first part of the road test was on good roads and the suspension worked well, no complaints. As I aimed the EBR 1190RX to the back roads I was expecting to be smacked around a bit but the hits never really came. The suspension was firm, sure, but plush enough on the initial stroke that I was taken aback by how good it was. This gave me enough confidence to really let loose on a section of road which reminds me of some of the IOM TT course from Ginger Hall through to Ramsey. Through the trees, bumps, jumps, just plain rough. I rode through there as hard as I dared and the bike just lapped it up. To be honest I could not believe it. I thought to myself, ‘I could race this bike as is on the Isle of Man.’ I then managed a very fast run through deserted country roads, and can only say I was in love with the bike’s capabilities. To add further credence to this, Cycle Torque’s own TT racer Alex Pickett spent a day on the bike too, and came away saying he’d like to race the bike as well, although he’d tweak it here and there first. Well, he is a hell of a lot faster than me. Alex even liked the distinctive front brake, which has been around on Buells for years. I’ve always thought they were a bit of a gimmick, no better than conventional four-piston calipers. I still think this but at the same time could find no fault with them in power or feel. Different, yes. Better, no.
Verdict Is it worth the 27K? Yes, I think it is. There are some fit and finish issues as I said earlier, and this might put off some buyers more interested in bling rather than substance but those who want a ‘rider’s’ bike will overlook those bits, they will know the bike’s ability, and they will want their own American Flyer. n
EBR 1190RX
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EBR 1190RX
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S P E C I F I C AT I O N S: EBR 1190RX Engine Type: Liquid-cooled V-twin Capacity: 1190cc Transmission: 6-speed, chain drive Fuel Capacity: 17 litres Frame Type: Alloy twin spar Seat Height: 826mm Wet Weight: 190kg Front Suspension: Showa Big Piston Forks Rear Suspension: Showa single shock Brakes: 86mm Single perimeter rotor, 8 piston inside-out caliper. Tyres: 120/70-17, 190/55-17 Price (RRP): $26,490 + ORC www.cycletorque.com.au/more
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Nifty air scoop for the front brake.
When there’s eight pistons in it you only need one caliper.
Can’t see much of the engine but in there lurks a 185 hp V-twin.
Keeping the beast cool.
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Hubless wheels offer something different.
Don’t be fooled by the look, the Showa rear shock is top level equipment.
We loved the look of the exhaust.
EBR 1190RX
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EBR 1190RX
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2015 KTM 350 EXC-F
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Enough
RUSH
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2015 KTM 350 EXC-F
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Is the 350 EXC-F the thinking rider’s perfect machine?
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2015 KTM 350 EXC-F
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Enough RUSH N TEST AND PHOTOS BY BRIAN DYER N RIDING GEAR: FOX APPAREL, ALPINESTARS BOOTS
THERE is a very good reason why many say the KTM 350 EXC-F could be the perfect enduro motorcycle. It’s fast, light, nimble and straight out of the box it just looks and feels refined. With its versatility and superb riding performance, the KTM 350 EXC four stroke is well suited to riders of all abilities, from your weekend warrior to your die hard off-road racer.
The Specs Its powerful 350cc single cylinder engine delivers smooth and exciting power, complemented with the quality components you would expect from KTM, like Brembo brakes and WP suspension. The frame is built from lightweight high strength chrome-moly steel section tubes, and combine this with a state of the art cast aluminium swingarm and WP PDS rear shock (with 335mm of travel) you have a solid and responsive rear end that can absorb the toughest of terrains. The WP Front suspension
is first class, with a pair of USD forks providing a rock hopping 300mm of travel. The bike is fitted with class leading high-tech Brembo brakes, with a 260mm front disc and 220mm at the rear. Aesthetically the 350 EXC-F has some funky new graphics and has the look of the KTM race teams with its orange frame and black rims that are now supplied by Giant. The handlebars, grips and handguards have all been improved, and the bike also sports an all-new MAE digital speedo, which is claimed to be easier to read. The engine is forced oil lubricated with two Eaton pumps, and the DOHC (Dual Overhead Cam) cylinder head is equipped with four ultra light titanium valves allowing high engine speeds up to 12,000rpm. The updated DDS clutch basket has been machined from solid high-tensile steel together with the primary drive gear, which reduces weight and improves reliability, the O-rings for the oil
pump suction screen have also been improved for better durability under extreme riding conditions. There’s also a new silencer which KTM claims reduces noise levels, and improves performance. The dry weight of the bike is 107.2kg Continued on next page
2015 KTM 350 EXC-F
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Weekend Warrior ride impression The first thing I noticed when I sat on the KTM 350 EXC-F is how tight and compact the bike felt, the contour of the plastics and design of the bike really suits the rider, you instantly feel as though shifting your body weight around the bike will be easy. The KTM’s fuel injected power delivery is very smooth from idle to full throttle and is very manageable throughout the rev range, it doesn’t have as much low down torque as your bigger bore bikes, but it handles your slower trail riding with ease. Get the revs cranking from the mid range upwards and the KTM releases a smooth and exciting power which makes the bike so much fun to ride. I rode the KTM on a wide variety of terrain and with the adaptability of the engine, the quality of the WP suspension and reassurance of the Brembo brakes, these all combined to instil a confidence that made the riding experience all that much more enjoyable.
The WP suspension front and rear is superb and enabled the bike to be controlled effortlessly through the tight bumpy sections, amongst the rocky uphill trails and over the quicker sandy roads. The bike was quick to respond to any sudden changes in direction, and handled everything in its path with ease. The six-speed gearbox is seamless and precise and out of the box is well geared for your slow technical stuff to your fast open trails.
Verdict The KTM 350 EXC-F has the versatility to be ridden casually or very aggressively and that is why the 350 EXC-F is such a popular and successful motorcycle on/ off the race track. The 350 is the perfect bike for a wide variety of riders and riding conditions. It’s very powerful, but user friendly, light to throw around and responsive to your every move. The hardest thing for me was knowing I had to give the KTM 350 EXC-F back. n
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Racer Opinion Dave Rose - Former Australian Offroad Champion. I was invited to ride the KTM 350 EXC-F and approached it with an open mind. To just jump on the bike and go, I couldn’t believe how smooth and responsive the engine was, the bike delivers a great amount of manageable power for tight trail riding right through to flat out open trail conditions. As soon as you fire the KTM motor up and you turn the throttle you can feel there is something special about this motorcycle, and you can’t wait to release the power. The fuel injected 350cc engine is everything you want from an off-road bike. The WP suspension was very easy to dial in by simply adjusting the clickers at the top and bottom of the forks. I found the suspension a little hard at first for my riding style, but by just backing off the compression and damping to soften it up a bit, this made the bike easier to jump across ruts or quickly change lines. The WP suspension front and rear is really just so forgiving. The brakes are really smooth and solid to use, Brembo brakes have been around for a very long time and you find the big discs on the 350 pull you up with ease no matter what speed you are travelling. I had such a blast riding the KTM 350 EXC-F through the forest on all types of terrain, it really opened my eyes and I believe KTM has produced a great offroad motorcycle which will suit such a wide variety of riders. n
2015 KTM 350 EXC-F
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2015 KTM 350 EXC-F
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S P E C I F I C AT I O N S: KTM 350 EXC-F Engine Type: Liquid-cooled single Capacity: 350cc Transmission: 6-speed, chain drive Fuel Capacity: 9 litres Frame Type: Central tubular Seat Height: 992mm Dry Weight: 107kg Front Suspension: WP Suspension Up Side Down 4860 MXMA CC Rear Suspension: WP Suspension 5018 BAVP DCC Brakes: Disc brakes, floating brake calipers Tyres: 90/90-21, 140/80-18 Price (RRP): From $13,495 www.cycletorque.com.au/more
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Easily adjustable forks.
Brembo brakes, hard to top.
Engine punches above its capacity.
WP suspension, top shelf.
2015 KTM 350 EXC-F
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2015 KTM 350 EXC-F
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DUCATI MULTISTRADA 1200 PIKES PEAK
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Hill Climb Master
DUCATI MULTISTRADA 1200 PIKES PEAK
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You would never think an all roads tourer would make a great race bike would you? Well in this case it does.
DUCATI MULTISTRADA 1200 PIKES PEAK
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Hill Climb Master N TEST BY CHRIS PICKETT, PHOTOS BY NIGEL PATERSON N RIDING GEAR: SHARK HELMET, IXON JACKET, IXON GLOVES, AXO BOOTS
IN CASE you haven’t heard of Pikes Peak, it’s a famous hill climb race in America. For four consecutive years until 2013 a slightly modified Multistrada 1200 won the motorcycle class, beating all the so-called superbikes in the process. Ducati’s Multistrada 1200 is generally perceived as an all-roads tourer but it’s much more than that, as the Pikes Peak results show. Of course Ducati decided to bring out a replica version, which customers could buy. They get the special paint scheme, carbon fibre bits everywhere, lightweight wheels, Termignoni exhaust, and all that style and performance to match. Using the Testastretta 11 degree engine, the Multistrada 1200S boasts loads of horsepower, and the Sachs ‘Skyhook’ suspension makes sure it handles just about any road conditions you’ll come up against. Simply put it’s a superbike engine in a chassis designed to take you anywhere. You can get a Multistrada 1200 in a few different packages, including a base model with regular manually adjustable suspension but this particular model is the 1200S Pikes Peak.
Mechanicals In the Multistrada 1200 the Testastretta engine’s valve overlap has been reduced to make for a more user-friendly experience. It has increased bottom and mid range power, but the new valve timing helps make for a less edgier feel from the engine at lower speeds. The latest Testastretta engine only requires its valve clearances checked every 24,000 kilometres, keeping servicing costs down. There are four power modes, Sport, Touring, Urban and Enduro. Each power mode has a different feel, and each mode also changes the way the Skyhook suspension feels. For example, select Sport mode and you get full power combined with a firm feeling suspension, and reduced fun interruption from the traction control. Go the other way and select Enduro, you’ll get softer suspension, softer power and and altered traction control setting to suit off-road riding. Continued on next page
DUCATI MULTISTRADA 1200 PIKES PEAK
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Each power mode has default ABS settings but you can personally tailor these too. The suspension has a number of options. Yes it does alter the damping characteristics itself but you can change the preload without even getting off the seat. You can go from solo, to solo with luggage, two up and two up with luggage. It really is pretty simple to use. And as you would expect, potent Brembo brakes are used and they live up to their reputation, with lots of power and feel.
On the road The Pikes Peak Multistrada has a different feel to the regular. I think this comes down to the fact there’s less of the bike around you. The much shorter screen is probably much of the reason, and the lightweight wheels make for a more dynamic ride in the bends. With less unsprung weight the bike flicks from side to side easier than the standard or touring Multistradas. There’s no doubt in my mind the bike has more of a street motard vibe to it than a regular Multistrada 1200. Man does this bike have some grunt. The changes for the new model have made the engine sweeter at lower speeds, which has really made for a nicer ride overall, but it hasn’t lost any mid range or top
SPECIFICATIONS: n ENGINE TYPE: LIQUID-COOLED V-TWIN n CAPACITY: 1198CC n TRANSMISSION: 6-SPEED, CHAIN DRIVE n FUEL CAPACITY: 20 LITRES
end. Serious fast. And on the roads, regardless of how good or bad they were, the Pikes Peak just excelled. This is the best version of the ‘Skyhook’ suspension I’ve sampled. Ducati don’t list any real changes but I found it smoother all round.
Who wants a Pikes Peak? Even though the Multistrada range of models are all based on the same platform, the Pikes Peak model will attract a more performance focused buyer, one who loves the competition inspired paint scheme and the carbon and lightweight extras. Buyers who want the more practical option of heated handgrips, panniers and a centrestand will most likely go for the 1200 S Touring or Granturismo. That said, you can option a Pikes Peak with extras you would get on a Touring or GT.
Verdict This is the best ‘road’ Ducati I’ve ever ridden. It is very easy to ride ridiculously fast, and you can do it comfortably. Plus, long distance touring is a doddle on the bike. The changes Ducati has made
n FRAME TYPE: STEEL TRELLIS n SEAT HEIGHT: 850MM n DRY WEIGHT: 194KG n FRONT SUSPENSION: 48MM ELECTRONICALLY ADJUSTABLE USD n REAR SUSPENSION: ELECTRONICALLY ADJUSTABLE SINGLE SHOCK n BRAKES: DUAL BREMBO 4-PISTON CALIPERS ON FRONT, SINGLE 2-PISTON CALIPER ON REAR. n TYRES: 120/70-17, 190/55-17 n PRICE (RRP): $31,990 + ORC
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for 2015 have really improved the bike, making it one of the sweetest running and handling Ducati motorcycles ever made. At a cost of $31,990 it represents a $9,000 increase over the base model, an increase of $3,500 over the Touring, and $1,500 over the GT. In the end I don’t think it will come down to the money. Someone wanting the top of the line performance Multistrada 1200 will think it’s well worth the extra outlay. n
DUCATI MULTISTRADA 1200 PIKES PEAK
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DUCATI MULTISTRADA 1200 PIKES PEAK
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YAMAHA TRICITY
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Security Scooter
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YAMAHA TRICITY
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Scooter style flexibility and three wheeled security make the Yamaha Tricity perfect inner city transport
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YAMAHA TRICITY
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Security Scooter N ARTICLE BY MATT O’CONNELL, PHOTOS BY YAMAHA N RIDING GEAR: KABUTO HELMET, ALPINE STARS JACKET AND BOOTS
IF YOU have been looking for a bike to get you over the line and into the world of, well, three wheels in this case, the Tricity could be your answer. In 2006 Piaggio debuted the three wheeled MP3, but it was never really intended as an entry level machine. Yamaha has taken the concept one step further, putting the parallelogram link suspension front end into a 125cc scooter. It’s best explained in a picture, but when the Tricity leans into a corner, the distance between the two 14 inch front wheels remains the same. There is no lock-out system on the Tricity front end, meaning it can always lean. Yamaha employ what they term a ‘Unified Braking System’, with twin 220mm discs on the front and a 230mm disc on the rear to provide ample stopping power. When both brake levers are activated, the UBS system distributes braking force to the front and rear. The twin wheel setup at the front doesn’t compromise width. The handlebars are actually wider than the wheels and surprisingly, with a width of 735mm, the Tricity is 3mm narrower than the PXC125. Under the seat there is decent storage, enough to take a full face helmet, while up front there is a hook for a grocery bag.
In what may seem like overkill, the Tricity project leader is none other than Kazuhisa Takano, who is better known for his role developing Yamaha’s MotoGP bikes - the YZR-M1 in particular. Takano injected MotoGP influence by keeping the weight distribution bias at 50-50 front to rear, resulting in an agile, easy to handle machine. The powerplant is a relatively small 125cc 4-stroke liquid cooled unit with a CVT transmission. If you have owned or researched 125cc scooters you will know this means fantastic economy.
The ride During the launch, Yamaha set up a nifty ‘gymkhana’ style course for the assembled media to highlight the differences in the Tricity to regular two wheeled scooters. There were all sorts of riders present from different magazines and walks of life, with the goal to show just how easy it is to jump on and ride the Tricity. Continued on next page
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Tight, low speed corners, water and confined spaces were all very easy to navigate - overall it felt like a very forgiving little bike. The first thing I noticed was, of course, the front end. With three wheels you can tip into corners at any speed with confidence, knowing the extra contact patch with the road will hold you up. You can climb up and down gutters and take slow corners with ease. If you have ridden a small wheeled scooter before, you will be familiar with that light feeling in the front end. Small diameter wheels and light weight give basically all scooters that characteristic. They handle well enough, but it can give you the odd anxious moment especially in the wet. The advantage is that the steering is very direct, but it can feel light and airy underneath you. With the three wheeled configuration of the Tricity, that feeling is removed.
tight inner city streets to a coastal ride out to Watson’s Bay. In all cases the Tricity handled very well - agile in the city and able to soak up the bumps when the streets opened up a little.
In a nutshell, that is the biggest thing you will notice - a much more secure front end. What it means in the real world is for people that have been a little unsure or hesitant about buying a scooter in the past, there is now one less barrier to starting out. The feeling around corners is one of security.
You can get a little bit of scraping around corners, but I think that is largely due to the increased confidence in the handling. Having dual discs up front on a machine that weighs in at 152kg wet is a bit of a luxury - and I found out you can even detach the linked braking system if you want, by disconnecting a cable on the right lever.
A lot of the other performance features are very similar to your typical 125cc scooter.
All the other elements are what you would expect of a modern commuter. Instruments are clear and easy to read and LED’s are used all around.
I think the 125cc 4-stroke engine is adequate to get around the city - it won’t quite do freeway speeds of course, but it is still rapid enough from the lights. As other riders were demonstrating on the day, the Tricity can also take a pillion without any dramas. I have owned 125cc scooters in the past and find that engine size perfectly fine for two-up commuting in the city. The handling benefits of the Tricity make it that little bit easier to move between traffic, important if you live in a choked city like Sydney. The bike was ridden through varying conditions on the day, ranging from
Verdict The Tricity was designed with beginner riders in mind, with an aim to deliver a more affordable and secure handling package while keeping all the regular benefits of two wheels. Yamaha has delivered on this in good style and with a price of $4,999 (ride away), I think a lot of people may have finally lost their last excuse for not riding. n
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YAMAHA TRICITY
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S P E C I F I C AT I O N S: YAMAHA TRICITY Engine Type: Liquid-cooled single Capacity: 125cc Transmission: CVT, belt drive Fuel Capacity: 6.6 litres Frame Type: Steel Seat Height: 780mm Dry Weight: 147kg Front Suspension: Telescopic Rear Suspension: Unit Swing Brakes: Dual disc brakes on front, single on rear. Tyres: 90/80-14, 110/90-12 Price (RRP): From $4,999 ride away www.cycletorque.com.au/more
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A double dose of telescopic forks.
Two at the front makes three.
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Trip the dash fantastic.
CVT and belt drive.
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CYCLE TORQUE Touring Feature – BMW TS Safari
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N WORDS AND PHOTOS BY DARRYL FLACK
Some Kind Of Wonderful
IT IS the essence of what makes motorcycling so great and so different. It’s hard to define, impossible to describe. You may have experienced it yourself. If you haven’t, it’s so damn good that you just want to do it again and again. And again. The kind of experiences that ordains untold adventure, breathtaking scenery, incredible roads, the meeting of new friends and rebonding with old ones.
Feeling small.
That’s how I felt after the long two-day ride home from the inaugural BMW Safari from Sydney to Fraser Island in 1994. I have toured through France, Belgium, Austria, Germany, and the Swiss Alps including the famed St Gotthard pass in the north and spectacular Susten and Simplon passes further south. I have swept up the Dolomites through Cortina d’Ampezzo, and toured Bali, Maui, Oahu, and both islands of NZ. And that’s not forgetting the great roads of mainland Australia, where
I road tested some of the finest motorcycles ever built. But for the last 20 years, I have been telling anyone and everyone that the very first BMW Safari is the best motorcycling experience I’ve ever had. It embodied everything that a motorcyclist could ever want, with a dimension I had never experienced. And it wasn’t just the ethereal ride along the beach at Fraser Island, where I tailed Warwick Schuberg’s GS out to the skim-board shallows and back over the hard-packed dunes for several glorious kays. Ever since I began riding bikes in 1974, I have assiduously avoided joining a motorcycle club. Indeed, when I was studying at Ku-ring-gai College of Advanced Education in 1981, a charismatically ambitious chap who bestrode a Norton Commando would badger anyone on campus clad in a leather jacket to join his gang, the college’s first motorcycle club. We’ll go on rides, do weekends Continued on next page
CYCLE TORQUE Touring Feature – BMW TS Safari
Scenery is fantastic, roads are even better.
Meet and greet.
away, wine & cheese nights, lobby the student council for better parking at the College he said. Sounds good I replied. Okay, we’re going for a ride down to Church Point this Sunday, can you make it? Yeah, I’ll try. When Sunday morning rolled around, I didn’t feel like firing up my 1978 Ducati Darmah and heading down McCarrs Creek Road, as much as I liked that challenging thin ribbon of tarmacadam. I felt a little guilty. Monday morning rolled around at college, and I bumped into the club prez at the lockers. ‘Ah, you didn’t make it…’ he said with an unmistakable hint of disappointment. No I said, making up some lame excuse. The very first Safari was my first-ever time ride with a club. A massive club. Of BMW owners. As a young Ducatisti, I had settled on two well-defined BMW stereotypes. One was the moustachioed city poser sitting aloofly at the lights aboard a R90 or R75, the rider topped by a pristine white Bell Star matched to a spotless Barbour jacket and unfeasibly shiny boots. The second archetype was the tedious long-haul zealot whose idea of a fun weekend away was a border run from Sydney to South Australia and back with a bunch of mates aboard a Necchi of humming R65s. After a couple of days snaking up inland NSW en route to the Queensland border on Safari 1, the number of BMW stereotypes was up to a theory-busting 57. I was by now dazzled by the sheer diversity of people who steered Bavaria’s best. As the days on the road unfolded, I had met a professor, a plumber and a postman. By Fraser Island I had added a Baron, a barrister and a barista. And everyone was having the time of their lives. No-one cared who was fast or who was slow, who had the newest bike or the
oldest. It was astonishingly egalitarian. And cool.
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 66 CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 66 2014
Above: Unique accommodation Right: Says it all really. Below: Richmond, one of Tassie’s picturesque towns.
When Publisher Paterson offered me the chance to cover the 20th anniversary Safari in Tassie, I was ecstatic. My second-only BMW club run would be aboard a S 1000 R and a R 1200 RT. Perfect. Day one beckoned a blast up to Strathgordon from Hobart on the 1000. I loved the way its exhaust warbled and wahhed into hairpins and barked on the way out, its distant induction growl provided perfect backing vocals to the exhaust’s most wonderful music. The need to explore the R’s sizzling top-end is never-ending and once you hit the twisties, its superb donk generates more torque than the Brisbane G20. I reckon I could’ve done the entire mountain climb in fifth gear. No joke. When BMW’s Miles Davis trumpeted that Munich can’t build enough of these $20K horn bags, I didn’t doubt him. Old, new it didn’t matter. We met a bloke at Strathgordon who had proudly brought his 1990 K1 along, one of the few 1990 models in the TS group. Then there was Frank, the world’s first fun-loving accountant, who strode the 2014 Safari like a colossus on his K1600 six. Curiously, there were no S 1000 RR owners on this Safari. Fair dinkum, they don’t know what they missed. ….to be continued next month.
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 67
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CYCLE TORQUE FEATURE – Tour Italy your way
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 68 C L E Motorrad TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 68 withC YHP
N WORDS & PHOTOS BY MATT O’CONNELL
Spaghetti
Holiday
Italy. No tour bus. No stinking hire cars. No plans. Just cool bikes, like it should be.
IF YOU’RE thinking of touring Italy, in the next thousand words I’ll throw you up a few options. One morning in early August I received a text I’d been waiting years for. KTM were launching the new RC-390 in Italy and Nige (Cycle Torque’s publisher) had sent the message asking if I wanted to go. Thankfully, Harley-Davidson were launching their touring range in the USA at the same time, so it left a vacant seat to Milan. Thanks to those stars aligning I now had my first European trip lined up - and with one last call to KTM to have the flight home extended and I was set. But what do you do when you are faced with nearly two weeks in northern Italy?
Where do I start? How far do I travel? Do I take a tour? Do I just backpack? This is where the story begins really. What do you do when you have an open slather shot at Italy?
Let my fingers do the walking The answer I came up with was to send a motorcycle hire company an email in Milan. Like everyone I consulted Google and there were a few choices, but I settled on HP Motorrad. I knew in Australia this would be really expensive, but these guys seemed to have a wide range of bikes and reasonable prices, and within a few hours of my
original email I had a reply. As easy as that, there were two bikes of my choice available... a 2011 Ducati Monster and a BMW K1600 GT tourer. Perfect. Now I started to think about it a bit harder... I had no idea where to start really. I hadn’t travelled Europe before, I couldn’t speak Italian and I hadn’t ridden on the right hand side of the road at all. It was great to have every option open to me, but also a little daunting. I decided to make a few loose plans and consult Google some more, mapping out a rough itinerary and a couple of events to take in.
Continued on next page
CYCLE TORQUE FEATURE – Tour Italy your way
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 69 C L E Motorrad TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 69 withC YHP $75 a night for this view on AirBnb.
The Duomo sits right in the centre of Milan
Into the deep end Before I knew it I was riding the hills around Maranello on KTM’s new RC-390. After that launch, the group of journos headed back to Milan where we all went our separate ways. HP Motorrad was easy enough to find - about ten minutes taxi from Centrale in the middle of the city. I had so much riding gear and luggage and I didn’t want to be carting gear around forever. On the final walk up to HP Motorrad that slightly daunting feeling told me these guys had to deliver spot on or this could be a bit ordinary. What I found at their shop totally set me at ease. Not only did they have a great range of bikes but they also had every bit of gear you could need - all for sale or hire. This meant all the good brands of clothing, helmets and luggage as well as Go Pros and other accessories. Any trace of doubt was long gone. Lined up out the front were about half a dozen 1200 GSs, a Ducati Diavel, Multistrada, Hyperstrada, scooters - and of course, the Monster I had been hanging out for. It took about 30 minutes to get settled, Marco and Matteo ran me through everything I needed to know in regards to road rules, but I was lucky enough to have had a small heads up from the RC-390 launch ride. I was able to dump all my excess gear in a secure spot below the shop - everything else I wanted to carry fitted neatly into two large Hepko and Becker soft panniers. If you haven’t seen these, look them up. They have a neatly styled frame and the bags key-lock to it securely.
A Brazilian couple prepare to take off on a BMW GS.
Friendly accommodation This isn’t a touring story with pretty pictures, sights and scenery, it’s more of a ‘how to’. The next step was finding some accommodation, and I decided to chance that on something a bit different as well. I searched a website called AirBnb - where people rent out a spare room, or sometimes their entire place. It works in a similar way to a hotel, but the AirBnb website takes care of all the administration. Kind of like eBay, you can pick a host with good feedback and even choose someone that speaks English. It is still a bit risky I guess and I have heard of some horror stories where people were left stranded after last second cancellations, but I decided to chance it. I rode the Monster about three hours back to Modena, as you do. I can tell you right now having that bike was an awesome feeling - being able to take off and go wherever I wanted. No tour bus. No stinking hire car. When I arrived there I wondered if I
would even get the AirBnb room. Sure enough, the phone answered. $44 a night in the centre of historic Modena in one of the coolest apartments I had stayed in. I think it is the most bogan Aussie I have ever felt, amongst the sprawling history of Italy. The buildings were amazing and the people so friendly. The next few days involved more cool apartments, some more bike testing (this time an electric superbike by Energica) and some tasty, tasty roads. Someone told me not to get offended if I couldn’t get service at any shops in the middle of the day. Here I was trekking northern Italy on a tight Monster where everyone likes to just chill out and eat good food. Offended? This was just my style. The days were spent plotting on the GPS, picking out Continued on next page
CYCLE TORQUE FEATURE – Tour Italy your way the next town - then going for a bit of AirBnb action to find a room for the night. To my surprise, everything was working out fine. I guess the riders among you will know that not all bikes are created equal even when they are the same model. Riding up and down the coast through Cinque Terra, about to make my way towards the Stelvio Pass, I was well aware the Monster I was on had been prepared really well. Just another tick in the box for HP Motorrad really.
The Italian coastline runs on like this for hours.
Action packed For the second half of my trip I switched to the big BMW K1600 GT. It is an impressive machine with every creature comfort - this time the GPS was built into the dash. It’s worth noting the importance of the GPS, all the bikes at HP Motorrad have one available and I wouldn’t travel without it. They say Italians go crazy at Formula One time so I decided to head to Monza and take a look. I was a little behind schedule so I needed to use the freeway. It is easy enough to do and saves a lot of time, but like all freeways it is pretty boring - not to mention expensive. Make sure you select the right lane to pay with your credit card and all should be fine. Plus, it’s a good excuse to wind out the K1600 (the sound is amazing). It was a long day watching Daniel Ricciardo and co scream through the forest track - like any circuit there is always a lot of walking involved, but the energy of the crowd kept me going. I decided to stay in Monza
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 70 C L E Motorrad TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 70 withC YHP Looking out over Lake Como
that night and lucked out yet again, right in the historic part of town in yet another cool apartment. The next day, I met up with the hosts in Lake Como where they were visiting their father. That’s the way it seems to work out with AirBnb - I just couldn’t imagine what it might have been like if I had just stayed in hotels. The locals really seem to take you in - everybody was so incredibly friendly. From there it was back into Milan to drop off the K1600 at HP Motorrad - and just for good measure I took out a Vespa for the day to explore the city.
An experience to remember This trip threw up random experiences every day - all thanks to chancing it and hiring some very cool bikes. I really do have to thank the crew at KTM for their hospitality (and a great bike in the RC-390), HarleyDavidson (for the scheduling conflict), Nige and Picko at Cycle Torque and of course, the HP Motorrad crew. If you are thinking of touring Italy, this is definitely something I would recommend. n
HP Motorrad
More info: www.motorbikerentitaly.com Email - rent@hpmotorrad.com Ducati Monster from $140 / day Ducati Hyperstrada from $120 / day BMW R1200GS Adventure from $200 / day BMW K1600 GT & GTL from $200 / day * Better rates for longer rental periods - Luggage storage available - Hire of helmets, GPS and all other gear - Rental stations all over Italy including Milan, Rome & Bologna
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 71
Cycle Torque Feature – More Rockwell Touring
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To the Back of Beyond, and Back Touring on a KLX250, the ‘strange and terrible saga’ of Rocky.
Geez, look at riding kit from the ’80s.
IT’S funny sometimes , when you’ve been riding bikes for so long, you forget some of the crazy, mad, silly things you have done. When I told a mate about my long distance ride on the 125cc Kymco, (Rockwell has a history of doing this sort of stuff, see last issue. Ed.) he said “Rockwell, you idiot, do you remember when you rode that trail bike to the Thunder Rally at Lake Cargellico back in the nineties?” I do remember, and I am an idiot, sometimes. Why would anyone ride a trail bike on the open road for 1300 kilometres just to go to a rally? Because you can!
Fun and frivolity at the Thunder Rally.
Lack of a suitable choice Living in Sydney at the time, with the rally scheduled for a couple of days before I had to be at a sales conference in Canberra, mates are on to me about getting my road bike (Honda 750/4) registered for the ride. My workload was pretty full on at the time, and I didn’t get the mighty Honda up and running. Out of four bikes in the garage my Kawasaki KLX250 was the only registered, going machine. I thought about it.... Long distance ride to the rally site, then to Canberra for a couple of days to attend a conference. Then a trade show. Then home. What the hell, I’ll give it a go!
I had a fair bit of gear on the bike too, the usual stuff for a three-day rally, plus my corporate gear for the two-day conference. The mountain of luggage was strapped to the back seat, and the carry rack made a fine backrest. I also packed my fishing rod and tackle box to give the Lachlan River carp a bit of a flogging! I had told my riding mates that I would see them down at the rally. I did not tell them I was taking a trail bike, riding with them would slow them down. Can you imagine their surprise when I fronted on the chooky? They were all riding big bore Jappo, Pommie, Wog and Kraut bikes, translation, Honda , Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Norton, Ducati, ‘Guzzi and Beemers etc. Continued on next page
Cycle Torque Feature – More Rockwell Touring What was I thinking? On the day of the ride I set off on the top heavy trail bike, through Sydney traffic and hit the Hume Highway. Once there, I would blast my way down to Yass, turn right, heading through Temora and proceed to West Wyalong, then do the last 120km to Lake Cargellico. ‘Thundering’ along the Hume at 80kmh, wind in my face and getting the finger from just about every truck and car passing me. I smiled in my helmet, thinking ‘Stuff you lot, I’m going to a rally!’ Top speed on the bike was slow compared to road bikes because of the low gearing being a chooky. However the lower cruising speed meant I had plenty of time to check out the scenery, dodge any beasties that decided to cross our path and generally appreciate the ambience that touring through back country roads affords.
The long straight road The further out west I went, the longer and straighter the roads became. It got to the stage where I was hanging out for a corner to belt through. I would spot one in the distance, and get myself ready for the big moment; five minutes later, the corner was still a distance away. A few minutes more, leaning out of the saddle doing my best Wayne Gardner impersonation, the thrill of the corner was over quicker than my first sexual experience! Mmm, I’ll take a bit more time with the next one! Several hundred kilometres later and towards the end of the day, I arrived at the rally site. The KLX250 managing the 20 odd kays of dirt admirably! Beer and bullshit flowed freely for the next couple of days. Bike enthusiasts from all over the country mingling, chatting and enjoying the ride and a yarn as motorcyclists do. The carp got a good flogging as well. Not much chop on the barbie but they are a lot of fun on light gear. They were willing, too, and in solid numbers. Late at night, large ones, solidly hooked swim to
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 73 CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 73
and fro with the drunken fisherman attached. A crowd of helpful onlookers slithering down the muddy bank all shouting instructions and falling over to boot. Hilarious! On the final day, there was the usual lineup of trophies awarded for the different categories. Looking a bit worse for wear? Fishing adventures with Rockwell. I picked up the, ‘Longest Distance Single Cylinder’ So far the little bike had run perfectly, however near award. “Yippee!” The results were published a couple of months later in a reputable bike mag. A wonderful disaster occurred in the middle of nowhere when the head gasket decided to spring a leak. Damn! The last story full of pictures, praise and a list of the trophies leg of a long trip and the shit hits the fan now. A fair awarded. All recipients were named in full and their amount of oil had leaked out, but I carried spare oil, bikes described, ie. Joe Bloggs 1980 900SS Ducati or just in case, but how to deal with a broken leaking Nick Schinkelgruber 1985 BMW K100 etc. My award, gasket? I remembered an old bushie who rode for ‘The Longest Distance Single’ read: - Rocky on the many years and had a wealth of knowledge and Chook Chaser ! experience in doing repairs when you’re out in the middle of nowhere. He’d given me some practical advice about bush mechanics. I eased off the bolts To beyond and back on the head, then tensioned the bolt nearest to the broken gasket. The other bolts then duly tensioned, The rally had been a LOT of fun, but work beckoned but a tad lighter than the first one. and the next part of the journey to Canberra began. The bike was oiled up, chain tensioned and greased, I fired up the bike and left it running for a while, everything loaded and strapped on. It was a beautiful a very small amount of oil did appear to continue day for riding and I was in Canberra in time to check leaking, but not anywhere near what was pumping into the Ambassador Hotel by the arvo’. I got weird out before. The rest of the trip was slower than looks from the doorman when I rolled up on the before, not wanting to risk stuffing the motor. Finally, overloaded, grungy looking trail bike and myself not tired but happy, I arrived back in Sydney on a wing looking too crash hot either! “Which door should I and a prayer. 1300kms of highway, byway and dirt park my bike near mate?”, I hailed the well dressed roads on the KLX250 trail bike. Sure pays to have door pusher. To his credit, he did not bat an eyelid, a spare one, at times. I’d bought the beast for the “Over there to the right sir,” he responded. A hot princely sum of $400 and sold it, after much abuse, shower, change into clean clothes and a decent feed for $700! One of the very few times I’ve ever had a in the hotel dining room rounded off a beautiful day. ‘win’ on a second-hand bike. No matter, as long as you’ve got two wheels and a motor between them, The sales conference and the trade show went off without a hitch. As I checked out of the hotel, I loaded you’ve got a motorcycle! up the trusty 250 Kwaka, and I thought about the last – Rockwell leg of my journey up the Federal Highway onto the Hume thence, to Sydney, a distance of only 300km.
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IBIKE STUFF OGGY’S FOR HONDA
HANDY OPTIONS
BARKBUSTERS the world leading motorcycle handguard specialist, extends the two point mounted handguard options to include Yamaha MT-09, KTM 200 and 390 Duke, Honda CB125E, CB500F and CB650F and Suzuki Gladius SFV650. With the increased demand for LAMS motorcycles in Australia the BHG-055-00-NP Handguard provides impact protection for both novice and experienced riders alike. For new riders breaking a lever can be inconvenient, expensive or even painful, particularly if the bike is dropped or damaged halfway home. Hardware kits feature Barkbusters bar end weights, black powder coated hardened aluminium backbones, all necessary mounting hardware and comprehensive installation instructions. PRICE : $129.95, handguards separate at $36.95 AVA IL A BIL I T Y: Better bike shops MORE INF O: www.cycletorque.com.au/more
OGGY Knobbs now has kits for the Honda CBR300R and CB300F. The fully bracketed kits are intricately designed to fit with no modifications necessary. They are made from high tensile steel alloy for vastly superior strength and minimal weight, aluminum compression components are made from aircraft grade 7075 T6511, the bolts are de-embrittled, high tensile items, zinc plated and clear chromates. The “plastic” used in the sliders is Acetal for the best shock absorbsion, abrasion resistance and strength. PRICE : CB300F $219, CBR300R $249 AVA IL A BIL I T Y: Good bike shops. MORE INF O: www.cycletorque.com.au/more
PREDATOR
WHAT would Arnie wear? Forma Predator boots, that’s what. They feature ‘Dual Pivot FCS’ technology, which gives the boot more flexibility, while still offering the same level of protection and rigidity through two pivot points made out of a combination of fibreglass, carbon fibre and plastic. The Predator dual-sport boot is available in black or white from Andy Strapz. There are other colours available, just contact Andy to get more info. PRICE : Reduced from $549 to $499 AVA IL A BL E F ROM: Andy Strapz (03) 9770 2207 MORE INF O: www.cycletorque.com.au/more
ROADSKINS
GRINFACTOR Australia has proudly released its ROADSKIN® range of Kevlar® lined protective clothing. Jeans, Cargo’s and Hoodies are all water resistant and fully lined with DuPont™ Kevlar® and are all available with CE Approved Armour. PRICE : Hoodies $179, jeans/cargos $189 AVA IL A BIL I T Y: www.roadskin.com.au or 0403 676 267 MORE INF O: www.cycletorque.com.au/more
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IBIKE STUFF MOTOCROSS MADNESS
NEW from Bridgestone, the Battlecross X30 is a motocross/enduro tyre suited for soft/intermediate terrain, while the X40 is for intermediate to harder surfaces. The front tread pattern is asymetrically aligned to optimise performance while braking and cornering. The rear utilises higher surface blocks to increase traction and cooling fins which will help to stop tyre pressure fluctuations. Both X30 and X40 do not have directional tread patterns so you can squeeze the last bit of life out of them by turning them around on the rim. The Bridgestone X series compounds also replaces the 60, 40 and 20 series which potentially saves you having to buy a third set. The X30 intermediate has 2 PRICE : Start at $109.95 fronts, $134.95 for rears front sizes and 4 rear sizes. AVA IL A BIL I T Y: From good bike shops. The X40 hard has 1 front MORE INF O: www.cycletorque.com.au/more size and 3 rear sizes.
VENTURA VERSATILITY
VENTURA’S ASTRO 32 litre Top-Box is now available for the Yamaha MT-07 2014 and 2015 models. Complete kits including model specific mounting brackets, Ventura specific Top-Box rack “T.B.R.” and all hardware for nearly 2000 different motorcycle models are available now. As the Ventura is a modular system, complete ASTRO kits can be upgraded at any time to accept Ventura Bike-Packs and Accessories if even more flexibility or extra luggage capacity is required. PRICE : Astro Top Box complete kit for MT-07 $339 AVA IL A BIL I T Y: From your favourite motorcycle dealer. MORE INF O: www.cycletorque.com.au/more
SCORPION RALLY
PIRELLI have two new tyre sizes available in the Scorpion Rally range to suit big adventure bikes like the KTM 1190 Adventure and BMW R 1200 GS. The tyres feature a 4-5-4 layout of blocks with 7.7mm of depth on the front and wider blocks on the rear making for a versatile tyre choice suitable for road, gravel, water crossings, mud and sand. The new Scorpion Rally sizes use a compound that focuses on the dual purpose use of this tyre, showing resistance to tearing and cuts in off-road situations, which has more impact when you’re on the asphalt. PRICE : Front $229, Rear $285 AVA IL A BIL I T Y: Good bike shops MORE INF O: www.cycletorque.com.au/more
TT ART
BILLYART has produced Giclée fine art prints of Michael Dunlop and Peter Hickman from the 2014 Isle of Man TT. Prints show both riders on their respective BMWs on their way to making TT history. Michael for his wins for BMW after 75 years and the team’s first visit to the island along with Peter’s 129.104mph fastest newcomer lap speed. Michael’s print is a limited edition of 131 copies and Peter’s is of 129. Both editions to match the respective average lap times of each rider around the mountain course. The originals are oil on linen canvas paintings and the Giclée fine art prints are available in A4, A3 and A2 sizes.
PRICE : £20, £30 and £40 + postage AVA IL A BL E F ROM: www.billyart.co.uk MORE INF O: www.cycletorque.com.au/more
2015 VENTED COLLECTION CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 77 AVAILABLE NOW! R-14 VENTED LEATHER JACKET _$349.95 Fully Vented Leather Jacket, comes with a CE approved Back Protector.
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USED & REVIEWED Lok Me HELMETLOKs have been around for ages, because they tick boxes. They are handy locking your helmet securely to your bike, they’re small enough to fit in your pocket/bag/jacket, safe, durable and now they also come with a handy attachment for your jacket too. Simply slip the metal attachment through the hanging loop of your jacket, thread it through the HelmetLok, it’s that easy. I’ve used a HelmetLok on one of my older bikes and its been great for the times I haven’t been able to keep my helmet somewhere, now with the jacket attachment they are even better. Sometimes when you’re commuting to work, you feel as if all you ever do is carry your bike stuff around with you all day, the HelmetLok makes life heaps easier. – Ryan Grubb.
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Say what? SORRY I had my NoNoise Motorsport Noise Protectors in. After years of playing loud music in a rock band, my ears are shot. I didn’t think too much about my hearing could be affected when riding, but you are actually being subjected to similar noise levels. What’s bad is that higher noise levels mean shorter riding times before your hearing can become affected. Your ears can handle 85dB of noise for about 8 hours before they will probably be affected. Noise on the road can range anywhere from 85-110dB which means at the higher end, you probably have about 45 minutes worth of riding before your hearing could become affected. NoNoise Motorsport Noise Protectors are small, comfortable to wear and they remove up to 29.6dB of the road noise, while still allowing filtration from conversation, sirens and horns to remain clearly audible, with no muffled effect. They come in a little carry case so have somewhere safe to keep them when you pop them out. They’re reusable, just give them a wash in warm soapy water and let them air dry. – Ryan Grubb.
PRICE: $35 AVA IL A BIL I T Y: (02) 6689 5703 MORE INF O: www.cycletorque.com.au/more
3 composite thermoset panels : Protection + Ventilation panneaux de carbone carbone composite thermoset : Protection + Ventilation.
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QUAD TORQUE NEWS
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POLARIS TAKES THIRD ARC TITLE
THE Polaris Racing Team of Driver Cody Crocker and Co-Driver Greg Foletta won 10 out of 13 stages at the recent Rally Victoria, securing both the round win and the 2014 ARC SxS Challenge Championship. This is the team’s third consecutive championship since the ARC SxS Challenge’s inception in 2012. Crocker and Foletta placed first in a total of 51 out of 59 stages this year totaling 718.15 competitive kilometres with the Polaris Tamworth team of Iain Hughes and David Piper winning seven stages. The Polaris Tamworth team of Phil Swindale and David Piper took out one stage at Rally Australia where they posted the fastest time of any car in the competition at the Rally’s Super Special Stage in the town of Coffs Harbour. While the Polaris Racing Team won three out of the four Rallys in this year’s SxS Challenge, perhaps the most interesting point is at Rally SA, NSW and VIC the team was posting times faster than the ARC cars in each Rally’s respective Super Special Stage. “Our RZR XP 1000 has performed smooth and strong throughout the year, It is a pleasure to drive; it does everything it is meant to do well and reliably but it also does something it wasn’t supposed to do and that is beat the best Rally Cars in the game! I am very proud to drive the Polaris RZR product, who would have thought that three Rally’s in a row a $40,000 RZR would beat the $200,000 ARC cars...incredible!” said Cody Crocker. “If this doesn’t change people’s perceptions of the SxS (side-by-side) class I don’t know what will! This is yet another display of how a race ready Polaris RZR XP 1000 for $35-40k can not only compete but win up against the best the Rally world has to offer. The ARC cars are easily worth $100k plus and they easily cost over $100k to keep running” continued Crocker “Rallying for us is not just about winning in the SxS class, we want to dominate overall! Other classes and drivers better watch their backs, Polaris are coming!” said Greg Foletta.n
VIKING STRONG YAMAHA has a new multi-purpose six-seater Recreational Off-highway Vehicle, or ROV for short. Yamaha says the Viking VI focuses on safety and comfort in order to give confidence when manoeuvring through any kind of terrain. The new machine is based around a 686cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled fourstroke engine housed in a tough chassis, pretty much designed for work. The driver and passengers have a lot of space in the Viking VI, and there’s also plenty of room for the cargo. A pallet size steel cargo bed offers plenty of room for daily work tools and equipment during the week. It’s got a 37 litre fuel tank too, so fuel top ups won’t be too often. It is designed to go just about anywhere, with on-command push button 3-way locking diff, 2wd, 4wd, and locked 4wd. The shaft drive is just another indication that the Viking VI is built strong. A long list of accessories is available from Yamaha, and you can find out more at your local Yamaha dealer.n
TOP DEALS FROM CAN-AM
CAN-AM has some pretty good deals on its side-by-side and ATV range at the moment, running right through to the end of January 2015. Essentially on all 650cc and over ATVs and SSVs you get a $750 rebate, and on the Maverick X RS DPS you get a sport kit worth $3800. For more information you can visit your local Can-Am dealer of course, or you can go to www. brppromo.com. n
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 81
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g n i d a e R y a d i l o H 1. Cafe Racers: speed, style and ton-up culture – $69.99
Master photographer Michael Lichter and motorcycle culture expert Paul d’Orleans visually trace cafe racer motorcycles from their origins in the mid-twentieth century all the way into modern times.
2. How to Troubleshoot, Repair and Modify Motorcycle Electrical Systems – $49.99
Your one-stop manual for every aspect of DIY motorcycle electrical repair and modification. We’ve all stood at the front desk of a repair shop at some point, staring at an invoice, gritting our teeth and nursing our injured wallets. All vehicles will inevitably need maintenance - and we pay a premium in labour fees every time we take them in - but unlike an automobile, which has its electrical components hermetically sealed within its bodywork, the electrical components on a motorcycle are on display for all the world to see. Out in the open, they are constantly subjected to destructive elements like rain, sand, salt, dust, and ultraviolet rays.
3. This Old Harley – $34.99
A roll down memory lane is a lot better on the back of a Harley. We all have “firsts” in our lives - our nervous first date, our euphoric first concert - and most of us who have motorcycling in our blood remember the first time we saw a Harley-Davidson. Harleys have a way of catching the eye, that extra ‘something’ that sets them apart as the proudest, baddest, best-built machines around. There’s no denying the fact that Harley-Davidsons are more than just motorcycles; since its founding in 1903, the make has become an American icon revered around the globe.
4. Terry The Tramp – $24.99
See what it takes to lead men who count themselves among the one percent.Terry “the Tramp,” born in 1947 to a broken middleclass home and an absentee father in the blistering agricultural region of southern California, grew up with a violent chip on his shoulder. Raised in that tough-as-nails environment, he developed the courage to look right through a man twice his size and read his level of weakness to discover his breaking point.
5. Dualsport Australia Vol 2 – $33.00
Dualsport Australia’s presents Vol-2 Central NSW which follows on from Vol-1 Northern NSW, in the Hunter Valley before heading North, West then South on Dualsport Australia’s quest for a national trail. Vol-2 Central NSW has over 2500km of GPS/Route-sheeted backroads, broken up into four regional loops. Combined there is a week of diverse adventure riding or you can customise loops for shorter rides. With two ways between towns there is an easier option but all routes suitable for all adventure bikes. Using the same easy-to-use format as Vol-1 with information on conditions, fuel distances, fuel locations, accommodation and a few stories from previous rides. With links to Google Maps, downloadable GPS data and printable route sheets in two different formats (forward and reverse) makes navigation a breeze and gives plenty of options to customise Central NSW to fit your adventure.
To Order Call 02 4956 9820 Shop online at www.cycletorque.com.au
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g n i d a e R y a d i l o H 8. Keep Moving – $29.99 6. BMW Cafe Racer – $49.99
Covers the evolution of the BMW sports bike to the BMW cafe racer. This title commonly associated with the cafe racer scene, the growing trend of custom BMW cafe conversions is illustrated in detail with images of sporting, racing, and ‘cafed’ BMWs.
7. BMW Custom Motorcycles – $39.99
Many books have been published about BMW motorcycles, but no-one has focussed solely on the BMW chopper, bobber, trike and quad bike custom scene - until now. Although not normally associated with the brand, there are some fantastic BMW customs out there, old and new; this book showcases them in all their innovative glory.
The idea to travel the world on a motorcycle did not ‘come out of the blue’ Monica’s husband Simon had this dream for 30 years. The opportunity to go arose after their three children had left school and home. Monica had a motorcycle licence but no mechanical skills and very little riding experience. She didn’t even have a motorcycle. At the end of a focussed year of preparation sandwiched between two busy jobs as a social worker she was more or less ready to go.
9. World On Wheels – $30.00
Travel the globe with Mike & Denise Ferris in the World on Wheels motorbike adventure TV series. From the Himalaya to the Andes via Turkey, Morocco and everywhere else in between.
10. The Old Mechanic – $17.00
The story of an old motorcycle mechanic who takes on an apprentice and, together, they restore a 1959 Norton 500cc ES2 motorcycle. The book takes the reader right through the process of restoring an old British classic motorcycle, from rebuilding the engine through to getting the bike on the road.
11. Dominator in the Shadows – $23
Dominator in the Shadows is Peter J. Uren’s second novel, and the sequel to his popular The Old Mechanic. Set three years later, it tells the story of two men who each have a dream to own their chosen motorcycle: one a Vincent Black Shadow, the other a Norton Dominator 650SS. The story again takes the reader through the process of restoring an old classic motorcycle. Along the way, they maintain, repair and service many classic British motorbikes.
To Order Call 02 4956 9820 Shop online at www.cycletorque.com.au
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3. How To Restore Motorcycles – $39.99
The market for used motorcycles is vast and deep, with many popular motorcycles available for a fraction of what they cost when new even a few years ago. With a little hard work and know-how, a restored used bike can become a reliable and stylish commuter vehicle. But restoring an older motorcycle can be challenging. Often you’re dealing with old technology, parts that are hard to replace, rusty and stubborn bolts, etc. How to Restore Your Motorcycle walks the reader through the process of tearing down an old motorcycle and building it back up again. This revised edition adds colour photography throughout, as well as new information covering bikes and technologies new to the collector realm.
4. Motorcycle Electrical Systems – $34.99
A motorcycle’s electrical system can be daunting to even the most adept home mechanic. And yet, the more complex these systems become— and the more important to a motorcycle’s function—the more useful, even critical, it will be to know something about them. That’s where this book comes in with a user-friendly guide to understanding, diagnosing, and fixing the electrical systems and components that make a bike run . . . or falter.
5. Race Tech’s – $49.99
Based on Thede’s world-famous Race Tech Suspension Seminars, this step-by-step guide shows anyone how to make a bike handle like a pro’s.
6. Motocross and Off-Road Motorcycle Setup Guide – $34.99
For many motorcyclists, the most popular part of a cycle magazine is the question-and-answer section dealing with maintenance, modification, and setup how-to information. The Motocross and Off-Road Motorcycle Setup Guide eliminates guesswork by providing setup and maintenance information every rider needs in a series of step-by-step photo sessions and to-the-point chapters.
7. MOTOCOURSE 2013/2014 – $89.95
The World’s Leading Grand Prix and Superbike Annual reaches its 38th year as the indisputable leader in its field, covering the world of motorcycle racing like no other publication. The 18-race MotoGP season is covered with its usual meticulous attention to detail as it also includes coverage of the Moto2 and Moto3 classes.
8. Adventure Motorcycle Maintenance Manual – $36.95
This book is the definitive guide to keeping an adventure motorcycle running the way it should. Written for the rider who wants to be selfreliant while on the road, the book takes the reader through a series of practical, hands-on techniques designed to keep the bike in peak riding condition.
9. How to Tune and Modify Motorcycle Engine Management Systems – $39.99
From electronic ignition to electronic fuel injection, slipper clutches to traction control, today’s motorcycles are made up of much more than an engine, frame and two wheels, and just as the bikes themselves have changed, so have the tools with which we tune them. How to Tune and Modify Motorcycle Engine Management Systems addresses all of a modern motorcycle’s engine- control systems and tells you how to get the most out of today’s bikes.
To Order Call 02 4956 9820 Shop online at www.cycletorque.com.au
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g n i d a e R y a d i l o H
1. American Dream Bikes – $75.00 SALE 25%OFF
Unappreciated by the world is the fact that in today’s elusive studio of motorcycle design America is a major player - for some, the major player. Dozens of designers, engineers and craftsmen are creating some of the most exciting and innovative motorcycles the world has ever seen - ever dreamed about. This doesn’t just mean “yet another chopper”. It means names like Confederate, Ecosse, Fischer, Roehr, Vectrix (producing an electric sportbike), and MotoCzysz in addition to, and no less worthy in this context, the establishment Harley-Davidson with Buell, Victory, and even Indian. Award-winning author Alan Cathcart visits 25 shops interviews the designers and engineers and rides the motorcycles. Each shop, interviewee and motorcycle has been photographed especially for this book.
2. Troy Bayliss – $24.99 SALE 25%OFF
This is the story of a life dedicated to racing, the story of a man who has always lived among motorcycles. The Ducati Yearbook chronicles the life of Troy Bayliss, Ducati World Superbike Champion through his memories and his experiences (on and off the track), his relationship with his team and with the bikes and the thrilling emotions experienced together. Take a look into the life of Troy Bayliss, his racing career and his passion for Ducati. Troy and the bikes from Borgo Panigale, like the 999 and 1098, together made history. This is a book of photography with images accompanied by the words of the rider, fellow Ducatisti friends, colleagues, family and fans all who came in contact with this Superbike legend a true icon for all passionate motorcycling fans, Ducatisti and non.
3. Lost on Earth – $29.99 SALE 25%OFF
“The only way I am coming home is by bike or by box,” Steve Crombie writes when he first hits the road, travelling 90,000kms from Australia to the Arctic Circle via South America. It takes him two years. He suffers from dehydration, starvation and disease. He rebuilds his motorcycle four times. Along the way Steve not only tests his limits but meets the world head on - waking up behind iron bars in Tierra Del Fuego.
4. Motorcycle GP Racing in the 1960’s – $59.99 SALE 25%OFF
The 1960s was a unique era in the history of motorcycle Grand Prix racing, and arguably marked the last period of ‘traditional’ road racing. The decade saw the rise of the Japanese factories that would eventually dominate the sport, and the burgeoning two-stroke technology that would go on to replace the traditional four-stroke machines.
To Order Call 02 4956 9820 Shop online at www.cycletorque.com.au
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g n i d a e R y a d i l o H 5. The Castrol Six Hour Production Race – $39.95 SALE 25%OFF
For 18 years, the Castrol Six Hour Production Race was the biggest event on the Australian motorcycling calendar. Controversial, important and exciting, the Castrol Six Hour Production Race was one of those rare events which had bikes and tyres developed specifically to win it.
6. The Riders – $35.00 SALE 25%OFF
Australia’s love affair with motorcycle racing and its fearless heroes was meant to be. Two things have made it so enticing. The first is the inherent love of freedom, speed and adrenalin - that wild feeling of the wind whipping your face as you fight to take the machine as fast as it can go. The second is the ingrained Australian desire to test ourselves against the rest of the world - to be the quickest of all.
7. Charley Boorman Extreme Frontiers – $29.99 SALE 25%OFF
EXTREME FRONTIERS: CANADA is Charley Boorman’s brand-new adventure/travel book. Travelling mainly on his much-loved bike, Charley will explore the world’s second largest country - home to some of the most stunning and challenging terrain known to man.
8. Billy Connolly’s Route 66 – $29.99 SALE 25%OFF
Having always dreamed about taking a trip on the legendary Route 66, Billy Connolly is finally heading off on the ride of a lifetime. Travelling all 2,488 miles of this epic road, known as ‘The Main Street of America’, the Big Yin shares the experiences of the countless travellers who have taken the journey before him. The tales he gathers on the way, from the skyscrapers of Chicago through the Wild West badlands of Oklahoma and Texas, and on to the beaches of the Pacific coast, tell the story of modern America. And they might just inspire a few readers to get on their bikes as well.
*Limited Stock. Selected books only.
9. How your motorcycle works – $19.99 SALE 25%OFF
The modern motorcycle is a fascinating and complex piece of machinery, easily as complex and diverse as the modern car. With clear, jargon-free text, and detailed cutaway illustrations, this book explains exactly how the modern bike works.
To Order Call 02 4956 9820 Shop online at www.cycletorque.com.au
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g n i d a e R y a d i l o H 1. Dreamracer DVD – $24.95
For the first time in a feature length film, Dream Racer shows the legendary Dakar Rally in its purest form – no sponsors, no multi-million dollar team, not even a mechanic – just one rider, a motorbike, a film maker and the world’s most dangerous motor race. Far more than just a motorbike movie, Dream Racer is a call to arms for anyone who has ever dreamt of doing anything – a spine tingling antidote to the fear of life passing you by unfulfilled.
2. Advanced Custom Motorcycle Assembly & Fabrication Manual – $39.95
What started in the mid-90s when a few people decided to build stock Softails from aftermarket parts·because they couldn’t buy one at the dealer·has evolved into a full-blown industry. Today, every small town has a Chopper or Custom bike shop and every cable TV channel has a Biker Build-Off series. No longer content to build copies of stock motorcycles, today’s builder wants a motorcycle that’s longer, lower,
and sexier than anything approved by a factory design team. Wolfgang Publications and Tim Remus were there at the very beginning of the trend with their Ultimate V-Twin Motorcycle book. Today they’re back with their new book, Advanced Custom Motorcycle Assembly & Fabrication. Part catalog, part service manual, and part inspiration, this new book offers help with planning the project, getting the right look and actually assembling that custom bike you’ve dreamed about for years. Three start-to-finish sequences show not just how the best bikes are bolted together, but how the unique one-off gas tanks are shaped and then covered with candy brandywine paint.
3. That Near-Death Thing – $22.99
A life-affirming journey to the heart of the world’s most dangerous race, this account gets inside the helmets of four leading motorcycle racers as they battle fear, fire, and family tragedy for a gritty sort of glory.
4. At The Alter of the Road Gods – $29.99
His mother may not know it but Boris Mihailovic has lived a fast, furious, often politicially incorrect life chasing the epiphanies of speed (the sensation not the drug). For Boris, motorbike riding was the rite of passage into manhood he’d been searching for. Now, nearly 40 years since he first rode a bike, the wisdom of age has provided the perspective for Boris to look back and realise some pretty wild shit went down.
5. TT Talking- The TT’s most exciting Era – $34.99
The decade between 2004 and 2014 was one of the most dramatic eras in the century-old history of the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, which began with the races in decline, and many observers fearing that they would soon be killed off by a combination of rising costs, political correctness and logistical practicalities. But, just a few years later, the triumphant 2007 celebration of the races’ centenary launched the TT into a whole new era of public and commercial success.
To Order Call 02 4956 9820 Shop online at www.cycletorque.com.au
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g n i d a e R y a d i l o H 6. Weekend Warriors 1 & 2 – $44.95
About five years ago Shaun, Andy and I (Jake) started to run out of places to ride. We were sick of riding the same places time and time again so we decided to pay a visit to the Melbourne Map Centre in Chadstone to see if there was a guide book on the subject. Much to our surprise there was nothing to be found. Sure there were heaps of 4WD and Mountain Bike books but, alas, no trail bike books. The guys in the shop were also surprised, as they had had a lot of enquiries from other trail bike riders. This gave us an idea....... Why not write our own book? And that is exactly what we did!
7. Don Cox Circus Life - Signed – $99.00
Welcome to the gypsy world of the Continental Circus private entrants - warts and all - with the joys, camaraderie, heartache, laughs and low acts. It was a time when rider usually had to be truck driver, mechanic, cook and start-money negotiator as well. And management help? You wish! In the 1950s, it was considered un-Australian to push your own barrow.
8. Motorcycle Journeys through the Pacific Northwest – $44.95
Motorcycle Journeys through the Northwest, 2nd edition, by Bruce Hansen, is an important update to his very popular first edition. Hansen’s enthusiasm for motorcycle exploration comes through in this full-colour, fully detailed tribute and guide to the great roads of America’s Northwest. Both visitors to the region and lifetime locals will enjoy and learn from the exciting trips that Hansen has planned and perfected.
9. Motorcycle Journeys Through The Southwest – $42.99
In this new, updated edition, motojournalist Marty Berke provides detailed routes to the best scenic, curving roads the great American Southwest has to offer. From Pikes Peak Highway, the Million Dollar Highway, and Route 66, to Bryce, Zion, and Grand Canyon National Parks, unforgettable roads and adventures await those wanting to explore Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah on two wheels.
To Order Call 02 4956 9820 Shop online at www.cycletorque.com.au
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Possibly the best modification you can ever make to your bike! Faster Cornering n Improved Traction All with n Virtually Eliminates Stalling 3.0 technology n Better Starts n Faster Lap Times n Fully turnable to rider preference & terrain conditions. n
All Rekluse products allow retention of the clutch lever to manually override the auto-clutch at all times! The rider can still “feed”, “fan”, “slip”, or “pop” the clutch and do motocross style starts.
WHOLESALE ENQUIRIES ARE WELCOME
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Rekluse Used By: Merriman, Ballard, Grabham, Whibley, Mullins, Caseli, Spies and the late great Mika Ahola. Rekluse has won in every major off road series the world over, including 8 U.S. and 2 World Championships in 2011!
“The MXA wrecking crew gives the Rekluse Core EXP clutch 5 stars” – Motocross Action Magazine
• Highest grade CNC machined billet, hard anodized aluminium clutch components. • Fully adjustable with optional wave springs and ball bearings. • CNC laser cut drive plates giving longer clutch component life, smoother engagement/disengagement, and less clutch hammering, virtually eliminates notching. • Centre clutch design with innovative oil flow for cooler operating temperatures for less fade and londer clutch life.
Moto Roost Defectors Evolution Debris Defectors – wide – for those that don’t want to bend for lever room and “U” clamps for feel claustrophobic. Multiple better cable and hose clearance, various colours $70 bar fitting $85 Add the bolt on Evolution Roost Deflector for $35 Multiple colours.
KTM Comfort Seats – in standard & tall versions $165 Carbon Fibre Exhaust Pipe Guard – $180
KTM HUSABERG
“The Rekluse Core EXP Clutch Is Magical” – Dirt Bike Magazine Plastic is fantastic... but in case you don’t feel the same, Skid/Bash Plates From $110
KTM Heim Joint Tool – $70
Ultra Disc Guard – with complete Carrier for superior strength $120
Axle Pulls Spoke Wrench – front or – $25 rear $35
Upgrade Wheel Bearing Kits – front $70 rear $60 rear with spacer $70
High Quality, High Performance Off-Road Motorcycle Products
Speedo Guard – $90
Billet Shock Spanner Wrench – two types $35
Clutch Slave Cylinder Protector – Protects from a thrown chain or side impact $50
Radiator Braces – Strong and light to protect from twisting and bending without sacrificing airflow $120
Bar Riser Kits Upgraded – Adjust your life Lower Shock 5-30mm for a Bush Kit – $40 custom fit $50
• All the features and benefits of the EXP with the addition of High grade CNC machined billet, hard anodized aluminium clutch components. • CNC laser cut drive plates giving longer clutch component life, smoother engagement/disengagement, and less clutch hammering, virtually eliminates notching. • Centre clutch design with innovative oil flow for cooler operating temperatures for less fade and longer clutch life. • 17-7 stainless steel precision wound and heat treated pressure plate springs provides consistent clutch torque capacity eliminating clutch slip. • Rekluse billet aluminium clutch cover with added oil volume offers greater impact protection and lower operating temperatures.
Grad Handle – keep your hands away from a hot exhaust $45
• STEERING DAMPERS • FOOT PEGS • KICK STANDS • CARRY RACKS
CYCLE TORQUE JANUARY 2015 - 92 WRITE A LETTER!
WIN A GREAT PRIZE
This month Peter has won has won an Airhawk mid-cruiser seat for his bike, valued at $159. Airhawk seats make riding a lot more comfortable by putting a cushion of air between you and your bike. Check out www.airhawkguy.com for more information. Send your letters (and/or great bike pictures) to The Editor, Cycle Torque, PO Box 687 Warners Bay, NSW 2282 or email chris@ cycletorque.com.au.
Cage Rattling
WELL, you really rattled the cage of some Ducati zealots in criticising the Panigale’s suspension but I support 90 per cent of what you say. To Steven and Phillip, you missed the point, and there are fundamental flaws in almost everything you stated as listed below. 1. Chris is not picking on Ducati and has criticised most brands of sportsbikes for being over sprung. he is also supported by other mags in relation to the Panigale (eg Two Wheels BOTY edition). 2. You both agree that it is a lousy road bike, but justify it by saying that it’s not in the design brief. Well, if it comes with a headlight and blinkers it’s meant for the road first and foremost. 3. You say it’s one dimensional, yet also a lousy track bike. Race teams will spend up to 100 grand and modify it from the ground up, starting with the suspension because that’s where the most gains lie. Any decent five year old sportsbike set up for the track will beat a stock Panigale. This is where you miss the point, make the Panigale more road compliant because race teams and serious track day enthusiasts will modify the suspension anyway. 4. You also state manufacturers should be congratulated for the broad range of bikes that meet consumer’s needs and interests. I agree that there is a broad range of bikes however it is more about style than substance these days. Most bike magazines criticise sportbikes on simple luggage carrying ability, pillion accommodation, rider ergonomics, fuel capacity and centrestands to name a few, thereby causing consumers to find a compromise. 5. And lastly, you state given the broad range of bikes available, Chris should find something that suits his interests and needs. A sportsbike should be the fastest point to point bike available, but currently it is not, as the suspension can’t cope with our crappy roads. Some people want a sportsbike that can handle our conditions, not a naked, cruiser, motard, retro or any other configuration of bike available. To Chris, the 10 per cent I disagree with you relates to you blaming the manufacturers for these suspension woes. I blame motorcycle journalists. In the past when it came to superbike shootouts, the winner almost always goes to the
K C A B I G N I U TO RQ bike that can get around the track the fastest, and the worst bike goes to the best road bike. The winner invariably gets the BOTY award and sales increase. Don’t believe me; the Panigale has won a swag of awards around the world. Thanks for letting me have my two bobs worth, and keep up the good work. Peter Hi Peter. This is another late to print letter, which sat on my desk unopened, sorry. Anyway, an interesting point of view worth showing our readers. I guess most people really have a subjective point of view when it comes to sports bikes. There’s no doubt over the years sportsbikes have become more narrow focused. I had the chance to ride a Panigale, specially set up suspension wise by Ducati’s Craig McMartin for me. The result was remarkable, much better on the road but still narrow focused. The funny thing is, I’m a Ducati fan, I currently own five of them, some race bikes, some road, and I love the Panigale but wouldn’t buy one for road work. I’d rather buy a Multistrada Pikes Peak or even a 1200 Monster, much better for that type of thing. But on the race track the Panigale is a delight I’ll tell you that. More power than I need, and better handling than I can explore. And there’s numerous people getting some success on the Panigale, take McMartin and Beau Beaton for example and is there a sexier bike than the Panigale? I’ve also recently tested the latest Panigale and Panigale S, and they are both better than the original model I tested, the one I criticised. The whole thing about this was based on the suspension, and I’ll tell you a story about a couple of bikes my son Alex raced at this year’s Isle of Man TT. One was a CBR1000RR Superbike, with ex Carlos Checa WSBK forks and a trick shock. The other was the Superstock 1000 CBR1000RR with Maxton modified suspension. Alex preferred the Superstocker over the Superbike, and up until that last race, the Senior TT, went faster on it. Even though the ex WSBK forks might have had the goods over the other stuff on paper, in the real world it was a different story. A case of meeting the design brief I suppose. Ed.
From the mouths of babes
MY NAME is Tia and I’m going to tell you a bit about me and my dad. My dad loves motorbikes, he watches motocross nearly every day and he even used to have a Yamaha 250. I
LETTERS
don’t really watch motocross because I’m a kid but I have a four wheeler. I don’t ride it much because I’ve rolled it two times. I’ll tell you how I fell off. The first time I fell off I had my cousin over and I flipped it. The second time my sister flipped it while I was on. Tia Thanks for the letter Tia, I hope you get to use the quad a bit more, especially over Xmas time. But, make sure you always wear a helmet and only ride by yourself, might reduce the flips. Ed.
Our Time
THANK you for the editorial titled, ‘When is it our time’. Kevin was my beloved son and I was thrilled to read your wonderful tribute to him. Kev would have been tickled pink, particularly as it appeared in a motorcycle magazine. I have proudly shown your article to lots of friends and acquaintances and sent copies to family and old friends of Kev who live interstate, especially as I didn’t have that recent photo of him. I went looking for a copy of Cycle Torque so my daughter and I went to the motorcycle store on the corner of Epping and Centenial Roads at Lane Cove. The young salesman thought it odd to see a grey haired octogenarian and middle aged lady picking up some copies of Cycle Torque. In your editorial you thought he would have been enjoying himself, and you are right as he embraced all his life with great gusto and that is some consolation. About 25 years ago that Ducati he was rebuilding was a burnt out shell as the result of one of the accidents in his younger and more daredevil ways, and I was beginning to relax about him riding a motorcycle as he hadn’t had an accident in many years. Thank you so much for your lovely, well written article and we will treasure it. Dulcie Welsh Thanks Dulcie, I must admit I feel pretty awful that your letter sat on my mess of desk until very recently, uncovered during a desk top clean up. Your son Kevin was a great bloke and I always enjoyed his company at Paterson Servo, the local hangout where motorcycles are talked freely. He was always among friends. Ed.
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