Cycle Torque eMag June 2009

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A full electronic version of the June 2009 issue of Cycle Torque

June 2009 eMag

JUNE 2009 - 1

JUNE 2009 Contents 13

9

TEST

TEST

KAWASAKI KLX450

DUCATI 1198S

46

37

TEST

TEST

SUZUKI BOULEVARD

HARLEY XR1200

62

43

TEST

TEST

HONDA VARADERO

YAMAHA XVS250

features 32 PUBLISHER’S PIECE 22 BOOK SALES 27 QUAD NEWS 28 Kawasaki TERYX 35 Carnage TOURING REGULARS

Cycle Torque: 02 4956 9820

3-8 News 15 guntrip

Editor: Chris Pickett

16 race torque

Advertising: Dennis Penzo Victorian Rep: Brian Sullivan

17 LETTERS 19 USED & REVIEWED

Admin: Bec Eastment

20-21 bike stuff

Design: Dee Hagan

26 EDITORIAL

Publisher: Nigel Paterson

30 major events 33 WileyX PHOTO COMP 39 Dirty Torque 40-41 RACING NEWS 2 - JUNE 2009

Cycle Torque is Produced by Motorcycle Publishing Pty Ltd PO Box 687, Warners Bay, NSW 2282

www.cycletorque.com.au

Cover: Ducati by Nigel Paterson, Kawasaki by Chris Pickett.

NEWS torque

Moto2: Honda show

THE FIM has announced that the Moto2 class will feature a Honda-built controlled engine supplied by Honda. The engine was chosen due to their high level of performance, with the motor said to make over 150 horsepower. A prototype chassis will be used in the Moto2 class, with Moriwaki Engineering throwing their hat into the ring to be the frame suppliers, however no announcement has been made at this stage as to who will be the official supplier, or if there will indeed be a control chassis. n

Aprilia’s ‘Streetfighter’ APRILIA has just released the RSV4 superbike around the world, however another machine is on the drawing board to rival the new Ducati Streetfighter. It’s a naked bike with a bored RSV4 motor taking the capacity out to 1200cc in a chassis based on the Tuono, but may have more in common with the FV2 concept machine unveiled 12 months ago. It’s all still up in the air at the moment as the RSV4 is the main focus for Aprilia, however the seed has certainly been planted in regard to its latest naked creation. n

THE MITO’S BACK!

IT MAY have been some time since a Cagiva Mito was seen on the showroom floor, but this fantastic 125cc machine has had a facelift and rebirth to now sport the name Mito SP525. Yes it still is a 125cc machine but the first five is in place as a memory to the Cagiva 500 which was raced by the famous Eddy Lawson.

This new machine resembles a race bike in looks and style, however it is ready to take on the road with its powerful little 125cc two-stroke engine and very distinctive looks. It’s available in Silver or Red/White livery and priced at $8,995, with more information available at your nearest Cagiva dealer or log on to www.cagiva.com.au. n

Rossi & Electric power on show at IOM TT HE MIGHT only be riding the course for an exhibition lap, but Valentino Rossi will be making an appearance at the Isle of Man TT race in June, and joining him will be another legend Giacomo Agostini, who is a 10 time TT winner. The surprise ride coincides with a break between races on the MotoGP calendar which has allowed Rossi to make an appearance and ride the 38 mile course. Both Rossi and Agostini will be riding the 2009 R1 on the infamous road circuit and this should be a real treat for all fans at the IOM TT. Just when you thought the IOM TT couldn’t get any bigger, a GP race will be held called the TTX GP, but what sets this race apart from all others at the island is that this race will be the world’s first zero-carbon emission race where the bikes will be electric powered. 23 bikes from 16 teams will compete in the inaugural race, which at this stage looks as though it will be a single lap of the circuit.

Some machines competing look similar to the current crop of superbikes on the market, albeit with petrol powered motors

replaced with battery power and are capable of reaching top speeds of 240 km/h, while other bikes resemble hybrid style machines and back yard builds. Whatever the case, the TTX GP will be on at the IOM on June 12. n

JUNE 2009 - 3

NEWS torque

BMW off road courses

BMW is running its acclaimed Off Road Training courses for 2009 in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

Combining a unique blend of highly trained and experienced instructors together with its Adventure and Enduro motorcycles, BMW Motorrad will again provide off road riders with the opportunity to learn, harness and refine their riding skills The new Enduro “Trail Bike” Skills Course provides participants the option to hone their off road riding skills aboard the amazing G 450 X or if participants feel more comfortable, they can bring their own trail bike (BMW or other brand). As part of the 2009 line up, Luka Bussa, BMW Motorrad’s very own Pro Class rider from the BMW Motorrad Enduro Team will be a guest instructor and provide guests with invaluable advice and techniques.

The GS “Adventure bike” course is designed for those BMW GS owners who wish to learn all the skills in order to get the most out of their GS motorcycle, creating a new level of confidence.

All courses are run of two days and are held in three ideal venues throughout Australia, incorporating terrain reflective of varied riding conditions and abilities.

The courses will run in mid-June at Dargle in NSW, Green Park (Conondale) Queensland mid July and Werribee (Victoria) in early October. Prices are $625 with your own bike or $895 including the use of a G 450 X in the Trail Bike Course.

For more information and bookings regarding the BMW Motorrad Off Road Training Course see www.bmwmotorrad.com.au. n

Suzuki GSR600 arrives THEY say white is the new black as Suzuki has released its new middleweight naked sports bike, and it appears in a Pearl White colour scheme.

With a powerplant based on the GSX-R600, the 599cc four cylinder DOHC motor features Suzuki’s Dual Throttle Valve (SDTV) fuel injection system, which is said to improve low to mid range torque.

An alloy frame and sporty lines not only looks good but apparently delivers an agile handling package. An upright riding style and comfortable seat makes two up riding a breeze, and with a two year unlimited kilometre warranty, the GSR600 is sure to appeal to more than the commuter. The GSR600 is now available from your nearest Suzuki dealer with a RRP of $11,290. n

Special Edition Triumph Daytona

TRIUMPH is releasing a special edition model of its popular Daytona 675 supersport machine, the 675SE. This Special Edition model will feature an entirely new paint scheme of Pearl White on the tank and body work, while the frame, swingarm and subframe will be finished in Sparkle Blue. Graphite coloured wheels also get the treatment with blue pin striping. Although pricing hasn’t been confirmed, the Daytona 675SE will be available at Triumph dealers in August. For more information log on to www.psimporters.com.au. n

Hart & Huntington Freestyle Tours.

CAREY Hart, one of the most recognised freestyle motocrossers in the world, has put together a number of free events which coincide with the Funhouse music tours with his wife Pink. Each free to the public event will run for around three hours, with plenty of free entertainment which includes freestyle MX, music, street art, fashion, custom bikes and cars. The Hart and Huntington Freestyle Tour is presented by Holden with the dates for the tour being Sat 30 May, Rod Laver Arena, Thur 4 June Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Sat 6 June Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sat 13 June Brisbane Entertainment Centre, with a stand alone show on Sat 20 June at the Gold Coast. Keep an eye out for the website www.handhtour.com.au for more information. n

4 - JUNE 2009

NEWS torque

Electric bikes almost here

LAST month we mentioned a 24 hour motocross race involving electric powered Zero X motocross bikes. Well the next instalment of their machine is a street-legal bike called the Zero S. Looking very much like a street motard bike, the Zero S is said to have a power to weight ratio equivalent to the Suzuki DR-Z400 SM, and it has a top speed of 100km/h. Power comes from a Lithium-ion battery which weighs 36kg, recharges in less than four hours and gives you a range of around 100 kilometres. The electric powered bike may still be in the early stages of production but it may not be too long before we see the Zero S hitting our shore, as the Zero X motocross model is expected to be here this month. n

Roc k e t o n t he K a y s

A VERY keen owner and rider of a Triumph Rocket III has spent more than his fair share of time in the saddle, recently clocking up 275,000 kilometres.

That’s more than most of us would travel in a decade and equates to six times around the world. The bike and rider has certainly covered virtually every inch of the country and he hasn’t finished travelling as he intends to hit the 300,000 kilometres in the not too distant future. The Rocket III certainly shows no major signs of ageing considered the kilometres it has travelled. n

Big Daddy Husqvarna arrives

THE PAUL Feeney Group has just announced that the big bore Husqvarna TE 610 trail bike has now arrived and ready to hit the road or trail. It may not be quite as hard core as its siblings, but it is still an ideal machine for both road and off road work. The TE 610 is no slouch as it has plenty of race heritage and receives plenty of goodies such as the Sachs rear shock, Marzocchi forks and Brembo brakes, which also appear on the enduro models. Fuel injection also makes an appearance on this model, with the Husqvarna TE 610 priced at $12,395 and also receives the 24 months factory endorsed parts and labour warranty. Husqvarna has reduced the price on all WR and TE models. Savings up to $1900. until June 30. For more information logon to www. husqvarnamotorcycles.com.au. n

Ride to Work day

PUT A note on your calendar as the international Ride toWork Day is fast approaching. Monday 15 June will see the eighth running of the ride day, with riders of all ages and gender called upon to be part of the day and ride your two wheeled machine to work.

Ride to Work Day is designed to show the powers that be how efficient riding to work is, as it reduces traffic congestion, improves traffic flow and uses fewer resources, while helping the environment. For further information on Ride to Work day logon to www.ridetowork.org. au or contact Scott Hawkins on 0438 742311 or Steve Steward on 0410 543599. n

Show dates EXHIBITIONS and Trade Fairs organisers, the people behind Australia’s motorcycle expos has announced upcoming dates for shows around Australia. Returning to Sydney Olympic Park will be the Sydney Motorcycle Show which will be held between 20-22 November 2009.

For 2010, the Australian Motorcycle Expo will again hit the Gold Coast and be held between 1921 February 2010, with the PWC and Scooter Festival running in conjunction with the motorcycle show. Also for 2010, the expo will make a welcome return to Melbourne, where it will be held in November at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre.

All interested exhibitors should make note of these dates as floor space fills very quickly, with all exhibitor inquiries to Aaron Morrison on 0755 087303. n

JUNE 2009 - 5

NEWS torque

All new GSX-R has arrived

IT MAY be half way through the year, but waiting the wait is finally over as the all new GSX-R1000 has arrived, with much more than a freshen up and face lift. A completely re designed engine and chassis are first and foremost on the new model, with suspension, brakes and bodywork all getting the upgrade treatment as well. The 999cc engine features the Suzuki Dual Throttle Valve injection system which is said to deliver improved performance and throttle response. Race bred development features highly throughout the bike from the exhaust to the Showa suspension and the monobloc forged alloy front brakes. Colours for the new GSX-R1000 include Blue/White, White/Silver and Black/Matt Black with a RRP of $18,990. For more information on Suzuki’s flagship sportsbike drop into your nearest dealer. n

Farewell Anthony Crago IT IS WITH sad sorrow that we say farewell to Anthony Crago who recently lost a long battle with brain cancer.

Diagnosed less than 12 months ago, Anthony was a founding staff member of Gecko Motorcycles in Canberra and really loved everything on two wheels.

Only recently married to his wife Kristy, Anthony will be missed by family, relatives and friends. n

V4 Harleys!

Bayliss testing the GP9 THREE time Superbike World Champion, Troy Bayliss has been spending quality time in the Ducati tent at recent MotoGP rounds, and it’s no coincidence that this is partly due to him riding the Desmosedici GP9 during official testing at Mugello and further afield. With the experience Bayliss has with riding Ducati race machines, his input is sure to be invaluable as the season heats up along with input towards the GP10 model on the horizon. n

6 - JUNE 2009

NO ONE can hide from emission or noise standards, not even Harley-Davidson, and that’s where rumours have emerged that the iconic company is said to be building an all-new water-cooled V-four motor to meet emission and noise standards post 2011. The new engine is rumoured to be a 75 degree V-four with the crank set to retain the trademark Harley V-twin sound. Although its current line of engines pass both current emission and noise levels, the new motors are said to be designed for ever tightening laws beyond 2011. n

H.O.G supports the wedgetail

A CHEQUE has been presented to the Taronga Foundation from the Harley Owners Group as part of their sponsorship of Nonami, the Wedgetail Eagle which resides at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. $1123 has been raised for the ZooParent sponsorship to assist in the upkeep of these iconic birds, which also happen to be the emblem of HOG.

NEWS torque

Motorcycles Sales Australia website

WHILE advertising costs on eBay and major corporate online advertising sales sites have soared, most motorcycle dealers may feel they’ve “lost their identity,” not being allowed to display phone numbers and shop locations.

Three private individuals who are directly involved in the motorcycle industry and website design have created mcsales.com. au, which is not only easy to navigate and use but has many new and unique features.

Dealers can display all of their contact details and shop location.

There is also provision to have their own “dealer sub-domain” so potential buyers can view all other motorcycle stock. Dealers can send customers straight to their full stock lists via an email link, print their sub-domain on their business cards and add a link to their website.

There’s also a heap of special offers for the first 10 dealers in each state to sign up and the first 500 private individuals can advertise free until their bike is sold.

To find out more, go to www.mcsales.com.au.

BMW’s Superbike unveiled THE WAIT is finally over as the curtain has been lifted on the BMW S1000RR superbike, which was revealed at Monza in Italy during the recent World Superbike round. In road trim the S1000RR is claimed to have a more than healthy 193 horsepower, along with features such as ABS and Dynamic Traction Control derived from the racing machines. A choice of three colours will be available being black, white or metallic lime green, with the new machine unfortunately not expected here in Australia until next year. n

Vulcan 1700 Nomad & Voyager

THE NEXT instalment of Kawasaki’s range of cruiser Vulcan bikes has arrived in the form of the Nomad and Voyager.

Not only do the Nomad and Voyager have a six speed ’box and electronic throttle valve system, they also receive Electronic Cruise Control, adjustable windscreen, hard panniers, pillion floorboards and a luxurious pillion back rest, with the Voyager also receiving ABS via the Kawasaki Advanced Coactive-braking Technology, multi function instrumentation and an audio system for the rider and pillion. Designed for one or two up cruising, the Nomad and Voyager are sure to find many a new home of those looking for a new tourer. Priced at $22,499 for the Nomad and $25,499 for the Voyager, these bikes are now available at your nearest Kawasaki dealer.

And if you happen to buy a new bike, Kawasaki can also help you out with bike insurance due to a partnership with Swann insurance to provide Kawasaki branded insurance via its dealer network. Insurance is available across its entire range of motorcycles and ATVs, and for more information log on to www.kawasaki.com.au. n

JUNE 2009 - 7

SMALL torque Donington in doubt?

IT’S still early days but the famous Donington Park circuit in Great Britain is in a spot of bother due to unpaid fees to the sum of around $6 million. Due to the unpaid rent, legal proceedings have been instigated which leaves the track in doubt for the MotoGP round which is scheduled for July. Until the issue has been resolved or fees paid, it may see the track closed to all upcoming events scheduled on the 2009 calendar at the iconic track.

Cash Back on DR-Z

FOR A limited time Suzuki is offering cash backs on its DR-Z range of machines. For those looking for a DR-Z400E or its smaller brother the DR-Z250, a $400 cashback is available. The smaller bikes in the range don’t miss out either as a $200 cash back is on offer for the junior trail bike DR-Z125 and DR-Z125L (little wheel). An ideal machine for younger riders looking for a fun trail machine, the 125cc four-stroke motor offers a modest spread of power without being intimidating, not to mention the low maintenance and reliability which goes hand in hand with this motor. Available in Champion Yellow or Black the cashback offers for all bikes finish on 30 June.

Mid sized Silver Wing arrives

FOR THOSE in touch with scooters, you should be familiar with the Honda flagship Silver Wing 600 scooter which is considered the luxury sedan of scooters. Due to its popularity, Honda has added a mid sized scooter, the 400cc Silver Wing to its range. Powered by a liquid cooled fuel injected DOHC parallel twin engine, it offers power considered equal to a 500cc single. A low centre of gravity and a stylish and spacious cockpit make the 400cc Silver Wing a welcome edition to the range, while a colour choice of black or silver is available. For more information logon to www.hondamotorcycles.com.au.

Opening of HART postponed.

FOR ALL those people that intended on heading to the official opening of HART (Honda Australia Rider Training) in Victoria, take a seat as the opening has been postponed until further notice. A new date has not been set at this time, but we will keep readers up to date as things become apparent.

Honda as part of its service within participating dealerships will soon have a Honda Safety Advisor (HSA) to assist customers with safety advice and on the spot training through an on site simulator. These safety initiatives can have a real benefit to new or less confident riders looking to purchase a new bike from a Honda dealer. This program will be introduced over the next two months, with more information available at www.hondamotorcycles.com.au.

Engine conversion for your roadie

A CAIRNS based shop known for doing slightly outrageous conversions to current road bikes is currently offering triple cylinder two-stroke 1100cc motors to take the place of the inline four cylinder four-stroke motor in your favourite road bike. Claimed to make 186kW at the rear wheel these two-stroke motors are light and certainly high on power. Not only that they offer massive torque equivalent to large cruiser machines.

8 - JUNE 2009

A complete conversion kit from the Two-Stroke Shop, which includes everything from the throttle grip up to upgraded brakes and suspension, will set you back $35,000. For those interested you can also look up www.twostrokeshop.com.au.

RIde raises big bucks

RIDE For The Hills was held in early April to raise money for the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal in Victoria. Almost 3000 riders turned up for the event which started at St Kilda and went out to Whittlesea, with the ride raising $42,000 for the worthwhile charity. Well done to all those involved in the event, with another event scheduled for 2010, the Road to Recovery.

Acme sees again

BACK in April, we ran a story on Acme , one of the dogs at the Nabiac Motorcycle Museum, who was losing her eyesight. Well good news everybody, as Acme has undergone the surgery and successfully regained her eyesight, where she can now greet visitors once again who visit the museum.

Oceania MX at the Capital

MOTORCYCLING Australia has just announced the 2009 Oceania Motocross Teams Championship will be held by the A.C.T Motorcycle Club in Canberra. The event will be held on the weekend of 29-30 August, and with the track being upgraded earlier in the year, it is sure to be a highlight in the Australian Motocross calendar. For more information log on to www.ma.org.au.

Cash injection for Geelong Motorcycle Complex

GEELONG Motorcycle Complex, also known as McAdam Park, has been set aside $1 million in the Victorian state budget in order the keep the facility open to the motorcycling community. With the cash injection, the sale of the McAdam Park, which is currently owned by the McAdam family, will see the last remaining off road motorcycle complex in the Geelong area remain open. Open to the public, McAdam Park can be used by all riders virtually regardless of their age, with the Victorian Government delighted with being involved in the acquisition.

Roadside assistance for Spyder

CAN-AM, the company behind the three wheeled wonder, the Spyder, has now introduced “Can-Am roadside assist”. This offer is available to both new and current owners of the Spyder, and offers a nation-wide 24 hour, 365 day premium roadside assistance service, which also includes free technical advice and towing service, plus alternate transport and accommodation if the need arises. It’s free for 12 months when a new Spyder is purchased, with the roadside service administered and managed by the NRMA. For more information contact your nearest Can-Am Spyder dealer.

Australian ISDE team announced

THE International SIx Days Enduro is fast approaching, and Motorcycling Australia has announced the team which will represent Australia in Portugal in October. For the first time, a Womens’ team will also be part of the competition at the six day. Riders for the teams are Chris Hollis, Glen Kearney, Kirk Hutton, Stefan Merriman,

Shane Watts, Jarrod Bewley, Toby Price, Josh Green, Andrew Lloyd, Geoff Braico, Anthony Roberts, Alison Parker, Jemma Wilson, Jacquie Jones and Lana Stiller.

Reece Bancell applications open

APPLICATIONS for the Reece Bancell Scholarship in now open for riders contesting the Australian Superbike Series. The lucky applicant is selected for the scholarship which assists and develops their future in motorcycle racing over the following Superbike season. Selection is based on performance, professionalism and attitude, with the rider required to be under 25 years at the time of the application and be a non factory or contracted rider. For more information on the Reece Bancell Scholarship phone 0408 603 298 or email rbscholr@ tpg.com.au.

Scooter cashback

AS PART of their effort towards helping the economy, TGB is offering a cashback on all new 101S and 303RS scooters purchased. A $150 cashback is available on the purchase of a 50cc 101S model, taking its rrp to $1840, while a $300 cashback is available with the 150cc 303RS model, taking its rrp to $3390. The offer is only available until June 30, and for more information drop into your nearest TGB scooter dealer or log on to www. tgbscooters.com.au.

Pagsta release Series 2 Cruisa

PAGSTA Australia has expanded its range to include the Series 2 Cruisa. With over 20 upgrades to the 2009 model, which include redesigned alloy wheels, wave rotor disc brakes, beefier exhaust, a gear position indicator and the latest generation twin cylinder 250cc engine. Priced at $4795, the bike offers economic value and it comes with a 12 month unlimited kilometre warranty. For more information contact Pagsta Australia on 08 9249 2999 or logon to www.pagsta.com.au.

All that glimmers

HONDA has released its 2009 model of sports tourers with bold new paint schemes which are sure to turn a head. First cab off the rank is the VFR800 which receives two new colours being Candy Red Glory and Sword Silver Metallic. Gold rims also complete the bling factor, with this iconic machine now available for $15,990.

Heading up the pecking order is the ST1300 which also receives the glimmer treatment and receives the Candy Red Glory paint scheme, with the second colour available for the ST1300 being Digital Silver Metallic.

Priced at $24,690, both the VFR800 and ST1300 are available at your nearest Honda dealer.

Enduro X on show

IT MAY seem like an unusual venue to hold a stadium enduro cross event, but this interesting style of racing will be on show at the National 4x4, Off Road, Fishing and Outdoors Expo, in Melbourne. The expo will be held at revamped Melbourne Showgrounds and commences on Friday September 4, running for three days. A number of classes and bikes along with ATVs will be contesting the event, which will see rocks, logs, sand and dirt obstacles all make up part of the track. Entry to the expo, which includes the Enduro X, will be $16, with children under 15 free. For more information log on to www.4x4show.com.au. n

Cycle Torque test – Ducati 1198S TEST BY

Chris Pickett

PHOTOS BY

Nigel Paterson/DUCATI

RIDING GEAR: M2R helmet, Ducati jacket, Spyke pants, Spyke gloves, Spyke boots.

Traction attraction Extra cubes, extra oomph and traction control –

enter Ducati’s 1198S

Ohlins suspension comes standard on the 1198S.

Road bike brakes don’t come much more powerful than these Brembos.

DUCATI’S new 1198S isn’t the first bike with traction control, but it is the first mainstream model Ducati has fitted with the safety device. It might look essentially the same as the 1098S but it has more capacity, and therefore more horsepower and torque. Is it substantially better than the outgoing 1098S? I don’t think so, but it is one hell of a machine.

Just so we don’t get mixed up, there is the standard 1198 with Showa suspension and no traction control. Then we have the 1198S with Ohlins suspension and Ducati Traction Control (DTC). Lastly we have the top of the range 1098R – already 1200cc – which has a different type of traction control when the race track only exhaust was fitted.

There are other detail differences like wheel shapes and the like, but overall it’s hard to tell one from the other at a glance unless you are familiar with the product.

The Australian launch was planned for Eastern Creek but it was washed out. That would have enabled us to ride the standard and S models.

I’d already tested the 1098R at Phillip Island over 12 months ago, but amazingly the test is still burned into my brain, it’s that good a bike.

1198S on the road I can see why the Ducati importers hold launches for their superbikes at the race tracks. You have to be on the right type of road to appreciate these bikes. I’ve

JUNE 2009 - 9

Cycle Torque test – Ducati 1198S (Cont.)

Twin mufflers must only just come under the decibel limit.

The red lights (top right) indicate The 1198 retains the single sided when the traction control is operating. swingarm of the previous 1098. ridden plenty of 1098s and none of them are happy in traffic. The 1198 is no different, hunting on the throttle like a dog on a leash. Does this make it a bad bike? Far from, it’s just that they are hard work in heavy traffic. The riding position is severe, the mirrors give you a wonderful view of your elbows, even with the optional 30mm extensions, and your arse gets hot. Get an open road and crack the throttle and all the unhappiness disappears.

You have to expect that when a bike is punching out such high horsepower levels there have to be compromises.

10 - JUNE 2009

Around town the riding position is wrist breaking, bum aching and neck straining. One thing I noticed, and which I liked was the seat to footpeg distance. There seemed more room than a 1098. Regular Cycle Torque tester Billy Newton recently sold his 1098S for a 1098R but the ‘S’ had brackets which dropped the ’pegs around an inch, not much you might think but it definitely made the bike nicer to ride. It felt as though the 1198 ’pegs were in a similar position. All it needs are ’bars an inch higher and a taller screen. You can get aftermarket ’bars and these would be

S p e c i f i c at i o n s: 2009 DUcati 1198s Engine Type: Liquid cooled 4-stroke, L-Twin cylinder Valves: Four per cylinder Bore and Stroke: 106mm x 67.9mm Compression Ratio: 12.7:1 Fuel induction: Marelli electronic fuel injection Ignition: Digital Transmission: Six speed Fuel Capacity: 15.5 Litres Capacity: 1198.4cc Final Drive: Chain Frame Type: Tubular steel trellis Seat Height: 820mm Wheelbase: 1430mm Dry Weight: 169kg Front Suspension: 43mm Ohlins fully adjustable USD with TIN Rear Suspension: Progressive linkage with Ohlins fully adjustable monoshock Front Brake: Dual 330mm semi floating discs Rear Brake: 245mm disc Front Tyre: 120/70 ZR17 Rear Tyre: 190/55 ZR17 Price (RRP): $33,990 + ORC the first thing on my list to buy, and would make an awesome bike into a much better one, with more leverage on the handlebars and less wind hitting the body.

Wow, this bike is fast, there is so much torque available off the bottom that you need to be careful twisting the throttle hard out of tight corners. The front will launch into the air in the first couple of gears with only the slightest

provocation. Compared to the 1098, the 1198 has around 10 more ponies more (125kW at 9,500rpm – 131Nm at 8000rpm) and although it feels stronger it hardly makes the 1098 a wimp.

Even though the engine will rev out to 13,000rpm there’s no need to hold gears, the six speed gearbox is so easy to use you can shift at will, using the torque to punt you out of a turn rather than have the big twin revving its proverbials off.

There never seems to be a major hit of power anywhere, it’s everywhere.

At speed on an open winding road the bike is in its element, soaking up bumps and feeling ultra sure-footed in bends, basically regardless of the speed.

How do even the best riders on the road outride a bike like this? Regardless of how fast I was going or the type of roads I encountered I couldn’t fault the suspension, never feeling the need to even look at its adjustments. Same goes for the Brembo brakes, the big four-piston monobloc calipers washing off speed with the slightest of lever touches.

Safety first I’ll be the first to admit I forgot to check if the DTC was on for my first ride. It was only when I got back that the question was asked. Navigating the dash – which incidentally has bigger numbers than the 1098 and is easier

to read at a quick glance – via the left toggle switch is easy when you know how. I quickly realised the DTC was engaged when I was riding the bike, and at its most potent level, 8. When I rode the 1098R at the track the traction control made its presence known aggressively, by cutting fuel delivery.

The 1198S does it by altering spark progressively up to a point where if you are going really crazy with the throttle, fuel is cut also. How do you know if it’s working? There are four big red lights on the dash. The first light comes on if the DTC reduced spark, the second light if more spark is cut, the third light the same, and the fourth – biggest – light is illuminated if fuel is cut. I didn’t notice any of this when I was riding the bike at speed, but then at those speeds I was also looking at where I was being propelled at a great rate of knots.

Thinking back I remembered a few times when I cracked the throttle open hard and the bike didn’t accelerate like I expected. I thought I was in too high a gear and just continued on without much thought. Could the DTC be that good, I thought? So I tried the bike with DTC turned on and off, and at different levels. When set at the highest level you could notice one or two of the lights coming on every now and then and you could also feel the slightest of power loss from the bike, if you were looking

for it. In reality I don’t think I could push the 1198S hard enough on the street for the DTC to really kick in hard.

On the track it would be very handy, in the rain it could save your life.

Final thoughts Ducati’s 1198S really is a special machine. It may be hard to live with day to day and is a budget busting $33,990 + ORC but it will reward you with one of the most thrilling riding experiences you could ever imagine. It is as simple as that. n

JUNE 2009 - 11

Cycle Torque test – Kawasaki KLX450R TEST BY

Matt Brown

PHOTOS BY

Nigel Paterson & Chris Pickett

Kawasaki's KLX450R might not be as hard edged as some of its competition but it's a better trail bike for it.

Green Means G KAWASAKI hit a home run when it designed the KLX450R. It’s fast without being intimidating, has ideal trail manners with its plush handling and looks great in green.

On the stand Two words come to mind when I approached and sat on the KLX; comfy and simple, instantly making me want to ride it. The seat height in relation to ’bars and control/lever setup worked.

The increased seat foam volume will be welcomed at the end of a long day’s ride and although this is one of the heavier bikes on the market it didn’t give me the impression of being a bulky bike. A more aggressive footpeg setup would be a welcome after-market addition though.

Simple, easy to read instrumentation with easily accessible controls allows you to concentrate on keeping her

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rubber side down on the trails rather than worrying if you’ve left your indicator on. Oh yes electric start (with manual kickstart just in case).

Pretty? No weird angles on the plastics and a very good looking and very functional front and rear lighting setup. I’d like to see how the split radiator shrouds hold up a long term test though.

So does green actually mean go?

In one word – yes! The KLX essentially has the same engine setup as its race bred brother the KX450.F It does have increased flywheel mass to give it low end torque which gives very useable power to all riding levels. The most useable power seems to be in the low to middle which is ideal for the majority of weekend riders. Titanium valves are used in conjunction with progressive valve springs to still enable a great revving bike. Transmission

is five speed and the gear ratios are widely spread, suiting most trail types.

As long as you’re not always sitting high in the rev range, the thing will blast out of corners, through water crossings, over logs around fire trails with ease all day long.

Stopping power comes in the form of a semi-floating 250mm petal disc on the front and a 240mm petal disc on the rear which basically means it has good stopping power but being a bit heavier than many of its competition means it’s unlikely to win a braking comparison.

How about Suspension?

The suspension is plush – Kawasaki has catered for a rider who wants to be able to cruise around the bush on the weekends at a leisurely pace then go to work on Monday not feeling like the bike has used their body like an amusement park. Although the KLX

Go is the heaviest in its class it hides it very well.

It is surprisingly nimble. It has a great ability to steer in and around ruts with ease, making it very easy to ride on tight one line trails.

The KLX has 48mm inverted Kayaba forks with 22 compression adjustment settings and 20 rebound adjustment settings. The shock is also KYB with compression, rebound and high speed adjustments. The standard settings are fair, but heavier (90 kg and over) riders will need some adjustments. We found that a fork compression setting of nine and rebound of 10, and shock setting of 10 on the compression and 10 on the rebound with the high speed on 1 ½ turns worked best for a 90kg rider.

Can I race it?

Yes you can. Because out of the crate with the right rider you can be competitive in an off road environment due to the same engine and frame set-ups developed for the KXF450. Remove the ADR, stiffen the suspension, put on tyres and gearing of choice, maybe a pipe for some more

JUNE 2009 - 13

Cycle Torque test – Kawasaki KLX450R (cont.)

top end and you’re good to go. In fact Shane Diener holds the record for the number of Australian 24 hour reliability races piloting his KLX 450. Although his bike has had the suspension extensively modified as well as a lot of extra hard

Ugly radiator hoses are out of harm’s way.

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parts necessary for high speed desert racing.

Judgement This bike is very predictable, meaning it will not want to be ridden above anyone’s skill level. Whether you just want to go for a few hours cruising in the bush, or a hard session battling through the bush, this is one of the easiest bikes to ride in its class. I don’t think the KLX was built with racing first in mind, but the KXF race bike still lurks inside! n

Enduro kit rear guard is much smaller than the standard one.

S p e c i f i c at i o n s: 2009 kawasaki klx450r Engine Type: Liquid cooled 4-stroke, single cylinder Valves: Four Bore and Stroke: 96mm x 62.1mm Compression Ratio: 12:1 Fuel induction: Keihin FCR40 Ignition: Digital AC-CDI Transmission: Five speed Fuel Capacity: 8 Litres Capacity: 449cc Final Drive: Chain Frame Type: Aluminium twin spar steel Seat Height: 935mm Wheelbase: 1480mm Dry Weight: 115kg Front Suspension: 48mm fully adjustable Kayaba inverted forks Rear Suspension: Adjustable Uni Trak Front Brake: 250mm semi floating Petal disc Rear Brake: 240mm Petal disc Front Tyre: 80/100-21 Rear Tyre: 110/100-18 Price (RRP): $12,499

GUNTRIP

Traveller’s tales MY LOCAL loop measures exactly 145 kilometres. It offers a good variety of going, from 15km/h hairpins to longish straights, and boasts plenty of hills. It even has drinkable coffee in some places, and I found myself gasping for it yesterday.

Said loop has a couple of problems (not including those you can anticipate yourself, such as traffic density at different times).

The first, it almost goes without saying, is the RTA’s mixed offerings by way of surfacing and maintenance – it’s one of the pleasures of living in NSW; the second, no matter what the weather at home base, the wind will be howling at the top of the loop at this time of year and send you diving for cover at the earliest opportunity.

Yesterday as I crested the final rise the breeze howled up from the valley to the east; then, rounding the right-hander around the last knoll it hit me full in the face, this time as it thundered in from the west. I was wearing my heaviest gloves but wished for more; the loose end of my helmet strap began beating an irritating rhythm against the side of my helmet; only my jacket seemed up to the task.

At least it gave me

something else to think about and I began – in the manner of cold and increasingly weary travellers everywhere – to begin counting down the kilometres to my next intermediate stop and final destination.

Part of the problem was of my own doing. I’d left it too late getting started and by the time I made the left turn to begin the final run up the westward hill, into the second half of the ride, the sun was well into its slide down the sky, popping out from behind houses and rocks to dazzle in some places. Then as the road began snaking through the woods, long shadows of trees cast themselves across the road, making it more and more difficult to pick out details of the road surface.

But for all these minor irritations – the wind, the cold, ambling school buses and, improbably enough, a 4WD towing a trailerload of hot air balloons – the ride was a good one. The traffic grew thinner as I left Sydney behind and for all the dire warnings from the roadside ‘unmarked police cars’, ‘motorcycle risk zone!’, the pleasures of a casual autumn ride began to assert themselves.

I do my best thinking while riding. I expect you’re the same. At

some point during this 145km run I’d fixed my own problems and my neighbours’, designed a jig that would enable me to fix a line of shelf brackets dead plumb to the walls of the shed, bought myself a new bike and fixed the old one, cleaned the gutters, reorganised the garage and trued the steel plate on top of the family barbecue. If I’d kept going I’d have smartened up my CV, made my fortune and everyone else’s and still been home in time for dinner.

Of course, by the time I’d rolled up the drive and into the shed I’d forgotten the lot, as if it had all been a dream. I only had the ticking of a cooling motor to tell me different.

I’ve been looking for some external measurements of various engines without success. I hover incessantly between the charms of various new motorcycles and spending some money on the long-suffering Bandit. The best I can provoke from anyone in re the Bandit is a sigh of indifference, but it’s served me faithfully and I can’t help wondering how it would feel with a little less unsprung weight and a little more mumbo. And perhaps some new paint.

These are, as I’m sure I

don’t need to emphasise, difficult times and the cash I’d have to fork over for a new mount might be better spent on other stuff.

The house, for instance; or maybe a holiday for the missus and me.

That would still leave enough in the disposable kitty to do something interesting. Perhaps even – the RTA permitting – an engine transplant. An RF900 donk might make life more interesting but those downdraught carbs probably wipe that one out. Or an 1127 engine. Same engine mounts, I believe, same measurements; but then what would I have? A slightly undersized 1200 Bandit.

No, that probably isn’t the way forward either.

There’s only one thing certain of, I’m never likely to be able to afford an 1198S; but as I happen to think the 888 and 916 were the best-looking Ducatis ever made, maybe that isn’t such a problem.

Whoever you are, wherever you are, you’re a creature of your own time. It’s amazing what occurs to you when you’re halfway up a mountain on a cold autumn afternoon.

– Bob Guntrip

JUNE 2009 - 15

RACE torque

Talking Skills BEFORE we can improve our skills, it is important that we classify just exactly what skills are required to ride and race a motorcycle, and how those skill classifications fit into the broader sports context based on a criteria developed by American Barbara Knapp.

Like many sports, motorcycle racing involves both gross and fine motor skills. Gross skills involve large muscle movements, contractions and extensions, while fine skills involve intricate movements using small muscle groups which tend to be precise and generally involve high levels of hand-eye co-ordination. A road racer will use his leg/hip and core muscles to unweight and move his lower body around the bike, while a motocrosser will make extensive use of his legs and arms/shoulders/back and core muscles to get the bike around the track, particularly whooped/rough/rhythm sections and jumps, spending over 75 per cent of a lap on the pegs.

All riders use a high degree of fine motor skills via lower arm/hand and lower leg/feet muscles to operate the clutch, throttle, steering, brakes and gears in conjunction with the gross motor skills mentioned.

Open and Closed skills: Sports such as basketball, tennis and football usually involve open skills where movements have to be continually adapted. This is because the environment is constantly changing – no shot or pass in any of these sports is exactly the same in terms of angle, power, trajectory or circumstance, therefore skills are predominately perceptual and adaptive.

Closed skills take place in a stable, predictable and sometimes controlled/ isolated environments such as archery, javelin, discus – where the performer knows exactly what to do and when.

Skills are therefore not affected by the environment and tend to be habitual.

Movements have set patterns and a clear beginning and end. These skills

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tend to be self-paced, for example a free throw in basketball, or serving in tennis or squash.

Motorcycle racing is essentially a close skilled sport, particularly road racing, because the track conditions do not change significantly compared to off-road events, and the influence of other riders on the required skill set is significantly on a lesser scale than open skill sports such as football.

Internally and Externally paced skills: It is important to classify whether a skill is open or closed or whether it is internally or externally paced.

Internally, or self-paced skills are where the performer controls the rate at which the skill is executed, usually in a closed-skill environment such as javelin or discus.

Externally paced skills occur in an environment which usually includes opponents that control or significantly affect the rate of performing the skill; the performer must pay attention to external events in order to control his/ her rate of movement. These skills involve reaction to what opponents are doing, and are usually open skills in field/court games (football & hockey/ tennis,squash & basketball).

Motorcycle racing is primarily a sport of internally paced skills, as your opponents do not have an on-going or significant influence on how you execute your skills compared to say a tennis player, whose opponent will try and make every shot as difficult as possible to return. A rival on the track may spoil your line, or force you take a different line to defend your position, but the skill set required and its execution is relatively the same.

Discrete, serial and continuous skills are concerned with how defined the beginning and the end of the skill are – discrete, serial and continuous.

Discrete skills are brief, well-defined actions that have a clear beginning and end. They are single, specific skills which make up the actions involved in hitting or throwing, baseball pitching/

Steve Brouggy from the California Superbike School makes it h i s business to get inside the rider’s head. batting, cricket bowling.

Serial skills are a group of skills strung together to make a new complex movement, eg, the sequence skills for a triple jump or pole vault.

Continuous skills have no obvious beginning or end; the end of one cycle of movements is the beginning of the next, and the skill is repeated like a cycle, eg swimming, running and cycling.

Motorcycle racing is based on a series of serial skills namely cornering (roll off, brake, downshift, turn, roll on, exit).

Individual, co-active and interactive skills: Individual skills are those performed in isolation, eg figure skating and high jump.

Coactive skills are those performed at the same time as others but without direct confrontation, eg running and swimming.

Interactive skills are those performed where others performers are directly involved, eg rugby, football, basketball and netball.

Motorcycle racing is a primarily

TORQUING BACK LETTERS

co-active skill in that riders are not directly confronted by other riders, although their behaviour on the track, and options taken in terms of turn in points, braking, lines etc is influenced by the tactics of opponents.

Simple and complex skills: A simple skill is one that is straightforward with very few subsections to go through to perform the skill.

Complex skills involve a large attention span because they are complicated and practised in training repeatedly to make it easier to perform in competition.

The skills to operate a motorcycle are relatively simple compared to say a serve in tennis, where players spend many hours practising and a first serve success percentage of 75 per cent is considered excellent. In motorcycle racing, skills must be executed with 100 per cent success.

Braking, back-shifting and turning a bike are best done subconsciously and require little or no repetitive practice once mastered, so therefore it is a simple skill.

Motorcycle racing is made up of many integrated and serial skills that integrate with our sense of balance, sense of vision, sense of speed, central nervous system, and neuroskeletal system.

Think about how your own skill development is going in the context of the above classifications, and develop a plan to improve them, one by one.

– Darryl Flack

Riders know your rights

NOT so long ago I was out on my brand new Triumph Speed Triple enjoying some of our fantastic South Coast scenery when I hit a road defect which literally sent www.dragginjeans.net me air borne into the path of an oncoming car, through mainly luck we missed each other by millimetres. I stopped shaken but unhurt, so did the car driver in question. We then together investigated what caused this potentially near fatal incident and found a huge area of what’s best described as rippled and raised tarmac - we are talking here a banked, ramp type raised area over 150mm high just inside the central white line markings on my side of a fast section of road (this is as dangerous as it gets). We are also talking a major scenic road used very heavily.

The upshot of this incident was fortunately only a buckled front wheel, which I wasn’t about to accept in any fashion. I decided there and then I was going to take action before some other rider wasn’t so lucky and came to grief due to this defect. I took the witness’s name and address, I took photos of the scene that day with a newspaper heading shown in one of the photos (so the date could be proved if required later). I printed out the photos of the scene, took a few of the prints to the local Police Station and reported the incident that same day stating someone is likely to die there very soon if this defect is not repaired immediately and I gave the Police my witness’s details too. I took the officers name & incident report number, stated I was now going to see the RTA at their local office and I expected the Police to follow up on this report as a matter of urgency, they didn’t like this but remember we pay their wages & they work for us too.

I then went to the local RTA office where I saw the manager told him what had happened and stated that the Police are now involved in this near-miss incident, gave him copy photos of the defect, and witness details and I stated that I believed the RTA is fully responsible for the safe up keep of all the highways. I then asked for their insurer’s details, as I wished to claim my damages. I got a claims form from them completed this to their requirements, kept copies of every thing and returned it all to them. Within three working days the road was fully and properly repaired, within four weeks my claim for damages was fully settled too.

Lessons Learnt? Know your rights and exercise them. If possible always carry a small camera with you, a phone one will of course do.

Always get any witnesses details. Report the incident ASAP to all relevant authorities. If you’re in the right, don’t take any crap.

Name and address held on request

Choice Dear Nigel,

The letter from Alan Shaw (lawyer from Boston, dunno?) and your response is interesting. Some might say boring, but it does highlight

Write A Letter!

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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 This month’s winner is David Ellis for his take on the marketplace.

JUNE 2009 - 17

TORQUING BACK LETTERS

a prevailing attitude among us motorcyclists. Of course you’re both right, Alan for commenting on a stupid but ignorant activity and your reply indicating our right to choose. Most of the guilty scooter riders he refers to are on holiday, which they usually commenced without the intention to hire scooters, consequently the lack of safety gear. Perhaps this is a moral issue better directed to the hire companies? With regard to the more serious matter of bikers who inadequately protect themselves, what can you do?

Personally I’m like Alan, full gear even to go down to the shops, but when you see traffic cops with just the helmet & boots it sets a piss poor example to the motorcycling community in general.

I digress. Up here in Far North Queensland every day you see Harleys, litre sports bikes, scooters & all in between being ridden with singlets, no gloves, shorts and sandals and sometimes a pillion similarly attired. You just know that if helmets weren’t compulsory they wouldn’t wear them either.

It mystifies me how a boofhead will spend upwards of $30,000 on a bike but won’t spend more than $99 on a helmet and even less on protective clothing.

But back to the real issue. It is nothing to do with you or me what these idiots do, as long as it doesn’t impact on us. The pain and suffering (sometimes beyond bearing) that they go through after they hit the diesel is not felt by us, and personally I don’t care when it happens to the above mentioned. It does strengthen the case for the Darwinian Theory of natural selection though, and perhaps those that read this and get the message might even do that Stay Upright Course they think they don’t need. Just an observation Nigel and a few thoughts to go with.

Ride safe.

Pete Boniface.

Cairns.

It’s funny that police riders are regularly mentioned riding without jackets. When I was a police riding instructor I can vouch that students were never allowed on a bike without wearing the correct safety gear – even though they are still forced to ride with dodgy jodhpurs. Unfortunately it seems this message is lost on some of them out in the real world.

I still cringe when I see a police cyclist without a jacket. I rode them for years but never without all the safety gear on.

Ed.

Dealers

BEEN into Bikes for over 35 years now, both dirt and road. Ooohhh how much has that cost - aaahh ‘doesn’t matter’. Both sons have also enjoyed riding and its been a good bonding time.

So as old faithful (XR400) with many mods is about to be passed on to No. 2 son, I go back to the market to look for a new saddle. However, I have noticed that the dealer world is going nuts in my region.

Mr Yamaha has apparently been going around telling the longtime dealers how they are going to run their dealership - what bikes to sell, how many,

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which models, dedicate someone to Yamaha Finance etc. As a result my possible dealers Mick Hone & Stafford have ceased their dealerships. Well done Mr Yamaha for your stand-over tactics, don’t ever wonder why your sales have dropped dramatically.

Oh well Mick doesn’t have to fix everyone else’s warranties anymore. Perhaps if Peter Stevens sold ‘all’ the bikes in Victoria the distributors would have their perfect sales model. Wouldn’t the regular owners like me love that.

Well, Plan B, let’s give Yamaha a miss and revisit Honda - OMG, Redwing Honda have shut the doors completely. The spares guys and staff in there were fantastic with an absolute wealth of experience. So the sceptic in me thinks this is a conspiracy - if a distributor sits back and lets predatory dealers sell below price for long enough other dealers will probably fold. Actually, one might even think Mr Yamaha and Mr Honda probably make more money from their Finance - maybe Peter Stevens’ domination is perfect for them.

So what is happening to the good old local dealer, you know - the regular faces that would talk to you, give you good advice, get in your spares at the last possible notice, could be trusted to look after your baby, and generally give you somewhere to congregate on a Saturday morning. Going the same way as the Global Financial Crisis - heaven help us?

So to the wheelers and dealers out there that decide what is best for the buyer, this is one buyer who prefers good honest service from familiar faces. So guys, let the fingers do the walking... H, I, J, K. That’s it, K - KTM, let me get my glasses and we will give them a call. Sorry Mick.

David Ellis.

Mont Albert Victoria.

PS. Hey Chris, love the mag, I get to a dealer at least once a month even if it’s just to get my copy, and I regularly go to the web site and read the tests - especially the KTM - right now. Just thinking, can I pay for home delivery? I am running out of regular dealers to visit and get my mag, and I will always spend at least a cover price when I am there!

Thanks David Maybe I’m old school but I like the smaller dealers, I usually find them to be a bit more personal. And that’s why I’m loyal to my local guys.

Short and sweet

You should check your B King article for the numerous mistakes it contains. Please if you’re going to do a write up at least check your facts.

Graeme Cyberspace.

Thanks for the tip Graeme but it would have been nice for you to tell us what the ‘alleged’ errors were.

Ed.

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Bee Emm suit

WE’VE had the BMW Rallye 2 Pro suit at Cycle Torque for a couple months and it’s seen some road miles that’s for sure. This is the second BMW suit we’ve had (we still use the old suit which is a number of years old and still in great condition). It’s a genuine adventure rider’s suit, so there’s loads of ventilation, armour and the Goretex liners make it both warm and waterproof. It’s cut to fit you snug and they are built to last, we can attest to that.

And if you like pockets you won’t be disappointed with this suit. Another handy item is the built in bum bag.

It comes in sizes to suit even the most ample stomachs and is available in grey/blue or grey/black.

We use our Rallye 2 Pro suit for both dirt and road riding so it’s up for anything anytime.

Price: Jacket $1070; pants $765 (both inc Goretex liner) Available from: BMW dealers nationwide More info: www.motorcycles.bmw.com.au

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Sneaky helmet

THIS is the second AGV Stealth helmet I’ve had. It looks racy, the overall fit is good and the wind noise acceptable. To be honest I find every helmet I wear to give enough wind noise that ear plugs are a must.

I’ve done a thousand kilometre day in my Stealth, I’ve raced with it on numerous occasions and it stacks up well against many of the other brands I’ve used at Cycle Torque.

The chin strap set up works well and you can clip the left over part of the strap back on itself easily.

I like to wear tinted visors when I can and changing over visors on the Stealth is one of the easiest systems I’ve ever used, once I worked out how to do it.

The only niggle I have (I had it with the old one too) is there isn’t enough clearance around the lower ear lobes, which over the course of a big ride definitely makes its presence felt. I tailored mine to fit my wonky ears so now it’s no longer an issue. – Chris Pickett Price: Dragon $429, Grifo $469, Solid $399 Available from: Good bike shops everywhere More info: www.agv.com

JUNE 2009 - 19

INFORMATION FROM OUR ADVERTISERS 1 Expandable Luggage

IT’S a pain when you need to fit that bit more gear into a bag, but it just won’t fit.

Well the Expandable Aero-delta VII from Ventura might just be the ticket to solve those problems. In basic form it’s 15 litres but expands out to 35 litres making this one attractive bit of kit. Made from tough and hard wearing material to withstand the effects of nature, it looks almost identical to the non expandable unit and will zip to other items in the Aero range.

Price: $140 Available from: Good bike shops nationally More info: www.kenma.com.au 2

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Screening the R1

KEEPING the wind at bay is pretty important when on a bike, with GYTR giving R1 riders the option of replacing their standard screen with a double bubble screen.

Made from high quality polycarbonate, the new double bubble screen directs air flow further over the rider than the standard item, which reduces buffeting while riding.

Available in tinted or clear to fit the 2009 YZF-R1 from your Yamaha dealer.

Price: $201.69 (clear) $245.99 (tinted) Available from: Yamaha dealers nationally More info: www.yamaha-motor.com.au 3

alpine for winter

WITH the summer months behind us and the days getting shorter and colder, it may be time to update to a new jacket. The Dri Rider Alpine Jacket just might be the ticket.

Made from heavy duty nylon, with a hypoallergenic and 100 per cent waterproof liner and CE approved armour it offers great protection against the elements.

Dri Rider’s Alpine jacket is available in men sizes from SM up to 8XL and women sizes from XS up to 4XL. Price: $399.95 Available from: All good bike shops More info: www.mcleodaccessories.com.au 4

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Slip on performance

YAMAHA’S new YFZ450R is one sure footed and race bred ATV, but if you’re looking to bring on more mid and top end power a quick and easy addition is close to hand. GYTR has a slip on muffler which offers a boost in mid and top end, is ready to go and meets the 94db race requirements. The hard anodised aluminium muffler is completely re-buildable and uses the stock heat shield. Available for your 2009 machine at your nearest Yamaha dealer.

Price: $649.03 Available from: Yamaha dealers nationally More info: www.yamaha-motor.com.au

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Gear stash

WITH adventure riding being more popular than ever before, making that off road trip has been made easier thanks to pannier frames from Safari Tanks. Currently set up for the Suzuki DR650, the frames are capable of carrying both hard and soft panniers and can be easily self fitted by anyone a bit handy with a few tools.

Price: $495 Available from: Safari Tanks 03 57295556 More info: www.safaritanks.com 6

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Lock down

BIKE security is something of a personal choice, but it is cheap insurance in the scheme of things. German company ABUS make a range of locks and chains specific to motorcycle security and the Granite City Chain X-Plus is one of those items. Made from high tensile 10mm hexagonal chain it can resist almost every means of breakage.

Price: $242 Available from: Good bike shops nationally More info: www.abus.com, www,motonational.com.au

A crazy adventure

IMAGINE doing a trip across India on stock as a rock Royal Enfield motorcycles, through jungle roads. Five very ambitious Indian locals, one of whom is a film maker, took this journey and documented the trip along the way. Picture quality is very good, with plenty of scenery all playing part of the adventure. It’s different from your typical adventure film but entertaining nonetheless. One Crazy Ride runs for almost 90 minutes and is something left of centre.

Price: $34.90 Available from: Motociclo (02) 9557 7234 More info: www.motociclo.com.au 8

Frimouss me

JUST for the ladies is Ixon’s Frimouss textile jacket. It’s not lairy, it’s not over the top, but it does offer plenty of protection from the elements and the road.

Price: $279 Available from: Leading motorcycle stores More info: www.ficeda.com.au 9

Battery power

A FULLY charged battery is great, a flat battery isn’t. Exide Batteries has announced a new range of motorcycle and ATV batteries to suit a huge range of these products, and jetskis too.

Price: Various Available from: K-mart stores nationally.

More info: www.exide.com

JUNE 2009 - 21

Bike Books Doctor Costa Tears & Triumph

Claudio Costa is the doctor who fixes bike racers. He gets them back out there as quickly as possible: Gardner, Doohan, Agostini, Rossi, Biaggi and many others have all been clients. Here Dr Costa takes a close look at what makes riders tick, offering insight into why they ride and race.

It also looks at the Clinca Mobile, the travelling hospital founded by Costa. The book is semiautobiograhical, showing us the man behind the medic.

Doctor Costa Tears & Triumph - $80.00

The Last Hurrah

From Beijing to Arnhem, Des Molloy and Dick Huurdeman rode a 40 year old Panther and an 50 year old Norton halfway across the world in a trip which was part odyssey, part idiocy.

This is the great story of the trip.

The Last Hurrah – $39.95

Triumph Motorcycles

From Speed twin to Bonneville, this book is chock-full of images and information primarily focussed on the classic triumph twins and triples.

Triumph Motorcycles from Speed Twin to Bonneville – $65.00

How to Hop Up and Customize your Softail

Learn how to make your Softail really special: install a 90hp big-bore kit, fat rear tyre and lots, lots more. There’s also sections on lowering your bike, installing new sheet metal and interviews with the Pros. Evo and Twin Cam engines all covered.

How to Hop Up and Customize your Softail – 55.00

Blood, Sweat & 2nd Gear Here’s some practical medical advice for motorcyclists delivered with a dry wit. There’s a lot more than just practical first aid here, it’s great background information which is good for any motorcyclist.

Blood, Sweat & 2nd Gear – $34.95

Essential Guide to

Motorcycle Maintenance

This book contains a heap of tips and techniques to keep your bike in top condition.

This book also describes in detail how many parts of your bike work and includes hundreds of colour photographs and illustrations.

The essential Guide to Motorcycle Maintenance – $59.95

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Building Budget Brits An enjoyable book detailing how to rebuild or restore unit-construction Triumph and BSA twins without having to mortgage your house. With lots of practical advice and money-saving tip this book will be of interest to anyone looking at restoring any bike, but especially British Twins.

Building Budget Brits – $44.95

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The Castrol Six Hour Production Race 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.

The Castrol Six Hour Production Race – $69.95 Essential Guide to

Dual Sport Motorcycling

Everything you need to buy, ride and enjoy trail and adventure motorcycling.

Sections on riding gear, tools, riding tips and safety and maintenance keep you well informed for the trip ahead.

Exploring and navigating are also covered in this comprehensive guide book.

Essential Guide to Dual Sport Motorcycling – $44.95

The GP Guide

Model Portfolios

Covering machines as diverse as the Norton Commando through to Yamaha’s R1, these portfolios are collections of reprints of magazine articles about the featured machine.

Each looks at the history of each model and is a great guide to learning the differences between models.

Ducati 851 & 888 - $44.95 Yamaha YZF-R1, 1998-2006 $39.95 Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa - $44.95 MV Agusta Fours - $44.95 Norton Commando Ultimate Guide - $59.50 All softbacks

Bonneville

World’s Fastest Motorcycles

The definitive guide to MotoGP, Motocourse is essential reading if you want to really know what happened in the world’s premier road racing championships.

Contains detailed information from teams, riders and journalists you simply won’t find elsewhere.

Superb photography. 2007-2008 features Casey Stoner’s winning year in MotoGP.

An inside look at the famous races at the Bonneville salt flats, this coffee table book is full of great images and interesting writing.

Bonneville - World’s Fastest Motorcycles – $65.00

Motocourse 2008-2009 $139.95 2007-2008 $119.95

ps JUNE 2009 - 23

Bike Books Fro Burt Munro Books

Burt Munro, Indian Legend of Speed is the definitive guide to the man who inspired many by making an old Indian go so very, very fast.

Munro is the central character of the movie World’s Fastest Indian, which is a must-see film for anyone with an interest in motorcycles.

One Good Run is a dramatic recreation of Burt’s life and includes numerous images.

Burt Munro, Indian Legend of Speed - $55.00 One Good Run - $29.95 Special offer Both Munro books for $74.95, save $10 Both softbacks

Learn freestyle This book gives you all the ideas and explains the techniques required by every freestyle rider.

With 24 key tricks explained, this Australian book will help you dazzle your friends.

From basic riding to the toughest tricks, it’s all explained here by the people who pull the sickest air.

Ultimate Guide to Freestyle Only $19.95

To Order Call 02 4956 9825 More books at www.issuu.com/cycletorque

24 - JUNE 2009

om Cycle Torque Where to ride guidebooks Bitchin’ Bitumen is the sports rider’s guidebook to the East Coast of Australia.

Featuring many great rides from Tasmania to Queensland, Bitchin’ Bitumen will help you find many of the best scratching roads in the country.

Weekend Warriors and Weekend Warriors II are for the Victorian Trail rider, featuring many great riding areas and trails, as well as information about setting up your bike and lots more.

Although they were published a few years ago, they still contain lots of useful information and are now being sold as a pair at a great price.

Bitchin’ Bitumen $34.95 Weekend Warriors I & II - $44.95

Motorcycle Book Catalog Available now

www.issuu.com/cycletorque JUNE 2009 - 25

EDITORIAL

Paranoia and dwindling numbers

I’VE watched with mild interest the aftermath of the bikie bashing at Sydney Airport recently. I assume we would all know that laws have been put in place in most states, outlawing bikie gangs.

If you believe the media, all bikies are bad news, if you believe the majority of the motorcycle press, we are all going to be stopped unfairly while out for a ride with our mates.

I don’t believe all bikies are bad, but that doesn’t make me a fan of them either. Do I think of them as fellow motorcyclists? Far from it, generally I think they are thugs who ride bikes, but that would be casting too long a net over the subject.

As for the thought I’ll be stopped while out with a couple of mates on our Nortons, just because they have beards and are wearing open faced helmets, get a grip. If you believe you’ll be harassed by the police in such a situation you have taken too many paranoia pills.

I couldn’t care less that the law has been introduced, maybe I’m a little apathetic but I can’t imagine it affecting me personally.

Just because a few of them turn up for the odd toy run shouldn’t make everyone turn a blind eye.

I had two cousins heavily involved in outlaw motorcycle gangs, and the amount of rules and bulls__t they lived with was a joke. But they had no-one to blame but themselves when it’s all said and done. They’ve both done the sensible thing and left, deciding that there was more crap dealing

26 - JUNE 2009

with their so-called mates than there was in everyday life.

The grief the bikies are copping now is self inflicted in my opinion.

The recent Barry Sheene Festival of Speed was a great success for the Post Classic Racing Association of NSW. Hats off to the club stalwarts, Jan Blizzard and my old mate Scott Waters who gave up a ride to be chief organiser. To see Croz and Kork Ballington on the track was awesome to say the least. I actually owned two of Croz’s racing machines years ago and let them slip through my grasp.

Oh well, young kids and a mortgage put paid to such visions of putting the bikes back on the grid, but I know where they are and it’s a credit to the guys who finished them.

Now I may not generally be a forum dweller but I used the PCRA forums regularly to find out info on bikes, classes and to trawl the For Sale section. When the PCRA revamped its website the powers that be decided to can the forum. This is a big mistake guys, get it back on for the sakes of your club members. I know that forums can attract wankers, but the

South American bikies on a run.

majority of users did so to gather information, not talk crap. Get it back up or risk losing club members.

It’s no secret that motorcycle racing in this country is in the doldrums.

And by that I mean the likes of national and club championships.

Smallish crowds are making it hard for promoters to break even, so the competitors take the brunt by paying higher entry fees. This has led to smaller fields, so ever increasing costs get passed on to a smaller number of competitors. I can’t help but thinking the glory days of racing, like the Castrol Six Hour and Mr. Motocross series have long gone. The big names don’t seem to be there. Maybe I’m living in the past, maybe we are spoiled by the GP, World Supers and SuperX. It seems these events attract most of the spectators, leaving the rest to a small number of fans, family and friends of racers.

Two of the biggest motorcycle racing events in this country are the Island Classic at Phillip Island and the Barry Sheene Festival of Speed at Eastern Creek, one-off events which have huge turnouts of riders and plenty of paying spectators.

James Spence is also having a big one-off event this year, a six hour endurance race at Oran Park in November. It could well be the last time you’ll see a motorcycle race at Oran Park.

Make sure you check it out, the racing will be awesome and hopefully it will seem just like the old days.

– Chris Pickett

QUAD

ATV Tours for all ages IF YOU’RE up for a bit of a four wheeled adventure then you might want to consider an ATV guided tour in Queensland. There are a couple of tours to choose from, depending what part of the state you wish to see. Gold Coast ATV Adventures offer a 3.5 hour package and visits the hinterland just outside of the Gold Coast. The minimum age for a rider is 18 years, however you can be 16 years with parental permission, while younger children can be a passenger, but must be seven years old.

Bookings can be done on line via their website www. atvadventures.com.au or phoning 0424 940 234. Prices for adults are $110, with children being $49.00.

Far North Queensland is another location where you can indulge in a guided ATV tour, with Blazing Saddles. Half day guided tours are available which take you across a variety of terrain from open fields to trails through the forest. Both morning and afternoon tours are available with a guided tour costing $125. A minimum age for the tour is 12, with a choice of ATVs available. For more information contact Blazing Saddles on 07 4093 9100 or log on to www.blazingsaddles.com.au Keeping with the Queensland theme, these tours are for the more serious ATV off roader who really wants to cover more than your average trail. Aussie Quad Adventures run a number of tours which run over a number of days reaching out to such locations as Camerons Corner and Cape York, but they also cater for smaller and less demanding rides. For more information contact Aussie Quad Adventures on 0418 723 155 or logon to www.aussiequadadventures.com.au.

Glenworth Valley on the New South Wales central coast is an alternate location to take a very enjoyable ATV tour.

Over 3000 acres of bushland and rain forest are open to riders, who must be at least 12 years old. The rides last around 1.5 hours with more information by phoning 0243 751222 or www.glenworth.com.au.

Heading south from Sydney the Tugalong Recreation Park is available to ATV riders and is located between Sydney, Canberra and Wollongong. It’s open to riders of almost all ages, with the little ones also being able to ride. A mixture of terrain and great wildlife is all part of the experience, with camping available at the park. For more information logon to www.tugalong.com.au or phone 0248 789 171.

Newcastle, north of Sydney is another location where ATV riders can participate in tours around forests north of Newcastle in the Buladelah area. Certain regulations apply regarding recreational registration, but it is all outlined on

NEWS

their website www.trailtours.com.au. You can use your own machine for any of their tours, which also include multi day rides further afield and Stockton Beach dune riding. On all Fours can be contacted on 0249 975 555. Some of us at the office have been on trail bike tours organised by John Liddell and if that’s anything to go on, the ATV tour is sure to be fun. n

Big Bore King Quad gets Power Steering SUZUKI’S latest flagship ATV to hit the market, the King Quad 750 4x4 is now here and it also features power steering. Purpose built and ready for work, the King Quad 750 features a fuel injected 722cc engine, independent suspension and Suzuki’s fully automatic QuadMatic Continuous Variable Transmission. Now available from your nearest Suzuki dealer, the King Quad 750 retails from $12,590. n

JUNE 2009 - 27

Cycle Torque test – Kawasaki Teryx TEST BY

Chris Pickett

PHOTOS BY

Nigel Paterson

speeds over very rough terrain, so you won’t be caught out by a machine not responding to your commands.

There’s also a light on the dash to let you know if the belt drive is struggling.

Another handy piece of kit is the variable front Tech diff lock. Once The American market Teryx in 4WD you can has fuel injection, however distribute torque the Australian model’s V-twin equally to the engine is fed by Keihin carbs, two front wheels so in essence we get the 2008 via a lever next model spec Teryx , which to the CVT control. When is still said to be the most powerful in its class. It’s liquid- crawling over big rocks and the like you can greatly reduce cooled and looking at the number of sensors and gadgets wheel slippage to get you out of trouble. controlling the engine really Inside the cabin it looks not is a 21st century machine. unlike a car. You have two race The 90-degree engine layout style plastic seats, so hosing produces minimal vibes too. out is an option if it gets too Kawasaki’s engineers dirty. There’s a steering wheel have gone to great lengths to and a throttle and brake set position the vital components, up just like your everyday car. like the radiator and exhaust, Left hand drive is the order of out of the way, there’s also plenty of bash plates protecting the day, we suppose Kawasaki didn’t see the need to change the engine and drivetrain and it for our market. Much of the the chassis looks very robust. bodywork is plastic which is In short it looks as though it’s simply bolted onto the chassis, designed to go into battle on there’s a very strong looking the farm or through the bush roll cage and seat belts keep for years to come.

CVT transmission gets power you out of harm’s way. It’s sporty but if you think it’s to the ground, with high and about as big as a large quad low range, reverse and 2WD then forget it. This sucker takes and 4WD options via a switch up some room. There’s ample on the dash. Incorporated in the CVT is a protection system room in the cabin for two very large passengers. Out back the for the belt drive which is designed to prevent freewheel Teryx has a tray with cargo net which can take over 200kilos and belt overload at low KAWASAKI’S Mule has been a favourite of farmers and mining companies for some time, combining ample seating for more than one, four wheel drive capability and storage for equipment.

Kawasaki has taken it one step further, creating the Teryx RUV, a 4WD action machine with a 750cc V-twin engine, CVT transmission and the ability to put a mile wide smile on your face.

28 - JUNE 2009

Four wheels, a steering wheel and a 750cc V-twin – a sure recipe for fun.

Taming the – think a little less than half the size of a normal ute and you’ll be close to the mark – for all your gear. All up the Teryx weighs 579kg with no fuel.

It’s carrying capacity is 466kg including passengers and cargo

shocks to the passengers.

To help them Kawasaki has designed long arm A-arms to increase wheel travel on the independent suspension system.

How does it work in the real world? We drove it around the same sand motocross In the dirt track we were testing the I’ve never seen a test enduro bikes. It soaked up vehicle where everyone was all the punishment but you so keen to try it. There were did get shaken around some. five of us testing a range of off road bikes on the day and We did launch ourselves off a couple of smaller jumps the Teryx gave everyone the but weren’t keen to continue biggest laughs. The engine those shenanigans, you get is no slug and the CVT jarred around a bit. The Yanks transmission is obviously race them so the Teryx must designed for sports, ie quick be able to handle it. Out on acceleration. We expected a bit more power but the engine the more open trails it was awesome fun, you could has to deal with much more weight than a quad of similar go crazy, sliding the Teryx around corners like a car, engine displacement. doing all the things you’re not Suspension is fully supposed to do on the road. adjustable front and rear, Pulling up is no problem, Kayaba charged shocks with with disc brakes at each piggy-back reservoirs have corner you simply jump on the task of reducing the

Long travel suspension coped better than expected with the bumps.

e T-Ryx the brake pedal and you stop quick smart. They are powerful without locking up too easily.

We never found ground clearance to be a problem even over some pretty ugly terrain and tall, peaked mounds of dirt. Ground clearance is actually 287mm, no doubt helped by the huge 26inch tyres.

For the driver the dash has all the info of a car, dual trip meters, fuel gauge, speedo etc.

But you need to treat a vehicle like this with respect. If you go too silly they can bite hard, with a narrow wheelbase you can tip them over, not easily but our test vehicle already had bark off it and we nearly tipped it on its head. That said, a quad is no different.

a number of ATV tour companies now who can accommodate vehicles like the Teryx, so it’s not just limited to duty on the farm.

At $18,499 it’s a fair chunk of money but then it’s a fair chunk of RUV. n

The Teryx is built to last by the looks of its business end.

Cockpit is very similar to a car, just with harder seats.

Who’ll want one?

We had a ball with the Teryx.

An obvious buyer would be the farmer who likes to add a bit of excitement to his/her day, rather than just dodging an angry bull. It can take a load, is easy to drive and is comfortable to boot. But there are

JUNE 2009 - 29

June

40th anniversary Winter Rally

WHEN: June 5-8 WHERE: Yarrangobilly Homestead, approx. 30kms north of Kiandra on the Snowy Mountains Highway.

WHAT: Australia’s oldest and longest running rally, and finally, in the snow at the homestead this year thank God! All motorcyclists are invited (no cars please). Screen printing available. Bring copies of your old Alpine Rally photos to add to the Alpine Rally album. Back to basics, ie BYO everything. Toilets, rubbish removal, water and firewood provided.

CONTACT: Henning Jorgensen, 47 Palmerston Avenue Dromana VIC 3396. 03 5981 0140.

Australian Senior Long Track Championships

WHEN: June 7 WHERE: Lang Park complex, Townsville Qld. WHAT: Dirt bikes, speedway bikes, noise, dust, excitement.

Is there anything more to say?

CONTACT: www.ma.org.au.

Australian MX Champs

WHERE: Murray Bridge SA WHAT: Australia’s best MX stars go at it to prove who’s best on the whoops, berms and tabletops. Some new faces will take on the older guys, like Craig Anderson who’s turned green for 2009 CONTACT: www.ozmotox.com.au or www.ma.org.au.

Yamaha Watagans Trail Bike Rally

WHEN: June 20-21, 2009 WHERE: Watagans State Forest, 1.5 hours north of Sydney.

WHAT: The Yamaha sponsored rally offers several hundred riders the opportunity to have fun on both days with a short and a long loop - both featuring hard and easy sections to cater for a wide range of skill levels. Yamaha Motor Australia is giving away a 2009 model WR250F to one lucky rally goer plus there will be a huge amount of prizes and other giveaways on the weekend. With camping, Sunday breakfast and lunch and showbags all complementary, the Yamaha Watagans Trail Bike Rally offers great value at just $125 for the weekend.

CONTACT: R & C Promotions, 0427 277 888 or www. trailbikerallys@bigpond.com.au.

WHEN: Round 5: June 14, 2009

July

2009 Motorcycle Road Race Development Association

WHEN: Round 3, 4-5 July 2009.

WHERE: Mac Park, SA. WHAT: Motorcycling Australia (MA) has released the dates for the 2009 MRRDA Series and announce the official status of National Cup to the Junior classes within the series in both two and four stroke classes.

There’s also 600 superstock, 125GP/250 Mono and 400s. Awesome racing.

CONTACT: www.mrrda.com for more info.

2009 Honda Australian junior Dirt Track Championship

WHEN: July 3-5, 2009 WHERE: Central Coast Junior MCC, Somersby NSW. WHAT: The junior dirt track titles are always action packed, with the little terrors on the 50cc machines up to 250cc four-strokes.

CONTACT: www.ccjuniormotorcycleclub.org.au.

Gold Coast Street & Chopper Motorcycle Show WHEN: July 11, 2009 WHERE: 23 Machinery Drive, Tweed Heads South.

30 - JUNE 2009

WHAT: Trophies and prizes up for grabs in 12 categories from classics to choppers, including cash for ‘Best Unrivalled Chopper’. Enter your bike on the day from 10am. Live band, trail riding displays, gates open noon. Admission $15, kids under 15 free.

CONTACT: 07 5524 8056.

Winter Rally

WHEN: July 11-12, 2009 WHERE: 4 kilometres south of Nerriga on the NowraBraidwood Rd. WHAT: Another great rally held in the depths of winter. A band will be on hand for entertainment and refreshments/food will be available. Big bonfire on Saturday night. Entry fee $20.

CONTACT: Phone Darrel 0418 211 622, Jamie 0401 741 125, post entry forms to U.M.T.C PO Box 800 Campbelltown NSW 2560.

Victorian Road Race Championships

WHEN: Rd 2, July 24-25, 2009 WHERE: Winton WHAT: State road racing at its finest, at a track which is great to ride and spectate at. Be there.

CONTACT: www.prestonmcc.com.au.

August > Australian Superbike Championships

WHEN: August 7-9, 2009 WHERE: Rd 4, Eastern Creek, Sydney WHAT: For spectacular road racing it’s hard to go past the Aussie Superbike champs, one of the strongest national series in the world. The breeding ground of many of the Australians currently doing well on the world stage, the championship has plenty of young hopefuls taking it up to the older guys like Jamie Stauffer, Kevin Curtain and Shawn Giles. Classes from 125GP right through to the big banger superbikes.

CONTACT: www.asbk.com.au or www. ma.org.au.

Australian Classic MX Championships

WHEN: August 7-9, 2009 WHERE: Green Park Conondale, Qld WHAT: A great look in to yesteryear, with some classic marques liek Maico, Montessa, CCM, Bultaco, SWM and Cotton joining the Japanese brands for some full on action, and some parading too.

CONTACT: www.ma.org.au.

Blue Liners Tumut Charity Ride.

WHEN: September 12-13, 2009 WHERE: Tumut, NSW WHAT: The Blue Liners Touring Motor Cycle Club is resurrecting the Tumut Charity ride of old. Join the ride at Freemans Waterhole, South Western Sydney, Goulburn or Gundagai. All proceeds to local Tumut Charities. There will be a morning tea break at Goulburn, and lunch and re-grouping at Goulburn for the ride into the Tumut town centre. A

function has been arranged on Saturday night at the racecourse, with catering, live music and bus transport from the hotel/ motel to and from the venue- just like in the old days! Local service clubs will be providing a hot breakfast at a reasonable price on Sunday morning. Registration $25 per bike + $25 per person for the function including bus and meal. Preregister please.

CONTACT: John Griffith 0418 488 935 or john@turb-o-web.com or visit www. blueliners.com.au. Blue Liners TMCC PO Box 442 Swansea, NSW 2281.

Bendigo Motorcycle Expo

WHEN: October 3-4, 2009 WHERE: Bendigo, Central Victoria WHAT: Sponsored by Shannons, the 2009 Bendigo Motorcycle Expo will take place at the Prince of Wales Showgrounds Exhibition Building and is hoped to become an annual event, with up to 10,000 people attending this year. It is anticipated that the event will feature all the major manufacturers of on and off-road motorcycles, including Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, Harley-Davidson, Suzuki, and Triumph, with many scooter distributors also taking part. Customised, drag and race bikes will be other popular exhibits. Motorcycle accessories manufacturers and distributors will also be out in force with trade stalls showcasing products from helmets and riding-wear to parts, accessories and bike trailers to airbrush artwork.

CONTACT: Geroge Bobbin 0428 510 426 or bmesecretary@gmail.com

Desert to the Snow Postie Bike Challenge

WHERE: Brisbane to Melbourne WHAT: $4950 per person includes bike ownership, all meals, fuel, mechanics, spares, support vehicles and air fare home. Route; Brisbane to Melbourne the long way over nine days, 3000+km on an unmodified Honda CT110. A great mix of bitumen, gravel, and sand. A once in a lifetime adventure and a great equaliser for all types of riders. This is not a race, it’s a tour with a challenge and a lot of fun. Meet a great bunch of like minded adventurers. Final celebration dinner and a soft bed at a resort at the destination.

As on previous PBCs, in the spirit of goodwill, please voluntarily donate your bike in your name to Rotary at the end.

CONTACT: Dan Gridley, PO Box 287 Spring Hill Qld 4004. 07 3264 7727, www. postiebikechallenge.org.

SuperX

WHEN: October 17, 2009 WHERE: Round 1 Aurora Stadium, Launceston, Tasmania; Round 2 Oct 24 Skilled Stadium, Geelong, Victoria; Round 3 Oct 31 Burswood Dome, Perth, WA. WHAT: Chad Reed will return to Australia for the SuperX series, hoping to keep the crown he won in 2008.

CONTACT: www.superx.com.au.

MotoGP, Australia

WHEN: October 18, 2009 WHERE: Phillip Island, Australia WHAT: The pinnacle of road racing, can Casey Stoner win again or will Rossi and co upset his day? Australian supports will be on the card also.

CONTACT: www.phillipislandcircuit. com.au

WHEN: October 3-12, 2009

To have your major event included here, email details to chris@cycletorque.com.au - include the event’s name, what it’s all about, dates and contact details.

JUNE 2009 - 31

Publisher’s

Piece

I HAVE always loved reading about bikes. From that first copy of Bike Australia I bought in a bike shop in Perth when I was 16 - which I discovered when I got it home was in fact the inaugural issue - right through to today, where I learn far more about what’s going on in the world of motorcycling from the internet than I do from printed publications. And I’m not alone; if you’re not getting some of your bike news from cyberspace, you’re missing out.

Of course it’s not just bike news that’s online: newspapers are in decline as readers desert the printed publication in favour of getting their news from their computer screens for free. The major newspaper brands around the world are almost all in decline. Factors which haven’t really taken hold yet - such as paper shortages and an increasing cost of transporting printed paper to distribution points - will hasten the decline as costs increase.

What does this mean for motorcycling?

Not much, really. Sure, we might be riding around on electric bikes, but we’ll still want to read about the latest models, get the drum on what’s happening in the industry, discover new products and get the inside information on why so-and-so won the most recent Grand Prix… it’s just we won’t be getting that info from printed magazines and newspapers.

And while today that means looking into your computer screen, that’s changing. Technology companies are building better and better screens which

are nicer to read from, and building them into portable devices which can carry heaps of information in a small, lightweight package. Currently the best examples are Apple’s iPhone or iPod Touch: screens which should be too small to read from (just 3.5-inches) but have remarkable clarity and contrast.

In the USA Amazon sells the Kindle, an electronic book reader which can store thousands and thousands of pages in a lightweight, easy to carry device.

Imagine getting your Cycle Torque downloaded to such a device every time we publish automatically - no more trips to the bike shop to pick it up, no wondering if it’s out, it will just be there, ready to read.

Well, that’s the future, and it’s coming.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the printed page and Cycle Torque will continue to be available in all its tabloid glory for as long as it’s viable to do so, but we’re making plans for Cycle Torque to be a viable publication long after we stop printing each month.

Which is why I’d like you to take a look at www.issuu.com/cycletorque. Issuu is a website built specifically for documents which are designed to be read online.

I’ve posted one sample Cycle Torque eMag there already, and I hope to have more there by the time you read this. Issuu, however, offers a lot more than just Cycle Torque - go to the link above and you’ll find some of the publications I’ve bookmarked. Have a search around and you’ll find sample pages from lots of the foreign bike press which might upload 16

pages of a 100-page magazine and also lots of other interesting reading. It would be the perfect place to post any club newsletters too: free is a lot cheaper than postage.

Don’t be afraid to let me know what you think of all this new technology: publisher@cycletorque.com.au is the best way to get to me.

It won’t be just pages to read, either.

Last month we announced our podcasts and vodcasts are now online (see www. cycletorque.com.au) and as I type this there are nine available for download (at the Cycle Torque website or from iTunes) or view online. By the time you read this it will probably be more.

Our vodcasts can also be watched on Youtube - just search for cycletorquedotcom and you’ll find our channel and all our videos.

Currently there’s videos on the KLX450R, Victory Vegas, Husqvarna TE250 and Ducati 1198 online, with more to come soon. Our audio podcasts feature news, racing, interviews and banter - #8 features Mal Cherlin talking about his passion for Bears racing and his recent ride which earned him an Iron Butt award, as well as a good-spirited argument between myself, Chris Pickett and Mal about who is to blame for Ben Spies running out of fuel at Monza.

And the best thing about all this content? Like Cycle Torque’s printed paper, it’s free.

– Nigel Paterson

Subscribe to Australia’s best motorcycle podcasts, in video and audio through iTunes.

32 - JUNE 2009

WileyX Bike Pix competition

Stuart McLean’s group of intrepid travellers were into their sixth day out of Kathmandu in Nepal. They had crossed the Himalayan range in the shadow of Mt Everest and now were riding our 500cc Royal Enfields on the Tibetan plateau.

After crossing Khamba La at 4994 metres the group was descending on a new bitumen road that could only be described as “switchback nirvana.”

After a momentary lapse of concentration of Stuart’s part, forgetting which side of the road he should be on, he narrowly missed an oncoming Landcruiser.

Probably not the best place in the world to have a major accident.

We’ve had so many fantastic photos sent in. Thanks to all of you who’ve taken the time to share your journeys with Cycle Torque.

Unfortunately we can only pick one per issue but please keep them coming.

kathmandu

Nepal

Cycle Torque and WileyX Eyewear have teamed up to offer Cycle Torque readers the chance to win a pair of fabulous WileyX glasses up to the value of $269.95.

Just email us a motorcycle oriented photograph (maximum 5MB in size) to chris@cycletorque.com. au. Include a short description of the photograph of about 50 words and send it in. Don’t forget to include your details so we can contact you if you are the lucky monthly winner!

Your photograph can cover anything of a motorcycling nature. It could be a photograph taken during a ride with mates, or of an exotic bike you spotted somewhere, or perhaps taken on a road trip (to Phillip Island perhaps).

We’re keen to see dirt bikes, road bikes, race bikes and (importantly) the people who ride them. Funny, interesting or action-packed images are the likely winners.

WileyX has a huge range of glasses in its lineup, about 50 models in fact, and you could be wearing one of them if your photograph is selected to be published in the Cycle Torque WileyX Bike Pix Competition.

We’ll be running the competition for a few months so keep your camera handy. If you want to see more of the WileyX range of shatterproof prescriptionable eyewear just check out www.wileyx.com.au or ring 1300 782 990. n

JUNE 2009 - 33

Cycle Torque touring feature

Carnage touring

I HAD a great time, when is the next trip? It was one of those trips where a mate of a mate invited me on a ride up to Uralla, NSW. I told the love of my life I would only be gone one night. I was only going for work purposes, but I thought $300 should cover it… “thanks dear.” I loaded up the new V-strom, which has been updated since the last tour of carnage to Birdsville.

The journey We met at a local golden arches where we had sports bikes, Harley Davidsons, big Jap and Euro tourers all ready to go. Two of the boys were on hire bikes, from Brisans Newcastle, which consisted of a BMW R 1200 GS and a Triumph Sprint. And for the record these bikes were returned without incident. Big Daryl

34 - JUNE 2009

gave us the ride briefing and we were off.

After a huge 40 minutes of riding all hell began to break loose.

We were riding along the Boral Road from Stroud to the Pacific Highway. Yours truly was in front on the amazing V-strom, which was being pursued by a bird of prey Hayabusa. Next thing, bird of prey down. Corner, speed, bit of gravel and lack of ability most likely. Anyway during all the fun he ended up high siding, but the big bird landed back on its wheels with no mirrors, bent front end, numerous scars on fairing and newly designed Yoshimura pipes. Now to JB’s credit he continued on with the trip and really was one of the star obnoxious drunks at the pub that night. To be fair the next day he could hardly move.

Anyway back to the Boral Road. Just behind the bird of prey ‘Big Dave’ on his CB1000 also had a little fun on a right hander.

However, extraordinary bike control has seen him not negotiate the corner but carve out some dirt track closely missing several trees before returning back to the black stuff. Still in the saddle he realised there was now a dampness problem in the Kevlar jeans.

Time for a break to put some sh_t on JB – sorry, check on his welfare.

Off we went around the lovely Lakes Way where I stretched the Strom’s legs following a lovely sounding VTR1000. Almost a small hiccup with one of those government SS Commodores whilst overtaking, but too much traffic for him. Bit of lunch at Wauchope where we all decided no more prangs was the plan.

So off we headed on the winding Oxley Highway. Passed through Long Flat before stopping at Gingers Creek where a storm from hell was brewing…great. A bit of time went by where our two Harley riders had not arrived. Finally the 1989 sportster pulled in visibly showing some damage. However it was all the blood on the rider’s (DR) arm that looked uncomfortable to say the least. Now, we all received a lesson on the importance of wearing protective clothing. Unfortunately his jacket was strapped to the back of his bike that left his forearm open for some ripping. Again it was a corner with a bit of gravel, but at

850km, 14 bikes, four offs, two hospital visits, one writE off and a lost hot dog. least for DR he was not riding his own bike. Yep back a bit he had swapped with his mate, who I will call Patient Guy. After a bit of first aid on DR we were off, heading for Walcha. Minutes later the storm from hell hit and I pulled over to slip on the old wets. By the time I sloshed around I was soaked and I was now the corner man.

About 25km out of Gingers I came across PG parked on the side of the road having a cancer stick. He was back on his own pranged up Harley and he told me due to the bike having been laid over earlier, suddenly he was on reserve. “She won’t make 60km to Walcha,” so PG and I rode back to Gingers for fuel.

We had just ridden out of the storm so I was more than happy to ride back through it, now that I had my wets on. Anyway fuelled up and back on track we rode through the storm again.

PG opened up the sportster and despite having no front brake lever and some bent bits in the front end she was still running fine. We made great time to Walcha, thinking cold beer is not far away at Uralla.

As we came down the hill into Walcha backing off after a decent hit out on the straights, something flew off PG’s bike and bounced off the road almost hitting my bike and me. I threw a U-turn to retrieve his right foot peg, which due to the earlier stack had now let go. Hmm metal foot peg in the head, that could have hurt me. PG was just cracking up telling me: “It’s all about the journey.” At least this all took place in the 60km zone directly near the Walcha hospital. I spotted Mick Bandit (MB) loitering in the hospital car park. He informed PB and I that DR had received numerous needles and was receiving his 10th stitch when he was last in there. The thing that was odd according to MB was DR had taken off all his clothes in the hospital. A gown had been given to him and there appeared to be some social interaction going on with a female nurse. The result of this was DR showing some obvious signs of attraction to said nurse. MB of course took photos on his mobile phone and forwarded to everyone in his phonebook.

On the trip from Walcha to Uralla MB and DR, who was now all stitched up, had the scare of their lives when a kangaroo on steroids hopped across both their bikes while they were doing a stated speed of “Bloody Flying”.

Pub at Uralla All bikes were finally put to rest in the local bottle shop, in which I would have been happy to sleep also.

The boys decided to get a few thirst quenchers into them,

however trouble was never far away. The pub had a few problems with our tucker order. Anyway our meal dockets were lost which resulted in MB absolutely cracking after his kid’s size entrée of a hot dog and chips went missing, followed by his a la carte main meal of sausages and mash also eaten, I mean missing. Let’s just say MB had a bit of a brain snap, but I can report to MB that I have a line on what happened to his tucker. I decided to drink sensibly as I do and go home early following the expiration of staffies drinks at some horrible hour.

The next day I awoke to find Uncle George (UG) wiping my T-shirt between his legs with his leather pants around his ankles. That’s not very nice I thought. I later got back at him however, and ended up walking the entire length of the upstairs balcony stark naked in front of a nice lady riding a Ducati whom UG was putting the hard word on.

Day 2 - thought for the day: get home quick!

Headed back down to Walcha before riding down the Thunderbolts Way where a huge fog had rolled in and visibility was bugger all. I passed JB standing on the side of the road beside the wounded “bird of prey,” complaining about his sore body. “Harden up” I yelled as I went by. After more rain at Gloucester, four of us made it back to Maitland, where we proceeded to sink a few cans recalling how good the weekend had been. Well, good for some of us. News then came through that MBandit had failed to negotiate a right-hand bend and had an altercation with an Armco railing. Apparently he was okay, but the big Bandit was a little worse for wear. JB later went to the hospital where he was informed he had two broken ribs and a bruised lung. Looks like his Busa-bird of prey is going to get written off. Oh well, when is the next ride I’m asking. I was in the good books due to coming home before dark and I still had $20 in my pocket. Good weekend all round.

– Tony Penfold

JUNE 2009 - 35

Cycle Torque test – Harley-Davidson XR1200 TEST & PHOTOS BY

RIDING GEAR: Suomy helmet, Laro jacket, Spyke pants/gloves.

Chris Pickett

Harley-Davidson’s XR1200 road bike might not win as many races on the track as its famous XR flat tracker but at least you can pretend.

Channelling Springsteen THE Harley-Davidson XR1200 Sportster is a tribute to Jay Springsteen and the other flat-track racing legends who muscled the big, heavy XR750 racer to numerous titles and hundreds of race wins on tracks all over the Good ol’ US of A. The styling is awesome, beautifully reminiscent of the old XR750 with its clean lines and retro-sport emphasis. It will win many hearts. The bike

36 - JUNE 2009

itself also just happens to be the best Sportster ever to have emerged from Milwaukee, but I couldn’t help thinking it could have been a little better.

The XR750 race bike is arguably the winningest ever machine in the history of motorcycle racing. And although it’s been updated along the way in its close to four-decade history XRs still line up on the dirt tracks in the USA, so there’s no doubting

this bike’s heritage. That’s not to say Harley-Davidson has put lights on its race bike and sold it to its eager punters.

Far from it, the designers have taken the base Sportster 1200, given it more power, a different look, fatter wheels, better suspension and the gorgeous twin exhaust.

Longing to be cool I love big naked bikes for their simplicity and their

riding positions, you can go hard or just cruise along. So on that fact I was very keen to throw a leg over an XR1200.

My first impressions when straddling the bike was it’s heavy to lift off the stand, the handlebars and the footpegs seem just about right, but the seat is a little too low.

It’s no wonder the machine is heavy to lift off the sidestand; the bike still uses the 1203cc cast iron 45-degree

V-twin engine. Even though the engine is heavy – it would have been nice for Harley-Davidson to build a new all-alloy engine but then the cost of the bike would have been much more you would expect – but it does look cool for cats. Hang on, the whole bike looks cool! Back to the air-cooled engine. It has a real ’50s or even slightly Art Deco look to it. I love Art Deco, it has to be the pinnacle of design and style for me. I keep digressing but this is the bike Steve McQueen would be riding if he were still with us, it would suit his image perfectly.

With 90hp, give or take a couple, the XR1200 goes like no other Sportster I’ve ever ridden. This thing cracks, 200km/h plus, cracks. The sweet spot for the fuelinjected donk is in the 4-5000rpm range, this is where it seems to like being – over that and it starts to be all revs and no extra go – but there’s plenty of torque on tap so the XR can lift its skirt and propel you into the horizon just off idle. Happy days. Did the Fonz ride a Sportster? I can’t remember (he rode both Harleys and Triumphs in general – NP) but a modern style Arthur Fonzarelli would be on an XR1200. Did I mention it’s really cool?

To keep with the minimalist look, the

bike didn’t need to have a monstrous air-box covering up the right hand side of the engine. How to fix this? Simply incorporate the airbox into the plastic fuel tank to hide as much of it as possible.

The chassis is based on the standard Sportster but has been reworked to cater for the longer travel suspension and provide quicker steering. Larger twin discs up front, longer twin shocks and a thinly padded seat are all changes over the standard Sportster.

Ride time The bike judders and shudders beneath you. It’s oddly calming though, sort of like one of those massage chairs you see in the shopping centre, sending low frequency vibes through your body. The twin exhaust emits a lovely restrained yet healthy note, but the ends have rust stains on them already and the hose clamps holding on the heat shields look like Harley bought thousands of them from the two dollar shop and left them sitting out in the open to discolour before they were fitted. What’s that about?

The bike surges forward when you twist the throttle, a quick glance in a shop front window: “damn I look cool on this

thing.”

Through suburbia I go, held up on the outskirts by some Bogan in a clapped out VN Commodore who has three teeth in his head and aspirations of driving like Brocky. I don’t need to pass him, he’s looking in his mirror at me, no doubt wishing it was him on the XR and not me.

I blast past this fool and tip into the first decent corner at speed, quite a bit quicker than I would have if riding a regular Sportster. Through we go without any issues. This thing does handle, it steers and it goes. Out on the highway we cruise at 100 and just soak up the sunshine, looking at the scenery. It’s happy to crack along but it’s happy at this pace too. I turn off to sample the bike in the tight, bumpy stuff. Into the 25-45km corners and the bike behaves much better than I expected, sure you have to muscle the bike into the corner a little when pushing hard but I don’t think of it much, I grew up riding big heavy early ’80s machines anyway.

The ground clearance is a revelation, for Harley owners anyway, no other HarleyDavidson I’ve ridden can be leaned over anywhere near this far. The bumps catch out the suspension, both ends are underdamped, and while the brakes are

JUNE 2009 - 37

Channelling Springsteen Cycle Torque test – Harley-Davidson XR1200 (cont.)

powerful enough they can struggle trying to pull up a wayward front wheel as it bounces along on dodgy surfaces. There’s no need to overwork the five speed ’box, there’s enough torque on tap to hold one gear for ages, but you can catch out the fuelling if you twist the throttle hard from low revs, the engine giving a slight cough asking you to wait up a little.

Time to settle down again and go back to cruise mode. I pull up at my mate’s place. “How cool does that look”! he says.

Final thoughts Front end and brakes are fine for the job, unless pushed hard.

I really liked this bike though I thought the finish could have been better. Many of the fasteners looked cheap and agricultural, and for Sportster riders in general the power and handling of the XR1200 will be a revelation. If I owned one I’d rework the forks and turf the shocks for better damped units. That doesn’t mean many riders won’t be totally happy with the suspension as is, they will, but if you like to push hard you would need to look at it.

Fuel range isn’t huge, but if you are easier on the throttle you will see 150-170 kilometres.

It looks awesome, is fun to ride, and at $15,995 is a bargain. n

The not too friendly pillion seat.

Minimalist gauges.

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Belt drive is maintenance friendly.

Cast iron engine adds to the bike’s weight.

Twin mufflers add to the flat tracker look.

S p e c i f i c at i o n s : 2009 harley-davidson xr1200 Engine Type: Air cooled 4-stroke, V-Twin cylinder Valves: Two per cylinder Bore and Stroke: 88.9mm x 96.8mm Compression Ratio: 10:1 Fuel induction: Electronic fuel injection Ignition: Digital Transmission: Five speed Fuel Capacity: Not given Capacity: 1202.8cc Final Drive: Belt Frame Type: Tubular steel Seat Height: 742mm Wheelbase: 1519mm Dry Weight: 255kg Front Suspension: Telescopic forks Rear Suspension: Twin shock swingarm Front Brake: Dual disc Rear Brake: Single disc Front Tyre: 120/70 ZR18 Rear Tyre: 180/55 ZR17 Price (RRP): $15,995 Call for a quote today free CALL

1 800 24 34 64

Your Motorcycle Insurance Specialists

dirty torque

For Sale: Used & Useless:

RACING a motocross bike is not cheap. You must either have rich parents, a good paying job or the ability on a motorcycle that allows you to be paid to do so. Very, very few of us can utilise options one or three so 99 per cent of us must go with option two and with the current economic downturn it will be tough going financially to keep racing over the next few years.

Unfortunately for all of us fiddly little Kevin Rudd is floundering around doing more election promise back-flips than Travis Pastrana, all in the bid to being everyone’s buddy while we, the Australian public, are looking for some form of long term, sustainable solution to these difficult times.

Even I as a feeble, inconsequential (in Rudd’s eyes) small business owner who failed school from goto-whoa am able to see that giving every Tom, Dick and Harry $900 several times over is not going to save Australia’s economic arse and only the extremely short sighted would think otherwise.

900 bucks, all gone with the purchase of two tyres, a set of chain and sprockets, brake pads, a fresh top-end and a few tanks of gas. That’s It – Gonski – Down the Shitter – K-Rudd’s 9 Hungy has disappeared and we are back to square one. Well done ya numbnut.

Before I go any further lets get these few points straight. For you unemployed out there, stop reading, this has nothing to do with you. For all of the ‘salt of the earth’ hard-working tax-paying dirt bike riders, listen up, this affects you on several fronts.

Most of us work for small business owners or are small business owners and most motorcycle dealerships we frequent are just like any other small business so if Kevin and his treasurer Wayne Swan don’t start looking after small

businesses across Australia there will be dealerships closing and job losses left, right and centre. This will affect all of us.

The Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia (COSBOA) led the way recently by demanding that Rudd and Swan look at the benefits of increasing support for small businesses across Australia.

“Essentially we think that the government needs to recognise the contribution of small business to an economic recovery and in order to stimulate the economy with cash flow and ensure people keep jobs, small business needs to be looked after,” COSBOA chief Jaye Radisich said.

Included on the COSBOA wish list is a reduction in payroll tax, streamlining tax procedures, better regulation of the financial sector to help SMEs (small to medium enterprise) and allowing SMEs to access Rudd bank-style facilities to help cash flow.

I can tell you as a small business owner myself that payroll tax and the over-complicated tax procedures are sending me bankrupt. My restaurant has lost almost $100,000 over the last three quarters but I still have a $74,000 tax bill thanks to PAYG and the GST. No matter how I spin the figures, I will never win. My only choice is to start sacking people, diddle the books and do more and more hours myself. Thanks Kevvy.

To say I am just a little bit pissed off with our little Kevvy would be an understatement (I didn’t vote for him, I can smell a rat from a mile away), the new budget is out and bugger-me-dead there is nothing in there that even remotely helps small business except reductions in tax on capital spending which is a dead-set joke coz none of us have any money to buy anything for our businesses.

K-Rud 900

This guy has gone from a 22 billion dollar surplus to a massive deficit in no time at all.

Google Kevin Rudd, I see Kevvy giving the nod to a $4700 increase to his ‘mates’ electoral allowance, he is handing out $800 million to a Victorian Community Infrastructure Program (?), forking out millions for national security to support the US (again) and ‘K-Rude’ is costing us thousands every time he jumps in a plane for a few hours thanks to his quirky gourmet requirements ($170kg for cheese?).

I won’t even mention Rudd’s lack of spine regarding Asylum Seekers ($38,000 to process each queue jumper) , his ill-informed take on Global Warming, getting all crossed over the Carbon Tax, his dubious relationship/clandestine meetings with China and finally, most disturbing of all, his desire for eating ear wax.

I can only sum my feelings up by saying that for the first time in my 46 years of being alive I am nervous about the leadership of our great country and how it is going to affect my life and the life of the people around me.

As far as the dirt bike riding goes, it is now going to take me that much longer to be able to afford a new ‘crosser as my restaurant buckles under the Rudd government’s incompetence. And it’s not just me: I live in a house with two former motocross riders and there is not one internal combustion engine in our shed (mowers and whipper snippers do not count).

I ran into another old mate recently who is in a very similar position. For the first time in his life there is not a motorcycle in his garage thanks to his company going through the same problems most of us small business owners are.

When I asked what he and his wife were going to do with K-Rudd’s 900 he laughed. “You’re kidding aren’t you Smarty, that whole thing is a croc, what I need is Rudd and Swan to pull their heads out of their arses and start putting the ship right.”

It was this statement that got me thinking about this month’s Dirty Torque and you have just read my feelings on the whole shit-fight.

Finally, I will say this, if I, Darren Smart, were the Prime Minister of Australia the furthest thing from my mind would be to run around sending out negative messages and bad vibes to the public about the economic life in Australia. I would keep my observations and directives on a positive note and give confidence to those who rely on my expertise as a professional leader and decision maker.

The last thing I would do is put out this press release like this: “Kevin Rudd has warned Australians to brace for tough economic conditions as he refused to rule out a recession driven by what he described as the most uncertain global financial conditions in three decades.”

“The Prime Minister blamed global factors and the Howard government for the turmoil, insisting his economic policies and $22 billion budget surplus had given Australia greater insulation against the worsening global situation than most other nations.” (as I mentioned earlier, Kevin inherited the 22 million surplus from Howard’s government so how can he blame Johnny?)

Ah well, that’s off my chest, see ya at the track… one day.

–Smarty

JUNE 2009 - 39

RACING

MotoGP-Round Four, Le Mans France

Lorenzo rockets in Le Mans Rossi spent half the race in the pits… IT

quickest on track and coming home strong. Lorenzo had virtually an unassailable lead, with Melandri looking safe in second although Pedrosa was hunting him down as the race was coming to a close.

In the final it was Jorge Lorenzo taking the win by a country mile over Marco Melandri, with Dani Pedrosa home in third. For the Aussie riders, Stoner came home in a respectable fifth place, with Chris Vermeulen home in sixth.

After the French round, the MotoGP Championship sees Lorenzo leading on 66 points, with Rossi and Stoner tied on 65 points, only one point behind Lorenzo, while Pedrosa lies in fourth on 57.

Marco Simoncelli, made the most of the wet conditions in the 250cc class to post his first win of the season and gain valuable points in the championship race. Simoncelli rode fast yet smart in the wet conditions, winning the 250cc race by over 18 seconds. A DIDN’T matter whether the Le Mans track was wet or dry, Fiat number of riders couldn’t come to grips with the wet track, but Yamaha Rider Jorge Lorenzo was a cut above the rest at round those who did it certainly paid dividends as Hector Faubel came four of MotoGP. Declared a wet race, Lorenzo led from the start home in second place with third place going to Roberto Locatelli, and made the most of it gapping the field as the French circuit making it a double podium for the Metis Gilera team. slowly dried out. Speculation was high that the weather was After four rounds, Alvaro Bautista leads the 250cc class on 67 clearing, with riders almost certain of making a bike change to get points, with Hiroshi Aoyama in second on 66 points and Hector onto slick tyres.

Barbera in third on 48. Simoncelli now lies in fourth after his win on It was a case of riders making the change at the right time with 41 points. the lead group of Lorenzo, Rossi, Stoner, Pedrosa and the surprise In the 125cc class, wet weather was playing its part as more than package for 2009 Marco Melandri coming into the pits on various half of the 125 field of riders came to grief in one form or another. It laps. Rossi, being one of the early riders, came to grief on his first was Spaniard Julian Simon, who took care in the opening exchanges lap out on slicks, but got back on only to return to the pits to change as riders hit the bitumen around him. Simon was smooth, and as back to his previous bike, while mechanics fixed the damage. Rossi, the laps wore on he edged away from the remaining riders to take should have called it a day there as he was given a ride through the win by 27 seconds, posting his first win for the year. Second penalty after speeding in the pits area after yet another bike change, place went to 15-year-old German Jonas Folger, while Sergio Gadea finishing the Le Mans race down in a lowly 16th place. came home in third making it a one-three finish for the Bancaja Meanwhile, the lead group made their bike changes, with Lorenzo Aspar Aprilia Team. and Melandri the last to do so, and it would be a master stoke by With Simon taking the win, he now leads the 125cc Championship both riders as their one two positions looked safe. The following on 55 points over Bradley Smith in second on 49.5 and Andrea riders consisting of Pedrosa, Dovisioso, Stoner and Vermuelen, Iannone on 46.5. – Shaun Moloney were entrenched in their own battles with Pedrosa being one of the

Superbike World Championship – Assen and Kyalami

Haga leads by a country mile ROUNDS five and six of the Superbike World Championship have been held and it’s no surprise to see ‘Nitro’ Nori Haga out in front leading the championship. His greatest two challengers have come from his Xerox Ducati team-mate, Michel Fabrizio and the new comer, Ben Spies. Spies has been a real revelation in this year’s championship, however he has been unable to combine his blistering form with consistency.

At the Assen round, Spies and Haga had a ding dong battle in race one with Spies taking the spoils over Haga, but in the second race he crashed out leaving Haga to not only take full points, but pull away from the rest of the field in the points tally.

Round six, held at Kyalami in South Africa, was more of the same from Haga, Spies and Fabrizio, however the Ducati team got the best of Spies and he could only manage third place in the first race, as Haga took the win from a flying Fabrizio. Race two started in similar fashion, however after a few laps Spies’ Yamaha returned to the pits with gearbox problems, again earning him zero points. Haga and Fabrizio again made it a one-two finish for Ducati, stamping their authority on the Championship. After six rounds, Haga leads by a wide margin in the championship on 250 points over Fabrizio on 165 and Spies on 162.

40 - JUNE 2009

UK riders ruling Supersport

Rounds five and six of the Supersport Championship were held with riders from the U.K coming up trumps as they lead the Championship. Irishman Eugene Laverty and Brit Cal Crutchlow have been involved in plenty of bar to bar action, which is sure to continue throughout the season, barring injury. At round five Laverty took the win over Crutchlow as both swapped positions and paint on the last lap. Kawasaki’s Joan Lascorz was the rider who lucked out the most in Assen as Laverty and Crutchlow swamped him a few turns from the finish.

Round six was held at Kyalami and it was again Laverty and Crutchlow leading the field of Supersport riders. Laverty has proved himself to be the man to beat, as he has led Crutchlow to the finish in consecutive races. Third place went to a very fortunate Mark Atchison who landed a great podium finish after Sufuoglu and Lascorz gave him an opening on the last lap. After six rounds Crutchlow leads the Supersport Championship on 119 points over Laverty on 106 and Sufuoglu on 83 points. Andrew Pitt lies in fourth on 64 points.

– Shaun Moloney

RACING

McFarlane & Marmont share the spoils ROUND three of the Australian MX Nationals took place at Toowoomba in Queensland, with the overall win being shared after Andrew McFarlane and Jay Marmont both took a win and second place each from the two motos.

Race one saw McFarlane take the lead early on and was never challenged as Marmont and Craig Anderson battled bar to bar for most of the race.

McFarlane riding a clean race out in front took the win over Marmont, with Codie Mackie coming home in third. Race two saw a role reversal as Marmont led after the early exchanges, with McFarlane and Cheyne Boyd in tow. McFarlane, trying his hardest, was making big in-roads but couldn’t catch Marmont who went on to take the win in moto two, with McFarlane coming home in second place, and Boyd in third. After three rounds of the Championship, Marmont leads the Pro Open class on 199 points, over Andrew McFarlane on 186 and Todd Waters on 167.

In the Pro Lites Class, Matt Moss was the dominant rider taking two wins from two starts. Race one saw Moss doing battle with Luke George but as the laps wound down it was Moss who was able to hold out George to take the win, with Tye Simmonds coming home in third. Moto two saw Moss start where he finished race one, but without Luke George as he was handed a 20 second penalty for cutting the track. Moss was able to make the most of his time at the front, while Lawson Bopping moved into second place. After the penalty, George was in sixth place and charging hard, but he couldn’t make up the deficit, finishinhg in third place behind Moss and Bopping. After three rounds in the Pro Lites Championship, Luke George leads on 146 points from Matt Moss on 143 and Tye Simmonds on 141.

– Shaun Moloney

Defending Pro Open MX Nationals champion Jay Marmont.

Aust Off Road Championship

Roberts & Bewley battle Blayney dust ROUNDS three and four of the Australian Offroad Championship were held near Blayney in Central West New South Wales, with plenty at stake as riders chased down Stefan Merriman’s overall points lead. Round three saw Queenslander A.J Roberts take the overall win from Jarrod Bewley, Toby Price and Stefan Merriman. Rain before round three made for great riding conditions as Roberts set a blistering pace during the day as he was fastest in four of the five timed sections.

Round four, also held at Blayney the following day saw the cream of the off road crop head out into dry and dusty conditions, with plenty of ruts thrown into the mix. It was Jarrod Bewley who made the most from the conditions taking outright honours and beating home A.J. Roberts and Stefan Merriman. Bewley won two of the five stages, with his overall time enough to beat home Roberts by less than two seconds.

After four rounds of the Australian Offroad Championship, Stefan Merriman leads the series outright

on 88 points, with Jarrod Bewley in second on 85 and A.J. Roberts in third on 81. – Shaun Moloney

Jarrod Bewley is closing on Stefan Merriman.

JUNE 2009 - 41

Cycle Torque test – Yamaha XVS250 V-Star

Little star shines Big looks, big fun, little capacity.

HAPPY in town, happy on the open road. It doesn’t matter if you’re a learner or someone who just prefers smaller, lighter bikes, Yamaha’s XVS250 V-star is an excellent – if somewhat pricey – choice.

At $8299+ORC the little V-Star is $2300 more than the XV250 Virago: for your money you get a better-equipped machine – including the two-tone paint, better-looking front end and quite a lot more bling and dazzle, but the standard Virago is the standout when it comes to value.

Baptism of fire Welcome to motorcycle testing. I turned up at Yamaha full of anticipation and eager to become a motorcycle test rider and there it was, a Yamaha XVS250 V-star, resplendent in cappuccino colours. OK, I thought, here we go, I’ve ridden for 34 years and I was riding a 250 again. I jumped on this little cruiser not expecting too much but I have to say I was surprised. After I’d worked out the forward controls and

TEST BY

Simon Hills

42 - JUNE 2009

PHOTOS BY

Chris Pickett

realised the rubber mounted ’bars weren’t about to fall off, I was off into the traffic. 300 metres up the road I’d worked out the gear change and the rear brake, which wasn’t grabby despite the huge size of the brake pedal. The rubbery handlebars were still a slight concern but this soon left me and I was cruising down the road feeling pretty good about myself.

A worldly machine This bike has been around in various forms for as long as I can remember – Yamaha has been selling 250cc cruisers in Australia since the early eighties and V-twin models for around 20 years. This machine is powered by a 249cc 60-degree V-twin with a long 66mm stroke which produces plenty of low down torque with smooth throttle response – this makes it very easy to ride. Coupled with a five speed gearbox, there’s enough on tap the get you leaving the lights with the tin tops and still keep up okay on the highways.

A single 26mm Mikuni downdraft carburettor provides the fuel/air mixture, so besides the decent grunt for a 250cc, it still has excellent economy to boot, something we are all concerned about these days. You can ride this bike all day and still have nearly a full tank of fuel at the end.

The clutch is light but responsive and the stoppers both ends are easily capable of pulling up the bike, regardless of the speed. There’s no harsh chain drive clatter and all in all the bike is a pleasure to ride.

The chassis feels rigid and stable. The suspension at both ends give you that cruising feeling while still able to turn reasonably tight corners into straights.

With a 1530mm wheelbase this bike creates a lovely long and low ride but also gives the rider a feeling of control. So important to the one that matters the most, you the rider, this bike inspires confidence, which is important given the target market the XVS250 is aimed at.

RIDING GEAR: OGK helmet, M2R jacket, Alpinestars gloves.

Will you like it?

Putting the bike into its right perspective it was hard to fault the little V-star. The only concern for me was the upright riding position and the wind blast you cop at highway speeds. Yamaha – and aftermarket suppliers – do offer screens which will fix the problem.

The finish of the bike is first class. Long, low, plenty of chrome and I can truly see where the ‘cappuccino’ tag comes from. The dark is the coffee and the white the frothy milk. So it doesn’t look out of place at your local cafe.

This bike should appeal to plenty of potential or ongoing riders. It has class, style, appeal and is easy to ride pretty much regardless of age, gender or experience. n

Above: Comfort for the rider and pillion isn’t bad.

Left: Quarter litre V-twin can easily handle country traffic.

JUNE 2009 - 43

Cycle Torque test – Honda Varadero TEST BY

Tony Penfold

PHOTOS BY

Chris Pickett

RIDING GEAR: Suomy helmet, Spyke jacket, Spyke gloves.

After a few years , lay off, Honda s Varadero is back, now with fuel injection.

Adventure

HONDA’S Varadero is back in Australia to take on the popular ever-growing adventure bike market. With a fuel injected VTR1000 engine, ABS and linked brakes there’s no questioning its abilities on the tar, but it would be a brave adventure rider to contemplate serious off-road work with the revamped Varadero XLV1000.

There is no doubt the Varadero has had great success in the Northern Hemisphere but was a sales flop when first released in Australia in the late ’90s. When it comes down to it the looks probably more than anything else kept away the paying punters. It was a much better bike than sales would have you believe. The looks haven’t changed much but the engine has been brought into the modern age with fuel injection and the rider aids will impress many riders.

On the stand With a kerb weight of 268kg, I immediately thought it’s going to be

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heavy when you load up the optional panniers and top box. Further, chain drive without a centre stand would be a little time consuming with a bike this size.

A quick look at the tyre sizes reveal a 19-inch front and 17-inch rear. Hand guards to protect your pinkies from weather. An aluminium bellypan for protection down low. Wide looking off-road handlebars. A twin stainless exhaust system slung up under the seat, which I thought looked pretty tidy. All this suggested to me Honda is saying this big fella could go anywhere including off road. Hmm I thought. Have I got the skill to slide this thing around? Am I stupid enough to try? Where’s that can of Harden Up…

The ride I threw the old leg over and noted the seat was extremely comfy but wide. At 180cm tall and the seat height of 838mm, I was just getting both feet down, which with this size bike kept me honest. I

decided to fully wind back the rear preload and still found the bike tall from the saddle. There is no rear rebound adjustment unless you choose the ABS model. The front suspension also has no adjustment.

I accelerated away and the motor felt punchy and torquey from the outset.

Suddenly (believe it or not) size did not matter. I found a few corners and was quite surprised how easy the Varadero tipped in. In fact the Bridgestone Trailwings – which I have ridden on previously – felt good, despite the size/ weight of this bike. Despite the little suspension adjustment, the Varadero felt good over bumpy sealed roads. I will say when I did venture onto some unsealed road, I decided to drop a few pounds out of the tyres. The bike went okay over the loose stuff, but with all that nice half fairing, I would have to seriously consider fitting some crash bars. Not to mention the side mounted radiators within the fairing. A simple skid could be costly

Front end package is basic but up to the bike’s job description

e reborn and to be honest with this sort of weight on gravel, you would want to be fairly competent.

Speaking of the fairing it certainly kept the elements off me during highway miles. The screen was okay, having two adjustments but this is done manually with the old screwdriver.

Honda’s Dual Combined Braking System stopped the big fella pretty well. I tested this on the F3 when I gave the Varadero a bit of a squirt only to suddenly be facing a lovely painted SS Commodore with a bloke in blue operating some bodgie device. Yep she pulled up real well on that occasion, which was also appreciated via a flash of his headlights.

Now with plenty of digital info such as litres/100km combined with analogue speedo/tacho, one important thing was missing. No fuel gauge. Even the temperature gauge gets a digital bar. With a 25 litre tank the first thing you know that there is a fuel issue is when a light comes on and tells you there is four litres to go. It then

Linked brakes need a larger than normal rear caliper.

S p e c i f i c at i o n s: 2009 HONDA XL1000V Varadero Engine Type: Liquid cooled, V-twin, four-stroke Valves: Four per cylinder starts a count down of kilometres available.

Bore and Stroke: 98mm x 66mm I would rather a fuel gauge. A range of 350Compression Ratio: 9.8:1 400km was averaged during the test.

Fuel induction: PGM-F1 Electronic fuel injection The wash up Ignition: Computer controlled digital Look, the Varadero has the build quality Transmission: Six speed of Honda. However the non-ABS model, Fuel Capacity: 25 Litres which has limited suspension adjustment, Capacity: 996cc starts at $17,990 plus ORC. The ABS will Final Drive: Chain cost you an extra $1000. With it’s size/ Frame Type: Tubular steel weight I think it is a great touring bike Seat Height: 838mm which is still a lot of dollars less than let’s say the Honda ST1300. However there Wheelbase: 1560mm are certainly a lot of other bikes available Kerb Weight: 268.7kg (276.7 ABS) up against the Varadero whose prices are Front Suspension: 43mm telescopic considerably less.

Rear Suspension: Pro-Link damper If you want a road bike with some dirt with preload road capabilities the Varadero is a good Front Brake: Twin 296mm disc machine but it can’t stack up against the Rear Brake: Single 256mm disc more aggressive adventure tourers when Front Tyre: 110/80-19 the tar turns to dirt. n Rear Tyre: 150/70-17 Price (RRP): $17,990 (ABS $18,990) Call for a quote today free CALL

1 800 24 34 64

Your Motorcycle Insurance Specialists

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1462cc of grunt and enough glitz to give Liberace a run for his money.

RIDING GEAR: Zeus helmet, Cortech Tourmaster jacket/pants.

Joe Rocket ‘Big Bang’ boots, Cortech gloves, WileyX eyewear.

TEST

Dennis Penzo

PHOTOS BY

Chris Pickett

Cruising the Boulevard

SUZUKI’S M90 Boulevard is a muscle cruiser designed to get the looks while offering great performance without the weight and price of its big brother, the M109.

On the eyes The 25.4mm diameter drag-style flat-bend handlebars on risers look very tough but offer a very comfortable reach, and combined with a low centre of gravity make it a very manouverable machine.

Very clean flowing lines are complemented by the sporty front fender, a smooth tail section and chrome aplenty.

The high tensile steel frame has that classic hardtail look achieved by hiding the coil-over 46mm rear shock

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underneath the bodywork.

Front end duties are taken with very sporty looking inverted 43mm outer-tube front shocks which deliver about 130mm of wheel travel. It’s a comfortable combination and will handle most conditions thrown at them.

A wide, long and well padded seat means you’re never going to forget this baby’s primary purpose in life is to be a cruiser, and that means enjoying long rides in comfort. And your pillion will agree with that.

Dual slash-cut chrome mufflers look good and produce a nice V-twin note.

A distinctive instrument cluster is integrated into the headlight cowl under a chrome cover.

A nuisance on some cruisers is the sidestand but thankfully the Boulevard

has a very functional long chromeplated prop which is easy to get at; shorter riders can breathe a sigh of relief.

Bullet shaped blinker lenses catch the eyes with their vertical lens cuts. You can buy an M90 in Metallic Blue, but I’d go the Pearl Black - gorgeous, in a sinister kind of way (sort of sums the Boulevard up really).

On the road Despite its 1462cc it’s not an intimidating bike to ride but pay attention because the M90 has plenty of power and, in fact, boasts class leading torque-to-weight and power-to-weight ratios.

The 90 cubic inch long-stroke fourvalve 54-degree V-twin is bred to deliver

Blinded by the chrome.

A typically comfortable cruiser perch.

heaps of torque and very smoothly at that.

And all that power is just as useable around town as it is out on the open road.

The Boulevard borrows its cableoperated back-torque-limiting clutch system from the Hayabusa. A cruiser with a slipper clutch! What will they think of next? As most big cruisers have a thumping great V-twin engine it is smart thinking on Suzuki’s part to make it easier on the riders working their way down the five-speed ’box - a slipper clutch with help avoid locking the back wheel if you haven’t matched engine revs to road speed as you engage the clutch after downshifting.

An 18 litre fuel tank will get you a long way on this fuel efficient machine and the instrumentation features an analogue speedo and also a bar-section fuel gauge which is always on show - which is what you need on a cruiser.

Suzuki’s sportsbike pedigree has helped in the brake department with dual floating 290mm front discs with dual piston calipers and a 275mm rear disc with single caliper produce ample stopping power.

The M90 weighs in at 328kg but it’s got a nice low riding position which really doesn’t make weight an issue on this machine. We rode this bike all round the Hunter Valley from open roads to plenty of inner city and suburban running and it coped well in all situations.

And we had a variety of riders from six footers to the short dude in the corner riding it and everyone seemed to find the handlebar-peg-seat geometry worked well enough.

In the engine Dual spark plugs in each cylinder assist fuel economy and power delivery while reducing emissions and each aluminiumalloy cylinder is coated in a nickel-

phosphorous-silicon coating to increase heat transfer.

Suzuki’s digital fuel injection and engine management system is powered by a 32-bit computer to improve response and efficiency.

An automatic idle speed control system makes the M90 easier to start in cold conditions and also stabilises engine idle speeds under varying conditions.

There’s certainly no shortage of technology inside this beastie.

And yes, you do notice that the Boulevard runs smoothly, very smoothly.

On the hip pocket The M90 Boulevard is very realistically and competitively priced at $15,490: for a bike of this size and with this much grunt hidden inside it.

And at this price there’ll be plenty left over to spend on the many optional extras to put on your Boulevard from the Suzuki valve cap set to the billet backrest or seat cowl to convert your bike to solo use, plus a heap of other bits and pieces.

The M90 also comes with two-year unlimited kilometre warranty which is icing on top.

The last word While the M90 doesn’t have the punch of its bigger brother the M109, it is still a powerful, but heavy, machine. It handles well enough in cruiserdom, but don’t expect to play boy racer on it, the suspension just can’t cope with such shenanigans. If you want to do long distance work on it, fit a screen. Otherwise the wind blast will get too much at speeds the M90 is capable of.

It’s good value for money and shouldn’t be intimidating for shorter riders. n

Beefy USD forks give the Boulevard a sporty look.

S p e c i f i c at i o n s: 2009 SUZUKI Boulevard M90 Engine Type: Liquid cooled, V-twin, four-stroke Valves: Four per cylinder Bore and Stroke: Compression Ratio: Fuel induction: Electronic fuel injection Ignition: Digital Transmission: Five speed Fuel Capacity: 18 Litres Capacity: 1462cc Final Drive: Shaft Frame Type: High tensile tubular Steel Height: 1100mm Wheelbase: 1690mm Kerb Weight: 328kg Front Suspension: 43mm Inverted Rear Suspension: 46mm coil over rear shock Front Brake: Twin 290mm disc Rear Brake: Single 275mm disc Front Tyre: 120/70-18 Rear Tyre: 200/50-17 Price (RRP): $15,490

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