Australian Motorcyclist Issue #100 by Tony Clemenger

A RAM 1500 EXPRESS V8 & INDIAN SCOUT BOBBER TWENTY

Shannons are giving motoring enthusiasts the chance to win two American legends – an awesome RAM 1500 Express V8 Quad Cab and an Indian Scout Bobber Twenty Motorcycle! Including up to 12-months Shannons Car and Bike Insurance and Shannons Roadside Assist1. Plus $5,000 cash for eligible Shannons Club Members2.

Tow, carry, move, see and enjoy more with your very own RAM 1500 Express V8 Quad Cab, finished in Granite Grey with black cab-length tubular side steps. There’s nothing quite like a full-size American pickup, and the RAM features a V8 Hemi engine with a 4.5 Tonne max braked towing capacity.

The Indian Scout Bobber Twenty’s design nods back to the original Scout with its mean, old school bobber looks. In Thunder Black Smoke, the motorcycle features a mix of chrome and blacked-out finishes, wire wheels, mini-ape handlebars and a floating saddle seat. You could win up to a massive $113,000 in prizes!

TIMES TEN

The

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO THE ONE I’LL ALWAYS WANT, EVEN WHEN I’M TOO OLD TO REMEMBER WHAT I’M SUPPOSED TO WANT YOU FOR Unknown

Editor Stuart Woodbury

Contributing Editor J Peter Thoeming

Sales Manager Ralph Leavsey-Moase ralph@ausmotorcyclist.com.au

Designer Blair Pagan

Photographers Nick Wood Creative, Half-Light Photographic

Contributors Jacqui Kennedy, Robert Lovas, Boris Mihailovic, Chris Pickett, The Possum, Colin Whelan, Bob Wozga

Editorial contactus@ausmotorcyclist.com.au

Subscription enquiries www.ausmotorcyclist.com.au info@ausmotorcyclist.com.au

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Distributor Gordon and Gotch

Australian Motorcyclist Magazine is published by Australian Motorcyclist Magazine Pty Ltd. Suite 4b, Level 1, 11-13 Orion Rd, Lane Cove West NSW 2066 Phone 0412 220 680.

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We encourage you to keep or recycle this magazine.

E D I T O R S P E A

THE BIG ONE…HUNDRED!

WRITING MY THOUGHTS EACH month, I’ve tried never to rabbit on about what’s inside the magazine. I have always thought that any Editor that does this has no opinions about their subject matter – the magazine itself should tell the reader what’s in there, not the Editor’s column. But this issue is a bit different for me/us…

One hundred issues! That’s big. The Bear and I (and a couple of silent partners) took a big leap all those years ago to give ‘the bird’ to our old publisher who basically wanted to turn a magazine into a yuppie watches and headphones mag, thinking that’s what motorcyclists wanted. We told them to stick it, went out on our own and that’s where Australian Motorcyclist was born.

A big thank you goes to our old printing manager, Warwick Hall, who has moved onto greener pastures. Warwick had dealt with many publications and was a wealth of knowledge in helping us kick off.

I also remember our distribution manager, whose name eludes me as I type this. He was full of hard truths about self-publishing and how difficult it can be. He’d been there, done that – self-published, printed, sold and then distributed magazines. He told The Bear and me not to believe auditing and filled us in about the many lies in the publishing world – his advice at the time was golden and I still think to this day, helped us become who we are today.

The ride has been tough but as they say, the tough survive and we’re now the only monthly road bike magazine in Australia (and one of the few in the English-reading world) and as we are always told by you, our great readers, “The best motorcycle magazine in the country”. They’re great words to hear and shows that what The Bear, Ralph, Blair (our designer) and I are doing is what you want to look at and read about.

Sales are up, despite us being a travel-focused magazine – consider

how that industry has been floored during Covid. A number of motorcycle travel operators have gone, but we have had a few power on, with the thinking that advertising their product to you shows that when things kick back off, they’re the ones you’ll spend your money with – great thinking I feel. Special mentions go to Paradise Motorcycle Tours who despite Covid organised two readers tours – Burt Munro and now Fall Colours Tours. Their/our ‘Third Time Lucky’ tour is being planned for late November – look out for it and I’ll see you there! Neither of the first two tours came off, but I hope you think about what Paradise has tried to achieve and consider that now we can get back to New Zealand..

Edelweiss Bike Travel has obviously seen what Paradise has been doing and now have a reader’s tour marked for later this year in Morocco. Fingers crossed it comes off, but Edelweiss is not in this for the one tour, they’ve committed to a reader tour each year from now on – great stuff. IMT Bike Tours & Rentals is another in the planning stages of a reader’s tour for 2022. Do not also forget Adriatic Moto Tours and Motorrad Tours who are massive supporters of Australian Motorcyclist – thank you.

A big thank you from me goes to The Bear, Ralph and Boris for all their help and wise words over these years – we produce an interesting read, sometimes with controversy, but most of the time massive laughs.

You’ll read a couple of special articles in this one hundredth issue, but a big mention goes to one guy who was there from the start and needs the final, big thank you –Colin Whelan. Colin’s Pub of The Month articles each issue are simply great and I know many of you have read his fine words and then visited the various pubs – thank you, Colin. So, enjoy issue one hundred and may I ask you raise a glass of your finest and here’s to the next one hundred!

Enjoy. Cheers, Stuart.

SCRAMBLE, MAN

With all the Triumph Street Scrambler’s custom style, thrilling performance, comfortable easy handling, and high speciﬁcation equipment, the new 2021 Street Scrambler is beautifully evolved with a Euro 5 engine update delivering lower emissions, and more premium custom style and detailing. Alongside this comes a new and exclusive Street Scrambler Sandstorm limited edition with even more rugged Scrambler detailing, a host of premium Scrambler accessories ﬁtted as standard and a unique Sandstorm paint scheme. See your local dealer to grab one.

TWO MILESTONES

Vespa celebrates 75 years and reaches the extraordinary milestone of 19 million units produced, beginning from the spring of 1946. The Vespa that celebrates the 19 million is a GTS 300 in 75th Anniversary Special Edition and was assembled in the Pontedera plant, where Vespa has been manufactured uninterrupted since 1946. For its 75th birthday,Vespa Australia introduces a special Vespa 75th series, available for Vespa Primavera 150cc and for Vespa GTS 300cc limited to 2021 production only. The body of Vespa 75th takes on the brand new metallic Giallo 75th colour which, designed expressly for this series, reinterprets colours in a modern key that were all the rage in the forties. The number 75 appears on the side panels and front mudguard in a more accentuated shade, creating an elegant tone-on-tone, as well on the front, where the traditional “necktie” is reﬁned in a matte yellow pyrite colour. See your local dealer to place your order.

TRIMMING UP

Suzuki has released information about the 2022 GSX-S1000, which despite looking more trim, sharp and focused, comes with a larger 19-litre fuel tank. Other features include Suzuki Intelligent Ride System (S.I.R.S), Suzuki Drive Mode Selector Alpha (SDMS-a) featuring a selection of 3 factory pre-set and 3 user definable modes, new ride-by-wire electronic throttle control system is simpler, lighter and more compact than the previous mechanical throttle, bi-directional Quick Shift System (ON/OFF), Suzuki easy start system, Suzuki clutch assist system (SCAS), a stacked LED headlight assembly and sharp lines of the front, decals featuring new logo styling and carbon fiber like textured overlays, custom-designed key mascot sports the GSX-S logo on the grip end, and new LED front and rear turn signals. More information and pricing will be released closer to it’s release, estimated to be the first quarter of 2022.

WELL DONE!

The Ducati Lenovo Team scored an extraordinary one-two finish at the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix, held at the Jerez Circuit, where Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia took their Desmosedici GP bikes to the podium, finishing first and second respectively. This is the second MotoGP success for the Australian rider, obtained at the end of a masterful race. Jack Miller was quite emotional after the race and had this to say, “The last two weeks have been tough for me: I couldn’t trust myself and what I can do on the bike. Today, when I saw Quartararo struggling, I thought I could try to take the lead, even though I wasn’t so confident that I could stay in the lead for so many laps. But finally, I did it and took my first win with Ducati. I can’t thank Ducati enough for giving me this opportunity. Wearing these colours is a dream come true for me, and it means a lot. Thank you, Gigi, Paolo, Davide, Claudio and the whole team for having always believed in me”. Well done, Jack, keep it up!

UNLEASH YOUR INNER DEMON

With an all-new 180PS, 1160cc triple engine the Speed Triple 1200 RS is the most powerful, highest torque and fastest accelerating Speed Triple ever. Premium track speciﬁcation equipment and 12kg lighter, it’s the most agile, precise, dynamic and responsive handling Speed Triple ever too. Add all-new TFT display, quickshifter, optimised cornering ABS and traction control, 5 riding modes and connectivity system as standard and it’s the ultimate performance naked sports ride.

The new Speed Triple 1200 RS – Triple Powered Revolution Discover more at triumphmotorcycles.com.au

N E W S

RECORDS FALLING

Records were set for number plates and classic cars at Shannons timed online Autumn Auction from April 13-20, which achieved a spectacular $8 million outcome. Amongst the motorcycles, the clear standout was a restored 1954 Norton Manx 500cc solo with local and overseas race history that brought $48,000, while a very rare c1933 Rudge 500 TT Replica sold for $18,750 and an amazing 1923 Indian Standard Power Plus Outﬁt with its original sidecar was purchased in project condition for $19,551. Be sure to keep up to date with the next, Shannons timed online Winter Auction – 8-15 June. Stuart’s Z900 is part of it!

THE COLLECTION

The first of a new collection, HarleyDavidson unveiled the Icons Collection with the introduction of the Electra Glide Revival model, a retro-classic motorcycle for the nostalgist who longs to ride a bike with style both distinctive and timeless. Global production of the Electra Glide Revival model will be limited to a onetime build of 1500 serialised examples, scheduled to reach authorised HarleyDavidson dealers in late April, with a price of $40,495 AUD ride away for Australia and $43,995 NZD ride away for New Zealand.

The look of the Electra Glide Revival model is inspired by the 1969 Electra Glide, the first Harley-Davidson motorcycle available with an accessory “batwing” fairing. The fairing became

FEEL IT

BMW Motorrad is excited to announce dates of its popular GS Experience for 2021 – the ultimate extended test-ride program for all GS models in their intended off-road environment. The GS Experience will be held across three different states this year, located in picturesque locations in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Bookings are now open…

QLD: June 23-24, Traquil Park, Maleny bmw-motorrad.com.au/en/experience/events/gsx-qld.html

NSW: July 8-9, Wisemans Inn Hotel, Wisemans Ferry bmw-motorrad.com.au/en/experience/events/gsx-nsw.html

VIC: Aug 2-3, Matilda Bay Brewery, Healesville bmw-motorrad.com.au/en/experience/events/gsx-vic.html

More details can be found at bmw-motorrad.com.au/en/experience/events.html

an iconic – and often imitated – HarleyDavidson styling cue, its shape an instant on-the-road identifier of many HarleyDavidson models and the foundational design of the fairing featured on current models. In 1969, the accessory fairing and saddlebags were only offered in white moulded fiberglass, and the Electra Glide Revival replicates that look with a Birch White painted finish. The period-inspired tank medallion and Electra Glide script on the front fender complete the look.

The Electra Glide Revival will be offered in a single colour scheme inspired by the original 1969 colourway: The two-tone fuel tank in Hi-Fi Blue and Black Denim bisected with a Birch White stripe, with Hi-Fi Blue paint on the fenders and side panels. Take your fancy? Get in quick.

Introducing the all-new Meteor 350

A modern cruiser that represents the eternal essence of riding, making the rider one with the machine and the terrain, primed to soak in the surroundings. With classic contours and timeless design cues, the Meteor is a thoroughbred cruiser, ready for both the open highway and urban commute.

FROM $7,690 RIDEAWAY

@RoyalEnfieldAusNZ

WORDS STUART ︱ PHOTOS DEAN WALTERS

FORTY YEARS…THAT’S A LONG time to have virtually dominated the adventure touring market, but that’s just what the BMW big boy GS has done. It’s gone through many changes and updates over the years but it has remained unmissable as a GS and I consider that a great thing – don’t lose your identity. In fact, the identity of many other adventure models that have come onto the scene get lost and are commonly misjudged as being a GS, that’s the impact the GS model has had on the market over the years. For 2021 the release of BMWs 40th Anniversary models for the 310, 750, 850, 1200 and 1250 hark back to the, Bumble Bee – the black and yellow model R 100 GS.

I headed to BMW HQ in Victoria for a squiz at all the old GS models that had been arranged specially for this launch and to ride the new 2021 model R 1250 GS and GSA in their element – touring country bitumen and adventure riding dirt roads in the hills outside the greater Melbourne area.

I am pretty adverse with GS models,

having ridden every version since the R 1100 GS oh so many moons ago and I’ve covered many thousands of kilometres over all sorts of terrain throughout those years. Highlights for me have been the introduction of the twin cam and then when the watercooled model was released – these two bikes were such big leaps forward

over their previous models and I still recommend if you’re on a limited budget and want a big boy adventure bike to check out the twin cam model, which, if my memory serves me well was the 2012 model on?

New features for the 2021 model include Dynamic Traction Control (DTC), which is fitted standard on

both the R 1250 GS and GSA, which ensures a high level of riding safety by delivering the best possible traction –and it works well on the road and dirt.

The new standard “Eco” riding mode encourages efficient riding, while riding mode Pro is included in the optional Dynamic package. This package also includes Dynamic engine brake control, which helps safely avoid unstable riding conditions that can occur in coasting overrun mode or when downshifting due to excessive brake slip at the rear wheel.

The new riding mode preselection allows you to benefit from an individual selection of riding modes via the mode button, which provides greater control and ease of use.

The advanced BMW Integral ABS Pro (cornering ABS) is additionally fitted as standard on both models. This system provides even more safety when braking, even in inclined positions.

Expansion of the riding mode concept results in more new functions. For example, it adapts ABS control characteristics to the respective riding

mode for maximum control.

For the special 40th Anniversary models, besides the obvious black and yellow 40th Anniversary livery you get a yellow and black seat, yellow handguards, gold tapered handlebar, billet ‘Shadow II’ mirrors, Passenger kit (includes standard two-piece seat, standard windshield and centrestand) and the ‘40 Year Package’ (Option 719 billet cylinder head covers shadow and gold cross spoke wheels).

The ever grunty flat twin engine is unchanged and is THE engine you

LAUNCH

want adventure riding with tractor like pulling power from idle. Maintaining 1254cc and producing 100kW at 7750rpm and 143Nm at 6250rpm, this is all you need on road and dirt.

BMW ShiftCam technology is there and integrated to vary valve control timing and valve lift on the intake side to deliver superior power across the entire speed range. This also provides superb levels of refinement and outstanding consumption and emission values.

Throw in the up and down

quickshifter and not only is the 1250 GS and GSA a relaxing package, but when the action heats up you can bang through the gears with aplomb.

BMW are a funny crowd, they list the 1250 GS at a very low base price but I am told they haven’t sold any (or, maybe one or two) without the Dynamic package which includes the Dynamic ESA (electronic suspension), riding modes and other features. And I totally agree, why would you bother not getting these extras, when you’ve ridden a GS with Dynamic ESA and

the riding modes, you’ll understand just how good they are. A quick press of the button and you can go from an aggressive Dynamic road setting to an Enduro mode which softens off the power and the suspension – perfect! Comfort is simply an all-day machine with no question. It’s also an all-day standing machine, although for someone my height I did have a set of accessory bar risers on my launch bike. The seat height is adjustable for both GS (850-870mm) and GSA (890910mm) and there’s other seat heights

options available, low and high for the GS and only lower for the GSA. Braking is unchanged for 2021 and has all the power and feel you need for everything except extreme, crazy riding on the road. I am always blown away at just how hard you can ride a big boy GS on knobby tyres, with both front and rear squirming around underneath you leant ride over. I have said this before and I’ll say it again – if you can ride well, virtually, there won’t be anyone that can touch you through twisties, and, if you were to fit a set of

sticker tyres, which you can now get, no one will come within cooee of you on this bike. The big secret here is the bulk amount of torque available hoisting you out of corners and the effortless amounts of leverage from the wide handlebar and feel from the suspension. So, it’s a big happy birthday to the GS, and of the 40th Anniversary models available I’d love to have the R nineT Urban G/S version in my garage. Hmm? That’s got me thinking…LOL! Go and check them out, they look pretty special. D

BMW R 1250 GS AND GSA

PRICE: $23,170 (GS), $25,270 (GSA) (plus on-road charges)

WARRANTY: Two years, unlimited distance

SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 12,000km or 12 months

ENGINE: 1254cc liquid-cooled twin cylinder, 102.5x76mm bore/stroke, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder

POWER: 100kW @ 7750rpm

TORQUE: 143Nm @ 6250rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed, wet multi-plate slipper clutch, shaft ﬁnal drive

SUSPENSION: Front, 37mm telescopic fork, electronically adjustable with Dynamic ESA (as tested), travel 190mm (GS), 210mm (GSA). Rear, monoshock, electronically adjustable with Dynamic ESA (as tested), travel 200mm (GS), 220mm (GSA).

DIMENSIONS: Seat height 850870mm (GS), 890-910mm (GSA), weight 249kg (GS), 268kg (GSA) (wet), fuel capacity 20 (GS), 30 (GSA) litres, wheelbase 1514mm (GS), 1504mm (GSA)

TYRES: Front, 120/70/R19. Rear, 170/60/R17

BRAKES: Front, twin 305mm discs with radial four-piston switchable ABS calipers. Rear, 276mm disc, two-piston switchable ABS caliper.

FUEL CONSUMPTION: 5.2 litres per100km, premium unleaded (GS)

THEORETICAL RANGE: 384km (GS)

COLOURS: Light White, Light White/Racing Blue Metallic/Racing Red, Black Storm Metallic/Black/ Achat Grey, Black Storm Metallic, 40th Anniversary, Ice Grey

VERDICT: Be the boss of the road and bush

Adventure gear

IMPORTANT STUFF

Don’t get caught out in the bush

COMPILED BY STUART

HAVING PROPER ADVENTURE GEAR is pretty important, just like it’s important to have the right gear for riding on a race track, or riding on the road. In fact, I probably put adventure riding and race track riding as the two top categories to have the right gear. You never want to get caught out in the middle of nowhere for not having the right adventure gear, or be blazing through a track in the bush and get speared by a tree branch for not having a top-quality jacket, pants or boots on.

So, get the right gear to protect yourself and remember you need gear for the bike as well. Most of the time adventure riding consists of being many unreachable kilometres from help so taking some gear that could help your bike if it fails is essential too!

As we always do, we put the call out to the various distributors and here is what they want you to know about with all things adventure. Think about that when making your purchase. SW

Adventure gear

ROCKY CREEK DESIGNS

rockycreekdesigns.com.au

Motoplug Phone Mount For Wireless Phones $69.95

Have the latest phone that charges on a pad?

Then this phone holder/charger is for you! It will hold and charge your phone whilst riding, so no need to plug in a USB cable. When your phone has ﬁnished charging, simply switch the charger off. Pair your phone to your bike coms and you’ll have “turn by turn” navigation or listen to your favourite tunes. Comes with an option to mount on your mirror base. Watch how to install on You Tube https://youtu.be/3nU9_Dj1X4o Certiﬁed EN 60 529/IP66 (rating for Protection against dust and high-pressure water jets)

300A - Mini Jump Starter Battery

$159.95

A jump starter pack will give you power anywhere, anytime. It is one of the most important pieces of emergency kit you can carry with you. Whether you’re on an outback track or heading home late at night, a jumper starter will protect you if you’re stranded with a ﬂat battery. Rocky Creek’s jump starter will start motorcycles, watercraft, ATV/UTV, snowmobiles and petrol car engines up to 4.0L. It will also charge your phone or tablet through either of the two USB outlets and has a built in LED light. The jump starter pack comes in a carry case with a 220v wall charger, battery leads and a combination micro-USB/lightening charging cable.

COOL PERFORMANCE

cool-performance.com.au

Inuteq BodyCool Smart CoolOver (Dry Cooling Vest) $195

New addition to Inuteq-DRY technology, the evaporative cooling BodyCool Smart CoolOver is comfortable, full fashioned lightweight vest. No refrigeration or gels or chemicals are required: simply use 500ml of tap water (plug in back of vest) to activate the fabric. Stays 100% dry in and outside. Provides up to 15C cooling relief below ambient temperature, up to 3 days of cooling comfort. Available in Black or Fluor Yellow, Sizes: S/M, L/XL or 2XL/3XL. Adjustable waist, non-toxic and durable, anti-bacterial properties, machine washable. Contact info@cool-performance.com.au

Adventure gear

V4 / V4+ / V4 PRO from $520

Cambox Meca offers a new way to record your race car and reinvents the action camera with its unprecedented shape & light design. The Cambox is perfect for all kind of motorsports; fastened under your visor it suits every shape of helmet available on the market. For further information: Facebook & Instagram: Cambox Meca Australia or: cv@camboxaustralia.com.au

GS Carbon EVO Helmet $1100 - $1250

All-carbon helmet, shell is 100% carbonﬁbre and reinforced plastic, features include MIPS, which reduces rotational movement of the head in the event of a collision, multisegmented expanded polystyrene inner shell, double visor, 3D curvature, anti-fogging inner visor; outer visor with scratch-resistant coating on inside and outside, prepared for BMW Motorrad communication system. Weighs in at approx. 1450g (Medium, with peak and double visor) and is available (optionally) with a tinted, silver, blue-ﬁnish mirrored or orange sun visor. Colours include - Xtreme, Xcite, Night Black, Light White, Grid, Grey matt and sizes 52/53–62/63 are on offer. 28 www.ausmotorcyclist.com.au

BMW MOTORRAD

bmw-motorrad.com.au or your local dealer

VentureGrip GTX Boot $520

Waterproof leather Enduro boot in a sporty look, suitable for everyday use. Comfortable and robust and suitable for long trips with high wear resistance. A typical Enduro look with toggletype buckles, colour accent on the sole, plus high shaft and oiled leather, made from 100 % full grain cowhide, oiled, Gore-Tex membrane, permanently windproof and waterproof and highly breathable, shin guard protection, thermally formed and stiffened and an ankle protector made of plastic, with foam padding. Available in black or brown and sizes: 36–48.

Superior Strength - Made from robust TPU

Bright Blue internal liner – easy to see what’s inside

Pannier Bags – three sizes to suit any size bike

Simple four point, allows mounting to any pannier frame

Comes with straps for use as a pair or a single bag

Duffel Bags – 30L, 40L and 50L

All bags with Molle webbing for adding extra bags or extra straps

Adventure gear

SHOEI

shoei.com.au

Hornet ADV Sovereign

$899.90 - $999.90

The Hornet ADV offers serious adventure riders the perfect helmet for every kilometre of their journey. From city streets to the Birdsville track, the Hornet ADV helmet has been designed to maintain peak performance in every environment, without compromising the core values of a long-distance touring helmet. The Hornet ADV is available in a range of solids colours, plus the new Sovereign design is available in 3 colours and sizes XS – XXL.

DRIRIDER

dririder.com.au

RX Adventure Gloves $59.95

Perfect for your next adventure, the Dririder RX Adventure gloves are lightweight protective summer gloves available in 6 colours across sizes XS – 5XL. The RX Adventure gloves are made from Clarino and 4 way stretch material, and feature a double layer palm with Pittards leather for protection and enhanced grip. PU knuckle protector, elasticity at cuff for comfort ﬁtting, polyester soft summer lining and an adjustable Velcro closure.

selectedge.com.au

Corbin Dual Saddle for the Honda Africa Twin from $1799

Available in both low and high versions with optional heating and pillion backrest. Check them out at corbin. com or email the crew at Select Edgesales@selectedge.com.au. Corbin seats available through Select Edge cover many adventure models (and many other motorcycles), contact them for the full range or check out the Corbin website.

TraX Adventure hard case luggage and accessories are the choice of experienced world travellers. Water and dust proof, tough and secure, no matter what the continent or how extreme the conditions, there’s no place on earth these things wont go.

If you’re travelling near or far, make TraX Adventure luggage part of your adventure.

Adventure gear

SW-Motech Waterproof Bags

$54

- $249

Whether you need a tank or tail bag, we got you covered with SW-Motech’s extensive range of waterproof bags. With capacities from 2L to 70L, there is a bag for every occasions. Bags are made from ballistic nylon material with welded edges and the roll closure is sure to keep your gear protected from the elements. Bags can be connected to each other.

SW-Motech’s new PRO Tank Bags and Tank Rings from $182

Due to be released in May, the PRO Tank Bag range is sure to impress with looks, features and functionality. The PRO range includes sizes from 3-22 litres and most bags attach to motorcycle tanks via the patented PRO tank ring, which uses a mechanical snap lock. The range also includes a strap-on and a magnetic version. Available at Motorrad Garage soon.

Kettenmax chain cleaning and lubricating system $53 - $71

Some TLC extends the life of your chain and sprockets by easily keeping your chain maintained with this innovative device. The assembly completely encloses the chain so it can be thoroughly cleaned and lubricated in just a few minutes with absolutely no mess. A series of internal brushes effortlessly clean the chain and distribute lubricant to where it is needed with minimal waste. Available in two models, Classic and Premium

SW-Motech Traveller Seat Cushions from $173

Enhance rider and pillion comfort with Traveller air cushions. The bi-elastic artiﬁcial leather surface, breathable spacer fabric, non-slip underside, and integrated robust ROK straps combine to make SW-Motech’s Traveller the most superior cushions on the market. Easily inﬂated with just a few breaths of air and adjustable via an internal valve. Available in three sizes to suit most applications.

Motorrad Garage Tyre Repair Kit

$39.95

This comprehensive motorcycle tyre repair kit is a must have accessory for all riders. It includes everything you need to repair tubed and tubeless tyres including patches, glue, tubeless repair cords, CO2 canisters and regulator, and even some instructions. All of this is packed into a compact nylon carry bag for easy storage under your seat, in your tank bag, or even in your pocket.

ADVENTURE MOTO

adventuremoto.com.au

Klim Mammoth Sock $60

The Mammoth Sock is Klim’s warmest and thickest technical sock designed to enhance the performance of Gore-Tex boots by wicking moisture away from the skin allowing the foot to stay warm and dry even in the harshest environments.

Klim Kodiak Pants $1150

The Klim Kodiak pant was designed to handle the 800km days, sketchy mountain passes, and constant passing storms that typically accompany an epic touring adventure.

Klim Badlands Pro A3 jacket $2395

You want features? You get all the features and even more with the toughest adventure outerwear, the Badlands Pro A3. The legendary Badlands Pro has earned its reputation as the most battle-ready adventure gear on Earth, and now with nextgeneration fabrics in key areas it has been taken to the next level – literally. By creating an even stronger, more durable Badlands Pro, Klim has created the ﬁrst ever textile motorcycle garment to earn a CE AAA rating certiﬁed to EN 17092-2. This is a limited-edition jacket so get in quick.

Klim Baja S4 Glove $155

The Baja S4 gloves excel in a multitude of hot weather environments with extensive venting, protection features for conﬁdence on the street, and the dexterity to perform in demanding off-road conditions.

Adventure gear

MACNA macnaridinggear.com.au

Assault gloves

$99.95

The ﬂexibility and the low weight of an Enduro glove, but the protection of a street glove.

Aerocon jacket $329.95

Ultimate warm weather jacket with a speciﬁc Adventure focus. Maximum hi-ﬂow mesh ventilation in a comfortable, full length yet light garment built to meet or exceed CE standard EN17092.

ARAI

araihelmets.net.au

XD4 $799.95 -$899.95

The Arai XD-4 is world renowned for being one of the best ADV touring helmets on the market and the choice for many hardcore ADV enthusiasts and is claimed to set the industry standard for comfort, quality and safety. Features a comfort liner and cheek pads with 5mm peel-away pads that allow riders to tailor the ﬁt. The shell of the Arai XD4 Helmet has also been aerodynamically tuned and the removable ﬂoating peak funnels air into the vents, improving overall ventilation and mitigating buffeting at speed. Many colours available.

Neck Tube $19.95

Extremely handy in both hot, cold and especially dusty conditions. Made from premium stretch polyester microﬁbre. Super comfortable and easy to wear.

Adventure gear

SIDI

mcleodaccessories.com.au

Adventure 2 Goretex Boots $649.95

The Sidi Adventure 2 Goretex boots lead the world in durability, comfort, protection and Italian style. Made with full grain microfibre and/or Suede featuring a waterproof and breathable Goretex membrane, PU shin plate,Velcro strap closure, micro adjustable and replaceable buckle system, full length inner gaiter, plastic ankle support, flex system, elastic panel on calf area, back reflective inserts, rigid shock resistant anatomically shaped heel cup, shift pad, nylon inner sole with removable arch support pad and a non-slip rubber sole. Available in Euro sizes 41 - 50

PMJ

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‘DAKAR’ Crossover Adventure jeans $349.95

The PMJ Dakar pants are protective Urban-Offroad jeans with Italian style. Handmade in Italy, the PMJ Dakar jeans come ready for day-to-day use, long journeys and off-road adventure. Made from Stretch denim fabric, featuring 100% Twaron Aramide fabric inner (reinforced and lined), knee protectors, adjustable and removable, removable hip protectors, ready for Zero-Shock padding on hips, ARC 3D pattern for adjusting ﬁtting, anatomical knee construction, reinforced panel inside knee and slim ﬁt calves

Four Season Jacket Black $269.95

Benelli riding jacket in black fabric and yellow inserts. Thanks to the removable quilt and zippers for internal ventilation, this jacket can be used in different weather conditions. The numerous pockets, including one for mobile and one internal, the collar in soft neoprene and the adjusters at the waist, make this ofﬁcial Benelli product particularly comfortable. Short jacket at the waist, it has a ﬁt suitable for both male and female audiences.

Benelli BX31 Helmet $214.95

Adventure style helmet featuring a removable shell, eight ventilation openings that optimize the air ﬂow and allow the removal of warm air, aerodynamic helmet, with a spoiler for optimal stability, integrated UV sunscreen, removable, removable and washable interior, removable antiscratch screen and it’s ECE certiﬁed.

Trail Essential Jacket and Pants Fluo

Yellow/Black

$389.95 (jkt), $257.95 (pant)

Waterproof and breathable material which looks great with unmatched durability. Super resistance to the power of wind, rain, and snow. Good moisture permeability keeping you dry with comfort. Outstanding wear performance where the shape and function will not change over a long period of time.

Pic 28, 29

Essential Gloves

$89.95

Benelli gloves in fabric with breathable texture. The fabric is reinforced on the palm and has rubber protections on the ﬁngers. The width on the wrist is adjustable via Velcro.

WHEN IT COMES TO places around the world to ride motorcycles, there are so many possibilities for epic riding, sensational scenery and fascinating culture. To help you pick through and inspire you to get out and find your ultimate riding adventure, we’ve compiled destination guides for some of the best places in the world to ride your bike.

There are riding destinations that are an adventure to get to, there are places with incredible views, fascinating cultures and interesting towns; but for sheer riding pleasure, all destinations must be measured against the winding mountain passes of The Alps. Running up through the centre of Europe, this mountain range is filled with roads that are simply incredible, whether you’re a sports bike thrasher, a touring bike cruiser or a hardy adventurist. From challenging, switchback hairpins, to kilometres on end of sweeping third- and fourth-gear corners there’s a road for everyone, paved in perfect, smooth blacktop. The Alps actually stretch through eight countries in total, but our favourite Alpine country for riding has to be Switzerland. Every pass in the Swiss Alps has something different to offer, traversing from

rocky landscapes to forests and on to beautiful turquoise lakes.

The Roads

The Alps and, in particular, the Swiss Alps are like the ultimate motorcycling fairground, but instead of helterskelters and dodgems, there’s a checklist of incredible mountain passes waiting to be ridden. As you ride across Europe towards them, there’s a tangible feeling of excitement as the snowy peaks appear on the horizon. It always reminds us of being a kid in the back of your parent’s car, catching a glimpse of the top of an enormous roller coaster in the distance, on the way to the theme park. Then each mountain pass you ride immediately becomes your favourite, until you’re completely out of superlatives and utterly confused about which one you want to ride again. Once you’re up in the mountains, the riding is intense but enjoyable – there’s no cruising along in a high gear looking at the scenery. The numerous viewpoints provide the perfect chance to take a lungful of the crisp mountain air and give your brain and body a chance to rest before the next string of bends. You can expect near-perfect surfaces on all but the smallest roads, letting you

focus on important things like reading the bends and wearing out your tyres.

favourite pass here, from the roller coaster curves of the Grimsel, to the super-smooth San Bernardino and its stunning valleys and the iconic Stelvio pass with its challenging hairpins. Although the Stelvio pass is actually over the border in Italy. One recommendation has to be the Susten pass – simply because it has a bit of everything. It’s one of the smaller passes, certainly one of the quieter ones and has a great range of corners, from fast sweepers to hairpins and stone bridges. Plus you get views of the Stein Glacier. It’s like a Greatest Hits album for Alpine roads. To get between regions, the Swiss motorway network is really useful and means you can get to the next area of awesome riding as quickly and efficiently as possible. To use these you’ll need a vignette – a little sticker that serves as a toll payment (current cost is around $60) available at the Swiss border, at fuel stops and online.

The Weather

Mountains mean snow throughout winter and even through spring, and so late European summer (August

to September) is the best time to go. You can realistically ride in the Alps as early as May, but you’re likely to find most of the passes still closed. July gives great riding weather, but this is peak holiday season and so tends to be a bit too busy for enjoying the roads on a motorcycle. September temperatures tend to stick around the 20-degrees Celsius mark in the valleys, but the higher you go, the cooler it gets. Always make sure you’ve got a couple of warm layers stashed on the bike somewhere. The summer months are predominantly dry, but as with all mountainous regions, you have to be prepared for the temperature to drop and the rains to come.

The best places to visit

Even if you’ve headed to the Alps hungry for corners, sooner or later you will need a breather and there are some absolutely stunning spots to visit. After the Grimsel pass, heading on towards Oberwald you can find the Schöllenen gorge, also known as Devil’s Bridge. The original handrail-less footbridge

has long since fallen, but two road bridges now span this dramatic gorge. For movie buffs the Furka pass is the one featured in the James Bond classic Goldfinger, and is well worth a ride. Nufenen is the highest paved pass in the Swiss Alps and comes with incredible views to match. Finally the Reichenbach Falls to the south of Meiringen are the dramatic backdrop to the final showdown in the Sherlock Holmes books.

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The bits to avoid

While the Stelvio pass is the famous box-check road in the Alps, it’s not necessarily the best one to go and enjoy a ride on. It tends to be busy all year round and the tight, steep hairpins can be treacherous if your slow speed control isn’t on top form. Of the Swiss passes, it’s hard to find a bad one, but the Albula pass to the East is the least brilliant – it can be a little bleak and the surface isn’t

TRAVEL

Who is Motorrad Tours

Motorrad Tours is an Ofﬁcial Travel Partner of BMW Motorrad, founded by Richard Millington and run by Chris Hone, the man behind the words in this feature. Chris has years of experience and literally millions of miles of route planning and tour delivery under his belt. Between Richard and his team of tour leaders, they have a comprehensive knowledge of the best riding destinations on planet Earth and they’ve spent the last decade perfecting riding adventures around them. From the Highlands of Scotland to the rice paddies of Vietnam, Motorrad Tours trips keep people coming back time and time again. So, if you want to see the best a country has to offer the adventurous motorcyclist, give Motorrad Tours a call on +44 (0)1622 776686 or log onto their website www.motorrad-tours.com to see where they are headed to next.

up to the usual high standard found elsewhere. Likewise, on a few of the smaller, tighter passes the road surface can be rougher, broken up – not a problem if you’re expecting it, just don’t get complacent after the endless miles of perfect bitumen.

The Swiss speed police are super strict and love a sneaky hiding place; the fines are high and the tolerances low, so keep to the limits, especially in villages and on motorways.

One of the reasons we prefer the Swiss Alps to the French is that passes tend to be closed off more regularly in

The Bear Says

STAY OUT OF THE ALPS ON WEEKENDS AND DURING HOLIDAY TIMES.THERE CAN BE ENORMOUSTRAFFIC JAMS… OF MOTORCYCLES. SOMETIMES YOU WILL SIMPLY NOT FIND ROOM TO LEAVE YOUR BIKE AT EVEN THE BIGGEST CARPARKS. AND EUROPEAN RIDERS TEND TO ASSUME THAT THE ROAD IS THEIRS – BEWARE.

France for various events, often bicycle related and often without much warning. Whichever region of the Alps you choose to ride in, however, it’s important to respect the roads and give yourself enough rest in between. The roads are supremely good fun to ride, but the penalty for overenthusiasm is high – there are gravel traps, but they tend to be at the end of a very long fall.

The food

Yes, food, they do have it. To be honest, the highlight of the Swiss

Alps is always the roads and the riding, so everything else, no matter how exquisite, seems to pale into insignificance. The region is a popular all-year-round tourist spot, with a huge winter sports scene, so the towns have an abundance of good hotels and restaurants. The only slight catch is that many of them are closed throughout the summer months, so you need to plan ahead and check which ones are open. If you stop over in Meiringen and you’re not a veggie, be sure to check out the Leopold Steakhouse. And in addition to making wooden clocks with popout birds, Switzerland is famous for chocolate, so there’s always something for the sweet tooth.

Our favourite bit I think we’ve made it clear that this is going to be about the roads haven’t we? Each time we ride through the Swiss Alps we fall in love with it all over again, dropping into the endless string of twists and turns through ever-dramatic scenery. If we could only ride one pass, it would be the Susten, purely for the variety it offers, but any riding time spent in the Alps seems to pass in a blur. Start a conversation with any of our seasoned tour leaders about riding in the Alps and you get drowned out with barrage of pass names, each greeted with acknowledgement and smiles as being the best road ever, oh except for…

The Swiss Alps are a road motorcyclist’s dream. If the feeling of carving a bike through a set of curves brings a tingle to your spine and a smile to your face, then the ultimate fix has to be a riding trip here. Our tour leaders are a lucky bunch, riding and touring across the globe, but the Alps is a special place for all of them. Each time we ride a trip, the tour leaders fill out feedback and comments, helping us tweak and improve the tours year on year. Normally they’re filled with detail and suggestions. I looked up the feedback from our 2019 Mountains: Alps tour and the A4 sheet of paper, filled with detailed questions simply had “Wheeeeee” scrawled across the page. Says it all really. D

TRIUMPH TIGER850 SPORT

Is less really, more?

THE LONG AND THE short of my quick spin on the new Tiger 850 Sport is while it may ‘only’ be the entry level new addition to the Tiger’s den, it doesn’t mean Triumph haven’t jagged a beauty! The top shelf Tiger 900 GT Pro just left me a little confused and even a wee bit disappointed. Looking back to 12 months ago I can see why. My time on it was too short, as Stuart had it on test, and I was riding for some quick fun and mainly for the photography purpose. Also, we were at the time, jumping from KTM’s exciting 790 R and standard model to Suzuki’s V-Strom 1000 XT and then to the mighty KTM 1290 GT. I just didn’t get the ‘Pro’. Then Covid breathed its foul-wind into our lives and now I have started to appreciate every riding opportunity and especially every touring kilometre which presents itself. That, and suddenly the Tiger 850 Sport comes onto the market at a remarkable $15,990 plus on roads. This looks on paper to be exceptional value compared to the up-spec'ed GT Pro at $21,950 plus charges, we rode back in issue #91. Why does saving

$6000 offer a better proposition, proving that I’m out-of-step as everyone else who are happy to fork out for the premium models and leave the base units in the showroom?

That’s an easy answer. Ride it. The Tiger 850 with its massaged 888cc triple, rephased T-plane firing arrangement has everything you will ever need. The tune only has small percentage drops in power and grunt from the 900, although barely takes anything away from the ride experience. Calling it an, “850” rather than say an, ‘900L’ (for lower power) must suit the marketing spin and create an almost new model.

Power is on tap early down in the rev-range with 62kW and 82Nm coming to the fore at reasonably lowish revs of 8500 and 6500 respectfully. You never need to use more than 60% of the revs to cover ground quickly and with ease. The triple is exceptionally smooth, yet has real character and an almost V-twin rumble as you trounce the smooth gearbox and give the mid-range a bit of what for. Take note, I say this in context of jumping off the Trident 660 (last issue) and

WORDS RALPH ︱ PHOTOS IKAPTURE

snavelling the bigger all-rounder for half a day towards the end of the 660’s launch date. I had a real opportunity to explore the extra performance of the bigger triple and also sit back and enjoy some long-distance comfort and fantastic ergonomics. The narrow and higher riding Tiger suited me to a tee.

The Tiger has bags of overtaking ability and the potential to cruise at high speeds. Well not in Victoria and honestly, not anywhere anymore.

Compared to the outgoing 120-degree triple Tiger the 3-1-2 crank presents some noticeable buzziness up high (well over legal speeds), that I found disappointing after the smoothness from just off idle to 6000rpm. It, for me, was a reminder to keep the speed down, despite my absolute enthusiasm for the 850. If only there were unlimited speed limits, but sadly, not here, not these days and not with the state of my licence.

What the show is really about is a more-simple variation of less is more. Less electronics and less adjustability. You will miss out on the bigger TFT colour dash of the 900 and survive with the 5-inch version and make do with two engine modes - Road and Rain. Simple. It comes out of the crate almost in perfect fettle for comfort and predicable handling. In fact, the handling is a bit of a revelation. With a 19-inch front and 17-inch rear, fitted with Michelin Anakee hoops, corners will be your friend and bumps and craters won’t be your enemy! With the 20L fuel capacity there will be 350 plus kilometers of non-stop touring and after my afternoon behind the decent screen I feel like you will be fresh as a daisy when you call it quits at the end of the day.

You can put the quality handling and decent comfort of the British designed, Thai made and Italian suspension down

to the Marzocchi branded suspension. Loads of suspension travel for a roadbased bias style of adventure tourer is a happy place for most of our crap roads and when the roads become smooth and curvy you can really crack on provided you don’t get too aggressive with the steering effort. The Anakee’s hold their ground but lack the width and profile to take on sports machinery, although you’ll still be right up their butts on most roads, if not, in front. I found the brakes for feel and power offered complete satisfaction and performance. Some others that rode the 850 on the same day as me remarked the adjustable screen was a bit out of kilter with the latest and greatest but again price did define fitment. Overall, the Tiger 850 Sport looks a million dollars in my mind, especially with the narrow lines and aggressive looking muffler.

At the end of the day there are only

HOOK ME UP

Well, the Tiger 850 ﬁts comfortably in the adventure/travel segment and that means you can go berserk kitting her out with over 60 accessories available through Triumph. Luggage comes in two forms, Trekker and Expedition pannier kits, plus a few options for top boxes. Comfort lines include, seat options, hand-guards and screen spoiler. Protection lines include crash-bars, radiator and sump guards. There are more boxes to tick with mufﬂer, security, accessory lights and even a centre stand. Me? I would tick that one before anything.

two important tests to measure the Triumph Tiger 850 Sport. Would I buy one? Hell yeah, for the value-formoney equation and the sense of I would be getting exactly what I need and want. A real-world motorcycle that will do everything I need and put a smile on my dial and offer me a sense of pride owning a premium built bit of kit with some badge kudos.

The second and most important test? Would you? I think if you enjoy riding everywhere, anytime and had a new bike budget under $18,000 it would be a difficult thing prizing anyone off one. I know I had trouble jumping off the Tiger and onto our Meteor 350 for the ride back from Melbourne to my home two days away! I see the six-grand saved versus the 900 as an overseas adventure (shameless plug for one of our upcoming tours) or a massive amount of touring in your own backyard. D

Specs

TRIUMPH TIGER 850

PRICE: $15,990 (plus on-road charges)

WARRANTY: Two years, unlimited distance

SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 16,000 km or 12 months

ENGINE: 888cc liquid-cooled three-cylinder, 78x61.9mm bore/stroke, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder

POWER: 62.5kW @ 8500rpm

TORQUE: 82Nm @ 6500rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed, wet multi-plate assist/slipper clutch, chain ﬁnal drive

SUSPENSION: Front, 45mm inverted fork, non-adjustable, travel 180mm. Rear, monoshock, adjustable preload, travel 170mm.

DIMENSIONS: Seat height 810mm, weight 192kg (dry), fuel capacity 20 litres, wheelbase 1556mm

TYRES: Front, 100/90R19. Rear, 150/70R17,

BRAKES: Twin 320mm discs with four-piston monobloc calipers. Rear, 255mm disc, single-piston caliper.

FUEL CONSUMPTION: 5.1 litres per 100km, premium unleaded

THEORETICAL RANGE: 392km

COLOURS: Graphite Diablo Red, Graphite Caspian Blue

VERDICT: Grab this Tiger by the tail, it’s a beauty, more than a beast

Acheron Way, Victoria

THIS ROUTE HIGHLIGHTS

ONE part of an amazing area in country Victoria that every adventure rider will love to explore. The area I’m talking about stretches from Whittlesea to Woods Point. You can explore for days riding everything from well-maintained dirt, to some more technical trails that will test out your skills. This particular road – Acheron Way is a lovely rainforest area that’s the best way to get from Warburton to Marysville (or vice versa).

WARBURTON

Warburton is an attractive town on the Yarra River, nestled in a valley between heavily forested mountains, east of Lilydale and on the road to Mount Donna Buang.

The town’s main commercial centre is situated along the Warburton Highway and adjacent to the Yarra River. It caters well for visitors and tourists with a multitude of cafes and other eateries, many housed in buildings which date back to Warburton’s early beginnings as a mountain escape for Melburnians

in the early 1900s. The Visitor Information Centre is a prominent landmark in the main street, featuring a large replica of a water wheel used by the logging industry in the past.

The Yarra River through Warburton is lined with attractive parkland and sporting facilities. The Yarra River Walk is an almost 3-kilometre-long pathway along the river through the town centre and past river crossings including the iconic swing bridge in

Story Reserve.

The picturesque La La Falls are located off Old Warburton Road, south of the town centre. Access is via a 1½ kilometre long track which follows the course of Four Mile Creek through the Yarra State Forest. Under 20 minutes from Warburton is Mount Donna Buang. Rising to a height of 1245 metres, it is the closest snow field to Melbourne.

Around 24 kilometres north-east

WORDS STUART ︱ PHOTOS DEAN WALTERS

ACHERON WAY, VICTORIA

Distance – 45km

Fuel – Warburton, Marysville

Heading out of Warburton, pretty much as soon as you get across the bridge, veer left following the sign to Mt Donna Buang / Rainforest Gallery. Follow this all the way to Rainforest Gallery where the road will turn to dirt. Bear in mind that as this is a rainforest area the dirt can be quite slippery in sections. There’s also a lot of traffic at times, well, more than usual on country dirt roads like this.

You’re now on Acheron Way – follow this until you hit the Y-intersection and turn right to head towards Marysville. Cruise on in to Marysville and head to the bakery or café (a couple of doors up) for a coffee. From here you can either go back the same way or the options are almost endless. Head across to Woods Point and explore some ‘old world’ charm, or whip across to Kinglake and take the tight and twisty bitumen back towards Melbourne on Heidelberg-Kinglake Road.

of Warburton is the Upper Yarra Reservoir. Visitors can enjoy the well-maintained gardens and picnic grounds, surrounded by eucalypt bushland. Two lookouts offer spectacular views of the reservoir, spillway and surrounding catchment area.

RAINFOREST GALLERY

At Cement Creek, around 10 kilometres from the summit of Mount Donna Buang, is Rainforest Gallery which consists of a series of steps down to the lush forest floor. The Mount Donna Buang Skywalk is also accessed from there, offering a 40-metre-long elevated walkway through the tree tops.

MARYSVILLE

Due to its scenic and peaceful location, Marysville has long been a popular holiday retreat for visitors, especially during the spectacular springtime blooming season and the colourful autumn period. Its history dates back to the mid-1800s when gold was discovered in the area, however it wasn’t long before guest houses were established and the town became a favourite for honeymooners due to its tranquil setting amongst native bush and waterfalls.

Marysville is situated on the

Steavenson River, which runs through the town centre and is lined by parks and gardens. The river runs through Gallipoli Park, which features beautifully landscaped gardens, BBQs, shelters, a lake with fishing platforms, an historic water wheel, extensive playgrounds, a sports oval, community centre and walking tracks.

The town centre of Marysville extends along the shady avenue of Murchison Street which has been landscaped to reflect the surrounding natural environment. Street gutters along one side of the road have been replaced by a meandering rocky stream lined with native grasses featuring bridges leading to shop doorways. The

town’s supermarket is situated within parkland beside the Steavenson River in neighbouring Darwin Street. 3-kilometres south-east of the town centre along Falls Road is Steavenson Falls. They are one of Victoria’s highest waterfalls with a drop of around 84 metres. A flat and well-formed 350-metre-long track leads from the car park to the falls where there are several viewing platforms. The falls are floodlit from dusk until 11pm each night, powered by a hydroelectric turbine.

Pick-up a Marysville Trails brochure at the Visitor Information Centre or download the free Visit Marysville App to plan out your day. D

NORTHERN RIVERS, NSW

THE RAINBOW SERPENTS FINGERPRINTS

There are many places in the world that are special to motorcyclists. There are so many that it is occasionally easy to forget that some of them are right here…

WORDS & PHOTOS THE BEAR

TRAVEL

IHAVE BEEN KNOWN TO

suggest that Australia was once a much smaller place than the one we see on the maps. It started out as this much smaller but also much more mountainous country but was then taken by the edges by some Dreamtime creature, possibly the Rainbow Serpent, and pulled apart. That is why so much of Australia is flat while the edges, where the serpent held it, retain some hills which I guess are its fingerprints. This is just my story, of course, and I have no Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander blood, so please forgive me for appropriating someone else’s mythology. I mean no disrespect, and there is a reason.

It was one afternoon many years ago. I was lying on my towel in the shade on the warm rock up above Minyon Falls, drying off after a dip, my feet in the cool water. I had ridden up Quandong Trail and the Minyon Fire Break – this was well before there was an established road up to the falls, and the lookout had ‘lookily’ not even been thought of. The evening before I had been reading about some Dreamtime stories, and I must have gone to sleep

on the rock with those stories in my mind.

Lying there above the falls with their weird upside-down looking crystalized magma rock face, I dreamed about the Dreamtime. When I later mentioned this to an Aboriginal friend in Sydney, he grinned and shook his head. “Nah,” he said, “you didn’t dream, you went to the Dreamtime. You’re lucky.”

Whatever. I dreamed (or saw) the creatures of the forming time, giant shimmering animals with human or maybe superhuman eyes and I wasn’t scared despite the strangeness. There was no story to the dream, just this psychedelic passeggiata. When I woke up it was dark and warm and close, and I felt as if I was still in a strange land and at peace with it – until my XL250 refused to start in the dark. Eventually I turned on the petrol.

The memory of that dream, vision or visit has never left me and before you ask, no, I had not been smoking funny cigarettes (the only drug available up there in those days). I don’t often tell people about it because that’s always the first question they ask, but it felt like a good way to start this story.

That’s the Federal Hotel in Alstonville. Why are you riding past?

Eating

I am very happy to recommend the places where I dined, selected to showcase the kinds of places where you might like to eat:

Federal Hotel, Alstonville for good Australian pub-style eating in a welcoming environment inside or out on the spacious terrace. Relaxing dinner venue after a hard day’s riding.

Fleurs Restaurant, Comfort Inn All Seasons for international cuisine with a French touch. This is the place for a special dinner, perhaps with your pillion in a million.

Ballina RSL Club for superior club meals with an emphasis on seafood. The Club has an unbeatable location right on the river.

Cherry Street Sports Club for another take on outstanding club food, in a smaller and more chummy venue than the RSL. This is where locals come to eat and relax.

for

Why? Well, with the help of the Tweed Volcano which exploded 23 million years ago and left the Cloud Catcher, Wollumbin or Mount Warning, behind the geology of the area which was already quite complex became even more so. Think hills and more hills, interlocking across the countryside. The Great Dividing Range, the Border Ranges and then the remains of the volcano all combined to provide what would become a motorcycling paradise. And paradise is always best with some kind of mythological background.

Ballina

When you write about someplace, it can be good to have a bit of personal involvement. It can deepen your understanding and help you to explain

the attraction of the place to others. In my case it goes some way toward explaining why I associate the place with the dram that cheers.

My original connection with Ballina came because my mother and stepfather Jack retired here, and I would ride up to see them. They bought some holiday flats overlooking the playing fields that constituted the first Ballina aerodrome. Jack had various family connections with the area, and they included a chap who ran passenger and freight flights from Sydney to Ballina in the early days of Australian aviation. He was apparently known to embrace the occasional bottle, and there are reports of passengers having to help him into the cockpit in Sydney. “Never lost a passenger,” Jack told me.

Oddly enough, that kind of flying is not commemorated in the new and busy Ballina Byron Gateway Airport. But I have long considered Ballina a place of rest and recuperation between bouts of tackling that wonderful network of roads, tracks and trails around it. Jack always had a decent supply of beer in the fridge.

There’s not much mythological about Ballina’s origins. It was founded as a port, and still has an interesting and varied Maritime Museum. While there is some speculation that the name derives from the local Bundjalung word ‘bullenah’ which means ‘plenty of oysters’, it is more likely that the name is Irish. The town in County Mayo from which I think it gets its name is best known for grim ruins and whiskey distilleries, and while our Ballina can’t

1. Prawning is a big industry up here, and the prawns are terrific.

2. Cane fields make

interesting riding, almost like a huge maze.

3. Liz with her 750 “not a showbike” Virago at Nymboida River Retreat.

TRAVEL

match the ruins (except maybe some of the retirees of around my age) it is beginning to see the development of a bit of distilling (you will have read about that in Motorcyclist #99).

Ballina lies on an island surrounded by the waters of the Richmond River and Fishery and North Creeks. Unlike communities further upstream, it seldom floods because the mangrove flats across in South Ballina absorb a lot of water. Its main street is River Street which, predictably enough, follows the river, and which has been immeasurably improved by the huge and somewhat intimidating bypass to the west, which has removed through traffic at the expense of blocking traffic from and to the west.

All in all, Ballina is a stylish but affordable coastal town with all

2. There’s more to do than just motorcycling everywhere

4. Signs form a forest almost as thick as

the services you will ever need and affordable, quality accommodation and food. It also offers access to the spectacular hinterland up to the Queensland border and out to the Summerland Way. For motorcyclists looking for trails or roads to explore, it makes the perfect base.

The rides

A handy motorcycle touring guide for the Northern Rivers in the form of a 24-page booklet, put together by my friend and local enthusiast Peter Richardson and published by Ballina Shire Council (well done, all!) includes a map, general information and a selection of 18 rides, including four for enduro riders. These rides connect many of the places I describe below –as well as many others – and are only

the beginning of what you can do up there.

Some take you around the local roads, while others go considerably further afield. I looked at them and, in Shel Silverstein’s immortal words, “my blood ran cold”. There is far more in the booklet than I could ever cover in a single article, so I decided I’d stick to the places and roads closer to the recommended base, Ballina.

South

This is mostly flat coastal countryside, with the course of the Richmond and Clarence rivers a constant presence. It has some highly enjoyable roads like Wardell to Alstonville, but most of it is relatively flat and agricultural, planted mainly in sugar cane. That doesn’t mean it isn’t fun; whoever laid out the

1. Chatting with the owner of the outstanding café in Tyalgum.

here.

3. A light, bright room at the Nymboida River retreat.

the rainforest at Eltham.

4 roads doesn’t seem to have had access to a straight edge, so there are plenty of corners. The practice of burning off the cane before harvesting is no longer universal, but if you can find a cane field on fire you will get some amazing photos.

Evans Head: Devoted both to keeping its many holidaymakers happy and maintaining its prawning fleet, Evans Head provides an interesting division. The hillside south of the little harbour is filled with mansions paid for by the prawning trade, while the northern side caters for tourists and is more restrained except for the large RSL club by the water. The lookout on the southern headland is worth a visit. There is also a caravan park right by the harbour, and the Heritage Aviation

Museum. The latter holds a Pig (RAAF slang), an Air Force F111, among other things.

Lawrence: There is nothing particularly fascinating about this little settlement on the Clarence River except for a pleasant modern pub with good food. And the ferry, which wasn’t running when I was last there.

Maclean: Och, ye wouldna miss Maclean, mon! Apologies to any real Scots. A lone outpost of Scotsdom here Down Under, it has the tartans of different clans painted on its telegraph poles. It also has a couple of really nice cafés and a repurposed motorcycle garage.

Yamba: A sizeable settlement at

By the Riverside

KB’s Two Wheeled Tours

PO Box 679 Grafton 2460, 0403 433 130, www. nymboidariverretreat.com/ tours

Karyn not only runs motorcycle tours, she will also put a roof over your head. She operates the snug and stylish Nymboida River Retreat, a b&b right on the river and the Grafton Road, just down from where Russell Crowe used to have his museum. It also offers amazing canoeing. She invited me to drop in and very kindly not only offered morning tea but invited a number of women motorcyclists from the surrounding area to meet me. The ‘girls’ certainly get out and about up there.

Bike Shop

Ballina Motorcycles

21 Kerr Street Ballina 2478, 02 6681 3000, https://www. ballinamotorcycles.com.au/ The boys are not only BMW and KTM dealers, they also sell Hartford, an economy brand of small bikes and scooters. They will look after your requirements with other brands as well and they’ll do it with a smile. I’m friends with their dad so I’m comfortable recommending them.

Australiana

Austral Café 86 Murwillumbah St Murwillumbah, 02 6672 2624, australbakery@bigpond.com

My guides took me to the Austral to show me one of the places where local motorcyclists get together. They took seats at a front table facing the road, which meant that I had to sit with my back to it. Their reasoning soon became clear when I noticed that they were not looking at me while we talked, but through the window – just possibly at the young ladies passing by. Hmm. That explained the popularity with motorcyclists, most of whom (despite Karyn’s friends) are male.

TRAVEL

Chillingham is the first stop coming in from Queensland over the Border Ranges.

Staying

My overnight stays were also calculated to show a variety of the accommodation available in and around Ballina: Alstonville Country Cottages, 7 Cemetery Road Alstonville, 02 6628 1696. Aria, Caroline and Duncan have a group of large, modern and comfortable cottages scattered over beautifully landscaped grounds. Mine had two bedrooms, one with a queen size bed and the other with three single beds. Other combinations are available. Bike parking is in a carport, and though it is not lockup, it seems very secure.

Comfort Inn All Seasons, 301 River Street Ballina, 02 6686 2922. This large and modern motel has equally large and modern rooms, well above normal motel standard. Sam in reception was very kind and patient, even when I misplaced my room key. The motel is right on the main street but very quiet. Parking is undercover and there are plenty of poles to which you can lock your bike, as I did. Ballina Manor Boutique Hotel, 25 Norton Street, Ballina, 02 6681 5888. Originally built as the North Coast Girls College, this is a meticulously restored building furnished with antiques but incorporating all the luxuries of the 21st Century. There are twelve individually styled rooms, all with ensuite bathrooms and access to their own personal section of the expansive verandas. I’ve stayed in this wonderful place before and asked for an opportunity to repeat the experience. It doesn’t hurt to feel a bit special sometimes. Parking is in open, unsecured spaces around the hotel, but you can choose to leave the bike in sight of the security camera.

the mouth of the Clarence River, Yamba is probably best known for its prawn fishery. It also has a pleasant beachfront and lots of tourist accommodation at various comfortand price-points.

West

A fairly densely settled bit of country, the area immediately west of Ballina is dominated by the freeway access and a conurbation which spreads more or less from Alstonville to Lismore and then, with a bit of an interruption, to Casino. The Bruxner Highway to Tenterfield is an outstanding ride. My father-in-law, who was a GP in Casino, told me a story from the time when there was a tick gate on the Bruxner. A bunch of local boys decided to have some fun with the tick inspector, and one of them hid in the boot of their car. When the inspector opened it, he leapt forth shouting “I’m Dick the Tick and I’ve…” it was supposed to be “gotcha” but the rattled inspector slammed the lid shut and Dick the Tick ended up with a dozen stitches in his head.

Alstonville: My mother once got a fishbone stuck in her throat while she, my stepfather and I were watching a movie at the Alstonville drive-in. We had to hunt around for a clinic that could remove it, but everything turned out for the best except for the movie.

I never did see the end of it, and now I can’t even remember what it was. Today Alstonville caters for “curio hunters and culture buffs”, according to the tourist office. It’s a pleasantly relaxed place, now off the main road. Victoria Park Nature Reserve, nearby in Dalwood, protects the last surviving remnants of the original rainforest, known as The Big Scrub. It has a top pub.

Casino: I am required to note that Casino is the Beef Capital of Australia, no matter what a certain Queensland pretender wants to pretend. It is the hometown of Mrs Bear and she retains a fierce pride in the town abattoirs. The most outstanding thing about Casino for motorcyclists is that it is the crossroads where the Bruxner Highway meets the Summerland Way. Avoid going south on the latter and east on the former if you lob here, but the northern and western routes are among the best motorcycle roads in Australia. Casino itself, named after Monte Cassino in Italy, is a useful place for refueling and shopping. And beef, of course. It’s the Beef Capital of Australia.

Lismore: A monument to human resilience, Lismore gets regular and frequent floods which are commemorated in its shopping centre by lines proudly drawn on walls. It

1. “Hey, can you fix my BMW’s fuel pump?” – “No.” – “Why not? Because there are no spares?” – “No. Because I’m a hairdresser.”

2. The Eltham pub is highly regarded by visitors and locals alike.

does not seem to have occurred to anyone to move the town uphill, but I suppose then it would be Alstonville West. It is actually a nice place with good if occasionally damp shops and an attractive, green (why wouldn’t it be) townscape. There are a couple of bike shops catering to Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Triumph and HarleyDavidson. If they’re not under water.

Teven: The outstanding thing about Teven is the absolutely beautiful golf course it has on Maguires Creek. Even if you don’t play golf it’s worth looking at. A work of art in greenery.

North

The north is where the action is. The wonderful tangle of roads and constantly surprising scenery make this possibly… what, no, probably the most concentrated patch of enjoyable motorcycle roads in NSW and possibly in Australia. These roads would probably be gravel or dirt in most other places, but they are bitumen and even if they are not in perfect condition, are generally good. They are sealed either because, as someone from the council once told me, “they would wash away with all the rain if they weren’t” or because ex-National Party leader and local member Doug Anthony made sure they were. The latter is more likely, seeing it doesn’t rain any more here than on the rest of the coast.

Bangalow: Sometimes considered Byron Bay’s poor relation, it is actually a bit like Byron Bay a few years ago. Nice old streetscape with some interesting shops (with lower prices than Byron). There are some good cafés and restaurants, too, and a beautiful setting for the markets on the fourth Sunday of the month. There are also lots of other festivals including the billycart race down the main road in May.

Byron Bay: What can you say about a place like Byron? The usual start for a story about celebrity towns like this is along the lines of “Once a sleepy fishing village…” but Byron was never that. Even at its beginnings it was a lively place with sand mining,

cedar cutting, abattoirs and whaling. Today that’s been replaced by catering to well-off tourists, accommodating celebrities, discouraging schoolies bookings and trying to provide parking for the many services the town offers. The beaches are wonderful and there are some good cafés and restaurants, like Yulli’s (he has his own beer) and Fishheads for instance, so don’t give up on the place. Probably the best innovation in Byron is the new-ish Arts & Industries quarter with its Stone & Wood brewery and cafés. The Byron lighthouse marks Australia’s most easterly point, in case you were wondering.

Cawongla: The Olde Cawongla Store & Café is on the road between Kyogle and Uki. It’s a good coffee stop, open seven days and providing breakfast, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. On Friday nights it becomes a licensed restaurant. It also has the most amazing wheelchair access ramp you’ve ever seen.

The Channon: Protestors Falls are nearby, a reminder of the Terania Creek protests when there was a constant battle between those who wanted to exploit the forest, and those who were protecting it. A piece of history. The Channon Gallery is a top-line art gallery featuring the work of local and interstate artists, including Aboriginal art. For a thirsty motorcyclist, though, the Channon pub is probably the main attraction. There is even a bit of motorcycle memorabilia on the walls. Sit outside in the shade and listen to the birds. Sadly, I have never worked out satisfactorily how to pronounce the name of the place. The Channon craft market opens from 8am to 4pm on the second Sunday of every month. It is highly regarded locally for the quality of its stalls, although they are not all that different from the other markets’.

Federal: On the way between Lismore and Bangalow, Federal is a tiny place for even the Northern Rivers villages.

Thank you

My sincere thanks to: Alicia Wallace, Team Leader at the Visitor Information Service, 6 River Street Ballina, 1800 777666 for organizing my visit. Peter Richardson, the driving (I suppose that should be ‘riding’) force behind the Northern Rivers NSW Motorcycle Touring Guide who made my visit possible. My accommodation, meals and the Behind the Barrel tour described in issue #99 of Motorcyclist were courtesy of the Visitor Information Centre. They really want to see you up there!

Congratulations AMM on your 100th issue!

Help

There are no fewer than a dozen Visitor Information Centres in the Northern Rivers. Well, not actually in the rivers – you know what I mean. I’ll just list the websites; some of them cover more than one centre.

• Ballina: discoverballina.com

• Brunswick Heads: brunswickheads.com.au

• Byron Bay: visitbyron.com

• Casino, Evans Head, Woodburn: discoverrichmondvalley.com.au

• Lismore: visitlismore.com.au

• Kyogle: visitkyogle.com.au

• Clarence Valley: myclarencevalley.com

• Murwillumbah,The Tweed: visitthetweed.com.au

• Nimbin: ah, yeah, man, ah like visitnimbin.com.au man

It has a couple of so-so craft shops, a nice shady park, an excellent general store which sells just about everything you’ll ever need, and a Japanese restaurant. Yep. Lovely place, you can sit outside and enjoy the shaded ambiance of the ranges. The sushi’s okay, too. Federal is possibly my favourite settlement in the Northern Rivers region.

Kyogle: On the Summerland Way north of Ballina, Kyogle is a hinterland service town just outside the Northern Rivers region. It holds the turnoff onto the Kyogle Road to Nimbin and Uki and is on the way to the Lions’ Road. Fill up here if you’re heading that way. There is a tourist information office on the northern edge of town. It grows premium garlic, too.

Lennox Head: Like a mini-Ballina, Lennox Head has accommodation, shops, restaurants and cafés as well as a pub. Since it has been bypassed by the main Ballina-Byron Bay road it’s

become quieter. South of the town is Pat Morton Lookout, where hanggliders take off. Watch out for drivers with their attention on the gliders instead of the road! Lake Ainsworth to the north of town looks kind of brown, but that’s just the tannin from the surrounding tea trees. It makes the water remarkably soft; a friend of mine used to take jerry cans of it home to Sydney to wash her hair. It’s also good for a paddle, a swim or a sail with one of the rental boats.

Mooball: I wrote about the home of the Moo Moo Roadhouse in issue #99. Always worth a stop.

Mullumbimby: A pleasant place, quite large for the area, Mullum (as it’s known locally) is pretty much like a normal Australian country town. The striking Middle Pub in the main street is worth a photo. I have always found Mullum to be useful as a place to shop for supplies; it has a Woolworths and an IGA. There is also a Farmers

Coming into Maclean from the west over one of the many bridges.

Market Fridays from 7am to 11am at the Showground. One intriguing thing is that there are almost no signs to help you find your way out of town. Once in Mullum, always in Mullum… The town, and your cruising around looking for a way out, is overlooked by Mt Chincogan which also dominates the view on the link to the old Pacific Highway, once you find it. The origin of the phrase ‘to mull up’.

Nimbin: A sizeable inland town, Nimbin is best known for its countercultural population. In 1973, the Aquarius Festival came to town with a large number of students, hippies, and other alternative types who flocked to Nimbin with, for the first time in Australian history, permission from the Traditional Owners of the land. The townscape is a bit overdone these days, and you are likely to be asked if you are “chasing weed” when you park the bike. Whatever that means. Nimbin made the history books in 1979, when

it was the base for the community protests against the destruction of a local rainforest. Known as the ‘Battle for Terania Creek’, the movement prompted the world’s first legislation that protected rainforest. So don’t knock the hippies, okay?

Stokers Siding: Not far from Uki over a nice, quiet and enjoyable back road, this is a bit of a chameleon. Sometimes it has a craft shop and a café, sometimes it only has a craft shop, and sometimes (you guessed, didn’t you?) it only has a café. The picturesque frontage is a good photo op.

Uki: There used to be an old Queenslander-style wooden pub on the main road through Uki. The bad news is that it did what all wooden pubs do eventually: it burned down. The good news is that the new pub, while perhaps a bit flash, is spacious and cool and usually has a few motorcycles out the front. Recommended by locals, and who

RIDE ROADS LESS

am I to argue? Uki also has a good craft and produce market on the third Sunday of the month.

East

Yes, right, east is mainly the Pacific Ocean or, if you prefer, the Tasman Sea. The Richmond River has a notoriously tricky bar which can be a lot of fun to watch as skillful skippers negotiate it with fishing and pleasure craft. Walking out along the walls can be fun, especially if there is a sea running. On the southern side of the river you will find an endless-seeming beach. Be aware that it is not patrolled.

East Ballina: A terrific patrolled beach, a pleasant pub and an historic lighthouse with a lookout.

Skennars Head: If you’d like to camp with fellow motorcyclists, the Big 4 Ballina Headlands Holiday Park here is run by Goldwing riders Robert and Shirley Gray. D

ISLE OF MAN TT

100 ISSUES OF AUSTRALIAN MOTORCYCLIST

Magazine. Wow! I remember when Editor, Stuart was telling me he and The Bear were leaving the relative security of editing Road Rider magazine to kick off their own venture. Of course, nothing is ever as simple or as easy as you tell yourself it’s going to be but Stuart and his crew continue to produce a great magazine, and in fact are one of the few remaining Aussie motorcycle mags. It’s a challenging gig in these times of internet dominance but my hat goes off to all those involved.

You’ve probably seen my name more and more in recent times, and I’m usually edging towards classic/modified bikes, plus the odd mechanical tale. To celebrate 100 issues I thought I’d go back 100 years to the 1921 Isle of Man TT to see what sort of men and machines were doing the winning. I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to ride and race back in those days. We see pictures and film of such times, and as it’s in black and white it can be easy to think of those times as very dour. We have to remember that 1921 was only three years after the Great War where a number of nations lost the flower of their male youth. There was still rationing, and it would have been a real struggle for most families to get over what had been a hellish four and a half years. It’s hard to imagine anyone not being touched in some way by WW1. How did this affect the motorcycle manufacturers in the UK? In one way raw materials were hard to come by and the money just wasn’t there for many people to buy new motorcycles. On the other hand, the war had brought forward new technology and motorcycles were still the main form of transport in the UK.

I find it amazing in these challenging times, fledgling manufacturers were still able to get bikes on the grid for the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. This was the most important race in the world at that time for fans and therefore manufacturers, and in many fans’ eyes the IoM TT still is. It’s not

so important for manufacturers now but back then lessons learned from racing would make their way into building new road machines, while the kudos from winning a TT would surely produce more sales. It was expensive to get a team to the TT then, and still is now, but it was seen as very important.

Who were the major players at the 1921 TT? All the big names were there, and a few lesser known makes too. AJS, BSA, Sunbeam, Triumph, Indian, Douglas, Norton, Scott, James, Rover, New Imperial, Blackburne, DOT, and even a Massey-Arran. A few of these would have used propriety engines from other manufacturers, but it was a big deal for manufacturers. They wanted to be there. Some of the manufacturers produced big capacity V-twins, especially makes like Indian, AJS and Triumph, but racing rules dictated the Lightweight class was limited to 250cc, the Junior class to 350cc, and the Senior class 500cc. While the Senior was the blue riband class if you like, the other classes were also very important.

For 1921 the entries list almost doubled from the previous year to 133 riders entered. Quite a number were works riders. It’s hard to imagine compared to the modern TT where

not many more than the top 30 riders are riding for a recognised team as such, and even fewer are being paid reasonable money. The Junior TT was run concurrently with the 250cc Lightweight class. 65 riders lined up, 43 for the Junior and 22 for the Lightweight. There were 33 four-stroke singles, 22 two-stroke singles, seven flat twins and three V-twins.

AJS ran away with the race, filling the first five spots with its 2 3/4 hp Big Port racer. AJS Competition Manager Howard R Davies was the early front runner until a puncture forced him to relinquish the lead to Jim Whalley on the little known Massey-Arran, until a puncture took him out of the running too. Davies still managed to finish in second though, despite still racing on a flat tyre, and Whalley finished fifth. AJS works rider Eric William completed the five laps in the fastest time of three hours, 37 minutes and 23 seconds, at an average speed of 52.21mp/h. For his trouble he won 40 pounds and got a gold medal. A fair pay day back then, when the 40 pounds would have near bought him a new motorcycle.

It’s easy to dismiss 52.21mp/h (80.024km/h) as fairly slow. I’ve raced the TT course on a 1990 Ducati 851 at a bee’s dick off 100mp/h, and

it was tough. 80km/h is something most average riders could achieve on a modern motorcycle. But can you imagine it back then? Under three horsepower, rudimentary suspension, basic helmets and goggles, awful tyres, hand change gearboxes and dirt roads. That was seriously quick. And flat out for three and a half hours, probably chain smoking for the majority of it, just to calm their nerves. WW1 veterans racing probably had shot nerves as well. This was obviously before everyone knew smoking could kill. They had just come through the war. Who gave a shit about cancer, or even knew what that was? It truly was a test of man and machine. Let’s not forget the Lightweight class though, with first placed 250cc rider Doug Prentice coming in 10th place outright on a New Imperial with a J.A.P engine.

Howard R Davies, being Competition Manager at AJS, was no doubt smarting after his puncture affected Junior race. He didn’t have any option other than to race the Big Port 350 Ajay, simply because AJS did not make a 500cc machine at that time. The cycle parts for his Senior TT mount were different from the Junior TT racer, but he gave less than one horsepower away to his

500cc equipped competition. Mind you, when you’ve got less than five horsepower, I guess half a horse is quite a bit.

68 riders fronted the starting grid on Glencrutchery Road for the Senior TT. 52 of them were on four-stroke singles, nine on four-stroke twins, and one solitary two-stroke rider. The six-lap race was hectic, with the lead changing constantly. Unlike the Junior race where AJS dominated, the top six riders were on five different makes. A late charge saw Davies made up for his Junior TT disappointment, taking his 350cc AJS to first place from Freddie Dixon and Bert le Vack, both on Indians. Davies came away from the

1921 TT with quite some coin in his pocket. After receiving 20 pounds for his second place in the Junior TT, he topped it up with 50 pounds from his Senior victory. Two gold medals came with the prize money too. Such was the ferocious pace of the Senior, the outright lap record was increased to 56.40mp/h (90.77 km/h).

It’s always very difficult to compare riders from different eras, but 56.40mp/h was a serious effort, considering the machinery and the track. One good comparison was the first 100mp/h lap in 1957 by Scotsman, Bob McIntyre on a 500cc four cylinder Gilera. In 2017 Michael Dunlop rode a replica of the McIntyre

Gilera. He managed near an identical time. 60 years apart, two riders at the top of their game at the time, but you’d have to say Michael Dunlop had better tyres, and the track was a little better than in 1957. In my mind this is the closest you’ll get to comparing riders of different eras. Dunlop was having a real crack too. Check it out on YouTube.

Unfortunately, the end was nigh for AJS motorcycles, which was founded by Joe Stevens in Wolverhampton in 1909. Despite such a successful TT, AJS could only struggle on for another decade before being bought out by Matchless. A sad end to a company with such a proud history. D

Iprovided engine and transmission, the R 50 donated the frame and running gear) turned out to be useful but never really ideal; for a start the Ural sidecar was too heavy. I didn’t build the perfect outfit until I matched a Yamaha Bolt to a replica Steib chair. Still, the Beemer outfit covered a lot of miles and was a lot of fun. I don’t seem to be able to find any photos, so you’ll have to settle for one of the Bolt.

RALPH - KTM SUPERDUKE / BMW R 1200 GS

Split Decision

DRIRIDER

HAVE FINALLY FINISHED THE restoration of my 1976 Kawasaki Z900 A4. It has been a long road, taking just over two years from start to finish. There was a hiccup along the way that stopped the restoration for a few months, but all-in-all the restoration went along at a slowmedium pace; and after having restored the Suzuki Katana 1100 previous to this bike in only eight months, two years seems like a very long time.

dririder.com.au

I owned both in the late 2000s and these bikes meant different things for

Touring 2 Panniers – $199.95

This is basically a wrap up of how the restoration went over the past two years and I kind of find it fitting that this final piece is in our special 100th issue – I guess it was meant to be.

600D Ripstop construction featuring universal fit expandable soft side bags (18–31L capacity), Velcro fitting and attachment straps, extra side compartments, heat resistant base in case of accidental contact with the exhaust, includes PE boards for shape retention, equipped with rain cover and shoulder strap, anti–scratch non–slip material on inner side and reflective strip for night safety.

Navigator Mini Tank Bag

I had just sold my Katana 1100 when my good friend, Nigel (who we used to share office with) contacted me saying he’d got the perfect bike for me. He’d had a lazy Sunday afternoon one weekend and bid on this Z900 from Lloyds Auctions. Nigel told me he didn’t want it and it would be a perfect project for me. I thought it over and agreed.

Magnetic – $59.95

Another friend was heading to Queensland where the bike was located and brought it back for me. He warned me it was, “a bucket of shit”, but looking at it in the photos I thought it was okay. Well, when I picked it up, he was right, it was very ‘rough’ to say the least, then when I stripped the bike at D Moto Motorcycle Engineering, we noticed the frame wasn’t in good shape, so that was the first step, once that was right and perfect, I sent it for powder coating at Comp Coat Race Coatings.

One thing I didn’t want to do with this bike was ‘over restore’ it. Many people go all out and mirror polish the

fork legs, engine side covers, and make the paint on the frame too shiny. The bike, when it rolled off the factory line was never like this, the frame was kind of shiny and the engine side covers and fork legs were more of a brushed polished shine – so this is what I wanted to achieve with this restoration. I also replaced every nut, bolt and washer for this bike – you’d be surprised how much this all ends up costing!

ANDY STRAPZ andystrapz.com

Avduro Panniers – $475

The name Avduro nods its lid to the mix of Enduro and Adventure.

Comp Coat has a process to make the gloss black powder coat look just like it did back in the day – the result was perfect and I’m so glad they have this process. I have used Comp Coat for many powder coating jobs now and they have been perfect every time.

Since their inception in 2003 Andy Strapz panniers have evolved in line with the demands of modern Adventure riders.

The carbies turned out to be a world of pain. I soaked them in a special acid solution for a week or two and still had trouble getting the slides out – a tiny bit of heat ended up helping – but not too much as the alloy of the carb bodies is extremely soft.

I rebuilt the forks using Ikon fork springs, which were matched to the amazing period looking Ikon chrome shocks – if you want the best shocks for any classic bike, Ikon are a must. I can tell you, this Z900 handles just beautifully and if I were so inclined, it handles well enough to liven up modern bikes on a weekend blast.

Made in Australia from their tried and crashed, 17oz Aussie, Dynaproofed canvas, they are packed (pun intended, sorry) with new approaches to the existing features.

600D Ripstop construction featuring a non–slip anti–scratch base, strong magnets for secure holding, includes waist strap and is sized at 180x130x30 –great for carrying phone, wallet, money and/or cards.

My attention then turned to the engine and I knew this could be a whole can of trouble. I used Classic Wet Blast for the vapour blasting of both the engine and carbs. I didn’t attempt to fire it up before stripping it as the wiring on the bike was near non-existent and the carbies were seized. After an hour or so I had the engine apart and both Shaun (D Moto) and I were pleasantly surprised – the internals were excellent with the pistons and rings having not long ago been changed. I did find one of the gears in the gearbox needed replacing and we gave the barrel a hone as well. A new cam chain, new shims and a polishing of the cams in the lathe sorted everything but the head. It needed one new valve, valve guide and while I was there, we lapped the valves in and fitted new valve seals – pretty standard sort of stuff anyway. I fitted a Dynatek Dyna 4000 Crank Trigger kit to get rid of the ignition points – for a modern touch, but mostly to make the bike easy to live with.

The basics of the pannier bags remain unchanged from those Andy made for himself all that time ago. If it ain’t broke…

Although the basics stood the test of time and Aussie riders, that doesn’t mean the nice little extras can’t be tweaked and improved such as what you’ll ﬁnd with the Avduro.

Scoota Bagz – $74

A small courier style, shoulder bag with an external ﬂap. A very neat size to carry on the bike.

I bought new DID rims and went with steel spokes and zinc plated nipples. Most people use stainless spokes and nipples but that’s not how this bike came out of the factory. Plus, I don’t see this bike ever being used as a ‘run around’ where the spokes might end up rusting in years to come, like bikes were used for many moons ago. The original front and rear hubs were polished and the centres painted silver. The original date stamped discs were cleaned up in the lathe and fitted up with new bolts and lock tabs.

Designed to ﬁt an A4 sized ﬁle, Andy’s Scoota Bagz are constructed from 1000–denier (jargon for bloody tough) Korda nylon with waterproof backing and brown oil–less oilskin, a combination of both!

me and my riding. Both bikes I bought without test riding, and placed an order prior to their arriving in Australia. It’s proof that marketing hype works! Both represented freedom in every sense -performance or travel, wheelstanding or chugging through the countryside. Both were instrumental in consolidating their brands in their respective markets.

The great folk at Bridgestone supplied the BT45 tyres – not totally classic, but period looking enough for this kind of bike. I wanted the bike to handle well and have modern levels of grip, so the BT45 was a logical choice. No use doing all this work and fitting slippery tyres to it! I would hate for me or anyone that owns it to crash it.

e 2010s

Functional and handsome enough for everyday use the Scoota features two external pockets with dividers under the front ﬂap and inside the bag, rear–mounted handle, angled shoulder strap for optimal comfort. And a rugged two–inch side–mounted release clip for helmet–on removal.

STUART – BMW R 1200 GS Water-Cooled Magic

From here I spent many days, weeks and months fitting up new parts and restoring the parts that were being retained. Essentially the airbox and front brake calipers were the main items as I’d already restored the forks

Let it be known, BMW have pretty much always held amazing new bike launches and the introduction of the

and the swingarm with new bushing had been fitted.

I’d now got to a point where the engine was ready to slot back in the frame and this is basically where the restoration stalled for a few months as my personal life was turned upside down. Once that was sorted, I carried on and got the carbies ready for fitment, finally saved up enough money to afford the new exhausts and took the next couple of months sorting out the brand new wiring. In this time, I’d sent off the paintwork to Marc at Sydney Custom Spraypainting.

The day had come to fire this beauty back into life and whenever you get to this point in a restoration it brings up a whole range of emotions and firing up on the first press of the starter was a shock but exciting at the same time.

The carbies were again a pain in the backside and I will now qualify myself as an expert at removing and replacing the normally difficult job of taking the

carbies off and putting them on, for a Z900. Call me if you need help! LOL!

I’d fitted brand new kits to the carbs from Japan (the best quality available) and found the pilot jets running too lean. Shaun has a set of number drills so we drilled out the pilot jets a couple of sizes and it made no real difference. This got us scratching our heads so went a couple of sizes bigger again and the bike started to behave. It turns out, the jet sizes were for leaded fuel, not unleaded fuel! So, this is a trap for many who wish to play around with this era of bike. Even a long time Kawasaki guru I know had the same trouble with a 75 model he restored a year ago. I also ended up raising the needles and making the main jets one size bigger. I wanted to tune the bike so it runs a touch rich to preserve those beautiful four-into-four chrome pipes – running the bike lean will cause the header parts to turn blue, and no one wants that!

One of the final pieces to the puzzle was receiving the paintwork back. I fitted that up with the NOS tank badges and then came my fussy four hours of detailing to make this bike really stand out from anything else out there. I think the result speaks for itself and the pictures you see within these pages shows just some of the detail of how good this bike is. Everyone that has seen this bike in photos is amazed, but then seeing it in the flesh they have been knocked out at the detail I’ve gone to, to make this bike as good (if not better) than when it rolled off the production line back in 1976. Now to the sad part…as much as I don’t want to sell this bike, I am. I have put the sale of the bike into the hands of Shannons Auctions (shannons.com.au/auctions/ upcoming/). The bike is headlined in their Winter Timed Online Auction starting 10am, 8 June – 15 June 2021. If you want, what has to be one of the

best Z900’s in the country, bid now or miss out as this bike will be sold. The team at Shannons are excited to have such a high-quality bike going across their auction block, so be quick and don’t miss out.

What do I have planned next? I don’t have any restorations lined up, but I will more than likely be buying a Kawasaki H1 500…I’d love a H2 750, but they’re getting very pricey now. I need to scratch an itch for this kind of old banger, something I’ve had for some time now. You’ll no doubt see it within these pages down the track if I get it. If not, a Yamaha RD350 or RD350LC would be nice – let’s see what happens. Oh! I almost forgot. My mate Chris and I could possibly be building a road going Segale race bike replica. Chris has all the factory jigs and moulds and we have the donor bike already for the engine. The build will be similar (in a way) to what Shed X do with Ducati’s. D

WORDS & PHOTOS COLIN WHELAN

OKAY SO LISTEN UP a bit.

This is our 100th issue and Stu and I were talking about maybe doing something different, something special. Maybe the 100 things I’ve learnt from this pub life. Or maybe the best 5, 10 or 50 joints I’ve been to.

Was chewing this over as a storm was chasing me as I headed east a few Fridays ago from Tocumwal on the Murray. The rain caught me at Finley but I’d given it the slip again by Corowa and began heading north, hoping to camp under the bridge on Billabong Creek on the Urana Road.

But at Walbundrie the pub was open and the heavens were about to be so I pulled in to thaw, drip dry and a warming glass of red.

Across the bar Adam and Lindy were

dealing with the end of week mob and ‘of course it’s no problem’ to park Super Ten in under the cover of the veranda. I shed some layers and head inside.

It’s humming, but not as busy as they’d expected – a decent sized group had booked for lunch but not fronted so, with Lindy and her offsider sister, Joanne, who’s come up to help out handling the drinkers, Adam’s got time to talk and I’ve sure got the time to listen.

In April 2020 Adam and Lindy were living in Melbourne, he an engineer working from home because of Covid and Lindy, usually a quality assurance officer at the Markets was home and not working for the same reason. He was ‘tired of working for the man’ and she was needing a change so they

starting tossing options and a country pub was one of them.

Lindy had had a mate at work, Garry. A Welsh bloke who’d come on his own as a kid 50 years ago as part of the Big Brother Movement. He lived at Walbundrie and kicked off the idea of taking over his local pub.

In March the pub’d closed for the first time in 103 years - due to illness of the publican and the town of 34 missed its watering-hole.

Seemed an idea. They did a bit of research, added the pubs at Morven and Burrumbuttock to their bucket, got okayed-in-principle from their Super Funds and Lindy headed up to check the joints out, window shopping kinda thing.

Adam: “She checked it out around lunchtime one Tuesday, put in an offer

Camp right at the front door

after lunch at 2.30, and they accepted it at 5 o’clock. So, she rings me and tells me they’ve accepted our offer and I say what bloody offer, you were only supposed to be having a look!”

Then he smiles, “But I was pretty happy about it.”

“We came back up on the Saturday and had a look then went back home and confirmed it all to the agents and the owners the next day, Sunday. Well, the next big shut down in Victoria started 24 hours later so we had this pub across the border that we couldn’t get to.”

They used the lockdown to sort the paperwork, the red tape and the licenses and then opened the doors on AFL Grand Final Day 2020, but they still didn’t fully ‘get’ the role of the pub and its relationship to the community.

“People started lining up outside at 9.30 and by the time we opened there was a queue of about a dozen. But we’d known there’d be a crush and so there wouldn’t be long waits for drinks we set up a can bar outside.”

They sold a total of 4 cans all night. Four!

“Everyone wanted a beer from the tap. They wanted draught. They wanted to front the bar, say “g’day”, lean on the counter a bit, chew the fat and then go sit down and suck it all in. They were sick of drinking packaged. At home.”

As we’re chatting and my red is doing its job, a mini-bus pulls up out front and vomits out a dozen strong mob of young things on a pub crawl for the 21st of one of ‘em.

By now it’s 5 hours late and the

kitchen’s officially closed until dinner but Lindy’s kept it bubbling, figuring that if they do front, they’ll need a feed. Turns out they’ve already eaten at one of the obviously numerous pubs they’ve already graced so just a bowl or two of chips if you don’t mind. Washed down in a couple of cases from cans they’ve brought with ‘em. Gotta love some people.

As they grace us with their couth, my mind flashes back to a clipping from 1876:

“A number of men, more or less under the influence of strong drink, began skylarking at the Bridge Hotel, Walbundrie … late on Sunday night … They were engaged … in the innocent and intellectual amusement of slapping each other in the face with their hats. The amusement nearly

Storm chaser

had a tragic termination. One of the men was stabbed in the stomach by a penknife, and a large quantity of blood flowed from the wound. The bystanders became furious, accused a Swede of the stabbing, and threatened to “lynch” him on the spot. The proposed outrage was stopped by the police (and) the wounded man is recovering.”

Ah, innocent and intellectual hat slapping. Why the hell did that fall out of fashion? Maybe something to try on the next group ride. With helmets. Sounds like Boris.

Anyway, just after they’ve left and moved on to the next pub, one of the locals calls from the back of the bar:

“You wanna see what one of those pricks has done to the toilets?” A couple of others head in to check out

the carnage. Apparently the vomit all over the floor is the least filthy component. One of the fellas asks Adam where he keeps buckets and mops and cleaning stuff. Collects it and just goes out and cleans up the entire mess.

“Is he staff?” I ask Adam.

“Nah, that’s just the way it is here. Let me tell you a story.”

“Once we finally managed to get into the place,” which he promises to get to in a bit, “there was a lot of work, physical work to do. A couple of the locals came by one Wednesday and sussed me for my plans for the outdoors area. They listened as I told them about removing some trees and a whole load of rubbish and fixing fences – sort of thing.”

I grab another red. The rain’s

pumping outside and under the bridge ain’t looking any more attractive.

“That Saturday morning there’s this racket out front so I go out and there’s this collection of tractors with equipment on the back that I’ve never seen before. It was a bunch of the farm locals who’d just decided to front up and help out. In a day they did what I was thinking would take me a month. That bloke cleaning the toilets for us is fantastic but it’s just part of how this community has welcomed us.”

Before adding, “Pity Snow’s not here. He’s the unofficial mayor.”

Lindy, who’s working double as Adam talks, overhears and chips in that, “Snow’ll be in for lunch tomorrow. Yeah, it’d be great if you had a yarn with him.”

I listen to her as she extolls this

unofficial mayor bloke and decide the morrow’s plans can change. It’s fine by Lindy to pitch the tent next to the bike under the front veranda once the place is closed and apparently a ride out to Rand in the morning will be interesting, so I order what turns out to be a massive, perfectly cooked rare T-bone, a bit more red and pass the evening with some top company.

And at some stage, listening to the tales of the locals and these blow-in publicans, the epiphany flashes that this place encapsulates all that’s great in the best country pubs of the previous 99 issues so why the hell shouldn’t it be the 100th?

Next morning, after a brew on the front verandah, roll the tent, pack the bike and head out for a squirt to Rand which has to be in the top ten feral gotta-be-banjos-playing places anywhere. If George Miller decides Downunder Deliverance is a movie concept, this is the place to shoot it.

The main drag is Bong St, but there’s no sign - someone’s no doubt felt it’d be more fitting on their wall. Tumbleweed stacks up against the frontages of what was once the CBD as a couple of kids play in the gutters. Some places have completely appropriated the footpath and old wrecks are parked along the street.

Embracing place

ANY PLACE THAT LETS

me park the bike and pitch the tent under their front verandah even if it obstructs one of their entrance doors (“It’s okay, most people use the other one anyway.) would probably have to insult the memory of my mother and only serve soft drink to not get 5 helmets.

Then when the owner comes out in the morning apologizing for not offering use of their shower last night, the deal’s sealed.

Back in 1878 a Victoria newspaper extolled the place: “The (Walbundrie Hotel) is most advantageously situated for doing a really first-class and remunerative trade, commanding as it does the roads from Corowa, Howlong, Urana, Germantown, and Wagga Wagga.”

All still true apart from Germantown now being Holbrook and all the roads being sealed and including some extremely pleasant back roads riding.

The plan is to open the backyard

up for camping with powered and unpowered sites but in the meantime under that bridge over the Billabong Creek, or the level ground found by crossing the bridge and taking the first track to the left will give you a peaceful place to chuck the swag.

It’s closed Mondays and Tuesdays but open from 11.00 the others and you’ll get a feed when you’re hungry. All the usual suspects on tap including CD, XXXX, GN and 150 Lashes.

Schooners of heavy are $6.50, mid-strength 50 cents less. Try finding that in a capital city.

This is a locals’ pub that embraces visitors so it doesn’t charge tourist prices. Without accom. my value scale doesn’t work, but it’s all very reasonable. Bushranging days are gone.

Character? Well it’s right up. Don’t waste your time talking here with your ride buddy. You soon find you’re not the most interesting people in the room. But only if you listen.

Anyway, back to Walbundrie and Snow, Garry, Doug and their partners are in the back, women at a table, men up at the bar. Introductions and it’s not long before Snow, who had his first beer here 58 years ago, it telling me about how Mad Dog Morgan, who roamed the hills around here, would crawl under the floor of the old pub and listen (there’s that word again) to the cops and locals discussing plans for his capture.

Not too certain just how much help the locals were. Obviously not aware of Morgan’s basement habits, the SMH later (1874) wrote:

“Walbundrie, or as it is better known, Piney Ridge, in the dark days of that bloodthirsty miscreant Morgan, became a notorious locality … and it was suspected that the simple villagers of the time, catered rather willingly to the bush ranger’s wants.”

Granny then continued her character assassination of the town:

“Piney is not by any means what persons term an inviting locality; its inhabitants are few, and rumour has it, not over prosperous …rumour … also

hints that the Piney is not a bad place to seek for lost horses.”

What the hell would they have thought of Rand?

Anyway, as Garry - who’s standing as the other perch on stools - explains he’s the same bloke who suggested to Lindy that she consider buying this place and then gets on to March 15th when the place closed but Snow – who doesn’t mind a bit of karaoke, accompanying himself on either tennis racquet or frying pan banjo – is the bloke to tell me that.

“Was my son’s birthday and it was a shock. But very soon we realised we had to do something. I could see the effect not having a pub was having on the people here. A few of us got worried about the mental health of the farmers and their families. Suddenly there was no meeting place just to get together and catch up.”

So, they sent out word and the next Friday they opened the sheds down at the footy oval, cranked up the barbie, flipped open the Eskys, let the kids run wild and impersonated a pub -you know, women all sitting around

sharing thoughts and support and the men at the other end just bullshitting, venting, sharing issues about beasts and weeds, but most of all, Snow reckons, listening to how each other was going.”

Every Friday for seven pub-less months, the town met at the Footy Grounds and “it was great, it saved the sanity of the place. Working on your own all day and then only having that little circle of family can be taxing, but the oval wasn’t a pub.”

“And that,” says Snow, “is why we all owe Lindy and Adam such a debt.”

Lindy, who’s been keeping an ear comes over, “But it’s nothing to the debt we have to the town.”

And after 100 months of writing this column, it’s suddenly clear. A secret ingredient to this country pub caper is that mutual feeling of debt to good people: Find a place where the pub feels it owes its community and that community feels in debt to the pub, and you’re in for a bloody good time.

At Walbundrie I did. I promise you will too.

Thanks for listening. D

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HARLEYDAVIDSON STREET BOB

Not a bad bloke, Ol’ Bob

WORDS STUART ︱ PHOTOS NICK WOOD CREATIVE

ARE MY TASTES

CHANGING? I don’t think so, but I would buy the new Harley-Davidson Street Bob. A big, powerful motor in an easy to ride package and a skinny rear tyre that adds some excitement when you want to be bad to the bone gives me a bit of a smile. Bear in mind, the Street Bob wouldn’t be the only bike I’d have in the garage at the same time.

The Street Bob is from the Softail family of Harleys, which have been around forever. The upgrade to the 114 cube (1868cc) for this year is all about bulk torque (155Nm) and if you let go of the clutch with a fist full of throttle, that skinny 150 wide rear tyre will blast you off the line in a cloud of rubber-burning white smoke and the same can be said while riding and doing the same in second or third gear! You want a bad arse Harley – here it is!

Mini apes, solo saddle and midmounted controls will get the nod of approval from most riders but the three (variously sized) riders I plonked on the Street Bob all mentioned the mid-mounted controls needed to be more forward. No doubt this is available in the H-D ‘Bible’ of one trillion accessories on offer. The handlebar height and position were given the thumbs up and even my long tree trunks felt comfortable with

the reach to the mini apes. There is so much leverage you can whip the Street Bob over on its side with very little effort. If you find the handlebar too far or would like it further away, simply loosen the clamp bolts and adjust to your liking.

While I’m on about the handlebar clamps, I have to mention the awesome miniature instruments. The main instrument is neatly housed in the top handlebar clamp with all the idiot lights in a tiny bar underneath – this is without doubt one of the neatest arrangements on the market. Oh, and don’t think there’s any info lacking as you’ve got speedo, tacho, trip, fuel gauge, fuel indicator, gear indicator and more!

New for this year, the pillion seat is nice to have, but please be on extremely good terms with whoever gets on it as there is virtually no support and it would be easy to have that pillion slide off if you get a bit excited with the throttle. I personally would get rid of the pillion seat and leave the pillion duties to another bike.

As mentioned, handling is great. Showa suspension is due credit for much of the Street Bob 114’s good behaviour. The “Dual Bending Valve” fork is firm, and that keeps the Street Bob from wallowing around in corners. While providing nothing approaching a plush ride, the Showa forks matched with the shock give you a good feel for the road, adding to the Street Bob 114’s visceral feel. The only downside to a cruiser platform looking for good handling is that you quickly touch down the pegs, exhaust on the right and/or footpeg brackets on both sides. Ride a bit more sensibly (or, keep the bike more upright) and the Street Bob will still towel up many more fancied road bikes.

Braking is always an essential part of going fast, and the Street Bob 114 will slow you down quickly - if you have the grip strength. Some HarleyDavidsons rely on the rear brake for deceleration. That’s not the case with the Street Bob 114, as the rear brake feels weak and is awkward to use with the mid-mount pegs. Instead, you’ll

become well-acquainted with the 300mm disc on the proudly wire-spoke front wheel. Most of the time, it’s easy to slow the Street Bob down adequately. However, in situations where truly hard braking is needed, make sure you have a strong grip - plenty of pressure needs to be applied to the lever. As always, downshifting helps, and the six-speed Cruise Drive transmission is a willing accomplice, though you will want to keep in mind that the clutch does not have a slipper function.

Speaking of spoked wheels, I love the black rim and stainless spokes, in fact there’s little I’d change on the Street Bob, other than ditching the pillion seat and also the standard exhaust pipes for something a touch more throaty and higher positioned –probably a two-into-one system.

The 2021 Harley-Davidson Street Bob is the least expensive 114 in the H-D range. Also being lightweight (in Harley terms) and ultra-cool to look at this is one bike that’s hard to go past. Oh, and don’t forget that tyre burning fun! D

Specs

HARLEY-DAVIDSON STREET BOB

PRICE: $23,495 (ride away)

WARRANTY: Two years, unlimited distance

SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 8000km or 12 months

ENGINE: 1868cc air/oil-cooled V-twin cylinder, 102x114mm bore/ stroke, OHV, 4 valves per cylinder

POWER: N/A

TORQUE: 155Nm @ 3250rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed, wet multi-plate clutch, belt ﬁnal drive

SUSPENSION: Front, 49mm telescopic fork, non-adjustable, travel 130mm. Rear, monoshock, adjustable preload, travel 86mm.

DIMENSIONS: Seat height 680mm, weight 299kg (wet), fuel capacity 13.2 litres, wheelbase 1630mm

TYRES: Front, 100/90/B19. Rear, 150/80/B16

BRAKES: Front, 300mm disc with four-piston caliper. Rear, 292mm disc, two-piston caliper.

FUEL CONSUMPTION: 6.56 litres per 100km, premium unleaded

THEORETICAL RANGE: 201km

COLOURS: Vivid Black, Stone Washed White Pearl, Baja Orange, Deadwood Green

VERDICT: Raucous fun

THOUGHTS ON A TON

THE BEAR LOOKS BACK

THOUGHTS ON A HUNDRED, eh? I’m not quite there yet, although I intend to get there and to celebrate with a decent ride. I’ve managed 74 per cent – so far, so good. To be honest with you, I didn’t expect to make it past the turn of the Century, but Mrs Bear kept me alive, alert and a-something else, I’m sure. I am more grateful to her than I can tell you.

There you go, though, I’m already turning sentimental. The best thing is probably to drag out a few never-before-seen photos from the Bear Album – ten, as it happens -- and tell you a little about them instead of just rabbiting on the way I usually do every month. So, let’s take it from the top...

1That’s my mate Charlie with our Honda XL250s high in the Koh-e-Baba mountains, on the way to Bamiyan and a look at the Buddhas. They were already missing their faces, sadly. On the way back to Kabul I performed what I like to think of as one of my most derring of derring-dos when I overtook a truck on the right (Afghanistan drives on the right, mostly) because I thought he had signaled me past. Only to ﬁnd that there was no spare road on that side. I ﬂew, quite literally for a moment, down the embankment of the road, dodging boulders and calling on all the spirits of the desert to preserve me. Which they did. While I like to think of this as an achievement; Charlie tends to refer to it as “one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen”. Whatever.

Mrs Bear (as she was not yet) helps the servo lady in Tongue, Scotland, to refuel our GS750. I bought this bike while my Honda was in storage, awaiting its return to the road to ﬁnish the around-the-world ride. The Suzuki was a cracker of a bike. It took us all over Britain and northern Europe, equipped with little more than a gunny sack and a couple of ammunition bags to complement the tank bag. Scotland was wonderful, except for the rain and the suicidal sheep which kept trying to throw themselves under the GS’s wheels. Did you know that some of the island whiskies are almost black?

Ah yes, I have not always been the tedious old pisscutter I am these days. No. Once upon a year I was, if not exactly tidy, certainly alive-looking. This is my favourite photo of myself, so forgive me for including it. When was it taken? At a guess I’ll say 1973, out on a magazine photo shoot. The scan is not brilliant, I did not have patchy skin, but you go with what you can get…

Ah yes, here we are in Essouira in Morocco, where we spent a few weeks waiting for winter to release its grip on Europe. We stayed in a really basic campsite with cold-only showers which were in fact the overﬂow from the rooftop tank. We are eating our favourite Essouira meal, freshlygrilled sardines straight off the boats like the one in the background and augmented with fresh bread. It might not have been the world’s healthiest diet, but boy did it taste good. Even washed down with those odd local soft drinks. When we wanted real drinks for New Year’s we had to ride ﬁfty kilometres down the coast to buy them.

Back to the XL250, here seen in New England, USA, on the outskirts of the town made famous by Lizzie Borden. Remember “Yesterday in old Fall River, Mr Andrew Borden died / and they got his daughter Lizzie on a charge of homicide.” They never did establish if she was an axe murderer or not. As for me, I took the photo and carried on. I spent much of my time in New England looking for a glue that would work on the split in my Acerbis tank.

Our borrowed and Vetterequipped Yamaha XS1100 on a ferry in what looks like Yugoslavia, as it was then. We had managed to beat the worst of the winter weather, although a week or so after this photo was taken, it snowed at Easter while we explored the Peloponnese in southern Greece. The roll strapped to the fairing is our tent; there was no room for it elsewhere since we had broken up with our original travelling companions.

One of the few nights on our trip when we did not set up the tent was here in Bulgaria, where the ‘caravan park’ owner insisted we take a ‘chally’. It cost next to nothing and anyway we had to spend the money we had been forced to convert at the border. The venue was mostly used by truck drivers, who marveled at the fact that the Yamaha had disc brakes. “My truck,” said one of them, pointing to what might very well have been the ﬁrst prototype for a semitrailer, “does not have disc brakes!”

Turkish food is wonderful, especially in Turkey itself where you can go out to the kitchen and choose from the various huge, ﬂat pans bubbling away on the stoves. This restaurant in Antalya had outstanding food despite the spelling on its façade; it actually offered Beer, Wine, Drink. Ah well, none out of three ain’t bad.

9 You would probably not be wrong in thinking that the little Honda was well and truly overloaded. The side stand deﬁnitely thought so, and broke. A quick welding job in a garage somewhere among the corn ﬁelds of the Midwest sorted that out, at no charge. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” said the welder. I cannot praise the reception I received from Americans more highly; they were all happy to see a stranger –and they didn’t come much stranger than me!

One of the things I had to keep fixing was the rear tube. I seriously cannot remember how many times I repaired it. I was pretty short of cash, so a new one was out of the question. Unfortunately you can only fit so many patches on a tube. There were other cases of terminal wear. Someone even gave me a used chain to replace my over-used one. Aren’t people nice. Well, that’s it. Ten photos from a motorcycling life of 55 years. It’s been a heap of fun. Would I do it again? In a flash, but today I would take an industrial quantity of ‘Pain Away’. D

TEN THINGS

A LOOK STUART’S BEST

ISSUE 100, WHAT AN achievement for us here at Australian Motorcyclist, especially in this climate where we’re one of the only ones left – we must be doing something right!

I mentioned to, The Bear we should pick ten things that we’ve thought are highlights in our time so far, he went off on a bit further look back, but I’ve tried to stick within the 100 issues of Australian Motorcyclist. So, here we go (in no particular order)…

1My favourite road I’ve ridden ever would have to be Queenstown to Glenorchy and return. Plan it right and I have ridden this 46km stretch of absolute stunning scenery and race track like road, like I was racing. Guides say it takes 45 minutes, but I, um, have done it around a third of that time – so glad Mr Plod wasn’t around, otherwise I’d be the headline news piece on NZ television! Actually, one of my trips on this road was on knobbies riding a mid-sized adventure bike and two-wheel sliding through corners was so much fun – it certainly raised the heartbeat a few times.You also need to ride this road at a sensible pace (at least once) so you can enjoy the scenery as it is simply stunning – make sure you stop at various points along the way to take photos.

Shoei helmets are simply amazing and have been my ‘go-to’ helmet for almost, forever. I love the fit, finish, comfort and top-level protection. Sure, they’re not cheap, but the quality is hard to find unless you spend the same sort of money on a similar brand.

Riding a World Superstock level BMW S 1000 RR at the iconic Phillip Island circuit was simply amazing. Firstly, if you haven’t ridden Phillip Island – you must! Who cares what bike you have, or how fast you are, ride it and experience it…lifetime memories. Secondly, riding a full world level race bike with so much power that it wanted to rip my arms from their sockets felt so good.

I have been to many places on new bike launches but one of the most memorable was a BMW R 1200 GS launch at some crappy pub in the middle of nowhere in Victoria. The publican told us we could have one type of meal for dinner, to pour our own drinks and breakfast was in the fridge to cook for ourselves as he wasn’t getting out of bed. The bedrooms were built back in the 1200s (well, it felt like it) and the sink was about 30cm by 15cm and when the water sucked back up the shower head and turned to an occasional drip I was left standing there soaped up and no water to wash it off! Back to the miniature sink and trying to wash soap off a giant is something I’ll never forget. LOL!

A bucket list tick for me was riding to Cape York as part of the BMW Safari Enduro. I rode with World Superbike legend (and good friend), Steve Martin. We had a great time blasting along at speeds over 180km/h through the bulldust, helping other riders who’d got stuck and having a beer or ﬁve with Roy Kunda of Cape York Motorcycle Adventures who ran the tour. Having a shower in the ‘clamping’ tents at Punsand Bay, Cape York to wash off all the dust after days of riding in 40 plus degree heat and watching out for any crocs lurking out the tent ‘door’ was quite funny.

Another publican which told us to get our own food and drinks was a KTM launch to Moonan Flat. The route was a bit long and we all got in around 7pm and the publican buggered off at 8pm! Told us to cook our own dinner and to grab a couple of drinks as he was shutting up the fridge. Our breakfast was, “cook it yourself on the barbie out the back” this was exciting with hardly any gas. To top off the whole thing, have you got a mate that snores louder than a freight train coming through the front door? Well, my mate, Picko is such a person. The corrugated tin walls were bending that night with the snoring. It was also minus two degrees or something and I got about ten minutes sleep the entire night. I could have smothered him with a pillow that night!

As an all-rounder motorcycle that you could have in the garage and see every part of Australia, as much as I’d normally say the BMW R 1200 GS, I have changed my view and it’s the Yamaha Tenere 700 – awesome MT07 parallel twin engine and a go-anywhere bike that is perfect for Australia. I almost bought one but spent the money on the Z900 resto.

Another NZ road that is simply awesome (and a favourite) is Queenstown to Cardrona up the Crown Range Road, if you can ride it without traffic it’s a cracker. On a KTM launch many moons ago our group had Police try to head us off from Queenstown and Wanaka. We obviously had no idea until we heard sirens blazing and they ran into the pub to find us almost through our first beer. They ended up having a laugh and went

on their way as they hadn’t seen us do anything – too many do-gooders that day with mobile phones calling the Police. Haha! I’m sure the Police were hiding somewhere when we left an hour or so later, but we headed off into the mountains on the dirt. I have ridden the Crown Range on numerous other occasions and enjoyed it every time. It really is a must do stretch of road.

One of the most memorable road bikes I’ve ridden would have to be the 210-rear wheel horsepower, Phil Tainton Suzuki GSX-S1000 (well, 1200 after ﬁtting bigger pistons). The wildest animal of a bike you could imagine with high level suspension to match. It was a bike that would be unbeatable on the road and would blow the minds of everyone at a track day –all in an unassuming looking package, well, except when it wasn’t running that is, as it sounded insane.

One of the funniest memories I have was in Salzberg, Austria. The group in our van transporting us to our hotel were all having a laugh when some guy on a scooter stopped in front of us, picked us his scoot and threw it on the front of our van, then called out, “Polizei”. I and a couple of blokes in the van got out and this ‘bloke’ saw a giant and a bikie looking gent enquire why he’d thrown his scooter on the front of our van, which had him scamper off in the trafﬁc. Little did we know the Police were actually standing some twenty metres away watching us and when we raised our hands in disgust at what had happened, they just waved with a friendly smile. HA! 8

TIGER

RESCUE

Be nice to Tiger’s, they might bite

WORDS & PHOTOS PICKO

WHAT DO YOU DO when you see a Triumph Tiger 955i languishing and unloved at a friend’s place? Buy it of course, especially if it’s cheap.

I wasn’t on the lookout for another bike, but like so many other times, they seem to find me. That said, I had just sold perhaps the best bike I’d ever owned, a 2015 BMW R 1200 GSA. Covid help ruin my wife’s business and out of the dozen or so motorcycles in my collection, the BMW was the only one I didn’t own. It had to go. In hindsight I should have sold one of my other bikes instead but I’ve never been known for rationality when it comes to motorcycles.

As a result of my selling impetuousness there was an adventure bike sized hole in my life. Not that I really knew it at the time. As I said, I wasn’t on the lookout for another bike but I was heading to a mate’s place to pick up some parts for a Holden Panelvan I’m restoring, and on the morning in question I was perusing Facebook Marketplace and up popped this Tiger. Cheap at two grand, a 2005 model, but obviously a bit rough around the edges. Two and two made four, and I worked out it belonged to the very same mate I was heading up to see that morning. I had seen it there in the past but never took much interest in it.

After filling my car with other car bits I enquired about this ‘cheap’ Tiger. On face value it looked very tired. Everything that could wear out looked to be worn out but it did fire up easily enough with a battery jump pack. With 90,000 kilometres on the clock I expected it to sound like an old nail but I was pleasantly surprised how good the engine sounded. It even had an unmarked Staintune muffler on it. Sold.

“Why do I keep doing this shit to myself”, I thought. I have enough projects on the go, but I liked the idea of running an old adventure bike that’s already got some ‘crash patina’. The story behind the bike was my mate bought it off another bloke we both know. For how much I didn’t ask, but my mate passed it on to both of his sons at some stage, and ended up back

with it. It had survived a Kangaroo strike, had some sort of Terminator style eye instead of one headlight, and looked like a pile of absolute shit. I needed to rescue it and get it back on the road for as little as possible. After paying two grand for the bike I wanted to have it repaired and on the road for less than four grand.

This isn’t a ‘How To’ article on mechanical repairs, rather what you can do if you are mechanically minded and have a reasonable workshop. This Tiger needed new tyres, chain and sprockets, brake pads, fork seals and other perishables. As I’m ‘in the know’ I can get parts and tyres at trade prices from some suppliers, many who are friends of mine, so instead of saying how much I paid, I’ll give retail prices. I’ll also look at how many hours I’ve spent so far doing the work.

First thing to do was change the oil and filter, which was easy enough except for removing the oil filter. It’s a screw on type which goes underneath the engine. The big issue is the exhaust

pipe really restricts room for an oil filter tool. Plus, it was tight! Eventually a screw driver was driven through the oil filter and it was removed that way. A little rough perhaps but successful. I used full synthetic 10W-40 oil, after Googling what other people were using. I like to utilise my local motorcycle shop where I can, even though they are not Triumph dealers, they are my friends so I go there when I can and spend some hard earned. For generic stuff like oil filters, fork seals and so on they can get it.

Once that was done it was onto the forks. As I don’t have fork rebuilding tools at home, I find it easiest to undo the top fork nut and undo the Allen headed bolt that holds the damper rod while the fork is still bolted into the triple clamps. Usually, a rattle gun is needed to loosen the damper rod bolt at the bottom of the fork leg. Mine came out this way without drama. It’s not always that easy though. Once this is done and you’ve drained what’s left of the fork oil through the removed

bolt, you can pull the forks out of the triple clamps. Then it’s time to remove the expanding circle style of fork seal retainer from the top of the lower fork leg. I could then simply grab the lower fork leg, and fork tube and pull them apart, which pulls the fork seal and dust seal out of the forks. What’s left is the lower fork leg in one hand and the chrome fork tube, seals, damper rod and bush in the other. Simple really.

What wasn’t so simple was the rust on the upper end of the chrome fork tube. In an ideal world you’d get them hard chromed, which I believe is around $500, but luckily for me the rust was above where the forks travel their full stroke - the blown fork seals must have stopped rust forming there.

‘Old tight arse Picko’ (I’m a reformed money waster, although my wife would tell you different), was happy enough with that, so I got to work with some 1000 wet and dry and a fine oil stone to get rid of as much of the rust high spots as possible. That went well enough, so new seals were

put back on with a smear of grease to stop the seals getting damaged on any corrosion high spots. New 10W weight fork oil went in, with Google telling me the oil level was 146mm from the top of the forks. You measure this only after removing the fork spring and any spacers, then pushing the chrome fork tube all the way down. Put in enough oil until you get 146mm from the top of the oil to the top of the fully compressed fork tube. Once that’s done, pull the fork tube up, put the spring and spacers back in and button it up with the top nut. A pretty simple affair really…once you’ve done a few. Am I a ‘suspension expert’ - definitely not, but I can fake my way through, most of the time. I ended up using just under a litre and half oil for both forks.

Then I was onto the tyres. I wanted to use some reasonably aggressive adventure tyres and my first call was to White’s Racing Products who besides selling well known brands of

Tell ‘em the price!

motorcycle tyres, also brings in oddball brands like Sava, Mitas and Anlas. These are tyres quite well known in Europe but less so here. I’ve used all three brands before, including Mitas sports tyres on my Yamaha MT-10, and Sava adventure tyres on my 1200 GSA. I can hear you all gasping, but I’ve tried them and like them, especially the price.

I had a look at the Anlas Capra, rang Craig White and told him what I had and sort of what I wanted, and simply asked him to send up what he thought would suit. Craig sent me a pair of Capra X tyres, but Anlas also make a less aggressive Capra R.

Fitting it on my mate’s manual tyre changer didn’t cause any issues but the sidewall is reasonably hard. This should equate to a durable tyre, in my mind anyway. I didn’t forget to check the front wheel bearings either. They were fine, so in they stayed. All up so far, I’ve spent around three hours working on the bike, so I’ll add in labour costs to give you an idea. So that’s where I’m at right now. Other jobs are to fit the new chain and sprockets when they arrive, plus the brake pads and fit the rear tyre too, as well as replace the coolant and maybe the air filter and spark plugs. As everything else works, getting a blue slip in NSW shouldn’t cause me much grief, although that Terminator style headlight might not be legal. No problems if that’s the case, you can second hand units online. It’s been an easy journey so far but will I be disappointed in a 90,000 kilometre Triumph Tiger when I finally ride it? I hope not. I’ll let you know. D

L O N G T E R M E R S

ROYAL ENFIELD METEOR 350

Getting

WORDS & PHOTOS RALPH

THE PLAN WAS HATCHED and it was epic. Fly to Melbourne, belt around on the Triumph Trident launch and then saddle up and bring our new long term Royal Enfield Meteor 350 back via the Snownies, and combine the ride with the annual get-together for the media in Dalgety. It was meant to be a tongue in cheek escapade titled, ‘Over the Top’ hinting at the mountains to the north of India and my desire to ride the Meteor over our Alps. And the stupidity of a long ride on a slower motorcycle than I’m used to.

Trouble was, Mother Nature had opposite ideas with a massive deluge big enough to see Noah float off to

South America and me left without one photo opportunity due to the bigger mist. That put me in an idle mind and a not as interesting route home. Halfway up the Princes Highway to Orbost the internal chatter started -

“Dear RMS customer”...

“Please note your demerit’s points tally is now 12 and you have two years to wait (and pray) to bring that back to zero. Anymore loss of points will see you immediately lose your licence for three months.”

Suddenly 100 kilometres per hour feels just about right and even if you could go faster, the Meteor will hit 120km/h and seems perfectly relaxed

and fine. The decent amount of torque means, that although the 350 doesn’t feel fast, it will plod along well in 5th gear – 100-110km/h indicated on the stylish dial instrument cluster being the sweet spot. From Melbourne to Dalgety, 550 kilometres on the first day I know I changed into 4th only twice for long, steep hills.

“You will go stupid and be bored within the first hour on a 350”, was the most common comment leaving the Triumph press launch for the Trident.

Far from it, men. If anything, it was one of the most enjoyable days riding as the storm cell hadn’t hit the coast (yet). The weather was sunny and 26C.

The roads were empty and the seat and riding position were comfortable. The vibes from the counter-balanced single were a gentle mechanical massage rather than an annoying throb of the older ‘classic’ models.

“It’s way too heavy”, said every (supposed) knowledgeable rider I met along the way, who bounced from one

bump to the next on their lightweight trail bike while trying to knock over more than a few hundred kays in a day. The Meteor is planted and it’s overbuilt to the point of being able to run a 650cc easily in the frame if ever R.E get around to it. The suspension is frankly unbelievably good at soaking up most of the bumpy back-roads and even the

LONG TERMERS

dirt part of the Bonang Highway was non-threatening. Weight works!

Riders in India need two important things in their motorcycles. Fuel economy and fuel range. My Postie (one reason I can do long days at a low speed!) takes 4-litres and sips around 3L/100km. The 350 guzzles fuel at 2.9L/100km and while it has a 14-litre tank, most of the time I was filling up just under 9-litres for 300km.

Day two (and carrying my once-ayear hangover) into our tenure and the R.E. was happily bumbling along on

the long boring stretch from Cooma to Sydney despite the horrendous rain that NSW suffered a month ago (as you read this). The CEAT tyres were so much better than I expected and this being the top-of-the-range, ‘Super Nova’ version with its screen and pillion backrest were welcome for sure. Handy is the USB outlet situated just under the left side switchgear cluster and one thing you can bet on, is the interest from the public at my infrequent fuel stops.

As is usual with Royal Enfield, the

public get a little confused if what they are seeing is a restored motorcycle or a new one. The rain didn’t let up and I felt very satisfied after the big ride in the shocking conditions dumping the Meteor at the top of Stu’s driveway empty and in a filthy state (sorry mate). Stu gave it one of his customary OCD mega cleans and a first service at D Moto Motorcycle Engineering. I think our three months or so will go way too fast in our hands. Every kilometre on the 350 puts a smile on my not so sunny dial. D

W H A T S A Y Y O U ?

to improve my biceps

Hi Harry,

WGOODLY

Hi Harry,

Hi Stuart,

Hi Harry, I’m sure your legs look ﬁne to the ones that care…your family. As for your bike not being a very good exercise machine, you better get an adventure bike and do some hillclimbs, that will get the muscles burning! - Cheers, Stuart.

I’m sure your legs look ﬁne to the ones that care…your family. As for your bike not being a very good exercise machine, you better get an adventure bike and do some hillclimbs, that will get the muscles burning! - Cheers, Stuart.

PACK MAN

Stuart, Bear et al,

COVID 1

Dear Stuart,

COVID 1

Dear Stuart,

e love to hear from you, the letters are among the most keenly read parts of the magazine. Please try and keep letters down to no more than 300 words. We do reserve the right to cut them and you do need to provide a name and at least your state, if not, town or suburb. Please address letters to contactus@ausmotorcyclist. com.au or Australian Motorcyclist, 17 Weeroona Place, Rouse Hill NSW 2155. All opinions published here are those of the writer and we do not vouch for their accuracy or even their sanity.

99. There’s so much truth in it, even though it is a piss take. Is this a new feature that will run every issue?

Regards, John Simpson

Clearly there is a lot of economic downturn as a result of COVID19 and it is further impacting on car sales and I would think motorcycle sales (which I think have been down anyway pre Covid19).

There is nobody much on the roads in the ACT except those who by necessity have to go out for work or food and essentials.

Clearly there is a lot of economic downturn as a result of COVID19 and it is further impacting on car sales and I would think motorcycle sales (which I think have been down anyway pre Covid19).

Thanks again and cheers, David Laugher, Emerald CQ

Firstly, great mag, love it each month. The Kawasaki Versys 1000 S you reviewed in the last issue (97) was great. I was looking at the electronic suspension version last year but you have just sold me on this new model. Not only is it cheaper, which is great for keeping things happy with the “boss”, but as you mentioned you’d be hard pressed to really notice the difference between the two. I like the grey paintwork as well, let’s see how the “Highly Durable Paint” goes in real life.

Hi John,

Clearly there is a lot of economic downturn as a result of COVID19 and it is further impacting on car sales and I would think motorcycle sales (which I think have been down anyway pre Covid19).

Just a quick note to thank Australian Motorcyclist and Motorrad Garage / SW-Motech for the Backpack that arrived today. I have all 99 Issues and was always going to renew my subscription, so to win the Backpack prize is an added bonus. Keep up the good work. I’m hoping you have some surprises for us in the next edition (no. 100).

There is nobody much on the roads in the ACT except those who by necessity have to go out for work or food and essentials.

Regards, Mark, QLD

There is nobody much on the roads in the ACT except those who by necessity have to go out for work or food and essentials.

I have been managing to use the bike for essential trips within the conﬁnes of the ACT border but that is a big change from our weekly ride group where we would usually ride out of the ACT to, say, Goulburn or Boorowa or Yass or

GREAT STUFF

Hi David, Awesome stuff, mate. Enjoy the backpack and AMM. Cheers, Stuart.

FUNNY

Hi Stu, Love the bear cartoon in number

I haven’t enjoyed a bike mag like this since the old Two Wheels that as a kid I’d eagerly pedal my pushy to the newsagents for every month and read every page once I got it home. I love all bikes and respect anyone

Braidwood. Purpose to ride, have a social get together and have some food whilst out. Now, no such trips. I know there has been panic in terms of buying up of products like loo paper, tissues, hand sanitizer, pasta, canned tomatoes and other products. This panic buying has been ridiculous in my opinion and created a problem of store supply where there was no need to stockpile goods at home. I note that the news reports say that a small supermarket group Drake’s has refused to buy back 150 x 32 roll packs of toilet paper and 150 x 1 ltr sanitizer. I am GLAD they refused a refund as the individual concerned was having about 20 people chase these products and then he attempted to re-sell on E-Bay. Serve the bugger right for being a scungy individual!

Cheers, Stuart.

DON’T MISS OUT

Hi There,

Hi Hugh,

Thanks for the kind words, although I don’t think the shiny paper would go too good as shit paper. LOL! Cheers, Stuart.

you can always grab a copy from our website. Cheers, Stuart.

BORIS

reasons for the daily ﬁgures of these deaths, however this pandemic of COVID 19 is not normal and as you would know has the potential for totally overwhelming the hospital and medical resources of all countries. I am not aware of any cancers etc you can catch from shaking someone’s hand or touching contaminated surfaces. So, comparing normal worldwide deaths to COVID19 deaths is like trying to compare apples and oranges.

The Bear mentioned he has around ten cartoons. Maybe we should all give him a rev up to draw some more?

Just asking please if issue 99 has been released?... as I am a bit concerned I may have missed it on sale at the news agency. Regards, Kim

Hi Kim,

All that said, I think your quoting of ﬁgures of the people that die daily from cancer, heart disease, diabetes, mozzies and murders is an unfair comparison! Yes to date the total numbers of COVID19 deaths World Wide would be exceeded by a week’s worth or less perhaps of the

who shares the passion, regardless of their ability or choice of machine. So, I have subscribed, to most of the magazine, but thanks for the spare shit paper at the end :)

All the people dissing Boris “Get a Life”. Don’t read it, you know where it is. Last page! Ignore it!

Many thanks Stuart for coming back to me. FYI, I just ordered one from your website. By the way, it’s a great magazine and I really enjoy reading the content each month.

Regards, Kim

I felt your editorial came across as dismissive of the seriousness of Covid19 and smacked a bit of self-centredness in highlighting the inconvenience it has caused you. I like bikes and riding too, but many people have had to alter travel plans etc for the greater good.

WHEN WILL WE SEE IT?

Don’t ruin a top read because of one page, personally I love his column (even though I feel he has a ﬁrm grip on his nether region). Be a boring read if we succumb to the lowest common denominator. No name provided

Yep, #99 went on sale April 22. If you can’t get one at your local newsagent,

Hugh

Jorgan

G’day Stuart, I was reading your editorial in 99 and I can’t wait to see your article on the Z900 restoration. I bet you’re pretty proud to have finally finished it.

BORIS 2

Cheers, Cam

I think that all the media reporting though is worrisome for Australian people as it is repeated and repeated and like the bushﬁres you do not get a break from it. Every time you turn on the T.V, look at Facebook, listen to the radio it is in your face or ears.

I try to reduce my listening/reading/ watching to once or twice a day to keep up with developments - more than that is

Stuart, I don’t always agree with what Boris has to say but I am well aware of how he writes to get a reaction. As for the couple of blokes that sent letters in the last issue, I think

Hi Cam, Yeah, it has been a long process, but seeing it finally finished is awesome. Check it all out in issue #100.

LETTER OF THE MONTH

PETER GLASSON IS THE man of the month. We love it when you guys interact with us, so please never think we’re too busy to hear your thoughts, help you out, or whatever. For Peter’s trouble he’s won the awesome Motul Mini Chain Pack. Check out all the great Motul products at linkint.com.au

FIRST BIKE

Hi Stuart.

Firstly, great picture of my old 750, thanks. Thought I’d respond to the idea of my first bike. Mine was, like many others, an old Bantam I bought off a kid at school. I was 12 years old and paid $25. Flogged it around the farm for a few years then sold it to a mate who turned it into a go kart. The only two things I remember doing on the Bantam was running over my grandmother while she hung out the washing and decapitating one of our chooks as it tried to fly through the front wheel. Great times for a farm kid! My next real bike was a Honda XL350, bought new in ‘74. Despite their reputation mine

was a bit of a lemon and an overall disappointment, but I persisted with different bikes and have had many a good time. Thanks again for a great monthly read, Peter Glasson.

Hi Peter,

My dad’s first bike was a Bantam too! He said he’d like to get one to restore, then I told him to snap out of it! LOL!!! Cheers, Stuart.

Hi Stuart,

At the risk of being labeled a serial emailer, I was just thinking about my start in motorcycling. I grew up alone on the farm with no brothers or friends to learn from or exchange ideas with. I all but gave riding away after the Honda experience and realizing that I really wasn’t a riders bootlace. Any friends I had were only interested in cars, so nothing to learn here. I always thought there was more to bikes than I was getting out of it so I kept trying. It wasn’t till my early 30’s when instructional videos and riding schools, like HART, were about that I had somewhere to go to improve. HART taught me more in

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CENTRAL OTAGO

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EDELWEISS BIKE TRAVEL – Worldwide tours*

*Guided, Self-Guided + Rental www.edelweissbike.com

IMTBIKE TOURS & RENTALS

– Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Europe and Thailand www.imtbike.com tours@imtbike.com

2 days than I learnt in 20 yrs. Boris might moan about young riders but at least they are taught more about riding than my generation was. Thanks for indulging me once again, Peter Glasson.

Hi Peter, Email as much as you want, mate. Yes, HART and Stay Upright have many lives they’ve saved over the years I reckon. And, Boris could learn a thing or two from doing a course. I’ve seen him ride and having been a race coach I could teach him plenty. Ha!

Cheers, Stuart.

The guide to the stars - The who’s who in the zoo of motorcycle travel worldwide is what you’ll ﬁnd here. We’ve travelled with many of them and know them all, so they come highly recommended. In alphabetical order, they are:

MAGIC MOTORCYCLING – Thailand and Croatia www.magicmotorcycling.com tour@magicmotorcycling.com

MOTORRAD TOURS – Worldwide ofﬁce@motorrad-tours.com www.motorrad-tours.com

PARADISE MOTORCYCLE TOURS – New Zealand & European Alps www.paradisemotorcycletours.co.nz

RIDE THE WORLD

MOTORCYCLE TOURS www.ridetheworldmotorcycletours.com david@rtwmotorcycletours.com

ROMANIA MOTORCYCLE TOURS – Europe www.romaniamotorcycletours.com ofﬁce@romaniamotorcycletours.com

SOUTH PACIFIC MOTORCYCLE TOURS – New Zealand www.motorbiketours.co.nz ofﬁce@motorbiketours.co.nz

TEWAIPOUNAMU MOTORCYCLE TOURS – New Zealand www.motorcycle-hire.co.nz nzbike@motorcycle-hire.co.nz

WORLD ON WHEELS

– Europe, Iceland, South America, India, Asia, Mexico, Africa & Himalaya www.worldonwheels.tours Adventure@WorldOnWheels.Tours

HAVE A DRINK ON ME

ALL RIGHT. TIME TO celebrate our 100th birthday with a drink. Motorcycling and drinking go together; Just keep them in that order. A beer at the end of a day’s ride is almost a ritual for many motorcyclists, including me. Mind you, I’m inclined to change that to a whiskey if it’s been a long, wet and cold day’s ride.

By the way, for those readers who think that Australia, and particularly New South Wales, is a free place consider that I am not allowed to have a single serve of spirits by itself at a bar. It must contain a mixer. And I’m not allowed to have a double at all. Sound weird? It’s true. Can you say, “nanny state out of hand”?

But to the point. A drink in the evening can be something that’s simply about refreshment, a social gesture or any number of other things including just a drink. Whether it is around the campfire, in a roadside pub or on the veranda of your motel, it can be a treasured moment. How do you make it as good as it can be?

On a couple of recent rides in the US and Canada, I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of craft breweries which serve food in their taprooms or beer gardens. Because a lot of them are in small communities, they tend to be within walking distance of motels and campgrounds, which is ideal for the travelling motorcyclist.

I have not always been impressed by all the beers these facilities brew. That’s mainly been because over-hopping of varieties like IPAs makes them bitter beyond reason. Stick to lagers if you feel the same way as I do. The food on the other hand is often of a high standard, and it’s interesting to see that on the web, most craft breweries are judged mainly by their food, not so much by their beer. I am now seeing the same thing in Australia.

That’s fine if you are staying in or near a town or a roadside bar or brewery. What if you’re camping?

The drink of preference at motorcycle rallies and when camping has been Stone’s Green Ginger Wine. I had always thought that it was just alcohol with ginger essence added, but ginger wine is really made from a fermented blend of ground ginger root and raisins. Ginger wine is traditionally sold in green glass bottles, and you should be able to find a version anywhere in the world. Stone’s is popular because unlike Australian mainstream beer, which is either lager or hopped ale, is less than palatable if it is warm. The ginger wine is also more alcoholic, which means you’re likely to carry less of it. But because it has less than half the alcohol content of spirits it leaves drinkers conscious and able to converse for longer. The question is whether you can get used to the flavor. Like spirits, it can just be carried in the bottle without any special care.

That is not true with wine. Both white (including rosé) and red wines are best treated with a little respect to make sure you have the most pleasant experience. Recommend treatment varies between red and white and also between cheap and more costly wines.

Whites or rosés, except for sugary dessert wines, are best drunk cool or cold. If it’s hot and you are in or near the mountains, you may be able to find a stream to cool the bottle or bag. If it’s cool it will probably be alright to drink as it comes out of the pannier bag. The advantage of these kinds of wines is that they generally travel well. The same thing is true of beers. Even if they are bottle conditioned and cloudy, they travel fine and just benefit from some cooling if it has been a hot day. They will chill most quickly if they are in cans. Keep in mind that most alcoholic drinks will not benefit from

being warmed up and then cooled again. If you know that your beer or wine will be warm at the end of the day’s riding, start with it warm. Red wines on the other hand, and especially good ones, tend not to travel so well. Unlike beers where you can ingest the sediment without losing any of the enjoyment – in fact, the enjoyment can increase – reds should be allowed to settle. Try packing any bottles you’re carrying in your clothing as protection from vibration, or buy one of those styrofoam bottle mailers from the post office. Cheap wine in goon bags can pretty much be carried any way you like, you are not going to make it worse.

But there is a problem here. The congenial atmosphere around a fire, cheerful boasting and playful chiacking and the like can lead you to forget just how many drinks you put away before you sought your sleeping bag. A simple breath tester costs very little and is easy to both carry and use in the morning. This is one occasion where safe is definitely better than sorry. Look after your buddies, too.

I know that some people will be annoyed that I have raised the subject of alcohol at all. Consider, though, that things do not go away simply because you do not mention them. People, including riders, do drink. It is best to do it both enjoyably and responsibly.

E W B I K E P R I C E S

ost prices exclude dealer and on road costs and some are ride away prices – ask your local dealer for the best possible price!

APRILIA

www.aprilia.com.au ROAD

Shiver 900 ABS $15,190

Dorsoduro 900 ABS $15,790

Tuono V4 1100 RR

Tuono V4 1100 Factory $27,190

RSV4 1100 Factory $33,990

SCOOTERS

SR MT 125

Scarabeo 200 ie $5190

BENELLI

www.benelli.com.au

*All Benelli prices are ride away ROAD

TnT 135

752 S

BMW

www.bmwmotorrad.com.au ROAD

G 310 R

R nineT

R nineT Pure

R nineT Scrambler

R nineT Racer $19,150

R nineT Urban G/S $18,750

R 1250 R $21,240

R 1250 R HP $27,040

R 1250 R Exclusive $26,065

R 1250 R Spezial $26,765

R 1250 R $22,540

R 1250 RS

R 1250 R Spezial

R 1250 RT

R 1250 RT Elegance

R 1250 R Spezial

K 1600 B

K 1600 GT

K 1600 GT Sport

K 1600 GTL $37,990

K 1600 GTL Elegance $40,490

ADV SPORT

S 1000 XR

S 1000 XR Carbon Sport

ADV TOURING

G 310 GS

F 750 GS

F 750 GS Tour

F 750 GS Low Susp

F 750 GS Tour LS

F 850 GS

F 850 GS Rallye

F 850 GS Rallye X

F 850 GS Tour

$22,190

$29,290

$8090

$13,590

$17,305

$13,840

$17,005

$17,990

$18,390

$22,305

$21,805

F 850 GS Low Susp $18,240

F 850 GS Rallye Low Susp $18,640

F 850 GS Tour Low Susp $21,505

F 850 GSA

$TBA

R 1250 GS $23,490

R 1250 GS Rallye

$24,940

R 1250 GS Rallye X $29,890

R 1250 GS Exclusive $28,140

R 1250 GS Spezial $31,390

R 1250 GSA $25,490

R 1250 GSA Rallye $26,390

R 1250 GSA Rallye X $31,590

R 1250 GSA Exclusive

R 1250 GSA Spezial

SCOOTER

C 650 Sport $14,150

C 650 GT $14,990

CAN-AM (BRP)

www.brp.com

Spyder F3

Spyder F3-S

Spyder F3-T

Spyder F3 Limited

Spyder RT

Spyder RT Limited

CF MOTO

www.cf-moto.com.au

ROAD

$TBA

DUCATI

www.ducati.com.au

*All Ducati prices are ride away ROAD

Scrambler Sixty2

Scrambler Icon

Scrambler Full Throttle

Scrambler Café Racer

Scrambler Desert Sled

Scrambler 1100

Scrambler 1100 Special $18,990

Scrambler

NEW BIKE PRICES

CVO Street Glide 117

Road Glide 117

HONDA

www.honda.com.au

SCOOTER

NSC110 Dio $2799

MW110 Benly $3349

C125 Super Cub $5199 SH150 $4999

PCX150 $4599

NSS300A Forza $7999

HUSQVARNA

www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com/au ROAD

Vitpilen 401 $11,592

Svartpilen 401 $11,592

Vitpilen 701 $18,337

INDIAN

www.indianmotorcycles.com.au

*All Indian Motorcycle prices are ride away

CRUISER Scout Bobber $18,995

Chief Dark Horse

$28,995

Chief Vintage $32,995

Springﬁeld

Springﬁeld Dark Horse

Chieftain Dark Horse

Chieftain Limited

Roadmaster

Roadmaster Elite

KAWASAKI

www.kawasaki.com.au

ROAD

Z125 Pro KRT

Z400

$33,995

$34,995

$35,995

$36,995

$40,995

$49,995

$4090

$6799

Ninja 400 $6899

Ninja 400 SE $7149

Z650L $10,499

Ninja 650/L Grey $10,699

Ninja 650/L Black $10,999

Ninja ZX-6R 636 KRT $15,199

W800 Café $13,999

W800 Street $13,499

Z900

Z900RS

Z1000

Ninja 1000 SX

Ninja 1000 SX SE $17,199

ZX-10R $26,000

ZX-10RR

ZX-14R

Z H2

H2 SX SE

Carbon

CRUISER

Vulcan S

Vulcan S SE

Vulcan S Café

Vulcan 900 Classic

KTM

www.ktm.com.au

ROAD

PEUGEOT

www.peugeotmotorcycles.com.au

*All Peugeot prices are ride away

SCOOTER

Tweet 125

$3590

Tweet 125 Pro $3690

Django 150 $4790

Belville 200 RS $5290

Metropolis 400 $13,490

ROYAL ENFIELD

www.royalenﬁeldaustralia.com

*All Royal Enfield prices are ride away ROAD

Meteor 350 Fireball

$6540

Meteor 350 Stellar $6840

Meteor 350 Supernova $7240

Bullet 500 $7890

Classic 500 $8190

Classic 500 Chrome $8390

Interceptor 650 Classic $8640

Interceptor 650 Custom $8840

Interceptor 650 Chrome $9140

Continental GT 650 Classic $8840

Continental GT 650 Custom $9040

Continental GT 650 Chrome $9340

ADV TOURING

Himalayan 410 $6540

SUPER SOCO

www.supersoco.com.au

*All Super Soco prices are ride away ROAD

TC Café Racer

$4990

TC Max alloy wheel $6990

TC Max wire wheel $7290

SCOOTER

CUX

$4490

CUX Special Edition Ducati $4990

SUZUKI

www.suzukimotorcycles.com.au ROAD

GSX-S125 $3490

GSX-R125 $4490

DR-Z400SM $9390

GSX-R600 $14,990

SV650 $8990

SV650 LAMS $9190

GSX-S750 $11,790

GSX-R750 $15,990

GSX-S1000 $15,190

GSX-S1000F $16,290

GSX-S1000 Katana $17,490

GSX-R1000

GSX-R1000R

M109R $19,790 ADV TOURING DR650SE

SWM

www.swmmotorcycles.com.au ROAD

Gran Turismo

$7490

Silver Vase 440 $7490

Gran Milano 440 $7990

SM 500 R

SM 650 R

TRIUMPH

www.triumphmotorcycles.com.au

*All Triumph prices are ride away

ROAD

Street Triple S 660 $14,900

Street Triple RS

Street Twin

Street Scrambler

Bonneville T100

Bonneville T100 Black

Bonneville Bobber Black

Bonneville T120

Bonneville T120 Black

Thruxton R

Thruxton RS

Speed Twin $20,350

Daytona Moto2 765

Tiger Sport

Speed Triple RS

CRUISER

3 R

3 GT

ADV TOURING

Scrambler 1200 XC

Scrambler 1200 XE

Tiger 900 GT & GT Low

Tiger 900 Rally

Tiger 900 GT Pro

Tiger 900 Rally Pro

Tiger 1200 XRx

Tiger 1200 XCx

Tiger 1200 XRt

Tiger 1200 XCa

TFC

3 TFC

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THIS

WELL, THERE YA GO. The mag has made it to its 100th issue – which is quite a feat given it is one of the very few left on the shelves.

Once, not all that long ago, there were some 26 Australian motorcycle magazines competing for your hard-earned – and then one by one, relentlessly and irrevocably, they began to disappear.

To my mind, this was inevitable, and when you think about it without the banality of sentiment clouding your aged mind, quite good and right and proper. Most of them were shit to begin with and deserved the oblivion into which they sailed.

Of the very few that survive, Australian Motorcyclist, is far and away my preference – and clearly yours, since it’s still here and you’re still reading it.

But the landscape of motorcycle media is constantly changing at an ever-increasing pace. The one constant which bedevils the magazine segment of the media is that its readership is ageing, and as it dies off, it is not being replaced by younger readers.

In the industry, this is called managed decline. Less and less people are buying magazines, therefore less and less money is being made available to the editor – via advertising and sales – for the magazine to be created, and the whole thing enters a terrifying death-spiral.

That old adage about the payment of peanuts to monkeys is very apt in this case. And all of the people currently working in the magazine media are not sleeping on piles of money. Soon, some of them will be sleeping in cardboard boxes under freeway overpasses – and to be perfectly brutal and honest, that

is exactly where the talentless clowns should be sleeping. Had the industry not shot itself in its stupid face some years ago when it saw the coming of the social media juggernaut, it would not be where it is today. The secondand third-rate “editors” hired by the idiot greed-baron publishers out of desperation because they could not find anyone with a skerrick of talent to work for the money they were offering, is now biting them in the face. The endless nepotism – the hiring of mates and offspring instead of professional writers – is also now being paid for.

Editors Woodbury and Thoeming have largely managed to steer their papery ship with some skill through the aforementioned waters, and I truly hope it continues to be so. Because magazine publishing has always been, and must always be, a cruel and vicious game. If it tries to be nice and hires nice people instead of people with talent, then all it is doing is setting itself up to fail.

You see, the reader does not care if you’re a nice person. The production of a sensational magazine does not depend on the editor being a good bloke. It depends entirely on him being great at his job. And to do that, he needs to be creative, brave, and ruthless. He needs to write brilliantly, to recognise brilliance in others, and to encourage and promote that brilliance – not shit his pants in egotistical fear that brilliance will outshine his own. He needs to be able to meet deadlines and budgets – and when there is no money to be had, he needs to create something out of nothing. And he needs to do it every month, over and over, world without end.

It is a difficult gig for even the most talented editors. And it is a nightmare

beyond reckoning for so many of the mouth-breathers currently trying to stay relevant.

But you know that. The proof of what I say is evident all around you. Do I know what I am talking about? Pretty much. Apart from the Bear, I have been doing this longer than anyone else out there. Magazines forged me into the writer I am now, and I have been the editor of magazines that sold in their hundreds of thousands every week. They were not bike magazines, though I have edited them as well, back when they sold in numbers that shame the current slurry. So yes, I know magazines, and I know writing, and I know my arse from a hole in the ground.

And because this is so, I have no time at all for people who pretend to my beloved craft, and who sully it and cheapen it and foist crap upon the reader because they’re shit at what they do.

Editors Woodbury and Thoeming do not do that, and thus does their vision, Australian Motorcyclist, continue to appear on the stand each month.

I congratulate them on achieving the milestone of 100 issues. And I wish them well in their endeavours – as hard and often as thankless as they are. They are true believers, bone-deep bike-nuts of the most tragic type – and they work for no-one, and are owned by no-one, but themselves. Ride or die, you magnificent bastards. Ride or die. D

Photo by Barnabas Imre