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LOCKDOWN!
THE COVID-19 SAGA CONTINUES in this country. It feels like we’re the puppets of the Government and they pull the strings whenever they like, to control what we can and can’t do. How do you feel about what’s been happening? I think the vaccine rollout has been a total stu up. Look at almost the rest of the world, well, mainly ‘developed nations’, Australia is last on the list by a long way to getting people vaccinated, and I (and many others and maybe you) think this is an absolute joke. Most of the world has opened back up (at the time of writing this) and our European based tour operators have been running tours with no problems. ey keep asking me what is going on in Australia and why we’re not over there riding on their tours!
How has the way Australia handled all this impacted motorcycling in this country? Massively!
Most of us haven’t been allowed to go out for a ride and this can have negative side e ects on many levels as I’m sure you’re all aware of. We here at AMM haven’t been overly restricted, however we have restricted the amount of riding we’d normally do, mainly due to nothing being open. I did get stopped by the Police while riding the new Hayabusa you’ll read about in this issue. Who knows if they missed catching me on radar (apparently you can’t catch covid or lose your licence at 250km/h. Ha!) but they did obviously ask me why Nick our photographer and I were out
and about on a motorcycle, I think they were a little surprised we were actually out working.
All we can hope for is this is all over sooner rather than later, I really don’t know how many businesses will survive all of these crazy snap lockdowns. Will there be a public revolt? For that to work there’d have to be at least a couple of hundred thousand turnout for anyone in power to stop sipping their soy latte. Unfortunately, I feel this will never happen.
So, onto something a lot more pleasing! I got my Kawasaki H1 500 historic registered and have ridden it a couple of times. On the rst ride it cut out without warning twice. e rst time it did this I thought I’d seized it! But, a little bit of checking it seems the battery is a bit dodgy despite being fairly new. I also ran it out of fuel! A big uppercut for me, I had no idea just how thirsty a three cylinder two-stroke can be. LOL! It won’t happen again –famous last words. I must say I’m really enjoying the H1. In fact, I’m enjoying it more than the Katana 1100 I restored a couple of years ago. e H1 slows, rather than stops when you squeeze the brakes and when you push it hard into corners, the frame exes more than Arnie in Conan the Barbarian – it does everything a modern motorcycle doesn’t do, except it does go like a scalded cat when the ‘so ’ powerband kicks in (and it has petrol in the tank). Yeehar! Ring-a-ding-ding!
Enjoy!
Cheers, Stuart.
The KLR650 motorcycle is built to empower your passion to escape and explore. Dual-purpose capability allows the journey to go on-and-off-road, and a reputation for enduring reliability helps you focus on the adventure at hand. For decades, this legendary motorcycle has inspired countless stories from all over the world, and the spirit to make new memories continues to beckon today. KLR650 ADVENTURE STANDARD FITMENT:
A new home for all vehicle recalls has been announced. Road vehicle recalls are published by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications now on the Vehicle Recalls website: vehiclerecalls.gov.au .
WATCH IT
Relive the week that was BMW GS Safari 2021. Grab a coffee and some cake as it’s 42 minutes long! View it on YouTube - https://youtu. be/6HZT0_hYQDk .
AGAINST THE GRAIN
e new Indian owned BSA, spawned by the old British marque, is now beginning to take shape and rst o the rank looks likely to be a 650cc Roadster, perhaps to rival the Royal En eld Interceptor. It was only last year the British brand BSA, with its long tail stretching back in time to the wartime munitions factories of Birmingham, was taken over by Indian Mahindra’s Classic Legends branch. e plan was to use a £4.3m UK government industry grant scheme to start manufacturing bikes in the UK in an attempt to revive the agging motorcycle industry.
When the idea was born it was intended that BSA would head towards an electric future – another plus for the UK government trying to hit its green targets.
Now though it looks as though the rst machine to roll o the new production line will be a conventional petrol powered 650cc roadster exclusively aimed at the UK
“Faster, faster! Until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death,” wrote gonzo journalist Hunter S. ompson somewhere in a story about riding motorcycles or racing. is longago published story was illustrated by artist Ralph Steadman, whose work perfectly captured exactly what made this phrase immortal, as well as capturing ompson’s revolutionary journalistic style. Truth? Insanity? Both. Motorcycles and riding deeply in uenced ompson and Steadman’s life-long collaboration and friendship.
market. Perhaps this new bike will be ready for EICMA 2021 in November, who knows. Classic Legends have clearly done their homework and the great success of those popular bikes from Royal En eld, the Interceptor and the Continental GT has been noted. is may be why they have chosen to debut with a 650 roadster.
Although BSA appear to be going against their initial remit with a combustion engine bike, they are still heading into electric power with a research and development facility being set up in Coventry, ready to work on the new electric engines of the future.
BSA and the Czech brands Jawa and potentially Yezdi are all on Classic Legends books looking to be revived and brought up to speed once more. It will be nice to see life in these old dogs yet so we are watching to see how things develop, hopefully they will be as successful as Royal En eld has been.
Choose from Aerostich’s exclusive “Faster, faster!” mug, t-shirt, or framed art print, each of which boldly and beautifully present this extraordinary collaborative artwork. Display it proudly with a beautiful 8.5”x11” matted print displayed in a black 11”x14” frame (#6107 $27), enjoy it on the side of an 11oz. white ceramic mug (#6106 $8), or wear it on a white, Made in USA 100% cotton t-shirt available in sizes M-XXL (#6105 $33).
For more details and photos, as well and 1000s of other carefully selected motorcycle items, visit aerostich.com.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO HUNTER S. THOMPSON
N E W S
The time has come to farewell the legendary Royal Enfield Bullet 500. What started in 1932 has continued to deliver pure motorcycling experiences across generations of riders. The Bullet, the quintessential Royal Enfield, is today the ‘longest running motorcycle in history, in continuous production.’ Its unique hand-painted fuel tank and distinctive engine thump is a standing testimony to Royal Enfield’s philosophy of simple design and resilient build, making the Bullet a living legacy on two wheels.
Through the ages, the Bullet has become Royal Enfield’s iconic motorcycle that has truly made its historic mark in the motorcycling world. Australian dealers have a handful left, so you better be quick to secure your legend.
PEACHY
BAYLISSTIC!
A special motorcycle as a tribute to Troy Bayliss has been announced: the ‘Ducati Panigale V2 Bayliss 1st Championship 20th Anniversary’.
Produced in a limited, numbered series, the motorcycle wears special celebratory livery that recalls that of the Ducati 996 R of the rst World Superbike title won by the Australian rider in 2001. It comes equipped with Öhlins components and embellished with details that enhance its sportiness. e Panigale V2 Bayliss 1st Championship 20th Anniversary is destined to enter the hearts of Troy fans around the world. Hurry and place your deposit, the Panigale V2 Bayliss 1st
TRIUMPH GETTING DIRTY
Triumph has announced that development is well under way on a comprehensive range of all-new competition Motocross and Enduro motorcycles. Joining their classleading and globally renowned motorcycle range, this all-new competition MX and Enduro family will bring all of Triumph’s engineering expertise to riders and racers worldwide.
is will be accompanied by a landmark
Touring in Ocean Blue.
Championship 20th Anniversary will be available in Australia and New Zealand from January 2022 with an Australian ride away price of $27,489.
moment for Triumph and the MX and Enduro racing world with an all-new Triumph factory race program, and a commitment to top-tier championship racing in both Motocross and Enduro series.
Coming hand-in-hand with this commitment to race and win at the highest level in the sport, Triumph has announced that global Motocross legend Ricky Carmichael and ve-times Enduro World Champion Iván Cervantes have joined the Triumph family as active partners in both bike testing and preparation for racing.
An announcement of the timetable for the launch and reveal of the motorcycles as well as the racing program and the full story on the product advantages the new Triumph MX and Enduro o er will follow in the coming months.
We can’t wait!
CFMOTO’s aggressive foray into the adventure motorcycle segment is edging closer with the release of pricing for the 800MT Sport and 800MT Touring.
The pair will hit dealer showrooms in Australia by the end of 2021 with the following prices:
• 800MT Sport: $12,990 ride away.
• 800MT Touring: $13,990 ride away.
The Sport version will be available in a Starlight Black livery, and the
The 800MTs are powered by KTM’s 799cc 70kW/88Nm parallel twin with a ride-by-wire throttle and multiple riding modes, as the joint venture between the Chinese and Austrian companies really begins to crystallise with new and exciting models.
Wheel sizes are 19-inch front and 17-inch rear – an ideal compromise for road and off-road riding – with the Sport tracking on cast wheels and the up-spec Touring on spoked wheels.
The rolling chassis is completed
by fully adjustable KYB suspension, Spanish J.Juan radial brakes and a tubular steel frame. CFMOTO will continue to provide regular updates on their website and social media channels as a definitive final quarter release date is confirmed for the 800MT Sport and 800MT Touring.
FAREWELL
THE VENERABLE SUZUKI
Hayabusa has always been renowned for being a rocket ship. For 2021, not only has the Busa had to evolve to current regulations, but retaining that mega acceleration was one key task for the engineers. The other major consideration was making the Busa handle like a dream. I applaud the engineers, as this new Hayabusa handles simply amazingly. You would not know it is a beefy beast of 264kg (wet) and after my time blasting into hyperspace at speeds that make you dizzy; I can honestly say this is one of the best handling road bikes you’ll ever get on. When I say, “road” I mean on public roads, not on the track – litre sportbikes are built for tracks, the new Busa is built for the road.
There has been a bit of ‘discussion’ about the new price, at $27,690 ride away it is a bit of a jump from the outgoing model. But when you look at the changes to this new bike, the price is more than justified. The old model is just that, an old model that has been around for donkey’s years in virtually the same spec. This new model brings a suite of electronics Microsoft would be happy to promote, and the fit and finish
are a big step up.
Good friend and ex-wsbk and world endurance legend, Steve Martin got to drag race the new Busa against the outgoing model with a professional drag racer on board. Steve won each time. Suzuki has done a great job at meeting all the highly restrictive Euro 5 regs and
still making the bike faster!
The 1340cc in-line four is retained, but a lot of its internals have been revised. Cams, valve springs, pistons, piston pins, conrods, crankshaft, crankshaft oil passages, transmission, bearings, clutch and cam chain tensioner are just some of what’s been
When you look at a dyno graph, you can see that the new Busa has more and much smoother midrange torque.
updated. e end result is 5kW and 5Nm less than the outgoing model. is is not as much as you might have expected with Euro 5 restrictiveness, and with the other changes, the new Busa accelerates to 100km/h point two of a second faster! And, as I said, it is faster over the quarter mile on the dragstrip.
Suzuki say the low-mid range has been improved. When you look at a dyno graph, you can see that the new Busa has more and much smoother midrange torque. e bike still has the nominal 299km/h top speed and those mad enough to ride in the high 200s might feel that there is slightly
less power, but they’re more than likely to be quite famous too… on the nightly news in handcu s.
We got to test the Busa on a private road and don’t for a minute think this bike isn’t fast – it still pulls like a train for that nightly news stardom. Making things faster is an up/ down quickshi er, and on a premium motorcycle like this that is mandatory. You might have also noticed there’s a new exhaust system. e headers are very slightly di erent in shape but the mu ers are the big change. ey are much shorter and very similar to the mu er on the current GSX-R1000. I’m sure many owners will ditch them anyway, but having these more stylish standard mu ers is great. e old ones
were rather big and cumbersome. But, before you ditch the new mufflers, Suzuki has added a nice detail: they will change colour depending on how the bike is ridden over time. This makes it possible for you to add a unique personal touch.
If you want electronics, the new Busa has ‘em. Check out this extensive list. Suzuki Intelligent Ride System (S.I.R.S.) includes:
• Suzuki Drive Mode Selector Alpha (SDMS-α) featuring a selection of 3 factory preset and 3 user definable modes.
- Motion Track Traction Control System (10 modes + OFF)
- Power Mode Selector (3 modes)
- Bi-directional Quick Shift System (2
modes + OFF)
- Anti-lift Control System (10 modes + OFF)
- Engine Brake Control System (3 modes + OFF)
• Active Speed Limiter
• Launch Control System (3 modes)
• Emergency Stop Signal
• Suzuki Easy Start System
• Low RPM Assist
• Cruise Control System
• Combined Brake System
• Motion Track Brake System
• Slope Dependent Control System
• Hill Hold Control System
Have you started breathing again, yet?
There is one feature of the extensive electronics suite fitted to the new Busa that I really dislike, and that’s the
‘emergency stop’ feature – when you get hard on the brakes the hazards will flash. I’ve said this before: on any bike that has this rubbish, I suspect other road users will think you’re taking the mickey out of them as you fly past and whip on the hazards as an ‘up yours’ when you brake in front of them. I also think that any other road user who is following closely enough to have to react to the ‘emergency stop’ feature will be up your backside anyway as they blink at them in wonder and before they realise that they need to get on the brakes too.
On the other hand, one of the bike’s best features has to be the world first (on a production motorcycle) of an active speed limiter. The Busa will burn
The frame and swingarm are unchanged, however there is a new and lighter subframe. The big changes are in the suspension. The latest KYB forks and shock are simply awesome.
your licence quicker than a home-made ame thrower, but this new system allows you to set a limit which the bike will not exceed, eliminating worries about speeding or riding faster than you intended. You can accelerate freely up to that speed and decelerate normally by backing o the throttle. e system can be temporarily overridden with one quick twist of the throttle, making it easy to accelerate beyond the set limit to pass other vehicles. It can be deactivated completely at the press of a button a er releasing the throttle grip – it’s kind of like cruise control (which is also standard), but better. I like it.
Handling is one area which owners of the old models wanted improved and, well, to say the new Busa is nothing like the old one is an understatement. Suzuki set themselves three targets –more stability, better aero and improved braking. e frame and swingarm are unchanged, however there is a new and lighter subframe. e big changes are in the suspension. e latest KYB forks and shock are simply awesome. A spread of 50/50 weight distribution and settings designed for proper sized riders (not some lightweight test racer) allow you to push the new Busa very hard into corners. In fact, the handling is so good that you will nd yourself riding much faster than it feels. I was punching into some corners thinking I could feel the 264kg weight but then glanced at the speedo to see numbers much higher than I had expected. When you might normally ride at, say, 120 through an
indicated 65km/h corner, the speed will feel very relaxed and light.
This might all have something to do with the improved aerodynamics. Suzuki’s engineers took full advantage of extensive wind tunnel testing, the latest CAE analytical tools and know how accumulated over the years to achieve one of the best drag coefficients found on any street legal motorcycle. And it can be felt. Ride in the ‘normal’ position where your helmet will be above the screen line and then tuck in on the tank and it’s almost like you’re sitting inside a tintop!
Bringing a sharper new look of modern styling and class to the new generation, the Busa’s body design remains true to the wind cutting nature of its predecessors and even modestly improves on lift reduction and stability at high speed.
Attention to detail extends to design elements that enhance aerodynamic performance while also offering wind protection to improve comfort and reduce riding fatigue. For example, the V shaped chrome plated mouldings in front of the air ducts on the side cowlings create a styling accent flowing from the engine to the mufflers that visually expresses the immense amount of power emanating from the engine, but are also functional parts that draw wind away from your legs. Likewise the black plastic accent pieces that extend from the sides of the upper cowl near the handlebars that protect your elbows and knuckles. It also includes the introduction of a sharp new mirror design and holes added to the clutch and brake levers. These holes look great and contribute to aerodynamic performance, while also reducing the chance of wind pressure pushing against the brake lever – very clever thought process.
If you’re a bit taller than most (like me), there is a 38mm taller genuine accessory screen for even better air deflection and comfort. The new styling is very much in keeping with the original Hayabusa design but with a much more premium look and detail. Photos seriously don’t do this bike justice, it is drool worthy in the flesh.
To slow up all of this speed, the latest Brembo Stylema front calipers and larger 320mm discs are fitted. They of course work well and rapidly stop this hyperspace machine. You might notice in the pictures I did give them a proper
workout, turning the discs blue!
Looking like it was stolen from a fighter jet, the new instrument cluster is super sexy. Set in the familiar Hayabusa style you know and love, Suzuki has made the large analogue tachometer and speedometer gain a fresh, more attractive appearance with bigger, bolder numbering that improves readability. Raised scale markings around the periphery of each meter use LED lighting to provide a clearer view and faster recognition, both in sunlight and at night. Carrying the theme of gold-coloured accents throughout the cockpit area, the analogue fuel and coolant temperature gauges that flank the meters are ringed in gold, as are the SDMS and Active Data display screens on the TFT’s LCD panel.
Speaking of the TFT LCD panel, it’s mounted in the centre, between the two main analogue meters. It displays either the current SDMS α systems settings or an Active Data display that shows lean angle (I got 46 degrees each way), front and rear brake pressure, rate of forward/ reverse acceleration and the current accelerator position. The panel also shows clock, gear position, odometer dual trip meter, ambient temperature, instantaneous fuel consumption, riding range, trip time, average fuel consumption and voltmeter displays. An additional feature of the LCD panel is a brief animation of the Hayabusa kanji character that plays when the ignition key is turned on. A second animation featuring the Suzuki logo plays before the display turns off.
Ergonomics are set for all day riding, so long as you don’t mind a bit of weight on your wrists. The handlebars have been moved back 12mm for more comfort and the seat is super comfy and still at the ‘everybody’ suitable height of 800mm.
Accessories are mostly centred around travel with the higher screen, luggage hooks and tankbags, but there is some bling and you can also get a set of slipon Akrapovic mufflers. You may have also noticed the single seat cowl fitted to our test bike. This is a must I reckon.
The new Suzuki Hayabusa has been longing for an update and boy has Suzuki delivered. Not only is it faster, better looking and more feature packed, it now handles so well this could be the best sports tourer on the market. Massive call, but it ticks all the boxes. D
Specs
SUZUKI GSX1300R HAYABUSA
PRICE: $27,690 (ride away)
WARRANTY: Two years, unlimited distance
SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 10,000km or 12 months
ENGINE: 1340cc liquid-cooled inline four cylinder, 81x65mm bore/stroke, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 8.24 litres per 100km, premium unleaded
THEORETICAL RANGE: 242km
COLOURS: Glass Sparkle Black / Candy Burnt Gold, Metallic Mat
Sword Silver / Candy Daring Red, Pearl Brilliant White / Metallic
Mat Stellar Blue
VERDICT: Squeeze your eyeballs?
O P I N I O N
ELECTRIC: THE WAY TO GO? THINK AGAIN
AFRIEND POSTED THIS article by Power Systems Engineer Bryan Leyland who wrote about electric vehicles for the NZ Herald. Bryan has many valid points including some that Governments probably haven’t thought about. His thoughts certainly relate to this country as well. It’s food for thought. What do you reckon? Send your replies in to us –contactus@ausmotorcyclist.com.au AMM
“Inconvenient Truth of Electric Vehicles”
“Whichever way you look at it subsidising electric cars and taxing conventional car doesn’t make sense. e electric car industry exists only because governments have provided huge direct and indirect subsides for electric cars in the mistaken belief that it
is a cheap and e ective way of reducing emissions of carbon dioxide. It is not.
e Government’s policy will hurt poor people most because taxing conventional cars will also increase the cost of second-hand cars. People who live in the country or run a business that needs pickups or minivans will have to pay more even though an electric vehicle is not a viable option. It may well increase emissions because many people will retain their elderly conventional vehicle rather than accept the cost and inconvenience of an electric vehicle.
Subsidised electric cars won’t make much di erence to New Zealand’s emissions of CO2, because for the next ve years or more, the extra electricity needed can only come from burning more coal at the Huntley Power Station. When CO, emitted during battery productions is taken into account,
worldwide emissions may well increase. Air pollution may well be worse because particulates from tyre and brake wear are now a major source of transport pollution.
Electric vehicles are much heavier because of the extra battery weight so they contribute 20 per cent more particulates.
e Government seems to be ignorant of the problems surrounding battery supply and cost. Sixty per cent of the cost of batteries is raw materials and due to increasing demand, prices are going up.
To provide all the batteries needed to ful ll expectations in the Western world, many new mines will be needed. Experience tells us that it takes 16 years to develop a new mine so, at best, it could be 20 years before the price of raw materials drops substantially – or new
battery technology is developed and implemented.
e Government has ignored the potential for conventional cars to become much more e cient. New engines that are 50 per cent more e cient and have 70 per cent of the emissions of current technology are now being trialled. An electric car has no advantage over a conventional car with such an engine.
Reducing emissions of CO2 by promoting electric cars is very expensive. According to the American Economic Association, switching to electric cars cost between $400/tonne and $1000 per tonne of CO2 saved.
ere are many better and cheaper ways of reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, such as more e cient internal combustion engines, switching to reliable and safe nuclear power and reducing coal consumption at Huntly by encouraging the gas industry to develop gas resources including shale gas in the South Island.
Providing the electricity for all these electric cars is a major problem. By 2035 electricity generation will need to have increased by at least 30 per cent. Where will it come from? Not from gas, not from coal, not from hydropower. It could come from
nuclear power. e Government hopes it will come from wind power, and hopes the problem of keeping the lights on when the wind isn’t blowing by storing the surplus electricity when the wind is blowing can be solved at an acceptable cost and in the required timeframe.
Sixty years of experience in the electricity industry tells me that this is a virtually impossible task.
Because Lake Roxburgh has very little storage, the Onslow pumped storage project would need to have a new huge storage lake on the Clutha River to supply the water being pumped to the upper lake when the wind is blowing hard.
Providing charging facilities is a
major challenge. Most of the electric cars traversing the Desert Road will need to recharge their batteries at Tokaanu or Waioura; 800 cars per day might need to charge their batteries before traversing the 70km sector. If charging takes half an hour, 35 charging stations each rated at 50kW will be needed. e power they use would supply 600 houses.
Perhaps the biggest problem is the policy assumes that people will rush to buy electric cars when the reality is an electric car is little di erent from a conventional car with a tiny tank that takes more than half an hour to ll. Why would anyone want to buy a vehicle that is more inconvenient and expensive?”D
Some lockdown fun…
TO GET THE BRAIN TICKING
WELL, CHECK THIS
RIPPER out. Reader Paul Church has put his time to good use in lockdown and created an awesome motorcycle themed crossword. He says that some answers might seem a little obscure, however, “Google is your friend”.
We might have to give a little prize for the first correct and completed crossword to be sent in to contactus@ ausmotorcyclist.com.au What will it be? Could be anything, I’m sure it won’t be a new motorcycle, but we’ll hunt around and see what we can come up with.
Get to it!
SW
ACROSS
1 Held on the Mountain Course. (1,1)
3 1974-76 250cc GP World Champion – Walter ? (5)
6 Nickname of 46. (6)
9 AMA Enduro Cross rider for Kawasaki Moose Racings – Justin ? (5)
11 Spark or Mud ? (5)
12 Italian rider who rode for Kreidler, Mondial, M V Agusta and Benelli - Torquinio ? (7)
13 English rider killed 12th July 1969 in East Germany ? Ivy (4)
15 Mondello Park is here in County Kildare. (4)
17 Obscure Italian Motorcycle Manufacturer 1961 to 1982. (5)
18 is word is written across the front of Novagar boots. (3)
20 Mr Miller’s mount. (6)
22 Motorcycle manufactured by Attrezzature Servizi Pubblici Industriali – 1946 to 1949 (4)
24 e airport you may well y into to attend the Japanese Moto GP. (6)
26 2008 125 cc GP Class World Champion. (2,6)
28 South Oz rider who rode in the Ducati TriOptions Cup aboard a Ducati 959 - ? Day. (4)
29 GOV 132 – e most famous of this marque. (5)
30 In the Isle of Man riders set o down Glencrutchery ? (4)
DOWN
2 First name used by Esteve Rabat Bergada. (4)
4 International Six Day Enduro. (4)
5 Martin, John, Arthur and Alan. (8)
6 A Lampkin with an MBE or the capital of the Isle of Man. (7)
7 Race track in Motegi. (4,4)
8 Mr. Gardner. (4)
9 ese bikes compete in SBK. (5)
10 ese bikes manufactured by Butter elds Ltd. of Birmingham, England 1911 to 1940 (5)
14 99. (7)
16 Born in Brescia, Italy has 122 GP wins to his name. (8)
19 e Birchall Brothers ride one of these machines. (7)
20 Surname of rider killed at Tallinn, Estonia 2nd July 2000. (6)
21 Usually called “Ballascarey” the correct name is Ballagarey what? (6)
23 is Carruthers tutored a young up and coming Kenny Roberts in 1973. (3)
25 is “Reekie” is the nickname of where the Scottish Six Days Trial started until 1977. (4)
27 One day you might be able to buy a ready to assemble Swedish motorcycle from here. (4)
IT’S ON AGAIN!
THIRD TIME LUCKY SPRING DELIGHTS GUIDED MOTORCYCLE TOUR, NEW ZEALAND SOUTH ISLAND
NOVEMBER 2021
WE’RE DESPERATE TO RIDE…SOMEWHERE, and there is no better place than the South Island of New Zealand. With the amazing treats that Spring pops up it’s a magical time to tour the South Island.
Let’s make our ‘ ird Time Lucky’ tour a massive one – you know you’ve been hanging to get out on an overseas tour so this is THE tour to be on.
Book now to avoid missing out on your spot, you know you deserve it!
Day 0
Arrive Christchurch
Meet your bike at 17:00. Welcome drinks at 18:30. Meet your Paradise tour guides and Stuart from AMM.
Day 1
Christchurch to Blenheim310km
We leave a er breakfast heading north riding through rural land until we get to the Paci c Coast. A er stopping in Kaikoura we continue alongside the mountains and beside the sea until we get to the Store, where the road heads inland. Great riding all day, sweeping bends, twisty climbs through the mountains, beautiful views.
Overnight in Blenheim.
Day 2
Blenheim to Nelson170km
We’ll start the day at the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre with its WW1 and WW2 displays designed by Peter Jackson (included activity) and then ride to Picton. Ride along Queen Charlotte Drive to Nelson, another spectacular road, with beautiful views along most of the 25-mile route into Havelock.
e drive climbs and rounds the headland overlooking Picton, the terminus for all freight and passenger
tra c to and from Wellington. en we ride over a low saddle between Charlotte Sound and Pelorus Sound, two of the four waterways that collectively make up the Marlborough Sounds. e road then runs alongside several peaceful bays.
Pass through Havelock, the home of ‘Green Lipped Mussels’ which are exported throughout the world. e mussel beds are clearly visible in the sounds. e route from Havelock is hilly and winding, with great roads and passes through miles of pine forests, planted for their timber. e fresh smell of pine forest is wonderful.
e land attens out as we approach Nelson, the biggest shing port in New Zealand and the second largest city in the South Island, an attractive cosmopolitan city with up-market shopping and restaurants and its own ‘Mediterranean’ microclimate. Nelson’s diverse geography encapsulates everything from the long golden beaches to untouched forests and rugged mountains.
predominantly a service centre for travellers where you can buy petrol or a hot or cold drink.
e road climbs steadily to the summit of Lewis Pass at 865m. Lewis Pass is a fabulous scenic ride and an old Maori greenstone trail. is is alpine riding at its best - successions of sweeping corners and undulations set amidst world-class mountain scenery, following the route of the Maruia River.
At the top of Lewis Pass is the St James Walkway.
e road then follows the Hope River to the Waiau River through an expanse of farmland, straight, open roads with wide bends and superb views.
Turn le to Hanmer Springs and keep an eye out for bungee jumpers on Ferry Bridge as you cross the bridge across the Waiau Gorge.
Hanmer Springs is an alpine resort with famous Hot Springs. Check them out!
Overnight Hamner Springs.
Day
4
Overview
• Arrive 13 November 2021
Saturday Christchurch
• Tour starts 14 November 2021
Sunday Christchurch
• Tour ends 27 November 2021
Saturday Christchurch
• Depart 28 November 2021
Sunday Christchurch
• 14 riding days
• 15 nights good quality accommodation
• Two Full days in Queenstown
Inclusions
• Motorcycle rental
• Unlimited kms
• Comprehensive motorcycle insurance
• Insurance excess NZ$3,750 or NZ$950 for NZ$30 per day
• BMW trained Kiwi tour-guide lead rider
Overnight Nelson.
Day 3
Nelson to Hanmer Springs - 352km
Rest, ride or explore
Hanmer Springs - 350km
• Tour-guide, support vehicle and luggage trailer
Leave Nelson, heading south. Our onward journey takes us through Murchison. We’ll head into the mountains and stop to see Maruia Falls e small settlement at Springs Junction is next on our route, it is
If adventure is what you are after, look no further than the wild beauty of Hanmer; it is a haven for forest hiking, mountain biking, horse trekking, bungee jumping, jet boating, and the Hot Springs. Your guides can give you some great road and easy gravel track routes.
• 15 nights good quality accommodation
• 15 breakfasts
• Tour Information book emailed to you prior to the tour
• Paradise Riding Knowledge and Safety Briefing
• Welcome drinks
• Omaka Aviation heritage Centre
• Milford Sound Cruise
• Tour celebration Farewell Dinner
Not included
• Anything not mentioned
• All items of a personal nature
Day 5
Hanmer Springs to Hokitika - 355km
Another chance to ride Lewis pass, then through the lower Buller Gorge to the beautiful west coast.
We leave Hanmer Springs, the road follows the Waiau river through an expanse of farmland – the road is open and with wide bends and superb open views – very different from yesterday’s views, the road then follows the Lewis River through beech forests.
Ride through the beautiful Victoria Forest Park – miles of New Zealand beech trees rise up either side of the road. Stop at Reefton, ‘The Town of Light’ which owes its origins to the discovery of rich quartz gold reefs in the 1800s. In August 1888, at the height of the gold rush, Reefton turned on electric street lighting before any other town in the Southern Hemisphere.
Gold is part of the town’s culture as well as its past, after re-opening one of its Gold Mines in 2006. Pass Larrys Creek on the Inanganhua River, a great place for trout fishing.
Carry on through the spectacular Lower Buller Gorge, where the road clings to the edge of the river next to the vertical stone cliffs.
On to the dramatic and rugged scenery of the ‘coast road’. Winding its way between the bush clad slopes, studded with Nikau Palms and the surf of the Tasman Sea this has to be one of New Zealand’s most beautiful rides.
You will pass through Punakaiki where you will find the intriguing Pancake Rocks and blowholes.
The pancake rocks began forming 30 million years ago when limestone was overlaid with softer mudstone in a succession of layers. Over years, the elements have eroded the rock, leaving a pancake effect. When the sea is rough, the sound of the blowholes can be heard for miles. It is best to visit the blow holes at high tide.
Arrive at Hokitika. First settled in 1860, it was an important river port where many ships met their demise on the notorious ‘Hokitika Bar’ – a sandbar that shifts with every tide. The centre of the West Coast Gold Rush in the 1860s it was at that time the most populous settlement in NZ with a population of 25,000 and over 100 pubs. There are some lovely old
buildings on the town’s historic walk, and you will notice several galleries specialising in pounamu jewellery and art works. You’ll have time to explore the town in the morning.
Overnight Hokitika.
Day 6
Hokitika to Franz Josef135km
It is the ‘Ice Run’ today! Ride along the West Coast with views across the Tasman Sea.
The scenery changes as you approach Glacier country to native rainforest, green and lush. Travel through Ruatapu and on to the gold town of Ross.
Then it is on to arguably the West Coast’s most picturesque lake, Lake Ianthe, where you can get up close and personal with the local birdlife by taking a natural history cruise with Tamati Nature Tours out onto the forest-lined lake in a Kauri launch.
Continuing along the Hari Hari highway, you cross the Wanganui River and ride through the town of Hari Hari, once a logging settlement but today a popular location for bush walking, bird watching, trout and salmon fishing. Along the main highway, you will find tearooms, a dairy and craft shops.
Ride past two of Westland’s lakesLake Wahapo, a haven for fishing and home to thousands of native birds,
and Lake Mapourika, a kettle lake formed when a large block of ice was left behind by the retreating Franz Josef Glacier some 14,000 years ago.
Our destination today is Franz Josef Glacier; nowhere else in the world at this latitude have glaciers advanced so close to the coast. The glacier is currently 12km long and terminates 19km from the Tasman Sea. The area surrounding the two glaciers is part of Te Wahipounamu, a World Heritage Site park.
The Māori name for the glacier is Ka Roimata o Hinehukatere (‘The tears of Hinehukatere’), arising from a local legend: Hinehukatere loved climbing in the mountains and persuaded her lover, Wawe, to climb with her. Wawe was a less experienced climber than Hinehukatere but loved to accompany her until an avalanche swept Wawe from the peaks to his death. Hinehukatere was broken hearted and her many, many tears flowed down the mountain and froze to form the glacier.
Julius Haast was the first European visitor to describe the glaciers in 1864. He named the northern glacier Franz Josef, after the Emperor of Austria. The southern glacier was named after Premier William Fox, who visited the area in 1872.
For those who have booked helicopter flights onto the Glacier this afternoon is your first chance. It’s always weather
dependent, mountains attract clouds, you will have another chance on the other side of Mount Cook.
Day 7
Franz Josef to Queenstown - 360km
A fantastic ride through Haast Pass today.
The road winds its way through the rainforest of the Westland National Park, with plenty of hairpin bends and undulations.
The cosy township of Fox Glacier is tucked into the forest foothills of the Southern Alps. Named after Sir William Fox, NZ’s Prime Minister from 1869 to 1872, Fox Glacier describes both the glacier and the nearby village. Like its twin, Franz Josef, the glacier descends from the Southern Alps down into temperate rainforest just 300 metres above sea level.
The road gets interesting as it winds its way through the native forest to the amazing Haast Pass, the lowest of the passes. Once a walking track used by Maori heading for West Coast reserves of pounamu (greenstone), Haast Pass was first crossed by Europeans during
the 1860s gold rush. Construction of a proper road began in the 1920s and 1930s depression, and was finally completed in the early 1960s.
The Haast district (2006 population: 297) has always been the most isolated part of the West Coast. Until the middle of the 20th century there were only bush tracks connecting it to Hokitika (240km away) and Wanaka (145km). The opening of the Paringa–Haast section of State Highway 6 in 1965 provided an all-weather road link with the rest of the West Coast.
The ride from the West Coast to Wanaka passes through spectacular scenery and nowhere is more startling than the route between Haast and Makaroa.
You are riding through the Mount Aspiring National Park, through giant moss-covered native forest following the path of the Haast River.
Climbing through the Pass you will experience steep twisty sections with waterfall walks along the way – they are well sign-posted along this route so keep a look out.
Heading towards Makarora at the northern tip of Lake Wanaka,
the perfect access point to the Mt Aspiring National Park, complete with spectacular mountain scenery, alpine vegetation and river valleys of silver beech.
As we leave the rain forest, we enter the warmer and drier Central Otago. This route was a traditional pathway for Maori journeying west in search of pounamu (greenstone or jade). The basins that are filled by Lake Hawea and Lake Wanaka were gouged out by the Hawea and Wanaka Glaciers. Two arms of the glaciers joined at a narrow piece of land called The Neck.
Ride to Wanaka, alongside clear blue lakes with a backdrop of the snowcapped Southern Alps and Mount Aspiring National Park. For many years, Wanaka was a quiet summer holiday place, although thousands visited for New Year’s Eve celebrations –often rowdy. The ski fields that opened from the late 1970s made Wanaka into an all-season tourist resort. The town hosts the annual Festival of Colour, an arts festival held in autumn.
We take the route across the Cardrona ranges – the highest sealed road in NZ at 1,076m and a popular ski area.
e township of Cardrona began in 1865, when hundreds of settlers came to the Cardrona Valley, eager to stake their claim in the gold elds. As word got around, the settlement quickly developed and a commercial centre was soon formed. Within three years there were four hotels, three European stores, four Chinese stores, four butcheries, one blacksmith and a baker. As the years passed, Cardrona expanded and by 1871 the population was such that it had become the centre of the butchery trade in Central Otago. Cardrona remained an important
commercial centre through the 1870s and 1880s, although it uctuated with the changing fortunes of the mining industry. e Cardrona Hotel, Annexe and adjoining General Store are now the only remaining buildings from the early gold rush days.
Enjoy the steep descent into Queenstown as well as the hairpin bends along this route.
Day 8 and 9.
Enjoy Queenstown
amongst the dramatic alpine ranges. It is home to the ultimate adventure bucket list, including skiing in winter, bungee jumping, sky diving, canyon swinging, jet boating, horse trekking, and river ra ing year-round.
Queenstown sits on the shores of the crystal-clear Lake Wakatipu, set
ere are so many activities and adventures to choose from around Queenstown – you will have plenty of time on your two leisure days to get out
and about. ere are some great rides from Queenstown and your guides will give you all the information you need to enjoy them.
Day 10
Queenstown to Te Anau172 km
Our ride today takes us around the spectacular Lake Wakatipu to the untouched area of Fiordlands. At the southernmost end of Lake Wakatipu is the pretty township of Kingston. We head on to Te Anau and Fiordland.
Nestled on the edge of Lake Te Anau, the largest lake in the South Island and second only within New Zealand to Lake Taupo, the picturesque town of Te Anau is the main base for the glacier-
Day 11
Te Anau to Milford and return - 220km
FILL UP WITH FUEL IN TE ANAU - THERE IS NO FUEL IN MILFORD.
e road hugs the shoreline of Lake Te Anau for about 29km until it reaches Te Anau Downs.From Te Anau Downs, the road veers right and enters the Eglinton Valley.
e road then runs parallel to the right side of the Eglinton River for 33km while it passes through Knobs Flat.At Cascade Creek, the road emerges onto the shorelines of Lake Gunn and Lake Fergus.
Stop at the Mirror lakes – on a calm day the mountains re ect in the black water. e road then passes through a saddle and emerges at the upper section of the Hollyford Valley. Stop at the lookout point for amazing views.
A er Hollyford, the road veers to the west and rises steadily along the valley to its highest point at the Homer Tunnel. At 1270 metres long, it is the second-longest road tunnel in New Zealand. e tunnel, carved out by hand
through the mountains, is a one-way road, and you may have to wait up to 15 minutes for the lights to change.
Sunglasses o in the tunnel, there are no lights.
e road emerges at the head of the Cleddau Valley and the last 16km descend along the valley to Milford Sound. Keep an eye out for the cheeky, very intelligent Kea Alpine parrots –they have a taste for rubber and plastic, so don’t encourage them anywhere near your bike!
We’ll start the day with a cruise on Milford Sound.
Milford Sound is justi ably the most famous visitor destination in New Zealand. Visitors are drawn by the spectacular sights of waterfalls cascading from sheer rock faces rising 1200 metres or more from the sea, lush rain forests clinging precariously to the cli s, and the seals, penguins and dolphins that frequent the waters.
With 182 days of rain every year, Milford Sound is one of the wettest places in New Zealand however the rain creates stunning treats for visitors with dozens of temporary waterfalls created both at Milford Sound and along the Milford Road.
Maori are believed to have discovered Milford Sound more than 1,000 years ago, returning seasonally to the ord to collect the much-prized pounamu
carved wilderness of the Fiordland National Park.
(greenstone). ese treks from the east used traditional pathways across passes such as MacKinnon Pass on the Milford Track. e Maori named the sound Piopiotahi a er the thrush-like piopio bird, now sadly extinct.
In 1812 John Grono was the rst European settler to land in the sound. He named Milford Sound a er Milford Haven in Wales, while the Cleddau River which ows into the sound is also named for its Welsh namesake.
Overnight Te Anau.
Day 12
Te Anau to Invercargill200km
A relatively short but great ride through the Southern Scenic Route to Invercargill today. Quiet roads with very little tra c in this mostly unpopulated area. Great scenery as we ride alongside the sea, not much in between us and Antarctica here.
We have lots to see and explore in Invercargill, all the Burt Munro bikes, gear and memorabilia, plus the most wonderful motorcycle museum, the beach that Burt used to race on, the list goes on.
Overnight Invercargill.
Day 13
Invercargill to Mount Cook Village - 455km
We head north through the magical landscape of Central Otago today, back towards the mountains and lakes. rough the moonscape that surrounds Alexandra, and on to Cromwell and the fruit bowl of New Zealand. en we ride the Lindis Pass and into Makenzie Country. Blue lakes and Mount Cook await.
Overnight Mount Cook.
Day 14
Mount Cook Village to Christchurch - 330km
Ride towards Lake Tekapo and the Mackenzie ranges heading towards Burke’s Pass; separating the Two umbs and Rollesby Ranges, Burkes Pass permits easy entry to the high tussock lands of the Mackenzie District. Pass through Fairlie.
e town of Geraldine is next, in the heart of a prosperous farming area with sheep, cattle, deer, dairy cows, cropping and fruit growing in abundance.
The cost
Almost 3,000 people live in the township and surrounding areas.
You are now on the scenic route to Christchurch travelling via Route 72. is rural main road follows the western boundary of the Canterbury Plains and takes you through a succession of country towns, including Staveley.
Ride through the lush farmland of the Canterbury Plains through Mount Hutt, the main skiing area for residents of Christchurch.
Like a patchwork quilt made with every shade of green, the Canterbury Plains lie between the mountains and the sea, formed from the alluvial shingle fans of several large rivers - the Waimakariri, Raikaia, Selwyn and Rangitata. e area produces more than 80% of New Zealand’s grains, crops and seeds.
Arrive at Christchurch, the most English of NZ’s cities, built on the banks of the Avon River and sadly damaged by earthquakes. An eclectic mix of historic elegance and contemporary culture, Christchurch is known as the gateway to the South Island.
Described by Lonely Planet as a “vibrant city in transition, coping resiliently and creatively,” Christchurch’s energy is evident wherever you go. The city has bounced back after the Canterbury Earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 with innovative new attractions, as well as some old favourites.
Upon arrival in Christchurch, please return your bikes to our b ase. Overnight Christchurch, Tour Celebration Dinner tonight.D
Prices for the tour are in NZ$
CAN YOU IMAGINE YOUR bike’s engine, cooling system, chain and other moving bits being run dry? How long would it be before things seize up? Maybe a couple of minutes if you’re lucky. Being well lubricated is paramount, then –it’s like the life blood of components. If your body doesn’t have any blood – you die. It needs blood, just like an engine needs oil, a cooling system needs coolant, a chain needs lube, brakes need fluid and so it goes.
As most of us are in and out of lockdown in these crazy times what better thing to do in the shed or garage than to show your bike some love and lube it up.
As we do with all our special features, we put the call out to the various distributors for their latest and greatest products, and here they are!
100% Ester Core full synthetic, Motul’s racing motorcycle lubricant benefits from the latest Ester Core innovation to provide exceptional performance. Involved in racing for many years at the highest levels, Motul has developed specific racing motorcycle lubricants to satisfy demanding riders in terms of power, torque and clutch response during gear shifting. Motul 300V provides extra power by minimizing engine internal frictions without any compromise on clutch response. APIABOVE | JASO - T 904 Friction
100% full synthetic with Ester, using improved ester lubricant technology with its anti-wear additives and improved shear resistance provides improved gear protection and gear life. JASO MA2 ensures optimal clutch performances at start-up, acceleration and constant speed and API SN provides improved high temp deposit protection, more stringent sludge control.
Semi-synthetic reinforced by Ester base stock which offers greater antiwear properties and improved gear protection. Improved oil film resistance at high temperatures for greater engine durability, while JASO MA2 ensures optimal clutch performances at start-up, acceleration and constant speed
Semi-synthetic oil that has excellent anti-oxidation, which prevents premature oil thickening and ageing due to high temperature stress. High lubricating properties decrease friction and wear and increase engine life and 3100 Gold has high detergent and dispersive properties.
Moto 4T – 10W50 - 1L - $15.90, 4L - $49.90
Motul Moto 4T is a premium mineral oil. Designed to be used in a wide variety of 4 stroke motorcycles, quads and scooters.
Brake Fluid DOT 5.1 –500ml - $24.90
100% Synthetic - long lastingspecially developed for anti-lock braking systems (ABS)
Brake Fluid DOT 3&4 – 500ml - $17.90
100% Synthetic - for all types of hydraulic brake systems - Meets DOT 3 and DOT 4 manufacturer’s recommendations.
Fork Oil Factory Line
– 2.5W, 5W, 7.5W, 10W - 1L - $32.90
100% Synthetic - Ester basedHydraulic fluids for upside down, cartridge and standard forks.
S P E C I A L F E A T U R E
IPONE –linkint.com.au
Stroke 4 Racing - 1L$32.90, 4L - $119.90
4 Stroke 100% Synthetic Ester motor oil available in 5W40, 10W40, 10W50. Stroke 4 is a 100% full synthetic ester-based motor oil developed in collaboration with the technical teams of the MotoGP Red Bull Rookies Cup, and is suitable for all racing 4-stroke, track and off-road motorcycles that are subject to very strong demands during competition. Stroke 4 offers maximum engine, clutch and gearbox protection, optimisation of engine performance and less internal friction = less wear and tear on parts. \
Full Power Katana - 1L - $26.90, 4L$99.90
4 Stroke 100% full synthetic with Ester motor oil available in 10W40 and 10W50. Full Power Katana is a high-performance motor oil for 4 Stroke motorcycles, intended for sporty riding on the road and provides smooth and more precise gear changes.
R4000 RS - 1L - $22.90, 4L - $79.90
4 Stroke semi-synthetic plus Ester motor oil available in 10W30, 10W40, 10W50. R4000 RS is a highperformance motor oil for 4 Stroke motorbikes for regular use, offering strong engine protection, Synthetic Plus, anti-corrosion and anti-oxidation and resistance to wear and tear.
10.3, 10.4 & 15.5 - 1L$16.90, 4L - $59.90
4 Stroke semi-synthetic motor oil available in 10W30, 10W40, 15W50, which provides optimum lubrication and complete engine protection for regular use and optimal lubrication.
M4 - 1L - $14.90, 4L$49.90
4 Stroke mineral motor oil available in 20W50 recommended for older motorcycles, it limits oil consumption and provides optimum engine protection even during prolonged periods of immobilization of the motorcycle.
Brake DOT 5.1 - 500mL - $19.90
100% Synthetic - compatible with most fluids designed for ABS. Brake DOT 5.1 is a brake and clutch fluid recommended for use in hydraulic braking systems of motorcycles. It has a dry boiling point of 270°C. It is also DOT 4 compatible.
Brake DOT 4 - 500mL$14.90
100% Synthetic - compatible with most fluids, Brake DOT 4 is a brake and clutch fluid recommended for use in hydraulic braking systems of motorcycles. It has a dry boiling point of 270°C and is also DOT 3 and ABS compatible.
Fork 5, 10, 15, 20, 30500mL - $21.90
Semi-synthetic fork oil available in 5W, 10W, 15W, 20W, 30W. The oil ensures a progressive suspension and better handling, reducing friction and emulsion. Compatible with all types of forks and has perfect hot-running stability.
LIQUI MOLY –ronangel.com.au
4T Synth Street Race - 1L $35, 4L
$110-$120
A premium full synthetic oil that is made in Germany, and is the actual oil that is used in every Moto2 and Moto3 bike on the MotoGP circuit! With this level of experience and testing, you can be confident that Synth Street Race will give you the very best in performance, protection, and clutch/gearbox feel.
4T HD Synth Street – 1L $40, 4L
$140.
ECSTAR –suzukimotorcycles.com.au
R7000 - 1L $21.95, 4L $76.95
10w40 semi-synthetic engine oil suitable for multiple motorcycles, scooters, and ATVs. Claimed to help improve shear resistance, helps protect the engine and gearbox, improves gear shift feeling, contributes to improved fuel efficiency, suitable for catalytic converters and meets and exceeds all JASO MA2 requirements.
R9000 - 1L $30.95, 4L $109.95
10w40 full-synthetic engine oil suitable for all motorcycles, scooters, and ATVs demanding a premium engine oil. R9000 is claimed to improve throttle response, enhance shifting performance, reduce friction improving engine performance, contributes to improved fuel efficiency and meets and exceeds all JASO MA2 requirements.
Full synthetic oil specifically designed for air-cooled and water-cooled V-twin motorcycles – especially suitable for Harley-Davidson engines. Selected high quality base oils and specially designed additive components ensure optimum lubrication, outstanding cleanliness and excellent friction in all operating conditions.
S P E C I A L F E A T U R E
PENRITE OILpenriteoil.com.au
MC-4ST 10W-30 (4 Stroke Engine Oil) - 4L, 1L
A superior performance premium engine oil with 100% PAO & Ester, full synthetic base oils combined with advanced additive technology including FULL ZINC+ for maximum engine, gearbox & clutch protection against wear, corrosion, oil oxidation, piston deposits and sludge under all conditions. Also available in 10W-40, 10W-50, 10W-60, 15W-50 & 20W-50.
Chain Cleaner - 400mL
A super strength, solvent based chain cleaner that rapidly dissolves and cleans chain and sprocket of dirt, sand, grime, chain grease, wax, oil silicone as well as other lubricating solids and fluids used on chain drives. Its Non-Chlorinated, Non-Corrosive and Non-Staining formulation is fast, effective, convenient and easier to use than conventional solvents. Also available in the Road Chain Pack & 10 Tenths Race Chain Pack.
Chain Lube Race - 500mL
A 100% full synthetic, white, thin film, ultra-high performance chain lubricant engineered for on and offroad applications. Designed not to fling off in competition competitions at high speeds or temperatures or attract excessive amounts of dirt / mud / sand when off road. It provides exceptional anti-wear and anti-corrosion properties whilst maximising drive efficiency by lowering friction between the chain and sprockets. Also available is Chain Lube Road.
Foam Filter Oil - 400mL 1L
A mineral solvent based, super tacky, foam filter treatment which effectively stops the ingestion of sand, dirt and dust into the engine allowing the engine to breathe only clean & particle free air. Also available in 1L Liquid and as part of the Foam Filter Cleaning Kit with Foam Filter Cleaner.
Power Sports Grease - 100g
A water resistant, high temperature, multi-purpose grease that contains a special anti-rust additive for enhanced protection against rust and corrosion. It also contains a tackiness agent to provide increased protection during severe performance conditions allowing for exceptional water wash out resistance and spray off resilience. Also available is Rubber Grease and Cam Assembly Lube.
mcleodaccessories.com.au
Power1 Racing 4T 10W-40 – 1L or 4L
Full synthetic 4-stroke engine oil suitable for use in high performance and competition 4-stroke, Japanese and European motorcycle engines, including all high-performance multi-cylinder, multi-valve,V-Twin, air or water-cooled sports or race replica models. Power1 Racing 4T has a race proven formula that demonstrates outstanding clutch friction control, gear wear control, engine wear protection and cleanliness in competition applications.
Activ 2T – 1L or 4L
Modern, high quality 2-stroke engine oil suitable for use in all 2-stroke Japanese and European motorcycle engines. Provides continuous protection against the build-up of carbon deposits on the engine and spark plug, ensuring fast and reliable starting and improved piston and combustion chamber cleanliness.
Radicool Premix – 1L or 5L
Premixed engine coolant (33%), for both petrol and diesel engines that cools and protects. A complete fill, ethylene glycol premix coolant i.e., “ready-to-use – simply pour”. It is premixed to 33 vol% concentration. Improved engine corrosion protection helping to resist the formation of rust while protecting alloy heads and engines. Improved protection against cavitation in water pumps and hot spots (e.g., behind exhaust ports) in aluminium cylinder heads. Excellent hot weather protectionhelps prevent the risk of the engine coolant boiling, leading to coolant loss and possible engine damage and subsequent failure. Excellent cold weather protection - reduces the real risk of coolant freezing solid in the engine coolant system and severely damaging engines and/or radiators.
THE ACRONYMS
If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering what all the jargon associated with oil specifications and so on means. Well, here it is…
JASO – “Japanese Automotive Standards Organization” is an organization consisting of major vehicle manufacturers in Japan. It was created as the Japanese equivalent to the API (American Petroleum Institute) specifications because those were not suitable for the unique specification needs of modern Japanese engines. The API specifications are constructed for automobile engines but not for motorcycle engines.
API - The API classification refers to the automobile model years the oil was designed to work on. It speaks to things like lubrication properties, detergent properties, and other factors and gets updated every few years. All API classifications for gasoline engines start with an S, followed by the letter A through the current N standard. Buy an SA-service oil (not hard to find) and you’ll be running your engine on oil that the API warns “may cause unsatisfactory performance and equipment harm.” That caution extends to SD-classified oils as well. Most motorcycle manufacturers call for an SG rating (introduced in 1995) or higher, so always look for the latest designation when buying oil.
JASO MA2 - oils are formulated to deliver higher clutch frictional performance. They are designed for use in four-stroke motorcycles and scooters and are primarily suitable for wetclutch applications.
DOT - Department of Transport, referring to the US Department of Transport. DOT is often mentioned because they issue various standards. Brake/clutch fluid - you will often see motorcycles needing DOT 4 oil. This standard means that under certain pressures, the brake fluid won’t boil. DOT 3 fluid boils more easily.
SAE - SAE stands for Society of Automotive Engineers. The SAE developed the numerical classification system to define the viscosity or thickness of oil.
ACEA - European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association engine oil classification (Association des Constructeurs Européens d’Automobiles).Valid since 1996. Classes A1-A3 specify oils for petrol engines, and B1-B4 specify oils for diesel cars.
THE NUMBERS – What does 15W-50 mean for example? The numbers refer to the weight and thickness, or viscosity, of the oil... the first number indicates the viscosity of the oil at a low temperature, and the second number indicates the viscosity at operating temperatures. S P E C I A L F E A T U R E
THE LETTER W - The “W” following the first number in 15W-50 stands for winter, not weight, and is a measure of the fluid’s flow rate at a seriously low temperature.
MINERAL OILS - Mineral oils are essentially a product or by-product of petroleum processing. Essentially the most basic type of engine oil, they are highly recommended for smaller capacity engines which do not impose a lot of mechanical pressure while running.
SEMI-SYNTHETIC OILS - As the name says, the semi-synthetic oil is a mixture between mineral oils and synthetic oils. Manufacturers have taken the best of both worlds: the high level of protection from mineral oils and high-performance aspects from synthetic oils.
FULL SYNTHETIC OILS - The fully synthetic oils are considered to be the best of the best. Constructed out of pure polymers based on factory made oils, it is the exact opposite of mineral oil (you can say it is artificial and not made using any natural products). The best example of the time to use this type of oil is for high-performance motorcycles that are constantly put under a lot of stress. Superbikes and race machines are prime examples of machinery that require the help of fully synthetic oils.
MC-4ST - stands for motorcycle 4 Stroke
MC-2ST - stands for motorcycle 2 Stroke
YAMAHA TRICITY 300 City or country
THREE WHEELS…IT IS A WEIRD concept, although the concept has been around for many years now. Its recent resurgence started with the Piaggio scoot and then Yamaha brought out the Tricity 150 baby scoot and the crazy Niken. Now those madmen at Yamaha have given the Tricity scoot a bigger engine and turned it into a ‘maxiscooter’, while the previous baby Tricity is now a 155.
One question people have about threewheeled scoots like the Tricity is -- why doesn’t it balance at a standstill by itself? When you explain you still need to lean it and push the inside side of the bar into corners, just like other two-wheeled motorcycles you get some weird looks in return. To confuse things even more, the Tricity 300 has a Standing Assist feature, much like the one on the Piaggio. Under 20km/h while riding or at a standstill you can activate this feature. e bike will lock upright but still move from side to side slightly while moving, which takes some getting used to.
e main bene t I see with Standing Assist is at a standstill. You can lock the bike upright and easily manoeuvrer the Tricity around – great on uneven ground and if you can’t get the bike up onto the centre stand there is a handbrake to lock the bike in place, however I would recommend putting it on the side or
WORDS STUART ︱ PHOTOS NICK WOOD CREATIVE
centre stand… just in case. If you use the feature pulling up at a set of tra c lights all you need to do to cancel it is twist the throttle. Standing Assist has its own independent caliper and brake disc mounted onto the upper parallelogram mechanism of the Leaning Multi Wheel (LMW) Ackerman suspension/steering. Handling was a weird experience for me. On the open road, but especially dry smooth surfaces, there was nothing to worry about with the two front wheels giving good stability. rough bumpy corners and especially through wet bumpy corners, the suspension would wallow and at times, in the wet, the rear would break traction and slide sideways. I wasn’t over-riding it either! I do put this down to the small 14-inch wheel size, which on normal two-wheeled scoots can make things ighty as well.
So, what is the main bene t of having two front wheels, you ask? Straight line and braking stability are the two main bene ts – you can stop bikes with two front wheels faster than anything else out there – so long as the brakes are up to it. For the Tricity 300 it could have even more powerful front brakes and you might just be doing stoppies! e brakes on the Tricity are linked, so when you squeeze one lever, the other will lose some lever pressure – nothing to be concerned about, it just takes a couple of rides to get used to.
On the scales, the Tricity 300 comes in at a beefy 237kg wet. Compared to other scoots in the 300cc range it is ‘just a bit’ heavier. However, this doesn’t stop the Tricity from being swi at low speeds.
e 292cc, 21kW/29Nm single cylinder engine has plenty of power and pulls well
The Bear Says “EVEN THE-BERRIESMR-GIVE-IT3.47KM/L!”GOT
to around 80km/h. It will also maintain 110-120 no problems, so making this a touring scoot would be no problems. It also sips fuel. I achieved a tiny 3.47L/100km which gives a theoretical range of 374km from the 13-litre tank. One bene t you get from having two front wheels is that the frontal area of the bike is larger – this gives fabulous weather protection. Match this with the big (standard) screen and in anything
Specs
but heavy rain you won’t even need wet weather pants on – though I do recommend wearing actual pants!
The Tricity is a practical thing, with 43.5 ginormous litres of under seat storage into which you can easily fit a full-face helmet, a backpack, shopping for one, or you might even fit things you never thought possible in a motorcycle.
A proximity key is a nice feature too. You can operate the rotary switch that locks the steering, opens the seat, and fires the ignition without slotting the key into anything – great if you’ve got your hands full.
At $12,299 ride away, it’s at the top end of the 300cc range. For $8899 you can get the XMax300, however this won’t have the front-end stability with its one wheel, nor does it have the weather protection, comfort and under seat space
of the Tricity. It does weigh just 180kg, so will be livelier all round, and cheaper to run.
I’ve mentioned the weather protection, but the rest of the Tricity is comfy too. The big plush seat offers plenty of room and the footwell is decent enough for you to get in just the right position. The handlebars are placed at a very comfortable height and offer plenty of leverage.
Accessories are quite extensive. Basically, you can set it up for touring, or make it sporty.
If you want a city scoot that offers you better stability, which also has the capacity to be used as a getaway machine, the Yamaha Tricity 300 is one you should check out – you should also be prepared for crazy looks from passers-by, it is quite funny. D
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 3.47 litres per 100km, premium unleaded
THEORETICAL RANGE: 374km
COLOURS: Nimbus Grey
VERDICT: Get quirky
FLINDERS RANGES, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
SOAK UP THE RED DUST!
WORDS AND PHOTOS THE BEAR
THERE ARE MANY TRACKS worth riding in the Flinders Ranges. is map shows only the main ones. You will nd many others as you go!
Hawker
Why is Hawker the Rome of the Flinders Ranges? Because all roads lead there, and start from there as well. e town is not only the gate to the Flinders but also the Strzelecki and Oodnadatta tracks. It is a pleasant town just o the Outback Highway and o ers just about all of the services you could possibly want, except for a Ducati mechanic. Well, any bike mechanic. All of our routes involve starting from or connecting to a road starting from Hawker.
Angorichina Tourist Village e hotel is generally positively
reviewed, but the caravan park gets a mixed response from people who have stayed there, and I’m afraid I just rode past because I was enjoying the ride. I have heard it said that petrol is available here but I cannot vouch for that. e location is certainly hard to beat.
Wilpena
e walks into Wilpena Pound start here, and this is the NP o ce for the park. Fuel and meals are available, and there is a caravan park. No matter which
way you’re going, you should stop here for information.
Blinman
While the town has a pub, general store, a church and a cafe/gallery, it does not have fuel. e nearby pools are popular for swimming, with one enjoying a reputation for skinny dipping. ere are a number of heritage sites, mainly copper mining-related. Cook Out Back is an annual cooking event held over the October weekend.
FLINDERS RANGES, SA
Yellow Route
e Yellow Route is practically all on sealed roads, with the exception of the 34km not-too-bad stretch from Parachilna to Blinman. e western arm is not especially interesting except the 16km from Hawker to the Hookina turno – a er that it’s pretty much straight with the ranges o to the right in the distance. It still gives you a good feel for the Outback.
Parachilna to Blinman by way of Angorichina Tourist Village is unsealed and a bit rough, but I would be happy to tackle it on a road bike with the exception of the big luxo-tourers. But have a go by all means. Parachilna Gorge is one of the most scenic places in the Flinders., so you might like to tackle it even if you have no gravel experience. It’s only 34km. Should you be uncertain about doing that distance, see the Blue Route.
It’s all sealed road from Blinman back to Hawker over the Flinders Ranges Way through lovely scenery. Stop in at Wilpena on the way.
Pink Route
e longest route with the shortest description. It’s the sealed Outback Highway as far as Copley, then gravel and dirt to Arkaroola Village and back to Blinman, where the sealed road starts again. e roads are the usual, quite
passable Flinders Ranges tracks. I have to admit I have not ridden this route for a few decades, but I doubt that it’s changed.
Orange Route
is is a relatively short but highly scenic route with two legs to the east. Starting from the Outback Highway, it takes you through a part of Brachina Gorge and then either through the rest or south through Bunyeroo and Edeowie gorges. Both legs are worth riding. e road conditions are generally very good, except for the most westerly part where there are some creek crossings. ese are almost always
dry, but they are sandy and can be a bit rough if there has been rain lately. No real worry if you take it carefully.
Blue Route
is is Moralana Scenic Drive which connects the Flinders Ranges Way and Outback Highway. It is gravel, but in good condition and without any real challenges. If you are uncertain about riding on gravel, the 27.4 kilometres of this route will make an excellent introduction. Despite the name it is not especially pretty but makes a good location if you want to photograph friends while they’re riding; there is little tra c to worry about.
Arkaroola Village
If you smoke, you would be well advised to give it up. No, no, that’s not what I meant to write, although it is good advice. If you smoke, make sure you have the makin’s with you because tobacco products are not available at Arkaroola Village.
Copley
Fate has not been kind to Copley, which was once a thriving town mainly dedicated to servicing the people working at the local coal mine. ey’re pretty much gone. What it does have is a huge stone pub, so all is not lost.
Leigh Creek
e one word you need to remember above all others when you stop Leigh Creek is ‘fuel’. Although many maps (including ours) pretend that petrol is available in Lyndhurst to the north, where there is only diesel, and Beltana Roadhouse and Parachilna to the south, this just ain’t so. It is actually 130km to Hawker to the south and 135km or so to the servo at Arkaroola Village to the east. To the north, call it 500km to Innamincka. Leigh Creek also has a resort with a café and such. A useful stop.
Beltana Roadhouse
Nope. Was once and is no more. e roadhouse is still on a lot of maps, although it closed nearly ten years ago. Why is this so? I suspect it’s because there isn’t a lot else in the immediate area to put on the map. To be fair, while Beltana itself has no services that I have ever been able to nd it is quite scenic and worth a photo stop if you’re into quite beautiful old buildings.
Parachilna
As usual with Outback towns, the central feature of Parachilna is a pub, In
this case the heavily promoted Prairie Hotel. When I stopped here, the bar of the pub was a construction zone, being rebuilt and having a brewery added. If you’re going this way soon, I suggest you check the interwebs for opening details. In the meantime, though, the accommodation and restaurant parts of the hotel seem to be open. e restaurant is famous for its ‘roadkill menu’ featuring native animals which are, of course, not roadkill at all. Unlike many shing lodges where you can take your catch to the kitchen to have it
prepared for you, the Prairie’s restaurant does not welcome roadkill brought in by hopeful diners.
Across the road is a small park celebrating the Ediacaran fossils found to the north of Parachilna in the Ediacara Conservation Park. Cleverly, the shapes of the fossils have been cut out of rusty iron sheets which gives a touch of age, even though it is far less than the actual age of these amazing organisms. Next to the park you’ll nd some fairly basic backpacker accommodation.D
I’VE ALWAYS FIGURED IT’S the ultimate wrap for a publican –having his/or her pub pretty much lose its real name and be referred to as “Finn’s” or “Napper’s” or “Sarah Fraser’s”.
Okay that last one was a brothel –famously patronised by the Duke of Edinburgh - but you get the picture.
In my second last year of high school, I started drinking at a now demolished pub on the corner of George and Essex streets in Sydney. It was a vibrant, boho place filled with luminaries from the stage, from literary circles, political cliques, workers and bosses.
Germaine Greer would flit in and
take over the place, Frank Hardy would occupy one corner, swinging from angry and bitter to aggressively entertaining, but forever passionate. Martin Sharp, Donald Horne, Dick Walsh, the creatives and accounts crew from George Patts...seemingly EVERYONE could be found here at least one day a week.
But NO ONE ever referred to the place by its registered name, The Newcastle Hotel.
No, it was “Jim Buckley’s” – because it was Jim’s pub and the pub was Jim. He’d spend most of his time on the punters’ side of the bar, working the room whose walls were covered by
paintings Jim’d bought from struggling hopeful artists, making sure everyone was feeling at home in his place. Upstairs there was a bar, one wall of which was completely papered with dishonoured cheques which’d bounced back to the far more honourable host. There were other good pubs down there then, The Ship Inn, the First and Last come to mind but none benefitted from charisma and sparkling goodness of an owner to such a degree that their name became the pub’s moniker. This synonymizing of pub and host has long been the supreme honour to outstanding publicans and on the Murray River in South Australia there’s
Beachy
a pub that’s already changed its official title once, but which just might be joining these hallowed ranks.
Back in late 1868 Charles Phillips advertised that his just completed hotel, The Bogan Hotel, Mannum was ‘ready for the reception of FAMILIES and PLEASURE PARTIES’ and those wishing to pursue the ‘real Sport (of) Rabbit and Duck Shooting’ would be provided with boats and guns.
Ah…a mob of city blokes who likely couldn’t swim, piling into rough boats they’d likely never rowed, armed with strange guns they’d never shot and with bags of free ammo after a session in a pub called the “Bogan”.
What possibly could go wrong? Anyway, business must’ve been
pretty decent, and the mortality rate acceptable, because by 1885 another storey had been added. Then sometime in the 1960’s just as mullets were coming into vogue, the place stopped being the Bogan and reverted to simply “The Mannum Hotel”.
Meanwhile in 1984 when he was a copper working out of Hindmarsh police station, Peter Raison came back from his annual leave with his belt two notches longer to accommodate the effects of a seaside fortnight of food ‘n’ frothies. One of his workmates tapped his guts and asked whether he was smuggling a beachball under his uniform. Instantly he was known as ‘Beachball’.
He left the force in 1998 and tried his
1931 flood
hand working in a few pubs in South Oz and up at Tenant Creek but then his marriage went south. In 2003 he met the woman who was to become his second wife and she suggested they head out to Mannum, where one of the pubs was looking for a manager. He got the gig, liked it and after three months approached his bosses and bought the licence from them.
He’s been at the Mannum Hotel ever since, opening the doors most mornings and spending a good bit of most days spreading his exuberant brand of hospitality from the punters’ side of the bar most days. And he brought the nickname with him.
‘Beachball’ was very quickly shortened to just ‘Beachy’, he confides. ‘Most people have no idea what my real name is and most of those who know I’m ‘Peter’ think my surname must be Beach or something like that.’
He does the ‘face of the place’ thing very well but Beachy’s only the last in a
long tradition of hospitable hosts of the Bogan. Way back in 1882 the Adelaide Advertiser’s travel writer lobbed into the place after a less than comfortable trip: about 11 o’clock the coach drew up at the Bogan Hotel, Mannum, where a substantial supper soon caused us to view our previous experiences in a less gloomy light … The landlord and his wife leave little to be desired in their relations to their patrons, and not only is the former a keen sportsman, but he has evidently wide sympathies for all who come up to have a few days’ shooting in the district, and does not spare trouble in assisting them in their quest.
As Beachy shares the joy and Darren mans the beer taps, I get talking with a pair of workmates who ask me about my cameras and then tell me I’ve missed a decent photo of a shiner one of ‘em had by a couple of weeks:
“We were at this baby shower or it might’ve been a christening and it was
3am and we’d been drinking that blue label Johnnie Walker and I don’t usually drink that stuff, but anyway I went outside for some air and this other bloke who I don’t get along with was out there too.”
So they traded a few less than pleasantries and, “I hit him in the guts and he doubled over and everyone came running and separated us and that was it. Just the one punch and clinch.”
Next morning, he wakes up with a hangover, some self-loathing and a bloody sore mystery black eye.
“And here’s me thinking, he never got a punch in, I just couldn’t remember him hitting me. All I could remember was that one punch to the guts and him going down, but now I’ve got this shiner with a weird indent mark in the middle of my eyebrow.”
And his wife’s not speaking to him.
‘So a week later, we’re on better terms and I’m sitting at tea with the wife and she confesses that she was so angry with
Pretoria Hotel
me when we got home that it was her who punched me and gave me the black eye. Was a left hook and the indent mark was her wedding ring. Mystery solved!”
I’d rocked up here to this exBogan Hotel, on the search for an appropriately bogan experience. But I’ve spent a session watching a born-tobe-publican smoothly ply his trade and amuse, enthuse and bring smiles to all in his bar.
And I’m not about to trump a yarn of
a bloke telling me about being decked by his wife for punching a fella at a baby shower.
So I get a shot of Beachy under a framed caricature of himself on the wall, and head upstairs to my comfortable digs, past room 3 which is reserved as a sort of dead-house for anyone who’s missed the last courtesy bus and has had their keys kept for safe keeping.
Five days later I’m in the Corio Hotel in Goolwa and a fella gives me some advice after hearing I’m doing a book on
pubs of the Murray River: “If you’re ever in Mannum, you’ve gotta go to Beachy’s.”
And that, as they say, is a wrap.
PS: Mannum’s blessed with another good pub, just across the road and downstream a bit from Beachy’s. The Pretoria was the first pub in the town and its cellar is a gem. The backyard fronts the Murray and its deck overlooks the river. It faces east so doesn’t get the arvo sun otherwise it’d be one to the real highlight hangouts on the river. The effect of the giant floods like the fabled ’56 and ’31 can be seen in its skewed window frames and door stops. Well worth a visit.
This is a re-work and severe edit of chapter 56 of my book: “Drinking the Rivers Volume 1: The people and pubs of the Murray and Edward Rivers.” It’s just been released by New Holland at $49.99. Readers of AMM can get a 5% discount off that by quoting “AMMbike” when they order through the button on the FaceBook page: Nothing but the Pub. Great Fathers Day present if I say so myself! D
Top Stuff
ENTHUSIASM, FRIENDLINESS and joviality are more infectious than herpes. And Beachy has infected this pub with (only) the rst three. e front bar jumps, the guests are (mostly) happy and the sta actually give a damn.
It’s a top drop-in or overnight.
Beachy’s is open seven days from 10.00 until late but the restaurant’s closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Otherwise it serves lunch and dinner every day and you can escape to the back dining-room if you want a bit of peace, but the front bar’s way more entertaining.
ere’s just short of ten beers on tap plus a cider and a local pint – a schooner to everybody else – is between 7 and 8 dollars.
Upstairs there’re 18 rooms available in combos of doubles, singles and twins. A lone rider’ll pay $45 a night and a
pair will shell out between $60/$80 depending on whether you’re a er a front or back room.
ere’s no air-con, ‘might be able to rustle you up a fan in summer’ but there’s plenty of blankets. e spacious common-room has full fridge, kettle and the makings for your brew. And the bakery just up the road is a cracker if you want something more substantial. You can park your ride up around the back and there’s locked undercover parking for up to half a dozen bikes (except ursdays when the beer’s delivered) but please arrange this beforehand.
SELECT EDGE MOTORCYCLE ACCESSORIES
But hop across the road to the Pretoria for a drink on the back deck and a quiet one down in the cellar. You’d have a great time if you only experienced Beachy’s but the Pretoria adds the cherry.
When you realise you could knock o work in Adelaide and be here comfortably in time for dinner a er a ride through the Mount Lo y’s it sure makes an appetizing option.
Four helmets on our scale and the cheap rooms balanced a bit by the drinks prices, the Mannum rated 120 on our value scale. If you haven’t worked out it’s o the scale for character, I’m a crap communicator.
AMELBOURNE GUY CALLED MARTYN
Stanley came on the very first Ferris Wheels motorcycle tour we ever conducted, our 1995 Himalayan Heights safari.
We got the timing of this first tour a little wrong, and also the winter snows came very early, with the result that when we attempted our assault on the highest road in the world we didn’t actually get anywhere near the top. Deep snow on the road had our Enfields skidding and sliding all over the place, and we had to admit defeat and retreat to the Ladakhi capital of Leh. One guy who persisted a little further than the rest of us came back down shaking his head and saying, ‘That’s close enough for me, I could hear the angels singing’.
Marty had an incident in the icy conditions, when he came around a corner to find a large 4WD vehicle completely on his side of the road. They both locked up but failed to get much grip on the slippery surface, and they had a coming-together. Marty hit the front of the car, rolled over the bonnet, had a good look in through the windscreen at the startled driver, and exited stage-left with a graceful tumble roll down the road a short way. Although unhurt he was obviously somewhat shaken by the incident, and severely pissed off at having put a rip in his brand new riding jacket. I arrived on the scene a short time later, after he and the driver had finished remonstrating with each other in the time-honoured animated tradition.
Fortunately, neither vehicle had sustained any real damage, just a dent in the 4WD’s bumper. You gotta try much harder than that to kill an En eld.
I was videoing this inaugural tour of course, and proceeded to grab my camera and interview Marty about the incident. He quickly regained his good humour and described in elaborate charade how he had rolled over the bonnet of the car and eyeballed the driver, and then he proceeded to display his torn jacket proudly to the camera. Everyone got a copy of the video when the tour was completed.
Fast forward six months, and Marty is now back in Melbourne, and back at
work. He returns home one night to find his place has been burgled. He’s lost all the usual quick-grab stuff; TV, CD’s, electronic gear, etc. but also his helmet, boots and bike jacket – he’d obviously been robbed by a fellow motorcyclist! Bastard. So of course he informed the police, made an insurance claim, and in time replaced all the various missing items so he could continue riding.
Fast forward another six or eight months and we find Marty in a 7-11 gas station paying for some goodies, when a motorcyclist walks in to pay for his petrol. Marty can’t believe his eyes.
‘Hey mate, that’s a nice bike jacket. Where’d you get that?’ he says, with
perhaps just a hint of aggressive suspicion in his voice.
‘Had it for years, bought it in one of the bike shops in Elizabeth Street’ comes the careful reply, with perhaps just a hint of defence in his voice.
‘Bullshit! That’s my fucking jacket, ‘cos I put that rip in it right there!’ Marty is by now a little agitated.
So the guy swings a quick punch into Marty’s face, then bolts out of the door without paying, jumps on his bike with his helmet (Marty’s helmet!) still on his elbow, and makes good his escape.
Except of course, the whole incident is captured on the CCTV security cameras of the premises. The proprietor
WOW About That!
WOW is Australia’s oldest motorcycle tour operator, and one of the world’s very first two-wheeled touring pioneers. Commencing as Ferris Wheels in 1994 with a single crossing of the highest road in the world, the 5,600m Khardung La in the Himalaya, the business has expanded to now encompass a dozen diverse tours covering more than 30 different countries.
CEO Mike Ferris is a fully qualified Riding Instructor, has ridden that same Khardung La road now 58 times in 26 years, and is finalising a book which chronicles his quarter of a century professionally on the road. This anecdote is an extract from the forthcoming book.
calls the police, and after viewing the footage they say to Marty, ‘Yep, we know who this guy is and where he lives. We’ve been after him for a while but we’ve never had any concrete evidence. Can you prove conclusively this is your bike jacket?’
Marty smiles through a fat lip and invites the coppers back to his home, where he sits them down with a coffee to watch his VHS copy of the 1995 Himalayan Heights Motorcycle Safari. They piss themselves laughing and then go get a search warrant, and bust the guy for several break-and-enter offences and various burglary charges. And one of assault.
THIS IS THE THIRD ITERATION
of Harley’s touring range tted with the awesome 114 cube V-twin that we’ve ridden lately. e Street Glide Special is basically the same bike as the Road King Special we featured in the last issue, except for the Batwing fairing.
e Batwing fairing on the Street Glide Special allows Harley to t a touchscreen GPS and interactive instrument panel that also features an audio system. is particular bike we tested had an upgraded BOOM audio Stage II system which comprises Rockford Fosgate speakers in the fairing and pannier lids, and an ampli er which is mounted in the le -hand pannier.
Before I get onto the audio system, the Street Glide Special hasn’t really changed too much from last year, with paintwork being the main focus. However, there are a couple of notable new features. ey include the new Daymaker LED headlight and a low-pro le engine guard. e Daymaker does pretty much that, lighting up the road very well, then when you ick it onto high beam it lights up that extra bit on the side of the road, which is excellent if you’re out riding in the country at night and those hoppy things are hanging around.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a new bike o ered in so many colour combinations: you can get the Street Glide Special in eleven variants! Yes, eleven! In every version, black dominates the range, but the engine can be had in either chrome or black nish. Our test bike is the Gauntlet Gray Metallic (Black Finish), but out of all the colours available I personally like the Gauntlet Gray/ Vivid Black (Black Finish), which is the gunmetal grey (you might as well call it that) with some black highlights (lowlights?) – very classy
WORDS STUART
PHOTOS NICK WOOD CREATIVE
TEST
looking. Funnily enough, the black finish engine costs more than the chrome.
Compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, the smartphone apps are integrated into the Boom! Box GTS full colour TFT touchscreen infotainment system. As mentioned, our test bike had the Stage II system fitted. This includes 5”x 7” Stage II Saddlebag lid speakers which provide additional depth and dimension to your rolling concert hall. These three-way speakers feature a long-throw woofer to handle the low frequencies, separate bridge mounted mid and high frequency drivers to handle the vocals and the high notes like high-end audiophile components. Each speaker is powered by two channels from the 400-watt amplifier - one channel powers the woofer, and another powers
the midrange and tweeter combo. The speakers are driven by dedicated bass and high-frequency amplifier channels, you get thumping bass response, sizzling vocals and clean distortion free performance at all volume levels. Built with composite speaker frames, heavy-weight magnets and protective perforated metal grills, these weather and vibration resistant speakers are designed for life on the road. Kit includes 2 three-way speakers, electronic crossovers, grills and plug-in connections. Separate purchase of amplifier and fitmentspecific installation hardware (colourcoded saddlebag lids) is required.
Next up are the Batwing fairing speakers. Big and bold is the best way to describe the musical performance you will experience when listening to your
favourite band through a Boom! Audio Stage II sound system. The weatherproof 3-way speakers feature high-excursion woofers for extended bass performance, and separate mid- and high-frequency drivers for rich vocals and startlingly real treble notes. Each pair of speakers is capable of producing “filling-rattling” volume.
Powering these Rockford Fosgate Stage II speakers is that saddlebag mounted amplifier. Kit includes the 400watt 4-channel amp and the required installation hardware and wiring harness. This adds some serious BOOM to the system. At 100km/h you can clearly hear whatever music you want to blast to the world. Through the touchscreen you can adjust the fading and this really makes a huge difference. One test I did was to
stand to the side of the bike, then lean into the middle of the seat. The ‘surround sound’ is simply awesome.
The Stage II system isn’t cheap - Left Lid Painted $513.46, Rh Lid Painted - $513.46, Batwing Speakers Stage 2 - $579.72, Saddlebag speakers Stage 2 - $579.72, Primary Amp Kit - $331.23, Saddlebag speaker install kit - $115.87 for a total of $2633.46, but when you’re talking about a near 40k bike, another couple or three grand won’t really hurt to get top quality sound. You owe it to your neighbours, really.
The Street Glide Special we tested isn’t just about the audio, although that’s pretty damn good. There was also an extensive electronics package fitted. The Reflex Defensive Rider Systems (RDRS) is a new collection of technology
designed to match motorcycle performance to available traction during acceleration, deceleration and braking. This suite includes ABS, cornering ABS, linked brakes, cornering enhanced linked brakes, cornering traction control, drag torque slip control, vehicle hold control and tyre pressure monitoring. With the amount of torque, the 114 V-twin punches out, the more electronics that can help you (especially in adverse conditions) the better.
Call your inner Batman and jump on the Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special with its bad arse Batwing fairing, just make sure you get to listen to how good the Boom! Stage II Rockford Fosgate kit is. I bet you’ll buy it straight away. D
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 6.65 litres per 100km, premium unleaded
THEORETICAL RANGE: 341km
COLOURS:Vivid Black (Chrome), Black Jack Metallic (Chrome), Billiard Red (Chrome), Gauntlet Gray Metallic/Vivid Black (Chrome), Snake Venom (Chrome),Vivid Black (Black), Gauntlet Gray Metallic (Black), Billiard Red (Black), Deadwood Green Denim (Black), Gauntlet Gray Metallic/Vivid Black (Black), Snake Venom (Black)
VERDICT: Boom, baby!
IWOULD NOT DARE TO claim that Queenstown is the centre of motorcycle – and not only motorcycle – tourism in New Zealand. I’m pretty sure I would be tarred and feathered the next time I flew into the Shaky Isles if I made such a claim, because all the international airports in Unzud are in places which also claim to be the centre of tourism. Well, unless I flew into Queenstown, of course.
That might be just what I will do, because I am finding it extremely difficult to avoid handing that honour to Queenstown. Not only does the place have an insane number of attractions of its own (my nephew nearly sought political asylum in Unzud because he didn’t want to leave the ride where they effectively attach a propeller to your backside and you fly across this valley and back) as well as being in the middle of so many others. Happily, Janeen and Dave from Central Otago Motorcycle Hire (comotorcyclehire.co.nz) are based just down the hill from Queenstown in Cromwell, where they run motorcycle road and adventure tours as well as
On the way to Mount Cook.
Don’t miss the Cardrona pub.
Display at the Wanaka Museum.
TRAVEL
renting out bikes if you want to do the tour yourself. To really whet your appetite for their services, they cleverly sent us a whole lot of web addresses of attractions within easy reach of their base. They point out, as well, that there is the whole South Island with its many tarred and ‘shingle’ roads for you to experience. Indeed, you could even hop across to the North Island on the ferry out of Picton.
Here are the addresses, first for tours or places where Janeen and Dave would be happy to arrange a visit for you: burtmunrochallenge.
A break break.
A photo break
A bridge on the Murchison River.
co.nz - bronzotago.nz/vincentcounty-rally - wildfoods.co.nz - warbirdsoverwanaka.com (in 2023) – and wheelsatwanaka.co.nz. en there are some other contacts: highlands.co.nz (around the corner from their base) - motorcyclemecca. nz - nttmuseumwanaka.co.nz - transportworld.co.nz and croydonaviation.co.nz. You will recognize some of these from my recent article about Unzud motorcycle museums.
So, what more can I tell you, now that you have the beginnings of an idea of all the terri c things around Cromwell and of course Queenstown, which is surely the centre of Unzud motorcycle tourism. Oops.
Motorcycle Shipping
This van keeps following me…
Entertainment in Queenstown.
Dominance
of the local scene, a world championship, back-to-back Isle of Man TT victories and then success in the USA… Kel Carruthers did it all in a 19-year racing career, and then put his knowledge behind the likes of Kenny Roberts and Eddie Lawson.
Where do you begin to tell the Kel Carruthers story? If you want high drama, nothing beats his winning 1969 Yugoslav Grand Prix ride on the treacherous Opatija street circuit to clinch the 1969 world 250 championship on a four-cylinder Benelli. For Carruthers’ personal riding highlights, look to his back-to-back Isle of Man TT victories, the first as a late addition to the Benelli team and the second on a Yamaha TD2.
The great might have been? Having his works ride evaporate but very nearly winning a second world championship on a privately entered machine in 1970. Carruthers won more classics than in his championship year but five nonfinishes, most machine related, cruelled his title chances.
After five seasons in Europe, the Carruthers family went to the USA in 1971 for what was meant to be one year. He enjoyed success as a rider and as Yamaha America team manager, before returning to Europe and first-up world 500 championship success in 1978 with protégé Kenny Roberts. He was winning crew chief for another five championships, two more with Roberts and three with Eddie Lawson.
In fact Kel Carruthers’ career in road racing spanned five decades, from emerging teenage racer in the late 1950s and dominant figure in the Australian scene in the first half of the 1960s, to successful Continental Circus private entrant, factory rider for Aermacchi, Benelli and Yamaha, technical roles with Yamaha and Cagiva, a stint race-preparing water craft and, finally,
tending Supersport machines in the US championships.
His development journey ranged from testing home-built BSAs at the Mt Druitt circuit to riding the Yamaha TZ750 prototype in Japan, building Roberts’ famous 1975 Indy Mile winning TZ750 dirt tracker and unique access for a Westerner inside Yamaha’s race department.
Did we miss anything? It’s hard not to. Carruthers won 17 GP races at Mount Panorama and seven world championship races on some of the toughest circuits – the Isle of Man (twice), Dundrod (twice), Brno, Opatija, and the Nürbugring in rain and fog. He was the last rider to win the world 250 championship on a our-stroke machine, runner up in two championships in 1970 and scored race
victories in F750 events in the USA on 350 machines.
But get this. In 19 years of racing, from scrambles in outer suburban Sydney to the tri-oval at Daytona, he did not break a bone. When Carruthers was in Sydney late last year, he walked around the city on a blazing hot afternoon with his grandson for four and a half hours. How many men of 77 could do that, let alone a former motorcycle racer who’d just flown 14 hours from his home in California?
Carruthers isn’t just a legend, he’s Australia’s senior motorcycle racing statesman. He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame 30 years ago. He retains his Australian passport and accent after 49 years living overseas. “I still talk funny,” he quips.
Kelvin John Carruthers was born on January 3, 1938 into a motorcycle racing family, the only child of speedway sidecar racer Jack Carruthers and wife Lil. He joined the family motorcycle business in Gladesville full time at age 15 and a quirk in the motor traffic laws
meant he could immediately obtain a road-racing licence. The business serviced Australian Army HarleyDavidsons and Kel needed a road licence so he could test ride the bikes. Once he had a road licence, he could obtain an open competition licence for scrambles and road racing.
However, Carruthers was not a teenage super star. In the late 1950s his priorities were being business and family, having married wife of six decades Jan at age 19. However, he learned about racing hands-on. No company sold budget-priced racing bikes, so Kel and his father built their own from road-going motorcycle parts. He recalls his early work, buying three second-hand BSA cylinder heads, making different modifications to each, and evaluating them at Mt Druitt Carruthers did not consider a professional career in racing until 1961, when the arrival of one machine electrified the Australian race scene. Honda built six factory replica Honda 250-4s, based on the machines
Australian internationals Bob Brown and Tom Phillis had raced in Europe in 1960. (Brown was killed while riding one at Solitude in Germany.)
Honda’s sales department sent these machines to distributors world-wide, including Sydney-based Bennett and Wood, and the B&W machine went to 23-years-old Carruthers. The Honda’s 14,000rpm maximum revs and scream through four megaphones were headspinners for local fans used to fields of British singles. The chassis was less impressive. “It had a good motor, absolutely awful handling and virtually no brakes, but once you learned to ride it, it was okay,” Carruthers said. Carruthers and the Honda dominated Australian 250 and 350 races for the next five years. He also rode a Norton 500 and a Honda CR93 125 owned by Jack Gates, all prepared at the Gladesville workshop. The statistics of this period are staggering. Carruthers won 17 GP events at Bathurst and ten Australian titles. Between 1961 and 1965, he had 161 starts, for 115 wins,
27 second places and seven third places. Two years running he ‘rode the card’ at Bathurst, winning the 125, 250, 350 and 500/Unlimited races. In 1964 he rode a Norton Atlas in the unlimited production sprint and won that as well.
In 1966 the Gladesville business was sold and Carruthers made the move to Europe, with the family – Jan and their two young children. They were well prepared, having Jack on hand to help fettle two Nortons and the Gates Honda. The six-years-old 250 Honda was left at home as it lacked the durability to be raced every weekend.
Carruthers had the best domestic record of any road racer to leave Australia to that point and he soon found that a hindrance. “I arrived with a reputation and hence many of the established guys would not help me,” he said. “I asked Dan Shorey the gearing to use at one circuit and he said: ‘the correct one’. John Cooper was one of the few who was helpful.”
There were, however, familiar faces. In 1966 the Australian contingent included Jack Ahearn, Len Atlee, Kevin Cass, John Dodds, Jack Findlay, Eric Hinton, Malcolm Stanton, Barry Smith and sidecar racer Barry Thompson.
Carruthers didn’t do as well as he expected the first season. There was the adjustment that so many Australasian riders had faced, from winning at home to fighting for a top-ten place. There were long, difficult public road circuits to learn, with little practice time. He reckoned that in the 1960s “you daren’t use more than two-thirds of the road width at the Isle of Man TT, because so many guys had gone off the road there”. His best debut season results were fourth place in the Finnish 350 GP and eighth on debut in the IoM 500 TT.
The following year, 1967, Kel made what he described as the smartest move of his European career. He bought a new Aermacchi single-cylinder 350 engine, which he mated with a Rickman Metisse frame and Ceriani suspension. Carruthers was the bestplaced private entrant in the 1967 world 350 championship, with four top-six placings in the seven European rounds of the series. He was also one of the few riders to score 125 championship points that year on a four-stroke machine, guiding the faithful Gates Honda to top-six results at the TT, Finnish GP and Ulster GP.
He maintains that racing 125s was
a great learning experience. “You stick your head up and you slow down!”
Aermacchi rewarded Carruthers with two special 350 engines for 1968. The first time Kel used his new Marli Drixl chassis Aermacchi he finished third in the West German 350 GP on the Nürburgring- South circuit, behind Giacomo Agostini and Renzo Pasolini on their multis. He also on the podium at Sachsenring (East Germany) and Dundrod. Carruthers was third in the world 350 championship and had won a British international 350 series. In fact Aermacchi loaned Kel a full works bike for the final world championship round at Monza. In the other classes, Carruthers celebrated his first rostrum finish at the Isle of Man, taking third place on his now venerable Honda 125.
Aermacchi made Carruthers a works rider in 1969, giving him three machines – a 125 two-stroke single, a special short-stroke 350 and a 382cm3 machine to ride in the premier class. He’d achieved the goal of every private rider, in a period when works rides were noticeably scarce following the withdrawal of the Japanese factories. Team Carruthers now included a teacher, Graham Heyton, for children
Sharron and Paul.
There was an important change for 1969 the world championships. For the first time, the top ten rather than top six place getters scored points. However, the 12-round championship still used the system where riders could only count their results in ‘half plus one’ of the total number of rounds. That system created some intriguing battles and, in Carruthers’ case, would see him compete for a championship he did not enter until the fourth round.
As a factory Aermacchi rider, Carruthers opened the GP season with a second place to Agostini in the Spanish 350 GP at Jarama, sixth the same day on the 125, and sixth in the 350 GP at Hockenheim. Kel had won some ‘brownie’ points in the 500 race at Jarama. He fell off his 382 machine and inadvertently knocked Agostini over, so he helped the world champion remount.
Agostini was paddock mates with Carruthers and would ask him technical questions. At one point he lobbied MV Agusta to give Kel a trial as a rider and in the 1980s Carruthers was in charge of machine preparation for Agostini’s GP team.
Round four was the IoM TT and
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Carruthers had a first-day podium in his sights until his 350 broke its valve gear on the last lap. He had better fortune on the Aermacchi 125, finishing second to Dave Simmonds (Kawasaki). However, that action was overshadowed by events during TT week in the 250 class. Benelli had probably the most powerful machine in the 250 class in 1969, but in the first three races the Italian four had failed to score a championship point. Looking to back up team leader Pasolini, Benelli hired reigning double world champion Phil Read, who was out of a works ride following Yamaha’s factory withdrawal. When Pasolini crashed during TT practice, Benelli offered its best 16-valve machine to Read and the second-string eight-valve bike to Carruthers as a oneoff. Carruthers telephoned Aermacchi to obtain permission to race for another factory.
Benelli instructed Carruthers to shadow Read in the race. However, that plan soon proved unworkable. Carruthers led from virtually the start, with Rod Gould (Yamaha) second and
He enjoyed success as a rider and as Yamaha America team manager, before returning to Europe and first-up world 500 championship success in 1978 with protégé Kenny Roberts.
Read third. With Read unable to catch Gould, Benelli signalled Carruthers to go for the victory – which he did. Gould and Read failed to finish.
Aermacchi then released Carruthers from his contract. He flew to Italy and signed with Benelli, with initial instructions to support Pasolini. They finished one-two at Assen; Carruthers was third behind Santiago Herrero (on
the single-cylinder two-stroke Ossa) and Gould at Spa-Francorchamps (Pasolini failed to score); then Pasolini won at both Sachsenring and Brno. Carruthers limped home fifth in the East German race with wet electrics and finished third at Brno.
Herrero could have sealed the championship in Finland. Instead the Spaniard crashed but remounted to finish sixth. Pasolini also crashed, breaking his collarbone. The points situation still favoured Herrero and Sweden’s Kent Andersson (on a factory supported Yamaha TD2), with Carruthers an outside chance. He had to win two of the remaining three races and finish first or second in the other, but with Benelli’s seeking its first world championship since 1950, he now had its best resources for the Ulster, Italian and Yugoslav GPs.
The Dundrod circuit was a Carruthers’ favourite for its variety of corners. In later years he reckoned it would have been the perfect GP venue if the 12km of road was replicated on a green-field site. He beat Andersson
by nearly two minutes to win, while Herrero crashed again and injured his wrist. He would ride the last two rounds in plaster.
The penultimate Italian GP was at Imola rather than the usual venue of Monza. Read played ‘joker’ in the pack by winning on a private Yamaha, two tenths of a second ahead of Carruthers, with Andersson more than a minute behind. The title situation saw Herrero and Andersson on 83 points each, and Carruthers on 82.
It was winner take all for the final round at Opatija on the Adriatic Coast of what is now Croatia. Hollywood couldn’t have scripted a tougher track – a six-kilometre hillside circuit, zigzagging through the stone-wall-lined streets of a town. The sections without stone walls had Armco fence, wire fences and cliff tops above the sea.
Adding to the difficulty, the hosts had resurfaced the track for this their first world championship round and repainted the road markings –a fine gesture that simply guaranteed the surface would be slippery. It began to drizzle rain as time approached for the 250 GP… Carruthers recalls that the three contenders were perhaps more concerned about the conditions than the championship. But race they did. Herrero was the early leader and the first to crack, crashing out after seven of 21 laps. By lap 14 Andersson had passed Carruthers and new Benelli team-mate Gilberto Parlotti to annex the lead.
One thing Carruthers did have was vast experience. “In hindsight, a bloke was crazy to race there,” he once told this scribe. “It was one of those situations where it was better to be (almost) 32 years of age than 22.
Carruthers fought back, pressing on much as he dared in the conditions. It was enough. Andersson had a huge wobble right in front of the pits and began to lose ground. Carruthers and Parlotti raced on to a one-two finish that clinched the championship and left the Benelli team weeping for joy. Andersson finished almost seven seconds behind.
A dozen to 15 Australians were in the paddock at that meeting to see it happen, including Barry Smith, who missed his chance of a world 50cc title that day when the gearbox in his works Derbi broke.
Carruthers was on top of the world,
but changes were coming for 1970, with the 125 and 250 classes limited to two cylinders and all classes to six-speed gearboxes (the Benelli 2504 had seven gears). Benelli therefore planned to concentrate on the 350 class. Pasolini was retained as team leader but Carruthers, holidaying at home over the summer, was told that problems at the factory in Pesaro meant there would be no machines for him. This was crushing news, but it would soon bring changes and point him to a new career path.
First up, Carruthers needed machines,
to continue racing in Europe. His championship meant increased starting money at the GPs and international events. If it meant going back to being a private entrant, at least the family would do it in more comfort with a larger caravan and Kel could hire ace GP mechanic Derek ‘Nobby’ Clark. Carruthers had seen enough of Yamaha’s twin-cylinder TD2 and TR2 production racers in 1969 to know the answer to his equipment needs. Andersson’s semi-works bike had arguably been the best package in the
1969 250 championship, more nimble than the Benelli and almost as fast.
But where to obtain machines? The man who would be Kel’s number one rival in 1970, England’s Rod Gould, had the answer; try the USA. Carruthers ordered a new 250 from Yamaha America and discovered California motorcycle dealer and later world speed record holder Don Vesco had a used 350 for sale. Vesco said that if Carruthers was coming to the USA to collect his machines around the beginning of March, would he like to ride a pair of Vesco-Yamahas at the Daytona 200 meeting in Florida?
Carruthers went to Daytona, won the 250 international race and looked a chance of winning the 200-mile race until his 350 broke its crankshaft soon after passing eventual winner Dick Mann’s works 750 Honda. Vesco hadn’t fitted a new crankshaft for the race.
During the Daytona meeting, Vesco had another suggestion: when you’re done with Europe, why not come to Southern California and run a race team out of
Kel had his last victory AMA national victory at Talladega Speedway early in September and at the end of that month rode his final race at Ontario, California, circuits that were the antithesis of Bathurst, Dundrod, the IoM and Opatija.
my shop.
Back to Europe, Benelli had a change of fortunes and provided with a 350 for the opening GP at the Nürburgring, the first time the full circuit had hosted a championship round since 1958.
Carruthers finished second to Agostini in the 350 GP on the Saturday. Conditions worsened on the Sunday morning, with rain and fog, and yet two former rivals from 18,000km away won – John Dodds on his private Aermacchi 125 and Carruthers on his TD2.
This was remarkable stuff. Dodds had bought the Aermacchi to purely boost his starting money by riding
two classes. Carruthers’ success came after some miscommunication in the paddock meant he started the race when the remainder of the field had already taken off. Atrocious conditions early on left him guessing at his race position. “When I saw Phil Read ahead of me I figured I must be somewhere near the front,” he said.
Gould won the French GP at Le Man, from Herrero. Carruthers was fighting to recover from a poor start when he had a minor collision and fell off in one of the Bugatti Circuit’s tight corners. Next round was Opatija and here the differences between Carruthers’ TD2
Carruthers’ Fast Facts:
and the semi-factory bikes of Gould and Andersson should have counted. Kel had a five-speed transmission and points ignition. His key Yamaha rivals had factory electronic ignition and six ratios, so they had a low bottom gear for two hairpin corners.
Nonetheless, Carruthers set fastest lap and was ten seconds in front on the last lap when his engine seized on one of the fast wall-lined corners. He didn’t crash, but his main rivals filled the podium, with Herrero first.
A Yamaha engineer Kel knew handed him a gift at the IoM TT – a heavier set of contact points. Carruthers set fastest lap and left everyone in his wake to win by three and a half minutes from Gould. Late in the race, Herrero was riding for a podium place when he collided with Stan Woods, who was nursing his machine towards the finish. Herrero died two days later. Ossa withdrew from racing and Spain turned its back on the TT.
Carruthers still had his ‘good’ contact points at Assen and was leading
comfortably after two laps when his engine broke its crankshaft. However, it continued to run, albeit with screeching noises on right-hand corners, until near race end when a sliver of metal went into the cylinder and seized the piston. There was more frustration on the last lap at Spa-Francorchamps when the brass strip of the contact points broke and the engine cut onto one cylinder while he was duelling with Gould for first. Jan Carruthers by now had a theory that the bike somehow knew it was in the last two laps of a race. “Next was the East German GP and I was back to using the standard contact points. I had a good lead when the points broke on the last lap – even though they were new points for the race,” Carruthers said. Something had to change.
“The Brno race was the following Sunday, so I took our car and went back into West Germany to Wolfgang Kröber’s place. He set me up with his first two-cylinder ignition. When I got to Brno I had to mount all the boxes and the many wires. And what do you
The only Australian to win a TT and a world GP championship.
The first Australian to win two TTs and back-to-back TTs.
The first Australian to win at Daytona and to win an AMA national road race.
An international career that divides evenly between four and two-stroke machines.
The oldest of Australia’s six world GP champions at 31 when he won the 1969 title.
Shares with John Dodds the tally of most GP victories by an Australian on private machines (four). The last world 250 champion on a four-stroke machine.
One of a handful of riders to win a world championship at the last round, having trailed on the points until then.
Carruthers went to Daytona, won the 250 international race and looked a chance of winning the 200-mile race until his 350 broke its crankshaft soon after passing eventual winner Dick Mann’s works 750 Honda.
Barcelona, but a win for Gould would see him take the title. Yamaha made plans to hire New Zealand’s Ginger Molloy to support Gould in Spain, if required.
“I was last away but I had no trouble catching Rod and Phil Read,” Carruthers said. “I should have been able to get away but they hung on. Rod passed me going in to the last corner, Parabolica, which is normally not what you want to do with all the slipstreaming you do at Monza, but he pulled it off by half a wheel. Phil was a bike length behind. Game over. Time to go home. That year everyone was on Yamahas except for the factory MZs, but Gould and I would just run away from everyone. Only Read stayed with us at Monza. I used to wonder where the rest of them were…” Carruthers’ 350 GP campaign is worth recording for his second place in the title to Agostini. Contrary to its initial advice, Benelli did have a 350 for him and he
From 1974 Carruthers concentrated on his role as Yamaha US team manager, with Roberts as his lead rider on the yellow and black TZ750.
took second places at Nürburgring and Opatija. However, the 350-4 broke its drive sprocket while Kel was running second at the TT. Soon after, Carruthers decided his Yamaha 350 was better value than a secondstring Benelli, finishing in the top four in the next four 350 championship races and ending the season ahead of both Pasolini and Andersson.
Kel rounded out the season with some major international meetings in England and Italy. The next stop wasn’t home. He and Jan had decided to accept Don Vesco’s offer and do one season in America. It was a raging success. He won a swag of 250 events and in April
1971 took a 250/F750 double at Road Atlanta, the first AMA Grand National race win on Yamaha 350. With a limited number of races in the season, Carruthers put his development stamp on the new Yamaha TR2B chassis to better suit the triangular Dunlop tyres. American road racing was in a boom period, with factories spending money chasing US sales rather than European GP success, and solid rewards in prize and bonus monies. Carruthers made more money in a year than in his entire European career. Kawasaki and Yamaha approached him with contracts for 1972. He chose Yamaha and a deal that would see him run a team, still
T E C H N I C A L
FRESH BLOOD Change your oil
AS OUR SPECIAL FEATURE this issue is all about the latest and greatest oils, uids and lubricants I thought it be best to give you a rundown on how to change your oil. is is a very simple job that just about anyone can do at home. Just take your time.
Tools/parts required
You’ll need, rst and foremost, an oil pan. Grab one from Supercheap Auto, Repco, Autobarn and places like that. ey’re cheap as chips. A ve-litre oil pan should be su cient. Some rags – these are most essential when changing oil as it can sometimes
be a messy job.
A can of Brake Clean is the best way to clean up any oil that may have run onto the exhaust, on the engine and on the ground.
A spanner or ratchet/socket. Most larger bikes require a 17mm spanner/ socket for the sump plug and the
Once out let the oil drain out for a few minutes, then slide the oil pan to cover both the oil dribble out of the sump plug hole and the space underneath the oil filter. Now undo the oil filter and remove – remember to be careful as oil will/can go everywhere removing the filter. Have some rags ready to mop up any mess. Oil filters without casing are the ones that look like a mini accordion and are housed in a casing held either by a central screw or several screws around the edge. Unscrew the cap (watch out for residual oil escaping!), remove the old filter (take note of which way round it was fitted).
Let your oil drain for at least ten minutes, you’d be surprised how much continues to come out.
Step five – replace the oil filter
First job is to fit the new oil filter. This is for oil filters with a casing. Clean around where the filter is to go on the engine. Put a lick of oil around the rubber gasket and on the thread of the new filter, and, if your filter is positioned upright, fill it with some fresh oil and fit it up. If your filter is horizontal don’t fret, put a lick of oil
on the rubber gasket and thread and tighten it. How tight do you go? I like to get the filter just firm and tighten half a turn. This can be a bike specific job as some bikes will require a bit more, some maybe less. Most oil filter manufactures recommend screwing the filter to the engine and, just as it touches, turning the filter one and a half turns. If it feels tight and you haven’t burst a vein in your arm tightening it up, you’re probably on the money – the test will be when the engine is restarted and you see if any oil comes out.
For oil filters with no casing, clean the bike’s casing and insert the new filter, making sure it is correctly aligned. Depending on the manufacturer, there
may be seals or gaskets on the casing, cap or central screw, all of which you need to replace with new ones. Again, put a light lick of oil on the rubber seal. Once you have fitted either filter, wipe off any traces of oil on the engine using Brake Clean. Don’t skimp on the cleaning, otherwise you will notice some rather nasty smelling gases once the engine gets hot – not to mention extremely stubborn stains.
Step six – replace the sump plug
Fit a new seal to the sump plug and tighten it according to manufacturer specifications. Clean up any mess with Brake Clean and don’t forget to clean the exhaust where any oil may have run out onto it.
Step seven – fill it
Look in your owner’s manual, ask your manufacturer, or look online for an online owner’s manual and find out how much oil your specific model takes –remembering to include “with oil filter” as this will require slightly more than changing oil without a new filter (I don’t recommend it – always put on a new filter). Grab your oil funnel and pour
the new oil in the oil filler hole. Most oil containers have measurements on them, but if you like to be fussy grab an oil bottle or can so you can measure exactly how much oil goes into your engine.
Step eight – start it
Once you’ve got the right amount of oil in the engine, start the engine and let it run for a minute or so, then turn it off. Make sure there are no leaks.
Step nine – clean up
While you’re now waiting for the oil to settle and drain back into the sump, clean up your garage – put the tools
away, pour the old oil into a container for proper disposal and wipe up any oil that may have splashed onto your garage floor or driveway.
Step ten – check it – twice! Make sure the bike is level and check the oil level in the oil window or via the dipstick (depending on your type of bike). Once you’re happy it’s between the oil level lines (at the upper one of the two lines is best) take the bike for a lap around the block. Park it and go and have a coffee or a beer. After twenty minutes or so, double check you’ve got the correct oil level and you’re done! D
HARLEYDAVIDSON LIVEWIRE Wired
IHAVE BEEN RIDING THE wave of the future, and have returned to tell you of it. For the rst time, I have experienced what an electric motorcycle can truly do for riding enjoyment, and I am convinced. Just in case you think I’m going over the top here, let me say right away that I would not buy a LiveWire. Do I contradict myself? No, I don’t. Read on. I was supposed to spend two weeks with the Harley-Davidson LiveWire. en Sydney’s COVID lockdown hit, and I kept it for a month. Fortunately I am a “professional motorcyclist” so I was allowed out on it; a er all, it was work and I can hardly do it at home.
in the trouser department.
And that is not all. Take away the exhaust sound and your ride becomes richer, and more pure. You have an opportunity to devote yourself to the performance and handling of the motorcycle, to the visceral communication between you and the machine, without being distracted by mere noise.
e Bear Cave is spacious, true, but Mrs Bear looks askance on motorcycles being ridden around in it, even ones as quiet and clean as the LiveWire.
e Big Fella (not Jack Lang but our Stuart) has reviewed the bike in these pages, so I won’t bore you with my much less authoritative musings on technical details. Instead, let me dispose of a couple of furphies. e rst is that the lack of exhaust noise somehow disquali es the LiveWire from being a ‘proper’ motorcycle. Some of you live under the delusion that “loud pipes save lives”. I am sorry to have to tell you that this is a complete furphy. Now it may be that in one or two of the o -reported cases, the bellowing of a bike’s pipes actually did prevent a crash. But what little there is of the scienti c evidence is solidly against that. Loud pipes merely con rm the citizens’ conviction that motorcyclists are drooling idiots with overwhelming feelings of inadequacy
Fortunately, both the performance and the handling of the LiveWire are worth experiencing. Even something as simple as ltering through the tra c (the bike is slim enough to be admirably capable of that) and then using the torque of the electric motor to blast away from the citizens in their cages at the lights is simply delightful. You can just about lose them in the mirrors by the time you reach legal top speed. Even ducking in and out of tra c on the tollway, which I know I should not do, becomes enjoyable because of the chuckability of the bike.
Play with the comprehensive suspension settings and the various modes, or set your own, and you will nd that the LiveWire can become just the motorcycle you want it to be. Few if any other bikes I have ever ridden allowed the amount of personalisation that lurks in this one. Well, none actually.
Now to so-called range anxiety. I am especially dubious about the relevance of this because there are many thousands of riders out there whose bikes have less range than a LiveWire, and I have yet to hear anyone seriously point this out as a disadvantage of choppers. Like a chopper, the LiveWire is not a tourer.
Anyone with a commute of less than 150km – and there would not be many people commuting anywhere near that, never mind further -- will nd the LiveWire more than adequate for their requirements. Plug it in at work and plug it in at home. You just need to think di erently about “ lling up”. Remember that it costs all of 45 cents for a complete “ ll”. Or so I’m told. During my time with the LiveWire, I did not have range anxiety once. Indeed, I only ran the battery down below 50% twice.
Oh, there is one thing that I am not entirely happy about: the bloke who handed the bike over to me suggested that I should not leave it alone while it was charging. I presume – and hope –that this was some kind of H-D in-joke. With an 11-hour charge time that’s plain impossible.
Have I been bribed by HarleyDavidson to write this blog debunking a couple of preconceptions? Well, they did give me a leather jacket some dozen or so years ago. I suspect they thought that any of my devoted readers who saw me wearing it would also buy one. e success of that ploy can be judged by the fact that it has never been repeated. By anyone.
To return to my original enthusiasm, I absolutely loved riding this bike. If, as has been suggested, Milwaukee built it to convince people of the pleasure of riding an electric bike then they have succeeded. So why would I not want one? Because I am waiting for Harley to bring out an a ordable version of the LiveWire.
PT D
WORDS AND PHOTOS THE BEAR
Much smaller than it looks, the LiveWire is easy to manoeuvre anywhere.
The LiveWire can be set up exactly as you want it, suspension and all.
wouldn’t be hard (pun intended) to make my backside happy given the standard seat’s well publicised lack of comfort! e new seat is twice if not three times better. A 100-kilometer ride usually tests my staying power but now with the extra padding and sitting a tiny bit taller in the saddle you can ride two or three times further without a complaint. Of the thousands of dollars’ worth of kit that has been thrown at the 650 the touring seat would be one of the most worthwhile additions.
Almost matching the improvement in comfort from the seat is the taller yscreen at $160. In the colder air, the immediate bene t is less air hitting your belly and lower chest, and no helmet bu ering is obvious. e look of the screen is pretty subjective, although I love the look, more from the cockpit than from the front. A mate suggested I colour-match the tank stripes across and over the stainless metal stripe. I think he is onto something there.
e fork gaiters, while not an easy t (the things you learn on the ‘Net. Lots of lube and hot water helps) it was a case of stripping o the wheel, brakes and front guard to slip on the gaiters from below rather than going the more time-consuming path of stripping down
the front-end. Looks? Yes, as far as the old-school aesthetic goes the covers work for me.
From my perch now, the handlebar clamps are heaps tidier with the machined and badged clamp which came in at a reasonable $100. e silver front brake reservoir was the nal touch at $78 and while it improves the looks substantially, I can’t see it will ever improve my lap time at the IoM TT.
e last almost unnoticeable, but tasty RE item is the $78 alloy oil ller cap which is again embossed with ‘RE’. I’m almost too scared to unscrew it now.
e ever-lovable Janice and Greg from Rocky Creek Designs posted down a $39.95 dual-port USB power socket which I tted on the rear rack rather than the handlebar area. It is a great bit of useful kit and means my useless mobile phone doesn’t run out of charge! And, with the spare port I can charge up other things. Plus, it has a voltage readout and the ability to switch the unit on or o .
e 650 has just clocked over 3400 kilometers and is going absolutely better than ever. I have had zero issues and I know my Interceptor looks and goes better than stock. Spring should see the Ikon front springs and a set of Avon tyres.
RLM D
C H N I C A L
BUILDING A TRITON IS A VERY SUBJECTIVE THING. THE OWNER OF THIS TRITON USED WHAT HE HAD AND WHAT HE COULD FIND TO MAKE HIS OWN VERSION OF WHAT HE THOUGHT IT SHOULD BE.
ONE MAN’S TRITON
WORDS PICKO ︱ PHOTOS RYAN GRUBB
TRITONS HAVE BEEN around for years, back when the ton-up boys slotted Triumph engines into Norton frames. The Trumpy engines were believed to be faster and more reliable than the Norton engines, while the Nortons handled better, especially with their Featherbed frames.
Putting a Bonneville engine in a Manx chassis was the holy grail for specials builders back from the 1950s right through to the 1970s.
Of course, many enthusiasts still like them, and the variety of Triton specials have also changed a bit over the years. Usually, they are better built than back in the ’60s for example, and the aftermarket parts supply for special bits is still quite good. Engine choices have expanded too, with a few nice Tritons being built with the three-cylinder Trident engine.
Mick always thought a Triton was the perfect combination of engine and frame for a café racer and dreamed of building one if the right opportunity came up. He wanted his to have the retro style but with more up to date brakes and suspension.
Mick tells the story. “It all began in 2003 when a work mate came in with a Yamaha XJ600 in his ute and said he
MICK ALWAYS THOUGHT A TRITON WAS THE PERFECT COMBINATION OF ENGINE AND FRAME FOR A CAFÉ RACER AND DREAMED OF BUILDING ONE IF THE RIGHT OPPORTUNITY CAME UP.
wanted to sell it,” said Mick. “I liked the wheels and brakes and the price, $100. The next thing to come to me was a wide line featherbed frame I picked up from a bloke called Two-Dollar Brian who was up from Victoria for a swap meet. He sold it to me for $800.
“So now I had the wheels, brakes and forks, and best of all a frame. As I am a retired fitter and machinist and have a reasonable workshop it didn’t take too long before the Yammy forks and rear swing arm were modified to fit the featherbed.
“So now I needed an engine, and with luck a mate called me from Cessnock swap as he spotted a 750 Bonnie motor which had just been rebored and had new valves fitted. He gave the guy a deposit and I paid the balance when I picked it up, $2400.
As building Tritons is a pastime for
many retired ton-up boys, there’s plenty of special parts available to make the build easier than you might expect.
“I purchased the engine to frame adaptor plates from a British supplier on line,” said Mick. “The petrol tank, seat and fairing were made for me by Mick Jones on the central coast, Moto Tumbi fibreglass. The oil tank, instrument cluster, handlebars, footpeg linkages, battery mount bracket and various other bits were all made by me. My mate Bob Bale is a spray painter and did the paint work.
“When I got it on the road after about fourteen months work it was great and what I would call very nimble. In 2009 Triumph held the 50th anniversary of the Bonneville, so I shipped it over to the UK along with a mate and his Triumph. We went to the Gadon motor complex for the function. We also rode through Wales, across to Ireland and then to the Isle of Man.
Even though it was pissing down we did one lap of the track just to say we had ridden the TT course.
“I love the bike, it only weighs 165kg and even though the Bonnie engine doesn’t have lots of horsepower it’s still a quick bike to ride. Since I’ve built it, I’ve done around 8000 kilometres and it owes me around $9000,” added Mick.
WORDS STUART ︱ PHOTOS SHANNONS
W H A T S A Y Y O U ?
WE 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 Magazine, 17 Weeroona Place, Rouse Hill NSW 2155. All opinions published here are those of the writers and we do not vouch for their accuracy or even their sanity.
LETTER OF THE MONTH
ANDY HAS WON THE Motul Chain Pack this month, although it might not work too well on his Harley! Pass it on to a deserving mate, mate. Andy hits the nail on the head – never forget what makes motorcycling so great. Send me your mailing address, Andy. SW
THE SCOUNDREL
Hi there Boris, I seldom buy Oz bike magazines but stumbled across your column in the August ‘Australian Motorcyclist.’ I’ve had a passing familiarity with your columns and your books over the years and am thankful that the motorcycling press can still accommodate an unapologetic scoundrel.
Your August column is (mostly) right on the money. I can only really take issue with the tired old line (and you’re hardly alone on this one) about the ‘nanny state.’ Overzealous cops and restrictive speed limits are just the reality. Deal with it and move on. And don’t just single out Oz. I’m familiar with motorcycling in Germany and England and (with the exception of the crazy autobahns) can’t say I notice much di erence. And the world is full of riders wearing the latest must-have safety gear and hi-tech helmets: safety at all costs, eh?
I might add that I have NOT complacently surrendered (but admit that I have never touched social media).
I ride a H-D Heritage Classic, but prior to that a Guzzi and prior to that a KTM and so-on through various German and Japanese and British bikes back over the last 40 yearswhich must make ME in the twilight of my riding career too. My normal riding attire includes the jeans, leather jacket and open-face helmet combo that is adequate in a vaguely
sensible way but hardly cutting-edge. Since the age of about 20 I have never NOT ridden. Always had a motorbike. Anyway, I completely agree that we run the risk of “something wild and wonderful turning into a rancid blancmange.” I live in the Western District of Victoria and can say, thankfully, I still get that feeling of eeting beauty and passion as I ride the back roads between the volcanic lakes and marvel at the endless cloudscapes of this ‘Big Sky’ country. Enjoy it while you can still ride, old man, I say to myself...
My motorcycling son, who also doesn’t do social media, enjoys riding his Buell (when it’s going) or my bike, with that youthful exuberance that leaves me with a smile on my face and wishing I could keep up. I can’t, dammit, but it’s nice to know there’s another young bike rider out there going just a little bit crazy. Speaking of crazy, I remember not many years ago, oh glorious day, driving
along Lower Plenty Road with my son. Down the long hill approaching Watsonia I glanced in the rear-view mirror and saw several bikes approaching fast. Very fast. I decided to do absolutely nothing for fear of collecting someone. ey were weaving in and out of the tra c and then passed in a tidal wave of noise and antisocial speed. Bikies, bless ‘em, wild and wonderful. ere must have been a dozen and all travelling at least 30km/h over the limit. Made my day but probably put the wind up my fellow road-users.
So, Boris, I’ve got your latest book on order and I look forward to reading it while the weather is still cold and wet. anks for reminding me what motorcycling is all about and hopefully we’ve both got a few years of riding le in us.
Andy Hooper Camperdown, Vic
SW-MOTECH TRITON 20L GREY BACKPACK
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*Tried and tested by us for over two years and still going strong*
Expiry Date ___ / ___ CCV ___________Amount to be debited: _______ Card Type: MasterCard Visa (Circle) Cardholder’s Name __________________Cardholder’s Signature _____________ OR fill out these details and mail them to
to improve my biceps
to improve my biceps
Hi Harry,
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.
COVID 1
Dear Stuart,
Dear Stuart,
VIRTUAL THINKING
Dear Stuart,
Dear Peter,
Braidwood. Purpose to ride, have a social get together and have some food whilst out. Now, no such trips.
BATHURST POETRY
Braidwood. Purpose to ride, have a social get together and have some food whilst out. Now, no such trips.
Braidwood. Purpose to ride, have a social get together and have some food whilst out. Now, no such trips.
Sorry guys, but the word count is 722. Maybe you could stick it under Borrie’s nose anyway. I thought he might appreciate it, particularly in light of his latest dissertation. Can’t recall the year, late 70’s maybe. The characters and injuries are very real…
Hi Hugh,
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).
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.
In Issue No. 102, in the News item, “Big Moolah”, you describe this year’s Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride in Australia as “virtual”.
In Canberra it was anything but “virtual” with 130 suitably decorated machines and their riders meeting at the Canberra Glassworks car park for an extended ride around the city.
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. Regards, Mark, QLD
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.
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 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!
Yours truly took part on a V-Strom 650XT with a Watsonian GP Manx sidecar, the latter being occupied by a suitably attired Pink Panther.
GREAT STUFF
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
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
Cheers, Philip
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!
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!
(As well as serving four winters in the Antarctic, PP has a long history of supporting/appearing at charity events.)
My friends all left for Bathurst, quite early Saturday, For a weekend of bike racing, debauchery and play.
But I had work commitments, and couldn’t get away.
Thanks for the kind words, although I don’t think the shiny paper would go too good as shit paper. LOL! Cheers, Stuart.
For me there’d be no racing, or debauchery that day.
I prepared the bike for Sunday, to make an early start,
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.
BORIS
Made certain I set the alarm, and left bang on sparrow fart.
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.
What kind of bloody maniac, rides to Bathurst in sub-zero?
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.
Maybe just us nut job race fans or a coked up super-hero?
All the people dissing Boris “Get a Life”. Don’t read it, you know where it is. Last page! Ignore it!
The cold attacked my every nerve, and the ride was not much fun,
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.
And by the time I got to Bathurst, well I was nearly done. I rode right on and through the town, and up on to the mount, And surveyed the many bodies, that were abandoned all about.
Next to the road beside me, oceans of broken glass,
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.
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.
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.
And a smouldering black motorbike, in a sea of blackened grass. As I rode along and saw the mess, which was revealed to me, I was nearly struck by a body, which fell out of a tree.
No name provided
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
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
Hi Philip, The Bear virtually thought it was a virtual event. He has virtually given up drinking now… Cheers, Stuart.
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 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
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
Hugh Jorgan
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.
BORIS 2
At first I really was concerned, that this chap he might be dead, But I saw he sat up slowly, and he rubbed his bloodied head. It was clear that more than just his head, was very, very sore, But then he just rolled over, and he began to snore.
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 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 set out on a mission, to locate all my friends,
And the devastation all about, it never seemed to end.
I try to reduce my listening/reading/ watching to once or twice a day to keep up with developments - more than that is
I try to reduce my listening/reading/ watching to once or twice a day to keep up with developments - more than that is
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
COVID 1
COVID 1
But then I found Mr Morrell, he wasn’t hard to see, Because he was another one, who liked to sleep in trees. I watched him lying there asleep, wedged tightly in position, And hoped that he would make it down, while still in good condition.
For the next I didn’t search too long, or have to venture far, Mr Cook was right there sleeping, so soundly in his car. His feet stuck out from deep within his Wolsley’s spacious boot,
He lay on a bed of beer cans, well it must have been a hoot. en I found our beloved twins, by name of Jack and Jill, ey were dealing with their injuries, it was such a bitter pill. Jillian had received a heavy knock, and it had surely bled, And she wore a bloodied bandage, wrapped tightly round her head.
And Jacqueline certainly was the girl, of whom everyone was talking,
She’d thought it was a good idea, to take up re walking. She gazed down at her bandaged feet, without uttering a sound, But I could tell that she was thinking, “How will I get around?”
And then we have our Simon, a man of intellect intense, But what he did beggared belief, and was devoid of common sense.
For there within the donut ring, as the bikes howled round and round,
One suddenly ipped over, and ung it’s rider to the ground. Young Simon, well he leapt right in , he’s such a helpful gent. But the time that he invested there, could have been better spent.
With both hands he grabbed the exhaust, which was very clearly wrong,
TOUR OPERATOR DIRECTORY
And his screams they were applauded, by the drunken, rowdy throng.
His hands were bandaged thickly, from that brief lamented farce,
And I couldn’t help but thinking then, how would he wipe his arse.
And the guy whose name I can’t recall, who went somehow M.I.A.,
We thought perhaps the Police had come, and had taken him away.
I admit that I’m a drinker, and been known to party hard, But surely all these guys had played their Insanity Union card. I thought of the night’s festivities, while trying to be fair, Was I sorry I had missed them, or glad I wasn’t there?
I dragged them over to the track, to see who it was that led, And they all nursed their hangovers, each aching, splitting head.
But when the day was over, I really couldn’t stay, I had to return to Sydney, and work early on Monday. I li ed up the side stand, and waved at this sorry lot, en turned to nd my way back home, and up the road I shot. Despite the horrors I had seen, well maybe I’m a cynic, But next year I’d hit Bathurst earlier, then maybe check into a clinic.
Cheers, Derek equitare ergo sum
Hi Derek, Edgar Allan Poe has got nothing on you, mate. Lucky he’s no longer around. Ha! ‘Seriously’ though, good stuff, mate. Thanks for sending it in. Cheers, Stuart.
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CENTRAL OTAGO
MOTORCYCLE HIRE AND TOURS – New Zealand www.comotorcyclehire.co.nz info@comotorcyclehire.co.nz
– Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Europe and Thailand www.imtbike.com tours@imtbike.com
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:
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
www.ausmotorcyclist.com.au
B E A R T A L E S
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: AC/DC
ELSEWHERE IN THIS ISSUE
you will see an article which very reasonably sets out the argument against electric propulsion. Never, however, let it be said that MOTORCYCLIST only gives you one side of a story. But before I get onto that, I need to introduce you to an (electric) motorcycle with which I have fallen in love.
Not only is the Davinci DC100 an electric bike, it is from China – and not, like so many new designs, created somewhere else and then shoved o to China to be built. is one is allChinese, and while it is inevitable that you’ll think “that’s all very well but half an hour a er going somewhere you’ll feel like going somewhere else” this might turn your switch on, too.
I love the look of the DC100, partly because there is no pretense that it is anything other than an electric motorcycle and partly because it looks like a truly futuristic take on the concept of a powered two-wheeler.
e technology rocks as well. A hundred kilowatts of peak power correspond to 136 hp, 850 Nm of torque are supposed to bring the DC 100 to 100 km/h in under four seconds and the (so far unspeci ed) battery is supposed to allow a range of 375 kilometres while charging to full in 30 minutes at a fast charger.
e exceptionally powerful wheel hub motor is con gured to work as a rear service brake, recuperating as it works. e system is integrated with conventional front brakes. e motor also o ers a hands-o maneuvering system with a maximum speed of 7 km/h forwards and backwards and together with the selfregulating Electronic Power Steering it will be able to stabilise and maneuvre the motorbike autonomously. With a mobile phone as a remote control, the Davinci will be able to park itself, and even be able to follow you around.
No idea of price or availability, but
apparently you can already pre-order the bike. With the lesson of Norton in mind it might be better to wait a little while.
On to electric power as a practical concept. While I know that Herbert Louis Mencken once wrote that “For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong,” I have a clear and simple answer to the di culties of going electric: technology. Right now, many people generate their own power with solar cells and sell the excess. Improve the technology, as we undoubtedly will, and they won’t just be able to power their own car but have a little connection outside the house where anybody can pull up and charge their vehicle, paying with a credit card. All you would need if you wanted in on this tidy little earner is a credit card account and a small pole with an internet connection and a socket. Not hard, not expensive and not at all unlikely. Do I get a prize for suggesting this?
Imagine what the folks said in 1888 when Bertha Benz rolled out of Canstatt on her husband’s rst petrol powered car. “Look, she has to buy fuel at a chemist’s! How many chemists would you need in every town if horses gave way to cars? And where is all the
petroleum going to come from? Imagine the pollution…” etc.
Take a look at the New Atlas blog, owned by my old business partner Mike Hanlon (newatlas.com). It is full of new developments in battery and electric motor design. Perhaps lithium is not going to be nearly as important to battery technology as we think now, either. Form Energy in Boston has just announced an iron/air battery which does not use lithium and is 100 times cheaper. I trust human ingenuity, even if I don’t much trust our ethics or morals, and if there is su cient demand for something, someone will invent it. It was always such.
But hey—don’t let me stop you from investing in buggy whips.
Ain’t she sweet!
N E W B I K E P R I C E S
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G 310 GS
ost prices exclude dealer and on road costs, however some are ride away – ask your local dealer for the best possible price!
APRILIA
www.aprilia.com.au ROAD
Shiver 900 ABS
Dorsoduro 900 ABS
Tuono V4 1100 RR
Tuono V4 1100 Factory
SCOOTERS
BENELLI
BMW
G 310 R
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 Sport $28,215
R 1250 RS Exclusive $27,215
R 1250 R Spezial
R 1250 RT $32,290
R 1250 RT Sport
R 1250 RT Elegance
R 1250 R Spezial $34,215
K 1600 B $36,490
K 1600 B Grand America $44,695
K 1600 GT $36,490
K 1600 GTL $37,990
ADV SPORT
F 900 XR $19,835
S 1000 XR $27,975
S 1000 XR Carbon Sport $29,290
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
F 850 GS Low Susp
F 850 GS Rallye Low Susp
F 850 GS Tour Low Susp
F 850 GSA
R 1250 GS
R 1250 GS Rallye
R 1250 GS Rallye X
R 1250 GS Exclusive
R 1250 GS Spezial
R 1250 GSA
R 1250 GSA Rallye
$8090
$13,590
$17,305
$13,840
$17,005
$17,990
$18,390
$22,305
$21,805
$18,240
$18,640
$21,505
$TBA
$23,490
$24,940
$29,890
$28,140
$31,390
$25,490
$26,390
R 1250 GSA Rallye X $31,590
R 1250 GSA Exclusive
R 1250 GSA Spezial
SCOOTER
C 650 Sport
C 650 GT
BROUGH SUPERIOR
broughsuperioraustralia.com.au
SS100 (Euro3)
SS100 (Euro 4)
Pendine Sand Racer
001
CAN-AM (BRP)
can-am.brp.com
Ryker
Spyder F3
Spyder RT
CF MOTO
www.cf-moto.com.au
ROAD
$30,790
$30,540
$14,150
$14,990
$105,000
$110,000
$13,799
$29,299
$39,299
150NK $3290
250NK $3990
650NK $6490
650TK $7990
650MT $7990
650GT $7990
700CL-X Classic
DUCATI
www.ducati.com.au
*All Ducati prices are ride away
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Scrambler Sixty2
Scrambler Icon
Scrambler Full Throttle
Scrambler Café Racer
NEW BIKE PRICES
Chief Dark Horse
Chief Bobber Dark Horse
Super Chief Limited
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Springfield Dark Horse
HONDA
NSS300A Forza $7999
HUSQVARNA
www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com/au
*All Husqvarna prices are ride away ROAD
Vitpilen 401 $7875
Svartpilen 401 $7875
701 Supermoto $18,795
701 Enduro $18,795
INDIAN
www.indianmotorcycles.com.au
*All Indian Motorcycle prices are ride away CRUISER
What a magical, ridiculous, ful lling, appalling, and nowimpossible time.
We were young. We were strong. We really did walk tall, we laughed at was what funny, and we shit copiously on the chests of not just the weird, but pretty much on the chests of whomever we wanted to.
We were kings and gods and demons – losers, winners, gamblers, and fools. And we were beautiful and glorious and terrifying to behold.
We howled at all the moons. We crashed. We burned. And we rose like screaming phoenixes to crash and burn again. We were immortal and flawed, and coruscated power and danger, blatant and unashamed.
Our girlfriends were hot, and just as blessedly wicked as only something in painted-on jeans with shaved nethers and pierced nipples could possibly be. These girls sometimes caused appalling amounts of trouble, and drove us mad with rampant sexuality. They loved us and hated us, and urged us to gross excesses, while still asking us to be careful.
Our bikes were stupid, evil, and thunderstorm raucous. Shit scraped, oil flew, and things fell off them all the time – and sometimes it hit the fools behind you in the face and maimed them. And all we did was laugh.
Lots of stuff was funny. Even the stuff that wasn’t funny when it was happening was funny when we looked back on it later. It seemed like we lived only for the laughs. And it was magnificent.
It’s like it shall never come again.
I am no longer a part of that onepercenter lifestyle, but I still kind of am. In my head and in my heart – and certainly in my memories. But that’s not at all the same as living it 24/7, as many of my friends still do.
Do I miss it? Every day. And every time I get together with a mate who is still in a club, part of me that keens with loss.
I’m not sure it’s even possible to explain this outlaw motorcycle thing to
someone who has never been in one.
If you’ve hung around the edges of a club, basking in that wondrous, edgy glamour that attends one-percenters, you might have a vague idea. But you’re still on the outside looking in.
Social clubs? I got news for you. Your social clubs are not even the steam off the steam off the steam of what an outlaw club is. Yes, I know you’re all “brothers”, and you have badges and patches, and you go on rides, and walk around like you’re gunslingers and shit. I’ve seen you do it.
But you’re not gunslingers. And you’re not outlaws, even if mum and dad and the kids in the car you’ve just passed can’t really tell the difference at first glance.
“But we don’t want to be outlaw clubs!” you yell.
I know. That’s a bridge too far for 99 per cent of you.
Still, you kinda want people to think you’re maybe a bit on that bridge, don’t you? You want a bit of that sexy outlaw shine, right? Like when you sew your nickname onto your vest because you think outlaw clubs still do that, or you saw it in some TV show.
Look, I get the need to tribalise that so many riders have.
So more power to you. Tribalise the hell outta yourselves. Create officebearers, and committees, go on rides, raise money for good causes, have your weirdo “flag-raising ceremonies” (When did that became a thing? Are you countries as well as social clubs?), and live your best life.
And sew all the bizarre shit you want to the front of your vests.
The coded numbers, the runs you’ve been on, the tough-as-custard FIFO (Fit In or F**k Off) tags, the LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES nonsense. It’s all nothing but watered-down copies of what you imagine
outlaws sew onto their colours.
Just remember, and do remind your sewing circles of this, you are not wearing colours. That stuff on your back? That’s not colours. You did not earn them and you will not defend them. That’s the bridge too far I mentioned before. That’s the price that needs to be paid if you want to be a one-percenter.
That’s the cost of that wondrous laughter, that special ease you get only in the company of your brothers, and that deep pride of belonging and being a part of something greater than yourself – and of which you will be a part of even after you pass from this world.
I understand it can never be like it once was. My friends in the clubs also understand this. What we had in the 80s and 90s is gone forever.
But what we were back then is what we are to this day. No-one has de-outlawed himself because the cops demanded it and began arresting the clubhouse pool tables.
The old school outlaws have remained the old school outlaws. You might not see their colours all that often anymore, but colours on or off, they are the same men they have always been.
Some outlaw motorcycle clubs have evolved away from what they once were – driven into this new direction by the insane police actions undertaken by management eager to remain relevant in the eyes of the government and its budgets. And that is a harvest yet to bear fruit.
Of course, some outlaw motorcycle clubs have not changed, and remain true to their original concept. The cops know this, but it makes no difference. The cops still pretend all the cats are the same in the dark, when they know perfectly well that is bullshit.
But it’s bullshit that plays wonderfully well on the media. For my part, I will not weep for what was and can never be again. But I will always remember it. Always and forever. D
