Australian Motorcyclist Issue #107 by Tony Clemenger

HARPER TRONGER MARTER

XMAS GIFTS

Don’t look anywhere else!

KAWASAKI KLR650

Even legends need a makeover

TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE 1200 RS

Hoon on, man!

BMW R 18 B

Big sound, big beast SUPER

KAWASAKI H1 500

How does it compare to a modern machine?

“THERE ARE THREE STAGES OF MAN: HE BELIEVES IN SANTA CLAUS; HE DOES NOT BELIEVE IN SANTA CLAUS; HE IS SANTA CLAUS.”

Bob Phillips

LAND OF VINEYARDS TOUR

Join our readers tour with IMTBIKE!

PUB OF THE MONTH Woodstock lives!

RIDING IN THE US DURING COVID For work purposes, of course

EDITORIAL He

CULTURE

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Here’s the latest BORIS

Editor Stuart Woodbury

Contributing Editor J Peter Thoeming

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

Designers FriendsLoveDesign.com

Photographers Nick Wood Creative, Half Light Photographic

Contributors Robert Lovas, Boris Mihailovic, Chris Pickett, The Possum, Colin Whelan, Nick Wood, Bob Wozga

Editorial contactus@ausmotorcyclist.com.au

Subscription enquiries ausmotorcyclist.com.au, contactus@ausmotorcyclist.com.au

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SPEND IT

AFTER MUCH ANALYSING, drinking of coffee, drinking of bourbon and then talking shit with my mates I’ve bought my next bike! It’s a 2011 Suzuki Bandit 1250 with only 32,000km.

Why didn’t I hold out for a ‘Flying Condom’? One main factor is we need a bike that can test the latest and greatest tyres and a 1989 CBR1000F with its odd tyre size wouldn’t cut it. The Bandit has a regular 120/70/17 and 180/55/17 so I can ﬁt any current road tyre to that.

Another factor in my Bandit decision is they are seriously underrated motorcycles, to the point that many riders don’t think they go hard at all. How very wrong those people are.

If you see a bronze-coloured Bandit tearing the paint off your bike as it blows by, it’s probably me.

What do I have planned for my ‘new’ Bandit – ﬁrst up is detailing the bike up to my standards; I’m extremely fussy with having an ultra-clean motorcycle and I’ve got my Bowdens Own products at the ready and the Motul Shine N Go spray itching to make this Bandit shine. And go, afterwards.

Fitting a Rad Guard to protect the radiator from any nasty crap flying up off the road will be the first accessory. I really think a Rad Guard is mandatory equipment for all road bikes. It’s not until you’ve holed a radiator that you wish you fitted one, cause most of the time you’re out in the middle of nowhere!

Second thing I’ll bang on straight

away are the Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tyres I was going to ﬁt to my father’s Z900RS. I’m sure I can give them a real good test for you – watch out for that review shortly.

Venhill braided brake lines, NG Discs and SBS Sinter EVO brake pads will provide the best stopping power known to man, and I’m not just saying that – it is THE BEST stopping power you’ll get and then comes increasing the power…

A DNA air filter and modifying the airbox to let the engine breath a bit more is the first tick. Second is removing the PAIR valve system and it already has a Scorpion slip-on muffler which I’m more than happy with. To tie this all together I will be employing the services of Harley at RB Racing to flash the ECU with Woolich Tuning software and make it super sweet with a dyno tune. Don’t tell anyone, but I’ll probably knock the guts out of the catalytic convertor as well. This will be a bike not to be messed with and will be so sweet to ride.

The suspension? I’m still thinking about which way I will go. Do I go all out and ﬁt a set of full house forks and shock, or do I ﬁt some Gold Valves in the forks with suitable springs and get a new custom shock. Hmm…let me think about that one. Either way, the suspension will need some attention for how hard it will get pushed at times. Is there anything else you guys and girls think I should do to it? Send me an email with your suggestions. Cheers, Stuart.

The 1973 legend returns. Reigniting the classic style of the original Z1, the Kawasaki Z900RS calls upon timeless design elements with minimal bodywork, no fairing for a pure retro-style look. The Z900RS features a 948cc engine and modern technology for a classic yet modern ride.

• ASSIST & SLIPPER CLUTCH

• ICONIC TEARDROP FUEL TANK

• TUNED EXHAUST NOTE

• ROUND LED HEADLIGHT

• AUTHENTIC RETRO STYLING

• BULLET SHAPED ANALOGUE DIALS

SCAN

KAWASAKI DEALER

N E W S

HMM?

Italian company Brembo is well known for its high-end braking systems, which are often used as OEM equipment on premium performance cars and motorcycles. To date, Brembo’s mainly focused on mechanical parts like calipers, discs, pads, levers, cylinders and so forth, leaving the ABS intelligence to other suppliers like Bosch and Continental.

This is all about to change. Brembo has announced a new “Sensify” brake system currently under development. The Sensify system removes nearly all the hydraulic components from the brake system, leaving no physical connection between the pedal and the discs, and it has its own digital brains, capable of using AI to determine the correct amount of braking for each wheel under a range of different circumstances.

In doing so, it follows the accelerator pedal in most modern vehicles down the “ﬂy by wire” path.

electronic brakes? They will no doubt make their way to motorcycles soon enough.

2022 – TIME TO TRAVEL

In joint venture with IMTBIKE Tours & Rentals and Edelweiss Bike Travel we will be running two readers tours. The ﬁrst tour is with IMTBIKE - Land of Vineyards Tour, September 10-24, 2022. This will be for anyone and everyone who even remotely likes a drop of vino. Even if you don’t like a drop, the scenery, the food and the roads of Portugal and Spain will be more than enough

The Sensify system goes one step further than today’s ABS systems, which reduce brake pressure, when necessary, by opening pressure relief valves in the hydraulics. Sensify’s brake control units send their decisions either to hydraulic actuators connected to hydraulic calipers, or straight to electromechanical calipers. Would you trust

RALLY TIME!

to entice you to book now! Contact IMTBIKE at tours@imtbike.com or info@imtbike.com

The second readers tour is with Edelweiss – The Best of Morocco, October 8-21, 2022. Highlights include - Marrakech, Essaouira, Agadir, Gorges du Todra (Todra Schucht), Gorges du Dadès (Dades Gorge), Aït-Ben-Haddou, Antiatlas, Tizi-n-Test, tide through the desert, camp in the desert, Wadis and oasis, two times crossing the Atlas Mountains, riding the Atlas, fantastic food and Berber culture.

To see all the amazing details, jump onto - edelweissbike.com/de/ touren/?c=SPT22008

We will see you on the tours!

The 45th Karuah River Rally is on from 11-13 February 2022 at Frying Pan Creek Campsite off Frying Pan Road, Chichester State Forest, via Dungog NSW.

For newcomers it’s about 31 or so km north of Dungog via the Monkerai and Main Creek Roads or the Wangat Trig Road past the Chichester Dam turnoff. Check the website or the Bank Hotel Dungog for a map – note there’s about 14k of (reasonable) dirt from either direction.

PLEASE NOTE - it’s now byo everything,

so remember to bring enough to food and water for yourself. And second, depending on health directions some basic details will need to be obtained from you upon entry. KRR is for motorcyclists only; cars are not permitted unless by prior arrangement. Entry is $25 for your badge - all other needs are available in Dungog. Rally awards and rafﬂe prizes will be presented on Saturday afternoon. The site has male and female toilets and you don’t have to own a BMW. Contact Rob Lovett on 0417 267 425 (leave a message) or email rob@gaslightbooks.com.auplease put Karuah in subject line. See also www. bmwtcnsw.org.au.

THE ULTIMATE HIGH PERFORMANCE MUSCLE ROADSTER.

The Rocket 3 R and Rocket 3 GT are genuine motorcycle legends. Equipped with a 2500cc Triple engine, the biggest production motorcycle engine in the world, delivering the highest torque of any production motorbike – 221Nm @ 4,000rpm. With truly imposing muscular presence and magnificent style, the Rocket 3 line-up combines the highest level of specification and technology with all of Triumph’s signature phenomenal handling.

There are two magnificent models to choose from – the Rocket 3 R, delivering instantaneous world-leading torque, incredible control and capability, and the Rocket 3 GT, built to go further, with even more comfort and effortless touring capability. Find out more, visit triumphmotorcycles.com.au /triumphaus @triumphaus

ausmotorcyclist ausmotorcyclist.com.au

LOAD UP

Ventura has just released their latest and greatest rack and luggage for the new version of the Yamaha MT-09. Rack, panniers racks, various bags, panniers and a topbox are what you can choose from. Available at all good bike shops, or to see the range – kenma.com.au

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

Remy Gardner is Moto2 World Champion! 12 podiums and 5 victories in a close fought battle with his own team mate, Remy did the job and with his legendary father, Wayne, only the second father/son duo to have both won world championships. The other family to have done it are the Roberts. AMM congratulate Remy on a fantastic season and look forward to him riding in MotoGP

GRAZIE VALE

The G.O.A.T. – Valentino Rossi has retired from racing. The nine times world champion across 125cc, 250cc, 500cc, and MotoGP has not only been a great rider and showman, but what he has done for world class motorcycle racing is beyond what many really know and he will continue to do so with his Riders Academy and race teams. Ask anyone not into motorcycle racing if they’ve heard of Valentino and they will say, “yes”. Ask them about almost anyone else on the grid and you’ll probably get blank looks – think about that. Vale’s ﬁnal race in Spain at the end of

the MotoGP season saw him ﬁnish tenth. A great achievement with his lap times only a tenth of a second off the winner. Think about that for a minute…Rossi has been racing at the top of his game for 26 years! Most of his competition weren’t even thought of when he was winning world championships and to only be a tenth of a second off the fastest at his age, is simply amazing. It shows the dedication, talent and passion he has for the sport. We could go on about Valentino and his amazing career for many pages, but we all know he is the G.O.A.T. and all that needs to be said is, “Grazie Vale, Grazie!”

ADVENTURE GUARANTEED

800MT STANDARD FEATURES

7-inch TFT screen Ride by-wire throttle

Multiple riding modes Cruise control

Adjustable screen Fog lights Crash bars

USB charging LED lights and turn signals.

Tyre pressure monitoring Wire-spoked wheels

Centrestand Quickshifter Handguards

Alloy bashplate Steering damper

KAWASAKI KLR650 ADVENTURE

35 years and powering on

I’VE MENTIONED THIS MANY times before – whenever you’re out adventure touring on some back country trails there are two bikes that you’re more than likely to come across than any others. One is the Suzuki DR650 and the other is Kawasaki’s venerable KLR650. First released way back in 1987 when The Bear still had dark hair, the KLR650 has long been known as the one bike to do everything. Travel long distance and almost every trail in the world and the big thing that has made the KLR650 one of the most popular adventure tourers in the world –if you bin it and snap the frame, chances are someone, somewhere will have a welder to zip it up and get you back out

there…if you pick up some ultra-lowgrade fuel, the big under-stressed single will slug along until you get something good. Try that on some of your computer controlled, aluminium framed adventurers.

For 2022, the KLR650 has undergone a semi-makeover. There are two models available in Australia – one is the ‘base’ model in a Pearl Sand Khaki colour and the other is the ‘Adventure’ model we tested here. Painted up in a nice-looking Cypher Camo Gray and fitted with some tasty features like fog lamps, engine bars, panniers and DC and USB sockets, it’s pretty much ready to adventure straight off the showroom floor. The only thing I would do is fit some grippy adventure

pegs. The standard ones don’t like water and your feet being on them simultaneously.

Some changes to the ultra-reliable 652cc four-valve single cylinder engine include the addition of fuel injection. Gone are the carbys, replaced by 10-hole ﬁne atomising injectors to give the KLR great fuel economy. The addition of fuel injection is also claimed to help at high altitudes and in cold conditions.

Both intake and exhaust cam proﬁles have been changed to increase midrange torque and I can tell you the difference is not only very welcome,

but transforms the KLR from what was a sluggish tired feeling bike into something with a bit of punch that can get up that hill climb if you choose to go there. In addition, the exhaust pipe diameter has been reduced to help increase torque. Reduction is from 42.7mm to 35mm and the exhaust also sees an O2 sensor ﬁtted for the fuel injection.

Updates to the clutch release bearings, which are now thrust needle bearings instead of ball bearings, and the transmission with revised 3rd gear dogs and shift fork and a change from hob ﬁnishing to shaved ﬁnishing

for 4th and 5th gears – are aimed at increasing reliability.

To meet the needs of ‘modern’ adventurers, the alternator amperage has been increased from 17 A to 26 A. Combined with the new LED headlight which draws less power there’s a total of 80 W available to power your accessories.

A maintenance free battery adds to the convenience and shaves 1.7kg off the bike, and a revised starter, ignition coil and evaporator canister are all lighter.

The frame and suspension have also undergone some improvements

First released way back in 1987 when The Bear still had dark hair, the KLR650 has long been known as the one bike to do everything.

– they include the subframe now being integrated with the main frame, swingarm extended by 30mm and the swingarm pivot shaft increased from 15mm to 17mm. The suspension has beefy 41mm forks with both front and rear having revised settings – think better spring rates and damping. Gone

is that super soft feeling with a feeling of a bike that can handle some rough and tough terrain and a small jump or two, which is, of course, exactly what I went and did.

The KLR also handles very well on the bitumen with light and stable turn in. A stronger rear rim and larger axles

help with rigidity – especially if you start taking the KLR into some harder terrain.

Braking has been upgraded with a 300mm disc up front and a 1mm thicker rear disc for better heat dissipation. Of course ABS is now standard as well, but I think it cuts in

TEST

For any long distance adventurer, comfort is a big consideration and Kawasaki has done the business on the KLR

Specs

too early in the dirt.

For any long distance adventurer, comfort is a big consideration and Kawasaki has done the business on the KLR. Gone is that ‘enduro’ bike feeling, now with a revised seat shape and comfort beﬁtting all day riding. If you carry a pillion, the pillion grab bars have been reshaped for an easier hold. The handlebar and footpegs have been extended by 10mm and both are now rubber mounted. My test ride was a 70/30 mix of dirt/bitumen for 250km and it was a walk in the park (except for getting bitten by a spider!) and I could ride this bike all day long with ease. Speaking of ease, the side stand has also been shortened by 30mm making it easier to use when sitting.

The new windscreen is 50mm taller than previous and now features two positions. It does require you getting out the tools, but the higher position takes it up another 30mm. I

was more than happy with the lower setting for my peaked adventure helmet.

A big change for the KLR is an all-digital instrument panel. Easy to read with white back lighting it displays all you need for a bike like this.

Accessories are all adventure biased. The standard 21 litre panniers on the Adventure model would be okay if you mostly ride bitumen but I think if you really get into some deep bush exploring you’ll want to ditch them for some soft panniers and/or a soft seat bag.

The new 2022 Kawasaki KLR650 Adventure has been ‘modernised’ in a way that not only makes it a far better bike than the previous model, but also one that lives up to the original ethos of being a ‘do it all’ machine. It’s also still priced unbelievably at only $9999 with all the kit on it! .D

KAWASAKI KLR650 ADVENTURE

MODEL: Kawasaki KLR650 Adventure

PRICE: $9999 (plus on-road charges)

WARRANTY: Two years, unlimited distance

SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 12,000km or 12 months

ENGINE: 652cc liquid-cooled single cylinder, 100x83mm bore/stroke, DOHC, 4 valves

POWER: 28.5kW @ 6000rpm

TORQUE: 51.5Nm @ 4500rpm

TRANSMISSION: 5-speed, wet multiplate clutch, chain ﬁnal drive

SUSPENSION: Front, 41mm telescopic fork, non-adjustable, travel 200mm. Rear, monoshock, adjustable preload and rebound, travel 185mm.

DIMENSIONS: Seat height 870mm, weight 222kg (wet), fuel capacity 23 litres, wheelbase 1540mm

TYRES: Front, 90/90/21. Rear, 130/80/17

BRAKES: Front, 300mm disc with two-piston ABS caliper. Rear, 240mm disc, two-piston ABS caliper.

FUEL CONSUMPTION: 5.16 litres per 100km, premium unleaded

THEORETICAL RANGE: 445km

COLOURS: Cypher Camo Gray (adventure), Pearl Sand Khaki (standard)

VERDICT: Go longer and further

OVERNIGHT IN STYLE

“When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams — this may be madness. Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!”

― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote.

ON THE ROAD,

LIFE

as it should be, to me, has always revolved around two sets of things. One is the bike, the road, and the weather. The other is the company, the food… and the accommodation. There are many ways of dealing with these things, but one that I ﬁnd highly attractive is joining an organised tour. That

Sleeping better in spain – with us!

covers bike, road, company, food and accommodation… er, right. All of the above except weather. And a smart tour leader will even know how to juggle that by having alternative routes up his sleeve.

Organised motorcycle tours are usually highly skilled at looking after these things. As far as accommodation is concerned, you get three- and four-star hotels, quite often very pleasant ones with all the comforts of home. But if you choose to travel with IMTBike in Spain or Portugal, you get some comforts you will probably never have at home. Unless you’re royalty, I suppose.

Not long ago (the time before the Plague) I took a tour of northern

Spain with IMTBike Motorcycle Tours, who run excellent tours and also offer something extra, namely accommodation in Spain’s Paradores Hotels.

Most if not all countries in Europe have majestic palaces, castles and monasteries which, for one reason or another, are no longer inhabited or kept up by their original owners. These buildings will occasionally be transformed into youth hostels, which unfortunately tends to mean that they lose the furnishings and atmosphere of their heydays, replaced by bunkrooms and those gloomy kitchens ﬁlled with the decomposing remnants of a thousand backpackers’ dinners. Otherwise, they often

WORDS & PHOTOS THE BEAR

TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE 1200 RS

Be consumed

TRIUMPHS SPEED TRIPLE HAS always had a reputation for being a hooligan’s ‘bike to have’ and while this latest model feels much smoother than previous generations the increase in capacity, power and torque means it is still well and truly a motorcycle that will bring out that inner hooligan in you.

The sporty naked/factory streetﬁghter/hyper naked/super roadsters class – call it what you like – is where most of the factories are ﬂexing their development muscles these days. Sports and touring bike sales have been in decline for a long time as riders look to bikes they can get more use from and justify the purchase of. And for most of us, a set of ‘high’ bars beats a pair of clip-ons and/or a fat, large cumbersome bike nine times out of ten.

The point I’m dragging out is that naked bikes are booming –most manufacturers have offerings across multiple cubic capacities and often there’s a hero bike, festooned with technology. They literally all keep raising the bar.

Triumph has a big point about the fact the 2021 Speed Triple has a 17% power-to-weight increase over the outgoing model and

WORDS STUART ︱ PHOTOS NICK WOOD PHOTOGRAPHY

TEST

An all-new frame is what you get with the 1200 RS, boasting a 10kg weight drop from the previous model.

doubles that of the original bike: very impressive. The bigger, 1160cc engine brings with it super naked power and the characteristic which made the 1050 engine such a ﬁrm favourite, namely a seemingly endless, linear punch of torque. To really make the engine sing there’s an extra 650rpm over the outgoing model, too!

Engine development was done with the team from Triumph’s own Moto2 project. A full 7kg has been shed from the engine despite the increase. The result is an engine that spins up faster also thanks to the new ﬁnger follower valve train which has helped to reduce mass and helped the bike achieve its new higher rpm.

Riding the 1200 RS, it’s easy to forget you have this extra rpm to play, but the more you let it sing the more reward there is – you will be smiling from ear to ear.

An up and down quickshifter is smooth when bumbling along or when in full track attack. What isn’t so slick is the ability to put it in neutral while coasting along. Or even ﬁnd neutral.

Manufacturers and dealers make more proﬁt from accessories than bikes – the margins are better. So, of the 35 ofﬁcial accessories for this new bike, you’ll be surprised to learn there’s no exhaust option. How about that? Reason being, Triumph says that so much effort went into the now low-level, single exhaust that not only helps pass increasingly more stringent emission and noise restrictions, but with its new exhaust valve and that addictive intake roar, it helps deliver the ‘best sounding Speed Triple ever’. I agree with that, when at full throttle onboard and/or listening by the side of the road it sounds bloody amazing.

As standard silencers go, it doesn’t look bad at all – the packaging on this bike is really impressive. So maybe just

add an Arrow or Yoshi sticker.

An all-new frame is what you get with the 1200 RS, boasting a 10kg weight drop from the previous model. This one has high-speciﬁcation, fully adjustable Öhlins suspension bolted at each end of the new, lightweight ‘V-spoke’ wheels.. With no ‘entry level’ S version, the frame spec of the RS shouts very loudly the intention of this ride: fast road and track use.

On paper the frame dimensions, rake and trail figures point towards a more ‘relaxed’ geometry, but the reality when you’re up it for the rent, provides a more precise experience, it is better at holding a line and has less squat. The suspension is certainly set pretty firm and if you’re only going to ride this bike on the road I’d take a small amount of preload off the front. You might also take a touch of compression off the back if you wanted a little bit more comfort. The suspension is fully adjustable, so it is there to be fiddled with.

Triumph claims to have used the light, precise and agile Street Triple as the inspiration for the 1200 RS. Funny when big brother wants to be like the ‘little’ one, but I remember riding both the Street Triple and Speed Triple at Broadford Raceway and the Street being much faster than the big boy. The outgoing model did feel heavy, tall and vague compared to the Street. The new bike certainly feels sharp and with the slightly heavy turn in at low speeds you know when you unleash the hooligan it will turn in just beautifully, which it does!

Like hitting a brick wall. Like opening a parachute. All those cliches used to describe powerful brakes are applicable here as the 1200 RS is exceptional. Dual Brembo Stylema radial monobloc calipers bite down hard on 320mm discs thanks to a

gorgeous Brembo master cylinder that is adjustable for ratio and span. You really couldn’t want for a better set-up. There are preset ABS modes in Road, Sport and Track riding modes with cornering sensitivity - all optimised for the chosen ride mode and I liked Track mode best as the ABS was never felt, even with the rear waggling around under extreme braking.

Triumph has worked hard on the seating - which is on the firm side - to give it a profile that aids a racing tuck when you slide to the rear of it - which does work well. I rode 350km in one stint and while that was about enough I would have no problem touring on this bike with a nice lunch stop to break up the day. At 830mm, the seat is 5mm up on previous, but the refined packaging of the chassis has meant the seat - and footpegs - are more narrow set.

For touring, or long day rides

I would probably ﬁt one of the accessory ﬂyscreens. Not only does it make the bike look better, it will just ease the pressure off your upper body.

The 1200 RS is packed full of electronics - in a good way. The new, bonded 5 inch TFT display performed brilliantly in overhead sun as well as at dusk, when you’re switching from long shadows to being blasted by a setting sun. This new construction has removed the need for adjustment by tilting, though you can set the brightness to your preference.

The display centres on speed and gear, surrounded by the rev counter using a choice of two themes - Cobalt or Furnace (I prefer the latter) - and navigation through the many screens and functions - static or on the ﬂy - is made easy by the intuitive menu button and left bar joystick. The way the main display animates to slip to one side when navigating through

the menu is really neat; it is the little things.

Bluetooth connection allows pairing with a smartphone for call answering (or declining), toggling through music playlists or displaying turn-by-turn directions. You can also operate a GoPro via the dash and toggle switch. Standard, you also get cruise control, cornering sensitive ABS and traction control, ﬁve different ride modes (Rain, Road, Sport, Track and Rider - which is your preferences saved). There’s also ‘Advanced Front Wheel Lift Control’, which isn’t ‘wheelie mode’ but helps control those unintentional lifts and doesn’t cut power violently when it senses daylight under the tyre; something this bike is desperately trying to do when full throttle is applied in the ﬁrst few gears. And if you’re a fan of intentional lifts, and on a closed road and are a professional rider (etc, etc), you can

turn that all off…

LED lights feature front, rear and there are self-cancelling indicators (check out the accessory ‘scrolling’ indicators). Keyless ignition and fuel cap is what you’d expect on a premium machine like this and the LED-lit switchgear is trick. The lithium-ion battery is 60% lighter than the equivalent lead-acid battery, but you’ll need the accessory ‘combined’ battery charger to keep it topped up when not being used for long periods.

The big bore naked class has plenty of competition with more tech and shove than a spaceship. There are no bad bikes here, it really will come down to what brand ﬂoats your boat and how you like the performance served up - V-twin, inline four, V-four or inline triple. If you’ve never ridden

a triple, you need to - the induction howl, the torque at any revs and the sweet exhaust note will have you consumed.

In terms of performance and technology, there’s never been a better Speed Triple. There’s also never been a more expensive one, either. But with this bike, Triumph is not playﬁghting in the super naked class - they’ve charged in, swinging punches at all contenders. There’s also real track performance should you want the bike to really ﬂex its muscles. Looks are subjective, but Triumph has packaged the new Speed Triple 1200 RS in a way that not only helps the riding ergonomics but has given it a lean look without losing its mean stance. Release your hooligan and I look forward to seeing you on the nightly news. D

Specs

TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE

1200 RS

PRICE: $28,490 (ride away)

WARRANTY: Two years, unlimited distance

SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 16,000km or 12 months

ENGINE: 1160cc liquid-cooled inline three cylinder, 90x60.8mm bore/ stroke, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder

POWER: 132.4kW @ 10,750rpm

TORQUE: 125Nm @ 9000rpm

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

SUSPENSION: Front, 43mm inverted fork, adjustable preload, compression and rebound, travel 120mm. Rear, monoshock, adjustable preload, compression and rebound, travel 120mm.

DIMENSIONS: Seat height 830mm, weight 198kg (wet), fuel capacity 15.5 litres, wheelbase 1445mm

TYRES: Front, 120/70/ZR17. Rear, 190/55/ZR17

BRAKES: Front, twin 320mm discs with radial four-piston cornering ABS calipers. Rear, 220mm disc, twopiston cornering ABS caliper.

FUEL CONSUMPTION: 7.11 litres per 100km, premium unleaded

THEORETICAL RANGE: 217km

COLOURS: Matt Silver Ice, Sapphire Black

VERDICT: Sweet as sugar

It’s wonderful to be here, it’s certainly a thrill.

But then again, it was more than half a century ago

IN 1967 GUS GRISSOM, Ed White and Roger Chaffee died in a capsule ﬁre before the launch of their Apollo mission. A day after my 20th birthday. Israel won the 6 Day War. The Beatles released the Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, and A Whiter Shade of Pale was the number 1 number on the charts. It was partly based on JS Bach’s Sleepers, Wake! and Air on a G String, but Johann Sebastian didn’t sue. Let’s face it, he probably had other things to think about. He allegedly “spoke to God in mathematics” after all, and no doubt God was interested in pursuing that line of thought. Apart from golf, mathematics is one of the few human activities attributed to the deity.

Perhaps that’s not relevant. It is said that the reason that every major university maintains a department of mathematics is that it is cheaper to do this than to institutionalize all those people. As John von Neumann pointed out, in mathematics you don’t understand things, you just get used to them.

But never mind that. The illustration on the facing page is an advertisement for the 1967 range of BSA motorcycles. Now I realise that many of you will question the relevance of my enumeration of other things that happened in that year, and I understand your reaction.

But look at it this way: how relevant is a young wowan with her jacket unzipped, holding a cane across her shoulders, to the 1967 range of BSA motorcycles?

Relevance, like beauty, is commonly in the eye of the beholder. So how does your eye for relevance react to this photo? I think it’s quite

fun. I like to think that during the photo session, the model said, “what if I hold this cane across my shoulders but make sure my nipples don’t show?” and the photographer said, “what the hell, we’ve tried every other way to make this concept work.”

Note that there is no point in trying to see this ad by 2021 standards. Remember that in 1967 or thereabouts, the (female) models on the Modern Motor magazine stand at the Sydney Motor Show were topless, nipples and all. They handed out copies of the magazine dressed in hot pants and disco boots, and nothing else. Nobody really thought that this was, er, over the top. This ad was remarkably mild by the standards of the day, unless you try to divine some genuine symbolic relevance.

One dissonance that advertising agencies never managed to resolve was that the models they used for motorcycle advertising photo shoots never really resembled the girls on the backs of real motorcycles out on the street. This was, and is, a generic problem not restricted to motorcycle advertising. The young women depicted holding drill heads in commercial oil drilling equipment ads were rarely seen on the site of genuine oil rigs, and likewise the models seductively and perhaps even suggestively proffering handheld power tools or cans of lubricant would rarely if ever have been around “on the job”.

Even beauty is problematic. One millihelenth has been defined as the amount of beauty necessary to launch one ship, based on the statement that Helen’s beauty was sufficient to launch one thousand ships. Sounds legit.

JPT

COMPILED BY STUART

Yep, it’s time to get all those Christmas pressies under the tree for a time of celebration with family and friends. Whether it’s getting fat eating a big cake, drinking too much beer or wine, or whatever ﬂoats your boat during this time of year, having a good time is what it’s all about! We put the call out to the industry to show you some great Christmas gift ideas, and I reckon they’ve come up with some great stuff that will be perfect for anyone even remotely interested in motorcycling. Get to it!

ROCKY CREEK DESIGNS rockycreekdesigns.com.au

Motopressor Smart Pump Combo w/Puncture Repair Tool and Clip on Valve Ext with Deﬂation button - $230.25

With this kit you can repair a puncture, pump up your tyre and the Smart Pump can also be used as a torch and to charge your mobile phone. The whole lot ﬁts into the Smart Pump’s storage case, which measures 160 x 140 x 60mm and weighs 1200g.

MotoPressor Mini Pump Combo w/Puncture Repair Tool, Clip on Valve Ext. with Deﬂation button - $163.65

With this kit you can repair a puncture and pump up your tyre with the Mini Pump which includes the built-in tyre gauge. Taking it with you all ﬁts into the Mini Pump’s storage case, which measures 185 x 145 x 65mm and weighs 1050g.

S P E C I A L F E A T U R E

KAWASAKI MOTORS kawasaki.com.au

KLX Large bundle pack - $144.90

The Kawasaki KLX bundle is great for KLX owners and Kawasaki fans alike! The KLX bundle could be a great for a gift for your kids or friends and contains something for everyone:

• Youth backpack with custom Kawasaki camo print & embroidery 25cm x 12cm x 31cm. external pocket, elastic mesh drink bottle pocket, 1 internal pocket

• Insulated lunch bag 24cm x 18cm x 7cm

• Pencil case, holds a handful of pens or other items, 20cm x 15cm x 3cm

• Youth trucker style cap with snap back closure for guaranteed ﬁt.

• Water bottle, 500ml capacity BPA free Kawasaki Black with contrast green lid Leak resistant sipper

• Adult backpack, large size with multiple storage pockets custom Kawasaki camo print and embroidery 30cm x 18cm x 44cm 2 external pockets, 2 external side pockets and internal divider and internal pocket.

IKON SUSPENSION ikonsuspension.com

Fork Springs – Price varies Not only does Ikon do a wide variety of amazing shock absorbers, they have matching fork springs also available for a wide variety of motorcycles as well! Give your motorcycle an Xmas present and you’ll beneﬁt from it too. See their website for the springs available for your make/model.

ELDORADO eldoradohelmets.com

EXR Helmet - $109

Size: XS – XXL

Colours: Matte Black and Gloss White with studs

Built for Australian conditions, the EXR open face motorcycle helmet has a specially designed interior to reduce road noise and offers increased comfort with hand-sewn soft touch lining. The EXR won’t make you look like a boofhead as it’s also the lowest proﬁle open face helmet on the market. With the helmet approved for use under Australian Helmet standards, this makes the EXR the perfect gift for Christmas at an affordable price!

SELECT EDGE MOTORCYCLE ACCESSORIES

selectedge.com.au

Corbin Saddles – Prices vary Christmas is upon us again, not sure what present to get your better half or your favourite motorcycle? How about a very comfortable seat from Corbin Saddles?

Select Edge have many shapes and styles to choose from, the extremely popular Classic Solo seat, or the more aggressive and very stylish designed Gunﬁghter style seat.

For adventure riders, Corbin has what is known as the Canyon Dual sport seat range, and for the ultimate upgrade in comfort Select Edge can supply a fully integrated dual saddle with heating and cooling, rider’s backrest and passenger’s trunk rest.

Whatever your requirements, when it comes to motorcycle seats Select Edge has you covered. With the opportunity to choose different seat shapes, leather or vinyl covers, your favourite colours from mild to wild, heating, cooling and backrests you can get it all. All seats are custom made to suit your weight and height so you can be assured of a perfect ﬁt. The Corbin name is synonymous with quality, handcrafted motorcycle saddles worldwide.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the team at Select Edge.

FICEDA ﬁceda.com.au

Shark Evo-ES Helmet - $549.95

Modular helmet suitable for a wide range of riding disciplines from scoots – GT Sport to Roadsters. The EVO-ES embodies all of Shark’s expertise in the design of modular helmets for daily users seeking to enjoy optimal protection whether in the jet or integral position. Features include 2 shell sizes, micro lock buckle system, patented Auto-up / Autodown system allows automatically lifting the visor upon raising or lowering the chin guard, Bird Eyes lining fabric, optimal comfort for riders wearing glasses, slot reserved for the Sharktooth intercom, 3 air inlets and 2 air extractors.

Bering Diskor jacket - $399.95

Softshell touring jacket with excellent ﬁt and modern design, featuring Neoprene, BWTECH super waterproof membrane, removable Shelltech super isolation lining, adjustable elbow protectors, shoulder protectors, pocket for back protector, forearm pocket, wallet pocket, ADS ventilation system, 3 x outside pockets, hip adjustments, zipped cuff fastening, high breathability and a laminated ﬁxed mesh lining. Available in sizes S-4XL.

These units are perfect for keeping your 12V and 6V lead-acid batteries in top condition.

BATTERY CHARGER/ MAINTAINERS

RC-750

Outputs a constant 750mA – ideal for maintaining a charge in your battery.

Both units come with a 5 year warranty and have built-in intelligent microprocessors that makes charging and maintaining

fast and safe.

Available from Rocky Creek Designs and all good motorcycle shops through Pro-Accessories.

RC-2000

Outputs a constant 2000mA – suitable for charging batteries with a capacity from 2 to 60 Amp-hours and maintaining all battery sizes.

SAFETY FEATURES

• Protection against reverse polarity, short circuit and overcharging.

• Once a battery is fully charged the unit automatically switches to a maintenance mode, maintaining your batteries charge for prolonged periods without overcharging or damaging the battery.

S P E C I A L F E A T U R E

SUZUKI MOTORCYCLES

suzukimotorcycles.com.au / suzukimotorcycles. com.au/shop

Hayabusa Leather Riding Glove - $179

These gloves feature leather construction in a race cut, double stitching with adjustable closure straps and added protection to the cuff, palm, ﬁngers (vented) and knuckle areas.

Hayabusa Carpet Display Mat - $499

Garage mats can be used for decoration and to proudly display your Hayabusa. Mats also function as protective environmental work-mats both indoors and outdoors, preventing fuel and lubricant spills when performing maintenance. Constructed features a nylon-ﬁbre top section which is oil and water resistant. Size: 2400 x 1000mm (Total thickness = 5mm)

Hayabusa Indoor Bike Cover - $189

An indoor Hayabusa branded motorcycle cover offering protection for your pride and joy. Features the latest ‘Gen III’ Hayabusa logo.

ATR-2 - $999.95

A new helmet brand on the market, which has already been proven overseas. Claimed to provide improved performance in both linear and angular acceleration mitigation, and the helmet is rebuildable (maybe a world ﬁrst? – Ed) for a potentially longer life and cheaper cost for the user. Available as an MX helmet or a full-face road helmet (ATS-1), the 6D brand is certainly worth checking out – 6dhelmets.com

SHERCO sherco.com.au

Factory Baseball Cap - $39

The ﬂagship cap in our new range. Features: rear ventilation; Neon embroidered Sherco and Factory logos; one size ﬁts all; composition: 30 per cent cotton and 70 per cent polyester; colours: Blue/black.

Snapback Factory Cap - $59

A more ‘US style’ design with its ﬂat visor. Features: Neon underside to match perfectly with your Sherco clothing; cComposition: 30 per cent cotton and 70 per cent polyester; colours: Blue/grey; embroidered Sherco and Factory logos; one size ﬁts all. 6D

Travel Bag - $429

A trip to the track – or anywhere, really –has never been easier! Features: Ogio SLED (Structural Load Equalizing Deck) system for increased durability and handling in the harshest of conditions; large main compartment with wide opening; external multi-use compartments and pockets; multiple multi-use compartments for apparel and smaller gear; telescope handle and large wheels.

Backpack - $149

Rugged, durable and ready to travel. Features: large, zippered compartments; dedicated laptop compartment; padded comfort straps; detailed trim, zipper pulls and Sherco logo; luggage handle pass-through for your rolling luggage.

MERLIN

merlinbikegear.com.au

Victory Jacket - $329.95

Inspired by the American worker jacket but with a British cut, featuring Halley Stevenson’s 10oz super dry, soft cotton outer with a water repellent treatment, DuPont Kevlar 220g reinforced impact areas (shoulders, elbows and back), SW Level 2 armour pre-ﬁtted to shoulder and elbows (removable), back pocket prepared for optional CE rated armour, silver micro snap studs plus silver central YKK zipper with wind ﬂap and snap down collar,YKK zippers used throughout, stunning tartan lining throughout the inside of the jacket, two lower pockets with side entry hand warmers, two chest pockets and 6 internal pockets and short YKK jacket to jean connecting zipper. Available in three colours and variety of sizes.

AGV HELMETS agvhelmets.com.au

AGV K-1 Shift Helmet - $329

TCX BOOTS

tcxboots.com.au

Street 3 Air - $219.95

Upper made from suede leather and breathable mesh fabric, featuring midsole with ZPLATE shank, to optimize front ﬂexibility and transverse rigidity, reinforcements on malleolus with D3O inserts, reinforcements on toe and heel, closure with laces, elastic band to store the laces, OrthoLite footbed with long term cushioning and high levels of breathability and a wear-resistant rubber Groundtrax outsole designed to offer superior stability.

K1 is the AGV sport helmet for everyday riding challenges. Born from the AGV racing technology, ready for every road experience. The aerodynamic shape, racing-developed front air vents and wind tunnel-tested spoiler maximize performances and give stability at higher speed. Comfort is no compromise with Dry-Comfort soft and removable interiors. Weight: 1500g(+/- 50g) (in ﬁrst shell size)

NELSON-RIGG nelsonrigg.com.au

Tankbag CL2014-ST$149.95

Lifetime warranty is the ﬁrst feature for Nelson-Rigg products. The CL-2014-ST smaller-sized bag easily straps onto all sized motorcycle tanks and is made from top quality UV treated Tri-Max Ballistic Nylon with Fibretech accents, featuring convenient side pockets hold smaller items for easy access, bag maintains shape, has reﬂective piping and a lined interior, reverse coil zippers help keep out dust and dirt, rubber coated oversized zip pullers operate easily with gloves, fully expandable for added storage and with organizer under lid, adjustable shoulder strap included, clear touch screen device friendly top pocket for paper map, GPS or smart phone, integrated cable or charging port pass through grommet; protective base material prevents slipping or marking, includes a 100% waterproof rain cover. 7 litres in size with an extra 2 when expanded.

TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES triumphmotorcycles.com.au

Bamburgh T-shirt - $66

The Triumph Bamburgh Tee is a classic 100 per cent cotton white tee featuring a high-quality embroidered Triumph logo in black and the new signature Triumphbranded woven badge towards the lower hem. Available in size S-XXXL.

Espresso Set - $69.95

An espresso set? From a British brand? Shouldn’t Triumph be making a tea set? This lovely three-piece espresso set, full of history and ﬂavour, literally puts the racer in your café. Just give it the beans.

Fridge Magnets - $16.65

Do you suffer from sticker anxiety? You’re not alone. In your appreciation and respect for said special sticker, you struggle to decide where to put it so, in fear of regret, you end up filing it in a drawer only to forget about it. Sound familiar? Here’s your solution: fridge magnets, like these classic beauties from Triumph. The benefit? They come with the confidence-inspiring convenience of being able to relocate them to the next metal surface whenever you so desire. Perfect.

Raven Washbag - $88.55

Groomed for everyday travel, the Raven wash bag keeps your toiletries and personal items together in a convenient and stylish bag made from 100% leather.

S P E C I A L F E A T U R E

BMW MOTORRAD

bmw-motorrad.com.au

PureShifter Boots - $495

The robust PureShifter laced boots inspire with their classical look and enhancing details. The black cowhide leather boots with welted sole have NP-Flex ankle protectors, sturdy toe and heel caps and shift reinforcement. The special inner lining promotes optimum temperature compensation.

Machinist Jacket - $725

No half measures - the rugged look of the black Machinist jacket made of waxed cotton makes a clear statement. The embossed BMW logo in the colour of the jacket and the collar closure with buckle underline the robust look. Thanks to the ﬂat and ﬂexible protectors, the jacket is also suitable for everyday use away from the bike.

Black Collection RucksackLarge - $300

The large Black Collection backpack is the right size for longer tours and rides with a little more luggage. Rain

showers are no problem for this bag thanks to its waterproof main compartment with an integrated laptop sleeve (up to 15’’). The total volume can be expanded from 25 to 30 litres.

Rider Equipment

Organiser – $76.90

Everything where it should be: the foldable organiser for hanging up is ideal for stowing rider’s equipment neatly and tidily during breaks and when the gear is not needed. It has three compartments of equal size and eyelets at the sides, so there is plenty of space for helmet, gloves, storm hood and other essential accessories.

MOTORRAD GARAGE motorradgarage.com.au

Kettenmax Chain Cleaning and Lubricating System - $53 - $71

Extend the life of your chain and sprockets by easily keeping your chain maintained with this innovative device.

The assembly completely encloses the chain so it can be thoroughly cleaned and lubricated in just a few minutes with absolutely no mess.

A series of internal brushes effortlessly clean the chain and distribute lubricant to where it is needed with minimal waste.

Available in two models, Classic and Premium, from Motorrad Garage

SW-Motech Traveller Seat Cushions - from $176

Enhance rider and pillion comfort with Traveller air cushions.

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

YAMAHA MOTOR shopyamaha.com.au

Model Keyrings - $14.95

Match your Yamaha motorcycle with one of these great keyrings. Available for a variety of models.

Racing Backpack - $99.95

Functional racing backpack with 30L capacity, perfect for your days at the track or for your leisure time. Features multiple pockets inside main compartment, padded shoulder straps for comfort, adjustable chest and waist belts, mesh helmet carrier on bottom and zipped side compartments. Black with Yamaha Racing blue accents.

Neck Tubes – from $29.95

Winter, summer, dirt or road – wearing a neck tube has many beneﬁts. Available in various models.

Lunch Cooler Box - $39.99

Yamaha logo shows which brand you love most – Yamaha! Keep all your tasty food and drinks cool for lunch at work, play or on the go. Made from high-density thermal insulation with a zip closure, single compartment and easy-carry handle. Available in Red or Blue.

S P E C I A L F E A T U R E

Fusion Jacket - $439.95

Want the safety and assurance that a leather jacket provides, yet the flexibility and climate control that a textile jacket offers? The Argon Fusion is just the jacket for you, as it lives up to its very own name… a fusion between high-grade leather and ventilated mesh panelling in key areas across the chest to allow significant air-flow to keep you cool and allow you to ride longer on warm days and nights. When the temperature does start to drop, there’s a quilted removeable liner, waterproof “Dry Pouch” and inclusion of back protector and CE level 2 armour in the shoulders and elbows. Available in 4 colour combinations and sizes S - 3XL (48-60).

ROYAL ENFIELD royalenﬁeld.com.au

Coastal Trail Tee

Ride More Badge Cap

Channel a cool casual appeal to your appearance with this off-white T-shirt from Royal Enﬁeld. Tailored from cotton blend fabric, this regular ﬁt T-shirt is modelled with a round neck and half sleeves.

Made Like a Gun Mug

The Royal Enﬁeld MLG Enamelware Mug, made in metal and coated with enamel is inspired by the standard issue canteen mugs of the soldiers who originally drank from them. 200ml capacity.

Burnout Wallet

This wallet gets its name from the edge burnout ﬁnish, designed to give an edge to your everyday style. The metal motorcycle motif on the front gives an expression to your passion for the rider’s way of life. Made from leather and features: 10 card slots, 2 cash slots ARGON argonmoto.com

The Ride More cap reminds you of your love for the roads. Made from washed cotton fabric and sporting a “Ride More” branding, this cap is made for the riders who live to explore.

INNOTESCO innotesco.com.au

Yorkton Leather Jacket - $760

Super stylish full leather jacket featuring, adjustable hem with press buttons, adjustable cuffs with press buttons and zippers, two outside and two inside pockets, Rukka D3O air protectors for shoulder, elbows and back and elastic accordion panels on back. Available in Black or Brown and sizes S – 5XL.

Hybe-R Softshell Jacket$145

Versatile casual softshell jacket that can be worn on or off the bike. Featuring a light insulated area on chest to protect from wind and cold, elastic panels on sides, under sleeves and upper back, elastic binding on sleeve ends and hem, 2 front zipper pockets and reﬂecting details on chest. Available in Black and sizes S –3XL.

Elkford Gloves - $140

Lightweight perforated leather glove with polyester lining, short cuff with accordion stretch panels and Velcro closure, excellent breathability, knuckle, scaphoid and ﬁnger protection and pre-curved shape. Available in Black or Brown and sizes 6 – 14 Euro.

RWS Kidney belt - $85

Front and kidneys are protected from wind with Gore Windstopper material, overlaid with water repellent breathable microﬁbre material and a wide Velcro fastener gives excellent stability.

ARAI HELMETS araihelmets.net.au

Quantic Helmet - $999.95$1199.95

High speed comfort for the long haul. A brandnew generation of Arai helmet aimed at the sports-touring rider who wants dynamic, racederived performance on the road with cocoonlike, luxurious comfort and features suitable for long riding days. New 3D Arai logo duct, airscoop chin vent, dual tear-ducts and one-piece rear exhaust/spoiler deliver comprehensive and controllable cooling airﬂow. New smoother, rounder and stronger Peripherally Belted e-Complex Laminate Construction (PB e-cLc) outer shell with VAS and 5mm ﬂare around the base to ease access. Designed for straightforward attachment of intercom systems and an Australian exclusive offer, comes with Arai Pro Shade System standard in the box (value $129.95). Available in a variety of colours and sizes XS-XL.

BIT OF GRAVEL, A BIT OF TAR

BACK COUNTRY BUMBLE

USUALLY, WE LIST THE towns you encounter along the way on these rides, but in this case there isn’t much point. So, we’ll show you some photos instead. But here’s a little about the little we can tell you.

Windsor

All services, etc etc. Nice place as a base for a lot of north-western Sydney riding. We have reports of some feral HWP just up the road, in one case making someone on historical plates go all the way home to collect paperwork they had no right to expect, leaving his bike. Naughty.

Richmond

Don’t run off the road but have a gander at the Air Force Base as you ride past. Hopefully one of the huge, ‘new’ training cargo jets is taking off.

Colo River

Café (Colo Riverside) with outdoor seating and (from memory) clean toilets. Great food and coffee here.

St Albans

Colo Heights

Caltex servo, well past the turnoff into Wheelbarrow Ridge Road. Popular with motorcyclists.

Got to love the Settlers Arms, despite the patchy and sometimes downright dismissive service I’ve had. The desserts are just wonderful and the times others have been here, we’ve heard they’ve had good service and food. Maybe it’s just me?

WORDS AND PHOTOS THE BEAR

A BIT OF GRAVEL

Some say gravel is great, others say it grates. Here is a run that will allow you to make up your mind for yourself, and have some fun at the same time. And as a special treat, there is some of the ﬁnest dessert in or around Sydney. Who could ask for more?

PINK ROUTE

We start in Windsor, which is a good place to meet. There are a couple of cafés opposite the pub with outdoor seating, and there is usually enough room for a bike or two. Finish your coffee and do not set out westwards over the new, utilitarian and completely out-of-place bridge. Instead make your way to the other end of town and turn west towards Richmond. Take a sticky at the Air Force base; sometimes there’s an interesting plane sitting there. Across the river, and ﬁll up at the BP if your tank is a little low. There are several servos before we get to the Kurrajong turnoff into Comleroy Road; note, there are none for quite a way thereafter. Into Comleroy Road we go, and then roll through the expensive houses on acreage until the road splits. Stay left on Comleroy Road, and leave East Kurrajong Road to the right and eventually to meet the

Putty Road. Comleroy Road eventually goes to gravel, but it’s good surface at this stage. No problem. It does become a little more challenging as it drops through many turns into the Wheeny Creek valley. Just take it easy and you’ll be ﬁne. There is little opposing trafﬁc, so running wide on a corner will not lead to a regrettable encounter. Probably. There are some truly beautiful trees at the Wheeny Creek Campground. Go on, take a photo.

Then there’s a creek crossing, but it’s on a concrete causeway so it’s easy. The opposite side has been hardened, so there’s no worry about getting into mud. Up the side of the valley again to the junction with the Mountain Lagoon ﬁre trail. Stay right and enjoy the gravel until you get to the next descent, this one into the Colo Valley. It’s not too bad either, though there’s a bit more loose stuff and a couple of tight corners.

At the bottom is Upper Colo, all three houses and a church. At the T intersection with Upper Colo Road (turn right) and you’re back on tar. Upper Colo Bridge comes up pretty

soon, but on my most recent ride here it was closed so I had to carry on to the Putty Road (GREEN ROUTE)

Normally you’d cross the river and ride up the gravel convict road to Colo Heights. I got there by way of the Putty. Turn east into Wheelbarrow Ridge Road which becomes gravel fairly soon. Someone has been trying to help here by dumping rocks in the corners. Please, whoever you are, stop helping. By the time you reach the junction with Wheelbarrow Ridge Trail, off to the left, you will have got an idea of gravel riding if you didn’t have one before. But take the trail, which is just like the road, and follow it to the junction with Bicentenary Road. This is another gravel road but it’s fairly newly made (twenty years ago) and it will take you to Chaseling Road North which in its turn will take you to St Albans Road. Turn left and enjoy the wonderful run up to the eponymous township, where the Settlers Inn awaits with its outstanding desserts.

On the way back, take the Settlers Road on the eastern side of the Macdonald River if you fancy a little more, and slightly more challenging, gravel (YELLOW ROUTE). That will take you to the Wisemans Ferry ferry; cross the river if you’re sick of all this motorcycling or (BLUE ROUTE) carry on along Wisemans Ferry Road – all tar from here on -- to Mangrove Mountain where you take a right for Peats Ridge and the connection to either the freeway or the Old Road.

Wisemans Ferry

All services including NSW Police. The pub mostly lives up to its reputation. We had a jazz outing here once, about which a curtain of silence is best drawn. The pub does have decent food and of course cold beer. For a casual bite to eat there’s a take away next door and down the driveway next to the take away (across from the Shell servo) is a great café (Heritage Valley Café) with a covered outdoor deck with half decent views to the river. You might even catch Stuart here on the odd occasion when he’s out roaring around. If you want a pie and a can of Coke, head down to the kiosk near the ferry.

AH WOODSTOCK! HOW I wish I’d been there. 1969, I’m eighteen, about to be expelled from the entire NSW Department of Education due to anti-Vietnam War protesting and meanwhile word is coming through in the middle of August of a music festival in upstate New York. It’s destined to become known not just as a music festival, but as THE Music Festival.

Oh how I wish I’d been to Woodstock. How I wish I’d been there for the Grateful Dead, for Arlo Guthrie, for Credence and Janis, Canned Heat, Joe Cocker and the Who.

But nah, I had to be content with the cracking three-hour ﬁlm of the shindig which came out the following year and then, sitting in rivetted reverence listening to its director, Michael Wadleigh, in the E7C6 lecture hall at uni during his promo tour for the doco.

One of my teammates in the uni rugby team was mates with a fella I’d played against all through high school.

His folks had a decent farm sort of north of Cowra and he was planning a weekend of drinking, partying, music and general debauchery out there.

Why? Well because the place’s name was Woodstock - not much in the nearby town except a general store, a petrol station, a butcher shop and a pub that was bloody great. And he thought it was too much of a coincidence to ignore. Or waste.

Tim’s ﬁrst effort went well. Pretty soon as that time of the year rolled around mates would just ask each other, “you going to Woodstock this year?” and we all knew what they meant.

So anyway, in early October just gone I’m slothing around listening to the Grateful Dead singing ‘what a long strange trip it’s been’, and I start playing with maps and memories and working out where the latest regulations will let me ride.

And so, a week later, I’m turning onto Pine Mount Road just over 7kms north from Cowra. Then it’s 18kms till a left onto Darbys Falls Road, left onto

Mount McDonald Rd for 10kms and another left onto Reg Hailstone Way for the 22kms squirt up to the pub. Brilliant back roads riding through beautiful country, near zero trafﬁc and reassuring visibility.

Then slowly down the wide empty main street of Woodstock where, at the bottom, the Royal Hotel glows in the low afternoon sun, and through an open bar door it’s warming a hound at the foot of a bar stool.

I scan in, Tarryn checks I’m double vaxxed and I watch as she pours me a beer that glows golden as that same shaft of sun hits it beneath the taps. And take it out to the north-facing verandah at the side of the pub and plonk down at the only empty table. Back on that Saturday morning on that weekend in ’69, when 400,000 people were cramming into New York’s version of a place called Woodstock, a 17-year old fella whom his town knew as ‘Spud’, was opening the doors of one of the two butcher shops that faced each other across the main drag of NSW’s version of the

place with the same name. A town where not 400 people lived.

And as I blow the froth of my ﬁrst drink, the old fella at the next table in the red ﬂanno and beanie, beer in a pub thermal who’s entertaining all around him, is that same Spud.

He’d got his name a dozen years earlier when his slaughterman father brought the family down from Cowra and the young kid started at the local rock chopper primary school.

“I was calling another kid names and the sister asked if I had one myself and I said, ‘no’ and she said, ‘sit down’,

and then we were about to go out to lunch and she called me over and said, “how does ‘Spud’ sound?” and I said, “okay”, and she turned me around to the whole class and said, “this is Spud.”

That afternoon I was waiting for the school bus and all the public school kids came past and they were yelling out, ‘Hey Spud, Hey Spud’, and so I had myself a name.”

His dad slaughtered cattle, sheep and pigs a bit out of town at Boot Hill – “it’s gone now” but there was a pig farm over the fence from the

slaughterhouse and ‘all the blood and the guts and waste was all boiled up and they’d scoop it and throw it over the fence into the pig yard.’ Only the bones weren’t used.

When he was 14, Spud kept his name but dropped school and took up an apprenticeship with Jack, one of the town’s butchers where the meat that his dad had slaughtered, was sold. He was paid 20 quid a week but then decimal currency came in “and I was bloody excited, my pay went up to forty a week.” Spud curbed his enthusiasm when he soon found

all the prices had also doubled overnight.

He worked a bit in Cowra but then came back to Jack’s shop, with the other butcher, run by Spud’s uncle, right across the road. The two used to help each other out, pitch in wherever and whenever needed.

“And so they’d cross the road and on one side Jack would be the boss and my uncle would be the boy but by the time they’d got to the other side, the uncle would be the boss and Jack would be the boy.”

Time for a reﬁll so I head in. At the door, Kate, the manager is turning away a pair of “yeah-we’ve-both-hadthe-vax-but-it’s-not-on-our-phonesand-we-forgot-the-certiﬁcates-backin-Sydney-and-geez-business-mustbe-good-if-you-don’t-wanna-takeour-money” muppets.

Really? You really think people are as dumb as you are stupid?

They U-turn their thongs and I follow Kate inside. She has no worries about turning away people

who’re having problems understanding that decisions have consequences.

“Every single person in this pub has my back. I know that if anyone ever gets out of hand, that the locals will step in. This is that sort of pub.”

At the bar, just up from the taps, a bloke in peaked cap and ﬂuro shirt is asking for a beer. Tarryn reminds him that when he got the last one he said it was his last one.

“I’ve told you before, young lady,” he mock scolds, “don’t ever take notice of anything I say,” before checking what his drinking mate, whose long beard under a wide-brim ﬂows down over his open blue-green ﬂanno and who’s talking on his mobile, is having.

This is Garry and his old man was a slaughterman like Spud’s and he also came here in the 1960’s. But when he was 18, he struck out with a mate named Richard, and they headed up to Gladstone, Longreach then down through Coonamble. But he lost track of Richard and he’s never met Darby Dave – the bloke with him with the

beard - before, but “he’s from Darby Falls and I’m from Woodstock but we just got talking and he mentioned this fella he knows in the bush called ‘Richard’ and I said, “well bugger me it can’t be the bloke I went to Queensland with.”

“But bugger me it was. Can you believe that? That’s who he’s talking to now. And I’ve just been talking to this mate that I haven’t spoken to this bloody century!”

It’s that sort of pub. During the evening I ﬂoat in and out of half a dozen conversations: with the uncle and aunt of the Cook brothers who’re carving speedway names for themselves with Poole Pirates in England; with Darby Dave himself who had a part in an ABC movie about the Vinegar Hill rebellion in which he acted out shooting ‘this mob of blacks, which is bloody ironic because they didn’t know that I’m a (and here he used a word which a white fella simply cannot use, even transcribing verbatim) myself’; with

a bloke I saw yesterday in Cowra in a bloody Tuk Tuk who’s ﬁtted it with a new engine and is planning on driving it to Melbourne and testing its 100km/h maximum;, and in a ﬁtting connection to the Woodstock concert, with a fella who paid money to watch Jimmy Barnes at Bathurst one year only to have “hordes of bikies rip down the fences and all pour in for nix.”

The skies darken, family groups ﬁll the bar and dining room. The stools at the bar are all taken and the noise level rises for an hour or so. I take Super Ten around the back to the end of the accommodation block, unpack what I need and cover her for the night.

When I get back things have hushed a bit and Kate has time for a yarn outside. She’s the manager, runs it on behalf of three brothers who’re in the dental game in Sydney and whose father is the licensee.

In 2016 she was nursing and her brother was working on farm at Canowindra and he knew one of the brothers and they asked Kate if she’d be interested in running the pub.

So, she and her partner and two kids shifted over and, well, she loves it. And then it all started to sound very, er, small town.

“We started out with my mum in the kitchen but she retired and my auntie now cooks and the 2nd chef is our best mate’s best mate’s partner, her step-dad is my cousin. The local cop’s daughter works here and my 13-year old daughter does a few hours on weekends.”

When Covid hit they stayed open for meals and takeaways because in this town where everything else has closed, ‘the community needed a focus, people needed a place to pick up bread or milk if they’d run out. And we have a lot of elderly folk in town and so we’d stop and chat with them when we dropped off stuff they’d rung up for.”

But hey but if you think a pandemic’s a big enough challenge to a pub like this, in 2020 an electrical fault in a heater caused a ﬁre that ripped through the upstairs bedrooms and led to smoke and water damage downstairs.

The Woodstock was closed completely for eight months, and the insurance company is still playing hard ball whilst the entire ﬂoor is getting

some stunning renovations.

Kate’s damn proud of what’s happening and takes me on a tour upstairs: There’ll be ten rooms available by end of January at latest, with shared facilities to go with the four rooms out the back where I’m bunked.

And if the new rooms are anything like those four, and if the bathrooms are close to those out the back, this is going to be one of the best, cleanest, airiest pubs for miles around. Close to the best I’ve come across. Period.

Kate’s working with the Council and the owners of the railway station across the road to create some free camping but in the meantime, riders can throw their swag on the soft grass

out back, beside the old capped well. Back downstairs the volume’s been turned up. The families have mostly gone and the kids have woken up.

Kate smiles: “A lot of young farm boys here, and they WORK and they come here to relax and to drink and get loud.

They’re in tractors 12 hours straight and they get cabin fever and they ring at 11 at night at the end of a shift and say, ‘can you stay open coz I need a drink’, and the answer’s always yes.”

I grab one last beer to take back to my room and leave them to it. I’ve an early start in the morning. Spud’s invited me up to his old shop where the front door’s locked but the back

Get

one’ll be open. There’s been a pair of sheep carcasses dropped off. He’s cut them all up but in the morning he’ll be making not just sausages but his world famous sausages.

“The sheep were killed by birdseed up the road.”

“How does birdseed kill sheep?” I’d asked and he’d looked at me blankly.

“Not birdseed. Birdseed. Birdseed with a capital bloody B! He’s the local slaughterman. Real name’s Lindsay but everybody knows him as Birdseed. How would bloody birdseed kill sheep?”

Still smiling about this, I take my beer back to my room and at the door I turn back to look at the pub and I think:

Ah Woodstock! How glad I am I’ve been there. D

Lot of hotels out there trying to become destination pubs. This is one that’ll surely evolve into one of the true motorcycle hub pubs in central NSW.

Under four hours from Sydney and well under three from Canberra, surrounded by some very sweet back roads riding it should be booked out by riders every Saturday night.

Kate, along with memorable people like Ben at Meningie in Sth Aust is one of the few breakers of my rule that managers are not the most successful type of pub running. Her understanding of the place of a pub both in its community and as a facility for travellers is rare and valuable.

No pokies or keno, discreet selfservice TAB, free wiﬁ which negates the town being a Telstra Black hole,

courtesy bus that’ll go as far as Blayney, six beers on tap with each schooner costing a buck less than up the road at Wyangala, and rooms which are spacious, clean as, and equipped with microwaves, mini-fridges, air-con and all the makings for a morning brew.

There’s no undercover parking but the veranda after closing is available. Turn up here with the mindset that you’re neither the most interesting nor the most-friendly person in the room and you’ll not be disappointed.

For value this has to be in the top ﬁve places I’ve ever visited.

For unique character it has to be 5/5. The lack of lock-up parking is the only blemish on a perfect scorecard and I wish we awarded half helmets but we don’t so this one’s four.

BMW HAS RELEASED more iterations of the super sweet R 18 First Edition, this version being the R 18 B with a batwing fairing, panniers and a super pumping sound system by Marshall. It is no doubt designed to take on the likes of the Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special (and similar) and BMW has frankly smashed the competition out of the park thanks to the Marshall setup. Never has any sound system ﬁtted to a bike been as clear over 110km/h as the Marshall system.

There are a couple off issues I didn’t like with the R 18 B however and it has been a number of weeks since I handed it back, but I’m still bafﬂed how the BMW designers got this bike so wrong and released it into production. To start –the gear shift lever does not come out to the side far enough, so you’re constantly trying to ﬁnd it to change gear. The space between the bottom of the cylinder head and the rear brake pedal is, to me, almost dangerous as you struggle to release the rear brake as your boot hits the bottom of the head.

Also, I have long legs but trying to

reach the side stand when it’s down is a hard stretch for me! I got a mate (about 180cm) to jump on it and try and ﬂick the stand up and he would near drop the bike every time. It is excessively heavy – near 400kg! To put this into perspective, it’s heavier than a Honda Goldwing. Pillion-in-amillion riders will not like the pillion seat as it’s shaped the wrong way and makes you slide off the back – no wonder the strap provided to hold onto is so long. My ﬁnal gripe with this bike is the screen – it didn’t matter whether I wore an open face or full face helmet the buffeting was near unbearable –this may be due to my height, I don’t know, but the intense level of buffeting is not something I experience on other bikes – there are accessory options available, admittedly. But now back to the rest of the bike…

Handling is quite weighty so you will need a bit of muscle to crank it over, but it is stable right over to grinding the footboards as hard as you can into the bitumen.

A piece of technology only usually seen in cars is radar adaptive cruise

end you’re not using.

“Never has any sound system fitted to a bike been as clear over 110km/h as the Marshall system”

control. When set, this cruise control will maintain the correct distance to a vehicle in front and the brakes will be applied when going downhill so you don’t go over the set speed. Pretty smart stuff, but it won’t be to everyone’s liking.

Braking is linked, so no matter if you use the front and/or rear only you will get some brake force to the other

A TFT display that is a massive 260mm wide with a 1920 x 720 pixel count and high-deﬁnition resolution makes it easy to read the information. The display can be turned into a GPS navigation unit if you use the free BMW Motorrad Connected app on your smartphone, which you’ll have nestled in the tank storage space. With a screen so wide, BMW allows you to split it and customise what information is displayed.

The TFT display is augmented by four traditional analogue-style clocks for speed, tacho, fuel gauge, and something which I class as a gimmick - Power Reserve. The Power Reserve analogue readout tells you what percentage of the motor is being used. This reminds me of the stupid economy gauge ﬁtted to the Holden Camira and other cars back in the ‘80s. On the R 18 B it is a waste (to my mind), I’m sure BMW could have come up with something more useful to ﬁll the fourth dial.

The B wouldn’t be a bagger without ‘bags’ and the 27-litre panniers offer

www.ausmotorcyclist.com.au

a decent amount of room to pack your gear, and when full, help provide a different sound to the pannier mounted speakers.

The R18B is powered by the same 1802cc boxer twin that ﬁrst debuted in the R 18 last year.

Nothing has changed mechanically and as you might expect that means performance is remarkably similar to the standard model although the delivery is dulled by the extra weight. Where the standard R18 is reasonably sprightly off the line, the B is like riding a bike attached to a giant elastic. The speed arrives, it just seems to work a lot harder to get there.

The engine ﬁtted to the B does bring something new - vibrations. At a standstill the bars and fairing shake side to side. Build up to the middle of the rev range and the mirrors are blurred, while your ﬁngers begin to tingle. Rev it harder towards the redline and the vibrations become more intrusive numbing your feet. I do need to make it clear that if you keep the revs under 2600rpm it is reasonably pleasant, it’s only when you rev it, the vibrations occur.

BMW still uses the goofy Rock, Roll, and Rain ride mode names. We forgive BMW because the modes are sophisticated. In addition to altering the power delivery, traction control on the rear wheel works for both acceleration and deceleration (plus ABS, of course).

Fit and ﬁnish is simply great on the B and wherever you go, people will stare, drool and gaze at this bike. Fit some of the tasty billet machined

accessories and a bucket is what they’ll need.

Comfort for the rider is pretty good. The seat absorbs you and the handlebar is setup wide but high enough for good leverage.

Priced at $41,157 ride away the style is there, as is the amazing sound from Marshall, but I can’t get past the issues this bike has to justify spending my hard earned on it. You might have a different experience….D

Specs

MODEL: BMW R 18 B

PRICE: $41,157 (ride away)

WARRANTY: Two years, unlimited distance

SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 10,000km or 12 months

ENGINE: 1802cc air/oil-cooled twin cylinder, 107.1x100mm bore/stroke, twincam, 4 valves per cylinder

POWER: 67kW @ 4750rpm

TORQUE: 158Nm @ 3000rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed, single disc dry clutch, shaft ﬁnal drive

SUSPENSION: Front, 49mm telescopic fork, nonadjustable, travel 120mm. Rear, monoshock, adjustable preload, travel 120mm.

DIMENSIONS: Seat height 720mm, weight 398kg (wet), fuel capacity 24 litres, wheelbase 1695mm

TYRES: Front, 120/70/19. Rear, 180/65/16

BRAKES: Front, twin 300mm discs with four-piston ABS calipers. Rear, 300mm disc, four-piston ABS caliper.

FUEL CONSUMPTION: 6.47 litres per 100km, premium unleaded

THEORETICAL RANGE: 371km

COLOURS: First Edition, Black Storm Metallic, Option 719 Galaxy dust metallic/Titan silver 2 metallic, Manhattan metallic matt

VERDICT: Hollah for a Marshall!

GOLDILOCKS HITS TOWN SUPER SOCO CPX

WORDS AND PHOTOS THE BEAR

IENJOYED THE SUPER SOCO CPx

electric scooter. Unlike many electrics I have ridden, this full-sized scoot did not feel as if I had run away with a kids’ toy. In fact, the wide seat makes the 760mm seat height feel rather higher. It would take a big kid to claim the CPx as their own. If you suffer from Duck’s Disease, you might like to try ﬂat-footing this scooter before settling on it. I was a little surprised at the height, although the wheels are quite large at 16” front and 14” rear. They are big enough for fussfree riding, though, and the CPx offers perfectly acceptable handling.

The motor is a hub-type with maximum power of 4.8kW and peak torque of 171Nm. That’s reasonable, although you might wish for more than the claimed 75km range the single battery provides. There is room for another one, and that raises the range to 140km. In the real world, range depends on the way you ride. I got just above 60km, but then I was working the poor motor quite hard in the highest of the three power settings. If you’re more sensible you could probably get the 75km. Despite my urging, the CPx was not really up to getting away from cars at the traffic lights, something you would need to keep in mind when filtering to the front of traffic queues. It’s embarrassing to have a Corolla up your backside as you try to make your getaway. With that third power setting I found it easy to sit on 80km/h on the main road. The windscreen and seat did a good job at keeping me comfortable, too. Lights are LEDs, the instrument display is digital and the brakes are linked. This is a good thing, because they feel slightly wooden in application. The suspension is remarkably effective, helped along by the size of the wheels. Manoeuvring is relatively easy, since the CPx has reverse (reverse!) and weighs only 107kg. It has an inbuilt alarm with wheel locking function, which is good. Oh, and of course there

Not too big, not too small

is a shopping bag hook (invaluable) and an easily accessible and weather sealed USB port.

Charging time is quoted as 3-4 hours, which is pretty much what I found. During the time I had the scooter, I just recharged it overnight. The small, handy charger ﬁts under the seat even with two batteries in place, but nothing else will. With a single battery, you can carry some small stuff but don’t count on doing the shopping unless you’re anorexic. The substantial rear rack, on the other hand, will carry a good load.

Super Soco claims that the CPx is the best-selling electric scooter in the UK, and I am not surprised. It comes together well, even if it is not perfect, and the build quality is high. At $7690 ride away I would cheerfully have one as a shopping or commuting vehicle. Does that mean I’m going to buy one? Well, no. Quite apart from the solemn treaty with Mrs Bear that restricts me to three bikes (which I already have) the CPx does not have a ready role for me. I don’t commute any more, I don’t visit people a lot, and it is difﬁcult to carry a slab on the back without risking dispersal of cans all over the main road. These are personal restrictions: many people will ﬁnd

one of these a handy thing indeed. It is also slim despite its grown-up size, so parking even in apartment block underground garages should be easy.

Another point is a limited but welcome bit of future prooﬁng. The CPx comes installed with an advanced battery management system, according to Super Soco, to keep your batteries in peak condition for longer. This is an interesting point, because battery life is something that is often ignored when discussing electric vehicles. Eventually – later rather than sooner, apparently, with the CPx - the battery will clag out and you will need to replace it. That will not be cheap, so all the money

you save by whizzing past those petrol stations is not cash in your pocket. You will need it one day to buy another battery. Do the sums balance each other? No, almost certainly not – but they do counter one another. Save now, pay later. And hope that recycling tech keeps up with the increased use of batteries.

The Morrison Manoeuvre comes in handy here. Trust in technology: by the time you need another battery, the bofﬁns working on improved, cheaper, and less environmentally harmful battery technology will have come up with a solution or two.

The lady seems to be having a good laugh at the unfortunate motorcyclist who has obviously run out of petrol. Should he really be smoking while he reﬁlls the tank?

Hmm. It looks as if you need to be a member of an indigenous tribe of some kind if you want to get your picture on a motorcycle advertisement – topless! This doesn’t look very much like genuine American Indian clobber to us.

Worth a thousand words

That’s supposedly what one picture is. What do you think?

IT LOOKS AS THOUGH you enjoyed our review of past motorcycle advertising, so we have found some more for you. As always, the advertisers in question mainly looked to sex to sell their bikes, although there are also some (difﬁcult to work out) advertisements in this batch that have nothing to do with sex. Like the ﬁrst one!

And lest it be said that motorcycle advertisements have no class, here is a very stylish image from BSA for the Biarritz show.

We are really not sure about this BSA advertisement. It looks like she is saying “we wouldn’t be lost if you had checked the map”, doesn’t it? But how is that going to sell “Motor Bicycles”, BSA? Never mind, the picture is pretty.

Does anyone want to try to explain this image to us? Montesa seems to have a very clear idea of the kind of rider it wants to attract – and should be able to sell some riding gear, as well.

There is just one question about this promotional photo from Milwaukee.What is holding up the bike? We know that Harleys have wide tyres, but really?

Ah, now, this one makes more sense than the Montesa advertisement, even though it looks remarkably similar.This lady is obviously going to enter her Bonneville in a concours, and is giving it the last bit of polish.

This is an interesting concept from Bianchi.The lady looks very happy to be leaving the camel and its attendants behind. Pity (?) she isn’t wearing more appropriate gear, like ATGATT.

We were tempted to run this past Craig Vetter, but he’s pretty conservative so he’s hardly likely to be entranced by this rather vogueish image of the lady and the panther. Frankly, we’d rather see more of that three-cylinder engine than the black cat.

But no, not so. In case you haven’t been able to focus on the ladies in this photo because your attention was taken up by the Laverda, you might note that they’re wearing nothing but paint. Oh, and boots.

Ah, the Spaniards don’t get it all their own way. Here’s another promotional image from Laverda, and this time the lady has clothes on. Not much in the way of clothes, admittedly.

Montesa, Montesa, Montesa. How can you justify this image? Apart from the fact that it is very attractive, of course.

COUNTRIES

DURATION

WORDS AND PHOTOS STUART

MY BIG BAD, BEASTLY Suzuki

GSX1100 with its 1260cc race engine has been sold back to my mate, Chris. He loves this bike and when I said I’d consider getting rid of it, he quickly said, “sold!”. It has been a bit of a love/hate relationship for me, this bike. Two engine rebuilds, a full rewire and sorting through all sorts of issues to get it up to a standard that makes it rideable, as in, won’t break down every time you take it out of the garage, has at times had me questioning why I got this bike, but then when I ride it, it is pure love. Old school muscle with acceleration that tries to rip your arms from their sockets is intoxicating and what I can take from the frustrating issues this bike had is that I’ve picked up a lot of mechanical knowledge that I didn’t have before.

To run you through just some of the issues this bike had – they are…

The ﬁrst blow-up

Upon pulling the engine down the original engine builder had put an 84mm head gasket on a 78mm bore. The barrel and head weren’t ﬂat, the liners in the barrel weren’t straight and the rings were trashed. The pistons were also 13.5:1 drag race pistons! Think…never going to be rideable in any sort of trafﬁc without causing problems.

Second little blow-up

As soon as the head gasket blew the second time, I knew straight away the head studs had stretched from the compression. So, another strip down, get APE heavy duty head studs and head nuts, repress the barrel liners with eight tons of pressure (!), get the barrel skimmed and de-comp the pistons to a suitable level. Maybe these are things that should have been done the ﬁrst time but it shows you shouldn’t trust a so-called race mechanic who had originally built the engine. Call me slack for doing so.

I also got a custom aluminium base gasket made, a three-layered metal head gasket and found out from Suzuki Performance Spares the extra torque needed on the head nuts so it wouldn’t blow its top again.

The so-called ‘new’ Keihin CR Special carbs looked to have been dropped at some stage and three of the chokes stayed on and the wiring was messier than spaghetti Bolognese! Not only that, every time I touched a wire it would come apart! Shaun, George and Mark at D Moto Motorcycle Engineering would laugh at me saying that it was like Chris gave me the bike to sort all the problems and now taking it back because it’s great! LOL! The big question is whether I made money on the deal, and of course that’s a yes. D

ROYAL ENFIELD METEOR 350 Refreshing

WE’VE STILL GOT OUR hands on the ripping little Royal Enﬁeld Meteor 350 and every time I ride it, I feel refreshed. It’s not fast, it doesn’t wheelstand under power, I don’t get my knee on the ground or any of that rubbish, but it’s just a ripping sweet motorcycle to ride. It’s comfortable (yes, despite its size) and it handles effortlessly. Hard to think that such a small motorcycle would bring about these emotions from a big man like me, but it does.

If you want a small, cheap to own motorcycle to do some running around on, commuting or a run to the café this is a bike that will help you not only keep your licence in this day and age of overenforcement, but you will have fun on it, and at the end of the day that’s what owning a motorcycle should bring. D

ALMOST HEAVEN, WEST VIRGINIA… close to heaven but we continued searching. This trip was an escape from work and Covid lockdown restrictions in Indonesia, to get vaccinated, and for some rust removal from my riding because the last trip had been two years ago in Spain.

Being afflicted with a love for both cars and bikes it was an itinerary set to take in some shows and museums as well as some whiskey sampling for my partner Evi and fellow rider Jay. Riding out from New Jersey with Hertz Ride BMWs, an R1250GS and a K1600GA, the first day was to show up the one element we had not prepared for – high humidity. Had to ponder whether the receptionist at our first night’s Hotel in Young, PA was kidding when she said it was a nice day.

At the car show the next day I think I saw them cutting chunks of air to feed into carburetors. Two things I would learn over the following days were to drink often, drink a lot and don’t take a toilet break, because it’s going to disappear of its own accord. The second was that if you ensure the road ahead is safe then tilt your head down and to the side, so you can cool the back of the neck. It feels good!

Longer highway hauls became known as transport stages, dreaming along the way how nice it might be to helicopter drop into the idyllic spots. Best approach is look for farm stalls or similar that break up the routine of gas stations with their all too familiar offerings. Sufferance was made up for with a visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and well-preserved race cars of many eras. Likewise with the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky. It’s not just about sampling, as most impressive to me is the logistics of always having stocks of aged whiskey, a supply versus demand juggle of mammoth proportions.

Nashville and country music next and you can see the opposites of a city dedicated to make or break. Resplendent in neon lights at night but none too exciting in overall appeal. Take us to Alabama please, Barber Motorsports Museum please sir. Ah, heaven, if there were just one place to marvel at on this itinerary, it was here. It’s recognised as the largest motorcycle museum in the world, and simply entering the 880-acre facility gives you an air of something seriously dedicated to being the best. All I can say is marvel at the photos and book your trip! And as is the way, I dreamt of what I would love to take home from there and in the end it was easy. Seeing the Britten ﬁrsthand only reinforced what I had seen online. Certainly, the only motorcycle in that colour combo that could avoid ridicule. A credit to John Britten with the creations of Allen Millyard also on display and noteworthy for their integrated factory looks.

We would cross the Continental Divide four times in all

and next on the agenda was to cross it in the adrenalin-ﬁlled 16 kilometres of the Tail of The Dragon, in North Carolina, with its 318 curves in a mountainous forest landscape. As with all roads you must read it and know your limits. Here I give kudos to my partner Evi as we set a very decent pace made easy by her being a rock solid (but not in fear) on the back and just allowing me to feel we were at one on this big trail bike taking on a road course. It’s a very popular road and many come in their race garb and on super motards to traverse it both ways, maybe more. Surprisingly no police presence but their ears would have been tuned to the Porsche 911 doing runs on the road with a soundtrack

that could be heard from one end to the other.

North Carolina might well be heaven. The landscape is breathtaking and tourist attractions, particularly the small towns, are in abundance. One of those places where you could set your GPS to take you in loops through the state. Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River ring a bell? Our route back up to Virginia and West Virginia was via the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive, the latter perhaps just too speed restricted for a motorbike and long days but nevertheless better than an interstate. The last must-see destination ended up being a deviation back west as we had made good time and Frank Lloyd

Wright’s Fallingwater house had been on the bucket list for years. Worth the visit but it took us closer to the rain path the remnants of Hurricane Ida would bring. We had been keeping a watchful eye on the news but knew we were in front of it. Such was our timing, the final two hours of the ride back into New Jersey were where we got caught. On the last gas fill that morning the owner had advised we get moving, stating “around 2pm we are going to get smashed”. No exaggeration there. We dropped the bikes off at 2pm and by 7pm in NYC were getting very wet trying to find a place to eat. Overnight there would be 320mm of rain where we had dropped the bikes! Dodged that one!

Along the way we had seen all manner of people and places and I’ll always advocate the American people as great hosts and approachable friendly people. What had stood out most though was when you saw a place with civic pride on display it was noticeable. You’re not going to get it in New York so hit the back roads and search these places out. Not on the itinerary as such but just routes to get to the next destination the Virginia towns of Luray and New Market, Oakland in Maryland and the Amish community towns surrounding Lancaster, Pennsylvania are testimony to what is possible.

Hertz Ride is worth keeping in mind for your next trip. Enjoyed my

ﬁrst experience on the R1250GS, surprisingly protected by its miniscule fairings. The jacket would billow a lot when trucks were passing but the helmet was rock steady. The adjustable suspension is no gimmick and notably different in the settings. In all I can see now why they are so popular, but the RT series remains my preference. The K1600GA looked great in pearl white and doesn’t look bulbous in proportions and between the two bikes we returned similar fuel economy. Load up and ride!

If “Country Roads” is now stuck in your head, we do not apologise. It became the daily chorus and beﬁtting of the fulﬁlment of the amplitude of great roads and scenery. D

WHEN CRACKYOU

THETHROTTLE,THE FRONT WHEEL LIKES TO SLOWLY LIFT OFF THE GROUND – DON’T YOU GET THE FEELING THIS IS SO MUCH FUN!

H1 500 triple cylinder two-stroke - a rumoured wild and dangerous machine that scared many a soul who dared to plonk their backside onto the ribbed seat and twist the throttle to the stop. I have always wanted to experience the ‘Widow Maker’ and having ridden the H2 750 a couple of years ago for a few days, when the chance came up for me to buy this virtually untouched ’75 H1 500, I jumped at it. Of course, the H2 750 is faster, but the chassis and brakes are better too.

After a nearly a decade of the motorcycle industry being dominated by British manufacturers, Kawasaki took everyone by surprise by launching its ﬁrst triple cylinder bike in 1969. The Kawasaki Mach III H1

being Kawasaki

500 had an air-cooled, three-cylinder 498cc twostroke engine. There were two exhaust pipes on the right side of the bike and one on the left. While most other manufacturers had been developing four-stroke

500 had an air-cooled, three-cylinder 498cc twoengines,

its two-stroke triple.

Right from the start the H1 was one of the quickest motorcycles of its time and to demonstrate to the motorcycle media how fast it was, Kawasaki took the H1 to a drag strip and factory test rider Tony Nicosia ran the quarter mile with it in 12.96 seconds at 100.7mph.

While it was apparent the Kawasaki 500cc triple was a fast bike with a high power-to-weight ratio, there were a couple of issues. Very average drum brakes front and rear meant it didn’t stop too well. Um, make that, it didn’t really want to stop at all!

Handling was best described as pretty odd with some dubbing the woeful handling as dangerous because of its unexceptional frame design, some said the H1 was best with the engine off and no one riding it, and some even called it an Excalibur which attacked its user, or that it was like riding a wild bucking camel. It was due to this ‘homicidal’ handling that it was given the dubious nickname of the ‘Widow Maker’.

H1 500s ﬂew out of showrooms

across the world and based upon this initial positive reception, Kawasaki rolled out a range of triples in 1972 including the S1 (250cc), the S2 Mach II (350cc) and a 750cc version called the Mach IV that sat alongside the 500cc H1.

Sadly, despite the impressive lineup of the new models, the handling problems didn’t go away. Owners reported the bikes had speed wobbles and a tendency to pull wheelies, which for those who liked that sort of thing wasn’t a big issue, but on the versions with the bigger engine… well, it tended to do this when the rider was

least expecting it. Some claimed the Mach IV was capable of pulling a wheelie at over 160km/h.

The result was that some owners got hurt (or worse) on these bikes and consequently insurance premiums for Kawasaki triples started to rise. This in turn had a direct effect on sales and marked the death knell of what was really quite an innovative motorcycle for its time. A limited life span in the scheme of things – 1969 to 1975 for the H1 500, with the 1976 model being given the KH500 moniker – it also had many improvements over earlier models.

By the mid-1970s motorcycle manufacturers were coming under increasing pressure to make their engines meet more stringent emission requirements. This was to prove the downfall of two-strokes and by the middle of the decade nearly all two-stroke motorcycles had been discontinued.

Thereafter Kawasaki turned to fourstroke engines on its bikes, many of which were actually faster than an H1! Since the demise of the Kawasaki

triples, some 50 years ago, they have become something of a collector’s item with many fetching large sums of money, despite their handling characteristics. Why? For their time, they were fast, innovative and looked darn good. Plus, letting your heart skip a couple of beats every now and again really livens you up!

RIDING AN H1 500

I can see where so many went wrong riding the H1 500 back in the ‘70s. On my 1975 model, which by then had a solid single disc brake up front but still a drum rear, the brakes kind of work once the ‘wood’ pads get some heat into them and you’re using all four ﬁngers on the brake lever. The rear drum does most of the work to slow the bike, despite still being pretty average. Panicking at speed, most riders probably stood on the rear brake pedal and slid out and onto their arse. Having

CLASSIC

neutral where ﬁrst gear is on modern bikes probably then (and probably still) caught many out. Going through corners, the frame ﬂexes like a boat drifting over Bass Strait waves and on occasion it will wriggle in a straight line over road imperfections. When you crack the throttle, the front wheel likes to slowly lift off the ground –don’t you get the feeling this is so much fun! I also wonder if the riders back in the ‘70s had far less experience than riders of today? I’m sure you guys and girls will hammer me for saying that, but it’s more than likely true.

COMPARED TO NOW

What does riding an H1 500 compare to nowadays? Well, I dare say it feels similar in acceleration to something like a Kawasaki Ninja 400 and handles like nothing now available. Mind you, the ‘powerband’ does make the H1 feel nothing like any modern bike. Braking is also like nothing now available. As I’ve mentioned in previous issues when I’ve ridden classic bikes, it’s the experience of feeling what bikes like

Must have

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

If you ever wanted a two-stroke road bike, or owned one back in the day and lust after one now, I am selling my 1975 Kawasaki H1 500 – the one you’re looking at here. Apart from the paint, it is unrestored and in amazing condition. It is a US import with less than 10,000 original miles on the clock! Try and ﬁnd that anywhere!

RALPH - KTM SUPERDUKE / BMW R 1200 GS

Split Decision

DRIRIDER

dririder.com.au

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

It rides just beautifully and sounds simply amazing. All the date stamped factory parts are there as well. I am asking $15,000 which is very low I think, but other life commitments mean that it must go. Try and ﬁnd a similar H2 750 and double the price and even try and ﬁnd an immaculately restored H1 500 and mid-twenties plus is what you’ll pay. It does come with the correct blue stripe kit, so if having it the correct colour is of concern, paint away (I can have this arranged by one of the best painters in Oz, too). I kind of like it ‘Kawasaki green’, cause, you know…Kawasakis should be green! If you’re interested, send me an email stuart@ausmotorcyclist.com.au or call me 0412 220 680. Shipping can of course be arranged for delivery anywhere in Oz. Cheers, Stuart.

Touring 2 Panniers – $199.95

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

ANDY STRAPZ andystrapz.com

Avduro Panniers – $475

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

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

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

Specs

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

1969 Kawasaki H1 500

ENGINE: 498cc air-cooled inline three cylinder two-stroke, 60x58.8mm bore/stroke, piston valve, 6.8:1 compression

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

SUSPENSION: Front, telescopic forks, Rear, twin-shock, adjustable preload.

Navigator Mini Tank Bag

Magnetic – $59.95

POWER: 45kW @ 7500rpm

Scoota Bagz – $74

TORQUE: 56Nm @ 7000rpm

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

this do and how they really raise the heartbeat and get the blood ﬂowing faster through your veins. I love that feeling of your heart rising up into your throat, wondering if I’ll come out the other side still alive – yes, I’m a little crazy I guess, but you must feel it, it’s exhilarating!

DIMENSIONS: Seat height 780mm, weight 188kg (wet), fuel capacity 15 litres, wheelbase 1400mm

TYRES: Front, 3.25-19. Rear, 4.00-18

BRAKES: Front, 200mm drum. Rear, 180mm drum.

THE STYLE

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

TRANSMISSION: 5-speed, wet multiplate clutch, chain ﬁnal drive

VERDICT: A bucket list motorcycle.

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

No matter where I ride my H1 500, there are onlookers. Just riding it along any road makes heads turn and when I stop anywhere, it’s like a swarm of bees are instantly latched onto Queen bee. Of all the bikes I’ve owned, none have attracted this much attention. Aside

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

e 2010s

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

STUART – BMW R 1200 GS

Water-Cooled Magic

from the very old school look, what is it that attracts so much attention? It’s that ‘ring-a-ding-ding’ that pricks up the ears of anyone within hearing distance, and the fact that two-stroke motorcycles are rarer than rocking horse shit, especially ones that look this good! D

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

RBETWEEN THE HEDGES THE HARD ROAD AT THE ISLE OF MAN

ACING AGAINST THE WORLD’S best riders at the Isle of Man was once a rite of passage for Australian riders with dreams of making a name for themselves on the world stage. Up until 1976 the Tourist Trophy was a round of the world championship, so the vast majority of riders competing in the world championship had to ride there, whether they wanted to or not.

The TT has always had an aura about it, a sense of danger, of

unforgiveness, but also a lure of adventure. Where once there was a well-trodden path to the TT by Aussie riders, this dwindled somewhat after the 1980s, and it was only sporadically that Australian riders in the last 30 years would venture to that island in the Irish Sea to take on the Mountain Course. Riders like Cameron Donald, David Johnson, Josh Brookes, and Alex Pickett. These four riders have all tasted success at the Isle of Man, but as they will tell you, it doesn’t

come easy, cheaply or without scars, some physical, but almost always emotionally too.

I caught up with Alex Pickett and his father Chris (who’s also raced at the Isle of Man) to ﬁnd out how a young bloke, barely 18, found his way to the starting grid on Mona’s Isle, the road racing Mecca of the world.

Alex: “I was conditioned to the TT at an early age. My dad loved it and always dreamt of racing there but

WORDS STUART

PHOTOS CHRIS PICKETT, CHRIS SMITH, STEVE BABB, PETER FARRAGHER

the reality of a young family and living on the other side of the world meant he never had the ﬁnances to actually make that dream happen. He consoled himself with buying TT videos and DVDs through the years and we would watch these together. Dad loved his racing but was really only a club racer, mainly on classic bikes.

“In 2006 our family went to Europe for the ﬁrst time and of course we had to go to the TT. We could only get accommodation for

practice week so we missed out on race week. The ﬁrst rider I saw come through on the ﬁrst night of practice was Martin Finnegan on a CBR1000RR. Dad and I were sitting on the hedge at the end of CronkyVoddy straight and we could hear him before we saw him, the engine on the limiter for ages. He popped into view and then leapt over the drop in the road, standing on the footpegs, his eyes like dinner plates. We were that close it was outrageous. That has burned into my memory,

and I think from that point on I had this idea of one day racing at the Isle of Man. I was 12 years old.”

It’s one thing to have big dreams at the age of 12 but how did it progress from there?

Chris: “Alex started road racing when he was 13, and the timing was right for him to start in the very ﬁrst season of the MRRDA Cup in Australia, where all riders had to be 13 and over, and under 16, the

age where they become a ‘Senior’ Motorcycling Australia licence holder. You bought a Honda CBR150 and modiﬁcations were very limited. Quite a number of wellknown riders came from that series, like Mike Jones, Josh Hook and Matt Walters just to name a few. These three are still top-level riders now, with Hook the reigning World Endurance champ, and Jones and Walters both Australian champs and still racing in ASBK.

“Alex raced in that series for three years but never really set the world on ﬁre. He was a good rider but probably not aggressive enough to take the risks those other riders would. We had a lot of fun though, but also some stress. We had a line of credit on our home loan and in the ﬁrst two years of Alex racing we didn’t pay anything off our home loan. If there was a race meeting or practice day, we were there. I’m sure many racing parents can sympathise with what I’m saying.

“When Alex turned 16 we decided to get a bigger bike for him, and after a conversation with Terry O’Neill, we decided he would race in the Formula Xtreme Pro Twins class on a Triumph Daytona 675. He ended up winning two national championships on that bike but it was time to go a 1000cc machine. We bought Matt Walters’ spare Kawasaki ZX-10R, and Alex was racing that in Formula Xtreme at the age of 17. It was a lot of bike for a 17-year-old but he quickly rose to B grade and won races on that bike, and never crashed it by the way. It was a thankful progression from his CBR150 days when it often seemed he was more off the bike than on it. I got quite good at ﬁbreglass repairs.

“Then one night at the dinner table he tells us he was going to race at the TT. His mum went from zero to 100 in an instant, and even though outwardly I supported her view of no way in hell is this happening, inside I

was going ‘Yeah’. Regardless of what we said he was adamant, and the short of it was we decided to help him rather than see him do it on his own.”

So, can you just enter the TT and rock up like you would an Australian race meeting?

Alex: “Unless you are a very wellknown racer you cannot simply enter the TT for the ﬁrst time. What happens is the organisers won’t accept your entry, they will guide you to the Manx Grand Prix ﬁrst. The Manx GP is held a couple of months later, right near the end of the UK’s summer, but it’s still run on the full TT course. Race classes are somewhat different, with only up to 750cc three and fourcylinder machines, and 1000cc twins allowed to race in the Senior Manx GP for example. This is to keep speeds down for riders new to the Mountain Course, so they are not overwhelmed

trying to qualify for a TT against professional racers.

“My current model ZX-10R wasn’t eligible so we had to come up with another bike. Dad raced a Ducati for years so he’s always had a thing for them. This seemed like a good idea, so we sold the ZX-10R and bought a statutory written off Ducati 848 with less than 10,000 kilometres on it. Little did we know at the time that Ducatis aren’t exactly the most popular bike at the TT. Sure, Mike Hailwood won in 1978 and Tony Rutter won also on a TT2 Ducati but in modern times not many riders opted for an Italian V-twin at the TT. We were later told that less than 50% of Ducatis that started a TT ﬁnished the TT. And that doesn’t count the ones that failed to proceed in practice week.

“We also had to ﬁnd out what was required for me to have my entry accepted, how we were going to get my bike there, the cost and so on. We

actually started the planning nearly 18 months earlier, dad and I even going over to the Manx GP in 2012 to see what was what.”

Chris: “In 2012 Alex and I borrowed a couple of BMWs, picking them up in London and riding to the Isle of Man on a fact-ﬁnding mission and to see if this was something we really wanted to do as a family. This was a harrowing experience in itself. Alex was on his learner’s permit for bikes and wasn’t much more than 16. Through London I spent more time looking in my mirrors to see what he was doing. That was a tad stressful. Everything went well, we rode up to the north of England to visit an old mate, and then on to the Isle of Man where we stayed with Dave Milligan from Get Routed. Dave really looked after us and we had a blast tearing up the island roads. We even got off the island intact, only to have Alex crash into me somewhere

south of Liverpool, sending bits of bike down the road. Somehow, we both stayed on and returned the bikes, with some scratches and broken bits.

The best bit of advice we got from anyone about tackling the mountain course was from former racing great, Mick Grant. In a chance conversation he said to us that our bikes had to handle well and be reliable. This was something I wouldn’t forget.

“We came home and the work really started. Initially the plan was for only Alex to ride, but then I thought if we are all going, I might as well send a bike for myself as well, as 2013 was going to be the ﬁrst Classic TT, held in conjunction with the Manx GP. All the big-name TT riders would be there competing in the Classic TT, and so was some 47-year-old wobbler from Australia. The fact I didn’t actually have a classic race bike suitable for the TT course didn’t pop straight to mind. I’d sort that later but ﬁrst I contacted

the separate Classic TT and Manx GP organisers to see what we had to do. Before you get a start, you have to apply for a Mountain Course Licence, part of which is you proving you’ve finished six individual race meetings in the previous 12 months. That means actually finishing a race on six separate days. Then there’s insurance, machine freight, flights, spares and so on.

“As I was the editor of Cycle Torque Magazine at the time, I was publishing stories of the journey along the way. It was through this that Shaun Sutcliffe from D Moto Motorcycle Engineering in Sydney approached me at Eastern Creek at a ride day. I knew Shaun from his days working for the Australian Ducati importer, NF Importers, and his experience with Ducati machinery went back many years before the NF Importer years. He offered to build a bike in case my planned Honda VF1000F race bike didn’t make the grade in time. He offered to build me a ‘spare’ Ducati 851 but as soon as he offered, that was it, my mind was made up at least. That’s the bike I was going to ride, not my VF1000. He knew we had the 848 as well so the whole team at D Moto got on board.

“It was at this stage that a few racers I knew, and some I didn’t, heard about what we were doing and wanted to live their dream as well. The next thing you knew we had an Aussie team going over, with the Isle of Man government

It was at this stage that a few racers I knew, and some I didn’t, heard about what we were doing and wanted to live their dream as well.

offering to pay for the freight of our bikes and gear to and from the island.”

Things started to get hectic as the days dwindled away.

Chris: I was the liaison between all the Australian riders and the IOM TT organisers. I was spending more time doing stuff for our trip than I was putting out Cycle Torque Magazine, and then in some ﬁt of madness I suggested Cycle Torque make a video of our trip. The magazine was getting into the digital side of publishing and I thought it would be a good idea. Of course, I had no idea of what it would cost, how long it would take or the impact it would have on our trip.

Shaun and George Tamine at D Moto were sorting the bikes but they had their own business to run and I only got to ride the 851 Ducati once about two weeks before it was to be crated up and sent to the other side of the globe. This wasn’t a couple of weeks

before we were to head off, it was a couple of months. I was seemingly ﬂat out organising everything and trying to come up with the cash to pay for stuff. Shaun was coming as our mechanic so I had ﬁve air fares to pay, plus accommodation, hire car and so on. Being in the game (so to speak) I was able to get a number of parts and tyres donated to the cause. This saved us at least a few grand but I still had to sell a beautiful Norton Commando 750 I owned to get the necessary cash to make it happen.

“We had quite a throng of people going with us. With friends, family and guys doing the video stuff, there were going to be 14 of us staying at the same cottage. That didn’t include the other racers and their friends/family from Australia. It was a massive relief meeting up with all the Aussie racers at the docks in Sydney as we handed over our crated-up bikes. There had been a lot of time and money invested in this project so it was good to see the bikes

gone.”

Alex: “It was funny getting our bikes down to the cargo terminal in Sydney. My old Rodeo tray back ute was severely overloaded with the two crates, which hung over the sides and the back of the tray. Somehow they both stayed on as the little Rodeo dragged its arse all the way down the freeway from Newcastle. It was nearly show time. We couldn’t do anything more other than get ourselves to the IOM, and do a couple more race meetings to get the numbers up for a Mountain Course Licence. This was harder than we thought though, as our main race bikes were on a boat. I borrowed your (Stuart’s) first year model Fireblade Pre Modern race bike to get my races needed at a classic meeting, and at the same meeting dad raced his 500/4 Honda around on three cylinders to finish the last race he needed, after it dropped a valve seat on the first lap. He knew there

TRAVEL

would be carnage inside the engine but there would be no other chances to get that last race in with the valve seat destroying the piston and head. That decision cost him around three grand to ﬁx the old Honda’s engine.”

sure the two bikes were prepared to go, essentially just going over what we had already done in Australia.”

It was the calm before the storm when the group arrived on the Isle of Man

Chris: “Our group was the ﬁrst to arrive so we unpacked the container and set up in the marquee sorted by the TT organisers. We did laps of the course in our hire car, hung out and did some sight-seeing in the four or ﬁve days before we had to sign on. This also gave us the time to make

Alex: “Prior to heading over to the IOM, dad had accused me of not taking learning the course as serious as I should have. Turns out I knew more about the course than he did. That shut him up a bit. We both did our guided lap with a TT or Manx GP regular. That was fantastic fun, but before we knew it, we were lining up for ﬁrst practice.”

easily but on my second lap of practice I ran out of fuel up on the mountain. The old fella didn’t ﬁll it to the brim and I found myself spluttering to a halt in the freezing weather near the very top of Snaefell. I was sitting there shivering when I saw the old fella thunder past on his 851.”

That’s when things went good and bad for the duo

Alex: “I took to the circuit pretty

Chris: “I was having a ball around the 80-85mp/h pace but when I got back all the team were asking me where Alex was. I knew he started before me and I hadn’t seen his bike on the circuit. Of course you think the worse. Up in the timing box they said he’d got back, which we knew wasn’t the case. Everyone was in a ﬂat spin and ﬁnally he turns up in a car telling us

what happened, abusing me for my lack of fuelling prowess (Yes, Chris, you’re renowned for your ‘excellent’ race bike prep – Stuart). Turns out his transponder went ﬂat and that’s why timing had him back in the pits.

“Once the bike was picked up it was all good and we were ready for the next day. That’s when my 851 started to play up, with the ECU giving us all sorts of dramas. Of course, we didn’t have a spare but we were able to borrow one off a guy in the paddock, the one off his road bike. That saved me really.”

Alex: The ﬁrst couple of days I got faster and faster but I nearly came to grief on the third night’s practice. I

was travelling ﬂat out on my Ducati 848 up to Ballegary. They call this corner Ballascary, and that’s where Guy Martin had his massive crash in 2010, seen in the ﬁlm TT3D - Closer To The Edge. Anyway, I was revving the 848 for all it was worth, riding into the evening sun when suddenly I’m riding between a couple of bikes that had just crashed. Because of the sun I didn’t see them until I was going through them. It was pure luck I didn’t hit one of them or their riders, who were still lying on the track. Luckily they were not badly hurt. That third night went really well for me, and I did a 114.8mp/h lap. I was by far the fastest ’Newcomer’ and was 7th fastest overall of any bike. People were

gobsmacked, including me.”

Chris: “It quickly went through the pits that this young bloke from Australia, on a Ducati of all things, had posted such a fast time. People didn’t believe it, whispering the time must be wrong. Of course he backed that up the next night and so on. And to do it on a Ducati was almost unheard of at the TT/Manx GP. By this stage though, we realised the 848 tank couldn’t do two laps at Alex’s pace. If it was a steel tank we could have blown it with compressed air, or even enlarged it by welding in sections, but it was composite and we were too scared to try anything as we didn’t have a spare.

Race Day

Chris: “My race was a four lapper, which meant one pit stop. I headed off and rode by myself for some time. On the second lap I could see I was catching a bike up on the mountain. I was getting into the groove, and we both came into the pits together for fuel. The guy was on a 1985 GSX-R 750 Suzuki. I’d caught him on the road so that meant I was 10 seconds up on him. No one had come past me at this stage, so I was up on time from the rider behind me. My mate ‘Tangles’ was the fuel man and he did a perfect job, with him, Shaun and Alex getting me out as quick as possible. I followed the GSX-R out of the pits and he pulled away from there until I couldn’t see him. Turns out he was a Manx GP regular and knew the track better than I. But then, once again I’d catch him on the mountain. On our last ﬂying lap we went through the same process of him pulling away and me catching him. At one stage Michael Dunlop

came past me on a Suzuki XR69 and he just sprinted off into the distance. Once again I caught old mate on the mountain and coming down from Kate’s Cottage I wheel stood past him as we heading down to the Creg Ny Baa Hotel. As I’m braking for all I was worth the GSX-R rider came under me out of control. This got me

ﬁred up so as we went ﬂat out down towards Hillbery where I saw redline in top on the tacho, and through to Signpost corner where I shoved it up the inside of the GSX-R and promptly ran up the grass bank. Luckily I stayed on and was right behind him in the next left hander. Old mate was on a mission and he ran up the gutter

nearly throwing himself down the road, barely a mile from the ﬁnish. Common sense prevailed and I hung back, shadowing him across the line, remembering I was 9-10 seconds up on him anyway.

“I was mentally stuffed, barely able to hold a conversation, but physically I was okay after around 1.5 hours of racing. I wanted to do a 100mp/h lap but I ended up doing a 99mp/h lap. At 47-years-old, I can tell you it was bloody difﬁcult.”

Alex: “My first race was a couple of days later than dad’s. Even though I was fastest Newcomer I still had to start in 25th position on the road in the Newcomer’s Race. I had four laps to do but instead of one pitstop like everyone else, I had to pit every lap, three in total. I didn’t realise how much that would affect my frame of mind. It pissed me off but also fi red me up too. I was in second or third after the fi rst lap, with me slowing down to pit. The 848 was running sweet and handling pretty good. After each stop I’d be back down the leaderboard, and then I’d pass bikes

that should have been behind me. In the last pit stop I remember being really angry and throwing my water bottle back into the pits. On that last lap I gave it all I had and ended up 8th outright, not bad considering I’d spent an extra couple of minutes in the pits than all the other riders. If we’d used the 20 litre alloy tank off a Ducati 1098S we would have been right, but we just didn’t have the IOM experience to know this. Taking away the extra pit stops I believe I would have won or at least been on the podium.”

Chris: “Alex was also entered in the Senior Manx GP where he was in the top 10 qualiﬁers but come race day it was pissing down. The race was postponed a few times but eventually the organisers cancelled the race, the ﬁrst time the Senior Manx GP had ever been cancelled in its 90 plus year history. I was happy actually. I didn’t want to see Alex race in these conditions even though we were prepared with wet tyres etc.

“Then it was all over, just like that. We had to pack all our stuff up, make

sure everyone’s bikes had been recrated and put back in the container for the trip home. It was a real up and down time for our group. Some had good races, some crashed out with minor injuries, some didn’t qualify and some didn’t even complete one lap due to machine issues.”

Alex: “It was a bit of an anti-climax really, nearly a couple of year’s effort for it to all be over in such a hurry. I went back to normal life, work, chasing girls, partying, racing, but I knew I wanted to go back to the Isle of Man. I had experienced something that’s hard to explain. I was living life to its full and I’d had a taste of something special. I already had a ride for the next year’s TT in the wings and was working on that. To be honest, if I hadn’t done so well in the ﬁrst year, I probably wouldn’t have gone back but this offer of a ride for a proper team was the carrot to go back.

Next issue we ask Alex and Chris about their experiences at the TT proper, racing against riders like Guy Martin, Cameron Donald and John McGuinness. D

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

WE LOVE GOOD IDEAS and Phil has come up with a cracker. For his thoughts he has won the Motul Chain Pack. Send me your postal address, mate.

GETTING TO THE PUB

Hi there Stuart,

Just a thought/idea (maybe)?

Colin Whelan writes a nice yarn each issue.

One of the consistent features of his yarn, is his Yamaha Super Ten. Maybe Colin could write a piece about his bike – the good, the bad & the ugly.

Did he buy it new? How many km’s covered? Servicing? Comfort? Two-up ability? Problems? What could be improved? Etc etc etc

Just a thought.

Thanks for a great magazine. Cheers, Phil, Kyogle

Hi Phil, Great idea, of which Colin will be writing it up! Cheers, Stuart.

BORIS

Hi Stuart,

I love the mag but bugger me, Boris seems like a broken record lately. It seems that every column he writes sounds like the same old thing he has gone over and over again about. Is he that uneducated that he can’t come up with something new to write about? Can you give him a slap in the face to wake him up?

Regards, Simon Fleming, QLD

Hi Simon,

Not sure he’d like me slapping him in the face, but I could give it a go! LOL! Cheers, Stuart.

LOUD PIPES

Hi Peter.

It’s been a long time since I last contacted you. Hope you are keeping well.

Just a quick comment on this platform as I didn’t want to grandstand the issue in printed comment back in Riding On magazine. In the latest Spring edition of the Ulysses magazine, you started off a story about a Harley release with the following comments:

“There are still people out there who live under the delusion that loud pipes save lives. I am sorry to have to tell you that is indeed a furphy. What there is of the scientiﬁc evidence is solidly against that.”

Now we both know that most riders indulge in ‘loud’ pipes for the esoteric purpose of pleasurable noise above anything else. However, as I’m sure you can appreciate, there is visual complexity in our road environments, particularly the urban ones and at times it is easy to miss the visual clue of an approaching motorcycle within that visual complexity – hence the SMIDSY nomenclature. Leaving the ‘science’ of all this to argument (and remember that the very nature of science is such that the science is rarely ever ‘in’ on any matter), anything that might aid in the detection of a motorcyclist within a complex visual environment must surely present some measure of safety beneﬁt – n’est-ce pas?

I must say that for you to state that anyone claiming a safety beneﬁt of loud pipes as being “delusional” is disappointing. I certainly support the claim and I have good reason for doing so that factually contradicts any ‘science’ that says otherwise.

On two occasions in my riding ‘career’ (which spans some 46 years with 3 and a half of those as a HWP cyclist) I can tell you from a firsthand perspective (the best evidence one can achieve) that upon reaching an intersection and looking, I missed the visual clue of an approaching motorcycle and had just begun to move off across the intersection when I heard the unmistakable note of a ‘fruity’ exhaust and I have then propped, looked again and then saw the approaching motorcycle. As a result of what I HEARD rather than what I saw, a somewhat (I can’t know for sure what might have happened had I proceeded in the first instance) dangerous incident was averted. These two incidents I experienced clearly contradict what you claim to be solid scientific evidence that loud pipes won’t save lives. You see, some academic somewhere has published the scientific ‘evidence’ to which you allude and so it is out there, whilst because I haven’t publicised my experiences in this regard, no-one else knows about them and even if I did publish them, I don’t doubt that many would dismiss my claims as biased…or perhaps even delusional?

Regards, Peter Ivanoff

Hello Peter,

Thank you for your note. Yes, all is good here and my hope is that next Monday will dispel the cabin fever. I hope things are good with you, too. It is interesting to read of your experiences, particularly since that eventuality is not usually quoted when discussing loud pipes. It’s more common to see noise mentioned as making overtaking/lane changing safer. Indeed, that is where the

continued on page 106...

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WHAT SAY YOU

to improve my biceps

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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.

GOODLY

Hi Harry,

scientiﬁc evidence is centred because those cases are the main ones referred to. It also concerns itself with the effect on drivers rather than other riders.

Hi Stuart, Firstly, great mag, love it each month. The Kawasaki Versys 1000 S you reviewed in the last issue (97) was great.

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,

COVID 1

Dear Stuart,

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

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

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

I don’t doubt your escapes for a moment, but I do wonder how often they would be replicated for other riders. I, for one, have enough trouble locating the direction from which emergency vehicle sirens are coming. It takes me considerable time to work that out, and I believe I’ve read somewhere that they are tuned to make that as easy as possible. So as far as noise from the side is concerned, I am in the same position as you – I only have personal experience, and next timed I write about loud pipes I will make a point of mentioning your cases even if I am not sure about their general applicability.

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

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

Regards, Mark, QLD

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

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

Braidwood. Purpose to ride, have a social get together and have some food whilst out. Now, no such trips.

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

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!

Another explanation comes to mind, ﬁrst mentioned to me by American journalist Roger Hull. He had a theory that with experience, a kind of sixth sense develops in riders which ‘predicts’ danger even when there is no speciﬁc warning. Perhaps something like that helped you in those instances; after all, you would not want to

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

prop at an intersection every time you heard loud pipes. In Sydney, at least, you would simply be run over. Thank you once more for sharing your warning, and I hope you don’t mind if I share it with our readers in turn, slightly edited in the letter’s pages. All the best, The Bear

GREAT STUFF

Hello,

I’ve just read the Cagiva V593 article presented by Jeff Ware and Peter Pap. Congratulations to both of you for an excellent feature. I’m an annual subscriber to the magazine and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Cheers, Gerard

FOUND ONE!

Hi Stuart, Saw this one today at Proserpine Motorcycles, owner said not for sale but might have two more out the back might be worth having a chat with him.

Cheers, Jon

TOUR OPERATOR DIRECTORY

Hi Jon, Thank you, mate. Cheers, Stuart.

WHY?

Stuart, Why did you sell that awesome GSX you have? I reckon it would pull the skin off an angry bear with a 1260 in it! I guess rebuilding it all the time wasn’t fun though?

Cheers, Jack

Hi Jack, It was a bit of a love/hate relationship that one, that’s for sure! Cheers, Stuart.

SALTY

Hi team, I read in the last issue about the Salt two-stroke and instantly jumped on the website to check one out as I’d love one. Only problem is the price. 40k is a bit much in my mind, but I do wish them every success in selling heaps of them.

Cheers, Wayne, VIC D

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:

ADRIATIC MOTO TOURS – Europe www.adriaticmototours.com info@adriaticmototours.com

CENTRAL OTAGO

MAGIC MOTORCYCLING

ROMANIA MOTORCYCLE

MOTORCYCLE HIRE AND TOURS – New Zealand www.comotorcyclehire.co.nz info@comotorcyclehire.co.nz

EDELWEISS BIKE TRAVEL

– Worldwide tours*

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

IMTBIKE TOURS & RENTALS

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

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

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

PARADISE MOTORCYCLE

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

RIDE THE WORLD

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

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

B

E A R T A L E S

PLAY BY EUROPEAN RULES…

BORDERS ARE OPENING, and riding through Europe is a dream for many motorcyclists. Unfortunately, it can become a nightmare if you catch a policeman or woman on a bad day. There’s a whole bunch of regulations you will probably not expect, that can catch you out. Let’s look at a few of them. But keep in mind that often, foreign riders are not held to the same standard as locals, so you can get away with things. It’s just impossible to know where and when!

Did you know that in France, motorcyclists and passengers must wear gloves? Not only that; the gloves must comply with a CE standard and bear a CE mark. Reﬂecting patches on your ECE-22 approved helmet are also mandatory. Some helmet manufacturers now supply these, so if you’ve recently bought a helmet and found some oddly-shaped reﬂective stickers in the box, that’s what it’s about.

You are also required to wear gloves in Belgium, as well as a long-sleeved jacket, long trousers or overalls and boots or other protection for your ankles.

That doesn’t mean the rules don’t apply; it just means that the ﬂics will almost certainly not bother you, especially if you don’t ﬂaunt your freedom. But some of these odd regulations can catch you out badly. Take the French requirement to carry a box of breath testers. There is no penalty for not carrying them, but if you don’t have them a cop is supposed to demand you leave your bike and head off to the nearest pharmacy to buy some.

The pharmacy might be quite a way away, which would be bad luck. Oh, and don’t get caught with only one breath tester. If that’s all you have,

once you’ve used it you don’t have one any more…

Few regulations are as odd as differential speed limits. In Bulgaria, cars can travel at 90km/h on country roads and 130km/h on motorways. Motorcycles are restricted to 80 and 100, respectively. It’s worse in Greece with 90 to 110km/h and 130km/h for cars, and 70 and 90 for motorcycles. In Turkey the limits are 90 and 120km/h for cars and 70 and 80 for motorcycles while Ukraine has 90 and 130km/h limits for cars and a blanket limit of 80km/h for bikes. In Lithuania, both cars and bikes can travel at 90 on country roads but motorcycles are only allowed to do 110km/h on motorways as against 130km/h for cars. The same limit applies on country roads in Russia, but motorway limits are 110km/h for cars and only 90 for bikes.

This sort of thing is of course insanely dangerous for motorcycles as well as being confusing for riders. Fortunately, you will mostly ﬁnd the information signposted at the border, so you’d better memorise it when you cross.

Nine European Union countries have toll roads with payment booths where you cough up for the use of the road. I have actually been let off on one trip; that was in Italy during appalling rainstorms. The toll collectors weren’t interested in opening their windows and getting wet, so they just waved me through. Got to love Italy.

In Albania, Montenegro, Austria, Russia, Serbia,

Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Ukraine and Hungary motorcyclists must carry a ﬁrst aid kit. In Latvia, it’s only required if the motorcycle has a sidecar.

A high visibility warning vest must be carried in Lithuania, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Hungary where it must be worn when getting off the motorcycle if there’s been a crash or breakdown. Usually, the vest must be accessible without dismounting so the tank bag is probably the best place for it, unless you’re wearing it anyway while riding. You need to do that by law in Belgium, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Bulgaria, France, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic. In Finland your pillion must also wear a vest.

In Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine and Malta a warning triangle must be carried on all motorcycles, but in Hungary it’s only mandatory for a motorcycle with a sidecar. In France and Croatia, you must carry a complete set of spare lightbulbs unless your bike is ﬁtted with xenon or LED lights.

The venerable green insurance card is compulsory in Albania, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro (validity for Montenegro must be speciﬁcally noted on the card), Romania and Ukraine. There’s more.

Oh, yes, there’s always more. D

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

F 750 GS

$13,590

F 750 GS Tour $17,305

F 750 GS Low Susp

F 750 GS Tour LS

F 850 GS $17,990

F 850 GS Rallye $18,390

F 850 GS Rallye X $22,305

F 850 GS Tour

F 850 GS Low Susp

www.aprilia.com.au

$21,805

$18,240

F 850 GS Rallye Low Susp $18,640

F 850 GS Tour Low Susp

F 850 GSA

R 1250 GS

R 1250 GS Rallye

$21,505

$TBA

$23,490

$24,940

R 1250 GS Rallye X $29,890

R 1250 GS Exclusive $28,140

R 1250 GS Spezial $31,390

R 1250 GSA

$25,490

R 1250 GSA Rallye $26,390

R 1250 GSA Rallye X $31,590

R 1250 GSA Exclusive

R 1250 GSA Spezial

SCOOTER

C 650 Sport

C 650 GT

BROUGH SUPERIOR

broughsuperioraustralia.com.au

$30,790

$30,540

$14,150

$14,990

SS100 (Euro3) $105,000

SS100 (Euro 4) $110,000 Pendine Sand Racer

001

CAN-AM (BRP)

can-am.brp.com

Ryker

Spyder F3

$13,799

$29,299

Spyder RT $39,299

CF MOTO

www.cf-moto.com.au

ROAD

150NK $3490

250NK $4290

300NK $4990

300SR $5790

650NK $6790

650NK SP $7790

650MT

R 1250 R Spezial

R 1250 RT

R 1250 RT Sport

R 1250 RT Elegance

R 1250 R Spezial

K 1600 B

DUCATI

www.ducati.com.au *All Ducati prices are ride away ROAD

Scrambler Sixty2

Scrambler Icon

Scrambler Café Racer

Scrambler Desert Sled

NEW BIKE PRICES

Springﬁeld Dark Horse

Chieftain Dark Horse

Roadmaster

Roadmaster $42,995

www.honda.com.au

KAWASAKI

www.kawasaki.com.au

ROAD

Z125 Pro KRT $4099

Z400 $6899

Ninja 400

Ninja 400 SE

Ninja 650/L

SX SE

CRUISER Vulcan S

Vulcan S SE

NSS300A Forza

HUSQVARNA

www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com/au *All Husqvarna prices are ride away

Vitpilen 401 $7875

Svartpilen 401 $7875 701 Supermoto

NDIAN

www.indianmotorcycles.com.au

KTM

www.ktm.com.au

PIAGGIO www.piaggio.com.au

ROYAL ENFIELD

www.royalenﬁeldaustralia.com

*All Royal Enﬁeld prices are ride away

ROAD

Meteor 350 Fireball

Meteor 350 Stellar

$6540

$6840

Meteor 350 Supernova $7240

Bullet 500

$7890

Classic 500 $8190

Classic 500 Chrome $8390

Interceptor 650 Classic $8640

Interceptor 650 Custom $8840

Interceptor 650 Chrome $9140

Continental GT 650 Classic $8840

Continental GT 650 Custom $9040

Continental GT 650 Chrome $9340

ADV TOURING

Himalayan 410

SUPER SOCO

www.supersoco.com.au

*All Super Soco prices are ride away

ROAD

TC Café Racer

$6540

www.triumphmotorcycles.com.au

*All Triumph prices are ride away

ROAD

Trident 660

Street Triple S 660

Street Triple R

Street Triple RS

Street Twin

Street Scrambler

Bonneville T100

Bobber

Bonneville T120

Speedmaster

Thruxton RS

Speed Twin

Tiger Sport 850

Speed Triple 1200 RS

Speed Triple 1200 RR

$4990

TC Max alloy wheel $6990

TC Max wire wheel $7290

SCOOTER

CUX $4490

CUX Special Edition Ducati $4990

SUZUKI

www.suzukimotorcycles.com.au

ROAD

GSX-S125 $3490

GSX-R125

GSX-S1000 Katana

GSX-R1000

GSX-R1000R

GSX1300R Hayabusa

Boulevard S40

Boulevard C50T

M109R $19,790

SPECIAL EDITION

Street Twin EC1

$12,840

$14,990

$18,140

$19,950

$16,190

$18,590

$18,290

$22,490

$20,890

$17,150

T100 Goldline $19,190

T120 Goldline

Street Scrambler Goldline

Bobber Goldline

Speedmaster Goldline

Scrambler 1200 XC Goldline

Scrambler 1200 XE Goldline

T100 Bud Ekins

T120 Bud Ekins

Thruxton RS Ton Up Edition

Tiger 1200 Alpine

Tiger 1200 Desert

Rocket 3 R 221 Edition

Rocket 3 GT 221 Edition

LIMITED EDITION

Street Twin Goldline

Street Scrambler Sandstorm

T120 Diamond

T120 Ace

Scrambler 1200 Steve McQueen

Daytona Moto2 765

CRUISER

Rocket 3 R

$22,090

$19,490

$23,790

$24,690

$26,090

$18,000

$19,900

$27,150

$27,250

$28,750

$35,850

$36,850

$16,900

$18,990

$20,350

$20,650

$26,100

$28,990

$34,450

Rocket 3 GT $35,490

ADV TOURING

Scrambler 1200 XC

$23,450

Scrambler 1200 XE $24,890

Tiger 900 GT & GT Low $21,150

Tiger 900 Rally

Tiger 900 GT Pro

Tiger 900 Rally Pro

$22,390

$24,190

$24,790

TRIUMPH FACTORY CUSTOM (TFC)

www.triumphmotorcycles.com.au

*All TFC prices are ride away ROAD

Thruxton TFC

Bobber TFC

WORDS BORIS MIHAILOVIC

THIS NEVER GETS OLD

MOTORCYCLING – IT’S

A hell of an addiction, isn’t?

Once it sinks its hooks into you, you’re done.

I have, truth be told as it always must, been addicted to lots of things. Drugs, gambling, fighting, strippers, food – I have used and abused them all without a single thought for my own well-being.

I am a hugely flawed creature. In many ways I am strong. In many other ways I am weak. And in almost all those ways, I am no different to every other man on this earth.

I am, and I feel this is both a great curse and great blessing, a man of powerful passions. This is probably my crazy wog blood.

When I love, I love with every fibre of my being. And when I hate, I hate with an intensity terrifying to observe. My hate is pitiless, unending, and implacable. My love is blind, absolute, and unreserved.

I am, as my wife has often observed, a friend without equal and an enemy without mercy.

And while I wage an endless war within myself to find some workable balance between these two things, I have never once considered giving up motorcycles. That ship has sailed, and that soul has been sold.

And I regret nothing. Motorcycling has given me a life rich in experience and emotion. That such a simple, easyto-attain thing – two wheels, an engine, and handlebars, controlled by vague spatial awareness and basic motor skills – can provide a man with such a wealth of pleasure, will always astonish me.

Like every other rider, I have been wet, cold, miserable, hot, terrified and exalted.

Unlike every other rider, I have persisted. I have maintained and fed the passion and rage that first drew me to bikes, and I have never once resiled from it.

I can’t. It has almost killed me countless times, and yet I persist in some kind of selfish self-pandering way which I struggle to explain to people who don’t share this addiction.

My son, whom I love with every fibre of my being, first evinced an interest in

riding motorcycles at around the age of 16. I had neither encouraged him to or discouraged him, figuring he’d make the call himself when and if he felt the pull.

And then he did.

“Dad,” he said to me one day, “I think I’d like to ride bikes.”

“Is that so?” I said. “You ‘think’ you’d like to ride bikes, do you?”

He nodded.

“Let me explain something to you,” I said. “This bike-riding stuff is not for everyone. And it is certainly not for people who just ‘think’ they want to ride. Motorcycling is a blood-sport. It will kill you or maim you if you are crap at it. Do you understand?”

He nodded. His eyes wide.

“And in order for you to be not crap at it, in order for you to be good at it –and you have to be good at it or it will destroy you – you must burn with an unquenchable passion to ride. You must live it and breathe it and masturbate to it as much as you masturbate to whatever young Internet supermodel you’re masturbating to at the moment. This is the truth and the way and the light, world without end, Amen. Do you understand?”

He nodded.

“Good. Next weekend we are going to Darren’s property and we shall measure the depth of your passion.”

And so we did. And Andrew went dirtbike riding. And then Andrew crashed into a tree and hurt his leg a little. And then Andrew’s dad explained to Andrew that if he was to make such an error on the road, his life may well end. And as Andrew picked up his borrowed bike and limping heavily, pushed it back to the shed, he must have given my words a lot of deep thought. Because I did not raise an idiot.

A few days later he said words to me fathers rarely hear from their sons.

“Dad,” he said, “You were right. I don’t think I want to ride bikes bad enough. I thought it might be a bit of a laugh; something you do

now and again…but it’s not. It’s an all or nothing thing, isn’t it?”

I hugged him. He understood. Motorcycle is and must always be an all or nothing thing.

It has always been that way for me. I cannot see it or deal with it in any other way.

I think that is why it has never gotten old. I think that is why every run I go on still fills my belly with pre-run excitement as I go through the now decades-old rituals of preparation.

I still adore the wind, and the road, and the smells, and the sheer primal immersion riding gives me – and never fails to give me. It has never let me down in that respect.

Surfers chase waves, climbers seek out mountains, and there’s no end of ways in which the human animal seeks to fill his soul with wonder and joy.

As a motorcyclist, I can mainline that wolf-eyed super-ecstasy the moment I ride out of my driveway. I don’t need to look or wait for waves. I don’t have to travel to measure myself against mountains, ocean depths, or the endless vacuum of space.

I got it right here, under my balls and in my hands, and it starts out front of my house, 24/7, rain or shine. And it never gets old, and it never gets stale, and it never gets boring.

We all struggle from time to time, and we all suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune as Shakespeare observed hundreds of years before bikes were invented. Sorrow finds us all, as does tragedy, and despair. But happiness and joys find us from time to time as well, and unless you have known sadness, you cannot know happiness.

And so I go through life, a day at a time, a challenge at a time. Sometimes I win. Sometimes I lose. Sometimes it’s a draw.

But every damn time I go for a ride – and I mean every damn time – my life is a little bit better than it was before I went for a ride.

So go for a ride. D

Photo by Barnabas Imre

The Interceptor reimagines the laid-back and easy-going lifestyle of the sun-drenched California beach. The quintessential roadster from the 1960’s still fits into the contemporary narrative of being young, free and fun. Through twisty back roads, highways or the urban jungle, it rides with equal ease, bringing together timeless style and modern performance.