The unmistakeable Monster design is truly iconic and means there is no limit to your enjoyment.
The performance and fluidity of the new 1200cc second generation Testastretta 11° DS engine, the versatility of the three Riding Modes, the comfort of the adjustable seat and passenger handles make the Monster 1200 a bike that is
capable of adapting to any occasion, so that you can follow your instincts in every situation.
To experience the unmistakeable Monster 1200, visit your local Authorised Ducati Dealer and book a test ride today. Don’t forget to ask about our attractive offers on the Monster 1200 and Monster 1200 S.
AUSTRALIA HAS GONE RED!
Ducati Diavel Red
Due to popular demand, the Diavel is set to return to the Australian market in iconic Ducati Gloss Red alongside the signature Dark Stealth colour option. The first of the red wave will hit Aussie shores early May with an RRP of $24,990 plus dealer and statutory charges. It will be a limited production with only 50 motorcycles available in this colour for 2015. Get in early to secure your red beast.
STARS GOOD, STARS BAD?
Protective clothing star rating
The Australian Motorcycle Council (AMC) has launched a website to inform consumers of protective motorcycle clothing that is “fit for purpose”. An Australian testing and rating system for jackets, pants, gloves and boots is not yet in place despite recommendations to roll-out a 5-star system three years ago. The list can be found at www.amc.asn.au/web/ ce-approved-protective-clothing Let us know what you think – we are a little concerned that this may be the thin end of the wedge for regulations.
GET ON SIDE
2015 Sidecar Rally
asking BMW riders to email their best action shots to bsmith@ frameworkmedia.com.au and we’ll select the best four of these and have them blown up to cover the windows.
Join the Sidecar Owners Association at the “O’Connell Campground” by the Fish River at O’Connell, NSW on the 26 and 27th September 2015 for the 31st Annual Sidecar Rally. This is a family friendly rally, bring the kids and have a great weekend. Water, toilets available on site. Bring your own food and drink. For more information phone 02 6337 5705 or visit www.srkengineering.com.au
WIN, WIN, WIN!
BM Motorcycles
If you ride a BMW in or around Melbourne, chances are you’ve spent some time with the guys at BM Motorcycles in Heatherdale Road, Ringwood… and for lots of reasons.
BM Motorcycles has four huge windows and Chris wants to cover them with four sensational images.
And here’s your chance! “We want to use images of BMWs and their riders that show them in action,” Chris says.
“We want real bikes, real people and really sensational images.
“So we’re running a competition. We’re
“It’s our way of showing BMW motorcyclists they are as much a part of our team as we are,” he says. So, if you have a pic of you and your bike (or anyone else) on the road or in the bush and you think it’s a cracker, send it and see if they agree. Winners will be notified and along with their mates, they’ll be invited to the unveiling on Saturday 1st August and share in a lunch with lots of stuff of interest to all BMW motorcycle riders.
START OF THE ART
Pirelli and Ducati collaborate Thanks to the strong bond between Pirelli and Ducati, the two companies decided to collaborate on the artistic aspect as well, commissioning Vibrazioni Art Design to create a work of art on twowheels. And so the “SC-Rumble” was
born, a special edition manufactured as a single unit. Based on the Scrambler which, on the two sides of the tank, has a rubber sheet which is laser inscribed with the tread design of the factory tyres, and the Ducati Scrambler logo. To keep up to date on the build visit the Ducati Scrambler and Pirelli Moto Facebook pages.
RALLY GOOD
APRILIA CAPONORD RALLY
WORDS STUART WOODBURY PHOTOS STUART WOODBURY & NIGEL PATERSON
Iclimbed aboard this new Aprilia on the dirt out near Hill End, and was almost instantly a Rally convert. Aprilia truly is serious about entering the adventure touring market with this bike. You might be familiar with the “standard” Caponord Strada, which is a road biased, Adventure Sport motorcycle, fitted with sticky sports tyres and a 17 inch front wheel, or the up-specced Touring version. Both good and useful bikes. The Caponord Rally, however, beats both of them on the dirt with a larger spoked front wheel, adventure tyres and more protection.
We rode out to Mudgee and back from Aprilia Australia HQ in Sydney for the launch, on a mixture of dirt, two lane blacktop and freeway.
The base Caponord Strada and the Touring version came along for the ride, which provided a convenient opportunity for comparisons.
The main changes that make up the “Rally” version are the 19 inch front wheel, tubeless spoked wheels front and rear, adventure touring tyres, crash bars, fog lights, aluminium covered panniers, hand guards, bash plate, larger screen and cruise control. All of these features combine to make the Rally an excellent allround adventure touring motorcycle. Handling is better on the Rally than the smaller front wheeled Strada
and Touring. The Rally’s larger front wheel makes things more relaxed and when it came to the dirty stuff you have significantly more stability overall and more comfort. This could have something to do with the ADD (Aprilia Dynamic Damping) dynamic semi-active suspension system as well. The settings have been slightly changed on the Rally, along with an offset change to the geometry.
If you’re not familiar with (this type of) ADD, it is a system which measures the energy transmitted by bumps on the road surface to the bike and adjusts the hydraulic fork calibration and shock absorber in real time to minimise accelerations on the frame and consequently optimise comfort. To achieve maximum performance at any fork and shock absorber operating
“THE CAPONORD RALLY IS A FUN AND RELAXING BIKE TO RIDE IN ALL CONDITIONS.”
frequency, ADD uses a patented “comfort oriented” algorithm which combines the principles of the wellknown skyhook and acceleration driven damping algorithms.
You can adjust ADD to five different settings – 1 (one rider), 2 (rider and luggage), 3 (rider and pillion), 4 (rider, pillion and luggage) and Auto. I loved the Auto setting for the overall comfort it gave in all conditions. Some riders preferred to have a bit more firmness in the rear shock, but Auto meant that I didn’t have to worry about the bike – just let it do its thing, giving me a comfortable setting no matter where I was riding – straight line, sporty, dirt and high and low speed.
The other advantage of ADD in the Auto setting is that you can get amazingly short braking distances. The system employs all of the algorithms in a split second and adjusts to the increased force on the front forks, giving better traction to the front tyre.
“APRILIA HAS COME INTO THE SERIOUS ADVENTURE TOURING MARKET WITH A WINNER. “
Braking offers the latest generation of stoppers from Brembo and switchable ABS.
The engine is the well-known veetwin cylinder powerplant that has been around for some time now. It is a progressive and responsive unit that works well with the pre-programmed riding maps – Touring, Sport and Rain. The majority of the time I left the Rally in Touring mode, and only switched to Sport a couple of times, really just to experience the more responsive throttle. Touring is where I’d leave the Rally 99% of the time. There is plenty of power and torque, just with a smoother bottom end.
A large 24 litre fuel tank is fitted to the Rally and even at a swift pace, you’d be looking at a better than 300km range.
The larger adjustable screen on the Rally offers much better protection over the sportier one fitted to the Strada and Touring. It made long distance highway runs more comfy. Some of the shorter riders on the launch didn’t like it all the way up, but up to half way, it suited them perfectly.
Cruise control comes standard on the Rally, although it is a bit fiddly to use. There is no up or down speed adjustment; you need to use the throttle not only to set the required speed but also to change it, holding your finger on the button. It’s okay
Stuart is wearing a Shoei Hornet ADV helmet, Dragon NFXs goggles, Held Carese II jacket, Held Sambia gloves, Held Torno II pants and Sidi Way Mega Rain boots.
FULL POWER
KATANA
BIKE LAUNCH
La Strada
The Caponord Strada does not come fitted with ADD, just normal adjustable suspension. It handles great, just without the refinement of the electronic interaction. As a base road bike with comfort, it is a great choice.
to use when riding by yourself, but in a group where you might need an occasional one or two kilometre speed variation at a time, it makes things fiddly. Really, this is my only complaint about this bike.
The standard panniers have an interesting and effective feature – a split lid. You can open the lid as normal, or you can open a one-third portion at the top. This is convenient once you have the pannier loaded and need to access something like a camera or wet weather gear which you’ve packed at the top.
A great new feature for the Rally and all late model Aprilias is the Aprilia Multimedia Platform, which connects your smartphone to your bike.
In 2012 the Piaggio Group was the first manufacturer in the world to create a system which allowed the vehicle to be connected to a smartphone (and consequently to the web), thereby adding a tool capable of providing a huge amount of extra information compared to the factory instrumentation. The link between the vehicle and the Internet is called A-MP, Aprilia Multimedia Platform, making
travel safer and more convenient. Effectively it’s a virtual dashboard, trip computer and advanced navigator.
Once the free app has been downloaded, the Bluetooth pairing of the smartphone to the vehicle allows the various options to be viewed and easily modified to the rider’s preference: speedometer, rev counter, but also instantaneous engine power and torque, lean angle, longitudinal acceleration, instant and average fuel consumption, average speed and battery voltage are just some of the features that can be accessed.
You also get a fully functional GPS, using Google Maps from your smartphone. A-MP stores all the travel information and allows it to be studied later in depth on your computer or directly on the smartphone’s display. It also contains the operating and service manual for your vehicle. One of the Rallys had A-MP fitted and it was fun and easy to use, especially because you did not need an actual GPS device, and just using the smartphone made things easy.
Accessories are well thought out. You can get rider and pillion Sport-gel seats, heated grips, matching top box, tank bags, carbon front guard, gripper footpegs, a larger side stand plate, a sports muffler and lots more.
Aprilia has come into the serious adventure touring market with a winner. The Caponord Rally is a fun and relaxing bike to ride in all conditions. The colour is the hardest choice to make - Giallo Dune (Gold) and Grigio Safari (Titanium). Our Facebook page has the choice split down the middle, but that won’t help me!
SPECS
APRILIA CAPONORD RALLY
PRICE: $24,000 (ride away)
WARRANTY:Two years, unlimited distance
SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 10,000km or 12 months
ENGINE: Liquid-cooled V-twin cylinder, 4-stroke, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
BRAKES: Front, twin 320mm discs with radial mount four-piston switchable ABS calipers. Rear, 240mm disc, single-piston switchable ABS caliper.
FUEL CONSUMPTION: N/A
THEORETICAL RANGE: N/A
COLOURS: Giallo Dune and Grigio Safari
VERDICT: GET-A DIRTY
With a new Rotax® 1330 ACE™ high-torque engine and a new 6-speed transmission, the road has never been so inviting. The high-torque response of the ACE engine gives you 40% more low-end torque and now can go up to 405 kilometres at 100 km/h on one tank of gas. *While the new 6-speed transmission provides an incredibly smooth ride for you and your passenger. Add in a unique Y-frame design and 7 automotive technologies, and that rush you feel will be equal parts exhilaration and confidence.
at canamspyder.com
IMPROVING
MAKE IT BETTER
IMPROVING YOUR BIKE – THE EASY WAY!
WORDS STUART WOODBURY
Last month we gave you an easy way to maintain your bike. I hope you’re doing the things I recommended, because we don’t want to lose you – and you don’t want to ruin your bike! But keeping it going at optimum is one thing. What about making it better? This month we’re looking at easy and accessible ways to improve your bike, and make it your own. We all love to do that, but sometimes it can be hard to know how to go about it. Well, whether it’s adding some bling, bringing the suspension up to scratch or fitting it out to make touring more enjoyable, there are many ways to improve your bike. Just take a look below!
IMPROVING Special Feature
SUSPENSION
This is an area that is often passed over because it seems too hard or too expensive, but you’d be surprised how many ways there are to improve the suspension without spending bulk cash. Of course you can spend a lot of money
here; you’ll be pleased to know that it’s worth it if you want your bike to work really well. Practically no bike on the market will have suspension that’s totally suited to your weight or style of riding. The simplest (and of course cheapest) way to get better suspension performance is to play with the standard preload settings. That can improve your bike quite a bit, and you can go on from there, depending on the type of adjustments your bike comes with, to setting up rebound and/or compression adjustments.
The next level is to replace front and rear springs and the front fork oil. Next after that is to replace the rear shock/s, or get it or them rebuilt. On the front you can add some gold valves, and then the final step is to entirely replace the front fork internals with higher quality components. Unless you decide to
replace rear shocks with something like TTX Ohlins units, this is also pretty much the top level for the rear.
There are a number of top quality brands to consider when deciding on suspension components. We have used Hyperpro rear shock and fork units, Ikon rear shocks, Ohlins shocks and springs, a Hagon rear shock and Racetech springs front and rear. They offer differing levels of quality and performance, as well as price (important at the end of the day!).The main thing that will do more good than anything else is a knowledgeable suspension expert. I have always found Walter Preisig at YSS (Your Suspension Shop) very helpful.
LUGGAGE
Luggage is a very personal thing. When it comes to choosing what type, size and the amount you want to fit to the bike, and how permanently mounted you want it to be. I personally like
The BMW K 1600 GTL Exclusive has about the biggest luggage capacity you’ll find anywhere
IMPROVING Special Feature
24 carat bling? Yep, some people go all the way!
hard panniers and a top box for road touring, but a soft seatbag and tank bag for off-road duties. Our good mate, Andy from Andy Strapz offers lots of variables to choose from and so do the excellent folk at Touratech. We have used products from both, as well as from the outstandingly popular range of Ventura luggage systems. We’ve been using this gear in all sorts of conditions and have done so for as many years as we can remember.
The trick with luggage is to work out what sort of space, durability, appearance and so on you’re going to want before settling on any particular brand or type. That way you’ll leave yourself free to choose the best you can afford.
BLING
Italian company Rizoma is among the kings of bling. They have exquisite accessories to fit and upgrade a large range of motorcycles. We have just received a selection of some of their best products to fit to our long term Yamaha MT-07, and they will really make the MT stand out from the crowd! Look for the proof in upcoming issues.
There are of course many other places to get bling for your machine – most likely from the manufacturers themselves! But depending on what it is you want to bling up or improve, you could look at Pazzo levers or carbon fibre from a number of suppliers. But for me, it always comes back to Rizoma. Their
CHAIN, SPROCKETS
products offer truly standout quality. Yes, they come at a price, but don’t kid yourself that you can buy quality paying for it accordingly. You can scour ebay for stuff made in China, and some of it is even okay; but I bought a pair of levers for a previous long term bike and they were terrible. They actually affected the braking performance of the bike, and not in a good way – and yet look quite cool. So looks aren’t everything!
TYRES
Tyres are those round and black things that help keep your rims from being dented. But believe it or not they do more; fitting the tyres best suited to the kind of riding you’re doing is a great step towards improving your bike. We have used most brands out there, but still keep coming back to Pirelli for their consistent feel and consistent wear. As an example, we recently fitted Scorpions to our long-term V-Strom and The Bear can’t stop grinning.
Notice how nicely your bike rides when you spray some chain lube on the chain? Yes, even The Bear is starting to understand, after all these years! Unless he’s doing it to keep me from nagging him about it all the time! Replacing your chain and sprockets if they are not in tip top condition is another way of improving your bike. Gear changes will be better, your bike will operate more smoothly and you’ll be more relaxed when riding the bike, too.
AIR FILTER
Have you fitted a DNA or K&N air filter to your bike? This is a simple and relatively low cost way to improve the performance of your bike. We have used both of these brands and always found an improvement, and
IMPROVING Special Feature
because DNA or K&N air filters are re-useable after cleaning, this is a long term option that works out to be very cost effective.
EXHAUST
Most standard exhausts are heavily restricted to comply with emissions laws. Simply putting an aftermarket slip-on or a full exhaust system onto your bike can improve performance, but also the “connection” you feel with it. We have used a number of brands over the years, Staintune, Arrow, Akrapovic, Vance & Hines, Racefit, M4 and Scorpion among them, all with good results at varying levels. Here’s a hint: a lot of overly noisy exhausts actually waste energy instead of adding it.
PAINT PROTECTION
Protecting the paint work on your machine not only helps keep it looking smart, but will help bring a better resale value down the track. A number of manufacturers offer paint protection kits as accessories, or you can look around for people like OziCozi who do an amazing job with film coatings. You also have people like Ventura and AMHP who have covers to protect the headlights. That’s not paint, but it can be expensive if you don’t think ahead!
HEATED GRIPS
Heated grips are a wonderful way to improve your bike. Shivering in the cold and struggling to control the motorcycle are not good. So look for a pair of heated grips from either your manufacturer or an aftermarket supplier. We have used several OEM and Oxford heated grips.
FOOTPEGS
Have you thought about replacing the footpegs on your bike? No? Well, you can get all sorts of variations to help you set up the bike just the way that suits you, helping with comfort and feel on the bike.
SEAT
This is a fine way to improve your bike. A more comfy, or different styled seat will not only make you feel better but will have everyone talking, whenever you stop. We are currently using Mustang seats on various bikes and are very happy with them. Manufacturers of accessory seats and custom made seats can be found on the web, too, and will make seats to your specification.
HAND GUARDS
Barkbusters are the well-deserved leader in hand guard design and have been for many, many years. We have used Barkbusters on all sorts of bikes and you’ll see that they even make hand guards for a number of manufacturers.
BRAKE PADS, DISCS
Braking is obviously an important factor of any motorcycle that needs to be at the top of its game. Fitting top class brakes pads, top quality brake discs and of course braided brake lines are all essential for any motorcycle that’s required to work hard, I reckon – and isn’t that all of them at one stage or another?. We have used brake pads from EBC and SBS; brake discs from EBC and NG and braided brake lines from Venhill and Hel.
LIGHTING
Fitting a pair of lights, or improving your current headlight globe with one of the many the options available is a great investment for your bike. Most
recently we have used several products from XenonOZ with great success.
SCREEN
If you fit a screen – and you’ll be amazed how much difference one can make – you will want one that’s just right for your height or preferences. Manufacturers often have a touring or high screen option for their bikes, but there are also a number of aftermarket screen makers who probably make just the screen that you want. Check out Eagle Screens, whom we have used for many years for a number of different bikes.
GPS
This is more of a personal thing to improve your bike while touring; a GPS can make your travels more enjoyable and even increase the resale value of your bike down the track. Garmin, Tom Tom and manufacturer-supplied units have mostly worked very well for us.
LOOK AT ME NOW!
If you’ve improved your bike with one or more of the items listed here, you can be sure that you have a motorcycle that’s not only better but also personalised to your liking. You may not see another like it on the road – what a wonderful feeling. Feel free to drop us some pictures of improved bikes; we’ll see about publishing them if we get enough.
Stuart is wearing a Shark Explore-R helmet, Held Carese II jacket, Held Backflip gloves, Held Torno II pants and Sidi Way Mega Rain boots.
THE TIGER XRX… IS THE BIKE THAT 85% OF “ADVENTURE” RIDERS SHOULD BE BUYING
TRIUMPH TIGER XRX
MORE ROAD-IE, THAN DIRT-Y
W
hen we rode this bike, there were four Tiger 800s: the XC, XCx, XR and XRx. Now there are six, but more of that in a future issue.
Last month in MOTORCYCLIST we reviewed the Triumph Tiger XCx – one of the dirt-biased Tiger 800 family members. This XRx has many of the features of the XCx, but with more of a road focus. It is the bike that 85% of “adventure” riders should be buying.
For the Australian launch we rode from Melbourne along The Great Ocean Road to Apollo Bay, with a detour up around Lavers Hill. On the return trip we took some back roads and hit the dirt for a while. It was a good all-round kind of trip to show off the versatility of the new XRx.
The Tiger XCx and XRx share a lot of their “extra” features (that’s what the little “x” means) over the standard XC and XR models, like the enhanced instrument panel, Road and Off-road riding modes, confi gurable Rider mode, auto cancel indicators, cruise control, centre stand,
WORDS STUART WOODBURY PHOTOS JEFF CROW
LAUNCH
hand guards, adjustable screen and an additional 12V power socket.
The XRx differs from the XCx with the Comfort seats for the rider and pillion, a smaller 19 inch front wheel (versus the 21 inch wheel on the XCx) and by being 5kg lighter. This gives the XRx more agility on the road but you do get much shorter wheel travel. However, in terms of “average” motorcycle wheel travel, the XRx still has plenty on offer. 180mm in the front and 170mm in the rear give the bike a plush ride over the many crappy roads we have.
Visually, the XRx has a short nose and alloy wheels, as against the XCx’s long “enduro” type snout and wire wheels.
The suspension fi tted to the XRx matches that of the XCx – WP front and rear. Damping is nice and this setup with the 19 inch front wheel makes for a nice mid-sized touring motorcycle capable of some dirt road work. On the bitumen you have a motorcycle that handles nicely with light turn in and in the dirt it will handle most roads, just not with the extra stability of the XCx’s 21 inch front wheel.
The rider’s seat is height adjustable – 810 to 830mm, with a low seat option available as well. For my long legs I found the 810mm height a little low in the seat to peg height, but was quite happy with the higher 830mm setting.
Comfort is excellent, especially with the standard Comfort seats. The bike I rode throughout the launch had the accessory bar riser fi tted, which was great for standing up while in the dirt, but sitting down I preferred the standard setting. When I tested the XCx model, I was quite fussy with the way I had the Rider modes set up, but on the more “relaxed” XRx I only used the preset Road and Off-Road modes. And, most of the time I left the bike in Road mode in the dirt, too. It was only when we hit some rougher sections that I switched over, wanting a bit less ABS interaction.
The XRx has received a bit of a trim compared to the previous model. The radiator shroud and tank side panels have been sharpened up, with the redesigned radiator shrouds quite effectively channelling hot air away from your legs.
So what type of rider would buy the XRx over the XCx? I would say most of you should look at the XRx, unless you are the type of rider
who’s really going to hit the dirt more frequently than most and wants the extra strength the wire wheels offer over rough terrain and the occasional jump.
Take both the XRx and the XCx for a ride before making your fi nal decision and really think about the choice, not just on what you might think has to be “the look”. Either bike should keep you happy.
SPECS
TRIUMPH TIGER 800 XRX
PRICE: $16,590 (plus on-road charges)
WARRANTY:Two years, unlimited distance
SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 10,000km or 12 months
ENGINE: Liquid-cooled in-line three cylinder, 4-stroke, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
COLOURS: Crystal White, Phantom Black, Caspian Blue
VERDICT: ROAD AND DIRT, NOT DIRT AND ROAD
VICTORY MAGNUM
BRIGHT ENOUGH FOR YOU?
WORDS/PHOTOS THE BEAR
“M agnum” is a really blokey sort of word, isn’t it? That was established without any question after Clint Eastwood told the perp in “Dirty Harry” that his, Eastwood’s, Model 29 Smith & Wesson revolver was the most powerful in the world. He was wrong about that; it wasn’t until
S&W developed the .500 S&W Magnum that they could honestly make that claim. But so what?
The word magnum, also applied to a roller coaster, cartoon characters, bottles of booze and ice creams, was out there and moving product.
So, to cut a very much longer
story short, I think Magnum is a good choice of name for a motorcycle.
The word, which is Latin, meaning “great”, sits especially well on Victory’s upgraded Cross Country bagger, which is a pretty great big motorcycle already.
I’m not usually particularly fond of “batwing” style handlebar-mounted
fairings, but on a bike as big as the Magnum they have little if any effect. And in this case they actually look good; painting the inside of the fairing in body colour gives a quality appearance.
Apart from the paint, and the six-speaker, 100 Watt sound system it holds, what’s new or different on the
Magnum? The Cross Country’s 18 inch front wheel is replaced by a 21 incher, the seat is lower and there is less suspension travel. The rear guard is styled to match the curve of the panniers, and on my bike the green colour scheme looked… well, outstanding. The weather was overcast and dull for most of the time I had the
Magnum, and it provided a bright and cheerful contrast. All in all I think the bike is well worth the extra two and a half grand over the standard Cross Country. At $29,995 the Magnum is right on the money, considering that it’s obvious competitor is Harley-Davidson’s Street Glide Special at $34,995. They share the shorty windscreen look.
The analog instruments with their white faces and digital LCD displays combine to tell you the story of what’s happening with the bike, and the sound system and cruise controls each have a block to themselves on the left- and right-hand switch blocks respectively. It’s all easy to use and there is no confusion about what does or means what. Both instruments and controls are state of the art.
Running gear is good too. Between them, the 21 inch front wheel and the lowered back suspension make this a remarkably easy bike to manage, both at low speeds and out on the highway. Combine that with the comfort of the low, well-padded seat, the large foot boards and the relaxed reach to the handlebars and you’ve got a bike that’s good to run all day. Sixth gear’s overdrive helps.
Stopping is looked after too. The anti-lock braking (ABS) will haul you up even from, er, substantial road speed as I discovered when a bloke in a ute suddenly decided, out on the open road, that he needed to make a last minute right turn. The Dunlop E3 Elites did their bit on the glossy, wet road surface too.
I’m a bit in two minds about the luggage. The panniers are terrific, with no major obstructions in the way of loading. The right-hand pannier has a power socket, despite which the panniers are easily detached. But they’re it – there is no obvious way of adding extra luggage. Two up, that makes the bike an overnighter, not –like the Cross Country – a serious mile eater.
So is it just an upgraded, more “custom” and less versatile version of the Cross Country bagger? Well, no. Not really. What it makes it, is quite a different bike.
The Magnum, to my mind, is not really intended as a tourer at all. It is an around-town cruiser, intended to look great and go well enough to impress just about anyone else on the street. The paint job will draw eyes anywhere, and dropping the clutch in fi rst (which I, of course, did not do) results in spectacular acceleration off the line as the 146Nm from the 106 cubic inch Freedom vee twin gets laid on the road. And when you’re standing still you can always play the AM/FM (AM? Are they kidding?) radio or your own playlist by Bluetooth or USB contact.
Having suggested that the Magnum is not intended as a tourer, let me confess that that’s exactly what I used it for. You can do the same, by the way; take a look at http://www.
victorymotorcycles.com/en-au/ weekend-escape for Victory’s impressive weekend escape test ride program, which allows you to take a bike away for a weekend, free. They even throw in an overnight stay at a hotel and a tank of fuel. I paid for my own fuel and accommodation, but otherwise I could have been using the program.
And what did I fi nd? I found a bike that would cruise at any speed I chose and overtake enthusiastically, although unfortunately (?!) Victorian roads are a bit too good to judge how it would handle poor tar in other States. The screen and fairing only really protected my body and left my legs and shoulders hanging out in the breeze, but the wide handlebar-mounted fairing did not cause any uncertainty in the steering, despite some pretty gusty wind. I found a bike that was comfortable for a full day’s riding, and that had plenty of room for my gear in its panniers.
So maybe it’s a tourer after all. It was certainly everything I wanted it to be. And next year’s upgraded model will have a 200 Watt sound system with even more speakers…
SPECS
VICTORY MAGNUM
PRICE: $29,995 (plus on-road charges)
WARRANTY:Two years, unlimited distance
SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 8000km or 12 months
ENGINE: 4 stroke 50 degree vee twin, 4-stroke, SOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
BORE x STROKE: 101 x 108mm
DISPLACEMENT: 1731cc
COMPRESSION: 9.4:1
POWER: 65.6kW
TORQUE: 146Nm
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed constant mesh with overdrive, wet multi-plate clutch, belt final drive
SUSPENSION: Front, 43mm inverted cartridge type telescopic fork, non-adjustable, travel 130mm. Rear, monoshock, adjustable preload, travel 120mm, air adjustable.
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 6.5 litres per 100km, premium unleaded
THEORETICAL RANGE: 334km
COLOURS: Metasheen Black over Super Steel Grey; Magnum Red over Super Steel Grey; Nes Midnight Cherry; Plasma Lime with Silver
VERDICT: BRIGHT AND VERSATILE
on his dial at the end of the day, he got a lot out of what Pete had taught him.
But motoDNA offers more than this 4th level top end course. There are, as the name suggests, three levels leading up to it and there’s a “Coachlite” course available too.
LeveL 1
This is aimed at road riders and track day rookies and addresses the most common novice issues, making your transition to the track seamless and safe. The goal is to give you a better understanding of bike and rider limits, essential to survival on the road. Topics include racetrack etiquette, basic bike setup, vision, target fixation and more. Mark guarantees that you
will finish the day with a huge smile on your face. A lot of road riders enjoy the track experience so much they end up buying a track day bike, or go racing.
LeveL 2 – IntermedIate
The intermediate course is aimed at riders who have completed a few track days and focuses on building your skills, knowledge and confidence to the next level. Topics include body position, line selection, cornering, reference points, braking and more.
LeveL 3 – advanced
The advanced course is aimed at the more experienced track day rider or racer and takes you to the next level of riding skill and motorcycle setup knowledge again. Topics include
Stop press!
As an added bonus for those members who subscribe now or are already subscribers to MOTORCYCLIST, every couple of months we’ll draw a name out of a hat and one of you lucky people will win a motoDNA course. So make sure we have your phone number and email address with your subscription details. This is open to NSW and QLD subscribers, but if your name comes out of the hat and you’re from elsewhere, we will ask if you want to travel to a venue in NSW or QLD. Can’t be bad! You’ll be safer – and faster.
suspension, geometry, advanced cornering, electronics and more.
coachLIte
“Coachlite” provides track time between full training days but without the classroom sessions. Students are encouraged to do a full training day every three Coachlite days to continue to improve their skills. Coaches are on track and in the pits for casual advice.
As well, motoDNA has a lot of new products coming shortly, but I recommend doing Level 1 and progressing through to Level 4, building on your experience on the bike already. It is a fun day with fun coaches. I am actually going to be a coach with motoDNA, so you never know, you might get me coaching your session! =
Broome is a place of many memories, and indeed it is still making memories today – and even destroying them if you drink enough of the beer. The local brewery, Matso’s, makes a mango beer that goes down really easily… But whether it’s the drinking or the pearling, the camel rides along the beach or the staircase to the moon across the tidal flats, the place has a lot to offer for travelling motorcyclists. It is also the western end of one of Australia’s most interesting and possibly globally unique “roads” –
the Savannah Way.
Incorporating parts of the (occasionally theoretical) aroundAustralia Highway 1, the Way runs right across the top of the continent from Cairns to Broome (or vice versa). It is probably the only “Highway 1” anywhere in the world that’s closed for a significant part of the year (during the Wet) and that requires substantial preparation at any time. That makes it all the more interesting, of course. I have to admit that I’ve only ridden sections of the Savannah Way, a
bit over half all up, not the entire continental crossing. But as you know, ignorance has never stopped me from writing about anything…
WHAT IS IT?
Well, it’s a road of course, but it’s put together from several existing routes, and there are some alternatives as well. Our friends at Hema Maps have identified several of these, and the first thing you would want to do if you were considering riding it would be to buy one of their maps, Cairns to Broome
Below the Argyle Dam; are there crocs down there?
on the Savannah Way. Everyone agrees that it runs from Cairns to Broome (or the other way) and if you follow the most commonly accepted route it is some 3700km long. In a way it’s our Route 66, I guess, stretching from one end of the continent to the other, and it’s only about 160km shorter. Although I would not want to ride it on a cruiser… not with those dirt/gravel sections.
The road is marked, but I wouldn’t rely on finding Highway 1 signs. Follow Hema’s advice and take good maps. But let’s take a quick “dry run” along the Savannah Way, starting in Broome. I’ve included a couple of alternative routes, but not all. This story got long enough!
BROOME TO KUNUNURRA
Decisions, decisions, right from the start. Will you take the Savannah Way proper or the Gibb River Road to Kununurra? If it’s the Wet, or if you’re on a road bike, forget the Gibb River Road; if the skies are blue and you have knobbies on your rims, by all means consider it. But do some detailed research before making a final decision!
Broome has a Visitor Centre staffed by really helpful people – 1800 883 777 – and otherwise has everything you’re likely to need, including free (if slow) wi-fi at Macca’s. Fill up at the big Roebuck Plains Roadhouse on the left as you leave town, near the Warlu Way road junction with the Great Northern Highway. The next fuel is actually not far – about 145km at Willare Bridge Roadhouse.
The road is in good condition and the last time I rode it – a couple of years ago – traffic was not heavy. Keep an eye out for the Grey Nomads in their camper vans or caravans; on the one hand they can be deceptively slow, on the other they sometimes take corners a bit wide!
Some 400km will take you from Broome to Fitzroy Crossing, where the Fitzroy River Lodge – 08 9191 5355 - just east of the bridge, offers caravan parking which can also double as camping and affordable, clean dongas
What a croc!
Posted warnings about salties, estuarine or so-called salt water crocodiles, are a constant sight in the north of Australia. In fact, between 1971 and 2013 there were 99 attacks on humans by salties, of which 27 per cent were fatal. That’s some 2.3 attacks a year, and 0.6 fatal ones. In comparison, in 2014 there were 11 shark attacks, of which 2 were fatal – more than three times as many as croc attacks, and between 5 and 10 people die each year in Australia from lightning strikes.
So is the universal signposting about the danger of crocodiles justified when only just over half a person a year is killed by them (a gruesome image, admittedly)?
Well, yes. There are two things to remember about a crocodile attack: it’s one of the most terrifying
on a little artificial hill (it does flood here) and a pleasant bar in which to eat and spend the evening. I stayed in one of the dongas because it was pelting down with rain in typical tropical style. Fill up before you cross the river.
You now have 289km to go to Halls Creek – Visitor Centre 09 9168 6262. The place long had a poor reputation, but seems to have picked up a lot recently – to the point where I felt
experiences imaginable, and it is avoidable.
The thought of one of these antediluvian monsters exploding from the water in front of you with its staggering rows of teeth glinting on their way to your body brings shudders to me even here in my air conditioned office. Uh, maybe the thermostat is set too low… no, it’s fear.
Any stretch of water, salt or fresh, in Northern Australia may be home to salties, so get some advice from locals before you swim in it or even walk close to it. There is lots of other good advice available; make sure you check it out.
And I understand that the population of estuarine crocodiles is growing… as is the number of sharks… you’re better off riding a bike than swimming!
very comfortable in the tree-lined main street and would have stayed if it hadn’t been for my schedule. I had had a chat with the manager of Halls Creek’s IGA store and he had done a good sales job on his little town. This is another opportunity to fill up. Wolfe Creek Crater is nearby, and is well worth the detour.
As you continue, keep an eye out on the right-hand side and you’ll see the turnoff for Purnululu National Park, or
When it says closed, it means closed.
the Bungle Bungles. The park – 1800 682 213 - is open between April and November, but you’d better be pretty comfortable in bulldust and gravelly creek crossings to get to the ranges.
The Bungle Bungle Caravan Park is right at the turnoff, and it’s about 50km to get to the ranger station.
The next fuel stop is Warmun, or Turkey Creek as it’s probably better known. Being on Aboriginal land there is no full-strength beer available, but you’ll have no trouble getting fuel at the Roadhouse – 08 9168 7882.
Another 75km up the road is Doon Doon Roadhouse – 08 9167 8009which also offers fuel but no longer has provision for accommodation, even camping. With its big glass windows it reminded me of Edward Hopper’s famous painting Nighthawks, which is about as weird as it gets…
The next opportunity, if you prefer to stay in a town or an organised campground rather than camping out, comes 92km away at Kununurra
– Visitor Centre 08 9168 1177. Wild camping out in the bush, by the way, can be quite a communal affair up along here and in much of the rest of northern Australia. The reason is the flocks of Grey Nomads who tend to cluster together around a water source or some other touch of civilisation, and stay overnight. There’s no reason not to camp near them - they tend to be friendly and interested in bikes, and they’re quiet - they go to bed early…
The Gibb River Road joins the Savannah Way 46km short of Kununurra, after linking up with the road to Wyndham.
KUNUNURRA TO KATHERINE
Apart from being the Savannah Way, this is the Victoria Highway, and it’s one of those roads that get wildly contrasting wraps from people. Is it one of the most boring roads in the
Broome was once a pearling town, and some of the boats remain.
Better safe than sooorry…
Hema Maps has a checklist to help you stay safe in the Outback. Here it is:
• Carry sufficient drinking water –about six to eight litres per day per adult in very hot weather. Have spare water and food in case of emergencies.
• Avoid travelling at night because of wildlife.
• Slow down when you see stock on the road.
• Understand the distances you’ll have to travel in relation to time and fuel.
• Consider where assistance is available.
• Always follow your map.
• Carry spare vehicle parts and extra engine fluids.
• Check weather and road conditions.
• Advise someone of your itinerary.
• Unless it is on a public roadway, permission must be obtained from stations to travel through their property.
• Do not travel on ‘closed’ roads.
entire continent, or is it the perfect opportunity to observe the subtle changes in landscape that make Australia so fascinating? I’m going to leave this one with you, but while I understand the former I would choose the latter. After all, Australia is a big place – if change came too frequently you’d just end up confused… or something like that…
At any rate, there is fuel at Ngulwirriwirri, 36km east of Kununurra, and then you have a choice: continue along the main road or take the turnoff to Lake Argyle Resort, about 36km to the south-west. Apart from the Durack family homestead, this offers boat trips on the lake and
downstream on the river. You can ride across the top of the dam and picnic below, and stay either in chalet-style accommodation or in the campground. The latter is very pleasant indeed, and has a good cover of grass.
Fuel is outrageously expensive, a fact acknowledged by the people who run the store. They suggest that you only buy the amount you actually need, and fill up somewhere where the cost of bringing the fuel in is not as great as theirs. Fair enough.
The ride up to the resort reminded me, for some reason, of riding down to Wilsons Promontory. No, I don’t know why unless it was the abundance of animals. It’s a terrific road, too.
Outback dirt roads are often in good condition.
Surface tension
Up to date information about road conditions is critical. Here are the numbers to call for details: Queensland road conditions from the Royal Auto Club are available 24 hours a day on 1300 130 595 or at www.racq.com.au; government information is on 13 19 40 or at www.131940.qld.gov.au.
Northern Territory road conditions are on 1800 246 199 or at www. roadreport.nt.gov.au, and Western Australian conditions are on 1800 013 314 or at
www.mainroads.wa.gov.au . More local information is at the Burke Shire Road Report, www. burke.qld.gov.au; Carpentaria Shire Road Report, www.carpentaria.qld. gov.au; Etheridge Shire Road Report, www.etheridge.qld.gov.au. Roadside Assistance for Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia is on 13 11 11. For other information phone local Police, Council Offices or a tourism operator where you’re going.
Two hundred and twenty-seven kilometres from Kununurra is Timber Creek, your next fuel stop. I was initially confused by the signs prohibiting “humbugging”; it’s an olf English term, but I couldn’t see the harm in it. It turns out that “humbug in Aboriginal English means to pester with inane or repetitive requests,” according to Wikipedia. Aha. As Eccles used to say, you learn something every day. The Timber Creek café looks quite pleasant, and I guess you won’t be humbugged while you’re sitting there with your coffee. I certainly wasn’t.
Just over 90km takes you to one of my favourite places along the Victoria Highway, and indeed the Savannah Way. There isn’t much at the Victoria River Roadhouse – 08 8975 0744 – a more or less typical roadhouse with fuel pumps in front and some dongas and a fairly bare campground, but somehow I like it. You can sit at the front window and watch… well, not very much, really…
Before you get there, though, you pass the first optional section the Savannah Way. On your right, 28km out of Timber Creek, is the turnoff for the Buchanan Highway. This road is gravel and cuts across the base of the triangle formed by the Victoria and Stuart highways, to Daly Waters. The pub at Daly Waters – 08 8975 9927 - provides “a real Outback experience” and offers all kinds of accommodation. If you can tear yourself loose, it’s 242km to the only fuel stop, Top Springs, and then another 182km to the Stuart Highway (and a further 36km to Daly Waters). This is unknown territory for me – I have been to Top Springs, but not along this road.
But back to the main route. Another 196km from Victoria River takes you to Katherine, which is the centre of modern civilisation up here. In the main street it even has a Coffee Club with (wait for it) air conditioning. Who’s a woose? The Visitor Centre can be reached on 1800 653 142.
Nearby Nitmiluk National Park has 13 beautiful gorges where you can take a watery break – swimming or
canoeing. Katherine is also a good place to familiarise yourself with Aboriginal culture, art and so on.
KATHERINE TO CAIRNS
From Katherine, turn south along the Stuart Highway and follow this main road to Mataranka – Cabins & Camping 08 8975 4838. Don’t miss the Mataranka or Bitter Springs thermal pools with their hot water bores where you can relax and let the weariness of the road drain away in the warm pool. You turn left here into the Roper Highway which is sealed for a bit over 200km before going to reasonably good dirt. The first fuel stop is Roper Bar, about 360km away, and you turn right another 31km further on at Ngukurr, Roper River. There is a store – 08 8975 4636and a campground here. The road deteriorates somewhat, and the next fuel is 353km away at Cape Crawford – unless you take the 25km detour to Limmen River Fishing Camp or the 32km detour to Lorella Springs – 08 8975 9917 - both of which have fuel. Cape Crawford is where you will be reunited with any of your mates who took the Buchanan Highway and then continued along the tar of the Carpentaria Highway for 272km from Daly Waters to get to this meeting point. The Heartbreak Hotel – 08 8975 9928 - is a bit of an oasis and offers food, fuel, accommodation, helicopter flights over the (or really ‘a’ – there are several) Lost City of rock formations. Cape Crawford Tourism is on 0400 156 685.
The Carpentaria Highway is your way onwards now, tarred for the 110km to Borroloola where there’s 24 hour fuel and the Savannah Way Motel –08 8975 8883. From here on, things
1. Fortunately Broome is always ready for rain.
2. Atherton Tableland roads are exceptionally good.
TRAVEL
get iffy. The road, also known as the Wollogarang Road, is dirt and there is no fuel for 317km to Hells Gate Roadhouse – 07 4745 8258 - where fuel may or may not be available. The tar starts again some 75km further on, just before Domadgee – roadhouse 07 4745 8298 - which also offers fuel, and you’re on good surface for another 90km or so to Burketown –visitor information 07 4745 5111.
Okay, take a break!
It’s time to turn south now, on the Nardoo Burketown Road. Another 75km of sealed surface takes you to the turnoff onto the Burketown Normanton Road, and from there another 150km of dirt finds you in Normanton. The town has three pubs and a giant replica crocodile –visitor information 07 4745 1065, and it’s a lot of fun.
Deep breath, now – that’s the end of the dirt unless you choose to take the northern loop and tackle some more. If you do, and continue by way of Dunbar and Chillagoe, you had better have a big tank – you’ll need a range of nearly 700km. Not impossible, of course, but requires some planning.
The smoother way is south again some seven kilometres from Normanton and then left onto the Gulf Developmental Road, which is tarred and which takes you east via Croydon – visitor information 07 4748 7152 - and Georgetown –“Terrestrial” information centre 07 4062 1485 (fuel is available at both) and eventually joins the Kennedy Highway after about 200km. You’re pretty much back in civilisation now and only Mount Garnet, Ravenshoe, Atherton and Mareeba (where our dirt-riding friends from the northern loop re-join us) before dropping down over the coastal range through Kuranda to Smithfield and Cairns – Gateway Discovery Information Centre 07 4051 3588.
3. Exotic rock formations are everywhere along this road.
4. It’s not just the animals that are out to get you.
5. “I think I’ll just have a bit of a lie-down here…”
GRIZZLING
MELBOURNE DOES IT AGAIN
Well, Sydney is a much more motorcycle-friendly city than it used to be, thanks mainly to the City Council’s motorcycle and scooter plan, which increased parking substantially. I was lucky enough to be asked to draft that plan, and I’m still very proud of it. But there is no way of acing Melbourne, the Australian city which pioneered footpath parking for bikes thanks largely to activist Damien Codognotto.
It is now likely that motorcycles and scooters will be given even more preferential treatment over cars and trucks in Melbourne’s inner city, as part of a Council plan to reduce traffic and parking congestion by getting more commuters to take up motorcycling.
Melbourne City Council is set to expand motorcycle parking across the municipality, at the same time as competition for these spaces, and the city’s footpaths, heats up.
Paid car parking could be replaced with free scooter spaces, while the council will also try to force developers of new apartment and office towers to create more motorcycle parking and supply lockers for protective clothing.
The 2015-2018 Motorcycle Plan is about to be voted on by councillors as I write this. In the document, council staff argue that more motorcyclists on the roads would result in faster travel times for all, while decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. They point to a European study that showed that if 10 per cent of private cars were replaced by motorcycles, commuting times could decrease by 40 per cent.
The council said that a “shift from cars
to motorcycles” would free up parking space, as up to six motorcycles or 10 scooters can be parked in the space required for a single car. And while they concede cars can carry more passengers, the reality is that they don’t. The average car in Australian cities carries 1.1 to 1.2 people, meaning that most people drive alone.
The council has also vowed to work with the state government and other authorities to remove a number of road hazards for motorcyclists.
Good work, Melbourne. Now how can Australia’s other cities catch up?
NEWS FLASH: The plan passed unanimously! Congratulations, John Eacott from VMC and Damien from IRG as well as all the other riders who helped.
AND REMEMBER
Some people are like slinkies… no bloody use for anything, but it’s still fun watching them fall down the stairs.
FATE WILL GET YOU ONE WAY OR ANOTHER
Many years ago – I was still riding a Harley-Davidson 10/12 outfit around, which was subsequently stolen, but of course you don’t care about that, despite the fact that it still rankles with me – a friend of mine had a solo Triumph. He also owned an Irish setter called Brough, but that has nothing to do with this story. He and his girlfriend were headed into town from Balmain on some errand or other; they were both wearing jeans and she had accessorised hers with a homeknitted long cardigan.
As he straightened the bike up after the White Bay corner and wound on the power, the rear wheel suddenly locked
This is… what? The winner of the latest custom bike competition, or a 1930 HarleyDavidson DAH Hillclimber? The latter, of course, but doesn’t it look like something you’d see at a show today? Talk about history repeating itself…
and all three of them hit the deck. They weren’t going terribly fast, so there were no injuries beyond a few scratches on bike, rider and pillion, but the lastmentioned was no longer wearing a long cardigan. Instead, she wore a rather fetching bolero jacket. The rest of the cardigan had unravelled after being
Steve McQueen with one of the several thousand (if claims of provenance are to be believed) motorcycles he owned during his tragically short life.
caught in the spokes and was wound around the Trumpy’s back wheel, an early and seldom imitated form of macramé…
Peter ‘The Bear’ Thoeming
2 IS
ANOTHER CHANCE TO EXPLORE THE SOUTH ISLAND
Join the next Trip of a Lifetime with MOTORCYCLIST and Paradise Motorcycle Tours NZ. Our 2016 Hiamo
South Island tour will run from 26 Jan to 6 Feb 2016 – 11 days of glorious roads and scenery that will knock your socks
off. Everyone who came on the 2015 Hiamo Tour was stunned at the amazing sights and even more amazing roads. BAND A BAND B BAND C Bike/s up to 800cc Bike/s over 800cc Bike/s over 1200cc
11 DAY SOUTH ISLAND GUIDED MOTORCYCLE TOUR WITH AUSTRALIAN MOTORCYCLIST MAGAZINE AOTEAROA DELUXE PRICING
Couple, 1 bike, share double
$7465 Rider, own room
$11830 2 riders, 2 bikes, share twin
$9505
11 DAY SOUTH ISLAND GUIDED MOTORCYCLE TOUR WITH AUSTRALIAN MOTORCYCLIST MAGAZINE KIA ORA KIWI PRICING
Couple, 1 bike, share double
$4509 Rider, own room
$7996 2 riders, 2 bikes, share twin
$5940 Early Arrival Option **Highly Recommended**
Be rested and ready for the tour of a lifetime with the addition of an early arrival option. We’ll even give you your bike a day early at no extra cost so you can use it to explore Christchurch if you wish or just take a ride to familiarise yourself with the bike. Here is the cost for this highly recommended early arrivalAotearoa Deluxe: 1 Extra night accommodation and breakfast $300. Kia Ora Kiwi: 1 Extra night accommodation $215.
Remember that this guided tour is fully supported by the Paradise staff in their van and the professionalism is top class, to make sure that you’ll have the best time possible!
For 2016 we have more riding - we’ve expanded the tour from 9 days to 11. More scenery – we’ve added Kaikoura, Hanmer Springs Thermal Resort, Lewis Pass and Buller Gorge Road - more of the wild West Coast and a free day to explore the Otago Peninsula.
So from the front or back of your nearnew rental bike you’ll experience even more of the South Island, and this time we go anti-clockwise!
Another guide has been added, too. With the high demand for this tour, Paradise Motorcycle Tours is adding a second motorcycle guide, which means there can be two groups, each with a guide,to maximize your safety and enjoyment.
More options are another benefit of having two guides. You can take a shorter route on some days to relax and explore the final day’s destination, or enjoy a longer route for maximum riding time and sights from the saddle.
More bikes will be available. Paradise Motorcycle Tours has the most modern and one of the largest fleets in NZ. Being
an official partner of BMW Motorrad, they offer a choice of the usual popular BMW models, or you can book one of the just released ones like the R 1200 RS, F 800 R or S 1000 XR.
I really look forward to seeing you there, but remember to book as early as possible, because this will be a very popular tour. SW
BOOKING:
Contact Paradise Motorcycle Tours on - Ph: +64 9473 9404, email info@paradisemotorcycle tours.co.nz or visit the website www.paradisemotorcycletours.co.nz
HERE IS A QUICK RUNDOWN OF THE TOUR:
Day one - Christchurch to Hanmer Springs (via Kaikoura)
Day two - Hanmer Springs to Punakaiki
Day three - Punakaiki to Franz Josef: Choose from two ride options.
Day four - Franz Josef to
Queenstown
Day five - Free day to explore Queenstown
Day six - Queenstown to Te Anau: Choose from two riding options.
Day seven - Milford Sound: with a two hour cruise on the Sound.
Day eight - Te Anau to Dunedin
Day nine - Free day to explore Dunedin
Day ten - Dunedin to Tekapo
Day eleven - Tekapo to Christchurch
THE COST –
Please Note: All tour prices are PER PERSON in New Zealand dollars inclusive of GST and you have the choice of two variations. The Deluxe tour covers petrol and most breakfasts and dinners and a higher level of accommodation. If you choose the Kia Ora tour, you buy your own petrol and all meals (other than the welcome and farewell dinners)
Shoei Neotec and Hornet available
Jetboil
Bahco tools
Shoei Neotec and Hornet available
DARLING DOWNS PART 2
QUILPIE TO TOOWOOMBA WORDS/PHOTOS
COLIN WHELAN
Plenty of towns to be passed through in Part 2 of this month’s pullout map. Some are good and certainly worth a stop, and some not so good, worth zipping on by.
QUILPIE
Nice streetscape and although the old pubs have shut down they’ve been retained and maintained. Offshears Bakery is friendly and serves good tucker. Fuel (91 and 95) is at the eastern end of town and open 6am til 9pm but there’s a number on the wall if you are outside this and desperate.
COOLADDI
This is the home of the Cooladdi King. A ‘burger-slash-sanger’ that’s unlike anything that’s probably ever graced any plate you’ve had in front of you. And I use ‘graced’ advisedly!
Roxanne runs this joint and, well, it’s rough outback country life like it should be lived. Don’t go past, coz you won’t go hungry! If you plan to tackle two of the Kings, adjust your front forks and rear shock pre-load before you get back on the bike.
CHARLEVILLE
A major hub town with all facilities including three places which should
be able to fix any problems with your machine. Probably the best is the Suzuki dealer, Tas Mini Mtrs at 104 Alfred St opposite the IGA and with the Corones Hotel currently closed, the best watering hole in town is the Cattle Camp just a bit further down Alfred.
AUGATHELLA
Full time BP fuel on the highway at the turnoff to the town and the Ellangowan Hotel is on Main St. It’s a great place to stay, you simply won’t find friendlier hosts or locals and if you have time get up to the library and chat with the staff there who seem to know everything about the town and its history.
MORVEN
A tiny town with a great feel. The BP is on the east edge but the north side of the hwy through town has a delightful park with historic items including a shed made from old kero tins. Stretch your legs.
MUNGALLALA
Don’t stop here unless you want to see how a town can slowly be killed. There’s nothing here anymore other than the pub. But oh it’s sure a memorable pub! The night I stayed there I was served by an old fella who, despite
his late model Jag in the garage, obviously couldn’t afford (or be bothered to wear) any shoes, who was so deaf that the TV (which he switched channels at will and with no regard for anyone else watching) was at numbingly high volume, and who told me that his wife didn’t feel like cooking so there’d be no meals tonight.
If you (legally) free camp in the Council reserve across the road you will be refused service. Extraordinary!
The only friendly face I found here belonged to a pool playing praying mantis!
MITCHELL
The highlight here for me is the artesian pool at the eastern end of town opposite the Caltex. Beautifully maintained and well run, if you don’t have a swim here on the way through you might as well be home playing video games. The Court House Hotel off the highway on Mary St has a sense of humour and is very welcoming.
MUCKADILLA
Just a pub here with a camping area attached where John the boss will let you throw your swag for ten bucks
with use of showers and toilets. It’s up to you whether you enjoy the sunshine on the Seat of Knowledge or the Bench of Bullshit!
ROMA
Hub town with everything you’ll need. The blokes at D&R’s Motorcycles on the highway west of the town really helped me out a few visits back and I can’t recommend them enough. The massive Roma Cattle Saleyards are on the highway east of town and sales are held Tuesdays and Thursdays. Really worth a visit if your ride coincides. This is not a great town for vegetarians.
SURAT
The old Cobb & Co station is superb, especially in the evening light. The Royal Hotel is characterless but has clean motel accommodation. The Caltex sells every grade of fuel and has the friendliest staff on the planet!
GLENMORGAN
Monty’s Garage at Glenmorgan is probably the main reason for taking the Surat option. It’s a unique outpost of nostalgia and all wonderfully maintained. Budget stopping here for at least an hour. Truly wonderful!
CONDAMINE
If you want an example of how this country’s history, culture and tradition can be ignored and erased, Condamine is a great place to stop. Don’t ask the backpackers serving in the pub anything about Condamine Bells or
local history or the location of anything coz they don’t have a clue. Don’t ask the backpackers serving in the Servo where the next place selling premium is coz they don’t have a clue. The riverside park is a good place to stretch but keep your pennies for somewhere more deserving.
KOGAN
What a difference 70km can make! The pub, the locals, the host at the Kogan Pub can hardly come from the same planet as their Condamine neighbours. A great mural in the bar but if you’re in a hurry don’t ask a local about it, coz you’ll be wonderfully engaged for ages!
DALBY
Almost qualifies as the Big Smoke. All services available but the pub rates are ‘mine’ inflated so you probably don’t want to overnight here.
YAMAHA BOLT C-SPEC
ROLL ON DOWN TO THE CAFÉ IN STYLE WORDS STUART WOODBURY PHOTOS NICK WOOD
Y amaha has expanded the range of the popular Bolt cruiser family. It now includes the C-Spec, which is basically a café racer inspired bike. It looks truly cool and attracts attention wherever you ride. You just need to
choose the colour – Silver or Green.
Having built our Yamaha Bolt outfi t, I am quite intimate with the way the Bolt is made and operates. The V-twin 942cc engine is smooth in operation and has a decent amount of power.
Having got used to the power it puts to the ground with the added weight of the sidecar, I found the Bolt C-Spec pleasantly fl exible throughout the rev range and fun to ride without the added weight.
The engine power and torque remain unchanged from the base and R-Spec models, as does the double-cradle frame, 12 litre fuel tank, steel front and rear guards, 12-spoke wheels and wave-style brake rotors.
The major changes that create the C-Spec’s look are the clip-on bars, rear set foot pegs, fork gaiters, seat and rear seat cowl.
As much as I like the look of the new seat and rear cowl
combination, it is not much more comfortable than the normal Bolt seat you would have seen or know. Because of the lie-down sort of position that the pegs and bars demand, the seat not as comfy as it could be. The pegs will make it hard for those with short legs. They are right at the point where you put your legs out at a standstill, a not uncommon feature on café racers. It’s not ideal, but you do get used to it. The clip-ons are nicely positioned,
and they really do give you that “café racer” feel.
The C-Spec doesn’t rely on looks alone as it tracks through the curves between home and the café. It has a sportier stance thanks to the 41mm KYB forks with 9mm longer tubes, plus the preload-adjustable piggyback KYB rear shocks (from the R-Spec) which have been lengthened by 6mm. Ride height has increased 40mm for an improved 37 degrees of cornering lean (it’s 33 degrees for a standard
BIKE TEST
Bolt), and Michelin Commander II tyres have been selected for their sportier handling characteristics.
Handling is neutral and very stable, supported by a ride that soaks up all but the harshest bumps. With a bit of fi ne tuning of the rear preload, it could get even better.
The single disc front brake provides enough power to stop you swiftly, and as with any good coffee grinder, mildly spirited cornering on this new Bolt C-Spec will grind the peg feelers (and
more) in short order, but much later when compared to the standard Bolt. If the original Bolt was accused of targeting the ubiquitous HarleyDavidson Sportster 883, then the new Yamaha Bolt C-Spec takes direct aim at Triumph’s similarly themed Thruxton. Is it a match for the Thruxton? Yep. Does it have as much street cred? We’ll have to fi nd out. Either way, the C-Spec is an attention seeker that you’ll need to ride if you’re the café type.
SPECS
YAMAHA BOLT C-SPEC
PRICE: $12,699 (plus on-road charges)
WARRANTY: Five years, unlimited distance
SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 10,000km or 12 months
ENGINE:Air-cooled V-twin cylinder, 4-stroke, SOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
BORE x STROKE: 85 x 83mm
DISPLACEMENT: 942cc
COMPRESSION: 9.0:1
POWER: 38.3kW @ 5500rpm
TORQUE: 76.8Nm @ 3000rpm
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed, wet multi-plate clutch, belt final drive
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 6.18 litres per 100km, premium unleaded
THEORETICAL RANGE: 194km
COLOURS: Envy Green, Liquid Silver
VERDICT: DOUBLE SHOT
G-PRESTIGE GORE-TEX BOOTS
STYLED
G-DURBAN AQUATECH
STYLE,
G-NY AQUATECH
STYLE, IN TOWN OR ON THE ROAD
G-VOYAGER
COMBINING STYLE AND SAFETY
TECHNICAL
TYRE
TEST
PIRELLI ANGEL GT
This is the sweetest angel of them all. Pirelli really does it right. We’ve ridden on many tyres from the Pirelli range from the dirt to the race track and everything in between, and loved the consistent feedback and excellent performance every time.
Not happy with the OEM tyres on our long term Yamaha MT-07, I contacted our mate Don at Pirelli distributors, Link International and asked for a set of Pirellis. Don sent down a set of the delightful Angel GTs. I got them fitted with our friends at Team Moto, Blacktown and was instantly impressed with the transformation the Angel GTs made to the MT-07. I actually had feel in the front tyre, and loads of grip. Increased comfort was also immediately noticeable. But it was rain I wanted, and rain I
got. You will have heard, seen or read about the pelting that Sydney and surrounding areas received recently. I just donned the BMW wet weather gear and rode (or maybe swam) to the office. I loved the ton of grip that the Angel GTs gave, even carving their way through flooded roads as if they were dry. I did my usual rain test and pushed the tyres until they slid and I could have sworn I was riding in the dry with the pace I was holding – impressive! It seems from general conversation on our Facebook page that a number of you are equally impressed with the performance, versatility and wear rates of the Angel GT. I now have just over 2000km on these, including a track day, and they still look new. One important factor here is that the MT-07 is such a light motorcycle, and based on that I think that life expectancy will be 15,000km (even with my riding). And even though I am riding the MT-07 quite a bit, this will equate to around two years from the set of Angel GTs. Very impressive and tyres that I’m happy to recommend after using them on a number of quite different bikes. Priced at $219 for the 120/70/ZR17 front and $319 for the 180/55/ZR17 rear, they are great value, too. See your local Pirelli tyre dealer or visit www. linkint.com.au/pirelli_dealers_page. html to find a dealer close to you. SW
back to Barham but decided in the end to just run up the Murray Valley Hwy to Robinvale. Lake Boga and Boundary Bend offer nice places to stop and we also managed a quick stop for a picture of the Big Cod at Swan Hill. We made Robinvale for a late lunch and then pushed through to Mildura. Nothing much to talk about on the Sturt Hwy, just watch out for wildlife. We booked into a six berth cabin at the Rivergardens Caravan Park at Gol Gol, great spot. A few extra drinks that night drowned out the collective snoring. An early start on day three. I think we were all happy to get out of the cabin. Coffee and breakfast in Mildura and a ride around the town and river esplanade as one of our party had not visited Mildura before. He agreed with us that it is a great place to spend a few days. Down to Redcliffs for another photo stop at Big Lizzie, very impressive piece of machinery for the time. Then straight down to Ouyen, there’s no other way, for lunch. Another bakery which was doing a booming business and that was good to see. Many of the small towns are showing the signs of a damaged rural economy but Ouyen seems to be doing okay, we were only there a short time but made to feel very welcome and that may be the secret.
Again looking for a more interesting road to Horsham we headed out on the Mallee Hwy to Walpeup to pick up the Hopetoun-Walpeup Rd. We were glad we did. Almost brand new blacktop with sweeping curves and long fast straights and we didn’t see car or another bike for 80km. Quick stop at Hopetoun to take in the sights around Lake Coorong and to refuel, which looked like a problem until we bumped into the owner of the only place in town that sold premium fuel (in Austin St).
We made into Warracknabeal for lunch and a helpful local pointed us to the Royal Hotel. Looking forward to a good pub lunch we waltzed in, but we weren’t two steps into the dining room when the waitress greeted us with, “sorry lads, you’re too late lunch, went
off at 1.30”. It was now 1.33. Couldn’t help noticing that the other pubs in town were boarded up – this could be the reason. We settled for fish and chips at the café next door and headed out of town leaving our dust behind. The next part of the journey was probably the worst of the whole trip. The road quickly filled with cars and trucks as we got closer to Horsham with constant road works placing short sections of gravelled blacktop in our way. The Western Hwy out of Horsham to the Wartook Rd turnoff is probably the worst 40 minutes I have spent on a bike. Timing didn’t help as it was obviously tradie knock off time, so we had a gaggle of SS and XR utes mixed with 40 tonne weaving semis making three lanes out of two to get past everything in their way. All totally ignoring the road surface, which would be quite at home on the surface of the moon and which happily pounded the suspension and your rear from every angle. Of course you could slow down if you were happy to become a radiator ornament for a stray Mack. I penned a letter to the roads minister about that stretch of road but I am sure it is just sitting in a very high pile. Sadly there were two fatalities the following week, and it doesn’t surprise me.
It was a relief to pull into Wartook and the Wander Inn and a cuppa to steady the nerves. This set us up in the right frame of mind for the run over the top of the Grampians to Halls Gap. While the road out of Horsham was the worst, this stretch is one of the best. It becomes almost hypnotic as you set up for each corner and take in the vistas revealed around each bend. Stay focused or you won’t last too long. We took the detour up to the Boroka lookout and that is a nice piece of road in itself and you get to do it both ways.
Down in Halls Gap we had a couple of rooms booked at the Grampians Motel. We had a great night in the restaurant there with a visiting Italian chef putting some great food in front of us. We met some fellow nomads, they were driving cars but we put our differences aside as they had their own stories to tell.
The early starts, long days of riding and après road refreshments were taking their toll by day 4 but we were still saddled up by 7.30am to continue through to Port Campbell by day’s end.
A cool change meant we had to rug up as we headed off. With the locals’ warning to watch out for the roos fresh in our minds, we headed south on the C216 to Dunkeld. We didn’t have to go far for our first encounter with the roos in the form of some fresh road kill on the side of the road. As we cruised along with the sweeping curves unwinding in front of us, we rounded a corner to find one of them right on the road. He waited till we were in range and then bolted across our path. In his haste he stumbled and fell, narrowly missing the lead rider, and with the rest of the group hard on the anchors he scrambled off into the bush and we got away with a near miss.
Undeterred, we headed on to Dunkeld for our first latte
of the day, but unfortunately 9am was too early for the local café so we carried on to Penshurst. With virtually no traffic we had these country back roads to ourselves. After some breakfast we took the Mount Rouse tourist route up to the lookout to be greeted by stunning panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. The next stop was Mt Eccles National Park via the Penshurst – Macarthur road. This was reduced to a single strip of bitumen in places but was still fun to ride. At the top of this extinct volcano we found Lake Surprise. It may be a surprise, but it’s not a secret. With another bike group and a busload of OAPs up there it was a bit crowded. After a few photos it was off to Port Fairy for lunch on the Hamilton Port Fairy Road, which was a pleasure to ride with little or no traffic. With more food and lattes consumed it was onward to our final destination for the day, on through Warrnambool to the B100, otherwise known as the Great Ocean
Road, which gave us a taste of what was to come. We had one quick stop at the Twelve Apostles for the obligatory pic and then on to the Port o’ Call motel in Port Campbell. We had dinner and a few cold ones to wash it down in the Twelve Rocks restaurant which brought day 4 to a close.
Sadly our last day had arrived next morning, but that also meant we were riding the GOR. After a nice hot latte we descended on the local servo to fill up the bikes only to find it was closed with a phone number on the door which no one answered. Luckily we found another servo in the town disguised as a fish and chip shop. All fuelled up we set off for day 5.
Today would be all about riding one of the best motorcycle roads in the country or maybe even the world. We set off after we agreed that if anyone wanted to stop for a photo or anything to flash high beam and pull over but once we got going and those corners
started rolling out in front of us there was no sign of anyone stopping. It was almost hypnotising and before we knew it we were in Apollo Bay and another pit stop beckoned. We were soon back on the bikes heading for Lorne and lunch. Flake and chips all round and a good stretch of the legs and it was back on the road again. The GOR was everything we had expected and more and we had a great day’s riding. Now we were on the home straight. With news of a cycling event on in Torquay adding to the normal Sunday traffic, we made a quick change to our route and parted company with the Great Ocean Road to head inland on the C151 to Deans Marsh. This was well worth the detour; we wound our way into the hills on this tight and twisty road with big grins all round. At the Winchelsea Tea Rooms we said our good byes and started hatching a plan for the next road trip. All we need to do now is convince the wives of the therapeutic value of such activities…
WORDS/PHOTOS TIM STANDEN 1
SUMMERTIME
AND THE LIVIN’ IS EASY IN OUTBACK NSW
Ah, summer: serenity of the open road and touching the edge of the NSW outback, without getting in too deep or too hot. TIGGR’s first trip hits the spot!
1
Pub or no pub, there’s always life in the desert. We all know that the secret to a great arid region tour lies largely in the timing. I reckon late July would be about right to balance the clearing of any big rain (which closes roads out there very quickly) with the appearance of the desert flowers versus the onset of the high summer heat.
2
Pooncarie - an oasis in the desert. So, what to do when Mungo’s closed for the day? Go to the pub at Pooncarie of course! With good accommodation and friendly staff, make sure you’ve kept your ‘pub-fitness’ up! A word of caution when travelling out and around Mungo/Pooncarie is to take care with your fuel planning – there’s no fuel at either location. I thought I’d keep the load light as well, as there’s a more than fair chance of encountering sand along the way – keep it to the essentials!
3
The Sturt Highway - remember to wind up your alarm clock. I have nothing good to say about this stretch of boring, windy, hot, truck infested, fly blown tar. It is a means to an end. Nothing more.
4
Perry Sand Hills - Don’t stand still for too long, that large tree did… Just outside of Wentworth are the amazing Perry Sand Hills. According to the experts, these dunes originated 40,000 years ago after an ice age and now cover over 300 hectares. The sand here is literally almost as fine as talc, and believe me, it gets everywhere! Exploring these dunes in the late afternoon is a surreal experience; the sense of isolation is completed by the hissing of the continually shifting sands on the wind.
5
Wentworth Post Office - get your latest AMM sent to you here… With the confluence of the Murray and Darling rivers, an old goal, wineries, cafes and pubs there’s a lot to see in and about Wentworth. In addition to the charms of this great little town, it’s also a good base for a visit to the spectacular Mungo National Park and outlying areas. Mungo will have to wait for next time – the centre had just had a fire the day I planned to visit and was closed!
6
Now that’s more like it! Not wanting to leave the river without seeing an original lift bridge over an actual river, a quick chat with one of the locals put me on the right track. Outbound from Darlington Point heading west along the Sturt is Carathool – with a proper bridge where you’d expect to find it!
7
Darlington Point – isn’t there meant to be a river here? First stop was the Riverside Caravan Park along the Murrumbidgee at Darlington Point. This small town has its roots in timber cutting for the railways as well as wool transport. The caravan park is a top spot to pitch your tent, or hire a cabin, right on the river’s edge. Because it’s a few kilometres north off the Sturt Highway, it’s also very peaceful outside the main tourist season. Remnants of the past can be seen at the entrance to the caravan park which is a relocated part of the original lift bridge built back in 1905
I probably left it a tad too late as the temps were really starting to get up there in late October. But either way, put the planning in and you’re assured of a trip to remember. 4 5 6 7
SPACE OPERA
HAGAR PACKS IT IN WORDS/PHOTOS DAVE ‘HAGAR’ GABLE
I’vebeen re-re-re-reading your Australia Motorcycle Atlas (the one with the 50 top rides*), Bear, and I was interested to read what you and other riders do when they plan a trip. To add to that discussion, here’s my method of rigging up.
I’ve written up an itemised list of everything I could possibly want or need for a trip, from which I pick and choose what I need (not want) for a particular ride.
Compared to some other riders, I’ve done a relatively small amount of distance travelling, but have found that this works well for me, so maybe it’s worth sharing for others to try.
I have Givi panniers and top box set up on my Yamaha Diversion, giving me a nominal luggage capacity of 112 litres (yeah, right!). I devote one of the panniers to my tool kit, a substantial first aid kit, emergency road light (orange flasher on tripod), a piece of old army blanket big enough to wrap over the shoulders and around the chest, a lightweight jacket, a water bottle and some garbage bags. Then I squeeze in anything else that’s not needed often (towels, etc). For longer trips I’d consider dropping the water bottle for a small fuel container (for that longer leg
1 2 3
that takes the last drop in the tank). All of this weighs in at less than 8kg.
The garbage bags not only come in handy for rubbish (obviously), but also for dirty clothing or shoes that can be cleaned up when you stop at the end of the days’ ride. I try to get as much of the non-clothing items into this pannier so that they are separated and don’t get mixed up (along with me).
I’ve not mentioned my riding clothing, because I’m usually wearing it regardless of climate… DriRider pants, and either summer or winter weight jacket, gloves with or without inners, Buff head-scarf and helmet (naturally); mine is the Nolan Classic N-Com 102 flip face.
around too much. This makes it not only easier to get clothing out of the pannier, but also means that I don’t have to lug the pannier around with me when I stop. And for those who don’t know it, here’s a packing tip… roll your clothes up, don’t fold them. Not only will they be less likely to crease, but you’ll get more into the bag! I’ve also tried vacuum bags for clothes, but I seem to always over-fill them and so avoid using them now.
In the other pannier I have whatever clothing I might need to take along: socks and jocks, shirts (‘T’ and polo style), spare jeans, a pullover or jumper, shoes and thongs (not for riding), a towel, a good book, and whatever charging gear I might need for telephones, camera batteries, etc. All of the clothing is packed into a bag bought for this purpose which fits inside the pannier. This gives the clothing an extra layer of protection from whatever comes your way. The rest of the gear is packed around it to stop it moving
In the top box I carry my “manbag”, which houses ID, credit cards, mobile phone, a torch (I always carry two!), more pens and a notebook, a PDA, small change and as you mentioned, munchies. Additionally I have a “bike bag”, which is always kept packed, and has those bits and pieces that are always necessary when you don’t have them (like a firm sidestand block for those soft parking areas). It also has sunscreen, insect repellent, deodorant, notepad and pen, a torch (the other of the two already mentioned), a set of wet weather pants, a Swiss Army knife, a hand towel, and last but not least, a pair of clear safety glasses. Why safety glasses? Have you ever ridden at night with a tinted visor? You can
1. Everything laid out. The cat is an optional extra.
2. Top box. The cat would fit in here
3. Travel bag.
4. Clothing pannier.
5. Utilities pannier.
ride with the visor up, and the glasses provide valuable protection for the looking gear.
The topbox also houses either a thermos or a cold bag depending on the season. I’ll also throw in a hat, sunglasses, binoculars, and anything else which I’d consider necessary to take along. Otherwise it’s relatively empty. This helps to keep the centre of balance lower down too.
All up weight for all of this gear is just under 16kg. This would obviously change depending on what you choose to take along, where you’re headed, how long you’re gone, etc.
I have a Dri-Rider tank bag, but as you mentioned in your article, it did scratch the tank, so I don’t use it unless there’s no other way out.
The photos above show all of the gear laid out, and in each receptacle, packed and ready to go. It is surprising just how much you can fit into these Givis!
And before you ask…yes, I have done the “halve and halve again” routine, but I found that a written list of items, followed and stuck to, is (for me anyway), a better option.
*There’s a new Atlas out with 227 rides, Hagar. When’s your birthday? Time to drop a hint…
LEAVE HOME WITHOUT
Tubeless Tyre Puncture Repair
» The Dynaplug ® Ultralite is the most advanced tyre repair tool on the market.
» No reaming. No gluing.
» Lightweight aluminum body and removable stainless steel insertion tube (to hold the repair plug).
» Suitable for repair of punctures in tubeless tyres that range in tread thickness from 3/16" to 1-1/8" (0.48cm to 1.125cm) at the point of puncture.
» Designed for use on motorcycles, lawn equipment, ATV's, golf carts and farm implements.
» Includes everything to make professional repairs; all packed and ready to store neatly in the handle. A Dynaplug ® repair typically will last the life of your tyre.
RATED 3 OUT OF 5 HELMETS
Okay, so just imagine that I happened to lose my virginity in the back of a beloved old character-filled VW Kombi wagon, which I subsequently smashed in an accident (which needless to say wouldn’t have been my fault!). And say I replaced the Kombi with a utilitarian ute, a Hilux which I still have.
So we’re chatting and I point to the ute and say, “I had my first sex in that ute.” Would I be telling you the truth?
Well of course I wouldn’t! Just because the ute replaced the vee-dub doesn’t make it the same thing, does it? What happened in the Kombi didn’t happen in the Toyota!
Well, not unless we’re in Queensland, or more precisely in Ingham, or even more correctly if I had an interest in, or ownership of a pub there, or to be
exact, if I was connected with Lee’s Hotel on Lannercost St.
See, in the 1940’s a bloke named Dan Sheahan wrote a poem about an event at the Day Dawn Hotel in Ingham, but, unfortunately, like my mythical Kombi this pub no longer exists. It was bought in 1958 by Rupert Lee who demolished it a couple of years later and replaced it with the utilitarian, unattractive and eponymously named, “Lee’s Hotel”.
And yet the folks at Lee’s Hotel have no qualms about claiming that Dan Sheahan’s poem “The Pub Without Beer” was written about their pub… despite the problem of it not existing until almost two decades after Dan put pencil to paper.
And yet, Ingham does have crucial ties to what became the Slim Dusty song “Pub with no Beer”, it’s just that Lee’s Hotel has as much claim to being the basis of the poem as I have a claim to being Ernest Hemingway by simply standing on his grave! (*See sidebar)
I was mulling all this as I sat on the deck of The Pub with No Beer at Taylors Arm, two thousand kilometres to the south of Ingham and midway between the two east coast state capitals. I must’ve been in the mood for cogitating over deceptively misnamed things as I’d just come up from Sydney on a highway called, “The Pacific” despite the Pacific Ocean not touching the coast of this country at any point! (Don’t get me started!)
The Pub With No Beer (let’s call it, ‘TPWNB’ from here on), is inland from the highway south of Macksville and if you have any pretentions about seeing the iconic hotels of this land, this is a pub you need to visit.
The sealed 30km ride in from the Pac is a glorious twisty respite from ‘the slab’.
Turn west at the south Macksville Independent Fuel and opposite Woolworths onto Boundary St and then take a left onto Wallace and follow the signs for Taylors Arm. This road soon joins the Taylors Arm water before leading you into the verdant beauty of the hinterland.
You’ll hit a T with both directions announcing Taylors Arm. Take the right if you want to stay on sealed, take the left if you feel drawn to some dirt. I park around the back (there’s no undercover parking) and head into the bar to be welcomed by a young bloke who’s obviously not a backpacker and a “g’day” from each of the other 3 drinkers in the bar. David’s the son of the bosses and he soon sorts out my room and my drink, and I retire to the west facing veranda to soak up the last
warming rays of the setting sun.
Pretty soon David’s dad, Trevor arrives and comes over for an intro and a chat. For no other reason than I am a new face in the place. He tells me the Taylors Arm version of the myth behind Slim Dusty’s song. There seems to be a few holes in it, but this ain’t the time to point them out!
Trevor and his wife Tracey have leased the pub for just on a year this time around after managing it for a while about a decade ago. They have a long connection to the place. (Their family even donated an old church which was on their property to the hotel, and which has been relocated to the back of the pub and is now lined with beer cans).
After their first management of the pub they built up and then sold a stock feed business and bought a 100 acre cattle property just down the road. The cattle are grass fed and then finished with in-paddock grain mix, slaughtered down in Freddo and then brought back to the pub and served as everything from burgers to snags to T-bones in the restaurant. You can also buy shrink wrapped cuts to take home from the fridge in the back bar.
If you know the rudiments of ruminants, learned the evils of feedlots and are an advocate of short paddock-to-plate distances, this is just one of many reasons to come to Taylors Arm. The restaurant is open for lunch 7 days and for dinner only on Fridays and Saturdays though you can get delicious massively topped pizzas on all other nights.
This is very much a family business with Trevor and Tracey helped in the bar by their two sons, David and Adam whom dad considers critical to the success of the pub. “They both love working here, and the locals love having them behind the bar so it all makes for a happy place,” he tells me, and he’s damn right!
On the wall at one end of the bar is an old style bookmaker’s odds board with, “Who’s Next” pinned to the top. This, Trevor explains with a laugh is the ‘book’ on who’s the next to be
barred from the place and it’s a pretty tight market at the top with ‘Pawsey’ favourite at odds of 5 to 4 on! I figure I need to speak with this thoroughbred!
Like every regular, Pawsey has his own stable so I hardly need my Garmin to find him in full flight in his stall at the corner of the veranda. His raucous testaments to the goodness of this pub are echoed by the chorus of other nearby drinkers.
The only other guests this night are two young hippie women in a clapped out Volvo wagon who are squatting on the grass. As the sun sets and Pawsey heads off to his ‘mongrel kids’ someone produces a guitar and it’s passed
Station Hotel
Head north from the main street of Ingham, bending left and you’ll see a Shell servo on your right. Turn east around it, cross the two rail lines (one narrow for cane trains and one standard for passengers) and on the next block you’ll find the Station Hotel. If you’re lucky, behind the bar you’ll find Dulcie, the longest serving female publican in Australia, and likely her partner, Keith, who’s been working the bar for 5 decades.
It was Dulcie’s mother, when working in the Dawn Day Hotel, who told Dan Sheahan, “sorry but the pub’s got no beer”.
And just maybe you’ll run into Dan’s two daughters, Peg and Mary, two wonderfully warm women, generous with their time and passionate about the whole PWNB issue and their dad’s role. This pub is living history. The stately almost elegant old Station Hotel is the connection with the poem which became the song, not brash and tasteless one on the main street. I’ll be reviewing it in detail in the coming months.
around between locals and the Volvo dwellers who all strum requests as others sing along. There is no seam, no line, no friction between locals, visitors, guests and staff, the sign on the wall claiming there’s no strangers here just folks you haven’t met, couldn’t be more apposite!
The PWNB has a total of nine rooms with a combination of queen doubles, singles, twins, bunks and a dorm that sleeps seventeen. You’ll pay 25 bucks per head. You can also throw a swag or tent pitch on the oval across the road for a fee (payable at the pub) of 5 bucks (including access to the pub’s showers and toilets) to offset part of the maintenance.
The bathrooms are pristine and the pump drive, gas fi red showers are as good as any you’ll fi nd anywhere.
The rooms are clean and comfortable and with near zero traffi c at night I sleep well only to be woken at daybreak by a freaking lawnmower. What the???
Turns out it is Joe cutting the grass and then tending the garden of the
Anzac Memorial across the road in readiness for the service the next morning, and feeling the goodness fl ow out of him as we chat, I decide to stay an extra night and then share the dawn service with the 30 residents of Taylors Arm.
In the crisp, cold dark of April 25th near three times that number turn up to pay their respects. Young kids shine torches to help older folks navigate and read the service. It’s touching, it’s respectful and it’s perfect.
After the ceremony all head back to the pub where the staff has been working since 4am to bang up a free breakfast of bacon and eggs and beans. David and Andrew are welcoming everyone with a nip of Bundy and milk. I realise that this is the sort of Australia for which so many lives were lost. Fair dinkum genuine people in a beautiful place, and I’m glad I stayed the extra. But I have to get moving so I thank Trevor and Tracy and make my exit back down the twisting, cloud
shrouded Taylors Arm Rd. Halfway down through the mist I make out a single weak tail light. It’s a clapped out Kombi which I can’t get around for the thick fog! For the next ten minutes as I follow it down to sea level and out of the mist, I smile and wonder if anyone’s lost anything in there recently!
The Pub with No Beer at Taylors Arm scored 68 points on our scale, pulled back a bit by lack of lock up parking and some fi ttings in the rooms. This makes it just three helmets, but damn they’re good helmets. This truly is a go-see pub!
Full disclosure: I was offered, but did not accept, a free drink and meal while at the pub. These kind offers in no way infl uenced any of the review.
The Pub With No Beer, Taylors Arm NSW T: 02 6564 2100 (Trevor, Tracy, Andrew and David) W: www.pubwithnobeer.com.au FB: thepubwithnobeertaylors
RELEASE THE HOUNDS!
Akrapovic full exhaust system
Price - $1262.02
Standard, the MT-07 is super quiet, but I wanted to hear the tunes that only a 270 degree crank can play on a parallel twin, so the genuine Yamaha accessory Akrapovic full exhaust system was the choice of the day. Fitting took around half an hour and is a pretty simple job on a naked bike like this.
You can leave the baffle in, or take it out. I chose to leave it in as I like the tasty grumble that is being emitted, not the super loud bark that comes
when you take it out. Performance has been increased, (mainly torque) and it seems to have smoothed out the engine throughout the rev range. Akrapovic claims an increase of 2kW and 3.2Nm and a weight reduction of 1.6kg, not to mention the slimmer appearance thanks to the muffler box being under the bike, rather than sticking out the side.
Most of the Yamaha range has an accessory Akrapovic exhaust available,
The Bear has been swanning around overseas on a tour you’ll read about shortly, so his Scrambler has been sitting pretty in his garage waiting for his return. I knew I should have got the keys off him before he left! SW
I highly recommend you check them out at your local dealer or by visiting https://yshop.yamaha-motor.com.au/
Both you, and your bike will love the purchase! SW
AND AS A SPECIAL TREAT…
XL1200V 72
The next issue of MOTORCYCLIST will feature a roundup of the Kuryakyn accessories arranged by Rollies Speed Shop (www.rolliesspeedshop.com) and fitted to our Sportster 72 by Iron Head Customs (http://motorcycles-melbourne.com.au/) in Hoppers Crossing near Melbourne. Mmm… shiny! PT
YAMAHA MT-07
HARLEY-DAVIDSON
TUCKED AWAY DUCATI SCRAMBLER
HONDA VALKYRIE
SWING LOW, SWEET
I’ve ridden my share of unusually big bikes, all the way from a mate’s R 60 BMW frame powered by an alloy V8 out of a Daimler SP250, by way of a Honda Rune to a Boss Hoss, and I have never seen the point in building or buying these things. That partBMW handled like a wheelbarrow full of walruses around corners (though it was pretty fast in a straight line) and
would have been much better with the lighter Rover V8 (what am I saying!?); the Boss Hoss was simply a terrifying lump of metal which seemed poised to fall over the moment you got it past a degree or two of lean. Handling? Who knows? And why bother when you can go into any Honda bike shop and buy a Valkyrie?
You’d have to hope, of course, that Honda has not fallen prey to Nominal Determinism. This is the phenomenon known to the Romans as nomen est omen: your name is a pointer to your job or role in life. In Norse mythology, Valkyries carry the slain (dead, to you and me) to the afterlife. Admittedly an afterlife of boozing and carousing, but still…
CHARIOT WORDS STUART WOODBURY & THE BEAR PHOTOS THE BEAR
People often underestimate the “donor bike” for the Valkyrie, namely our old friend the Goldwing. Not only has the ‘Wing always been fast, it has also been a pretty good handler for several models now. Ground clearance has been one of its limitations, and the Valkyrie addresses that with higher footpegs which provide a signifi cantly larger lean angle.
But it’s time to hand the Valk over to Stuart, for his impression – he rides a wee bit harder than I do…
After jumping off our long term Yamaha MT-07 onto the quite large Valkyrie, it took a few minutes to
acclimatise. This certainly is a mansized motorcycle, yet is relatively easy to manage thanks to the bulk of its weight being set low in the frame.
The engine is the familiar 1832cc fl at-six Honda Goldwing/F6B powerplant. It has loads of go thanks to the Valkyrie being 80kg lighter than its donor, the Goldwing and 44kg lighter than even the F6B. And with so much go, you fi nd that 1st gear is very short. The torque curve must drop away reasonably quick once you get it up over 5000rpm. It feels like a limiter, but you just need to shift really quickly up through the
“BUT, AS MUCH AS YOU MIGHT THINK THE VALKYRIE IS WHOLLY AND SOLELY BASED ON THE GOLDWING, YOU’D BE WRONG”
Single sided swingarm, just like the Rune.
Lighter weight allows the flat six to perform much better.
gears to keep it in the fat mid-range which is lower in the rev range than on most other bikes – if that makes sense.
Handling feels solid and stable. Thanks to the footpegs being a little higher and a little more forward than on the Goldwing/F6B, the Valkyrie lets you crank it over a bit more in corners and enjoy the fun a big power cruiser like this gives. The Valkyrie has the same travel front and rear as the GoldWing and F6B, with damping that Honda says is calibrated for the lighter machine. It is fi rmer than either of those bikes, which I fi nd to be a good thing, as the Goldwing and F6B are a little soft for my liking. You also get more stopping power to suit the Valkyrie’s sportier intent, with dual opposed 4-piston calipers up front with 310mm discs that are larger than the Goldwing/F6B’s 296mm discs. A 3-piston caliper grabs the 316mm disc in the back. Styling reminds me instantly of the Honda Rune (remember that?). The Rune was a super expensive,
Bigger brakes, to stop this much faster bike.
very limited production and wildly futuristic bike that got very mixed reviews at the time. Some loved it, some loathed it. But, as much as you might think the Valkyrie is wholly and solely based on the Goldwing, you’d be wrong. The Valkyrie shares a lot of the thinking behind the design of the Rune, like the single sided swingarm, the big, bad ass styled vibe that the bike gives off and the futuristic appeal with LED headlight, tail light and indicators. It’s hard to get the photos to do the Valkyrie justice, you really need to see it i n the fl esh to appreciate what it is all about.
There is a limited number of accessories available for the Valkyrie. Mainly billet and chrome items, but you can also get a screen and a backrest.
Honda’s Valkyrie is a futuristic hot rod that will get attention wherever you ride it. Times have changed from the days of the Rune and this “new” incarnation fi ts right into the modern day.
SPECS
HONDA VALKYRIE
PRICE: $20,199 (plus on-road charges)
WARRANTY:Two years, unlimited distance
SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 6000km or 12 months
ENGINE: Liquid-cooled flat six cylinder, 4-stroke, SOHC, 2 valves per cylinder
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 7.02 litres per 100km, premium unleaded
THEORETICAL RANGE: 330km
COLOURS: Graphite Black, Candy Prominence Red
VERDICT: HOT FOR THE FUTURE
“Sir, you are an army—we are a traveling whorehouse,”
Captured French soldier to his Prussian captor
It was a dark and stormy night… but we didn’t care. We were safe and dry, not to mention warm, in front of the fire in the Great Western pub in, er, Great Western, Victoria. Apart from providing regular top-ups of beer and tasty local red, Chip, the publican, came around to take our orders for dinner and several of us opted for the old, tried and oh so true pub favourite, the chicken parmigiana.
It took a while – the black-clad chef of the Great Western does not do fast or even quick food – but it was well and truly worth it. The chicken with its golden coating hung over the edge of the plate on three sides, or maybe even four, and hid a treasure of crispy chips and equally crisp salad. I couldn’t finish mine, and neither could some of the others.
“Was the food all right?” asked a seriously concerned Chip.
“Mate,” I said, “we mainly come from the city. We just can’t eat that much!” He seemed reassured, but now a little worried about us.
The occasion was, of course, the First Manoeuvres of the 1st Platoon of the Bear Army. Numbers were small, but the last
IN TRAINING
THE FIRST MANOEUVRES PHOTO/WORDS THE BEAR
thing I would ever want any trooper to feel is an obligation to do something they didn’t want to do. That’s not what the BA is about.
So what is it about? I threw that question into the conversation as we were settling back after our attempts to climb Mt Parmy, equipped with only knives and forks. The almost universal response was “umm…” This is definitely a low-pressure force. I know that I don’t want us to raise money for charity, for instance – there are many other motorcycle organisations which do that. I want us to be as laid back as we can be. As laid back, for example, as parts of the French army (see the quote at the beginning of this story).
We did debate a few ideas but in the end we pretty much came back to “umm” again. So this question has been put back to be discussed at the 1st Platoon’s second manoeuvres, in NSW in June. In the meantime, when Chip began to make noises about closing the pub, we repaired to Lionel’s room and the bottle of amazing Single Malt whisky. Thank you, Lionel. And so to bed, and a good night’s sleep in the Great Western’s comfortable beds before we rose, bright-eyed and bushy tailed (good whisky does not give you a hangover unless you drink tumblers full of it) and headed off for the general store across the road from the pub which
1. It was only at breakfast that we remembered to take a photo of the troops. From left, they are: Kate Colwell, camp follower; Peter Colwell, Trooper #20; Lionel Camm, Trooper #5; Wayne Thompson, Trooper #32, and Yours Truly, Officer Commanding.
2. Taking our cue from Frederick the Great*, that an army marches on its stomach, we not only dined well but breakfasted well, too –across the road from the pub, where inflation has inserted its grubby digit and increased the price of a pair of bacon and egg sangas from $5 (at my previous visit) to $6. Still a bargain.
*I know that this comment has also been attributed to Napoleon. However, Napoleon not only acknowledged that Frederick the Great was a better general than he was (he said “Gentlemen, if this man were still alive I would not be here”), but is also recorded as quoting him on more than one occasion.
offers bacon and egg sangas. They’re not brilliant, but you can’t argue with the price and the bloke behind the counter graciously took our photo for us.
Although the total establishment of the 1st Company of the Bear Army has been set at 250, there are still vacancies. Drop me a line at thebear@ausmotorcyclist. com.au if you’re interested, or read about it in the past few issues of MOTORCYCLIST. You will be very welcome, especially if you have good taste in Single Malts… 1 2
IF YOU’VE GOT THE CASH YOU CAN OWN THE MOST EXOTIC MACHINES – AND IT DOESN’T NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE AS MUCH AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT WORDS THE BEAR PHOTOS MECUM MIDAMERICA AUCTIONS
(WITH SOME HELP FROM GIZMAG; THANKS, MIKE)
1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer. Cyclone was the first and for many years the only factory to build a big vee twin with an ohc engine. The manufacturer lasted only from 1913 to 1917, but the bikes stayed competitive until Harley-Davidson and other manufacturers started racing eight valve vee twins.
Well, the Cyclone Board Track Racer didn’t sell for a million bucks after all at the E.J. Cole Collection Auction in March in Las Vegas, despite having been owned by Steve McQueen. In case you weren’t aware of this, every classic motorcycle that comes to auction in the US has to have been owned by Steve McQueen, or the auctioneers take it outside and set fire to it on the
CLASSICS
spot. Then they take the owner’s wallet and empty it of cash before handing it back.
Oh, all right, they don’t do anything of the kind. But they might as well. In the heady world of motorcycle auctions, an advantage like previous ownership by a celebrity can add many thousands of dollars to the price of a bike. Take that
Cyclone; built by an American factory in 1915 and restored meticulously, it would still have sold if it had been owned by you or me, but it would probably not have fetched US$775,000. After all, McQueen’s sunglasses from The Thomas Crown Affair sold for $70,200 in 2006; I can’t give mine away.
1-3. A 1917 four cylinder Henderson, also previously owned by Steve McQueen.
4. The 1942 Crocker, not to be confused with the bikes now being built as Crockers and looking very different.
5. Doth bright paint, as on this 1975 Chang Jiang, a desirable motorcycling gem make? Naw.
6. This 1910 Detroit Single came from a relatively little-known manufacturer which only lasted for a year.
CLASSICS
Steve McQueen is of course the celebrity of celebrities where motorcycling is concerned, and it is true that he must have owned and ridden hundreds of motorcycles during his all too short life. Another of his bikes, a 1917 Henderson, sold for US$190,000. I’ll bet he didn’t own the 1975 Chang Jiang that was also for sale at the auction, though, even though he was the highest paid movie star in the world when it was built back in the ‘70s…
The E.J. Cole Collection was variously described as “the largest and most significant collection of motorcycles ever auctioned at one time” and “The Motorcycle auction of the Century?”; it certainly put some of the most beautiful bikes ever made on the block. Among them was one of the hundred or so Crockers ever built, a 1942 bike that sold for US$350,000. And it wasn’t even owned by Steve McQueen…
7-8. An Indian Big Twin outfit, looking just beautiful. 9. Another Henderson with a sidecar –didn’t they stand up by themselves?
10. And while we’re on the subject of sidecars, what about this immaculate 1914 Harley-Davidson JD model?
11. Any respectable motorcycle auction must include at least one Brough Superior. This one had not only not been owned by Steve McQueen, but also not owned by Lawrence of Arabia. Or me, for that matter.
12. And don’t you just have to love this 1914 Theim (or Thiem) Single? A handyman special it might be, but it’s a rare and valuable machine. It was not, apparently, crashed by anyone famous – except for being famous for crashing such a rare bike, I suppose.
Nepal’s roads are legendary. I know, I’ve ridden them! (photo
COMPILED BY THE BEAR
Andy McGregor)
Inthe wake of the appalling earthquake in Nepal, I would like to appeal to you to please not wipe the country from your future holiday plans. I’ve only been there a couple of times but on both occasions I came away with happy memories of delightful and helpful people. Nepal has supplied manpower to the British Gurkha regiments for many decades, and you could often find a retired soldier who would be happy to share tea and a story with you. There is some good riding, too, although many of the roads were pretty disastrous even before the earthquake.
FreeSpirit is one tour operator which specialises in Nepal, and we had this story prepared before the earthquake. The company offered Everest Base Camp and other Nepal tours, as well as visits to Lhasa in Tibet. Here is an impression of one of those tours from Paddy Tyson, editor@overlandmag.com, to keep you interested in the country. Climbing within the Himalaya is like nothing else. In Europe’s Alps you can marvel at the majesty of the surrounding peaks, enjoy the broad vistas and feel insignificant within the scale of the place. The Himalaya are simply too big even for that. The views are limited by the size and proximity of the mountains themselves and riding the side of a valley on roads which are simply engineering masterpieces may be stunning, but having finally reached what you imagine must be a summit,
A QUICK NOTE FROM DUBBELJU
Wolfgang Taft from Dubbelju Motorcycle Tours and Rentals in San Francisco has “something fun and special!”
“Try out our new custom Scrambler or Bonneville,” he writes. “Their unique café styling is definitely different than most of our other rental bikes. Whether you are cruising around San Francisco or getting sporty on the backroads, these bikes are guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
1
you simply find you are on the floor of yet another valley.
Darkness had fallen as we rose above the tree line and our arrival in the town of Nyalam was eerie, as we threaded our way around potholes of indeterminate depth and between the free-range dogs and unlit vehicles. Even with limited visibility, I knew the settlement had a wild feel, perched as it is on the edge of the Tibetan plateau, devoid of any vegetation which could help tame the incessant wind.
I didn’t sleep, but it wasn’t the rockhard bed or the bitter cold. My head hurt, my chest felt tight and every time I nodded off I awoke with a start as I imagined I was being strangled. By breakfast I was nauseous and thirsty. Nyalam is at 3,800m where oxygen is already in short supply and I was suffering the early onset of altitude sickness, but it wasn’t debilitating and
we had to press on.
Daylight exposed the rugged beauty that surrounded us. Naked roadsides and mountains rising variously all around shared barely a blade of grass. The palette was one of browns and greys beneath an unbroken blue sky and it felt as though there wasn’t a drop of moisture for miles. We were still climbing onto the Tibetan Plateau. It’s a harsh dry place that sees barely 250mm of precipitation in a year, but the morning cold meant that I still had to wear all my waterproof clothing. Still we climbed to Tong La (La is the regional word for Pass) at 5,153m and the incredible, awesome beauty of the place just made me want to cry.
A manly response I know. I downed another Diamox tablet and gulped as much water as I could, but in essence, it seemed I was the chosen one of our party and the thin air was taking its
2 4
“We also have a Triumph Tiger 1200 Explorer: This all new adventure bike challenges the category leader BMW R1200GS. The exhilarating performance
from the legendary triple motor needs to be experienced to be appreciated. Now you can find out for yourself who will be your Adventure category leader.
toll. Altitude sickness can result in many things, the most damaging being a burst brain or lungs, neither of which I felt would have improved my riding any. I needed to descend, or a little longer to acclimatise.
But the thing about Tibet is that you can’t really descend. The plateau is an area bigger than NSW, ACT and Victoria combined, with an average height of 4,500m and surrounded by towering mountain ranges, hundreds of peaks seven or eight thousand metres high and more. There isn’t really any respite from the altitude, as you rarely fall to even 4,000m. It’s no wonder it’s called the roof of the world.
As I suffered, breathless, my arms and legs wracked with pins and needles, becoming simultaneously numb and painful, the little Enfield beneath me seemed absolutely unaffected. It plodded along, its EFI system metering the fuel as best it could to compensate for the lack of oxygen, feeding the simple single-cylinder engine which continued
to perform mile after mile. The next day I matched its reliability again, my body rapidly acclimatising and the altitude sickness gone.
I was back in the saddle and riding out of the old town of Tingri, passed the coupled Yak working what appeared to be completely barren soil, and waving to the curious, friendly, Tibetans outside their distinctive flat-roofed houses. Colourful heavy door curtains, acting as insulation and dust barrier, create a vibrant contrast against the whitewashed walls and generate a scene I imagined lost within the pages of National Geographic magazines I’d spent hours poring over as a child. I couldn’t help but tap the tank of my little Enfield that had so faithfully carried me through Nepal and now up here, to this mighty plateau, where I faced my first view of the highest mountain on earth. I couldn’t have been more fortunate with the weather as Everest stood proud against a crisp blue sky dwarfing its neighbours. The peak, an astounding 8,848m, was creating its
4. Dubbelju has added to its Triumph fleet.
5. You don’t need to go to Cuba to sample a Cuban café…
“And finally we are on top of the waiting list for our first Scrambler Classic. The bike should be here any day and we cannot wait to break it in for you. With a 31.1-inch seat height, a narrow seat/tank juncture and the overall slim nature of the Scrambler we hope we will reach a lot of different customers.”
Good on you, Wolfgang. That Scrambler looks cool! As always Dubbelju’s service includes free trip planning.
1. Will it be so simple to visit Everest again one day? (photo Paddy Tyson)
2. Prayer flags: praying for the Enfield or the rider. (photo Andy McGregor)
3. Why not get dressed up a little to go out ploughing? (photo Andy McGregor)
own vapour trail. The sight, if not the altitude, was breath-taking.
The almost perfect black-top cut straight as a die across valley floors and then wound gently over minor passes as we headed toward the giant. There are no words to describe the final, gravel, switchback climb to Basecamp. The man, and the boy inside, trembles imagining Hillary, Norgay and being in the footsteps of true adventure. Ride it. Feel it. Find your own words.
But Tibet is more than just mountains. It’s home to an ancient culture, a land of intriguing food and of mighty temples, and the (ironically named) Friendship Highway links many of them. As it stretches from Kathmandu, across Tibet to Llasa and ultimately on to Beijing, the highway passes the most famous and holiest of all Tibetan Buddhist temples; The Potosi Palace. Would-be home of the Dalai Lama (were he not in exile as a consequence of the Chinese invasion), the thousand-room palace is arguably as famous as Everest and almost as difficult to photograph. We rode the bikes right outside and I dismounted and whipped out my camera. As the military guards laughed, I played chase with the police.
‘No Foto! No Foto!’
Keep an eye on www. freespiritadventure.com for developments in Nepal.
IF YOU WANT ALASKA…
MotoQuest is right at home there, with its headquarters in Anchorage, so you’d expect them to know what they’re doing up there. It sounds to me as if they do. Writing about their Best of Alaska Adventure, they note that “this tour offers the rider the opportunity to experience the diverse areas of Alaska, both coastal and interior. You will ride… the epic Thompson Pass in and out of the quaint fishing town of Valdez… this
TOP TOURS & TRAVEL
1600 mile ride is 100% paved.” Now that’s a ride I wouldn’t mind doing myself! More information from info@motoquest.com !
FERRIS WHEELS ON TOP
Feel like crossing the world’s greatest mountain range by the highest road on the planet at 5600 metres? Experiencing Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist and Sikh cultures as well as the high, dry desert of ‘Little Tibet’? All while riding the classic Royal Enfield Bullet 500cc single, and staying in cheerful, clean, midrange hotels?
Well, you’d better get in touch with Ferris Wheels Motorcycle Safaris at safari@ferriswheels.com.au and get the drum about the July and August tours! They start and finish in New Delhi and run from July 18 to August 7, and August 8 to August 28 – 20 days, with 4 non-riding days.
GRAB YOUR COMPASS…
The biggest tour of South America is on again, for only the second time. Compass Expeditions’ biggest ridethe 128-day total circumnavigation of the entire South American continent; known as the South America 360 Expedition.
“It doesn’t get any bigger than this” says Jerry Cook, co-founder of Compass Expeditions, “last held in 2013 we are running it again after numerous requests from past and future clients” continues Jerry.
Starting and finishing in Santiago, Chile the South America 360 travels south to the southernmost city in the world of Ushuaia before the long trek north up into and beyond the Amazon Basin. Turning west we reach the legendary Colombia before then travelling the spine of the Andes all the way south to Santiago. This is a stand-alone tour when it comes to truly exploring the entire continent; the diversity of cultures, landscapes and antiquities is unparalleled in the touring world. Compass Expeditions is one of only a handful of motorcycle tour operators
Having some serious fun on the gravel.
from around the world, and Australia’s only, that offer these major expeditions. Aside from the epic South America 360 expedition Compass Expeditions also operates the legendary London to Magadan: Road of Bones expedition; over 105 days in length and the subject of the Beyond Siberia 2 x 1 hour documentary that was recently launched at Cannes. The newest expedition (which has sold out) is the 80 day Cairo to Cape town Expedition this coming September, “all these expeditions are operated solely by us using our own support vehicles and staff” says Jerry.
For more information on the South America 360 expedition click the following link http://www.compassexpeditions. com/tour/major-expeditions/south-america-360-degrees/
To contact Compass Expeditions email info@ compassexpeditions.com phone (outside Australia)
+61 3 9747 2379 (within Australia) 1300 887 327
GET ROUTED TO NZ AGAIN
DaveMilligan, who introduced the Get Routed bike transport service to New Zealand, has sold the NZ shipping business to Clive McFadden. He’s still doing all the other destinations around the world.
“I intend to offer the same personal and highly professional service that Dave did,” Clive says. “I bought the business driven by both enjoyment of motorcycling and an affinity with New Zealand that came about during a 12 month holiday there in 1974.”
Now that’s a man after our own heart; we remember what we were doing on a bike in 1974, too. Or do we? Er… You can reach Clive for bookings or just information on +61 431 840 127 or at clive@getroutednewzealand.com.au .
“It’s not all sheep here in Unzud, you know, eh…”
You r
motto
Our service is
- the trip is YOURS, and we're here to help Every Rider or Driver receives our personal attention to the detailsbikes, roads, lodging, food and entertainment - that add up to make every day live on as a “Great American” day
2016 Guided Tours • The best "no worr ies" Holiday available!
Small groups, relaxed style and great roads every day Guided Tours include motorcycle hire, unique lodging and many meals There's a support vehicle for luggage, water, soft drinks, snacks and supplies. The personal attention of an experienced guide and support driver is all yours, 24/7
Self-Guided Tours • Your adventure, our exper ience
We’ve taken some of the Best Rides in North America - and you can too! Motorcycle hire, hotels, maps, directions, GPS, suggested activities and dining options are all included Many Guided Tours are available as SelfGuided adventures We'll even create or modify a tour to meet your needs
Road Trip Auto Tours • For non-r iding Family & Fr iends
Not everyone is a Rider? We'll still show you the best of North America in the rental car of your choice Most guided or self-guided motorcycle toursincluding custom - are available as Road Trip Auto Tours
Motor cycle Hir e • Competitive rates, round tr ip or one-way.
Visit our website or email skip@gamct com to lear n more
For a phone call or Skype (much fr iendlier than trading emails!) - just send a number and a good time to reach you
Shoei claims that the new Hornet ADV helmet is the “world’s finest adventure helmet”, and after getting hold of one and riding with it for the last month, I can vouch for that. This really is the finest
adventure helmet money can buy. Sure, you do pay a premium for the purchase, but if you want the best, here it is.
From the moment I took the new Hornet ADV out of the box I was impressed with the Shoei quality, something that is evident throughout the entire range of helmets. The peak was immediately interesting, and I instantly thought, “A lot of wind tunnel testing has gone into that thing”!
When I put the helmet on, it felt just like a road helmet from the Shoei range. Never have I had an adventure helmet that felt as close to a road helmet as this one, and this is where it gets interesting. Not only does the Hornet ADV feel like a road helmet, it also has two distinct advantages which made it even better than a road helmet. First is the extra vision the newly designed visor gives. No helmet I have ever worn has as much peripheral vision as this helmet. The second advantage is the extra room
around the mouth for better circulation. In low speed peak hour traffic, both of these features are welcome. The visor is also Pinlock ready for the new Pinlock EVO insert that comes standard with the helmet, so no more fogging out in the bush on those cold mornings!
Here is a bit of blurb from Shoei about the new Hornet ADV.
“The all-new V-460 visor (peak) was honed to perfection during countless development hours in Shoei’s wind tunnel and on the road to create the perfect balance between aerodynamics and traditional visor functionality. The innovative “wedge” shape along with strategically placed vent louvers allow wind to pass through unobstructed during high-speed riding, ultimately reducing lift and drag. Along with superior aerodynamic qualities, the V-460’s shape was strategically designed to push air into the Hornet ADV’s upper air intake for optimal cooling, all the while maintaining its fundamental purpose of providing sunshade and roost protection during off-road riding.
Rounding out the V-460’s innovative features, easy-to-operate quarter-turn screws allow for quick removal and installation of the visor without the need for special tools.”
The peak is the most stable and fatigueless peaked helmet I’ve ever used. I deliberately rode faster than normal to see what it would be like and all that wind tunnel testing has paid off, big time.
Shoei’s latest fully removable, washable, and replaceable 3D Max-Dry Interior System II material absorbs and dissipates sweat and moisture twice as fast as traditional Nylon interior, making it ideal for those long days on the road or trail, not to mention being super comfy. Additionally, the 3D-shaped cheek pads are available in multiple thicknesses for a fully customisable fit and the mechanical tabs disengage the cheek pads for easy removal by medical personnel if you have a tumble.
Abandoning the traditional mouthpiece of an off-road helmet, the Hornet X2 provides the additional protection
needed in poor weather, and the multi-stage lower vent shutter allows the rider to fine-tune airflow for all riding conditions.
The new Hornet ADV helmet is available in sizes XS to XXL in 4 solid colours and 3 graphic designs, with the price for the solids starting at $879 and the graphics going up to $999.90.
You’ll be seeing a lot of this new Shoei within these pages, it gets a ten out of ten from me! See your local bike shop to grab one, or visit www. mcleodaccessories.com.au SW
ENTER THE DRAGON
DRAGON NFXS GOGGLES
Price - $119.95
To go with my new adventure helmet I also got some new goggles. McLeod Accessories, who distribute Shoei helmets, also handle Dragon Alliance goggles. I decided to try the NFXs goggles, which are the smaller framed goggle from the Dragon NFX range. I got
the “Split Red” with the red-ionised anti-fog lens. The goggles come with a 100% UV clear lens, too.
Normally I’m not a huge fan of tinted visors out in the bush and the red-ionised lens may look heavily tinted, but in fact it isn’t. It provides great clarity in all but night time riding. If you are going to ride at night, you can get a Transitions lens.
The NFXs goggles feature armoured venting and a removable rock guard around the nose, four layer slant cut sweat absorption foam and a hypoallergenic micro fleece lining. You can fit up to 29 laminated tear-offs to the lens and the two inch adjustable silicon beaded strap has plenty of adjustment for all sized helmets. Available in a huge variety of colours, with a variety of lenses; visit
your local bike shop or www. mcloedaccessories.com.au SW
SMARTER THAN THE AVERAGE BEAR
SJS SMART START CHARGER 12,800MAH
Price - $139
I’ve had the misfortune of having a flat battery on a number of occasions with my race bike, so I was after a battery pack that could handle firing up my cantankerous beast without fade as well as coping with not being charged itself for quite a while. The result is the mid powered SSC05 unit from SJS – Smart Jump Starters. The SSC05 is a 500Amp, 12.8 Amp lithium polymer technology unit and is claimed to jump start most engines up to 3000cc diesel and 6000cc petrol. I deliberately let my race bike’s battery get as flat as could be and then I accidentally flooded the thing while testing out the SJS starter. I was surprised that it did not fade and supplied bulk amounts of power to get the beast firing. I was instantly laughing like an idiot and Alana sort of knew I was over the moon with the SJS, because she’s seen the flip side when I can’t get the thing going!
The SSC05 power pack comes in a zip carry case and also features insulated jumper leads, 240V Australian standards approved 15V
DC wall charger, 12V DC-15V DC car charger, USB cable and 8 USB interface adaptors, multi volt charging adaptors and cable, and a user manual. So out of all the contents in the carry case, you have a power pack that will nearly charge the space station in a blackout and will jump start the most viciously difficult beast you’ve got. And, if that’s not enough you can get the SSC06 (priced at $199) with enough power to transport you into the next universe, or if you don’t want that sort of power and would like a really tiny unit, you can get the SSC01 for $109. Visit your local bike shop or www.kenma.com.au and smile the days away! SW
EASIER THAN EASY SJS TYRE PUMP
Price - $39.95
To make life really easy you need a tyre pump that is electric. Just about all electric tyre pumps on the market connect to your battery, which on many bikes requires dismantling of panels and all sorts of mucking around.
This is where the SJS tyre pump comes in. It plugs into one of the SJS Smart Charger packs and away it goes, pumping up your tyres with ease. I was lucky enough to ride an immaculate Z1300 – yep, one of those big six bangers and as I have become accustomed to, the owner usually doesn’t have the tyre pressures up to what they should be. So I tried out the SJS pump on both the front and rear (which had less than 18psi!) and the pump worked perfectly. The gauge on the pump was close enough so that I could switch it off and check with a proper gauge, requiring only a minor adjustment. The unit itself is small enough to pack anywhere in your luggage for touring and is even handy for your car tyres! My floor pump that really gets the sweat going in the hotter months or when you’ve got your riding gear on has all but become redundant, and for that, I am a happy chappy. Visit your local bike shop or www. kenma.com.au to purchase. SW
PROTECTION OF THE HIGHEST ORDER
BERIK FORCE 2.0 RACE SUIT
Price - $1249.95
Having worn my previous all white Berik one piece leather suit for a couple of years now, I thought it time for a change. I have gone for a more understated black with white detail Berik suit, called the Force 2.0 Race
suit. This is the top of the range suit from Berik and has many superb features found in much more expense leather suits. It is made from 1.1-1.3mm premium full-grain cow leather, super tense-tex stretch fabric at the elbow, crotch and back of the knee to provide flexibility and comfort, and a full removable mesh lining with super airtech at the body and calf to offer better comfort and air circulation. It has CE approved internal protectors for the shoulders, elbows, hips and knees, external magnesium protectors at the shoulders and knees to provide maximum protection from impact and abrasion, an aerodynamic hump, perforated areas to improve ventilation, elasticated leather panels at the knees, back of the waist, back armhole for comfortable and flexible movement, neoprene at the collar, cuff and hem to reduce thickness and give greater comfort, double layer leather reinforcement at the elbow, shoulder and seat, Velcro inside front panel to facilitate a chest protector if needed, air-vent at back side for better air exhaust and temperature regulation, memory foam under the collar to give the collarbone more safety and
comfort, wrist belt on cuff, tail bone padding and removable knee sliders. Sizing is normal. I take a size 62 Euro in one piece Berik suits and it was tight when first worn, which is sort of what you want, so that after wearing it a few times the fit is more personalised to your body. And as with all suits off the rack, you will need to get the knee sliders into the right position. With all the flexible parts built into the suit I am not restricted at all on the bike and can move around to get myself into the right position while cornering on the track, swiftly. I also like that the suit features space for my back protector to be comfortable while riding. Be guided by your salesperson when you buy it to get the size you’ll need. The Force 2.0 Race suit is available in sizes S-4XL (up to 64 Euro) and in colours Black/White (as you see here) or a Black/Yellow. See your local bike shop, or visit www.ficeda.com.au SW
Confidence building, road riding courses ‘Getting to know your bike’ courses Group rides (e.g. Uluru, Tasmania) Learnfrommotorcycleparamedicexperience
Private sessions sessions– $75/hour (lesswithuptotwofriends) Group sessions (max.10people) at Kart Tracks- $380 (New)
Group courses arranged for clubs, a few mates (minimum 6), even work groups.
Private sessions now available at Picton Kart track– you could have the track all to yourself!
We can even pick you and your bike up if required* (*additional
product. Visit your local bike shop or www. kenma.com.au to get hold of yours.
FLEX THE WIND AWAY
Leatt Air Flex Wind gloves
Price - $99.95
We know that some of you like to ride in short cuff gloves all year round, and Leatt has the gloves for
you. These motocross-style gloves offer wind protection, while still being breathable. The gloves also offer NanoFibre palm material for loads of feel and they are CE tested and certified. Available in black and sizes 7-11. Visit your local bike shop or www.cassons.com.au
VICTORY STYLIN’
New Victory Motorcycles apparel
Get some style in your life with the new range of Victory Motorcycles apparel available in store now. Items in the new range include clothing, gifts and accessories collections. You will find great riding gear, comfortable
gear, comfortable and stylish casualwear, and premium personal accessories in these new product lines - all featuring genuine Victory branding. Visit your local Victory Motorcycles dealer to view the entire range, or www.victorymotorcycles.com.au
THE WINNER!
Dririder Trophy jacket
Price - $349.95
Classic look and features using Hi-Tech materials make this new Dririder jacket a winner. It includes a heavy duty cotton outer, which is
PU and carbon fibre coated (the more you wear it the more vintage it looks), retro quilted shoulder panels, metal classic zips, fixed waterproof liner, removable 85g thermal liner, armour, comfort liner and 7 pockets. It’s available in sizes S-4XL (Yes! says Stuart). See your local bike shop or visit www.mcleodaccessories.com.au
TOTAL TOURING
Oxford Montreal jacket
Price - $319.95
An extra length touring jacket from the Once
screen pocket. Available in sizes, S-5XL and colours Black, Desert and Black/Fluro Yellow. See your local bike shop or visit www.ficeda.com.au
wonderful people at Oxford. The Montreal jacket features a fixed breathable and waterproof membrane, hidden integrated rain hood, front, rear and arm air vents, removable thermal liner, mesh lining, CE armour in shoulders and elbows, removable back padding, Velcro adjustable waist, arm width adjusters, phone pocket - internal smart-phone and a touch-
NICE AND WARM, LADIES!
Ixon Pro
Tender gloves
Price - $109.95
Listen up men, your better half needs to have warm and dry hands while riding and Ixon has the perfect pair of winter gloves to meet that need! And ladies, if you need the perfect pair of winter gloves – here they are. Ixon’s Pro Tender winter gloves have a mix of leather and textile construction for lightness and comfort, have a discrete knuckle protector and the necessary reinforcements to meet CE requirements and will keep your hands warm and dry in the colder
months. Available in sizes XS-2XL and in stylish black, visit your local bike shop or www.ficeda.com.au
BOOT UP
Falco Mito 2 W/P boots
Price - $229.95
The Mito 2 waterproof boots from Falco are made of leather with textile inserts and feature an ideal rain/dry climate materials combo: the “HighTex” inner membrane matched with the “Air-Tech” ventilated material inserts for maximum breathability. TPU ankle pads and the real rubber sole are seriously welcome motorbikeuse add-ons. Available in Euro sizes
FLY TO QUEENSTOWN, NZ & RIDE
41-48, visit your local bike shop or www.ficeda.com.au
FEEL THE APEX
Ixon Pro Apex 2 HP gloves
Price - $129.95
This long cuff winter glove features thermo-alu insulation on the
backhand and a slider on the bottom palm. CE approved, its knuckle protector is covered with leather and the “Sensitive Touch System” allows use of touch screens without removing the glove. Stuart has the short cuff version of this glove (Pro Contest 2 HP) and can vouch for how toasty warm they are! Visit your local bike shop or www.ficeda.com.au
EXPLOSIVE!
Vance & Hines Grenades 2-2
Price - $1150 (Chrome) $1250 (Black) Want your Harley to sound the
wildest it can get? Well Vance & Hines has the Grenade 2-2 range of pipes available for the Sportster, Dyna and Softail range. They emit an aggressive deep tone from the innovative three step muffler design. The pipes come with CNC machined billet end caps; Superbung technology and header heat shields are included. Available in chrome with chrome end caps or black with black end caps. You can get an optional quiet baffle if you start shattering the windows. Note that the passenger footpegs need to be removed and models with saddlebags will require removal of the bags. See your local bike shop or visit www.cassons.com.au
GO NAKED WITHOUT EXPOSURE
Vance & Hines VO2 Naked air filter Price – From $199.95 Engineered, and manufactured entirely in house at Vance and Hines, this new air filter fits neatly under the stock air
cleaner cover or you can purchase the optional skull cap cover for the custom look. All aluminium venturi for precise air flow, and increased horsepower over stock, the kit includes a high flow, serviceable filter element, and all hardware and instructions for an easy installation. Available for most models for the last 15+ years, including the new Street 500. Visit your local bike shop or www.cassons.com.au
TEAR-OUT MAP #14
VICTORIA’S SOUTH COAST
THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD –A DIFFERENT VIEW
Manyof us have travelled the Great Ocean Road and only ever seen the amazing sights from the bitumen. Well, what about taking a look at a whole different aspect of the Great Ocean Road following some not so well-known back roads and dirt? This particular route is not especially long, but is a great “extra” to a visit to the Great Ocean Road as we know it, especially if you have an adventure style bike. Enjoy the trip! Base yourself in Apollo Bay for this trip; there are many different routes to get you there.
APOLLO BAY
This is a beautiful part of the country, even if the weather can be changeable. Apollo Bay has all the facilities you could want. Plenty of fuel, food, a good range of accommodation, and fishing and all manner of other relaxing things to do. The 12 Apostles aren’t far away and neither are the Otways Ranges.
BARRAMUNGA
Not much here, other than a reference point, if you need it.
FORREST
Nestled in the heart of the Otways, Forrest has plenty of accommodation options and a host of activities. World class Mountain Bike Trails surround the area, so if you plan to stay at Forrest, there are sure to be plenty of dirt roads for you to explore on a motorcycle as well. If you want a wholesome breakfast or mid-morning feed, the Forrest Brewing Company is a perfect choice. If it’s a bit later in the day, a wide selection of crafted beer is on offer.
DEANS MARSH
A small town, with the Pennyroyal Raspberry Farm and the Gentle Annie Berry Gardens nearby. There are
three wineries in the area - Blakes Estate, Dinny Goonan and Gosling Creek. However the main attraction at Deans Marsh is the Martians Café. If you’ve ever wondered where they landed – here they are!
BAMBRA
A reference point for the turn onto Bambra-Aireys Inlet Road.
ANGLESEA
Anglesea is a particularly signifi cant town on the Great Ocean Road as it marks the fi rst spot south-west of the road’s offi cial start at Torquay, where it meets the coast. If you’re there at the warmer time of year, the patrolled beaches are good for a refreshing dip. Accommodation, fuel and just about all supplies are available here. That includes some wonderful cafes and restaurants.
The shopfront styling fits in perfectly in Melrose Avenue.
MOTORCYCLES ON THE EDGE
Onceit was Disneyland or Universal Studios, Santa Monic Pier or the La Brea Tar Pits. Now (for anyone even marginally interested in motorcycles), it’s 7414 Melrose Avenue that forms the tourism centre of Los Angeles. There might be nothing more than a small shop at that address, but For The Love Of Motorcycles embodies everything that’s so wonderful about southern California’s motorcycle culture.
The shop is a joint effort between two of the most highly respected bike builders in California. They are Roland Sands and Powerplant Choppers’ Yaniv Evans, who are good friends despite taking a very different approach to their custom builds.
I went to have a look at the shop when I was in LA recently on my way to the Ducati Scrambler launch. I’d have to agree with an American mate
of mine that the location is perfect: Melrose Avenue was the birthplace of Southern California’s punk culture, and it’s always attracted the edgier, independent retailers who would never set up shop in a mall or a highfashion shopping strip.
Roland Sands explained his linkup with Evans by saying, “We both build motorcycles, so we got to know each other through custom bikes. I think we met in 2008 at a show in Beverley Hills. Then we both ended up in Japan for the Mooneyes show, and spent a lot of time there together, drinking and getting in trouble.”
ONE SMALL SHOP, A WEALTH OF IDEAS
WORDS/PHOTOS THE BEAR
Each brand has one of the display windows at the front.
RETAIL THERAPY
“WE
DID IT BECAUSE WE LOVE MOTORCYCLES, AND WANTED TO SHARE WHAT WE DO WITH LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE.”
- ROLAND SANDS
The store, he says, “is something we’ve always wanted to do. I have a small store at my [workshop] that does really well. So we thought, if we do the same thing but bigger and in LA, we should kill it.”
Melrose, he adds, is all about walk-by traffic. “Yaniv had an opportunity, and I was looking for a location. He called me one day to see if I had any interest. It was something I’d wanted to do for a
few years—and with our apparel and hard parts offerings, it just made sense.”
Sands says that the most popular products in the store are RSD jackets
and apparel as well as motorcycle parts. Powerplant does well with their own P16 label t-shirts, hoodies and vintage stuff. “It’s a great mix,” says Sands.
So enjoy the photos and remember, next time you’re in LA, to take a cruise down Melrose Boulevard. But remember also what my American buddy recommended: make your visit
1. We’re pretty sure that they don’t have dancing here. But only pretty sure.
2. Even the concrete floor is stencilled with bike art.
3. Now this is one seat that really invites you to plant your backside.
4. Beautiful work on this powerplant, by Powerplant.
5. The inside is an eclectic mix between goods for sale, display bikes and old… stuff.
6. You’re never sure what’s for sale and what’s simply decoration.
7. Some interesting ideas in apparel, like this jacket, line the shop’s walls.
8. Out the back of the shop is a fully equipped workshop, where bikes are built.
during daylight hours. At night, it seems, some… odd people come out down there.
And they’re not necessarily motorcyclists.
BATHURST BASICS
After a day of official practice and several which were not quite so ‘official’, the air was rent by the sounds of megaphone-enhanced, open motorcycle exhausts as the 250cc ‘Lightweight’ field shot away from the makeshift starting line and howled up the side of a small mountain called Mount Panorama just outside the town of Bathurst in New South Wales. It was Easter Saturday, 1938, and one of the world’s newest –and also one of the greatest - racing circuits was about to enjoy its baptism of fire.
The circuit was ostensibly a mountainous ‘scenic drive’, and had been opened as such by the town’s Mayor, Alderman Griffin, just over a month earlier. The ‘drive’ was clearly intended to be a motorcycle racing circuit right from the time an application was made to the State Government for funds to help in its construction. After all, motorcycle racing was held on dirt roads in the Bathurst area as far back as 1911, with the once-famous 11.6km, dirt-surfaced Vale circuit in nearby Kelso used for motorcycle racing from 1931 until 1937, so the town of Bathurst was quite used to hearing the sound of motorcycle racing at its doorstep.
It’s possible that the Mayor, a selfconfessed motorcycle fanatic, fooled no-one with the application, and the money might have been made available tongue-in-cheek anyway, but the fact remains that history was made on that day in 1938, when that intrepid band of riders disappeared in a cloud of dust and flung themselves to the top of Mount Panorama, skidding about on the then
gravel covered dirt surface of a very fast circuit which was, arguably, not yet ready for such a display of high-speed heroics. Most of those riders had ridden on the old Vale circuit, which was mostly quite flat: Mount Panorama was something else again!
I once asked a man called Frank Walker who had ridden the Vale circuit, but was now mounted on a near-new, 350cc ohc Mark 7 KTT Velocette at that first meeting in 1938, what it was like racing his skinny-tyred, purpose-built road race machine over a deeply gravel-covered dirt surface at high speed. The front tyre was a ribbed 3.00” - that’s all of three-inches, or 75mm wide! – hoop, mounted on a 20” rim, with a 3.50” ‘studded’ rear tyre! He remarked that he had been clocked ‘flat out’ at just under 95 mph top speed on the 1.2 mile, mostly-downhill ConRod straight with the bike almost out of control, weaving about from one (limited) lock to the other (limited) lock, while spearing frightfully from one side of the narrow track to the other. What about sitting up and slamming the brakes on for the slow left-hander onto the finishing straight, I then asked?
“Terrifying, because I didn’t know where the bike was likely to go!” he answered, shuddering at the thought, “but it was nowhere near as terrifying as leaping over Skyline on the loose gravel while flat-out in top gear as the track fell away from under me – and I was nearly always side-on when I went ‘over the edge’ as well!” Clearly, it was desperate riding and these blokes were heroes to a man, no doubt about it. They rode every bit as hard in those days as road racers do
today, although modern-day riders do so at more than twice the speed of those pre-war racers. However, these modernday riders do not ride highly-specialised road-racing motorcycles on high-speed, gravel-covered dirt tracks!
Racing cars followed the bikes in the 1938 Australian GP on Easter Monday, and the tradition of four solid days of motor sport, on two, three and four wheels was thus established for nearly sixty years. The long Easter break of a couple of days of great motorcycle racing would see many, many thousands of enthusiasts make the trip to that fine mountain circuit from every point of the compass, and every corner of this vast country. Records from the old Vale circuit days claim that between 10,000 and 30,000 spectators were often present at those rough, dust-enshrouded, prePanorama races. The racing on Mount Panorama, fully-sealed in 1939, always drew much larger crowds at its Easter meetings.
One of the Auto Cycle Union (ACU) greatest Secretaries, Wal Capper, astounded the establishment in the early sixties with the Bathurst 10,000 (POUNDS!) meeting, a reference to the unprecedented amount of pre-decimal prize-money available to winners and place-getters. His far-sighted attitude to sponsorship upset some of the earnest amateurs who were in control of racing in New South Wales at that time. I was the on-course race commentator at the control tower at the bottom of the circuit at that meeting. It wasn’t much of a tower in the early sixties, and it was quite an interesting time interviewing Wal on his
WORDS LESTER MORRIS
great achievement in securing the funds.
Wal Capper went shortly afterwards, but the circuit didn’t and went from strength to strength, often in spite of those at the helm rather than because of them. As long ago as the late sixties I suggested a Bathurst Speed Week might be a Good Idea, with trade displays, launches of new models, films and other motorcycle events including speedway meetings on the trotting track at Bathurst Showground, perhaps an Observed Trial on the steep hillside beneath the fast McPhillamy Park corner, even a scrambles (read Motocross) event on a special, purpose-built track built opposite the Pit Straight.
It could well have been so, and in fact the ‘Four Days at Bathurst’ in 1979which by then included racing from Good Friday to Easter Monday - became a reality after the open-wheel racing cars quit the circuit after two fatal accidents in the early seventies at the bottom of Con-Rod Straight on that holiday Monday. With some foresight and a little effort, those four days could have been expanded into a full week with the aid of normal evolution and the addition of some of the events mentioned.
I was on the Committee which tried in vain to acknowledge Fifty Years of Motorcycle Racing at Bathurst in 1988. We planned a grand four days of racing as it was enjoyed in 1938, the two-plusfour meeting for Classic machinery entirely viable for the Bi-Centennial Year and the celebration of fifty years of a then-minor sport at one venue. We might have negotiated a grant for the meeting, which could help celebrate the country’s Bi-Centennial as well, which was then a Very Big Deal indeed.
Alas the Belt Drive Brigade won out
again, and the idea had to be abandoned. An excuse given was that the governing body was afraid that an Australia Day meeting – which were the dates we had suggested - would seriously impinge upon the traditional Easter week-end to the detriment of takings through the gate, the latter forming a significant component of the income of the local body. Our suggestion was that the mooted Classic meeting would in fact enhance the traditional meeting at Bathurst, but our suggestions fell upon deaf ears. As it happened, there was a mention made of the fact that the 1988 meeting was a minor celebration of 50 years of racing at Mount Panorama, but the opportunity was lost forever.
I had seen the fiftieth anniversary of speedway racing on Sydney Showground come and go almost unannounced a decade before and had remarked even then on what an incredible achievement it had been, but the suggestion that something very special be done about it also fell with a dull plop upon similarly deaf ears; the Brigade, as usual, with its Ostrich Mentality, simply not interested. Unhappily, that great and wonderful circuit at Bathurst, along with the Speedway Royale at the old Sydney Showground - awesome, unforgiving, and indeed dangerous though they both were - are now lost to us.
At its peak Mount Panorama at Bathurst saw some of the finest riders this country has ever produced, and some of the finest the world has ever produced. Mike Hailwood rode there, and so did another World Champion in Kel Carruthers, yet another in Rod Coleman, along with legends like Warren Willing, Gregg Hansford, Jack Ahearn, The Hinton family in toto, the tough
Stan Bayliss, that amazing Vincent thrasher Tony McAlpine, Jack Forrest on the unwieldy Rennsport BMW racer, arch Velocette-tuner Sid Willis, the late, great Ron Toombs and hundreds upon hundreds of others. The list of these great riders would fill your community phone book.
Sadly, Bathurst was raped irrevocably by the V8 Supercar tin-tops, those purpose built Taxi-Cabs which race there in October and which pose as the purveyors of the country’s greatest – and certainly the most hyped -- two-horse car race. Thankfully, because of waning interest, the race has now become a several-horse race with the Nissan and Mercedes-Benz marques (and now Volvo as well!) lining up to show the two locallybuilt dinosaurs how it all should be done. Look out for other starters in the years to come.
Quite apart from the morons who wrecked the place every Easter for some forty and more years - oh, yes, there’s nothing new about the Saturday-night hop-heads, whom I first witnessed in Bathurst as a kid as far back as 1948 - the moment we saw the erection of half a concrete pipe around the entire circuit to contain the errant Taxis, we were on the thin edge of the wedge. The moment we saw a brand new sand trap on the exit from that great, fast and unforgiving McPhillamy Park corner placed in precisely the wrong place for two-wheelers, we saw the thin edge of the wedge. The moment we saw the sand trap on Skyline with a speed-hump at its boundary with the circuit, which would have launched a motorcycle over the boundary wall and half-way down the mountainside if it had run wide before the descent of the Esses, it was as good
as all over for two-wheelers
It may not yet have sunk into all of us, but what a monumental tragedy it was to lose Mount Panorama, the circuit initially offered by Bathurst Council to the ruling ACU of NSW by Bathurst Council back in 1949 – this happened, it must be said, even in the face of the Bathurst Light Car Club, which was - and is - very closely involved in the circuit’s history. Along with Solitude in Germany and Clermont Ferrand in France, Bathurst was declared to be one of the three finest circuits of its type anywhere in the world. We have, of course, Phillip Island, which is a fine circuit and which has managed to successfully host the International Grands Prix which Bathurst should have had thirty and more years before, and which will assuredly still be used for major races for many years to come.
We also have the fine Eastern Creek track, which is not in the same league as Phillip Island, the former rushed through before it could have been properly planned. Eastern Creek isn’t long enough for the modern Grand Prix motorcycle, though it is a fine and worthwhile circuit which has outgrown its premature birth. It has been said that the main straight should have been much longer to accommodate the International riders and their machines, but the adjoining property could not be purchased at the time. The extra length the circuit would have enjoyed would have been far more amenable to International events.
Eastern Creek’s major advantage is a geographic one; its close proximity to Sydney, Australia’s most populous city, an advantage Phillip Island cannot enjoy. The infield could easily be landscaped to build a serious MX track – possibly, even a dedicated Speedway oval? - and this could have easily assisted in making the venue even more appealing for a motorcycle race programme which could embrace several days of really first-class motorcycle racing on tar and dirt.
But there was a magic about Bathurst’s
6.213Km (3.816Mile) Mount Panorama track which cannot quite be captured by any other circuit we have in this country. It had a little bit of everything; the steep climb up the side of the Mountain, with those two, odd left-handed corners before the double right hander near the top of the climb, then an ‘opening up’ left-hander at the Bluff. The fast and treacherous run through that dipping and rising long, long, left-hander follows at 870 metres high - it really was a long left-hander if you were going quickly enough - the swift McPhillamy Park left-hander, then that all-too brief respite along the short Mountain Straight before that terrifying drop over Skyline and down the Esses. Then that long, mostlydownhill 300 Km/h straight to the slow left hander at the bottom. Then, after the fast Pit Straight, the medium-paced left hander which led to the climb up that back-straight which was nearly as fast as Con-rod and into the climb up the side of the Mount again after a swift right-hander. Con-Rod Straight has now been changed forever by that right-leftright kink which is Castrol Curve, altered to save face after a car driver was killed in an October Taxi Cab race when he slammed into the overhead bridge..
As a ‘Mountain circuit’ Bathurst had it all, as no other track in Australia has, or perhaps ever will, have.
While we have all rejoiced in the acquisition of our first-ever Motorcycle World-Championship Grand Prix, and certainly cannot denigrate that great 4.445Km (2.762 Mile) Phillip Island circuit, we should still mourn the passing of a great road race circuit, considered by many of us to have been by far the best in this country. It was my great privilege to be the on-course commentator at Bathurst for many years, for a couple of years in the main control box, but then the infinitely better commentary box atop the Esses at the very peak of the Mountain itself, and to enjoy the racing from a vantage point which allowed me
to view almost the entire circuit as few others have had the good fortune to have done. The great Will Hagon, who was in command at the lower ‘control’ tower, was my co-commentator for most of those years.
With the exception of the lower section in the Esses, and some of the run up the side of the Mountain to the Bluff and Reid Park, the whole circuit was laid out and entirely visible from the big picture window on that second storey of the commentary box. From that viewpoint I have witnessed many a heart-stopping moment watching some very sloppy – but very, very fast - exits from McPhillamy Park as riders approach the box head-on, often running very wide on the exit and raising the dust on the dirt surface just off the roadway as they did so. I have seen many a close dice as several riders in very close attendance would try to manoeuvre themselves over Skyline onto the ideal racing line down those frightful Esses, fighting shoulder-to-shoulder for the advantage of that faster line.
I once breathlessly described over the on-course PA system the exciting vision of a very large number of hard-charging ‘Clubman’ riders nudging one another about at very high speed on the lip of that steep drop over Skyline. They were fighting for the advantage of a clear run at the daunting S-bends, a sight I pithily suggested as “not unlike pouring a cup full of ball bearings down a funnel.” I imagine that summed it up pretty well.
STOP PRESS! Plans are said to be well underway to build a ‘new’ motorcycle race circuit to the East of Conrod Straight, a track which may be finished by September, 2016. Unhappily, it won’t be quite like the Mount Panorama of old and happy memory, but, should it actually come about, it will still be made very welcome. Hmm, I must get on the phone and talk to some people I know about enjoying another gig on the microphone: if you’ll excuse me, I’ll take off and do it right away!!
WELOVE 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.Then you can read many, not just a couple.We do reserve the right to cut them and, unless you identify yourself and at least your town or suburb and state, we will print your email address instead. Please address letters to thebear@ausmotorcyclist.com.au or Australian Motorcyclist Magazine, PO Box 2066, Boronia Park NSW 2111. All opinions published here are those of the writers and we do not vouch for their accuracy or even their sanity!
WINNER GETS THE BAG!
Whoever writes the letter we here at the AMM Cave like best receives a SholdaBagz with the compliments of Andy Strapz, Australia’s foremost designer and manufacturer of motorcycle gear.
“The bag is what we have come to describe as Black ‘n’ Tan,” says Andy (see www.andystrapz.com for more information and more of Andy’s productz).
This month’s winner is Matthew Morris, who has condensed what sounds like a wonderful trip into a letter to the editor!
HIGH TIMES IN THE HIGH COUNTRY
Hi Bear
I just read Colin Whelan’s article about touring in the Victorian High Country, “Getting High”. I was very interested to read it as I just led a group of 8 of us
on a 7 day trip from Sydney, through the Snowy Mountains and Victorian Alps.
After an overnight in Tumut we travelled to Kiandra, Cabramurra, Corryong, and Granya Gap to Tallangatta. Lots to keep you amused through there. We chose to stay at the Victoria hotel in Tallangatta. I agree about the strange vibe in the town, perhaps it’s the late ‘50s architecture? However, we had a pretty good meal and a comfortable night in the Pub in basic rooms with basic shared facilities. Breakfast was good with friendly staff at the town Bakery. The Publican (??) was friendly and obliging, we didn’t have any complaints and the tariff was excellent! I say all this because the more people who stay there, the better the facilities should get.
Our 3rd day on the road saw fabulous riding. Particularly the Mitta MittaOmeo Road, but watch out for sand and gravel on the corners, a cause of some excitement for a number of us.
I agree with the comments about Omeo, it is a bit “Nimbin”.
Up and over Mt Hotham and down to Harrietville saw us stop at a roadside stall for some apples, which were excellent. It was also our introduction to a plague of European Wasps which followed us for the rest of our trip in Victoria. Nasty blighters who can sting, and keep on stinging while excreting a chemical that
attracts more of their mates!
A further stop in Bright confirmed Colin’s comments, it is pricey! However, a big tick for the Ice Cream shop, fantastic milk shakes there!
When we were planning the trip we opted out of staying in Bright as it was just too expensive. We pushed on to Myrtleford where we were booked at the Railway Hotel. What a revelation!
Motel style units with undercover parking, a cracking deal for dinner, bed and breakfast and our first beer on the house!!
On leaving Myrtleford we headed on through Milawa to Whitfield for a very pleasant coffee stop and then onward and upwards through “Kelly Country” to Mansfield (lunch at the Delatite Hotel - a good pub with good looking accommodation at reasonable prices, maybe next trip). The WhitfieldMansfield Road is another great example of a road built for motorcyclists. It twists and turns across the ranges and leaves you with a smile on your face.
From Mansfield it was a pretty boring experience riding to Alexandra and then on to the Black Spur, which restored our spirits. From Healesville we then splashed through rain and across some slippery dirt to the summit of Mt Donna Buang (freezing!). We stayed the night in Warburton (The Alpine Lodge). This
big old lady is under renovation, but quite comfortable (despite the rain) and a pretty damned good dinner in the dining room. Another day of great roads, but dodgy weather.
From Warburton we headed through Yarra Junction, Noojee and Rawson which was a fabulous ride through magnificent Gippsland rainforest. Then it was a bit of a commute across flat countryside to Bairnsdale.
“Functional” would be the best description of Bairnsdale. It fulfilled its purpose in giving us a place to stay and build our strength for the following run to Bruthen and up the Great Alpine Road to Omeo (again!) and then on to Bethandra [I think Matthew means Benambra – The Bear]. Interesting place and worth a visit for the great ride up from Omeo. At Bethandra we turned around and headed back down towards the coast with a stop for lunch at Swifts Creek (good Pie Shop). We were being quite leisurely on this day of the ride. Firstly because we were all pretty tired from riding great roads, but also because everyone we spoke to reminded us of a recent double fatality (rider and pillion
STS ON FOR YOUNG AND
OLD
Hi there,
First up I would like to congratulate you on a great mag , I really enjoy all aspects of the magazine , maps ,articles ,test rides and road reports all great.
During the last two weeks of March I travelled up from Hobart to Toowoomba and return (5500km), on my trusty 2002 Honda ST1100, to attend the 4th National Rally for the Australian ST owners club ( OzSTOC) .
A hundred and twenty people were in attendance, most riding ST1100s or ST1300s, gathering at the BIG4 caravan park for a barbie and meet and greet on the Friday night, also that night we had some fund raising for the World’s Greatest Shave for Blood Cancer, raising $1400. Saturday took us out for a ride out on the Darling Downs to the little place of Nobby for morning tea at Nobby’s Pub before heading off to the pub at Leyburn for lunch and a
- head on into another vehicle) on the Great Alpine Road. We also found a lot of caravans and tourist traffic on this road. Not to mention the unseasonable heat, up well over 30 degrees in March, we were certainly getting 4 seasons in one day!
The Great Alpine Road itself is fabulous, it follows the twists and turns of the Tambo River on its run all the way to the coast.
Our stop for the night was Marlo Oceanview Caravan Park, where the Snowy River meets the sea. I just had to jump in for a swim to cool down. Another Pub dinner saw us fed and then we watched thunderstorms putting on a fireworks display out over Bass Strait. The storms didn’t actually make landfall, but the weather the next morning was cool and cloudy for our ride into Orbost for breakfast. Our choice of coffee shop caused a bit of “overwhelm” when eight of us turned up to order and the lady had to call for reinforcements!
Our plan had been to tackle the Bonang Highway. However, deteriorating weather led us to change this plan at the last minute and choose
group photo. Then back to Toowoomba (160km) for a swap meet and then on to Regents on the Lake for dinner.
The whole weekend was well organized and run, everybody enjoyed the Rally, meeting other riders and just enjoying everyone’s company.
We had one member who arrived on the Thursday night after completing a Saddle Sore 1600km in 24hrs at age 65, a great effort.
Regards
Philip Sweet Hobart Tas
MAGAZINE MATT-ERS
Hi Stuart,
Got my first AMM a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to send some encouragement and feedback if I may?
1. Firstly congratulations on taking the risk and setting up the magazine! I can imagine that it’s not an easy thing to do, particularly when there
the Monaro Highway from Cann River as an alternative. This led to an exciting mid-morning encounter with a kangaroo just out of Cann River. Fortunately, everyone involved escaped scot free, but it was soooooo close!
The temperature in Bombala was down to 13 degrees with intermittent rain but a stop in town for coffee helped to thaw us out and we decided that we should help the town’s economy with a “Vanilla Slice” led recovery.
From Bombala we then splashed our way through Cathcart and down the wonderful road off the range to Wyndham, Bega and on up the, wet, Princes Highway to our final night in Narooma. Drinks at the top Pub while watching stingrays swim in the channel and then a night at a great motel, the Top of The Town. Try their Italian Restaurant, we overdid it with the Pizzas!
Kind regards Matthew Morris
Isn’t Australia a wonderful place to ride, Matthew? – The Bear
are family and other financial considerations. So well done!
2. I love the easy-reading style of the mag. Too many mags are stuffy and hard to read and lose my interest - but I was pleasantly excited by the style of the mag. I particularly liked the cross section of coverage - some stuff for beginners which most of my friends are (the LAMS article), through to middle of the road to the more advanced riders. Great stuff.
3. The matt cover (which I understand is making a return) is a great choice! I hope it continues. And lastly,
4. The article on our NZ tour was a great reminder of what a wonderful time we had, and what others would have if they did the same. I look forward to the second instalment. Hope the above helps?
Thanks and regards Andrae Foenander
George, mate, what have you been doing to your tyre?
ELECTRONICS TO THE RESCUE
Dear Stuart, Peter
Much is made of the smart technology available on bikes today, and the safety benefits of such technology. I’m a fan of ABS and traction control - they make riding in treacherous conditions much safer, and trip computers with such features as range readout are extremely convenient.
Items which barely rate a mention in motorcycle or equipment reviews are tyre pressure monitoring systems. I believe that these systems are as valuable in enhancing motorcycle safety as the other, more often reported systems and in an ideal world all cars and motorcycles should be fitted with them. Tyre pressures are often neglected by riders and car owners with possible dire consequences for motorcycle riders in particular.
I have owned my 2009 BMW R1200GS since new. The RDC (BMWspeak for tyre pressure monitoring system) has proved itself as a very convenient way of ensuring the tyres are correct at all times. On starting every ride I switch over to the system as a matter of course to check the pressures - no more fiddling with tyre pressure gauges at home or service stations. On a ride, if the tyre pressures start to drop for any reason, the RDC warning light immediately illuminates allowing an assessment on whether or not to continue riding.
On a recent ride from Bowral to Thredbo, the RDC warning light illuminated and the display switched to tyre pressure readout. My rear tyre had started to lose pressure - it
had lost 0.2 Bar causing the warning light to light up. I continued to ride to Bungendore, about 15km distant, watching the pressure carefully in the knowledge that there was a problem. The tyre had deflated another 0.2 Bar to 2.3 instead of the normal 2.7 by the time I got there.
I checked the rear tyre to find a gash across the tread - possible caused by a sharp piece of metal - beyond repair with the tyre plugs I carry. I contacted Rolfe BMW in Canberra - they had a Metzeler Tourance in stock. I reinflated the tyre and set off with a friend accompanying me, monitoring the pressure all the way to Canberra - it again lost pressure by 0.4 Bar by the time I arrived at Rolfe for the tyre change.
Without the RDC system, I would not have noticed the tyre problem until I noticed a deterioration in the bike’s handling - a potentially hazardous situation. Neither would I have felt comfortable riding the bike in a compromised state to either Bungendore or Canberra. It allowed me to continue my journey to Thredbo with only a minor delay due to the puncture.
In conclusion, such systems should be fitted to motorbikes and cars as a
TOURS ON NEW BENELLIS
Don’t have much time? We lead one-day or shorter tours on some of the best roads in the Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula. Hire exciting BN600R Benellis.
Visit www.radtours.com.au and click on the TOUR LOCATIONS button.
countermeasure to tyre neglect, as a convenience for monitoring tyre status, and as a very useful aid in recovering from situations of damaged tyres.
As a postscript, my thanks to Rolfe BMW in Canberra for the excellent service they provided me in a time of need.
Regards
George Spence Bowral NSW
I have been an enthusiastic promoter of tyre pressure monitors, George. Like you, I think they are an outstanding safety feature – The Bear
GRIZZLE ON Hey Bear, Or should we be writing to Stuart now? This is for you, anyway. I like the Grizzling column. I hope it will be regular. Love to read your take on what’s happening, and your ‘memoirs’ in the Cave column too. I agree with your friend who wonders how you are still alive, though.
Your friend, Martin Meeker
Call this living? Seriously (or not), Martin, I’ve always tried to have a good time – The Bear
New motorcycle prices go up, they go down. It can be hard to keep track of all the changes. Australian Motorcyclist Magazine supplies you with all the latest up to date prices from all the manufacturers currently in the country.
Things like special deals, cashbacks, factory discounts and bonuses are what you’ll find. Bear in mind all prices (unless indicated) exclude dealer and on road costs and some prices may have changed at the last minute as we went to the printer.
BENELLI
PIAGGIO
TRIUMPH
ROYAL ENFIELD www.royalenfield.com.au
Bonneville T100
Bonneville T100 SE
Bonneville T100 Black $12,490
Bonneville T100 Spirit
Bonneville T214 Land Spd
Bonneville Newchurch
SUZUKI
I’M NOT GETTING IT
Each day I ride past them. Each day I am in awe of their emptyeyed stupidity. Their simple-minded persistence in their folly is like a ruthless autism. Even cattle being herded onto the killing floor of an abattoir evince a greater awareness and concern.
I am at a loss to understand why they do it. Day after endless day, they repeat the same action. I do not imagine they hope for a different outcome, for that would be madness, so I can only conclude that they have surrendered all hope, submitted to the inevitable ennui of the daily grind –and their miserable lives have become even more miserable with this bizarre capitulation.
I speak, of course, of car drivers and the soul-crushing despair to which they subject themselves.
Their ranks stretch for kilometres, as they creep and lurch at less than walking pace along the roads their taxes pay for. The shameful brevity of their lives has become nothing but a weeping perversion of what life needs to be in order for it to be worthy of the name.
It’s all I can do not to fall off my bike with schadenfreude.
For I derive great pleasure in seeing them abased in this wonderful way. I am not at all ashamed to admit their wretchedness makes me smile.
Of course, I don’t get why they inflict this on themselves, but that doesn’t stop me from basking in their anguish, much like a pig happily wallows in the manifold pleasures of his rancid bog.
But while I am pleased with their self-inflicted agony, I am confused.
what they do. There is no sane reason why an adult human being needs to subject itself to the shrieking soul-hell that is traffic.
Yet they do it.
It’s like an expensive form of selfharm. But while there is some underlying reason for a fat Goth chick to cringe in her bedroom and slash her lardy thighs with her dad’s razorblades, I just cannot comprehend a reason to sit in traffic in a car.
Unless of course, you have to because your job demands you drive.
But if yours is not a driving job, why would you do this to yourself?
My commute is 39 kilometres long. On a bike, on the worst traffic days and at the worst times, it takes me no more than 35 minutes. I’ve done it in a car and that same commute takes anywhere between two and almost three hours.
This is not time I am being paid for. This is not time I can spare –emotionally, physically or spiritually. This is dead time; a time of screaming and wanting to run howling through the streets murdering my fellow citizens with a lumber axe.
I am astounded that that doesn’t actually happen on a daily basis. If I found myself sitting in traffic for several hours a day, there would be clumps of hacked bodies by Day Seven that stretched from the lights near my house
My confusion stems from knowing they do not have to do
this earth that I could listen to in my car that would prevent that from happening. If anything, the aural swill emanating from the radio would force my hand as early as maybe Day Four. Using a CD player, I would have been through my entire music collection by Day Six, the distraction would have ended and the axe-murdering would begin.
How could it not? What kind of mental deficient voluntarily chooses to sit in Peak Hour traffic, wasting hours of his life, when an alternative hammers past his windows every now and then? What kind of Kool Aid has such a creature swallowed which lets him repeat this exercise in fingernailsagainst-the-blackboard lunacy day in, day out?
I cannot understand this.
to where the cops finally shot me in the head. There is not enough music on
It defies my comprehension. Is this what we, as a species, have become? A legion of submissive lab-rats, content to while away our brief lives in a crucible of unbearable torment? Yeah, sure, the crucible might have a comfy seat and a nice stereo, but it just sits there, or creeps along at a snail’s pace.
The alternative (and this is what really confuses me) is so glorious and liberating and nourishing, it’s almost unbearable. It’s cheaper, it’s faster, it’s more efficient at everything, except maybe carrying bags of shopping and keeping the rain off you, but that’s it. Why would you not choose it automatically?
Are you insane?
Last I checked, we are not made of sugar. We do not melt in the rain. And supermarkets do deliver what we buy if we ask them to. They’ve been doing that for decades.
And so I continue to abide in confusion. My fellow man has clearly decided that vast chunks of his life are best spent doing nothing while going somewhere important slowly. And he seems to be perfectly alright with that decision.
If someone would tell me what is wrong with that picture, I would be obliged.
FROM THE CAVE
We’ve
BEAR FACED
“AND THEN I HAD TO LAY IT DOWN…”
all heard that from at least one of our riding mates. The question is, of course, how true is it? How many people have really laid their bike down, and how many have just crashed?
Let me address that question from personal experience.
I have crashed… a few times. I have also laid my bike down, deliberately and knowing what I was doing… twice. Or maybe one and a half times. Or one and two halves times, if I include the time I dropped the WLA in… was it Pyrmont? No, I was on my way to Pyrmont. It was in George Street, in the heart of Sydney.
It was, as you would expect, a dark and stormy night. I had, as you would expect, imbibed a few sherbets. I swear I was under the limit, but then again that was .08 in those days. So I mounted the bike outside the Fortune of War, gave the requisite two kicks, found TDC, turned on the ignition and kicked it to life. All went well up George Street, but when I turned into Market Street I hit a diesel slick.
I did not lay the bike down in this case – at least not as such. But I did have the presence of mind to clamber aboard its left-hand side as it spun on its side in the diesel, and sit there like a monkey on a hand organ. This was enough to get me a handsome round of applause from bystanders, and a burn the size of a cigarette packet on my backside from the cooling fin of the rear cylinder head.
So okay, no, not a case of laying it down. Not even a half, really.
The next one was a bit closer to a lay-down, even if it was more misery than misere. It was in Darling Street, Balmain and I was on my way home to my “wretched little flat above a store” in East Balmain aboard my Cossack (well, somebody had to buy them! And boy, were they cheap!). Just opposite the bowling club, an old geezer in a
beautifully polished Kingswood pulled out of one of the tiny side streets that led up from the Colgate factory, saw me and froze. He was halfway across the intersection. I don’t know if he thought the Russians had landed or what, but he was definitely not coping.
The trouble was that this only left me a foot or so in front of his bumper to get past him. I tried to stuff the Cossack into the space, but as I turned, the rear wheel came around and started to slide. Yes, the tyres really were crap; they were made for distance, not for speed. I could see I wasn’t going to make the gap so I pushed the bike further around, at which point it fell over. I had been hoping that it would stay off the deck and maybe jump the kerb, but on sober consideration afterwards realised that that would almost certainly have meant a highside, with me being propelled into the wall of the bowling club at some speed. Laying it down was a far better option; the bike and I slid into the side of the car and put a dent into its immaculate driver’s door, but apart from that there were only a few scrapes on the bike’s crash bar.
The geezer was another matter; we had to pry his fingers off the steering wheel and lift his frozen body out of the car…
Maybe we can give that a half. You will have realised by now that the
only reason I’m carrying on about “halves” is that I don’t have a whole bunch of deliberate lay downs to write about. But there had been a full-on example, a few years earlier.
I was the proud owner of a Royal Enfield Crusader Super Sports Clubman 250, a bike as unreliable as its name was long and its pedigree British. Actually, of course, I’d love to still have it. With its Avon Speedflow fairing it was as pretty a motorcycle as I’d ever seen, let alone owned. One advantage it had was that it was reasonably well protected from damage when dropped; possibly a result of its racing heritage. But Joe Lucas, the Prince of Darkness, provided the electrics and so, among other failings, it had a constant loss electrical system. As a result, I had to bump start it every morning to go to work. On this morning I was pushing for all I was worth, but it was taking somewhat longer than usual for the single cylinder to fire. When it finally did, the throttle slide stuck fully open. I was getting towards the corner that marked the end of the narrow little street in Surry Hills where I lived– when a cab came around that corner. So there I was, roaring down on this cab with no room to get past it, lying on the Enfield like Rollie Free (except wearing more clothes) and unable to reach the ignition key, which was hidden inside the fairing. Needless to say the bike didn’t have a kill switch.
I had to lay it down, and that’s just what I did… I promise.
Peter “The Bear” Thoeming
OIL CRISIS 2
ALL RIGHT, NOW TO CHECK THE OIL LEVEL… HMM, YADA YADA… AH, HERE IT IS: TO ADD OIL, UNSCREW THE COVER ON THE LEFT-HAND CYLINDER HEAD…
YADA YADA YADA… TO CHECK THE OIL LEVEL, THE MOTORCYCLE MUST BE VERTICAL… RIGHT… VERTICAL…
WELL OKAY, THAT‛S NICE AND EASY!
ALL RIGHT, NEIGHBOUR, ONE, TWO, THREE ANNND…
VERTICAL, OF COURSE! BUT I‛LL NEED SOMEONE TO HELP!
…LOOKS LIKE THERE WAS PLENTY OF OIL!
The Mask
The Neckerchief The Headband The Blind Chicken
Shannons insurance is for motoring enthusiasts just like you, with features like: n Choice of repairer n Agreed value n Multi-Vehicle & Multi-Policy discounts n n Flexible coverage for bikes that are laid up, being restored, or at club events n n Home Contents Insurance including $10,000 enthusiast cover for your collectables & tools n Call Shannons on 13 46 46 for a quote on your special bike, special car, daily drive, or your home, and speak with a genuine enthusiast. Join the Shannons Club today! Get connected and share your passion - shannons.com.au/club
