Starting from the middle of Benambra, head south east riding along Limestone Road making sure you veer left a couple of kays out of town to continue on Limestone Road. From here you basically follow Limestone Road until its end, turning left onto Snowy River Road. Follow Snowy River Road north, through Suggan Buggan, across the border into New South Wales where you’re
now on the Barry Way. Again, you basically follow Barry Way all the way to the roundabout at Jindabyne, but make sure you stop at Wallace Craigie Lookout for a rest and/or the scenery. These are basic directions, but then again this is a pretty easy route to follow. Once you’ve read these, you can pretty much ‘follow your nose’ and you won’t get lost – nine times out of ten.
Enjoy, pack for the time of year and don’t forget to check the road conditions!
Total distance – 180km
Time – Around 4-5 hours (due to sightseeing along the way) Road conditions - Snowy River Shire Depot Reception on 02 6451 1000
LIMESTONE BAZZA!
ONE TOUGH TEST, ONE CLEAR WINNER
A REVOLUTIONARY TYRE PUT THROUGH ONE OF THE MOST RIGOROUS TESTS ON EARTH.
“Based on the functional testing, the cumulative point scores in the dry and wet testing show the Dunlop RoadSmart III was the overall winner of the functional test. In the wear test the Dunlop Roadsmart III clearly showed the highest potential mileage, combined with very safe and neutral cornering behaviour from the beginning to the end.” MOTORRAD TEST CENTRE
#1
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XSR900 Garage Metal or Rock Slate XSR700 Garage Metal or Forest Green
Editor Stuart Woodbury
Editor Emeritus J Peter Thoeming
Sales Manager Mal Jarrett mal@ausmotorcyclist.com.au
Photo Editor Nick Wood
Designer Amy Hale
Photographers Nick Wood Photography, Half-Light Photography
Contributors Robert Crick, Mike Grant, Jacqui Kennedy, Robert Lovas, Phil Gadd, Boris Mihailovic, Lester Morris, The Possum,Guy Stanford, Stuart Strickland, Michael Walley, Colin Whelan
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EDITORSPEAKS
what’s he blabbing on about now?
Well, winter is upon us, finally! I thought the warm weather would never disappear this year, but thankfully it has for the next few months. But that doesn’t mean you should stop riding, it means you should ride more! Yes, the colder months can be some of the most enjoyable times to ride so long as you have the right riding gear that provides you with adequate warmth.
I’ll never forget a trip I did with some mates down to Bibbenluke in the Snowy Mountains region. It was stinking cold – something like minus five and the occasional bit of black ice to content with. We wheeled the bikes out of the Ben Boyd Guesthouse garage and warmed the engines. By the time we were ready to ride, every bike was covered in ice! It was certainly a trip our group will never forget and still laugh about till this day.
But that’s the whole point about touring, isn’t it? Getting a group together that can laugh, talk the very best of crap and love to see the sights on motorcycles. And this leads me into our next long term bike. I’m not going to give it away at this moment, because we’ll run a little guessing competition on our Facebook page. So if you haven’t already liked the page, get to it and you could be the winner! The prize? It’s a cracker, but you’ll have to wait to find out what that is (also) until we start the guessing – first to pick the new long termer, is the winner, the world champion – the legend.
I’ve already had a few calls about
the Isle of Man TT self-guided tour we’re involved with next year. Most people have asked what is involved in the tour. Basically our good mate, Dave from Get Routed will ship your bike over and has fourteen days accommodation booked for you on the Isle of Man so you get to watch practice and all the racing from wherever you like around the TT course for the two weeks and being a self-guided tour, you’re not held to be doing this, or doing that each day – you decide what you want to do. Dave and I will have a couple of rides that you can join, but you don’t have to. Essentially it’s your own tour, just with the nitty gritty of getting your bike there and trying to get accommodation sorted to enjoy the bucket list Isle of Man TT with other like-minded Aussies who you’ll no doubt become friends with and all enjoy the amazing Isle of Man TT for all its glory. It will be my first time to the Isle of Man TT as much as I’ve longed to go help my young mate, Alex Pickett race there; I just haven’t had the moolah to go. Don’t make this your excuse any longer as I did. Come along and let’s have an awesome time!
GRIZZLING FROMTHEBEAR
TOUGH JUSTICE
The Justice Minister of the German State Brandenburg has resigned. So, you might well ask, what? Well, back in 2010 he apparently used a truck belonging to the State to transport his broken-down Suzuki GSX-R 1000 from the office to his usual bike shop. Admittedly, the office is in Berlin and the bike shop in Leipzig, so he put 502km on the truck –and he didn’t repay the calculated cost of 435.30 Euros. So he quit - voluntarily. Now let’s see, what would you have to do here to be forced to quit (nobody leaves of their own accord)? For the same fate to befall a Minister in an Australian government he (or she) would probably have to pick up and deliver the bike by helicopter – and have silver service while on board…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WASP
May you fly for many more years, Vespa. Enrico Piaggio patented the design of the ubiquitous scooter designed by Corradino d’Ascanio on the 23rd of April, 1946. That makes the Vespa 70 years young. I hope I’m as fit and fun as Vespas are when I reach that milestone.
I HATE TO STEAL YOUR THUNDER, TEX…
You might be aware of my mate Tex and his mate, the Dog on the Bike Bundy.
Tex and Bundy have special, official exemption from the law prohibiting carrying canines on motorcycles and have become famous on their many charity runs. But now Mary Thorn from Florida has hit the headlines with her on-board pet Rambo, an… alligator. Actually, Rambo no longer fits into the child seat that Mary had fitted to her Suzuki. At 1.8 metres long, Rambo can now only watch and dream, perhaps of a bike of his own…
BMWS TO REPORT CRASHES
“Hello? Is this the emergency call centre? This is a BMW R 1200 GS. I’m lying in the gutter…” That call is not far off. From next year on, BMW will begin
to fit eCall technology to some of its bikes as an optional extra. When it senses a heavy impact, the system automatically calls and indicates location and direction of travel. False alarm can be countered within a 25 second delay, and the call can be sent manually, for example if the rider is calling help for someone else. The eCall system is becoming popular with car drivers in Europe. What do you think, will it catch on with riders here? One limitation might be that it works over the mobile phone network, and Australia is by no means all covered by that.
Peter ‘The Bear’ Thoeming
That’s good so far, Gaston. Now let’s try it with the bike off the centrestand.
Take me to your kibbles, Earthling, or suffer the consequences. Nanoo nanoo.
One of our contributors (or possibly ex-contributors…) reckons that this sign proves I’ve been moonlighting, especially since the birthday is so close to mine…
NEWS
RECORDS TUMBLE
2016 Isle of Man TT
This year’s Isle of Man TT saw lap records tumble with the new outright lap record set by Michael Dunlop at 133.962mph! Total race times also fell in both the RST Superbike and Pokerstars Senior TT – both won by Dunlop.
– Hutchy 14, Dunlop 13.
death shook up Johnson and Pickett, having both been riders for him in the past and being great mates. A sad end to an otherwise amazing 2016 TT.
Ian Hutchinson was the man of the meeting, taking home three winners trophies, winning both Supersport races on his Monster Energy Yamaha R6 and the Superstock title on his Tyco BMW S 1000 RR.
Ivan Linton won the Lightweight TT and Kiwi, Bruce Anstey won the SES ZeroTT (for electric bikes).
The rivalry between Ian Hutchinson and Michael Dunlop came to a head in the post-race press conference of the Senior TT where Hutchy said that he was “disgusted” with the comments made by Dunlop over the second Supersport race where a rumour flew around that Hutchy had illegal pistons – when they weren’t. Hutchy went on to say that the organisers would need to apologise to him before he would return to the TT again – this came forthwith with the Technical Director apologising for anything that was said. Dunlop took it on the chin (sort of), which we assume only enraged Hutchy even more.
Three Aussies contested the solos this year – Cam Donald, Dave Johnson and Alex Pickett. All three had their share of grief, but Dave Johnson had the highest place finish on the Norton with 7th and a 130+mph lap in the RST Superbike race. Cam Donald got 10th in the 1st Supersport race and had troubles in the other races and Alex Pickett got 31st in the 1st Supersport race with mechanical issues in the 2nd.
On a sad note, four racers lost their lives this year. Aussie, Dwight Beare (Sidecars), “Spirit of the TT” award winner, Paul ‘Shoey’ Shoesmith (Superbike, Superstock, Supersport, Lightweights), Ian Bell (Sidecars) and Andrew Soar (Superbike). Shoey’s
KINGS OF FINKE
KTM and Toby Price
KTM Australia’s Desert team took all three steps of the podium at the Tatts Finke Desert Race, with Dakar Rally winner, Toby Price winning Finke for the 5th year in a row. Not only that, Price completed his Ironman challenge of competing in both car and bike events. In his Stadium Truck, Price finished 2nd overall, 1st in class and smashed the race record on the bike with a 3:46:55 total race time –what a champion!
Both riders are the ones to beat at the moment and both are pegging to be the highest winners of TT trophies. The score at the end of this year’s TT
GET YOUR CARD
Motorcycle Crash Card
A motorcycle CRASH Card has been launched across NSW on 26 June. The card, placed in the lining of the helmet carries a rider’s personal and medical details. A sticker on the outside of the helmet alerts emergency services to its presence. Riders are also reminded not to attempt to remove another rider’s helmet. The card facilitates easy access for attending emergency services to vital medical and personal information at a crash scene. It saves emergency service personnel valuable time and assists with treatment, especially when the rider is unconscious or unable to communicate. Visit www.hornsby.nsw. gov.au/crashcard for your free card!
REDEFINED SPORT
Triumph Tiger Sport
The new 2016 Triumph Tiger Sport has been designed to redefine the
generation 1050cc triple engine, a suite of rider-focused technology the new Tiger Sport is not an everyday motorcycle – it’s the motorcycle you will want to ride every day. See your local Triumph dealer.
‘DISFINKELY’ ALICE
Ride back to Alice – Indian Motorcycle
meaning of versatility and deliver the best of all worlds - from real sporting prowess, with more performance and thrilling riding characteristics - to milemunching touring, with more comfort and capability for hassle free long distance riding pleasure - to the simple fun and practical needs of everyday get on and go riding. Featuring a host of developments, including the next
A 2800km journey from Sydney to Ian Moss’ home town of Alice Springs raising funds and awareness for Black Dog Ride arrived late afternoon to a typical stunning red centre sunset and a township in the grip of motorsport fever for the weekend’s Finke Desert Race that took place. Ian Moss said “it’s been a long but enjoyable day on the bike, giving me plenty of time to reflect as I head home. I am thrilled to finally get here and can’t wait to perform some songs from my new album Nashville Sessions for family, friends and fans at the Finke Desert Race.” Bidding for a Limited Edition Jack Daniel’s Indian Chief Vintage for the Black Dog Ride charity saw the eventual winner take it home at around $52,000. Visit www. indianmotorcycle.com.au and www.blackdogride.com.au
Ducati X Diavel & X Diavel S
X marks the plot; Ducati turns the cruiser worlD upsiDe Down
Words s tuart Photos i k apture
Ducati released the Diavel a few years ago as a part cruiser, part performance machine, and “released” is the right word. But despite its thinly-veiled aggression, the original Diavel was just a stepping stone. The factory’s full-on attack on the cruiser market has now been released with the introduction of the X Diavel and X Diavel S – proper cruisers, but not as you or I know cruisers, Jim... Ducati markets the X Diavel as “the gentleman and the bastard”, meaning that you are a gentleman off the machine and ride like a cut bastard on it. I assume. For the launch we were utter gentlemen by suiting up and dining at Ducati ambassador Matt Moran’s, Aria restaurant. Demonstrating the other side of the bike’s personality, even Matt couldn’t resist the inner ‘bastard’ coming out and started his shiny new X Diavel S in the middle of the restaurant. I’m
“TORQUE HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED OVER THE PREVIOUS MODEL AND YOU MIGHT NEED TO CUFF YOURSELF TO THE GRIPS TO GIVE YOURSELF A CHANCE OF KEEPING THEM ON THE HANDLEBAR ”
sure a number of guests in the other dining areas would have been… well surprised to put it mildly.
There are three major design features of the new X Diavel that shift the Diavel platform right into the cruiser market. They are the forward pegs, belt drive and the torquey, stump pulling motor.
The engine is no longer a donation from one of Ducati’s sports bikes. It is still an L-twin, of course, but
Yes, Matt Moran is a happy chappy having just taken delivery of his X Diavel S!
AUSTRALIA Cassons Pty Ltd
VENTILATION SYSTEM
CHEST
D-STORMER D-DRY®
Adventure and boundless spaces: what the D-Stormer was designed for. With incredible versatility, this jacket can be used in extreme heat just as in intense cold: the modular construction that allows you to remove the thermal lining and waterproof and breathable membrane D-Dry®, are combined with an innovative ventilation system, which provides a modular control of airflow on the back, combined with ample ventilation on the chest and arms.
Characterized by a look inspired by the world of rally, with many adjustments and pockets, D-Stormer will be the perfect companion on longer trips just as between the curves of the Alpine passes. D-Stormer is for use with Teren D-Dry® pants and D-System Evo D-Dry® D-Dry
it has been specifi cally designed for this bike with a capacity of 1262cc. It uses the DVT (Desmodromic Variable Timing) system that’s also fi tted to the Multistrada. Apart from the engine, attention has been paid to two key areas – looks and performance. The detail you see on the S version with machined highlights and shiny paint is simply stunning in the fl esh. The standard X Diavel gets matt grey paint, but the L-twin still dominates the appearance of the bike.
The second area, performance, is in one word – insane. Torque has been signifi cantly increased over the previous model and you might need to cuff yourself to the grips to give yourself a chance of keeping them on the handlebar.
Getting all this power to the ground is now a belt drive, a fi rst for Bologna. The advantages of a belt drive are its silent operation, cleanliness, reduced maintenance and a smooth response when
accelerating… and of course it is de rigueur now to have a belt drive on a serious cruiser. Which, take my word for it, this is.
Ergonomic changes see the X Diavel set up as a proper cruiser now too. Forward pegs are adjustable in three positions and the handlebar’s adjustment forwards or backwards is standard. You can then complement this setup by choosing one of the four accessory seats – Comfort, High, Low or Exclusive. Your pillion is not left out of the equation either, with the rear seat now wider and more comfortable. There is also a backrest that integrates almost unnoticeably into the seat.
I rode the X Diavel with both the handlebar and the pegs in the standard position and found it quite nice when riding in a sporty fashion, but for long distance cruising I’d move the pegs out to the front. I also got to sit on one bike set up with the pegs set closest to the rider and the bar moved back, but for someone
my height it wasn’t comfy. Ducati says that the new X Diavel can be setup into sixty different ergonomic confi gurations, so fi nding just the right setup for you might take a while, but it will be right when you fi nd it.
Having the forward pegs really does change the look of the X Diavel. As does what has to be the best looking standard wheel in the market: the rear wheel on the S, with its machined face, 6-spoke wheel and the huge 240mm tyre! I could and did stare at this wheel all day long. Even while riding along on the launch, I’d sit near one of the others riding an S just to check out that wheel.
You might think that with the shift to being a ‘cruiser’, the X
Stuart is wearing a Shoei NXR helmet, M2R jacket, Dririder Stealth gloves, Draggin jeans and Sidi Vertigo boots.
The Bastard
WHEN: From Tuesday May 2 – Tuesday 11 July, 2017 (or longer by arrangement with Get Routed) CONTACT: Dave Milligan dave@getrouted.com.au 0412 689 849 and/or 03 5625 9080.
Cam Donald
Alex Pickett
LAUNCH
Diavel might not handle as well as previously, or as well as many of the more fancied speed machines. You’d be wrong. Ducati has given the X Diavel 50mm adjustable DLC (Diamond Like Coating) coated forks and an adjustable monoshock with remote reservoir. Combine this with 40 degrees of lean angle and you can motor the X Diavel much faster than you might think. And depending on your inner bastard, you might well round up and laugh up those boy-racers on the latest and greatest sports bikes.
Stop! No problem; the X Diavel is fitted with the latest Brembo calipers (M4-32 for standard and M50 for the S) and Bosch Cornering ABS. They offer extreme levels of stopping power and it’s excellent having the cornering ABS in case things go wrong.
Seeing it’s a cruiser, you would probably like the X Diavel to cruise with you out on the open road. Ducati has you covered; cruise control is fitted as standard. It is not a normal fitment on cruisers, but it works well. Further advanced electronics that come standard on the X Diavel include traction control, a selection of riding modes, hands free communication through the 3.5” TFT coloured dashboard, ride by wire, a Bosch IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) and of course that cornering ABS.
A seriously enjoyable new feature is DPL (Ducati Power Launch). This is
a launch control device if you feel the need for superfast takeoffs. There are three levels of the DPL, and it is a lot of fun to use. Controlling the various features and functions is done via the red-backlit handlebar switches which look extremely cool. Accessories can be bought individually or in one of the “packs” Ducati has organised. Choices are Sport, Touring or Urban, or you could get all three. That would make the X Diavel look even more amazing, especially with the fi tment of the forged aluminium rims, which look even sexier than the standard wheels!
To match the style of your X Diavel, created with the genuine accessories, you can also get a full range of X Diavel apparel. Urban and classy is the way I’d describe the range – perfect for “the gentleman” (or “lady” for that matter) hidden away somewhere inside you.
The Ducati X Diavel and X Diavel S both produce a paradigm shift in the cruiser world. Anyone after a custom, individual motorcycle that handles better than any other cruiser on the market, is faster than any other cruiser on the market and has the ability to tour as well as any of them: I say, release your inner bastard and to hell with the standard model. Rob, beg, steal the extra fi ve grand and get the S version and give everyone the fi nger as you blast them off the road on your exquisite custom cruiser.
COLOURS: Matt Black (standard), Glossy Black with matt black stripe and red pinstripe (S)
VERDICT: REDEFINING “CRUISER”
SERENDIPITY
DISCOVERING SRI LANKA BY ACCIDENT AND SAGACITY
“Dom INEDE f ENDEN o S Co NTR a ho Sm oTo RES Bo S ” a D GoDlEY
Most recently its name was Ceylon; in ancient times it was called Ceilao, Zeylan, Taprobane… and Serendip. By way Horace Walpole, it supplied the word serendipity. Walpole derived the word from the tale of the “Three Princes of Serendip”, who “were always making discoveries, by accident and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of.” That describes quite nicely my recent couple of weeks in the teardropshaped island the size of Tasmania. With a population somewhat larger than Australia’s,
Sri Lanka was always going to provide experiences to write about. But I didn’t expect quite the number and variety I found.
Let’s get physica L
Yes, let’s get the basic facts over with. The island is relatively close to Australia; it’s a three hour flight from Singapore, which probably makes it the second-closest all-round motorcycle destination after New Zealand. It is certainly far closer than Europe or the USA. The countryside is flat around the edges and in the north, with outstanding mountains in the middle. The mountains have wonderful names like The Knuckles Range, Bible Rock and Adams Peak. Another one, Namunukula, gives you a foretaste of the Sri Lankan predilection for long names. The trouble is that many names sound a bit like English words or phrases; every time I heard or saw Batticaloa couldn’t help thinking of “batty koala”.
At sea level, Sri Lanka is clearly tropical with average temperatures around 27 degrees. Upland areas are cooler and more temperate with a yearly average around 16-20 degrees. At the coast the March-June season experiences temperatures up to 33 degrees, while November-January is around 24 degrees. Distinct wet and dry seasons are caused by the Yala monsoon in the western and southern regions from May to September and the Maha monsoon in northern and eastern Sri Lanka from October to January. The climate is at its most enjoyable in the drier seasons; the best time to travel to the west, south and upland areas of the island is during December to March, while the recommended travel season for the east coast region is April to September. You don’t necessarily have to stick to those dates, though!
Sri Lanka has good, if terrifying, public transport. The red government buses are everywhere, mostly where you don’t expect them, and they care naught for right of way nor much for courtesy. They are the top predators, and you’d better not forget it. Most
transport is taken care of by tuktuks, little three wheelers powered by anything from 50cc petrol engines to big diesels. A comprehensive rail network links major and many minor cities and towns. Propelled by diesel electric locomotives, the trains often combine passenger and freight cars. Old steam locos must hold happy memories for many people, because they are displayed all over the island. If you’re a steam train spotter I suspect you’d be in paradise. Well, you’re damn near in Paradise anyway, but the steam locos would make it even better!
Rent the R oad
I didn’t know this as my guide Rohan and I left Colombo on our Royal Enfield 350 Singles, but Sri Lanka’s roads come in only two kinds: they are either excellent or execrable. There really is nothing much in between. The road east and south is of the first kind, and stayed good pretty much all the way to our overnight stop in Hambantota on the south coast. And along the way I made the acquaintance of Rambo, a huge wild elephant. But let’s take it in order.
Anyone who knows Colombo will try to get out as early as possible in the morning. In our case that was 5.00am, and we were only just in time. The traffic was already beginning to build up as we reached Maharagama on the outskirts of the city. The trouble with Colombo traffic, and the traffic in towns of any size, is that it is just as impenetrable to motorcycles as it is to cars, mainly due to the three wheeler tuk-tuks but also to bicycles, cars, buses, vans and trucks.
Let me explain. You may remember that you were taught the concept of “owning the road” when you were learning to ride. The idea is that you position yourself on the road in such a way that you control a sort of safety zone around yourself. In Sri Lanka, if you tried to “own the road” you would instantly find yourself sharing possession with two bicycles, three tuk-tuks and a bus. At least; possibly there would also be a few pedestrians.
This means that you only ever rent a piece of road, you don’t own it; the traffic is constantly a sort of moving gridlock, highly competitive but surprisingly always good-natured.
But that’s why we were leaving town early.
Once out of the traffic, on a good road and able to devote some time to looking around – but still watching out for buses coming the other way overtaking tuk-tuks overtaking cars overtaking bicycles (and giving them less than a metre and a half of room!) – we found ourselves in something pretty close to paradise. Lush vegetation is everywhere and the views to the hills on one side and the flat, fertile coastal plain on the other were almost overpowering. This is good land, and except where the elephants rule the roost (now there’s an interesting image) it is worked carefully and comprehensively. There’s not much spare ground. Sri Lankans work hard, and they deserve a breather after their long civil war. I wish them the best. But hang on; we’ve only just started… I was beginning to get used to the way the oncoming traffic calmly claims as much of the road as it needs, and relaxing. Then, rolling along through the countryside and trying to take it all in, especially the bright, colourful roadside fruit stands, I suddenly noticed that Rohan was no longer in my mirrors. The Enfield had stopped, but friendly locals took us to a mechanic literally a hundred metres away down the road and he replaced a blown fuse and sent us on our way.
eL ephant in the zoom
Just after lunchtime, we were riding along the Udawalawe Reservoir when I spotted a collection of cars and minibuses stopped by the roadside. Well, on the road, actually. Nobody really bothers to pull off the road in Sri Lanka. But in this case I could see why; just alongside the road, kept away from the vehicles and people by nothing more than a thin onestrand electric fence, was a sizeable elephant. This, Rohan explained, was Rambo and there were strict rules
against feeding him. The people from the vehicles were of course doing exactly that, and he had enough food in front of him to allow him to be highly selective with his trunk. Ah, banana. No, not quite ripe… what about this one? Hmm, maybe… ah, watermelon… good, good…
Accommodation is varied and pleasant.
Go see Sri
Unlike most of my trips, this one was not an organised tour. It was a research run –Rohan, who hails from Sri Lanka but now lives in Sydney, is considering starting motorcycle tours of the island. He asked me to come along on a ride and give him some feedback. My feedback to him was simple – do it –but of course there was more detail to it. You’ll find most of that in the story. Just in case I haven’t made myself clear, here is my recommendation to you – do it. Sri Lanka is that rarest of things, a new and different destination; unlike anywhere else I’ve ridden and full of things to discover. One of the things you’ll discover is just how many risks you’re prepared to take in the traffic…
Most of our accommodation was in motel-style places and was perfectly acceptable – even if the showers can be a bit unreliable. But when it’s hot you only want a cold shower anyway! Food is varied and slightly spicy; the locals think it’s really hot, but it’s nothing like some Indian food.
Sri Lanka is relatively unexplored by Western motorcycle travellers because it isn’t really on the way to anywhere else. Let me tell you, it doesn’t need to be.
mm, rambutans… He should be called Riley, because he was certainly living the life of.I used my zoom lens to get a photo – just in case the wire failed… there can’t be many other places where you can get this close to a wild elephant.
Further south, not far from Hambantota, we passed enormous artificial salt pans where ocean water evaporates and the salt is collected and refined. Hambantota itself has a kind of shabby joviality, catering mainly for European (including Australian) surfers and divers. Our hotel fronted the ocean and I sat at a table outside my room with a drink and tried to imagine what this place would have looked like when the
tsunami roared ashore at Christmas in 2004. We had a quiet evening… Here’s a tip: beer bottles in Sri Lanka come in two sizes. Choose the smaller one, commonly called a “pint”. In the big one, the beer will be warm before you’re finished.
Retracing our route for a while we continued north through more or less flat country, crossing Lunugamwehera National Park, noted as elephant country. By now, the traffic had cleared up and much of the still excellent Chinese-built road was empty. There is a lot of wildlife here and elsewhere in Sri Lanka, ranging all the way down from elephants by way of deer and wild pigs to monkeys and small rodents, but you see little
of it during the day.
“It’s not a good idea to ride at night,” said Rohan, in the understatement of the week. We passed a pile of green, steaming elephant dung in the middle of the road which well and truly reminded me just how big the tuskers can be. Rohan was keen to make sure that we didn’t linger… we did see a family of the pachyderms in the distance, feeding quietly.
Towards the end of the day we hit a bit of drizzle as we climbed into the mountains. We stopped at the impressive Rawana Ella waterfall for pictures despite the rain. This is a special place, apart from being beautiful to look at. It seems that one
of the bad guys among the Hindu gods, Ravana, abducted Sita the consort of good god Rama, and took her to Sri Lanka. Rama sent monkey god Hanuman to look for her and he found her at this waterfall. I looked, but while I saw many good-looking young women I didn’t see any Hindu goddesses. Maybe you have to be a monkey. There were quite a few of those, looking pretty busy looking but I suspect they were after food not goddesses.
After a night in a pleasant and comfortable b&b and dinner at a terrific little restaurant in Ella, we headed back down the mountain to see the waterfall in sunshine and then continued west through
the high country. Overnight was at Rivendell, a stylish new guesthouse overlooking the Castlereagh Reservoir and extensive tea plantations. You can pick them by the big, multi-storey processing sheds (tea factories) dotted among the tea bushes.
Two for T ea
I didn’t know that it was the British who brought tea cultivation to Sri Lanka. They also kickstarted the other major cash crops, coffee and rubber. Today we rode through almost endless tea plantations, completely unmistakable for the soft, rounded shape that the cropped bushes give the hills. Tea likes well-drained soil, and it covers vast stretches of upland
Sri Lanka. Tea plantations also exist in some lower parts of the island, but they produce poorer quality tea according to Rohan’s friend Kenny Congreve. There is an upper elevation limit to tea production, too, and we reached it when we came to the entrance of Horton Plains National Park. This was also where I first encountered the curious but understandable entry fee policy which charges foreigners about ten times as much as locals. Sri Lanka, after all, depends on tourist rupees. The park is dedicated mostly to deer, and we saw a few of those. But it’s also an impressive place for the flora with open, windswept grasslands and twisted, stunted trees.
travel
We stopped at a small shack high in the hills where a woman was making fresh roti, the flat bread that’s eaten everywhere in Sri Lanka with a dash of ground chilli. Washed down with a local soft drink the roti was pleasantly crunchy and tasty.
Stopping for tea (of course) Kenny, a school friend of Rohan’s who is a tea taster and quality manager, continued my education. I had a cup of quite strong tea without milk or sugar (or lemon, which is what I usually have) and found it smooth to the last drop. No bitterness like a tea bag cuppa. So that’s what really good tea is like.
More tea plantations accompanied us as we turned east the next day. As we dropped back to the level coastal plain, tea was replaced by rice and vegetables and a few stretches of the brush that I had learned to recognise as elephant country.
We stopped at a large temple complex at Kataragama and I discovered that the tempting fruit displayed for sale by the side of the road was intended as offerings for the temples; everyone was bringing lavishly decorated dishes of fruit which they were handing to the priests. Now here’s something interesting: the temple complex had a Buddhist shrine next to a Muslim one, next to a Hindu one. I was told that the Christian chapel was just outside the walls. Sri Lanka can be a remarkably ecumenical place. Later, in Kandy, I noted that the YMCA, the YMBA and the YMMA were practically next door to each other… Riding up the east coast the next morning was really enjoyable. The road spends a lot of time on the seafront, and between the palms, the sand, the many flowers, the bright green paddy fields and the chance of spotting elephants it’s all rather idyllic. What’s less idyllic is the thought that just one elephant can destroy six month’s work in a night if it gets into a farmer’s field.
CSI Mah I yangana
We eventually turned inland again, on our way back to the mountains
Maybe these people could have used a real bridge instead of an airport.
Build it, and…
If you think that Australia’s pollies, sorry, parliamentarians, are good at pork barrelling, you haven’t met their Sri Lankan mates. Just one example: apart from its main airport near Colombo, the island has a complete, modern and fully operational $210 million international airport in the south called MattalaRajapaksha. This airport is effectively closed. There are no flights to or from it except for occasional visits by Flydubai, a budget carrier. Nobody else wants to fly to or from it. But – guess what – it is in the home district of the exPresident, and it was built during his rule. The nearby town, Hambantota, is a sleepy surfie/hippie hangout, kind of like a tiny, rather tatty, rundown– and did I mention sleepy? – Byron Bay, 50 years ago. Recently the airport earned 16,000 Sri Lankan rupees in an entire month. That’s a hundred and twenty dollars. Puts National Party projects into perspective, doesn’t it… and in Sri Lanka, corruption takes many other forms as well. It’s a real shame.
and then Kandy. The road became variable, and for a stretch we followed an ancient canal that connects two lakes or “tanks”, as the locals call them in the Indian fashion. Where there were potholes and patches, there were usually lots of potholes and patches so I learned to get used to the rough and enjoy the smooth. It was hot, as it had been all the time except high in the mountains,
Rohan trawls for deer up on Horton Plains National Park.
and we stopped for a cold drink. Unfortunately that’s not so easy. Most Sri Lankan country stores (and there are thousands of them) have a refrigerator. But it’s usually turned right down, presumably to save electricity, so cold drinks are actually more like cool-ish or lukewarm drinks.
But then the jig was up. I noticed the cops by the side of the road with their standard Yamaha 600cc police bike, waiting in the shade of a couple of trees. They were not the first pair I’d seen. But this time, one of them stepped into the sun and held up his hand to stop me. I had been warned not to hand over any original documents, so when he asked me for my driver’s licence I pulled a photocopy from my tank bag. Unfortunately I had not counted on the rain we’d had; the once neat copy was now a seriously tatty piece of half-dissolved damp paper. To his credit, the policeman took it and peered at it quizzically before asking for the original. I told him that it, and my passport, were “back in the hotel”. He shook his head and waved Rohan and me on.
Next came the famous eighteen hairpins of Mahiyangana which took us back up into the highlands. This road would stand comparison with any mountain road in the world, with one reservation: you’re likely to encounter a tuk-tuk, a car or even a bus coming the other way on the wrong side of the road. That can be… disturbing when you’re leaned right over and scrabbling for traction among the light dusting of gravel.
Kandy man
Kandy, the beautiful old city in the highlands, is beset by traffic like any other Sri Lankan town or city, but somehow it all seems more relaxed. It may have been helped by the hotel where I was staying; another of Rohan’s school friends owns and runs the Mahaweli Reach Hotel, which is a wonderful place to relax from the busy-ness outside. Overlooking the river after which
travel
it is named, it consists of carefully designed buildings and gardens surrounding a large asymmetric swimming pool. And the barman makes whisky sours to kill for. I was so relaxed during my stay that I totally forgot to send Rohan’s clothes, which he’d left with me while he stayed at his club, off to the laundry with mine. He is not going to let me forget that, I suspect… The quality of the rooms and the food matches everything else about the hotel, and I treasure the memory of sitting high above the river on a landing having dinner by lamplight in the gathering darkness.
One reason for the time I’m spending on the Mahaweli Reach Hotel is that it illustrates the difference between chain hotels – Hilton, Sheraton – and familyowned places which always offer that something extra.
Unlike Colombo, which I’d cheerfully miss, I would strongly recommend that you visit Kandy. Have a gin and tonic in the upstairs bar of the colonial-style Royal Bar & Hotel in the middle of the city, too. Top place.
We took the road north from Kandy to Matale, and shortly afterwards turned east on a narrow and fairly rough road. It was worth every patch and pothole, though, for the views over the Knuckles Ranges, named because that’s exactly what they look like. A snack stop at a café precariously hugging the hillside gave me a chance to recover from the road.
Eventually we returned to the (usually Chinese-built) network of excellent roads that knits Sri Lanka together and continued to make our way north. This is open country with only small settlements and we made good time. Despite that, Rohan was a little concerned as we reached Giritale. He had intended to show me the ruins of the ancient city of Polonnaruwa to the east, but it was getting late – at least for Sri Lanka.
“This is elephant country,” he said as we turned west instead on our way to Sigiriya, “and it’s best to be off the road by 3.00pm.” That sounded like
Wearing it out
I am making the most of my Venting Suit from BMW. In hot, humid weather it is unbeatable and it looks pretty good to – and that’s saying something when I’m the model! My Shark flip-front helmet and BMW ventilated boots did a great job too.
good sense to me. Those buggers are big, and the heat made them what Rohan called “cranky”. We had a chance to see just how big they are a little later when we came across a pair of domesticated elephants being scrubbed in a river.
Sigiriya is a 200 metre high rock pylon set in flat country, topped by the remains of a palace (or a monastery) and surrounded by extensive gardens and fortifications. The climb is a bit of a job (do it in the morning before it gets hot) but the effort is well worth while, both to see the amazing wall paintings and to get an idea of the engineering effort expended here, back in the 5th Century. I agree with the locals who call it one of the wonders of the world. There is a chance that it may be closed to tourists, so climb it while you can!
Next morning we allowed ourselves time; our day’s destination was the
ancient capital ofAnarudhapura, not far away to the north. Rohan still wanted to get there early, and once we had arrived I understood why: Anurahapura holds a remarkable number of historic ruins and temples, including the tallest stupa (one of those semi-circular domes with a small tower no top) in the world. I got to see people going to the temple, offering sacrifices and praying; a wonderful opportunity. We had dinner with another of Rohan’s school friends and his family. They own a Yamaha shop, and discussing the differences and similarities between Sri Lanka and Australia filled the evening. It seems that there isn’t really all that much difference!
The largest capacity bikes allowed to be registered in Sri Lanka are 400s. Anything larger, according to one grinning local informant, was seen by the police as a threat to their monopoly on power with their 600cc Yamaha police machines. This was why Rohan and I were riding 350cc Royal Enfields, not 500cc Bullets. Don’t worry if you bring your own bike; it doesn’t seem as if temporary imports are restricted.
Home run
And then it was all downhill, or south anyway… we left Anuradhapura next morning, this time when the traffic had had time to get going – or maybe I should say stopping – but the city has fewer than 70,000 inhabitants so the traffic jam could only get so bad. Then we were on the road to
the coastal city of Puttalam. Another good run, with only one major town and a few small places to slow the ride.
A bike is the perfect way of getting around Sri Lanka because you find yourself concentrating on the world around you, and here you get to see a lot of things – people working in the paddy fields, birds – oops, cops hiding in the shade again –and lots of other animals including monkeys. The dogs have a lot of road sense, although you see the occasional one with three legs. Rohan said, “Of course they have road sense. They’re alive.” People spend a lot of their lives by the roadside, either selling stuff, walking along or working in the fields. They herd water buffalos and the kids wander to and fro from school. Sri Lanka has a very high literacy rate; in fact, education in general is highly regarded.
The run south from Puttalam to Colombo was the least interesting part of the ride, with one town snuggling up against the next and very little evidence of anything other than day-to-day commerce. Mind you, it was still interesting to mix it with the trucks, buses and everpresent tuk-tuks; you would never go to sleep in Sri Lankan traffic. We left the main road for a while in Negombo and stuck to the coast road, which was less crowded and took us past some relics of Dutch rule. Coming into Colombo we followed a canal for a few kilometres that also had touches of Dutch-ness. No, don’t ask me what that means; go and see it and you’ll know.
And then it was all over. It’s funny to think that the place is no bigger than Tasmania; it certainly seems bigger with all those people. People, by the way, who were unfailingly friendly and welcoming, and who didn’t ever hassle me the way they do in some other countries.
Keep an eye on our pages, especially TOP TOURS, for news of Rohan’s organised tours. I can guarantee already that you will have a wonderful, and serendipitously enjoyable time. =
Eating, as usual – it’s a wonder he still fits into the suit. (Photo Rohan Sourjah)
BIKeteSt
Yamaha XSR900
Psychodelia Words s tuart Photos Nick Wood
Lady Caroline Lamb described Lord Byron as “Mad, bad and dangerous to know.” She might have said the same about this bike…
Based on the insane Yamaha MT-09 the release of the retro XSR900 makes it a ‘psychodelic’ ride, man! Psychotic power, combined with improved handling and retro and customisable looks is just what the spin doctor ordered. It’s also a bike I’ve longed for – an understated powerhouse that makes me giggle (uh oh – the sub) when I just sit on it!
On top of the equipment of the MT-09 which it’s based, the XSR900 has been given traction control and ABS. To be
honest, I don’t like either of them on this bike, they can spoil the insane fun that can be had. Luckily you can turn the traction control off, but you can’t disable the ABS and the front cuts in too early for the super powerful radial mount package the bike wears. Not to worry; there’s always a way of disabling the ABS (not that you should! –I’m not suggesting that!)
If you want the added safety of the traction control there are two settings and off, and both work well if you do switch it on.
The MT-09 has been in desperate need for better suspension, and this bike has it in what Yamaha describes as “XSR dedicated
suspension settings”. No one was able to enlighten me further as to what they actually did, so it could be springs only, or an entire revision. To me it feels like they’ve put firmer springs front and rear and revised the valving for a smoother action. Either way the handling of the XSR900 is bang on the money and adjustable both front and rear if you want to find a finer setting just right for you. The short wheelbase of the XSR900 will save you money on wear to the front tyre. Get used to it, it is hard to keep the front wheel down, even with the traction control switched on.
The engine is unchanged from the MT-09, however the power modes (A, Standard & B) have been revised to give smoother delivery. When I rode the MT-09 I noticed the rather direct acceleration, especially when in mode A.
Stuart is wearing an Rjays Carbon helmet, Dririder Scrambler jacket and Held Satu gloves.
Brother customiser
Not only has the MT-09 been turned into the XSR as you read in this test, but the extremely popular MT-07 has also been given the XSR treatment. Predictably called the XSR700, this LAMS approved model looks similar to the XSR900 but is lighter and able to be ridden legally by Learner and Provisional riders. If the XSR700 had been available when it came time to purchase the MT-07 I bought, I would have opted for the XSR version. You really can customise it into your own personal bike, which is great.
“PSYCHOTIC POWER, COMBINED WITH IMPROVED HANDLING AND RETRO AND CUSTOMISABLE LOOKS IS JUST WHAT THE SPIN DOCTOR ORDERED "
Shades of YICS – who remembers that? The revision has taken away the jerkiness at a light constant throttle, which is perfect.
An assist and slipper clutch has also been added for smoother riding and it works well with the triple cylinder characteristics. It’s also made the clutch lever a bit lighter which is always welcome.
Ergonomics seem to be very similar to the MT-09’s but the XSR900 is all about the retro look and customisable features and the tank is a little wider at the rear. In light of this, Yamaha has an extensive list of accessories that can be fitted up to the XSR900 (and XSR700). The two main accessories that really change the look of the XSR900 are the Ultrasuede seat and the Seat Cowl. To further ‘retro-ise’ the look you can get canvas luggage, a low position handlebar and bar end mirrors. The other accessories in the range are detail type pieces, but you can also get a range of exhausts to get the exact look you’re after. Still in development is a carbon fibre headlight cowl which was on display at last year’s Sydney Motorcycle Expo.
Styling sees the use of metal, rather than plastic. The tank and rear guard on the XSR900 are made from aluminium and the silver of the version we tested is actually not paint but brushed aluminium. You also get aluminium headlight stays, a round retro styled
headlight, stitched two-level seat, a 12V socket underneath at the under-tray and the thing you’ll be looking at most is the new, offset round TFT digital instrument dial.
Two colours are available, the ‘Garage Metal’ we tested, but also a lovely Rock Slate which is a mid-metallic blue. Yamaha is promoting the fact that you can convert this into your very own by painting it another colour, or using various metal finishes to get the look you’re after.
The target customer for the XSR900 (and 700) is someone who appreciates heritage style with performance. I’m not sure the ‘hipster’ crowd Yamaha appears to be targeting will be after this kind of thing (or prepared to pay for it), whereas general riders like you and me will be looking to get our bums on an XSR with enthusiasm.
If you want to see what can be done with an XSR, check out Faster Sons, Wrenchmonkees and Roland Sands Design. All three have created beautiful motorcycles, if retro custom is your thing. Or, you might like to do a tribute bike, just like the job that Yamaha Motor Australia has done with both the 700 and 900. The 700 has been turned into a ‘DT1’ look and the 900, an RZ350 which I fell in love with as soon as I saw it.
So, it’s time to get the tools out of the toolbox and start tinkering with the ‘psychodelic’ Yamaha XSR900, all the while knowing that you have an amazing performance motorcycle underneath the changeable skin.
Special and delightful. Pity they made them out of pre-production models.
SPECS
PRICE: $12,999 (plus on-road charges)
WARRANTY: Two years, unlimited distance
SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 10,000km or 12 months
ENGINE: Liquid-cooled three cylinder, 4-stroke, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 5.41 litres per 100km, premium unleaded
THEORETICAL RANGE: 258km
COLOURS: Rock Slate, Garage Metal
VERDICT: PEEL THE SKIN OFF THIS PSYCHO!
YAMAHA XSR900
TRAVEL BULAHDELAH
ROCK ’N’ ROLL WORDS/PHOTOS THE BEAR
Bulahdelah means Big Rock, which is a terrific name for it because a big rock, in the form of Alum Mountain, overlooks the town. It used to be mined for alunite, an ore of alum, which is where the name comes from. I had never heard of alum until I started writing this story, but it turns out that it has a vast number of uses. It was once sold in the form of styptic pencils, to stop bleeding, and can even be turned into jewellery.
Isn’t that fascinating? Stop the moaning back there. Next time you stop in Bulahdelah, or pass it on the new Pacific Highway section, you’ll be able to say to your adoring listener, either by intercom or, failing that, by shouting: “You might not know this, but the Aboriginal
people used to call that big rock Big Rock, and the early settlers mined it to make pencils to stop bleeding after
shaving! Hello? Bloody… gone to sleep again.”
But that’s okay. Wake them with the
news that you are considering a visit to Willbee Tops to have a look at the edible snail farm; call John or Deb on 4997 8128 or 0418 111 006. Maybe they do takeaways!
But that’s not in Bulahdelah, it’s up along Markwell Road on the way to Gloucester. Nobody grows snails in town as far as I know.
The town was probably built originally to service the Alum Mountain mine. Barges used to come up the river to collect the mineral.
These days, the traffic is the other way with people hiring houseboats and heading downriver to Bombah Broadwater and the other Myall lakes. It was this and travellers on the Pacific Highway stopping for fuel, food or a night’s sleep that made the town prosper. Even today it makes a good
stop if you’re heading north and get away late from Sydney – it’s only two and a half hours by the highway – or if you’re coming south and it’s getting a bit too late to push on to the smoke. It’s a bit early to tell what the new Pacific Highway bypass will do to Bulahdelah. There are quite a few “for sale” signs on businesses around town, but I suspect that the town will not only survive but prosper. It’s the main turnoff to the beautiful Myall Lakes, and it’s a good base to check out a number of other attractions as well. So let’s see where you might like to roll around the rock!
DEVIL’S HILLS
This is a range of, well, hills predictably enough, between the Bucketts Way at Booral south of Stroud, and Bulahdelah. It’s not a brilliant road as far as condition is concerned, but it is fun to ride. Beware – there is one hairpin which can easily catch out any young players. If you’re
coming from the south, from Sydney or Newcastle, say, take the Bucketts Way and then cut across to the Bulahdelah Way rather than going up the (not very interesting) highway. The only services are at either end.
WOOTTON WAY
North of Bulahdelah, this is the old highway which was replaced by the freeway. It has some dual road and
riding it is a bit of a strange experience because it is practically unused. Beware the surface; moss grows on it, deep leaf mulch makes it slippery and water runs across it, often marked by lichen growth. Eerie but interesting. There is a rest area on the western side of the road, below Sullivans Gap, which is actually quite nice now it doesn’t get much attention any more. It has potential for camping. The big flooded
TRAVEL
the Broadwater and on down to Hawks Nest and Tea Gardens. This road makes a good alternative when returning to Sydney or Newcastle; it is sealed but can get a bit sandy when the wind blows. There are camping opportunities on the lake shore and also, if you don’t mind walking a bit, on the sea side. There are gas barbecues, tables and toilets at Mungo Brush.
gums and other old growth forest make this worth seeing if you’re a greenie.
THE GRANDIS
Tallest known tree in NSW, this fl ooded gum (its type, not a description) towers 85 metres over the forest between the Wootton Way and the freeway. It can be reached from either by way of gravel roads with reasonable surface. The access road from the Lakes Way passes under the freeway in a big, arched tunnel that makes a good photography backdrop. From the other side the turnoff is marked on the eastern side of the Wootton Way, quite close to the southern end. The Grandis has a picnic area, toilets and a viewing platform so your boots don’t destroy the tiny roots it relies on for water.
MYALL SHORES
Right on the tip of Bombah Point and stretching back to the west is this holiday park with cabins, camping and so on. There’s a café and shop. The location is quite beautiful. You can rent canoes and kayaks; call 4997 4457 for rentals and the park itself.
BOMBAH POINT ECO COTTAGES
Not far from the holiday park, the Eco Cottages provide a more specifi cally ecological experience. Phone 4997 4401 for information and bookings.
BOMBAH
POINT FERRY
Departing every half hour between 8.00am and 6.00pm, the ferry connects the Myall Shores holiday park with the road that runs around
DIRT RIDING
All around Bulahdelah in Myall River, Bulahdelah and Wang Wauk State Forests there are forestry and other tracks which vary in diffi culty but are all fun to ride. If you’re on a road bike and it’s been raining it’s probably an idea to leave most of these tracks to dirt bikes; just remember your limitations. You can explore a lot of this network, but don’t get in over your head. Literally and fi guratively, ha ha. These roads and tracks go all the way up to Gloucester if you like. As always in forestry areas, beware log trucks!
BACK IN TOWN
Bulahdelah is a compact place, with most of the services you’ll need on Stroud Street. I won’t list all of the cafés because I don’t really know how they differ, but I recommend the pub, the Plough, as a place to stay. They also have lunch and dinner seven days; pretty much the usual pub food but lots of it and a pleasant environment overlooking the river to eat it. Rooms are plain but cheap, and they’ll let you park your bike in a locked-up carport behind the pub. Call 4997 4285. There is a pharmacy and a bakery just down the road. On the corner of Bulahdelah Way and Crawford Street is the Visitor Information Centre, 4997 4981 or www.bulahdelah.net.au , which in my experience is useful and helpful. There is fuel in two servos up on the Bulahdelah Way and the number of the caravan park is 4997 4565. On the web, see www.greatlakes.org. au or drop an enquiry to tourism@ greatlakes.nsw.gov.au.
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“You
Pirelli Diablo rosso iii
Hotter tHan tHe
Devil Himself
Words s tuart Photos Pirelli
ThePirelli Diablo Rosso II has been a hugely successful tyre for the brand over the past few years, but the release of the new Diablo Rosso III looks to make this success even greater with more grip, longevity, feedback and wet performance. I headed to Sepang to give the tyres a good workout and to enjoy the World Superbike round with Pirelli – the official tyre supplier.
The new Diablo Rosso III has moved up from being a ‘Road Sport’ classed tyre to an even sportier version that can also handle some track work – an all-round sports tyre if you’d like to call it that.
The designers of the Diablo Rosso III targeted riders of sportsbikes and powerful naked bikes who ride up to 15,000km a year, use their bikes for all occasions - for bike rallies, track days and trips away. The tyre is even designed for those who use their bike in crappy weather - damp, cold and wet roads, rain and so on. Making an even sportier tyre suitable for this wide range of conditions is all down to technology - a high energy structure and special compounds.
If we start with the carcass of the tyre, its stiffness has been increased for a more consistent feel. The cord used is tighter in the front tyre versus the rear to help give a larger contact patch on the roadway. The compound used in the front tyre is 100% Silica, whereas the rear uses a 70% Silica and Carbon Black mix. This gives the front and rear combination a consistent mileage range and performance throughout their life. You’ll also notice a new, aggressively styled tread pattern. The grooves all combine to give fast warm up, grip in all conditions and consistent performance over a long period. I keep saying ‘consistent’ and this is a big thing with tyres. If you have a tyre that “goes-off” when it gets hot, or doesn’t warm-up fast
to give you grip, your safety, or enjoyment of your motorcycle will be reduced. With the Diablo Rosso III, consistency across the range of conditions you might want to subject it to helps make your riding safer and of course much more fun!
To add to the fun factor, lean angles with the Diablo Rosso III have been increased from 45 deg to 52 deg. The profile of the tyre has been changed (+2.5% higher) to give the increased lean angle but also to give a wider footprint on the ground at all lean angles.
During the launch I was lucky enough to have a chat with the three “product testers” who actually put the tyre through its paces during design and pre-production. They told me about the way you can push this tyre quite hard in adverse conditions and I certainly found that out during the first session on the track, which was wet/half-dry from an overnight storm. I rode an Aprilia Tuono in this first session and I was quite surprised at just how hard I could push it. Turn in was light and precise and rear grip was good.
down to the excellent lean angles and grip you can achieve with the Diablo Rosso III.
For my second session I jumped onto a Ducati Hyperstrada which was a bit overwhelmed on the track. I ground both the rear brake lever and gear lever pretty much off, followed by a lot of the footpegs. I guess you could put this
By the third session the track had dried out and I grabbed a BMW S 1000 RR, so did a number of exracers attending the launch. I was quite chuffed to say I only had an ex-500GP rider a couple of seconds ahead of me and a bunch of ex-Suzuka 8hr racers behind me! Despite overwhelming the front ABS on the BMW in Race mode, the feel from the Diablo Rosso III allowed me to not run wide, just crank it over and get on with turning fast laps. The rear did get a little squirrelly in the last couple of laps, but I’d more
TEAROUTMAP#42 LIMESTONE BAZZA!
TAKE THE PICTURESQUE DIRT ROUTE
Adventureis back for this issue and what a picturesque route we’ve got for you!
Total distance – 180km
Time – Around 4-5 hours (allowing for sightseeing along the way) Road conditions - Snowy River Shire Depot Reception on 02 6451 1000
This is a particularly easy route to navigate, although just after the snow season the dirt can get a little slippery in spots. However the main purpose of riding this particular piece of dirt country is the scenery – it is simply stunning.
For this ride you could base yourself in either Benambra in Victoria, or Jindabyne in NSW, but we started in Benambra (after coming from Omeo) and made our way over to Jindabyne.
BENAMBRA
Benambra town centre is at the intersection of Gibbo Street and Limestone Road, at an altitude of some
700m. The town has a population of around 150, although most residents live on farms and properties out of the actual town.
From its early days Benambra has been regarded as a premier agricultural area, specialising in both sheep and cattle farming.
The timber industry employs a small number of people in harvesting, handling and transportation of the logs to mills in other areas. Mining was once also a significant employer in the area, but only occasional forays are currently conducted.
For the tourist, the area offers beautiful mountain scenery, crystal clear trout fishing streams, and an assortment of picturesque bush walking trails, including those of the Alpine National Park.
The town of Benambra is also on the shores of Lake Omeo which can also serve as a tourist attraction, however this lake only irregularly holds water at present. During wetter times a pier and public toilets were built at the top end
of the lake furthest from the town where the lake is at its maximum depth. The depth varies when full from about 3m at the top end to about 1m at the town end, where the lake will flood across the sealed road.
The Benambra Store (03 5159 9209) offers a range of supplies and services including fuel (normal unleaded only when I passed through), however please note the opening/closing times:
Store Opening Hours:
Mon - Thurs 7.30am to 6pm Friday 7.30am to 8.30pm Saturday 8am to 4pm Sunday 9am to 4pm Public Hols 9am to 4pm
SUGGAN BUGGAN
Suggan Buggan lies on the edge of the Snowy Mountains. This is wild lonely country which can be bitterly cold in winter. The town’s name came from the Aboriginal expression ‘bukkan bukkan’ which was a term
used to describe “bags made from grass”. Not “bags made for grass.”
THINGS TO SEE:
Suggan Buggan Schoolhouse
In 1865 Edward O’Rourke constructed the old school house which still stands today. The smaller of the two rooms was for a tutor named Ballantyne who was hired to teach O’Rourke’s thirteen children. A man named Tom Dillon, who worked for the family, is buried in a grave at the top of the hill near the school house. He was a ticket-of-leave man; a convict who was granted freedom of lodging and occupation within a given district until the end of his sentence.
Snowy River National Park
To the east is the Snowy River National Park. At its southern tip is the picnic area on Moresford Track where a short walking trail leads to an impressive view of Raymond Falls. Further north, on Varney’s Track, is Hicks Property which is ideal for camping although it lacks any facilities. A dirt track leads to Jackson’s Crossing on the Snowy River and the lower reaches of Rodger River are also there to be investigated. South of Wulgulmerang is a road which will take you along a signposted route to within walking distance of a spectacular lookout over
Little River Gorge, one of the deepest in the state. Two kilometres west is a short walking track that leads to the Little River Falls. Further east is the McKillops Bridge area, on the banks of the Snowy River, which is an ideal locale for swimming and relaxing in summertime. Wild horses live in the park and can sometimes be seen.
INGEBYRA
Mostly just a landmark for this trip, but if you wanted to stay somewhere and get your “Snowy Mountain Man” on, you can stay at Old Ingebyra Homestead and go horse riding just like The Man from Snowy River. Or you could try to replicate his feat on your bike. No? Visit: www.snowyriverhorsebackadventure. com.au
WALLACE CRAIGIE LOOKOUT
A terrific place to break up your ride. This vantage point over the most southern precinct of the National Park offers superb views along the river, and vistas of rugged ranges that are constantly changing throughout the shifting light of day. In winter, you may even see snow fall on the summits.
Bring a packed lunch and find a picnic table beneath the trees. This spot is popular with photographers, so don’t forget to bring your camera
for some spectacular shots. Some onsite interpretative material will help you understand what you’re seeing. Wallace Craigie lookout is good to visit at any time of year, though the best time for birdwatching is summer, when a variety of local species circle overhead.
JINDABYNE
Located on the road to Kosciuszko National Park and perched on the edge of a meandering lake, Jindabyne and its surrounding towns in the Snowy Mountains make a great base for exploring the region. This is a town that has just about all necessities and all the fuel you’ll need.
Local towns Berridale, Adaminaby and Dalgety offer plenty of things to see and do, as well as ample restaurant and accommodation options to suit visitors of all ages, lifestyles and budgets. They’re also great places to hire everything you need for the snow from fashion to equipment.
In winter, the local snowfields within Kosciuszko National Park- Thredbo, Perisher Valley, Charlotte Pass and Selwyn Snowfields become busy.
In summer, check out other options that include abseiling, rock-climbing, mountain biking, horse riding and fly fishing tours (you can take lessons).
" FOR THE AUSTRALIAN LAUNCH WE SET OFF FROM THE CENTRE OF CANBERRA, RIDING PAST THE POLLIES GIVING THEM THE BIRD AND THEN SETTING OFF FOR THE HILLS TO GIVE THE QUITE WIDE FOOTPEGS A WORKOUT "
HARLEYDAVIDSON XL1200CX ROADSTER
TIME TO GET SPORTY, CRUISER WORDS STUART PHOTOS ADAM MCGRATH
Harley-Davidson has roots in dirt track racing going back many years, and the Motor Company has flirted with a number of models over the years which have tried to take on a sporty nature. The XR1200 could really have taken H-D into the sports world if they had pushed the design further. Now, H-D has released the Roadster; intended to be a sportier cruiser for those who want a bit of a mix of essentially cruiser, yet with decent handling and braking power. That’s what the Roadster offers. For the Australian launch we set off from the centre of Canberra, riding past the pollies giving them the bird and then setting off for the hills to give the quite wide footpegs a workout.
Powering the Roadster is the 1200cc rubber mounted Evolution engine, which performs just nicely for its size. But the two main changes to this model that allow it to handle better, far and above any other H-D Sportster, are the premium emulsion technology rear shocks with screw-style preload adjustment, and the 43mm inverted front forks with premium cartridge dampening technology and a special triple clamp design. To complete this package the steering geometry has been revised for faster turn in. And finally, to assist with fast turn in and overall handling, a set of lightweight, offsetsplit 5-spoke cast aluminium wheels have been added. I quite like their offbeat look, yet from a distance they look just like a normal set of 10-spoked wheels.
Handling is just as H-D had intended. The Roadster can be ridden with gusto but you’ll need to remove the “hero-blobs” and then wear down the footpegs to get to the point where they no longer touch down so easily. A day of spirited riding through your favourite section of road will fix this up.
To stop all this fun, the single disc front of a ‘normal’ Sportster just wasn’t
Stuart is wearing a Shoei J.O open face, Ugly Fish sunnies, Segura Retro jacket, Ixon HP Pro 2 Contest gloves, Draggin Next Gen jeans and Sidi Way Mega Rain boots.
going to cut it so H-D fitted twin discs up front and they allow excellent braking power for all us sporty riders out there. Add in ABS front and rear and this is a very safe package to have at your disposal.
The riding position has also been given a more ‘sporty’ feel, with a lower handlebar and a special sculpted seat to help lock you into the bike at speed. For individual styling, the Roadster has been given a chopped rear fender for a tidier/custom look and the timing cover is finned. There are a number of colours available but the Velocity Red Sunglo got the most attention.
Customising the Roadster is easy with a
truck load of genuine H-D accessories available. You can change the whole look of the bike just by changing to the Café solo seat, blacked out Screamin’ Eagle Street Cannon mufflers and the Screamin’ Eagle heavy breather air cleaner, which is a great start to making it yours.
If you want a cruiser that has some sporty capabilities, yet has style that only a Harley-Davidson can give, then check out the Roadster and towel up some more fancied machines through the twisties.
SPECS
HARLEY-DAVIDSON XL1200CX ROADSTER
PRICE: $19,495 (ride away)
WARRANTY: Two years, unlimited distance
SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 8000km or 12 months
ENGINE: Air-cooled V-twin cylinder, 4-stroke, 2 overhead valves per cylinder
BORE x STROKE: 88.9 x 96.8mm
DISPLACEMENT: 1202cc
COMPRESSION: 10.0:1
POWER: N/A
TORQUE: 98Nm @ 3750rpm
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed, wet multi-plate clutch, belt final drive
COLOURS:Vivid Black, Black Denim, Velocity Red Sunglo, Billet
Silver/Vivid Black
VERDICT: GET SPORTY
Of course we can’t show you the shot of Stuart giving the pollies ‘the bird’.
MURDER AND MAYHEM!
Oh, and a pretty gOOd pub
Words/photos C O lin Whelan
Soanyway whenever I head out searching for a memorable adventure with a great pub and some colourful locals, I always have one over-riding thought: Will this be an experience that sticks, or will it be a succession of empty promises? And as I headed out to Tottenham, the town closest to the geographical centre of NSW, on the trail of a couple of killers, I realised nothing could’ve been more appropriate than wondering:
Is this going to be a classic week or am I just chasing pie in the sky?
It’s around 550km from Sydney via Mudgee, Narromine and Albert to Tottenham and in that there’s some damn fine riding plus a few really decent stops. I overnight camp at Lake Windemere out from Rylestone on the way out and get to Tottenham just on 3 in the arvo, plonk the Triumph XC beside the splendid pub and take a walk around the CBD.
It ain’t huge and I’m just taking in the
town but I’m also looking for traces of the two old Wobbly blokes who brought my wobbly knees to this old mining town.
Down to the post office then across to the old servo and the police station next door, then back up to park, across to the mini mart. As I’m about to head to the café which shares the main corner, I stand back and wait for the traffic to clear.
This entire traffic consists of June on her electric buggy zooming diagonally
Umang
across and headed for the community notice board. This notice board sits between the town’s café and a closed old S&S agent whose front window is dominated by an old photo of a bloke sitting in front of his wattle and daub hut.
On a clear autumn arvo, June and I shoot the breeze for a bit and I ask her about the murder.
A hundred years ago two members of the International Workers of the World (known as, ‘Wobblies’) were found
guilty of the first political assassination in Australia, the murder of Tottenham’s new police officer, George Duncan. Roland Kennedy and Frank Franz allegedly shot Duncan through the window of the police station as he banged away on his typewriter on just his third day in the town. Kennedy’s brother, Herb, was also charged but got off and in December
Tune in
There are some seriously good clips of folks singing Preacher and the Slave on YouTube.
For me the standouts are by the one by Chris Buhalis and Joe Glazer.
But the actual song, “Joe Hill” is also chilling. Best versions are by Paul Robeson, Bruce Springsteen and Pete Seeger
But if you’re interested in this stuff, search for ‘Preacher Slave Harry McClintock’ for a performance by the first person to record the song, appropriately in Portland Oregon, home to the original ‘Skid Row’.
I have links to all these on my online version of this article at: www.motorbikenation.com
And a final point that riders will appreciate, especially those who have followed Campbell Newman’s VLAD laws, (Otherwise known as: Criminal Law (Criminal Organisations Disruption) Amendment Act 2013)
PM Billy Hughes despised the IWW and in 1916, seeking to kill them off, his government brought forth the Unlawful Associations Act whose third clause declared:
The following are hereby declared to be unlawful associations, namely:-
(a) The association known as the Industrial Workers of the World
The more things change the more they stay the same!
1916 the other pair became the last people hung at Bathurst Gaol. In court it was claimed that the pair’s anger at Duncan stemmed in part from his arrest the previous day of another Wobbly, George Wann on the charge of uttering the profanity, ‘bugger’ in public. (This was obviously before the Bugger series of Toyota Ads *.)
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was founded in Chicago in 1905 as a socialist/ anarchist radical workers’ union and the first Australian ‘local’ was formed two years later with the one at Tottenham soon thereafter.
These were the most radical of unionists. They made the CFMEU look more like the CWA and beside them, even the Painters and Dockers of the 1990s look more like a genteel group of social scooter riders. Their meetings featured, apart from militant rhetoric focussed on class struggle and syndicalism, much singing of workers’ and revolutionary songs.
And many of the songs they sang were written by Swedish born Joel Hågglund who’d moved to west coast USA in the early 1900s, switched his name to Joe Hill and, faced with long terms of unemployment and underemployment, joined the IWW.
Hill had been executed a year before the Tottenham killing on a trumped up charge of murder. At his execution the OIC ordered his men to raise their rifles and shouted, “Ready. Aim,” then paused and asked Joe Hill if he had anything to say. Hill simply replied, “Fire!”
Four of them got him in the chest and the cops published a photo to prove it.
The authorities countered the singing of songs at Wobbly rallies by using bands, often from the Salvation Army to drown out the singing and the Salvos became identified with the class opposition and with the police. They became known as the ‘Starvation Army’. They were allowed to preach their version of the gospel but the Wobblies were forbidden to proselytize theirs. (In
a wonderful irony, a Salvo collection bin still stands shoulder to shoulder with the Police Garage at Tottenham.)
Hill was nothing if not inventive and so he used the tunes of the Starvation Army as the basis for his songs and effectively used their bands as backing artists.
His most famous song was, The Preacher and the Slave, a rewording of the Salvos’ “In the Sweet By-andBy” and a direct attack on the empty promises of Bill Booth’s mob.
And here’s something extra to chew over as you’re enjoying a hot pie at Cowan on the Old Pac, or maybe an apple one at Bilpin:
In writing the sarcastic, bitter chorus, this militant immigrant became the first person to use the phrase, “pie in the sky’ and hence the appropriateness of my leaving-Sydney musings.
You will eat, bye and bye
In that glorious land above the sky
Work and pray, live on hay
You’ll get pie in the sky when you die (that’s a lie)
Roland Kennedy arrest warrant.
Anyway, June Buggy reckons there’s no monument to this episode in the town and points out Pat’s house a bit down the hill.
Pat’s with the local historical society and takes me up to their rooms in the community hall and we go through their great collection. In it’s a photo of Rolly Kennedy with the Tottenham Brass Band. Generations of interested oily fingers have touched his face no doubt accompanied by a sound track of, “that’s him,” and have rendered his head almost unrecognisable.
I head back up to the pub where Rick the boss is on duty for a quick cleanser. He bought the place in 1979 after a (yep you guessed it) motorcycle prang meant he could no longer work. There’s Tooheys and XXXX Gold on tap plus a decent range of stubbies. Wine comes in those small glass and a half bottles.
There’s no restaurant as such but Rick’s wife Debbie who helps run the joint, cooks dinner when there’s a demand. If you’re headed here with a group, ring ahead!
There’s no gambling or pool table in the bar. This is a talking place!
I head upstairs and to check in to a forty buck balcony room. Two sharing will set you back sixty.
Like ten of the other dozen rooms this is a twin with two singles and the door opens straight out onto the ‘randah. (the other 3 have a double bed.)
All rooms have air con but no heating and every bed has an electric blanket. You’ll find all the makings for a brew in the common room plus cereal and toast, honey, jam and vegemite. The fridge has a freezer to take all camelbak bladders. Comfortable!
I move the bike around into one of the three woodsheds at the end of the massive beer garden, if only to save myself dragging all the unlockable crap off it and upstairs.
I leave my jacket and helmet and other sundry detritus on bar and head out for a chat with Richard, a few doors the street. He’s the grandson of the bloke
Joe Hill gunshot wounds / Ricky at Tottenham Hotel
in the shop front picture in front of the wattle and daub house. He explains how this fella, his dad’s dad had arrived in Tottenham on his bicycle in 1906 and decided to make it his home.
Richard has those outback eyes that fix on you, trying to focus through your retinas and into your soul, wondering if you can be trusted. Sizing you up.
Found one, but not the other
Fearing demonstrations by the IWW, the NSW government forbad Kennedy or Franz being buried in Sydney and condemned them to unmarked graves in Bathurst. After leaving Tottenham I headed down there and on a dank drizzling afternoon and wandered through the cemetery. After two hours, in the Catholic section I found what must be the anonymous grave of Roland Kennedy, bereft of any marking or tribute. I stood and tried to imagine the burial a century ago. Despite another hour over in the Church of England sections, I had no success in finding Frank Franz’s resting place. I’ll try again.
Measuring your responses. And then relaxing as they open up their secrets, their stories, their memories and their open wounds. These are the people who share stories rather than just tell them.
For three hours we talk. He tells of his father being captured in Singapore and being sent to Changi, of working on the Burma railroad. He tells of how for 2 years no word came from his dad and how his grandfather, convinced his only son had perished, died of a broken heart just six months before finally a letter arrived: a year before the war ended, and his emaciated son returned fatherless to Tottenham.
He shows me his father’s secret war diary, pencilled into tiny notebooks and he shows me a photo of his dad in a rugby league team in Singapore before the fall and tells how only 7 returned…5 of the players died at the hands of the Japs on the Burma Railway and another in the final battle for Singapore.
And then as I am leaving he hands me a well-filled foolscap manilla envelope bearing, “On Her Majesty’s Service, The Commander of Police, Tottenham Station, NSW,” and says, “I think you’ll find this stuff interesting.”
Back at the pub, I’ve missed dinner so Ricky offers to call back Debbie but I’m good.
My stuff’s all still on the bar including my wallet and keys, and I schlep it all upstairs and once out on the ‘randa, I open the envelope.
Tottenham’s copper shafts might be closed but this is a goldmine, it contains copies of the original arrest warrants for the Kennedys and Franz, photos of Herb Kennedy, copies of contemporary news clippings, a map of the town and it contains copies of the records of interview. Oh and a photo of the cop shop with the window hole made by the bullets. It takes a while to suck it all in.
In the morning I find the bathrooms are well kept and the hot water seems endless with great pressure. I make a brew and enjoy it on the ‘randa, my back to the caressing sun.
I go through the envelope again and I bask in the generosity of spirit of people like Richard and think, “Bugger me, coming out to the bush and hoping for amazing days, ain’t just pie in the sky.”
The Tottenham Hotel rated in the middle of the three helmet category on our Motorcycle Friendly Scale, dragged down by a lack of a full time restaurant and some bar facilities.
Countering this was the cleanliness of the place and the helpfulness of Rick and Debbie. It has a strange lack of atmosphere with its walls empty ‘cept for a couple of old footy photos and seems to portray an attitude of, ‘we don’t have a lot but what we have is yours.’
It’d make a very decent base for a weekend ride for bikers who’re into open backroads touring. =
•
•
SCRAMBLER PLUS
WORDS THE BEAR PHOTOS RIZOMA/THE BEAR
George S. Kaufman, the American critic, after seeing a forest planted by a friend reportedly said “This is what God could have done if He’d had the money.” We are inclined, after seeing our completed Rizoma Scrambler, that “This is what Ducati could have done if they’d had the money.” That’s not a criticism of Ducati. After all, not everybody will want to change their Scrambler the way we have – or at all! And of course the changes cost money. Ducati had to build the bike to a price that you and I could afford. And the current Scrambler is a beautiful piece of work anyway; but leave it to Rizoma, another Italian company, to make it even better looking. Take a look at what we’ve done, and let us know what you think. We suspect that Ducati might have been able to do this – but then we wouldn’t have had the fun of personalising their product.
The concepT
Anybody can bolt accessories onto
a bike. I’m sure you’ve seen bikes that are carrying just a bit too much bling without telling much of a story. We looked at the impressive Rizoma catalogue and the Scrambler supplement and we could see a very interesting and consistent bike emerging from the available range. The words that came to mind were ‘slick’, ‘smooth’ and ‘slim’; altogether ‘striking’; so welcome to the “5S” Scrambler.
The way this project worked out was interesting. A lot of bikes are changed by accessories in small, incremental ways; the total effect is there, but it’s subtle. The BMW GS we equipped with accessories from the same manufacturer a few issues ago is a case in point. There is nothing very subtle about the effect of the changes we made to the Scrambler. Just about every time we replaced something, we found that we had changed the entire look of the bike. Before we could get into the Rizoma catalogue, we needed a few other changes (we have reported on these). Some of them, like the headlight guard and the black tank panels, came straight
CHECK OUT PROJECT “5S”, THE SCRAMBLER WITH ALL THE EGG
out of the Ducati parts catalogue. Some came from our favourite parts suppliers, such as the seat which is from Mustang in the USA and is a lot more comfortable than the original. And some, finally, were made for us, like the Ikon shock with its red spring.
So, the 5S Concept was built on a solid base. But we weren’t ready for the full effect that the Rizoma parts would have, not just because they were beautiful in their own right, but because they each added something to the bike… Let’s take it from the front.
FronT Fender ZdM129A
Yes, it’s what we call a mudguard. This is made of brushed aluminium and unpainted, and probably made the biggest difference of all the parts
we fitted. Removing the substantial amount of red from the front, with the standard guard and its integrated stays, has lowered the bike – only visually, but significantly – and made it look both more compact and more aggressive. Not in a bad way, I hasten to add.
I don’t entirely understand how such a simple change could make such a big difference, but there you go. One of the most interesting things about customising is seeing the unexpected results you can get. Attractive as the standard front guard and the carbon alternative from Ducati are, I would not go back to either of them now that I’ve seen this guard.
Fork Tube Guards ZdM134b
Slick and a bit more hard-edged than the originals, the Fork Tube Guards cover the same area but do it in an angular and sharper way. Their appearance goes well with the brushed aluminium guard. By the way, the “A” at the end of a part number means “natural metal or brushed/chromed” while the “B” means “black”.
ConiCal Handlebar (wiTH riser kiT) Ma006b/aZ203b
The look of the bike was crying out for a black handlebar. “Conical” is what we mean when we say “tapered” and the bar helps to lighten the look of the bike, despite being black. The riser kit also relocates the instrument binnacle
back and to the centre, which is just about the only thing I don’t really like about this Rizoma gear. I thought the off-centre binnacle looked good and individual. Ah well, as they say, you’ve got to take the rough with the smooth. So to speak.
“urlo” Grips Gr221b
Smooth and very individual, the black of the grips is set off beautifully by a choice of coloured, anodised rings which come in red, blue and gold. Grip is good; your hands will not slip on these. And they look terrific on the ends of the tapered bar.
“rrC” brake & CluTCH levers lbr503b/lCr503b
Is there such a thing as poetry in engineering? If there is, these levers will rank right up there with the finest haiku. They are spare and almost skeletal but very comfortable and strong. The small coloured highlight (your choice of anodised tint) set them off nicely.
What’s in a name?
You might wonder why we have been rattling on about Rizoma so much recently. This is the third story about the company and its products in a row. This came about because of arrangements that were made at quite different times. The factory story was a follow-up from the BikeBiz R nineT project we looked at a while back; I visited the factory in Milan in November last year. I made arrangements for the Ducati project at the time, but it took a while to get it all organised and get the parts and the bike together. The opportunity to prepare the R 1200 GS with BikeBiz, meanwhile, came while we were still sorting things out with the Ducati - so we slipped it in first.
At any rate, all three stories can happily stand on their own, and the fact that they came so close together doesn’t change anything about the way they were done. By the way, if you’re the lucky bugger who buys that R 1200 GS from BikeBiz, get in touch and tell us what you think. The Scrambler is not for sale.
“driFT” Mirrors (wiTH adapTers) bs400b/bs411b
Why “Drift”? Who knows? I sometimes think that coming up with names for new products must be one of the most difficult jobs around. Especially
since it’s easy to make mistakes. Who at Toyota knew when they were coming up with the name of the MR2 that “emmerdeux” apparently means “shitty” in French? These mirrors have a faint blue tinge which makes them look quite special, and both their shape and mechanism are spot on.
“Club” and “Club S” Turn SignalS (wiTh Cable kiT) Fr155b/Fr150b/ee079h
Bigger means brighter does not apply to these smart, small and very slick little indicators. While they are tiny in physical size, they are enormous in light output. I wouldn’t be game to say that drivers could not miss them – drivers can miss a fire engine if they’re not paying attention – but these indicators will give them less of an excuse. I would happily have something like this on all of my bikes. And of course the small bullet shapes tell their own story.
air box ZdM127b
This is probably the second-most
significant change after the front guard. Not that you can see all that much of it at the best of times, but it tidies up the area behind the forks beautifully and gives the lower front of the bike a solid, strong and integrated look. The circular window adds to the quirky look; it matches the windows in the timing belt cover. The regulator and the horn move to the side with the air box’s installation.
Cooler CoverS ZdM125b
Oil coolers and radiators often need, and deserve, protection. The Scrambler doesn’t have a radiator, but part of this set does an excellent job of protecting the oil cooler. It is strongly made and integrates well with the left-hand front of the bike. The horn and regulator sit at the bottom, much more neatly than they appear in their standard locations. The other fitting that comes with this kit covers a space on the other side of the bike and tidies that up.
“Touring” FooT
PegS Pe622b
It isn’t easy to make something which
is good-looking, comfortable and effective, but Rizoma has done that with these pegs. The black-and-alloy finish looks right, and the teeth at the edges both hold your boots in place and, because they’re a fair way apart, make a comfortable platform for your feet. It’s nice that they are also reminiscent of dirt riding pegs; that ties in with the Scrambler look.
“CaFé raCer” Fuel CaP TF124b
I know that the fashion these days is for old, Le Mans style hinged fuel caps. I like them, too. But for the Scrambler, this flush-fitting cap seems more appropriate. It doesn’t lock, but opens with a keyring attachment that Rizoma supplies. Neat and a bit special.
engine oil Filler
CaP TP008r
You could wear this little red anodised beauty as a piece of jewellery, but please don’t; it keeps the oil in the Scrambler’s engine. Having it wired up might look like a bit of overkill, but what the hell; if
I do ever decide to race the bike, some of the necessary work is already done… Frankly, we have replaced the oil filler cap for looks. The small splash of red breaks up the black of the engine very nicely.
Timing BelT
Cover ZDm123B
You should see the size of the aluminium block they start with when they mill these things. Once done they are lighter than the originals, they have windows and in black they visually tie together the right-hand side of the engine rather nicely. It’s all part of the overall look.
rear Brake masTer
CylinDer (wiTh BraCkeT)
CT115B/CT455B
While the new master cylinder might look small and delicate, it is in fact mounted securely and out of the way of potential damage. It’s smaller and more in tune with the bike’s design, too.
sproCkeT Cover ZDm133B
It’s small, it’s black… it’s also light and rather nicely shaped. The Rizoma sprocket cover does much the same job as the original, but it does it with
more panache. Once you know it exists, you’ll want it. That means now.
Chain guarD ZDm124B
The sharp look (almost wrote “sharp shape”) of the chain guard suits its location perfectly. In black it almost disappears except for a kind of angular presence covering the chain. What does that mean? I’m not sure (and I wrote it!), but I do like the look of the chain guard, even if it is not at all obvious.
“ouTsiDe” liCense plaTe supporT pT527B
The main point of side-mounted number plates is to tidy up the rear end of the bike, and this one does a good job. With its small but bright light it is also effective at night. Okay,
I know that some people think that off-centre plates are not allowed, but in fact the law only concerns itself with the visibility of the plate, and this one meets the requirements. That’s what my engineer says, anyway, and he’s the expert. The support also uses exactly the same mounting points as the original one.
riZoma sTiCkers, Tank anD rear guarD (parT numBers unknown)
The stickers were not really a part of the concept, but the black “r” on the tail looks really good in my opinion, and the sticker on the tank suits the look too. Just about all of the parts, with the exception of some of the brackets (and the stickers), are milled from billet aluminium. All in all, with the help of Ducati, Mustang , Ikon and above all Rizoma we have clearly met our 5S Project target. Our Scrambler is ‘slick’, ‘smooth’ and ‘slim’; altogether ‘striking’. Look for me on the road; I’ll be happy to talk to you about it.
Credits
All of the fitting was done by Stuart, and he says that you’d need a moderate amount of mechanical skill (in other words, significantly more than I have) to do the job. I’d suggest you go to someone like BikeBiz at 274 Parramatta Road, Granville NSW, 9682 2999 for help. They stock a large range of Rizoma parts and the workshop blokes are very helpful. If you’re not in or near Sydney you might like to try your local Ducati shop.
Several other bike shops in Australia stock Rizoma; I suggest you go to www. rizoma.com for locations. For direct contact with the factory, info@rizoma. com will get you a quick response. =
travel
WELLINGTON NATIONAL PARK
Funnythat the park is named after Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington. The eponymous dam that is its centrepiece was built to supply water for the mining and railway yards at nearby Collie – and Wellesley detested the railways because “they allow(ed) the damn people to move about too much”. It’s not recorded what he thought of mining. He also detested the people in general, and became a member of White’s Club in London just so he could stand in one of its bow windows when it rained and “watch the damn people getting wet”. Still, he did help the 71 year old Generalfeldmarschall Gebhard
Leberecht von Blücher, nicknamed “Marshal Forwards”, to win the battle of Waterloo.
Wellington National Park is a beautiful part of the world with magnificent stands of jarrah, marri and blackbutt forests. Most people would probably not think of WA as a land of forests, and of course for some 98 per cent of its land area they’d be right. But down in the southwest the place makes up for all the sand and rock, the growing conditions for the big trees are perfect, and the forest is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna.
Wellington in particular is popular all year round, with the spring show of
wildflowers making it a photographers’ paradise. But it doesn’t need to be wildflower season; even in winter, deep in the cool gorge and forests of the Collie River Valley, the river tumbles over granite boulders and forms deep pools worth exploring on foot or in a canoe. You can enjoy the cool crisp days, with the evenings a perfect time to sit around a campfire. “What could be better than the smell of dinner cooking over the fire?” asks one of the WA Department of Parks & Wildlife brochures. The West Aussie authorities are quite accommodating of fires, and will even recommend where you can get firewood if it’s not
available in the park. Campfires are usually permitted, in the provided fire rings only, between April 15 and November 30 but fire restrictions may be imposed at any time.
You can use your own liquid or gas fuel barbeques or stoves at any time, unless a total fire ban has been declared. As well, both Potters Gorge above the dam and Honeymoon Pool below it have free gas barbecues along with their picnic tables and toilet facilities.
Honeymoon Pool campground, on the banks of the Collie River in Wellington Forest, has 20 individual campgrounds for tents and small
campervans. Four sites are suitable for a single small tent, three for two small tents, eight for a large tent and five for two large tents. Each has an adjacent space for one or vehicles, which will take a number of bikes. How many is a number? How good are you at parking?
Several other picnic areas lie along the scenic five kilometres of Lennard Drive which follows the Collie River below the wall of the Wellington Dam. They include the Rapids, Long Pool, Big Rock and Little Rock. Most of these locations have picnic tables but no toilet facilities. Most sites have wood barbecues. The
uniquely Western Australian sport of “marroning” is also a park activity. The season for these small but tasty crustaceans is usually in January or February. Information on fishing regulations and bag limits is available from www.fish.wa.gov.au .
Another recommended feature of the National Park is the ‘Kiosk at the Dam’ café where you can sit overlooking the water storage and have morning or afternoon tea or lunch. It’s open Thursday to Monday 9am - 4pm and every day during school holidays. Email contact@ kioskathedam.com.au .
Nearby, Potters Gorge is a large and
spacious campground and day use area on the shoreline of Wellington Weir. It is a peaceful and shady spot amidst the jarrah/marri trees right by the water, with views out across the lake.
“The name ‘Potters Gorge’ is misleading” explains a WA booklet “as it is a flat clearing and there are no gorges nearby. The scenery is pleasant and scenic but not spectacular like you’d expect from a gorge. Apparently there was once a gorge nearby, but it was submerged beneath the surface of the lake after the dam was built.”
Oh. Bummer. Still, it sounds all right, doesn’t it, gorge or no gorge.
There are gas barbeques in the `day use` area for the use of all visitors. Provisions including firewood and fuel are available in Collie. You cannot make bookings, so park authorities recommend that you be prepared with an alternative place to stay in case there is no suitable site available.
“You will equally enjoy the national park if you prefer wondering (sic) through the forest on sunny winter days or snuggling at night by a cosy log fire,” says WA’s Parks & Wildlife. We’re just wondering what happens if you get too close to that cosy fire…
But both as a stopover on the way between Margaret River and Perth, and as a destination in its own right, Wellington National Park is a top place. Just don’t move about too much, or the ghost of Arthur Wellesley might come and stare at you.
Same, but different – Sort of Words Stuart Photos Jeff Crow
" In hIS lament he IS lIke an anImal. For InStance, the coyote IS Sly, So IS the IndIan. "
Black elk, oglala lakota SIoux (1863-1950)
Ihadn’t ridden the Indian Scout before, The Bear attended the launch when it was first released and all I’d heard about was the fun engine. So then when I found out about the new Scout Sixty, I was at a loss to understand why Indian would release a less “fun” version of the Scout. It was only when I rode both bikes back to back that I understood…
The Scout is basically the company’s take on what a modern 1920s model
Indian Scout might look like. The “big” Scout’s 1133cc powerhouse engine is certainly a fun thing to have between your legs, but how does the reduction of 134cc in capacity (to 60 cubic inches, hence the name) affect the Scout Sixty? Essentially, the Scout and Scout Sixty
Stuart is wearing an Rjays Platinum open face, Ugly Fish sunnies, Segura Retro jacket, Dririder Stealth gloves, Draggin Next Gen jeans and Sidi Vertigo boots.
Try not to smile too hard, Stuart!
are the same motorcycle, sharing frame, suspension and braking components, except for the engine capacity and gearbox. There are also some cosmetic details that separate the two models. The Sixty has a blacked out engine, versus the chrome cam covers of the Scout. The handlebar and the headlight are another distinction between the two models – blacked out on the Sixty for a more understated look.
Indian Motorcycle sees the Sixty as a “first timers” introduction to the brand. It’s an urban stylemaster, just with a smoother, linear acceleration band, rather than the intense power of the full blown Scout. And there is the 5-speed gearbox rather than the 6-speed as fitted to the Scout. The different ratios tucked away in the gearbox make the Sixty easier to manage in an urban environment for any level of experience. There are a couple of extra differences between both models; the Sixty has a black seat, wheels, frame and swingarm. These are all cosmetic differences designed to set the Sixty apart from the Scout.
Handling and manoeuvrability continue to be easy to manage thanks to the low centre of gravity. Combine that with the low 643mm seat, and the Sixty can be managed by riders of any size. Here’s a tip: taller riders might like to move the pegs forward a little.
The Scout Sixty is ripe for customising, with many accessories available to create a unique look and fit. Stylish wire wheels and a floating solo saddle create a new silhouette, and plenty of fit-kit accessories tailor the controls to the rider, including seats, handlebars and footpeg relocators, while additional accessories such as saddlebags will allow you to get away from the hustle and bustle to really enjoy the relaxed nature of the Sixty.
The Indian Scout Sixty is a relaxed rider’s dream. I reckon you should ride both the Scout and Scout Sixty back-toback as I have done to see which one takes your fancy. If you’re an inner city dweller who maybe occasionally hits the long and winding road, I reckon you’ll go the Sixty.
SPECS
INDIAN SCOUT SIXTY
PRICE: $15,995 (plus on-road charges)
WARRANTY: Two years, unlimited distance
SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 8000km or 12 months
ENGINE: Liquid-cooled V-twin cylinder, 4-stroke, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
BORE x STROKE: 93 x 74mm
DISPLACEMENT: 999cc
COMPRESSION: 11.0:1
POWER: 58.2kW
TORQUE: 88.8Nm @ 5800rpm
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed, wet multi-plate clutch, belt final drive
COLOURS: Thunder black, Pearl white, Indian Motorcycle red
VERDICT: SIXTY’S A WINNER
Oi! You want tyres, I’ve got tyres, ol’ chap! / Why are you laughing? I’ll make them fit…somehow!
aboard one of these incredibly exciting but staggeringly uncomfortable bikes I described the experience as being like straddling a tractor while someone tries to hammer a rubber bung up your backside. That is still a good description, as long as we remember that the tractor was – and is - a superb motorcycle as well.
Fuel lines are made of rubber, too, in some cases; mostly in older bikes. Some do not like ethanol, and although it doesn’t seem as if they’ll melt when in contact with it, they can harden and possibly crack.
But back to the round, black things. My most memorable experience with rubber (no sniggering at the back there) came on a trip to Queensland with a mate aboard his R 60 BMW. At one stage we fixed a leak in the front tube. Then we fixed it again. We fixed it three times all up. By the third time, the tube had acquired so much pinch damage that it was useless. The problem, you see, was that it was butyl, not rubber. We had been using standard repair methods – sticky patches – and while they work a treat on rubber tubes, they do not work on butyl ones. We finally discovered that and bought a new tube, but by then the tyre itself had sustained so much damage that it was useless in turn and we had to buy a new one as well. And a condom would have been no help whatsoever. PT
WE ALL NEED THEM AT SOME POINT
Asomewhat less than reliable colleague of mine once suggested that condoms could be used for emergency petrol transport. I imagine that this is possible (maybe?), but I would just add his warning that they should not be used
for their original purpose afterwards. But of course there are other things in the motorcycling universe that are made of rubber. A quick trip to the planet “Italy” will reveal its use for the seat of the Moto Guzzi Le Mans Mark III. When I returned from my first ride
Now that The Bear has sort of, “lightened” the mood, or maybe confused you with his introduction I have compiled the latest offerings from the various tyre distributors, which is what this special feature is really about – tyres! SW
BRIDGESTONE
www.mcleodaccessories.com.au
T30 EVO
Created in response to motorcyclists wanting touring tyres that deliver
reassuringly consistent and comfortable performance on both wet and dry surfaces yet still offer plenty of fun, the new T30 EVO sport touring radials redefine riding pleasure and safety. It builds on the acclaimed T30’s quick response and superb stability to deliver more traction and control, particularly on wet surfaces, through the use of new-formula compounds and re-engineered designs.
S21
Bridgestone’s aim with the sporty S21 was to develop the world’s best Hypersport radial tyre; provide the highest level of performance, extreme lean angle, high confidence inspired cornering with extra-long extended mileage. Upgrade the ‘full spectrum’ of overall usage; dry road plus wet road performance, sure footed braking and high speed stability. Sounds good, huh!
A40
For the ever-evolving, new-generation of sophisticated adventure bikes,
Bridgestone fuses the MotoGP heritage of the Battlax brand and the highly acclaimed all around excellence of the Battle Wing brand to create tyres that deliver enhanced traction and stability, particularly on wet surfaces, and greater durability. These adventure radials were extensively tested in a myriad of conditions on European roads to ensure sportier, yet safer, performance on all roads, in all weather conditions.
DUNLOP www.monzaimports.com.au
AMERICAN ELITE
Since 1984, Harley’s have rolled out of the factory with Dunlop tyres. Designed with Harley, for Harley, and crafted in the U.S.A., the new Dunlop American Elite is the recommended tyre for any touring Harley made in 2009 or newer. Multi tread construction places a durable compound in the middle, where we put most of our kilometres on. Side compounds are softer for greater
grip when leaning the bike over. Additionally, the new tread pattern works well in both wet and dry road conditions.
SPORTMAX Q3
With the new Sportmax Q3 rear tyre, Dunlop has tweaked, refined and improved the art to deliver race quality grip and long lasting wear. Showcasing Dunlop’s new Carbon Fibre Technology (CFT), the Q3 features stronger sidewalls and higher temperature tolerances to withstand high horsepower abuse. Almost over engineered for the street, the Sportmax Q3 represents the best technology for the demanding sport rider who also enjoys track days.
ROADSMART III
Dunlop’s new GT tyre for grip and performance that’s stronger for longer.
K60 SCOUT
The K60 Scout is the most unique tyre tread on the market with varying patterns between the sizes. The K60 Scout is manufactured to cater specifically for the needs of each different fitment. Through changes to the tread and carcass the K60 Scout brings better performance on and off road over the K60 Enduro. With the improved tread and compound, the Scout delivers better cornering stability and wet weather grip on the pavement, but like his predecessor delivers off road as well.
SHINKO www.shinkotyres.com.au
VERGE 2X
Shinko announces their new radial sport touring tyres, dubbed 016
“VERGE 2X”. This exciting range sports state of the art steel belted carcass construction and dual compound rubber. This means a harder compound rubber is utilised in the centre of the tyre offering durability for high mileage and softer compound rubber is utilised on the edge or the shoulder of the tyre for optimum grip while cornering… The best of both worlds!
SR777
The Shinko 777 tyre has been specifically designed for cruiser machines and is available in a multitude of sizes to fit many V-Twin and metric cruiser models across all brands from Harley Davidson to Suzuki. Available in both black side and white side
wall the Shinko SR777 tyre offers fantastic value for money for the twin and cruiser rider.
E804/805 BIG BLOCK
The 804 (front) / 805(rear) series features an aggressive 40% on road
and 60% off road pattern for better dirt riding performance, without sacrificing pavement grip. An aggressive tread pattern provides excellent wet and dry adhesion and the compound resists tearing while off road. Made with a four-ply nylon construction.
PIRELLI www.linkint.com.au
DIABLO ROSSO III
Are you ready for the next level? Yes, well grab a set of the new Diablo Rosso III. Pirelli technology direct from the World Superbike Championship with unprecedented handling for a new generation of sporty behaviour. Bi-compound with wide side soft stripe offering full grip starting from mid-lean angle, large footprint area for improved adherence and optimal grip in all conditions.
SCORPION TRAIL 2
A new path for adventure, this new Pirelli tyre for the latest generation of adventure touring riders sees increased mileage, improved wet grip with an incredible performance consistency throughout its entire lifecycle.
ANGEL GT
Claimed number one for mileage in sport touring tyres. 100% Italian Gran Turismo, bi-compound for excellent wet performance and grip. Top handling capabilities, typical of the Pirelli DNA with new (A) front and rear versions for heavier bikes, plus new Adventure bike sizes.
DIABLO STRADA
Economically priced sport touring tyre with a combined front and rear profile designed for a neutral
response and a functional pattern for performance consistency throughout the tyre’s life.
NIGHT DRAGON
Cruiser touring tyre that gives you Pirelli performance. Constructed to fit both HarleyDavidson and metric cruiser bikes and to meet the increased engine sizes, torque/power needs of today’s big cruiser motors. Crafted for predictable feel and feedback, mixed with a compound for high mileage and extreme grip at full lean and full throttle.
MICHELIN www.gasimports.com.au
ANAKEE WILD
Anakee Wild offers exceptional
durability and road/off-road resistance thanks to radial technology and optimised tyre thread depth. A proportion of the patterns groove edges are bevelled, forming scoops which facilitate the clearance of mud and grit. As the tyre wears, the amount of rubber in contact with the ground increases, providing added grip, thanks to the angled surface of these scoops.
POWER SUPERSPORT EVO
Enhanced front tyre agility for greater confidence, plus a rear tyre that benefits from the same new Michelin Act construction as that developed for the Michelin Power Cup and Michelin Power Slick tyres. The Supersport EVO is also more manoeuvrable thanks to new compounds and Michelin 2CT and 2CT+ technologies, while also delivering outstanding grip on dry and wet roads.
COMMANDER II
No compromises on handling and stability along with a new, ground breaking look and premium sidewall treatment. Built with a highly dense, more rigid tyre carcass, which helps deliver excellent feedback and handling, along with Aramid tread plies on the rear tyre that resists centrifugal growth, along with weight savings which provides perfect stability, even at
high speed. A unique longitudinal tread pattern maximizes water evacuation and grip on wet roads and the longevity of the Commander II is even greater over the previous version.
METZELER
www.gmotoimports.com.au
ROADTEC 01
Roadtec 01 is the latest evolution of Metzeler sport touring tyres which, with respect to its predecessor, the Roadtec Z8 Interact, has among its strong points an improvement of grip on wet and low-grip surfaces, an increase in mileage (+10%) and a high degree of adaptability to different bikes, riding styles and weather conditions.
TOURANCE NEXT
The new Tourance Next is specifically designed for the latest generation of enduro street and adventure touring motorcycles. Dual-compound on rear sizes, to combine excellent grip on wet and extended mileage with modern profiles and structures to enhance advanced electronics, ABS, active suspension systems, riding modes and traction control.
SPORTEC M7RR
One of the newest members of the Metzeler brand derived from the experience gained in road racing activities, the M7RR is designed to offer high levels of handling and safety, including wet, bumpy and dirty tarmac.
warranty and relentless commitment to customer service.”
Of course anybody can make claims. But with Mustang you sense that it’s true – and the pictures they sent me back that up.
“Mustang designs, makes the components and builds all of its seats right here in the USA. Every single Mustang seat is made in the United States by true craftsmen who take pride in transforming the highest quality raw materials into a finished product… To this day, the brand remains true to its New England roots, ensuring what they build feels and functions as great as it looks.”
My uncle Erich was the adopted son of the village blacksmith and when I was growing up I spent a lot of time in the smithy, watching horseshoes being made, farm appliances being repaired and things like hinges being forged. Everything that left that smithy was hand-made and everything reflected the skill of the smith and carried the guarantee of his reputation. I feel a bit like that about Mustang.
Well, who knows; maybe I’m over the top with this story. I haven’t even been to Three Rivers and the Mustang factory, although it’s on my to-do list when I’m in the US. But I love this kind of thing, people who care about their product making something that’s special for them, and that will become special for the owner. Let’s face it, there are few things on a bike that we appreciate more than comfort for our backside.
And here’s a tip straight from the Bear’s jaws. All of my bikes (with the exception of the Chinese-built Sachs MadAss) have Mustang seats, made in the USA, just as all of them have Australian-made Ikon suspension. I’m not saying that these are the only brands that are good value. That wouldn’t be true. There are others, and your idea of value might well differ from mine, too. Some are cheaper; some are more expensive. And still good value. It’s always your call, as it is mine.
*From Powersport University’s introductory course on Mustang Seats. PSU was set up to educate retailers about products s old by Motorsport Aftermarket Group, owners of Mustang. =
Merino Wool Thermalz – Topz and Pantz
Reactor Thermal Sleeping Bag Liner
Headliners, Balaclava, Nekz
Avduro and Expedition Pannierz
EVENT THROTTLE ROLL 2016
BIGGER, BETTER AND A DAMN GOOD TIME
WORDS/PHOTOS NICK WOOD
Throttle Roll, which is now in its third year, has become quite a street party. Popping out from Sydenham train station with my partner Amy, we could hear the bands playing and smell the street stall food being served from various mobile contraptions. The venue is perfect for a motorcycle event of this nature. Railway Parade which is just down the slip road from Sydenham railway station, offers plenty of space and
a wall which fronts a scaffold that displays an array of chopped up bikes from all makes and models on three levels. The café racer scene has become one of the biggest growing markets to hit the industry and has brought into it a new generation of bikers that see motorcycles as part of a fashion statement, just as the mods and the
rockers did back in the late fifties and early sixties. Anyone who has not seen the movie Quadrophenia should do so and will understand the whole feeling
of being part of a sub-culture. The beards, the tattoos and the leather are just another statement but in this time – they call themselves hipsters.
Now comes the bikes - just about anything that can be ridden has seen the angle grinder. At times I had to look carefully to identify what the original bike once was. Even dirt bikes were not off the menu to these back street mechanics. Stripping just about everything that can be legally removed and replacing with parts that would have a minimalistic German engineer craving for more. Gaping holes in the chassis that were once there, was…something.
The event kicks off with a 105km rumble through the inner west of Sydney. Not sure if all the bikes would have made the whole 105 clicks looking at the size of some of the petrol tanks
but that’s part of the fun I suppose. They are not meant to be practical motorcycles. The venue supports parking for loads of bikes and thankfully Marrickville is still relatively free of parking vultures so the whole area was festooned with weird and wonderful interpretations based on the premise of a motorcycle. I must say that some of the bikes looked like death traps anything above 80km per hour but so what.
As the afternoon rolled on into the evening, Amy and I sat down and had the best pizza I’ve ever eaten out of a cargo container. Big thanks to Josh on the Royal Enfield stand for the free meal tickets and BTW, Amy loves her new T-shirt. The crowd was friendly and come 4pm the rockabilly dancers started cracking a whip to the sound of bands from another generation. I
really love sub-cultures and the way it makes people fit in with something and this was no exception. I haven’t seen a DA* in many years but there were a few out on display this afternoon. A number of manufacturers turned out their retro styled machinery –Moto Guzzi unveiled the new V9 Roamer and Bobber, Yamaha showcased their recently released XSR 700 and 900 and Royal Enfield showed off the new 350, a couple of the 500s and the Conti GT. Everyone was able to “get a selfie” sitting on the bikes if they wished, but all-in-all Throttle Roll 2016 was about having a party in the street, celebrating life and custom motorcycles. I can’t wait for next year’s event!
* DA is a style of haircut fashioned by the rockers and greasers of the 1950s. =
www.delkevic.com.au email sales@delkevic.com.au or phone 07 5543 5949.
GOLDEN DRAGON
Kuryakyn Dragon Wings for Honda
Gold Wing - Price - $189.99 US
The most versatile air management system available for the sometimes hot to ride Honda GL1800 Goldwing and F6B models. Three separate vents per side offer easy adjustability by hand and lock securely into place in four different positions via springloaded mechanisms.
Dragon Wings are made from durable injection-molded polycarbonate that’s
shatter resistant and finished with a stylish light smoke tint. Thorough testing performed by Kuryakyn Product Development engineers led to a wide range of variable airflow settings that can be dialled in to suit the needs of virtually any rider, regardless of riding conditions. Close the vents to direct airflow around the fairing and rider in cool weather, or open them up for a refreshing breeze when temperatures soar. Visit www. kuryakyn.com to purchase.
The perfect thermal underwear to face even the coldest temperatures, with a range of use from -20°C to 10°C, this shirt and pants from Dainese is made from environmentally-friendly fibre and 100% recyclable. They have an ergonomic fit with a seamless build for superior comfort, armor pad for
added comfort on contact areas, active moisture management with loads more comfort features and excellent design. Four sizes are available - XS/SM, MD, LG and XL/2XL, and two colours – Black/Red, Black/Grey. See your local bike shop or visit www.cassons.com.au
SHOEI X-SPIRIT III
Road n race with this beauty Price - $1149 plus visors. Tear offs$12.95 (pack of 5)
Shoei helmets are at the premium end of the helmet spectrum and for good reason. There is no skimping on materials, and the design work that results in both the structure and the artwork on the helmet you buy is outstanding. You can feel that whenever you wear a Shoei. I now have a full set of Shoei helmets for all my riding: cruising, road, adventure and racing, with the latest addition being the all-new X-Spirit III. It’s Shoei’s top line helmet,
but it can also be used on the road. It’s
single detail when it comes to high-end performance.
Hand crafted in Japan, the new X-Spirit III is a super-lightweight, ECE 22.05 approved pure race helmet.
It really is damn light! My Large size weighs in at only 1400grams. It features an adjustable rotating liner to increase upper vision in a racer’s crouch. I also found that useful because I don’t like a helmet that sits low down near the eyebrows. Add the EQRS (Emergency Quick Release system) and a host of other updates which have been developed in conjunction with Marc Marquez and Bradley Smith, both of MotoGP fame.
Aerodynamics have been significantly improved over the outgoing X-Spirit II. The X-Spirit III is designed for exceptional stability at speeds well over 300km/h! I can attest to the stability as I wore this helmet while at the Pirelli launch at Sepang where I got to around 270km/h and it felt like I was only doing 200! It’s the most stable helmet I’ve worn on a race track, I could stick my head up from behind the screen at the end of the straights and not get blown all over the place. That’s just what you want, and on the road this is the most aerodynamically stable helmet I’ve ever worn, too.
The removable and washable 3D Max Dry liner is supremely comfortable, but also very supportive, which is needed if you’re riding at high speeds. The liner can be switched from “road” to “race” within a minute. This sees the helmet sit up a little higher on your forehead, for more vision when crouched down. Have a look at Marc Marquez when he’s on the start line for a race and you’ll see near his entire forehead. No, he doesn’t have a massive forehead, it’s the race position of the
X-Spirit III that makes it sit like that for better vision. I also like that there are a number of different sized liners and cheekpads available so that you can get the absolute perfect fit. So much so that I’d have to say this is the first helmet available to the general riding population that can be fitted like a custom made racers helmet.
Ventilation also sees another first for a motorcycle helmet, you now also get cheek ventilation. Yes, you read it right – cheek ventilation! And not only that, all of the multiple vents on
The CWR-F flat racing visor for the X-Spirit III is Pinlock ready, and this is included with the helmet and made for extra vision by sitting higher up on the visor. It is also tear-off ready, and you can get those in multiple packs. I fitted one tear-off, which is what I normally do for short circuit racing, and it worked really well. The visor also features a double-lock. So, when you close the visor there is a secondary “slide” that you can move up to give extra security for high speed work. I am quite particular about helmets, I guess they’ve saved my life the few times I’ve crashed and a lot of that comes down to the fitment and quality of the materials used. That’s why I trust Shoei and especially the new X-Spirit III for my racing, and sometimes I’ll wear it on the road, but only on special occasions. It’s my pride and joy and you should make it yours too.
The X-Spirit III is available in a range of solid colours ($999), graphics ($1149 as you see here) and Replicas ($1199). Sizes range from XS to XXL and you can get clear, yellow hi-viz, dark smoke and transition visors, along with the tear-offs. See your local bike shop or
didn’t sweat in this helmet nearly as much as I expected to when at Sepang. Normally on hot days on a race track I get the occasional sweat drip onto my visor under hard braking, but there was hardly any sweat to speak of, which which really knocked my socks off. It was only when I’d stopped in the pits and taken my helmet off that I started to sweat!
smartphone? Well, here’s a cheap solution with the fitment of Glove Tacts!
Glove Tacts are patches made of a conducting material that makes your glove/s able to activate touch sensitive screens. The two patches contained in the Glove Tact packet simply stick to the finger/s you’d like to choose. I put one on my left hand index finger, which took all of ten seconds to fit. Now my previously un-touch-sensitive gloves are touch sensitive! Just like that.
Glove Tact claims you get a lifetime connection, the patches are guaranteed to stick, are machine washable and have awesome durability; and I don’t doubt that for a second. I was a little sceptical at first, thinking it would peel off after a couple of days, but no, I was wrong. The Glove Tact has stayed in place and works a treat, so they come very
highly recommended from me. Grab a pack from Smart Motorcycle Accessories and get sensitive! www.smartmotorcycle accessories.com.au SW
DRIRIDER
SCRAMBLER
JACKET
Understated vintage style
Price - $399.95
If you’re after a stylish, yet understated everyday jacket that’s waterproof and reasonably warm, then the new Dririder Scrambler jacket with a detachable 75 gram thermal liner is what you need. The outer shell of the jacket is made from
Maxtex with an oil-coated vintage style and bronze stitching highlights. There is CE armour in the shoulders and elbows and an EVA back pad for protection, which you might like to replace with something more protective. You get a detachable waterproof liner, too. The thermal liner zips into this; it cannot be fitted by itself, it must be fitted to the waterproof liner first.
There is a mesh comfort liner in both the jacket and the waterproof liner and there are adjusters to get the right fit at the biceps, forearms, wrists and waist. You also get some light perforation for air ventilation in warmer weather. But the feature I like most about the Scrambler jacket is the open collar. Sizing is a touch larger than what I’ve had before with Dririder so I recommend trying this one on before purchasing to get the correct size for you. There’s a wide range of sizes from XS-6XL in the black, or S-6XL in the brown.
To show you how much I like the Dririder Scrambler jacket, it has become my everyday jacket because of its practicality and understated vintage style [It goes with his understated vintage look – the sub]. Grab one from your local bike shop or visit www.dririder.com.au SW
BEARLY HERE
A quick word from the departure lounge
If you’re wondering why the load of product testing has fallen on Stuart’s shoulders lately, it’s because I’ve been flying around the place even more than he has. Not to worry, though, I’ll be back when I’m back; as you read this I will probably just have climbed out of the plane back from Spain and my IMTBike tour of the north of that country. So, hang in and you’ll find out all about such beaut products as Honda’s super-warm hoodie and Rjays wet weather suit. It has fluorescent panels – watch me justify my choice when I’ve always ranted against fluoro! PT
TECHNICAL
BEHIND THE COUNTER
BM MOTORCYCLES - RINGWOOD, VIC
As Pseudo Echo once sang,
‘ Yes I love an adventure, it’s something to pass the time...’
After 33 odd years in the industry (some odder than others!) most of servicing BMW’S, anyone could expect or even forgive Chris Roberts of BM Motorcycles (Vic) of snicking it into top gear, setting the cruise control and watching the world go by. However, Chris obviously hadn’t read the script and far from sitting back and enjoying the fruits of his labour, he has expanded his successful business into the Adventure equipment market. Recognising the rising popularity of Adventure Riding, Chris decided to dedicate the majority of his showroom to not just a camping display, but also to categories which include bike maintenance and setup and brands such as EXPED, Rocky Creek Design, Sea to Summit, ONE PLANET, Helinox, Ortlieb, CamelBak, Kreiga and of course Touratech, just to name a few.
But Chris wasn’t content with just re-laying the store and adding some new products to his range. Part of his grand- plan was to employ Evelin Ritschl to manage this area of his business. Eve, originally from Germany, moved to Australia about ten years ago and set about exploring this big wide land. An avid Adventure motorcyclist, Eve currently rides an F700GS and a Suzuki DRZ250.
Eve’s passion for the great outdoors led her to working with Touratech, who are based in Carboor, in the foothills of Victoria’s High Country, and as such she has had an excellent grounding in discovering just which products do and don’t work. “Having tried and tested many of the products that are on the market, I was able to select those that I can personally recommend” says Eve. “This way we have been able to rationalize our range and help our customers take the guesswork out of what products best suit Adventure Riding i.e. quite often someone will buy something based on price, and
it’s not until they are in the harsh outback environment that it’s trueworth can be tested and often it is too late once you are freezing because you bought the wrong sleeping bag or riding gear”.
Chris has been in the current premises for 19 years and collectively his team (James, Mick, Adam & Eve) have over 100 years of BMW experience between them. They pride themselves on being Victoria’s largest independent supplier of BMW spare parts, servicing and repair work.
BM Motorcycles can be found at:
5 Heatherdale Road
Ringwood, Vic.
Phone: 03 9870 3807
E: Info@ringwoodmotorcycles.com.au
Website: www.bmmotorcycles.com.au
travel STRANDED!
NO NEED TO BE WORDS THE BEAR
I posed for this shot for reasons I have now forgotten. It is not intended in any way to imply that Triumphs are unreliable; in fact they are well-built and robust bikes.
I’mgoing on a motorcycle trip, dear. What could go wrong?
Well, heaps, as it happens. Not as much as a few years ago, admittedly. Your BMW will no longer chew up the diaphragm of its Bing carburettor because it doesn’t have a carburettor at all, least of all a Bing. Your Triumph won’t melt its battery and your Ducati won’t vibrate all of its light bulbs to
Terrific repair kit, but only for tubeless tyres. If you’re tubing you’ll need the Tyrepliers kit or a can of sealant. / Tyrepliers’ Complete Tubed Motorcycle Tyre Repair Kit. It’s as big and strong as its name is long.
scrap. Even your Harley won’t chew up its electrics.
Most of these things have Gone Before and would be Pushing up
Daisies if they weren’t still scattered through the shelves of bike wreckers. Those that are still being made are far more reliable and unlikely to leave you
standing by the side of the road. And yet, and yet… it pays to be prepared.
I have travelled with some interesting people. One of them had a pannier full of prescription drugs. It contained… hell, I don’t have the faintest idea what it contained. All I know is that it was a riot of coloured cardboard boxes with “scientific” names on them, and there was a clear plastic folder in the lid of the pannier which contained all the prescriptions – just in case any of the boxes ran out. Another good mate had both panniers filled with meals that his wife had
pre-cooked and packaged for him in Tupperware containers, complete with heating instructions on crepe tape on the lids.
In France, the country that gave the World the modern concepts of democracy and freedom at the cost of countless deaths by guillotine, the latest French Revolution has led to motorcyclists being required to wear a certain percentage of day-glo on their jacket, carry a breathalyser (honest to Gaston!) and a hi-viz vest (pillions need one too), stick fluoro patches with a minimum combined area of 18cm2 to their helmets in four specified places and speak like Peter Sellers.
Oh, all right, I lied about the last one. I think.
I dare say that any sensible person would agree that none of those things are truly essential in France, except
If you’re riding this, the only thing you’ll
perhaps speaking like Peter Sellers so the locals will understand you. None of these things are vital anywhere else, either, unless you enjoy doing clownfish imitations in your fluoros.
“Hey, you seen Nemo? Blub, blub.”
So what should you carry, apart from your appropriately augmented toolkit? That, as well as the skills you might want to acquire, is the subject of a future story.
Going out for a Sunday afternoon blast I’d take a tyre repair kit, for tubed or tubeless tyres as appropriate, but not much else. Going away for a fortnight to FNQ would be a bit different. So let’s ask the question another way. What is there that would be worth carrying under various circumstances? The suggestions below are not in order; I tried, but I couldn’t sort them properly. And we all know what happens when you sort things
This little beauty can save you a staggering amount of work, especially if you’re running big, fat tyres that need big, fat amounts of air to inflate.
need is a box of matches…
Andy’s amazing full-on First Aid kit is a bit much for solo or small group travellers. There is a smaller kit. But if you travel with a bigger group, this is the way to go.
improperly, don’t we?
The products or services mentioned below are suggestions only; there are often alternatives which might be just as good. I just don’t know them well enough.
MOBILE PHONE
First of all, take your mobile and make sure it’s charged or you can charge it from the bike. My Ducati Scrambler, for instance, has a USB socket under the seat for that purpose and my Sportster has a cigarette lighter socket for which I carry an adapter. Failing that, get an Australian MOTORCYCLIST Magazine Power Bank either from our website www. ausmotorcyclist.com.au for $19.95 or free if you subscribe.
A mobile can replace almost all of the other gear I have listed here, under most circumstances. I know you’ll be carrying it anyway, but if I didn’t mention it I’d get letters again. Remember that phones will still allow you to make emergency calls if you’re outside your provider’s coverage – as long as you’re in someone’s coverage. Telstra still has the biggest footprint in Australia.
TYRE REPAIR KIT
MotoPressor Tubeless Tyre Repair Kit $69.95
Tyrepliers Tube Type Tyre Repair Kit $262.90 Motul Tyre Repair $22.90
Power Brick is not something you’d usually carry, unless you’re worried about the state of your battery. But for long trips, especially camping, it would be on my list.
A tyre repair kit of some kind really goes without saying, even if it’s just an aerosol can. You might be knocking the ozone layer around, but at least you’ll get home out of the nowdangerous sun. Bastard.
All right, here’s how we roll: the MotoPressor kit is good for tubeless tyre repairs, and I tend to carry one of these when I’m out on the Scrambler. I like the multitool that comes with it, and the way it is packed into a neat neoprene (nobody ever seems to use oldoprene) bag. You can replace both the “strings” and the CO2 cylinders if you use them, so the kit has a practically unlimited life. See www. rockycreekdesigns.com.au . It might seem a bit expensive but it looks to be a quality product. And it’s pretty cheap compared to this next one… Tyrepliers has offered tough, highquality products for a long time and we have been using them for nearly as long. Tyrepliers gear is for when you’re not mucking around, out the back of nowhere and counting, where you will definitely not regret the cost. This kit for tubed tyres is designed to get you out of trouble no matter how much you’re in; unlike pretty much any other kit it includes
a strongly made bead breaker and impressive 300mm long tyre levers as well as replacement valves and even a complete valve with a patch attached. If you run out of CO2 cylinders, you can use the inflator as a hand pump. I unreservedly recommend Tyrepliers products; read more at www.tyrepliers. com.au .
Finally, here’s salvation-in-a-can. Apply the nozzle of your Motul Tyre Repair aerosol can and moments later you will be on your way. Motul says that unlike some other similar products, theirs will not harm the tube or tyre. Get it from most motorcycle shops, and if you want more info read the can – I can’t find it on Motul’s website. Maybe you ought to carry one of these at all times. You know the story: if you’re prepared, nothing will go wrong. Hah.
TYRE PUMP
MotoPressor Pocket Pump $49.95
It’s small and light, and it will save you a lot of time and effort when you need to pump up a tyre or anything else. You may need a specialised pump
If you’re riding one of these, you might need some dowel rod, a wood chisel and plenty of Aquadhere.
to add pressure to your shocks. Well, unless you own a GoldWing. They have a compressor built in. Yay for GoldWings. See more about this, non-GoldWing owners, at www. rockycreekdesigns.com.au .
First Aid kit
Aide Adventurer Large
Group Kit $110
First aid kits are good for minor injuries like cuts or sprains. For anything more serious, use your mobile phone. Far more useful is a working knowledge of CPR and other hands-on help. The exception is out in the bush, where you can (because you may have to) treat even broken bones with a good First Aid kit – such as this one from Andy Strapz. You don’t necessarily want to call outside help even for a reasonably serious injury when you’re in the middle of nowhere. On the road or at a rally, the usefulness
of a kit is usually restricted to the removal of splinters or the application of burn salve or Band-Aids, things for which Andy’s kit is also good. You can buy one (he also has a smaller, cheaper kit) and find a list of the contents on www.andystrapz.com .
Power brick
MotoPressor Mini Jump
Starter $98.95
I’ve had more than one experience of running out of trick-trick, as the young daughter of an ex-girlfriend used to call it. Yes, you’d think I would learn but there you go. Power bricks are good for camping, when you might easily drain your bike’s battery; for riding with friends who have not been looking after their batteries; and for helping strangers to start the bike whose battery they’ve drained by continually pressing the starter button when they’re actually
Petrol shortage or strike? Here’s your answer – a gas conversion!
out of fuel. Yep, done this. Remember to add fuel before applying power brick in this case. More on the one in the photo which has a staggering range of connectors from www. rockycreekdesigns.com.au . It also has a built-in flashlight, but it does not replace the Maglite below in all applications. If you know what I mean.
cAble ties
Free, probably. You’re bound (sorry…) to have a few lying around. Check your local police station if you run out. Pack a few different lengths and widths, with a rubber band around them. Remember to replace the rubber band occasionally; they lose their ‘rubberiness’. Take ties in a bright colour; this will remind you where you have applied them and to check if more permanent repairs are necessary.
duct tAPe
Cheap at the price, whatever it costs. (Including left-handed duct tape.) Cable ties will fix almost everything; for the remainder there’s duct (or duck, both are correct) tape. And no, there is no such thing as left-handed duct tape. Or ‘duck-tape’. But you knew that. Take a bright colour in this, too, for the same reason as above.
lighten uP
And last but not least, Boris’ suggestion: a four or six D cell Maglite, strapped to the top of the tank bag for… various uses. I don’t know how much they cost. Mrs Bear gave me mine for my birthday. =
Big Maglite torches can be pressed into duty for a variety of uses, including providing light.
LIGHTWEIGHT FOLDING BIKERZ CHAIR
» Small enough to take with you on any ride!
» Weighs only 940g and holds up to 120 kg.
» Folds into a bag measuring 38 x 10 x 12cm (52 x 50 x 65cm when opened).
» Almost assembles itself with self-locating shock cord technology
TYRE REPAIR KIT
» A multi-tool to remove the offending object from your tyre AND to trim the plug after you’ve fixed your puncture.
» A Dynaplug ® Ultralite repair tool including 4 plugs.
» Three CO 2 canisters.
» An inflation tool.
MINI JUMP STARTER
Don’t let yourself be stranded with a flat battery!
This little lithium jump starter is pocket-sized, light, packs a real punch and will easily tuck into a tank bag, top box or pannier.
Our mini jump starter comes with a recharging plug suitable for both BMW (merit) sockets and normal car type accessory sockets. Comes in a compact bag with all accessories including USB port and cable so you can recharge your phone, ipad or GPS.
The EC5 adapter can be connected to the Jump Starter and then to the Pocket Pump so there is no need to attach the Pocket Pump to the battery terminal if you have the Jump Starter!
SHOWTIME
PERSONAL
INTERMOT Cologne
Int. Motorcycle, Scooter and E-Bike fair, 5-9 October 2016
Open daily from 09.00am – 18.00pm except on 07 October 2016: 09:00am - 20:00pm
Hotline for visitors: +49 1806 022 522
Let us set the Time Machine to 1980, Mr Hillyer, and the place – Cologne on the Rhine, the east bank just north of the Hohenzollern Bridge. We are at the Internationale Fahrrad und Motorrad Ausstellung, or IFMA. As you would have discovered if you read the most recent issue,
European customisers are less likely than Americans to limit their base bikes to Harley-Davidsons. / Wonderful way to advertise heated clothing… I think.
this is the predecessor of today’s motorcycle exhibition INTERMOT. It was also the first one I attended, and here I am about to see, among endless rows of booths selling bicycle gears and wheels, the launch of two of the most important motorcycles ever to see the light of day. One will return BMW to its glory days; the other will demonstrate that Munich was still too tentative in its designs.
The first, of course, is the R 80 G/S, the motorcycle which established the class of “large enduros” or “adventure travel bikes”. The other is the 1200
Katana, still a startling design and at the time completely outrageous. Designed by Hans Muth, originally for BMW, it was built by Suzuki as a show pony, but quickly turned into a production model when the company realised its impact.
This was also the first time I had attended a major motorcycle show, and to say that I was blown away would be putting it mildly. The show impressed me to the point where I would stay as long as I could in the evening and then wait at the gates in the morning to get back in. I continued to make my way to Cologne every second year, and ten years later I was rewarded by another spectacular world first – the new range of Triumphs, fresh from Hinckley and still in their “Lego”
form with interchangeable parts and matching engines.
It only took another two years until Ducati made its move with the Monster. Designer Miguel Galluzzi said of the Monster that “All you need is: a saddle, tank, engine, two wheels, and handlebars,” which was of course not quite right – a dash of genius helped too.
Management changes at the German motorcycle industry association meant that the show was moved to Munich from 1998 and renamed INTERMOT.
It broke its connection with the bicycle industry and concentrated on powered two wheelers. I’m not sure this was a good idea, at least the move; Munich is not as close to the centre of Europe as Cologne is, and numbers of attendees shrank. In 2006, the show returned to Cologne.
Since then it has been thrilling motorcyclists and informing the industry in the new trade fair buildings on the old site, and I have been making the loyal trek across the Rhine from my various hotels to make sure I was up to date with all the latest from across the globe.
Of course the outstanding local beer and relaxed atmosphere in the restaurants along the Rhine haven’t hurt, either…
This year INTERMOT expects
nearly 1000 exhibitors, 200,000 visitors and media from 105 countries, including me from Australia. The stars come out in a big way. Of course all the information from the major launches is available on the web as soon as it is released at the show, but there are many small manufacturers with fascinating goodies who are only accessible if you’re right there. Not to mention the roar of the engines and the smell of the crowd…
Every year, I meet a few of our readers or advertisers over there for the show. Might be you this year! =
A demonstration of the Bear’s First Law of Motorcycle Shows: when things are going well in the industry, the girls on the show stands are predominantly blondes.
The big hit at the 2014 INTERMOT was Ducati’s Scrambler. Hey, I bought one…
LESTER AND THE SLOW SAFARI
WORDS LESTER MORRIS
It was a letter to the Editor in a copy of the British magazine ‘New Scientist’ which caught my eye, for I suggest it was much more revealing than the writer had intended it to be. It was a short missive following up a story in a previous issue about driverless cars.
Part of the letter stated: “Some years ago research was carried out in Switzerland on maximizing the number of cars passing through traffic lights each cycle. The optimum was found to involve a two-car space between all cars with ‘the whole line moving off simultaneously’ (my italic, LM).
“In practice this is never going to happen (He’s so right about that – LM again) but we can each stop further back, so we can see where the rear wheels of the vehicle in front touch the ground, and move off as soon as the vehicle in front does.”
Seems like a great idea, doesn’t it,
but it is never going to work either because of what I call the ‘Slow Reactors’; those drivers who take several seconds for the penny to drop after the lights have changed to green before they decide to slot the car into first gear, remove their right foot from the brake pedal and apply some pressure to the accelerator pedal with the same foot as they ease the clutch in and drift slowly away. It would be much more preferable if, like Grand Prix race car drivers, everyone took off at once as soon as the traffic lights allow us to do so, but this is real life so that is (truly) never going to happen. For some odd reason, drivers of cars fitted with automatic gearboxes appear to be just as slow to react as drivers of cars with manual ones.
We’ve seen this sort of thing at every set of traffic lights which have just gone red in our faces, for the driver at the head of the queue who
has just pulled up is by then either picking his nose and scratching his behind – or is it the other way around? – and has drifted off into Never-Never Land or is mentally sucking his thumb, only to come back to Earth again several seconds after the lights have changed before – finally! - slowly moving off again. Often the polite beeping of a car immediately behind is required as an awakening device to wake these Slow Reactors.
The first-rate Slow Reactor at the head of the queue is usually followed several seconds later by another trickling driver, and then another one, all of whom appear to have been in a type of suspended animation or have gently wafted off into Dreamland during that short hiatus between the time the red light rudely interrupts our journey, and the green one at last lets it go on again.
Slow Reactors each and every one
Stick em in this reactor, Lester!
of them, which provides no surprise when one or another of them finds themselves being crashed into by another S.R. or have managed to crash into something else it took them too long to react to.
It often means that, if one is unhappily driving the family car, by the time we arrive at the traffic lights they have magically turned red in our faces again. This happens even though, as motorcyclists and thus automatically Rapid Pro-reactors we could see – from, say, ten or more cars back – a green light appear and have already begun to move slowly forward. We are then too often impeded, dare I say it again, by a S.R directly in front.
Another one of the great disadvantages to smooth traffic flow is also generated by the S.R, for these drivers seem, in general, to be unaware of the traffic ‘rules;’ which apply in and/or approaching roundabouts. They will often slow perceptibly upon approaching these
devious devices and then stop for several seconds to allow a driver some distance away, but on their righthand side, to access the roundabout ahead of all who are immediately behind the S.R.. But it must be added that one advantage of this type of driver’s lack of cognition is that they all appear to be unaware of the width of their vehicles. This creates the priceless advantage bestowed upon us by Honda Highway which, as we are motorcyclists and usually perched upon two wheels, we can now (legally) use. This handy space between rows of cars allows us to filter to the head of the queue at traffic lights. We can then accelerate briskly away from the ‘freight-train’ of S.R.s behind us when it appears safe to do so.
When I purchased my first motorcycle in 1947, which was a 1929 500cc OHV Model 18 Norton, I was not allowed to ride it because I was still at school, with my mother suitable horrified, but my dad drily mentioning it was in fact a Very Good Idea.
To digress, for years I referred to that Norton as an ES2, but that was not its correct nomenclature, because the Model 18 had exposed valve springs and pushrods. The ES2 nomenclature adopted for the later 500 single–cylinder machine with enclosed valve gear, the ‘ES’ (it has been said and then argued about) referring to ‘enclosed springs’, the number 2 to the second design of that famous old Norton. At war’s end, the Model 18 continued, but with telescopic front forks and rigid frame, the more expensive ES2 with plunger rear suspension; in all other respects, they were identical machines.
If my long-suffering mother – of five boys! - was very unhappy when I wheeled that long-wheelbase Norton home, my dad seemed fairly relaxed about it. He reckoned he had good reason to be at ease with me riding motorcycles about (‘but at some time in the future’, he said sternly) for he had ridden more than a few as a
Beautiful Balkans Adventure
CLASSICMORRIS
young man himself. He often said that anybody who wished to drive a motor car should be required by Law to first spend at least six months riding a motorcycle in heavy traffic, because he said that one learns more ‘road sense’ in about two weeks riding a motorcycle than one would ever learn in a lifetime of driving a car. It’s a bit of an over simplification, to be sure, but it remains a Mantra which I have heard repeated very many times in the motorcycle trade in which I worked – on and off, I must admit - over many years, and it holds more than a little truth. A Slow Reactor riding a motorcycle can expect to be in all sorts of strife until that rider quickly learns to become a ‘Rapid Pro-reactor’ instead, and the sooner the motorcyclist achieves that lofty pinnacle the better. Rest assured, when one begins riding a motorcycle in give-and-take traffic, or flashing about on the open road in unknown territory, it doesn’t take much time to become a Rapid Pro-reactor, no matter how much of a dedicated Slow
Reactor one may have been initially! I reckon it is not a matter of how fast one’s reflexes may be, nor how alert to danger one is, for a car driver almost automatically feels more secure, more relaxed, and thus possibly more slow to react while ensconced within the womb-like embrace of a motorcar. The same person may feel more vulnerable ‘outdoors’ when perched upon a vehicle with just two wheels underneath it, and I suggest this almost automatically results in a much more heightened awareness of what is happening around one. I have observed - indeed felt - this phenomena many times over, as most of us surely have when regularly swapping from four wheels to two, and back again. But it must be said that Slow Reactors certainly have their place in this life, if we consider the following scenario: Let’s say we are about to leave on Safari into Darkest Africa, and amongst our group are several Slow Reactors
of a variety of genders. Instead of having things at the ready, these people have taken an eternity to find their passports at all Customs check-points, been slow to pack their luggage, tardy at breakfast time and have been late in boarding the bus to take us to the edge of the Serengeti Plains for our week-long Walking Safari.
Three days into our entirely delightful hike, with rifles slung casually across several of our shoulders but with our heavily-laden porters hopefully ever vigilant, we are suddenly set-upon by a pride of lions which has spotted us a day or so earlier and has crept ahead of us, with tis members hidden away in the shrubbery as they eagerly await to ambush us as we approach.
As these rapacious beasts leap into our shrieking midst in an effort to consume us all we should then be grateful for the fact that we have had several unwary Slow Reactors amongst us; God rest their S.R. souls.
Motorcyclists Ken and Tania welcome you to their highly recommended cafe. Wood Fired Pizza, Tapas and Espresso Bar.
WHATSAYYOU
WE
LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU, the letters are among the most keenly read parts of the magazine. Please try and keep letters down to no more than 300 words. 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!
BAG WINNER
BEAR OF MANY TALENTS
50 METRES OF HAPPINESS
Dear Bear,
You know that the availability of inner city parking for motorcycles is one (amongst a number) of my obsessions. Well, I have to say I was overcome with joy when I managed to secure a couple of hours earlier on Friday, and on the way back home, I saw a good 50 meters worth jam packed with bikes of all description. The only shade in an otherwise sunny afternoon, was that old mate on the Suzi couldn’t squeeze in.
A quick calculation could probably give a 4 or 5 bike to car ratio, roughly figuring that about 30 odd people were able to park and get on with the day compared to, perhaps, 7 or eight at the very most if they were car spaces…
Liveable cities are about more than just public transport and timetables. It is about having fun as well, surely?
Hi Peter “The Bear”, Last Saturday we had a chance meeting at Gingers Creek café and I appreciated the friendly chat we had. This morning I was looking at my “200 Top Rides” atlas and I realised that you’re the author! It’s such a great book and map collection I just wanted to send a quick message saying “Thanks!”. Thanks for putting the book
Although, I must say, you never see anyone being unhappy about getting off a crowded bus or train, especially if one has had to share close personal space and air with some of our more unique members of society.
Cheers
Tim Standen
Worrigee NSW
You can actually go as high as 6 bikes to a car, Tim, if it’s something like a 4WD. Full credit to Sydney City Council, the Lord Mayor, Clover Moore and City Manager Victor Franco, who saw the sense of adding motorcycle parking to encourage use of bikes and scooters. They commissioned me to prepare some recommendations and I am still proud of the effect – The Bear
GETTING CULTURED
Dear Bear,
I know that you are fond of quoting wise men and women of old. Here is something I read yesterday, a reminder that what is happening in Canberra is nothing new under the sun. It’s by Su Tung-P’o who lived from 1036 to 1101.
“Families, when a child is born
together. I hope you’ve done well out of it. And thanks for the friendly chat last weekend. It’s always good to learn a bit more about various bikes etc. If only we could ride them all eh?! ;)
Kind regards,
Dave Dennis
Thank you, Dave. I enjoyed our chat as well. There are few things better than sitting in the shade somewhere like Gingers Creek, and shooting the breeze about bikes
– The Bear
Want it to be intelligent. I, through intelligence, Having wrecked my whole life, Only hope the baby will prove Ignorant and stupid.
Then it will crown a tranquil life By becoming a Cabinet Minister. Thank you for getting me interested in reading things like Chinese poetry. I can’t read it in the original, but some of the translations really rock.
Martin Mehane
Marrickville NSW
SCIENCE IN THE SIZZLING
Dear Peter
Your reader is not the first rider to challenge the climate chamber study (ABC Catalyst) as ‘not representing real life riding’. It might seem weird and possibly mad, but there was science behind the details. We are challenging urban myths.
The gear worn in the study is a well-known brand, all-season suit with the thermal liner removed. We used this suit because it is the type most commonly worn, particularly by new riders. We tested various types of riding gear on a sweating thermal manikin and this suit had the worst thermal management. We used that suit for human trials in the climate chamber to establish whether
motorcycle protective clothing, worn in average Australian summer conditions, could cause significant thermal and cardiovascular strain and potentially impair rider safety. If we could not impose thermal strain with the worst-case suit, then it would not occur with more thermally efficient garments.
The purpose of the exercise bike was to replicate the physiological workload of riding a motorcycle in an urban environment. The actual workload was established from field trials with six experienced motorcyclists at the Honda rider training centre at Kilsyth, Victoria. Workload was determined by measuring the riders’ oxygen consumption with gas analysis masks (Metamax) to establish the metabolic heat produced while riding. Compared to their pretrial baselines, the riders consumed fifty percent more oxygen while riding, and used more in urban than rural riding. In the climate chamber trials, this was replicated by the rider cycling very slowly, (60 rev per minute), in order
to produce the equivalent level of metabolic heat as riding in an urban environment.
The results from this series of studies have established that thermal discomfort due to wearing a motorcycle suit in hot conditions (35°C) could result in significant physiological strain. We also found this to be associated with increased fatigue, mood change and impaired cognitive performance, each of which has implications for rider safety.
In relation to the question of standards, there is no intention or hidden agenda to introduce mandatory standards for motorcycle clothing in Australia. A rating system on the relative injury protection and thermal management of motorcycle protective clothing is currently being developed for Australia and New Zealand. This is because evidence suggests that rating schemes are more effective than standards for dynamically improving product quality. Who buys a one star car these days?
Finally, on a different point mentioned by your reader, Australia is not ‘in the process of accepting the European standard for helmets’, UNECE 22-05 is a global regulation for motorcycle helmets, not “a European Standard”.
Liz de Rome Deakin University
Thank you for correcting the comment about the helmet standard, Liz, but I’m afraid the experiment still isn’t convincing for me as it clearly wasn’t for our reader. Caesar’s wife must be seen to be virtuous; experimental results must be seen to be… what, common sense? Always assuming they’re not about quantum questions – The Bear
COLOUR PREJUDICE
Hey, Bear Motorbikes come in much more interesting and varied and bright colours than cars. Why?
Sparky Rossmayne WA
Because motorcyclists know how to have fun,
and car drivers don’t. Does anyone out there have any other answers? – The Bear
CULTURE SHOCKED STUART
Hi Stuart,
I was disappointed to read that Tokyo didn’t meet your expectations when you were in Japan testing the Metzeler Roadtec 01. (An interesting test - I have a BMW R1200GS.)
I lived in Tokyo for a total of 6 years a while ago, and have returned to holiday there three times since. I will admit that when we first went to Japan in 1984 our first impressions were not good. Like you we saw a sprawling mass of industry and concentrated residential sites, and were initially depressed - culture shock, it’s called. I suppose it’s because the huge population is nearly all crammed into the country’s limited flat land, and in particular the Kanto plain in which Tokyo is situated.
But after a few months, that backdrop of ugliness disappeared as we learned to appreciate that the beauty of
Tokyo lies in the detail, and the city’s quirkiness, variety, and contradictions came to the fore. All I can say is give the city a second chance: Go there with someone who knows it well and you will discover pleasures and have experiences there that you will find nowhere else.
This is an interesting, and to my mind, accurate representation of Tokyo, the
TIMBERTOWN RESORT & MOTEL
“Most Liveable City, 2016”: https:// monocle.com/film/affairs/mostliveable-city-2016-tokyo/ George Spence Bowral NSW
Hi George, Yes, the Roadtec 01 are certainly great tyres. Yes, I was hit with culture shock that’s for sure, but you are right, I’d have to spend a lot
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
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Walter Pater wrote in 1886 that “all art constantly aspires to the condition of music”. What if it isn’t just art, but our lives as well? It’s an interesting analogy, even if it is nothing like what Pater meant when he wrote about Renaissance painting.
Let’s consider our lives as being determined by three aspects, like a musical performance: the instrument is the world you were born into; the musical notation is your personal talents and limitations; and the measure of the music (as in, say, allegro ma non troppo) is the full set of cultural instructions and expectations which are meant to control what you do with the first two. It is not too difficult to describe what happens in your life in these terms. You (the musician) try to make the most of the world (your instrument) in which you find yourself, using your talents (the notation) while going by the rules (the measure) that society issues. The trouble is that if you do that in our time, what you are more likely to be aspiring to is the condition of muzak, not music. Work, consume and die – and conform while you’re doing so. Be alert but not alarmed. Allegro ma non troppo.
But there is a kind of music that exists without measure. Unmeasured preludes for harpsichord started appearing as long ago as 1650, and Louis Couperin is usually credited as the first composer to write them. You still have an instrument, of course, and you still get the notes, but how you play them – how long you hold them, and at what speed they follow each other – is up to you.
BEARFACED
THE CONDITION OF MUZAK
(THANKS, MICHAEL MOORCOCK)
Let me suggest to you that unmeasured preludes for our lives are becoming more and more important in our excessively conformist and somewhat sad world as it spirals ever deeper into the beige. And of course (you knew this was coming, didn’t you?) motorcycling is an important part of the unmeasured preludes of our lives. Some time ago there was a whiny diatribe about the risks of motorcycling in the “Heckler” column of the Sydney Morning Herald. It expressed the opinions of much of the general public very well; they don’t like us and are too intimidated to take chances themselves and cannot understand those who do. This is the dominant paradigm; we are surrounded by lives that are constantly aspiring to the condition of muzak. But are we risk-takers dismayed? Well yes, we are a bit actually. It wouldn’t matter if the serial cardigans (thank you for that expression, Brother Boris) of the bureaucracy would just stick to worrying about their own lives; their own calm, sedate and repetitive tunes. But they won’t. Spurred on by shrunken souls like the SMH heckler, they intrude on our wild songs. Be afraid. The hobbling bourgeoisie and the bought-off workers are giving the bureaucrats more and more power. Power to run your and my life for us. Isn’t it odd that this should be happening in a country that prides itself on being free? Free?
Look at the British. They blow up speed cameras and get them, or what’s left of them, removed. Look at the Americans. They don’t even allow speed cameras to be installed because they are against their Bill of Rights. These people fight, and as a result they are free.
We, on the other hand, don’t and aren’t. We whinge for a while, playing the role of victim, and then give in. We don’t even remember how we have been insulted and enslaved when it comes to election time, and we put the same people who have shafted us back into power.
Resist. Challenge and defeat the dominant paradigm. Attacks on our chosen recreation are nothing less than attacks on freedom itself.
Yes, all right, I know that all sounds a bit dramatic. But… do you want to look back at some time in your dotage at a world so sanitised that it’s barely worth living in and think, “if only we’d made a stand then, this would not have happened”?
The British and the Americans don’t have to say that, because they stood up to the overbearing authorities at the time.
How does that old saw about resistance go? “They came for the smokers but I did not stand up for them because I had been told that their behaviour was bad for everyone around. They came for the drinkers and I did not stand up for them because I had been convinced that drink did nothing but create danger on the roads, and wife beaters. So when they came for us motorcyclists, there was no one left to stand up for us.”
Stand up now. Join an activist motorcycle club, or even more importantly write to your State and Federal MPs and the Senators. Defend yourselves, or die in the trenches to the sounds of muzak. Oh, and you might be interested to know that even the company that owns the name “Muzak” has dumped it because it did not have “the connotation that suggested that we have come a long way”. Even Muzak despises muzak.
Peter “The Bear” Thoeming
GONE OUTBACK
I have just returned from a ride to Alice Springs. It’s the fi rst time I’ve been there. Each time I’ve got to Port Augusta, I’ve just kept heading west instead of chucking a right. More fool me.
Here I was expecting loads of nothing. What I got was one of the best rides of my life and some of the most vividly jaw-dropping scenery Australia can provide. And I have several confessions to make.
I was riding pretty quickly for almost the whole way. This proved to be problematical between Glendambo roadhouse and Coober Pedy, a distance of 254km. Ordinarily, that kind of range is easily doable on a Victory Magnum or an Indian Classic. But you need to be cruising.
I was not cruising. I was engaged in a throttle-pinning exercise of epic proportions with three other worthies. So it was a question of honour.
And there was a kangaroo involved earlier in the day. So I was sore and smelly, and viewed variously by my companions as either a dead-man riding, some kind of undead zombie, or the risen Christ. You see, 160km out of Port Augusta I
hit a hopping shit-rat at 180km/h and I did not die. No, I do not know why I did not die. I certainly should have died, or at the very least have been maimed and on life-support for the rest of my life. But it did not happen like that. Instead, the beast literally exploded when the Victory Magnum centre-punched it. The bike shook itself like a bison, and then I just rolled majestically to a halt some 400metres after the impact with the mangled roo carcass draped, rather magnifi cently, atop the front mudguard.
I was covered in shit. I was also covered in gore. And both my thighs and the middle of my back (they have a long and thick tail those things) are still bruised a fortnight later.
But the bike stopped upright and I did not die, and that is the main thing.
It would serve no good purpose for me to die in such a way in the Outback. Sure, there’s the insurance money, but an ignominious Death by Bounding Marsupial is a crappy way to go. What glory is there in that?
Happily I was able to continue, because there happened to be a spare bike in the back of a truck that was following us. This was, after all, the fabled Ian Moss Back to Darwin ride put on by Polaris. So I got on that and on I rode.
And I was very pleased I did, because the Outback needs to be done on a bike. I could have climbed onto the tour bus, or into one of the support cars, and nursed my battered body with cold beer and soft lounges for the remaining 900km to Darwin.
But that’s no way to see the Outback, is it?
On a bike you’re an integral part of that vast and amazing space. You are washed by the same wind that blows
over the endless plains and ancient rock formations. You are in it and part of it – a fast-moving speck in an ancient immensity bounded only by the curve of the horizon and your fuel range – which, I might add goes from some 260-plus-km (either on the Victory or the Indian) per tank, to about 180km when you’ve wound the speedo all the way to the other side of the dial.
The only chance you have of getting from Glendambo to Coober Pedy is to slow down. Or you could carry a can of petrol. Or you could try slip-streaming your mate – which is lots of fun, but I found the constant adrenalin dump rather tiring. The other alternative is to hold your throttle to the stop until the fuel light comes on and then back off, which is what I decided was best practice.
The final 20km into Coober Pedy was done at about 80km. The fuel light came on about 60km out and I literally halved my speed.
The road rises as you near Coober Pedy. You know you’re getting close because the land around you starts to look like a million groundhogs have been making conical piles of dirt. It’s all rather surreal – a manmade redesign of the Outback, if you will. It didn’t really bother me on an environmental level. There is a lot of Outback out there. It’s OK if we dig up some of it in search of riches with which to buy whores and alcohol.
As I hit that long rise, I started to imagine the Indian was beginning to miss in its search for fuel. It wasn’t, but how could it have any juice left? Surely there was nothing in that beautiful black tank but the vapours of long-dead dinosaurs?
I put 20.5 litres into a 20.8 litre tank a few minutes later. If the servo had been at the other end of town I would have had to push the Indian. And I was in no state to do that.
Do the Outback. Just mind the ’roos.
PLAY WITH CONTROL.
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