The newest learner-friendly addition to Kawasaki’s Supernaked Z series.
Light, nimble and eye-catching, the new Z650L enjoys stunning looks thanks to its unique Kawasaki Sugomi design influences while lusty performance and impressive torque is willingly delivered by the compact 649cc parallel twin. Kawasaki Z650L, Refined Raw.
» Arm-tearing parallel-twin engine
» Lightweight and nimble
» Comfortable and low seat height
» Light assist and slipper clutch
» Iconic Kawasaki Z family styling
» ABS standard front and rear
BEST OF THE REST
Editor Stuart Woodbury
Editor Emeritus J Peter Thoeming
Sales Manager Ralph Leavsey-Moase ralph@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
Australian Motorcyclist Magazine is published by Australian Motorcyclist Magazine Pty Ltd. PO Box 2066, Boronia Park NSW 2111 Phone 0412 220 680 or 0418 421 322
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EDITORSPEAKS
The words of wisdom just bubble forth. True.
Planning and preparation are two things I really enjoy about motorcycling. No matter what it is I’m doing, whether it be planning and preparing for some travel, preparing a bike for racing, or planning and preparing Australian Motorcyclist for you to enjoy I think it is the anticipation, the adrenaline running through my veins, the knowing that I’ll be enjoying motorcycling in a variety of forms that really beings a lot of enjoyment into my life. I’m sure you’re the same in some and/or different ways.
A quote from the recent death of Michael Chamberlain who loved his Triumph was that, “four wheels moves the body, two wheels moves the soul”. I’ve always liked this quote. It really isn’t until you’ve been out riding, most likely on your own, and you’ve felt as if you’re the only person in the world that you truly understand it. It’s like all your worries in the world have fl oated away. This issue of Australian Motorcyclist has a special feature showing you some of the new Adventure Touring bikes. I’m a big fan of adventure touring as you get to see some of the more amazing sights our big brown land has to offer versus just sticking to the bitumen. It also takes you away from the routine and grind of daily life – sounds like I need a holiday, doesn’t it! Or maybe I’m just missing Tassie after my recent trip down there.
I sort of got this in a way when attending the Island Classic recently. It was good to get away with my mate, Chris and his son, Alex for some good times and relaxing – if you call being the pit boy relaxing? Nothing like being with your mates enjoying the delights that only two wheels can bring.
For the last three or so months I’ve lived with the new Triumph Bonnie
T120. Apart from having it for us to do a travel piece on I worked through a technical piece with Triumph for them. I can honestly say that the T120 is a down right bloody great machine. Unless you like loads of high speed, the T120 with its massive amount of bottom end torque is perfect for commuting (which I mainly did) and rolling along in sixth gear out on some open back roads. Our particular bike had the Triumph accessory small screen and leather/ canvas panniers – a great little setup with the bags easily removed and replaced whenever needed. Fuel consumption is excellent at around 350km while touring and the seat, wow, just a delight to sit on all day long. It was also fun leading some blokes along on the odd occasion when they’d say, “great resto, mate!” and I’d say, “yeah, took me a couple of years but it’s not bad”. I know, I know, I shouldn’t be so cheeky, but I just couldn’t resist it. I guess this is a refl ection on the awesome attention to detail Triumph has paid when making the bike. If you like a bit of a retro/classic bike appearance in any way at all, get along and ride one of the T120s, I promise you you’ll love it. Cheers, Stuart.
FROMTHEBEAR
GRIZZLING
COME ON, CHAPS… BE REASONABLE
We like the blokes at British online magazine VisorDown. We’ve been on launches with them, and they have always proven to be good company. But… Whether it’s something in the water (they have plenty of that in the UK) or maybe some leftover plutonium dust from Windscale, they do sometimes get… ah, esoteric ideas. The latest one of these I’ve seen is a list of five reasons (in italics below) why the UK is the best place in the world to be a motorcyclist.
Read ’em and weep. With laughter.
1Low-tech speed cameras
Okay, so there are few clever ones around now but a big part of the speed camera network still consists of Gatsos, using technology which went out with the cassette tape. They measure speed over a clearly defined area and they’re probably visible from space. If you get caught by one of these, you deserve everything you get.
There are no speed cameras that I’ve ever seen in Croatia.
3 Roads
Yes, roads. From the A39 Atlantic Highway in Cornwall and Devon to Scotland’s 500-mile North Coast 500 route through the Highlands, the UK is packed with some of the world’s best.
corners of the world to see it. Or, if they’re from the UK, hop on a ferry.
The TT is all of that. But even if it’s a bit quicker to get there from the UK, consider this – if you come from somewhere else you don’t have to ride the rest of the year in Britain…
5 Bike Meets
And we haven’t even got on to all the averagespeed cameras that face the wrong way.
There are many countries in the world that don’t have speed cameras at all, folks. And in Australia, as I understand it, average-speed cameras don’t even try to look at bikes.
2 Heritage
The influence of the once-dominant British motorcycle industry is plain in bike design to this day. The upright Universal Japanese Motorcycle shape takes cues from British bikes of the ‘50s and ‘60s like the Bonneville T120, and the UJM is arguably the predecessor of the modern four-cylinder sports bike. Motorcycles? We invented them.
If there’s one benefit to enduring crap winters, it’s that we know how to make the most of summer with a good old bike meet. Like the one in Poole, Dorset, which happens every Tuesday from April to September.
Yes, Britain has terrific bike meets. But so what? Which country doesn’t? And, er, in Britain do you still have to hit scooter riders in the back of the helmet with your plug spanner as you pass them?
No, you didn’t. Germany and France can split that honour. And the most copied motorcycle in history (Britain, USA, Japan, India etc) was a German DKW two-stroke which already had the “upright Universal Japanese Motorcycle shape”. A free beer for the first person who can tell me which famous oh-so-
Cornwall and Devon are quite nice when it isn’t pissing down with rain, or sleet covers the roads. As for Scotland’s North Coast 500, my most vivid memory of that is the Suicide Sheep which desperately tried to kill themselves under my GS750’s wheels. And the rain. And the cold wind straight off the Pole. Oh, and the unfortunate woman in Tongue who had to don every bit of clothing she owned before she could come out and fuel up my bike, because it was so cold.
4 The TT
It’s known as the Greatest Show on Earth, and motorcyclists travel from all
Dear oh dear. I sat down and began to compile a list of places I’d rate over the UK, but I realised that I was looking at a task that would easily take me through retirement. But consider this: southern France has wonderful mountain and canyon roads, terrific food, no noticeable speed cameras, mostly and predictably good weather… so even the French have it over the Po… the, er, British. Oops. Here comes my arrest under Section 18C of the Racial Vilification Act.
*The oh-so-British BSA Bantam. I lied about the beer. Why would I give you a beer that I can drink instead? Come to think of it…
Peter ‘The Bear’ Thoeming
British bike* it became when it was copied in the UK.
This is just one road in the Mediterranean Alps, in France.
OFFICER, I’M BEING FOLLOWED
Self-balancing motorcycle Honda has been at the forefront of motorcycle technology since Soichiro’s day. Occasionally Honda has introduced technology well ahead of its time, and that has gone for and sometimes against the company. The latest invention is a self-balancing motorcycle. The technology is called “Honda Riding Assist”, and it produces a motorcycle that will never fall over. When engaged, the system increases the fork angle, lengthening the bike’s wheelbase and apparently disconnecting the front forks from the handlebars. The system then uses automated minute steering inputs to keep the bike perfectly balanced, without the use of heavy gyroscopes or other mass-shifting devices.
The concept bike Honda built to demonstrate the technology at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas can even silently propel itself along, following its owner like an obedient puppy. Don’t be surprised to see ‘HRA’ fitted to a Honda motorcycle at some stage, although the company hasn’t announced any plans to put it into production at this stage.
GO RAT, GO!
Triumph RAT Rally 2017
merchandise and much more. For more information and to book please visit the following link: www.trybooking.com/booking/ bookingeventsummary.
aspx?eid=225092
Ticket Price: $200 (credit card fees may apply)
As new additions and details come to hand they will be updated on Triumph Australia’s website and facebook page. www.triumphmotorcycles.com.au www.facebook.com/triumph.australia
TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY
Shannons Exclusive Italian Concorso D’Eleganza Tour
$19,995 inclusive of all on-road costs.
Plus 12 months Shannons
Comprehensive Insurance cover for the motorcycle.
Following the success of last year’s RAT Rally in Jindabyne, this year the Hahndorf Resort in the picturesque setting of the Adelaide Hills will host the RAT faithful from the 7th to the 9th of April. The weekend will feature great dining and nightly entertainment alongside presentations about latest releases, professional bike and helmet pin-striping, a photographer on hand, exclusive specials on official Triumph
Shannons are offering motoring enthusiasts the chance to win a 15-day tour for two to Italy from 23rd May to 7 June 2017, to coincide with the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este is one of the world’s most exclusive and spectacular events for historic cars and motorcycles, set against the breathtaking backdrop of Lake Como. Plus, you can win a new 2017 Indian Scout motorcycle, valued at up to
So, if you’re a motoring enthusiast, make sure you call Shannons to get a quote on your car, bike or home insurance to enter. Every eligible quote gives you an extra chance in the draw. For every eligible car or bike policy you take out, you get 5 entries in the draw or 10 entries if you take out or have an existing home and contents policy! To enter go to www.shannons.com.au/ italy or call 13 46 46 and obtain an eligible quote on your Car, Bike or Home Insurance by 4 April 2017. *Conditions apply
JUST AROUND THE CORNER
World Superbikes, Phillip Island In the lead up to the first round of World Superbikes 2017 at Phillip Island – 24-26 February, there has been a lot going on in the build up to what should be another exciting year of racing. Two thousand fifteen and 2016 World Champion, Jonathan Rea just happened to be doing some bicycle training when all of a sudden Bass Coast Mayor, Cr Pamela Rothfield, circuit managing director, Fergus Cameron, and a crew of local school
children from Cowes Primary stopped Rea on the start/finish straight where he was presented with the Key to Phillip Island and invited to accept “adopted citizen” status of the picturesque isle. Surrounded by his proud family, Tatia and sons Jake and Tyler, his cycling mates and a bunch of Cowes school kids the racer could not help but say yes and with typical Irish humour took on his newly claimed Aussie status with a chuckle of surprise and delight.
The kids then hauled him onto their school bus and took him to the Phillip Island karting track where they had a gift to unveil, his own Jonathan Rea Go Kart liveried in Kawasaki green, complete with race number 1 and his name proudly emblazoned across the front.
“That was a massive surprise with my cycling mates. We pulled into the circuit and I got awarded the key to Phillip Island and got some special recognition from the community which was so nice,” said Rea after his morning surprise.
Tickets are still on sale at Ticketek for
this round of the world’s leading production class, with the three-day, two wheel extravaganza once again the headline event for the 2017 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship. For further information visit www.worldsbk.com.au
POWERING FORWARD
Urban Motor Group
Urban Moto Imports in Melbourne import and distribute MV Agusta, Benelli, Confederate, Bimota and Viper motorcycles in Australia. The group is now powering on with a recently signed agreement with MV Agusta Motor SPA to work on the development of the US market. The
partnership aims to create a new brand strategy in the US, in order to reinforce and consolidate the brand in a country which is a vital part of MV Agusta’s strategy for the future. There’s obviously plenty to do: more MVs sold in Australia last year than in all of the USA.
BE A CHAMPION
Kawasaki team up with Champion Ride Days
Get that green blood flowing vigorously through those veins! Kawasaki Australia has just partnered with Champion Ride Days, who will now offer a tantalising range of thoroughbred Kawasaki road motorcycles for customers to use at their exemplary track ride day events. To find out more about upcoming Champion’s Ride Days events and how you can hire a Kawasaki motorcycle, visit their website here – www.championsridedays. com.au or call them on 07 3287 4144. Feel free to visit their Facebook page for updates as well at www.facebook.com/ ChampionsRideDays/ For more information on Kawasaki Team Green Australia (including KTGA Track Ride Day Events), please visitwww.kawasaki.com.au/kawasaki-teamgreen-australia D
Light green Words Stuart Photos n ick Wood photography
At first look, it’s obvious that the styling of the new Kawasaki Ninja 650L and Z650L Learner Approved Motorcycles (LAMS) bikes has seen a major update. But there is much more that’s new under the skin. The two bikes have received massive changes over last year’s Ninja 650L and the Er6NL, which the new Z650L replaces.
When I attended the Australian launch of these two green machines I had not read any of the material Kawasaki had sent out; I wanted to go in completely blind to get a really good feel for each bike. Manufacturers can tell you anything they like in their press material with fluffy words and careful exaggeration. Remember the film Thank You For Smoking ? Kawasaki is not normallylike this, but I didn’t want to get anything in my head other than the most important changes, so I could come absolutely fresh to the way the bikes feel out on the road in the real world. Of course I was present for the pre-launch presentation where we were told about the key new features like lighter weight, class leading torque (for both bikes), shift up indicator and so on. I think the way that Kawasaki has tried to explain how dynamic these bikes are, namely “Sugomi”, is really appropriate. Sugomi is performance that ensures a treat for the senses. A responsive, ‘torqueful’ engine character and nimble, lightweight chassis that offers the kind of sporty riding excitement that both new and more experienced riders alike will enjoy. Yeah, that’s pretty much on the mark.
One of the biggest changes for both bikes is the massive reduction in weight. Try 20kg lighter for the Ninja, and the Z is 17kg lighter than the Er6NL. You can imagine how this translates into an amazingly wellhandling motorcycle on the road. The key component that gives both bikes improved handling is the all-new trellis frame. It weighs only 15kg! And gives both bikes a perfect neutral feel, yet with a point-and-it-will-go-there nimble ride. Along with the weight, the right hand side rear monoshock
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also gone – it is now central and horizontal.
Very stylish, new instrument panels really suit the styling of each bike. Essentially they give you the same info but in a more compact version on the Z versus the Ninja’s larger panel with its analogue tacho. The big news for each of these bikes is that they now have not only gear position indicators, but also shift up indicators which are excellent for learner riders or if you want to maximise fuel economy.
The Ninja 650L has been styled to reflect its big brothers the ZX-6R and ZX-10R, and the Z fits in with the aggressive Z800 and Z1000 naked look.
The riding position on both bikes offers excellent seat-to-bar reach and width, with the Ninja bars slightly lower than the Z’s – yet still at a comfy height. The seat to peg height is quite sporty and the seat height is low at 790mm on both bikes with the seat itself being comfy, yet with a slim front so you can plant your feet easily on the ground when you’re stopped.
The bikes share the same engine (and just about everything underneath their ‘skins’). It is the parallel twin Kawasaki has used previously, but with a heavy reworking of the internals and externals to produce smooth, responsive performance, especially in the low and medium rev ranges. The smooth low-end focus lends itself to sporty riding, but also translates to rider-friendly power characteristics. But it’s when you get into the 3-6000rpm mid-range that this engine comes alive. The amount of mid-range torque available makes it feel not like a LAMS bike, but more like a full powered 650. This also lets you enjoy either bike when flowing through corners; this essentially comes down to one factor that Kawasaki has virtually eliminated with this parallel twin. Gone is the ‘chugginess’ of the previous models if you happened to let the revs get right down. The improvement was most noticeable in sixth gear
My fav
Loves those corners
Yes, it rained so we ate and drank while it passed
and when slowing down to around 45km/h – the new engine would just accelerate away smoothly –great job, Kawasaki!
Mated to the parallel twin is a smooth six speed gearbox matched with a smooth and light clutch. This is thanks to the assist and slipper clutch fi tted to the bikes. What does this mean? Well, when the engine is operating at normal rpm, the assist cam functions as a servo mechanism, pulling the clutch hub and operating plate together to compress the clutch plates. This allows the total clutch spring load to be reduced, resulting in a lighter pull on the clutch lever.
For the slipper part, this comes in when excessive engine braking occurs as a result of quick downshifts (or an accidental downshift). The slipper cam comes into play, forcing the clutch hub and operating plate apart. This relieves pressure on the clutch plates to reduce back-torque and helps prevent the rear tyre from hopping and skidding.
Braking is strong and progressive –exactly what you want for a bike like this. Kawasaki has fi tted the latest generation Nissin dual-piston calipers on the front with a compact Bosch 9.1M anti-lock braking (ABS) unit for greater safety.
A very well thought out range of accessories will be available for both bikes. A set of 14 litre (each) panniers, a 30 litre topbox, 4 litre tankbag, a taller screen for each bike, a rear seat cover for the Ninja plus other useful accessories to choose from, all of which are bang on the mark.
After spending the day swapping between both models I’ve come away loving the Z650L. If this bike had been available when I purchased our long term MT-07 I would have bought the Z – it really is that good. The Ninja, for me, was awesome in long fl owing corners but I prefer the naked look. Both bikes are sure to excel in their respective sub-classes (Sport and Naked). And if you want a more powerful Ninja 650 model there’s the full powered version available too. D
Thelounge of the Hotel Anker in Brodenbach on the Mosel has large windows overlooking the river. I was sitting comfortably, looking out at the drizzling rain, and the waiter was pursing his lips in the way they do when they want you to think they’re considering your question – even when they know very well what answer they’re going to give.
“We have an excellent vintage from our own vineyards,” he eventually said. “Priced very reasonably, too.” I gave him the nod, and I must say the bottle of rosé he brought me was indeed excellent, and most affordable at just over 10 euro. I knew that the blokes steering the passing barges couldn’t see me, but I toasted them anyway. It’s true that I wasn’t riding, but I was doing pretty much the next best thing…
But I don’t want anyone thinking that I only go riding in Europe for the drinks. Admittedly, when I look back at the stories I’ve written about these trips there is a noticeable emphasis on the subject, but I see this entirely as a service to you, my readers. And the fact that I seem to find myself in wine or beer country most of the time is more or less an accident. Hard to believe, perhaps, but true. No, seriously. Most of Europe seems to specialise in one kind or another of booze, after all.
Not that it’s all wonderful. After a spectacularly unpleasant experience on a beach in the old Yugoslavia, I will never drink Slivovitz again. And I have a hip flask of something that I was assured was booze when I bought it in Kosovo which has no name, just a couple of phone numbers on the clearly photocopied and hand-coloured label.
But take this ride. I was on my way to Cologne for the INTERMOT bike show, but I wanted to start by visiting Speyer, a medieval imperial city just south of Frankfurt and today the home of a pretty amazing transport museum. I’d been there once years ago but had only looked at it from the outside
TRAVEL
– there’s plenty to see even there –because I’d been sick as a proverbial dog (not from drinking) and barely capable of walking. Fortunately I always seem to be able to ride.
One thing that is just brilliant about riding in Germany is that you always have choices. There are so many Autobahnen and both major and minor roads that you can get anywhere you like either efficiently and quickly or scenically and slowly (although never terribly slowly). There are also service stations everywhere so you don’t, for example, need to leave the Autobahn to search for fuel. The place is set up for convenient motoring.
Now a BMW F 800 GS, which is what I was riding, is not really an Autobahn machine. It will not happily run at 200km/h. But as long as you’re content to share the slow lane with trucks (many trucks, Kemosabe) it will certainly get you places quickly enough. Always assuming that you know where you are going. I had done what I usually do, which is take a look at the map and memorise the
Bear Borrows Beemer
Frankfurt/Main and Munich, which do the heavy lifting (so to speak) for German air transport, are both superb airports. Fortunately for me, BMW’s press vehicle service is at least as good, too. I asked BMW Australia if I could borrow a bike for a couple of weeks in Germany, with pickup and return in Frankfurt rather than Munich as usual. The response was quick, and from Germany. Yes, of course I could borrow a bike. Would I please advise them of my arrival and departure details, and of the type of bike I would like? I did that and got a comprehensive response almost immediately. I would be met on my arrival, and there was a 24 hour seven day service at the airport where I could return the bike. So no finding a dealer and making sure I returned the bike in business hours? No.
Thank you, Mr Bear. Have a wonderful time in Germany. Way to go.
There’s no shortage of castles to admire, and cable TV is everywhere too.
When did I start drinking rosé? I’m not sure, but it’s really refreshing.
The GS bikes are not just for dirt touring. They handle tar exceptionally well too.
“The memories will last a lifetime...”
PETER & KATH WRIGHT, WARRINGTON, UK
turns I would need and then packed the bag away.
Quick aside. You may wonder why I pack the map away and don’t put it into the clear pocket on top of my tank bag. Well… by my own count I have caused three – no, two - crashes by looking at a map rather than the road. That’s two too many, so I now tend to remove the temptation. I hope that doesn’t sound silly, because it works!
So this time, belting down the Autobahn, I took one turn too early and found myself rather unexpectedly rolling through the suburbs and then the city of Mannheim. It was easy enough to pretend to myself that I’d
meant to stop here anyway, so I picked a café, ordered a coffee and pulled out the map. Refreshed in body and mind I got back on the road and found Speyer. An affordable and pleasant hotel is part of the museum complex, and I had booked a room so I unloaded and then tackled the museum. I’ll have to write another little story about that some time; it is truly remarkable. Along with a huge Russian space shuttle, a Buran, it has row upon row of race bikes, a stack of aircraft and what I reckon must be the world’s largest collection of Munch Mammoths. They’re all in beautiful condition and set up in a kind of workshop diorama. Eye candy plus.
I slept well that evening, a combination I suspect of jet lag and the outstanding local beer brewed and sold at the lovely old (and in Germany that means old, as in more than 500 years) pub next to the imperial cathedral. Next day I was able to dispense with the Autobahn, except to get me back into Mannheim. I had some Australian dollars to change into Euros, and banks in smaller towns and cities are not impressed by our plastic currency. Take a tip and change cash at the airport when you arrive. But there was a change bureau at the railway station that was happy to take my bucks, and then I was free to hit the back roads.
Those “Tudor” style buildings with their timber frames are not fake, as they are in Oz.
I was lucky with the weather – only one day of rain – and very lucky with my choice of bike.
One of the many Munch Mammuts on display in Speyer. I’ve never ridden one, but I’d like to.
When you look at a map of Germany at a scale of, say 1:700,000 it looks as if there is no room between the major roads for anything else at all. Fortunately, this is an illusion and in reality there is plenty of room for forest, which covers a third of Germany, and agricultural land. There is very little if any waste land; every square metre is too valuable for that. So when you’re riding the back roads you find yourself in among mature trees a lot of the time, and buzzing through endless-seeming fields of wheat, potatoes, rye and canola as well as paddocks for, mainly, dairy cows. Not many sheep.
You often see stacks of firewood in the forest. I only found out recently that these come about as follows: in spring, if you have a fireplace or a wood-fired furnace, you go to see the farmer who leases a particular patch of forest near your home. Ownership rests with the State. You walk through the forest with him, and he points out a tree that you can buy. He fells it and you cut it up and chop it into cords of firewood which you then stack in the forest to dry over summer. In autumn, you come and collect the wood and stack it at home before burning it. No dead trees go to waste in Germany. Talking about waste: roads are often
lined with fruit trees. The fruit is not just for anyone to pick; different families “rent” them and are entitled to the apples, plums or whatever. Mind you, these days people are more likely to buy their fruit at Aldi or Lidl… I’ve occasionally helped myself to some of the crop.
Sorry, I hope you’re not getting bored by all this detail. Sometimes it’s nice to know.
So here I am, buzzing along the back roads west of the Rhine. Unfortunately I have no opportunity to give the BMW any dirt or gravel time; most of Germany restricts traffic to tarred roads, only allowing riders or drivers
Parking the BMW F 800 GS while I check out a castle.
Early morning mist along the Mosel, complete with three horsepower.
German roads are remarkably good, and there is no shortage of corners.
Pumpkins for sale by the road on the honour system.
who own land along a dirt road to use it. You need to go to Poland to get a taste of gravel.
The roads are universally good, with plenty of warning if they aren’t actually perfect. This is the only country I know where they have signs to warn you of dirt on the road surface. Mind you, in Switzerland they don’t warn you; they sweep it up straight away. They even wash the gravel by the side of the road. Seriously. They have special trucks.
Despite the lack of opportunity to show its dirt riding skills, the F 800 GS is proving to be a terrific tourer. The seat is comfortable, the riding position is relaxing and at back road speeds –call it 100km/h – the engine is happy and feels just right. The bike also has a staggering amount of cornering clearance. At one point I decide to see if I can touch something down in one of a set of excellent corners – and fail. It will take a better rider than me to scrape an F 800 GS.
Accommodation is no problem. You can tell when you’re in an area that has good bike roads, because the village pubs all have “Motorcyclists Welcome” signs, often in English. They will have undercover storage for your bike, too. This is an indication of just how big a business motorcycle travel is in Germany, and in fact in the rest of Europe.
Overnight cost for a single room, or a double occupied by only one person, with ensuite is typically about 50 Euros, including the staggering breakfast for which German country pubs are famous. My habit is to check in, dump my gear in the room and then sit in the tap room or on the veranda and look over the roads I’ve covered that day on my map. I then make notes, and… no, wait. I order a local beer or, if I’m in the mood, a bottle of wine (a good one will set you back no more than 10 Euros a bottle). Then I make notes and plan tomorrow’s ride, insofar as I plan anything on these trips.
This had got me to the Mosel River valley. The only real patch of rain I encountered on this ride was just beginning to establish itself as I reached a long and curvy descent through thick forest down, down… and to the banks
of the river. Big rivers in Europe don’t just roll along; they carry their share of the freight that moves between regions and countries. Large canal-type barges ply their waters, and it’s quite interesting to sit and watch them. On the Mosel they seem to carry mainly coal and gravel; on the Rhine there’s a lot of fuel going south to land-locked Switzerland. The barges are not just transport; they are also people’s homes and have pot plants growing on the deck and lace curtains on the windows. Whole families live on them. There is usually a car riding on the rear deck, sometimes there’s a scooter or a motorcycle as well. There is not much need to worry about corrosion because the water is not salty. The traffic that isn’t cargo barges is long, exceptionally narrow tourist boats – they’re like that because they occasionally have to use narrow canals rather than wide rivers.
With the rain beginning to look serious, I rolled past the Anker Hotel in Brodenbach. It looked pleasant and had a big “Motorcyclists Welcome” sign out – yes, in English like a lot of German hotels – so the decision wasn’t hard. And this, of course, is where you found me with my bottle.
Following the Mosel downstream is fun, although it’s nicer when it’s dry, because the road combines nice corners with a long view down the river. You see derelict castles, tidy monasteries and
all sorts of mediaeval and other ancient structures. Many of the towns have impressive churches and, I suspect, even cathedrals which to me always seem completely out of scale with the small towns they serve. And there are snack stands selling “currywurst” (hot dogs with curry sauce) and chips, as well as pubs and restaurants offering local specialities as well as local beers and wines. Err… how did I get side tracked into that?
Eventually the rain stopped and I pushed on to reach Koblenz, which is a bit of a tourist trap. The Mosel flows into the Rhine here and there is a huge monument to mark the occasion. I moved on down the Rhine a bit and spent the night in Remagen (remember the film “A Bridge Too Far”?). After that it was a short run to Cologne and the hotel my cousin, his wife and their family had booked. The Intermot show was made even more enjoyable with a family reunion, and the ride back to Frankfurt was a real pleasure, following the Rhine upstream and staying in Bacharach on the way.
I’m very happy to recommend that you do something similar; the next Intermot is in 2018, and even if you can’t borrow a bike from BMW it’s not too hard to rent one.
Might see you there. I’ll be the bloke with the bottle of rosé and the currywurst. D
Even seen from high above, the Rhine is a mighty river.
LEMMING CORNER
Brian Wood from the NSW Motorcycle Council and our man on the ground, The Possum attended a big shindig at the opening of the ‘realignment’ of the ‘renowned’ Lemming Corner on the way to the Hunter. For those who don’t know this corner, it has claimed many a motorcycle over the years, let alone the riders. The Possum, who has dealt with more than one crash on that road, braved the elements to attend on our behalf. But first, a few words from NSW Motorcycle Council representative, Brian Wood.
“Cessnock Council has used Federal Blackspot funding to realign Lemming Corner to remove the double apex that has caught out many riders over the years. Lemming Corner is on the Great Northern Road about 25km north of Jerry’s café at Kulnura.
Trip from Bikers Hunter recalls:“some years ago I saw an unfortunate rider discover the hidden traps of the double apex corner; travelling at low speed the inexperienced rider braked at the sudden appearance of the tight left hand corner and struck the W-beam. Luckily, he was almost
stopped but still managed to sustain bruising.”
The official opening of the realigned corner was held on 16th December 2016 and attended by the Mayor of Cessnock, Council officials, Police, local media, the Motorcycle Council and local riders.
Now to The Possum…
I attended the official function at Lemmings Corner today, in the rain and the gloom.
In addition to the press release from the Cessnock Council, it was mentioned by one of the other speakers that this was a Convict Built Road, and has been in continuous use since those days. Some of the limitations placed on Council in the re-alignment included the preservation of Convict markings chiselled into the rock face of the cutting.
A number of Police from Cessnock HWP were also in attendance to
supervise the burnout competition!
Not really. But one FJR1300 and three HWP cars showed up.
In a conversation with the boss of Cessnock HWP I learned they have been running an operation on the Putty Rd with good results – 2014: 2 x fatalities, 36 injury crashes, 2015: 0 x fatalities, 5 injury crashes.
So there you have it: a safer road for us all, built by a Council which honestly cares about motorcyclists. Our thanks goes to Cessnock Council. Go and check out the new alignment and tip a few bucks into the local tills while you’re up there. D
The realignment looks good. I’ll be up there checking it out soon.
That’s Brian Wood in the blue shirt next to a gentleman who we assume is the Mayor of Cessnock. The Possum is the bloke in the middle distance who looks like a walrus.
Words Stuart Photos Dean Walter S
“Roll on to the pResent, and the new Bonneville t100 has seen anotheR lot of majoR changes, But still Retains that common theme – its classic styling.”
The first Triumph Bonneville was released back in 1959, and through the years it has seen many changes except for the consistent classic looks. Roll on to the present, and the new Bonneville T100 has seen another lot of major changes, but still retains that common theme – its classic styling. You might even say it is the most genuine representation of the original models, for a long time.
As we’ve reported to you with the Street Twin, Street Cup and Bonnie T120, the radiator is tucked away just nicely in between the front frame tubes on the T100 as well. You will have read in the most recent issue that the Street Cup is based on the lower
capacity Street Twin platform; the T100, on the other hand, is based on the T120 platform.
What that amounts to is different frame angles from the ‘Street’ platform. Instead the T100 is much the same as the T120, but it is lighter overall. I’ll get to that presently. Comparing the new T100 to the previous model, the new version has a shorter wheelbase (1450mm) for easier manoeuvrability and much lighter handling at any speed. Having ridden the T100 for two days down the east coast of Tassie with its multiple corners I can confirm that that works. The bike was simply beautiful to ride. I happen to have a T120 at home at the
moment and it was good to be able to compare the two; I’d pick the T100 for its light weight any day.
We’re only talking 11kg here but it’s certainly noticeable. All I can put this down to is the extra weight of the twin discs of the T120, making turn in that little bit slower and heavier than the T100’s. The rest of the extra 11kg comes from the Amal-replica fuel injection of the T120, its rear rack/ grab rail and some miscellaneous bits and pieces.
Now this might leave you in a bit of a quandary as to which ‘T’ model to buy but I think the decision comes down to which engine characteristics you prefer. Do you like relaxed,
moderate torque, or the more arm wrenching kind?
If you like the first option, the T100 with the 900cc HT (High Torque) parallel twin is the one to choose, whereas if you like that added thrill of big torque, the T120 is your thing.
The five-speed gearbox is another difference from the six-speeder of the T120. Essentially, this works with the lower torque characteristics of the T100 engine so you don’t really need –or miss - that extra gear.
Over the two days riding the T100 in Tassie I got to like the characteristics of the engine/exhaust/computer setup, it is a punchy unit. If you read my piece on the Street Cup, you’ll remember that it lacks the torque of the T100 with its slightly different tune. The sweet tunes the 270 degree firing order plays with the twin
peashooter mufflers is delightful to listen to as you ride. Do you need to buy aftermarket exhausts and sit the standard ones on the shelf in the garage? Up to you, but these are perfectly good factory fitted mufflers (note the pun, Bruce).
The T100 shares the 14.5 litre fuel tank with the T120, giving you real
Golf anyone?
touring capabilities with this bike. I can get well over 300km out of the T120, so the more efficient T100 should be in the same ballpark or better, depending on your overall speed.
Comfort is exceptional on the T100 (as with the T120). Triumph uses a medical grade foam in the seats and no matter how far you ride on the T100, you’re comfy. The upright handlebar adds to the overall comfort, too.
Two versions of the T100 are available – the two-tone version or the T100 Black. For one of the blue, black or orange accented bikes, pricing is $15,300 plus on road costs, whereas you’ll pay another $200 for the Black version. The ‘extras’ (if you want to call them that) you get with the blacked out version include: either a choice of Jet Black (shiny) or Matt Black; black wheel rims, engine covers, mirrors, headlamp rim, indicators and twin skin exhaust. As with the Street Cup, the T100 gets ABS brakes, switchable traction control, LED lighting, USB charging
Attention to detail is exceptional
socket under the seat, ride-by-wire throttle, torque assist clutch and an immobiliser that features the transponder in the Triumph badge of the key.
Instruments are the same as all of the Bonnies – feature packed in a retro twin dial layout.
Accessories are extensive and just waiting for your hard earned to be spent. To add to the comfort you can get heated grips and cruise control, which are just two of what seems like thousands of bits to peruse.
As much as I thought that because I am riding the T120, I’d not be as happy with the T100, I must say that in experiencing that unmistakable British Bonneville feel, the two bikes are on a par. Just like my score for the round of golf we played before riding the T100, at one of the world’s top golf courses at Barnbougle Dunes in north-east Tassie. Ahem. A fitting way to start a ride on a posh bike like the Bonneville T100. D
COLOURS: Aegean Blue/Fusion White, Intense Orange/New England White, Jet Black, Jet Black (Black version), Matt Black (Black version)
VERDICT: ON PAR.
FromThe Bear’s recent trips to both Intermot and Eicma motorcycle shows, we can see that many manufacturers are increasing their presence in the adventure touring market. Whether that be with a full on dirt ripper, or what most are introducing, a more ‘soft roader’ type adventure touring model, getting dirty can be achieved on bikes of varying capacities from just about all manufacturers.
As we did in the most recent issue with LAMS bikes, we have compiled a bit of a rundown of what’s coming and what’s available for you to get down and dirty. Remember, while it’s true that you can cover many thousands of kilometres on bitumen in our big brown land, there is as much again and more of Australia to be seen on gravel and dirt roads.
ROYAL ENFIELD
I guess one of the most anticipated launches this year will be of the new Himalayan. It’s very much a basic kind of bike. Then again, that may be just what you want if things go pearshaped in some two bit town in the middle of nowhere!
DUCATI
A couple of bikes that take up the adventure touring concept from Big
Red in Italy are the Multistrada 950 –a more manageable machine for the masses than the big Multis - and the
Scrambler Desert Sled. I’m sure the Desert Sled is mainly aimed at hipsters but it looks like it will handle some proper dirt roads with its sump guard, longer travel suspension and knobby tyres.
YAMAHA
Whether Yamaha will release it this year or next, the replacement for the
current 660 Tenere looks to be the T7 Tenere Concept. It’s based on the parallel twin of the popular MT-07 and I know many adventurers who are getting very excited over this one. So are we!
HONDA
On the back of the worldwide popularity of the new Africa Twin, team red from Japan has the X-ADV – an adventure scooter! Not sure how popular this will be, but it will sure be exciting to try one out in the
bush. There’s also the CRF250 Rally that we’re told will be released here – a purpose built adventure machine that will cover big distances just as it is, stock standard. Honda is claiming 350km from the 10 litre tank. Imagine how far you’d get with a Safari Tank!
TRIUMPH
I’m going a touch out of the scope here but those boys and girls from Hinkley are releasing the Bonneville Scrambler this year. Chuck a pair of
knobby tyres on it and you’ve got a dirt blaster that will be extremely enjoyable.
BMW
BMW has the same kind of bike as the Triumph Scrambler, called the R nineT Urban GS – a classic enduro styled machine for massive amounts of fun. The tidler of the range is the new G 310 GS – BMW is claiming that it’s a proper GS and will handle the same sorts of conditions as its bigger brothers. And, last but not least, The King, the R 1200 GS has received some updates which are sure to make
it even better. It certainly looks even more purposeful in the photos BMW has released.
KAWASAKI
Team green has an interesting new bike, the Versys-X with its 300cc engine from the Ninja 300 family. I’d say it is sure to be a popular machine once it hits our shores.
SUZUKI
Team Yellow has sharpened its pencil for the popular V-Strom 1000, 650 and 650XT but the new kid on the block is the V-Strom 250. Very similar in appearance to the 650, Suzuki is claiming 500km from a tank of fuel!
KTM
Team orange has made its range even better for 2017 with the new 1290 Super Adventure R, S and T variants which will cater for any rider’s salivations, and the aggressive 1090 Adventure R with its shades of the mega 990 Adventure R is sure to be popular with super serious adventure tourers.
CF MOTO
CF Moto has a more of a bitumen adventure tourer than a full on dirt ripper. The 650MT, based on the popular NK series with more dualpurpose built into it along with
panniers, could be a good thing. We’ll grab one for testing once available.
This long time enduro bike manufacturer has released the Super Dual 650, a purpose-
Giant Loop is the pioneer of the biomorphic motorcycle saddlebag system that allows you to carry your gear on almost any motorcycle without racks.
No matter if you are a sports, trail or big bore adventure rider, you will appreciate travelling lighter and further with the Giant Loop high performance “Adventure Proof” soft luggage and packing systems for your ride.
Giant Loop is the ideal luggage system to take touring, especially when you are saddling up on a rental or a loaner or have too many bikes in the shed.
The Great Basin Saddlebag is now 100% waterproof with a set of three (RFwelded) roll top waterproof Dry Pods to keep your gear sorted and dry at all times. The Great basin holds up to 60 Litres and is the ideal bag to ride behind you on just about any motorcycle. Double your luggage capacity when you add a 100% waterproof Colombia Dry Bag.
Round The World Panniers
Great Basin Saddlebag
Columbian Dry Bag
Gas Bag Fuel Safe Bladder
Fandango Tank Bag Pro
Diablo Tank Bag Pro
Coyote Roll Top Saddlebag
Zigzag Handlebar Bag
ful looking machine that features a 19 litre tank, light 159kg weight, spoked wheels, Brembo braking and optional Givi panniers. After sitting on it at Moto Expo in Melbourne, I’d say that the seat feels quite comfy, too.
BENELLI
Two adventure machines from Benelli this year are the TRK 502 which looks to be a serious dirt road contender and
the more ‘fun dirt machine’, the Leoncino, which is a scrambler type bike.
DON’T FORGET THE OTHERS!
Yes, don’t forget the current range of amazing adventure touring bikes that will continue for 2017. Two of major importance are the Kawasaki KLR650 and the Suzuki DR650SE. Both
are always at the top end of the sales figures and have long been stalwarts in both manufacturers’ ranges. You only need to show up at a rally to see that many of them get used as they were intended to be. D
BMW R 1200 GS V HONDA CRF1000L AFRICA TWIN
CAN THE KING BE OVERTAKEN? WORDS STUART PHOTOS FACTORIES
God bless the King! (I mean our Faith’s defender!)
God bless! (No harm in blessing) the Pretender.
But who Pretender is, and who is King, God bless us all! That’s quite another thing!
JOHN BYROM
Long has The King, BMW’s R 1200 GS, reigned as the unquestioned monarch of the adventure touring market. While there have been a number of challengers over the years, none has really offered the full package that might have allowed it to take over the throne.
Bring on the introduction of the Honda Africa Twin, the latest adventure tourer to try and challenge the GS. Going by the latest Australian sales figures, the Africa Twin is selling shed loads, so we thought it would be a good time to put The King and the Pretender up against each other.
ENGINE CHARACTERISTICS
Both of these bikes have twin cylinder engines. The BMW has the well-known horizontally opposed twin, while the Honda has a parallel twin. The Honda is a little more ‘zing’ than the BMW engine, which makes the BMW a bit more tractable in the dirt, but I’m a fan of both these engine layouts for the dirt. They’re
fun and useable for anyone from the average rider to an experienced off-roader. On the bitumen the BMW comes into its own with far more power available via the switchable power modes.
Mated to each engine is a six-speed gearbox, with the shaft drive for the GS and a chain for the Africa Twin. It’s worth noting that this is a point of difference that seems to sway many potential buyers; the hassle free nature of a shaft drive does make life much easier.
BRAKES: Front, twin 310mm discs with radial mount four-piston ABS calipers. Rear, 256mm disc, dual-piston ABS caliper.
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 5.7L/100km
COLOURS: CRF Rally, Tricolour, Silver
Fuel capacity
Fuel capacity is similar, as are the fuel consumption figures. An 18.8 litre tank sits atop the Honda and with an average of 5.7L/100km gives you a 329km theoretical range. The BMW offers a 20 litre tank, and with a very similar 5.8L/100km average, gives you a 344km theoretical range.
Seating
Comfort is extremely important when considering either of these bikes and both offer you all day long delights. They have exactly the same adjustable seat heights of 850 to 870mm, and you can get lowered and higher seats for both if you’re short or tall. Both width and reach to the handlebar are near identical, along with the seat to peg height. The only major difference here is that the Honda is a little slimmer and 12kg lighter. As you’d expect that’s noticeable.
Handling
The GS has long been known for its amazing capabilities both on and off-road. More than anything else, this dual-purpose capability is what has made the GS The King for so long. While the Honda is better in the dirt than the BMW thanks (mainly) to its 21-inch front wheel, its on-road handling is nowhere near as good as the BMW’s. The skinny tyre on the front doesn’t offer as much grip as the wider and smaller diameter 19-incher on the GS.
Adjustable suspension comes standard on the Africa Twin but you’ll need to purchase the BMW “Touring Package” to get Dynamic ESA. Then you have a bike that’s adjustable at the push of a button for all terrain.
luggage capacity
The bikes can carry about the same amount of luggage, which in truth is
almost infinite. Choose from hard or soft panniers, a variety of topboxes and whichever seat- and tank-bags take your fancy.
electronicS
This is where the BMW streaks ahead with that outstanding dual purpose capability. You can set the suspension for the road, and then when you come to the dirt, simply change it and the suspension will rise up, giving you improved ground clearance and excellent damping. The Honda, while it is set up perfectly for the dirt, lacks the ability to refine its ride characteristics for the road at a touch of a button.
price
Here’s the crunch for many people. Cost is a major factor that may make the decision for you. I have based this comparo on the ABS version of the Africa Twin which retails for $16,999
plus on-roads, whereas the GS retails for $21,990 plus on-roads. Add the ‘full fruit’ for the three packages available to give you the riding modes, electronic suspension and plenty more, however this then takes the GS well over ten grand more than the Africa Twin – a big factor as to how far the budget can go. For my money (er, sorry), if you can live with its lesser abilities on the bitumen, the Africa Twin is obviously the winner based on price alone.
OFF-ROAD V ON-ROAD CAPABILITY DECISIONS
But to decide an overall winner is really hard. There are two factors that you really need to consider. One: seriously, how much dirt riding are you going to be doing? If it’s over 70%, go the Honda Africa Twin. Two: if you’re going to be doing anything up to a 50/50 split of road as
against dirt, go the BMW R 1200 GS. There’s a reason it’s been The King for so long – simply, because it’s such a damn versatile motorcycle. But I feel that the Africa Twin, at its lower price, will sway many onto Team Red.
*One point to note is that there’s an upgraded R 1200 GS coming this year and we’ve used the pics of this bike in this story. D
BRAKES: Front, twin 305mm discs with radial mount four-piston ABS calipers. Rear, 276mm disc, dual-piston ABS caliper.
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 5.8L/100km
COLOURS: Black Storm Metallic, Light White
THAT’S NOT AN ADVENTURE
It’s not an adventure until something goes wrong.
Yvon ChouInard
WORDS & PHOTOS THE BEAR
Of course that doesn’t mean that it is an adventure when something does go wrong. I mean, take the time my WLA Harley outfit blew a conrod straight through the sump. This was in Stratford, Victoria, one evening when I was on my way to Melbourne, and it was simply a pain in the behind. Even when I found a good Samaritan.
Well, maybe the adventure part was when I made the mistake of tying the outfit to the rear bumper of his old Holden so the driver could tow me to the railway station. While I wrangled the outfit, my girlfriend sat chatting to the driver in the car, and he forgot all about his tow. I took several corners so far over on one side that I left trails of big, fat sparks along Stratford’s dark streets.
Lesson? Never tie your outfit, or solo bike for that matter, to your towing vehicle. Always set it up so you can let the rope go.
India is a good place for “something goes wrong” type adventures. How about the bloke I met somewhere in the Punjab who had had to abandon his Honda 4 in Rawalpindi because it simply wouldn’t run on what passed for “petrol”? He was having an adventure all right, without his bike and half of his luggage. Or the South African bloke up in Jammu. He had a passport from somewhere else in Africa because a lot of countries wouldn’t let him in as a South African, but his adventure was the second-hand Enfield he’d bought which broke down at least every second day. He wasn’t too worried, because there were Enfield workshops everywhere.
I could go on, but I fear boring you with stories of misfortune. And they aren’t the point of this article,
anyway. What I want to do is equip you for trips that may, for one reason or another, turn into adventures. Preventing that transition is often quite easy.
When you prepare to go somewhere, take a few moments out of the hustle to consider this: what could go wrong? Not in a major way, like global warming could cause all the roads to be submerged. Just in ways you can manage. What could go wrong with you, your equipment or your bike?
The bike
It might seem obvious, but take a basic tool kit, any spares you think you might need and a tyre repair kit. And don’t do what I once did, and take a tubeless tyre kit when your bike has tubes in the tyres…
Don’t take too much crap. I know a bloke who carried a sizeable bag of nuts and bolts on a Russia trip. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but even the Russians have nuts and bolts. You might even say that they have more nuts than usual. Er, sorry.
The simplest and I think probably best way to assemble your tool kit is to make a list – maybe just a mental one – of the things that might go wrong with the bike, and include the tools you’ll need to cope with those. If, like people we will not name right now, you are mechanically incompetent – take the tools anyway (you may need help from a mechanic to decide which they should be). There is always a chance you’ll meet someone on the road who knows what they’re doing but has no tools to do it with.
I remember the bike shop in Kathmandu which had a complete set of screwdrivers and three differentsized shifters as its tool total. The bloke who ran it was a whiz, but there is only so much you can do with screwdrivers and shifters.
Your gear
Remember the old layer theory; cool clothes for when it’s hot and additional layers for when it gets cooler. My choice is a BMW Venting suit, with a light and easily carried
Rjays one-piece rainsuit to wear over the top (it keeps you warm as well as dry) and an Aerostich fleece liner to wear underneath. That’s it, 95 per cent of likely temperatures taken care of.
Electric heated clothing is becoming more popular, and Mrs Bear used a pair of heated gloves on our North African trip. They were invaluable and gave her the same comfort level as I had with my heated handlebar grips. It’s up to you whether you want to carry the extra load – but I’d definitely go for the heated grips! At least two pairs of gloves –waterproof cold weather and vented warm weather – and some waterproof boots pretty much complete the set. I don’t think you need an “Adventure” helmet, but they can be useful, especially for their peak to protect your face from the sun.
Is it worth carrying a First Aid kit? It depends on where you’re going, I guess. In Australia I’d just take some antiseptic cream and BandAids (or a larger version of same) and burn cream. For overseas rides, take some bandages and pills to sort out tummy upsets. Talk to your doctor about any other medicines you might need, as well as useful vaccinations. Don’t get carried away and haul half a hospital along, because you won’t know how to use a lot of the stuff anyway. But here’s a tip: if you’re going well off the beaten track, like sub-Saharan Africa, take one or two syringes. A lot of hospitals in the Third World reuse needles, and being injected with a second-hand syringe is something you do not want.
I took a spare for my trip through Afghanistan because I knew I’d need a booster (for plague, I seem to remember) and while the hospital had the vaccine, they were using old needles. I told them they could keep mine after using it on me, and they were really grateful.
We’ve recently run a story about paperwork overseas, so I won’t go into that again, and while there is a lot more to tell I think I’ve done my bit for now. Bon voyage! D
TWISTING WITH THE QUEEN WEST
TASMANIA
WORDS STUART
PHOTOS DEAN WALTERS
Aman walks into a bar and says, “What do ‘Zee’, ‘Bridge’, ‘Queenie’ and ‘Straw’ all have in common?” The people in the bar
Total distance – 294km
Starting out of Queenstown, head up the hill on the Lyell Highway, going north. Once you get up the top, turn left to head for Strahan, which is well signposted. You’ll still be on the Lyell Hwy and it’s effectively impossible to get lost on this route.
When you come into Strahan there’s a BP service station on your right. To head down into the village, turn left after the BP and then left again at the roundabout. To head for Zeehan, follow the Esplanade around the water and jump onto Henty Road which takes you all the way.
Once you’ve had a good look around Zeehan, get onto the Zeehan highway which takes you back to Queenstown where you need to head up the hill (99 Bends) and out to Derwent Bridge. Enjoy the stunning scenery along this part of the ride, which looks even better on your way back!
So, that’s it for the directions, pretty hard to get lost, hey, other than getting lost in the moment. LOL!
I did the Queenstown, Strahan, Zeehan, Queenstown, Derwent Bridge and back to Queenstown way, but depending on where you base yourself, it is always massively enjoyable. Maybe ride it one way, then do it again the other!
QUEENSTOWN
Gaiety Theatre, supposedly visited by Dame Nellie Melba, beautifully restored and still entertaining locals and visitors. The mining museum is a gem.
And for something different, at the end of the street you’ll fi nd the Spray Tunnel, a 100-metre abandoned railway tunnel that you can walk, ride or drive through.
all stare back with blank faces thinking that this bloke has lost his mind. He then pipes up and says, “Twisties! What else do you think Zeehan, Queenstown, Strahan and Derwent Bridge all have in common!” Okay, so I won’t give up my day job to become a comedian any time soon, but this month’s map is all about some of Tassies finest twisties which centre around Queenstown. You can ride this map in whatever configuration you want.
Queenstown’s history has long been tied to the mining industry. This mountainous area was first explored in 1862. It was some time after that when alluvial gold was discovered at Mount Lyell, prompting the formation of the Mount Lyell Gold Mining Company in 1881. In 1892, the mine began searching for copper. Due to the extensive mining the mountains surrounding Queenstown have unusual pink and grey hues that come from the conglomerate rocks on the two most adjacent mountains - Mount Lyell and Mount Owen. Owing to a combination of tree removal for use in the smelters and the smelter fumes (for about 40 years), along with the heavy annual rainfall, the erosion of the shallow horizon topsoil back to the harder rock profile contributed to the stark state of the mountains that you see today. If you’ve got time, at the top of the ’99 Bends’ there’s a viewing platform on Iron Blow Road, it’s |well worth stopping and having a bit of a look.
Fuel and beautiful places to stay are available.
STRAHAN
A lovely fi shing town, Strahan is full of stories from the days of convicts and pioneers toughing it out in Tassie’s wild west. Nearby in Macquarie Harbour is Sarah Island, once a notorious convict prison and a powerful reminder of the brutal treatment of Tasmania’s convicts. In fact, Strahan reminds me a bit of the fi shing village from the movie, Perfect Storm. You go into the pub and there’s many reminders of the fi shermen that have lost their lives at sea. It’s not called the Wild West for nothing, I guess.
All services are available in Queenstown and as with most of Tassie, there’s some quaint little places to stay.
ZEEHAN
Zeehan, like other West Coast mining towns, has seen many booms and busts, making it a living museum full of character and fascinating stories. Today, Zeehan’s Main Street is lined with grand old buildings like the
All services are available in Strahan, along with some very nice restaurants.
DERWENT BRIDGE
There’s three things at Derwent Bridge that you’ll want to consider. The fi rst is fuel: no matter what bike you’re on, fi ll up the tank. Second is your stomach which brings us to the other two options. At the service station there is The Hungry Wombat Café which has plenty on offer, or just up the road is the pub with its carved wooden interior and selection of pub grub. I’ve always enjoyed the Café because there’s usually plenty of other motorcyclists to talk to, with everyone grinning from ear to ear from the wonder that is Tasmania. D
biketest
HarleyDaviDson low riDer s
Fry it up, everyone! Let’s fry up everything!
MuscLe Man (ReguLaR show)
Harley-Davidson's Dyna platform was introduced in the 1980s as a stripped down, modern version of the larger bikes. Designed to be a competitor against hot 4-cylinder machines of the time, it was the first modern rubber-mounted H-D that wasn’t a full-sized bagger. It had less
vibration, more performance and a smoother ride than any other available H-D offerings out there at the timeall in a smallish, nimble package. Like history, Harley repeats itself.
Harley’s Low Rider S is one of their mass production ‘specials’, if you care to call it that. The S is essentially like the 80s Dynas – a stripped down beast fitted with a muscular Screamin Eagle 110 cube V-twin powerplant. And boy is it a fun machine to ride.
Torque is one of the terms commonly thrown around to describe how powerful a bike is, but what exactly does it mean? Torque is the force that pistons put on the crankshaft, causing it and the wheels to
turn – hence giving you acceleration. The more torque you have, the faster a bike will accelerate and this is exactly what the Screamin Eagle 110 offers. I know I shouldn’t but the temptation to drag off one of the V-Rod riding fellows who seem to be all over the place now was too much to resist. I sat peacefully idling, waiting for the lights to change to green, while he showed off with all the noise in the world with his cut off pipe. Once the lights changed I was gone – the power of torque! Poor old mate was a little shocked and tucked his tail between his legs with me laughing at him – oh well, maybe next time, mate. But no more traffic light nonsense for now,
Muscle Man! Words s tuart Photos
because you need to be wary of those people dressed in blue!
Enough of the antics. The Low Rider S is certainly one of the best handling Harleys I’ve ever ridden. Will it compete against the latest and greatest four cylinder machines from Japan, Germany and Italy? Yes and no. Yes, it will handle and can be pushed quite hard if you feel the need, but the Low Rider S’s lean angle is seriously limited by the footpegs and the twin exhausts on the right hand side. A bit of shame really, because the Low Rider S with its firmer front forks and top shelf rear shocks work so well. I guess looks
over function wins this time.
I remember riding the Slim S and Fat Boy S not too long ago and have always been of the opinion that shoving a huge powerful engine into a small/light bike is the way to go - and the Low Rider S is the lightest in the range to get that Screamin Eagle 110 powerplant. Remember those muscle cars of the 70s – lightweight bodies with powerful V8s? That’s a bit like what H-D has done with the Low Rider S.
A comparison to the Fat Boy S and Slim S, shows that the Low Rider S is 28kg lighter than the Fat Boy and 16kg lighter than the Slim. Big weight savings that result in much better performance, and seeing that that’s what the S models are all about, the Low Rider is the top dog.
If you’re into comfort, the Low Rider S is pretty good too. The sculpted seat gives your lower back some support and the bar is at a comfortable reach/width.
The only thing that turns me off the Low Rider S are the ugly coloured wheels. Sometimes they look gold, but most of the time they look
brown – not what a muscle machine like this should have!
As you know, Harley’s accessory range is the biggest of any motorcycle manufacturer out there, so the ability to add this or that is at your fingertips to personalise the Low Rider S as you please. You can even get other wheels.
Of all the models Harley-Davidson has to offer, I’m especially fond of the Low Rider S. It reminds me of the couple of muscle cars I’ve owned over the years – light and powerful, and lookin’ good. D
SPECS
HARLEY-DAVIDSON
LOW RIDER S
PRICE: $26,250 (ride away)
WARRANTY: Two years, unlimited distance
SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 8000km or 12 months
ENGINE: Air-cooled V-twin cylinder, 4-stroke, DOHC, 2 valves per cylinder
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 6.43 litres per 100km, premium unleaded
THEORETICAL RANGE: 275km
COLOURS:Vivid Black
VERDICT: HOLD ON TIGHT!
stAtistiCs
STATISTICAL SURPRISES
FROM 2015 TO 2016 WORDS THE BEAR PHOTOS FACTORIES
No, I’m not going to start this article with that quote about lies, damned lies and statistics that is often attributed to Samuel Clemens and less often to Benjamin Disraeli. It is likely, in fact, that it is a rephrasing of an older bon mot (common among judges) which talked about lies, damned lies and experts, by Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke. He’s quoted as substituting “statistics” for “experts” in a newspaper story on Monday, October 19, 1891; Disraeli only came up with it in 1895 and Clemens didn’t dictate it until nine years after that.
I guess a lot more people read Mark Twain than Sir Charles Dilke. You can win a bet in the pub with that, before everyone catches on. You see, this is just one of the many advantages of
reading Australian MOTORCYCLIST.
Of course, you could just spend your time googling all this stuff like I do, but why waste your time when I’m prepared to waste mine?
But let’s get stuck into analysing the 2015/2016 figures, kindly supplied by the FCAI who, between us, could actually do a bit more for the motorcycle industry in this country. Now, now, I hear you say, let’s not get stuck into people before we have even looked at the figures. But, when we do look at the figures we find an interesting little hiccup in the statistics straight away.
As we all know, Honda sells the much-loved postie bike, once the CT110 but now the Super Cub, also known as the NBC110, to – whom
This is it: Australia’s bestselling bike is Honda’s Super Cub. But you can’t buy it.
else – Australia Post. But did you know that it only sells the bike to Australia Post? “The Honda NBC110 Postie is only available to registered Australia Post contractors Only and cannot be sold to the general public,” says the THC The Honda Shop website. Somewhat redundant, but all the clearer for that. You or I cannot buy a new NBC110. Should it still be counted, then?
Twenty-sixteen was a big year for Postie sales; Honda moved 2558 of them. Take them off the company’s total of road bikes sold and Honda moves from position two – behind market leader Harley-Davidson with 10,282 sales and 21.5 per cent – to position three – behind Yamaha with 7768 sales and 16.3 per cent. But who
am I to question the FCAI; let’s leave Honda at number two with 9651 road bikes sold including Postie bikes and 20.2 per cent.
Roadies up
Overall, road bike sales increased by 5.3 per cent to 41.6 per cent of the total market. Dirt bike sales grew faster, but only a little to 35 per cent. The order of sales on the road after Yamaha is Kawasaki with 10.1 per cent, BMW with 6.7 per cent and then… Suzuki. Let’s take a look at the most popular road bikes one by one. Sales of the Postie bike increased by 21.1 per cent, probably because Australia Post is still replacing the older CT110. The second-best seller was Harley’s beginner bike, the XG500 with 1664, an increase of 3.5 per cent. I don’t think there is much doubt that it’s the badge that sells this model, more than anything else, but it’s not a bad Learner Approved Motorcycle (LAMS) at all, as you’ll see in my review of the bike in this issue. I can’t help but feel that the bike would do even better if, like all other Harleys, it had a name beyond “Street” (pretty pale beside “Street Rod” or “Fat Boy”), but maybe that’s just me. The next-best seller is another LAMS bike, but it couldn’t be more different. It’s the boy racer’s moist dream, Yamaha’s YZF-R3A and its
sales are up 31.7 per cent. Hop on one of these and the schoolgirls at the bus stop will surely mistake you for Valentino Rossi. Wait – they don’t know who Valentino Rossi is… but it doesn’t matter because you do! On top of all that, it’s a damned good motorcycle as our editor will confirm – even if he needs one for each foot. He does not need more than one for the next bike, another Harley. This time, though, it has a big engine as well as both a lot of road presence and a great name – Breakout. To the cognoscenti, it’s the FXSB and it looks a million bucks; fortunately, it is also reasonably affordable and, being an FX model, among the besthandling Harley-Davidsons.
Another learner-legal bike follows with the Yamaha MT07L. Woo hoo, we like this bike so much that one of them has joined the Australian MOTORCYCLIST permanent stable. Yamaha is doing great things with its MT series bikes; as far as we’re concerned the company has yet to put a foot wrong except maybe for the MT01 which I loved but not enough other people did. I suggest you
ride an MT07L (or the hotter version without the L) and then think very hard about just how much you loved the experience. Why are you letting this bike slip in sales – down 3.2 per cent over 2015?
Let’s just sum up the rest of the Top Ten: the Kawasaki Ninja 300 has dropped nearly 30 per cent in sales, a victim of the YZF-R3A. Honda’s CBR500R is up by about 5 per cent, and the Grom is selling nearly as many. Whoda thunk it? Australian motorcycle buyers have a sense of humour after all… Another Honda follows in the CB125E, down 8 per cent and possibly cannibalised by the
The best-selling bike that riders actually want to buy is H-D’s Street 500.
We liked the Yamaha MT07 so much that we bought one. Still love it, too.
Perhaps this is the answer for Australia Post’s parcel delivery services?
Grom. Number 10 is Harley’s Night Rod, the VRSCDX. As the third-best selling Harley it obviously has charms that let it overcome the generally lukewarm reception of the V-Rods. I don’t know, I certainly don’t mind it but I really like the Muscle…
Weird stuff
The third-best selling Learner Approved Motorcycle (LAMS) is the Yamaha WR450F. Going by the way
the dirt-obsessed sons of various of my mates salivate over this bike, it’s not your usual LAMS machine. In fact it is a hot trailie, with a torque curve that will leave most other similar bikes changing down before the hill. So, perhaps a bit of a wolf in LAMS clothing, but what’s wrong with that? Well, the fact that the sons can blow the fathers on their non-LAMS machines into the dust, perhaps… not funny, of course. Of course.
I’m not sure what our friends at the FCAI have been smoking, but listing the YZF-R3A, Ninja 300 and KTM
RC390 as the top-selling sports tourers is, ah, unexpected. Yes, I know that the manufacturers themselves propose their models for different categories, but surely someone keeps an eye on this? I mean, otherwise Honda could just nominate the NBC110 in the Touring, Sports Touring, Adventure Touring and Naked categories and win them all, right? The rest of the Sports Touring category reads a bit more sensibly with a bunch of 650s and 1000s. Dear me, do I have to keep an eye on everything? Adventure Touring has long been a BMW preserve, except for the remarkably well-priced 650 Singles from Suzuki and Kawasaki. But this year there’s a new contender, the Honda Africa Twin with an 18,400 per cent increase in sales. Well, okay, they only sold four in 2015 because the bikes came in so late, but moving 740 in 2016 was no mean feat, especially when BMW only managed to shift 383 of the R 1200 GSs. Mind you, if you add the Adventure version the big horizontally
opposed twins still outsold the Africa Twin – by 13. Harley-Davidson took six of the top ten places for tourers but BMW, reached fourth place with the R 1200 RT; Yamaha was next with the FJR1300, up 11.2 per cent (how many of these were police bikes, I wonder?); Triumph with the Thunderbird LT took the eighth position and Honda’s GoldWing came ninth. I reckon that Australia Post’s increase in parcel deliveries caused by internet orders will see them switch from NBC110s to GL1800s, possibly with trailers, before long. Honda may have to introduce a LAMS approved GoldWing for the posties. You read it here first.
Factory Follies
How have the various manufacturers fared? Fare-ly well (sorry), you might think, given the overall increase in sales, but the
improvement has been far from even.
Most Improved goes to Husqvarna, which suggests that KTM knows more about building Huskies than BMW did. Which is not to say that KTM knows more about building bikes in general than BMW does; the jury is still well and truly out on that one. Following closely is BRP; but they’re only quoting ATV sales figures, so it’s not relevant to us. Next after that comes KTM, with significant improvements both with offand on-road bike sales. Polaris is next, but like BRP it is only quoting ATV sales. The fifth best improver is Triumph.
On the opposite side of the ledger, Hyosung has lost the greatest percentage of sales, well ahead of number two Aprilia. Then comes Norton, followed by VMoto and Victory to complete the top – or perhaps bottom - five. Victory, sadly, has now bitten the dust.
It’s interesting that all the battle on both sides – gains and losses – is
among the non-Japanese. They in their turn are generally holding pretty steady, with Yamaha gaining nearly 9 per cent, Honda up just over 7 per cent, Suzuki up 1.2 per cent and Kawasaki more or less steady with a drop of 0.8 per cent. All of these figures include both road and dirt bikes, as well as ATVs and scooters.
Ah scooters… they are continuing their steep descent, down another 11 per cent on 2015. Admittedly BMW saw a 115.8 per cent increase, but that was only to 123 sales. Honda sold 945, which is pretty good, but Piaggio sold 1075 and Vespa 977. Since they are owned by the same company, that makes 2072 sales for this Italian firm, not bad at all.
All in all this is good news. The substantial sales of LAMS bikes suggest that we will see quite a few more riders out there on bigger bikes in coming years as they trade up. Greetings to the new riders; we wish you many happy years as motorcyclists. D
On the road. Two up. Mile after glorious mile. The Indian Roadmaster has been designed and built for the long haul. With the craftsmanship and innovation that riders demand. Like the all new Indian Motorcycle Ride Command System with two finger, glove-touch technology. Heated touring seats. Power windshield. Remote locking saddlebags and trunk. Cruise Control. And, of course, our award-winning Thunder Stroke 111 engine. The Indian Roadmaster is your ultimate ride.
Ellangowan HotEl, augatHElla
Not a pub… aN experieNce! WORDS/PHOTOS co L i N WH e L a N
Idon't do Tripadvisor. To me it’s full of rantings about trivial issues like cold chips or small fish or smelly dunnies or hairs in the soup mostly posted by congenital malcontents secure in their semi-anonymity. And besides the vented
spleen all seems so damn tame, contrived, usually borderline illiterate and almost always devoid of wit and originality.
Back in the day the newspapers, their correspondents and their critics really knew how to dish it out:
In 1875 The Darling Downs Gazette gushed that a certain town in western Qld was, “a disgrace to civilization…… (a) prolific source of crime, outrage, suicide, 'accidental poisonings,' sudden deaths, delirium, and poetic flights of imagination committed to paper never surpassed out of bedlam, if ever equaled within its walls.”
The year before The Brisbane Courier in its wrap of country New Year’s celebrations advised its readers that Charleville was not the place to party hard:
Christmas at Charleville is kept neither very religiously as a festival nor very jollily as a holiday. Of public worship there was none, and public houses fared but little better… however, what was lacking in Charleville was amply compensated for at (the same place) where, I am credibly informed, not a single man was sober. In fact, nothing was wanting to make a Christian festival of the nineteenth century a frightful Saturnalia of pagan Rome.
Later in 1874 the Brisbane “Queenslander” also dropped a big one on this same place, noting, “(evidence of) a disgraceful state of things in (its) public-houses; there is no place in the colony that more requires additional police protection …”
Now that is social commentary!
The place they were talking about was Burenda which soon changed its name to the current Augathella and though it’s mellowed a bit over the last century, it’s still one of my favourite places to stay in all of western Queensland.
Just before Christmas I headed down there after a day up in Isisford.
At one of the towns along the way I catch up with the local cop who’s been warned by a mutual mate that I’m on the way. I tell him of a pub I’d been to a few days previous and he shares the story of the drunken publican pulling a shottie on him one night.
He sorted it out himself.
“You don't get promoted by crying to the boss and you don't get popular in a small town by arresting the publican!”
But he’s glad to be outta there and in his new town.
“Col,” he confides, “I like this place like a chicken likes horse shit!”
It’s an image that stays with me for the rest of the ride.
Brett and Sharyon are now managing the Ellangowan Hotel at Augathella. They’ve made some changes. The old dining room’s been turned into a café and coffee shop and it’s now open from 8am. It’s become the meeting place for tradies and mums after school dropoffs. There’s pool comps and hookey, games and general fun.
Joe and Buff Bill
Meat Ant
Tonight’s Sunday night - pool comp with a $200 first prize. I get eliminated in the first round and then the peaceful evening is shattered when the local lads turn up, fresh from a day of charity golf and uncharitable drinking.
It’s a loud crowd of young blokes and a couple of far more sensible young women. The boys all play for the Augathella Meat Ants, the local rugby league team and they’ve all had a good day.
A couple start betting on the computerised horse racing while the others drink outside. There’s some misunderstanding in the bar and a couple of them start wrestling and facing up.
Brett closes the bar and orders them all out. The rumble continues for a bit on the footpath, the two women trying to separate the brawlers.
I think of the words of the Brisbane Courier 142 years ago talking about Augathella’s raceday: "all hands and the cook" were deeply engaged in the more congenial pleasures of "lushing," "scrapping," and "gaffing," — i.e., drinking, fighting, and gambling”, and realize one more time just how little things change.
Next morning Brett tells me it’s only the second bit of ugly that he’s had in the 9 months he’s had the place and I tell him if that’s as bad as it gets, he’s on a pretty good wicket.
I don't go to the Ellangowan on weekends. It’s nothing against the Friday and Saturday crew but the highlight is each weekday morning.
Around 9.30 (ish) a very motley crew of ex-shearers, drovers and longtime welfare recipients meets on the chairs outside the pub to solve the problems of the world, discuss the meaning of life and bullshit about their great feats in the past. This is the ‘Tree of Knowledge” and it’s bloody priceless.
I’m downstairs a bit early so I go for a leg stretch over to the park with its tourist magnet, the ‘Giant Meat Ant’ and its display of the poem, “Brisbane Ladies” which mentions this town: We'll rant and we'll roar like true Queensland drovers We'll rant and we'll roar as onward we push
Augathella Smiley Buchans Garage
Shifta
PUBOFTHEMONTH
Until we return to the Augathella station
Oh, it's flamin' dry goin' through the old Queensland bush.
Way down south in NSW, Gundagai is also mentioned in a poem but the good burghers of that fair town decided that 9 miles was distant for the dog and the tucker box and that the words were too rough for the more gentle sensibilities. So to make it easier for the town to cash in and to appeal to even the nicest of travellers, they changed the words to make it ‘five miles from Gundagai’ and deleted the ‘h’ from ‘shat on the tuckerbox’ and turned a great old folk poem into a more exploitable though meaningless jingle.
No such sensibilities in Augathella!
The fourth verse of “Brisbane Ladies’ (and you’ll understand that the ladies are, er, working girls) has
To punt, or not to punt
Brett and Sharyn have been in the pub game for 20 years, mostly on the Goldie. Between them they’ve had eight kids but all have grown up and moved out and their total energies are being put into placing this pub at the centre of the township and developing it into a destination for riders and other tourists. There’s eight rooms upstairs, all with king singles and you’ll part with $60 for a room to yourself, $90 for two sharing. It’s probably 2km off the highway so the nights are quiet and the beds are soft. The sun streams onto the veranda in the morning, just don’t fall off it! The park across the road has great space for swagging or throwing your tent. The Ellangowan rated 4 helmets on our scale and just under 200 on the value. And character? If you have to ask after reading my rubbish, Bear should punt me!
Disclosure: At the end of the night I was shouted a drink but all the rest was paid for. This is no way has coloured my thoughts on this memorable place.
been edited and refined and purified and sanitized but not here. Here in Augathella there’s no reference to young workers on their haunches on the dirt. Here, on the Council’s plaque, the ‘h’ is proudly retained: Then on to Nanango, that hard-bitten township
Where the out-of-work station-hands shit in the dust,
Where the shearers get shorn by old Tim, the contractor Oh, I wouldn't go near there, but I flaming well must!
This is Queensland, honest and upfront, warts (and herpes) and all!
Then it’s down through the beautiful 5 buck a night council camping ground to the levy bank and the Warrego river is showing why it took its name from the Aboriginal word for “river of sand”. There’s been good rains but there’s scant evidence here, just a few dank algae covered pools and a beautiful fat brown snake waiting for frogs.
When I get back Joe’s already turned up and we talk about the river. When he was shearing there was a regular flow. And some good fishing.
“When we were shearing on the Warrego or any river really, we’d use our day off on Sunday to go fishing. Each day we were shearing the cook’d kill a sheep or sometimes two if we were a big group and we’d keep the heads. On the Friday or the Saturday we’d chuck the heads into the river, try to find a pool without any flow like. The fish would come and eat the meat out of the heads and they’d still be there on Sunday when we’d throw in our lines and no fail, we’d catch all we wanted in a couple of hours.”
“But if the river was flowing too fast, and this used to happen a bit back then, we’d tie the heads to a bit of string. We’d also use any carp we caught the week before. We’d cut them open, expose the flesh like, and then suspend them about a foot, maybe 18 inches above the water. The flies would swarm onto them and the maggots would keep falling off and into the water. You’d get there on the Sunday and you’d see a mass of fish just hanging around waiting for the grubs to fall. We’d chuck in our lines and have dinner on the first pull.”
The rest of the Tree of Knowledge
know Joe as “Mad Dog”. Everyone here has a nickname and as he’s talking Heifer and Buffalo Bill turn up. Heifer is one solid unit.
Probably in his late fifties now, maybe sixties, he’s a tank on legs, an ex-shearer who spent a long time working for Mad Dog.
“In the seventies and eighties there were over 20 shearers living in Augathella and we had some really good nights at this pub.”
One night back then secured Heifer’s place forever in the folklore of this pub. It was a very busy night and the shearers were drinking upstairs when a stink broke out below and the cops arrived. As they were trying to sort things out the blokes on the balcony leant over to see what was happening and Heifer fell through the railing and landed on his back.
As he was lying there trying to work out if anything was broken one of the police shone a torch in his face and asked what was going on.
“Why ask me? You know I just fucking dropped in!”
At ten o’clock Brett opens the doors of the pub and brings Buffalo Bill out his first for the day. He pays for it about ten minutes later when he goes in for his second.
A ute pulls up and the fella needs some advice on his chainsaw that won’t start. Joe tells him to bring it around and he’ll have a look but he already pretty sure it’s a fuel problem. The rooms upstairs are good, the food is more than adequate, the showers were hot and the bed was soft but really who cares in a place like this?
The Ellangowan Hotel in Augathella is not a pub, it’s an experience and if you immerse yourself into it, your second visit will probably follow the first as quickly as Bill’s beers succeed each other.
This is an abridged and adapted version of an article on the Ellangowan which will be appearing in my book, The Pub, the Whole Pub and Nothing but the Pub to be published in August. To find the book’s FaceBook page, search, “Nothing but the Pub”. D
Off Centre rally
And thAt’s just the riders!
Words/photos t he Possum
Continuing our wanderings after the Border Run, the Three Duck Tours group made for Peterborough where we camped at the Peterborough Hotel. The pub is currently undergoing a major renovation but this did not affect the coldness of the beer or the quality of the tucker.
For the railway enthusiasts there is a very interesting museum including a tour at the old roundhouse and railway workshops on the edge of town, and for the two wheel enthusiast, there is a great small bike museum a short walk from the pub.
Heading north - after the departure of the Duck Tour leader, who went east – my mate and I refuelled at Hawker before wandering through Wilpenna Pound to Blinman.
That is a ride that should go in The Bear‘s Book!
The following day we traversed the Parachillina Gorge and its many creek crossings before heading further north to the Farina campgrounds.
At Farina, we met up with PJ, who
filled us in on some of the history of the Off Centre Rally.
In the distant past, there was a Rally at Alice Springs called the Centre Rally. Folk got a bit tired of the same old ride and over beers came up with an alternative plan.
The various BMW Clubs were invited to a "social function" at Innaminka. This occurred in 1984, and was a huge success. From this it was decided that the Off Centre Rally should proceed and some simple rules applied -
a. minimum of 200km of dirt road,
b. must have fuel,
c. must have grog (tucker optional)
d. conducted every second year, the weekend after the Border Run.
So, every second year since 1986, there has been an Off Centre Rally somewhere in the wilderness.
Making our way up the dirt from Farina, we arrived in Maree where we topped off with fuel and sampled the products of the newly opened bakery.
Next came the 205km run up the Birdsville Track to Mungerannie.
60 odd kilometers from Maree is a creek and a pool with a gate valve from an artesian bore which provides warm water. My mate went in looking for some of the Victorian Sidecar boys and surprised a very nice lady who was enjoying a skinny dip.
The road north is mostly hard packed clay with gravel and rocks in the dips. Fred bowled along at a steady 100km/h while I was more conservative in my approach. After about three hours of broad horizons and endless plains, the pub at Mungerannie was a welcome sight. The weather had warmed up too, and I had to buy a hat to protect the noggin from sunburn.
All the camping spots with shade had been snapped up, so we were out in the prickles in direct sun. I was amazed that there were more than 200 people there Friday arvo, more than you see at some easy to get to rallys on the Saturday evening.
The pub was doing a roaring trade
EVENT
in food and drinks as many of the OCR veterans renewed acquaintances.
A walk around the camping area showed what the weapons of choice for the long range raider are. DR650s, KLR650s, older two valve BMWs, F800GS/A BMWs, plenty of 1100/1150/1200 GSs, some KTMs, lots of outfits powered by K100/1100 motors, and Claude on that bloody Matchless!
Saturday is usually a very social day, followed by a very social evening where there is a riot (or a meeting) which decides the venue for the next OCR. There is also an auction for the honour of carrying the Pudding to its next destination.
Using a forum these blokes all
frequent as a source, the following figures are offered up – 275 bikes on hand Saturday afternoon, $1950 bid by NoelM to take the Pudding to WA, the publican threw $1100 into the pot, and a total of $4 – 4.5K was raised for the RDFS.
Due to the death of Fred‘s aunt, we
There’s a chair on there… no bears, though. Wilpena Pound.
made a bolt for Port Pierie on the Saturday morning. The stream of bikes heading north was impressive, and the convoy of outfits would have had the grey nomads chattering on their CB's.
Fred went back into that pool on the way back, but the nymph had vanished!
The OCR has been on my list of rallies to attend and it did not
disapoint, so if you think you would like to give it a go, the next one is at Forrest, WA.
Hint: look along the Trans Continental Railway line. D
Party central.
Peterborough bike museum.
TRAVEL
IA DAY IN AUCKLAND
Business Meets Leisure
This is one of our series of “bleisure” or business/leisure stories; they tell you how to fill the days off that some of you can get when you travel for work in Australia or overseas. Naturally, they involve motorcycling…
t’s probably the most common place that Australians visit for work, but have you ever thought of the possibilities it offers for a day ride? This wonderfully-located city is probably one of the best in the
world for a ‘bleisure’ trip. Renting a bike couldn’t be easier if you don’t have a Kiwi friend from whom you can borrow one. I once got a rental bike despite the fact that it looked as if I didn’t have a
motorcycle license. The wonderful folk at the RTA (as it was then) had forgotten to transfer the bike
My V-Rod Muscle rests in the shade at Hatfields Beach.
endorsement when I got a new car license. I’ll tell you about that one day – it’s one of my epic run-ins with those fellas.
I talked the rental bloke in Auckland around, eh. You can choose just about any point of the compass when you work out where to go from Auckland. The shortest rides are to the west, to Piha, Te Henga or, slightly further, Muriwai beaches. The roads take you through the Waitakere Ranges National Park with lots of good corners. Beware the intersection of Scenic Drive and Te Henga Road. It’s as if the roadbuilders were instructed to include every possible angle of camber in a single intersection.
Maybe that’s not fair any more; I suppose they could have fixed it up in the three or four years since I’ ve been there.
A couple of longer rides include heading south to places like Port Waikato with its sand dunes or Waingaro Hot Springs along the Thermal Explorer Tourist Route. Hot dog! Sorry. To the east lies Maraetai on Tamaki Strait on a beautiful coastal road that will eventually take you to Thames and the Coromandel Peninsula by way of Kawakawa Bay. Watch the 90 degree right-hander! It’s probably worth allowing a little more than a day to explore Coromandel, but you can easily head south instead for lunch at Whangamata and a
return to Auckland via Paeroa. The best corners stretch all the way from Kopu to the Karangahake Gorge. It’s not actually much of a gorge but it’s fun anyway.
The ride I’m going to recommend is, however, a loop to the north.
Head over the Auckland Harbour Bridge with its ‘Nippon Clip-On’, the Japanese-built extra lanes. Stay on the motorway as far as Rosedale and then turn off onto SH17. This will take you through Silverdale and Orewa to Waiwera Hot Springs. It then turns inland and joins the motorway just before the turnoff to Puhoi.
That’s our main destination today. Puhoi is a really pretty, tiny township with a famous pub and
Big trees, smooth road and sunshine. New Zealand at its best.
This sign was in Helensville. Why didn’t I stop and take a look?
What a friend we have in cheeses, indeed, eh.
This is where they keep the book. No, I shouldn’t make fun. Sorry.
AIRBAG VEST Also in black
HELITE TOURING AIRBAG JACKET - Also in black
HELITE LEATHER AIRBAG JACKET - Also in black
a cheese factory which even has a café called The Art of Cheese. No, they don’t have cheese sculptures on display – at least I’ve never seen one – but they have pretty good coffee. The bar of the pub is almost a museum in its own right. Puhoi is a regular destination for Auckland’s motorcycle community and you’re likely to meet some other riders there no matter what the day of the week is. Parking is usually pretty good.
When you’ve relaxed enough at Puhoi, don’t turn back to Auckland – the motorway with its long tunnel
is a tollway up here, anyway – but continue north to Warkworth and Wellsford. This is the main road, SH1, but it is a terrific ride through forests and paddocks, past the Honey Centre and Sheepworld (no comment, eh). Turn left at Wellsford onto SH16 to return to Auckland.
Part of this road runs along the high ridgeline above Kaipara Harbour and offers not only terrific corners but also wonderful views. This is mostly farming country, but you get a bit more forest after Helensville. Eventually you will find yourself returning to the city not over the
Harbour Bridge but along the North-Western Motorway, still marked SH16. As luck would have it this takes you past MOTAD, the Auckland Transport Museum in Western Springs, which is well worth a look.
So there you are, four or five or even more rides all in one story –but the Puhoi-Wellsford-Helensville run is my favourite. D
The tiny Puhoi church is probably still too large for the number of locals.
HARLEYDAVIDSON XG500 STREET
YOU CAN HAVE A LOT OF FUN ON THE LITTLEST HARLEY OF ALL
Words/photos T HE b EAR
The top-selling road bike in Australia, if we ignore Postie bikes for a moment, and the best-selling bike overall if we ignore three 50cc dirt bikes as well, is – well, you know what it is because it’s at the top of this article. You bought 1664 H-D Street 500s in 2016. The next best seller
was Yamaha’s YZF-R3A, and all the rest of the top 10 sellers were Learner Approved Motorcycles (LAMs) as well except for two more Harleys, the FXSB which sold 1509 and the VRSCDX with 902 sales. So the secret to selling lots of motorcycles in Australia is to have a LAMs bike… or any bike with
the bar and shield on the tank. Ideally, of course, a LAMs bike with the bar and shield. Why am I making such a big deal out of this when I’ve already written an article about 2016 motorcycle sales in this country? Because overviews of sales, and trends, and yadah yadah
are all very interesting – but they can’t take the place of a look at the individual bikes that make up those figures. So I borrowed an XG500 from Harley-Davidson and put it through the wringer a bit. After all, it’s easy to say that you’re buying these things because of the badge; presumably you wouldn’t keep buying them if they were disappointing in major ways. And almost exactly the same number of Streets hit the street in 2016 as in 2015; in fact, 56 more.
Commuting came first. I have to cheat with this because my commute is about two kilometres – I should probably walk it – so I headed for my favourite breakfast spot ‘on the way’. That adds 24km; you can see the sorts of sacrifices I make for you and for crisp croissants. Because the seating position is relaxed,
the Street is a comfortable commuter.
It can be a little ‘tippy’ at very low speeds such as during filtering (except for Stuart, who filters fast) and you’ll probably be a little more likely to put your feet down than on some other commuters, but it’s no big deal. The somewhat anaemic front brake helps there; with your feet on the ground you need to rely on it and it won’t slam you to a stop – potentially a problem in traffic. Gently, gently does it. The footpegs can get in the way a bit when you put your feet down quickly. Belt final drive is nice.
The reasonably lively bottom end means you can get away from the traffic when you’ve made it to the front at the lights, and they change.
Spoiler alert: the seat is an exception to my general rule that Harley-Davidson
always has the most comfortable bum pamperers in class. The one change I made during this test was to fit a Mustang seat. Yes, I know that’s cheating. Sue me; it’s my bottom, and I knew I’d be putting some serious miles on the bike. The Mustang seat was terrific.
All in all, the Street 500 commutes pleasantly and its 260km range means you won’t be in and out of the servo all the time. Its suspension handles city potholes remarkably well.
Sunday scratching came next. Unlike Big Brother V-Rod, this is not a particularly strong point of the Street. As with most cruisers, scratching is a bit too easy, especially on the left-hand side. If you do get an attack of the red-eye and hammer the bike – it revs nicely, although it doesn’t have all that
much top end, but given time all things are possible – you may find that the brakes are a little wanting when you get to that threatening hairpin. Then again, the looks of the Street clearly say “I’m cruising”, so you’re not likely to be challenged to any death-defying speed duels.
I didn’t mind taking the Street out on weekends. Yes, it took me a bit longer to get to the café in the mountains, but they still had plenty of hot coffee. To be honest I wouldn’t choose the Street for a Sunday bike, but neither would I be embarrassed to be seen on it.
On to the open road. I plonked a magnetic tank bag on the steel tank –thank you, H-D, for not opting for alloy – and a seat bag on the pillion perch. Plenty of room for an overnight run. Cameras and light stuff on the tank, a
change of clothes, wet weather gear and a tyre repair kit on the seat. Plus me.
On the freeway getting out of town I felt a little bit little, especially when not one but two V-Rods blatted past me, but then I stopped trying to fight the traffic and just went with it, the freerevving Revolution engine keeping me up with the tintops. No worries. Once I turned off the superslab and the road narrowed and got twisty, the Street just went where I pointed it and tipped smoothly from side to side. Really serious bumps did make it unhappy, but it never looked like doing any more than shaking its head and flirting its tail in complaint.
And that’s how we rolled. I have no trouble adjusting my open road riding style to the bike I’m on, so this trip was at or just a bit above the speed limit,
with regular stops for a drink or a good look ‘round. When I arrived at my overnight pub I felt pretty good, and in the morning I was happy and ready to get back on the bike.
I think you could fit the Street out with ‘proper’ touring gear – hard panniers etc – and you’d find it a pleasant open road companion, even for long distances. I’d still go for the Mustang seat, though.
The Harley-Davidson Street 500 is more versatile than you might think. The price has gone up since we pronounced it good value for money, and $11,495 is a bit on the pricey side. But it’s still the cheapest way to get your knees wrapped around that bar and shield, and I suspect that it will keep its resale value almost as well as the big Hogs do. D
readers’BIKe SHAFTED BY A LEMON
WHEN FATE GIVES YOU A LEMON, THEY SAY, MAKE LEMONADE. IF YOU CAN…
During my final two years at university I was the proud owner of a used 1978 CB 750 K. It was my only transport; I had sold my car to buy it and I used the balance of the money to finance my university studies –which were almost entirely free thanks to uncle Gough. This was my first motorcycle and it took me on many adventures including hitting a roo out beyond Broken Hill.
I even satisfied my mechanical curiosities by stripping it down for a valve lapping which snowballed into a top-end rebuild, and then reassembling it with only half a bolt left over. It ran exactly the same after my fiddling, but I learnt a lot. Anyway, my story isn’t about this bike, rather its replacement. The news was that I had been appointed to my first full time teaching job at a school just 75km of Old Pacific Highway corners away. I was to start in two months and needed reliable transport, so my countless hours of “research” into new bikes was about to become useful. I had read every magazine comparo and article I could
find in the quest for the perfect reliable rocket. One thing the Honda had taught me was that I wasn’t really a fan of chain drives and their associated maintenance tasks with gunk-splattered rear wheels, replacement of chains, sprockets and my personal favouritecleaning out the underside of the chain guard. A shaft drive was my holy grail of reliable, sensible choice motorcycling and this limited my choices somewhat.
After reading several articles about a new model from Yamaha, I went to my first motorcycle show at Canterbury Racecourse. There were Stay Upright demo’s, hot dogs, a huge range of waxed cotton and leather gear and a plethora of Japanese bikes to ogle. After searching many crowded rooms, I finally found the object of my desire on a raised stand. A 1983 Yamaha XJ 900 with its glimmering white paintjob with red and blue stripes. Yes, it looked every bit as good in the flesh and my mind was made up – not an easy thing to accomplish for an eternal procrastinator – yes, this was the one!
I went to Willing Yamaha at Tuggerah
to get a trade in valuation on the Honda and immediately placed an order for the XJ. The week or so it took to arrive was seemingly an exercise in time dilation, but the day eventually came and I took the obligatory “old meets new” photo on the driveway. This was the beginning of a long and happy association with this great bike shop, the likes of which I can’t seem to find these days. Off home I went a happy man.
What could possibly go wrong? I hear you ask. The XJ 900 was a legendarily reliable vehicle, with a fantastic reputation for longevity and a long production life. Well…
Two weeks into my ownership, I noticed that the front fork seals were leaking. OK, replaced under warranty. A month later, the problem returned and this time while Lenny was inspecting, the fork bushes were found to be extremely loose, allowing the sliders to move a frightening amount. ”No problem,” he says, “we will replace both under warranty”. This they did, but the new bushes were almost as bad as the originals and the seals continued
The world’s only two-storey Kawasaki GpZ 550, next to the world’s only Yamaha XJ900 Bobber.
WORDS & PHOTOS MATT T. – BEAR ARMY TROOPER #43
to blow out monthly as long as I owned the bike.
The second defect was a big crack across the bikini fairing, discovered partway through a trip out near Dubbo. How this happened is beyond me as it was a tiny piece of ABS plastic. No problem, replaced under warranty. The third episode happened between Brewarrina and Bourke, when the headlight started aiming at the ground rather than at startled macropods of the jumping kind. The steel bracket had fractured and the errantly aimed headlight had to be supported by a spare pair of undies for the rest of the trip. This too, was replaced under warranty when I got home, but the underwear went in the bin.
Trip number two saw my girlfriend (now wife) and me riding through Toowoomba, with her following me on her GpZ 550. She thought she saw something fall off my bike, but exactly what bailed out was only discovered at our next fuel stop. The left rear footpeg had jumped ship and getting a replacement took a long time. The problem was due to all the Japanese manufacturers bringing out new models every second week - and almost every part on every model was unique. A foot peg from last or next year’s model wouldn’t match. A foot peg from another model in the XJ range wouldn’t work either and no dealer could afford to stock every part for every model, so parts had to be ordered from Japan. Anyway, this too was eventually replaced… under warranty.
Minor annoyances all, but the engine vibrated at highway cruising revs and the fuel consumption was far from impressive. My current BMW K1300S uses about half as much fuel as the XJ did, but the reason for buying into the world of the tuning fork emblem – the shaft drive - performed faultlessly. Well, at least they got that right.
The next and final trip was to Cairns. Again, the two of us attempted the epic journey, with Cathy on her GpZ. A bike whose only fault, according to her, was a seat that was a “vinyl coated brick”. From Sydney, we took the New England highway to Brisbane and then headed inland for a while,
popping back onto the Bruce Highway at Rockhampton. I recall lots of road work happening at the time, with traffic lights in the middle of the scrub and random piles of gravel on the best line through some corners but apart from that it was all good until day four, when we were approaching Sarina.
A rather animated chappie on a GpZ1100 pulled alongside and waved me to the side of the road. His words were not what I was expecting… “Mate, the back of your bike is on fire”. He wasn’t far off. The rear mudguard - made of Japan’s finest PVC - was rubbing on the tyre, had a large hole melted through it and was belching acrid smoke. The cause was a broken rear subframe which had fractured underneath the front of the seat and the entire rear end was dragging, held only by the wiring loom. We were clearly going no further that afternoon and after renting the second smallest caravan in the southern hemisphere, had dinner with our new found friends at the local pub. I can’t recall their names, but they were from Quirindi and their timely arrival saved us from a far worse incident. Thanks guys!
The next morning’s recovery operation produced a bizarre photograph as our engineering solution was to occy strap the now detached rear end of the XJ upside down on the back of the little Kwaka and head north. Cathy piloted this rig with great skill and I followed with the seat hanging out over the rear tyre and no lights, to the next major centre which was Mackay. While I waited for the local dealer to weld the frame back together, Cathy had to return to Sarina for the rest of our luggage. I was thinking Yamaha will replace the frame when I get home and refund my $25 welding fee as they are certainly used to this bike breaking.
The rest of our trip was not without challenge, with St George Bank’s ATM’s out of action for the entire three days we were there. In 1984, this was bit of a problem as the cashless society hadn’t quite evolved, but we managed and returned home without further incident (except meeting a
policeman at Purfleet).
The fun with Yamaha wasn’t quite over, however, as they decreed that I was responsible for the frame failure because I had “clearly overloaded the rear subframe by fitting a Gearsack rack and luggage”. Willing’s were sympathetic and tried to be helpful, but Yamaha Australia dug their heels in and refused to budge, despite the fact that the rack had been purchased from and fitted by their dealer. In addition, the Gearsack bag itself was reversed, sitting on the seat and weighed far less than any pillion I have ever met (or even dreamed of). This left the enormous weight of a 2-man tent as the only additional load on the rack itself.
OK, I was not happy but as there was no such thing as email, I resorted to an S-mail letter to Yamaha Japan. This understandably took quite a while, but I finally received a letter in return stating that the frame was to be replaced under warranty. Victory! But logic tells me that as 11 of the 12 months warranty have now expired. In 4 short weeks’ time, I will be paying for the antics of this dream steed myself.
I am by now well and truly over the “sensible” bike and don’t bother getting this work done. Instead I headed back to Willing’s to trade it in and make another choice. My options were Len’s favourite - the new GpZ900, which he rode with some success at the Castrol 6 hour straight out of the box and which I then test rode. Secondly, Manager Graeme’s choice - the most outlandish bike on the market which wasn’t available to even look at, but was supposed to be the fastest production bike on the road. Of course I chose that one! The Kawasaki 750 Turbo turned out to be the best motorcycling decision ever and selling it 12 years later was one of my worst.
Why was my XJ experience so different from that of most owners? Monday or Friday bike? - Whatever, it certainly was the most citrus flavoured motorcycle I have owned. It may also have been just my personal curse as the guy who bought my trade in rode it to Perth and back with no problems whatsoever… or at least that’s what he said… D
READERS’TRAVEL OUTBACK RAMBLINGS
WORDS & PHOTO S PETER COLWELL
(Captions are not Peter’s fault; they’re by the Bear)
Things I remember... My fi rst trip up the Stuart Highway was in 1974. In those days, communication was by shiny new hi-tech microwave
towers every twenty miles. They replaced the wondrous and famous, but unreliable, overland telegraph line. In 2003, almost 30 years on, I was in a pub in Alice Springs where they had the security cameras hooked up to the internet. So your friends in say, the UK or America, could watch you live, staggering around, or dancing, or doing anything really.
I remember camping at the base of one tower. Fast forward to 1994, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2014 and the towers are now almost all gone, replaced by brown tombstone cubby-houses that service the optic-fi bre cable.
In 2007 I rode from Three Ways to Camooweal in continuous heavy rain all the way. I remember a phalanx of classic Peugeots on the road, one sans any windscreen in the appalling conditions. I parked on the veranda at Barkly to escape the downpour, and the fl ood in the car park.
The open road not near Julia Creek. You can tell by the fact that the vegetation is a different colour, and there are more lines on the road.
Photo: The Bear
On an earlier hot trip, I remember arriving at Camooweal roadhouse with its artesian water supply looking forward to a cold shower. Free, I thought. But they did not come down in the last shower out there. It was the cold water that required coins in the slot; the hot water was free... Oh yes, while I was there, a car drove in with a very high aerial. The aerial caught all the fluorescent tubes one by one, flicking each one out into a million pieces with the resounding crash of broken glass on concrete..... Barkly Homestead Roadhouse has now become the main midway resting point. It’s a bit like small towns all over Australia; Three Ways and Barkly have grown at the expense of a larger number of small oases that have disappeared. On my last run up the Stuart and Barkly Highways, I was disappointed that the characters and identities who used to run these places are well and truly gone. At one I needed help with a recalcitrant pump and an interpreter, because the attendant spoke very little English. But you know it’s Australia when you see the road trains, and a real train looks like a huge approaching caterpillar on the flat-to-the-horizon plains around Julia Creek. There is something absolutely magic about being out there. I think much is lost to the people in their electronic air-conditioned 4WDs. On my 1974 trip, the road to Ayers Rock was all dirt, and part of the magic was the approaching monolith that gradually got bigger and bigger. Just getting there was an adventure. Upon arrival, there was a campground, that was it, no five-star, no anything much at all really, just the aforementioned magic which is now a fond memory. Getting out there is an escape in to a wonderful world. D
Passing a road train in the Northern Territory at 140km/h plus. It’s good to be able to see the road well ahead when passing these, possibly to the curvature of the Earth.
Kate takes a break at the Devils Marbles in the Northern Territory. At least it looks like the Devils Marbles. Somebody’s marbles, anyway.
The open road near Julia Creek, Queensland. At least I think it’s near Julia Creek. It can be hard to tell from the photo.
Yes, they make a lot of whisky down along the Mississippi.
THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR YOU
COMPILED BY THE BEAR
BACK ON THE ROAD
Ireceived a press release from my old mate Bernd Tesch the other day, and realised that I haven’t put together a Top Tours column for ages. Here is another one, then, filling you in on some of the best of the motorcycle tours that await you out there. Just a reminder, too, that I will be guiding (well, accompanying) our very own magazine tour of New Zealand in April (see our website for details). The other organised tour I am booked up for so far in 2017 is Iceland with Edelweiss in July, and I’m going to do a bit of private exploring in May, riding down the length of the Mississippi. But here’s Bernd.
TTTREFFEN IN GERMANY
“Jubilee: I have been holding a community together for 40 years this year: "Tesch-Travel-Meeting 1977-2017 for motorcycle travelers near and far".
As a reminder: the first 300 Enduros YAMAHA XT 500 were imported in Germany in 1976! And it was only afterwards that the great worldwide motorcycle journeys began for more people.
“The purpose of the TTTreffens is an exchange of information between travellers with and without experience. When I started this there was NO computer, no handy [mobile phone] no internet...
Approx. 250 highly motivated and experienced motorcycle travelers come from many countries of Europe and from all continents to spent three days together.
“Please inform the timely announcement of this date of the motorbike long-distance meeting: 28th-30th April 2017: 59th TeschTravel-Meeting = 59th Mc-Meeting for World-Traveler
In Malmedy / Belgium / United Europe. Details and registration at www.berndtesch.de
WANT TO BE AN ALLROUNDER?
Here you can see the program of the meeting and its three super-lectures with PHOTOS / details: http://www.berndtesch.de/Deutsch/ Treffen/59TTT2017.html “
I haven’t been to one of Bernd’s TTTreffens, but I’ve spent quite a bit of time with him and his wife Patricia, and I think it’s fair to describe him as a “character”… If you’re in Europe at the time or if you can make it in some other way, I’d love to have a firsthand report on one of these events!
Oh, and Bernd also sells his own design aluminium panniers – now with a secret compartment, he tells me.
Maybe you should think about joining the Edelweiss Around-the-World ride. Don’t worry, you don’t have to do the whole thing; it is split up into stages. But if you want to, you can circle the planet. Here are the reasons why Marc Adamiak from Edelweiss thinks you should consider this amazing tour:
1 Escape the daily (motorcycle-) grind of smoothly paved roads, a common language and familiar surroundings. Say goodbye to all this and discover the vast array of new and foreign countries on our planet; ride through breath-taking canyons and conquer off-road tracks that simply do not exist at home.
2 Experience new cultures whether it’s a former German colony in Africa, exotic food in Bolivia, a completely unknown religion in Thailand or quite simply the different attitudes and lifestyles of far-off countries, this is the tour for you!
3 A “safe” adventure… it’s an adventure, but with a safety net. Professional planning concerning routes, hotels, etc.; experienced tour guides; a support vehicle, just in case; excellent local contacts and so much more.
4 Broaden your horizons. Think you know Russia? Really!? Consider Columbia too dangerous? No, it’s not! Edelweiss will assist you to travel safely through unknown countries,
Czech Hungary Tour
Bernd Tesch in his lair – all those books involve motorcycle travel.
Bernd reckons his cat can’t work out where the pannier’s secret compartment is.
That’s the route of the Edelweiss World Tour. For more information, take a look at www.edelweissbike.com.
meet people you never would have met otherwise and learn about their life and culture.
5 Improve your riding skills. Although a good amount of riding skill is necessary to participate on this tour you will find that at the end your riding skills will have increased dramatically. The vast variety of terrain and roads will allow you to improve far beyond what would be possible at home.
6 Meet like-minded riders. This tour is for those who “always wanted to experience more”.
7 Do something extraordinary. Package tourism is for beginners; but how many people have travelled around the world by motorcycle?
8 Experience “the world”. Ride your bike through the foreign and the exotic; break free of your comfort zone.
9 Conquer limits. Not just borders between two countries that you have never visited before, but also your own personal boundaries and limits as you continue to grow during the tour.
10 Collect unforgettable memories. Whether it’s an especially challenging gravel road in the Chinese mountains, meeting the locals in a small village in Africa, or the taste of a cold beer after a beautiful days’ ride in Peru, these experiences will leave indelible impressions that you will cherish for the rest of your life.
ALPINE MASCHINE RIDE
In 2017, Maschine is taking the TransTerra adventure ride series to a new level of sublime riding (yes, that’s what they promise!) starting with the
TransTerra Alpine Explorer ride on April 2-7. Victoria's High Country is a dream to ride for many adventure riders with its variety of terrain; challenging hills, river crossings, cattlemen huts, rocks and commanding mountain views.
The Alpine Explorer will cover choice areas of the western flank of Victoria's High Country. Starting and finishing in Bright makes things easy and in between you’ll experience the awesome variety of terrain around Mansfield, Marysville & Beechworth.
The all-inclusive rider package includes:
• Routes planned for 5 days of sublime Victorian High Country riding with easy and hard routes to choose from each day.
• Routes provided as GPS file, arrow markers and printed route sheets.
• Luggage, technical, medical, tyre and sweep support.
• Riders on any brand of bike welcome with a maximum group size of 100 riders.
• Accommodation for 6 nights provided in motels with a choice of shared or single rooms.
• Most meals included with breakfast and dinner each day.
Maschine is experienced with delivering world-class adventure rides & training and has built a loyal following for events. Maschine events are open to riders on all brands of motorcycles so you can share the adventures with all your mates.
“Victoria’s High Country is a beautiful area for adventure riding.
SHORT ADELAIDE TOURS ON BENELLI BN600Rs
Don’t have much time? We lead one-day or shorter tours on some of the best roads in the Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula. Hire exciting BN600R Benellis. Visit www.radtours.com.au and click on the TOUR LOCATIONS button.
Adventures wants to take you there.
food, start dieting right now because you’re surely going to end this tour a few kilos heavier than when you started. And befitting an ancient trade route, the shopping in every itinerary stop is fantastic and we will have a support vehicle to carry all your purchases.”
There is only one tour per year, and for 2017 it is JUNE 8-21. Cost is USD 6,995 – all inclusive. Pillions – USD 2,495. See https://www.asianbiketour. com/ for details. D
Last time we organised a ride in the High Country it was so popular it sold out in a few days and we had to run a second event the following week,”says Trudi Selleck from Maschine. The TransTerra ride is not all that’s on, either. The Touratech Adventure Challenge is on Saturday 1st April. Making adventure riding into something of a competition and spectator sport, the Touratech Adventure Challenge is an opportunity for riders to challenge themselves and show others how accomplished they are with prizes awarded for class winners. Consider making a week of it and tacking the two events together Bookings are open now so check out maschine.com.au for all the event details and book in for a week of High Country bliss.
NOT QUITE SILKY SMOOTH
But certainly more interesting than many other places, that’s the Silk Road. Rees from Asian Motorcycle
“Are you looking for a motorcycle tour that is truly exotic, truly mesmerizing? How about a motorcycle tour down China’s ancient Silk Road, a thoroughfare as old as human history.
“Six UNESCO World Heritage Sites will be visited, and the Silk Road in its entirety is one of them:
Terracotta Warriors, The Silk Road, The Painted Mountains, The Great Wall, Mogao Caves and Tian Shan Valley. The Silk Road Route runs from Xi'an to Kashgar.
“Be amazed for two solid weeks by everything you do and see from the seat of your BMW F800GS. And if you love
This is the route map for Asian Motorcycle Adventures’ 35 day Chiang Mai to Vladivostok tour – 13,000km of almost unexplored countryside!
No, don’t worry, the High Country hasn’t gone all sepia on you…
Riding through a crumbling city on the Silk Road. Bikes, by the way, are now BMW F 800 GSs, not Harleys.
VNUK, VNUK, VNUK
THE EURO STOOGES STOP RACING
WORDS ACEM, THE MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY IN EUROPE / ADAPTED BY THE BEAR
If you thought the greyhound racing ban was silly, how about a total motorsport ban? No motor or motorcycle racing at all. For once this is not a proposal in Australia –although who knows? No, the Eurognomes have been at it again with the “Vnuk judgement”. Now, make sure you lighten your grip on reality before you read on… and try to decide if this is an April Fool’s joke.
On the 2nd of January, the British Government issued a document for public consultation, which gives an option of implementing the European Court decision known as the ‘Vnuk judgment’. The ruling makes it compulsory for anyone using any form of motorised transport to have third party damage and injury insurance.
This will affect all participants in all forms of motorsport.
Where did this come from? The ruling stems from a case involving a Slovenian farm worker, who was hurt falling from a ladder, which was hit by a reversing tractor.
The Vnuk judgment imposes compulsory third party injury and damage insurance on all vehicles of any kind when used on any type of land. As well as affecting all motorsport vehicles, it could affect electric bicycles, sit-on lawnmowers, golf buggies, mobility scooters and even uninsured vehicles parked on private property under the Statutory Off-Road Notification scheme.
The insurance industry has made it clear to government that third party risks for motorsport activities are uninsurable, not least because of the sheer number of potential vehicle damage claims that would arise. Therefore, if implemented, the Vnuk judgment would wipe out all legal motor and motorcycle sport activity.
In the UK, the motorsport industry employs over 50,000 people, generates a total of £11 billion of sales each year and is backed up by a world-leading high performance engineering industry.
Motorcycle competition is a
popular UK Sport and generates much needed income in rural areas, with over 1.9 million spectators watching around 58,000 riders attend an average of over 4000 off-road and track events each year. These range from junior motocross to the British Superbikes, which would all end without the required insurance under the ECJ ruling.
MCIA, ACU and AMCA call on the government to exempt motor and motorcycle sport from any changes to insurance law which arise from the ECJ judgement. While the UK remains in the EU, even a temporary implementation of the ruling, as suggested by the Department for Transport in its consultation document, would be fatally damaging to what is an important industry and net contributor to the UK economy.
Speaking for the ACU, AMCA and MCIA, Steve Kenward, CEO of MCIA said:
“At a stroke, this would wipe out a successful industry and all the jobs that go with it, as well as eliminating a popular leisure pursuit for 1.9 million people, along with the boost that this gives to both local and national economies.
“If the government implements the Vnuk judgment un-amended, British motorcycle sport would end in the UK. Given that we are coming out of the EU, we are astonished that the government is even considering an option to implement Vnuk. We call on ministers to end uncertainty and put a stop to Vnuk in the UK.”
And no, it’s not an April Fool’s joke, but is a bit of a beat up as we don’t see it happening. D
The Border Run has been a magnet for the long range touring crowd for quite a while. Some still do it as a rocket run, others do it as a dawdle and stop and smell the pie shops. Heading to the start line for the Three Duck Tours trip to the Border, I encountered quite a bit of water across the road before getting out on the plains and west of Deniliquin. I caught Bill at Balranald and we enjoyed excellent Osso Bucco soup at the bakery there, before making for Tour HQ in Mildura.
The Border run
Leaving Mildura the next morning we encountered fog most of the way to Renmark and saw a low of two degrees on the ambient temperature readout! 740km later we arrived in Cowell where we enjoyed pig on a spit at the local pub ( Wednesday night is pork night ).
Along the road to Cowell, we met Chris McCardigan in his usual condition – broken down. He replaced a rear shocky and was on his way to another breakdown.
August on the Eyre Pennisular is a picture. Vast paddocks of wheat and canola, sweeping corners and no traffic.
After a night at Streaky Bay we moved on to Penong where we found Claude on the Matchless had camped near us.
Penong has a hole for the Nullabour Golf Course, and now also has a Windmill Museum where the locals are preserving a wide variety of these wonderful wind powered water pumps. Saturday saw an easy 400km run to the SA/WA Border. There were plenty of
filled the punters bellies, it even stopped some of them talking for a while !
The Farriders were there in a large noisy gaggle as well as familiar faces from all points of the compass. A large group of WA sidecars proved to be worth a look, many powered by GSX1400's.
riders in attendance and more arriving all the time. The servo had jumped on the bandwagon and had a line of 40th Anniversary T-shirts and stubbie holders on hand.
Last year, we booked one of the new cabins for this year and found it to be excellent. Slept five of us and there was room for a couple more.
Saturday afternoon turned into evening and the caterers at the restaurant put on a beaut smorgasboard which certainly
Gunna, the organiser, said that all funds raised would be going to the RFDS as is his usual practice, and the manager of the complex had informed Gunna, that after the break even point had been reached on their shirts and other merchandise, profits would also go to the RFDS.
The social aspect of the gathering continued well into the night, to the point it overlapped the departure of some of the early risers ! Caution is required to launch early as there be
out there in the
Bernie from Northern NSW managed to collide with a still warm pile of roadkill as he headed off in the dark – a nasty smell over everything but no harm done as he stayed vertical.
Three Duck Tours kept gentlemen‘s hours and left at 9.00am and saw a top of 26 degrees before reaching Ceduna. The Hotel Motel at Ceduna is community owned and has a gated car park and a brilliant dinning room –an excellent three course feed for $23 can‘t be beat!
Fancy a long ride and a good holiday? Plan for next years Border Run, it‘s the first full weekend in August and you need to do it at least once!
(For the rest ofThe Possum’s ‘Anniversary Border Run‘ see the story on the Off Centre rally.) D
critters
dark.
At the border.
Claude and Bill discuss the Matchy. Bernie and the pudding (if you don’t know about the pudding, I’ll explain some other time).
Just a little bit of water to be crossed.
The dog fence.
longtermers
Yamaha mT-09 Tracer
Give me that sound track! Now that we have the luggage capacity and comfort we’ve been looking for, it was time to release those ever so sweet triple cylinder tunes for a sound track that would please even Beethoven himself.
Yamahas range of accessories for the MT-09 Tracer is extensive, so it was obvious that choosing from this range made sense. We had already fitted the Akrapovic underslung style system to our MT-07 so the Akrapovic Carbon System - $1130.60 - was the choice for the Tracer as well. Little did I know that it would knock out the centrestand
which has to be permanently removed to fit this full system. I tried as much as I could to keep the centrestand, but some serious modifications would have had to be done, and it was really not worth the hassle. So, if having the centrestand is paramount for you, look at the Titanium full system which retails for $1496.60, instead.
Fitting the Carbon system was quite simple. I did have to move the radiator slightly to allow easier access but this was no problem. Akrapovic claims that the Carbon system is 3.8kg lighter and gives the Tracer 5.1kW more power and 6.4Nm more torque over standard. The result is certainly a crisper throttle and excellent performance at any road speed and a sound track that is totally cracking! On overrun a flame would shoot out of the sexy looking carbon muffler. However, that was fixed a day later when I pulled the associated panels off, along with the tank to fit the GYTR (Yamaha performance arm), performance air filter - $136.30. I simply trimmed 20mm off the restrictive intake tube and this solved the flame spitting issue as well as smoothing the running of the entire bike with some more power and torque to top it off. Apart from the performance benefits of this type of gauze filter, the main benefit is the reduced maintenance required to service the air filter except for washing and reusing it. Yamaha claims up to “50,000 miles between cleanings” which is astounding. Yamaha reckons that no adjustment is required to fit the performance filter, but I do recommend you consider trimming the intake tube like I did. Apart from the other improvements it has released some more triple cylinder tunes for a symphony sound track you can’t get anywhere except from your beautiful Yamaha MT-09 Tracer. You can get all of Yamahas accessories from your local dealer or via the website - https://yshop.yamahamotor.com.au SW D
10
FLY TO THE BIRDS
OMAKA CLASSIC FIGHTERS AUSTRALIAN MOTORCYCLIST
MAGAZINE / SOUTH PACIFIC MOTORCYCLE TOURS
Book on our South Pacific Motorcycle Tour and the first 5 Riders will score a Giant Loop Columbia Dry Bag from our friends at AdventureMoto valued at $247.50. Don't leave home with out one!
We’ve had a lot of requests for our 2017 New Zealand tour and here it is! We’ve picked South Pacific Motorcycle Tours to run this one, specifically because of this fantastic tour they offer, including the Omaka Classic Fighters event.
If any of that gets you going, you’d better hurry and book your spot! You also get Peter “The Bear” Thoeming as your special host rider.
TOUR BOOKING & DATES…
South Pacific Motorcycle Tours www.motorbiketours.co.nz
office@motorbiketours.co.nz
Ph: +64 3 312 0066
Skype: ride.nz
Depart - Christchurch Saturday 08 April 2017
Return - Christchurch Monday 17 April 2017
KEY POINTS FOR THE TOUR ...
RIDING TIMES: 9am-4pm approx with breaks throughout the day for lunch, coffee, activities etc.
DISTANCE: 2500kms approximately REST OR RIDE: Blenheim for Omaka Classic Fighters Airshow – video: https://youtu.be/QGwi3ogieNU
RIDER COMPETENCE: For riders with safe motorcycle control in all situations
MOTORCYCLES: South Pacific Motorcycle Tours has late model bikes from various manufacturers for you to choose from, in different sized to suit all types of riders.
SUPPORT VEHICLE INFO: Tour guide on a motorcycle plus support vehicle with enclosed luggage trailer.
WHERE YOU’LL GO…
10 Day Omaka Classic Fighters Fully Guided AMM Tour - Easter 2017
Arrival Day: Fri 07 April
Christchurch Hotel Check-in and Happy Hour
Day 1: Sat 08 Christchurch to Mount Cook National Park
Day 2: Sun 09 Mount Cook National Park to Queenstown
Day 3: Mon 10 Explore Queenstown/ Queenstown to Wanaka
Day 4: Tue 11 Wanaka to Franz Josef
Glacier Village
Day 5: Wed 12 Franz Josef Glacier Village to Punakaiki
Day 6: Thu 13 Punakaiki to Nelson
Day 7: Fri 14 Nelson to Blenheim
Day 8: Sat 15 Spectacular Omaka
Classic Fighters Airshow
Day 9: Sun 16 Blenheim to Kaikoura
Day 10: Mon 17 Kaikoura to Christchurch D
NEWINTHESHOPS
UNIQUELY VERSATILE
Touratech Aventuro Mod helmet - Price - $1100 Yes, it looks like a real adventure helmet, but it’s more – it’s a flip-up helmet as well. With the new Aventuro Mod, Touratech offers an ideal combination for demanding motorcycle travellers with the most versatile touring helmet on the market. The Aventuro Mod combines the great ventilation, the large field of view, shading visor and the secure shield of an adventure helmet with the qualities of a flip-up helmet. It’s not only riders who wear glasses who like these. The face is an important means of communication, particularly during travel, and not only at fuel stops. Snapping that must-have selfie can be caught a lot more quickly without needing to take the helmet off. The Aventuro was designed in conjunction with Schuberth, the leading manufacturer of flip-up helmets. Touratech claims to have found the
best partner to create what may well be the best and most comfortable modular helmet on the market. Mind you, it should be for the money! Available in seven different sizes (XS to 3XL) and several colour variations. Visit www.touratech. com.au or call 03 5929 5529.
Z POWER…Z POWER!
Akrapovic Kawasaki Z range
Akrapovic has developed a range of exhausts and systems for the very latest Kawasaki Z range of machines. As usual with the Akra range, they are guaranteed to set pulses racing with
their superb looks, enhanced sound, and increased performance. Slip-on mufflers are available in carbon or titanium, and there are optional headers in stainless steel. They can be converted into systems which take performance and sound to even higher levels. Visit Akrapovic online: www.akrapovic.com or your local shop.
WIND-ING DOWN
Kuryakyn Lower Triple Tree Wind DeflectorsPrice - $49.99US They might not be the sexiest upgrade, but the new Kuryakyn Lower Triple Tree Wind Deflectors look pretty effective when it comes to improving rider comfort in the cockpit. Now available for select Indian and
Victory models, Lower Triple Tree Wind Deflectors redirect wind and water, passing them through the fork legs downward to reduce noise levels, moisture and turbulent upward airflow between the tank and fairing. The durable stamped steel deflectors mount discreetly to the lower triple tree beneath the fairing for a clean look that’s hardly noticeable. There’s a reason why these are a hit with the Harley-Davidson crowd and continue to be a top seller for Kuryakyn since their introduction in 2009—because they flat-out work. Available in chrome or satin black, visit www.kuryakyn.com to purchase.
CHe C K Out eiGHtY-seVeN
Nolan N-87 helmet
Price – From $319
The N-87 is the latest in the highly successful N84/85/86 series - it is a complete re-design with some massive improvements.
Starting with Nolan’s class leading 100% Italian made quality, they have taken a stylish but sporty and aerodynamic shell and included the most advanced and inclusive range of touring features on the market to make the N-87 one of the best all-round full face helmets on the market – and all with a sub-$400 price tag. This helmet has a sporty look to keep sports guys happy, and touring functionality to keep everybody else satisfied. Nolan claims you won’t
find anything with the same quality/ features/performance/price ratio on the market – so there’s ample reason to think that the N-87 could be one of the best helmets on the market. Available in XS-2XL and a variety of colours. See your local bike shop or www.ronangel.com.au
AdVeNtur A
Ventura Tough Rack
As this is our adventure touring issue, we thought we’d remind you of the Tough Rack luggage system you can get from Ventura. Specifically designed to handle the extreme conditions and loads dished up by Aussie adventure tourers. The Ventura "Tough-Rack" system is heavier and stronger than the Ventura "Bike-Pack" system, but it can utilise all existing Ventura BikePacks and the Monza 42-56 litre panniers. Available for a number of popular adventure bikes, visit www. kenma.com.au
t OOL M A N
Adventure Moto’s range of tools
If you go out to remote places, you’ll need tools to fix your bike if it breaks; or more likely to fix your mate’s bike when it breaks! Adventure Moto has an extensive range of tried and tested tools to get
you on your way again and to earn your mate’s eternal gratitude. Visit www.adventuremoto.com.au to view the entire range and to order a set of these.
HIT THE TRAILS
Dririder Vortex Adventure Jacket - $469.95, Pants - $329.95 Be protected all year round out in the bush thanks to the Vortex Adventure jacket and pants from Dririder. Both are made from heavy duty 600 Denier textile, featuring removable and breathable waterproof and thermal liners, a permanent comfort mesh liner and numerous comfort features like stretch panels, venting and even hand warmer pockets for the colder months. This combination is perfect for all adventurers. An added bonus of this set is that the jacket zips to the pants and the pant legs are wider at the bottom to accommodate off-road boots. Visit your local bike shop or www. dririder.com.au D
» Weighs only 570g
» Inflate a low or flat tyre quickly and safely
» Ideal for use on motorcycles, ATV’s and scooters ULTRA COMPACT POCKET PUMP
» 5 ft long, 5mm thick plastic coated steel cable
» Re-settable 4 digit combination lock
Measures PSI or KPA
0-60 PSI/0-4.2 KPA read out
50mm (2”) analogue dial
300mm (12”) braided flex hose
Push button air bleed valve
Protective rubber gauge guard
Self-locking air chuck PLUS A SECOND 45° chuck for those hard to
get to valves
» Soft silicone cover to protect lock and bike parts
It’s still possible to collect most issues. We recommend checking availability via our website as to which issues are available, sold out or are low in stock. Back issues only cost $12.00 each including postage and packaging; just visit the website and place your order – www.ausmotorcyclist.com.au; or drop us a line at contactus@ausmotorcyclist.com.au or PO Box 2066, Boronia Park NSW 2111 and Stuart or The Bear will look after you.
Please send me the following back issues at the cost of $12 each including postage:
WHERE’STHEBEAR
Welcome to our new geography puzzle! As you’ve probably realised by now, I take a lot of photos when I travel around. Now a lot of those pictures are just sitting in our files, waiting for – perhaps – a story they’ll illustrate in some way. Well, they have rebelled and they want a chance to shine in these pages. I’ve folded, in my usual courageous way, and you’re reading the result.
All you need to do is work out where the photo was taken and drop me a line at contactus@ausmotorcyclist.com. au or PO Box 2066, Boronia Park NSW 2111. The winner will be drawn from responses we receive until the end of the month on the cover. That means you have about 6 weeks, which should be plenty of time to give Google Street View a workout!
And here’s a bonus: if nobody comes up with the actual location where the photo was taken, we’ll award the prize to the closest guess. So here we go:
Save your breath
Win a MotoPressor Pocket Pump!
This is a great little pump. Ultra compact, this stripped down pocket pump weighs in at only 590g and fits in the palm of your hand. Built around a custom modified 12 volt inflator. What it lacks in looks, it makes up for in performance and functionality – which is what you really need when you’re stranded in the middle of nowhere. And yes, we do use one ourselves.
The MotoPressor Pocket Pump has a 63cm long inflator hose, with a screw on delivery valve that fits all bikes. A long 2.65m power cord comes with two
adaptors: a direct connect for your battery and alligator clips, both with SAE connectors. All this packs small into the included heavy duty neoprene pouch. If you miss out, the pump is available from your local dealer and direct from Rocky Creek Designs, www. rockycreekdesigns.com.au .
The MotoPressor Pocket Pump will pump the front tyre of your motorcycle from flat to around 32 psi and the rear to around 28psi in two (2) minutes (Tests run on a BMW R1200GS). It is capable of pumping over 100 psi!
The MotoPressor Pocket Pump can be used to inflate tyres, top off your air shocks, air forks, inflate airbeds or anything else, anywhere, anytime, over and over again.
Here is Where’s The Bear #1! It’s an easy one, but we’ll still have a clue or two on our website www.ausmotorcyclist.com.au for you – check it now!
WORDS/PHOTOS – STUART
You may have been reading my ramblings over the past two and half years mentioning how my mate Chris and I were building a Period 6, 1300, 1989 Yamaha FZR1000. Well, as
curious about the money-chewing exercise of building not just a bike to fill the grid list, but one that will fight for the top step of the podium, I thought I’d give you a bit of a rundown on the process. I dare not think about the number of dollars this has required, but every single month for the last two and half years I’ve spent a lot of money buying parts.
you will have read in my editorial back in issue #47 it’s finished! As you read this, it has just been raced by IoM TT racer, Alex Pickett at the Island Classic (Phillip Island).
So, whether you could be tempted to have a go yourself or you’re just
My mate Chris has always liked the original Norton rotary race bikes. The noise and the speed are intoxicating, but the JPS version as raced by Steve Spray also has to be one of the prettiest race bikes around, so when he saw a Norton JPS race body kit for a YZF750 he naturally bought it. Then he hunted down a ‘ready for the rubbish dump’ 1989 Yamaha FZR1000 EXUP model. The plan was to turn it into an interesting road bike but I said, “Why don’t we build a race bike out of it?” Chris agreed but he thought we’d just throw it together as a grid filler. Little did he know what I had in mind…
Alex, Chris and Stuart – happy chappies!
After a few frosty treats at Chris’ place one night I won out with my idea of building a full on Period 6, 1300 class winning machine. So the stage was set. Chris, his son Alex and I pulled the engine out one Saturday afternoon and we loaded the bike onto my trailer to take it to its new home in my garage for the complete rebuild, literally from the ground up.
First thing was to strip the bike to a bare frame. Before that, though, I gave the bike a high pressure wash. It had sat in a country farm shed for many years and was thick with coarse spider webs and (fortunately) dead spiders.
Time to get serious. I modified the subframe and trimmed all the unnecessary tabs and heavy bits and pieces not needed for racing so I could send the frame and subframe off for powder coating. I had thought of getting the frame polished, but for fifteen hundred bucks I thought otherwise. If it got crashed that money would be wasted, so a $200 powder coating in black was a smart decision.
Once I got the frame home from that I could start building it back up with new bearings and waiting for the swingarm to arrive from the polishers at Newcastle. It really looks a treat.
Chris sourced some OW01 style forks and I bought a 2005 ZX10R rear shock and we fitted correct weight springs, so that was the suspension sorted for now. I slowly bought all the other bits and pieces needed for a rideable motorcycle, rearsets, clipons, dash, brakes, exhaust, computer, battery and so on. And on.
As the months went by the ‘Noraha’ or ‘Yamaton’ (however you like it) started to take shape. I’d already trial fitted the JPS body kit so I went to my good mate Bassar at 2SUS Custom Resprays who laid down some more black on various places of the bodywork that weren’t up to his high standards and some high quality 2pak clear for a high shine.
At the same time, Chris had dropped the engine off to our good friend Shaun at D Moto Motorcycle Engineering who slowly built it up in his spare time. Shaun wanted to build it as a torque monster, not just
Lightened and washed of spiders and webs!
Shaun at D Moto fitting the engine
Vapour blasted and looking a million dollars
a motor with a massive 200hp hit up high, which he sees as a waste – and he’s pretty right too! A lightweight and balanced crank, balanced and shotpeened rods, big pistons, ported head - but standard cams for the moment with bigger ones waiting in the wings - and a set of Keihin FCR flat slides bolted on will give you a basic rundown of the components. It was early 2016 when Shaun called me to bring the frame down so we could fit the engine. I couldn’t get there fast enough. This was a big step towards to getting the bike up and running. Shaun, however, was busy running his day-to-day business, so once the engine was in, the build stalled for a couple of months. I would occasionally go in to D Moto and do any other bits and pieces I could, but eventually the day came when Shaun wired the bike up and it was pretty much ready to run. At this point Shaun and I discussed the heavy standard FZR wheels. I wanted lightweight wheels, but $5000 for a pair of Dymag magnesium
wheels was never going to happen. Shaun then said, “Go upstairs (at D Moto) and make your way around to the rear rack and grab the green wheel.” I picked up the wheel and brought it down, noting its extreme lightness. Shaun said, “This is what we’ll fit to the front, we just need to sort a rear wheel.” I took what turned out to be a Marvic magnesium front wheel for truing and researched what rear wheel we could fit. A Dymag magnesium rear wheel was still up at $3000 so we ended up with a 2007 GSX-R600 rear wheel. This is one of the lightest standard wheels you can get and it fits in with the “three spoke” period rule. At $250 it saved the burn scars to my back pocket!
Also during this time I changed my mind three times as to what calipers we would run on the FZR1000. The final decision was Brembos, and combined with NG discs and SBS carbon classic pads they are a formidable choice.
Many days were spent working on the FZR to get it really ready
to be fired up. A couple of things stopped us. The major one was the fuel pump. In the two and half years since it last worked, it had failed. As well, the you-beaut digital dash I had bought was useless, but one Saturday morning Shaun put oil in the engine and water in the radiator and fired it up. I near wet myself with excitement. All of this time and money finally produced a running machine and boy did it sound angry! Now it was time to get it onto the dyno and see how it performed. More troubles came; the engine wouldn’t rev cleanly over 7000rpm. Shaun and I thought it was the carburation so I changed needle heights and main jet sizes what seemed like a thousand times. We also changed the adjustable spark map, but still it wouldn’t rev cleanly above 7000rpm. The Island Classic was fast approaching and Chris and I had to make a decision as to whether we would take the bike down there or not. A phone call to Craig Stewart from C&M Motorcycles Ingleburn from whom we had bought the adjustable
TECHNICAL
ignition gave us the idea of changing the high powered coils I’d bought back to standard ones. And guess what, the bike revved cleanly! Happy days!
Another issue Shaun found was that the exhaust flanges at the head kept coming loose. A relatively easy fix but one that I’m glad we found on the dyno, not out at the track.
With only three weeks before the island Classic we finally had the bike to a point that we could test it properly. Alex jumped on board and was given strict instructions for his first session to run in the brakes and get a general feel for the bike. The second session he could unleash a bit more and the engine was pinging from 7-9500rpm. I ended up changing the spark map which helped dramatically and after some other refinements Alex had a grin as wide as the Nile. He was content that he could race for the podium – not bad for its first day out.
But, as with any full ground up build there was more work to be done. Little things that reveal themselves, so the following two weeks, I basically worked on the bike every night to make it perfect.
How did Alex go at the Island Classic? You’ll need to wait till the next issue, because this was written a day before we jumped into the car to head south for the Island!
Overall, Chris and I almost shed tears of joy with what we’ve produced. It took much longer than we had thought, mostly due to the amount of money that needed to be pumped into a bike like this, but I think you’ll agree it is a stunning looking motorcycle.
A big thanks must go first and foremost to Shaun at D Moto Motorcycle Engineering, his skill and expertise is beyond measure –thank you, mate!
Peter at Kenma for the NG discs, Venhill braided lines and SBS pads.
Don at Link International for the supply of awesome Pirelli tyres, both slicks and wets.
Without this kind of help, our ‘racer’ would be a pile of junk sitting there with an, ‘I’ll do it one day’ attitude on my mind.
Its next meeting will be the International Festival of Speed at Sydney Motorsport Park. Come out and have a look! D
Test day!
A bucket of rubbish, ready for the tip!
Engine coated in years of filth
OF CRAP AND CLASS
IT’S NOT SIZE THAT MATTERS IN A MOTORCYCLE ARGUMENT WORDS LESTER MORRIS
Abloke I hadn’t met before sprang out of nowhere and stepped in front of me at my local shopping centre and almost literally shirt-fronted me.
“You’re Lester Morris, aren’t you?” he enquired in a tone of reproof, while standing a little too close for my comfort, for my nose was almost pressed against his chest, that nose positioned not much higher than an area somewhere between his belt buckle and his shirt’s breast pocket. He was so big I could hardly see daylight around him.
“Yes, I am,” I replied cautiously, stepping back a pace to be shortly followed by him stepping forward by the same amount. “How are things with you?” It was just as well to be pleasant, I reckoned, for I didn’t know who he was, and I certainly didn’t know what he was about to ask; or about to do, for that matter.
He seemed to have assumed I disappeared somewhere, and very swiftly at that, so he stepped back again so that he could look down his substantial nose to see that I was still there. My sudden re-appearance seemed to surprise him for a few seconds, although I don’t know why.
“You write all that stuff in bike magazines, don’t you?” he asked, this time assuming an almost threatening tone.
“Oh, you’ve read some of my ramblings, have you?” I asked with a smile, hoping that I might placate him even more, but still not sure what I was about to be accused of.
“I’ve read ‘em all, and for too many bloody years,” he atoned stiffly, as if it was my fault. “But why do you still write about all that oldfashioned stuff?”
“Well, the main reason I write about that ‘old fashioned stuff’ is because I was there at the time, and there are not too many people out there who were there when I was.” I replied. “There are certainly not too many who write much
about those days. I hope it’s interesting stuff, at least faintly humorous and in some ways historical as well. I imagine there are some newer riders out there who would like to know how things were all those long years ago. And some of the more mature among us might like to reminisce a bit about those earlier days as well.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll give you that,” he said less sternly, thankfully stepping back another pace, “but the bikes in those days, mate, they were crap weren’t they, especially compared to modern bikes? And what about riding gear?”
“It’s true that modern machines are very swift, and look pretty amazing, even though it is difficult sometimes to tell one make from another, and the newer riding gear is similarly very advanced, but there really hasn’t been too much advance in their fundamental design for yonks, when you come to think about it.”
“Waddyamean?” he queried, by now assuming an even more threatening stance. “They are all crap compared to today’s bikes. Aren’t they?” Thankfully, he finished his final sentence as a question, so I felt I had an opportunity to point out a few home truths about some of the old crap heaps to which he was referring.
I swiftly pointed out there is little new under the sun, and that, as an example, multi-valve cylinder heads were not a new-fangled Japanese invention, because those types of cylinder heads were in use in aircraft engines and for motorcycle board and dirt-track racing in America before the First World War, to be followed a few years later by other manufacturers in Europe and England. Four- valve cylinder heads - and the occasional five-valve cylinder heads, the latter with three (3) inlet valves - are now in vogue with just about every vehicle which sits on either two wheels or four: or sometimes more.
In 1904, ten years before WW1, the FN company in Belgium built a four-
cylinder motorcycle with shaft-drive and a crude type of telescopic front fork, while swing-arm rear suspension was first designed – but not yet remarked upon - not long before that war began. One example of this ‘modern’ rear suspension was the 1920 Pullin-Groome motorcycle, which employed a crude, if slightly effective, short-throw telescopic front fork, while its swing-arm rear suspension, with modern-looking spring units, looked as though it might have been designed sometime last week, rather than almost a century ago.
A Vee-four OHC Matchless motorcycle was exhibited at the Olympia Show in 1930, the next production engine of that type being designed by Honda in 1983, more than fifty years later!
There were, I explained, some twenty English brands on this Nation’s roads post-war and Australia was the biggest importer in the world of machines from that country. They were augmented, I added, in almost single-digit numbers by just eight foreign manufacturers. These included very few Harleys, even fewer Indians, and fewer still from BMW, with one or two Moto Guzzis, a number of 250cc NSU OHC singles, the occasional DKW 250 two-stroke single and its very swift 350cc twin sibling.
Other German marques were the peagreen Zündapp ‘Elefant’ flat-twins and nippy ‘Elastic’ 250cc two-strokes, while the 200 and 250cc Adler twin-cylinder two-strokes form Germany were a bit thin on the ground: they went down the gurgler early on, but had their ‘classic’ design stolen by the Japanese when the first Suzuki and Yamaha twins arrived.
On the other hand, the now-rare Czech Jawa 250 t/s singles (with their siblings, 350cc Ogar twins and 125cc CZ) seemed to be much more in evidence than all the German and Italian brands combined.
Incidentally, the CZ engine formed the basis for later Victa lawn-mowers, along with several
other local manufacturers of twostroke industrial engines.
But it didn’t end there, as I advised my now somewhat subdued interrogator.
I could have mentioned the many pre-war roadster motorcycles which were entirely capable of performances over the Imperial hundred-miles-per hour figure, but I decided not to go there, probably in view of the fact that those performance levels can now be achieved easily by many modern motorcycles whose riders are forced to display a large yellow-and-black L-plate on their machines.
I flattened my companion by pointing out that one of the most amazing machines produced before the war was the 1938 prototype ‘Galbusera’, an air-cooled, supercharged, 500cc V8 Two-stroke!
A what (?) I can hear many of you gasp; so I shall repeat it.
The bike, which certainly existed, and was seen being ridden as well, was a prototype, supercharged (!) 500cc Veeeight, two-stroke: one can only imagine the performance, much less the sound, of this very rare machine. You can actually find photos of the thing on the net.
There is certainly nothing like that out on the world’s roads today, of that you may be quite sure, ‘crap-heap’ though it may have been.
In 1955, at Mount Druitt races, I saw my one and only Victoria ‘Bergmeister’, an 80-degree German Vee-twin whose well-finned cylinders were sited across the frame like a modern-day MotoGuzzi. The pots sat atop large, eggshaped alloy castings the cylinders so unblemished as to provide no clue as to whether the bike was a four-stroke or two stroke design: it was, in fact, a push-rod four-stroke, with a single carburettor hidden inside close-fitting alloy castings, with a pair of tortuous inlet tracts. It was a very smart-looking machine, employing shaft final drive, but, unaccountably, with a set of sprockets and chains on lay-shaft and main-shaft within its entirely hidden ‘gearbox.’ Another German machine to employ this odd system of ‘chainand-sprocket’ transmission, Zündapp, employed shaft-drive as well.
The Bergmeister displayed a very nice mid-green colour scheme, with heavy chrome plate just about everywhere, and it was very well sprung at both ends, the trim little machine topped by a deep, long dual-seat. The bike was never sold in Australia, the one I saw having been imported by its proud owner (who spoke German very well, but not a word I could understand in English).
There were several other rare marques my inquisitor had not heard of, including the Polish Junark which pulled up outside Omodeis one day. It was a 350cc OHV single, and its design flew in the face of every other pushrod single around in those days for its power-plant was a ‘mirror image’ of the Ariel it so vaguely resembled. Its timing gear and the chromed tubes which located the push-rods controlling the valve gear were on the bike’s left side; every other push-rod operated, singlecylinder overhead valve design in the country had the timing gear and pushrods sited on the right-hand side, which was then considered to be entirely ‘normal’. It looked very strange indeed at the time, as it still does.
Another oddity, I told my former, and by-now friendly questioner, was a Hungarian ‘Pannonia’ which also pulled into the gutter outside Omodeis one day. It was a 250cc two-stroke single, with dual exhaust pipes and fat mufflers. It was made, its owner told me in broken English, by Csepel in Hungary, was thus more than a little ‘badge engineered’ ( I thought) and was not unlike the Czech Jawa - which I could see for myself - all of these machines seemingly enjoying a nigh-incestuous Communist-bloc relationship.
In the years when they were fairly popular, The 250 Jawa was finished in a flaming red colour, the Pannonia, by comparison, in a very fetching midblue. The Pannonia fairly gleamed in the sunlight and looked to be brandnew, but its owner was able to finally tell me it was built six years earlier, in about 1958, and he was able to relate that the factory also made 250 twostroke twins and a small 125 single. I only ever saw one example of the
rarest of the rare, the three-cylinder 375cc Olympus-King two-stroke from Japan, the air-cooled cylinders horizontally disposed and facing forward where its spark plugs seemed to be very vulnerable to road spray in wet weather. I had heard of the bike, but saw that one machine very briefly from the counter – and then from the footpath seconds later!–outside Omodeis.
Mollified, the large bloke then moved on, long before I could tell him of the British 350cc flat-twin Douglas and the odd Austrian Puch machines which a man in Sydney called Bill Mahler imported in the late fifties and which were fairly successful. Except for the fine little scooters and the little 50cc moped (probably the best of its type ever), all the Puch two-stroke engines were ‘split-single’ designs, in 125, 175 and the punchy 250cc capacities. I didn’t get round to telling him of the much later arrivals, Meguro, Marushu, Tohatsu, Lilac and deservedly- popular Bridgestone motorcycles from Japan which came and went fairly quickly in the early sixties, not long after Honda had opened the door to all of them a scant few years earlier.
By today’s standards you may refer to those old clunkers as ’crap heaps’ (as some of them certainly were) but bear in mind they were products of their era and deserve to be viewed that way. The fact remains that most of the greatest advances in motorcycle design occurred in the period between the two world wars, whether we like to be reminded of that or not. Current motorcycles, greatly advanced as they are, are simply variations on many of those original themes.
I wonder will modern-day motorcycles be viewed as crap heaps fifty and more years from now?
Hey, my 196-page book “Vintage Morris: Tall Tales but True from a Lifetime in Motorcycling” is now available. To secure your signed copy, please send cheque or money order for $42 ($29 + $14 Postage Nationwide) to: L & L. Morris, P.O. Box 392, Winston Hills. NSW. 2153. Cheers for now. LM D
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!
GOT TO HAND IT TO YOU…
It’s nice to be able to give the award for the Letter of the Month to a newly returned member of the motorcycling family, someone who probably doesn’t even know that things like Andy Strapz’ Rain Off Overgloves even exist. That means he’ll be all the happier when his pair arrives! Before that, of course, he’ll have to go to the Andy Strapz website to work out his size, and then drop the man himself a line at info@andystrapz.com.au to claim his prize. They come in five sizes, which is terrific because it means you can actually get a pair that will fit. I well remember struggling with one-size-fits-all overgloves some years ago in Britain.
WE ARE WATCHING
Peter,
In response to your comments on selfdrive cars in the January 2017 edition of Australian Motorcyclist, I’d like to make the following comments: The issue of autonomous vehicles has not gone unnoticed by Australian rider groups. The Motorcycle Council of NSW made a submission to the recent NSW Parliamentary StaySafe inquiry into “Driverless Vehicles and Road Safety” and appeared before the Committee, expressing concern about the safety implications for motorcyclists. The MCC’s concerns have been noted in Staysafe’s final report.
Andy’s overgloves will keep your hands dry and warm, and are worth buying if your wit hasn’t gained you a letter of the month in these pages.
BORN AGAIN
Hi Bear,
Recently, I found a book on my bookshelf as I was de-cluttering – ‘Riding The World’ by Gregory Frazier. I’d found it at a charity shop, and decided as I hadn’t yet looked at it seriously, that it was time to take it back. Although something stopped me as I thumbed through it for one last time… A picture of a touringloaded Royal Enfield. “What the heck!” I thought, followed by a flurry of Google searches! In that moment, I was back. Fond memories flooded in from an earlier time when I used to blatt about on my silver-tanked XT500 thumper, and well, I want the feeling once more! Walking past a news-agency, I thought I’d pick up a mag and re-acquaint myself with the vibe,
The MCC has also made a submission in response to the National Transport Commission’s (NTC) discussion paper on the legislative changes required to introduce autonomous vehicles to Australian roads. The MCC has been quoted in the NTC’s policy paper.
A submission is being prepared in response to the NTC’s discussion paper on Guidelines for conducting trials of autonomous vehicles. Submissions closed 16th January 2017.
There has been contact with FEMA and there has an exchange of information.
Autonomous vehicles is a rapidly developing disruptive technology that
pick up tips, and feed the lust for all things two-wheeled. Bikes had suddenly stood out to me in the blur of traffic on the arterials. I nearly drove up on a roundabout curb as I was gawking at one! What’s going on? It’s a bike, not a pretty girl!
My motorcycle passion re-awakened, I settled on the December issue of AMM, excitedly seeing the R.E. Classic 500 review inside, and letting the bewildered agent know all about it. Surely this is a sign from Hughie himself, right?
And so, it came to pass that ‘Riding The World’ stayed with me, (and indeed, has me dreaming), and after all the reviewing on the net, the bike in that fateful pic will soon be mine. I have my heart set on her. I can see us putting along some dirt back-roads, and on our own mountain twisties, wind in my, er, helmet. I just have to come up with the final dowry to hand over to the dealer man. Nearly there. I look forward to being a part of the ‘family’ once again.
Pete Taylor, Townsville, Qld.
will affect riders and we need to ensure that motorcyclists are not unduly affected.
Safe riding, Brian Wood Motorcycle Council of NSW
HE’S BEEN EVERYWHERE
The scene opens at a construction zone in Idaho USA. A stationery line of cars, and our four bikes. The scene is guarded by the strongest looking lady policeman I have ever seen, built like a brick you-know-what, with a stare to match.
Anyway, the all clear is given and off we go. But the line of cars is slow to
move, so we weave in and out to make our way to the front of the slowmoving column of cars. The road is flat and straight with excellent visibility. About ten miles later we pass through a small town. The lead three bikes slow to the limit but your-truly being at the back of the train, has to speed
up a little to catch the trio as they accelerate past the derestricted zone. Erk! Flashing blue lights behind.
"You were trying to catch your mates, weren't you?" And then, spotting the bike's radio equipment, he asked if I could contact said mates, who had of course quickly abandoned me at the first sign of blue lights. "Er, no," I said, "but in any event they always leave anyone in trouble behind..."
That was when the fun started. Not one but two police SUVs pull up. The second one contained a
dog - presumably they got this one completely wrong. The dog's services were not employed or required. Anyway, my Australian licence did its job and the whole scene took on a Saturday barbecue atmosphere. Have a good trip, ride safe, etc etc. No mention of a ticket.
What they did not know was that the bike immediately in front of me was ridden by a Judge, a real actual put-people-in-jail truly-ruly practicing judge.
It turned out that somebody in one of the cars we passed earlier, had rated our passing as dangerous and called the Police ahead. It was nothing of the sort of course, but when a car is passed in quick succession by four bikes, I guess they can get that impression.
EXACTLY HALFWAY BETWEEN WINDSOR AND SINGLETON ON YOUR PUTTY ROAD RIDE
CLUBS AND GROUPS WELCOMEPHONE AHEAD FOR QUICKER SERVICE
Cafe Style Food
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Open 7 days 7.00am to 5.00pm and by appointment for evening functions
Motorcyclists Ken and Tania welcome you to their highly recommended cafe. Wood Fired Pizza, Tapas and Espresso Bar.
Gotcha! In Idaho.
The dirt between Rockley ‘n’ Oberon.
Speaking of judges. Our four bikes were cruising through the wide open spaces of Wyoming. Our judge friend had announced earlier that he had to make a conference call at exactly 9.00am, wherever we were. So as 9.00am approached, he began looking for a suitable pullover. He found one, the gateway to a farm. We waited. It struck me as slightly weird and ephemeral that somebody's future life was possibly being permanently changed by a judge on the side of a country road in Wyoming, USA, riding a motorcycle no less. How wrong the stereotypes can be......
And by the way, your Welcome to Concrete photo... Concrete is a small town in Washington State USA. I know because we stayed in a pub there overnight and had the small audience awed by our accent..
Cheers
Peter Colwell Bear Army #20
Peter, one day I will find a town that you haven’t been to. By the way, we’re looking at launching a “Where’s the Bear” competition launching a “Where’s the Bear” competition with photos from my travels (actually, I’ve started it this issue!). You are banned – The Bear.
PLONKING
Hi Peter, First off...well I was going to wish you ‘n’ yours season’s greetings but by the time this arrives it will be done ‘n’ dusted...
Been off to Sydney from Toowoomba for my few times a year trip. Harder each time to find a new route , however after some zigs ‘n’ zags to Bathurst I tried the road to Rockley then over the ranges to Oberon via the dirt. It’s about 30ks and I'm sure the sign said 1500m high, however it was a heap of fun although very cold in the week before Christmas . It’s pretty steep in in parts and had the poor old fully loaded K100 bumping ‘n’ swaying along while I tried to keep my nerve!!
A nice warm breakfast at Oberon helped me tackle the back road to Jenolan Caves... with fog ‘n’ drizzle, helps raise ones skill level they say!
A coffee and map check at Mount Victoria showed the Hartley Vale road leading off The Causeway and heading down to Lithgow, also steep with dirty big cliffs on either side, then more dirt, passing the two historic pubs on the way into Lithgow then back up the same way and onto Sydney, I've never been a dirt rider of any confidence however I try to tackle it from time to time often with fear but this time I enjoyed it. I guess dirt makes you feel as though the journey has been hard won as opposed to plonking along on the tar.
Last week of next February will be my next trip down and tackling Hassan’s Walls and others in that article is on my list . One thing is that the Hartley Vale road down from the
Cullen Bullen pub.
Causeway has a k or so of dirt, not to scare the tar people it is pretty easy although it has a few pot-holes, then of course passes the old pubs the Comet and Collits Inn on the way to Lithgow , certainly a worthy alternative route down from the mountains.
Boris... what to say. He cracks me up I tell you. Fair rips the shit out of people for stuff!!
However as a fair retort regarding odd things grown men do in public. I've never been a Harley or cruiser man so therein may lie the perplexity of the problem. I traded a ride on my bike to the pillion on the back off a Walla for a few kilometres many years ago to stop the poor fellow throwing himself under a truck to rid himself of the antediluvian monstrosity, also I once rode a 900cc magneto Sportster around the block , both experiences serving to keep me well away from them!
Oops off the subject ... what the hell makes grown men think it’s cool to wear a child’s skull mask on a bike? 10 year olds wear them on Halloween , you can’t use the excuse "’cause I'm being an individual" can you because I see hundreds of them , like red n yellow camos on Gixxer riders . When these guys pull up at a pub I'm at and remove their gear they don’t seem to have been marred by a head first journey down the road, they are not any uglier than most of us who have faced years of bike travel, heat, rain, bugs or fights so where does this urge to look like a dead man come from, couple blokes at work are cruiser men and of course I hassle them ... why ? The usual story is yes they coyly admit to owning one, but it was a gift, embarrassed to say "I bought and wear a child’s Halloween skull mask in public".
Thanks for the great times along the way, Peter, and best of for 2017, Paul Cadman
Yeah, I know that Rockley-Oberon road, Paul. I exited a BMW R 1100 RT (I think) by way of the handlebars once after encountering the slimy base of a creek crossing. As I flew through the air, the bike’s fairing broke my collarbone. Must write about that whole thing some time, now that I think of it. As for magneto Sporties, I’ll have you know there was a time when they were probabkly the most desirable bike on the road. Ah, the ‘60s – The Bear.
MORE ROYALTY!
Hi,
I was a bit disappointed in Royal Enfield range ride in the Feb 2017 mag. Barely 400 words to cover 5 different bikes!
Any chance of some real road tests on these bikes?
Regards,
John Van Buuren
Canberra
Hi John, this was more of just an overview, not an in depth test. We did do a test on the Classic 500 a couple of issues ago in #46, and we are looking forward to getting our hands on a project Himalayan - Cheers, Stuart. D
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BEARFACED
I’VE GOT STRIPES
The other day I bought a six-pack of Red Stripe. For those of you who don’t know it, Red Stripe is the beer of the West Indies. Brewed in Kingston, it is a popular beverage with Rastafarians and many others. There was a time when I drank a lot of it, and seeing the six-pack brought back many happy memories. Of course it helped that the six 330ml stubbies only cost $15, too… Back in the early ‘70s, I lived a troglodyte existence in – or more like under - Westbourne Park Road in a (sub)basement fl at with a couple of other Aussies. One was (and still is) a composer, the other was (and sadly is no longer) a psychologist who made his living selling sandals made from old tyres at the nearby Portobello Markets. I worked for Airfi x, the model kit and toy manufacturer. We were thus a reasonably disparate trio, but on summer Sunday afternoons we all caught the old red double decker bus out to Camden Lock. Here, right on the canal by the lock, was (and still is) a bar called Dingwalls.
I suspect that anyone who has eaten, drunk or listened to music there has happy memories of the place. Dingwalls offered Blues, Rock, Jazz and just about every other cool kind of music, live and at no cover charge. The burgers were good and affordable (a major consideration in ’70s London) and the beer was varied and cosmopolitan. Normally I like English regional beers, mainly ales, and I have been known to subsist almost entirely on a diet of Old
Peculier, Bishops’ Tipple and such wondrous, viscid brews. But on a sunny Sunday afternoon (and there were such in London, at least that year) a Bear’s thoughts turn to lighter drinks; and the beer I favoured then was Red Stripe.
The white labels with the discreet red stripe conjured up the relaxed, lyrical world of the West Indies and no matter what the music currently on offer, there were overtones of Bob Marley in the air. The Red Stripe went down easily, and even following an afternoon and evening of enjoying the Camden Lock atmosphere I could still walk well enough to make it to the bus home. If I’d been drinking the far more powerful ales I would have lost the power of locomotion by sunset, if not before. Happy daze. Er, days.
It was convenient that we had a bus almost from our front door to Camden and return. I didn’t have a motorcycle at the time; my transport was a BMW Isetta. The availability of the bus meant that I could leave it parked on Sundays, which is certainly why I survived that summer.
So when I saw the white label with the red stripe at the bottle shop, I heard echoes of “No Woman, No Cry” in the Lane Cove air and bought that six pack. Sitting in the garden at the back of the house, coincidentally also by the water (well, by a creek that sometimes fl ows) and in the sun, I
cracked the fi rst stubbie of the amber Caribbean ambrosia.
I didn’t really like it.
Maybe the formula had changed in the 40 years since I last had a Red Stripe, or maybe (and more likely) my tastes have changed. It was still remarkably drinkable, mainly due to the limited carbonation, but the fl avour seemed curiously mild, as if the brew had been under-hopped. It tasted innocuous, which I suppose it had been all those years ago, too. But the times have moved on, and I guess all the craft beers now on the market have spoiled me with their fl avour.
And ain’t that the way of it. Not long ago I had an opportunity to ride one of the NRMA’s museum pieces, a beautifully maintained WLA Harley-Davidson outfi t. It is so similar to the one I rode for Wallace & Knox (see my recent columns) that it’s almost eerie. And it’s a pretty dull piece of machinery. Having owned four or fi ve WLAs, as well as riding that delivery outfi t, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what the bikes would do and how they’d do it. Wrong. That NRMA bike shattered my memories and put paid to a vague idea I had had of buying another one.
Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis; times change and we change with them. But the things we loved of yore do not change. Beer or bikes, they are stuck in time while we have moved on.
So I’m happy to drink a Red Stripe to the Harley WLA, but not too often. Both have been replaced, for me, by later items. Not that that should reduce the affection we feel for superseded things. I’ll tell you some more about my adventures with WLAs sometime soon. D
BORIS
FAKERY AND FRAUD
It was only a matter of time before the vile Hipster turned his attention to my beloved motorcycling, spread wide its exclusive little hams with his freshly tattooed fingers, and jammed his horrid phallus deep into its hitherto private parts.
Predictably, these facile trendsetters grok motorcycling about as much as they grok the lovely little bluebird tattoo they might have put on their scrawny necks – which is to say, not at all.
To them it’s all about “fashion, music, food and of course, bikes”, which is how a fellow by the name of Mark Hawwa described his recent Throttle Roll event to the odious online rubbish, the Telegraph.com.au.
And here I am, thinking that motorcycling was all about riding – the visceral thrill of speed, the precision of cornering, the vagaries of the weather, the trials of distance, the thrill of new roads, the comradeship of good men and true, etc.
Fashion? Fashion is something my wife is vaguely concerned about, and a concept entirely alien to me.
Music? Music is great, and if there happens to be a jukebox in a country pub I’m in, then that is a bonus –especially if I’m drunk and there are Johnny Cash songs on it.
Food? Well, sure. I like food. But I’d rather ride than eat and there have been many times in my youth when I bought tyres instead of groceries.
None of these things have anything to do with motorcycling.
Just as Hipsters have nothing to do with motorcycling.
They never have and never will. They can’t. They don’t fit.
They do not fit with the outlaw motorcycle culture.
They do not fit the boy-racer paradigm.
They do not fit the adventurebike cult.
They do not fit the cruiser thing. They do not fit enduro, trials, trackdays, motocross or commuting. Because those things are, at the end of
the day, all about actually riding motorcycles.
Building them, buying them, and modifying them are all a means to an end – the riding of them.
And not a single Hipster I have come across, though there may well be rare exceptions to this, can ride a motorcycle with any integrity.
I know this because I have spent tedious time with some of their high priests at the odd bike launch; mainly sitting on the side of the road with the rest of the Australian motorcycle press corps waiting for the back-up truck to arrive because that’s where they will be, riding daintily in front of it. Or watching their angst as the rain teems down, and they squint at the sky possibly wondering if an investment in wet-weather gear might have been wiser than a new pair of skinny girl-jeans or some tobacco-scented arse-beard oil.
The industry has taken to inviting them to selected bike launches because Hipsters have a massive social media presence. And any good marketing director’s job is to get his product in front of as many eyes as he or she can. I get that. And more power to them. They are in the business of selling bikes, and they’ll sell those bikes to whoever has the money. If the market is suddenly filled with bearded mincers with a penchant for rock-a-billy music, then their money spends as well as anyone else’s.
But is it? I don’t think so.
I don’t really imagine the Hipsters’ massive social-media audience directly translates into a new-bike buyer’s market. And I know that their dreary and badly-written on-line bike “reviews” lack any validity whatsoever, and simply trying to read them was giving me subcortical infarcts.
These strange-looking people have adopted the motorcycle, not so much as a lifestyle choice, but as some kind of fashion-accessory-cum-hobby.
I am not surprised. I’m too old and leathery to be surprised by anything much anymore.
We live in a time when all social taboos are freely and joyously broken.
Girls tattoo their necks and hands, beards are grown by slim-hipped men who collect cats and handbags, and we are utterly indifferent to being governed by gypsies, tramps and thieves.
And the Hipster rolls among us, reeking of motorcycle fakery and fraud.
But more people riding bikes is a good thing, right? Why be hating on more motorcycle riders?
I am so glad you asked. Really. Look at where lots ‘more motorcycles’ has gotten us.
We now have a vast herd of mugwumps on bikes, who are too scared to lane-split, think wearing fluoro is a substitute for skill (and that it actually works by aiding visibility when peer-reviewed scientific studies repeatedly demonstrate that it doesn’t), blame speed for all our ills, chant “All The Gear All The Time” like it means something, and devolve any responsibility for what happens to them on the roads to “other factors” (like that inane SMIDSY bullshit), rather than their own incompetence.
That being so, I struggle to see what benefit motorcycling will derive from accepting a bunch of fuzzy, inner-city, out-for-a-groove fashionistas on shitty old bikes into its bosom.
But if you work it out, you let me know. D
Shannons are offering motoring enthusiasts the chance to win a 15-day tour for two to Italy from 23rd May to 7th June 2017, to coincide with the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este is one of the world’s most exclusive and spectacular events for historic cars and motorcycles, set against the breathtaking backdrop of Lake Como. From Lake Como you’ll travel to Milan to explore this beautiful city, then onto Bologna, the heart of Italy’s ‘Motor Valley’ for a tour of supercar factories and museums. Drive along the spectacular Italian Riviera staying in Genoa before concluding the trip in amazing Monaco.
The winner will also receive an all new 2017 Indian Scout Motorcycle in Brilliant Blue over White.
