Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a general store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more! (Like a new motorcycle! - AMM)
YAMAHA
Editor Stuart Woodbury
Contributing Editor 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, Robert Lovas, Boris Mihailovic, The Possum, Colin Whelan
Australian Motorcyclist Magazine is published by Australian Motorcyclist Magazine Pty Ltd. Suite 4b, Level 1, 11-13 Orion Rd, Lane Cove West NSW 2066 contactus@ausmotorcyclist.com.au
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EDITORSPEAKS
Delivering the mail
HAVE YOU HEARD of the Australian Postie GP? It has taken over the town of Cessnock in New South Wales for the last five years and this year I got roped into racing. A mate (Baden) had organised Pickles Auctions to come on board as sponsors (for the second year now) for a two bike team, so the lovely Honda CT110s have been painted in the familiar light/mid blue of the Pickles Auctions banner. Baden raced the postie last year but broke three ribs in the process. The racing is rough and passing each other basically has no rules – chuck it in late – no problems. LOL!
Essentially the postie bike has to be stock. Power must not exceed 6.3hp, and all bikes are run on a dyno before being passed at scrutineering and held in a lock up area the night before race day. Some bikes went over the 6.3 mark, but you get three bites at the cherry before being kicked out.
The Postie GP attracts riders from all genres across the country. Funnily enough my cousin, Troy Whittaker and his boy, Jake (both top level flat track racers) also raced. Other notable names racing the GP were Chad Reed, Kev Curtain, Phil Lovett, Tom Toparis, Mick Kirkness, Cru Haliday, Wayne Maxwell and Steve Martin.
Also throw in a mix of mega fast not so well known racers and the 72 bike field is probably one of the most hotly contested in the Southern Hemisphere! I was partnered up with my mate Chris Pickett until his son, IoM TT racer Alex got the weekend off work and was drafted in as a much faster rider than his old man! Alex and I haven’t raced together for a while – he was always off racing over at the Isle of Man at the time of the PCRA One Hour races when we’d been partnering up, so it was great to get the ‘team’ back together and enjoy the ‘extremely’ fast postie bike. Hahaha! I asked Alex for any tips on how to ride the postie fast and he said, “Forget everything you know about racing. Loose is fast!” Oh, okay, I can do that (I think)?
Alex has raced the Postie GP before and crashed about one thousand times in the process. He was gifted a crash in the first heat race, by another competitor this time, which put us out of getting into the main GP race. We did make it into the Chris Watson Cup race and started off grid 13. It felt like a race to the death! Alex started and got us up to 7th, then I got on and moved us up to 3rd. Alex took over for the final stint of the shortened 45 minute race and went to pass Steve Martin for the lead when they tangled together - and down they went. Alex remounted quickly, only for the bike to run out of fuel on the main tap. Alex quickly sorted this out turning it to reserve and got going. We ended up 6th or thereabouts. As the saying goes, “That’s racing”.
Get your postie prepped and I’ll see you at Cessnock next year!
Enjoy.
Cheers, Stuart.
www.ausmotorcyclist.com.au
SAVE THE DATES
Is there anything better than getting out into the wide open spaces, then setting up camp and talking crap with like-minded fellows and lasses? Our thanks to The Possum for the list he’s given us (and which he will continue to update) of upcoming rallies that you should be attending. There’s always great prizes to be won and the next morning bacon and egg rolls are things to rave about!
January 11-13: Capital Rally, Stewarts Crossing Campground, Oallen on the Shoalhaven River.
February 1-3: Nulli Secundus, Nug Nug Reserve nr Myrtleford Vic. Triumph Owners Club.
February 8-10: Karuah River Rally, nr Dungog NSW. BMWTCNSW.
March 8-10: Cold Flame, South of Jindabyne on the Barry Way. Monarchs.
March 22-24: Pigs’n’Pines, Spring Ridge Hotel. New England Bikers.
April 12-14: Victorian Outfit Rally, Carters Beach Strathmerton. Monarchs.
April - last full weekend: Autumn Leaf, Tumorrama Hall, Wee Jasper Rd out of Tumut. Tumut Valley Riders.
More than three years ago Craig Vetter, the near-legendary father of the Triumph Hurricane and the revolutionary motorcycle fairings
and luggage that carry his name (among other things), had a disastrous encounter with a deer which left him with serious head injuries. I was actually on my way to see him when his wife Carol sent me the bad news. Craig is a friend, and I have been following reports of his recovery ever since. “Changes are slow though steady,” writes Carol. “It has been 3 years and 2 months since Craig’s accident and his design ability, some of his reasoning, his ability to plan ahead are all back. He still struggles with his emotions... On the physical side of his healing, he is still dizzy most of the time (can you imagine?)…
“His hearing is still not back, but hope springs eternal… Otherwise Craig’s health is good. He is healthy, has a cute sense of humor, is more caring and his faith is much stronger. Those are some of the nice things that have come out of this. God always brings good out of some of the tough stuff that we got through. So grateful for that.”
And I’m grateful as well that Craig is continuing to improve. He’s one of the greats of the motorcycle industry and his contributions have made motorcycling better for many people. PT
ROCKET SHIPS
The Australian Postie Bike GP has been run and won on the dyno after the event. Five out of the top ten finishers were disqualified for being over the 6.3hp limit. One such bike was two hp over! As one person mentioned to Stuart over the weekend, the Chris Watson Cup race is for the
My Craig Vetter-designed Triumph Hurricane in my garage.
“standard posties” and the GP race is for the cheaters, or a more polite way of putting it – the “Modified Cup”. Either way the event was again another success with a rough estimate being 10,000 people showing up to witness massive names from all motorcycle racing genres battle it out around the streets of Cessnock, NSW.
Check out the ‘Australian Postie Bike Grand Prix’ Facebook page for next year’s event. Pic credit: “Mudgee Events & Sports Pics”
RIDE WITH A FULL TANK
The (claimed) world’s first dedicated not-for-profit apparel brand for motorcyclists, Full Tank Moto is a registered Australian charity tasked with raising awareness of and funds to support men’s health around the world.
Motorcyclists are a philanthropic bunch, donating tens of millions of dollars annually to worthy causes, Full Tank founder Scott Wilson says.
“Why then when it comes to apparel, do we only have choice from ‘forprofit’ manufacturers?” he asks.
“Full Tank looks to challenge that landscape and become a global brand motorcyclists feel not only delivers a great product, but gives back to their health and that of fellow riders at the same time. It’s a way to roll with purpose, every day.”
To this end, 100% of the profits raised by Full Tank will go to the Movember Foundation, which funds ground-breaking research into
prostate cancer, testicular cancer and suicide prevention.
This is something that Wilson is particularly passionate about, as many in this field of social enterprise only pass on a small percentage of their profits. “To make real change and be authentic in life to yourself and others, it is important that you are all in, or not at all,” he explains.
Hugh Anderson MBE became the first Full Tank ambassador, a club that now includes British Super Bike champion Josh Brookes; Australian rugby league international, thyroid cancer survivor and motorcycle enthusiast, Luke Lewis; actor, testicular cancer survivor and much admired motorcycle adventurer Charley Boorman; Australian stunt riding champion, Lukey Luke; and the founder of the worldwide charitable initiatives, The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride and Ride Sunday, Mark Hawwa.
Full Tank will kick start with a range
of t-shirts featuring illustrations that Wilson says look to express the fun, romance and attitude that only motorcycling can deliver. “We wanted to start with an apparel line that allowed us to best express our illustration style, and that was tees,” he says. “Over time that will extend to other lines and, we hope, also act as a brand for current riding apparel manufacturers as well, offering an industry recognised not-for-profit platform to create new product lines that enhance their own philanthropic reputations.”
Wilson emphasises that Full Tank is for motorcycle enthusiasts from all walks of life helping one another to enjoy good physical and mental health. “Everybody deserves a full tank, and I am thankful to the many who have volunteered their time to make that choice a possibility for our riding community around the world,” he says. To learn more visit www.fulltankmoto.org D
FEATURING TERRAIN-TESTED SUSPENSION, A SPORTY STANCE AND DUAL-PURPOSE TYRES, THE HIMALYAN IS BORN OUT OF DECADES OF RIDING EXPERIENCE IN SOME OF THE HARSHEST TERRAIN ON EARTH.
Granite Sleet Snow
YAMAHA NIKEN
Two swords beat (cornering) terror
The Japanese word ‘niken’ means ‘Twosword fighTing’. will Two fronT wheels give you The same kind of edge?
Say you have a knife that you’ve carried for a long time. Its shape is familiar, and it does its job satisfactorily. If you have any criticism it is that it doesn’t hold its edge particularly well, but you’ve gotten used to that. Then someone offers you a new knife. Its shape is a bit odd, but it holds its edge beautifully to the point where you can work with it much better than with the old knife. What do you do?
The same question arises with the Yamaha Niken. Its twin front wheels and twin forks on each side give it a highly unusual look. But its roadholding is so much better than that of a bike with a single front wheel that it simply eliminates the terror of losing the front end at serious lean angles or on poor surfaces. Lean, lean further to the point where you can feel the rear wheel beginning to slip, and the front end stays as planted as… well, I don’t know ‘as’ what. I’ve never felt
a motorcycle respond to cornering the way the Niken does.
One of the wits at the Niken launch in Queenstown in N Z’s South Island quipped: “The front is so good that they should have two wheels at the back, too. Oh, then you’d have a car…” But nothing could be further from the truth. A car, with its non-leaning wheels, would skid off into the toi tois whereas the Niken would not.
I will be eternally grateful to whatever gods of the road ensured the absence of New Zealand’s highway patrol while we were out on the Nikens. I know one of NZ’s Finest, and they would have had the time of their lives booking 13 journalists one after the other and making them leave their bikes by the side of the road. The Niken is just so easy to ride fast – and not just in corners. It is beautifully settled at speed, although I’d be looking for a little more damping from the rear
when the inevitable bump makes itself known. And when you do get to a corner, well, you just lean into it and go around.
Quickly, too, in any mode. I stayed mostly in Mode 2, the touring mode which seems ideal to me, while some of the others clearly preferred the sportier Mode 1. Mode 3 is a rain mode.
In fact, the Niken can lean ‘only’ to 45 degrees, slightly less than the Tracer 900, the bike from which it gets its engine and gearbox. But it feels a lot more secure. That is because Yamaha’s engineers have put more than a decade of solid work into allowing it to do precisely that. The secret lies in the LMW Ackerman Steering, the complicated arrangement of the four fork tubes and the linkages which connect them. The 41mm front tubes add rigidity but are empty; the 43mm rear tubes contain springs as well as the damping mechanism. The
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Register now at www.burtmunrochallenge.co.nz Entries close 11 January 2019
complex combination of linkages and pivots ensures not only that the wheels lean individually but refines their movement to make sure that the pair of 15-inch radials with their single disc brake each maintain a maximum of contact patch. The result is that the Niken steers exactly like a traditional motorcycle.
The 263kg Niken is powered by the well-proven liquid-cooled, 847cc, three-cylinder four-stroke from Yamaha’s MT-09, Tracer 900 and XSR900 with the same 85kW at 10,000rpm.
While the engine parts share dimensions, however, they are not identical. The gears, valves and some other parts are made of a more durable, high-strength steel alloy. This has intentionally made the crankshaft 18 per cent heavier to increase torque, which can lead to a very slight hesitation when the engine spins up. More torque, increased to 87.5Nm at 8500rpm, is also provided by refined fuel injection settings and the secondary gear ratio is increased from 45 to 47 teeth. That means the gears are taller, but like the young hoon I am I would love to see an even higher top gear, or better yet another one on top in the gearbox, for a higher top speed.
“But Bear,” I hear you say, “then you would be breaking the law.” No, no. Track use only.
Some of the other young (60-yearold) hoons on the launch were already hanging out for a bigger engine. I don’t think the bike would benefit from much more power than it currently has – it just doesn’t need it to fulfill its role of ducking into corners under even younger hoons on sports bikes. Besides, a bigger engine would add weight and as well as that, I doubt that there is enough grip from the rear tyre to cope with much more power.
A more powerful Niken is clearly a possibility, but it would need some redesign in areas other than just the engine and gearbox.
It is a problem for all motorcycle manufacturers except, perhaps, Royal
Enfield that it is becoming hard to differentiate your bikes with technical or other improvements. Yamaha has that problem licked with this bike, and their own assessment of the Niken is interesting because it shows what they were shooting for during the more-than-a-decade of development.
“Confidence”, they say, [is improved with] “up to 40% more front end grip… especially in corner-entry section” while the 45 degree lean angle means more fun. “Braking is applied to both front wheels, even when leaning… [giving] freedom to brake later… [with] almost 20% extra stopping power” and the ability to open the throttle earlier. Trail braking is easy; the bike offers “higher stability on tip-in… [and] 50:50 weight distribution with rider… amazing ride quality [adding comfort] and “LMW Ackerman Steering brings natural cornering traceability.” Check, check, check and check. Mission achieved. There is, however, one question. What is the Niken for? One obvious use, for which the 18.5 litre tank should be fine –
Yamaha claims a 300km range, and I averaged 5.9L per 100km - is as a touring bike. The comfort, stability and overall ease of use all point in that direction. In March, Yamaha expects the GT version which will cater to travellers with panniers and a higher screen; the seat is already comfortable for rider and pillion alike. A large range of accessories is already available.
Apart from the touring fraternity and sorority, the Niken will tempt older riders who are finding modern sports bikes a bit of a chore to get around corners, as well as hoons of every age who will love its pin-sharp and secure cornering. Can you take an R1 with a NIken? If there are enough corners, I suspect you can. And yes, the Niken will do both wheelies and stoppies.
The $21,999 Niken is available in only one colour, Granite Grey, although more colours will follow next year with the GT. If your Yamaha dealer has a demo (not all of them will) I suggest you go and have a punt. You’ll be just as amazed as we all were. And you know how it is – you can always use a sharper knife. D
SPECS
YAMAHA NIKEN
PRICE: $21,999 (plus on-road charges)
WARRANTY: Two years, unlimited distance
SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 10,000km or 12 months
ENGINE: Liquid-cooled in-line three cylinder, 4-stroke, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 5.9 litres per 100km, premium unleaded
THEORETICAL RANGE: 300km
COLOURS: Granite Grey
VERDICT: “TWOSIES IS FUNSIES, BUT NOTHING BEATS THREES…”
(THANK YOU, FRED EBB)
Winning Attitude
K1 is the brand new AGV sport helmet for everyday riding challenges. Born from AGV racing technology, ready for every road experience.
Aerodynamic shape, racing-developed front air vents and wind-tunnel engineered aero spoiler maximize performances while providing stability at higher speed. Panoramic anti-scratch visor allows a wider lateral and vertical field of vision for a total control of the environment. Comfort is no-compromise with Dry-Comfort soft removable interiors. Competition. It’s a matter of facts.
See the K1 at your local AGV dealership or find out more at agvhelmets.com.au
PRESS!
LAST MINUTE CHRISTMAS GIFTS
COMPILED BY STUART
AS YOU READ this there are only a handful of days left until Christmas. If you’ve left your Xmas shopping till the last minute, we’ve got you covered with these wonderful Xmas gifts for you or the motorcyclist in your life. Check them out, quick!
ROCKY CREEK DESIGNS
www.rockycreekdesigns.com.au
MOTOPRESSOR MINI PUMP - $79.95
The MotoPressor Mini Pump enables you to pre-select a tyre pressure, pump your tyres and the pump will automatically switch OFF when it reaches the pre-selected pressure. On top of that you have the option to power the pump off a mini jump starter (sold separately), which gives you the mobility to move about with the pump.
The kit includes the pump with a digital pressure gauge and all the power leads and connectors to enable you to run off your motorcycle battery or a mini jump starter. All this is packed neatly into a sturdy carry case. Weighs 503g, dimensions 127 x 105 x 53 mm, pumps to a max 100psi and will pump a 120/70/19 tyre to 36psi in 3min 20sec and a 170/60/17 tyre to 40psi in 6min 45sec.
MOTOPRESSOR 300AMP OR 400AMP JUMP STARTER$138 OR $168
A jump starter pack will give you
power anywhere, anytime. It is one of the most important pieces of emergency kit you can carry with you. Whether you’re on an outback track or heading home late at night, a jumper starter will protect you if you’re stranded with a flat battery.
The 300Amp jump starter will start motorcycles, watercraft, ATV/UTV, snowmobiles and petrol car engines up to 4.0L, and the 400Amp jump starter will start motorcycles, watercraft, ATV/UTV, snowmobiles and petrol car engines up to 6.0L AND 3.0L Diesel automotive engines. It will also charge your phone or tablet through either of the two USB outlets and has a built in LED light. The jump starter pack comes in a carry case with a 220v wall charger, a 12v accessory plug for on bike charging, battery leads and a combination micro USB/ lightening charging cable.
ROCKY CREEK BIFOCAL RIDING GLASSES - $24.95
When it comes to motorcycling, your vision is critical. As we get older most of us experience some deterioration in our eyesight. These glasses are a great solution for those of you who can see clearly out front, but struggle to read your instrument panel, speedo or GPS. Given the proliferation of ever fluctuating speed zones, this is a pain. Basically they are riding glasses with bifocal lenses. The bifocals are available in +1.5, +2.0 and +2.5. While riding you look down the road through the non-magnified lenses and when you want to check your instruments, speedo or GPS you simply look down through the bifocals. How simple is that!
The frames are lightweight and are super flexible. The temples (arms) are very flat so they fit comfortably between your head and the helmet. The lenses come in three colours Smoke, Clear and Yellow and include a foam Dust Seal to protect your eyes from fine dust, pollen and other irritants. Lenses are made from polycarbonate and rate “Medium Impact”, have a UV400 rating and an ANSI/ISEA Z87.1/2010 and AS/ NZ1337 safety rating.
RACE ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE
www.bellbirdpublishing.net/ order or Automoto Bookshop, Sydney, 02 9231 6713
BOOK - $68
Race Across The Great Divide celebrates the decade that saw Australia emerge from a motorcycling backwater to become the epicentre of some of the most successful twowheel talent the world has ever seen. Featuring 330 photographs over 320 pages, the coffee table book explores motorcycling’s spread across the regions in the 1970s that inspired a new generation of rural racers to take on the world in numbers never seen before.
The foreword to the book is written by Wayne Gardner, Australia’s first world 500cc champion. He emerged from Wollongong’s minibike scene in
OGIO MACH 1 OGIO MACH 3 OGIO MACH 5
If you’ve ever ridden with a typical backpack, you know that loose fabric, hanging straps, and jangling metal zippers are a recipe for disaster. Regular packs can become a virtual tasmanian devil strapped to your back, violently thrashing, flapping, and clawing at you, causing massive amounts of wind drag. The No Drag Mach Series is constructed from our “Single Shot” high grade molded exterior and a unique shoulder gasket that conforms to your body helping to reduce wind drag. This, along with unparalleled storage and organization make the Mach 5 the only way to travel on two wheels
1974 to capture motorcycle racing’s most coveted crown just over a decade later. “It might be a cliché, but the 70s was the Golden Age of motorcycle racing and I will never forget it,” writes Gardner. “It was an amazing time with bikes and racing all over Australia, and I’m so fortunate and proud to have been part of it.
“It is interesting that I was the first Australian world champion to come from a regional centre because just about every Australian-born world motorcycle champion since has emerged from a similar background.”
Written by Don Cox and Darryl Flack, Race Across The Great Divide is rich in vivid anecdotes and 330 unpublished and classic images, bringing to life the Easter Bathurst races, the Castrol Six-Hour, Laverton TT, New Zealand’s Marlboro Series, and many races in between.
Part road trip, part reflection on the Golden Age of motorcycle racing, the book is also a celebration of the most iconic era of Aussie and Kiwi racing through its colourful characters and the victories that made them legends from Ron Toombs, Bill Horsman and Bryan Hindle to Geoff Perry, Warren Willing, Gregg Hansford, Ken Blake, Kim Newcombe, Murray Sayle, Peggy Hyde, John Woodley, Stu Avant, Graeme Crosby, Rick Perry, Ray Quincey and Ron Boulden. There are tributes to Ross Barelli, Denny McCormack, Greg Pretty and Jim Budd.
If you’re ordering two copies of the book, say one for you and the other for a friend or family member, consider a $7 saving on shipping the two copies right across Australia through Australia Post Parcel Post. Std shipping $24, Parcel Post $17. Email bbpublishing@optusnet.com.au for details.
LINK INTERNATIONAL www.linkint.com.au
AGV K-1 HELMET - FROM $279
K-1 is the brand new AGV sport helmet for everyday riding. Born from AGVs racing technology, the
aerodynamic shape, racing-developed front air vents and wind tunnel tested spoiler maximise performance and give stability at speed. The anti-scratch visor with Pinlock allows a wider vertical and lateral field of vision and comfort is no-compromise with DryComfort soft and removable interiors. See your local bike shop or www.agvhelmets.com.au
TCX STREET ACE
LADY AIR - $219
The “Lady Fit” version of the Street Ace Air (Men’s version also available), this CE certifi ed boot has all the features and benefi ts of the Street Ace Air while being made from a last specifi cally designed to fi t women’s feet. Featuring perforated leather uppers, ankle, heel and toe protection and an ultra grippy sole, these boots are perfect for spring, summer and autumn riding, while combining urban Italian style with safety and a feminine touch of colour. Available in vintage
look cold grey and fuchsia in sizes Eu 3-42 / US 4-9.5. See your local bike shop or www.tcxboots.com.au
ANDY STRAPZ
www.andystrapz.com
LIMITED EDITION BUCKET BAGZ - $124
As part of Andy’s 20th year he’s had a bit of fun with colour, and what better than outback ochre to choose for a Limited Edition of the venerable Bucket Bag.
A courier style, shoulder bag designed around a 15 inch lap top and made to the very highest standards in Melbourne, yes, Melbourne, Australia. Constructed from the same tough 17oz ripstop canvas used for Andy’s soft panniers, Bucket Bagz. Andy also only uses the very best clips and webbing.
Bucket Bagz are extremely hardy, swallow a huge amount of gear, enough for a weekend yet sit flat against the body when empty or part full. Most of the weight is taken via the flat base on the seat behind so there is little drag on the shoulders. Grab ‘em while you can!
ANDY STRAPZ TOOL ROLLZ - $45
Constructed of tough Aussie canvas to the quality you’d expect from Andy,
they are ready to carry all the essentials you’ll need to repair your or your mates’ bike that breaks down on a ride.
BACHO 25PC TOOL KIT - $59
This small but beautifully made Bahco mini socket set made by the same Scandinavian mob that made sailing, fighting and the other thing so popular back in the dark ages, this little beauty reeks of Viking quality. With a range of sockets in the usual popular sizes up to 13mm, accompanied by a selection of the increasingly familiar torx drives, plus cross head screwdriver and allen keys, Bahco ¼ inch box socket and bit set, SL-25, is intended for both professional and DIY users. The reversible ratchet angle, allied to the compact design (125 millimetres) and an easily manoeuvred switch for changing traction direction, makes it simpler to work in narrow and cramped spaces. Functions, such as the push button socket release, simplify changing tools while the sprung bearing keeps the tool in place during operation. The box is made of tough HDPE plastic with a cushion insert to keep the contents in position and is ideal for the traveller who wants dependable rather than cheap.
OGGY KNOBBS –Z900RS – $35 - $195
Designed and manufactured right here in Australia with the same premium-quality materials and attention to detail we have all come to expect from Promoto.
The Oggy Knobbs, Axle Oggys, frame plug and stand pickup knobbs are all direct bolt-on to make life easy for the proud owner as well as the person fitting them.
Oggy Fender Eliminator kits come with bracketry to suit the original indicators. Brackets for aftermarket indicators are available. Designed for use with the OEM licence plate lamp and Australian number plates, these are truly a plug-and-play fitment, without the need to cut wires or drill holes. Completely legal when fitted using the OEM lamps.
DNA LEATHER TOP FILTERS
Each filter is handcrafted and produced with passion and attention to detail on DNA’s new specialised small-batch production line. Personalised design with three different shapes, and eight different colours to match your boots, seat, jacket or your mentality for a total of
24 unique air fi lters in fi ve different mounting fl ange diameters. Special leather top with synthetic leather on the top side of each fi lter, heat-embossed with minimal DNA logo.
Rust free, clamps made from marinegrade stainless steel. Wire mesh is epoxy-coated marine-grade aluminium. Sizes cover more than 95% of available throttle bodies. Reddot design award winner 2017
VENHILL BRAIDED BRAKE LINES
Venhill Powerhose Plus lead the way in brake lines with a smoothbore Teflon inner for better heat resistance and marine grade stainless steel outer which helps eliminate expansion so the braking force is transmitted to the brake. The lines have 360 degree swivel unions to guarantee no kinks or twists in the lines. These lines boast perfect twist free alignment every time. Every single brake line that leaves Venhill is tested to 1500psi. Your brakes are operating at around 25 to 30psi. That’s a nice margin of safety.
Venhill offer a wide variety of coloured lines to suit any taste along with chrome, black or stainless steel fittings.
MOTOCICLO
www.motociclo.com.au or Ph: 02 9557 7234
DART SCREENS
Dart classic flyscreens and the retro Marlin screen are designed and manufactured in England, using only the best materials.
The screen is a full 4mm thick and is made from high impact Makrolon polycarbonate - the same material used by German car manufacturers
SPECIAL FEATURE Xmas Gifts
for headlight lenses. It’s one of the toughest screens of its type, with mounting brackets precision laser cut from aluminium alloy or steel, then CNC folded and finished. Using only top grade stainless steel fasteners these are well designed with simple and tradition classic styling, suiting a wide range of current and retro bikes. Available for a wide range of retro and round headlight motorcycles.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON
www.h-d.com.au or your local dealer
SHOVEL B01 3/4 HELMET - $199
The Shovel B01 3/4 Helmet goes retro with glossy retro-inspired tank graphics in rich black and red. Sleek, gold pinstriping takes it up a notch. Designed with a fiberglass shell and fixed liner for rider comfort. Available in size XS-2XL
MEN’S LEATHER SLEEVE SLIM FIT DENIM
JACKET - $355
A combo of vintage leather and well-worn denim teams up to build the Leather Sleeve Slim Fit Denim
Jacket. The full-colour overprinted embroidery injects colour on this men’s casual jacket. Available in size S-2XL.
TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES
www.triumphmotorcycles.com.au or your local dealer
MONO FLAG GLOVES – $150
Full leather construction in a beautiful retro style with the Union Jack flag on the top of the hand.
1:18 MODEL BONNEVILLE
T100 - $25
A stunning replica model of the Bonneville T100, it will look the part on your shelf, desk or bedside table so you have sweet Bonneville dreams all night long.
www.ausmotorcyclist.com.au
PERFORMANCE R3
WAIST PACK - $125
BRANT & TORI TEE - $55 & $50
Classic style, super comfortable and a must-have for all Triumph fans.
Pack nothing but the essentials into this rugged and awesome waist pack. Made by Kreiga you know the quality is high and the pack, jam-packed with features.
YAMAHA MOTOR –
www.yamaha-motor.com.au or your local dealer
TT-R50E - $2099
Every kid will love the awesome TTR50E. It has a 50cc four-stroke engine, electric start, long travel suspension and knobby tyres, and you also get
a bonus free sticker kit (pic has kit already fitted), $50 gift voucher, $200 factory rebate ($2099 less $200 before 31 December 2018) and six months interest free finance available from YMF (Yamaha Motor Finance).
TT-R110 - $3299
For the slightly bigger kids, the TT-R110 has an 110cc four-stroke engine, electric and kick start, long travel suspension and is rugged and lightweight. Bonus items include a free sticker kit (pic has kit already fitted), $50 gift voucher, $200 factory rebate ($3299 less $200 before 31 December 2018) and six months interest free finance available from YMF (Yamaha Motor Finance.
www.innotesco.com.au
DAYTONA AC4-WD BOOTS - $230
New sporty looking, laced motorcycle shoe/boot from Daytona. Very light
and comfortable riding footwear. The Daytona AC4-WD is ideal for short rides or hot weather riding. Extremely resistant to twisting yet still easily rollable thanks to plastic reinforced sole with a hot-galvanized steel insert. Non-slip sole.
The new Rukka Airium (men) and Airi (ladies) gloves do it all. They are made of a top quality textile, which is remarkably elastic, breathable and abrasion resistant and therefore ensure perfect fit, good ventilation and passive safety. Integrated protectors for the fingers, knuckles and scaphoid bone increase protection even further, while special pads on the palms and fingertips increase the grip.
AUSTRALIAN MOTORCYCLIST
www.ausmotorcyclist.com.au
RUKKA ALL AIR JACKET/PANTS - $499 (JACKET) $425 (PANTS)
Rukka AirAll from the AirPower collection is made of extraordinary wide-meshed, extremely air permeable Cordura AFT. The wind can get through the wide mesh with no resistance, cooling the body. Passive safety is ensured by the high abrasion resistance of Cordura AFT and of AFT+, by the reinforcement of exposed zones and due to the CE certified Rukka D3O Air joint protectors. Pocket for either all-back or full-back protector.
SUBSCRIPTION – 12 OR 24 MONTH - $99.95, $189.95
The most wonderful xmas present has to be a subscription to the best motorcycle magazine in this country –Australian Motorcyclist! Simply jump onto the website, pick either 12 or 24 months and your xmas shopping is done! How easy is that. D
MX-9 ADVENTURE
FROM THE ROUGHEST SINGLETRACK TO URBAN BLACKTOP, THE MX-9 ADVENTURE GETS YOU THERE IN STYLE. WE’VE TAKEN OUR MX-9 AND ADDED EVEN MORE CAPABILITY WITH AN INTEGRATED ANTI-FOG, ANTI-SCRATCH FACE SHIELD. THE SHIELD FLIPS UP AND LEAVES ENOUGH ROOM FOR GOGGLES IN EXTREME CONDITIONS, OR CAN BE REMOVED COMPLETELY. CONVERSELY, THE ADJUSTABLE VISOR CAN BE REMOVED FOR A STEALTH STREET LOOK. MIPS PROTECTION, VELOCITY FLOW VENTILATION, AND A REMOVABLE, WASHABLE, ANTI-MICROBIAL LINER ROUND OUT A HIGHLY ADAPTABLE PACKAGE.
Photo Dimitri Coste
AMD CUSTOMISING
There were 98 bikes, built by 85 competitors, from 30 countries in the Avon Tyres sponsored show in Cologne – and Russia scooped the 2018 AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building. We were there, we were staggered and we just loved the range of bikes and talents on show. SARA VINEY from AMD Magazine takes up the story.
Russian Dmitry Golubchikov not only took out the World Championship but also managed a second place in the Café Racer class
RuSSian CuSToMiZeR
Zillers Garage scored a convincing first place in the 13th annual AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building at INTERMOT Customized in October in Cologne, Germany.
Full results:
Freestyle top 10
1. Zillers Garage, ‘Insomnia’, russia
2. eastern Bobber Custom Work, ‘BoneX’, Malaysia
3. Marusius, ‘speedster King’, Hungary
4. pavel Malanik, ‘Beast of Brooklands’, Czech republic
10. roth engineering, ‘Indian super scout’, sweden
special feature AMD Customising World Championships
This is how good you have to be just to get 10th in the Freestyle class: Roth Engineering’s Indian Super Scout
With ‘Insomnia’, Zillers’ Yamaha SR 400 based masterpiece, rising star Dmitry Golubchikov takes the coveted title of Avon World Champion of Custom Bike Building for the next two years,
and becomes the first winner of the AMD World Championship from Eastern Europe. Sponsored by leading custom tire manufacturer Avon Tyres, the Freestyle class at the AMD World
Championship is internationally recognized as being the premier showcase for originality, innovation, craftsmanship and advanced custom motorcycle design and engineering. In a very broad international
Freestyle 2nd, Eastern Bobber Custom Work – BoneX
BMW Motorrad
special feature AMD Customising World Championships
spread of top honours, second place and first reserve champion went to Omar Jumiran, all the way from Malaysia for ‘BoneX’, his exquisite handbuilt, race-inspired AJS 350 engined drag style one-off special. Omar qualified to compete at the AMD World Championship as a result of his win at MotoNation, Kuala Lumpur in 2017, one of
The Public Choice winner in a class sponsored by retailer Detlev Louis, came from Szabja’s Garage in Poland
the international network of AMD’s official affiliated custom bike shows.
Third place and second reserve champion went to Károly Orkonyi from Hungary for ‘Speedster King’, his
AMD Customising World Championships
futuristic 1700cc handmade rigid.
Altogether 51 bikes competed in Freestyle, with no less than 13 different countries featuring in the top 20.
Fourth place went to Pavel Malanik
from the Czech Republic for ‘Beast of Brooklands’, a handmade one-off replica of what itself was a handmade one-off JAP engined racer, of over a century ago, that was built by North
Cafe Racer Winner, FMW Motorcycles – Hurakan
Retro Mod Winner, VM Cycles - VM 003-16
AMD Customising World Championships
Modified Harley-Davidson
1. One Way Machine, ‘Silver Storm’, Germany
2. Lord Drake Kustoms, ‘Speedster’, Spain
3. PMS Bike, ‘HD3- Spritz’, Italy
RetRO MODIfIeD
1. VM Cycles, ‘VM 003-16’, Italy
2. Abnormal Cycles, ‘Anniversary’, Italy
3. American Dreams, ‘Iceman Scout Boardtracker’, Italy
StReet PeRfORMAnCe
1. Paul Milbourn Customs, ‘titanium V’, United Kingdom
2. Zen Motorcycles, ‘Ducati 900 turbo’, france
3. MatCustom, ‘Alpha’, Russia
CAfe RACeR
1. fMW Motorcycles, ‘Hurakan’, Italy
2. Zillers Garage, ‘Jawa 500’, Russia
3. 3, PDf Motociclette, ‘Quadrophenia’, Italy
Mod H-D Winner, One Way Machine - Silver Storm
Street Performance Winner, Paul Milbourn CustomsTitanium V. This was The Bear’s choice for overall winner – pure quality all the way from concept to welding.
Freestyle 4th, Pavel MalanikBeast of Brooklands
Cafe Racer 2nd, Zillers Garage - Jawa 500. This was Dmitry Golubchikov’s second entry
Retro Mod 2nd, Abnormal Cycles – Anniversary
Street Performance 2nd, Zen MotorcyclesDucati 900 Turbo
Mod H-D 2nd, Lord Drake Kustoms Speedster
London Garage (NLG) in England to hold the then World Landspeed record.
Fifth place was taken by 2013 AMD World Champions Don Cronin and Mick O’Shea of Medaza Cycles (Ireland) with ‘Stechmücke’,
Congratulations, INTERMOT
The customising display in INTERMOT’s Hall 10 was amazing, in the true sense of the word. Unlike some other international shows, INTERMOT and of course AMD imposed a structure on the whole thing that made it easy to see and understand what was on show. This should be the pattern for the really big custom shows around the world.
Many of the major manufacturers also exhibited their take on customizing with stands in addition to their main displays. BMW Motorrad, Harley Davidson, Kawasaki, Yamaha and (for the first time) Suzuki and Indian Motorcycle were all represented. If you were looking for the accessories available from the big distributors such as Custom Chrome Europe, Louis, Motorcycle Storehouse and parts specialist Zodiac, they were also there. So were internationally known customizers like Berham Custom, Harley Factory, JvB, Fred Kodlin, Walzwerk, Wrenchmonkees and Sultans of Sprint. My buddy, ‘Evil’ Robin Bradley, has got it sorted. Keep a lookout for the rearranged and new classes for the next Championship, too. The competition is staying well up to date and meeting the needs of the changing custom scene. And seriously – if you’re interested in custom building, getting to any of the AMD affiliated shows around the world will repay you manyfold – but there’s nothing like being at the World Championship in Cologne. See you there in 2020!
AMD Customising World Championships
Freestyle 5th, Medaza Cycles – Stechmucke
Cafe Racer 3rd, PDF Motociclette – Quadrophenia
Retro Mod 3rd, American Dreams - Iceman Scout Boardtracker
Street Performance 3rd, MatCustom – Alpha
Mod H-D 3rd, PMS Bike - HD3-Spritz
Freestyle 6th, MannaiaFlying Marla
Freestyle 7th Radikal Choppers 70s Helmets - The Skinny
Freestyle 8th, Union Speed and Style – SourKraut
Freestyle 9th, Anarchy custom - Rise of Anarchy
a remarkable re-imagining of a 1981 MZ250 - complete with 1920s art deco streamliner styling.
In total 98 bikes competed at this year’s AMD World Championship, entered by 85 individual competitors from 30 different countries including some as far afi eld as the United States, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia and India.
The ever-popular Modified HarleyDavidson World Championship was won by Julian von Oheimb of One Way Machine with ‘Silver Storm’, a 1450cc 2001 Softail Deuce.
In an extremely high quality field, this year’s Retro Modified win was taken by VM Cycles of Italy, with a 1942 WLA SV 750cc engined Flathead with a BSA military style M20 drivetrain - almost entirely handmade with stainless steel and brass accessories.
Also fl ying the fl ag for Italy, the Cafe Racer class was won by FMW Motorcycles with ‘Hurakan’, an S&S Superstock Avon Tyre-shod 1968 Shovelhead.
In the demanding Street Performance class, the win was taken by Paul Milbourn of the United Kingdom with ‘Titanium V’ - an 1100cc Moto Guzzi weighing in at just 155 kg. I understand that this was The Bear’s choice, but he was not to prevail this time! Better luck in two years’ time, Bear.
In an AMD World Championship first, respected German retailer Detlev Louis sponsored a public choice vote, with the win taken by Szajba’s Garage of Poland - a clear choice taking more than 10 percent of the hundreds of votes cast.
Staged as the lead feature at ‘INTERMOT Customized’, the show-within-a-show concept created to showcase custom industry excellence at INTERMOT, the AMD World Championship was widely praised by exhibitors and visitors alike as delivering an inspirational and aspirational show environment that champions the outstanding craftsmanship and innovation of the international custom motorcycle market.
In addition to the AMD World Championship bikes, the 150,000 plus high-mileage riders who visit INTERMOT Customized saw presentations of custom excellence from a wide range of exhibitors that included several of the leading OEMs such as Harley-Davidson, BMW, Yamaha and Kawasaki.
Additional Hall 10 features included displays from popular Sprint race series, a Garage Area featuring customizing, technical and workshop displays, and history and memorabilia from the Ace Café, London.
The 14th AMD World Championship will be staged at INTERMOT Customized at the Cologne Exhibition Center (Koelnmesse) in October 2020. Be there or be really sorry you missed out – again. Any custom builder or fan in the entire world will fi nd more inspiration here than they’ll be able to absorb over a dozen days; but it’s worth trying! For the time being, turn back these pages and enjoy the show again! D
Avduro II
LAUNCH TEAROUTMAP#71
BEACH BUMS
Caloundra – Noosa Heads, QLD WORD S STUART
IT’S SUMMER TIME and what better way to keep cool than cruise on down to the beach to have a swim? You may have seen people on scooters or smaller capacity bikes with a surfboard hanging off the side with a rack, but you can keep it simple and just pack some swimmers, a pair of thongs and a towel into a backpack. Heading from Caloundra up to Noosa Heads there is an endless list of swimming beaches. I’ve been to many of them and recommend Shelly Beach, Mooloolaba Beach, Alexandra Headland Beach, Coolum Beach, Peregian Beach, Castaways Beach and Noosa Heads Beach. All offer something a little different.
CALOUNDRA
From the Pumicestone Passage, with views of the Glass House Mountains
to Caloundra’s stunning coastal paths and well-maintained boardwalks that allow daily life to unfold in a haze of fabulous breakfast, sandy beaches and grassy picnic spots.
Begin your day at the Kings Beach ocean pool and follow the well-maintained track around the Caloundra headland. Pass by Shelly Beach and enjoy the views north before heading down to Moffat Beach and over Tooway Creek before arriving at the aquatic playground of Dicky Beach.
There are a range of fantastic things to do in Caloundra, and it all takes place to the constant soundtrack of surf in the background.
MOOLOOLABA
There are so many things to do in Mooloolaba. Be seen when you
shop and dine along Mooloolaba’s glamorous beachfront esplanade full of outdoor cafes, juice bars, alfresco restaurants, and fashion boutiques. With attractions like Sea Life Sunshine Coast and the marina, as well as some of the Sunshine Coast’s best dining, there is non-stop entertainment. To top it all off there’s soft, pure white sand beaches and crystal clear water.
ALEXANDRA HEADLANDS
Right next door to Mooloolaba, Alexandra Headlands offers you more great beaches, shopping, cafes and that relaxed beachside lifestyle.
MAROOCHYDORE
The beating heart of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore has anything
www.hemamaps.com.au
BEACH BUMS
Once you’ve had a nice swim at Caloundra and a wholesome breakfast with coffee it’s now time to zip onto Nicklin Way, across Currimundi Lake and turn right onto Beach Drive after 2.5km. Follow Oceanic Drive (turns into Pacific Boulevard) all the way up to the carpark for the short walk to Point Cartwright Lighthouse.
Once you’re done come back south
and onto Point Cartwright Drive, turn right onto Sunshine Motorway, across Mooloolah River, taking the off ramp to Brisbane Road and on into Mooloolaba.
From here it’s pretty much follow your nose north, keeping the water close on your right hand side until you have to cross over Maroochy River on Sunshine Motorway and again take the first off ramp to head into Twin Waters.
TEAR-OUT MAP #71
Turn right onto Ocean Drive and veer around onto the Esplanade. Turn right onto David Low Way. From here to Noosa Heads you can stay on David Low Way and/or take some of the turns that will deliver you to various beaches along the way.
Once you’ve had your final dip at Noosa Heads Main Beach there’s an endless supply of cafes to choose from for a relaxing afternoon/night.
COLLECT THEM ALL
and everything at your disposal.
The beach is good and if you want a little more relaxed swim, Maroochy River is a great spot to take a dip. It’s also a good place for a spot of fi shing.
TWIN WATERS
Fancy a different kind of swim along this route? Check out the Aqua Fun Park at Novotel Twin Waters resortwww.aquafunpark.com.au
SUNSHINE BEACH
Sunshine Beach is a pretty little gem
of a destination, backed by the nature reserve of Noosa National Park, and combining a cultured ambience with a wonderfully quiet beach that is never crowded. The understated elegance of the shady little main street makes it a relaxing place to spend lazy mornings or afternoons and Sunshine Beach Surf Club has a brilliant beer garden with one of the best outlooks on the Sunshine Coast - straight onto the
east-facing beach and out to the sapphire expanse of the Pacifi c Ocean.
NOOSA HEADS
Pick your time of year to come to Noosa Heads as it can get pretty packed. Noosa Heads combines all the fi ner things in life with stunning beaches offset by the beauty of Noosa National Park really does give the feeling of a subtropical paradise. D
Kawasa K i H2 sX
Touring outer space
WORDS stuart ph O t OS ralph
You’ve all heard about the Kawasaki H2 with its ballistic supercharged engine, or even seen one as it passed you at warp speed. Well, sit back as Kawasaki brings you the bike to explore outer space - in comfort! Here’s the H2 SX.
We’ve ridden the H2 on the road and raced it on the track against a Ferrari and Lamborghini, so our expectations of the H2 SX were high. A more comfy seat, slightly higher handlebars and slightly more compliant suspension are all very welcomed revisions for long distance riding.
Think of the H2 SX as a lighter ZX-14R and you’re almost there. The bike has been “street-tuned” from the H2 and most of the time you’d never know it was supercharged. The engine is essentially new. Impeller and intake system were completely redesigned; the pistons, cylinder head, cylinder, crankshaft and camshafts are new; throttle bodies are new; exhaust system is new; and gear ratios were revised. It is silky smooth and deceptively fast. Twist the right wrist and when you think you’re doing a hundred, you actually are; it’s just that the number has an ‘mph’ after it.
Sports touring is obviously the name of the game with the SX so you’d expect it to be rather comfortable. The extra padding in the seat is nice for 2-300km stints and the medium height of the handlebar means medium weighted wrists. They make a good combination for both sports and touring riding. The footpeg height
appears not to have been changed from the H2 and as such is in a sporty position. If the pegs were just slightly lower (I reckon only about 10-15mm) the comfort factor would be absolutely on the money. Pillion comfort hasn’t been forgotten with the seat also getting thicker foam, as well as being wider and flatter. I took the better half for a ride and she felt it was comfortable enough with a slightly “sportish flair”. I asked about her choice of words here and essentially if you take the range from the comfort of a late ‘90s sportsbike to that of a current touring
bike, the SX is right in the middle. Electronics feature heavily on the SX but one obvious thing missing is heated grips. You can naturally get them as an accessory, but a bike in this price bracket (30 odd thousand) I’d expect them to be standard. The standard electronics that are there include: cruise control, cornering ABS, cornering lights, up and down quickshifter, LED lights, traction control, anti-wheelie, engine braking and a sexy piece of kit – the full-colour TFT LCD instrument panel and analogue tacho to the left
side. You can switch between touring and sport screens depending on what you want to see the most while riding, and the good part is the TFT part is visible in any light.
The list of standard features doesn’t stop there. It includes a centre stand, 12V DC socket, tall screen, tank pad, knee pad, braided lines and the 28 litre Givi clean mount panniers. Styling is (as expected), aggressive. The SX retains a very similar look to the H2 and boy does it turn heads! The fairing is relatively small but large enough to offer adequate wind
protection. The design has been revised to pump a lot of the heat felt on the H2 away from the rider. There is still some there, but as with all fullfaired sport-touring to touring bikes you’ll always get some heat from the lack of air flow until you get moving above 40km/h.
Handling is firm yet compliant enough to soak up crap roads. Turn in is mid-weighted and while you can feel the 260kg at low speed, once over 40km/h the SX seems to shed that weighty feeling – exactly what you want for some spirited riding.
Rear suspension is from the 2015/16 H2 and features a remote preload adjuster – excellent for touring, pillion and single rider exploits. Accessories are rather limited. You can get a couple of ergo seats, frame sliders, those heated grips, pannier liners and some other bits and pieces. If you want anything else, check out the aftermarket.
If you’re after the kind of bike that will let you explore outer space, the Kawasaki H2 SX is the one to be on – Ground Control to Major Tom… put your helmet on… D
SPECS
KAWASAKI H2 SX
PRICE: $29,290 (plus on-road charges)
WARRANTY: Two years, unlimited distance
SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 12,000km or 12 months
ENGINE: Liquid-cooled in-line four cylinder, 4-stroke, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
BRAKES: Front, twin 320mm discs with radial mount four-piston ABS calipers. Rear, 250mm disc, twin-piston ABS caliper.
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 6.52 litres per 100km, premium unleaded
THEORETICAL RANGE: 291km
COLOURS: Emerald Blazed Green with Metallic Diablo Black
VERDICT: SPACE EXPLORER
The FeIStY 80-Year-old woman looks at the naive, unsure 20 year old boy and tells him: “… everyone has the right to make an arse of themselves. You can’t let the world judge you too much.”
It’s 1971 and it’s one of two great lines from “Harold and Maude” a feel-good flick featuring Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon that my then girlfriend (RIP) dragged me along to.
This was the second ‘Maude’ I’d encountered. The first was our art teacher from high school, a figure of fantasy to many of us, all of whom were racked with envy and jealousy when one of our senior prefects moved in with her a few weeks after we graduated.
I’ve been using Movie Maude’s imprimatur regularly for almost 50 years although I’ve overcome the jealousy of my old classmate.
And it wasn’t until I started researching the pubs on the Murrumbidgee that I’d even heard of the namesake town of Maude. And when I found out this flyspeck of 60 people had its own pub, the Post Office Hotel, well, it went into the bucket and into my plans.
This is not the bush out here, this is the outback – Henry Lawson’s Great Grey Plain, part of our county with which the poet really struggled to like:
“Whole years go by when the glowing Sky never clouds for rain –Only the shrubs of the desert Grow on the Great Grey Plain.”
Few come here for the scenery. Most who ride here are in transit, just trying to get through what they see as the monotony of flatness, straightness and wide, wide sky.
Me? I’m drawn by the vast. I’m enchanted by the scale, by the solitude - where I can park my bike on the road, get out the camera gear and get my shots in the pretty certain knowledge that no vehicle is going to pass through for the next half hour or so. I don’t need much inspiration or pushing to head to such places.
If you find your travels pushing you onto the Sturt Hwy, chances are the stretch between Hay and Balranald isn’t the bit you most relish and the shortish detour off the main drag through Maude will be respite you’ll cherish. I promise.
If you’re heading west, go to Hay, cross the ‘Bidgee, pass the Commercial Hotel on your right and then take a left at Cadell St which is signposted for Maude.
Then it’s a half hour zip on a road bereft of interstate trucks and dawdling caravans but with great vision for rampant fauna and very soon you’re sweeping left, deserted school on your left and the Post Office hotel on the right.
With no cars out the front in the early arvo, I keep heading south, turn left opposite the general store and ride around to the Maude Weir which was built in the first years of WW2 to alleviate the regular flooding of the township.
Then it’s back to the pub where a trio of regular pilgrims from Bleak City have pulled up and Katya is pulling them all beers.
Kat (“Don’t call me Katya, no-one’ll know who you’re talking to”) is quick to point out that the population sign at the edge of town that she saw me photographing is a very wishful lie.
“Maybe if you counted everyone’s poddies, dogs and probably cats there might by 60 in the town but if you’re talking humans, it’s closer to 30.”
Which makes it not much smaller than her hometown in Germany, between Frankfurt and Hanover, which she left to travel and eventually found herself in Hay in 2005. She hooked up with Wayne and decided, “I couldn’t take him home with me so we decided to settle down here.”
In 2012 she sent Wayne on an expedition to find a place that “was made out of brick, with a big garden, close to the river and with a good wood heater.”
He came back a few days later saying he’d found a place that ticked all the boxes and though Kat, a trained chef, hadn’t been thinking “pub”, they both came back to Maude and thought, yep, let’s give it a go.
After a year leasing, finding their feet and enjoying the experience, they made an offer which was accepted and they were the happy owners of the Post Office Hotel.
About the first thing they did was turf
the three poker machines. “We don’t need pokies here. We are not here for people to feed their bad habits and their weaknesses – we always wanted our pub to be for families and for people to talk with each other.”
The next thing was to upgrade the menu which now features stuff like homemade lasagne and slow cooked pork belly. Kat’s signature dish is sirloin stuffed with bacon, cheese and fresh herbs, served with prawns and garlic sauce.
And if she’s been feeling homesick, there’ll be homemade German-style sausages and mash.
Also very early on they replaced all the beer lines and made damn sure they stayed clean and clear. “I’m German and I know how important good draught beer is. It doesn’t matter how friendly we are or how good the food is or how soft the bed is, if the draught beer isn’t perfect, people won’t come back!”
There’re now four beers on tap including two mid-strength. A schooner will cost you 6 bucks, a pot a dollar less.
Then they focussed on improving the accommodation. There’re now 8 rooms attached to the pub and a donga with a further 8 rooms all with twin beds plus what Wayne describes later as a ‘honeymoon suite’ with a queen double and a single. Just why a honeymoon suite would have two beds and sleeping for three is something I didn’t go into.
Rates are $50 per person per night with the suite going for $80.
If you want to throw your swag or tent out the back it’ll only be 10 bucks including use of the toilets and showers. Water here is drawn from the Murrumbidgee into a settling tank and comes out of the shower head without any odour.
Drinking water is from rain tanks so don’t go leaving the taps on!
And if you’re precious about your ride you can lock it under cover next to Kat’s two 1990 VW Beetles in the garage down from the amenities block.
As the arvo slides on, other groups of fishers wander in. It’s been raining and the preferred spot of one trio, at Yanga up the road, has been closed by Nat Parks and they’re not going anywhere. They’re none too happy, reckoning
their 4WD’s would get through easily but Mick, one of ‘em turns to me : “If you’re goin’ to get stranded, this is the pub to stuck in!”
They all settle in. Yarns are told, stories swapped, lies are laughed at.
A great recipe
When people ask me what my favourite pub is, I always respond that rather than a specific hotel, I have a favourite recipe.
The essential ingredients in the mix are, firstly a hands-on publican (or very involved licensee) with a sense of custody of an organic entity that has a history and requires nurturing.
Second, no matter whether it’s in a town of 5000 or 5, is a connection with its community and an involvement with, and support of its local population including bending and adapting to the community’s changing needs.
And third is the openness and hospitality of people on both sides of the bar.
Sure, there’re other condiments and spices that are great when added but these are the three essentials and The Post Office Hotel in Maude has a full measure of each.
It slid into the rarefied 5 helmet category and on the value meter, where 100 is the benchmark, it scored 140 and I gave it 4/5 for unique character.
If you’re travelling the Sturt between Hay and Balranald and don’t make a detour, for the night or just to refresh and support a great country pub, you’re in too much of a rush!
Full disclosure: Kat wouldn’t take my money for the last two drinks so I left it on the bar. It no doubt ended up in the CanAssist Can.
There’s not a person in the bar who’s here for the first time. One pair has been coming here since last century, most for over 5 years. And that’s what this pub’s about. In a town of 30 people, once you discount those under 18 and over 70, the reservoir of possible local clients is about a dozen – not near
enough to sustain the hotel.
So it’s tourists, travellers and especially regular returners who keep this pub, originally built in 1868, alive. In May and June the place is buzzing with the cotton harvest and the pub’s routine moves to suit the workers.
in the ‘nearby’ larger towns. For Wayne and Kat that can mean chasing specials as far as Mildura. Same with fags. And yet they still get the moaners whining their drink’s 50 cents dearer than in the smoke.
With the last shift finishing around 9.30pm (depending on dewpoint), the kitchen serves dinners until almost 11pm so no-one goes hungry.
Wayne’s also collected a new English backpacker who’ll help out over the summer when the place can get frantic and right now she’s probably wondering just what she’s signed up for!
. “Because that what hospitality is,” says the hostess.
says the hostess.
The bar floor is dominated by a quality pool table framed by a very decent collection of caps. Wanna add yours?
No problem, just chuck 5 bucks into the CanAssist Charity can and find a place to pin it! Another wall features a couple of dozen framed shots of the town and the pub over the last 100 years. A couple of the photos are even hanging straight!
As the skies get darker Wayne arrives back from his ‘drug run’ to Swan Hill. Country pubs like this don’t have liquor wholesalers. The breweries don’t send to the bush and Dan Murphys has put a cap on sales to pubs. So they buy their stuff at the cut price outlets
But she needn’t worry – I can tell her! She’s arrived at a flyspeck village where she can go swimming in the river after work and where locks on things are pretty much redundant. She’s going to be working for a couple who are nurturing an old pub and whose commitment to their calling, their clients and their community, have turned their pub into a place that no-one doesn’t go back to.
As I take my leave and the bar’s still full of travellers and hosts swapping stories. I think of the other great quote from that 1971 movie: “L-I-V-E! Live! Otherwise, you got nothing to talk about in the locker room.” D
HarleyDaviDson Forty-eigHt special
Cool Custom WORDS stuart ph O t OS ralph
Harleys ‘Forty-eight’
1200 Sportster has been a highly successful part of the range since its introduction a few years back. The fat front tyre (and smaller diameter wheel) is the secret to its success (I think) as it adds comfort and surprisingly sharp handling characteristics compared with the skinny tyre that’s normally associated with the 1200 Sportster range.
For 2019, Harley has introduced the Special version – a bit of a throwback to the ‘70s in styling which starts with the Tallboy handlebar which does look to be sitting way up high, but when you sit on the Special it’s not high at all. Your arms are pretty much straight out from your body and I found it rather comfortable.
Next detail that catches your eye is obviously the paintwork. The ‘70s styled tank stripes and retro styled
‘Harley-Davidson’ tank decals really make the Special standout from the crowd. I had many people tell me they liked the custom tank I’d got painted! The Special is available in three colours – Vivid Black, Wicked Red or the one that you see here, Billiard White.
Keeping that custom and minimalist look, the seat is for one bum only. It’s ribbed and is more comfortable than you’re thinking. It’s not all-day comfort but then again with the small fuel capacity you’re not riding big kays at a time anyway.
Shocks are the only thing I didn’t like on this bike. They didn’t soak up enough of the rough roads we have so I’d be on the hunt for some aftermarket items if I bought a Special.
Fuel economy isn’t too bad for a V-twin but the tiny peanut tank means
you’ll be stopping frequently – you’ll either get used to it, or hate becoming a ‘regular’ at your local servo.
The stalwart heart of this bike is the 1200 V-twin. It is rubber mounted in the frame so at a standstill you do get that rumble and shake long associated with Harleys. But what you also get is punchy performance. If you compare it to one of the 1200 range of a couple or more years ago, this year’s bike feels stronger. After doing some digging, it appears as though the compression has been upped, which is no doubt what gives that extra little bit of pow!
Accessories from “the bible” are, (as you can imagine) extensive. You really can let your imagination and your wallet run free with what you can do. I will admit, this is the first Harley I’ve ever ridden that I haven’t blasted out and grinded the pegs, exhaust and
engine covers into oblivion. I took in the slower pace and ‘smelt the roses’ (if you like) as I cruised along. It was quite enjoyable and if I was to pick a Harley as a commuter, the Forty-Eight
Special would be number one on my list. I reckon it must have some ‘Special’ magic that doesn’t make you want to ride fast, just soak up and enjoy the retro ride. D
SPECS
HARLEY-DAVIDSON FORTY-EIGHT SPECIAL
PRICE: $18,995 (ride away)
WARRANTY: Two years, unlimited distance
SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 8000km or 12 months
ENGINE: Air-cooled V-twin cylinder, 4-stroke, OHV, 2 valves per cylinder
BORE x STROKE: 88.9 x 96.8mm
DISPLACEMENT: 1202cc
COMPRESSION: 10.0:1
POWER: N/A
TORQUE: 99Nm @ 3500rpm
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed, wet multi-plate clutch, belt final drive
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 6.44 litres per 100km, premium unleaded
THEORETICAL RANGE: 122km
COLOURS:Vivid Black, Wicked Red, Billiard White
VERDICT: KEEPIN’ IT COOL, MAN
CHAMPAGNE TOURING
Europe in style on a Sports Glide Words/photos the bear
IUNDerstaND that soMe air crew refer to passengers as “screaming cargo”. That’s not me anymore. The unconscious do not scream. I pop a couple of tablets, choose the most boring film on the entertainment system and head off to dreamland. I’ve seen the first
twenty minutes of ‘A Star is Born’ seven times. Anybody manage to stay awake and knows how it ends? On second thought, don’t worry.
Flying from Sydney to either the US or Europe offers a major advantage: you tend to stumble off the plane at 6.00
in the morning, with the whole day in front of you. Feeling as if someone has been giving your brain a workout with a blender, admittedly, but still. On my recent trip to the Cologne motorcycle show INTERMOT I collected my bag and made it to the train by just
after seven. Frankfurt airport is highly efficient, except that they still make you catch a bus between terminals. How hard would it be to put in a shuttle train?
Although the 45-minute non-stop trip to Cologne costs 71 Euros, it’s always a pleasure to catch a European train. You can get a decent breakfast or just coffee at a reasonable price, and looking out at the placid countryside streaming by is a pleasant way to return to the real world from the unnatural experience of being flung across the world in an aluminium tube, watching a boring movie and then sleeping in a position that leaves you with a painful semipermanent crick to your neck.
My taxi driver couldn’t find the entrance to Cologne Harley-Davidson, so I had to drag my suitcase over a hundred metres of cobblestones. Nobody does cobblestones quite like the Germans –actually that’s not true, but we’ll get to that later. Detlef at the shop could not
have been kinder and even lent me one of his own bags to strap to the back of the Sport Glide I was collecting. I had tested my packing back home, by measuring up the panniers on a shop bike. Now of course I had things left over once I’d filled them. Serves me right for trying to be smart.
Additional bag strapped securely to the pillion seat, I was on my way by about 10.30. A leisurely morning tea, or rather a glass of white, at the Red Ox down by the river, with the bike parked on the footpath – not legal, but nobody cares here – and I was trying to find my way out of Cologne. I’ve worked out some tricks to find my way into and out of European cities – the easiest is to find a tram line that goes in the direction I want to go, and to follow that. This works a treat unless you mix up your tramlines and find yourself at the terminus facing a towering grey and black gasworks with nothing else
around but rusty, locked chain link gates and fences holding back homicidal and possibly rabid German Shepherds. Dogs. It sort of worked this time, and after a short stretch of Autobahn I’d found my hotel in Duren by early afternoon. Knowing that I’d be somewhat groggy after the flight, I had booked ahead but the hotel door was locked, and the sign said that check-in was from 17.00pm. I found a bloke loading a humungous barbecue onto a truck around the back of the building, and he was quite happy to let me in and show me to my room.
“Have a nap,” he advised when he saw my eyes, “we’ll do the paperwork later.” With the bike parked safely in the hotel yard I took his advice. I woke in time
1. No, Dom Perignon didn’t invent champagne. The Benedictines did that, in southern France. But he did improve its manufacture.
for dinner, went back to bed and woke once again in time for the usual excellent breakfast that German hotels offer. I felt on top of the world.
The Sport Glide really came into its own on the back roads to Aachen. The day before, on the motorway, I could have been on any bike from Milwaukee or anywhere else – I was just trying to get to the hotel. But these new Softails are nimble and enjoyable on country roads, belying their weight and providing push out of corners that slingshots you into the next corner very pleasantly.
Aachen, famous for its cathedral built by Charlemagne (or maybe it was just Charlemagne’s local church) turned out to be the usual European-famouscity-tourist-attraction. With a one-way system that would do London proud it kept teasing me with almost-access to its centre before sending me off to the boonies once again. As I discovered a few days later, this had been my problem – when I returned, I had no trouble at all finding the centre and the tourist office. Well, I did ride down several pedestrian streets, but that was something of a theme for this visit.
Am I being confusing? I’m not surprised. Despite feeling on top of the world I was clearly still a bit of a way down jetlag hill, clawing my way up. Anyway, I decided to leave Charlemagne’s home town till later in the trip and hit the back roads to the south and west. Recovering as I went, I began to encounter names familiar from the WW1 history I’ve read. Australian and other war cemeteries lined the road, and I even found a memorial dedicated to the animals that had suffered along with the troops. When I asked my friend Brendan Nelson, who runs the War Memorial in Canberra, about this he smiled. “Dr Harry and I unveiled that,” he said, obviously proud. I thanked a local worker who was weeding the memorial, and he seemed pretty chuffed at my Aussieaccented French.
Rolling into Amiens was considerably less fraught than it had been for other Germans more than 100 years ago. Yes, I was born in Germany but these days I’m pretty well Australian. Which was fortunate, because I quickly spotted the Anzac Hotel. It’s not a five-star hostelry,
New Zealand’s only BMW Motorrad approved Travel Partner
Guided and self-guided tours and rentals RIDE WITH THE BEST.
but boy did I feel at home under all the Australian flags. I asked the extremely nice receptionist about flags for our good friends the Kiwis, and she pointed out a big NZ flag on one wall. “But we cannot get the small ones,” she said. “The Australian flags are much easier.” Come on, Kiwis, get your banners in there! The address is 17, rue Alexandre Fatton – 80000 Amiens, France.
The bike had to spend the night on the street, but it was right outside my groundfloor window and nobody disturbed it. I would have known; that Harley alarm is unmistakable.
I dawdled my way westward to the coast on ever-smaller back roads. This is WW2 territory, and once again a lot of the names were familiar from my reading. But my destination today was not a part of that history; I wanted to see the place in Fecamp where Benedictine is made. I deliberately call it a ‘place’, because it certainly doesn’t look like a distillery or any other kind of factory. What it resembles is an Elf palace from Lord of the Rings. Check the photo. Riding on to the next little town, I found all the hotels full but the helpful woman in the tourist information office found me somewhere to stay – back in Fecamp. Ah well, it wasn’t as if the clifftop road was boring. The French coast of La Manche (known on the other side as the English Channel) has chalk cliffs just like the opposite side in England.
Fecamp, like most places along the coast here, there and everywhere is a
SOuth OF
& Sicily
NEXT TOUR DATE
APRIL 19 - MAY 3
OThER TOUR DATE OCtOBeR 11 - 25
Benvenuti a Roma! We’ll begin and end our tour in magnificent Rome, home to the ancient Forum and the Colosseum.
Next is Naples and then a ferry ride to indescribable Sicily where we’ll ride narrow, twisty roads through stunning scenery, experiencing ancient cultures, cuisine, and whispers of past Mafia mischief along the way. We’ll head back to the mainland along the Amalfi coastal road, arguably the world’s most beautiful, past steep cliffs and the enticing, village of Positano. Our last stop before returning to Rome will be Pompeii, a reminder of the powerful forces that lie deep within the volcano Mt. Vesuvius.
hIghLIghtS
Rome, Palermo, Valley of Temples, Mt. Etna, ancient cities of Taormina and Syracuse, Maratea, Amalfi Coast, Pompeii
tourist town, but it was out of season and the perfectly pleasant if somewhat impersonal hotel I’d been assigned cost me all of 55 Euros for the night, though that did not include breakfast. I stooged around the harbor and managed to come up with a small café that served mainly locals, which meant I scored a local dish for dinner.
“What is it that this is?” I asked the waiter in my amateur French, pointing to something something a la something with something. “Fish and chips,” he said. “Those I eat, and I drink a beer local.” Everything was extraordinarily good, except for the bill which was ridiculously low.
Next day I continued along the coast, skirting larger towns and the one or two cities in my way. The coastal roads continued to be terrific – narrow but well surfaced and leading from one view to another. I could see the huge ‘Bridge of Normandy’ from miles away, but it wasn’t all that easy to find the access road. I was getting a bit annoyed at the street spaghetti, but then it turned out to be free for pushbikes and motorcycles. Aww.
For many years I’ve wanted to see Mont-St-Michel, the town/fortress/ church built on a rock just off the coast and immortalized on a million postcards. The problem turned out that to get there, you either have to walk a couple of kilometres or take a bus. Either way I would have had to park the bike in an open, unguarded parking lot which seemed like an equally open invitation to thieves. When you’ve borrowed a relatively expensive bike like a Harley, you become sensitive to that kind of thing. I might have risked my own bike, but not H-D Germany’s. So I tried the couple of nearby hotels, which were full, and went on my way after taking some long-distance photos. Well, I saw MontSt-Michel. From a distance.
After a night in a lovely small, old hotel for 33.50 Euros and another excellent
Thank you to Cologne HarleyDavidson and its boss Daniela Denz for looking after me, and H-D Germany for lending me the bike.
Photo credits to: Andre Phillipe De-Brissac Bernard
meal, I rode on into Brittany to see a friend. He lives in Redon, and I spent a couple of highly enjoyable days with him showing me around the town and its surrounding countryside. Brittany is beautiful, with wonderful little roads, rivers, forests and flowers everywhere. I’d always thought of it as another Cornwall, rugged and windswept, but it’s
1. Three thousand five hundred and eight kilometres, and not once did I get a sore bum. Harley-Davidson Sport Glides rule!
2. I caught the train from Frankfurt airport to Cologne; the cathedral is right next to the railway station.
like that. If you have some time in France, I can’t recommend it highly enough. The tourist information office in Redon, near the railway station, is outstanding.
When I left, I rode straight through to Paris, using a combination of back roads and autoroutes where I couldn’t seem to get away from them. The Sport Glide is a remarkably travel-friendly bike; the seat is comfortable, the ergonomics are the same and handling is terrific. The bike takes to country roads as if it had been made for them, and the only thing it lacks is a top speed high enough to let you dice with the big boys on the freeway (whatever it may be called). No real problem; who wants to race in Europe?
I found my way into Paris easily enough from the peripherique, the insane ring road with its Formula 1 style passing and multiple-lane changing. I had booked a couple of nights in another small family hotel (the interwebz can be your friend) right on the Seine, next to the Musée d’Orsay, and its location made it easy to find. But then came the question – what to do with the bike overnight? Most people park on footpaths or in corners of the road, but as I mentioned above, I was on a borrowed Harley…
The receptionist told me that there was secure parking just across the river, at the Louvre. A large sign at the entrance said ‘No Motos’, but this was France; nobody
pays attention to signs, or rules for that matter. The sign that worried me a little more was a smaller one that advised that charges were ‘1 Euro per 12 minutes’. Fortunately (?) this was capped at 50 Euros per 24 hours and I figured that I could just about afford that, seeing I hadn’t paid for parking anywhere else and my hotel wasn’t much dearer than that. Still, feu noir de diable, quel ripoff… Paris is a difficult place to dislike, so I was cheerful again as soon as I’d dropped my bike gear off in my room – on the first floor at the front of the building, with a view of the river – and changed into walking togs. First, a Sancerre in one of the small cafés that line the riverside road, then an hour or so at Shakespeare & Company looking at books, and then a relaxed stroll through the comic book shops opposite Notre Dame on the Left Bank, looking for that ‘Duke’ action figure I should have bought when I had the chance.
The quarter behind my hotel is home to a lot of students, so there are cheap cafés and affordable restaurants everywhere, as well as interesting if quite often seriously weird art galleries. I found one where they were having an opening and enjoyed a couple of glasses of tolerable red and some finger food while admiring the walls. I slept well, my window open to the steady street noise.
Next day I had a couple of chores
to sort out, but I managed lunch at a restaurant on the Ile de la Cite near the Pont Neuf, where Mrs Bear and I had eaten once, very enjoyably. I had dinner at another of the cafés in the 6th or possibly 7th Arrondissement behind my hotel and after a little Parisienne-watching and café and art gallery crawl once more headed off to bed.
So far the weather had been remarkably kind, and it stayed that way for the morning while I rolled around Paris looking at some of my favourite places. But when I left, the clouds were getting threatening. There was a little drizzle on the road to Épernay and then on to Châlons-en-Champagne through the champagne vineyards, but it had stopped by the time I found myself a hotel. It was still clear in the morning, but a fellow tourer who’d also stayed in the hotel was not happy.
“I hope you have rain clothing,” he said. “It does not look good.”
And you know what? He was right. As I headed towards CharlevilleMézières, I could see very serious clouds massing off to my left. I congratulated myself on choosing to go north rather than east, but of course you should never do that. Congratulate yourself, that is. Head north by all means. Not long after I crossed the border into Belgium the purple/blue/grey clouds came up ahead of me and soon covered the landscape.
Then it began to rain. I’m Australian; I know what heavy rain is like. But compared to this, even a Sydney summer thunderstorm was like a brush with a sprinkler. A small sprinkler.
The roads had signs warning against
aquaplaning every couple of kilometres, and boy did I find out why. I approached what looked like a puddle, right across the road, at the same time as a van reached it from the other side. The puddle turned out to be rather more
Yes, this is where they make Benedictine.
than a foot deep, and while the Sport Glide took it without complaint, the van lost traction completely. It turned sideways, facing me, and threw up a wall
of water that I swear was a couple of feet thick.
It was precisely like being dropped into a lake, a vertical one which hit me hard enough to find every possible weakness in my gear. I did have good ‘rain clothing’ on, but this wasn’t rain. It was a dunking. I’m still amazed that several small parts of me stayed dry despite the assault…
When I got into Charleroi, all I wanted was a hotel. Sadly, Charleroi’s hotels tend to be in the extensive pedestrian zone. Despite repeated, helpful instructions I just kept running into streets closed to traffic. Meanwhile I was slipping and sliding in the continuing rain on Belgium’s famous cobblestones.
Honda Japan once bought an entire street of these and shipped them to Tochigi where they form a part of the suspension testing track to this day. I know; I seen it meself.
Eventually I gave up and tackled the pedestrian zones, much to the amusement of the pedestrians who cheered me on. I must have ridden most of the streets at least twice going by the rising chorus of shouting. I eventually found a hotel – a Novotel, a bit over my usual budget but truly welcome – and I dripped all over the reception floor and the lift before gratefully stripping off in my bathroom and stepping into a steaming hot shower.
By the morning – bless hotel room heating – everything was dry again, including the roads. I headed east this time, to return to Aachen, which I reached by lunch. This time, for some weird reason, I had no trouble finding my way into the centre and to the tourist office for a hotel booking. Actually, the reason wasn’t so weird. I had learned to simply ignore the pedestrian zones, like the locals do, and just to ride slowly
wherever I wanted to go. You can roll right past the cops this way, almost as if you were in Italy…
A couple of days traversing some of the most picturesque parts of Germany – including Hamelin and some other fairytale places – and a few more days with my relatives near Brunswick, and INTERMOT was getting close. I found some more picturesqueness, including the Hermannsdenkmal, a huge statue raised in honour of the German warrior who tricked the Romans into crossing the Rhine and then obliterated three of their Legions – 20,000 men. It was the greatest defeat the Romans ever suffered, and taught them to stay on the French side of the river.
That night I stayed in Warstein, where they make the beer. The parkin g lot held quite a few bikes, almost all Harleys, and when I went to dinner I encountered the riders. They were wearing ‘Sons of Silence’ patches, and looked reasonably tough. But then I noticed that they had they their wives with them, and the women had obviously not come on the bikes. They looked really… well, bourgeois. And then it came to me: these weren’t real bikers, they were Wild Hogs!
On my last riding day, heading for Cologne, I got lost. Not just once but repeatedly as the road in front of me was closed for roadworks several times over.
I finally gave up and took the Autobahn, only to strike repeated roadworks there, too. I guess the locals know their way through all this, but it took me about four times as long to get to Cologne HarleyDavidson as I had expected. It was pretty countryside, though.
Returned the Sport Glide to Detlef and his boss, Daniela Denz, and then INTERMOT started. But you’ve already read about that. Terrific place to visit, Europe. Especially on a relaxing Harley-Davidson. D
1. It’s quite common to see scooter and even motorcycle riders smoking in Paris. I’ll bet that Joe Cool was born here…
2. Petrol station in Paris, right on the footpath.
TOUR OPERATOR DIRECTORY
The
guide to the stars - The who’s who in the zoo of motorcycle travel worldwide is what you’ll fi nd here. These companies want to make your motorcycle travel the best it can be. We’ve travelled with many of them and know them all, so they come highly recommended. In alphabetical order, they are:
TOURS – New Zealand www.motorbiketours.co.nz offi ce@motorbiketours.co.nz
VIETLONG TRAVEL - Asia www.vietlongtravel.com sales@vietlongtravel.com
WORLD ON WHEELS - Europe, Iceland, South America, India, Asia, Mexico, Africa & Himalaya www.worldonwheels.tours Adventure@WorldOnWheels.Tours
Thunder rally #37
a unty thunders at Sheba
The Ducati Owners Club of NSW had a problem. The MotoGP clashed with their Thunder Rally, so they moved the rally into November and all trooped off to Phillip Island to watch #04 Andrea Dovizioso ride the red machine into 3rd place ahead of his team mate Bautista in 4th.
Happily sporting his new Ducati #04 hat, Aunty Mal presided over the faithful as they readied the Sheba Dam site for the influx on the first weekend in November.
Weather in the Nundle area was warm to hot, and quite a few riders made use of the bagged ice being sold out of the Lions caravan.
Nundle Lions Club this year expanded their service to include the Friday evening meal, which was appreciated by the early arrivals. It is a great thing not to have to worry about cooking, so a big THANK YOU to the Lions Club!
words/photos The Possum
I sat with Aunty Mal in the check-in tent for a while and was enlightened on a number of points. The DOCNSW has supported what is now the Brain and Spinal Unit at Royal Rehabilitation Centre, Sydney for quite a while, and all profits from the rally go to that worthy cause. The best way to avoid becoming a patient at the Unit is to stay out of the bathroom! Aunty Mal informed me that the single greatest cause for people being in the Unit was bathroom falls –who'd of thought it.
Mal guesstimates that over nine and a half thousand riders have travelled more than 8.5 million kilometres to get to and from this rally since it first kicked off - good effort to all.
Mal pointed out that better than $4000 worth of prizes were on offer in the raffle which stimulated ticket sales. Mostly vouchers for amounts up to $500 were donated by - Frasers, Western Ranges Motorcycles (Tamworth), Sydney City Motorcycles,
ARAI, Rjays, Dainese, Rocky Creek Designs and the Blind Monk (craft beer brewer).
Donna Waters won the ARAI prize donated by Cassons, drawn from the pre-entries, so it pays to get in early and have a chance at the fancy stuff. There were 151 pre-paid entries – a record number and the organisers ran out of badges at 200 arrivals. More badges will be made and sent out to those who missed out.
The awards were mixed up with the raffle draw and seemed to prove the chaos theory works when mixed with Ducatis and red wine.
Longest Distance Pillion –
Jackie from QLD Oldest Bike & rider - Henning, 115 yrs Youngest rider was a three-way tiewith Hammish and Jacob standing aside to give it to Charlette, 21 on L plates – well done all, and take that Germaine Greer.
Largest Club Attendance –
BMWTCNSW with 20 members on site
Longest Distance Ducati, Longest Distance Male Rider and Longest Distance Stuffed Cat, all went to Paul from Port Douglas with 3254 kms – don't ask about the cat, it’s a Ducati thing!
Longest Distance Scooter –
Shannon on a Vespa 275km
Following the awards and raffle brawl, there was an auction to pass ‘The Pudding’ along. The Pudding had been to the Off Centre Rally, and was now on its journey to the next OCR (2020 at an undecided location), and riders usually pay one cent per kilometre to carry it around the country – all monies to the RFDS. One lucky punter bid $370 to carry The Pudding on its next leg – well done to all concerned.
Following this we were entertained by Rock Country Artist, James Stewart Keene, who covered plenty of James Taylor songs, CCR and other performers with whom people of a certain age are familiar. Have a look at his Facebook page.
While I was chatting with Aunty Mal, he introduced me to CeeJay from the New England Bikers SMC who asked for a plug for their Pigs'n'Pines Run, 22–24 March 2019 at the Spring Ridge Hotel (one hour out of Tamworth). The Run supports the Kids with Cancer Foundation and has free camping, hot showers, cold beers, free breakfast and live music. What more could you want.
Keep an eye on the usual sources for the date of the next Thunder Rally –it’s a cracker! D
CLASSICALGAS GOiN G COMMaNDO
WORDS/phOtOS PICKo
There Were Cries of rapture when pictures of the ‘new’ Norton Commando 961 hit the internet and magazines back in the two thousands. Here was a painfully beautiful motorcycle that heralded the return of Norton as a force in the motorcycle game. The promise of history, performance, exclusivity and exotica proved overwhelming for many, and despite an eye-watering price, the order books were filled prior to machines being built in any real numbers.
Excitement and expectation soon turned to despair though, as tales of unfulfilled orders, years of delay, and then poor build quality and even poorer backup from Norton itself, ruined the experience for many.
The design of the Norton 961 was pretty much the same as the bike built
by Kenny Dreer in the USA, and after millionaire entrepreneur Stuart Garner took ownership back to the UK, the idea of a production version started to gain momentum. There were changes to Dreer’s design for ‘mass’ consumption but overall the Garner Norton looked much the same as the Dreer Norton.
I first saw one in the flesh in the USA around the time the first production versions were sent there around 2010. To say they are beautiful is an understatement in my opinion, and I wanted one – bad! There was little chance of this at the time though, as an Australian distributor was yet to emerge.
Of that first batch, a few did come to Australia, by some sort of limited number loophole in vehicle importation. A friend of mine, a Norton tragic it must be said, ordered one of the first bikes and waited, and waited, and waited some more.
Complaints were made to Norton, they seemed to fall on deaf ears, and at one stage Norton even asked for the bike to be paid in full before it was even built. Stories of unpaid suppliers and disgruntled workers did the rounds. Who knows how much of this was true but history does show there were quite a number of well-known industry ‘celebrities’ who did come and go at Norton. At one time it looked like there was a revolving door at the place. My friend did eventually get his Commando 961 but he was so traumatised by the whole deal, and disappointed in the bike, that he has only ridden it a couple of times. Then NF Importers was named as the Australian distributor. I was pumped, and as a long time Ducati enthusiast and owner thought NFI were exactly the right mob to take on Norton. So pumped in fact that I asked to buy one. I wasn’t on the initial list of buyers for the pre-ordered 200 bikes but being
‘in the know’ thought I may be able to jump the list. Not so I was told. I still don’t know if that was simply the bosses of NFI doing the right thing by their 200 or the fact they didn’t want some bloke who wrote about motorcycles paying all this coin only to be severely disappointed and prepared to tell all in print. In any case, I didn’t buy one. Then.
Fast forward a year and I was contacted by Warren Fraser of NFI and asked if I wanted to test a new Commando 961? He thought I would appreciate the bike for what it was, and the fact it wasn’t a fire breathing new performance machine, but a special machine built for a select market. Are you serious? I couldn’t get my backside on it quick enough. The exact bike was a Café Racer in silver with polished alloy wheels. I was the first motorcycle writer in the country to actually ‘test’ the new 961 and in the short time I had the bike I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were faults of course, but oh my god, it was achingly beautiful.
My take on the bike was it was a modern chassis with an engine a couple of generations behind. That was OK I also said, I’ll have one please. Was it worth the 35 grand asking price? For some yes, but not for me. I was sort of glad I didn’t pay the 35K for a bike I hadn’t actually ridden beforehand. But then a few months ago I was offered a Commando 961 for much less than new price. I was involved in a job lot buy and could have my pick of one of five bikes. Not all were complete but a near complete Café Racer caught my eye. One in silver with polished alloy wheels. Yes, the same bike I tested a few years ago. It had just under 4000 kilometres on the dial, and it was now mine. In the deal I got open pipes, some factory updates to cure issues found along the way by the factory, serviced and ready to go. One of my stipulations was I wanted taller handlebars off an SF model in the job lot put on to replace the neck aching clip-ons. Once it was ready I got to take it for a short ride on Trade plates and was mildly shocked by the vibration and an aversion to corners. Vibration
seemed worse than I remembered but I wasn’t sure. The aversion to corners was simply a worn rear tyre with a flat middle.
The factory ‘open’ mufflers didn’t seem very open. You can buy ‘race only’ pipes from Norton direct but I didn’t like their stumpy style or the fact they were well over two grand. Then there was the issue of needing the ECU remapped to suit those pipes. There were a few aftermarket sets available but I decided to call Staintune down in Mittagong to see if they would make something up. Gladly, was the reply, and once they had my bike to use as a template it took a couple of weeks for the job to be done. Shorter, narrower and much better sounding reverse cone mufflers came back. As usual, Staintune delivered, on time, at a good price, and a build quality second to none on this planet. Aural pleasure on a motorcycle cannot be understated. Ever.
There have been a few inherent design issues with the 961, mainly engine noise, leaky engines, failing camshaft sensors, battery drains, airboxes filling with oil, wet sumping and poor fuelling. These are just some I’ve been informed of and read about. My bike got some factory updates to cure this, namely a one way return valve for the oil-in-frame set-up, a better crankcase breather, and a modified relief valve for the oil pump. One of the factory fixes was to send out a longer oil dipstick with a lower oil level indicator. This in essence tricks you into putting less oil in the tank, which then doesn’t over pressurise the engine, which reduces oil leaks. Right! This goes against what I’ve been taught in my years of mucking around with cars and motorcycles but hey, this came from the factory. I did hear that over 50% of NFI’s warranty problems came from the Nortons it sold. Not a good look considering how many Ducatis get sold in Australia. I do believe that many owners who shelled out close to 40 grand were not prepared to put up with even minor issues; and who could blame them, I guess. One of the more major issues is that the airbox can fill with oil and if not checked can cause all sorts of engine maladies.
See, he does finish them!
Just to show that Picko actually does finish bike projects that he starts, you’ll see here a pic of the GSX-R1100 Limited Edition he wrote about in these pages a little while ago. When he told me he’d finished this bike I told him to call an ambulance – I was about to have a heart attack! LOL! SW
Once my silver surfer returned from Staintune I got it registered and have been gradually learning to trust and even love it. I even got all dressed up and took it on the recent DGR ride. I also took to rantbook and joined the Commando 961 page where I learned all sorts of things, and found a 961 owner fairly local to me had sorted many minor issues. I took his advice and decided to head those problems off at the pass, replacing the cam and temp sensors with genuine Bosch items rather than the ‘other’ brand that came with the bike, even though they hadn’t failed. What’s it like to ride? Well I liken it to, and treat it like, a classic bike, albeit a modern classic. I’ve owned and raced classic bikes for many years so I have a fair degree of mechanical knowledge and sympathy, which I think is important for a bike like this. Thrash it like you could a modern bike and you’ll be disappointed. It vibrates, you have to be positive and thoughtful with your gear changes and the engine feels a little cantankerous, especially when cold. Sometimes it doesn’t like to idle for a bit, the engine is noisy, and it doesn’t go all that hard. But my other bike is a Yamaha MT-10 so that could taint my view somewhat. Now that’s what I initially thought until I caught up with my local 961 owner ‘Bluey’. He
has done 14,000 kilometres on his and mentioned how the engine liked to rev, and rev much harder than I was revving mine. Our ride down a nice bit of ‘curvy’ near my home had me revving the bike out to 6 and 7000rpm (redline is 8 grand) and the engine just got smoother. A mate was riding shotgun on his Honda SP1 and I felt the Norton was not disgraced in the bends. Once I started to get a ‘feel’ for the
engine and more importantly to trust it, I had a ball. It’s harder work to ride fast than newer bikes of the same capacity but what a blast I had. 200 kilometres of riding it hard and fast but not abusing it and there was no hint of an oil leak, or a problem. All my mates who sledge me about Norton oil leaks can get stuffed.
It’s a handler too. With Ohlins forks and shocks, Brembo brakes and a lightweight Spondon chassis, it goes around corners like bikes should. I don’t know what sort of top speed it has, it’s not that sort of bike for me, but the engine has a sweet spot between 100-130 km/h in top and the chassis is nowhere near its limit at that pace. I’ve previously owned a 1971 750 Norton Commando and I treat my new Commando the same. I don’t thrash it, I’m thoughtful how I treat it, and I keep an eye on the maintenance. In essence I treat it like a cherished classic bike. If I want
Although
to ride fast with friends on other modern bikes and forget to check the oil level, then I take my Yamaha. This was meant to be a quick flip. I got it for the right price, and could sell it on for a reasonable profit. There’s not a huge market for the Commando 961. People are put off by what they read and new and second-hand sales reflect that. NFI is no longer the Australian importer of Norton. Brisbane Motorcycles took it on after the Norton/NFI relationship soured. Brisbane Motorcycles isn’t a small dealership. It’s a big concern and now has a number of dealerships selling and servicing Norton throughout Australia. They are not everywhere but they are growing. James Mutton is the guy who oversees Norton in Oz. He’s a young bloke with a good racing pedigree and was brought up in the motorcycle dealership game. He knows what’s what. He also displays the passion this brand needs to succeed.
I was going to sell it but every time I ride it I fall more in love. It makes me smile. I think I’ll keep it a bit longer. D to
KOSCIUSKO RALLY 2018
Was it cold? Nah… WORDS/PHOTOS THE POSSUM
THE 37TH KOSCIUSKO Rally was conducted under brilliant blue, cloudless skies on the banks of the Swampy Plains Creek, not far from Khancoban.
Sadly it was a far cry from the first Kosciusko which attracted over 800 entrants!
This year only 40-odd showed up, but there were some young fellas so we live in hope.
Those who came in via Thredbo, reported snow on the roadside, and plenty of wildlife. One sharp eyed punter reported seeing a dingo run across his path.
There had been high winds in the days prior to the rally and plenty of leaf litter and fallen sticks added to the hazard of wayward 4 x 4s who claimed much more than their share of the road as they lumbered around the corners.
Garry from the ACTBMW Club was kept busy running things, but found time to fill me in on the Motorrad Clubs gathering at Wallerawang a few weeks earlier.
The Motorrad gathering saw 80 odd attend and $4500 was raised to support research into Prostate Cancer, and the raffle winner went home with a G310GS!
Due to the low numbers, there was no presentation of awards, but honourable mentions must go toBailey & wife Deb, with their mate Garth, who came over from S.A. Youngest rider was Hamish from Tura Beach (NSW South Coast) on his tidy R65LS.
BMW Motorrad donated some tasty gear for the raffle, and Bill from
Canberra went home with a flash new Motorrad dry bag.
A limited number of Kranskys were available for the evening meal, and bacon and egg rolls appeared on Sunday morning. Well done Garry and committee.
All profits from this year’s event will go to the RFDS.
ACT Club member Martin Robinson had a big off, on his way home from the Off Centre Rally and needed a ride with the RFDS, so the Club sees itself as paying down Martins account.
Martin is back home and recovering. (Get well soon, Martin. Ed) His Frankenbike K750GS is not so well.
This rally is in a brilliant location with excellent roads, 4 x 4s notwithstanding, and you get to see plenty of wildlife wandering about the campsite.
Saturday night we had a wombat toddle through our camp (no doubt looking for a snappy feed). Makes a change from smelling the dead ones on the roadside.
Please pencil the Kosciusko in for next year, it’s very much worth the ride. D
Panamerica HARLEYDAVIDSON
Could do better
TWORDS THE BEAR PHOTOS H-D
he harley-DaviDson Panamerica has been getting a bit of attention on the interwebs, and it hasn’t been what I’d call overwhelmingly positive. Most people seem to agree that the bike has been struck severely with the Ugly
Stick. It doesn’t help that the company released news of the bike with a photo from possibly the least flattering angle; our photo shows it almost side-on, and it doesn’t look quite as bad. But it’s still no beauty, the way most of the Motor Company’s products are. My Sportster
Seventy Two, for example, is a highly attractive… whassat? Oh, okay, Sorry. The major problem with the Panamerica is one that I didn’t think Harley-Davidson would ever fall prey to. The bike doesn’t look like a Harley. For a company which has
made its fortune by judicious selfreferencing over the past century, this is inexplicable. People buy Harleys because they are Harleys; they buy more than a motorcycle because they buy history. I bought my Seventy Two because it is irresistibly reminiscent of the great Californian H-D choppers of the Seventies.
The Panamerica looks nothing like any Harley I’ve ever seen, and I’ve owned a half dozen or more and seen just about every variation Milwaukee has come up with. One of my more cynical friends reckons I don’t know
what I’m talking about, and it actually resembles a Topper but we’ll treat that comment with the disdain it deserves. It looks like nothing more than a KTM with a squashed plastic crate stuck to the front, says another mate, and I’m more inclined to give him credit for acuity. Whatever: it does not look like a Harley.
Could that be a good thing?
No, to put it bluntly. The Motor Company trades on its name, as do all established brands. That name is linked to certain visual cues, and this bike has just one of them apart from the name: the engine. I don’t think that’s enough. “So, okay, smartarse”, as you may be tempted to say if I know you: “what would you do?” After all, the Motor Company doesn’t exactly have a history of building dirt bikes, if you ignore that Canadian military thing they played with for a while.
I am truly glad you said that, because I can think of something I would do.
Harley-Davidson did build a dirt bike. It was one of the most famous motorcycles ever. It was even known as The Bike That Won the War, and I’m talking about WW2, The Big One. It was, of course, the WLA – and don’t call it a Walla. Nobody called it a Walla when I used to ride one. It’s one of those stupid neologisms that grate on anyone who was actually there; no, not during the
war but during the late ‘60s when WLAs were the only Harleys any of us could afford and we bought them for $400 from Old Jack and Johnno at Redfern Motorcycle Spares.
The first WLA prototype went from Harley-Davidson to the US Army for testing in 1939, and limited numbers were built in 1940. It was based on the then current WL model, a 45 cu in (738 cc) flat-head. The suffix “A” means Army. The “W” series had been developed from the “R” series, produced between 1932 and 1936, and “L” signifies high-compression. High compression? Well, it was, then: five to one, a little low by today’s standards.
Production speeded up considerably once America had entered World War II in 1941, and more than 88,000 WLAs were built. In parallel, Harley produced the WLC for Canadian forces to a slightly different specification. Production re-started for the Korean War in 1949, to finish again in 1952. Most WLAs produced after Pearl Harbor were serial numbered as 1942, no matter what their actual year of production. Australian forces used WLAs in Vietnam because the BSAs that had officially replaced them proved to be too flimsy.
The flat-head v-twin was outstandingly reliable, and reports mention that it could easily run on 74-octane fuel. We occasionally ran
them on kerosene during the regular Christmas fuel strikes; you just had to prime them with petrol and mix a little in with the kero.
The impressive-looking “Springer” fork, rigid rear and sprung saddle - either a solo “tractor” or dual “buddy” seat - combined to make the bike remarkably capable on dirt. The one thing it could not cope with very well was a high-speed pothole. This would fire the rider up into the air when the spring under the seat compressed and then extended. After I hit a particularly deep one on Pyrmont Bridge Road in Sydney on one of my WLAs, a laughing mate who’d been riding behind me told me that “your arse was higher than your head!”
What that all comes to is that the WLA was a genuine adventure bike. After all, what could be more adventurous than wartime service?
I am not suggesting that Milwaukee should be building a replica of the WLA. But why not take design cues from it? That would provide continuity of appearance, and also be a constant reminder of H-D’s contribution to the war effort, not to mention the subsequent customising revolution in California.
It’s an opportunity missed, folks. My thanks to the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa for background information and photos. D
LONGTERMERS
ALL GOES QUIET
THE LITTLE LION is done and as you read this, has gone back to Benelli Australia. It has been an absolute awesome little bike to commute on day-to-day. It has stood up to everything I could throw at it and laughed at me, and it has
attracted masses of attention with riders wanting to talk to me at the traffic lights and especially whenever I rode it to a café on the weekend! So I highly recommend you go and check one out. They’re very well priced too. Standby for the Leoncino’s replacement – something that likes to get dirty. SW
SUZUKI GSX1100S KATANA
and – something that likes to
The big Kat isn’t quite finished, even though I was hoping it would be. I seriously advise that when you get fresh paint, be very careful moving the bike next to it back into place - where the handlebar end would normally sit there is now no space and it will take the tank decal off! I think my heart sank when this happened, so I’ve now got the tank back with the painter to redo it. SW D
BENELLI LEONCINO
“DON'T TELL ME HOW EDUCATED YOU ARE, TELL ME HOW MUCH YOU TRAVELLED.” THE PROPHET MOHAMMED, PEACE BE ON HIS NAME
CAN YOU TOUR ON an MV Agusta F3 RC? Sure. Should you contemplate touring on an MV Agusta F4 RR? Ah, well, that’s quite another thing…
We get quite a few queries here about the best bike to buy, for a variety of uses. Now I know full well that no matter what I suggest in reply, you are going to go out and buy the red one with clip-ons. Nevertheless, I thought I’d try
to put together some suggestions for one of the few areas where I have any qualifications – touring bikes. Please note that this story, except for the paragraph above and a few case studies, is both brand- and modelagnostic. It’s more like a template against which you might like to hold your chosen machine, to see if it fits.
My definition of these bikes is somewhat wider than most people’s would be, and an important reason for that is that motorcycle touring has changed. Once upon a time when you were travelling by bike, you went to most of the same places that other travellers visited. You’d go to see the Uffizi in Florence and the Louvre in Paris; you’d
ride the Stelvio and the Route des Crêtes; or you’d take in the Taj Mahal and make your way up that narrows little road to Shimla. You’d be riding a dedicated tourer.
These days, all the ‘tourist attractions’ of the world are overrun. You need to buy tickets in a lottery to get into the Uffizi and the Ponte Vecchio is packed solid with Americans and pickpockets. Even in the off season it takes you hours to get into the Musée d’Orsay or aboard the lift to climb the Eiffel Tower. You’re more likely to be riding a bike chosen from a much more varied range, to go to much more varied places.
Cruisers, including Harley-Davidsons, are fine on poor surfaces as long as you remember to factor in their weight and handling.
“BIZARRE TRAVEL PLANS ARE DANCING LESSONS FROM GOD.”
KURT VONNEGUT
Motorcycles allow us to get away from tourist destinations, and if they’re capable on rough or gravel roads, and even the occasional bit of mud and sand, we can go places that will never be on the itinerary of tourist buses or furriners in rental cars. That’s the kind of bike I mean, one that will let (and even encourage) you to take the old road over the top of the pass rather than the new tunnel through the mountain. Bikes like that will give you access to a world that’s still clear of the tourist masses. Some of this article is based on my experiences riding a Honda XL250 around the world. So much for the bikes’ qualifications. What qualifications do I have? Well, apart from having covered damn near a million kilometres on various motorcycles, I have had sore bums that you would not believe. And there you are – the first recommendation has already popped up.
The longest rides I’ve done were more than 130,000km on XL250, and nearly 70,000km on a (borrowed) XS1100 Yamaha. And the contrast could not have been greater. The Honda’s seat was an instrument of torture, while the Yamaha was comfortable for even really long, hot days in the saddle. Just as well when you’re deep in the Sahara and have other things to worry about. But let’s take it all in order.
I’ve often noted that any bike can be a touring bike, but that’s a little like saying that any clothing is good for an assault on the South Pole. You could wear board shorts and a t-shirt, but you’re likely to be more comfortable in fur-lined overalls. Nevertheless, I have seen people who were putting up big distances, complete with luggage, on RD250s and XT125s. In Lahore I met a French brother and sister who had ridden there from Paris on VéloSoleXes. Do not try this in Pakistan, or even at home. Although I must say I’d be tempted to do (or at least attempt) an around-Australia ride on one – if I could find one.
So keep in mind that this is not a prescriptive article, but don’t blame me if you end up out of fuel in the jungle somewhere or with a bleeding backside.
Ideally, a touring bike should meet six conditions, not necessarily in this order:
1It should be rugged. You don’t want to have to worry about smashing something important when you drop the bike – as you will. Enduro bikes are generally designed to minimise the risk of breakage, usually except for the blinkers which you are expected to remove before you hit the trail. You can’t do that on a touring bike, so despite the
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1. Any bike can be a touring bike, within reason – or even without reason…
2. Factory luggage is often the best choice. You’ll know that it fits and it has been designed for the bike. The racks, however, may not be strong enough for serious touring. They were fine on the Tiger.
fact that enduros make excellent tourers you should probably take a couple of spare blinkers. Fit a headlight protector, too, and Barkbusters for your hands and hand levers. Apart from being designed to be rugged, enduros are also generally light which minimises crash damage all by itself.
Bigger bikes, like the ones usually called adventure tourers, will need a bit of additional and external ruggedizing if they’re not already fitted with it. That can include bash plates under the engine, engine protectors and other crash bars and specialised footpegs and levers. The problem here is that many of these things make the bike heavier, which is undesirable – see below.
2
. It should be both reliable mechanically and easy to repair. When Craig Vetter designed bikes for his wife Carol and himself to ride to and through Alaska, he incorporated headlights and blinkers that could be replaced from any auto supply shop. He also fitted aluminium fairings which, he told me, “you can panelbeat with a rock by the side of the road”.
There are very few repairs the average rider can make on today’s bikes, but be prepared for the ones you can, such as broken wires and even flat tyres. It makes sense to carry spare cables and, on bikes with spoked wheels, spare spokes. Beyond that… well, it’s better to have a reliable bike than an easily repairable one, but either will do in a pinch.
“LIKE ALL GREAt tRAVELLERs, I hAVE sEEN MoRE thAN I REMEMBER, AND REMEMBER MoRE thAN I hAVE sEEN.” BENJaMIN DIsraElI
1. Consider the season in which you’re travelling. It’s unlikely that you’ll be fitting chains, but you may wish to use a softer compound tyre.
2. Fuel capacity is important, but not vital. It is easy to carry extra fuel – there are several bespoke options, and then there’s the five-litre service station canister.
The cover of one of my books – just to show you how far you can overload a Yamaha XS1100, starting with a full Vetter kit and ending with a five-litre container of water. The one on the other side holds wine. Do not try this at home, or anywhere else.
3 It should be capable of carrying a reasonable, but not excessive, load. This is important because it is a quintessentially human tendency to carry as much as you can. Next time you go somewhere (not on the bike) note how you tend to fill your suitcase. If you get a bigger suitcase, you’ll fill that, too. And so on. The best way to deal with this is just to have a limited amount of space to start with.
I know, I know, I shouldn’t talk.
If you can find a photo (I’ll see if I can) of my XL250 when I was crossing America, you’ll see a prime example of a bike loaded to the gunwales and then some. The final indignity came when I found a small foam cooler (esky to Australians, chully bun to Kiwis) and strapped it to the top of one of my panniers, which made it much easier to carry food and save money on meals –but at the cost of looking a bit… over the top. And Mrs Bear’s and my XS1100 was kind of overloaded as well – but we had no choice.
4
. It should have a decent fuel range. This is even more obvious than the above suggestions, but it is important to remember that interesting places often don’t have fuel. But do not get too worried about this, because carrying some extra petrol is not hard with a canister or one of those bolt-on reservoirs. There is, however, a problem. If you are in a… well, let’s call it a
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strange place, like maybe India, then fuel is worth quite a bit to the locals. That means you don’t want to leave fuel on the bike; you can lock the canister on, but that still leaves a clever local with the option of siphoning the stuff out. And taking petrol into your room will raise eyebrows in the sleaziest of so-called hotels. In the final analysis there is no way of securing your fuel completely, but think about making it hard and unpleasant for someone to steal it. Yes, they can always pull off a fuel line, but that seems to be the last resort, and I’ve never known it to happen.
I had a locked aluminium tank box that locked the filler to the top of the tank, and that worked well. My spare fuel container was locked to the bike with a steel cable.
5It should run on poor-quality fuel. It’s not just in the outer reaches of Afghanistan that you’re going to encounter bad fuel, although you definitely will there. I don’t know about the rest of the civilised world, but I am informed that here in Australia we occasionally get our petrol from overseas refineries of doubtful ethics, and it may contain ‘additives’ you’d prefer not to find in your engine. That includes but is not limited to methanol.
Despite that, it’s most likely that you will find poor fuel in the Third World. BMW used to offer a plug-in
‘desensitiser’ which allowed its bikes to run on poorer quality petrol; I don’t know what ever happened to that, but it sounded like a good idea.
I met the owner of a Honda CB750 in India who was travelling by train. He’d left his bike, which he had ridden from Europe, somewhere in Pakistan because it simply wouldn’t run on the petrol. We had little trouble on our XL250s, even when the petrol smelled like cabbages rather than anything volatile.
6
It should be comfortable. Of course you can ride a bike that isn’t comfortable – see the abovementioned XL250 – but it may become torture and can even spoil your trip. In the case of the XL, to be fair, it was only the seat that was a problem. Ergonomics and other features were fine. If the seat of your bike is not the best, you can try a lambswool cover, an inflatable pad or a replacement seat. I urge you to do something like that.
It’s harder to change the ergonomics, except perhaps for a replacement handlebar. Keep that in mind when you first select a bike.
It also helps if the bike:
7
Takes easily-available size tyres. You can buy motorcycle tyres just about anywhere, but you can’t
Which is the better tourer? It depends entirely on what you’re looking for.
necessarily buy every size.
“He who would travel happily must travel light.” Antoine de St. Exupery
8
Is light. We had no choice but to ship our bikes by air from Thailand to Nepal, and low weight was a blessing. Even if you’re not flying, getting your bike aboard tiny ferries (spelt canoes) or picking it up on muddy roads is easier if you’re not heaving huge weights along.
9
Doesn’t look too flash. I’d been told that the police in Algeria would help us with things like finding campsites, but the one time I tried that they took one look at the Vetter-equipped XS1100 and told me that I was a rich European and I could damn well stay in a hotel. People like someone who looks a little modest.
10
Is unlikely to overheat. Don’t laugh, this is potentially even a problem in places like Norway or Siberia. Lengthy slow running will heat up most engines, especially air-cooled ones. And if you’re in Cambodia and the mud coats and insulates your engine rather effectively you will find that it is not happy. D
AGV SPORTMODULAR –GLOSSY CARBON
Price - $899 (Gold Iridium Visor - $149)
LAST ISSUE
WE HAD Colin Whelan’s review on the great new AGV Sportmodular helmet. The fine people at AGV Australia wanted me to have one as well so I picked the ‘Glossy Carbon’ version, which is also the cheapest ‘colour’ of the range. I have no idea why as I reckon it looks the best! I also chose to grab a tinted visor (as I hate those internal drop down visors), with the flashy gold iridium visor making me look even more, ‘glossy’.
Before I do get onto my review one thing Colin wasn’t aware of (from his review) is the internal drop down visor is adjustable via a cable, unlike most other internal drop down visors on the market. So, Colin’s mention about it hitting his nose is no longer now he has adjusted it.
One thing I find with AGV helmets is the chin bar sits a lot closer to your face than most other helmets – you may or may not like this when you first try one on, but give it a couple of weeks of riding with it and you’ll quickly adjust. AGV state the shell shape is designed to minimise impact force being channelled to the collar bone, which is a very common injury from a helmet in a crash and the chin bar being closer than you might be used to is no doubt this great design.
Airflow around your face is mega with the Sportmodular. This is great for warmer weather and those (like me) that like plenty of fresh air circulating around. A Pinlock insert does come standard with the helmet so there’s no
fogging at any time.
Intake and exhaust vents on the top of the helmet can hardly be felt but I assume they must do something because I’ve not been sweaty on the top of the head during a few low 30 degree days I used this helmet for already.
Weight (the lack of it) is the most notable feature I like about the Sportmodular. It is lighter than any of my road helmets and this obviously helps with fatigue. Being made from 100% carbon (shell and chin) helps and to put this into perspective, the Sportmodular offers the same protection performance of the MotoGP Pista GP-R.
Comfort is excellent and closing the front of the helmet does not change the fi t.
For a modular (fl ip front) helmet, the AGV Sportmodular has to be one of (if not) the best on the market. It really is just like having a full face helmet with the benefi ts of a fl ip front. Check the range out at your local bike shop or www.agvhelmets.com.au SW
AGV K-1 PITLANE
Price - $299 (Tinted
Visor - $89)
The latest and greatest addition to the AGV range is the new K-1. A helmet priced in the lower range at only $299, but one that comes with all the mod cons of more expensive helmets. The shell is made from high resistance thermoplastic resin engineered in 2 sizes.
Integrated ventilation with 5 large front vents and 2 rear extractors hollowed in the shell work extremely well. All the air vents are adjustable and the rear extractors are integrated into the spoiler.
The spoiler integrated in the shell is inspired by the Pista GP R’s Biplano and wind tunnel tested to maximize aerodynamic performance and stability, and yes, it is stable at gaol time speeds.
A Dry-Comfort fabric interior with removable nose guard and wind protector are all easily removed and washable. The interior is also designed
for those that wear glasses. The visor is available in 2 different sizes (and is Pinlock ready) to optimise the match between visor and shell in any size and to reduce air drafts and noise. The visor also has a microopening system to boost airflow and changing the visor is very simple and quick to do.
Strapping the K-1 to your melon is a Double D retention system and the K-1 is ready for fitment of a generic communication system. If you don’t want to pay big money prices for a helmet but want one that offers great features, you should be looking at the new AGV K-1. A wide range of plain and graphic versions are available, drop into your local bike shop or visit www.agvhelmets.com.au to check them out. RLM
CRESCENT ½” TORQUE WRENCH
Price - $159
Do you even ‘torque’ bro? Well if you do any kind of maintenance
on your motorcycle you certainly should be! Overtightening and undertightening can have dire consequences for you and the longevity of your pride and joy. Heritage hand tool brand, Crescent, has just released the awesome CRTW12 ½” drive & CRTW38 3/8” drive torque wrenches. I grabbed the 1/2” version which ranges from 50-250 ft-lbs – great for torqueing axle nuts and larger jobs. For those smaller nuts and bolts I recommend grabbing the 3/8” version.
If you don’t like foot-pound measurements, the Crescent torque wrench also features Newton Metre measurements. Having both scales comes in handy if your bike’s manual states its torque requirements in imperial or metric measures - you have the right tool for the task.
Adjusting the torque wrench is a breeze thanks to the slide-back collar and the high contrast white increments on the black handle - this facilitates greater tightening precision.
Both versions of the Crescent torque wrench come with a calibration certificate and can be re-calibrated at any time, ensuring total accuracy. They also come in a protective case to ensure longevity.
If you’re not torqueing, you better jump onto www.crescenttoolco.com. au for more information and where to buy either the ½” or 3/8” torque wrenches (or both). SW
SHOEI EX-ZERO EQUATION
Price - $699.90
Premium helmet brand, Shoei recently released an updated version of their 1980s’ off-road helmet – the Ex-Zero. Shoei being Shoei, however, this is a helmet that will look totally authentic and original, but has all the creature comforts of any modern Shoei.
It features Shoei’s famed AIM, multicomposite shell that the company uses in all its high-end race helmets. This delivers a medium density shell that offers a perfect blend of strength and energy absorption. It’s also commendably light. Three shell sizes also mean the Ex-Zero will have a pleasingly low-profile fit and there’s the option to fit three different thicknesses of headliner and three different sizes of cheek pad.
The interior of the Ex-Zero is actually based on that of the Shoei J.O open face, a helmet we hold in particularly high esteem. It’s far and away the best fitting and most comfortable, open-face helmet on the market.
An internal drop down visor from the J.O adds to the greatness of the Ex-Zero. It has three different positions and comes in clear, yellow or
smoke. And, unlike most other ‘open’ styled helmets, the Ex-Zero has great protection around the face with the inner visor down – not like wearing a motocross helmet that lets all the crap flying in the air smash into your face. Overall, I think the Shoei Ex-Zero represents an unbeatable package for style, comfort and sheer awesomeness. Check out the range of colours at your local bike shop or www. mcleodaccessories.com.au RLM
SHOEI ADV NAVIGATE
Price - $999.90 (Tinted
Visor - $109.95)
I’ve had the Shoei ADV helmet since it first launched a couple of years ago. It is still in great condition – albeit full of red Aussie dirt from outback adventures, so the lovely folk at McLeod Accessories (the distributor) felt I should have the latest colour graphic. The white and black, ‘Navigate’ is what I got with a new tinted visor and Pinlock. All the same great features are
built into the ADV and if you’re genuinely serious about onand off-road form and function, this helmet essentially knows no bounds. The ADV also works well with goggles. Stability (at all speeds), comfort, ventilation and lightness makes the Shoei ADV helmet a must have for adventure touring riders. I look forward to many years of adventuring with this top class helmet. Check out the range at your local bike shop or visit www. mcleodaccessories.com.au SW D
“ ”
The ToecuTTer - he knows who I am. I am The nIghTrIder! I am The chosen one. The mIghTy hand of vengeance, senT down To sTrIke The unroadworThy! I’m hoTTer Than a rollIn’ dIce. sTep rIghT up, chum, and waTch The kId lay down a rubber road, rIghT To freedom!
MAD MAX 1979
photo jeff crow
GRIZZLING
HOW HARD CAN IT BE?
Many people have criticized Australian driver licensing tests because they’re too easy. You don’t really need to be able to drive in anything but perfect conditions. But that isn’t the only problem. What I see all the time is the effect of a lack of an intelligence test. It does appear to me that anyone with the intelligence of the average rock can get a driver’s licence. How do I see this working out on the road? Let me count the ways. Surely it isn’t really hard to work out what those rectangles cut into the road at traffic light equipped intersections are for. Folks, they hide the actuating loops that tell the little mini-computer working the lights that you are there. If you stop behind them – or in front of them, looking at it the other way, but in either case not over them, it doesn’t know there’s anyone waiting for the lights to change. You will sit there much longer than otherwise, and so will the people queuing behind you. Their tempers will not improve.
All because you are an idiot. Likewise, it should be obvious that blinkers are there as a service to yourself and the rest of the traffic. Motorcyclists, especially, rely on them to keep them from being ploughed into the undergrowth or another car when you change lanes. But anyone would think that it costs money to activate the blinkers. People, they can save you money and possibly the lives of others. Isn’t it worth just flicking that little lever before you change lanes
Catholic so I don’t know
Sign of the times, number 3: Looks like even Paradise is not what
if you need to acknowledge lack of blinker use in confession, but you ought to be. “Father, I turned in front of a scooter yesterday without actuating my blinkers, and the rider had to swerve into the back of a parked van.” – “Say a hundred Hail Marys, send flowers to the funeral and read the road rule handbook from front to back. There will be a test.”
Look before you open the driver’s door of a parked car. This is more of a problem for bicyclists, but it can stop a motorcycle quite abruptly as well. While I’m on the subject of bicyclists, yes, it is true that you should give them at least a metre when overtaking them. But you don’t need to hang about behind them until the entire opposing lane is free so you can give them your entire lane, meanwhile holding up everyone behind you.
None of these things, and the many other examples of idiocy I see on the road (and motorcyclists are not exempt) are difficult to understand and avoid. Come on, please. How hard can it be?
Peter ‘The Bear’ Thoeming
Sign of the times, number 1: Surely the name of the hotel can’t mean what it seems to. Can it?
1. Sign of the times, number 2: Let’s hope the taco bar doesn’t get its supplies from the veterinarian…
2.
it once was…
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 contactus@ausmotorcyclist.com.au or Australian Motorcyclist Magazine, Suite 4b, Level 1, 11-13 Orion Rd, Lane Cove West NSW 2066. All opinions published here are those of the writers and we do not vouch for their accuracy or even their sanity.
fabulous Nelson-Rigg T-shirt and backpack valued at $59.90 from Link International to you. Check out the entire range of NelsonRigg at www. nelsonrigg. com.au
LETTER OF THE MONTH
KEVIN IS THIS month’s winner. He is requesting that we grab a pillion and get some words from them for each bike we review. This can be a bit difficult but on most bikes we feel would suit a pillion we try to do just this. Kevin, please send me your postal address so we can get the
WATERY STUFF
Attn Peter Thoeming Memories re Watroprop.
In the early 70’s when I was a young lad at Milledge Bros. Yamaha in South Melbourne the predecessor of this product entered the market. From memory it was a Stadium clipon product for open faced helmets, to go along with the various types of goggles they produced.
I remember test riding with one and on reflection I feel either the engineering or the production quality was not as good as today. The result at the time was the faster I went, the more the imbalance made the eyeballs vibrate, to the
PILLION IN A MILLION
I have just been reading the adventure bike article and as with most bike tests the bikes all had pillion footrests and seats so how about sticking a pillion on the bikes and get them to type a few words about their experience, and especially the sporty bikes. It would be fun to see what Stuart thinks of the MV Agusta Brutal 800RR pillion arrangement, in all honesty why did they even
bother wasting the ink putting them on the design on that monstrosity. Keep up the good work Regards
Kevin Partington
Bundaberg QLD
Hi Kevin,
We do (when the occasion allows) get a pillion in a million on the back of bikes we think a pillion would want to sit on. Things like the MV, sportbikes and so on are just there for legalities around the world. As various regulations get fixed up around the world I reckon you’ll find a lot of these sportier bikes will be single seat only. Cheers, Stuart.
point where it was difficult to see!! Further to that the bearing may not have been of the best quality, or was not well sealed against dust and grit, and the resulting noise assaulted the ears with the same intensity that the imbalance assaulted the eyes!
I quite happily went back to the various types
of goggles until the full face helmet came along.
Kind regards, Colin Iskov.
Don’t you dare hit that pothole!
Hi, Colin, and thanks for your note.
I remember that clip-on as well, and I always thought that it was one of the dorkiest things I’d ever seen.
The Watroprop looks a lot better, I’m glad to say.
The quality of the bearings is vastly better, too and so is the whole design of the gadget. Would you like to try mine out for a few weeks? It’s designed for full-face helmets.
The Bear
Thanks for the offer Peter but it’s ok. It was just the trigger for a flashback, there’s nothing like memories, regardless of how true or embellished they are ! best regards, Colin Iskov.
MCCNSW RESPOND
Stuart, Peter, I’d like to make several comments in response to the article ‘Wear the CAP’ in Issue 70:-
• MotoCAP is designed to provide riders with information so they can make informed choices as to what they buy and wear. I’d be most interested in your reader’s thoughts as these will help improve the scheme and the information provided.
• Injury compensation is paid by CTP schemes not general insurers. In some States the CTP scheme is underwritten by Government in other States payment is by insurance companies who are overseen by a CTP Regulator. Most CTP Regulators are helping fund MotoCAP as they see it as a means to improve the quality of gear worn, therefore reducing the severity of injuries and hence reduce premiums.
• The ‘Comfort’ rating is for thermal comfort which is not a subjective rating but determined by the ability of the garment to breathe and allow sweat to evaporate. Body temperature is regulated by sweating. For more information on the testing see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hceK6FX0JHM
• Research has found that price is not a good indicator of whether the garment will provide good protection or good thermal comfort. Moderately priced garments, in some cases, outperform the more expensive gear. Riders can save money by choosing a moderately priced garment that testing has found to perform as well as an expensive garment.
• The testing has shown that the Star rating of many garments can be improved by simple, not very expensive changes such as using impact protectors that correctly fi t the pockets, improving the quality of the impact protectors, correctly sizing of the protection zones, removing non breathable layers. Making these changes to a moderately priced garment will still mean it is affordable.
What SaY YOU
Safe riding, Brian Wood
Chair of the AMC’s
subcommittee
on Protective Clothing
Hello, Brian, and thank you for your note. You make some good points, and like you I will be interested in the response of our readers. I’m afraid, though, that your comments do not address all of the main criticisms that Stuart and I raised.
The Bear
TALKING EURO
G’day PT,
Reality today finds bad to very bad roads and people in shorts, sandals and singlets on their motorbikes. Here are two areas where road improvement including removal of dangerous substances, like oil, sand and gravel as well as upgrading in driving school teaching could make riding safer and help avoid accidents. This is where local authorities should invest rather than “invent the wheel again”. There are suppliers of clothing on the market with decades of experience and guarantee of the best choices based on European standards (EN) therefore I fully agree with and support your conclusions.
2) I spent a month with Adriatic Moto Tours recently having the pleasure to ride two of them back to back i.e. the Balkans and then Italy plus Sardinia and Corsica.
The first tour was rushed through the programs by the tour guide and adding to much of “adventure”. This was not always to the liking of the riders. The second tour was near perfect and offered all the pleasures expected. All in all I did 2000km of corners among them switchbacks, near full circles and wide drawn ones for speed, uphill and downhill, you name it.
Apart from the fun I learned how to do corners properly (on a GS 700) and arrived home without a scratch. Your magazine does a great job for everyone involved, especially for your readers. Thank you for that.
Kind regards with a grin on my face, Volker Ecke
Thank you for the compliment, and your experience does bear out the importance of the guides, not just the tour organiser. I was very happy with my guides on the Adriatic tour I took, I’m glad to say. A word to the organisers would probably not go amiss. Do you want me to have a talk to them?
The Bear
ADVENTURE OVERLOAD
BROWN OR BROWN?
Hello Stuart, I rarely if at all write to magazines I subscribe to.
However, after reading or more to the point, flicking through issue 69 I was disappointed at the full on content of the “Adventure” category. I accept that this is a growing category, but to dedicate an entire issue to it was, in my eyes a waste of my money.
I wonder if other readers thought the same.
Otherwise, keep up the good work. Regards Glenn Bacchus Marsh Vic.
Hi Glenn,
Shame you didn’t like it. Yes, it is a massive market and in the past the adventure issue has been our biggest seller, hence we do it once a year.
We haven’t had any other readers contact us about the issue yet (at the time of this email). We’re back to normal from now on, though ;) Cheers, Stuart.
THE WEIRD AND WEIRDER
Hi Stuart, Came across this article. A different view on motorcycling, but interesting :) https://theconversation.com/whatevolution-and-motorcycles-havein-common-lets-take-a-ride-acrossaustralia-95880 Cheers, Neal
Hi Neal,
A rather, ‘weird’ take on it all. Hahaha! Cheers, Stuart.
Hi Stuart, Bear and cubs, Being in the market for a new pair of boots, mainly because I am sick of the heavy, uncomfortable Icon brand clodhoppers I’ve been wearing, I was interested in your boots special in the October Issue #8 Vol 6. Mine may have kept my footsies safe for a few years, but the moment I have dismounted it’s been like wearing a pair of dumbells around - great for building calf muscles but not exactly enjoyable for walking. However it was in the Used & Abused section my attention was piqued, Bear praised the Falco Ranger Boots at $269.95 (and I like brown, in boots at least). However when I Googled them I found your photo matched the Falcon Shiro 2 boots instead. Although the price is a more palatable $199.95, I am more interested in comfort in a specifically designed motorcycle/street boot than price, and I noted your satisfaction in that department. I don’t want to hand out my hardearned and get the wrong item...can you please confirm which boots you found so comfy?
As so often, Peter, the photo tells the story. I got the wrong brown boots. The ones I have, and like so much, are the Shiro 2s as you noted. Having now worn them in Europe for nearly a month (I did take them off to go to bed) I can confirm everything I wrote about themobviously, except for the name. Sorry ‘bout that.
The Bear D
R
R
R
R 1200
R 1200 RS
R 1200
K 1600 B
K
K
K
S
F
F
F 800 GSA
R 1200 GS
R 1200 GS Rallye
R 1200 GS Rallye X
R 1200 GS Tour
R 1200 GSA
R 1200 GSA Triple Black
ScooteR
C 650 Sport
C 650 GT
CAN-AM (BRP)
www.brp.com
*All prices are ride away
Road
$18,750
$22,100
$23,450
$36,490
$18,650
$21,850
$23,050
$27,250
$27,250
$24,890
$29,585
$14,150
$14,990
Spyder F3 $TBA
Spyder F3-S
Spyder F3-T
Spyder F3 Limited
Dio
HUSQVARNA
www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com/au
ROad
701 Supermoto
INDIAN
www.indianmotorcycles.com.au
*All Indian Motorcycle prices are ride away
CRuiseR
$TBA
Springfield Dark Horse $34,995
Chieftain Dark Horse $35,995
Chieftain Limited
Roadmaster
Roadmaster Elite
KAWASAKI
www.kawasaki.com.au
ROad
Z125 Pro KRT
Edition $10,299
Z650L ABS
Ninja ZX-6R $14,999
Ninja ZX-6R 636 KRT $16,749
W800 SE Black $12,499
Z800 ABS $12,999
Z900 $12,499
Z900RS
Ninja ZX-10R KRT
Ninja ZX-10R ABS
Ninja ZX-10R ABS KRT
Ninja ZX-10RR
Ninja ZX-14R ABS
Ninja ZX-14R Ohlins
PIAGGIO
V-Strom 650
V-Strom 650 LAMS
V-Strom 650 XT
V-Strom 1000
V-Strom 1000 XT
V-Strom 1000 GT
PEUGEOT
www.peugeotmotorcycles.com.au
R
TRIUMPH
www.triumphmotorcycles.com.au
*Some Triumph prices are ride away
Street Triple S 660
Street Triple S
Street Triple R
Street Triple RS
THE CASE OF THE STOLEN JUMPER
(Continuing my attempt to remember what bikes I’ve owned )
THERE WAS ONE morning when I returned to my South Yarra dwelling from my girlfriend’s place (in those days South Yarra was a cheap place to live) and found my bike gone. Richard, the bloke in the next room from mine, filled me in. He had woken up in the early hours to hear three or four blokes pushing the bike out onto the road and trying to start it. Fortunately I had locked the ignition, something that many WLA owners never bothered to do. Richard, being the heroic type, put on a jumper and leapt over the first floor balcony rail into the garden below and grappled with the would-be thieves. While one of them tried to bump-start the bike – I later found it at the bottom of the hill – the others managed to pull Richard’s jumper off over his head during the struggle.
Now this is where it gets bizarre. The bloke with the jumper told Richard that if he wanted it back, he should come to an address out in one of the north-eastern suburbs. He actually told Richard the address.
the bell nobody answered. I took to pounding on the door and finally it opened, carefully on the chain. A smoke-roughened female voice inquired, “Yeah?” I explained that I would like my mate’s jumper back.
“You want Steve,” croaked the voice. “He’s not here.” The name really should have been Dave, not Steve, then this exchange could have become a Cheech and Chong comedy routine.
“Where is he?” – “I dunno.” –“Listen, you tell him I want that jumper, and in good nick,” I said. “Or else…” I couldn’t think of what or else. “Or else. Got it?”
The jumper was back the next afternoon when Richard got home, hanging on the downstairs doorknob. I sold that bike before heading off to Europe, and the bloke who bought it rode it straight into a brick wall the first time he got on it. I hope he learned how to ride before trashing the bike completely. Fortunately it’s not easy to trash a WLA.
the bike was powered by a 441 Victor BSA engine; by the time I found out that it was a 250 it was too late, I’d fallen in love. The bike was a Crusader Sports Super Clubman, Royal Enfield’s final attempt to match the Japanese in clubman racing. It was a joy to ride but had a constant loss electrical system which meant I had to bump-start it every morning and most afternoons. The gearbox exploded on a trip to Kangaroo Valley with my girlfriend aboard, and when I got it back home I set about replacing it.
I rode out to there later that day. It was in Warrandyte or Wonga Park, somewhere like that, and pulled up outside the house. While I propped the bike on its sidestand, there was a flurry of curtain-twitching but when I rang
Living in England, I thought it would be best to have something with a roof so I bought a BMW Isetta. I know it’s not a motorcycle, but it did have a motorcycle engine…. When I returned to Australia, I wandered along Goulburn Street looking at second-hand offerings in the many bike shops that lined it in those days. I found myself drawn to a red Single with what I thought was a Rickman fairing but which in fact turned out to be a Speedflow, the original designed by Royal Enfiled on which Rickman based its beautiful creation. For whatever reason, I thought
I was art director of the Australian Record Company, today’s Sony Music Australia, and not short of money so I’m not sure why I next bought a ‘Cossack’. Having just missed out on the ‘dollar per cc’ offer which saw them flogged off at $650, I paid $800 for mine and set about some of the recommended post-pre-delivery. Among other things, that meant having the brake drums machined to make them round, something that the Soviet manufacturer had omitted to do, and replacing the brake shoes with VW Beetle items which fitted straight in. These had the advantage of actually retarding the forward motion of the bike, which the originals did not. Sadly I did not replace the tyres and tubes, which caused me to spend the next Christmas in Ballina hospital with a concussion after the rear tyre let go at highway speed. Not that highway speed was all that much on a Cossack…
Once out of hospital I disposed of the Cossack and looked around for a replacement. My memory becomes vague at this point, partly no doubt because the early ‘70s were a time of much partying. Somehow I found another WLA; Redfern Motorcycle Spares had finally run out of the surplus bikes but there were still plenty of them around. I’ll pass on what I can remember from that time, in the next issue. D
ADVERTISERS LISTING
BORIS
WORDS BORIS MIHAILOVIC
WE ARE A NATION of many things. Things like far horizons, droughts, fl ooding rains, Death Adders (now that’s a name for a snake, aye?), and of course jewelled seas.
But most of all, and most importantly, we are a nation of signs. In fact, if I was to defi ne Australia’s most identifying feature, it would be signs.
I know we would like it to be mateship – but hey, we really didn’t invent friendship, so we can lay no claim to it being one of our uniquely Australian qualities.
Larrikinism? Um, sure. Maybe once upon a time. Before the signs were erected. Now there is very little larrikinism. The signs forbid it.
A fair go? Erm, no. There’s none of that going on here at all. Read the sign. “Stop it…or cop it” it says. It sure doesn’t say “Stop it, or we’re going to have a discussion about how you should behave going forward in the interests of fairness”, does it?
No, Australia’s only uniqueness, its national defining characteristic, if you will, is that we eagerly bow down to the tyranny of the signs that rule us.
That’s what makes us special. It’s none of that other jingoistic bogan Ned Kelly bullshit. It’s our servile obedience to the signs.
And they are everywhere. And I do mean everywhere.
It wasn’t until I’d travelled through Europe that I realised just how ubiquitous our signs are. I’d been riding around Australia for almost half-a-century and it got so I didn’t even notice them anymore. They were still there, of course. But I had gotten so used to seeing them, they became invisible.
It’s like that fluoro shit they make every tradie, hole-digger and non-
THE TYRANNY OF THE SIGNS
office-worker wear now. There’s so much fluoro out there, it has become invisible. No-one even registers it anymore. But we still wear it and we still obey the signs.
But signs are not fluoro clothing. Signs insist on your compliance to the words written upon them. Hell, we employ vast legions of armed pensioner-beaters to make sure that compliance occurs.
So our compliance to the tyranny of the signs is enforced by violence.
You don’t agree?
OK. Let me demonstrate that what I state is true.
You see a sign that says the speed limit is 100km/h.
You decide to ignore the sign and ride at 200km/h.
An angry man with a gun forces you to pull over, forcibly restrains you with chains, and removes your freedom with the ease of crushing a cockroach underfoot.
If at any stage you respond to his violence with violence – a perfectly natural human reaction – then he is at liberty to ratchet up his violence until you comply with his demands.
See how this works?
The sign says X. You did Y. Forcible compliance follows.
That there is what Australia is.
Every road you ride, every pub you drink in, every toilet you visit, every servo you fill up at, every single damn place in this entire benighted country is riddled with signs demanding your compliance and offering violence if that compliance is not forthcoming. But a fi ne is not violence, you say. They only want me to pay a fi ne for not doing what the tyrannical sign demands.
Sure. But what if you cannot pay that fine? Or choose not to pay that fine? What happens then?
That’s right, ultimately, men with guns will come and violently take your liberty from you.
Yes, I understand I am describing the way most societies work. Our compliance is compelled by the threat of violence. And we already know that.
The difference in Australia is that we are constantly told that by the bastard signs. It’s like the people who create these signs imagine us to be retarded, or unable to act like socially responsible adults, and therefore a sign needs to put there so the instructions are clear, and the penalties for disobeying the instructions are just as clear.
And maybe those sign-making people are right. Maybe we are a little bit retarded when it comes down to it.
We constantly tell ourselves we are a unique people. The outlaw spirit of Ned Kelly is in all of us, and we are all about being antiauthoritarian and hugely resistant to being told what to do, right?
What are we paying for petrol right now? It’s been as high as $1.88 in servos I’ve been to.
You do know the French have recently torched a lot of Paris because they didn’t like the high fuel prices they had to pay.
Yes, the French. Those garlic-eating cowards we so like to deride because they surrendered so quickly to the Germans, and because Australia would have fought to the death when the Panzer battalions came rolling into our towns, right?
What do we do when our fuel price skyrockets and even people who ride bikes are being hit in the hip pocket?
Well, hell, us true blue ocker champions just pay those damn prices because that’s how we roll.
The signs insist on it. And the signs are in charge. D
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MEET YOU AT THE TOP.
Your adventure. Our policy.
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