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EDITORSPEAKS
Roll on
IHOPE EVERYONE has recovered from the busy Christmas and New Year celebrations. I always find it creeps up so fast every year and it’s then a mad rush to get everything organised. For those who bought or received a new motorcycle from ‘Santa’ –congratulations, for those who have a new motorcycle on the horizon – I bet you can’t wait.
Did you get out for a ride over the Xmas/New Year break? I got out for a little play in the dirt as I was riding the Yamaha Super Tenere. It was nice to get out for a ‘scenic’ ride and not worry about anything too much. Riding out in the bush with no one else around seems to have that calming effect.
For me, 2020 is quite exciting, I hope to do a bit of travelling, finish the Z900 A4 restoration and I certainly can’t wait to ride many of the new motorcycles that were shown in the last issue from EICMA and let you know what they’re like.
From my last editorial I told you how the engine in the race bike (The Beast) decided to go bang. I have since pulled it apart and the cause is a really weird one. The mesh screen on the oil pickup for the sump somehow got sucked up into the hole and starved the engine of oil. Number three conrod got hot and let go.
As you can imagine this has caused quite a bit of damage internally, but in a way I’m kind of lucky as the damage isn’t as bad as would be expected with
this type of let-go. The engine cases survived but the crank and barrel are finished, as is number three piston and number three set of valves.
I stumbled across a bloke in the ACT who has a heap of FZR1000 engines so I picked up most of what I need and some spares as the price was too good to pass up – although, if anyone knows where I can get hold of a money tree it would be appreciated! LOL!
I now have to get onto Crower Cams in the US and purchase the connecting rod, and Wiseco for the piston. Shaun at D Moto has some new plans up his sleeve to make the engine even better than it was – this has started with the spare crank I already had being lightened in a different design to what was in the engine. I can’t wait to have it back in the bike and running. Its next outing will be the International Festival of Speed in March.
Enjoy!
Cheers, Stuart.
TO THE EXTREME
Getting your hands on a Metzeler calendar can be quite difficult to put it mildly, but when you do it’s like receiving gold, only better. For 2020, Metzeler offers the “Extreme 2020” calendar paying homage to those mad men involved in the world of extreme enduro. There is also the “Classic 2020” calendar which showcases images of yesteryear rarely if ever seen before. The print run is limited to 5000 copies, so you’ll have to beg, steal or borrow to get your hands on either one.
BE CONNECTED
Triumph introduces a whole new generation of motorcycle connectivity designed to deliver an enhanced rider experience with a host of classdefining connectivity features. The new My Triumph Connectivity System is available now for the Scrambler 1200 XC, Scrambler 1200 XE, Rocket 3 R, and Rocket 3 GT. The core functionality of the ‘My Triumph’ app includes the following features:
• Records your route, at the end of your ride displays a summary of your journey and allows for it to
be shared with friends.
• Allows for live navigation, built with Google, on the Triumph motorcycle’s TFT instruments.
• Monitors the status of the bike, presenting key information such as odometer, average fuel consumption and time/distance to service.
The accessory My Triumph Connectivity System includes: My Triumph Connectivity module, software update for the My Triumph Connectivity module, and software update for the TFT instruments.
Price of the module will be $295 plus fitment kit and installation costinstallation takes about 60 minutes.
See your local Triumph dealer now and get connected.
LORD HUMUNGUS WOULD BE PROUD
Those crazy Pols at Game Over Cycles have created a Yamaha Niken that would fit right into a Mad Max movie. Rather than give the bike a name as GOC usually do, they wrote “Courage to set higher goals without fear of failure” (失敗を恐れず、もう一
段高い目標に取り組む). This is located on the radiator. The work gone into transforming the ugly into the weird took quite a bit of work – all the plastic
parts, bodywork and so on were formed out of aluminium and most of the bike polished, plus loads more. Check it out at www.gameovercycles.com
TWO TIMES THE FUN
For 2020, the fifth year of ‘KTM Australia Adventure Rallye’ will see two events take place – with the “Queensland Ranges” from May 23rd to 29th and then “South West WA” from October 9th – 15th 2020. Both rallies will feature a 6-day format that will focus on offering riders a truly remarkable experience exploring either South East Queensland and the Wide Bay / Burnett regions or the Southern Forests region of Western Australia – for both states it is the first time they will host a KTM Australia Adventure Rallye.
Open to Orange Adventure Riders with the following KTM adventure bikes eligible: 390 Adventure, 640, 690, 790, 790R, 950, 990, 1050, 1090, 1090R, 1190, 1190R, 1290 and 1290R models. The Rallye is tailored to suit a wide range of rider abilities, from those in their first few years of adventure riding up to seasoned
adventure pros. Sound like fun? Get in touch to secure your spot - : https:// www.ridektm.com.au/2020-ktmaustralia-adventure-rallye/ Pic 6
‘LOCK’ IT IN
Those great folk at Rocky Creek Designs design and find only the best products and their latest and greatest is the Atlas Throttle Lock. Claimed to be the most universal and intuitive
throttle lock ever made, it is designed by motorcyclists for motorcyclists. It is made of hardened stainless steel and will last the life of your motorcycle.
So, what is this black chunk of metal? Well, it’s a mechanical cruise control, more commonly known as a throttle lock.
When it’s engaged it simply holds your throttle in any position you leave it in. When you want to adjust your speed, simply rotate the throttle like normal. It uses pressure and friction to prevent the throttle from rotating freely. How does it work? The Atlas is clamped to the plastic throttle tube, between your rubber grip flange and the throttle housing. It has two buttons, one to engage the unit the other to disengage it. You can override the Atlas at any time. When you have it engaged you can increase or decrease your speed by simply twisting the throttle as you ride. The Atlas Throttle Lock comes in two configurations, a Top Kit and a Bottom Kit. Most motorcycles will use the Bottom Kit, but some will need the Top Kit. Both units work exactly the same way, the only difference is where it mounts on the throttle tube – Rocky Creek Designs can help you here. Installation is dead simple and the unit’s ratcheting mechanism will clamp the Atlas to any throttle tube diameter, from 7/8” to 1-1/4”.
The kit comes with everything you need to mount the Atlas on many different motorcycles. Priced at $234.35, jump onto www. rockycreekdesigns.com.au to purchase.
LUXURY AT ITS FINEST
If you missed out on securing one of AGV’s amazing Legends helmets you can still purchase the premium and luxurious leather helmet bag. Priced at $90 it is designed for the AGV Legends helmet range but Stuart can
confirm it fits most full-face road and open face helmets. See your local AGV dealer to purchase or visit www.linkint.com.au .
ROLL ON
Fresh news just in is the historic import laws have just been changed in favour of a rolling 25-year provision. Gone is the draconian pre 1989 law for the smarter rolling 25-year law. Now, what bike would look good in the garage? D
“Throttle lock” can be a little misleading because this product doesn’t actually “lock” the throttle of your motorcycle.
My first bite into the Street Triple cake was in its 2007 675cc form. It was known as the mini-me version of the bigger bore Speed Triple and both became solid identities in the naked hooligan market. I sold my Daytona 675 (moving on to something bigger) and I remember some fantastic rides as I reacquainted myself in 2014 with the peppy Street Triple. The underslung muffler replaced the dual underseat version and the fantastic curvy roads of Tasmania beckoned on a press junket. It seemed perfect for the job at the time, apart from some much-needed extra mid-range drive, which would have been nice to have down on the island’s roads.
The next layer of the gateaux, with the 765cc engine, ran from 2017 until now and didn’t fall into my hands. To be honest, after owning a couple of Speed Triple 1050s the ‘little’ engine and smaller size weren’t on my radar. With the 2020 version, Triumph has spent an obvious amount of developmental time, and more importantly has linked the engine with the Moto2 effort where it is the exclusive powerplant supplier to the class. That means, and you
can certainly feel, this Gen-2 765 is both powerful and extremely refined in fuelling, as well as having a near-perfect clutch, gearbox and final drive operation. Triumph runs its own variation of the engine modes with settings for Road, Sport, Track, and Rain. There is also a Rider mode which offers some personalised tuning of the modes and settings although there is no hope of switching off the ABS to the excellent front Brembo M50’s. All this is controlled via a mode button, the joystick placed on the left-hand switch-block, and the new TFT dash. I wasn’t the only one frowning while trying to work out the dash layout and small, pretty graphics. Did I hear someone mutter ‘get your eyes tested, hippy’? Did someone else say ‘it’s infinitely adjustable once you learn’? For the tenth time this year - did I not request a primary school kid to be at these presentations for advice?
Still, by the time you wrap it out in 2nd and use up all of the available 121hp (90kW) the Triumph message will be loud and clear. With its light weight and instant response, the compact Street RS is like bringing a lithe world champion kickboxer to a street brawl. It punches power and seamless drive from off idle to its maniacal top end. Apart from
the insane amount of acceleration, your helmet will be filled with one of the best aural crescendos ever. The triple makes more of a shriek than a V-Twin or a V4, even more forcefully. Blend in the quality quickshifter (works better than most in the upshift) and there were moments of pure ecstasy. Triumph said it is much louder for the pilot compared to the last model. My tinnitus agrees.
Torque is the thing on the road, especially on the twisty route our ride leader, Steve Martin, took us on day one. The advantage the last 765 had over the 675 was around a 12% increase in punch. The MotoGP inspired refinement has increased the figure an extra 3% but the real gains have been from new exhaust cams and improvements to the inlet ducts. The factory also spent time and resources on reducing rotational inertia by precision machining and mass reduction.
Results? Another 9% right where you need it in the mid-range and again you can feel it. I did a quick swap over to the ’19 model and the performance and ride were chalk and cheese. For no added increase in sticker price it’s amazing. The available and added drive out of tight 2nd and 3rd gear corners demonstrates the improvements.
As good as the engine is, the real value for money and the highlight of the bike is in the handling. Top shelf Showa BPF (Big Piston Forks) suspend the front and an Öhlins STX40 shock controls the rear. I don’t recall a more stable, intuitive, put-it-where-you-want-it and takewhatever-you-throw-at-it road bike ever. Every Ducati, Aprilia, BMW or Japanese bike I remember were either compromised by weight, too much power or some quirkiness in the handling. Triumph has the balance just right. Even the upgraded seat was great for our 400-kilometre first day. As a naked road bike, the Street Triple RS is the recipe for enjoying an engaging ride, relying on you to try and extract the very best out of yourself and the machine. It doesn’t take too much input to be rewarded
with a super easy fast or slow ride. It isn’t fair to say the triple buzzes or vibrates or pulses (although it does a small amount if you are spending too much time well above the peak torque area) because smoothness is its forte. The gearing is a little on the short side, since Triumph recognises that on a naked bike there is no need to chase 260+ kilometres per hour out of this middle size streetfighter. At 20km/h per 1000 revs you can feel the pistons getting some action around the 140km/h mark. With a redline of just under 12,000 there is a long way to go from 140 to top speed. You can confidently leave the traction control in Sport mode which will take care of most indiscretions. I did a monster wheelie which I wasn’t expecting on that setting and Triumph was adamant couldn’t be done. Maybe there was a little Moto2 channelling going on but it did temper my straight-line enthusiasm. Didn’t stop an absolute brains-out ride up Mt Glorious from the western Somerset Dam/Lake Wivenhoe side. I haven’t ridden that section of road before. It was a mojomaking ride in which I discovered trust in the chassis, electronics and the Pirelli Supercorsas.
TRACK TIME
‘Drive, drive drive and brake, brake brake’ sums up my time on the track. I didn’t spend all my time pounding my under-used knee-sliders into the track. I made no changes to suspension, nor did I ask for any, preferring the switch to Track mode and clicking the front master cylinder adjuster to the slighter bigger bore setting. This gave firmer braking into the first major turn at Lakeside. The speed needed to be wiped off from 205km/h to a reasonable 90. The steering damper takes care of the second gear wheelies across the elevation change out of the bus-stop and the rapid gear change leading on the main straight. Despite ten sessions in 40C heat, at 95% of my old track pace, I was happy with the composure and ability
of the RS. Under heavy braking or maximum throttle out of the six excellent turns (the others are passable in surface or technicality) the bike shrugs off a day at the track with ease.
You might think that launching a medium sized naked bike and including a large component on the racetrack is flawed reasoning, until you get through a whole day without an incident. The machine is up to the task, holding its own against all but race-prepped machinery. Even so, it was still the fastest (just for a few laps until I cried ‘fatigue’) thing on the track. The upright riding position with the reasonably high rear set pegs works for Lakeside or shorter tighter tracks like Wakefield. I think Philip Island would be a windy struggle.
Specs
TRIUMPH STREET TRIPLE 765 RS
PRICE: $18,050 (plus on roads)
WARRENTY: Two years, unlimited distance
SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 10,000km or 12 months
To close the door on the Triumph Street Triple RS is to admit you no longer embrace the possibility of a motorcycle that goes around corners with all the poise of an Olympic gymnast and still provides the insane fun of a larrikin comic.
It’s not difficult to see the value of a new motorcycle that is easy to tootle in traffic, to offer an absolute blast on scratcher roads and even to be a belting good thing on the racetrack. With a Ventura rack and pack I wouldn’t hesitate to have a blast down to the Supers from any interstate starting point. I think nothing comes close to it in the under $20,000 mark (on road) when you factor in the Street Triple’s top-shelf equipment and quality build. It is a tight, good looking package with panache and character. The icing on the cake is that your imagination can run wild and you can win a Moto2 race! Naked. See, you can have your cake and eat it. D
Fresh LAM
Exciting news is there will also be a new LAMS version in 660cc form, coming soon.
FRAME: Twin spar aluminium beam with a two-piece die-cast subframe
BRAKES: Front, dual 310mm discs with four-piston radial monobloc ABS calipers. Rear, 220mm disc with single piston ABS caliper
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 5.5 litres per 100km, premium unleaded
THEORETICAL RANGE: 320km
COLOURS: Matt Jet Black/Yellow or Silver Ice/Red
VERDICT: BEST OF EVERYTHING
We LOVe eUrOPe. We love riding bikes off-road. We love riding bikes on narrow twisty bitumen roads. We love exploring new places. We love eating good food. We love seeing places of great natural beauty. We love sharing good times with good people. With this in mind, our 2019 Maschine Adriatic Adventure tour along the Adriatic coast of Europe was promising to be a smorgasbord of good times. Highlighting our “to do” list on the 15 day tour was attending the KTM Adventure Rally Europe
which for 2019 was based in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Now, as for most Aussies, our knowledge of Bosnia & Herzegovina as a country was pretty limited and most of us would be hard pressed to point to it on a map of the globe. Nonetheless we were keen for adventure and going to the KTM Rally seemed like a damn good excuse to check out some new countries.
Munchen In MunIch
Our tour was to begin in Munich, Germany. We had a group of five riders joining us with Trudi being
the organiser of men and amazing accommodations and myself acting as chief navigator and lead rider. Our first dinner in Munich was taken at an awesome beer garden, Hofbraukeller. The meal, as expected in Germany, consisted of meat and potatoes with one single tomato as sole contribution to non-carbohydrate or protein food source. Our waitress, dubbed “Euro Rachel”, was rather forceful as she tried to stuff Jeff’s mouth with his uneaten potatoes. It would appear leaving potatoes on your plate is a sin in Germany!
Saddle Up To SalzbUrg
Roberto our trusty driver arrived on schedule in front of our Munich hotel at 9am to transport us and our gear bags to Austria. For anyone who has not been on a German Autobahn it can be somewhat surreal seeing cars racing along at 200km/h or more. What can be even more surreal is being in a Mercedes Sprinter van loaded up with 7 riders and all their luggage barrelling along at 160km/h without a problem!
Gunter is our man in Austria and once again he had our fleet of KTM
rentals primed and ‘Ready To Race’ when we arrived at his workshop. Two riders would be 1290R mounted with most of us choosing the new 790 Adventure R and Trudi on the 790 Adventure.
Try as we might to organise a KTM factory tour through our contacts we came up short. Never mind, the newly opened Motohall in Mattighofen served our purpose well and satisfied our lust to learn about the orange brand. KTM Motohall is an incredible new building dedicated to showing off KTM’s heritage. There was a
fantastic display of race bikes and accompanying mannequins of riders wearing their full race suits including Toby Price and his 2016 Dakar winning 450 Rally.
In amongst the great display of production bikes I came across an interesting one which was the “KTM Ponny II”, being the largest selling bike for KTM in its history. A scooter! It rolled off the production lines for 25 years and for many years it was built in Rome.
Arriving in Salzburg that evening we arranged a dinner to catch up
with a couple of staff from KISKA, KTM’s design partner. It was great opportunity to chat with them about the development cycle of the 790 Adventure.
INTO THE ALPS
It’s a long way from Austria down south to Bosnia and Herzegovina and we had some rather large mountains to cross before we would glimpse the azure waters of the Adriatic Sea.
Our fi rst mountain pass was a stunner too with a beautiful road out of Salzburg over Kehlstein near Eagle’s Nest. Eagle’s Nest was one of Hitler’s hideouts during WWII and commands stunning views. This road was so smooth it would spoil us a little but was a great introduction to the twisting roads to come over the following days.
One of the most famous mountain passes in the European Alps is the run over Großglockner, which was windy (and windy!) but warm. Although riders must pay a toll to enjoy this road, it is so worth it with beautiful smooth tarmac and great views. Sadly, no cute little marmots were around this year.
Traversing over Plocken Pass into Italy our one night in the country would be spent nestled in the eastern end of the Dolomites mountains in the little village of Sappada. It sits at an attitude of 1,250m but is surrounded by peaks towering up to heights of over 2,400 metres.
Being out of their busy ski season, this village didn’t have much open, but barkeep Andrea was an excellent host and fed us grappa after our couple of starter beers. “Gianduia” which is made with sweet chocolate spread was my favourite grappa, tasting like Nutella! We promised Andrea we would be back after dinner if he kept the bar open for us.
Our walk to the restaurant was reasonably long but was made considerably longer by the staggering going on from some riders. This was going to be a tough tour if this predinner drinking pace was going to be sustained! Food helped to get us straight again.
True to his word Andrea kept “Enoteca da Franz” open for us. Andrea runs the family bar and a couple of mates Eddi and Stefano dropped in too. A series of local grappas was subsequently sampled, working our way up through the alcohol percentages (or “degrees” as Andrea termed it) until we arrived at the mother of all rocket fuels. “Bin Laden” was the name given to the lethal shot served out of a massive oversized AK47 bullet casing. It was quoted as being 70 “degrees” and after one “taste” no one could deny the strength. Sore throats and rough voices were the norm for the next morning!
Join in
ADRIATIC BOUND
After making our way out of the steep-sided mountain valleys towards Tolmezzo in Italy’s north and crossing the flats of the Tagliamento river, we headed back into the mountains towards the Slovenian border. This was a very interesting tight little road that progressively got tighter and narrower, with an almost non-existent border crossing greeting our arrival into our fourth country of the tour. This road would have been great fun in a go-kart but was equally fun on our KTM adventure bikes!
Our first road section into Slovenia bought us out into a lovely valley before climbing up along the Kolovrat Mountain range to some war ruins from the Isonzo Front of 1915. A series of trenches and tunnels was scattered along the hillside creating refuges for soldiers defending their country. Certainly, the mountain top afforded brilliant views down to both Slovenia and Italy.
Maschine is an Australian-based tour operator which runs a variety of tours. If you like the sound of what the great folk there have to offer, get in touch and join their next tour. www.maschine. com.au . Trudi: +61 414 844 984 or Nick: +61 428 023 057
It was decided over the intercom before arriving in Tolmin that a lunch stop should be in order. On the way into town we passed over a bridge with stunning iridescent blue water below tumbling over rocks that beckoned strongly to us. A sign advertising food was the clincher that sealed the deal and a quick multi-bike u-turn was performed with precision and back over the bridge we went.
The turquoise blue water of Tolmin river was frigid cold having not long melted off the nearby mountains. In spite of the bracing cold it was irresistible and stunning. So clear. So blue. This would be the first of many swims on our tour.
Once the chills turned into the
feeling of stabbing needles on our legs, we decided it was time for lunch. Now that we were in Slovenia and moving into the Baltic country meat must be on the menu. Cevapici it was! Matched beautifully with French fries and Coca Cola it went down a treat right next to the river.
The welcome sight of the Adriatic Sea signalled our arrival in the Krk Island region of Croatia with an amazing bridge across the waterway. Many said our stay at Villa Margaret was their favourite of our trip. A small boutique hotel perched right on the Adriatic Sea with nothing but a swimming pool and an olive grove to distract us from the view of the Adriatic.
GAME OF THRONES TERRITORY
Yugoslavia is a country name that exists no more on world atlas’ as a result of the ethnic war that was waged in this region during the 1990s. We would stop off for lunch in the town of Gospic which still bears the scars of the 1991 war termed the “Battle Of Gospic”. Many buildings display bullet holes that have not been rendered over. Three factions fought hard around Gospic and apparently it still hasn’t fully recovered.
We wound our way up through a lovely beech forest and into an amazing karst mountain pass. As we were climbing through the rocky landscape a military attack helicopter was hovering and flying overhead, somewhat disconcertingly. We checked that our passports were close at hand just in case they landed!
Wow! Dubrovnik impressed. The Croatian city has been written about in glowing words many a time, and for good reason. Its ancient walled old city is a delight for any tourist, and we were no different. Thankfully Trudi did manage to get the photo she wanted of the city from “that spot” that has featured in so many promotional images.
BOOGY ON TO BOSNIA
It became blatantly obvious after we had crossed over the border that we had passed into another country as Bosnia somehow felt a little more like the Wild West. Bosnia and Herzegovina is not part of the EU and it kind of shows. Cars were suddenly coming at us on the wrong side of the road. The roads were quite a bit rougher. Some of the towns we passed through had far too many men hanging around the bars in the middle of the day.
Nevertheless, it is a country of great natural beauty with the stunning gorge we passed through a tall testament to that.
We rode the final few kilometres to Bjelasnica, a ski field just out of Sarajevo which would be the home of the KTM Adventure Rally for the next four nights. We rolled into the village which looked not unlike an Australian ski village, except there was a horde of bright orange vehicles clearly marked KTM in town. It has buzzing with activity as a cool RedBull truck housing a DJ and sporting massive speakers was belting out the metal. With riders from so many countries speaking so many languages it was an assault on our senses and a buzz to be part of.
KTM ADVENTURE RALLY
With 150 riders in attendance from 21 countries it is a hive of different cultures. Our group of 7 Australians (plus one Adam Riemann from Motology Films) made our country the third-highest represented behind Germany and Italy. We were pretty proud to make such a statement from afar! Thankfully for us, the English language is the standard spoken at the Rally and so it was easy for us to get the hang of what was going on. Our route for Day 1 was only about 138km but it delivered some wonderful terrain and scenery. We rode through a small village with huts straight out of a ‘Lord Of The Rings’ film. We went off-piste in a few sections and simply rode across, and up the mountain slopes. It certainly gave a feeling of freedom being able
to go offpiste while riding through this amazing Bosnian landscape.
Some of the random sights we saw along the trails that reminded us of where we were included a pair of naked mannequins perched up on a stone wall absolutely riddled with bullet holes.
Bosnian landscape. up to 2nd.
As I stopped to take my photo a creepy thought came through my head and I looked over my shoulder just to double check the gunmen weren’t still perched across the other side of valley waiting to get a more challenging shot. Thankfully, all was clear, so I quickly grabbed my photo and got the hell outta there!
We were told earlier in the morning we would be visiting a canyon and soon we descended into a deep valley that had sheer drops of what looked like a few hundred metres pretty much straight down. At the bottom of the valley was the stunning Rakitnica River Canyon with the water running crystal clear over boulders. An ancient stone bridge at the bottom of the valley was the perfect place to stop, strip off and try out the frigid water.
Day 2 of the KTM Rally would take us south-east of Sarajevo towards Nacionalni Park Sutjeska. More sublime landscapes were to greet us and probably the gnarliest section of the Rally with a rocky bastard of a track that was mostly 1st gear, with the
Our lunch stop was perched in a spectacular grassed valley with a massive tarn at the bottom. We took a few photos at the top before riding off-piste down the hills towards the RedBull truck which was again pumping out the metal tunes over lunch. As unnecessary as the music was, it didn’t overpower the vibe with big long tables laid out on the alpine meadow giving us a beautiful natural amphitheatre to enjoy our lunch. Our final Rally day had just 156km planned, taking us to the northern side of Sarajevo but what a surprise day it turned out to be! Sarajevo was the host city for the 1984 Winter Olympics and it was amazing to see how much infrastructure still lay around the hills.
During my research for this trip I had read about an old bobsled track that existed in the hills just outside Sarajevo. I was determined to see it during our time here, so I had asked our guide Alberto about it earlier in the week. He told me to keep it quiet, but we would be visiting it later in the Rally. That satisfi ed me and I didn’t give it another thought, until we got to a stunning lookout over a Sarajevo where I saw a sign with an image of a bobsled.
Some pointing and waving by
Photo by Barnabas Imre
Sarajevo police and one KTM staff member directed us towards the concrete chute where the KTM staff had formed a dodgy looking ramp made of timber pallets up over the sides of the luge channel and down into the groove. It suddenly sunk in. I was going to ride a KTM 790 Adventure R, up a bobsled track, in Bosnia! Surreal.
Do a YouTube search for “bobsledding KTM” and you’ll see what a laugh it was!
Slog To SloVeNIa
The KTM Rally was over but our Adriatic Adventure was only half done. Our group size had increased by one for this next leg of the trip as Christoph from KISKA was joining us for the trip back to Austria. Christoph is a product planner with KISKA in charge of the adventure segment, so he was keen to hear input direct from a group of Aussie riders.
We fitted the pannier boxes back onto our bikes and made our way north-west out of Sarajevo with our overnight destination all the way across Bosnia and Herzegovina back in Croatia.
We were up extra early the next day at 5.30am. Not for a walk, but for a ride into the unknown. Zeljava is the location of a former Yugoslavian air force base that now lies abandoned, as there is no more war to fight. Sadly, there is no more Yugoslavia either.
After the war it was decided to make the base inoperable by blowing up both the runways and the tunnel network. In spite of 56 tonnes of explosives being detonated inside the hangars the tunnels buried deep in the mountain remained largely intact.
This Baltic region of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina is well known for still being home to an extraordinary number of unexploded land mines. The road ran out into the end of a runway where we turned left and passed through thick growth on the side of the roads, which did a great job of hiding some sizeable buildings. As tempting as it was to wander off the road and explore through the buildings, the posted reminders about land mines were plenty enough warning to stick to the sealed surfaces. Off to our left the runway stretched out over several kilometres into the
morning mist, blending out of sight. To our right the runway disappeared into the mountain with an oddly shaped concrete entrance. The reason for the oddly shaped entrance with its tall triangular peak in the centre was to allow the tail of aircraft to pass through into the hangar tunnels.
The allure of riding into the tunnels was irresistable but once inside it quickly became rather eerie and daunting. Just inside the entrance the atmosphere was thick with mist. Scanning the tunnel lit by our headlights revealed a chamber of solid concrete. The floor was broken in places leaving gaping metre wide holes. The roof was mostly smooth except where the oddly shaped blast doors had been blown apart by explosives in an attempt to collapse the tunnels. All the explosives had succeeded in doing though was making the steel reinforced concrete into a warped and twisted wreck that looked like an alien was coming out of the ceiling.
We made our way towards the light and out one of the other entrances which revealed another runway stretching out well into the distance
with trees encroaching in on the sides. The length of the runway was something like 2.5km and this clear distance was far too tempting for us, so a series of speed runs and wheelie practice ensued. We figured it was time to clear off the base before the local constabulary was called to investigate the source of noise from the airbase. Maybe locals might have thought the strip was being used by military aircraft again!
Breakfast in slovenia, lunch in italy, dinner in austria
Today was the day that made us all vow to return to Slovenia. It’s simply stunning. A mix between the neat ordered prettiness of Austria and the relaxed rustic charm of Italy. Somehow Slovenia achieves a great balance in between. Many riders in our group said that Slovenia was the hidden gem of Europe.
Soca River is a super popular Slovenian rafting spot in summer and the water looked so damn inviting. Absolute postcard pretty stuff. We will definitely be coming back to Soca Valley on future tours. Just beautiful. Our Austrian friend Christoph took us to an Italian trattoria for lunch in Travisio that he had promised to take his girlfriend to. Instead he got to share a romantic lunch with a ravenous group of meat hungry Aussies! Trudi was the one female consolation for him. The food was amazing with beautiful antipasti of local salami & cheeses.
After lunch Christoph said “Auf Wiedersehen” to make his way back home to Salzburg but not before telling us about “Nockalmstrasse”, a wicked piece of Alpine road just over the border in Austria. It is a favourite stretch of road for KISKA staff and in fact the original 790 Adventure photo shoot was done there. The 12 Euro price of admission to Nockalmstrasse was well worth it. Considering it has a beautiful smooth surface and there was something like 40 hairpins curves to negotiate that calculates out to .30 euro per hairpin. Money well spent!
After the twisty good fun, we did a short blast up the motorway towards Salzburg before peeling off to the ski fields region of Wagrain. Trudi once again excelled in her choice of accommodation with a luxury ski lodge perched on the side of a mountain looking down a pretty valley. Everyone in our group vowed we would return to our hotel in Wagrain for some winter skiing action with 25 ski runs accessible with the one ticket,
and it’s basically ski in – ski out. Our last day on tour but we still had many adventures ahead. We took a transport up the motorway to Salzburg as we had an appointment to visit KISKA headquarters. To explain KISKA is a challenge. They research & design product then define and execute the marketing messages for this new product. The interesting thing is, KISKA is a third party company separate from KTM that also does
work for many other brands on various products such as alpine skis, binoculars, cars, bicycles, lawn mowers and even water bottles!
Last year we were super fortunate in being able to tour through the design studio downstairs where the clay models are carved out and sketches become three-dimensional reality. Sadly, this year the studio was out of bounds because there were too many sensitive products being worked on.
Our time in Austria was nearing the end so we said our goodbyes to our KISKA friends and headed north out of Salzburg to return our rental bikes. A check of the odometer revealed we had travelled over 3,000km through Europe and my 790 Adventure R had performed faultlessly.
BeeRS In The BuS
We shook hands with Gunter our rental man and said “so long” until 2020
and then climbed back in the bus with Roberto our driver. A quick stop off around the corner at a roadhouse and we were stocked and ready for the drive back to Munich. It’s really handy when service stations sell 500ml cans of beer and bottles of Captain Morgan! By the time we rolled back into our hotel in Munich we were well and truly primed for dinner. In fact, so well primed that none of us finished the 1 litre steins of beer we ordered to go
with our sausage and schnitzel dinner. We said our goodbyes, but for Jeff and ‘The Captain’ the European adventure was only halfway done, as they would be joining Nick and Trudi again in four days’ time for our Pinnacle Passes tour of Italy and France. One could get used to this lifestyle!
Our Adriatic Adventure was an awesome one. As one rider said, “I did things that weren’t even on my bucket list”! D
WHAT HAT DO YOU WEAR?
Change up your helmet hair compiled by stuart
StiCK A NeW HAt on your head, it’s always great to have a new helmet. Get rid of that old stinky thing and feel the fresh, luxurious feeling only a new helmet can bring. We’ve got all the latest from the distributors who want you to know about their products. Think about that when purchasing! SW
SHOEI
www.premiumhelmets.com.au
J-CRUISE
II – From $799.90
The new improved (and just released) J-Cruise II is compact, lightweight, aerodynamic, and packed full of innovative technology. Featuring a lengthened QSV-2 internal sun shield for optimal sun-glare protection, enhanced aerodynamics, ventilation and noise-reduction technology, PLUS the ability to seamlessly integrate with the SENA SRL/ SRL2 Communication Systems, the J-Cruise II does it all while keeping you safe and connected with the road ahead.
GT-AIR
II – from $949.90
The new GT-AIR II has evolved Shoei’s premiere full-face sports
touring helmet, and provides advances in design, functionality and performance that ensure even easier adaptation to our ever-changing Australian conditions. A whole heap of new and exciting colours/graphics have just been released for 2020.
LAZER
www.mcleodaccessories.com.au
RAFALE SR –
$249.90 - $269.90
Lazer helmets is the oldest manufacturer of sports helmets in the world. Created as a family owned business back in 1919, Lazer celebrated its 100th anniversary last year! The new Lazer Rafale SR sports helmet has a host of top end features at an amazing price.
This all new ECE 22.05 approved helmet features an injection Moulded IMAC shell, aerodynamic design with removable rear wing with adjustable flaps, Emergency Release cheek pads, Quick Release chin strap plus a flip down internal sun-visor. On all graphic models, the internal sunvisor is Rainbow Iridium, making this helmet stand out from the crowd!
SCHUBERTH
www.schuberth.com.au
C4 PRO CARBON - $1200
The comfort of a flip-up combined with the lightweight of a carbon fibre shell, the C4 Pro Carbon brings racing technology to the
street. Claimed to be the first carbon fibre flip-up helmet with integrated communications and featuring a seamless one piece liner, preinstalled speaker, microphone and antenna for SC1 communication system, pre-installed Pinlock, integrated grooves for glasses, high air circulation, integrated sun visor, anti-roll-off system, two helmet shell sizes and six colours/graphics. Sizes XS-3XL available.
M1 PRO – From $699
If you’re looking for a “Jet” (open face) helmet that combines quality, safety and functionality with a modern design, look no further.
Extremely comfortable, low weight, great ventilation and the M1 Pro comes with a trim/visor/peak so you can mix it up how you like. Pre-installed hardware is communication ready. Two shell sizes and seven colours/graphics are available. Sizes range from XS-2XL.
AGV
www.agvhelmets.com.au
K-5 SV BIRDY - $399
The AGV K3 SV Helmet builds on AGV's extensive experience in designing the Pista GP and Corsa helmets as well as the legacy of the original K3 helmet. An aerodynamic shell shape is optimized for stability and aggressive aesthetics and features an integrated, compact rear spoiler to reduce turbulence. The narrow chin bar is streamlined to help the helmet cut through the wind at high speeds, further increasing stability.
New for 2020 in the K3 SV range is the spectacular “Birdy”. Big, bright, bold colours and the “Birdy” graphic combine to produce a stunning looking helmet which is sure to be a hit with riders who want to be noticed.
SPORT MODULAR LAYER - $1099
All the performance of a full-face helmet with the benefits and comfort of a modular. AGV took
German quality with 5 year guarantee. Integrated communication. Voted Best Helmet –12 years in a row!
SCHUBERTH C4 PRO HELMETS available from...
C4 PRO Swipe Yellow
C4 PRO Fragment Red
SPECIAL FEATURE Helmets
inspiration from its Moto GP race helmet, the Pista GP R, and built that level of performance and protection in to the Sportmodular. Constructed entirely of carbon fibre, which includes both the shell and the chin, results in a modular helmet that is spectacularly light weight and provides the highest levels of comfort and safety. Another key factor in the development of the Sportmodular was the aerodynamics of the helmet, with the wind tunnel testing and development resulting in a helmet with superior quietness, aero stability and ventilation. The ventilation on the helmet is
achieved with 2 front vents and 1 rear extractor, both of which are completely adjustable. It’s also worth noting that the interior linings on this helmet have also been given the AGV touch, with the Sportmodular featuring an innovative reversible crown pad, designed with a Shalimar fabric on one side to be used during the cooler months and a Ritmo fabric on the other side which is great during the hot Aussie summers, as it really helps to wick away sweat and keep the rider cool. Brand new for 2020 is the multi colourway called Layer, with blue, red and white highlights complementing the carbon finish of the helmet.
PISTA GP RR – from $1699
The best just got even better, according to AGV. The Moto GP race helmet Pista GP RR has seen a whole host of updates over the previous generation Pista GP R. With the FIM implementing a new homologation program with extremely stringent safety standards for all helmets used in competition in internationally sanctioned events, AGV went to work to further improve the flagship racing helmet. The 100% Carbon Fibre shell, constructed in 4 shell sizes with a 5-density EPS structure also in 4 sizes saw the new Pista GP RR exceed the FIM homologation by 30%, ensuring maximum safety for riders and racers all over the world.
Complementing the new safety standards the Pista GP RR also saw further development in the wind tunnel, with the new Pro spoiler offering improved aerodynamic efficiency and further negating the weight of the helmet at speed, achieving weightlessness at 160 km/h. Leaving no stone unturned, the all-new Pista GP RR also features AGV’s new 360° Adaptive Fit. A concept that allows for a fully customisable fit for every rider, with the ability to create that perfect fit for any head shape, or further customise the individual fit to suit helmet position or riding styles. New linings on the
Neckroll, Crown Pad and Cheek Pads also improve comfort, are more embracing and provide no pressure points.
AX9 - $799
AGV’s premium Adventure helmet, the AX9, combines lightness, comfort and adaptability to ensure that regardless of the adventure, the AX9 has you covered. A design focus for the AX9 was its modularity, which allows four different configurations to suit any riding conditions that present. Fit the peak and visor for long days in the saddle touring on the blacktop, or remove the visor and throw on a set of goggles for days spent in the dirt. This versatility also allows for the visor to be used without the helmet peak, or for both the peak and visor to be removed from the helmet. Customise to your desire. All built around a lightweight Carbon/Aramid/ Glass fibre shell with a 4-density EPS structure to meet AGV’s highest safety standards, and the Integrated Ventilation System which incorporates 3 large front intake vents and 2 rear extractors, which ensures the rider can ride in comfort regardless of the conditions. Stunning new colourways released for 2020 includes the “Atlante”, a White/Blue/Red
tri-colour option, and the “Trail”, an Orange and Gunmetal finish which is sure to be a hit with KTM Adventure riders.
NITRO
www.nitrorider.com.au
X562 Uno - $109
The X562 Uno open face helmet comes with a removable peak to convert the X562 into a street helmet. The Nitro X562 is ultralightweight thanks to an MPT (Multi-Poly Tech) construction, a quick release micrometric retention strap for ease of use, ultra-comfort fit removable lining and dual side exhaust vents. The visor is antiscratch treated and this comes with additional side pods so the visor can be fitted without the peak for extra versatility.
F350 ANALOG SATIN BLACK GUNMETAL - $219
The F350 is Nitro’s new modular
offering, providing safety, comfort, and practicality, with an integrated pivoting chin bar
and visor, itself an injectionmoulded item which is pinlockready with anti-scratch coating. A multi-poly tech shell houses a comfort lining that is removable and washable, and also features detachable cheek pads, while there are twin exit vents at the rear plus a twin brow vent at the front and micrometric buckle.
N2300 Rogue Junior - $149
Using a custom-designed multipoly tech constructed shell, the N2300 gets twin integrated front air vents – with large contact points for easy operation with a gloved hand – and triple rear exhaust vents allowing for ultimate heat dissipation, perfect for Australian climates. Further aiding rider comfort is a micrometric buckle for ultimate
AUTHORISED CORBIN DISTRIBUTOR
adjustability, plus a removable and washable comfort lining.
APRILIA
Contact your local dealer: http://aprilia.com/au_ EN/store-locator/
FULL FACE HELMET - $229
Thermoplastic high resistant resin shell with anti UV paint and
dynamic air regulation system, approved Pinlock ready scratch resistant visor, internal sun visor and removable nose guard. Micrometic retention system with removable and washable lining in hypoallergenic fabric. ECE homologation. Available in sizes S-XL in Black and Race colourways.
FULL FACE HELMET –MULTIROAD - $329
Thermoplastic high resistant resin shell. Double Visor with clear external visor & retractable internal sun visor. Emergency cheek pad removable system. Double D retention system. ECE homologation. Available in sizes XS-XL.
KLIM
www.adventuremoto.com.au
KRIOS – $845
Krios is a new beginning for ADV helmets—revitalizing standards in strength, performance and functionality while leaving traditional compromises behind. KRIOS provides a premium experience through High Performance Carbon-Fibre construction, four ride mode versatility, aerodynamic superiority
and unrivalled acoustical and contact comfort. This is the lightest adventure helmet ever
created. This is the pinnacle of ADV except for...
KRIOS PRO – $1095
Carved from the Krios chassis, the Krios Pro is the first ADVspecific DOT helmet (in N. America) to integrate Koroyd materials and construction. The Krios Pro helmet elevates standards in comfort, performance and airflow while leaving traditional compromises behind. The ultimate ADV experience is made possible by high performance Carbon
Fibre construction, four-ridemode versatility, aerodynamic superiority and unrivalled acoustical and contact comfort.
TK1200 – $945
KLIM has created the world’s first Grand Touring helmet. Revolutionizing modular helmet design and setting a new precedent for the lightest, highest-performing modular helmet for the world’s longest
rides. The TK1200 provides massive comfort, adapting to changing riding conditions with ease while setting the standard in lightweight performance. Pic 18
F5 KOROYD - $995
Built on the F5 chassis and adding to its engineered capability to provide allday comfort, the F5 Koroyd adds safety and ventilation technologies to provide protection, reduced weight and enhanced ventilation and carries the DOT certification for on-road use. Challenging long-held industry methods, the F5 is leading the way in head protection technology and providing the best possible riding experience. Koroyd is a next generation energy absorbing technology, engineered with a unique structure and innovative energy
management properties. When impacted the Koroyd cores crush homogeneously, decelerating the
energy from the impact. MIPS brain protection system is a low-friction layer designed to reduce rotational motion from angled impacts the head.
ELDORADO
www.bce.net.au
E30 - $179.95
The Eldorado ESD E30 is made for every riding occasion with the adventurer in mind. It combines the comfort and protection of a fullface helmet with functionality and features typical of off-road helmets. Including an integrated sun visor, interchangeable clear visor, three configurations, comfortable sweatwicking interior and 4 inlet vents and 2 large outlet vents to keep the rider cool. Look stylish whilst being
DUCATI
www.ducati.com.au or your local dealer
CORSE SPEED 2 - $1365
Boasting a sporty look and dynamic artwork, the Ducati Corse Speed 2 helmet designed by Drudi Performance exclusively for Ducati
is made by Arai based on the RX-7 V model. It is the top of the line when it comes to safety, comfort, and performance. Ample field of vision at any angle for sport riding, shell reinforced with composite fibres, car-inspired visor opening, and ventilation optimized for maximum stability and efficiency at high speeds are just some of the unique characteristics of this topof-the-range helmet. A product with unmistakably Ducati DNA.
CORSE SBK 4 - $919
The Ducati Corse SBK 4 helmet, based on the Arai Chaser-X, is specifically designed for sporty riding. The super fibre shell is sturdy and lightweight, the VAS visor offers a wide viewing angle, the internal cheek pads fit perfectly to the face, and the removable and washable interior offers great comfort. The design, developed by Drudi Performance exclusively for
safe. Available in Gloss White or Matte Black and sizes XS-2XL.
Ducati, immediately recalls the atmosphere of the racetrack and the colours that make the hearts of Ducatista around the world beat faster.
DUCATI 77 - $949
The Ducati 77 line, which takes its name from the year in which Giorgetto Giugiaro created the iconic logo for Ducati that appears on the apparel, is a contemporary reworking of the style of that time. The Ducati 77 helmet designed by Drudi Performance based on the Arai Renegade V is specific for use on naked bikes with an upright riding position. The outer shell is made of SFL fibre while the inner shell is made of EPS with differentiated density. The interior in antibacterial, washable fabric, the VAS visor with a wide field of vision, and a highperformance ventilation system combine to offer high levels of comfort and safety.
DARK RIDER V2
ECE
- $665
The Dark Rider V2 helmet, based on AGV’s K-5 model, offers a design that is minimalist yet always current and appreciated in the Ducati collection. The fiberglass and carbon shell guarantees both
durability and lightness, while the removable, washable, and antibacterial-treated inner liner provides great comfort. Extremely comfortable and practical thanks to the internal sun visor. Its dimensions reduced to a minimum, the aerodynamic and slender shape of the shell and the integrated ventilation system ensure great stability even at high speeds. Designed for sport touring.
X-LITE
www.ronangel.com.au
X-Lite’s X-903 has a carbon fibre shell with a multi-density EPS damping system for low weight and high safety. It is compatible with Nolan’s integrated N-Com Multi-Media systems, and features a 5-year warranty, VPS Tinted Internal Visor with an Ultra-Wide eye port and a Pinlock AntiFog insert, Eyewear Adaptive padding, and NERS cheek pads for emergency removal. The LPC Liner Positioning Control lets you to easily adjust the height of the helmet liner.
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE
www.imcaustralia.com or our local dealer
ADVENTURE
HELMET - $380
100% fiberglass outer shell; EPS inner shell, fixed lining, weighs 1250g, detachable cheek pads and sun peak, D-ring closure, goggle fastener at back, Bluetooth compatible and available in sizes S-2XL.
RETRO FULL FACE - $350
A retro-look full face helmet
constructed of fiberglass outer shell featuring fast tricoloured racer stripes. Available in sizes XS-2XL.
SUZUKI
www.suzukimotorcycles.com.au or your local dealer
ARAI QV-PRO SUZUKI KATANA HELMET - $995
Limited edition Suzuki Katana themed helmet available exclusively through Suzuki and its dealer network. Based on Arai’s QV-Pro helmet it is hand crafted in Japan and inspected five times by Arai engineers and features a PBCLC outer shell in multiple sizes, optimized FFS (Free Flow System) ventilation, VAS (Variable Axis System) visor which comes with Pinlock insert, shield latch visor lock system, antimicrobial liner material, replaceable, washable interior, 5mm “Peel Away” ear cups, cheek pads and temple pad, speaker pockets, breath guard and chin curtain included, ERS (Emergency Release System) and a Double D ring closure. Available in sizes S, M, L. D
M1 PRO Glossy White M1 PRO Matt Black
SCHUBERTH M1 PRO HELMETS
COL DE TURINI
How the French do it WORDS/PHOTOS THE BEAR
THIS IS OUR
FIRST
international map if you don’t count occasional excursions to New Zealand, and I thought I’d choose one of my favourite roads to conclude Volume 7 of our – and your - magazine. The Col de Turini was nominated as the best road in the world by the Top Gear team until they drove the Transf ă g ă r ăș an in Romania, but they were on four wheels so that doesn’t count. To me, this road exemplifi es everything I love about mountain roads: a selection of exciting and varying corners, spectacular scenery, a decent road surface, somewhat marginal safety to keep you on your toes and a
pleasant destination at the top. You can ride the pass going down, but as usual I prefer the uphill run which in this case is south to north. There’s plenty of interesting downhill riding when you get to the other side, mind you, so that run and the reverse are hardly a disappointment.
COL DE TURINI
At the top of the pass, a little group of hotels caters to the traveler and to the crews and drivers of the regular car rallies. My choice would be the outstandingly motorcyclefriendly Hotel des Trois Vallees,
which offers not only pleasant, modern rooms but also walls plastered with amazing photos from the Monte Carlo rallies. The food is good and not unreasonably priced, and I can vouch for the wine list. There isn’t anything else up here, but an evening in the hotel bar is not a hardship.
SOSPEL
The town also has a couple of motorcycle-friendly hotels, but also lacks other facilities. It’s probably best used as a coffee stop where you’re likely to meet any number of other riders.
www.hemamaps.com.au
PURPLE ROUTE
This is the one to take if you want to have it all! Heading west from Menton on the coastal road (skip the motorway) through the outskirts of Monte Carlo, turn right at Èze and take the D2204 through La Turbie. This takes you over the spectacular Col de Braus to Sospel, where the Col de Turini road, the D2566, starts to your left.
From here on it’s pretty much just a straight-line north up the wonderful pass road. Watch out for dmap road under the tress and rubble from the protective stone wall which have been chopped up by the cars from the Monte Carlo rally! And keep your eyes on the road; the scenery is spectacular, but it will still be there when you take another run at the mountain.
After the top of the pass at the Hotel de Le Trois Vallees, the fun does not stop although it opens up somewhat as the road leaves the forest. That’s just the tree cover – the corners stay just as tight. Watch out for local traffi c in the villages, but otherwise just enjoy!
GREEN ROUTE
Should you be in a hurry (something I definitely advise against in this area) then you could take the Sospel road north from Menton. This is the D2566a. It is also enjoyable, so you’re not losing out completely! From Sospel, proceed as above.
DISTANCE: Sospel – Col de Turini top: 35km FUEL: To be honest with you, I simply didn’t notice. But if you fill up in Menton or Sospel, you should be fine.
MENTON
A major Mediterranean tourist centre, Menton is everything the quiet mountain roads of the Col de Turini and its feeder routes isn’t: massively built up, insanely fast and crowded. There is some relief in the old town, le Vieux Menton, with its active pedestrian area, with the long Rue St Michel running the length of it and the Rue Piéta joining. Full of shops of all sorts and terrace cafés. The real heart of le Vieux Menton are the medieval style buildings grouped around the Eglise St Michel and the Chapel de Pénitents Blancs at the top of the hill. Viewed from the sea front at the east, this area has the appearance of a hilltop perched village. The streets are narrow, with long step-streets and many very colorful old buildings. Thieves and especially pickpockets are common here during the summer, they use the coast train from Italy or Spain to work their way along the coast. They will take even an empty tank bag left unguarded, they’ll take anything
and everything so leave nothing unguarded. I say this to stress the fact that you need to watch your bike very carefully. Gangs will lift it and ship it out via Marseilles or Italy, within 24hrs it will be halfway to north Africa or Albania, so it’s best to be paranoid with your bike’s security.
LA BOLLÈNEVÉSUBIE
This is an extremely old village with many stepped streets and houses built straight onto the rock. The outstanding attraction is the baroque Church of St Lawrence, ‘Sancto Laurentio’ with a mellow yellow square archway. It is a holiday resort both in summer and in winter, which means relatively high prices for accommodation and everything else, but it’s a thoroughly pleasant place.
SAINT MARTIN- VÉSUBIE
Named after the local river, like La Bollène, the medieval village of Saint Martin is less touristy but does cater for both summer and winter recreation as well. D
CFMoto GT 650
Always look on the bright side of life (apologies to Monty Python)
WORDS/ph O t OS ralph
In the oft repeated words of Month Python, ‘He’s not the Messiah, he’s ,just a naughty boy!’ Which will soon to be repeated as, ‘The CFMoto 650 is not really a GT, it is just a really good motorcycle with a hard seat that doesn’t get any worse after the first five kilometres’. The matt yet shiny blue parallel twin won’t be knocking down the doors of Munich or stealing sales off the Honda Goldwing, yet I can guarantee it will be on the shopping list for anyone thinking about cost-effective commuter/touring with a budget well under $9000. Or it should be.
What the 650 will do is (if you were allowed to do this) sit all day long, chewing up a measly 4.6L/100 km, at 140km/h turning over at a stress-free 6000rpm. The Chinese built twin will throb a little at idle and then smooth out to what you could call a gentle pulse right through the rev-range. It’s the same as your accountant. They are there working away steadily on your behalf, always telling you they are worth the money and playing the ‘I’m not costing you a fortune’ card. What your accountant will also do is lump income, spend and deductions into nice neat ‘silos’. Let’s do something similar. In the compartmentalise way of life, the silos of effectiveness look like this. The silo of ‘it will do everything you ask’:
The GT will get along surprisingly well. In fact, even better than you might expect. It will handle well and look good on the road, especially with the modern LED daylights. You can expect the 650 to handle as well if not better than anything under ten grand. Ease of riding is up there with any Japanese bike and in my time, we commuted, toured up and down the highway loaded (I had 30kg of riding kit to fly off for the Triumph launch on the back) and soloed with ease. The cockpit and riding experience works well.
The silo of ‘not a chance in hell’:
The TFT dash is really bright and in fact was miles more impressive to use and view than that of the Triumph 765 I was riding in the same week.
What I couldn’t do was change the brightness, which was annoying at night on the freeway home. If you are looking for the braking package that will have you diving up the inside of a mate with your leg dangling up in the breeze, then the Spanish J.Juan calipers won’t be affording you the pleasure. They are progressive with reasonable power but require a good squeeze. Without a centre stand, chain adjustment and general cleaning and servicing will be the equivalent to a few minutes in Hades.
The silo of ‘suspicion’: Your accountant, if like mine, will always advise you to be honest, pay your taxes and fly under the radar. He or she might even say buy Chinese, as the ATO will figure it out in their algorithms, that your spending matches your taste (and budget). Yes, inexpensive bikes have a purpose and fit in the landscape even if they are Chinese made and you aren’t
Specs
CFMOTO GT650
PRICE: $8490 ride away
WARRANTY: Two years, unlimited distance
SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 10,000km or 12 months
necessarily cheap. What will surprise you is how much the manufacturing of our largest trading partner has improved in five years. As my doctors says ‘it’s either a long time or a good time’. You will have enjoyed yourself quite a bit by the time ‘brand loyalty’ and CFMoto will be in the same sentence. Don’t worry, it took Hyundai a generation.
It isn’t something that I’m going to say in public (apart to the thousands of you reading this) so I will keep this to my closing remarks. I actually enjoyed riding the GT. It isn’t the Messiah or saviour of our motorcycling needs. It isn’t a naughty boy in a non-sexually descriptive way. The GT is the same as getting an unexpected bigger tax refund. You get more for less.
*A big thank you to Graeme Morris Motorcycles of Newcastle for supplying the test bike D
BRAKES: Front dual 300mm discs with four piston ABS calipers. Rear 240mm disc with single piston ABS caliper
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 4.6 litres per 100km, premium unleaded
THEORETICAL RANGE: 412km
COLOURS: Concept Blue, Nebular Black
VERDICT: FORGET THE BADGE, REMEMBER THE CAPACITY
GRAND TOURER
8,490 $
RIDE AWAY
ENJOY THE ROLLING HILLS, TWISTING COASTAL ROADS OR SIMPLY GO FOR A BLAST WITH YOUR MATES. THE 650GT ABS IS THE ULTIMATE GRAND TOURER PACKAGE AT AN AFFORDABLE CFMOTO PRICE.
650cc parallel twin Bosch EFI KYB Suspension Spanish J.Juan hydraulic disc brakes Continental ABS Metzeler tyres Adjustable sports screen Large TFT colour display USB & 12 volt power ports 2 year, unlimited km warranty Available in concept blue or nebula black Optional panniers available
So Get thIS: no town in Australia is more firmly based on bad brandy, terrible hotel service and a scarcely-scrupled Godfather figure than Deniliquin, a town so self-deluded it won’t even accept it’s on a bloody island.
It straddles the Edward River, which no-one’s much heard about, and the main part of the town, with a beautiful but closed-down pub on pretty much every corner, is across the river as I come in from Hay, in what used to be known as Deniliquin South.
The original settlement was to the north of this anabranch of the Murray and back in the 1850’s things were progressing well. Then a bloke named John Taylor turned up. He started out young and he started out savvy. He was one of several shepherds working for a squatter and when one of his work mates left, Taylor offered to take over the second flock as well, but on double pay and double rations. When a second
shepherd also quit, Taylor again stuck his hand up and again demanded the full entitlement. So now he was getting triple money, which he could save, and triple rations which he couldn’t eat.
So he stored the surplus flour. When drought hit after a couple of years in early 1850/51 Taylor sold the flour back to his boss - for 300 quid, around 10 times what he’d paid for it. That was serious money.
With the £300 Taylor bought a couple of blocks of land on the south side of the river and when he saw how well the local Highlander Inn was doing, built up his abode with its ceilings not much higher than 2 metres from the floor, and obtained a license for it in 1855. He called his pub the Royal Hotel.
Meanwhile back over the north side, a bloke named McKenzie was earning a decent quid running the Wanderers’ Inn, the biggest building in the joint and the venue for local meetings and functions. Even the visiting
magistrates would stay in house and conduct their hearings in the main bar. Made it easy to stagger home from work.
But with a beast like Taylor now a publican in the town, no other Boniface could sit comfortable and as a paper later wrote:
“The magistrates … met in the Wanderers Inn … (and) their worships, after dispensing justice one morning at the hotel … took offence at the inferior brandy … and the want of courtesy of the then landlady, so in a fit of high dudgeon the magistrates … appointed an hotel on the south side, at which they would henceforth hold their courts, so from that day the north township was doomed to be a village.”
The new venue was Taylor’s Royal Hotel.
(So next time you think you’ve done well by getting a free meal or drink after complaining about the food or the service, just remember these guys who moved a complete town in retaliation for some bad brandy!)
Anyway, Godfather Taylor worked
on getting every branch of the government and law enforcement into his debt. The Pastoral Times ran a commentary:
PUBLIC OFFICES –ROYAL HOTEL
POST OFFICE – First window on right of hall between Parlour and Coffee room.
TELEGRAPHIC OFFICE – third door on right down the yard past bar and Dining Room.
POLICE SUPERINTENDENT’S
OFFICE: First floor, turn right twice, No 1 on left at bottom of passage.
POLICE BARRACKS – Ground floor, down the yard between kitchen and the stables
POLICE COURT - Between the bank and the lock-up, Taylors Hall.
He used the cash flow from the pub to expand and soon he’d opened a sawmill, some brick kilns, a blacksmith’s and both butcher’s and baker’s shops.
John Taylor was in court almost weekly, as a plaintiff, as a witness and usually as the defendant. When facing
a charge he would stand before magistrates who were staying free of any cost at this hotel, listen to evidence from police who were stationed on his property and call witnesses who were, in the main, his employees. He didn’t get convicted much.
One time when the police hierarchy in Melbourne decided it judicious to remove the barracks from the Royal Hotel, Taylor responded by simply making their new landlord an offer he couldn’t refuse and bought him out.
Like a true ‘Don’, Taylor knew the importance of the façade of respectability so he had built the Anglican Church, the Catholic Church, the Masonic Hall and the Court House, all of which are still standing.
So when I’m done poking around the main town, I head back across the bridge and on my right’s what’s officially named as the Edward River Hotel, but which is known across the land simply as “The Buncha”. It’s a low slung place back a bit from the road and, I’m pretty bemused to see a stencil on the window of Brando in Godfather 1 and the wording, “Home of the Godfather Challenge.”
Australia’s biggest island
The Edward River splits from the Murray at Mathoura (well, Picnic Point actually) and flows for 383 kilometres through Deniliquin, Pretty Pine, Moulamein and Kyalite before reentering the Murray as the Wakool River opposite Chislett Farms.
So all the land south of the Edward River and north of the Murray is surrounded by water, and that, for me makes it Australia’s biggest island.
Except no-one else thinks so. If you can explain why, please drop Stu a line –he’s always looking for stuff to do!
Deniliquin is a graveyard of pubs, the streets in the south section have wonderful old hotels crumbling on pretty much every intersection, so the success and the growth of the Buncha is as gratifying as it is deserved.
Having now been to every pub on the Murray and its anabranches, I can say that this one’s comfortably in the river’s top ten probably top 5.
For unique character it was off the scale so it’s getting 6 out of 5.
For value for money it rated 145 where 100 is good
Overall, only a lack specific provisions for riders stopped it getting top marks so 4 solid helmets.
Full Disclosure: We’d had a couple of false starts to this adventure and Chris refused payment for the Godfather. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse and it didn’t colour my ratings.
Been a long day - don’t tell me I have to sleep with a horse head in my freaking bed.
Chris, who’s obviously got a poor mirror and an even more ordinary hairdresser is behind the bar. With his partner, Taron, he took over the Buncha in 2016. It’s their first pub and, with their 4 kids in tow, he’s happy with the way it’s going.
He grew up in Hobart and, “when I was 18 there was a pizzeria and it was called the Godfather Pizzeria. They had this dinner-plate sized hamburger that they used to serve. It was a monster and on Friday nights we’d order one and take it home and eat half and then go out. Then when we got home if we were in a state to eat it, we’d finish it off, otherwise we’d have it for breakfast.”
Chris thought it’d be an idea to have a food challenge at his new hotel.
I didn’t want to make it unfinishable, I wanted to make it a bit better presented than the one we used to get. It took us 12 different tries to get the nine inch bun just right and then we just filled the baby up.”
Equalling about 5 standard withthe-lot burgers, and with sides of chips and onion rings, the burger is the challenge. It has to eaten by one person with no limits on time or the amount of water or soft drink taken to wash it down. Get through it and not be in a food coma, you only pay 10 bucks and your next two drinks are on the house. If you fail, it’s $40 which is very reasonable if you just buy it to share.
Down it all fast enough to break into the top three, and you’ll pay nothing, but be paid $50 instead. To do that, as it stands, you’ll need to be licking the plate pretty close to half an hour of starting.
I cut mine into quarters – finish the first, plus a handful of chips and rings in just on 4 minutes. I’m on championship pace! The second quarter takes me almost 10 minutes and damn, I’m DONE! Can hardly finish my glass of red.
Too stuffed to talk, I mumble about wanting to know the origin of the pub’s nickname.
“Back in the 70’s the town drunk used to drink here and he would turn up, get
drunk, play up get kicked out. Happened every day. Every day the same thing. This one time he came in and pulled a bar runner when a bloke down the bar was about to grab his drink and the drink fell over and so he got kicked out and as he was walking out he grabbed a big burning log out of the fire and threw it onto the bar and turned around on his way out and said, ‘you mob are nothing but a buncha…’
So no-one saw him for a couple of years, they think he went to another town maybe. Anyway in those days they had about maybe 40 or 50 regular drinkers all day every day and a couple of years later someone saw him outside walking past the pub and he suddenly swung around and came down and opened the front door and shouted, “You mob are STILL nothing but a buncha………”, closed the door and walked off.
Everyone in the bar had a great old laugh and a lot of them went home and told their families and then their friends and the story got passed down and so the place just became known as “The Buncha”. Been called that ever since.”
I take the bike around the back where it can be locked up for the night, and head to my room, one of 5 shared bathrooms places to lob here, two with a Queen and single, the other 3 with just the Queen double. It’s 60 bucks for mine, $20 more for the rooms with two beds.
All rooms have their own kettle, brew makings, toaster and a minibar fridges plus ceiling fans and convection heaters. It’s all well cleaned and maintained.
If you need to gamble, and lack the guts to back yourself at the burger challenge, there’re three pinball machines and a pool table.
Every local in the place was up for a chat and as the afternoon slid on, the place filled with workers, families with kids and regulars from out of town. Had a great feel to it.
Apart from the challenge, there’s a full a la carte menu for lunch and dinner every day in the Red Room around the side of the place.
I can vouch that the Buncha’s hospitality and its Godfather won’t tempt you to leave town – and the brandy? That’s up to you. D
Niken GT
Touring is, as touring does WORDS stuart PHOTOS Nick Wood c reative
Let’s get this straight out of your mouth – yes, the Yamaha Niken is weird, ugly and whatever else you might be thinking. Now, let’s take a look at what the latest threewheeled version, the Niken GT has to offer as a touring motorcycle.
What is it that you want from a “touring” motorcycle? Comfort would have to be the main thing I reckon and the Niken GT has this in spades. Fitted with a protective touring screen (not adjustable, though), upright seating position and comfortably spaced and placed handlebar, heated grips, wide and supportive Comfort seat and a relaxed seat to peg height ticks all the comfort boxes you could think of. Even the relatively small fairing (for a tourer) offers some protection from the elements.
Next up on the wish list would have to be a motorcycle that can cover big distances easily. The Niken GT is fitted with the delightful MT-09 derived in-
line three-cylinder engine. It’s torquey and perfectly suited to all day touring. Combined with an 18-litre fuel tank and being reasonably frugal you can bank on at least 350km which is about as long as you want to do in the saddle at one time. Those who say they want to ride further without stopping are just missing out on all those great cafés. Also throw in cruise control and you’re starting to get the picture: the Niken GT is all about travelling to those places you always wanted to go.
A centre stand is always a great item to have on a touring motorcycle – it makes loading and unloading panniers easier and spraying some lube on the chain is easy. Although it would be nice to have shaft drive.
The next big ticket item you want on a tourer is luggage capacity. The Niken GT is fitted standard with 25 litre (each) soft panniers, which are easy to clip on and take off. Hard panniers like the ones fitted to the Tracer GT would
have been nicer; the soft panniers give the look of a parts bin raid. A strong looking rear carrier is also standard and will fit the genuine accessory topbox or an aftermarket item. There are useful tie down points and if you need more space, accessory tankbags are available.
Handling of the Niken GT will take you all of a handful of rides to get used to. Once above 30km/h you won’t notice any difference to a two-wheeled motorcycle apart from, maybe, some more grip if you push over the limit. Under 30km/h you do feel the two front wheels but only slightly, it feels a little ‘mechanical’ versus a sharper feel of a single wheel – don’t think about it and you’ll never know.
Although there are four KYB fork legs, they aren’t what they seem. The front 41mm fork leg on each side is empty except for some lubrication (oil) inside - so it is not technically
suspension. The front forks are there for stabilisation, alignment, and support. The trailing 43mm forks are traditional fully adjustable suspension units with a spring inside. Also, it is worth remembering that the articulation system offers bonus wheel travel – excellent for touring and uneven surfaces!
Gadgets are the next item on the touring motorcycle checklist. Two 12V power outlets are fitted to the Niken GT and the front outlet fitted to the left-hand side of the instrument panel is placed well to fit a GPS or your Smartphone to the handlebar to keep charged. The
second 12V outlet is near the seat.
The compact LCD instrument panel has all the info you want for a tourer and depending on your preference there are three power modes and traction control settings to choose from. I found Power mode 2 the smoothest.
A matt metallic blue is the only colour available for the Niken GT and even with it getting covered in bugs and road grime it was easy to wash and look after.
If you like the quirky side of life or simply just want to relax more on a touring motorcycle, the Yamaha Niken GT ticks the box. D
Specs
PRICE: $26,449 (ride away)
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: 4.74 litres per 100km, premium unleaded
THEORETICAL RANGE: 379km
COLOURS: Phantom Blue
VERDICT: RELAX AND ENJOY
YAMAHA NIKEN GT
Royal EnfiEld dealerships across Australia & New Zealand were given the challenge to transform a model from the allconquering 650 Twins platform into their own build.
With a ‘no limits and no restrictions’ approach to each dealer project, they were encouraged to use their imagination as they brought each unique build to life.
At the end of the competition period, dealer builds were unveiled at the 2019 Australian Motorcycle Festival in Wollongong NSW and
showcased to the public. It’s fair to say the public response was extraordinary as the dealer builds were the star of the expo.
Final builds have now been judged by the voting public and an expert panel of judges from Royal Enfield management from across the globe.
After considerable debate, the winners that get the chicken dinners for “Peoples Choice” and “Experts Choice” are…
The ‘People’s Choice Award’ was determined via an online poll, with the winner being Wanaka Powersports in
NZ with their custom flat tracker, the ‘Intertracker’ - a custom version of the 650cc Interceptor.
An expert panel of Royal Enfield staff from across the globe judged the final “Expert’s Choice” award. The overall winning entry was from the team from MotoMAX in Perth WA and their stunning streetfighter entry “Royal Steel”. We here at AMM love both of these bikes and reckon RE Aus/NZ should continue Busted Knuckles to see what else great custom builds various dealers can do. D
THe MANY WONdeRs of Thailand
When you’re not riding, have your teeth fixed
WORDS Shari John S on PHOTOS Magic Motorcycle t our S
TheY sAY tRAVeL broadens the mind, so why not have a holiday in Northern Thailand? Or better yet, do what I did and have an epic adventure with tigers, elephants, tuk-tuks, scooters, mouth-watering food, shopping, world class dentistry, motorbikes and roads that are built with the beautiful curves of a 1950’s supermodel. I joined Karel Pavich and Howard Mansell from Magic Motorcycling Tours on their 10-day tour and they exceeded all expectations. The tour is very well planned. Karel and Howard provide sound advice based on years of experience. They are engaging and fun touring companions who go out of their way to make everyone feel welcome and to help them enjoy the experience.
Accommodation is high quality. The motorbikes are solid, reliable and well suited to the local conditions. I wouldn’t have said no to an extra 20hp, a 7th gear and Brembos but that could have led to a sticky end! Words cannot express how much fun it was to beat up on those masochistic wee motorbikes, ruthlessly flogging them through their gears and throwing them into corners at pace. Though this was only my first visit, I feel confident you can find a little bit of everything that is Thailand in Chiang Mai. I met the local lady boys, getting photos with them and cheering their cabaret show as they lip synched and danced their way through well-known songs. I watched artisans creating silk cloth, fine jewellery and traditional umbrellas, shopped in large luxury malls with big local and international brands and then shopped at the local weekly street market under makeshift tarpaulins and at open-air tables.
I had a tailor make some silk clothes. I had the best dentistry experience I’ve received to date, getting several crowns fitted at significantly reduced cost compared to NZ. I visited Kerchor Elephant Eco Park, hung out with the herd and received a fun and rather wet elephant blessing. It was amazing to watch them walk freely among us getting treats of banana and sugar cane. Another fantastic experience was visiting Tiger Kingdom and going into a cage with two adult male Bengal tigers. I
stood in front of a crouching Tiger and fed it chicken on a piece of bamboo. On our first night in Chiang Mai before starting our tour we enjoyed a lively meal at Cowboys bar, a local institution. The Cowboys tradition is to use one of the Sharpies to make your mark – on a table, chair, picture, or wall, basically anywhere visible to future patrons! I balanced precariously on tiptoe atop a wobbly table and wrote on a clear patch of wall (coincidentally) near a bunch of dodgy looking live wires and left my mark so that other IMOC’ers would know that yes, someone from the club has been there.
Happily replete, with a double, double of liquid margarita courage, I approached the two tuk-tuk drivers waiting nearby to negotiate a lift back to the hotel:
Me: Hi, can you take me to BP city hotel please?
ttD: yes.
Me: but…. can I drive *big smile*? ttD: ha ha ha *walks away and sits down on the curb side*.
Me: *sits next to him on the curb, pulls out international driver’s license* it’s okay, I have my motorbike license, see!
ttD: ha ha ha *shakes his head at the crazy tourist*
Me: *whips out phone and shows a picture sitting on purple Aprilia motorbike* look, this is my motorbike I ride back in NZ! That’s me!
ttD: looks, then pauses to look at me sideways* no, ha ha ha! *shakes his head again*
Me: *frantic scrolling to find photo on my Vespa with my dog on the back* look, this is what I ride to work every day!
ttD: *looks, then stares intently into my face*
Me: *calmly looked back, didn’t blink* ttD: Okay, but we go Sol Me: Alright!! *Vespa for the win!*
He drove us a couple of streets away to a deserted, dimly lit Sol (lane) which sounds dodgy but wasn’t. He took a photo of me before we got down to tuk-tuk driving 101. His tuk-tuk had motorbike handlebars for steering, the clutch was by my left foot, brakes were
by my right foot, throttle was right hand, indicators were mid-way along the left handle bar, gears were the stick shift between my legs and the hand brake –actually I never spotted the hand brake. He showed me the ropes, including where all six gears were as I laughed and assured him we weren’t going to need them all, since I’d take it gently. Well, I tried to be gentle with the tools of this gentleman’s livelihood, but after stalling it for the fourth time I decided gentle wasn’t doing me any favours and it was time to get serious before he changed his mind. I started it up, gave it some berries, rode the clutch a little and we were off! While the start was more exuberant than I would have liked, I did manage to get a rhythm going changing gears properly and before I knew it, we were fanging along in fourth gear, hooting with laughter together. Sadly, we ran out of simple turns and when we came to a proper intersection, I pulled over to let him take over. When we arrived at my hotel, I realised we hadn’t agreed on a price! He asked for triple the normal rate and as I was still fizzing from the experience I agreed, then we took a selfie together (how very 2019). If you go to Thailand, try your luck, tuktuks are such an odd combination it’s like learning to drive all over again and they’re really fun.
The journey from Chiang Mai to Thailand’s highest point at Doi Inthanon was our first opportunity to hit the open road and get a feel for our bikes at motorway speeds.
Within 24 hours of leaving Chiang Mai, most of us had experienced several scenarios we were warned about in our very comprehensive pre-tour briefing. And by the end of the tour we had experienced every scenario, including some interesting new ones of our own creation!
Car drivers taking the fastest line through corners (regardless of which lane they entered the corner by), dogs asleep on the road, dogs wandering on the road, dogs running across the road to chase other dogs, two oncoming vehicles side by side (one in your lane) when the road is wide enough to fit, vehicles moving to the right side in our lane so we can under-take them on
the fog line, oncoming vehicles cutting left hand blind corners, oncoming vehicles overtaking vehicles on right hand corners on your side of the road, overloaded utes and other assorted farm vehicles that move very slowly, overloaded farm vehicles moving to the left and using their indicators to signal when it was safe to overtake them, big trucks moving slowly up a tight winding road, big trucks moving slowly down tight winding roads, oncoming big trucks moving slowly up and around a steep corner on your side of the road, vehicles running red lights, motorbike tourists from NZ running red lights, impatient
utes tailgating vehicles (including motorbikes) at 120km/h in the right hand lane on motorways, and vehicles routinely overtaking other vehicles on blind corners. Did I mention dogs? There were lots and lots of dogs. I admit it was a little off-putting initially. Dogs asleep in the middle of the road, in the middle of nowhere? Surely that cannot be a real thing? Why on earth would a dog choose to sleep on a hot road in the full sun where vehicles routinely travel? I can’t explain it, but trust me, they do. I must have avoided running over at least 80 dogs during six days of riding. Fortunately, if you attack
the horn with enthusiasm, they quickly move out of harm’s way.
The drivers in Thailand are significantly more courteous than most NZ drivers. They actually share the road; they expect to encounter motorbikes and scooters and they leave space for us on the left. They merge ‘positively’ but slowly so there is time to accommodate them or be accommodated. They don’t seem offended at being overtaken by motorbikes and move over to let you pass safely. They also use their indicators to let you know when it’s safe to pass.
Our friendly support vehicle driver and Thai guide, Lowey Suksabai, offered
everyone the opportunity to try Meang. Meang looks like a block of dried fermented kale and it’s a Thai delicacy, like “chewing gum for the locals” apparently. If you don’t try it, you’re a wuss, if you do try it, you’re gullible. Sadly, I think it’s an acquired taste that my palate is not ready to fully appreciate yet.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Being a little ‘misplaced’ en route from the Golden Triangle to Chiang Rai. Noticing that Howard has stopped to check the GPS a couple of times, yet the roads are getting smaller, rougher and quite rural. Discovering a brand-
new motorway that isn’t on the GPS from one of those small rural roads. Concluding that the reason it doesn’t exist on GPS is probably because they are still building it. Getting a big smile and cheery wave from all the road workers (especially the exuberant chap on the steam roller) as we calmly ride past them toward the spot where we can clearly see the ‘motorway’ abruptly ends in a muddy field. Doing a U-turn on the pristine tarmac to receive another round of big smiles and cheery waves as we backtrack to the section that connects the unfinished motorway to another brand-new motorway and bonus, it is on the left-hand side! Travelling a couple of kilometres to discover there is a crucial piece of road missing and although we can see the fully functioning motorway up ahead, there is no way to get onto the left-hand side of it. We re-group, check fuel levels and make the decision to use the section of motorway we can access to connect to a road that Howard is familiar with and can see on the GPS. Being one of 13 motorbikes riding down the very left-hand side of a motorway towards oncoming traffic that calmly moves over to their left so that we have the whole lane to ourselves. Nobody dies, nobody gets arrested, none of the oncoming vehicles beeps, gesticulates, flashes their lights or react in any way and we manage re-join the correct side of the road to turn onto the road Howard was aiming for. It was priceless!
Tour lowlighT
Riding down from the viewpoint on highway HW1148 with ‘poorly performing front suspension’. Can you imagine feeling the need to go slow on the road touted to be the best motorcycling road in Thailand? It was sacrilege! At the next re-group stop it was discovered I had a flat rear tyre *face palm*. Fortunately, the men of our group outdid themselves and immediately jumped into action, lifting my bike up on a block of wood scavenged from nearby, finding the hole and helping Howard with the repair.
greaT Things
The great thing about going on a group tour is meeting other like-minded people
with a passion for riding motorbikes. Though from different backgrounds and cultures, we bonded over our collective Thailand experience. In particular it was lovely spending time riding and chatting with Fiona Healey, the other woman rider on our tour. Blokes are great and all that, but it’s wonderful to spend time with another wahine toa (strong woman) and trade ‘did you see that?!’ moments. I was to discover Fiona is a solid rider, takes great lines, rides sensibly and is basically bomb proof. After only 10 minutes riding behind her I knew she was never going to be a cause for concern and nothing would stop her. Spoiler alert: neither of us dropped our bikes, but ours were the only ones meticulously checked over by the rental staff on our return. Talk about taking one for the team.
Thailand petrol stations are like going back in time to when life was civilised and full service was the norm. Though lovely, it did cause a bit of a delay when 13 motorbikes pulled in to fill up. I could tell you a story about re-fuelling, but I won’t tattle because you know, what happens on tour stays on tour. Let’s just agree: you should always close your petrol cap before moving your bike and never offer assistance at a petrol station when you’re mid cigarette. And while we’re talking reminders, just like in NZ, only the RIC or tail end Charlie are supposed to attempt to retrieve a lost rider. I won’t tattle on the IMOC rider who broke this cardinal rule – but I do have a photo of a person getting pointed at by a group of riders who melted in the sun for 20 minutes while the rescuer was himself rescued.
Howard pointed out another Thailand petrol peculiarity in the Golden Triangle: a self-service petrol vending machine (feed in your money and then hold the hose in your vehicle); and an old school pump-by-hand bowser - amazing.
One of many interesting stops on our tour were the markets at the border between Myanmar and the Northern most point of Thailand. It’s the first time most of us had ever ridden through a large covered marketplace avoiding shoppers and other vehicles to get to the parking area – what a hoot! The markets themselves are quite large with plenty of unique things on offer to see or purchase.
Thais are an amazingly humble and welcoming people and being a tourist in Thailand leaves one feeling incredibly spoilt and grateful. They’re hard working, growing crops on of steep hillsides that NZer’s would only throw sheep or goats on. The food is nom, nom, nom good and I’m not the only one who indulged a little too much resulting in snug fitting motorbike gear!
What about the riding, how are the roads you ask? They are everything. Thrilling, wet, dry, tight and twisty, straight, steep, flat, dusty, encroached by jungle, long sweepers, steep gradients, switch backs, potholes, pristine chip seal, sometimes winding through little villages like a pretty grey ribbon surrounded by scorched earth. Thailand comes at you full throttle, ready or not, but it’s the kind of fun challenge that makes you want more. Ooh, you gave me a fright Thailand, but I liked it - give me more! I could write a novel about the roads and how much fun they are on a motorbike, but it still wouldn’t do them justice. The only way to understand is to go and do it. D
This spectacular combination of rugged mountains and stunning coastal roads will satisfy the real rider in you, giving you some of the most invigorating riding in Europe. Breathtaking scenery, roads to die for and rich history will make this trip a truly magical experience. 11 Day Adventure 15 - 25 May 2020
Hello, sailor: the Belville 200 RS cuts a fine figure down by the harbor in Melbourne.
IWeLL reMeMBer MY second attempt to ride a scooter. The first went well; it had been back in Germany when I was about 10 (years, not stone), once around the farmyard on my big cousin’s Strolch scooter, avoiding geese, dogs, pigs and the liquid manure pit. The second was in the back streets of Camperdown in Sydney. I had been riding motorcycles for quite a while, but that had not prepared me for the way the tiny front wheel of the Vespa I was riding dropped into the drain running across the road. I did an involuntary stoppie and swore off scooters for ever. Times have changed. I’ve now ridden many different scooters and have become used to them. I even bought a Vespa once. But I’m still down on those small wheels. The Belville (‘Good Town’) overcomes that disadvantage with 16” wheels; that’s no different from some motorcycles. I can recall riding a GSX-R Suzuki with wheels that size. To me, wheels this size make the Belville 200 much more of a proposition, at least until the State Gummint fixes the roads. For which occurrence I will not hold my breath. The Belville is practical in other ways as well. Unlike a lot of other scooters which can have problems getting away from the traffic at the lights, the Peugeot’s air cooled 169cc four-stroke engine whips you out into the lead quite comfortably with its constantly variable transmission. It squeezes 8.3kW at 8000rpm and 12Nm at 6000 out of that capacity. It helps that the engine is a new design, which also means Euro 4 pollution compliance and low fuel consumption at a claimed 2.7 litres per 100km. In case you get
3.The
1. Braking is via discs front and back with ABS; the RS scores (sorry) a flash petal disc shape.
2. Dash is simple but adequate, and the digital speedo is useful in this day of speed persecution, er, control.
seat is pleasantly low and the overall appearance is sharp.
a little too enthusiastic, or Old Mate decides he can’t see you, it also has disc brakes front and rear with ABS to stop its 130kg (plus you) safely.
Seat height is a reasonable 790mm, made even more accessible by the tapered seat. Other standard fitments include the usual like a bag hook (one of the most useful accessories on any scooter, in my humble opinion) and a lockable glove compartment, as well as an LED headlight, a USB charge socket and under seat storage which can hold a full-face helmet. The scoot also offers a 24-month warranty with roadside assistance.
Peugeot Scooters, recently renamed Peugeot Motocycles, must be one of the most international firms around. The name is of course French; Peugeot was the world’s first motorcycle manufacturer. The scooters, and now motorcycles, are still designed in France. But the owner of the brand is Indian, and they’re made in China. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; the quality of the Peugeot scooters I’ve seen has been
universally high, and they all have a pleasantly solid feel to them without being heavy. There are two versions of the Belville 200, the standard in white, black and blue at a ride away price of $5490 and the sportier-looking grey RS at the same price for a limited time. D without being heavy. of
Peugeot’s lion now roars in French, Sanskrit and Mandarin.
readers travel
My first experience in the UK and Europe was six years ago, and it blew me away. The sheer beauty, the history, it was amazing! Our method of transportation, a coach, was the only letdown. While travelling, I saw quite a lot of people strapping all their gear on the back of a bike and exploring in freedom, without a tour group or a set itinerary, avoiding the over-touristy places and enjoying the back roads. I instantly knew that’s what I wanted to do next time.
Five years later, after countless hours of research about how to do it, I decided that shipping my bike over was the cheapest and most reliable option; as I already knew its condition, this seemed a smarter choice than
taking a punt and ending up with a lemon over there. One foggy morning in March, I set out for Melbourne to drop my bike off for its voyage across the high seas. I would meet it in Felixstowe, England, just under two months later. Dave Milligan from Get Routed was great to deal with, leading up to and during my trip, and takes all the stress out of shipping your bike halfway around the world and back. With Get Routed’s involvement, all that’s left for you to do is make sure the bike’s clean, disconnect the battery, pack all your riding gear in the panniers, drop it off on a certain date and you’re all set.
After flying to London in late April and spending a few days taking in the sights, my girlfriend Tessa and I caught
the train to Felixstowe, via Ipswich. The following morning we got a taxi to the docks where we sorted some paperwork, and labelled our suitcases and loaded them onto a pallet for storage. Then we connected the battery, loaded our luggage onto the bike, put our gear on and off we went. At first, riding in a different country is a surreal experience. Although England is very similar to Australia, it is still quite different in certain road rules and mannerisms on the road, which had me quite nervous for the first few miles, but 10 minutes in I had the biggest grin on my face! I was here, riding my bike on the other side of the world for the next five months, with no set plans, only a few places that I had to be on certain dates
(mainly the Isle of Man TT), without a care in the world.
The next few weeks flew by in a blur of green English countryside. After touring through the south of England and Wales, it was time to go to Ireland! I had been looking forward to this for quite some time, and after landing in Dublin, some of the first stops were the Jameson Distillery and the Guinness Brewery, leaving the bike at the hotel first, obviously. We headed west in the Emerald Isle: I had seen so many pictures of the Wild Atlantic Way but to see it in person, and ride the majority of it, was so overwhelming for just how beautiful, and for the most part empty, it was. The Ring of Kerry was very crowded, but luckily if you’re on a bike and not
stuck on a tour bus, you have the option of the Dingle Peninsula or the Ring of Beara, to the North or South respectively, of the Ring of Kerry. These two options are far more beautiful and have barely any tourists so you can take your time and enjoy yourself.
After our time in Ireland it was finally time to catch the ferry from Belfast to Douglas for the most important event of my life: the Isle of Man TT! I will admit that in booking the ferry I may have made a small mistake. I thought it was 2pm when it set sail, however it was 2am when it left, which luckily I noticed before the day. This did make for a long night waiting in queues and on the docks that I was dreading, but it was a fantastic atmosphere, there were
The details
29,000kms, 1650ltrs of fuel, 2 rear tyres, 1 front tyre, front and rear brake pads, 1 oil change and 5 months of absolute bliss. It’s as easy as that. Contact Dave at Get Routed – www.getrouted. com.au dave@getrouted.com.au Ph: 03 5625 9080.
bikes everywhere all waiting to get on board and the Australian number plate on my bike was a very good conversation starter.
After arriving in Douglas and sorting our accommodation out, it was time for a lap of the circuit. Even after hearing for so long that it is almost 38 miles long, you don’t quite understand just how far that is until you’ve done a lap. You will appreciate how hard it is for the riders to get to know the track. After a ridiculous amount of rain we eventually got to see some action on the track with practice going ahead. You can watch as many YouTube videos as you like, but until you stand on the edge of the track, feel the wind and hear the noise as they fly past, you can never imagine just how fast they are going. It is truly insane, but I was hooked after seeing the first bike go past. If it were possible, I would be there every year. The atmosphere of the whole island is electric; it is one of those things that, as a motorcycling fan, you simply
have to experience in your life!
With the magic of the TT over it was time to head back to the mainland and up to Scotland. Along with Ireland, this was a place that I had not visited before and was very excited to explore. When you’re in Scotland you must expect the inevitable rain and boy, did it rain! We spent a couple of days on the Isle of Skye and spent much of that time cooped up in a tent praying that it wouldn’t be blown away.
After that, the North and East coasts were perfectly dry, sunny and stunningly beautiful. Dunluce Castle was quite a surprise to come across, it was one of the grandest estates that I have ever seen, and even though nursing a hangover (after our Airbnb host invited us to the local pub for “just a couple”), it was amazing to visit. The falconry display there was unforgettable and a highlight of our trip.
After meandering our way back to Dover over the next few weeks it was soon time to face my fear of swapping
to the right-hand side of the road.
After leaving the ferry at Calais the road takes you straight onto a freeway, which is easy enough to manage. After a while, however, we hit the back roads and a few towns, and this was where it got tricky. For my whole life I had been entering a roundabout and turning my head to the right and now I had to force my neck to move the other way which was quite a weird feeling but after a couple of days it didn’t worry me at all.
After all we had experienced, that is the French Riviera and Monaco, we headed due north for the Route des Grande Alpes up to Switzerland, and this is a ride which should be on every biker’s bucket list. The alpine passes just go up and up for kilometres and then it’s all the way back down to start climbing the next one. You need to allow yourself at least a couple of days for this ride; you will not regret it. We spent the next few weeks travelling through Switzerland, Northern Italy, Austria and Slovenia,
doing so many mountain passes that I almost wished for a straight road just to relax a little. But you can’t relax because you spend the whole time looking around at the scenery, pinching yourself that you are riding your bike through one of the most stunning regions of the world, with so much excitement for what’s around the next bend! I had saved the best road for later though and after a couple of days on the motorway we had arrived in Romania.
The Transf ă g ă r ăș an Highway has been described numerous times as the best road in the world. It was very high up on my list of things that I absolutely had to do. In my experience it exceeded all the reviews; the road just flowed so easy that you could carry a fair bit of pace up the whole climb and it was nowhere near as crowded as some of the main roads in the Alps. As Jeremy Clarkson described it, “It’s as if every great corner from every great race track around the world has been knitted together to create one grey ribbon of automotive perfection.” I enjoyed every second
of the whole ride so much that we did it all again the next day. Turning back to the West, we made our way across the continent, through the Czech Republic and Bavaria, across to Spain and Portugal. Here we spent a couple of weeks living it up, as the end of our trip was fast approaching. Feasting on Tapas and Sangria, tasting Ports, snoozing on the beach, and a massive tomato fight soon filled up our last taste of Europe, and with the overnight ferry from Bilboa, we were back in England where we spent a couple of days with friends before it was back to Felixstowe. The return journey was just as easy: just thoroughly wash your bike, disconnect the battery, put your riding gear in the panniers and wrap them up, chuck all your luggage back into your suitcases, fill in some paperwork and get a taxi to the train station. Dave and his team of helpers at Get Routed, both at home and in England, make sure that everything runs smoothly and you don’t have any of the hassles of trying to organise it yourself. D
The guide to the stars - The who’s who in the zoo of motorcycle travel worldwide is what you’ll find here. We’ve travelled with many of them and know them all, so they come highly recommended. In alphabetical order, they are:
IMTBIKE TOURS & RENTALS
- Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Europe and Thailand www.imtbike.com tours@imtbike.com
MAGIC MOTORCYCLING
Thailand and Croatia www.magicmotorcycling.com tour@magicmotorcycling.com
TOURS – New Zealand & European Alps www.paradisemotorcycletours.co.nz
Cafe directory
INLINE4 CAFE
Best café and fully licensed restaurant on the way to Philip Island Circuit
I Vista Place, Cape Woolamai Philip Island, Victoria 0427 475 681
RIDE THE WORLD - Australia, India, South Africa, Vietnam, USA Adventure rides out of Las Vegas www.ridetheworld.com.au david@ridetheworld.com.au
ROMANIA MOTORCYCLE
TOURS – Europe www.romaniamotorcycletours.com office@romaniamotorcycletours.com
SOUTH PACIFIC MOTORCYCLE
TOURS – New Zealand www.motorbiketours.co.nz office@motorbiketours.co.nz
WORLD ON WHEELS - Europe, Iceland, South America, India, Asia, Mexico, Africa & Himalaya www.worldonwheels.tours Adventure@WorldOnWheels.Tours
ThE ShAggY CoW
Exceptional food and service from ‘Best in NSW Cafe’ winner 112 Main St Mittagong 02 4872 2966
York LANE
City Laneway cafe/bar run by the original Ducati riding ace racer. York Lane behind Clarence St 02 9299 1676
PITSToP AT MT MEE CAFE
A great ride to a beautiful location north of Brisbane 2070a Mt Mee r d, o cean View, Queensland 07 342536520
grEY guMS CAFé
Really the Centre of the Universe if you are travelling up The Putty 8679 Putty r oad, Putty NSW 02 6579 7015
ChuBBS
Definitely a haven for people interested in classic motorcycles and filling their bellies! 42 Windbourne r d, Brookvale 0420 546 477
WHAT & COFFEE?
EVERY YEAR, THE North Shore Sporting Car Club presents Cars & Coffee (also known as Auto Brunch) at the St Ives Showground, 450 Mona Vale Road. It’s a static display of cars and bikes, running from 8am to 11am and it usually brings to light some interesting and even spectacular vehicles.
This year, Paul Croft who runs the Snap print shop around the corner from our office in Lane Cove West, was there with camera in hand. He’s a bike enthusiast himself, and he managed to snap a couple of custom bikes which looked as if they must have taken their builders years of painstaking hard work. Bodywork on both bikes is hand-formed aluminium, and I can’t even imagine how tough it must have been to complete the details.
Brilliant stuff. We intend to be there ourselves this year; it’s on the first Sunday morning in June. D
PHOTOS PAUL CROFT
UseD&AB UseD
DOES IT GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS?
Shoei GT Air ii ‘inSiGniA’ & SenA SrL2
Price – Insignia graphic: $1099.90
Tinted visor: $119.95. SRL2: $429.95
THE HELMET
It’s amazing how good a premium helmet feels when you wear it. It makes anything else feel weird on your head. Shoei helmets have always been a favourite of mine as their fit, feel, features and style are what I class as the leading helmet range available. I’d been after the relatively new GT Air
II for a while and waited for the new 2020 range to be released. There are many new graphics available and I liked the new Insignia version in the matt black/grey/white – check out premiumhelmets.com.au for the full range.
I have previously worn the original GT Air which was very comfortable but a little heavy if I must say. For the GT Air II the weight has gone and the features even better.
I like a traditional D-ring strap but the GT Air II has the new mini ratchet styled strap. It is smooth and
easy to use and not clunky like most other helmets that use a ratchet. It’s also not a plastic item and is made from metal.
Next feature I noticed is the visor can be cracked just open, which is something I really like to do in the warmer months. Airflow is good and isn’t noticeable, which seems kind of weird but I guess the way to describe it is the air flows smoother and isn’t directed to one part of the head or face and is spread evenly throughout. Aerodynamics are excellent – the GT Air II is very stable at low and high
speeds, even behind a screen, which at my height tends to buffet my head around wearing other helmets. This also makes the GT Air II reasonably quiet – another added bonus!
I’ve never been a fan of the internal drop-down visors as they never seem to drop down enough for my liking, but I give a massive tick here as the visor in the GT Air II appears (or feels) to drop down further than any other internal visor I’ve used. I still opted for a dark tint normal visor but if I had to use the clear external visor and drop down the tinted internal, I’d be happy using it every day. I did ride for a couple of weeks using it this way and became quite used to it. I found the only time you’d look through the clear part of the external visor was viewing the speedo and the side mirrors. This is probably a good thing as you have clearer vision this way.
Interior comfort and fit are supreme, Shoei really do know how to make the best helmet lining. Of course, the liner is completely removable and washable
once it gets stinky.
As I mentioned, I opted for a tinted external visor and fitted the Pinlock EVO anti-fog insert that comes with the helmet. The beading around the eye port features a channel to reduce or eliminate water from entering the helmet if you’ve got the visor just open. Vision is also very good on sit up and lean forward motorcycles.
SENA SRL2
The GT Air II is Sena SRL2 communication system ready, I got the SRL2 with my helmet and fitment took around 20 minutes. All of the wires have recessed channels to fit into and the mic is also recessed into the chin piece. The included instructions are pretty easy to follow but if you can’t get the gist of them there is an online installation video available.
Features of the SRL2 include Bluetooth intercom, eight-way group intercom, audio multitasking, music sharing, voice command, advanced noise control, smartphone app, water resistant, built-in FM radio, firmware upgradable and an optional remote control. I haven’t given the SRL2 a complete workout as yet but having played music from my iPhone the sound quality is beyond what I expected. It sounds like a home sound system – it’s that good. Talking to someone on the phone is clear and when telling them you’re on the bike the reaction of, “no, you’re shitting me” is quite funny. Anyone I’ve spoken to mentions they have no idea I’m riding and my voice is as clear as if I was driving a car and using Bluetooth calling. Communication systems for helmets have come a long way since I last used one a couple of years ago.
LOVE IT
The Shoei GT Air II has replaced a Shoei RYD as my every day helmet and I must say I really do love wearing it. The features suit everything I could have asked for if I’d want to design a helmet myself, I’ve even come to love the mini-ratchet strap – convenience, comfort, ease of use
and premium features, it’s hard to pass up. Check out the full range of Shoei helmets at your local bike shop or premiumhelmets.com.au
BAGGING IT
HARLEY-DAVIDSON WAXED CANVAS MESSENGER BAG
Price - $248.12
Yes, okay, let’s dispose of the obvious reaction straight away. Nearly 250 bucks is a lot of money to pay for a messenger bag, no matter how convenient it is. And this one certainly is, see below. To me, the price is justified by both the design and the obvious quality of the bag. The design is simple; a long zipped [pocket at the front, oddly without rain protection; a roll top for the main compartment, secured with two straps and buckles; and a laptop compartment inside that, big enough to take a 15-inch laptop. Isn’t it weird that we still use inches to measure computer screen sizes?
in bright stuff person; I’ve done
The bag is lined in bright orange which is ideal if you’re looking for small stuff you’re carrying. I suppose if you shop at Squiggle and buy your gear in bright orange that might be a problem, but I suspect you don’t. That liner is also water-resistant. The person; I’ve done the shopping with it –admittedly I shop every day. The outside material is strong canvas, waxed for water resistance, which helps the roll top to keep the inside
USED & ABUSED
dry. I don’t have to tell you that I haven’t had a chance to try the bag out in the rain, but I did run the hose over it and it works. The sewing is excellent, and the buckles are brass, not clip-close plastic. I like the thick, strong leather base with its embossed H-D logo.
The bag measures 45 by 33 by 15cm, which makes it quite large but not unhandy. You can strap it to the sissy bar if your Harley has one (practically all models) or you can carry it the usual messenger bag with, with the strap across your shoulder.
I like it a lot, and it’s especially useful if the jacket you’re wearing doesn’t lend itself to using a backpack. See your Harley dealer.
GOT TO GLOVE THESE
KLIM INDUCTION GLOVES
Price - $215
This is beginning to read like a commentary on our weather – the bag, above, has never felt rain but these gloves have felt some horrifi c heat. I’ve worn them in 40 degrees, and while no gloves can protect you completely against those kinds of temperatures, these Klim gloves do a sterling job.
By the way, I used to think the name was pronounced ‘klimm’, but it’s ‘clime’.
Back to the gloves. Designed specifically as summer gloves, they are
made of seriously perforated and vented goat leather for maximum air flow. They have exterior stitching on both the top and bottom of the fingers, which looks a little odd at first but keeps the seams away from your fingers for extra comfort.
Other features include – and I’m just going to quote straight off Klim’s product description, “KwikAccess Dual Adjustment Entry; Ykk Autolock Zipper; Hard Knuckle Matte Carbon Fiber Protector; Poron Xrd Knuckle Protection; Poron Xrd In Palm Pad With Kevlar-Reinforced Schoeller Overlay; Accordion Stretch On Back Of Hand; Mult-E-Touch Smart Device Functionality; 3M Scotchlite Reflective Material For Bio Motion Recognition; Index
In Fourchettes;
In Fourchettes; Lap Seams On Palm And Outseams On Fingers; Klim-Engineered Rider Grip Articulation; and Entry Assist Pull LoopBomber Performance.
Did you read that? I only read it because I had to; these days I tend to assume that reputable major manufacturers get this kind of thing right. Nevertheless, “Mesh In Fourchettes”? If you know what that is, do let me in on it.
What it boils down to is that the gloves are well made from appropriate materials, and sewn in such a way that they are very comfortable even in extreme heat. I’ve even gone so far as to choose the light grey version – the gloves also come in black and brown – to increase heat reflection.
Summer can be an annoying time to wear gloves as they fi rst heat up your hands and then get all sticky and resist being taken off. The Klim Induction Gloves don’t do either of these things, and I expect to wear them all summer. And who knows, the way temperatures are rising, maybe all year…
The gloves are available in sizes from small to 3XL and if you can’t find them at your local bike shop, get in touch with importers AdventureMoto on 02 9651 3355 or at info@adventuremoto.com.au. D
DIVE right in
Restoring that classic WORDS STUART
SO, YOU’VE GOT that old classic bike tucked away in the back of the shed gathering dust, or you’ve found a bike you’ve always wanted for a great price but it needs some kind of restoring. Where do you start, how far do you take it and what sort of coin
will you most likely be shelling out? These and many more are questions will run through your head over and over again when deciding on whether to do a restoration. The following is a very basic skim off the top about doing just that…
PRICE
If you plan to restore any motorcycle you need to work out the cost. If you buy the bike for top dollar and then restore it, you’ll more than likely be losing money as your spend exceeds its actual value (that might or might
not change your mind). As a rough guide (depending on make and model of bike of course) for a full restoration you’re looking at $6000 plus. If you need to send the motor away to be stripped, cleaned, vapour blasted or painted and rebuilt you’re looking at least $3000 plus alone. This can push the total cost of the restoration up very quickly.
HOW FAR DO YOU GO?
If you’ve got a bike that looks pretty good but is a little rough in the odd place you can do what’s called a, ‘sympathetic restoration”. This can be anything from a simple clean up, to replacing some parts or actually restoring some parts. The full-on end of the scale is to complete a full strip and full restoration of everything. At the end of the day it all depends what you want out of the finished product.
PARTS
Before you plan any kind of restoration you need to do A LOT of research to see if parts are available, because when you dive in you’ll sink pretty fast if those hard to get parts aren’t available.
HOW ORIGINAL DO YOU GO
This can be a very personal decision, but for me if you want to make money – keep it as original as you can, most bikes are worth more as they came off the production line. However, this can be a little different with some bikes as a rare exhaust or a set of fancy carbs and a set of rare wheels can put the price up above or level with an original restored bike.
WHICH BIKE TO CHOOSE
It’s up to you. Don’t listen to your mates – YOU pick the bike you’ve
always lusted after and restore it how you like. If that means you buy a 50cc Yamaha 2-stroke from the ’70s or you sell your house to buy a Brough Superior, it’s up to you what bike you buy and restore. Remember, you’re more than likely living out a dream you’ve had all your life of a bike you had a picture of on your wall as a kid.
STRIP IT
Get yourself a good work space. If you’re working in a garage make sure you have plenty of space and if possible, park the car outside. It’s also a good idea to have two or three of those big plastic tubs you can get from Bunnings and some shelving to store the tubs and other parts is also a good idea.
PHOTOGRAPH AND BAG EVERYTHING!
Get your smartphone or a good quality camera and take one million photos of everything before you take it apart, and as you take it apart. You might not need every photo when it comes time to put it back together but it’s the time you haven’t taken a photo that you’ll need to know how it was put together
or where it was placed. Also, get yourself some of those resealable plastic bags from the supermarket, preferably ones you can write on and label and bag EVERYTHING (I can’t stress this enough). Even if it’s one single cotter pin, or the tiniest nut – bag and label everything!
NEW TECHNOLOGY
The paint and process of painting bikes of the ‘60s, ‘70s and mostly the ‘80s has mostly gone. Powder coating has come a long way and is about as original a finish as you can get (so long as you have the right powder coater). 2 Pak paint tends to be far glossier than acrylic paints
as used back in the day so if you’re looking for ‘original’ on the frame and so on, powder coating is a good option. 2 Pak paint is excellent for the colour and is more durable than acrylic. Chroming and anodizing will cost you a bomb and there are a few good places around but do your research to get the right one.
It’s no good taking it to anyone and then all of a sudden the prized date stamps are filled in with new chrome.
FORUMS
Bike specific forums and bike specific Facebook groups offer a world of advice, I can’t describe
HIGHLIGHTS
the amount of amazing help I’ve received while restoring the Suzuki 1100 Katana, and now the Kawasaki Z900 A4, from these types of groups. This includes searching for rare parts – someone, somewhere has that part lying around their shed and will more than likely be willing to sell it to you.
Riding in Sardinia, Mountains of Corsica, Venice, Florence, Siena, Leaning Tower in Pisa, Chianti region, Bonifacio, Cinque Terre
TOUR DATES APR 18 - MAY 3, 2020 SEP 20 - OCT 5, 2020
PLACES TO GO
Mechanics who know old bikes are getting harder and harder to
adriaticmototours.com
1. Take photos!
2. Restored Katana engine in the frame 3. Schematics are very handy to have
nowadays, word of mouth has always worked for me for some stages of restoring bikes but I also have a great friends at D Moto Motorcycle Engineering who provide a wealth of knowledge and technical skill.
pace, rather than simply play followthe-leader all the time. I don’t want people feeling like they’ve been led around by a ring through their nose. We were a procession of nine or 10 bikes as we rode past an old man on the side of the road; bent over and walking with a cane, grey bearded and wizened, a man of considerable years.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE
This all depends on how much time and money you have. I did my Suzuki 1100 Katana in six months, but the Z900 will probably take around 18 months.
Although our background is Ducati we will happily service any motorcycle brand! Technical Skill - Personal Service
Comprehensive or minor servicing
Performance engine mods
Cylinder head reconditioning
Welding and machining service
Fuel injection specialists
Race and track bike preparation
Tyre supply and fitting
Ducati spares
REXXER ecu tuning
SHOWTIME
biker as they rode past, except for the last. As I approached, he straightened up a little. He raised his eyebrows, gave a little knowing smile, nodded his head wisely and instead of waving, he put his hand over his heart and patted it softly. I rode the next couple of kilometers with a tear in my eye. D
The most exciting day of any restoration is when you put the rego plate on and take the bike for its first ride. I highly recommend taking your ‘new’ bike to a local
Photo of Dave Roper by Bill Burke
Photo of Dave Roper by Bill Burke
UCLEAR Motion 6 Bluetooth Communications unit RRP $359.95 Supplied by our friends at McLeod Accessoeries
The UCLEAR Motion 6 System is built upon direct feedback from riders, dealers, and industry experts to introduce our most advanced Intercom system yet.
All new gesture controlled commands will allow full control of the system without the press of a button!
Up to 6 riders can be connected using the Motion 6’s full duplex DynaMESH intercom. No matter the sport, the weatherproof Motion 6 will enhance your ride while delivering crystal clear communications and powerful music on any road, in any weather.
show ‘n’ shine so that others can admire your beautiful machine. I also recommend getting professional photos of your restored beauty done. The smiles this will bring you are immeasurable.
WHAT ELSE?
There is so much more I could delve into with restorations but this basic outline is plenty to get you on the road to enjoying a classical beauty. Do you have any recommendations you’d like to share with your fellow readers? Send me an email –stuart@ausmotorcyclist.com.au D technical
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.
are
LETTER OF THE MONTH
SEAN IS OUR WINNER of the amazing Nelson Rigg backpack and t-shirt this month. He sent in this awesome Christmas poem. Well done, mate. Send me your t-shirt size and postal address. SW
A BIKER XMAS
Hi Stuart,
I found this great Christmas poem online and thought it was worth sharing. A great Christmas and
new year to you, The Bear and Ralph and whoever else helps put out your fi ne publication.
“Twas the night before Christmas when all through the garages
Not a motorcycle was rumbling, except for Santa Claus’
The leather was hung in the closet with care
In hopes that nice weather, soon would be there
Our bikes were all nestled snug in their covers
With visions of blacktop and burning up rubber With momma in her bandana and I
in my skull cap
We had settled down for a long winters nap
When out on the lawn, arose such a rumble
I sprang from the bed as I started to grumble
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
Was a pack of motorcycles, with riders and gear,
With one old driver so lively and quick
I knew in a moment it must be biker St. Nick
He was dressed all in leather, from his head to his foot
His clothes were all tarnished with bugs and road soot
A bundle of chrome he had fl ung on his back
Down the chimney he came, carrying a big red sack
He spoke not a word but went straight to his work
As he fi lled all the riding boots, then turned with a jerk,
And laying a fi nger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose
He sprang to his motorcycle, to his team gave a sign
As they cracked their throttles and got into line,
Now Honda, Now Harley, Now Triumph, and Trike, On Kawasaki, On Suzuki, On Yamaha and Indian,
But I heard him exclaim as he roared out of sight
Keep the rubber side down and have a good ride.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!”
Regards, Sean Fitzsimmons Northmead NSW
THE GOOD GEAR
G’day Gents
I have just finished reading your January 2020 publication and was particularly drawn to Bear’s article titled “Modern Matches Medieval”, where the low volume specialist parts builder was introduced. After owning BMW K100LT & K1100LTs over a collective 27 years, and having found them comfortable but getting a bit heavy as I age (now 66 yrs), I decided to buy a new 2017 R1200GS Tour.
I knew before buying the bike that the footpegs on the ‘R1200GS Tour’ were inadequate and not remotely touring-oriented compared to my earlier bikes, and I replaced them with excellent pegs from the USA’s Black Dog Cycle Works (BDCW). The slight lean forward to the handlebars made my back ache, so I bought bar-risers from Wunderlich, and also invested in their ERGO Screen and Bike Lifting handle, as I found the R1200GS wind protection could be improved, and putting the tallish bike on its centre-stand was somewhat precarious for someone with a stuffed right leg from an old 1973 CB450 altercation with a power-pole. Each new part was of excellent quality, fitted easily, and did what it promised.
The BMW R1200RT would have been great but is still too heavy, so my priorities were lowest possible weight, with shaft drive, excellent frontal wind-protection, and combined front/back wheel braking due to my disabled right leg. As a result, I added another $1,000 to an already $30,000 bike, but those changed parts turned a bike with real limitations for me, into the virtual equivalent of an RT for a 40kg weight saving. Wunderlich, BDCW, & others, really do add a value in customising the shortcomings of both the bike & its rider to an individualised accommodation.
Now I’m weighing up the cost of a Wunderlich or Corbin bike-seat replacement to overcome the last comfort issue for me to generate a
true all-day riding proposition. I’m really looking forward to your up-coming customising work. Thanks for a great read.
Cheers, Alan Evans Farrer, ACT
We’ll let you know what the Wunderlich seat is like, Alan – The Bear
GOOD STUFF
Stuart/Bear,
My wife and I recently rode to Tasmania, our eighth time across the Nullarbor. All went well until we hit the WA / S.A Border where we were stopped at what seems to be a permanent breath test station. While sitting in the queue waiting, a red warning light came on, on investigation I realised that the cooling fan was not working, obviously a sensor switch problem.
As luck would have it, it was freezing cold and I realised that sitting at Idle was the reason for the red light, time to roll the dice, we had a Ferry to catch.
So on we rode, still freezing cold. At Cocklebiddy it poured with rain, hundreds of thirsty Roos lined the road drinking their fill refusing to
move until they had slaked their thirst, at times we were riding at 30km/h. Of course the Road Trains can’t slow down so then not only were we dodging living Roos but hundreds of their dead companions. I stopped at a several Mechanics seeking help, all to no avail, on we rode into the freezing cold (lucky for us), still no warning light.
Eventually we reached Port Augusta, cutting the engine at every red light, the always helpful staff at Northern Motorcycles had a look at the bike. They suggested that it was probably the fan sensor switch and suggested that as it was so cold I should keep on going until I got to a Kawasaki dealer, on we rode.
Riding to Port Melbourne was a tad stressful, again cutting the Engine at every Red light to avoid idling the engine, at last onto the Ferry and into a Lager Frenzy to celebrate. I had already rung Spreyton Motorcycles near Devonport to book my bike in, we arrived at Spreyton Motorcycles at 730 am, Anthony Shaw (the owner) was on hand to diagnose the bike, fan sensor switch gone.
Anthony had to order the switch, he had us up and running in 2 days, oh
well 2 days in a hire car. Anthony and his team offered amazing service I would not hesitate to recommend them.
It was all worth it, the ride around Tasmania was amazing, the ride back across the Nullarbor was more relaxing, trials and tribulations isn’t this why we ride?
What is it with the road safety mob in Victoria? They spend millions of dollars on wire rope cheese cutters while the road surface that they corridor are absolutely appalling, in my opinion they really do need to do a rethink on road safety.
Keep up the good work.
Best Wishes for the New Year to all at A.M.M
Peter and Diane Simmonds
Margaret River W.A
CHICKEN DINNER
Hi Stuart, I unwrapped my January copy of Australian Motorcyclist and was
chuffed to read that I had been awarded the Letter of the Month. I would like to thank the Judging Panel, my Parents who prepared me for life, my wife who has been a constant support, my teachers lalalalalalala.
Thanks, mate really appreciated. Best wishes to you and all the team for a Happy & relaxed Christmas break.
Cheers, Tony Gray
THANKS, AMM
Hi Stuart and Bear,
Just wanted to say thanks for promoting just some of the fire affected areas in your last issue (#83). Every dollar that can be spent in these areas is essential to keeping the communities going. Have a great New Year.
Kind regards, Julia Lithgow, NSW
I’ve just been up to see Kim at Grey Gum Café, Julia, and I’d like to add my voice to your appeal – The Bear
EICMA LOVE
Hi Bear, I must say I love reading each year about all the new bikes from EICMA, and the other things you find at the shows that no one else seems to report on. Well done and have a great New year. Thanks, Jason
FIRE UP
G’day AMM,
It is good to see your intention for getting people into the countryside to help communities affected by the fires, as presented in magazine number 83. I have sad thoughts when I see the devastation by fires taking place in the Eastern States. My partner and I rode two-up from Brisbane to Adelaide in November, via the Great Divide to Batemans Bay, then along the coast from there. We made every effort to support the local communities, utilising local accommodation and local produce at all places we visited. We went through the devastation at Drake and Tenterfield, and again near Gloucester, then a fire started at Woodford the day prior to our departure from Medlow Bath.
The wind was very strong, but the beauty of the land and the people throughout the entire trip was awesome. It was touching to hear their stories, of the pride in their communities, and the hardship
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WHAT SAY YOU
of the current environmental conditions they face.
Although I have only attached a couple of photo’s from the trip showing areas of devastation at that time, there are many more of the countryside before the burn, including those in our memories. One photo is at the Lunatic Hotel in Drake, with some liquid supplied by an ironic provider. Another one is from Gloucester, while the remainder show the route we rode.
Whilst we saw so much beauty that has now turned black, I’m sure that all will return to the beauty to be appreciated again, with the right support and care. There is much sorrow, heartache, and exhaustion, even anger, I guess, at the moment. I can only hope that everyone sees the strength within themselves, and accepts the support from each other. I also hope that those who have been given so much by the communities, now return that gratitude by supporting those in need. And should
anyone have caused such loss, they be given appropriate focus to ensure it never happens again.
This is a great country, with great people. Let’s be sure it always is that way.
Thanks AMM.
Richard Deturt
Hi Richard, Great to see you out there helping out. Yes, the devastation is shocking to say the least. I hope many more of our readers get out to fire affected areas and spend up big in these communities. Cheers, Stuart. D
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BEARFACED
FOR THE GOOD TIMES
HAVING RECENTLY
completed my annual 10km-a-day walking tour of Milan (also known as the Milan motorcycle show EICMA) I have to tell you that I am considerably… more cheerful. It’s become a bit of a mantra that things in the industry are terrible, that the reason motorcycle sales are down is because there are no new riders to buy bikes, and that the sky is falling (C. Little). I wouldn’t be surprised if you had expected a downbeat report from me. But that’s not what you’re going to get. The show, which gets half a million people through the doors (and that’s paying customers – plus 2000 journos and heaven-knows how many trade people) spread over eight of the giant Rho halls and several outdoor areas. I won’t go into too many details because I’ve written about this in our overall coverage of the show, but I felt that I wanted to tell you a little more about the impression I came away with. It was good.
Not just because Aston Martin and Brough Superior (already manufacturers of insanely expensive bikes) have combined to create a totally-bonkers crazed machine, either. Why, you ask, is this good? Neither you nor I (unless you’re reading this, James Murdoch) are ever going to be able to afford any such thing, and the likelihood of affordable spinoffs is exactly zero.
But because Aston Martin, who could easily have backed a nutcasecostly boat or light plane, decided to go with a motorcycle instead. There’s
nothing like the endorsement of serious money to cheer up an industry in trouble.
Let’s face it, if you ponder sales figures you will know that there’s trouble down at the retail level, at least in the developed world. But the manufacturers were working hard to dispel any worries. Even the Japanese, who have been hibernating a bit lately, were showing enthusiasm.
Take Kawasaki, often a somewhat traditional exhibitor. The stand was blazing with innovation, which even included an interesting e-bike. Yes, okay, the new H2 has been struck severely and repeatedly in the face with the ugly stick and has the swelling to prove it… but how about the decision to buy into Bimota! Are we going to see a bunch of amazing machines come out of this marriage made in heaven, or what?
Thank you too, Kawasaki, for providing the reptiles of the motorcycle press with a proper press kit on a rather smart-looking USB stick. All the manufacturers who are relying on us accessing their websites: I have news for you. It is a pain, often a severe one, to use material from a website, and anyone who supplies instantlyavailable material by USB stick or whatever, is well ahead in the battle to get coverage. As well as making us feel loved, and therefore more likely to like the product.
BMW handed out the press kit address on a slip of paper, but I’m prepared to forgive them just about anything because they had the nerve to get Edgar Heinrich to pen the R 1800 and R 1800/2. The latter was only on the stand in a video, but it looks almost as
impressive as the former, which attracted constant interest. As well it should; the bike is far more impressive in the metal than in any photos, even.
It might have been a little disappointing to see only a mildlyupgraded V Strom 1050 (bigger name but same capacity) on the Suzuki stand when we were hoping for a balls-out DR BIG, but how about the fantastic lineup of new adventure machines from just about everyone else – the biggest and the smallest factories?
Especially the NORDEN from Husqvarna. It was a concept, but you can see that it’s going to be a knockout when it hits the shops. Even Moto Guzzi tried hard; no new model, but a gussied-up V85 looked nice.
So it went, from stand to stand. Everyone was putting on a pretty convincing happy face, even though some manufacturers must be thinking very hard about what their future might hold. Nobody more so than Harley-Davidson, of course, but even there they were consoling themselves with the acceptance by the public that their Softails are the best bikes they’ve ever built.
And of course while riders might not be buying bikes in the accustomed numbers, they are certainly buying accessories. We regularly work with Wunderlich, Rizoma and SW-Motech, and when I visited their stands for a chat with my contacts they were well attended. Other accessory and clothing manufacturers were seeing similar enthusiasm.
What does this all add up to? To my mind it shows that motorcycle manufacturers are not taking the current downward sales trend lying down. While they’re admittedly following rather than setting new trends (except in electro-bikes) they are also innovating. More power to their arms, and more fun on the road to us. D
BORIS WORDS BORIS MIHAILOVIC
WTHE FUTURE
ELCOME TO 2020, everyone. Are you ready? I hope so, because some really interesting stuff will probably start to happen in the motorcycle world this year.
As you already know, new motorcycle sales are not exactly booming. In some cases, like Harley-Davidson for example, things are actually quite dire. You have to wonder how many quarters of successive losses Milwaukee can sustain before it does some really drastic stuff. And no, shoving a $40K electric bike under the balls of Ewan and Charlie and getting them to ride up the two American continents while being followed by a fleet of support vehicles ain’t gonna fix anything. That, friends and relatives, smells like desperation to me.
Harley aside, no other manufacturer is beating its chest much either.
So here’s what I reckon might start happening in Australia as 2020 blossoms and then fades into 2021.
It’s going to make business sense for some manufacturers to take advantage of their car dealerships (do some googling and work out who owns what) and start allocating space in them for motorcycles. Take Ducati, for instance. I don’t see much of a problem with Audi dealerships selling and servicing Bologna’s finest two-wheelers.
I reckon you might also see the Australian market, as minuscule as it is, start to miss out on some of the new models. You want that special bike? You might well have to import it yourself, which is fine if you’re rich. Just tell your PA to sort out one of
them red MVs. I’m sure she will be delighted to deal with the Russians who own that brand.
You will also see a much bigger focus on smaller and more affordable bikes from some of the players, which will be made in China and India. Stop screaming. It’s how it is. The huge, emerging second-world markets, vastly cheaper labour costs, and the ageing first-world motorcycle market is what will drive this.
Young people in Australia don’t even consider buying bikes. The ones who do, those poor, over-regulated L- and P-platers, usually can’t stay the course and kick their LAMs into the sea before they are allowed to buy and ride bigger and better motorcycles. But these kids don’t carry the same baggage regarding brand-perception some of us older beasts do. I’d rather eat my own liver than buy anything Royal Enfield currently produces, but a 19-year-old uni student will certainly not have the same issues I have with those bikes. And he’s eating minute-noodles, brewing beer in his bathtub, and buying Aldi motorcycle gear because he cannot survive otherwise. I get it.
The motorcycle media landscape will also continue to change.
Manufacturers and importers will increasingly use Social Media to reach their markets directly – obviating the need for advertising in motorcycle magazines. And when the last of the advertising goes in the mags, the mags will also cease to exist.
The importers and manufacturers will increase their “rider experience” events and market them through Social Media. Customers and potential customers will get the chance to ride new bikes in an echo chamber of manufacturer marketing love. The hope is this will stimulate sales. And it might. Measuring the success or failure of these events in terms of increased sales is very diffi cult.
But the bike-makers have to do something to reinvigorate the market. And while many of them don’t yet quite get how this Social Media thing works, it’s good to see them trying new things.
The motorcycle media’s role in reinvigorating the market is also crucial. But it’s also obvious most of it hasn’t got the vaguest idea how to do that.
The magazines, due to lead-time, simply cannot get news out fast enough in the digital world. And most of them fail utterly at producing anything resembling engaging lifestyle content – something the industry heavyweights are noticing with increasing chagrin. Expanding the reviewed motorcycle’s specifications into a turgid 2000-word homily just ain’t cutting the mustard anymore. Not that it ever did. But that’s where we are today.
The same can be said of the dreadful digital platforms being served up by much of the local motorcycle media. Yeah, look, I get you all feel you have to produce YouTube videos, but just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Seriously.
We live in a very different and fast-changing media landscape. The motorcycle media must realise this or perish. We are in the business of entertainment, ladies. Not information, per se.
Your challenge is to produce stuff that is entertaining and informative. If you’re not able to nail a bike review in 500 words, then you need to realise you’re in the wrong game. No-one is reading 2500-word epics – certainly not your poorly-written specs-box expansions.
This coming year will be challenging for the entire motorcycle industry – for the people who make them as much as for the people who write about them.
Only the strong and the smart will survive.
And that’s not a bad thing, you know. D
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