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EDITORSPEAKS
Now it’s personal
THE WORLD HAS BEEN hit with the impact of Covid-19 (Coronavirus). It has resulted in a lot of how we go about our lives being changed, and it has also brought on, in this country and a number of others, a crazy panic among many of the ‘Sheeple’ that really has blown me away. How stupid can some people be?
Here’s some facts…
out of the country
Of the relatively small number of deaths worldwide this new virus has claimed in a day, it’s also claimed around 26,000 people die of cancer a day, 24,000 from heart disease, 4000 from diabetes, 2500 from the humble and annoying mozzie and 1300 odd from murder! This kind of puts this whole thing in a different light and whether mainstream, tabloid media has beat this thing up so much it’s put the fear of a hot prong in the clacker up them. It has seen countries around the world shut themselves down and it cost me the chance to head off to Spain for the Ducati V4 Streetfighter launch, to New Zealand for the Suzuki V-Strom 1050 launch and even to humble Queensland for the Triumph Tiger 900 launch. As you may have well heard, Italy got totally shut down and this no doubt caused Ducati the heartache of cancelling the V4 Streetfighter launch as they wouldn’t have got the truck with bikes or personnel out of the country to head for Spain, which also ended up shutting down.
Another downside to this virus is there has been a delay of motorcycles coming into the country and especially accessories and parts. I know
of one aftermarket dealer who has stopped ordering anything from China and has now had to pay more for the same/similar goods from another manufacturer/country. The knock-on effect could be higher retail prices – we’ll have to wait and see. It will also really test the motorcycle industry as a whole. We here at Australian Motorcyclist will be trying to carry on business as usual but the unknown is what many businesses will be wondering of what’s to come, or not come into the bank account. What have you seen happen as a result of this virus and motorcycling?
Send me an email.
We received some emails loving the Southern Hemisphere feature we ran in #85 and just so you know we haven’t forgot about those Northerners, we’ll be running a similar feature in a few issues time, so despite Coronavirus putting everything into a spin, planning for that trip of a lifetime in 2021 is exactly what you should be doing. Remember, if you have to, or want to self-isolate, the best thing you could be doing is riding a motorcycle and don’t forget to buy this magazine, tell friends and family to buy it and help support the industry. Better yet, subscribe. That way you don’t have to go out to the newsagent’s.
Cheers, Stuart.
V4
BORRIE’S NEW BOOK
Philanthropist. Humanitarian. Patron of the arts. Considerate lover. Boris Mihailovic has never been any of these things. He has, however, been a failed motorcycle racer, and outlaw motorcycle club member, a chronic abuser of recreational drugs, and one of Australia’s most grammatically correct magazine pornographers. Oh, and an author.
The Wisdom of the Road Gods - in this, his third – and if there’s any justice on this earth, final – book, he once again takes you into his world of vehicular savagery, ultraviolence, rampant tequila freebasing, mindless thuggery, and some awfully gentle introspection, with such raw, unvarnished honesty, you would be fully justified in referring him to the police after page 32. Sound good? Hand over your money so he can finally afford to get his “I fuck fat chicks” tattoo removed. Order online for AUS39.95 + postage from: www.shocknawe.com.au/ product/thewisdom-of-the-road-godsby-boris-milhailovic/
NINE
TIMES A WINNER
Yamaha Motor announced that its Ténéré 700 motorcycle and YMR-08 industrial drone have both received the globally-prestigious Red Dot Award: Product Design 2020. The awarding of these prizes mark the ninth year in a row - ever since 2012 - that a Yamaha Motor product has received a Red Dot Award. The Ténéré 700 is an adventure tourer in
the best traditions of the Ténéré brand, drawing on its brilliant history of success in one of the world’s toughest ralliesthe Dakar - in the 1980s-90s. The Ténéré 700 features a 689cm³ water-cooled in-line 2-cylinder 270° crank engine mounted on a lightweight body. Developed based on the concept of “spraying a one-hectare field in one 15-minute flight*”, the YMR-08 is an industrial multi-rotor drone principally aimed at pest control applications. Responding to the requirements of suburban areas and small-scale agriculture, the YMR-08’s features include a lightweight carbon body and electric motor making it quieter than its gasoline counterparts. The thorough emphasis on functional beauty which meets the demands of farmers and crop sprayers has created a design full of refined dynamism.
The Red Dot Design Awards, are organised by Germany’s Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen and are widely recognised as one of the most prestigious design awards in the world.
The Ténéré 700 and the YMR-08 were also recently awarded respectively the German “iF Design Award” and the “Good Design Award 2018”.
*Based on continuous spraying on flat land
MEANDER IN
Industry all round good guy, Tok O’Kane has opened the doors to his Meander Inn up at Grevillia, northern New South Wales.
The Inn is built around accommodation and is a great rest up place on the Summerland Way. The area and roads are well known to many for fantastic riding as well as for scenery and as a destination if you are travelling between NSW and Queensland.
It is ideal for those riders travelling through the Northern Rivers region,
either on the way to Brisbane or heading south. The Meander Inn supplies coffee, cold drinks, burgers, pies and cakes.
Rates start at $10 a head camping, $25 per head for the Bunkhouse and $35 a head for the Loveshack, all prices include breakfast and one thing we can say is you will have a fun time there. Tok is always ready for a chat and a good old yarn especially about motorbikes.
Call 02 6636 4316 or email iamtokokane2@gmail.com
SUPER SCALPEL
With the lightweight, compact and razor-sharp packaging of the KTM 790 Duke as its starting point, the new KTM 890 Duke R brings out the best in the Duke thanks to increased power and torque from the new 890cc engine, ‘racier’ ergonomics, performance Brembo brakes, fully adjustable WP Apex suspension and enhanced electronic rider aids - just to name a few of the performance features that come standard on the “R.”
Honed to be a more powerful version of the already-impressive KTM 790 Duke, the newly developed powerplant of the KTM 890 Duke R features an increased bore and stroke, higher
compression ratio and rpm ceiling, larger valves and a new piston design coupled with new connecting rods and a new crankshaft, all wrapped in new engine cases. This fire-breathing parallel twin steps up its performance levels to suit the aspirations of the most demanding street and track warriors. Harnessing this enhanced power is achieved through the combination of race-derived componentry and new, sportier ergonomics blended with classleading rider aids. To carve corners, the “Super Scalpel” has been fitted with lower, more aggressive handlebars and a higher footpeg position to improve ground clearance. The Brembo brake system offers reduced weight and precise feel and is combined with Bosch ABS and Supermoto ABS mode for unmatched stopping power. An advanced electronics package offers the finishing touch and includes a new generation of Motorcycle Traction Control, Ride mode technology and the optional Track mode and Quickshifter+.
The KTM 890 Duke R is a sportier and edgier no-compromise naked motorcycle for conquering twisty mountain roads or hard riding on the racetrack. This evolution of the Duke is ideal for the motorcyclist wanting a more extreme experience or searching for bigger thrills in a compact and agile package. Look for the new 890 at your KTM dealer shortly.
VALE
In these uncertain times and very small industry, motorcycle magazine, Motorcycle Trader has been closed down. Final editor, Chris Harris is not only a great bloke but he put his heart and soul into MC Trader. We here at AMM wish Chris all the best for the future. That leaves us, Australian Motorcyclist as the only monthly road-based
motorcycle magazine in the country. Show us your support by buying more
copies and telling your friends and family to buy a copy too!
ADVENTURE AWAITS
When the time comes, which it will, and you want to escape and get off the grid, the Royal Enfi eld Himalayan is the on/off-road adventure machine that can take you there, wherever that place might be... Take on the elements with the adventure-ready Himalayan in six new colours for 2020. At an accessible price, the Himalayan places adventure in the palm of the hands of those who seek it. Now equipped with ABS brakes and
Electronic Fuel Injection, make your next ride the Himalayan at just $7490 ride away. For the fi rst time, you can also order your new ride online. https://royalenfi eld. com.au/model/himalayan/
TRAVEL TIME
Most of the motorcycle tour operators are open for business as best as can be expected during the Covid-19 pandemic. If you’ve been thinking about booking a tour, get in touch with your chosen operator and
discuss a tour for later this year or 2021 and beyond. The world is not going to blow up, so start planning that motorcycle tour you’ve always dreamed of.
KEEP ‘EM BUSY!
Kawasaki has come up with a great idea to keep kids at home entertained. Simply download their Kawasaki Colouring Book and get the kids drawing. If you or your family would like to colour in some of your/ their favourite models, email them to marketing@kawasaki.com.au as they will be posting submissions to the Kawasaki Australia Facebook page and Kawasaki Instagram page. Download is available at https://drive.google. com/file/d/1qdo9gFDI2B88ENpddtHRclPjeegfTkk/view D
THIS AWESOMELY COOL motorcycle is inspired by legendary Royal Enfield Trials rider, John Victor Brittain (known as Johnny Brittain) and Royal Enfield’s success at the International Six Days’ Trials; the Bullet
homage to these great days and is available in limited quantities in either a Red frame or Green frame version.
If you don’t know who Johnny Brittain was, he achieved major successes in trials competitions between 1948 (hence the ‘48’ decal on the accessory side cover) and 1965, winning more than 50 trade sponsored championship events. These wins included the formidable Scottish Six Days Trial twice and the very tough Scott and British Experts trials twice.
In 1956 he won the highly prestigious ACU star and achieved runner up or third place on several other occasions.
Johnny’s performance
in International Six Days Trials, known as The Olympics of Motorcycling, is legendary. He competed for 15 consecutive years, winning an astonishing 13 gold medals. He was a member of the last British team to win the event, which famously took place in Czechoslovakia in 1953. His longstanding association with Royal Enfield ultimately led him to become an ambassador for the Redditch motorcycle manufacturer. Prior to joining the company, Johnny also rode for DMW and James. He also followed his father, Vic’s success at the British Experts Trial, winning after completing two 30 mile laps of the course in Stroud, Gloucestershire in blizzard conditions. John Brittain died in March 2019, so this replica bike we tested is a great homage to the success he achieved for Royal Enfield. It has been a couple of years since I’d slotted my backside on a Bullet 500 Royal Enfield, I remember it as being quite slow and not overly exciting to ride, but I was blown away with how much fun this Trials replica is – it goes well, stops reasonably well, handles cover)
Think Luggage, Think Motorrad Garage.
Whether you are touring on or off road, Motorrad Garage has the largest range of luggage solutions from SW-Motech and other leading brands like Kriega and Andy Strapz .
URBAN ABS TOP BOX AERO
BAGS
great and attracts masses of attention, I really did find it to be a surprise packet.
The engine is the world-renowned single cylinder, 4 stroke, air cooled, 500cc fitted with electronic fuel injection. The Royal Enfield single is an engine you might have seen in documentaries of the Himalayas and people rebuilding them on the side of the road with sticks and hammers. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch, but it’s not far off the truth.
Power is not overly high at 20.3kW, but torque is healthy for this platform at 41.3Nm and this is where you’ll ride this bike to get it moving along swiftly. If you try and rev it out, you’re wasting your time but I found if you move through the gears shifting in the midrange you get a surprise smile on your face from the fun it brings –it will sit at (an indicated) 100km/h all day long.
Stopping power comes via a 280mm disc (front) and a 240mm disc (rear) with a two-piston ABS caliper at each end. It could do with a little more initial bite but the power to stop you adequately is there and if you get it all wrong the ABS can help.
A 19-inch wheel up front and 18inch rear add great stability. This is a meant to be a ‘Trials replica’, so having great balance and stability while jumping large boulders and tree stumps is a must have! Whether you
decide to do this on the Royal Enfield is up to you, I’d hate to scratch that lovely red frame.
Combine those wheels with a raised handlebar reinforced with a steel crossbar it gives you the feel and leverage needed for classic, vintage style Trials riding, but as this bike will probably only be used for riding on the bitumen and maybe some maintained dirt it does make for excellent handling. I could throw this bike around pretty much without a care, making it a lot of fun, and it is reasonably comfortable with a big plush single saddle.
riding
Specs
ROYAL ENFIELD
A bunch of genuine accessories had been fitted to our test bike, these included a headlight grille, left hand #48 number board, aluminium sump guard, handlebar brace pad, machined oil filler cap and a machined front reservoir cap – all very tasty and great looking accessories on a bike like this. The rear luggage rack is standard and will fit just about any kind of bag you want to strap on.
It’s pretty rare that a bike of this capacity would get me excited but this Trials Works Replica had me thinking of those brave riders back in the ‘50s/’60s ploughing through muddy trials courses and jumping logs and rocks – it must have taken some great skills and you too can feel this emotion when you get your backside on this great little Royal Enfield. D
BULLET TRIALS WORKS REPLICA 500
PRICE: $9190 (ride away)
WARRANTY: Two years, unlimited distance
SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 8000km or 12 months
ENGINE: 499cc air-cooled single cylinder, 4-stroke, OHV, 2 valves
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 4.19 litres per 100km, premium unleaded
THEORETICAL RANGE: 322km
COLOURS: Red or Green
Frame with Silver
VERDICT: SURPRISE PACKET
tHirD tiMeLucky
For a given meaning of ‘lucky’ WORDS/ph O t OS tHe Bear
Third time lucky, they say, right? Especially in God’s Own Country, otherwise known as Unzud. But I’m here to tell you that ‘they’ have got it wrong. The bastards.
This was my third attempt to ride the Molesworth Track from Hanmer
Springs north to Seddon and on to Blenheim. Failing the Molesworth, Option B was going to involve tackling the Rainbow Road to St Arnaud instead. Yes, I had a backup, so I suppose I should not have been entirely surprised that the former was closed. It was, it seemed, too dry
to trust motorcyclists in its waving grass. What I didn’t expect was that due to extensive overnight rainfall, the latter would also be closed –because it was too wet.
Now I am not a man given to profanity, as anyone who knows me will tell you. But I must admit that
when I saw the fateful signs, I muttered to myself, “Oh dear, oh dear. What bad luck.” Or something similar.
I had borrowed a Suzuki V Strom 650 from my friends at Te Waipounamu Motorcycle Tours in Christchurch and had ridden up to
Hanmer Springs the previous day, spending the afternoon in the wet, warm and welcome embrace of the thermal pools. New Zealand had shown its best side when I discovered that every hostel and motel I could afford was fully booked – but, when I asked at the Alpine Lodge Motel
anyway, the bloke in the office found me a cottage out the back that was cosy and affordable.
1. Queen Charlotte Drive. Oh, yeah. 2. Where you get your Warrant of Fitness. 3. Ain’t that mable-lous.
And then this. I checked with the tourist office, just in case, and there was shaking of heads and suckling of teeth before it was decided that no, there would not likely soon be a change in the status of either road.
Fortunately, Option C was a quick and seriously satisfying blast over Lewis Pass. After all, I had another three days and there were many other roads on the South Island that were just begging for my tyre tracks. For anyone who doesn’t know this road, it is even more scenic than the other major passes, Haast and Arthur’s. Well, when the weather is clear and you can see the snow-clad mountains, anyway. It was not clear, so I just concentrated on the road instead. No great loss, really. I have seen snowcapped mountains before.
At Springs Junction I took the left turn to Reefton and then headed north to Inangahua Junction. This is another highly enjoyable road, made even more so by the dearth of traffic.
Seemingly the occasional showers were keeping the other tourists off the road. Another left turn and I was on the way through Buller Gorge. I broke the ride along this excellent road (tell me if you’re getting bored with my praise of all these roads,
“For anyone who doesn’t know this road, it is even more scenic than the
other major passes, h aast and a rthur’s.”
okay?) with a lunch stop at Berlin’s, a roadside café that I’ve seen grow from a bit of a shack to the presentday highly sophisticated venue. They have a cat, something that always endears roadside stops to me, and this one acted entirely in character by ignoring me and then submitting only reluctantly to being stroked.
Westport has long been a favourite stop as well, with a good choice of cafés. But I was intent on tackling a road that I’d never ridden, up to Karamea, so I topped up the Suzuki’s tank and headed north. You will have read my opinion of this route if you bought last month’s magazine, and if not why not? It is an enjoyable and fairly typical New Zealand country back road all the way to Summerlea, where it takes off over Karamea Bluff. The run over the bluff is magic, even though a local at the pub in Karamea that evening warned me that in winter there was frost on the road, and in summer the tar melts! Oh, yes, it’s not all home brew and paua in God’s Own!
On sober recollection I suspect that this bloke was pulling my leg, but the pub welcomes motorcyclists, anyway, so – eh. I stayed at The Last Resort in Karamea, a pleasant mix of a hostel, a pub, a restaurant and probably something else I don’t recall.
A bit of soft rain never hurt anyone.
The run back the next day was even more fun because I knew the road a little, and I didn’t really look up from the ribbon of tar until I rolled into Murchison. After coffee and a quick snack at the big roadhouse on the right as you come into town, I headed over to St Arnaud. At least I was going to get a look at the
1. Myrtle forests and motorcycle.
2. Say it isn’t so, sign!
3. They are not kidding.
4. The ordinary way to Hanmer Springs.
other end of the Rainbow Road. Predictably enough there was a ‘closed’ sign at that end, too. The road skirting the Richmond Range in the direction of Nelson is kind of ordinary by Unzud standards, but that still leaves it pretty good. Not so much its continuation up to Motueka, where I found a welcoming hostel right next to a craft brewery with its own restaurant. This looked like me, but it turned out that I had arrived just in time for it to close for the day. The kind barkeep not only poured me a beer but even opened the liquor shop so I could equip myself with a bottle of the local rosé to accompany dinner bought elsewhere.
That rosé must have been pretty good, because I don’t remember what I had for dinner in the way of solid food.
I had intended to continue to Collingwood and possibly even further north the next day, but I had also picked the road through Portage up to the gravel loop through Manaroa for a ride, and some simple arithmetic convinced me that I couldn’t do both – at least not in daylight. So that my ride up here wouldn’t be a total loss, I flung the Suzuki up Takaka Hill – well, as much as you can fling a bike through constant roadworks to repair horrendous landslips – then turned around and did it again before returning to Nelson. Here I got lost. Having found my way out I continued on the thoroughly pleasant road – or rather a road that would be thoroughly pleasant if it weren’t for the traffic – to Havelock where the wonderful Queen Charlotte Drive awaited me. After lunch at Linkwater I turned left onto the road to Portage. I’m not quite sure how to describe this road. Its surface
1. Lots of other bikes on the road. 2. All right, I’ll just ride tar then.
Just in case you wondered…
New Panigale V4:
The Science of Speed
The Panigale V4 is reinvented, becoming faster and easier to ride and putting both professional and less expert riders at ease as they chase just one goal – to beat the clock. Every element of the new Panigale V4 serves to heighten its performance and aerodynamics, allowing for full exploitation of the engine, brakes and chassis, as well as guaranteeing the rider optimum protection. With the S version, the Panigale V4 adopts electronically controlled Öhlins suspension and steering damper based on the second-generation Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 system, Marchesini aluminium forged wheels, a lithium ion battery, sports-style hand grips and a black mudguard.
The new Panigale V4: the king of Ducati Superbikes.
is as variable as Clint Eastwood’s facial features, but there are enough smooth bits so you can let the horses run every now and then. Whoopee, you might say and I would agree with you.
At Waitaria Bay the tar stops and the gravel loop begins. Unfortunately – and I wonder of you might just be ahead of me here – it was closed. This time there was no reason given. I considered for a while simply ignoring the large and brightly coloured sign, but then remembered the familiarity of some of the South Island’s denizens with Cousin Twelve Gauge and reconsidered. The road back was just as much fun.
Picton, that evening, was doing an imitation of Hanmer Springs with ‘No Vacancy’ signs sprouting like possum roadkill wherever I looked. Fortunately the tourist office found me a $365 suite in a local hotel or alternatively a room in a truck stop fifty kilometres away. My Kiwi luck held, though, and one motel, the Admiral’s Lodge, turned out to have – believe it or not – a cottage out the back that was cosy and affordable. Just in case you’re wondering I did check the northern end of the Molesworth Track near Seddon the next day, and sure enough the closed sign was up. Before that I had a wander through the new ‘Dangerous Skies’ display at the Blenheim airfield, but I’ll write about that another day. On the way south back to Christchurch, as a consolation prize, I did finally get to ride some gravel even if it was only the interminable roadworks.
New Zealand. Drizzly one day, drizzly the next but never short of things to do, eat, drink... Gotta love the place. D
1. Another sign of the times.
2. On the gravel north of Karamea.
3.Told you they weren’t kidding.
SO ANYWAY, I HEAD west from Bigga down to Reid Flat on a beautiful gravel road, north to Wyangala Dam and then across to Cowra where the Lachlan River Hotel stands mute, shuttered and endangered. Half an hour later I pull over and adjust the music in my headphones to a song I need to hear. Then, with the Lachlan to my right beginning its afternoon nurturing
of mists that soon shroud the hills and chill the air, and with Skyhooks at full volume pumping out ‘ Women in Uniform’ , I pull up opposite the Gooloogong Hotel.
“Women in Uniform, sometimes they look so cold.”
(For those who don’t know the song, now’s a good time to check it out on Youtube, just search the band and the song and turn up the volume!)
When the Commercial Hotel here was apparently re-opened (I’ll get back to this in a bit) two years before the outbreak of WW2, “about 70 ladies … the guests of Mrs Morrow, wife of the publican … were served afternoon tea in the dining room and later adjourned to the upstairs lounge. … Later the ladies were shown over the premises by the hostess, and each guest was presented with a photograph of the Hotel as a souvenir.”
The local rag enthused that the pub’s “spacious hotel balcony overlooking the Lachlan River flats, and providing a fine view … lends itself ideally for parties and similar gatherings … the balcony is brilliantly lit by night and has a distinctive color scheme.”
In 1941 when Japan joined the first Axis of Evil and more rural men were lost to the armed forces, the Australian Women’s Land Army was formed to fill the country workforce void.
The government must’ve been reading the quality reviews of the pub at Gooloogong and recognized the town’s central location because they very quickly requisitioned the hotel as a base for its female recruits, turning the esteemed balcony into an overflow dormitory. The pub remained fully booked until the armistice in 1945.
I get out an old image of the pub and try to replicate a new photo from the same angle – even the obstructing power pole seems to be in the same place - and then head across the road.
I know it’s a while ago, but when I rock up I’m wondering if the place is still going to be overflowing with women and when I push through the door to the front bar on a mid-week mid-afternoon, well it ain’t exactly past the plimsoll line, but the only table showing life is populated by a flurry of women who, it’s soon obvious, aren’t on their first jar for the day.
The room’s a welcoming open space beneath (probably original) pressed-tin ceilings and one of those faux skillion roofs supported by two rough trunks projects out over the bar’s serving area to give it a shanty
feel. On the walls there’re axes, and mattocks and traps and scythes and old photos including three blokes using a dunny with no cubicle doors. There’re no stools along the front under the shanty roof – not usually a good omen, but there’s a few around the bend.
By now I’ve sorted my room and scored a drink from Sarah who runs the place and joined the ladieswho-lunch-long and the gossip’s started flowing.
I comment on the décor and soon find out it used to be grander: One of the walls used to have a stunning mural featuring birds and native animals but one night a few years back, it got shot.
The local cop, who was present, didn’t arrest the shooter. Because the local cop WAS the shooter.
“There was a very drunken night here, I can’t remember if it was a celebration of something like football or anything but it all went wild and the local cop had
had some sort of bad experience with a kookaburra. Anyway in the middle of it all he pulled out his service pistol and shot the kookaburra in the mural. Destroyed the wall.”
And sure added to the festivities. Back to Skyhooks: “Put on a uniform and show … who’s the boss.”
The entire mural went the way of the kookaburra but the ladies, led by Barb, who came here almost 30 years ago from Sydney ‘to escape debtors and lovers’, aren’t done with the cop tales.
The kookaburra shooter left town with an empty chamber which must’ve taken some explaining not long after destroying the art work and was followed by a quick rotation of officers of varying professionalism and popularity.
One of cops “was bitten by the pooftas’ dog when he went there to sort out a domestic one time. It was a Maremma and they don’t like being patted from above and the cop tried it and it latched onto him. He was really on this young fella’s case and
one time he took the kid to court and the magistrate really rapped the copper over the knuckles and he told the police force to go fuck themselves and went to the coast where he took over a pub and accidently killed a patron.”
They have more stories of interactions with the constabulary - including a certain woman in uniform known for lack of social skills and a ‘difficulty wearing authority’ and a far more recent visit at 9.30pm on a Saturday night
- during a morale raiser concert for drought affected families – in response to a noise complaint from newly moved-in neighbours whom one of the just arrived blokes describes as ‘ A-holes on steroids.’
“I just stood at the door and said to them, “You have to be effing kidding me!” calls Sarah from behind the bar. They left and the band played on.
Eighty freaking years ago, when it was opened, this pub with its balcony was lauded as, “lend(ing) itself ideally
Sing out loud
The accommodation totals ten upstairs rooms in a mix of twins, doubles, and singles. Half of them open onto the balcony and it’ll set you back a measly 40 bucks for a single and 60 for two in a twin.
The common room’s on the same level as the accommodation and has usual suspects to make a brew and what’s called a continental breakfast. (One day I’ll find just which continent bestowed cereal and toast on the world.)
It’s all comfortable and homely. Each room has an electric heater and either a ceiling or pedestal fan. The showers in the gendered bathrooms are wellcleaned and on town water so you won’t feel guilty about being clean. You can park your bike in the backyard or under cover on the verandah if you feel the need. I didn’t.
The restaurant works from a full menu Thursday through Saturday – lunch and dinner and there’s more basic meals the rest of the times. But being NSW, there’ll be food whenever the place is open.
There’re six beers on tap – all mainstream and no cider. A schooner’ll set you back in the mid five buck range which is 35% cheaper than my local in Sydney.
Twice a month, on the second and the last Sundays there’s an open mike session in the bar. Poets, singers, story-tellers, probably even jugglers, mimes and men with guns are welcome to strut their stuff. And if you’re thinking of letting rip with your version of “Women in Uniform” please let me know and I’ll be the one dancing on the bar (at least until the neighbours call the cops!)
Four helmets for this one. 4/5 for character and 160 for value.
for parties and similar gatherings”. And the neighbours and locals back then were overjoyed!
If that doesn’t constitute ‘existing use’ in the town’s local zoning categories, and doesn’t trump the wishes of blow-ins who’ve rocked up three quarters of a century later, bought a place slap-bang near it and now want to strangle the rural community’s social hub – just like their yuppie nimby urban mates who’ve closed down so many music venues in our major cities, Hanrahan was spot-bloody-on: We’ll all be rooned!
I steer the conversation to other uniforms and turns out the Women’s Land Army wasn’t all that popular in the place.
The pub continued to trade during the years the women were billeted upstairs, but the connecting stairs to the bars were barred and locked to prevent temptation and straying from the job at hand.
“But the boys who were left in the town soon worked out how to shimmy up the outside of the pub and climb onto the balcony and pretty soon they’d snaffled all our blokes. All the young women married our young men.”
Skyhooks: “Women in uniform … ooh they feel so warm.”
The origins of this pub seem mistier than the street outside and as the herd at the table grows, Louise and her husband Stuart join the fun.
A qualified private pilot he owns a couple of ultra-lites and she’s the acknowledged expert on the history of the town.
She reckons the pub existed in 1903 when it changed hands but has no info prior to that and so it seems that the original structure was replaced by the single-storey section plus half of the double storey in 1911. This was then extended to include the main doublestorey bit at the western end in 1937.
This extension created a classic two-storey pub of the mid-war period when it was common to incorporate shops - often milliners, barbers and even blacksmiths on the ground floor. There’s still three shops at the corner end of the pub building
– two are vacant and the other is the office for the local historical society. Later, when things quieten down and Stuart is showing extraordinary patience with a ‘Chem-Trail’ nutter who’s hit him with stuff like “Chem trails are spread by planes on behalf of governments to control us”, “We are all clones”, “Everything you think is the truth is a lie” and “language was invented by the patriarchy to stop us listening to our emotions” , Louise facilitates an escape out to the Hist Soc offices. The place is packed with interesting stuff and is a must-see part of your visit if you’re interested in the story of the town and the pub.
Sarah and Peter, her partner (who’s off tonight and who she’s hoping will actually get around to asking her to marry him some time this year), took over the lease of pub in 2016 with an option to buy after three years. It’s gone well enough for them to now be in the process of buying the freehold.
They got the place for a decent price as the three poker machines weren’t included in the sale. “Which we were very happy with. The few people who were using them were the ones who really couldn’t afford to lose the money and that’s not what we want. We want a family atmosphere where people catch up, relax and unwind.”
They’re working on upping the restaurant from what’s now wholesome but basic and expanding the café and coffee side of things. Like at a lot of pubs, it’s taking a bit to educate travellers to come to a pub for coffee and perhaps a pastry or toastie in the morning but it’s a survival tactic that’s proven successful throughout the bush and they’re sticking with it.
“The challenge is to run a welcoming country pub but to do it better. We want to do all the standard stuff but also stand out from the others. We don’t want to be..”
And Sarah nods when I butt in and finish her sentence: “uniform.”
To which I can only quote Skyhooks one last time:
“aaah ahah aah ahah aah ahah ah ah!” D
www.ausmotorcyclist.com.au
WE’RE KICKING OFF
with a slightly different JOURNEYS tour this month. It’s the story of Ezio Favretti, Bear Army Trooper #28, and his European trip. With the virus it’s a trip that’s the stuff of dreams for the rest of us, for now. Don’t you wish you’d taken the opportunity to do this as well? You will by the time you finish… and I do already.
“G'day Bear, attached is the itinerary for my trip, it just outlines the trip I did. I can infactly state that Adriatic Tours are the best tour company to go with.
“As a first-time adventurer of this type of tour I was a bit nervous as to what to expect. I was treated like royalty, no question too difficult. The accommodation was 5 star all the way. Airport pick and drop off was a time saver. The tour guide was fantastic. He took us off the beaten track on many occasions, we even got to meet his father on a stop in Croatia, the group loved it.
“I even asked to do a detour to see my cousins, my GPS was set up and away we went to San Daniele. (Prosciutto capital of the world) I took half the group with me. So in effect I was tour guide for a day, woohoo. Went to Lago di Barcis, Longarone, Cortina, met the rest of the group in Arabba our stop for the nite.
“As you can imagine made some good friends on the tour and we had a blast. I was Tail End Charlie for most of the tour due to my riding gear (Bright orange) where everybody had Fluro yellow, made it easier for the tour guide to see the last rider!
“After I finished with
Adriatic tours we finished up in Austria. From there I did Stelvio Pass, St Moritz back to Landeck. Chose Landeck because of the motorcycles we could use directly from the hotel, just had to book the day prior. The hotel also had their own tour guide which I took advantage of and enjoyed. “I have quoted the tour information below. It hardly does justice to the tour.”
THURSDAY 5 SEPT 2019: DAY 2 OF TRIP. Flight arrives in Ljubljana 09:00am
Allow 1hr to disembark and get through customs. Out at 09:45 approx. Make our way to the front door to be picked up by Adriatic Tours. Book into Austria Trend Hotel in Ljubljana. Phew! Time to relax, let’s look around get our bearings and find a place for an evening meal.
FRIDAY 6 SEPT 2019: DAY 3 OF TRIP
After breakfast we can explore Ljubljana, or do other stuff see how we go.
SATURDAY 7 SEPT 2019: DAY 1 OF TOUR
Sightseeing day in Ljubljana up to Lunchtime.
After lunch we meet the tour leader at 2.00pm, and the rest of the tour description is as per their notes. Ezio thought they were too good to ignore. Arrival to Ljubljana: Welcome to Slovenia!
Your tour guide will pick you up from the airport and bring you to your hotel in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. After we get you settled in the hotel and you become acquainted with your bike, just take it easy - rest in the hotel, see the town or take a short introductory ride with the guide to get accustomed to the bike (starts at 2 PM, takes about 2 hrs). In the evening we meet for a special welcome dinner and have an informal chat to discuss the format of the tour.
Hotel: Austria Trend Hotel in Ljubljana
SUNDAY 8 SEPT 2019: DAY 2 OF TOUR
Ljubljana – Deutschlandsberg
Today we leave Ljubljana to travel the scenic route north, covering some beautiful Alpine country.
We ride up the valley of the river Kokra to arrive at Jezersko from where we cross to Austria for a couple of kilometres. After crossing back to Slovenia we descend to the Logarska valley, one of the most beautiful glacially formed Alpine valleys in Europe, surrounded by peaks over 2.200m high. We'll cross into Styria, the mountainous part of eastern Austria, and tour the meandering roads through an area famous for its vineyards and castles.
MONDAY 9 SEPT 2019: DAY 3 OF TOUR
Deutschlandsberg – Jeruzalem
Leaving Deutchlandsberg, we still ride the Styrian countryside.
today, and we'll pass picturesque fruit orchards and vineyards dotted with scenic small lakes and quaint medieval towns. We head north passing Graz, returning south toward Slovenia into the northernmost corner, the Prekmurje region, slowly descending into Jeruzalem, surrounded by scenic vineyards. Jeruzalem was named by the Crusades when the beauty of the hilly landscape and its wines enthralled them on their way to the Holy Land.
TUESDAY 10 SEPT 2019: DAY 4 OF TOUR
Jeruzalem - Novo Mesto
From Jeruzalem, we head south through the wine growing region of Haloze and into Kozjansko, one of the remotest areas in Slovenia. It is a region of forests, vineyards, rolling hills, scattered farms and a large number of castles. Riding over these hills is an absolute delight and a real feast for your eyes. We stop at the Podsreda Castle and have a picnic
lunch with a view of this remarkable fortification. In the afternoon we do some more riding before arriving at Otocec castle, which is one of Slovenia's loveliest and most complete fortresses. Today the castle, which dates from the 16th century, houses a five-star hotel.
WEDNESDAY 11 SEPT 2019: DAY 5 OF TOUR
Novo MestoLosinj Island
Continuing south, we spend the morning on the twisty roads of the unpopulated, hilly region of Dolenjska, where riding is really nice and the traffic is almost non-existent. We then cross the border into Croatia and
something you shouldn't miss. A great
exciting ride, finish the day with a dip
JOURNEYS
Ilovik. Tiny Susak is unique for the thick layer of fine sand that blankets underlying limestone and creates delightful beaches.
FRIDAY 13 SEPT 2019: DAY 7 OF TOUR
Losinj Island - Istrian Peninsula
After enjoying riding the whole length of the island, we take a short ferry ride and continue to Istria, the Adriatic's largest peninsula.
Some great riding on open roads with several curves and breath-taking scenery will upgrade the experience by introducing the cultural and historical highlights. The Roman ruins lovers will be pleased to stop in Pula and visit the impressive Roman Amphitheatre, overlooking the harbour northeast of the old town. Designed to host gladiatorial contests and seating up to 20,000 spectators, it still serves the mass-entertainment needs of the local populace in the shape of concerts and film-festival screenings.
SATURDAY 14 SEPT 2019: DAY 8 OF TOUR
Istrian Peninsula – Brda
Saying farewell to the beautiful Istrian Peninsula, we ride curvy roads through green rolling hills, lush valleys and fertile plains past Motovun, a captivating Tuscan-like little town perched on a hill.
After crossing back into Slovenia, we explore the Skocjan caves which, with their 100 meter deep underground canyon and many vast chambers, have no comparison in the world and are included in UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list. We finish the day in the Brda region and spend the night in a pleasant B&B, which is set in the middle of vineyards and offers superb local food and wine.
SUNDAY 15 SEPT 2019: DAY 9 OF TOUR
Brda – Corvara
After crossing the border into Italy early in the morning, we start curving towards our next
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 NZ $7,500
MotoGP Mugello, Italy on 29-31 May
destination – the Dolomites.
As we ride through the wide valleys of Friuli, Italy's north-eastern region, we start seeing high mountains in the distance towards the west. We enter the region of the Carniche Alps and soon find ourselves on the first serious mountain passes. We ride past Cortina d'Ampezzo and soon reach the Falzarego and Valparola passes. Today we won't go any higher as we are already at the elevation of 2.200 m (7.200 ft). In the afternoon, we get to Corvara, a nice little town set amidst the high mountains.
MONDAY 16 SEPT 2019: DAY 10 OF TOUR
Rest day in Corvara. Corvara, with the rest of the Dolomites is a part of the Alto Adige or South Tyrol, a region where two-thirds of the population still speaks German rather than Italian.
Until 1919 this area was a part of the Austrian Empire.
If resting is not your idea of spending a holiday in the Alps, then numerous rides around the Dolomites motorcycle playground await. Exhilarating mountain roads lead in all directions. You can ride all the way to Lago di Garda or even conquer Passo Stelvio, the highest pass in Italy. Your guide will help you set the route that is best for you and probably come with you as well. It's really all about riding as you will have a hard time finding better motorcycle roads anywhere in Europe.
TUESDAY 17 SEPT 2019: DAY 11 OF TOUR
Corvara - Kals am Grossglockner
From Corvara we’ll first ride several fantastic passes one after another: Falzarego, Giau, Pordoi, etc.
This high-altitude playground for motorcyclists and bicyclists exists today because of the road building efforts of Italian and AustroHungarian forces along what was a bitterly contested front through here in WWI. We’ll end our day across the border in Austria, spending the night under the intriguing Grossglockner, saying goodbye to the Dolomites, the ultimate riding destination.
WEDNESDAY 18 SEPT 2019: DAY 12 OF TOUR
Kals am Grossglockner – Bovec
Today we will ride the best, most exhilarating roads in the Austrian Alps, including the famous Grossglockner High Alpine Road. Running through the heart of the Hohe Tauern National Park to Austria’s highest peak, the Grossglockner (3798m), this classic
twisty road throws 36 curves into your path with over 48 km up to an altitude of 2504m! Once off the mountain, we cross to Italy heading toward Slovenia, to end the day in beautiful Alpine resort of Bovec, where we stay for the next two nights.
THURSDAY 19 SEPT 2019: DAY 13 OF TOUR Rest day in Bovec.
Bovec is an exhilarating alpine resort, perfect for both adventurers and leisure seekers. Have a free day to discover the town and surrounding areas, walk
JOURNEYS
one of many trails around Bovec, take a cable car to the Kanin ski station, play golf, go fishing, horseback riding, mountain biking, swimming or visit the WWI Kobarid museum, the best European museum in 1993. Go white water rafting or kayaking with experienced guides on the untamed Soca River, or if you feel really adventurous, go for a tandem parachute jump. You can also ride the highest mountain road in Slovenia to Mangrt Mountain and visit the Kluže fortress on the way. Stay overnight in Bovec.
FRIDAY 20 SEPT 2019: DAY 14 OF TOUR
Bovec – Ljubljana
In the morning, we navigate one of the nicest roads in Slovenia through the Trenta valley, climb Vrsic Pass with its spectacular views of the surrounding mountains, and then descend towards Bled Lake, indisputably one of Europe's most beautiful lake and mountain resorts.
With its emerald-green water, picture postcard church on an islet, medieval castle clinging to a rocky cliff, and some of the highest peaks of the Julian Alps as a backdrop, Bled is Slovenia's most popular resort. We continue the ride on twisty roads, passing the attractive historic towns of Kropa and Skofja Loka to arrive in Ljubljana late in the afternoon.
SATURDAY 21 SEPT 2019: DAY 15 OF TOUR
In the morning you can stroll the old part of the city, including the colourful antique market. The quaint, narrow streets along the right bank of the Ljubljanica River, with its medieval bridges, are reminiscent of Praguewithout the crowds.
Depending on the time of your fl ight back home, you may have time to climb the staircase to the 16th century fortifi cation of Ljubljana Castle that dominates the town before heading out to the airport. And that’s the end of the tour.
“But I left early to catch a train to Landeck, Austria, ready to do a bit of solo exploring. What a trip!” 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:
Europe and Thailand www.imtbike.com tours@imtbike.com
TOURS – New Zealand & European Alps www.paradisemotorcycletours.co.nz
RIDE THE WORLD MOTORCYCLE TOURS www.ridetheworldmotorcycletours.com david@rtwmotorcycletours.com
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
ROMANIA MOTORCYCLE
TOURS – Europe www.romaniamotorcycletours.com office@romaniamotorcycletours.com
SOUTH PACIFIC MOTORCYCLE
TOURS – New Zealand www.motorbiketours.co.nz office@motorbiketours.co.nz
TE WAIPOUNAMU MOTORCYCLE
TOURS - New Zealand www.motorcycle-hire.co.nz nzbike@motorcycle-hire.co.nz
WORLD ON WHEELS - Europe, Iceland, South America, India, Asia, Mexico, Africa & Himalaya www.worldonwheels.tours Adventure@WorldOnWheels.Tours
ThE ShAggY CoW
Expectational coffee and food stop in the Southern Highlands 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
A LITTLE LOOP
A
convict history lesson WORDS/PHOTOS STUART
DUE TO THE VARIOUS restrictions around the country at the moment, this month’s map is one that comes from AMM home state of New South Wales. It is a little but very enjoyable loop to help you not go loopy being locked up inside the house. If you get pulled over by the cops, tell them you’re out and about for a specific purpose – not to go mad! Or you could just say you’re on the way to get some milk and bread – the long way.
WINDSOR
Historic Windsor was the thirdoldest colonial settlement in the Australia and it still retains that old school charm. With beautifully preserved architecture of the era, it abounds with heritage walks, river
cruises and other glimpses into the past, making for a picturesque escape in the beautiful Hawkesbury. Set on the banks of the Hawkesbury River, Windsor is home to 21 colonial buildings and offers a unique insight into Australia’s past. To discover its history and gain an understanding of its important role in the fledgling colony, begin with the self-guided Windsor Heritage Walk, see - www.sydney.com/ destinations/sydney/sydney-north/ windsor/attractions/windsorheritage-highlights-self-guided-walk It takes in Thompson Square, one of Australia’s finest examples of a Georgian town square. You also have St Matthew’s Anglican Church and the Windsor Court House, both designed by the famous
colonial architect Francis Greenway, who arrived in the colony in 1814 as a convict.
MCGRATHS HILL
McGraths Hill is bounded by South Creek, shortly before it enters the Hawkesbury River. It is named after James McGrath, an Irish convict transported to Australia aboard the Hercules in 1802, who purchased property in the area around 1813.
GLENORIE
Located on Old Northern Road, a historic road built by convicts between 1825 and 1836 to link early Sydney, in the Colony of New South Wales, with the fertile Hunter Valley to the north. Glenorie was originally part of Dural and later known as North Dural. The name caused
www.hemamaps.com.au
Start out of Windsor and head the few hundred metres to Pitt Town Road and follow out to Pitt Town where you need to follow the signs to “Wisemans Ferry”. This is a bit of a loop back on itself and puts you on Cattai Road, turning into Wisemans Ferry Road after a few kilometres. Follow to the end and turn right onto Old Northern Road. Follow south around 25km for the right turn onto Cattai Ridge Road. Around the 13km mark you need to turn left onto Scheyville Road and follow about 3.5km and turn left onto Old Pitt Town Road and ride to the end, turning right onto Boundary Road. Follow this to the traffic lights at Windsor Road, turn right and head back to Windsor. Or, alternatively you could turn around and follow this route in reverse for some added fun!
Distance – 86km
Fuel – Windsor, McGraths Hill
confusion for the post offi ce and in April 1894, local resident William Black offered the Colony’s Postmaster General two names: Hazeldene and Glenorie. The name Glenorie was accepted because it had the support of the local progress association. Glenorie was named after a known and popular town in Scotland.
Depending on the time of day stop for a feed at Glenorie Bakery, Chicken Fish Take Away, or Glenorie Pizzeria next door.
MAROOTA
Maroota is located at a high point, about 200 m above sea-level, on the ridge-following Great Northern Road (now renamed Old Northern Road). Maroota is situated on, and owes its nature to, a residual mass of Tertiary river sand deposit (the Maroota Sand) which geologists think may be the oldest known remnant of the largest waterway in the Sydney region, the Nepean-Hawkesbury system.
CATTAI
Cattai is bounded in the north-west by the Hawkesbury River and is traversed by Cattai Creek. It encompasses the heritage-listed Cattai Estate, located within Cattai National Park at the junction of the Creek and the River. The Georgian house was built between 1804 and 1821 by former Magistrate Thomas Arndell, with further additions being made in the 1860s. Cattai is also home to a historic rural public primary school that was founded in 1886. The suburb was originally home to the Dharug Indigenous Australians before being settled by colonists in the early nineteenth century.
WISEMANS FERRY
Nearby to the northern part of this route, Wisemans Ferry is renowned with motorcyclists for the many great twisty roads that can be enjoyed. If you wanted a bit more distance in this ride head north when you get to Old Northern Road and branch out from there. D
COLD? Never!
Not when you wear this tasty gear
AS IT STARTS TO COOL down, it’s usually time to add layers. Motorcycle apparel manufacturers have introduced some great technology of late so looking like the Michelin Man is no longer necessary – you can be warm and comfortable no matter the temperature. The following is what the distributors (those who sent in their information) want you to know about.
HELD BIKER FASHION
heldaustralia.com.au
Imola Flash Jacket - $900, but mention this and get it for $600!
Outer shell made from DuPont Cordura 500D with reflective coating, featuring 3D air mesh panels in back to promote air circulation, Coolmax breathable mesh inner lining, detachable thermal liner, Goretex membrane, 4 external pockets, 7 inner pockets, internal cellphone pocket, airvent zippers in front, back and arms, front air-vent zipper, stretch panels on inner arms, dual arm adjustment, hip adjustment, soft collar, exclusive CE-approved Held cloverleaf SASTEC shoulder and elbow protectors and an optional back protector, 3M Scotchlite reflectors and a connecting zip. Available in Black Reflective and sizes XS – 3XL.
Solid
Dry Gloves - $280
Held Goretex gloves with + Gore 2in1 technology (1 side waterproof, 1 side unlined). Outer shell is made from Taslan (100% polyester), leather detailed back, highly abrasion-resistant kangaroo leather palm and features colourfast and sweat-proof lining, unlined compartment, waterproof compartment with Pique-Push-Pull lining, Goretex membrane (100% polyester with 100% polyurethane coating, Velcro adjustment at wrists and cuffs, perforated finger side walls, perforated hand for maximum
ventilation, feel and comfort, stretch fabric panels (100% polyamide) on back,
of thumb reinforced with SuperFabric brand material (32% Polyester, 68% Epoxidharz) and a reinforced edge of hand. Available in Black and sizes 7 – 12.
Clip-in Thermo Top - $130
Outer shell made from water and wind-repellent, breathable, elastic Softshell fabric, featuring a 3M Thinsulate lining, stretch soft shell fabric at side, arms and back, integrated hood - wear it under your helmet, 3 external pockets, 1 inner pocket, soft collar, male and female sizes, Held Clip-in Technology and a connecting zip. Available in Black and sizes S – 5XL.
Prime Vest - $120
Outer shell made from water and wind repellent breathable fabric featuring Primaloft lining,
2 external pockets, 2 inner pockets, cord tie detailing and Held Clip-in Technology. Available in Black and sizes S-3XL.
Molto Touring Jacket - $650
Outer shell made from Heros-Tec 500D fabric, featuring a mesh lining, Polyester, Polyamide, Elastane, Goretex Z-Liner membrane, connecting zip, special Ripstop material reinforcement on crash zones, stretch panels at elbows, soft collar, height adjustable waist adjustment, Held Clip-in Technology, internal cellphone pocket, dual arm adjustment, map/document pocket, air-vent zippers, 2 waterproof external pockets, 1 inner pocket, exclusive Held CEapproved cloverleaf Sas-Tec armour in shoulder and elbow, optional back protector, Velcro for optional chest protector and available in Black/White, Grey/Black or Black/Fluoro Yellow and sizes S – 5XL.
KAWASAKI
kawasaki.com.au or your local dealer
Beanie - $20
Slouch Beanie - Keep yourself warm while showing your colours at those cold race days. One size fits all, incredibly comfortable and seriously warm. Made from 100% cotton.
Hoodie - $69
Show off your true colours with this black Kawasaki Hoodie. Great softness and comfort for everyday wear, utilising 340gsm cotton polyester blend and featuring a Kangaroo pocket, attractive Plastisol print, Kawasaki logo across the back. Great for work or play on or off the track. Sizes from XS – 5XL.
PLEASE NOTE: Kwaka recommends that you select a size 1-2 sizes larger than usual as these hoodies are slightly undersized. DRIRIDER dririder.com.au
Vortex Pro Tour jacket - $499.95
Outer shell made from heavy duty 900D with 1200D on shoulders and elbows, featuring Teflon fabric protective coating, removable wind collar offers improved weather protection, CE armour in shoulders and elbows, Hi-Density foam back pad, removable waterproof and breathable liner, removable 140g DuPont Comfortmax thermal liner offers superior warmth with low weight, ventilation system features large zippered air intakes on chest and arms, with air exhausts on the back, poly mesh comfort liner – soft collar – pre-curved arms, buckle waist and arm adjustment for customised fit, Accordion stretch inserts in elbows and back for flexibility, reflective printing front, back and sleeves, multiple storage pockets + hand warmer pockets, expander zips in waist and a waist connection zip for matching pants ($349.95). Available in men’s sizes S – 8XL and ladies sizes 8 – 22.
TCX – tcxboots.com.au
X-Blend Waterproof boots - $299
TCX’s traditional lace-up café racer style all-leather boot, the X-Blend Waterproof is designed for the modern-day urban and light touring rider who loves that traditional look
and feel of full grain leather. Available in a natural finish brown or a brush finished black, the X-Blend boot is durable, highly protective being fully CE-certified, waterproof and yet has a breathable T-Dry lining for all types of weather. Featuring a high grip, wear-resistant rubber outer sole, this is a rugged and comfortable all-rounder. Available in sizes EU 39-47.
AGV agvhelmets.com.au
K3 SV Rossi Winter Test 2016 helmet - $399
The AGV K3 SV is a flashback to the start of the 2016 Race Season’s Winter Test Replica, previously only seen in the Pista GPR. The K3 SV is an affordable, adaptable helmet with a surprising array of features, including an internal drop-down sun visor, impressive aerodynamic performance, efficient ventilation and an expansive field of vision. The shell is of thermoplastic construction, and the inner liner is of Dry-Comfort.
MERLIN merlinbikegear.com.au
Mason 100% Waterproof
Jeans - $299.95
Ride in comfort, style and safety with Merlin. Kevlar lined with CE knee armour, water repellent Denim and a 100% waterproof and breathable Reissa membrane. Keeps you warm and dry! Produced to meet or exceed the stringent new CE ruling EN17092 for seam strength, burst, tear and abrasion resistance and impact absorption. Available in Blue and sizes 30 - 38.
MACNA
macnaridinggear.com.au
Ion Gloves - $399.95
31 years ago, Dutch company Macna started business producing premium waterproof gloves. For 2020 the new Ion electric heated waterproof gloves bring winter riding to a new level of comfort and safety. Fitted with Lithium Ion batteries in the cuff of
the glove providing up to 6.5 hours of warmth with 4 heat settings. Optional connection cable to power the gloves straight from your motorcycle. Men’s sizes S to 4XL.
Vosges jacket - $469.95
Macna has a whole range of premium riding gear, but at this time of year it is hard to beat the brilliant All Seasons Macna Vosges jacket. Totally waterproof with a removable thermal liner and expansive zip open ventilation makes all temperature riding comfortable, safe and enjoyable. Three colour options in Men’s sizes S to 4XL.
FUSPORT
fusportboots.com
Dirt Pilot boots - $179
The Dirt Pilot is simply put, the best value for money Moto boot on the market. Füsport’s Dirt Pilot has features that are seen on off-road boots at a far higher price point.
Extremely comfortable, with a snug fit, they are durable and waterproof, whilst proving top level protection and an easy to use buckle system. The Dirt Pilot incorporates hard moulded TPU in the areas you need it, a hard-wearing rubber sole to provide grip but also longevity, an air-mesh interior and an inbuilt heat shield on the inside of the calf. You’ll feel confident spending hours in these boots off road including long enduro rides through creeks and rivers. Available in sizes 39 – 48.
Turismo boots - $149
The Turismo touring boot is the latest release from Füsport. The design brief was for the Turismo boot to be sold at a competitive price, to be comfortable and most of all waterproof. The Turismo had to look nice, fit nice and be able to offer the protection of a proper motorcycle boot but still be worn with riding jeans. The Turismo is ergonomically designed to keep you comfortable, dry and riding all day. Featuring an understated style, easy zip up entry, waterproof lining, inbuilt protection and a slim under
SPECIAL FEATURE Winter Gear
pant fitment, they’ll become your go-to boot. The Turismo is a quality touring boot at a great price point. Available in sizes 39 – 48.
Explorer
boots - $229
Dainese demon, but will take you as deep into the winter riding season as you dare to go with features such as the breathable waterproof Goretex membrane, removable thermal collar, removable thermal liner, drawstring adjustable jacket bottom, removable composite protectors, sleeve, waist and wrist adjustments and air vents on the chest, sleeves and back for those mixed weather days. Colours: Black / Grey 48 – 58, Black/Grape Leaf 50 – 60.
The Füsport Explorer touring boot combines comfort, all-weather protection and all-round functionality. Designed to be used year-round, they are waterproof, breathable and protective with inbuilt thermoformed protection, ankle protection and an anti-slip and wear-resistant sole. Featuring class leading protective features including reflective inserts they are comfortable, flexible and easy to put on and off. The Explorer really does tick all the boxes.
Available in sizes 39 – 46.
DAINESE cassons.com.au
Carve Master 2 Goretex jacket - $899.95
The Dainese Carve Master 2 GoreTex Jacket maintains a sporty fit and function worthy of wearing the
Mayfair
D-Dry jacket - $499.95
The Dainese Mayfair D-Dry Jacket takes urban styling and infuses motorcycle specific protection so you can tackle the concrete jungle. A short cut and modern style make the Mayfair ideal for sporty riders who have to ride rain (D-Dry XT waterproof membrane) or shine. Chilly mornings are no match for the removable thermal liner. Stow the liner and removable hood as conditions improve. CE rated Pro-Armor at the elbows and shoulders protect against impacts with the option to add in a back protector (sold separately). There’s also a smartphone pocket, wrist adjustments, 3 pockets on the front and a trusty YKK Vislon zipper. Available: Men’s Ebony/Black 46-58, Fluoro Ylw/Ebony 48-56, Black/Grape Leaf 48-56, Ladies: Black/Glacier Grey 40-48, Grey/Black Iris 40 – 50.
Nembo Goretex gloves - $299.95
The Dainese Nembo Gore-Tex Gloves with Gore Grip Technology are the ideal touring glove for those
looking for comfort, control and protection. Gore Grip Technology keeps the different layers of the glove from moving independently giving you direct control to your grips and levers. Ergo-Techno knuckles cover your knuckles without impeding your range of motion making the gloves comfortable to ride in for hours on end. An adjustable strap with elasticated materials strategically placed throughout the glove make sure you aren’t fighting the glove when you reach for the clutch or brake. Amica suede and polyurethane hard parts on the palm safeguard against abrasion. Available: Black/Black S-3XL, Black/ Fluoro Ylw M-2XL.
York D-WP shoes - $269.95
Your standard set of sneakers won’t do anything to keep your feet dry in the rain or protect you when you’re riding a motorcycle. But the Dainese York D-WP Riding Shoes will do both! The D-WP membrane will keep out water while still allowing your feet to breathe. Rigid inserts along the ankles keep you protected when riding city streets. Shoes certified to CE - Cat. II - EN 13634 Standard. Available: Men’s Black/Anthracite 46-58, Black/Iris 4856, Ladies: Dark Carbon/White 40-48.
X-Tourer
D-Dry jacket - $899.95
The Dainese X-Tourer D-Dry jacket uses mesh chest panels, a removable
D-Dry waterproof liner and removable 130g thermal destination liner to create a versatile jacket that can be configured for use nearly any time of the year.
weekend ride or Touring holiday in any weather thanks to the waterproof and breathable membrane and air vents for multi season use. Enjoy the details like the 100g thermal liner which can be worn as a separate jacket to keep you warm off the bike. There are even small pockets for the connection tabs to be hidden neatly away. Available: Black/Aqua 8 – 16, Black/Pink 6 – 22, Black/ White 8 – 22, Blue/Red 10 – 18, Olive/White 8 – 16.
CE rated elbow and shoulder armour come standard from the factory. Cordura fabric makes up most of the shell with strategically placed D-Stone fabric at the elbows and shoulders to help with regular wear and tear as well as increasing abrasion resistance. Colours: Black/Black/Tour Red 48-58, Ebony/Black/Fluo /Ylw 48–58, Lt Grey/Black/Tour Red 48-58.
RJAYS rjays.com.au
Athena Ladies jacket - $299.95
Vincent jacket - $299.95
The Vincent is an uncomplicated men’s city jacket that you can wear on or off your motorbike or scooter. Combines a casual style with all-weather protection and passive safety thanks to features such as a waterproof and breathable membrane, removable quilted liner, CE armour, YKK zips, 6 outer pockets and 2 inner pockets, detachable jersey hood and much more. Available: Grey XS – 4XL, Olive XS – 4XL.
Voyager V jacket - $249.95
The Athena Jacket has a whole lot to offer, quality materials (600D outer), protection (CE armour), super fit, fashionable design and comfort. Suitable for your daily commute,
The Voyager V is an all-season jacket to suit your needs from commuting to touring. Available in men’s and women’s including Stout and Comfort sizing for every fit. Features include 600D ballistic nylon outer, CE armour, soft touch collar, 100% waterproof and breathable, thermal zip out liner, waterproof zippered air vents, 9 pockets, zip and Velcro cuffs and
the Ladies comfort fit has additional adjustment at the bust and zippered flares at the hip. Available: Men’s: Black/Black XS – 4XL, Stout XL –7XL, Black/Red XS – 3XL, Black/Hi Viz XS – 4XL, Ladies: Black/Black XS – 2XL, Comfort Fit 18 – 28, Black/ Pink XS – 2XL.
Tour jacket - $449.95
The Tour jacket has a host of features to take you anywhere you want to go. A great fit, premium outer shell materials, removable Humax waterproof liner and removable thermal liner to cope with the rain and cold. There are 10 air vent zippers to keep you cool on hot days, 3M Reflection for low light visibility and no issue with storage with plenty of pockets. Wear it with the Tour pants for a complete look. Available: Black/ Black S – 8XL, Black/Grey/Ylw S –6XL, Blue/Black S – 4XL, Black /Olive S – 4XL.
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE
indianmotorcycle.com.au
Plaid shirt - $80
This soft plaid shirt features two front
are applied to the front hem and chest pocket. The buttons at the front, pockets, and cuffs are all branded.
Tonal Hoodie - $90
Rogue collection, Hoodie with graphic print on front and
Rogue collection with Graphic print on front and back.
innotesco.com.au
Armarone - Jacket - $1435, Trousers$1120
The new Rukka suit Armarone is made of 100% permanent wind and waterproof, breathable Gore-Tex PRO 3-layer laminate, as well as abrasion and tear resistant is made of 100% laminate, as well as
polyamide with reinforcements made of Armacor –a combination of the high-tech fi bres Aramid and Cordura – on the elbows and shoulders, as well as the shins and knees.
Comfortable and practical at the same time, jacket and trousers have removable thermal linings to keep the rider warm in low temperatures. Air vents with zippers in the back and the sides of the jacket as well as on the thighs admit a cool breeze into the suit whenever desired.
The Armarone suit benefi ts from the latest Rukka D3O Air XTR Level 2 protectors on the shoulders, elbows, hips, knees and shins. As standard, the jacket is already fi tted with the Rukka D3O Air All Back protector, maximising safety.
Offl ane - Jacket - $1245, Trousers - $960
The Rukka Offl ane Jacket was specially developed for adventure touring. It is made of abrasion and tear resistant Cordura 500D material with stretch inserts on the sides and upper back. The Offl ane jacket has a 100% breathable, windproof and waterproof removable Gore-Tex inner membrane made of temperature regulating Outlast® lining. The inner jacket is ideal in cold and wet conditions and can be easily removed in warmer temperatures. The jacket has several outside pockets and one in the back. It comes with versatile ventilation options on the shoulders, sides, chest, back and under the arms. The Offl ane jacket comes standard with Rukka D3O XTR joint protectors in the shoulder and elbow and Rukka D3O Air All back protector. Pockets are available for retrofi tting the D3O CP1 chest protectors on both sides. The Offl ane motorcycle jacket comes with a 360° zipper that can be attached to any Rukka trousers. D
NEW!
The most universal and intuitive throttle lock ever made!
Made from hardened stainless steel that will last the life of your motorcycle
A “throttle Lock” can be a little misleading because this product doesn’t actually “lock” the throttle of your motorcycle. 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. The unit is clamped to the plastic throttle tube, between the rubber grip flange and the throttle housing. The Throttle Lock has two buttons, one to engage the unit the other to disengage the unit.
You can override the ATLAS at any time. When you have the ATLAS Throttle Lock engaged you can increase or decrease your speed by simply twisting the throttle as you ride.
The Throttle Lock comes in two configurations. A Top Kit and a Bottom Kit. Both units work exactly the same, the only difference is where it mounts on the throttle tube.
Creek Designs
IWAS All Set tO head off to Spain for the world launch of the exciting new Ducati V4 Streetfighter, but sadly Covid-19 ruled and stopped the launch in its tracks. I was to ride the V4 Streetfighter at Ascari Circuit, a race track I’ve always wanted to ride.
Ducati held an online presentation, so the following is based on the technical side of the new V4 Streetfighter. We will get to ride one once they land here in Australia in the coming months. I am also keen to get one out on the racetrack to really see how good this bike will be. I might sound excited, because I am seriously considering buying the S version and fit it out with the accessory full exhaust and retune to really pump out some serious power.
Ducati say the V4 Streetfighter is based on the character, The Joker – two personalities or motorcycles in the one. An aggressive nature – nice to ride on the road and unbeatable on the track.
To be a good bike on the track as a naked bike can be difficult due to a lack of aerodynamics. To overcome this, you would usually need to lengthen the wheelbase quite a bit –this is normally done by lengthening the swingarm and raking out the forks. Ducati wanted to do this as little as possible and ended up only making the swingarm 15mm longer and the steering head angle different by 2mm. The end result is a stable wheelbase of 1488mm and trail of 100mm. What this means is that the V4 Streetfighter should be agile with good stability. Also, the use of the biplane wings helps keep the front stable. The amount of downforce they give is 2kg at only 50km/h and up to 27kg at 270km/h. What does this do to the way the bike rides? Ducati claims that it provides stability, reduces tendency to wheelie and, with wheelie control on, allows faster acceleration. There are also benefits when braking. The additional downforce means shorter stopping distances providing more stability and precision, especially under heavy braking.
The heart of the V4 Streetfighter is obviously the V4 Desmosedici Stradale taken from racing brother, the Panigale V4. 208hp in standard trim and a massive rev limit – 14,500rpm up to 5th
15,000rpm in
6th. That’s like a twostroke screamer’s rev limit! Power and torque delivery are designed to feel like a V-twin in the low-mid range and like a four cylinder at the top end. Having ridden the Panigale V4, to which the V4 Streetfi ghter should feel very similar, it is unlike any other engine you might have experienced. It’s an arm pulling, eyeball squashing load of goodness.
The reverse rotating crankshaft, to reduce the gyroscopic effect of the wheels, has two main benefits – one is to help reduce wheelies and secondly helps reduce rear wheel lift – both being traits that can make a bike slower.
As the V4 Streetfighter has been designed for mostly road use, the footpeg height has been lowered compared to the Panigale V4 and the seat material is 60mm thicker for comfort. Overall seat height is 845mm. Ducati claim pillion comfort is increased over the Panigale but looking at photos and the peg height I’m not so sure a pillion will be too comfy. Maybe that hot girlfriend (or boyfriend) will be game to give it a go. I know mine will be a little hesitant!
As with most Ducati models, electronics feature heavily – ride-bywire with various maps and “decreasing torque” which Ducati says helps in the ‘on/off’ throttle phase of a corner to be very smooth, not upsetting the handling. Torque is also flattened depending on which gear you’re in so you don’t end up
chucking yourself into the weeds in lower gears coming out of corners.
Other electronics include different levels of traction control, wheelie control, cornering ABS, slide control, launch control, engine braking and up/down quickshifter.
Specs
DUCATI V4 STREETFIGHTER / S
The V4 Streetfighter is fitted with the ‘EVO 2’ version of traction control, which has been derived from the MotoGP GP18 and used on the Panigale V4 R. Rather than instantly cutting power when spinning up, EVO 2 is far smoother and more predictive, allowing some wheelspin, but if it’s too aggressive then it will act. It works on spin intensity rather than an instantaneous spin value making less ‘pulsations’, which to you and me means less savageness when power is being cut. Going through the list of Ducati accessories (just under 50 in total) you can change up the V4 Streetfighter to be very personal depending on your taste, and no doubt wallet size. First things for me would be the Magnesium wheels, full race exhaust, dry clutch, adjustable rearsets, numerous carbon fibre pieces, pillion seat cover and racing seat in technical fabric – I better win Powerball! I have been asking for a full powered naked bike forever. They have always been detuned or ‘retuned’ bikes but never really what the motorcycle world wanted – a stripped down superbike with full power. This has all changed now and I’m smiling from ear to ear. Fit up the accessory full exhaust and punch out 220 odd hp. Is this the real death of the full-on faired superbike for the road? I must say I’ve always preferred looking at ‘naked’, rather than ‘clothes on’.
I can’t wait to ride this beast and if you already fancy having one sitting in your garage, you better rush to your local dealer as the first Aussie shipment is sold out; but that might have changed due to recent world events. D
BRAKES: Front, twin 330mm discs with radial mount four-piston cornering ABS calipers. Rear, 245mm disc, two-piston cornering ABS caliper.
FUEL CONSUMPTION: N/A
THEORETICAL RANGE: N/A
COLOURS: Ducati Red
VERDICT: CAN’T WAIT TO RIDE IT
DUCATI MOTORCYCLES has had a long and fruitful relationship with Norm Fraser Imports (NFI) for many years, with Ducati sales within the Australian and New Zealand dealerships regularly leading the Asia Pacific region in sales. But, Ducati has come in and taken over distribution in Australia and New Zealand for themselves and I headed off to Fraser Motorcycles, Concord (NFI old headquarters) to meet the new Managing Director, Sergi Canovas Garriga and ask him a couple of questions about the directions of Ducati coming into the Aus/NZ markets for themselves.
AMM “Hola! Hi Sergi, welcome to Australia. I’m guessing you’re, Spanish?
SERGI Yes, Spanish
AMMHow long have you worked for Ducati?
SERGI For Ducati, I start in twenty seventeen with Ducati India, I spend the last three years there as the GM (General Manager). For the work I did, they give me this (Australia) as a reward.
AMM Is it a reward?
SERGI Yeah, it’s a reward. You know, for us, one thing I realise from the beginning is that Ducati and Australia have a lot of emotional links, mainly through racing. You know, even though it’s a mature market and a small market, compared to the size, you know the links they have to the brand
BIG RED Welcome TECHNICAL
The new boss fi lls us in WORDS STUART PHOTOS SIMON LEPLAW
it’s above the average, I’d say. A lot of history there.
I know it’s a tough market at the moment, what would be your first aim say in the next financial year for Ducati in Australia?
SERGI If you look at the numbers, okay, the market, what we consider relevant market, you know, normally filter that with pricing and features of the bike in total is going down, even though from 2018/’19 we saw a smoother curve, but when you go inside and you look at the segments, you know, then it’s very different. There are segments like the dual sport that is not going down, it’s almost twenty percent of the market, so you need to go into detail and see which ones are good and which ones are not good and then there’s always opportunities to grow, so our strategy is this one for the next five years. We have a product range which is very in-line with Australian needs and on top of that we want to go into detail on the segments and we will have opportunities, so dual is a market I see has a high opportunity, nakeds is a market we have been very strong in and want to grow and superbike of course we are the benchmark there. It’s all about finding opportunities and work for that. That’s why we think that in the next five years our position in Australia will grow for sure. So, from a product perspective, very interesting and then opening a subsidiary here it makes the connection between the customer and the brand much shorter, which is always better.
AMM Your new head office is with Audi in Zetland. Is that correct?
SERGI Yes, as you know we are part of the group, so we try to get as much
synergy as we can and definitely that was the best option in terms of location and in terms of easiness to start.
AMM Will the warehouse be located there also?
SERGI No, no, the warehouse, we are trying to get the best things that NFI had and on the warehousing side of things they were very good working with the current supplier so are most likely keeping the same.
AMM What kind of marketing strategies and customer focus do you have for Ducati?
SERGI As you know, the best way for a customer to buy a Ducati is for them to sit on it and try it, so the experience and things are going to be key for the new buyer to Ducati and the current riders and current owners of Ducati. The experience, is not only race, with track days but also the touring experiences for the customer to try the models.
AMM From your side of things, what have you noticed since being in Australia?
SERGI We have had a lot of interest from customers to understand what are our plans. Yes, the market is down as we said but us coming into this market it is very exciting for dealers and we have a lot of enquiries. We want to also focus on the training, the product knowledge for the chances for the customer to see the bike and to try the bikes are at the maximum level.
AMM That’s it; thanks, Sergi and all the best.
SERGI Great, thank you. D
DreaM Dream a little
Stuck inside with Coronavirus? Here’s a little way out... WORDS/ph O t OS tHE BEar
Peru - land of the most amazing scenery, and the most wonderful and colourful people.
SWEET DREAMS TILL SUNBEAMS FIND YOU SWEET DREAMS THAT LEAVE ALL WORRIES BEHIND YOU…
MAMA CASS ELLIOT ET AL
The Ducati museum is closed for now. But it will open again, and you’ll be able to wander its halls.
This skeleton of an antebellum mansion is just off the Natchez Trace. See how time beats magnifi cence.
Watch out for the Frost Giants when you ride Norway’s high roads in winter.
TRAVEL
The Croatian coast is one of the most beautiful and scenic rides in the world. Food’s good, too.
Yes, it’s Machu Picchu in the morning fog. You can’t ride all the way, but you can reach the railway that takes you there.
TRAVEL
Get off the track in southern France and you won’t just encounter amazing food and wine, but also spectacular roads.
You can’t ride on the freeway in Japan, but who would want to when you can tackle mountain roads and stay in rural inns?
“Hey Rocky, there’s no doubt about it - I’ve got to get another hat!” Extra points for anyone who can identify that sentence!
Is there a place on Earth that has better and more varied food than Green Spain? As far as I’m concerned… no.
EVENTS AUTUMN MANOEUVERS BEAR ARMY
The Bear Army invades Dunedoo WORDS BEAR ARMY PRESS CORPS
PHOTOS PETER COLWELL / TIM STANDEN / THE BEAR
THE 11TH BEAR ARMY
Manoeuvres took place in Dunedoo, a small town out on the Castlereagh Highway, much joked about for reasons we don’t understand. We found it a pleasant place despite the one motel in town being booked out for a wedding. Troopers stayed in the Hotel Dunedoo or the dongas at the caravan park, which had the advantage of making us walk
nearly a kilometre from the pub –good exercise and a chance to sober up a little.
Not that there was much drinking (ahem, we were told to say that).
The front bar was turned into a place of reminiscence by the troopers, who simultaneously competed for the Grey Beard of the Year trophy (there is no actual trophy). Dinner was in the formal dining room which proved to
be just right once everyone had had their say about which way the tables should be arranged.
The debating and drinking (all right, all right) continued after dinner but everyone was in bed at a reasonable time; this was assisted by the absence of a certain trooper from WA and his customary bottle of single malt Scotch which has to be drained before the last trooper goes to bed.
The first heat of the Grey Beard of 2020 in full swing at the Hotel Dunedoo.
You may well be getting the idea that nothing much happens at Bear Army Manoeuvres. You would be absolutely right. Since there are no rules (even the Grey Beard of the Year comp does not actually exist) there are no prizes or awards to be reported on. It’s not that troopers don’t do anything; they catch up on each other’s news, fix some of the problems of the outside world and.. well, and order drinks and their dinners. The scandal of this year’s manoeuvres was that the kitchen got its timing mixed up and meals came out at wildly varying times.
Several troopers nodded sagely and agreed that this was just like Kathmandu in the old days.
With the kitchen forgiven for the odd timing, mainly because the meals were good both in quality and value, discussion turned to politics where all agreed that they’re a pack of dumb bastards. No, that’s not true, there were holdouts who sucked their teeth or other dental equipment and weren’t sure.
We all had a wonderful time, and in the morning those who had a bit of patience were rewarded by the opening of the White Rose Café with its excellent breakfasts, providing the opportunity for more discussion of nothing in particular.
Then we rode home. The 2020 Spring Manoeuvres will take place in September. Meanwhile, we would all like to thank Tony who did so much to make the Autumn event such a success and will no doubt do the same for the next one. D
1. Is the General lost? No, he’s just checking out the scenery and looking for coffee.
2. Ah, so this is where he is. No, wait, that can’t be right. Pluto?
3. Regular attendee Betty has bit of a laugh about… maybe the Grey Beard Comp?
4. Tim’s Tiger on the way home, which suggests he made it.
Safety and convenience: don’t forget them
WORDS THE BEAR PHOTOS PROCYCLES
Kitting out the new BMW
F 750 GS as a round-the-world (rtw) bike has proven easier than I might have thought. Partly that’s due to the plethora of adventure bikes, adventure bike parts and accessories (mainly from German firm Wunderlich in this case), and ideas about same. But partly it’s also because bikes come more prepared these days.
Among other things the BMW comes equipped with, even on the cheaper model, are heated grips (call me a wuss, but I like those); Cruise Control; tubeless tyres (yes, I know there’s argument about those but I like them, too) and ABS. These are, in my opinion, all worthwhile –not just on an adventure bike but on any motorcycle. I am not entirely sure about the centrestand, which the more expensive Tour bike has but this one doesn’t. I could have fitted one, but it was a fair bit of extra weight. So let’s get back to the job of accessorising the bike I’ve got. There are two more major categories to consider.
Naming of bikes
Someone mentioned the other day that this F 750 GS needs a name. I don’t usually name my bikes, the exception being my first Kawasaki Turbo which delighted in the moniker “Gracie”. Why? Well, Ernest Hemingway called courage “grace under pressure”. I associated courage with riding the bike, but I couldn’t go with “Grace”; it was just a bit too formal. So I settled on “Gracie” as a nod to George Burns’ partner Gracie Allen. Why not? After all, she was a candidate for the presidency of the US in 1940, standing for the Surprise Party. If only she were still around. But back to the point. What do you reckon a good name would be for this bike? Suggestions (preferably printable) to thebear@ausmotorcyclist.com.au . I will think of a suitable prize.
SECURITY
This is a pretty short list. The bike, being the ‘cooking’ version, does not have keyless ignition. I prefer that for security reasons, even if it does mean that I have to carry a key. I’ve got to carry a couple for the locks on the panniers anyway, so it’s no big deal. The pannier locks, by the way, have rubber covers that protect them from dust and moisture; well done, Wunderlich.
Most of my security comes from a set of cables. One of them is a good, fat, tough coiled job that I’ve had for so long I have forgotten where and how I found it in the first place. Together with an equally tough padlock, an Italian-made EC, it has served many motorcycles and has never let me down. The padlock, by the way, is set up in such a way that the widely-promoted ways of opening padlocks without a key will not work on it. That locks the bike to lampposts or prayer shrine or whatever.
The other cables are also steel, but thinner and lighter. One is another coiled cable, which locks the seat bag to the bike using the Rocky Creek Products combination helmet lock I’ve mentioned before. It can be used for both jobs at the same time. The other is just a plain cable which locks the camera bag and simultaneously locks it to the bike. I use whatever padlock happens to be handy with this, usually a combination lock.
I have considered a lock that sounds an alarm, but we all know how effective car alarms are.
SAFETY
Back to the Wunderlich website. To protect the bike in case of a drop, I chose the firm’s engine and tank protection bars. As you’ll see in the photos, they are remarkably unobtrusive but still look as if they’d handle anything you might throw at them – so to speak. The upper and lower bars cost $497 and $565.03 respectively, and they fit snugly. The money they could save you even in a mild drop makes the investment well worthwhile.
A radiator guard goes without saying. So why am I saying it? Because you really don’t want to forget it. Radiators are ridiculously prone to damage, especially on an adventure
1. It’s difficult to photograph a bash plate without turning the bike upside down, but trust me – this one is a beauty. Hydroformed in Germany it fitted perfectly.
2. A radiator guard is essential. I would almost say that these things should be fitted by the factory on all bikes, but that would not suit aftermarket manufacturers.
3. Mickey Baumberger, the Ulysses Club Mature Apprentice of the Year, fits the clutch and alternator covers at Procycles.
4. That extensible gear lever is a great idea, especially if you wear different boots at different times.
Wunderlich Completes Your BMW
For Every Tour Every Terrain For Every Purpose
NUMBER ONE WORLDWIDE IN BMW ACCESSORIES
Protect Your Vitals with Engine and Tank Bars, Skid Plates, Screens, Guards and Sliders.
Customise Your Luggage Options. Safely Store and Access Everything You Need When You Need It.
Manage Airflow and Turbulence with Windscreens, Deflectors and Rain Protection to Enjoy Your Ride.
Personalise Your Ride Comfort with Seats, Handlebar Risers, Grips, Levers, Mirrors and Adapters.
bike, and they are a total pain to repair or replace. And you don’t want to do without one. I have a mate who rode from the middle of Afghanistan to Teheran without a clutch cable, but that feat pales into insignificance compared to doing the same ride without a radiator. My radiator guard cost $199 from Wunderlich (again) and is worth every cent in reassurance, even if it’s never needed. Though I’m pretty sure it will be.
Further back, I’ve gone for Wunderlich’s new protective set for the clutch and alternator covers. The new covers are designed so that mechanical stresses and contact spikes are distributed evenly over the component. There is also a moulded elastomer element made of silicone fitted to the inside to provide additional dampening. This seals the covers so that dirt, moisture and dust are kept out. This is so new I don’t have an Australian price yet.
case of the engine protectors, they are a backup if I crash hard enough so that the engine bars are not adequate. Highly unlikely, but there you go. I’ve always been a belt and braces kind of bloke. Well, not literally.
to have and
Australia.
In a couple of cases, I overengineered this bike. One was the throttle lock, at $199. These things are wonderful, but I had not realised (or forgotten – forgive me) at the time that even the basic model F 750 GS has cruise control. If you have that, you don’t need a throttle lock. But if you’re working with another bike as your rtw steed, this gadget is really handy. Roll it on to set the throttle, and you can rest your right hand. You might have more important things to do with that hand, later.
that, you don’t need a throttle lock. But
item after the Barkbusters is usually the bash plate.
The other parts that might seem redundant are the Wunderlich Doubleshock protectors. The ones on the front wheel cost $155, the ones on the engine cost $316. Why would I fit these? After all, I’ve got the engine protection bars. Well, in the case of the front wheel units, they are looking after a part of the bike that is not especially looked after by the bars. In the
for the Carbon guards at $194.95. from the cold and from collisions with all sorts of things, and the Australian product and I can’t adventure bike without them.
only common sense. Wunderlich’s I hardly know it was there – until the bike crashes the
I have a long record of fitting Barkbusters to my bikes; even my Ducati Scrambler has them. So naturally this bike had to have them as well! Wunderlich sells them, but I thought I’d go directly to the source with these and got in touch with manufacturers Rideworx (www. barkbusters.net) here in Australia. The two-point mounted handguards for $129.90 fitted straight on, and I went for the Carbon guards at $194.95. Barkbusters protect your hands from the cold and from collisions with all sorts of things, and the hand levers from drops. They are an outstandingly well made Australian product and I can’t imagine putting together an adventure bike without them. When we talk about protection, the most obvious item after the Barkbusters is usually the bash plate. Considering what damage contact with a rock can do down there, that’s only common sense. Wunderlich’s aluminium plate looks as if it came with the bike; I chose the black one and you’d hardly know it was there – until the bike crashes down on the strategically placed rock and doesn’t crush the headers or split the case. It costs $433.02 and that’s money well spent.
handy. Roll it on to set the throttle, and split the case. It costs $433.02 and that’s tree up by a bike’s rear wheel, break on following if you’re not riding over rocks,
We’ve had a tree branch, thrown up by a bike’s rear wheel, break the headlight glass on the following motorcycle. So even if you’re not riding over rocks, the light can come to grief. The Wunderlich headlight protector, at $296.02, is clear and comes with a tidy bracket which, like all the other stuff, fits perfectly. It also flips up out of the way if you need to clean the headlight.
protector, at $296.02, is clear clean on
While we’re on the subject of light, I have to admit that I can’t get adequate.
too much of the stuff. Is light actually stuff? Be sure to ask your friendly local physicist and see if you can stay awake for the explanation of the Double Slit Experiment. Wunderlich has two options for extra lighting, and I went for the Aton LED set. The pair of lights costs $841.01 and the protectors and grilles (vital to protect that investment!) cost $199 each.
MONEY, MONEY MONEY
You might be wondering why I’m quoting prices as I go along. The reason is simple: I don’t want anyone to get into this game without knowing what sort of investment is required – or at least advisable. Among riders there tends to be a feeling that you can do things cheaply, or at least more cheaply than the farkles from the major suppliers. Many people look at the equipment I used on my 1979 rtw bike and think that because I got friends to make bits or my co-traveller Charlie and I made bits ourselves, that’s the way to go – and it’s cheap. To some extent that’s correct; our equipment was relatively cheap, and none of it let us down – even when we crashed quite enthusiastically in Malaysia.
Of course you’re free to do the same thing. But – first, enthusiastic help is all very well; it does, however, lead to over-engineering, and therefore weight and convenience penalties. Stuff you
1.The Aton spotlights with their protective grilles should help me spot any errant kangaroos at night.
2.The headlight cover flips up in case you need to clean the headlight glass under it.
3. I like the little switch for the accessory light; it glows green when the ignition is on. Aww…
4. The quality and strength of the crash bars is obvious from a single look.Their mounting points are well chosen, too.
5.The Sport tankbag is small but easily big enough for basic camera gear. Note the stud that makes it easy to remove.
Wunderlich in OZ
The Australian distributor for Wunderlich, www.wunderlich.de, equipment is Procycles, with retail shops in St Peters and Hornsby, Sydney NSW. Website address is www. procycles.com.au, email is info@ procycles.com.au. Your local bike shop should be able to order parts through Procycles. Call them on 02 9564 8000 if you don’t have any luck.
In the interest of full disclosure, let me point out that both Wunderlich and Australia’s Rideworx made the accessories available to me for test, without charge. You’ll be reading more about them as I try them out in the real world. Please note that Wunderlich is interested enough in the Australian market – in you -- to bother doing this. They want your business. And of course Rideworx does.
To make absolutely sure that the parts were fitted to the bike according to the original design, I had Procycles do it for me. They did a terrific job, and I’ll prove it in our next issue with the first proper run of the bike. Well, I hope I will.
buy should work straight off and be appropriately designed. Second, bikes today are far less tolerant where home-made accessories are concerned. And third, you don’t have to make it yourself, you can buy this stuff! You don’t have to screw around. It ain’t cheap, but it’s terrific quality and it’s been tested. When Charlie and I built our XL250s, you couldn’t buy anything remotely like this.
There is one thing I regret about the F 750 GS, and the design of many adventure bikes. It’s often thoroughly integrated, and that means you can’t just pop a bigger fuel tank on, the way we could with the plastic Acerbis tanks on the XLs. Even the F 850 GS
Adventure’s tank won’t fit on the 750. The bike’s range is not too bad even as it is, but you can never have too much fuel. Well, unless you’re planning on falling over, I guess.
Apart from that, I’m happy these days to be able to open a catalogue, note down some part numbers and order the bits. I don’t have to go through all the hassles anymore. And consider this – you are going to be using this stuff for, at the very least, several months. Possibly several years. Get it right at the beginning, and you won’t regret it.
But hey – if you want to save money, by all means do it yourself. But do it properly! Then again, I met a brother and sister in Pakistan who had set out from Paris on Mobylettes with no preparation whatever. Their luggage consisted of camel saddlebags which they’d scored along the way. From what I could work out, they had had a terrific time.
Which just goes to prove once again, it ain’t what you’ve got, it’s what you do with it. Hallelujah. D
1. I use the seat/rear bag mainly just to carry my security cable and padlock, but it will take some basic groceries.
2. If you take a bike out into the bush without Barkbusters, you really should reconsider your priorities. If nothing else, they’ll save your levers.
3. The pannier rack is beautifully welded and clearly strong without being too heavy.
4.The windscreen is shaped to fit not only in front of but also around the instrument area. With the deflector it makes for comfortable riding, with no pressure on your helmet.
5. Panniers are aluminium and held on by brackets and a security bolt with a wheelshaped holder. Be careful you don’t lose the bolt when you undo the wheel. Nets in the lids are standard.
6. Got to love that seat! It’s even better than BMW’s own comfort version, and also nicely low.
Adventure… Better
The guys at Motorrad Tours know a thing or two when it comes to travelling on a motorcycle (as the name suggests). In this series, they share that knowledge and their experience to help you get the most from your next trip.
FOR MOST PEOPLE, a riding trip is a special occasion; something you don’t get to do that often. So, make sure that every day on tour is as close to perfect as possible, striking the right balance of picture-taking, sightseeing and, of course, riding. We’ve already covered preparing for your trip in the best way possible, but there are still a few pitfalls to avoid along the way. Border crossings, cities, traveling companions and tour companies all provide opportunities to either make or break your riding trip. Get it right and you’ll make memories that last a lifetime. And if your memory isn’t so great, we’ve even got a few tips for how to get the best photos and videos of your trip.
PLAN AHEAD FOR BORDERS
Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork; people at borders love paperwork, but most importantly, they love the right paperwork, fi lled out correctly and delivered by the right person. That much is simple enough, but you can get caught out when the process doesn’t stay the same each year. Or even at a different border into the same country in the same year. If you know you’ve got a contentious border crossing to tackle, it can help to arrive early in the day – it sounds daft, but bad guys don’t get out of bed early, so you’ll get less hassle. When it comes to help at borders, sometimes a local assistant, a fi xer,
can make all the difference. In theory any border crossing can be cleared without using a fi xer. In reality and certainly in some of the less legit locations, no fi xer means the people on the border are going to go out of their way to make your life diffi cult. At the border from Nicaragua to Costa Rica, they move the offi ces around every time you go, so you can’t turn up a second time and get straight to the right person. Last time I crossed there, a group of three riders were determined not to pay a fi xer. We paid a fi xer and cleared the border in three hours; those guys were there for eleven.
A fi nal tip on the subject of border crossings and travel – if you’re freighting your bike somewhere, empty the panniers and carry everything as luggage. It speeds things up massively when trying to get your bike through customs, saving hours of wasted time as offi cials empty the contents of your huge aluminium boxes onto the runway to check through every little item inside.
Make sure you do the tourist stuff. It’s easy to dismiss the popular spots when you’re travelling, but there’s often a reason those spots become popular in the fi rst place, so make sure you’re not missing out on something epic.
Ha Long Bay in Vietnam is a prime example here – it’s super busy and booking a boat trip for a couple nights on the bay is defi nitely a popular touristy thing to do. And it’s also one of the
highlights of our trip, so be brave, mingle with the ‘normal’ people and take in a tourist spot or two before diving back into your own motorcycle adventure world. When it comes to cities, the key is to do them properly or not at all. Do spend two nights in Barcelona; see the city, eat in some great restaurants, take in some sights and stay out late.
Don’t fi ght through endless traffi c for a one-night stopover - all that fi ltering isn’t worth it for tapas and a cheap hotel.
Wherever you stay, pick hotels that have somewhere to eat outside of the hotel itself. That way you see more of the local area and people. Trip Advisor is your friend – choose somewhere with lots of reviews, ignore the best and worst reviews and read the comments of the ones in between. And remember to have some context – a cheap all-youcan-eat buffet might have glowing reviews, but it’s unlikely to offer fi ne dining to rival a Michelin Star restaurant.
THINK ABOUT YOUR RIDING COMPANIONS
There’s a simple aim here; try and come back with at least all the
Who is Motorrad Tours?
That way, they can get some museum time in while the rest are out racing the locals.
with, preferably more. Think about experience levels; if you’re a touring veteran riding with mates who are on their fi rst overseas trip, let them make the calls on when to stop for a breather.
Know what the others are expecting to get from the trip (and what their partners, if any, are after); if you’re all there to put in hot laps of mountain passes, then happy days. But if a couple of people want to see some culture, then work out a schedule where you stay in the same region for a couple of nights.
Be aware of group riding mentalities and issues. A bit of friendly banter and a chase on some great roads is something that we all love from time to time, but keep it at that. If things start getting too competitive, if someone is clearly riding outside their skill or comfort zone then knock back the throttle and make an excuse for a stop. It might feel like you’re being a fun sponge, but that’s better than leaving it to an Armco barrier to make the point that everyone was too polite to bring up. Have a light-hearted chat with the rider in question about not running into the path of oncoming traffi c; don’t lecture them, don’t criticize their riding, but just get the point across nicely that they may want to dial it back a notch. If this
Richard Millington is the director of Motorrad Tours, with years and literally millions of kilometers of route planning and tour delivery under his belt. From the Highlands of Scotland to the rice paddies of Vietnam, Richard works tirelessly to put together impeccable tours that keep people coming back time and time again. So if the above sounds like a lot of effort to you, or if you want to see the best a country has to offer the adventurous motorcyclist, give Motorrad Tours a call on +44 (0) 1622 776686 or log onto their website www.motorrad-tours.com to see where they are headed to next.
means you all need to knock the pace back, or you need to ride in two groups, then so be it. If you’re the rider being advised – it might be hard to accept, but remember it’s coming from people who are looking out for you; swallow the pill and heed the advice.
PICK YOUR TOUR COMPANY CAREFULLY
If you’ve made the decision to go with a tour company, picking the right one can be the difference between a terrible trip and a great one. Don’t be fooled by a nice shiny website or brochure.
travel
Look for previous tour photo galleries; lots of different happy faces in lots of different countries over a number of years are always a good sign. Ensure the company has bonding and insurance; make sure they are open about having it and what the cover entails. Read their ‘about us’ page and find out who they are. Is it someone operating out of their spare bedroom, running three tours a year because they want to go on a bunch of free trips? Potentially there’s nothing wrong with that, but remember that their motivation might not be to ensure all the customers are so happy that they’ll book again. You want to see customer reviews and lots of them –don’t be convinced by three people saying how great it was – even the worst hotel on Trip Advisor can find three strange and delirious people that like it.
Capturing the best moments
We are spoilt. Modern camera kit is simply incredible and capturing great memories from your riding trip has never been easier. If you’re an aspiring camera geek, then of course pack a pannier full of your favourite bodies and lenses and shoot the hell out of the entire trip. If you’ve no idea what DSLR stands for, then keep it simple. Lightweight action cameras like those from GoPro or Drift Innovations are perfect on a trip for both video and stills. Arm yourself with a useful stash of mounts, plenty of memory cards and, for a long trip, a way to store images and video. For shooting images only, a compact camera with a decent-sized lens will get great results for minimal effort; something with a 20x optical zoom will do the job nicely. Tuck it in a waterproof pocket and remember to take it with you when you’re off the bike.
A few simple considerations will help you get the best shot you can without needing to be a pro. First, think about what is in the frame – what are you taking a picture of? Try not to have random objects like trees or signposts
thirds, which is worth looking up
frame into thirds and position your
cutting through the edge of the frame – they should be either in the image or out of it. Secondly; move. Simply pulling up at the side of the road and pointing a camera about without getting off your bike rarely yields a picture that delivers the same punch as the view that made you stop in the first place. And ultimately, that’s what you’re trying to achieve –a picture that lives up to the ‘oh wow’ feeling that made you stop and pull your camera out. Move around until the viewfinder contains your entire subject and think about where that subject fits in the frame. There’s a well-known rule of composition, called the rule of thirds, which is worth looking up and understanding in more detail. The basic principle is to divide your frame into thirds and position your subject along these lines. Finally; have a tidy up. If your bike is in the shot, take your helmet off the bars and your jacket off the seat.
Shooting video, in theory, requires at least the same amount of care and composition as shooting images. Video does make it easier to capture the feeling of a scene, so concentrate on filming interesting things from a well thought-out position. For onbike video, experiment with different camera positions - close to the ground gives a vivid feeling of speed, higher up shows the view better. Under the peak of an adventure-style lid works well, as does a chest mount. Position the camera, ride around the block and
– there’s nothing
worse than a three-hour closeup of your gas tank.
While photos on a hard drive are easy to access, nothing beats a beautiful shot in print – pick your favourites and get them made into a book or print that one big beautiful shot on canvas. Obviously you should get coasters made and irritate your friends by sending them as gifts every Christmas to remind them how much fun you had.
Keep those tips in mind, particularly
stretching out the slower riders in the group, and you’ll have
riders in the group, and you’ll have the trip of a lifetime. Enjoy the sights, don’t stress trying to keep to a schedule and remember to stop and soak it all in. Don’t get so wrapped up in your camera that you forget to experience things first hand. Any day spent on a bike is a good day, so savour everyone on the trip, say yes to every opportunity that crops up and come back with a thousand great stories. The trick is then to get out on the next adventure before the stories run out. D
Fuel is pumping, engine’s burning hard, loose and clean
1976 KAWASAKI Z900 A4
WORDS/PHOTOS STUART
OKAY, I FINALLY GOT around to rebuilding the carburettors for the Z900 A4. The slides had come up a treat after being soaked for around three months in a petrol solution Shaun at D Moto Motorcycle Engineering made up to get them as clean as possible. The brand new carb kits had arrived from Japan and one word of caution here – if you are rebuilding carbies make sure you don’t skimp by buying a kit that doesn’t include everything you could possibly need. Even if you think it doesn’t need it, get it. A number of carburettor kits are available for the Z900, some far cheaper than others, but the kits I got come with two jet sizes for both the pilot and main jets so depending on how the tune ends up I can make it richer or leaner – a great option to have.
First part of rebuilding the carbs was
seeing how the slides, slide in the bore of the carb bodies. Having been stuck in there, I was not confident they’d be perfect, and of course they weren’t.
Craig from Classic Wet Blast had given the bores a slight working to help clean them up but I ended up using a scourer pad to smooth up the bores and they were great. Next came fitting the new needles with the adjustable clip in the original middle position, fitting the new idle screws, main jets, pilot jets, chokes and floats. Setting float heights was next and I set them at the original 22mm height.
Next up came the fun of fitting the choke and throttle rods and associated clamps and setting them so each carb works in sync and as smoothly as can be possibly achieved – there’s nothing better than a nice, easy and silkysmooth throttle.
After some ‘fettling’ I’m very happy
with how the carbies work, I am yet to get new throttle cables and airbox inlet rubbers, but at least I can fit the carbs onto the inlet rubbers.
When I get to starting the bike I’ve got a bit of fl exibility to tune the bike a little richer by changing the needle height, or lean it off by changing the pilot and/or main jets and changing the needle height the other way. Hopefully it will end up pretty close to the mark.
How far away am I from startup? I have to buy the new exhausts, which are a pretty penny. I also need to use the services of an auto electrician as I’m hopeless with wiring. It’s all new but damned if I can get it all hooked up right. LOL! Then all I really need is new clutch and throttle cables and side covers so the oil doesn’t pour out! If only money grew on trees, as they say. D
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longtermers
GAME CHANGER
Royal EnfiEld 650
intERcEptoR
DNA air filter - $125
DNA Stage 2 air filter cover - $56.95
Ifinally got aRound to whacking the Interceptor on the dyno at D Moto Motorcycle Engineering and doing a before and after run, fitting the DNA air filter and air filter ‘cover’. There’s some tricks to running a bike (or car) on a dyno. If you want to just chase big numbers you can manipulate
the result a bit to achieve that, or, use the dyno as a tuning device and not chase numbers and rather make sure all runs are as close as humanly possible. What I mean by this is making sure you set the tyre pressure to around 38psi and choose a gear and make sure you run it in that gear for each run. Try and do the dyno runs on the same day and within as close a time as possible as different ambient temperatures, humidity and the like can all change the outcome. So, the fitting of the DNA air filter
and cover was a five-minute job, so the comparison between the before and after and the two runs I did for each are about as close as you’ll get. For example, say I’ve got the FZR1000 race bike on the dyno and want to change main jets or change the needle height, the time between each run can be up to half an hour, the weather can change in this time and stuff up what you’re trying to achieve. Not so here.
I selected fourth gear for all four runs and ran 38psi in the rear tyre. The bike had not long ago had an oil
change and a service so everything was in tip top condition.
The filtering efficiency of the new DNA air filter is extremely high at 9899%, achieved with 4 layers of DNA Cotton. The flow of this DNA filter set is 42.46% more than the Royal Enfield stock paper filter. DNA air filter flow: 60.40 CFM (Cubic feet per minute) versus Royal Enfield stock paper filter: 42.40 CFM (Cubic feet per minute).
The first two runs with the stock paper air filter and stock airbox cover resulted in 30.5 and 31.3kW at the rear tyre. Torque was 36.7 and 36.9Nm.
A quick removal of the seat, undo one screw, remove the outer side cover and a quick twirl of a Phillips head screwdriver to remove the three screws holding the cover and air filter, swap them over and screw on the Stage 2 triangle DNA air filter cover, fit the outer side cover and put the seat back on. All this took five minutes (or maybe less). The DNA air filter cover, as you’ll see in the pics is essentially just to hold
the air filter in and is not covering the air flow into the DNA air filter. The ‘mouth’ of the DNA air filter is also larger, which means more air sucked in. Fire the Interceptor back into life and I gave it a couple of free revs and the DNA filter and cover has given the bike a great induction sound… now onto the two runs!
Work it up into fourth gear and wind the throttle to the stop…results were a very healthy increase of 34.5 and 35.4kW and 40.6 and 41.3Nm of torque. I took the Interceptor for a run on the road and I must say the DNA air filter and cover have totally changed this bike. Gone is that choked feeling that you never really knew was there until now riding it with the DNA filter and cover fitted. It’s picked up power virtually everywhere and is
probably the biggest difference I’ve ever felt fitting this type of product. We’ve fitted DNA air filters and covers to many other long-term bikes and our own, personal bikes and loved the results. The difference felt with our Royal Enfield 650 Interceptor has to be the biggest, it really has changed the bike completely. Grab yours from your local bike shop or kenma.com.au . SW
BEAT THE CROWDS
PEUGEOT BELVILLE 200
With all the panic buying and insane stupidity you’ve no doubt witnessed around any supermarket you really do need a bike like the Belville 200. I’ve ridden and parked pretty much right at the door at my local Coles Supermarket, gone inside, got some essentials and zipped away with the minimal of fuss. Try doing that in your tintop or larger motorcycle.A scoot with underseat space and a shopping hook makes it simple to grab a couple of bags of groceries without getting caught up with all the BS going on with the ‘Sheeple’. SW
STRIPDOWN
HONDA GB400TT
I have been a Bad Bear many times, taking perfectly good motorcycles and turning them into what I thought were better motorcycles by removing
much and replacing it with much else. Sometimes this has worked, but I am sorry to admit that at other times it has not, leaving a perfectly good motorcycle as a half-baked customised mess. Forgive me if I’ve mentioned this before; the guilt can be a heavy weight. But I have grown out of that. Oh, I still take bikes and muck around with them to create what I think I want. But I no longer use perfectly good ones. I now buy the half-baked customised messes created by other people, and work with those. This leaves me with a considerably improved conscience, and removes ugly twowheelers from the road, only to replace them with slightly less ugly ones. I am doing the gods’ work here.
Our friends at Rizoma in Italy have kindly supplied a
number of parts to replace rather less attractive ones on the bike. I must try to put together a story about Rizoma sometime soon; they design and produce truly outstanding parts in what is now unfortunately one of the centres of the coronavirus.
In the meantime, back here in Australia, Brett has been removing
4.
much of the odd and sometimes thoroughly weird work that’s been done on the bike. The headlight with its inset speedometer is one of those things, but it’s probably the carefully weldedup bracketry to hold the footpegs and foot controls that most deserves to go. The riding position it created was appropriate for the average monkey, with the knee angle at effectively zero. Fair go, I am pretty flexible for someone my age but I am not as flexible as that. Indeed, I never was.
The mechanics of the bike have turned out to be in good shape, so
the engine will not need to come out of the frame. This also means, of course, that the frame will not receive the powder coating we had initially envisaged for it. Brett has some paint that will take its place.
I’ll have some photos of the new Rizoma gear being fitted to the bike next month, as well as general tidying up of the frame with an angle grinder. Do check back with us; I promise that this bike, unlike many of those in the past, will be substantially better than the donorcycle. In fact, seriously cool. PT D
2
1. Yes, those blinkers need to go! But I think I’ll keep the original art deco horn cover.
2. The frame rails you see in this photo will be sacrificed to the road gods. Soon.
3. The engine will need some cleaning up, but its heart is sound.
A misguided attempt by the previous owner to marry old parts to new yielded… a mess.
WHATSAYYOU
WE
LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU, the letters are among the most keenly read parts of the magazine. Please try and keep letters down to no more than 300 words. Then you can read many, not just a couple. We do reserve the right to cut them and, unless you identify yourself and at least your town or suburb and state, we will print your email address instead. Please address letters to contactus@ausmotorcyclist.com.au or Australian Motorcyclist Magazine, Suite 4b, Level 1, 11-13 Orion Rd, Lane Cove West NSW 2066. All opinions published here are those of the writers and we do not vouch for their accuracy or even their sanity.
LETTER OF THE MONTH
HUGH SENT US his tips on avoiding those nasty critters that can really spoil your day. Send me your address, Hugh, you’re this month’s NelsonRigg winner.. SW
BORIS AND HIS BEASTS
With the Indian now hibernating in the shed (as the PM recommends) I thought I’d pass on a few observations regarding Dear Boris’s magical cures for avoiding Australia’s Beasts. Well I was somewhat surprised after reading his entertaining vignettes that pretty much the advice was pretty much “Don’t do it “. Or rather trust in fate or be fucked. As someone who actually lives with these furry monsters all the time south of Canberra I thought sharing a few thoughts of my experiences might be useful to readers. Firstly, I am not an abstainer. I ended up
having a sacrificial Ford XR6 to deal with the regular commute. After 5 strikes i’s lights finally went out for good. So, what have I learned? Well quite a lot.
1. Kangaroos are true Australians. They are lazy buggers and stupid, so in the heat of the day they generally like to sit around. And on the motorcycle you can generally ride faster and with more confidence.
2. Only ride really fast when you have clear open country where you have a clear view. 3. Read the bush. If you have partially timbered scrub and scrub up to edge of the road where monsters can lurk, then ride within your braking speed. Roos like this country because there is food and shelter. And they can scare motorcycle riders.
4. Read the road. If you see evidence of road kill remember where you saw it. Roos often cross
in the same place. There are spots on the Monaro highway where Roos regularly get hit. So be careful.
5. Night time, evening and or dawn motorcycle travel. Ride slow. And I mean real scooter commuter stay alive, slow like 60k max. At 60k you will see them and if you turn your lights away from them they will generally keep grass munching because you are below their startle
WEMOTO TO THE RESCUE
Hi Stuart.
With the old GPZ 1100 now on club plates my wife and I decided to go on a test run two up. I’d been out previously solo. My wife was sceptical about reliability but I assured her all would be OK.
20 minutes in trouble struck and we limped off into a safe place to stop. Relief, the DFI plug had fallen out, quick fix just plug it back in. 5 km down the road same thing. Time to turn back and limp home. 6 stops later with both of us standing next to the
speed. Some times when the Roos are really bad I will ride stupid slow, just to get around them.
I often will have 30 Roos and a couple of Wombats to avoid on a late night ride home.
Major highways such as the Hume are generally pretty safe as the big trucks reduce numbers pretty effectively. And lastly beware of bloody wombats. Wombats can gallop faster than a
ferret. I have seen them on the Cann Valley highway you know that bit where the road from NSW finally heads down the big hill into Victoria sodding suddenly go from amble to full Turbo. Not pretty. Anyway hope this might be of some use. Cheers all, Hugh Spencer Burra pretty
Go to www.bikeme.tv/index.php/shop/ Or email Borrie directly on Boris@bikeme.tv
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bike my wife points to my Wemoto key tag, it’s just a big elastic band the right size to fit over the plug and hold it together. Eureka! Sometimes it pays to have another pair of eyes look at the problem, although it was in my face I never saw it.
Regards, Peter Glasson
PRICES
Hi Stuart,
I read with interest your editorial on bike prices. I guess the old saying of “somethings only worth what someone is willing to pay for it” comes into play with how bike companies determine what price to put on a new bike. But, then you read further through the same issue and I came across the Z900 Kawasaki. At something like twelve and a half gees that is a lot of bike for the small price tag. As you mention, the MT-09 is a similar price and these bikes are a lot of bang for your buck.
Kind regards, Bill Pierce
Hi Bill,
Yes, both the MT-09 and Z900 are a lot of bike for the money. Which one takes your fancy? Cheers, Stuart.
Hi Stu,
I reckon I’d be looking at the Kawa.
Seems to have that bit more for the similar money. Bill.
Tell Boris to wear a full face helmet next time he’s on the cover of AMM. He’s too ugly to be wearing an open face. Not a bad burnout though.
Regards, Emad
Hi Emad, I’m sure Boris is thinking you’re not such a good looker yourself. LOL! Cheers, Stuart.
THE ART SHOW
Hi Stuart and Bear, I was quite interested to read about the upcoming “The Motorcycle: Design, Art, Desire” to be held in Queensland. Let’s hope the current situation is well and truly over and done with by then.
Cheers, Jackson Harris
Hi Jackson, Yes, I too would love to get up to Qld and check this one out. Should be some very interesting displays. Cheers, Stuart.
MORE ROCKET
Gents,
I really like the sound of the new Rocket 3. I hope Triumph know that I’ll be going to check one out and possibly buying thanks to your report. The thing that most drew me in is that 221Nm of torque. Now we know why Stuart’s arms are so long after riding that thing. Cheers, James
ROB ROY
Hi Stuart, Loved the Rocket 3 review. I have hill climbed Rob Roy in my ‘race car’. As much as I bet you gave it a good crack, how the hell did you get any traction and what I really want to know is how the bloody hell did you stop over the finish line and not crash into the wall?
Regards, Ryan Summer
Hi Ryan, Well, let’s just say it was rather ‘exciting’ to be wheelspinning my way up the hill – especially being sideways across the finish line and then smashing the brakes on to try and stop! Yes, it was quite lively to stop before punching the tyre barriers. It probably would have made for a great video! Hahaha! Cheers, Stuart. D it was quite lively to stop before
F
F
F
$21,805
$18,240
F 850 GSA $TBA
R 1250 GS $23,490
R 1250 GS Rallye $24,940
R 1250 GS Rallye X $29,890
R 1250 GS Exclusive
R 1250 GS Spezial
R 1250 GSA
R 1250 GSA Rallye
$28,140
$31,390
$25,490
$26,390
R 1250 GSA Rallye X $31,590
R 1250 GSA Exclusive $30,790
R 1250 GSA Spezial
ScooteR
C 650 Sport
C 650 GT
CAN-AM (BRP) www.brp.com
Spyder F3
Spyder F3-S
Spyder F3-T
$30,540
$14,150
$14,990
Spyder F3 Limited $TBA
Spyder RT $TBA
Spyder RT Limited
CF MOTO
www.cf-moto.com.au
DUCATI www.ducati.com.au
*All Ducati prices are ride away Road
Scrambler Sixty2
Scrambler Icon
Scrambler Full Throttle
Scrambler Café Racer
Scrambler
$TBA
HONDA
HUSQVARNA
650
650
ENFIELD
sCooTeR
Address
$2490
Burgman 200 $5490
Burgman 400 $10,490
SWM
www.swmmotorcycles.com.au
Road
Gran Turismo
$7490
Silver Vase 440 $7490
Gran Milano 440 $7990
SM 500 R
SM 650 R $9490
adv TouRing
Superdual
TRIUMPH
www.triumphmotorcycles.com.au
*Some Triumph prices are ride away
Road
SUPER SOCO
$9990
Street Triple S 660 $12,800
Street Triple S
Street Triple R
Street Triple RS
Bonneville Street Twin
Bonne Street Cup
Street Scrambler $15,900
Bonne T100 $15,300
Bonne T100 Black
Bobber
Bonne Bobber Black
Bonneville T120 $17,200
Bonneville T120 Black
Speedmaster $19,500
Thruxton
Thruxton R
Speed Twin
Speed Triple RS
CRuiseR Thunderbird Storm
Thunderbird Commander
Thunderbird LT
Rocket 3 R
Rocket 3 GT
adv TouRing
Scrambler 1200 XE
Scrambler 1200 XC
Tiger 800 XRx/L
Tiger 800 XRt
Tiger 800 XCx/L
GSX-R1000R
GSX1300R Hayabusa
$18,700
Tiger 800 XCa $21,350
Tiger 1200 XRx
Tiger 1200 XCx
Tiger 1200 XRt
Tiger 1200 XCa
OF GUILT AND TOILET ROLLS
IN LATIN IT’S ‘mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa’. In English, according to a schoolmate of mine who was a less-than-devout Catholic, it’s ‘me a cowboy, me a cowboy, me a Mexican cowboy’. No it’s not. It’s the ultimate acceptance of guilt, and that’s what I mean by it. In our most recent issue, after enthusiastically describing South Pacific Motorcycle Tours’ twelve day Burt Munro Challenge fully guided tour in 2021, I pasted another company’s website address into the ‘Contact’ section of the story.
I’m not sure what I can do to make up for that, but let me tell you that the Ghost, Mike and I thoroughly enjoyed a tour organised for us by South Pacific,
and as a result we can and do all recommend them heartily. Please – if the thought of their outstanding Burt Munro Challenge speeds up your pulse – and whose would it not speed up –see www.motorbiketours.co.nz for even more details than we featured in the story. Please.
But enough of my failings.
Remember that meme that was, like, “I complained about my socks but then I met a man with no feet” or something similar?
Well I was embarrassed by Australians’ bulk-buying (or, as the Germans have it in that lovely word, ‘hamsterkaufen’) toilet paper and beating each other up in supermarkets about the last pack of date roll, but then I saw a news item about Americans queuing for five hours to buy hand guns – queuing right next to other people who, for all they knew, were shedding viruses like dandruff.
Admittedly there is no particular employment for toilet paper relating to the coronavirus, but at least you’re going to use it all some time. What are you going to do
Some of the happy folks at South Pacific Motorcycle Tours. Back when they were listed correctly…
with a gun? Blow away the part of your body that’s affected? Not with this virus: it affects your lungs. Maybe blow one away as a warning to the other to straighten up and breathe right. Or don’t mess around, go for a selfinflicted head shot straight away.
Who said violence doesn’t solve any problems?
It’s probably just that I don’t understand Americans when it comes to guns. Actually, I don’t understand them when it comes to Adam Sandler either, or Budweiser. We do have a meeting of the minds when we consider whiskey and whisky. Did you know that while ‘whiskey’ is the usual spelling for American firewater, ‘whisky’ is used instead by Maker’s Mark? It’s not to save money, it’s to show respect to the founders’ Scots heritage. So they say. It may be that he just couldn’t spell after a lengthy taste test of his own product.
I seem to have become distracted here. (Pours another glass of whisky, whiskey, no, whisky, drinks it and then goes to have a bit of a lie-down.)
Back again. I asked a friend who has a motorcycle shop if there was anything that his customers had been hamsterkaufing. He said if only but no, except maybe those self-adhesive stripe kits that make bikes go 20km/h faster in all gears. I’m proud of you, people, for resisting the social media pressure to stock up on unreasonable numbers of spoke nipples.
As for me, I was snapping up the last few self-adhesive stripe kits at my mate’s bike shop and noticed that he had an extra roll of toilet paper in his loo. He won’t miss it; as they say, if you ain’t usin’ it… D
SBORIS
OME YEARS AGO, on my way down to Phillip Island for my bi-annual VicPol reaming and motorcycle-racing experience, I encountered a significant weather event. I think such an occurrence used to be called a “seven-bastards thunderstorm”, but times have moved on since then.
So I’m heading down on the coast road somewhere south of Eden, when a wall of water appeared in front of me. I knew it was going to be bad by the way the sun suddenly disappeared and that blue-grey cliff of heavy cloud and torrential rain manifested in front of me. Beyond its face, the road vanished – well, it was certainly still there, but I could not see it.
I rode into the wet cliff-face and instantly regretted it. I had entered a vicious all-liquid environment. If you’d blasted a firehose into my face it would have been easier to see ahead. My speed dropped from a Christian 120-odd to about 20 in metres. I was gasping for breath. I was being waterboarded years before the CIA started using it to bring democracy and freedom to the Pashtun.
I rolled slowly on as the road disappeared under streams of dirty water being washed across it and the rain battered me into blindness.
I was very worried about being head-butted by a semi or a car equally as blind as I and just as stupid to be proceeding in such conditions, but I was unable to pull over on the side of the road because I could not see where the side of the road was.
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER EVENT
WORDS BORIS MIHAILOVIC
But I saw the small servo on my right. I almost didn’t, but I was going slow enough to glimpse its illuminated sign, and fired myself up its driveway and under the bowser awning. The rain was relentless and seemed to be getting harder.
but slow
“I’m just gonna sit this out a bit,” I muttered to myself. I wheeled the bike out of the driveway, grabbed my tank bag off the tank and splashed to a pergola that was off to one side of the small servo.
There was a soggy young bloke sitting there with a toy-like scooter and an apple. The scooter was one of those two-wheeled things kids push themselves around on, but it had slightly bigger wheels. And the apple was doing double time as both a luscious piece of fruit and a chillum.
You know what a chillum is, right? Oh. OK.
A chillum is a handcrafted marvel, usually a potato or an apple, which has been modified with a knife and age-old skill to enable the smoking of marijuana. When you have no cigarette papers and no bong, a chillum is fashioned (because you always have a knife), and the devil’s weed can be smoked through it with ease. It’s a prolevel stoner’s implement.
The soggy young bloke was just sparking a load with a lighter, and from the state of his red slitted eyes, I figured it was not his first drag.
“Hey, mate,” he grinned.
“Howyadoin’,” I replied.
“Livin’ the dream,” he grinned, and offered me his smoking apple.
I removed a bottle of Jack Daniels from my bag and offered him a drink in return.
The rain found a new level of hammering and continued its assault.
From where we were sitting, we could not see the road, and the servo building, which was maybe ten metres away was nothing but a vague shape through the rain. I was soaked and my new friend was soaked.
But we had an apple full of dope, a working lighter, a bottle of Jack, and some effective shelter from the storm. It was all quite convivial.
“You live here?” I asked scooter-boy.
He smiled and shook his head.
“Nah, man. I just stopped here because of the rain. I’m scootering around Australia.”
“On that? On your own?” I asked, pointing to his big-wheeled kid’s toy.
“Yep,” he said, putting his mouth on the apple and lighting its load. Then he passed it to me and had a belt of my Tennessee whiskey.
“How far have you come?” I asked.
“I started in Brisbane, a month ago.”
“And you’ve pushed your scooter all this way with one leg?”
“I change legs when one gets tired.”
We sat in silence while I absorbed this wondrous achievement.
“And you’re going all the way around?” I asked eventually.
“That’s the plan.”
So we sat and chatted and smoked and sipped, and the sun eventually came out to shine on a world that had been washed and rinsed unto gleaming splendour.
“I wish you every success,” I said, gathering my gear and preparing to carry on.
“Don’t care if I don’t make it all the way,” he shrugged. “It’s the attempt that matters. Wanna keep the apple? I got others.”
“I’m good, mate. Thanks anyway.”
I really hope he made it. He certainly deserved to. D
Photo by Barnabas Imre
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