Indholdsfortegnelse for Jun 2017 052 i Australian Motorcyclist

MOST PEOPLE I ride/race with consider me to be quite fast on the bitumen but when I recently went to the BMW R 1200 GS Rallye X launch (in this issue) I felt a little out of my depth. We were still riding quite swiftly, but I did not feel in control to the level I felt happy with. The reason was that it had been quite some time since I’d done any serious dirt riding and basically lost my mojo in the dirt. It also didn’t help that the route we took was slipperier than a used car salesman on Parramatta Road! I tried with all my might to remember how to ride off-road – weight the outside peg and so on but it wasn’t helping. Both wheels sliding…

HAS THE KING really ever been dethroned? After all, he sells more records now than he did when he was alive… er, sorry? Oh, this is not about Elvis… Just as Elvis turns up flipping burgers in all sorts of weird and wonderful places – not! - so there are many who have written all sorts of weird and wonderful reviews of the latest generation of adventure tourers, claiming that the R 1200 GS is no longer The King. I must admit that even I think that a couple have come close, but none have taken over the throne as the top royal of big boy adventure bikes. That crown has remained with the R 1200 GS and now with the release of the Rallye X version, the 1200 GS…

  AND HERE I AM on my own snowy Himalaya (it’s white, but officially Snow) waiting for the ferry to Tasmania. My most recent encounter with a Royal Enfield was in Sri Lanka, where I rode a 350 with my friend Rohan Sourjah who is in the process of setting up tours of his home country. I liked it very much, partly because it was just right for a busy place like Sri Lanka but partly also because it is just plain likeable. “AND STILL THE SNOWY HIMALAYAS RISE IN ANCIENT MAJESTY BEFORE OUR EYES…”RIMSKY-KORSAKOV WROTE THE ORIGINAL MUSIC, JOHNNY MERCER THE WORDS So was I going to enjoy this new bike, powered by the seriously modified engine from the 350? In truth, it’s modified so heavily that it is effectively…

“THIS HAS A LOT TO DO WITH THE LONGER SWINGARM (50MM) WHICH GIVES THE MT-07 PLATFORM AMAZING STABILITY” IT WAS A GIVEN that after Yamaha turned the mega popular MT-09 into the Tracer version that they would do the same with the even more popular MT-07. Having owned an MT-07 for the past couple of years, I was interested to see what the Yamaha engineers had done to improve the MT-07 platform’s capacity for touring. I rode from Sydney to the Hunter Valley for the Australian launch, where we promptly copped the downpours from the tail end of Cyclone Debbie. Riding in the atrocious conditions showed up one of the Tracer’s outstanding features – the handling. Even with rivers of water running across the road I never felt uneasy…

FINALLY! H-D TRIKE ON ITS WAY Harley-Davidson Australia has finally announced the arrival of the new Trike to join the Milwaukee-Eight-powered Touring range for 2017. After many years of seeking approval, it’s finally done! The trike is available in two models including the Freewheeler and the Tri Glide Ultra. The Freewheeler is a stripped-down, hot rod style on an easy-handling frame that lets you roll with confidence. The Tri Glide Ultra includes line and styling similar to the Ultra Limited, but on three wheels. Both models will feature the all-new Twin-Cooled Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine. “The Trike is a popular choice for riders who enjoy long haul freedom with comfort in mind,” said Adam Wright, Marketing Director, Harley-Davidson Australia. Available across H-D dealerships from October 2017, the Freewheeler is priced at…

WELL YES, IT bloody well can be quite a long way behind. We sometimes make the mistake of thinking that Australia is a hot continent, so we don’t need much in the way of cold weather riding gear. It only takes one decent winter ride to correct that idea, but why not avoid being frozen even that once? Winter rides in good gear are wonderful; I love riding through snow banks and tackling the awesome black and white world of winter. Well, always assuming that there isn’t too much ice on the road… Winter has another advantage, which is that you can do something about the effect of the weather. If it’s hot in summer, it’s hot. You can, and should, wear ventilated and light clothing in hot weather, and…

“I WAS ACTUALLY WONDERING WHY KAWASAKI WOULD RELEASE A 900 WHEN THEY ALREADY HAVE THE Z1000…I QUICKLY REALISED THAT THEY ARE TWO VERY DIFFERENT BEASTS” BUT IT WAS not to be. Kawasaki used its ‘Sugomi’ design principle and the new Z900 follows the mean and edgy design of the current Z family. This is where people got in a tizz – they wanted a retro bike and didn’t get it. I was actually wondering why Kawasaki would release a 900 when they already have the Z1000, but after riding the Z900 I quickly realised that they are two very different beasts. Where you will find the Z1000 a mega fast supernaked bike with supersports handling, the Z900 is more of an urban warrior motorcycle. The engine is far more user…

IN THE BANJO Paterson Bush Park just up from the school at Yeoval, there’s a massive sculpture of a bloke’s head constructed in half a dozen pieces – a sort of busted bust. It’s supposed to be of the British giant of the sculpture world, Henry Moore and it was done by one of Moore’s protégés, Drago Marin Cherina. Drago came to Australia in 1975 to do a study of Gough Whitlam and felt so at home that he organised to be naturalised in Gough’s parliamentary office. A couple of things may’ve contributed to Drago’s ease at settling in – obviously being mates with the PM would’ve helped, but he also didn't mind a pint, and he sure liked a punt. He may’ve been a reasonable sculptor, probably a decent…

The 2017 QBE International Festival of Speed was looming as a wet one, but somehow the weather fairies turned off the taps and allowed the superstars from all over the world to put on a super display of good times from a bygone era. THE CELEBRATION this year was all about Italian bikes and the Italian star of stars was, of course, Giacomo Agostini. The crowds flocked around him like crows on road kill, but the man is a legend and he warmed to all who came to get an autograph, selfie or just to ask him that pressing question they’d always wanted to pose in person. Agostini is a true champion in every sense of the word, as well as being a great bloke. But other stars were shining…

MAIN ROUTE (PINK) Obviously, you can do this route either way but we headed south. Jump onto the Bruce Highway and head for Gordonvale where you need to turn right onto Gillies Range Road. Enjoy the beautiful twisty corners which take you over to Yungaburra, continuing on over to Atherton. Jump onto Kennedy Highway and head north which takes you up to Mareeba where you turn right onto… Kennedy Highway! Once you get over to Kuranda there’s a nice little section of corners to enjoy before heading back into Cairns. Distance: 176km Fuel: Cairns, Atherton, Mareeba, Kuranda. However if you fill up in Cairns just about all bikes should make it around this loop. OPTIONAL ROUTE (YELLOW) If the weather is nice and you’re feeling great why not continue on…

IT WON’T BE LONG YEAH, YEAH, YEAH THE PRESS RELEASE does not mince words. “Ace Cafe Orlando, the first North American outpost of the celebrated London-based motor-diner (stet), is rolling toward its scheduled spring 2017 opening in Central Florida… The Ace expects to draw over 400,000 people to downtown annually. “Much larger than its London namesake, Ace Cafe Orlando spans two floors and will feature a full-service restaurant, two kitchens, four bars, a coffee bar, a communal counter, a mezzanine that overlooks the main floor dining area and stage, and private and semi-private spaces for groups both large and small. Rounding out the offerings inside the Ace are Rockers Speed Shop (selling official branded Ace gear and apparel); a BMW motorcycle dealer; Dainese D-Store (Italy’s most famous high-tech riding gear…

We sent our European correspondent out to find a road that isn’t yet on the scope for Australian motorcyclists visiting Europe. He came up with the German Alpine Road. Yes, I know. We’re used to Swiss, Austrian and even Italian alpine roads. But German? It turns out that the country best known for its high-speed freeways has a lot more to offer. IT’S MORE THAN 450 kilometres from Lindau on Lake Constance to Schönau am Königssee, with over 25 venerable castles, monasteries and picturesque palaces. More than 20 crystal-clear mountain lakes offer not only breathtaking views, but also plenty of sports and leisure facilities, inviting you to sample the waters. The German Alpine Road might be relatively unknown to Australians, but it isn’t a new creation. Mentioned for the first…

WE HEAD NORTH this month to the Cairns region for a nice little loop with the option to continue further north up towards Port Douglas to, possibly, make the ride a figure eight. Since Cyclone Debbie the northern regions of Queensland need to be shown some love in helping businesses get back on their feet and who but the most awesome people in the world to do that – Australian motorcyclists! As you will know the major area that got hit was the Mackay region. If you’re coming from anywhere other than west of Cairns, you’ll be able to spend a bit of time and money in the area. Once you’ve made it to Cairns, you can rest up before away we go for this month’s ride… MAIN ROUTE (PINK)…

I HAVE PLUNDERED the best of the catalogues, press releases, websites and any other available sources for these suggestions. I’ve travelled with some of the operators, while others are as new to me as they are to you – but I do try to check their reliability before I write about them. VINTAGE RIDES NEPAL FOREVER October/November. Eleven days, with seven days’ riding. Intermediate skill level, Comfort or Boutique accommodation. 2670 Euros rider, 2270 Euros pillion. Michael, one of Vintage Rides’ travel designers, describes this 11-day ride through one of the most beautiful and varied countries in the world: “Climb aboard your Royal Enfield for an 800km (500 mile) cruise through the Kathmandu Valley, the Himalayan foothills, and the wild Terai jungle. Admire the eternal beauty of the Annapurna mountains,…

IF YOU WANT to sell me a motorcycle, just find something that looks unusual, especially in a somewhat intriguing way. All that the bloke who flogged me the Čezeta type 505 really needed to do was show me the scoot and I was sold. It took a while during the restoration process to discover that there were a few bits that were going to cost serious money, but I soldiered on and my efforts were eventually justified. Not as I had expected them to be, though. The Čezeta was a motor scooter originally manufactured from 1957 to 1964 in what was then Czechoslovakia, (now Czechia), by the Česká Zbrojovka Strakonice (ČZ) company, which is better known for the highly competitive off-road motorcycles it built from 1935 to 1997. The bikes…

THE ANNUAL TOURATECH Challenge and EXPO event for adventure riders has jumped into the ‘must do’ list for me, having attended the recent get-together in beautiful Bright, Victoria. The market leading, aftermarket accessories supplier puts on an excellent outdoor show to entice riders for a spot of fun and an excuse to get their various incarnations of ADV bikes dirty. This is a friendly low-key affair and is where riders can sample a full array of test bikes for some excellent local riding. BMW, Ducati, Honda, KTM, Suzuki, SWM and Triumph represented themselves with a cross-section of models to sample or take part in the challenge itself. Saturday seemed like a non-stop theatre of noise as groups were either leaving or arriving on their thirty minute plus loops. KTM headed…

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