Indholdsfortegnelse for June 2019 i Australian Motorcyclist

Flyin’ high! IT’S BEEN EXTREMELY busy for me lately – a little more than usual as I’ve been to Spain for the Ducati Diavel 1260 launch and ridden half of the BMW GS Safari amongst getting all the other material ready for your delectation. It was my first time to Spain, flying into Madrid, then having a domestic flight to Malaga. It was where I learnt a lesson of international travel. The local airline, Iberia, has a rather different check-in policy to anywhere else in the world I’ve travelled. Just because you’ve booked a ticket does not guarantee you a seat! They require you to check-in online the day before the flight (to basically say you’ll be there), then check-in for real when you get to the airport for your…

PRICE: $34,890 (plus on-road charges) WARRANTY:Two years, unlimited distance SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 15,000km or 12 months ENGINE: Liquid-cooled L-twin cylinder, 4-stroke, Desmodromic, 4 valves per cylinder BORE x STROKE: 106 x 71.5mm DISPLACEMENT: 1262cc COMPRESSION: 13.0:1 POWER: 117kW @ 9500rpm TORQUE: 129Nm @ 7500rpm TRANSMISSION: 6-speed, wet multi-plate slipper clutch, chain final drive SUSPENSION: Front, 48mm inverted fork, adjustable preload, compression and rebound, travel 120mm. Rear, monoshock, adjustable preload, compression and rebound, travel 130mm. DIMENSIONS: Seat height 780mm, weight 244kg (wet), fuel capacity 17 litres, wheelbase 1600mm TYRES: Front, 120/70/ZR17. Rear, 240/45/ZR17 FRAME:Tubular steel trellis BRAKES: Front, twin 320mm discs with radial four-piston ABS calipers. Rear, 265mm disc, twin-piston ABS caliper. FUEL CONSUMPTION: N/A THEORETICAL RANGE: N/A COLOURS: Grey, Black VERDICT: LET LOOSE THE DEVIL INSIDE…

YAMAHA HAS reinvented the RD250/350LC of years past in the 2019 R3. Many of you have probably spat out your Earl Grey tea at the very thought a modern small capacity machine could bring back those heady days of two-stroke freedom and performance, but there you go, I said it. And it’s true. I spent two days pretending I had a full head of hair, was 30 kilos lighter, and sexy to boot as I revved the quince out of the R3 on the road and track. When I was a teenager I had posters of Warren Willing on a TZ750, a Katana 1100 with a naked girl and an RD250LC on my bedroom wall. There were some sexy female pop stars up there as well but none of them…

THIS RIDE IS A NICE run out to Gordon Dam and back with loads to see and do along the way. The road itself can be busy with tourists but there’s some great twisties to be enjoyed. HOBART hobart is a small city with a big heart, Open it up and there’s so much to see and do you’ll think you’re in one of the mainland big cities! Dine at Hobart’s best restaurants The culinary scene in Hobart is a champion of local produce. Join the locals along the popular dining strips in historic Salamanca or North Hobart. Or choose from a selection of quality city and waterfront restaurants. Marvel at MONA Board a ferry at Hobart’s Brooke Street Pier and sail upstream to the daring Museum of Old and…

SOMETIMES YOU have no idea what your friends are up to until the fruit of their labours lands on your desk. In this case that was Adil’s ‘definitive history of Ideal Jawa and Yezdi’, a hardcover 286 page book which is precisely what it claims to be. For anyone not familiar with the latter name (I’m sure everyone who reads this has at least a glimmering of what ‘Jawa’ was), it was the badge that replaced it in the mid-‘70s in India under the ownership of Ideal Jawa, originally the importer. “Right from the beginning of production in 1961,” writes Adil, “Jawas etched themselves into the psyche of Indian motorcyclists making them and the Yezdi that followed a household name in independent India.” Adil, who has written several awarded books…

THE BEAR ARMY has two Manoeuvres every year, spaced roughly evenly over the 12 months. This year, the second one will be a bit special; we’re going to Streaky Bay in South Australia, partly to give our West Australian troopers a chance to attend. That’s a fair hike for just about everyone, even the members from SA who live south of Adelaide. Still, lots of troopers asked for it! The first event this year took place in Lockhart, in keeping with the idea that we meet in towns where the money we spend might make a bit of a difference. I’ve liked Lockhart for a long time, ever since the days of the BIKE Australia rallies when the Lockhart Tourers – a motley crew which included three highway patrol officers…

KAWASAKI Z900RS BAGSTER ‘READY’ SEAT - $899.95 You might know the brand for its tank covers and clip-on bags, but did you know Bagster is now doing custom seats as well? ‘Ready’ seats are complete replacement seats ready to click in and come with all necessary fittings. The ‘Ready’ seat is claimed to be a much higher quality and comfort than the stock seat, and offers a better seating position and ride quality. The material is a non-slip and is finished off with beautiful stitching, piping and embroidered bike model logo. They’re available for the stunning Kawasaki Z900RS so I was keen to grab the ‘Ready’ seat and try it out on our bike. Fit and the way it clicks in are exactly like standard and first sitting on the…

BIG MUZZ RETIRES After 32 years legend, Murray Sayle is retiring from Kawasaki Motors Australia. Murray officially retires on the 30th of June 2019 with his last day in the Kawasaki office on Wednesday 24th April 2019. Murray has a well-known passion for the Kawasaki brand. The green blood infiltrated Murray’s system in-full once he stepped on-board the H2R 750cc 3-cylinder race bike for Ron Toombs in 1974. “My proudest racing moment was winning the Australian Road Race Championship in 1978, but I still regret not winning the New Zealand Marlboro 250 series in 1977-78” – Murray Sayle. Murray has been a good friend to us and we here at Australian Motorcyclist wish him all the best for the future. ANGELS FLYING HIGH Pirelli presents Angel GT II, the new…

HOW MANY STORIES have we seen now about flying motorcycles? Some of them are clearly in serious development, some are wildly futuristic. Others seem to be both; Swiss-based Frenchman Ludovic Lazareth is working on a four-wheeled ‘bike’ he calls “La Moto Volante” which looks like every Stormtrooper’s nightmare. As happens so often, the Japanese have been working quietly on a concept that’s now been revealed as close to production. What’s more, it is intended for a genuine role in third-world transport. Tokyo-based venture company A.L.I. Technologies Inc. which mainly develops small drones, hopes to sell the product, called a “hover bike,” in emerging economies in Africa, the Middle East and Asia with poor road infrastructure. The company aims to release the mass-market flying motorcycle by 2022, Chief Executive Officer Shuhei…

SO ANYWAY, IF YOU’RE on the mid-NSW coast and you head west up the Macleay River from Kempsey, (and why wouldn’t you?) the first place you’re going to want to stop is Willawarrin. And when you do maybe force yourself to ride past the pub on your right and pull up just short of the general store on the left and check out the Anzac Memorial. There’s a new one being slowly erected behind it but take a moment to read and count the names of the locals who fought in both world wars. Look around at the town and try to get a grip on just how a tiny place like this gave so many men to service of their country. Back in September 1949 my mum was 8…

THAILAND, RENOWNED for white beaches, blue water, fabulous food and an equally fabulous culture. It is a country hellbent on clashing the new with the old and makes a noisy process of having traffic crash against tranquility. For many, it is a country not well known for its fantastic roads, and as the site of the Far East Ducati factory since 2015. Good place for a bike launch, especially since Ducati is keen to change the way we think about the Scrambler range. Prior to 2018 they almost lost count (19 was the figure mentioned) of the different models they manufactured. You could pretty much ride away on a motorcycle that was different to anyone else's if you added a few options. To simplify manufacturing and make for less potential…

WINTER IS UPON US and it’s now time to prepare to keep warm for cold weather riding. As we usually do with these features we put the call out to the industry and the following are the ones who want you to know about their range. Think about that when spending your hard earned. HELD BIKER FASHION www.heldaustralia.com.au Hakuna II - $650 Made from a DuPont Cordura 500 D outer with a Coolmax breathable mesh inner lining, featuring a removable waterproof, windproof and breathable liner, 4 external pockets, 3 inner pockets, map/document pocket, internal cellphone pocket, 1 back pocket, zip-off panels on chest, zips also adjust ventilation, air-vent zippers in front, back and arms, dual arm adjustment, waist belt, soft collar, held Clip-in Technology Protection, CE-approved SAS-TEC 3D shoulder and…

THERE HAS BEEN SOME good but a lot of bad for the Z900 A4 in the last month. The good is that the entire bike is stripped down and I’ve had a flood of new parts arrive. The bad is that the frame is in a worse state than I thought and is going to require a lot of work and time to get back to being 101%. I have found some indicator brackets which will be an easy weld on and the pillion peg brackets just need measuring up and welding on too. The big problem is the front, it is a little bent. At least with all old steel tube frames like this they can be fixed. I was going to get the frame checked anyway but a…

CORDOBA CALLING IMTBIKE, ONE OF MY favourite operators, is incorporating Córdoba as a destination in its incredible tour through Andalusia. Cordoba is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. Declared a World heritage Site, Cordoba is a living legacy of history that portrays the different cultures (Christian, Muslim, Jewish) that influenced this city through time. Its famous patios, spectacular mosque, its culture and friendly people have made it one of Southern Spain´s gems that shouldn’t be missed. “This 9 day tour begins in Malaga, a city known as the ‘city of light’ for the number of sunny days it has year round,” they say. “This trip highlights other gems like Granada, Seville and Ronda as well as many more ‘pueblos blancos’ that we’ll encounter throughout this mountainous region of…

I NEEDED TO BE on my game when I stumbled out of the Iberia plane in Malaga and it was just as well that I kind of pulled up okay from the long flights. Not only was I riding the new ‘devil’ (or “Mega Monster” as Ducati call it) Diavel, now in 1260 form, but being in Spain I needed to remember to stay on the right hand side of the road! I survived, and I don’t think I resembled a tourist with no idea. It might not look like it to you and me, but the new Ducati Diavel 1260 has seen many changes from the outgoing model. They have made it a much nicer devil. Ducati claims around 90% of the new Diavel is different from the old…

AS I’M SURE YOU’LL recall, Voltaire said, “Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien”. And so, New Zealand’s South Island regularly eclipses the North for visiting motorcyclists. Is that fair? There is probably no doubt that the South Island’s package of attractions makes it “le mieux”. Snow-capped mountains, fjords, lakes and hot springs along with some outstanding roads and the constant expectation that the Riders of Rohan will pop up on the next ridge create a pretty much unrivalled combination. But if we narrow things down a bit and settle for slightly (and only slightly) less impressive scenery, the North Island comes up quite well. I decided to see just how “bien” it could be by sampling a road I had never ridden despite my many visits to Unzud. State Highways…

THE GS SAFARI was an Australian idea born back in 1994 and was an event that included both road and adventure BMW motorcycles for a mostly bitumen ride. The roles of the ‘Safari’ concept/event split a few years later with both the TS (road) Safari and the GS (off-road) Safari becoming extremely popular events for BMW owners/riders. 2013 saw another Safari added into the fold – the GS Safari Enduro for those looking for a more hardcore adventure. I recently attended the 25th anniversary GS Safari which started from Windsor NSW heading towards the final destination of Coffs harbour – my 7th ‘Safari’ in total. I attended the first three days which included the sign on/welcome dinner party, first riding day of Windsor to the Hunter Valley and the second…

WHEN SOMEONE in your industry has a highly successful model, the temptation must be just about irresistible to produce your own version of that bike. In fact we know it’s irresistible; take the most successful bike of recent decades, BMW’s (now 1250) GS, and you’ll see that even Harley-Davidson is creating a bike for the same market. Let’s face it, though, shooting for the same market can also mean shooting yourself in the foot. It’s true that there are worthy competitors for the big GS, all developed at significant expense, but none of them have been able to approach the BMW’s sales numbers. The Bavarians have even covered their backsides by launching smaller versions of the GS concept with the 310 and now 750 / 850, all of which have…

IF YOU DON’T WANT to fall into any of the common categories of rider, you’ll find that the options are limited short of starting from scratch and building your own bike. But every now and then a bike steps outside those common categories, and if you’re looking for that special bike, I suspect that when you first saw the Triumph Speed Twin in all its shinning glory, you were hooked. Especially when the bike is simply universally attractive. Well, it’s better than attractive - the 1200 twin is a dashingly fine-looking machine in that modern but retro way and it’s even better to ride. And you won’t have to spend a wallet full of money kitting yourself out in riding gear so as not to feel out of place. Jeans,…

THE WINNER OF this month’s prize consisting of the fabulous Nelson-Rigg shirt and backpack goes to Greg who caught someone (who we suspect is Ralph) many years ago! Thanks for the laugh, Greg. Send me your shirt size and mailing address. For all your awesome luggage visit www.nelsonrigg.com.au Cheers, Stuart. FUNNY PHOTO G’day, This popped up on my newsfeed from an Aussie naturist social media page...is this one of your contributors being safe on a tour whilst foraging for food? Cheers, Greg Luscombe Greg, Yep, that’d have to Ralph for sure! LOL! Cheers, Stuart.…