Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2019 i Australian Motorcyclist

Raging DO YOU FIND you suffer road rage or aggressive driving from those tin tops around you? Do you also suffer from aggressive riding by other motorcycle riders? Well, it could all be down to the motorcycle (or scooter) you’re on. As you’re no doubt aware I get to ride a lot of motorcycles and scooters. It is amazing the reaction you receive from drivers and other riders depending on the type of two-wheeler you’re riding. Take for example the Indian FTR1200S and Peugeot Django 150 – two polar opposites on the scale of all things two wheels. But they share the same road rage and aggressive driving and riding from those around them. Drivers of tin tops tend to cut you off, close up a gap while lane filtering…

MV AGUSTA PRODUCES some amazing looking motorcycles, and one of the most outstanding is the Dragster 800 RR. Spoked wheels, anodised hubs and custom looking paintwork really set it off and the RR we tested was kitted out with shiny grey, fluoro yellow and yellow anodised parts. It really is an attention grabber and as MV Agusta says, “Motorcycle Art”. One of the main attention grabbers of the Dragster RR is the funky taillight with its swoopy LED cutting a fine figure for those behind. It is also a taillight shape you won’t see on any other motorcycle – check out the picture to see what I mean. Fitted in the trellis frame of the Dragster RR is the long running 800cc three-cylinder engine. It has plenty of power (103kW)…

QUEENSTOWN IN New Zealand’s South Island stands out for many reasons. But there’s one in particular that means something to motorcyclists. There can be few, if any, towns or cities in the world which are surrounded by so many wonderful motorcycle roads. I presume that’s why Yamaha chose it for the launch of their three-wheeler, the Niken – giving me the opportunity to ride all of those great roads again. As you can see from the map, I’m not the only one who was impressed by Queenstown and its surrounds. Sir Peter Jackson chose to shoot quite a few scenes of the Lord of the Rings trilogy in the area, too. If you get tired of riding one terrific road after another you can always chase down some of those…

HAVING BEEN LAID up for a while, I decided I needed to get out and what better way to do that than get on the bike and go to a rally! The trip down to Albury was uneventful and a couple of days were spent there catching up with friends and relatives. Then it got serious – Thursday morning was the departure time and with a full fuel load and clear skies we headed for the hills. The run up into the foothills was an opportunity to work on the chicken strips before we pulled into Corryong for morno’s. The bakery and coffee shop is a community owned venture, but the pies were good and the brews hot. The run out through Khancoban onto the Alpine Way was a cracker,…

THE BUTTERFLY effect is an interesting concept which basically states that “The flap of a butterfly’s wings in the Pilbara can cause tornados in Nebraska”. A “Twist of Fate” implies that something happens by chance and it can change the outcome of a project for good or bad, or can steer you in a certain path or destiny that you were not expecting. From a motorcyclist’s perspective, both these theories have had a profound effect on the modern world. For example, In 1952, riding their Norton, ”The Mighty One”, from Brazil to Peru, Ernesto Guevara and Alberto Grando took time off from their medical school to embark on an adventure they hoped would enlighten their perspective of the world, see places they had only read about in books – or…

WE OFTEN DO A BIT of nostalgic navel-gazing around here. Apart from picking at loads of belly-fluff, Stuart revisits the 1970s and‘80s, especially for the potent two-strokes and big inline fours. Meanwhile, The Bear vacillates across the centuries espousing how good motorcycling was when it innovated the electric starter motor. I’m not shy to admit I’m a product of the ‘70s and the halcyon days of Italian superbikes. I had a few too. One of them as the Moto Guzzi Mk 2 Le Mans although it was nothing compared to the eight Laverdas and a few Ducatis which passed through my hands. Although, when I think of Moto Guzzi I’m transported back to the six weeks of doing a lap of Italy on a little V35 in 1995. I purchased…

THE BANJO PROBABLY had it right when he wrote “Clancy’s gone to Queensland droving / and we don’t know where he are.” That’s what people did then. Today, Clancy’s more likely to have gone to America to ride Route 66, and we know all too well where he are because he keeps posting photos of himself at places like the Cadillac Ranch on Facebook. But the Banjo’s Clancy had it easier. He had far fewer ‘t’s to cross and ‘i’s to dot. The worst thing he was likely to face, apart from camp cooking, was those bloody huge Queensland blowflies. Today’s Clancy, on the other hand… Today, the difficulties of travel almost all involve paperwork. Those papers you sign with your “thumbnail dipped in tar” are part of a vast…

SIT DOWN, MATE CORBIN IS THE DUCKS GUTS RICHARD AT SELECT Edge Motorcycle Accessories is the new distributor in this country for the famous Corbin seats. Richard also has a number of other great products available so I suggest you check out his website – www.selectedge.com.au Upon speaking with Richard a couple of months ago he suggested we get a custom made Corbin seat for our long term Kawasaki Z900RS. He took us through the variety of options and asked some questions about the rider – weight, height, type of riding and so on. About a month later the stunning Gunfighter seat turned up at the office, which we duly fitted onto the Z900RS and set about punching up the ‘required’ 2500km. Corbin suggest their seats will not be at…

IN RETROSPECT, I probably shouldn’t have mentioned the rain even though it was pouring down outside the little roadside dairy somewhere near Whakamaru. The response I got was a glare from the bloke behind the counter. “Australia’s hanging onto the High!” he said, neatly blaming my own country and exonerating his for the bloody awful weather. New Zealanders notoriously have a collective chip on their shoulder about Australia and Australians. You see it in T-shirts for sale in tourist shops that say ‘My Dad says I can do anything except play for Australia’ and ‘I don’t care who wins as long as Australia loses’. I’m now going to let you in on a secret. There is no need for any of this. Not only are the Kiwis better at rugby,…

PRICE: $26,390 (plus on-roads) WARRANTY:Three years, unlimited distance SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 15,000km or 12 months ENGINE: Liquid-cooled in-line three cylinder, 4-stroke, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder BORE x STROKE: 79 x 54.3mm DISPLACEMENT: 798cc COMPRESSION: 13.3:1 POWER: 103kW @ 12,300rpm TORQUE: 87Nm @ 10,100rpm TRANSMISSION: 6-speed, wet multi-plate slipper clutch, chain final drive SUSPENSION: Front, 43mm inverted fork, adjustable preload, compression and rebound, travel 125mm. Rear, monoshock, adjustable preload, compression and rebound, travel 125mm. DIMENSIONS: Seat height 820mm, weight 168kg (dry), fuel capacity 16.5 litres, wheelbase 1400mm TYRES: Front, 120/70/ZR17. Rear, 200/55/ZR17 FRAME:Tubular steel trellis BRAKES: Front, twin 320mm discs with radial mount four-piston switchable ABS calipers. Rear, 220mm disc, two-piston switchable ABS caliper. FUEL CONSUMPTION: 7.21 litres per 100km, premium unleaded THEORETICAL RANGE: 228km COLOURS: Nardo Grey, Pearl Ice…

THE KAWASAKI W800 has been around for quite some time. The Bear owned a green W800 a few years ago (you might remember it?) which we improved with a few bits and pieces and changed the suspension settings. Roll on to the present and the W800 now comes in a ‘café’ version – very much suited to those looking to fit into the ‘garage’ theme that’s around at the moment. But the W platform has been around a lot longer than most of the riders who will pop their butt on the brown gunfighter style seat that’s fitted to the Café. The W series Kawasakis kicked off way back in the mid-‘60s and shared some characteristics of classic British parallel-twin motorcycles. It was a 650cc engine which continued until the…

GO TO HELL! YEAH I guess like me you’ve been told that on a few occasions. Well let me invite you one more time! Banjo Paterson didn’t really believe in slagging off the bush. He left it to Henry Lawson to concentrate of the privations, the cruelty, the inhumanity and the harshness whilst he himself mostly romanticised it, almost never trashing any person or any place. But for Booligal he was prepared to make an exception. He gave it both barrels: “…the saying far and wideAlong the Riverina sideIs ‘Hay and Hell and Booligal’ “Oh, send us to our just rewardIn Hay or Hell, but, gracious Lord,Deliver us from Booligal!”” When Super Ten delivers me south on the Cobb Hwy to Booligal in the early arvo the Duke of Edinburgh…

WE RECENTLY HAD Boris give his view (issue #77) on the new Indian FTR1200S from the world launch, but what’s it like back on home turf – we lived with the new FTR1200S for a couple of weeks to find out. With styling of a flat tracker I think the FTR should be a sell-out. From the very first time I saw a picture of the FTR (in pre-production get up) I was sold. There is no other motorcycle available on the market that has the distinct flat tracker style of the FTR and what’s better than looking different to everyone else on their bikes. This does mean, like a number of bikes now going for a distinct look you’re going to be locked into buying a specific type of…

GOLD COAST Harley-Davidson has won the 2019 Australian and New Zealand Harley-Davidson custom motorcycle build-off competition, Battle of the Kings, which returned to Australian and New Zealand shores for the second year. From the 26 participating dealerships across Australia and New Zealand, five finalists were selected by the general public. Each finalist was judged and scored against three categories - character, styling and x-factor - by the carefully selected Battle of the Kings Judging panel made up of experienced industry professionals and ambassadors. Using a Softail Slim as the base model, Gold Coast Harley-Davidson entered their custom motorcycle Hollister Riot into the CHOP category – one of three new design categories implemented for the 2019 build off – to create a masterpiece that pays respect to the old Panheads and…

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 THIS MONTH’S winner, David talks of the love of our big brown land. Well done, mate, send…

THE CURRENT Yamaha R1 has been a hit around the world, winning many championships, pushing for wins in World Superbike and of course being promoted by one of the greats, Valentino Rossi. Two models are available, being the R1 and up spec R1M. For 2020 the main upgrade is to meet the restrictive Euro 5 emissions regulations, but what has that done to the R1 and R1M in real life? I headed out to Sydney Motorsport Park as part of the Yamaha R-Experience track day to give both bikes a blast. Rather than just choke the R1 and R1M to meet Euro 5, Yamaha has redesigned many components to give both bikes more performance – amazing, but true. Some of those new features/redesigns include a redesigned cylinder head, fuel injectors,…

CHRISTMAS MEANS getting fat eating too much food and drinking too much alcohol, it also means it’s time to give pressies to loved ones and friends and what better gift could a motorcyclist get than one from the following selection! SW ROCKY CREEK DESIGNS www.rockycreekdesigns.com.au Motoplug Phone Mount for Wireless Phones - $69.95 Have the latest phone that charges on a pad? Then this phone holder/ charger is for you! It will hold and charge your phone whilst riding, so no need to plug in a USB cable. When your phone has finished charging, simply switch the charger off. Pair your phone to your bike coms and you’ll have “turn by turn” navigation, or listen to your favourite tunes. Comes with an option to mount on a mirror base. Watch…

PRICE: $13,999 (plus on-road charges) WARRANTY:Two years, unlimited distance SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 12,000km or 12 months ENGINE:Air-cooled parallel twin cylinder, 4-stroke, SOHC, 4 valves per cylinder, bevel drive BORE x STROKE: 77 x 83mm DISPLACEMENT: 773cc COMPRESSION: 8.4:1 POWER: 35kW @ 6000rpm TORQUE: 62.9Nm @ 4800rpm TRANSMISSION: 5-speed, wet multi-plate assist/slipper clutch, chain final drive SUSPENSION: Front, 41mm telescopic fork, non-adjustable, travel 130mm. Rear, twin-shock, adjustable preload, travel 107mm. DIMENSIONS: Seat height 790mm, weight 223kg (wet), fuel capacity 15 litres, wheelbase 1465mm TYRES: Front, 100/90/18. Rear, 130/80/18 FRAME:Tubular steel BRAKES: Front, 320mm disc with twin-piston ABS caliper. Rear, 270mm disc, twin-piston ABS caliper. FUEL CONSUMPTION: 4.82 litres per 100km, premium unleaded THEORETICAL RANGE: 311km COLOURS: Metallic Magnesium Gray with Galaxy Silver VERDICT: OLD SCHOOL ENOUGH…

PRICE: From $22,995 (ride away) WARRANTY:Two years, unlimited distance SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 8000km or 12 months ENGINE: Liquid-cooled V-twin cylinder, 4-stroke, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder BORE x STROKE: 102 x 73.6mm DISPLACEMENT: 1203cc COMPRESSION: 12.5:1 POWER: 91.7kW @ 8250rpm TORQUE: 120Nm @ 6000rpm TRANSMISSION: 6-speed, wet multi-plate assist/slipper clutch, chain final drive SUSPENSION: Front, 43mm inverted fork, adjustable preload and rebound, travel 150mm. Rear, monoshock, adjustable preload and rebound, travel 150mm. DIMENSIONS: Seat height 805-840mm, weight 231kg (wet), fuel capacity 13 litres, wheelbase 1524mm TYRES: Front, 120/70/R19. Rear, 150/70/R18 FRAME:Tubular steel BRAKES: Front, twin 320mm discs with radial mount four-piston switchable ABS calipers. Rear, 260mm disc, single-piston switchable ABS caliper. FUEL CONSUMPTION: 7.46 litres per 100km, premium unleaded THEORETICAL RANGE: 174km COLOURS: Race-replica VERDICT: I JUST WANT ONE…

PRICE: $18,890 single colour, $19,590 tri-colour (plus on-road charges) WARRANTY:Two years, unlimited distance SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 10,000km or 12 months ENGINE:Air-cooled V-twin cylinder, 4-stroke, 2 valves per cylinder BORE x STROKE: 84 x 77mm DISPLACEMENT: 853cc COMPRESSION: 10.5:1 POWER: 59kW @ 7750rpm TORQUE: 80Nm @ 5000rpm TRANSMISSION: 6-speed, dry-single disc clutch, shaft final drive SUSPENSION: Front, 41mm inverted fork, adjustable preload and rebound, travel 170mm. Rear, monoshock, adjustable preload and rebound, travel 170mm. DIMENSIONS: Seat height 830mm, weight 229kg (wet), fuel capacity 23 litres, wheelbase 1530mm TYRES: Front, 110/80/19. Rear, 150/70/18 FRAME:Tubular steel BRAKES: Front, twin 320mm discs with radial mount four-piston adjustable ABS calipers. Rear, 260mm disc, twin-piston adjustable ABS caliper. FUEL CONSUMPTION: N/A THEORETICAL RANGE: over 400km COLOURS: Grigio Atacama single-colour, Giallo Sahara tri-colour VERDICT: RIDE TO YOUR…

TIME, MONEY AND all the other things in life have got to me this last month as progress on the Z900 resto has dramatically slowed. All I’ve managed in that time is to fit the seat and restore the unobtanium airbox and while I was there, restored the taillight bracket. If you recall back to the start of this restoration, I mentioned this bike appeared to have been used as a dirt drag bike, which resulted in the carbs being fitted with air filter pods and the airbox chucked out at some time in its life. At the time I purchased this bike I didn’t think this as too much of a problem. I had quickly looked online and seen that you can purchase new/reproduction airboxes; little did I know…