Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2020 i Australian Motorcyclist

PRICE: $25,390 (ride away) WARRANTY:Two years, unlimited distance SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 16,000km or 12 months ENGINE: 1200cc liquid-cooled cylinder, 4-stroke, 97.6 x 80mm bore/stroke, SOHC, 4 valves per cylinder POWER: 77kW @ 7500rpm TORQUE: 112Nm @ 4250rpm TRANSMISSION: 6-speed, wet multi-plate assist clutch, chain final drive SUSPENSION: Front, 43mm inverted fork, adjustable preload, compression and rebound, travel 120mm. Rear, monoshock, adjustable preload, compression and rebound, travel 120mm. DIMENSIONS: Seat height 810mm, weight 197kg (dry), fuel capacity 14.5 litres, wheelbase 1415mm TYRES: Front, 120/70/ZR17. Rear, 160/60/ZR17 BRAKES: Front, twin 310mm discs with radial four-piston ABS calipers. Rear, 220mm disc, two-piston ABS caliper. FUEL CONSUMPTION: 5.59 litres per 100km, premium unleaded THEORETICAL RANGE: 259km COLOURS: Jet Black, Matt Storm Grey and Silver Ice VERDICT: Plain and simply gorgeous…

BEFORE YOU CURSE, SNIGGER and turn your back on an electric bike you need to get your head out of the same old weeds and realise the Harley-Davidson Livewire is a new form of technology that is in its early stages and, well, to sum things up, H-D has gone out on a limb to offer you a motorcycle that is far better than you could imagine. I’ve never had much luck with electric bikes and for me to come away from the one day launch around Sydney with a changed mind should prove the point. The Livewire isn’t just a half arsed attempt – H-D really has put a lot of research and development into this bike – one of the reasons it’s taken a few years to finally…

YAMAHA’S TIDDLER, THE R15, has been around for a few years now. You might have had your Uber Eats delivered by an R15 as it’s a popular choice among the Uber riders. For 2020 this latest model (Version 3.0) has been totally revised. The main talking point of the new R15 is the engine. A high-compression, 155cc single-cylinder engine delivers claimed class-leading performance thanks to the new Variable Value Actuation (VVA) system, producing more power and torque than ever before. The cylinder head features a single cam that actuates the four valves. The rocker arms on the inlet valves shift between two lobes, one profiled to suit low rpm running, and another with a more aggressive lobe profile for high revving performance. The rocker arms are switched between the two…

SIND SIE DEUTSCHER?” SAID Frau Lindner. “Ja,” I replied, intent on keeping things simple. wissen Sie das?” “Die Aufkleber auf Ihren Satteltaschen sind meistens von Deutschland.” Aha. The stickers on the F 750 GS’s panniers had given me away. I’m not actually German – any more – but I do go back to the Old Country regularly and I can’t resist collecting stickers that remind me of my ancestry. I should say I did go back; the virus has locked me up in Australia as it has most people except ex-PMs who will, with a bit of luck, stay away. Don’t extract too much about my politics from my distaste for Tony Abbott. I’m one of those unfortunates who is to the right of Genghis Khan where his left-wing friends…

“For of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these: ‘It might have been!’”JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER HERE WE GO. FAMOUS people give you – yes, you! – advice on how to run your motorcycling life. Knowing how useless most of them were at running their own lives should not make you despair. Well, not yet. What’s that quote about the saddest words being “it might have been”? It’s all too true, says The Bear, although “pen” does not really rhyme with “been”. Many years ago, when the author John Steinbeck felt old age creeping up on him, he invented the camper van. No kidding, he really did. He bought a small truck and had a caravan built onto the back of it; nobody else had ever really…

Thursday Perth to Kalgoorlie 661kms Good friend John Bristow (J.B.) (70) 2017 Triumph Tiger Sport 1050 and I , Paul Church (67) 2009 Suzuki Bandit GSF 1250 SA set off on a small adventure. Prior to this we had prepared the bikes, fitting top boxes and panniers to both. The top boxes just had essentials like first aid kit, water bottles, visor cleaning microfibre cloths, toilet rolls and hats. A small number of tools was under the seats, which most bikes have a little bit of room for there. Don’t forget the chain lube either; we did the chain oiling as a ritual each night. I left home in Edgewater, a northern suburb of Perth and met up with J.B. at his home in Beechboro, an eastern suburb of Perth.…

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. SALES INCREASE Hi Stuart, Referring to your comment on the increase in motorcycle sales during ‘The Pandemic’ (September 2020) I’m…

WHEN IT COMES TO places around the world to ride motorcycles, there are so many possibilities for epic riding, sensational scenery and fascinating culture. To help you pick through and inspire you to get out and find your ultimate riding adventure, we’ve compiled destination guides for some of the best places in the world to ride your bike. Guatemala; here is one of the warmest, most welcoming places you could hope to visit, with some breathtaking scenery to boot. A skyline dominated by volcanoes surrounds fascinating ancient ruins and colonial architecture; and some incredible towns and villages. The riding offers an engaging mix of flowing mountain passes and rougher roads, shared with the occasional local driver urging a dilapidated pickup truck up the side of a mountain, stacked with as…

PRICE: $49,995 (ride away) WARRANTY: Five years, unlimited distance SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 12 months MOTOR: Internal Permanent Magnetic Synchronour Motor with Water Jacket Cooling POWER: 78kW TORQUE: 116Nm TRANSMISSION:‘Twist and Go’, belt final drive SUSPENSION: Front, 43mm inverted fork, adjustable preload, compression and rebound, travel 115mm. Rear, monoshock, adjustable preload, compression and rebound, travel 115mm. DIMENSIONS: Seat height 780mm, weight 251kg (ready to ride), wheelbase 1490mm TYRES: Front, 120/70/ZR17. Rear, 180/55/ZR17 BRAKES: Front, twin 300mm discs with radial four-piston ABS calipers. Rear, 300mm disc, twin-piston ABS caliper. BATTERY CONSUMPTION: Claimed 152 – 235km depending on mode and type of riding COLOURS:Vivid Black, Yellow Fuse, Orange Fuse VERDICT: Embrace the new addiction…

PRICE: $4799 (ride away) WARRANTY:Two years, unlimited distance SERVICING INTERVALS: Every 10,000km or 12 months ENGINE: 155cc liquid-cooled single cylinder, 4-stroke, 58.0 x 58.7mm bore/stroke, SOHC, 4 valves per cylinder POWER: 13.7kW @ 10,000rpm TORQUE: 14.1Nm @ 8500rpm TRANSMISSION: 6-speed, wet multi-plate assist/slipper clutch, chain final drive SUSPENSION: Front, telescopic fork, non-adjustable, travel 130mm. Rear, monoshock, adjustable preload, travel 97mm. DIMENSIONS: Seat height 815mm, weight 138kg (wet), fuel capacity 11 litres, wheelbase 1325mm TYRES: Front, 100/80/17. Rear, 140/70/17 BRAKES: Front, 282mm disc with two-piston caliper. Rear, 220mm disc, single-piston caliper. FUEL CONSUMPTION: 3.60 litres per 100km, premium unleaded THEORETICAL RANGE: 305km COLOURS: Racing Blue, Thunder Grey VERDICT: Uber hot!…

YEP, ITS’ STARTING TO heat up again as summer fast approaches. I’ve already swapped over to a mid-season jacket and summer gloves to combat cold mornings and warm afternoons. Within a month, or about the time you’re reading this it will be time to dust off the summer gear and see what you’ve got and whether the moths have eaten any holes in it, or it stinks so bad you’re embarrassed to wear it. That all means you should be looking at what the various distributors who sent info into us want you to know about and consider buying for your summer riding. Check them out at your local bike shop or online! MACNA macnaridinggear.com.au or your local bike shop Cool Vest Dry Evo – $249.95 Based on a simple…

MANY OF YOU READING this would have modified your own motorcycle in some way, often every motorcycle you’ve ever owned has got your personal touch, so to speak. But how many would have the internal fortitude to put a turbo on a motorcycle? Some have tried, more often than not failing, because the road to turbo heaven is littered with melted pistons and melted minds. Derek Henderson decided to have a go and came out the other end with a great bike and his mind intact. Here’s Derek’s own take on his Turbo ZRX1200R Kawasaki. CP I GREW UP IN THE late ’70s and ’80s, let’s say 77 to 87 being my formative years in motorcycling, when aged 15 to 25. That’s my period and the models I lusted after…

IT HAS BEEN a couple of years since we held an Australian Motorcyclist Magazine Tour but our great association with Paradise Motorcycle Tours has got the brains – Stuart (AMM) and Mike (PMT) - together to come up with our next tour: The Rider’s Tour! This is a tour that is NOT to be missed. It really is going to be that good. Not only will the tour be covering a lot of the best of the South Island, but the cream is we’ll be tying it in with the Burt Munro Challenge – four days of blow your mind racing events, motorcycles, and simply old fashioned motorcycling fun. Before we get into the details, if the first paragraph had you saying, “I’m in already!” well, do not delay and…

NO, SERIOUSLY, THIS IS about lunch at the pub. Not just any pub, either, but the one at Quindanning which has long been a favourite with motorcyclists of different types. But just riding down to Quindanning would be a bit too obvious. Let’s make a real ride out of it – say six hours without the time you spend over lunch. And let’s take in some enjoyable roads while we’re at it. I know that Sandgropers don’t really need to get away as badly as their more easterly compatriots do because the plague has not settled in nearly as badly, but who needs an excuse for a ride? Especially a day ride which can become a little demanding. The most obvious place to start is in Victoria Park, just below…

THIS MONTH’S WINNER IS Richard who is part of a good cause. Email me your t-shirt size and mailing address, mate. SW BLOODBIKES I represent a volunteer organisation called Bloodbikes Australia, and am the Sydney area Coordinator. The Bloodbikes movement, actively operating in the UK for many years, is now in Australia and supporting the Mater Hospital in Brisbane working with Deb Hornsby GM Mater Pathology (Deb.Hornsby@mater.org.au) and her staff. At this stage, Bloodbikes Australia dovetails into the current blood distribution system. Bloodbikes Australia transports Blood when: • all other methods are exhausted, saving the expense of taxis and • the lane filtering ability of motorcycles allows for reduced delivery time during heavy traffic. To date Bloodbikes Australia has delivered blood for use in surgery as well as transfusions for…

IT’S ALL WELL AND good to create a motorcycle that’s amazing to look at, which Triumph has done with the current Thruxton, but giving it some go, and I what I mean by “go” is “go bloody fast”, is another thing. But that’s what you get with the new Triumph Thruxton RS. The original launch of the current shape Thruxton was at a private race track at Murray Valley in northern VIC. A great little track that takes a little bit of learning to get the quick change of direction changes perfect for a quick lap time. I got to thrash the original Thruxton around there a few years ago and found it such a fun bike to ride. When I heard about the new RS version, I was wetting…

SO, ANYWAY THERE’S NO mine, no diggings, without their mullock piles and noodling for good pubs is no different – clichéd themed oh-so-cute and quaint joints with transient staff and oblivious management with zero-care factors about the organic entity of which they are briefly a part, are the inevitable slag piles of fossicking for the gems of the outback hotel landscape. A few years back I was told live on air during an interview on Darwin breakfast radio, by the manager of a pub in the Territory, that I should visit ‘her’ pub so I could do a yarn about it. “Emma, I’ve actually been to the Daly Waters Pub three times and there’re reasons it’s not in the book. Can I ask you the same questions I’ve asked each…

THIS MONTH’S MAP IS all about one section of this route – Storys Creek Road. It is used as one of the timed sections for Targa Tasmania and if it’s good enough for tin top drivers, it’s even more reason for a motorcycle and you riding it to enjoy it. The rest of this route is awesome as well. The first section is a little ho-hum but there’s nice countryside to see. LAUNCESTON Launceston is Tasmania’s second major city and a vibrant hub for food and wine, culture and nature. In fact, the whole region is packed with city and country charm, gorgeous old towns, excellent food and wine and beautiful scenic highlights. Also one of Australia’s oldest cities, Launceston has one of the best-preserved early cityscapes in Australia with…

LET’S GET AUSTRALIA MOVING again with a better deal for Powered 2 Wheelers!” says Stuart Strickland, ex-MD of Honda MPE. We need our Federal and State Governments and Councils of Australia to get Australians moving again! Lower the cost of Powered 2 Wheel Registration & CTP ($50 - 50cc; $100 – LAMS; $200 - Open). Standardise Powered 2 Wheel Registration and CTP Australia-wide. LA category vehicles should be able to be ridden on a car licence Australia-wide. Incentivise commuters to purchase electric powered 2 wheel transport through green fund rebates (as per current solar rebates) and no stamp duty charges. Provide a national exemption from motorway, bridge and tunnel toll charges. Make parking free and allow footpath parking as long as public thoroughfares and walkways are not compromised. There is…

INCLUDED 14 day tour 13 nights’ accommodation 12 days’ riding including 4 at the Burt 9 breakfasts Welcome drinks Lead Rider Tour Guide Support Vehicle with 8 passenger seats and tour guide Farewell Dinner and celebration of the tour Entry to all Burt Munro Challenge events including live music Turbo ticket to Motorcycle Mecca and Bill Richardson Transport World Milford Sound Cruise Paradise Cap Burt Munro Challenge commemorative T-shirt. Not Included - anything not listed above.…

GETTING RAPID Honda CB1300S Having now fitted up the Rapid ECU to the big bad CB1300S I’m rather impressed with the increase in performance. The Rapid ECU does have a lot of features, but one that I was especially hoping I could use was the self learning feature. This changes the fuelling as it learns how you ride. Unfortunately the CB1300S doesn’t have an oxygen sensor in the exhaust, so this feature will need an O2 sensor welded in there. However, after speaking with the Rapid Bike ECU guys they feel I’d be wasting my time when the ECU has already been set for the slip-on muffler and air intake mods I’ve done, and having access to the tuning software I can refine the tune if I feel like it.…

GIVEN THIS MAGAZINE’S DEMOGRAPHIC, it’s unlikely any of you have ridden a superbike lately. Or even a supersport 600. I swear, Editor Woodbury seems like one of those gigantic nurses in a retirement village at times. And that’s fine. I’m not having a shot. After all, I’m just a year shy of the big six-o myself. So, it’s not like I’m out cutting sick laps on the latest 200-plus horsepower track-weapon all that often either. But I did the other day, and it was, as always, revelatory. The bike in question was a 2020 Yamaha R1. But you could substitute any brand, because at the pointy end, they are all much of a muchness to the Great Unskilled and Unwashed – of whom I am one, though I am probably…