Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2022 i Australian Motorcyclist

AS YOU’RE READING THIS, I have just got off the plane after riding three of the highest motor able roads in the world with Royal Enfield as part of their Moto Himalaya experience. Three small groups from around the world took part. The three Aussies (which includes me) were Group 2, along with seven Indonesians. This has been one of my bucket list rides for such a long time I’m super happy to have completed it. The last bucket list trip I did was riding from Cairns to Cape York. I did that as part of the BMW GS Safari Enduro five years ago. The other bucket list trips I’ve done include New Zealand South Island, which I’ve now done a number of times and an adventure trip in the…

EVER SINCE THE YAMAHA MT-10 was released (around six years ago) I have loved riding each new year model and version – they’re an animal of a bike that makes you giggle like a schoolgirl whenever you twist the throttle. The bike you’re reading about here is the top-level SP version, now even closer to sister, the R1-M, yet higher in spec! That is, until the new R1-M is released shortly… Yamaha’s MT-10 SP has always been more than just a stripped down R1-M with straight bars. It’s the only naked from Japan that can compete on equal terms with the best from Europe in the fun stakes, while costing less. That’s all thanks to the crossplane crank engine’s monumental torque, wailing MotoGP soundtrack and its superbike sister’s lust for corners.…

EVERYBODY MAKES JOKES ABOUT the dud cars that manufacturers have produced over the years. Ford would, I’m sure, prefer to forget the Edsel just as Audi would the Fox. But what about a manufacturer that has only ever made one car… which kept East Germans in jokes for decades? Meet the Trabant, built by VEB Sachsenring in Zwickau, Saxony from 1957 to 1990. I know it’s a car, but it is also a 601cc two-stroke, which sounds like a bike. Here is a starter for the jokes: Why were there so few bank robberies in East Germany? Because you had to wait ten years for your getaway car. But my favourite joke about the Trabant also involves those ten years between ordering a Trabi, and having it delivered. It tells…

OBEYING THE WISHES OF a professional photographer, Murray Sayle poses with the H2R750 that kicked off his wonderful career at Kawasaki. Muz climbs aboard and sits high in the saddle as the gorgeous sunshine highlights the Barry Sheene Festival of Speed (BSFOS) paddock in the brilliant hues of 1970s factory liveries. As the photographer snaps away, Murray grabs the clip-ons and crouches down easily on the tank, then cocks his head towards the lense. It’s an act that brings a big smile to a sometimes stony face, a smile of pure joy not teary nostalgia. These guys aren’t spinning their wheels, they’re still on it When he raced for Team Kawasaki Australia from 1974 to 1977, the taciturn Sayle was forever in the shadow of charismatic Gregg Hansford. Likewise, Steve…

LATE ON DECEMBER 29TH, 1929, when a train pulled into the station at the pub-less Mallee town of Patchewollock a carload of out-of-town plain-clothed narks was waiting in the shadows. They watched as a stack of crates of beer was unloaded from one of the railway wagons and when it was all done one of the D’s headed over and ‘chased’ the bloke in charge for five bottles of Melbourne Bitter and handed him a ten-bob note. Took the beers back to the car, and then returned with his ‘civvied’ mates, busted Thomas Holland for sly grog selling and confiscated the town’s delivery of 1070 bottles of beer and 19 bottles of wine. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you too! A decade later even the local cops had…

TAKE ONE ROYAL ENFIELD Himalayan, strip it by taking the fairing off and fitting a smaller front wheel and essentially you have the new Scram 411. I headed to Queensland for the Australian launch and while I didn’t get to ride the bike for half of the launch (see breakout), my time on the new Scram was enough to discover what it’s all about – a crossover bike that can be used for adventure riding, city commuting and everything in between. Sharing the Himalayan’s 411cc single cylinder Euro 5 compliant engine, the Scram gets along okay, but a bit more power and torque wouldn’t go astray. Another 5kW and 5Nm would transform this bike into something super fun – well, more fun than it already is. Handling, thanks to the…

REMEMBER WHEN JAP BIKES had all the power, but their handling was a bit wayward? No? You are probably too young to know what I’m on about if you’ve been brought up on a diet of Gixxer Thous and R1s. Old blokes like me would remember what it was like to see a Bimota or a Motoplast framed bike, maybe a Rickman Z1000. Heady stuff back in the day. Exclusive and Exotic but also Expensive. Harris was one of those firms, building steel frames from Reynolds tubing. Light and strong they were, and hard to get on this side of the world. Harris never stopped building frames, and right through the ’80s and ’90s their Magnum frames were sought after by ‘Specials’ builders. The power producer of choice was usually…

Suzuki’s raised the adventure bar yet again with a more diversified Suzuki V-STROM 1050 platform that includes – for the first time – a flagship model dedicated to maximising off-road performance with a 21-inch front wheel, switchable ABS and a special gravel traction control mode. The two new-generation models are the V-STROM 1050 and the harder-edged V-STROM 1050DE, which will go on sale in Australia by March 2023. For customers who pre-order, there’s also a mouth-watering hard luggage bonus offer. The V-STROM 1050 will be available in a single livery – Metallic Reflective Blue/Metallic Matt Black – and retail for $22,990 ride away. While there’s a choice of three two-tone liveries on the V-STROM 1050DE – Champion Yellow/Metallic Matt Sword Silver, Pearl Vigor Blue/Pearl Brilliant White or Glass Sparkle Black/Metallic…

Although the great folk at Edelweiss Bike Travel are still enjoying a perfect Indian summer, they’re making plans for 2023. As of today, their full program for next year is online and bookable! And thus, you can book all European motorcycle tours from the 2023 program with a €200 or $250 discount until 31 October 2022 now, just use the online booking code: EBB2023. Meanwhile the brand new 2023 brochure filled with all tours and information you need to know about Edelweiss Bike Travel is on its way to you! If you haven’t signed up yet, jump onto edelweissbike.com/en/form/?c=CAT3 to either order your free print version or if you’d rather have a digital version you can of course download it directly from the website. Edelweiss want to surprise you with…

THERE IS QUITE A lot of competition for the “best motorcycle roads in the world”. I play the game myself, but I am honest about it: I remember that the best roads are generally the most recent ones I have ridden. Thinking about that a few months ago while we were still in the grip of covid, I realised that I could not really be fair because I had ridden relatively few roads and passes in the Alps. Why not? I have ridden through the Alps several times, and I have also spent a bit of time exploring the Dolomites – a section of the eastern Alps, mainly in Italy. But the other trips have all been through the mountains, on the way to somewhere. So I have tackled the…

THIS IS A GREAT little route that takes in some history of a once gold mining town and some beautiful corners. A normally pretty quiet route on most days, which makes it even more relaxing. MOE Moe at the western end of Latrobe Valley is home to beautiful 19th century buildings and heritage sites. Step back in time to the 1850s and visit Old Gippstown, Gippsland’s Heritage Park. Stroll along the streets with authentic old buildings, horse-drawn carriages, agricultural machinery, and a general store. If you’re into walking, walk along the Moe to Yallourn Rail Trail taking in the diverse sites of the bushland, lakes and distant mountain views, as well as the imposing Yallourn Power station. Enjoy the scenic walks of the Edward Hunter Bush reserve or visit the…

HARLEY-DAVIDSON HAS TAKEN ITS Low Rider S (a bike which I love) and transformed it into a travel-happy performance cruiser named the Low Rider ST. It’s a bit of a throw to those bagger racers you see in America, as a sort of bare bones machine with a screen. In creating the ST, Harley used the same engine and chassis specs as the S, so beneath you sits the 117 cube (1923cc) Milwaukee-Eight V-twin. H-D is quoting 168Nm of torque at 3500 rpm for the ST’s beating heart and it’s mated to a beautifully smooth initial throttle response that does a remarkable job of metering the level of torque in a precise fashion. The big free-flowing air filter no doubt contributes to this smooth response. Harleys of the past with their…

The pub currently opens from 5pm until late each day but if you’re coming through with a group of 6 or more, give a couple of days’ notice, and the doors (and the kitchen’ll be opened for you.). Otherwise, meals are on from 6-8pm. There’s just two beers Carlton Draught and Black Fish on tap and a schooner’ll cost you $7.50. Seven rooms available at $60 a night without ensuite and $80 with. All have aircon, a jug and their own fridge. You can throw your swag or tent out the back for ten bucks which is taken off your meal or drinks. Parking is unlocked and open also at the rear. If cracked concrete in the paths is an issue for you, then this is not your place but…

I hate to start this special feature off with a grim outlook, but have you seen someone that’s had their toes ground off because they weren’t wearing appropriate motorcycle boots? Well, they have trouble walking and even balancing depending on just how bad an injury they received. So, wearing proper motorcycle boots to protect those pinkies is a must, and it just so happens that the following are the latest and greatest motorcycle boots you’ll find in the country, from the distributors that want you to know about their product. TCX BOOTS tcxboots.com.au Ikasu Waterproof Boots - $249.95 “Ikasu” is the Japanese term for “revive”. Catch the light just right, and the Ikasu WP Shoes will, indeed, revive your visual senses with their full reflective fabric upper. The Ikasu Waterproof…

OKAY, SO OUR MOROCCO tour for the second time now has been a bit of a non-event. Whatever is behind this – covid, travel restrictions, nervousness or whatever it has been, we’ve now decided to abandon Morocco for the time being with our Readers Tour now going to Italy! I know many of you will be super delighted to join this tour and after speaking with the great folk at Edelweiss Bike Travel, they are super excited for this one too! Just imagine…traditional pizza, pasta, wine, historical sights, beautiful roads and of course, great like-minded Australian Motorcyclist riders. What more could you really ask for? Book now with peace of mind and let’s go have a good time! Edelweiss Bike Travel says… This tour through the land of the Etruscans…

Harley-Davidson turns up the intensity on an iconic styling theme with the introduction of the Low Rider El Diablo model, the latest offering in its limited-edition Icons Collection program. In a nod to an American West Coast custom styling trend, the Low Rider El Diablo model combines lean performance and sport-touring versatility with a stunning panelled hand applied paint scheme and the sonic power of Harley-Davidson Audio powered by Rockford Fosgate. Global production of the model will be limited to a one-time build of 1500 serialised examples, scheduled to be available in Spring 2022, with pricing of $39,995 in Australia and $42,750 in New Zealand.…

‘ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK makes a hard man humble…”, so the song goes. Hard I am not, but humbled I was as I sped furiously through Bangkok city on Royal Enfield’s new Hunter 350. Here I was on a bike designed for city life, and outstandingly capable of doing so. The humbled part comes from witnessing the thousands of motorcycles blasting through the cityscape at seemingly insane speeds, and me being a part of that insanity on the Hunter. All this manic activity was part of the world launch of the Hunter 350, Royal Enfield’s latest, and dare I say it, most modern feeling and looking motorcycle. Five years or so in the making, the Hunter 350 uses the Classic and Meteor 350 as a loose basis. Apart from the J…

Peter Gibb was a Victorian crim who, with another prisoner, Archie Butterley, in March 1993 blew out a second-floor security window of the Melbourne Remand Centre using explosive smuggled in by Heather Parker, a prison warder whom Gibb was behind-bars bonking at the time. Parker had planted a getaway car outside the MRC and was waiting in another car further up the road. Butterley busted a leg descending out the window on the classic rope of sheets. Gibb soon crashed the getaway car, hijacked a motorbike, crashed it also and then shot a pursuing cop, stole his revolver and escaped in (the front of) the police van. (This wasn’t organised crime). The crims met up with Heather Parker, headed north-east and holed up in the Gaffney’s Creek Hotel where they…

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HUMANS ARE NOT BIG fans of change. Change discomfits us. If things are bad, then we hope whatever change comes will benefit us and make things better. If things are good, then we immediately see change as a bad thing. And so we bounce between hope and trepidation. Such is the human condition. Some insurance company even based an ad campaign around our fear of change. It showed what its marketing team saw as a typical Australian family, headed in a typical Australian way by a middle-aged, coffee-sipping, smug-faced Karen staring into the middle distance, while her typical Australia family enjoyed its glorious and joyous life in the house behind her. The tagline? “Life unchanging” – but only if you buy their insurance. It’s bullshit. Of course it is. But…