Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 172 i Australian Road Rider

EDITORIAL A couple of years back, Yamaha kinda shocked the world with the R7, a 75hp twin-cylinder sportsbike (in the HO version for Australia) the likes of which we'd never really seen. It wasn't trying to win any racing class, it wasn't cutting edge in any way, it wasn't as fast as the bike it was replacing in the streetbike line-up. It was, however, a more sensible bike than the R6 it replaced as a streetbike — a little more comfortable, easier to ride and lots cheaper. The R6 continued to be available as a track-only model for Supersport racing. Aprilia surprised with a similar bike, the RS660, a little later, but the Euro bike has more tech and a heftier price tag to go with it. Now there's some…

Benelli has turned its Leoncino 800 into a retro scrambler, a machine with broad appeal — a fun machine for getting around, whether it's along a freeway or down a dirt backroad. It isn't about stove-hot performance, and that's part of its scrambler charm. It's about unintimidating function and timeless style, and there's always a demand for that (look at Vespa scooters). The Leoncino 800 Trail utilises the parallel twin from the 752S, now upgraded for Euro5 compliance. It still retains the same power (75hp) and torque (67Nm) figures as previously. DESIGN NOTES Close inspection of the Leoncino produces quite a few talking points as the blend of Italian design and Chinese manufacturing efficiency has produced something a bit unique. While there's nothing revolutionary about a twin in a trellis…

SPECIFICATIONS ENGINE Type: Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, DOHC, 4-valve, 2-cylinder Capacity: 754cc Power: 76.2hp (57kW) at 8500rpm Torque: 67NM at 6500rpm Bore × stroke: 88 × 62mm Compression ratio: 11.5:1 Fuel system: Fuel injection with 43mm throttle bodies Ignition: ECU — Delphi MT05.3 TRANSMISSION Type: 6-speeds Final drive: Chain Clutch: Wet multiplate, slipper function CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR Chassis: Steel (trellis with plates at rear) Swingarm: Aluminium Front suspension: Marzocchi 50mm telescopic upside-down fork. 140mm travel Rear suspension: Cantilever shock, rebound and preload adjustment (via knob). 140mm travel Front brakes: Radial-mount callipers, 320mm floating dual discs, ABS Rear brake: Single-piston floating calliper, 260mm disc, ABS Front rim: Aluminium spoked tubeless 19" MT3.00" DOT Rear rim: Aluminium spoked tubeless 17" MT4.25" DOT Tyres: Pirelli Scorpion Rally. Front: 120/70 R19 M/C (60V); Rear: 170/60…

ARR TOURING NEW ENGLAND USA TO THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY Maine coast. The journey is as important as the destination. Riders generally pick the best bike road to reach a destination and end up enjoying the journey as much as the destination. Sometimes, the journey itself can be the destination when you head to a specific road to ride it for the sheer pleasure of doing so. It's often difficult to explain this concept to non-riders, who may only see roads as a means of getting from one place to another. They often don't understand the satisfaction motorcyclists experience as they master the challenges of riding that perfect line through a bend on a scenic road and the feeling of being one with the bike. Being out in the fresh…

The Trekker panniers ($1311) and top box ($586) on the test bike are an optional extra, developed in conjunction with Givi. They are large and can carry heaps of stuff — 52 litres for the top box, 79 litres in total for the two different-sized panniers (pipe clearance means the right-side pannier is smaller than the left). Fitting them requires pannier frames (black $461 or stainless steel $547) and topbox sliding carriage kit ($265). For the touring rider, you'd be basically mad not to at least seriously consider some, if not all, of the set. The pannier frames not only accept the factory panniers, they would be suitable for many soft bags as well — and soft bags are great if you're doing serious off-road travel where falling over goes…

As I wound the throttle on over the crest of the hill with the bike still leaned over, the rear tyre started to slide, breaking traction as its ability to hang on was overpowered by the powerful four-cylinder sportsbike. My heart rate was probably shooting up as I backed off slightly, wanting to regain traction without aggressively trying to stop the slide… heart-in-mouth stuff. That experience was a couple of decades ago, at Oran Park riding a Suzuki GSXR1100. No traction control, early-generation radial tyres, the very real chance of a highside crash if the slide had gone too far. After that experience, I nearly highsided a Honda CBR900RR at Phillip Island, getting thrown up in the seat but luckily landing back in it and getting the bike under control.…

MOTORRAD GARAGE WHATS NEW…

A URAL EPIPHANY READER'S RIDE I discovered the quirky Russian workhorse by chance in 2016 by attending an adventure ride run by importer Ural Australia (now based in Uralla, NSW, of all places!). It was a weekend of touring the hidden countryside over tar, gravel and dirt roads; splashing through river crossings and over fords at a steady pace that allowed for the appreciation of the surrounding beauty. On these machines, fast is notan option — it's a completely different way of riding. I had caught the bug! I loved the old-school look of them, the sound of them and the collegiality of the people who rode them. Call it an epiphany if you like. I bought my Ural Ranger five years ago and have done some amazing trips. It's…

LOOKING BACK My unscientific conclusion that bikes reach their lowest value after 20 years inspired me to look up what was good in 2003 — an ugly year for motorcycles. BMW still had the R 1150 GS and K 1200 GT. Ducati's sportsbikes were the stackedheadlight 999 and 749. KTM was on the rise with the 950 Adventure. None of those bikes was particularly good-looking then and they haven't aged well… as far as I'm concerned. If you have one and are in love with it, great! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I've often said you can't see much of your bike when you're riding it — and the ride is vastly more important than the appearance. For me, the good-looking bikes of the period were…

UPFRONT KAWASAKI ZX-4R & ZX-4RR It's been many years since the introduction of a sub-650cc machine into Australia which was not LAMS compliant, but here's one — the 2023 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4R (and 4-RR), a machine perfect for ride days. Australian Road Rider expects it'll also be heaps of fun on a good winding road. Australia largely missed out on the 400cc Supersport craze, which was strongest in Japan, primarily due to licensing laws. We scored 600s, which were great, but essentially got too fast, too high tech and therefore too expensive. 400cc might offer 95 per cent of the fun with less danger at half the price. Not half the cost of the bike — although at an estimated 14-15K, it's well under half the price of some of…

UPFRONT INDIAN SPORT CHIEF Want some classic style to go with sporty performance? The Indian Sport Chief might be the bike for you as the American company equips the new model with high-end performance components. The Sport Chief is designed to handle better and go harder than any other big twin around. Coming to an Indian dealer near you soon, nabbing one will cost $32,995, ride away. If we start at the front, there's a cast 19-inch wheel running a 130/60 Pirelli Night Dragon tyre while at the rear is a 180-wide Night Dragon. Brakes are from Brembo — a pair of 320mm semifloating front discs with four piston calipers and a 300mm rear stopper. KYB upside-down forks control the front end, while Fox Piggyback twin rear shocks are on…

ROAD RIDER TEST 2023 KAWASAKI NINJA 1000SX SPECIFICATIONS ENGINE Type: Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, DOHC, 4-valve, 4-cylinder Power: 104.5kW (142PS) @10,000rpm Torque: 111Nm @ 8000rpm Capacity: 1043cc Bore × stroke: 77 × 56mm Compression ratio: 11.8:1 Fuel system: Fuel injection, 38mm × 4 throttle bodies with dual butterfly valves Ignition: Digital TRANSMISSION Type: 6-speed Final drive: Chain Clutch: Wet multiplate, assist and slipper function CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR Type: Chassis: Aluminium Swingarm: Aluminium Front suspension: 41mm upside-down fork, compression, rebound, spring preload adjustment Rear suspension: Linkage shock with rebound and remote preload adjustment Front brakes: Radial-mount monobloc 4-piston callipers, semi-floating 300mm dual discs, ABS Rear brake: Underslung single-piston calliper, 250mm single disc, ABS Tyres: Front: 120/70ZR17 (58W), Rear: 190/50ZR17M/C (73W) ELECTRONIC RIDER AIDS Brake control (ABS): Yes, Kawasaki Intelligent Anti-Lock System (KIBS)…

OUTSIDE CANBERRA, ACT ARR TOUR "…THERE ARE A COUPLE OF PLACES WHERE YOU CAN PULL OFF THE ROAD AND ADMIRE THE VIEWS…" The flat paddocks you may have noticed beside the Federal Highway north of Canberra are actually Lake George (Weereewa), an endorheic lake, meaning it has no evident natural outflows. Used as paddocks when water is low, the recent heavy rainfalls across New South Wales have filled Lake George, so the wire stock fences now poking out of the water look weirdly out of place. The lake has passed its most recent highs of the mid-1990s and is approaching levels not seen since the mid-1960s. As a Canberra local, a lap of the lake offers and interesting ride. After weaving through the Canberra suburbs to the main roundabout where…

Late last year, the mighty UNEMCC — that’s the University of New England Motor Cycle Club, established in 1978 and still wobbling — got together for another week of riding Tasmania. We’ve done Tassie before and no doubt we’ll do it again. Why? Because there’s nothing quite like pulling laps of the island. Great roads, endless corners, scenery that’d make a Hobbit stand tall and people who are so down to earth they’re still calling each other cobber. Talking cobbers, 44 years we've been riding together. I know that's not a record, but it's a good chunk of a life. When the club kicked off, the only thing we had in common was a love of motorcycles and living it up in Armidale. Over the ensuing decades the lads went…

TRIUMPH TIGER 1200 GT PRO ROAD RIDER TEST On Triumph's website, there are no touring bikes listed: modern classics, roadsters, even a section devoted to the Rocket 3, but not tourers — however there are lots of bikes listed in the adventure section. Like many manufacturers, Triumph has responded to the rise in popularity of adventure bikes while dropping traditional touring motorcycles from its line-up, and the result is that the Tiger 1200 GT Pro is effectively the company’s offering to anyone looking for a touring machine. With more power, more torque, a lot less weight and a comprehensive redesign for this new generation, Triumph believes it has built the best shaft-driven big-bore machines around. For potential buyers, the knowledge it can not only eat miles on freeways comfortably but…

SPECIFICATIONS ENGINE Type: Liquid-cooled, 12 valve, DOHC, inline 3-cylinder Capacity: 1160cc Power: 148bhp (110.4kW) @ 9000rpm Torque: 130Nm @ 7000rpm Bore × stroke: 90 × 60.7mm Compression ratio: 13.2:1 Fuel system: Multipoint sequential electronic fuel injection with electronic throttle control TRANSMISSION Type: 6 speeds Final drive: Shaft Clutch: Hydraulic, wet, multi-plate, slip and assist CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR Chassis: Tubular steel frame, with forged aluminium outriggers. Fabricated, bolt-on aluminium rear subframe Swingarm: Twin-sided "Tri-Link" aluminium swingarm with twin aluminium torque arms Front suspension: Showa 49mm, semiactive damping USD forks. 200mm travel Rear suspension: Showa semi-active damping monoshock, with automatic electronic preload adjustment. 200mm wheel travel Front brakes: Brembo M4.30 Stylema monoblock radial calipers, OC-ABS, twin 320mm floating discs. Magura HC1 spanadjustable radial master cylinder with separate reservoir Rear brake: Brembo…

Pirelli is making the Diablo Supercorsa V4 SP in sizes to suit modern sportsbikes, from small to large capacities, all in 17-inch and all are ZR rated. For the smaller bikes there will be a 110/70 coming in June to join the 120/70 already available. There are eight rear sizes available or coming soon, in widths from 140 to 200 and a variety of profiles. The SC models will be available in a range of sizes to suit most modern track bikes, with 110- and 120-wide fronts and 120- to 200wide rears in a variety of SC1, SC2 and SC3 compounds.…

WHATZ NEW ANDY STRAPZ DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION Twenty-seven years ago, Andy White sat down at an old sewing machine and designed the first Andy Strapz. The Eureka moment came as he strove to come up with a safer and stronger luggage strap so he no longer had to risk his sight using occy straps. As an emergency nurse he'd seen too many injuries and was determined to find something better. Over the years, a similar "mother of invention" pushed him on to develop gear for himself. A universal seat bag he made evolved into A and AA Bagz, which adorn thousands of bikes worldwide. He's also amassed an impressive range of gear that he personally tests and endorses for sale on the Andy Strapz website or in the factory direct…

UPFRONT DUCATI MULTISTRADA V4 RALLY Ducati's range of adventure bikes is filling out with the release of the Multistrada V4 Rally, a longdistance adventure tourer with serious performance and off-road credentials. The headline features include a 30 litre tank and longer travel (approx. 200mm) suspension, but the changes go much deeper. Ducati's engineers built the Rally to be the bike of choice for two-up adventure touring, with efforts to make the pillion accommodation more comfortable while also increasing the bike's load limits. The screen is both taller and wider while the tail lengthened so the luggage mounting points have moved backward to provide more clearance for the passenger's legs. Different height seats are available for both rider and passenger and a suspension lowering kit is available, too. New are closable…

2023 KAWASAKI NINJA 1000SX ROAD RIDER TEST Kawasaki's Ninja ZX-10R could stimulate the senses in a way just short of sticking scissors into an electrical socket. I should know — I've owned a couple of recent models. Incredible, awesome, seriously fast. Despite this (and like the rest of its ilk), it could be sub-optimal in a world of speed limits and potholes. Kawasaki has addressed this weakness with a variation of the 1000cc sports bike theme… the Ninja 1000SX. It's a track-capable bike with a public road focus. Although designed to be more civilised than the ZX10R, the 1000SX is, counterintuitively, faster in some situations. We found it's a machine of fine margins. When all the small design choices come together, the compound effect gives it an almost unique set…

"…THE DENSE RAINFOREST ON THE ARGENTINIAN SIDE OF THE NATIONAL PARK IS THE MOST SCENIC PART OF OUR WHOLE TRIP" With gentle waves, the Atlantic gnaws at the sandy beach of our little hotel in Ribeirão da Ilha. Apart from the soothing lapping of the sea, the small village is peaceful in mid-March. Even in the high season during February, the sheltered bay on the west side of Santa Catarina Island is not overcrowded, although Brazilians, Argentines and Uruguayans storm the party metropolis of Florianópolis (usually just called Floripa for short) and bake in the sun on the sandy beaches. Beyond the bay, the densely overgrown mountains of the mainland rise up. The only thing separating us from them is the city traffic of Floripa, which pours along the spacious…

2023 BSA GOLD STAR LAUNCH ROAD RIDER TEST The ongoing revival of Britain’s historic motorcycle brands has saved the biggest, and in some ways the best, until last. Triumph, Norton, Ariel, Métisse, Brough Superior, Matchless, Hesketh and DOT are just some of the formerly defunct brands from all of Britain’s two-wheeled yesterdays which have already been resurrected at various times over the past three decades to join Royal Enfield, which never actually went away, in the born-again biking section of British motorcycling’s history store. But now it’s the turn of the biggest of them all back in the day, as for the first time in half a century, a BSA motorcycle is now once again available for customer purchase. Once the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer, and erstwhile owner of its…

Adventure tourers are the most versatile motorcycles you can buy. They can carry one or two people in comfort all day and yet can be faster up a winding road than many a sportsbike, happily kicking up dust if the surface gets loose. These bikes on the market aren't the hard-core adventure bikes that handle like oversized dirtbikes in the desert; rather, they're machines that are aimed at touring across roads and tracks marked on maps. Where hard-core adventure tourers take as little weight as possible to keep the handling of their bike as close to unloaded as possible, these are bikes designed to take everything you need for the long haul. Just a few years ago there was a lot of cross-over from the hard-core adventure machines to the…

One iconic American crand of two-wheeled transportation gave birth to the Knucklehead in 1936, the production run ending in 1947. Mind you, they weren't called that back then. That came about in the psychedelic haze that was the 1960s in California, when the overhead valve HD engine was the powerplant of choice for the chopper mob. Ape hangers and knuckleheads have a certain synchronicity. Which brings me to my point; the original two-wheeled Knucklehead is only seen in museums or being punted around on our roads by a few hardy souls these days, but boy, there's a plethora of the two-legged variety and they seem to be breeding. Over the decades we've all come across them out on the roads. Riding overseas has its challenges when getting used to the…

My eyes are still a work-inprogress, thanks for asking. I've been out and about on a few local rides but nothing worth writing about. So I figured I'd take up where I left off back in issue #169 and see if I can drop a few more names and memories along the way. I joined Two Wheels as assistant editor in March, 1988, alongside new editor John Rooth. It was my first full-time job as a cjournalist. There was much I had to learn, like typing on an ancient manual typewriter and how to live on a C-grade journalist's salary. But I loved every minute of it, especially the moment when early copies of each issue would arrive hot off the print presses. A month's work distilled into 88 pages…