Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 33 i Australian Adventure Bike

SCENIC OVERLOAD It never ceases to amaze us how much amazing scenery New Zealand packs into its North and South Islands. While the high country stations of the South Island are best known for adventure riding, the North Island is no slouch either when it comes to eye-popping vistas and terrain to remember for a lifetime. Like these lush green clifftops north of Gisborne, which were part of the recent Yamaha New Zealand Adventure Rally that was hosted by legend Kiwi MX hero Ben Townley. What a view! MAKING WAVES No mistaking New Zealand off-road hero Chris Birch when you see him on the trail at the KTM Adventure Rallye. He’ll be the one aboard a booming KTM 1290 Super Adventure R, up on one wheel, spraying cool, clear Kiwi…

The factory-backed Yamaha Ténéré Spirit Experience rally team, in partnership with Riders for Health (powered by Two Wheels for Life), has unveiled its all-new Ténéré 700 GYTR race bikes at the 2025 season-opening Carta Rallye event in Morocco. And it’s a case of the former World Raid-based T7 race bikes are gone, replaced by brand-new twin-cylinder missiles that are based on the latest 2025 Ténéré 700 Rally model, which is sold exclusively in Europe and the UK. Lining up on the new sky blue bombers in Morocco were long-time Yamaha rally team racer Alessandro Botturi, who was joined by nine-time MXGP winner Gautier Paulin, who would be making his international rally racing debut. Missing from action was Pol Tarres, the hard enduro and rally ace sidelined while recuperating from recent…

Back in 2014, Portuguese motorcycle brand AJP set a cat amongst the pigeons at the Intermot Motorcycle Exhibition when it unveiled the PR7 adventure-cum-rally bike. Powered by a 600cc thumper engine derived from previous Husqvarna/SWM models, the PR7 boasted long-travel suspension, a rally tower/screen set-up and 17-litre under-seat fuel cell. The PR7 looked to answer the prayers of many an ADV rider looking for a lightweight, rally-styled and off-road-biased 600cc single-cylinder adventure bike. While multiple shipments of PR7s did make it to Australia, niggling set-up and technical issues hampered the bike’s penetration into the local market. But now AJP is back, in the hands of new local importer AJP Australia. Dealer representatives have been appointed in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia, and the AJP range includes the latest PR7…

Get ready to fire up those engines and answer the call of the open road for a cause that truly matters! For decades, Variety — the Children’s Charity NSW/ACT has been turning the thrill of motoring into a powerful force for good, channelling the energy of incredible events into vital funds for local kids who need a helping hand. While you might well be familiar with Variety’s legendary four-wheeled adventures, prepare to discover the exhilarating world of Variety’s motorcycle activities with the fast approaching 2025 Variety Adventure Ride. Get ready to explore the breathtaking beauty and hidden gems of the NSW Blue Mountains and New England region on a ride that ventures far beyond the well-trodden path! Picture six glorious days stretching out before you, packed with brilliant trails and…

Tasmania is a state renowned for its adventure riding and motorcycle touring. But how do you find out where to go and what the best places are to visit? That’s where Ride the Byroads enters the picture. Ride the Byroads is a website with supporting app that offers riders two incredible routes through Tasmania, covering a total distance of around 1,755km. There’s an east coast trail from Cockle Creek in the south to Eddystone Point Lighthouse at the north-east tip of the island that covers around 960km. Meanwhile, the west coast trail stretches about 795km from Cockle Creek to the Stanley photo frame in the north-west. Both routes follow back-country and forestry roads, showcasing some of the island’s most stunning scenery. Carefully curated, the trails allow riders to venture off…

EACH DAY RIDERS WERE OFFERED THE CHOICE OF STANDARD OR SPECIAL ROUTES, THE SPECIAL SECTIONS BEING GENERALLY STEEPER AND ROCKIER. The Victorian High Country is not a place for the novice rider. Steep inclines and rocky terrain mean the prospect of hitting a baby head-sized boulder and spearing off into the abyss is real. Climbing up iconic 4WD tracks like Billy Goat Bluff or Blue Rag is a challenge, especially on an adventure bike. And while stalling on a steep hill is annoying on a lightweight enduro machine, it becomes a mission on a kitted-up twin. A mission experienced by many of the 50 riders on the 2025 Tenere Rally as early as the first hill climb on day one! The first part of the event’s opening incline followed the…

Some phone calls absolutely make your day. Like answering the mobile and the conversation starts like this: “Gudday Sprocket, it’s Shaun here from KTM New Zealand. You reckon you could come over here and help sweep the next KTM Adventure Rallye NZ in Southland?” Oh mate, do you reckon? Is this a trick question? How could I say no? Next thing I was hitting the big smoke in Sydney, hooking up with a couple of ace KTM mechanics named Lewie and Bargs, and we were off: Queenstown, here we come! Flying into Queenstown, which is best known as the adventure capital of the world, with the plane slicing down through snow-capped mountains and amazing topography stretching in every direction, I just knew how good the next week was going to…

When you’re a bloke who has won the Australian Safari and run up the sharp end of the Dakar Rally as part of Yamaha’s factory race team, it’s pretty obvious you’re someone who knows what you want in your bike. Queensland’s Rod Faggotter has made a career out of blazing across the outback on bikes that perform just the way he wants them to. From Yamaha’s YZ450F and WR450F thumpers to the Ténéré 700 twin and even the classic XTZ750 Super Ténéré, Rod’s a long-time Yamaha dealer and racer and his entire fleet of bLU cRU machinery is thoroughly dialled. And when we say fleet, we mean it. We’ve joked before that Rod’s well on the way to having a different Ténéré for each day of the week. He’s got…

Atypical motorcycle lead acid battery is made up of plates, lead and lead oxide, plus various other elements used to change density, hardness and porosity, along with a 35 per cent sulphuric acid and 65 per cent water solution. This solution is called electrolyte, causing a chemical reaction that produces electrons. When you test a battery with a hydrometer, you are measuring the amount of sulphuric acid in the electrolyte. If your reading is low, that means the chemistry that makes electrons is lacking. So where did the sulphur go? It’s resting on the battery plates and when you recharge the battery, the sulphur returns to the electrolyte. PRIORITY ONE: SAFETY Now, you have to think safety first when working around and with batteries. The hydrogen gas that batteries make…

The Kabuto Geosys GT Mips is a premium dual-sport helmet, handmade in Japan for supreme comfort and safety. First off, I reckon the Geosys looks tough! It’s sleek, aggressive and made with A.C.T. (Advanced Composite Technology), which sounds fancy but basically means the helmet is strong yet lightweight and looks good. Like other premium manufacturers, Kabuto will not disclose the materials used in the five composite layers, but what we do know for sure is that it’s not ABS/plastic like the majority of helmets on the market. Safety should always be top priority when picking a helmet, and the Geosys does not cut corners. It meets the latest ECE 22.06 safety standards, plus it’s equipped with MIPS, a system that helps reduce rotational forces during a crash, giving you an…

I often tell the story about the time a pack of us were romping south toward Nimmitabel on one of our annual Ride to The Snowy Ride adventures when the back end of my XTZ660 Ténéré started slithering and sliding, and right away I knew it was a flat tyre. Damn it. So I parked up under a tree, hoisted the bike onto the centrestand, got the toolkit out and started to get into the job of a rear tube swap. A few moments later, sweep rider extraordinaire Clive ‘The Professor’ Ward rolled up, took one look at the scene of me on my knees battling to get the axle out and bellowed: “Clubby, move away from the tyre levers!” The Professor is well aware of my form on the…

Everything old is new again — just look at the R 12 G/S that’s recently been revealed by BMW. If you reckon the latest R 1300 GS range might be a little OTT when it comes to technology, gadgets and gizmos, the R 12 G/S could be just the BMW you’re looking for instead. The R 12 G/S is designed to capture the essence of the original R 80 G/S that was released 45 years ago, and we have to say BMW has done an awesome job of doing precisely that. But the new bike is a far cry from the 800cc and 50 horsepower of the original! The R 12 G/S is powered by an 1170cc air/oil-cooled Boxer powerplant that pumps out 109 horsepower at 7,000rpm and 115Nm of…

There are an awful lot of motorcycle tour operators out there now, but when a motorcycle manufacturer throws their weight behind one, you can be confident they’re running a professional operation. GasGas Australia is proud to be a major sponsor of Endeavour Motorcycle Tours, which is run by former hard enduro racer and KTM development rider Kye Anderson and his partner Lesley Flanagan. They’re based on the mid north coast of NSW and offer a range of guided adventure rides as well as private tours and one-on-one and group rider coaching. Kye and Lesley have travelled the world following their respective passions of dirtbike racing, trekking and fitness, but since COVID have been back home in Australia and launched their motorcycle tour operation. Endeavour’s multi-day tours cover the best riding…

KTM Australia is finally making the long-awaited western debut of the 2025 KTM Australia Adventure Rallye, with this year’s edition set to explore the breathtaking south-west region of WA. Starting and finishing in the coastal gem of Bunbury, the exclusive five-day adventure riding event will run from October 12 to 17, bringing together 130 KTM riders for an unforgettable off-road experience. Now in its ninth edition, the KTM Australia Adventure Rallye is all about camaraderie, discovery and two-wheeled adventure. This year’s route will showcase a diverse array of WA’s best terrain — from pristine coastal beaches to winding forest trails — all carefully mapped by expert local route co-ordinators. With two route options available daily — a Main route and more challenging Breakout routes — there’s something for riders of…

BODY POSITION In an adventure riding context, when we talk body position we’re really talking about the standing position. Sure, it’s 100 per cent okay to sit down when the terrain is smooth, you’re checking out the scenery or when you want to add weight over the rear tyre for traction. And while sitting is easy, the standing position is far more complex and difficult to master. For beginners, the standing position can be awkward and challenging. But even experienced riders who are used to standing can definitely improve their standing position to be more efficient and effective. In my 20-plus years of instructing adventure riders, it’s clear that many riders are very stiff on the bike and have a very limited range of motion. I see this as a…

The Ride for Babies event is a key initiative of Kat’s Adventure Motorcycle Ride for Charity and provides a thrilling opportunity for adventure bike enthusiasts to combine their passion for motorcycling with support for a worthy cause. Earlier this year I made the trek from Queensland to join the Snowy Mountains Adventure Ride 2025, one of Kat’s signature fundraising events. Other participants also hailed from Queensland as well as Victoria, NSW and the ACT, with a few returning riders who had attended the inaugural event last year. We got to ride through some of the most breathtaking landscapes across alpine NSW and Victoria, all while supporting newborn babies in need. As ADV rides go, the route for this one was epic! Over the course of four days, riders covered…

Times have been good with the CFMOTO 450MT. Real good. 10,000km of Chinese-made ADV riding goodness, in fact. And the best part of the deal is we’ve barely had to lay a spanner on her over the past 12 months, save for fitting a few farkles to begin with, then routine maintenance in the form of an engine oil and filter change at 5,000km, and regular air filter servicing, which is made all the easier by running Unifilter’s pre-filter set-up. Over the past few issues, you probably would have gathered that we’ve always described riding the 450 MT as fun. At just 450cc she’s no raging powerhouse, of course, but all the power is eminently useable and being a twin, it’s way more comfortable to ride than a thumper…

I’ve been riding with the Leatt 7.5 ADV MultiTour jacket for the past eight months, and it’s fair to say I’ve given it a thorough flogging in that time. Its baptism was a crossing of the tropical north of Australia from Darwin to Broome during a week-long heatwave, with temperatures regularly hitting 40°C. Had I known it was going to be that hot, I would’ve opted for Leatt’s FlowTour mesh-style jacket. The ride was the BMW GS Safari and I quickly discovered that ‘flaps down’ was the way to fly aboard the BMW F 900 GS Enduro I was riding. No, not flaps on the Beemer, but the flaps on the Leatt jacket, as one of the MultiTour’s stand-out features is its excellent ventilation. Two large zippered chest panels and…

Picking an adventure helmet is one of those truly personal experiences where riders put in that extra effort to get it right. You’ll often hear mates diving deep into the details of the helmets they’ve tried — comfort, weight, vision and compatibility with comms systems all come into play. And for some, like Clubby, size is critical: “Yeah, I know you’ve got L, XL, XXL … but do you have KFC bucket size?” The all-new Leatt 9.5 ADV Carbon helmet kit landed on my desk about six months ago. Retailing at a nick under 1,500 bucks, this helmet is firmly in the premium category, but justifiably so. Straight out of the box it impresses with a high-quality carry bag, a pair of Leatt Velocity 4.5 Iriz goggles, a Pinlock 120…

Nugget and his Gaia maps never cease to amaze. There we were, perched on the edge of a steep gorge in the Himalayas, deep in remote north-western Nepal, about 60km from the Chinese border. The drop to the bottom? You may as well have been flying an aeroplane. Nugget points across the valley to a trail clinging to the cliff face and barks: “We could ride that!” I fired back: “That’s a track for mountain goats, you bloody w@nker!” “No, no, we could ride that,” Nugget pleaded. “It’s on my Gaia. Look, see!” Sure enough, the path was accurately mapped. But what didn’t it show? The swing bridge flapping in the Himalayan breeze at an altitude where jets could fly underneath it. I reckoned if you stuffed up the launch…

Honda’s American distributor recently unveiled updated CRF300L and CRF300 Rally models for the 2025 season and the new bikes are expected to arrive in Australia soon. The rock-solid reliable small-bore thumpers, which were originally released back in 2020, have received some important upgrades for 2025, not the least of which is to the bikes’ suspension, which has been known to be on the soft side. The new 300s have scored stiffer shock damping to deliver improved bottoming resistance. The rubber bushing in the upper shock mount has been replaced by a bearing, while up front the 43mm USD forks have also been updated. Meanwhile, a new radiator and fan grille improve engine heat management, while LED headlights and turn signals offer better visibility. Updated graphics round out the changes. Honda…

September 13/14 will be another weekend of celebrating all things adventure riding as the crew from Adventure Moto host the annual Dirty Weekend at Green Valley Farm in northern NSW. Industry displays, riding skill demonstrations, entertainment but most of all catching up with mates for an ale or two will all be high on the Dirty Weekend’s agenda. Plus, it goes without saying there will be some great riding on offer, so look forward to some good times in the saddle. The Dirty Weekend is free to enter. The only expenses you’ll have will be entry and camping at Green Valley Farm, which includes your dinners and breakfasts. For those not staying at Green Valley Farm, you can purchase your meal tickets when you register with GVF on Friday afternoon.…

Royal Enfield has surpassed a historic one million annual sales milestone for the Indian financial year ending March 31, 2025, the highest ever in its history. The record-breaking performance was fuelled by sustained demand for its capable and diverse products in both domestic and international markets. The company posted sales of 1.09 million units in the past financial year, up 11 per cent from FY 2023-24. In March 2025, sales alone rose by 34 per cent. Exports at the same time rose 37 per cent. The Asia Pacific region saw a year-on-year growth of 13 per cent, with market leadership positions in key markets such as Australia, Thailand, Japan, New Zealand and Malaysia. Speaking about the performance, B Govindarajan, Managing Director, Eicher Motors, and Chief Executive Officer, Royal Enfield said:…

There were times through the 1950s and ’60s when fledgling Japanese motorcycle brands were scoffed at. British and European brands ruled the motorcycle roost and the upstart marques from the land of the rising sun weren’t given a chance of ever amounting to much. Well, look where they are now. The big four Japanese brands dominate the global motorcycle market. Honda, the biggest of them all, is on target to produce just over 20 million motorcycles in the current Japanese financial year, and it will make them at 37 production facilities in 23 countries and territories around the world, to sell through more than 30,000 dealers. Honda claims it has a 40 per cent share of global motorcycle sales, and says its long-term goal is to capture a 50 per…

It all began, as these things often do, around a campfire featuring copious amounts of adult beverages: “We need to plan another adventure ride!” Indeed we do. Mitch Martinez and his Baja buddy Pete Schmidtmann were telling stories of their last big adventure ride to the Arctic Circle back in 2023 and decided then and there it was time to do it again. But where to? Since this discussion took place at Mitch’s casita in San Felipe, Baja, the answer to the question was a natural: “Let’s ride to the southern tip of Baja and back!” Thus the plan was hatched. Easy! SPREAD THE WORD Mitch and Pete then began spreading the word. They gathered several veterans of their Arctic expedition together, along with a few other riding buddies and…

The older I get, the faster I was. But you know what else? The older I get, the more the memories fade. And having recently turned 60, the memories are getting pretty distant when it comes to remembering one’s own halcyon days of dirtbike riding that played out 40 and 50 years ago. That’s a bloody long trip back in the time machine. But I do remember Hungry Creek Motorcycle Park pretty well. The place was a slice of dirtbike heaven located in a lush green valley near Wollombi, about 100km north of Sydney. And the memories are good! As an 18-year-old P plater, I can remember clear as day itching for the knock-off bell to fire at work on a Friday afternoon so I could leap into the old…

Depending on where you live and ride, water crossings can be a novelty or a nuisance. They can be fun, but they can be challenging, as they are certainly something that can be messed up and will have severe consequences for both bike and rider. As with all aspects of riding and tackling obstacles, experience is a huge advantage. The more and various type of crossings you conquer, the more confident you will be when you have to take on one. But don’t ever be over-confident, especially if you are riding in remote areas, because you don’t want to risk drowning a bike in the middle of nowhere! When it comes to mastering water crossings, here are some key points you need to consider… CAUSEWAYS These slippery little suckers can…

You know how some products just work and you can tell right away they’re made by crew who know their stuff? That’s how I rank this ADVWorx Gen-2 luggage. It’s seriously pro gear and for the past 12 months it’s done nothing but impress me. I picked up the Gen-2 Trekk saddlebags when I fitted Outback Motortek X-Frame soft luggage racks to our last Yamaha T7 World Raid long-term project bike. The bags fitted perfectly to the racks, which was kind of important! These are the second-generation Trekk 20-litre saddlebags (30-litre versions are also available) from Aussie brand ADVWorx and they come with four self-fastening buckles located at each corner of the bags that attach to the racks, along with two adjustable straps that keep the bags snugly in place…

HONDA’S XL750 TRANSALP ADVENTURE BIKE IS BUILT FOR EXPLORING WIDE-OPEN SPACES. BUT WHEN YOU’RE GEARING UP FOR A SERIOUS ADVENTURE, MAKE SURE YOU START YOUR SEARCH WITH SW-MOTECH LUGGAGE AND PROTECTION PARTS. YOU’LL FIND A RANGE OF RUGGED, WATERPROOF AND TRANSPORTABLE LUGGAGE SOLUTIONS FOR ALL BIKES. FROM TANK BAGS TO LUGGAGE SETS TO LIGHTS TO ACCESSORIES, SW-MOTECH PRODUCTS ARE TRUSTED BY ADVENTURE RIDERS AROUND THE GLOBE. ASK FOR SW-MOTECH AT YOUR FAVOURITE POWERSPORTS DEALER. PROUDLY DISTRIBUTED BY A1 ACCESSORY IMPORTS.…