Innehållsförteckning för #346 18-05 från Just Bikes

Kawasaki used October’s Tokyo Motor Show to formally unveil their new Z900RS. The retrostyle companion to the Z900 naked (JUST BIKES #345) has been launched to take on Triumph’s Bonneville, BMW’s R nineT and the Yamaha XSR900. Based heavily on the Z900 naked, the RS takes that model’s inline four-cylinder engine, six-speed transmission, ABS braking, suspension and traction control, but adds a modified frame, different handlebar and seat, as well as unique tinware, trim, instrumentation and colours inspired by the original Z1 from 1972. SOFTER, SMOOTHER The Z900RS uses the same liquid-cooled 948cc four as the Z900, but lowers the compression ratio to 10.8:1, adds a heavier crankshaft and reprofiled camshafts for a more relaxed power delivery and focus on low- to mid-range torque. Below 7,000rpm, the RS engine actually…

Royal Enfield’s first modern twin-cylinder motorcycle has been revealed, making its global debut at Royal Enfield’s Technology Centre in the UK on 5 November before its public presentation at the EICMA show in Italy. NEW, NEW, NEW To be offered in two versions – Interceptor INT 650 roadster and Continental GT 650 cafe racer – the new 648cc parallel twin is of a single overhead cam design, with a 270-degree crank, 9.5:1 compression ratio, air-oil cooling, fuel injection and TCI ignition. Listed output is 35kW and 52Nm. Compared to the 535cc single used in the current Continental GT, the 650 twin offers 61 per cent more power and a little over 18 per cent more torque. The new engine will be offered in the same state of tune for both…

Ever since Big Arnie jumped a Harley- Davidson Fat Boy off a freeway overpass into a Los Angeles storm-water drain in Terminator 2 – Judgment Day, the Fat Boy has been hot property. Over the years, the Fat Boy has been one of the best selling Harleys in Australia and, along with the more recent Breakout model, has helped ensure that the H-D brand continues to do well Down Under. So, when Harley-Davidson replaces the entire Softail range – the Fat Boy and Breakout included – you better believe the eyes of the H-D faithful are upon the Milwaukee-based manufacturer. And not everybody seems entirely happy about the move. WHY ALL THE HAND WRINGING? It’s not that the Softail line-up wasn’t ready for a freshen up; the range could trace…

Australia’s Jason Doyle is the new FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Champion after wrapping up the 2017 SGP title at the final round. Doyle had led the championship for most of the second half of this year’s 12-round SGP season and came to the finale - the QBE Insurance Australian FIM Speedway Grand Prix at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium -with a 14-point lead, but the 32-year-old knew that nothing was guaranteed. Melbourne would hold mixed feelings for Doyle, having missed the finale last year after crashing out of the championship lead at the penultimate round, while at the first Australian SGP in 2015, a serious crash saw Doyle hospitalised with a broken neck. Coming into this year’s Australian round, Doyle was carrying multiple fractures in his right foot, which he has…

A Vincent Black Lightning with significant Australian history may be lost to this country when it goes to auction in the US in January. The ‘Jack Ehret’ 1951 Vincent Black Lightning will be auctioned by Bonhams at their upcoming Las Vegas sale, and given its rarity and provenance, is expected to pull a strong sum. So named because it was used by Ehret to set a new Australian land speed record of 141.5mph (226.4kph) in 1953, the Black Lightning was originally built to special order for Tony McAlpine and delivered new to Australia in 1951. Believed to be one of only 30 such 998cc machines built by Vincent, Black Lightning #7305 carries similar significance to the Rollie Free bike of the same era. Before it was shipped to Australia, McAlpine’s…

One of the many motorcycle debutants at EICMA this year was the V85 adventure tourer from Moto Guzzi. A continuation of the V65 and V75 Baja models from the 1980s, and a replacement for the Stelvio 1200 that was discontinued last year, the V85 is said to also serve as the basis for future Moto Guzzi models in other categories. Powering the V85 is a modified version of the 850cc transverse v-twin used in the V9 road bike. But where that air-cooled engine outputs 44kW in the V9 Bobber and Roamer, Moto Guzzi claims 60kW in this new application thanks to a complete redesign. The V85 also features an entirely new steel trellis frame that’s claimed to deliver on-road handling and precision, as well as off-road toughness. An aluminium swingarm…

Following the R nineT custom project of 2014 (JUST BIKES #307 – December, 2014), BMW Motorrad turned to Japan again, specifically Heiwa Motorcycle in Hiroshima, when they wanted a new take on the R nineT Scrambler. If you remember the quartet of BMW builds created back then, as well as the wild pair of K 1600GTL-based customs produced by Hot Dock Custom Cycles and Ken’s Factory in 2015 (JUST BIKES #317 – October, 2015), you’ll know Japanese creativity is second to none, so the pressure was on Heiwa to maintain that standard. HUNDREDS FROM HIROSHIMA Founded in 2005, Heiwa Motorcycle is the result of Kengo Kimura’s passion for customising, which stretches back to when he was a service mechanic at a new bike dealership and spent his spare time making…

BACKPACKS If you don’t have to carry a lot of gear around or you’re not keen on fitting luggage to your bike, then a backpack is the obvious cargo carrying solution. Of course, backpacks come in all shapes and sizes, but if you’re going to wear one when you’re riding then there are several important things to take into account when choosing the right pack. Your backpack shouldn’t interfere with your body movement. The straps should fit comfortably over your shoulders when you’re sitting on the bike and should not exert so much weight that they affect your ability to steer or look around. A waist strap can help take some of the weight off your shoulders but if you’re hauling that much gear you probably need different luggage solution.…

Following the incorporation of the Dyna and Softail ranges under one platform (JUST BIKES #343), Harley-Davidson has revealed a new addition to the Softail range for 2018 – the Sport Glide. The ninth member of the new Softail family, Harley says the Sport Glide is a bike that can do it all – cruise, commute and tour. With the latter in mind, a small front fairing and lockable panniers are standard, but both items are of the quick-release type, making conversion to a cruiser easy. The compact handlebar-mounted fairing is in the Harley ‘batwing’ style and includes a 1.5-inch windscreen, but for those that plan on regular touring, this can be swapped for an optional 5.5-inch screen. The panniers hold 22.5 litres combined, are lockable, come with damped clamshell lids…

While KTM’s presence at this year’s EICMA show was primarily devoted to the presentation of the production version of the 790 Duke and a 790 Adventure R prototype, the show also saw the public reveal of the allnew version of the 450 Rally racer which Toby Price will – maybe – campaign in the 2018 Dakar this coming January. The product of two years’ development, the latest 450 Rally features a new frame, new bodywork and new 450cc single-cylinder engine with a new engine management system and revised throttle body. The result, says KTM, is better peak performance and improved throttle response. Described by KTM as being faster and lighter than the previous version, as well as more agile and stable, the new machine was ridden to victory by Matthias…

In only his second full year in the series, Lucas Mahias has won the 2017 FIM Supersport World Championship, claiming the title at the final round in Qatar on 4 November. Riding for the GRT Yamaha Official World SSP Team, Mahias started the 2017 season with a thrilling race at Phillip Island, where he was just beaten in a photo-finish. The Frenchman’s first race win came at Aragon in April, and while he won only one other race for the rest of the season, a string of podiums kept him in championship contention. Five-time WSS Champion, Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) stood in Mahias’s way and looked likely to claim after a sixth title, despite missing the first two rounds and being taken out of the race at round 3.…

While I kinda liked how the Suzuki Bandit did its thing, it was, by any measure, a profound eyesore of a motorcycle. The big one was inherently engaging – it was a 1200cc naked bike, and while it looked like a smashed crab… well, it was a 1200cc naked bike. The smaller-capacity ones had no such thing going for them. So I used to look through squinted eyes at the outgoing GSR750 (pseudo Bandit) with a benign indifference. It was neither fish nor fowl, did nothing amazingly well, did nothing badly, but lacked a certain je ne sais quoi. Suzuki still sold a few, though. But people who wear cardigans don’t normally have nethers worth tickling. But there are some very non-cardigan things happening at Hamamatsu of late. A BETTER…