Innehållsförteckning för #358 19-04 från Just Bikes

After teasing fans for more than decade, Suzuki has finally announced the Katana is returning. Unveiled at October’s Intermot show in Germany, the new Katana follows the ‘Stratosphere’ factory concept from 2005 and last year’s ‘Katana 3.0’ design study that was built by Italian company Engines Engineering. The choice of venue to confirm the return of the Katana was appropriate, as the original was also presented at Intermot way back in 1980. Based heavily on the current GSX-S1000, the new Katana takes that model’s frame, 999cc inline-four engine, transmission, wheels and other componentry and wraps them in a modern take on the classic Katana knife-edged styling. CLASSIC INSPIRATION When the original Katana made its debut in 1980, it looked like nothing else in the two-wheel universe, and riders responded to…

Lambretta Australia has released details of a limited-edition version of the V Special 200 model created in collaboration with Pirelli. The ‘Lambretta Pirelli Limited Edition V Special’ is based on the V Special 200, but adds a unique two tone matte grey/gloss black finish with red highlights and red V Special badges. Pirelli Angel Scooter tyres with highlighted Pirelli logos are standard, as is the Lambretta V Special’s fixed front fender, with each unit also wearing an individually-numbered nameplate. Only 999 units of the Lambretta Pirelli Limited Edition V Special will be produced, 25 of which are allocated for Australia. “I am excited to release the new limited edition Pirelli model,” says Lambretta Australia Brand Manager Goetz Neugebauer. “This model offers an added level of uniqueness for our customers as…

Following a big 2018 event in the Outback that still has participants talking (see JUST BIKES #354), next year’s fourth annual KTM Australia Adventure Rallye will go to the Apple Isle. The 2019 Adventure Rallye returns to a five-day format, with the focus on offering riders a truly memorable week exploring Tasmania and experiencing some of the best adventure roads - tar and dirt - that the Apple Isle has to offer. As well as great roads, the 2019 Rallye will also incorporate many of the state’s “must see” adventure icons: Cradle Mountain, Macquarie Harbour at Strahan, Queenstown, Jacobs Ladder, Western Explorer, Fatman Ferry, The Hazards at Freycinet Peninsula and Bay Of Fires, just to name a few. Open to Orange Adventure Riders with the following eligible KTM bikes: 640,…

In a 2018 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship season marked by firsts and new records, Jonathan Rea has set another, winning his fourth consecutive WSBK championship. The Kawasaki Racing Team rider came into the 2018 season as the hot favourite and despite the introduction of new rules aimed at bringing parity to the field, and a hiccup in the opening round at Phillip Island, the combination of Rea and the Kawasaki ZX-10RR has been virtually unstoppable since. PASSING FOGGY Rea’s fourth championship equals the total achieved by Carl Fogarty in the 1990s, but those championship titles were spread over six years, where Rea’s have been won consecutively. Rea has also eclipsed Fogarty’s all-time WSBK race win record of 59, taking his 60th victory at Race 1 in Brno back in…

This year’s Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) presented by Motul and Pirelli would have to go down as one of the most thrilling in the category’s history. Sure, Penrite Oil Team Honda Racing’s Troy Herfoss won five out of seven rounds on his way to a second ASBK crown, but it was still one hell of a season! RIDER MOVEMENTS In the off-season, Yamaha Racing Team showed three-time ASBK champion Glenn Allerton the door, with Daniel Falzon stepping into the factory squad alongside Wayne Maxwell after an impressive 2017 season with a privateer Yamaha team. Allerton headed back to his ‘old family’ at Next Gen Motorsports to partner last year’s Australian Supersport champion, Ted Collins, on a BMW S 1000RR. Mark Chiodo was another Supersport graduate, joining 2017…

Restorations of classic motorcycles are great for a number of reasons. Firstly, they keep old bikes alive and ensure makes and models from the past are not forgotten. Secondly, they keep a number of specialist services and component suppliers in business, and that’s got to be a good thing, too. Finally, they enable professionals and backyard builders alike the chance to develop their skills in areas from welding to fabrication, electrics to painting, engine building and more. That being said, restorations do have their restrictions. Bringing an old bike back to its original specification means these projects can really only go in one direction - the path is set and once you’ve done one resto, you pretty much follow the same path again for the next one. Custom projects have…

Toby Price is the new FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion after winning the final round of the 2018 championship, the Rallye du Maroc in Morocco. Up against the likes of Kevin Benavides, 2013 World Champion Paulo Goncalves, Adrien van Beveren and dual World Champion Pablo Quintanilla, as well as his own Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team mates in Matthias Walkner and Sam Sunderland, Price prevailed in a tough 2018 campaign. At the first round, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Price finished seventh and Quintanilla won (ahead of Sunderland and Walkner) to take a championship lead he’d hold for most of the season. All the factory teams sat out Round 2 at Qatar, so the next round, the Atacama Rally in Chile, saw Benavides win to tie with Quintanilla on…

Two big attractions at Melbourne’s Moto Expo this 23-25 November will be ‘Crumpy’s City Slide’ and the ‘Baylisstic Scramble Teams Challenge’. Bringing flat track racing to the city, the Baylisstic Scramble Teams Challenge presented by KTM will see twenty legends and all-stars of Australian motorcycle racing in action on a purpose-built track at the Melbourne Showgrounds’ main arena. Each team of five riders, hailing from disciplines including road racing, motocross, dirt-track and speedway, will be vying for $5000 in cash prizes and will take to the track for practice on Saturday 24 November, with racing to be held throughout the day on Sunday 25 November. “I am personally really excited to be able to confirm this event as part of Moto Expo,” said Troy Bayliss. “It creates an incredible opportunity…

Husqvarna Motorcycles Australia has launched a new event for owners of the Husqvarna 701 Enduro to explore their machine’s potential in the sort of terrain it was designed for. To be held on 24-28 February, 2019, in Victoria’s High Country, the inaugural ‘Husqvarna 701 Enduro Trek’ will be a must-do event for 701 Enduro owners. Over four days, riders will cover 1,200 kilometres, taking in Dargo, Dinner Plain, Merrijig, Beechworth and Bright. With long hill climbs, technical descents, river crossings and sweeping trails, the route has been designed to suit first-time adventure riders with limited off-road experience, but optional harder sections for more experienced riders are also included. Husqvarna Motorcycles Australia (HMA) professional riders and special guests will be on the ride, too. Entry is open to owners of a…

Kawasaki unveiled the 2019 version of their ZX6R at the AIMExpo motorcycle trade show in the US this past October, with the popular middleweight sports model gaining a bunch of new features. Expected in Australia sometime in 2019, the new ZX6R is defined by a fresh new look, with revised instrumentation, revised gearing and new rider convenience features on the list of changes and updates. SHARP STYLE Compared the model it replaces, the 2019 ZX6R 636 has a new look from nose to tail. The current 636 KRT Edition was already a good-looking bike, but the 2019 model takes it to the next level, with the sharp-edged, aggressive styling - seen on the ZX-10R and the Ninja 400 released earlier this year - now applied to the middleweight supersport model.…

The original postwar Triumph 6T Thunderbird was launched 1949 and its mission was to crack the US market by giving Americans what they wanted: power. To achieve this, Triumph gave the Thunderbird 650cc parallel-twin that was essentially a bored-out version of the Speed Twin’s 500cc engine. The model remained on sale until production ceased in 1966. The nameplate made a brief return in 1981 in the form of the TR65 Thunderbird. This bike ran a short-stroke version of the T140 Bonneville’s 750cc parallel twin to retain the Thunderbird’s 650cc capacity. The demise of Triumph Engineering in 1983 spelt the end of production. The reborn Triumph Motorcycles reintroduced the nameplate with the launch of the Thunderbird 900 in 1995. Again, this machine was developed to appeal to the American market, but…

BMW Motorrad has become the first motorcycle manufacturer to offer a threeyear, unlimited-kilometre warranty on its full range of new models sold in Australia. Extending BMW Motorrad’s existing two-year protection for most models, the new warranty deal is bettered only by the five-year warranty Yamaha offers on it Star cruiser range. Effective on all models purchased after 1 October, 2018, the warranty includes 24-hour, 365-day roadside assistance within Australia and is also valid worldwide. Any repairs during the warranty period will be carried out by BMW Motorrad service partners and done using original BMW Motorrad parts. “We’re proud to become the first premium manufacturer in Australia to make a three-year warranty standard,” said BMW Motorrad General Manager Andreas Lundgren. “Extending the warranty to three years is a clear sign that…

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez has continued his dominance of MotoGP, wrapping up this year’s championship at Round 16 in Motegi. Marquez came to the Japanese round with the chance to secure his fifth premier class title in six years, but even with a lead of 77 points in the championship, he needed to finish ahead of Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso to make it a certainty. For Marquez, the equation was pretty simple: finish ahead of Dovizioso in a point-scoring position and he’d be champion. If he finished behind Dovizioso, he needed to be no more than two points in arrears. A less-likely combination, Valentino Rossi winning and Marquez finishing fifteenth or worse, would also see the title chase go to the next round at Phillip Island. AT MOTEGI On the…

Ana Carrasco has made motorcycling history as the first female rider to win an FIM solo world motorcycle championship. The 21-year-old from Murcia, Spain, won the 2018 FIM Supersport 300 World Championship (WSS300) after a frantic final round at Magny-Cours in September. Last year, Carrasco was the first female to win an international-level FIM championship race, taking victory at the Portimao WSS300 round, but her racing history stretches back much further, including three seasons in Moto3 and dirt bikes before that. In fact, Carrasco has been riding since she was three years old. In last year’s WSS300 championship, Carrasco finished eighth, but started this year’s eight-round series strongly with a sixth-place finish at Aragon, then fourth at Assen riding for DS Junior Team Kawasaki. The championship charge really started with…

Sunday, 30 September, 2018, saw streets thump and heads turn to the sound of more than 112,000 classic and vintage style motorcycles rallying together for a cause - raising awareness and support of prostate cancer and men’s mental health on behalf of the Movember Foundation. Yep, it was that very special annual event that started in Australia and has gone global – The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride. THE CAUSE AND THE GOAL Close to one million men lose their lives annually from prostate cancer and suicide, so once again, The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride (DGR) called on the community to stop men dying too young, as it has for the past five years. The rides, held in cities large and small, have already become something of an institution in some areas, as…