Innehållsförteckning för #318 16-03 från Just Bikes

Northern Ireland’s Jonathan Rea has won the 2015 eni FIM World Superbike Championship after dominating the competition this season. Rea, who only joined the Kawasaki Racing Team this year, was a force to be reckoned with right from the opening round at Phillip Island, where he had a 1-2 finish. Since then, the 28-year-old finished on the podium at every race of the nine rounds that followed, so only needed one top-ten finish at Jerez’s Round 11 to secure the title. While fourth place in the first race at Jerez was more than enough to claim the championship, it actually broke Rea’s string of consecutive podium finishes this season! Rea followed with another fourth place in the second race. Rea, who spends summers here with his Australian-born wife, is now…

Harley-Davidson Australia have announced their full locallyavailable range and pricing for 2016. Comprising 30 separate models, the MY16 lineup is in dealerships now. The LAMS-approved XG500 Street 500 is the new entry-level Harley, listed at $10,750 rideaway. ‘S’ models are the main new additions to the range, which command prices of $28,995 (Softail Slim S) and $31,495 (Fat Boy S). Rideaway pricing for the full Harley-Davidson MY16 range is listed below:…

“Yamaha says this is the most advanced long-travel suspension ever offered on a production off-roader.” The sports ATV market in Australia may not be as big as it is in the US, but it is growing, as evidenced by the popularity of models from Polaris and Can Am, as well as the arrival of Arctic Cat to the local market. With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that Yamaha’s new player in the sports ATV arena – the YXZ 1000R – will be coming here in 2016. Officially unveiled at a dealership and media launch event in California on September 1, the YXZ 1000R is Yamaha’s first pure sports Side-by-Side (SxS) ATV and will compete against the likes of the Polaris RZR and Can Am’s Maverick in…

Motorcycling, like life, is full of uncertainties. But when it comes to motorcycle tests, one thing is certain: I can’t pick the weather. Last time I tested a bike, it was the coldest July in 30 years. This time around, it must have been Sydney’s wettest week. Ever. Riding in the rain can be great, it ain’t THAT great, so my first few days with Yamaha’s MT-07HO were spent admiring it in the garage. TWIN SIBLINGS ‘HO’ stands for High Output, which in this case means the full-fat version of the Yamaha parallel twin engine, not the lower capacity MT-07LA version that was specifically developed to suit the local LAMS market. Essentially the same as the FZ-07 available in other markets, the HO’s 689cc capacity and 11.5:1 compression ratio puts…

After a four-year absence, Yamaha will return to World Superbike competition in 2016, with the new factory team headlined by 2014 World Superbike Champion Sylvain Guintoli and 2013 British Superbike champ, Alex Lowes. Yamaha Motor Europe will be responsible for overall strategy, rider agreements and technical development on the YZF-R1 race bikes, while Crescent Racing’s hugely experienced racing personnel will run the team’s operation at each of the Championship rounds. With a history of involvement in Suzuki’s efforts in MotoGP and British Superbikes, Crescent Racing will make the switch from their current responsibilities with the VOLTCOM Suzuki squad in WSBK (with rider Lowes) to operate the revived Yamaha factory outfit, while sponsorship will come from snackfood company, PATA, current sponsors of the Honda World Superbike team. Yamaha Motor Europe are…

Yamaha’s 60th birthday celebrations are continuing in Australia, with the roadshow tour to visit a bunch more dealerships, destinations and events throughout the country this year. Yamaha Motor Australia’s travelling roadshow truck brings a big selection of new and classic Yamaha bikes to each event, with the mix of models and eras defined by the market and event that the truck visits. The first event took place at Chris Watson Motorcycles in Cessnock, NSW, in August and focussed on off-road bikes, with the display including the first YZ - a YZ250 owned and ridden by Stephen Gall back in 1974, Yamaha’s first monoshock machine (YZ250), first Dakar winner (XT 500), rare WR 450F ‘2Trac’ 2WD machine, and the brand’s first dual purpose motorcycle (DT1), amongst others. Special guests are part…

Thanks to the arrival of ‘BrakeFix’, the days of using cable ties to secure your bike’s front brake are over! Wrapped around the throttle grip and front brake lever, adjusting the BrakeFix applies light pressure to the front brake lever, preventing your bike from rolling forward/backwards and potentially falling over. A great new safety feature, especially when moving and securing bikes around kids, BrakeFix works on all sorts of bikes, including quadbikes, while the compact size means it stores easily in your toolbag or under your seat. Available at good bike stores, AceBikes BrakeFix costs $17.95 RRP. Visit proaccessories.com.au…

AKTM is rarely the first choice for a café racer custom build. Let’s face it – it’s not usually the second, third, fourth or fifth choice, either! But when a customer wants a KTM turned into a custom street café machine, what the customer wants, the customer gets! The customer in question approached Brisbane’s RedStar Garage in September, 2013, with a fairly loose brief and what was certainly a challenge. “His brief was ‘I want something raceish, but with some cafe racer styling, yet a modern feel’,” explained RedStar Garage’s main designer/builder, Marty Towers. While RedStar Garage have a lot of experience – over 100 years combined - in the fields of design, engineering, fabrication, paint and electrics, virtually all of that has been on British bikes, so a KTM,…

After claiming back-to-back motocross and supercross championships in 2013-14, Suzuki Australia announced on September 25 that they will close their Motul Suzuki MX team at the end of this year. The decision was made to allow for the implementation of new marketing programs across the breadth of the brand’s motorcycle and ATV range, with Suzuki’s National Marketing Manager Lewis Croft saying that the changes will actually increase the number of RM-Z motocross race bikes in competition. “This was not an easy decision to make, but one necessary to move forward with our strategic direction for the company,” said Croft. In almost two decades of competition, the Suzuki MX and SX teams, led by Team Manager Jay Foreman, won four Australian motocross and six Australian supercross titles, with talent like Daryl…

Last minute guide The 2015 Pramac Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island kicks off just after this issue hits the stands. If you haven’t got yourself sorted for this must-do event on the motorcycling calendar, here’s a quick rundown on the remaining ticketing options available. NOTE: The following information was correct at time of printing, but please check the availability of all these options – at motogp.com.au -before you make further plans. 2015 Pramac Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix – Phillip Island, October 16 – 18 GENERAL ADMISSION All General Admission (GA) ticket prices are unchanged from last year. You can book general admission tickets online through ticketmaster.com.au, motogp.com.au, or purchase at the gate. Children under 5 admitted free with a paying adult (not concession). Check website for concession ticket categories.…

We’re looking for vintage, classic and newer bikes of all types to feature in future issues, covering restorations, custom bikes, choppers and original survivors. That includes scooters, mopeds, trikes and outfits, too. It’s not just road bikes we’re interested in, either: dirt bikes, trials and enduro bikes are also welcome. If you’ve a got a cool bike for sale, the additional exposure that an article in JUST BIKES provides can help in selling the bike, too. Do you have a collection of bikes, racing memorabilia, or other motorcycling-related collectables? Maybe you’ve undertaken an epic road trip, or just seen, built or done something of interest and relevance to JUST BIKES readers*. To have your story featured in JUST BIKES, email all the details - and be sure to include images…

Based in Fremantle, WA, 66 Motorcycles is the brainchild of Peter Ellery and Duane Smith. When he isn’t carving up the tracks in vintage motocross, Peter plugs away building street tracker and caféstyle customs. Peter has created more than 20 bespoke bikes to date, most of which explore tried and true café racer themes, but there are a few curveballs in the back catalogue in the form of street scramblers and some more subtle custom builds. A high standard of finish and good attention to detail are hallmarks of all 66 Motorcycles builds, the most recent of which is this Honda CB350-based custom – ‘The Black’. RARE TWIN Being based on a late ’60s Honda CB 350 twin, The Black is noteworthy for this factor alone. A successor to Honda’s…