Innehållsförteckning för #320 16-05 från Just Bikes

“ The 200-watt system integrates with any Bluetooth capable device, and also features an information window for input and song selection.” After making a noise – literally! – on its debut last year, Victory’s Magnum X-1 Stealth Edition bagger will return in 2016, with a limited allocation planned for Australian delivery. SOUNDS GOOD Belying its ‘Stealth Edition’ tag, this bagger features what Victory claims is the industry’s loudest sound system, with the 200-watt audio package pumping through built-in speakers in both the fairing and panniers. Up front, the bobbed fairing features two 5.25-inch mid-bass speakers, two 2.5-inch mid-range speakers and a pair of tweeters. In the panniers are two 6x9 woofers and two tweeters, with all the speaker openings reflecting the sharp styling of the rest of the X-1. The…

The Barry Sheene Festival of Speed (BSFoS) is already a ‘must-do’ on the calendar for classic bike fans in New South Wales, but this year’s eleventh annual event – at Sydney Motorsport Park on 18-20 March - has an extra reason to attend, with the ‘GP Legends on Tour’ to make their Aussie debut. The GP Legends is an all-star lineup of past racing legends that has been a popular showcase in Europe. The contingent to visit the BSFoS will include Freddie Spencer, Steve Parrish, Kork Ballington, Kevin Schwantz, Graeme Crosby, Jeremy McWilliams and Maria Costello, as well as our own Kevin Magee and Chris Vermeulen. The Legends will not only be in attendance to meet and greet fans, but will also ride the machines they made their name on…

In addition to the Bonhams Las Vegas auction (see report in JUST BIKES #322), January also sees Mecum present their annual specialty motorcycle sale in the Nevada city. A three-day event with 646 consignments, Mecum MidAmerica’s Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction is one of the world’s biggest motorcycle-only sales, and the 2016 auction was extra special, as the company celebrated its quarter century of hosting these dedicated motorcycle sales events. VARIETY PLUS Amongst the bikes consigned, there were plenty of desirable classics, including the always-popular Vincents, as well as other British bikes, a big selection of Americanmade motorcycles, Japanese classics and more recent machinery. The Mecum auction also showed the growing interest in veteran-era motorcycles, with the top seller and two others in the top ten coming from this era. HENDERSON…

Based near Brighton, England, Shaw Speed & Custom would have to be the most prodigious custom bike builders on the planet. At last count, there were more than 130 builds in their back catalogue. Being a Harley-Davidson dealership, all of Shaw’s creations to date have born the bar and shield logo, too, but the individual treatments they’ve applied to each are pretty impressive. Builds have covered dry lakes racer, sidecar outfit and rat-look bobber styles, to name just a few. With titles like ‘The Thumpster’, ‘Fat Tracker’ and ‘Fury Road’, Shaw have demonstrated they’ve got a pretty neat turn of phrase when it comes to naming their creations, too! Shaw were the first Harley-Davidson dealership (as opposed to aftermarket builder/customiser) to win the AMD World Championship Build-Off, too, with their…

On 2 February, Royal Enfield, announced a new addition to their range – the Himalayan. Purpose-built for adventure touring, the Himalayan is an all-new, ground-up design, powered by a new LS 410 (411cc) singlecylinder OHC engine that delivers abundant torque at low revs. Like the frame on the reborn Continental GT, the Himalayan’s tough duplex split cradle frame was designed and developed by Harris Performance, with mounting points for hard panniers, soft luggage and jerry cans integral to the overall design. 220mm of ground clearance is standard, as is a 21-inch/17-inch front/rear wheel combo and dual-purpose tyres. Combined with the 41mm tele front suspension and monoshock rear (200mm and 180mm travel, respectively), the Himalayan delivers what Royal Enfield says is a “purer, non-extreme and more accessible form of adventure touring.”…

Casey Stoner has shown, in testing at least, that he’s still got what it takes to be competitive in MotoGP. In the Sepang test session at the start of February, the 30-year-old impressed his former competitors and surprised Ducati team bosses with his pace, posting times that placed him near the pointy end of the field. Stoner also outperformed both regular Ducati Corse riders – Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso. The three-day test was more about development and set-up work on the new-for-2016 Michelin tyres and control ECU than setting outright fastest laps, but Stoner was up to eighth quickest early in the test, and at one point recorded the secondfastest time behind Jorge Lorenzo on the final day. Stoner finished the Sepang test as the fastest Ducati and fifth…

Yamaha’s new sports side-by-side vehicle – the YXZ1000R - has arrived, with the first locally-delivered units now in Australian Yamaha showrooms. As previewed in JUST BIKES #318, the YXZ1000R is a pure sports SxS (what Yamaha call an ROV = Recreational Offroad Vehicle), with Yamaha also describing the new four-wheeler as not only their first, but also the world’s first pure sport offroad SxS vehicle. The 998cc three-cylinder 4-stroke powerplant delivers class-leading acceleration and top speed, while the rallystyle 5-speed sequential shift transmission is a first in this category. Drive features on-command selectable 2WD, 4WD and 4WD with diff-lock, to tackle every possible terrain situation and traction requirement. Also setting the YXZ1000R apart from the competition is its ultra-long-travel suspension at all four corners. The Fox Podium shocks deliver 412mm…

Shannons Melbourne Summer Auction (23 November) saw some desirable British classics go under the hammer, but for some, the star of the show was a homebuilt trike project. An eyebrow-raising oddity in its own right, this one-off drew further attention when it sold for more than three times its pre-auction estimate. 50s FUTURE Looking like something out of the Jetsons, not a lot was known about the history of this particular machine, but many of the componentry was motorcyclebased, specifically a Jawa or CZ, according to Shannons. The Czech bike’s twin-cylinder engine and transmission were employed, along with its rear wheel and chain drive. The fishtail exhaust tips and two front wheels also appear to be from motorcycles. The Jawa/CZ also donated its instrumentation to the project, set in a…

With Michelin now the official tyre supplier for the FIM MotoGP World Championship, the French tyre brand announced on 16 February that they’ll also be the title sponsor for this year’s Australian GP at Phillip Island on 23 October. The Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix will push the new Michelin tyres to their limit, as the Phillip Island circuit is notoriously tough on tyres, particularly the left-hand side, as demonstrated by Bridgestone’s tyre failures in 2014. However, Michelin says that thanks to extensive testing on the compounds to be used this year, the tyres will perform. Gary Guthrie, Michelin President 2-wheel tyre division, said: “Michelin is back in MotoGP this year to take up a new technological challenge that will help us to enhance the performance of our road tyres.…

Think of the bikes you’ve owned over the years and there’s usually some variety, right? Maybe you’ve dabbled in a few different brands, or even different types of bike. For an enthusiast like Paul Humphries, ‘variety’ is an understatement. In his decades of riding, he’s owned, enjoyed (and dropped!) a very diverse range of machinery. But the desire for something different, from both his past rides and what’s commonly available today, resulted in the BMW café racer you see here. Based on a 1985 model BMW R65, what you’re looking at here is certainly no factory ride. A detailed and well thought-out custom, this bike is almost entirely the work of just two blokes. MEETING OF MINDS As much as he loves bikes, Paul confesses he has the mechanical aptitude…

For those restoring or customising a motorcycle, the topic of powder coating almost invariably comes up. When applied correctly, there are many benefits to using powder coat on utility parts such as frames, fork legs and wheels. The finish is durable and long lasting, while the range of colours and finishes available means it can be very visually appealing, too. So why are people getting such mixed results? Issues like chipping, heavy ‘orange peel’ dimpling of the surface, powder in threads and bearing surfaces, etc. has lead many to assume that powder coating is going to be the same (ie. with the same problems and poor results) from one shop to another. After all, it’s all the same process right? Wrong. Motorcycle parts are unique, as each part has been…