Innehållsförteckning för #389 21-09 från Just Bikes

This year’s 44th All British Rally has been cancelled due to the continuing coronavirus pandemic. Organised and hosted by the BSA Motorcycle Owner’s Association (BSAMOA), the All British Rally (ABR) has been a staple of the Australian motorcycling events calendar for more than 40 years. However, being able to run the event safely, as well as do it justice, is simply unachievable under the constantly changing COVID environment, so the BSAMOA have made the reluctant decision to postpone this year’s rally to a TBC date in 2022. As the ABR attracts close to 1,000 entries, it would be impossible to meet the sort of social distancing requirements and public gathering limits necessary under COVID-19. Additionally, with those same entrants coming from all over the country, being able to adapt to…

After more than two decades in road racing, Broc Parkes has decided to quit fulltime competition to focus on family. Last December, Parkes signed with YRT to race in this year’s mi-bike motorcycle insurance Australian Superbike Championship, joining the team’s incumbent riders Cru Halliday and Aiden Wagner, but has now decided he’ll relinquish that ride- and racing entirely. The surprise announcement, presented in the form of an open letter by Parkes on 19 February, details how the experienced campaigner in World Supersport, World Superbike, British Superbike, MotoGP, World Endurance and Asian Road Racing competition could no longer accommodate the demands of the sport with the demands of raising his children. “I returned to Australia permanently to spend more time and to start to live a ‘normal’ life with my children,”…

Jack Miller made his first official appearance in Ducati factory colours as part of the presentation of the 2021 Ducati Lenovo Team on 9 February. Part of the factory team’s all-new rider lineup for 2021-after Andera Dovizioso decided to take a sabbatical and Danilo Petrucci was dropped – 26-year-old Miller comes to the factory Ducati team with expectations of fighting for the riders’ championship, while he and 24-year-old team mate Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia aim to also maintain Ducati’s hold on the constructors’ title. The launch event, which was live streamed online due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, saw Lenovo announced as title partner on a threeyear deal and Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Motor Holding, unveil the new “all red” Desmosedici GP bikes that Miller and Bagnaia will ride in…

The V85 TT is the latest addition to the Moto Guzzi range, and while it may be a hot new thing that’s looking to the future, there’s still the opportunity to take a look back. Moto Guzzi are doing exactly that with the creation a special edition of the adventure tourer to mark their centenary this year. Along with special, limited-edition ‘Centenario’ versions of the V7 and related V9, a limited-edition version of the V85 TT will be released this May, too. All three are finished in colours inspired by iconic models from Moto Guzzi’s history. SHORT INTRO TO A LONG HISTORY What we know today as Moto Guzzi was officially created on 15 March, 1921, when the “Società Anonima Moto Guzzi” was established with the goal of “manufacturing and…

After many hints and previews, Harley-Davidson’s ‘Pan America’ adventure tourer was officially unveiled in February and will be rolled out globally this year. Harley’s launch video for the upcoming model was high on style but light on content. There was also some mixed messaging, like a claim that Harley have always been in the adventure touring space, then adding the freedom of design with the Pan America came from never producing a bike like this before. The launch video also states that the Pan America is the first adventure tourer designed and built in America, ignoring the Buell XB12x Ulysses from more than 15 years ago, which was also the first bike to put Harley-Davidson in the adventure touring game, albeit indirectly. Regardless, what is clear is that the Pan…

After last year’s last year’s Australian Three-Day Vintage Enduro (A3VE) was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the event is back on for 2021. Run by the Vintage Enduro Riders Inc. (VERi), the second A3VE is scheduled for 6-9 May in Victoria. The first A3VE saw almost 100 entrants take pre-1988 dirt bikes through all manner of challenging terrain, covering almost 400km over the three days. The 2021 A3VE will run to a similar format, using many of the same routes through the Wombat State Forest and private properties in Blackwood (25km northwest of Bacchus Marsh) that were used in 2019. Entrants will cover around 150km each day, made up of two or three circuits of different 50–60km trail loops, plus Enduro and Cross Country special tests. Blackwood Recreation Reserve…

While the Australian round of this year’s MotoGP World Championship is still far from guaranteed, the event has secured a title sponsor in Red Bull. Dorna Sports announced on 16 February that the energy drink brand will be the naming rights sponsor for this year’s Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, which is scheduled for 22 to 24 October at Phillip Island. The agreement was actually signed last year as part of a broader deal confirming Red Bull as title sponsor for several MotoGP events until 2024. While the energy drink giant has been sponsoring the sport since 2005 and has a presence in every grand prix category, sponsorship of this year’s Australian GP is a first. Past title sponsors of the local round have included Pramac, Michelin, Tissot, Air Asia, GMC,…

One of Kawasaki’s most enduring and popular models, the LAMS legal KLR650, has been given a major makeover ahead of a local market release later this year. The KLR650’s versatility – as a daily commuter, trail basher and budget adventure bike – has made it particularly popular here in Australia and it’s stayed in our market years after it’s been discontinued elsewhere. But with the upcoming KLR650, Kawasaki appear to be aiming it once again at a global audience. The new version of the long-lived adventure bike is due for local release later this year (as a 2022 model) and will be offered in two variants – Standard and Adventure. New and updated features are common to both, with the Adventure adding a selection of accessories as standard. ENGINE OVERHAUL…

When Roger Westlake produces or commissions a custom bike, you can be assured the end result will be something special. At JUST BIKES, we have firsthand knowledge of this, with two of his many builds featured with us in the past – a Harley XR1200 café racer from 2011 and a Kenny Roberts tribute Yamaha R6 from 2018. One of Roger’s most recent custom bikes is the café racer custom Moto Guzzi pictured. With his long history in motorcycles, Roger had plenty of inspiration he could put into this build, from standard fare like Triumphs, BSAs and Hondas, to exotics and rarities like Ducatis, a Dresda Triton and Sunbeam S7. That brief list shows no particular affiliation to any brand, genre or era. If anything, it shows Roger’s willing to…

A restored 1929 Harley-Davidson J Model topped the motorcycle consignments at Shannons’ recent Summer Timed Online Auction. Held online from 16 to 23 February, the auction included 23 motorcycles, covering a multitude of makes, models and eras – everything from a 1928 BMW to a ‘2009’ Harris-Suzuki and a 125cc Suzuki GAG bike to a 1000cc Honda Goldwing. The bikes were part of an overall consignment list that numbered 173 lots and included automobiles, garagenalia and other collectables. Of the 23 motorcycles consigned, all found new owners, with the ’29 Harley J Model the best seller. Introduced in 1915, initially with a 61ci (1000cc) F head v-twin and a three-speed transmission, the J Model was advanced for its time, with subsequent improvements keeping it at the top of the range.…

BMW Motorrad Australia have announced their Metro Dealer of the Year and Rural Dealer of the Year for 2020, with past winners claiming the honours in both categories. Procycles Sydney received the BMW Metro Dealer of the Year and Macarthur BMW in Narellan won the Rural Dealer of the Year award. It’s the fifth time Procycles Sydney has achieved the metro award and the second successive year Macarthur BMW has received the regional award. BMW Motorrad Australia General Manager Andreas Lundgren clarified key elements that contributed to the success of both dealerships. “Outstanding results certainly play a primary role, and 2020 was a fantastic year for BMW Motorrad with 15.5 per cent growth in 500cc-plus motorcycle sales. However, Dealer of the Year awards are also about offering an excellent level…

MotoGP has lost one of its most passionate personalities with the passing of Fausto Gresini. The two-time 125cc World Champion and title-winning team manager died on 23 February, following a two-month battle with COVID-19. Gresini contracted coronavirus last December, and was initially isolating at his home in Imola, Italy, but his condition worsened and he was hospitalised on 27 December, then transferred to another hospital for specialist COVID treatment on 30 December. On a ventilator since being admitted to hospital, Gresini was briefly placed in a medical coma at the start of the year due to low blood oxygen levels. By mid-January, although he was still on a ventilator and his condition remained critical, Gresini was said to be improving. He was conscious, undergoing physiotherapy, able to see visitors under…

Moto Guzzi fans have already got something to be happy about in 2021, following the announcement back in December that a comprehensively updated version of the V7 roadster is due for release soon. It’s also Moto Guzzi’s centenary this year, so there’s extra reason for ‘Guzzisti’ to celebrate, with a big centenary party-Giornate Mondiali Moto Guzzi (Moto Guzzi World Days)-scheduled to be held in Mandello del Lario, Italy, from 9 through 12 September. With a centenary and a revamped version their most popular model to celebrate this year, it made sense to combine the two and Moto Guzzi has done exactly that. Special, limited-edition ‘Centenario’ versions of the V7, as well as the related V9, have been produced to honour Moto Guzzi’s history and are finished in special ‘Centenario’ livery…

Thanks to Harley-Davidson and Indian, v-twin engines are often thought to be the sole preserve of American motorcycle manufacturers. But there have been plenty of British-built v-twins, from the earliest days of the industry, right up to World War II. And we’re not just talking about Brough Superior and Vincent. Well-known British marques like BSA, Royal Enfield, James, AJS and Francis-Barnett all produced v-twins for extended periods, as did a horde of other short-lived and long-forgotten marques. But as these models were mostly hooked up to sidecars, they didn’t attract the sort of attention that sporty singles did. Matchless was in the v-twin market, too, and for a surprisingly long time. EARLY TWINS To find the first catalogued Matchless motorcycle, you have to go all the way to back to…