AJP RIDES AGAIN DOWN UNDER
When it comes to the mythical rally replica single-cylinder adventure bike ‘unicorn’ so many of us here in Australia have been crying out for, Portuguese manufacturer AJP has piqued our curiosity with its PR7.
The PR7 originally broke cover late in 2014 as a prototype fitted with the Minarelli 660cc thumper motor Yamaha used in its XT660Z Ténéré. But when it finally reached production three years later, an SWM motor based on the former Husqvarna TE630 powerplant had been transplanted into it. It may not have been the lightest or most cutting-edge four-stroke powerplant of the day, but it was well suited to adventure riding applications, while the PR7’s chassis, long-travel suspension, under-seat fuel tank and rally tower and screen certainly helped to promote a rally-biased design theme.
We test-rode one of the first PR7s to arrive in Oz, riding it from Coffs Harbour to Sydney, and the machine revelled in off-road conditions while also being more than capable on high-speed tarmac transports. It was a fun ride in the bush, and while the PR7 did generate a keen (if limited) following here, long-term ownership of the bike proved to be somewhat more taxing. Dedicated Aussie owners dealt with a litany of reliability issues, which the local distributor and the factory worked hard to address, but the writing always appeared to be on the wall for the brand down under.
More recently, a new distributor has taken over the AJP reigns, with south-east Queensland-based MAD ADV giving the Portuguese bikes a new lease of life here.
The latest 2022-model PR7 has since touched down here and features numerous updates over previous models. These include a new Athena ECU, stronger starting system, new eight-inch dash display, 48mm closed cartridge ZF Sachs forks, ZF Sachs shock and 17-litre Acerbis under-seat tank. The six-speed 600cc SWM-derived motor continues, as does the nav tower and rally screen front end.
The new PR7 is priced at $17,990 plus on-road costs and dealer delivery, with select AJP dealers now located around the country. For more details, check out the Australian AJP website.
BMW GS TROPHY ON THE WAY
BMW Motorrad Australia has released details of revisions made to its upcoming 2023 models and there’s a new-look 1250 GS headlining the revamps.
The word is the 40 Years of GS livery will no longer be available, nor will the Blackstorm Metallic colour scheme. In their place, a new GS Trophy variant is joining the line-up and it will be available in both 1250 GS and 1250 GS Adventure guises.
The GS Trophy is based on a Gravity Blue Metallic colour scheme and the
