Australian Road Rider

When I started riding motorcycles, the only things with three wheels were the occasional motorcycle with sidecar (which were still common in racing, but not on the road) and three-wheeled ATVs. By the 1990s there was nothing you could buy from a majo

You could win an Indian FTR or a trip to the biggest historic motorcycle festival, Goodwood, from Shannons insurance, just by getting a quote. That’s right, you don’t even have to take out insurance with the company, which has an awesome reputation f

The British factory is building 765 units for North America (USA and Canada) and another 765 for the rest of the world. It’ll be the first motorcycle licensed by Dorna Sport. The billet-machined top yoke of each bike will display its edition number,

The 2020 Indian Scout line-up pays homage to the first 1920 model that bore the Scout name, and guess what, the 2020 model doesn’t share any parts with the 1920 version. But everyone knows Polaris’ idea to resurrect the Indian name a decade or so ago

Harley-Davidson has announced only one new mainstream model and three CVO bikes for the 2020-model year in Australia. While that seems very quiet for the giant American manufacturer, internationally the company is focussed on its electric motorcycle

Back in The Old Days, BMW would indicate model generations by putting a stroke (or what younger readers might call a forward slash) and number after the basics — so the R50/5, was part of the fifth generation of the Boxer twin. By the early ‘80s all

With 16,000 members across the world and a baton relay which has travelled from the UK through Europe and Asia down to Australia before heading to New Zealand, Canada and beyond, the Women Riders World Relay has grown into a huge event. It’s spanned

My descent into the world of riding slow motorcycles in the middle of winter continues this issue with two weeks aboard the Kawasaki W800 Cafe. My new thermals are doing an admirable job of keeping the cold out, thanks for asking, aided by an early I

Ducati surprised pretty much everyone with the Diavel in 2010 when it showed off the bike for the first time, only its second cruiser ever (after the best-forgotten Indiana in the late 1980s). Now, in 2019, we’ve got one which is bigger, faster, bett

Hitting a camel would seriously ruin my day, I mused, sobered, as I perused the recumbent beast at the side of the road. Blood was spattered across the asphalt, and flies buzzed around some still-fresh meat matter. Fifty yards away, a smashed Nissan

It was a dark and stormy night and I’d been summoned by editor Paterson to the boardroom in the ARR Tower at Circular Quay. A special assignment awaited… I entered the 74th-floor boardroom and I saw Nigel in his tuxedo, fresh from dinner at the Japan

Darwin to Melbourne in 11 days, with a few mates. Not a bad way to spend winter, although filling up social media with photos of us lounging around the pool, eating oysters and sunning ourselves doesn’t go down well with my regular riding buddies dow

The Road Glide’s style is modern Harley-Davidson, cutting edge in the details while staying retro cool overall. It’s a tough design challenge to pull off, and nobody does it better than Harley. The paint is deep, not too glossy, blending into the bla

See you later Sydney! Hit the Old Northern Road, the sweeping bends winding through the rolling forested hills and open paddocks of Glenorie and Maroota, and you will quickly be whisked away from the crowded hustle of Sydney. Yep, we’re heading for t

When I received an invitation from Idaho’s petite and glamorous official tourism manager, Diane Norton, to ride a Harley-Davidson around her state, I didn’t expect that she would be coming along for the ride. Normally in a smart suit and fashionable

Open-face helmets only seem to be popular with Harley riders these days, but there are good reasons to wear one on any bike. The AGV K-5 jet-style lid I’ve been using for a little while is a modern beauty. It’s an open-face design with many of the at

There’s something special about a good leather motorcycle jacket. The feel of the leather, its texture and suppleness, even the way it moves with you as you stretch out to the handlebars — no textile jacket can match it. That said, I gave up on lea

Consider low-cut motorcycle boots, Kevlar jeans, a bike jacket, helmet and gloves to be the minimum amount of protective gear. If you need to buy some this time of year, even cheap summer gear with armour is a lot better than street clothes. You lea

Ducati shocked the world when it introduced the water-cooled, 8-valve sports/racing machine it simply called the 851 in the mid’80s. Then the Italians seduced us all when the svelte, sexy and seductive 916 was introduced in 1994. Although the 851 and

If you get in quick you might be able to get yourself one of just 500 special-edition motorcycles being built to celebrate the 916, named Panigale V4 25° Anniversario 916. Launched during the WSBK weekend in the USA by none other than four-time World

It’s Suzuki’s neo sports machine, an old name with updated style wrapped around a long-stroke Suzuki in-line four-cylinder sportsbike engine. Designed more for cities and weekend fun than tracks or touring, the 2020 Katana makes a lot of sense these

By late 1999 the inevitable announcement came: Mick Doohan, the most successful racer of his generation and one of the all-time greats, would retire due to injuries sustained over a tough career, and in particular caused in a crash during a wet quali

Recently my 2014 Ducati Multistrada GT clicked over 88,800km — but it still runs and rides like a new machine. I ride five or six days a week, 90km-per-day commutes as well as day tripping and touring, mostly on the gorgeous curvy country roads Tassi