Australian Motorcycle News

THERE’S SO MUCH to write about, I don’t know where to start. An epic adventure ride, Marc Marquez and the explosive return of MotoGP, Jack Miller’s heroics and that legendary old bugger Valentino Rossi hitting the podium again, that’s before we consi

TO KEEP PACE with the big boys in the streetfighter stakes, BMW is turning its mainstay S 1000 R into a naked version of the S 1000 RR, literally. Here we see a near-complete example of the 2021 model on test, disguised only by black paint and tape o

HAVING THROWN OUT all its ‘trellis framed, V-twin’ traditions with the Panigale V4 and Streetfighter V4, Ducati is about to reinvent its long-running Monster with a cast-alloy frame. That means both the top and bottom models in its line-up will no lo

HAS HONDA SAVED the best for last? A final fling of the legendary CBR600RR looks likely in 2021 with next-gen styling and specced-up electronics. Japanese magazine AutoBy, which has provided this detailed illustration, has a long and strong record of

NEW GS MODELS will celebrate 40 years of BMW’s adventure bike series while bringing upgraded technology and expanded standard equipment options. Uprated F 750 GS and 850 GS models will arrive in Australia in November with a F 850 GS Adventure launchi

WE’VE ALREADY REPORTED how Chinese motorcycle manufacturers are thinking big. Now Benda is taking it a step farther after the big-bore prototypes from CFMoto and Qianjiangowned Benelli we’ve revealed over the past few months. This muscle-cruiser, f

INDIAN’S SHIFT TOWARDS water-cooling started with the Scout in 2015 and now the Challenger bagger is out it’s only a matter of time before the more traditional Indian cruiser and tourer models head in the same direction. A recent patent application s

Rare-as-rocking-horse-doo, this Australian-built 1912 Peerless 500cc motorcycle is up for grabs at Shannons Timed Online Auction from 19 August. Built by A G Healing & Co. Pty Ltd of Melbourne, Australia’s largest motorcycle manufacturer at the time

KAWASAKI REVEALED THE electric-powered prototype it’s been working on for a decade at last year’s EICMA show and, despite denying production plans, a new patent indicates it could arrive at dealers in kit form. One of the interesting elements of the

“WHEN IS OUR daily press going to wake up to the inestimable publicity value for Australia rendered overseas by road racing motorcyclists? Herr Kavanagh to the Germans, Monsieur Quincey to the French and Belgians, Signor Campbell to the Italians, Sen

The darkest day for speedway happened away from the track, on a Tuesday in July, 50 years ago this month. At the time one report in the British media likened the tragedy to the 1958 plane crash in Germany that all but wiped out the Manchester United

Regarding the news story on page 16 of AMCN Vol 69 No 25, not all so-called ‘lapsed’ riders are lapsed. We just prefer not to ride the roads, and don’t have a registered bike. This is not to say we don’t own bikes. Far from it, in fact. I personally

AFTER EIGHT GSX-RS I finally got the daddy Hayabusa. Got her fitted with a Yoshi full Alpha system, a Power Commander V and a K&N filter. She pulls harder than a teenager with a copy of Hustler magazine. After owning seven previous GSX-R750s and 1000

Some of the talk around our campfire down in Bungarby centred around a similar theme; “gee, she’s top heavy”, “it’s a big sucker” or “I still don’t need fuel, and I want to keep the weight down”. Our big on range, comfort, tech and capacity adventure

he oppression. The sheer boredom. The frustration. As the Covid-19 fiasco began to subside in Australia last month, we knew it was our chance to celebrate Australia’s relative great escape from the misery many other countries had experienced. The reg

AMONG OTHER things, lockdown made me reflect on what I missed. For lots of us, that was multi-day motorcycle travel and all the great things that go with spending days on the road with old mates. So when given a choice of chariot, I wanted charm over

In 1976, Ivory Coast resident Jean-Claude Bertrand proposed celebrating New Year’s Eve on the Côte d’Azur. Crossing the Sahara Desert, on two wheels or four, would be absolutely hilarious. N’est ce pas? This impromptu rally-raid may have remained a

The trip from Sydney to the historic gold rush town of Hill End is a popular adventure bike haul these days, but many who travel to the area often tear through on the phenomenal roads and tracks unaware of the history that brought towns like Hill End

Over 100 years ago, a 22-year-old climbed aboard a 1912 Henderson motorcycle, pulled down his flat cap and left Ireland to ride round-the-world and become the first adventure rider. Motorcycle travel was completely unheard of. Forget luxuries like

AGV AX-9 HELMET $799 BERING MINSK JACKET $999.95 IXON PRO APOLLO GLOVES $219.95 BERING MINSK PANTS $699.95 GAERNE SG10 BOOTS $599.95 LS2 PIONEER EVO HELMET $239 BMW RALLYE JACKET $1320 BMW GS DRY GLOVES $200 BMW RALLYE PANTS $1050 TCX DRIFTER BOOTS

NOT LONG AGO, you wouldn’t have got me anywhere near a comms device. When I ride, I like to ride, free of distractions and human interaction. It’s the introverted side of me, I guess. But with the Adventure comparo looming and a passenger to keep mot

This is how you can tell IT WAS BOUND to happen sooner or later. You’re at your uncle’s digs and there it is, the mid-80s whatsimacallit you learned to ride on. Your uncle says it ran just fine when he left it four years ago and he’ll let it go chea

FOR NEARLY TWO decades, Honda’s XR ruled the Aussie dirtbike roost. No other machine managed to stand the test of time quite like the XR and it was a sad day when Honda finally pulled the pin on production at the end of 2006. The machine was the weap

(02) 8882 1900 cassons.com.au Arai’s XD-4 adventure helmet has an aerodynamically tuned Special Fibre Laminate shell and features a removable and washable Dry-Cool liner, Facial Contour Support cheek pads and a removable floating peak which channel

IN THE EARLY 1980s there was one motorcycle I wanted to own so much it hurt: the recently released Dakar tribute version of BMW’s R80G/S. Advertised at that time as “the two-wheeled Range Rover”, without knowing it BMW had launched a new era of motor

ANYONE WHO FINDS the most fun part of a trail or adventure ride the challenge of a creek crossing or long climb up a steep hill should give trials riding a go. I’m not just saying that because it’s been a big part of my life (Kristie is a nine-times

ERIC GRANADO (AVINTIA Esponsorama Racing) blew his rivals out of the water in the first Enel MotoE World Cup event of the year. The Brazilian eked out a three-second lead in as many laps in this short six-lap affair, with reigning champion Matteo Fer

FROM WEDNESDAY afternoon Luca Marini (Sky Racing VR46 Kalex) declared he was “ready to win”. His confidence was well-founded as he charged past pole sitter and early leader Jorge Martin (Red Bull Ajo Kalex) on lap four to take hold of a commanding le

FOR A CLASS that produced 12 different winners from 19 races in 2019, Moto3 was the class least likely to provide back-to-back wins for one man at the start of 2020. But Albert Arenas (Aspar KTM) found himself in the right place at the right time for

STOPPING AN ENERGICA Ego Corse MotoE machine that weighs 260kg is no easy feat. Countless overtaking moves were attempted into the tight turn six throughout in the six-lap MotoE race. And on more than one occasion, they failed. It was the scene of th

PAOLO SIMONCELLI, FATHER of the late Marco and team boss of SIC58 Squadracorse Honda, doesn’t mince his words. Having watched his riders Tatsuki Suzuki and Nicolo Antonelli struggle to eighth and ninth place, respectively, in the Spanish Grand Prix s

SEVEN DAYS AFTER an expired motor forced Valentino Rossi out of the opening race, the nine-time world champ was celebrating on the podium of what was touted by many as the toughest race of their careers. Rossi has always struggled with a lack of rear

AFTER A LACKLUSTRE FIRST season in the premier class, we’re finally beginning to see the form that carried Pecco Bagnaia to a brilliant Moto2 title victory in 2018. He followed up his first-ever front row start in the class with staggering speed and

REIGNING WORLD CHAMP Marc Marquez shocked everyone when he tried and was declared fit to race just days after undergoing surgery to plate a broken right humerus. After sitting out Friday to give himself an extra day, Marc Marquez looked capable of ru

BRITISH SUPERBIKE Championship regular Sharni Pinfold and Victorian State titles front runner Grace Poutch have flown to Italy to represent Australia in this year’s FIM Women’s European Cup. Launched in 2016, the all-female series had a three-year hi

THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC has claimed the scalps of another three rounds of the 2020 WorldSBK Championship. Previously postponed with a date yet to be announced, the FIM and Dorna have decided to scratch the British, Dutch and Qatari rounds from the schedu

Tasmanians demonstrated how starved for track time they had become when more riders than expected turned up for a recent Sports Rider Club of Tasmania’s ride day at Baskerville – in the rain. “I knew it was going to be wet but I just wanted to get ou

AFTER 14 WEEKS off, the West Aussies began a tentative return to some sort of normality with two Champions Ride Days at the Collie Motorplex in late June. Earlier there had been a couple of evening practice sessions for the Supermoto Club of WA but t

How’s it going for you at the moment? How are you filling the racing void during the pandemic? Racing’s on hold and the social-distancing rules means we’ve only just got back into coaching (Josh runs Off Road Advantage in the Hunter Valley). But I’

Australian Motorcycle News road test photographs are posed for by skilled, professional riders under controlled circumstances. Attempting to imitate their actions may be dangerous. Australian Motorcycle News supports and endorses rider training and w