Issue 161

Australian Road Rider

The real ride

Australian Road Rider3 min read
Motorcycles Welcome
Not too many years ago, the idea a regional council would not just tolerate but actively promote a motorcycle rally was unthinkable. But it’s happening. The Tamworth Regional Council is behind the Thunder Rally 100 per cent. It’s not only supporting
Australian Road Rider1 min read
Australian Road Rider The Real Ride
EDITOR Nigel Paterson npaterson@umco.com.au ART DIRECTOR Martha Rubazewicz REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Geoff Seddon, Brian Rix, Phillip James, Nigel Crowley, Ian Neubauer, Roderick Eime, Damien Paterson EDITORIAL roadrider@umco.com.au SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES
Australian Road Rider1 min read
Late News
The big-bore classicly styled machine has been updated in many ways for 2021. Rare, special and very, very fast. AUSTRALIA’S NO.1 MOTORCYCLE TOURING WEBSITE! www.roadrider.com.au ■
Australian Road Rider1 min read
Instant Icon
Harley-Davidson has announced the first of an ongoing series of new, limitededition bikes inspired by some of the most legendary machines made by the Motor Co – the Icons Collection. The 2021 Electra Glide Revival is the first, a reproduction of the
Australian Road Rider1 min read
Updates For The Gsx-s1000
Design and updates to the electronics are the core of the changes Suzuki’s building into the 2022 GSX-S1000. There’s a mix of convenience and performance upgrades, including Suzuki’s Intelligent Ride System, drive mode selector (including three user-
Australian Road Rider1 min read
Cfmoto Gets Adventurous
CFMOTO, which has quietly gone about making a name for itself building modern, exciting and reasonably priced LAMS bikes, will have a new 800cc Adventure bike on sale in Australia later this year. The company showed off 1250 and 1000cc machines at Ch
Australian Road Rider3 min read
Yamaha Reinvents The R7
More than 30 years ago Yamaha launched the YZF-R7, a limited-edition 750cc homologation special designed to win the Superbike World Championship with Noriyuki Haga at the handlebars. He didn’t quite succeed and Superbikes moved to 1000cc four-cylinde
Australian Road Rider4 min read
Torque Fest
Although Yamaha’s Massive Torque range has been with us since 2005, it wasn’t until 2013 and the launch of the MT-09 that it really took off. When the inline-triplepowered naked dropped at $12,000 (on the road), sales took off here and around the wor
Australian Road Rider8 min read
The Aussie Trident
Chasing a bunch of other journos riding the new Triumph Trident up the twisty road to Mount Baw Baw, it certainly didn’t feel like the reduced horsepower from the international model was slowing me down. The bike we get here produces 54 horses, the f
Australian Road Rider1 min read
Competition
Yamaha MT-07, from $12,399 Ride Away. With both High Output and Learner Approved (LA) versions available, the twin-cylinder Yamaha rules the naked bike category for its class – but the Triumph, with three cylinders and being a touch cheaper, might wi
Australian Road Rider3 min read
Victorian Spurs
Situated just 65km from the heart of Melbourne on the Maroondah Highway, Healesville is an easy ride through the ‘burbs and wine country. The Yarra Ranges are right there in front of you to ride to your heart’s content. For the touring motorcyclist v
Australian Road Rider5 min read
Then And Now
“If I see you kids riding your motorbikes on the road, I’ll book ya,” the local sergeant growled at us. “Now push your bikes down the road and get over in the common and ride there. And don’t kill yourselves.” It was the 1960s and life was motorbikes
Australian Road Rider5 min read
Tamworth Wants You
With more than 40,000 people calling Tamworth home, it’s hard to refer to it as a motorcycle-friendly “town”; this place is a city, but it still has the country town feel, hospitality and space we find outside of Australia’s capital cities. Located i
Australian Road Rider1 min read
Getting There
The ride to Tamworth is, of course, half the fun, and there are great roads from the north, east and south. Few of us live west of Tamworth and if you do, you’ll know you’re riding across the flatlands of western NSW. From the north: If you’re escapi
Australian Road Rider3 min read
Collected Power
To visit Greg Maguire in his Tamworth office you need to take the stairs from the Powerhouse Motorcycle Museum – there’s no separate entry. That’s because the museum was an accident. A fabulous collection of primarily Japanese and Italian machinery f
Australian Road Rider4 min read
A Big Weekend Of Bikes, Music And Food
There are many famous events where motorcyclists gather in large numbers around the world, from Daytona to the Isle of Man to Sturgis to World Ducati Week and many more. But here in Australia, where the population is spread thin across vast tracks of
Australian Road Rider2 min read
5-stars, Tamworth Style
The Powerhouse Hotel Tamworth by Rydges is a major step up in terms of quality than what you’ll generally find away from a capital city and the coast. With five-star standard rooms, bars, restaurants and facilities, re-charging your personal batterie
Australian Road Rider1 min readDiet & Nutrition
Food And Drink
The Coal Bunker Bar is a softly lit, well-presented place to relax. Unlike so many pubs these days, there aren’t screens showing the racing, Keno results or football. It’s a place for conversation and imbibing fine alcohol. You can choose a bar stool
Australian Road Rider9 min read
Green Winner
Cruise control can save your licence on any bike, but on a 200hp sports missile like the new fifth-generation Kawasaki ZX-10R, it could save you from being locked up. The bike’s ability to mask the speed you’re doing — 110km/h is so effortless for th
Australian Road Rider1 min read
The Race Kit
Kawasaki offers a comprehensive pro-level race kit for this bike. Bits can be bought separately. It includes a race ECU that must be fitted in conjunction with the race wiring harness. This ECU can’t be used on a street bike. Engine parts include alt
Australian Road Rider1 min read
Who Should Buy It?
Anybody who wants one. That said, buyers need to understand what they’re buying. As a track bike, it’s great. As a piece of coffee shop exotica, it’s great. As a piece of engineering excellence, it’s great. As a day ride bike, not so great. As a comm
Australian Road Rider1 min read
Relevance Of Hyper Sportsbikes In Today’s World
Hyper sportsbike sales have slowed a lot over the past few years, largely because they’ve got faster and faster as the world gets slower and slower. Are they still worth buying? At ARR we think they are — for the right rider. These days you don’t nee
Australian Road Rider2 min read
Optimising The Zx-10r For The Track
Here are a few things we’d do to make the ZX-10R a better track bike without re-mortgaging the house. • The Kawasaki Race ECU isn’t appropriate for recreational riders. It’s very expensive and likely disables many street functions. However, aftermark
Australian Road Rider1 min read
Bc Performance Asbk Bikes
BC Performance were our hosts for the track test. This gave us an opportunity to check out and ride their ASBK bikes (ridden by Brian Staring and Josh Waters). Keo rode the ASBK bike, I rode the spare — and that’s as it should be. Given the limited r
Australian Road Rider1 min read
The Video
Kawasaki asked ARR to ride the new ZX-10R at Sydney Motorsport Park and on the road. We asked a young champion, Keo Watson, to present the video for us and roped in chief road tester Phil James for the print story and to also talk about his experienc
Australian Road Rider9 min read
Immense USA
It was where Forrest stopped running. The spires of Monument Valley had appeared in front of us, the classic Utah view. It was exactly the spot where Tom Hanks, playing Forrest Gump, had stopped. After three years running, he said, “I’m pretty tired.
Australian Road Rider6 min read
Different Paths, Same Destination
You don’t need great punch out of turns if you have excellent corner speed. Watching Kawasaki’s Versys 650 tip into turns without the brake light coming on through the twisties of the Bylong Valley was really showing how capable a machine it is, with
Australian Road Rider2 min read
A V-strom Story
A “heads up” with the Suzuki. ARR has noticed it is the preferred choice of older, retired racers looking to do long distances. The mix of economy, durability, versatility and solid performance draws fast pensioners in. I’ve seen riders’ egos crushed
Australian Road Rider2 min read
A Versys Story
As mentioned in the main body of the story, I owned a full-power Versys 650 with a Wilbers fully adjustable shock and re-oiled forks until recently. A couple of years ago I was heading down the Bonang Highway on my way to the GP when I came across a
Australian Road Rider10 min read
X-citing R-oadbike
BMW describe the F 900 XR as a sports adventure machine, with “an uncompromising mix of sportiness and touring capability”, which makes it a sportstourer in my book. But the big difference between this bike and previous sports-tourers is the heritage
Australian Road Rider10 min read
Wrecks, Roads And Rocks: South Australia’s Limestone Coast
Running 200km north-west from the Victorian border, South Australia’s Limestone Coast may be a long way from anywhere, but it’s an interesting place to tour and well suited to anyone travelling Melbourne to Adelaide or vice-versa. Of course, for Sout
Australian Road Rider1 min read
Competition
Tested in issue #159, this is a great-value, versatile and fun V-twin-powered sports Adventure machine. Three cylinders, a little less tech and thousands of dollars cheaper, this is Britain’s take on what an inexpensive sports Adventure bike should l
Australian Road Rider1 min read
The Packages
BMW Australia supplied the Tour version for this test. Also available is the standard F 900 XR (from $17,940), which has two riding modes (Road and Rain), ABS and ASC (traction control). Included is the BMW TFT display with connectivity, LED lighting
Australian Road Rider5 min read
Orange Country Customs
Well, I did get my Ducati 900SS tank back from the repairers and immediately set about rebuilding its innards. The days were still warm in late autumn and for the most part dry, and I was keen as mustard to get in my first ride in a very long time be
Australian Road Rider5 min read
Brakes, Upgraded
In the last issue I wrote about how the discs on my FJR were worn out, so I was going to use the opportunity to upgrade the braking for the bike. Well, as they say, no plan survives first contact with the enemy… As I discussed in the previous issue,
Australian Road Rider5 min read
Crowley’s Forcite
Forcite’s MK1 smart helmet is mega. It’s a carbon-fibre motorcycle helmet with all the cool tech those pesky car drivers get to play with: turn-by-turn navigation, real-time maps, hands-free phone calls, warnings about speed cameras, and not to menti
Australian Road Rider2 min read
Skippy Gloves
Kangaroo leather is much stronger, weight for weight, than any other leather in the world. That makes it awesome for protecting your skin, which is why some of the best racing leathers, and the new BMW 2-in-1 gloves, feature kangaroo leather. The 2-i
Australian Road Rider1 min read
Andy’s Tiger Luggage
Andy Strapz now has a lightweight pannier support system for the new Tiger 900s. Although the frame set accommodates most “throw-over” bags and all Andy Strapz pannier systems, the Avduro panniers are the bags recommended. Designed to support throw-o
Australian Road Rider3 min read
Motodry’s Bargain Touring Gear
Waterproof, warm, protective, ventilated, comfortable and affordable… it’s the Holy Grail of everyday riding wear and Motodry, with its Tour-Max jacket and Street Pants 2, has got it nailed. The Tour-Max jacket is designed for touring, and having jus
Australian Road Rider2 min read
Rst’s Pathfinders
A waterproof, comfortable and protective boot is the minimum specification you should be looking for in a touring boot, and RST’s new Pathfinder covers all those bases. Built from hard-wearing microfibre with a synthetic sole, the Pathfinder features
Australian Road Rider1 min read
Ipone’s Katana
If you have a high-performance engine and want to keep it that way, it pays to use a high-quality oil. Ipone’s Full Power Katana is a 100 per cent synthetic with Ester 4-stroke oil intended for sporty riding on the road. It guarantees optimum lubrica
Australian Road Rider2 min read
130k For Camp Quality
Since 2016, the Motocyc 4 kids ride has been running from Newcastle and has raised $130,000 for Camp Quality. This year’s event was nearly cancelled due to the raging weather along the east coast in March, with roads damaged and flooding, but the 110
Australian Road Rider1 min read
That Bike Of Yours
Every issue we’re giving away this beaut pack of Motul cleaning gear worth $49.95. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is send us a pick of your shining steed and we’ll pick what we think is the best shot and comment and the top blok
Australian Road Rider3 min read
THE LAST OF THE 500s
Twenty years ago was the final year of 500cc two-strokes dominating the World Championship Grand Prix. In 2002 it would be a 990cc V-five four-stroke Honda, but 2001 belonged to Valentino Rossi and the NSR500. Rossi had blitzed the opposition in both

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