Australian Motorcycle News

WHAT A JAM-PACKED fortnight it’s been, with news of Valentino Rossi’s impending retirement, Maverick Viñales’s undignified suspension by Monster Energy Yamaha, two amazing MotoGP rounds from the Red Bull Ring in Austria, some incredible WorldSBK acti

YAMAHA IS PLANNING to fill the gap in its sportsbike range left by the demise of the R6 by launching a faired version of the latest-generation MT-09 under the ‘R9’ name. While the R6 is still on sale in Australia as a road model, earlier this month Y

THE DESIGN STUDIO that penned the iconic 1970s Ducati 860GT is now part of the Italian company’s electric future. Italdesign Giugiaro is one of the most storied names in the history of industrial design. As well as work for carmakers Lamborghini, Lot

BENELLI’S TRK 502 has been setting sales charts alight in its Italian homeland this year – taking the number one spot from BMW’s R 1250 GS. If the 500cc twin can achieve that, imagine what a higher-powered 700cc version might manage if given a simila

STARTING A ROLL in Australia with a range of mid-sized road and adventure models, behind the scenes CFMoto is also busy spicing up its sporty 300SR into an R-R version. The aim is to cut weight and emphasis the styling to replicate a full-sized super

PIAGGIO – ALSO THE owner of Moto Guzzi, Aprilia and Vespa – is set to add radar cruise control tech to the first of its models next year using its own system. Its robotics division, Piaggio Fast Forward, is spearheading the development of the system,

THE STURGIS RALLY has reaffirmed itself as the world’s largest motorcycle gathering, despite the Delta variant of Covid-19 surging across the US. As many as three-quarters of a million attendees came from the US and overseas last week, giving what is

HIS TIME IN the Merchant Navy in the closing years of World War II sparked Peter Mounsey’s love of the ocean and a career with the North Coast Steam Ship Company, eventually as Chief Officer. But Peter had far wider ambitions than a life navigating t

Just thought I would update you on my beloved 1970 Super Rat restoration which appeared in AMCN Vol 70 No 16. As stated in that issue, the bike was a recent purchase after many years of searching and was now in my shed undergoing restoration. The tan

In the Headcheck spread of Vol 71 No 02 you published extracts from Vol 44 No 22, including a picture of neckid men on a motorcycle. I don’t know what the successful caption was at the time, but I do know about when, where and why the photo was taken

The 2022 model Honda CRF250R is one of the most anticipated dirtbike releases in recent years. A bike that is basically brand-new from top to bottom, the new-model red 250 has borrowed the bulk of its characteristics from its big brother, Honda’s 202

• The bike is 4kg lighter (kerb weight 104kg) • 20 percent more power at 6500rpm • Completely redesigned chassis and plastics to match the 2021 CRF450R • Newly designed clutch with nine plates instead of eight • Single header and tailpipe exhaust sys

To my eye, the Fat Bob is a bit of an odd-looking unit. With its fat 150/80-16 front tyre and elongated LED headlight, it’s a far cry from the stereotypical Harley look. I’ve ridden most of the Softail range in the last 12 months and on the ride home

The 890 Adventure R is aimed at the more adventurous adventure riders out there. Quite frankly, its capabilities off-road are off the charts. For a 200-odd kilo (dry) bike, its ability to handle jumps, rocks, mud and sand is almost mind-boggling. The

LEGENDS ARE NOT BORN. They are made. In this case, self-made. Valentino Rossi was always a brilliant racer – one of the best ever, natural talent combined with an iron will. Just look at the results. But so much more than that: Rossi is a gigantic

No matter what happens in the future there will be a few brave racers who will forever have their names carved in the annals of motorsport history: most famously John Surtees, the first to win world championships on two and four wheels; Valentino Ros

THE CIRCUIT’S START-FINISH line was located not far from the ancient town of Asso, after which the circuit turned north to Valbrona and then sharply down to Onno where it ran along the Lake Como shore to Vassena, before heading up again to Visgnola.

The Dargo Road runs from Victoria’s Gippsland region through the picturesque Alpine National Park to where it meets the Great Alpine Road at Hotham Heights. This route includes a large unsealed dirt section that is unsuitable for sportsbikes, but for

1300 885 355 motonational.com.au Featuring a tough 600D nylon construction and reinforced shoulders and elbows, the Motodry Rallye 2 jacket is built for adventure. It boasts waterproof thermal liners, a multitude of zippered vents and adjustable sof

THANK HEAVENS! I thought I was getting slower. Apparently not, speedos are getting faster! The speedometer on my BMW R60 is in miles per hour. For those who came in late, this is a form of measurement left over from more honest times, before marketin

I FEEL I’M at the best point of my career, leading the British Superbike Championship and going into the Milwaukee Summer Grand Slam series after setting pole then three wins at the last round at Thruxton. It’s taken me 10 years of racing in the UK,

THERE I WAS, standing by the track at Brands Hatch last year, during practice for one of the few World Superbike races I ever get the chance to attend, with a couple of colleagues, including a friend who has gradually been diverting his own dedicatio

IN AUSTRIA IT was a case of out with the old, in with the new. From the start of a turbulent 2020 season, there has been the feeling inside MotoGP that a new generation is upon us. There was further proof here, with Jorge Martin (Pramac Ducati) the l

FOURTEEN LAPS IN to this contest, and Remy Gardner (Ajo Kalex) was perfectly placed to rack up a fourth win in 10 races. But the Australian made his first racing mistake of the year in an absorbing late battle with Marco Bezzecchi (Sky VR46 Kalex), h

WHATEVER ELSE WE got at Most – an old-school circuit that crams 21 corners into just 4.212km of slightly dodgy asphalt – we got excitement and drama. After the races there was talking point after talking point, and we even had a marriage proposal thr

ON THE FACE of it, competition may appear nonsensical when riders and teams work an entire weekend – six sessions or three hours, 20 minutes of track time – only for the final five minutes of a race to deem all that had gone before irrelevant. But wh

RAUL FERNANDEZ (AJO Kalex) put his most subdued showing of the year a week ago behind him with another faultless performance to breathe fresh life into the Moto2 title fight. The margins were close but the racing was processional. Pole sitter Sam Low

MAVERICK VIÑALES’ season took another unexpected, barely-believable turn on Thursday when his Monster Energy Yamaha team suspended him ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix “due to the unexplained irregular operation of the motorcycle” during this month’s

YAMAHA WAS FURTHER rocked by news Petronas is ready to withdraw its sponsorship from the Sepang Racing Team (SRT) from the end of this year, meaning it will be running a reduced operation in the MotoGP class from 2022. After news of Viñales’ decision

KTM HAS CONFIRMED Raul Fernandez will complete its MotoGP line-up in 2022 with the current Moto2 contender stepping up to the Tech3 team alongside current teammate Remy Gardner. The 20-year old Spaniard sits second overall after a sterling rookie sea

JASON O’HALLORAN has consolidated his lead in the British Superbike Championship, taking a race win and a podium at the Donington Park round held over 13-15 August to lead the title chase from McAMS Yamaha teammate Tarran Mackenzie. After taking pole

NOT LONG AFTER Danilo Petrucci had learned that he had lost his MotoGP seat for 2022, the Italian received an offer to switch disciplines and race the Dakar Rally for KTM. “It was an idea from Mr [Stefan] Pierer [KTM CEO] and he proposed to me that o

BARTOSZ ZMARZLIK AND Artem Laguta are the two riders who are likely to fight out the 2021 world championship after three rounds of the Speedway Grand Prix series were staged over the past fortnight. Those two and Fredrik Lindgren were in the final at

FATHER’S DAY IN Tasmania sees Dads bonding with sons and daughters at Round Three of the Tasmanian Road Race Championship at Symmons Plains. Many of the fathers will be competing in the non-championship Clubman’s class with the ‘kids’ contesting many

WHILE AUSTRALIA WAITS to join the new FIM MiniGP World Series next year, Western Australian riders continue to have fun in the Mini Motard class. Leading Superbike racer Sam Clarke summed up this form of racing at the recent Round 5 of the SuperMotoW

Give us the lowdown on the competition in BSB Supersport this year. Any one of six riders can win a race in Supersport and it has become really competitive with the introduction of the Triumph triple. The Triumph has strong points, obviously the Ya