Australian Motorcycle News

THERE HAVE BEEN plenty of murmurings recently about the processional nature of the last few MotoGP races. The reason, according to various experts, and several of the racers themselves, can be attributed to Michelin’s front tyre, which is susceptible

ON THE BACK of 11 years of record global sales, KTM is acting quickly to update its existing models. Last month (AMCN Vol 71 No 21), we busted a new version of the Super Duke GT on test. This time we’ve got a close look at a potential 2023 Super Duke

LAST YEAR MOTO Guzzi’s new V100 Mandello featured electrically-operated aero bodywork. Now BMW has filed for a patent on its own auto-adjusting bodywork. It’s much simpler than the Moto Guzzi system, which relies on control software and electronics.

IN LESS THAN 18 months Chinese powerhouse CFMoto has established itself as a middleweight sales segment challenger in Australia. Now another Chinese giant, the Qianjiang group, has applied for trademark rights to its QJMotor brand name in Australia.

BACK IN SEPTEMBER 2020 Benelli announced a future model range including 400cc, 700cc and 900cc twins as well as 900cc and 1200cc triples and 650cc and 1000cc four-cylinders – and now the smallest has broken cover with a styling design patent. The pat

THE NEXT GENERATION of electric bike from Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire subsidiary has been previewed, with the first 100 ‘Launch Edition’ versions sold out in minutes, even though production is still a year away. Based on the all-new ‘Arrow’ modular pl

BY THE TIME Colin Stewart sailed to London in 1929, his reputation as Australia’s foremost exponent of the broadslide preceded him. Earning up to £50 each meeting (while leading Aussie Rules Football stars were trained and played for £5 a week, the f

Access, AMCN, PO Box 6, Bittern, Vic, 3918 access@amcn.com.au G’day Deano, you may remember me from some of my previous correspondence like motorcycle clothing – some may say I support nudity (AMCN Vol 71 No 21). These are a couple of snaps of my cur

To most of us, the name GasGas evokes images of nerveless trials stars bouncing seatless machines from rock to rock, defying sense and gravity, and generally existing on another planet to road riders. But that image is changing fast. In 2020 GasGas s

The motorcycling world is full to the brim with retro offerings these days. Even if it’s not your thing, it’s hard not to notice that every manufacturer and its dog has at least one bike masquerading as a retro bike. Some have done it well, others no

Thirty years ago in 1992, Ducati’s 851 – its firstgeneration desmoquattro model launched in 1987 – made it a hat-trick of world Superbike titles for the Italian manufacturer, thanks to its reigning American world champion Doug Polen successfully defe

On the morning of Friday 9 June 1972, the Isle of Man was enveloped in thick fog and battered by heavy rain. The British round of the 125cc world championship was due to get underway at 11am. Should the race be postponed? Of course not, said the ACU

Phil Irving was adamant: “V-twins: the only practical alternative to the single” he wrote as the heading of one of the popular columns he wrote in the 1970s. Republished a few years later in his book Rich Mixture, Volume One, Irving laid out a theory

Thirty years ago, Wayne Rainey swept to a third successive world championship, his dayglo-and-white Yamaha YZR500 the current king of the generation of 500cc two-strokes christened ‘the unrideables’. The Californian racer with the surfer-dude looks w

Rd8 29 May, Mugello, IT Rd9 5 Jun, Catalunya, ES Rd10 19 Jun, Sachsenring, DE Rd11 26 Jun, Assen, ND Rd12 10 Jul, KymiRing, FI Rd13 7 Aug, Silverstone, UK Rd14 21 Aug, Red Bull Ring, AT Rd15 4 Sep, Misano, IT Rd16 18 Sep, Aragon, ES Rd17 25 Sep, Twin

45th Historic Winton, Winton Motor Raceway, Benalla, Vic. Billed as Australia’s longestrunning and most popular all-historic motorsport event, with plenty of motorcycle and car action throughout the weekend. Adults $45 per day at the gate or $35 onli

Whites Powersports $799 (03) 8720 6000 whitesmoto.com.au The FF805C Thunder is LS2’s high-end sport helmet, and features a carbon shell construction in three different sizes. Interior comfort and safety are taken care of by 3D laser cut padding with

A SIMPLE ROCK’N song blared out of the old Wharfedale speakers in my home workshop. It was a late autumn afternoon on the fixer-upper farm after another day of hard physical work. No headphones or AirPods for an old-school guy like me. Just dial up t

I’M A 39 year-old American and I moved to Australia in 2018. I grew up in a small town in rural Illinois. I work in the mining sector as an engineer at Caterpillar dealing with technology and automation. I’ve been riding with the Motorcycle Sportsmen

CAN THERE BE such a thing as a winner on the right bike, just in the wrong colours? That was the impression given by Ducati bosses on Sunday afternoon in France, as Enea Bastianini (Gresini Ducati) coolly dispatched with factory runner Francesco Bagn

THE LATEST MOTOGP controversy surrounded the revelation that Pecco Bagnaia’s front tyre pressure was below the legal amount for the entirety of the Spanish GP. As revealed by AMCN contributor Mat Oxley, it begged the question why the Italian wasn’t d

JOAN MIR LOOKS an odds-on bet to join Repsol Honda next year in Pol Espargaro’s place and admitted he is in talks with the factory. His manager Paco Sanchez said, “I read from some journalists that we have signed with Yamaha or we have signed with Ho

JASON O’HALLORAN AND the McAMS Yamaha Team have found form to seize a double victory and a podium at the Donington Park National circuit in Round 3 of the British Superbike Championship, held over 20-22 May. O’Halloran became the sixth winner in 10 r

AFTER A TWO-YEAR hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the running of the North West 200 over 13-15 May marked the resumption of the 2022 Irish Road Racing calendar ahead of the Isle of Man TT next month. Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing UK) notched up his s

AUSTRALIAN MAX FRICKE has won his second-ever Speedway Grand Prix round – but has that result changed the expectations for the 2022 World Speedway Championship? Without the 2021 champion Artem Laguta and Russian compatriot Emil Sayfutdinov, Bartosz Z

HARRISON WATTS PRODUCED two excellent rides at Sydney Premier Karting Park over May 14-15 to take a race victory and a fighting second place, enough to propel him to the top of the FIM MiniGP standings after two rounds. Birthday boy and pole sitter W

American Flat Track has made significant changes for 2022, can you tell us about them? We announced towards the end of last season that we would be consolidating our rules and at the end of this season we will be having just two classes. We’ll have t

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