Australian Motorcycle News

Editor Dean Mellor Deputy Editor Kel Buckley Sub Editor Phil Branagan News Editor Hamish Cooper Staff Journalist Pete Vorst Founding Editor George Lynn Art Director Brendon Wise Sir Alan Cathcart, Michael Scott, Ben Purvis, Mat Oxley, Neil Morr

THE HORNET IS likely to be just the first of a family of models sharing the same engine. Just as Honda has used the Africa Twin as the basis of the Rebel 1100 cruiser, the NT1100 tourer and most recently the Hawk 11 café racer, the Hornet is expected

HONDA HINTED AT plans to revive the Hornet name last year by revealing a stylised computer image at EICMA in Milan. Now it has released detailed sketches that confirm its sharp-edged looks and sports-roadster stance. The design is the work of 28-year

FOUR YEARS AFTER it was first rumoured, a baby BMW sportsbike is finally set to join the range in mid-July. Expected to be named the G 310 RR, it will be based on BMW’s single-cylinder G 310 R. The initial glimpses of this new model come via BMW Moto

CAPE YORK MOTORCYCLE Adventures has bought 15 of the all-new CFMoto 800MT Touring model to use on its eight-day Cairns-to-Darwin and seven-day Cairns-to-Cape York tours. The business, now in its 33rd year of operation, also runs more hardcore tours o

Spectator and camping tickets are now on sale for the 14-16 October Animoca Brands MotoGP at Phillip Island. FONZ, the Australian electric motorbike maker formerly known as Fonzarelli, has ramped up production at a new solar-powered, carbon-neutral

While carrying out testing for his Marlboro Yamaha Dealer Team at Oran Park, team rider Mike Dowson managed to break his wrist without even coming a cropper. When asked how it happened, Dowson explained that his F1 machine had a massive slide through

Win 5L of Motomuck Motorcycle Cleaner to keep your ride shiny valued at $59.95! Include your full name and address in your letter, via post or email. Long letters will be cut to fit, so don’t ramble. The views expressed by readers are not necessaril

Deano, are you still running the Winter Jacket Drive? Thanks to little interest in clearing-out old stuff, plus several errors in sizing online purchases, I have a contribution to make if you chaps are still running the drive? If so, please let me kn

ANSWERS WILL BE REVEALED IN THE NEXT ISSUE EMAIL YOUR ANSWERS AND ADDRESS TO AMCN@AMCN.COM.AU FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!

Electric start, basic mechanics, the centrestand and that it doesn’t have enough power to do too much damage. Electric start sounds like a box full of frogs, no kickstarter, I’d like more power and people put coins in my helmet.

TEN LITRES OF extra fuel courtesy of a couple of jerries and a few hours with the welder. Makes for between 600-700km range. Speaking of fuel, I use a generic fuel filter that’s disposable so it gets another one with each oil and filter change. Note

Capacity 321cc Type Single-cylinder, SOHC, 4-valves Bore & stroke 75.3 x 72mm Compression ratio 10.7:1 Cooling Liquid Fueling EFI Transmission CVT Clutch Automatic Final drive Belt Power 21.2kW @ 7250rpm (claimed) Torque 30Nm @ 5

A comfortable commuter that’s good on the open road, economical and comes with a modicum of off-road capability. Not the most comfortable seat, no park brake and it would soon get beached if you tried to ride it like an enduro bike.

DUCATI OFFERS SEVERAL accessory packs: Touring, Off-Road, Sport and Urban. Total luggage capacity with the optional top box (41 litres) and side panniers (41 and 35 litres) is a decent 117 litres in total with a maximum payload of 240kg. The most int

Capacity 937cc Type V-twin, desmodromic, four valves per cylinder Bore & stroke 94 x 67.5mm Compression ratio 13.3:1 Cooling Liquid Fueling EFI Transmission Six-speed Clutch Wet, multi-plate Final drive Chain Power 81kW @ 9250rpm (

In-house produced brakes feature twin 320mm semi-floating discs and radial four-piston calipers up front and a single 260mm plate with dual-piston caliper out back. The ABS is not switchable, though, which could be a bit of a negative here in Austral

QIANJIANG MOTORCYCLE COMPANY, the owner of Benelli since 2005, is now controlled by Chinese automotive giant Geely, best known outside China as the owner of Swedish car maker Volvo – as well as since 2018 of a 9.7 percent stake in Daimler AG, the par

Capacity 754cc Type Parallel twin, DOHC, four valves per cylinder Bore & stroke 82 x 62mm Compression ratio 11.5:1 Cooling Liquid Fueling EFI Transmission Six-speed Clutch Wet, multi-plate Final drive Chain Power 56kW @ 8500rpm (cl

V-Strom 1050XT $21,990 (ride away) Africa Twin Adventure Sports DCT ES $25,649 (ride away) Multistrada V4 S $34,200 (ride away) Norden 901 $25,050 (ride away) 800MT Touring $12,990 (ride away) ■

FOR A MIDSIZE adventure bike, the Touring-spec machine has all the mod cons for punching long kilometres on tarmac: cruise control, ABS, fog lights, a two-way quickshifter, heated seat and grips, tyre-pressure monitoring, adjustable screen, seven inc

TWO YEARS AGO, Suzuki updated its long-standing V-Strom 1000 to this latest 1037cc V-Strom 1050 XT and, while many fans of the Japanese brand hoped it would rival the likes of the segment’s big hitters, it does lack some of the off-road credentials r

BIG, HEAVY ADVENTURE bikes can be a bit intimidating for riders of shorter stature, but the Husqvarna Norden 901 is one of the most comfortable and easy-to-ride dual-sport bikes on the market. With a 21-inch front wheel, decent off-road tyres (Pirell

DUBBED AS ONE of the most technologically advanced bikes in the world, Ducati’s Multistrada V4 S provides a lot of features that I could spend all day writing about. But I’m going to focus on the ride impression – note though, with a belter of a toot

WHEN I GOT the call to join this year’s adventure comparo, I was chuffed. When I found out that I’d be riding the Africa Twin DCT again, I went looking for a tanty-chuckin’ emoji – my fourth adventure comparo and now my third on the AT. That was unti

499cc parallel-twin $10,690 (ride away) 373cc single cylinder $9970 (ride away) 471cc parallel twin $9349 (plus on-road costs) 645cc V-Twin $14,990 ride away 659cc parallel-twin $22,230 ride away

THE KLR650 IS jack of all trades. It’s rugged, simple and capable. Kawasaki has kept with its trusted formula of the five-speed 652cc counter-balanced single for many years. This most recent edition is fuel injected and has some minor engine tweaks t

THE SAFARI GS Enduro caters for those looking to get a bit more off the beaten track. This year’s event kicks off on 14 August in the Central West NSW town of Dubbo and finishes up seven days later in the Barossa Valley of South Australia. The 2022 e

HANDS DOWN THE GS Safari is one of the best things I’ve ever done. If the idea of rocking up and riding without the hassle of dragging your gear around appeals, then it’s the go if you own a GS. The Safari team is a well-oiled machine, everything is

THERE ARE TWO Safari packages available, depending on your budget or preference. The only difference between the Adventurer package and the cheaper Explorer package is that the Adventurer package provides you with a room all to yourself rather than s

THIS YEAR MARKS the 40th year since my first motorcycle adventure when I rode a Honda XL250 from Adelaide to Alice Springs via Uluru in June 1982. Other than using copious quantities of Araldite, I experienced no problems at all – though my mate suff

TOURING THE APPLE Isle on two wheels or four dictates a return on the ‘Spirit of Tasmania’ and, having competed in Targa Tasmania many times I’m at ease with the procedure. On another occasion we were hosted by a mate who possessed a Forestry Tasmani

DESPITE ITS UNCONVENTIONAL name, this Topsakz tail bag from Andy Strapz is hands-down the most practical and useful piece of motorcycle luggage I own. And I own a lot of luggage. And because it’s made from the same kind of canvas truckies use to tarp

MotoGP heads to the Netherlands for Round 11 at Assen. You can catch the action live on Videopass, Foxsports or Kayo. Moto3 starts 7pm AEST, Moto2 at 8.20pm and MotoGP at 10pm. This round also includes MotoE. Did you know you can livestream all the a

CONFESSION TIME. THESE overgrips have been kicking around my shed for so many years, I’m surprised I still even have them. The idea of velcroing something around the outside of bike grips terrified me. They could be the fluffy steering-wheel covers o

EVERYONE ON THE Supersport grid wants to be competitive but for me this year it was about a different outlook. I wanted to show I’ve matured and I’m a little bit smarter with my riding, using that to my advantage while still having fun. It’s unfortun

FORMER AMCN STAFFER and TT newcomer Rennie Scaysbrook (PRF Racing/Metzeler/5.11) scored two impressive TT finishes this year, ending his first-ever TT in 44th place with an average speed of 113.818mph. He improved to 37th in the second Supersport TT

• Michael Russell was the only rider to compete in every class of this year’s TT • There were some big-name guests at the TT this year: former speedway world champs Jason Doyle and Greg Hancock, and grand prix legends Giacomo Agostini and Randy Mamo

Even on an overcast Friday there was a decent crowd, and on Saturday and Sunday, many more. The lone Italian race of the year was an unofficial petrol-fuelled beach party near the Adriatic coast for the locals, just like the old days. They even got t

There was an array of old racing stars around at Misano, up to and including the legends that are Pierfrancesco Chili, Max Biaggi and… of course… Valentino Rossi. Vale is a local from just up the road in Tavullia, with a history of showing up at Worl

DOMINIQUE AEGERTER (TEN Kate Yamaha) once again secured pole in the former 600 Supersport class, although he did do it on a 600cc four-cylinder Yamaha. His new best of 1m37.173s saw him line up ahead of Nicolo Bulega (Aruba Ducati) and Lorenzo Baldas

POLEMAN MATTEO VANNUCCI (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) won his opening home race from championship leader Alvaro Diaz (Arco Motor University Team Yamaha) by just 0.020sec in a race where the best Yamahas aced the best Kawasakis. But not quite all of t

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to expect to replicate the last lap dramas of the Portuguese round every weekend, but WorldSBK still served up plenty of sharp breath intakes – and one big exhalation of relief. This was the weekend we would see just how strong the D

THE POST-RACE test at Barcelona gave Miller the chance to work on set-up and enhance his front-end feel. “I’ve been really struggling a lot to brake, which is generally my strong point,” he said. “Immediately on the Monday in Barcelona I felt a lot m

THERE WERE A few false starts at the beginning of Augusto Fernandez’s (Ajo Kalex) season. But the Majorcan is now a major threat after a dominant victory, capitalising on his rivals’ misery. Fernandez was on another level to the rest of the field, wi

PREVIOUS CONTESTS AT the Sachsenring have intimated domination in the Moto3 class shouldn’t be possible. Yet Izan Guevara (Aspar GASGAS) did just that, claiming a 4.8sec victory that was never in doubt. He got the holeshot from pole position and led

Riders have raced motorcycles for world championship points since 1949 but this looks like a first. Brothers have competed against each other in the past lots of times, and even broken their own brother’s lap records (WAlex and Marc Marquez, for inst

A TOUGH WEEKEND. The 23-year old came here on the back of a positive post-race test in Barcelona, where he felt he found a cure for KTM’s turning woes. But it didn’t come to pass. Qualifying was a struggle in temperatures of 33°C. He started from 21s

RETURNING TO THE scene of his Moto3 debut a year ago, Kelso immediately looked at home in free practice. He put his track knowledge to good use on Saturday as he qualified 11th. The 18-year-old was then on for a personal best result as he formed part

THE MI-BIKE MOTORCYCLE Insurance Australian Superbike Championship returned to Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway over 17-19 June to be paired with the Supercars for the second year running, and Yamaha Racing Team rider Mike Jones seized control of the c

“WE DON’T TEST before we come to Darwin, so it’s just a matter of who can get down to business the quickest. This track was going to be a challenge for us because it has a really long straight, but as it turns out it didn’t really effect us. The thre

BOSSES AT DUCATI have pushed back the deadline for a decision on who gets the second seat in its factory team for 2023 but, despite rumours that said otherwise, Sporting Director Paolo Ciabatti confirmed it will come down to two riders and two riders

THE RUMOUR MILL went into overdrive in Germany regarding rider movements for 2023. Up to six names have been linked to the RNF Aprilia seats, including Miguel Oliveira, whose reported move to Gresini hit a snag over his personal sponsor Hyundai and A

DUCATI’S SPORTING DIRECTOR Paolo Ciabatti was in Misano, giving AMCN’s Gordo Ritchie the chance to ask what Ducati and Alvaro Bautista have learned from their 2019 season together, where the Spaniard ran away with the title – until he lost it. “Hones

THREE AUSTRALIAN RIDERS have qualified for the Speedway Grand Prix Challenge Meeting to be held in August, while another two went oh-so close. Four qualifying meetings were staged earlier this month, each of them sending the top four riders through t