Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 144 i Australian Road Rider

When the Fat Boy landed down under way back in 1990, there were a few sniggers about that name. You have to remember that was 28 years ago — yes, we know — and there were plenty of blokes known for a second helping of Christmas pudding rusted on to the H-D shield. Would they get the subtlety of the gag? Well, the resounding answer was and remains “yes”. In fact, the bike went on to become the brand’s best seller in Australia for most of that time. Yep, it sold like high-cholesterol hotcakes. There was a good reason for all that because the Fat Boy strategically repositioned the H-D phenomenon. It was all about toughness. From the cast-solid wheels to the muscular masculine lines, the bike screamed Alpha Male…

BEST OF BOTH Designed to bridge the gap between sport riding and touring, the HJC RPHA 70 helmet claims to meet the needs of riders who want both the lightweight performance, airflow and protection of a race helmet and the comfort, quiet and convenience of a touring helmet. You get: Advanced P.I.M. Plus (Premium Integrated Matrix Plus) construction (carbon fibre and carbon-glass hybrid fabric for enhanced shock resistance), intake and exhaust top vents for maximum air circulation, a rear vent switch for easy control of air flow. There’s a whole bunch of other cool stuff as well. Jump on the website to get full specs on the RPHA 70. The quids: $599.90 Contact: Mcleodaccessories.com.au DEEP SPACE For motorcycle and snowboarding jetsetters, Alpinestars says its XL Transition Gear Bag is…

Every now and then I like to pack up my old Blackbird and head out the door for a few days. No real plan, no real destination, no set agenda. Just bloody go. It’s incredibly liberating. The feeling as you pull away on that first day is reminiscent of the rush you got when you first discovered motorcycling. And it’s the same. Every single time. So I thought… why not start a section in the mag entitled “Snag in a Swag” and head out on one of these fairly regularly. You get my drift. I’m actually working when I do this. I knoooow! This time round I rolled up the swag and headed into the south-west of Victoria. I was determined not to route plan too much, but I had…

LOOKING BACK In 1961, “Mike the Bike” Hailwood joined the Honda Grand Prix team, winning the 250cc World Championship immediately. He also became the first Isle of Man Tourist Trophy winner in the 125cc class, the 250cc and the 500cc categories. In 1962, with MV Agusta, he took the 500cc World Championship and was the first rider ever to win four consecutive world titles. He returned to Honda and won a further four titles back to back — both the 250cc and 350cc World Championships in 1966 and 1967 respectively. By 1967, Hailwood had won at the Isle of Man 12 times. His final TT appearance on a Honda was arguably his best. Aboard the RC181 he battled long-time rival Giacomo Agostini. Hailwood won the 500cc race and set a…

The phenomenon of rider training is now pretty firmly entrenched in the Australian road riding landscape. There are courses that cater for the beginner to the experienced and even active racers, usually carried out in the relatively safe environment of the racetrack. Born from all that training activity was the “track” or “ride” day. And why not? After all, this is where you get to thrash around the track, pretty much left to your own devices (of course there are sensible rules). Track day operators report that take-up is at its highest levels, and one of the reasons for this is the move towards riders trailering “track day only” motorcycles to these events. That way, you don’t have to ride home after a big day at the track and paying…

When the RS (Retro Sport) version of the Z900 came our way, I wasn’t sure I’d have a whole lot to say about it other than Phwoah! Nice paint mate — given that we so recently tested the standard Z900 on which it’s heavily based. Turns out I couldn’t have been more wrong. Firstly, Kawasaki has gone to some lengths to make the RS a visual treat and in our eyes it’s the nicest-looking bike in the entire Team Green model range. Designed as a homage to, rather than an exact replica of, the original Z1, from twenty feet away you’d still be hard pushed not to be taken in and I lost count of the number of double-takes this bike garnered as I rode it around town. The paint,…

To say I’ve been riding the Adelaide Hills for more than 40 years is only a tiny exaggeration. But truly, back in the ‘70s, when my petrolhead Uncle Ken became the exclusive agent for Deltek mini bikes, all the kids got one (of course) and we raced them at Mylor (Silver Lake) and Lonsdale, as well as on the many fire trails through the hills. That may all be part of history now, but those memories remain strong and the Adelaide Hills and surrounds continue to present a multitude of rewarding riding opportunities. Just to complete the nostalgic scenario, I called up my cousin Jason (who was then the youngest member of the Mainstyle Deltek Racing Team) to join me on an exploration of the Fleurieu Peninsula aboard an entirely…

Founded by German migrants in the 1850s, the Chilean city of Puerto Montt is known for two things. The first is salmon aquaculture: after Norway, Chile is the biggest exporter of farmed salmon in the world and Puerto Montt is the industry’s epicentre. The second thing it’s known for is the starting point of the Austral Highway, A.K.A. the road after the end of the road because it starts close to where the Pan-American Highway ends. Constructed in the 1970s by the military regime of General Augusto Pinochet over fears of an Argentinian invasion, the 1240km thoroughfare transverses Chile’s Patagonia region: a rugged, sparsely populated, nearly untouched rift of fjords, valleys, mountains, glaciers, ice fields, rainforests, marshlands and high coastal cliffs. The logistical challenges were such that the gravel version…

The burly Russian gets out of the Mercedes — its windows blacked-out, making it impossible to see if he is alone — and approaches me like a big bear stalking his prey. Numerous gold chains dangle from his bull neck. He carries a leather “man bag” and is wearing a two-piece matching leisure suit with three stripes running down the side. You now, all track and field like. I’m standing next to the bike and probably look a little lost. We’ve just crossed from Finland into Russia and the standard of driving has changed. The drivers are crazy, speeding past Big Red, leaving little room for error. “English?” he asks. “No. Australian.” My mind is racing as to what happens now. He looks like Russian mafia, but I can’t see…

Plunging and peaking like the skirl of bagpipes, the tortuous car-wide B869 that locals nickname the “wee bad road” was well named, I mused, as I dove between granitic boulders and powered uphill toward a blind sharp-curved summit. I feathered the throttle and clutch as I hit the crest, then braked hard for the sudden and spectacular view: Gunmetal-gray Eddrachillis Bay studded by rugged isles and craggy peninsulas fringed by improbably white-sand beaches. Beyond, great glacier-scoured mountains surged towards the harsh north-west extreme of Britain. Then a red fox trotted across the road. As I raised my camera she turned bushy tail and merged into the gorse like a ghost. My second day riding Scotland’s North Coast 500 route was proving wilder than my wildest dreams as it twined through…

I had spent a lot of time pre-planning the trip, madly poring over maps, both paper and online, and checking out routes and destinations. I determined that Northern Spain was the place to be. It’s mountainous, less populated and touristy than other regions. Another important factor was to avoid cities and stick to the rural roads. The route started to take shape and would lead us over the mountains to the Bay of Biscay. We arrived in Madrid a couple of days early to recover from the long flight from Oz and adjust our body clocks to the different time zone. After the obligatory sightseeing, we were anxious to throw a leg over and begin our riding adventure. It was only a short taxi ride to pick up the bike…

So you’d like to see your beastie featured here? Only to happy to oblige... Send a good pic and a bit of a blurb on your bike to gleech@universalmagazines.com.au or message us on Facebook.…