Innholdsfortegnelse for #333 17-05 i Just Bikes

Previewed back in October and showcased at EICMA in November, the new, 25th Anniversary edition of Honda’s famed CBR1000RR Fireblade has been confirmed for local delivery in 2017. Australian buyers will have three variants to choose from: standard; SP; and SP-2. All benefit from the “Total Control” approach that Honda applied to the design and development of this latest generation Fireblade, which was also fed by knowledge gained from the RC213V-S project; Honda’s roadgoing, limited-edition version of their championship-winning MotoGP bike. NEW TECH Key outcomes from the Total Control program include increased horsepower, reduced weight and the adoption of new technologies – including some Honda firsts – like cornering ABS and lithium ion batteries. Honda also claims that 90 per cent of major components on the 2017 ‘Blade are new.…

Following its presentation at EICMA, CFMoto has confirmed their new 650MT adventure tourer will be coming to Australia in early 2017. Based on the 650NK, CFMoto’s first large capacity road bike that was released four years ago, the MT features the same powerplant as the 650NK; a 649.3cc, 8-valve, DOHC liquid-cooled inline twin with Bosch EFI, boasting 41.5KW at 9500RPM and 62Nm of torque at 7000RPM. This means that, like the 650NK, it is LAMS legal, so is OK for L-plate and first-time riders. Other features include a 6-speed transmission, long travel suspension front and rear with new USD front forks to handle tougher conditions, both on and off the bitumen. For stopping power, ABS brakes will be available, using a similar set up to the 650NK with twin front…

Gold Coast Harley-Davidson has won the Harley-Davidson ‘Dealer of the Year’ award for 2016. Steve Schilling, Dealer Principal of Gold Coast Harley-Davidson, accepted the sought after award on behalf of his team at the H-D National Dealer Meeting held in Sydney. As H-D A&NZ Dealer of the Year, Schilling receives a $20,000 contribution towards travel and accommodation to attend the global Annual Harley-Davidson Dealer Meeting to be held in Los Angeles in 2017. Additionally, ‘Road to Retail Excellence Program’ awards were presented to Adelaide Harley-Davidson Bike Works, Canberra Harley-Davidson and Western Ranges Motorcycles in Tamworth. The awards are all designed to reward H-D dealerships for excellence across a number of categories, including: customer satisfaction; business reporting; marketing and events; commitment to training; and sales and service performance. “This is an…

It took until the last round of the year to do it, but Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jonathan Rea has won the 2016 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship. The 29-year-old from Northern Ireland dominated the championship last year, winning his first WSBK title with two rounds in hand. This year, however, the fight was tougher. Rea came into the final round at Qatar on 29-30 October needing only two points to secure his second successive championship, but Kawasaki team mate Tom Sykes was a mathematical chance to take the title. Under lights at Qatar, Rea finished a comfortable second behind Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) in race 1, which was more than enough for the Ulsterman, who spends much of the off-season here with his Australian wife and family, to clinch…

Honda Australia has announced details of a new, LAMS-approved bobber that’s set to make its Australian debut in early 2017. The ‘CMX’ is described as a “progressive new custom bobber that fuses tradition with ground breaking new ideas and perspectives while offering ample scope for owner customization.” While the ‘CM’ lineage of this new model goes back to the CM125 of the early 1980s, the CMX is more closely related to the CMX Rebel; a 250 primarily created for the US market in the mid-1990s, but one that was reasonably popular here in Australia under the ‘CA250 Rebel’ moniker. The new Honda CMX Rebel, released in the US in late November, will be offered in 500 (471cc parallel twin) and 300 (286cc single) versions for that market, but Australia will…

In its 90th Anniversary year, Ducati was one of the featured marques at this year’s Motorclassica Australian International Concours d’Elegance and Classic Motor Show. Held at the historic Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne, Motorclassica may primarily be a car show, but it still presents a number of interesting and rare motorcycles each year. This year was no exception. The 21-23 October date for this year’s Motorclassica presented Ducati fans with something of a dilemma, though, as the annual concours event was held on the same weekend as the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix. Those Ducatisti who made the choice to go to the Melbourne event were treated to an impressive display of Ducati bikes, both new and old, ably supported by a range of other classics, as well as some of…

“Ryland reasoned that if people hate his past builds, they’re REALLY going to hate this one!” Building a custom bike can be as frustrating as it is rewarding. For those that put their creations out amongst the public, especially through online forums, the comments and criticisms can also be as deflating as they are uplifting. John Ryland of Classified Moto in Virginia, USA, has experienced both sides of the coin, and while he says the pats on the back far outweigh the kicks in the arse, the latter can be tough to deal with at times. So, rather than engage in a keyboard war with the trolls, Ryland created this custom Honda XR650L: reasoning that if people hate his past builds, they’re REALLY going to hate this one! A BIGGER…

The 2016 Australian Supercross Championship saw American import Justin Brayton (Honda Genuine Racing Team) crowned champion in the SX1 class, while local hero Jackson Richardson (Serco Yamaha) won a dramatic SX2 finale. Coming into the ‘AUS-X OPEN’ doubleheader finale in Sydney on 12-13 November, Brayton, who’s raced supercross here previously, was in the box seat for the SX1 championship, but had to contend with a fired-up Chad Reed (Yamaha) and four-time AMA Supercross champion, Ryan Villopoto (Kawasaki), as well as the series regulars. While Reed triumphed in both rounds at Sydney, Brayton did enough to wrap up the championship at Saturday evening’s round 5. Brayton won all four of the preceding rounds to ultimately take the championship by 24 points from CDR Yamaha’s Dean Ferris. “I am thankful for the…

“More than 1,500 motorcyclists rumbled through Wollongong for the ‘Thunder Run’, led by Caroline Buchanan.” This past 28 – 30 October saw Wollongong host Australia’s first ‘Harley Days’. Unlike past Aussie Harley-Davidson events that have revolved around company anniversaries (100th, 110th Anniversary, etc.), Harley Days had no milestones to mark or birthdays to celebrate; the event was purely a celebration of motorcycle culture and all things Harley-Davidson. Given the attendance and reception the first Harley Days received, it looks like Harley fans can lock this event in to their calendar for 2017 and beyond. H.O.G.S ONLY The three-day event kicked off on Friday, 28 October, with a H.O.G-only gathering at the event’s hub, Wollongong’s Stuart Park. From here, Harley Owners’ Group members took part in guided rides to Picton and…

What, exactly, is the Kawasaki Z125 Pro? It looks like a small bike, but isn’t. It’s styled like Kawasaki’s big ‘Z’ nakeds, but isn’t truly part of that family. It feels like the buzzy little scooters and monkey bikes of the past, but isn’t one of them, either. What the Z125 Pro is, at least in my opinion, is a new form of urban commuter, primarily for inner-city types who wouldn’t be seen dead on a scooter and neither need nor want a bigger bike. The Z125 Pro may be seen as a toy by some, but after I spent time on it, I found it to be anything but. Like its rival, the Honda Grom, the Z125 Pro is something of a “fad” bike, though. Once the initial buzz…