Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 153 i Australian Road Rider

The British factory is building 765 units for North America (USA and Canada) and another 765 for the rest of the world. It’ll be the first motorcycle licensed by Dorna Sport. The billet-machined top yoke of each bike will display its edition number, laser-etched into the metal. The Moto2 badging continues to the start-up screen on the TFT colour display, showing off the world championship logo when you switch on the ignition. Designed and built for the track, it’s the highest-output, lowest-weight Daytona 675 ever built, and even features an Arrow titanium race can standard. There’s 128hp (95kW) at 12,250rpm and 80Nm of torque at 9750rpm. Equipment includes Brembo Stylema brakes, Öhlins suspension and Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP rubber. Although squarely aimed at track use, the new Daytona will be…

Back in The Old Days, BMW would indicate model generations by putting a stroke (or what younger readers might call a forward slash) and number after the basics — so the R50/5, was part of the fifth generation of the Boxer twin. By the early ‘80s all that was over. Now it’s back, with the new BMW R nineT/5. “Classic, authentic, original — and air-cooled. This is what the BMW R nineT models stand for. The new R nineT/5 provides another addition to the successful BMW Motorrad Heritage world of experience, this time with special historical roots.” This is how BMW describes the new machine, and it certainly looks the part. The bike also marks the 50th anniversary of BMW motorcycle production in Berlin Spandau. Like the rest of BMW’s…

Ducati surprised pretty much everyone with the Diavel in 2010 when it showed off the bike for the first time, only its second cruiser ever (after the best-forgotten Indiana in the late 1980s). Now, in 2019, we’ve got one which is bigger, faster, better… Ducati’s muscly power cruiser is a rare fish these days — there aren’t a lot of others around anymore. The extinction of the Harley V-Rod and Yamaha V-Max means fishing isn’t what it used to be. A new species from Harley (FXDR 114) has been introduced, but it hasn’t grown to significant numbers yet. There is the Harley Fat Bob, and a large school of Suzuki M109s swimming around. For whatever reason, many Power Cruiser fishermen don’t go for the well-engineered, attractively priced Suzuki. Occasionally a…

Want to ride harder? You may want to dig deep and find an extra $4900 for the Ducati Diavel 1260 S, because various upgrades make it more capable. The S-model gets Öhlins suspension at both ends. At the front are fully adjustable 48mm upside down forks, and there’s a fully adjustable Öhlins rear shock, too. Ducati’s added its up and down quickshift to the S, so you can bang through gears quicker, and Brembo M50 monoblock callipers up front to wash off speed when required. Other changes make the 1260 S stand out – machine finished wheels, LED headlight with Daytime Running Light System (DQS) EVO and a dedicated seat with insert. An option on the standard model, Ducati’s Multimedia System (DMS) is standard on the 1260 S. The 1260…

Indian Chieftain Limited — from $38,995 ride away A bagger with a power windshield, 100W stereo system and engine about the same size as the Road Glide’s, the Chieftain is worth a test ride. Honda Gold Wing — from $35,999 With a super-smooth horizontally-opposed 6-cylinder motor, 7-speed gearbox with reverse, big panniers and style all its own, the legendary Gold Wing is a wonderful touring bike. Moto Guzzi California Touring SE — from $27,990 Out of Italy comes a machine named after an American state, standard with a touring screen and panniers. The Guzzi 1380cc engine is a peach, the style a knock-out and the effortless nature of the ride delightful.…

HAWKESBURY RIVER The river is just the beginning … See you later Sydney! Hit the Old Northern Road, the sweeping bends winding through the rolling forested hills and open paddocks of Glenorie and Maroota, and you will quickly be whisked away from the crowded hustle of Sydney. Yep, we’re heading for the Hawkesbury! Approaching the quaint town of Wisemans Ferry, you’ll catch some glimpses of the beautiful Hawkesbury through the trees as you follow the ridge line down, but don’t gander too long! There are a few tight cheeky twisties to enjoy before arriving at river level. Cruise through Wisemans and head for the ferry — let’s get ready! Riding aboard Wisemans ferry, bike under bum, is a feeling unlike any other. The struggle here is getting your kick stand…

Open-face helmets only seem to be popular with Harley riders these days, but there are good reasons to wear one on any bike. The AGV K-5 jet-style lid I’ve been using for a little while is a modern beauty. It’s an open-face design with many of the attributes of a full-face helmet. Features include an internal sun shield, magnetic visor closure, micrometric chin strap retention system, a washable dry comfort interior, good ventilation, and removable inserts around the ears for speakers are all included. This helmet is appealing as it has less weight, better peripheral vision and ventilation than a typical full face. Unlike most jet helmets, the visor covers the chin and provides more face protection than usual. I found the Dry-Comfort liner comfortable and at least as good…

"…SEDUCED US ALL WHEN THE SVELTE, SEXY AND SEDUCTIVE 916 WAS INTRODUCED…" Ducati shocked the world when it introduced the water-cooled, 8-valve sports/racing machine it simply called the 851 in the mid’80s. Then the Italians seduced us all when the svelte, sexy and seductive 916 was introduced in 1994. Although the 851 and 888 models won world championships and re-established Ducati as a maker of premier sportsbikes, the 916, with its beautiful curves, single-sided swingarm, wedge-shaped headlight and under-seat exhaust was innovative, sensual and very, very different from anything else available at the time (except maybe Honda NR, but that was a limited-edition V-four with oval pistons, eight valves per cylinder and a US$50,000 price tag). Shown off in 1993 but released in 1994, the 916 sold like proverbial hot…

The 2020 Indian Scout line-up pays homage to the first 1920 model that bore the Scout name, and guess what, the 2020 model doesn’t share any parts with the 1920 version. But everyone knows Polaris’ idea to resurrect the Indian name a decade or so ago was all about finding a way to build modern American cruisers with heritage styling, and the company has done a good job. The Scout is one of my favourite bikes out of the USA, and the 2020 models look great too. There are two new models in the line-up: the Scout Bobber Twenty and Scout 100th Anniversary. Along with the new bikes there’s a host of new accessories, many aimed at the touring market, which wasn’t what the Scout was supposed to be (it…

Harley-Davidson has announced only one new mainstream model and three CVO bikes for the 2020-model year in Australia. While that seems very quiet for the giant American manufacturer, internationally the company is focussed on its electric motorcycle roll-out, which we’re going to have to wait another year for. So we have to get by with the $27,995 Low Rider S, a 1980s-styled performance-first cruiser. With the big-bore 114-cubic-inch engine, performance suspension, high ’bars and high horsepower, Harley claims the new machine has the soul of the old Low Riders with the modern performance of the latest from Milwaukee. “The look of the new Low Rider S is really rooted in the legacy of the pre-Dyna FXR models of the 1980s, which have a devoted following that has spread world-wide from…

With 16,000 members across the world and a baton relay which has travelled from the UK through Europe and Asia down to Australia before heading to New Zealand, Canada and beyond, the Women Riders World Relay has grown into a huge event. It’s spanned many months after starting out as a ride hoping to inspire the motorcycle industry to take women riders seriously and encourage women to ride more. “I wanted to ignite a global sisterhood of inspirational women to promote courage, adventure, unity and passion for biking from all corners of the world and do something that’s never been done before on this scale. My aim is to WOW the industry into realising the global market for women in motorsports and to inspire women world-wide,” says founder Hayley Bell…

Hitting a camel would seriously ruin my day, I mused, sobered, as I perused the recumbent beast at the side of the road. Blood was spattered across the asphalt, and flies buzzed around some still-fresh meat matter. Fifty yards away, a smashed Nissan Pathfinder lay as inert as the ship of the desert. I’d passed several red triangular hazard signs warning of open-range camels. Yet five days into my solo trip through Oman, the long-necked beasts had proven elusive. Then, as I hauled down the lonesome Al Mudaybi-Ibra Highway, a huge dromedary suddenly emerged from the dun desert backdrop and lolloped across my path as if from a mirage. Wildly unpredictable and weighing more than a ton, it was a speed bump guaranteed to make me sit erect in the…

Darwin to Melbourne in 11 days, with a few mates. Not a bad way to spend winter, although filling up social media with photos of us lounging around the pool, eating oysters and sunning ourselves doesn’t go down well with my regular riding buddies down south — or she who should be obeyed! But now it’s time to head south — the long way. TOWARD WA After a day off in Darwin, on our 13th day on the road, we’re relaxed, refreshed and ready to ride towards Western Australia. But first it’s re-tracing the road back from Darwin to Katherine via Pine Creek for breakfast. Massive termite mounds, pampas grass and the solitude of the road see us riding off individually for a while. At Katherine the turnoff to the…

When I received an invitation from Idaho’s petite and glamorous official tourism manager, Diane Norton, to ride a Harley-Davidson around her state, I didn’t expect that she would be coming along for the ride. Normally in a smart suit and fashionable heels, Diane transforms into bad girl “Lady Di” astride her Dyna Street Bob. She even has the plates to prove it. Before the off, we meet at High Desert Harley-Davidson, one of the biggest Harley dealers in the country, with its own hire department. Here, linebacker-sized Todd Godfrey handles things. Actually, Todd looks like the type of guy who could handle most things. Under the Motorcycle Alley arch in the Boise suburb of Meridian, our team pauses for the obligatory photo opp. Diane, Todd on his Road Glide and…

There’s something special about a good leather motorcycle jacket. The feel of the leather, its texture and suppleness, even the way it moves with you as you stretch out to the handlebars — no textile jacket can match it. That said, I gave up on leather for street riding years ago. Textiles are much more practical — cheaper, usually waterproof, better ventilated… so I wasn’t expecting too much when a black Merlin Hixon leather jacket turned up. There’s also a brown version available. But the soft, thick, luxurious leather and slightly retro styling was very alluring, so trying out the Hixon in the depths of winter was attractive, although I was wondering if I’d regret it. Turns out the thermal liner in the Hixon is good and the cut kept…

It’s Suzuki’s neo sports machine, an old name with updated style wrapped around a long-stroke Suzuki in-line four-cylinder sportsbike engine. Designed more for cities and weekend fun than tracks or touring, the 2020 Katana makes a lot of sense these days. It’s sporty but comfortable, good-looking but practical — to a point. STYLE When the first Katana models appeared in the 1980s they were radical departures from what we’d had prior. Styled from front guard to rear tailpiece, the Katanas weren’t actually anything super-special from an engineering point of view — all the early models were heavily based on other Suzukis — but they were very special to look at. Much the same can be said about the new machine which, despite launching in August 2019, is considered a 2020…

You could win an Indian FTR or a trip to the biggest historic motorcycle festival, Goodwood, from Shannons insurance, just by getting a quote. That’s right, you don’t even have to take out insurance with the company, which has an awesome reputation for looking after everything from your daily ride to your classic bike and car. The Indian FTR is the street-legal flat tracker with 123hp from its 1203cc V-twin motor valued at $24,995 — and Shannons will throw in a year’s comprehensive insurance. A 15-day trip to London and the Goodwood Revival is hard to beat; it’s one of the biggest historic motorsport events in the world. This is the only event of its kind to be staged entirely in the nostalgic time capsule of the 1940s, ‘50s and…

My descent into the world of riding slow motorcycles in the middle of winter continues this issue with two weeks aboard the Kawasaki W800 Cafe. My new thermals are doing an admirable job of keeping the cold out, thanks for asking, aided by an early Indian summer which cooked up a string of 20-degree days in the deep dark depths of July. Looks like God rides a Kawasaki. Who’d a thunk? It’s been fun having a few test bikes in the shed again, even if they couldn’t muster 100hp between ’em. That mightn’t sound like a lot of power to you but enough is generally enough once you’ve embraced life in the slow lane. But it wasn’t all good news. A common problem of testing bikes is that almost all…

1 WEAR THE GEAR Consider low-cut motorcycle boots, Kevlar jeans, a bike jacket, helmet and gloves to be the minimum amount of protective gear. If you need to buy some this time of year, even cheap summer gear with armour is a lot better than street clothes. 2 DO AN ADVANCED COURSE You learnt a lot doing your LAMS training, didn’t you? Not just bike control (you might have had that if you’d ridden dirt bikes as a kid) but traffic awareness and roadcraft. Take those skills to the next level with advanced rider training. Many courses are run on racetracks so there’s no oncoming traffic, speeding tickets and lots of run-off, so if it does go pear-shaped you’ll likely be fine. They often don’t require racing leathers (just good…

“IT PLAYED A STARRING ROLE IN MY CAREER…”” ANNIVERSARIO: A NEW BIKE, 25 YEARS LATER If you get in quick you might be able to get yourself one of just 500 special-edition motorcycles being built to celebrate the 916, named Panigale V4 25° Anniversario 916. Launched during the WSBK weekend in the USA by none other than four-time World Champion Ducati rider Carl Fogarty, the new bike is built around the Panigale V4S with upgrades from the Panigale V4R (which is the basis for the competition machines). There’s a long list of special components including forged magnesium wheels and a street-legal Akrapovic exhaust. Ducati has also said bike number 5 will be auctioned off, with the proceeds going to the family of Carlin Dunne, who died racing a Ducati Streetfighter…

DUCATI 1200 MULTISTRADA GT — MY DAILY RIDE FIVE YEARS ON Recently my 2014 Ducati Multistrada GT clicked over 88,800km — but it still runs and rides like a new machine. I ride five or six days a week, 90km-per-day commutes as well as day tripping and touring, mostly on the gorgeous curvy country roads Tassie has on offer. But after nearly five years on my MTS, what have I discovered? What highlights, challenges and rewards have been my experience in real-world motorcycling on this top-range adventure tourer? How has it worked out, long after the slick Ducati brochure has become another dust collector on the bookcase? YOU PAY A LOT, BUT YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! The component quality, build, finish and operation of the MTS are superb.…