Innholdsfortegnelse for #375 20-08 i Just Bikes

One of Harley-Davidson’s most popular and successful modern models, the Fat Boy turns 30 in 2020 and Harley are marking the occasion with a special edition. The ‘Fat Boy 30th Anniversary Limited Edition’ will feature a Vivid Black paint scheme (the only colour offered) and blackout treatments on the handlebars, forks, exhaust and other parts, with bronze-tone detailing on the Milwaukee Eight 114 engine and a special finish for the Fat Boy’s signature solid disc wheels. Only 2,500 individually-numbered units will be released worldwide. FAT BOY HISTORY Released in 1990, the original Fat Boy was the work of Harley-Davidson stylists Willie G. Davidson and Louie Netz. Then, as now, the defining feature on the Softail Fat Boy was its fat tyres and solid disc wheels at each end. Those wheels…

The devastating effects of our recent (and in some cases ongoing) bushfires has drawn support from all areas, including the motorcycle industry. One example of this came from Deus ex Machina, specifically Deus co-founder Dare Jennings, who decided to raffle off his custom 1977 Triumph T140V. Purchased in America and used by Dare when he was over there, the classic Bonneville was mechanically refreshed in 2014. A year later, the bike was treated to a thorough rebuild, when most of the custom touches and other mods were made, with input from Deus friends, BA Moto, Dirty Dave and Boris the Painter. In 2016, the Triumph was shipped from LA to Sydney. Since then, the bike has been used by Dare sporadically, but seeing the devastating effect our bushfires have had…

Maverick Viñales has extended his contract with Yamaha for another two years after signing a new deal on 29 January that will see him remain with the Yamaha factory squad to the end of 2022. Debuting in MotoGP with Team Suzuki Ecstar in 2014, Viñales spent two years with that team and achieved his first MotoGP race win at Silverstone in 2016 before switching to the Yamaha Factory Racing Team in 2017, winning on debut with the new team at Losail. To date, Viñales has achieved six race wins on the YZR-M1, with a best championship placing of third in 2017 and 2019. Those six wins could have been seven after a dramatic last lap fall at last year’s Australian round at Phillip Island after leading for most of the…

There are all sorts of motivations behind building custom bikes. It may be about testing skills, the challenge of making new out of old, reviving childhood memories or simply spending time with mates on the spanners. Often, though, it’s just for fun. Darren Robinson certainly fits into the latter category, and even though he builds bikes to customer order through his ‘DR Customs’ business, the bikes he’s built for himself over the years have been enjoyed on roads, race circuits, in the dirt and even on the salt. The build shown here is another that was created for fun – specifically fun on the track at the Broadford Bike Bonanza. A BIKE FOR BROADFORD After he’d scored a second place trophy at the 2016 Deus Bike Build Off with a…

A new Indian FTR 1200 S Race Replica is up for grabs through Shannons. Valued at $24,995, the Indian FTR 1200 S Race Replica is offered as part of Shannons’ ‘Le Mans 24 Hours’ competition. All on-road costs are covered and 12 months of Shannons Comprehensive Motorcycle Insurance Cover is also included. As well as the bike, the winner will receive a 15-day trip for two taking in the world’s most famous one-day endurance race – the 2021 Le Mans 24 Hours. Scheduled for 7-23 June, 2021, the tour kicks off with three nights’ accommodation in Paris, presenting abundant sightseeing opportunities. Using the provided luxury hire car, the winner and their companion will then head to Le Mans, spending three nights in the La Sarthe region and taking in the…

As details of Harley-Davidson’s 2020 model lineup for Australia continue to emerge, the CVO Road Glide has been confirmed and is due for local release by the middle of the year. Joining the Limited, Street Glide, and Tri Glide, the MY20 CVO Road Glide is the bagger member of the CVO family, identified by its cut-down fairing, hard panniers, 21-inch front wheel and low-slung back end. Powered by the Milwaukee Eight 117 engine, the CVO Road Glide adds a bunch of new features for 2020, led by the Reflex Defensive Rider Systems (RDRS) that’s essentially a form of traction and stability control that matches engine performance during acceleration, deceleration and braking. For the CVO Road Glide’s standard Boom! Box GTS infotainment system with Premium Boom! Audio, a wireless Boom! Audio…

Fabio Quartararo, MotoGP’s rookie sensation of 2019, will step up to the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team for 2021 and 2022. The 20-year-old will remain with the satellite Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team this year, but will race a full factory-spec YZR-M1, supported by Yamaha Motor Corporation. In his debut MotoGP season last year, Quartararo secured six pole positions and seven other front row starts, translating these into seven podium finishes, including runner-up results at Catalunya, Misano, Buriram, Motegi and Valencia. Finishing in fifth place in the 2019 championship with 192 points, Quartararo easily won the Rookie of the Year award from Joan Mir (92 points). He also outscored Valentino Rossi (174 points) and almost exceeded Maverick Vinales (211 points), too. The Frenchman’s results in MotoGP are all the more…

After hinting that he’d return to the MotoGP paddock following his retirement from racing last year, Jorge Lorenzo announced on 30 January that he had signed on with Yamaha to be part of their MotoGP test team for 2020. The 32-year-old Spaniard, who achieved all three of his MotoGP World Championships with Yamaha, returns to the manufacturer for the first time since 2016. “I’m very happy with the decision to join the Yamaha Factory Test Team. I was always planning on staying involved in MotoGP and returning to the paddock, and I think this is a suitable role for me,” Lorenzo stated. “I know the team and the M1 well. The Yamaha really suited my riding style, and it will be very interesting to ’meet up with my old bike…

KTM’s incredible winning streak at the Dakar Rally is over. The first Dakar of the new decade saw a new winner, with Monster Energy Honda Team’s Ricky Brabec not only ending the KTM hegemony, but also scoring the first Dakar win by an American. A starter with the factory Honda team in the past four Dakars, Brabec’s previous best was ninth on debut in 2016. Last year, the American was in contention for the win before retiring with a blown engine on Stage 8. With the 2020 Dakar shifting from South America to Saudi Arabia, the course would be a new challenge for all riders, but 28-year-old Brabec quickly adapted, taking the lead on Stage 3 and never really looking like he would lose it for the remainder of the…

The Shannons Insurance Broadford Bike Bonanza has become a must-do event for fans of classic motorcycles of all types. This year will be no exception. Celebrating its twelfth year in 2020, the Bonanza is all about admiring and enjoying pre-1994 motorcycles of all types in a fun, non-competitive environment, with a mantra of ‘no racing, just riding’. The Bonanza welcomes all motorcycle disciplines to the State Motorcycle Sports Complex at Broadford, with the road race, speedway, dirt track, motocross and enduro trails in action, so no matter what your fancy is, you’re sure to find something to enjoy your machine on, or just to watch. The road race circuit is open from 12 Noon on Good Friday (10 April) and all tracks open on Easter Saturday and Sunday (11-12 April)…

In the cubic-inch displacement war between Indian and Harley-Davidson, Harley have fired their latest shot with the Screamin’ Eagle 131 crate engine. As the name suggests, the Screamin’ Eagle 131 is a 131-cubic-inch displacement (2147cc) v-twin and the largest production engine Harley-Davidson has offered to date. Available for 2017 and newer H-D Touring models originally equipped with a Milwaukee Eight oil cooled or Twin Cooled engine, the bolt-in Screamin’ Eagle 131 offers 12 per cent more capacity than the Milwaukee Eight 117 (the largest Harley engine currently available), with improved high-rpm performance and what Harley says is a significant boost in torque. “Our adrenaline-seeking riders asked for thrilling power and torque with reliability,” said Harley-Davidson Product Manager James Crean. “The Screamin’ Eagle 131 Crate Engine delivers exactly that. “Developed by…

While Valentino Rossi has stated on numerous occasions that he’ll wait until partway through the 2020 season before deciding his future in MotoGP, that decision has been made for him – at least partly - as Yamaha has announced they will not renew the 40-year-old’s contract with the factory team beyond this season. In multiple announcements made at the end of January, Yamaha confirmed that Rossi would not be retained in the factory team beyond this year, Maverick Viñales’s contract with the factory team has been extended to the end of 2022 and Fabio Quartararo will join him in 2021 and 2022. “For reasons dictated by the riders’ market, Yamaha asked me at the beginning of the year to make a decision regarding my future. Consistent with what I said…

This year, Suzuki are celebrating 60 years since their international racing debut at the 1960 Isle of Man TT. Acknowledging that history, Team Suzuki Ecstar have unveiled a new livery on their MotoGP racers, inspired by the 125cc ‘Colleda RT 60’ racers from that 1960 debut. For the 2020 MotoGP season, the familiar Suzuki blue from recent years has been combined with slate silver on the GSX-RR, with the new colour scheme also featuring on the race leathers of riders Alex Rins and Joan Mir. BUYING – AND BUILDING - SPEED While Suzuki’s 1960 debut at the TT was far from noteworthy (the winning MV Agusta 125’s average speed that year was 85mph, while Suzuki’s was only 70mph), they were on the winner’s podium within the next two years. That…

Since they were purchased by Qianjiang Group (QJ) in 2005, Benelli has gone from strength to strength and is stronger and more successful now than at any point in its 109-year history. How strong and how successful? Well, after shifting around 10,000 bikes in 2015, Benelli sold 59,750 motorcycles in 2018 and just over 63,000 globally last year. That’s 10,000 more than Ducati sold in 2019, and (depending on your source) more than Triumph, too. How Benelli have managed to turn around their fortunes in the past decade is due entirely to the backing of QJ and the high volumes and reduced costs that are possible with Chinese manufacturing. However, the giant Chinese company has wisely retained Benelli’s design studio in Pesaro, Italy, ensuring the brand still has appeal for…

For an American brand that was built on – and reborn with – cruisers, Indian’s addition of the FTR 1200 range to their lineup was a bold move. Categorically not a cruiser, the FTR 1200 is a little hard to pigeonhole into any other category, though, as it has elements of commuter, trail bike, racer and even streetfighter. When you understand the FTR 1200 was inspired by American flat track racing, the blurring of categories makes a little more sense. BACK TO THE TRACK When Indian was reborn under Polaris ownership in 2013, it was also decided that the brand would return to racing, specifically that most American of competition motorcycle disciplines - flat track. In its original form, Indian had been Harley-Davidson’s main – and sometimes only – rival…