Innholdsfortegnelse for #428 24-09 i Just Bikes

If you regularly buy from your local newsagent or supermarket, please keep supporting them – we love them! But if you keep missing issues you may want to consider a subscription. Full disclosure – Australia Post is pretty busy these days so delivery can be a bit slow, but at least you won’t miss an issue! You can have your mag delivered to your door for only $90 for 12 months. See page 119 for coupon or scan this QR code and go directly to our subscription page to order…

Historic Winton, the annual all-historic race meeting at Winton Motor Raceway in regional Victoria, has announced the anniversary display themes for this year’s 47th edition of the event. While a number of car anniversaries are being recognised, with a special race to be held for Ford Cortinas to mark the 60th Anniversary of that model in Australia, there are motorcycle marque and model anniversaries this year, too. Listed anniversaries include 110 years of the Hendeson Model C, 100 years of the Brough Superior SS100, 90 years of the Douglas Endeavour, 70 years of the Triumph Tiger 110 and 60 years of Honda’s CT trail bike. Owners of all those models are invited to bring them to Winton Motor Raceway on the weekend of 25-26 May and add their pride and…

Less than two months after winning the 2023 mi-bike Australian Superbike Championship with ER Motorsport and Troy Herfoss – as Penrite Honda Racing-Honda Australia is withdrawing from the series in a factory capacity. This follows Herfoss’s departure to race the King of the Baggers series in the US this year with Indian Motorcycle. The split between Honda and ER Motorsport, announced on 24 January, was described as amicable and a reflection of the need for both parties to “recalibrate their objectives”. “While the decision to step back from the Australian Superbike Championship in a factory capacity this year is a challenging one, it is essential for us to redirect our resources and energy towards initiatives that align more closely with the evolving needs of our customers,” said Tony Hinton, General…

Amongst owners of classic and modern motorcycles, restorers and custom bike builders, racers and the speedway fraternity, Ikon is a household name, but how much do you actually know about this Australian company and the products they offer? The Ikon story predates the Ikon name and goes back as far as 1962, when ‘Proven Products’ was established in Sydney by Peter Antill and Lance Lowe. Offering suspension componentry to the automotive, fourwheel drive, heavy vehicle, motorcycle and motorsport market, Proven Products also supplied springs and hydraulic shocks for other applications. The Dutch suspension brand, Koni, was distributed initially, but Spax, Monroe, Girling and Armstrong suspension would be added to the Proven Products range over time. Proven Products still exists today and Geoff Lowe is the second generation in charge. Geoff…

Sales figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) in January show that the Australian motorcycle market fell again in 2023, but far less dramatically than in 2022. Overall, 95,980 new motorcycles, scooters and OHVs – from FCAI members – were sold in Australia in 2023, which is a 3.1 per cent decrease on 2022’s total of 99,030. The year-on-year fall is less than from 2021 to 2022, when sales dropped by an alarming 19.8 per cent. In 2021, 123,530 new motorcycles were sold. When COVID lockdowns ended and international borders re-opened in 2022, money that had been going into “domestic” pursuits like motorcycles went towards overseas travel. For 2023, interest rate rises that played a part in 2022’s sales decline became a much bigger factor, compounded by…

There’s a new competition from Shannons where the winner will receive a brand-new Indian motorcycle and the opportunity to drive some of the world’s newest and best supercars in the USA. The motorcycle in the prize pack is the Sport Chief; Indian’s performance cruiser that’s powered by a Thunderstroke 116 v-twin producing 162Nm. Ergonomics are altered for more rider control, lean angle is increased, a quarter fairing is added and premium componentry from Fox, KYB, Brembo and Pirelli is built in. The Sport Chief also comes with selectable riding modes, cruise control, LED lighting, USB/12V ports and a 4-inch colour touchscreen instrument display with navigation and Bluetooth. Finished in Sunset Red Smoke, the Sport Chief is valued at $32,995. Twelve months of Shannons Comprehensive Bike Insurance and 12 months Shannons…

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing presented their 2024 livery and riders in mid-February, with Brad Binder and Jack Miller re-uniting for a second year together with the factory team. The team and the factory are aiming to improve on last year’s results that saw the Austrian squad finish second in the Constructors’ Championship and fourth in the Teams’ Championship, while Binder and Miller finished fourth and eleventh respectively in the Riders’ Championship. Francesco Guidotti, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager, described 2023 as a good year, with some satisfaction over how the riders and the bike improved, but more is expected this year. “The approach for 2024 is easy: we have to move ahead with the growth we started last season,” Guidotti said. “There will be areas where we…

If you’ve been keeping an eye on the Australian scooter market, you’re probably already aware of the Royal Alloy brand. If you haven’t, this British company that builds scooters in the classic Italian style has been growing its presence here in the past few years. Now, it’s about to grow even more… It’s a somewhat convoluted story, but Royal Alloy was born from a British business that had originally started refurbishing old Lambretta scooters – adding modern running gear to original, reconditioned platforms. That business, known as Scomadi, found a ready market in scooter-mad Brits, which was big enough that the move from refurbishment to full manufacture of new scooters in the classic style was viable. Made in China, and later Thailand, Scomadi still exists today, but disputes over who…

The latest special edition enduro motorcycle from Rieju, the ‘Six Days Argentina,’ has landed in Australia, bringing a distinctive livery and additional features over the already highly-spec’d 2024 MR Pro 300 it’s based on. Announced back in November and with pre-orders open in January, the MR Six Days Argentina started arriving in Rieju dealerships in February. Created to honour last year’s International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) that was held in San Juan, Argentina (the 2024 ISDE will be held in Spain), the MR Six Days Argentina features ISDE logos and the blue and white colours of the Argentine flag on the plastics. Blue and white decals are also applied to the fork shrouds, handguards and swingarm. Upgrades over the MR Pro include a full FMF Powercore 2.1 titanium exhaust, blue…

In the Chinese lunar calendar, 2024 is the Year of the Dragon. To celebrate this, Vespa has released a special edition of their 946 scooter - the 946 Dragon. Only 1,888 units will be produced, with Australia’s allocation of that total strictly limited. This is the second Vespa limited-edition to be inspired by the Chinese lunar calendar, following 2023’s ‘946 Bunny’ for the Year of the Rabbit. Like that model, the 946 Dragon is a cosmetic package, finished in champagne gold metallic paint, which extends to the handlebars, headlight shell, mirrors and wheels. The seat gets a pale gold finish, too. Contrasting this, a bold dragon graphic in bright Emerald Green starts on the nearside legshield and extends to the scooter’s rear. On the offside, large block numbers on the…

For their first all-motorcycle auction of 2024, Donington Auctions are going big, with their ‘Classic & Vintage Motorcycle Auction’ offering a wide variety of machines, from classic to modern and including several project bikes across 32 lots. Included in the online auction, which runs from 1 to 14 April, are some desirable post-war British bikes, including 1950s BSA singles, MkI and MkII Ariel Square Fours, a Vincent single and twin, a 1964 Royal Enfield Interceptor and an original, unrestored Norton Commando 850 MkIII. It’s not all Brit bikes, though, with European marques in the mix, too, from Ducati, Moto Guzzi, MV Agusta, Benelli and Moto Morini. Some oddities and rare motorcycles are amongst the European consignments, too. Japanese marques are also represented, with a classic Honda Cub and C72 on…