OCTOBER 2010

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Project Fat Boy Lo Performance upgrades

Cycle Torque People Dirt Track’s Paul Caslick

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october 2010 contents

features

30 - CONTINENTAL ROAD ATTACK 2 LAUNCH

38 - CYCLE TORQUE PEOPLE – PAUL CASLICK

50 – PROJECT FAT BOY LO.

reGuLars

3-13 NEwS

14 EDITORIAL

16 gUNTRIP

18 RACE TORQUE

20 BIKE STUFF

22 USED & REvIEwED

24 E-TORQUE

26 DIRTY TORQUE

28 LETTERS

40 BOOK REvIEwS

42 BOOK SALES

32 44

56 60

CyCLe torque: 02 4956 9820 fuLL detaiLs paGe 6

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OCTOBER 2010 - 3

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Crash barrier aims to save riders’ lives

A NEW crash barrier being trialled in South Australia aims to save the lives of the 90 per cent of motorcyclists who would otherwise die through impact with roadside W Beam or Armco style crash barriers.

Many of the most serious injuries and fatalities occur when riders, or their pillions, hit the supporting posts of most barriers.

The Basyc system has been used in Spain and other European countries for more than six years and many kilometres of carriageway have this barrier protection system in place.

It consists of a continuous mesh constructed from polyethylene of high tenacity which is both UV and fire resistant and is classed as a ‘soft impact’ attenuator.

The mesh is attached along the underside of the guard rail with the bottom attached at ground level to shoes which project out from each post.

The controlled elasticity of the mesh absorbs initial impact and works by directing a sliding rider along the guard rail without allowing the rider to pass

through or get wedged between the W Beam.

Installation is easy as it is not necessary to remove any beams or posts to attach the mesh, which is maintenance free and has up to a 15-year lifespan.

The first roll-out of this new mesh outside Europe has taken place on the infamous Gorge Road just outside Adelaide, which has been the scene of many motorcycle fatalities involving collision with guard rails and their support posts.

About two kilometres of Basyc system mesh have been installed in black spots by the SA Department of Transport at a total cost of $140,000.

More installations are planned and there seems to be interest from transport authorities in other states.

One can only hope that the wire rope “cheese slicers” currently in use in NSW and some other states will be replaced by this new system.

Further information and videos of simulated crashes can be obtained from the Baysc website on www.baysc.com.au. n

4 - OCTOBER 2010

NeWstorque

Moto2 fatalityNINETEEN-year-old Japanese Moto2 rider Shoya Tomizawa has died after a crash at the San Marino Grand Prix, the second death in the sport in two events.

Doctor Claudio Costa, part of the motorcycling world championship’s medical team, told reporters the news.

Suter’s Tomizawa was travelling at full speed when he fell off and was hit by the bikes of Alex De Angelis and Scott Redding, who both also came off in the accident.

A 13-year-old rider also died in a support race before the Indianapolis MotoGP in the sport’s prior Grand Prix in August.

“You forget sometimes how easily something like this can happen. Sometimes our sport is just too dangerous,” MotoGP rider Andrea Dovizioso said.

Moto2, the new name for the former 250cc category below MotoGP, still generates huge speeds and officials said they decided

to continue with the race after the crash because of the fear of other accidents if a red flag was suddenly shown.

They added that Tomizawa was alive when he was taken from the track and rushed to a local hospital on Italy’s east coast.

He was pronounced dead soon after.The official news of his death had not filtered through before the start of the MotoGP race so the

event went ahead. n

Sports fanKTM Australia has launched a new promotion surrounding Super X 2010 dubbed the KTM Super Fan.

Fans of KTM motorcycles will have a shot at winning one of 140 prize packs throughout the 2010 Super X season.

The prize packs include four gold passes to the Super X round you nominate when entering plus four KTM Super Fan packs including a T-shirt, bang bang sticks, posters and stickers. The winners of each round will also be seated together to join forces and cheer on the KTM Racing Team.

To enter the KTM Super Fan promotion log on to www.ktm.com.au and follow the link to the competition page. Fill in

your details, nominate which round of competition you are entering and upload an image showing why you are the KTM Super Fan. All images will be published on the KTM Australia website but only the top 20 most creative images of each of the seven rounds will be the winners.

So get cracking and get creative, pose in front of your KTM, take some action shots, dye your hair, paint your face, anything to show you bleed orange. Only the most colourful and creative images will be selected in the top 20 of each round.

Winners will be notified by phone and published on the KTM Australia website.

For full information, terms and conditions on the KTM Super Fan promotion log on to www.ktm.com.au or visit your local authorised KTM dealer. n

OCTOBER 2010 - 5

NeWstorque

MIDDLEwEIGHT TIGER

TRIUMPH’S new 800cc Tiger is a mystery no longer, with two variants of the model to be on sale in Australia in 2011.

The bikes will use the same engine, a long stroke version of the company’s giant killing Daytona 675 three cylinder engine.

One model, dubbed the Tiger 800 is the road going version which is more adventure tourer in style rather then prowess.

The Tiger 800 XC is a true adventure tourer with longer travel suspension.

We think it will be a huge hit. n

Big Bore wKAWASAKI’S W650 wasn’t a big seller in Australia when first released but Kawasaki is having another crack with the new W800.

It’s basically a big bore 650 and still carries styling cues like the wire wheels, Goldstar style exhausts and parallel twin cylinder engine.

It’s got to be targeted at Triumph’s Bonneville range and is said to make loads more power than the W650. n

THREE anD FOuRMV AGUSTA has given us a sneak look at its new 600cc Supersport machine.

It’s called the F3 and there has been talk in the past of it being a 675cc triple. But with MV telling us it’s a 600 this leads us to believe it’s an inline four cylinder machine. Other than that we know nothing about it, except it looks awesome. MV does tell us it’s the most technically advanced and most beautiful 600cc bike in the world, in their opinion of course.

MV has also released a limited edition F4 called the Frecce Tricolori. It’s to celebrate 50 years of the the Italian Aerobatic Team.

Whether or not the air force pilots in the team all ride MV Agustas is anyone’s guess, but they do look the business and no doubt do the business on the road too.

Getting one in Australia might be a little difficult, at least until it’s sorted who will be the official importer after PFG ceased doing so, but if you want one bad enough you will probably find a way. n

6 - OCTOBER 2010

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Premier doesn’t understand CTPTHE NSW Premier, Kristina Keneally, has shown she doesn’t understand the Compulsory Third Party (Green Slip) insurance system in force in NSW.

In answer to a question about the changes to the CTP system in parliament, she responded “It is about ensuring the scheme guarantees that motorbike riders that bear a greater risk on the roads, such as riders who ride heavier, more powerful bikes, are covered for any injuries following an accident. That is because the consequences of a motorbike accident can be horrific and the impact that such an accident can have on individuals, their family and their loved ones can be devastating.”

She doesn’t seem to understand the CTP policies (usually) do not cover the rider… it is about coverage for other people. If you cause an accident and someone other than yourself is injured – a pedestrian, cyclist, motorist or pillion passenger – then they can make a claim for medical expenses, loss of earnings and sometimes pain and suffering.

Generally you cannot make a claim against your own Green Slip unless you can show no-one is considered to be at fault, which is possible in circumstances such as a heat attack when riding or mechanical failure.

So for the Premier to say “riders… are covered for any injuries following an accident” is wrong. Riders are not covered by their Green Slips. They are covered by other motorists’ Green Slips in the event that another motorist is at fault in an accident.

This means if motorcyclists are making claims against Green Slips, the cost of policies relating to those types of vehicles - generally cars - should be increasing, not the price of a motorcycle Green Slip. n

OCTOBER 2010 - 7

NeWstorque

Protest attracts thousandsMANY motorcyclists headed into the heart of Sydney to protest the restructure and price increases to the motorcycle registration and compulsory CTP (Green Slip) on August 31.

Organised by the Motorcycle Council Council of NSW, the protest was held outside Parliament House and despite NSW Police preventing riders from parking their bikes on the street in front or closing the road, 1-2000 riders still turned up, helmets in hand, to make their presence felt.

The footpath on both sides of the road was clogged with riders while the Government did its best to ignore the calls for change, many holding placards predicting the demise of a hated Labor Government in NSW.

The Opposition’s Andrew Stoner came out to speak to the crowd, which listened but was somewhat sceptical a change in Government would roll back the situation.

“The Keneally Labor Government has an ongoing war on motorists in NSW but today the State’s riders hit back,” Andrew Stoner said.

“Motorcycle and scooter riders from across the State, sick of being slugged with massive hikes in their CTP Green Slips, rallied outside NSW Parliament and let their voices be heard.

“Despite being invited to address the gathered riders, Kristina Keneally and her ministers didn’t have the guts to turn up.

“I spoke to the crowd of more than 1,000 riders, letting them know that under a NSW Liberals & Nationals Government they will no longer be taken for granted.

“In an age where we are

trying to encourage more efficient, more economic and pollution-friendly forms of transport into our cities we think it’s about time the Keneally Government had a look at the CTP scheme which is a complete and abysmal failure,” said Rod Colligan from the MCC of NSW.

“People are paying through the nose already. We had no idea this [the CTP price increases] was coming.

“I’m very happy with the protest, the turnout has been excellent, we’ve not seen these sorts of numbers in decades of motorcycle protests.

“We are the solution to the problem, not the problem. Come the next election we’re going to get some answers from both sides of politics.” n

Above: Andrew Stoner.

8 - OCTOBER 2010

NeWstorque

VALENTINO Rossi and Casey Stoner have exchanged words, well sort of. Rossi made a passing comment that he doesn’t truly know what the Ducati MotoGP bike is capable of because Stoner hasn’t ridden it at 100 per cent this year.

Stoner has taken umbrage to this and hit back that Rossi is in no position to make such comments because he’s being beaten by his team-mate, namely Jorge Lorenzo.

We think it’s just another case of Rossi head games and that Stoner should realise this and make no comment at all.

But hey, that’s just our opinion. n

BRISBANE based guru motocross tuner Mike Ward has formed his own race team for the 2011 season and beyond with Ward Racing Developments supporting four riders to race all of the Queensland series and selected national events.

The team line up includes Nathan Crawford on 85cc and 125cc, Dee Wilson on 85cc and 150cc (brother of World Champion Jay Wilson), Wade Hunter in Pro Lites (state) and under 19s at the Nationals and Joe Hobson in Pro Lites (State Races).

Red Rooster has been secured as the team sponsor along with Motorex, S t e a l t h S p r o c k e t s , Kustom MX, Pro Taper, 661, Answer, Sunline, Ash’s Spoked Wheelz, Ogio, Scott Goggles, Etnies Shoes, LKi, Advanti

Wheelz, Wards Roller Hire, TeamMoto Suzuki, Cairns Honda, Clear Vision Tear offs, Promoshack and of course Ward Racing Developments.

“WRD is not all about results, obviously good results are part of our program but we want to form a team where the riders can have fun and acheive their dreams and goals along the way,” emphasises Mike.

Look for WRD as the 2011 season kicks off and drop by to say hello to Mike, a more approachable team owner you will not find.n

DUNLOP Australia handed out plenty of free tyres at the recent Formula Extreme meeting at Wakefield Park after riders complained of tyre life problems.

A number of tyres were ripped up but there was talk by some top level riders that this was down to machine set up rather than the tyres themselves. n

CHAD Reed has parted ways with Monster Energy Kawasaki and long time sponsors Thor MX and Parts Unlimited leaving the Australian looking for a bike to ride and gear to ride in for the 2011 season.

“Monster Energy Kawasaki

would like to thank Chad Reed for being a part of our team for the 2010 AMA Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM Championship and the Lucas Oil AMA Motocross Series. Reed was a valuable member of our program scoring one win and multiple podium finishes aboard his Monster Energy Kawasaki KX450F. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours,” Monster Energy Kawasaki said in a release.

Thor MX have issued a press release stating that after a nine-year relationship that resulted in five American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) titles across the supercross and motocross disciplines, the company and Reed have severed ties.

“Thor MX and Parts Unlimited would like to thank Reed for his years as part of the Thor MX family and wish him the best of luck with his new family and all future endeavours,” said a Thor official.

Reed has been linked to Honda, KTM and Fox since the above releases were made public. n

FORMULA Extreme boss Terry O’Neill is set to try his hand at off-road promotion by running a single round FX Motocross championship in December.

The event will take place at the Winton MX track on December 19, following the final round of the FX Summer Series.

There could even be classes for supermoto machines. n

HUSQVARNA has announced it will make a welcome return to the World Motocross Championship in 2011 with

a two rider team competing in the MX2 class on factory Husqvarna TC 250s.

“Joining forces with a well established team, which we will announce later on in the month, Husqvarna hopes to break into the MX2 top 10 in 2011 with its full factory squad. Also the two riders will be announced later this month or in October,” said Husqvarna’s Martino Bianchi.

“The Husqvarna TC 250 will feature the fuel injection and the same type of bike will continue being used in the EMX2 series where the manufacturer will have satellite teams, competing also in the MX3 World Championship.”

Husqvarna has 77 World Championships to its name and by the sounds of things they are looking to add to that tally. n

SHANNON Johnson might be getting a wild card for the Moto2 class at Phillip Island in October.

Johnson has had to secure funding for the ride on a Marc VDS Racing machine.

Johnson says he’d like a top five spot, and cites his circuit knowledge as hopefully giving him an edge over the competition.n

Chad Reed

Valentino Rossi

10 - OCTOBER 2010

NeWstorque

HM PLANT is indicating it may return to WSBK in 2011, with Josh Brookes in the hot seat. n

Roger DeCoster has opted to knock back a one year deal to continue with Suzuki and will now take over the management of KTM’s new factory team in the USA.

KTM CEO Stefan Pierer said the signing represented a new and exciting era for the Austrian-based company. “The signing of Roger DeCoster to take over our factory team in the USA heralds a new era for KTM,” Pierer declared.

“We now enjoy a worldwide network and we are a real global player. Roger DeCoster is one of the great figures in the sport of motocross and we are delighted that he has agreed to

manage our new team. KTM is now ‘Ready to Race’ in the biggest and most competitive motocross competitions in the world.”

Pit Beirer, who heads KTM Offroad Sports Department had this to say of DeCoster’s signing: “We are honoured that we can welcome a man of Roger DeCoster’s credentials and stature into the KTM family, with him as the head of our new KTM USA factory team we will be a major force in the USA and Europe and we want to attract the very best American riders into our team. Roger has had a superb racing career and a distinguished and successful career in team management.”

At the time of writing KTM were in negotiations with many of the top riders including Chad Reed, Christophe Pourcel and Josh Grant to fill the top spot on the KTM team. n

TEENAGE World Motocross sensation Ken Roczen has signed for the KTM Factory Team for the 2011 World MX2 Championships and in doing so firms as the favourite for the title and to continue KTM’s dominance of the MX2 championship.

The winner of the final GP of the 2010 season, Roczen will take the ride vacated by duel World Motocross Champion Marvin Musquin as the

young Frenchman heads to the United States to spearhead KTM’s assault on the U.S racing scene.

Roczen joins Jeffrey Herlings in the KTM Factory Team. n

THERE’S rumours around that Suzuki may field only one MotoGP bike in next year’s MotoGP championship. It could be even worse than that, with speculation it may pull out altogether. n

NORTON boss Stuart Garner is making noises about going MotoGP racing in 2012. Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta said he’s happy to include Norton as long as the company signs for five years, with heavy financial penalties if they pull out before that.

We reckon Garner should save his money and concentrate on actually producing the bikes he’s already got orders for. n

DeCoster

Josh Brookes

Capirossi

TEST RIDES MUST BE TAKEN AT SELECTED HARLEY-DAVIDSON DEALERS ONLY OR ON THE METAL MAYHEM ROAD SHOW TOUR. CONDITIONS APPLY, SEE WWW.HARLEY-DAVIDSON.COM.AU. ONLY OPEN TO AUST. & NZ RESIDENTS 18+. ENTER BETWEEN 25/9/10 & 5PM AEST 9/6/11. LIMIT OF 1 ENTRY PER PERSON. COMPLETE THE ENTRY FORM & PLACE IN THE BOX PROVIDED. ALTERNATIVE METHOD OF ENTRY IS AVAILABLE, SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS.

THE OFFICIAL HARLEY-DAVIDSON®

FORTY SEVEN DEALERS ACROSS AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND. SIXTEEN BIKES, FOUR MONTHS, ONE LIFE CHANGING EVENT. TEST RIDE A 2011 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FOR YOUR CHANCE TO TURN THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE INTO THE BIKE OF YOUR DREAMS WITH A 2011 SOFTAIL STANDARD SIGNED BY WILLIE G DAVIDSON TO BE WON. GO TO H-D.COM.AU TO SEE THE METAL MAYHEM TOUR DATES.

12 - OCTOBER 2010

NeWstorqueDeus build off

DEUS Ex Machina is holding a fantastic biker build off competition, called the Boundless Enthusiasm Bike Buildoff. In true Deus fashion it’s all about the look and the style of the machine rather than how much money you have thrown at your creation.

It has to start and idle and at least roll a few yards to be eligible but other than that it’s up to your fertile mind to create your two wheel vision. The other necessary detail is you have to bring it to the shop on Saturday November 27.

There’s some great prizes too, like the Snap On tool kit worth over $2000, plus gift vouchers, Deus clothing etc.

Cycle Torque is even talking about putting in a machine ourselves.To find out more and complete the entry form go to www.deus.com.au. n

TT at BarleighSUZUKI of Newcastle head honcho Graeme Boyd is holding a

TT style extravaganza on Saturday November 13 at Barleigh Ranch Raceway near Raymond terrace.

It’s a 750m long TT style track, pretty much a dirt track set up with a few smallish jumps thrown in for good measure. A number of big names are expected to turn up, and with the established SX stars over in New Zealand at the time, it’s a perfect opportunity for dirt rack, MX, enduro and road racing stars to prove who’s who in the zoo, so to speak.

Boyd is putting up a heap of cashola for prize money too. $2,500 for the 450cc class, $2,000 for the 250cc class, $500 for Motard and $500 for the girls.

On top of this there’ll be dealer and journo races, celebrity races and the twins class, with bikes like Harley’s XR750, Kawasaki’s ER-6, Hyosung’s GT650 and Suzuki’s SV650 taking centre stage.

To keep Barleigh Ranch in a respectable condition bikes must not run knobby tyres on rear, as per GCRs.For more info give Graeme a call on 02 4952 1577 or email graeme@suzukiofnewcastle.com.au. n

You might see some of this type of action.

no pay TrumpysTRIUMPH has just launched its ‘Ride Away No More to Pay ’ campaign, on its America and Speedmaster A1 models.For a limited time only, Triumph is offering these 2010 A1 model bikes at a knock down price of $13,990 rideaway, no more to pay.With the parallel twin engines and cruisy looks both bikes have proved popular with buyers.

So get into your authorised Triumph dealer today and check them out in the flesh.Offer available until October 31. There are some conditions.Thomas Cook competition winnerMICHAEL Rudder has won the Cycle Torque Thomas Cook Clothing Competition and has won $300 worth of clothing from Thomas Cook Boot &

OCTOBER 2010 - 13

NeWstorqueClothing Company.He rides an FJR1300, so he needs some sort of reward for putting himself through that.Thank you to all who took the time to enter our competition online and as part of our reader survey.Just as many readers entered online as did through our print edition and we appreciate the comments and feedback that many of you took the trouble to make.For more information on the range of casual and motorcycle gear from Thomas Cook Boot & Clothing Company check out www.thomascook.com.au Our bike testers have been wearing the Thomas Cook thermal jeans and Calibre boots on various bike tests over the past few months and found them to be a great addition to our riding wardrobe.For more information on Cycle Torque’s new digital media check out www.cycletorque.com.au.

CorrectionIN OUR Project Daytona story last issue we incorrectly named Bikecare at Newcastle: its correct name is Sportcycles Bikecare. Will Jamie and the boys every forgive us? Their number, 02 4952 1352, is stil l the same.

Hyo cash backHYOSUNG Australia is offering a $1000 cash back on all GV650 and GV650L Aquila sports models.The LAMS approved punchy V-twin cruiser is fun to ride and looks the part.Check them out at a Hyosung dealer near you for this great deal until October 31 or until stocks are gone.

Kawasaki gives backKAWASAKI Australia has donated a number of motorcycles and one Jet Ski to TAFE colleges around Australia, with one ER-6n to the Glendale campus near Newcastle.The donation of the ER-6n sports bike included the further donation of Kawasaki’s own ‘KDS’ (Kawasaki Diagnostic System) as well. Kawasaki factory training is also given to teachers and students on how to use this diagnostic tool, increasing the ability of TAFE students to

familiarise themselves with the latest diagnostic technology.Kawasaki National TSD Manager, Peter Spindlow, who was present for the hand-over of the ER-6n, says, “Kawasaki Motors recognises the crucial and on-going role that the TAFE system provides, enabling the provision of highly trained and competent tradespeople to work in the motorcycle industry, which is also crucial to dealer profitability and customer satisfaction. However, as many TAFEs struggle with funding to purchase the latest models to train their students on, Kawasaki is pleased to be able to contribute in this area and to support the long term viability of the motorcycle industry.”

new Zeus impor terZEUS helmets are now imported into Australia by Motorsport Importers, a Sydney based company.“Motorsport Importers will continue to develop the Zeus brand in Australia. There is already strong brand recognition for Zeus and a great reputation for quality and innovation and we look forward to growing market share for the brand,” said Motorsport Importers’ Craig Moodley.Check them out at www.motorsportimporters.com.au.

Supp Regs and websMOTORCYCLING Australia (MA) has released the Supplementary Regulations and Entry forms for the 2010 Senior Dirt Track Championship being held at Jambaroo Park, Koorlong, VIC on Saturday 23 October.To download please go to www.ma.org.au/track and select Supp Regs and Entry forms link from the Up Coming Events box.MA has launched the 2010 Trial des Nations website, dedicated to the Australian Teams competing at the event at My lenice, Poland.You can find the website by going to the MA website at www.ma.org.au and clicking the Event Websites tab and selecting 2010 Trial des Nations.

500K to the Snowy RideTHE Steven Walter Foundation (SWF) and Honda Australia celebrated their tenth year of partnership last week at an event to kick off the 2010 fund-raising drive for childhood cancer

research through the annual Snowy Ride.The Snowy Ride has raised more than $2.8 million for the cause, and is one of the largest motorcycle fund-raising events in the country with more than 3000 riders from across Australia, New Zealand, US and Europe converging upon the picturesque Alpine roads of NSW. The launch event, held in Sydney and involving a number of high profile guests from the Children’s Cancer Institute of Australia (CCIA) as well as the media, was an opportunity to announce Honda’s further five year commitment to the Snowy Ride.“Honda Australia has been the major sponsor of the Snowy Ride since day one and we are truly grateful for their further commitment of $100,000 per annum over the next five years. Their support has been key to our success,” said Mrs Sue Walter, Director of SWF.

Yamaha promoYAMAHA is offering fantastic deals on a number of its sports models, like the R1, FZ8, FZ6 and XJ6 just to name a few.Not only are there cash backs starting from $600 but the R1 and R6 also get GYTR carbon mufflers.Those R1s sure sound good with the GYTR mufflers so get in quick before they all go to someone else.Visit your local dealer or visit www.yamaha-motor.com.au.

Crazy Kwaka dealsKAWASAKI is also doing awesome deals on its ZX-10R. $16,499 ride away is what you’ll pay for a ZX-10R which is dirt cheap considering the performance they offer.The KLX250F and S models also have a $500 cash back deal too.Get into a Kawasaki dealer and check them out today, or at least visit www.kawasaki.com.au.

norton DayTHE Norton Owners’ Club of NSW is again holding its popular Norton Day at Speers Point Park near Newcastle.It’s on November 14, from 8.30am. All bikes are welcome, with trophies for a number of categories.Food, drink, raffles etc are all part of the fun.Ring Chris on 0404 030 925 for more info. n

14 - OCTOBER 2010

editoriaL

a call to arms, or at least a whinge

THE recent hike, and in some cases a drop, in Compulsory Green Slip price increases has seen motorcyclists up in arms. On Tuesday, August 31 a large turnout of riders voiced their displeasure at the CTP changes by marching on Parliament House in Sydney.

It seems motorcyclists have always been keen to stand up for their rights. From demonstration runs to Canberra over the years, to similar voices of opinion in Victoria when the government slugged its motorcycle riders 50 bucks for some safety tax. You can’t blame riders for feeling targeted. We are just a little group compared to mum-and-dad car drivers, so we are easier to have a go at.

You know, I used to think

Victoria was THE nanny state, mainly because every time I rode to Phillip Island for the bike races I wondered if my licence was going to remain intact. I had a very real fear about getting a camera speeding fine from some dodgy van sitting on the side of the road. You could argue I shouldn’t be speeding but the low tolerances made it all seem, well, not right.

Now the NSW Labor Party has decided to implement a number of mobile speed cameras around the state. Originally they were not marked, but now because of public uproar the politician in charge of such matters has decided to put orange stripes on the cars so we can see them. I have a major issue with how the whole scheme has been implemented

though. A private company is running these money making mobile cameras and personally I see a major ethical dilemma here. Call me cynical but I think this will bite the NSW government in the backside at a later date. The NSW Labor Party can’t govern itself, let alone govern the state, so I suppose we can’t expect them to make the right decisions.

Now we drive and ride around trying to keep exactly to the speed limits when our focus should be on driving safely. In my pretty extensive experience with NSW’s road traffic laws I believe the vast majority of drivers travel at safe speeds most of the time, even if that speed is a little over the limit. We will never see a zero road toll, even if there were no cars on the road

because someone somewhere will be killed by an out of control skateboarder or an oldie in an electric wheelchair intent on getting a bet on before the TAB shuts.

A perfect example of excessively low speed limits is the fixed speed camera at the bottom of a very big hill just north of Bangalow on NSW’s north coast. I was up there a couple of weeks ago for the launch of the new Triumph Sprint GT. As a group we were cruising along at the speed limit which from memory is 100km/h, or at least 80km/h as it’s on the Pacific Highway. I was in this line of traffic plodding down the hill at the speed limit when all of a sudden brake lights are on, cars and bikes are braking hard and squeezing the two second

OCTOBER 2010 - 15

The Isle of Man is a special place to visitP.

gaps to about half a second. Then I saw the reason, a 60km/h speed camera had everyone on the picks. Straight after the camera the speed limit goes back up to 100km/h. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The road is divided by big barriers and there is no valid reason why the camera should be set at 60km/h. I was so cranky it occupied my thoughts for the next half an hour or so.

While I’m on the bandwagon I think there’s something else we need to complain about in NSW. Something needs to be done about recreation registration in the Premier State.

In Victoria you can get rec rego for off-road bikes. Just the other day Publisher Nigel and I were having a conversation about taking the kids riding in the bush. It went along the lines: “I want to take the kids in the bush for a ride.”

“You can’t.”“Why can’t I?”“Because it’s a public road and the

bike needs to be registered and the rider licensed.”

“It’s not a road, it’s a bush track.”“No, it’s a road or road related area,

according the Australian Road Rules of 1999.”

“That’s bullshit.”“That may be

so, but it’s the way it is. Now I don’t necessarily agree totally with it because I rode bikes in the bush when I was young, like lots of people did. But there is the issue of insurance, if your kids collect someone riding the other way, who’s liable, you?”

“Something should be done about it.”

“I agree.”In Victoria they

don’t have the CTP setup like we do so I have been led to believe it’s easier to implement a rec rego scheme. We do have Stockton Beach up here in beautiful Newcastle, where you can ride rec rego quads and motorcycles. Because of CTP legislation it costs nearly as much for a rec rego permit as it does to fully register a motorcycle. Of course you can’t fully register an ATV so for many ATV owners it’s worth it.

There’s no doubt riders of loud and unregistered motorcycles have done themselves no favours over the years, and even if we had a rec rego scheme in NSW you would still have a number of half-wits and bogans riding pit bikes and the like on the streets and in the bush.

If you live in an area surrounded by forest, like I do, it just doesn’t seem right to be unable to take your kids riding there.

– Chris Pickett

14 - OCTOBER 2010 www.cycletorque.com.au

DO DUCK INNREPORTS Ducati had been considering pulling its factory team out of the World Superbike Championship for a couple of years may come as a surprise to three-time world champ Troy Bayliss who earlier announced very publicly that he wanted to comeback with his old crew. Behind a load of reasons given by Ducati president and CEO Gabriele del Torchio about its focus on MotoGP ‘prototypes’, perhaps Bayliss’ decision to stay put on the Gold Coast may have partly prompted Ducati’s call to pull stumps.

It’s a decision likely to end the world championship aspirations of the luckless Nori Haga who has had a miserable year along with team-mate Michel Fabrizio. The pair has only won two races in 2010, with Aprilia’s Max Biaggi poised to join John Kocinski as a winner of both the 250 grand prix and World Superbike championships. Biaggi and Kocinski have a lot in common. Almost unbeatable on 250s, they failed to bring their quarter-litre dominance to the 500 class, before descending into a morass of inconsistency and decline. The cruel irony for Haga is that it was Biaggi’s impetuosity at Misano several years ago that cost the Japanese rider a world rider’s championship when he rode for Yamaha.

While Torchio’s declaration that the decision to end the WSBK squad is based on redirecting resources to Ducati’s MotoGP effort, and possibly the affects of terrible recessions in Europe, UK and the US, has closing down of the Corse WSBK team got anything to do with the whopping pay check Ducati must pay Valentino Rossi in 2011? In 1998, Castrol Honda WSBK boss Neil Tuxworth told me that the annual budget for his team, which did include a World Supersport squad, was $US10m. It is entirely conceivable that

Ducati’s WSBK budget could be anywhere between $US12-15m, a sum when topped up by $US5m by team sponsor Philip Morris, would keep Rossi in the lifestyle to which he has become accustomed.

That’s forgetting Jeremy Burgess, the highest paid crew chief in the paddock, who is almost certain to join Rossi in the Bologna scuderia. The amount of money Philip Morris ponies up along with other leading sponsors in the MotoGP paddock is largely overstated, so Ducati will do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to crediting the monthly bank account of the highest paid rider in motorcycle racing history.

Ducati must fork out at least three times to Rossi what it is paying the out-going Casey Stoner, and the money has to come up from somewhere. The inescapable conclusion is that closing down the 22-year-old Ducati WSBK team has something to do with it.

BORN IN THE USAThe decision by Ducati to exit WSBK has

had wider rami cations. Several months ago after Troy Bayliss declared for the nal time that he is actually retired, Tech3 rider Colin Edwards began making noises about heading back to WSBK, possibly with Ducati Corse. For all anybody knows, it could’ve been Edwards just shing for a plumb WSBK ride, but several weeks before Ducati’s WSBK announcement he re-stated his desire to remain with Tech3 despite telling the world back in July he was struggling with the current Yamaha M1, a fact made more plain by rookie team-mate Ben Spies’ stellar 2010. With Cal Crutchlow replacing Fiat Yamaha-bound Spies, the door is open for Edwards to saddle up once again and maybe keep the rookie Pom at bay. With Dorna keen

to retain its quota of American riders and land an English rider who may be able to run in the top ve, it looks like passports may trump performance once again.

LIGHT MY FIRECasey Stoner has been able to do what Alberto Puig has failed to accomplish. Put a re underneath Dani Pedrosa. Since his ascension to the Repsol Honda team in 2006, Pedrosa has assumed either consciously or subconsciously that his status in the team will last in perpetuity. He outlasted Nicky Hayden, who won the 2006 MotoGP title for Honda, and has maintained his superiority over Andrea Dovizioso for two seasons. Dani wins a couple of races each year then crashes,

loses his con dence and his way, then regains it all in time to assuage the head honchos at HRC around contract time.

Ever since the rumours of Casey Stoner moving to Honda started gathering momentum just a few races into the season, Dani has become more focused, more consistent and just plain bloody fast. Puig has been berating his charge for years to come up with these kinds of performances in MotoGP, but it took the signing of Stoner to provide the ultimate motivation - fear. There is no doubt that Pedrosa knew that his number one status within the team would be threatened by Casey, who in addition to winning more GPs than the Spaniard, has something else he would like to posses - a MotoGP world championship. After Valentino Rossi’s scary crash at Mugello, it was conceivable that Jorge Lorenzo would totally dominate the remainder of the season, and possibly clean-sweep every race. Dani is now consistently winning: not every race, but he’s always a threat. Despite some spin about Jorge not pushing too hard to conserve his sizeable championship lead, Lorenzo looks increasingly concerned about the incredible pace Pedrosa can run over full race distance. Jorge’s concern will be doubled when he casts his eyes to next year when he will face Dani and Casey on the RC212V in what will be Repsol Honda’s strongest line-up since Mick Doohan and Alex Criville. Just when Lorenzo was basking in the inner-glory of being the rst team-mate to see off Valentino Rossi both on the track and in the garage, his biggest challenge next year will dealing with the formidable duo of Dani and Casey on a wickedly fast and well-balanced Honda. His likely title defence is shaping up to be a very tough one.

– Darryl Flack

RACETORQUE

Dani Pedrosa

16 - OCTOBER 2010

GuNtrip

The wrong end of the telescope

ON THE basis of their performance over the past few decades, you wouldn’t regard either of the major political parties (nor most of the minors) in New South Wales as fans of recreational motorcycling, nor of motorcycle sport.

Our international profile, such as it is, and making due allowance for the tyranny of distance, seems attributable in the main to some visionary foundation work in the 1980s by Bob Barnard and the wisdom and foresight of a succession of smart promoters and state governments, all of them emphatically Victorian in character.

With the closure of Oran Park, motorcycle sport in New South Wales now lacks any kind of profile and, as a wider issue, motorsport as a whole in the Premier State is hardly better off: to cite one clear example, in 2009 Victorian circuits attracted five V8 Supercar events to two in NSW; this year it’s four versus two. Yes, those totals include the non-championship races at the Australian Formula 1 GP, but the bestowal of championship points has no bearing on this argument.

Still closer to home, where is the New South Wales round of the Australian Superbike Championship? For the 2010 series, sponsored by Viking, there were two rounds in Queensland, two in Victoria (a third was abandoned) and one each in Tasmania and the Northern Territory. My, how things have changed.

On their increasingly rare visits to NSW, the V8 Supercar boys spend their time racing between the walls of Bathurst or the walls of Homebush. Perhaps you can see a clue there why motorcycles don’t go to either circuit.

Let’s ignore the NSW state government’s fanciful notion of prising the F1 GP away from Melbourne to run around Homebush and keep looking at the possibilities for motorcycles in the Premier State.

There’s Eastern Creek, of course, owned by the state government and operated by the Australian Racing Drivers’ Club. Its most recent claim was a round of the troubled A1GP car series for three years. However, A1GP circuit designer Ron Dixon said in 2006 that Eastern Creek wasn’t up to scratch and needed a cash injection for upgrading. Enter British outfit Apex Circuit Design, which was commissioned to do a feasibility study on the possibility of making the track suitable for future high-profile use, including possible F1 events.

Apex went to work and cooked up a snappy-looking 4.7km design (you’ll find it here: http://tinyurl.com/332unlc) suitable for a range of different purposes. And now, two years on, “detailed design on this project is expected to commence later in 2010,” according to Apex.

None of which takes into account the vast (154Ha) and malodorous landfill just the other side of the evocatively named Brabham Drive. This is run by WSN Environmental Solutions (also owned by the state government) and processes some 500,000 tonnes of waste per year; its extension landfills, so far untapped, are closer to the circuit than the existing holes.

The result, in my recent experience, is that Eastern Creek is unlikely to break into any list of the state’s top tourist destinations for the foreseeable future; at least, not while the wind is in the wrong direction. Pick the right day for your visit and you’ll understand immediately why Premier Keneally seems so fond of the Homebush track.

Where does that leave us? At Wakefield Park, that’s where. The 2.2km track is owned by Winton Motor Raceway and the parallels are clear: Winton is a couple of hours from Melbourne, Wakefield Park a couple of hours from Sydney. Winton, with the benefit of a few years’ extra development,

The picturesque Wakefield Park Raceway near Goulburn.

OCTOBER 2010 - 17

62 - SEPTEMBER 2010 www.cycletorque.com.au

DESIGNED FROM THE GROUND UP AS THE MOST INNOVATIVE RETRO 250 CUSTOM FULL SIZE PRODUCTION CHOPPER EVER CREATED.

More custom FEATURES than any Japper :- Classic “California Old School” slim chopper style - absolute quality throughout with outstanding attention to every detail - adjustable 21 / 24 inch ride height - Raked front end

with 21”front wheel - wide 16” alloy rear wheel - fuel tank centre mounted ignition switch & speedo / instrument console panel - “Bates” style headlamp - Alloy custom forward controls - Dual front discs & rear disc with twin

piston calipers - Drag bars with hidden wiring - OHC Vertical Twin cylinder Liquid Cooled, twin carby performance 4 stroke electric start engine - 5 speed, Slash cut exhaust pipes

which had some sand and some jumps. You have to remember the bike was only wearing road/trail tyres but I was pleasantly surprised with how the bike tracked through the sand and how it coped with me giving it a hard time in the rougher stuff. The only y in the ointment here is the soft suspension set-up. I had the front and rear ends bottoming out on the guards but to be fair I wasn’t taking it easy on the Terra.

Good enough?After I ripped it up in the sand I went for another

20 kilometre ride – I’ve just got my bike Ls and my new found freedom – because it was a beautiful

afternoon. I think that’s where a bike like this is at home. The more established brands have it over the Torino Terra, at the moment. But for only $4,999 + ORC (with a full 12 month warranty) it does give you a cheaper brand new option to get out there and have some fun. During my test nothing went wrong or broke on the Terra, apart from the bum bag zipper, and I used it as you expect a bike like this to be ridden.

You can see more about this bike if you go to www.torinomotorcycles.com.au.

16-year-old Alex Pickett may be a learner on the road but he also rides Cycle Torque’s Triumph Daytona 675 in

the FX Pro Twins class.

CYCLE TORQUE TEST – TORINO TERRA 400CONTINUED FROM PAGE 60

Right: It would be nice to have a tacho in the instrument pod.Below left: Handy rack comes standard.Below centre: Engine is built by Lifan.Below right: Rear disc looks like a saw blade but works fi ne.

is a credible national circuit while Wakefield Park is vigourously patronised by clubs from Sydney and Canberra.

We’re back at Eastern Creek (gas masks at the ready, presumably) for a round of the Formula Xtreme Championship at the end of October (itself a Wakefield Park regular) and again in December.

As to what’s happening anywhere in 2011, your guess is as good as mine, but I’m beginning to wonder if the halcyon days of motorcycle sport in New South Wales are behind us. We sold the farm to make room for ourselves on the world stage, and you could argue that our zenith came in 1988 when Oran Park staged the first round of a road racing world championship in Australia, or a few years later, between 1991

and 1996 when the Australian GP pitched camp at Eastern Creek.

I reckon it was much earlier than that; in 1980, say, when the calendar of just this state included: Coca-Cola 800 (Oran Park); AGP (Bathurst); Castrol Six-Hour (Amaroo Park); ARRC round (Oran Park); three rounds of the

Bel-Ray Superbike Championship and three rounds of the NSW Road Racing Championships.

Ah, those were the days. I sometimes wonder how we found time for a social life. Ah, but back then we had this provided for us, didn’t we? Wonderful things, communities.

– Bob Guntrip

Motorcycle racing at Wakefield Park is always action packed.

raCetorque

DO DuCK InnREPORTS Ducati had been considering pulling its factory team out of the World Superbike Championship for a couple of years may come as a surprise to three-time world champ Troy Bayliss who earlier announced very publicly that he wanted to comeback with his old crew. Behind a load of reasons given by Ducati president and CEO Gabriele del Torchio about its focus on MotoGP ‘prototypes’, perhaps Bayliss’ decision to stay put on the Gold Coast may have partly prompted Ducati’s call to pull stumps.

It’s a decision likely to end the world championship aspirations of the luckless Nori Haga who has had a miserable year along with team-mate Michel Fabrizio. The pair has only won two races in 2010, with

Aprilia’s Max Biaggi poised to join John Kocinski as a winner of both the 250 grand prix and World Superbike championships. Biaggi and Kocinski have a lot in common. Almost unbeatable on 250s, they failed to bring their quarter-litre dominance to the 500 class, before descending into a morass of inconsistency and decline. The cruel irony for Haga is that it was Biaggi’s impetuosity at Misano several years ago that cost the Japanese rider a world rider’s championship when he rode for Yamaha.

While Torchio’s declaration that the decision to end the WSBK squad is based on redirecting resources to Ducati’s MotoGP effort, and possibly the affects of terrible recessions in Europe, UK and the US, has closing down of the Corse WSBK team got anything to do with the whopping pay check Ducati must pay Valentino

Rossi in 2011? In 1998, Castrol Honda WSBK boss Neil Tuxworth told me that the annual budget for his team, which did include a World Supersport squad, was $US10m. It is entirely conceivable that Ducati’s WSBK budget could be anywhere between $US12-15m, a sum when topped up by $US5m by team sponsor Philip Morris, would keep Rossi in the lifestyle to which he has become accustomed.

That’s forgetting Jeremy Burgess, the highest paid crew chief in the paddock, who is almost certain to join Rossi in the Bologna scuderia. The amount of money Philip Morris ponies up along with other leading sponsors in the MotoGP paddock is largely overstated, so Ducati will do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to crediting the monthly bank account of the highest paid rider in motorcycle racing history.

24 - OCTOBER 2010 www.cycletorque.com.au

EASY ON THE EYESI RECENTLY got myself a pair of Fuglies sunglasses. This particular model is called the Slabs, I guess because of their slab sided frame.Fuglies is an American company which supplies glasses to the military. In fact, Fuglies’ range of glasses is mind blowing. The sunglasses pictured are actually the Photochromic (light adjusting) glasses.Fuglies have got behind talented racer Glenn Scott this year which goes to show the company is putting out some of what it gets in. My Tortoise Shell Polarised glasses are also safety glasses, so not only do I look like a rock star, I’m a safe rock star. Seriously though I like my Fuglies. They slip in my helmet easily thanks to the at design, look good and feel good on my ugly bonce.Check out the website, it has all the info you need, and prices too.

– Chris Pickett P R I C E : Slabs start from $39.95.AVA I L A B L E F R O M : direct from websiteM O R E I N F O : www.fuglies.com.au

GRAVEL RASHIT’S no fun crashing your motorcycle. Not only does it hurt you physically, the old wallet cops a pasting as well. One way of minimising crash damage is by using a set of frame sliders.Cycle Torque’s Triumph Daytona 675 race bike has a set of Gilles Tooling frame sliders. They are a little bit special because they have a crash absorber built in, so when the bike falls over it lands on the knob – no, not you – which then compresses slightly to reduce the impact to the frame.We crash tested our Daytona so you lucky readers could see how they worked. And work they did, reducing damage to the fairing which allowed us to get out for the next race. Got to be happy with that.Gilles Tooling does loads of other stuff too, like handlebars and rear sets.P R I C E : On special for $200.AVA I L A B L E F R O M : Directly from Gilles Tooling.M O R E I N F O : www.gillestooling.com.au or 1300 85 89 31.

EASY ON THE EYESI RECENTLY got myself a pair of Fuglies sunglasses. This particular model is called the Slabs, I guess because of their slab sided frame.Fuglies is an American company whichsupplies glasses to the military. In fact, Fuglies’ range of glasses is mind blowing. The sunglasses

knob en

educe

tona uld nd

t to

s

.

Ducati must fork out at least three times to Rossi what it is paying the out-going Casey Stoner, and the money has to come up from somewhere. The inescapable conclusion is that closing down the 22-year-old Ducati WSBK team has something to do with it.

BORn In THE uSaThe decision by Ducati to exit

WSBK has had wider ramifications. Several months ago after Troy Bayliss declared for the final time that he is actually retired, Tech3 rider Colin Edwards began making noises about heading back to WSBK, possibly with Ducati Corse. For all anybody knows, it could’ve been Edwards just fishing for a plumb WSBK ride, but several weeks before Ducati’s WSBK announcement he re-stated his desire to remain with Tech3 despite telling the world back in July he was struggling with the current Yamaha M1, a fact made more plain by rookie team-mate Ben Spies’ stellar 2010. With Cal Crutchlow replacing Fiat Yamaha-bound Spies, the door is open for Edwards to saddle up once again and maybe keep the rookie Pom at bay. With Dorna keen to retain its quota of American riders and land an English rider who may be able to run in the top five,

it looks like passports may trump performance once again.

LIGHT MY FIRE Casey Stoner has been able to do what Alberto Puig has failed to accomplish. Put a fire underneath Dani Pedrosa. Since his ascension to the Repsol Honda team in 2006, Pedrosa has assumed either consciously or subconsciously that his status in the team will last in perpetuity. He outlasted Nicky Hayden, who won the 2006 MotoGP title for Honda, and has maintained his superiority over Andrea Dovizioso for two seasons. Dani wins a couple of races each year then crashes, loses his confidence and his way, then regains it all in time to assuage the head honchos at HRC around contract time.

Ever since the rumours of Casey Stoner moving to Honda started gathering momentum just a few races into the season, Dani has become more focused, more consistent and just plain bloody fast. Puig has been berating his charge for years to come up with these kinds of performances in MotoGP, but it took the signing of Stoner to provide the ultimate motivation - fear. There is no doubt that Pedrosa knew that his number one status within the team would

be threatened by Casey, who in addition to winning more GPs than the Spaniard, has something else he would like to posses - a MotoGP world championship. After Valentino Rossi’s scary crash at Mugello, it was conceivable that Jorge Lorenzo would totally dominate the remainder of the season, and possibly clean-sweep every race. Dani is now consistently winning: not every race, but he’s always a threat. Despite some spin about Jorge not pushing too hard to conserve his sizeable championship lead, Lorenzo looks increasingly concerned about the incredible pace Pedrosa can run over full race distance. Jorge’s concern will be doubled when he casts his eyes to next year when he will face Dani and Casey on the RC212V in what will be Repsol Honda’s strongest line-up since Mick Doohan and Alex Criville. Just when Lorenzo was basking in the inner-glory of being the first team-mate to see off Valentino Rossi both on the track and in the garage, his biggest challenge next year will dealing with the formidable duo of Dani and Casey on a wickedly fast and well-balanced Honda. His likely title defence is shaping up to be a very tough one.

– Darryl Flack

24 - OCTOBER 2010 www.cycletorque.com.au

EASY ON THE EYESI RECENTLY got myself a pair of Fuglies sunglasses. This particular model is called the Slabs, I guess because of their slab sided frame.Fuglies is an American company which supplies glasses to the military. In fact, Fuglies’ range of glasses is mind blowing. The sunglasses pictured are actually the Photochromic (light adjusting) glasses.Fuglies have got behind talented racer Glenn Scott this year which goes to show the company is putting out some of what it gets in. My Tortoise Shell Polarised glasses are also safety glasses, so not only do I look like a rock star, I’m a safe rock star. Seriously though I like my Fuglies. They slip in my helmet easily thanks to the at design, look good and feel good on my ugly bonce.Check out the website, it has all the info you need, and prices too.

– Chris Pickett P R I C E : Slabs start from $39.95.AVA I L A B L E F R O M : direct from websiteM O R E I N F O : www.fuglies.com.au

GRAVEL RASHIT’S no fun crashing your motorcycle. Not only does it hurt you physically, the old wallet cops a pasting as well. One way of minimising crash damage is by using a set of frame sliders.Cycle Torque’s Triumph Daytona 675 race bike has a set of Gilles Tooling frame sliders. They are a little bit special because they have a crash absorber built in, so when the bike falls over it lands on the knob – no, not you – which then compresses slightly to reduce the impact to the frame.We crash tested our Daytona so you lucky readers could see how they worked. And work they did, reducing damage to the fairing which allowed us to get out for the next race. Got to be happy with that.Gilles Tooling does loads of other stuff too, like handlebars and rear sets.P R I C E : On special for $200.AVA I L A B L E F R O M : Directly from Gilles Tooling.M O R E I N F O : www.gillestooling.com.au or 1300 85 89 31.

EASY ON THE EYESI RECENTLY got myself a pair of Fuglies sunglasses. This particular model is called the Slabs, I guess because of their slab sided frame.Fuglies is an American company whichsupplies glasses to the military. In fact, Fuglies’ range of glasses is mind blowing. The sunglasses

knob en

educe

tona uld nd

t to

s

.

INFORMATION FROM OUR ADvERTISERS

3

4

1 GuaRD YOuR MuLTISTRaDaRAD Guard has added the all new Ducati Multistrada radiator guard to its range. They take about 3 minutes to fit and are available in polished alloy or powder coated black. There’s also the oil guard, why not get the matching set. Beautifully made Australian products to keep your pride and joy looking good.P R I C E : $195 for radiator or $229 for radiator and oil guard set.aVa I L a B L E F R O M : Rad GuardM O R E I n F O : www.radguard.com.au or (02) 6658 0060

2 MaKE YOuR TEnERE SuPERTHIS large, strong, expandable tank bag (20litre/25litre) will carry all your extra luggage on the XT1200Z Super Tenere. Easy to fit and carry with an extra shoulder strap. Anti-slip bottom and strong magnet make sure it stays put. The small bag is removable and can attach to your belt. This new tank bag includes a rain cover and an easily accessible map holder.P R I C E : $249.57 (incl GST)aVa I L a B L E F R O M : All good Yamaha dealers.M O R E I n F O : http://yshop.yamaha-motor.com.au

3 TaKE a TRIPTHOSE in the know are well aware how good Andy Strapz’s products are.Built to last, Australian designed and made. His Expedition Pannierz now have extra pockets and fit a multitude of motorcycles. Plus they are waterproof.P R I C E : $370aVa I L a B L E F R O M : Direct from Andy StrapzM O R E I n F O : www.andystrapz.com or call 03 9770 2207.

4 TanKED HuSKYWANT to ride longer on your Husky? Well put aside the sled dog and get out your Husqvarna motorcycle. Fit it out with a Safari tank and ride into the distance, spending the kid’s inheritance along the way.A standard Husky tank will barely get you out of the suburbs. A Safari tank will let you cross the Simpson.The new tank fits the fuel injected TE250, TE310, TE450 and TE510, up to 2009 models. P R I C E : $595.aVa I L a B L E F R O M : Safari Tanks M O R E I n F O : www.safaritanks.com.au or call 03 5729 5556.

1

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INFORMATION FROM OUR ADvERTISERS

8

7

5 5 aLOnG CaME a SPYDERCAN AM’s three wheel Spyder is really gaining momentum with bike riders. With a V-twin Rotax engine it really hums too.There’s not much available in the way of aftermarket pipes for the Spyder, that was until MC Performance custom built one for a Spyder owner who wanted to hear the big Rotax motor sing. The kit has a chrome link pipe which can be ordered to take a slip on or bolt on muffler. This allows plenty of scope for the type of MC Performance muffler you want. P R I C E : Stainless steel oval – $780, SS with carbon end – $880. Prices inc postage Australia wide. aVa I L a B L E F R O M : Direct from MC PerformanceM O R E I n F O : www.mcperformance.com.au

6 RIDE LIKE a PROPIRELLI’S new Diablo Superbike PRO is a slick tyre especially designed for the track day or club racing star. You don’t have to run tyre warmers because the Diablo Superbike PRO grips right from the start, just like a teenage boy.Sizes to suit most modern machines with 17 inch wheels which take tyres like the 120/70R-17 and 180-190/55R-17.P R I C E : From $245 for a front tyre, and from $285 for a rear tyre.aVa I L a B L E F R O M : Pirelli dealers nationwide.M O R E I n F O : www.linkint.com.au.

7 STREET SHIFTTHE new Vertex jacket in the Shift range is a stunner. 1.2mm to 1.4mm premium grain leather in an aggressive articulated design offers superior comfort. Removable CE approved armour in the shoulder and elbow as well as KorMax stretch Aramid panels offer flexibility and abrasion resistance. Aero back hump for wind resistance as well as shoulder vents and perforated leather panels for added airflow. The Vertex also has an integrated pocket for a back protector as well as a removable/washable quilted liner and there’s a full length connection zipper for attachment to suitable Shift pants.P R I C E : $699 (incl GST)aVa I L a B L E F R O M : All good bike shopsM O R E I n F O : Monza Imports (03) 8327 8888

8 STEaLTHY GaRMEnTTRIUMPH Motorcycles has a huge range of riding gear and lifestyle clothing.New is the Stealth jacket which has a removable waterproof lining and is breathable too. CE armour, removable sections for better airflow in summer and night reflective piping to let the cage drivers know you are there.We personally checked out the Stealth jacket and it’s a beauty. Visit your local Triumph dealer to get Stealthed.P R I C E : $495aVa I L a B L E F R O M : Triumph dealersM O R E I n F O : www.triumph.co.uk

6

EaSY On THE EYESI RECENTLY got myself a pair of Fuglies sunglasses. This particular model is called the Slabs, I guess because of their slab sided frame.Fuglies is an American company which supplies glasses to the military. In fact, Fuglies’ range of glasses is mind blowing. The sunglasses pictured are actually the Photochromic (light adjusting) glasses.Fuglies have got behind talented racer Glenn Scott this year which goes to show the company

is putting out some of what it gets in. My Tortoise Shell Polarised glasses are also safety glasses, so not only do I look like a rock star, I’m a safe rock star. Seriously though I like my Fuglies. They slip in my helmet easily thanks to the flat design, look good and feel good on my ugly bonce.Check out the website, it has all the info you need, and prices too.

– Chris Pickett P R I C E : Slabs start from $39.95.aVa I L a B L E F R O M : direct from websiteM O R E I n F O : www.fuglies.com.au

GRaVEL RaSHIT’S no fun crashing your motorcycle. Not only does it hurt you physically, the old wallet cops a pasting as well. One way of minimising crash damage is by using a set of frame sliders.Cycle Torque’s Triumph Daytona 675 race bike has a set of Gilles Tooling frame sliders. They are a little bit special because they have a crash absorber built in, so when the bike falls over it lands on the knob – no, not you – it then compresses slightly to reduce the impact to the frame.We crash tested our Daytona so you lucky readers could see how they worked. And work they did, reducing damage to the fairing which allowed us to get out for the next race. Got to be happy with that.Gilles Tooling does loads of other stuff too, like handlebars and rear sets.P R I C E : On special for $200.aVa I L a B L E F R O M : Directly from Gilles Tooling.M O R E I n F O : www.gillestooling.com.au or 1300 85 89 31.

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MOTOGP is coming to town! Go on, make the pilgrimage, get down to Phillip Island for the biggest Event in Town. The biggest in the country even.

It truly is a great event, the highlight of Australia’s motorcycling calendar – even if Cycle Torque, for the first time ever, won’t be there. Pickett is off to New Zealand on the day of the event for a Can-Am launch and I’m going to the Supercross the night before in Newcastle before the November issue deadline two days later, so my run of 22 Australian Motorcycle Grands Prix in a row will be stopping there.

For anyone going down to the Island though, you’ll

find it’s a great event. The bikes seem so much faster and are so much louder when you’re there. The atmosphere’s electric and there’s heaps to see and do at the track and on the Island.

Many of the major manufacturers offer hospitality deals, too, which often include food and non-alcoholic drinks, as well as some of the best seats in the house and TV screens so you don’t miss any of the action around the track. (Check out www.cycletorque.com.au/motogp for more information.)

The grandstands are also an awesome way to watch the action, with the seating around the track getting you

a bird’s-eye view of what’s going on so you can take it all in.

There’s no spot where you can see all the action though, so there are Superscreens, giant TV monitors which show the action – make sure you position yourself near one of these.

There’s always heaps of things to see and do between races too, from the Expo to stunt riders to a fly-past by the RAAF, and lots more.

The grid girls are pretty easy on the eyes, too.

The bike racing is awesome. The support races are always fantastic as riders do their absolute best in front of the largest crowd most will ever ride in front of, trying to impress race team bosses with their skill and daring.

The main game is MotoGP, and it’s fast, furious and

exciting, and Phillip Island is one track which consistently turns on good racing. The support classes have been great this year, with Moto2 developing into one of the most hard-fought classes ever to fill a grid. The 125cc class – doomed though it might be – almost always produces spectacular slipstreaming battles, while the MotoGP boys are riding the most exotic competition motorcycles ever built.

And Casey Stoner is in with a good chance of winning, again. He’s bounced back from lacklustre results and crashes early in the 2010 season to record a win in Spain, so should be on a roll as he heads toward the Australian round.

But for the first time ever, I’m not planning on attending the MotoGP round at Phillip Island. It’s not that I don’t want

Island GP

The latest on www.cycletorque.com.au

(Live links if you’re reading the eMag)

• Kawasaki KX250F video and special edition eMag

• Motocross interviews on video Marmont, Boyd, Simmonds

• Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Lo video• Kawasaki KLX250SF video

e-torqueto go, rather that other events happening and the evolution of Cycle Torque means, well, I don’t really need to be there, and I do need to be around the office to get the November issue of Cycle Torque out the door.

The night before is the SuperX Nationals in Newcastle, an event my eldest son, Damien, will be busting to see, and now, with the latest technology, it can be argued I don’t need to be at the track.

Cycle Torque scaled back and has basically dropped its racing coverage in the last few years: as monthly race reports were often very old by the time the magazine was published. In these days of race reports being posted on websites within hours of events finishing, we decided Cycle Torque was better off pointing people to those websites rather than printing

race reports less and less people were reading, and now its got to the stage where I don’t even need to attend.

We do put information and results on www.cycletorque.com.au, but really Cycle Torque is more about features and letting you know an event like MotoGP is on than covering the result these days.

You only have to look at the once-mighty American publication Cycle News for evidence of that: its website is to continue but the printed edition is dead, killed by the GFC, slashed advertising budgets and a readership base which could get the information once almost exclusive to Cycle News from a plethora of online places.

– Nigel Paterson

62 - OCTOBER 2010 www.cycletorque.com.au

half a pony. We tted the lter, which was an easy job for anyone without two left hands, and the second session produced exactly what K&N claimed – a gain of 10 horsepower. To say the boys at DBS were gobsmacked is a bit of an understatement. When I questioned them on this, with a cheeky grin, I was informed there was rarely any gains of that magnitude with lters they had used.

Next step was tting the Rush pipes. But before this I needed to t a new set of tyres to the FBL. The original rear had worn out and I had a new set of Pirelli Nightdragons waiting to churn tar. Now I’ve pulled out and put back in countless sets of wheels on race and road bikes over the years but I was unprepared for what lay ahead. Getting the rear wheel out took two of us. To put it bluntly it was a cow of a job. I’m sure mechanics who did it day in and day out would be pro cient at it but it’s not a job I’d like to revisit in a hurry. It seems the Softail design causes this because other Harley-Davidsons I saw at the shop certainly looked like it would be easier ripping out their back wheels. The front wasn’t an issue. I think the trick is knowing the right sequence for these types of jobs. It was the same tting the new muf ers. There’s little room to get the screws holding them on out, but seemingly even less room trying to get your hands in to put the screws back in. In hindsight, removing the whole exhaust, header pipes and all, would be the go in the future, I think.

Dyno session number three: The new Rush pipes sounded great – throaty without being too loud. There are too

many Harleys out there which sound downright obscene. These are right on. More good news, another three extra horsepower from the pipes. Then it was wipe the bike down, don some riding gear and take it for a strop up the road. The extra power was noticeable straight away. The mods not only gave us extra power up top but they gave over 30 percent more torque at 50km/h. Not only that but the K&N lter and the Rush pipes add to the sinister look of the bike, setting it off just nicely.

All at Dyno Bike Solutions agreed the bike looked nice, sounded nice and went better than it did before. Job done. Well not quite. You see there’s a sting in the tail when you modify your bike. The sting in this tail was the fact the bike the was running leaner than ideal. The solution is to t a fuel injection tuning device to sort this out.

Harley-Davidson’s Screaming Eagle Pro Super Tuner was tted and tuned by Dyno

Bike Solutions. It’s easy to t, you simply plug it in to wiring loom connection but it takes a dyno expert to get the best out of the tuner. After a number of hours playing around Gavin from DBS triumphantly exclaimed he had liberated close to another three horsepower from the FBL’s engine, and perhaps more importantly got the fuelling spot on.

– Chris Pickett

See the Cycle Torque videos of this bike at www.cycletorque.com.au - and there’s a special edition eMag coming soon!

By the time you read this, the Cycle Torque Fat Boy Lo project will probably be on the market. Call 02 4956 9820 if you’re interested in purchasing this bike.

PROJECT LO GO – HARLEY-DAVIDSON FAT BOY LO– Continued from page 60

PRICES:K & N FILTER – $470.

WWW.CTAAUSTRALIA.COM.AU

RUSH EXHAUST – $599.95WWW.MOTONATIONAL.COM.AU

SCREAMING EAGLE TUNER – $703

SEE YOUR HARLEY-DAVIDSON DEALER

dirtytorque

The ChallengeMOTOCROSS is not a new sport . It ’s been around for a while now yet the challenges of promoting or just conducting a race meeting aren’t getting any easier, as a matter of fact , the popularity of the sport is making it harder to offer riders good value for the time and money they spend throughout the season.

As a racer there is nothing more frustrating than sit t ing around al l weekend for three or four races only to f ind that the last round of the meeting is either cancelled or the races shortened and according to many of the people I have spoken to recently the above scenario is happening more often than not these days.

And to ram the point home I recently went to watch young Brad Skoric compete at the Toowoomba round of the SEQ Junior Motocross Series (SEQJMX). With his parents and grandparents in tow, Brad sat around for one practice and three nine minute races over two days of racing which cost the family almost $600 (entry fee, fuel , motel , food etc) yet according to Motorcycling Queensland’s General Manager Lindsay Granger, al l is good.

“Our major events such as SEQJMX are very well rehearsed, we’ve run over 50 of them and we know exactly what we can get through in a day, even with the usual holdups, however the sport is unpredictable and we are sometimes delayed in trying to deal with riders who have potential ly disabling injuries where t ime and care is of the

utmost importance.”I agree with Lindsay

regarding rider safety and it must be made clear that clubs are run by volunteers so i t is hard to be overly crit ical as these people are usually parents or enthusiasts who are involved because of their love of their child or the sport and Granger is keen to clarify the key role of the volunteer.

“The entry fees for most of our events do not reflect the potential real costs of providing the event which would be signif icantly higher i f most of the off icials and organizers didn’t volunteer their t ime.”

I suppose the crux of my crit icism comes from the fact that the f inancial commitment from racers has never been higher. To race a season of motocross is a huge f inancial investment, even if a competitor is just doing 12 club days a year and a few regional races the cost wil l balloon to well over $20,000 per year, and that doesn’t include the init ial

purchase of the bike and gear.

This is taking into account the depreciation of the bike, the cost of running and repairing the bike, wear and tear of r iding gear, l icence fees, c lub fees, entry fees, fuel , running and repairing the vehicle that is carrying the bike etc .

Then there is the l icence, c lub and entry fees. A Senior National Licence is $275, a Senior Club is $240, a Junior National is $250 and Junior Club is $225. I t is usually $60 to join a club, $60 entry fee per club day, $60 to $120 entry fee for a Regional or State meeting.

Lindsay Granger has this to say regarding the costs : “MQ and our clubs work extremely hard to keep costs down and I suggest you compare the cost of motocross with the cost of road racing or other sports where the tracks are run by commercial organisations on privately owned land and the track hire for a weekend can vary

between $5,000 and $30,000. The reali ty of most of our events is that clubs are struggling just to stay afloat .”

I won’t argue that point , road racing is ludicrously expensive but with clubs gett ing record numbers I struggle to understand why they would be struggling to stay afloat , but my understanding means l i t t le and I have never had a reason to doubt anything Lindsay has told me in the past so I see no reason to doubt him now.

As my regular readers wil l know, I have been competing in tr iathlons and mountain bike racing for the last three years. I have been to events where there are 5000 competitors and the whole thing goes l ike clock-work, rain, hail or shine, they have structures and procedures in place for every aspect of their events, and most of their staff are volunteers as well .

So why is i t that when a motorcycle club has a

Regardless of the level of racing, not many people make money out of it.

12 - SEPTEMBER 2010 www.cycletorque.com.au

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GUNTRIP

EVEN today, more than 30 years after the event, I’m still bewildered at my decision to buy a Honda CB400F rather than a Yamaha RD400.

I know why I chose the one over the other – I’d swallowed the family propaganda, ground down to a nicely blunt, bludgeoning edge after decades of not knowing any better, that two-strokes were things for scooters, mopeds and the horrors fashioned by Eastern Bloc nations to masquerade as motorcycles. But even allowing for that and the fact that a short series of Suzukis had temporarily sated my appetite for strokers I’m still a bit foxed at having toed the party line quite so readily.

But perhaps my decision had something to do with romance as well, springing from a desire to become a small part of our lot’s great two-wheeled continuum that stretched back at caps and Halcyon Mk 8s, to ex-War Department G3 Matchlesses and the delight of discovering telescopic forks for the rst time.

All of which might go some way to explain why such a vast number of oddities appear in so many lists of all-time great bikes. My choice, as you’ll see in the list below, contain no such errors of judgement, no quirks of fancy; the baker’s dozen bikes listed each embody most if not all of the motorcycling virtues and can claim the credit of having established more than a few.

1948 Vincent-HRD Series C Rapide – the 50-degree engine and more ingenious design features than you could dream of, including a cantilever rear end, quick-

detach wheels (and reversible rear), Girdraulic forks. The genius of the two Phils was never more apparent.

1956 BSA DBD34 Gold Star – Along with the ’74-spec Laverda SFC and the Ducati 916, perhaps the best-looking bike ever made and certainly one of the toughest. A genuine clubman racer powered by a raw, men-only 499cc single that could propel you to the far side of 110mph (as long as you could take the vibration). And that exhaust note, when the bike had a Goldie silencer – Ducati owners, eat your hearts out.

1959 Triumph T120 Bonneville – Yes, children, there was magic before Harry Potter, and this was its nest manifestation. Sublime looks, sound and performance from 40 well-nourished horses. The best development of Edward Turner’s famed parallel twin. Last I heard there were still half a million 650cc Triumphs in the USA.

1961 Honda CB77 – Big Red’s early parallel twins were things of rare beauty (check the lines, the shape of the tank, the instrument nacelle), and the 305 had the performance to see off much bigger opposition. All this, and an overhead camshaft! Most 305s went to the US, where other markets tended to get the 250cc CB72. Oh yes, there was the small matter of an electric start that worked, as well. Some manufacturers couldn’t manage that a dozen years later.

1970 Yamaha R5 – Serious performance from one of the rst and nest of Yamaha’s big two-strokes and, like the Honda, a

trim masterpiece that looked a million bucks parked. The start of a wonderful dynasty.

1973 Kawasaki Z1 – Big Daddy arrives. What can you say? This one really pinned our ears back, and coming hot on the heels of the H2, cemented Kawasaki’s place as the big-performance marque. ‘Let the good times roll’ indeed.

1980 Yamaha RD350LC – The rst of the water-pumpers was the pick of Yamaha’s 350s. The power-valve model that followed somehow looked cheap yet still took itself too seriously by comparison. The hooligan device of its time, delivering miles of smiles to the rider’s face – between petrol pumps, anyhow.

1985 BMW R80 Monolever – Why didn’t I buy one? Why didn’t I buy one? Why didn’t I buy one? Why didn’t I buy one? Why didn’t I buy one?

1985 Suzuki GSX-R750 – The modern era began with this little oil/air-cooled masterpiece, which boasted a claimed 100 horses and less weight than most 500s of the time. The start of some serious performance and the beginning of the end for the 240kg luxo-barges that were then somehow blighting most manufacturers’ catalogues.

1986 Honda VFR750F – With a luscious, torquey V-four powerplant, solid handling, striking looks and on later models that single-sided swingarm from the Honda France endurance boys, the VFR set a mark for sports-tourers that still stands. A genuine classic.

1994 Ducati 916 – When the Italians get it right, their brilliance is unsurpassed. The lucky and well-heeled few are still riding the 916 or its children and are, no doubt, in heaven. The sound, the performance, the looks. It was also the start of Ducati’s reign as a fashion icon. So not even Ducati at the top of its game can get everything right.

1998 Yamaha R1 – Yamaha has started plenty of revolutions in its time and none has been more impressive than this, the rst of the 21st-century megasportsters. Wild and a touch scary, it gave the world its rst taste of two-wheeled warp speed of the racetrack.

2007 Triumph Bonneville – Yes, the rst of the range was released in 2001, but the 865cc engine was worth the wait. Tiny, reliable and sturdy, the new Bonnie is hardly the cutting-edge performance unit its predecessor could claim to be, but the new bike is a timely reminder of how much fun a motorcycle with a decent-diameter front wheel, upright riding position and comfortable seat can be.

– Bob Guntrip

Triumphs and, well, bungles

A Honda CB77. 305cc, OHC, 28.5HP… and electric start that worked.

couple of hundred riders gathered for competit ion that they can’t make their way through a race program without a drama?

Well , the f irst thing is that there wil l always be crashes and when someone is hurt the whole show has to stop. Granger is quick to defend MQ’s policies regarding downed riders. “We are not going to rush an injury retrieval just to save a few minutes i f the r isk is a disabling injury for the rider or further injury to those trying to assist and treat them. Our off icials al l want to go home at the end of the day knowing that they gave the riders as much riding as they could. They don’t intentionally delay the program and I don’t think you would claim that they did. In motorcycle racing we may need to accept that sometimes there wil l be unavoidable delays.”

Yep, understand that 100 per cent, I have been one of those riders lying in the middle of the track in agony so let ’s put that aside as something that can’t be changed. A ‘ t ick’ for staying as we are.

Something that can be addressed is how the slower riders complete their f inal laps. I t is frustrating watching the slower riders just

wobbling their way around the track l ike they have al l of the t ime in the world while the next race is s i t t ing there wait ing to go.

Granger had this to say on this subject . “I ’m not sure what you are suggesting that we do with the riders who f inish down the pack, but without them you would not have a decent race, or prize money gained from their entry fees, or probably even an event.”

Agreed, s low riders make up the majority of the f ield but I bel ieve that i f the problem of ‘s low last laps’ was addressed via on-going education ( in sup regs, at r ider brief ing, during training, race et iquette f lyers/information) valuable t ime could be saved every race. A ‘ t ick’ for a change?

And what about the race program itself , after al l of these years of racing shouldn’t the governing bodies have a fair idea how many racers and races can be hosted on any given day and Granger defends MQs stance with this : “MQ and its clubs give riders the best value for money that we possibly can, we try to ensure that every rider, from clubman to pro and from age 4 to over 50 gets an opportunity to r ide at nearly every one of our events, at the lowest possible

price. I t would probably be easier to drop half a dozen classes from the program, but we don’t , because those riders are our members too and they deserve their chance to have a go.”

Yes, I get that too but i f r iders aren’t gett ing the value for money spent wil l they stay with the sport? Is i t healthy to continue organising race meeting as they always have? Should the whole si tuation be looked at considering the amount of disgruntled competitors?

Should the governing bodies look at putting together guidelines/run sheets for promoters and clubs to fol low that al lows them the t ime to get through a full day’s racing taking into account al l of the worst case scenarios? Another ‘ t ick’ for change?

Perhaps. My only reason for writ ing this is to draw this problem to as many people’s attention to benefit the sport and I give a big thanks to Lindsay Granger for putting forward MQ’s stance on these issues. I f you want to have a say that I can pass on to Lindsay please e-mail me at smartymx97@yahoo.com.

– Darren Smart

torquiNG BaCK Letters

Write A Letter! Win A GreAt PriZeThis month Paul from SA has won a Copy of Charley Boorman’s Sydney to Tokyo By Any Means DVD. Available wherever great videos are sold.Send your letters (and/or great bike pictures) to The Editor, Cycle Torque, PO Box 687 Warners Bay, NSW 2282 or email chris@cycletorque.com.au.

Third partyNOBODY seems to mention that Green Slips are third party insurance. This policy does not cover the rider. The cover is for a pillion, pedestrian or occupant of a car when the motorcyclist is at fault. You don’t have to be a brain surgeon to realise the pillion is the most likely claim against your policy. Then of course a single seat motorcycle eliminates that problem. So, if motorcyclists of the allotted categories figure in more accidents I would wager most accidents in which a car is involved the driver is at fault. Therefore there should be no claim on the motorcycle policy even if the pillion is injured. If I am wrong please let me know, so I can go and give myself a swift upper-cut.

JohnNSW

Pillion passengers are the most likely to claim against

a rider’s CTP, both single vehicle crashes and often when another vehicle is involved –

NP.

When the revolution comesRe CTP & Mobile Speed Cameras (AKA Revenue Rakers!) The only way the NSW government will take notice of us bikers is by organising hundreds & hundreds of bikers to do a road blockade on a Sunday. If we do it a couple of times the CTP prices will be reduced & the revenue rakers will be withdrawn. The only thing that works with this corrupt government is to show muscle. Trust me!

CharlesNSW

New eateryI’D LIKE to introduce an innovative new eatery which has just opened within the Fraser Motorcycles complex, in Concord NSW (Cnr of Concord Rd & Parramatta rd). Although we are situated within Frasers, we are independently owned and operated. Torque Bar and Grill has a seating capacity for 150

patrons with a fully stocked bar and an extensive food menu (to view full menu go to www.torquebarandgrill.com.au).We are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, from 7am till late, seven days a week. A unique feature of Torque Bar and Grill is our fully retractable roof imported from Italy that transforms our entire indoor dining area to an outdoor dining experience. We also have onsite secure parking for 100 cars and 100 motorbikes.

Theo AthasTorque Bar And Grill

153 Parramatta Rd Concord.Ph: 1300 688 600

Too tidy for some TAKING delivery of my 2009 Repsol CBR1000 in Hobart recently, I admired how tidy my rear end looked. The previous owner had spent some of his hard earned eliminating all the plastic junk required to satisfy the Australian Design Rules. After riding home to Adelaide, I was filling up at the local servo and a friendly motorcycle policeman pulled in to also admire the Repsol, or so I thought.Instead he pointed to my fender eliminator and quoted ADR 42. Apparently, by removing the original rear guard the bike was now liable to be defected which would mean: 1. I wouldn’t be able to ride it home and would need to trailer it instead; 2. I must re-instal the original guard; and 3. I would need to pay $150 to have it inspected and approved at a Transport Depot. So I reinstalled the original guard (a bugger of a job) and when next refuelling lo and behold my friendly police officer reappeared all expectant

as to whether I had taken his advice. He rode off happy as I had. On my various rides since then I’ve seen fender eliminators everywhere. Does that mean: 1. all these bikes are liable to be defected in SA; 2. presumably being federal rules, the ADR’s apply in other States - rendering interstate bikes liable to the same kind of treatment. If so, why are fender eliminators being sold and installed by dealers? Sometimes your rear end can be too tidy for some!

PaulSA

Anything being sold ‘Not for Highway Use’ falls into this category: fit and risk

not remaining legal. – NP

NSW ExpatJUST like to say regarding your sentiment about the rest of Oz not been interested in the issues in NSW.We do care about what goes on, regardless of how small or how far away it might seem, it does affect us all in the long run. I’m an ex NSWelshman living in Tassie and am still very much involved with the scene back there and try to do my bit where I can. Also just like to say how much I enjoy the magazine, both online and in print.

Cheers Geoff from Tassie

Grip attackCyCle Torque FeaTure – ConTinenTal road aTTaCk 2

The age old quandry – how to improve both tyre grip and life.

CONTINENTAL’S new Road Attack 2 sport touring tyre is pushing boundaries.

Not only does the tyre enjoy a 20 per cent increase in tyre life over the now departed Road Attack 1 (introduced in 2004), it also enjoys a healthy dose of extra grip thanks to the development of new technology and the hard work of Continental technicians, many of whom ride motorcycles themselves and know intimately what the modern rider wants. Cycle Torque experienced the new Road Attacks at the Australian launch of the tyre at Broadford in Victoria.

How long?The Continental brand is not as well

known as it would like to be in Australia even though it has tasted success down under in past years. You could probably argue it comes down to marketing because the company has been around since 1871 and has produced motorcycle tyres since 1907. As a result Continental is huge in Europe, and its range of

motorcycle tyres is impressive. It’s not just about tyres though, Continental makes brake systems, instruments and a plethora of other products.

Same name - new shapeContinental wanted to give the new

tyre a sportier edge, changing shape to a more triangulated profile to give better side grip, but not at the expense of stability. Both tyres are designed to complement each other, the front profile to improve steering and keep the rear stable at high speeds in a straight line. As a pair the new tyres weigh in at close to a kilo lighter than the Road Attack 1, reducing unsprung weight which in turn improves steering and quick changes of direction.

Where many tyres use a number of compounds to make a tyre harder in the centre and softer on the sides, Continental uses what it calls a continuous compound. This patented process is done during the curing cycle, where the centre of the tyre is heated to a

higher temperature than the sides, thus producing a tyre better equipped to last highway miles while still performing well at extreme – for this type of tyre – lean angles. Continental calls the compound Black Chilli which has a certain ‘arty’ ring to it don’t you think?

Another handy design feature is called Traction Skin. We’ve all heard stories of riders falling off as they leave the bike shop with new hoops on. New tyres usually have a slippery skin because of mould release chemicals. This doesn’t take long to wear off but you need a judicious hand on the throttle as it does so to avoid such eye watering attacks on your wallet and body. With Traction Skin you can basically go hard from the outset, within reason of course, without needing to clean the tyre with buffer, wax and grease remover or similar.

Road testAustralian Continental importer,

Ron Angel Wholesale, had a number

Grip attackThe age old quandry – how to improve both tyre grip and life.

of motorcycles fitted with Road Attack 2s, thanks to the generosity of Honda, Triumph and BMW. It was a mix of machines mostly sports touring oriented with a naked or two thrown in for good measure.

On the road the tyres performed faultlessly, notably offering impressive stability on the straights, and ‘feel’ in the corners. Most road riders would never test these tyres to their limits on the road in the dry, and we didn’t either. The question is what will their wet performance be like, and what will tyre life be? Continental says getting 8000 kilometres out of a rear shouldn’t be an issue, depending of the type of riding and the diligence of the owner in keeping pressures spot on. If that’s the case it’s pretty much what we would expect, and given the grip it has that’s not bad at all.

Track testThe Broadford circuit is tight and

twisting, up hill and down dale. It’s one of the most technical circuits we’ve ridden on, and not a happy hunting ground for most sports touring motorcycles. Cycle Torque first sampled a 2010 Triumph Sprint ST. Pressures had been previously set at 36 psi front and 39 psi rear – cold. After getting into the groove we started to hustle the big Trumpy around and the Road Attack 2s felt great. A trip to the pits saw us drop the pressures, which had gone up to around 42 psi front and 45 psi rear, down to a 31-33 combination hot. We knew this would definitely produce a different ‘feel’. Straight away the bike tipped into the turns easier but the bike squirmed around mid corner when pushed hard. It was a major drop in pressures but a good experiment none the less.

We then rode a semi-auto Honda VFR1200, which incidentally was a ball of fun in sport mode, and later a Triumph Street Triple. The big VFR never put a foot wrong with the Road Attack 2s, and while the Street Triple felt livelier

around the circuit we put this down to the sportier nature of the bike.

Overall we were impressed with the grip levels, the stability and turn in of the new Contis. For the tyres to perform this well on a circuit on bikes hardly designed for track work is a real coup for the Continental designers. Famed Isle of Man TT racer Cameron Donald was also on hand to test the tyres and even he came away impressed with their capabilities.

Fitting a pair of the new Contis will cost you from $199 for a front, and from $275 for a rear, depending on what sizes you need.

A look at Continental’s tyre chart indicates the Road Attack 2 is capable of cutting the mustard from touring/commuting right through to hypersports. From the testing we did it’s hard to argue with Continental’s claims.

– Chris Pickett

Here comes the ’SunglaunCh reporT - hyosung gV650C and gV700C aquila ClassiCs

now there’s an aquila for the experienced,

and the novice.

RIDING GEAR: Vemar Helmet, WileyX eyewear, Bikers Club Australia jacket, Triumph Portland gloves, Thomas Cook jeans, Thomas Cook Calibre boots.

TesT By dennis penzo phoTos By lou MarTin

SFF stands for Single Function Forks.

We like good suspenders…

… and short skirts.

Simple to use, half the adjustments.

Kwaka’s 250cc KX engine surely punches above its weight.

Continued over>

SINCE landing on our shores about a decade ago Hyosung has really evolved as a brand and so too have the motorcycles it produces. With the advent of fuel injection to its model range in the past 12 months there has come a flurry of activity and attention. Now, these new cruisers are quite something else.

A 650 and a 700 I hear you ask, what’s the point?Well, Australia is a strong market for the Hyosung brand and

the 700cc version is only going to get LAMS approval for the ACT, so a 650 was needed for the general Australian market.

To the uninitiated you can barely tell the two apart, except for the “Hyosung” stamped on the 650’s clutch cover.

Overseas the new cruiser is branded the ST7 but in Australia there was strong evidence to suggest that keeping the familiarity of the Aquila monicker was a smart move and rightly so.

They both share similarities with the old GV650 engine, although the 700 has slightly different barrel, crank and rods.

The GV650 will now carry the Aquila Sports name and be sold alongside the new, restyled 650 and 700 and all three will sell at a competitive $9990 (plus on-road costs).

On the standThe frame on the new cruisers is new in that it’s not quite the

perimeter style frame of its predecessors, although still carrying

a twin tube backbone, the tubes are closer together and the tank sits neatly over the top and astride it.

Hyosung has gone for classic cruiser styling with twin pipes down one side, a nice set of slightly pulled back bars, chrome mounted instrument console set on the stylish rounded tank and big sweeping guards.

And the quality of finish on these newcomers is pretty good too.

In the donkBoth models use a 90 degree V-twin DOHC four-valve liquid-

cooled engine with an over square 81.5/62mm bore/stroke combination for the 650. A slightly longer stroke of 65mm gets the extra 50cc for the 700, and you do notice it.

Compression ratio is 11.5:1 in both engines.The engine management system includes Auto Cold Start

and air by-pass Automatic Idle Speed Control. A new Delphi MT05 series ECU has been fitted with full CAN (Controller Area Network) Bus support and stored DTC (Diagnostic MT05 series ECU has been fitted with full CAN (Controller Area Network) Bus support and stored DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Code) functions. The two new models use the same 39mm throttle bodies as the other 650 EFI models.

Here comes the ’Sung

Three-way forward control ’pegs.

Radiator gets a bling cover.

Valanced rear guard looks the part.

V-twin engines come in 650 and 700cc versions.Continued on next page>

After the fuel injectors and pistons have done all their work the whole lot moves through the twin mufflers which each have a three-way a catalytic converter and twin dedicated oxygen sensors designed to provide more precise fuelling at idle, in closed loop mode and under deceleration, which all adds up to helping meet emission requirements.

While we’re on the subject of the engines there’s some interesting data from dynamometer test results. The 700 develops more power and generates more torque than the 650 up to 7000rpm. The 700 puts out 46kW at 8000rpm with torque of 64 Nm at 7000rpm while the 650 produces 47kW at 8250rpm and torque figures of 58Nm at 7500rpm.

The higher developed power made by the 650 at over 7000rpm is explained by the engine’s shorter stroke.

Maximum torque generated by the 700 is greater than the 650 and is reached about 1200rpm earlier.

It gets interesting when you compare the figures for the two Classic models and the standard GT650.

Both the developed and torque generated by the Classic exceed the GT until around 6500rpm. While the Classic can’t match the top-end performance of the GT it provides excellent tractability and usable power at low revs which is where you want it all to happen in a cruiser.

But the bottom line is that these figures make the new 650 cruiser the most powerful learner legal bike in the country and this is no accident as Hyosung clearly has its sights set on the Yamaha XVS650A which is the top selling cruiser in the country, but more on that later.

On the roadOur test started in fine weather at

the Peter Stevens store in Adelaide and headed up into the Adelaide Hills for a morning tea stop at the Amberlight Motorcycle Cafe in Lobethal.

The run through the Hills provided some challenging riding country with plenty of twisties to give the gearbox a good workout. The five-speed box handled everything thrown at it quite

comfortably.The belt drive was very smooth and

drew plenty of comment to that effect from many in our group. The 15 and 16inch cast alloy wheels replace the 17 and 18inch units of the Aquila Sport.

Combined with the 690mm seat height the end result is a very comfortable riding position. Footpegs can be adjusted three ways and that makes for a very comfortable set of choices.

By the time we reached the Pretoria Hotel in Mannum for lunch no-one had managed to scrape either side of their mounts so the 150mm ground clearance is pretty impressive on the Hyosungs.

Weighing in at 229kg, and that’s with a bigger 17 litre fuel tank, makes the new cruisers fairly agile creatures.

Rear suspension is dual shocks with adjustable preload and at first I thought they felt a little light and springy, especially in some of the bends in the Adelaide Hills, but a little adjustment will sort it for most applications.

The throttle response seemed a little bit snatchy transitioning from closed to open,

but it was only something that a few of us noticed when idling slowly through town centres.

Well a couple of days after I wrote that line an email from Hysosung headquarters confirmed that a software update for the ECU had been made to smooth out that little issue. Talk about a quick response! (no pun intended, maybe.)

Front suspension is a solid pair of conventional 41mm tubes combined with a 33 degree rake to give it that traditional cruiser stance which seemed to cope well enough with our chosen route.

The seats are really comfortable and just looking at the pillion seat I imagine it’s not far away either.

There was a fully optioned Hyosung in the party with clear screen, footboards, crash bars and backrest so there are

plenty of optional extras if you want to bling your Hyosung.

An overnight stop in the Barossa Valley and then we woke up to a threatening sky which was good because it gave us a chance to put the bikes through their paces in some tight and wet roads.

Despite the often wet roads the return day’s travel, via the Scenic Hotel at Norton Summit for lunch, proved to be enlightening.

The Hyosung’s front brake is a single 300mm disc with four-piston calipers and had plenty of bite while the rear 276mm disc with twin piston caliper coped with the 55 per cent of the bike’s weight that’s at that end of proceedings.

Hyosung has unashamedly launched itself at Yamaha’s dominant position in this market sector, via the XVS650A, and that’s a pretty bold plan.

There are plenty of points of difference too in many areas like engine cooling, brakes, power output, weight, fuel capacity and price.

This is going to be an interesting tussle.

On the pocketWith its recommended retail price

of $9990 plus ORC and an unlimited kilometre two-year warranty both of the new steeds in Hyosung’s stable will have lots of people looking seriously at this new contender for the cruiser crown.

Just to show how popular the Hyosung brand has become in Australia, check out Cycle Torque’s video of the sporty looking GT250R which has attracted thousands of views on our YouTube channel. You can access it via www.cycletorque.com.au.

Continued on next page>

Leather tank strap is an optional extra.

Same goes for the screen. And the footboards.

S p e c i f i c at i o n S : 2011 HyOSUNG AqUILA

Engine Type: Liquid-cooled V-twin Capacity: 650cc & 700cc Transmission: Five speed/belt drive Fuel Capacity: 17 Litres Frame Type: Steel cradle Seat Height: 675mm Dry Weight: 229kg Front Suspension: 41mm telescopic. Rear Suspension: Dual shock Brakes: Single disc front and rear. Tyres: 120/80-16, 170/80-15 Price (RRP): $9,990 + ORC

www.hyosung.com.au

Call for a quoTe1800 24 34 64

We’ll BeaT anY PrICe guaranTeeD*

Racer to RacerCyCle Torque people – paul CasliCk

Paul Caslick

wHEn YOu LOVE a SPORT SO MuCH IT’S nOT HaRD TO GIVE SOMETHInG BaCK.TO DIRT track fans the name Paul Caslick isn’t clouded in mystery. It’s a name linked to numerous Australian championships, and when those championships are still coming at an age when most riders have hung up their competition boots it’s worth taking note of what he has

to say.Paul’s most recent success

was at the recent King of Nepean meeting where he rode his potent Honda CRF450R to victory in the open class, against many of Australia’s top dirt trackers, many of whom were half his age.

“I had a ball,” said Paul. “It’s nice to win but to win against much younger competitors shows you can still be competitive when you are over 40 as long as you train hard, focus and have the right attitude.”

This very same attitude has driven Paul to become an

accredited MA coach and in more recent times set up camp at the old West Maitland dirt track in the Hunter Valley, NSW, about two hours from Sydney. The venue was an oil track in the past but has been disused for over a decade, and the oil removed. When Paul got the nod it was straight in

We’ve seen plenty of retro-styled machines, but the VT750S comes with a retro price, too…

to clean up the overgrown track and get the venue ready for training.

“You don’t get opportunities like this every day so we worked hard to get the track safe. You couldn’t see through the grass on the infield, and the track surface took days to prepare. I think we’ve got it pretty good at the moment.

“The venue isn’t endorsed for racing, and may never be again. That doesn’t matter though, it’s endorsed for training and that’s what I want to do. I want to teach the younger generation how to enjoy this sport that’s given me so much enjoyment, and how to race competitively and safely.

“It’s much more than just the motorcycle racing. When kids are focused on a sport hopefully they won’t get involved in the bad things in life.”

Cycle Torque recently checked out a Caslick Clinic and saw riders from youngsters on little 65cc machines right through to open class thumpers. Of course you can’t just send out seven-year-olds with much older guys so groups are broken up and then set tasks to further their machine control. From race starts through to slow manoeuvring shows the riders you need to get the basics right before you can go fast safely.

It’s interesting to see Paul interact with all the age groups to give them exactly the right information they need for their level.

“I love teaching the kids, they have so much energy and life, and they are a blank canvas. They tend to be much more open to learning and are much less set in their ways than older riders.

“That said, if a rider is here for one of my clinics then I know he or she’s here to learn. And that gives me a real buzz.”

On the day Cycle Torque sampled Paul’s CRF450R which is very much a rider’s machine. It boasts close to 60 horsepower and was a bit of a handful, obviously preferring more of an ‘expert’s touch’ than we could give it. Then we rode Steve Smaller’s Honda CRF250R which was a delight. It burns methanol and was seriously fast but much more controllable than Paul’s open class monster.

Paul runs clinics at the West Maitland Rider Development complex on a regular basis. They are very

reasonably priced and the atmosphere is all about learning while having fun. Check out www.caslickclinics.com.au or call Paul on 0418 666 096.

We’d like to thank Steve and Eric Smaller for supplying the CRF250R. If you check out Cycle Torque’s website at www.cycletorque.com.au you’ll see Eric doing a couple of fast laps on his CRF450R.

– Chris Pickett

Caso’ in action.Photo

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Cycle Torque’s Alex Pickett trying out Steve Smaller’s CRF250R

Deus the book Book Reviews

all these books are now available from the Cycle Torque Book Store Call 02 4956 9825 or www.cycletorque.com.au

SINCE opening the doors to their Camperdown temple of enthusiasm in 2006 Deus Ex Machina made it quite clear they wouldn’t only sell custom parts and hand-

built motorcycles, but to celebrate a culture of creativity.

The showroom and cafe has become a centre of internally combustible postmodernism in Sydney and beyond.

Some would argue that their motorcycle creations are more industrial art than just two-wheeled transport .

But the creativity that pervades Deus Ex Machina is not just about the combustion engine. I t ’s about the philosophy of an era before the various pursuits of fun l ike cycling, surfing and motorcycling went their own ways in a commercial lather of factional exclusivity.

Didn’t you ever wonder why various open days at Deus have featured old surfboard swap meets, bicycle swap meets and various other such eclectic pursuits of fun?

Well , now you can get a taste for al l the ingredients that Deus has thrown into their creative potpourri in the new book.

Call ing i t a coffee table book doesn’t do i t justice by half . There’s not much writ ing in the book, and most of what’s there is from T.E. Lawrence but i t definitely is a visual feast with

some great work from the creative mind of Carby Tuckwell who was also responsible for the designs and i l lustrations.

I t ’s a huge book and covers many of the events and beautiful motorcycle creations that have emanated from that end of Parramatta Road in Sydney.

As they l ike to say at Deus “the way forward is one down, four up!”And no, that’s not the dust cover i t ’s a bonus poster.Deus Ex Machina, The House of Simple Pleasures,Deus Ex Machina Publishing 2010. RRP $89 available through Cycle

Torque Book Sales (02) 4956 9820.– Dennis Penzo

Book Reviews

all these books are now available from the Cycle Torque Book Store Call 02 4956 9825 or www.cycletorque.com.au

SINCE opening the doors to their Camperdown temple of enthusiasm in 2006 Deus Ex Machina made it quite clear they wouldn’t only sell custom parts and hand-

built motorcycles, but to celebrate a culture of creativity.

The showroom and cafe has become a centre of internally combustible postmodernism in Sydney and beyond.

Some would argue that their motorcycle creations are more industrial art than just two-wheeled transport .

But the creativity that pervades Deus Ex Machina is not just about the combustion engine. I t ’s about the philosophy of an era before the various pursuits of fun l ike cycling, surfing and motorcycling went their own ways in a commercial lather of factional exclusivity.

Didn’t you ever wonder why various open days at Deus have featured old surfboard swap meets, bicycle swap meets and various other such eclectic pursuits of fun?

Well , now you can get a taste for al l the ingredients that Deus has thrown into their creative potpourri in the new book.

Call ing i t a coffee table book doesn’t do i t justice by half . There’s not much writ ing in the book, and most of what’s there is from T.E. Lawrence but i t definitely is a visual feast with

some great work from the creative mind of Carby Tuckwell who was also responsible for the designs and i l lustrations.

I t ’s a huge book and covers many of the events and beautiful motorcycle creations that have emanated from that end of Parramatta Road in Sydney.

As they l ike to say at Deus “the way forward is one down, four up!”And no, that’s not the dust cover i t ’s a bonus poster.Deus Ex Machina, The House of Simple Pleasures,Deus Ex Machina Publishing 2010. RRP $89 available through Cycle

Torque Book Sales (02) 4956 9820.– Dennis Penzo

Books Direct

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signaTure_________________________cheques or money orders should be made out to motorcycle Publishing Pty ltd. send your order to: Book sales, cycle Torque, Po Box 687, Warners Bay, nsW 2282

Ph: (02) 4956 9820, Fax: (02) 4956 9824shop online at www.cycletorque.com.au

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www.cycletorque.com.aullwwwwwwww.cccyyccc ee ooorrrqqquee.cccooom.aaauwwwwwwwwwwww.cccyyycccllleeetttooorrrrqqqqqquuuueeee.cccooommm.aaaaauuuuuuuwww.cycletorque.com.au

1 Essential Guide to Dual Sport MotorcyclingEverything you need to buy, ride and enjoy trail and adventure motorcycling. Sections on riding gear, tools, riding tips and safety and maintenance keep you well informed for the trip ahead.Exploring and navigating are also covered in this comprehensive guide book.Essential Guide to Dual Sport Motorcycling – $55.002 Motorcycle Journeys Through Western Europe

Europe is high on everyone’s travel list. It has great roads, beautiful scenery, centuries of history, and is relatively safe. A potential stumbling block for some motorcyclists is the false perception that it costs too much and they don’t know exactly where to go. Toby Ballentine maintains in his Motorcycle Journeys Through Europe that you can rent a bike in Europe, put together your trip and have a great time. Europe is high on everyone’s travel list. It has great roads, beautiful scenery, centuries of history, and is relatively safe. Motorcycle Journeys Through Western Europe – $44.953 American Dream Bikes

Unappreciated by the world is the fact that in today’s elusive studio of motorcycle design America is a major player - for some, the major player. Dozens of designers, engineers and craftsmen are creating some of the most exciting and innovative motorcycles the world has ever seen - even dreamed about. This doesn’t just mean “yet another chopper”. It means names like Confederate, Ecosse, Fischer, Roehr, Vectrix (producing an electric sportbike), and MotoCzysz in addition to, and no less worthy in this context, the establishment Harley-Davidson with Buell, Victory, and even Indian. Award-winning author Alan Cathcart visits 25 shops interviews the designers and engineers and rides the motorcycles. Each shop, interviewee and motorcycle has been photographed especially for this book.American Dream Bikes – $75.004 Troy Bayliss

This is the story of a life dedicated to racing, the story of a man who has always lived among motorcycles. The Ducati Yearbook chronicles the life of Troy Bayliss, Ducati World Superbike Champion through his memories and his experiences (on and off the track), his relationship with his team and with the bikes. Take a look into the life of Troy Bayliss, his racing career and his passion for Ducati. Troy and the bikes from Borgo Panigale, like the 999 and 1098, together made history. This is a book of photography with images accompanied by the words of the rider, fellow Ducatisti friends, colleagues, family and fans all who came in contact with this Superbike legend a true icon for all passionate motorcycling fans, Ducatisti and non.Troy Bayliss – $34.955 How to Restore your Motorcycle

The market for used motorcycles is vast and deep, with many popular motorcycles available for a fraction of what they cost when new even a few years ago. With a little hard work and know-how, a restored used bike can become a reliable and stylish commuter vehicle. But restoring an older motorcycle can be challenging. How to Restore Your Motorcycle walks the reader through the process of tearing down an old motorcycle and building it back up again. This revised edition adds color photography throughout, as well as new information covering bikes and technologies new to the collector realm.How to Restore Your Motorcycle – $39.996 Grand Prix Motorcycle Racers

Until the 1970s, North America was considered a backwater with respect to world championship-level motorcycle road racing. European racers viewed American riders as little more than provincial hillbillies who rode around in circles on tracks made of dirt. That all changed when Kenny Roberts exploded onto the Grand Prix racing scene and became the first American to win the world championship in motorcycle road racing’s premier class. Grand Prix Motorcycle Racers – $39.997 Dreaming of Jupiter

Ted Simon is the author of the classic travel book JUPITER’S TRAVELS. It documents his four-year journey round the world by motorbike, travelling through Europe, Africa, South and North America, and Asia. A number one bestseller in the late 1970s, it is still regarded as one of the greatest motorcycle books - indeed, one of the greatest travel books - ever written. DREAMING OF JUPITER is a hugely inspiring read with a positive message at its heart - that even at the age of 70 you can still set off on an adventure, and be surprised and excited by what life throws at you along the way.Dreaming of Jupiter – $27.998 Jupiter’s Travels

For 25 years this book has been a favourite for travellers of all kinds, but in the world of motorcycle travel it has been a true phenomenon.Jupiter’s Travels – $27.99 9 101 Road TalesA collection of entertaining columns first published in the USA’s Rider magazine, Clement Salvadori’s tales have been entertaining American riders since 1988. Now, 101 of those engaging Road Tales have been brought together in one book, cleverly illustrated by his long-time friend Gary Brown.101 Road Tales – $5510 Essential Guide to Motorcycle MaintenanceThe purpose of this book is to introduce the novice motorcycle mechanic to the basic mechanical concepts that go into designing, building and maintaining modern motorcycles. By performing their own basic maintenance readers will gain a much better understanding of how motorcycles function, and develop a much better feel for the health of their bike and deal with little problems before they become a big one, or worse, a serious safety issue. Essential Guide to Motorcycle Maintenance – $65.0011 Freerider MX’s Ultimate Guide to FreestyleAs freestyle motocross continues to capture the imagination of the mainstream public and motorcycle sales soaring, more riders are focusing their attentions on riding FMX than ever before. With the racing scene becoming more competitive than ever, more people are opting for the lifestyle and fun factor of freestyle, and as a result, amateur classes at events are burgeoning, and letters from readers eager to make a career in freestyle motocross are flooding Freerider MX Magazine’s inbox.Freerider MX’s Ultimate Guide to Freestyle – $19.9512 Essential Guide to Motorcycle TravelThis book is written to help motorcyclists prepare themselves and their motorcycle for travelling long distances over extended periods. Whether you are getting ready for a weekend trip beyond your home turf, or for a transcontinental odyssey lasting several years, Coyner’s book details the fundamentals for riding in comfort, safety, and convenience.Essential Guide to Motorcycle Travel – $49.95

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launCh reporT: harley-daVidson 2011-Model sporTsTers

Two new Sportsters headline the Harley range in 2011…

RIDING GEAR: Thomas Cook Jeans (blue), Motodry Dragon pants (black), Teknic Jacket, Motodry Razor Boots.

reporT By nigel paTerson phoTos By lou MarTin

SportSter choiceS

SportSter choiceS

Continued over page>

HARLEY-Davidwwson’s Sportsters comprise a big chunk of the American firm’s sales and in 2011 there are new models to tempt those considering the least expensive Milwaukee machines…

There are two new Sportsters Cycle Torque had the opportunity to ride, the 883cc SuperLow and the 1200cc Forty-Eight. The first is aimed at first-time Harley owners, especially anyone lacking experience, confidence or stature, because the SuperLow is designed and built to be inexpensive – just $11,495 plus on-road costs – confidence-inspiring and very, very low to the ground.

The 48 is a very different beast. A Sportster with attitude. It’s about style, about the look, about never, ever having to have anyone think the only reason you ride a Sportster is because you can’t afford a Big Twin. It’s a factory custom with a fat 16-inch front tyre, excellent underslung mirrors, Harley’s traditional peanut tank, blacked-out engine, ‘slammed’ suspension, solo seat, chopped guards and lots more.

The 48 looks awesome and is priced well at $14,995.

It goes well, too. It’s light - by Harley standards - and manoeuvrable, gets away from the lights quickly and handles pretty well too, although

initially the fat front tyre feels kinda strange and the short travel rear suspension struggles with the bumps.

My first stint on the bike was through Sydney and down through the Royal National Park, a ride which had the bike in its element. The flattish ’bars and highway pegs seem like an odd combination before mounting, but they actually work quite well - although I’m amazed at the length of the gear lever and brake pedal, which were even longer than I wanted – and I wear size 12 boots. Anyone with a smaller foot is likely going to need to move their heel to the footpeg in order to get their boot in the

right spot to change gear.The seat is very retro – and

it’s also thinly padded, which had my arse complaining before I’d even emptied the 8-litre tank, which is hardly good for 150km. It’s no touring bike, but that’s OK: for getting around town, through the suburbs and into the hills on weekends it’s awesome.

The fuel injected V-twin bounces around on its rubber mounts, the rider isolated from most of the buzz generated by the torquey motor, and there’s enough power to ride quickly.

The 48 is a fun bike dressed up with a bit of attitude.

The Superlow is even easier to get along with. A Sportster

Continued over page>

with cruiser style, the SuperLow is aimed at the learner market in the USA, where the laws are quite different.

That said, for anyone looking for an easy Harley to ride, with a low seat, upright riding position and footpegs in a conventional and confidence-inspiring spot, here’s your machine.

Harley has done a lot of work to make this bike easy to ride, fitting it with lightweight cast wheels and radial tyres in an effort to reduce unsprung weight, so the bike turns easier, increasing rider confidence. Steering lock has also been increased making manoeuvring and U-turns a lot easier.

Although Harley has kept the seat very low, the SuperLow actually has a little more rear wheel travel than earlier low-seat models, and the engineers have spent a lot of time and effort to make the bike handle reasonably well.

Rear wheel travel is up a little on earlier low-seat model Sportsters, and the suspension units have been comprehensively redesigned to perform better than those on the earlier bikes.

Harley understands its market though, and realises the vast majority of owners never actually adjust their suspension, so the only available setting is rear preload. Harley engineer James Sadauckus, who came out to Australia for the launch, adjusted the preload on the test bikes for us journos after enquiring about our weight, and I’ll say it again: set your suspension preload up and your bike will handle better!

On these Sportsters, with such limited travel - just 62mm - it becomes very important to get it right, so at least wind the spring up if you’re heavier than average. It makes a big difference. Up front non-adjustable forks provide over 100mm of wheel travel.

The upright riding position should inspire confidence, and the tapered seat makes getting your feet down easy, too. Other changes from earlier Sportsters include a change to a 17-litre tank, which improve range to well over 300km and improved comfort so you’re not smashed at the end of a ride.

Powering the SuperLow is Harley’s

smallest powerplant, the 883. For the market this bike is aimed at, the motor is fine – there’s adequate power and torque for all everyday situations, although no-one with any experience is going to describe it as exhilarating. The same could be said of the handling – it’s fine for the market it’s aimed at, but if you’re buying a SuperLow because you can’t afford the 48, I’d recommend you keep saving – these are very different bikes.

For anyone - especially the ladies – who are keen to buy their first Harley but aren’t confident about riding a machine close to 900cc, don’t be: if you’ve done your time on a Learner-Approved machine, I reckon you’ll be fine on the SuperLow.

The 48 is for riders looking for something distinctive, different and yet retro all at the same time. Very cool. And if you’re looking for something really cool, keep an eye out for 48 Harley dealers right around the country spending 48 days building 48 customs. It’s called Judgement Day and should create some really awesome machines. n

updates across the RangeHARLEY-Davidson has long preferred to evolve its models slowly rather than go for wholesale change every few years, so for 2011, there are updates for most bikes in its range.

Six of the existing Harley models get price reductions for 2011, with the leader being the FXDB Street Bob dropping by $1500 to $21,995 plus on road costs.

Of particular interest are the touring models, which now have the biggest standard Harley motors – displacing 103 cubic inches – with only modest price increases. More power and torque with prices starting at $28,995 plus on road costs. They have new seats too, to improve comfort on the long haul, and make it easier to reach the ground when you’re stopped. Keep an eye out for the Road Glide Ultra, too, a model we’ve not seen in Australia before – there’s one coming and it will be shown off at various events and locations, gauging interest in the machine before a commitment to bring it in is made.

The Touring, Softail and VRSC models are all now equipped with ABS standard, and in typical Harley fashion the company has managed to not make the high-tech too obvious, hiding the control units away.

Returning for 2011 are the Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) machines: very special, very exclusive motorcycles. There’s the Softail Convertible, Street Glide and Electra Glide Ultra Classic CVO models, with each having their own set of factory upgrades to make these the most desirable Harleys ever built.

• The CVO Street Glide rolls on a new 19-inch Agitator™ front wheel, and new ventilated fairing lowers house two of the six speakers that are part of a 100-watt-per-channel audio system that incorporates an 8GB iPod nano with dock.

• The CVO Softail Convertible has a new audio system that integrates 3.5-inch speakers and a 20-watt-per-channel amplifier into a redesigned inner fairing. Music is delivered by an 8GB iPod nano stored in a protective pouch. Also new is a 1.25-inch welded mini-ape handlebar, Electronic Throttle Control (ETC), cruise control, keyless ignition, and ABS.

• The CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide has a new suspended, heated, two-up seat with leather inserts. Dual mufflers feature new chrome billet end caps with black spears, and new mirrors are finished in mirror chrome.

CVO prices start at $39,995. n

launCh reporT: harley-daVidson 2011-Model sporTsTers

Saddle style seat suits the image but isn’t touring friendly.

Slammed suspension looks great but is compromised by bigger bumps.James Sadauckas

we’ve kitted our Lo Boy to tour. now we’ve treated it to some extra herbs.

projeCT lo go – harley-daVidson FaT Boy lo

Power UP

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I MUST say right here I’ve never been a big fan of Harley-Davidson’s Fat Boy. When we linked up with HD late last year to grab one of the 2010 press bikes it wasn’t a unanimous decision at Cycle Torque head office. I would have preferred an XR1200X – I have this desire burning deep down inside me to build a trick flat tracker style machine – or maybe a Road King. I know these bikes are worlds apart, and even though I like stripped down muscle machines, something about a retro HD tourer does it for me too. And before those non-believers of you out there poo-poo the big Road King as a wobbly overweight and undernourished tourer, try riding one. You will be amazed. And besides that, they look awesome.

So farIn previous instalments

you may have noticed our FBL did a two-up tour down

the Great Ocean Road, the very day after we fitted the genuine accessory panniers, screen, pillion footboards, touring seat and rack. Why would we try and turn a Fat Boy into a tourer when HD already produces better suited models I hear you ask? It was an all-new model and we could. Seriously

though, we wanted to show that you could have, maybe not the best of both worlds, but at least a good chunk of them (see the May 2010 issue, available to download from www.cycletorque.com.au).

I rather liked the FBL as a bagger, stripped of its touring extras, except for the panniers and passenger foot boards. In this guise it looked very nice, low

and while not lean, at least mean.

I’ve long maintained if you want extra horsepower then buy a bigger or faster bike. I haven’t always abided by my own mantra, and often it has turned pear shaped. I was happy enough with the FBL’s power, even though it was hardly arm wrenching, because when riding it I’m happy to cruise along enjoying the ride and scenery, not blur it. There’s a very good reason why HD’s machines bring so much happiness to so many people. I think this is the main one. That said, I wasn’t all that taken with the look of the standard pipes, and some extra go couldn’t be all that bad, could it?

Horsepower HeavenThe two easiest places to

gain horsepower with a HD is pipes and air intake. This is a simple statement but in reality it’s far from simple to do just that. I armed myself with a high performance K&N 63 Series AirCharger air filter and a set of Rush slip on exhaust pipes and hot footed it over to Dyno

Bike Solutions at Raymond Terrace (02 4987 2344), just north of Newcastle. Gavin Schofield is the man at the controls of the Dynojet dyno and we had a plan to run the bike on the dyno in standard trim (with 8000 kilometres on the clock. Yes we ride our Harley here at CT), with the K&N filter fitted, and then lastly with the Rush mufflers fitted. A three-pronged attack, all in the name of clueing up our readers. Aren’t we good people?

Like a giddy schoolboy with a present I ripped open the boxes of goodies and saw the pipes in flat black glory. They looked the same length as the standard mufflers but looked, better. Then the air filter. Inside the box was a dyno graph showing a 10 horsepower gain over a standard air filter. When I mentioned this claimed gain to the three owners of Dyno Bike Solutions, Gavin, Tim and Scott, there was much laughter and sledging. All of it seemingly at my expense for believing such propaganda. Now I never said I believed it, but I

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projeCT lo go – harley-daVidson FaT Boy lo

had seen the dyno sheet and had not informed them of that. I myself have heard manufacturer’s gains and seen results which don’t always back those claims up but I was happy to sit back and play the dumb one – some might say this comes easy to me – and see how it was going to play out.

The first dyno session had the bike smack on the standard figures supplied by K&N. When I say smack on I mean within half a pony. We fitted the filter, which was an easy job for anyone without two left hands, and the second session produced exactly what K&N claimed – a gain of 10 horsepower. To say the boys at DBS were gobsmacked is a bit of an understatement. When I questioned them on this, with a cheeky grin, I was informed there was rarely any gains of that magnitude with filters they had used.

Next step was fitting the Rush pipes. But before this I needed to fit a new set of tyres to the FBL. The original rear had worn out and I had a new set of Pirelli Nightdragons waiting to churn tar. Now I’ve pulled out and put back in countless sets of wheels on race and road bikes over the years but I was unprepared for what lay ahead. Getting the rear wheel out took two of us. To put it bluntly it

was a cow of a job. I’m sure mechanics who did it day in and day out would be proficient at it but it’s not a job I’d like to revisit in a hurry. It seems the Softail design causes this because other Harley-Davidsons I saw at the shop certainly looked like it would be easier ripping out their back wheels. The front wasn’t an issue. I think the trick is knowing the right sequence for these types of jobs. It was the same fitting the new mufflers. There’s little room to get the screws holding them on out, but seemingly even less room trying to get your hands in to put the screws back in. In hindsight, removing the whole exhaust, header pipes and all, would be the go in the future, I think.

Dyno session number three: The new Rush pipes sounded great – throaty without being too loud. There are too many Harleys out there which sound downright obscene. These are right on. More good news, another three extra horsepower from the pipes. Then it was wipe the bike down, don some riding gear and take it for a strop up the road. The extra power was noticeable straight away. The mods not only gave us extra power up top but they gave over 30 percent more torque at 50km/h. Not only that but the K&N filter and the

Rush pipes add to the sinister look of the bike, setting it off just nicely.

All at Dyno Bike Solutions agreed the bike looked nice, sounded nice and went better than it did before. Job done. Well not quite. You see there’s a sting in the tail when you modify your bike. The sting in this tail was the fact the bike the was running leaner than ideal. The solution is to fit a fuel injection tuning device to sort this out.

Harley-Davidson’s Screaming Eagle Pro Super Tuner was fitted and tuned by Dyno Bike Solutions. It’s easy to fit, you simply plug it in to wiring loom connection but it takes a dyno expert to get the best out of the tuner. After a number of hours playing around Gavin from DBS triumphantly exclaimed he had liberated close to another three horsepower from the FBL’s engine, and perhaps more importantly got the fuelling spot on.

– Chris Pickett

See the Cycle Torque videos of this bike at www.cycletorque.com.au - and there’s a special edition eMag coming soon!

By the time you read this, the Cycle Torque Fat Boy Lo project will probably be on the market. Call 02 4956 9820 if you’re interested in purchasing this bike.

Prices:K & N filter – $470.

www.ctaaustralia.com.au

rush exhaust – $599.95www.motoNatioNal.com.au

screamiNg eagle tuNer – $703

see your harley-DaviDsoN Dealer

Angry little bull

CyCle Torque TesT – gas gas eC 250 Fsr TesT By ray MaCarThur phoTos By nigel paTerson

RIDING GEAR: MSR helmet, Zacspeed goggles, MSR nylons and boots.

Gas Gas’ little 250 is a perfect mix of the rising sun in a fighting bull.

IF YOU think the EC 250 FSR is just a smaller version of the mighty 450, reading this might raise an eyebrow or two. For a start this carburettor-fed engine was sourced from Yamaha until Gas Gas develops its own quarter-litre four stroke, the forks are Marzocchi instead of the Sachs found on its siblings and the seat height is just as tall as its big brothers. As the first 250 four-stroke enduro machine for Gas Gas it’s not small but it is nimble.

The engine is Yamaha’s five-valve donk that has been around in one form or another for years now. It breathes

through a flat slide Keihin FCR-MX37 carburettor and puts the power to the ground through a five-speed gearbox (unlike the fuel injected six-speed 450). It has electric start and Gas Gas has fitted its own alloy kick starter and clutch case cover to give the engine their signature. The header pipe is fitted with a nice little guard to reduce the risk of burns and keeping the barking at bay is a “Reverse Exhaust Systems” lightweight alloy muffler that sounds great, works well and negates any need for an aftermarket unit.

In what appears to have been a last minute graft, the

wet plate clutch is operated through a strange mix of hydraulic and wire cable. The operation feels good though, with a braided hydraulic line that runs from the handlebar lever to a slave cylinder, which then activates and pulls a stubby wire cable which in turn operates the clutch actuating arm on the top of the gear case. Difficult to explain and understand why. Of course on the WR, Yamaha use a wire cable all the way so this is just an adaptation to make it hydraulic. It appears to be an odd fit for Gas Gas who generally use the latest and lightest of everything but

have had to come up with this compromise to make it work. It seems to work pretty well and was nice and light but the clutch did have a small tendency to drag a little on some occasions.

The starter motor looks a little exposed sitting at the front of the motor, and with no bash plate at all I was a little worried about putting a hole in the crankcase as I was picking my way through a rocky washout. If you are thinking of doing any real fair dinkum trail work I would seriously think about some protection.

Up front on steering duty

Angry little bull

are 45mm USD Marzocchis with a linkage-actuated Sachs on the rear. As you would expect all have adjustable compression and rebound. Brake calipers are all hydraulic Nissin floating units sporting a twin pot front and single pot rear on vented discs that perform with plenty of stopping power.

The test bike came with Metzelers fitted but the bike comes standard with Michelins. Black Saxess rims are highlighted by their bright red wheel hubs which continue the black, red and white colour scheme on the hot-looking sticker kit. The 450 we tested previously had done a few hundred more kilometres and the stickers were starting to come loose. These ones were fine but it is something to keep an eye on.

The RideThe first thing you notice is how tall

this bike is.At 940mm tall the seat is the same leg

swing as the 450, which can be a real effort for anyone under 180cm tall. It also uses the same 7.5 litre fuel tank that disappears into the centre of the frame behind the radiator guards. This gives a great slim feel that combined with the stiff black grippy top seat makes it easy to move around on. There is good frame to ground clearance with footpegs mounted fairly high. They keep your feet out of the way of obstacles but did not make the riding position feel too cramped.

There are two positions available to mount the handlebars so you can get

S p e c i f i c at i o n S : GAS GAS EC 250 FSR

Engine Type: Liquid-cooled single

Capacity: 250cc Transmission: Five speed/chain

drive Fuel Capacity: 7.5 Litres Frame Type: Deltabox Seat Height: 940mm Dry Weight: 110kg Front Suspension: 45mm USD Rear Suspension: Monoshock Brakes: Single 2-piston caliper

front, single piston rear. Tyres: 90/90-21, 140/80-18 Price (RRP): $11,799 + ORC

www.gasgasaustralia.com.au

Continued over page>

them well forward. A nice neat rubber pad slips over the top of the handlebar clamps to soften the blow if things go wrong. All the controls feel comfortable and easy to use, and there’s a decent quartz halogen headlight up front and a very tidy tail light and number plate mount at the rear.

The silver multipurpose readout in the centre of the cockpit is easy to read and lights up well for night riding. Although there isn’t an ignition lock there is a steering lock to slow any thieves that may be trying to knock off your bike if you ride it down to the shops. There is an alloy side stand that is lightweight and sits well out of the way but has a very small foot that will sink into anything a little soft allowing the bike to fall, so just beware. None of the Gas Gas bikes we tested this year came with blinkers fitted on them so I didn’t get to see how durable they are. Apparently they didn’t trust us not to break them.

There is a single screw at the back which releases the seat to expose the foam air filter and the battery. A spring loaded pogo stick releases the filter for easy servicing and the battery is mounted just behind the filter. A cam lock instead

of a screw to release the seat would have been a nice touch to make it a tool free operation.

During the test I had a screw on one of the battery terminals come loose just as I stalled the bike in a big deep muddy waterhole. Man didn’t I do some cursing trying to get it started before eventually dragging it out, tightening the terminal and firing it back into life. I think this electric start stuff is making me soft!

The steering felt very light and the bike felt very nimble and easy to flick around as a 250 does. All the suspension settings started in the centre positions but I found the front suspension a little unstable on anything that gave it a good bump. When I backed the compression damping right off it felt much better but it felt like it needed to be backed off a little more to stop anything kicking offline so I think a bit more tuning to suit the rider will just get that extra bit more out of it. The steering on the EC 250 FSR always felt light and precise where the 450 uses a different steering head angle and was hard work until I got the front suspension settings right. So long as you worked the clutch the 250 was surprisingly easy to

weave up through steep rocky outcrops and tight single trails. The gearing is well suited to weaving your way up a rutted or rocky hill without being too slow, but you can feel the tall seat height when things go bad.

The Gas Gas is easy to loft the front end over all sorts of obstacles and it just seems to go where you want it to go. The engine revs well and it will run along at 80 or 90 km/h happily and faster if you push it a bit.

At 110kg the claimed weight is 7kg lighter than the EC 450 FSR but I was surprised to find it has a very similar fuel range considering it uses the same 7.5 litre tank. I travelled 70km of fire trails and tight single line tracks before going onto reserve. 5.8 litres of fuel topped it back up giving the bike about a 90km range depending on the terrain. For those that want a better range I believe there is a tank available from Safari Tanks in Victoria that offers almost double the capacity.

The recommended retail on one of these will set you back $11,799 + on road costs and it now comes with a 12 month warranty. n

Not much material left on the brake

rotor.

Muffler is easy on the eyes and ears. Hydraulic clutch is light and easy.

Sachs rear shock felt firm.

MNA00 2 0 CT RXT H l F G l i dd 0/08/20 0 0 0 3 AM

CyCle Torque raCer TesT – axis MoTorsporTs honda CrF250r

TesT By Todd reed phoTos By Chris piCkeTT

Privateer Party

RIDING GEAR: Troy Lee Designs helmet, One Industries nylons, Alpinestars boots.

we ride Michael addison’s Team 7 axis Motorsports CRF250R

NESTLED among the factory race teams of Aussie MX and SX are increasingly high numbers of privately funded race teams. These small-time efforts are out there making a name for themselves and taking the fight to the big budget ‘factory’ teams on the scene. Raceline Suzuki, Coastal KTM, and SP Motorsports Suzuki are a few of the teams which spring to mind. Team 7 Axis Motorsports is another privateer race team getting among the action and making waves around the pits.

Towards the closing stages of the 2010 Australian MX Nationals the Team 7 Axis Motorsports outfit offered Cycle Torque the opportunity to test its Honda CRF250R racer, piloted in 2010 by Pro Lites punter Michael Addison. The bike the boys at Axis were offering is their pride and joy, Michael’s full blown race machine fresh from being washed from the previous round of the MX nationals.

SuspensionSitting underneath the CRF250R is a set of Showa A-Kit forks and

shock. Unfortunately for us though, Addison had taken off for some riding and racing and had taken his beloved A-kit suspenders with him. So instead we were offered up a set of Honda genuine Showa suspension which had been A-Kit ‘replicated’. It had all the bells and whistles, the only thing missing was the trick external coatings. This is the same stuff that Addison uses every day in his practice bike, and team-mate Dylan Peterson uses in his full blown U19’s race bike.

The rear shock gets similar treatment with a complete re-valve and the addition of various parts from the Factory Connection catalogue. Tucked away below the rear shock is another trick little item, the Factory Connection linkage arm. This helps to lower the rear end and keep it more stable over the standard linkage system.

So what’s it like? Very good! After a few laps around our test track it soon became apparent the genuine forks and shock have seen some serious modifications. When compared to a production Honda this bike holds up much better in the stroke and has a much better resistance

to bottoming. The Factory Connection setup gives you more of a firm feel about the suspension yet still maintains a nice supple feeling over the small bumps and ruts. We felt the rear shock tracked really well and held a great line under hard acceleration coming out of turns.

On the favourite’s list for the suspension was certainly the feel of the bike on big jumps and the larger bumps. It almost felt like the CRF had extra stroke as it soaked up and took on the big hits without a hint of bottoming or rebounding like a pogo stick. It is a very confidence inspiring setup and the faster we went the better the suspension performed.

EngineThe motor sitting beneath the Team 7 Axis machine

has also undergone some extensive testing and development. Generally speaking more money equals more power; the team may not have the biggest budget or largest amount of resources but they have still managed to come up with a killer engine. Team Manager Andrew Hopson acquired a wealth of engine building knowledge in his 15 year stint living and working among American motocross’ greatest teams

and riders. It shows on Addison’s race bike as this bike is certainly one of the fastest 250Fs we’ve ridden. The Axis team use a generous amount of Pro Circuit parts and a countless amount of hours to turn its machines from what you purchase from your local dealer into race-bred rocketships.

On the track Addison’s bike is noticeably faster than the production version. It’s not arm stretching hard hitting power, however it pulls nicely off the bottom into a very strong mid to top end. The Pro Circuit exhaust system makes the engine feel very lively and gives the rider the feel that the power is ready whenever you need it. Blasting out of deep ruts and loamy turns was a dream as the Honda launched into the meat of the power and steadily continued until it was time to find the brakes. This is a motor that almost any rider would find great to ride, it is however very lively and raunchy and gives the feeling it wants to be constantly ridden harder and faster.

The RestAddison runs a very streamline setup when it comes to the rest of

the parts on his bike. Easton tapered handlebars headline the driver’s seat and the Hammerhead gear shift lever and rear brake pedal along with Pro Circuit footpegs do the job of keeping everything under control under your toes. As soon as you throw a leg over Addo’s CRF everything feels very comfortable and in the right place. The ’bars and levers are all in a very conventional position and there is nothing out of the ordinary going on. The Axis team runs Dunlop Geomax tyres on its bikes and they are easily one of the best tyres on today’s market.

VerdictI wonder if the boys at Axis would notice if their race bike went

missing, and found its way into the Cycle Torque garage? The CRF250 was a great bike to ride and we imagine it would be an even better bike to race. It is littered with aftermarket accessories to make the most out of what is already a great bike from Honda. n

Continued over page>

Factory Connection bits feature strongly on the Axis racer.

Remote reservoir for shock. Axis spent loads of time inside the motor.

Vortex fuel injection box.

Pro Circuit pipe. Factory Connection linkage arm.

Visit www.kawasaki.com.au for your nearest Kawasaki dealer* The Ride Away Price is the recommended retail price inclusive of all on road costs. These include 12 months registration, CTP insurance, stamp duty, freight and dealer delivery for metropolitan areas (regional areas may incur additional freight and dealer delivery costs). Final ride away price may vary between dealers. Final on road costs may vary according to individual circumstances. Pricing applies to new motorcycles ordered between September 1st, 2010 and October 31, 2010. Please contact your authorised Kawasaki Dealer for more information. Available at participating Kawasaki dealers only. This offer may be changed or extended without notice. Professional rider on a closed course.

Competition-ready Uni-Trak rear

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Advanced ignition management

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Improved aerodynamics and

ergonomics provides increased

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Compact and stylish exhaust

maximises power output of the high

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Amazing race ready performance

with superbike tested technology

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