Australian Motorcycle News Vol 68 Issue 01

Any number of strangers will emerge from an adventure ride great mates WHEN IT COMES to riding on a wet and greasy racetrack, I feel right at home. And for some odd reason I go pretty good when the heavens open. But put me on a loose gravel surface on an adventure bike and, to be perfectly honest, I reckon I’m shit. Okay, I’m probably a little better than the average Joe, but given my rides are usually in the company of freakishly talented former professional riders and off-road adventurers, I’m often the guy down the back. I am cool with that because, despite my shortcomings (which I’m working on) I look forward to the annual AMCN adventure ride like a kid looking forward to a birthday. No other form of motorcycle riding…

KTM HAS CONFIRMED the 2019 release of its long-awaited 390 Adventure. It promises to be a premium product in a booming new market segment and marks 2019 as a year of new models across all adventure-bike categories. News on the 390 Adventure was provided by KTM’s Indian partner Bajaj rather than the Austrian firm directly. The Indians are getting edgy because BMW’s G 310 GS has just gone on sale. Local media are even predicting KTM may offer an extreme version of its Adventure to make a powerful market statement. In a nod to the apparently slow progress on the development of the 390 Adventure, Bajaj president Amit Nandi said: “With the 390 Adventure we would be making our long-awaited entry into the niche premium dual-sport segment, which is a very apt…

LAST NOVEMBER NORTON showed the first sketches of its planned 650cc parallel-twin scrambler. Now it’s revealed the final design, along with its name – the Atlas. The original 1962-68 Atlas wasn’t a scrambler, but the decision to reuse the Atlas name is, at least in part, a necessary one. Norton needs to use the title or face losing its rights to the trademark. And the old 1960s Norton name for scramblers – Ranger – is owned by Ford these days. It’s the first model to use Norton’s upcoming 650cc parallel twin, which is effectively the front two cylinders from the 1200cc V4 of the upcoming RR and SS models. A long-throw crank adds 25cc to each cylinder’s capacity, and Norton estimates the engine should be good for around 75kW (100hp). Later,…

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN PREMIER Steven Marshall has put his hand up to help Harley-Davidson in its tariffs showdown with US President Donald Trump. Asked if the SA Government would be interested in getting involved with H-D again (Castalloy will stop manufacturing H-D’s alloy wheels next year), Marshall said he would “definitely” be in contact with the factory to explore production options. H-D has threatened to move a large part of its export production to Europe, its second-biggest market, to protect its income after becoming a victim of the US-EU trade war. The iconic US company claims it will lose $3000 on each motorcycle it builds if European authorities go ahead with their proposed hefty import tariff on US-made products. This is in response to Trump’s planned import tariffs on European steel and aluminium products. H-D…

2019 BMW R 1250 GS A HUGE UPGRADE, which could even include power-boosting variable valve timing, should keep BMW’s R 1200 GS ruling the roost in the big-bore adventure market. Although the next-generation GS hasn’t been spotted by spy photographers yet, BMW has been seen testing a new version of the R 1200 RT, believed to be fitted with variable valve timing. The cylinder heads look new and it’s widely believed to have a larger capacity than the current 1170cc engine. If all this makes it to market, next year’s GS could be knocking on the door of 111kW (150hp). 2019 Triumph Scrambler 1200 THE LATEST GENERATION of Triumph’s Bonneville has already spawned several strong-selling derivatives, but surely this big new Scrambler will be the most popular yet. Offering a much more extreme…

Yamaha’s 2018 World Raid Tour has already included stints in Australia and North Africa, and there are more to come – in South America and Europe. The promotional tour will see current Yamalube Yamaha Dakar team racers Rod Faggotter and Adrien van Beveren, as well as former Yamaha racers David Fretigne and Stephane ‘Mr Dakar’ Peterhansel, riding the new bike. Noted big mile muncher and accomplished global roamer Nick Sanders will also join the final leg in the European Alps. Coverage of the Australian sector of the tour has already gone live – check it out at www.world-raid.com.…