Australian Motorcycle News Vol 68 Issue 04

Gardner had talent to burn, but barely a cent to his name when he headed to Europe THIS 1970S POEM by Norman Gunston didn’t put Wollongong on the map, but it did help Gary McDonald’s alter ego become a household name. Gunston was a Wollongong local who went on to excel at mediocracy and was destined never to become a world champion at anything. Maybe his creator thought such a thing beyond believable for someone from the seaside steelworks city. But the 1970s also saw a young Wollongong lad by the name of Wayne Gardner receive his life’s calling when he watched the classic motorcycle movie On Any Sunday. I’m more an admirer of Wayne Gardner than a fan. His nickname, the Wollongong Wiz, not only reveals his origins, it’s also an…

While the engine remains secret, power is said to be up to 158kW HONDA IS TO debut a clean-sheet CBR1000RR Fireblade later this year that, according to our sources in Japan, will put it back on top in the horsepower stakes. And they claim Honda won’t be using a MotoGP-derived V4 engine to do this but a powered-up in-line four-cylinder. Our sources say prototypes of the 2019 ’Blade are already under test and, while details of exactly what’s been done to the engine remain secret, power is said to be up to 158kW. That would put it on par with the Ducati Panigale V4, which is fitted with a 1103cc engine compared to its rivals’ 1000cc fours. For years now, the CBR1000RR Fireblade has lagged in the outright horsepower stakes. The current model…

THERE HAS BEEN a lot of internet chatter about Honda’s rumoured new V4 Superbike, with many speculating that the Fireblade will be powered by a V4. However, the two projects are completely different. Patents over the last couple of years have revealed designs for a machine that uses an engine similar to that of the limited-production, ultra-expensive RC213V-S GP replica, mounted in a cast semi-monocoque chassis designed to be much cheaper to produce. Progress on the V4 has been slow, but if Honda does make a separate V4 Superbike to sell alongside the all-new Fireblade, it takes us all back to what happened when the original Fireblade was launched in 1992. There was no need to meet racing capacity rules, as Honda already had the RC30 V4. So it took existing designs for…

KAWASAKI IS READYING a cleaner, greener new Versys 1000 adventure-tourer for its 2019 model range. While the bike has yet to be shown, the first details have been betrayed by its emissions certification, which shows a commitment from Kawasaki to significantly reduce exhaust emissions. The company has filed details with the California Air Resources Board that show the 2019’s Versys 1000’s hydrocarbon emissions will be more than halved, while the combined hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides emissions will drop from 0.2g/km to 0.1g/km, while carbon monoxide output will reduce from 0.4g/km to 0.3g/km. While those numbers don’t tell us too much about the actual changes to the Versys, the documents also reveal it will have a new exhaust system. The current model uses two three-way catalytic converters, while next year’s will have just…

REWIND 15 YEARS and there was just one bike everyone wanted to see reach production – a road-going version of Honda’s all-conquering MotoGP RC211V. But the technical wizardry of a V5 engine for the road never materialised, despite patent drawings emerging of an RC211V with headlights and a sidestand. Now Anglo-Italian firm MondialMoto – not to be confused with FB Mondial, maker of the HPS 125, HPS 300 and Pagani 1948 – has announced plans for a V5-powered street superbike. It says it will have two versions on display at November’s EICMA show in Milan – a base V5S and a higher-spec V5R. Both will be powered by a 200hp 1000cc engine using the same 75.5° V-angle favoured by the RC211V racer all those years ago. Exotica includes titanium valves and conrods, variable-length intakes…

New-age ‘V-Rod’ THIS NEW 2019 bike is dubbed the FXDR 114. An addition to the existing big V-twin range, it’s the sportiest Harley since the demise of the V-Rod. An 1870cc (114ci) version of the Milwaukee-Eight engine is wrapped in laidback but sporty naked styling. The bike’s FXDR name (its model designation is actually FXDRS) hints it has a new chassis. The ‘D’ traditionally refers to Harley’s now-discontinued Dyna frame design. So it’s possible Harley is bringing back a twin-shock Dyna chassis for the FXDR. A brief glimpse of the bike in a video announcing Harley’s future plans shows rear bodywork reminiscent of the old V-Rod Muscle. The front end incorporates a small headlight and wind-deflector. An onboard shot reveals a minimalist all-digital display and swan-neck aluminium clip-on handlebars. Leaked details show the FXDR…