Australian Motorcycle News Vol 68 Issue 09

I HAVE LOST count of how many Aussie MotoGP events I have attended; maybe I should have kept my passes as a souvenir and reminder. Jack Miller’s exciting Moto3 win in 2014 was a highlight Race fans remember particular years because of the on-track action, and who won (or who didn’t win). But for the AMCN crew, it’s usually something that happens away from the track that serves as a reminder; like that time in 2013 when then-editor Sam Maclachlan left the AMCN house to head to the track for race-day Sunday. Thinking he was the last to depart, he securely locked the house and became the custodian of the keys. Unfortunately, he was unaware that the international photographers sharing our digs had a rare opportunity for a late start and were…

YAMAHA HAS UNVEILED its 2019 YZF-R3 with a range of revisions aimed to give it an edge over its 300cc-class rivals. The parallel-twin Yamaha is already a popular pick of the 300cc category, with a slightly oversized 321cc engine in most markets. But for 2019 it’s getting an improved chassis and revamped styling. Most important is the introduction of an inverted fork designed to improve handing and ride quality. Oddly, Yamaha hasn’t added a radial brake caliper, unlike the newly-revamped YZF-R125, launched recently at Intermot. However, the bodywork clearly takes its inspiration from the YZR-M1 MotoGP racer and the existing production YZF-R6. Power and weight are unchanged and expect to see it in showrooms next March.…

THIS IS THE Ducati many Australians, including racers Troy Bayliss and Josh Brookes, are desperately waiting for. A prototype of the race-ready Panigale V4 R made a brief on-track debut in WSBK form at the season-ending round of the British Superbike championship at Brands Hatch last week. Ducati test rider Michele Pirro made a few quick demonstration laps and, while the all-black prototype racer is far from a showroom machine, it gives an insight into some of the changes we can expect to see on the range-topping V4 R when it’s officially revealed during Ducati’s online presentation on 4 November. Make no mistake, this will be the closest Ducati comes to making another MotoGP bike for the road. The three-time World Superbike champion Bayliss has revealed exclusively to AMCN that he expects to…

To comply with FIM Superbike rules, the Panigale V4 R uses a sub-1000cc version of the V4 and V4 S 1103cc engine. We expect Ducati will reduce the stroke from 53.5mm to 48.5mm, retaining the Panigale V4’s 81mm bore. That will give identical measurements to its current Desmosedici GP bikes and increase revs to 14,000rpm. WSBK rev limits mean there would be little or no advantage to using a bigger bore and even shorter stroke. The race prototype features notably different side air outlets to the normal Panigale V4. If that’s a change Ducati plans to race with, it will also need to be carried over to the production V4 R to meet FIM eligibility. Strangely, the V4 R isn’t running any winglets, despite Ducati being at the forefront of that movement…

KAWASAKI’S REVAMPED 2019 ZX-6R has finally broken cover, with its technical details precisely as we predicted months ago. While heavily based on the existing model in production since 2013, it now conforms to Euro4 emissions regulations, and its styling matches Kawasaki’s latest family look. Subtle tweaks to the 636cc engine trade a largely academic top speed for more acceleration; better for most day-to-day riding situations. There are now two riding modes and an upshift-only quickshifter, as well as revised instruments with a fuel gauge and a remaining-range display. Revamped bodywork gets reverse-rake LED headlights, giving a family link to the more exotic H2 Superbike.…

BMW’S NEW 1254CC, 100kW Boxer twin – complete with its Shift Cam variable valve timing and lift – is set to be transplanted into the R 1200 R and R 1200 RS for 2019. While we’ve yet to officially see the new bikes, we’ve managed to get our hands on some detailed specifications for the new R 1250 R and R 1250 RS. These show BMW is transplanting the new engine into the existing machines, rather than creating new models around it. The 1254cc engine is 84cc larger than the current 1170cc and makes 8kW more power. Torque rises even more, from 125Nm to 143Nm at 6500rpm. Expect BMW to launch them at next month’s EICMA…