Australian Motorcycle News Vol 67 Issue 21

A TOP AUSSIE bloke passed away last week, and it took us all by surprise because Alan Kempster was so full of life. If there was anyone who could be excused for being a bit down in the dumps, surely it would be a guy who’d had his right arm and leg torn from his body by a drunk driver. The word disabled never really worked for Alan; he was more able than many with all four limbs. I first met Alan at the 2012 Festival of Speed. My photographer dropped some images into the media centre and as I flicked through them I was confronted by a photo that my brain just could not comprehend. Literally half a man racing a motorcycle, and he wasn’t slow by any means – in…

FOR MOST MANUFACTURERS, scrambler-style derivative of concept bikes are usually little the street-oriented Vitpilen more than eye-candy to draw 401, the Svartpilen 701 adds a punters to their show stands. competition-influenced feel But whenever Husqvarna to the larger Vitpilen. shows a concept, a production However, it hasn’t taken the version will usually be hot on straightforward scrambler its heels. And the Svartpilen route. Instead, there’s 701 – shown as a concept last something of a flat-tracker year – is no exception. feel to the design. It wears Here is the near-production alloy wheels rather than prototype undergoing final wires, for instance, and testing, caught on the road by there’s a large number board our trained spy snapper. on the right-hand side only, a The Svartpilen 701 was headlight fairing that mimics shown…

THE TOKYO MOTORCYCLE Show is always a chance for Japan’s best tuners to show off their latest ideas. Aftermarket parts maker Doremi led the charge this year with a trio of specials that cashed in on the popular retro theme. First up was a selection of Kawasaki Z900RS machines. Although the stock bike is already a call-back to the old Z1 900, Doremi is developing bolt-on kits to conjure recollections of the later Z1000. Examples on show included an Eddie Lawson replica, with bodywork tweaks to hark back to the #21 Z1000 he rode to victory in the AMA Superbike Championship in 1981. Changes include period-style ‘Morrismag’ wheels (replicas of the original American Morris alloys), a matte-black four-into-one pipe, a new seat, and new side and tail bodywork. Even the road-going elements are…

ERIK BUELL IS among the team behind new electric bike start-up VanguardSpark – which could turn out to be one of the most significant newcomers to the industry in years. Not just because of the involvement of Buell, who has long been known for his bright motorcycle design ideas, but because of the two other innovators involved in the project – Frédéric Vasseur (the man behind Formula E racing car manufacturer Spark Racing Technology) and Francoise-Xavier (FX) Terny, who created Vanguard motorcycles, by building crazy-looking V-twins designed by former Confederate designer Edward Jacobs. VanguardSpark’s initial offerings are not trying to set the world on fire in terms of performance, but instead concentrate on niches where electric bikes could excel. The first is a pedal-assisted machine, the SpeedBike, which looks more bicycle than motorcycle.…

THE NEW BOSS of one of the world’s largest automobile manufacturers – Volkswagen AG, which includes Ducati – is a passionate motorcyclist who played a key role in transforming BMW Motorrad into the highly profitable entity it is today. Herbert Diess, 59, is the new chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, and now has overall responsibility for the future direction of Ducati. What’s exciting for the famous Italian brand is that Diess is a lifelong dedicated bike rider, with a serious amount of two-wheeled miles under his belt. While Ducati’s current strong performance will still place it quite low down the extensive list of Volkswagen Group subsidiaries Diess is now in charge of, it’s all but guaranteed his passion for motorcycles will see him take a close interest in the…

MOTORCYCLE RACING HAS lost one of its all-time greats. Ivan Mauger OBE passed away on the Gold Coast on 16 April, aged 78. Mauger won 15 world championships between 1968 and 1979 – six individual speedway, two speedway pairs, four speedway World Team Cups (three with Great Britain and one with New Zealand) and three long track. In his country of birth, he was twice voted Halberg New Zealand Sportsman of the Year, becoming the only motorcyclist to win that accolade. He was also inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. But it was beyond his unsurpassed track record and honours where Mauger stood out from the pack. He spearheaded the sport in areas of professionalism, presentation and exposure. After retiring from riding he went on to promote speedway and long…