Ultimate Adventure Bike Issue 14

Idon’t know about you, but #lockdown21 here in Sydney was a fair old grind. One-hundred-and-six days straight cooped up at home is a stretch — and I say that with all due respect to all AAB’s Victorian readers, who are world champions at living with lockdowns! It’s curious, but for me #lockdown20 and #lockdown20andahalf (here on the northern beaches of Sydney we scored a bonus #lockdown over the Xmas/New Year holidays a year ago) seemed to romp on by. But back then, I must admit, I was keeping plenty occupied with polishing old Ténéré parts, to the point where the mighty ’83 model ZL is looking decidedly sharper. And let me tell you, polishing old Ténéré parts is no chore at all. Even when you’re doing it for days and weeks…

I‘Zoomed’ around-the-world extreme adventurer Nick Sanders recently to talk about his quest to be first to circumnavigate the world on a Yamaha Ténéré 700. Nick’s trip had been stopped dead in its tracks in Sydney almost two years ago when COVID-19 hit Australia. He hastily retreated back to the UK to sit it out for what he, and we all, believed would be a couple of months. Eighteen months later and we’re still locked down! And it got me thinking; doesn’t the world change so bloody quickly. If I said I had ‘Zoomed’ anyone prior to COVID-19, there is a strong possibility I would be called a stud, patted on the back and congratulated for a job well done! And now Zoom has become embedded in our lives. Just this week my…

Triumph is set to put the cat amongst the pigeons in the biggest of all ADV capacity classes with its next-generation Tiger 1200. There’s plenty to suggest the booming new British cat will be a good thing. It will feature a new T-plane engine from the Speed Triple 1200 RS range that is sure to outperform the current Tiger 1200 powerplant. Triumph says the new engine brings all the low-down torque delivery of a twin, married to the top-end punch and incredible soundtrack that only the Triumph triple delivers. Also new is a tubular steel chassis that uses the engine as a stressed member, and with side-mounted radiators the bike looks much more compact than the current model. The swingarm is now a dual-sided unit and the shaft drive has been redesigned,…

Royal Enfield has hit new-model season with the throttle pinned. Its latest Himalayan touched down in showroom floors late last year and immediately started to draw the punters in. The new Himalayan, which is Euro 5 compliant, scores a Tripper navigation system that delivers turn-by-turn routing, while other updates include switchable anti-lock braking, improved seat comfort, new windscreen, fresh aesthetics, tank protection and upgraded carry rack. Three new colourways have also been added to the line-up, including mirage silver, pine green and granite black. A three-year warranty and roadside assist program is also part of the package. The new Himalayan is priced from $8,190 ride-away.…

Ducati has confirmed one of the most eagerly awaited models in the company’s history is set to hit the showroom floor in 2022 with the arrival of the DesertX. First sighted at the EICMA show in 2019 as a prototype, the DesertX has remained true to its roots. It’s designed to offer serious on-and off-road performance thanks to an all-new chassis designed around a 21-inch front wheel, and a powerplant based on the liquid-cooled 937cc Testastretta V-twin engine. If this bike is as toey as we’re led to believe, the DesertX might just pick up where the legendary KTM 950 Super Enduro and BMW HP2 left off … woo hoo!…

It’s official: Husqvarna has a real taste for adventure, with the all-new Norden 901 set to go on sale in Australia in March. Late last year the wraps came off the tasty adventure travel machine, which was first shown in prototype form at the EICMA Show in 2019. Since then the bike has been longingly teased in a campaign that saw Dakar Rally hero Cyril Despres and adventurer Mike Horn ride a pair of prototype Nordens through Iceland. Popular rally racer and adventurer Lyndon Poskitt has also been signed on as a Husqvarna Norden 901 ambassador. The production version of the Norden 901 appears to have remained true to the prototype and features an interesting mix of specifications that looks to place it between sister brand KTM’s 890 Adventure S and…