Table of contents for Issue 356 in Motorcycle Trader

WHAT A CHAMPION You probably don’t need your favourite motorcycle magazine pointing out the widespread – and ongoing – devastation from this season’s bushfires. It’s truly awful. Some of you may have been directly affected or know people who have been. On behalf of everybody here at MT, our thoughts are with you. We’re working on doing more, too. As motorcyclists and a brother/ sisterhood of riders, there are a few things we can all do that others perhaps can’t. Many local clubs, dealers, businesses and Facebook groups are organising group rides to raise funds for various fire-relief charities and organisations in need of support and donations. Many of the rides are even heading straight to bushfire-affected areas to help rebuild and tip some much-needed money back into the local…

CAM Our shared daily ride was a Street Triple 675 R for years. Suspension was firm for Kaz’s light weight but, apart from that, it was brilliant. Looking forward to trying this... CHARRIS It strikes a fine balance between power and agility. Yep, I’d buy a Street Triple in a heart beat. GUIDO Mid-sized weapon with all the right gear? Yes please, but can I get a second licence with that? GROFF The RS is like an ‘all you can eat’ buffet – you know the R version will be filling enough but you can’t stop yourself going back for more.…

To the scooter naysayers, I challenge you to a duel: Ride to a bottle-o through heavy metro traffic and load up as much as your wide-panniered motorcycle can carry. Not only will I be able to carry more plonk, gin and tins than you, by the time you’ll have returned, I’ll also be on my second drink. Cheers. Friendly competition aside, if traffic congestion is part of your daily life and you’ve never ridden a scooter, give one a go. Take it for a quick run up to your bottle-o or Aldi and take note of how much stuff the little thing carries with ease. Also note how soon you’ll be back. “Jeez, that was quick. And you came back with all that?!” This could be a light-bulb moment for…

SPANNER: You must’ve hated Cam’s launch report on the new Yamaha Tenere 700 in the last issue. The bike’s got nothing: no ride modes, no electronic suspension, no traction control, no variable ABS. Who’s going to buy a bike like that? ROOTHY: Yeah, right. Me. I love it, although right now that dance card is taken by the Himalayan. It might not have the puff, but it’s a heap of fun. I love simple. The old XTs and TTRs we used for the outback tours 20 years ago were tough, simple and easy to sort. You could bung some mechanically inept kamikaze pilot on one and after 10 days and a few thousand kays of neck-ringing it’d only need oil and filters to do it all again. This new Tenere…

“Can you come to dinner next Saturday night? My parents would like to meet you.” No they wouldn’t. What they want is to conduct a hideous social experiment involving food with aim of proving beyond doubt that someone who rides a bike isn’t a suitable companion for their daughter. Been there already. “Don’t they live in Hamilton? It’s 300 kilometres away.” “Yes, but I thought I’d book you into a hotel and, you know, after dinner, I could visit your room…” Suddenly Hamilton seemed a lot closer. It started raining, of course, around Bacchus Marsh, and I was faced with the one thing I actually don’t like about riding. It’s not rain – that’s just water – it’s putting wet weather gear on and taking it off afterwards. I’m at…

I enjoy some rare time with my thoughts, while looking for speed cameras “Ijust got myself a helmet comms system. It works a treat,” a good mate recently said. “I can make and answer calls without pulling over, listen to music on dull straights or have rider-to-rider intercom. You should look into them. It’d be handy if we all had comms for our next group ride…” Hmm. “Yeah, I can see how that could be handy, mate, but I like the fact I’m completely offline when I’m on the bike.” My mate was clearly excited about his new gizmo, and I almost felt bad pissing on his parade, but helmet comms are not for me. I understand how improvements in the technology have been brilliant for those who want to…

KTM and Husqvarna were the only brands in 2019 with good news when it came to road bike sales, a segment of which shrunk by almost 12 per cent (31,981 units versus 36,308 in 2018). The Austrian brand sold 467 units of its mid-size 790 Adventure R – which arrived in June – ahead its strong-selling 390 Duke and RC390 learner bikes for an 18 per cent growth in road bike sales. The top-seller in the adventure-touring category was the Suzuki DR650SE (497 units, -13.4%), ahead of BMW’s popular R 1250 GS (387 units). Husqvarna, meanwhile, stimulated sales of its growing road bike range by slashing a whopping $8200, or 63 per cent, from its sharply styled Vitpilen 701, which now retails for $8795 (plus on-road costs). New motorcycle sales…

ENGINE TYPE: Liquid-cooled, DOHC, 16-valve, inline three-cylinder CAPACITY: 765cc BORE & STROKE: 77.9 x 53.4mm COMPRESSION RATIO: 12.54:1 FUEL SYSTEM: EFI PERFORMANCE POWER: 90kW (121hp) at 11,750rpm TORQUE: 79Nm at 9350rpm TRANSMISSION TYPE: Six-speed CLUTCH: Wet, multi-plate, slip-assisted FINAL DRIVE: Chain CHASSIS & RUNNING GEAR FRAME: Twin-spar aluminium with two-piece diecast subframe FRONT SUSPENSION: USD Showa 41mm big-piston fork, fully adjustable, 110mm travel REAR SUSPENSION: Ohlins STX40 monoshock, fully adjustable, 124mm travel FRONT BRAKES: 310mm discs with four-piston Brembo M50 calipers REAR BRAKE: 220mm disc with single-piston Brembo caliper, switchable ABS WHEELS & TYRES WHEELS: 3.5 x 17-inch (f), 5.5 x 17-inch (r), multi-spoke alloys TYRES: 120/70 ZR17 (f), 180/55 ZR17 (r), Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP V3 DIMENSIONS & CAPACITIES WEIGHT: 166kg (dry) SEAT HEIGHT: 840mm WHEELBASE: 1405mm FUEL CAPACITY:…

BMW brought several new S 1000 RRs to the event, including an M version, but then told us we weren’t allowed to actually ride them. What gives? Turns out the bike had been recalled back in October due to potential faults with the oil-cooler hoses, and there simply hadn’t been time to fix the issue before the event due to parts availability. The possibility existed for the rubber inlet and outlet oil-cooler hoses to crack, potentially leaking oil onto the rear tyre, which would be suboptimal at Phillip Island, I guess. If you own one of the 100 Australian bikes affected, contact your BMW Motorrad dealer, or call the BMW Group Australia Customer Interaction Centre on 1800 813 299.…

ENGINE TYPE: Air-cooled, twin-valve SOHC single-cylinder CAPACITY: 169cc BORE & STROKE: 61 x 57.8mm FUEL SYSTEM: EFI PERFORMANCE POWER: 11.8hp (8.3kW) at 8000rpm TORQUE: 12.2Nm at 6000rpm TRANSMISSION TYPE: Continuously variable transmission FINAL DRIVE: Belt CHASSIS & RUNNING GEAR FRONT SUSPENSION: Telescopic forks REAR SUSPENSION: Monoshock FRONT BRAKE: 260mm disc with ABS REAR BRAKE: 240mm disc WHEELS: 16-inch DIMENSIONS & CAPACITIES SEAT HEIGHT: 790mm WET WEIGHT: 130kg FUEL CAPACITY: 7.5 litres OTHER STUFF PRICE: $5490 rideaway COLOURS: Grey (RS only), white, black, blue WARRANTY: 24 months/ unlimited kilometres, roadside assist PeugeotMotorcycles.com.au Good performance Good fit and finish Can’t fit a phone in glovebox Can’t close glovebox when running a cable out of it…

OLDER ADV BIKES Charris’ edline in the last edition about taking part in some kind of ride or rally for early model Dakar-inspired adventure bikes got me thinking – I’d be keen too. My mate runs the Scout camp at Zumstiens, in Victoria’s Grampians National Park. We’ve discussed this before, and we all liked the idea. It comes with fantastic facilities, flush toilets, showers and a great kitchen. There are two dorm-style quarters that sleep up to 30 people each, plus camping. June would be a good month, but we’d would have to check bookings. We could organise some great rides to suit these machines around the Grampians. Google: Cooinda Burrong Scout Camp. Mick Payne Natimuk, Victoria Michael.Payne@wurth.com.au In a life BC (Before Children), the missus and I finished a…

I read the comments in MT recently about cleaning plastics and here’s what you should do. Go to one of your commercial cleaning supplies joints (you know, the ones that supply office cleaning stuff) and ask for a product called Tech 001 by Peerless Jal. It used to be called Ali Brite and was used for cleaning aluminium boats and the like. It works a treat. Make sure you do it on the lawn. Simply brush on and hose off –no scrubbing brushes or scourers needed but you may need to do it twice. It’s concentrated but not as much as it used to be. The instructions may suggest you water it down, but I used it neat. It’s an acid so wear gloves. I had a professional cleaning business…

1 The first Nomad to arrive in the US finished eighth out of 822 starters in California’s arduous Big Bear Run. This proved that, while it was competitive in off-road racing, the Triumph TR6 outclassed it. 2 Norton’s next scrambler was the 1963 hybrid Atlas scrambler, again initially only for export. This comprised a Matchless or AJS CSR frame with the 750cc Atlas engine. 3 In 1967 another hybrid Atlas appeared, the P11. This featured an Atlas engine in a Matchless 500 single scrambler frame. 4 As the hybrid engine/ frame marriage was difficult, Norton never felt comfortable about producing the P11. But as they were light and fast they proved extremely popular in the US. In desert racing, Mike Patrick took the ‘No 1’ plate in 1967 and 1968.…

Don’t know about you, but there’s some weird reltuctance to sort things out after a big trip on a motorcycle. Maybe finally unpacking the luggage and sorting out the bike is an admission that the warm inner glow of the journey is finally over. That was pretty much the case with the recently acquired 1989 BMW R100GS Paris-Dakar – it took a couple of weeks to get serious about sorting it. As you may have spotted two issues ago, I bought the thing sight-unseen out of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, flew in and rode it home to Melbourne. And yes, there were one of two little wrinkles along the way. By far the most serious was the thing had a top speed of 110km/h and was drinking petrol…

Tom must’ve looked up at me in that way small boys use to twist their father’s heart strings Hey Dad, remember Ruby Three? Wonder if she’s still going? We left her out at Darcy’s farm, didn’t we?” We were in that incredibly happy Sunday night zone. A family sitting around the table yarning after dinner for no reason other than we enjoy each other’s company. These days, my kids are grown up and some conversations get complicated, but Tommo threw it back a few gears. Joe was a baby then so it must have been about 17 years ago. I had a studio in a row of industrial units behind the railway line in Wynnum back then in the glory days of magazines when everyone wanted copy and photos. Having…

Back in issue 354, MT’s staff and contributors told you about our first bikes and first girlfriends/ boyfriends. Some writers were more forthcoming than others but then we turned it over to you and asked for your experiences. Here’s a collection of the more mind-boggling contributions. Yes, some of the pictures aren’t of normal magazine quality, but some were taken a long, long time ago when you took a roll of film to the local chemist and waited 10 days to get the blurry images back. If you squint you might make out some of the bikes, riders and girlfriends. DANIEL JOHNSON My motorcycling commenced in 1975 when my dad purchased a Yamaha 90 from Barry Smith in Mt Waverley, in Melbourne, for his new agency business. If one of…

Eating on the road is full of drama.MT reader and no-nonsense foodie Geoff Ross serves up some solutions We’ve very much become a café culture in Australia in recent years. Back in the day, when you stopped for mid-ride victuals, you had a choice of café or pub. No matter which you picked the menu was always roughly the same. You had a choice of a pie (plain, steak and kidney or cottage), a sausage roll, a burger (ham, steak, or works) and chips. A salad sandwich was usually also available if you were on a health kick. Drinks-wise it was tea, plain coffee, soft drink or, if you were in a pub, whichever poison took your fancy. If you wanted water, you were often directed to the tap out…

ENGINE TYPE: Air-cooled two valves per cylinder single CAPACITY: 535cc BORE & STROKE: 87 x 90mm COMPRESSION RATIO: 8.5:1 FUEL SYSTEM: EFI PERFORMANCE POWER: 22kW at 5100rpm TORQUE: 44Nm at 4000rpm TRANSMISSION TYPE: Five-speed, constant-mesh FINAL DRIVE: Chain CHASSIS & RUNNING GEAR FRAME TYPE: Steel twin-loop FRONT SUSPENSION: 41mm telescopic fork, no adjustment REAR SUSPENSION: Twin Paoli shocks, preload adjustment FRONT BRAKE: 300mm disc with two-piston Brembo caliper (Note: some later versions had ABS) REAR BRAKE: 240mm disc, single piston Brembo caliper DIMENSIONS & CAPACITIES WET WEIGHT: 185kg without fuel SEAT HEIGHT: 800mm WHEELBASE: 1370mm FUEL CAPACITY: 13.5L TYRES FRONT: 90/90-19 REAR: 120/80-18 OTHER STUFF PRICE WHEN NEW $9900 rideaway Stylish Great handling Low-stress Light-on for power Vibration…

DUCATI HYPERMOTARD 950/950SP PROBLEM: Due to improper assembly, the negative terminal to the battery may break, causing the engine to stop unexpectedly. ACTION: Seventy-four bikes are affected, and owners will be notified to contact their nearest Ducati dealer. SPANNER SAYS: You’ve got the knee down and the engine suddenly stops. Thank the lord of physics that you can pick the bike up but it won’t stop following traffic from running into you. The engine shouldn’t stop because someone at the factory didn’t do their job. TRIUMPH STREET TRIPLE 2018-2020 PROBLEM: There isn’t enough space between the quickshifter assembly and the gearchange clamp linkage assembly which might result in missed gears or false neutrals and the loss of acceleration. ACTION: Triumph will fit a new clamp linkage free of charge to…

This story hasn’t unfolded the way I wanted it to. When Royal Enfield released the Himalayan, I desired one. Sure, its specifications were modest with an 18.2kW (24.5hp) engine output and 32Nm of torque, but it was RE’s first move into modern engine design and I knew from talking with its CEO and one of its chief test riders that this would be the beginning of a glorious re-emergence of a classic brand. With an electric start and a comfortable riding position, it would make an excellent city bike that could double as a holiday ride as long as you weren’t going to spend most of your time on freeways. We might as well get this out of the way first: it’s capable of around 130km/h but it’s cruel to…

There’s no doubt Bullets have enormous cultural traction Do you ever get the feeling that some motorcycles are destined to haunt your life? I’m kind of getting that with Royal Enfield Bullets at the moment. Well, when I say moment, I mean for more than three decades. The story behind them is pretty famous. Production started in India decades ago and eventually the sub-continent took over completely, while the original firm kinda fell over, like much of the British industry at the time. Then the Indians started selling them to the British. While the company has gone on to bigger and better things, the Bullet has been a mainstay for the firm with annual sales numbering in the hundreds of thousands in the domestic market. There’s no doubt the things…

NEW SOUTH WALES Ballina Motorcycles, Ballina Yamaha, BMW, general service/repairs www.BallinaMotorcycles.com.au(02) 6681 3000 Cash and Co, St Marys Repair centre and wrecking Ph (02) 9623 3699 CC Bikeworks, Long Jetty Repair centre and tyres (02) 4333 9884 Mick Cole Motorcycles, Bega North Honda, Yamaha www.MickColeMotorcycles.com.au(02) 6492 3122 Rising Sun Workshop, Newtown Communal motorcycle workshop and Japanese-inspired restaurant www.RisingSunWorkshop.com(02) 9550 3891 Ron Young Engineering, Vacy Classic Ducati specialists (02) 4938 8097 Surfside Motorcycle Garage, Brookvale Royal Enfield dealer and general services www.Surfside.net.au(02) 9905 4755 Sydney Motorcycle Wreckers and Workshop, Hornsby Servicing and repairs (older models included) www.SydneyMotorcycleWreckers.com.au (02) 9565 5788 Taree Motorcycles, Taree Honda/agricultural www.TareeMotorcycles.com.au(02) 6552 4299 Vince Strang Motorcycles, Inverell Suzuki (DR & DR-Z specialist), Honda, Can-Am www.VinceStrangMotorcycles.com.au (02) 6721 0610 VICTORIA All-American Motorcycles, Ringwood Parts and service of H-D,…

1 c) It was just one a day in the highly automated factory. 2 d) It’s in the grounds of Donington Park, home of the motor racing circuit. 3 a) & b) 4 d) Brute horsepower wins. 5 a) The test bike had weld peppering around the headstem. 6 b) The gear position indicator switch could oxidise, causing this fault. 7 c) The WR450F pegs are a straight swap. 8 All of them … but Cam was scratching for things to complain about. 9 a) The twin is lighter, but carries 7L less fuel (about 5.2kg), which might explain why the older bike feels top heavy. 10 b) He wants to indulge his love of Triumph triples. 11 d) The Netherland’s distributor recognised the advertising value of her 36,000km journey.…