Table of contents for Issue 357 in Motorcycle Trader

LAPPING IT UP The bike is covered in bug splatter and blood is finally beginning to return to my numb bum after the weekend’s near-1600km ride. Cobwebs be blown. Bushfire road closures meant covering almost 800km per day on the return trip from Melbourne to Dalgety, NSW, via Tumut and the Snowy Mountains Hwy. That’s a lot of time to think – not that you can do much thinking when the mercury is well north of 40. You can also not think, let your mind wander and have a crack when the moment takes you. With just my thoughts, my bike and the road, here are some key takeaways: 1. Sip it. Sip it good Riding with a hydration backpack in such heat is a must. The trick is to…

One half of American motorcycle racing’s power couple, the partner of four-time AMA Superbike champ Josh Hayes talks about her passion for two wheels. How I started I was a teenage pillion on my boyfriend’s motorcycle in the Palomar Mountains behind San Diego, California, when another rider went past. I realised it was a woman and thought, “What the heck am I doing sitting on the back of this motorcycle?” Track days led to racing We were all riding like idiots in the canyons and someone said, “Hey, get on a racetrack.” Track ride days got me interested to go racing. A new purpose in life I was just drifting along, waiting for something to happen. I realised it was motorcycle racing [Melissa became the first female to test a…

ENGINE TYPE: Liquid-cooled, DOHC parallel twin CAPACITY: 799cc BORE & STROKE: 88 x 65.7mm FUEL SYSTEM: EFI with 46mm Dell’Orto throttle body PERFORMANCE POWER: 70kW (95hp) at 8250rpm TORQUE: 88Nm at 6500rpm TRANSMISSION TYPE: Six-speed FINAL DRIVE: Chain CLUTCH: Slipper CHASSIS & RUNNING GEAR FRAME: Chromium-moly steel trellis frame, powdercoated FRONT SUSPENSION: WP 43mm Apex fork, 200mm travel/ R: WP 48mm Xplor fully adjustable, 240mm travel REAR SUSPENSION: WP Apex shock, 200mm travel/ R: WP PDS Xplor shock, fully adjustable, 240mm travel FRONT BRAKES: 320mm discs with Brembo four-piston radial calipers, Bosch cornering ABS and disengageable off-road mode REAR BRAKE: 260mm disc with Brembo twin-piston caliper, Bosch cornering ABS and disengageable off-road mode WHEELS & TYRES WHEELS: 21-inch front, 18-inch rear TYRES: 90/90-21 (F), 150/70-18 (R), Avon Trailrider/ R:Metzeler Karoo…

Mea culpa. I’m exiting Dalgety after this year’s CHUMPS rally on the office Honda VTR1000 with its pathetic 16-litre fuel tank and heading up to the Snowy Mountains Highway which had been closed the day before due to bushfire smoke. In fact, the highway had been closed on-and-off for weeks because of the fires and was largely deserted. There were 10 of us, but we were spread out due to either ability, inclination or, in my case, the need to stop for fuel whenever it was available. I called into a garage in Adaminaby, got $8.20 worth of 91 RON and realised not long afterwards that I’d got $24 change from a $20 note. It was all cash because the EFTPOS system was down. There was a time when I…

It was never a matter of if but when Lola would get her first dirtbike. Cam and I agreed that the more time she spends fine tuning her skills on her BMX the better but, all of a sudden, she expressed a whole lotta interest. I grew up in a non-motorcycling family but spent plenty of time dreaming about having one. I bought my first road bike at the age of 19 and my first dirtbike at 23. Cam, on the other hand, was riding before starting school and, by his mid-teens, he was winning dirt-track titles. I’ve been riding for nearly 20 years now, but I wish I started earlier. A sporting background has taught me that skills mastered at a young age become second nature. You do a…

Some days I dream of being in a position to host a full-time, live-in mechanic. With well over 20 vehicles in the fleet, there’s no need for them to get bored, particularly with the Triumph Super III in the mix. Normally, this generation, aka the T300 series, of Triumph is as reliable as the proverbial hammer, but this example has really been on a mission to prove that wrong. Last issue, you may recall, I was tracking down assorted air and fuel leaks, coming to the conclusion that a new vacuum line and fuel tap were required. The weird thing is I have a Daytona 1200 of the same vintage in the shed, with more miles on it, and it’s had none of these dramas. Never mind, the fuel tap…

“I can now walk out, start it and know I have a reasonable chance of it completing an hour-long ride without having a major meltdown” One of the dubious joys of having a shed full of old bikes and cars is that you’re at no risk of getting bored. And the chances of your day progressing smoothly is in inverse proportion to the number of shitboxes you own. That’s a well-known law of physics, which I just made up. Sometimes, it’s the little things that seem to trip you up and, in my experience, cause you a spectacular level of inconvenience that’s wildly out of proportion to the value and importance of the object involved. Let me give you an example: fitting an air filter cover to Winston the sodding…

WHY THIS? The KTM seemed to be the best compromise between off-road ability, weight, touring capability and fuel capacity. Plus, my mate Marino bought one and I trust his judgement (sometimes)! All my other bikes are pure road machines, so I wanted something more dirt capable that could still do big kilometres. ALSO CONSIDERED I looked at the larger 1090 and 1290 KTMs, BMW R 1250 GS and Triumph’s Scrambler 1200 XE and Tiger XE. HOW TO YOU LIKE IT SO FAR? Loving it. It offers more than enough power (particularly in Rally mode), and the suspension soaks up everything. Overall, it’s very capable. Mucking around with ride modes, traction control and ABS settings takes a while to get used to. Off-Road mode (for throttle and ABS) is probably the…

ENGINE TYPE: Pushrod V-twin, part liquid-cooled CAPACITY: 1868cc BORE & STROKE: 102 x 114mm COMPRESSION RATIO: 10.5:1 FUEL SYSTEM: EFI PERFORMANCE POWER: Not given TORQUE: 163Nm at 3000rpm TRANSMISSION TYPE: Six-speed, constant mesh, (hydraulic slip-assist clutch) FINAL DRIVE: Belt CHASSIS & RUNNING GEAR FRAME TYPE: Twin-loop mild steel FRONT SUSPENSION: Showa 49mm ‘Dual Bending Valve’ fork, 116mm travel REAR SUSPENSION: Spring-preload adjustable Showa shocks; 55mm travel FRONT BRAKES: Twin 320mm discs with fixed Brembo four-piston calipers, ABS REAR BRAKE: 320mm disc with fixed Brembo four-piston caliper, ABS DIMENSIONS & CAPACITIES WEIGHT: 387kg (wet) SEAT HEIGHT: 695mm FUEL CAPACITY: 22.7 litres WHEELBASE: 1625mm WHEELS & TYRES WHEELS: 3.5x18-inch (f), 5.0x16-inch (r), cast alloy rims (Talon (f) Turbine (r)) TYRES: 130/60/B19 (f), 180/55 B18 (r), Dunlop H-D 61H/80H OTHER STUFF COLOURS: Vivid…

YAMAHA FZ750 1985 ENGINE TYPE: Liquid-cooled, five-valves-per-cylinder, inline four CAPACITY: 749cc BORE & STROKE: 68 x 51.6mm COMPRESSION RATIO: 11.2:1 FUEL SYSTEM:4 x 34mm Mikuni CV carbs PERFORMANCE POWER: 72kW (96hp) at 10,500rpm TORQUE: 81Nm at 8000rpm TRANSMISSION TYPE: Six-speed, constant-mesh FINAL DRIVE: Chain CHASSIS & RUNNING GEAR FRAME TYPE: Steel box-section perimeter FRONT SUSPENSION: Conventional fork 39mm, no adjustment REAR SUSPENSION: Monoshock, preload adjustment FRONT BRAKE: 270mm discs with twin-piston calipers REAR BRAKE: 270mm disc with single-piston caliper DIMENSIONS & CAPACITIES DRY WEIGHT: 209kg SEAT HEIGHT: 782mm WHEELBASE: 1710mm FUEL CAPACITY: 22L WHEELS & TYRES FRONT: 120/80-16 REAR: 130/80-18 OTHER STUFF PRICE WHEN NEW From $5900 (plus on-road costs) Fast Ultra-reliable Useful road bike Very few good ones left…

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 laws 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…

1 Derek and Don Rickman began racing motocross in the 1950s with a Triumph twin in their own frame. They christened their machine the Metisse, a Gallic expression signifying a mongrel bitch. What set the Rickman frame apart was the nickel-plating over the traditional Reynolds 531 tubing. 2 In 1962 the Rickman brothers established a frame manufacturing company in New Milton, Hampshire. The brothers continued to race motocross, Derek winning the 1966 500cc European motocross championship, and Don the British Motocross Grand Prix. 3 After developing an eight-valve cylinder head for the Triumph twin in 1968, Rickman bought 138 unsold Royal Enfield 750 Interceptors in 1970 and created the Rickman Interceptor. This was the first production motorcycle with disc brakes front and rear. 4 As the early Rickman models were…

The cost of the bike can hurt the hip pocket, so here’s a tip: Focus on the protective items and leave the nonessential Nylon jersey and pants till later. If they’re wearing armour then any pants and a long-sleeve t-shirt will be fine. Boots are on the way for Lola -there’s a big difference in feel and protection from sneakers, so the sooner she gets used to them the better. Perhaps gear could be gifts from family. Also look online (eBay & Facebook Marketplace) for second-hand bargains. Here’s a snapshot of two popular brands. Helmet: O’Neal $129.95, Fox $169.95 Goggles: Scott $29.95, Fox $49.95 Elbow guards: O’Neal $19.95, Fox: $29.95 Knee guards: O’Neal $19.95, Fox $29.95 Body armour: O’Neal $49.95, Fox $59.95 Gloves: O’Neal Element $24.95, Fox Dirtpaw $34.95 Boots:…

Though capable of very big miles with little fuss, the first-gen Hinckley Triumphs had an Achilles heel, which was failing sprag, or starter clutches. There was no clear predictor of failure, other than a clacking noise as the starter kicked back. Initially, the culprit was thought to be a Sagem Ignitor unit firing the engine a little too early when you hit the starter. Most units were replaced under warranty. Nevertheless, Triumph released a couple of revisions of the sprag assembly itself as time went on. Generally, the better the health of your battery and overall state of tune of the engine, the less likely you are to encounter problems. And here’s a tip: this generation engine is always started with zero throttle. Crack it open while using the starter…

There’s a level of indignity which even I won’t countenance. I’m second in a freight train of riders doing 200km/h-plus when hell’s favourite Lemming, Guido, flashes past into the lead. Normally, I could put up with this but today he’s riding his tour-kitted Honda ST1100 and the rest of us are on supposedly genius superbikes. He has to be taught a lesson, but Eric Bana is holding me up. I’m at nine-tenths but Eric’s riding too fast for me to pass. We’re on our way to Tintaldra for a couple of days of drinking and talking in the days when Alf Wilson was still the publican. It crosses my mind that if we run afoul of the law, Eric could be useful. “You’re Eric Bana!” might provide a distraction from…

“I’d drop the mellow, good-vibe stuff for the heavy shit to get my blood pumping and get into the zone” Apart from a handful of banjo lessons in my 20s, I haven’t had time to learn an instrument, but music has always been a big part of my life. As my racing career progressed, music also became an important part of my pre-race preparation. I learnt that I performed best in competition in the right frame of mind. Focussed, motivated and hungry to win was where I needed to be before I shut my visor and headed out on track to do battle. Motivation to race was never an issue, and before family life I thought of little else. However, being able to focus wasn’t always as straightforward with all…

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 a) ARC Vector 2 b) It’s in administration after key investors pulled out. A crowd-funding scheme generated nearly one million pounds in pledges but ARC didn’t want to take their money without the big spenders. 3 c) There were 23 in the photo on page 32, although some of those appeared to belong to Phillip Island Ride Days. 4 a) & d) Scooter riders are a tough crowd. 5 c) Thanks to the dated design, only 29hp. 6 b) Brockhouse was one of many owners of the Indian brand. 7 e) All of them. Spannerman’s pretty free and easy with advice based on his personal life. 8 d) Sad but true. 9 b) 10 a) The Model 88 clubman racer of 1955/56 had larger valves, more compression, twin carbs…

JASON WYLLIE 1989 SUZUKI GSX-R1100 Typical of a growing number of modern classic racers, Tasmanian Jason Wyllie jumps from a V4 Ducati Superbike to a decades-old Suzuki GSXR1100 with few problems. A lot of this ease comes down to having a trusted technician on hand, in this case ex-racer and tuning expert Bill Newton. After doing a lot of favours for other racers, one of them sent the GSX-R1100 to Newton with the words “you need a project”. The result is a 270km/h projectile that Wyllie describes as “comfortable and torquey to ride”. Methodical preparation has involved fitting flatslide carbs to complement “high-topped” pistons and altered cam timing. Despite having 13:1 compression, it runs on 100-octane fuel with Ignitech adjustable electronic ignition to suit various track conditions. One secret to…

Donny Owen, 40, crew chief A qualified motorcycle mechanic with a varied background in road racing, enduro and spannering, including for Cam overseas. Strong knowledge of older bikes. An accomplished road racer. Trevor Freestone, 40, dog’s body Another close mate and Cam’s concreting boss these days. Rides, never raced, but loves being a part of it. Been to the TT at least nine times. The heavy lifter when it comes to checking the little things, moral support and inappropriate humour. Denis Ackland, 60-something, mechanical doyen and project leader The man of mystery who makes things happen with knowledge, experience, contacts and enthusiasm that’s second to none. The driving force behind the project. Justin Mellerick, 36, bike owner and project financier A young guy with a young family and his own…

The KTM competes with the Honda Africa Twin, Triumph’s forthcoming Tiger 900 and, of course, the Tenere, all of which are new or heavily updated models. For off-road ability, in my opinion, only the Tenere comes close to the KTM. The others are more road-oriented bikes with off-road ability to varying degrees. The main differences between the Tenere and Kato are horsepower and tech which, of course, comes at a cost. The KTM will conquer deep sand easier than the Tenere, especially if you’re loaded, thanks to its extra horsepower. But that doesn’t mean the Tenere isn’t capable of handling it – you’ve just gotta keep it on the boil. The 790 Adventure R’s suspension off-road is obviously its big drawcard and point of difference.…

Language: English is widely but not universally spoken. Visas: India has an online application process that works but takes a little to get your head around. The smart thing to do is have everything (passport, airline ticket and accommodation details) on hand so you can complete the job in one pass. The system is a little odd, in that you must not apply more than 30 days out from your date of travel. Expect to be photographed and fingerprinted on the way through customs. Money: When we went, the exchange rate was about 50:1 for the Rupee. While you might take some cash with you, we found ATMs were generally easy to find in any reasonable-sized town. You generally get a lot more bang for your buck as most prices…

Write to MT’s Mailbox at mct@trademotorcycles.com.au or Motorcycle Trader, PO Box 2094, Oakleigh, Vic 3166 SPECIAL CONTINENTAL I really enjoyed the Future Classic article about the Royal Enfield Continental GT in MT #356. It’s probably not too much of a stretch to say I have the only 2014 Continental GT with zero kilometres in this country. How? Long story. While waiting for our Melbourne home to sell, I bought from a Melbourne RE dealer a brand new red GT and had it delivered by ute (with photo proof) unstarted, hence no road test, no kilometres. There’s never ever been fuel in the tank as Royal Enfield starts them with a remote fuel source before fitting the tank. They don’t road test them, so the battery has never been fitted either.…

This is a great book about the Rickman story: The Métisse Story - Derek & Don Rickman, by David Gittins Worthpoint.com Rickman Motorcycles still provides parts for older models: Rickman-motorcycles.com Rickman also continues today as Metisse Motorcycles, producingn complete bikes: Metisse-motorcycles.com A brief guide to models: Classic-british-motorcycles. com/rickman-motorcycles.html An account of some Rickman café racers: Returnofthecaferacers.com/ honda-cafe-racer/rickmanmotorcycles…

Project Paris Dakar is nearly finished. It’s mechanically sound; the practical additions have passed the torture test; and the bigger-ticket items, such as all-new suspension – and now a new exhaust system – have been done. From here, it’s just miles and maintenance. So, before talking pipes, here’s a quick recap of what we’ve done during our first year of ownership. The 1986-model bike was mechanically sound when I bought it as confirmed by the stockpile of receipts and clean bill of health after a major service and roadworthy inspection at BM Motorcycles in Ringwood, in Melbourne’s outer east. It underwent a ground-up restoration two owners ago (thanks Mike!) during which time the heads had been overhauled as had the gearbox, which is something of an Achilles heel on old…

WET DREAMS We know a man who once slept in a puddle for two weeks. He left the Northern Territory a little too late and got stuck in the wet season. His waterproof swag? Not waterproof. His waterproof gearsack? Not waterproof. His fingers and toes? Waterlogged. About the only things that remained dry were those he put in dry bags he’d bought from a camping store. These Dry Bags from Kriega look just like them. Except, because they are from Kriega, they are probably better quality. The reason this design works is its simplicity. There are no fancy zips or little nooks for moisture to gather or get through – there’s just a waterproof sack that rolls up and clips shut to keep water and dust out. So you’ll be…

“By declaiming it nationally as a death bike, Roothy’s made sure, even if I wanted to, that I won’t be able to sell it – except, of course, to him” John Rooth used to live in a cave. When you cave out the side of a hill so you can make a house, the front bit is usually supported by stilts and it’s enclosed so that it looks neater. This under-house area is where most people keep their lawnmower and wheelbarrow but, in the case of Mr Rooth Senior, it’s where he kept his scoundrel son, John. The space was big enough for a double bed. I know this for a fact because that’s where Roothy was when I bought his Norton from him. I banged on the remains of…