Tabla de contenidos para #423 24-04 en Just Bikes

Three years after the Street 500 was discontinued, Harley-Davidson will bring two new entry-level models to the Australian market in the form of the ‘X350’ and ‘X500’. Both models will be LAMS compliant, compact, easy to ride and affordable, with the X350 priced under $8,500. To be sold under the ‘Harley-Davidson X’ family, the two upcoming models are the product of a collaboration between Harley-Davidson and Qianjiang Motor (QJ) that began in 2019. While the X350 and X500 were designed in the USA by Harley-Davidson, they will be built in China by QJ. Part of the larger Geely automotive group that owns Volvo and Lotus, QJ also manufactures Benelli motorcycles and a range of models under their own name. Both the X350 and X500 are urban commuters, aimed primarily at…

Dominique Aegerter will remain in the FIM Superbike World Championship with Yamaha for at least one more season after signing a contract extension in August. The 33-year-old Swiss inked the new one-year deal after the Czech WorldSBK round, where he had 8th, 11th and 11th results across the three races. At time of writing, Aegerter’s best finish in his debut WorldSBK season has been fourth in Race 2 at Assen, but he has been the best-placed independent team rider on three occasions. Aegerter joined GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK this year after winning the FIM Supersport World Championship with Ten Kate Yamaha WorldSSP in 2021 and 2022. Aegerter has also been in the Grand Prix paddock, across Moto3, Moto2 and MotoE championship classes, winning the latter in 2022. “It’s been a…

New Zealand’s Courtney Duncan is once again a Women’s World Motocross Champion, after wrapping up this year’s title in the final round of the FIM WMX series that’s part of the MXGP championship. The 27-year-old from Palmerston has now won four WMX titles in the past five years. Courtney’s 2023 title was also a win for Kawasaki, who claimed their third WMX manufacturers’ world championship this year, thanks in no small measure to Courtney’s success. Courtney made her WMX debut in 2016 and won her first World Championship in 2019 after switching from Yamaha to a Kawasaki squad managed by UK-based Dixon Racing Team (DRT). She repeated that success in 2020, then again in 2021. The chance to make it four in a row ended when a broken collarbone saw…

The Monster, Ducati’s iconic naked bike, turns 30 in 2023 and Ducati are marking the thirtieth birthday with the release of a limited-edition version with a unique finish, reduced weight and several special features. Since the Monster made its debut in 1993, Ducati have sold more than 350,000 examples worldwide. The release of the Monster ‘30° Aniversario’ is described by Ducati as a tribute to the motorcycle that “revolutionised the world of two wheels”. Only 500 individually numbered units of the Monster 30° Aniversario will be released worldwide, with Australian and New Zealand allocation expected to account for only a small proportion of that total. ‘MADE IN ITALY’ LIVERY Identifying the special edition is a Tricolour 30th Anniversary livery, said to be inspired by past Monster special editions, but with…

Days after taking his first ever MotoGP race win – in the sprint at the British GP in August – Alex Marquez confirmed he’ll remain at Team Gresini Racing until the end of 2024. The 27-year-old Spaniard moved to the Ducati satellite team this year after two seasons with LCR Honda. While he excelled in Moto3 and Moto2, winning the world championship in both classes, Marquez has found MotoGP to be a much bigger challenge, with several crashes and mechanical retirements since joining the premier class in 2020. Although he achieved two podiums in his debut season (with Repsol Honda), Marquez’s best race finish in two years with LCR Honda was fourth. Since his switch to Gresini and the Ducati Desmosedici GP, Marquez has achieved a podium, a pole and…

One of the biggest bombshells to hit the FIM Superbike World Championship landed in September when Jonathan Rea announced he would be leaving the Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT) at the end of the 2023 season to join Yamaha. The most successful rider in World Superbike history, 36-year-old Rea will replace Toprak Razgatlioglu at the factory Yamaha team after the Turkish rider revealed in May he would be moving to BMW in 2024. Rea still had one year left on his current contract with Kawasaki, but an agreement was reached, allowing him to depart at the end of this season to join the Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Official Team alongside Andrea Locatelli. Although he debuted in WorldSBK in 2008, Rea’s dominance started when he moved from Ten Kate Honda to KRT…

The second season of the FIM MiniGP Australia Series went down to the fifth and final round, held at Oakleigh Go-Kart Track in late September. Harrison Watts, last year’s inaugural champion, was back, but had plenty of competition, as well as a new class to adapt to. MiniGP Australia Series organisers expanded the championship this year, adding a 190cc category to the existing 160cc category. The reason was to include those riders who have already excelled in the 160 class, but are not yet old enough to qualify for other Road to MotoGP propgrammes. The two classes for 2023 were badged as MiniGP 160 and MiniGP 190. The former uses 160cc bikes with 10-inch wheels and is limited to juniors 10-14 years old – unchanged from last year. The new…

The chance to win a 2023 Indian FTR Sport, plus a trip to the 2024 Monaco Historic Grand Prix in the latest Shannons competition, is closing soon. The FTR Sport up for grabs is a new model for 2023, replacing the FTR S and defined by features like the bellypan and headlight fairing that give it a modern, sportsbike look. Indian describe the FTR Sport as a bike designed for riders to cut loose and enjoy the pure sport of motorcycling. Powered by the same 92kW/118Nm 1203cc, liquid-cooled v-twin as the rest of the MY23 FTR range, the Sport also has the same six-speed transmission and Brembo brakes. Other features include fully adjustable Sachs suspension front and rear, 17-inch alloy wheels and Metzeler Sportec tyres. The FTR Sport’s tech package…

Following tests on the Ducati Desmosedici GP bike in June and August, World Superbike Champion Alvaro Bautista will make his return to the MotoGP paddock in November. The veteran Spaniard will ride for Ducati at their third MotoGP wildcard this season - the Malaysian GP at Sepang on 10-12 November - a fortnight after this year’s WorldSBK season ends. Bautista was last in the MotoGP paddock in 2018. He was riding a Ducati Desmosedici for the satellite Angel Nieto Team back then, and while the bike he’ll ride this November is also a Desmosedici, the latest version is a very different machine. Bautista’s GP bike will carry the same livery as the Aruba. it Racing Panigale V4 R he races in WorldSBK. This livery was also applied to Ducati’s two…

Monday, 2 October, saw the streets of Marrickville in Sydney’s inner west echo with the thunderous rumble of finely-tuned engines and the rhythmic beat of rock ‘n’ roll music as Throttle Roll stormed into town. After a series of COVID-enforced delays, the Throttle Roll Street Party was back in 2023 and lived up to its reputation as the premier showcase for classic and custom motorcycles in Australia. An incredible turnout of more than 2,500 people - motorcycle enthusiasts and curious onlookers alike – came to see a wild selection of close to 50 cafe racers, choppers, baggers, street trackers and bobbers, as well as untouched classics. THE BIKES Enthusiasts from all corners of the country (and a few from overseas) converged on Saywell Street in Marrickville, presenting their unique creations…

Why buy a winter motorcycle jacket, a summer jacket and a waterproof jacket or oversuit for the rain? With Ixon’s T-Rex, you can have it all – all in one jacket. Thanks to Ixon’s ‘3-in-1’ system, the T-Rex is wearable all year round, in all kinds of weather. Why have Ixon named a jacket after a dinosaur? Maybe it’s because the T-Rex is the king of all-rounder motorcycle jackets! The T-Rex is a very versatile jacket because it offers all-weather usability. This is thanks to the ‘3 in 1’ system that includes a pair of removable linings. These are the key features that set the T-Rex apart from many other textile motorcycle jackets. TWO LININGS – FOR WET AND COLD Inside the T-Rex’s tough 600D polyester shell, there’s a waterproof…