Table of contents for Issue 323 in Motorcycle Trader

Ever thought about customising a Ducati XDiavel? No, neither have we. But the results can be spectacular if you’re someone like Belgian customiser Fred Krugger. His futuristic take on the powercruiser, named Thiverval, was commissioned by Ducati and unveiled at the recent Bikers’ Classics event at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. We wouldn’t recommend trying this sort of project at home, but if you want to have a crack, here’s what he did: the trellis frame has been hidden to simplify the bike’s lines; the original headlight has been kept; the tank and tail have been rebuilt, using gloss, matte and chrome finishes; and the elongated tail incorporates the exhaust and a seat with built-in tail-light.…

In traditional mounted archery, the Japanese have a thing called ‘Jinba Ittai’ to describe when horse and rider are in perfect harmony. With a deep connection and trust, they communicate through tactile response, and the horse adjusts its gait to allow the archer to release his arrow. There’s something special and intrinsic about that relationship between man and mare – and motorcycles, great ones, cohesive ones, are the mechanical equivalent. They speak to us and we connect with them. If I were an archer, Triumph’s Street Triple 765 would be my horse. Even within the first hour of riding, the all-new middleweight naked bike feels like a natural extension of my arm. It’s as if I’ve been riding it for ages, and a deep connection and trust has been forged.…

I was pleased to learn how wrong I was about this year’s KTM 390 Duke. I had thought it might be underwhelming after a day of riding its big-bore brother, the KTM 1290 Super Duke R. How much fun could a single-cylinder LAMS bike be, right? Turns out – a lot. After about 10 minutes of riding, I was thinking I’d like to buy this for my girlfriend (so I can ride it). After 20 minutes, I was thinking I’d like to buy it for me (and never let my girlfriend touch it). After half an hour riding through the twisties, I was wondering which bike I would prefer – the 390 Duke, from $6995 (plus on-road costs), or the king of grunt, the 1290 Super Duke R, from $24,995.…

For as long as I can remember, there were three iconic races that I dreamt of racing – the Isle of Man TT, the Suzuka Eight-Hours in Japan and Daytona. I’m fortunate enough to have ticked two of these off my list, but I still haven’t raced Daytona. Maybe that could change. Because, after recently testing a bike that’s won there, I was reminded not to give up the dream. No other circuit in the world compares to the Daytona International Speedway. Its famous 31-degree banking allows the kind of racing and speed that’s only possible on big-bore beasts – and its popularity in the US is nothing short of phenomenal. But it’s also a long way from Australia, so arranging a start there means a lot of logistics, time…

A lack of grunt and an underdone chassis. If those two preconceptions were holding you back from Motor Guzzi’s best-selling V7 II range, its third coming should be a welcome surprise. This year’s V7 III lineup – which includes the Special, Racer, Stone and a new limited-run Anniversario model – has a reworked 744cc longitudinal V-twin for more power, a stiffer frame for better handling, and stronger brakes. Prices, however, have hardly changed, with the regular line-up priced between $12,990 and $16,490 (plus on-road costs), while the shiny new Anniversario is available from $16,990. So how much more grunt do we get? The bike’s now produce 60Nm at 4900rpm and 38kW (52hp) at 6200rpm, up about 10 per cent on the outgoing range. That’s thanks to new cylinders, heads and…

“It’s a privilege to be near it at a track, soiled pants or not” Has anyone ever told you something won’t be as scary as you think, then you get there and it seems much worse? That’s what happened to me at the national launch of this year’s KTM 1290 Super Duke R at Sydney Motorsport Park. When I was first asked to ride the ‘Beast 2.0’, I was told not to be intimidated by the 1301cc V-twin or its class-leading power. I was told not to worry that it pumps out 10-20 per cent more torque than its nearest rivals. And I was told to have fun. “You’ve ridden plenty of big-bore naked bikes,” editor Charris said. “You’re a good rider. Try to think of it as reward for…

We should be happy with this year’s KTM RC 390. But then we see the 390 Duke and suddenly we’re imagining all kinds of ways to be dissatisfied. Because, from $6495 (plus on-road costs), or $500 more, the Duke gets everything from a TFT dash and KTM’s My Ride to a bigger fuel tank, smoother engine, uprated suspension, niftier gearbox and bolt-on trellis subframe. What fruit does the RC 390 get? None of that. Why not? “The RC hasn’t taken off as much as we imagined it would off the back of the Moto3 success,” KTM technical and race team manager Rob Twyerould explained. “The Duke, on the other hand, has been a real stable sales bike for us, so it got all the upgrades.” But don’t worry. If you…

It takes time for Andrew Stroud to sell a T-shirt and sign a program for his fans at the Phillip Island Classic. Most of them want to stop and talk to ‘Stroudy’ about his 25-year involvement with the futuristic backyard world-beating Britten V-twin. The rest want to find out about his years in Grand Prix 500cc racing, that Superbike crash at Eastern Creek featured on late-night GP television all through the 1990s, how he won nine New Zealand championships, came second to Mick Doohan at Bathurst in 1988… Stroud patiently gives each fan the same amount of time, even if it’s eating into the preparation he should be making for another run aboard the actual Britten V1000 on which he won the World BEARS Championship in 1995. Then again, Stroudy…

“The Street Triple 675 is a hell of a thing on the street” Every now and then, you might hear the phrase ‘less is more’. For the cynical, it sounds like an excuse to fob off a cheap version of the real deal. Conversely, sometimes it’s actually right, and Triumph’s first Street Triple is a good example. When this model was launched in 2007, the British company was unquestionably established as a force in the market. But just 20 years earlier it was little more than a glint in the eye of John Bloor, the English real estate developer and investor who risked huge resources to revive the brand. Until then, as far as the market was concerned, Triumph didn’t exist. With a start-up fund estimated at 80 million quid…

RAINING CHAMPION Rain gear is much like insurance, or any other form of protection – you don’t really think about it much, until you need it. There’s nothing more uncomfortable than being caught out while enjoying a nice day of touring. That distant cloud gradually gets closer and darker, the temperature drops, the first few drops hit the visor, and you’re suddenly thinking, “Why does it always rain on me?” Now you’re thinking about wet weather gear. There are plenty of rainwear brands on the market and now you can get one of the best right here in Oz. Nelson-Rigg has long enjoyed a stellar reputation in the States, where it claims to be the number-one rainwear manufacturer and backs it up with a two-year warranty. Its gear is properly…

Ducati has sweetened its most dirt-focussed big-bore bike, with a mix of extras aimed at the serious explorer. The Multistrada 1200 Enduro Pro will be available in Australia in September from $31,990 (plus on-road costs) – about $3000 dearer than the standard Enduro. For the extra cash, you get knobbier Pirelli Scorpion Rally tyres (instead of the standard Enduro’s road-focussed Pirelli Scorpion Trail IIs), Touratech crash bars with LED lights, a lower screen for on-the-’pegs riding, and a Termignoni exhaust. You also get fresh styling, with a sand-coloured front and tank cover, ‘Enduro’ logo stickers, a two-tone seat and a black subframe and clutch/alternator covers. The changes to the tyres alone should make a big difference to the bike’s off-road prowess. What hasn’t changed is the inclusion of Bosch-Brembo ABS,…

The world’s largest electric motorcycle manufacturer, Zero Motorcycles, has cut off supply to the Australian market. Importers have confirmed the California-based firm’s shock withdrawal, citing a lack of interest in electric bikes and unfavourable exchange rates and taxes. The withdrawal is significant for Australia, given the image problem electric bikes have here and the effect it could have on other manufacturers’ hopes to launch battery-powered models. Harley-Davidson’s Livewire electric motorcycle is expected to go into production in coming years and has been featured prominently at motorcycle shows, including Melbourne’s Moto Expo. Honda, Yamaha, BMW and KTM also have electric bikes they could sell in Australia. And even the usually conservative Suzuki recently began work on a battery-powered superbike. But none has invested as heavily in the Australian market as Zero,…

“If I’m not in constant pain, I fall asleep” Do not go gently into that good night. Those words were written by Dylan Thomas in 1947. But if he were around today and rode motorbikes, he might say it to anyone who still thinks sportstourer means settling for soft. Priced from $26,995 (plus on-road costs), the KTM 1290 Super Duke GT is not soft, nor gentle, and is not for the dying or nearly dead. It’s based on the outgoing 1290 Super Duke R, which means it’s one of the punchiest punchers out there, yet with standard gear such as heated grips, a 23-litre tank, adjustable windshield and semi-active suspension (with Comfort, Sport and Street modes). I’m not usually into such things. If I’m not in constant pain, I fall…

The Horner brothers don’t muck about. Just five years after winning Daytona on debut in 2008 with a modern superbike version of their classic V-twin Irving Vincent, the Melbourne pair was ready for another challenge. All they knew was that the machine involved had to be a Vincent, having spent more than a decade reviving the famous old marque. With wins at the Phillip Island Classic and the Daytona Battle of the Twins already under their belts, Ken and Barry began wondering what other iconic races would accommodate some sort of Vincent. While on a trip to the UK in 2013, Ken had the chance to visit the famous Goodwood Revival, one of the most prestigious events on the global classic calendar. The race meeting is held on the Goodwood…

PLANE GUY I note that a few issues ago Guy talked about being a pilot (MT #317). Also, earlier on he talked about ‘Nina’, his 916 Ducati (MT #316). Then recently he wrote a story on his Italjet purchase (MT #321). Got to give him some points for taste! So I thought you may like to have a look at my toys. My 916 is the ‘last of the 916s’, an August ’98 model that I bought new. I managed to put 50,000-odd kays on it in the first five years of ownership but haven’t done much on it since for various reasons. It has VeeTwo Vernier cam pulleys that are a bit of a pain when it comes to belt replacement, so I can’t do it myself, and also…

We tend to associate Moto Guzzi with its transverse V-twins, but that perception isn’t universal. In Europe the Italian marque is more affiliated with the Falcone, a single-cylinder model built between 1950 and 1969. Only a few hundred were produced each year, mostly for police work, yet the long production run of the Falcone helped it sink into the consciousness of riders to the extent that it’s now an internationally recognised symbol of the 96-year-old company. The Falcone was powered by a 500cc OHV engine, which debuted in the sprung-frame GTV and GTW models of the late 1930s and ’40s. This engine also powered the Astore, or Goshawk, released in 1949. Although ostensibly unchanged from the final GTV, the Astore’s engine now had an aluminium barrel and cylinder head, along…

1928 EXCELSIOR BIG BERTHA HILLCLIMBER SOLD: $US117,500 ($A155,300) The American sport of board racing was winding down by the end of the 1920s. The oil-soaked timber was both high-maintenance and dangerous. On several occasions bikes and riders had hurtled off the track into spectators, resulting in death and injuries. Hillclimbing was the next craze to attract riders and motorcycle manufacturers. Competitors set off one at a time up a steep slope – the closer to perpendicular the better – with the quickest time winning. The new sport drew crowds eager to see each rider rev the engine, dump the clutch, attack the precipice and leap into space at the pinnacle. One such competitor was Joe Petrali, who was employed by Excelsior as a works rider in 1925. He was also…