Table of contents for #427 24-08 in Just Bikes

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Harley-Davidson Australia and New Zealand’s Master Technician of the Year competition for 2023 saw top mechanics from Harley-Davidson dealerships in both countries battle for the crown, with the three finalists competing in a live skills assessment at H-D ANZ Headquarters in Sydney. MASTER TECHNICIAN OF THE YEAR 2023 Observed by H-D ANZ Technical Trainer, Elliott Andrews, the three finalists: Shane Webb from East Coast Harley-Davidson (Maunganui, NZ); Ben Adams from Road & Sport Motorcycles (Hamilton, NZ), and Paul Beebe from Northern Beaches Harley-Davidson (Brookvale, NSW), competed in a gruelling contest to be crowned Master Technician of the Year. At the conclusion of the fiercely competitive skills test, Ben Adams from Road & Sport Motorcycles emerged victorious. Harley-Davidson’s Master Technician of the Year competition recognises the stellar skills and performance of…

Anthony Gobert, one of the most talented riders Australia has ever produced, but also one of the most flawed, passed away on 17 January, aged 48. A week prior to his death, Gobert’s family revealed he had been placed in palliative care with an undisclosed illness. Nicknamed ‘The Go Show,’ Gobert’s talents on a motorcycle were evident from a young age. Starting on dirt bikes, Gobert won a national motocross title as a 15-year-old, then the 125cc Australian Supercross Championship a year later. Stepping up to the 250cc class in 1992, Gobert won the Australian Supercross Masters in his first attempt. A move to AMA or European MX/SX competition seemed the next step, but the talented teenager decided to go road racing instead. After making his debut in the Australian…

For a few years in the late 2010s, the urban motorcycle market in Australia was red hot, thanks mostly to Honda’s Grom. Fast forward to 2024 and the Grom may be gone, but the spirit of that funky commuter lives on in the form of two LAMS-compliant new models from CFMOTO – the XO Papio Racer and XO Papio Trail. Described as “compact, yet invigorating,” the two LAMS models have 12-inch wheels, a 125cc single-cylinder engine, low seat height and simple appointments, so they’re very much in the mould of the Grom, Kawasaki’s Z125 Pro, the Braaap Urban and Benelli TnT 125 (and 135) that were the main players in this segment. Where the CFMOTO pairing differ is in their retro styling. It’s worth noting that of all those other…

Ricky Brabec has won the 2024 Dakar Rally, with this year’s victory for the Monster Energy Honda Team rider making it three Honda wins in the past five years. Back in 2020, Brabec broke KTM’s long stranglehold on Dakar’s bike division to take his first Dakar win and Honda’s first since 1989. This year, the 32-year-old American only won one stage, but was never lower than third in the overall standings, despite some close competition from Ross Branch (HERO Motorsports Team Rally), who was overall leader until Stage 6. The 2024 Dakar Rally was one of the most gruelling ever, with the fifth edition to be held in Saudi Arabia starting on 5 January and finishing on 19 January. The route was 7,891km in total, including 4,727km of timed special…

Ahead of its upcoming arrival in Australia, pricing and other details for the highly anticipated Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 have been revealed. Introductory pricing of $8,990 ride away is a $600 increase on the Himalayan 410, with preorders for the new and improved LAMS adventure bike given priority when the new model arrives in March (TBC). Key changes on the Himalayan 450 over the old version include the larger ‘Sherpa’ 452cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine, with ride-by-wire throttle and a six-speed gearbox with slip/assist clutch. The original Himalayan ran an air-cooled ‘LS410’ 411cc single, conventional cable throttle control and a five-speed ‘box. With no impact on LAMS compliance, the new package delivers 29.44kW at 8000rpm and 40Nm at 5500rpom, compared to 18.1kW at 6500rpm and 32Nm at 4250rpm. A high-mount airbox…

The 2024 Penrite ProMX presented by AMX Superstores championship calendar has been confirmed, with the eight-round Australian motocross championship visiting familiar tracks, even if some haven’t hosted a round under the ProMX series. The most notable change is that the closure of the Coolum Pines MX track will see a new venue for this year’s season finale - Queensland Moto Park in Coulson. Motorcycling Australia CEO, Peter Doyle, says the 2024 ProMX calendar builds on what is already a shining example of how a professional championship should be run. “We’ve now had two complete seasons of ProMX after the Covid interruptions and during that period, the growth curve of the championship across all the key metrics continues to go through the roof,” Doyle said. “And, of course, the racing is…

Despite some inclement weather, the 2023 edition of the Geelong Revival Motoring Festival once again drew crowds of families and enthusiasts to Geelong’s waterfront over the weekend of 25-26 November. Now in its twelfth year, the Revival pays tribute to the Geelong Speed Trials, which were first held along Ritchie Boulevard on Geelong’s waterfront in 1956. The location is ideal for spectators, with a grassed bank on the south side of the boulevard providing uninterrupted viewing. For competitors, it’s a challenge, not only because the quarter-mile sprint course is on a public road, but also because it’s curved. That doesn’t stop many entrants giving it their best shot at topping the event’s timesheet each year! More than 400 cars and motorcycles entered the 2023 Geelong Revival, covering a truly diverse…

Harley-Davidson are officially back in the LAMS market, with the first examples of their X350 and X500 commuters arriving in Harley-Davidson dealerships this January. Both models are also available in New Zealand. As previously reported in JUST BIKES, the all-new models are designed in the USA and made in China. Both feature liquid-cooled parallel twin engines instead of the traditional v-twin, with the 353cc engine in the X350 producing 27kW and 31Nm, while the 500cc version in the X500 peaks at 35kW and 46Nm. A six-speed gearbox and chain final drive are common to both the X350 and X500. A steel trellis frame is the same, too, but there are some spec differences across the two models, like Pirelli tyres on the X350 and Maxxis rubber for the X500. Riding…

The full entry list for the 2024 Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup, has been revealed, with three Australian juniors on the 20-rider grid for the international contest that’s held on circuits across Asia, India and the Middle East. Eight riders returning from the 2023 Asia Talent Cup include Australia’s Levi Russo, who finished 15th overall last year. The 15-year-old’s best race results were a pair of sixth place finishes at Round 5 in Sepang. Fellow Aussie, Marianos Nikolis, finished 10th last year, with a best race finish of fourth at Lusail, but will not return to the Asia Talent Cup in 2024. The Aussie newcomers graduated through a selection process at Sepang in November that saw 89 starters whittled down to just 12. Of the 15 Aussies who entered selection, only…

Following Ducati’s announcement in October that they’d be entering the off-road motorcycle market, starting with a 450cc motocross model developed in-house, the manufacturer from Borgo Panigale has announced the formation of a new division of their racing department - Ducati Corse Off-Road. Separate from the existing Ducati Corse programme that oversees the brand’s factory campaigns in road racing, Ducati Corse Off-Road will deal with the organisation and management of Ducati’s factory presence in motocross competition. This will include participation in the MXGP World Championship and the AMA Supercross Championship – possibly as soon as this year. After establishing a presence in motocross, Ducati are also expected to enter enduro, rally raid and other off-road racing classes with motorcycles specific to those disciplines. Paolo Ciabatti, Sporting Director of Ducati Corse from…

The 2023 MotoGP season was one of the hardest fought and most action-packed ever. The introduction of the Saturday sprint races added a new dimension to the championship, bringing new opportunities to score points – as well as lose them. Ultimately, Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia backed up his first premier class title in 2022 to take the 2023 MotoGP World Championship. Bagnaia’s first world championship in the premier class was remarkable for the fact he overcame a 91-point deficit midway through the season to deny Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Fabio Quartararo the chance of back-to-back titles. In 2023, it was Bagnaia’s turn to be the hunted. While all riders in the 2023 MotoGP World Championship started equally, some were more equal than others, with the title contenders…