Table of contents for Issue 333 in Motorcycle Trader

Chinese brand CFMoto has bought the rights to KTM’s LC8 990 engine and will be producing its own range of 990/1090cc V-twins from 2020 based on this unit, which was recently retired by Austria. CFMoto is building a new manufacturing plant in Hangzhou, which will not only produce the old LC8 engine but also KTM’s new range of 799cc parallel-twin machines. The joint venture agreement between KTM and CFMoto, in which CF will hold 51 per cent, could see CFMoto producing its own adventure models based on the 799cc twin. The relationship between CFMoto and KTM dates back to 2014 when CFMoto started assembling Indian-made 200 and 390 Dukes to be sold in China.…

The Virgin plane to Sydney wasn’t the only thing flying. Butterflies were in my stomach. The thought of riding around a racetrack after so long had me swinging from worried to ‘can’t wait’. I might also have been feeling trepidation regarding the new Triumphs themselves. Last release His Harrisness sent me on, my first in 15 years, was to ride some fast BMWs in Tassie. That was like sucking down a tripleristretto after a couple of decades of chamomile with a hint of lemon. Learning to trust the electronics, finding out exactly how fast the S 1000 RR can go, the whole trip was like a time warp for a bloke who spends most of his motorcycle time playing in the past. PAINT IT BLACK It was love at first…

Benelli is back. That might sound like a big call but, astride the Italian brand’s stylish new baby, it certainly doesn’t seem like it. The Leoncino, or ‘lion cub’, is a far cry from Benelli’s legendary road and race bikes of yore, but it unquestionably represents a long-awaited turning point in the company’s recent history. How? The Leoncino (as in leon-cheeno, mate) is one sharply styled learner bike with an equally sharp price tag, and it has the likes of Ducati’s Scrambler Sixty2, Suzuki’s SV650X, Yamaha’s XSR700 and other ‘heritage sport’, or neo-retro, bikes sharply in its sights. We’re talking $7990 (plus on-road costs), which is a fair bit pointier than the most affordable of those rivals (it is on par with the SWM Gran Milano, however). The Leoncino is…

“I still have the thick catalogues. Everything from carburettors made in Adelaide to gears made in Sydney” David Beanham is sitting inside the foyer of Modak Motorcycles, contemplating the future, and the end of an era. Established in Elizabeth Street in the Melbourne CBD in 1930, the business is closing the physical store and going online. Probably not surprising, but it does mark the extinction of the old-style 20th century CBD bike shop – certainly in Australia, perhaps across the old British Empire. We are after all talking of a shop that in the last several decades has done most of its business selling spares for older British motorcycles. David says he’s had visitors from the UK drop in over recent years, commenting that stores like his no longer exist…

“It’s worth less than half what it cost, which makes it a bugger to sell” It’s probably worth walking back a little in time to explain this. In 2003, when this bike was built, the Gilroy Indian factory was in strife. Its new Powerplus engine – an in-house 1640cc V-twin modelled loosely on Harley-Davidson’s twins – was in trouble. Before that, the factory had been using S&S Harley clones, which were fine. However, for the Powerplus, the choice of crankshaft supplier was a bad one: crank pinion shafts broke and cases were damaged without fail by 5000km. Maybe 8000km if you were really lucky. No exceptions. That was enough to send the tiny factory bust. It couldn’t handle the warranty claims. So, as an owner, you either fixed the bike…

Harley-Davidson has been spared China’s first wave of tariffs on American goods imposed in retaliation for recent US hikes in taxes on imported steel and aluminium. Beijing’s initial hitlist of 106 brands focusses mainly on agricultural products but H-D could be affected if the trade war escalates. Harley is currently being hit on a variety of fronts. While it’s unclear how much imported steel and aluminium H-D uses, it’s estimated the 25 per cent tariff on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium will add $30 million to H-D’s costs, which are likely to be passed on to buyers. The US tariff hikes have also upset Europe, with the president of the European Union’s governing body, Jean-Claude Juncker, naming H-D as a brand the EU will target in retaliation. H-D…

Michael Dunlop has signed with Tyco BMW and, if his past form on the BMW S 1000 RR is anything to go by, he should be competitive in next month’s Isle of Man Senior TT. Dunlop will ride the bike in the North West 200 as well as the Ulster GP before tackling the Mountain Course. Dunlop will also team with Stefano Bonetti in the Lightweight TT on factory S1-R Patons. The Lightweight class has always been dominated by Kawasaki’s ER-6, but Bonetti managed a fifth place in 2016 and the much lighter Paton will be very competitive in Dunlop’s experienced hands despite using the same vertical-twin engine. The IoM TT kicks off with practice from May 26 with the first race, the Superbike TT, scheduled for June 2.…

“I’m not as fast as I should be but I have enough confidence to make it up under brakes” Propped up on the pit wall, World Superbike legend Troy Corser stares down the crazy, blind, full-throttle first turn of Sydney Motorsport Park. He’s come to this year’s International Festival Speed to celebrate 30 years of World Superbikes, along with the likes of Troy Bayliss, Jeremy McWilliams, Steve Parrish, Frankie Chili, Chris Vermeulen and Kevin Magee. But still buzzing from his heroic efforts at January’s Phillip Island Classic International Challenge, he can’t resist the chance to race. The circuit holds a special place for the two-times world champion. It was here – on the twisting, winding, slightly confused world-class circuit formerly known as Eastern Creek – that he tested a BMW…

ROOTHY: Coming home from CHUMPS, I did the Sydney to Brisbane stretch in about 13 hours straight on Ruby. It felt good until I remembered, as a teenager visiting my girlfriend, I used to do it in under 12 hours on a Honda Four. I probably had more reason to get there in a hurry, with a stiffy most of the way, but that was 1974. No freeways, that old lumpy road to Newcastle, all that twisty stuff through Mooball and then two lanes through the Gold Coast swamps to Brissie. I was rare that you’d find coppers outside of town – no radar and bugger-all traffic, I guess – but, wow, so much for freeways making things better. If I remember right, last time you did the Brisbane-to-Melbourne ride…

It’s fair to say things were different back in 1990, certainly in the motorcycle world. Where cruisers and adventure tourers now tend to dominate the thinking of the market, back then it was sportstourers and sportsbikes. They were the king-makers for your brand. In Kawasaki’s case, the “leader” bikes started back in 1984 with the GPz900R, its first liquid-cooled four that, back then, doubled as sportsbike and sportstourer. Then came the GPz1000RX. By 1988-89, Kawasaki had given up trying to make one bike do double duty and built two leaders: the ZXR750 sports, in response to the then-new World Superbike Championship, and the ZX-10 sportstourer with a 270km/h top speed potential. In 1990, there was unquestionably a buzz in the market about the new ZZ-R1100. It promised to be the…

DOMESTIC ABUSE Fuel should not be stored in these MSR Dromedary bags. But local distributor Andy ‘Strapz’ White says that’s what some motorcyclists have been using them for. “I’ve heard amazing stories of abuse and survival of the Dromedary Bags,” he says. “Some riders are even using them for fuel but we can’t recommend that. It does show just how tough they are, though.” So you probably shouldn’t put fuel in them. But you could probably get away with wine, thanks to the abrasion-resistant Cordura, which is laminated with food-grade polyurethane and is claimed to handle everything from freezing to boiling. Other handy features include a three-in-one cap that lets you easily pour, drink and fill, plus border webbing that allows you to attach it to your pack or a…

NEW SOUTH WALES THE RALLYMAN Motorcycles, mountains and music. Free entry, free camping and firewood. Live music Saturday. Food and alcohol on site. Rally badges $10. All motorcyclists welcome. When: June 8-11. Where: Lunatic Hotel, 7710 Bruxner Highway, Drake, 60km west of Kyogle. Contact: Kog, 0456 690 145 ROYAL ENFIELD CLUB OF AUSTRALIA INC. Meetings first Tuesday of the month at Public House Petersham in Sydney, 7.30pm. The NSW club aims to promote the preservation and restoration of historic Royal Enfields. Membership of the Royal Enfield Club of Australia covers the cost of NSW club membership. Contact Peter Jackson on 0466 233 781. Rally: Queanbeyan Rally, May 7 to 9. Contact Garry Eyles on 0400405158 POLISH MOTORCYCLE SOCIAL GROUP, SYDNEY All types of bikes welcome. No attitudes. Just social rides…

Suzuki is updating its Hayabusa to comply with Euro 4 legislation that will make the current model unsellable in Europe by the end of the year. While the new model is expected to look similar to the existing ’Busa, the engine is likely to be larger (1440cc) to compensate for the loss of power caused by increased pollution controls and the bike will feature a semi-automatic transmission that will do away with the clutch lever. The ‘Busa will retain a gearchange lever but a combination of sensors, actuators and a ride-by-wire throttle will prevent stalling and ensure super-smooth gear changes up and down. It will also eliminate rider error that could cause rear wheel lock-up on clumsy down-changes. The new model will be available next year and it’s not expected…

There’s no truth to the rumour I was down on bent knees pleading with editor Charris to let me ride the new Triumph Speedmaster. After 40 years kickstarting Harleys, these knees don’t bend. But it’s true that, despite the plethora of new, radical and mostly bloody superb new motorcycles available, none have tickled my interest quite as much as the new Bonneville Speedmaster. Here is a modern motorcycle that looks like a classic – a bike with a thundering 1200cc ‘High Torque’ parallel twin, magnificent brakes and forward-mounted controls that, err, are much better for those of us with a dose of stroker’s knee. So when Charris agreed to send me on the Speedmaster’s national launch, I quickly started reading up on the new cruiser, not wanting to look the…

“Here was a bike that was almost as ugly as sin and twice as wicked” I have a lot of fond and embarrassing memories of the old SV650. There was the time I fell off the back of one at the lights while trying to impress a wedding convoy. There was the time I rocketed across the outback to escape a labouring job and a hangover. And there was the time my ugliest redheaded mate told me it was the ugliest bike he’d ever seen – to which I replied, “I kind of like that.” And I obviously did. Here was a bike that was almost as ugly as sin and twice as wicked. It was deceptively quick off the mark, reliable and had a light weight that made it…

“I have noticed that motorcyclists are deeper thinkers than other beings and are generally more logical ” DEEP THOUGHT I have just picked up your march edition (MT#331) with the retrospective on Mr Smith. As I’m a 65-year-old rider and reader of bike mags of all kinds, it brought back many fond memories of Mr Smith’s ruminations on a wide range of subjects. Also, my mind turned to the number of times motorcycling intersects with philosophy. As a general rule, I have noticed that motorcyclists are deeper thinkers than other beings and are generally more logical. This may come from being at the mercy of the elements, having to allow for other people’s mistakes and so on. Getting on your bike (mine is a Guzzi V7II) can also make you…

Ever wondered what it would be like to tour on an Indian-made cruiser with 20hp and a mini wheelbase? No? Neither had I until I saw the latest from Royal Enfield. Priced from just $6790 (rideaway), the Rumbler 350 is a learner-approved cruiser with a 20-litre fuel tank, a 350cc single, wheelbarrow-thin tyres and a wheelbase of just 1350mm, only 150mm more than the Honda Grom’s. The result is what you see before you – a bulldog-like entry-level commuter/cruiser/tourer. Different, right? But before you write it off as dumpy and confused, ponder this: the Rumbler 350 is already one of Royal Enfield’s best sellers in India, where it is known fondly as the Thunderbird. The two best-selling learner bikes in Australia are the Grom – a minibike – and the…

Now that every manufacturer is getting on the nostalgia bandwagon, it’s worth remembering the grand-daddy of the nostalgia trip is Harley-Davidson. More than anyone else, Harley-Davidson has created and fostered a sense of tradition to successfully create brand loyalty, continually releasing anniversary models. Harley’s first big party was the celebration of 90 years and the Heritage Softail Nostalgia was one of five 90th Anniversary models released for 1993. While the others have been consigned as just another Anniversary model, the Nostalgia is now one of the more coveted classic Harley-Davidsons. The year 1903 was a good one for American inventors. In Kittyhawk, North Carolina, two bicycle salesmen, Orville and Wilbur Wright, built a canvas and stick contraption that actually took to the skies under its own power. Up in Dearborn,…

C1966 PIAGGIO VESPA 150CC SOLD: $6750 The large-frame VBC Super was in the Vespa range from 1965 until 1979. Its two-stroke 146cc single, with a bore and stroke of 57x57mm, produced almost 8hp at 5000rpm, giving it a maximum speed of around 90km/h. The VBC’s styling was improved compared with the earlier VBB model but it still had the same eight-inch wheels. The concurrent VLB had 10-inch wheels. Around the time this Vespa was manufactured, two opposing groups of riders were lining up in the UK – mods and rockers. The rockers rode mainly British motorcycles, had greased up pompadour hair, wore black leather boots and jackets, hung around transport cafés and listened to rock ’n’ roll. The mods (short for modernists) were sharp dressers renowned for their tailored suits,…