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Motorcycle Gallery, News

Ducati Indiana

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Ducati Indiana 750

With Phil Aynsley

The mid ‘80s was an interesting period for the Italian motorcycle industry… and resulted in some equally interesting bikes being produced. At the forefront of this time was the urge to market factory ‘choppers’ mimicking the Japanese factories offerings.

The Indiana 750 was an unsuccessful attempt to copy Japanese factory choppers
The Indiana 750 was an unsuccessful attempt to copy Japanese factory choppers

Morini had their Excalibur and Moto Guzzi the Florida – and Ducati had the Indiana! All were memorable sales flops.

The Morini Excalibur
The Morini Excalibur
Moto Guzzi's Florida
Moto Guzzi’s Florida

The Indiana was amongst the first new models developed after the Cagiva takeover in 1985. It was introduced in 1986 and was made in three capacities – 750, 650 and a 350cc version for the domestic market.

The 750 was the largest capacity version of the Ducati Indiana produced
The 750 was the largest capacity version of the Ducati Indiana produced

The square section full-cradle frame was similar to that of the Elefant, but newly designed for the Indiana and featured a rake of nearly 33º. The motor was based on the 650 Alazzura’s but with a wider spread of gear ratios and Bing constant-vacuum carburettors. The 750 version featured different exhaust headers and collector, head, tail lights and dash.

The Indiana was not a success (surprise!) with only about 2,250 of all models being built (1,800 being 650s). Police versions of the 650 and 750 were offered from 1988 through to 1990 but only 64 were produced. The 750 made 53 hp at 7000 rpm, with a dry weight of 180 kg.

The Ducati Indiana was not a success, with only about 2,250 ever made
The Ducati Indiana was not a success, with only about 2,250 ever made

This bike is one of two brought in for evaluation by the Australian importers Frasers.

Source: MCNews.com.au

News, WSBK

WorldSBK back in action at Aragon again this weekend

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2020 WorldSBK – Round Five – Aragon

The 2020 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship heads back to the MotorLand Aragon venue for the second weekend of the back-to-back rounds.  After a dramatic Prosecco DOC Aragon Round, the 2020 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship remains at the exciting Alcañiz venue for a second weekend and the Pirelli Teruel Round. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) extended his lead at the top of the standings to ten points after two wins picked up last weekend, but Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) is hot on his heels, making for yet another thrilling dynamic in the Championship race.

Topping the standings and winning twice at a circuit he’s not been renowned for winning on, Jonathan Rea’s classy showing saw an extension to his advantage after Race 2. The Ulsterman now has five wins at a track where Ducati have also been the manufacturer to beat. Can Rea do the same again this weekend and consolidate the Championship lead further?

Jonathan Rea

“We will come back to the Motorland circuit on Wednesday evening again after a couple of days of relaxing. Next weekend won’t be so stressful because we have a base set-up from the test and the recent race. My mechanics this past weekend did not want to change the bike too much. They asked me to change some things in my riding style. FP12 and FP2 will be calmer next week, because we have a lot of information. If the temperatures are the same it should be a calm weekend.”

Aragon WorldSBK

Team-mate Alex Lowes will certainly hope for improvements; a huge Race 1 crash coupled with just 11 points being scored has seen him slip to sixth overall. A podium is required for the early-season Championship leader.

Alex Lowes

“After a difficult first weekend in Aragon I am looking forward to getting back there in a few days time. It started promisingly last weekend, with good pace on Friday and Saturday morning and then the start of the first race. After the crash we sort of lost our way a little bit. I was feeling the physical effects too, as it was a pretty big knock. I certainly felt a bit stiff when I woke up on Monday morning so I need to relax for a few days, recharge, get nice and healthy and then attack the weekend like we started last weekend. We have a few ideas with the bike too, and my target is to get back on the podium in green.”

Scott Redding was able to take a Race 1 victory and second in the Tissot Superpole Race but a fourth in Race 2 saw him lose his Championship lead that he picked up on Saturday afternoon. The British rider knows that he must take some points from Rea this weekend to swing the momentum in his favour. It was a welcome reignition of the rivalry between Chaz Davies (Aruba Ducati) and Jonathan Rea in Race 2, the two battling hard with 4 laps to go. Davies is eager for a first win of 2020 and to reclaim MotorLand Aragon as his own. Fourth in the standings, he’s closing in fast.

Chaz Davies

“The first race weekend here in Aragon was solid. We were fast since Friday then, unfortunately, the qualifying did not allow us to start in the first positions forcing me to push hard in the first laps. Feelings are good but it is clear that we are still missing some details to be at the top. The team is also working a lot in direct contact with Ducati at Borgo Panigale to produce the step that will allow us to fight for victory in the next three races“.

Scott Redding

“It’s the first time we’re going to back-to-back on the same circuit. If I have to be honest, I’m not a big fan of this format because I really like changing circuits. We will have to go through free practice again after the tests and the first race weekend, but this is a situation that all riders will have to face. The goal is to start the weekend with more incisiveness than we did a week ago. The team is working on this aspect and I have the utmost confidence“.

Redding leading Rea last weekend

It was the worst weekend of the season for the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team pairing of Toprak Razgatlioglu and Michael van der Mark. Toprak’s best result was sixth whilst van der Mark put in a valiant ride to complete the podium in Sunday morning’s Tissot Superpole Race. The Dutchman will hope to build on that pace and fulfil his and the bike’s potential in the upcoming Teruel event, whilst Razgatlioglu desperately needs a podium or victory; 65 points back from Jonathan Rea, the title could start slipping from his grasp if a big result isn’t achieved soon.

Michael van der Mark

“I’m looking forward to this weekend again – last weekend was really positive, we made some big progress over the previous years but we were just missing a bit of pace especially over the second part of the race. We have a lot of ideas for this weekend to try on the bike, and the weather will be a little bit warmer than last week so it might be harder to keep the pace, but I’m pretty sure we’ve got some good ideas to fix it. I’m really looking forward to starting on Friday morning when we can start trying those ideas in Free Practice.”

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu

“It was a difficult race weekend for me in Aragón, but it is good because we are here again and we can improve! I felt good in some laps – I was very fast in Sunday warm up in cold conditions – but over race distance I suffered too much with rear grip. We can improve my R1 a lot, I think, and also I can work on my own riding on this track to keep the tyre. Michael was ahead of me last weekend, so the first target is to fight with him and I hope this means we are both battling for the podium.”

Paul Denning – Pata Yamaha Team Principal

“It will be a “first” for the team and riders to roll out in FP1 on Friday morning on the same circuit that we have just finished Race 2 at a few days previously! Extreme circumstances demand extreme measures, and we have to thank Dorna and the Aragón MotorLand facility for supporting the WorldSBK championship in this way. Conditions should be a little warmer this weekend and this can have a big effect on the grip levels, but in the end our main focus can only be improvement – small detailed steps for Michael and something of a “reset” for Toprak and his R1 in order to elevate his performance to the levels we know he is capable of. As they say in Spain, Vamos!”

One of the big stories heading to the Pirelli Teruel Round is that Honda, after just four rounds of the CBR1000RR-R SP, are on the podium. Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) put in a superb ride, managing his softer compound SCX rear tyre to the end of the race to pick up a rostrum, just 3.5s behind the victory. He and Honda are genuine podium threats this weekend and after so much testing and now a race weekend, maybe they could even challenge for victory. Team- mate Leon Haslam was seventh in Race 2, filling the Brit with confidence ahead of the first ever Pirelli Teruel Round at MotorLand.

Alvaro Bautista

“I spent a couple of days at home and enjoyed them but now we are already focusing on next weekend. Racing at the same track means we have a lot of useful data to analyze but we must wait and see how the conditions are, because it seems that the weather might be much warmer. So we must understand the new “limits” of the track. Our target remains the same, to keep improving and making further steps forward. Obviously in the space of just one week we won’t really have anything new, but we can definitely fine-tune some more details in terms of bike setup.”

Leon Haslam

“I’m looking forward to racing at Aragón again this weekend. We still have some work to do but already in testing I thought that the podium might be possible at this track and now Alvaro has proved this to be true. In race 2 I had better feeling and so I hope we can carry this forward and work well right from Friday so that we can improve on last weekend’s performance across all the practices and races.”

Bautista claimed his first podium for Honda and Honda’s first podium since Magny-Cours in 2016

It was a weekend to forget for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. Tom Sykes crashed in Tissot Superpole, leaving him in his worst grid position after Superpole since 2011, whilst Eugene Laverty had a mechanical issue before Race 1 even started. Neither rider scored points in Race 1 or the Tissot Superpole Race, whilst Sykes was 12th and Laverty 14th in Race 2. They’ll be hoping for better results during the Teruel meeting and that at least a good Superpole can propel them up the order, so they can fight at the very front. Watch out for a vast BMW improvement this weekend.

The Independent battle is raging; Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) is now top ahead of Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) with 15 points between them. Rinaldi’s first podium could come soon, perhaps even this weekend, whilst Baz needs a stable race weekend in terms of results. Behind them are Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) and Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), separated by just a point. Gerloff was in the battle for seventh with Fores in Race 2 and the Spaniard himself took a best result of the year with eighth in Race 1. Gerloff’s teammate, Federico Caricasulo, was ninth again in Race 1 whilst Marco Melandri (Barni Racing Team) aims for more a top ten return.

Maximilian Scheib (ORELAC Racing VerdNatura) had a good showing in Race 1 until a crash but got his first points since Australia in Race 2. Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Performance) took his Ducati to 12th in Race 1 for his best result of 2020 and aims for more this weekend. will Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing Honda Team) took his first point of the year in Race 1, and Roman Ramos (OutDo TPR Kawasaki) will once again deputise for the injured Sandro Cortese. Lorenzo Gabellini is absent after Althea parted company with MIE Racing.

Source: MCNews.com.au

Competition, Motocross, News

MXGP opportunity arises for Webster at JM Honda Racing

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News 3 Sep 2020

MXGP opportunity arises for Webster at JM Honda Racing

Section: Competition

Standing in for Paturel in premier class from the Mantova triple-header.

Image: Supplied.

Australian Kyle Webster is set to join JM Honda Racing in the 2020 MXGP World Championship, beginning with the triple-header at Mantova, Italy, from 27 September.

Webster, who was signed to ride MX2 with Penrite Honda Racing this year, will fill-in for Benoit Paturel aboard a CRF450R after he broke his tailbone at Kegums.

“I’m happy we can offer Kyle this opportunity to race on the world stage,” said Jacky Martens, JM Honda Racing team manager. “He’s already proven at home and in the MX of Nations what he’s capable of.

“The last few months have been really difficult for us with Julien Lieber’s retirement followed by the injury of Paturel, but we’re very grateful for the support of Penrite Honda Racing and Honda in this matter.”

After claiming second in the Australian MX2 championship last year, Webster impressed as part of Team Australia in the Motocross of Nations (MXoN) at Assen by claiming third in the MX2 qualifying race and finishing sixth overall in class.

“I’m super-stoked to go racing in the MXGP World Championship with JM Honda Racing,” 24-year-old Webster commented. “Everything happened pretty quickly, but I’m really looking forward to this opportunity.

“Let’s hope that third time is the charm after racing in the mud in Indonesia in 2017 and last year in Assen! I’d like to thank my team Penrite Honda Racing for granting me the chance to go over to Europe and do this.”

Penrite Honda team owner Yarrive Konsky added: “Jacky and the team run a professional program and the opportunity they have extended to Kyle is fantastic. It’s great that Honda works together globally to support their riders. Jacky is a world champion and will give Kyle opportunities most riders only dream of.”

The MXGP World Championship will resume this weekend with another triple-header event in Faenza, Italy, to be held between 6-13 September.

Webster will partner New Zealander Dylan Walsh, who originally signed with Serco Yamaha to race in Australia this year prior to parting ways. He is currently standing in for Julien Lieber at JM Honda Racing.


Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Motorcycle News, News

Apple TV+ Unveils Official Trailer for “Long Way Up,” With Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman

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If you’re getting close to watching everything in your Netflix queue while in quarantine, you can add Long Way Up to your list soon.

Begin press release:

The trailer for “Long Way Up,” the epic, new Apple Original series from stars Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman is now available. The first three episodes of the 11-part unscripted series will premiere globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, September 18. New episodes will roll out weekly, every Friday.

“Long Way Up” reunites McGregor and Boorman for the ultimate adventure in travel and friendship after more than a decade since their last motorbike adventure around the world. In their most challenging expedition to date, the two cover 13,000 miles over 100 days from Ushuaia at the tip of South America to Los Angeles.  In order to contribute to the sustainability of the planet, the duo travels on modified electric Harley-Davidson LiveWire motorcycles.

Using cutting-edge technology, they travel through 16 border crossings and 13 countries along with their longtime collaborators, directors David Alexanian and Russ Malkin, who follow in the first two electric Rivian trucks ever made.

“Long Way Up” was created and executive produced by Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman, David Alexanian and Russ Malkin.

Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, Mac, select Samsung and LG smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices, as well as at tv.apple.com, for $4.99 per month with a seven-day free trial. The Apple TV app will be available on Sony and VIZIO smart TVs later this year. For a limited time, customers who purchase a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy one year of Apple TV+ for free. This special offer is good for three months after the first activation of the eligible device.*

The post Apple TV+ Unveils Official Trailer for “Long Way Up,” With Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman appeared first on Motorcycle.com News.

Motorcycle News, News

Watch: World-First Racing Video

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Australian smart helmet start-up Forcite Helmets, has released exciting world-first, racer-perspective video from their Forcite MK1 helmet with an integrated camera, bypassing the usual racing restrictions on body-worn cameras.

The Forcite MK1 helmet retails for $A1299 and the next limited batch will be available for Australians this summer.

ASBK competitor Giuseppe Scarcella on board his Forcite Racing Ducati 1299, filmed his race with an integrated camera contained within the chin of the Forcite MK1 smart helmet at the recent NSW Championship race meet at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Watch this video which will make you feel like you are really there.

The film of Giuseppe coming from the back of the grid to finish third overall captures the daring and skill needed to handle a Ducati 1299 at race pace.

From being tucked in down the straight at just a few clicks under 300km/h, to leaning over millimetres from the tarmac, the POV helmet footage gives the viewer an exhilarating experience that on-board cameras cannot.

The video was made as part of the European certification (ECE 22.05) process.

Forcite’s co-founder and CEO, Alfred Boydagis, believes this footage will be a game-changer for fans.

“The Forcite MK1’s ability to capture every twist and turn of the race from the perspective of their favourite rider will give fans an unbelievable perspective on the action,” he says.

“The race legal integrated camera is engineered to give the best view, whatever the position of the rider. Fans can expect this POV footage on their TVs soon – this is the cutting edge of live race action.”

While testing the MK1 during the opening round of ASBK/WSBK at Phillip Island in March, Forcite Racing’s Giuseppe Scarcella says he is happy with the way the helmet feels on the race track.

“Especially popping up from the bubble at over 300km/h to brake for turn one,” he says.

“The helmet’s just stuck to my head and just feels amazing. You realise the difference between a great helmet and a cheap helmet.”

Forcite MK1 Helmet

The Forcite MK1 shell is made of carbon fibre and the helmet is packed with AI such as Forcite’s patented RAYDAR™ helmet system.

This server-based software system uses millions of data points through mobile applications, GPS, and cameras around the world that are currently inaccessible to motorcycle riders.

It also features LED technology inspired by communicative visual cues found on F1 car steering wheels, audio interactivity, military-grade camera recording and a fingertip handlebar controller.

A special app also allows the rider to control settings and use their phone for sat-nav, music and calls.

With all this tech integrated, it does away with the need for bulky click-on devices. That also means it passes race scrutineers who ban body-worn cameras and helmet attachments.

It would be the ultimate track-day helmet to video and relive your day!

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

Watch: “Long Way Up” Trailer

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Finally, a preview of the Long Way UP adventure with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman on electric Harley-Davidson LIveWire motorcycle in South and North America has been launched.

Watch the trailer below. As usual, it looks like unscripted fun and adventure.

The series will screen on Apple TV+ from 18 September 2020 with three episodes on the first night and one episode each week after that, but they don’t say how many episodes there will be.

If you don’t have Apple TV+ you can wait until the whole series has been aired and then do a one-month free trial. Otherwise, it costs $A7.99 per month.

Small screen adventure

In the third and probably final “Long Way” series, the Brits ride Harley-Davidson electric LiveWire motorcycles from the city of Ushuaia at the tip of South America to LA.

They cover 21,000km over 100 days through 16 border crossings and 13 countries: Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and up through Colombia, Central America, and Mexico.

Also joining them are their longtime collaborators, directors David Alexanian and Russ Malkin, driving in electric Rivian utility vehicles.

Unlike their previous adventures on BMW GS machines, this one was on Harley’s new electric LiveWire which is available in Australia this month for a whopping $A49,995 ($NZ53,995).

That’s more than the feature-laden Ultra Limited tourer at $A41,495!

While the specially modified bikes did get the pair to their destination, Ewan admits he ran out of “juice” a couple of times and even had to hitch rides with cars by hanging on to the B pillar.

This is highlighted in the trailer and was also mentioned in an interview on the American Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in February 2020.

In the interview, he explains that they chose electric motorcycles because they “wanted to be part of that new wave of transportation”.

“It proved to be amazing and quite tricky at the same time,” McGregor tells Fallon.

“Charging is the issue. There’s no real infrastructure for charging in Patagonia, for instance.

“We’d just knock on people’s doors and ask if we could plug them in.

“They usually do let us. We’d camp in their garden and we’d plug in.”

However, he said charging two bikes at the same time would sometimes blew the houses’s fuses, so they would charge one at a time.

“People were so generous and lovely about it,” he says.

“We’d ride all morning and then if we stopped to look around the town we’d find somewhere to plug in at a restaurant or a cafe or something.”

According to Harley, LiveWire range is about 150km on the highway and about 235km in the city.

So, what did they do when they ran out of “juice”, Fallon asked?

BMW Motorrad No Maintenance Chain

“Hope for a hill,” McGregor replies.

“I got towed a couple of times. I was the only one that ran out.

“Charley never ran out of juice and he’ll tell you it’s ’cause he’s a better rider than me and it may well be the case.

“But I ran out a couple of times, so I’d just hold on to a car.”

He explains how this stunt was performed and we assume it was at slow speed and could have been using one of the back-up vehicles.

“If you open the back windows and the front of the car you could get your arm around a pillar and you just muscle along like that for a while,” he explains.

Ewan says the first time he saw this done was in New York when he was about 21 or 22 riding in a yellow cab.

“A Harley-Davidson guy — a Hells Angels guy — who’d run out of gas or his bike was broken down clattered into the side of the cab, grabbed hold of the pillar and he shouted the address of the Hells Angels clubhouse to the driver who just took him there and didn’t ask any questions; just drove there like that.

“I think the Hells Angels owe me $5.26.”

It’s been a long time between trips for Ewan and Charley.

From 14 April 2004 to 29 July 2004, they rode across Europe and the USA in Long Way Round and from 12 May to 4 August 2007 they rode from the top of Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa for Long Way Down.

With Ewan becoming increasingly busy with Hollywood movies, Charley squeezed in the 2006 Dakar rally for his series, Race to Dakar, and has produced several other travel shows.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

Getting The Right Fit In Riding Gear

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More than any other clothing, getting the right fit in your motorcycle gear is vital.

Over a long day in the saddle, badly fitting gear can cause irritation which could be a dangerous distraction.

Too tight in the crotch and you will be fidgeting, too loose and it will flap annoyingly at highway speed, etc.

Vear wet weather riding pants

That is why I strongly suggest buying your gear from a store where you can try it on first, rather than online.

The problem is that online gear is made for the people in the country of origin and, as we all know, people vary in shapes and sizes around the world.

Even the basic sizing systems — small, medium, large, extra large, etc — will be different.

In one example, a large jacket sent for review from a Pakistan online company was way too small for me.

Yet that same company makes a large jacket for a European motorcycle clothing company that fits me perfectly.

Motorcycle dealership sale accessories jeans helmets jackets clothing standard

That’s because the European company stipulates its sizing requirements, but when the Pakistan company makes its own designs, it uses local sizing.

I know of riders who tried on a jacket in a store and then ordered online from overseas because it is cheaper, only to find the jacket was substantially different in sizing and even features.

I’ve also run into this international sizing issue before when attending motorcycle launches overseas.

Sometimes the company likes to provide you with a jacket, helmet, gloves, etc as a “reward” for traveling to their launch. (Really, it’s payola to get you to say nice things about their product, but succumbing to such bribery is a pathway to a short career in this profession.)

Anyway, a lesson I have learnt is that European jackets are always too small, while American jackets are too big.

So I order a size up for European jackets and a size down for American.

However, that does still not mean they will fit you correctly.

Motorcycle dealership sale accessories jeans helmets jackets clothing standard warranty

You still need to try the jacket on to ensure the sleeves are long enough and that the jacket reaches your pants when you bend forward to the handlebars.

None of this is possible if you buy online, unless the online site has comprehensive measurement and sizing options and you strictly follow their guidelines on how to measure yourself.

Even if you do get the right sizing for a product online from a particular manufacturer, when you order a replacement item a few years later you are not guaranteed the correct fit.

And so far I have only mentioned the problem with sizing in jackets.

The same international sizing differences also occur with pants, helmets and gloves!

So, do the right thing by your local motorcycle dealership and try and buy locally.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

Motoring Editor Retires To Two Wheels

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When long-serving Royal Automobile Club of Queensland motoring editor Barry Green retired after years of driving supercars in exotic locations, the most common question he was asked is what car would he buy. His answer was … a motorcycle! Now Barry tells Motorbike Writer how he got into motorcycles and why he is returning to two wheels.

So, what got you onto two wheels? For me, it was a movie – Easy Rider. What 17-year-old male of the early-70s failed to be captivated by Captain America and sidekick Billy’s voyage of discovery Stateside on a pair of wild, gleaming, chromed-to-the-max Harley choppers? Big bikes, big country, big sky, big adventure.

My peer group fantasised about setting off on our own freewheelin’ experience, a lap of Australia. We didn’t get far, just 160km from home. Instead, we settled quite happily for party central, a rented flat above a corner hamburger joint called Kelly’s Poolroom in pre-gentrified Paddington, Brisbane.

More to the point, only two of us actually bought a bike, mine being a 1959 Triumph Thunderbird 650. With forgiving handling and relatively little power, it was ideal in those times well before LAM regulation. I taught myself to ride, and did well – the first bout of gravel rash didn’t come until four months later.

Then followed a sweet-and-sour experience owning a rough-and-ready Triumph Trophy-engined Tiger 110 café racer which ran out of oil, lunching the engine. Rebuilt, I crashed it when a suit failed to give right of way, the Trumpy drilling the front side of his Austin 1800 and me landing on the bonnet.

Game over for bike ownership until a CandyTone purple Kawasaki Mach IV 750 entered stage right, what seemed an eternity (actually, a little less than three years) later. We shared some history, that bike and I. There’s a story there all of its own – maybe editor Mark might allow me to indulge in sharing it some time.

Motoring editor retires to two wheels

I moved the Kwaka on to go dirt bike racing, using the money to buy, in succession, a vintage girder-forked, J.A.P. speedway frame fitted with a Yoshimura-kitted, 125 Honda four-stroke single, Honda 125 enduro bike and Yamaha MX250. Plan was to get experience on local short circuits (sump oil-sealed, decomposed granite surface) at Tivoli, Kingston and Caboolture, hope someone spotted my ‘talent’ and give me a full-on, twin-valve Jawa slider to race. Then, it would be only a matter of time before a British Division 1 or 2 Speedway League team signed me. Yeah, right.

I had always aspired to owning a Mach III and finally did, in 77. By then, what with the warm lap of domesticity (marriage) and onset of a little frontal brain development, I was no longer riding like there was no tomorrow. But, motorcycles never vacated my life entirely.

Come the mid-80s, I found myself freelance writing part-time for the weekly REVS Motorcycle News and its monthly stablemate Two Wheels, reporting on race meetings, ghost writing a column for eventual (1991-92) World Superbike Championship third place-getter Robbie Phillis and performing the odd road test. I even ventured back into ownership, with – you guessed it, another stroker, Honda’s V3 MVX 250 whose rear-cylinder threatened to detonate when asked to sing for its supper.

Apart from throwing a leg over my two sons’ dirt bikes in the mid-90s and, way more recently, a one-off scooter ride around a Greek island and flirting two or three times with motorcycle sidecars, I’ve kept to four wheels. In fact, for 12 years, my day job included road testing cars for The Road Ahead magazine and www.racqliving.com.au

Motoring editor retires to two wheels

Pockets

And that’s where the story of two-wheeling was meant to end, except that I’ve gone and bought another motorcycle. Call it old-life crisis, whatever, but 50 years since I laid down $300 for the T-Bird, an immaculate, low-mileage (14,000km) nine year-old Triumph Thruxton 900 SE proved simply irresistible.

So, how’s it worked out? Pretty damn well. Living where I do, I’m spoilt, with just three sets of traffic lights between home and the cracking roads north-west of Bris Vegas. Think Mts Nebo, Glorious and Mee and beyond. I set my sights low to begin with, though, reacquainting myself with the balance and dynamics of riding and sticker to the flatter, quieter roads through Bunya, Armstrong Creek, Bullocky’s Rest, etc. A deep vein of Triumph DNA runs through  the Thruxton (twin-cylinder, twin-shocks) but the addition of electric start, fuel-injection and twin discs has endeared it with a new level of practicality and safety.

Motoring editor retires to two wheels

Gone might be the reflexes, agility and derring-do of old, but the trade-off is a half-century more life experience and smarter attitude.  Consequently, those great mountain and country roads I’ve driven a multitude of road test cars on in recent years have taken on a whole new challenge on the Thruxton. No ABS, traction control, etc. – just me keeping it on the road. And that’s a fact I respect and don’t take lightly.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com