Now in its fourth year of competition, the MotoGP™ eSport Championship only continues to expand in myriad ways as the events, players and impact rise year on year. One of the most exciting additions for 2020 is the all-new WINDTRE Rising Stars Series, a new eSport talent promotion initiative set to begin on the 18th of June – played, as ever, on the official MotoGP™20 from videogame developer, publisher and longstanding partner Milestone. WINDTRE, at the top of the mobile market and among the main alternative fixed-line operators in Italy, is the main and title sponsor of this all-new eSport Series, supporting young talents in their high-speed challenge to become the racers of the future with its ‘Top Quality Network’.
“It’s great, I’m so stoked for him,” began Webber. “I sent him a message on Instagram to congratulate him. He’s worked hard and he’s had some tricky moments early in his career, and I think that he will really, really grab this opportunity with everything that he’s got.”
Rolf Tibblin won the European championship on his 250cc Husqvarna in 1959. The following year he chose to step up the ladder and go for the big-bore 500cc class. Tibblin already had some experience from Husky’s newcomer as he had done the initial tests when the machine was introduced at the beginning of October, 1958. Now he was to use the machine with number 18-61 printed into the frame. The Husqvarna power plant had a displacement of 485cc from a bore and stroke of 79 x 99 mm. The compression ratio was measured at 10:1 and it gave a performance of 36 horsepower at 5,800 rpm. The big-bore beast from the factory showed big potential and had already won the 500cc title in 1960 with Bill Nilsson.
Rolf Tibblin
Six events out of 10 were counted for the top of the podium. The season opener was held at Sittendorf in Austria, a famous 3-kilometre track that has been used extensively in MX championship races. The circuit was fast and this year it was also very dusty. 40,000 spectators came to watch, and they were in for a total Swedish dominance. Out of six riders, five Swedes were among the six top places! Somebody said it was like a national championship race. In each moto there were 15 laps to conquer. Tibblin took the holeshot in the first leg and won comfortably. In the second leg, he crossed the finish line behind the winner, but gained overall victory, picking up eight valuable points in the championship.
Rolf Tibblin
Six weeks later, the contenders rode in Pèrnes-les-Fontaines in France. It was a repeat of the opener with Tibblin winning and with five Swedes in the six top places. Two weeks later Tibblin came second behind Gunnar “Smiling” Johansson in Bremgarten, Switzerland. And a week later in Imola, Italy, Tibblin was again in front of his antagonist Johansson, picking up yet another eight points. The hardest Grand Prix during the 1962 season was no doubt the Czech GP in Prérov outside Prague, where everybody was exhausted after the two heats. “It just proved that my hard training paid off well,” Tibblin told us. However, he didn’t score since the frame broke when Rolf was leading the field. After half the season he was leading the championship with 30 points.
Rolf Tibblin
July 1st and it was time for Hawkstone Park in England. On these classic grounds the sixth round was arranged by the ACU, the British motorcycle union. Rolf Tibblin was back in top shape and outmanoeuvred the entire home elite, winning with a huge margin. Four weeks later – in Lichtenvoorde, Holland – he shared victory with Gunnar Johansson. They had exactly the same time, to the second, and both received seven points each. It hadn’t happened before and it would not happen again! The scores after seven rounds: Tibblin 45 points, Johansson 36.
Race fans that have experienced the Belgian Namur track at the Citadelle know that it is a very special and demanding event. On top of it all, this time it rained heavily, making the track slippery and difficult to master. Despite the weather, 25,000 enthusiasts came to watch Tibblin take two second places in the heats. He had a crash in the second leg and had to regain positions after being last in the field. Coming second under these circumstances was a true achievement, probably the major ride of the entire 1962 season.
“In Ettelbruck I had to sit in the paddock and watch everybody else racing,” Tibblin remembered with a smile on his face. “I had broken down and only needed to see if Johansson won or not. As he didn’t, my first world championship title was in the bag. I could hardly believe it. It was a sensational feeling winning the 500cc circus for the first time. I remember I couldn’t sleep for days. As in 1959 when I became European 250 champion, I walked around the city for hours, just enjoying the feeling. It’s hard to explain, but it was the greatest moment in my life. I was also victorious in the national championship winning four out of five rounds at home. It was truly a fantastic season for me and my Husqvarna.”
Rolf Tibblin won half of the Grand Prix events during 1962. In seven out of 10 races, Tibblin finished in the top two podium positions, which surely was a new record in MX. To make it even better, Rolf participated in the successful team at the Moto Cross des Nations in Wohlen, Switzerland. The Swedes were so dominating that the four of them crossed the finish line together, holding hands. Husqvarna contributed to this enormous success and Rolf would go on to win yet another 500cc world title in the coming season of 1963.
It was 1946 when Vespa made its debut on the roads of a Europe devastated by the recent conflict but, equally, full of creativity and a desire for renewal. After seventy-four years of history and over eighteen million scooters, Vespa is a global reference for style, elegance and technology. A brand known and loved all over the world that, with more than one and a half million vehicles produced in the last decade, is experiencing one of the most fortunate and dynamic periods in its story.
Founded in the same year, 1946, the Italian brand and the Parisian couture house ChristianDior are both style icons.
Out of this passionate dialogue, the Vespa 946 Christian Dior scooter comes to life, its monohull architecture and subtle graphic lines paying tribute to the heritage of the two houses.
The Vespa 946 was launched in 2013. It is an innovative product which takes inspiration from the Vespa prototype MP6 produced in 1946. Details such as the handlebars that feature sewn trim with needle and thread, aluminium parts fitted manually, one by one in a monocoque steel body, a dedicated production line, more like an haute couture atelier than a production line, make this Collection stand out.
The standard Vespa 946, do you think the Dior edition improves on the original…?
Vespa 946 is built by human skill, piece by piece, carefully crafted with glorification of manual labour as the most valuable Italian manufactured crafts. The heart of the Vespa 946 is a single cylinder 125 cc 4 stroke, 3 valve, air cooled engine with electronic injection.
This new Christian Dior version was designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri, Creative Director of Dior women’s collections and is made in Italy.
A top case patterned with the Dior Oblique motif – designed by Marc Bohan in 1967 – is specially designed to be fixed on the luggage rack and a helmet adorned with the same iconic motif rounds out the unique range.
Vespa 946 Christian Dior
These limited-edition creations will launch in spring 2021 in Dior boutiques around the world and subsequently in a selection of Piaggio Group’s Motoplex stores.
The colour of the Vespa 946 Christian Dior body is an exclusive color made together with Dior creative Department, as well as the gold color for the finishing touches.
The standard Vespa 946, do you think the Dior edition improves on the original…?
The saddle is in real blue-leather with ton sur ton seams; the handles are covered with blue- leather and the seams are ton sur ton.
The saddle support is realized with a “Dior Monogram” original fabric upholstery.
On the right side of the vehicle there are some exclusive decalco with the “Christian Dior Paris” logo, although on the left side there is the possibility to personalise it. The hook placed under the saddle also has the “Christian Dior” logo.
Michele Colaninno Piaggio’s Chief of Product and Marketing Strategy
“In these unprecedented times, it is great to be able to dream of a better future. The House of Dior opened its doors in 1946 in Paris, the same year that Vespa made its debut in Italy. This new Vespa 946 celebrates that anniversary and honors our heritage. Today, like yesterday, we have gone through a dark period and now we are joining forces to share some joie de vivre through a combination of style and craftsmanship. This partnership between Vespa and Dior represents a celebration of beauty.”
Maria Grazia Chiuri Creative Director for the House of Dior
“I was very excited about this project with Vespa. For me, Vespa is linked to my city, Rome. It’s linked to the freedom to move around the city with ease, like in the film Roman Holiday (1953), which has left that extraordinary image of Audrey Hepburn clinging to Gregory Peck on a Vespa forever etched in our collective memory. I have so many happy memories starring a Vespa. It’s how my husband and I used to get around Rome and go to the seaside in Fregene. It’s a symbol of Italian-ness that is intricately linked to my personal history, and it’s now part of my professional life at Dior.”
We are unable to ascertain as yet as to when or if these specials will make it to Australia.
If the MSBK round originally set to host the ATC is postponed and held at a later date, the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup round may be rescheduled to coincide with that same event. If, however, the MSBK event goes ahead as planned in August, or in the event of its cancellation, it may instead be possible for the ATC to join a later date on the MSBK calendar.
There might not be any TT this year (2020) due to the plague, but I still thought it might be a great time to revisit my epic trip to the TT two years ago, 2018, and re-live a motorcycle journey that took in a fair bit of Great Britain, Wales, Ireland and of course, the Isle of Man itself. I hope you enjoy the ride…
Trev’s TT Trip 2018 Part Six
After bidding a fond farewell to Matt and Keith after the Triumph Adventure Experience, we pointed the Triumph Explorer’s north towards the Welsh coastal port of Holyhead.
Trying to find accommodation somewhere near the port at late notice proved impossible. Every motel/hotel in the town on the approach to both the Isle of Anglesey, and Holy Island were all completely booked out.
After exhausting all the on-line booking sites trying to find a room, then stopping in at more than a dozen to try our luck at anything last minute, we were just about to give up and try and find somewhere to just park up and kip on a park bench.
Then, at the end of a long back road we found Hotel Cymyran. This too was completely booked out, but the elderly hotelier took pity on us when we asked if they had anything of last resort where we could rough it. A friend of hers was storing some demountable cabins out the back that were in need of repair, they were growing a dank stinking mould inside them, and I was sure I was going to wake up with new types of life form growing in spores on my cilia, but it was a bed and we were grateful. She sent some of her staff to get some clean sheets while we hit the bar.
The ferry from Holyhead to Dublin
After a reasonable nights sleep we made tracks for Port of Holyhead and a 0900 ferry across to Dublin. The ferry takes a little over three hours to make the 110 km trip across the Irish Sea to the Republic of Ireland’s capital city. If you can blag one, I thoroughly recommend paying the little bit extra for a cabin with its comfortable bed and warm shower.
It was a smooth enough crossing and we were rolling along Irish motorways by 1pm. The initial parts of our journey punctuated by all too frequent toll booths that demanded payment in Euros, rather than pounds. We had no time to spend in Dublin as we had a 300 km journey in front of us before an early start the next day with Paul Mc Guigan for an Ireland Dirtbike Adventure.
We took a slightly circuitous route off the beaten track towards our stop for the night at Annagry, a postcard perfect coastal town situated on north-west coast of Ireland in the Rosses area of County Donegal.
Dirt Bike Tours Ireland
Dirt Bike Tours Ireland run tours all year round so you can see plenty of shots that include snow riding on the Dirt Bike Tours Ireland Facebook page, but for us County Donegal turned on some uncharacteristically hot conditions that made it feel like riding back home in Australia.
Ireland Dirt Bike Tours
Paul met us on a bright and sunny Monday morning and transported us out towards the Derryveagh Mountains and the peat bogs of Muckish Mountain. The drive was comfortable and the countryside beautiful as we welcomed the chance to play passenger and just take in the sights.
Our mounts for the day were to be AJP PR3 Enduro 240 machines. These Portuguese trail bikes are somewhat similar to a CRF230F Honda or TT-R230 Yamaha. Tipping the scales at 100kg, and with pretty reasonable suspension that offers almost motocross levels of travel, but still with a modest 870 mm seat height, they proved a versatile tool for the job.
Sure, there is no real snap to the Zongshen 233cc engine but it mustered enough torque to climb the peat bogs out to some stunning peaks that opened out into panoramic vistas overlooking the North Atlantic Ocean.
Ireland Dirt Bike Tours
Of course, a tour company has to cater for everyone and as an ex Trials and Enduro racer Paul can cater the tour to any skill level, but the little electric-start AJP machines allow him to even cater for riders with very little, or no, off-road experience. The fact that he knows them inside out due to being the official AJP distributor throughout Ireland and Northern Ireland certainly helps.
Dirt Bike Tours Ireland can also supply you with boots, helmet, knee-pads, pants, jersey, body armour and gloves. I was kitted out in my trusty DriRider adventure gear, Sidi Adventure boots and the latest Shoei Hornet Adventure helmet, the same gear I had been using all trip, but did borrow some thin dirt specific gloves and left the jacket behind in favour of a slip-on upper body armour due to the unseasonal heat.
Ireland Dirt Bike Tours
The terrain was very different to anything I had ridden in Australia. The open landscape often lulling me into a false sense of security. The soft undergrowth just seemed to swallow your tyres and made it feel like riding on plush carpet, then there were rocky hill climbs, and also a little mud to add more diversity to the ride. At a couple of points in the ride we sent a drone up to capture some of the Donegal landscape, that footage below gives you a better idea of what we got up to.
Dirt Bike Tours Ireland Video
Paul supplied a cut lunch and kept us fed and watered throughout the day and his wife gave us a good laugh by hiding jokes in our lunches.
Ireland Dirt Bike Tours
It was quite a workout at times but the little AJP machines just kept on keeping on with a minimum of fuss and were much less tiresome than a more hard-core machine would have been on our bodies.
We asked Paul to head down towards the coast on the way back so we could take a dip in the Atlantic Ocean, as it would seem a rare day in Ireland that a beach would beckon, thus it would be silly not to! The water was still a little brisk (we may have seen icebergs) but eminently refreshing after bouncing across the peat bogs of Donegal all day.
Ireland Dirt Bike Tours
For those that have their own enduro bikes and want something a little more hard-core Paul can of course cater for them too, but we had a great day out on the AJP bikes and there were enough challenges to keep us entertained. The biggest influence on the day though was Paul’s passion for what he does. His energy and exuberance to share his love for enduro riding and share the thrill it brings, makes his tour unique.
A few more ales than wise with Paul and his lovely wife, followed by an overnight stop at Caisleáin Óir Hotel that left us well fed and watered for the next days trip across the upper parts of Northern Ireland.
Ireland Dirt Bike Tours
We skirted around Glenveagh National Park before crossing the River Foyle at Londonderry then up through the home of the NorthWest 200 at Coleraine.
Joey’s Bar
Our next stop was at Joey’s Bar in Ballymoney then it was on to Ballymena and Kells before stopping in to Chateau McWilliams for a few nights in Belfast ahead of the ferry trip across to the Isle of Man for TT 2018.
The Triumph Explorer 1200 took me to Joey’s Bar
I have enjoyed showing Jeremy, his delightful wife Jill and young fella Zak around my backyard in the Victorian High Country, and along with their other son Jack, they returned the favour handsomely with a tour of the sights of Belfast and their favourite watering holes for a bit of a pub crawl. While Jill kept us well fed and watered at their lovely home just outside of Belfast.
Having local guides for Belfast allowed us to see some of the sights in great company A bar crawl of Belfast in some great company A backstreet of bars in Belfast
Next up our epic trip on the Triumph Tigers takes us on another ferry trip, this time from Belfast across to the Isle of Man for TT 2018.
After the first Dakar held in the Middle East last January, the competitors and crews are heading back to Saudi Arabia to continue exploring the deserts of the country.
Dakar 2021
The route designed for the 2021 edition is a loop course beginning and ending in Jeddah, where the toughest competitors will arrive a few days after the rest day in Ha’il. While the bivouac will revisit some of the places where it set up camp a few months ago, the specials will be 100 per cent new.
Dakar 2021 returns to Saudi Arabia
As the race enters uncharted territory, the measures taken in 2020 to put the focus on navigation will continue their natural progression. Road books will now be handed out in the morning right before the start of each special. Some categories will have digital road books.
Dakar 2021
Furthermore, the rules have been amended to slow down the vehicles and, in general, to make the race safer. Certain hazardous sections will be categorised as “slow zones” where the speed limit will be set at 90 km/h. Air-bag vests will now be mandatory and subject to inspection by race officials during technical scrutineering. Motorcycle competitors will only be allowed six tyres for the duration of the event.
Dakar 2021 returns to Saudi Arabia
Penalties for engine changes were introduced a few years ago to encourage bikers to ride carefully. From next year, time penalties will be applied starting from the second piston change even if the rest of the engine remains the same. Finally, riders will no longer be allowed to work on their motorbikes at refuelling stations.
Red Sea
The Dakar convoy will start their 2021 odyssey on the shores of the Red Sea as they depart Jeddah on January 3.
Jeddah, the economic heart of the country, will host both the start and the finish of Dakar 2021
Competitors will spend the following two weeks navigating their way through Saudi Arabia’s expansive deserts.
Dakar will navigate the deserts of Saudi Arabia
A well earned Rest Day will come in the ancient city of Ha’il at the midway point on January 9.
Ha’il For centuries, Ha’il was a stop on a trade route between the Red sea and Mesopotamia. The region is also famous for its numerous rock faces covered with rock art, which stand as reminders of the presence of human populations going back almost 10,000 years.
A hero’s reception awaits those who manage to meet every challenge and cross the finish line back in Jeddah on January 15. The winners will be celebrated on the podium, but everyone who completes the Dakar has the right to be satisfied at overcoming the toughest test of endurance.
Dakar 2021 in Saudi Arabia
Dakar Rally director David Castera
“Sometimes it feels like the other side of the rainbow is just around the corner and a magical treasure is within reach. The two weeks of the 2020 edition in Saudi Arabia, when the Dakar inaugurated Chapter 3 of its history in style, were one such time. Our Saudi hosts had the daring inspiration to believe in this marriage, a vision shared by all the competitors and their crews. Stage after stage, and often multiple times within the same stage, the majestic landscapes of the region left us dazzled and in awe. However, Saudi Arabia only revealed a tiny part of its mysteries, leaving plenty of surprises in store for the next edition in January 2021. Over the last few weeks, we have plunged back into our GIS software and last year’s recon notes and realised just how vast the possibilities are. The route we have prepared, a gigantic tour of the Saudi deserts, reuses none of the tracks and dunes that featured in the specials last January. The possibilities open to us have given us the opportunity to design a more technical course with more varied terrain and fewer fast sections. Along with the changes in the style of the course, we are also rolling out new features with a view to making the race even truer to the values of rally raid. Shifting the focus from raw speed to navigation are part of a holistic approach in which the creation of the Dakar Classic bridges the legends of the past and the excitement of the future. After all, adventure is a timeless pursuit, is it not?”
If you’re looking for a light read about motorcycles, the riding lifestyle and growing old gracefully, check out Shiny Side Up by BMW fan Ron Davis.
The book consists of extracts from the Wisconsin rider’s columns, features and stories published in various magazines, mainly BMW Owners News.
Hence the book’s subtitle: Musings on the Improbable Inclination to Travel on Two Wheels.
Ron may be a BMW rider and all that goes with that and he may be a farkle fiend, but he’s not a bad bloke for a Yank!
Shiny Side Up
Despite all that, his writing feels inclusive, although maybe it’s just that I can empathise being of a similar vintage.
What I like about Ron’s writing is what it is not. It is not contrived nor an imitation of Hunter S. Thompson (you know who I mean), it is not boastful (yes, him again) and it is not sesquipedalian-ly loquaciousness (look it up – and yes, him again).
Ron’s self-deprecating whit is charming, inoffensive and clean!
Here’s a lovely extract from the second chapter “How to lose friends and influence absolutely no one” where Ron attempts small talk at a neighbourhood cocktail party:
Somehow, knowing the name of Hans Muth’s dog, or the incredible run of sixties-era BMW sidecar victories turns out to be, socially, the equivalent of having breath that smells like a bucket of walleye guts … after three days … in the sun.
(By the way, a walleye is a type of North American fish.)
Wisconsin rider
Ron is based in Wisconsin so there are a few travelogue chapters that may feel alien to non-Americans. Or maybe they will entice you to head State-side.
And because the book’s chapters are taken from his magazine articles it can be disjointed and a little repetitive, but only if you try to read it in one sitting as I did while I waited for my bike to be serviced.
Best of all, the paperback fits nicely in your tank bag so you can take it on your next riding holiday to fill in those lonely hours while you wait for the tow truck. Unless, of course, you own a Japanese bike.
Shiny Side Up is published by Road Dog Publications and you can buy it from Amazon for $8+ on Kindle or $31.55 in paperback.
A few minutes after winning the 2019 250SX East main event at Nashville last April, all veteran rider Martin Davalos could point to was the fact that he wanted to graduate to the premier 450SX class for the 2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.
“I just want a 450 ride, man,” exclaimed the native of Ecuador who has spent virtually his entire career racing in the United States. “I’ve been in this class a long time and I just want a shot. I know what I’m capable of doing on that bike, outdoors on a 450 was good for me on the Husky in 2017. I believe in myself, I know I can do it.”
Martin Davalos at Unadilla in 2017
It came at the eleventh hour early last December, but Davalos, a five-time 250SX main event winner during his career, was hired to race a KTM 450 SX-F for Team Tedder/Monster Energy/Lucas Oil/KTM Racing. And thus far, and despite the chaos and uncertainty the Pandemic has cast upon this year’s stadium tour, Davalos and the entire Team Tedder outfit have had plenty to be both pleased and optimistic about. Davalos placed ninth overall in the 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship in his only season racing 450 – But Davalos hit the ground running at Angel Stadium early this year and has performed well throughout the season. Now we are on the outskirts of Salt Lake City where Davalos will contest the final rounds of the 2020 Championship.
Martin, first and foremost, how are you and how have you been?
“Well, obviously, we all went into quarantine and weren’t able to do much, so I took advantage of it all and took some time to enjoy my new son Leo, who just turned nine months old this week. That’s something I didn’t get to do much of when he was born because he was born and the racing season started. I sort of wanted to get the season done and to get my summer going, but at the end of the day, it is what it is. We just kind of made the best out of it and took a little break and enjoyed my son as much as I could. I’m having so much fun with him.”
Martin Davalos
Okay, so as of the resumption of the Monster Energy Supercross Series, you’ve been holding station in the Salt Lake City vicinity, correct?
“Yes, basically, and luckily enough, Dakota and Matt Tedder arranged us a really, really nice Airbnb and we’ve been able to stay in Park City, which is really beautiful. My wife couldn’t come here with me with my son, so I basically came solo and I’m trying to do as much as I can. My wife works full-time, and we’ve just kind of been getting it done. And like you’ve probably been told, we’re quarantined here for the time, so we can’t leave. I’m surrounded by good people here and we’re taking advantage of beautiful Utah is and how nice everything is and I’m continuing my training just as if I were at home. That’s all been keeping me kind of humbled and entertained a little bit.”
You guys have run these consecutive races at Salt Lake’s Rice-Eccles Stadium. What do you make of it all thus far?
“It’s what we have to do. I honestly don’t mind this format because we’re just kind of getting it done. For me, it’s very important on trying to be as fresh as possible for the race. I’m 34 years-old, I’m not 15 or 20 years-old like other people that I’m racing. For me, the race day is the most important thing. I’m trying to get as much possible out race day that I can. I’m also focusing on recovery. As you know, the altitude here is a huge problem. I was born in Ecuador and I kind of know what my body is going to feel like and what I need to do, so I’ve been focusing a lot on that so that I can be as fresh as possible for race day.”
Martin Davalos
As of the late December of 2019 you were without a ride for 2020. Then, during the first week of that month, word dropped that the Tedder/Monster Energy/Lucas Oil/KTM Racing signed you to a race a KTM 450 SX-F in the 2020 Monster Energy Supercross Series. It was as if the stars lined up…?
“As you said Eric, there were no rides. I mean it’s just incredible what everybody has to go through. You know, I’ve known Dakota for a long time. I trained with him at Pro Circuit, as we both shared Ty Kady, who was our trainer. I knew Dakota’s family very well and they’ve been so good to me and are great people. I’ve been very blessed to end up where I am right now. We have a great program. The relationship that Matt Tedder has with factory KTM and the amount of parts that we’re able to get from them is excellent. What I like the most about it all, though, is that I’m really able to focus on and set the bike up the way I want it. I have that freedom. Anything that I need from KTM, they have been good to me and so has WP with the testing. Honestly, at the beginning of the season I was riding Kawasaki and went to Geneva and raced. We didn’t have a lot of time on the bike and I didn’t do much testing because I wanted to get comfortable with it. Honestly, the more I ride the KTM, the better I am. I think more time on the bike is helping me right now. it’s only going to get better. If I decide to race next year and continue my partnership with the Tedders, it’s only going to become a better thing for me. I’m going to be more familiar with the team, the bike and I’ll have more time to test and I think that’s all going to be very important.”
Martin Davalos
It’s very noticeable that KTM and KTM North America have had a heavy hand in creating your race bike. I mean the motorcycle has essentially the same race motor as the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing bikes. Good equipment for you and Team Tedder?
“Yeah, it’s a very good bike, man. I’m super-pumped with what we have going on and the amount of parts that we’re able to get. Everything has been good. During practice, the bikes are great. That was one of my biggest concerns, you know: I wanted to be comfortable in a team where I was ale to set up the bike they way I wanted to and focus on my riding. They’re family owners and they really understand giving me the freedom to do what I wanted to do. They respect that I have a family and I’m able to train at home. Yeah, it’s just been great, man. I’m super, super happy where I am right now and I think that’s another huge part of how my year is going. I think it’s all about just having a good program and being happy with what you’re doing.”
And the results have been coming! I mean going back to Atlanta, you’ve gone 5-14-6-11-8-6 in the last six main events, you are now slotted-in at 13th in 450SX points. That’s encouraging.
“Yeah, and I feel like I have a little more in me. I feel like at the beginning of the year I was kind of riding the bike like a 250F. I’ve had experience on the 450, but it takes a lot of riding and racing to really get what you want. I’m learning and I think I’m getting better and my fitness is getting a lot better. You know, I’m just happy to race. I have a really good team behind me. Matt, Christine and Dakota have done nothing but help me. They’re here for me and want to help me succeed. To be able to have that behind you is obviously a great thing.”
Okay Martin, what’s the masterplan for the rest of the summer, and for the rest of the year, for that matter?
“When I first talked with Matt, we just decided to do supercross and to see where it went. I think I wanted to just take my time with supercross. We didn’t really think much about outdoors. He’s mentioned that I could do a few rounds if I wanted to, but this year has been very awkward already and it sounds like the outdoor races might be limited now. I think this is a good year for me to focus just on my supercross season and go into the summer and just stay on the bike and get some more base fitness going on and talk to Matt and see what options we have for next year and maybe just give it my all next year, you know? I think I’m riding the only Monster Energy KTM in the world. That’s pretty cool. I’m excited, you know? I’m excited to finish of these rounds and to try and get in the top 10 and just really prove myself.”
Martin Davalos leading at Glendale earlier this season Source: MCNews.com.au
When it comes to no-frills traditional touring the first bike that comes to mind is the Harley-Davidson Road King.
That is partly because of the name: Road King by name, road king by nature.
Apart from auxiliary riding lights, lockable panniers, cruise control, a windscreen and some crash protection, the rest is simple and traditional motorcycling.
At its core is a hefty 107 cubic-inch (1745cc) Milwaukee Eight engine that is refined brute strength for hauling your ass and your luggage.
And it will ably haul two in more comfort now that the bike gets the fatter and wider pillion seat from the Heritage Softail.
The rider will also enjoy the slightly narrower seat so your legs are as splayed as before.
What I love about this bike is that it does everything in an understated manner. Nothing showy, just honest touring motorcycling.
Despite its simplicity, it is actually quite flexible and really a two-in-one bike when you consider you can easily remove the windscreen and panniers in less than a minute.
Road King power
Since 2017, the Touring models have the Milwaukee Eight engine which is not only more powerful, but also smoother, quieter and runs cooler!
The Milwaukee Eight is so called because they have gone from the Twin Cam to a quieter single chain-driven camshaft with four lighter valves per head. There’s eight valves in all, hence “Milwaukee Eight”.
The ignition thump is gone as is a much of the mechanical noise.
Finer internal tolerances and lighter components have made it mechanically quieter which means Harley’s engineers have legally been able to ramp up the volume and bass in the exhaust.
While the transmission is much less “agricultural” in feel, neutral can still be a little difficult to find. It’s easier if you try to obtain that green “N” light just before coming to a stop.
I’m a little disappointed to see that the convenient heel shifter is no longer standard. It would be my first accessory purchase.
I have been riding the bike around for a couple of weeks in fairly cool and wet weather, so I haven’t been able to asses its engine heat.
However, the ignition has been advanced to make it cooler,lowered the rear header down and moved the catalytic converter rearwards.
The last time I rode one a couple of years ago I found thermal comfort had improved, but there was still plenty of heat around the back of the leg. The pillion also complained about heat being directed at her right ankle.
However, you can remove the windscreen for better summer ventilation.
Ride and handling
The Road King is the best handling of the touring models with a light front end, the most clearance and a precise feel.
The taut chassis and good clearance allow it to be thrown around much more than you would expect of a 362+kg monster.
This is largely due to the Showa dual bending valve forks.
They have also removed some of the jackhammer effect in the grips, although the long mini-ape bars relay vibration and impact shudders to your hands.
I found gloves with palm padding mitigates the effects.
The new emulsion-technology rear shock absorbers improves the ride, but it’s still a little short over some of Queensland’s bumpy B roads.
The twin springs can be easily adjusted with a single knob, but you have to remove a pannier first.
They also offer 15 to 30% more pre-load adjustment for heavier loads.
Creature comforts
Apart from better seats, the mini-apes are a good fit for me and the floorboards are generous for long-legged riders.
Instruments are simple and understated: a single round speedo with a small LCD screen showing a variety of information you can toggle through with the switch on the left bar.
There is also an analogue fuel gauge in the left “dummy” fuel cap.
The Road King has a minimum of chrome, but lush paintwork and don’t you love that mint-green colour scheme. Once again, understated and stately.
