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Troy Herfoss to ride at St. George SMP Summer Night Series this Saturday

Herfoss & Penrite Honda Racing join Summer Night Series January 8


Troy Herfoss and Penrite Honda Racing will fast track their 2022 return to competition by joining the Summer Night Series at Sydney Motorsport Park, this Saturday January 8, for Round 3.

With the opportunity to compete in a night series race run by the Saint George Motorcycle club, Herfoss wastes no time when it comes to getting himself prepared for the season ahead.

Troy Herfoss

“It’s a bit earlier in the year than usual for us to start racing, but we figure there’s no better way to get me as prepared as possible than doing race starts and riding on a track with other fast riders. We’ll go out there on Saturday to enjoy a bit of competition again.”

Troy Herfoss will head to SMSP for the Summer Nights Series
Troy Herfoss will head to SMSP for the Summer Nights Series – Image RbMotoLens

Herfoss’s sole focus during the break was to improve his strength ahead of the first official test for 2022 at the Island on 27-28th January.

“I’m definitely making progress. I’ve still got some pain in my hip, but to be honest, it’s not going to hold me back too much on the bike. I can hold my body weight in chin-up position now, which I couldn’t do even as recently as December when I rode at Tailem Bend so, I know I’m getting a lot stronger really quickly. I think it will be good to do a couple of short races to force me to put my body through a bit of physical stress, at a practice day you think about ailments more when you’re just riding around but in a race situation, you just get on with the job and definitely learn a lot faster on where you’ve got to be stronger. It will be great to get out there.”

Troy Herfoss
Troy Herfoss with Jack Miller at The Bend last month – Image RbMotoLens

Penrite Honda Racing Director Deon Coote is pleased with Herfoss’s progress.

Deon Coote

“We’re looking forward to Troy getting back on track with more body strength and for him to find that winning feeling as early as possible in 2022.”

Source: MCNews.com.au

Ducati 500 Sport Desmo

Ducati 500 Sport Desmo

With Phil Aynsley


I covered Ducati’s first production parallel twin, the 500GTL, in an earlier column (link). Now we can have a look at the more successful follow up models.

Ducati 500 Sport Desmo

Due to the public’s poor response to the GTL the company rapidly introduced the Sport Desmo the following year, 1976. Leo Tartarini was responsible for the new styling (later used on the Darmah V-twin) which completely transformed the look of the bike.

While the change to Desmo valve operation was the biggest engine modification, other improvements included the compression ratio being raised to 9.6:1 and together with larger 30 mm carburettors the result was a power increase to about 50 hp at 8500 rpm – a marked improvement over the GTL’s 35 hp! Weight however had risen from 170 to 185 kg.

Ducati 500 Sport Desmo

Other changes from the GTL were the use of a double downtube frame (still using the motor as a stressed member), cast FPS wheels and a rear disc brake.

A 350 cc version was also built with 1,166 produced up until 1980. The one seen here was imported to gauge demand and probably the only one in Australia. It is original condition and ridden regularly.

Ducati 350 Sport Desmo

Given Australia was Ducati’s largest export market during the ‘70s we received reasonable quantities of 500 Sport Desmos with 224 reaching these shores.

Interestingly the bike seen here is one of the final batch of 67 Sport Desmo’s requested by the Australian importers Frasers in 1983, four years after the previous order. As with Frasers’ 1978 orders of the 750GT and Sport, this last batch of 500 Sport Desmo’s were also likely built from parts.

The only difference to the earlier bikes was the use of Oscam wheels – although this bike has one of each! It is fitted with aftermarket Hagon rear shocks and a dogleg clutch lever.

The Ducati 500GTV

The 500GTV replaced the GTL in 1977 and used the styling and chassis of the Sport Desmo with the valve-spring heads of the GTL.

Differences to the SD included the engine cases being painted black, different body work paint colours, a kick starter, higher handlebars and a full dual seat.

Production ceased in 1981 with 700 500s (36 imported to Australia in ‘77) and 958 350s built.

A line up of parallel-twins in Carlo Saltarelli’s collection in 2008. The green bike is a 350GTV and the red bike a 350GTL.

Source: MCNews.com.au

History made at Dakar on Stage Three | Huge wrap covering Tuesday’s competition

Dakar 2022 – Stage 3

Tuesday’s third stage of Dakar 2022 played out over an unscheduled loop in Al-Qaisumah on an altered route, shortened to a 255-kilometre special and a 380-kilometre link section as heavy rain in the area forced the organisers to cut short stage three, and with wet sand covering the tracks and dunes, the special delivered a fast-paced challenge to all competitors.

There were 214 kilometres of liaison to be tackled on a chilly Tuesday morning, with temperatures below 10°C, before reaching the start of the day’s timed special. The stage was raced over fast sandy tracks, some type two dune ridges and some twelve kilometres of off-piste tracks.

Hero MotoSports Team Rally rider Joaquim Rodrigues, in his sixth consecutive appearance at Dakar for the team, won Stage 3.  After a remarkable come-back in Stage 2, following a difficult Stage 1, Joaquim put up a fantastic performance right from the start of Stage 3 to move up to 17th outright.

Joaquim Rodrigues – Stage 3 Winner

I’m extremely happy with how my day has turned out. Even though the stage was really fast, with a lot of difficulty around alternating dunes and tracks, I was able to push hard right from the very first kilometer. The Hero Rally 450 has been performing extremely well, and I’m happy that our great combination has helped bring home the first stage win at the Dakar. Thank you, Hero MotoSports, for all the effort they have invested in me, and for putting me through a large number of races this year – this has definitely boosted my confidence by leaps and bounds.”

Joaquim Rodrigues

This is the first-ever stage win at the Dakar by an Indian Team and an Indian manufacturer who develop their Rally motorcycles in conjunction with German performance house Speedbrain.

Wolfgang Fischer – Hero Team Manager

We’ve made history! It’s amazing to enjoy the first stage win for Hero MotoSports at the Dakar today. We’re experiencing the sweet taste of victory after all the hard work a lot of people have put in over the past few last months and years. It is also JRod’s first stage win at the Dakar, and he absolutely deserves it. I’m really happy that he’s the one to have brought home this achievement for Hero MotoSports. Congratulations to the entire team, and to all our fans around the globe.

Joaquim Rodrigues

After his fifth-place result on stage two, Toby Price knew he would have to push right from the start to make up time on his rivals ahead. However, with times so tight, it was tough for the Australian to claw back much more than a few minutes. Maintaining good speed over the entire special, Price was able to ultimately fight his way up to second, just over one-minute down on the eventual stage winner by the end of the day. The result moves Toby up to 14th overall, as he continues to regain the time lost on stage one.

Toby Price
Toby Price – P2 on stage

Today has been a good day – super fast, so you can’t really make up time on anyone. We had some lines in the dunes that you could see, so I just tried to make a good clean stage and not make any big mistakes. I did have one little get-off, but other than that, nothing major. The results are close, but we’re going in the right direction, and we’ll see what tomorrow brings.”

Toby Price

Husqvarna’s Skyler Howes found the conditions very much to his liking, pushed hard from his fourth-place start position, made few errors and caught the three riders ahead of him before the end of the stage. Opening the special from there on, the American was able to maintain his position on the time sheets, despite his rivals chasing him down. Another fourth-place stage result means that Howes now lies fourth in the overall standings and will also enjoy a strong start position for Wednesday’s long 465-kilometre timed special from Al Qaysumah to Riyadh.

Skyler Howes – P4 on stage

Today was really fun – fast like yesterday with plenty of tracks and some technical dunes. I started off fourth and stayed there till around kilometre 250 where there was a tricky-to-find waypoint and I managed to catch up with the three in front. From there to the finish I opened the whole way, which was really fun and good experience. I did ok on my navigation today, not perfect but it all went smoothly, and I was able to stay at a good pace even from the front. Fourth on the stage is really encouraging, so I’m stoked and already looking forward to tomorrow.

Skyler Howes

As the 23rd rider to enter stage three after his little detour yesterday, Daniel Sanders was on the gas from the moment he entered the special until he roared across the finish line in Al Qaisumah. Despite being slightly frustrated that the stage was cut short due to heavy rain, the Aussie remains upbeat and near the front of the provisional standings. Sanders is now just under nine-minutes behind the race leader, team-mate Sam Sunderland, despite losing a few minutes on Tuesday when he stopped to have a feed late in the stage as he was hungry!

Daniel Sanders
Daniel Sanders – P5 on stage

It was a good day today. It’s a shame that the stage was cut short as I had a solid pace going and feel like I’d have made up some more time on the guys in front. The navigation was a little bit easier that previous days, so I was able to put my head down and charge all day pretty much. I enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

Daniel Sanders

Clawing back more time on stage three, Andrew Short was able to make up nearly four minutes on the provisional leader after another strong ride to complete the special as the sixth fastest rider. Thoroughly enjoying the rain-soaked sand dunes which have formed a large part of all the timed specials so far in this year’s Dakar, the American looks now forward to stage four as he begins to work his way up the leaderboard.

Andrew Short – P6 on stage

Stage three was pretty good. I rode smooth and consistent, just maintaining a solid pace throughout and I ended up sixth which is pretty decent. I didn’t make any mistakes and it was a relatively simple stage, some high speed navigation thrown in but nothing too crazy. The terrain is simply amazing after all the rain that has fallen here recently so riding wise it’s been so much fun and I’m excited for more of the same tomorrow.

Andrew Short

Ricky Brabec was Monster Energy Honda Team’s best-placed rider on Stage Three, finishing seventh on the day in RallyGP after having set off from fifteenth position. Fine work for the American who is attempting to claw his way back up the rankings stage by stage.

Ricky Brabec – P7 on stage

The day was fine. The rain a couple of days ago meant that the sand and dirt is still quite wet. When you start up in the rear of the pack, there’s not much navigation and you can see the lines go forever across the valleys and the dunes, so it makes it pretty easy from the back. Today was a fast day, one of the fastest. It’s only day three but we’re a little bit behind. We’ll wait to see how it goes tomorrow and we’ll keep pushing to see what happens at the end.”

Impressing once again with both his speed and consistency, Kevin Benavides rode a solid stage three to claim eighth place. As the third rider into the special, it meant that the Argentinian was soon up near the front of the pack, opening the stage along with another three riders. Thanks to his strong run of form, despite losing time on the difficult to navigate opening stage, Kevin now lies eighth in the provisional overall standings.

Kevin Benavides
Kevin Benavides – P8 on stage

I set off third today and so pushed right from the start. After the refueling I caught up to the guys in front and we rode together as a group of four in the end, which was good as the pace was quite high. Day by day I’m getting back some of the time I lost with a mistake on stage one, so things are going well.”

Kevin Benavides

Adrien Van Beveren’s highly positive start to the 2022 Dakar Rally continued through stage three with the Frenchman placing ninth on the high speed timed special. With his strong finish comfortably defending his second-place ranking in the provisional classification, the 30-year-old will now enter stage four with an advantageous starting position and aim to deliver yet another impressive result.

Adrien Van Beveren – P9 on stage

Today was good. It was very fast with a lot of open desert and with simple navigation, so nobody made any major mistakes. So far, the rally is going really well for myself and the team. I feel great on the bike and everything is perfect at the moment, so I will keep focused and continue to take things day by day.

Adrien Van Beveren

As the 14th rider to take to Tuesday’s stage, Matthias Walkner had hoped to use it to his advantage and chase down the riders ahead. With the special shortened and times extremely close, despite his overall speed on the stage, Walkner was unable to retake as much time as he would have liked. However, making the minimum of mistakes, the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion was able to steer his KTM 450 RALLY to the finish in 10th place, successfully defending his third-place position in the overall event standings.

Matthias Walkner
Matthias Walkner – P10 on stage

It was a really, really fast stage today. The guys in front did a good job of navigating, so even though we had some lines in the wet sand, it was hard to make up that much time. I’m lying third in the overall, but it’s still very early, so we’ll see what tomorrow brings.”

Hovering just outside the top 10 in the overall provisional classification after stage three is Ross Branch. Recording the 11th fastest time on the shortened stage, the Botswana native now advances to 11th in the general rankings and goes into stage four, the longest of the Dakar, with a highly favourable starting position.

Ross Branch – P11 on stage

It was a really good day for me today. I was a little off the pace though, but not too far off. Navigation was pretty easy and everyone was close in times, but by finishing 11th it means I have good starting position for tomorrow. All in all, a good day, no mistakes, and I’m really happy with my riding. I just need to up the pace a little tomorrow and I’m looking forward to stage four.

Ross Branch

José Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Cornejo made a good recovery in the shortened special. The young Chilean continues to make notable progress, posting eleventh, a little over five minutes shy of the day’s winner. 

José Ignacio Cornejo – P12 on stage

I’m happy with today’s stage. It was a long and entertaining one. The times were very tight, so you couldn’t make much of a difference, but it was possible to get a good position for tomorrow’s stage. I think it went well and I didn’t lose any time to the stage frontrunners, so we’ll try to make it up day by day focusing hard. We’ll see what’s in store for tomorrow, hopefully it will be more linear and more fluid and with a bit less navigation than yesterday.”

GASGAS Factory Racing’s Sam Sunderland opened the special after setting off in second place before a minor issue finding a waypoint caused him to lose a little bit of time. With all riders setting a similar pace, he ultimately placed 17th, just seven-and-a-half minutes behind the stage winner to retain the overall rally lead. 

Sam Sunderland – P17 on stage

Today was very sandy, and very fast! I had a little bit of difficulty finding a waypoint, which allowed a few riders to catch up with me, so I knew I’d lost a bit of time there. But overall, it wasn’t too bad. We’re in for a really long stage tomorrow so starting further back is a good thing and I’m excited for a long day on the bike.

Sam Sunderland

Joan Barreda’s role as the day’s track-opener could have gone far worse for the Spanish rider who had been expected to drop considerable time compared to the frontrunners. By the end of the day Joan had only conceded ten-and-a-half minutes to the eventual stage winner. Bang Bang currently holds twelfth place, less than 24 minutes behind the overall rally leader. 

Joan Barreda – P24 on stage

It was a good stage, I think I didn’t do too badly. I opened the entire special and I felt strong, with good navigation until about kilometre 200, where there was a waypoint in the dunes that took me a few minutes to validate. I think I lost about 10 minutes until the group arrived. In any case, I’m happy with the job done today.

Pablo Quintanilla planned the day with tomorrow’s stage in mind, however, he dropped a fair amount of time to finish twenty-second, although holding on to an intermediate position in the general rankings close to his main rivals.

Pablo Quintanilla – P26 on stage

A sandy stage, with a lot of dunes and some navigation. I pushed at the beginning with some good pace in case anyone made a mistake and I would be right there. The important thing will be tomorrow’s stage, and at the end of the day I realised that the bunch in front of me navigated well and I slowed down a bit, dropping a few minutes. Tomorrow will be the longest special stage of the rally and possibly one of the most difficult. We have a good position to attack tomorrow. We’ll see if we can make up a few minutes in the general standings.”

Suffering a technical issue yesterday, Tech3 KTM Factory Racing’s Danilo Petrucci was forced to withdraw from the stage. Returning to the team at the bivouac, the electrical problem was found and rectified, and the Italian rider was cleared to rejoin the race, although he will no longer feature in the event classification. Setting off 51st into today’s stage three, Petrucci immediately began fighting for a top-20 position, despite the traffic he had to encounter. A small mistake towards the end of the stage cost him a couple of minutes, but Danilo was able to hold on for an impressive 22nd place.

Danilo Petrucci – P22 on stage

I’m really happy to be able to continue riding today after the issue I had yesterday. Yes, I’ve lost one stage, but it feels good to be racing again. I really enjoyed the stage today, the goal was just to get to the end, but it was very fast and really good fun. There were a lot of lines in the sand, but I still tried to read the roadbook and learn more in the way of my own navigation. I did make a couple of small mistakes, but it feels so good to be back on the bike. I have nine more stages to continue learning and I’m looking forward to it.”

Danilo Petrucci

Aussie privateer Andrew Houlihan was 113th on the stage and is now 112th outright.

Tomorrow’s Stage Four

The fourth stage will see the entire Dakar bivouac transfer to the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh. It will feature the longest special stage of the race, with 465 kilometres out of a total distance of 707 kilometres. From Al Qaisumah, riders and drivers will encounter a myriad of terrain types, each one more demanding than the previous: some 200 kilometres of fast track, dunes, rocks and stones and oueds – dry rivers crossings – which could cause some shake-ups in the general standings.

Dakar 2022 – Stage 3 Results

2022 Dakar Stage Three Results
Pos Rider Team/Bike Time/Gap
1 Joaquim Rodrigues Hero Motosports 02h 34m41
2 Toby Price Red Bull KTM +00h01m03
3 Mason Klein Bas Dakar KTM +00h01m14
4 Skyler Howes Husqvarna +00h01m26
5 Daniel Sanders Gasgas +00h02m55
6 Andrew Short Monster Energy Yamaha +00h03m36
7 Ricky Brabec Monster Energy Honda +00h04m18
8 Kevin Benavides Red Bull KTM +00h04m28
9 Adrien Van Beveren Monster Energy Yamaha +00h04m43
10 Matthias Walkner Red Bull KTM +00h04m52
11 Ross Branch Monster Energy +00h04m59
12 Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo Monster Energy Honda +00h05m17
13 Martin Michek Orion – Moto Racing +00h05m27
14 Bradley Cox Bas Dakar KTM +00h05m53
15 Luciano Benavides Husqvarna +00h06m21
16 Xavier De Soultrait HT Rally Raid Husqvarna +00h06m31
17 Sam Sunderland GasGas Factory +00h07m30
18 Aaron Mare Hero Motosports +00h07m30
19 Stefan Svitko Slovnaft Rally Team +00h07m45
20 Lorenzo Santolino Sherco Factory +00h08m22

Dakar 2022 – Overall Standings after Stage 3

Dakar 2022 Provisional Standings after Stage 3
Pos Rider Team/Bike Time/Gap Penalty
1 Sam Sunderland GasGas Factory Racing 11h13m40
2 Adrien Van Beveren Monster Energy Yamaha +00h00m04
3 Matthias Walkner Red Bull KTM +00h01m30
4 Skyler Howes Husqvarna Factory Racing +00h03m55
5 Daniel Sanders GasGas Factory Racing +00h08m54 00h10m00
6 Orenzo Santolino Sherco Factory +00h11m47
7 Pablo Quintanilla Monster Energy Honda +00h16m51
8 Kevin Benavides Red Bull KTM +00h17m45
9 Stefan Svitko Slovnaft +00h17m54
10 Aaron Mare Hero Motosports +00h18m41
11 Ross Branch Monster Energy Yamaha +00h19m50
12 Joan Barreda Bort Monster Energy Honda +00h23m27
13 Mason Klein Bas Dakar KTM +00h26m10
14 Toby Price Red Bull KTM +00h26m21
15 Xavier De Soultrait HT Raid Husqvarna +00h30m56
16 Andrew Short Monster Energy Yamaha +00h32m05
17 Joaquim Rodrigues Hero Motosports +00h37m43
18 Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo Monster Energy Honda +00h44m08
19 Daniel Nosiglia Jager Rieju – FN Speed +00h47m57

2022 Dakar Rally schedule
Stage Date Start/Finish Distance | Special
STAGE 1A Sat, Jan 1, 2022 Jeddah > Hail 834 km | 19 km
STAGE 1B Sun, Jan 2, 2022 Ha’il > Hail 546 km | 334 km
STAGE 2 Mon, Jan 3, 2022 Ha’il > Al Artawiyah 585 km | 339 km
STAGE 3 Tues, Jan 4, 2022 Al Artawiyah > Al Qaysumah 554 km | 368 km
STAGE 4 Wed, Jan 5, 2022 Al Qaisumah > Riyadh 707 km | 465 km
STAGE 5 Thurs, Jan 6, 2022 Riyadh > Riyadh 563 km | 348 km
STAGE 6 Fri, Jan 7, 2022 Riyadh > Riyadh 635 km | 421 km
REST Sat, Jan 8, 2022 Riyadh
STAGE 7 Sun, Jan 9, 2022 Riyadh > Al Dawadimi 700 km | 401 km
STAGE 8 Mon, Jan 10, 2022 Al Dawadimi > Wadi Ad Dawasir 828 km | 394 km
STAGE 9 Tues, Jan 11, 2022 Wadi Ad Dawasir > Wadi Ad Dawasir 490 km | 287 km
STAGE 10 Wed, Jan 12, 2022 Wadi Ad Dawasir > Bisha 757 km | 374 km
STAGE 11 Thurs, Jan 13, 2022 Bisha > Bisha 500 km | 345 km
STAGE 12 Fri, Jan 14, 2022 Bisha > Jeddah 676 km | 163 km

2022 Dakar Rally schedule and map

Source: MCNews.com.au

Laverda’s first multi-cylinder machine

Laverda 200 Twin

With Phil Aynsley


Laverda’s first multi-cylinder motorcycle was the 200cc twin that was debuted in 1961 and entered production the following year.

Laverda 200 Twin

The bike was designed as an “everyday” model and the pushrod motor put out 11 hp at 6500 rpm. It featured a large ‘plunger’ type oil pump that ran off the rear of the crankshaft assembly.

The chassis was a combination of a tubular front cradle that was connected to a pressed steel rear section, giving the bike quite an overall “smooth” appearance. Weight on the Laverda 200 Twin was 120 kg and top speed reached 115 km/h.

Laverda 200 Twin

Production finished in 1967 after some 4,500 were built – with this bike being the last off the line. It wasn’t sold until 1971.

Source: MCNews.com.au

VR46 MotoGP team structure revealed for 2022

Mooney VR46 Racing Team

VR46 recently announced the new Title Sponsor for the VR46 Racing Team: Mooney, the first Italian Proximity Banking & Payments company. It is a global partnership that will see two leading companies in their fields united on and off tracks, in the name of important shared values such as: excellence, talent, speed, made in Italy and safety.

The Mooney VR46 Racing Team will have its beating heart in Tavullia with four young Italian riders on the starting grid of the 2022 season: Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi in MotoGP on Ducati bikes, together with Celestino Vietti Ramus and Niccolò Antonelli in Moto2 on Kalex bikes.

Mooney VR46 Racing Team

The agreement provides for an extensive collaboration that will create joint business activities, marketing and communication initiatives, with the aim of creating added value through advanced fintech services and payment systems offered by Mooney also on its capillary network of over 45 thousand sales points throughout Italy.

Valentino Rossi

“I am happy to have at our side from the upcoming season an Italian company like Mooney, leader in the field of proximity payments and with we share the strategy of developing the young Italian talents together with the research for a constant improvement in the performance” – said Valentino Rossi, Team Owner – “Mooney, in addition to being the Title Sponsor of our Team in the MotoGP and Moto2 World Championship, will also join us the VR46 Riders Academy and in my first four wheels racing season”.

Valentino Rossi

The upcoming season is around the corner for a Team that has grown from Moto3 until landing in MotoGP. The Mooney VR46 Racing Team will make its debut in the top class thanks to the inexhaustible passion of its Team Owner, Valentino Rossi, together with the Team Director Alessio Salucci and the CFO Alberto Tebaldi.

Alessio Salucci – Team Director

We are really proud of the path that led us to our MotoGP debut. The Mooney VR46 Racing Team will be nothing more than the evolution of the project started, almost eight seasons ago with the partnership with Sky Italia that led us to conquer the Championship in 2018, the title among the Teams in 2020 and being now a Team of reference in the lower categories of the Championship. We have chosen the right people, animated by the same commitment and passion. Our riders have the potential to achieve something great and keep us entertained. We are confident that we will soon reach the level of the most competitive teams. A common goal also in Moto2 where we want to remain one of the reference teams in the category’’.

Alessio Salucci

Pablo Nieto will be the Team Manager of the MotoGP crew while Luca Brivio is promoted to Team Manager in Moto2. In MotoGP, working on the Ducati bikes, we will meet again David Muñoz, crew chief alongside Luca Marini, Matteo Flamigni who will follow Marco Bezzecchi in his rookie season and Idalio Gavira as coach and head of tires strategy.

In Moto2, Roberto Locatelli is confirmed as coach for the young riders of the intermediate class together with Jairo Carriles in charge for the crew of Celestino Vietti Ramus while Danilo Angeli as crew chief of Niccolò Antonelli’s Team.

Source: MCNews.com.au

Moto News | AMA SX ready for take off! | Holder wins NSW title

AMA SX ready for take off!

The opening round of the 2022 Monster Energy AMA/ FIM World Supercross Championship gets underway this weekend at Angel Stadium, Anaheim in America.

With no races at the California stadium in 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, this will be the first of three races at the venue this season, as it will also host rounds four and six.

Other California venues back on the 17-round schedule for 2022 are Oakland and San Diego.

Jett Lawrence – Team Honda HRC 2022

2022 Monster Energy AMA/ FIM World Supercross Schedule

• Round 1 – January 8, Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA.
• Round 2 – January 15, RingCentral Coliseum, Oakland, CA
• Round 3 – January 22, Petco Park, San Diego, CA
• Round 4 – January 29, Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA
• Round 5 – February 5, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
• Round 6 – February 12, Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA
• Round 7 – February 19, US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
• Round 8 – February 26, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
• Round 9 – March 5, Daytona Intl. Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL
• Round 10 – March 12, Ford Field, Detroit, MI
• Round 11 – March 19, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
• Round 12 – March 26, Lumen Field, Seattle, WA
• Round 13 – April 9, Dome at America’s Center, St. Louis, MO
• Round 14 – April 16, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Atlanta, GA
• Round 15 – April 23, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
• Round 16 – April 30, Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, CO
• Round 17 – May 6, Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT


Jack Holder claims NSW Speedway title in Kurri Kurri

From FIMSpeedway

FIM Speedway Grand Prix first reserve Jack Holder kicked off 2022 in fine style after lifting the New South Wales State Championship on Sunday. The Torun favourite topped the podium at Kurri Kurri, defeating Sam Masters, Josh Pickering and Ben Cook in the A Final.

Jack Holder
Jack Holder – Photo by Taylor Lanning

Holder raced to 12 points in the heats – a tally bettered by former Aussie champion Masters on 14 and Pickering on 13.

All three riders earned automatic qualification for the A Final, with Ben Cook defeating Maurice Brown, Matthew Gilmore and Zach Cook in the B Final to complete the A Final line-up.

Holder then got the verdict in his biggest meeting of an Aussie summer, which has seen the Australian Championship and FIM Oceania Championship cancelled due to Covid-19 travel restrictions Down Under.

He could be in for a much busier European summer this year as he lines up for Torun in Poland and Sheffield in the SGB Premiership. He is also first in line for a SpeedwayGP call-up if any of the series regulars are forced out of a round due to injury, illness or other reasons.

Holder’s triumph in the NSW Championship follows back-to-back title wins for Justin Sedgmen in the Victorian and South Australian State Championships in December.

Sedgmen topped the SA podium in Gillman on December 28, beating Fraser Bowes, Brayden McGuinness and Zane Keleher in the A Final.

This followed his Victorian title triumph on home track Mildura ahead of Jordan Stewart, James Pearson and Fraser Bowes on December 18.

A top-four finish in an Australian state championship ensures riders qualify for a UK visa, if they do not have one already, although an increasing number of Aussie riders are now seeking team places in the Polish leagues.

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Danilo Petrucci knocked out of Dakar with mechanical issue

Tech3 KTM Factory Racing’s Danilo Petrucci suffered a technical issue early on in Stage 2 of the 2022 Dakar Rally, bringing his rally to a premature end, with a helicopter apparently needing to be called in around the 150 km mark.

Danilo Petrucci
Danilo Petrucci

The issue ends Petrucci’s chances of an official placing result, however he’ll be able to continue regardless.

He had finished Stage 1 in an extremely strong 13th place position overall, running 33m29s off early leader Daniel Sanders, and shared, “I’m really, really happy to finish my first real Dakar stage. I was so nervous at the start. Generally, all went ok for me but the 120 kilometers after the refueling seemed really, really long for me, especially with the big dunes.”

We’ve had no statement as yet on the mechanical issue or his thoughts after Stage 2.

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Source: MCNews.com.au

Toby Price in Dakar Stage 2 top five | Sanders opens stage, finishing P28

Dakar 2022 – Stage 2


We went into Stage 2 of the 2022 Dakar Rally with Australian Daniel Sanders holding a three-minute lead and opening the stage, ahead of Pablo Quintanilla, Matthias Walkner, Adrien Van Beveren, and Sam Sunderland. Toby Price meanwhile suffered a navigation error that saw a P22 result for Stage 1, dictating the same starting position for today’s stage.

Stage 2 would provide a big shake-up of the front runners, as the challenge of opening the stage bit Sanders on his GasGas machinery, ending up on the wrong side of a canyon for the finish.

Toby Price moves into top five overall after Dakar 2022 Stage 2
Toby Price moves into top five overall after Dakar 2022 Stage 2 – Dakar 2022 Stage 2 – Image by Rally Zone

The stage saw Sunderland move into the overall lead from Yamaha’s Adrien Van Beveren, with Sanders dropping to third 3m29s off the leader in the provisional results before a 10-minute penalty pushed him down to seventh. Walkner, Howes and Lorenzo Santolino completed the top five, with Toby Price moving into 15th. Price now sits 32m48s off the front runner, having closed the gap significantly.

The second full stage also brought about some route changes, with downpours over the last days causing flooding, including washing out the Al Artawiyah bivouac for the Marathon stage, with the Stage 2 destination camp instead changed to Al Qaisumah, with the 338.43-kilometre special stage unchanged, mainly featuring dunes.

Australian Daniel Sanders retains the lead into Dakar Stage 1
Daniel Sanders – Dakar 2022 Stage 2

Daniel Sanders found himself on the wrong side of canyon nearing the end of stage two, and had to make a quick decision. Instead of turning back, he opted to jump his GasGas RC 450F clean over it to get himself back in the race, which, fortunately, worked. From there it was a hard charge to the finish line, however a 10-minute penalty saw the rider lose a number of places as the results updated.

Daniel Sanders – P28

“Today was pretty wild to begin with as it was pretty cloudy and the stage was super-fast early on. I had a good day going until after a fuel stop where I went down the wrong side of a canyon and lost a little bit of time. In the end I had to jump over it to get out of it but once back on the right line I pushed on to the finish. A little frustrating but I was able to make up some time in the dunes so all in all, not a bad day really.”

Toby Price
Toby Price – Dakar 2022 Stage 2 – Image by Rally Zone

Toby Price’s second day at the 2022 Dakar proved a better one, with the Aussie building his pace throughout the day and fighting his way up the order. Completing the stage as fifth fastest, he earnt himself a strong start position for day three, where Price will aim to cut his deficit to the leaders once again.

Toby Price – P5

“Today went a lot better than yesterday, and I was able to claw back a little time on the leaders. It’s always tough when you lose a big chunk of time early on, but it’s still very early days and there’s a lot of racing left. The bike is really good – I’m feeling really comfortable – so let’s continue tomorrow and see what happens.”

Toby Price
Toby Price – Dakar 2022 Stage 2 – Image by Rally Zone

Australian Andrew Houlihan meanwhile finished the day in 110th and sits 112th overall.


Joan Barreda started the day from a favourable position to attack, let no-one stand between him and his goal, completing the special with a surplus of five-and-a-half minutes over the stage’s nearest rider.

Joan Barreda – P1

“I’m happy with today, especially after yesterday’s hard day, where several riders got lost. To make up time in the general standings is good, and we have to be aware that there are ten days ahead and that anything can happen. We are physically in good shape and we are looking forward to it. We have worked all year to get here in good shape, so now is the time to get it all out. I am also happy to be the third rider in the history of the Dakar with the most stage victories. I’m proud of the work I’ve done over the years and the mark I’ve left.”

Joan Barreda
Joan Barreda – Dakar 2022 Stage 2

Starting sixth on stage two of the 2022 Dakar Rally, Sam Sunderland put together a faultless display of riding and navigation to catch the front runners, lead the stage, and then bring his RC 450F Rally home in a fine second place. The strong result moves the Brit to the top of the provisional leaderboard.

Sam Sunderland – P2

“It was an interesting day today and it certainly went a bit more smoothly than yesterday, which is what I wanted. I started sixth and focused on just pushing hard to catch the leaders. There was some tricky navigation, but I figured out the way pretty quickly and caught up to Van Beveren. We then caught up with a few more of the leading guys so from there onwards we took it in turns to navigate and it was a pretty cool way to end the stage.”

Sam Sunderland
Sam Sunderland – Dakar 2022 Stage 2

Completing stage one in 14th place, defending Dakar Champion Kevin Benavides made the very best use of his starting position to make up time on his rivals. With his KTM 450 RALLY performing perfectly, Benavides was able to work his way up the rankings as the day progressed, moving into the top three by the halfway point. From there, the experienced Argentinian maintained a strong pace to the finish, ultimately claiming third, just under six minutes down on the stage winner.

Kevin Benavides – P3

“Today was a good day, especially after such a tough day yesterday. I started near the back and was able to push really hard. The special today was really fast in places, but also quite complicated – you had to know where to attack and where to focus on your navigation. It’s only day two and everything can happen at the Dakar – there are always ups and downs. I’m looking forward to the next few days.”

Kevin Benavides
Kevin Benavides – Dakar 2022 Stage 2

Starting the special stage as the 10th rider to set off, Skyler was quickly up to speed and chasing down the riders ahead of him, once again pushing hard but not taking any unnecessary risks so early on in the event. Enjoying the fast tracks and wet sandy conditions, the American was soon knocking on the door of a top-three finish, eventually bringing his FR 450 Rally home in fourth.

Skyler Howes – P4

“The stage went well for me – I felt pretty comfortable riding on the wet sand. The dunes and the fast, sandy tracks were a lot of fun to ride, so today was really enjoyable, especially after some of the stresses of yesterday. I felt like I rode at a pretty good pace, and I’m happy with my result. It puts me in a good position for stage three, so I hope I can maximise on that. My focus is just to keep putting in solid rides, and make sure that I stay focused on the navigation. Overall, I’m really happy with how today went.”

Skyler Howes
Skyler Howes – Dakar 2022 Stage 2

Joaquim Rodrigues of Hero Motosports was sixth, behind Toby Price, with Stefan Svitko of the Slovnaft Rally Team seventh.

Maintaining excellent form Adrien Van Beveren entered the high-speed special in fourth, and used his superior navigational skills to open the stage together with the other leading riders. Maintaining his strong pace throughout, he ultimately completed the stage as the eighth fastest competitor, advancing to second in the overall provisional classification.

Adrien Van Beveren – P8

“I’m happy about today’s stage, it looks like our navigation strategy has paid off again. My priority over the stage was to keep checking the road book and making the right changes of direction while still keeping a good pace and it has worked well. I have a good start position for tomorrow, so I will try and continue doing what I have been doing for these first two days and stay focused. It’s only been two stages so there’s a long way to go.”

Adrien Van Beveren
Adrien Van Beveren – Dakar 2022 Stage 2

It was also a positive day of racing for Andrew Short who, after a difficult first stage where he fell foul to a tricky note in the roadbook, clawed back 10 minutes on the provisional leader at the close of stage two. Completing the special as the ninth fastest rider ensures a beneficial starting position for stage three, where the American will once again focus on reeling in the riders ahead of him.

Andrew Short – P9

“Today went a lot better for me. My speed was good and the terrain was awesome. Very motocross-style in between the wide-open sections and overall it was just a great day on the bike. After refuelling I did make a small navigational mistake but otherwise today was much more positive and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Andrew Short
Andrew Short – Dakar 2022 Stage 2

Tech3 KTM Factory Racing’s Danilo Petrucci suffered a technical issue early on in the stage that brought his day to a premature end.

Tonight the Dakar convoy congregates at the Al Qaisumah bivouac due to the proposed Marathon bivouac at Al Artawiyah being washed out by heavy rains.

Stage 3 has also been affected due to the change of today’s bivouac. Race organisers yesterday decided to cancel the first sector of the special, so riders will not have to complete the 368-kilometre timed stage. The first riders are expected to arrive back in Al Qaisumah at approximately 13:00.

Dakar 2022 Results Stage 2
Pos Rider Team/Bike Time/Gap
1 Joan Barreda Bort Monster Energy Honda 03h31m20
2 Sam Sunderland Gasgas  +00h05m33
3 Kevin Benavides Red Bull KTM  +00h05m54
4 Skyler Howes Husqvarna  +00h06m16
5 Toby Price Red Bull KTM +00h07m00
6 Joaquim Rodrigues Hero Motosports +00h10m18
7 Stefan Svitko Slovnaft Rally Team +00h10m32
8 Adrien Van Beveren Monster Energy Yamaha +00h11m34
9 Andrew Short Monster Energy Yamaha +00h12m02
10 Aaron Mare Hero Motosports  +00h12m37
11 Martin Michek Orion Moto +00h13m18
12 Rui Gonçalves Sherco TVS +00h13m48
13 Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo Monster Energy Honda +00h14m26
14 Matthias Walkner Red Bull KTM +00h14m31
15 Ricky Brabec Monster Energy Honda +00h15m04
16 Lorenzo Santolino Sherco TVS +00h15m30
17 Luciano Benavides Husqvarna  +00h21m21
18 Camille Chapeliere Team Baines  +00h21m34
19 Joan Pedrero Garcia Rieju – FN Speed +00h22m31
20 Maciej Giemza Orlen Team +00h23m09
Dakar 2022 Provisional Standings after Stage 2
Pos Rider Team/Bike Time/Gap
1 Sam Sunderland GasGas  08h31m29
2 Adrien Van Beveren Monster Energy Yamaha +00h02m51
3 Matthias Walkner Red Bull KTM +00h04m08
4 Skyler Howes Husqvarna +00h09m59
5 Lorenzo Santolino Sherco TVS +00h10m55
6 Pablo Quintanilla Monster Energy Honda +00h12m31
7 Daniel Sanders GasGas  +00h13m29
8 Stefan Svitko Slovnaft +00h17m39
9 Aaron Mare Hero Motosports  +00h18m41
10 Joan Barreda Bort Monster Energy Honda +00h20m25
11 Kevin Benavides Red Bull KTM +00h20m47
12 Ross Branch Monster Energy Yamaha +00h22m21
13 Xavier De Soultrait Ht Rally Raid Husqvarna +00h31m55
14 Mason Klein Bas Dakar KTM +00h32m26
15 Toby Price Red Bull KTM +00h32m48
16  Andrew Short Monster Energy Yamaha +00h35m59
17  Daniel Nosiglia Jager Rieju – FN +00h40m31
18 Joaquim Rodrigues Hero Motosports +00h45m13
19 Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo Monster Energy Honda +00h46m21
20 Jan Brabec Strojrent Racing +00h50m32

2022 Dakar Rally schedule
Stage Date Start/Finish Distance | Special
STAGE 1A Sat, Jan 1, 2022 Jeddah > Hail 834 km | 19 km
STAGE 1B Sun, Jan 2, 2022 Ha’il > Hail 546 km | 334 km
STAGE 2 Mon, Jan 3, 2022 Ha’il > Al Artawiyah 585 km | 339 km
STAGE 3 Tues, Jan 4, 2022 Al Artawiyah > Al Qaysumah 554 km | 368 km
STAGE 4 Wed, Jan 5, 2022 Al Qaisumah > Riyadh 707 km | 465 km
STAGE 5 Thurs, Jan 6, 2022 Riyadh > Riyadh 563 km | 348 km
STAGE 6 Fri, Jan 7, 2022 Riyadh > Riyadh 635 km | 421 km
REST Sat, Jan 8, 2022 Riyadh
STAGE 7 Sun, Jan 9, 2022 Riyadh > Al Dawadimi 700 km | 401 km
STAGE 8 Mon, Jan 10, 2022 Al Dawadimi > Wadi Ad Dawasir 828 km | 394 km
STAGE 9 Tues, Jan 11, 2022 Wadi Ad Dawasir > Wadi Ad Dawasir 490 km | 287 km
STAGE 10 Wed, Jan 12, 2022 Wadi Ad Dawasir > Bisha 757 km | 374 km
STAGE 11 Thurs, Jan 13, 2022 Bisha > Bisha 500 km | 345 km
STAGE 12 Fri, Jan 14, 2022 Bisha > Jeddah 676 km | 163 km

2022 Dakar Rally schedule and map

Source: MCNews.com.au

Michelin Introduces The New Road 6 Tire For Sport Touring Motorcycles

Michelin is once again raising the bar for longevity and wet grip for sport touring motorcycles.

Begin press release:


The MICHELIN® Road 6 tire brings enthusiasts multiple new features designed to improve wet grip, longevity and appearance on a range of motorcycles.

The new tire, available now, is designed to improve performance for roadster, trail, sport and GT motorcycles and is available in the standard MICHELIN Road 6 tire range, as well as the MICHELIN Road 6 GT tire range for larger, heavier touring motorcycles.

Technologies from Michelin’s research centers around the world, coupled with the class-leading technology of the tire’s predecessor, the MICHELIN® Road 5 tire, leverage two decades of innovation to bring riders the following benefits:

Wet grip: The MICHELIN® Road 6 tire has 15% more grip than its predecessor in wet conditions thanks to silica technology tread compounds and a new tread pattern featuring MICHELIN® Water Evergrip Technology™.1

Longevity: The MICHELIN® Road 6 tire delivers 10% longer tread life compared with the previous generation.2

Tread design: An optimized ratio of grooves to rubber, known as the void ratio, gives improved grip performance in both wet and dry conditions. This ratio is not compromised when cornering, so riders have constant and accurate feedback from their tires. The MICHELIN® X-Sipe Technology™ combined with MICHELIN® Water Evergrip Technology™ ensures the tire has consistent grip throughout conditions and maintains its grip even as the tire wears – giving riders confidence in the tire from the first mile to the last mile. There are also new groove and sipe angles with longer edges that cut through water film and maintain road grip.

Tire compounds: MICHELIN® Silica Rain Technology™ improves the tire’s grip in colder conditions and on wet roads, promoting continuous performance and longer tread life. New for the MICHELIN Road 6 tire ranges is MICHELIN® 2CT+ Technology applied for the first time to the front tire, giving riders more stability entering corners.

Tire architecture: MICHELIN® Amplified Density Technology™ is a highly dense, rigid tire casing that gives riders excellent feedback and handling. Aramid tread plies resist centrifugal growth at speed, reduce weight and provide stability.

Improved aesthetics: MICHELIN® Premium Touch Technology™ is used in the design of the sidewalls, a feature originating from ultra-high-performance tires for sportscars. This exclusive technology uses micro geometry on the sidewalls to create texture, which in-turn allows it to modulate contrast and create shades of gray to highlight the tire markings and give an attractive finish.

The new tire range comprises six front and eight rear sizes, while the GT tire range is available in one front and three rear sizes. This complete range provides fitments for everything from small roadsters such as the KTM 390, through trail bikes, and up to GT machines such as the BMW K1600 GT/GTL.

Michelin Road Tire History

The MICHELIN® Road 6 tire follows a long line of Michelin firsts in this tire category:

2002 – MICHELIN® Pilot® Road – the first road tire range
2007 – MICHELIN® Pilot® Road 2 – the first road tire range featuring MICHELIN 2CT Technology
2011 – MICHELIN® Pilot® Road 3 – the first road tire range featuring sipes
2014 – MICHELIN® Pilot® Road 4 – the first road tire range with a dedicated GT version
2018 – MICHELIN® Road 5 – the first road tire range using MICHELIN Water Evergrip Technology
2022 – MICHELIN® Road 6 tire is launched, brining industry-leading performances to a variety of motorcycles

The post Michelin Introduces The New Road 6 Tire For Sport Touring Motorcycles appeared first on Motorcycle.com News.

2021 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS Review | Motorcycle Test

2021 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS Review

Motorcycle tested by Wayne Vickers – Images RbMotoLens


There’s a whole lot to like about the latest incarnation of the original, stripped back Hinckley street fighter. Not much to dislike actually. It’s not perfect, but it’s very, very close.

It’s actually been a while since I sampled a Speed Triple. I threw the leg over a mate’s ride several years back for a run across Mt Beauty on our annual trip to the high country. And even back then it did everything well. 

2021 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS

The recipe remains pretty much the same, although the execution has continued to improve with time. Take one naked bike with a trademark torquey triple that has plenty of bark. Add distinctive bug eyes, give it a comfortable yet sporty riding position that suits for both around town and out on the open road, without being too ‘attack’ mode oriented, and wrap it in a signature ‘pipe’ style frame with a single-sided swinger. Add lashings of good quality suspenders and brakes, then garnish with soft rubber to taste.

I’ve always had a bit of a thing for them even though I make no bones about the fact that my favourite sports naked is currently KTM’s terrific 1290 Superduke R. How do they compare? Well.. after spending some time on the new 1200RS, the orange corner has some genuine competition. Because the new Speed Trip absolutely rips.

2021 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS

Let’s start with the styling. Bug eye treatment aside – as you’ll either love that or not, the rest of the bike is beautiful. I spent quite an amount of time just walking around the bike admiring it. They’ve done a great job throughout. The build quality is outstanding and from almost every angle it just looks ‘right’. Good proportions, simple elegant details, with enough ‘tough’ to make it work. Even the stock muffler looks (and sounds!) pretty good!

And then you throw the leg over it expecting it to be a bit of a rack, but it isn’t. It’s bloody comfy. The seat is well shaped and plush, the reach to the bars is easy, ride position is good, controls feel natural and make sense, feet touch the deck easily. It just gets better and better. Keyless fob means it can stay in your pocket – you prod the on button and wait as the dash comes to life. ‘Hi Wayne’ it says, which is probably a nice distraction as you wait (and wait) for it to get itself organised before you can prod again and fire it into life. That dash does take too long, but the wait is worth it every time. It barks into life and you can’t help but smile. After a minute or so to warm up, a couple of blips and you smile even more. This is a fast revving engine. It feels and sounds high-compression-racey kinda tough. Sound’s intense. 

2021 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS

I can only imagine what one with an open slip on would sound like – it’d be mental. Ladies would faint, small children would stand with their mouths agape, non-believing heathens would be converted to the church of the triple. All the while knobs like me would make that wide-eyed, giggly face like we used to when stood in the lolly shop as a kid. 

2021 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS

Just back on the dash, they’ve done a nice job on this one. Removing all unnecessary size, clutter and graphical nonsense (unlike the Tiger 900 dash). By default it will even remove the odometer and range numbers as shown in the pics, but you can turn them back on – which I preferred. Nice design, nice font, pretty good controls. It was a bit annoying that I couldn’t flick through to the rider custom map (which i prefer) while on the move – you CAN flick through the other maps, just not the custom one. But I did like the fact that on start up you were prompted to confirm if you wanted the previously selected map to be used again before it defaulted back to standard map. One step closer to just leaving the map as the rider wants it I guess.

2021 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS

On the go it gels even further. First impressions are that the bike is light, well balanced and agile underneath you. It feels short wheelbase. By comparison it is indeed a little shorter than the 1290 SDR and although its been a while since I rode the KTM, the Triumph probably feels more alive, or less composed depending on your way of thinking. I like to think more alive. Be nice to ride them back to back though. That wouldn’t be a bad day…

2021 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS

At first the rear end of the bike was too harsh. Now as a rule I try not to adjust the clickers for a few hours as I get used to it, but it turned out that when I looked, someone had wound the comp all the way to max for some reason and I couldn’t even budge the clicker by hand. Any wonder it was harsh! I spent some time freeing it up and ended up with a pretty good setting in the end, just on the sporty side of normal. I settled with rebound set to 15 and comp to 19 for what it’s worth. It was still quite firm, but the harshness had been mostly eliminated and I didn’t need to touch the front.

Tip it into a corner or three and it’s more than happy to carve – and will change line in a heartbeat. At first the harsh suspension made typical Aussie road corners a bit of a sketchy affair, but with that settled back down it was far more confident. It’s still lively, don’t get me wrong. But the more I rode it the better it felt. Once you really got dialled into this bike I reckon it would be proper rapid. Even more so on smooth roads. And I spent a few hours in the saddle without any soreness at all.

2021 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS

One thing I did notice – and it could be just me, but I felt that the contact point inside your knee could have been nicer. Much like the Panigale V2 I tested, that point for me was right on a surface change, this time between frame and tank. I found it a bit distracting at times. Grip was still ok though and overall shape was fine.

2021 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS

Hard to go past the engine though. It’s a right monster. A caged banshee ready to let loose. It growls down low and howls once up in the rev range and makes you want to do bad things. It dishes out just on 180 horses and they’re full size beasties. The way it spools up – it’s so bloody eager and the delivery is impossibly linear even for a triple. 

Oh – And it’s fast. As in, really fast when you want it to be. It doesn’t tail off at all, nor does it seem to peak. It’s just more, more, more. How strong is it? Fifth gear wheelies strong. This thing is more than happy to wave at the clouds. Repeatedly. No clutch or hesitation required, just a little body position initiation. Possibly the most wheelie keen bike I’ve ridden – gid.dee.up. Unfortunately the planets didn’t align so that Snapper Rob and I could get some wheelie pics (sorry Trev and Nige!) so you just have to take my word for it. Maybe I’ll have to have it back again for just that purpose 😉 Yet even though it can be an animal if you want, it’s a complete pussy cat to dawdle around town on if you want.

2021 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS

Back to modes and stuff. Without boring you, there’s the standard wet, road, sport, track and custom ‘rider’ mode. Each one is individually customisable, but only the rider mode allows for TC to be fully off. Which allows wheelies. So obviously that’s where I mostly stayed. You can pick from a few different maps and ABS settings in each mode – I found myself torn between the two more aggressive maps for a preference. Sometimes I preferred it a little calmer – others I preferred the more instant response. 

The quick-shifter was the only thing that I didn’t grow to love. It works. It works well actually. The shift itself works wonderfully. I just didn’t like the feel of the short throw lever on my foot. It very much feels like the ‘switch’ that it is and is devoid of any mechanical linkage feel. There’s no snick. I like to feel something. I like stirring a good gearbox, but I didn’t get the same joy from this – I couldn’t ever get the feeling that I was totally at one with it – just the feeling of being slightly removed. And it’s a very, very short throw. The tiniest nudge will pull in a gear-change. That and finding neutral was painful. It got better at it as I got used to it. But it was still annoying at times.

2021 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS

Range wise – 250 is or thereabouts is about it. Even when really getting up it the economy was pretty good actually. I was in the 5 litres per hundred kay range pretty much all of the time. Fuel warning comes on with around 70 kms to go (which freaks you out when you have the odometer hidden as it tells you to fill immediately). But that range is okay on a bike like this. You’re probably rarely going to do massive kays on a full naked bike with the wind effect. I reckon a 5-600 km day would be enough for most people and you could easily do that on this. 

Brakes were lovely, as you’d expect. Brembo Stylema Monoblocs. That’s all you need to know. All the power and feel you’ll ever need. On the rear I did have a noisy pad that was gradually getting better. Probably just wasn’t bedded in properly from new but it was still functioning perfectly well.

2021 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS

Wind-wise, yep. You get a fair bit of it as expected. The little genuine screen that’s available could be worth a look, not just for a little wind deflection help, but I reckon it’d also help integrate the bug eye lights in a bit more too. Oh – and if you’re wondering, those mirrors actually work pretty well. Possibly the world’s first small funky looking mirrors that are actually functional! 

So. Is it the new king of the sports naked class for me? Well… it deserves the accolades it’s getting that’s for sure. It’s seriously capable, seriously quick and has character to burn. That engine is addictive. Comparing it to my memories of the 1290SDR – I suspect the Kato is probably a whisker roomier, naturally easier to balance at the wheelie point and more settled while on its side. Conversely, the Speed Triple RS probably feels a little more urgent, exciting and overall more rewarding compared to the effortlessness of the big twin. I reckon the Triumph feels faster… I’m genuinely intrigued to find out how they’d compare at a track.

They’re so close. This is not me sitting on the fence, but I’d have to ride them back to back to split them and like most riders it would probably come down to some very subjective elements to decide, the new Speed Triple 1200 RS really is that good. Either way, they’re both outstanding, class leading options if you’re looking in that segment – rule them both in for a test ride. 

The 2021 Triumph Spped Triple 1200 RS made Wayne this happy!

Why I like the Triumph Speed Triple

  • Cracking engine that makes me want to do bad things
  • All the way through fifth gear…
  • Surprisingly good ergos and comfort
  • Overall the bike feels ‘alive’ – is super agile for a ‘big’ 1200
  • Great sound for a stock pipe

I’d like it more if…

  • Dash seems to take forever on start-up
  • The quick shifter ‘throw’ feels too short. I got used to it, but never liked it
  • Tank-frame junction where your knees grip could be nicer (I found the same issue on the Panigale V2)
2021 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS

2021 Triumph Speed Triple Specifications

Engine & Transmission
Type Liquid-cooled, 12 valve, DOHC, inline 3-cylinder
Capacity 1160 cc
Bore 90.0 mm
Stroke 60.8 mm
Compression 13.2:1
Maximum Power 180 PS / 177.5 hp (132.4 kW) @ 10,750 rpm
Maximum Torque 125 Nm (92 lbft) @ 9,000 rpm
Fuel System Multipoint sequential electronic fuel injection with electronic throttle control
Exhaust Stainless steel 3 into 1 header system with underslung primary silencer and side mounted secondary silencer
Final Drive X-ring chain
Clutch Wet, multi-plate, slip & assist
Gearbox 6 speed
Chassis
Frame Aluminium twin spar frame, bolt-on aluminium rear subframe
Swingarm Aluminium, single-sided
Front Wheel/Tyre Cast aluminium, 17 x 3.50 in Metzeler Racetec RR K3 120/70 ZR17
Rear Wheel/Tyre Cast aluminium, 17 x 6.00 in Metzeler Racetec RR K3 190/55 ZR17
Front Suspension travel. Öhlins 43 mm NIX30 upside down forks with adjustable preload, rebound and compression damping, 120 mm
Rear Suspension Öhlins TTX36 twin tube monoshock with preload, rebound and compression damping, 120 mm rear wheel travel.
Front Brakes Twin 320mm floating discs. Brembo Stylema monobloc calipers, OC-ABS, radial master cylinder with separate reservoir, span & ratio adjustable.
Rear Brakes Single 220mm disc.  Brembo twin piston caliper, OC-ABS. Rear master cylinder with separate reservoir.
Instruments Full-colour 5″ TFT instruments
Dimensions & Weights
Length 2090 mm (82.3 in)
Width (Handlebars) 792 mm (31.2 in)
Height Without Mirrors 1089 mm (42.9 in)
Seat Height 830 mm (32.7 in)
Wheelbase 1445 mm (56.9 in)
Rake 23.9 °
Trail 104.7 mm (4.1 in)
Wet weight 198kg (437 lb)
Fuel Tank Capacity 15.5 litres (4.1 US gal)
Servicing
Service interval 10,000 miles (16,000km) / 12 months
Available March 2021
Pricing $27,900 Ride Away
2021 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS

Source: MCNews.com.au