When asked about the nine races that are coming thick and fast, Quartararo wasn’t even slightly fazed: “Honestly, I like it. Two weeks at home, the second week I was a little bit bored to not be on the bike. It will be tough, 9 races in 11 weeks, I think it’s the first time that we will do it but yes, I’m looking forward to it. Try not to be injured because it will be a short time.”
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
Motorcycle theft fell a surprising 2.7% to 9021 in the past financial year (2019/20) while overall Australian motor vehicle theft increased 2% to 56,312.
It appears motorcycle thieves stayed home during the coronavirus pandemic as motorcycle thefts had been on course for a bumper year.
Thefts were trending up with a 10.% increase to 9672 in the 2019 calendar year. In fact, that was the biggest increase of any category of vehicle.
Instead, motorcycle thefts have dropped dramatically during the pandemic which seems to run completely contra to thefts of other motor vehicles.
The National Motor Vehicle Theft Council even points out that there is a correlation between the performance of the economy and crime.
They tip that with the recession caused by the pandemic it is “almost certain the current uplift in vehicle crime will extend into 2021 at a minimum”.
However, that may not include motorcycles.
Motorcycle thefts
The biggest drop in motorcycle theft was in NSW, down 251 (11.6%) from 2160 to 1909.
At the other end of the scale, Tasmania was up a whopping 27.1%.
| State or Territory | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | % change | ||
| Thefts | % of thefts | Thefts | % of thefts | ||
| ACT | 104 | 1.1 | 110 | 1.2 | 5.8% |
| NSW | 2,160 | 23.3 | 1,909 | 21.2 | -11.6% |
| NT | 100 | 1.1 | 77 | 0.9 | -23.0% |
| QLD | 1,864 | 20.1 | 1,956 | 21.7 | 4.9% |
| SA | 711 | 7.7 | 783 | 8.7 | 10.1% |
| TAS | 170 | 1.8 | 216 | 2.4 | 27.1% |
| VIC | 2,037 | 22.0 | 2,056 | 22.8 | 0.9% |
| WA | 2,121 | 22.9 | 1,914 | 21.2 | -9.8% |
| AUS | 9,267 | 100.0 | 9,021 | 100.0 | -2.7% |
Motorcycle thefts by Local Government Area
Once again, the South East Queensland and Perth regions were the most popular targets for thieves.
As a consequence, these areas usually attract higher insurance premiums.
| State or Territory | LGA | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | % change |
| QLD | Brisbane (City) | 466 | 599 | 28.5% |
| QLD | Gold Coast (City) | 273 | 277 | 1.5% |
| VIC | Melbourne (City) | 232 | 247 | 6.5% |
| QLD | Logan (City) | 168 | 185 | 10.1% |
| QLD | Moreton Bay (Regional Council) | 169 | 185 | 9.5% |
| WA | Cockburn (City) | 117 | 151 | 29.1% |
| NSW | Newcastle (City) | 156 | 119 | -23.7% |
| WA | Stirling (City) | 156 | 116 | -25.6% |
| SA | Adelaide (City) | 52 | 114 | 119.2% |
| WA | Rockingham (City) | 85 | 114 | 34.1% |
Most stolen
As usual, the most stolen motorcycle brands are also the most prevalent in the market such as Japanese bikes.
However, scooters and off-road bikes were also prime targets of thieves as they are lightweight and easy to steal. Some are also used on properties and tourist destinations where they may not be re-registered.
That explains the high theft rating of off-road brands such as KTM and Husqvarna, and scooter brands such as SYM, Kymco and Piaggio.
Top motorcycle theft targets
| Make | 2018/19 | 2019/20 |
| Honda | 2,010 | 1,938 |
| Yamaha | 1,582 | 1,574 |
| Kawasaki | 854 | 884 |
| Suzuki | 816 | 819 |
| KTM | 647 | 598 |
| SYM | 287 | 336 |
| Kymco | 223 | 257 |
| Piaggio | 203 | 221 |
| Harley Davidson | 219 | 186 |
| Triumph | 182 | 160 |
| Husqvarna | 145 | 146 |
| Longjia | 142 | 130 |
| Hyosung | 173 | 129 |
| Ducati | 92 | 101 |
| Aprilia | 94 | 99 |
| Vespa | 78 | 94 |
| BMW | 78 | 92 |
| Bolwell | 65 | 68 |
| CFMoto | 60 | 57 |
| Vmoto | 65 | 56 |
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com
Rare veteran and vintage motorcycles from noted Victorian collector and enthusiast Warren Hicks will feature at the Shannons Timed Spring Online Auction from 11-18 November 2020.
The six special motorcycles built between 1907 and 1925 are being offered with no reserve, so they could sell for reasonable prices.
The rarest of the six is the circa-1907 Zenith Bi-Car, frame No 3, which is the only known example to exist of this radical design with its front wheel hub-centre steering. It is the motorcyle at the head of this article.
It is being offered in ‘barn find’ condition and has not been seen in public since 1974.
The Zenith is expected to attract strong international interest in the $A50,000-$A70,000 range.
A circa-1914 American Excelsior V-Twin 1000cc ‘Two speed’ is being offered complete but not run since 1978.
The Excelsior is powered by a 1000cc V-Twin engine and has cast iron footboards and a foot brake pedal.
It is also the first two-speed motorcycles, with its left handlebar grip operating the clutch.
The bike is expected to sell in the $A40,000-$A60,000 range.
A circa-1910 FN ‘Four’, presented in complete and original but unrestored project condition, is also very rare as a four-cylinder early single-speed, shaft-drive motorcycle.
The bike has been with its current owner since 1970 after beginning its local life in Broken Hill.
It is expected sell in the $40,000-$50,000 range, with a package of parts, including spare four-cylinder engines.
The very rare circa-1922 Stranger V-Twin 538cc ‘two-stroke’ motorcycle being offered at the auction is one of two known survivors worldwide out of just 20 made.
The only other known survivor, is in a British museum.
Purchased in Adelaide in 1957 and last ridden in 1975, the Stranger had a chain/belt drive and no front brake.
In the post-World War I Vintage motorcycles, there is a circa-1922 KG Cito Special 500cc OHV and a circa-1925 Villiers-engined Diamond 147cc.
The 500cc OHV German-built KG Cito is one of just three believed to exist today, as the company was taken over by Allbright in 1923.
Equipped with shaft-drive and a Bosch generator for its electric lighting, this very rare early German motorcycle is expected to fetch $A40,0000-$A50,000.
The Diamond 147cc is the last of the chain-cum-belt motorcycles built.
The ultra-lightweight bike has no front brake, clutch or kickstart and is expected to bring $A5000-$A8000.
Check out our top 10 tips for buying at auction.
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com
Elsewhere, a number of Moto2™, Moto3™ and FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup riders have been passed fit for the action in San Marino. Those include Hafizh Syahrin (Oceanica Aspar Team), Khairul Idham Pawi (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Niki Tuuli (Avant Ajo MotoE), with Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Jesko Raffin (NTS RW Racing GP) also set to find out if they are fit to ride or not this weekend before the end of play on Thursday.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
Those who found themselves just out of the fight for the podium will be looking to reset and make a step forward at the Lausitzring too. Jakob Rosenthaler (RTR – Rosenthaler) was the man leading the way in the second battle on track in both races in Round 1, with a super consistent P5 and P6. The likes of Noel Willemsen (NW Racing), Niklas Kitzbichler (Racing-Team-Kitzbichler) and Jonas Kocourek (JRT of Automotodrom Brno) were up in that fight too in both races… and there were flashes of speed from Kas Beekmans (KNMV), his teammate Damian Boessenkool (KNMV), Dustin Schneider (PrüstelGP Junior Team), Tymur Kostin (SP – Moto Junior Team Ukraine) and Tibor Varga (Forty Racing). What can they do at a different track, and with a little more experience?
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
Honda recently teased a new Forza model. This one should be a higher-displacement machine that will sit alongside the Forza 300 and Forza 125. It should challenge bikes like the Yamaha TMAX 560.
In the teaser video, which I have included below, the company notes that “the Forza family is getting bigger.” This means that the new Forza won’t replace any of the current models, it’s also a nod to the larger displacement of the machine.
The video doesn’t show you that much. It’s a lot of silhouetted details and shadows, with brief glimpses of the engine casing and the front fairing. I’d expect the styling of the bike to be similar to the Forza that is currently on sale in Europe.
The company does state that the bike will be all-new, so while it will fit in the Forza family, it won’t share many (or possibly any) parts with its Forza siblings.
Motorcycle News notes that the new Forza could replace the Integra, which is a 745cc parallel-twin powered bike. The replacement for the Integra was rumored to be coming before the end of 2020, so this could very well be it.
As you might imagine, not many of the details are known at this time. You can see somethings from the video, but it doesn’t reveal much. The expected price is between £9000 and £9500 ($11,600 USD to $12,300). It’s unclear what markets Honda will bring this bike to. Europe makes the most sense, but it could be sold elsewhere, too.
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com
Royal Enfield has a new production plant in Buenos Aires, Argentina. That facility will begin production this month, according to Hindustan Times.
The company has also collaborated with the local distributor Grupo Simpa. Together these moves should help the company continue to expand globally.
Royal Enfield has been seeing some slower sales in its home market of India, but the Himalayan, Continental GT, and INT 650 are all selling really well. This move to manufacturing these bikes here is a step towards leaning into the momentum of the Himalayan and 650 twins.
“With a strategic view to cater to growing demand and to gain significant market advantage, we have been pursuing our plans to set up local assembly units across specific markets in the Asia Pacific region and across South America,” said Vinod Dasari, CEO of Royal Enfield. “In the first of these, we are very happy to announce the first CKD assembly plant in Argentina.”
This isn’t the first time that Royal Enfield has done something like this. RideApart notes that in 2019, the company started production facilities in Thailand.
This is a smart move by Royal Enfield, and it should help the company economically produce motorcycles around the world. We will likely see continued expansion of Royal Enfield operations around the world as long as its bikes stay popular.
It seems Royal Enfield will utilize the 650 platform it currently has to continue to build out its lineup. It’s been reported a few times that the company is working on other versions that utilize this platform. This will mean that these new production facilities will need to build more than just the Himalayan, Continental GT, and INT 650. It will be interesting to see how this progresses in the future.
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com
MotoGP has had a pretty amazing ride so far in regards to keeping the current plague out of the paddock since racing got back underway. An earlier scare with a member of the Dorna team testing positive after being swabbed at Brno was well contained, the same with a Red Bull Rookie that recorded a positive results.
However, it has been has been confirmed today that KTM Moto2 rider Jorge Martin has tested positive in the lead-up to this weekend’s Misano MotoGP World Championship round.
Under the Dorna protocol for such an event Martin can expect to sit out this weekend’s event unless his second swab returns a negative result.
Martin is currently in joint second place in the Moto2 World Championship, eight-points behind series leader Luca Marini.
The 22-year-old Spaniard is widely tipped to move to the premier MotoGP class with Ducati next season.
His positive test will make many in the paddock quite nervous, including those in the KTM MotoGP Teams that have regularly mixed with the Moto2 rider.
“Two individuals set to attend the Gran Premio Lenovo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini have tested positive for Covid-19. As already confirmed by his team, one of the individuals is Moto2 rider Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo). There has also been one positive result returned for a mechanic from a different team. Both are asymptomatic and are now safely in isolation. They have not entered the paddock for the event and will not be able to attend the San Marino Grand Prix.
We wish them a speedy recovery, and hope to see them back in the MotoGP paddock soon. MotoGP has undertaken more than 14,000 tests for Covid-19 since before the Spanish Grand Prix and has safely detected and isolated each positive case diagnosed.”
Source: MCNews.com.au
Miguel Oliveira won the race leading only the last lap across the line, which is the first time this happened in MotoGP since Marc Marquez in Thailand last year.
With Miguel Oliveira in MotoGP, Marco Bezzecchi in Moto2 and Celestino Vietti in Moto3, this is the first time there were three first time winners in all three classes since Assen 2016 with Jack Miller, Takaaki Nakagami and Francesco Bagnaia.
With Fabio Quartararo in Spain and Andalucia, Brad Binder at Brno and Miguel Oliveira in Styria, this is only the third time since the first premier class race held in 1949 that there are three first time winners in the opening five races of a premier class season, along with the opening season in 1949 (Harold Daniell, Les Graham and Nello Pagani) and 1974 (Edmund Czihak, Gianfranco Bonera and Phil Carpenter).
This is the first time there are three (or more) first time winners in a single premier class season since 2016. The record of different first time winners in the premier class in a single season is four set, in 1949, 1974, 1976, 1982 and 2016.
Miguel Oliveira became the first Independent Team rider to win on a non-Japanese bike since the introduction of MotoGP in 2002. Before Styria, only Yamaha and Honda Independent Team riders had managed to win in the class.
With Fabio Quartararo (Spain, Andalucia) and Miguel Oliveira, this is the first time that riders from two different Independent Teams won a MotoGP race since 2016 with Jack Miller and Cal Crutchlow, who were both riding a Honda.
Jack Miller finished second at the Styrian GP as the top Ducati rider, which is the first time that Ducati failed to win at the Red Bull Ring since the track was introduced to the MotoGP calendar in 2016.
Over his eight MotoGP podiums so far, this is first time that Jack Miller finished in second. He finished third on six occasion and won once at the Dutch TT back in 2016. In addition, this is his first back-to-back podium finishes in MotoGP.
With seven podiums with Ducati in MotoGP, Miller is now tied with Andrea Iannone and Jorge Lorenzo on the list of Ducati riders with most podiums in the class, two less than Danilo Petrucci who sits in fourth place behind Casey Stoner (42 podiums), Dovizioso (40) and Loris Capirossi (23).
Polesitter for the first time in MotoGP, Pol Espargaro finished third in Styria, which is his second MotoGP podium so far along with Valencia in 2018 in wet-weather conditions.
With Miguel Oliveira, Jack Miller and Pol Espargaro on the podium, this is the first premier class podium without a single Japanese manufacturer since the 1973 Swedish GP with Phil Read (MV Agusta), Giacomo Agostini (MV Agusta) and Kim Newcombe (König).
11 different riders have stood on the podium since the opening race of the year in Spain, equalling the highest number of podium finishers after the opening five premier class races of a season from 1951, 1954, 1973 and 1974.
This is the fifth successive MotoGP race without a single Spanish winner, this is the longest sequence without a winner coming from Spain since Donington 2008 to Losail 2009, 12 races in a row.
Fabio Quartararo finished 13th at the Styrian GP, which is his worst result since his first MotoGP race in Qatar last year when he started from the pit-lane after stalling on the Warm Up lap.
Fabio Quartararo is still leading the MotoGP Championship standings with a score of 70 points, which is the lowest score for a Championship leader after the opening five races of a premier class season since the current point scoring systems was introduced in 1993.
Fabio Quartararo is now 55-points ahead of Alex Marquez who is sitting in 15th place; this is the closest top 15 after the opening five races of the season in the premier class since the current point scoring systems was introduced in 1993.
With Maverick Viñales crashing out and Alex Marquez in 16th place, only three riders have scored points in all five of the MotoGP races in 2020: Fabio Quartararo, Andrea Dovizioso and Takaaki Nakagami. Of them, only Nakagami has always finished within the top ten.
Since the opening race of the season in Jerez, no Honda riders have stood on the podium. This is the first time there is no Honda rider on the podium in five successive premier class races since Honda came back to the premier class of GP racing in 1982.
With Valentino Rossi crossing the line in ninth place as the highest-placed Yamaha rider, this is the worst result for the top Yamaha rider since Valencia 2007 with Sylvain Guintoli in 11th place.
Iker Lecuona finished in 10th in Styria, which is the second time he has scored points in MotoGP along with Austria when he crossed the line in ninth. With Miguel Oliveira, Pol Espargaro, Brad Binder (who finished eighth) and Lecuona, this is the first time there are four KTM riders inside the top 10 in a MotoGP race.
Only one of the three rookies in MotoGP this year has previously won a Grand Prix race in Misano in any of the smaller classes: Brad Binder (Moto3, 2016). Nonetheless, Alex Marquez has stood three times on the podium at the track, twice in Moto3 (2013, 2014) and once in Moto2 (2019).
On what was his 150th GP start, Miguel Oliveira became the first Portuguese rider to win a premier class Grand Prix race, making Portugal the 20th nation to win at least once in the premier class. He was also the first Portuguese rider to stand on the podium in the premier class and the 270th different rider to do so in the premier class of GP racing.
Along with Brad Binder (South Africa), this is the fifth time in the history of the premier class that two nationalities have taken their maiden win in a single season, along with the opening season in 1949 (United Kingdom, Italy), 1953 (Rhodesia, Australia), 1973 (Finland, New Zealand) and 1977 (Netherlands, Venezuela).
In what was the 900th premier class race, Miguel Oliveira became the 112th different winner and the 27th since MotoGP was introduced in 2002.
Miguel Oliveira is the fourth rider to win a MotoGP race having previously won in both the Moto2 and Moto3 classes, along with Alex Rins, Maverick Viñales and Brad Binder.
Miguel Oliveira became the second rider who won in the premier class of Grand Prix racing after winning a race in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies along with Brad Binder.
This is the 24th time that Misano has hosted a Grand Prix since the first event to take place at the track in 1980. Then, the 500cc race was over 40 laps of the circuit that measured 3.448 km and ran in an anti-clockwise direction. It was won by Kenny Roberts.
The Misano circuit hosted a GP 10 times between 1980 and 1993, but then did not have an event for another 13 years following the accident that ended the career of Wayne Rainey in 1993. When Grand Prix racing returned to Misano in 2007, it was on a much revised 4.18 km circuit that runs in the opposite direction.
The MotoGP race last year in Misano was the 350th Grand Prix race in Italy since the first Nations Grand Prix held in 1949 at Monza.
There have been 22 previous San Marino Grand Prix events. The first San Marino Grand Prix was held at Imola in 1981. Three different circuits have hosted the San Marino Grand Prix: Imola twice (1981 & 1983), Mugello four times (1982, 84, 91 and 93) and Misano on 16 occasions (1985, 86, 87 and from 2007 onwards).
Yamaha’s last MotoGP win at Misano: Valentino Rossi in 2014. Yamaha is the most successful manufacturer with six wins: three with both Valentino Rossi (2008, 2009 and 2014) and Jorge Lorenzo (2011, 2012 and 2013). Maverick Viñales also qualified on pole last year.
Honda’s last MotoGP win at Misano: Marc Marquez in 2019. The win for Marc Marquez in 2015 was the first for Honda at Misano since 2010 and followed by four successive wins for Yamaha at the track.
Ducati’s last MotoGP win at Misano: Andrea Dovizioso in 2018. Dovizioso’s teammate at that time, Jorge Lorenzo, also qualified on pole position, which was the third pole for a Ducati rider at the track, along with Casey Stoner in 2007 and 2008.
Three Italian riders finished in the top five at Misano in 2017, all riding a Ducati, which was the first time that three Italian riders on Italian bikes finished in the top five in the premier class since Imola 1972 when Giacomo Agostini, on an MV Agusta, won from team-mate Alberto Pagani with Ducati rider Bruno Spaggiari completing the podium.
Suzuki has had two podium finishes in the MotoGP era at Misano circuit, both of which came in 2007 when Chris Vermeulen finished second and John Hopkins third (the only time two Suzuki riders stood on the podium since MotoGP was introduced in 2002). Since 2008, Rins’ fourthplace finish in 2018 was the best result for a Suzuki rider at Misano.
Aprilia’s best MotoGP result at Misano: Alvaro Bautista, 10th in 2016.
KTM’s best MotoGP result at Misano: Pol Espargaro, seventh in 2019. Espargaro also qualified in second place which was KTM’s best qualifying at that time in the class.
The most successful rider across all classes at Misano since Grand Prix racing returned to the circuit in 2007 is Marc Marquez with six wins (1 x 125cc, 2 x Moto2, 3 x MotoGP). Jorge Lorenzo is his closest rival with four (1 x 250cc, 3 x MotoGP).
Since 2007, only three riders have won the MotoGP race after qualifying on pole position: Casey Stoner (2007), Valentino Rossi (2009) and Dani Pedrosa (2010).
| Rnd | Date | Circuit |
| 4 | ||
| 5 | ||
| 6 | ||
| 7 | 13 September | Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli |
| 8 | 20 September | Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli |
| 9 | 27 September | Barcelona – Catalunya |
| 10 | 11 October | Le Mans |
| 11 | 18 October | MotorLand Aragón |
| 12 | 25 October | MotorLand Aragón |
| 13 | 08 November | Comunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo |
| 14 | 15 November | Comunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo |
| 15 | 22 November | Autodromo Internacional do Algarve |
|
Pos |
Rider | Bike | Points |
| 1 | Fabio QUARTARARO | Yamaha | 70 |
| 2 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | Ducati | 67 |
| 3 | Jack MILLER | Ducati | 56 |
| 4 | Brad BINDER | KTM | 49 |
| 5 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | 48 |
| 6 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | 46 |
| 7 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | 45 |
| 8 | Joan MIR | Suzuki | 44 |
| 9 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | KTM | 43 |
| 10 | Pol ESPARGARO | KTM | 35 |
| 11 | Franco MORBIDELLI | Yamaha | 32 |
| 12 | Johann ZARCO | Ducati | 30 |
| 13 | Alex RINS | Suzuki | 29 |
| 14 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | 25 |
| 15 | Alex MARQUEZ | Honda | 15 |
| 16 | Aleix ESPARGARO | Aprilia | 15 |
| 17 | Iker LECUONA | KTM | 13 |
| 18 | Francesco BAGNAIA | Ducati | 9 |
| 19 | Bradley SMITH | Aprilia | 8 |
| 20 | Tito RABAT | Ducati | 7 |
| 21 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | Honda | 7 |
| 22 | Michele PIRRO | Ducati | 4 |
| 23 | Stefan BRADL | Honda | 0 |
Source: MCNews.com.au
The bLU cRU Ride ADV WR250R Rally took the long way round this year. The annual event sought out the best trails between Cessnock and Bulahdelah in the NSW Central Coast hinterland to put a smile on 45 owners of the small capacity adventure bike.
A round trip of around 500kms indicated that the one model rally – now in its fourth year – certainly took the scenic route because the two NSW towns measure 115kms apart via tar roads.
Ride ADV honcho Greg Yager and his capable team were challenged by COVID regulations and so decided to abandon the time-honoured cornerman system in favour of a GPS navigational ride. The team enlisted the services of Rob Cox and his desert bashing Mercedes Unimog support truck for a sensational COVID-friendly mid-ride BBQ.
Cessnock Yamaha dealer and BBQ king Chris Watson ensured all the riders were fed for not only the Friday evening briefing but for Saturday breakfast too.
The annual two day ADV ride was originally scheduled for May 2020 but COVID delayed the event. Undeterred, and knowing that riders from interstate would be unable to attend, Ride ADV pressed for a revised date of 4-6 September. Which unluckily for some fell on Father’s Day. Not so for Robin Bradfield from Sydney who joined the ride with his son Simon for an epic father and son experience.
The rally covered a classic ADV mix of terrain from singletrack trails to winding gravel roads – including a tricky mud section mid-morning on day one.
The bulletproof 250cc single lapped it up with all riders completing the round trip in good time at their own pace by following the supplied GPS tracks.
“The WR250R Rally keeps on delivering the goods – just like the bike itself,” explains Ride ADV’s Greg Yager. “My job is so easy when I have such a great crew and the support of people like Rob Cox and Chris Watson,” he continues.
”Next year’s WR250R Rally will head up to Nundle for some of the best ADV trails in the country and it will hopefully revert back to a time in April or May. We also plan to run a Tenere 700 one model rally later in the year, so tune in to www.rideadv.com.au and look out for details,” he ends.
Source: MCNews.com.au
