The 2019 running of the KTM Australia Adventure Rallye Tasmania was another resounding success, held in March with 190 KTM adventure riders sweeping through Tasmania for the fourth annual iteration.
Throw in an unexpected appearance by a surprise guest, an outstanding mixture of terrain and conditions and the unique atmosphere and camaraderie of a group of orange adventurers and you get one epic adventure!
Adam Riemann from Motology Films brings us all the action from the five days on the Apple Isle in the full length feature film, out now on YouTube – see below.
Watch the adventure unfold, as over a hundred and ninety like-minded orange riders come together to tackle challenging conditions and the beauty of Tasmania from a motorcycle: experience the 2019 KTM Australia Adventure Rallye now.
Don’t want to miss out on the next KTM Australia Adventure Rallye? Check out ridektm.com.au for more information on orange adventures down under. Plus, the worldwide KTM Adventure Rally microsite is live at ktm-adventure-rally.com. Discover the true meaning of adventure and what it means to embrace the KTM spirit with KTM Rallyevents taking place in Europe, USA, Canada, South Africa and more!
Current 250MX points leader Adam Cianciarulo is aiming for complete dominance this weekend as he endeavours to earn his first 1-1 scorecard at High Point’s fourth round of the 2019 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motcross Championship.
The Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki contender has capitalised on moto two victories in the opening rounds, which has ultimately granted him the overall win on all three occasions.
“The season has been amazing so far and I’ve felt really strong,” said Cianciarulo. “Thankfully I’ve made the most of moto two to come away with the overalls, but it would be nice to add a moto one win too.
“It’s been good to relax from the grind of travel and now we’ll be heading back east where I’m excited to keep things moving towards the end goal.”
The Pro Motocross returns from a week break this weekend, which sees Cianciarulo lead Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Star Racing) with a six-point advantage.
Bel-Ray Bike Detailer, Fuel Treatment and Bike Wash.
Keep your bike looking good and running well with Bike Wash, Detailer and Fuel Treatment from Bel-Ray. Start with Bike Wash, which softens and lifts dirt and grime without scrubbing and is environmentally friendly, then finish with the Silicone Detailer & Protectant Spray for a spectacular finish. Use the All-In-One Fuel Treatment regularly to keep fuel lines and injectors clean and neutralize harmful effects of ethanol, and keep fuel fresh for storage. See dealer for pricing.
Mission Winnow Ducati ace Danilo Petrucci says a weight has been lifted since earning his first MotoGP victory at Mugello two weeks ago as round seven of the world championship looms this weekend at Catalunya in Spain.
The Italian contender is adamant his goals haven’t changed since the all-important triumph, and still anticipates reigning champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) to be the toughest competitor in the weekend’s Spanish round.
“I’m really keen to get back to racing after taking my first win at Mugello,” Petrucci stated. “It was a very important result for me, and I’ve been feeling lighter ever since. Our goals, however, don’t change and I expect Márquez to be a strong rival in Montmelo as well.
“We need to pick it up from where we left it in Mugello, but it won’t be easy because the track is difficult to interpret when temperatures are particularly high. I expect another battle, but we’re more conscious of our potential now so the target, as in the past few races, is the podium.”
Petrucci sits fourth in the championship standings, 33 markers behind championship leader Marquez.
A popular YouTube channel rider has died after crashing his BMW motorcycle into a car while steering with his feet and texting a message on his mobile phone.
Moscow rider Artem Boldyrev, 34, nicknamed Bolt, had 289,794 followers on his 18-plus Moto Nexus channel.
Artem’s crashed bike
In several of his videos, he reviews motorcycles while sometimes performing dangerous stunts.
Last year he posted this video in which he rides a Victory motorcycle on cruise control from the back seat through heavy traffic.
His friend, Evgeny Matveev, says Artem posted a video to him just moments before his death in which he was steering the motorcycle with his feet.
In the video, Artem says: “Most problems arise due to the fact that I don’t give a ****.”
Frame from video moments before the fatal crash
It seems dangerous motorcycle videos are a trend in Russia.
The 40-year-old Russian mother of one was known as the sexiest Russian motorcyclist through her @Monika9422 Instagram account which had more than 200,000 followers, including Australian stunt rider Lukey Luke.
Needless to say, performing stunts, riding with your feet, texting while riding, etc are dangerous and should never be performed on public roads.
If you want to be a professional stunt rider, go to a stunt-riding school on a closed course and practise there.
It’s been confirmed the 2019 Monster Energy S-X Open Auckland will make up round four of the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship on 16 November at Mount Smart Stadium in New Zealand, as well as round one of the S-X Open International FIM Oceania Supercross Championship.
Former AMA Supercross champions Chad Reed (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing) – the reigning Oceania supercross title holder – and Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) are the first headlining riders for the second running of the event, which will take place two prior weeks to the Monster Energy AUS-X Open Melbourne at Marvel Stadium.
“It’s important to retain your championship, and this year to win the second FIM Oceania Championship would be a huge honour,” said Australian fan-favourite Reed. “I think we’ll have a much better preparation and be able to come out swinging in New Zealand.
“Fans in Auckland last year were unbelievable, despite the challenging conditions of the weather, I had such a great time, and the supercross was amazing, you couldn’t have asked for a better night of racing.”
Anderson added: “I’m super excited to be heading to the S-X Open Auckland, it will be my first time to New Zealand, I saw it last year and it seemed like a really epic event.
“I only get to choose a select few events to race at in the off season, so heading to Auckland will keep my off season interesting, and to win the FIM Oceania Supercross crown would be sweet, it would be another one to add to the trophy case, it’s one I don’t have and look forward to putting it up there.
“Competing against Reedy, I know he is a tough competitor, no matter how old he gets he’s always fighting and he’s always gnarly, and he definitely won’t make it easy on me, and I know it’s going to be a good battle and a fun race.”
Confirmation of the New Zealand venue hosting round four of Australian supercross leaves just rounds one and two to be revealed, with Wollongong’s round three and season-finale Melbourne already announced.
A crowd of over 22,500 attended Auckland’s Mount Smart Stadium in 2018 for the S-X Open, making it the biggest international supercross event to ever take place on Kiwi soil and ultimately putting the country on the world supercross map.
The S-X Open Auckland database pre-sale commences 20 June, with public on-sale becoming available from 26 June. For more information, visit www.sxopen.com.
Safer hi-tech motorcycles, such as the Damon X above, will attract the future generation of motorcyclists scared of the dangers of riding and possibly save the industry from extinction, a motorcycle start-up says.
Damon Motorcycles CEO and founder Jay Giraud has produced a white paper about the future of the motorcycling industry in which he says advanced safety systems may save motorcycling.
He predicts a future “where the idea of rider accidents being inevitable and unavoidable will be a thing of the past, along with external valve gear and pulley transmissions”.
Damon recently raised $US2.5m in seed funding and has partnered with Canadian police to improve rider safety.
Their Damon X will use 360-degree sensors and cameras to detect potential hazards in front and behind and send alerts via 5G to the rider.
Alerts will consist of hazard lights on the mirrors as well as “haptic” pads in the seat and handlebars that vibrate. There are also temperature and moisture sensors to detect changing road conditions.
“Such unheard of levels of safety brings with it a potential for cataclysmic change within the entire motorcycling community, from manufacturer to commuter,” Jay says.
Industry outdated
Jay says the motorcycle industry has outdated marketing messages.
“The manufacturers currently failing to attract the next generation of riders with outdated promises of ‘thrills and adventure’ will have something much more relevant to offer.
“It’s the promise of an immeasurably safer riding environment created by the type of advanced technology so wholeheartedly embraced by today’s millennial customer.”
Jay points out that millennials make up 25% of the world’s population with a combined purchasing power of $US13 trillion, increasing to $US22t in the next five years.
“This age group is traditionally one that fully embraces the two-wheeled culture and one which the motorcycle industry fully expected to take the baton from the rapidly diminishing baby boomers,” he says.
However, as companies such as Harley-Davidson have recognised, their customers are ageing and parking up their bikes.
Meanwhile, millennials are not attracted to motorcycles for a variety of reasons including high student loans and aversion to risk-taking.
Harley is targeting younger riders
Complete automation unlikely
Jay says that while cars and other vehicles are heading toward being fully autonomous, “it is highly unlikely that motorcycling will ever evolve towards complete automation”.
“There is a purity to motorcycling that no rider would voluntarily relinquish in favour of convenience or simplicity,” he says.
However, he says the evolution of accident avoidance for motorcycles is inevitable, making motorcycles safer and more attractive to millennials.
Jay says advances in artificial intelligence, radar systems, hi-res digital, and environmental sensors have made them smaller, more reliable and cheaper, making them more suitable for use on motorcycles.
“As the world shifts towards autonomous driving, the need for safer, more intelligently enabled motorcycles will grow at the same pace,” he says.
The first Yamaha to roll off the production line was the race ready YA1 Red Dragonfly in 1955. Which means Yamaha is now 64 years old, a birthday that Yamaha Motor Australia is celebrating on 1 July 2019.
To help celebrate, Yamaha Motor Australia is offering $10,000 worth of Yamaha product in a free-to-enter, skill -based competition. All you have to do for a chance to win is upload your favourite Yamaha related image to Facebook and/or Instagram including #yamaha64aus with a short 25 words or less caption.
Yamaha celebrate 64 years with $10k of Yamaha gear to be won
One winner will be chosen by a panel of judges. The winner will be the person who submits an image/caption that revs the judges hearts the most – and will be announced on Yamaha’s birthday on 1 July 2019
The winner will be able to select any Yamaha product/s from across their entire range – including motorcycle, marine, golf car, generator and even music – up to $10,000 RRP inc GST value.
So dig out your Yamaha related image – which can feature any product including Yamaha Music – and start uploading. Competition details can be viewed here https://yma.bike/yamaha64aus (link) and entries must be in by the end of 30 June 2019.
“The original Mean Mower was an incredible machine, but this time we’ve taken it to a whole new level with version two. After taking the top speed record in 2014, we wanted to do something a little different by setting an all-new record for acceleration, and the result is fantastic. Team Dynamics have gone above and beyond in developing and building this real feat of engineering, and hats off to Jess (Hawkins) for being brave enough to get behind the wheel.”
Motorcycle jackets and pants tested in the MotoCAP safety and comfort ratings have failed in the abrasion tests, but could easily be made safer, says a technical expert.
Back in 2015, Deakin University fibre science and technology senior researcher Chris Hurren warned that eight out of 10 of the most commonly worn motorcycle suits in Australia had failed their abrasion tests.
These tests were the precursor for the development of MotoCAP, the world’s first safety ratings for motorcycle protective gear which launched in September 2018.
Over the past few years, motorcycle clothing does not appear to have improved.
In recent MotoCAP ratings, leather and textile pants and jackets have failed dismally in abrasion tests.
Textile abrasion fail
Chris says textile pants and jackets are typically made of 600 denier woven nylon or polyester fabrics.
“These have relatively low abrasion resistance when tested on the Cambridge impact abrasion tester,” he says.
MotoCAP testing equipment at the Deakin Uni Geelong campus
“Where these fabrics are used as the shell fabric in important protection areas such as the elbow and shoulder of a jacket they generally do not provide the levels of protection desired in a protective motorcycle garment.
“These jackets could be improved in their protective performance by manufacturers by adding further protective layers or by use of a heavy shell fabric in these critical protection areas.
“These garments are still capable of providing better protection to a rider than if they were to ride in normal clothing especially when they are worn with their shoulder and elbow impact protectors in place. This is the class of garment that will benefit the most from improvement in protection levels into the future.”
Leather abrasion tests
A dummy dressed in riding gear is tested for abrasion resistance
More interestingly, leather appears to be not much better than textile gear.
“A number of the leather garments reported in (the latest tests) were made from thinner, supple leather,” Chris says.
“While this is more comfortable for the wearer, these leathers typically do not provide the same level of abrasion protection of a thicker leather.
“Where a thinner leather is used there needs to be additional protection put into the critical abrasion risk areas.
“The high level of impact protection seen in some of these garments was quite encouraging.”
Motorbike Writer publishes every new release of gear tested by MotoCAP, so stay tuned for more updates.
