Cor Dees’ Laverda Museum | Laverda heaven

Cor Dees’ Laverda Museum

With Phil Aynsley


Cor Dees was a Dutchman with a serious Laverda addiction! He bought his first Laverda in 1988 and, as can be seen, added the odd one or two after that.

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The Laverda Museum

He constructed this purpose built building in Lisse which opened in 2006 and I photographed there in 2015.

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The Laverda Museum

Unfortunately, due to ill health, it had to be closed in 2017 and the collection has since been sold. Thus it was lucky that I was there to shoot these bikes well before then, and can now present this incredible collection here for your enjoyment.

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The Laverda Museum was put together by Cor Dees

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The Laverda Museum – Unfortunately due to ill health it was closed

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The Laverda Museum – The collection was later sold off

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The Laverda Museum – 81 models were featured alongside extensive memorabilia

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The Laverda Museum – Dees started collecting in ’88 but quickly became addicted to the iconic Italian brand

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The Laverda Museum – Dees built a close relation with the Laverda family

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The Laverda Museum

Cor built up a close relationship with the Laverda family and was able, with the help of the late Massimo Laverda, to obtain the remaining spare parts and two incomplete V6 prototypes as well as vast quantities of period advertising material, film, documentation and other memorabilia. In all some 81 bikes, scooters and mopeds comprised the collection, covering the years from 1950 to 2000.

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This was the original Laverda sign over the factory and weighs in at 400kg

This is the 400kg marble sign that hung over the entrance to the Laverda factory from 1952 until the building was demolished in 2000.

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The Laverda Museum – The collection included a number of race machines

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The Laverda Museum – Including the brand’s V6

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The Laverda Museum

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The Laverda Museum

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The Laverda Museum – The 1000cc V6 (closest)

The line up of race bikes includes the legendary 1000cc V6 (link), one of the three 1000cc space-frame triple endurance machines, the ’75 750 SFC that won the Belgian Championship and the company’s only GP bike – the ’87 125cc prototype (link).

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The Laverda Museum – An original Laverda drawing board

One of the original drafting boards.

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The Laverda Museum

Laverda manufactured a wide range of agricultural equipment from their founding in 1873, such as this press.

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The Laverda name is actually used to continue to produce heavy farm machinery to this day

While no longer in family hands, the Laverda company still makes tractors and other heavy farm machinery.

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The Laverda Museum – Scooters

There is a wide range of memorabilia on display. Also a neat 200cc twin and several scooter models.

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The Laverda Museum – A 750 GTL in police get-up

The Police version of the 750 GTL.

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The Laverda Museum – 1971 1000cc triple prototype

This is most likely the 1000cc triple prototype bike that Laverda displayed at the Milan Show in 1971.

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The Laverda Museum – A 1981 RGS 1000 in touring form

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The Laverda Museum

A 1981 RGS 1000 fitted with the saddlebags and fairing from the later Executive model.

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The Laverda Museum

Laverda is hardly known for its off road models but the company produced quite a number over the years. Here a 600 Atlas (left) and a 250 Chott (right) find themselves above the Husqvarna powered LH3 (125cc) and LH4 (250cc).

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The Laverda Museum – The company also produced off-road machines

The 250TR Chott, ISDE version.

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The Laverda Museum

A line up of early bikes.

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The Laverda Museum

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The Laverda Museum

The Navarro was released in 1990 as the update to the Lesmo. The bodywork was more encompassing, the wheels 17 inch and disc brakes fitted front and rear. The 125cc 2-stroke was the same motor fitted to the Cagiva Freccia C12R. Only a few hundred were sold due to the combination of somewhat dated specification and high price. Power was 29 hp at 10,300 rpm, with a dry weight of 115 kg.

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The Laverda Museum – A 650 vertical twin on the right

The first of the “new” vertical twins was the 650 which was introduced in May 1968 (link) before quickly being superseded by the 750. Somewhere between 50 and 200 were built.

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The Laverda Museum – 750GT in blue

The 1000 prototype with a 750GT.

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The Laverda Museum – A 1971 Laverda 750 SF1

Source: MCNews.com.au

Scott Moir wins NZ Suzuki Series

Suzuki’s Scott Moir raced his GSX-R1000 to victory in won the three-round Suzuki Series Formula One class in New Zealand.

The 35-year-old was a breakthrough first-time winner last year of both the Suzuki Series’ Formula One class outright and the Robert Holden Memorial race, a 10-lapper that is the feature of the series’ final round on Whanganui’s Cemetery Circuit on Boxing Day, and he came agonisingly close to winning them both again this year too.

He had arrived just three points off the lead in the glamour Formula One Superbike class – that advantage being enjoyed by Shane Richardson – and eight points clear of third-ranked visiting British rider Peter Hickman.

But then Moir clicked it up a notch, taking his Suzuki GSX-R1000 to win the first F1 race on Boxing Day, while Richardson finished second, and suddenly there was nothing in it, these two riders level on points with just one race to go. Moir was ahead of Richardson in the deciding F1 race early on and, when Richardson was forced to withdraw with mechanical problems on the third lap of 10, Moir knew a safe and sensible approach was all that was required for him to wrap up the crown.

He managed a safe fifth placing in that deciding race and this was enough for him to successfully defend his F1 title.

But then came more drama in the 10-lap Robert Holden Memorial feature race, the signature race of the Boxing Day event on Wednesday.

Moir was quick off the mark in that prestigious race and had quickly built a massive lead over the chasing bunch, setting a lap record in the process.

With Moir seemingly well in control, spectator attention switched to 2018 Isle of Man winner Hickman, the man from Lincolnshire was back in seventh position but on the charge and moving up quickly.

Hickman’s progress was stunning and, on the final lap he pounced on Moir, catching the Bay of Plenty man unaware and snatching the win just metres from the end.

Scott Moir

“I always knew it was a possibility to win the Suzuki Series F1 class. I was good last year, and I knew it was going to be tough this year, with such a stacked field, but when I knew Shane (Richardson) was out I knew I just needed to finish where I was. Then I thought I’d go all-out in the (stand-alone) Robert Holden Memorial race. I led for every lap but then celebrated too early. I was pulling little wheelies; they weren’t even that good really. My pit board said ‘4 seconds’ and I thought ‘Oh, that’s a pretty good lead’. But I slowed down a bit too much. I got a lap record in the Robert Holden race though, so that’s something. I have learned a lesson from this: Don’t celebrate too early and just race until the chequered flag.”

The Suzuki Series’ various venues – Taupo’s Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park, Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon in Feilding and then the public streets of Whanganui that make up the famous Cemetery Circuit raceway for the final round, brought out the best in all the riders, but must now surely rate as Moir’s three favourites.

If he remembers the lesson he learned at Whanganui on Wednesday, then he should surely rate among the favourites to win the premier trophy at the 2019 edition of this popular series.

Meanwhile, the crowds at Whanganui on Boxing Day were thrilled to get right behind local hero Richie Dibben, the Kiwi international making his comeback from recent injury. He delighted with his Super Motard bike prowess on the tight and twisty circuit, taking his Suzuki RM-Z450 to win both Super Motard outings.

There was strong interest also in the GIXXER Cup class – reserved for riders aged between 14 and 21 years and all on identical Suzuki GSX150F bikes – where two young men had shared the glory in the earlier rounds of the series, Zak Fuller and Jesse Stroud, the son of Suzuki’s nine-time former national superbike champion and four-time former Suzuki Series champion Andrew Stroud.

It was Fuller though that won the day outright at Whanganui’s Cemetery Circuit on Boxing Day, the GIXXER Cup competition a special stand-alone two-race affair incorporated within the street race programme. The 150 Cup is a seven-round series this year, with five more rounds left to run, incorporated within the five-round New Zealand Superbike Championships, which kick off at Mike Pero Motorsport Park in Christchurch on January 5-6th.

Zak Fuller NZ GSXF Cup
NZ Gixxer Cup on GSX150F Suzuki

Words and photo by Andy McGechan

Source: MCNews.com.au

2018 Honda CB1000R | Road Test Review

2018 Honda CB1000R
With fresh “Neo-Sports Café” styling, an updated engine and chassis, throttle-by-wire with multiple riding modes, new instrumentation and a lower curb weight, Honda’s CB1000R gets a new lease on life. Photos by Kevin Wing.

Since its 2011 debut (read our Road Test Review here), the Honda CB1000R has languished. It arrived when American buyers weren’t particularly interested in naked bikes, and its mediocre performance and ho-hum styling didn’t help. But what a difference a few years can make.

Naked bike sales have more than doubled since 2012, and the average buyer is 45-55 years old with two decades of riding experience–middle-agers (like me!) who don’t want bikes that look like they rolled out of a video game. Honda has responded by transforming the CB1000R from a run-of-the-mill naked sportbike into a modern café racer.

Read our First Look Review of the 2019 CB650R and CBR650R.

2018 Honda CB1000R
The CB1000R’s smooth in-line four packs a punch above 7,000 rpm, and the entire package is tidy and refined.

Park the previous CB1000R next to a new one and you’d never know they’re so closely related. Replacing the swoopy bodywork is a stocky profile with harder lines, more exposed metal and a classic round headlight nacelle housing a modern LED. Black paint with bits of contrasting silver and machined edges on the engine give the new CB1000R an edgy, industrial look.

But the reinvention is more than skin deep. Honda says the CB’s liquid-cooled, 998cc, DOHC in-line four generates more output–121.8 horsepower at 9,900 rpm and 69 lb-ft of torque at 8,400 on Jett Tuning’s dyno–thanks to larger ports and reduced pressure loss in the intake, more valve lift, higher compression, forged rather than cast pistons and larger throttle bodies, and a lower gear ratio adds more snap during acceleration.

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Classic round nacelle houses a modern LED headlight.

We could only make a partial dyno run due to the bike’s electronics objecting to the stationary front wheel, but it still made roughly 10 percent more horsepower and torque. The new exhaust, steel mono-backbone frame and aluminum frame pivot plates are all lighter than before, and curb weight is just 465 pounds, down 17 pounds.

As before, the CB1000R has a cast aluminum, single-sided swingarm, which showcases the new, wider 10-spoke rear wheel. The swingarm is shorter but the longer frame stretches the wheelbase to 57.3 inches, up from 56.9. Revisions to the suspension include a fully adjustable, upside-down, 43mm Showa SFF-BP fork, a lighter spring and revised settings for the Showa shock and increased travel front and rear (4.7/5.2 inches, up from 4.3/5.0). Returning unchanged are the excellent Tokico binders, which tell the rider exactly what’s going on and scrub off a little or a lot of speed with minimal effort, and 2-channel ABS is now standard.

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New Showa SFF-BP fork is fully adjustable. Radial-mount calipers are the same as those on the CBR1000RR and ABS is standard.

The new CB1000R exudes refinement, the sort of civility and precision that’s been a hallmark of certain Hondas for decades. Whereas the previous model’s throttle was overly sensitive, the new throttle-by-wire never misses a beat, and there are now riding modes (Sport, Street and Rain) with preset levels of throttle response, engine braking and traction control, plus a User mode allows the rider to set any combination of these parameters and turn traction control completely off.

It may look like a bare-knuckle brawler, but the CB1000R has the poise and agility of a ballet dancer. Light with a solid chassis, the CB turns in and transitions from side to side with ease, and its Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S21 tires provide flytrap grip. Even with aggressive inputs, it keeps a cool head, rarely getting out of shape. Adding to the CB1000R’s refined feel is its smooth engine and silky 6-speed transmission, aided by a new, low-effort assist-and-slipper clutch.

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New digital instrumentation is easy to read, and a multi-colored light on the right can be programmed as a shift light, as an indicator for riding mode, eco riding or gear position, or several other functions.

Regardless of riding mode, power delivery is always linear and predictable, though when the revs drop in slow corners there’s not enough grunt to rocket launch toward the exit. Keep the revs above 7,000 rpm and everything is golden.

Comfort is also part of the appeal of naked bikes among middle-aged riders. Decades of full-time employment, often seated at a desk, has given us love handles and chronic lower back pain. Motorcycles with upright seating positions allow us to have fun and still be able to walk the next day. That’s true of the CB1000R, which requires little forward bend to reach the handlebar and has a flat, comfortable seat, though the footpegs are high so knee bend may be an issue for some.

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Seat is firm but comfortable; even at 32.7 inches there isn’t much room between it and the high footpegs.

Reinvention is no easy task. The 2018 Honda CB1000R looks and performs better, with more distinctive styling, less weight, extra power, technology like ABS and throttle-by-wire, new instrumentation and more. But as much as I appreciate refinement and civility, the CB1000R needs more of the mojo–more bark from the exhaust, more grunt at low rpm–that transforms a motorcycle from a machine into a delivery vehicle for emotion.

2018 Honda CB1000R
2018 Honda CB1000R.

Check out Rider’s guide to new/updated street motorcycles for 2019 here!

2018 Honda CB1000R Specs

Base Price: $12,999
Warranty: 1 yr., unltd. miles
Website: powersports.honda.com

Engine

Type: Liquid-cooled, transverse in-line four
Displacement: 998cc
Bore x Stroke: 75.0 x 56.5mm
Compression Ratio: 11.6:1
Valve Train: DOHC w/ 4 valves per cyl.
Valve Insp. Interval: 16,000 miles
Fuel Delivery: PGM-FI w/ throttle-by-wire & 44mm throttle bodies x 4
Lubrication System: Wet sump, 3.2-qt. cap.
Transmission: 6-speed, hydraulically actuated wet assist-and-slipper clutch
Final Drive: O-ring chain

Electrical

Ignition: Fully transistorized
Charging Output: 350 watts max.
Battery: 12V 8.6AH

Chassis

Frame: Mono-backbone steel frame, single-sided cast aluminum swingarm
Wheelbase: 57.3 in.
Rake/Trail: 24.7 degrees/3.8 in.
Seat Height: 32.7 in.
Suspension, Front: 43mm USD fork, fully adj., 4.7-in. travel
Rear: Single shock, adj. for spring preload & rebound damping, 5.2-in. travel
Brakes, Front: Dual 310mm floating discs w/ 4-piston monoblock radial opposed calipers & ABS
Rear: Single 256mm disc w/ 2-piston pin-slide caliper & ABS
Wheels, Front: Cast, 3.5 x 17 in.
Rear: Cast, 6.0 x 17 in.
Tires, Front: 120/70-ZR17
Rear: 190/55-ZR17
Wet Weight: 465 lbs.
Load Capacity: 388 lbs.
GVWR: 853 lbs.

Performance

Fuel Capacity: 4.3 gals., last 1.0 gal. warning light on
MPG: 91 PON min. (low/avg/high) 32.1/35.9/39.5
Estimated Range: 154 miles
Indicated RPM at 60 MPH: 4,250

Source: RiderMagazine.com

What do riders know or care about GPS?

Map and satnav expert Peter (World Mapman) Davis provides some interesting background information for riders on GPS in this fourth instalment in our satnav series.

You can check out the other articles by clicking on the topic: Satnav for beginners, planning a route and reading a map the right way. You can also ask Peter any tech questions on satnav by clicking here.

What is GPS?

Global Positioning Systems (GPS) use satellites that are in a geo-stationary orbit. That means they rotate at the same speed as the Earth so they remain in the same place above the globe.

You need at least three satellite beams to “triangulate” your position, which means it is the average position between the three beams.

The original satellites were sent into orbit by the US military for their use in navigation.

However, tech-savvy people soon found out how to communicate with them and use their navigation services.

When US authorities discovered that their satellite navigation systems were being used by civilians, they allowed what they called “selective availability”.

They actually built in some positioning inaccuracy.

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Map expert Peter Davis

Military GPS

If the military needed to use their satellites for operations, they would simply turn off selective availability and suddenly people would get very accurate positions.

It became evident that this was a very useful tool for the civilian population, so the last Bill President Bill Clinton signed was the abolition of selective availability.

These days we now get more accurate readings as there are a lot more satellites in orbit that belong to other countries and even commercial operations.

To obtain an accurate position, a GPS device needs to have at least three satellite connections.

A satellite is a transmitter, not a receiver. It transmits a signal which the GPS picks up.

The more satellites you get the more accurate your position.

Early GPS

Early GPS devices had a very narrow beam of reception to gain signals from satellites.

This made them lose satellite reception very easily if you were riding in dense forest or even through cities with tall buildings.

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All GPS units need line of sight with satellites.

However, newer GPS units have a broad spectrum of reception which is basically horizon to horizon.

Consequently, so long as you can see some sky, it works. The satellite doesn’t need to be straight above.

They also now work in some tunnels that have repeaters in the roof to beam the satellite signal.

Land beacons

Satnav has become even more accurate with the introduction of ground-based GPS nav beacons or “differential nav”.

Your position can be triangulated using a combination of satellites and land beacons which can be radio transmitters or mobile phone towers.

Early on, they used the Triple J radio signal.

Land beacons improve position accuracy from about 5m to 1m, or even less depending on how close you are to a land beacon.

The real advantage is that they are very accurate for vertical elevation or altitude.

Surveyors even use them and it helps adventure and off-road riders using topographical satnav.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle safety recalls rise in 2018

There were 37 motorcycle safety recalls in 2018, up nine from the previous year, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

It is the second highest number of recalls in the past 10 years: 28 in 2017, 39 in 2016, 30 in 2015, 28 in 2014, 20 in 2013, 24 in 2012, 16 in 2011, 14 in 2010 and 23 in 2009.

The increase in safety recalls seems to mainly affect new models and could be the result of companies bringing these models to the market too soon in an effort to attract new buyers.

Brembo safety recalls

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Faulty Brembo PR16 master cylinder

The biggest safety recalls of the year were over a single issue with Brembo PR16 front brake master cylinders.

They were fitted on motorcycles from a range of manufacturers such as ApriliaDucati, Husqvarna, KTM MV Agusta, TM Racing, Moto Morini and Horex, but did not affect aftermarket units.

The Italian brake manufacturer was again stopped in its tracks with a second major product safety recall for its replacement aftermarket rear brake caliper kits.

Ducati leads with six

Ducati had the most recalls of any manufacturer with six, four of which were for the Panigale V4 in its first year of production.

Almost all models were affected by recalls such as leaks, melting hoses and even the V4 bursting into flames.

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V4 catches fire in Canada

Indian 3

Scout models for brake issues; some Thunderstroke-powered models for  faulty right switchblocks; and Roadmaster for a lack of waterproofing in the rear top box. 

Kawasaki 3

Z900RS for rear brake sensor issue; faulty centre stand on the H2 SX; and transmission failures on the Ninja ZX-10R and ZX-10RR.

Suzuki 3

DL650, GSX-S750 and GSX-R1000A for fuel leaks; GSX-R125 and GSX-S125 for engine mounting bolts breaking; and GSX-R1000A/R/RZ for chain breakages.

Yamaha 3

SR400 for an oil leak, MT-07 and XSR700 had loose chain protector bolts and MT-03 had noisy gears.

KTM 3

Sticking throttle on SX50 mini dirt bike (same for the Husqvarna TC50); 690 Duke R and 1290 Super Duke models for Brembo front brake issue; and 690 Duke and 690 Duke R for fuel leaks.

Triumph 3

Street Triple R/RS for switchgear electrical faults; Thruxton models for stalling issues; and most models were missing the correct stationary noise data label on the exhausts.

BMW 2

G 310 GS and R models had side stand breakages and a malfunctioning indicator light on their scooters, F series and R nineT Scrambler.

However, BMW also had a major issue with spokes collapsing but the company did not issue a recall.

Click here for more on this important issue.  

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Crashed BMW R 1200 GS with collapsed spokes

Husqvarna 2

TC50 sticking throttle and FS 450 for Brembo front brake.

Moto Guzzi 2

V9 and V 7 III for brake issues (not Brembo).

Harley-Davidson 2

Fifth recall for the onging hydraulic clutch problems on their touring models and trikes and brake issues on several models if the brake fluid is not flushed at least every two years as specified in the Owner’s Manual and Service Manual.

Aprilia 1

RSV4 1000 and Tuono 1100 for Brembo brakes.

MV Agusta 1

MV Agusta F4 RR & MV Agusta F4 RC for Brembo brakes.

Safety recalls listed

Motorbike Writer publishes all recalls. This upsets some importers.

One company said we were being sensationalist and accused us of #clickbait.

We make no apologies for grabbing the attention of riders about possible safety issues with their motorcycle.

We applaud companies for issuing voluntary safety recalls and contacting known owners about the issue.

However, when bikes are privately sold or serviced at non-authorised mechanics, riders are not alerted to these recalls.

Therefore, we publish all recalls, mainly to contact these riders.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

MBW helping riders seeking justice

The three most popular articles this year have been about riders successfully obtaining justice either in beating incorrect fines or, in once case, getting a driver fined for road rage. In all cases we are happy to say that Motorbike Writer has played a role.

Lane filter justice

The most popular article was the end result of last year’s most popular article about a driver who put his arm out the window to stop a Newcastle rider legally filtering through traffic.

We published the original article in November 2017 with this video, but police weren’t interested.

But with pressure from the rider and MBW, police eventually fined the driver in January 2018 under Rule 268 (3): Part of body outside vehicle window/door – $325 fine, 3 demerits.

Without the rider’s helmet camera video, the rider might never have won justice.

It is an important example why some state governments should amend laws to allow cameras on helmets.

Standing on footpegs

Incorrect fine Tim Byrne justice
Tim with footpeg fine

The second most popular article was about South Australian police dropping a rider’s fine for standing on the footpegs. 

Adelaide rider Tim Byrne says he was fined for standing up while riding through some roadworks in January 2018 despite the practice being legalised in South Australia in 2016 and added to the Australian Road Rules this year. 

Click here to read about the new ARRs.

Tim and Motorbike Writer contacted the police pointing out their error, yet they refused to withdraw the fine.

Motorbike Writer then set Tim up with Maurice Blackburn Lawyers who took on the case a pro bono (free) basis as a “matter of principle”.

As a result, a police supervisor decided to drop the fine.

Helmet sticker

Rider challenges helmet sticker fine justice
Ted wins on helmet sticker fine

In the third most popular article, Victorian Police withdrew a fine against a rider for not having an external compliance sticker on his Australian-approved motorcycle helmet.

The fact is, you can remove your helmet sticker. Click here to read our advice to riders.

So we suggested rider Alasdair “Ted” Cameron challenge the $371 fine through Maurice Blackburn Lawyers.

Senior associate Katie Minogue said she was confident her client had a “strong enough case” and was looking forward to their day in court.

However, at the last minute, VicPol have withdrawn the fine.

Once again, this means the issue has not been dealt with in court so no legal precedent has been set.

Motorbike Writer is happy to help you seek justice by promoting your cause. Click here to send us details of your incident.

Most popular

While these were the most popular new articles in 2018, our most popular reads for the year were older advice articles.

Our perennial top read seems to be our tips on washing your motorbike.

Clean wash Ducati GT1000 justice

Second is an article about the correct tyre pressures for your bike, followed by what are the lowest seat heights with a comprehensive list of all motorcycle seat heights.

They are followed by advice on how to avoid a tank slapper, when to replace your helmet and even how and when to do the motorcycle wave!

Top 10 tips for washing your motorcycle

What are correct motorcycle tyre pressures?

What are the lowest motorcycle seat heights?

How to avoid a tank slapper or speed wobble

10 tips for doing the motorcycle wave

When to replace your motorcycle helmet

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

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