All you old rockers should be tuning up for this supergroup — Triumph, Gibson and the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride (DGR) are getting the band back together!
Details have not yet been released, only a vague press release about the collaboration of the three.
The press release just states:
Announcing an exciting new partnership that brings together two iconic global brands, Gibson and Triumph Motorcycles, with a unique collaboration based on the legendary 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard and the equally legendary 1959 Triumph Bonneville T120.
With a shared ambition to support the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, and its global charity efforts for men’s mental health and prostate cancer awareness and fundraising, full information on the partnership will be released in March 2022.
Vague indeed.
However, I can make an educated guess.
I suspect there will be a limited-edition Bonneville T120 coming in 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard sunburst colours and branding.
There should also be a Gibson coming with relevant Triumph logos.
Plus either or both will be offered as prizes to the biggest fundraisers in the annual DGR which generates funds for mental health issues and prostate cancer research.
The collaboration makes a lot of sense as many old rockers love their Bonnevilles and probably suffer from prostate issues!
And late last year Triumph Motorcycles announced it will continue its association with DGR for five more years.
As an old rocker who is still rocking in a garage band, I’ll be lining up for one of each of these limited-edition gems.
We hardly need research to tell us that weekends are the most dangerous time on Aussie roads — or any country for that matter — especially for motorcycles.
After all, more motorcycles are out on thew roads on weekends, for a start.
I’ve been reporting on crash statistics for several decades and the one constant is that the most dangerous times to be on the roads are from Friday afternoon until Sunday evening.
People have switched off from work and are using the roads for reaction and travelling greater distances, so there is more likelihood of a. crash.
There is also a greater abuse of alcohol and drugs in these times, according to Professor Max Cameron from Monash University’s Accident Research Centre.
So we don’t really need yet another survey to prove this theory of dangerous motoring times.
However, new data from Compare the Market not only confirms Saturdays as having the highest rates of car crashes resulting in deaths, but also shows some other interesting results.
For example, the most deadly season is Spring!
Yes, when then flowers start coming out and horse blow out birthday candles, it is more dangerous to be on the road.
August, November and the first month of summer, December, are the most lethal, according to the review of data from 1989 to 2021.
Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety – Queensland (CARRS-Q)’s Professor Teresa Senserrick says these spikes in road deaths match with school holidays.
“This is why there is justification for double demerit points during those periods,” she says, even though Queensland is one state that does not have double demerit points.
Professor Cameron says a key characteristic of fatal accidents in holidays is that they usually involve higher speeds, which are more common in rural areas.
Unsurprisingly, the survey also found that night rides, especially in remote or rural areas are more dangerous, especially for riders dodging kangaroos and other wildlife.
Also, the inferior quality of rural roads can be a contributing factor and deaths as a result of accidents can be higher because of the time it takes for emergency services to arrive on the scene.
Another interesting result is the effect of weather on crashes.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology notes that the northern and eastern coasts receive more rainy days from November to March, while the southern states see more wet weather in the winter months.
“In some parts, rain is quite torrential, but when the rain first starts in Australia’s southern states, the roads often have a lot of dust on them,” Professor Cameron says.
“Rain turns that dust to mud, which is very slippery. Heavy torrential rain quickly clears the mud away.
“Motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians don’t tend to be on the roads during heavy rain so much, so there are fewer fatal crashes for these groups of road users, who are at a higher risk of dying in a crash compared to vehicle occupants.”
There has been a downward trend in all road fatalities over the past decade, including motorcycle fatalities.
On average, motorcycle fatalities account for approximately 17% of road fatalities during this period.
Motorcycle fatalities only accounted for 15.82% of all road casualties in 2011, while, at its peak, motorcycle casualties accounted for 19.27% of all deaths in 2016.
Year
Motorcycle fatalities
Australia wide (includes driver, passenger, pedestrian, motorcyclist, pedal cyclist and unknown)
So how does Australia stack up against others? Overall, Australia has a lower rate of road fatalities per 100,000 compared with countries like New Zealand, USA, UK, Italy, France, Germany, Norway, Canada and Ireland.
Most countries have seen a year-on-year decrease for their annual road casualties, with Norway having the smallest number of casualties (just under 1 person per 100,000 people).
With Australia’s state borders completely open from next month and international travel open from today (21 February 2022) for vaccinated travellers, the issue of airport parking for motorcycles is back on the agenda.
Bike parking at airports around the country varies substantially.
Melbourne airport parking is among the most expensive in the world and has no discount for motorcycles while at the other end of the sale, Sydney has free parking for motorcycles at the domestic and international airports.
Recently the Motorcycle Riders Association of Australia (MRAA) asked riders across the country about facilities for motorcycle and scooter parking at airports.
There was strong response and, while the results are not a complete picture by any means, they are an indicator that riders want better and cheaper facilities.
MRAA says that the parking area with the least to offer riders is at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport.
A small area is set aside for motorbikes at the same cost as car parking. Privately owned car parks nearby offered better deals with bikes parked under cover at a reasonable price, with shuttle services to terminals.
Brisbane Airport parks motorcycles for $10 a day compared with cars at $40/day. For long-term parking, the bike price drops to just $5/day.
Perth Airport charges just $6.10 a day for motorcycles in a secure, purpose-built motorcycle parking facility with boom gates too barrow for cars.
Perth airport parking
None of the airports had lockers for riders’ safety gear such as helmets and boots.
The MRAA recently approached Hobart Airport to ask about securing free parking and lockers for motorcycles.
Hobart Airport Executive General Manager Commercial, Grahaem Duff, told them he was considering a similar facility to the one at the Perth Airport and sought the MRAA’s advice on location.
Riders will also have access to a new luggage locker system.
Harley-Davidson Australia has recalled its new Revolution-engined Pan America adventure bike and Sportster S over an issue that only affects the bikes in zero temperatures.
Interestingly, Harley’s new additions to their range sold 515 bikes in the past year, 515 of which were the Pan America Special.
The sales results are revealed in the official recall notice, not in the official FCAI sales figures which these days don’t reveal such data.
It’s a good indication that the new bikes have been well received, especially the company’s first adventure bike.
Harley-Davidson Pan America Special
Anyway, back to the recall.
The issues is related to a software fault, according to the official recall notice.
It says that if the temperature of the instrument cluster is below 0 degrees Celsius, “the speedometer and neutral indicator may not display as intended” and an error warning message may display.
“If the speedometer or neutral indicator is not displayed as intended the rider will be unable to correctly determine the operating speed,” the notice says.
“This may increase the risk of an accident, causing injury or death to the rider, passenger or other road users.”
Harley-Davidson Sportster S
Owners should contact their nearest Harley-Davidson dealer “immediately” to schedule an appointment to have the software updated in the instrument cluster module at no charge.
Surely there’s no rush, though, as temperatures are not likely to plummet that much in the next few months.
The recall is the first for Harley this year after last year having only two recalls in a year where there were official 46 recalls, the highest number monitored since 2009 and significantly more than the previous high of 37 in 2018.
Here are the VINs (Vehicle identification number) of the affected bikes:
Even though manufacturers and importers usually contact owners when a recall is issued, the bike may have been sold privately to a rider unknown to the company.
Therefore, Motorbike Writer publishes all motorcycle and scooter recalls as a service to all riders.
If you believe there is an endemic problem with your bike that should be recalled, contact the ACCC on 1300 302 502.
To check whether your motorcycle has been recalled, click on these sites:
Riders of Honda’s current model CBR100RR Fireblades have been advised to slow down and maybe even stop riding the bike due to an issue that could cause oil to dangerously leak on to the back tyre.
According to the official recall notice issued through the Australian Government, heat from the exhaust pipes could damage the oil cooler hose causing a leak.
They say it’s a “manufacturing issue”, but it sounds like a design fault to me.
And it’s serious.
“If the oil cooler hose becomes damaged, it may lead to a loss of engine oil on to the rear tyre,” warns the recall notice.
“The rear tyre may lose traction without warning. This may lead to serious injury or death to the rider and other road users.”
When parts become available owners will be contacted by Honda and asked to contact their nearest authorised Honda Motorcycle Dealer to have their motorcycle inspected and repaired free of charge.
Until the inspection and repair are carried out, owners of the 27 affected bikes are advised not to ride above 5000rpm in first gear, as this could raise the temperature around the oil cooler outlet pipe and may result in hose being damaged and an oil leak to occur.
If you find an oil leak at the pre-ride inspection, stop riding, and immediately contact your nearest Honda Australia dealer.
Even though manufacturers and importers usually contact owners when a recall is issued, the bike may have been sold privately to a rider unknown to the company.
Therefore, Motorbike Writer publishes all motorcycle and scooter recalls as a service to all riders.
If you believe there is an endemic problem with your bike that should be recalled, contact the ACCC on 1300 302 502.
To check whether your motorcycle has been recalled, click on these sites:
After a year of record safety recalls for motorcycles in 2021, Yamaha Australia is the first Australian motorcycle company to issue a recall in 2022.
The company has recalled their current 29022 YZ125SPN and YZ125N junior motocross motorcycles for a gear selection issue and asked owners to not ride them until parts arrive later this month or until they have been inspected and modified.
According to the official recall notice issued through the Federal Government, the shift selector detent spring may “dislodge while riding, causing the gear to shift unexpectedly or inhibit gear selection”.
“If the gear shifts unexpectedly or cannot shift properly, there is an increased risk of an accident resulting in injury or death to the rider or bystanders,” the notice says.
While all safety recalls are important, this is alarming as most riders will be young people, so parents should pay particular attention.
The notice says theparts for repair will not be available until next month.
In the meantime, owners should contact their local Yamaha dealer to arrange for a free inspection and temporary modification.
For more information, contact Yamaha Motor Australia on 1300 277 137.
Even though manufacturers and importers usually contact owners when a recall is issued, the bike may have been sold privately to a rider unknown to the company.
Therefore, Motorbike Writer publishes all motorcycle and scooter recalls as a service to all riders.
If you believe there is an endemic problem with your bike that should be recalled, contact the ACCC on 1300 302 502.
To check whether your motorcycle has been recalled, click on these sites:
It’s official – Kimi Räikkönen, formerly a Formula 1 racer with the nickname “The Iceman,” will become the new Team Principal of the MXGP Kawasaki Racing Team for the 2022 season.
This neat tidbit of news comes from a report on Racer – and it’s the first time that I personally have seen such a blend of top-notch cager genetics make a complete transfer to the world of two-wheeled Powersports.
Kimi Räikkönen will be joined by team manager Antti Pyrhonen – both of which have had a private motocross experience in their past.
Starting this year, however, Räikkönen will be putting his best foot forward to the factory-backed teams of MXGP – and we’re excited to see the results.
“It’s no secret that, for me, one of my great passions in life for many years has been motocross, but this team is not what you might call a hobby; it’s very serious, very focused, and we aspire to be the best we possibly can,” Raikkonen says in a report from Racer.
“Now, I have retired from racing I will be able to spend more time on this project; not on the daily issues but more from a strategic point of view using my experience of how teams work and what creates success on the world stage.”
“Everyone, including myself, is delighted that Kawasaki has chosen us to be the Factory team. I know that the chance of success is always greater with direct factory support, so this translates into a great opportunity for us as the new Kawasaki Racing Team in MXGP.”
Kimi Räikkönen completed his Formula 1 career with 349 starts since his 2001 debut – and with so much knowledge on team building and the mechanics of a functioning group on the MXGP stage, we look forward to seeing the end results.
Drop a comment below letting us know what you think, and as always – stay safe on the twisties.
One of Australia’s most historic race circuits, Lakeside Park on Brisbane’s north side, will close its gates to most track day events due to “potential safety concerns”.
Lakeside and Willowbank are known as Queensland Raceway which was sold to VIP Pet Foods owner and racing enthusiast Tony Quinn late last year.
Both tracks have been the sites for classic motorcycle racing over the years but Lakeside was deemed too dangerous for many varieties of racing several years ago.
Previous owner John Tetley spent a lot of money redeveloping the famous Lakeside circuit with resurfacing, wider corners and better barriers.
Previous owner John Tetley in happier times
However, after the death of a classic motorcycle racer in December 2020, the new owners have now decided to “step back from running events at Lakeside Park”.
That should mean fewer motorcycle track days at the challenging and scenic circuit that sits on Lake Kurwongbah.
Riders who have booked track days will receive refunds.
While QR will not longer run motorcycle track days at Lakeside a new provider, Track Action Moto Ride may offer some days. Details will be provided soon.
Here is the reasoning provided by the new owners:
Queensland Raceway has on multiple occasions raised potential safety concerns regarding track barriers and track infrastructure with the venue owners/operators and RACERS, being the sanctioning body.
Queensland Raceway is no longer prepared to take on the potential risk, both from a commercial and reputational standpoint, of hiring/licensing the facilities at Lakeside Park whilst they remain in their current condition for any motor racing or motorcycle events.
Events which were scheduled to be managed by Queensland Raceway at the Lakeside Park facility have been handed over to the team at Lakeside Park, should they choose to add them to their own event calendar.
Queensland Raceway believes in the importance of Lakeside Park’s heritage and its place as part of the Australian motorsport landscape and would encourage the current owners/operators of Lakeside Park to make improvements to the facility so that Lakeside Park can return to its former glory.
Queensland Raceway takes pride in delivering the highest level of quality of safety standards to help ensure the protection of our customers.
Queensland Raceway is excited about the future of the business at the Willowbank venue and will continue to focus on delivering motorsport activities at this venue.
Until late last year, Queensland Raceway and Lakeside Park were operated/managed by the same organisation. In November 2021, new management took over Queensland Raceway and have since invested heavily into that facility in order to improve safety standards and infrastructure.
Fresh-faced teenager James Weaver has been chosen by computer data to compete in the 2022 Oceania Junior Cup (OJC), the official Road to MotoGP series for young Aussie road racers.
Riders from around the nation were invited by motoDNA last year to compete in the first motoCHAMPION competition for the coveted prize of a $10,000 fully sponsored ride in the 2022 OJC.
MotoDNA boss Mark McVeigh says the Cup runs alongside the Australian Superbike Championship.
“If James wins the Oceania Junior Cup he gets placement to the Asia Talent Cup, the next step to MotoGP,” he says.
James is a passionate rider/racer competing from the age of five and would like to race at the highest level, like his idol and fellow central coast rider Casey Stoner.
At the age of 11, James was selected for the Oceania Junior Cup and competed in the support class to the World Superbike at Phillip Island.
He was only 12 when he won the junior North Coast Road Racing Series.
Now he is the world’s first rider to be chosen to race via a data-driven digital championship developed by motoDNA and sponsored by Bendix brakes.
James being followed by his coach
Aussie racers from 11 years old took part in the motoCHAMPION competition at racetracks and go-kart circuits around Australia using bike-mounted GoPro cameras.
Data from the GoPros and sensors on the bike allowed motoDNA to use their unique propriety algorithms to measure a rider’s skill level, rather than their lap time.
It meant racers could compete against even though they were on different tracks.
The motoDNA algorithms measure and grade the riders enabling leaderboards to be created for any riding skill such as throttle, braking and steering.
Throughout the competition the leaderboard changed back and forth between James, Cameron Swain and Hudson Thompson with James winning by a whisker from Cameron, the 2021 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Champ who is moving up a class for 2022.
MotoDNA CEO Mark McVeigh says they have been supporting young Australian riders for more than 10 years and he wished James good luck in the 2022 OJC.
Mark McVeigh at a motoDNA riders briefing
“Our team is also pleased with how our new digital platform performed technically,” he says.
“If the riders all lined up to race each other at the same event they would finish in the same order.
“That’s pretty cool and now positions motoDNA to expand to other series in Australia and overseas. We also learnt heaps, refining our algorithms performance and customer experience. “
The motoCHAMPION was launched in partnership with Motorcycling Australia, who develop riders through the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup (OJC) and the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK).
Motorcycling Australia CEO Peter Doyle says the OJC Academy is designed to open a pathway into junior road racing and, through its development academy format, lift our youngest motorcycling talent through national competition and set them on a path to international success.
“Developing and facilitating our next generation of riders is a key focus for Motorcycling Australia,” he says.
“We’re excited to be a part of motoCHAMPION in partnership with motoDNA which provides riders with an additional tool in their tool kit to further develop their riding technique and skills.”
Apart from James’s sponsored place in the OJC, the next four motoCHAMPION riders will earn an automatic place in the bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup selection event where they will have the chance to qualify for the 2022 season.
The motoCHAMPION event is sponsored by Bendix which is now taking its stopping expertise to the two-wheeled category says company GM George Kyriakopoulos.
Motorcycle riders will gradually see Bendix brake product become available for their bikes in the Australian market and also see an increased presence of the Bendix brand in the two-wheeled scene.
For years riders and other motorists have been asked to report road hazards such as potholes to their state road authority.
However, local authorities seem to ignore the repot, respond slowly or respond with inappropriate measures.
In one recent instance, rider Mick Rider (no joke!) reported concerns about a section of the Hume Highway, that suffered melt damage and was covered in marble-like gravel by VicRoads, and speed reduced to 80km/h from 110km/h.
Photos supplied by Mick Rider
“This has resulted in a worse mess than when it was just melting, with VicRoads attempting to cool with water spraying the last few days,” he says.
“Insufficient speed reduction for motorcycles to navigate extremely hazardous surface now resulting in dual lane traffic showering with gravel.
“In addition to that, the four-wheel traffic has created mounds of this gravel between wheel tracks in lanes.”
He reported the matter to VicRoads at 5.45pm on 25 January by phone.
Potholes and other road maintenance issues are frequently cited in local and international studies.
A 2018 British Automobile Association survey found that while potholes cause damage to cars, they are a greater injury threat to riders with riders three times more likely to be involved in crashes caused by potholes and poor road surfaces than any other vehicle type.
A 244-page 2016 Austroads report, titled “Infrastructure Improvements to Reduce Motorcycle Casualties”, found that roads need to be better designed, funded and maintained to reduce the risk of motorcycle crashes.
And while riders are urged to report road defects, that only yields a result if the problem is promptly fixed.
Cate says five days after Mick’s complaint nothing had been done.
“VicRoads contractors and traffic management continue to ignore motorcycle riders and place them at risk, not just from the hazardous road conditions, but other road user behaviour in poor conditions not appropriately signed,” she says.
“How many times do we have to complain? How many times do riders have to suffer damage to motorcycles, themselves, and death, before VicRoads comes down on their Contractors hard, and ensures they’re compliant?”
