Victorian Police have warned riders heading to the Phillip Island MotoGP this weekend of increased patrols in and around the track.
The annual Operation MotoSafe will also concentrate on eastern Victorian roads leading to the venue.
Eastern Region Road Policing Inspector Stephen Cooper said that this year has been a “particularly challenging year” on Victorian roads, with a “lot of the trauma taking place in country Victoria”.
“At the beginning of the year we saw a lot of fatalities and serious injuries involving motorcyclists,” Insp Cooper says.
“With the warmer weather encouraging riders to get back on their motorcycles, we want everyone to know that police will be out enforcing against those who engage in risky behaviour.”
During the operation, police patrols will target drivers impaired by alcohol and drugs, as well as fatigue.
Track patrols
Between 25 and 27 October, police will patrol in and around the race track and on all roads leading to Phillip Island.
“With increased motorcycle traffic in the area, we need both motorcyclists and other road users to be alert and aware of their surroundings,” Insp Cooper says.
“The Grand Prix weekend is one motorcycle enthusiasts enjoy and look forward to every year.
“The last thing we would want is for it to end in tragedy.”
Townsville riders have started a GoFundMe page to increase the fund raising for their 39th annual Toy Run next month to help families affected by February’s floods.
The floods, caused by a slow-moving cycling, was one of the worst natural disasters to impact the region causing two deaths, one missing person, 10 injuries and millions of dollars in damage.
Organiser Dave Ross says they hope to raise $5000 through their GoFundMe campaign.
Funds will be used to buy items such as Christmas trees and decorations, personal grooming for young teenagers, educational toys for toddlers, etc.
“So many Townsville families have lost absolutely everything in the floods earlier this year,” he says.
“Many families are still struggling with their loss and hopefully we can make the whole family smile on Christmas Day.”
Townsville Toy Run
The Townsville District Motorcycle Riders Association 39th annual Toy Run will start at the Riverway Precinct with registration and breakfast from 7am.
The 90km ride will start at 9am.
Apart from raising funds through crowd-funding, riders are asked to donate educational toys and puzzles, clothing, sporting goods, fishing gear, toiletries and beach towels.
Riders are also asked to decorate their bikes in a Christmas theme and include a stuffed toy bought form the Salvos store.
“These donations are handed to our community organisation which are then sorted into age groups for the parents to choose a gift for their children, that they otherwise may not have been able to afford,” Dave says.
“Unfortunately we are unable to stop during the ride to collect more donations.
“However we have donation points in Townsville which are advertised on our Facebook page.“
List your toy run
It might seem early, but we are already compiling a list of Toy Runs around the nation and need your help.
Since your backside is on the seat most of the time, it is the most important ingredient in rider comfort, so I chose a Sargent Seat to improve the comfort on my Ducati Scrambler Icon.
The standard seat is an ugly, flat and uncomfortable piece of plastic with a tacky white “Ducati” on the tail. It looks cheap and nasty and spoils the look and comfort of an otherwise great bike.
Original seat
Sargent seat
Replacing it with a Sargent Seat in vintage all-black for $A690 has not only improved the looks and quality feel of the bike, but most importantly it has greatly improved my riding enjoyment.
Firm versus soft
Like suspension, firm is often better than soft. Too plush and you sink in, then hit the supports underneath when you hit bumps in the road. That can become very tiring and uncomfortable on a long trip.
Firm cushioning means you are supported and prevented from hitting those “bump stops”.
Dane Higgins of Sargent Seats says they use visco-elastic or “memory” foam which is firm, but immediately absorbs your backside’s areas of high pressure.
Some aftermarket seats use gel which feels like it would be comfortable, but it’s heavy and it heats up so you get that annoying hot spot on your backside after a while.
Sargent also use a thicker layer of foam than the original, so they send you a lower-profile underseat storage box to accommodate the extra depth of the seat.
Original and low-profile storage box
New storage box fitted
The Sargent seat is more contoured than the original but you can still shift around a bit and you don’t get any areas of high pressure or that burning feeling of many other seats.
Speaking of heat, you can also get a heated option, or even a solo seat so you can have a luggage rack or top box on the back seat area.
Sargent seat
We’ve tried other aftermarket seats and they take some time to get used to, or to “bed in”.
With Sargent Seats there is no “break-in period” required thanks to their patented “Zone Suspension Body Contour Technology”. Click here for more tech info.
Basically it offers immediate and maximum comfort right from the first time you sit on the seat.
They don’t use glue which can harden and create discomfort. That also means there is nothing to come loose, so it should last longer.
Sargent Seats
This American company has an Australian distributor and offers seats for more than 100 motorcycle models.
They also have choices of colours for the seat and welt (seam or rim edging), high and low versions, two-up and solo, modular, heated, and backrests, so there are almost 1700 products available.
Most also come with a handy LED torch under the seat.
LED torch
The company has been around since 1935 when Henry Sargent started an automotive reupholstery business in Florida.
Marion Todd bought the company in 1950 and his son, Mark, expanded it into motorcycle seats in 1990.
After all, the LiveWire has limited range (about 150km highway and about 235km city) yet they are riding thousands of kilometres from the bottom of South America to ether LA or Alaska.
PR disaster?
While Harley must be hoping it will encourage people to ride electric motorcycles, we doubt it will.
In fact, it may be an unmitigated PR disaster for both Harley and electric motorcycles in general.
We can just see them running out of juice while riding up the Andes and having to wait hours for their huge contingent of back-up vehicles to arrive.
Then they will sit around for hours while their bikes are charged up using DC chargers on the backs of their support vehicles.
Yes, we can see that could be HUGE turn-off for potential electric motorcycle customers. A PR disaster, in fact!
So if Charley and Ewan want to motivate riders to go electric, it could be a big fail.
Entertainment boon
But if they want to entertain, it could be a huge boon for their Long Way Up series.
Their 2004 Long Way Round and 2007 Long Way Down series were entertaining because what they did was difficult and had minimal back-up.
These days, adventure bikes are much better equipped and accessories, cameras, intercoms, etc are so much lighter and cheaper, anyone can do the same.
That’s why Charley and Ewan needed to do something different, something difficult and something that we mere morals could not do.
They have done more than just strap on some dual-sport tyres and wire wheels.
The Long Way compatriots have cleverly organised a real adventure.
It will present heaps of dramas that will make great viewing.
In fact, we are interested to see how the cold temperatures will further erode the LiveWire’s range as batteries don’t like cold.
Tech and crew
The adventure started in September when some of the crew posted the Instagram images on this page.
Since then things have been quiet so we don’t know where they are.
There have been a few modifications to the bikes for this adventure and there is quite an extensive back-up crew involved.
Apart from new wheels, other bike modifications include: windscreens, engine guards, highway pegs, bash plates, auxiliary lights, saddlebags and fender bags.
They also seem to have removed the rear guard and plate holder.
The crew consists of two electric Rivian R1T pick-up trucks which have 650km of range.
They are also supported by two Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4WD vans and a Ford F350 pickup truck.
So we suspect they are carrying DC fast chargers with them.
Mobile DC fast chargers at work
Harley claims their Fast Charge (DCFC) technology will recharge a flat battery to 80% in 40 minutes and full in 60 minutes.
Charley told us last year that Ewan’s relationship with Moto Guzzi would not necessarily foil their plans:
We’ve been talking about it a long time and if the stars align we will do something like a Long Way up from Tierra Del Fuego to Alaska in the next couple of years. It really is close now. Ewan’s always had a loose relationship with Moto Guzzi so there’s no conflict there.
But rather than Moto Guzzi and Triumph, the pair have opted for the new Harley-Davidson LiveWire.
While it was thought they would go all the way to Alaska, Charley recently said the ride would go from Argentina to LA.
Maybe they don’t want to cover the same territory through Canada and Alaska that they did in the Long Way Round.
Long Way Back
It’s been a long time between trips for Ewan and Charley.
From 14 April 2004 to 29 July 2004, they rode across Europe and the USA in Long Way Round and from 12 May to 4 August 2007 they rode from the top of Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa for Long Way Down.
With Ewan becoming increasingly busy with Hollywood movies, Charley squeezed in the 2006 Dakar rally for his series, Race to Dakar, and has produced several other travel shows.
A Kia Rio has ploughed head-on into a group of four motorcyclists in Kyogle, northern NSW, killing one and injuring three riders yesterday (20 October 2019).
Police say the latest accident happened about 1.45pm on a hill crest opposite the Cemetery on the south side of town. (Image above courtesy NBN News.)
Emergency services attended the crash on Summerland Way, near Runnymede Road, following reports a Kia Rio travelling north and four motorcycles travelling south collided.
One of the motorcycle riders, believed to be a 55-year-old man, suffered critical injuries and died at the scene.
Another rider, a 56-year-old man, suffered serious injuries and was taken to Lismore Base Hospital before being airlifted to Gold Coast University Hospital in a serious but stable condition.
The other two riders, aged 52 and 53, suffered serious injuries and were taken to Lismore Base Hospital for treatment.
The driver and sole-occupant of the vehicle, a 52-year-old man, was trapped for a short time before being released and taken to Lismore Hospital for treatment and mandatory testing.
Officers from Richmond Police District established a crime scene, which was examined by the Far North Coast Crash Investigations Unit.
Inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the crash continue and a report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner. No charges have yet been laid.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.
Our sincere condolences to the families and friends of all riders killed and our best wishes for a full and speedy recovery for all those injured in these crashes.
Group crashes
North American group riding crash (Image: Associated Press)
Riders are vulnerable road users, but when they are riding in a group they present a bigger target and the results can be carnage.
We have reported on several group crashes in recent months in Australia.
It’s motorcycle show season with a host of new 2020 models soon to be revealed at the biggest motorcycle show on the planet, EICMA, in Milan in November and the Tokyo Motor Show starting Thursday (20 October 2019).
We expect the usual new models, updates, concepts and, of course, a host of electric motorcycles and scooters.
However, Ducati, Kawasaki and Honda will jump the queue with unveilings on Wednesday ahead of show season.
2020 bikes
Here’s our rundown on what to expect at the shows for 2020:
Ducati
Ducati Streetfighter V4
We are kickstarting with Ducati who will steal the show on Wednesday night (23 October 2019) when it reveals its 2020 models including seven new models.
Their big-ticket item is the 208hp Streetfighter V4weighing in at just 178kg dry. There may also be a Multistrada with the V4 engine.
Two other models we’ve heard of are the Multistrada 1260 S Grand Tour and a blacked-out Scrambler Icon Dark.
We may also see an updated Panigale 959.
Kawasaki
2020 Kawasaki Z-H2
On the same day, Kawasaki will unveil their naked supercharged Z H2. It will be interesting to see if it has the same power as the H2 or whether it is “retuned”.
The Ninja 400 engine is expected to be added to the baby Versys, we could see a W800 scrambler version and there could be updates to the Ninja 650 and Ninja 1000.
Rather than a new model, the big news could be confirmation of the rumours that the big green machine has gobbled up Italian icon, Bimota, for which it has historically supplied engines.
Honda
2020 Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin
Honda will also show its 2020 fleet on Wednesday, including the already revealed Honda CRF1100 Africa Twin.
Their big news will be the new CBR1000RR with a host of electronics to be competitive in the 2020 World Superbikes series.
Honda usually has some interesting concepts and the rest may just be updates of existing production models.
Triumph
Thruxton TFC
The British invasion will include a Thruxton RS to bridge the gap between the ‘R’ and the ‘TFC’ and we expect a Bobber version to join their exotic TFC range.
BMW
The Bavarian promises six new models highlighted by the reveal of the production version of their first cruiser in 15 years, the 1800cc boxer-powered R 18 (spy photos at the top of this page and below).
BMW R 18 spy photo
We also expect to see the F 850 RS based on the Concept 9cento, an updated S 1000 XR sport tourer, the new S 1000 R streetfighter and perhaps more R nineT versions.
BMW 9cento
KTM
The Austrian manufacturer has been defying the sales slump with some clever new models in recent years and should continue the trend.
We expect a new 1290 Super Duke R with winglets as this teaser video suggests.
KTM is tipped to announce a range of entry-level 490cc twin-cylinder motorcycles, a range of 890cc models and a 790 Supermoto.
Perhaps we’ll see yet more limited-edition models such as the Brutale 1000 Serie Oro to challenge Ducati Streetfighter V4 in a horsepower brawl.
RMK
RMK E2
This Finnish motorcycle company will unveil an electric motorcycle with up to 300km of range and a hub-less rear wheel housing the motor.
Suzuki
After years of teasing, we expect to see a turbo model, perhaps even a turbo Hayabusa or Katana, but probably more likely something in the mid-range engine capacity.
There will also be updates for the V-Strom 1000, new colours, new graphics and maybe a concept or two, probably electric.
Some have suggested a smaller version of the recently released Katana.
Indian
2020 Indian Challenger
The American company is expected to unveil its Challenger bagger believed to be powered by a liquid-cooled 1770cc engine called the Powerplus.
Yamaha
The R1 and R1M will have an update and we should see at least one new variant of the popular MT range.
Moto Morini
2020 Moto Morini adventure bike
The Italian manufacturer has hinted at an adventure bike with unknown engine capacity.
Moto Guzzi
The popular V85 TT adventure bike and V7 could be joined by more variants.
It was a tragic day on NSW roads yesterday for motorcycle riders with one dead and two injured in two separate incidents.
Tragic crash
A male rider, 45, has died in a motorcycle crash on a gravel road in the far west of NSW about 3.30pm yesterday (Saturday 19 October 2019).
Police say emergency services were called to the Wilcannia-East Road, 10 kilometres outside Menindee, “following reports a motorcycle rider had been ejected from his bike”.
The rider died at the scene despite efforts to revive him.
Officers from Broken Hill Police Station established a crime scene and commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.
Rider and pillion injured
A 59-year-old man was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition after coming off his motorbike in the state’s Northern Region yesterday.
Emergency services were called to Limpinwood Road, Tyalgum, shortly before midday (Saturday 19 October 2019), following reports a motorcycle had crashed into a tree.
“On arrival officers found a 59-year-old rider suffering critical injuries,” police say.
“He was stabilised at the scene before being airlifted to Gold Coast University Hospital suffering critical head injuries.”
He remains in a serious condition.
His female pillion passenger, aged 57, suffered shoulder and ankle injuries and was taken to Tweed Heads Hospital for further treatment.
Inquiries are continuing by officers from Tweed/Byron Police District.
A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.
Anyone with information about any of these incidents is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.
Our condolences to the riders’ family and friends and our best wishes for the injured rider and passenger for a full and speedy recovery.
Scooters are not just meant for kids. If you want to avoid the hassles of parking your car or being stuck in traffic, then you should invest in buying a scooter. Electric scooters also come with a variety of features allowing you to choose one that will suit your needs. Whether you are an urban commuter or you want to take on nature travel, you must get a scooter suitable for your needs. Also, the engine noise associated with motocross tracks is a bit of a turn-off; hence, you must replace your old electric scooter with a better one.
1. Improvement in battery technology
More companies today are producing better electric scooters. This has increased competition in battery production. These recent years have been characterized by environmental-friendly and economical scooters. It is, thus, necessary for you to change your old electric scooter to allow yourself to experience the joy of these newer, improved batteries. These electric scooters have long-lasting batteries, which enables you to travel for up to 43 miles per charge. Also, battery consumption when the scooter is motionless remains minimal, so your charge will last longer.
2. Affordability
The electric cars are pricey, and biking is exhausting. Consequently, scooters are the most viable option. This means that to save some cash, you only have to change the old scooter for a newer model. Also, if you do not take a long-distance journey, scooters are better than electric bikes. They are available at affordable prices with great qualities. If the scooter is damaged, it is easier for you to get spare parts. The repairs will also not cost as much as they used to for the older models; click here for more information on repairs and pricing.
3. Speed Increase
With many electric scooter models released recently, most companies are competing to provide higher speeds and more control to the buyers. There are scooters, today, that go at an average speed of 60mph. This is why you should replace your old scooter and increase your speed. You cannot afford to miss the new upcoming powerful motors, which are equal to 400cc engine hence guaranteeing you great speed.
4. Better Appearance
You can change your scooter and get a better and fancy looking one. Most of them now come with a pillion passenger seat. They have stylish and contemporary designs. This means that they are more elegant and boost your self-esteem when you are riding around the city. The new models are equipped with a larger cargo box hence allowing you to carry more luggages.
5. Greater Control
The upcoming scooters are equipped with powerful motors, thus allowing the users to handle all acceleration of the motor. This means that you will not need a clutch and a gearbox. Besides, the scooters are environmentally friendly. This makes the new electric scooters efficient hence fun to ride.
Features To Consider When Buying a New Scooter
Ducati Super SOCO electric scooter
· Electric Motor
Before you choose a scooter for yourself, you need to consider whether you can climb mountains on the scooter. If your grounds are not smooth, then you need to choose an electric scooter with a motor that is powerful enough to allow you to climb fast without any issue. At least a 350-watt motor should do the trick.
· Range
You will have to consider how far the batteries can go on a single charge before you buy one. The range will also vary depending on whether you will be riding on flat ground or rough terrain. Temperatures will also affect the mileage of the scooter. You should put that into consideration too.
· Portability
The last thing you want is an electric scooter that is too heavy to carry around. One thing is for certain; you will not always be riding your scooter. Sometimes you will have to carry it around. While all scooters are relatively smaller, some are heavier than others. This difference could cause a huge problem for you. Whether you are buying online or from a brick and motor store, you need to consider how much weight you can handle versus how much the scooter weighs.
Conclusion
Old electric scooters put you at high risk of an accident. Also, sticking to your old machine limits you from experiencing the great power that comes with the new upcoming one. The British government is now subsidizing the production of electric scooters. Hence, they are inviting more innovation and more producers to enlarge the Market. You cannot afford to miss such new inventions, which will be revolutionary in the upcoming days.
Production of the Harley-Davidson electric LiveWire motorcycle has started again after being stalled a few days this week over a problem with one home charger.
The company says it was only a “single occurrence”. There was no problem with the motorcycle, only the charger.
“We take pride in our rigorous quality assurance measures and our drive to deliver the world’s best motorcycles,” their press statement says.
They had asked owners only to charge their bikes with the DC fast charger supplied at some HD dealerships. However, they say it is now safe to use any method to charge them.
LiveWires on DC fast chargers
Even though it doesn’t arrive in Australia until late next year, Harley-Davidson Australia had issued this statement:
As we lead in the electrification of motorcycles, we have delivered our first LiveWire motorcycles to authorized LiveWire dealers. We recently discovered a non-standard condition during a final quality check; stopped production and deliveries; and began additional testing and analysis, which is progressing well. We are in close contact with our LiveWire dealers and customers and have assured them they can continue to ride LiveWire motorcycles. As usual, we’re keeping high quality as our top priority.
We also asked how many Aussie orders they had and how many dealers were installing the DC fast charger:
We are not in a position to share any specific details and we are currently working closely with our dealer network as we get ready to welcome what will be a very exciting product for Australian and New Zealand customers.
Phone and other electrical devices can have issues with chargers overheating and causing a fire.
Electric vehicle and charger fires can be caused by short-circuits, power surges, impact, excessive discharge or overheating.
They also cause special concerns for fire fighters.
Lithium batteries are obviously made with lithium which is highly flammable and stored in mineral oil.
Tesla goes up in flames
While it is not toxic, it can cause nausea, diarrhoea, dizziness, muscle weakness, fatigue and a dazed feeling.
Electric vehicle and battery fires can also release sulphuric acid, carbon monoxide, copper and cobalt.
Fire fighters can’t douse the flames with water as the high voltage can cause an electric shock or electrocution.
Instead, they have to disconnect the power supply (usually an orange plug) and contain the fire to let it burn itself out.
LiveWire short circuit
Riding the LiveWire in Orgeon
This temporary hiccup with Harley’s electric motorcycle program follows a month delay in deliveries to US dealerships where it has created a lot of interest, but not a lot of sales.
Buyers are apparently baulking at the $US29,990 price (about $A44,000).
Some dealers are even rejecting the expensive DC fast-charger installation which is a requirement of being able to sell the bike.
PR exercise
So Harley has two major PR exercises going at the moment to rescue the LiveWire.
Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor are currently shooting Long Way Up from the bottom to the top of the Americas, riding LiveWire motorcycles.
Ewan and Charley pack their LiveWire bikes for the trip
And now HD has brought in Hollywood action star Jason Momoa who plays Aquaman and Khal Drogo to test ride the bike.
“Harley wanted me to test one of the new LiveWires, I was kind of like ehhh. I like the idea of it but I wanted to hear it,” says Jason who is more at home on pushrod fuel burners.
A male rider in his 50s has died after a car and his motorcycle collided on Waterfall Way, south-west of Coffs Harbour yesterday (Friday 18 October 2019).
Police say the motorcycle was heading east on Waterfall Way when it collided with a car coming in the opposite direction shortly after 4pm about 13km west of Bellingen.
The rider, who is yet to be formally identified but believed to from Coffs Harbour, died at the scene.
Three people travelling in the car were taken to the Coffs Harbour Health Campus with minor injuries.
The driver, a 31-year-old woman from Armidale, has undergone mandatory blood and urine testing.
Waterfall Way was closed in both directions for four hours, re-opening at 8pm.
All images from NSW Transport Why We Ride video
A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.
Our condolences to the rider’s family and friends and our best wishes for the injured passengers for a full and speedy recopvery.
No charges have been laid.
Waterfall Way
Waterfall Way is one of many “motorcycling roads” featured in the NSW Transport video series Roads We Ride.
It is one of the most popular roads in the region for motorcyclists.
Waterfall Way is both scenic and winding. However, it is also narrow, challenging and dangerous.
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