In a potential embarrassment for the New Zealand Army, the Kiwi-made UBCO electric utility motorcycle could stop in its tracks.
The official Australian safety recall notice blames a manufacturing issue with the wheel hub component.
The wheel hub may become loose. If this occurs it may cause the wheel motors to seize,” the notice says.
“If the wheel motors seize without warning, it may increase the risk of an accident, causing injury or death to the rider, passenger or other road users.”
The 134 Aussie owners of the bikes can contact their preferred authorised UBCO service dealer to make an appointment to have the work carried out as soon as possible, free of charge.
UBCO launched in 2015 and was developed by a Kiwi company as a two-wheel-drive bike with special capabilities on slippery and muddy hills.
Ubco 2×2 electric motorcycle
Since its launch, UBCO 2X2s have been used for food delivery by Dominos, tourism, farm bikes, recreation and commuting.
The 2×2 model costs $NZ7995 (about $A7450), has range of about 120km, a top speed of 50km/h and weighs just 65kg.
It has a motor in both wheels with no clutch, drivetrain, emissions, or noise.
They come with a “Portage Battery System” to charge on the run.
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:
No sooner had I listed my 2018 Ducati Scrambler 1100 Sport for sale with an online classified site than I started to receive replies from scammers.
They came via email, phone message and various social media platforms.
The shortest was:
Hi, what is your address?
The longest and most elaborate started with:
G’day mate, what’s the present condition and why are you selling it?
I hesitantly replied and then received this follow-up:
Thanks for the swift response and do as well advise on the least amount you will like to give it away as i am buying this for my holiday home and due to the nature of my job and location…i will not be able to come for inspection, am a very busy type as i work long hours every day, i have gone through your advertisement and i am satisfied with it. I have a private courier agent that will come for the pick up after the payment has been made… Regarding the payment, I will be paying you through PayPal. Please get back to me with your PayPal details so i can process the payment, OR you can alternatively send your bsb and account number if you have no PayPal account. Kindly get back to me with the following questions: Account number, Account name, BSB number.
Obviously these are details you should never divulge to an unknown source.
The best advice I can give you is that if it looks too good to be true, it’s a scam. So just ignore it.
In 2021, 286,000 Aussies were scammed of $A323m, an increase of 84% over 2020.
The rise is put down to the increase in online shopping due to Covid lockdowns.
It’s not just riders seeking to sell their bike who are targeted by scammers.
Buyers are also targeted.
Here is an example. The bike is offered at a very cheap price by a member (usually female) of the armed forces who needs to sell quickly as they are being posted overseas.
The buyer is asked to submit payment into an escrow account which ends up in a bank account in Eastern Europe or Africa and the vehicle is never delivered.
Other seller scams include bikes that are unsafe to ride, have a hidden history or are stolen.
The best way to beat the scammers is to be wary of low prices and quick sales.
Never complete the purchase or sale online. Always meet the seller or buyer in person.
If you want to know why I’m selling my beloved Ducati, it’s simply because I have never owned a bike more than two years and this is now a record.
This is the model with the fully adjustable Ohlins suspenders front and back. If you’ve never ridden a bike with Ohlins before, you really are missing out on something special.
I’m selling it for $A15,900 with a few extras: Aussie-invented and made Dynamoto front and rear stands that get both wheels off the ground and allow you to push it sideways on rollers (worth $750); Nelson-Rigg tailbag; QuadLock phone holder and bar-end mirrors in matching black and gold.
It has 28,871km on the clock, new chain and sprocket and Pirelli Angel GT tyres with only a few 000km on them.
Give me a call … just don’t expect me to reveal all my banking details!
A Victorian rider who got airborne over a series of potholes, corrugations and ruts on a regional road says the damaged section could kill a rider and their pillion.
Rodney Brown has long campaigned over road repairs and in April last year reported a massive pothole on McGeorge Road, South Gisbourne. To his surprise, the report to Victorian Roads Minister Ben Carroll resulted in a quick fix.
He has again reported the new road problem to the Minister and is awaiting a reply.
The incident occurred last weekend on a 100km/h stretch of Anakie-Ballan Road.
Rodney says the road has “two gigantic deep ruts, potholes, corrugations and uneven road surface longer than the length of a cricket pitch” taking up most of the lane width.
Rodney Brown
“It is a perfect cocktail to kill motorcycle riders and their pillion passengers, especially inexperienced riders, riding in the wet at night and on a scooter with wheels not much bigger than a car steering wheel,”he says.
Rodney says he and his motorcycle went airborne when they hit the damaged section of road.
“I landed on the bike seat half on and half off, with my right leg coming down missing the foot peg, and my boot slightly scraping the road at 100km/h,” he says.
“My right leg then flew back into the saddlebag. Meanwhile my motorcycle landed back down on the road and veered over to the oncoming traffic lane before I was able to fully get control back.
“I was very lucky on this occasion not to run into an oncoming vehicle or crash my bike.”
Road hazard on Anakie Road
The issue of damaged and poorly maintained roads is obviously not just relevant to Victoria, but all states and territories, particularly those where recent flooding has ruined many regional roads.
As repair teams grapple with extensive repairs following the floods, riders are advised to exercise caution in these areas.
Rodney says the design of motorcycles and scooters means they have unique dynamic stability characteristics that make them more “sensitive to changes in the shape, texture or skid resistance of the road surface, including the presence of water, potholes, ruts, poor road matching or debris on the road”.
He advises riders to report damaged roads to their local authority for the sake of their fellow riders.
A 2018 British Automobile Association survey found that riders are three times more likely to be involved in crashes caused by potholes and poor road surfaces than any other vehicle type.
It found that while potholes cause damage to cars, they are a greater injury threat to riders as they have to swerve to avoid potholes which can also cause crashes.
A World Health Organization Global status report on road safety 2018 found that the motorcycle road toll could be reduced by improving roads along with other issues such as better speed and alcohol/drug use enforcement, safer motorbikes and mandatory helmet laws.
Gibson guitars and Triumph motorcycles have unveiled one-off models that celebrate the link between musical and motorcycle rockers.
The 1959 Legends Custom Edition Gibson Les Paul comes with Triumph design details, while Triumph has unveiled a 1959 Legends Custom Edition T120 Bonneville with Gibson design references.
The guitar has a hand-coach-lined pickguard inspired by the Bonneville’s trademark engine fins, and etched pick-up covers, branded truss rod cover and reissue switch backplate.
Gibson’s Triumph tribute
Triumph’s Bonneville T120 Gibson tribute features a hand-painted sunburst paint scheme like the Gibson with black painted guitar neck and headstock shape, edged with hand-painted coach lining, plus a host of branded touches.
Triumph Bonneville T120 Gibson edition
The one-off models will be prizes for the best fundraisers at this year’s Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, a global charity for men’s mental health and prostate cancer awareness and fundraising.
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 nine-year association with DGR for five more years.
While these are only one-off models for the DGR, I wonder if Gibson and Triumph will offer these as limited-edition models.
As an old rocker myself, I’d certainly love to own one of each!
Several Australian states are now offering subsidies for motorists who buy electric cars, yet none has offered the assistance to riders.
NSW, South Australia and Victoria have a limited-offer $3000 rebate for electric cars under $68,750 while Queensland sets the limit of $58,000 to exclude Teslas.
However, the states and territories do offer various other incentives such as rego discounts, stamp duty exemptions, T2/T3 lane access that, in some cases, apply to bikes.
Rhys says it is important for states to “get consistency of regulations around electric-powered two-wheelers”.
“At the moment there is a discrepancy regarding power to weight ratios applied to E motorcycles, in regard to LAMS eligibility,” he says.
Dominic Kavo of Australia’s first electric bike and scooter company, Fonzarelli, says stamp duty exemptions and registration concessions available for EV bikes in various states are “not as widespread as it really should be and states like Victoria have no concessions to speak of regarding EV motos”.
Fonzarelli NKDs electric motorcycle
“We would love to see a lot more incentives for EV riders,” he says.
“To see them be at least commensurate with EV cars would be a great start but I feel there is also the opportunity to encourage more two-wheelers in many different landscapes as they can reduce congestion as well as emissions in these areas greatly.
“Overall encouraging and creating greater access to EV’s, whether it be monetary benefits, specific EV parking allocations, rebates and any other benefit is a rather necessary measure to help Australia get up to speed with the changing technology and maybe one day become a leader in sustainability.”
“At the moment – not only do we not get incentives – we also get stung 5% customs duty on imported electric motorcycles and scooters – plus all the other costs involved in getting them here.
“Some States are doing subsidised charging units at home and work – like NSW.
“There are also some lower stamp duty prices for electric motorcycles/scooters in some states – but most aren’t even setup for electric motors.
“You are asked how many cylinders/CC your bike is when you go to register it. Most service teams just register it as a 125cc or low capacity bike.”
However, Rhys says “we are kidding ourselves if we expect any simplification of licensing just because you ride an electric-powered vehicle.”
Incentives electric bike importers and manufacturers would like to see include a subsidy on the price, free parking, priority lane access and reduced stamp duty, customs duty and registration fees.
The Australian Motorcycle Council is meeting tomorrow and will discuss their strategy on electric bike incentives.
While there is a growing list of electric cars being imported to Australia, there remain very few electric bikes available in our market.
Several motorcycle and scooter importers have access to electric models overseas, but are not importing them because of the lack of incentives and infrastructure.
Electric scooters are the biggest volume of electric bike sales in Australia, but scooters represent only 5% of the overall market.
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:
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.
The family of champion sidecar racer and world-renowned motorcycle engineer Lindsay Urquhart will race at this year’s Historic Winton in May.
Lindsay has attended the event every year since it started in 1977 and this year his son Rob will race a 1924 Indian Altoona and grandson Daniel will be on a 1922 Anzani at the event on 28-29 May.
He says his love for motorcycles has now spanned five generations of his family as his father was involved racing.
“Even my great grandsons are into bikes now, but they ride the little ones still,” he says.
Lindsay Urquhart and grandson Daniel (Photo by PeterBirthisel)
Lindsay competed on all the great tracks of Europe and in 1956 returned home to win the Australian Racing Sidecar championship for the next seven years.
“I worked in the UK for a year at Associated Motorcycles, who owned Norton and AJS, which led to me returning home and winning the national title on a Manx Norton,” he says.
“Competing in Europe set me up well, with the other sidecar racers expecting me to be faster, since I’d been well-practised after racing overseas.
“In one year, I competed in 16 race meetings across Europe.
“An important advantage was that I always had a reliable bike and the knowledge of how to fix it myself.”
Lindsay Urquhart (Photo by PeterBirthisel)
Urquhart said that it was a bit rough touring around in an early campervan, having to keep the bike serviced, getting to the next country in time and sleeping in tiny booths in the van.
“Racing informed my engineering of motorcycles and was a big advantage in designing and improving form,” he says.
Overseas and in Australia, Urquhart was a leader in motorcycle design and now in retirement, prepares racing motorcycles for his family.
Spectators can meet Lindsay Urquhart and his family and see his flawless racing motorcycles in the competition paddock of Historic Winton.
As well as two days of historic motorbike racing action, 45th Historic Winton celebrates 120 years of Norton and Triumph Motorcycles with displays at the event.
Tickets to Historic Winton are now available online from ticketebo.com.au/historicwinton .
2022 TICKET PRICE DETAILS
Online Tickets: Adult: $35 per day / Kids 17 and under free / Programs: $10
Tickets at Gate: Adult: $45 per day / Kids 17 and under free / Programs: $10
Camping is $50/person/weekend (max of 4 per site) when booking online. $55/person/weekend at the event gate. Camping enquiries should be directed to Winton Motor Raceway Ph: 03 5760 7100.
For accommodation, please contact Enjoy Benalla at 03 5762 1749, https://www.enjoybenalla.com.au/ or [email protected] .
More information can be found at https://www.historicwinton.org/ or on the Historic Winton Facebook page.
Australian motorcycle gear ratings authority MotoCAP has added six pairs of pants and nine pairs of gloves to its online ratings fr safety and comfort.
MotoCAP has now tested a total of 430 jackets, gloves and pants, with a recent adjustment to their testing regime that makes it tougher for manufacturers to score well.
The new ratings for pants can be viewed here. The new ratings for gloves can be viewed here.
The RST GT CE ladies leather pants performed very well, receiving five out of five stars for safety and four out of five for breathability.
Deakin Uni Institute for Frontier Materials Senior Research Fellow and Honda GB400 rider Chris Hurren says the changes are the result of “ongoing tweaking of the system based on new research conducted by Deakin University”.
Chris says these changes mean that accurate ratings are assigned to gear based on the latest research and testing, allowing consumers to make informed decisions on their purchases and increasing their protection on our roads.
“Hand injuries have not previously had the level of scrutiny that the rest of the body has received by researchers worldwide,” Chris says.
“They are just listed in most research as hand injuries regardless of the injury type.”
The original MotoCAP ratings were developed with the limited information at the time of the risks involved for the hand.
Dr Liz de Rome and Chris have conducted research into this area to determine the injury risks to hands to fill the previous lack of information and provide the appropriate advice to riders. The glove ratings were revised accordingly.
“The majority of gloves will have stayed the same or improved in rating however there may be a small number that have reduced in their protection scores,” Chris says.
MotoCAP testing
Dr Chris Hurren with one of the uni’s testing machines
All gear tested and rated by MotoCAP is bought covertly.
In 2019, MotoCAP, has won a Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) road safety award.
MotoCAP is a partnership between Transport for NSW, State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), VicRoads, Transport Accident Commission (TAC), Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC), Lifetime Support Authority (LSA), the Department for Infrastructure and Transport, Western Australian Police: Road Safety Commission, Department of State Growth, Insurance Australia Group (IAG), Australian Motorcycle Council and Accident Compensation Corporation in New Zealand.
Testing is carried out by the Deakin University Institute for Frontier Materials on behalf of the MotoCAP partners.
All gear rated so far has been obtained through a secretive buying system to guarantee integrity.
The current exorbitant fuel prices could force Australian motorcycle importers to rethink their strategy of not importing electric motorcycles and scooters.
It may also spark the manufacturers and their representative groups, such as the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, to start pedalling motorcycles as cheaper alternative transport than cars.
Fuel pumps around the country are currently topping $A2.20 for a litre of standard fuel, so filing even a little hatchback can cost more than $100, thanks to the current war in Ukraine.
This could mean more and more motorists could begin to look toward electric cars and bikes.
While there is only a modest selection of electric cars available in Australia, the pickings are even slimmer for riders.
Most electric two-wheeled vehicles available in Australia are low-powered scooters.
Even Australia’s first electric motorcycle and scooter company, Fonzarelli, only produce low-to-moderate-powered bikes with very limited range.
Fonzarelli NKDs electric motorcycle
At the other end of the scale, Harley-Davidson has had limited success with its $A50k LiveWire, high-performance naked bike.
There are a lot more electric options available overseas, but Australian importers have largely been conservative in their approach to importing them.
That could change if the pain of high fuel prices continues.
There is already pressure from within the Liberal Party for the Federal Government to relax the 44c/litre excise on fuel.
Just don’t expect the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to do anything about fuel prices.
In an official reply to us, they said they have no role in setting fuel prices, but “work hard to promote and deliver price transparency in the petrol market to ensure people across the country can find the best possible deals for their fuel”.
They say fuel retailers in Australia are allowed to set their own retail prices for fuel, but they must set their prices independently of other retailers.
So how come all servo fuel prices seem to go up on the same day? Isn’t that collusion?
Meanwhile, importers and representative bodies should be extolling the economical virtues of motorcycles.
A modern 250cc motorcycle or scooter will get around 2.8L/100km (85mpg), and there’s not a car on the planet that can match that kind of economy.
Surely that’s something that is worth promoting in this current climate.
What is needed is an industry-wide pool of advertising money to promote the general benefits of powered two-wheelers, rather than specific makes or models.
The problem is motorcycle importers are loathe to promote anything generic, fearing it may lead to sales of competing bikes.
One of the first things your owner’s manual says is to read the manual first bed ore ring.
But who does, especially when it is often longer than the turgid Jane Austen historical romance novel Pride and Prejudice at 364 pages.
New research from the UK’s Scrap Car Comparison has discovered that many motorcycle owner manuals require longer reading times than some of classic works of fiction.
The research, which took word counts from each manual and used the average English silent reading speed of 238 words per minute to reach the results, found that the Kawasaki Z1000SX was the motorcycle with the longest manual.
Kawasaki Z1000SX
If you actually read it (whether in the printed or online version), it will take you about 8 hours 12 minutes it which is more than two hours longer than reading Pride and Prejudice!
I don’t know about you, but I would rather be riding than reading.
BMW manuals make up three of the top five longest motorbike manuals, with all sitting consistently between 47,000 and 50,000 words.
Honda manuals analysed fall within the bottom half of our list, with three featured in the bottom four.
The Vmoto Super Soco CPX owner’s manual was the shortest manual of all vehicles analysed, taking just 12 minutes to read.
However, be aware that some Asian motorcycle manuals have stilted version of English that can sometimes not only be difficult to read, but quite humorous.
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