AusMotorcyclist Issue#24
BEAR FACED UP THE KHYBER The signs change, but their intention is the same: to stop you from entering the Khyber Pass. “Foreigners are not allowed beyond this point unless specially permitted by the political agent Khyber Agency”, “Foreigners are not permitted to leave the highway”, “Entering tribal area”. And so on. None of them mean anything because, beyond the sign, you are beyond the influence, and help, of the Pakistani and indeed any national government. Maybe the US Special Forces could help out, but they won’t.
FINDING HOPE IN THE COLD OF NIGHT It was late when I rolled into the servo for fuel. Must have been around 2am.Only werewolves, cops and nasty old bastards on stupid motorcycles were abroad. It was also cold. Not teeth-achingly cold, but enough to make your moustache crusty with snot. No biggie. I only had about 30 klicks to go. Ice death was not imminent and I needed fuel and cigarettes. The servo only had one other customer, and he was probably cold too, but he was also transcendentally glorious. I could see that glory four pump-islands away, absorbing the otherworldly light of the hyper-orange floods like a leathery singularity.
New motorcycle prices go up, they go down. It can be hard to keep track of all the changes. Australian Motorcyclist Magazine supplies you with all the latest up to date prices from all the manufacturers currently in the country. Things like special deals, cashbacks, factory discounts and bonuses are what you’ll find. Bear in mind all prices (unless indicated) exclude dealer and on road costs and some prices may have changed as we went to the printer.
WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU, the letters are among the most keenly read parts of the magazine. Please try and keep letters down to no more than 300 words. Then you can read many, not just a couple. We do reserve the right to cut them and, unless you identify yourself and at least your town or suburb and state, we will print your email address instead. Please address letters to thebear@ausmotorcyclist.com.au or Australian Motorcyclist Magazine, PO Box 2066, Boronia Park NSW 2111. All opinions published here are those of the writers and we do not vouch for their accuracy or even their sanity! DAVID BAGS IT The winner of the Andy Strapz AA Bagz for this issue is David Morrissey, who warns of the dangers of inexperienced drivers on tour in New Zealand. This is a very real danger, and not only in Unzud – all of the roads on and around Mt Tamborine in south-eastern Queensland pose the same danger, and for the same reason – tourists who think they have some kind of exemption from common sense because they’re on holidays. In Queensland, we’re told, they are often Europeans.
LESTER SHOWS THEM A RIGID AJS MAKES LESTER’S DAY WORDS LESTER MORRIS The first Sydney Motor Show was held in 1911, but no-one seems to remember much about it, which should be no surprise, because, as far as I know, no-one who was there at the time is still with us. But a recent discovery of an old catalogue from the show mentions that there were no fewer than 200 vehicles on display at the show, from a staggering number of 89 manufacturers! We can only imagine what some of those motor vehicles on two, three or four wheels looked like, but we don’t know how popular that first Motor Show may have been.
POWER AND CAPABILITY KTM AND HELD WILL DO IT FOR YOU HELD CHIKARA GLOVES. HIGHLY CAPABLE Price – $185 Getting a glove that actually fits “like a glove” is not always the easiest thing to do, however I’ve now got three different pairs of Held gloves (Chikara, Sambia and Backfl ip) and all three of them “fit like a glove”. I was interested in the manufacturing process of Held gloves; what they apparently do is soak the leather so it can be stretched before cutting the individual pieces for sewing. There is at least an hour and a half of sewing in each pair of gloves, which goes some way towards explaining both the quality and the price! Attention to detail is another major factor in making a pair of Held gloves and I guess all of these processes are the reasons why I have found them to be so comfortable.
OPALS, CREEKS AND PINK HOUSES NORTHERN, SOUTH AUSTRALIA WORDS STUART WOODBURY PHOTOS JEFF CROW This particular loop out of Coober Pedy, South Australia has lots to see and gives you a perfect taste of what the real, outback Australia is truly like. The dirt roads are usually in good shape, but check the road conditions before venturing out as a bit of rain can soon make them quite difficult to pass – this is a remote part of Australia and proper medical help is normally a long way away. You could make this a long one day trip, but to really experience all there is to offer, I suggest making it at least a three day trip, with overnight stays at William Creek and Oodnadatta.
Welcome to a new section of Australian MOTORCYCLIST, highlighting some of the products and services that are sure to interest you. Manufacturers and distributors: if you have something that you think may interest our readers, just send in a photo and a few words – it’s a free service. TORQUE TOURING Ventura for Yamaha MT-07 Those wonderful Kiwis at Ventura have now released a rack for the Yamaha MT-07 to go with a wide range of Ventura bags and hard plastic topbox.
AIRFLOW, PREPERATION AND CONTROL WE’VE BEEN BUSY THIS MONTH! YAMAHA MT-07 FLY SCREEN PRICE – $199.58 The front of the MT-07 around the top of the headlight/instrument panel really looks a bit bare, so fitting the genuine Yamaha fly screen was a no brainer. I opted for the grey (tinted) version, (it’s also available in black) and it has given the MT-07 a more finished, classier appeal. Fitment took around twenty minutes and the screen comes with easy to read instructions.
