AusMotorcyclist Issue#33
YOU’RE PULLING YOURSELVES Here’s what I’m not getting. Motorcycles pulling trailers. I didn’t get it when I first saw it many years ago, and I do not get it now. I don’t see it often, but from time to time, I come across some bloke hauling a trailer behind his motorcycle.
BEAR FACED HOT RODDING… ER, RIDING You will read my whinging about riding in the heat in the next issue of MOTORCYCLIST, but I thought I’d get in early in this column. Heat can be your friend. Bless the inventor who came up with hot air hand dryers; she or he has probably helped tens of thousands of motorcyclists to continue on their rides after they warmed up hands and other parts of their anatomy. And of course there is nothing like an open fire after a cold ride, unless it is an open fire in a pub. But like anything good, an excess can go the other way.
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, cash backs, 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 at the last minute as we went to the printer.
OUTRAGED OF DURAL Hi Bear, I love your magazine, it is the only one I would ever keep on the shelf and keep coming back to it over the years, the rest of the magazines out there I end up throwing away. I managed to stumble across a post that Boris had put on his Facebook page and he keep rambling on how print media is dead and there is no quality motorcycle magazines anymore. I think he is way off the mark, AMM is well written and has features that no other magazine has in the country. I think you should get Boris to re-read each issue of AMM just to get this through his obviously thick skull. He writes a column for you each month, so does he put himself in the category of “no quality”?
OH, YE’RE LUCKY… YOU HEAR ME? LUCKY, I SAY (MUMBLE MUMBLE…) WORDS LESTER MORRIS Modern day motorcyclists are certainly spoiled for choice; spoiled for choice, I say! Everywhere you look there are streamlined, high-performance roadster motorcycles of almost every shape and size – although many are disturbingly similar in appearance – of every conceivable colour, and all seem to be of similarly ‘urgent’ intent. They sit quietly on the showroom floor, or are parked innocently outside, but nearly all of them – including the lightweight commuters – look as though they are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to have some lucky owner smilingly straddle then, fire them up and then zoom off at speed into the sunset.
NEUTRINO BLACK BOX THE POWER TO BE FREE!WORDS/PHOTOS JOHN CONNOR The Black Box Neutrino from Arboreal Systems (SMART Accessories in Australia) is a power distribution and controller device. It is a great way to hook up all the add-on 12 volt devices and gadgets on your bike. It can also be used in cars, boats, caravans and anything that uses 12 volt devices. The Neutrino unit is packed full of features that make this the unit to buy. The best feature is that the setup and status of the unit are all managed via a smartphone. This feature not only makes it really simple and quick to setup and use; it also reduces the amount of wiring and number of devices you need to attach to your bike.
HIT THE RED DUST SOUTH WEST CORNER This month we hit the rich red dirt again, this time in the south west corner of Queensland, basing ourselves at Cameron Corner. This particular loop takes in some sights of the famous explorers Burke and Wills. Just make sure that you don’t do what they did on their fateful journey! You’ll encounter mainly well maintained dirt roads and the occasional stretch of sand. CAMERON CORNER Make this your base camp. Take your tent and sleeping bag or there is an option of family, double and single air-conditioned rooms. These are detached from the store and have share bathrooms. All bedding is supplied.
THE THREE Fs FUEL, FOOD AND… FEATHER BEDS? COMPILED BY THE BEAR Get your feet up, Gumby! The Bear on a Beach’s tour at Lake Garda, Italy. (Photo Gretchen Beach) As I write this, Australia is just getting used to a new Prime Minister. Will anything change because there’s a new face at the despatch box?
MINISTER OF TRANSPORT PRESS RELEASE KEITH BOSLER Road safety is extremely important to us here at the Ministry and we will spare no expense being paid to us to ensure our statistics reflect that. It is one of my Key Performance Indicators after all, the amount of revenue raised.
BALKANS RIDE WHAT DID I USE, AND HOW DID IT PERFORM?WORDS/PHOTOS THE BEAR I have seen many things in this life,but few have been more sad-yet hilarious than a road tester, out on a long ride, who discovers that the brand-new gear he is testing… doesn’t work. It has been somewhat less hilarious when I am the person around whom a supposed top-of-the-line riding suit disintegrates, of course. Or when the “waterproof” boots fill with rain and the gloves stain my hands with an evil and probably carcinogenic blue-black dye… and yes, all of that has happened.
