Motorbike

It's the Can-Am Spyder, a three-wheeler that uses the technology of both to create a unique travelling experience.The Spyder also draws inspiration from the snowmobile, jet ski and quad bike worlds, which isn't surprising, considering the Canadian company is a pioneer in all of these.In Australia, you must have a motorcycle licence to drive the Spyder, but in several European countries and many states in the US a car licenceis sufficient for riders.The Australian launch of the V-twin-powered Spyder involved a day travelling south of Sydney, down the escarpment to Wollongong and back to Campbelltown through the Southern Highlands. It gave plenty of time and varying road conditions to try to unravel the mystery of this new machine and how it fits into the motoring world. Can-Am marketing manager Duncan Knight had a warning for the motorcycle journalists lining up for a first ride.“You're going to hate the first 80km of the experience,” he said.“Then you'll start to understand how to ride and enjoy the Spyder.”It's obvious why this three-wheeler isn't a motorcycle. Apart from having handlebars, a clutch lever and throttle, nothing about its operation is intuitive to a long-term rider. Indeed, if you try to ride it like a motorcycle you'll head straight into the mulga.Riders lean motorcycles into corners. If the corner tightens up you lean further rather than turning the handlebars. You also transfer your weight to the inside of the cornerto help the leaning process.If you want to corner at any speed on the Spyder, you must force yourself to get your weight on to the outside of the vehicle. Then you must turn the handlebars, as you would the steering wheel of a car, and accelerate through the apex. This is because the two front wheels need firm direction from the fat car-like rear tyre or they will just drift aimlessly.There is minimal body roll, which is a spooky sensation to a motorcycle rider used to leaning deeply into a corner.The Spyder also has very direct steering, which takes a lot of getting used to. Sometimes it feels as though it might dart off in another direction but that's because the gyroscopic effect of two wheels in line gives a motorcycle its stability. On straight roads and around suburban streets the Spyder is a delight.It's easier and more comfortable to drive than a motorcycle. But downhill off-camber hairpin corners are a true test of confidence and knowledge of how the machine operates. In these situations, the rider is wondering if the Spyder has all the bad points of both a car and motorcycle, rather than being the best of both forms of transport.Can-Am makes no apology for the driving experience being unique. It says that is the whole point of the exercise. Its promotional material talks of the “Y-Factor” and “on every road there is an intersection, beyond which things will never be the same”.The philosophy of Can-Am is to offer the most innovative performance transport systems, whether on road, water or snow. For a company that sells its products in 80 countries and has factories on four continents, Can-Am sees the Spyder as its entry to the recreational road transport segment.More than 10 years in the making, it draws on all the current car and motorcycle technology.Power is provided by the same 990cc, DOHC, water-cooled Rotax V-twin that powers Aprilia's sportsbikes. Can-Am owns Rotax, which makes engines for several manufacturers. A five-speed, motorcycle-like gearbox, but with a reverse gear, is standard. A semi-automatic version will be available later this year.Drive from the rear wheel is through a carbon-reinforced belt. With a dry weight of 316kg, the engine doesn't have the instant snap of an Aprilia but revs out hard to its 9000rpm redline. The Spyder's real trickery involves sophisticated safety features that include VSS (Vehicle Stability System), TCS (Traction Control System), SCS (Stability Control System with Roll-Over Mitigation), ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System), EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution) and DPS (Dynamic Power Steering).This is a level of technology usually only found in high-end cars and Can-Am brings this to the marketplace for about $28,000 on road. In theory, these systems make it one of the safest vehicles on the road, despite it looking like a something from a Japanese cartoon. 

Offering lighter weight, better suspension and sophisticated engine designs, these smaller models are the way of the future.Kawasaki has waited a long time to join the water-cooled 450cc enduro-trail market. Meanwhile, its main rivals, including Yamaha, Honda and KTM, have stolen a march in sales and customer loyalty.Even smaller rivals, such as Sherco and Aprilia, offer a performance 450cc. So, for 2008, Kawasaki has released the KLX450R, based on its 450F motocrosser. It is already in the shops with many dealers offering a demo.Lightweight engine flywheels and aggressive camshaft timing make the 450F racer an experts-only ride.Heavier flywheels and softer cam timing, combined with a lower seat height and revised suspension, give the 450R an amazing level of usability in every day trail-riding conditions.As an amateur dirt rider, more familiar with last century's 650cc air-cooled enduro singles, I approached the test Kawasaki with scepticism.It would be fun to ride, I thought. But surely it would also be exhausting to spend any time in the saddle, with a snappy motor and knife-edge handling.The introduction seemed to fit my prejudices. The fuel tap was hard to find and the choke lever was tucked away so far inside the frame that it was like picking a lock to activate it.But the KLX450R fired up readily on the starter button. First impressions on the move was a very light clutch action, gentle and supple suspension, and a tonne of torque.Kawasaki's engineers have done a brilliant job of pushing power delivery down to the bottom end of the rev range while retaining a strong top end rush. Some magazine testers claim the top end is noticeably less than its rivals, but that should be a bonus for the average weekend warrior.This low-down torque is the main contributing factor to the ease with which you can pilot the KLX450R across a variety of trail conditions. After several hours riding I still felt pretty fresh, helped also by the Kawasaki's light weight and plush suspension, which forgives the occasional rider error. Try that on your old air-cooled thumper.Proof of the all-round performance of this all-new model was demonstrated in the recent South Australian 24-Hour Reliability Trial.Four 250km laps of farmland and public dirt roads are a true riding test.   Snapshot Kawasaki KLX450RPrice: $11,990Engine: single-cylinder, 4-stroke 449 ccTransmission: 5-speedFuel tank: 8 litresSeat height: 935mm 

"Valentino has entered Rally New Zealand privately in his own name," the Subaru team's managing director Richard Taylor told the official WRC web site."He will however be driving a car supplied by us. In fact, the car which (Australian) Chris Atkinson drove in Germany this year."There's still a little bit of work to do on the details and it may be run alongside the Subaru team. But it will certainly not be an SWRT-liveried car."The Yamaha rider, who will be fighting for his sixth successive title in the top class of motorcycling in Portugal this weekend, has entered the world rally championship once before, in Britain in 2002.That time he was driving a Peugeot 205 prepared by the Italian Grifone team and did not make it through the first day of competition.The 27-year-old Italian has also competed in non-championship rallies in Italy and was linked until earlier this year with a switch to Formula One with Ferrari.The New Zealand rally, based in Hamilton, runs from Nov. 17-19 and was chosen because it comes well after the end of the MotoGP season.Rossi is second in the MotoGP standings, 12 points adrift of Honda's American Nicky Hayden, with two races left.Reuters

TO KNOW just how quickly the Chinese and Taiwanese motorcycle makers are catching the Japanese, you only need to look at the Bolwell Firenze.Here is a 250cc four-stroke scooter to take on the similarly sized Honda Forza, Suzuki Burgman and Yamaha Majesty, for only $6990.Made by SYM in Taiwan, the Firenze is a big improvement over the little Jolie and LeGrande we've tested from the same manufacturer, with better panel fit and switchgear and a smoother transmission. The Firenze follows the European trend towards "styled" head and tail-lights to give it an identity.There's a generous seat with a decent handrail and fold-out pegs for the pillion. The big mirrors fold out of the way for parking and there's a generous underseat storage bin, complete with courtesy light and tiny toolkit. It won't take big fullface helmets, though.There are neat brushed alloy strips along the bodywork and the cockpit is set off by white-faced instruments. You even get twin cup holders.Running gear is fairly standard, with trailing axle front forks, 13in. wheels and disc brakes front and rear.The 250.6cc engine is a liquid-cooled four-valve unit.For learners with freeways to negotiate on the way to work, or those expecting to take their ridinga little farther than the week-day commute, a scooter with a bigger engine like this is a good option.ON THE ROADTHE 250 makes Hoddle St less of a white-knuckle experience when it's time to go home. No problems staying out of the way of the traffic with this scooter.It's also capable of a cruise into the country at weekends, with a range of 250km, but the Firenze is more of a lugger than a fighter.Passing on freeways needs planning. It takes a while to wind up when you're already doing 90km/h.The windscreen height is good, even for taller riders, with no buffeting, but it could be a bit wider to reduce wind noise on the helmet.Thanks to a dry weight of 173kg it is stable on road seams and lumps, despite the small wheels.All the hand controls are easy to use and the rear brake is impressive.Instrumentation is comprehensive, with fuel and coolant temperature gauges, tripmeter and clock.We still don't like the four-way ignition switch, which incorporates the petrol cap release, and the lit SYM logo is a bit of overkill.The biggest surprise was the rear shocks. After the softly sprung LeGrande and Jolie, SYM has gone the opposite way with the Firenze.It is surprisingly stiff at the back with 2000km on the odometer and we wouldn't expect it to soften up dramatically with more kilometres.

By the afternoon of day three of our Mt Buller Motorcycle Adventures trip, my brain is getting too tired to keep up with our Husqvarna WR250 and a tumble results.By this stage we have been pushing our luck for some time, hence the laughter.The trouble with the Husky is that it makes you way too confident.The ride begins on a Thursday night at operator Mal Palmer's ski lodge in Sawmill Settlement, a hamlet on the road to Mt Buller.Mal immediately demonstrates that he has an excellent nose for trouble when he homes in on a Honda XR400 that won't run properly. It takes a while to figure out that it is water in the carburettor from its last wash. Better to find out now than in the morning.Bob Condon and Mark Joy, who've driven down from Toowoomba in Queensland, have made sure they have no problems with their immaculately prepared bikes.Participants are still arriving after midnight, including a first-time dirt rider on a rental bike wearing rental gear, an "interesting" combination for this ride.Breakfast is bacon and eggs for us and bird seed for the king parrots on the veranda."This is not a sprint race. It's a marathon," Mal warns the riders. No worries, the bacon and eggs will slow us down nicely.The Alpine National Park beckons. Lead rider Tony Pickering and "sweep" Mal are on Husqvarna TE450s. They have ridden the course so we have no navigation dramas. Mid-sweep rider Darren Swindon is there to record the fun on DVD. Mal has a digital camera for still shots.It's dry and dusty and there are plenty of rocks hidden in the dust.Up front, Tony gets to stay clean and check the wildlife before the noise scares it off.The morning's riding is fairly easy, with few gnarly climbs.The ghost gums burnt in the 2003 fires look like they've been spraypainted silver, but life is bursting anew from their trunks.We stop at Bluff Lookout and at Craigs Hut on Mt Stirling, the romance of the Man from Snowy River scene spoilt somewhat by earthmoving machines putting in a two-wheel-drive access road.Mal hangs back, waiting for punctures that never come.Though we're officially riding to Bright, we're staying at Freeburgh a little farther south. Most are staying in cabins at the caravan park.It's not the grandest accommodation in the world, but the boys are here for the riding, not the resting.Council requirements have delayed plans for the riders to be put up at the neighbouring Riverbend Homestead, a 40ha property covered with trails from its former role as a horse-riding venue.Here there's plenty of room for maintenance and for Mal's brother, Mark, driving the support truck, to refuel the bikes.Stuart McClintock's Husaberg has a damaged countershaft sprocket. Another is ordered from Wangaratta.Dinner is down the road at the Harrietville pub and some riders drink more than necessary on the basis of having made it this far.The next day's riding involves a blast around the property and an off-road trip to Mt Feathertop.Novice Michel drops his Yamaha at the first hill and decides to seek more pleasant surroundings for his day's riding, and the Husaberg's chain starts slipping. It's not waiting any longer for that new sprocket, which hasn't arrived by courier.Sunday dawns cloudy but the rain has killed the dust for the trip back, covering much of the same route as on the way over.Everyone ups the pace, though Mal has warned us to avoid over-confidence. Even the less experienced are showing a marked improvement in their riding.Our riding coaches/first-aid officers/mechanics/chefs all take tumbles. Mal explains a missing handguard by saying it "fell off", but the big skidmark going into the previous corner is a giveaway.The rocky ride up No. 3 Mountain claims several victims, and Stuart's 'Berg, complete with new sprocket, snaps the drive chain. Mal repairsit, having had not a single puncture to fix.Our big tumble comes when the Husky gets off line on a rocky downhill, but damage is minor.Mal finishes the day with some sweet single track near Timbermill Settlement for the diehards. Tony leads the rest of the riders back to Aalfor Lodge.It's been a magic three days of riding. Not easy, but memorable rides rarely are.

But after a few runs and a pair of times just over 10 seconds on the quarter mile, the mood among the eight recreational riders shifted from hesitation to excitement.In a world-first, Harley-Davidson has made a competitive drag-bike you can take home for under $60,000.The V-Rod Destroyer is the dream machine for hopeful quarter-mile competitors, coming race-ready straight out of the box and promising a sub-10 second run in the "hands of a professional rider".The bike offers a fun and easy ride, once you get over the mean sound and look.Time on the bike allows you to get used to the sheer power and foreign riding position unique to drag-racing machinery. Handling and controls are simple and rider-friendly, with special features including a steering damper, race-position risers and a drag handlebar, air shifter with shift indicator light, wheelie bars, hotted-up engine, rear racing slick and single front brake with a small front wheel.It is a 165+hp, professional-level drag-racing motorcycle. It is not street legal and costs about $50,000.The final design of the Screamin' Eagle Destroyer was completed with input from Matt Hines, crew chief for the NHRA Pro Stock Bike champion Screamin' Eagle/Vance and Hines team.The bike is powered by a 1300cc (79 cu.in.) V-Twin Revolution liquid-cooled engine with 105mm bores and a new 75mm stroker crankshaft.The cylinders feature high-strength ductile iron sleeves.Special high-flow racing cylinder heads feature CNC porting, competition valves, springs, seats and keepers designed to work with new high-lift/duration cams.And most importantly, the Destroyer comes in only the traditional Harley electric orange and black paint scheme.

Statistics suggest as many new riders are getting onto two wheels as former riders are returning.Last year was a record sales year and in the first quarter of '06, the sales rate has increased a further 20 per cent.Sales reached a record 25,512 by the end of March _ up 4176 units compared with the same period last year.But unlike past years, the road bike segment is booming and is more than matching strong results from the off roader and ATV segments.Roads bike sales increased 28.6 per cent in the first quarter of '06 compared with last year.It is driven (ridden) by middle aged riders returning to motorcycling after family commitments have eased.These are the riders exposed to a motorcycle boom in the late 1960s with the appearance of Japanese machines, in particular, the Honda CB750 "Four" and to a lesser extent, British machines from BSA, Triumph and Norton.It was the catalyst that fired a generation of motorcyclists through the 1970s and into the early '80s.But as they married, had children and acquired mortgages, motorcycles went off the agenda.The new riders are predominantly on scooters as these machines enjoy a period of popularity.It's "cool" to have a scooter.Scooter sales have jumped by 47.3 percent year-to-date, building on sales growth of 30 percent during 2005.The scooter scene is starting to build real momentum as the appeal of simple, easy-to- park, low cost transport becomes more widely known.Scooter dealerships seem to be popping up all over town with an increasing number of models from Italy, Japan and Korea.As ever more scooters reach the roads it creates a momentum that has led to more sales.The "cruiser" category (heavyweight large capacity machines capable of comfortably covering long distances) also contributed significantly to the overall growth of the road bike segment.These are purchased by lifestyle buyers similar in some ways to the "Grey Nomads" who sell up and buy a motor home to wander the country.The market trend is interesting because it shows people are not only buying motorcycles primarily as transport, but using them for recreation.They have the time and the money to do so.Road bike sales have now passed dirt bikes as the largest segment of motorcycle sales for the first time in years.And people powered two wheelers have also enjoyed a boom period with new push bike sales outpacing new car sales last year.Push bike sales have continued apace in '06 with all indications of another record year in the making. 

The new red and white colour scheme gives the bike a racing appearance. The wheels and tyres are good, the brakes are huge oversized rotors and the bike is streamlined.This production bike has good ergonomics with the bar bend and sitting arrangement well suited to cranking it over in turns. Seat height is higher than the race version, but isn't really an issue unless you are a midget.Clutch is hydraulic with a light pull and consistent feel. The front brake is super strong, almost too powerful initially, as the bike really jolts when leaping on the brake. It doesn't need more power, just a better feel at the lever as your braking increases.However, the race-ready RR450 is the real deal.With the road-going nonsense taken off, the bike sits low and the bar bend suits the new riding position.Higher performing tyres are fitted and the front guard is trimmed to reduce its air flex. It gives the bike a sharper look.The brake lever doesn't have the initial hit of the stock unit but its feel and power increase the more you apply pressure.The race bike runs a different brake calliper to the stock bike and also a different master cylinder to alter both the power and feel. It is still a one-finger operation, but this set-up allows you to confidently go hard on the front brake knowing that it won't spit you over the bars the instant you touch the lever.On the Husky dyno, the stock SMR450 pulls around 50 horsepower at the rear wheel. A respectable number for a production bike in the 450 class.Something like the Honda CRF450 might have a pony or two on it, but by no means will it make a difference to your track results.It makes old-school four-stroke power, chugging and turning over at a slower rpm rate than most 450 owners would be used to.Its power is progressive rather than aggressive and won't rip your arms off. But the gentle power makes it easy to use and perfect for laying the power on the ground as you exit any turn on the track. It won't light up and then spit you off, it gains speed in a controlled fashion.As you wash off speed and start to slide it into a turn, the compression braking, via the standard clutch, allows the rear wheel to chatter all the way into a turn. This isn't a handling issue, it's a clutch issue and a slipper clutch would solve the problem.Otherwise, it's just a matter of fine-tuning gearing, jetting and maybe adding a pipe and there is more than enough power in the stock mill to make the white lines rush by.Hit the start button on the bad boy RR 450 and you just know things are different. The exhaust note is louder and a whole lot meaner.The stocker purrs, the RR growls and you notice that aggression the moment you wick the throttle.The Husky boys have managed to massage another 7 to 8 horsepower out of the production bike and Adam Cini's bike pumps out around 58hp, big numbers for a 450.Coming out of turns, that extra power is noticed with fewer gear changes as each gear now pulls for longer and harder.The power is more what you would expect from a motocross bike — more responsive and slightly harder hitting.Extra power is found via the dual exhaust that Team Husky designed in-house with altered Akapovic silencers.The head also received some major massaging and was mated to a Vortex X10 ignition. A few carby mods and then your basic jetting, gearing and TLC gave the RR450 its awesome spread of power.This race bike is also fitted with a slipper clutch which makes sliding into turns a snap.Coming in hot, roll off the throttle, kick her down one and gracefully let the back slide around. It's that easy, even for a motard wood duck like me.The SMR450 suspension set-up required for motard is hard. Harder even than for big freestyle motocross big jumps.The RR450 is harder still. Cini's race bike runs factory 50mm Marzocchi forks that feel like you are riding on telegraph poles.For a production motard machine, the SMR450 is a great package to get your motard career under way and the benefit is you can ride it home when the race finishes.

Like the Honda Hornet, it was a naked, or bikini-faired, bike featuring the engine out of the sports bike, but detuned.The old FZ1 was a versatile machine that could be used for touring and commuting, but it lacked any excitement factor with the high-revving life sucked out of that glorious powerplant.Yamaha still de-tunes the 20-valve fuel-injected R1 engine in the new FZ1, taking some punch from the bottom but allowing astronomical revs for mid-rev mayhem and high-end highs.Together with a steeper rake, upside-down forks with separately adjustable rebound and compression damping, and a stiffer, lightweight frame, it is now no longer a practical choice, but an emotional one. And that's a good thing.You can still tour and commute on it, but you can also take it out to Queensland Raceway for a track day.The only problem is that it is geared too high for very much high-spirited hijinks.So the FZ1-N (naked version) test bike from Northstar Yamaha at Toombul was fitted with a smaller front sprocket which lowers the gearing.It costs about $30 for the sprocket and $150 for the speedo "healer" and the result is one madly accelerating weapon.There is still some muddling around under 4000rpm, but then it starts to get some steam and rushes towards 6000rpm where all hell breaks loose, the scenery becomes an impressionist painting and the wax gets sucked out of your ears. It's not quite R1 liftoff, but it's close.Recent mild temperatures prevented the Michelin Pilots getting up to proper operating temperature, so there was a little slide come out of corners when you're on the revs. With the tacho spinning past 6000rpm, small rises like the rollercoaster Mt Glorious Rd also have the front rising majestically off the tarmac.The disadvantages are that commuting means more gear changing, the on-off throttle action is a little snatchy and at highway cruising speeds it has a tiring buzz at 4500rpm that cries out for an extra cog.That aside, the riding position is neutral and the seat thick and supportive, so you could keep riding while the R1 jockeys have long ago stopped off at their chiropractor.A shorter 18-litre tank means the rider can get a little closer to the bars, benefiting the front-biased weight distribution which is also facilitated by the engine being moved further forward.Cockpit controls fall easy to hand on the flat and wide bars and the instruments are clear.You get an analogue tacho and an LCD screen with speed, odometer, two trip meters, fuel gauge, oil temperature and clock.Mirrors show a bit of elbow, but are multi-adjustable and wide enough to see what's going on out back.This bike is much more compact than the old FZ1 and the styling is now more modern and neater. The way the aluminium frame is sculptured around the blackened engine is a work of art that MV Agusta would be proud of.Even the plastic shrouds on the oversized radiator manage to conceal its awkwardness, as well as protect it from damage.The latest-trend stubby pipe not only looks macho, but has a husky variety of notes throughout the rev range.Unfortunately, the ADR guys, or was it Yamaha?, have demanded the bike be hit around the rear end with the ugly stick leaving the extended rear guard looking like an insect's backside.The more compact FZ1 handles more nimbly than before.Tight corners seem like open sweepers.You only have to insinuate your intentions to turn and it seems to do it for you with the barest movement of the bars.But with that steep rake front fork, divots become unsettling and you'll need steady hands to hold a smooth line through sweepers.Despite a cable operated clutch, the gears shift with quick and slick grace, never finding false neutral.Brakes are strong, but the front lacks initial bite and the rear lacks feel, so it can be easy to overdo the rear and lock it up.Pillions will be temporary companions. The rear seat is small, but thick, and there is only a sash to grab. And there are no anchors to attach bungies for luggage.The FZ1 also comes in a faired `S' model with half-cowl and R1 style lights for an extra $700.

A record 25,512 bikes were sold in the first quarter of this year, up nearly 20 per cent on the same time last year.Sales of road bikes are up by 28.6 per cent to 11,165, almost half of the total, but it's not the latest high-performance machines that are making the cash registers ring.Yamaha's YZF-R1 superbike just made it into the top 10 with 254 sales. The main players in the road resurgence were cruisers (up 19.4 per cent) and scooters (up 47.3 per cent).The best-selling road bike was the Jive Bug scooter (270 sales) and the top cruiser was Harley-Davidson's FXST Softail (191)."This is a continuation of a trend that has emerged in the past two years, driven by middle-aged riders returning to two wheels and a whole new segment of customers attracted to scooters," Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Peter Sturrock says."The scooter scene is starting to build real momentum as the appeal of simple, easy-to-park, low-cost transport becomes more widely known in Australia," Sturrock says.According to the FCAI, it is the first time in many years that sales of road bikes have exceeded those of dirt bikes, though the off-road brigade still dominates the top 10.Yamaha's YZ250F and YZ450F flanked Honda's CT110X "postie" bike on the podium as moto-crossers homed in on the new alloy-framed models. The two Yamahas were up 61.8 per cent and 151.8 per cent respectively on the same period last year.But the CT110X, the traditional market leader, was down 27.3 per cent awaiting the next round of fleet turnovers at Australia Post.In the battle of the brands, Honda is leading the year-to-date figures with 6024 (up 6 per cent), followed by Yamaha (5532), Suzuki (2938), Kawasaki (2112) and KTM (1541)."We have had a very successful first quarter," Honda motorcycles general manager Tony Hinton says."Our off-road bike share of the market is holding nicely and we're very happy with the strong result of the new CRF450X (enduro bike)."Yamaha's "boys in blue" claimed victory in the motocross, offroad and funbike categories, and the electric-start TTR230, launched last year, is starting to catch Honda's CRF230F in the trail section.Yamaha director/general manager Steven Cotterell says: "Across all products Yamaha has posted a 12.9 per cent increase in the first quarter of 2006. When you consider how many units Yamaha sells, this is an awesome achievement."