KTM record best June motorcycle sales figures ever

KTM in positive territory

While we won’t have the official FCAI figures for some days that give us the sales results for all of the major motorcycle brands, we know anecdotally that it is the somewhat ‘premium’ brands that have been doing well this year, even through the COVID-19 situation.  KTM have officially confirmed this today with the best June sales figures in the company’s history.

Who could have foreseen that the COVID-19 pandemic would segue into a nationwide demand for motorcycles that has been unseen in the last decade,” states Brad Hagi, Managing Director of the KTM Group Australia and New Zealand.

Our dealerships have done an outstanding job. They stood by us during this uncertain time and we worked through the challenges together. They kept their doors open and supported riders through the uncertainty, so it is fantastic to see the results our dealers have achieved this past month.

The return to riding also sees support transcend from the motorcycle industry to regional tourism, as motorcycle adventurers turn to exploring their own backyards.

Repeating the mantra of ‘we’ll all need a ride once the dust settles’ kept a light at the end of the tunnel for motorcyclists through a period filled with doubt, however seeing how literally this is being taken now is remarkable,” continues Brad. “And with the ambiguity around international travel, riders are turning instead to discovering their own regions and local areas, in turn supporting local businesses such as hotels, pubs and cafes, which is great to see.”

With June sales figures the best in the company’s history, the KTM Group looks forward to seeing the motorcycle industry continue to prosper and what this might mean for the future.

We aren’t out of the woods yet, there is still a long way to go before this crisis is over,” states Brad. “This recent sales spike has not only seen existing and former riders return to riding, it has also seen new riders enter our sport, to experience the unique freedom it offers, and that is a real positive for the industry long term.

Source: MCNews.com.au

Rounds 5-6 of AORC in South Australia cancelled

AORC South Australia Round 5 & 6 Cancelled

Due to South Australia and Queensland Government restrictions on travel and border closures, Motorcycling Australia has made the tough decision to cancel Rounds 5 and 6 of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship, presented by MXstore, on August 1 and 2 at Murray Bridge, South Australia.

This decision was not taken lightly, but with border closures, self-quarantine restrictions for Queenslanders re-entering their home state, it became impossible for AORC to proceed. AORC’s return to racing will now be August 29-30 in Nowra, NSW.

We are bitterly disappointed that we are unable to proceed with the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship, presented by MXstore, as we know riders and fans were excited to see racing get back under way,” said Motorcycling Australia Off-Road Events Manager, Matthew Falvo.

Like all major sporting codes, AORC and MA had developed a comprehensive COVID-Safe Championship Plan to ensure the safety of riders, teams, officials and staff.

We had received strong support from Murray Bridge Council and the Velocette Motorcycle Club had done a significant amount of work to ensure the round could go ahead.

However, with South Australia and Queensland government restrictions on travel and border closures, it made it impossible for interstate riders to make the Murray Bridge round.”

Mr Falvo said the AORC will now recommence on August 29-30, at Nowra, NSW, however we will monitor closely government restrictions.

We have a world class field of riders from our junior riders, right through to our senior men’s and women’s classes, who we know are eager to get back on track and continue the 2020 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship presented, by MXstore,” Mr Falvo said.

Our Yamaha AORC, presented by MXstore, has produced world class racing this year and we know riders and teams have been training hard in recent months and will be ready to race in Nowra next month.

We are keen to get racing again and Nowra always provides plenty of action and close racing.”

Despite the cancellation of AORC at Murray Bridge, the State component of the round will still go ahead, and we encourage South Australian riders to support the Velocette Motorcycle Club event.

2020 Yamaha AORC Presented by MXstore Calendar

  • Round 5 & 6 August 1-2 Murray Bridge, SA CANCELLED 
  • Round 7 & 8 August 29-30 Nowra, NSW (rescheduled event, new date)
  • Round 9 & 10 September 19-20 Omeo, VIC
  • Round 11 & 12 October 17-18 Wynyard, TAS

Source: MCNews.com.au

Van der Mark parting ways with Yamaha next season

News 1 Jul 2020

Van der Mark parting ways with Yamaha next season

New challenge beckons for Dutchman in WorldSBK championship.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Yamaha and Michael van der Mark will part ways at the end of the 2020 Motul Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) season.

The 27-year-old Dutch rider has opted to take on a new challenge next year, heavily linked to the factory BMW Motorrad team.

Van der Mark’s departure brings to a close a four-year partnership that has so far brought three WorldSBK race wins and two victories at the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hour race.

The Pata Yamaha rider was a contender for the win in all three races at the opening round of the 2020 season in Australia, but was unfortunate to miss out on the chance to add to his podium tally.

Since the Phillip Island round, racing has been suspended due the coronavirus pandemic, but Van der Mark will return to action next month, with the WorldSBK season set to resume with back-to-back races in Jerez and Portimao.

Both Yamaha and Van der Mark head into the rescheduled 2020 season determined to end their collaboration on a high note, by battling for race wins and, ultimately, challenging for the world championship title.

Source: CycleOnline.com.au

Roving weekend for Himalayans and Rovers

With the borders opening, Royal Enfield plans a Himalayan & Adventure Weekend of roving around the Byron Bay hinterland on their bikes and in Land Rovers.

The border between Queensland and NSW opens on July 10, just in time for this roving adventure on July 18-19.

However, Queensland riders will still have to obtain an entry pass and may face a long queue when they return across the border as police check your credentials.

The event is supported by Royal Enfield Australia & New Zealand and hosted by Salt Creek Motorcycles and 4WD accessories company The Adventure Garage.

RE spokesman Mal Jarrett says they have been planning the adventure for a while and have been fortunate with the timing.

“Salt Creek Motorcycles is an adventure tour company based in Ballina that uses Himalayans exclusively,” he says.

“The Adventure Garage shares the same shed in Ballina and runs Land Rover adventure tours in the same locale, so it made sense to run an event in unison.” 

Riders will find they are roving the beautiful Byron Bay hinterland and Border Ranges roads – both tar and gravel.

The overnight camp is on private land near Kunghur/UKI, NSW, which is a private property with 3500 acres to explore by bike and 4WD and spectacular views of the Border Ranges and NightCap.

While the adventure is best suited for Himalayan adventure bikes, we imagine there will be some riders on other Royal Enfields which are quite competent in many gravel road conditions.

Anyway, Salt Creek Motorcycles have a couple of Himalayans for hire at $260 for the two days.

Riders will be joined by Land Rover owners on the trek.Roving Land Rover Royal Enfield Himalayan

They say they will have qualified senior first-aid personnel attending and a briefing to ensure the vehicles are separated for safety.

There will also be a support vehicle and trailer to transport your gear on both days.

The event is not associated with Land Rover Australia but is restricted to Land Rover owners.

Click here to make bookings and enquiries with Salt Creek Motorcycles.

Roving weekend detailsRoving Land Rover Royal Enfield Himalayan

  • Start: 7.30am, 18 July 2020, 2/39 Southern Cross Drive, Ballina, NSW 2478
  • End: 3pm, 19 July at the same place or Seven Mile Brewery around the corner
  • Cost: $100 each or $150 per duo
  • Includes: Camp fee, Saturday nibbles and dinner, and Sunday breakfast

What to bring:

  • Swag or Tent, sleeping mat and bedding. Swags are available for hire for just $25.
  • Backpack with at least 1L water or Camelback
  • Warm and waterproof clothing in addition to your bike gear as it will be chilly at night;
  • Personal medication, cash and some snacks

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Nichols undergoes successful surgery on injured hand

News 1 Jul 2020

Nichols undergoes successful surgery on injured hand

Monster Energy Star Yamaha rider to sit out start of outdoor season.

Image: Octopi Media.

A broken hand sustained in the Monster Energy Supercross finals will see Colt Nichols likely to sit out the scheduled opening two rounds of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross.

Nichols clashed with 250SX East champion Chase Sexton in the heat race, unable to return for the Showdown main event in Salt Lake City.

The Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha rider underwent surgery on Friday in order to repair the damage in his right hand, now on the road to recovery in a bit to be fit for the outdoors.

“I’m very disappointed, to say the least,” said Nichols. “I was really enjoying being back to racing in Salt Lake City and I was happy with the way I was riding. It was good to get back on the podium and run up front, and I was looking forward to carrying that momentum into the MX nationals.

“I knew that something was broken at the track, but I waited to get back to SoCal with my regular physician to learn the extent of the injury. I broke the third metacarpal bone in my hand – not a horrible injury – but it required a small plate and a few screws to expedite the healing.

“I originally wanted to try and make it to the first national, but doctors say it needs four-to-six weeks to heal. We’ll play it by ear.”

Nichols said that he misjudged where Sexton was when he chose to go to the inside as the Geico Honda rider was already committed to tripling into the turn. He was able to cross the finish and qualify, but couldn’t make the start for the final.

“Initially I was thinking ‘how did that just happen?’, but after reviewing the footage of the crash, I realise that I misjudged how close he was to me when I went double-single and cut to the inside,” he explained. “I did look over my shoulder, but I simply didn’t see him – it was a racing incident.”

Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Triumph Rocket 3 botches tablecloth trick

A decade ago, BMW’s S 1000 RR pulled off the old tablecoth trick, ripping it right from under the crockery, cutlery and glassware, but now Triumph has botched the same trick with their Rocket 3.

We’re not sure what they are trying to proved by failing at the same trick.

However, the title of their video and the accompanying text gives us a clue:

With the world’s largest production motorcycle engine, and the highest torque of any production motorcycle you can buy, Triumph Motorcycle’s Rocket 3 R takes on the iconic tablecloth trick, with a twist…

Old trick

Now here is how BMW perfected the tablecloth trick in 2010.

And in 2016, Mythbusters had a go.

Obviously Triumph is trying to show what a brute the Rocket 3 is.

The original 2.3-litre Triumph Rocket III has now become the 2.5-litre Rocket 3 with the biggest capacity and most torque of any production bike in the world.

The Rocket III had the biggest capacity engine of any production motorcycle with a 2294cc triple, delivering 221Nm of torque and 109kW of power.

Now, the TFC Rocket 3  has 134kW of power and 225Nm of torque, while the base R and GT models will have slightly less output at 221Nm of torque at 4000rpm and 124kW of power at 6000rpm.

This is not the first time Triumph has made a humorous video using the Rocket.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

BMW WorldSBK back on track – Video

BMW test new S 1000 RR developments

It has been a long time since the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and riders Tom Sykes (GBR) and Eugene Laverty (IRL) were last on a racetrack together. The season opener of the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) at the start of March was followed by an enforced break lasting several months due to coronavirus. Now the team and riders have been able to return to the track with the BMW S 1000 RR at Lausitzring (GER).

Work at the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team HQ in Guisborough (GBR) and at BMW Motorrad Motorsport in Munich (GER) was restricted during the break due to coronavirus protective measures. However, good use was made of the time, to analyse the findings and rider feedback from the season opener and to advance the development of the RR in many areas. Consequently the team had a whole host of new components and ideas with them for the test at the Lausitzring. In good weather conditions, the team had plenty of opportunity to test them out in preparation for the next races.


Video


The 2020 WorldSBK season will continue with the second race event of the year, at Jerez de la Frontera (ESP) on the first weekend of August. Before that, the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team will take part in further tests at Barcelona (ESP) on 8th and 9th July.

Shaun Muir – Team Principal BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team

The test at the Lausitzring was the first time we had been back at the racetrack after the first round of the season in Australia, as in between we had been in lockdown with the coronavirus restrictions. We had great days of testing, the weather has been kind to us with very good conditions and we had the opportunity to test quite a lot of parts that we have been working on during the break. It has been very successful for both Tom and Eugene and we feel confident now that a lot of effort that the guys have been putting in at the factory will pay off now. We can look forward to another two days of testing at Barcelona in the first week of July.”

Tom Sykes

After such a long period off the bike with this tricky moment in time, it is an absolute pleasure to be here at the Lausitzring and back testing with the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. It is fair to say that while everybody was stuck at home there has been a lot of work going on, certainly a lot of development, so this test has proved to be very vital. We certainly gathered a lot of information. It was good and it’s a great feeling to be back on the BMW S 1000 RR. Now we all are looking forward to returning to racing shortly.

Eugene Laverty

We had a fantastic test at the Lausitzring. It was great to be back riding my BMW S 1000 RR after nearly four months off due to the pandemic but I am still getting to know that bike. It’s only the fourth track that I rode it on so it has been so beneficial to come here and ride it at the Lausitzring. We really benefitted from the track time in sunny conditions. Now we are ready to race again and we will be back stronger than ever.”

Source: MCNews.com.au