Parents whose children ride a Husqvarna TC50 mini dirt bike should be aware that the new 2019 model is being recalled over an issue with a sticky throttle.
The official notice issued through the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says that on some motorcycles, the carburettor cover may not be screwed down and located correctly.
Sticky throttle
“The carburettor cover ensures the throttle slide will return to the closed position and cannot stay open,” it says.
“As the carburettor cover acts as the upper throttle slide stop, if incorrectly fitted it may lead to the throttle slide sticking and being unable to return to the closed position.
“Should this occur, it could affect the riders ability to control and operate the bike safely and may cause an accident involving the rider and others.”
Owners will be contacted by direct mail notifying them of the recall and requesting that an appointment be made with their local authorised Husqvarna dealer.
Authorised dealers will inspect the carburettor and repair free of charge if required.
For further information, contact Husqvarna on 1800 644 771 or click here to find your nearest authorised dealer.
Even though manufacturers and importers 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 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:
Australian anticipating to recover in time for 2019 Dakar Rally.
Image: Supplied.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Toby Price has successfully undergone surgery to repair a right fractured scaphoid sustained in a training incident this week.
The 2016 Dakar Rally winner and 2018 FIM Cross-Country Rallies world champion is understood to have completed the operation in Barcelona, Spain, and is currently travelling back to Australia for an immediate start to his recovery.
According to a statement released by the Austrian manufacturer, the 31-year-old expects to be adequately healthy for the 2019 Dakar Rally, scheduled to commence on 6 January 2019, before finishing up on 17 January 2019 following 5,541 kilometres of riding.
It’s an untimely blow for the popular Australian, who went into this year’s Dakar underprepared following a injury-riddled campaign in 2017, however still pulled through with a podium in the gruelling event.
U.S. Senate passes motorcyclist anti-profiling resolution
The U.S. Senate adopted a resolution on Tuesday to promote awareness of motorcyclist profiling and encouraging collaboration and communication with the motorcycling community and law enforcement officials to prevent instances of profiling.
With the recent anti-bikie legislation and ongoing direct harassment and stalking by police that motorcyclists face in Australia, could you ever see this happening here..? Not likely…
Senate Resolution 154 also urges state law enforcement officials to condemn motorcyclist profiling in their policies and training materials. Senate resolutions do not have the force of law to effectively ban all such profiling but is a good step in the right direction.
As adopted, the resolution recognised the significant increase in motorcycle registrations throughout America over the past 20 years, and pointed out that half of motorcyclists surveyed believe they have been profiled by law enforcement at least once. The resolution also acknowledges that motorcyclist profiling occurs across the nation.
Profiling means the illegal use of the fact that a person rides a motorcycle or wears motorcycle-related apparel as a factor when law enforcement officers decide to stop and question, take enforcement action, arrest or search a person or vehicle with or without a legal basis.
“In 2015, Congress wisely acted to ban federal highway funding for motorcycle-only checkpoints, recognizing that federal funds are better spent on promoting highway safety for all vehicles and drivers,” said AMA Vice President of Government Relations Wayne Allard. “Now, the Senate has taken a big step further to help end the discriminatory and ineffective practice of profiling motorcyclists.”
In January 2017, the American Motorcyclist Association’s Board of Directors adopted a formal position statement on motorcyclist profiling and has continued to recommend law enforcement and highway officials fto ocus their efforts on encouraging highway safety in ways that make America’s roads safer for everyone.
The Strider 12 Sport no-pedal balance bike is designed for kids 18 months to 5 years.
As diehard motorcyclists, we all know that the long-term viability of our favorite pastime depends on getting the next generation on two wheels. Getting the youngster(s) in your life on two wheels could mean a 50cc dirt bike with an auto-clutch and a throttle limiter. But just as we need to learn to walk before we can run, toddlers need to learn balance before they can ride.
That’s where a Strider balance bike comes in. It looks like a pint-sized BMX bike with a straight handlebar, a height-adjustable solo seat and chunky tires, but it doesn’t have pedals. Kids sit on the Strider like a normal bike and their feet can touch the ground. To move forward, they just walk their feet alongside of the bike, Fred Flintstone-style–slow at first, then faster until before you know it they’re running.
The balance part comes in when kids get a good head of steam going. Once rolling at a decent clip they simply pick up their feet, coast along and learn to balance themselves by a combination of intuition and trial-and-error. And by learning balance from the get-go, they can skip right over training wheels when they move up to a pedal bike.
A couple of years ago we gave a Strider to Auggie, the son of my long-time riding buddy Paul, for Christmas. It was a Strider 12 Sport in bright red, along with a size-adjustable helmet with a cool stars-and-stripes paint job (one of Paul’s nicknames among our group of dual-sport riders is Captain America–like father, like son).
Auggie checking out his new Strider 12 Sport no-pedal balance bike. At 16 months old, he was a bit too young and skeptical at first.
Weighing just 6.7 pounds, the Strider 12 Sport has a steel frame, 12-inch mag wheels with EVA polymer tires that never go flat or need air, tool-free adjustability for the seat and handlebar, built-in footrests, a padded seat, mini grips for small hands and a cushy handlebar pad. Seat height ranges from 11 to 19 inches and it fits children with inseams from 12 to 20 inches.
Auggie rocking his adjustable helmet, which his parents make him wear every time he rides. Abrasion resistance of his Thomas the Tank Engine jacket is unknown.
At the time Auggie was 16 months old, just shy of the Strider 12’s target age range of 18 months to 5 years. He wasn’t interested in the Strider at first, preferring the security and ease of being chauffeured around by Dad in his four-wheeled push car. He wasn’t too keen on wearing the helmet either. But one day while playing at a park, Auggie saw other boys on Striders and he ran over to them and wanted to go for a ride. Peer pressure isn’t always bad!
About 6 months after Auggie got his Strider it became his favorite thing to ride around the neighborhood. Captain America T-shirt matches his stars-and-stripes helmet.
Within 6 months of getting his Strider, Auggie didn’t want to do anything else. He constantly pestered his folks: “Mama! Papa! Ride bike?” They live down the street from us, and Auggie would duck walk his Strider up the slight incline to our house with his parents not far behind, then he would put his feet up on the footrests and coast his way back down the sidewalk.
Auggie practicing for the holeshot on his Strider 12 Sport. He says his color-matched Crocs give him the best grip on concrete.
Now that Auggie is 3 years plus a few months, he’s ready to graduate to the Strider 14x, which is designed for ages 3-7 (inseam of 16-23 inches or height of 30-57 inches). It starts off as a no-pedal balance bike, but can be easily converted to a pedal bike with the Easy-Ride Pedal Kit, which includes a fully enclosed chain, special narrow pedals and a coaster brake. Since it’s designed for larger kids, it has 14-inch spoked wheels with pneumatic rubber tires, a taller handlebar and a larger seat.
The other toddler in our life, my niece Nina, got a Strider 12 Sport for Christmas last year when she was 18 months old. My mother gave her a pink one along with a matching helmet. Like Auggie, it took a while for Nina to warm up to it, but the nice thing about the Strider is that it can be adjusted to accommodate a child’s growth so that it fits them perfectly at any appropriate age.
My niece Nina getting familiar with her new Strider 12 Sport. Like any self-respecting fashionista, she has a helmet and shoes that match her bike.
Whether or not Auggie or Nina will become motorcyclists remains to be seen. But at least they’re learning balance and the joys of rolling around on two wheels. And since they’ve been told to wear helmets from day one, they’ll be safe riders whether or not they ever end up with a throttle in their hand.
The Strider 12 Sport no-pedal balance bike for ages 18 months to 5 years is available in blue, green, pink, red, orange or yellow for $119.99, and Strider offers free shipping on orders over $50.
For go-fast kids, there is the Strider 12 Pro ($169.99), which weighs just 5.6 pounds thanks to its aluminum frame and comes with textured performance footrests and a front number plate. And yes, there are even organized Strider races, including the Strider Cup Series and Strider Cup World Championship.
Strider 12 Pro
The Strider 14x with Easy-Ride Pedal Kit for ages 3-7 years is available in blue or green for $209.99.
Strider 14x with Easy-Ride Pedal Kit
And if you want to start ‘em really young, Strider sells a Baby Bundle ($199.98) for ages 6 months and older, which includes a Strider 12 Sport that fits into a rocking base so they can ride a rocking bike instead of a rocking horse. When the time comes, remove the Strider from the base and they’re ready to balance on two wheels.
Strider 12 Sport Baby Bundle
You can find Striders co-branded with Honda, KTM and other motorcycle manufacturers, though availability may be limited, and you can find below-MSRP pricing from many retailers. Do an Internet search to find co-branded bikes and/or the best deal.
Honda branded Strider 12 Pro
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
See your toy or sporting goods retailer or visit striderbikes.com
After several years as a trendy merchandise and clothing brand, Italian-origin Lambretta has returned to our market with a range of scooters, topped by the V200 Special.
The range includes V50 and V50 Special ($3590), V125 and V125 Special ($4290), V200 and V200 Special ($4990) and limited-edition Pirelli ($5390). (All are retail prices and do not include on-road costs.)
Lambretta Pirelli Limited Edition V200 Special
That’s very competitive for an Italian-origin scooter that comes with a steel body and frame, LED lighting, USB port, Bosch ABS and Pirelli tyres.
While the elite scooterist congoscenti may argue that the modern Lambretta is not truly Italian, what automotive company is truly a complete product of their origin nation?
Cars and bikes are made all over the world with components from a host of nations. Even Harley-Davidson now makes some motorcycles in India. And Italian scooter competitor Vespa is making more and more models in Vietnam.
Lambretta began in the fashionable Lambrate division of Milan in 1948, a couple of years after Vespa.
The company is now owned by the Swiss Lambretta Consortium and the Austrian KSR Group.
Design flair
Their scooters feature reliable Taiwanese SYM engines and are designed by Austrian company Kiska who also design for KTM, Husqvarna and CFMoto.
When I picked up the V200 Special from Urban Scooters in Newstead, Brisbane, it immediately reminded me of a 1970s Lambretta I rode around London.
Same sleek design with that aggressive, masculine, bomb-style rear shell and an aura that reeks of Quadrophenia attitude.
About the only difference is the absence of a gear shifter on the left grip and a flex fender that turns with the wheel rather than a fixed fender. However, true believers can also choose a fixed fender version.
To remind the rider of its origins, the name “Lambretta” is simply stamped, painted or stickered everywhere.
It feels sturdy with a steel semi-monocoque body and plenty of steel parts and aluminium front grill, handlebar components and trim.
The V200 Special controls feel a bit notchy, but the paint, badges and details are all good quality.
The LED taillight with integrated indicators is an absolute work of art. I wonder how they got that through ADRs!
My only concern with the design and finish is the rear mud flap extension that looks like an add-on, while the panel around the number plate looks like a piece of trim is missing.
The V200 has audible indicators that beep to remind riders to switch them off. That’s a good safety feature as many riders forget to cancel their indicators and then wonder why motorists drive out in front of them at intersections!
It did get a little annoying after a while and some may prefer to disconnect this feature.
V200 power
The 169cc SYM single-cylinder engine has just 8.8kW of power and 12.2Nm of torque.
It needs to be fed some revs before taking off, but it responds smoothly and quickly. It hits 60km/h in about four seconds which is ample for around-town duties.
The air-cooled engine requires oil changes every 3000km with a major service every 12,000km.
Those frequent oil-change intervals might lead some owners to skip maintenance, especially time-poor commuters.
The engine is linked to a continuously variable transmission as used in many scooters and small cars.
CVT doesn’t have gears as such but keeps the engine revving in its sweet spot and smoothly adjusts the final ratio to accelerate.
Some twist-and-go scooters snatch when engaged, but this has smooth power delivering, allowing for confident feet-up u-turns.
Out on the 80km/h roads, it buzzes along nicely without vibrating the mirrors or sending a tingle through the bars. If pressed, it will get up to highway speeds, but labours on hills.
Despite being a single-cylinder engine, it doesn’t feel overly stressed on the highway, nor noisy, thanks also to the belt final drive.
Ride quality
While original Lambrettas had leading link suspension, these feature conventional telescopic forks with a single rear shock.
It rides ok without any clatter or wild head-shake, and it copes quite well with most potholes.
However, the 12-inch wheels don’t like the big hits and send kickback through the bars.
Brakes are excellent with smooth Bosch ABS activation in the front.
Like most scooters, there is more effective braking from the left lever or back brake because of the engine’s weight over the back wheel.
Scooter comfort
Riding position is comfortable for my 182cm frame, although the bars are a little close and my knees almost touch the front cowl.
Big rubber floor grips ensure your feet don’t slip when it rains.
Comfort is assured with a generously padded seat for both rider and pillion.
The 800mm seat is also quite wide which can make it difficult for some people to put their feet down when stopped.
However, the beauty of a step-through scooter is that you can slide forward off the front of the seat when stopped and easily plant your feet on the ground.
Features
The front cowl features a lockable glove compartment with a steering lock and a USB charging point for your phone. However, my plus-size iPhone wouldn’t fit.
Lockable under-seat storage has enough room for a full-face helmet, plus gloves.
Instruments sit on top of the headlight nacelle and are a combination of LCD screen and analogue speedo.
They feature a lot of info, but are set almost horizontal so they are difficult to see. The screen also reflects a lot of glare from the sun.
The numbers and letters are also spindly which makes them even more difficult to see.
Conclusion
I’ve ridden many scooters and this looks and feels more like an Italian scooter than some cheap Asian knock-off.
The AGV AX-9 Helmet is the Italian company’s latest adventure helmet for riders who don’t stop when the pavement does.
Begin Press Release:
AGV Launches New AX-9 Helmet in North America
Lightweight, versatile helmet offers multiple configurations for on and off-road touring and adventuring riding
COSTA MESA, Calif. – December 12, 2018 – AGV (www.agv.com) launches the stunning new AX9 helmet across North America. With lightweight construction, four different configurations, improved ventilation, 190 degrees of horizontal vision and 110 degrees of vertical vision, the AX9 is the most versatile helmet available for riders who want to be ready for any adventure and long rides that take them through various on- and off-road conditions.
Together with the SPORTMODULAR helmet, the AX9 completes AGV’s touring range. The AX9 is designed for long trips, offering top-of-the-line comfort with its premium-quality interior and advanced ventilation system. With its lightweight fiber composite shell, built with Carbon + Aramid + Fiberglass, the AX9 weighs in at just 3.5 pounds (1,605 grams +\- 50g depending on shell size and accessories added), making it one of the lightest helmets in its segment while also meeting AGV’s highest safety standards.
Offering configurations with or without a super panoramic visor, with or without the adjustable peak – or a combination of visor and peak – the AX9 is designed to perform in any riding scenario and offer customization during a ride to meet specific needs.
The AX9 also reaches new standards in aerodynamics and ventilation, with new extractors and the adjustable chin guard port that directs internal air flow to where the rider desires. All AX9 vents are adjustable. Premium interior padding offers extreme comfort, with moisture-wicking cheek pads and top liner, and a water-resistant neckroll that prevents water from channeling inside the helmet.
“We’re extremely proud of how far innovation has come with the AX9’s interchangeable features, comfort and safety,” said Roberto Sadowsky, Executive Vice President, Dainese & AGV North America. “With the combination of the SPORTMODULAR and AX9, AGV now offers two flagship, game-changing helmets that meet different needs for touring and adventure enthusiasts.”
AX9 Technical Features:
Carbon+Aramidic+Fiberglass Shell
Ultra-wide anti-scratch visor with 100% Max Vision Pinlock® anti-fog technology
Cheek pads: Ritmo fabric with antibacterial protection, moisture wicking and premium skin comfort treatments
Crown pad: Shalimar with antibacterial protection, moisture wicking with premium skin comfort treatments
Five vents: adjustable chin vent, two brow inlets and two extractors
Neck roll: Shalimar and Nubuck fabric with water resistant treatment
Adjustable peak designed to limit sail effect and enhance stability at high speed
Dual purpose: the visor can be removed and the helmet used with an off-road goggle, and the peak can be removed for a naked configuration
Visor micro-opening system to boost air blow
Fit especially designed to allow wearing glasses
Ready for generic communication systems
Removable and washable interiors
Tools-free removable chin vent guard
Double D Strap
The AX9 is available in seven different designs and starts at $499. The helmet is a perfect complement to Dainese’s new Explorer line of adventure touring gear, launched earlier this year, specifically the Antartica, designed for riding in extreme conditions and integrating research from Dainese’s work on a Biosuit for the Mission to Mars 2030.
Not sure how it’s possible but GeeBee Images just gets better and better. Just like a fine wine. This is the best year book yet. Keep tuned for signed copies!
Many people have been asking and things are a little behind schedule but it is almost ready. Fingers crossed it will be at the printers and we should be taking orders this week. https://geebeeimages.bigcartel.com Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
MotoGP™ pulls in the crowds year on year and if 2018 is anything to go by, that trend will continue. A record 2,884,242 fans sat in the stands this season, which is 218,436 more than in 2017 and sets a serious benchmark for 2019. But which was the biggest event? The new Grand Prix on the block: Thailand. Buriram had 222,525 people heading through the gates over the race weekend, becoming the most-attended event of 2018 on its debut. Next up was another newer race as the Red Bull Ring welcomed 206,746 fans, with Le Mans for close company in third as 206,617 people enjoyed the French classic.
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