While the Nomad will sell for £9995 (about $A17,700, $US12,750) and the Ranger for £11,995 ($A21,250, $US15,300), the Norton Superlight will sell for about £19,950 ($A35,350, $US25,500).
That’s a lot for a 650cc bike, but we expect its main purpose is to compete in the Lightweight TT class in next year’s Isle of Man TT.
It will be raced by 23-time IoM TT winner John McGuinness who moved from Honda t Norton this year but didn’t race because of injury.
Why does it cost so much?
Superlight by name …
Well, for a start, it is covered in carbon fibre from the wheels to the body work and single-sided swingarm.
Together with a polished aluminium tube frame instead of steel in the Atlas models, so it weighs just a dashing 158kg.
That’s 20kg less than the Atlas and if you add the optional titanium exhaust system it drops another 6kg.
Suspension is top-shelf Ohlins with NIX 30 forks and TTX GP monoshock.
Ohlins TTX-GP shock
Brakes are big Brembo 330mm discs on the front with M50 calipers.
It also features an up-down quickshifter, IMU traction and ABS controllers, colour LCD dash and race-worthy electronics such as wheelie and launch control.
Power-to-weight ratio
The 650cc liquid-cooled parallel twin engine in the Atlas models is basically half of the 120cc V4 Norton are working on for their engine V4 flagship model which is expected to be released next year.
In the Atlas Nomad and Ranger, it produces a modest 62kW of power at 11,000 revs and 64Nm of torquer.
In the Superlight it makes 78kW which gives it a racy power-to-weight ratio.
We are still awaiting news from Norton on the V4 and it remain s a mystery what the British company has planned for India.
The company last year signed a deal with India’s Kinetic Group to build 650cc motorcycles for Asian markets.
When we mentioned this before, the company was at pains to say all their bikes are handmade in England.
KTM-mounted American import Alix races to SX2 victory in New Zealand.
Image: .
Australian legend Chad Reed has clinched the 2018 Monster Energy S-X Open International Supercross FIM Oceania Championship with a spectacular clean-sweep in Auckland, New Zealand.
Reed, 36, won all three finals in the SX1 Triple Crown main event to steal the title from previous leader, Scotsman Dean Wilson (DPH Motorsports Husqvarna).
It was a fitting return to NZ for Reed aboard the JGRMX Suzuki RM-Z450, untouched in technical conditions at Mt Smart Stadium. Reed’s trio of wins handed him the round two win from DPH’s Hayden Mellross – riding an FC 350 – and Wilson, who encountered clutch problems in final three.
The inaugural FIM Oceania championship belongs to dual AMA/world champion Reed by two points ahead of Wilson, with three-time Australian champion Justin Brayton (Penrite Honda Racing) a distant third after finished fifth tonight.
Image: .
KTM Motocross Racing Team duo Dakota Alix and Ryan Marmont – out of retirement – went 1-2 in the SX2 class, with Kiwi Josiah Natzke (Cannon Signage Honda) completing the podium.
Permanent cameras can be mounted on and hardwired to the motorcycle.
The latter is becoming more popular, especially for commuters as they are a fixture, difficult to steal and will start recording as soon as you start the bike.
Basically they are a set-and-forget option … until you need them.
Then they supply looped intervals of recordings so you can easily find the bit you need.
Latest bike dashcam
A new dashcam with the easy-to-remember name “Model MCDV2HD-W2G” is available online in December for $320 and through some specialist installers.
Not that you will need a professional installer.
Installation is easy with a Smart Power module that connects directly to the battery and switches power to the dashcam automatically after the engine starts and switching off when it stops.
With more bikes now using CANBus (a simplified wiring loom) and not having easy access to accessory/ignition power, the Smart Power module solves this issue.
The unit consists of two small front and rear cameras which are permanently fitted and difficult to see on most big bikes.
The front camera is a full HD 1080P device with a Sony IMX323 sensor that has a low light facility while the rear camera is a HD 720P unit.
This new model has a weatherproof main unit (IP65) and, of course, weatherproof cameras (IP67).
One of the niftiest features is that it has built-in Wi-Fi so you access it from a smartphone app (iOS or Android).
That should make it easy to access recordings while out on the road.
It includes GPS included to automatically confirm time and location of an event.
The handlebar controller is retained from previous models to allow the rider to save particular files in a simple-to-find format.
You won’t need to search through a large number of video files to find just the one or two events that were notable. Pressing the button saves a file with a different prefix to allow quick and easy sorting and location.
Data storage is by Micro SD card up to 128GB.
Distributors Chipatronic recommend and supply Samsung cards when you order (SD cards cost extra and depend on the size you order.)
Video files can be re-played using the smartphone app or the card can be connected to a Windows PC where the files can be accessed and viewed in the same way as any external storage device.
Files are saved in MOV format which can be played by most up to date media player software including Windows Media Player, Photos, VLC and others.
To be able to view the maps from the GPS data on PC the user will need to download a free software package.
Triumph engines have fired up Moto2 in Andalucia as the intermediate class test at Jerez. Early drama as reigning Moto3 World Champion Jorge Martin crashes and breaks his leg.
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP 40) topped the first day of Moto2 testing for 2019 at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto. A 1m42.203 from Baldassarri in the final session of the day saw the Italian beat compatriot Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) to the top of the timesheets.
The test signals the beginning of a new era not only for the rookies like Martin, but also of Triumph power – as well as some updates in the technical regulations. It’s off to a good start, with Baldassarri getting within three-tenths of his 2018 pole lap at the track.
Behind Baldassarri and Marini, the man in third was another man with a good record at the track: Sam Lowes, as he returns to the Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 squad for season 2019.
Moto2 riders completed four sessions throughout the day, with conditions improving in the afternoon after overnight rain had seen a damp start to proceedings. At the end of Day 1, Pons HP40’s Augusto Fernandez was fourth fastest, with Remy Gardner (SAG Team) rounding out the top five – 0.533 off the top.
Gardner had missed the Jerez race earlier this season after breaking both legs in a motocross training accident so we can’t compare his times at the circuit on the Tech3 machine he rode this season in comparison to the SAG machine he was on for this test and will race for season 2019. Tech3 used their own chassis in 2018 but is adopting a KTM chassis for their 2019 Moto2 assault while Gardner will be on the more dominant Kalex chassis in 2019.
Reigning Moto3 World Champion and Moto2 rookie Jorge Martin crashed and was left with a left humerus fracture and some broken bones in his foot. His first taste of the category cut short for now. Martin did make a solid impression however and was inside the top 15.
Jorge Martin went down hard
The fastest rookie was Nicolo Bulega (SKY Racing Team VR46), the Italian setting the seventh quickest time of the day to finish 0.566 from P1 – a great debut for the number 11 rider.
Jorge Martin was next quickest rookie, in P15, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Speed Up Racing) P18 on the times. He was just ahead of fellow rookie Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team).
Jorge Martin
Elsewhere, Jake Dixon’s (Angel Nieto Team) Moto2 debut ended with the British rider setting a quickest time of 1:44.401, 2.198-seconds off Baldassarri’s benchmark, the Briton finishing one place ahead of Moto3 graduate Marco Bezzecchi (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) – P25 and P26 respectively for the pair as they settle in.
Jake Dixon
Dixon was a close runner-up to Leon Haslam in the British Superbike Championship this season and the 22-year-old Briton is a big hope for the future amongst English fans.
Jake Dixon – P25
“It has been a good first day, which we spent learning the bike and how everything works, from the team to the tyres, which is all new to me. I had a good feeling from the first run and I was able to enjoy myself on the KTM. I am looking forward to the next two days of testing here at Jerez and to continuing to learn with the team before the first race.”
Jake Dixon
Marco Bezzecchi – P26
“This start has been quite good. We worked a lot on the bike because in the beginning the riding position and the balance of the machine were far from now. In the end, we went better and better. Unfortunately the track temperature dropped a lot when we just found our best condition of the day, but anyway, we discovered many important things for tomorrow. I know that I have to improve my riding style a lot, but overall it has been good.”
Marco Bezzecchi
Moto2 riders will be back out on track on Saturday as they continue their adaptation to the Triumph engine.
10-seconds off Moto2 pace but a lot of speed to be found
High-profile MotoE riders sparked up their mounts for the first time in Spain overnight in company with the official Moto2 testing schedule ahead of season 2019.
The fastest time from the first outing for the MotoE machines came from Ajo Motorsports rider Niki Tuuli, a 1m51.721. That opening day benchmark nearly ten-seconds slower than the fastest Moto2 time of the day recorded by Lorenzo Baldasarri, as a new chapter also started for Moto2 with the move to Triumph engines for season 2019.
Clearly, these are only the first baby steps for the MotoE machines, but with high-profile teams and highly skilled riders, Dorna is certainly providing this new class with every chance of success.
Angel Nieto Team’s Energica MotoE machine
Many riders would have liked to have turned a lot more laps but were restricted by battery capacity and recharge times, as at this test many of the two-rider teams only had one machine at their disposal to be shared by two riders.
Former WorldSSP podium finisher and Moto2 rider Niki Tuuli (Ajo Motorsport MotoE) topped the times on Day 1 of three, setting a quickest time of 1:51.721.
Moto3 laptimes had tumbled dramatically after the first runs, and by the end of play Tuuli, a previous WorldSSP podium finisher, proved fast enough to beat 2017 European Moto2 Champion Eric Granado (Esponsorama Racing) by 0.121s.
Former Grand Prix rider Randy de Puniet (LCR E-Team) completed the top three with only 0.185 splitting the trio.
Randy de Puniet (LCR E-Team)
Bradley Smith is another high-profile current riders to be taking on MotoE in 2019, alongside his new official test role as development rider for Aprillia MotoGP, the Brit will race MotoE with the One Energy Racing Team and was 0.618 off the top on his first outing.
Bradley Smith
Bradley Smith
“I am happy to have completed my first laps on the MotoE bike. The first session was in the wet, so it was a good opportunity to compare it to the feeling in the dry conditions that we had later. I am positively surprised with the handling of the bike and the way it has performed here at Jerez. We have to work out which steps we need to take to improve everything and evaluate the result of each step. So far everything we have seen has been positive; now we need to analyse the work we have done on this first day and make a plan for tomorrow. We were in the top three for the majority of the day, now we have to work out a way to be the fastest, which is the objective.”
Bradley Smith
Alex De Angelis (Alma Pramac Racing) was just 0.064 behind Smith in P5. The much anticipated return of former MotoGP frontrunner Sete Gibernau, meanwhile, saw the 45-year-old hit the ground running and only just over a second off the top.
Sete Gibernau
World Endurance Champion Josh Hook was P14 and shared the Alma Pramac electric bike with team-mate Alex De Angelis as the Australian got his first brief taste of MotoE machinery. Hook finished up in P14 just behind fellow WEC regular Kenny Foray who made his debut with the new Tech3 MotoE squad.
Kenny Foray – P13
“Everything was totally new for me today and I also didn’t know the track very well yet. So, the first laps I spent to learn the track and then I started to try to find a feeling, after being on a 1000cc machine all the time. Lap by lap, I enjoyed it more and more, but I know, I still have to work a lot on myself to adapt my style, especially to improve my corner speed and some other things. I have to admit, it’s not easy, but it’s a lot of fun!”
Kenny Foray
Josh Hook – P14
“I had a great time. If I have to be honest, I was impressed by the power delivery of the bike when accelerating, but mainly the most impressive thing was how easy the bike is to ride. After two laps I was already pushing hard. I wanted to lap more but the battery doesn’t allow it”.
Female road race sensation María Herrera is also taking on the new challenge of in an Ángel Nieto squad alongside team-mate Nico Terol. Terol was the faster of the two on day one after completing ten laps with a best effort of 1’54.192. Terol had the opportunity to ride the bike here on the occasion of the Spanish Grand Prix earlier in the year and is confident that there is plenty of room for improvement over the next two days of the test.
Nico Terol – P12
“I did seven laps in the final session of the day, after watching my team-mate in the other two. I didn’t have the set-up how it needed to be – it was very soft on the front and I couldn’t brake how I wanted. On the fourth lap I set my best time and I am sure I could have gone faster but tomorrow I will have two sessions back to back and I’ll be able to give more and get more out of the bike.”
Nico Terol
María was riding the Energica machine for the first time and was sixteenth fastest in her debut appearance on the bike she will race in 2019. The Spanish youngster reported a good feeling from her first laps of the Spanish track and already has some ideas on how to adapt her riding style to the specific demands of this new machine.
María Herrera – P16
“The first feeling with the MotoE bike is good, the acceleration is quite smooth and it reminds me of a 600 – you have to keep the corner speed up because you can’t be aggressive on the gas. I have to understand the best way to get this bike stopped with the weight it has, which will be one of the main points of focus, as well as the inertia in corner entry, having never ridden a bike like this before. I didn’t ride much today, only the first two sessions, but I am keen to get the bike set up how I like it and seeing how far we can go with it.”
María Herrera
Teams and riders were not just getting their heads around new and very different machinery than they had ridden before, but also were getting up to speed with new rubber. Specially designed, the front tyres are a derivative of MotoGP tyres but the rears have more of a Superbike background.
The fronts need to support the heavy bikes under braking, whereas the rears need to warm up quickly for the shorter race distances in the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup. With the different characteristics of each, that made it something very new for each rider out on track – regardless of their racing experience.
Lucio Cecchinello put this image out on his Instagram account that shows some of what is behind the fairings of the new MotoE machines
Just as smartphones and multi-tools pack different functions into a single device, Nelson-Rigg’s Waterproof Hurricane Backpack/Tail Pack plays two roles equally well. Available in 40-liter ($139.95) and 20-liter ($119.95) sizes, the Hurricane is made of waterproof, UV-resistant vinyl-coated polyester tarpaulin fabric–tough, thick material that weighs 24 ounces per square yard.
It has an enormous opening at the top that, for the 40L version I tested, swallows a full-face helmet, and seals shut with a roll-down, dry-bag closure secured with three quick-release buckles. A closable purge valve makes it easy to squeeze out excess air when closing the bag, and inside there’s a sleeve pocket, but it’s too small for my 10-inch-wide neoprene laptop case.
Rather than chintzy, afterthought backpack straps, the Hurricane has large, padded, adjustable shoulder straps, adjustable chest and waist straps and a padded, breathable back panel–the same features you’d find on a trail-worthy backpack. And there’s no shortage of places to stash or attach stuff.
The backpack straps have outer strips of webbing for attaching a GPS locator, a multi-tool pouch or other quick-grab items, and there are clips on each strap for securing a hydration tube. On both sides are drawstring mesh pouches large enough to hold quart-size water or fuel bottles and long strips of reflective MOLLE (MOdular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment) webbing.
On the front is a pocket large enough to hold a 2-liter hydration bladder, and woven over the outside of the pocket is adjustable, reflective bungee netting. Last but not least, there’s a removable, reversible outer sleeve with a sealable, clear-plastic document pouch on one side and a small zippered pocket and a three-strip panel of MOLLE webbing on the other.
Included are two straps with looped ends and adjustable, quick-release buckles for attaching the Hurricane to a passenger seat/rear rack, but I found the straps to be too short to be of much use (e.g., they’re not long enough to attach to passenger footpeg brackets) and too difficult to tighten. Instead, I used my universal attachment method of choice: Rok Straps, which can be made very tight and secure since one end is made of thick bungee.
I’ve used the Hurricane as an everyday backpack, as a tail bag on a multi-day tour and even as a dry bag on a kayaking trip, and it has been comfortable to wear on my back, versatile enough to carry all sorts of gear and easy to open, close and secure. If you want one bag that can do almost anything, the Hurricane is worth checking out.
For more information, see your dealer or visit nelsonrigg.com.
Motorcycling Australia (MA) has confirmed Moruya in New South Wales will host the 2019 Australian Four-Day Enduro (A4DE) on 1-4 May, marking the 41st edition of the prestigious off-road event.
It’s not since 2006 that the A4DE has been held in the Bateman’s Bay area, where Mogo played host to an action packed four days that was hailed as one of the best editions of A4DE in years.
Following on from an emotional 40th anniversary earlier in 2018, next year’s edition is set to be bigger and better than ever, as reflected in Australia’s success over in Chile for the 2018 ISDE.
Conceived in 1978, the A4DE is renowned for its fierce competition nationwide, and the Moruya location will provide a picturesque backdrop for the highly anticipated event. Parc ferme will be located at the Moruya Showgrounds, while the event will include excellent spectator vantage points, plus easy access from the township.
Waters signs multi-year agreement with Team Ecstar Suzuki
Three-time Superbike to remain aboard Suzuki machinery through 2020 season.
Image: Russell Colvin.
Victorian Josh Waters will remain with Team Suzuki Ecstar Australia for the next two years after signing a multi-year agreement to contest the 2019 and 2020 seasons of the YMF Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK).
Waters joined the squad for its inaugural season in 2017, which ultimately saw him seal his third Australian superbike title. Following a tough title defence this year, the number 21 wound up fourth in the championship standings.
“I’m excited to continue this partnership,” said Waters. “I have raced for Suzuki for over 10 years both here and overseas, I have a great team around me, we put in a lot of work this year and ended the season with some strong finishes and a race win, which was great. The goal is pretty simple next year, I want to win the title back”
The first official outing for the squad in 2019 will be the ASBK opener at Phillip Island, which will run alongside the WorldSBK on 22-24 February.
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