Fast Torque #5

Fast Torque is back! This is where our readers have their say on everything motorcycle, and there's prizes up for grabs too!

Welcome to the fifth edition of Fast Torque -- the Christmas edition? Sure, why not. If you've got an opinion on a bike, or a road rule, or even Taylor Swifts latest album, let us know and you could be like The Fritze who won himself a radiator guard custom made for his motorcycle valued at $195, thanks to Rad Guard Australia.

This month we're giving away a Crumpler 'Seedybar' bag. Valued at $160, the snug-fitting bag is water resistant, has reflector strips, accessory loops for phones and other gadgets, rip-stop lining, an oversized weather proof flap with dual quick release clips, a fully adjustable padded ergonomic harness complete with chest and detachable waist straps, and our favourite bit "evil eye reflectors to ward off speed demons of the car-driving variety". Like all Crumplers it gets a "Til death do us part" lifetime warranty. Enough gabbing, to the letter depository!

ALMOST SOLD...
I was interested in the new 2011 Kawasaki W800, 'till I saw the price. $12K for an air-cooled SOHC twin cylinder bike?! Make it $10K and I will buy one.
- Seth Brundle

GOOD READ ON RMZ

Great article on the Suzuki RMZ450Z. I read every word, thanks guys. I would always check out Bikesales before I made a descesion on any bike. Keep it up.
- Dean Jordan

STRYKE A POSE
The 2011 Yamaha Stryker is definitely a much nicer bike than the Honda Fury - better paint and a belt drive to boot... Check out some of the bikes guys are modding to see what I mean: YamahaStarStryker.com.
- Ace

BMW CIRCA 1920
The BMW R32 replica is an awesome recreation!!! I hope to own one someday.
- Eric

Ed: Aye, it's an impressive machine and the 100hp engine that replaces the 8.5hp unit has been lovingly integrated. I can't imagine it would be easy to ride at higher speeds though...

RECREATION FOR QLD
Would be great if the REC REGO petition be could be extended to incorporate QLD as well...
- Robert Bampton

TRIUMPH FOR BMW?
Interesting that the Triumph Tiger 800 is $2000 dearer but almost identical in spec to the road going version. May have to reconsider the BMW. If Triumph are keen for the XC to be a real success, they might have to sharpen their pencil a little more.
- Offroader

Ed: Interesting point Offroader. We'll save our judgement until we can test them back to back - which we're hoping to do not long after the Tiger 800 goes on sale in March.

DUCATI DECISIONS
Do you believe for the average rider that an ABS Ducati Multistrada basic model would be sufficient? I would have liked to see more in the article the difference you found between the S model and ABS in relation to suspension on all roads including dirt, how the standard ABS handled around the putty roads in corners etc. I read a lot of forums and nobody has exactly addressed the difference. Thanks.
- Glen

Rod Chapman: Hi Glen, and thanks for your question. Yes, for an average rider (or even an advanced rider, for that matter) the suspension package on the base model Multistrada 1200 is entirely sufficient. Both the 50mm Marzocchi fork and the rear Sachs monoshock are quality bits of gear, and both are fully adjustable for spring preload, plus rebound and compression damping. From memory all of the adjusters were relatively easy to get to and the set-up itself delivers an excellent ride. It's biased towards the tarmac, but it will still be fine for dirt roads of a reasonable quality. While the Ohlins DES gear offers a marginal improvement in terms of outright performance, its real benefit is the ease of push-button electronic adjustment. In my opinion, even without the additional goodies offered by the 'S'-spec machine, the Multistrada is still one impressive bike, and a whole lot of fun to ride over a wide variety of roles.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS...
Love the look of this dark H-D Night Train and would love to own one. This is a must for Xmas I think!
- Simon Savy

Ed: I like your thinking Simon. If I play my cards right, I think Santa will bring me a pre-production MV Agusta F3 to hack around on.

ABS FOR ALL
Great news about the ABS on this 300cc Kymco scooter. They shouldn't even sell the non-ABS model. ABS should be available on all bikes sold in this country. Compared to cars it's the only safety feature us riders have... And I don't want to hear from the "know alls" who think they are too good and can always outbrake ABS....Rubbish!!
- Peter

TINY 250 TENERE
This 250cc Yamaha Tenere is the sort of bike new riders should start with. It would make a great little run around.
- Warren

CHRISTMAS CHEER
I've already done my Christmas shopping (including a deposit on a new Japanese supermoto) but your list of gift ideas for the avid motorcyclist was nevertheless a decent read. Didn't even know Honda had such stylish T-shirts. Shame the KTM toaster isn't available in Australia... What a great way to add motorcycle coolness to the kitchen!
- Janice L.

KAWASAKI GLITCH
What has Kawasaki done?! I was very much looking forward to the new Ninja ZX-10R, but now I wonder if it's going fall to pieces or 'glitch' on me at Phillip Island's first corner, flicking me into the kitty litter? What's the goss, has Kwaka screwed the pooch?
- Barry

Ed: The pooch is fine. The issue appears to be with North American Kawasaki ZX-10Rs only, which are rumoured to have been tweaked to meet noise regulations. At this stage the local arm of the company assures us that the Australia launch in early 2010 will carry on as planned, with the possibility of a minor (one or two week) delay.

CRAFTY CROSSOVER
The Honda Crossrunner sounds like my new courier bike.
- Peter

ZERO? TRY NEGATIVE ONE
I think you are being entirely too generous with the design of the Zero S. That thing is U-gly! Suggest they get a decent designer onboard quick-smart to produce something that will appeal, especially since it's a paradigm shift. It will be interesting to see whether the lack of an engine note has any impact on 'take-up' of these machines.
- Reality Is

Ed: Okay, I agree to some extent. Feann's appraisal of the design was at odds with many others, but he's entitled to his own opinion. As for the lack of engine note, only a "potential" customer survery would reveal the truth. I didn't find it a huge obstacle - though at times I felt a bit stealthy.

NEW GOVERNMENT, NEW ERA
This is a great safety initiative for both motorcycle riders and car drivers in Victoria: the removal of the absurd 3km/h tolerance for exceeding the speed limit and a return to the 10% tolerance. Maybe then riders and drivers can go back to focusing on the road ahead instead of the paranoia of watching the speedo constantly. Oh, and teach pedestrians that roads are for cars and footpaths are for people. Cheers,
- Simon

Ed: It will be interesting to see how the new policies are implemented in Victoria. We've got plenty of letters on this subject and we'll publish more over the coming weeks.

AMPED UP
Electric personal transport is well overdue in a country with plenty of electricity that imports 80% of its crude oil. Regenerative braking on the front would be useful, particularly in urban environs.
- Kym O'Malley

Ed: Couldn't agree with you more Kym. We've since tested the road-legal Zero S electric motorcycle, and it's not a bad piece of kit. With any luck we'll soon see more product from American and Chinese electric bike makers in the next few years.

TRIUMPHANT RETURN
The new Triumph Tiger looks like a real slick machine, so much so I have already put my name down with the local dealer to buy one. I'm keen to read a ride report on how the XC goes in the bush, cant wait.
- Brendan Lindsey

EXPENSIVE ITALIAN
The Ducati Diavel is around $10,000 more than what USA buyers will pay despite our dollar's parity. Bargain.
- Michael

Ed: There's probably a legitimate reason why this is the case - importers often cite the remote location of Australia as cost increase. Does make you wonder though.

NEW GOVERNMENT, NOTHING CHANGES

Regarding the change of goverment and new motorcycle policies in Victoria. But registration placement rules were changed last year - I can't quite understand exactly what rules they're going to change. A decision on readability of the roller type holders comes from VicPol, not the government. The bus lanes stuff is already underway, it's included in the Current Strategy - and VicRoads are already carrying out bus lane usage. Since riders and industry are already in the majority on VMAC how much stronger representation can there be? Giving VMAC more power over what the levy is used for is what's needed and VicRoads will fight that tooth and nail. The idea of a National Motorcycle Safety Strategy has been pushed for some time by the Motorcycle Safety Consultative Committee and the Motorcycle safety Consultative Committee and flatly rejected. A good idea but probably won't happen any time soon. The latest draft of the National Road Safety Strategy calls for a levy in every state. I doubt it will be revoked given the fact that every other jurisdiction in the country thinks it's a success.
- Tony

FRUGAL SUZUKI M109
Hi guys, just thought I'd let you know I've got an M109R and love it but I get around 330 to 350 kays on a tank on the highway. Great bike, Great column.
- Joe

You call that a motorbike! Bah. That's a torpedo.
- M. Waush

Ed: You know, it does look a bit like a torpedo.

AMERICAN DREAMS
Surely this Harley-Davidson is someone's idea of a bad joke... A $980,000 paint job?? Original-yes, worth it-no...
- Chris

Ed: We're not sure if it's been sold yet, but I can assure you it's no joke. And yes, it boggles the mind.

LIBERALS SAVE THE DAY
And now we wait to March 2011, when the same will happen to NSW Labor and some common sense will come in play.
- John

SCOOTER LANES?
This is a chicken and the egg argument. Should we wait for two wheelers to form a bigger proportion of our traffic make up before making provisions for them? Or should we get on the front foot and make provisions for powered two wheelers in an effort to encourage more people to use them? With our cities becoming more and more congested, maybe it's time to do what's right, not just what's popular, and put some plans in place to fix our transport problems. Bikes and scooters are part of the solution so some dedicated resources are long overdue.
- Bike Boy

* Some emails have been edited for length and content.

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Fast Torque #5

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