The chads over at Bikes and Beards are back with another video overview of cheap amazon bikes. Funny enough, I... Read More
Learners
Learner motorcycles are a growing market as more young people turn to motorcycling, commuters look for simple and lightweight bikes, returned riders want an easy-to=ride motorcycle and more women start riding. Learner motorcycles also make a great second bike and are fun to ride. We preview coming learner-approved motorcycles, attend new product launches around the world and road test the bikes for performance, handling, comfort, value, styling and economy. Read our latest articles below
The first fully faired sports model from Chinese motorcycle manufacturer CFMoto, the 300SR, has arrived in Australia. Importers Mojo Motorcycles... Read More
Hyosung could be planning a comeback with its GV 300 S Bobber which they will sell in Europe and could usher the brand back into other markets such as Australia. The Korean manufacturer began in 1966 and stormed into our market about 10 years ago with good quality learner-approved models... Read More
Bullit conjures images of Steve McQueen driving a Mustang through the streets of San Francisco in the 1968 film Bullitt,... Read More
Chinese motorcycle manufacturer CFMoto will introduce its first fully faired sports model to Australia in May, the 300SR. It is powered... Read More
One year ago Jawa Motorcycles returned to production with two neo-classic models in India and now they have released a third, the Perak bobber. Owners Mahindra Motorcycles are only licensed by the original Czech Jawa company to make and sell the bikes in India. The bike has been a roaring success... Read More
The CFMoto 300NK is the cheapest 300cc learner bike in Australia at just $4990 ride away, but how does it... Read More
A Ducati-branded Chinese-made electric scooter will be imported by Perth-based company Vmoto through Urban Moto Imports, arriving in July for... Read More
The Hartford Classic 250 rides into Australia on a nostalgic wave of small-capacity neo-classic motorcycles appealing to hip young among commuters. At just $4799 plus on-road costs, it’s a bargain way to enter the market or add a second bike to your garage. Hartford motorcycles and scooters are made in... Read More
The cost of living is driving more riders to smaller motorcycles and scooters, says Hartford Australia who is importing small-capacity... Read More
Yamaha has given the popular YZF-R3 learner motorcycle a MotoGP-inspired styling makeover plus LED headlights and hi-spec upside-down forks. We... Read More
The Husqvarna single-cylinder Vitpilen 401 street bike is one of the most controversial and divisive motorcycles I’ve ridden in ages. After my road test I’m still trying to work out what it is all about and to which riders it will appeal. Controversial features are the price, styling, the single-cylinder... Read More
The learner market continues to be flooded with models and now CFMoto Australia has filled the gap between the 150NK... Read More
Indian motorcycle company Bajaj Auto is reported to be setting its sights on Australia with the introduction of its Dominar... Read More
The Chinese-made CFMoto 650NK is still one of the best bang-for-your-buck bikes in the learner market and is now cheaper and better than when it was released in 2012. At $6490 ride away, it’s $700 cheaper than its launch price, yet it now has ABS brakes, Bosch EFI, new instrumentation... Read More
The adventure market is opening up to novice riders now that the learner-approved Kawasaki Versys-X 300 is available in the Australian market.... Read More
Kawasaki continues to lead the Australian market in learner-approved motorcycles with the launch of the Z650L and the Ninja 650L. We... Read More
Kawasaki does the new Z650L a disservice by referring to it as a learner motorcycle. This is a bike that will not only suit learners, but also novices, returned riders, commuters, weekend warriors and people who are honestly not all that fussed with tech specs, but just want to ride... Read More
The 2017 Harley-Davidson Street 500 is a little bit more secure with a Smart Security System and safer anti-lock brakes... Read More
CFMoto Australia has added the new 400NK to its learner-approved line-up which also includes an updated 650NK, plus the 650TK... Read More
Braap Motorcycles has voluntarily recalled about 200 bikes over what seems a trivial issue – the absence of stickers and stamps on the exhaust and other parts. Australian GM Toby Wilkin says the exhaust still complies with the Australian standards for noise, but is just missing the stamp that says... Read More
Kawasaki is taking on the adult-fun motorcycle market created by the 125cc Honda Grom a few years ago with its own version... Read More
The Kawasaki Z300 learner-approved naked bike comes in new colours for 2016 with a special edition model in Pearl Stardust White/Metallic... Read More
Husqvarna last year revealed two 401 concept road bikes and has updated the concept with the bigger 701 Vitpilen at he EICMA motorcycle show in Milan. Now owned by a KTM board member with Indian Bajaj financial backing, the company seems intent on moving in to the road bike area... Read More
Italian-owned Benelli has released this video of their new Tornado 250, but they are expected to release a range of new models at the EICMA... Read More
Kawasaki Motors Australia has cut $500 off the price of its 2016 Ninja 650L ABS and ER-6nL ABS learner-approved bikes,... Read More
One ride and you’ll understand why the 2016 Kawasaki Ninja 300 is the most popular learner-approved motorcycle of the past few years. It is a thoroughly refined, agile, forgiving, smooth, attractive and well-built package that will not only suit many learners, but also a wide variety of rider heights and abilities.... Read More
Harley-Davidson Australia is still considering importing the Street 750 model in the wake of the enormous popularity of the learner-approved Street... Read More
For the first time, Harley-Davidson has shoehorned the Twin Cam 110B (1800cc) Screamin’ Eagle engine into “standard” bikes for more... Read More
The 2016 Kawasaki Versys 650L ABS comes in a bright new matte orange paint and the price has increased $200 to $10,199 (+ORC). The learner-approved motorcycle is equally at home as a commuter, tourer or weekend fun bike. It is powered by a restricted fuel-injected 649cm3 liquid-cooled, four-stroke, parallel-twin engine.... Read More
The top-selling Kawasaki Ninja 300 ABS gets revised instrument lighting and two new colours for 2016, but no price increase.... Read More
Brisbane novice rider Lyle Herbert reviews his 2007 Hyosung GT250R. Riders are invited to review their bikes and email them for... Read More
Indian motorcycle company Royal Enfield has honoured the despatch riders of the war with a limited edition range of military colours coming in July 2015 and released rideaway prices in Australia. Despatch riders used to relay information between headquarters and ground troops during the war sometimes riding for hours through... Read More
Austrian manufacturer KTM has added a 250 Duke and RC 250 to its line-up, but they are unlikely to come... Read More
Hot on the heels of the Benelli BN 302 learner-approved motorcycle come two 600cc sports tourers, one of which is... Read More
The introduction of the Kawasaki Z250SL to the Australian learner-approved motorcycle market is swamping an already well-watered market. However, it’s great news for learners and novices with an amazingly wide choice of bikes. The Z250SL comes in ABS and non-ABS format at $5299 and $5599 plus on road costs, and... Read More
Learners have never had such a wide and exciting choice of motorcycles with the latest being the Benelli BN 302.... Read More
American-designed and Chinese-made Cleveland CycleWerks motorcycles are putting the fun back into urban motorcycling. The company has been making the... Read More
The high-stakes learner market in Australia has shifted up a gear with the introduction of the super-safe Kawasaki Z300 with ABS and a slipper clutch. The world’s first LAMS (learner-approved motorcycle scheme) street fighter has arrived at $5999 plus on-road costs, which is $200 less than the fully-faired Ninja 300,... Read More
Fun French YCF motorcycles are now available in Australia, just in time for Christmas. The 19-bike YCF range of fun,... Read More
Italian-designed and Chinese-made Benelli motorcycles are adding two learner bike models to their line-up in 2015. The new BN 302... Read More
Suzuki is staking a claim for the lead in the cruiser market in Australia with a LAMS Boulevard S40. Current top seller is the Yamaha XVS650 which starts at $10,499 (plus on-road costs), but the little 652cc Boulevard S40 will arrive in January for just $7990. The classic-styled cruisers will... Read More
Honda will add a special edition CBR300R later this month. The new Special Edition Matte Black with Yellow accents CBR300R... Read More
Zero Motorcycles have extended the battery range of their electric bikes, added anti-lock brakes and upgraded components on their 2015 range,... Read More
It’s been a fun six months on the CFMoto 650NK and it was a sad day when I returned it to its rightful owners recently. In that time, it put a grin on my face and I had very few complaints. The main point is that I am now recommending... Read More
Suzuki has unveiled a fully faired version of its popular learner-approved 250 Inazuma naked bike. The GSR250F has been launched... Read More
Limited edition models are usually decked out with extras and cost a littler bit more, but the CFMoto 650NKS limited... Read More
Australia will get the Harley-Davidson entry level Street 500 motorcycle from India. Harley-Davidson Australia marketing director Adam Wright has confirmed that the learner-approved bike will arrive here in February 1 and they will come from Harley’s Indian plant “at this stage”. “That’s what is on the current production schedule, but... Read More
Novice riders have never had such a wide choice of motorcycles with Yamaha this week adding to the learner-approved motorcycles... Read More
It looks like a modernist version of the postie bike and you wouldn’t be far wrong. The Vietnamese-made Bandit9 Bishop... Read More
In its 30th year of iconic Ninja motorcycles, Kawasaki is launching a special 30th Anniversary Edition 2015 Ninja 300. It is the fourth 30th Anniversary Edition model launched by Kawasaki this year. The others are the Ninja ZX-14R, ZX-10R and ZX-6R. Not all are available in Australia, but given the... Read More
Kawasaki and Honda are about to have their domination of the small-capacity market challenged by the race-inspired KTM RC 390... Read More
The small-capacity shootout continues with Kawasaki tipped to release a four-cylinder Ninja 250 in response to Honda’s CBR300R which arrives in Australia... Read More
Korean motorcycle company Hyosung needs an injection of new blood and, thankfully, it looks like it is about to get some. Together with Indian joint venture partner DSK, their hot-blooded ST7 Concept Cruiser looks like being revealed as a production bike at the Milan Motorcycle show in November. How... Read More
Being a communist, Grant Roff (aka Spannerman and Groff) found the original 1978 Yamaha SR500 had great appeal. “They only... Read More
The Honda CBR300R is likely to become the top-selling motorcycle in Australia, taking over from the Kawasaki Ninja 300. The... Read More
I’m trying very hard to find problems with the Chinese-made CFMoto 650NK, but I’m failing miserably. READ MY OTHER REPORTS HERE, HERE AND HERE The bike has been supplied to me by Australian importers Mojo Motorcycles on a long-term loan to prove that the bikes are reliable and customers shouldn’t... Read More
Yamaha’s SR400 typifies Newton’s third law of motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. As modern... Read More
Our long-term CFMoto 650NK test bike has passed its first service with flying colours. The CFMoto 650NK had clocked up over... Read More
Electric motorcycles will drive us into the future, there is little doubt about that. And after riding the new wave of Zero electric motorcycles this week, I can say that the future will be immense fun. READ MY FIRST AND SECOND IMPRESSIONS HERE However, it’s an evolution, rather than... Read More