Daily motorbike news, views & reviews
A Good Samaritan act, shortened and cancelled stages and incorrect roadblocks hampered Toby Price in his valiant efforts to win his third Dakar Rally. Despite all the hurdles, Toby finished on the podium today as the best KTM rider after a strong third place in the429km 12th and final stage today. The event was won by American …
A new survey has found a large majority of European riders believe drivers should be allowed to ride light motorcycles up to 125cc on a full car licence. In Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory, licensed drivers have been able to ride a 50cc scooter or moped for decades without having to …
Toby Price has staged a last-ditch attack on American Ricky Brabec’s lead in the penultimate stage of the Dakar Rally but failed to make up enough time. The Australian two-time Dakar winner attacked early and clawed back almost six minutes on the Honda rider who seemed to take it easy. Toby’s attack placed him fifth on the 379km …
Queensland riders now have no official representation to government after the Motorcycle Riders Association of Queensland has officially closed. The motion to close was passed at a special meeting of five members on Wednesday night (15 January 2020). The reason was given as a lack of members seeking election to the executive. There is now no …
The world’s most iconic big-bike manufacturer, Harley-Davidson, is thinking small for 2020 with the launch of a small-capacity motorbike in China, electric bicycles and an electric scooter. Baby Hog Last June Harley-Davidson announced plans for a joint venture with China’s Qianjiang to produce a motorcycle under their HD350 project, indicating a 350cc engine. However, it …
Riders and owners are understandably concerned about news that Indian Motorcycle Australia will close its Australian company-owned stores and move to a system of independent, privately owned dealerships. The four stores in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth are opulent, to say the least, with customer service to match. They match the standards set by main competitor …
Toby Price has dropped further off the lead after the marathon 534km 10th stage of the Dakar Rally was substantially shortened for safety reasons following several crashes. Organisers said their rescue helicopters were all deployed for fallen riders and with strong winds picking up, they decided on a shortened stage. The Aussie title defender and leading KTM rider finished fourth, …
BMW Motorrad has posted its ninth consecutive record year with global sales of 175,162 motorcycles and maxi-scooters, a 5.8% increase over 2018. That’s impressive, given many markets were down and Europe was only slightly up, yet BMW recorded 7% growth in Europe. However, in Australia, BMW sold 2675 motorcycles and scooters which was 8.5% down …
Ducati will add another Scrambler model to its fleet “in the coming months”, either an 803cc street motard or an 1100cc desert-racing Dakar model. The vague announcement came in the company’s annual report on 2019 global sales which were fairly flat at 53,183, just 179 more than 2018. There was no mention of Scrambler sales …
Aussie Toby Price has whittled a little off the lead of American Ricky Brabec with a strong second place in the 410km ninth stage of the Dakar Rally. The 410km stage across rocky terrain was won by Chilean Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarana) less than two minutes ahead of Toby who is chasing his third win and a 19th …