News

The Australasian Safari 2012 is attracting entries from around the globe as its reputation as Australia's toughest offroad event grows. Amongst the entries already confirmed are a Thai celebrity, Californian off road star, an entourage of Dutch riders, an experienced female rider and a squad of hardened South Africans.

Organisers of this year's Watagan Trail Bike Rally have made the frustrating decision to postpone the event due to rain.

Yamaha Factory Racing's hospitality provided the setting for a unique gathering on June 16, as racing legend and fifteen time Grand Prix title winner Giacomo Agostini celebrated his 70th birthday in style.

At this year's Junior Motocross World Championship in Sevlievo, Bulgaria, the Aussie team will have a distinctly "orange" tinge to it, with all six of the Australian squad riding KTM two-stroke models.

When Claude Camelin teamed up with Ben Shaw to create a Ducati-based custom motorcycle with a difference, it was a real "meeting of the minds". Claude has created a succession of custom bikes in the past, while Ben Shaw is well known as the man behind Extreme Creations in NSW - creators of multiple trophy-winning streetfighters and customs like the "Judge" ZX9R and "Venom" TL 1000R.

Following on from the recent auction of the Saltarelli Ducati collection in Monaco, a similarly mammoth one-make collection is set to be auctioned at Monterey, California this coming August.

HSE Motorex KTM Desert Racing rider Toby Price has taken out the 2012 Tatts Finke Desert Race in Alice Springs, clinching his second victory in three years at the prestigious event.

South Australia's Mac Park hosted round 2 of the 2012 Pirelli Road Race Series, held over the Queen's Birthday long weekend on June 9 & 10. For South Aussies, the long weekend is also known as 'Volunteer's Day', and the volunteers at Mac Park ensured round 2 of the Pirelli series was a hit for competitors and spectators alike.

Following the shock announcement that Casey Stoner would quit the MotoGP World Championship at the end of 2012, and Valentino Rossi's commitment to stay in the series for two more seasons, comes news that Jorge Lorenzo will stay a Yamaha factory rider for the next two seasons.

The countdown is on until the launch of the all_new CFMoto 650NK in mid-June. To celebrate, CFMoto has launched a new micro site _ www.650NK.com.au - dedicated to the new model, with specs, image and video galleries, dealer locator and other info, as well as the opportunity to test ride and submit your review of this new LAMS model.

Former motorcycle grand prix greats, Randy Mamola and Kevin Schwantz, joined current TT, BSB and WSB riders in special parade lap on the TT mountain course ahead of a thrilling day's racing at the 2012 Isle of Man TT Races.

Destino Custom Garage have already made a mark in the custom motorcycle scene, including with us here at JUST BIKES, but late last year, they were presented with a new and unique challenge from the crew at Ural Australia.

German adventure motorcycle outfitter, Touratech, have created their unique take on Husqvarna's new Nuda - the Touratech Nuda-X-Cross. Ther customised Nuda will make its debut at the Erzberg Rodeo event in Austria over the weekend. Touratech will contest the "Generali Iron Road Prolog" with two of their extremely modified Husqvarna 900R Nuda bikes.

It is one of the most popular and sought after BSAs and widely regarded as an icon amongst classic motorcycles. 'It' is the BSA Gold Star, and JUST BIKES were fortunate to meet Jeff, the owner of the bike pictured, and talk to him about his example of this high performance machine.

Michael Rutter and Team Segway Racing MotoCzysz made history on the Isle of Man today by becoming the first team to record a 100mph lap of the course in the SES TT Zero race in what is being hailed as one of the greatest achievements in the event's one hundred and five year history.

Yamaha has again partnered with the Isle of Man TT Races as the official motorcycle partner of the 2012 event. Yamaha have provided 11 top-spec road machines for use by travelling marshals throughout the event.

The Monster family rolls into 2012 with a bold range of lifestyle motorcycles engineered with high attention to user-friendly and safety-conscious detail. Available in 696, 796 and 1100EVO, the three exciting and ever-improving models ensure the Monster's status as a design icon of hand-built, naked motorcycles remains as authentic as ever.

Shannons Melbourne Winter Classic Auction on June 4th featured a number of British classics, with the top-seller being a rare 1932 BSA 'sloper' single.

While the best-known Panthers of the 1950s were the big 600cc singles, Panther did offer alternatives, and one of these was the 'Model 75'. Developed out of the Model 70, which was a continuation of a pre-War design, the Model 75 debuted in 1949.\n

Ducati honours an iconic classic with a modern classic

Round 5 of the 2012 MotoGP World Championship was 'home territory' for Yamaha Factory Racing's Jorge Lorenzo, Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa and others. Come race time, the star Spaniards didn't disappoint the local crowd, putting on an emphatic display that saw Lorenzo finish ahead of Pedrosa, while Stoner finished off the podium for the first time in more than a year.

If you've ever wanted to throw your leg over a BMW and find just what the respected Bavarian marque has got to offer, you'll get your opportunity in the second half of 2012, as the BMW Motorrad Demo Days are about to kick off.

This year's Australasian Safari, scheduled for September 21 - 29, will break with tradition by featuring a new course with a new host of challenges for the 100+ competitors when Australia's toughest off-road adventure hits the coast instead of the hinterland.