Adventure Rider

There’s an interesting little tug-of-war going on in the Australian adventure-riding fraternity at the moment. On one side a section of bike manufacturers has decided horse-power is an excellent marketing tool. Whatever one brand offers, the others will match and go bigger. The Ducati Mutlistrada 1200 Enduro offered 160 horsepower and we all peed our […]

Motorrad Garage Yamaha XTZ660 Ténéré

Get your rear into the new year with great gear you see here. Doubletake Adventure mirrors Could be the answer to a lot of annoying problems. • Outstanding visibility • Virtually indestructible • Easy to fold or remove • Position anywhere • Protect your controls • Better for off-road

Last issue we left trauma nurse and trained paramedic Andrea Box in a tent in Antalaha, Madagascar, awaiting the start of Touratech’s inaugural United People of Adventure… Before leaving Antalaha we visited the local orphanage and school, and seeing the children was both joyous and heartbreaking. They took such pride in their simple surroundings and

Karen Ramsay points out we’re surrounded by motivational people, if only we take the time to look. Cold, wet and foggy. Perfect weather for the pink handguards and no problem for Karen, solo or in a group. I didn’t grow up in a motor-cycling family. At one stage during my childhood Dad had a farm

Last issue we left Ian Bowden and his group in Leh after a big day riding over Himalayan passes in conditions that varied from zero degrees and snowing to 30 degrees in the blazing sun. The adventure continues… Below the Thikse monastery in Leh. It clings to the side of a hill. On the tenth

The Beemer takes the adventure test and passes with flying colours. The mud dribbled in over the top of my boots as I watched the BMW F800GS continue to sink into the foul-smelling ooze. I was exhausted. After 20 minutes or so of attempting to lift, drag and secure the bike, I was no better

Want your Ténéré to be a good-lookin’, hard-workin’, go-anywhere adventure ride? The Yamaha Motor Australia folks can show you how it’s done. We’re not exactly clear why Yamaha’s Peter Payne gets to build bikes for his employer. We think it’s because Peter has a rare talent for tuning and sorting bikes, and because Yamaha wants

Regardless of style or bike, the difference between a comfortable ride that feels great and an out-of-control ride that’s hard to handle can be as simple as a few minor set-up tweaks. Alex Kelly starts from the beginning with a few pointers that can make a huge difference to how you and your bike feel.

Cables are fast disappearing from modern bikes, but there are still plenty around and most riders ignore them until they break or cause a problem. This is partly because modern Teflon-coated cables have an amazing lifespan and need very little maintenance. But there’s still a substantial gain in performance and durability available from steel-wound cables