http://www.adbmag.com.au MAY 2019| 141
MILEMUNCHER
hondadescribedtheVaraderoasan“all-roads
adventuremachine”anditwasprobablyaimed
moreattheEuropeanmarketthanruggedAussie
riding.Despitethe220kgdryweightand
non-knobbytyres,ADB’sClubbyandTuffytookit
toanobstacle-litteredfiretrailandquicklyfound
thebike’slimitations.
Theysoondecidedthatwide,gradeddirtroads
suitableforthefamilyCommodoreweremorethe
domainoftheVaraderowhich,withitssoft
suspensionand90-degreeV-twin,wasmorea
roadiewithsomedirtabilitythanarealdirtbike.
Theliquid-cooled,eight-valvedonkpumpedout
plentyofpowerusingtwo42mmCVcarbsand
electronicignition.Suspensiontravelwasshortat
177/155fronttorearandgroundclearancewas
195mmbutthetankheld 25 litres.TheVaradero
cost$14,990plusORC.Ourconclusionwasthat,
althoughtheVaraderocouldgetyoudownadirt
road,itwasmorearoadbikebutadamngoodone.SPRINGBREAK
hELDONTHEINFIELDofthefamousbankedrace
track,theDaytonaSupercrosswastheonly
daytimeroundoftheAMAseries.Thetrackwas
designedbyformerAMAchampGaryBailey,
fatherofMXgreatDavidBailey,andwasratedthe
mostgruellingandtoughestofallhisdesigns.
EveneventualwinnerJeremyMcGrathrateditas
themostphysicallydemandingtrackintheseries.
HetookthewinfromKevinWindhamonaHonda
by 10 secondsafterholdinga22-secondleadat
onestage.MikeLaRoccoputanotherHondain
thirdattheendofthe 20 laps.UrbanCowboy
THEHusqvarnaSM610supermotardwasan
exerciseinnichemarketingatatimewhenthe
factoriesweretryingtosatisfyeveryone.The
supermotardcrazewasboomingintheU.S.and
EuropewithsuccessfulraceseriesandHusky
decidedtogivethepeopleasuitablemachineto
emulatethestars.TodosoHusqvarnatookits
fire-breathingTE610EDualandfitteditwithwide
17’rimsinplaceofthedirtoriented21-and18-inch
setup,shodthemwithstickyPirellityres,addeda
huge320mmfrontdisc,raisedthegearingbyone
toothonthefrontandfirmedupthesuspensiona
bit.TheSuperMotardwasthenreadytowagewar
against600ccandlargermulti-cylindersports
bikesonsweepingtarbackroads.Theframewas
identicaltotheTE-EbuttheSMhad20mmmore
wheelbaseat1505mm.Suspensiontravelwasstill
generousat280/285fronttorearandweightwas
only200gheavierat149.8kgdry.Thetankheld
9.1litresandthepricewas$11,299plusORC.Ads
back
thenFULLSTORY
Incontrast,Hondahad
plentytosayabout
itsnowlegendary,
bulletproof,rockreliable
XRrange.FACTORY RIDE / READERS RIDE / HERITAGE / ACTION / OAS / BUYERS GUIDE
NO COMMENT
This full-page ad had
nothing much to say
except for the photos and
the brand name No Fear
in small letters at the
bottom of the page.GALL’S MANUAL
Stephen Gall’s Dirt Bike
Riding Manual included
tips on enduro go-fast
techniques from Stuart
Morgan.WILD IN THE WHITSUNDAYS
adb’S QUEENSLAND correspondent Barry Marshall
drew the winning ticket for this story on a six-day
tour out of Bowen on Yamaha TT-Rs. Unfortunately
for Baz, the tour was preceded by a month of
heavy rain. The normally-dry Don River happens to
be the second-fastest-fl owing watercourse in the
Southern Hemisphere in the wet and it was running
tank deep. The Burdekin Dam spillway and its
detour route were on a restricted list as well. Add
in running low on fuel due to the forced detours,
one rider having a bad migraine, lots of dewatering
plus a slipped disc and it was a busy tour.Top
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