Australian Road Rider — Bike Guide 2017

W

ho’d have thought it; the second biggest-selling road bike (behind the

venerable ‘postie’) in Australia during 2016 was the Harley-Davidson XG500,

a LAMS-approved cruiser that looks every bit the part. Interestingly, the next

best-selling bike was the Yamaha YZF-R3, another LAMS-approved bike. In

fact, out of the top-10 selling road bikes last year, eight were learner-approved motorbikes,

with half of that fi gure showing an increase in sales. To me, this tells us that more and more

young people are riding bikes.

This is a good thing. Young riders are the future of the industry and it seems

manufacturers have embraced this with the range and styles they have available to suit all

tastes, from adventure bikes through to cruisers and even retro-style offerings.

To refl ect this we are again including LAMS-approved bikes in this guide, but this year we

will feature them with their full-sized cousins in the relevant sections of the magazine.

Experienced riders are also being catered for with increased choice, and the areas that

appear to be growing are the naked and retro bike styles. Modern-looking naked bikes still

seem to be following the Streetfi ghter look, with more cutting-edge designs out there such

as the Kawasaki Zs and the new Triumph Street range. This has opened the door for more

traditional looking bikes which have taken on a style of their own.

It’s safe to say ‘Old School’ styled bikes are cool again with even the big manufacturers

getting on board with their modern twist on an old bike. Some are even encouraging

customisation, with a wide range of accessories available to tailor your bike to your own style.

You only have to look at Yamaha’s XSR series, BMW’s R nineT or Ducati’s new Scrambler

to see how manufacturers are catering for the leisure motorcyclist, the rider who wants the

look of yesteryear but with modern reliability and updated handling.

Alternatively, if you’re not a hipster or chasing the old-school look, there are loads of

other options out there, from tourers and adventure bikes through to supersports and

cruisers. For me, I’m going to take another look at some of the old-school bikes and enjoy

my overpriced coffee. Yep, I’m trying to recapture my youth and I just don’t care.

Andy

Circulation enquiries to our Sydney head office (02) 9805 0399. Road Rider Bike Guide is published by Australian Publishing,

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effect and accept no liability in the event of any information proving inaccurate. Prices, addresses and phone numbers were,

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Disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure that the information in this magazine is correct at the

time of printing, it is almost inevitable that some of the prices and other information will change. That’s life.

We have also tried to make sure that the photos are of Australian-spec bikes, but it is possible that we have

featured a colour or some minor specification that is not available here.

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TOO MUCH CHOICE

Despite what we think, now is a great time to be a bike rider

4 Australian Road Rider Bike Guide

EDITOR

ANDY HEMPSALL

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