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Benzina Zero is a new electric moped producer here in Australia, nationally launching the brand last week on 15 September. The Brisbane-based company’s distinctive Duo model has received an overwhelming response in Italy, where premium mopeds are highly popular. Joe D’Ercole, the company co-founder, travelled around in Italy on a Duo several weeks ago. “He had people literally yelling from balconies for him to stop so they could come down and look at it,” the company’s other founder, Ben Silver, said. “Its simple U shape frame is unique and people in Italy wanted to know what it was, where they could get it and how much it costs.” A second shipment of Benzina Zero bikes is on the water to Italy, one of the company’s five initial target markets. Distributors have been confirmed in Singapore, the Philippines Hong Kong and the UK, with Benzina Zero handling Australian distribution with nine retailers already confirmed. The popularity of EV vehicles is rapidly growing in Australia, especially after the release of The ACT Zero Emissions Vehicles Strategy 2022-2030. Benzina Zero is currently offering 3 models: DUO and DUO+ (dual 35-amp-hour batteries) CITY (single 35-amp-hour battery) SPORT (dual 35-amp-hour batteries) The Duo and City both have top speeds of 45kmh and are classified as mopeds under Australian regulations, while the Duo+ (top speed 65kmh) and Sport (75kmh) are defined as motorcycles. The Sport and City have more conventional moped designs, with body panels and their batteries positioned under the seat. “The Duo’s design is so unique and so simple, the batteries sit on the floor. It’s such a bare-framed bike, without conventional body panels, you can’t put the batteries anywhere else,” Ben said. “But the benefit of that design is two-fold. By having a very simple, clean design we got front and rear loading, which does not happen on the other bikes. “The second thing is, by putting that battery weight as low as possible, you have a much better handling bike. Low centre of gravity is always a good thing for safety and rideability.” A new prototype?  The Benzina Zero mopeds are manufactured in China with quality components including Bosch motors, and LG and Samsung batteries. The Duos enter the market with an RRP of $4,650 plus on-road costs for the standard model, and $5,250 plus on-road costs for the Duo+. Benzina Zero will exhibit at The Micromobility Conference & Expo, 25 – 26 November 2022 at the Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney. PHOTOGRAPHY // BENZINA ZERO The post BENZINA ZERO EV MOPEDS REVEALED appeared first on Australian Motorcycle News.

With Triumph’s newest counterparts sharing so many traits, it’s the perfect opportunity for an electric vs petrol head-to-head comparison. BACKGROUND Triumph TE-1 Two years in the making, and using some of the best brains in the UK world of electric transport, the TE-1 is a one-off “prototype demonstrator” that looks production ready. However, Triumph says it’s just an “indication” of the direction it is taking with electric motorcycles and the technology could be applied to a range of models, both road and off-road. It chose the Speed Triple 1200 RS as its benchmark for development. Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS Triumph took the original brawny nakedbike and totally redesigned it to create the Speed Triple 1200 RS. It has a 26 percent improved power-to-weight ratio over the previous 1050 version, but still meets Euro 5. The 2021 Speed Triple is light, streamlined and a greyhound rather than the original bulked-up bulldog of 1994. On track the RS pulls incredibly hard, meaning it takes a huge physical effort to hold on when on it. NUTS AND BOLTS Triumph TE-1 Electric motorcycles are all about instant torque and the TE-1 delivers an impressive 130kW and 109Nm. This means amazing responsiveness in a smooth controlled power curve all the way up through the rev range. Perhaps the best way to describe this is a standing start acceleration official test result of 3.6 seconds 0-100km/h and 6.2 seconds 0-160km/h. It weighs 220kg, half of this the battery pack. Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS Peak power is up 22kW from the previous 1050 engine to 132.4kW. Peak torque is up 8Nm to 125Nm, and the engine spins 650rpm higher. Weight is slashed by 10kg to 190kg dry, there is a new, lighter aluminium frame, more advanced electronics, improved Öhlins suspension and Brembo Stylema brake calipers. To sum up, the 1200 RS is the fastest, most powerful triple-powered motorcycle Triumph has ever produced. ONES AND ZEROS Triumph TE-1 The TE-1 borrows signature design cues from the Speed Triple that include an aluminium frame, distinctive twin headlights and a head-down focused styling stance and poise. The level of electronics is impressive, with riding modes for rain/sport/track/unlimited. The battery lasts 20 minutes at full power (a typical trackday session) but can also be recharged in just 20 minutes. It sports similar suspension and brakes to the Speed Triple RS. Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS The RS is loaded with tech: keyless ignition and fuel cap, a new five-inch TFT dash and five riding modes that alter wheelie control, ABS and traction control. There’s an Öhlins TTX36 rear shock, 43mm NIX30 front fork and Brembo’s latest brakes. With styling and outright performance similar to the TE-1, what’s the big difference? Serious power and torque are accessed after 6000rpm on the RS but are instant on the TE-1. SPECS – Electric vs Petrol Triumph TE-1 Engine: Battery pack comprising 900 cells shaped into 8 modules to fit frame Power: 130kW Torque: 109Nm Weight: 220kg Fuel capacity: 161km range (road conditions) Availability: Nil Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS Engine: 1100cc, liquid-cooled, 12 valve, DOHC, inline 3-cylinder Power: 132.4kW @ 10,750rpm Torque: 125Nm @ 9000 rpm Weight: 198kg (wet) Fuel capacity: 15.5L (5.6L/100km) Availability: Now HAMISH COOPER The post ELECTRIC vs PETROL | TRIUMPH TE-1 vs SPEED TRIPLE 1200 appeared first on Australian Motorcycle News.

What better way to send off the WR250R than with a retreat to the beautiful Blue Mountains in NSW? After a good six months of blinging the Yamahammer out with performance mods and accessories from Y-Shop, and brushing up on my off-road riding skills, it was time for the final hoorah. It took the form of a proper two-day adventure with a good mate who spends most of his weekends exploring trails around Katoomba. After hours of late night planning and some ale-fuelled debate on the pros and cons of different routes, we decided to start from Mount Tomah for a 500km loop. We set off as glorious sunshine peeked over the sandstone cliffs, and I was sure it would be a trip to remember. We began with some obligatory tarmac cruising to take the edge off the morning and warm up the big thumpers before entering the Devils Wilderness, around 10km east of Kurrajong. Then it was time to tackle the fire trails that slash their way across the landscape and provide the perfect scratching ground for the WR’s compact and forgiving three-section semi-double-cradle frame. The easy handling and rim combo of a 21-inch front and 18-inch rear shod with Dunlop Enduros was a fine recipe for power sliding, and both of us were grinning ear to ear by the time we reached Mountain Lagoon. The next leg to Colo River was full of steep climbs across lumpy sunbaked clay that gave the long-legged LAMS bike a chance to use every bit of its 300mm ground clearance. At Kurmond the next morning we topped up the WR’s 13.8L Safari tank to jack it back up to its 400km range. Thanks to the relatively low 11.8:1 compression ratio there’s little risk of detonation, so we made do with 91 octane fuel. We set off again as cocky as you like and that’s when it happened. We came across some rutted out 4WD tracks filled with thick, soupy red liquid. For the WR it was a chance to flush off some dust and after a bit of splash and wiggle I was through the worst of it. But the same couldn’t be said for my mate’s bright yellow TE610E. It got well and truly bogged before refusing to turn over, and while the first few minutes were peppered with ribbing, it soon became clear that this bike was down for the count. Was it something in the water that caused the split crankcase we were eyeballing, or was it the result of some earlier mischief? We’ll never know, but the Husky’s lack of compression had got the better of us. We made the call to ditch it and return to base camp two-up for reinforcements. Despite the misadventure, the serene backdrop of sandstone cliffs put things into perspective on the rip home, and we had to be thankful for our good health and the relative ease at which we extracted ourselves from the wild. As a downright dependable trailbike, and part-time adventure rescue vehicle, the WR250R has now won another fan and I daresay he might consider a switch to the winning team if he can’t find the parts to fix his stricken yellow submarine. Yamaha WR250R $8299 (+ ORC) List of modifications: 13.8L Safari tank $571.91 Blue and white bark busters $129.90 GTYR alloy sump guard $189.94 GYTR slip-on muffler $550.18 Carbon look indicators $91.10 Y-Shop Australia yshop.yamaha-motor.com.au Dunlop tyres D907F 90/90-21 $113.95 D606 120/90-18 $119.95 Monza Imports monzaimports.com.au For your chance to win a Yamaha WR250R loaded with extras subscribe to AMCN mag http://amcn.com.au/editorial/subscribe-amcn-magazine-chance-win/ http://amcn.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/20170107_120737.jpg By Paul McCann The post True blue – Yamaha WR250R appeared first on Australian Motorcycle News.

The idea behind having a long-term fleet is to learn more about a motorcycle than a launch or a two-week loan will reveal. It’s the everyday riding that will reveal nasty surprises a bike is hiding. Thankfully, poorly built motorcycles are few are far between these days, and our long-term updates generally revolve around our adventures or the accessories we fit. But our Zero SR long-termer took me on a journey of understanding that revealed how easily an electric bike fits into everyday modern life, and it’s all thanks to the smartphone. What’s the first thing most of us do when we arrive at work or home? We plug our smartphone into a charger. No one complains that the battery life of a modern day smartphone is not overly impressive, many of us probably rarely see our phones at low power levels because keeping them charged has become as much a part of our daily routine as teeth brushing. Having an electric bike in your life simply requires you to treat it like your phone, keeping it topped up by putting it on charge at every opportunity. http://amcn.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2016-Zero-SR4.jpeg My daily commute to the office is a 150km round trip. Most conventional motorbikes will require a visit to the service station almost daily. Since taking delivery of the Zero I have enjoyed riding straight home to a waiting powerpoint instead of the daily detour to the local service station. If your life consists of short-range commutes, always plugging in will ensure the Zero stays topped up and ready to tackle a 150+km journey. I’m not predicting the overnight extinction of the petroleum industry, and we could argue all day about the pros and cons of electric bikes, but having lived with the Zero SR electric bike for the past six months I can visualise a time when internal combustion engine bikes are an oddity. People will point and stare at them when spotted out for a ride on a sunny Sunday. http://amcn.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2016-zero-electric-motorcycle-range_100530475_h.jpeg The post Long term ride – Zero SR appeared first on Australian Motorcycle News.

Why these two? These two thumpers triggered dirty dual- sport debauchery across the globe, and left a legacy that continues to this day 1979 Honda XL500S Street sweet and dirt worthy, Honda’s XL500S arrived to challenge the Yamaha in 1979, with five smaller capacity variants that ranged from 75cc-250cc. A massive 23-inch front wheel and 260mm of ground clearance allowed it to overcome many nasty obstacles on the trail. The four-valve per cylinder configuration and dual vibration counterbalancers helped to smooth power delivery from the single-cylinder powerplant. An automatic compression release made this big one-lunger easier to kick over. What it’s got The Honda XL500S is powered by an air-cooled, 497cc, SOHC, single-cylinder, carburetted four-stroke engine with four valves. Power runs through a five-speed constant-mesh gearbox. The front suspension is a leading axle fork with 224mm of travel. The rear swingarm has dual shock absorbers with 198mm of travel and is adjustable for preload. Braking is handled by a 140mm drum brake on the front wheel and a 130mm drum brake at the rear. The fuel tank holds 9.8 litres. Geometry Frame: Tubular steel. Rake: 28.5°. Wheelbase: 1420mm. Seat height: 879mm. Weight: 135kg (dry). Wheels: Spoked (23-inch front and 18-inch rear). Performance Power: 23.5kW @ 6500rpm Torque: 37.3Nm @ 5000rpm Compression Ratio: 8.6:1 Bore and stroke: 89mm x 80mm Top speed: 146.5km/h Fuel consumption: 3.6L/100km Standing 1⁄4 mile: 15.0 sec PRICE $1879 (+ ORC) http://amcn.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Honda-XL500S-79-new.jpg 1979 Yamaha XT500 Yamaha’s XT500 dual-purpose bike was unveiled in 1975 and blazed a trail for the Japanese thumper genre. It continued production until 1981 and capitalised on the growing popularity of cross-country rallies like the Paris-Abidjan- Nice and the Paris-Dakar. The continuation of the lay-down rear shocks that debuted on the original model, 21-inch front tyre and large capacity single-pot engine brought dual-sport to the fore. In 1982 it was replaced by the four-valve XT550 that in turn gave rise to the iconic XT600 Ténéré. What it’s got The Yamaha XT500 is powered by an air-cooled, 499cc, SOHC, single-cylinder, carburetted four-stroke engine with two valves. Power runs through a five-speed constant-mesh gearbox. The front suspension is a leading axle fork with 195mm of travel. The rear swingarm has dual shock absorbers with 160mm of travel and is adjustable for preload. Braking is handled by a 160mm drum brake on the front wheel and a 150mm drum brake at the rear. The fuel tank holds 8.8 litres. Geometry Frame: Tubular steel. Rake: 29.5°. Wheelbase: 1475mm. Seat height: 840mm. Weight: 140kg (dry). Wheels: Spoked (21-inch front and 18-inch rear). Performance Power: 23.5kW @ 6500rpm Torque: 39.2Nm @ 5500rpm Compression Ratio: 9.0:1 Bore and stroke: 87mm x 84mm Top speed: 162km/h Fuel consumption: 4L/100km Standing 1⁄4 mile: 15.0 sec Price $1849 (+ ORC) http://amcn.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Yamaha-XT500-77-1.jpg http://amcn.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Screen-Shot-2016-12-20-at-7.34.40-PM-1024x306.png Did you know? The XT500 took victory at the very first Paris-Dakar rally held in 1979 with Cyril Neveu at the helm. The following year this model went on to take the top four places in the motorcycle class. Got something you’d like us to compare? Let us know by emailing paul.mccann@amcn.com.au and we’ll do the rest! The post Head to Head- 1979 Honda XL500S & 1979 Yamaha XT500 appeared first on Australian Motorcycle News.

When you ride an electric bike, questions are always about the numbers. How long does the battery last? What’s the range? How many hours does it take to recharge? All understandable considering electric bikes like the Zero SR are still relatively new. And there’s a lot of misinformation floating around. So I recently downloaded the smartphone app for the Zero SR. It not only allows me to alter the bike’s speed, torque and regeneration settings through the Custom mode, it also uses the phone to display dynamic information beyond the simple ‘battery percentage remaining’ icon on the dash. My daily commute to the office is 75km each way comprising 20km of freeway, 20km of multilane highway and 35km of city traffic. The 20km of freeway is the big battery killer. Sitting on 110km/h for just 11 minutes requires 22 per cent of the battery power. That’s in Sport mode; running the bike in Eco mode does use slightly less, however, the trade-off is a lack of roll-on power. The 20km of highway, at an average of 70km/h, uses around 13 per cent in Sport mode. Thirty-five kays of city traffic, with plenty of lane filtering and blasting away from lights in Custom mode with full power and zero regen, uses a further 17 per cent. The bike recharges from a standard socket at around 10 per cent per hour so it’s back to full charge well before I leave work to head home. I could easily make the return trip on one charge, a distance of 150km. Take the freeway out of the equation and those numbers become more attractive. Petrol station? Never heard of him. http://amcn.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Screen-Shot-2016-12-11-at-6.29.33-PM.png The post Zero SR appeared first on Australian Motorcycle News.

I get excited about all new additions to our Long Term fleet, however, the arrival of the Zero SR had that feeling of Christmas about it. We first rode the Zero SR in 2014 when I found it interesting, but devoid of any feel due to the choice of tyres and suspension. When I discovered the 2015 model had been updated with Showa fully adjustable suspension and fitted with Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tyres, I was keen to get my hands on it. Sam MacLachlan tested the bike for AMCN back in May (AMCN Vol 65 No 23) and when he returned raving about it as a short-term test ride, I was keen to discover what it would be like to live day-in day-out with a bike that doesn’t need a service station, but does require a power point. Vince Tesoriero from Procycles in St Peters, Sydney kindly offered me an extended loan, so over the next few months I will be reporting on life as a member of the zero emissions set. I’ve only had the bike a few days, but I’ve already learnt plenty about riding a bike without a petrol cap. Blasting down a freeway at 110km/h in Sport mode really sucks the life out of the battery, yet around town it’s brilliant. In Eco mode, rolling to a stop from further back rather than braking at the last minute makes good use of the bike’s regeneration system, which puts power back into the battery. Problem is, the arm-pulling acceleration of Sport mode is so addictive I’m happy to arrive at my destination with a huge grin on my face and just a few percent in reserve. There’s still plenty to learn about the bike, including how to program it with my iPhone and how not to scare the bejesus out of people when you suddenly appear next to them at the lights. I’ll have more details in my next long-term update, but one thing I can report now is that the Pirelli hoops and Showa boingers have made a massive difference. http://amcn.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/160419_AMCN_Zero_0073.jpg http://amcn.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/160419_AMCN_Zero_0062.jpg Photography Josh Evans & AMCN The post Zero SR – The electric bike appeared first on Australian Motorcycle News.

We were so blown away by Yamaha’s WR250R when it showed up for our recent LAMS adventure in the Victorian High Country that we just couldn’t bear to part with it! When the going got tough the little Yamahammer’s lightweight chassis and torquey motor came to the fore, making it the weapon of choice for our crusty demons on tour. So, after far too many frothy beverages at Kevington, a diabolical plan was hatched to add the little blue and white dirt devil to our normally road-biased long-term fleet. Why buck the status quo by bringing a two-wheeled tractor into the fold you ask? Well, despite appearances, the WR250R is no run of the mill off-roader – its sleek enduro-inspired design and liquid cooled, fuel-injected 250cc DOHC four-stroke engine allow it to walk the fine line between weekend warrior and rock solid reliability. It’s also downright affordable, having dropped in price by more than $2000 since its release in 2008, and in my opinion, it’s also the coolest looking dual-sport on the market! In stock trim the WR can commute or kick up dust with equal aplomb, but Yamaha has kindly sweetened the deal for AMCN by prepping the long termer with a set of knobby Dunlop Enduro hoops (D907F 90/90-21 up front, D606 120/90-18 at the rear) and a few choice additions from the Y-shop (yshop.yamaha-motor.com.au). These include a 13.8L safari tank, bark busters, a GYTR alloy sump guard, an off-road number plate holder and luggage carrier. Our LAMS test revealed the long-legged LAMS-approved off-roader expertly flies the flag of so-called ‘Supertrail’ bikes, but let’s hope it can withstand some serious punishment in the hands of a ham-fisted rookie. Over the next six months I aim to test every ounce of its capabilities while embarking on a series of adventures across some of the toughest terrain around! http://amcn.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/IMG_3667-copy-1024x664.jpg By Paul McCann The post Yamaha WR250R appeared first on Australian Motorcycle News.