THE NO.1 MAGAZINE FOR TOURING Australian Road Rider is the only Australian magazine to address the technical aspects of riding and celebrate the pure enjoyment of touring. At Australian Road Rider we know that there’s nothing like the pleasure of hitting the open road and exploring our glorious country.

ADVENTURE AND RETRO

Road Rider Bike Guide

SPORT • The Sport category is all about raw performance. Fast, lightweight and aerodynamic models that get you as close as possible to a race bike for the road. Thanks to ever-advancing electronic rider aids, the compromise between speed and comfort is less than ever before. Nowadays, you can go from daily commuter to track warrior with the push of a button.

NAKED • From commuters to big-bores, naked bikes offer the wind-in-theface ride which has delighted riders for a century or more. Some offer motorcycling at its most basic, while others are close to their sportsbike cousins in performance, handling and technology. All, however, offer that experience of motorcycling which reaches across generations, appealing to the young and old.

RETRO NAKED • Old style meets modern technology. The retro naked category is booming with classically-styled machines with an upright riding position, combining practicality with style and modernity. The depth of models is huge, with some being very basic and others hightech, from 250cc to big-bore machinery, from road-only to light trail capabilities.

SPORTS TOURING • Here’s a compromise which works, some sportsbike handling and performance with a less-aggressive riding position and often luggage capability. A good sports tourer can keep up with a sportsbike on the road and be ridden comfortably all day. Sports Tourers have lost a little ground to Adventure bikes, which can do it all plus dirt roads, but if you never venture off the bitumen, these bikes are great.

CRUISERS • Big, soft seats, stretched-out footpegs, pull-back handlebars — cruisers offer a comfortable, stylish ride. Since the days of Easyrider the cruiser has been popular, looking good and feeling great rumbling down the highways and byways. There’s a big range still available from lots of manufacturers, with the Americans leading the pack.

TOURERS • Want to eat the miles with a passenger and luggage, all in comfort? Touring bikes are what you’re looking for. Mostly, but not always, larger capacity machines with big fairings, comfortable seats and standard luggage capacity, options include heated grips, audio systems and lots more.

ADVENTURE • As good on the road as off, Adventure bikes are the 4x4s of motorcycling. They can go anywhere, carry a load, are fun to ride and are often packed with technology to make them even more fun and safer. The best models have traction control and ABS, designed for the different surfaces they are used on.

SUPERMOTO • With their dirt-bike heritage and road-based wheels, tyres and brakes, Supermotos are agile, quick and heaps and heaps of fun. You can race them, commute on them and go nuts on them.

TRAIL AND ENDURO • Our quick guide to some of the off-road bikes available in Australia, enduro and trail machines designed primarily for the farm and dirt tracks. They can be raced or ridden to work but are most at home between the trees.

GEAR BAG • It doesn’t stop with the bike — you need some gear to get the best out of motorcycling.