On Throttle New Zealand

Ok, now this is something a bit different from the norm. Yamaha Motor NZ invited me to attend the local launch of the new MT-07 in Sydney, Australia. Unlike riders in Europe, Yamaha’s Australasian MT-07 comes with a learner approved badge for Kiwis but to prove it’s more than a beginner’s city bike, the Australasian launch took in some tough back country roads. Heading out of Sydney this week, the ride route included city roads, rush hour traffic on motorways and a tour through the nearby Royal National Park,  testing the capabilities of Yamaha’s most serious Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme (LAMS) bike yet. MT stands for ‘monster torque’ with the MT-07 joining the MT-09 in the Yamaha range while the MT-03 is slowly put out to pasture. The MT-07 doesn’t disappoint in the power stakes with a class leading 57.6Nm of torque at 4000rpm thanks to a 655cc parallel twin. The engine is the same unit as found in the full power European model MT-07 but has had the bore reduced to ...

"Is your helmet sweaty?" he asked. Well now, this is an odd and quite private question for this early in the morning. Let me backtrack a bit here. I'm in our central Auckland photoshoot location with Driven's photographer shooting the newly learner legal Yamaha XJ6NL that I've been testing for the past week. Full size, leaner legal and more than enough power for any restricted class licence holder, the XJ6NL is quite a surprising package. The 2014 XJ6NL from Yamaha is a serious piece of kit, that you can't help but think only just manages to sneak it's way into the Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme (or LAMS) by virtue of having a restricted throttle movement compared to its full power siblings. The throttle moves just 1cm from fully closed to fully open - being restricted at the throttle body for LAMS specification. The bike itself is identical to the fully faired FZ6R too, just minus the fairing and thus a little bit cheaper in the outset. ...

The car pulled in to the park next to mine. I was sitting inside the local cafe in the window seat with an eagle eye locked on the Indian like a worried parent. The old chap got out of the car - which had thankfully left plenty of room between itself and the Indian - and then the five minutes of thorough inspection began. Sitting in the nearby cafe with my partner we watched as the old chap inspected every detail of the Indian Chieftain. He eyed the badging which, at most recent count, stands at 29 Indian logos adorning the Chieftain. The chrome work caught his eye as he circled the bike and he got right down to inspect the beautifully crafted engine. The old chap is the rule, not the exception. To say that the Chieftain pulls attention is an understatement. It grabs it by the scruff of the neck in some of the strangest places. I can't say I've ever been complimented on what I'm riding in the middle the motorway during rush hour traffic, until now. St...

Photos by Ted Baghurst A kick starter... when was the last time you HAD to use a kick starter? For me the answer is never. Sure I've ridden kick-started bikes, but the last time I did I was still under 10 and my cousin started it for me before I promptly crashed it into an electric fence. With the 2014 Yamaha SR400 you have no option; there is only a kick starter to get this 399cc thumper going. Don't worry though; it's a piece of cake and incredibly rewarding to kick the SR400 into life . Yamaha NZ have brought back the classic SR400 with modern touches like electronic fuel injection, but you won’t be thumbing an electric starter to get it running, no sir. Yamaha are putting the classic feel back into the segment by giving it a kick starter only. Better start warming up that right leg then. The soulful little thumper has been around since 1978 in one form or another. Displacing 399cc from its 17.1kW air-cooled single cylinder which; apart from...