Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127844
FIRST RIDE Hunwick Hallam X1Rsuperbike (Above) The Hunwick Hallam principals, Rod Hunwick (left) and Paul Hallam, with the fruits of their labor. (Left) Despite the noseheavy look of the bike, handling is very neutral. By Alan Cathcart , Photos by Arthur Thornton t would be no exaggera tion to say that no new motorcycle marque has ever exploded onto the wQrld stage with as much panache, or so unexpectedly, as Australia's brand-new Hunwick Hallam company, product of the business acumen of the country's largest bike retailer, Rod Hunwick, and the creative engineering genius of top super,bike tuner Paul Hallam. As much as for the total surprise of its arrival on the scene after -three years of top-secret development as for the dramatic looks and avant-garde engineering of the first two prototype versions of the thr~ models planned for production (all powered by the same fuel-injected 90-degree V-twin engine in various capacities and levels of tune), Hunwick Hallam has deservedly grabbed the headlines ever since I had an exclusive, scoop ride on the Boss Power Cruiser last October, and revealed its existence to the world, A power-packed 1350cc street rod boasting a level of engineering and muscular yet innovative in-house styling, that together are some way ahead of anything yet Made in America (i.e., by Harley), the Boss by itself would have been sufficient to make a statement about the new company's potential. But then they went one better, and launched the XIR superbike! Incredible - that's been the only word on the lips of anyone who's seen the futuristic-looking 998cc Hunwick Hallam blackbird on which former Aussie superbike champion Malcolm Campbell made a handful of high-profile demo I 22 laps at the opening round of the '97 World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island at the end of March, riding a bike that had only been completed the day before. The first time it moved under its own power was in front of 30,000 spectators and the network TV cameras! That takes serious cajones, as well as a confidence in your pr~uct that can only be respected, and is reassuring for the future. As much as for its radical sharknosed styling as for its innovative engi- neering, the XIR has raised public interest in Hunwick Hallam's existence to new levels, prompting a flood of faxes and phone calls to the Australian motorcycle company's base in Parramatta, outside Sydney, from companies all over the world eager to sign distribution deals, as well as from potential customers hungry to buy what promises to be one of the world's most exciting motorcycles. Well, so far, so good. But can they deliver? Jhat's been the question hovering in everyone's mind, from likely rivals concerned about the XIR's race track potential and both models' show- room appeal, to wanna-be owners who can't believe that something that looks this good can also produce performance to match - especially as the people who built it have only ever previously worked at extracting more horsepower out of other manufacturers' existing engines, not at building their own and designing a chassis to carry it. Given the level of performance in superbike r'acing today, and the stiff competition from' existing twin- and four-cylinder motorcycles, can the Hunwick Hallam XIR go from ground zero to competitive race-readiness without going through the same kind of painful, drawn-out evolution that Ducati had to endure for four years with the 851/888 otto valvole before winning six World