Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 76 i Old Bike Australasia

The Ariel Leader of 1958 demonstrated that there was still original thinking to be observed within the struggling British motorcycle industry, although it had taken three years to turn the initial ideas into metal. Legendary designer Val Page was behind the drawing board, and with credits like the BSA Gold Star, BSA A7 and even as far back as the OHV V-twin J.A.P. engine, Page had the runs on the board, even if he were past the usual retirement age. But the Leader was a quantum leap in virtually every respect; designed to appeal to a new generation of motorcyclists, rather than pandering to the traditional, and staid, market. Page’s design abandoned the usual tubular steel frame by utilizing a structure made up of pressed 20-gauge steel sections, welded together,…

‘Logistical complications’ meant that the media lolled around a seaside resort, slurping cocktails and listening to Caribbean music when they should have been riding, or at the very least, gazing upon the latest models from Hamamatsu. As the pickled press was poured on board for the return trip, the bikes arrived on the opposite dock. Oh, well, better late than never. Of course, this unfortunate event had an eerily familiar ring in the very brief history of Yamaha four stroke twins, for scarcely twelve months prior, many of the same press members had been present at the launch of big brother, the ill-starred TX750, which although fundamentally an excellent motorcycle, was beset with more glitches and gremlins than could be imagined. But Yamaha is nothing if not resilient, and soon…

The next generation Speedboat historian and collector David Pagano is a relative newcomer to classic motorcycles, but his daughter Bronte has certainly caught the bug. David has heavily researched the history of his ex-Tom Phillis 500cc Manx Norton, and Bronte recently embarked upon a school project based around the Isle of Man TT. Jeffrey Sayle loaned one of his silver replica TT trophies, and the final piece of the project fell into place when Bronte was able to borrow a set of Manx Leathers, which she donned for the presentation. It’s good to know the future is in such capable hands. Corser claims Goodwood After six years of trying, former World Superbike champion Troy Corser finally won the annual Goodwood Revival on September 16 – the world’s most prestigious Historic…

For $10 you would walk, rather, ride away on a fully restored vintage Honda CB750. But that was only a bit of the red and chrome icing on the cake when bike fans gathered on September 22, 2018 for the 11th running of the Venice Vintage Motorcycle Club’s event held where else but Venice, California within wafting distance of the Pacific Ocean and the last few feet of the famous Route 66. After a sunny morning run up the Pacific Coast Highway and back, some 200 bikes and riders streamed into the event parking area soon joined by a sea of other machines riding in from as far away as Arizona to take part in the festivities… bikes on show, bands, food and drink and vendors offering a smorgasbord of…

HCMCWA Rd 5 Club Championship • 18-19 August, 2018 – Collie Motorplex, WA Perfect weather was the order of the day and the strong field made the most of the conditions. On Saturday for the tuning and practice day there were in excess of 100 riders getting some much needed dry weather on track. Sunday had just on 90 riders and roughly 120 solos and sidecars. The sidecar field is gradually increasing with Double D Racing (David Gapes and David Mercer) debuting at this round. For this round I chose to follow the fortunes of the P2 350/500/UNL – P3 250/350/500/UNL described by some as “The Old” and also at the other end of the spectrum “The Juniors.” Huge accolades to Junior Coach Rob Clarke, he puts in a huge…

Ducati Owners Club NSW Concours • 16 September, 2018 – Club Marconi, Bossley Pk, NSW Since the loss of its former site at Ryde, the Ducati Club of NSW has successfully relocated it annual concours to Club Marconi, in the Italian heart of western Sydney. A fine sunny day greeted a sparkling display of almost 200 bikes, ranging from the old and odd right up to the latest beauties from Bologna. To celebrate 40 years since Mike Hailwood’s famous Isle of Man TT win, there were many examples of the MHR, plus Brook Henry’s fabulous Imola Evo which was collected by its new owner. Big winners in the concours judging were the husband and wife team of Steve and Christine Craven, who brought a truckload of bikes down from Morisset.…

9th Aussie Triples Rally • 17-19 August, 2018 – Evans Head, NSW This year’s rally was again based at the beautiful seaside town of Evans Head, Northern NSW. We had 52 entrants bring their Triumph Tridents and BSA Rocket 3s for three days of riding in perfect weather. One entrant rode his T160 from Albany WA, clocking up 4,300kms before the start of our rally. Other entrants came from as far as South Australia, the ACT and Queensland. Many rode large distances to the rally while others trailered their bikes. Friday’s short ride was north to Brunswick Bowlo Pub for a meal and a chat, as most riders only come together once a year at this rally. On Saturday we headed off for a 220km ride, bypassing Casino and enjoying…

The V7 111 Racer is a variation of the current 750 V7 111 made up to look like a café racer of the day. Moto Guzzi under its current owners is actually building some nice-looking bikes. What I was keen to find out was, do they work? My first impression was of a solid, if slightly old-fashioned bike. Everything you want is there, ABS, engine mode control, traction control, all selectable on the move by a switch on the right switch-block. Twin instruments with a digital multi view panel in the speedo. One thing that I loved was the “feel” of that lovely vee twin engine. You can feel every pulse as though it was a living being. At idle there is a faint rocking from side to side. Blip…

Mount Ginn memories I would like to know if any readers remember the two Triumph outfits that were racing at the Mount Ginn circuit in ACT. One of the passengers must have had some bars down low, because he would stand on his head with his whole body on the inside of the bike on the right hand corner. His legs would be tucked up about level with the rider’s waist and his head only about 9 inches above the ground. They would be given 20-25 yards handicap and could make up enough ground for a good tight finish on this right hander. The enclosed photo was taken at Morris Park, Dubbo in the ‘sixties of me on my B33 BSA engine in a Featherbed frame. My passenger used a…

As noted in the AJS story, Dan considers the 1930s to be the zenith of the British motorcycle industry, considering the post-war products and their sameness. So after completing the herculean task of building his AJS V-4 from a single photograph, Dan set about making his own version of another of his favourite designs, the 500cc supercharged twin Velocette known as The Roarer. Now, for those not familiar with the saga of the Roarer, it’s worth a brief rundown here. In the ‘thirties, thanks mainly to the rapid development of supercharging that began in WW1, cramming increasing volumes of air and fuel mixture into cylinders was proceeding apace. Military engineers had long grappled with the problem faced by their aircraft, which had to cope with cooler and less dense air…

2017 marked the centenary of Canada’s oldest Harley-Davidson dealer, which began in 1917 when Fred Deeley opened his first shop in Vancouver. Fred’s son, Fred Jnr, took over the running in 1925, and his son, Trev, became the dominant figure in Flat Track racing throughout the 1940s and 1950s, riding as a factory-sponsored H-D teamster. Even after his own retirement from racing, Trev sponsored champions like Yvon Duhamel, Steve Baker and Don Vesco. In 1953 Trev became General Manager of the family business, and four years later added Honda to the stable – the first Honda distributor in the English-speaking world. By 1985 Trev was on the H-D board, and his company was the exclusive Canadian distributor for the iconic brand. He remained on the H-D board until 1993, and…

In his diary which is now in the keeping of his grandson Luke Roper he says, “There was a bike race on Newcastle Showground and I had my first race there. There were three of us from Hexham: Alan Chafer, Tommy Sharp and myself, and we used to have road races on Raymond Terrace Road. I later bought a 3 ½ Douglas in 1922 or 23 and I got a sidecar chassis and built a body for it out of aluminium, a torpedo shape all riveted together. I was still sick (following an accident) when they opened Maitland Speedway. The track was grass and cinder, only post and rail fence. Pud Kirkwood lost a leg when he hit a post so the track was boarded to the outside fence and…

44 years ago, a younger Ron Briais purchased a new Yamaha 360RT3 from Annand & Thompson in Brisbane. It was January 1974 and if you were around Brisbane at that time you’d remember the devastating flood. It just so happened that this very flood had also separated Ron from his new purchase. It took two weeks of nervous waiting while things were tidied up and Ron could finally pick up the bike. The story goes that in the ‘60s (especially in the US) Scrambles, Enduros and Motocross were popular competition events. It was the British and Continental marques that were the main contenders back then, but the Japanese invasion of all things motorcycling was growing in momentum. Yamaha began their ‘Enduro’ bike quest in earnest in 1968. They developed a…

Velocette Good Companions Rally • 7-15 October, 2018 - Lennox Head, NSW The annual week-long Velocette Rally was held at Lennox Head in Northern NSW. We were last here in 2010 and we were all keen to come back here to sample the beautiful scenery and roads which radiate from this piece of paradise. Members from all over Australia along with New Zealanders and the USA were ready for a week of all things Velocette. As usual much planning and numerous surprises were in store for the 120 or so members. After finding our digs for the week, it was the usual Swap Meet where treasured Velo parts change hands and in many cases will eventually come back to another rally as part of a running bike. Our first surprise…

Macquarie Towns Show Day • 9 September, 2018 – Macquarie Park, Windsor NSW As if by magic, Sydney’s gloomy weather disappeared to reveal a bright sunny day, attracting 133 motorcycles and a large crowd of onlookers for the MTMRPC’s annual Show Day on the banks of the Hawkesbury River at Windsor. Organiser Jason Stone and a small group of helpers ensured the day ran smoothly with the judging completed by midday and the trophy presentation taking place at 1.30 pm. Although the numbers of the early bikes were down, there was a bumper turnout of bikes from the ‘sixties and ‘seventies, plus an interesting array of visitors’ machines in a separate display. A new category added this year for Bikes Under 100cc drew a good response and will be retained…

Historical Motorcycle Club Qld Frostbite Rally 2018 • 28-29 July, 2018 – Allora, Qld. Glorious weather and a good crowd made the 26th Frostbite a great weekend. Saturday morning saw a vast array of tents, motorhomes, caravans and trailer accommodation filling the Allora Showgrounds as members prepared their own little piece of home for the next two days. The afternoon ride took approximately 70 riders on a country cruise over to Clifton where we called in at the Irish pub for a relaxing visit before returning via a different route through farmland to the South West. The drought is very harshly evident through this normally cultivated country with many paddocks now dry and barren. Back at the showgrounds, the atmosphere was very relaxed around the campsites prior to the evening…

George Huse The inimitable GEORGE FRANCIS WANLISS HUSE passed away on 17th June, 2018, three weeks after his 90th birthday. George joined Hartwell club in May 1945, by which time he was already a plumber, building his business “Herbie’s Plumbing”. Riding the Hunter brothers’ creations, including the famous OHC Hunter Piccaninny 125, George became a successful rider while managing his own highly successful plumbing business, as well as hiring equipment to the trade. He was the club’s most consistent placegetter throughout the 1950s. In the next decade, George bought a dairy farm at Emerald in the Dandenong Ranges, and later a property at Nar Nar Goon near Pakenham. It was around this time he traded his Mercedes for a Bathurst-spec Holden Monaro, amidst much shaking of heads. Only recently have…

The War Department had “rented” his airstrip and updated it to be able to accommodate bombers if Australia was invaded. Tasmania would then be tasked with re-capturing the mainland for its people. After World War II the airfield was handed back to the Taylor family. It was a tarmacked cross-shaped strip. In 1946 the airstrip hit the headlines when Launceston had had a particularly wet winter. Western Junction, later to be known as Launceston Airport was still a grassed strip and the Civil Aviation Department deemed it too wet and boggy for passenger DC3s to land, so directed them to fly a further 20 miles to Valleyfield. Taylor didn’t see the humour in this as the Commonwealth had stopped paying rent, so after a few days he left a gate…

It was a case of “go hard or go home” during the Vintage Motocross Club of WA’s recent scramble at Mill Farm, culminating in the coveted Dan Ferguson Memorial Handicap. This popular event, held on 16th September, attracted close to 45 riders. Numbers were down a little this year with 18 riders heading to Ararat for the National Motocross Championships. Despite this, competition was strong and everyone went home with a smile on their face after enjoying a brilliant weekend. “This was the 16th year of the Memorial Handicap and it’s always the number one event on our calendar,” said Club President, Gary Johnson. “It’s pretty special because it was (the late) Dan Ferguson’s dream to have a scramble on his farm. Tragically, Dan passed away before his plans came…

Mount Tarrengower Hill Climb • 20-21 October, 2018 – Maldon, Victoria One of the fewremaining hill climbs on the calendar, and still a very popular event, the Mount Tarrengower climb is annually promoted by the Historic Racing Register of Victoria in conjunction with the Bendigo Car Club. The age limit for the bikes is 1972 and 27 solos and 3 outfits lined up. The chicane added last year to reduce speed through a long left sweep was made substantially tighter and this made it a first gear right/left/right – tricky on a solo and extremely difficult for sidecars. This year, multi winner Mike Panayi reclaimed his crown as the fastest rider up the hill, but he had to work hard to hold off 2017 winner Stacey Heaney.…

HMCCQ Centenary Veteran Rally • 15-21 June, 2018 – SE Queensland The idea for this rally came about after HMCCQ (Historic Motorcycle Club of Qld) members Dave Dettmar and Ian Rennie thought was there should be at least a badge struck celebrating 100 years of Veteran motorcycles (1918-2018). Doug Jolliffe suggested a special rally would be even better, in the wonderful Scenic Rim area with its quiet roads, views and friendly people. We found our preferred September date had been taken by another rally so we chose a new date in June. A meeting was held at Doug’s and an action group formed with Rob Blackmore and John Deeth doing the routes suitable for single speed direct drive veterans. Ian did the fund raising and sponsorship, Doug did all the…

Andy’s 2019 Calendar Each year, British classic bike specialist Andy Tiernam produces a quality calendar with proceeds from the sales going to the East Anglian Air Ambulance (www.eaaa.org.uk). The 2018 calendar raised £1,437.97 for this good cause. For 2019, the six illustrations have again been done by Melbourne artist Mike Harbar www.classiclinesartist.com. Mike also recently produced the artwork for Australia Post’s vintage motorcycle stamp collection. The price is exactly the same as last year: United Kingdom 1 calendar including 2nd class postage is £10.00 European Union 1 calendar including European postage is £14.00 Rest of the World 1 calendar including Overseas postage is £15.50 For further details please visit Andy’s website at…. www.andybuysbikes.com/Calendars/Calendar%20page.html Macna Chicane gloves Macna’s new premium quality Chicane gloves offer great comfort, fit and protection for sport…

He continued, “What these chappies do is to take a perfectly functional motorcycle and transform it into an ungainly and almost unrideable device which has no purpose other than to follow a straight line, and even then, with much caution required. These chappies have even developed their own form of communication, which seems to be an amalgam of jive, Cajun, Yat and traces of Hispanic.” Despite his distaste for the trend, the guvnor nevertheless saw a commercial opportunity, as well as an outlet for surplus undercarriage struts from his factory in Mozambique where the spectacularly unsuccessful Spagforth Lead Balloon bomber had been built during the war. What he proposed, and instructed his engineers to design, was a production custom motorcycle, using the Spagforth Marmoset as the basis. The task of…