Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 86 i Old Bike Australasia

• SHANNONS AUCTIONS • BATHURST MUSEUM • BULLI WEEKEND• The Shannons car and motorcycle auctions scheduled for Melbourne (May 11) and Sydney (May 25) will now be combined and held as a two-week online auction from May 20 to June 3. The move has been brought about due to the requirement to close both auction showrooms to the public. Although the format will be new to many prospective buyers, there are some interesting vehicles going under the hammer. Significantly, in the fiftieth year since the limited production, one of the 40 Velocette Sportsman models built will be up for auction. The Sportsman, a bespoke model produced for Sydney dealers Burling & Simmons, arrived in Australia in five batches from late 1969 to late 1970, by which time Velocette was moribund.…

• MOTORCYCLE ART• HAILWOOD MOVIE• ALONG FOR THE RIDE• STAINTUNE• Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) will host a major exhibition to run from 28th November, 2020 to 26th April, 2021, featuring the most influential and innovative motorcycles from the past 150 years. Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones described the exhibition, which will not be seen anywhere else in the world, as a ‘blockbuster’ which will emphasise Queensland’s standing as a leading cultural destination. Museum director Chris Saines said ‘The Motorcycle: Design, Art, Desire’, would feature more than 100 motorcycles from the 1860s to the present day, drawn from private and public collections across the globe. The exhibition is curated by physicist Professor Charles M. Falco and writer and filmmaker Ultan Guilfoyle, in collaboration with QAGOMA. Both men had…

But it is easy to forget that 44 years ago, the company produced another big triple, the XS750, which in hindsight, was a lot better motorcycle than it was first given credit for. True, the XS750 lasted in production under four years, replaced by the 850cc version that had an even shorter life. But back then, Yamaha were extremely keen to expunge all memory of its first four-stroke 750, the ill-fated and similarly maligned TX750 twin – another bike that now seems to have got a bit of a raw deal. So it was not at all unusual that Yamaha’s engineers started with a clean sheet of paper, and a brief to get cracking on producing a Tuning-fork contestant in the 750cc class, if not the outright category, at that…

Penrith Speedway NSW Easter 1924 (19th – 21st April) was an exciting time for motorcycle racing enthusiasts in Sydney, with the opening of the Penrith Speedway, located at the base of the Blue Mountains 60 km west of the CBD. Penrith was at that time experiencing continuous growth as a result of the railway connecting it to Sydney, which opened in 1863. But it was still somewhat of an outpost, with vast areas of undeveloped land. Later the track would become synonymous with car racing, but this first meeting was an all-motorcycle affair, promoted by the energetic Western Suburbs Motor Cycle Club. The club’s interest in the venue came about following a police crackdown on the “acceleration and brake tests” that were regularly held on public roads in the district.…

Then in 1956, the famous Italian firm broke tradition with the Lodola, meaning ‘Lark’ in English, continuing the Guzzi tradition of naming models after birds. Significantly, the Lodola was designed by Carlo Guzzi himself – his last task before retiring at the age of 68 to a less stressful life. The engine itself, an all-alloy affair with dry sump lubrication, was inclined at 45 degrees and of full unit construction to the four-speed gearbox. Rather than using expensive bevel gears, a chain-driven single overhead camshaft controlled the valves, which featured a self-adjusting tensioner for the timing chain. Bore and stroke were over-square at 62mm x 57.8mm. An external flywheel was still used, but now hidden under an alloy cover, with the wet multi-plate clutch driven by helical gears. With a…

International Jampot Rally • 14-16 February, 2020 – Nelson, New Zealand Nip and wife Maureen Kuerschner recently returned from Nelson on the South Island New Zealand, Nip having represented as President of the AJS and Matchless Owners Club of Australia at the International 2020 Jampot Rally for the benefit of all AJS and Matchless owners from around the World. Some 100 plus members plus their wives or companions attended this Annual event held throughout the world both North and South of the Equator. Six Aussie members plus partners travelled across the ditch mostly those from the east coast and one from Tassie joining those thirteen including partners from the UK, the remainder representing the New Zealand Register. With headquarters situated at the Tahuna Beach Holiday Park in Nelson on the…

HMCCQ Display • Australia Day 2020 – Samford, Qld. While many areas were suffering drought, fires, floods, some have even experienced the whole three depending on the day. Come Australia Day in Samford the weather started wet and ended humid and hot but we were lucky in comparison. The Historic Motor Cycle Club of Qld. (HMCCQ) came to support the annual Samford Museum fundraiser once again with over 40 two-wheeled and 3 three-wheeled historic machines fronting up for the day. This year we also shared space with the Brisbane Motorcycle Club who displayed some of their motocross bikes which included a BSA and a JAWA. The Museum’s group of volunteers are enthusiastic in preserving and displaying Australia’s history. The HMCCQ share the same values with our emphasis on one genre…

• THUNDER RALLY • FESTIVAL OF SPEED • BROADFORD BONANZA• The first weekend in October will see Tamworth, the Country Music Capital revving up for the inaugural National Thunder Motorcycle Rally. To be held at the Australian Equine Livestock and Events Centre (AELEC), rally goers who attended the 2015 HOG rally will know what to expect at this state-of-the-art facility. National Thunder will offer four huge days of bikes, music and food, and all brands are invited to take part in the weekend including the National Thunder run. Catering for all riders, a ‘Show and Shine’ will feature categories including best in show, best vintage bike, best original condition, best trike and so many more. This event won’t be short of entertainment, with the Thunder Stage rocking until late each…

The National Motor Racing Museum at Bathurst, NSW, attracts thousands of visitors throughout the year and is currently home to a tasty collection of around 40 motorcycles. Museum manager Brad Owen says space is always at a premium but limited opportunities are coming up for new exhibits. “A few of the older exhibits will be leaving us in coming months, and that will create a few spaces. I would like to invite owners of significant racing motorcycles to contact me with expressions of interest to display their bikes for a mutually agreeable period. Whilst in our care, all exhibits are fully insured and displayed in a temperature-controlled environment. Naturally we wish to keep the display as varied as possible. Currently we have bikes from virtually every form of the sport;…

For a number of years Australian star Eric Bana, a staunch motorcycle enthusiast as well as an award-winning actor, has had thoughts of creating a feature film depicting Mike Hailwood’s sensational Isle of Man comeback in 1978, after an 11-year absence. It’s part of history that he won the Formula 1 TT (the opening race of TT week) on a works Ducati, obliterating the class lap and race records and defeating Phil Read’s works Honda, but the rest of the week wasn’t so rosy. On an ex-Agostini works YZR500 Yamaha, plus a standard TZ250 and TZ750, he finished only once, in 12th place on the 250 after falling off the machine in the final practice session. Mike’s motorcycling comeback following his serious crash in the 1974 Formula One car Grand…

WINIFRED WELLS, the pretty blue-eyed 22-year old who rode out of Perth on a new 350 Royal Enfield Bullet on Boxing Day 1950, passed away in Victoria in February. ‘Winni’ crossed the Nullarbor Plain with the barest of equipment carried on the bike, pausing in Adelaide where she was received enthusiastically by George Bolton, the Royal Enfield agent. Reaching Sydney, she turned around and rode back, arriving in 21 days and after 5,500 miles. On 23rd September, 1952, she set off on an even longer trip, this time around Australia, on a new Bullet presented to her by WA distributors Carlyle and Company, accompanied by her father George, who rode Winni’s old Bullet. They averaged 300km a day and were back in Perth on 26th November. In later life Winni…

Born on the 11th of December 1932, LEONARD GEORGE SMITH was a much loved member of the Historic Motor Cycle Racing Register of SA and passed away on the 16th December 2019, aged 87. After a working life with the SA Brewing Company and devoting himself to his wife Judy, their two sons Greg and Darrell and their families, in retirement Len embraced Historic Racing. He created a 350cc Greeves racer from a 360cc motocrosser, although his favoured marque was Benelli, of which he campaigned 250cc models with both vertical and horizontal engines. A crash at Mallala caused by a collapsed rear hub ended Len’s racing days, but he continued to run his bikes with Register members in the saddle, and was our Competition Secretary for over 15 years, being…

The phone call was from John Rettig from Hobart, and the generous offer of the Series D Shadow from Peter Bender, boss of Huon Aquaculture, and motorcycle collector extraordinaire. To explain, the event was the fifth running of the Tassie Tour, which encompasses nearly two weeks of riding and fraternising on a loop of the Apple Isle, for motorcycles built prior to 1970 and enthusiasts who can afford the time. For me, the event meant six days before pressure of work summoned me back to the office, but what an-almost week that was. The 2020 Tassie Tour reversed the normal procedure by running clockwise from the start in Ulverstone, near the Bass Straight ferry in Devonport, heading across to the east coast and down to Hobart. The previous four Tours…

Like many of Rob’s bikes, this one has a strong Adelaide history, being bought by the bike’s second owner from South Australian Harley distributors Lenrocs in 1929. Rob is only the fourth owner of the bike and believes the 600cc twin was last registered in 1930 – he has the original Hire Purchase papers from Lenrocs, plus a letter to the owner from the workshop of ex-Indian racer Edgar Fergusson. It came with crates of original parts, plus a Yeats sidecar, which Rob says added weight that the Scout struggled to cope with. This was soon discovered after being initially recommissioned for Rob by friend Phil Jenner. The majority of the restoration work, however, was undertaken by local Indian expert David Cant. Working full time as an R&D manager at…

Now, after a life of 16 years and over 2,200 sales in Australia, there’s a brand new Rocket, in fact, two brand new Rockets. And these are no longer named Rocket III, but Rocket 3, just to get things straight. The new bikes are 40kg lighter than the old, and between your legs sits an all-new engine of no less than 2,458cc which is 18kg lighter than the old mill. With 167 horsepower and an incredible 221Nm of torque on tap, this power plant has no equal in the world of production motorcycles. Theconsiderable weight saving was achieved in various ways; the crank and crankcase assembly accounting for 11kg of it, with the oil tank now contained in the sump. The two offerings are the Rocket 3 R, which is…

New Zealand Classic Racing Register Pukekohe Festival • 1-2 February, 2020 – Pukekohe Park Raceway, NZ This year’s Festival aimed to bring back some of the old atmosphere. We had more campers on the hill this year, more live music in the evening and many more trophies than ever before, thanks to the rapidly increasing race classes now being catered for. Changing times have brought with them machines which are even now a full 10–15 years older than many of those in use when the Register was in its infancy. The reintroduction of the Friday evening race-bike run into town proved hugely popular with both competitors and public alike. Co-operation from police and local authorities allowed members of the public to view the bikes at slow speed, in many cases…

Illawarra Classic Motor Cycle Club Red Scarf Rally • 7-8 March, 2020 – Kiama NSW The 24th consecutive Red Scarf Rally had a changed format, with free entry, no trophies, with badges optional at $5. The event kicked off on Saturday morning at Black Beach Kiama with an official opening by Club President Henry Musto and the Kiama Mayor Mark Honey, who warmly welcomed the 50 participants from the Illawarra, Goulburn, Sydney and Wagga Clubs, as well as an international rider from New Zealand. Prior to the start, Club representatives introduced the long and short runs. The long run wound its way to Huskisson and the short run around the Illawarra and Shoalhaven areas before both met up at the North Nowra Tavern for lunch. The Rally Dinner was held…

One of the many high-profile motorsport sport events that have been affected by the Coronavirus outbreak and the measures implemented to contain it was the 2020 Festival of Speed at Sydney Motor Sport Park. After several changes in the club’s management structure in the lead up to the event, the promoters, Post Classic Racing Association of NSW, were faced with an enormous task to actually get the meeting on, but had overcome these problems one by one, only to have the circuit’s administrators, the Australian Racing Drivers Club, pull the pin on the event just four days from the scheduled start of the meeting. This at least gave interstate and regional NSW competitors the chance to abort their travel plans, but naturally caused many cancellations of accommodation and in some…

His own brush with motorcycles began at the tender age of 12, when he purchased a belt-drive single-speed Triumph for one pound. He rode it to school where the horrified headmaster gave him the cane and sent him home with a stern letter to his parents. Expelled from school, Jack simply spent his time tearing around the local football oval and its spectator banks. Jack was just 15 when he entered his first race meeting, at what became known as the Weatherboard Circuit at Learmouth, near Ballarat. His mount was an Empire Star BSA which was quickly replaced with a brand new Norton ES2. On the new machine he quickly hit his straps, winning at the annual event in 1937, 1938 and 1939 – the last year of the races…

In 1958 a Japanese government study identified the USA as the prime motorcycle market having far more potential than Europe/UK, with seven times less motorcycle ownership. Kawasaki entered the market well after the other Japanese motorcycle manufacturers but the USA motorcycle sales boom was just beginning so Kawasaki concentrated their effort and established a USA marketing/research branch. In the 1960s the 250cc class was full of bikes bristling with innovation and technology as the Japanese makers’ performance road models were 250cc. Racing had grown in popularity in the US and over-the-counter road bike-based racing motorcycles complied with US racing regulations, so Kawasaki developed the 250cc A1 Samurai road model into the A1R racing model. These road-based racing motorcycles were heavily subsidised by the manufacturers, as race bikes were advertisements for…

As if the atrophy itself, combined with catastrophic corporate mismanagement, flawed designs and dubious marketing were not enough to battle with, there was the toxic, and worsening, relationship between workers, management, and unions. The so-called British disease. And if the motor industry appeared to be suffering more than its share, try newspaper publishing, mining and steel production. However for our purposes, the epicentre of the battle was in the British Midlands – the London-based AMC (AJS, Matchless, Norton, Francis Barnett and James) having already disappeared in 1966, when it was acquired by Manganese Bronze Holdings, a family company whose primary business was manufacturing marine propellers. MBH was owned by Dennis Poore, son of the founder, a successful amateur racing driver, qualified engineer, WW2 Wing Commander, and founder of the venerable…

Here was a motorcycle with the power of a superbike, a sophisticated chassis and brakes to match, but in a much more rider-friendly form – riding position that put you up in the breeze rather than folded over the tank, handlebars that we’re clipped to the fork legs, and foot controls that sit naturally where your feet do. That test ride through the Queensland hinterland was quite a thrill and left me hankering for more, but several summers have passed since then so I welcomed the chance to get aboard the latest version of the MT 10, which after all, has changed little in that time. While the 998cc four cylinder engine, with its trademark cross-plane crank and distinctive throaty growl are plucked for the YZF-R1, inside there are plenty…

The Isle of Man will be silent this June, but for TT fans we’ve got some brilliant shots, thanks to Gary Reid. As well as being an award-winning photographer, Gary is a keen collector of motorcycle racing photos from years gone past. This selection is from the Isle of Man TT during the ‘sixties and early ‘seventies, when it was still part of the World Championships, and the annual showcase for the cream of pure road racing talent. Thanks Gary, for sharing these marvellous shots with us.…

36th All British Day • 9 February, 2020 – Echuca South Australia Held for many of its 36 years at the Echunga double oval, the ABR began as a relatively small event and has grown to the hugely popular and successful event it is today. Each year from its inception it got bigger and kept requiring larger display area. Whilst the Echunga double-oval site is the latest it is fully utilised with barely a spare section available for more exhibits. Recent rains, similar to last year, had reduced the risk of the event being cancelled following the devastating fire that started at Cudlee Creek on 20th December and eventually burnt out over 25,000 hectares of land and destroyed numerous fences, houses and other outer buildings. Price of admission this year…