Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 90 i Old Bike Australasia

With both the motorcycle rear wheel and sidecar wheel (via a cross shaft engaged by a switch) engaged, the Ural gains conservable extra traction on slippery ground or loose ground, and is especially handy when crossing waterways and climbing banks. It’s a very worthwhile and practical safety feature which opens up a whole new world of adventure in difficult terrain. Every Ural model comes standard with a 4-speed gearbox with a mechanical reverse gear, which is engaged using a lever above the right side foot rest. The Ural Gear Up 2WD will be available in its own unique colour – Outback Orange – which will be included in the standard colour range for this model. RRP in Australia starts from $27,990 excluding on-road costs. For more information on the Ural…

Working in the Government Aircraft Factories at Fishermans Bend, he saved enough to buy a motorcycle and began touring through Victoria, NSW and Queensland. When chain manufacturer Reynolds wanted to promote their wares through a round-Australia endurance test (called Operation Transmatilda) in 1953, Michael stepped up and completed the 17,000km journey with Reynolds employee Vern Train on a BSA and Triumph. Michael later married Vern’s sister Kathleen and they settled in Tasmania and later moved to Adelaide. Always a keen motorcyclist, Michael continued riding until he was 91. He passed away in Adelaide on June 13, 2020, aged 94. In 2013, Vern’s cousin Danny Curran and his mate Craig Birni recreated the original journey on a 1953 BSA and Triumph.…

The reason for this unusual odyssey can be explained in one word, or more precisely, acronym: COVID. After waving goodbye to his faithful conveyance as it sailed out of Sydney Heads, Brendan and his wife Tanya planned to fly to UK, collect the crate, and set out upon a two-up tour of UK, France, Germany and Switzerland. But between the ship sailing and their own departure, scheduled for April 22nd, all hell broke loose, borders were closed, aircraft grounded, and the holiday cancelled. For a while, there was much despair that the Maicoletta would ever be seen again, but thanks to the efforts of the shippers Get Routed, it eventually returned to these shores none the worse for its experience. So before we get into the analysis of Brendan’s beloved…

In truth, had it not been for the giant-killing performances on the race tracks over many decades, Norton itself would have been a bit player in the market, with a tired range of models and little cash or enthusiasm to expand. Even when Norton withdrew their official racing support in 1955 (by which time they were part of the Associated Motorcycles group), the famous singles continued to win races in private hands, and formed the bulk of the grid, at least in the traditional 350cc and 500cc classes, for years after. The marque’s glory days may have been behind them, but in the early ‘seventies Norton, now owned by Manganese Bronze Holdings Ltd under chairman Dennis Poore at least had a high profile sponsor to support the racing efforts that…

ACT-based LYNDON TILBROOK, from the famous motorcycle family originally based in Adelaide, is understandably keen on the product. He currently runs a BSA A10 fitted with a Tilbrook sidecar, and his next project (a rather daunting one), is to restore the unique car made by Rex Tilbrook. As the motorcycle market declined, Rex’s fertile mind came up with other products, one of which was a three-wheeled mini car. Still using the ubiquitous Villiers powerplant, the vehicle sported independent front suspension and swinging arm rear. The remains of the car have been untouched for years, but Lyndon is well underway with the job.…

• 15-18 October, 2020 – Crows Nest, Qld The BSA Owners Club of Qld had a jam-packed agenda planned for the 16th B.S.A National Rally. The Crows Nest Tourist Park on the New England Highway 2km from the centre of the thriving town of Crows Nest north of Toowoomba was Rally HQ. The Park has a designated camp kitchen known as the “Clubhouse” which is offered exclusively to clubs for their rallies by Park Management. Also on-site is a restaurant (open to the public) that we could use for our presentation dinner. No need to travel off-site for the night. Usually a 2-day event, this year we were trialling a 4-day Rally in an effort to accommodate those coming from further afield. Planned excursions included visits to 5 of the…

The motorcycle segment comprises eight examples, including an older restoration 1947 Velocette KSS, a Ducati Imola Replica 900 Desmo and a 1974 Ducati 750 Sport. There is also an interesting collection of vintage tin plate children’s toys, amassed by Mark over the years. Mark has been a life-long Ducati fan and raced a 750SS in Queensland events. Also in the two-wheeled line up are a 1969 750S Norton Commando and a 1965 150cc Lambretta Li scooter. A second Donington auction takes place on Sunday 6th December, with the collection of Daniel Bretag as the highlight. Four of Bretag’s prized MV Agustas will go under the hammer; a 1975 750 America, a 1975 750 S America, a 1975 Magni MV and a 1972 750 GT. Also offered is his 1969 TD1C…

BMW has invested hugely in the all-new R18, the German giants assault into the Harley-led cruiser market. At 1802cc, it’s the largest capacity boxer engine that BMW has ever built, and while the design is brand new, the model has clever styling cues that acknowledge the brand’s heritage. Low and exceptionally long, the R18 pumps out 91 hp at just 4,750 rpm, with 116 lbs-ft of torque at 3,000 rpm. Courtesy of Procycles, St Peters, we’ll bring you a full test in our next issue.…

“Man, that was wild!” Doug Chivas was ‘amped’, bouncing around on the balls of his feet, eyes wide as he gave a rapid-fire account of his ride in the Australian Unlimited Sidecar Grand Prix at Bathurst. It was a sunny Easter Sunday, April 10, 1977. ‘Chivo’ had just hopped off the passenger’s platform of Peter Campbell’s Kawasaki Z1000-powered sidecar after what can best be called a torrid encounter with the top sidecar men in Australia. They had been in the thick of the action despite the four-stroke losing out down Con-Rod Straight to the TZ750 Yamaha-powered opposition. When he found his way blocked by Stan Bayliss and Geoff Taylor in one run up Mountain Straight out of Hell Corner, Campbell went left, putting the sidecar wheel – and Chivo –…

To many enthusiasts the name of the Triumph Thunderbird will always be associated along with that of Marlon Brando and his character Johnny Strabler in the 1950’s film The Wild One. Based on Frank Rooney’s book ‘The Cyclist Raid’ which covered the sensational media coverage of the AMA’s rally that got out of hand on the 4th of July 1947 in Hollister California – the movie did little to enhance the image of motorcycling to the masses. In fact the Board of Censors considered it to be totally unsuitable for British cinema goers and from its initial release in 1953 it would take another fifteen years before it was eventually given an X certificate with the first public viewing at the 59 Club in Paddington in 1968. Brando’s bike was…

The late Allan Robinson M.B.E., a man of considerable stature in the organisational side of British motorcycle racing and the Isle of Man TT in particular, and a regular contributor in the early days of this magazine, was a Norton man through and through. As well as racing a Manx in Historic events in UK, Europe and New Zealand, Allan owned a John Player Norton, albeit highly modified for club racing. Alas, he was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in 2007. Prior to this, he disposed of his Norton collection, and his beloved JPN was sold to fellow TT enthusiast Mauro Borena and left Britain for a new home in Milan.…

Ian had previously raced a Matchless outfit in scrambles at Bucks Hill, Mount Gambier, and in various events in the western districts of Victoria, and then a 1947 Manx Norton “Garden Gate” longstroke outfit until he went modern in about 1955 and bought a short-stroke Manx outfit from Bernie Mack. Bernie had bought the machine in the UK and raced it there, and later when he returned home to Australia. Ian travelled from Mount Gambier to Melbourne, picked up the outfit and called in to Point Henry scramble meeting at Geelong to spectate and discuss his purchase with his many Geelong motorcycle associates. One of the many admirers was Mavis Bent, one of quite a few female Sporting Motorcycle Club members. Hoggy must have been smitten that day as he…

This is possibly because the socalled Middleweight category (800-900cc generally) is the fastestexpanding segment, and with good reason. The modern generation of power plants punch out stacks of horsepower and torque, thanks to increasingly sophisticated engine management systems and refinements to things like internal friction and so on. Weight is the enemy of power output, so equally intense scrutiny has resulted in chassis and suspension components that do the job better, and are lighter. A case in point is the new range of Triumph Tiger 900s – what were, when introduced around 2011 – Tiger 800s. The term Dual Sport comes to mind, because this style of machine has largely replaced the high revving, ultra compact and bullet-like Sport bikes. Dual Sports are required to be able to easily handle…

Steve Maxwell has a ride loop from home on mostly flat terrain to suit his little Ducati 160 Monza. My little MV Agusta 175 (Sophia) is still a little difficult to start cold but other than that seemed to be behaving. We were joined by Keith Lambert on his 1965 Honda Dream and Brad Smith on his large tiddler, an XT500 Yamaha trail bike. Keith’s mount came with him from Africa. He bought it from the first owner in Zambia where it became his main transport for 12 years. He then moved to South Africa where it became a regular attending vintage club rides. Subsequently Keith took his Dream to Melbourne and finally Brisbane where he joined the HMCCQ in 1994. Apart from new tyres, a new seat cover and…

In 1974 my wife and I did UK and Europe with a 736cc Rickman-Enfield purchased from Elite Motors Tooting (£500). I bought the bike by cheque sent airmail after reading the story in that green Motor Cycle paper (AMCN) of the day. Departing London on 29th May, we had quite a lot of heavy gear as I was used to camping on Harleys. I had to put on the heaviest weight Girling springs available from Elite Motors which gave a great ride when laden but felt like a rigid frame unladen. Elite Motors, in typical British fashion, had put a wire rack on the bike with one self-tapper onto the rear fibreglass mudguard. I was not amused although they all sniggered when it collapsed as I lowered just one 30kg…

At the time, the NSW Government promised to find an alternative venue, which has since been widely tipped to be at Eastern Creek (Sydney Motor Sport Park) adjacent to the existing Drag Racing facility. There have been several conflicting statements surrounding the proposed move, and little has been said about the new venue hosting motorcycle speedway racing, although motorcycles were mentioned in the original statement. The existing clay-surfaced circuit on the site of the former Granville Showgrounds was conceived by former Sydney Sprintcar driver (and local lawn mower dealer) Sid Hopping and opened in 1977. In 2020, COVID restrictions have meant the proposed season has been largely cancelled, and the track unlikely to open at all this year.…

At the other end of the scale, a rare split single Puch SGS brought $11,800 and an Ariel Red Hunter VH 500 sold for $14,000. The trio of Norton Commandos all sold with $33,500 changing hands for a 1968 Fastback 750, $28,500 for a 1971 750, and $35,500 for the 850 JPN, which happens to be our cover bike this issue. Shannons Spring Timed Online auction takes place from 11-18 November, and there are some tasty offerings listed among the motorcycles, including a 1926 BSA DeLuxe 250, and M23 BSA 500 with sidecar, a rare 1937 600cc Douglas Aero, a 1965 Matchless Metisse scrambler, several Triumphs, Nortons and BMWs and an interesting selection of Japanese bikes. Bidders must be registered, see www.shannons.nextlot.com/public/…

Born in Hobart in 1957, Neale spent time in Papua New Guinea and Townsville before moving to Melbourne where he worked as a salesman in the motorcycle trade. He finished up at Harley Heaven in Elizabeth Street and in 2001 purchased the magazine Heavy Duty with his wife Viv who was an experienced motoring journalist. Neale and Viv worked hard to realign Heavy Duty as a more mainstream title while still concentrating on Harleys and custom bikes. In addition to running the magazine, Neale and Viv established Heavy Duty Tours which took Australian riders on trips around this country and to iconic events such as the Sturgis Rally in USA. Intelligent and with a wry sense of humour, Neale was immensely popular and well respected wherever he went. Two years…

Over the following eighteen months Honda introduced 113 new models spanning 26 engine capacities in 4 configurations. Literally turning over its entire product line twice while re-shaping the entire motorcycling world with a range of bright, shiny, innovative new models; including the Honda VT250F, the world’s first 90 degree, quarter litre four stroke V-Twin. By all accounts this machine was a considerably more rider friendly sports commuter than the Yamaha RD250 R(LC). Yet on the track, the raceproven Yamaha ruled. So when Dudley Lister and Glenn Willing were considering a machine to contest the 1983 Metzeler 250 Production Championship the VT250 was dismissed. Especially when the late mail from Japan was that the new V3 powered MVX250F, Honda’s first ever two-stroke road bike, was more than a match for the…

The success of the ‘Down Under’ tour by Giacomo Agostini in 1971, where he won all but one start, rekindled interest in establishing an Australian, or even Australasian race meeting series to occupy the summer months in the Southern Hemisphere. There had been other off-season ‘tours’ before, as far back as 1936 when TT star Stanley Woods arrived with a brace of works Velocettes, followed the next year by the German DKW factory, which sent their top rider Ewald Kluge out for three meetings – a tour that became mired in controversy when it was revealed the team manager had strong connections to the Nazi Party. Then in 1948, future World Champion Fergus Anderson arrived with two works Moto Guzzis (a 250 single and a wide-angle 500cc v-twin) plus one…

The Arcore was in fact named after the town where Guiseppe Gilera set up his motorcycle factory in 1925. Going back a bit ‘Moto Gilera’ actually began in 1909 in little more than a well-equipped workshop in Milan run by Guiseppe Gellera. No that’s not a misprint – Gellera was his christened name but he wasn’t fond of it so he badged his machines Gilera and legally changed his name to match in 1939. More space was necessary when the company grew, so he moved the factory to Arcore on the outskirts of Milan. Giuseppe lived in a villa next door with his family. All the original buildings including the iconic water tower still exist today at the Via Cesare Battisti address. Guiseppe concentrated on larger capacity 4-stroke machines unlike…

The venerable Yamaha FJ1100 and its latter 1200 variant have a loyal and widespread following in Australasia, and in mid-September a group of around a dozen descended on the town of Robertson, famous for its pies and potatoes, in the NSW Southern Highlands. Riders came from the Illawarra area and from further down the South Coast, to enjoy a long overdue ride in perfect sunny weather. The bikes ranged from the original 1984 red and white 1100s to the subsequent FJ1200s in their various decors. All these are regularly in use, with many clocking up six figure mileages. Watch for a feature on this iconic motorcycle, which exists to this day in FJR1300 form, in issue 91.…

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