Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 102 i Old Bike Australasia

Terry’s media career began as a 15-year old in Townsville and has taken him all over the world. His coverage of major stories includes the Anita Cobby murder, the Bali bombings, and the bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, and although now semi retired, he still conducts regular radio news programs. In addition to his work, Terry has always been a committed motorcyclist, racing in Short Circuit events on both solos and sidecars and in Observed Trials. Since 1989 he and his wife Coral have lived at Colyton in Western Sydney. Congratulations Terry, well deserved.…

Geoff was a career policeman, joining the New South Wales Police Force and remaining there until he retired at 58 after 38 years of service. For his NSW Police service, he was awarded the Australian Police Medal, National Police Service Medal, National Medal and the NSW Police Service Medal. In 2006 he joined the Australian Federal Police to work on special undercover operations in Australia and overseas, notably with the South East Asian Crime Squad and the Serious & Organised Crime Team. He rose to Detective Superintendent before retiring in 2013. Geoff’s mates all rode motorcycles in the late 1960s, mainly Japanese bikes, but he bucked the trend and bought a Velocette Venom which he still owned at the time of his death. In 1965 he joined Eastern Suburbs MCC…

There are few more illustrious brands in the automotive world than Maserati. Images of luscious red sports cars spring to mind, as well as the svelte Grand Prix cars that began pre-war and culminated in the delicious 250F – surely one of the most beautiful Formula 1 cars ever created. But there was more to the brand than is commonly remembered, including a brief period as a motorcycle manufacturer. Rodolfo Maserati, a railroad worker with a passion for precision engineering and powered machinery, had seven children with his wife Carolina Losi. Three of the boys, Alfieri, Ettore and Ernesto, opened a car workshop in Bologna in December 1914, and five months later Italy was at war. The company struggled through, making spark plugs and batteries, but post-war embarked on their…

Alan Puckett also had a deep interest in all things on wheels and owned a series of extremely rare and now-priceless cars that included a string of Aston Martins: the famous Ulster LM20 that twice won its class at Le Mans in the 1930s, a DB2 Coupe, two DB3S models and many other exotic cars. Puckett restored several of these cars himself, farming out engineering work to specialists like Rob Rowe, but generally doing the painting in his own workshop. Later, his interest shifted to motorcycles, and he owned a string of very nice machines, including a Velocette that he painted white (including the frame) with a Union Jack on each side of the petrol tank, a red Vincent (which he comprehensively crashed on the Sydney Harbour Bridge), and a…

Jawa began by producing the 500cc Wanderer four-stroke in Prague, but it was a big and expensive motorcycle in an age (at least in Eastern Europe) when the demand was greater for utilitarian lightweights. To facilitate an entry into that market, Janecek grabbed engineer George Patchett from England, who brought with him a 175cc Villiers engine. This power unit was grafted into a smaller version of the Wanderer pressed steel frame and marketed as the Jawa 175. It was such a success that within two years the 500 Wanderer was discontinued and new 250cc and 350cc two strokes were on the drawing boards. But the Nazis also had a few ideas on the drawing board, and an increasingly nervous Patchett headed back for UK while the going was good. Under…

The Moto Guzzi V7 Special is still a quirky Italian motorcycle, for sure, but it is also a well-built nice piece of kit. This model is what I’d call a classic naked style of bike. Our test bike was finished in a darkish metallic blue called Blue Formale. Stunning. The exhausts were chrome finished. The wheels were alloy rims with spokes, remember them? The seat was finished in brown rather than the normal black. Nice. The riding position was almost perfect with the relationship between hand, backside and feet well thought out. Most controls come readily to hand, with one silly exception. There is what Guzzi calls a mode button on the right-hand switch block. Nice and big, but to get your thumb onto it the very light throttle is…

The 56th annual Veteran Racing Motorcyclists Association of Victoria dinner took place in Thornbury, Melbourne on 6th May, 2022. Guest of honour was former GP rider and winner Garry McCoy, who came from Queensland for the occasion. He was joined on stage for a Q&A session by Australian Superbike Champion Wayne Maxwell and Motorcycling Australia CEO Peter Doyle. Colin Rosewarne went along with his Nikon to capture these shots.…

“When the new speedway at Eastern Creek in Sydney opened on 12 March this year after construction delays, weather delays and Covid delays, it handled the previous few weeks worth of rain with aplomb. Move forward a couple of months and things had changed dramatically as my image from 14 May shows with the track unable to be dried and packed down after a lot less rain and the meeting was abandoned. We’re not sure if they recovered much of the expensive clay surface that ended up on this car. So despite managing to run two more meetings before season end, most of the track will probably need to be dug up and the reported cost of $70 million cost will increase again. They have until 24 September when the…

Here’s an unashamed family plug. Congratulations to our son Rennie for achieving his ambition of riding in the Isle of Man TT, albeit a few years later than he originally expected. Rennie was due to make his TT debut in 2020 but thanks to Covid, both 2020 and 2021 races were not held. He finally made it this year, competing in the Supersport class on a Suzuki GSXR600 – one of only two Suzukis in the race. Despite a few problems Rennie achieved his ambition – 42 years after his old man – finishing both legs of the race which were delayed and shortened due to accidents.…

• 16-17 April, 2022 – Collie Motorplex, WA The Easter long weekend saw the start of the season proper with around 140 entries, which included 10 Sidecars and 11 Juniors. The weather was perfect for racing. As always with the HCMC, family comes to the fore with father and sons racing, brother vs brother, brother vs sister as well as a new addition with a father/daughter combo joining the field at this round. On track the rivalry is fierce but in the paddock everyone are mates. In the P5 750/P5 UL/P6 750/PreModern three riders shared the podium positions getting their seasons off to a solid start. Paul Smith (1990 RetroMoto Suzuki 750) leads the charge with two wins and a second place. Second is Brad Thompson (1990 Suzuki 750) with…

• 1 May, 2022 – Jerry’s Café, Kulnura, NSW Jerry’s Café, on the Wollombi Road in the Central Coast region north of Sydney (or south of Newcastle), is a very popular spot for weekend warriors, who don’t seem to mind waiting an hour or so for a coffee or sandwich. Despite the state of the roads following months of rain, the place was absolutely packed on 1st May, not just with the modern roadsters, but a colourful collection of Britain’s best from past eras. It was a beautifully fine (and dry) day and as always, the show was put together by the combined resources of the Norton Owners Club of NSW and the BSA Owners Club, with a roll up of around 30 bikes. From 9am to 1pm, members were…

Organiser Antony Gullick says, “After having the last two Bulli events cancelled due to Covid, we are back and looking forward to our best event yet. This year we are featuring Boardtrackers, Bobbers and Cafe Racers and central to this will be the only Cyclone Boardtracker in Australia. This incredible machine has been generously loaned to us for the weekend and is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a piece of history. There will also be an 8 valve Indian, board track Indians, a board track Harley and a factory OHV Indian Hillclimber. Cafe Racers and Bobbers will also be front and centre in the main undercover area at Bulli. “Bulli Antique Bike Weekend is a celebration of all motorcycles 35 years and older, but we invite all…

Murray grew up in Vermont South on Burwood Highway, where his parents were orchardists. The family property had plenty of paddocks for the cows and horses, which were also ideal for other uses – like tearing around on motorbikes. From the age of 12, Murray would spend every available moment doing just that, honing his skill, and it was inevitable that the pastime would lead to racing. This began at age 16 with Hartwell Club scrambles events. His first-ever meeting was at Pakenham and Murray was actually leading the race when he caught up to a lapped rider over a jump and thought he was going to land on top of him – he bailed out and broke his wrist. It wasn’t a dream start to a racing career and…

From the early ‘seventies onwards, these details are pretty well documented, but not exhaustively. By the 1970s the vehicle restoration movement was established, and there was a greater awareness of the importance of smaller details. The technology of the time – coloured brochures, and coloured print magazines, for example, are good and reliable references. There are still people alive who were involved then, and who know first hand. Non-production exceptions and special prototypes exist, proven by divergences from the general product, first hand comment, and available documentation, but these are few and special. Pre 1970 it gets far more difficult, but it becomes far more interesting than face value might suggest, because although we’re delving into some esoteric points, we’re also wading into social history. Thirty years ago I bought…

It’s been pretty wet up the NSW North Coast, as the photo above from Col McAndrews’ shed attests. “Triumph Soup” he calls it. Nevertheless, Col has pressed ahead with the reinstatement of the popular Aussie Triples Rally, to be held at Evans Head, NSW from 19-21 August 2022. It’s the 11th running of the rally, which will cater for Triumph Tridents and BSA Rocket 3s from 1968 to 1975 only. For full details contact Col at aussietriples@yahoo.com.au or phone 0428 869 889.…

Although the Hawkesbury River is running a banker as this is written, Jason Stone, organiser of the reinstated Macquarie Towns Show Day is powering ahead with plans for the event on Sunday September 11th at the picturesque Macquarie Park, Windsor NSW which over looks the river. “We are aiming to build the Show Day back to its former glory,” says Jason, referring to the colourful display of club members’ bikes as well as those of visitors."Any bike made prior to 2012 is eligible, and we have added a Mini Bike Class as well as a class and a trophy for Visitors bikes. The only stipulation is that bikes must remain on display until 2.30pm, by which time the presentation of awards is usually concluded.” For more information contact Jason on…

Engine number CA10-216 first saw duty in 1954 with the South Australian Police Force – one of 20 sold to the force by dealer J N Taylor. Its original Police registration number was SA 257. The BSA was part of the escort for Queen Elizabeth when she visited Mount Gambier in February 1954. The fleet of BSAs was taken from Adelaide to Mount Gambier in Engineering and Water Supply trucks, as none was run in. Shortly before his 16th birthday, apprentice electrical fitter Kevin Pattison purchased the expolice BSA from local car dealer Colliver’s for £85 – a £20 deposit and three quid per week. It was a further 18 days before he sat for his licence. In 1962 he traded the BSA in at the same dealer on a…

• 30 April-2 May, 2022 – Beaudesert, Qld 2022 saw the return of the Bevel & Bull after sadly two years of cancellation. The DOCQ event celebrates Ducati heritage when all good overhead valve engines ran off a set of bevel gears. We had a new organising team this year with Kevin Trevarthan, Russ Victorsen and of course (El Presidenti) Rob Stevenson along with a bunch of helpers to align the planets for us. The Queensland mob gathered Saturday morning at Beaudesert. Some of us got wet on the way but luckily Beaudesert was overcast and dry. Ramon Dennis came all the way from Mackay on his custom 750 ‘plus’ GT along with at least 30 Bevels ready to rumble. Again, it was the twisty route via Boonah, Rathdowney for…

This was again a not-for-profit charity fundraising event held by Premier Events and the Papakura Rotary Club, where 100% of the show’s profits go back to the community including the National Burns Unit and Assisted Education Scholarships. Royal Enfield had the largest stand at the show, displaying the new Classic 350 and Meteor 350 as well as the Himalayan and 650 Twins. One of the highlights of the show was Chris Gibbs’ Royal Enfield which won the Australasian ‘Busted Knuckle’ competition. His rendition of a GT650 was so good it even won the ‘People’s Choice’ award. Over 500 motorcycles from all brands entered into the competition side of the show for voting – from highly modified machines to stock standard classic bikes with a large range of categories, prizes and…

Kevin was probably best known as the enthusiastic owner of one of the ten original Brittens, but his interests and enthusiasm ran far deeper than that. His stable included many rare Ducatis and Nortons which were frequently seen on race tracks in the hands of various riders. He was also an enthusiastic tourer and road rider and for many years kept a Ducati in the UK which he used on his frequent visits. Kevin was a successful businessman in irrigation supply, but his passion was motorcycling and his big red Mercedes motor home was a familiar sight in the paddock at Pukekohe, Hampton Downs and other NZ circuits – always open to visitors and usually with a mouth-watering display of machinery parked out front. During my many annual trips, Kevin…

Stanley Woods was a superstar beyond all others of his era. Able to command the best seat in any team, and there were many; Norton, Cotton, Velocette, DKW, Husqvarna and Moto Guzzi, all at top dollar. Controversially, he had quit Norton in 1933 when the management claimed that Woods himself had become bigger than the Norton brand, which was unacceptable to them. By the end of 1936, Stanley needed a break. Despite another successful year, where he narrowly failed to add to his record eight Isle of Man TT wins when his 500 Velocette developed a misfire on the last lap, he was still suffering from the lingering effects of a major accident at Monza in September when practicing for the Italian Grand Prix on the 500cc twin cylinder Moto…

Finally, because the little screamer had actually been around since 1986, initially in CBR250F and CBR250R form, which was very similar. It was beloved of the Japanese café racer set who purchased thousands of them, many of which eventually found their way to other markets – including Australia – as grey imports. Herein lies the rub. So many were sold here, a strong demand for spare parts naturally sprang up. Not a few of those bikes had endured a tough childhood, being thrashed mercilessly, pranged often, and frequently deprived of the most vital servicing requirement – regular oil and filter changes. The grey imports were officially known as the MC19 and MC22, and the easiest way to distinguish them is that the MC19 had a single front disc while the…

John Oirbans is somewhat of a legend in Commando circles. He currently has eight, including a few ‘specials’, but many more have come and gone from his workshop over the years. None, however, quite like the TT 750. There’s always a project or two on the go at the Oirbans homestead in the NSW Hunter Valley. Not just Nortons, but other British fare including a superb Matchless G15 twin – one of the last of the hybrid models featuring an amalgam of Matchless/AJS and Norton parts assembled in the dying gasps of Associated Motorcycles. So what inspired this unique Commando bitza? John explains the process that led to its instigation. “It started off, I had the frame, just the frame. It’s a 72 model frame but the rear loop had…

22nd to 23rd October, 2022 is the weekend when devotees of the Rickman Metisse marque will assemble in Melbourne. All models produced by the Rickman brothers, scramblers, road racers and road bikes, are welcome to attend. Venue is the Vintage Shed on the Tyabb-Mornington Road, Tyabb, Victoria. For more information contact Peter Wilmot on 0429 454 350 or Peter Smith on 0419 396 750. Our photo shows co-founder of the Australian Rickman Metisse Register, John Matthews who will be heading to the Rickman gathering.…

On 28 May a reunion was held 56 years after the MUMCC was founded. About 20 former members attended a luncheon at Naughton’s Hotel Parkville, about the same number as founding members in 1966. MCMCC then became the largest university-based Motorcycle club in Australia. In 1968, affiliation with the Auto Cycle Union attracted a number of members to go racing. That year MUMCC had 130 members and 70 bikes in the Club run to Lorne. Led by reunion organiser Howard Ham, the luncheon was peppered with nostalgic anecdotes from the floor and in speeches by two former Club Presidents, Peter Brett and Ron Stux; and finally an OBA story about Simon Eggleston’s Norton Dominator was received.* A straw poll revealed that about 40% attending still owned bikes, but few rode…

Auctioneer, Adrian Cummings, began by introducing Ann Lands, sister of the late Phil Reeves, who gave a short speech thanking those who’d helped sort through the various lots for the auction. The auction proceedings then continued for most of the day. During each pre-auction open day, a steady flow of prospective buyers had strolled through the carefully curated warehouse display. As well as row after row of complete bikes, there was an armada of wooden pallets on which arrays of disassembled BSA Bantams, Hondas and Ducatis rested. The diversity and volume of the collection of motor vehicles, parts, tools and related paraphernalia was staggering. Apart from motorcycles and cars, the auction gave bidders the opportunity to purchase from an extensive range of workshop tools and equipment. The job-lot pallets of…

• 21-22 May, 2022 – Collie Motorplex, WA For Round Two of the Interclub Championship, the Saturday practice day was run in near perfect conditions and the large field of competitors all enjoyed some quality track time, although there were several withdrawals due to COVID-19. Sunday dawned with perfect conditions and qualifying and the first round of 8 races went without too many incidents, and the second round of races was almost complete before the rain started. However the rain intensified and the meeting was 'called' after race 15 due to standing water around the circuit. The man of the meeting was Paul Smith (1990 RetroMoto Suzuki 750). He entered in two classes and he won four races from four starts against some of the best riders in the State.…

• 27-29 May, 2022 – Coffs Harbour, NSW Our 38th rally got under way in delightful sunshine. Due to the incessant rain this year our roads are festooned with pot holes, and to have the sun out so one can actually see, rather than just feel them, was a bonus. The Friday route took the riders through Bruxner Park and along Bucca Road to Nana Glen, then to Coramba and up the mountain to Ulong for lunch. Saturday morning was again fine and sunny; we couldn't believe our luck. The day had a short and long ride, with each going a quite different route to the lunch at Coutts Crossing. Long ride followed Waterfall Way through Bellingen and up Dorrigo Mountain, on to Tyringham then along Armidale/Grafton Road to Dundurrabin.…