Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 104 i Old Bike Australasia

The Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club is delighted to announce that Suzuki will again be the naming rights sponsor for what will be the 2023 Suzuki VJMC National Rally to be held in Bendigo Vicoria over the weekend of 17-19 March 2023. Mark this date in your calendar as a ‘must do event’. In keeping with the Suzuki theme, the iconic Katana will be the featured motorcycle for 2023. We know many of you were unable to attend the last rally due to COVID or concerns over travel restrictions. More information will follow via the VJMC website www.vjmc.org.au Facebook and in OBA. Rally Registrations will be opened towards the end of October 2023 via the VJMC website. The City of Greater Bendigo is also again supporting the rally. Their Visitors Centre…

Amid all the doom and gloom about circuits closing everywhere, one unexpected fillip has appeared seemingly out of nowhere. For many moons, the previously vibrant Calder Park Raceway has sat largely vacant, with most observers convinced its transformation from racetrack to residential was only a matter of time. Recently it has emerged that the owners of the site and everything therein, the Jane family, are seriously contemplating returning the facility to its original purpose – as a motor racing facility that is affordable for clubs and even individuals to hire for race meetings. Discussions were underway prior to the catastrophic impact of Covid, but now that has somewhat abated, the proposal is back on the table in earnest. Motorcycling Australia has been part of the discussions and planning from the…

JAMES (JIM) WINSTANLEY, passed away in September 2022, aged 77. Jim was a member of Sydney’s Merrylands D.M.C.C. and part of our winning team at the 1968 inaugural Six Hour Race at the Nepean Raceway. Jim was a quietly spoken bloke, a typical ‘Clubman’ who was interested in participation in various forms of sport. He was a keen player also in Lawn Bowling, Tennis, Cricket, and Golf, and made many friends in the Fairfield District through these ventures, and through his general demeanour. Jim will be most missed by his loving family and by the family of friends made through his life.…

Day 2: 86km – An early start I have breakfast in the garden with homemade cakes and a splendid view of Bobbio. Mina is waiting for me; it’s time to leave. I go down to the village and ask the petrol station attendant for a full tank and if he can help me check the oil level. He tells me he doesn’t sell motorcycle oil, then he points to the petrol station across the street. I reach the other distributor and the manager listens to my request and nods. He seems to me to be of few words and I try to make conversation. I tell him that I come from Parma and that I’m headed to Piedmont to meet people who have bikes like mine. He replies that years…

Back in 1981, Honda was busy with various line extensions on their basic CB750/CB900 theme, all built around the new-generation twin cam four-valve engine that had first appeared three years earlier. And a damned fine engine it was too, incorporating some of the thinking in the CBX1000 big-six. Just as well, because from virtually owning the big bike market from 1969 to 1972 with the ground-breaking original CB750, Honda had gradually slipped behind the competition, despite minor updates to the two-valve SOHC design that culminated in the CB750F1 and F2. The CBX itself was unveiled to a select group of journalists in December 1977 in Japan. The massive powerplant had been designed by Soichiro Irimajiri – the man responsible for the all-conquering works 250cc and 297cc six cylinder racers, as…

Wynnum Marine 2022 Queensland Historic Road Racing Championships – Hosted by Qld Early Motorcycle Sports Club • 7-8 September, 2022 – Morgan Park Raceway, Qld Qualifying was run and done without incident, and both qualifying and the first round of races were held in cracking weather conditions. P6 250 Production got underway first with a large entry list. Grant Jordan, was busy riding in four different classes, and all 4 races were a battle royal between himself, Hayden Gill and Ryan Moscardini. P5 and P6 Unlimited was next up. In all four races Murray Clark streaked away from the field on his GSXR1100. Also good to watch was the battle between Mark Rodda on the pristine GS1000S and Gregory James on the Trex Honda. Gregory fresh off the Bears round…

Broken Hill Show • 9-11 September 2022 – Broken Hill, NSW Conducted by the Veteran, Vintage and Classic Motorcycle Club of Broken Hill (formed in 1979), the show was based for the first time in the heritage-listed Trades Hall, an iconic building that is the heart of the city’s trade unionism. Fine weather and a town packed with tourists saw crowds treated to a wide variety of motorcycles from the 1920s to the 1990s. The local Swimming Club provided refreshments so people could eat and drink while admiring the range of classic Speedway bikes. People’s choice was won by Terry James with his impressive 1925 new Imperial v-twin. Terry also exhibited several other immaculately prepared British bikes. Broken Hill has always been a centre for motorcycling and motor sport and…

Revived in 2022 after the Covid-enforced cancellations of 2020 and 2021, the Broadford Bike Bonanza will not go ahead in 2023. Chairman of the Motorcycling Australia Museum & Heritage Committee, David White, said a number of factors had made it impossible for the committee to organise the event on its traditional Easter weekend date. “The Motorcycling Australia Museum and Heritage Committee has decided not to promote the Broadford Bike Bonanza for 2023 but intends to promote the event in 2024. A principal reason for this decision is that the committee does not, at this stage, have sufficient people available to do the administrative work in relation to the event. A delay for one year will allow time to restructure the committee and investigate the best means of handling the administrative…

Sunday November 27th is your chance to check out Warwick Schuberg’s amazing collection housed at Amaroo Park. The doors will open at 9.30 am and close at 5pm. Entry is by donation, all proceeds going to the Black Dog Institute for research into depression and suicide prevention. Numbers will be limited and this is sure to be a very popular event, so make sure you register at https://www.stayupright.com.au/events/280-vintage-motorcycle-museum-open-day/ The collection contains over one hundred bikes, plus all sorts of memorabilia. Although the majority are off-road bikes, there are also road bikes, road racers, odd-bod specials and a vast amount of memorabilia. It is a unique opportunity to relive the motorcycles that we all remember so fondly, as well as supporting a very worthwhile cause. Amaroo Park is located on Annangrove…

In 1968 Honda released the first large capacity ‘modern’ bike, the Honda CB750 four. In the following few years other similar capacity bikes (for the day) were produced by the various manufacturers. With the Italians they were the Ducati 750 GT and 750 Sport, Laverda had the SF series, Moto Guzzi had the 750 S3 and of course the expensive and exclusive MV Agusta 750 Sport and 750 GT. These bikes, as well as having great handling were also the first bikes which allowed the large distances in Australia to be covered with some degree of comfort. There is no doubt that the Japanese bikes were great value for money but they didn’t have quite the kudos of an Italian steed nor the handling characteristics if truth be told. Whilst…

During the 1960s many major factories were starting out by building small capacity road bikes in opposition to the big British bikes. Japan had decided the best way to push their two stroke twins was to produce race models as well, with the “race on Sunday sell on Monday” philosophy. In Italy Ducati decided to attack from the other end of the spectrum with their Diana Mark 1 250, a single cylinder four stroke. In 1965 they produced a sporty looking concept model called a Mach 1. In full road trim it had a top speed of 100mph (160kp/h) and was promoted as the fastest 250 on the road. The Mack 1 sold well in Europe and a few years later was released in the USA with high scramble bars…

Multiple Australian Champion Jeffrey Sayle recently visited the National Motor Racing Museum at Bathurst and donated one of his race helmets, plus the trophies for winning the 250cc and 350cc Australian Grands Prix at Mount Panorama in 1985. Jeffrey’s amazing career included several Grand Prix starts and five top-10 finishes in the Isle of Man TT. Welcome to Old Bike Australasia Out’n’about – a forum of people, places, history and happenings.…

Ipswich Council launched a week-long “Galvanised” festival in 2021 to commemorate its heritage and invited our club to put on a bike display as part of the festivity. This display coincided with the club’s 50-year celebration and by all accounts was a great success. The heritage festival has now become an annual event and HMCCQ was invited to stage another display at the 2022 event on Fathers’ Day. The 2022 display attracted almost 70 bikes from the club with Ipswich area taking the lead, displaying their new banners, and supported by bikes from the surrounding areas including Tamborine, Toowoomba, Brisbane and Pine Rivers. Some really impressive bikes were displayed ranging from a selection of veterans through to an array of ‘70s and ‘80s machines. They attracted a lot of attention…

Red Dust Revival • 19-25 September, 2022 – Lake Perkolilli, WA. Vintage motor racing has had a resurgence in WA in recent years, largely due to one of the most unique motor sport events in the world being held east of Kalgoorlie, the Red Dust Revival. For the second time in three years, the distinctive sounds of old motorcycles and cars could be heard racing around Lake Perkolilli, just as they did 100 years ago. Lake Perkolilli is one of the earliest race circuits in Australia and the most remote in the world. Located in WA’s Goldfields, adjacent to the once thriving ghost town of Kanowna and more than 600 kilometres inland from Perth, it has a colourful history with motor racing that dates back to 1914. Early motorcycle enthusiasts…

Grafton Classic Rally • 26-28 August 2022 – Grafton, NSW After a two-year hiatus it was great to be able to run our annual rally again. Numbers were down a little compared to previous years, but the quality of entries made up for that. With the opening of the new Grafton Bridge and the Pacific Highway bypass we had more choice of roads to take. The weather was kind to us and everyone had an enjoyable time. Friday afternoon’s shakedown ride was actually more of a test for our novice marshals to the refreshment stop at a reserve overlooking the Clarence River. From there it was back to base for a meet & greet and sausage sizzle. Saturday morning saw about 80 bikes turn left out of the showgrounds and…

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Edgar himself had spent much of WW2 in Spain, acting as an undercover agent in the neutral country, and frequently called upon to convey military intelligence from the Mediterranean hotspots to the northern Basque regions, and thence to London. To expedite his missions, Edgar often accepted help from the Spanish underground, one partisan in particular supplying him with motorcycles to undertake the perilous journey. Young Eduardo had certainly inherited his cousin’s derring-do, honing his cycling skills through the perilous Pyrenees, with exhausting ascents, sheer drops and plunges down the narrow winding roads that tested bravery as well as brilliance in the saddle. So fleet was his progress in the races that led up to the famed Tour, he frequently out-paced the pace riders, mounted as they were on a motley…

The Classic Motorcycle Mecca display celebrating Kiwi legend John Britten is set to get even bigger, with the arrival of the Britten Aero-D-Zero. Britten bikes can only be seen in four museums around the world with the Aero D Zero bringing our John Britten collection up to a whopping four bikes. The bike will be on loan from a private collector. Transport World executive director Joc O’Donnell says the Britten Aero-D-Zero will be a magnificent addition to Classic Motorcycle Mecca. “Invercargill’s love of wheels gives our city a point of difference, and we feel incredibly lucky to showcase one of New Zealand’s all-time greats in the motorcycling world,” she says. “John Britten was a creative genius, and he left an indelible mark on motorcycling around the world thanks to his…

Tanks & Tailpipes is a new go-to spot on the main road at Rylstone NSW, on the popular Bylong Valley way route that carries scores of motorcycles every weekend. The store is run by Giulia Minisini and her partner Pedro. Giulia’s late father Gianni Minisini’s fabulous collection of self-restored bikes has been featured many times in OBA, and one of these, a 1958 175cc Bianchi Tonale, has pride of place in the shop window. As Giulia says, “Dad was my inspiration for everything; for business, for working hard and never giving up, and for being a good person”. Inside you’ll find a range of motorcycle and car accessories (and copies of the latest issue of OBA), modern and vintage apparel and the team has extensive automotive experience and contacts and…

Sooner or later, any regular competitor at the Isle of Man had need of Ken Sprayson’s services. The TT course punishes machinery like no other; frames crack, fuel and oil tanks split, bits break off. For more than 50 years, KEN SPRAYSON, who passed away on October 15, 2022, ran a welding service operating out of the TT Paddock, which was free to all who needed it. Ken was born in Birmingham in 1927, and left school at 14 to train as a sheet metal worker. This led him to joining Reynolds Tube Company where he initially worked on constructing mounts for Rolls Royce Merlin engines in their Aircraft Department. It was here that the celebrated Reynolds 531 tubing was developed – a high-manganese alloy steel that was initially used…

BOB BUTLER, a long-term member of the Vincent Owners’ Club and the Vincent HRD Club of SA and friend to so many motorbike riders throughout Australia and overseas sadly passed away 27th July 2022, a month prior to his 85th birthday. Bob migrated from the UK to Australia in the mid 1980s after coming to Australia in 1983 for the International Vincent Owners’ Club Rally and falling in love with our country. He brought with him his Vincent Black Shadow, Egli-Vincent and his beloved Vincent Series C Outfit, with its smaller wheels. Bob would often ride across from the Barossa Valley in SA to Mildura to visit with friends and he rode his outfit to most of the rallies held around Australia until age and health required him to trailer…

While Kawasaki was making a name for itself with its potent production-based three-cylinder racers in the form of the H1-R and H2-Rs in the early 1970s, a handful of hybrid two-stroke triples was developed in the same period – by adding an extra cylinder to Yamaha 250 and 350cc two-stroke twins. Best known of these is the 350cc three-cylinder Yamaha built by Swiss sidecar man Rudi Kurth in 1975. When Yamaha Europe’s technical director Minoru Tanaka saw Kurth’s creation, he asked the Swiss racer to build a three-cylinder engine for Yamaha to try. This led to both 500cc and 350cc versions, the latter of which went on to win the 1977 World 350 Championship in the hands of Takazumi Katayama. Kurth’s creation was the most successful of these hybrids but…

Back in 1932, the small but energetic Eastwood & District MCC identified a very promising series of roads running beside Eastern Creek – a name that would have great significance to motorcycling sixty years later – and set about making entreaties to the Blacktown Council to gain permission to close the roads for racing. At the time, there was little in the way of housing, and few residents except for cattle and sheep, so the necessary approval was granted without undue stress. The ‘course’ was approximately 1.75 miles (2.8 km) around, with an unsealed but reasonably smooth surface. Today (2022), that series of roads is still there, albeit in fairly dilapidated condition and riddled with potholes – a legacy of Sydney’s record wet period. One section of the loop, which…

CONTINENTAL CLASSICS ABSOLUTELY FREE! SAVE OVER 29% PLUS receive your FREE downloadable SPECIAL EDITION subscribe online anytime mymagazines.com.au Back issues also available Each issue of Old Bike Australasia contains feature articles on a wide range of stories including famous bikes, forgotten circuits, personality profiles, road tests, rally roundups and current race reports from Classic/Historic meetings on the Australian and New Zealand motorcycle calendar.…

Looking back a few years, it’s hard to believe photographers at race meetings went about their business with scant regard to the risks involved. Our featured shots here from Gary Reid’s collection graphically illustrate the lengths photographers went to in order to capture that special shot, in the days before telephoto zoom lenses became commonplace.…

All Historic Racing • 9-11 September, 2022 - Pheasant Wood Circuit, Marulen, NSW No pun intended, but there was a lot riding on the success of the first All Historic Racing weekend at the Pheasant Wood circuit at Marulen, north of Goulburn. The category, in New South Wales at least, has suffered in the past two years and was recently dealt a further blow with the closure of Wakefield Park. Fortunately, the small but very enthusiastic Pheasant Wood circuit has stepped in to fill the breach, and their initial foray went off very well, despite yet more inclement weather in the region. The meeting catered for motorcycles up to Period 3 (Pre 1963) and Pre 1961 Sports and Racing Cars (no sedans). 37 motorcycles and 34 cars entered for the…

Macquarie Towns Show Day • 11 September 2022 – Windsor, NSW Standing on the lush grass at Macquarie Park, it was hard to believe that this whole area, around 15 metres above the Hawkesbury River, was under water just weeks before. The riverside itself is now a mixture of collapsed banks and tangled tree debris, but on this day, the sun shone brightly and the very popular Show Day was finally reinstated. Under the organisation of Jason Stone and other club helpers, the event attracted around 90 bikes belonging to members of the Macquarie Towns Club, plus about 25 from other clubs. It made a colourful and eclectic display, with 12 categories and three perpetual trophies – the oldest bike being Ian Pryde’s 1913 Indian. Jason Stone said that although…

Aussie Triples Rally No 11 • 19-21 August, 2022 – Evans Head, NSW We were finally able to have our 11th event after a 2 year break due to the “C” word, with 58 Triumph Tridents and BSA Rocket 3s entered. One entrant, Steve Collins rode his T160 from Albany WA. This is the 3rd time Steve has ridden to the East Coast to join us; 10,750km return with the only dramas being a faulty coil and having to replace a rear tyre. The 3-day event had us riding through the beautiful scenery in the Clarence, Richmond, Ballina, Byron and Tweed Shires. Following the recent floods, the roads are extremely bad with many potholes and some road closures. However, the perfect weather helped make up for the bumpy rides. The…