Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 105 i Old Bike Australasia

A surprise announcement at the recent EICMA Show in Milan was the new Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 which it believes will become a major player in the Cruiser market. Created in conjunction with Harris Performance, the model features an all-new chassis with a low centre of gravity for high-speed stability and easier manoeuvrability. Up front are USD forks and an LED headlamp, and TBT navigation system. The proven 648cc parallel twin engine has new side covers but is otherwise identical to the mill that powers the very popular Interceptor and Continental GT models. The single seat Super Meteor 650 will be available in five colours; Astral Black, Astral Blue, Astral Green, Interstellar Green and Interstellar Grey. There is also a Grand Tourer variant, the Super Meteor 650 Tourer which…

Fans of Kiwi legend of speed, Burt Munro, now have even more of a reason to pay Classic Motorcycle Mecca in the deep south New Zealand city of Invercargill a visit when the 2023 Burt Munro Challenge roars back into town in February. Dubbed the leading classic motorcycle museum in the Southern Hemisphere, Classic Motorcycle Mecca is home to a fascinating display dedicated to ‘The World’s Fastest Indian’. The museum recently added two replica bikes used in filming the Sir Anthony Hopkins-led movie of the same name, thanks to the Invercargill City Council and the Southland Museum and Art Gallery. Transport World operations manager Courtney Russell says the replica bikes are a great addition to the museum’s Burt Munro repertoire. The museum’s Burt Munro display also features authenthic memorabilia owned…

In several major and minor motorcycle shops, including Pratts, Stanco, and Freedom Wheels, Ken worked in various capacities, but usually in spare parts where he was very knowledgeable. Beginning with a Vespa scooter and followed soon after by a Jawa, Ken owned a constant stream of motorcycles, and indulged in a spot of racing now and then, in between putting in marathon mileage of the road. During the ‘sixties his mode of transport was a 500cc Velocette Venom and it did daily duties as his ride-to-work machine, and on weekends would frequently undertake lengthy trips. When Oran Park opened in western Sydney, Ken was a regular spectator, riding the Velo from his home in Melbourne. The return trip would involve leaving the circuit by mid afternoon and riding all night…

The latest motorcycle on display at the National Motor Racing Museum at Bathurst is the 1977 Ducati 750SS ridden in the 1977 and 1978 Castrol Six Hour races by 9 times World Champion Mike Hailwood, and OBA editor Jim Scaysbrook. The Ducati, originally owned by Newcastle firm Moreparts, is owned by Motorcycling Australia as part of the Museum & Heritage Collection, and is displayed in the Golden Breed colours in which it raced in 1978. Museum manager Brad Owen (pictured) said it was wonderful to have such a significant machine on prominent display, especially as Hailwood raced at Bathurst in 1977/78, and Scaysbrook won the 750 Production Race at the Australian Grand Prix on Mount Panorama in 1978. Several other bikes from the MA collection are on display, including the…

The result was the ZX-10, released in 1988, and that was faster (and 16kg lighter) again. Road testers of the day had no trouble in winding the new model out to 257 km/h or 160mph in the old money. That’s quick. And with a bit of fiddling with emission controlling restrictors and carb settings, there was another 10mph if you wanted it. The engine itself owed much to the RX1000, which owed much to the GPz900R, but Kawasaki’s engineers had run the fine tooth comb, and the scales, over virtually every component in the face of ever-more stringent emission laws that sapped power and performance. Unsurprisingly, the machine oozes brute grunt, and when let loose it simply flies. If there was one common complaint with the RX1000, it was of…

The Goulburn Motorcycle Club held its first club run in November 1911. During the early years of motorcycling in Australia, many reliability runs were made to nearby towns in the district, hill climbing and speed trials being popular. In January 1914 The Imperial Cup Reliability Motorcycle contest was held from Goulburn to Braidwood and return for a donated trophy called “The Imperial Cup”. The start was from Goulburn Town Hall. Nine riders were to take part leaving at two-minute intervals. There were control stations at Tarago (23 miles), Braidwood (53 miles), with the return journey to Goulburn finishing at the Town Hall (106 miles). Riders taking part were P Denham, F Miles, J Brown, R Sands, W G Thompson, Dr Turner, L Walker, C Sheeky, T Hall (winner). This cup…

After starting from scratch six years ago, Ross and Adele Mitchell built Classic Bike Spares into a thriving business, but now it is time to move on. The new owner is Ryan Murray, a trained fitter and machinist and experienced engine reconditioner, with a keen interest in old British motorcycles. Ryan took control in December and is moving the business to commercial premises at 16/20 Mayfair Close, Morisset, between Newcastle and Gosford, NSW. The phone number (02 49384103) and email address (sales@classicbikespares.com.au) will not change. We wish Ryan all the best in his new business venture.…

Barossa Vintage Collingrove Hillclimb • 2 October, 2022 – Collingrove, SA For the third running of this event which included motorcycles, we had 13 bikes entered, four in Period 2 (Prewar) and the rest in Period 3 (Classic), as we prepared to tackle the 700 metre climb in the picturesque Barossa Valley. Unlike the previous two occasions, this time we had warm sunny weather, so quick times could be expected. Three of us had entered two bikes each, so this made for a busy time requiring an early run on one then doing a quick change of machine like a MotoGP rider when it rains. Two riders slid to earth, Geoff Eardley (500 Ariel) on his first run and Geoff Kelly (500 Gold Star BSA) on his last, after he…

Festival of Motorcycling (FOMSA) • 3-9 October, 2022 – Adelaide and environs, SA The week-long Festival of Motorcycling started with a new event – The Painted Silos ‘Enduro’ and ‘Tour’. This event was divided into two simultaneous, but separate, whole day rides. The format and routes were designed to showcase the agriculture and history of the region as well as the renowned imagery-decorated silos, which beautify what are otherwise monolithic and dull agricultural structures. Riders got to see some of the most beautiful country South Australia has to offer, with the route passing through wide-open plains, hills, wine growing areas and historic sites such as Mintaro, famous for the fine blue slate quarried there and the Victorian grandeur of Martindale Hall. The Enduro was an approximately 680km journey and The…

He had long espoused that motorists should pay for the privilege of having local roads maintained for their use – in effect a form of local road tax – and that any excess revenue be utilised for civic duties such as attending conferences and “study tours”; the favoured destinations including Saint Moritz (winter), St-Tropez (summer) and Monte Carlo (year-round). It was on one such study tour to Saint Moritz, accompanied by Deputy Mayor Josie Phlipreque, that the Mayor observed a somewhat crude, but effective device for measuring the speed of downhill skiers, and an idea was born. Back in Giggleswick, he quickly arranged a consultation with the head of Spagforth Research & Development, Albert Dipperswitch, regarding the possibility of constructing specialised vehicles that could measure the time taken to cover…

Roger was a stalwart with the local classic bike scene being a dedicated Norton enthusiast and owning a large number of classic and collectable Nortons including a Tonkin Manx. Roger had attended every All British Rallies along with many other classic bike rallies around Australia. Roger was awarded life membership to the Victorian BSA Owners Association for his tireless efforts in organizing the All British when held at Dunkeld in the southern Grampians. For more than 20 years the club rooms for the local BSA group were situated in Roger’s back yard which attracted many new members to the club. If only the walls could talk! A keen follower of Classic racing Roger attended as many meetings as he could around the country and overseas and could always be found…

Throughout his high school years, a steady diet of British motorcycle magazines only intensified Joe’s desire to own a motorcycle, so in an effort to keep Joe’s mind on his final year studies, his parents stumped up the wherewithal to buy a BSA Bantam 125. “The BSA taught me that to be a motorcyclist, you had to know how everything works so you could keep the darn thing running” says Joe. “In those days, magazines such as ‘The Motor Cycle’ – known as the blue one – and ‘Motorcycling’ – known as the green one – were full of technical articles on how to maintain your bike, soldering nipples on to cables and suchlike. At school I was studying English and History, intending to become an articled clerk and do…

When Richard Woodhead and his French mate Paul Angois set up business in Sherwood Forest, Nottingham in 1885, they planned to dive into the new but already thriving bicycle business, which they did with great success. And today, nearly 140 years later, they are still in business, having endured a rollercoaster ride during that time, manufacturing not only bicycles, but motorcycles, engine and gearboxes. Initially Woodhead, Angois and a third partner, William Ellis, were content to run a workshop servicing and repairing all makes of bicycles in Raleigh Street, but within two years announced their own ‘Safety’ model under the Woodhead, Angois and Ellis banner. Nottingham was indeed the hub of the bicycle industry in Britain, with about 15 different manufacturers operating prior to 1890. In 1888, Frank Bowden bought…

The Excelsior Supply Company was formed in Chicago in 1876 by George T. Robie, initially distributing sewing-machine parts before, in the early 1890s, it branched into the booming bicycle business. Chicago had become the centre of the American cycle industry, with thirty factories collectively churning out thousands of bikes each day. Over a million bicycles a year were produced in the USA by the turn of the century, many of them sold through department stores’ mail order shopping. But the sales boom was short-lived, as the market inevitably got saturated, so by 1905 US bicycle sales had fallen to just a quarter of their 1900 volume, not helped by a growing interest in powered two-wheelers. It was Robie’s son Frederick who persuaded his father to begin manufacturing motorcycles, establishing the…

13 bikes in the one shot. Gary Reid is quite proud of this photo taken at Amaroo Park in 1973, during the heyday of the push and shove 250 Production Class. “This was shot from the dirt mound on the outside of the track, scene of mayhem for many photographers over the years. Definitely not the safest place to shoot, but action was more or less guaranteed,” says Gary. “Also interesting is a group of spectators sitting on the wrong side of the fence.” Some of the protagonists include Bernard Carroll (107), Errol Crompton (161), Dave Lynch (173) Peter Jess (251), Wayne Culverson (65), and Peter Jones (108).…

HCMC Inter Club Championships Rd 5 • 22-23 October, 2022 – Collie Motorplex, WA A good entry turned out with strong fields across all of the classes; the Sidecars and Junior Road Racers had strong fields with all of the front runners in attendance with the exception of Jay Martin in the Juniors who was at Sepang trying out for the “Asia Cup squad for 2023”. The Sidecar action as always drew the spectators to the fence and the boys and girls certainly didn’t disappoint. Darren Nash/Ash Shields (2020 RHR 1000) took the honours in all three races but they were pushed in each race. Second overall were Rob Taylor/Dean Napier with 58 points and third were the Marshall brothers on 53 points. In the P5 Forgotten Era Sidecars Mark…

WA State Championships • 24-26 September, 2022 – Collie Motorplex, Collie, WA With perfect weather and a large entry the action on track was hard and fast over the two race days. As well as all of the Historic classes the meeting also staged a round of the WA Junior Tri-Club State Road Racing Championship. As he has done all season, Jayden Martin (Moto National Accessories Yamaha R15) dominated the day with three wins from the three races. One of the rides of the weekend was the performance of Hayden Treversh (Neil Robinson 1990 Honda RS 125GP) in the Period 6 Production/Period 6 125GP. Treversh hadn’t even seen the bike before the Saturday practice day but rode outstandingly to win all four races quite comfortably. Richard Langdon (1990 Suzuki 250),…

Mostly Ariel Rally • 9 October, 2022 – Pine Rivers, Qld With the daylight hours getting longer this rally was scheduled for an 8.30am departure and a midday return to the clubhouse. 17 Ariels arrived, ranging from 1929 through to 1958, and another 26 bikes of mostly similar period bikes to the Ariels. Organiser of the very first Ariel Rally in 2006, Kev Wheatley, brought his 1950 NH Ariel down from Toowoomba and joined in what is now the Mostly Ariel rally. The ride combined some suburban riding (mandatory to get anywhere to and from the Pine Rivers clubhouse), some sweeping, undulating 80km/h roads, some extremely steep and winding mountain roads, a short section of 100km/h straight country road, and some leisurely rural acreage backblock riding. The ride was broken…

Velocette owners Club ACT Rally • 23-25th September, 2022 – Garden City Hotel, Narrabundah ACT A dedicated group of 11 Velo riders, some with willing partners, attended a ‘Capital Rally’ in Canberra in September, based at the Garden City Hotel at Narrabundah. Velocettes included a 1947 KSS, a 1951 MAC, numerous MSS and Venoms with a Thruxton and Sportsman (both 1969) to round out the models. John Killingsworth attended on his BMW 1200 GS having ridden up from Melbourne very keen to participate. On Friday afternoon the riders took in three of the many surrounding lookouts including Mt Ainslie, visited the National Arboretum & marvelled at the excellent Bonsai display. Saturday was the long ride taking in the ‘Cotter Loop’, Tidbinbilla Tracking Station, Gibraltar Falls and cruising over lovely rural…

The annual NZ Classic Festival enjoys a massive following from people of all ages and walks of life. Many enthusiasts make it an annual pilgrimage, some travel to watch the racing or catch up with old racers and mechanics, while others simply want to check out the exquisite machinery. Whatever your reason there’s plenty of action and metal eye candy on offer over three days at Pukekohe on Saturday February 4, Sunday the 5th, and for the first time Monday the 6th. The 2023 Classic Festival will be very special as this will be the last stanza at the home of the Classic Festival because Pukekohe Park Raceway is closing down in April. With its unique atmosphere and unparalleled camaraderie, organisers of the New Zealand Classic Motorcycle Racing Register are…

Just prior to the event he posted the following message on Facebook. “G’day all, I’m Ken Phelps, entrant number 50 and I’ll be riding my 1948 Vincent HRD. I have ridden my Norvin and Vincents as my daily transport for 44 years. I have ridden the eastern half of Australia, the UK and New Zealand but never been over to the west. When the Indian Pacific Cannonball ride was announced I jumped at it. Looking forward to the ride and to the great time with all you lot.” Ken was among the 100 starters from Busselton, WA but sadly, failed to make it back to the east coast after he struck a kangaroo near Deniliquin, NSW on 23rd October and was fatally injured. He was 66 years of age. Ken…

There’s something of a Longford boom happening right now. In this issue is the review of Neil Kearney’s new book that details the history of the famous circuit, and next March, from 11th to 12th, is the Longford Grand Prix Expo set in the town itself. The Expo will include live demonstrations, industry displays, a minimoto course, family entertainment and displays of cars and motorcycles. Of course, there is still the opportunity to look around various sections of the old course, but sadly, not the two old timber bridges which have long gone. It should be a great weekend in a wonderful part of the Apple Isle.…

The CS5-E of 1972 (officially the YCS) was Yamaha’s last roll of the dice before the RD series took over with its radical and angular new styling. The CS5 had its origins in the 181cc twin that began with the YCS1 back in 1968, with styling reminiscent of its bigger R3 brother, right down to the chrome tank panels and tapering megaphone-style silencers. In fact, the CS1 had its own origins in the highly effective Yamaha AS1-D twin that first saw life in 1967 and pioneered the company’s 5-port engine design that added two auxiliary scavenging ports to the previous 3-port (intake, scavenging, exhaust) design to improve exhaust efficiency. It was also equipped with Yamaha’s Autolube direct oil supply system to eliminate manual fuel/oil mixing, twin carburettors and a 5-speed…

Honda single-handedly reversed the trend to 2-stroke trail bikes with the release of the XL250 in 1971. The four-valve engine was a gem, the chassis a marked improvement of anything else offered by the Big H up to that point. It was comfortable and reasonably competitive. But it was heavy and, unless feverishly stirred, not all that quick. And compared to the simple, practical and robust SL125, one of the best designs Honda ever produced which sold in huge numbers, especially in Australia – it was complex, at least by the standards of the day. But the XL250 could certainly cut it – witness the giant-killing performance in winning the famed Baja 1000 in 1973. That result of course was in the hands of expert riders (and tuners), capable of…

As well as their quite successful, if unorthodox 125cc racing scooters (see OBA 15), Lambretta also built a fully streamlined 125cc machine that shattered World Records when it achieved 201km/h at Montlhery in France in 1951 with Romolo Ferri in the fully-enclosed cockpit. But there was an even more interesting machine destined to wear the Lambretta badge. This was a 250cc single overhead camshaft 90-degree v-twin dry-sump, with the cylinders set across the frame and the crankshaft in line with the wheels. This design, with the cylinder heads out in the breeze, overcame an inherent problem with the usual v-twin layout where the rear cylinder was often starved of cooling air. A square bore and stroke of 54mm x 54mm gave 248cc, with a claimed power output of 27hp –…

The view is like something from a Sean Connery Bond film. Crystal clear, glass-smooth waters drift by as the road snakes its way along the base of the cliffs overlooking Mandello del Lario, the million dollar houses dotted on the hillsides matched to a billion dollar view. Mandello del Lario is famous for not just breathtaking views but motorcycles with strangely mounted motors. The transverse Vtwin is a Moto Guzzi trademark, the epochal engine elevating the niche manufacturer into a realm occupied by no one else. The $17,490 V100 Mandello S on which I’m enjoying my northern Italian dream state is significant not just in that it’s new, but because this motorcycle houses Moto Guzzi’s firstever water-cooled 90° V-twin. Dubbed the “shortblock” with its cylinder heads rotated 90° so now,…

2022 Indian Pacific Cannonball Classic • 14-27 October, 2022 – Busselton, WA to Merimbula, NSW The Indian Pacific Cannonball Classic, a cross country journey for pre 1948 motorcycles, started at the Busselton wharf in WA with a finish some 4,692 km and 14 days later at the Merimbula waterfront in NSW. It wasn’t a race but rather a ‘time trial’ so there was no need to push the pace; a serious consideration given the age and frailty of some of the bikes. Each stage had an allotted time with points deducted for exceeding the time and for outside assistance. Each day a course route was supplied with a shortest day being 162km and three days of 480km; not all that easy on these bikes especially considering the top speed for…

2022 Laverda Australia Rally • 30 September – 2 October, 2022 – Bellingen, NSW “There was movement at the station As the word had passed around, That the dreadful bloody virus had finally gone to ground, and the Laverdaisti gathered all around.” And so it was that the Laverda Australia Rally, unshackled after enforced delays could proceed with gay abandon. Well not really, factor in La Nina #3 and things were about to get real, and what a ride they had. Torrential rain, pot-holed roads, and having survived that, they then had to get across the Kalang River just out of Bellingen NSW to arrive in the camp. Staunch lot that they are, the mob arrived from as far away as North Queensland, Southern Victoria and even W.A. Mind you,…

HMCCQ Pine Rivers Twoies and Tiddlers Ride • 10 August, 2022 – Brisbane, Qld The Brisbane RNA “show holiday” has in recent years become awkward for many people to synchronise their public holiday with family and friends, as the holiday started to be shuffled to different days of the week, for the shires surrounding the State’s capital city. So, depending on where club members work can now affect their ability to attend the Pine Rivers area’s “Tiddlers and Twoies Rally” aka The Stinkwheel (Tiddlers~up to 150cc 4 stroke and Twoies~2 strokes). This year turned on absolutely perfect riding weather, and some 46 motorbikes and 2 sidecar outfits started arriving at the clubhouse from about 7.30am. The rally ran very smoothly to the first stop, and gathering point, at Bullocky Rest…