Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 118 i Old Bike Australasia

Bringing back a family heirloom Rob Hodgkinson was not yet born when his father Barry retired from racing, so he never saw that side. Barry was not just a talented rider, but part of the fabric of the sport, being a founding member of the Motorcycle Racing Club of NSW. He took up the position of Travelling Marshal at the Easter Bathurst meetings for many years, and campaigned long and hard to have motorcycle racing established at Oran Park, co-promoting the opening meeting in 1963. Barry passed away in 1996, but Rob, who became a successful businessman in his own right, to the point of co-ownership of the Wakefield Park circuit in Goulburn for a time, never lost his interest for the sport, nor for the exploits of his father.…

Col Sunderland’s JAPs Colin Sunderland is a long-term member of our local Taree and District Classic and Vintage Motorcycle Club and is highly regarded for his outstanding JAP engines mounted in duplex BSA frames. Colin was the eldest of five boys growing up on a farm outside Temora in the south-west part of NSW. When he was a youngster his father purchased a JAP speedway machine which the boys used to ride around a track they built on the property. His brother Bob later purchased a 1949 JAP machine as well that was also used on the farm. So began a long-term love affair for the Sunderland brothers with the JAP marque. Later Peter, since deceased, owned the Alf Hagon JAP Dragster which I did an article on in an…

In an era when motorcycles outnumbered automobiles and motorcycle sidecars were as common as Model ‘T’ Fords, Wal Murphy, President of the Motorcycle Club of South Australia had long advocated for a reliability trial along the lines of the highly popular events in the eastern states. The proposal was supported by Adelaide’s leading newspaper the ‘Adelaide Register’ but, in the City of Churches, the concept of competing on the Lord’s Day was considered a sacrilege. Given no leeway by the holy rollers, the organisers had no option but to start the inaugural ‘Adelaide Register 24 Hour Reliability Trial’ on the King’s Birthday Holiday in June 1924. Though there were fewer than fifty competitors, hundreds of spectators surrounded each of the most formidable obstacles along the 650km route and, with over…

Andy’s calendar Illustrations by Mike Harbar It’s that time of year when long-established UK firm Andy Tiernan Classics very collectable calendar comes out, and for 2025 it once again features the work of Melbourne artist and illustrator Mike Harbar, who works in pencil and water colour. The theme for 2025 is Royal Enfield, with everything from Flying Fleas to Constellations, plus a few from the Swiss Motosacoche stable as they shared components with Royal Enfield in the early years. As usual all monies paid for calendars will be donated in full to the East Anglian Air Ambulance. Anybody wanting to purchase multiple calendars, please email us at… AndyTiernanCalendarDonation@outlook.com Payment & postage details: UK: Cost for one calendar is £12.00 which includes UK 2nd class postage. • EU: Cost for one calendar…

Memories of Max I’ve been reading your excellent article on Max Robinson in OBA 117. As a young C grader riding in my second Bathurst in 1972 on my 1969 Norton Fastback, I was lucky enough to get to talk to Max prior to the Unlimited Production race, who was only too willing to offer advice on how to approach certain sections of the track. My memory of the results were a little sketchy but I do remember that an unusually quick CB750 came in 2nd place which caused a bit of speculation regarding its standard status, as the new 750 triple Kawasakis were meant to be unbeatable. I knew Max was riding a CB750 and I was told after the race by a friend that he thought it was…

MV sale sets record Donington’s most recent auction which ended on 22nd September was their most successful-ever motorcycle auction, says Sam Jackson of the Sydney arm of the company, based at Amaroo Park. “Almost across the board, there was very strong interest and bidding. Of course the standout was the sale of the 1973 MV Agusta 750S for $151,000, which according to marque expert Ian Falloon was the highest-ever price for an MV in Australia. But it wasn’t the only outstanding result. A 1972 Triumph Hurricane X75 went for $40,000, a Kawasaki H2 Mach IV 750 for $35,500, and a 1976 Ducati 900SS for $70,000.” The auction also contained a large quantity of items from the Speedway Garage of Tony Webb including trophies, books, badges, photographs and programmes. The famous…

North America’s primary Ducati importers, Berliner Motor Corporation, had been importing the Fabio Taglioni designed range of singles, the largest of which had a displacement of 250 cc. For 1965 Berliner requested a larger version. Taglioni stretched the 250 to 350 cc but had concerns about the reliability of the bottom end, so the Sebring was produced in a mild state of tune with soft camshafts, small valves and a restrictive 24 mm carburettor. It was a practice of Ducati at the time to name models after race circuits where they had won. Works rider Franco Farne had competed in a 251-700 cc race at Sebring in 1965 on a 350RC racer, finishing 11th overall and winning the 350 class. The Sebring was named after this race. When launched, the…

• 12–13 October 2024 – Wagga Wagga NSW. A fine sunny day greeted entrants and onlookers to our annual rally on October 12 as they arrived bright and early to register at Apex Park on the shores of Wagga Wagga’s Lake Albert. After registration, the 77 entrants caught up with old friends over coffee as they voted for the various classes, and of course held many motorcycle-related conversations. This year, as well as the usual classes, the featured class was 2 strokes, and an impressive number were entered, include an MZ, a Bultaco Metralla, a Suzuki RG500 and several “widow makers”, the Kawasaki H1 and H2. After voting was completed, the long ride headed east of Wagga through Ladysmith to a fuel stop at Tarcutta, and then on through the…

Just a note to tell you how much I enjoyed OBA 117. The Yamaha Trials Era story interested me as I did a bit of trials riding with the Frankston Club in the mid ‘60s. In those days we made our own Trials bikes and one name that comes to mind is Ian Gaff who was a very good rider on his home-made bike. Mine used a Francis Barnett 197cc Villiers engine with a strengthened frame and B.S.A. forks with one spring removed due to the light weight. When my wife and I returned to the U.K. after 7 years in Australia I sold this bike to Paul Read who later moved to Queensland. Being a motor mechanic in winter in the U.K. was something I had forgotten! My wife…

Tony Edwards Queensland identity Tony Edwards passed away on 10th October, just two months short of his 100th birthday. To describe Tony as a legend would be a major understatement, such were his racing achievements and standing within the industry. Born in England, Tony came to Australia as a child and the family settled in Brisbane. He trained as press operator/die setter and began racing in 1947 at the age of 23. Within two years Tony had won the state 350cc Dirt Track title and was making his mark not just at home but interstate. He had a brief flirtation with speedway but decided that wasn’t for him. In 1951 he acquired a 350cc Competition model Matchless in and this soon received the Edwards touch with revised bore and stroke…

A businessman with a vision Corrado Frera was born in Kreuznach, Germany in 1859. Aged 26, he moved to Milan and opened a gift and toy shop, and in 1893 opened a new shop selling rubber goods and velocipedes. In 1897 he and partners founded Corrado Frera and Co. marketing NSU motorcycles, and Swiss Zürcher and Lüthi (aka Zedel) engines. In 1898 they began assembling custom motor-bicycles. Circa 1899 the company gained the rights to represent BSA, Daimler, NSU, Darracq, Peugeot, and Zedel for all of Lombardy. They expanded to a new workshop in 1903, gaining the rights for NSU, Peugeot, Zedel etc for the whole of Italy. Corrado’s vision was to build a factory manufacturing ‘Frera’ bicycles and motor-bicycles. While visiting his brother-in-law Arturo in Tradate (NW of Milan),…

There is also new bodywork, so the Z500 has an updated appearance as well, but Kawasaki refer to the Z500 as the Naked Bike in a range of three that includes the Ninja 500 (with fairing) and the cruiser style Eliminator. All are LAMS approved. I usually find bikes of this size a bit cramped, but the Z500 was fine, although I needed all of the seat space. Like so many modern bikes, the pillion seat and the high-mounted passenger footrests provide minimal accommodation, but at least it’s there if you need it. But primarily, this is a solo (rider only) motorcycle, and it’s fun to ride. The standard tapered tubular steel handlebars seem to be wide enough and about the right height for me. The parallel twin DOHC engine…

• September 7-8, 2024, Marulan, NSW The All-Historic Pre 1962, for 2, 3, 4 wheelers race meeting, acknowledging the event that began at Sydney’s Amaroo Park in 1976, took place in September 24th. When we arrived at the track on Saturday morning it was very wet, so the organisers reversed the practise sessions and put the cars out first to dry the track out, which was a success. There were about 35 historic racing cars, 20 historic bikes and 4 sidecars. Some of the solos entered were Norton Atlas, Triumph Tritons, AJS 7R, OK Supreme, Harley WLA, Rudge Special and a very nice Velocette KTT 350. For the sidecars there were 2 Norton Atlas 750, a Harley Sportster 900 and a Triumph 650. After the rain cleared the weather was…

• 23–25 August 2024 – Grafton, NSW. The Clarence Valley Historic and Enthusiasts Motorcycle Club recently welcomed riders from as far afield as Western Australia and just over 100 bikes for their annual 3-day rally. Entries were mainly post-war, with only a half dozen vintage and post-vintage machines. An excellent line-up of 60s to 80s British machinery made for intense competition for trophies in those categories. The Friday afternoon ride of approximately 100km featured about 50 riders enjoying a run to the seaside at Minnie Water Beach for a refreshment stop and returned to a well-attended BBQ and social evening at the rally base, Grafton Showgrounds. The pre-ride People’s Choice voting and display on Saturday morning was well attended by the general community. Our entrants enjoyed an 80km ride to…

Flip your lid AGV’s new Tourmodular flip-front helmet has provision for a streamlined integrated “no-bulge” Cardo branded INSYDE communication system which fits neatly into the helmet liner; sealed control push button switches on the LHS and a USB chargeable battery pack at the rear. The system can be charged or hard-wired while in use. As with most flip-front helmets wind noise was initially noticeable but easily improved once the included chin curtain was snapped internally into the chin piece. The fit & comfort of the helmet was terrific on my initial trial of 1500km. Optional internal padding of varying thickness is available but not needed in my case. The Tourmodular features AGV’s efficient quick-connect chin strap fastening without the need for D-buckles. The 4mm, 190 degree, visor is micro-adjustable for…

Improving your engine’s performance often means hiring a costly tuner, but with the Hand Held Dyno® Ignition, you can achieve similar results by installing it yourself. Simply bolt it on – no configuration needed – and enjoy the performance gains just like the owners of these three bikes did. With our ASTS – Automatic Static Timing System and LDS – Long Duration Spark technologies we’ve made installation simple and tuned your ignition so you don’t have to. Performance may vary between bikes, depending on factors like age, wear, and the condition of the ignition system. Prices start at $1,295 +GST. Contact Mike Arnott via text +61 409 049 179 or email mike@oem.digital to make an inquiry. Ask about the limited free dyno shootout offer at Dudley’s Performance in Wyong…

CLUB SECRETARIES: Because of our lead time for printing, please ensure your listing is received at least four months prior to the event. Email your event details to… scaysbrook34@bigpond.com NOVEMBER 2024 Gulgong Swap Meet 10 November, 2024 – Gulgong Showground, NSW Set up from 9am Saturday 9th, Opens 6am Sunday. Bike, car and truck parts for sale and on display. Food, drinks available. Sellers $15, lookers $4, children free. Info: 0419 1615480. Supporting Black Dog. Australian Historic Road Racing Championships 14-17 November, 2024 – One Raceway, Goulburn NSW Come and see the best in classic motorcycle racing with Solo riders and Sidecars set to compete across all the historic racing eras, from Period 1 (machines up to 1919) up to the newly inaugurated Period 7 (1991-1999) in a variety of…