Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 120 i Old Bike Australasia

The KTM Konundrum “Too big to fail” is an expression that gained particular prominence in the Global Financial Crisis of 2007. Put simply, it implied that big banks and financial institutions were more than individual entities, so vital that to allow them to collapse would send shock waves throughout the entire global economy. Which it did, despite pleas for government support. One argument against such bailouts was put forward by economist Alan Greenspan who said, “If they’re too big to fail, they’re too big.” We are now facing a similar meltdown in the motorcycle industry, with KTM, the seemingly irrepressible juggernaut that grew from humble beginnings in rural Austria to be the shining light in virtually every form of the sport except speedway, halted in its tracks and placed in…

One man’s shed Over the Christmas break I managed to get some time in with some interstate travelling and visited some other folk involved in the motorcycle scene. One lucky enthusiast had a range of Vincents, a V Twin Matchless, an Excelsior Manxman, a 7R AJS and a Manx Norton. I was fortunate to be able to take a few photos and spend a bit of time admiring the range. The lucky owner explained that he grew up in Melbourne, but has not lived there for years now. He explained that in his early years money was short and he had a number of learner’s permits without ever getting much in the way of his own vehicles. Eventually he acquired a GSX 750 Suzuki and fell in love with the…

A press release issued by Historic Winton on 17th January states: “The 48th Historic Winton, to be held on 24th and 25th May 2025 at Winton Motor Raceway, will run without motorcycles for the first time. John Kessner from the Austin 7 Club, chairperson of the organising committee, said plans were underway to incorporate additional car racing events into the existing program, broadening the scope of this iconic Australian historic motorsport meet. He said that for many years, the event has seen fruitful collaboration between the Austin 7 Club Inc (Vic) and the Historic Motorcycle Racing Association of Victoria (HMRAV) to include motorcycle races in the program. However, upgraded safety standards and stringent track permit conditions set by the motorcycle insurers will require some modifications to the Winton Motor Raceway…

I was informed by Lester’s wife Lyn that he passed away on the 9th February from liver cancer, after a long illness. He was 92 on 11th January. He spent the last two weeks in Mt Druitt hospital in palliative care. I had been a close friend of Lester’s for 67 years and enjoyed swapping many humorous stories with this entertaining man. I have never heard a bad word spoken about him, and he was one of the best known figures in the motorcycle industry. Lester was also very well known as an actor and presenter of many successful stage shows, and did many TV ads, the latest ad was the Helga bread ad, and a few movies. During the ‘60s and ‘70s the Bathurst bike crowds were entertained by…

BOB BLYTHE, who passed away on 20th December, 2024 aged 80, was a man with a vision. He wanted to establish a classic racing formula that was acceptable right around the world. After returning from Daytona in 1997, he set about making that happen. “I wanted to have a formula where bikes could come over from the UK or USA and not have people arguing about the rules and what was eligible.” Bob called his concept the International Formula Four-Stroke and he booked a date at Eastern Creek (now Sydney Motor Sport Park) in February 1998. Although he worked tirelessly to find sponsorship there was precious little money in the kitty, but he chose to go ahead anyway – the initial meeting financed almost entirely by his business, Renault Services…

Born in Melbourne and trained as a mechanic, Mal quickly realised he wanted to race motorcycles, which was understandable since the family home was practically beside the Fishermans Bend circuit in central Melbourne. He joined the Sandringham club and acquired a sprung-hub Triumph Speed Twin and later a well-used and chronically unreliable 350 B31 BSA. The BSA stayed together to give him a third place in the Junior Non Expert race at Bathurst in 1962, but he knew if success were to come his way, he needed better tackle. Fortunately, a chance visit to the Beanham family’s business Modak in Melbourne’s then-thriving Elizabeth Street served up the perfect solution. “Beanham had an almost new 1961 model 350cc Manx Norton. It had been brought to Australia by an English immigrant, who…

The bike in question is a Royal Enfield Classic 350. A single cylinder, entry level, commuter. Casting my mind back to my early motorcycling years I spent time on a 350 Jawa twin. Good formative years. The heart of this little bike is a single cylinder, four stroke engine. As long as you keep in mind what its design intent is you won’t be disappointed. It is a willing performer. No tacho to keep revs in view, just a speedometer. It’s easy to row it along with a very smooth five-speed gearbox. What you say, no sixth gear? Nup, doesn’t need it. The ratio spread has been well chosen and the shift is silky smooth, with neutral easily found and no obvious false neutrals. You can rev the engine or…

”MacPark”, Mt Gambier, is a popular track amongst many racers, in part to the grippy nature of the surface and in part to the friendly atmosphere that seems to permeate at every race meet. It is where the South Australian Historic Road Race Championships are held each year on the weekend between Christmas and New Year. As we all know, the weather at this time of year can be quite unpredictable varying between temperatures in the high 30s to low 20s and rain. Neither of the extremes being conducive to fun racing. This year saw a wet practice on Saturday morning. Another feature of MacPark is even in the wet the track is quite grippy with the added bonus of how quickly the track disperses water, and by the afternoon…

My wife Jenny and I, along with two other members, Roger McGregor and Allen Willis, of the Classic Enthusiasts Motorcycle Club, based in Wollongong and Albury, were lucky enough to attend the New Zealand Vintage and Veteran Motorcycle Club Rally on the North Island. We travelled the 450km to Palmerston North with the Christchurch Vintage and Veteran Motorcycle and Car Club. We have a long association with the club after attending a rally in 2011 in Oamaru. Because of the cost of shipping our own bikes to NZ, a request was sent to the Oamaru rally organisers to ask if any of our Kiwi cousins would lend our 6 attendees bikes for the rally, and we would reciprocate, if they chose to come to OZ. Fortunately, they agreed to lend…

Sleeping beauties Classic bikes often spend quite some time patiently waiting for their next outing, so when that comes, you need to know your scoot will start, every time. That’s where the Predator Raptor battery comes in. Designed and developed in Australia, Raptor batteries have a unique ‘Shake and Wake’ vibration sensor feature which enables a hibernating battery to be woken up. The battery goes into a ‘hibernation’ phase during periods of inactivity to preserve the battery’s energy reserve, and all you need to do to wake it up is to give the bike a shake, or even a gentle nudge, and you’re ready to go. The hibernation delay can be varied from one day to forty five days before the battery will go to sleep. A button on the…

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 MARCH All British Day 2 March, 2025 – Echunga Showgrounds, SA Celebrating British cars & motorcycles. Contact Jamie Morgan, Mb: 0418 843 959 or Em: secretary@allbritishday.com All Historic Day 9 March, 2025 – Pheasant Wood Raceway, Marulan, NSW. $30 licence also carries over to September meeting. Contact Scott Wood 0428 743 847. Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club National Rally 14-16 March, 2025 – Nuriootpa, SA (same as 2024). See vjmc.org.au for updates and entry forms when available. Maleny Motorcycle Swap 15 March, 2025 – Maleny Showgrounds, Qld Saturday only, hosted by Sunshine Coast HMCCQ, Free parking inside grounds. Entry $10 per person,…

Remembering Tony Regarding Tony Edwards (Under the Chequered Flag, OBA 118), I grew up in Brisbane and got to know Tony through my father when they both worked a Markwell Brothers. My father machined the alloy barrel for Tony’s 350 Matchless and Tony always said he was the best machinist in Brisbane. When Markwell Brothers imported a G45 Matchless, Tony was under the impression that he would be racing it, so when Markwells sold the bike he was fairly unhappy and left them to start his own shop. When I was 15 Tony gave me a job at his shop on Kingsford Smith Drive in Mayne. There I crashed a customer’s outfit into a truck and Tony saw the accident. Luckily I was not badly injured and was expecting a…

To celebrate the 50th running of the VMCC’s Easter Bathurst Tour, a gala dinner is being held at the Bathurst RSL Club on Thursday 17th April. Organiser Hans Sprangers says it will be an informal evening, beginning at 6pm. “We have a room booked in the RSL club where everyone can order and pay for meals as they wish,” says Hans. “The evening will recognise the people who have been behind this rally through the last fifty years, and we will have some presentations to them.” The Easter Tour commences on Sunday 13th April with a ride out to Trunkey Creek Hotel for lunch and concludes on the following Sunday with a short ride to O’Connell. Enquiries: Clyde Ikin Ph: 0401 773 042 or email: mailto:Bathursteastertour@gmail.com Subscription enquiries For all…

Motorcycle racing lost a well-respected and dedicated Clubman in December with the passing of British-born GORDON MARX, aged 89. Gordon loved all to do with motorcycling especially Dirt Track and Speedway. He was involved in motorcycle racing in the UK before relocating to Australia, firstly joining the Central Motor Cycle Club and then Bankstown Wiley Park Motor Cycle Club. During his time at BWPMCC, he became involved in the club’s management and from 1983 he was the Dirt Track Director and Nepean Motor Sports Club Director. He was elected President in 1989 and granted Life Membership in 1990. Gordon was very active during his time at Nepean Raceway with organisation and officiating at many Club to Open race meetings including the King of Nepean. Gordon moved to Pimpama on the…

Many give the plug no thought at all until it stops sparking, while those of more curious bent – particularly those wrestling with getting an old classic percolating – may ponder the esoterica of plug lore, probing into areas such as heat range, plug type, reach and gap. Today we’re spoilt for brand choice with a plethora of plugs beyond the ubiquitous NGK, but ‘way back when’ it was a different story. The birth of that ‘bright spark’ is wrapped in controversy. There’s a devoted faction that claims the honour of inventing the first spark plug rightly belongs to one Edmond Berger in 1839, though there’s scant information to confirm this, as the man seems never to have bothered with patenting his invention. An opposing school of thought poo-poos this,…

The Cootamundra Showgrounds came alive with the smell of freshly prepared egg and bacon rolls, coffee and tea supplied by our local Can Assist branch, wafting through the air before being beautifully awoken by the sounds and smells of the 60 pre-1955 motorcycles that had lined up in chronological order prior to the rider briefing and welcoming from the club president Jeff Price. The “Ton Plus Two Rally” was ready to roll. The first leg took riders through lovely country roads to our drinks break at Stockinbingal, a lovely village in the Cootamundra Shire. After a regroup, a maintenance stop, we then travelled to the Aviation Museum Town of Temora for lunch provided by the local car club at the Coursing Club. Excellent. The homeward leg provided a challenge for…

The 2025 Bridgestone Festival of Speed will take place at Sydney Motor Sport Park on March 8th and 9th. The ARDC will be holding a practice day on the Friday 7th. Classes run from Period 2 (including Class C) to Period 7, Buckets Motolite, Superlite, Commuterlite, Productionlite and Unchained F1, plus Historic and Modern Sidecars. “Racing format has changed from previous years from 1 qualifying and 3 races per category to 1 qualifying and 5 races over the two days,” says PCRA president Ken Lindsay. “This is an attempt to offer competitors and spectators better value for money. Spectator entry is via a cash donation at the pit entrance. There will be a “donation barrel” positioned prominently. Camping is available at the circuit. “Our major sponsor is again Bridgestone, but…

The date of 13th to 16th of November is locked in, following on from the Southern Classic hosted by HMRAV the previous weekend. The event is coming together at these early stages, and we are looking forward to a week of awesome Historic racing at Broadford. Additional facilities will be brought in to ensure there are plenty of amenities to cater for an expected bumper entry list. Camping at the venue between the two events will be free, taking away another of those financial burdens of competing. We will be looking forward to a strong field of Period 2 Hand Shifter Harleys and Indians along with championship fields in all categories right up to Period 7. We are hoping to have additional covered pit extensions for rent at the upper…

BACK ISSUES NOW AVAILABLE PLEASE NOTE: ISSUES 1-8, 10-26, 28-30, 32, 34-37, 39, 42-45, 47-49, 51-52, 58, 60-62, 66 AND 67 HAVE SOLD-OUT AND ARE UNAVAILABLE FOR BACK-ORDER. Visit subscribe online anytime mymagazines.com.au or call 1300 361 146 for full issue details and pricing. Copies available as indicated at the time of going to print.…

There were three bolts, two serviceable, one bent and one missing, and I needed four. It was while making the required two other bolts that I started cogitating (something that working on a circa late 1950s manual metal lathe will allow) …where the missing one went (after 50-100 years)? As most of us have no doubt experienced, buying vintage motorcycles and parts more often than not involves hauling away the parts that have been stored in old plastic milk crates with their multiple holes dropping multiple (and much needed) parts, akin to a pigeon leaving its droppings or a dog marking its territory. It’s a phenomenon reminiscent of the household dryer that tends to send at least one sock of a matching pair into the ether, never to be found…

The Vintage Motorcycle Club of Tasmania at the historic town of Oatlands, on the shores of Lake Dulverton, was the 39th running of the event which for many years has been one of the premier motorcycling shows in Tasmania. As usual the quality and diversity of machines on display was second to none, as despite its small population, Tasmania has a huge motorcycle fraternity and world-class examples of bikes turn out for the event. There was a cornucopia of British marques including Brough Superiors, Vincents, Triumphs and BSAs, plus an equally great selection of American and Italian bikes. The Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club also put on an impressive display and two-time Australian Superbike champion, Malcolm Campbell, was in attendance with his immaculate CB 1100R. The show traditionally covers the full…

This is a friendly little rally and post-Covid is growing a little each year while retaining its charms. Leave Oberon in any direction and there are twisty country roads through the hills and valleys and this year the country was looking particularly beautiful. There was a small increase in numbers at this rally where we had 27 riders and a total of 33 attended. Check in was on Friday afternoon at the rally base in Jenolan Caves Caravan Park, Oberon and the weather was still dry, but with dire predictions of storms. Saturday morning dawned with misty showers and the hope was that this would clear by the start at 9:30am. After a BBQ breakfast in the common area the marshals ventured out to mark the corners and road conditions…

The pursuit of Excellence By John Woodley with input and insight by Charley Lamb 108 pages soft cover Photos – The John Woodley Collection Publisher – Carolyn Copland ISBN. – 978-0-473-72085-8 Price: $35NZ + $5 Postage. Australian postage $6 untracked, $20 tracked To order: Email: nanasraceart@gmail.com Nothing very original about the title, which has been used by many entrepreneurial authors over the years. But this one is a little different, being more of John’s life-story in format, rather than an inspirational tome. John’s great desire to be successful in whatever he does, his ‘Pursuit of Excellence’, comes through strongly, but always, it seems, tempered by misfortune, lack of funds or perhaps a failure to come to terms with disappointment along the way. His commitment though to the job in hand…