Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 125 i Old Bike Australasia

Fifteen years ago Kendal Maroney and David Reidie were busy organising a 75th Anniversary celebration of Harley-Davidson’s Knucklehead that was introduced for the 1936 model year. They had some 50 of these bikes attend with at least one of every model year in attendance. Now they are at it again with a 90th year celebration to be held in the Albury region from 27-29 March 2026. The 90th Anniversary Harley-Davidson Knucklehead Run will consist of a welcoming barbecue on the Friday evening and on Saturday a 400km ride on some of the best motorcycling roads in Australia. Lunch will be in Corryong the home of the ‘Man from the Snowy River’. The Knucklehead was one of the best touring motorcycles in its time and in whatever configuration, stock, bobbed, chopped,…

The Australian Motor Heritage Foundation (AMHF), housed in the former ARDC building outside Turn One at Sydney Motor Sport Park, has named the reference room for its motorcycle collection after 1969 250cc World Champion Kel Carruthers. Collection manager Phil Whitton says, “There were a number of individuals we considered, but Kel seemed to tick all the boxes. He hit the top ranks in Australia as a teenager and went on to totally dominate the home scene before leaving for Europe in 1966. Within three years he was World Champion, only the third Australian to achieve this. Even when his own racing career was over he was enormously influential in the careers of others, notably Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson and Wayne Rainey.” Speaking from his home in California Kel said, “I…

The founder was Francisco Xavier “Paco” Bulto who was a director of Montesa, involved in the racing department and responsible for much of the company’s technical expertise, before a disagreement as to the future of racing within Montesa saw him leave the company (along with sixteen members of the Montesa management) and establish Bultaco. These people were all experienced in motorcycle production and were valuable assets to the new venture – a ready-made team of experts. Bulto himself was already 46 years old so the younger blood was most welcome. Although he did not marry until the age of 33, he still fathered ten children, all of whom were introduced to the joys of motorcycling virtually as soon as they could walk. Bulto owned a farm where the first Bultaco,…

In the subsequent 90 years right up to today, the tele fork in all its various iterations and with ever more sophisticated damping control has become the go-to solution for front suspension on powered two-wheelers the world over, despite numerous attempts to find something better. From small volume exotica like the Bimota Tesi or Aston Martin AMB 001 to the much greater numbers represented by the Yamaha GTS 1000 or Italjet Dragster, some manufacturers – if still only a handful – have attempted to swim against the tide of telescopic orthodoxy. But so far most of them, with the notable exception of BMW’s Telelever/Duolever layouts on several of its current models, not to mention the German company’s adoption of the Earles fork from 1956-69, when it equipped 114,889 BMW singles…

HCMCWA Interclub Championships Rd 5 • 21 September 2025 – Collie Motorplex, WA Round 5 of the Inter Club Championship at the Collie Motorplex ‘Long Track’ also incorporated the 3rd Round of the ‘WA State Junior Road Racing Championships. The weather was perfect, but there were a few minor incidents during the first round of 8 races. At the start of the second round of racing there was a major incident from the start-line of Race 9 which caused a long delay, and as a result the program was reduced to just two rounds of racing for the second consecutive meeting. At this round we welcomed back Perth’s own Jayden Martin, who is riding in British Superbikes, and Josh Mathers who has been living and riding in the Eastern States.…

Wagga Classic Motorcycle Rally • 11 October 2025 – HQ Riverside Carpark, Wagga Wagga, NSW A fine sunny day greeted entrants and onlookers to the annual Wagga Classic Motorcycle Club’s annual rally as they arrived bright and early to register at the Riverside Carpark on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River. After registration, the 70 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 European (non-British), and an impressive number were entered, including BMWs, Ducatis and Moto Guzzis. After voting was completed, the long ride headed north of Wagga through Wallacetown and Marrar to a fuel stop at Coolamon, and then on through winding country…

Sunbeams in Oz Rally • 12-14 September 2025 – Killarney, Qld The quiet village of Killarney was awakened with the roar of Sunbeam motorcycles with twenty bikes turning out for the annual rally. This year’s hosts Shelley and John (Yogi) Parsons picked a most beautiful place to show off with magnificent rides through the scenic Southern Downs of Queensland. A number of the participants arrived late on Thursday and set up camp at the Killarney Views Caravan Park which was to be our headquarters for the weekend. Friday commenced with the usual catch up and comparing of ailments over a coffee whilst awaiting the arrival of some of the interstaters. With a few additions to the numbers, we saddled up and headed into Warwick to blow a few cobwebs out of…

Dubbo MotorFest • 31 August 2025 – Dubbo NSW Not even a brisk winter chill could keep the crowds away, as more than 8,000 passionate motor enthusiasts flocked to the Dubbo Showground for the third annual Dubbo MotorFest, now firmly cemented as one of NSW’s premier automotive events. From sunrise to sunset, the showground roared with excitement as thousands experienced a high-octane celebration of all things motorised. The centre arena came alive with a massive Show and Shine display, and the elite halls featured scores of cars and bikes each a stunning testament to craftsmanship and horsepower. Crowds gathered to witness live dyno tune displays, 4WD interactive displays, and jaw-dropping aerial motocross exhibitions that had hearts racing. Adding a nostalgic twist, the event also showcased some of the nation’s rarest…

The Classic Motorcycle Racing Club is promoting a unique historic racing event at Goulburn’s One Raceway. Following the success of the Australian Historic titles held in 2024, club president Greg Roberts said the club has always wanted to develop opportunities for historic race bikes and historic production bikes to race in both competition and parading to ensure the bikes and riders get out on track. The club has taken a leaf from what is happening in classic circles in the UK and Europe and has combined an event that will see Superbike Masters, Classic race bikes, BEARs and parading over three days in March 2026. Greg said that the event will feature practice, qualifying timing and racing over a full three days, in order to ensure riders get the maximum…

Entries for the 2026 Bathurst Easter Tour open in late November, with a new-look organising committee following more than fifty years under the banner of the Vintage Motorcycle Club of Australia (NSW) Inc. The event coordination is now under the auspices of the Bathurst Motor Cycle Enthusiasts Club, although the format will be very similar to 2025. The biggest change is the relocation of Rally HQ to the historic Bathurst Showground, where the tour will start and finish each day, and where the popular ‘happy hour’ will take place each afternoon. Following the success of the largely informal PAYG dinner at Bathurst RSL in 2025, this will again take place on the Thursday 2nd April 2026. Clyde Ikin will remain as Event Registrar and can be contacted by email at…

TERRY GALLAWAY passed away on July 7th at his home in Emu Plains, New South Wales, at the age of 85, with his family by his side. Terry leaves behind his wife Coral and children Shaun, Kelvin (dec), Karen and Peta. Terry was introduced to motorcycles at about the age 16. He rode and raced bikes in many forms right through into his 70s, when ill health intervened. Motorbikes were a passion he never outgrew. He began racing solo Short Circuit in Brisbane, with the Kedron Motorcycle Club, where he honed the art of speed and skill and the connection between man and his machine. Through fortuitous circumstances his sidecar career kicked off in 1963, when he was asked to ride as passenger for Ronnie Tanner on his Norton Dominator…

Once the initial excitement of the NSU/Wankel rotary engine abated somewhat in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the rotary concept appeared to have completely lost favour with major motorcycle manufacturers, at least in Europe. But it was not quite a dead duck in Japan. Honda built and tested a prototype, named the CRX, Kawasaki came up with the X-99 and built several ‘mules’, while Yamaha went even further and publicly released the twin-rotor RZ-201 at the 1972 Tokyo Motor Show. Meanwhile, in Germany, the giant Sachs/Hercules concern was seriously gearing up for production of the W-2000 (see OBA 122). When the covers were whipped off the Yamaha RZ-201 to gasps and universal applause at the Tokyo Show, it took the wind out of the other Japanese efforts. Ironically, Suzuki…

Up till then, the speedway three-wheelers had been dominated by Vincent and earlier, 880 JAPengined machines, but Grocott and Sullivan were mounted not on a big v-twin, but on a bike powered by a 3-cylinder Kawasaki 2-stroke. Pretty soon, to the horror of the stalwarts, the two strokes were the thing to have, and just about everyone had one. One rider that had regularly challenged the Vincent domination in the 1960s was Doug Tyerman, from Punchbowl in Sydney’s south-west, who performed miracles with his 650cc Triumph. But after Grocott’s sensational victory in 1972, even Doug saw the writing on the wall, or perhaps the mud spattered fence of his home track, the Sydney Showground. He joined the two stroke ranks not on a Kawasaki, as many did, but with a…

Torakusu Yamaha was born in 1851 into a family with a strong technical leaning. His father was an astronomer and young Torakusu devoured his library of books on astronomy, leading to a fascination with technology. At just twenty years of age, Torakusu headed to Nagasaki where he studied watch making and subsequently medical equipment. That led to a move to Osaka to work in the medical equipment repair industry. To make ends meet he continued with watch repairs and quickly built a clientele for his services in Hamamatsu, which was then quite a small town. By chance, word of his technical skills reached the head of the local primary school, who asked him if he could fix the school’s European-built reed organ, which had broken down. Although he had no experience…

Australia wallops the world It was a red-letter week for Australia when two of the FIM’s premier events fell to Australian teams. Repeating its 2024 victory, the Australian squad of brothers Hunter and Jett Lawrence, ably backed up by Kyle Webster, thrashed the world’s best riders to win the 2025 Motocross of Nations, held on USA’s home soil at Crawfordsville, Indiana on October 5th. The unique team event pits riders from each country who compete across three classes: MXGP, MX2, and Open, for the Chamberlain Trophy. Hosts USA finished second ahead of France and Belgium. Hunter Lawrence won both his races, taking the award for the best MX Open Rider. After waiting 77 years for its first victory, Australia has now won two in a row. On October 4, the…

In October 1953, the 3.7 mile Gnoo Blas public road circuit at Orange in Central Western NSW staged the second of what transpired to be a total of just three motorcycle meetings, and Barry Grover and Ray Shaw were keen to be part of the field. By this stage Barry had acquired a Triumph Tiger 100 while Ray had his KSS, and they managed to borrow a trailer from the speedway sidecar rider Bert Martin to transport the bikes to the meeting, behind an MG TC owned by another Cammeray member Bernie Williamson. Both failed to make the results after machine failures. Although Barry’s racing career ended just six months later after a serious crash at Bathurst, Ray had decided to press on, and replaced the KSS with a BSA Gold…

2025 Queensland Historic Road Race Championships 10-11 September, 2025 – Morgan Park Raceway, Warwick, Qld. The annual Wynnum Marine Queensland Historic Road Race Championships at Warwick’s Morgan Park Raceway lived up to expectations as the highlight event of the State’s classic motorcycle race calendar. Hosted by the Queensland Early Motorcycle Sports Club Inc (QEMSC) the event drew record entries and welcomed its strongest-ever contingent of interstate riders. About 120 competitors and 180 bikes attended, providing highly competitive racing over the two days. Unfortunately riders had to contend with a slightly wet and slippery track on day one, and wild westerly winds on day two. This year’s championships were the fourth to be held at Morgan Park mid-week; and while there were initial doubts about hosting the event outside ‘normal’ race days,…

2025 FoMSA Motorcycle Ride Week • 5 October 2025 – South Australia The first Motorcycle Ride Day on October 5 to the Balhannah Swapmeet, led by the 59 Club, was in glorious riding weather and the Swapmeet attendance was testimony to that with good attendance by sellers and buyers. Despite the prefect weather, numbers were down on the heyday of swapmeets. Internet sales methods have no doubt contributed to that. There was a prize draw at the beginning of each ride to add to each day’s entertainment. After the swapmeet, participants proceeded to the Collingrove Hillclimb in time for lunch to enjoy viewing a succession of classic machines, cars and bikes, attacking the twisty narrow Hill Climb track. Particularly noted were the one-off specials in the air-cooled engine class which…

Grafton Rally • 15-17 August 2025 – Grafton Showground NSW Over 100 entrants from NSW, Victoria and Queensland gambled against the continued wet north coast weather and gathered for the Clarence Valley Historic and Enthusiasts Club annual Rally held on the third weekend of August. Three days of perfect riding weather was the welcome reward. Friday featured a shakedown loop ride of 100km, following the Clarence River through cane fields ripe for harvest, then west through the rapidly developing macadamia region and returning via the Summerland Way to our base at the Grafton Showground. This rally features an ‘entrant’s choice’ voting system in categories from pre-war to post-1996, with all entered bikes presented for display from early Saturday morning at the base. That completed by 9.45 am, the major ride…

I first met JEFF CURLEY when I was just starting off in my racing career during the mid-sixties. He was riding the Harold Carter Triumph and was a top flight B-Grader. In those days that meant a really good, fast, rider. Jeff was all of that. Over time I got to know him reasonably well and it was always a pleasure to talk with him. Jeff had a “can do” attitude and always seemed to be in a great frame of mind. I never saw him get testy with anyone. Perhaps his professional life as a police officer gave him that outlook. Whatever it was Jeff was the epitome of the sixties/seventies rugged motorcycle racer. Nothing was ever too much trouble. I still have memories of Jeff one time at…

In road trim the 1926 AA Peashooter had a three-speed hand-change gearbox with chain final drive, weighed 119kg, and had an approximate top speed of 96kp/h. The chassis consisted of a loop cradle frame with springer leading link 25mm travel telescopic front forks. A single rear brake was fitted on 20” diameter wheels. The coil ignition single cylinder engine was either a small air-cooled side-valve or OHV 346cc unit, and the Peashooter name stuck due to its unique sounding staccato exhaust note – derived from the old kids’ toy where dried peas were blown out of a tube. The motor produced 8-10hp using two camshafts. The 350 was also known as Twenty One, due to the 21 cu. inch engine capacity. The Peashooter was made primarily for export, however two…

As can be expected after seventy years, few examples of the YA-1 exist, and of these, New York state Yamaha dealer Bob Weaver has not one, but two of the seminal models. He explains how this passion came out. “I’m an avid motorcycle enthusiast. I’ve ridden, collected and restored motorcycles for 60 years. I’ve been a dealer for 55 years. Over the years I’ve sold Hodaka, Montesa, DKW, Husqvarna, Maico, Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, Buell, Ducati and others. I bought my first Yamaha YA-1 from Tamworth Yamaha in the UK in May 2008. I was looking to buy an original R7 from them and I saw the YA-1 in the background in the photos they sent. I asked if it was for sale, we struck a deal on both bikes and…

Such was the tank on a recently purchased FJ1200 which found its way into my shed in a shambled state of disassembly. The tank was open, having no cap, the fuel pickup and level sensor removed, and was sitting atop the bike frame which whilst under-cover, was still exposed to the elements. The inside surface was very consistently covered in good ol’ red, textured surface rust. I could see that it had well bitten into a couple of spots, however was unknown as to whether it had broken through anywhere. When it comes to rust removal/treatments there are just so many options. Citric acid (being one of the most common), acetic acid, hydrochloric acid, CLR which are all low cost options – the issue with these is that acid tends…

Ray Owen Bike Show • 13 September 2025 – Canungra Showgrounds, Qld After a day and a half of physical preparation, the Tamborine Mountain Area of HMCCQ members was ready for the big day – the original May date having been rained out. Thanks go to the Palen Creek inmates who were assigned to help. A big pat on the back must go to all our members for the selfless effort in the setup, then backing up on the day, manning entry gates, unloading bikes, aiding food vendors and swap entries. We wouldn’t have coped without the Scenic Rim Cadets manning the carpark duties and then helping with the fence removal and storage at the end of the big day. The administration was handled by Ian and Sue Whiteman and…

Macquarie Towns Show Day • 14 September 2025 – Macquarie Park, Windsor NSW Once again the Macquarie Towns Restoration & Preservation Club staged its public display on the banks of the Hawkesbury River in historic Windsor. Under perfect weather, around 110 members’ bikes turned out, along with a healthy line up of visitors’ motorcycles. From 10am the ground (which had dried out completely after Sydney’s mid-week deluge) were alive with spectators, with a constant stream of riders from far and wide arriving for a look at the free show. The display machines ranged from 1915 up to 2015 – a neat century of progress, with classes for everything from mini bikes and Postie bikes, a very healthy display of competition models, and some fairly modern motorcycles. Promptly at 1.30pm, the presentation…

Moto Giro Australia • 28-31 August 2025 – Imbil, Qld The fifteenth annual Moto Giro Australia hosted by the Ducati Owners Club of Queensland was held at Imbil Camping Retreat in South East Queensland. The rally specifically caters for classic Italian motorcycles up to 500cc and 1978 manufacture. Thirty-seven riders from South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland mustered to take part in four days of riding back country roads through beautiful hinterland scenery. This year the rally garnered generous sponsorship by Anthony Amstrong from Motorcycles Are Us, Leo Yip from Ellaspede Custom Motorcycles, Ben Clark from AMX Virginia and Matt Scott from Clean Ride. This ongoing support underpins the success of the Moto Giro Australia and enables the rally to remain an iconic event on the Australian motorcycling…