Retrobike

IF THERE are two common threads to my lifelong obsession with motorcycles, they are Nortons and Ducatis. Ever since 1978 when I upgraded to my first Commando, and 1982 when I bought my first 900SS, there’s almost always been one or the other in the s

IT’S fair to say that most clubman race bikes are built to do a job rather than win trophies in a concours, and land speed racers are no different. While there are enough exceptions to prove the rule, many race bikes pass the 50m test but present as

THE revered Norton ‘featherbed’ frame has played host to many engines over the years, including a long line of single- and twin-cylinder Nortons, of course. But the urge to squeeze in something different between those hallowed frame rails has always

THE Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium is said to be one of the most picturesque racetracks in the world, as well being among the longest and fastest. Best known these days as the host track of the Belgian Formula 1 GP, Spa also has a rich motor

FRIEDEL Münch was a former Luftwaffe aircraft mechanic who, in the early 1960s, began designing an inline four-cylinder motorcycle based on a pair of Horex Imperator vertical twins atop a common crankcase. He’d cut his engineering teeth during German

WE FIRST spied this amazing CX500 cafe racer at the 2018 Laverda Concours in Brisbane. Its minimalist profile, perfect stance and eye-catching yellow paintwork captured our attention and drew us in for a closer look. Wow, there’s some work in this on

DESPITE being no longer in production, the number of CT110 Honda postie bikes getting around seems to be multiplying like rabbits, with plenty out in force for the 5th Annual Postie Bike Nationals held in September last year in Maitland in the NSW Hu

THE BIG LEBOWSKI is a 1998 crime comedy from the Coen brothers starring Jeff Bridges as pot-smoking slacker, 10-pin bowling enthusiast and all-round legend Jeffrey Lebowski, known to all and sundry as The Dude. He also goes by His Dudeness, Duder or

TWO-TIME World Superbike champion Troy Corser marked the 20th anniversary of the Goodwood Revival on September 8-9 by thundering to victory in the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy — the world’s most prestigious historic road race — which this year catere

WE don’t see a lot of custom bikes built around Norton Commandos, especially compared with classic Triumphs. There is a reason for this. At first glance elegantly simple, Commandos are relatively complex beasts, especially in terms of their ‘Isolasti

"ULTIMATELY, I think this build is about mateship,” Joel Davies says of his stunning 50th Anniversary Bonneville reimagined as a two-wheeled tribute to Norse god Thor, aka the God of Thunder. “It just so happens that we got to build a bike in the pro

SOUPING up bikes and cars was a passion for the Kelly brothers, Terry and Neil, and in 1974 Neil took his passion to the track aboard a Yamaha RD350, racing against the legendary Tom Gibson and Queensland champion Barry Lemon and more than matching i

MOTORCYCLING can be a serious business, motorcycle racing even more so. Lining up on a snarling grid populated by aggressive bastards who all want to beat you into the first corner is for many an intimidating experience. It gets worse as the noise in

TONY Bianco has owned more than 125 bikes over the past 50 years, including many iconic models like OHC Velocettes, Vincents and even a Brough Superior, as well as many Japanese bikes. He is a prolific custom bike builder in many styles, and does it