Issue 78

Old Bike Australasia

For motorcycle enthusiasts, young and old.

Old Bike Australasia2 min readSocial Science
Escape Mechanisms
In today’s cautious and litigious society, it is imperative to avoid providing a direct answer, no matter what the question. In order to facilitate the process of sidestepping any verbal communication, certain words have crept into the lexicon and th
Old Bike Australasia14 min readAutomotive
Blow Your Own
The Ariel Leader and Yamaha 500 twin articles (OBA 76) rang a few bells. As a 16 year old I learned to ride on an Ariel Leader in Dorset, England. It was my father’s and he never said a word when he found me quietly putting it away after a ride. So I
Old Bike Australasia2 min readAutomotive
Classic Cob out In The Shed
The Classic Riders Club of Goulburn conducted their annual swap on Sunday 20th January which saw some 250 site holders with 1,400 buyers coming through the gates. There was a good variety of American, European, British and Japanese machines and parts
Old Bike Australasia6 min read
Buzz Box Old Bike News
• IFOS 2019 • RACING BARBAGALLO • KEN LUCAS AOM • The recent complete resurfacing of Perth’s Barbagallo Raceway may herald a return of motorcycle racing to the circuit. The entire 2.42km lap received a fresh coating of a compound called Stone Mastic
Old Bike Australasia5 min readAutomotive
Under the Chequered Flag
It may seem a way off, but entries are now open for the 2019 Australian Historic Road Racing Championships at Collie Motorplex in Western Australia from 28-30 September. Hosted by the Historic Competition Motorcycle Club of WA, the meeting will see c
Old Bike Australasia9 min readAutomotive
Southern Star
Born on 5th May 1942, Dave left school at 14 to take an apprenticeship as a motorcycle mechanic at J.N. Taylor, the South Australian BSA agents based in Adelaide. He loved being around motorcycles but it was racing that really had his attention. “I w
Old Bike Australasia9 min readAutomotive
Twin Cam With A Twist
At first sight Phil Price’s latest Velocette looks like another well prepared 350cc KTT from his collection, however on closer inspection, if you know about racing Velocettes, you realise that this is a very unusual machine. It is a copy of a 1936 Do
Old Bike Australasia8 min readAutomotive
Built Like A gun?
FN – standing for Fabrique Nationale (d'Armes de Guerre) – manufactured the world's first production four-cylinder motorcycle, was noted for the use of shaft final drive on the majority of its models built from 1903 to 1923 (rather than the cheaper a
Old Bike Australasia4 min readAutomotive
A Day On The Green
Tony Morisset, a serious collector himself, usually organises a bunch of people who bring along their bikes for me to check out, and this visit had a distinctly Moto Guzzi theme. In fact, variations on a theme; four of the big transverse 90º V-twins
Old Bike Australasia4 min readAutomotive
A Pair Of Lefties
Tony’s workshop is fairly bristling with projects, many of which have their origins in the collections of his late father Cliff, an identity of the Newcastle dirt track scene. Cliff saved many an apparent pile of junk from the scrap heap, but it tran
Old Bike Australasia5 min read
The Quest In The Quarry Sleeps Hill Adelaide, SA
Before the shepherd Samuel Sleep arrived with his wife and seven children around 1840, the area was known as Brownhill Creek. During his stay it became known as Sleeps Hill and later Angas Park. Sleep made a quick fortune in the Victorian Gold Fields
Old Bike Australasia11 min readAutomotive
Time For A Change
Leaving the Grand Prix two-strokes aside, Honda had initially embarked on a four-cylinder Vee formation four-stroke with the NR500 racer, first seen in 1980. Except that the NR500, while technically a V4 to comply with the FIM regulations that stipul
Old Bike Australasia7 min readAutomotive
The Prince Of Scooters
Sold under the model designation of Tourist, the Heinkel scooters quickly developed a reputation for excellent quality and attention to detail. Five models would come out of the German factory in the 13 years of production and many are still in use.
Old Bike Australasia3 min readAutomotive
Old BIKE Out‘n’about
Peter Burn writes: Recently I took my old triumph to work. While parked in the warehouse a BMW riding work mate took offence to its charm, personality, quality and design excellence by surrounding it in an emergency oil spill kit. I just wanted to sh
Old Bike Australasia4 min read
One Day To Remember
It was 1976 and I was 12 years old and had owned my Honda XR75 for four years. My sister Sue had her Honda MR50 and my father John was a happy engineer (well, as happy as motor engineers get) as he had not only a Vincent Series C Rapide but had final
Old Bike Australasia3 min readAutomotive
The Roaring Twenties return
The event has been organised by Ken Vincent for the Pre-31 Section of the Vintage Motorcycle Club of Western Australia for the past seven years, and attracts machines from the 1900s through to the end of 1930. Some of these machines are rarely seen,
Old Bike Australasia2 min readAutomotive
Entering The TRW Tomb
The mystery dates back a long way, but from Michael’s research it appears that the two bikes – engine number 57-93741, and engine number 57-93682 were imported from USA by Trevor Standing from Mount Morgan, Queensland in 1985. Standing had actually p
Old Bike Australasia3 min read
Australia Withstands US Attack
Although the Great Britain team was missing, the 2019 running of the International Classic at Phillip Island was a cracking event, with some outstanding performances and superb racing across most classes. The headline event drew teams from defending
Old Bike Australasia2 min readAutomotive
NZ Festival turns 40
Born in 1979 to race and preserve Pre-1963 British, European and American motorcycles, New Zealand’s legendary Classic Festival has grown to include all pre-1989 race bikes, including Japanese. The Pukekohe circuit itself has seen similar change over
Old Bike Australasia2 min read
Viva Bultaco
Club Bultaco has held a rally every year since the founding of the club in 1998 by Tony Ceglinski, the Club’s El Presidente up until he tragically died two years ago following a motorcycle accident. The first rally was held in 1999 on a property at H
Old Bike Australasia2 min readAutomotive
Tiddler Party
The SHVC’s 7th Annual Tiddlers Rally for machines less than 250cc and greater than 30 years old drew 57 entries with 55 bikes participating. This was an increase in numbers from 2017 and demonstrates the increasing interest in the older tiddler. This
Old Bike Australasia2 min readAutomotive
Panheads On Parade
Moruya was the place to be in early November 2018 with over 70 Harley-Davidson Panheads making their way there to celebrate 70 years of this classic model. The first Panhead was introduced in 1948 with a springer front end. The “Hydra-Glide” was intr
Old Bike Australasia4 min readAutomotive
Royal Enfield 650 Twins Meet The Chennai Twins
For after teasing everyone with the preview of the models at the Milan Show in late 2017, little was heard for almost a year. During that 12 months, changes were made, both internal and external, including a front end revision in the interests of bet
Old Bike Australasia3 min readAutomotive
Good Gear
Whether an aperitif strictly speaking comes under the category of Good Gear is debatable, but when randomly scouring the shelves of my local bottle shop recently, my gaze locked upon a slender clear glass bottle full of bright red liquid. It wasn’t t
Old Bike Australasia3 min readAutomotive
Yamaha MTX850 Niken Steering redefined
Telescopic forks do a great job, up to a point, but there are shortcomings. The basis of Yamaha’s twin-fork front end goes back almost 200 years – to a design by Georg Lankenspurger that was patented by his business partner Rudolph Ackerman in 1818.
Old Bike Australasia15 min read
Clubs Directory
This is a free listing for all clubs and organisations, as well as a free directory of up-coming rallies and other events. E-mail details to: scaysbrook34@bigpond.com ★ Denotes new or modified listing. Restoration advice & information freely availabl
Old Bike Australasia2 min readTechnology & Engineering
Edgar Jessop Pay attention!
Today we are facing a pandemic created from the obsessional use of mobile phones whilst driving motor vehicles. The latest weapon to combat this illegal activity is the installation of covert cameras in cities, which are designed to peep into vehicle

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