Old Bike Australasia

Congratulations upon reaching 75 issues. I first found O.B.A in a newsagents in Manly, September 2008, Issue 9. I was on holiday with my wife Marion (Mazza) visiting rellies and friends, as way, way back Marion was a ten pound Pom. Fortunately or unf

Many a discussion and articles have been written since Phil Irving advocated that parallel twins should have crankpins set at 76 degrees as opposed to the usual 360 degree crankshafts. Somehow, decision makers at the head of the British Motorcycle ma

Little did Peter Senior know after puncturing his bicycle tyre back in ‘65 that by chance he’d strike up a friendship that would endure his lifetime and introduce the young English lad to Aussie mateship and motorcycle racing. His family hadn’t long

The parallel twins offered by BSA, Triumph, Matchless/AJS, Norton and Royal Enfield were themselves aimed not so much at the home market, but the USA, where they cut serious inroads into Harley-Davidson’s territory. Honda wanted a chunk of that, but

Australian Terry Dennehy, was according to his brother in law Ross Hannan, “a sensational rider”, and after some success at home, he lit out for Europe with Ross’ brother Ralph. On self-built Hondas derived from CB72 and CB77 roadsters, Terry had occ

In the mid ‘twenties, the mecca of motorised sport for both motorcycles and cars was Brooklands, the huge concrete circuit south of London. The circuit had been in existence since 1907, but after the interruption of WW1, it really took off thereafter

There were a couple of parts missing but amazingly from the day it was first registered in Ayrshire in 1959 it had covered a mere 1,950 miles from new and although extremely rough after lying unloved in a shed for many years it was ripe for restorati

The Wollongong Sporting Car Club has been conducting hill climb events for cars of various classes at Huntley Hill since 1953, and the Wollongong Motorcycle Club began negotiations with the car club in the late 1950s to determine if it was feasible t

Perhaps that’s because its creator, or more correctly co-creator, Peder Andersen Fisker, was a technician who dabbled in engineering merely as a hobby. It was a collaboration with Hans Marius Nielsen, who also hailed from Copenhagen, Denmark, that le

Apart from my day job, I had started to write and sometimes photograph freelance for Australia’s Revs Motorcycle News and the Australian, and New Zealand contingent at the Silverstone British GP that year was one of my targets. I interviewed and phot

My first success was a ticket to the Polish round of the Speedway World Championship where I was joined by 54,000 rowdy Poles who absolutely love the sport. I also discovered the Muzeum Techniki where there was a display of Polish motorcycles. I had

They gathered at Brighton Baths on the Beach Road before heading south to Antique Motorcycles in Cheltenham. The line-up included over 80 bikes and 20 scooters. While Harleys were the most popular modern brand, new Triumphs were well represented alon

Unlike some previous years, Melbourne turned on a magnificent spring day, reflected in the number of bikes and spectators who attended. There were the regulars, those who were returning after a short absence, and a number of bikes making their first

Pre ’65 Trials • 6-7 October, 2018 – Sedgwick, Victoria The Australian trials fraternity invaded Victoria on the 6th and 7th October to celebrate the 2018 “Delecca’s” Australian Trial Championship. The event was held on the large granite outcrops in

HMRAV Southern Classic • 3-4 November, 2018 – Broadford, Victoria 2018 was the 37th running of the Southern Classic, an event run by the HMRAV for period 1 to period 5 race bikes spanning 1920 to 1980. Also included were sidecars, including Formula 2

2018 WA Historic Championships • 22-24 September, 2018 – Collie Motorplex, WA Over the WA Queens Birthday Long Weekend the HCMCWA held their State Road Racing Championships in conjunction with the sixth round of the Club Championships. With 52 races

International BSA Rally • 9-15 November, 2018 – Hall’s Gap, Victoria “BSA: the most popular motorcycle in the world”. This slogan from the 1950s certainly rang true in Hall’s Gap for nearly 10 days. One of the standout bikes which was initially thoug

Albany Poker Run and Hill Climb • 3-4 November, 2018 – Albany WA We had a different lead up to this year’s event because of the art installation in Memorial Drive. A new location was required and likely paces were discussed at club meetings. An appli

Classic Riders’ Club Goulburn 27th Annual Ride • 27-28 October 2018 – Goulburn, NSW What a fabulous weekend – perfect weather, the combination of Goulburn hospitality and the generosity of Classic Riders’ Club, plus enthusiasm only possible by motorc

HMCCQ Mostly Ariel Rally • 23 September 2018 – Pine Rivers. Qld One of the pleasures of holding regular annual rallies is that you get to catch up with regular participants from other areas of the HMCCQ. So while I’m sure that, as a farmer, Rob Ritte

So what’s not to like? Not much, but the suspension is a bit basic and the rear shock in particular cops some flack. So not surprisingly, seeing that they have sold 30,000 Tracer 900s in just over three years, Yamaha has addressed that shortcoming in

The new TomTom Rider 550 allows you to not only plan the route to your destination, but pick the most interesting way to get there. You can select from three separate levels of bends and hills, and the Rider 550 will work out the rest. You can even s

Send your event details to Em: scaysbrook34@bigpond.com – SECRETARIES PLEASE NOTE – Because of our lead time for printing, please ensure your listing is received at least four months prior to the event. 20th January, 2019 – Goulburn Showground, Braid

So when he was summoned to the office of Sir Carruthers Spagforth, two days before his planned departure on the Pullman carriage departing St Pancras station, he entered the oak-panelled room with some trepidation. Staring from the walls were the wor