Issue 39

Retrobike

Classic Not Plastic

Retrobike2 min read
G'day
WHAT a year it’s been. The January bushfires are already a distant memory as we cope with the bastard Covid-19 virus and its impact on our daily lives. In many cases, our ability to earn a quid has suddenly become more difficult and our freedom of mo
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Retrobike
EDITOR Geoff Seddon ART DIRECTOR Martha Rubazewicz DESIGNERS Michaela Primiano, Martha Rubazewicz CONTRIBUTORS Diego Bermudez, Sir Alan Cathcart, Joel Davies, John Downs, Stephen Govel, David Lake, Bruce Linnell, Jamie McIlwraith, Matt/Made.Social, P
Retrobike4 min read
Style FOR MILES
I LOVE old-school bobbers,” Christian Jentz says. “And after owning a BMW R 80 café racer, I thought it would be really cool to build a very stripped back, old school bobber from a BMW rather than a Harley.” Wishful thinking turned to golden opportun
Retrobike1 min read
Retro Specs
ENGINE Air-cooled four-stroke boxer twin; OHV, two valves per cylinder; 94 x 70.6mm for 980cc; 9.5:1 comp; wet sump; 2 x Bing 94/40 carburettors; custom exhausts; dry single-plate clutch to five-speed gearbox; shaft final drive; 70hp @ 7250rpm (stock
Retrobike5 min read
Easy Rider
PURPOSE Built Moto is a Gold Coast custom bike shop determined not to be pigeon-holed into a single style. As well as the usual crop of trackers, café racers and scramblers, recent builds include a highly-modified Ducati GT1000 sports classic and an
Retrobike1 min read
Honda’s First 4x4
AFTER radically changing the motorcycling landscape forever with the SOHC four-cylinder CB750 in the late 1960s, Honda sat on its laurels for much of the next decade. By 1978, Kawasaki’s Z900 and Z1000, Suzuki’s GS750 and GS1000, and Yamaha’s XS1100
Retrobike1 min read
Retro Specs
ENGINE Air-cooled inline four-cylinder four-stroke; chain-driven DOHC, four valves per cylinder; 64.5 x 69mm for 901cc; 8.8:1 comp; 4 x Keihin CR smoothbores; electronic ignition; custom four-into-four pipes; multi-plate clutch to five-speed transmis
Retrobike5 min read
Best of BOTH WORLDS
WE HAVE featured over the past six years countless custom café racers based on Ducati’s wonderful air-cooled belt-drive two-valve V-twins. These legendary desmo engines have torque and soul aplenty, yet are as cheap as they are plentiful. As the basi
Retrobike1 min read
Bevels To Belts
DUCATI built its reputation on a succession of air-cooled 750/900/1000 V-twins fitted with desmodromic valve actuation operated by bevel gear-driven, single overhead camshafts. Apart from a few touring GT models which had conventional valve-spring he
Retrobike1 min read
Retro Specs
ENGINE Air-cooled four-stroke 90-degree V-twin; 94 x 71.5mm for 992cc; 10:1 comp; wet sump; Marelli ignition and EFI, 45mm throttle body; Spark exhaust; straight-cut gear primary drive to dry clutch and six-speed gearbox; chain final drive; 85hp @ 77
Retrobike5 min read
The Goose
MAD MAX was released more than 40 years ago. As well as launching the careers of director George Miller and star Mel Gibson, the dystopian tale of Main Force Patrol (MFP) pursuit offi cer Max Rockatansky avenging fatal attacks on his family and best
Retrobike1 min read
Retro Specs
ENGINE Air-cooled four-stroke inline four; DOHC, two valves per cylinder; 69.4 x 66mm for 1015cc; 8.7:1 comp; Mikuni RS34 smoothbores; Dynatek ignition; wet sump; crossover headers; wet multi-plate clutch to five-speed gearbox; chain final drive; 83h
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Art Deco
I WAS looking for the next build to do with my dad, and wanted to use everything we had learnt from three earlier custom postie builds. BMW had recently released the R7-inspired kit for the R NineT, and I thought it was the most incredible bike I had
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Ride Impression
THE original BMW R7 from 1934 is a 790cc boxer twin, with 34.5hp and a top speed of 145km/h. The Tribute R7 from 2019 is a 110cc single cylinder, with 6.5hp and a top speed of 90km/h. Our R7 is extremely enjoyable to ride, purely as it is our own cre
Retrobike1 min read
Retro Specs
ENGINE Air-cooled four-stroke horizontal single; SOHC, two valves; 52 x 50mm for 105cc; 8.5:1 comp; wet sump; Harley muffl ers; centrifugal clutch to four-speed gearbox; chain final drive CHASSIS Chassis stretched 150mm; Honda Cub forks, CT110 drum-
Retrobike3 min read
Black BEAUTY
EASTERN Spirit Garage is a small custom motorcycle workshop in Starawies, Poland. It has made its name since 2011 building a string of critically-acclaimed café racers, often powered by mid-capacity air-cooled Japanese fours. ESG also took out the wo
Retrobike1 min read
Excessive 650
JUST as the Yamaha SR500 and 400 singles kick-started the modern-day café racer culture, so too the much-loved XS650 twin has led the way in the bobber revival. Almost as pretty as a traditional pushrod Pommy twin, it is infinitely more reliable and
Retrobike1 min read
Retro Specs
ENGINE Air-cooled four-stroke vertical twin; chain-driven SOHC, two valves per cylinder; 75 x 74mm for 653cc; 8.4:1 comp; wet sump; 2 x 38mm Mikunis with inlet trumpets; custom exhaust; multi-plate clutch to five-speed gearbox; 53hp @ 7200rpm (stock)
Retrobike4 min read
Heavy Metal
WHAT the dark night of the Arctic winter is for Scandinavian chopper builders has a similar effect on north Germany’s motorcycle community. On the plains north of Hanover up to the Danish border, the nights are not as long as above the polar circle,
Retrobike1 min read
Ride Impression
AUTHOR Frank Sander did manage a short test ride when photographing the bike and was impressed by its easy handling, even with the unusual (at least for custom bike-experienced riders) M-shaped handlebar. Not to diminish the outstanding effort of the
Retrobike7 min read
Mission Improbable
IGOR Akrapovič is a remarkable man, who’s earned his eponymous exhaust company’s runaway success and its A-1 Dun & Bradstreet business rating through a combination of hard work, commercial honesty, clever development and an insistence on quality. His
Retrobike1 min read
Retro Specs
ENGINE Air-cooled 45-degree four-stroke V-twin; OHV, two per cylinder; 92 x 114.3mm for 1524cc; 8.2:1 comp; single 47.6mm S&S Super E carburettor; S&S Super Stock electronic ignition; dry sump; Akrapovič exhausts; Gates belt primary to BDL automatic
Retrobike1 min read
Last Of The Airheads
BMW’s first motorcycle was the R 32 of 1923, and was powered by an air-cooled flat twin, in this case a 500cc side-valve making a heady 8.5hp at 3200rpm. It was also shaft-drive. It was followed in 1925 by an OHV version making 16hp at 4000rpm. BMW f
Retrobike1 min read
Indian Timeline
1897 George Hendee founds the Hendee Manufacturing Co, a bicycle manufacturer 1901 Hendee hires Oscar Hedstrom to build a petrol-powered pace bike for bicycle racing 1902 First Indian motorcycle sold 1906 First Indian V-twin race bike built 1917
Retrobike1 min read
Retro Specs
ENGINE Air and oil-cooled 49-degree V-twin; triple cam OHV, two per cylinder; 101 x 113mm for 1811cc (111ci); 9.5:1 comp; EFI with 54mm throttlebody; custom exhaust; gear primary drive to six-speed gearbox; belt final drive; 74rwhp at 4360rpm CHASSI
Retrobike4 min read
Urban WARRIOR
THIS beautiful bike, a customised Royal Enfield Classic 350, 'Dark Genesis' is a rolling billboard for its builder, Carlo Hallacq. Carlo’s been around the industry for years, and recently he launched Carlo Hallacq Design, a boutique motorcycle design
Retrobike1 min read
Retro Specs
ENGINE Air-cooled, single-cylinder four-stroke; OHV, two valves; 70 x 90mm for 346cc; electric & kick start; single carburettor (!); twin-spark electronic ignition; wet clutch to five-speed transmission; chain final drive; 19.8hp @ 5250rpm (stock) C
Retrobike3 min read
Muscle Bike
YOU DON’T get to stand out from the pack by doing what everyone else is already doing. Pablo Perez Gonzales of Spanish custom shop DS Motorcycles (until recently Dragon’s Motorcycles) gets it. His first build to capture the world’s attention was a ca
Retrobike1 min read
A Wing And A Prayer
RIDING high on the success of the landmark CB750 Four but under challenge from the new 900cc Kawasaki Z1, Honda thought outside the inline four-cylinder square with its new flagship, the GL1000 Gold Wing released in 1975. It was like nothing before i
Retrobike1 min read
Retro Specs
ENGINE Liquid-cooled four-stroke flat six; SOHC, two valves per cylinder; 71 x 64mm for 1520cc; 9.8:1 comp; 6 x 40mmm Weber downdraught carburettors; custom 6-into-6 exhausts; five-speed gearbox; shaft final drive; 100hp @ 6000rpm (stock) CHASSIS Fa
Retrobike5 min read
Leatherman
VIC SUMMERS got into K100 BMWs through his daughter Laura, who was looking to upgrade her 250cc Braap Mercury for something a bit more serious on securing her full motorcycle licence. “That’s when she showed me photos of K100s that had been customise
Retrobike1 min read
Leather Legs
FOR ME, one of the most exciting parts of the build was the construction of a pair of leather fork gaiters,” Vic Summers says. “I saw these on a series of pictures of a custom Harley Wide Glide that was built in Europe. As soon as I saw them I knew I
Retrobike1 min read
Retro Specs
ENGINE Liquid-cooled four-stroke horizontal inline four; DOHC, two valves per cylinder; 67 x 70mm for 987cc; 10.2:1 comp; wet sump; Bosch LE-Jetronic engine management and EFI; standard exhaust; dry single-plate clutch to five-speed gearbox; shaft fi
Retrobike7 min read
Heavy Duty
A LITTLE over four decades ago on October 22, 1978, Yamaha finally won a major international road race with a four-stroke motorcycle for the very first time, when Jim Budd and Roger Heyes teamed to win Australia’s Castrol Six Hour endurance race on t
Retrobike1 min read
National Treasure
RATHER than heading straight for Yamaha’s museum in Japan, the Six Hour-winning XS1100 — matching numbers 2H9-100267 — was sold in 1979 to Team Avon pit crewman Graeme Hadley, who clocked up 35,000 road km before garaging it in 1989. Following Graeme
Retrobike1 min read
Retro Specs
ENGINE Air-cooled four-stroke in-line four; chain-driven DOHC, two valves per cylinder; 71.5 x 68.6mm for 1102cc; 9.2:1 comp; 4 x 34mm Mikuni CV carburettors; transistorised coil ignition with vacuum advance; Hy-Vo chain primary to multi-plate oil-ba
Retrobike1 min read
ON ANY SUNDAY Social Pages
Share your memories and lifestyle with millions of Retrobike readers by sending photos to retro@umco.com.au
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'The Way We Were'
ALL photos this issue are from Bruce Linnell, who has been chronicling Aussie and Kiwi bike culture for the past 50 years. As Loose Bruce, he has contributed to every magazine I’ve ever edited, including non-motorcycle titles, and was also a longtime
Retrobike2 min read
Retro STYLE
Boasting a military influence, the Black Hawk men’s motorcycle jacket delivers the ultimate throw-on-and-go jacket. With a lightweight yet durable water repellent cotton outer and inner Reissa waterproof liner this jacket will keep you dry in those u
Retrobike3 min read
Simpler Times
HOW OFTEN do your ears tell you that an interesting bike is coming your way? There I was standing on a street corner while doing my Saturday morning shopping, when I heard the very pleasant rumble of an old British twin. It wasn’t the farty burble of

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