Issue 47

Retrobike

Classic Not Plastic

Retrobike2 min read
G'day
I was lucky enough to ride the Royal Enfield Scram 411 recently — it was a bit of a hoot. The group of journos on the launch got to ride them through the twisty roads on the NSW/Qld border and up to Queensland Moto Park, where we proceeded to thrash
Retrobike1 min read
Retrobike
COVER PHOTO Jerem Motorcycles EDITOR Nigel Paterson ART DIRECTOR Natasha Dinjar VALUED CONTRIBUTORS Alan Cathcart, John Downs, Kel Edge, Jamie McIlwraith, Russ Murray, John Rooth, John Turton ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES David Strong 0411 424 072 PUBLISHING
Retrobike3 min read
Bike Shed Is Back
BIKE SHED at Tobacco Dock is established as Europe’s largest and most coveted showcase of custom bikes as well as a world-leading event of innovation. It was back in 2022 after the COVID lockdowns, with thousands of bike builders and custom motorcycl
Retrobike3 min read
Customisation Starter
YOUNGSTERS wanting to get into motorcycle customisation usually start with an old, cheap bike. Stripping and cutting and welding and tweaking a new one would just be crazy, right? Maybe not. The Royal Enfield 350 Hunter is the company’s new roadster.
Retrobike1 min read
Walcha Royal’s Classic Show
THE WALCHA Royal Café is one of Australia’s top touring accommodation and eating spots for motorcyclists, and not just because it’s located near the Oxley Highway and Thunderbolts Way. It’s also because Toni Heaney, the genial owner of WRC, loves the
Retrobike5 min read
A Gentle BLOW
I KNEW ALL ABOUT the turbo lag — I’d been reading about it for 40 years. It still surprised me. I’d cracked the throttle hard, but the small V-twin wasn’t about to be hurried on its way, at least not until the forced induction was ready to help. But
Retrobike11 min read
Classy CAFE
BRITAIN’S ILLUSTRIOUS Métisse motorcycle marque was founded in the ‘50s by brothers Derek and Don Rickman — off-road aces and household names in Britain back then, thanks to BBC-TV showing the Scrambles racing in which they excelled every Saturday af
Retrobike6 min read
The Jota Dream
WHEN IT WAS first introduced to the world in 1976, the Laverda Jota became an instant hit. Faster than a Kawasaki Z900, supposedly better-handling than a Ducati 900SS, it was every young rider’s dream bike. It was certainly mine. Beautifully balanced
Retrobike4 min read
Rogue's Ike Bike
THE NUMBER plate that was on this bike inspired the custom designs of this machine, one which started life as a tame, learner-approved cruiser, a Yamaha XVS650 Drag Star. “The numberplate when we got the bike started with 1KE, so we nicknamed it the
Retrobike5 min read
Glorious Bikes In A Classic Shed
IT’S AN old shed, one which could have been a light engineering firm, bespoke manufacturer or machinery repair shop. Places like these have disappeared from the capital cities as real estate prices have soared – it’s even a little surprising to find
Retrobike8 min read
Home Brewed
100 YEARS AGO the Austin 7 was released, a car which went on to become the British Model T Ford — affordable to the middle class, copied around the world and produced in massive numbers. It was powered by a 747cc four cylinder powerplant, one which B
Retrobike3 min read
French Fix
HERE AT Retrobike, we love beautiful motorcycles. We’re not fussy about what factory the original bike emerged from, although we do, of course, have a soft spot for Ducati. And that soft spot comes from the sound,the feel, the performance and the sty
Retrobike7 min read
The Egyptian
FOR RETIRED radiographer/sonographer Vic Summers, modifying and customising bikes came later in life — after age 60. He’d gotten into bikes firstly to commute, then for touring, then cruising. Now he likes to customise and this his latest, a bike he
Retrobike1 min read
On Any Sunday
BEACH RACES are rare in Australia, so Rattletrap is precious. A chance to race classic modified bikes and cars on the sand of Crowdy Head, it's an event full of noise, speed, sand and retrobikes.
Retrobike2 min read
Retro STYLE AND OTHER COOL STUFF
While the idea of an open set of carburettors has a certain retro appeal, the reality is your engine won’t last long. What you need is engine breathing with protection, which is what DNA High Performance Air Filters offer. From replacement kits for a
Retrobike3 min read
A Hot Bmw…
RETROBIKE is the best collection of cool-looking machinery around. It’s fantasy material for someone who can’t even pull off a restoration without taking shortcuts or chucking practical into the mix. Like bunging a Mikuni on the Norton instead of dic
Retrobike3 min read
The Joy Of Plonking
THERE I was enjoying reading the Sunday papers with my coffee when I spotted a little puff piece about the stand-up comedian and Hard Quiz host Tom Gleeson. I don’t mind Tom’s sense of humour at all, but what caught my eye is that Tom had some intere

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