Issue 112

Old Bike Australasia

For motorcycle enthusiasts, young and old.

Old Bike Australasia1 min read
Old Bike Australasia
Jim Scaysbrook OAM Email: scaysbrook34@bigpond.com Tel: (02) 9672 6899 (bh) Mbl: 0411 443 444 PO Box 95, Kellyville NSW 2155 Alan Cathcart, Gaven Dall’Osto, Bryan Fowler, Bob Hayton, Peter Laverty, Russ Murray, Phil Packham, Peter Smith, Graham Wesla
Old Bike Australasia6 min read
Blow Your Own Letters To The Editor
I enjoyed your article in Old Bike Magazine on the Norton Nomad (OBA 88). The Nomad is one rare beast and a sought-after Norton collectible. I did want to point out that the Nomad did not use a Model 77 frame. The Nomad frame is “based” on a model 77
Old Bike Australasia3 min read
Classic Cob Out In The Shed
Last issue I spoke about swap meets and the fact that computers have now made life much easier for buyers and sellers in the trading of motorcycle parts. However since then several things have taken place which I would like to share with readers so a
Old Bike Australasia3 min read
On ya Mick
Five-times 500cc World Champion Mick Doohan used his role as Australian Motorsport Council Chairman to push a few points during a speech at Parliament House in Brisbane in October. Doohan was speaking at a Parliamentary Friends of Motorsport function
Old Bike Australasia1 min read
Bonanza On Hold
The Broadford Bike Bonanza, scheduled for Easter 2024, will not be held, pending a return for 2025. Chairman of the Museum & Heritage Committee of Motorcycling Australia, David White, said logistical hurdles meant it was not possible to stage the eve
Old Bike Australasia1 min read
VJMC Rally Filling Rapidly
As we went to print for this issue, nearly one hundred entries had been received for the 2024 VJMC National Rally in the Barossa Valley from 15-17 March. Registrations definitely close on Thursday 29th February. There are already around 120 booked fo
Old Bike Australasia1 min read
Kiwi Classics Set For February
Entries are now open for the 44th NZCMRR Classic Festival at its new home at Manfeild on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th February 2024. There will be eight race classes and one Regularity event on the program, with the grid restricted to 40 in each. Acce
Old Bike Australasia1 min read
Mikuni Mischief
Scams are everywhere these days. Australian importers of Mikuni carburettors, Mikunioz, warn buyers to be especially vigilant. “The market place is now cluttered with counterfeit items including Mikuni products ranging from this the HSR, our most adv
Old Bike Australasia1 min read
Shannons Out Of Auctions
In a surprise move, Shannons announced on October 31st that it would no longer conduct auctions for motor cars or motorcycles as part of its core business. Paul Vernall, Senior Leader of Shannons Pty Ltd (which is owned by insurance giant Suncorp) sa
Old Bike Australasia1 min read
Bridgestone Festival Ready To Rage
Entries are now open for the 2024 Bridgestone Festival of Speed, to be held at Sydney Motor Sports Park on 17th and 18th February, with private practice on Friday 16th. Spectator entry will be by a cash donation and camping is available at the circui
Old Bike Australasia5 min read
Under the Chequered Flag
In the early ‘seventies, Motorcycle Racing services at Moorabbin was where many aspiring racers took their machinery for preparation by Dave Stanley, who was a pretty good rider himself. Bob Rosenthal, whom Dave sponsored on a TZ350 Yamaha for severa
Old Bike Australasia1 min read
Aub Vial
Albany (Aub) Vial, who passed away on 14th June, 2023 aged 83, was a toolmaker and mechanical engineer and worked at ANSTO Nuclear Reactor at Lucas Heights (southern Sydney) until his retirement. We used to say he glowed in the dark after finishing h
Old Bike Australasia8 min read
Richmond River Raider
The trophy Tom and I are looking at – only one of countless such awards scattered about the Gibson family farmhouse in the Lockyer Valley – was presented to Tom by the Richmond River Motor Cycle Club. The inscription reads ‘1964 Outright Unlimited So
Old Bike Australasia9 min read
Ajay On The Island
Norfolk Island is an Australian territory nearly 1600km northeast of Sydney and roughly halfway between the northern tip of New Zealand and New Caledonia. It was settled in 1788 as a convict penal colony, beginning a turbulent existence for the tiny
Old Bike Australasia7 min read
A Rare Racer In New Zealand
This machine was originally designed and built by Jaroslav Walter, initially in 1938 as a 248cc pushrod and in 1939, as an overhead camshaft version. In 1947, a new 348cc version was added, and when Walter joined the Ceska Zbroiovka (CZ) company in S
Old Bike Australasia4 min read
French Fillies
If you’ve never heard of New-Map motorcycles, you’re not alone. Until recently, neither had I, but on a visit to Chris Smerdon’s impressive collection in Adelaide, there was not one New Map, but a pair – a single and a twin. Chris spotted these durin
Old Bike Australasia1 min read
MISSING AN ISSUE from your Old Bike Australasia collection?
BINDERS back in stock… Protect your prized issues of OBA with these rugged binders, now back in stock. Priced at $39.00. If you’ve missed an issue, spotted an article on our website or social media posts that you would like to read, or you just want
Old Bike Australasia11 min read
The Bikes Return
Phillip Island, Victoria Part 2: 1968-1978 When the Phillip Island Auto Racing Club was forced to sell its property, a cashed-up buyer quickly came forward in the form of retired car racer Len Lukey, who had just sold his muffler business for a tidy
Old Bike Australasia9 min read
Last Roll Of The Dice
In early 1973, Norton Villiers Triumph was created thanks partly to a major injection of cash from the Department of Trade, with all sorts of bluster about the move being a saviour for the industry. It was a shotgun wedding, and the major casualty wa
Old Bike Australasia11 min read
Last But Not Least
For after becoming commercially successful via their Métisse off-road frame kits into which either they or their customers the world over installed a plethora of different engines, the Rickmans built their first tarmac Métisse frame in March 1966, th
Old Bike Australasia3 min read
Tuner extraordinaire
I was still a school kid when my brother Cliff (seven years my senior) commenced doing some machining of components for Ted Carey. The castings were moulded from Teddy’s home-made patterns, in his back yard, at Lidcombe in western Sydney. His copies
Old Bike Australasia3 min read
A trickier Tracer
Primarily, it was designed to introduce the new generation – who were lapping up the standard LAMS MT07 – to a dual purpose motorcycle, one that could undertake touring to a degree. With that in mind, the Tracer 700 came standard with flexible plasti
Old Bike Australasia4 min read
Out ’n’ about
The 40th running of the All British Day on Sunday 3rd March, 2024 event at Echunga Recreation Grounds, South Australia is scheduled as the first International event for motorcycles, titled the 1st International Bike Muster. The event will be open to
Old Bike Australasia3 min read
Harley Club Celebrates Its Centenary
Originally called “The Harley Davidson Motorcycle Club of Victoria”, it was changed to “The Harley Club of Victoria” in 1929 and became incorporated in the early 1930s. In those days clubs were mostly named after a type of bike such as ours, or the d
Old Bike Australasia4 min read
Shed Lock
If, in fact Thomas Edison was correct when he noted that “to invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk”, then my shed is indeed fertile ground for invention. Except, as many of us may have, or indeed currently are experiencing, the shed’
Old Bike Australasia3 min read
BMW Qld celebrates
The club’s recognition of this centenary took the form of two events being a dinner at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron to toast the achievement, and a bike show to showcase the development of BMW motorcycles during those 100 years. Special guest
Old Bike Australasia1 min read
Gary’s FLASH BACK
Here’s an interesting contrast from Gary Reid’s immense collection. Both these shots are from Brands Hatch, but around 15 years apart. In OBA 108 we featured a brilliant shot featuring solos from the days when Brands Hatch was a grass track. Gary has
Old Bike Australasia2 min read
Titles Decided In Tassie
The three days of the biggest-ever meeting for Historic bikes at Hobart’s Baskerville track copped the full extremes of weather, with Friday’s practice and qualifying run in hot and humid conditions. Come Saturday morning and the rain arrived and pre
Old Bike Australasia2 min read
40 Years Of A Classic
This year saw the 40th running of the Southern Classic run by the HMRAV; one of the biggest, if not the biggest, classic motorcycle race meet in Australia. The weather was close to perfect with temperatures in the low to mid twenties, blue sky with s
Old Bike Australasia2 min read
Past Masters At The Island
Like many readers, there was a period in one’s youth where riding bikes was a lifestyle but, at some stage, family, career and the mortgage got in the way and often meant an end to the weekends away or the fang through the hills with friends. Jump fo
Old Bike Australasia1 min read
Perfect Scores The Order Of The Day
The Round was run in cloudy and overcast conditions with a couple of light showers around lunchtime, which was in complete contrast to the previous day’s ‘Practice Day’ which ran in near perfect conditions. Brothers Hayden and Kobi Treversh had vastl
Old Bike Australasia2 min read
Return To The Mount
After a 3-year delay due to Covid and floods in the area, the Mt Tarrengower hill climb has finally returned. This is an event for both cars and bikes which saw 90+ cars and 33 solos and outfits attend. Whilst the course hasn’t changed, the road has
Old Bike Australasia2 min read
Over The Top
Often referred to as KOTH, this is a hill climb event on a property between Canberra and Yass. Unlike such events today, which are often on bitumen or specifically for custom bikes and extreme in their nature, KOTH is a grassy hill which most modern
Old Bike Australasia2 min read
Velos In The High Country
Rallying is a wonderful pastime – meeting up with friends, making new friends, admiring the myriad bikes on display at each rally, riding great roads and soaking up different scenery than that which we traverse each day. And of course, rallying offer
Old Bike Australasia1 min read
Show Day in Tassie
A small rain shower tried to put a dampener on the Annual Oatlands Motor Cycle Show but a feast for the eyes still turned up. Southern collector Peter Bender arrived with a fleet of Brough Superiors and took away two class trophies for his effort. Ma
Old Bike Australasia2 min read
A Barossa bash
A grey, inclement Barossa morning failed to dampen the spirits of over 60 classic motorcyclists who donned their wet weather gear and departed rally headquarters at Angaston Recreation Park for an 80-kilometre tour of South Australia’s iconic Barossa
Old Bike Australasia1 min read
A Golden Jubilee
The BMW Motorcycle Club of Victoria in conjunction with the Bendigo Historic Motorcycle Club hosted an event at the BHMCC Clubrooms at Llanelly to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the BMW R90S. The weather as always was magnificent at Llanelly and s
Old Bike Australasia1 min read
Ariels’ Day Out
The annual Pine Rivers Mostly Ariel Rally of the HMCCQ was again very well patronised for 2023. I counted 17 Ariels dating from Graham Piper’s 1928 side-valve single to 1958, covering 30 years of the marque. There were two twin-cylinder Ariels, 4 Squ
Old Bike Australasia2 min read
New Products For All Bikers
Ventura are best known for their versatile range of soft luggage options and bags, but there is now also a well-finished and roomy Top Box available as a kit. The Astro 32L continues the philosophy of the Bike-Pack system, with a lockable case that h
Old Bike Australasia2 min read
Reading And Watching
By Philip Carter 106 pages paperback RRP $24.50 Product code: 62979 Available from Pitstop Bookshop Ph: (02) 8445 2351 www.Pitstop.net.au Here’s how to occupy yourself and your friends when, say, you’re at the MotoGP and eight or ten Moto3 bikes have
Old Bike Australasia4 min read
A FREE EVENT LISTING FOR CLUBS & ORGANISATIONS
CLUB SECRETARIES: Because of our lead time for printing, please ensure your listing is received at least four months prior to the event. Email your event details to… scaysbrook34@bigpond.com Bridgestone Festival of Speed 17-18 February 2024 – Sydney
Old Bike Australasia2 min read
What The African Plate Served Up
Such a case presented itself when Edgar accepted an invitation to compete in the Grand Prix of Sierra Leone, run over a challenging public roads course on Bunce Island in Freetown Harbour. This outpost in West Africa boasted rich mineral reserves and

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