Innehållsförteckning för Issue 121 från Old Bike Australasia

The Mount Gambier Motor Cycle Club will once again be running the Cancer Council Cup feature races as part of their annual Over 45’s (Seniors) Road Race meeting. It will be held on the weekend of 17th - 18th May at the picturesque McNamara Park Raceway. The inaugural event in 2023 raised $7000 whilst last year’s event raised over $13000 for the SA Cancer Council, with the money going towards supporting patients from regional areas obtaining treatment in Adelaide. With many club members impacted by cancer, this is a fantastic opportunity for the motorcycling fraternity to give back to the community in a meaningful way. The 3 Cup races (lightweight, heavyweight, and sidecar) feature a unique format, where final placings are determined by a combination of race times and a…

Ray Curtis A showman to the end It has been said to me from riders of the era, that if RAY CURTIS had better equipment nobody would have seen which way he went. Tony Hatton said to me, “Pound for pound, Ray Curtis is probably the best rider I have ever seen.” Ray, who passed away in his adopted home town of Moruya on 19th February aged 92, began racing around 1945 on a 1929 Big Port AJS that had spent its recent years in a chookyard. It was eventually relaced with a 3T Triumph and then the first of many iron BSA singles. From the start, Ray was fast and very spectacular. As well as the dirt racing, Ray got a taste for the tar, first at Mount Druitt…

While most observers saw a stunning, half-century-old example of a Yamaha DS6-C, Hanaisan’s well-trained eyes and decades of knowledge detected something more - a tale of parts collected across continents, clues about the bike’s history and a mystery that would eventually only be solved by chance. Hanai-san is not just a master craftsman, mechanic, and restorer; he is the Hercule Poirot of motorcycles - the Sherlock Holmes of two wheels, his brilliant powers of observation and deduction can paint a picture of a bike’s history as well as its owners, bringing long-forgotten stories back to life. While a bike’s overall appearance will often hint at its history, it’s the subtle wear and tear - the silent witnesses of years gone by - that transform a restoration project into an investigation…

There was more than one way to find gold in the wild west. When Tom Riseley and Mick Toomey discovered gold 370km east of Perth they named the reef Southern Cross, the constellation they’d used to navigate across the arid plains at night; it being far too hot for daylight travel. Southern Cross was gazetted in 1890 and, with the arrival of the rail line from Perth in 1894, the remote settlement was established as the last on the eastern edge of the vast West Australian wheat belt; and the frontier of what would become the goldfields. Then Arthur Bailey rode into town, his packhorse carrying almost twenty kilos of gold he’d found at Coolgardie. This triggered every miner in town to head west overnight. Many years after Bob Couzens…

JOHN WRIGHT owns a second hand shop in the inner city suburb of Newtown. Recently he purchased at auction a very handsome bronze trophy with a timber base, and took it down the street to near-neighbour John Vittorio at Motociclo who urged him to send some photos to us. Thanks John and John, as it transpired I have a full report of this event, the (Sydney) Daily Telegraph Three-Day Reliability Trial, which started on 31st December, 1938 and finished on 2nd January, 1939. The trial ran from Sydney to Canberra and started in heavy rain. The first control was at Wollongong, then through Kiama, Gerringong, and Nowra for lunch. The rough and corrugated gravel road to Queanbeyan resulted in numerous punctures. The second day’s run took competitors over more rough…

• 23 February, 2025 – Collie Motorplex Long Track, WA Sunday 23rd February saw the running of the first round of the 2025 ‘Interclub Championship’ at the Collie Motorplex long track. The weather was perfect for the first racing of 2025 and with good entries across the classes, the competition across the day was hard and fast. There were a number of father/son competitors across various classes on the day with Steven Imgrund and his ViZion Racing Honda CBR1000RR in the ‘Moderns’ and son Bailey having his first-ever race having recently obtained his race licence on his ViZion Racing Kawasaki Ninja 300 in the ‘Modern Lites’ division of the P6 250 Prod, P7 250 Prod, P6 125, & Modern Lites class. Steve completed his three races with a seventh and…

KTM’s creditors have approved the company’s restructuring plan after a vote at the regional court in Ried im Innkreis, Upper Austria. Claims against KTM totalled 2.25 billion Euro, with 2 billion Euro recognised. The hearing on February 25 saw 3847 claims filed. In accepting the court’s decision, KTM pledged to pay back creditors 30% of the debts in had accrued. The financial settlement means KTM’s production line will commence again from mid-March, with 50 million Euro pledged from shareholders. The future of KTM Factory Racing appears to be secure, at least in the short term, after the factory scaled back their investment to forty riders globally in both road and off-road competition. KTM has launched a campaign called Orange Blood to bolster confidence in the brand’s supporters and consumer base.…

A life-long devotee of Short Circuit (Dirt Track) racing, Trevor Hunter was not just a fine rider but an avid collector. Over the years he has amassed quite a number of very desirable bikes, including one of Ivan Mauger’s Jawa speedway machines. Trevor and his wife Margaret operated Stoney Creek Motorcycles in Sydney’s Bexley for many years, and have now decided to dispose of their collection which will be auctioned by Oily Rag Auctions on 4th May, 2025. For full details see their page 7 advertisement in this issue.…

The company had already imported one machine, which had been successfully used for racing and testing. In February, Mr Brown received a brochure and specification sheet for the new 398cc Sopwith ABC, which convinced him to part with £175.0.0 for his new motorcycle, plus £27.10.0 for the optional Lucas Lighting set. Fred Brown retained his motorcycle for over forty years before selling it to Frank May. Frank was born in Randfontein in 1910 and the family moved around South Africa between 1912 and 1918 before eventually settling in Rhodesia. After completing his education he went into general engineering in his father’s workshops working on trucks, cars and engines. In 1938 he went into business on his own, and in 1947 he bought another business which held, among other things, the…

The impetus for the Atlas had come from, guess where, the United States of America, where the importer Joe Berliner had been clamouring for a Norton twin with more grunt to combat the home team, meaning Harley-Davidson, and to go one-up on the British opposition, meaning Triumph’s Bonneville. Back in Bracebridge Street, Birmingham, all this was kept very quiet, as Norton was doing quite nicely with the various versions of the 650 twin, led by the extremely tasty 650SS. The export market however was paramount to the British economy, and the US among the most fecund. And so Joe got his big Norton, while the Brits did not, at least for a while. In fact it was February 1964 before the Atlas was made available in Britain, by which time…

A cold day at Snetterton GARY REID has been trawling the internet again, in search of negatives and prints from bygone days. His latest haul is 40-off shots taken on a very chilly day at the Snetterton circuit in Norfolk, north east of London, which was a US Army/Air Force base during WW2 and opened as a 4.3km race track in late 1951. Gary’s shots were taken on Saturday 10th September 1955, officially the last meeting in UK before the winter set in proper. According to the journals of the day, the event was held “in front of a disappointingly small crowd”, but produced spectacular racing, the star turn being future World Champion John Surtees who won the 250cc and 500cc races on NSU and Norton respectively. The 11-race programme…

• 7-9 March, 2025 – Sydney Motorsport Park The annual Festival of Speed, which stretches back several decades, has had its ups and down, but has remained an immensely popular event, and one where the fast bikes (and riders) can really stretch their legs. For 2025, the promoters had to deal with not just the immense logistics of actual putting on this big meeting, but the chance that it could have been washed out by Hurricane Alfred. Mercifully, that did not happen, but the prospect of dodgy weather kept spectators away. Saturday saw a few showers, just enough to be a nuisance in terms of tyres for the riders, but Sunday was a fine sunny day. The action, as always, was fast and furious, as club president Ken Lindsay says,…

• 6-10 February, 2025 – Invercargill, NZ The laid-back atmosphere of the Burt Munro Challenge continues to attract competitors and spectators to the five-day motorcycling festival and rally. As probably the largest motorcycling motorsport event in the Southern Hemisphere it continues to evolve. The New Zealand Superbike Championship introduced last year has been retained and F1 & F2 sidecar races added to the Teretonga races. Overall numbers were slightly down but the nature of the crowd is changing with a greater portion of foreign spectators, like the group that Cameron Donald (TT racer and TV commentator) hosted for an Australian premium package tour company. It also helped that for once the weather gods smiled on the events with five whole days without rain. Another little twist was a group of…

• 15–26 February 2025 – Devonport, Tasmania The Tasmanian Section of the Vincent Owners Club recently hosted its inaugural national rally, welcoming Vincent enthusiasts from across Australia — and beyond — for an unforgettable two-week adventure around one of the country’s most scenic and motorcycle-friendly states. What made this rally truly stand out was not just the breathtaking scenery and superb riding but also its uniquely relaxed format. Departing from the typical “follow-the-leader” approach seen at many events, the rally adopted a free-flowing, self-guided system inspired by the renowned Tassie Tour, a biennial classic bike event. Highvisibility, hand-shaped directional signs at intersections replaced marshals, allowing riders to set their own pace. Whether riders wanted to open the throttle or stop for coffee, photos, or lunch, they could do so without…

• 14-17 November 2024 – Beechworth, Vic A total of 27 bikes ranging from a 1951 Matchless G80 to a 2023 Harley Low Rider, gathered in Beechworth to enjoy the beautiful scenery and riding that northeast Victoria has to offer in late spring. The ride up from Melbourne involved a stop at Yarck, to the much talked about Mansfield – Whitfield Road and lunch at the pub. On day one the ride headed south and over Mt Stanley through the flat valleys (with its huge pine tree plantations) to Mt Beauty. From there it went onto the Great Alpine Way through magnificent Bright and up the 30km of tight “twisties” to the top of Mt Buffalo (elevation of 1,723m). On the way back a quick spin through Buckland Gap Road…

Since gladiatorial days, nobbling one’s chief rival has been a short cut to success. While Edgar Jessop, with all due modesty, believed he had the measure of any opponent on the track, nefarious goings on off-track were largely out of his control. So it was at the glamorous Grand Prix de Pau in southern France, primarily an event for racing cars and their odious hoards of toadies, where competing cars were housed in locked garages while motorcycles were confined to whatever shelter they could scrounge. After comfortably dominating the practice sessions, Edgar and his mechanic Norbert Whipple discovered the fiendish work of an overnight saboteur who had tampered with vital and secret components on the works Spagforth Treacle. If the race were to go their way, more secure garaging was…

In Honda Australia’s model listings, it appeared as the CL250SC in early 1981, and vanished quietly in October 1983, maintaining a RRP of $1299 throughout. As the model languished in Honda Australia’s warehouses, the distributor did attractive deals to clear stocks, including a large bulk-buy to the huge Norm Fraser group. One problem in finding information is what to look for. In this case, the CL250S, not to be confused with the CL250 of 1962, is also and probably better known as the Japanese market Honda CT250S Silk Road. The original concept that became the CL250 appeared in 1962 as the CL72 and was closely based on the highly-successful road-going CB72, but with 19-inch wheels, high-level exhaust and slightly different tank, seat and handlebars. The second incarnation officially joined the…

With chattering teeth and frozen fingers, New Yorker John Taylor probably wondered what the heck he was doing high in the Thuringer Mountains in East Germany in October 1974. The answer was that he was striving for success in the International Six Days Trial aboard a 175cc Bultaco. After six torturous days, all he had to show for it was a bronze medal, but at least he was not among the 62 retirements. Taylor was at the time the major shareholder and corporate head of Cemoto East, the East Coast US importer for Bultaco. He also owned the Full Bore accessories company, with a large range of products mainly sourced from Italy. With America rapidly embracing European style motocross and enduros, it was the right time to be in the…

The Exchange Hotel in Kilcoy, Queensland was established in 1901. It was a bit like a return to its beginning and then a progression to the ‘90s if you looked in the parking area at the front of the hotel on Saturday 22nd February. The hotel is now owned by the Queensland-based Aushotels Group, and the HMCCQ (namely Doug Jolliffe) have worked with the group for events over the last couple of years. It’s a win-win situation where the hotel gains from the extra patronage that our historic motorcycles attract and they in-turn provide us with a free hamburger for lunch. This year the HMCCQ displayed around 100 motorcycles on the day, coming from all corners of the club’s membership. I rode there with eight other Pine Rivers members. Glynn…

Born in Lithgow in 1946, his dad was a hairdresser and a talented foot runner who helped train Marjorie Jackson (the Lithgow Flash). The family moved to western Sydney, setting up a chain of hairdressing salons. Steven prefers Terry as a first name and married his school sweetheart at 18 years of age. Soon after however his wife was tragically killed in a car crash and Terry’s life took a serious blow. He basically left his old life behind and went off to Queensland. He later returned to Sydney and although he still communicated with the family it was only every now and then. He bought an ESO and began speedway riding. Intermittently, Terry would ride the ‘Wall of Death’, a permanent structure at Luna Park in Sydney. Machines at…

• 1-2 March, 2025 – Carnell Raceway, Stanthorpe, Qld A record entry of 80 attended our opening event for 2025 which was great to see. The air was filled with the smell of fresh rubber, fuel, and excitement as riders from all walks of life gathered for what promises to be an action-packed year of racing, camaraderie, and thrilling competition. The club again ran the “come & try” sidecar event, inviting anyone wanting to try some laps as a swinger to sign up, and the response was very pleasing. This year’s Test and Tune day was notable for the influx of new competitors joining the ranks. The addition of these new competitors injected a fresh sense of excitement and energy into the day’s events. Seasoned riders took time to show…

• 22 February 2025 – Kiama, NSW The KCMC annual Tiddlers Rally involved most participants camping at Shoalhaven Caravan Village just out of Nowra, which is where the ride began. We had 70 bikes for the ride on Saturday 22nd February which left around 10am, after bacon and eggs on the barbeque for breakfast. We rode north over the Nowra Bridge then turned east along Bolong Road along the Shoalhaven river. We then turned up Back Forest road and headed north almost to Berry before turning onto Beach Road and heading east again, then finally turning north onto Crooked River Road. This took us into Gerroa where we had lunch at the Gerroa Boat Fishermans Club, a journey of around 35km. Two back-up trailers followed but fortunately were not needed.…

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