Old Bike Australasia

Old Bike magazine is a must for those who ride as well as the dedicated enthusiast and rebuilder, covering everything from Vintage to early 1980s bikes - marvel at the restoration of machines that could still sit proudly on the showroom floor. Each issue brings you the latest news and results from recent events, race reports and Rally Roundup, along with new and old bike news and reviews, readers letters, Club Directory, What’s On and much, much more.

EDITOR’S LETTER

Old Bike Australasia • NUMBER 110

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

OUT IN THE SHED

BSA International Rally set to go

Subscription enquiries

The Lawrence boys scoop the pool

Speedway Museum shuts

New arrivals at Bathurst

Festival of Motorcycling SA The countdown

Harley downsizes!

Ken’s trophies back home

Salty Creek celebrated

BUZZ BOX Under the Chequered Flag

PARAGON OF CONSISTENCY • Popping champagne corks provided the motivation but nothing matched the influx of prizemoney to keep the wheels turning.

The Boys’ Racer • In the annals of motorcycle racing, which goes back to the first time two motorcycle riders perchance encountered each other, there have been some legendary models, without which, motorcycle racing itself, and particularly Grand Prix racing would have been entirely different. Here we are not talking about exotic works specials, but bikes produced on a limited basis and available for purchase by those with the wherewithal or influence to get hold of one. There’s nothing like having access to the latest model to gain an advantage, even a psychological advantage.

A LINE IN THE SAND • Nearly 20 years before the ZRX 1200R was released, the styling trend had been launched as the Z1000R (KZ1000R in USA) or more familiarly, the Eddie Lawson Replica. The one-litre job soon became the ZRX1100, then the ultimate naked in 1200 form.

An Indian uprising • Few motorcycle brands have had such a turbulent history as Indian.

Nature versus motorcycling

AN ELEPHANT RESCUE • Abandoned motorcycles used to be reasonably common, along with other things like urban blocks of land, cheap beer, Australian-made cars, and good manners in adolescents. Old motorcycles were easy to store, dismantled and shoved under the house, or even just propped up against a tree until a choko vine engulfed it. After a time, most would be unearthed, usually by a subsequent generation, then thrown out, sold, restored or badly rebuilt in a non-original form.

WHEN SIZE DOES MATTER • It’s likely one of those grainy black and white pictures of a motorcycle that most of us have seen in one place or another, but equally likely not a motorcycle (or its creator) we may know much about. Having said that, while doing research for this article, it does appear that the size of Roadog diminishes somewhat in comparison to the conjecture surrounding the life and times of its creator, William “Wild Bill” Gelbke.

A stylish scoot • There is a vast array of so-called maxi-scooters (Yamaha prefers the term Sport Scooters) on the market now, and for good reason, or reasons. Like it or not, much of our motoring is done in urban environments, and that means traffic, stop-go, staying alert, having eyes in the back of your head. So when your means of transport is a multi-tasker that is as comfortable nicking down to the shops or doing longer runs, that’s a big consideration. Add the weather protection that is basically built in to the scooter design, and it makes the unit even more versatile.

Old BIKE Out’n’about • Welcome to Old Bike Australasia Out’n’about – a forum of people, places, history and happenings.

The Father of Longford • During the 1930s a group of very talented motorcyclists were often out on rides together with many photos of them on trips to...