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

BLOW YOUR OWN • LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

RARITEE Best Letter

CLASSIC COB • OUT IN THE SHED

The petition to nowhere?

FOMSA delivers the goods • The popular and well-supported Festival of Motorcycling South Australia (FOMSA) has donated the profits from its 2022 event to regular charity partner, the South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).

Sammy’s museum is tops • At a ceremony in London’s Pall Mall in November 2022, the Royal Automobile Club’s Historic Awards crowned Sammy Miller MBE Winner in the Collections Category.

Roger’s gong • Roger Alan Foy was a recipient of an Order of Australia medal on the 26th January 2023 for services to Automotive History.

Bantams bombard All British Day • The reinstated All British Day at Echunga, South Australia, on March 5th is shaping up to be a massive celebration of one of the world’s most popular motorcycles, the BSA Bantam.

British Motorcycle Day • British Motorcycle Day was inaugurated as one of the events within the South Australian Festival of Motorcycling of 2022.

Easter Broadford is go! • Although the annual Broadford Bike Bonanza is taking a break for 2023, there will still be plenty of action at Broadford over Easter.

Longford Expo off – Longford Showcase on! • The planned Longford Grand Prix Expo, set down for 11th and 12th March, has been cancelled.

Hedley J. Cox • The last link with the famous Velocette Racing Department, HEDLEY J. COX, passed away at his home in San Antonio, Texas in October, aged 94.

John Macklin • Former industry identity and sidecar racer JOHN MACKLIN passed away in January, aged 86. His funeral was held in Nowra, attended by a large number of people including many of the friends he made during his years in the motorcycle industry.

BUMMERS FROM BURNIE • Bernie Summers, known far and wide as “Bummers”, has been part of the motorcycling scene as an industry figure and a talented racer for more than 50 years. At one stage he was National Advertising Manager for the defunct but fondly remembered REVS Motorcycle News, the Sydney-based bi-monthly journal that competed for newsagent shelf space with the Melbourne rival Australian Motor Cycle News.

ONE YOU DON’T SEE EVERY DAY • In 2023, it is fitting that we look back on one hundred years of BMW motorcycle production. One of the rarest models is the R66, with just 1669 produced from 1938 to 1941, when BMW’s attention was diverted elsewhere.

Around Oz on a CZ • Seventy years ago, young Martin Kotvojs left no track unexplored in his search for the perfect place to settle down.

Short-lived but sweet • Honda’s baby VF400 was in production for just two years, yet almost 40 years later, has legions of followers world-wide. Finding one is the biggest task.

WHERE THERE’S A WILL THERE’S A WIRRAWAY. • By all accounts Harold Downing was a hard bloke to please, at least where motorcycles were concerned. A keen racer, he was also an inveterate tinkerer; always looking for the competitive edge and/or a preferred solution to a perceived manufacturing shortfall.

Mount Lewis Punchbowl NSW • Back in the ‘thirties, the multi-cultural metropolis that today is Bankstown seemed a long way out of town. Far enough in fact, to host its own Miniature TT...