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News Jan 2025
Exercising
the fleet, January 31
What do you do with a bunch of bikes sitting there quietly rusting away in the shed? Take them for a run, of course!
Gold
Wing run – geography soup, Jan 31
There
are times when I wonder if there is a deliberate
plot underway to confuse and baffle tourists. See
the latest from our road diary.
Gold
Wing run – on the shellfish trail, Jan 30
Giant shellfish, lousy fuel consumption, no cruise
control and fabulous reliability. We've hit the road in
earnest for the 50th anniversary Gold Wing run. See our road
diary.
Gold
Wing 50th anniversary pre-run, Jan 29
We're in sunny and humid
Queensland taking the mighty 1975 Gold Wing GL1000
for a brief shake-down before its 2000km 50th
anniversary run back home.
See
the start of the road diary.
Yamaha
SR500 comparo, Jan 29
Classic Two Wheels
has published a comprehensive set of period reviews of
the mighty Yamaha SR500E of 1978, including a
comparison with a 1952 Matchless single.
It's well
worth having a cruise through – you'll find it here.
Plus, see
the story in the SR500 in our shed.
(Ben Galli pic)
Gold
Wing lands, Jan 28
Our 1975 Honda Gold Wing
has arrived in Brisbane, in the care of John from Bike
Logisitics.
We're here for a couple
of days and then head south back to Melbourne.
The Gold Wing turns 50
this year and we're doing this trip to celebrate.
Go
Show Bimota auction, Jan 26
The Bimota SB8K famously used by Australian Anthony
Gobert to seal an incredible World Superbikes race win at
Phillip Island, in 2000, is up for auction on Feb 16 in
the UK via Iconic.
Its pre-sale estimate is Au$160-200,000 (US$100-125,000,
GB£80-100,000).
See a brief video
summary of the Phillip Island heat won by Gobert.
And the mcnews
summation of the round.
More on the
Suzuki TL1000-powered Bimota SB8 from Motorcycle
Specs.
See the Bimota
YB11 that was in our shed.
Six
run, Jan 25
Our 'new' 1982 Honda
CBX1000C is registered, so we finally got to go for a
bit of a play.
The previous owner
promised that he had sorted out the suspension and the
thing rides beautifully. It now has respectable
handling for its size and era, with a silky smooth and
punchy motor.
We'll bring you more
once we spend more time on it.
In the
meantime, see our previous CBX1000B.
Buell
Lightning – today's tempter, Jan 24
We'll confess to having
a big soft spot for Buells of this era. They were
fast, well-sorted and thoroughly entertaining.
The model you see here, the XB12Ss
Lightning Long has that little bit of extra room
which we reckon makes it as a road bike.
This 2007 example on bikesales,
which comes across as being well looked-after, is
on the
market at $14,000 (US$9000, GB£7000).
Potentially a lot of bang for the buck.
See our
profile on the air-cooled series.
Flashback:
Laverda legend, Jan 23
Outlandish and brutal, and designed for the alpine roads on their back doorstep, the 750 SFC was the ultimate early 1970s factory racer. See the story by Ian Falloon.
Black
Bomber birthday, Jan 22
Honda's CB450 twin, aka
the Black Bomber, celebrates 60 years this year. At
the time it was seen as a breakthrough model for the
maker, giving it a high-tech mid-sized twin with
100mph-plus performance and aimed very much at the
all-important USA market.
We have a
profile page with links to stories and videos – see
it here.
Thanks to Andrew Percy for the
tip
Millyard
monster for auction, Jan 21
One of Allen Millyard's
remarkable home-built four-cylinder Kawasaki H2 1000cc
two-strokes is coming up for auction in the USA. See the lot
here.
It's being offered by
Mecum on January 31, as part of the much larger and incredible
Mitzel Builders collection.
Millyard has built four of these
machines, based on the Kawasaki triple.
See his
video on a similar example.
Big
dollar Hondas, Jan 20
Would you pay around Au$50,000 (US$31,000, GB£25,000) for an early Honda CB750-Four?
That's the offer for a couple of
K0s currently on the market. The one
in blue is with Ebay in the UK and is said
to be the first machine built for that market,
arriving in 1970. That suggests it's not
particularly early in the overall production, so
we can't see anyone outside the UK paying that
sort of money.
While it might have been the first
K0 built for the UK, it wasn't the first in the
country. That was
a prototype machine which went through
various hands until it was sold in 2018 for
Au$309,000 (US$192,000, GB£157,500).
The red
example is with bikesales in Australia
and claims to be a 'sandcast' example and built
within the first 1000 machines. At Au$53k it's
probably a better proposition on the international
market and is below what we've seen spent on
high-end restorations for the very early bikes.
Another
'sandcast' was sold by Gooding & Co in
the USA last year for Au$51,300 (US$31,900,
GB£26,100).
By way of contrast, our lovely gold 1971 K1 cost around Au$15,000 (US$9300, GB£7600) several years ago...that'll do. See the story on this bike.
Thruxton
time, Jan 19
Soon joining our fleet
is one of these, a 2016 Triumph Thruxton R. Old mate
John 'Wharfy' Waugh, a key Two Wheels magazine
staffer in its heyday, has owned it since new and
retired it in his shed a few years ago.
We dropped in on him during the
Perth Run in late 2023 and got to eyeball the
bike during that visit.
It will be an
interesting project to see what it needs to get up and
running again, once it arrives in a couple of weeks.
This model has been on
our radar since launch, as it happened to be a
particularly well-developed variant of the 1200 twin
platform.
Triumph announced a final
edition in October 2023 and we were sorely
tempted to snap up one. We've since heard that the
factory will soon release a 400 Thruxton single.
No matter, we now have a low-miler 1200 arriving – more to come...
See our
video review of this model.
Chasing
the misfire, Jan 18
Today's shed task was chasing a misfire in our recently-acquired 1982 Honda CBX1000C. While it ran well when I first viewed it a couple of weeks ago, it had since developed a stumble and clearly wasn't happy. Start-up was crotchety while cylinder number two simply wasn't playing.
As with a lot of bikes this age that spend most of their time sitting idle, your first suspect is fuel even if it has recently been topped up with fresh stuff. We drained the tank, put in 95 RON bought from a BP outlet that day and cleaned all six spark plugs – a straight-forward but laborious task.
And the end result? We were rewarded with a very happy machine enjoying a silky engine idle once it was up to temperature. Perfect.
We'll bring you more once we register it and go out for a
play.
FireBlade
in a crate, Jan 17
If there's one thing
that gets the auction world excited, it's an ageing
motorcycle still in crate. Today's example is this, a
2005 Honda CBR1000RR in Repsol livery.
Iconic in
the UK is offering it for sale on February 16,
with an estimate of Au$20-30,000 (US$12-18,000,
GB£10-15,000). We suspect it will reach the upper
end of that range.
See the review of this model via Bennetts.
And our review on
the first-gen 900RR from 1992.
The Beattie Files: Homecoming
heart-stoppers, Jan 16
Back in 2003, young Mr
Beattie tackled organising a giant crew of Aussies
and Kiwis to fly across the Pacific for the Harley
Homecoming Tour, celebrating a century of the
marque.
So, 350-odd riders
(some very odd) being shipped across the planet with
their bikes, determined to have a good time.
And the result? Heaps
of generosity, a few arrests plus lots of great
memories...see the
story here.
More
thrills and spills from the Beattie files
Winging
it to Brisbane, Jan 15
Meet Tony from Bike Logisitics, who has just loaded up our 1975 Honda GL1000 for a trip to Brisbane.
Have we sold it? Perish the thought! We're meeting it up
there and will be riding it back home to Melbourne over
several days as part of our little celebration of 50 years
of Gold Wing. Watch this space...
In the meantime,
see our GL1000 profile.
Flashback:
Hannibal the Hayabusa, Jan 14
It's near enough to 22 years since we bought Hannibal the Hayabusa and handed it over to the legendary Phil Tainton to warm it up so it produced 208.9hp at the back tyre.
Lots of other bikes have come and gone over that period,
but happily this one remains in the shed and it has
since been joined by two more! Here's the story
on it.
Plus, see our
Hayabusa resources page
Pic by Lou Martin
Flashback:
Troubled touring, Jan 13
A Kawasaki Z400, a hitchhiker, a
Gladstone bag and a dog...it was a big day out. See the Travels with
Guido story, here.
CeeBee
cafe capers, Jan 12
How much for the
CB750-Four cafe racer? Every now and then the USA
auction site Bring a Trailer pops up a sales result
that defies logic and this is one of them.
Beautifully crafted, this machine
fetched a staggering Au$49,600 (US$30,500,
GB£25,000). See the
lot here.
And since we're on the topic of
CB750 cafe racers, we were quite taken with this
twin-cam example, recently
featured by Bikebound.
See our
Honda CB750-Four profile
Terrific
& tactile Ducati, Jan 11
One of a handful of
bikes we dragged out of the shed today for a gallop,
our early Varese-built Ducati 916 circa 1995.
The company moved on to
bigger and better things a long time ago, but now into
its third decade the 916 remains a terrific and
tactile thing to ride.
See a little more about this bike, here.
A quick
overview of the model;
And the
story on the Senna version.
Random
ad for the day: Flying Triumph, Jan 10
We love the quirky nature of this ad, which we're guessing is circa 1955 featuring a Speed Twin. It's by Johnson Motors, which was then the west coast USA Triumph distributor.
See the Classic
Bike Hub feature on this model.
See our host of
Triumph features.
Seaside
CBX, Jan 9
A trip to the seaside, picking up a Honda CBX1000C along
the way – a simple and enjoyable plot for the day. We'll
bring you more once we've had a play with it.
Moto
Guzzi Daytona 1000 – today's tempter, Jan 8
Good examples of Moto Guzzi's epic Daytona 1000 don't
exactly grow on trees. Total production was a mere 1300
across the entire series.
Thanks in part to the steep retail price – Au$23,000 plus
on-road costs back in 1992-94 – Australian sales numbers
were very modest as the country was clambering out of a
recession.
This 1994 model, based in NSW, has a good local history
and is available via bikesales
for Au$22,000 (US$13,700, GB£11,000). It's now old
enough for concessionary club or historic registration in
all states.
We're fans of the
'Dr John' series and own one – see the profile.
BMW
Dakar legend, Jan 6
With wild graphics,
giant fuel tank, bullbars, Paralever rear end and
panniers, the BMW R100GS Paris-Dakar seemed to have it
all when launched back in 1988.
These days they have
become a target for restorers, thanks to their growing
status as a collectible.
We bought one in Alice
Springs some years ago and had a great old time with
it. See the
two-part story here;
Not
the Brough, Jan 4
Hands up if you've heard of a Banquer Superior...yep, we thought as much. USA-based custom motorcycle builder Gwen Banquer built a few of these back around 2005.
Powered by a RevTech 100ci (1639cc) V-twin, and using a transmission from the same supplier, it was intended to replicate a circa 1930 Brough Superior.
Mecum has this one coming up for auction, as part of a much larger and eclectic collection.
Big
banger bevel, Jan 3
It's funny to see how time heals some wounds and
reputations. Ducati copped a bit of a hiding from
reviewers when it launched the S2 900 back in 1982. Why?
Because it was the successor to the legendary 900SS and
had been restricted a little to meet emerging
international emission laws. At the time, lots of car and
motorcycle makers were dealing with the same issues.
Oh, and the styling was less hard-edged. We like it.
Anyway here's the thing: 900SS prices have gone nuts. A
well sorted S2 running a reworked frame and a later
development of the engine now offers a similar (arguably
better) riding experience for a whole lot less cash. You
can even get one with electric start!
This example in Queensland is said to have been
well-sorted, with some upgrades to ensure it breathes as
that bevel engine should. And yes, it has an electric leg.
It's priced at Au$26,500 (US$16,500, GB£13,300). See it on bikesales.
See our feature
on the Imola-winning motorcycle that started the whole
bevel V-twin legend.
Farewell
Osama, Jan 2
The long-term leader of Suzuki,
Osama, passed away in the closing days of 2024. Advrider provided this
profile.
See our
Suzuki GSX-R1100 profile.
New
year ride, Jan 1
First ride for the new year, on
the always-entertaining Moto Guzzi Daytona 1000.
See our
profile on this model.
Near
miss, Dec 31
A recent rejection reminded us of just
how easy it is to end up costing yourself a lot of
time and money...see the
story here.
See the
CBX six that was in our shed.
Rocket
Roadster, Dec 29
Remember the Triumph
Rocket III Roadster, launched in 2010? Powered by a
lively 2.3lt triple, it was a formidable bit of kit
back then and remains so today.
They've dropped in price
over the years to the point where they now offer a lot
bang for the buck. This 2014 example claims just under
5000km (3100 miles) and is on the market at Au$14,990
(US$9300, GB£7400).
We did a video review on
them way back in
2013 – see it here.
Airhead
take 3, Dec 28
Our third airhead, a BMW R75/6, has turned out to be a
bit of a gem. See our quick
video review.
We've also
recently installed a new exhaust system – see the
story.
See our
earlier feature on this bike.
Red
ride, Dec 27
Have been out and about
today, playing with the mighty Kawasaki ZX-12R – it's
still a fabulous thing to ride.
Next year it's eligible
for club plates in Vic.
Plus the
ZX-12R model profile.
Living
in the Seventies, Dec 26
From our archives: a day
in the shed with our Honda CB750-Four K1, Norton
Commando MkIII and first-model Honda Gold Wing. See the
story, here.
Flashback:
a Christmas wish, Dec 24
Here's our
traditional Christmas column, folks. All the
best for the season...
Exotic
V-twin classics for Vegas, Dec 24
Cyclone, Brough Superior, BSA, Crocker, Husky and Royal
Enfield...there is a wealth of exotic V-twins coming up
for auction via Mecum in Las Vegas at the end of next
January. See our
story
BMW
R1150GS workshop, Dec 22
Our 2001 BMW R1150GS
recently developed an issue with the clutch slave
cylinder and generally needed a bit of a 'birthday'. We took the
opportunity to chat with Chris at BM Motorcycles,
a workshop on Melbourne's outer east, to find out more
about the care and feeding of the species.
Collectible
Hayabusa, Dec 22
Here's proof that
collectors are eyeing off the first-gen the Hayabusa,
if it's the right example. This is a USA-only variant,
produced in 2003 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of
the subsidiary US Suzuki Motor Corporation.
It's an
unused example with 5 miles on the odometer and was
sold by Bring a Trailer for Au$35,000
(US$22,000, GB£17,500).
See our
Hayabusa resources page.
Boxer
pipes, Dec 21
With a few hours of
loose time on our hands we managed to sling the new
stainless steel exhaust system, which arrived months
ago, on to our lovely 1975 BMW R75/6.
A tidy survivor rather
than a show piece, it was let down by a set of exhaust
pipes which were succumbing to age and by now were
being held together by delicate welded repairs and
optimism.
The shiny new set was
made by Keihan
Systems in the UK, bought via Motor Works (a
third-party retailer), and has so far met our
expectations. We'll bring you more on that, soon...
See our
previous story on this bike, aka the accidental
boxer.
Blackbird
by the numbers, Dec 20
One of the long-term quiet achievers in our shed, a first-gen Honda Blackbird. Here's what we thought after giving it a workshop 'birthday'...
Norton
V8 trials, Dec 17
The ongoing mission to
revive the legendary Norton Nemesis 1500cc V8 recently
struck a snag when it refused to run cleanly.
Allen Millyard, arguably
the motorcycle world's most-loved engineer, has posted
a video on its recent showing at the huge NEC show in
the UK and his subsequent reworking of the fuel
injection system, along with the ECU.
Oh, and he's been in for
a service as well, plus we get the all-important
hedgehog report...see the video
on YouTube.
See our
Norton Commando profile
Heavy
hitter, Dec 16
Flashback: Kawasaki’s 1988 ZX-10 third-gen liquid-cooled rocketship offers a lot of bang for the buck in a very eighties package...see the story.
Retro
rotary, Dec 15
Here's something you don't often see out and about: Suzuki's first-model RE5 rotary in fairly complete shape. This example could use a new seat cover and reproductions are readily available.
It's on the
market with Bikesales at $13,990.
According to one passionate owner in the USA: “It takes
off like a two-stroke, yet it is smooth and does
everything well. It is a stupendous motorcycle and if you
did the maintenance, it is bulletproof. I know of one RE5
that has been ridden for more than 200,000 miles.”
That Cycle
News story is linked from our profile of the model.
Sidewinder
stunner, Dec 13
This easily qualifies as our pic of the year, even if it
is from 1978. G&G's Cycle
Works on Facebook posted it with the explanation:
Driver Jim Anderson, passenger Steven Black at East
Fortune Circuit in East Lothian, Scotland 1978. It brings
new meaning to the term Scotch mist.
Dan Jess took the shot.
MV
Agusta is on its own, Dec 12
The ongoing issues with
KTM's financial survival, via the Pierer Mobility
Group, have inevitably spread to its recent majority
acquisition of MV Agusta.
Pierer has today
announced that the Italian marque is no longer
considered a core asset, which seems like a polite way
of saying the latter is on its own.
A labor union-supported website for
workers at MV Agusta reinforces this view: "For
2025, MV Agusta plans to produce around 3000
motorcycles, with the start of actual production set
for mid-March. In the meantime, it will be essential
to sell the approximately 2000 motorcycles currently
unsold. At the same time, the company is focusing on
training and development to overcome the mistakes of
the past, when it depended on external sources for
cash flow."
See the MV
Agusta stories on our features page
The
life of Brian – Nabiac motorcycle museum, Dec 12
With some 800 machines in the collection, the privately-owned National Motorcycle Museum in Nabiac (NSW) is a true Aladdin's cave for motorcyclists. What drives someone to do this? We have a quick chat with the owner.
Auction
update: how's the market? Dec 10
While there's always an
element of reading tea leaves when it comes to talking
about the motorcycle market, and particularly
auctions, the latest Donington event supports our
theory that there's still life in there – for the
right motorcycle.
Classic quick spin: ride it
like a Honda, Dec 7
Post WWII optimism meets some modern
re-engineering. That seems to work, though the idea of
riding a Sunbeam S7 like a Honda is brave...see the story here.
Flashback:
Gamma racer, Dec 6
Suzuki’s ultimate GP replica from the 1980s has a lot to offer the collector. See our profile.
Triumph
T300 titans, Dec 6
Triumph's revival as an
active motorcycle constructor from the early 1990s was
built on the modular T300 three- and four-cylinder
range. The good folk at Hinckley came up with big
tough toys, like the Daytona 1200 in the pic, that
made a lot of people happy.
Donington Auctions has
two examples on offer: a Speed Triple and Daytona
Super III. See the
auction cattledog.
Pic by Stuart Grant
Farewell
Mary, Dec 6
Legendary American
motorcycle racer Mary McGee has passed away at age 87.
A talented road racer, she was famously urged by her
friend Steve McQuen to try desert racing.
In 1975, she became the first person to complete the gruelling Baja 500 solo. The norm for the time was to run two-rider teams.
The final twist in a
colourful life was that she died just as a documentary
on her career was to be released.
Mick's
adventure tourer, Dec 4
Let's just imagine you're one of the country's most experienced motorcycle industry faces, with decades of achievement, including running a championship-winning superbike team. And you decide to have a crack at a cross-continent ride that pretty much defines the whole adventure touring gig.
What do you take?
If you're young Mick Hone of the
eponymous Suzuki dealership, you select a V-Strom
800DE and then go to town with factory and aftermarket
gear to fine-tune the package to your tastes. He was kind
enough to sling muggins the keys while we had a 25th
anniversary Hayabusa in for a service and so we got to
have a quick play with it.
The set-up is really well thought-out (as you'd expect)
and we'll soon bring you a report. Watch this space...
See the Suzuki
Australia V-Strom 800DE home page
See our Hayabusa
resources page
Set
your Wing free, Dec 4
With not one but two 1975 Honda GL1000 Gold Wings in the shed (?!), including a museum piece we recently bought, it was time to make the harsh decision to let one go.
A shame, given it and its near cousin are coming up for their 50th birthday next year, but we're only prepared to buy one cake…
And so we've sent the blue bird you see here off to Donington Auctions, having just spent a fair bit of time and money sorting it.
And the full auction cattledog.
Rubber
side down, Dec 3
This Continental ad with
the chunky tyres from 1969 hints at adventure touring
before we had a label for it. Though these days you
might think twice about straying off the tar or into
the snow if you were on the now very collectible BMW
R69S road burner.
See the 1962
road test at Cycle World;
And the retro
review by Falloon at MC News.
Meanwhile
Donington has a project up for sale in its current
auction.
1980
Honda CBX1000B sixer start and walk-around, Dec 3
Early eighties techno extravagance at its
best with Honda's 24-valve inline six CBX1000B, the
second-gen sports-touring version.
See our
profile on this machine.
It's on the
market with Donington Auctions, in Melbourne,
Australia;
See the full
auction cattledog.
Flashback: FJ flyer, Dec 2
Bloody good though not perfect, Yamaha's early FJ series
produced a string of stylish and ultra-reliable machines
that did much to establish the fast sports-tourer market
segment across the mid-1980s and well beyond.
See our profile of the FJ1100/1200 cruise missiles.
Bimota
YB11 on the block, Dec 1
Up for auction with Donington – a 1997 Bimota YB11.
Sunbeam
start-up, Dec 1
Up for auction with Donington – this 1947 Sunbeam S7.
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